futurology | ᴜsᴇʀɴᴀᴍᴇ: ʜᴜɴᴛsᴍᴀɴ (VIDEO)

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ᴜsᴇʀɴᴀᴍᴇ: ʜᴜɴᴛsᴍᴀɴ (VIDEO)

( graham doesn't like using the video feature much, so mostly he avoids it. people might recognize his username, though, he hasn't been silent on the network that connects members of ALISTAIR. in fact now that he's a fugitive he has a bit too much time to flip through messages, though that's neither here nor there.

still, the fact he's using it means he does so with a purpose. after Sakura encountered him in the woods, he doesn't see a better way to get his message to everyone that needs to hear it. hopefully the townsfolk themselves will just stay away, and his brother is clever enough to stay clear of people that might hurt him. he's smart and wary of humans, it doesn't seem impossible he'll manage on it's own. it just feels dangerous to leave him out on his own without trying to assure people the wolf is not a threat. )

A friend of mine came from home. I hear that happens on occasion.

( Graham tilts his pendant enough to capture the wolf in the feed, just long enough for the details to be picked up. a vibrant red eye, white and gray fur. a little too friendly with a human, one could argue, as the wolf is looking up at him with an open-mouth grin, much like a dog. )

He's not a threat to humans. He'll more than likely run if you get too close to him, but all the same. If you see him, don't hurt him. He won't hurt you unless you threaten him.

( the wolf still has instincts enough that he will fight if he feels he has to for survival. being so close to a human has tempered many of his wilder instincts, yet the wolf is still and will always be a wolf. )

If you hurt him despite this message I promise you'll regret it.

( there's a steel edge to that threat that is very sincere. Graham was a better man than the Hunstman ever claimed to boast, and the wolf is about all the family he's ever had. if someone is bold enough to try and harm him (or worse), they'll have a dedicated hunter after them, and a ruthless one at that.

with that the video feed closes. if there are questions, they'll likely be answered via text. )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'd like that, actually. it'd do me well to learn.

( learning is a+! not how he was expecting this conversation to go, but he appreciates it. )

I keep a workshop above the apothecary in the western marketplace. Or, if your... friend is more comfortable outside, we could meet out near the woodland border.

[Gathering herbs being... super necessary for her work.]

He manages inside for a few hours at a time all right, but the wood might be better.

( as long as they're careful. seeing as he's a fugitive now. )

Then when it is convenient for you, I shall meet you on the western border.

[She needs to... walk her dog anyway...]

tomorrow?

( he's likely risked more time than he should have out in the woods today as it is. )

Will noon do?

[Not that time means much in a land of eternal darkness]

perfectly.
I'll see you then.

Very well.

[ooc; aaaaaction?]

( he doesn't answer again, but that doesn't mean he forgets. in fact an excuse to escape the constraints of a spart room is very welcome. as a wanted man he needs to be cautious about how much time he spends out obviously, but after spending so long locked away he needs a bit of freedom.

he's exactly on time and skulking a bit close to a tree near the agreed meeting place. and yes, the wolf is with him; he is rarely without the wolf, especially when he's out of hiding. he's waiting and listening, and the wolf is laying on the ground rather lazily. he hardly seems ferocious this way. )

[Sieglinde is running late- though she swears she left her workshop in good time. She also had planned to make a far more dramatic entrance as befitting a witch, but... her companion had other plans.

She couldn't guess what world the beast had come from, but when requesting a mount from ALASTAIR to assist her particular handicap, she'd ended up with... something she wasn't sure was a hellhound, a barghest, or what. She was small even for her age, so riding the thing wasn't out of the question, but... for a girl who'd never even had a pet, that was a bit too intimidating yet, so she arrives walking awkwardly with an arm around the neck of a wolf-like beast whose face was more skull than muzzle, eyes aglow as she used its support to help her walk on feet less than half the size they should be.

- not the sort of first impression she wanted to make, but.]

Master Graham? I am Sieglinde Sullivan- well met.

[Meet the Green Witch.]

( not what he's expecting, safe to say... though he didn't really know what he was expecting, either. the wolf-like creature doesn't fighten him much, though his own wolf shows his uncertainty with flattened ears. it's not hard to see that she has difficulty walking and when he sees her up close, it's also not hard to see why. he isn't sure it's proper to ask, so he doesn't. )

Well met. ( he hasn't heard an introduction like that in a very long time. in Maine, hello and a handshake tended to be the preference. ) I didn't know you had a companion yourself.

( quite an intimidating thing, or at least it should be. the huntsman was honestly more curious about it than anything. a magical wolf creature? he'd never heard of such a thing, yet it was rather fascinating. )

[Having only just been introduced to the concept of a handshake, to things like bows and curtsies, she kept to what she knew- verbal greetings, and an acknowledging nod. Her arm slung around the beast's shoulders ended with a hand gripping its heavy leather collar, and for lack of any better option she tugged on it and tried to dig her tiny heels in to signal it to stop, which it finally did after a few stuttering steps and a snap of jaw bone and the wet slide of tongue, eyeing the huntsman and his wolf with ears forward and alert, but no signs of aggression.

In fact, Sieglinde was quite confused by the nature of its appearance compared to its somewhat dopish mannerisms as of yet. (Then again, she hasn't been in danger- yet.) It didn't seem to mind baggage, at least, a saddlebag definitely intended for a horse slung over its back and a dimmed lantern hanging from that.]

I'm afraid I cannot tell you what it is- beyond a "gift" from our employers.

[And she didn't know how to feel about that, either... Though she couldn't complain- it was much easier to balance and walk this way, and with the wolf-like creature she didn't have to worry as much about her arms tiring from crutches. But when it came to ALASTAIR-]

I'm sure you can understand my own interest, now.

[She gestured to his own companion, taking note of its eyes.]

( its a very odd gift indeed. he hasn't forgotten her questions of familiars but what he understands of them the animal she's holding onto doesn't much qualify. in his world familiars were smaller animals, cats and crows and things similar. he's never heard of a wolf familiar but that doesn't mean that they couldn't exist. there were so many things in this place he'd never seen before; he doubted her companion would be the last. )

I take it you don't recognize it from your own world? ( graham has to wonder why he is different, why he got his brother when so man seemed to be getting animals that they'd never seen or met before. it was just another layer to the many questions revolving around now ALISTAIR was handing out — gifts? incentives? bribes? he didn't know enough to even know which word to use. whatever it was it seemed as if the items generally had a productive purpose, but how they were picked and handed out remained a mystery. )

I've never seen a wolf quite like him, but if he bears some similarities I might be able to help you. ( he was fairly gifted with them, he'd been raised by them after all. ) a trade of information, if you wanted. ( after all he hadn't offered any compensation for the lessons she was offering. it seemed only right to offer her something in return. )

[Sieglinde shook her head, the horned hennin she wore bouncing slightly along with the motion. Even with the way she was dressed, (which she'd been told by someone else looked like "a runaway fairytale"), she wasn't familiar with the creature she'd been given.]

I'm more familiar with creatures like your own companion... or werewolves-

[She looked between the wolf beside Graham and the creature at her own side, raising a questioning brow at it. ... No, she didn't get it, either.

But he mentioned help, and considering she had never even kept a pet, nor been allowed to "waste time" playing with animals in her younger days...]

What sort of help?

( he's not unused to people looking like they've fallen out of a fairytale. it'd be judgmental of him to be, considering he quite literally has, though it's not something he admits. he wears what he's gotten since arrival, so it's not quite as modern as he used to be. and he has to keep to a cloak, necessary to cover his face as he goes from town and back again.

he hopes her new companion isn't a werewolf, though he suspects she would know if it was. unless the wolf was trapped in that form, a rather horrid fate as he understands it. he thinks wearily of the werewolf he'd met so passingly during his captivity by the queen, but now is not a time for reminiscing, painful or otherwise. )

If he's like mine— ( Graham rubs a fond touch over his brother's head, and the wolf seems to relax slightly at the gesture, ) Then I could teach you a bit about how he thinks. What he likes. It might help, if you're interested in learning.

Edited 2015-12-16 06:26 (UTC)

[The werewolves she had known were those who walked upon two legs, largely humanoid- but that had been because they had been humans beneath suits and fake fur and masks to keep the poison gas of her experiments from reaching their lungs.

But that was neither here nor there.

Instead, Sieglinde watched how he interacted with the wolf at his side before looking at the... creature at her own. Since it had arrived she'd at least managed to feed it, and it hadn't been violent, but... it also had wrecked several of her experiments and she really wasn't sure how intelligent it was.]

I will admit that I have little experience with animals in close quarters.

[She'd never even kept a pet, not allowed anything that would have distracted her from her studies. But this was fortuitous- she'd been willing to teach, but a chance to learn herself wasn't one she'd overlook.]

I would be glad to exchange expertise with you- my herbal knowledge for your animal expertise.

( Graham likely might need some time to observe her friend before he could give her any knowledge for certain, yet the basics couldn't be so different. it was a slight relief to have a way to compensate her for her help. she didn't owe him any knowledge, and after all he'd been through he didn't like to leave any loose strings. )

I'll be happy to show you what I know. As long as you treat him with respect, he'll do the same for you, I'm sure.

( some things never seemed to change, as far as animals were concerned. they trusted when it was earned and that trust only faltered when there was good reason for it. the wolf would likely be a good companion, Graham had lived with wolves long enough to know that. )

Where should we begin? I know a little about herbs, but this world is a bit different than mine.

( the enchanted forest had magical plants, he supposes, and those were not present here. or the flora between worlds could be different. )

[It might be sort of comical, the look Sieglinde shot the beast at her side, as if she was suddenly sizing it up in a new, attempt-at-respect sort of light. How did one show respect towards an animal... ?

But, she had important things to focus on- mainly what she'd come out here to do.]

I thought we'd begin with the basics-

[She begins to rummage in the saddlepack slung over the beast's shoulders, pulling out a rolled up leather satchel and carefully letting herself down to the ground in a pool of velvet and lace, moving to untie the bindings and unroll it, revealing a scroll of sorts with small bundles of various herbs along its length.

Willow bark, sage, feverfew, wolfs bane, elderberry, clove, and other more common herbs made up most of her collection, with a few more outlying plants- poppies, valerian... a few poisonous plants and mushrooms...]

Do you recognize any of these, perhaps?

[It was best to start with what he knew.]

( respecting animals is easier for him than respecting humans, most of the time. there's an innocent simplicity to animals that humans lost so quickly. it was hard to find treachery and deception in an animal. it was hard not to find such things in humans, though he's not as distrustful of them as he used to be.

when she moves to the ground he crouches to follow, his wolf padding off on silent feet. Graham doesn't worry too much about when his brother wanders off. he will never go too far.

as for the collection she already has, it's quite a mix of things. there's at least a few he recognizes, though; he lived off the land in the enchanted forest, he has an understanding of plants, though not much understanding of medicinal properties. the more outlying items, the mushrooms and anything poisonous he doesn't recognize, if only because he's used to the poisons of a different world.

still, the things he does know, he points out and lists carefully. he manages to get most of the herbs and the poppy. ) In my world, poppy could be used as a strong knock-out powder. I don't know if that's true in yours. ( they look a little different, even if the name was the same. )

[With the nodding and slight "hmm hmms" beneath her breath as she arranged her skirts in a flowing circle about her knees and over the unnaturally tiny feet, following with her eyes as Graham went along, it seemed Sieglinde was at least pleased with his basic knowledge. It made her job easier if they weren't starting from "zero", after all.]

Knocking one out is a simple way to phrase it, perhaps, but yes- that is true in my world as well.

[She tapped the bundle of flowers and stems, careful not to knock the dried petals off or disturb the seed pods.]

If used properly, [being medically, from her point of view], you can create a powerful painkiller using these. If used improperly... A certain sense of removal from the world and one's body, or even death.

[But that was what came of harnessing nature's gifts. They could easily harm and well as heal, and it was all in how one applied them.]

Is it magical?

( he can't help but ask. he knows that plants don't necessarily need to be magical to have that sort of power, he's just curious. he knows poppy dust is magical in the Enchanted Forest, he hasn't heard much about its properties in an unmagical world. he knows it exists in the land without magic but that's about all he knows. her world seems to have magic, much the same as his. it doesn't seem a horrible question.

he stays low, watching the careful way she moves the herbs and flowers. it's obvious she moves with consideration and respect, something he appreciates, even if the nature under her fingers isn't technically living anymore. there's so much life in the woods and the wild, things so many people don't see. he's glad that the teacher he's acquired seems to have respect for the intricacies of nature. )

No, it is not.

[Sieglinde shook her head, gesturing to the forest behind them.]

Though some of the denizens of these woods are magical in nature, I have yet to find any plants with inherent magical properties.

[Not any that she knew from myths and stories, at any rate. Though she called herself a witch, what she'd done in her world had primarily been scientific- though she'd put "enchantments" on those concoctions she'd come up with.

But that didn't make the plants themselves magical in her eyes.]

( he's silent at that, considering. he knows there are magical plants in the enchanted forest. more than just poppy, there were mushrooms and roots with magical properties. that doesn't mean he prefers to learn about those sorts of things. he's had a little too much experience with magic in his lifetime... he'd appreciate avoiding it for once. )

Do you recognize most of the plants here? Some of them are familiar to me, some I wonder must be native to this land.

( perhaps there was a book that could instruct on their purposes but when he was in the royal library he hadn't exactly been looking into books on herbology. it was still a quiet consideration now, even though he wasn't likely to figure out the answer soon. )

Most of them are the same as my own world, yes.

[Sieglinde nodded, settling back on her knees, the skull-faced beast beside her eyeing her movement, tail sweeping back and forth a few times before returning its gaze toward the forest line.]

The man who runs the apothecary does have books, however- well illustrated ones.

In town?

( that sounds like something he'd be interested in having. the Huntsman couldn't read or write, had to rely on his memory and that alone. the curse gave him the ability to read, so he could take proper advantage of the knowledge now.

buying it as a fugitive, though... that'd be more difficult. )

I'll remember that. When I can, I'll get a book and keep notes of what you show me. Until then whatever you think is most important.

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sure! to action;

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I AM SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY! the holidays+work hit me hard

NO PROB welcome back <3

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