early days of a witch

[bogwitched]

WHO: Morrigan & YOU
WHEN: Early April
WHAT: Early days in Gazin
WHERE: Gazin, her home in Vasari Forest
WARNINGS: None yet

at the herbarium

"'Tis got to be a joke!" Morrigan huffs, standing in the bank and glowering at the very unimpressed druid Bhalris. "You can't tell me this place doesn't have lyrium dust!"

The druid squints at her. "As I keep telling you, Miss," he says, sounding bored, "it might exist but I don't sell it in my store. This is a common herbarium, no store for exotic goods from other worlds. I'll look into it." His tone of voice clearly says that he has no intention to look into it.

She snatches up the coins she had already put on the counter and turns around on her heel, ready to storm out of the herbarium in frustration.


Vasari Forest

The Vasari Forest is a place of magic, home to Tree Folk and wyvern and other magical creatures, and now also home to a certain swamp witch.

Morrigan has grown up in the forests and swamps of the Koncari Wilds and living in the forest strikes her as far more appealing than paying through the nose for a bedbug-infested room at one of Gazin's inns.

She has found a nice cavern in comfortable walking distance to town, it is dry and located just above a bend in the river which serves perfectly as her personal pool. Now that winter is giving way to spring, the forest is coming alive around her and she has little doubt she will soon be able to live off the land. If she sells her magic in town, here in this place where mages don't have to hide their powers, she should be able to live comfortably.

There is a merry fire crackling in front of the cave which may attract attention of people passing by, or you could run into Morrigan while she is collecting firewood or setting up snares.


wild card

Comments

[hearthunted]

A swamp witch isn't the only one who calls the forest home. While Graham has spent close to the last thirty years living in a town, it was a fake life in a town that doesn't really exist, and he didn't know it was thirty years, anyway. Now that he has his memories back and can have the life he wants, he's found a shelter in the forest. It's not that far from hers, in fact, although neither of them knows it yet.

Until one day, when he slings his bow and arrows across his shoulder and sets out to do his hunting for the day. He starts off in a direction he hasn't taken before, and it's not long before he smells the undeniable scent of a campfire. He creeps closer until he sees where it's coming from.

It seems that he has a neighbor. And not the neighbor he would have chosen (if he would have chosen one at all). At least now he knows which way not to go when he goes out hunting or heads into town.

He tries to head in the other direction before she notices him, but, well, sometimes he just doesn't see a twig before he steps on it...

[bogwitched]

Morrigan is sitting by the campfire, watching the rabbit she is roasting on a spit and enjoying blessed solitude, when the breaking twig catches her attention. In the quiet of the forest, it is terribly loud.

She stands up, reaching for the mage staff propped up against her bag, and eyes the treeline bordering her little clearing.

"Now," she says, loud and clear and very firm, "there's two ways to go about this: you come out and show yourself or I drag you out."

Might just have been an animal, in which case she will feel silly, but it can't hurt to look uncowed.

[hearthunted]

He steps forward, but not because she told him to, not that she'll see it that way. With the bow and arrows slung over his shoulder, it's apparent that he's intending to head out hunting.

He just looks from her to the staff. "You're doing a great job of proving that you're not some sort of wicked witch."

Or. You know. Not.

[bogwitched]

That accusation earns Graham an even more scornful look than usual, and she pointedly doesn't do a thing about holding her staff in a less threatening manner now that he has revealed himself, though she knows very well that Graham is a threat only to her patience.

"Why? Because I don't like being spied on in my own camp? 'Tis truly dreadful of me, watch out for me turning people into puppets next."

[hearthunted]

He hadn't been spying -- not intentionally, anyway, but he doubts that explanation would make any difference. Nor does he want to stand here arguing about it.

"I'd better be off then. I wouldn't want to be turned into a puppet."

He's had enough of that.

[bogwitched]

That has her pause. Well, pause at first in confusion and then scoff because the confusion must clearly be his fault, something he is doing solely to vex her.

"What puppet?" she demands, "Not every mage is a blood mage, that's just the kind of conclusion people keep jumping to." Which makes sense that he would, since he is clearly prejudiced against magic but it is still a little bit disappointing. "As if I would even bother using blood magic on you."

ugh I'm sorry this took so long

[hearthunted]

"The puppet you just threatened to turn me into." It's not her fault he's had bad experiences with magic, or that he's extra sensitive at the idea of puppets.

"Good. You won't mind if I'm on my way then."

Re: ugh I'm sorry this took so long

[bogwitched]

She grits her teeth, as frustrated at him as she is at herself and finding the right words to bring across that she hadn't meant him any harm. Well, she could say it like that... but she also can't.

"Fine," she scoffs instead, "run away. Your disdain for magic is nothing that needs bother me."