#forestofforever. Sylvester

[townofcadence]

The Crow found himself approaching a building that appeared to be abandoned, though he knew better. There was a presence there, one he recognized. He proceeded to fly in through the window, landing not far from the man that he knew.

The man looked different, yes, but he could still tell that it was the same person he'd met in the forest. The snakes hardly deterred him from approaching him anyway. The Crow shed his feathers, taking on the shape of a man before taking a few steps closer to Artair, still keeping some distance between them, as he always did. "He...helllo." His voice was still a tad creaky, though it sounded like he'd been practicing his speech since they'd last met.

The stairs have been restored, so there was no danger of falling through or shoddy support. The rage room..... he'd replaced the floorboards and spackled and repainted the walls. He'd redone the halls and all the carpets had been cleaned and refurbished. Contract work wasn't new to him, so the whole process of making this place livable was....meditative, almost. He'd gotten outside tended of all the weeds too, and mowed down and tilled for fresh gardening. There was a compost pile now, already started in preparation, he'd replaced the fridge, and was setting tile against the backboard of the kitchen wall, leaning on a countertop he'd replaced earlier in the week.

There's a fluttering sound, and a familiar feeling. He doesn't immediately place what it is, as in his own head as he is while he works. But he does pause with a tile still perched between his fingers, listening. Something-- changes, magic shifts near him, and that feels even more familiar, a similar shifting of threads he's felt before.

The soft greeting unknots him from his surprise, and he finds his voice again. "Crow-- is that you? Oh--." He's-- very different right now, he drops the tile and instead curves his hands over his serpentine tresses as if to corral them. His band is still on, but he swallows. "Um. Wow. I didn't expect-- are you okay? Is everything alright?"

[fctedivided]

"Don't mention it." Fey gave a small nod before taking the lead towards the nearest kiosk. It was just a little effort, and she had the time anyway.

"If you want to know, around these blocks, there are some places you can stay for the night, as well with a few pubs and local restaurants." She then informed him along the way.

"Ah, I suppose that might help."

Really, an opinion would be just as effective, but her willingness to help was still very much appreciated, and perhaps an information booth or kiosk could point him towards some useful resources to help with this dilemma.

"Thank you."

[rpvmsx]

@forestofforever from here

His most immediate response is a hearty chuckle. Perhaps he's just a nervous laugher? Although his shit-eating grin would suggest otherwise.

"My, that's a cute little thing. What exactly do you think you're going to do with that?" His eyes flick down to gesture to the blade, though he cannot see it.

The confident facade falters for just a moment as he swallows, a sudden flash of memories, and their associated emotions, hitting him as he feels the pressure of the blade. But they rather quickly resolve back into a grin of renewed vigor, a flash of teeth. Sharp teeth, biting his lip in a deliberate attempt to call attention to them.

A gloved hand reaches for Sylvester's, hoping to disarm him or, at the very least, restrain him. He's not as quick when he's hungry, but maybe a small distraction will even the odds. "Dinner? Personally, I'm famished, and really this is no way to treat a guest."

[parabelllvm]

@forestofforever | continued from here

❝No.❞

Brodiaea's voice is firm as they speak and, as gently as they can, they place a hand on Sylvester to prevent him from fully getting up — keeping him seated on the ground. With the injury he just sustained, it's unlikely that he would've made it very far. Even with adrenaline and whatever else is fueling his nerves following it, all it would take is the slightest disconnect between mind and body and he'd go crashing to the ground again.

❝What I need you to do is breathe, okay? Slowly.❞ they continue to instruct, rolling up their sleeves a bit so their hands are a bit more free to move. They don't hesitate to pull the other man's top up just enough to reveal more of the wound, nose scrunching up a bit at how much blood he was still losing.

❝…I need you to trust me a little bit, okay?❞ — and as they talk, they're lifting a part of their robe and tearing fabric from it — fabric that they layer and fold quickly until they can press it against the wound. ❝And I need you to hold this against your side, understand?❞

They don't wait for him to lift his arm but instead lifts it for him, guiding Sylvester's hand to the darkening cloth and pressing it to the spot firmly. ❝Like this… and don't let up, understand?❞

[townofcadence]

“What are you cooking?” - the Crow

Get a Meal

Artair hums as he cooks. "I wasn't sure what you'd like, but I figured this could be a neat little adventure!" Artair places a plate in front of the Crow. It has noodles on it, with small shrimps visible throughout the plate, as well as a collection of greens and a wedge of lime. "This is pad thai with a peanut sauce. I didn't go spicy with it-- honestly I'm not sure how much you'd taste it anyways? But I figured it'd be new. Andddd if you don't like it or it's too much, I made some bread. It's lemon and raspberry with poppyseeds, so it's kind of a dessert food, but at least I know you can eat that stuff, haha."

A second plate is set closer to the center of the table. with a yellowy brown bread, dotted with dark seeds and bright pockets of raspberry red. "I ah... hope you enjoy? I didn't have the cilantro so I left it out, but for some people it kinda tastes soapy so I figured it might be a safer bet, anyways. And I felt like chicken might be strange to feed a guy who turns into a bird, even if birds do eat other birds and eggs and stuff if they want-- BUT. Anyways. I figured it might be neat for you to try something else! And I think seafood is like-- really good. So ah.... bon appetite?"

[rpvlix]

Ken's eyes are enormous by the end of that. He almost can't believe what he's hearing, but he hasn't really got a reason not to. He could've listened to someone talk about anything they were passionate about for hours, but, of all things, it just so happened to be this.

"There really aren't many people out there that get it, are there? I do." His emphasis carries some deeper catharsis with it, not just declaring that he sees Sylvester, but that he hopes he sees him too, relieved by the thought. "It's beautiful. Poetic, even. How could it be anything but art?"

Art, death, medical sciences, three of his favorite topics, all rolled into one, perhaps he won't scare this guy off as quickly as he'd expected. "I collect wet specimens, myself. Always been fascinated with death, anatomy, dissection, decay, preservation. Something about life being frozen in time that just..." He doesn't finish the sentence, but his face says enough; it's awe, pure admiration. He wouldn't know a good enough word to summarize the feeling anyway.

"Ever work on anything odd? I've got a medical anomaly or two, my absolute favorite specimens. I would love to hear more about your art. Everything, really, I'd love to hear everything." Maybe a big ask, but he's very transparently excited to meet another person with more morbid tastes.

A date with the Macabre Parasite (open starter)

[townofcadence]

"I think you smell nice" he's not sure why he's whispering, but it feels too awkward to say it out loud- the Crow

Whisper in their Ear

"Oh--- uh---." Artair shudders at the soft words against his ear, but he recovers just as quick, rubbing at his neck. The Crow doesn't know any better, and was just being nice. "Thank you-- I know the shampoo I use is like.... rain and ocean? And I like these oils I throw on after a shower... haha. I guess I'm glad the combo is good?" His grin turns sheepish.

[townofcadence]

@forestofforever // Continued!

This was...odd. The Crow had no issue with being an animal, he was used to it, after all... but he'd only ever been a bird. Being a mammal was different. He didn't have feathers, but instead, slate grey fur. No wings, but instead four paws with glorious retractable claws. Sure, he had no idea what was going on, but this wasn't too out of the ordinary for the forest. Weird things happened, you got used to it. Becoming a cat out of nowhere was new but not as surprising as it would've been to those outside of the forest. Magic worked in strange ways after all. He didn't talk much so losing the ability to speak didn't feel like a significant loss (though he did hope it would return sooner rather than later), and walking on all fours was a bit weird, but the same could be said for hopping around as a bird. It took a moment of getting used to, yes, but he got the hang of it pretty quickly. That being said, of course, he had to show his friend. He made his way to Artair's cottage and began tapping on the window with his brand-new paws. He was perhaps a bit too excited, but he couldn't help it, paws were fun!

Artair almost missed the small little bap bap baps of tiny itty bitty paws on the window. But when he came into the workroom with a book in hand, it was all too audible. There was.... a cat on the fire escape, who was scratching at the pane. A grey cat, maybe a russian blue-- though he supposed cats that were grey weren't all blues, the color just reminded him of them.

He doesn't know why, but the cat seems....familiar? Though he's never seen that cat in his life. It's just a gut feeling that makes him open the window and let them in. Though... he might've done it anyways if he's honest.

"Hey little guy." Artair looks them over, scooting a few things on his desk so there's room to climb inside from the fire escape. "Are you lost? Or just cold? It's getting kind of chilly out there, isn't it? I'd be freezing my paws off if I were you, I bet."

[townofcadence]

@forestofforever // continued

He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting here, collapsed against a tree, close to his home but not close enough to get there in the state he was currently in. The gash on his forehead was still bleeding sluggishly and a red stain seemed to be blooming on his shirt. It took a moment for the words to properly reach Sylvester. As soon as he realized that the other was talking to him, he only tried to make himself smaller rather than answering the question. As he cautiously took a peek at the person who was talking to him, he recognized his face. They'd met before, he was pretty sure. "...I...I don't...I don't remember...I didn't get a good look at their face." Not true. He knew perfectly well, but he wouldn't be sharing that information. Whatever they'd done to him this time had still been rather tame compared to what he'd been through before. If he told this person anything, it was bound to get worse. Much worse.

Artair's eyes were full of concern, as he crouched beside Sylvester. He answered him in that soft voice, shrinking away as if to disappear entirely into the ground. His own eyes rounded with his worry, but he nodded. There was fear, somehow, as he was answered. But he was for all intents a stranger. If there was more to the injury than he said, he doubted he'd be the one he'd entrust it to.

"I--- okay. I guess it doesn't really matter right now." He looks down, chewing on his lip. He could see blood on his head, and on his shirt, which likely meant something underneath. He was in no condition to be doing anything at this point. "You.... really don't look okay. Can I help you? Do you need me to call someone? I have first aid in my bag, too. I could-- I'd like to help."

[townofcadence]

💐 from the Crow to Artair, it's really just a handful of random blooms from the forest, but still pretty nonetheless.

Surprise My Muse with Flowers

"Oh!" Artair takes the collection of flowers very tenderly into his hands. They're pretty, put together like this, a wide variety of shapes and colors. He smiles, eyes drifting from the bouquet to the crow. "Thank you. That's really sweet of you. Here---." He plucks a blue one from the collection, small and fragile, before raising a hand to tuck it between a pair of feathers, so that it wouldn't fall so easily. "It matches your eyes a little, when you're human shaped. And it just looks pretty when your feathers are so dark like this, haha."

[townofcadence]

🐸 New/Developing Friendship ♫ Reluctant Friends

Relationship Dynamics

HA--- absolutely!! Sylvester definitely seems like he might be reluctant to be friends because of his own struggles, but Artair can be a force of nature when it comes to friendship! He tends to keep coming around as long as he feels he's not being a burden or a problem by doing so. Sorry crow, this guy is gonna keep pestering you ! :3

[townofcadence]

It's the clicking noise that clues him in, before anything else. This is the Crow! His friend is the only one here that sounds like this. His behavior flips like a switch, and out of the bush he darts, rushing between his legs and weaving there between them. Artair doesn't make much noise as a cat, but he he does butt against his shins a few times, before seating himself on the ground in front of him and looking up with his large, mismatched eyes. His tail settles on the ground beside him, sweeping against grass and fallen leaves.

He doesn't expect the Crow to recognize him, but he's still grateful to see him. If there was anyone he was safe with in this particular forest, it was his friend.

There were many creatures in the forest, and the Crow didn't usually pay too much attention to the smaller ones... but wait, was that a cat? This gave him pause, after all, cats were by no means common in the forest. The Heart didn't like them, considered them to be invasive and destructive, and just generally not wanted around here... which meant that technically the Crow should kill it. That was his job after all; dispose of pests. He slowly reached out...

But he just couldn't do it. This poor creature had done absolutely nothing wrong and the idea of taking its life really didn't feel good. His hand dropped to his side. The poor thing really shouldn't be here though, there were plenty of dangers, sadly including the Crow, and that meant that it should either be taken to the outskirts so it could get out, or taken to a safe location within the forest.

The Crow couldn't pick it up, not with his bare hands anyway, and so he removes his coat, wrapping it around his hands so he's able to pick up the cat without the risk of it dying. He lets out a soft clicking noise as if asking the cat to please come closer.

[townofcadence]

Artair's touch was feathery at best, a barest brush against his back, when he nodded. There's a tense apprehension in the air, and while he'd been given permission, he didn't want to make this worse. Instead, He helps the guy to his feet and offers himself for support, a guiding arm curling at Sylvester's waist to steady him.

He didn't bring him far, just a few streets down and into a small park, empty this time of night. There was a children's playground, and a few park benches, so he settled him on one of them for more comfort, before crouching in front of him, to look up at his face. "Hey-- you're doing great so far. I know it's a lot, but you're handling yourself really well. Just take some more breaths with me. If you can, maybe look around. See if you can spot five unique things."

His heart was still racing and calming down seemed like a near-impossible task at the moment, but it was nice to have someone telling him what to do, someone to help him through this. Even as his lungs were screaming, he forced himself to breathe slowly rather than gulping for air like he had been doing, and this in turn allowed his heartbeat to return to a semi-normal rhythm.

He wasn't sure that he wanted to be touched. The other was a stranger, it's not like Sylvester knew his intentions... and yet, he simply nodded in response. If this kind stranger turned out to have sinister intentions...well, at least Sylvester would've still experienced a bit of kindness and comfort because of them, which was really all he could ask for at this point.

"Y-yes...Please..."