Circe swept through the forest with the air of a woman who had seen far scarier things than the silly spooks and haunts of the forest. Where the young or naive might have seen reaching fingers and leering faces, Circe saw branches and tree hollows. It was hard to deceive one who usually did the deceiving. She was used to playing on the fears and hopes of others so she couldn't not see through the natural things that might otherwise unnerve her. The giantess wasn't immune to alarm, but she'd built up quite a tolerance for it over the years. Circe was "braving" the spooky forest because she'd heard from a reliable source that this was a place to find a rare plant with some rather interesting properties. Jewelweed, usually known for its soothing abilities, also had a bit of a reputation for its undesirable side effects. Those effects were exactly why she was looking for it. She paused to nose around a patch of heavily filtered sunlight. From experience she knew jewelweed preferred shade, but in a place like this where everything was in the shade Circe thought her best bet was to kick through the relatively sunny patches. "Circe" "Gwydion"

Octave moved through the mists, feeling very much like a ghost in his own right. Maybe that had more to do with his feeling of isolation, Noko was off doing who knows what and he'd yet to really find any of his siblings yet. Of course without any of them around he was also at the mercy of his unreliable tongue; so he'd been moving with particular patterns so as to avoid bumping into others. That was the reasoning for moving through the mist covered forest, feeling more at home in it's concealing fog than he would have being out in the open. It was also fortunate for him that he mostly blended in. Not that that would stop him from bumping into anyone, because of course not. That was just his luck. He supposed the benefits of passing less noticeably would be shared by others in the area... at least he had managed to miss the scent of an unknown woman, the damp foliage smells of the forest overpower it. No it wasn't until he was passing by her that he really realized he wasn't as alone as he would have wanted to be. Which of course meant he would freeze, violet eyes growing wide and his stomach beginning to flutter as he was suddenly faced with the infinite possibilities of what this encounter could bring with it. "Speech" Think You

Art by EquestrianJade

Circe frowned thoughtfully down at the tree's roots and scratched a single, shallow rut in the ground with her claws. Doing this exposed a rich mix of decaying leaves and moist dirt. These things combined with the soft lighting from above were near perfect growing conditions for jewelweed. While this tree may not have been the right one, she was getting close. Pleased with this thought and eager to investigate the rest of the sunlit patch, Circe straightened...and found herself locking eyes with a stranger. It was no wonder the male had been able to sneak up on her. The forest was alive with creaks and groans; his pawsteps had blended right in. He seemed startled by her presence and remained mute even though it was clear by the way she had found his gaze on her that he had spied her first. Circe eyed him openly, questioningly, and without malice before asking, "Are you alright, hun? You look like you've seen a ghost." "Circe" "Gwydion"

Treat!

Circe gets a treat!

At a nearby tree trunk, just a few yard from the one that Circe and her new acquaintance are standing beside, rests a fertile patch of Jewelweed. The herb is in pristine condition, especially for so late in the summer season. Circe will earn +5 healing points for gathering the herb in (1) round!

Treat!

Octave gets a treat!

What's that? Even through the dense, eerie fog that hangs low in the forest floor and small cluster of gems can be seen. They glimmer and sparkle even in the dull light that manages to sneak through the canopies of trees, a brilliant spectacle of rainbow. Octave gains 16 gems!