Call On The Wind

To The Marketplace

Once the two travelers had left the Inn, Zephyrus led the way. The exit from this place was the entrance to faerie; and the route to the Magical Market. He explained all of this after they exited the underground city; or, at least, Loptr had thought they were underground. The exit was ground-level inside and out, so that when they emerged in faerie, they were out in sunlight. Loptr’s initial reaction was to notice that the very air seemed alive; everything was bright, and beautiful in the light, everything seemed to glow. They began walking, and she gradually adjusted herself to this setting, and really, everything looked like it might in the human world, though there was a certain…vitality…to absolutely everything, that made the plants greener, the grass softer, made everything seem lively and magic.

“That was just the entrance at Brú na Bóinne. There’re others like it in Ireland, I just personally take that one normally.” He told her. “All the entrances are like that—cities at the gate—but the others aren’t quite so lively all the time.” Loptr nodded, smiling.
“Your friends certainly seemed nice.”
“Ahhhh, I’ve known them for quite the long time.” He said with a grin. “A very long time.”
“So then, where are we now?” she asked, looking around.
“In Faerie.” He replied simply. “En route t’ the Market. There’re entrances everywhere; that was just one of the the official ones. The Market isn’t far from here, maybe four or five days’ travel.” Loptr seemed to think about this, and nodded.
“Maybe five days, not so bad.” She said. “Though I know a faster way to travel.”
Loptr’s way of transport was by air. It was easy enough to float through the air herself and carting him along was no problem either. Zephyrus looked largely amused by the whole thing, drifting along beside her.
“You look a bit less surprised than I thought you might.” She noted, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, I’ve flown this way once before.” He replied with a small shrug. “Though,” He shifted himself a bit, “Though I had a bit more control.” Loptr laughed, and sped the pace along a bit.
“Traveling like this should get us there a day, maybe two, faster, but that’s if we’re in a real hurry. Are we?” Zephyrus had taken a reclining position in the air.
“I’m not in a hurry, really.”
“I’m certainly not. ” She replied easily, and relaxed herself.

They were quiet, drifting along in a comfortable silence for a short while, until Loptr finally spoke up.
“Do you know, I never imagined my traveling would begin like this.” She remarked, laughing quietly. “Let alone be this way at all.”
“And what way is that?”
“Traveling with a stranger—”
“Well, we do know one another now—”
“—Somewhat, yes. Traveling with a stranger, staying together in an Inn, in Faerie just a few hours after meeting, getting drunk in said Inn in Faerie just hours after meeting…”
“When in Faerie.” He responded with a shrug and a chuckle. She laughed at this, and shook her head.
“Things feel different here.” she said. “The plants, the food and drink, the very air here feels alive, and powerful. I feel strong here, it’s like being mildly intoxicated constantly.”
“Y’get used to it after so long. And things are different here, not just in the energy. Rules aren’t the same. The Fair Folk don’t have the same rules as humans.”

They continued on; the first day went by quickly. Loptr showed off a bit when he teased her that they were slowing down, that night they slept under a tree—after a good deal of assurance from Zephyrus that it would be perfectly fine to do so—and they set off again the next morning.
Loptr was pleased enough to keep up this pace, and they stopped when the sun was at it’s peak in the middle of the day to rest and cool off. It was warmer here, like late springtime. They took a bit of time to reflect on what they’d passed; Loptr was thrilled with the place but something was familiar to her somehow.
“The land here is beautiful.” She sighed, while they were resting under a shade-tree.
“It certainly is.” he replied, folding his arms behind his head on the grass.
“So…this place is Faerie?” She asked. “Is that all there is to it?”
“It’s another world, actually. I was wondering why you hadn’t said anything, though I wondered if you had been here before, as you’re an Aesir.”
“…This is one of the Nine Realms, isn’t it!”
“Mm, that it is. This is…’Aflheimr’ if I’m remembering correctly. That’s what you Aesir call it. We all call it Faerie.”
“Aflheimr and Svartalfheimr are connected—so are they both considered all of Faerie to you?” She asked, rolling herself out onto the grass on her stomach to look over at him.
“Mmm. The fey’re separated by Seelie and Unseelie. Seelie’re the ones we’re seein’ now, for the most part. The Unseelie tend to keep to their lands—the place you call Svartalfheimr. They both have entrances to Midgard, though only humans with guides or those from other realms can travel through.” Loptr nodded.
“I’ve never been, that I know of…”
“That you…know of?”
“…I don’t actually remember.” she replied softly, her expression darkening a bit. “When I traveled here from Asgard…I’m sure something went wrong in-transport. I’ve been thinking my memory would come back, but…It’s been months on Midgard, and I can remember nothing about myself. I can remember places, other people, I remembered my magic, but I can’t remember my own past.” she looked up to see a very peculiar look on Zephyrus’ face, one she couldn’t quite decipher. There was a long, pregnant silence, but the next thing he said was that they ought to get moving again.

That night, Loptr was feeling hungry again, and found out Zephyrus had a flask of Faerie Wine with him. If one didn’t drink too much of it, it was just filling.
They were listening to night birds and Loptr was studying the stars when she thought of something.
“Zephyrus?” she asked quietly, not knowing if he were asleep or not.
“Mm?”
“Why are you traveling to the Market?” There was a pause.

“I’m meeting someone there.” Some part of her seemed to deflate a bit at this, though she couldn’t say why. She thought she was probably imagining it.
“Who?” Her voice sounded a bit too soft. She wished she could take that back.
“My sister.” He replied. “My sister will be there.”

Through the Fairy Mound

It turned out that the ‘party’ was inside of a mound—and when Loptr saw this, for a moment she was wondering if this meeting was about to turn sour, because this place looked like nothing more than a grass-covered mausoleum.

“Right this way, m’lady.” Zephyrus said with a grin, motioning her through the little security gate that had been set up to prevent visitation to the one passageway. Loptr raised an eyebrow, but the air here was singing with energy. She knew better than to doubt things based on appearance, as well. “Just step through.” Zephyrus offered, nodding to the entrance. “Y’ought to be quick about it, too; human security here isn’t a pleasant thing t’deal with.”
Loptr stood in front of the open gate for a moment, staring into the deep black shadow that the tunnel became—and then she took a breath, and stepped inside.

There was something brushing her; like a wall of spider’s webs, and she closed her eyes, her nose wrinkling and her head jerking back instinctively; but as soon as she took another step and raised a hand to brush them away, the sensation was gone. She relaxed, and opened her eyes, and found herself standing in a completely different place that she had been before. It was still stone; but the stones were lovely and looked clean and well-kept, as opposed to the dilapidated look the tunnel had displayed from outside. It was also lit with a dim golden glow from a lantern that hung overhead from an arched ceiling, and it didn’t appear to be as long as she had thought, and there were more visible curtains shielding whatever more brightly-lit room lay beyond.
She spun around to find that the ‘spiderwebs’ she had felt were what looked like a veil of some kind, one that Zephyrus lifted up to pass under as he entered behind her, with a grin on his face.
“Not s’bad, was it?” He teased. She smiled and  wrinkled her nose at him.
“Yes well, would have been nice of you to warn me about that little curtain, you know.”
“Reactions to it’re always rather entertainin’, though you’re the first I’ve brought through in a long, long time who hasn’t shrieked things about spiders.” He offered her his arm, motioning to the other end of the tunnel. Loptr shook her head, chuckling, but took his arm nevertheless.
“Oh, I’m flattered, then.” she replied, and as he parted the curtains to guide her through at the other end, the light hurt her eyes for a moment, and there was suddenly noise, a sound of life and general business that had been completely absent from the tunnel before.

They were on a raised platform, with steps that led down to the street of what looked like an underground city; though it was under a ceiling that looked much too high to be the roof of the mound they’d just been standing before. Lanterns hung everywhere, and the place was warm, lively, unlike the outside. In this large place there were beings bustling through pathways that were like roads and as the two of them descended the stairs, Loptr watched the things traveling to and fro, and even saw carriages of all sizes pulled by different animals, and some rickshaw-like vehicles that seemed to all be rushed around on the arms of slim little sprite-like creatures that looked much too small to carry even the cart alone. There were buildings pressed together that looked like old-style cottages and inns from storybooks, and she heard the calls of typical livestock mixed in with other sounds that weren’t so typical. Zephyrus took her arm again once they were down the short staircase, and led her into the fray of things, garnering a number of lingering gazes from passers-by. They looked strange together, even Loptr had to admit, but the creatures passing them didn’t look any less so.
There were elves—tall as small trees and slender, with tell-tale ears and regal bearings—there were pixies fluttering about in little clusters, and as they passed one building, the entryway was blocked by a little huddling of hunched things in hooded cloaks that Loptr couldn’t see under. Creatures that looked to be made up of both man and beast passed them, as well as some that looked to be more beast than man. Loptr herself lingered just a moment, when they walked past a woman who looked as though she might be elfin save for her height, who was standing inside of the back of a large covered wagon that was filled with birdcages. She was feeding some kind of bird with a long slender neck and brightly-colored plumage, and as she fed it, it fluttered its wings and gave quiet, happy, little ‘kree!’ sounds.

Magic was all about in the air here, and it was intoxicating all on its own. By the time Zephyrus had guided Loptr into a larger building that, on the inside of the bottom level, appeared to be a pub, her cheeks were rosy with delight and she was smiling excitedly. A few creatures seated at bar looked up to raise mugs to Zephyrus, or to grin at him with a greeting, or simply to stare at his companion, though she was too preoccupied looking around at the lively place to pay them any mind. It was loud in here, a joyous sort of loud, composed of music and laughter and the sounds of mugs clinking and loud conversation. The air smelled of spices and baked things, of meat and good food, and it was pleasantly warm and well-lit in here as well. They took a seat in a booth together, and Loptr began to laugh before looking across their small table at her companion.
“This place is fantastic!” She said, leaning forward a bit to be heard better over the noise. He laughed too, seeing the expression on her face, and nodded.
“It is. I’ll go get us some drinks—though it looks like you’re already having a fair time!” He replied, and got up to head to the bar with a wink back at her. She laughed again, watching him go, and took the moment to just study the place.
She hadn’t been immersed in this much sheer power and energy since she’d been to Midgard. It made her feel amazing; energetic and strong and happy. He was right—any kind of alcohol would just be elevating that for now.
As she looked around, she noticed a table of what looked like drunken dwarves playing cards; one of them was climbing up on the edge of the table to be a more proper height to take the hands of an elf-woman standing near them to do a little dance with her. There were some real faeries in the corner across from her; sitting and keeping to themselves, looking as though they were having a little celebration of their own. They were beautiful, Loptr noted, with long elegant necks and skin that seemed to shine, even though one of them had skin the color of the night sky and the other was a pale sort of grey. Two male fey; who were both so lovely to look at they easily made any human celebrity, male or female, look downright plain.
The darker-skinned male—who had almond-shaped eyes that looked silver, and a long mane of white hair—seemed to notice her staring, and nodded his head to her, giving her a small, serene sort of smile. His companion turned in his seat, revealing a more youthful face and bright golden eyes under his shaggy mop of black hair, and did the same. She blushed in embarrassment, but bowed her head all the same, and smiled pleasantly at them just as Zephyrus came trotting back to the table with two large tankards and a raised eyebrow for her.
He sat, passed her one of the drinks, and then turned to follow her gaze. The two fey looked surprised to see him, and after a moment they stood and began making their way through the crowd to Loptr and Zephyrus’ table. Loptr looked at the ginger man across from her.
“Do you…know them?” She asked, hoping she hadn’t done something to offend them. Zephyrus grinned.
“I do in fact. That’s Orindin—the darker one—and his bonded, Brennan.” Loptr nodded, and the two fey greeted them warmly as they got to the table. They were dressed in loose clothing, looking plain as far as garments went, but with their faerie looks, they could have passed for princes no matter what they wore.
“Zephyrus!” Greeted Orindin, his voice deep and smooth. “I was not expecting to see you so soon!” Brennan stepped forward and smiled at them both.
“Well, it’s really not surprising, though I thought you might have your sister with you. I haven’t seen her in quite some time, you know.” Zephyrus laughed.
“Oh she’ll pop up sooner’r later, we all know she’s a habit of doin’ that.” He assured Brennan, who chuckled to himself. “Y’ought to watch out the next time you see her, though, she still remembers the night back on the Mediterranean.” Brennan seemed to sober at this, and Orindin laughed now himself, shaking his head.
“Is anyone really surprised by this?” He joked, and then looked to Loptr. “But we’ve been rude—who is this lovely thing with you?” The way he said it was more a fact than a compliment, Loptr noticed, and smiled.
“Loptr.” She offered. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
“She’s just recently come to the human world.” Zephyrus told them. “Heading to the market.”
“Playing tour guide, are you?” Brennan laughed, and Loptr followed suit.
“Well, he’s been kind enough so far. Tell me, should I be worried?” Zephyrus looked scandalized for a moment, but Orindin slid into a seat next to her, and shook his head, Brennan taking a seat beside Zephyrus across from him.
“Oh no, nothing to worry over. Zep is a man of his word; you’re in good hands.” He told her on a more serious note. She smiled up at him and nodded.
“There’s a relief. And here I thought I might just be the fool following the first fool.” They all laughed at this, and Zephyrus took a drink of whatever he’d brought them before giving the three of them a meaningful look.
“Now see here, you lot.” He started, but they all just laughed again, and he couldn’t finish.

Brennan looked directly at Loptr now.
“New to the human world, hm? Whereabout are you from?”
“Asgard.” She replied simply. He and Orindin’s eyes widened slightly, and they looked impressed.
“An Aesir!” Orindin said, sounding shocked. “It’s been a very long, long time since I’ve seen one of your kind.” Brennan nodded.
“A very long time.” He agreed. Loptr smiled.
“I see. Well, I’ve never been here to Midgard before, but as far as first impressions go, this is quite lovely.” Brennan smiled.
“You did manage to make it to a very lovely spot, after all.” Loptr nodded and laughed softly, finally taking a look at the drink she’d been presented. It was a deep magenta color, and sloshed heavily, suggesting an almost syrupy quality. It smelled delightful.
“Have you tasted it?” came Orindin’s voice from beside her. She shook her head.
“No, I haven’t—what is it?”
“Take a drink! You’ll like it.”
She did so, and he was very right.
It was warm—not so syrupy as she’d thought, though even the mild warmth of her mouth melted the thickness of it as she drank. It was sweet, but not overpoweringly so, and tasted of spices and something…well, ‘floral’ was the only word that came to mind. It was like tasting the scent of flowers. She swallowed and looked stunned, savoring the taste for a long moment. The men at the table all chuckled, and her lips widened into a pleased smile.
“Never had faerie wine, have you?” Brennan asked, and she laughed.
“My word, how have I been living until now?” She joked, drawing more laughter.

The night ended with them all having drunk more than enough wine to drown in, all the while laughing and carrying on. Loptr learned a new song, Orindin told her stories about the faerie court, and Brennan told her about the magical market they were all headed to. It got to a point during the evening that everyone’s names even became too hard to pronounce via slurring voices, and so Orindin became ‘Orn’ or ‘Oree’, Brennan was ‘Nan’, Zephyrus was shortened to Zep, and poor Loptr became Lollipop at one point or other, which just devolved into ‘Lolly’ finally.
The pub doubled as an Inn, and Orindin and Brennan had already secured a room, so they bid the two goodnight late into the night, and made their way upstairs.
Zephyrus, as it happened, could hold his wine better than Loptr, and so it was up to him to find lodging for them.

The next morning came much more quickly than Loptr had imagined it might, though this was because she had fallen asleep somewhere between Zephyrus getting them a room and this morning.  She woke up feeling heavy and very disgruntled; her hair was a mess and she was still in her clothes from the day before.
It came flooding to her all at once, the previous day’s activities, and she wondered how in the world she’d managed to find herself in a situation like this the first day of travel.
Across from the bed she was resting in, Zephyrus had fallen asleep draped over a large armchair, his outer layers of clothing tossed onto the floor and his hair falling into his face as he snored very softly. Loptr laughed quietly to herself, but got up then to find somewhere to at least wash her face.

She was at a little mirror over a basin of water one of the Inn-maids had brought for her—Loptr had stepped outside and caught the girl before she could rush off down the stairs—when Zephyrus woke up. The explanation was that they’d both been a few sheets to the wind, she’d fallen asleep while they were going up the stairs, and so he’d gotten them into the room before dozing off himself. Today they would be heading for the magical market; they’d only been asleep a few hours, it was still early in the day aboveground.

They both washed up and made themselves look presentable before leaving the place, though on the way out, Zephyrus made a little remark about personally buying her another dress if it meant she wouldn’t be smelling of faerie wine for the rest of the trip, which got him an ‘accidental’ elbow to the ribs as they headed into the streets again.

First Impressions

The flight took longer than if she had flown on an aircraft—simply because Loptr enjoyed flying. She’d dipped down to skim along the water, she’d zipped along with pods of dolphins and drifted along nestled in a cloud to sunbathe for a short time when she felt tired.
Eventually, she reached the Irish shores, though she had no idea where she was. It was early evening; the sun was near to setting, and she strolled along the cool shore for a little while, letting the cold water nip at her feet.

Ireland. Home to myth and legend and the Shining Folk—if you believed legends.
She was excited to see the country; already she felt a strange and strong energy in this place; and even the rocky shore was ancient and beautiful.
Night fell. Loptr was not entirely sure where she would be sleeping; though if need be she’d rent a room. For the time being she was looking up at the emerging stars and letting the wind whip her hair around. Something about this place was so calming; she couldn’t quite place why.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she felt something approaching. It didn’t seem human; though it seemed to be about human-sized. She glanced around. Nothing. The thing had paused as well, it seemed. She turned back to the water. No noise, no movement. Nothing. For a long moment the energy stayed where it was, and then, in a flash, there was a man standing next to her on the rock she was perched upon.
She inhaled so quickly and sharply as she swiveled her head to look up at him, that it barely made a sound. She stared up at him for a long moment without saying anything, and realized her heart was pounding. How had he popped up without her anticipating it? What was he even doing? He looked different; not normal. In a crowd of humans he would have stood out even if they couldn’t sense the waves of power emanating off of him. He was tall—taller than she was by at least a head, she could tell—and had a very serene look about his face. He seemed completely at ease as he stood next to her; his posture relaxed, his gaze off at the water steady. His clothing was layered, and made him look like something from a much older world; pelts, sashes, charms, satchels…she took him to be lean underneath, however. His hair was long and thick, hanging in wild waves to nearly his waist, and was a deep coppery color. Looking at his face she could see soft features, he looked younger than he was; the lines about his profile were sloping and gentle, rounded nose and lips, a soft chin, blue eyes that were heavy-lidded and gazed contentedly out at the things around him.

Loptr opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off with a soft, accented voice.
“Gettin’ a bit chilly t’be out s’late, pretty lass.” Loptr paused.
“O-Oh, is it? I hadn’t…noticed…” truth be told, she hadn’t. This must look very odd to him, which only added to the overall strangeness of the whole situation. At last, he looked down at her, an easy grin curving up his lips.
“Didn’t notice? Wearin’ somethin’ like that?” She didn’t have to glance down to remember she was wearing a sundress.
“Well…I was just…lost in thought, I suppose.”
“Now that is a shame.”
“What? Why?”
“A pretty thing like you? Havin’ the time like this to be lost in thought that way?” Loptr felt the heat rise to her face.
“And why shouldn’t I? Are you suggesting I shouldn’t think?” He laughed—a real laugh, a pleasant laugh that made her think of summertime and running through tall grass—and knelt down to take a seat next to her. He was so at ease that it made her less hesitant to keep his company, though she was still skeptical about all this.
“No, more like I’d imagine a girl who looked like you’d have a schedule so full she might not have the time.” He replied, winking at her. She raised an eyebrow, one corner of her mouth tugging up.
“Ohh I see. I should have a date, then?”
“Well, not ‘should’, I suppose. Awful surprisin’ that you don’t.”
“Is it! Well, then I’ll take that as a compliment. Nevertheless, that’s the case. I was, in fact, lost in thought. Because I had the time.” He laughed again and she fought a smile.
“Mm. Free schedule?”
“Oh, everything about me is free, dear sir.”
“Free like the wind?” She looked over to find him gazing at her knowingly, a grin on his face and his eyebrows raised. She looked caught off-guard.
“As a matter of fact, yes.” She replied, her expression a bit wary now, and it reflected in her voice.
“I can appreciate that, then.” He responded, nodding and seeming to ignore her change in mood.
“And you? Are you not quite so free?” She asked, turning to face the water again and glancing sideways at him.
“Ohhh, not so free as you, I’m afraid. But free enough.”
“You sound like someone who enjoys being limited.”
“Call me a masochist then, bonnie.” he replied, and she looked at him to find him smiling.

She was honestly caught off guard by the small talk.
“All right then, Mr. Masochistic, what brings you here to this spot right at this moment?”
“You, actually.” he replied, turning to face her. Her eyes met his, but she found nothing suggesting dishonesty in them, or any sort of ill-will.
“Me?”
“Oh don’t play that game with me, you. Y’could feel me gettin’ closer just like I could feel you when I was ‘round this area.”
“…Fair enough. What are you?”
“A Sorcerer. And you’re a goddess.”
“You could tell that much?”
“Oh, I can tell more than that.” She chose not to press at this.
“Mm. Well, I can tell a bit more about you, as well.”
“Zephyrus.” He said suddenly, and bowed his head to her. “Pleasure to make your acquaintanceship, m’lady.” She smiled.
“Loptr.” She replied. “Loptr, and it’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Zephyrus.”
“Loptr.” He repeated, testing the name. “Loptr…now there’s an interesting one.”
“Well if you don’t like it, then my apologies, by all means.” She said in mock-offense, folding her arms over her chest and laughing quietly.
“Oh no, just…different, isn’t it.”
“Perhaps it is. Coming from ‘Zephyrus’…”
“Yeah, yeah, point taken.” they both laughed now. “All right, Miss Loptr, then let me ask you: What brings you here, to this spot, right at this moment?” He asked, and watched her with that same easy smile. She smiled back.
“Travel.” She said simply.
“Well obviously—but for what purpose, then?”
“I’m traveling over Mid—this world. Seeing what there is to see.” She said. “This is actually my first stop.”
“oh! Well then, can I be assumin’ I’m the first ‘foreigner’ y’ve met?” his voice was playful. She laughed.
“Well, you’re the first person I’ve met outside of the home I’ve made in this world.” She nodded.
“How’m I farin’ as a welcome party?”
“Party? If you know where I am from, then you will know this is no party, my dear.” He raised an eyebrow, his eyes widening slightly, and his grin widened.
“Well now! There’s some sentiment I can line up with!” He stood, and offered her a hand. “How about a real ‘welcome party’ then? My treat, Traveler.” She looked up at him skeptically for a moment, but suddenly she was on her feet, ignoring his extended hand.
“All right, then, since you’re treating. Where to, ‘Welcome Party’?”

He glanced around and thought for a moment, before looking back down at her, a wide grin on his face and his eyes curious.
“Have y’ever had faerie wine, Loptr?”

fanged-and-fabulous replied to your post

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Also: Finally found a picture for /him/ ;D Want me to post it?

ooc: Oh please do! I can’t wait to see! > u<

Traveling, Begin. Conclusion.

As it happened, Anemone had taken quite a fancy to Loptr. It was never something outright spoken; but the dark haired goddess knew that if the smaller girl felt otherwise, she wouldn’t keep finding her on her front doorstep or out on her lawn. The day after they met, Anemone turned up on her front porch in the rain, with a bright smile on her little face and a wave.
“I got caught in some rain. How about a towel, Loppy?”
And she’d skipped inside and asked for tea, and that was that.

She had talked to Loptr about travel, that rainy afternoon. And the day after, when Loptr was having breakfast and Anemone turned up in the gnarled oak tree overlooking the main bit of the yard and had rustled her string of lanterns to signal her arrival Loptr had already had chamomile tea with honey ready along with a smile. They walked on the beach that day, and gathered shells. Anemone told Loptr about places in the ocean where sirens sang and mermaids played, about caves where dragons rested and the best spots to fly unseen were. The smaller girl tossed pretty shells into the basket they’d brought and pointed out things in the sky and on the water.
“Those clouds—the ones there, like that one—if you go fly near them and drag even a little more dust and dirt into them, then they’ll puff up like balloons and become stormclouds in no time. And those there, like that big one! Those are fine; I took a nap in one once when I was flying over the ocean. It’s harder to make clouds yourself; that’s something for the cloudmakers to do anyhow.”

The day after that, they strung the shells into decorations and Anemone talked about mountains where snow beasts made their homes, where snow fell so light and soft that the smallest movement could turn the air white with snowflakes, and where treasures hid in caves too unreachable for humans to find. There were forests where witches and sorceresses and gypsies sold treasures to one another and to regular humans—“But be careful what you buy from them, their kind would sell you something to disfigure you or something just for the fun of it.”—and told fortunes, as well as wove spells.
There was a fairy mound in rural Ireland, and the magical market was in England. In the east, there was one genie she knew of who had been freed and made his home in the sands, and if you looked deep enough into the bazaars, you could find your way into the shops of beings not quite mortal.
Even further east, there were shapeshifters who played tricks; foxes who masqueraded as women and mountain-dwelling creatures called ‘tengu’ who had taught her how to play Go and would show lost travelers the way in exchange for wine—but often were so drunk you could get them to use their magic to give you money!

Loptr was fascinated by all of this, and each story made her long more and more strongly for travel.

By the fourth day, Loptr had decided she was going to set off. When Anemone turned up again that afternoon, the two of them had tea out on the second-floor balcony, and Loptr told her companion about her plans.
“Fantastic!” Anemone clapped her hands in delight. “Ohh you’ll love it! Where do you think you’ll head first?”
“I’m not sure. I think I’m going to go see snow…it’s already getting cooler by the day here; I think traveling to the mountains might be pleasant.”
“Oh! Then you absolutely MUST visit the Himalayas.”
“The Himalayas…that’s where you said the city of Shangri-La is supposed to be, isn’t it?”
“Oh it’s there. I haven’t been in before, but I do know it’s there.”
“Why haven’t you been, then?”
“Oh they keep to themselves. Snotty creatures—” She huffed, pouting a bit. “You can only travel there if you travel with one of them, and the only way you can do that is if they like you. I’m a bit on the outs with one of the previous queens, so…” she shrugged, with a look that suggested she was more irritated than she was showing. Loptr nodded.
“Ahh, I see. Well, I think I’ll head there first. On the way I can even see the fairy mound and the magic market!”
“Now there’s a plan! Make sure you stop, you won’t regret it.”

Anemone helped her plan out a route that day, and pointed out some stops on her way to the mountains.
“I can contact my own friends along this area in case you ever need a place to stay.” She said, tapping her round little chin with the pen she had. “And in case you want to get in touch with me, either.” Loptr nodded, thanking her gratefully.
“That would be wonderful! Thank you!”

Within the next three days, Loptr had tidied the house and made sure things were secure enough; even going so far as to enchant the place to discourage outsiders. She told Anemone that she would have free entry if she needed it, and Anemone in turn agreed to come and keep an eye on the place every few days or so.
The day after that, with no luggage or baggage, Loptr dressed comfortably and tied her hair back, and that morning, said goodbye to Anemone, to the animals near her house, and gave a final glance to her property—and then took to the sky, and just like that, was off.

Traveling, Begin.

Fall was approaching rather quickly. Loptr was worrying about her garden; it was easy enough to care for her plants in the summertime but she had not been in this place for a winter, and did not know what to expect. Already the air was cooler, still warm enough to enjoy in one layer of clothing and barefoot, but cooler. Even more so at night.
She’d been outside all day so far; her early-morning walk, and then breakfast on the front lawn—she had taken to feeding the animals nearby, and so every breakfast was like a banquet now. A family of foxes, a small herd of deer, a group of rabbits, and though he had been keen to just grab a bite and run before, there was an old coyote who kept his distance from them but still ate nearby. After breakfast usually she picked something to do…sometimes it was reading, on the porch, or out on the grass, or down on the beach. Sometimes she went to drift around with the birds along the shoreline or over the open water. Sometimes she practiced new hobbies or went into town to find new books. Sometimes she wrote songs.

Today had been time in the garden after breakfast, her favorite sunhat and a dress she had made herself (hobbies, she thought this sewing thing might be entertaining) making sure she picked what needed to be picked, pruned what needed to be pruned, and scolded the rabbits for eating some of the spinach she’d planted.
Now she was in her kitchen again, thinking of making tea, and humming quietly as she glanced around the cupboard at the different teas she had. Picking up two of them, she looked from one to the other hopelessly.
“I have not even tasted some of these.” She sighed, but realized something a moment later.
There was someone at the door.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she paused, setting the two boxes she was holding down on the counter top and turning towards the front room. Who would be here? It wasn’t like she got company very often, and this did not feel human.

“Coming!” She called, to see if it got reaction. There was no answer. It wasn’t as though she felt she needed to be afraid; she wasn’t human to begin with, and regardless of what she didn’t know (didn’t remember, actually) she did know she was powerful. Pulling the door open at last, she had readied her body for whatever might be there, but had not expected this.
“Aren’t you even going to say hello?” Came a voice that managed to be both petulant and playful at the same time. “No matter,” it continued, “Besides, I’m just here to check up. I am Anemone, and you are new around here. My superiors sent me to do a meet and greet, so here I am. You’re awfully quiet, don’t you talk much?” Loptr was standing rather stunned in her doorway, unable to say anything even if she wanted.
“A-ah, I’m—you’re…” ‘Anemone’ looked to be maybe all of twelve years old, standing at little over half of Loptr’s height, with skin  tanned a deep golden-brown and hair in an incredibly light platinum blonde, barely distinguishable from white. It was windswept around her face but was so long it pooled on the wood paneling of the porch around her bare feet, and in the little white babydoll dress and trailing pale blue ribbons she’d tied around her neck and ankles, Anemone looked more like some sort of lost bohemian child than anyone sent to do a ‘meet and greet’ with her, let alone someone sent by any kind of ‘superiors’. Anemone had her hands on her hips and stared up at Loptr expectantly with large eyes that were a very pale green.
“You’re…?” She coerced, waving a hand out as if to pull the words from Loptr’s mouth. The taller of the two raised an eyebrow, gaining a better grasp on things by now, and smiled.
“I am Loptr. But whoever sent you? How did you, or they, know I was here?” She asked. Anemone grinned.
“That’s better. We knew you were here because you’re like us. You’re a deity. From the look of it you’re new, but you feel old. What’s up with that?” Loptr’s mouth twisted up a bit at this.
“I’m really not entirely sure.” She said. Anemone raised an eyebrow now too. Loptr shrugged. “…it’s been a strange few months here.”
“Right. Um…” the smaller girl glanced past her and into the house.
“Oh! Oh, yes, please, come in…” She replied with a jolt, realizing they’d just been standing on the porch all this time. Anemone quickly stepped inside and glanced around, walking from the entryway into the little sitting room beyond. Loptr shut the front door and watched Anemone slowly walk in and glance around at the simple room. The minimal furniture, simple decorations, high ceilings and large open windows, framed by thin, light, curtains.
“Oooh, I like this.” She commented. “Good for a windy like you.” She continued with a nod. “Lots of things to breeze around, and it’s open. I bet the rest of the house is like this too, huh?” Before Loptr could respond, Anemone had hopped up into the air, and zipped around the room like the wind itself; making her curtains flutter, slipping around her couch and up around her ceiling, stopping at last to lazily float around a hanging light fixture that Loptr had strung strings of shells from. They tinkled together like a wind chime when Anemone moved them, and made a light, pleasant sound.
“Ohh, I like these…” Loptr smiled wryly; wind really couldn’t resist wind chimes. Slowly, she drifted up herself to come to the same height as Anemone.
“They’re from the seashore nearby.” She replied, admiring them now herself. After a moment of watching her guest blow and flick at them much like a cat might, Loptr leaned backwards and slowly let herself drift down to light onto her sofa, patting the spot beside her.
“Here, come have a seat!” She called, and the other girl hesitantly did so, swooping down and stopping at the last moment to daintily drop onto the couch. “Actually before you arrived I was thinking of making tea. Could I get you anything?” Loptr offered, and got up to head into the kitchen. Anemone looked delighted, and drifted along behind her.
“Ohh, have you got chamomile tea? And honey?”

After a few hours of Anemone’s…interesting…company, the two of them were back on the lawn together and Anemone was about to depart.
“You know, Loppy, you really ought to get out more.” Anemone noted. Loptr sighed—not at the nickname, no, the other girl had begun calling her that earlier in the day—but at the observation.
“Well, I am outside quite a bit but—”
“No no, I mean go out and travel. We’re windies, we can’t just stay in one spot!” She made a face and stuck her tongue out. “Bleeh! How boring! You gotta go out. See the world, go travel!” Loptr did give this some thought.
“Travel…”
“Yeah! I do it all the time. It’s a great way to get exercise and it’s the best thing ever if you’re feeling cooped up. I think it would be good for you!” Before Loptr could reply, however, Anemone had taken a leap up into the air, floating and pausing before zipping off. “Well, it’s getting late, I’m off. I’ll come back and visit sometime, or maybe we’ll run into one another sometime soooon~ See you, Loppy!” And with that she waved, and zoomed off.

“Travel around.” Loptr said to herself, glancing around at her house as dusk settled over it. “Well…”


“…I suppose I have been feeling a bit cooped up…”

ooc:

fanged-and-fabulous:

theladybreatheschaos:

Those drawings Erica posted have reminded me that I’ve been meaning to post some little stories about Loppy’s adventures while she was ‘away traveling’.
At least for the sake of staying active now that I’m back and all.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT! EEEK YES SO MUCH WANT. <3

ooc: Haha! Well, you did promise to give me some help ;D
I’m going to collect on that, if not now then soon, you know! ;>