[Backdated to Afternoon of Arrival]

[subdueme]

[He figured out the trick with the book after the bear incident. After the majority of the day without an answer to the problem he'd stumbled across he decides to see if use of the book would help.]

Swan Lake. Does anyone know where that is? We've searched all over town and have been unable to find it. I found a swan that was told by the locals that she needs to find it by nightfall. It's getting closer to sunset and we aren't any closer.

What is this place that it can turn someone so powerful into little more than a bird?

Comments

[bellbound]

[Mogget has looked in his journal again and is surprised to find that the blank pages now contain poorly drawn scribbles and handwritten notes. Some kind of magic, clearly. He decides to test this by writing a helpful response.]

Buy a map.

[subdueme]

[Oh yeah. He's totally amused by that.]

That would be nice.

[bellbound]

[Having tested out the book, Mogget's just going to leave it at that. He's reading the other responses with interest though.]

[springlamb]

[Normally, Lamb wouldn't jump in to help so easily, but she doubts any of the newcomers know specifics on something like this just yet. The font is probably a lot neater and fancier than one would expect if they saw the person behind it.]

You will have to travel out into the forest to find Odette's lake. It is not too difficult a trip, though it may take an hour or two's walk. It will be a much quicker journey once she is used to flight!

[subdueme]

[That's the most helpful piece of information he's gotten so far.]

Which direction? That's a lot of area to cover and time isn't exactly on our side here.

[Could just call the hounds if he knew about them, but he hasn't touched the tinderbox yet.]

[springlamb]

Here, just a moment.

[There's a pause, and then a small but clear map is drawn. There's a dot depicting the town, then a line to show the edge of the forest. A little past the line she draws a small circle and labels it 'LAKE'. There's another brief pause before she makes an X off to the side a little further in than that, which gets labeled 'TROLL CAVE - BE CAUTIOUS'. In reality it's a good hour's travel from the lake, but it's better to be safe than sorry. I'M REALLY SORRY, CO-MOD ISN'T ON AND WE NEVER ACTUALLY DISCUSSED WHICH DIRECTION THE LAKE WAS IN DSKHF.]

[subdueme]

[I think Yuuki-mun asked and was told to pretty much decide on her own and we'd fill it in later?? IDK She's not around either. haha Good thing Zero's got massive memorization ability and only has to see or read things once for it to stick with him. Map...memorized.]

Ah. Perfect. Thank you. That's extremely helpful.

[springlamb]

You are welcome. I am very glad I could help! While the trip will most likely be uneventful, please do keep an eye out. The forest hosts a number of dangerous beings.

[subdueme]

What sort of dangerous beings?

[He asks out of curiousity and not fear. Even without his powers, his skill is known to be unmatched in his world by any human. He makes his living killing dangerous beings.]

[springlamb]

The sorts of things there often are in magic forests. Wolves, ogres, trolls, perhaps a witch or two.

[subdueme]

I was left my gun from home and given a sword upon my arrival. I am well trained in both of them. [Did he mention his job back home is killing vampires that can't be killed?] I'm not too worried.

[springlamb]

Then you will be a very fine guard for Odette!

[subdueme]

I'm not guarding her. If she can't protect herself that's her problem.

[He's done that role and refuses to do it again. Ever.]

I'll get her there and after that she's on her own.

[springlamb]

[There's a pause, because wow, attitude much.]

That is unfortunate, but at least you are kind enough to get her there the first time around.

[subdueme]

[It's the first time he's seen her in a year and she's a swan. His last words to her before today were "Next time I see you I will kill you."

Damned right he's being kind. Swan probably tastes awesome. Especially Yuuki as a swan because he wants to devour her anyway.]

I'm quite impressed with how this place has managed to turn one of the most powerful creatures in existence into...a bird. You'll have to show me how you accomplished that.

[springlamb]

Oh, I would not know! You would have to ask the Fairy Godmother or Father Time, I think.

[subdueme]

[He spent most of today looking for the Fairy Godmother again after leaving her company earlier. Not sure if he knows that's who it was though.]

I'll definitely have to do that.

[springlamb]

I hope you find the answers you are looking for!

[subdueme]

The assistance is appreciated. [The sooner he can get away from Yuuki the better.]

[moonflowering]

[She's staring in amazement within her own book. The writing really DOES show up!!

. . . But why is he eluding to her strength? What if people question!?]

Don't be careless, Zero.

[subdueme]

Nothing is going to happen. It isn't like you would have any powers even if you were in your normal form.

[He's not happy having his powers stripped here at all.]

[moonflowering]

[Even so...

Anyway, a little tired from trying to work out her new form and legs and wings, she wanders back next to him, dragging her book along before lying down. She looks up at him expectantly, as though to say 'any information'?]

[subdueme]

[This time he just naturally picks up the book for her without having to be prodded. Then proceeds to shut his own book in kind before stashing them both in the bag he'd found earlier in town.]

At least an hours walk from here. We should get going.

[Getting tired is for the weak. You're a pureblood. Get over it.]

[moonflowering]

[Harsh. But after a moment she forces herself to get up. And because it's much easier to fly than walk, she takes back to the air. It can just get difficult when her pace while flying is faster than his walk.

. . . So when she finds a stream that they can walk along, she alights into the water and is much more content to swim than do any of the rest.]

[subdueme]

[He's glad she can fly, for one thing. Because having her waddle behind him was uncomfortable after a bit. The swimming wasn't much faster than walking but Zero wasn't one to often rush places unless it was an emergency. After an hour goes by of their travels, he calls out to her. By this time there is no water nearby and she's in the sky again.]

We should be close by now. Do you see any larger bodies of water?

[moonflowering]

[Close now. Lifting up higher into the air so she can get a better vantage point, she looks around for anything that stands out.

-- And finds something. A partially over grown castle beside a lake? That could be it, right!?

Swooping back down she flies ahead of him, turning around to indicate for him to follow her. It's just right up ahead.

[subdueme]

[And follow he does. The sun is getting closer to sunset, the sky starting to turn into bright colors in the sky.]

I hope this is it because I don't think we have much time left.

[moonflowering]

[She hoped so too. Not that she really understood how a lake was supposed to help her. It didn't take all that long to reach it, though.

Careful, she flew out onto the lake. Considering the season she thought it would have been cold, but it really wasn't that bad on the water. Floating atop the lake, she glanced up to the sky for a moment, before she floated along the shore, her eyes upon Zero.

Something was off. Maybe different? She couldn't say, but somehow he seemed a little different from how she remembered. Maybe not much, but... it was hard to tell when she couldn't out right speak with him.]

[subdueme]

[He debates on what to do now, if he should stay and wait with her for sunset to complete and see what happened. The other choice is to just head back home to that giant house alone. Curiousity gets the better of him though and he sits against a nearby tree where he begins to pull things out of the satchel he'd picked up.]