[Jardin de Gelée] The Travesty of Frozen Blooms [Open]

[Aydyn Blair]

The Third Cycle of Ponutis
in the Season of Winter

Aydyn had heard much of the Ice Gardens since arriving in Jaedaxia. It seemed not such an exotic thing, perhaps, in the depths of winter, but a garden frozen over for the duration of the winter rather than just one season caused Aydyn some curiosity...and maybe a little concern. After all...this was not a natural thing.

Taking some time from her brightening, Aydyn meandered along the path she had been told led into the gardens themselves. It was snowing. Again. (Did it ever stop?) Aydyn was once more bundled against the cold, the heavy weight of her peridot necklace chilled against the hollow of her throat as the weather bit at the silver metal. To combat the slush in the streets she'd donned pants rather than the skirts she'd taken to lately and she was praising herself for her own intuition--the cuffs were damp and a little muddied.

She stopped as she came to the fringe of the ice gardens, her breath catching in her throat. Her first thought was that it looked...beautiful. Lovely in a strange, somewhat fascinating way. And yet the next moment she felt her heart leaden slightly. How could this be? It perturbed her to view the flowers, lovely and colorful beneath the glitter of ice. They should have died beneath that encasement of ice, and yet they lived. How?

The druidess sank to her knees in front of a bush of ice-grasped roses, the folds of her dark green cloak pooling on the path around her. She tentatively removed the glove from her left hand, the one lacking a finger, and reached a hand out to touch it, her face bent a little close. Was it real? Or some pleasant fiction created by those minded the garden?

[Kel'tha Raveti]

She came at a run, breath curling heavily in the crisp chill of Winter day. Cheeks ever so slightly reddened, giving the impression of life in the statue like lady, Kel'tha slowed, breathing labored.

Dark gold eyes clocked the woman falling to the ground to grab a flower with great concern. It seemed such a curious thing, her touch as gentle as a mother would be with a child. A shiver was sent up her spine as Kel'tha's eyes darkened, not from her own memories, but one that belonged to someone else.

Coughing lightly she stepped forward, a small look of concern on her face.
"Are you alright lady?" Eyeing the ice encased rose in her hand she smiled, touching one that was near her own delicate fingers. "Its like magic, still perfectly well encased in the harshest of environments." A wondrous look passed over the grey features, gold eyes flicking to the crouching woman. "I'm Kel'tha Raveti, its a pleasure, even on such a cold day."

Pulling the long read cloak from the pack she had been carrying, Kel'tha wrapped it gratefully about her shoulders. That was better, the sweat wasn't chilling on her body as much now.

[Aydyn Blair]

Aydyn glanced up sharply as the sound of someone at her side claimed her attention. She almost rushed to her feet, but the woman appeared...harmless? Perhaps it was the wrong choice of words, but she looked as if she offered little by way of danger to a lone druidess in the gardens that brightening. Her fingers had slipped mostly away from the flower, but lingering a little, her fingertips just brushing its cold, glittering surface. She looked back at the blossom and then drew her hand back, fingertips curving into the palm of her hand where the flesh was upraised with a patterned scar. Dharv.

"I'm fine," she responded in reassurance, her voice soft, almost sad. She rose so that she was no longer at a disadvantage of height, but found that even standing she was shorter, if not as dramatically as she'd been crouching.

She looked towards the flower and frowned, pulling on her glove to cover the scar on her palm--a scar she was proud to bear nonetheless--and the missing finger--the thing she was truly discomforted by, if growing more accustomed to it. "It is like magic," she murmured absently, but the furrowing of her brow suggested it troubled her more than it delighted her.

"I'm Aydyn Blair, and it is incredibly chilly." She shivered a little herself, mimicking the young woman's gesture of pulling her own cloak tightly around her body. She was grateful to have the glove back on her hand, if only because her fingertips had begun to grow a little numb.

"Is the whole garden like this?" She gestured towards the roses she had been admiring.

[Willibald O'Dande]

The Third Cycle of Ponutis
in the Season of Winter


Mushrooms! Willi had a hankering for mushrooms , they were tasty fried, better with a bit of bacon but still when you are down on your luck free food is better than no food at all. He had been keeping his ears open during his time in Jaedaxia and the Garden of Frozen Blooms seemed a likely spot to do a bit of rooting around , after all if the flowers were frozen then other stuff might be as well and were there were flowers there might be a few forgotten mushrooms all it needed was a spade!

So it was that very brightening Willi the magnificent strolled into the park with his night soil shifting spade over his shoulder a merry tune on his lips and a rumbling belly.

The ice gardens were truly a strange and wonderful sight . Blooms captured in their magnificence preserved under a sheen of ice but the eccentricities of horticulture were lost on the Halfling , he had more pressing needs. So whistling his tune he began rooting around the base of various bushes looking for a tasty treat for his Pracenda. It was fairly obvious that this was one of those fancy gardens all cultivated and neat not a proper garden with logs and stuff for his prey to hide under but Willi was determined and kept snuffling about like a rumpled baby pig until…..

The sound of conversation came to his ears and he looked up from his labours to see two ladies of fine appearance chatting in the chilly air. Willi enjoyed a crack and pretty girls he liked most of all , they were not Halflings with their special curves and dimpled chins but …they were some one to break his solitary life.

Whipping off the woolly sock that served as a hat he bowed to the ladies and with a twinkle in his eye …. Serale and top of the morning to ye the names Willibald O’Dande and if ye don’t moind me being after disturbing your fine conversation I would like to ask ye if by chance you have noticed any mushrooms in the gardens?

[Viniece]

Viniece had heard about a mirror that could do things to people lying in these gardens that were forever frozen, yet still living. He had refused to believe that a garden could live, yet be forever frozen, but it was true enough. The place was as a sheet of ice, yet underneath the ice, things lived. Even thrived. It had to be arcana.

As Viniece wandered the gardens bemused by the beauty of the frozen flowers and their glittering beauty he slowly came to the realization that he'd gotten himself lost. He was no longer sure where he was in the gardens, and was even less sure how to get back out. He certainly had no clue where the mirror he was looking for was.

As Viniece began to become concerned he might not ever get free of the gardens, he heard the sound of voices. Two female. One male. Perhaps one of them knew where this mirror was. One of the wonderful things about Thelyri hearing is, that once they'd heard something, they know exactly where it is, even should they never hear it again.

As Viniece stepped into the area of the gardens where he'd heard the voices he asked "Mirror?"

Viniece had by this time already decided to wear his clothing most of the time, thus he was clothed in his subdued brown leather shorts and trim sleeveless tunic. He wore his soft soleless leather shoes upon his feet.

[Kel'tha Raveti]

Having only a chance to nod to Aydyn's question, Kel'tha was cut short by a gruff, un-Jaedaxian voice. Turning her head, she didn't see him straight away, the lack of his height disorientating her for a brief moment. Blinking slowly, if not dumbly, she slowly let the question filter into her cold skull. Mushrooms? She was about to answer when a soft, oddly accented voice exclaimed Mirror. So many people out, and at this time of day?

A little lost she did her best.
"Mushrooms, none salvageable in the garden, the general store may have them however. Not really something I enjoy all that much I'm afraid." As to the next question, golden eyes watched the under dressed creature move forward. Big lamp like eyes, in such a dark shade. Tilting her head to one side slightly, as if it would give her a better picture she turned away, looking in each direction in turn.
"The Mirror? Never been there myself, I think its somewhere off yonder." She waved her hand in a souther westerly direction, before smiling apologetically for her lack of knowledge. "I was always told to stay away from the mirror as a child." Nor had she any real reason to go, the world she knew was cold enough, she didn't need to see it any colder.

Looking between the three oddest of companions one would expect to see in Jaedaxia, Kel'tha smiled to herself, intrigued by the mirror seeking creature, and also, by the odd looking, dwarf, given his height. A thousand questions brimmed inside her for all of them, but she bit her tongue. Her questioning often scared people off.

[Willibald O'Dande]

It was getting busier than a washerwoman convention in the garden hordes of folks were joining in the general conversation and none of it made the slightest sense to the Halfling . The pretty elf lady had squashed his hopes of a free mushroom Pracenda but his ears had pricked up at the enigmatic word “mirror” he had at first thought it was the theylri elfs name and had been about to greet him using that name when that theory was shattered .

Willi listened intently to the exchange between the two elves and then piped up again speaking directly first to the Theylri serale good sir , Willibald O’Dande after being at yer service. I hopes you don’t mind sur but what with me being new to this foine city and not being properly acquainted yet can you tell me what this ’ere “mirror” is.

He might be down on his luck at the moment but Willi was always open to the idea of a bit of fun and the hope that the fun might produce a few crowns to boot.

[Aydyn Blair]

ooc: busy week this week, and then vacation all next week, so I'm a bit slow - feel free to talk around me

ic:
The appearance of the halfling took her a bit by surprise, but she smiled at the odd cadence of his voice. Its tone suggested an easiness that reminded Aydyn a bit of the country, a welcome reminder to someone who was starting to feel a little surrounded by cobblestones and stone buildings. The young mother smiled faintly at the cether, mouth opening to respond to his odd query about mushrooms, but found herself beaten there by the young woman she'd only just encountered...and then again by an odd-looking elf of sickly pallored skin.

She looked between the odd group as they spoke quickly amidst one another, unable to really help either cether or elf. She could, of course, conjure some mushrooms of her own, but they were likely enough to disappear after some duration rather than remain permanently in this plane of theirs. It would have been a pointless offer, so she didn't make it.

"You might try one of the local markets for mushrooms, but they're likely to be out of season," she suggested quietly to the cether once there came a slight cessation in the conversation.

Of the mirror she had no inkling. She'd heard of it in passing--how couldn't she, having lived in the city for near on a month--but she had not been to visit it yet. She wasn't quite tempted to either. She had a daughter to provide for and venturing over to some magical obelisk sounded somewhat questionable in its safety. "I heard it's some sort of magical structure in the gardens here. All ice. Beyond that, I have no idea." She shrugged slightly, glancing at the elf to see if he had more information to spare.

[Kel'tha Raveti]

The cold was beginning to bite through the thick red cloak and nip at her pale, stone like skin. She shivered violently.
"I do apologise, but I am cold, I will have to take my leave." With a small bow to the group, Kel'tha hurried back to her home, hoping she still had some coffee and the water tap wasn't frozen again.

OOC: Sorry for the abrupt exit