the_isle | You're From The Isle If Anybody Asks

First Awareness

Those used to this by now probably knew what it meant when they felt their magic return for a moment. For the rest, suddenly their powers were back. Just for a few minutes, but a lot could be done in a few minutes. If the person even noticed their powers were back, that is.

Of course those on the shore might have seen the hazy indistinct shape through the barrier coming closer, might have seen the moment the hole in the barrier opened. Might have seen King Ben leading people down a gangplank through the barrier with crates of supplies....

Unions, Re And Otherwise

Once the supplies were unloaded, the barrier was sealed up again. King Ben seemed to be in charge during the unloading, Once the barrier was closed again, by the green magic streaming from the Queen's finger, it was Mal who seemed to be in charge.

"Alright, listen up. We have 2 hours and the clock is ticking. I'm not FG but we're keeping to a deadline anyway. If you want to come to Auradon or know someone you want us to bring back, you have 2 hours to convince us. You and everyone else, sharing the same 2 hours. Along with anyone who has a supply request for our next visit, or updates. Those of you bringing supplies to the school, time to get cracking. Two hours passes faster than midnight at the ball."

Those Who Left

(Please TL Here for boat and Auradon Shenanigans. TY)

Those What Remain

Once those going back to Auradon had left and the barrier was back in place, it was for those who remained on the Isle to sort the supplies and figure out how to get done everything that needed to be done with the people that remained.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The attempt was taken as intended, Foulques giving a bit of an amused smirk before continuing. "I'm told that you have knowledge of plants," he said. "There is a somewhat- if you'll excuse the pun- thorny problem that I'd like to consult you about, if you're willing."

"Of course." She nodded. Grey managed to get to his feet and held out his hands to Cassidy, helping her up through sheer stubbornness. Once she was up he slipped an arm around her waist, and she reciprocated. They kind of leaned on each other a bit.

"What can we help with?" Cassidy asked.

There was really no need for either of them to stand, but if they wished to and were able, he wouldn't object. "Some weeks ago, a variety of plants suddenly appeared her overnight," he said. "Some of them appeared edible, but all of them proved noxious or poisonous in some way, so most learned to avoid them rather quickly. For good or ill, all of them vanished as suddenly as they appeared after a seven night... all save two."

"A pair of flowers remain in the courtyard, growing near one of the so-called 'doomstones'. I can't identify the species, but every bit of them seems poisonous in some way, and thus far they've resisted all attempts at removal. Up until now, this simplest solution has been to simply leave them be, as they do no harm unless touched, but as soon as we can be assured of not having an overnight frost, we'll need to use that courtyard as a vegetable garden, and I'm not especially comfortable with having our food share space with something so toxic."

"I was hoping to seek your advice on how best to deal with the matter, as well as your assistance with identifying the plants and hopefully removing them, if possible."

At first as he talked about the various toxic plants, they were listening intently. Cassidy was even thinking that she should ask if they harvested any seeds that she could take home for Jaenelle and Shira to use in their poisons. But as he started to explain about poisonous seeming flowers that they couldn't get rid of the rock of foreboding sank in both of their stomachs and they exchanged a look. Then as one they looked back to Foulques, trying not to how their alarm. That they couldn't communicate mentally at the moment wasn't helping matters.

"how us the flowers, please," Cassidy said, her voice almost as pale and weak as her appearance.

That reaction was not a promising one. They knew these plants, or believed they did, and clearly their presence meant nothing good. He nodded, however. "Tis not far, thankfully," he said. "But you'd likely best lean on me nonetheless. Both of you look like to be knocked over by a stiff breeze, and you don't wish to stumble when passing through the brambles."

Grey's desire to be the one to protect Cassidy warred with his desire to make sure she was safe no matter what, but also worry about unknown male. But Cassidy's safety took the priority. "You can let my wife lean on you on her other side," he said, making sure their relationship was clear.

Cassidy rolled her eyes but was more concerned about seeing these flowers than anything else.

Foulques quirked an eyebrow. Clearly, this man was the jealous type. Fortunately though, his wife seemed to be quite used to his antics, so Foulques merely nodded, stepping up on Cassidy's other side and allowing her to settle against him. "Should either of you need to stop a moment, say so," he said as they started off. He kept his pace slower than normal in deference to both his longer stride and their weakened state. "Better to lose a bit of your pride to the admission than a bit of your flesh to the brambles."

Cassidy nodded. "We're both willing to accept being hurt where necessary, but neither of us would put pride as making it necessary. At least usually," she said, shooting her husband the most unimpressed look.

"Protecting you isn't pride," he said, flatly. "That's my job as a member of your First Circle, my honor as your First Escort," and seeing her about to argue, he added, "And my choice as your husband."

Her mouth closed and she huffed. "If you're not going to fight fair. I'm just going to work on walking without falling over."

"Good idea," he said, winking at Foulques over her head.

Foulques gave Grey a bit of an amused smirk at the wink, but said nothing. This sort of banter was obviously common between him and Cassidy, but he wasn't really included in it.

Fortunately, even at a slower pace, the trip through the brambles and into the courtyard didn't take long. It was the same as usual, muddy ground dotted with a few rows of 'doomstones' as it's only real feature of interest. Aside from the plants they'd come to examine of course, which remained where they had been since they appeared, the only plant life visible aside from the omnipresent brambles and a few sad clumps of still brown weeds.

"These are the plants I mentioned," Foulques said, indicating them as they approached. "There were others like them among the poisonous plants that appeared, but only these two remained when the rest vanished."

Cassidy stumbled as soon as she saw them. Grey, suspecting had been ready and helped hold her up and steady as she went deathly pale, her freckles standing out against her suddenly icy skin. She was trembling, but then so was Grey.

"Here too," she whispered. "Here too..."

Grey swallowed hard once, then looked to Foulques. "The bad news is that you are right, they are exceptionally poisonous, and it is a poison that is impossible to detect, and fatal. Even to a Black Widow who knows what she's doing, they can't even detect it."

"One can," Cassidy whispered. "And one Witch survived them." She swallowed hard against rising bile. She looked to Grey and said weakly. "Kiss kiss."

What he muttered probably would have been a swear word, given the tone. Here it was rendered to "Weeds."

Cassidy nodded. "It was betrayal, someone she should have been able to trust..." Tears ran down her face as she wiggled free then went to kneel beside the plant. Despite all the horrible things they were explaining she stroked one of the petals gently, delicate. She swallowed hard again, and when she spoke the words were for Foulques but spoken to the blooms. "Witchblood. It is called Witchblood. And it blooms only in two places, where a murdered witch was buried, or where her blood was spilled in violence. Not... not a small fight, lethal or near lethal damage. Someone is either buried here or," her voice cracked, "Was wounded badly here. Maybe died."

"We found a patch in the gardens at Greyhaven," Grey said softly, to Foulques, though he moved to stand behind his wife, his hands on her shoulders. "They can't be moved, they can't be killed."

Cassidy Put a hand over her husband's, her face tracked with tears that did not stop. "She called them living memento mori," she said softly. "In some cases, the only record of a life ended too soon. sharply. She swallowed hard, then shook her head. "The plants themselves are deadly if any part of them are ingested," she finally looked up at Foulques, "but they will not poison any other plants near them, nor the soil. I'd say give them a border of other flowers, or some other decorative or at least non-edible plant to keep anyone from accidentally harvesting them. But no harm will come from them just being there that is not brought with hands and either intent or negligence. But if anyone is poisoned with Witchblood." She shuddered and shook her head. "There is only one Healer I know who could heal that damage, and the only time she succeeded... the Queen she healed lost almost all use of her legs, because that was where he has to pull it out through in order to keep it from her heart and brain." She looked sick and closed her eyes.

Tears were on Grey's face as well as he squeezed her shoulders gently.

Foulques made no effort to stop Cassidy or Grey from kneeling before the plants, apparently called 'Witchblood', but did steady them slightly so the movement was as gentle as it might be under the circumstances. He frowned as he listened to her tale, and though his expression grew grimmer as it went on, he didn't weep. The time when such cruelty and death might have shocked him was long past.

"Tis unlikely that anyone is buried here," he said. "Despite appearances, this is no litchyard. But that someone was killed or mortally wounded here? Aye, that I could believe."

"But so long as they'll cause no harm to the surrounding plants or soil, that answers my chief concern. I'd rather not mark them out as especially significant however, not with the old virago lurking about. There are three of the Isle's original inhabitants present, but of them, she strikes me as the most likely to make use of poison. One among them has already attempted murder by means of sabotage- the victim being the man you likely saw being carried out earlier-, and I would rather not encourage any similar underhanded tactics." Mostly because he couldn't defend against them. "A simple circle of stones around them and a verbal warning will suffice to keep anyone from straying too near."

He gave them a polite nod, his grim expression softening slightly. "Thank you for your help," he said.

Cassidy nodded. "I wish I could do more," she whispered. "Out of respect for our fallen sister, as well as for those of you yet alive here."

Grey looked at him, "I presume the Territory Queen has been made aware of the crime and is dealing with the perpetrator?"

"I told her and the young King about it myself," he said. "Professor Yen Sid is not a young man, and I wished to see him gotten to a healer as soon as possible. As to punishing the perpetrator, once we know for certain which of the three it was, it will indeed be for her to deal with, though I'm uncertain what punishment she may order. As I understand it, the typical punishment for such crimes in this world is to be banished to this Isle, but in this case that would be rather redundant. But unless she wishes to ask me to carry out whatever punishment she decides on, now that the Professor is in safe hands, there's little more I can do regarding the matter other than keep my eyes and ears open for further evidence to report at the next opportunity."

"My primary concern now is turning this...", he gestured to indicate the muddy courtyard around them, "into a viable garden, which will be no easy task. Not an impossible one, but it will take a great deal of work. Though at least these so-called 'doomstones' will make for unusually sturdy row markers..."

"She would not punish attempted murder of one of her own by killing the attacker?" Grey asked.

Cassidy put a hand on his arm gently. "She may not choose to. There is no law against murder, so the Queen can be lenient of she wishes."

"If someone had tried to kill one of yours..." Grey started.

Cassidy raised her eyebrows. "You know better, Grey. At least you normally do. You weren't there that day with Weaver's family. but I know you heard the story."

Grey sighed. "This place has no magic, to know there is someone here who is a threat while you can't shield and we can hardly stand..."

"Then we have to trust and rely on others," Cassidy said firmly.

Fouques was about to reply when Cassidy commented with something that made him raise an eyebrow. No law against murder? Really? He listened for another few moments before speaking up. "Neither of you will come to harm while you're here," he assured them. "I may not be able to defend against sabotage or poison, but I'm quite capable of fending off any opportunistic attacks by either the so-called teachers here or any overly curious scalekin that might approach the beach. The lack of magic has no effect on my effectiveness in combat."

"As to what Queen Mal might decide, I don't know her well enough to say. But I strongly suspect that there is a law against murder, at least on the mainland. Here on this Isle..." He glanced at the Witchweed. "Given how it was set to function, I suspect that the previous rulers cared very little what those they sent here did to one another, so long as it was done out of their sight. Thankfully, the current young King and Queen seem to be of quite a different mind, as evidenced by their- and your- efforts here."

"Thank you," Cassidy said. It is... unnerving to be without our powers, though I am starting to center." She took a deep breath, and clearly Grey recognized something in how her expression shifted.

"Cassidy..."

"This is where you were looking to plant?" she asked, supporting herself on the doomstone as she pushed herself to her feet.

"Aye," he said, though his tone showed that he was mildly suspicious of the motive behind her question. "The only other area of somewhat open land we have access to is the beach, and no amount of work will make that appropriate for growing crops, even if we didn't have to fear them being swamped by an unusually high tide."

"There are some saltwater crops that do well, but I don't know if anyone has seeds for them. Alright then, this is where I can help."

"By digging," Grey said, firmly. "by planting."

Cassidy nodded. "That too. And the Queen's Gift." She turned to Foulques. "May I borrow a clean knife?"

"Unlikely," he said. "I have only the popotoes that came from the plants brought from Auradon, and some midland cabbage seeds. Well I suppose faerie apples would be a viable crop as well, but only if one has several years to wait, and we do not."

His eyes narrowed at her request, mild suspicion turning deeper. "For what purpose?" Surely she didn't mean to do what it sounded as though she meant to...

"The thing that makes a Queen a Queen, far more than any ability to rule is the Queen's Gift. Our power, offered through our blood to help heal the Land, and help new plants to go. It is a ritual usually done in Spring during the planting, but it is clearly needed now."

"We have no way to heal you with the barrier up, no way to even put a shield over the wound to keep it clean. No, Cassidy."

"The Land needs it, Grey! you know how important the Land is."

"Yes, and I also know how important you are," he snapped. "Even if you don't."

...Alright, as it turned out, she intended to do exactly what it sounded like. "While the sentiment is appreciated," he said, "there are less... hazardous ways to improve poor soil. And ones that are far easier to repeat, should the need arise."

"We plan to plant the parts of fish that we don't eat- or ones that are simply too small to be worth putting in the pot- along with the seeds and sowing popotoes. Tis a technique that's been used for centuries in my own world and is quite effective."

"Of course, the ritual should never be instead of proper care. It is in addition," she said, nodding.

"You misunderstand me," he said. "Your ritual will not be occurring, with or without other measures. I said that neither of you would come to harm here, and that includes by your own hand. While I understand your intent, this is a gift I must decline."

She looked so frustrated. "It's not harm. I'll be fine," she insisted.

"Like that time in Eyota?"

"I learned my lesson, I know what I did wrong then and you know it, Grey," she snapped. "You think Lucivar didn't make sure of it? Or Karla."

"Then you should prove you learned the lesson by listening to people who are being reasonable!"

"Karla agreed to teach Rehyana if I didn't."

"That's different, clearly she was being stubborn sheep."

"Why do I ever bother arguing with males?" she snarled. "You just change things to whatever you want it to have been!"

He cleared his throat in a very deliberate way to interrupt their argument. "Regardless of lessons learned or anyone's opinion on their opposite gender," he said, "the fact remains that I will not allow this ritual to occur. While I understand that the offer was made out of kindness and with good intent, it is both unnecessary and needlessly hazardous. Our own techniques for fertilizing the soil will suffice."