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thehighlandhealer · 8 years ago

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Honeysuckle in the Snow || Bronwyn & Tobias

Bronwyn: -Might be sneakily making it snow-

Tobias: There is a man in the woods trying to build a snow fence around his tree.

Bronwyn: She comes to a stop in surprise. She didn't expect to see someone out here this early in the morning. And certainly not when she'd indulged herself by wearing a floor length cloak.

"Good mornin'."

Tobias: The Ananasi jolted with a start, breath caught in his chest. He should have been paying more attention.

"Good m - oh. Good morning."

Bronwyn: "Didn't think I'd run into anyone at this hour." She smiled at his fence. "Enjoyin' the snow?"

Tobias: "I - I hear it doesn't last around this area."

Bronwyn: "Somethin' tells me it will this year."

Tobias: He took a deep breath and smiled. "Yes. It will."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn grinned back and held out a hand. "I'm Bronwyn by the way."

Tobias: Ah, he knew this custom. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "I'm - I'm... Tobias."

Bronwyn: Oh! Well wasn't that a pleasant surprise?

"It's lovely to meet ye, Tobias. Do ye live around here?"

Tobias: "I...live here."

Bronwyn: "In the woods?"

Tobias: "Yes."

Bronwyn: She looked around. There was nothing but trees in every direction. "Where's yer cabin?"

Tobias: "I-I ... I'm going to build it...someday."

Bronwyn: "Seems to be a popular option in this town."

Tobias: The man smiled politely. "Maybe."

Bronwyn: "My cousin remodeled his house, his best friend did the same. They both own businesses in town, maybe they could help ye."

Tobias: "O-Oh um...no, no thank you. I...I have everything I need."

Bronwyn: "Have ye chosen a site?"

Tobias: "Right...Right here, miss."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn took another look around. "It's a lovely spot," she said softly, smiling at the still, snow-covered wood. "There's a pond through there that's good for swimmin' and fishin', but I'm sure ye know that. And the wild lavender will bring ye lots of good luck."

Tobias: "I know of the pond. It's good for swimming." Bathing. "The lavender is nice. I wish there was honeysuckle."

Bronwyn: "There's some over there." She pointed back the way she came.

Tobias: "This time of year?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn gave him a mysterious smile and nodded toward the path. "Want to take a look?"

Tobias: There was a moment of silence, studying this woman standing in the middle of the snow, the sun at her back, causing him to squint. That scent was familiar.

Tobias: "Pixie?"

Bronwyn: Tobias was given a measuring look. Well how about that? It seemed that she hadn't run into just anyone in the woods.

"Verra close."

Tobias: "Show me, then."

Bronwyn: "Come along." She smiled over her shoulder and started down the path.

Tobias: The stranger quietly followed her. It would be easy to assume he was homeless, what with the dirt on his cheek and the general disheveled fashion of his clothes. His jeans were a popular name brand, scattered in tears and grass stains. It was snowing, yet he wore no shoes. The only article of clothing that he seemed attentive of was his hoodie.

Bronwyn: Having spent her fair share of time covered in dirt and grass stains in the woods, Bronwyn didn't think too much of his attire. The lack of shoes was a little concerning though.

"Are yer feet cold?"

Tobias: "I don't like, uh, most shoes." Modern shoes seemed uncomfortable.

Tobias: "Like wearing a vice."

Bronwyn: "My da was of the same opinion. Wore leather boots for most o' his life."

Tobias: "Why boots? Aren't they heavy?"

Bronwyn: "One o' his brothers is a tanner. Outfitted the whole family with boots. Still does actually." Bronwyn came to a stop and held out her boot-clad foot.

Tobias: "Impressive. That's a good profession."

Bronwyn: "It is," she agreed, beaming with pride for her uncle Carlow. She continued to lead him, coming to a stop again a few moments later in a small grove positively overflowing with sweet blooming honeysuckle.

Tobias: His eyes widened, once more finding something to be joyful about in this town. "Is this your doing?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn gave a content little sigh. "I couldn't resist."

Tobias: "Why honeysuckles?"

Bronwyn: "They're pretty and they smell good."

Tobias: "They do. They're good memories every time I see them."

Bronwyn: "Really? Well then I'm doubly glad I made them bloom."

Tobias: "I was taught fae were mischievous creatures, stealing children and sweets. So far I've yet to meet such an image."

Bronwyn: "They tend to be, aye. Luckily they made us in their image only."

Tobias: The Ananasi blinked. "You're a druid."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn looked impressed. Not many people could guess that. "Aye."

Tobias: "I'm glad to see you're still around."

Bronwyn: "So are we," she said with a smile. "Around, alive, and thrivin'."

Tobias: "Then why is the Great Web unweaving?"

Bronwyn: "Because humanity will always be afraid of and try to exploit what it doesn't understand."

Tobias: "It's not all humanities fault. They're being manipulated."

Bronwyn: "They usually are."

Tobias: "That's it?"

Bronwyn: "That does sound a wee bit bleak, doesn't it? I wish it weren't so. But it's hard to maintain faith sometimes when ye can't fulfill yer purpose."

Tobias: "It's the wyrm-servents. They can't win. The vampires...someone has to stop them."

Bronwyn: "Vampires aren't the only problem. Ev'ryone has the own agenda. The demons, the angels, God, Lucifer, evil humans, ignorant humans. The list is depressin'ly long."

Tobias: "God and Lucifer mean nothing."

Bronwyn: "Let's just say I have reason to have a personal vendetta against them both."

Tobias: "I have to start somewhere, and the biggest threat for thousands of years has always been Caine's children."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn studied Tobias for a few moments. "What are ye?" she asked softly.

Tobias: He took a deep breath. "I'd rather not. Never goes over well."

Bronwyn: "I can respect that. But should ye feel inclined to share, keep in mind I've seen my share of creatures."

Tobias: "Others...like me...don't appreciate my kind...because we're not Luna's children."

Bronwyn: "Luna?"

Tobias: The spider blinked. "I thought you were a druid?"

Bronwyn: "I am. A Druid healer."

Tobias: "And have you never meet a changing breed?"

Bronwyn: "I have."

Bronwyn: So that's what he was.

Tobias: "Luna, the Celestine, embodiment of Earth's Moon. Gives sway to their changing?"

Bronwyn: Her lessons came flooding back. "Oh, yes! Forgive my lapse in memory."

Tobias: Well, it was no wonder then, that there was such trouble in this world. He seemed defeated.

Bronwyn: "It seems that no matter what species we are, whether we're human or no', our brethren always find a reason to discriminate each other."

Tobias: "They are of a lower class," he smirked.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn laughed softly. "Case in point. Although I'm hardly one to talk." Didn't she have an award-winning rant about witches?

Tobias: "They stink. Why do they have to smell like dead animal?"

Bronwyn: "The vampires? Because they're dead."

Tobias: "No, the Ovids. Werewolves and Bastet. The Camazotz especially."

Bronwyn: "Well that's because they spend ev'ry full moon rompin' around."

Tobias: The spider grinned. "This is true."

Tobias: Her new acquaintance took a seat in the snow. "Have you guessed?"

Bronwyn: "Well." She took a seat beside him. "Ye look down on those who romp, which means yer species doesn't do a whole lot of it. So no' a bird, canine, or feline."

Tobias: "Very good." He plucked the nearest honeysuckle and inhaled it.

Bronwyn: "That leaves....insects, bats--although they do romp a wee, and creatures of myth."

Tobias: "How many Ovids do you know?"

Bronwyn: "Several."

Tobias: "Hmm."

Bronwyn: "Since ye're in the woods, I'm goin' to guess some type of insect."

Tobias: "And you associate with any of those?"

Bronwyn: "I did once. Unfortunately we didn't make it past bein' acquaintances."

Tobias: "Died?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded.

Tobias: "Shame that."

Tobias: He said that, though he was smiling.

Bronwyn: "It was. They were lovely." No pronouns for the sake of protecting Fletcher's privacy.

Tobias: "Might I ask...what were they? Hornet? Locust?"

Bronwyn: "A beetle." Close enough.

Tobias: "A beetle?" Now he seemed legitimately surprised.

Bronwyn: "Aye. A heroic one, though they didn't believe it." Nor did their trigger-happy mother.

Tobias: So sometime in his imprisonment Cockroach must have made a creation in his image. That was the only explanation he could think of without knowledge of Pentex.

"Probably for the best. Most insect races fell into...heh, bad fortune." Meaning the Ananasi obliterated them.

Bronwyn: "That's another bad pattern in this world. The humans already outnumber us without our kind dyin' off."

Tobias: "Means the Garou aren't doing their job, or the Ratkin, or anyone for that matter."

Bronwyn: "Even if ev'ryone was doin' their job perfectly, there are still billions of humans to contend with."

Tobias: "That's staggering. When was the last plague?"

Bronwyn: "Fourteenth century."

Tobias: "No others?"

Bronwyn: "Nothin' on that scale. Unless you count the various genocides."

Tobias: Wars, plagues, small, but nothing so great as there was in his time. The Ananasi laid back in the snow and sighed.

Bronwyn: "Ye seem disappointed."

Tobias: "Of course. Our purpose isn't being fulfilled."

Bronwyn: "We do what we can with what we're given."

Tobias: "I haven't heard anything...no whisper. My meditation is disappointing."

Bronwyn: "What have ye been hopin' to hear?"

Tobias: "Direction."

Bronwyn: "Seek yer own."

Tobias: "That's not how it works."

Bronwyn: "Ye're a warrior then?"

Tobias: He nodded. "Somewhat. Not my foundation."

Bronwyn: "Where did ye get yer direction before ye found yerself here?"

Tobias: "From my Queen."

Bronwyn: "Where is she?"

Tobias: "I don't know." I've been gone so long. Maybe she doesn't recognize me anymore, he thought.

Bronwyn: "Have ye tried to look for her?"

Tobias: "Easier said than done."

Bronwyn: "Accordin' to my mama, that's true of all things worth doin'."

Tobias: "Anything worth having is worth earning, too. I know a few phrases."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled. "Also verra true. So why can't ye look for yer queen?"

Tobias: "She's not seen, only heard."

Bronwyn: "How Fae-like."

Tobias: "Mm. I can see the mirror of it."

Bronwyn: "If no' from yer queen, where will ye get yer direction?"

Tobias: "I just have to wait. Establish myself as someone worth listening to."

Bronwyn: "I'm sure ye will," she said with another smile, picking a little spray of honeysuckle and offering it. "Plenty of chances to prove yerself in this world."

Tobias: "Your life is about...Life, yes?" The flower was taken and inhaled.

Bronwyn: "It is, aye." She studied him for a moment, expression softening. It was oddly comforting to have it put that way. "I heal, I nurture, I restore."

Tobias: "You're a Wylder," he finally said. "I haven't met one in so long."

Bronwyn: "My kind aren't exactly common in these parts."

Tobias: "You belong where I was born."

Bronwyn: "Were ye born in Scotland?"

Bronwyn: "Wait, no."

Bronwyn: She studied him some more. "Ye're...Welsh?"

Tobias: "I'm a spider...But sure. You may call me that."

Bronwyn: "Ah, then I was right. Yer other form is an insect."

Tobias: He made a face.

Bronwyn: "A spider," she amended with a smile.

Tobias: "You didn't say it. You still lost."

Bronwyn: "I was in the ballpark."

Tobias: "Ballpark?"

Bronwyn: "Aye. I was in the general vicinity o' the correct answer."

Tobias: "Oh. Ballpark," he repeated.

Tobias: From his back pocket he pulled a small top flip notebook, writing down the word.

Bronwyn: She watched him with a curious expression. "Tryin' to learn the workin's of modern language?"

Tobias: "Mm. I still don't understand some of them."

Tobias: This message has been removed.

Bronwyn: "Any I could help with?"

Tobias: "Why do some people say "cool" and others "hot" for the same thing? What's the different in context?"

Bronwyn: "I believe it's mostly personal preference, but I've always associated 'hot' with somethin' that looks appealin' and 'cool' with somethin' that someone finds appealin'."

Tobias: "So...alright."

Tobias: The Ananasi sighed.

Bronwyn: "It's verra messy and complicated."

Bronwyn: "The English language is a mess."

Tobias: "Try Welsh."

Bronwyn: She laughed softly. "Never could get the hang o' Welsh. Learnin' Gaelic was complicated enough."

Tobias: "My sister, Agnes, had a near perfect ear for language. Tried to teach all of us."

Bronwyn: "Did she succeed?"

Tobias: "How is my English?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled. "Excellent."

Tobias: The spider smiled.

Bronwyn: "What other languages do ye speak?"

Tobias: "Broken forms of Gaelic. I think...I can't recall..."

Bronwyn: "Been a while since ye thought about it?" she asked, eyes landing on a patch of honeysuckle she'd missed.

She moved over, causing them to bloom by simple touch.

Tobias: "Centuries," he replied, watching her every move.

Bronwyn: "Centuries?" Bronwyn turned to him just as the delicate branches of the honeysuckle went from brown to green.

Tobias: "Seems so."

Bronwyn: "Can I ask how old ye are?"

Tobias: "I'm not sure. When I explain how things used to be...the dates people give me vary."

Bronwyn: "Well, if I had to venture a guess, I'd wager ye were born in Medieval times."

Tobias: "Why then?"

Bronwyn: "Ye kissed my hand and bowed and ye haven't questioned or even blinked at the fact that I'm wearin' a cloak instead of a jacket."

Tobias: "Did all of that die outside of Medieval?"

Bronwyn: "They died sometime after, but there's just...somethin' about ye that puts me in mind o' kings and queens and castles and knights and epic battles."

Tobias: "And all of that died as well?"

Bronwyn: "A lot of castles still remain, and there are some kings and queens, but it's nothin' like ye might remember."

Tobias: "Medieval sounds appropriate."

Bronwyn: "Ye've been around a verra long time, Tobias."

Tobias: "Much of my life I've spent in stasis. Is that the correct word?" he asked himself. "In a glass prison."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded, brow furrowing. "Aye, that's the correct word. Ye were imprisoned?"

Tobias: He nodded. "Mm."

Bronwyn: "My sympathies."

Tobias: "I don't want it."

Bronwyn: Another nod. "Sympathies rescinded."

Tobias: Salt kept his eyes on the honeysuckle, trying his best not to think about his predicament. He didn't want sympathy, he wanted to pull weeds.

Bronwyn: "What other flowers do ye like?" Bronwyn asked after a moment.

Tobias: "The red spikes."

Bronwyn: "Seen any around here?"

Tobias: "No."

Bronwyn: "Hmm. Any others?"

Tobias: "...The flower that first blooms in the snow."

Bronwyn: She smiled. "The heroic ones that stubbornly brave the frost?"

Tobias: He smiled. "Mm."

Bronwyn: Without preamble Bronwyn knelt on the ground, closing her eyes as she buried her hands in the snow. As if she were feeling for something.

Tobias: "Your hands are going to go numb."

Bronwyn: "I can warm them. There's just one wee thing...." She grinned. "There."

She took a deep breath and moments later, tender green shoots were spearing out of the ground, reaching up through the snow toward the heavens. Once bloomed, they were a splash of glorious, rioting color on a perfect white canvas.

Tobias: "You...made the snow, and then triumphed over it. You're an artist," praised the Ananasi.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn's expression lit with warmth. "I do believe that's one o' the loveliest things anyone's ever said to me." She got to her feet again and set about returning the feeling to her hands. "It's only recently that I started doin' this type o' magic again."

Tobias: "And what was it you did before? Healing the sick? Laid hands on them?"

Bronwyn: "Aye," she said with a nod. "For a long time that's all I did. I warded, I healed. And after a while my magic started bein' more...utilitarian than anythin' else."

Tobias: "I'm sure your powers, the ones benefitting from it, they must be grateful. Others...they don't understand."

Bronwyn: Truer words had ever been spoken, Bronwyn thought, thinking of Logan's Dana. "They were, and I was as well for bein' able to help. Especially when it came to the people I love. But then one day a verra dear friend o' mine gave me a gift that brought joy for my magic back into my life."

Tobias: His thoughts were falling upon witches, the ones he had seen burned over the years.

"What was that?"

Bronwyn: "A familiar."

Tobias: "You have a familiar? What animal?"

Bronwyn: "I do. He's a bird that can shift into various species in the corvidae family. He's a raven most o' the time."

Tobias: "Oh! I knew one of those."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn's expression was practically sunny. "I hope they were as lovely as my familiar."

Tobias: That was a matter of opinion. Not the discussion he wanted to have. "How did your familiar bring you joy for your magic?"

Bronwyn: "Well, magic's a lot like muscles. If ye don't use them, they atrophy and ye become weaker. Only with magic, it can build up and explode out o' ye with disastrous results. No' letting my familiar's magic atrophy or build up is important to his well-bein' so I started doin' spells and things with him. One of them was bringin' a dead tree back to life, a task on par with divine creation in my book."

Tobias: "I didn't know that." He wondered if it counted for all creatures, or specifically things like familiars. So very old and still so much to learn.

"I was beginning to worry that the world had gone to Hell."

Bronwyn: She gave a small shrug. "It some ways it has. Too much war, too much corruption, too much pollution. But it's still beautiful. It's retained its wonder. And sometimes, if ye're really lucky, ye get to bring a lovely old tree back to life."

Tobias: "That's the way it should be. I wish there were more people like you, ma'am."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled, touched. "That's a nice sentiment, Tobias, thank ye. I'm just...tryin' my best."

Tobias: "You're not straying from your purpose. Anyone should be so lucky."

Bronwyn: "My purpose has brought me all the things I treasure in my life. And if I can help people along the way, all the better. I do some of my finest work when I'm covered in blood and mendin' bones."

Tobias: "Same, but...different," the werespider replied. "I miss my original purpose."

Bronwyn: "What's keepin' ye from it?"

Tobias: "I've only just obtained freedom. I have no idea if my human profession has altered."

Bronwyn: "What did ye do before ye were imprisoned?"

Tobias: "I was one of the resident executioners of the land."

Bronwyn: ".....Well then. Um...I think ye'll find that executions now are a lot more complicated."

Tobias: "It was a grim job, but I honored my duty to pull the weeds from society. Were the job too great or too delicate for the public, I was paid to be descrete. My sister was a linguist. The baby of our family, hatched a day late, was a page. Guy wanted to be a knight. One was a bard. We all had something, a skill where we excelled. I didn't take it with me."

Bronwyn: "Yer family sounds lovely. Did Guy realize his dream? Did he become a knight?"

Bronwyn sighed. "There are far too many weeds in this world. And our taxes pay for them to have cable."

Tobias: "I... N-No, he...died. He might have and I never known. I never will." He wanted to bite into the flower itself for something a little bitter. "Cable? Probably not the correct image in mind."

Bronwyn: "I'm sorry, Tobias," she said softly. "Truly."

"It's a form of entertainment. Completely unnecessary for people convicted of rape and murder and theft."

Tobias: "Rapists weren't given as much attention as they should have. Some cared. Others not at all." A slow, deep inhale was taken, stress of the subject exhaled. "What must I do to regain my profession?"

Bronwyn: "Yer profession isn't the same as ye remember. It's been made more complex and expensive."

Tobias: "You said that."

Bronwyn: "These days, especially in this country, executions are performed via lethal injection."

Tobias: His brow wrinkled. A feat for his smooth skin. "Venom? Poison?"

Bronwyn: "A man-made version of a poison that causes the person injected to suffocate. The government's attempt to be humane."

Bronwyn: "In my view a humane death is a swift one."

Tobias: "Suffocation is anything but."

Bronwyn: "Precisely."

Bronwyn: "This world loves to pretend it's civilized."

Tobias: "I probably can't pick up where I left off," he pondered aloud. "Under the table, perhaps, but I'd rather a human guise as well."

Bronwyn: "Some magical organizations still employ executioners, includin' some Druid tribes."

Tobias: "I'd rather not work for Ovids."

Bronwyn: "Might have better luck with the Druids."

Tobias: "I doubt your people would give me steady work."

Bronwyn: "Ye'd be surprised. I've heard tell of a tribe in France that's kept the same executioner for hundreds of years."

Tobias: To that he perked.

Bronwyn: "Actually, rumor has it that the man himself is older than Jesus Christ."

Tobias: "Not a difficult feat."

Bronwyn: "It is for a Druid. Immortality is a rare gift for my kind."

Tobias: "Not a gift for mine at all, but I've seen things from the water...things that would intimidate demons. I envy the gift."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn gave a humorless chuckle. "Don't even get me started on the water. I don't fear a lot in this world, but I fear the ocean."

Tobias: "You have every reason to. The most dangerous creatures live there. I'll take on a wolf any day."

Bronwyn: "My feelin's exactly. The last thing I need is a mermaid tryin' to eat me."

Tobias: The spider grinned. "Sirins and rokea and krakens."

Bronwyn: "My great-great grandda claims to have taken on a kraken."

Tobias: "How?" He was naturally incredulous.

Bronwyn: "Well, he operated a ferry to the mainland, and accordin' to him the beast came upon him on his last journey back to Arran. Smashed the boat to bits." She smiled. "He was conveniently the only person on the ship at the time, of course, and the ferry boat was hardly smashed to bits. My great-great grandmamma always believed he had too much whiskey and steered into some rocks."

Tobias: "Ha." He missed tall tales. The stories around the fire, be it in a castle or in the middle of the wilderness were always the highlight of any journey. "The last tale I heard was of a sea monster to the very south of my land. Was actually a failed experiment, escaped the grasp of its mage."

Bronwyn: She tsked and shook her head. "Never a good thing to have happen. Was the beast ever sighted?"

Tobias: "Mm. Mistaken for various creatures, mermaids and sirins. Humans were too afraid to venture near. It lived out its days relatively peacefully from what I knew."

Bronwyn: "Pretty much a happy endin' then." Not for the terrorized humans, of course, but at least their fear had kept them from causing harm. "They're lucky it wasn't a siren or a mermaid."

Tobias: "I've never met either. Only hearsay."

Bronwyn: "My uncle Angus faced one. A mermaid that is."

Tobias: "Is it true of their beauty? Did he say?"

Bronwyn: "He told us she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen right before she tried to take a chunk out o' his shoulder."

Bronwyn: "Never dated another blonde, let me tell ye."

Tobias: "A blonde woman that tried to eat him. The opposite of their angelic image," he mused.

Bronwyn: "Aye. And it's that angelic image that has been lurin' sailors to their death since time immemorial."

Tobias: "I'm partial to strawberry hair, myself. Curls...free hair. Just...freedom in body and in mind. Almost like innocence but...aware."

Bronwyn: "Ye've good taste, Tobias."

Tobias: "People would assume things from how I earned my living."

Bronwyn: "What we are isn't as important as who we are."

Tobias: "I don't know. 'Who are you?' One might ask. 'An executioner,' I might reply. Who am I? I am a spider named Tobias to humans. What I am is also who I am."

Bronwyn: "That's somethin' only ye can decide, despite what other people think."

Tobias: "You might be surprised, perhaps confused, by how many woman sought my attention with my title in mind."

Bronwyn: "I'd be more surprised if they hadn't. Yer titled carried power. Some people are greatly drawn to power and those who hold it."

Tobias: "I wasn't a duke. I held no true power except for the blessings and warrants to kill."

Bronwyn: "For brief moments, ye were God, Tobias. Ye held life in yer hands and decided the exact moment death came. How swiftly it took someone. Believe me. That's a great deal of power."

Tobias: His thoughts wandered to Morgan. What a life he had led. Had...as though there was nothing now. "My hands ache for purpose."

Bronwyn: "If ye like, I could inquire with a friend o' mine if any tribes are in need of yer particular brand o' services."

Tobias: "I would have to leave this land?"

Bronwyn: She nodded. "I suppose ye would."

Tobias: "Hmm." Just a few days in this quiet town and he was reluctant to leave.

Bronwyn: "Ye don't want to go back to the Isles?"

Tobias: "Would it be anything to me anymore but familiar trees? Doubtful."

Bronwyn: "That'd be more familiar than this place. Probably safer too."

Tobias: "My own safety was never a concern, not - not really. Only...pulling weeds."

Bronwyn: "Speakin' from experience, safety is worth its weight in gold. It's a lot harder to fulfill yer purpose when people are tryin' to kill ye."

Tobias: "Or being trapped in glass. I should know my lesson but, I'm afraid of...what it would look like, my old home."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled. "Modern touches have been added, but I can assure ye the Isles are as beautiful as ever."

Tobias: "Could...you inquire, first?"

Bronwyn: "Of course," she said with a nod.

Tobias: "Thank you. That's very kind of you."

Bronwyn: "It's no trouble at all, Tobias. I'm happy to do it." Not what she expected to ever say to an executioner but oh well.

Tobias: The Ananasi's smile was bashful and awkward. This was dissimilar to the ones given during assassinations or days waiting to drop the blade. This was someone gentle and agreeable. In her eyes he probably seemed like a wyrmling.

Bronwyn: Tobias wasn't far off the mark. Bronwyn was having a hell of a time believing that this soft spoken, honeysuckle-loving man standing in the snow with her was an executioner.

Then again, didn't everyone say that still waters ran deep?

"Would ye like to join me for a cup of tea?"

Tobias: "You'd - You'd want that with me?"

Bronwyn: "Verra much. Ye're lovely company."

Tobias: "As are you," he said, standing and offering his hand.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled as she took it, leading them out of the winter garden. "Ye're a sweet man, Tobias."

Tobias: "You're actually not the first to say that about me," Salt replied.

Bronwyn: "Oh? Who else had told ye?"

Tobias: "I assure you, it's been all women."

Bronwyn: "Men haven't been of the same opinion?"

Tobias: "No opinion that I want," Salt quietly replied.

Bronwyn: "Even the good ones?"

Tobias: "Not from men."

Bronwyn: "What about from women? Ye did say they were drawn to ye quite a bit."

Tobias: "Women... are fine."

Bronwyn: "Did ye have someone, back in yer time?"

Tobias: "Yes and no. Her affection was...I...I feel that it was misguided."

Bronwyn: "Why's that?"

Tobias: "I executed her father," said simply.

Bronwyn: "And she fell in love with ye afterward?"

Tobias: "I suppose so. When I would ask, she would..." he swallowed.

Bronwyn: "It's all right," Bronwyn said gently. "Ye don't have to tell me if it makes ye uncomfortable."

Tobias: "It's just... sexual."

Bronwyn: "Sex is a part o' life, Tobias."

Tobias: "But it's improper to speak of in front of a lady."

Bronwyn: "That's another thing that's changed, Tobias."

Tobias: "I don't know if I like that."

Bronwyn: "It's always better to be open and mature about these things."

Tobias: "But...with a lady?" He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

Bronwyn: "Aye, even with ladies."

Tobias: The spider considered the maturity she spoke of, if he could speak to her as he could his brothers, the castle guards, or any random vagabond.

"She, when I would ask if she loved me, would become...sexual. Instead of answering me, she'd...bed me."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn considered. "Well, way I see it there are two possibilities. Either she wasn't one for words and wanted to show her affection physically or she didn't want to deal with any feelin's and wanted to distract you with sex."

Tobias: "Either way, we never said the words. After a while...things began to feel...stale between us. It was never going to go anywhere."

Bronwyn: "Is she the only person you've felt drawn to?"

Tobias: "Sexually, yes."

Bronwyn: "What about romantically?"

Tobias: His lips thinned, looking away as they walked.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn was going to take that as a yes, and also as a sign that whatever that romantic interest had been, it hadn't ended well.

Tobias: "And you, miss?"

Bronwyn: "Have I had any sexual and/or romantic interests?"

Tobias: The Ananasi nodded.

Bronwyn: "I've had my share of both. Hasn't always turned out well."

Tobias: "Have you been...handled...?"

Bronwyn: "Oh, aye," Bronwyn chuckled. "And then some. That ship sailed when I was sixteen."

Tobias: "You were abused at sixteen?"

Tobias: He gestured with his left hand. "You said not all turned out well..."

Bronwyn: "No, nothin' like that. It was completely consensual. The no' turnin' out well has usually applied to the romantic aspect of my relationships."

Tobias: "O-Oh." If he was blushing, it was masked by the frozen air.

Bronwyn: "I can't seem to make any o' them stick, ye see. Either circumstance takes me away or the man is an asshole or...it's probably no' meant to last."

Tobias: "Enjoy while they last is the phrase I'm familiar with. Don't know if that applies to women."

Bronwyn: "What if they don't last long enough?" She wondered.

Tobias: "Isn't that up to you?"

Bronwyn: "In this...most recent case I'm no' really sure."

Tobias: "Why is that?"

Bronwyn: "He and I had...an interestin' start. Even before we started this thing between us we both knew it wasn't goin' to last."

Tobias: "Then why begin it?"

Bronwyn: "Because we couldn't help ourselves." Or rather they hadn't been able to resist each other.

Tobias: "Like children resisting sweeties?"

Bronwyn: "More like moths resistin' flames."

Tobias: "Sounds more dangerous."

Bronwyn: "Infinitely more dangerous."

Tobias: "Is that what you love about it?"

Bronwyn: "I won't deny that it's...allurin' to be with someone I probably shouldn't be with, but it's no' just that. He's interestin' and attractive." And amazing in bed.

Tobias: "Why is it not meant to be, if you love everything about him?"

Bronwyn: Uh-oh, there was that L word she was trying so hard to avoid.

"Because he lives in Iceland and he's got...issues to settle that conflict with issues I have to settle and...well. I'm sort of a package deal?"

Tobias: "Issues are a good enough excuse to not tether yourself."

Bronwyn: "Exactly. That's why it won't last. That and the distance and my boys and a dozen other things I probably haven't thought of."

Tobias: "If you wanted it, then you would find a way. It's easier to say no if you can list why, even if they're meaningless. When I left Morgan, it was because I didn't want to go through the trouble."

Bronwyn: Did she want it? Had she been telling herself it wasn't possible for her relationship with Torsten to last just to keep herself from wanting it, wanting him?

"Definitely food for thought," she mused as they finally came upon Callum's house.

Tobias: There was something about the house that led the Ananasi to slow, cautious steps just shy of the druid wards. "It's warm here."

Bronwyn: "That'll be the wards. Don't pay them any mind, they won't hurt ye."

Tobias: "You placed them? Are you certain?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded. "Yes to both."

Tobias: His hand waved over the warmth, testing her honesty.

Bronwyn: That gentle warmth was all Tobias would feel. Had he wicked intentions, the barrier would've become hot and pushed him back.

Tobias: Slipping through the ward, the Ananasi looked back to his hostess and smiled. "Is there a need for such protection?"

Bronwyn: "It's mostly a precautionary measure," said Bronwyn, smiling as she followed Salt. "For my cousin's sake."

Tobias: "Because of the vampires in this town?"

Bronwyn: "For anyone that seeks to harm him."

Tobias: "That would be vampires."

Bronwyn: "There are a lot more things in this world to fear than vampires, Tobias. I, unfortunately, have experience with some of them."

Tobias: "What would that be?" What could possibly be worse than those awful creatures?

Bronwyn: "Demons come most readily to mind."

Tobias: "Oh. Those. My brother claimed to have seen one."

Bronwyn: "I was stalked by one. Both of my brothers have been possessed by them." One was also a dear friend of hers, but Mason was the exception not the rule.

Tobias: "How many siblings do you have?"

Bronwyn: "By blood, one. By devotion, two."

Tobias: "Mm." He didn't know what else to say.

Bronwyn: "And ye? How many siblin's?"

Tobias: "As a clutch, too many. Out of the chaos came twelve of us, if memory serves."

Bronwyn: "Were ye one of the eldest or the youngest?"

Tobias: "We all came from one...sac. I suppose if it's based on which hatched first I would be a middle child."

Bronwyn: "At what age are yer kind able to change into a human form?"

Tobias: "Depends on the mother. We were able to after a year. Most are unable to shift until adolescence, sometimes older."

Bronwyn: "Those are good genes ye have, Tobias. I take it ye can change at will? Ye mentioned no' bein' one of Luna's children."

Tobias: "Mmhmm." He sighed. "It's been an interesting life."

Tobias: He shook his head. "Sorry."

Bronwyn: "Whatever for?"

Tobias: "Avoiding your question."

Bronwyn: "Ye didn't avoid it. Ye just didn't elaborate, which is fine."

Tobias: "I feel as though I'm constantly explaining myself, even if no one is around."

Bronwyn: "Ye don't have to. No' here."

Tobias: "Is there anything else you want to know?"

Bronwyn: "Just one thing."

Tobias: "Yes ma'am?"

Bronwyn: "What kind o' tea would ye like?"

Tobias: "I-I haven't had tea in a very long time. I don't know how my stomach will handle it. A lot of herbs?"

Bronwyn: "That can definitely be arranged," she said with a smile. "We Druids tend to make all our tea ourselves."

Tobias: "You grow herbs or find them?"

Bronwyn: "Grow them."

Tobias: "Which kinds?"

Bronwyn: "Ev'ry kind ye can imagine and some ye can't."

Tobias: "I'd like to see that."

Bronwyn: "Come on," Bronwyn detoured off the path to Callum's back door and headed through his mostly dormant garden to one of his greenhouses.

Tobias: "This is lovely," Salt praised. "This feels familiar. Something...here," he tapped his chest.

Bronwyn: She beamed at him. "Wonderful feelin', isn't it? My cousin's done a lovely job."

Tobias: "Druids...you people are wonderful."

Bronwyn: "We do what we can with what the gods give us."

Tobias: "Your kind have always been beautiful. Suffered so much. I've killed for your kind before."

Bronwyn: "People tend to fear what they don't understand. And if they do, some will always try to take advantage. How many of my kind have ye known?"

Tobias: Salt stood still and closed his eyes. Such a long time to think back on, and yet it was only just months ago in his memories. Before the jar and all of the killing with every release. There was blood on his hands long before that.

"Five," he finally said.

Bronwyn: "Were they warriors, healers?"

Tobias: "They were a family. Husband and wife, sister, children."

Bronwyn: "Do you remember what became of them?"

Tobias: "No. We traveled on the same road for a week. Some were probably human, but they all called themselves druid."

Bronwyn: "They might have practiced Druid magic or simply considered themselves Druid by marriage or loyalty."

Tobias: "They were being harassed. People tried to separate them from their children, claimed they would be better off sold."

Bronwyn: "Let me guess. They didn't want the children growin' up with heathens?"

Tobias: "In the purest sense of the word heathen, yes. The children were crying and I had to do something."

Bronwyn: "Once God came into the picture my people were reviled. Heathens were probably the nicest things they were called."

Tobias: "Once I stopped the guards, they wanted nothing to do with me. Either they lost their children and their lives, or they kept them and cast me from their road. Someone was going to be damned."

Bronwyn: "That's usually the way it goes," Bronwyn sighed. "But ye helped them. No' ev'ryone would've done the same. There's honor in that."

Tobias: "If it helped them sleep at night to yell at me, to have their hands clean while I did the dirty work for them, while I slaughtered while they would have allowed it, fine. Druids have to keep themselves pure. Angels hold swords; angels strike the wicked, but those druids wanted nothing but peace, even at the expense of their lives." He was speaking more to himself at this point.

Bronwyn: "If only all Druids did manage to keep themselves pure," she lamented as she walked over the herbs and began selecting a few for tea. "The fact that they don't is why some tribes have employed executioners. We're punished verra severely for strayin' from our path."

Tobias: "At least the one that orders it doesn't have to drop the blade." He was fascinated by whatever this herb was. He couldn't recall having ever seen it before.

Bronwyn: "True enough." She walked over to him. "That's stevia. Native to Paraguay and Brazil. It's used as a sweetener."

Tobias: "Stevia? Where is Paraguay and Brazil?"

Bronwyn: "South America. This wee plant is several hundred times sweeter than sugar."

Tobias: "South America?"

Bronwyn: "I'll show ye," she said, pulling up a world map on her phone.

Tobias: "Oh." He took a step back.

Bronwyn: "Have ye encountered one of these before?"

Tobias: "Clamorous noise came from it."

Bronwyn: "Music or general noise?"

Tobias: "He said music."

Bronwyn: "Probably should've started ye off with somethin' more familiar."

Bronwyn: "What sort of music do ye like?"

Tobias: "Gregorian chants...music of...the church. The music considered old now."

Bronwyn: "Like this?" she asked, playing some for him.

Tobias: He was backing up in case there was a mistake in his explanation, but the sound that came from her phone had him smiling.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled in return. "There, ye see? These contraptions aren't all bad. Have ye been to church since ye've been here?"

Tobias: "That terribly ugly Baptist one."

Bronwyn: "What about the Catholic one?"

Tobias: "I-I haven't seen it."

Bronwyn: "It's in the exact opposite direction o' the Baptist church, along the same road as that inn that sits on the bluff."

Tobias: "I haven't seen that, either."

Bronwyn: "I could take ye there sometime if ye like. Or at least point ye in the right direction."

Tobias: "I...I'd like to go with you sometime."

Tobias: He eyed the herbs again. "It wouldn't insult you?"

Bronwyn: "No' at all. I've no quarrel with those that practice peacefully, and I've met the priest in charge. He's a kind man."

Tobias: "They should be, considering their purpose."

Bronwyn: "I'm happy to say that the priests I've met have all been good men. Granted, I've only known a handful."

Tobias: "Not all of them are, I know. You're lucky to have met the proper, with integrity."

Bronwyn: "Aye, I believe so too. How do ye feel about chamomile?"

Tobias: "Smells nice," he answered.

Bronwyn: "Verra well, then I do believe we have the makin's of some lovely tea here. Come." She led him back through the garden and into the back door to the kitchen.

Tobias: The Ananasi followed behind like a faithful servant, content with playing the follower.

Bronwyn: This time of day the kitchen would be empty and quiet, save of course for the white and gray bundle of fur napping under one of the stools at the counter.

"Make yerself at home," said Bronwyn, filling the kettle.

Tobias: "Oh...a dog," he commented. Oh...a dog. "They don't normally appreciate my...well, me."

Bronwyn: "I think ye'll find this one verra sweet and acceptin'. As all animals with non-human owners are."

Tobias: "I...suppose. We'll see if it wakes." He was still going to keep his distance.

Bronwyn: "Wee lad usually naps this time o' day, bored as he is without his brother."

Bronwyn: "When he's older he can go to the shop as well."

Tobias: "Brother?" he asked.

Bronwyn: "Aye. My cousin also has a cat named Prospero. That there is Jolly Roger."

Tobias: "And a cat. Aren't I lucky."

Bronwyn: She chuckled. "If they can get along with each other then they can get along with ye."

Tobias: "We'll see. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Bronwyn: "I've got it well in hand. Ye go on and sit. Would ye like somethin' besides tea? Cake, a scone?"

Tobias: "I can't have solid food. Not...really. The tea is fine."

Bronwyn: "Verra well. How do ye take it?"

Tobias: "How do you take it?"

Bronwyn: "I've always liked it plain."

Tobias: "I'll have it that way, then. Didn't have much sweet things."

Bronwyn: "Plain it is." Bronwyn set the tea to steep and got down two mugs from the cabinet. "I always found it amusin' that I like my tea plain and my coffee with plenty o' sugar. Though I credit my mama with that."

Tobias: "I don't think I've had coffee before."

Bronwyn: "It's one o' life's true wonders, if I say so myself. And a boon to have when ye can't stay awake."

Tobias: "I miss the smells of the castle kitchen."

Tobias: He blinked. "Random, but..."

Bronwyn: "No' at all. I miss the smell o' my mama's kitchen, too."

Tobias: "They would make this thing...bread with some kind of meat inside it. I can't eat it, as I've said, but the smell was wonderful."

Bronwyn: "Sounds like they were makin' meat pies. Those always smell wonderful when they're bein' made. My mama makes them when I go to visit."

Tobias: "They tried to feed it to me once, the two oldest women. I ate it to be polite, but..."

Bronwyn: "Made ye sick?"

Tobias: "Mm," he nodded. "Not in their presence. Felt rude."

Bronwyn: "Probably a wise call. Here we are." Bronwyn set his mug in front of him. "Herbal and gentle."

Tobias: "Thank you." It was deeply inhaled before being deeply inhaled, mug tilted back as the drink was chugged.

Bronwyn: "Easy does it now," she said, taking the seat Jolly Roger was sleeping under.

Tobias: "Apologies. I'm not used to being slow."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn chuckled. "Ye remind me o' Vincent. He's so excited about food I worry he'll choke one day."

Tobias: "Vincent?"

Bronwyn: "My familiar."

Tobias: "Oh...yes. The slowest I drink - drank - was in taverns, wasting time."

Bronwyn: She nodded as she sipped. "I've done plenty o' that myself."

Tobias: "Wasting time waiting for something important?"

Bronwyn: "Sittin' in a tavern and drinkin'."

Tobias: "Forgive me, but you didn't seem the type."

Bronwyn: "I'm no' usually. But some time back I was...goin' through a bit of a rough patch."

Tobias: "Did you - Have you ever killed anyone?"

Bronwyn: "I've come close, but no. I've only seen restless spirits to the afterlife."

Tobias: "Then why were you so upset?"

Bronwyn: "Because the one nearly killed was me, among other things."

Tobias: "Because you're druid?"

Bronwyn: "I wish it were as simple as that. This was far more personal, and far darker."

Tobias: "Something I shouldn't ask about?"

Bronwyn: "I wouldn't know how to begin to explain if ye did."

Tobias: "We can expose ourselves, just...honesty. Wouldn't be the first time since my freedom. People seem to want it from me."

Bronwyn: "From me as well. I'm a healer, after all. Even if I can make things right people still want to know how bad they've been."

Tobias: "Hmm." Fingertips played over the rim of his mug. "Blood vendetta or rape," he uttered.

Bronwyn: "Both."

Tobias: "Of course. It wouldn't have been marriage or alliances. Not with a druid in this modern time."

Bronwyn: "We have turned away from that, to much protest from some."

Tobias: "I don't blame them. Alliances keep blood from spilling as much."

Bronwyn: "And sometimes alliances fail ye," she sighed.

Tobias: "Sometimes. That's when the blood really spills."

Bronwyn: "Aye, it is. That's when Fate steps in, I suppose."

Tobias: "I suppose."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn took another sip of tea, contemplating. "I told ye before that vampires weren't the only things to fear in this world. That's because I've seen somethin' worse and it nearly destroyed me."

Tobias: "Some would say that would be us. The changing breeds."

Bronwyn: Her smile was sad. "Oh no, Tobias. Species has nothin' to do with it. Imagine...imagine seein' the face of someone ye love transformed into somethin' dark. Somethin' evil that seeks to harm ye, that looks at ye with such hatred that...it's as if no trace of that person ye love remains."

Tobias: Tobias Mordred leaned back in his seat and considered. Cyn, Agnes, Rhys, any of them. "I can't," said after much attempt. "I've seen evil, but not like that."

Bronwyn: "I have." Another sip of tea. "A few years ago I was helpin' a verra dear friend o' mine. I couldn't heal what ailed him but I tried to make it so that its effect was diminished, so nothin' and no one was lost for no reason. My brother was helpin', too."

Tobias: "What was his affliction?"

Bronwyn: "He was possessed, and his tormentor locked inside his mind with him."

Tobias: "Possession. Now that's something I haven't heard about in this new world."

Bronwyn: "I'm afraid it's still runnin' rampant."

Tobias: "Astounding." Eyelashes lifted, looking over his hostess critically. He wasn't the most intelligent, but he could be observant. "It got out, hurt you? I said blood vendetta and rape and you said both."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded. "Aye, it did. It shouldn't have been able to, the cell he was locked in would've held, but my brother...." She sighed. "He had feelin's for this friend, ye see. And knowin' he was locked in there, that he was hurtin'...he couldn't let it stand, even if he knew it wasn't Mason. No' at that moment. He opened the door, and the evil got out and went after me. Its tormentor."

Tobias: "Did you kill it for what it did to you?"

Bronwyn: "No. He came after me, held me down, mocked me. I knew exactly what he was goin' to do with me and he knew that I knew. He relished it." Bronwyn's voice sounded far away now, as if she were back in that basement with Carl and her screams still ringing in her ears.

"But when he got my skirt out of his way, when he...when he tore my undergarments away, he happened to touch my Mark. The piece of my soul that was etched into my skin when I was fifteen, as it is for all Druids."

Tobias: "I've never seen that. Didn't know of it. Touching it...it finished him? Held him off?" It was a sensitive subject, but it wasn't finish. He would have to give in equal share.

Bronwyn: "It did," Bronwyn said with a nod. "The moment he touched it, it burned him so severely that it knocked him unconscious, incapacitated him. I can still hear his scream. Son of a bitch certainly hadn't been expectin' that."

Tobias: "Very useful for a woman, especially if he was so much larger than you."

Bronwyn: "He wasn't, but his strength was far greater than mine. Far greater than any man's."

Tobias: "Wonder how he would have fared against my attacker "

Bronwyn: "Only the gods know. In any case, the damage was already done. He didn't get the chance to....but he still hurt me."

Tobias: "Well, I can relate to you better than others."

Bronwyn: There was that sad smile again. "I can still see his eyes when I sleep. They were endless black pits, nothin' like the warm brown o' Mason's. Seein' them is what almost killed me. I couldn't bear the pain of it. I didn't care enough to live and I didn't care enough to kill myself. So I sat in a tavern and drank."

Tobias: "For me it was...the stench. Waking up to the malodorous beast hovering over me. A castle guard, someone trusted. Something - The dank musky scent still haunts me."

Bronwyn: "It never gets easier, does it?" Bronwyn finished her tea, refilled her cup. "No matter how much joy ye find, it's always there lurkin' in the shadows, remindin' ye that it had ye in its clutches and only God or Fate or blind dumb luck saved ye."

Tobias: "It's not that important now. I've killed many people in my lifetime. I'm sure I'm the stuff of nightmares for many. All I have now is a haunting memory of a scent. My blade in his temple was enough to heal me."

Bronwyn: "That's where we differ. Love was what healed me. Love and Mason's determination no' to let me die in a ditch."

Tobias: "There is where we differ. Death soothes me. I balanced the scales, preventing him from ever handling anyone ever again. You...You needed support."

Bronwyn: "Aye. Though I wish it had been possible to stick a knife through Carl's temple and have done with it. Set myself and Mason free. But I can't. So I live with it."

Tobias: "By killing him, you would have had to kill Mason, yes?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded. "Can't have one without the other. That's his curse."

Tobias: "How did Mason feel once he was freed?"

Bronwyn: "The first thing he did when he woke was hug me."

Tobias: "I can't imagine," he repeated, "had he been possessed, I still would have associated. Stabbed him."

Bronwyn: "I would have, but his eyes were brown. His eyes were brown."

Tobias: "I wonder now, had things been different, had he asked instead of took, would I have allowed it."

Tobias: Long lashes shielded his eyes, looking elsewhere. "My own musings."

Bronwyn: "These are the questions we're left to wonder about. The what-ifs and the if-onlys."

Tobias: "What are yours?"

Bronwyn: "I always wonder how things would've gone if my brother had listened to me. If he'd left the door alone."

Tobias: "Then all would be well, I imagine."

Bronwyn: "Aye. And I'm as haunted by that as I am by Carl."

Tobias: "Our talking about it can't possibly be helpful."

Bronwyn: "Ye know...I think it is. This is the first time I've talked about it to someone outside my family. Really talked about it."

Tobias: "Only one other, just recently. Taken centuries and I've met two victims in just days."

Bronwyn: "Far too many."

Tobias: "He said rape wasn't something as normalized but I'm thinking he's mistaken."

Bronwyn: "Normalized, no. Common? Unfortunately yes."

Tobias: "Definition is askew, too."

Bronwyn: "Aye, it is. Like so many others."

Tobias: "Thank you for the tea." New subject.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled. "Ye're welcome. Was it to yer likin'?"

Tobias: "I'll drink slower next time." If there would be a next time.

Bronwyn: "See to it that ye do. Wouldn't want ye chokin'."

Tobias: "Not going to choke."

Bronwyn: "I'll hold ye to that. Would ye like some more?"

Tobias: "Are you having more?"

Bronwyn: "I rather think I will."

Tobias: "Then yes, please and thank you."

Bronwyn: "Comin' right up." She topped off both their cups and went to get some shortbread for herself.

Tobias: "Anything I can do?"

Tobias: He began to fidget in his chair. "I don't like being useless."

Bronwyn: "Well..." She looked around for a task to assign him. "Would ye like to help peel potatoes? They're for tonight's dinner."

Tobias: "Yes, please." He was already getting to his feet.

Bronwyn: "Excellent." She grabbed the peeler from the drawer and a little basket and set both beside the bowl of washed potatoes next to the sink.

"Potatoes in the bowl, peels in the basket."

Tobias: "Are you going to use these for something?" he asked, staring at the peeler for a moment before testing it on the largest potato.

Bronwyn: "Aye, for soup."

Tobias: "Peels in soup? Sounds like a commoner's dish."

Bronwyn: "Oh no, the peels are for the garden. Only the potato for the soup."

Tobias: "For the garden?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded. "They enrich the soil and fertilize the plants."

Tobias: "Has a potato ever accidentally sprouted?"

Bronwyn: "I don't believe so, although ye do run that risk when ye spread old fruit and vegetables. Especially pumpkins."

Tobias: "Pumpkin..." He smiled to himself.

Bronwyn: "Aye. Ye can get dozens o' them if ye throw even a few seeds in a compost heap."

Tobias: "You can do much with it, I'm sure."

Bronwyn: "Ye definitely can. Ye can put them in pies and soup and cookies, ye can roast them."

Tobias: "I love the scent."

Bronwyn: "I think that's the best part."

Tobias: He wanted to ask what her favorite scent was but decided against it. He returned his attention to the potatoes, quietly.

Tobias: "So..."

Bronwyn: "So." Bronwyn smiled as she sipped her tea. "Ask whatever ye want to know. It's only fair."

Tobias: "I don't know," he said to the potatoes.

Bronwyn: "A question about magic then."

Tobias: "That's a conversation we could have for years."

Bronwyn: "As well it should be, for magic is vast and ever expandin'. Like the universe."

Tobias: "The universe is intimidating." More than what humans could possibly understand.

Bronwyn: "It is at that. Intimidatin' and awe-inspirin'. There's so much we don't know, so much we've left to discover. Then again, we know more than the humans do."

Tobias: "Humans were only just beginning to grasp. From what I can tell, much has expanded."

Bronwyn: She nodded. "Aye. We're sendin' satellites to other planets and peerin' into other galaxies."

Tobias: "All of this great expansion and we're still not publically recognized. What does that tell you?"

Bronwyn: "That for all the progress we've made, we're barely out o' the jungle. Hell, I was all but called a heathen no' that long ago."

Tobias: "Well, you are a heathen."

Bronwyn: "Only accordin' to religion. The person that insulted me did it no' because I'm a pagan, but because I'm no' human. As if humans are all shinin' examples o' virtue."

Tobias: "They weren't back in my day, that much I'm certain."

Bronwyn: "They're still no', but try tellin' them that. They like to think they rule this planet."

Tobias: "In a way they do. Rule of oblivion."

Bronwyn: "That's why they manage to get themselves into so many scrapes. Playin' with Ouija boards, summonin' demons for fun."

Tobias: "Some are precious creations, though."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn thought of her family and friends and smiled. "Aye. Precious beyond words."

Tobias: "Worth the shit we have to walk through to get to them, aren't they?"

Bronwyn: "That they are. More than anythin' else."

Tobias: "I have noticed something else about conversation in this modern age."

Bronwyn: "What's that?"

Tobias: "It's grim. Not the same kind of grim. In the past, through villages and on the road, death was a subject. Starvation, disease, murder. It was everyday chat. Still, many kept their spirits. Here, without any such topics, there is are wrinkles on the corners of people's mouths."

Bronwyn: "That's hardly a wonder. We have starvation, disease, and murder, aye, but it's constantly in our faces. It's in all the papers, always on the news. Sometimes it seems like there are no glad tidin's to be had. Cryin' shame, because there are glad tidin's. They're just quieter and harder to see."

Tobias: "A glad tiding was grain and good rain in my day. Surely, there is more good than that today? Those phones I've seen carry all sorts of news."

Bronwyn: "There is, even if it doesn't seem like it. Countries are finally lettin' people marry who they choose, doctors are makin' strides with curin' diseases, the planet is healin' in small ways."

Tobias: "After everything else that's been told to me, I appreciate hearing that."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled. "And I appreciate knowin' it. Sometimes joy is in the wee things."

Tobias: He could only smile to that. "Almost done with these."

Bronwyn: "Ye're doin' a lovely job with them."

Tobias: "Such flattery," smile turned to grin.

Bronwyn: She laughed softly. "Well earned flattery. When my sister used to help my mama half the potato came away with the peel."

Tobias: "I'm skilled with a knife." He paused. "Apologies."

Bronwyn: "None required. As we speak there's a dirk in my boot. My da taught us to always be armed."

Tobias: "Good teachings."

Bronwyn: "I've always thought so. Plus, a blade always comes in handy. Especially for a healer."

Tobias: "Every woman should know where to slice and where to stab."

Bronwyn: "I agree completely. Another benefit o' bein' a healer." She smiled. "I know where all the major arteries are."

Tobias: "If someone had a um...a wound that had healed, but still there was a foreign entity, how would you go about removing it?"

Bronwyn: "Just a matter o' slicin' through the scar tissue, removin' the object, and closin' the wound again."

Tobias: "I don't think it would be that simple," he grumbled to himself.

Bronwyn: "Is it embedded deeply or stuck in bone?"

Tobias: "Just a discomfort in my core." He placed his hand near his navel as indication.

Bronwyn: "Any major organs hit?"

Tobias: "Firearms have improved over the years," just rhetoric. "Probably, but they've healed. Now it's just... whatever this is."

Bronwyn: "I've removed a dragon's horde worth o' bullets over the years. I can have it out in a trice."

Tobias: "I would owe you a debt."

Bronwyn: "Let me just clear off and clean the table."

Tobias: "But we haven't finished the food."

Bronwyn: "The only thing I had left to prep were the potatoes. Dinner's still a long way off."

Tobias: "What else do the potatoes need?"

Bronwyn: "They just need to simmer with the rest o' the soup ingredients."

Tobias: "I've had this discomfort a while. A little longer wouldn't matter."

Bronwyn: "I won't have ye wait longer than it takes to get ev'rythin' ready. No arguments now."

Tobias: She had rendered the Ananasi speechless, guffawing at the situation of such a young druid bossing him.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn just smiled and began clearing off the kitchen table. With any luck she'd be able to find something to drape over it.

Tobias: "Here? Not a shed or bath?"

Bronwyn: "I used to have a workroom when I lived in my old house in Montana but these days I do my work anywhere there's a flat surface and a ready supply of water."

Tobias: "Perhaps a bath would be more appropriate," said the spider.

Bronwyn: "Would a bath help ye feel more comfortable?"

Tobias: "Surgery in a kitchen seems..." He made a face.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn chuckled. "As ye will then. Let me go bleach the tub. Back in a wee."

Tobias: "Bleach? Wh - It's just me."

Bronwyn: "It's for yer sake. I won't risk infection."

Tobias: "Like such a thing could happen," he scoffed.

Bronwyn: "Better safe than sorry."

Tobias: "You really are a druid." What was that smell? He followed it against better judgement, making a face as he entered the bathroom.

Bronwyn: "I certainly am. It'll just take a wee." The smell might not have been pleasant, but the worst of it was rinsed away.

Tobias: "What are you going to do to me?"

Bronwyn: "I'm goin' to clean the area and feel for the bullet with my magic first. Then I'm goin' to make a small incision and extract it. Afterward I'll reseal the cut and heal it."

Tobias: "Incisions, and yet I wanted to pretend that wasn't going to happen."

Bronwyn: "I'll numb the area so ye won't feel any pain."

Tobias: "My last surgery was so long ago. A blade broke during an altercation. Here," he motioned to his right kidney.

Bronwyn: "Did the surgeon remove it successfully?"

Tobias: "I...It was incredibly painful, but he managed." The thought had him rubbing his hand over the painful memory.

Bronwyn: She gave him a reassuring smile. "Well don't worry. There won't be any pain this time around. The world's progressed in that area too."

Tobias: "How will you numb me?"

Bronwyn: "With a local anesthetic. How do ye feel about needles?"

Tobias: "I have no opinion," he said.

Bronwyn: "I do believe that'll be to yer benefit." With the tub now clean, they could move on. "Now, I'll need ye to remove yer shirt and get into the tub. I need to fetch my work chest."

Tobias: Without word the Ananasi stripped, folding his shirt and placing it on the tank of the toilet. "Are you sure I don't need to be naked? You're a clean surgeon?"

Bronwyn: "I can't say for sure until I see exactly where the bullet is," Bronwyn called from near the pantry. "I might also need to shave the surroundin' area."

Tobias: Salt looked down at his stomach and his acuminate hair pattern. "That's fine," he said. "Just make it symmetrical or remove everything if you have to."

Bronwyn: "As ye will." She returned a couple of minutes later with work chest in hand. "All right, Tobias, into the tub. Let's see exactly where that bullet is."

Tobias: The tub was colder than he had expected, causing him to wince as he laid back, air leaving his lungs.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn gave him a sympathetic smile. "Sorry about that. Yer body heat will warm it soon."

With that, she took a deep breath and opened herself to her magic, laying her hands on Tobias' abdomen to feel for the bullet and gauge its depth.

Tobias: The bullet was somewhere behind his stomach after so long. One of the few bullets that refused to be a through-and-through.

"I think I feel your magic."

Bronwyn: That was deeper than she would have liked, but a little magic should help bring it up a little.

"If ye feel a tingle, then aye, that's my magic. All right." Bronwyn removed her hand and grabbed a new disposable razor and shaving cream. "Stay still now."

Tobias: "I've...I've never had a woman shave me before." He would have chuckled but there was a razor involved.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled. "I meanwhile, have shaved more torsos than ye can shake a stick at." After filling a small bowl--grabbed from the workchest--with water, Tobias' middle was coated with shaving cream and the task of cleaning the area began. She worked quickly and with ease, proving her earlier statement.

Tobias: "Have any tried to hurt you after you saved their lives? Bury the evidence, so to speak?"

Bronwyn: "I've had people bitch at me before, durin', and after but so far I've been fortunate. May the gods let that good fortune last."

Tobias: "Happened to me once as a child. Came across a man with an arrow - arrows, now that I'm recalling - in his body."

Bronwyn: "What reason did he give? For lashin' out."

Tobias: "I was evidence. The witness that had seen his face."

Bronwyn: "Isn't that always the way," she sighed.

Tobias: "I'm obviously fine. No need to sigh."

Bronwyn: "That's no' why I'm sighin'."

Tobias: That did make him smile. "Presumptuous of me. Apologies."

Bronwyn: "None required, though I am glad ye lived to tell the tale." She patted his stomach dry and set the shaving implements aside.

"It's just that I knew this verra lovely and verra wise old drunk who always used to tell me people never thank ye for savin' them. That's disheartenin' enough. Nearly bein' killed just adds injury to insult."

Tobias: "People expect others to save them. Feel like the world owes them compensation for taking their first breath."

Bronwyn: "If that isn't the height of arrogance I don't know what is. Makes me even more glad for thankin' my saviors."

Tobias: "How many times have you stood at Death's door?"

Bronwyn: "Twice."

Tobias: "Two too many."

Bronwyn: "I'm of the exact same opinion. But they made me who I am, and for that at least I can be grateful."

Tobias: "...You didn't ask what happened to the Arrow Man."

Bronwyn: "Did ye dispatch him to the next life?"

Tobias: "Does that bother you?"

Bronwyn: "If it did I'd be a hypocrite."

Tobias: "But you don't kill."

Bronwyn: "I haven't yet, but under the right circumstances I would."

Tobias: "Anyone can say that."

Bronwyn: "Aye, but no' many believe it. But believe me when I say that there are no lengths to which I would no' go and no depths to which I would no' sink to protect the people I love."

Tobias: "Lengths I understand, but depths?"

Bronwyn: "To the verra pit of Hell."

Tobias: "So you don't mean pride and self-respect?"

Bronwyn: "If it preserved the life o' those I love I'd beg, steal, and sell myself."

Tobias: "I don't think I like that, but we've only just met." His hand roamed his new bare skin. "But you are about to slice into me and I'm about to trust you."

Bronwyn: "I don't think my loved ones would either," she chuckled, getting out a pack of sterile instruments and surgical soap before going over to the sink to wash her hands.

Tobias: "This is a great trust I'm placing on you, Bronwyn." It was almost a warning.

Bronwyn: "It is. I give ye my word that it's well placed."

Tobias: He needed to distract himself, the best way he knew how was to talk through his surgery. "Before, when we spoke of work integration..."

Bronwyn: "Aye?" Gloves were put on, Tobias' abdomen cleaned, the anesthetic injected.

Tobias: "If it falls through, what do I need to blend into human society?" His eyes closed to the injections.

Bronwyn: "That depends on yer personal preference. Ye could choose no' to integrate. Make yer home somewhere remote, live off the land. Or ye can get a job, a place to live, reveal nothin' of what ye really are except to a trusted few."

Tobias: "Before, someone I knew risked their safety to help...someone. It was all for the sake of something called "papers" and I don't know where to begin."

Bronwyn: "Those can be a bit of an endeavor if ye choose the societal integration route. And unfortunately, ye can't do without them."

Tobias: "I suppose in that case, this is my only route."

Bronwyn: "Fortuitously enough, ye have a choice. I know someone who can get identification papers for ye."

Tobias: "What must I do to obtain them?"

Bronwyn: "Ask."

Tobias: "Where are they? I'll ask face to face."

Bronwyn: "I believe he's home in New York at the moment. Last time I saw him was in November."

Tobias: "Where is that?"

Bronwyn: "All the way up the coast. It's a vast, loud, filthy city. It horrified me the first time I visited it."

Tobias: "I'll make the trek."

Bronwyn: "I can ask him to come here. I'm his employer. Sort of."

Tobias: Eyes opened to question silently.

Bronwyn: "He's my man of affairs."

Tobias: "Are you already cutting into me? I'm not looking."

Bronwyn: "No, no' yet. I was givin' the anesthetic a wee. I think it's been long enough." She opened the package of instruments, letting her magic guide the location of the incision. "I'm goin' to cut once, inject ye again, and then cut one more time, all right?"

Tobias: "It's fine. I'm ready." Man of affairs, he was still trying to understand what that entailed.

Bronwyn: Because she wasn't sure how Tobias was going to react to any of this, she thought it best to speak as she worked and give him a little distraction.

"Stay verra still for me now, all right?" she said as she made the first cut. "I don't want to jostle that bullet into a place that's more difficult to reach." After the second injection and cut, she grabbed a separator and began to chant to slow his blood flow.

Tobias: The more she worked, the harder it was for him to keep his eyes peeled. He body was drained of energy, his mind like cotton. "This...is so much trust...so much in you." She could kill him, sever his spinal cord, slice his throat. He was thinking of every way possible and yet cemented in place.

Bronwyn: "Healin' is a leap of faith," Bronwyn said when she finished chanting. She swabbed the blood that was in her way, reached for the tweezers. "Ye're goin' to feel the bullet begin to move in a bit. Tell me if ye feel any pain."

She began chanting again, this time to encourage the bullet to unearth itself and place itself within reach.

Tobias: He couldn't call it pain, more of a discomfort, an unyielding pressure trying to steal the air out of his lungs. "It's fine," hissed the spider.

Bronwyn: Just a little more. Bronwyn didn't want to go poking with the tweezers until she was certain she'd get what she was looking for. To do otherwise was unnecessarily risky.

Aaaaaaaand there it was.

Bronwyn carefully took hold of the bullet and pulled it out.

Tobias: All Salt could do was stare for a time. That had been inside him, nestled behind his stomach. Ronan had tried to remove everything, but only managed he chaos of a shotgun.

"It's...horrific looking."

Bronwyn: There was certainly no denying that. "Ye're lucky it stayed whole," she said, grabbing a suture so she could close the incision. "When one o' those shatters inside someone...it is truly horrific."

Tobias: "She had it pressed to my stomach, but I was...quite different at the time."

Bronwyn: "Then ye're doubly lucky that it didn't shred yer stomach or another vital organ."

Tobias: "I might have. I heal."

Bronwyn: "Well this time ye're goin' to have some help." She tied off the first set of sutures and began on the second.

Tobias: Eyes were forced open again, looking down at his wound. It felt too surreal. Never before had he experienced such intentional numbness. His breath quickened and he couldn't fathom why.

Bronwyn: "Tobias?" Bronwyn said softly, hand stilling. "Is ev'rythin' all right?"

Tobias: "Yes." He had to close his eyes again, focus on something else. He couldn't allow his fear to overwhelm him. She was being nothing but helpful. Slow, deep breaths. Not too deep.

Bronwyn: "Just a wee bit longer, I promise. After I've sealed this, I'll heal it and we'll be done and dusted."

Tobias: "I can...I can do it myself."

Bronwyn: "Are ye sure? It's no trouble for me. Just a wee bit o' salve and a quick chant."

Tobias: "Fine. Fine..."

Tobias: He needed to save his vitae for something more important, if that be the case.

Bronwyn: "That's the spirit." She tied off the stitches and cleaned the wound with some hydrogen peroxide before reaching for the jar of salve in her work chest.

"Ye're goin' to feel a wee tingle here in a bit," she told him as she slathered the incision. "And ye're goin' to see some white light come out o' my fingers."

Tobias: Please don't try to murder me, he thought, bracing his hand on the edge of the tub. All he could do was nod.

Bronwyn: Had she known the lay of Tobias' thoughts she would've told him to have a bit of faith. Trust had already gotten them this far.

One more deep breath, one more chant, and the healing white light appeared to do its job.

Tobias: "Ha," he breathed. What a strange sensation. Knowing and respecting druids didn't mean he knew the intricacies of their power. "Does it - Does it always tingle?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded, never pausing in her chanting.

Tobias: "Is this it?"

Bronwyn: She nodded again as the white light faded, leaving behind nothing but smooth skin. "That's it. All good as new again."

Tobias: "You actually did it...?"

Bronwyn: "Aye. Ye're bullet free and completely mended."

Tobias: "What do I owe you?"

Bronwyn: "Nothin'. Consider it a favor between buddin' friends."

Tobias: "I don't like favors."

Bronwyn: "What would ye liken to give in return then?"

Tobias: "Need something guarded, protected? Transported? Anything."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn thought for a moment. "Nothin' that comes readily to mind."

Tobias: Salt sighed. "Does no one need services anymore in this world?"

Bronwyn: She chuckled. "I'm sure there are plenty that do." A beat of silence. "Actually, there is some information I need that so far I haven't had much success in findin'. Perhaps ye have the knowledge I seek."

Tobias: The edge of the tub wasn't comfortable, but it was better than lying in the druid's presence. "Yes?"

Bronwyn: "Do ye know anythin' about djinn?"

Tobias: The Ananasi blinked.

Bronwyn: "Or genies, as they're called in some places."

Tobias: "Um...what...do you know about them? Anything I can go on?"

Bronwyn: "All I know is that they have the power to grant a person's deepest desires, but never the way one would expect and often with limitations. I guess...I want to know just how powerful their magic is and if its effects can be undone."

Tobias: "I'm probably getting my information mixed, but such creatures I've heard of were from a far away land, a land...east."

Bronwyn: She nodded. "I've read that as well."

Tobias: "Fire."

Bronwyn: "I'm sorry?"

Tobias: He shook his head. "Something about Fire, and the - sorry...long time since I had to think about it. I swear my brother said - said they hate water. They're made of fire."

Bronwyn: That coincided with what Vincent had told her, though it still didn't make sense. Why would a creature made of fire set up shop in a city of water?

Then again, she didn't know for sure that the djinn she was after was based in New Orleans. It was...a gut feeling.

"Do ye remember if he knew about their magic?"

Tobias: Salt closed his eyes. What had Honde said? "A glass artist. The one he had met dealt with all things glass. Hid in the rain, died."

Bronwyn: "I wonder if that's a trait o' their kind or if it was just that particular one's trade."

Tobias: "I've only heard of the one."

Bronwyn: "Still bears considerin'." Bronwyn heaved a long sigh. "I just wish I knew where to look for my quarry."

Tobias: "How do you know you're looking for a djinn?"

Bronwyn: "Because o' the symbol it left behind. It's verra similar to those of other djinn I've found."

Tobias: "You've found others?"

Bronwyn: "Only in research."

Tobias: "So you want to kill it?"

Bronwyn: She shook her head. "I just want some of its magic undone."

Tobias: "I can help. That'll be what I owe you."

Bronwyn: "I'd appreciate that, thank ye, Tobias."

Tobias: "So you need to find this creature. Do you have anything of it? Any material its touched? Anything at all?"

Bronwyn: "Just the symbol. And, well....Mason."

Tobias: A sigh. "This Mason person was affected by it?"

Bronwyn: She nodded. "Except he doesn't know he has been. He thinks he's someone named Lawrence and has an entire lifetime of false memories to back it up."

Tobias: "I've never used my power to look for someone through another. We could make attempts here."

Bronwyn: "Do ye think it would work with somethin' that belonged to Mason?"

Tobias: "If the djinn laid hands on it."

Bronwyn: "I have no idea if it did, but surely it couldn't hurt to try. I'll be right back." And off she dashed.

Tobias: "Might be better if I just touched this Mason person."

Bronwyn: "That might be a wee hard to arrange," Bronwyn called.

Tobias: "With false memories, I'm sure it would be."

Bronwyn: "I haven't dared call him, though god knows I've wanted to."

Tobias: "Why?"

Bronwyn: "I don't want to upset him. Or myself."

Tobias: "How do you know this, then?"

Bronwyn: "The man he's in a relationship with went to see him and got a hell of a shock."

Tobias: "I can do it."

Bronwyn: When Bronwyn returned, she was clutching a leather jacket. "Go see him?"

Tobias: "Yes. I can lie and find a way to touch him."

Bronwyn: "He's a notary public, if that helps."

Tobias: "Is he a holy man?"

Bronwyn: Wouldn't that be the king of all ironies? "No, he's no'."

Tobias: "Hmm. Alright. Can you show me where he lives?"

Bronwyn: "Aye. I could even accompany ye if that'd be easier. I'd leave the actual visit to ye of course."

Tobias: "Yes, please."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled and nodded. "Verra well. We'll make the trip together."

Tobias: "When shall we begin?" His shirt felt different now with a smooth stomach. He wasn't sure whether he liked it.

Bronwyn: "I'm needed at home for the next few days. The next bit o' free time I have isn't until Saturday."

Tobias: "You want to wait until Saturday?"

Bronwyn: "It's no' that far off. And who knows what information I'll gather between now and then."

Tobias: "If that's what you want."

Bronwyn: It wasn't really, but she was just so worried. So nervous. She didn't think she could face this just yet, even if she wasn't the one going to this Lawrence's door.

"Have ye ever teleported before?"

Tobias: "In a...yes."

Bronwyn: "Would it be all right if we traveled that way? Faster than drivin'."

Tobias: "That's fine. My body's been through worse, I'm sure," the last said sotto voce.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn just nodded. She didn't doubt that for a moment. "Saturday then. We'll go see Lawrence, you'll find an excuse to touch him, and we'll hopefully be a bit closer to solvin' this mystery."

Tobias: "It's a deal." He smiled. This was work. Odd though it might be, there was honor in it. "Thank you."

Bronwyn: "Thank ye," she said, smiling back. "Ye're doin' me a verra great service."

Tobias: "I'm only too happy to have purpose."

Bronwyn: "A mutually beneficial arrangement then. Which reminds me, how can I contact ye? In case my time frees up before Saturday?"

Tobias: "I can come by every morning?"

Bronwyn: "I'm no' always here. I live in New Orleans."

Tobias: "... Right, teleportation."

Bronwyn: "Aye. We could meet in the grove with the honeysuckle?"

Tobias: "I'll be there every day. You don't show, that's fine."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded. "The grove it is."

Tobias: "I'll be on my way then. Until tomorrow, yes?"

Bronwyn: Another nod, this time accompanied by a deep breath. "Aye, here's hopin'."

#Honeysuckle in the Snow #tobysalt

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