Adrian Blackwood (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
witchoftheflesh) wrote2024-08-29 05:09 pm
witchoftheflesh) wrote2024-08-29 05:09 pm
Arms Hotel to the Preserve, Thursday Afternoon
Yesterday, Adrian had handwavily explored the town before dropping into the bar. Tomorrow, he had a meeting with his...contact? Boss? Something?...to discuss the addition of Blackwood products at her store. Which meant that today was time for him to get started on his own projects.
"Come on, Boston," he said, "it's time for us to figure out where we're settling down."
Boston looked like he wanted to protest leaving his comfy spot in front of the AC vent, but the only other options were for Adrian to put off the search for another day (tempting, but irresponsible, and as a familiar, it was his job to keep Adrian on task), or to let Adrian go alone without his input (absolutely insupportable). So he got up, yawning hugely and stretching out before hopping down and padding over to his witch's side. "Any idea where to begin?" he asked.
"There was the large forest to the north of the island from the Causeway," Adrian said. "It looked verdant and healthy. I figured it would be a good place to start."
Boston wrinkled his nose. "That's up by the school, isn't it?" he asked. "I don't know about that, Adrian. Seems a little risky, especially in the beginning. We'll be doing a lot of deep magic and things will need to be very particular. Having kids tromp through seems like it could be...frustrating at best, dangerous as worst."
Adrian sighed as he shouldered on his heavy coat. It was still wicked hot, but he might need some of the belongings he had spell-stored in his pocket. "You're making good points," he said, causing Boston to preen with an air of Of course I am. "Still, worth checking out, no?" From the corner of his room, Bran rustled softly. Most of his ill-temper had eased over the past few days, especially after Adrian had put on some carpet cleaning videos for him to watch. "Yes, Bran," he said with a smile. "You can come, too."
With a much louder, happy rustle, the broom leapt to his outstretched hand. Adrian laughed, putting on his pointed witch hat, and led his merry band out of the room. "All, right," he said. "Let's go exploring."
***
The preserve was beautiful, there was no doubt about it. The three of them wandered through the large trees with that peculiar reverent hush that people automatically fell into when walking in old, deep woods - the same that used in cathedrals and libraries; the sense that this was a spiritual place, where respect was deserved. They had been wandering through it for hours now, Adrian walking in a ground-eating lope while Boston rode Bran, choosing to conserve his energy for when they found their place.
"This place is bigger in the inside that it seems," the cat noted.
"Indeed," Adrian said, looking around in wonder. "Some kind of space folding, you think?"
Boston shook his head. "Not quite, I don't think," he said, sounding a little annoyed at being unable to answer definitively. "This place is full of magic, though. Old magic. Established and thick. You're not thinking about settling here, are you?"
Adrian shook his head. "Not that you're not beautiful," he assured the forest around him. "But I'm witch enough to admit you're too much for me. It would be wrong of me to try to convert you into the Blackwood when you are already so much yourself. Forgive the audacity, I did not know."
There was no reply, just the sounds of a healthy forest all around them: the call of birds, the movement of small creatures in the underbrush, the lowing of some larger animal off in the distance, one Adrian could not immediately identify. And the power, of course. Thick and warm and comfortable, like a blanket left in the sunshine, everything perfectly, effortlessly in balance. Not tame, of course. No magic created by living things could ever be tame and that went double for living, wild things, but it felt something like an ancient creature, a megafauna forgotten by time perhaps, content and dozing, unfussed by the little lives that lived within it and around it, but capable of great fury if every truly awoken.
"That's a highly imprecise analogy," Boston announced when Adrian shared it. "Filtering what this place is first through the lens of your own magic and then through the medium of words."
"I know," Adrian sighed.
"Whatever it is might not be anything like that."
"I know."
"It may not be magical at all," Boston continued doggedly. "You're convinced this is some kind of parallel dimension. Who knows if things work the same way that we expect them to? Your perceptions of how reality works might have nothing to do how it actually functions here!"
"I know, Boston," Adrian said. "But...?"
"But..." It was Boston's turn to sigh, aggrieved, tail lashing. "With the way our perceptions work, and the filters by which we interpret them...yes, that was a fairly good analogy. Very lyrical and evocative."
"Thank you," Adrian said, a little smugly. "I was proud of it."
"Now that we've agreed that this place is unsuitable to be another Blackwood, shall we turn around and keep searching? That was that other spot of woodland on the other side of the island."
"We could," Adrian said. "But I think I'd like to keep walking through here a bit longer, if you don't mind. It feels a bit like home, while being absolutely nothing like home."
"I'd like that," Boston said, settling down on Bran a bit more. "It's a nice walk. But we explore that other patch tomorrow," he added in his most stern keeping my witch in check voice.
"Tomorrow," the witch agreed, and continued their wandering through the great forest they were lucky enough to share an island with.
"Come on, Boston," he said, "it's time for us to figure out where we're settling down."
Boston looked like he wanted to protest leaving his comfy spot in front of the AC vent, but the only other options were for Adrian to put off the search for another day (tempting, but irresponsible, and as a familiar, it was his job to keep Adrian on task), or to let Adrian go alone without his input (absolutely insupportable). So he got up, yawning hugely and stretching out before hopping down and padding over to his witch's side. "Any idea where to begin?" he asked.
"There was the large forest to the north of the island from the Causeway," Adrian said. "It looked verdant and healthy. I figured it would be a good place to start."
Boston wrinkled his nose. "That's up by the school, isn't it?" he asked. "I don't know about that, Adrian. Seems a little risky, especially in the beginning. We'll be doing a lot of deep magic and things will need to be very particular. Having kids tromp through seems like it could be...frustrating at best, dangerous as worst."
Adrian sighed as he shouldered on his heavy coat. It was still wicked hot, but he might need some of the belongings he had spell-stored in his pocket. "You're making good points," he said, causing Boston to preen with an air of Of course I am. "Still, worth checking out, no?" From the corner of his room, Bran rustled softly. Most of his ill-temper had eased over the past few days, especially after Adrian had put on some carpet cleaning videos for him to watch. "Yes, Bran," he said with a smile. "You can come, too."
With a much louder, happy rustle, the broom leapt to his outstretched hand. Adrian laughed, putting on his pointed witch hat, and led his merry band out of the room. "All, right," he said. "Let's go exploring."
The preserve was beautiful, there was no doubt about it. The three of them wandered through the large trees with that peculiar reverent hush that people automatically fell into when walking in old, deep woods - the same that used in cathedrals and libraries; the sense that this was a spiritual place, where respect was deserved. They had been wandering through it for hours now, Adrian walking in a ground-eating lope while Boston rode Bran, choosing to conserve his energy for when they found their place.
"This place is bigger in the inside that it seems," the cat noted.
"Indeed," Adrian said, looking around in wonder. "Some kind of space folding, you think?"
Boston shook his head. "Not quite, I don't think," he said, sounding a little annoyed at being unable to answer definitively. "This place is full of magic, though. Old magic. Established and thick. You're not thinking about settling here, are you?"
Adrian shook his head. "Not that you're not beautiful," he assured the forest around him. "But I'm witch enough to admit you're too much for me. It would be wrong of me to try to convert you into the Blackwood when you are already so much yourself. Forgive the audacity, I did not know."
There was no reply, just the sounds of a healthy forest all around them: the call of birds, the movement of small creatures in the underbrush, the lowing of some larger animal off in the distance, one Adrian could not immediately identify. And the power, of course. Thick and warm and comfortable, like a blanket left in the sunshine, everything perfectly, effortlessly in balance. Not tame, of course. No magic created by living things could ever be tame and that went double for living, wild things, but it felt something like an ancient creature, a megafauna forgotten by time perhaps, content and dozing, unfussed by the little lives that lived within it and around it, but capable of great fury if every truly awoken.
"That's a highly imprecise analogy," Boston announced when Adrian shared it. "Filtering what this place is first through the lens of your own magic and then through the medium of words."
"I know," Adrian sighed.
"Whatever it is might not be anything like that."
"I know."
"It may not be magical at all," Boston continued doggedly. "You're convinced this is some kind of parallel dimension. Who knows if things work the same way that we expect them to? Your perceptions of how reality works might have nothing to do how it actually functions here!"
"I know, Boston," Adrian said. "But...?"
"But..." It was Boston's turn to sigh, aggrieved, tail lashing. "With the way our perceptions work, and the filters by which we interpret them...yes, that was a fairly good analogy. Very lyrical and evocative."
"Thank you," Adrian said, a little smugly. "I was proud of it."
"Now that we've agreed that this place is unsuitable to be another Blackwood, shall we turn around and keep searching? That was that other spot of woodland on the other side of the island."
"We could," Adrian said. "But I think I'd like to keep walking through here a bit longer, if you don't mind. It feels a bit like home, while being absolutely nothing like home."
"I'd like that," Boston said, settling down on Bran a bit more. "It's a nice walk. But we explore that other patch tomorrow," he added in his most stern keeping my witch in check voice.
"Tomorrow," the witch agreed, and continued their wandering through the great forest they were lucky enough to share an island with.