• Solo • Ferns and Flowers

[Devin]

Vhalar 40, Arc 721

On the 40th of Vhalar, Doctor Devin Thorn, High Priest of Delroth and Baron von Smooglenuff stood in the garden of Smooglenuff Manor, wearing forest-green leather pants and an equally green knit sweater with a red panda on it, because both the color green and pandas were in fashion that season, and because Bao was the best. Since he didn’t just follow trends, but also set trends, he had decided to also put flowers in his hair though. That was why he was here – to get some flowers from one of the flowerbeds, because fake flowers wouldn’t do. Only real flowers were good enough for him. They smelled better, too!

There were roses, in different shades of pink and red and orange. They had lost a couple of petals, but otherwise they were thriving which was a bit unusual considering that it was rather late in the arc. There was Night Scented Stock in a pretty pastel purple shade that smelled vaguely of vanilla. It was one of Devin’s favourite plants because it could be eaten and turned into a perfume. He plucked a few of those flowers, but no roses because roses had thorns, and he currently didn’t have any protective gloves on.

He grabbed a few petals and stuck them in his hair though.

On top of that, he got a bit of fern. Ferns weren’t flowers, but the green would complement his outfit perfectly. He weaved a few of his dark locks around it before he abruptly stopped, furrowed his brow, stared and stared some more as something had just occurred to him. He had never seen so much flower growth since he had arrived on Scalvoris, especially not in Vhalar. It was as if Mother Nature had gone into overdrive!

Unless he had gone into overdrive?

As he tried to make a garland that he could wear in his hair out of the Night Scented Stock, with very questionable success, Devin wondered if another one of his Mortalborn abilities had just manifested – a better one. Pretending to be a fortune teller had been a whole lot of fun, but really being able to see the future was only great in theory. In reality, there were a lot of responsibilities – responsibilities that he didn’t want to have. He didn’t want to be one of those people that warned about an impending catastrophe. He’d rather enjoy himself!

He grumbled for a few moments, and then he set his garland-in-progress aside in order to shake his hands over a nearby flower in an attempt to make it grow even more. He wasn’t sure how exactly you activated such abilities, but gestures probably helped. Unfortunately, nothing happened, not even when he poked the flower with one of his black grafted nails.

Grumbling even more than before, he picked his garland up again and made his way down the path to the main entrance of the manor where he was greeted by his pet goat Heidi who had just wandered outside. The little black and white goat who had a short beard bleated and walked up to him. He scratched her head for a moment before he murmured, “I really wish that Zana had told me how to do this ability thing. I have no idea how it works!”

A moment later, something truly terrible occurred to him, and his eyes widened in shock, “By the Immortals, I hope that she isn’t my sister! I don’t want to flirt with my relatives likes those nobles from Rynmere! Who do you think my father is, Heidi?” he asked the goat in a somewhat thoughtful tone of voice and furrowed his brow. Heidi stared at him blankly for a moment before she bleated again and stuck out her tongue.

“I really wish I could speak goat”, Devin admitted and laughed, even though her answer hadn’t been particularly helpful, because she was just too adorable. “Let’s go and get something to eat. I’m hungry! Do you think a sandwich with peanut butter, bacon and blueberries tastes good? No matter, I’ll try it anyway”, he decided and gestured for Heidi to follow him.

[Pegasus]

Ferns & Flowers

40th Vhalar, 721

Heidi was rather reticent, all things considered, about whether the mortalborn daughter of Delroth was Devin's sister. Instead, Heidi simply bleated and walked behind Devin as he made his way back to Smooglenuff Manor. As Devin walked, he was met by Korim, the half-biqaj / half-human butler for Smooglenuff Manor.

"I'm sorry to bother you, your Grace," Korim said quietly. He'd met Devin as soon as Devin had walked in and he walked alongside Devin as he spoke. "But two visitors have arrived, claiming to be your parents. Emma and Daniel Thorne, travelled here having escaped Rynmere. I've made them comfortable in the Green Room, your Grace."

Korim, being a very good butler, then waited to see what it was that Devin wanted him to do. Even if Devin said nothing, though, he would find that there was a room prepared for his parents - one of the nicest rooms in Smooglenuff Manor.

And so, after whatever conversation with Korim he had, Devin was able to go into the Green Room. It was a beautifully decorated reception room with an unsurprising green colour scheme. Pale colours were offset by shades of green ~ from subtle and pale to bright and beautiful. It was an excellent room for receiving guests as it was exquisitely furnished, beautifully decorated and had lots of light streaming through the windows; it overlooked a particularly pretty part of the garden, too!

Should Devin go in there, he would see that indeed his parents were there. Sitting together, looking around in amazement at the place which their son called home, they turned and both of them smiled brightly at him as Devin walked in.


OOC: short intro post for the "When You Wish Upon A Star" event!

[Devin]

Devin returned to Smooglenuff Manor and walked through the door with a smile on his face and a spring in his step because he was quite excited about making that blueberry, peanut butter and bacon sandwich and finding out what it tasted like. Upon noticing Korim who had apparently been waiting for him, he stopped quite abruptly and furrowed his brow though. The butler waiting for him was a highly unusual occurrence, especially considering the fact that he had only been gone for less than a break. What could he possibly want?

Upon hearing the man who was just a couple of arcs older than he was apologize for bothering him, he smiled and quickly assured him, “You aren’t bothering me at all! What’s the matter?” he wanted to know and gestured for him to talk to him while they walked. As he listened, his eyes widened … and widened and widened until they threatened to drop out of their sockets because he had not expected to hear that, not in a million arcs. His parents were here? Why were they here? And what exactly had they escaped from?

He looked at Korim, only in order to realize that the butler was unlikely to be able to answer those questions. For that reason, he straightened himself, tried to suppress the thoughts that were running through his head at an incredibly high speed at the moment, and told him in what was hopefully an appropriately grateful and barony tone of voice, “Thank you, Korim. I will go and talk to my parents right away. Could you make sure that refreshments and one of the guest rooms are being prepared for them in the meantime, please?”

“If they’ve come all the way from Rynmere, they have to be hungry, thirsty and tired”, he explained.

A few moments later, once he had talked to Korim, Devin quickly made his way into the Green Room that was, as the name implied, very green and matched his current outfit incredibly well. As he stood in front of the door, taking a deep breath, he briefly wondered if he should have a room for every colour there was so that at least one room always matched his outfit, and then he shook his head, pressed down on the door handle and entered, Heidi in tow.

For a moment, he simply stood there and stared at his parents, his parents that he hadn’t seen in a very long time, since before he had started attending university, his parents that looked a little older now, and then he simply rushed over to them in order to hug them, both of them. There had been a time when he had resented them for not being rich and famous, which had been a bit silly in hindsight, but now, he was just happy to see them again.

“Mum, dad”, he said, with a radiant smile on his face once he had finally released them, momentarily forgetting that his father was definitely not his father. “It’s so good to see you again! How are you? Korim said that you escaped Rynmere”, he continued, the look on his face briefly darkening and his tone of voice turning much more serious as he wondered what was going on there now. He couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty, to be honest. He should have tried to do what he could to get them out as soon as he had realized that things were bad, even though no ship had wanted to sail to Rynmere during the plague.

“Umm, this here is Heidi”, he said, momentarily feeling a little awkward and pointed at his pet before he abruptly produced the flower garland that he had been working on and held it out towards his mother. “And this is for you, a little welcoming gift from my own garden”, he claimed with a grin before he fell silent again and simply looked at his parents happily and expectantly, hoping that they would explain what had happened.

[Pegasus]

Ferns & Flowers

40th Vhalar, 721

The first - the very first - thing that happened was that Devin was enveloped in a hug from his mother and his father. Both of them held on to him and for a moment, simply hugged him. His father broke the hug quicker than his mother - although neither of them were speedy - even after his father had stood back, Devin's mother clung on to him. She looked at Heidi with some incredulity when Devin introduced her, but she smiled as he handed her the flower garland. "It's beautiful, thank you."

Emma looked at Devin and she smiled a beaming, delighted smile. "My beautiful son, I .. we .. that is."

Devin's father spoke up then, his hand on Emma's shoulder. "Devin," he said, quietly. "There are some things which have come to light, things we have discovered, that you need to know." He looked at Devin with a soft smile. Devin's father was a quiet man, not given to being overly emotional; it had always been Devin's mother who was more creative, more free with her feelings and demonstrative in her affections.

"Before we say anything to you, Devin, I want you to know," his father said, "that I am your father and I love you. Always. No matter what."

Emma took Devin's hand and moved, pulling him to sit with her if he would.

"We were stuck," she said quietly. "When Rynmere was in the midst of the plague, when the mist came, we couldn't get out. It was difficult," she spoke with a tinge of sadness in her voice, one which Devin had not often heard. "People were desperate, the streets were dangerous. Your father kept us safe, but there was no way out and things were ... well, we needed food and water, supplies of any kind, really." She kept hold of his hand and squeezed it gently.

Devin's parents looked between each other and then, his mother spoke again. "We were helped - helped to escape." She patted his hand, "we don't want you to worry, Devin, alright? We're fine, but..." She was obviously struggling to get the words out. His father spoke, then, quietly and with a voice full of emotion. "It was an Immortal who helped us. He helped us because of you."

Emma spoke again, then, "we are so proud of you, Devin, and who you are. We hear about you and the wonderful adventures you've been on, and we're so proud. We have to ask you, darling, have you ever felt like you maybe might be different than others?"

The question hung in the air, his parents watched him and Heidi suddenly sneezed.

[Devin]

When his parents held onto him and seemed reluctant to let go of him, and when his mother called him her beautiful son, Devin felt a lump in his throat. He was suddenly quite reluctant to let go of them as well, because a part of him was worried that they weren’t real and that they were actually still in Rynmere where things were probably quite bad. He had thought that he didn’t need them anymore, but in truth, he had missed them tremendously. For a moment, he wasn’t sure if he should cry or smile, but in the end, he decided on the latter because he was just so very happy that they were here.

Even after they had stopped hugging, he looked at them with a mixture of utter joy and disbelief. He was just about to sit down because it was easier to have a conversation that way and because he wanted to be closer to them, when he suddenly noticed how his father put a hand on his mother’s shoulder. When he remarked that there were some things that he needed to know, the young man raised an eyebrow slightly, and his mouth formed a small “o”.

A moment later, he looked a little worried.

“You are not sick, are you?” he asked softly. His parents appeared to be healthy, but they were getting older.

“If you are sick though, I’ll heal you. Completely. I’m a doctor now, one of the best”, he assured them in case they were afraid, because he didn’t want them to be afraid. Ever again. They deserved nothing but health and happiness after everything they had likely been through. He’d told them the truth. There was no better doctor on the entire island, apart from Faith Augustin, and he wasn’t sure if she was actually still there.

When his father told him that he would always love him, no matter what, he realized that his parents were probably not sick though. You didn’t tell your child that you would always love them if you were sick. He wasn’t sure what else could be going on though, and he wasn’t sure if he should continue to be worried or move on to being confused either.

When his mother took his hand and pulled him to sit with her, he took a seat next to her though. Normally, he talked a lot, but this time, he just listened quietly and looked back and forth between his mother and father. His mother sounded sad, he noticed. She had in fact hardly ever sounded so sad before. She spoke of despair and danger, and how they had needed supplies. When she squeezed his hand, he squeezed hers, as if to reassure her and tell her that they’d never have to be hungry and desperate ever again.

“You can stay here”, he told them – he spoke with a tinge of sadness as well which was quite unlike him – he had just realized the full extent of what his parents had been through - but his tone of voice was nevertheless firm, firmer that it had ever been before. “I’ll buy you the best food. You can move into the manor, but if you want me to, I can also buy you a castle. You should have a castle. I’m sorry, by the way. I know that I was a difficult child sometimes”, he remarked and abruptly broke off in order to continue to listen because it seemed as if they hadn’t told him everything yet. He’d never regretted having been a liar before, but he did so now, even though his parents had never found out.

There were a lot of things that he wasn’t sure about anymore in hindsight.

“I’m not worried”, he assured his mother – he was really trying not to worry, but it was hard.

“An Immortal?” he asked and blinked a couple of times when his father revealed who had helped them escape. He wasn’t sure what he had expected to hear, but definitely not that.

“Who exactly helped you …?” he wanted to know before he smiled softly. He often pretended not to care what anybody said, but he was happy to hear that his parents were proud of him.

“I’ve always felt a little different”, he began before it suddenly dawned on him just what this was about and remarked in a calm tone of voice because he didn’t want to upset his parents, “I can see the future, really see the future. I’ve been able to do so for a while. At first, I thought that something had happened to me in the Sweetwine Woods, but …”

He stopped for a moment. When Heidi sneezed, he laughed, briefly, and patted her before he looked at his parents and told them in a very serious tone of voice, “I know what I am. Delroth’s daughter told me. She couldn’t tell me which Immortal had …”, he continued and shook his head. Devin was usually not at a loss for words, but by Delroth, this was hard, much harder than he had thought. Why on Idalos was it so hard?

“Who is the Immortal that helped you?” he abruptly asked, still holding his mother’s hand. “What’s his name? Was it the same Immortal who …?” he continued, and his heart suddenly beat a little faster.

[Pegasus]

Ferns & Flowers

40th Vhalar, 721

"No, no one's sick," his mother said, quickly reassuring him. They heard his offer of them staying there with him, of living there, of him buying them a castle, and they kept that in their minds as they spoke but, for now, they just focused on telling him what they needed to.

One thing though, out of all that he said, caused them to stop and to respond straight away. His mother reached up and patted his cheek, just as she had all through his childhood. "You weren't a difficult child, Devin. You were, and are, our son and we're very proud of you." But they quickly carried on because it was important that they got this information out to Devin. He was anxious, she could see, to know what the answer was and so she spoke again.

While his mother spoke, Devin's father was quiet, but present. He paid close attention to what was happening. He watched Devin, listened to his wife and was very much part of the conversation, albeit a silent part. His mother, however, sounded nervous. She smiled when he said that he knew what he was, and that Delroth's daughter had told him. That seemed to make it easier for her, and she nodded her head. "Yes, it was him who helped us. I believe so, anyhow." Looking at her husband, she paused and then spoke again, all of the words rushing out.

"Zanik, Devin. Zanik, the immortal of Strength and Music, he is your father. It's an awfully long story, and I don't want to overwhelm you, but he is. You're the son of an Immortal." She looked at him and there was very much a sense that, since she'd started speaking she couldn't stop. "It means that you're special, so very special, and you have divine blood in your veins but it makes no difference to us, none. It's who you are that's important." Like a wind-up toy which had no more wind-up energy, she stopped and breathed out, her shoulders dropping slightly. "I'm sure you have questions," Devin's father said, taking his wife's hand. "Ask away."

[Devin]

Devin was incredibly relieved when his mother assured him that they were not sick – and that he hadn’t been a difficult child. Her statement that they were proud of him made him happy, happier than he had thought possible, but he couldn’t help but wonder regardless. They seemed to be in awe of his new, luxurious home, and they didn't seem to mind his past behaviour, but what did they think of the fact that his eyes had turned violet, and that he had those grafted nails? What would they say if they knew that he had become a mage and lost his spark again?

He probably looked a little different now.

He looked at his father who was silent throughout the conversation for a while before he turned to his mother again. She sounded nervous. He didn’t want her to be nervous, so he reached out to her in order to take her hand in his, in the hope that it would calm her down a little. A part of him was more worried about the effect that this conversation had on her, more than he was worried about how it would affect him. He wondered how exactly that Immortal had helped them escape. He was about to ask his mother – although he wasn’t entirely sure if it was a good idea to remind her of what she had been through – when she said a name. Zanik, the Immortal of Strength and Music.

He opened his mouth only in order to close it again abruptly, and then he blinked. He had been wondering who his father was for seasons, and now that the truth was finally out, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say. He looked at her and then at his father again, questioningly. He looked at Heidi who looked back at him rather indifferently.

He wondered how and why his mother had come to share her bed with an Immortal. She had to already have been married by then. His parents had been married for a long time before he had been born. Had his mother not been happy in her marriage anymore? He didn’t think that his parents had ever been particularly unhappy. Had Zanik offered to give his mother the child that her husband (Or his father? Was his father still his father?) hadn’t been able to give her? Was that why he had become a bard and loved to flirt?

Why was he marked by Delroth, but not by Zanik?

He had so many questions that he didn’t know which one he was supposed to ask first right away. He was worried that he’d hurt his father if he asked his mother about her meeting with Zanik. But then again, his father himself had just told him to ask away. He looked at them again before he took a deep breath and finally began to speak. “I’d like to know how you met him, if you don’t mind”, he admitted and cast another glance at his father in order to gauge his reaction. “And why you didn’t tell me. I’m pretty sure that I would have understood. And ...” he continued only in order to stop abruptly and be quiet for a few moments.

He thought about what he wanted to say next.

“You’ll always be my parents, and I'll always love you, no matter what, but do you think I could ever meet him?” he asked in a very soft tone of voice - his mother suddenly looked so tired. “I’d like to know what he looks like. I’d like to see him with my own eyes at least once and talk to him – and thank him for the fact that he saved you”, he admitted, because that was very important in his opinion. If an Immortal had had to intervene, he’d probably come pretty close to losing them.

With that thought in mind, he looked at his parents, his eyes still slightly wide and filled with a mixture of surprise, happiness and concern.

[Pegasus]

Ferns & Flowers

40th Vhalar, 721

Devin did, indeed, have questions and his parents listened to them all before they replied.

His mother's fingers entwined with his and she squeezed his hand gently as his father spoke, first. "I'm sure you could meet him," he said quietly. "If we understand it right, then it won't be the first Immortal you've met." He sounded proud, when he spoke to Devin, his voice showing that pride. "You're our son, always. We don't have a means of contacting him or anything, though, so if you want to meet him, I'm not sure how to go about it." Devin's father then glanced to his mother.

They'd been married a long time and there was an ability his parents had which is often the remit of those who know each other very well. It was like they could speak with glances and, in that moment that was what they did. His father glanced at his mother and they all understood that now, it was her turn to speak. "I met him in Andaris," she said softly. "I was singing. In the house of the family I worked for." She sighed slightly, lowering her head to look at Devin's hand in hers, then she lifted her gaze to meet her son's. "I love your father, I have always loved him. We wanted a child so much, but we hadn't been able to." She smiled softly, her expression showing her reminiscence of events so long ago. "I remember the man, Zanik as I now know him to be, but the first I heard of him was the sound of clapping. The judge was throwing a party, you see, and I was getting a tray ready to take up and I was singing, as I almost always do while I work."

Devin's father smiled at that and it was true - Emma always sang when she worked. "He clapped his hands and told me the song was beautiful. He asked me to sing another, which I did." She shook her head, slightly. "Now, it feels like a dream. Then, it was like my real life fell away, and there was only him." Emma lapsed into silence then and Devin's father spoke. "And then, after the usual time for a pregnancy, you were born. I never asked your mother, but I suspected that you weren't my biological son."

Emma then took up the tale. "I never told your father, or you. If I'd known he was an Immortal, Devin, I would have. But I didn't know, until he rescued us." She smiled rather sadly. "It seems all a little obvious now, but I didn't really think about it at the time. One doesn't."

Devin's parents were silent for a while, just a brief few trills where everyone seemed to gather their thoughts. "If we can help you find him," his father said, "we will. But I think, son, that you're better qualified to do that than we." Emma nodded. "You're a priest of Delroth, now? We heard that you made a temple to him and that he gave a sermon with you. That's an enormous honour." She smiled. "We're very proud of you, you know. Always"

[Devin]

His parents, Devin observed, seemed to have a way of communicating without words. After having been married for such a long time, they seemed to instinctively know what the other one was thinking. Devin had never been sure if he wanted to get married or have a family, but he envied them and thought that it was a wonderful thing to have in any case. He looked at them when his mother told him how she had met Zanik – he never stopped looking at them. He hadn’t seen them in such a long time that he couldn’t not look.

He hung on his mother’s every word, still holding her hand, because a part of him was still worried that she’d disappear. When she told him that they had wanted to have a child so much, but hadn’t been able to, he briefly turned to his father before he faced her again. He had already pretty much suspected that. Most women were much younger when they had their first child. He wondered if she had been very sad about that.

The way that his mother talked about her meeting with Zanik, it sounded almost magical. He could understand why she had been so fascinated by Zanik – he had met several Immortals since he had left Rynmere, and they never left you unaffected, even if they wore a mortal guise.

“Did you ever mind? When you realized that I might not be your biological son, after all, did you mind? Did you ever wish that you had had a child of your own blood?” he asked his father, his voice becoming very soft for a moment. Devin himself didn’t care about blood relationships and all that nonsense, at least not too much – you couldn’t see what was in someone’s blood, unless you were marked by Famula or had one of Padraig Augustin’s magnifiers, maybe.

He knew that such things mattered to most other people though. His mother had said that it made no difference to them, but had there ever been a moment when that hadn’t been the case?

A moment later, he wondered if he should have asked that. He didn’t want to cause his father pain.

“No, one doesn’t”, he agreed softly. You didn’t normally wonder if the person you had just met, the person that had briefly made your life seem totally different was an Immortal.

Devin’s parents were silent for a while, and gathering their thoughts, and so did the young man himself because there was so much to process, and so much that he still wanted to know. He hadn’t known that they had been unaware all those arcs. He wondered why Zanik hadn’t told his mother back then. Would she have believed him though?

“High Priest, actually”, he replied and grinned when his parents finally started to speak again, and his mother remarked that he was a priest of Delroth now. It was true, and he was just so very proud of being a High Priest. “Delroth said so himself. Maybe I could talk to him – or to Saoire. She’s the Immortal of Teaching. If anybody can teach me how to contact a particular Immortal, then it’s her. Or maybe I could play a song for Zanik. The Immortals probably like it if you do something that is related to their domains”, he mused only in order to abruptly look at his mother again.

“You should sing again. You could sing here, at the manor. I could accompany on my lute. There are also other musicians”, he said. Singing seemed like something that made his mother happy, and he wanted her to be happy, and have all the songs that she had ever wanted. He wanted both of his parents to be happy, in fact, and he was talking very quickly now so that they wouldn’t even have the chance to say no to him.

“I told you that you could stay here before. I’d love for you to stay here. I missed you”, he told them and added, because he needed to ask, even though he still thought that it might be bad idea. “And I’d appreciate it if you could tell me more about what happened in Rynmere, not now, if you don’t want to, but later maybe, when talking about it doesn’t hurt as much. I don’t know if I can fix anything, but maybe I can do a little, for you and whoever else made it out”, he offered and took his parents’ hands in his once more, provided that they allowed it.

They’d told him what their life had been like before Zanik had rescued them. He knew what they had been through, but not what exactly had happened. Was the kingdom really still dealing with the plague after all that time, or had yet another catastrophe followed in its wake? He didn’t know if it mattered who or what was responsible, but he wanted to do something in any case.

He did at least want to do something for his parents.

[Pegasus]

Ferns & Flowers

40th Vhalar, 721

"Mind? No, I never minded," his father replied quietly. "We wanted children so much, and you were our miracle. Besides," he added with a smile. "I suspected for a very long time. I could have asked your mother at any point, but I didn't." He leaned forward slightly and looked at Devin intently. "The reason I didn't is because, when I thought about it I realised that it just didn't matter to me. You're my son." Devin's mother took his father's hand and they shared a glance which spoke volumes.

The conversation moved on and they spoke of Devin being a High Priest of Delroth, of what he would like to do and he repeated his invitation to them. His parents nodded, both of them smiling in pleasure. It was his mother who spoke, though. "We would love to live here with you in your beautiful home," she said. "That's so kind of you, thank you. And yes, we will," she added, "we will tell you about Rynmere. But if we can, can that be another trial?"

Devin's father smiled at him and nodded. "Thank you, for letting us stay here. It's lovely to spend time together and be able to. We'll tell you everything, I promise."

After all, now they had time!

Your Review

Devin

Overview

I enjoyed this thread so much! Your attention to detail is fantastic and it really brings the world around you to life! Devin giving his mother the garland he'd been trying to make is just one example of how you craft a picture with your words. Devin's reactions throughout this were very well written - he deals with shocks and really big news, but he maintains his focus on his people. I hope that you've enjoyed this thread as much as I have, and I look forward to seeing the parentals around Smooglenuff Manor Enjoy your rewards!

Points

XP: 15
Renown: 5

Loot

Emma is already a written up NPC - please feel free to submit Devin's father as a personal NPC.
Emma gains 20XP to be spent how you wish.
Devin's father can start with 20XP more than a usual personal NPC.

Knowledge

Animal Husbandry x 2
Cosmetology x 2
Discipline x 4
Etiquette x3
Gardening x 2
Logistics x 2

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this review - drop me a PM.