taxonomites | Arrival Post

Briar's wary gaze slid around the unfamiliar room, and he prepared a tiny shoot of power to untie the hemp cords that held knives in place under his shirt, an impractical sheath for anyone but a plant mage. No windows, no visible entrance or exit. Metal walls, metal device above his head, metal pedestal with a partly metal device on it. And as he focused on his knives, Briar noticed something unfamiliar on his wrist just below the hilt of the knife. He rubbed at the metal bracelet that bisected a bright blue orchid tattoo. It didn't budge.

"Great, everything's metal," Briar grumbled, magically reaching out to the shakkan, his only company in the bare and polished room. The tree's calm and patience steadied him through their connection. "Y'know," he called out to no one in particular, "I think maybe you were aiming for my sister. I can't do anything with all this metal." That's of course if they were aiming for someone to work with metal. They could just as easily have been looking for someone helpless against it. That last part was what had Briar fighting down a growing urge to panic.

Confusion only added to that urge. Briar couldn't think of anyone who'd capture a person only to give him an anchor and boost for his power. He went down the few steps, fingers running over the walls in search of a catch for a hidden door. Seams would be awfully hard to hide in a smooth metal surface, but illusions and metal mages were both things that could just maybe manage it.

Several minutes of searching later and no closer to figuring out where he was or how to escape, Briar sighed. He tapped into his bond with the shakkan again to give his power the greatest possible reach, speaking through his magic, Daj'? I don't know if you can hear me, but I could really use a hand right now. If anyone could get him out of a metal room, it'd be Daja. When no answer came, Briar strained for a sense of any of the three girls. None were there. He had to be cut off magically if he couldn't even feel them; they'd certainly been in range before, even if all four had closed doors on their minds.

"I'll just sit here then," he remarked dryly, "And wait for someone to tell me exactly what you've snatched me for." While he waited, Briar strained his magical senses for hints of plant life outside the room. He concluded that his suspicions about a magically shielded room were tentatively confirmed, as he could reach no local greenery either, not so much as a blade of grass. The mage stopped trying, saving his energy for whenever his captors did make an appearance.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Obviously there's a welcome party of some kind, sweetheart," Briar responded with an answering smile, taking his cues from Gwen, "or you and I wouldn't be talking. The party just doesn't seem to be attended by the people who did the inviting in the first place." Well, on the bright side, Briar felt as if he were a little bit closer to familiar ground.

He sat and made himself comfortable within view of the pedestal where the figures had appeared. Only a very slight smirk belied seriousness when Briar added, "Maybe I was just waiting for you."

Oh lookie here, looked like they had a Prince Charming. And one who knew how to use his deductive reasoning. She was impressed that he had control of his wits enough to give her a line. That was definitely something you didn't see often. Or ever. Still, all of Gwen's willingness to be helpful, what little there was, went out the window.

"In that case? You'll still be waiting 'til the sun goes down. I'm not going anywhere near that tin can again."

Alright, Briar was willing to admit he'd misjudged her. A lot of girls he knew would respond poorly to a line like that from anyone. Granted, none of the girls in question would ever call a stranger 'honey.' The idea of Tris or Daja doing so was laughable.

He readjusted, dropping the flirtation for the time being, less playful and a bit more sincere when he spoke again. "'Again' does imply that you were here already and therefore that you know how to get out. Would you mind sharing the secret, or should I ask someone else?"

She smiled wide--mischievous and knowing, her eyes tilting upward and outward. Oh, maybe. Why should I tell you? If this guy were freaking out like most of the poor saps who got dropped in here, she'd be more inclined to be less annoying.

But after a moment, she chose not to follow through with the game--because she had to give him some credit. He was smart, straight to business, and ever-so-important...

"Well, because you asked so nicely..." she folded her hands across her chest, at ease. "The fancy little toy you see there is called a Tablet. Pick it up, a bunch of science fiction stuff happens."

Briar waited while she contemplated not telling him a thing. Showing panic was a vulnerability, and while it might incite assistance, it could just as easily cause something worse than his current situation. He'd pretend he was just fine, thanks all the same.

And it looked like waiting had paid off. "Thank you," he said to Gwen with a nod once the tablet was in his hands and the door had opened.

"If it's happening, does that make it not fiction anymore, just science?"

She gave him a little two-fingered salute. He was on his own now. She remembered every place she visited after her arrival, how she'd spent what seemed like hours trying to break past the barrier. He had a way about him; she had a feeling he'd make out fine.

"Ask me that again in a couple weeks," she said, because let's face it, everything that happened in Taxon seemed unreal. He was going to learn it, just like she was, one way or another. "After you get a solid taste of this place."

"In a couple of weeks, my foster sisters will have torn up half of Emelan looking for me." He didn't really believe they'd do any damage to the countryside, out of respect to Duke Vedris and the innocent residents of his lands. Still, his sisters would be worried and stubborn and angry, a dangerous combination from three mages.

Briar sighed. "I'd rather not get a solid taste of this place, but since I don't seem to have a choice, I guess I'll get started on that."

She didn't say much of anything to that, but silently wondered if anyone was tearing up Los Angeles looking for her. The cynic in her said she doubted it.

She waved the thought away, however, and donned a playful smile. "You'll be fine. Here's a tip? Don't wear any costumes."

Yeah, that's right. She was just gonna let that sit there. Mull it over.

He noticed the silence and hoped he hadn't brought up a sore subject. Asking would only make it worse though, so he just raised his eyebrows at her smile and advice. "What would I be wearing a costume for?" Briar asked in genuine confusion. And if he were to wear one, why would it be so bad?

She shrugged, because the reality was...glitches happened whether or not you were wearing a costume. "All I'm saying is the theme for this Halloween was Come What You Are. Basically, our alien friends are a bunch of jackasses."

Bitterness, thy name is Gwen Raiden.

Briar shrugged off the confusion, smiling. "Well, if I ever find out what Halloween is and why I'd want a costume for it, I'll be sure to keep your warning in mind." Briar doesn't even know what aliens are, but let's disregard that. If he knew her better, Briar would almost certainly tease Gwen a little, but as things stood it had as much chance of going over well as the line he'd pulled previously.

Hold up. He didn't know what Halloween was? Color Gwen very confused, but then again, Taxon did tend to invite the most colorful guests to their party.

"It's a holiday," she replied, looking at him with some confusion. She considered taking back her impression that he'd be okay. "You're in for a hell of a ride."

She looked surprised enough that Briar took it for granted most of the city's prisoners shared whatever holiday system included Halloween. Briar shrugged. "We don't have that holiday. I'm not much for dressing up for parties, anyway. My sister's the seamstress; I'll stick to my garden."

Hm. Well, that was definitely interesting, but Gwen decided to let it go. "Whatever you say, sugar bear. You didn't miss anything. My point? This place has a way of...really messing with you."

That was one way of putting it.

He nodded, smirking slightly at the term 'sugar bear' before flashing Gwen the most charming smile he could muster under the circumstances. Briar had been called plenty of things, but sugar bear was a new one. "I'm getting that impression," he replied dryly, in the process of mentally aligning the information from his varied welcome party to come up with a more cohesive picture of things. "I do appreciate the warning."

Arrival Post

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