New Friends! [Luchta]

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Avalon was a strange land, one that confused but warmed Luchta, a place that was beginning to make him hope and believe in many paths that he once thought not possible. On the one hand it was a lad touched by humans and otherworlders in a way that if any greater would cause extreme discomfort in the half-elf. It was the same influence and atmosphere that made him always so eager to leave Rivengate as soon as he sets foot in that place. But yet it had the magic and beauty of the world as it was, as it should be, it sustained beaches and waters and landscapes that even those of the Mainland or Ilyanor would describe as heavenly. It was a place like the isles that could show what diversity and luxury were possible when they combined the best of each culture and species, but it was not without it’s own dangers.

Luchta had not been sent to the islands officially on any mission but he was there with his own quest in mind. At first it was a simple journey for his own sight, to take in the majesty of the tropical flora and fauna, to bathe on it’s beaches and feel the hum of the life that made everyone who visited feel more alive than ever before. But he was not a day off the boat when he heard word of the Tigrear attack, it’s mauling of a tourist which while not something too rear was still a shame that he wanted to look into. So it was that he began to research, asking both locals and the various facilities he could access on whatever guidance or stories he could piece together, both for the nature of the beast and where he might find it’s kind.

At first many assumed he was maybe out to get revenge for the man, hunting down the creature and selling it’s pelt perhaps. In reality he had no intention to kill the animal unless provoked, after all this land was at much it’s as it was that of the tourists. Survival was the original game of life and while not all are sent into it’s lap with a fair chance, anyone looking to poke it’s patience should be prepared for the consequences. No, his goal was more of interest than of death, to see how numerous such creatures were and what their demeanour was like. To see if they were truly as ferocious as people claimed and if so maybe try to lead it deeper into the wild where it would be less likely to come across another walker.

Luchta walked amongst the plant life with a warmth and care in his eyes that was almost like a pro Gardner, as if he had seen those flowers when they were only seeds and felt joy in their continued vibrant life. He had not taken his cloak or any large bags with him that day, instead leaving all such items back where he was staying. All he wore was a light shirt of off white, like that many wore underneath more intricate items of clothing or as a cover for late at night though he seemed more than comfortable in it’s simplicity. There was some light armour on his legs but nothing too flashy, its floral and natural curving design made it subtle and elven in a way that fitted beautifully with his soft complexion and features which caught the sun at it’s most artistic angles. He came to a stop however when he heard signs of life in the distance, the rustling of green underfoot and the delicate innocence of a voice that was both upbeat and gentle. Perhaps a child he wondered, or a fae even, though he knew there was no point in making any assumptions till he laid eyes on them.

The redheaded Gaiyan made his way quietly between the larger pieces of foliage, his eyes scanning around for the origins of the voice as his right hand brushed lightly against every leaf it came across, the cool texture of the nature in this land reminding him of many journeys from his past adventures across the continent. "Where could it be hiding?” he heard just in time for him to see the girl whom had been speaking. She was small and petite, her horns gave sign of her heritage though her appearance was cute and bright in a way that most of her kin did not share. While he did not doubt that she was capable and likely easily underestimated, he found no reason to villains such a young girl without cause.

“I can assure you, i am neither hiding nor am i an it.” The elf called over to her, his voice carrying the sing song rhythm that he sometimes bore when in lighter spirits. He stepped towards her, a genuine and friendly smile on his face before bowing his head to the smaller demon girl. “What i am is a Luchta, and that must make you a…?” He asked her, the look in his eyes making it clear he was after her own name in turn.

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A peculiar creature but a gentle one, whoever this Peony was she had succeeded in making the elf smile that was for sure. Her spiralling descent into a rabbit hole of wonder and consideration on the nature of luck was entertaining but unnecessary. Luchta raised his hand slightly to gesture for her to pause, not wishing for her to waste breath on a journey of questions of which he could answer sooner rather than later. “Whether it is luck, fate or chance that brings us together is not something i am much of an expert on lass, but i am here and so are you.”

He paused for a moment to eye up her staff, observing it’s curious horned like designed but it’s simplicity and almost complete lack of artistic extravagance. A simple item but one she clung to as if it were a part of herself, much like her own subtle but personal horns. Whatever her nature and attachment to such an item though it was her objective that interested him most. “And well Peony, i am here looking for the Tigrear same as you. I wanted to see if it was still here, see if it was as dangerous as they say and if need be lead it to where it cannot harm others without cause. But what i want to know is what brings a Peony out here looking for one.”

Luchta took a deep breath and let his body relax, the fabric of his form reworking themselves to rest in their natural state since he found no cause to hide such a nature from the girl in front of him. As he spoke the left half of his face became replaced gradually by it’s more wooden state, overlapping fibres of branches and vines that left slight gaps or dips as if to reveal a hollow head except for his eye which became a single large orb of deep forest green. “Depending on what you want with such a creature i feel we may have cause to help each other, or at the very least wish each other the best young one.” Luchta reached out one hand to shake, his head bowing once more with gentle respect towards her. “Luck must be easier to find with four eyes than two after all."

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Luchta’s brow scrunched and his face chuckled with a bemused but entertained reaction to her reveal of the meat in her bag. There was such contrast and surprise in her every action, the way her child like demeanour was at odds with what she she did or how casually she expressed her interest in tempting an acid drooling beast to be her friend. He no had two main causes to work with her and join forces on this quest, to both see that she was safe but also just to spend more time with this peculiar but uplifting demon.

When Peony saw his reveal however of his natural state he couldn’t help but sigh, not out of any distaste or stress but one of knowing this would happen. So with a deep breath he shook his head and reached out his left arm as a swap for his right, pulling it free of the small women’s grasp. His left arm, while in the rough shape of an arm and hand, was entirely in a wooden condition and as he reached it out he made each finger split and extend, turning what was a hand into a strange intertwining cluster of branches and vines that eventually settled in a shape that seemed to look more like a model miniature of a tree than anything else.

The elf hunched over, allowing the sculpture at the end of his arm to be easily viewed and if necessary touched by the curious girl. “I am a people, but i am also different from most people. A Luchtra is a Luchta, just like a Peony is a Peony.” With a warm and gentle smile he focussed on the fake tree his hand had become and made a few of the bare branches sprout flowers. “My parent was something very old, older than even when humans were here. They’re a bit like a tree, though i can promise you i am very much a person. A branchy person, but a person”

Though a gentle chuckle left the half elf’s lips it did not last long, interrupted instead by a vicious call from deeper into the undergrowth, clearly from far but close enough to make his head turn sharply in an alert preparation for danger. It’s sound was guttural, deep roar like a bear but with the hint of a growth before and a snarl afterwords like a tiger. His face calmed, still serene but without the joy and enthusiasm it had shown during the previous conversation. “I think it smells that meat of yours, shall we go meet your friend?”

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 "You're right! Let's!" Luchta heard leave the lips of the new excited and energised young girl, her gleeful face the last thing he saw before she sprinted off deeper into the undergrowth. "He said he's hungry, but can't find my snack. His snooter has snooted it. It's right here, teddypurr!” The elf was left now stood alone, his hand returning to normal and the slightest sound of a chuckle in surprise leaving him. His eyebrows raised in amusement and interest as he was moments away from running after his new companion, but first he turned away and gave a soft whistle.

Moments later, as if hiding in wait for the summoning call, a small head appeared from behind a bush. The creature was small, likely easily held in the man’s arms without much undue effort, and it’s large golden eyes looked up at him curious as to why they had been called. It’s fur was mostly a slightly off white, with the left hand side of it’s face and body covered in a large brown patch and a few smaller darker patches of fur dotted around it’s body. Luchta lowered himself to one knee and without much hesitation the feline approached him, rubbing against his head and purring quietly though not spending anymore time looking at him, instead gazing off seemingly uncaring of the roar it had heard not much earlier.

“I know, i know.” he whispered under his breath, pretending he had any idea what the cat was thinking as he played one handed with it’s ear. “Stay hidden for now Mr Sandman. Once this is dealt with we can see about returning home, wherever that might be next.” Luchta smiled warmly as he sighed, rising to his feet as the tiny companion strutted away seemingly on an adventure of it’s own.

When the half-elf reached the clearing that Peony had run to, now face to face with the great Tigrear, Luchta had arrived just in time to hear her speak as she backed away cautiously. "He's not being very reasonable either... so naughty!” He wondered for a moment what it was about this past year that had led him to encounter so many kind hearted souls who were far too friendly for their own good, but whatever it was he knew he had to keep her safe if not bring harm to the beast she was adorably scolding.

The large creature began to rear itself slightly, it’s head pulling away for a moment before shooting forward with another roar, as if to warn off the stubborn girl who’s eyes never left it’s own. Luchta knew that while the roar itself would not harm her, the acidic venom that sprayed from it’s maw would surely leave a burn. In a heartbeat he found both arms outstretched, vines and branches lashing out with the speed of an arrow before slowing just in time to securely and gently wrap around the waist of the gentle girl. Lifting her off the ground only an inch or so, before moving her back a couple metres just in time for splotches of acid to land where she had been stood only a moment prior.

He wondered to himself how they could cage such a creature, after all he could use himself to make a cage but how long he could last against the likely powerful attacks of this Tigrear? It would be a guessing game he would not leave in one piece. But she had meat, he had himself and they had time, it was a start if nothing else. “I’m sorry to say Peony but i think your friend is having a rather grouchy day. Any ideas?”

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"We need to trap him somehow, like a cage or a pit or a cave with something blocking it. He'll be mad, but the meat should calm him down. Can you only control your body wood or can you control naturey thingies too? If only I had some Dozey Dust... Do you have any, Luchta?” The half-elf recalled his wooden wrappings from her as she asked, his expression making it clear he was trying to figure out if she was magical or a bit out of her mind. The idea of someone being able to converse with beasts after all isn’t an impossibility, but neither was the idea of someone thinking they could, especially someone as gentle and young minded as the demon girl close to him. Whether or not she had a connection to this creature though didn’t change his answer, not did it change his list of priorities on their venture.

“I do not im sorry to say, and while i’m no able to control the forest, i can control myself to change the forrest.” At first it was likely his words were more cryptic than he realised, the pause after he spoke especially being dramatic in its seeming absence of action. The only sign hat he was in fact doing anything was in how branches fro this legs curled over the top of his boots and dove into the ground beneath them. His eyes going almost void of awareness as he poured his concentration into the task.

He could feel them, every branch and tendril a part of him, splitting and spreading beneath the earth, shifting through the dirt and pushing it all aside, the sharp tips of each root like piece spreading in the direction of the great beast but not too close to the surface. At first the effects were almost unforeseen, but gradually the earth around the Tigrear, A few feet in every direction of it getting raised ever so slightly. The ground itself being pushed up in a shallow ring as if to mark the beast and let it be known where it was to remain. It is likely it would have left then and there if not for the confusion even it’s bestial features portrayed. Snarls and roars snapping out in rebellion towards it’s new spotlight. But it wasn’t just the ring that raised, further and further out the ground beneath them became raised by a few inches, leaving only the space of the tiger at its original height. The more apparent raises in level however were around the nearby trees and bushes, the dirt pushing up where their root’s hurried to make the trees seem shorter almost.

“Let us hope it is not keen on jumping, my gentle Peony friend.” Luchta smiled, his eyes still absent until in one moment, he blinked back to reality. Just in time for a shocked yelp from the towering beast as the very earth beneath it gave way. His roots had not in fact been heading for the creature but instead for the dirt beneath it, moving and dragging away a clearing that instead became filled with…well, him. Digging several feet deeper than he estimated it’s height was, he moved all the excess earth away and filled up the surrounding area as best he could to stall for time, as to not scare it into running away too soon. When it fell it was not too far as to cause any harm, but deep enough he hoped it would not climb out too easily, but just incase it did he moved his branches once more but this time to form a cage like sheet of bars at the top, he would have to remain still as he did so, but it would be enough perhaps to grant his ally some time to figure out how to calm the Tigrear. “How does a pit and a cage sound?”

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"No, he can't jump, not until his species evolves to keep them from falling into pits, which could happen, maybe. I do think they'd look silly with giant, muscly legs and long feet, though, don't you? Less a Tigrear then and more like a Tigroo…" While her knowledge of the capabilities of the creature was commendable, her attitude around it would be adorable if not muddied by the concern he genuinely feared for her if he had not been around. But such matters were worth nothing on his mind since he had nothing to fear of such an alternative time, he was there after all. Knowing that it would not physically be likely to jump up high enough to escape was enough measurement that he began to recall his growths from underground. Within moments every branch, root and twig that he had used to clear the ground and had used to form a cage pulled back untill he was stood there simply with elven feet once more.

The redhead walked over to the edge and took a seat beside his new friend. His bare feet spreading out once more into wooden webs that caged the top of the hole but this time he was not anchored standing several metres away. With a gentle sigh he closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation of the breeze on his cheek and the gentle but not overwhelming warmth of the island that day. He heard the growls of the less than joyous beast below who was deciding whether to eat the offered meat but his expression seemed almost to forget the danger and he instead met the conversation options with deep thought and consideration. “Well of course, only the most important matters for busy people like us.”

With a warm grin he stared up at the sky before reaching up with his far more regular arm, scratching under his jaw as he put into words his first answers. “I cannot honestly say i have a preferred tea. my opinions tend to change every few decades though i think it’s cause i get worn out by certain blends if i have them too regularly, takes another few decades before they become a regular part of my diet again.” With a heavier sigh than before his eyes seemed even more distant yet still alert, remembering years gone by with an age that not the greatest in the world was still weathered by wisdom and memory. “As for dreams well, i have wishes more than i have goals lass. I want people to progress but be careful, to build what they need to keep each other happy and safe yet not so much that it harms the world around them. I love to drink, dance, play music, to live i suppose yet not in excess or to the detriment of others. The simpler i keep my plan the more room there is for life to lead wherever it may and i won’t be too upset by it.” He turned to the young demon girl and gave a playfully silly shrug. “Either that or i get too distracted to stick to a plan, either way i'm pretty happy with my lot”

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Time was cruel in many ways but it had it’s kindness, for those at least willing to see it as such. For as Luchta spent his life walking the earth he met many people, most of which he doubted were still around today. But in that diversity and network of introductions he had met those hailing from every race he knew existed, each of which ranging from the worst to the best of their kind. Yet in almost four hundred years he had never met an Eldritch, never mind a demon, as gentle as the one who sat beside him. She was odd to be sure, but the oddities in life is what made existence such an experience and why he found himself bored by the artificial nature of life in places such as Rivengate.

“Well im afraid my dreams as magical as they may have been were quite different. I never saw raindrops of creatures big or small, and i never collected them to raise one day at a home of my own. But my younger years carried curiosities of it’s own.” As Luchta spoke he lifted up his right arm, the skin almost vanishing as the limb turned to wood and the fingers separated into branches, and out from the cracks and gaps between the offshoots loaded out small orbs of golden light. Each one dancing gently up on the breeze, though due to the daylight above they did not offer any real illumination. “My dreams were of green skies swimming with light and of groves where names were forgotten and faces were only for show. Where every tree had a soul and every rock a story, i would walk between graves carved from materials i had no name for and where the wind carried songs i could not understand yet always felt a connection to.”

The orbs stopped appearing from his grasp and the limb turned back to it’s elven flesh, the paleness of his skin a night and day contrast to the rich wood it had been only a moment prior. “Being around my parents made the world feel different, and where i do not know what was a dream and what was my reality, but now i share a world with friends like you and for that i am willing to face the bad.” With a gentle smile he looked down at the demoness and let out a small sigh, his left hand reaching out in perfect time to stroke the soft fur of Mr Sandman who had snuck up on the pair. “This world has as many creatures as it does raindrops Peony, and i hope plenty of them get to enjoy the cottage with you someday.”

As if by rehearsal Mr Sandman began to climb Luchta’s arm, slowly and lazily clawing and hanging from his shoulder as they acted for their true perch to appear. A thin but deceptively strong branch sprouting from under the collar of his shirt and reaching up like a miniature tree that the feline climbed onto and aged down at the larger beast below. “As for the tea however you make it appear that we are short of time. Time is something we have aplenty is it not? So why must i pick a single tea when i have the opportunity to try multiple. I cannot make a choice without learning now can i? But as for other drinks i do enjoy spring water, though i am also fond of many cadres and meads. A milkshake or two can also be pleasant though the last time i tried to purchase some they said it was out of order, though it has been thirteen years now so perhaps they fixed the issue.”

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Lucha tilted his head at the question and tried to angle his gaze to meet that of the feline perched above him. He didn’t see their expression but he knew his adventuring partner well enough to know they would not take offence by one like Peony. If anything they were likely to be reminded of their other friend Kari, one the pair had not seen in some time by this point. “Where i go i am not often alone, Mr Sandman here is always near even if i cannot see where exactly.”

Every word was true on that matter, wherever he went he no longer felt alone. Whether on his shoulder, by his ankle or round a corner where he couldn’t be seen Sandman was always with him. Sure there would come a day when he was too old to appropriately travel and maybe on that day Luchta would find a home to take care of him in until his adventures resumed, but time as an immortal would come with many times like that and Sandman deserved it no less than any humanoid companion.

Without saying a word in response to her question though Luchta gave a nod, smiling gently and moving his branch so that the cat was carried closer to her reach so that she may pet the tired but very comfy figure. “Even with his last owner he was never viscous, but always curious."

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There were many things in life that were intoxicating, things that were contagious and spread like wildfire. It was when Peony had finished speaking to the beast below however that Luchta learned of another thing to add to that list. The small demon’s giggle, her soft and wholesome exclamation of joy and excitement triggered in the half blood something that he had no control over, a giggles laughter of his own as he shook his head and looked down at the Tigrear. He had no real reason to trust her judgement, and no reason to believe the beast was tamed, but he was no hunter or seeker of pelts and so held no desire to keep the creature caged beneath his feet forever. “If that is what you wish.” He said simply.

With a sound that was like a whip yet rustled like a stampede through a sea of leaves the cage was recalled. Branching, root like tendrils piling back and scraping against both each other and he ground as the returned to the body of the Gaiyan. Within moments his feet were normal again, bare elven dangling over the edge as he reached behind himself and grasped the boots he had left behind. Sliding them on as he looked up at Mr Sandman. “You hear that friend? You have a big brother, or little brother…” He glanced down at the predator then across to Peony who he met with a shrug. “I’m afraid i know little of the lifespan for their kind, all i know is that it is not quite the same as ours." Age and mortality were two things he preferred not to think about, it was as much a vital part of the natural cycle as i was the curse of nature. Each year the leaves would fall, the flowers would fade and the fruit would rot yet it continued ever on. It was the way of things and a cycle his parent protected for untold numbers of years, all that was left to luchta was to try and enjoy life in each stage of it’s journey.

With a deep breath the elf sat up from the edge and rose to his feet, heels planted further from the edge of the hole as he awaited to see what came of his newest friend’s efforts. He had no doubt that the question of how she talked to animals was a common one, but he could already tell the true talent was in the listening. To understand the beasts around her and thus the only proper trick to communicating with them as if they were any other creature of their world. Luchat had spoken to werewolves, Angels, Anthros of every kind and even an ethereal spirit of wishes from another world. But he had never had tea with a Tigrear before, a large portion of his heart hoped he would get the chance, there was a lot that could be learned from one as peaceful as Peony. “Sometimes the furriest friends are the best friends we could wish for, i hope yours is as unique but comforting as my own.”

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