Druid

The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit.

The druid steps through the window to another land. Here they will search, fight if they must, and send any they find to this point to find shelter; their wish would ensure none would be followed in by a creature the druid did not intend.

At least, not from [this] side...

But the vines there unfurl, cross themselves and hum, and retract from a portal cast beneath the arch, through which one could see the ruins of a once-great city at the edges of a relatively-untouched crossing. Maggie's assessment had met their approval, and proved a safe arrival besides.

"I ask for aid, Your Grace, for the sake of years past and the memory of those we once knew. Grant me passage to the place I must be, and allow none to return this way, save those of goodwill and great need."

At first they hear no response. Perhaps they expected none.

At the end of this balcony, opposite the stairwell, stands an empty archway formed of flowering vines grown into intricate patterns of otherworldly nature. They approach it quickly, place a hand upon the height of it, and speak beneath those vines for the first time in decades:

a measure too stiff in their anxiety – and it would be far too soon after their arrival to rush up the stairs to pull a roast from the oven. No, the druid instead dashes up every stair, all the way to a landing grown upon the great tree's crown.

and gesture to the basket they had set beside him.

"Simple food I pulled from the larder, mostly, but I have... a roast that should be ready soon. I will go check on it, that we may depart as soon as possible.

[Bluff: 10]

Their pace from the room, then, is just a step too hurried,

until the dark day came that had left the table empty, and cast the druid's entire world into shattered, timeless ruin.

Never again; they would go on alone, and this pair would rest until the druid deemed it safe. They offer their answer to Solas in the form of a strained smile

Sheer will might even overcome the distraction of such raw emotion as theirs, that which could bring their deaths in the fallout if such disaster. Such determination drove the heroes that once sat in this very room, stalwart and sure of their cause –

As the young pair strategizes, the druid studies the map, committing much as they might to memory. Soon, they will have a bird's eye view, but they must first choose a point to begin their work – alone.

Yes, there was a great potential in these two.

in the sea!

but with YOUR help we can dismantle them & save those helpless friendly fish!

Is it true? That there's a place for you when the sun burns out?

until we know the city is ready to protect them again. I would gladly help you rebuild when the threat has passed."

Not that they would need or await his permission to offer aid to the others; they had hardly asked to offer it to [him.] But that was better left unsaid at the moment.

They continue, slowly. "And any who come may leave when they wish. But the land will remain and recover. People can more easily be lost, and even when the creatures leave, danger will linger.

I would ask that you at least consider this a... Sanctuary, if you will,

"Hm. It is a good map, young one. We will better understand what has fallen and what remains, and it will be easier to focus on the most likely points of refuge.

My invitation is no demand." They take a seat - the chair nearest the pair is far too small for them, but no matter.

And after they collect their load with a little more care, they do so, and hear Solas just before they enter. He provokes no look of offense by his rejection or tone, only one of thoughtful consideration as they set their burden on the table near him and look over his work.

"We are all of us born to survive, above all. There is some comfort, I think, to remember this has all happened before - but the sun has always found a way to rise again." No matter what the dragon might claim – this, they firmly believe. "Go, I will follow soon."

if one existed to begin with. It should not remain empty any longer, I think, not when there is need of it.

And to that point...

If there are survivors to be found, I will bring them here as well and help them build a home in these forests, if they should wish it."

"You may stay as long as you wish to, together or as individuals," they answer readily. More than that, they decide they will share with her the thoughts they've gathered while the young elves talked.

"This tree was once home to a number of people, all of us from homes long gone,

"And still he is so young. These burdens we carry..."

With a small shake of their head, they cast aside that idea before it can travel much further. They look back to Maggie and find all the appearance of a child flinching from a thorough tongue-lashing.

None of them were alone in their wounds.

When will you learn that destruction leaves only emptiness?

He may better heed your advice than a stranger's."

They rise again and return their gaze to Maggie with an appraising look. "You came here from a dark place as well. Different, of course, vastly so, but all the same – do [either] of you yet bear injuries?"

but it is better than being left to seed, wandering through grief without purpose. It will admittedly be easier for him to focus on the problem than it is to convince himself to stop and recover.

But he isn't alone, either. This [is] a good thing.

They murmur a phrase in the old Druidic tongue and from the wall of the tree sprouted a branch that grew into a wide shelf near their hip. There they set the basket and bowl, wiping down the latter with the corner of their sleeve where it had splashed over the edge.

"I won't say that is good,

"I have not learned to live well with such feelings, either, even in all my years and across these planes..." It's a soft admission they offer, a feeling they have not given voice to in some time. "Though there is opportunity for action."

I cannot bury another friend.

[It is for now! But watch out.

It hops cheerily into her hand and settles in, happy to wait for a good snack.]

[Alights (as a sparrow!) on her horn]

[The potato is delicious!]

[Concerned chirruping]