TAKEN FROM SL CHAT
-RP START-
Michael Briarthorne notices the pair of ravens near the castle he and his mate have been squatting in and comes out to greet them. “Are you here to take me to the healer’s house?”
Zipporah caws and nods, and Poe signals to the note on his leg.
The note reads:
———
“Greetings, Michael Briarthorne.
I am a tad busy with the Fantasy Faire preparations, and also several other things at task, but yes we can meet. Please follow Zipporah (the white raven). She has instructions to guide you to my home near Mount Pelion. I’ll see you here.
Cinnamon,
Healer of Cloudbirth”
——-
Michael Briarthorne reads the note and looks at the white raven… “Then on your lead, I will follow.” Michael Briarthorne follows the white raven down the road to the healer’s house.
The white bird turns around and flies off guiding the jackalope towards the healer’s home.
Cinnamon is busy outside in her yard working on her herbs.
Michael Briarthorne: “Hail healer. If you will forgive me, I was sidetracked by the scent of hot peppers…”
Zipporah lands on Cinnamon’s shoulder .. “Good job, Zip. Greetings Michael…. Forgive me, I’m too busy cleaning herbs, please sit down. Can I offer you a drink??” She serves a couple of glasses of tea and offers one to the jackalope.
Michael Briarthorne nods courteously… “That would be lovely.”
Cinnamon: “Well, MIchael Briarthorne…. How can I help you? You mentioned in your note that you wanted to confirm “something”… So, what is it?” She keeps cleaning lavender flowers as she talks.
Michael Briarthorne: “I have been hearing some rumors and whispers from the citizens of this land. The rumors I am hearing is that that fiend Jack has been acting under a curse this whole time. Now I believe you to be an honest and honorable centaur, so I will believe it if it comes from you. Is this rumor true?”
Cinnamon pauses for a moment on her tasks. “I am afraid that is true, Michael. It has been confirmed by our Queen and one of our Centaurian leaders, who have spoken to the Good Fae. And I’ve gone through enough research myself as well…” She continues cleaning up flowers and putting them away in the tray. “But tell me, Michael… What is all this information to you?”
Michael Briarthorne: “Because I might have judged Jack much too harshly. My life and that of my mate has been horrible, because people everywhere mistake me for Hopping Jack. There have also been numerous attempts on my life by would-be bounty hunters trying to make a name for themselves. And for this, I have set myself to find and kill Jack myself, for the years of hell my mate and I have endured on Jack’s behalf. With this new information I see that it was never his fault to begin with.”
Cinn puts the herbs down and thinks for a moment… “You were the one running away from me, by the magical cage, the other night, weren’t you? you and the white jackalope lady?”
Michael Briarthorne: “I was, and the white one is my mate, Iris.”
The healer nods and tries to soften her voice… “Listen, Michael… Last Samhain we had a rather dangerous encounter with Jack. Hanging out by the Great hall, with our foals and centaurides… Out of the blue, this highwayman comes out of nowhere and points his flintlock towards us. I hated him so much that all I wanted for weeks was to find him and punish him, somehow… But, there were oddities that… somehow came to light as we thought more of them… Why in the first place would he face such a crowd?”
Michael Briarthorne: “That was a bold move for Jack to be sure.”
Cinnamon: “And these last days… while talking to him… I realized that he “is” scared… REALLY scared. Not of us, not of what people would do to him in revenge… but scared from the Dark Fae coming back for him. I had to assure him several times that we WILL protect him from them meanwhile……” She shakes her head and stops.
Michael Briarthorne: “Another rumor I have heard. This all started because of some stone that is harmful to fae-kind. Is this true as well?”
Cinnamon: “Yes. It is true.”
Michael Briarthorne: “Then why punish Jack with a curse for saving their lives?”
Cinnamon: “I am not sure if I can disclose everything going on at the moment… trees have ears lately…” She looks around afraid that some Sharp Claw could be listening “…but yes. The stone is harmful to the Fae. It might be our one clue to try and break the curse once and for all. We just suppose that the Dark Fae thought of Jack as such a powerful creature able to have that stone with no harm on himself… and in some evil attempt to control him… they… cursed him.”
Michael Briarthorne: “A stone of such power. Can it be used to counter this curse, you think?”
Cinnamon: “I just hope that our Good Fae guidance is true. Our druids are doing everything they can to figure out. And hopefully, give Jack his freedom back… poor misunderstood creature…”. The healer shakes her head. “But again I ask you, Michael. What is all this information to you?? I do see how you and Jack are so much alike… I confused you with him myself…. I apologize, by the way.”
Michael Briarthorne: “I want you to see what I recently saw. Look under Jack’s eye patch. The wound inflicted when they took his eye has never healed. Not even the slightest, which means the knife used to cut out Jack’s eye was enchanted.”
Cinnamon halts at the thought. “I … never thought of seeing under his patch before… Why didn’t I…????” She scratches her head “Perhaps… the stone….?????”
Michael Briarthorne: “The night I sent a message to you requesting this meeting is the night I saw it for myself. I do know this much. Magic binds with magic. Maybe the stone can be made to replace Jack’s eye.”
The healer gasps in surprise… “Oh.. my… GODS!! Could it be that… the stone…. and the eye…?????? Excuse me Michael but I need to send a note NOW…” Cinn runs for her quill and a piece of parchment. She goes to her table and mumbles as she writes two separate notes.
Michael Briarthorne: “That is all I wanted to know and say. The rest I leave to you”
Cinnamon: “Zip, please find the Queen and then go see DragonWolf… I have a note for each of them. Make haste, silly bird, go… go!!!!”
Zipporah takes both notes with her talon and flies off to deliver the notes.
Cinnamon: “Well… believe it or not, that was quite helpful, Michael. And.. um…in the meantime… May I ask you a favor?”
Michael Briarthorne: “You may”
Cinnamon: “Do not…” She sighs. “…I know your life has been hell… because of Jack, but just… try not to judge him too hard. I bet all my obols that what you wanted all this time is revenge… but, in the end, these realms… The Queen does her best in trying for everyone to have a home. She’s accepted every creature fallen in the darkness and has helped them to come around… Jack is no exception. He was only in the wrong place, at the wrong time… punished for something simple, and he didn’t understand why.”
Michael Briarthorne: “Well. With the information you have given me, I can’t judge him for what he could not control. What kind of son of Elderridge would I be if I did so? I will not slay Jack. I swear on my honor as a son of Elderridge.”
Cinnamon: “Makes me feel better to hear that… I was rather put off by you running away in the dark the other day… And I was ready to defend Jack at all costs. It seems impossible to clean his honor now, but as I said to him, I say to you today. One step at a time. We’ll help him, and we CAN help you. Thank you Michael. I appreciate you coming to talk to me. It was a great help.”
Michael Briarthorne nods “Thank you for receiving me.”
Cinnamon: “Oh…! You like peppers, don’t you??”
Michael Briarthorne: “Peppers?”
Cinnamon: “Come here, come, come…” Gently drags him from the arm.
Michael Briarthorne: “Hot Peppers?????”
The healer points at the pepper plant…. “Here. Help yourself. I am sure you will enjoy these. Please take some home and bring them to your wife.”
Michael Briarthorne: “Oh, I plan to.”
Cinn snaps off some peppers from the small tree and hands them to Michael.
Michael Briarthorne “I’ll stop at six. Three for me, three for Iris. A son of Elderridge is never greedy. Which is another odd thing about Jack’s behavior”
Cinnamon nods… “His compulsion to take as many candy and shinies… that is completely driven by the curse of the Dark Fae. Thank you again, Michael for stopping by. I hope I can meet your wife Iris some time soon”
Michael Briarthorne: “You two would get along well”
Cinnamon smiles. “I bet”
Michael Briarthorne: “Farewell, healer”
Cinnamon: “I shall leave you. I need to keep cleaning all my herbs. Farewell, Michael”
-RP OVER-
——
(Note to Her Majesty)
Greetings, Queen Julala:
I have met Michael Briarthorne… a jackalope who wanted to talk to me about Hopping Jack. He suggested something that didn’t occur to us to look at, before… Jack’s wound, where his eye was taken, is not healing due to Dark Fae magick, … and the stone he took from the creek….. Your Majesty, it is very possible that somehow, with Roonwit magick, we can use that stone to craft Jack a new eye and break the curse. I have sent a note to DragonWolf as well to share this information with him, maybe he can look into it.
Best regards,
Cinnamon, the healer.
_____
(Note to DragonWolf)
Greetings, DragonWolf:
I need to share new information with you regarding Hopping Jack. I’ve met this jackalope, Michael Briarthone. During our talk, he shared with me that the wound under Jack’s eye patch hasn’t healed. Possibly due to Dark Fae magick, so I was wondering if you and your Roonwit druids could look into maybe using the stone to craft a new eye for Jack and get rid of the curse?? I only hope this is possible, but from how things look, all the pieces seem to fall in the right place.
Best regards,
Cinnamon, the Healer.
____