hery
the fool
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MOOD: perturbed
OUTFIT: imagine something fancy
LOCATION: fae -
basics
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MENTIONS:
Violetta, Eudora
INT:
@ravensunset
@baby blue jay
mother of sorrows
.V1LLAINISM._
erzulie
xayah.
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tags
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TL;DR no
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tl;dr
Dario
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The Ambassador
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The Ambassador
There were whispers in the forest. Be it the hushed chittering in the underbrush or the crunch of detritus below, all of the formless sounds of the woods danced around Dario's ears like the wind that swept through the trees.
It was nothing like the dull murmurs that permeated throughout what was once the humans' grand, towering castle. Around every ornate, stone corner was a voice far too low to make out, even with every last strain of the ear. It was one of the first differences Dario noticed upon his arrival. The voices he had grown accustomed to were more than audible, but words alone were never enough to sufficiently pry. Humans liked to hide their thoughts even from the mice that sat in the walls, but it was never their voices that gave them away.
It was those flimsy, transparent guises crudely plastered onto their exteriors.
Though he could feel several pairs of eyes on his back, the lone fae did not shorten his tread, nor did he care to listen to the array of new voices that cropped up from behind. Those piercing, wide-eyed gazes burned into his flesh, laced with an accusation that had yet to even form in their minds. Even as the three haphazardly made their way out of the crumbling castle, Dario could not help but ponder for a moment just how this would be explained.
The first round of rationalization always began with the fae, which wasn't something the sharp-tongued ambassador could entirely blame them for. While he had no personal interest in toying with lesser beings, he could easily name about forty fae who, given the chance, would immediately do so with a smile. Not that there weren't a few particularly screwed-up humans that also came to mind. Then again, would they still be alive? Most of those fickle creatures wasted away at the blink of an eye.
But those brief companions were no longer of any importance. Dario had what he needed and thus: out of sight, out of mind.
Direct sunlight was scarce thanks to the looming forestry, but the well-dressed fae (perhaps too much for a tramp through the woods) nonetheless managed to carve a path through the bushes. Above were dark, gnarled branches that seemed to beckon every which way with rigid fingers. Heaving a sigh of annoyance, Dario creased his brows and jerked his head to the left, visualizing a blue flicker of light in the distance.
And then it was so. Past a few trees was a pulsating wisp, whose dim light illuminated a small radius ahead. And then another, and another further, until he actually seemed to be getting somewhere. The bead was faint, and that was precisely why it led so many fatally curious travelers off the beaten path. Most often, it was just another instance of fae trickery, but this one served a purpose.
"Ambassador!" a voice called out, startling Dario. Surely this was not the same woman who had just minutes ago suggested a stroll in the opposite direction? This time, he let out a more audible grunt of annoyance, then slunk with a heightened sense of haste through the trees. He glanced back once, only to ensure that the blue wisps were being properly extinguished.
He did not need to be found, nor did the remaining humans need to find him. Dario had to hand it to this "Violetta" character; she truly was a stubborn soul, even in the most dire of crises. He would have admired the quality had it not posed a thorn in his side.
"Good day, princess!" he shouted back, trudging along to the best of his urgent abilities, "One should know better than to pursue a trail of wisps, lest a devil comes andβ" He grunted as he tripped over a log in his haste. "βeats you alive!" A cheap bluff, but he wouldn't be saying it if it wasn't at least a little rooted in the truth.
At last, the trail met its end as Dario landed upon a foxhole in the ground. Though the majority of the tight entrance was covered by a mass of bramble and thick roots, a glittery surface could be observed from within. Like a child greedily digging for treasure, the panting fae immediately dropped to his knees and set to work tearing the brown foliage away.
Now that a small entrance could be properly viewed, Dario felt more like a rabbit escaping a predator. While he was still outside on his knees, he gave one final look back, then slipped his head into the hole which, despite all faint glittering, was really just an entrance to a wall of green, tangled vines.
Dario held his breath as his full body dove into the dense mess of vegetation, marveling at the strange shimmering that coated its entirety. Effortlessly, he swam through the climbing stems, letting them propel his body forward until, finally, he was thrust out into the light.
With a large gasp, the raven-haired man's eyes shot open, taking in the familiar scenery. It was still forest, but anyone with a pair of working eyes could tell that everything was not quite right, at least by human standards. To Dario, it was a taste of home.
He looked down at his clothes, which showed no sign of tatter from his crawl. The only signs of dirt and wear were from the rest of his journey out of the castle and through the woods. Now that he could settle properly, Dario found that his feet ached considerably. But that little excursion was over, and so a short rest was in order.
That was... a series of close calls.
code by valen t.
