John
```War and Peace```

*In the forests of Kahlo, a pair of feet would be heard running swiftly...*

*...... Followed by several others.*

*A lot of others.*

*Michael is very intimate by the dangers of Kahlo, having walked the land for many a century but he never really expected that he would still be susceptibile to the possibility of being pursued.*

*Currently, he is not having it with the coordinated attacks of bandits and their pet beasts, after someone got the jump on him, and he's running around with a blasted chest and shoulder.*

*Retaliation would've been easy but from a lack of focus and finer control he might risk decimating a huge part of the woods, and that might piss off the more primal residents of the land.*

*He just hopes there wasn't any innocents nearby who might get hit with the crossfire of this pursuit.*
Jordan
I HAVE FINALLY POSTED A STARTER
Charles
*As he ran through the forest and between the trees, the world only seemed to get denser and denser, thick tall grass snagging at his ankles, low hanging branches grabbing his clothes. The forest felt... Alive, more than ever. The wind itself seemed to be following him, whispering through the treetops. 

It was becoming almost too dense to get through, gnarly tree roots tripping him until— 

**SNAP** 

Right into a tripwire trap unseen in the grass, a net of vines immediately pulling up beneath him and dragging him far into the treetops. For a moment it seemed he was alone up there, until...* 

"Uhm.. Hello?" 

*A figure made itself known nearby, sat on a sturdy branch as he whittled away at a piece of wood with a carving knife. He seemed utterly confused to say the least, leaning over to get a better look at Michael.* 

"You aren't what i was after— what are you doing out here? Are you lost?" *He questioned, inching closer along the branch.*
John
*The world getting thicker is the last thing he needs. From the perspective of the injured he felt that his vision is wavering out of the blood loss he is suffering despite his distracted control of the bleeding.*

*They keep following him.*

*Stop following him.*

*And then he was caught.*

*Seems like he was forced to cut really loose to escape from this, but resolve turned to panic as he saw an elf approaching him. What the fuck is he doing neck deep in the woods???*

"Please... You have to—"

*The creaking footsteps grow louder and closer as he can feel a spear flying to his direction and that was where he grew desperate.*

*There was a dangerous shiver in the air as everything creaked like a sound vibrating to creation's very being, and the spear stopped short before hitting him, shaking slightly before being pulverized to pieces... And with a forced and angered exhale.*

*The force exploded in a shockwave with a pop, crushing the vines that surround him and would send Charles flying back while some of the hunters that were in hot pursuit and closer to him, twisted and contorted themselves to death, bones disgustingly cracking from the sounds of snapping, neck first.*

*However that wasn't enough to deal with them all.*

*The ones further away were only either thrown back or disoriented, but Michael has already fallen to the ground, barely conscious, and using all his waking energy to just control the bleeding.*
Charles
*The elf tilted his head curiously at michael's words, unsure what he meant.* 

''huh? Are you—'' 

*Before he could finish his statement, he felt the trees shake with energy, his eyes widening in a moment of realisation before he was thrown backwards across the treetops by the force. 

Hitting several branches along the way, they eventually seemed to curl around him to catch him, lowering him unsteadily to the ground where he saw.. 

Gore. Disgustingly contorted shapes, bent unnaturally against themselves in ways he couldn't quite understand. For a few seconds he seemed to only stand in horrified silence, hand hovering over the potions at his belt. He had seen worse from adventurers but it was never pleasant to experience regardless. 

Quickly shaking his head, he took a deep breath and ran over towards michael, seeing he was barely holding together.* 

''here, hold- hold on a moment, i've got something, i—'' 

*Another spear barely grazed past them, taking a small chunk out of the elf's 'antlers'. Turning back towards their attackers, he dragged his hand through the air, the trees and grass between them and the others weaving into a thick wall, sheltering them.* 

''drink this. It- it'll help, it's a healing potion, just stay awake okay?'' 

*Clearly worried, he took a vial of pink liquid from his belt, popping the cork out. Kneeling besides him, he lifted the witches head a little before placing the top of the vial against michael's lips to prompt him to drink it.*
John
*The beasts and the hunters are ferocious and relentless but the forest shall hold them off in the meantime, although with the the noise that seemed to cause quite the ruckus from the other side, it would seem that they'd tear through the defense eventually.*

*As for Michael, he doesn't even have the energy to nod in agreement to Charles, as he used the last of his energy to clumsily swallow the drink, some of the liquid dripping down to his chin.*

*He gave off a pained breath followed by what seemed to be a hint of relief which eventually slowed to a lulled one as his weak eyes stared at Charles for a moment before he slowly raised his arm and a small rune would light up from his fingers and shot itself to the wall, before he closed his eyes shut.*

*Seemed like he can't make good with Charles's request, nevertheless he's still alive, just unconscious in the moment.*

*As for the wall, it was slowly covering the wall like liquid spreading.*

*Charles would feel the energy of the nature being overcharged from that rune. With the mage unconscious and relentless killers right on their trail.*

*Seems like a ticking time bomb is perfect to throw them off hopefully for good while Charles could whisk the two of them to safety, before the hunters decide to wisen up and circle around the wall instead of forcing their way through.*
Charles
"H-hey, hold on, don't pass out now! Wake up!!" 

*Despite his gentle shaking of Michael, it seemed he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. 

His eyes darted towards the wall, now covered by reinforcement as their attackers tried to hack their way through. There wasn't going to be much time, even with the strength of nature being enhanced.. Which notably seemed to force the antlers on his head to begin blooming with golden flowers, white leaves spreading around the vines in his hair.

Looking around for a moment, he took a deep breath and gave a shrill whistle. Only moments later, a surprisingly large bear emerged from the bushes, lumbering its way over to the two.* 

"Take him back to Eden, quickly! Go, go, I won't be far behind-" 

*The bear appeared to nod, helping Charles to push the unconscious man onto the bears back before it took off running further into the woods.

Charles meanwhile turned back to the attackers, flinching as he felt them hacking away at the plant life... Any more of that and he was sure he wouldn't be in much better shape than Michael. 

Steadying himself, he took a grey potion from his belt. Throwing it straight towards the wall of plants— only for it to split open, the potion bottle breaking on the head of an attacker. From there, a blinding light and thick smog covered the surrounding area. 

With their foes blinded, Charles immediately took off towards Eden himself, the grass shifting to cover their tracks as he soon caught up. 

It was only minutes later that the two and their furry companion would arrive at a little building, covered almost entirely by plant life. If it weren't for the light inside, it would've looked abandoned.

Again, he gently tried to shake Michael to wake him.*
John
*If someone were to see what Charles had pulled off with the grey potion, one would've been very impressed with the coordination two strangers have managed to create from each other, as the blinding smog disoriented the pursuers and it only took Charles taking off from the scene before the multiple reactions from the area, prompted a detonation from the rune that Michael placed earlier.*

*If anyone would've lived through all of that, then trauma would follow the rest of their life with the immense failure they have received that day.*

*As for when he reached Eden however... He'd find that the work was more professional than he thought from their pursuers when Michael is still unconscious, the wound festering with a dark energy. His healing potion have only stabilized him and his recover is significantly slower from what's already expected after drinking his potion due to this magical interference, it seemed he may have to patch this stranger up manually and give him some time to rest.*
Charles
*Dark magic... Something he was somewhat familiar with, surprisingly. There was only a small line between plant necromancy and regular necromancy after all.

Hauling him off of the bear and (with some difficulty) dragging the man inside, he gave one final bit of effort to haul him onto one of the sturdy wooden tables. 

Catching his breath for a moment, he fumbled around for a moment or two in his bag before pausing. Hesitating, he reached for a flower growing on his antlers, plucking it off.

Carefully pulling away the tattered pieces of clothes around the wound, he rest the flower onto it, watching as it began to slowly die off as it gradually absorbed the dark energy. 

Humming to himself he began to Carefully cover the wound with bandages of leaves that appeared with a brush of his fingertips, slowly making his way around Michael to address any extra minor injuries he mightve had. 

Stepping back with bloodied hands once he was done, he stared at Michael for a moment, unsure what to really make of him. Why was he being hunted? Did he do something wrong?.. Was he some diplomat he was unfamiliar with?*

".. Let's hope he's okay at least. Poor man looks like he's had a rough day.." 

*With a sigh, he decided to leave it for now. Instead he went to clean up after today and get a hot meal ready for his new guest. He had a feeling he'd be starving once he woke up.*
John
*Some time has passed.*

*Eventually, peace has returned to the troubled man on the bed, as his mind dreamt of that faint figure who saved him earlier along with a marvelous display of natural magic and knowledge before he nodded off. Everything was blurry but it did slowly called him back to the living as he woke up and silence overtook his mind.*

*He can smell the aroma of nature.*

*Lavender, tea, mistletoe, and sage overtaking the infinite variety of herbs and flowers that hit his nose. Druidic ingredients.*

*He can feel the energy of nature coursing through his body and checked that his bleeding and tattered clothes were replaced with bandages as he touched his bare chest, torso, and legs, and approved of the medical work done to him.*

*He looked around and soon realized that he is not in his abode. This is a different place. He is wary, but he was patched up here so there may be no need to worry. Although, he felt a bit sheepish thinking that the person might have been forced to strip him bare to patch and clean him up.*

*He owes them a lot.*
Charles
*Scouring his surroundings as he awoke, it wasn't hard to tell that it was bustling with life. The walls, the chairs, the tables, even the lights; they were all made of carefully woven flowers and trees, constantly moving... 

In a slightly more unsettling turn of events, the flowers all seemed to turn towards him at once, watching. Seeming alert, it wasn't long before they had warned his saviour of his awakening. 

Moments later, Charles's head peered around the kitchen doorframe, his halo of vines blooming with joy once he saw Michael was okay.* 

"Ah! You're finally awake! How are you feeling? It looked like you took quite a beating out there... Are you hungry?" 

*Rattling through questions, he didn't even wait for an answer before going ahead and bringing through a steaming bowl of fresh stew regardless. Venison and a variety of perfectly cooked vegetables, many notably magic in nature.

Making his way over, he carefully set the bowl on the table besides Michael, his friendly smile ever present.* 

"Here, it's best if you eat anyway.. It'll help with any internal damage. Broken bones, bleeding, bruising.. I'm sure you understand how bad that'd be." *He remarked with a small chuckle, remaining standing besides him.*
John
*He only stared back at the flowers before Charles peeked in the doorframe and he would look at him next before his head hung low in defeat and shame, having a bout of everything coming back to him, and he quietly took the bowl and ate of it.*

*There was a slightly uncomfortable silence for a long moment before he leaned back on the headboard and spoke up.*

"Is... Is the forest okay???"
Charles
*A small "Eh?" Of surprise could be heard from Charles at his sudden concern for the forest. Shouldn't he be more worried about himself?

Pulling up one of his own sleeves, Charles looked down to his arms. A small scar ran across his freckles, prompting a sigh.*

"It's damaged.. But it'll be alright. I can always go back and fix it later— the forests tougher than you think." *He remarked with a small giggle, watching as Michael ate his stew.* 

"Worry about yourself for now though! You're still injured, so it might be best to stay here over night at least.. Its safe here, people won't find it unless the forest let's them."
John
"That's great. Although even if they do... Well... They won't get to have the chance to strike me again."

*He simply said as he stared at Charles.*

"Thank you by the way. For saving me... And the stew."

*He finally smiled at the elf even if it was just a small one.*

"You have beautiful antlers by the way."
Charles
*Charles only shook his head disapprovingly at michael's vaguely threatening statement, feeling a small shiver run down his spine at the memory of what happened. He really hated to think about that...* 

''it's no problem, really! I run into a lot of unfortunate adventurers out there, you're not the first and you certainly won't be the last.'' *He remarked with a chuckle, a tree stump rising from the ground just behind him as he sat down. 

At michael's compliment, a small 'oh!' of surprise was heard, the buds on his halo slightly opening up to bloom.* 

''well, thank you! They're actually extinct tree branches rooted into my skull.'' *He explained with a surprising amount of joy for someone who just admitted they had old roots in their brains.*
John
*Michael paused at the knowledge that Charles harbours extinct tree branches in their skull as he looked at the aforementioned appendages and his expression softened as he silently motioned Charles to move closer.*
Charles
*Charles tilted his head a little in confusion at michael's gesture, not quite understanding at first. Why did he want to see?.. 

Regardless of his doubt, the tree truck moved beneath him to scoot him towards michael as charles lowered his head a little to get closer.* 

''is.. Is there something on my face?'' *He questioned, unsure what michael was after.*
John
*Michael held a serious look in his face as he held on the antlers for a moment.*

*.........*

*It's not like the roots can be used to identify a plant easily... But as he held the antlers, he can feel something ancient inside him resonate with Charles and Charles to him. But to Michael, he knows that there was truth in Charles's words, that although descendants, variations, and evolutions exist...*

*..... The last time this plant bloomed around the world was... Just about thousands of years ago. And the ancient floras and faunas were not just special because of their novelty, they were also closer to the core of nature than what remained nowadays. Brimming with natural power.*

*Michael pricked his finger on Charles's antlers as he let blood drip on the appendages... Before power sparked on the roots and pulling his hand back slowly, the antlers gently sprouting in response to his magic.*

"So it's true."

*He simply said. Seems like he didn't believe Charles at first until he personally tested it himself.*

*How funny for fate and chance conspiring for them to meet this way.*

"...... You have the roots of the old druids in you. I'm Michael."

*He held out his hand to him for a handshake.*
Charles
*Charles remained visibly confused when michael grabbed an antler, but didn't protest. He only stood there patiently, unsure what he was doing— it wasn't like he could really see up there anyway... 

His eyes darted up as he felt the branch bloom, only looking down again with equal confusion once michael spoke to him.* 

''the... Old druids? Oh, no, this is a tree branch silly!'' *He responded happily, a small giggle escaping as he took michael's hand to shake. He's clearly not the sharpest tool in the shed..* 

''it's good to meet you on first name terms finally! I'm charles- charles moretti. Now we're on closer terms... I've got a few questions actually!'' 

*Letting go of michael's hand, he instead leant against the table he was laid on.* 

''so, what happened out there? Why were you being chased?'' *He asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.*
John
"Well..."

*He raised a confused brow at Charles's response to him at first.*

"..... That's reassuring to know their heritage has fallen in... A simpler man."

*He mumbled to himself and would answer his other inquiry next with another inquiry.*

"Is there really a specific reason to be chased down in Kahlo or anywhere for the matter??? This kingdom even chase down werewolves for no solid reason at all."

*He sighed.*

"Just to reassure you I suppose... They tried to lay hands on me."

*He stared flatly at Charles for a few seconds before laughing, knowing just how fucked up that sounds.*

"They're just a coordinated team of robbers I suppose. Man walking alone in a dense forest... I think it makes for an easy killing for them."
Charles
*At his explanation, charles gave a sympathetic nod of his head.* 

''ah, i understand that... It's happened to me as well. Plenty of others too! You wouldn't believe how many people like you i've brought back here.. Most in much worse shape too.'' *He remarked with a small sigh, shaking his head. 

Reaching up to his neck, he pulled down the thin layer of cloth that covered it, showing the area between his neck and shoulder. Across it, a long, deep, raw scar remained.* 

''i had a pretty nasty run in a while back... Someone thought i was an angel, decided they wanted to... I dont know, kidnap me maybe?.. I- i'm not really sure, truthfully, but we got into a pretty bad scuffle. Barely made it out...'' 

*Covering up the scar again, he gave a small smile.* 

''still, i shouldn't be talking about my own scars here— how are yours feeling? Are they healing okay?'' *He asked, gently placing a hand over one of michael's wounds.*
John
"They will heal in due time like all wounds that came before it. So should that scar, with the magic you possess."

*He confidently answered him as he looked away sheepishly when he touched one of his wounds. He can't do anything about his wounds yet, when he's still recovering his might from that altercation earlier. Or maybe he doesn't want to do anything about it???*

"You don't have wings. What made them think you're an angel???"
Charles
*When he asked, charles simply pointed up at the 'halo' around his heads. Vines, woven together in a circle, floating in place as if it charles was its centre of gravity.* 

''it looks gold in the right light... I guess maybe they thought my wings had been clipped? Or hidden? I don't know... Never got a chance to ask them.'' *He remarked with a soft sigh, although didn't elaborate further. It was left up to michael to assume what had happened, unless he cared enough to ask.* 

''my scar's already healed as far as it'll go.. Any more, and it's a risk. Yours, however... If you want, i can get you another potion to speed things up maybe? I assume you've got places to be, i wouldn't want to keep you here for too long.. Unless you want to stay for a while?'' 

*The flowers on his antlers bloomed a little further at his own suggestion, a hint of excitement in his eyes. It wasn't often people stayed, he honestly missed having company out here, and michael seemed pleasant enough to hang out with.*
John
"Is the scar magical in nature???"

*He asked him curiously, as it is unheard for a scar to be persistent because dealing with it beyond the extent of what Charles can allow himself to deal with it would lead to a risk.*

"I don't have anywhere else to go so I suppose I can try to help you with clearing that off your body."

*He genuinely offered to him first before asking his next set of questions.*
Charles
*The elf hummed in thought for a moment, his hand idly tracing over the scar.* 

''... In a way, i suppose so. It.. It was healed with the same flower used to help you. But it was nearly fatal, i panicked, things went wrong fast and— well, this is the result! A mix of rushed potion work, ancient flora, and shaky magic... It's a tangled mess of stuff, not easy to fix.'' *He remarked with a solemn sigh, shaking his head.* 

''i think it adds character though! It's kind of pretty, in it's own way... Right? It gets a little sore sometimes but... Really, it's no trouble! You shouldn't worry about a silly scar of mine, i've got plenty of others to keep it company.'' *He joked, a small chuckle escaping.*
John
"...... You don't have a lot of company coming to this place do you???"

*He asked him with a hint of pity in his voice.*
Charles
*A small 'eh?' of confusion escaped charles at his sudden change in question, his head tilting to the side slightly.* 

''well, i- what makes you think that? You're right, but uh.. Jeez, i don't seem that lonely do i?'' *He asked with a nervous chuckle, resting his hands in his lap as he awkwardly fiddled with his thumbs.* 

''i get a few adventurers come by... They usually dont stop for long though. Just come by... Get their potions and food... Maybe rest...'' 

*He shook his head, his smile softening slightly.* 

''i suppose it's just business though. I've got other life to keep me company still!''
John
"Well... You're kind of excited at the thought of me staying longer here."

*He simply said his observation to Charles.*

"........ Not that I mind it one bit. I don't. As long as you'll have me."

*He accepted his implications.*

"I'm sure the world will keep on turning without me for a few days or so. Although, my familiar would miss me dearly... You don't mind serpents do you???"
Charles
*His cheeks reddened slightly at Michael's astute observation, clearly a little embarrassed by the whole situation.* 

"Well... I do always appreciate company. Stay as long as you'd like! There's plenty of supplies here if you need them." *He offered happily, although was still visibly trying to contain his excitement. To most he was essentially just a useful NPC, so it was nice to have some extra company around.* 

"Serpents? Oh, of course not! They always have the best stories. Clementine could do with seeing some kind of distant relative anyway, she gets a little lonely out here."

*Of course, he didn't elaborate on who or what clementine was.*
John
*Michael slowly stood up from the bed, reeling slightly from the wounds that are still slowly healing as he laid back down on the bed, and eventually tried again.*

"Ah yes. Druids do understand animals one way or another... Soooo... How well do you understand them???"

*He asked him curiously, while he continued to get his body's bearings back into place.*
Jordan
CRAWLED OUT OF THE ETHER
Charles
*As michael attempted to sit up properly, charles gave a small 'no, no, hold on—' in response, carefully placing a hand on his back the second time he tried to get up, his other hand taking a gentle hold on michael's arm.* 

''how well? Ah, well... Perfectly, i'd say. I don't mean to brag, but i've never met flora nor fauna i couldn't speak to!'' *He proudly proclaimed, his eyes glancing up to the flowery ceiling for a moment as something moved amongst it.* 

''even the mightiest creatures are easy to speak to when you know how.'' *He remarked, a small smile on his face as a tiny creature no bigger than his hand glided down from the ceiling, landing on his antlers... 

A very tiny orange dragon, staring at michael curiously.*
John
"So you have spoken to dragons???"

*He tested Charles knowing he'd probably fail that question. Although if he did spoke to a dragon, he'd be most impressed. Although he technically was correct, speaking from experience that is.*

"Not that excellent potion ingredient but a real dragon."

*Did he just—*

"Just kidding... You'll grow soon enough, and then you'll be a good dragon helping the druid here with various advanced potion related needs."
Charles
*Charles only shook his head slightly at Michael's remark, disapproving.* 

"Clementine *Is* A real dragon, silly! She's just a baby! This species grows up to be *Huge*, likely taller than most of the trees here." *He insisted with a small pout.* 

"But, for your information, I *Have* Spoken with much larger dragons too. Chimeras, basilisks, phoenix, harpies... Like I say, no creature has been out of my reach." *He reiterated, slowly letting go of Michael to let him stand by himself this time.

Unfortunately, charles was no stranger to people doubting or downplaying him. He never seemed like the powerful type, lacking the will to flaunt it or the need to prove himself.*
John
"By birth and biologically *Clementine* Does. But dragons have a rite of passage when they mature. It is in their blood. For now... It is a fledgling under your care. It will be many years until the elders come to truly accept this child as one of their own."

*He also corrected Charles, while he patted the berry dragon with his finger.*

"And if you've managed to converse with greater beasts and live then you do truly possess the heritage of the old druids."

*He said to Charles, never doubting him much in the first place. Having the power to bring back the long lost flora even when there should be thousands of mages and druids scattered across Ambrosia who should have long since found a way to erase the threat of extinction is already indicative of his innate power as a druid.*

*He sighed slightly, already wanting to bring Charles to the society of mages but like the old ones, it is not what they're meant to be... Charles is at home here in Kahlo, here in nature.*

*He sighs in disappointment, having chosen to keep Charles here with his peace against the druids celebrating finding an old one among them.*

*He eventually got out of the bed, the blanket sliding off his body, and exposing himself to the cold air in the elf's abode, now fully realising his current appearance to him.*

"Oh. Well... This is embarrassing."
Charles
"I know how dragons work, michael, I live with one." *He spoke firmly, a thin smile on his face as if to say "You really don't want to get into this debate with me". It soon returned to his usual warm grin however as Michael pet clementine- only to have the dragon monch on his finger with its tiny teeth. Ultimately harmless, but adorable nonetheless.

Just as he was about to ask about the druids Michael mentioned, he froze in place for a moment at the blanket drop. Almost immediately his face lit up a soft red, quickly turning away to be polite. A few more little buds grew on his antlers and hair, this time a bright pink.* 

"Goodness gracious— we need to find you some more clothes. Your other ones were tattered and filthy." *He muttered with a sharp sigh, shaking his head briefly.* 

"Keep the blanket for now, I'm sure there's some spare clothes upstairs.. Gosh, you should be more careful." *He softly reprimanded Michael, waiting for him to cover himself again before he turned back around.*
John
"Alright."

*He chuckled watching Charles's flustered expression of him as he picked the blanket up and wrapped it around himself, waving goodbye to Clementine as his master went on to grab new clothes.*

*While Charles is gone, Michael have went on to perform the ritual to summon the serpent at his location, regretting the fact that he left him behind. Maybe he wouldn't be in this situation if he had him on hand, drawing the symbol on his chest, and chanting softly, it won't take a while, before his eyes rolled back and let the serpent leave through his mouth, the familiar hissing in annoyance before it wrapped itself around Michael's body, slithering slowly down to the floor. When they were done, the serpent was quick to berate Michael over what just happened to him.*
Charles
*Whilst Charles was gone, the familiar feeling of being watched returned.. The plants on every surface turned towards Michael and the basilisk, rustling against each other as if communicating. It was an unsettling feeling, but surely nothing would happen..

Not long after disappearing, Charles returned with a stack of different clothes in his arms for Michael to try. Most were a little more loose and flowy like Charles's, making them easy to adjust.* 

"Here, I found some— oh! Is this the serpent you mentioned? Wow, aren't you a pretty fellow..." *He remarked in awe, setting the clothes down on the table besides Michael, soon turning his attention back towards the snake.* 

"Such vibrant scales! Very, very beautiful." *He mused happily, offering a hand out to pet the big snek.*
John
*When Charles returned, the master and the familiar turned their heads to the druid at the same time, as Michael was left on read while the elf moved to pet the snake.*

*The serpent hissed back at Charles as their eyes slitted to him before big snek booped the snoot to the coot... And then delivered a slightly strong dry bite at Charles, which had no venom in it, but still a bite nevertheless. Seems like the snake had no control on its own strength at times.*

"Slither!!! No!!!"

*He bapped the snake's head to admonish him of this behaviour as the serpent hissed back in annoyance again to him.*

*I HATE YOU!!!*

*And the serpent is also fussy as it seems, shaking itself and rolling occasionally.*

 "He'll calm down quickly... Maybe."

*He gently grabbed Charles's hand to see the extent of the snek's dry bite on the elf.*
Charles
*As slither clamped his jaws around charles' hand, the elf flinched for a moment before giving the snek a very 'im not mad, im just disappointed' stare.* 

''you can always just ask me not too, there's no need to bite.'' *He gently scolded the snake, a soft underlying hiss in his voice as he spoke.

Letting michael examine his hand, charles shook his head slightly with a small giggle. It was cute that he was worried at least.* 

''don't worry about it, dear, i can heal it in a moment. It's no worry, really!'' *He insisted, but didn't seem to bother with pulling his hand away.*
John
"No no. He doesn't let anyone just approach him... He likes you."

*He clarified to Charles.*

"But he bites you regardless."

*He sighs as the serpent eventually calmed down and laid flat like a rug on the floor as it looked up to the two of them, the same slitted eyes staring back at the warlock and the druid.*

"This one just doesn't know its own strength sometimes."
Charles
''sounds a bit like my ex.'' *He joked, a soft chuckle escaping as he watched slither go flat on the floor. Cute, if he wasnt so bitey.* 

''still, it's alright, really! I've had worse bites— manticores, especially... Gosh, those are nasty sometimes.'' *He muttered, moving his hand away from michael and heading towards the kitchen instead.* 

''again, it's no bother though! It'll heal, juuuuuust needs a little bit of a brew to help.. If i can find the stuff.'' *He mumbled to himself, rummaging around his kitchen cupboard.*
John
*And now it was Michael's turn to observe Charles at work, silently observing how well he was at potioncraft and frankly he was interested on how he managed to cure the affliction he has received from those hunters as he was reminded of something.*

"....... That... That was excellent spellwork back there in the forest."

*He finds himself a chair to sit down, while the serpent sniffed the air, smelling something so uncharacteristically fruity.*
Charles
''you think so? I was in a bit of a panic, truthfully, so it's certainly not my best.'' *He admitted with a chuckle, eventually pulling a box out of his cupboard. Setting it on the countertop and opening it up, he took out... 

A cupcake. Chocolate and mint by the looks of it.* 

''do you want one, by the way? It's my own recipe!'' *He offered, setting a cupcake on the side for michael. Taking one for himself, he took a bite (promptly covering the tip of his nose in frosting, too) and gave a small sigh of satisfaction. 

At first it looked as though he was just procrastinating potion brewing, but after a moment... The bite began to glow, rapidly healing with every bite of food he took.*
John
"No."

*He closes his eyes as he tries to recall what detail he could recover from that encounter. Truthfully, the wall of nature wasn't too impressive but the way he casually commanded the nature around him, and the way his magic meshed with the manipulated greenery... It was rich... It was verdant. Quite more than most of the druids he meets nowadays. Perhaps it's because of Charles's elven lineage but his power runs deeper than this one could see.*

"..... It was more than enough. It was beautiful. Marvelous."

*He genuinely complimented Charles's magic.*

"But I admire your modesty about it even more. You're stronger than you think, Mr. Charles."

*As for the cupcake, it was the snake who casually slithered up and snuck the treat to his mouth with gentle yoink and monch.*

*As it swallowed the treat, the serpent would be filled with vigor as his eyes perked up, and he quickly crawled to Charles and wrapped his mouth around his leg, munching on him this time without any penetration to the skin whatsoever.*

"...... Won over by a cupcake."

*Michael frowned at the childish display.*

"I suppose I must taste this cupcake for myself."
Charles
*A visible blush settled on the elfs face at his compliments, clearly not used to it. Although in the end he really only laughed it off, shaking his head.* 

"Thank you, really, but it was sloppy. Maybe I'll show you something better sometime!" *He insisted, soon finishing off his cupcake as he watched slither sneak up and monch on the other.

His brow raised in curiosity as slither seemed to quickly warm up to him, watching with a little smile as the serpent went and harmlessly munched on his leg.* 

"Awww... Do you want another?" *He spoke to slither with an almost motherly tone, setting two more cupcakes on the countertop. One for Michael, and another for slither.*

"Go ahead, try, they're good for healing! Everything made here is it's own little potion, in a way. Even the water has traces of extra stamina and strength at this point." *He admitted with a giggle to himself, leaning against the countertop.*
John
*Michael ate the cupcake and proved Charles's words as he can feel himself recover even faster from eating the first bite... And finds himself enjoying the treat somehow. Not only was this therapeutic but it's quite tasty even for his standards.*

"Mmmm. And you're quite talented in the brewery and the kitchen."

*He said while idly taking bites off the cupcake. He sat back down on the edge of the bed and remembered he still needed to wear something as he quickly finished the cupcake and wiped the frosting clean off his mouth with his hand and licked it clean.*

*Yes, he's not ashamed on acknowledging the sweetness of the thing. Besides... It's not vegetables. Even better. Wait... Is this thing made of vegetables??? Does this elf also has a predominantly vegan diet like druids???*

*He slightly frowned at the thought.*

"Anyways... Maybe I will get to see you show me something better this time."

*The clothes ended up being a bit tight on some parts of the fabric and loose on some, but it was fine. He had a slightly different frame than Charles. A bit stockier from his meat based diet. It's to be expected.*

*As for the serpent, the serpent continued to harmlessly munch on the elf's leg, before he got a bit carried away again... But the bite this time was more like a tiny nick. Like a small puncture from a needle, which doesn't exactly hurt, but there was a small pinch indicating the fact his fangs had sunk a bit deeper than usual.*

*Seems like he still needs a lot more training on showing affection to people. But he also seems to learn quite fast.*

*He would remove himself from Charles after that and coiled itself around his leg before crawling off to yoink another cupcake again.*
Charles
"Awww... You think so? Ive been told i would make a great wife with my culinary talents." *He joked with a giggle, his blush only deepening. He seemed to enjoy the compliments at least. 

Letting Michael head out to get dressed properly, he turned his attention towards slither. Little guy was gonna get potion drunk on those cupcakes if he wasn't careful. Thinking for a moment, Charles instead turned towards a wooden crate covered in Frost.* 

"Maybe it'd be best if you try something else, hm? You'll get sick if you eat too many sweet things." 

*Opening the crate, fresh meat could be seen inside sat on a bed of icy flowers that kept it cool and prevented spoiling. Taking out a chunk of meat, he offered it out to slither. 

It seemed Michael's vegan theory was soon to be disproven, as Charles took another chunk of the raw venison for himself and... Just sunk his teeth straight into it, the residual blood pooling around the corners of his mouth.*
John
*And the soonest the cupcake was finished off by the serpent, his gentle demeanor of quickly changed back to its more aggressive one as it basically flew to Charles's hand... It almost seemed like he was going to also chomp the elf's hand clean off... But the snake skillfully only swooped the meat off of his hand, immediately swerving away from him and tossed the thing up before monching it clean. Ah yes. The snek is still a snek. No matter how many cupcakes you'd offer the beast.*

"I smell meat— oh."

*Wow, was he proven wrong... Wait... Is the elf also a vampire???*

"I see you've now proceeded to acquaint yourself with the serpent with meat... And your limbs are still intact."

*He would move to his familiar and give him headpats.*

"Well... I suppose at this hour it should be nightfall now. Do you want me to cook that meat for you???"

*He would ask Charles next.*
Charles
*A small 'aaww..' escaped charles at slithers eagerness, not minding that he nearly lost his hand to the serpent. He just gently pet the snek. 

Seeing michael's surprise at his dietary habits, charles just flashed a smile; slightly wider than before to show fangs, although not quite vampiric. More like the fangs any carnivorous predator tends to have.* 

''of course, of course, i doubt he'd want to take my limbs like that. I wouldn't be able to make more cupcakes otherwise..'' *He remarked with a small giggle, licking the blood from his lips before continuing.* 

''and uh— no thanks, i prefer it raw. Don't worry though, i can always cook you something if you want though, i know it's not really everyone's diet.'' 

*Idly munching on the meat, he wiped his bloody hands onto his apron to keep them clean before continuing.* 

''what uh.. What is your diet, actually? I know a lot of species tend to have different diets, and i've never really run into many witches before.. At least not many that stuck around for very long, anyway.''
Jordan
GOD. AT LEAST OLD CHARLES HAD A REASON.

From "Is this blood ethically sourced" To "Fuck vegans in particular."
Kelly
There are carnivorous plants, meat is a great source of food for any type of plant in general too!
Jordan
Did you just throw a fucking 🎄 at me???
John
"You shouldn't doubt he already took mine the first few months we've been together once he started to grow as a serpent."

*He said to him as a matter of fact before he answered his question.*

"...... Well... I don't exactly like vegetables but I do acknowledge it needs to be a part of my diet."

*He sighed in disappointment.*

"Although, if you prefer eating things raw, then I won't hold it against you... But I do hope you're well-stocked with spices."

*Of course, knowing the few things he know about the druidic elf, he has a feeling that he has everything he needed here and more.*
Charles
"Well, I should hope he knows better than to take mine." *Charles said with a polite smile, despite the stern stare slither would get at the remark. Not a threat, but more so a declaration.

Looking back to Michael at his remark of not liking vegetables, Charles could only giggle as though he'd heard it a thousand times before.* 

"I see, I see. I'm sure I can change your mind though! And don't worry about the spices— they're fresh off the walls." *He remarked with a gesture of his hand, a little saffron flower growing where his fingertips brushed the foliage.* 

"Go on, you go get yourself settled in around here and I'll get to cooking, okay? Make yourself comfortable, I won't be long." 

*With a smile, he went to grab his apron. One of those cheesy 'kiss the cook' ones with a bunch of little hearts on it, of course.*
John
*Michael quietly settled in on a dining table in Eden once he found it and gestured for the serpent to come along, much to the dismay of the serpent who's already eyeing one of the plants in the room.*

*It would probably be a bad idea to earn the ire of the living plants in Eden, so it was a good moment for Slither to leave and not get himself in trouble as usual.*

*After seeing Charles with the cheesy apron however, Michael couldn't help himself from cracking a smile over the whole thing.*

"So what will Eden's host prepare for us for the evening???"

*He asked Charles curiously.*