Witches Brew

[Tantrikenetic]

James

This was like a dream world, James thought to himself. Everything was so surreal. He wanted to know more about Eva, and these wonders she was showing him. But as she seemed ready to tell him more, she paused, stiffening. "James, we are not alone." she stated.

James' hand insitnctively went to the knife he kept sheathed on his left side. He felt her hand on his, to assure him it was not dangerous. James reluctantly dropped his hand. He hoped there was no danger; he wasn't particularly skilled at fighting.

"We should go." Eva said. "Your father might be worried about you, I know my mother worries about me. No doubt Leah is looking for me again, although she has no need."

My father is more worried about the iron shipment then me. James thought bitterly, but he kept it to himself. He wasn't going to bring up any family problems now. He just nodded silently.

James started to get up to the leave the circle, but Eva screamed at him to stop. She thanked the Guardians and drew circles in the ground. James' confusion grew, but so did his curiosity. When she finished the air got very cold again. James quickly put his coat back on.

When he finished gathering whatever little belongings he brought, he heard Eva talking to him. "We should go seperate ways...it would allow us to get home faster." she suggested.

James turned around. The moon was setting. He swore to himself silently. His father would not be happy. Not only was he late coming home, he didn't deliver the iron shipment. That would be money lost, and his father hated losing money. He was no doubt going to get a beating for this mess-up. He definitly did not want to go home to that lying bastard. He had many things to talk to him about, but he didn't want to do it now.

"Eva? I...uh..." He searched for some reason to stay out of his father's grasp. "I...don't think that....it's very safe out. Wild animals are...prowling. I'd feel better if you'd let me accompany you the rest of the way."

"James..." she opened her mouth to argue, but James cut her off.

"Besides, I promised I'd walk you home. You wouldn't make a gentleman break his promise, would you?"

 

[EarthWind]

Eva couldnt help but giggle. He was so cute and protective. She nodded her head in agreement and fell in step beside him as they began to walk out of the clearing.

They hadn't gone far when that nagging feeling started to build up inside her again. Was it her father? She knew he wouldnt really approve of James walking her home, especially if he found out they had been in the glen together. But she also knew her father wasnt as strict as his, and he might even be civil to him.

It was something else. Not really bad, but new. Eva racked her brain, then realized it wouldn't help anything if she gave herself a headache.

Pushing past the trees, Eva followed James and jumped the little ditch onto the road. Just as she caught her footing, she heard a little gasp coming from the trees.

"Leah Woods, I should have known you would be out!"

 

[Tantrikenetic]

James Meets Leah

James smiled to himself. Eva was going to let him walk her home. He was afraid she wanted to be rid of him. He let out a deep breath.

Side by side, they walked away from the site. James' thoughts began to wander. He thought about their tine at the site and about the interesting things he saw. But mostly, he thought about her lips against his. He closed his eyes and smiled, remembering the shock that had gone through him when they had kissed.

When he opened his eyes again, she was behind him. He whipped around to see why she slowed down. Something was bothering her...

He turned to the woods as he heard a gasp; he noticed Eva had already done the same. A girl came into view, perhaps a little younger than Eva.

"Leah Woods, I should have known you would be out!" Eva admonished the girl. James looked suprised. Eva's sister? Suddenly, his eyes diverted to a pair of menacing eyes in the dark.

"Whoa!" He shouted. He pulled out his knife and got in front of Eva. "Watch out! There's a wolf!" He motioned to Leah to get away. He kept his eyes on the wolf's. His breath caught. That was a big wolf!

 

[dreamwvr1290]

The Meeting Of The Three

"James Gilder, put the knife away." Leah says quietly. "You have nothing to fear from Arthur, unless you are deserving of it.”



James puts the knife away. It is not lost on me how protective he was of Eva. What in the world were they up to in the woods?

"James, I need to talk to my sister for a minute." I take Eva's hand and lead her a few paces from the listening ears of James.

"Eva, please don't be mad at me for waiting for you. I am quite safe with Arthur, and I wasn't spying on you. It is none of my business what you were doing out here with the son of a Gilder!"

"As I waited for you I fell asleep. I had the strangest dream. It was a warning of the coming of changes. But not all the changes are to be good, some are evil. I think we need to be watchful and alert."

Eva tells me of meeting James along the road, and of finding the wounded man. How they took him to Garret Strongfeld's house.

"This has been a very strange night indeed. Why don't you and James go along. I can see he is impatient with me for taking up your time. He also looks as if he is still a little wary of Arthur. Tell mother not to worry, I will be along in a minute."

I watch Eva and James taking the path toward our home.



Leah decides to take a different path. One that will lead her to the edge of town. Where the blacksmith lives……

 

[Tantrikenetic]

James Meets Arthur

"A-Arthur?" James asked unsteadily. That giant beast was her pet?! He reluctantly put his knife away, still glancing uneasily at the wolf.

"James, I need to talk to my sister for a minute." Leah said and took Eva away to another part of the woods. I tapped my foot impatiently. Boy, what a pushy girl! What in the world were they talking about? He briefly considered evesdropping on them, but dismissed the idea as being childish. Plus, Arthur was still standing guard, yellow eyes piercing his. James averted his eyes quickly, trying to find something else to look at. Suddenly, James thought he saw someone up in another grove of trees. The minute his eyes settled on it, the figure dashed off. Fueled by curiousity, James began to walk toward the area where he had seen the person. He barely took a step before he heard Arthur growl deeply. James immediatly returned to where he was standing before, and the growling subsided. He decided to stay there until the girls finished.

A few more minutes passed before Eva returned. "Let's go." she said simply.

James' eyes darted back to see Leah going another direction, Arthur trailing behind her. Well, he wasn't sorry to see the fleabag go, that's for sure. He turned back around to walk with Eva to her house.

"What did Leah want?" He asked Eva, not actually expecting an answer.

OOC: I'm going to be gone for a few weeks on break. I'll try to post, but it won't be often. Happy Holidays all!

 

[EarthWind]

Eva stomped her feet on the ground, raising a little dust. She adjusted her bag over her shoulder, pulling on the strap, then putting it back.

James caught up beside her and asked what she had been talking about with Leah.

"Oh, her usual" she replied. Eva stoped walking, James almost running into her. "Sorry" she said. "She just gets headstrong sometimes. I'm thinking she thinks she's the older one around here. Ever since she found Arthur, she's been... odd."

James couldn't help but smile at Eva's comment.

"Its not funny" Eva said.

"No, of course not" James agreed.

"Come on" Eva said, pushing James shoulder lightly, smiling now herself. "Walk me home, and I'll make you some hot tea before you leave."

"Sounds good to me" James said, falling in step beside Eva as they walked the last mile to her house.

 

[Tantrikenetic]

James

James smiled at Eva's annnoyance. Her sister was obviously getting to her. Eva didn't seem too pleased at his smiling, so James tried unsuccessfully to stop. Eva just sighed and smilied along.

"Come on" Eva said, pushing James shoulder lightly. "Walk me home, and I'll make you some hot tea before you leave."

James grinned some more. "Tea and the company of a beautiful lady? This must be my lucky night." He put his arm around Eva's shoulders, partly because it was cold out, but mostly because he wanted to hold her some more.

 

[EarthWind]

Eva liked the way she fit into James as he put his arm around her. He still smelled faintly of the earth from his earlier tumble down the hill. She sighed and turned her head to look more closely at him. She noticed how his nose curved slightly, the tip being round. His lips looked soft and warm, pink from the cold as were his cheeks. But it was his eyes that attracted her attention. She could get lost in those eyes. Her pace slowed down, matched by James and soon she found herself kissing him. Her lips pressed lightly against his, and she could feel him pulling her closer.

She pushed James back a bit, and took a deep breath. Her breathing quickened in that short moment and she felt the world spin. For a second, Eva forgot where she was and where she was going. All that mattered in her mind was James. She raised her hand to touch his cheek, watching his eyes watching hers. Everything she had ever wanted to know was there, in his eyes, waiting for her to see.

Eva moved her hand to the back of James' neck, and pulled his face to hers until their lips met again. At that same moment, the wind picked up in spead, lifting Eva's hair and circling it around her head. Hot fire moved throughout her body and it seemed like forever had passed them by before Eva let go.

 

[dreamwvr1290]

Leah

Leah and Arthur walked on into the night. She knew Eva was upset with her.

As they neared the Blacksmith's house she could see there was a lot of comotion going on. A lantern was blazing in what seemed to be every room in the downstairs.

Not wanting to intrude, Leah and Arthur walked on torward home.
Arthur kept looking back at the house.

"Lets go Arthur, I know there is something or someone there we need to know about, but it is going to have to wait for just a little bit."

 

[SexyChele]

*bump*

 

[Paendragon]

Redfeather

"Thank to you," he said, as he took the beaker, somewhat warily. He noticed the way the large man protected the woman.

He suddenly wished he had paid better attention to his lessons. Especially those in the strange Anglish language.

"No hurt," he said, pointing to the woman, and shaking his head. His eyes trailed, again, to the weapon on the wall, and back to the large man. If he had been one of the men who had attacked him, he had a strange way of showing it. Still, he would be careful. He shifted, and drank deeply, being careful not to lose sight of the others.

 

[poohlive]

Garret nodded, although he didn't understand too much. The man himself didn't seem too savage. He tried his best to communicate with him, and Garret in turn tried his best to communicate back. He hadn't realized what a horrible wall had been held between them.
"Fire," he moved out of the room, letting him see the warm crackling. He bent down to put another log on it. It crackled back to life, warming up the small house they all now occupied.
He motioned for the man to come over. "Martha, come sit with us two. I don't feel all together comfortable with this, but if we're going to do it, might as well do it right."
He took the remaining water, and brewed it up in the fire with that small medicinal sack that Eva had handed to him. In a moment, a wonderful aroma came from it, and he didn't wonder if he should have a bit of it for himself.

 

[blueeyedangel]

Emily

OOC: So sorry for my disappearance everyone. I have been visiting family over the holiday.

IC:
This last leg of her journey had been especially long and hard on Emily. She had been so sure she would find some place stable to stay sooner than this and she was sorely disappointed that every morning found her waking up in the woods or someone's old barn. This morning was no different. She woke as the barest hint of dawn was shining in through the trees. She chastized herself for falling asleep, she meant to be able to see where the two people went after they concluded their ritual. She stood on still tired legs and stretched, trying to cast out the demons of her dreams from the night. At one point she thought she heard the growl of a wolf but it was gone as quickly as it started so she assumed she had been hearing things.

She walked toward the abondoned fire and as she was wiping the sleep from her eyes she sought out the marks left by the two, hoping they would lead her to where they lived. Finally finding them she followed in the direction they went, hoping that was she found on the other end was a friend and not a foe.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Martha Williams

Martha watched curiously as the native formed a response.

"Thank to you,"

His words were stilted, but he was clearly trying to express gratitude. She realised he knew some of their language and wondered what his encounters with their race had been.

She looked at Garrett, then her face turned back, watching the native's gesture as she heard his words.

"No hurt,"

She smiled and nodded telling him in the only way she knew that she accepted his promise, yet was confused when she saw his eyes flit over to the mounted weapon before drinking deeply of the beaker of water.

She stepped back, slightly to the side of Garrett, but given her neighbour's unease she still did not approach the stranger.

"Fire,"

Garrett indicated the flames and moved away into the room, allowing her an open view of the injured man and watched as he returned her curious gaze. Garret waved the man forward, inviting him to draw near to the fire, to sit.

"Martha, come sit with us two.
I don't feel all together comfortable with this, but if we're going to do it, might as well do it right."

She did as she was bidden, moving slowly forward, making sure that she made no sudden movements. She did not like to confess it, but drawing closer to the native made her nervous. Her eyes kept moving to Garrett, seeking reassurance.
The face he wasn't totally comfortable with the situation made her all the more concerned.

She sat and pulled her shawl about her in a self-protecive nature, watching all the while, but not speaking.

 

[astralkiss]

Charity Smith

She hurried across the town square, hugging her cape around her, of a drab olive velvet, which had taken much persuasion just for permission to purchase.

Her tiny feet running a mile a minute, she finally reaches the blacksmith's house, and notices lights in the windows. She frowns a bit, pressing her ear to the door. Although it is very thick, she hears more than one voice. She had expected him to be alone.

She knocks sharply, hurting her small hand a bit, which after knocking she cradles looking down at it in pain.

"Um.....This is Charity Smith," she says loudly to the door, fiddling with her braid that had fallen out after she had ran.

 

[Paendragon]

Redfeather

Redfeather had just seated himself near the fire, when there was a pounding on the door. He lept to his feet, wincing slightly at the pain it caused, and spun toward the door, his hand going to his belt for his knife. He started when he noticed it wasn't there. He was unarmed.

"Um.....This is Charity Smith," came from outside.

Another woman?

He backed away from the fire, toward the center of the room. This was all unsettling to him. He was weaponless, and stripped to his waist with the exception of the bandages.

But he was not without his defenses... as the other who had hunted him had found out.

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Martha Williams

Martha started almost as violently as the native as the thumping sounded at the door. She gave a small gasp as she rose and instinctively shot out a hand to calm their injured guest, her fingers brushed against his naked arm before she was aware of her actions.

Her eyes shot to his as she felt his warm flesh, her instinct was to pull away from him as if scolded, but not wanting to startle him further, Martha allowed her hand to rest on his arm before slowly drawing it away...

Charity! She heard the girl speak her name!

What in heaven's name was she doing out so late?

She knew of the girl, who didn't?
Her husband had always urged her to steer clear of Charity.
"She was trouble" he had always warned her and now ...

Martha cast a worried look over at Garrett and pulled her shawl forward over her head at a belated attempt at modesty.
She did not need rumours spreading about the town about her and the blacksmith, but more to the point, she could see how agitated the native now looked.

Filled with apprehension, Martha drew closer and gestured to the stranger to be calm, to remain still.

"It's ok... a friend ... shhhh ... no danger ... "

She whispered softly, coaxingly, praying that the new arrival would not upset the delicate trust they had established with the native.

Then turning to Garrett, she wondered for the first time, why Charity would come calling at his house like this!?!?
Good Lord! What had she got herself into?

 

[astralkiss]

Charity Smith

Getting agitated at the door, she opened it tentatively, finding a native standing there and Martha Williams and the smith standing there lalso.

Standing there dumbfounded, she just stared stupidly for a few seconds.

She saw Martha glance at her, and knew what she was thinking. It was what everyone else thought.

Here comes trouble, or here comes the snotty bitch.

Her strange habits of playing with animals out in the woods and her startling appearance of flame red hair and green eyes, added to darkly tanned skin had caused almost all of the villagers to develop a wariness around her despite her family's prominence. She sighs and smiles at all of them in turn.

"Hello, Mrs. Williams, Mr. Strongfeld."

She says nothing more merely removes her bonnet, then her cape, revealing a small furry bundle in her arms, which she nuzzled and muttered to it quielty and then tucked in in the cradle of her arms.

"My father sent me to pick up his order, whatever it is...."

She trails off, staring at the native, not frightened just merely curious, watching him as he stares back, not knowing if he is frightened or not.

Her eyes skim over his beautiful dark hair and bronzed body, his skin darker than hers, and she is one of the darkest people in the village, tanned almost to a golden colour, always being yelled at by her mother for not being pale like a lady. She stands, transfixed by his aura of wildness, all the while cradling the bundle in her arms.

 

[Tantrikenetic]

James

ooc: Happy New Year everyone!

ic: James held Eva closer as she cuddled into him. James couldn't help but smile at the way their bodies seemed to fit perfectly together.

Suddenly they both slowed their walking and looked right at each other. He felt her eyes concentrating on his face. His eyes were in turn drawn to hers. He brought his hand up to rest it on her soft cheek. Her face was turning pink from the cold and it made her emerald eyes stand out even more. They both stopped walking.

He wasn't sure which one of them moved first, but in a second, they were kissing passionatly again. James pulld Eva close to him, not wanting to lose her embrace. He was in Heaven.

Eva pulled away from him, gasping slightly. James' hands were still wrapped around her back. Her eyes once again locked with his and her hand brushed his cheek. James wanted nothing more than to kiss her again.

He felt Eva's hand go behind his neck and soon their embrace was restored. James felt her soft, warm lips on his again. He felt strands of her hair flying around them as gusts of wind danced though the forest. Leaves seemed to spin into the air, creating a a spinning barrier around them as they kissed.

The wind died back down as Eva pulled away a second time, her breathing raggid and her eyes shining. James' hands held her close to him. They had only really known each other for a few hours, but James felt more attached to her than he had ever felt to any of his family members.

James slowly moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, "I love you Eva."

 

[poohlive]

His heart raced as he heard the door open. For a moment he moved closer to the hearth, reaching up for the gun that lay atop of it. Glancing back, he realized it was only Chariy, again coming in without knocking.
He sighed for a moment, realizing that this situation was getting more serious with each person that saw this man in his house. He was sure Martha wouldn't say anything about the native, Eva knew enough to keep quiet, and he hoped that mouth of James didn't go on one evening.
Charity though, this was just one person too many.
"Listen, sweety," he said, looking doan at the list. Why did people feel comfortable about sending their children in the middle of the night to have things smithed? Was the day time too good for them? Did they want to ruin his sleep?
"Charity, I have some company, and a bit of a problem at this moment. I tell you what, I'll get on this first thing in the morning."
He wanted to push her away, but one look at her, and he thought she would be cold, travelling half a mile to deliver a single piece of paper.
"Come, sit by the fire. There is some tea, if you want it. We were all just getting warm."

 

[astralkiss]

Charity

Charity flushed when she realized that everyone was staring at her.

"No thank you sir. Father would be furious with me, and probably beat me," she said flippantly, a blank expression on her face.

Over the years, she had tried to cover the marks, slight yet still painful a light bruise on her arm, etc. But the latest one left a bruise on her face, not so easily covered. She was the devil's child, her father told her, with that horrid red hair.

She does stand by the fire a minute, the fire lending an otherworldly glow to her evenly tanned skin, now appearing almost as dark as a native would be.

All of these strange things in her appearance add up to a striking looking individual, nonetheless ostracized.

"Don't worry, Mr. Strongfeld, I won't tell anyone." is all she says, and begins to stuff her hair back in her bonnet, still shivering a bit.

 

[Paendragon]

Redfeather

He frowned slightly at the newcomer. He couldn't understand much of what was said, but that is not what bothered him.

He nodded to the woman who had lain her hand so reasuringly on his arm, and smiled to show his gratitude, then he stepped toward the newcomer.

Finally, he stood before her. Her skin was nearly as dark as his, but in a different way... it wasn't exactly the same tone...

He reached out his hand toward her face, and brushed away a strand of firey hair, then stroked one finger over her cheek. There was an excess of some sort of powder covering the object of his inspection. But there was no mistaking what it was. Someone had hit her. Hard.

"Hurt?" he asked. "Who hurt?"

 

[EarthWind]

Eva's eyes widened in surprise. She took a step back from James, her hands still holding onto his shoulders, his hands around her waist.

"You can't love me" she said, taking another step back, her hands sliding down his arms. "You can't" she whispered into the air. Her face held pain and worry, she no longer held James in her grasp.

His arms too had fallen from their resting place, yet he tried to take her back. He reached out to grab her arm, but missed and instead cought the side of her coat. He held on, and pulled her back to him as she tried to draw forward.

"No" she said, tears falling from her eyes. "You can't love me, we... cant...." Eva started to hic-cup, trying to keep her tears inside. James held her with his arms and she pressed her face against his chest, a faint smell of earth lingered there still. Her tears falling freely now, she whispered to him to words she thought she would never say "I love you".

 

[DeliciousMaiden]

Martha Williams

Martha watched as the native nodded to her.
His face expressive, though strange. She felt at ease, knowing that somehow he had understood that he did not have to leap to his own defence. She was startled however, when he stepped forward towards Charity.

Was it the child's strange colouring that fascinated him?
His hand extended, his touch was gentle and as Martha expected his fingers drew a strand of her hair forward.

She turned her head to Garrett wondering what to do or say at this unexpected turn of event, when the native's voice drew her attention back.

"Hurt? Who hurt?"

The words were simple, but voiced a suspicion Martha had long harboured though her husband had always urged her not to interfere and continue to remain uninvolved in their neighbours business. Taking a step forward, she could see the bruises and wondered how she had ignored the tell tale signs before.

She took one look at Charity's stricken face and moved forward carefully winding an arm about her and drawing her close to the fire.

"Never mind that now, "

She spoke gently, being sure not to alarm either the native or Charity.

"Come child, you're frozen, come and warm yourself... "

She smiled kindly and drew an unresisting Charity towards the fire she herself had vacated.

"Some tea, I think Mr Strongfeld,"

She commented lightly, trying to diffuse the tense atmosphere and being sure not to address Garrett by his Christian name in front of Charity.

She took the girl's hand as the native stood, as if transfixed staring at Charity and Garrett stood uncertain whether to move and prepare tea or continue carefully watching the actions of their strange patient.

 

[Tantrikenetic]

James in Love

James hadn't expected such a violent reaction from Eva. Her eyes had filled with shock and pain. For a few seconds, it had seemed like she was going to leave him.

Then she flung herself back into his arms, crying into his chest. James held her closer than before, trying his best to comfort her. He knew there was something he should say, but his mind had gone blank.

"I love you." Eva's words echoed his own. James closed his eyes. They both knew that a relationship between them was almost impossible to maintain, but their love for one another could not be denied.

James lightly cupped her chin with one hand, raising her head up off his chest. He used his other hand to wipe the tears off her face. James kissed her lightly, not a kiss of passion like the last ones, but a kiss of comfort. When he pulled away, Eva rested her head on his chest for comfort again.

"But...how? You are a Christain and I am not. Our lifestyles are too different! Our families are at war! It won't work!" Eva cried.

"Then we will make it work!" James said enthusiastically. "I love you and I am not going to allow anything to interfere with that!" With those words, he swooped Eva up in his arms and kissed her passionatly again.