Flower Gathering

[Demeter]

OOC: takes place when Flora's a child (whether Cora or Palladium wish to interact is up to them

: Wysteria brushed her bangs off her forehead, and sighed quietly. The roses she needed for those sleeping draughts she sold back home were only found here in Athryell, and she hated having to travel between realms. Oh, normally she had no problems traveling, it was just... well.. the source of her headache was off chasing butterflies. "Flora," she called gently. "Don't wander off too far."

Flora turned to face her mother, a wildflower pinned in her hair. "I won't!" she called, before scampering off in search of some butterfly or something cute and fluffy.

: Wysteria shook her head and sighed. "That child never listens," she muttered under her breath, chuckling. "Hopefully she won't get lost. Again." Hopefully, Flora wouldn't go too far. This was the first time she had brought her daughter with her on a trip like this. She frowned. Perhaps she should have left Flora home - no, her husband was sick with the flu so leaving Flora home with him would have been a monumentally bad idea.

Flora paused midstep and she looked around. She had no idea where she was, and she couldn't see her mother anywhere. "Mama?" she called, her voice trembling. "Mama, where are you?" She hadn't paid attention to which direction she had come from - she had been too intent on catching a butterfly, or following one of the fawns she had seen. She whimpered and sank down to the ground. She buried her face in her hands and started to cry.

[Cora]

Walking with a book that discussed early Athryellian history, Cora read silently to herself, not paying attention to her surroundings. One thing she loved about being an elf was her ability to sense any disturbances that approached her; because of this ability, she was able to become lost in her thoughts or a book without having to worry about being in danger - not that Athryell was full of criminals or bandits or anything of the sort. Indeed, one of the prides of Athryell was that it had the lowest amount of crime of all the realms.

Continuing along, Cora slowly started to go off the stone path, and into a vast field . . .

Some moments later, Cora heard the sound of crying and her head immediately snapped up from her book. Furrowing her brow, she looked around her, noticing at once that she was walking west.

Cautiously moving forward, she called out, "Who is there?"

[Demeter]

A small girl with grass green eyes and dark hair with two blond streaks slowly stood up. Tears streaked down her face. "Me," she said, her voice rough from crying. "Is that you, Mama?" she asked, slowly coming closer to look at the woman who had called out to her.

She sniffled and tugged the hem of her white sundress, which now had green grass stains on it. The flower that had been pinned in her hair was missing just a few petals. "Oh," she said, sounding very dejected when she saw that the woman wasn't Mama. "I'm lost and I can't find my Mama," she said, her voice breaking on the word mama and she started to cry anew. "An' I wanna go home!"

[Cora]

Cora wordlessly stared at the child, uncertain how to react. True, Cora herself was still considered a child, but she was obviously some years older than the crying girl standing in front of her.

Mildly irritated at having been interrputed, she shifted uncomfortably. It wasn't as though she could relate to this girl's situation; after all, Cora had never been lost once in her life. But she should probably comfort the girl . . . but how?

Sighing, Cora closed her book and moved closer toward the girl. Putting on a warm smile, she crouched down on her heels, "Cheer up now; I am certain that we can find your mother. But first, can you tell me your name?" Pausing she added, "I am Cora."

[Demeter]

"My name's Flora Gallowglass," she said quietly. "My mama's Wysteria Gallowglass. She owns a shop in Linphea. Mama came here because she needs some of the roses that grow here for the sleeping draughts she sells." She sniffled softly. "I wandered off and now I don't know how to get back." Tears started to well up in her eyes again.

[Cora]

"Well then, your mother can not be far away, now can she?" Cora smiled at the girl and added, "You see, if your mother is looking for roses, there is probably only one place in Athryell for her to be and I can take you there." Holding out her hand she questioned lightly, "Shall we?"

[Demeter]

Flora shyly took the older woman's hand and nodded. "Please?" she asked quietly, having finally stopped crying long enough. Her eyes were a bit red from crying, but she was grateful that this woman was going to help her. Hopefully, Mama hadn't left yet...

: Wysteria was beside herself, devestated. Flora had wandered off and she didn't even know where to start looking. "Flora! Flora!" she called. The basket of roses was nestled under her arm, and her bare feet raced down the paths. "Little flower! Flora, answer me!"

[Cora]

Cora nodded in acquiescence as she grasped Flora's hand and began to speak to prevent the girl from worrying about her mother, "You see, Flora, in Athryell, the roses are the best quality of all the realms. Here, the soil has the perfect balance between rock and organic matter and thus, the roses grow like they do nowhere else. In Athryellian soil, the roses thrive and grow strong, sturdy, and also, just as important, their fragrance is sweeter than anything you could ever dream of imagining."

Cora knew that she was embellishing her story, but she figured that the more captivating her story, the less likely the girl would burst into tears or anything equally uncomfortable. Continuing, Cora added, "The flowers that grow in this vast field that we are standing in are numerous. All sorts of flowers, really. Violets. Geraniums. Tulips . . . anything you can imagine. However, the roses - the roses are Athryell's pride and they grow in their own section of the field. It is to this section that I am taking you now. When we near it, you will know because you will smell their fragrance."

[Demeter]

Flora smiled. Mama was bound to be there - unless Mama had run off to go looking for her when she never reapppeared. She bit her lower lip to keep from crying again. She was hoping to find her mother and hopefully not end up grounded for wandering off.

: Wysteria sat down, exhausted. She had been running down every path she could come across, hoping to find her daughter. Next time, she came to Athryell, she was going to leave Flora in the care of one of her old classmates. Isaura or Kyros's wife, oh, dear. That would be embarrassing, seeing that she couldn't remember her name - just her husband's. "Oh, Flora... where could you be?"

[Cora]

Cora, still holding Flora's hand, led the girl down a winding, naturally made path. Breathing in deep, she smiled down at the girl, "Do you smell that, Flora? Those are the roses - we are close."

Walking several moments more, the pair soon came into sight of the roses. Pushing on a bit more, knowing that there was a clearing up ahead where the girl's mother might have decided to sit and wait in hopes of her daughter's return, Cora added, "Just a bit more now."

Finally, after a few more moments, Cora looked down at Flora and replied, "We're here." Glancing around, she saw a small figure sitting on a large rock up ahead. Sensing at once that this person was not of Athryellian descent, Cora gestured to Flora, "I believe we've found your mother."

[Demeter]

"Mama!" Flora cried, breaking free and running to embrace her mother. "Mama, Mama," she repeated, burying her face in her mother's shoulder and crying softly.

: Wysteria embraced Flora and held her tightly. "How can I ever thank you for returning my daughter to me, Miss....?" Wysteria asked, her voice trailing off when she realized that she didn't know the young girl's name.

[Cora]

"Cora. Cora Tselios," she replied, smiling at the image the pair before her made. She had to admit, after seeing the relief crossing both faces, that it made her happy to have had reconnected the mother and daughter, even if it had taken up a good portion of her afternoon. It was all in a day's work though, Cora silently laughed to herself.

[Demeter]

: Wysteria breathed a sigh of relief and held her daughter closer. 'Tselios?' she thought, trying to place a last name with a face. "I don't mean to pry, but the last name sounds familiar. Did either of your parents attend Alfea or Red Fountain?"

[Cora]

"My father, Adrastos Tselios, attended Red Fountain and my mother, Isaura Souflas, attended Alfea in her youth," Cora replied, curious as to whether this woman might in someway know or be connected to her family.

[Demeter]

: Wysteria nodded. Yes, the names were familiar, but she wasn't one hundred precent sure. "I hate to impose, but could you ask them if they remember a Wysteria Cojocaru from Alfea? The names seem very familiar, that's all."