(Yeeeeeeesssssssssssssss)
Calixto sat beneath a large oak tree, rubbing at his neck. It had been several months now since had been forced to wear a thin metal collar marking him as a slave. It still left horrible memories though. Leaves whistled lightly in the small breeze every few minutes. To Calixto, things felt oddly calm. But it felt so good compared to his past experiences.
(Btw, Ivy is very protective of his forest…)
"What are you doing in my forest?" Ivy asks, standing in front of the man with his arms crossed. I thought I had finally gotten people to stay away by making them think this place was "haunted"… Ugh. He thought with a frown as he looked over the sitting man, the guy was rubbing his neck like there was something that was supposed to be around it, but wasn't. Strange.
(Haha I can tell)
The Mirro jumped slightly at the sudden voice. Usually he was more aware of his surroundings. He was about to make a reply about the forest not belonging to anyone specifically until noticing the man before him in detail. Everything about him made it obvious that he likely did really own the forest. Moving his hand away from his neck, Calixto stood to his full height, now looking the other male in the eyes.
"Unless there's a reason I shouldn't be, I don't see why not," he replied bluntly. It really would have been nice had there not been this complication.
"There probably is, but… I'm tired so as long as you don't harm my forest you can stay here." Ivy says, he would be lying if he said that this man didn't spike his interest and Ivy did not lie, he simply did not tell the whole truth. He sat down a bit away from the man and watched him, tilting his head.
Cal sat back down, not sure as what else to do with himself. He let out a soft sigh as he closed his eyes for a moment. The Mirro opened them again after a moment however, feeling the gaze of the other cut through him.
"Something I can help you with?" he asks, feeling a bit uneasy at the staring.
"No, I'm observing. I have never seen one of your species before and I want to learn about them, I dislike asking personal questions so I watch." He replies curtly, his face still stoic as he resumes his observation. Hm, is the rubbing of the neck area usual in his species?
Cal hummed lightly in thought, perplexed as to how it was known that he wasn't a normal human. He looked to be one in appearance. Or perhaps the other in front of him had not encountered humans before either. Were that the case, he'd be the lucky one. After a few moments, Calixto could no longer stand the silence.
"Sorry, but even for me this is odd," the Mirro commented.
Iveren tilts his head to the side slightly and raises his eyebrows a bit. "What about this is strange? I am observing the only living being who has made it through my defenses of this forest, I would be lying if I said that this did not spike my interest."
"The fact that you're continually staring at me is the strange part," Calixto replies, voice with a hint of annoyance. Perhaps he should have left when the man before him had presented himself. It would have made things a lot easier than the current interaction they were having. Or lack thereof.
"Hm? I suppose it is. It would be less strange if I introduce myself, correct?" Without waiting for an answer, he introduced himself. "My name is Iveren, I am the Nymph and protector of this forest. How do you do?" He askes with a small smile, one that is obviously never in use and super awkward.
Cal shifts a bit, a bit unused to the formal greeting. The smile was a nice touch however. "Calixto," the Mirro responded simply, not having much to say about himself.
After a moment, a question came to mind.
"I'm curious as to what you believe I am."
Iveren gave a true smile as he started to launch into his explanation. "Well, humans are unable to enter this place, along with most magical creatures. However, hybrids and certain types of shapeshifters can get through the barrier. You've been rubbing at your neck as of there was once something there, like a collar, which leads me to believe that you are one of the Mirro."
Cal flinched slightly at the word collar, but nodded anyways. "You'd be correct," he replied. At Iveren's more comfortable seeming smile, he found himself feel a bit more at ease. Thinking about the Nymph's analysis, he really hadn't even noticed there had been a barrier.
The Nymph noticed the flinch at the word and mentally filed it away. Probably a trigger word for him. He thought he spent a lot of his time reading through books on mental health becuase… Like, why not?
I am so sorry if my responses are weird, I'm a bit sleep deprived at the moment.//
(No no it's okay. I had homework to finish and then I went to bed so that's why it's been awhile)
Calixto relaxed a bit more where he sat on the forest floor and hummed again in thought. He was never the curious type, nor one to start conversations. Especially with those he barely knew.
Iveren looked up towards the sky and frowned. "The sky is about to open and the clouds will cry." He said, his strange speaking patterns making it hard, but still able to understand that he thought it was about to rain. "We should take to shelter."
Cal found himself about to snicker at the odd wording but refrained from doing so. Nodding, he stood once more. Having no idea where they would get out of the rain, he planned on simply relying on Iveren. While the Nymph was friendly for the most part, the Mirro wasn't quite sure he could put his full trust in this new acquaintance. That would take a bit more time.
"Follow me." Iveren instructed as he raised his hand and turned it a bit, the tree's reacting and creating a bit of a shield so they can walk without getting too wet. Just as he did so, the rain started to pour down on them in buckets. "My home is a bit away, are you good at climbing?"
Keeping the pace with the Nymph wasn't hard due to his height. It was also amazing to Calixto to notice how the trees seemed to follow Iveren's command at simply a wave of his hand. Smirking at the question, the Mirro nodded confidently. He could climb moderately well in his current form, but again, he was capable of change.
"Good, we're here. Time to climb." He added, gesturing up at the tree as the branches moved out of the way to show a moderately sized home. He begins to climb up the tree, putting his feet into almost invisible notches in the wood. "The door is unlocked."
Calixto followed behind, still choosing to keep mostly silent. It didn't quite surprise him that the Nymph lived in the trees. He allowed Iveren to go up the bark of the tree first, himself not far behind. Upon reaching the landing where the house was, he patiently waited behind his host.
What shall we do now?//
(I feel like Ivy should try and get Cal to talk more, but that's just me. Maybe skip until the rain passes?)
(Probably, Ivy is a pretty stoic person though…)