[Closed To Close CR]

[hereticofthewilds]

Who: Elsie + Characters with close positive CR to Elsie
What: Elsie received an important letter from her father and she wants to show her friends!
Where: Anywhere in the forest or town (your choice)
When: Backdated to middle September (before the birthday party)
Warnings: None, will add as needed



She can't stop reading the letter. She reads it first thing when she wakes, and again when she goes to sleep. But, still, some parts of it are hard for her to comprehend. Her father is a king? An Archfey? What does that make her?

After a few days of obsessively puzzling over each stroke and flourish of his handwriting, Elsie realizes there are other people she should tell. The friends her father mentioned in his post script. They'll be so happy for her, won't they?

At some point, and in whatever place Elsie finds her friend first, she will suddenly materialize from deep within a shadow, smiling bright, her hair an ecstatic red that stands out against any background, and with the folded letter held out in front of her triumphantly.

"Look!" she cries, almost incoherent in her excitement. "Mail! From Father!"

She'll hand it over to read, when prompted, bouncing in place while she waits for her friend to finish. She can't wait to know what they think.

Comments

[theydrewfirstblood]

John is…he’s feeling good lately. He’s feeling grateful, and he wants to show it so when he has a light afternoon one day, he heads into the woods to go to his altar. It’s not a full visit, he just wants to drop off an offering: one of his bone bead necklaces with a small arrowhead pendant he fashioned the day he made that little metal leaf for—

“Whoah! Elsie?…”

He laughs as she appears from the shadows, all bright red hair and wild enthusiasm as she crows about the mail and waves a paper around. He only barely keeps from plowing into her, but her joy is infectious so his mood stays light.

“Hey, Shortcake—love the hair—hang on, settle. Your dad wrote you a letter? Can I see?…”

When she gives him the paper and lets him read…the further he gets, the more his chest fills with a mix of joy, dread, and anger because that name is back.

Nyarlathotep.

The postscript makes him smile, though—small and as grim as it is warm, especially when he looks up again at Elsie all but vibrating with delight.

“Your dad’s got nothing to worry about: anyone is mean to you? I’ll make sure there isn’t enough left of ‘em to feed to a caterpillar much less turn ‘em into one.” He assures her, handing the letter back to her and reaching out to give Elsie a quick, but tight hug that makes him burn and ache and yearn to bundle this sweet kid back off to the Ranch where she’ll be safe.

Then he remembers her letter, and where he was about to go.

“I’m real glad for you, Elsie—your mom’s been with you, that’s amazing.”

[hereticofthewilds]

(She's never going to learn not to ambush people in the woods, but at least her brightly colored hair is a good warning system.)

"Shortcake," she squeals in delight. She's getting all kinds of new nicknames these days. She went from just E to having a rainbow of new things to be called. Isn't it wonderful?

"Hee, hee. That's what Dads do, right?" They worry, and then they threaten to pulverize anyone who touches their kid. That's what she's seen. She's so proud that it counts for her, too. So proud she can barely sit still long enough to stay in the hug, but for John she does her very best.

"Yes. Mother is alive," suddenly tears are springing to her eyes. This roller coaster of emotions refuses to slow down. "She's been holding me every night when I sleep."

[not_the_last]

Cassandra is startled by Elsie's sudden appearance -- probably enough so that her additional startlement at hearing her say Father may go unnoticed. Elsie did not, after all, mention a father to her when they spoke.

"Your father sent you a letter? That's wonderful news!" She doesn't immediately realize that Elsie wants her to to read it, but when it's proffered insistently, she takes it and reads.

It's second nature to her, to keep her emotions from showing immediately on her face. Nonetheless, it's ... not easy, just now, as she takes in the letter's contents.

[hereticofthewilds]

Elsie is practically vibrating in place waiting for Cassandra to finish reading. (Thank goodness it doesn't take as long when someone is good at reading.) When it seems that she is, Elsie prompts her again.

"Good! Father and Mother are alive! Father loves me."

[not_the_last]

It's hard, it's very hard, not to say then where has he been all this time? Why did he leave you alone so long, why didn't he tell you sooner? More, not to let it show on her face.

But she smiles for Elsie, and tries hard to mean it. Does mean it, a little, and then a little more.

(She knows what part of her is angry, and hurting, on Elsie's behalf. She tries to shove it down, shut a lid on it -- and then instead finds herself imagining soothing it, tucking it under her arm, holding it close. It's all right. I know it feels like what happened to us, but it's different. It's all right.)

"I'm so pleased for you," she says warmly, handing the letter back. "And you can speak to your mother now, and tell her you know she's here. She must have wanted you to know for so long."

[hereticofthewilds]

Can she speak to her mother, she wonders. Would she hear it, even in her sleep. Has she, all this time? Suddenly, Elsie is angry with herself for not asking that. Still so much she doesn't understand (including her own feelings surrounding all of this.)

"Yes..." she says after too long of a silence. "I talk to mother tree, but she doesn't talk back."

[not_the_last]

Cassandra hesitates, remembering.

"You know," she says, carefully light, "my brother back home has a friend who's a Druid, and she can speak to plants. I asked her to do that for me, once, to speak to the Sun Tree -- have I ever told you about the Sun Tree?"

(She knows she hasn't, but it creates an opening.)

[hereticofthewilds]

"You have a son who is a tree?" she asks, head tilting curiously.

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis blinks when Elsie materializes from within the shadow of a tree by her house as she passes by, surprised to see the young woman so excited.

"From your father?"

She gently takes the letter, reading closely and intently. Several things click into place, and several more questions arise, but those questions aren't for this moment.

"An apple?" She muses, a soft smile crossing her face as she finally finishes. "Your father loves you very much, as does your mother."

She's not sure why she didn't sense the tree was alive in this way, but the magic of Fae is different from anything she's experienced.

"I'm so happy for you."

[hereticofthewilds]

"Yes! Yes!" Elsie answers nearly beside herself with a flood of emotions stronger than she's felt in a very long time. The fear she had about being abandoned has been washed away in the spring rain, leaving her feeling as if nothing could dampen her spirits now.

"I'm so happy too. I... still worry about Mother, but I trust Father. He sounds strong. Yes?"

[redlightgreenlight]

"Your father sounds like he has your best interests in mind, even if he can not show himself to you yet, he wants you to know he's been thinking of you all this time."

Valdis reads over the letter again, memorizing every word, wondering if Elsie's father would be a useful ally for her to have. Surely if he didn't fear the demons, his power must be more than theirs. But, even in the lore of her own world, the Fae have been considered fickle beings who act in their own interest. Elsie was part human, so perhaps her father may be convinced to help them. He clearly still cares for her and her mother.

"I hope you will get to meet him someday, hopefully we can free your mother too. Maybe he can help us make this place safe for you both again."

[hereticofthewilds]

Valdis's words soothe her fretful soul like a balm. She's been at war with herself, angry that it took so long to hear from her father, but so happy to finally understand more. It must be as Valdis says. It must. As he says, too. It's to protect her.

"Maybe..." she shuffles her feet anxiously. "I sent him a letter back. I said he should hurry."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis holds the letter out to her friend, a reassuring smile on her face.

"Elsie, don't worry. Your father can take care of himself and he won't let anything happen to you. I won't either. I promise."

[hereticofthewilds]

Elsie takes the letter and hugs it to her chest. But her eyes are pinned on Valdis, wide with surprise. Such affection feels so rare and precious. How does she return such a thing in kind?

"I won't let anything happen to you," she says with conviction. "Elsie doesn't want to hide anymore. I want to fight back."

[abhorrently]

Fever starts when Elsie pops out, drawing back on instinct to give herself time to react, but relaxes when she sees that smile. Something good then, something to be happy for - and her expression quickly shifts to amazed at the letter, at Elsie's declaration. With no time to waste, she'll read it, her lips moving silently at some parts as she goes over it.

An Archfey. Elsie's a king's daughter. And her mother, that tree - there is so much to take in, but the most important part is at the end. They'll be together soon. Elsie was never abandoned. Carefully she hands the precious paper back, before her face cracks into a grin.

"Oh, Elsie! I can hardly believe it!"

[hereticofthewilds]

Elsie is waiting on pins and needles as Fever reads. She's sure Fever will be so happy, she hopes. Oh, how she hopes. So, when Fever's smile cracks wide Elsie's heart flutters like a newly born butterfly.

"Father will find me! I don't have to search for him." It's all Elsie has ever wanted. "He loves me."

[abhorrently]

"He does. And here we were ready to tear across the continent for him."

She still wants to hear the words from this fae's mouth, wants to see him tell Elsie that his absence was not one he went to gladly, but the effort to send a letter, so soon after their conversation...well, it feels like something of a sign.

"And with what he said about your mother...perhaps him coming will wake her back up."

[hereticofthewilds]

She toes the soil in front of her as she says, "Still want to tear a little..." Which is her way of expressing that, while the letter is good, she was hoping for more.

"Poor mother..." Her fists clench as a bright burst of anger heats the space beneath her ribcage. "The demons will be sorry."

[abhorrently]

"Oh, they certainly will."

There's a light in her eyes then, something somewhat unsettling, and a tone that says she'd be glad to make personally sure that they were sorry. But a breath, and she calms down.

"But reuniting with her comes first, yes?"

[hereticofthewilds]

Perhaps that light in Fever's eyes should scare her, but she finds herself agreeing with it with her whole chest. For what the demons have taken from her, she wishes them the same pain. The temptation to unleash on them has never been greater than now.

"Yes," Elsie answers with a quick shake of her head, like a dog shaking off water. "I think... I hope father can wake her."

[yournewsidekick]

"Whoa, what?" Immediately, Nimona snatches up the letter without even asking. "Dude, I didn't know your dad was still around! Lemme see!"

She shakes it open and starts reading. With each successive sentence, her eyes grow bigger. "Whaaaaaat," she breathes again. Looking up at Elsie, "You're mom's alive? And... a tree?"

Yeah yeah there's other important stuff in there too about demons and Gnarly Nyarly blah blah blah but THE MOST IMPORTANT PART FIRST.

[hereticofthewilds]

"I didn't know either..." Elsie answers sadly. Not until the letter came. She's happy. Of course she is. But sometimes the feeling... flickers.

"She is Elsie's tree. Has always been Elsie's home."

[yournewsidekick]

"The whole time?!"

She grabs Elsie's upper arms, beaming.

"Else! That's great! She never left you! Okay, yeah, so she's been taking the longest nap ever, but she's gonna wake up eventually, right?" Nimona's starting to bounce on her toes a little. "Hey, you think she'd wake up faster if we stuck one of her branches in a hot spring and tickled her trunk with a feather?"

...Look, she's just spitballing here.

[hereticofthewilds]

The smiling is contagious. Elsie's face lights up to match. Her skin vibrates with energy beneath Nimona's touch.

"She will wake up," she agrees. However. Those suggestions do cause her to make a face,

"I do not think a feather can do it..."

[yournewsidekick]

Nimona cracks up at her expression, but not unkindly.

"Nah, I guess not, that one only works on humans." Unable to contain her excitement, she jumps, explodes into sparks, and lands on Elsie's upper arm as a squirrel, scrambling all around her shoulders and head with glee. "Come on come on you gotta have ideas, what do you think'll work?"