[PRP] Red Flower, Blue Thorns

[So Long Gay Bowser]

It was not often that Seafoam complained of his living arrangements. So long as he kept personal business away from his work, and gave everything to the craft of healing, Swamp Witch was a tolerable mother. Perhaps a bit distant from what he had hoped, but concerning his own mother refused to speak with him, she was an acceptable substitute. On the rare occasion he did slip up in his work... Seafoam shuddered at the thought. Last time he'd screwed up, he had been rewarded the the wondrous opportunity to prune the poisonous plants of their glade.

So today, he was most certainly not messing things up.

Quick as he could, Seafoam had carefully abandoned the dark thick of the swamp, and made his way for the brighter parts. It was an adjustment, certainly. His eyes had to filter back to seeing typical light, and he no longer had to step every-which way in a near-dance to avoid this plant or that animal corpse. So many bones, he sighed to himself. So many bones.

It was a simple enough quest. There was a great red flower, somewhere in the swamp, whose leaves could be ground and applied to soothe pain. So of course, Seafoam had been sent to retrieve it. (I can't leave my work! Are you stupid?! This salve can turn if I don't watch it closely!)

His ears drooped, and Seafoam sighed to himself. A simple quest, yes... if only he could remember where the darn thing was meant to be!  

[Chrystali]

It was the time of day to feed her ward, spurring them both across the quieter stretches of the swamp to find where it was a bit more lively with prey. She never quite knew how the scaled creature kept up, or if perhaps it was leading, but it was always near by. Fluke would never make the mistake of thinking otherwise again, and had paid for that lesson with her eyes.

The rustling was easy to pick out, searching for sounds as they were. It wasn't until they'd come closer that she realized it was hardly prey that was heard, surprising her. He was easy to hear; his hoof steps seemed uneven, almost uncertain, as if he wasn't used to crossing the terrain. They were light - which said much of his build and poise - but unmistakable. The sigh that he uttered was almost as audible. She hadn't run into anykin in this part of the swamp in...perhaps the entire time she'd been there. She hoped this one was a bit friendly than the other two.

"Is all well?" she asked softly, a small distance behind him. She stopped when she spoke, one dainty leg forward, head tilted in the direction she thought he was. The alabaster caiman was in the low reeds near by and slightly in front of her, watching.

Moonstone Dazzle

 

[So Long Gay Bowser]

At the sound of another's voice, Seafoam whirled about in shock to stare at the doe, having thought himself alone. Her coat was a dusky brown, and she was a rather lovely thing- suited to the bright tones of the swamp, and the softer world beyond his own. Blinking several times to make certain that he was not hallucinating better company (it was most certainly a strong possibility. With the things Swamp Witch had asked him to taste in the past, hallucinations were something he had to consider). Given a moment, the doe seemed of flesh and blood, and Seafoam offered her a nervous smile.

"I didn't interrupt your hunting, did I? I apologize." How long had it been since he'd shared the company of someone beyond Swamp Witch? He loved the mother-figure he'd adopted, but... pleasant company was a welcome change. If he didn't scare her off, anyway! Setting his hooves down more assuredly, Seafoam gestured towards the open wilds.

"I was hoping to locate a certain flower, but if you were in need of a meal, I'd be happy to assist in helping you find one. I've been rather noisy, after all." That much, he could admit. In darkness he was fine, but the brighter world of the swamp beyond had him on pins and needles. Come to think of it, he'd probably already broken more tree branches than his teacher would ever forgive...

"And if I may- what's your name?"  

[Chrystali]

Her poise shifted to correction, her head turning just so to better face the sound of his voice, her tail swaying low and then resting now that there seemed to be no cause for immediate movement. His smile and gestures, though well intended, went without a reaction, her pale eyes fixated. She blinked, once or twice, but otherwise remained still. It was, perhaps, the way that one reacted when they were used to being prey or treated as such.

"I am Fluke," she finally spoke after considering all he had said, finding his voice pleasing, if not a touch nervous. An echo of herself. "You interrupt nothing and are hardly noisy - a welcome surprise, if anything. It's been rather quiet out here for...some time." She couldn't say how many days had passed; she'd given up counting her bouts of sleep and how many times the sun touched her fur. It was all relative when you couldn't witness its passing.

The caiman took a waddling step, and her tail twitched; the reptile remained where it was. "My Ward here is in need of being fed, but it is not an immediate need, so please, don't stray from your own path on our behalf." And for what felt like the first time in a very long time indeed, the doe flickered a smile, lifting her chin slightly. "If, ah...you are going in the direction of the lake -- I think it's a lake -- we could, perhaps, keep you company?"

Her tail swayed to the side again, curious, anticipating. Not many would want to be slowed down by a blind doe, but it hadn't deterred her yet.  

[So Long Gay Bowser]

"Fluke? An interesting name from that MotherFather," he intoned gently, cocking his head to the side. He and Swamp Witch had often discussed the importance of names, of the gifts the swamp had given them. Swamp Witch, of course, shared a name with the blessed swamp they lived in. And he... he dreamt of faraway waters, of tides he would never see. To meet a kin named Fluke... what a strange and wondrous creature she was.

Seafoam's gaze shifted from the wonderful doe to her companion at its entrance, and Seafoam offered it a nervous smile. Another reptile-lover. Like his own mentor. He was more fond of birds, and lovely things. But to each their own- he wasn't going to look down on the doe for her tastes.

The lake...? A frown touched Seafoam's features as he realized that he had absolutely no idea where the doe was hoping to go. Digging a hoof uncertainly in the dirt, Seafoam glanced between the caiman and her.

"I'll admit, this... isn't where I'm from. My mentor sent me out this way," He admittedly sheepishly, ears drooping in embarrassment. "But I'd be more than happy to help you find the lake."  

[Chrystali]

A faint chuckle followed his observation of her name. "They work in mysterious ways, don't They?" Not that Fluke could easily give voice to her dream. She could try to explain it but it hadn't made sense until it had happened - she had fulfilled the start of her life when her sight was taken. The rest...she was feeling out, for better or for worse - the likes of which was ultimately up to her.

She did not comment when he did not share his name - to each their own, in the end. The doe subtly shook her head at his words, offering a kinder smile. "My Ward is not in need of my escort, if they are hungry. But you -- you've a mission, from an important one?" A mentor, he'd said. Curious. "If you are going in the same direction, perhaps I can help? I can't spot anything you might be trying to seek or learn, but I can at least give you company and insight." There was a slight lilt to the last words that suggested she hadn't entirely thought out that sentence before she said it, amusing herself a little. The blind leading the blind, as it were.

The caiman either understood or simply didn't care for the conversation, shuffling in the sparse grass to glide over the swamp floor in the direction previously intended. Fluke's ears shifted to the side, beginning to follow her pale reptilian protector. "Please forgive my ignorance of the locale. I can't tell you if it's a lake or a pool or a mire, but I can tell you what's good and safe there, for what it's worth."