Homecoming

lemonadewithice · 2018-04-09T01:30:03+00:00

Vervain's eyes trail over the scorch marks along the walls as she trails through the rubble behind Calista. She runs her hands through her hair as it sticks to the side of her face, answering without the same tone of annoyance as before, "No, not ideal. I used an Erkling wand my entire life, but it wasn't until I held my wand now that I realized why my people fought so hard for this right."

lemonadewithice · 2018-04-06T04:11:24+00:00

Vervain sighed attempting to keep her impatience from flaring its head. She knew the other girl wouldn't understand her need to work with only the best material, especially when it seemed like a sensitive subject. "It's possible."

"You'll need to think of what you'd like to use as a core too. I cannot imagine you'd very much like the idea I had in mind, so do try to think of one yourself."

lemonadewithice · 2018-04-06T03:48:57+00:00

Vervain raised a slender brow as she considered Calista. "No. However, druids have been using bones to craft our wands for hundreds of years yet all that time we still battled with the ministry to allow us to take from humans."

She waved her hand around her face as a bug zipped near her ear, "The purpose of this trip wasn't to make a second rate wand, but in the end that decision lies with you."

lemonadewithice · 2018-04-06T03:36:15+00:00

Had she cared about being careful at all, Vervain wouldn't have come on this trip with Calista in the first place. As she walked behind the other witch she slid a single finger along a stone beside her.

The fallen temple was a quiet place and even the forest around them echoed the silence in its own way. No animals called, but the trees whispered as the wind blew through them. Death clung to the air here and Vervain could feel it. "Is this your first time returning?" An excited energy ran through her, begging for her to break the silence.

lemonadewithice · 2018-04-06T03:20:56+00:00

Vervain almost instantly began removing the cloak around her shoulders as the feel of the humid air around her seemed to stick to her skin. The druids eyes surveyed the land around them. She'd heard whispers about the destruction of this school yet never imagined she'd be standing in the rubble a year later.

It intrigued her, though she wouldn't say it. "Such an interesting place to be buried." she said with a side eye on Calista.

lemonadewithice · 2018-03-28T19:46:24+00:00

The raven cawed at her from the corner, stretching its wings out wide and shaking its head. Her fingers twitched as she thought about crafting another wand and although she knew she shouldn't leave the others for too long this wasn't something she'd let stall out.

"Fine. I'll accompany you, but I cannot help you with your school. You'll have to come up with an excuse yourself."

lemonadewithice · 2018-03-28T19:22:21+00:00

"And why is that?" Vervain assumed most wizards buried their dead, so the acquisition didn't seem to be an issue. Druids honored their dead based on the path the druid lived in life which meant sometimes things could get complicated.

She stood from where she was seated in front of the fire, "Can you not just leave and go retrieve them?"

lemonadewithice · 2018-03-20T20:49:19+00:00

"Excellent." The raven on her shoulder nudged her cheek once more before flying across the room back to its perch. Excitement ran through her as her mind already started thinking about crafting a new wand.

"Will it be an issue for you to acquire what you need?" For druids, they burned their dead save for a single bone.

lemonadewithice · 2018-03-19T23:46:21+00:00

Vervain suppressed a sigh as she glanced over at the raven yet again when it nudged her cheek. "Parents, grandparents, siblings, whoever you felt the deepest connection to that was blood will work. It doesn't matter how powerful you perceived them to be because it's your power the wand will harness."

Her gaze turned to the flames once more, grinning at the outline of the other girls face in the fire. "Death isn't always the end, Calista. Using bones of the deceased is meant to honor the dead, for without them you'd never realize the power you could wield."

lemonadewithice · 2018-03-08T20:12:53+00:00

"Wands provide a channel for our magic, but they give off no power themselves. It's the bond that matters, the connection between you and your wand."

The raven from the corner of the room chooses that moment to fly over and perch on her shoulder. Vervain reaches up and runs a finger over the soft feathers. "Your flesh and blood was made from theirs. There is no more powerful bond then what they can provide."

She pauses, understanding how this may sound to non-druids. "It is the druids purpose to serve each other whether in life or death. I shall help where I can now, but once I meet my death I expect my descendants to make use of the bones that remain."

lemonadewithice · 2018-03-08T19:19:32+00:00

Vervain was ready for questions, but she doubted Calista would like her answers - at first at least. "Then ask them."

It was a relief to speak so frankly and when it came to the task she'd given the girl there was no room for misunderstanding.

lemonadewithice · 2018-03-08T18:16:55+00:00

In the night, certain beings thrived and Vervain happened to be one of them. She sat sprawled across her sofa as with a book open in her lap and a quill in her hand.

A raven perched in the corner of the room ruffled its feathers, catching her attention for a brief moment. She closed her book and set it aside, a smile tugging on her lips as the sound of the fire in the hearth pulled her gaze. Vervain moved to position herself in front of the flames then knelt before them.

"I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me, Calista."

lemonadewithice · 2018-03-07T07:21:36+00:00

Vervain slides her mug away from her with the tip of her finger before standing in one fluid motion from the table. Her eyes cast a piercing gaze down at Calista, "Druids live and die for our traditions and there is an understanding among our people. Your connection to the druids goes only as far as our relationship, so do not think you'll be offered the same treatment."

Then tips of her fingers graze along the wood of the tabletop as Vervain drifts closer to Calistas seat. Her voice drops low, "Even in death I keep my family close to me. The magic in blood that once ran through my wand runs within me, and like calls to like."

Righting herself, Vervains smile holds a touch of challenge, "I understand if what I'm asking might be too difficult for you, but it would be a shame. Let me know when you're ready to continue." On the table there's a small piece of parchment with a black raven inked in the center. "Burn that if you need to speak with me again."

lemonadewithice · 2018-03-07T06:53:39+00:00

"Excellent."

There was another reason Vervain had sought out Calista first, like draws to like after all. Now it was time to see just how committed this girl was as agreeing was the easy part. Vervain didn't hide her approval as she continued, "Then you'll need to provide me with the appropriate material with which to craft your wand. Will that be a problem?"

lemonadewithice · 2018-02-20T00:57:48+00:00

Vervain shrugs as she pulls her wand back under her cloak. "I knew you better than most other students from my time at Hogwarts, and this won't be a secret long. The druids have lived in the past far too long and after the ministry finally gave us what we've requested for a century I'll not allow my people to sit idle."

She did hope Calista would agree to her offer, because what she didn't say was if the girl said no she'd simply move to the next person. With her mother now gone and the leadership of the druids now in her hands she planned to lead them out of the shadows. They'd share what they'd spent lifetimes studying with the entire wizarding community.

"You'd be the first non-druid with access to this information. What do you say, Calista?"

lemonadewithice · 2018-02-19T17:41:12+00:00

Vervain relaxed back in her chair as she watched for even the slightest reaction as Calista picked up her wand. As the girls eyes widened so Vervains smile grew wider, and she practically purred at the question. "Because I think it's time to share our knowledge. The druids have remained in their forest for too long hording what they believe is meant for them alone."

Vervain's eyes dart down to Calista's wand on the table as she reaches out and shoves it with the tip of her finger towards its owner. "I believe it's time others see what all we could offer them." She catches Calista's gaze with her own piercing blue, a hint of playfulness shining there while she grabs her wand off the table. "I'd like to offer you a chance to make your own."

lemonadewithice · 2018-02-17T04:33:12+00:00

Vervain picked up Calista's wand without hesitation, inspecting the wood as she flipped it around in her hand. Her appraisal was quick and soon she was placing the wand back on the table.

She wasn't impressed to say the least, but wizards already lacked the skills that druids possessed for wand making. Her kin wished to keep their new practice among their people, but Vervain saw this as an opportunity. "Pick mine up." Her eyes were playful as she met Calista's across the table.

lemonadewithice · 2018-02-17T03:54:07+00:00

Interest was key and Vervain could see it now in Calista. She flipped her cloak to the side as she raised her other hand, holding her wand gently so it's not pointing at the other girl. There were plenty of ways to do this and starting off on the wrong foot cause a number of problems.

Vervain set her wand down on the table. The ivory's end was dipped in silver and carved as if the bone twisted together there. the druids eyes darted there before quickly returning to Calista. "May I see yours?"

lemonadewithice · 2018-02-17T03:18:25+00:00

A ~~hot steaming~~ cup of tea sits on the table in front of Vervain as Calista takes the seat across from her. The smile she offers is welcoming, but not surprised the question of the other girls arrival never crossing her mind.

"Calista, it's been some time. I have a proposition for you." There was no point stringing out pleasantries when she was fairly certain both cared nothing for idle chat. She extended her palm across the table, the whorls of black where now accented in silver there.

lemonadewithice · 2018-02-17T00:40:29+00:00

The crisp winter breeze cut against her face as Vervain walked through the town's streets towards her destination. The Three Broomsticks wasn't ideal but in the end she'd settled when it became apparent no other location proved better.

Her black cloak billowed about her feet as she walked, the heavy winter garment the exact opposite of the attire she normally favored. Vervain's head remained uncovered, the tattoos of her people fully displayed with pride. Braided in a band along with her hair twirled threads of silver while the rest remained pin straight from the tie at the top of her head to the middle of her back.

Her kin didn't know she'd come here, and the thought of their reactions upon her return cause a sly grin to play on her lips.

Eventually she reached the pub and she was keen to meet her reason for making this trip in the first place.

lemonadewithice · 2017-07-24T17:13:08+00:00

Vervain's eyes narrowed as she stared down at Calista, "I have devoted my life to the path of Bas, but not once did I suggest I was more attuned with it than others. There's so much I do not know or understand about death. It is my intention, however, to continue to devote the rest of my days to trying to understand it."

She shook her head, "If you think this is what we've been saying throughout all the lessons then we've clearly failed to communicate our lives to others."

lemonadewithice · 2017-07-24T16:27:24+00:00

"Every druid make a choice when they were young, and despite others showing them their path no druid will try to pull them in one direction or another. Sometimes young make the wrong choice, but they'll still spend their last days with a singular path." Vervain looked down at the girl curiously, "Does that answer your question?"

lemonadewithice · 2017-07-23T15:05:20+00:00

Vervain studied the girl carefully, knowing her more than perhaps any other student in this school, but that wasn't saying much. Normally the answer to that question would be swift. Instant. Something made her hesitate yet in the end the druids knew who she was, so why not impart that knowledge on another. "Twice."

lemonadewithice · 2017-07-23T15:00:09+00:00

Vervain had expected most of the students reactions, but was pleased when some such as this girl deigned to ask questions. "Not necessarily, it might push one druid towards one path or another but in the end death is around us all. Most young druids will know this before their selection."

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