12845/A Hunt in the Woods

A Hunt in the Woods
Date of Scene:	15 March 2021
Location:	1407 Greymalkin Lane - Breakstone
Synopsis:	A chance meeting at Vitali's camp in the woods turns into an unexpected offer and friendship
Cast of Characters:	Vitali Svyatoslav, Willow Rosenberg

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Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
The residue of magic whispers from somewhere deep within the woods. That point happens to be where a small camp has been set up. There isn't much to the camp, interestingly enough. There's a small firepit that's been dug, the rim of it lined with stones, and there's a tripod of branches set up over it for the purposes of cooking. A couple of small pots sit near to the fire, turned upside down. There is an eagle perched in one of the lower branches of a barren deciduous tree near to the camp, her species out of place for this particular region. There are two small piles of pine bough branches. One of them is occupied by a man who kneels upon them. His hands rest lightly upon his thighs, and there's a pair of boots sitting not too far from him. He wears a pair of black jeans and a dark green long-sleeved shirt, the sleeves pushed partway up his forearms. His left wrist has a bracelet on it that's made of black woven leather and a flat jade bead that's carved in a filigree pattern to have small open spaces. His long hair is free, stirred now and again by the stray fingers of a breeze, and he seems at ease, his eyes closed. There's also a fairly large duffel bag sitting on the ground a short distance from the man, and it has some longer leather wrapped things strapped to it. A black jacket is draped over the bottom end of the duffel.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow had been trekking about looking for early spring vegetation, when she happened across this curious magical feeling. Being the curious sort she was, she followed it to what she thought wasn't origins.

(And thankfully, some wild flowers!)

She stood in the bushes when she saw the man. (Probably not as hidden as she thought.) *What* what he doing *here*. And why did he have an aura about him?!

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
There is a talisman fairly centrally located within the camp, which has been stuck on the trunk of a tree. The talisman itself is made of hand made paper and has hanzi inked on it with what was likely a brush of some sort. There is an energy that is held within that talisman. The energy that can be sensed within the talisman is similar to a residual whisper of energy coming from the space where a person would sit upon the empty arrangement of pine boughs. The flavour of the energy there matches the younger thread of energy that could be sensed some two months ago.

The eagle softly ruffles her feathers, her wings shift a touch, and there's a soft sound that comes from her. She shifts her weight just a touch, as though readying to leap from the branch where she was perched.

For his part, the man keeps his hands upon his thighs, resting lightly there. "Know you are there," he says, his words touched with a Russian accent. It's only after the words are said that he opens his dark eyes to look directly towards where she stands within the bushes.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow blushes furiously. She's been found out! Probably *not* because of poor hiding skills, seeing that he hasn't looked around. Probably that eagle?!

She steps forward, and puts the last handful of snowdrops into her satchel. "Hi? Sorry I was looking about here for various spring flowers and I just bumped into your camp. It looks.. nice?" Of course she almost forgot her name! "Oh! I'm Willow. You know, like the tree?"

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
It takes a moment for the eagle to settle back, for her to give a light flick of her wings to flip them to her back. She clicks her beak and turns her head just so, staring for a long moment at the woman who has found their camp, and then she starts to settle to the task of preening her feathers. There are threads of magic that bind the eagle to the man and the man to the eagle, a nigh inextricable link between the pair of them. The magic of it is of a different flavour, so to speak, than that which embodies the talisman and that remains near the empty pine boughs. The magic that makes that bond might have a wintery sort of sense to it.

"Dobryy den'," says the man, inclining his head towards her. His brow furrows a moment as he thinks, then says, "Good afternoon." Shifting his weight, Vitali gracefully rises to his feet, his hands moving to his sides. There are no signs of a weapon at all upon his person. "Is all right. Not mind. Not need apologize," he says softly, his voice a rich baritone. "Is pleasure to meet, Willow. Am named Vitali," he adds, a smile tugging the corners of his lips.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
She smiles in response. Of course, he doesn't look or smell like her usual crowd of monsters. That much is good.. she thinks. But the eagle..

Willow cranks her head sideways to look at him (her?) better. And back to Vitali. "You're connected to your bird, did you know that. I think that she (he?) trusts me. How come you live out here?" Whereupon she realized she may be trustworthy, but maybe he wasn't.

Ooops?

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
Sometimes, the simple explanation is the correct one -- in this case, Vitali doesn't smell or look like a monster because he isn't one. Which isn't to say that he isn't magical or capable of wielding magic. But definitely not a monster. He lifts one of his hands to gesture slightly, then. "Are welcome to come in camp. Can make tea, if wish," he offers, raising an eyebrow as he watches her.

The eagle, when she's mentioned, not only earns a brief glance from Vitali but also gives a soft screech of sound. Vitali's dark gaze turns back to Willow, watching her, and then he gives a single nod. "Da, am knowing of link. Made link, many years before," Vitali says, a smile tugging the corners of his lips. His gaze holds on Willow, watching her, and the eagle lightly steps off the branch and spreads her wings in a glide. Vitali lifts his left arm at the right moment for her to be able to land and perch on his forearm. "Soraya warn you come," he says, looking to the eagle on his arm and lifting his right hand to lightly stroke the raptor's chest. Then his gaze turns back to Willow, considering her question. "Not know anywhere else for live. Come on boat, be here. City big. Many people. Find way out of city. Find way here. Make camp, stay for while. Sometimes move after stay for while," he says, doing his best to explain.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Definitely not a monster. Willow gave a little nod. "Ooo, What kind of tea?" She knew many bushes and barks - as well as flowers - that could be used as tea. "I'd love some."

She came closer to the fire then. "I figured you must have known about the bi.. uh.. Soraya. And she warns you? Wow. My friend was turned into a rat. But she doesn't tell me about anything. Wait.. you do know about magic, right?" Because if not she's just committed a grave boo-boo. "Tell me you know about magic?"

You can almost hear the 'please'.

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
"Rosehip tea," Vitali answers, a smile coming to his features. "Many plants around. Many under snow. Harder for find. Find climbing rose, that way," he says, lifting his right hand to point in the direction he had found it, lowering his hand after a moment. In case she wanted some as well, since she was here for flowers. "Did have tea from home. All gone. Long trip," Vitali says, a touch wistfully. He misses the tea from home, but there's little that can be done for it.

Gently, he slightly lowers his left arm before lifting it, and there seems to be... something... that passes between the man and the bird. The raptor launches from his arm, carefully so as to leave as little marks as possible on his bare skin, and she wings back over to the tree in order to settle on a banch there. "Da, Soraya warn. I sit, eyes closed, not see. Soraya keep watch. Is link, allow for talk without talk," Vitali says, explaining as best he can do in English.

With his arm free he steps closer to the fire in order to reach out to one of the pots, turning it over. He hangs it in place on the tripod, even though the pot is empty. Lifting his right hand, he makes a fluid sort of motion with his hand, murmuring a couple of syllables beneath his breath, quietly. Water flows, seeming to appear from nowhere, appearing in a misshapen bubble of it somewhat above the pot before trickling down and into the pot. Then Vitali looks to Willow and gives a nod. "Da, know magic. Not worry, am knowing," he says with a smile. Two cups had been revealed when the pot was moved, and he reaches out to unstack them before turning them upright.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow finds a space to sit down. "I like rose hips. There is a little tartness to them. Usually I have Saigon Chai. Not the same taste whatsoever!" She giggles. "You make water, right?"

She was pretty certain of that.

"I don't. Usually I help my friends with getting them protections, and tell them the easiest way to break spells. Stuff like that." Her head is cocked. "Do you ever feel like you are stupid? Like your friends have to protect you all the time? Like.. you're out in the wilderness, and nothing scares you, right?" She sighs. "Maybe it's the eagle. I can't imagine being afraid with an eagle beside you! Not that I want an eagle."

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
"Da, rose hips good tea," Vitali says, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He steps over to the duffel bag and opens it, rummaging briefly before coming out with a packet of what appears to be leather, tied with sinew. He carries it over to the fire, then lowers into a cross-legged position before untying the packet. This reveals the rose hips, and he places a few of them into each of the mugs before closing the packet and tying it back up. It's then set aside.

Vitali raises an eyebrow slightly at her question, and then he gives a nod. "Da, make water. Also ice. Can heal. Other things, also," Vitali says, a thoughtful tone to his voice. It's not everything that he can use his magic for, but it's a few things, at least. "Also make ward. Take time for make," he says softly, watching her. His right hand lifts, and his fingers idly touch over the beads that he wears on the braided leather there. Three of those beads have a resonance of power from them whilst the fourth feels muted or drained. His hand lowers to his lap once again, a moment later. "If not count Soraya, have two friends, here. Three, now," he says, giving her a smile. She counts as on of those friends. "Sometimes, da. Feel not smart. Do things in not smart way. Friend give help. Not get in big trouble, yet. Here, many things not known. Many things different. Wary of many things. Mmm... is better, with Soraya. Try not let fear come. Not always work, but try." He looks over to Soraya where she's perched, and then his attention turns back to Willow. "Is way of people. Bind self with eagle, bind eagle with self. Those with magic, do."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"I make wards. Everybody seems to. It's the abc's of magic, don't you think? Mind you they can get tricky." Willow thinks of vampires. They seem so easy, until you make a mistake and *wham* a vampire eats you for breakfast. Or something. "I scry. Alot. I use my computer for it. Everybody shakes their head when I try and tell them. I think most people I find the webpages for them. But I fool them, it's not necessary to bit connected to the internet."

She smiles. "I"m glad. I had hoped you would be nice.. Hey, it's a chance.. but.. would you like to live with me? At least for now. My friend is moving out, I have to find someone, or move to another apartment. I *just* got the wards working again. And I can't just have anyone, what with my magic, and friends.."

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
"Da, learn wards early. Somewhere in middle, bind Soraya. Shapeshift last. Wards maybe tricky, sometimes. Use blood for make wards. Sometimes, results not as expected," Vitali says, a touch of amusement showing in his dark eyes. Blood can attract things, especially when it's fresh. And sometimes, for some things, age of the blood doesn't matter. "Know what scrying is but not do, yet. Elders say learnings come in time," Vitali says, a thoughtful tone to his voice. He blinks at her a bit with some of the words that she uses, simply from lack of familiarity. "Computer? Internets? Is what?" he asks. There is no sign of recognition at all to these words, or to webpages, and he speaks the words carefully to try to get the pronunciation correct for them.

"Am not bad person. Am Shaman," Vitali says, a smile easily finding the corners of his lips. He tilts his head slightly to one side, studying her for a moment. "Is very kind for make offer. Not have place for stay since leave home. Many moons pass. Would appreciate have home, have place for stay. Da, please. Bol'shoye spasibo," he says softly, bowing slightly towards her where he sits. "Will hope for not make friends upset. Da?" he suggests, one of his eyebrows quirking up a touch. He doesn't know who her friends are, but... he generally hopes to not make people upset!

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"You know. Computer. You know, you look up things.. like your eagle! Here, like this!" And Willow pulls out her cellphone. "They're all pretty much the same. This one is smaller than the regular size."

And she pulls up the page the eagles were on.

It didn't even hit her until she handed it over and she thought about it. He might the have a computer; he might not know what a computer *is*.

"You don't know what that is, do you?"

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
The eagle, if she does look it up, will turn out to be a booted eagle. It has a pretty wide range -- across Russia, Asia, and Africa. Vitali blinks at her a little bit when she brings out the cell phone, and he tilts his head a bit to one side. There's no sign of any recognition of the device, or familiarity. He doesn't seem startled by it or afraid of it, and so he's likely seen other people with similar devices when he was in the city and before he found this particular spot.

When she moves to hand it over, he carefully reaches out to accept it, a bit hesitant, a bit uncertain, and his fingers lightly brush hers in the process. He looks at it, at what's shown on the screen. Then he blinks and looks to Soraya before looking back to the screen. Soraya's feathers fluff up a bit and she clicks her beak. Vitali turns the device all around, perhaps trying to figure out how the eagles ended up inside of it, his brow furrowing a bit. Oh dear. He touches the screen, a picture that looked like Soraya, which caused the phone to navigate to that page, which startles him a little and causes him to fumble the device some. It ends up not coming to any harm, thankfully, but with colour rising to his cheeks, he sheepishly offers the device back to her before giving a shake of his head. "Am sorry. Am not knowing. Am not understanding," he says softly, uncertainly. There are no computers or cell phones in his home village. The only phone he's ever seen is an old bakelite phone of the landline variety that's hard wired in.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow bites her lip. "Well.." How can she explain? "You've seen pictures and books, right? Picture them having a baby with television. You can look up *anything*. It's like carrying the library with you everywhere. And there is so much else!"

Willow smiles. "Don't worry. You don't have to worry about that until you're ready." Perhaps he never would.

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
The Siberian man watches her, and he tilts his head a touch to one side at her question before giving a small nod. "Da, know pictures. Know books," he affirms, a smile coming to his features. At the mention of the television, however, he raises an eyebrow slightly and blinks. There's no recognition there, alas. "Television?" he asks, tilting his head a bit to one side. "How make books fit inside?" he asks softly, trying to understand it but having little in the way technological knowledge to base any of it on.

There's a smile that finds his features at the latter of her words, and he seems to relax a little bit in response. "Home not have such things. Small village. Very far north," Vitali says, a thoughtful tone to his voice. The houses, too, are likely quite different than what's here.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Ahh." And Willow immediately sees what she is dealing with. "Okay, this will be a tiny bit strange, but bear with me. See, you could read what is on this phone, right? The same way that they put electric in your home, they discovered a way to put pictures and words into smaller and smaller things they called computers. If you can believe that it is so, you don't really have to understand why and how they work."

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
As far as technology goes, Vitali has a pretty blank slate. Which unfortunately means that he doesn't understand a lot of things about it. He gives a small nod to her, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Will listen, will try follow," he says softly. He's willing to try to follow things. He glances towards the device that she holds, and then he lifts his gaze back to her before giving a small nod. "Da, could read words," he says softly, his brow furrowing a little bit. He tilts his head a bit to one side, considering what she says, and then he gives a small nod. "So... not need understand how, just know it does?" he asks, raising an eyebrow slightly. Then he quirks a bit of a grin, ahint of amusement showing to his eyes. "Not have electric in home," he comments.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Exactly!" Willow would take that as a victory. "You don't need to understand it, just use it. After all, not everyone how magic works, but you do."

She listens to his story about home. "It must be weird going from next to nothing to everything. No wonder you found it easier to live out here, away from the city proper." Then she thinks. "My offer still stands, but even if you don't, can I visit you again?"

Vitali Svyatoslav has posed:
"Will maybe need learn how to use," Vitali says, a smile quirking at the corners of his lips. Then he chuckles softly, a bit of amusement coming to his dark eyes. "Is much smaller than book. Lighter, also," he adds. "Magic run in family. Have had since young," he says, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Know magic because have experience with magic. Not know... umm... technology because have no experience," he says softly, giving a small nod to her. The word 'technology' is said carefully, to make sure his pronunciation is correct.

"Is strange. From there, to here. Many differences. City strange. Technology strange," he says softly, tilting his head a touch to one side. He watches her for a long moment, after she voices her offer again, and then he gives a small nod. "Will accept offer. Is generous, and very kind. Appreciate, very much," he says softly, giving a nod to her, a smile coming easily to his features.