Post by Glade on Jul 17, 2022 16:35:33 GMT
Co-written with the ever wonderful Glint
In the aftermath of Face/off
After getting paid, the adventuring group parts ways, everyone dealing with what they've seen in their own way. Except for Nessa, that is, she’s dealt with everything back in the house. Glint's way of dealing with things is, of course, talking.
"So, Glade, was it?" He asks the other genasi in primordial. "Care for a late night drink? My treat."
"Oh, yes" she responds, slightly surprised by the offer. "I don't usually drink, but I would not say no to someone's act of kindness."
Glint notices that, unlike his, Glade's primordial is accented, many notes of sylvan strung through it.
The fire genasi leads the way to Gilded Mirror that is still a bit on the empty side after the invasion. They get a table in the corner and Glint orders a bottle of port. "You're welcome to share, but if drinking is not your thing, please feel free to order something else, I would hate to impose," he gestures at Glade with a humble smile. "I myself need something strong after such an encounter." He says with a sharp shake of his fiery head.
Upon arriving to the Mirror, Glade's expression turns sad, something more akin to guilt, her mind wandering off for a bit, until Glint’s word bring her back to the here and now.
"Oh, don't worry about me. I found out that, surprisingly, I can stomach alcohol well. I just don't drink in general, but I'm willing to join you if this is what you wish."
Glint nods, and pours each of them a glass. "Here's to surviving another day and to defeating... whatever the hell was that," he toasts and drinks half his glass in one go. He narrows his eyes. "You seem a bit down. Is everything alright?"
After taking a sip, Glade gently puts down the glass. "Is it that obvious?" She asks sheepishly and releases a small sigh. "It's fine. I was just thinking that after the war ended I've been so busy running around helping others that I didn't get to talk to a dear friend of mine." Her demeanour becomes even more guilty as she mumbles: "and also because I got carried away and nearly forgot... But it's nothing to worry about. I know he's alive and well, I've seen him around the city, also helping others…” she says that last part with smile and more uplifted spirits. “It's just that we didn't get to have a proper talk after everything."
She looks around the place, with a clear intent. "He stays here mostly, at the Gilder Mirror. Clearly he's asleep at the moment. That, or he's also somewhere out helping those in need even at these late hours."
Glint huffs and makes a minor illusion of butterflies flying and settling on Glade's hair. "Then you need not to be so sad. There are too many causes for it here, anyway," he wrinkles his nose. "Are you from around Kantas, Glade?"
Glade smiles at the butterflies and, in response, sends out a small amber-coloured firefly that lands on Glint's glass before slowly moving and resting on his hand.
"No, I'm from mainland Faerun, somewhere... I don't particularly know from where geographically. All I can say that it is a forest. It's-" a wave of homesickness crosses her face for a second before it dissipates. "It's... my mentor's forest. Fernen, she is the one who raised me and taught me about druidry."
"Oh? Is she a genasi as well?" Glint asks with interest, before checking himself. "Apologies for being so nosy," he says with a charming smile. "I so rarely meet people with whom I can speak my mother tongue I tend to be... inquisitive," he chuckles and dusts off an imaginary speck from his sleeve before finding an actual small piece of window glass embedded in the fabric and carefully removing it with his gloved fingers.
"No, she is a centaur." She gives Glint a small smile before continuing. "You may have noticed that my primordial, your mother tongue, is a bit rough and accented. I've been told as much by others." Her gaze then turns to the glass in front of her, studying the liquid as she recalls: "I didn't knew much about other genasi. I was found by Fernen when I was an infant, a lone orphan in the middle of a glade -a small smile tugs on her lips as she says that last word-, filled with summer flowers. I was wrapped in cloth and nothing else to my name. I only knew of the existence of other genasi from her stories and have only met another after I left my mentor's grove." Her head cocks to one side, inquisitively. "Strange, I’ve never quite spoken it much, but yet somehow I picked it up incredibly quick once I’ve met others."
Glint takes another sip of his wine. "Well, your vocabulary is very good for someone who isn't what you'd call a native speaker. I did notice your accent, just chose not to say anything. I learned my primordial in the City of Brass, so me commenting on accents would be incredibly snobbish," he chuckles. "I actually haven't met that many genasi in my life, if you don't count my siblings." He looks pensive for a moment, considering his complicated heritage, and then shakes his head and adds: "if we even count as genasi anymore! But I do enjoy meeting others. I remember the first time I met another genasi I was surprised that none of their parents was an actual genie," he snorts. "You can tell I was very young. Were you called Glade or did you choose your name, then?"
"Hmm!" she exclaims mid-sip before putting the glass down. "Always Glade. Some of the genasi I've met were kind enough to tell me their birth name, it's how I learned that I was supposed to have one as well. But, I've never known mine. I've been called Glade since I was first found." After a few seconds of pondering, she finally turns to Glint. "What about you? Where are you from?"
Glint takes a long sip out of his glass and scrunches his face a bit before answering. "Zakhara. And City of Brass. Half and half, so to speak. Grew up in Zakhara, spent summers in the City of Brass. Both fine places, although the latter is less fond of visitors." He says with a noncommittal shrug.
"Can't say I have heard of the City of Brass" Glade says with a pensive look. "but I do believe I've heard of... Zakhara... once before... from another genasi. Desert place, south of the Sword Coast, if I'm not mistaken?"
"Pretty much, yeah. We've got all sorts there, but I admit I've never met a centaur. Did you grow up with just one, or was it a tribe that took you in?"
"Just her, Fernen Stormhoof, she's a powerful druid, but I have met other druid circles by following her when she had to meet with them, so I wasn't that isolated from others. I mostly liked just... sitting around in the forest." Some of the homesickness returns, but this time it fades away to be replaced of her fondness for the place. "It was... wonderful. It wasn't as large as other forests, nor as magical, but it had enough. It had a charm to it that I felt stood out. At first, it seems so calm and relax, but, if you know how to listen, there would be so much life that you wouldn't know where to look first. It was peaceful." As she finishes, looking at the glass in front of her, a small smile sets on her face, which after a brief moment it widens, as if remembering of something close to her.
Glint looks up at her with a wistful expression. "That sounds lovely. Why did you leave?"
The moment he asks that question, as if beset by a dark cloud, Glade's expression shifts from a fond to a painful remembrance. She takes a deep breath and as she continues, her voice is low and soft. "Let's just say... it was a disagreement." Her eyes still on the glass in front of her and after a couple of seconds she slowly takes another sip.
Glint's features set in a schooled mask of neutrality. "I should have guessed. Perhaps genasi are more like each other than we like to think..." he trails off. After a couple of seconds of silence, he chuckles darkly and pours himself another glass. "It seem I do little else than upset you today, Glade. I apologize for summoning bad memories, it was not my intention."
At his words, Glade's eyes shoot up. "Oh... don't worry... about it. This war has awakened those memories far more, anyway." After a few moments of her searching through her emotions of that event, she finally speaks: "However... after what has transpired... after what happened with Fiore Popolare, with Nasiphe... I recently have been feeling more regret rather than the usual pain that came whenever that memory is being brought up… But, this is for another time." She clears her throat to change her tone along with the subject. "Why have you come to Kantas?" her tone now more akin to her normal self.
Glint shrugs, face still neutral. "I was sent here. Got into trouble with the head of college back in Faerun, and he shipped me off, to research the fauna of the new continent," he mocks someone Glade doesn't know. "I was happy to oblige. Always wanted to travel. The further away from home the better."
She can’t help herself, can’t stop feeling pity for him. "Was it that bad?" She says softly.
Glint rolls his eyes. "How old are you, Glade?"
"Turned 20, few days before... before the gith came."
The other genasi's face softens somewhat. He turns the glass in his fingers, watching the wine inside taking on different shades. "If I was your age I would say yes, it was that bad. I did say it. But... twenty years later..." he says with a slight roll of his shoulders. "It really wasn't. Just extremely annoying. Time..." He sighs, raising a glass to his eyes and watching Glade through the wine prism. "Puts things into interesting perspectives." He flashes a smile before downing the glass.
"It always does." she replies, finishing her first glass. "Hmh…" she muses, holding the glass suspended, herself lost in thought. "We are bad at lightening the mood, aren't we?" she says with a small, but sad smile.
She shakes her head, and also shakes the glum mood away "You said you're studying fauna? What kind of fauna? Are fey creatures part of your studies as well?"
"Sometimes," Glint nods. "Never pegged druids as particularly interested in animals... You seem to have... an inherent understanding with them. I've come across some creatures in Feywild, yes. In fact, my first trip in Kantas was to the Feywild. Through the portal in the back room," he nods towards the private suites of the Mirror. "Which ones are you interested in?"
"Druids are always interested in animals." Glade protests, confused. "Especially Florian, he's way better with animals than I am. As for what fey creature I'm interested in..." her voice trails off. She doesn't want to kill the mood, again, but she wants- no, she needs some answers and maybe Glint's knowledge can help with this. "Do you know of Nasiphe?" she asks, willing her face to be mellow again, and her voice soft.
He shakes his head in confusion. "No, I can't say that I do. And by interest I mean academic interest. It's less about talking to animals and more about studying their biology. Both you and Florian, in my experience, are much more interested in animals as a good company rather than subjects of study."
Glade cocks her head to one side, frowning in confusion. "... Subjects of study?" She shakes it off. "What I'm trying to say is..." she sits quietly for a bit, trying to find the right words on how to explain this, examining the small traces of wine at the bottom of her glass. "Nasiphe has... she has shown me... some of her memories, when I visited the place before the war. She showed me a vision of her, a beautiful woman, with fiery red hair and verdant green eyes, dancing by a pond. But, somehow... she got put into the tree, the willow tree." Her gaze then lifts to Glint. "Do you know fey creatures can do that?"
Glint listens with interest. In the end of the tale he shakes his head again. "Not particularly. But I can't say I'm surprised. People go through all sorts of transformations on other planes. Do you know Alan Shearer? He was a simple farmer here, in the Dawnlands. Ended up in the Beastlands, now he's a T Rex. Magic of other planes, and all that."
A look of slight confusion mixed with curiosity passes through Glade’s features. "Um... no idea what a T Rex is..." She gets back to the topic. "Um, I asked about Nasiphe... 'cuz I wanted to meet more like her, to understand more about fey and their magic. I'm looking for someone and I think she may have ended up in the Feywild." A small, faint pigment of pink seemed to have settled on her cheeks -embarrassment? fondness?- "I'm looking for Leona."
Glint leans back in his chair with a chagrined expression. “Wish I could help! Unfortunately, I’ve never got up to Scrying. But it sounds like an interesting trip. Perhaps you could talk to Leocanto and ask to use his portal? At least you’ll get into the Feywild easily enough. Have you been there before?”
"No, never been there. However, I am planning to... at some point. I..." she stops, her expression shaping into a smile, one of fondness, one that, this time, also reaches her eyes. She slightly tilts her head right and, with one of her hands, tugs on a particular branch that stands out from the rest that are filled with willow leaves, sprouting from her left temple, one with intriguing lilac flowers, with three white buds at their tip. "It's a gift from the goddess Lliira. I... I got it after I helped the Greengrass celebration over at the Feylight Gardens. I did whatever research I could and, with the help of a lovely scholar in... Extraplanar Flora... which I should have asked for their name…" she quickly mumbles to herself, feeling a bit guilty at her lack of manners. "I found out that it is called Ceòlwyn an Flùr, roughly translated to The Flower of Music. However, this music is more referring to the 'song of life', that some fey view life as more like a symphony of music-" she manages to stop herself before rambling for too long, not wanting to bore the other genasi. "Urm... later on, I helped Lolli with her charity fashion show and... Merla- I mean, Queen Merla was there." The pink from before returns to her cheeks. "I... I spoke to her and she told me that it is from a thought-to-be-extinct tree. She stumbled upon one of its seeds by chance. So... urm... yes, I am planning in the future to visit the Court of Harmony and find out more of this branch."
Glint listens with keen interest. “Well, I’m sure you’ll enjoy Feywild. It’s very beautiful. And having an invitation from the court never harmed anyone,” he winks. “I must say I’m not the person to trust gods, but if they can lead us to discovery of species that are thought to be extinct...” he shrugs with a coy smile. “Who am I to say no to that?” He raises his half-full glass.
Glade raises her glass to toast, but as she does she realises it's empty. She quickly scrambles for the bottle and fills half of it. "To... to new and wonderful discoveries." she says, followed by the cling of their glasses. After a sip, she continues. "Have you discovered anything interesting since you came to Kantas?"
“Apart from a man turned into a T Rex?” Glint asks after getting a sip of his drink. “A population of strange ducks, several different types of dragons, multiple undead monstrosities, a very cute lich cat…” he chuckles at the memories as his gaze becomes more and more distant. He puts down his glass and stares down at his fingers still holding onto the glass stem. He adds, in a dreamy tone: “and, you know… other things… friendship, companionship, real love, family… all those things…” he raises his eyes with a shy smile. “Apologies if I’m oversharing. It must be the wine talking…”
"Oh, don't worry" Glade says, returning his smile. "I... find myself oversharing even without the wine, often without thinking whether the person listening wants to hear it or not. It's... it's a way many of us find comfort," her smile now warm, rather than shy. "Speaking of sharing... Normally, I like giving these out before the action, before the adventure starts, when we get to meet each other, but tonight things happened so quickly that I didn't get to." She lifts her right hand to her temple, magic flowing from her hand in strings of amber-coloured smoke, flowing around one of her branches, forming into a bud that blooms into a large and magnificent, fiery red rose with a gradient... almost mimicking Glint's hair. She plucks it and hands it over to Glint, with the same warm smile as before. "Better late than never, I guess."
Glint takes the flower gratefully. “Oh, thank you… it’s beautiful! You know, there’s a botanist in Port Ffirst who’d love to meet someone with your aptitude for plants… remind me to introduce you,” he says, turning the flower over in his hands. “I… I can give you a lock of mine, but it’s somewhat of a fire hazard, so I’d better not,” he points to his fiery hair. “Still, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Glade. I hope you’ll find all you’re looking for. And I’ll be happy to help. And… if you consider it a sign of trust…” he sighs and scratches the back of his head. “My birth name is Alnaar. I’m not fond of it, but… it’s mine.” He says with an apologetic smile.
Glade smiles warmly at Glint's sign of trust. "It's a lovely name, nonetheless. I am indeed sorry that it brings you discomfort. And, don't bother with the lock, this is just something I can do. Plus, I don't think it grows back as fast as I can make flowers." Her head cocks to one side, curiosity on her face. "Is your friend knowledgeable with fey fauna as well?"
“Well, he’s mostly studying plants. Extraplanar flora isn’t his specialty, but he knows a lot about it. Finest expert I know, that’s for sure.”
Glade gives him a warm and enthusiastic smile "Well then, I cannot wait to meet this person."
“To new acquaintances!” Glint raises his last glass, the tint of the wine matching the colour of Glade’s gift.
In the aftermath of Face/off
After getting paid, the adventuring group parts ways, everyone dealing with what they've seen in their own way. Except for Nessa, that is, she’s dealt with everything back in the house. Glint's way of dealing with things is, of course, talking.
"So, Glade, was it?" He asks the other genasi in primordial. "Care for a late night drink? My treat."
"Oh, yes" she responds, slightly surprised by the offer. "I don't usually drink, but I would not say no to someone's act of kindness."
Glint notices that, unlike his, Glade's primordial is accented, many notes of sylvan strung through it.
The fire genasi leads the way to Gilded Mirror that is still a bit on the empty side after the invasion. They get a table in the corner and Glint orders a bottle of port. "You're welcome to share, but if drinking is not your thing, please feel free to order something else, I would hate to impose," he gestures at Glade with a humble smile. "I myself need something strong after such an encounter." He says with a sharp shake of his fiery head.
Upon arriving to the Mirror, Glade's expression turns sad, something more akin to guilt, her mind wandering off for a bit, until Glint’s word bring her back to the here and now.
"Oh, don't worry about me. I found out that, surprisingly, I can stomach alcohol well. I just don't drink in general, but I'm willing to join you if this is what you wish."
Glint nods, and pours each of them a glass. "Here's to surviving another day and to defeating... whatever the hell was that," he toasts and drinks half his glass in one go. He narrows his eyes. "You seem a bit down. Is everything alright?"
After taking a sip, Glade gently puts down the glass. "Is it that obvious?" She asks sheepishly and releases a small sigh. "It's fine. I was just thinking that after the war ended I've been so busy running around helping others that I didn't get to talk to a dear friend of mine." Her demeanour becomes even more guilty as she mumbles: "and also because I got carried away and nearly forgot... But it's nothing to worry about. I know he's alive and well, I've seen him around the city, also helping others…” she says that last part with smile and more uplifted spirits. “It's just that we didn't get to have a proper talk after everything."
She looks around the place, with a clear intent. "He stays here mostly, at the Gilder Mirror. Clearly he's asleep at the moment. That, or he's also somewhere out helping those in need even at these late hours."
Glint huffs and makes a minor illusion of butterflies flying and settling on Glade's hair. "Then you need not to be so sad. There are too many causes for it here, anyway," he wrinkles his nose. "Are you from around Kantas, Glade?"
Glade smiles at the butterflies and, in response, sends out a small amber-coloured firefly that lands on Glint's glass before slowly moving and resting on his hand.
"No, I'm from mainland Faerun, somewhere... I don't particularly know from where geographically. All I can say that it is a forest. It's-" a wave of homesickness crosses her face for a second before it dissipates. "It's... my mentor's forest. Fernen, she is the one who raised me and taught me about druidry."
"Oh? Is she a genasi as well?" Glint asks with interest, before checking himself. "Apologies for being so nosy," he says with a charming smile. "I so rarely meet people with whom I can speak my mother tongue I tend to be... inquisitive," he chuckles and dusts off an imaginary speck from his sleeve before finding an actual small piece of window glass embedded in the fabric and carefully removing it with his gloved fingers.
"No, she is a centaur." She gives Glint a small smile before continuing. "You may have noticed that my primordial, your mother tongue, is a bit rough and accented. I've been told as much by others." Her gaze then turns to the glass in front of her, studying the liquid as she recalls: "I didn't knew much about other genasi. I was found by Fernen when I was an infant, a lone orphan in the middle of a glade -a small smile tugs on her lips as she says that last word-, filled with summer flowers. I was wrapped in cloth and nothing else to my name. I only knew of the existence of other genasi from her stories and have only met another after I left my mentor's grove." Her head cocks to one side, inquisitively. "Strange, I’ve never quite spoken it much, but yet somehow I picked it up incredibly quick once I’ve met others."
Glint takes another sip of his wine. "Well, your vocabulary is very good for someone who isn't what you'd call a native speaker. I did notice your accent, just chose not to say anything. I learned my primordial in the City of Brass, so me commenting on accents would be incredibly snobbish," he chuckles. "I actually haven't met that many genasi in my life, if you don't count my siblings." He looks pensive for a moment, considering his complicated heritage, and then shakes his head and adds: "if we even count as genasi anymore! But I do enjoy meeting others. I remember the first time I met another genasi I was surprised that none of their parents was an actual genie," he snorts. "You can tell I was very young. Were you called Glade or did you choose your name, then?"
"Hmm!" she exclaims mid-sip before putting the glass down. "Always Glade. Some of the genasi I've met were kind enough to tell me their birth name, it's how I learned that I was supposed to have one as well. But, I've never known mine. I've been called Glade since I was first found." After a few seconds of pondering, she finally turns to Glint. "What about you? Where are you from?"
Glint takes a long sip out of his glass and scrunches his face a bit before answering. "Zakhara. And City of Brass. Half and half, so to speak. Grew up in Zakhara, spent summers in the City of Brass. Both fine places, although the latter is less fond of visitors." He says with a noncommittal shrug.
"Can't say I have heard of the City of Brass" Glade says with a pensive look. "but I do believe I've heard of... Zakhara... once before... from another genasi. Desert place, south of the Sword Coast, if I'm not mistaken?"
"Pretty much, yeah. We've got all sorts there, but I admit I've never met a centaur. Did you grow up with just one, or was it a tribe that took you in?"
"Just her, Fernen Stormhoof, she's a powerful druid, but I have met other druid circles by following her when she had to meet with them, so I wasn't that isolated from others. I mostly liked just... sitting around in the forest." Some of the homesickness returns, but this time it fades away to be replaced of her fondness for the place. "It was... wonderful. It wasn't as large as other forests, nor as magical, but it had enough. It had a charm to it that I felt stood out. At first, it seems so calm and relax, but, if you know how to listen, there would be so much life that you wouldn't know where to look first. It was peaceful." As she finishes, looking at the glass in front of her, a small smile sets on her face, which after a brief moment it widens, as if remembering of something close to her.
Glint looks up at her with a wistful expression. "That sounds lovely. Why did you leave?"
The moment he asks that question, as if beset by a dark cloud, Glade's expression shifts from a fond to a painful remembrance. She takes a deep breath and as she continues, her voice is low and soft. "Let's just say... it was a disagreement." Her eyes still on the glass in front of her and after a couple of seconds she slowly takes another sip.
Glint's features set in a schooled mask of neutrality. "I should have guessed. Perhaps genasi are more like each other than we like to think..." he trails off. After a couple of seconds of silence, he chuckles darkly and pours himself another glass. "It seem I do little else than upset you today, Glade. I apologize for summoning bad memories, it was not my intention."
At his words, Glade's eyes shoot up. "Oh... don't worry... about it. This war has awakened those memories far more, anyway." After a few moments of her searching through her emotions of that event, she finally speaks: "However... after what has transpired... after what happened with Fiore Popolare, with Nasiphe... I recently have been feeling more regret rather than the usual pain that came whenever that memory is being brought up… But, this is for another time." She clears her throat to change her tone along with the subject. "Why have you come to Kantas?" her tone now more akin to her normal self.
Glint shrugs, face still neutral. "I was sent here. Got into trouble with the head of college back in Faerun, and he shipped me off, to research the fauna of the new continent," he mocks someone Glade doesn't know. "I was happy to oblige. Always wanted to travel. The further away from home the better."
She can’t help herself, can’t stop feeling pity for him. "Was it that bad?" She says softly.
Glint rolls his eyes. "How old are you, Glade?"
"Turned 20, few days before... before the gith came."
The other genasi's face softens somewhat. He turns the glass in his fingers, watching the wine inside taking on different shades. "If I was your age I would say yes, it was that bad. I did say it. But... twenty years later..." he says with a slight roll of his shoulders. "It really wasn't. Just extremely annoying. Time..." He sighs, raising a glass to his eyes and watching Glade through the wine prism. "Puts things into interesting perspectives." He flashes a smile before downing the glass.
"It always does." she replies, finishing her first glass. "Hmh…" she muses, holding the glass suspended, herself lost in thought. "We are bad at lightening the mood, aren't we?" she says with a small, but sad smile.
She shakes her head, and also shakes the glum mood away "You said you're studying fauna? What kind of fauna? Are fey creatures part of your studies as well?"
"Sometimes," Glint nods. "Never pegged druids as particularly interested in animals... You seem to have... an inherent understanding with them. I've come across some creatures in Feywild, yes. In fact, my first trip in Kantas was to the Feywild. Through the portal in the back room," he nods towards the private suites of the Mirror. "Which ones are you interested in?"
"Druids are always interested in animals." Glade protests, confused. "Especially Florian, he's way better with animals than I am. As for what fey creature I'm interested in..." her voice trails off. She doesn't want to kill the mood, again, but she wants- no, she needs some answers and maybe Glint's knowledge can help with this. "Do you know of Nasiphe?" she asks, willing her face to be mellow again, and her voice soft.
He shakes his head in confusion. "No, I can't say that I do. And by interest I mean academic interest. It's less about talking to animals and more about studying their biology. Both you and Florian, in my experience, are much more interested in animals as a good company rather than subjects of study."
Glade cocks her head to one side, frowning in confusion. "... Subjects of study?" She shakes it off. "What I'm trying to say is..." she sits quietly for a bit, trying to find the right words on how to explain this, examining the small traces of wine at the bottom of her glass. "Nasiphe has... she has shown me... some of her memories, when I visited the place before the war. She showed me a vision of her, a beautiful woman, with fiery red hair and verdant green eyes, dancing by a pond. But, somehow... she got put into the tree, the willow tree." Her gaze then lifts to Glint. "Do you know fey creatures can do that?"
Glint listens with interest. In the end of the tale he shakes his head again. "Not particularly. But I can't say I'm surprised. People go through all sorts of transformations on other planes. Do you know Alan Shearer? He was a simple farmer here, in the Dawnlands. Ended up in the Beastlands, now he's a T Rex. Magic of other planes, and all that."
A look of slight confusion mixed with curiosity passes through Glade’s features. "Um... no idea what a T Rex is..." She gets back to the topic. "Um, I asked about Nasiphe... 'cuz I wanted to meet more like her, to understand more about fey and their magic. I'm looking for someone and I think she may have ended up in the Feywild." A small, faint pigment of pink seemed to have settled on her cheeks -embarrassment? fondness?- "I'm looking for Leona."
Glint leans back in his chair with a chagrined expression. “Wish I could help! Unfortunately, I’ve never got up to Scrying. But it sounds like an interesting trip. Perhaps you could talk to Leocanto and ask to use his portal? At least you’ll get into the Feywild easily enough. Have you been there before?”
"No, never been there. However, I am planning to... at some point. I..." she stops, her expression shaping into a smile, one of fondness, one that, this time, also reaches her eyes. She slightly tilts her head right and, with one of her hands, tugs on a particular branch that stands out from the rest that are filled with willow leaves, sprouting from her left temple, one with intriguing lilac flowers, with three white buds at their tip. "It's a gift from the goddess Lliira. I... I got it after I helped the Greengrass celebration over at the Feylight Gardens. I did whatever research I could and, with the help of a lovely scholar in... Extraplanar Flora... which I should have asked for their name…" she quickly mumbles to herself, feeling a bit guilty at her lack of manners. "I found out that it is called Ceòlwyn an Flùr, roughly translated to The Flower of Music. However, this music is more referring to the 'song of life', that some fey view life as more like a symphony of music-" she manages to stop herself before rambling for too long, not wanting to bore the other genasi. "Urm... later on, I helped Lolli with her charity fashion show and... Merla- I mean, Queen Merla was there." The pink from before returns to her cheeks. "I... I spoke to her and she told me that it is from a thought-to-be-extinct tree. She stumbled upon one of its seeds by chance. So... urm... yes, I am planning in the future to visit the Court of Harmony and find out more of this branch."
Glint listens with keen interest. “Well, I’m sure you’ll enjoy Feywild. It’s very beautiful. And having an invitation from the court never harmed anyone,” he winks. “I must say I’m not the person to trust gods, but if they can lead us to discovery of species that are thought to be extinct...” he shrugs with a coy smile. “Who am I to say no to that?” He raises his half-full glass.
Glade raises her glass to toast, but as she does she realises it's empty. She quickly scrambles for the bottle and fills half of it. "To... to new and wonderful discoveries." she says, followed by the cling of their glasses. After a sip, she continues. "Have you discovered anything interesting since you came to Kantas?"
“Apart from a man turned into a T Rex?” Glint asks after getting a sip of his drink. “A population of strange ducks, several different types of dragons, multiple undead monstrosities, a very cute lich cat…” he chuckles at the memories as his gaze becomes more and more distant. He puts down his glass and stares down at his fingers still holding onto the glass stem. He adds, in a dreamy tone: “and, you know… other things… friendship, companionship, real love, family… all those things…” he raises his eyes with a shy smile. “Apologies if I’m oversharing. It must be the wine talking…”
"Oh, don't worry" Glade says, returning his smile. "I... find myself oversharing even without the wine, often without thinking whether the person listening wants to hear it or not. It's... it's a way many of us find comfort," her smile now warm, rather than shy. "Speaking of sharing... Normally, I like giving these out before the action, before the adventure starts, when we get to meet each other, but tonight things happened so quickly that I didn't get to." She lifts her right hand to her temple, magic flowing from her hand in strings of amber-coloured smoke, flowing around one of her branches, forming into a bud that blooms into a large and magnificent, fiery red rose with a gradient... almost mimicking Glint's hair. She plucks it and hands it over to Glint, with the same warm smile as before. "Better late than never, I guess."
Glint takes the flower gratefully. “Oh, thank you… it’s beautiful! You know, there’s a botanist in Port Ffirst who’d love to meet someone with your aptitude for plants… remind me to introduce you,” he says, turning the flower over in his hands. “I… I can give you a lock of mine, but it’s somewhat of a fire hazard, so I’d better not,” he points to his fiery hair. “Still, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Glade. I hope you’ll find all you’re looking for. And I’ll be happy to help. And… if you consider it a sign of trust…” he sighs and scratches the back of his head. “My birth name is Alnaar. I’m not fond of it, but… it’s mine.” He says with an apologetic smile.
Glade smiles warmly at Glint's sign of trust. "It's a lovely name, nonetheless. I am indeed sorry that it brings you discomfort. And, don't bother with the lock, this is just something I can do. Plus, I don't think it grows back as fast as I can make flowers." Her head cocks to one side, curiosity on her face. "Is your friend knowledgeable with fey fauna as well?"
“Well, he’s mostly studying plants. Extraplanar flora isn’t his specialty, but he knows a lot about it. Finest expert I know, that’s for sure.”
Glade gives him a warm and enthusiastic smile "Well then, I cannot wait to meet this person."
“To new acquaintances!” Glint raises his last glass, the tint of the wine matching the colour of Glade’s gift.