{ Horizon }

[rinwell]

RINWELL'S HORIZON
tl;dr -
○ Outer Tier: frozen slice of Cyslodia, land of darkness and snow
• Middle Tier: The Owl Forest, home to Dahnan Owls
♥ Inner Tier: a warm campsite, beneath an ever changing evening sky

Most will only ever see the outer world of ice and snow; those who find a Dahnan Owl can discover the whimsical home within their hollowed tree. But far fewer still will find the path to the place akin to home for Rinwell..

Fancy Images + Descriptions incoming!

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[rinwell]

Of course I know you. I—

[ She'd been warned. That sometimes, the Horizon could manifest the likeness of those you knew, if you wanted them present here hard enough. There'd been more to it than that, but at some point Jaskier had gotten distracted in his description by Ciri's interjections, and well. The point was, and is, that Rinwell stares at the woman sitting at the fire for far longer than would be considered polite under regular circumstances.

Never mind far too long for staring at a Renan.

(A Renan who would never have been first in her heart. And her parents have never manifested in this dream-psychic world, after all.)

There are shadows around the fire, shapes Rinwell cannot identify, so she doesn't try right now. Instead, she steps a little closer, as Hootle flutters in close to the pink haired woman, chirping happily in her direction as he perches on one of the stumps. She keeps the fire between herself and— ]

Shionne...When did you get here?

[ Cyslodia, the Horizon, or Abraxas proper: she knows what a shade she had conjured might say, but she asks anyway. ]

[everyrosehas]

[Of course is an answer that throws her off. Why would it be of course? Shionne has yet to meet anyone here. Really, for the longest time, it's only been her. Her, this weight in her chest. These... the people who follow her (or is she following them? Where did they come from?)

Shionne's eyes follow the owl, shifting her legs as she relaxes once again. If the owl is content to be so close to her, there's not much to be wary of, is there?

It's so... so cute. It looks so soft.]

When? [She looks up again, her blue eyes level. There's a relaxation to Shionne's posture, as if climbing up snowy mountains is simply a spot of fun in her day. There's no weight. No prophecies, no knowledge of a sure, promised death. There's just... a girl, who doesn't want to be alone.

She pats the log beside her.] I don't... know. [And she should. She definitely should.] You said of course. And you know me? Are we... [She hesitates over the word, even now.] Friends?

[rinwell]

[ This is getting stranger and stranger. For a long moment, Rinwell remains standing. Her hands clasp behind her back, easier to hide the way they clench and unclench. She's thinking hard, thinking back to her own experience here the first time—

How untethered she had been, disconnected from and still inextricably linked to her home. (Answering questions about the owl forest once she'd returned to Cadens had been a trip on top of a trip.)

Rinwell releases the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, and carefully steps closer. Soft small Hootle seems to have no such worries, has no doubt as to the identity of the person sitting at the fire. And Rinwell has ever trusted his feelings.

And when the log is patted, sits down. Close, but not too close. She knows all too well the sting of those thorns. ]

Well, where were you before you walked here? It looks like you'd been walking a while, if you stopped to make a fire now.

[ Her head tips to one side, and she has to pause and think herself. How does she answer that? She hadn't exactly been nice to Shionne, her tune only really changing in the last weeks before— ]

I.. Yeah. We haven't known each other very long, but I guess we're friends. [she smiles slightly, keeping her nerves steady] We were traveling together. You. Me and Hootle. [hoot!] With Law, and Kisara. Dohalim. And Alphen.

[there's an excited pulse suddenly, at the thought, the realisation:] Have you seen them around here too?

[everyrosehas]

[Shionne lays her hands in her lap, smoothing down her dress as her legs stretch out in front of her. If she's to accept anything, to not feel completely as if she's drifting off from everything, she can accept that the way she feels now is not unfamiliar. The simple campfire, and the company gathered around it -- the only thing missing is a softly spoken story, or a laugh, or even an irritated yell.

Those are the things that are missing. When she looks at Rinwell, though, it feels as if something's been returned.

And Hootle, of course.]

A forest. Several forests, actually. One would cut off, then a new one begin. Then I saw these mountains, and... they were different from ones I saw before. [She shifts, uncomfortable.] I thought I recognized them.

[Her eyes grow larger as Rinwell explains. The names... don't mean anything, and yet her heart speeds up in her chest. As she lists a name, something inside Shionne unclenches. The syllables hit her ears the way they should. Slowly, around them, the shadows Shionne unwittingly created begin to solidify. Not enough to be entirely human, but features begin to craft themselves. A pole in one's hands. A fluff of darkness like fur on a shoulder. And one, the one that sits closest to Shionne, has a light grow in its chest.

She doesn't pay them any mind. They are... hers. Somehow. The only thing that makes her balk is the final question. She doesn't want to disappoint her friend, but she must. Shionne shakes her head.] No. I don't think so. You're the first person I've met in a while, really.

[rinwell]

These mountains are found in Cyslodia. I led you and Alphen, and Zephyr through there, to get to Cysloden. Back home, on Dahna.

[ The shadows are becoming distinct enough that both Rinwell and Hootle can make them out, and once she realises what they are...Who they are, her hands come together in front of her chest, clasping her pendant; another token, left behind back home, but here and still important.

Oh, she has missed the gatherings around the camp fire. This isn't the heart of her slice of domain, far from it. But there are echoes here of what Shionne might see, if only from their shared experience.

Being welcomed into the home of the Witchers has been the closest thing to her foundling group of friends, and now, one of them sits staring at her and doesn't really recognise her.

(It's funny, how that hurts a bit. It had never occurred to her that Shionne forgetting her might be painful.) ]

That's okay.. [it's not, but she pushes on] You're in a place called the Horizon right now. There's lots of overlapping areas, where others have claimed spaces and made them look like something from their home, usually. That way? [she points south] There's a place called Kamar-Taj, from a world that's not anywhere near ours. And to the east, there's a path through the mountains that connects to a place with a castle high above.

[ She hasn't actually strayed there herself, yet. She wants to ask permission from Geralt before entering his domain.

Hootle sits and preens for a moment, before hootling curiously at both girls, and Rinwell tilts her head, considering what he wants. ]

Do...Do you remember where you were before, Shionne? Before entering the Horizon?