[Beansprout]

A E S T H E T I C       A R T

Tell me a story, mamma, she had once cooed as a child. Tell me about a place far away from here, because the forest had felt so boring to her. It had once been full of wonder to her, but soon she had explored every nook and cranny and everything was the same. She graced the forests presence with her dainty stride, chasing wood pigeons as she weaved between the trees and catching small rabbits in the fields. Nothing surprised her, nothing was unexpected.

Until one day, her family started to disappear, one by one.

It was inevitable, wasn't it? Firstly because they were such a large group, it was a wonder that none of them had died yet. But they were also growing up now, ready to taste what life really had in store for them. Her siblings had started to vanish without a trace, and it seemed to signal that the time had finally come. She blessed the forest one last time with her presence, and then she ventured beyond.

(The wood pigeons sighed in relief).

Mother told her of a world that was different to her own. Forests that were bogged down by rain, their roots numerous and clustered, bursting from the ground in places to snag unwary souls. The waters were murky and dark and hid scaly monsters with thousands of teeth. The canopies blocked nearly all the sunlight, and they sang with a cacophony of sounds; screeching and howling from little creatures that would swing through the branches high above using their tails and their arms. The birds were colourful and extravagant, and the spiders were huge and hairy.

It was where she was from, Mother had said. But you should never go there, little Bea.

But little Beansprout did not understand why back then, and even now, the thought of finding this magical land was exciting. So she swam through the mangroves, gliding through the clear waters with elegance. Eventually her paws hit dirt, and beyond that she was wading through this flooded land towards...somewhere. She didn't really know, to be fair. It smelt...nice, though. Perhaps she could do some sightseeing.

Until she reached the cliffside, leaning back as she tried to see how high it was.

"Oh," She breathed, tilting her head to the side, the leaf on her head making no movement whatsoever. "What a bother." Came her conclusion to the barrier that stopped her dead in her tracks. She was about to wander off, but soon she saw someone actually on the cliffs itself.

"Hello," She called, a small smile touching her lips. "How did you get up there?"

How exciting, meeting someone new!

[Lorcan]

   Fuck Itai, and Aine, and every-fucking-body in El Dorado; Lorcan does his job, and anyone that says otherwise can sit on it. Most of his time's out on the border (in varying stages of sobriety, but they don't need to know that), but they don't think to look up and actually realize it.

   This one did. He raises one eyebrow, visible even from down there with all the contrast in his markings, and tosses his head behind him to indicate, "Way up's on the other side." Since when do they get so many visitors? Lark was supposed to be a cushy rank; who goes looking for El Dorado? "Who the hell're you?"

[Beansprout]

A E S T H E T I C       A R T
Beansprout's Background Music
Zelda Ocarina of Time - Zora's Domain

This man had feathers. Beansprout thought she had been seeing things at first, but there was no mistaking the vivid blue and green swaying in the wind. She had never seen anything like it, and her head tilted ever so slightly to the side. "Are those yours?" She thought out loud, her eyes clearly focused on his feathers as she asked.

"Way up's on the other side."

She takes a moment to peer to one side, only to see the cliffs stretching on into the horizon. It would be quite a walk, then.

"Who the hell're you?"

"My name is Beansprout," She replies with a smile, and her long tail gently moves through the water from side to side. "What is yours?" She wondered if he could fly. She imagined him gracefully leaping from his perch and soaring through the skies, chasing squawking birds and crushing them in his jaws. She blinked as she dismissed the daydream and, with a smile still on her face, questions him further:

"Am I allowed up? Perhaps you could show me the way..."

If only so she could see his bizarre features up close.

[Lorcan]

   Lorcan flexes his crest feathers and turns his head to the side, giving her an even better view. "Sure are," he starts, licking his snout and quickly diverting the conversation, "What, you don't have any? Sucks for you."

   "My name is Beansprout." So fucking polite, kind of reminds him of Crystalline. Yikes. "What is yours?"

   "Lorcan," he answers easily enough. She's kinda cute-- at least from this distance.

   "Am I allowed up? Perhaps you could show me the way..."

   "'Course I could. Better question-- why should I?" He takes a few steps to her right, and jumps on a nearby branch. He's invisible but for a few flashes between leaves until reemerging about halfway to her level. There's no getting back up that way-- but he knows the way through the maze. "You're on our borders, you know. If you want in, you've gotta have something for us."