NOT CHOSEN.

CHORUS: & the grace of the gods ( i'm pretty sure ) is a grace that comes by violence. -- agamemnon, aeschylus. [tr. anne carson]

[ REDWOOD ] sender lashes out at receiver when it isn't their fault.

[ WILLOW ] sender embraces receiver in a moment of extreme distress.

[ PINE ] sender fervently resists receiver's attempts to comfort / care for them.

[ BIRCH ] sender finally ends a tense argument by reaching out to apologize.

[ POPLAR ] sender mentors receiver through learning a new skill.

[ PALM ] sender and receiver avoid / ignore the stresses of real life together.

[ ELM ] sender lends receiver aid in a time of urgent need.

[ MAGNOLIA ] sender, believed to be dead, arrives at receiver's door.

[ DOGWOOD ] sender gifts receiver a token of good luck / protection.

[ MULBERRY ] sender and receiver take a long walk through nature together.

[ HAZELNUT ] sender begrudgingly patches up receiver's wounds.

[ CAMPHOR ] sender suddenly pushes receiver out of danger's path.

[ CASHEW ] when they're finally alone, sender invites receiver to dance.

[ LAVENDER ] sender lays their head in receiver's lap and closes their eyes.

[ BEECH ] it comes to light that sender has betrayed receiver.

[ HIBISCUS ] sender invites receiver to go traveling with them.

[ HICKORY ] sender pushes receiver to admit that they need them.

[ MAPLE ] sender shakes receiver's shoulders, begging them to wake up.

[ CHERRY BLOSSOM ] sender revels in receiver's beauty, stunned.

[ JOSHUA ] sender offers receiver a safe place to hide / crash .

[ ASH ] sender and receiver become reacquainted after many years.

[ FIG ] sender, knowing receiver is hungry, pressures them to eat.

[ YEW ] sender beckons for receiver to join them in the water.

[ CYPRESS ] sender shamelessly flirts with receiver.

"It's not going to scar, is it? Unlike you, my profile wouldn't benefit from some roguish wear and tear. I'm better off a polished stone. Imagine me a diamond."

Oh, Dorian! Does the whining ever stop with you? No, the truth mocks. His gums keep flapping. Still, it's all he can think to do as he's saddled there miserable with the paling of the evening. Already, the stars have broken beautifully as they prick the stretch of the twilight with dots of silver thread. It paints the hour like poetry, all rolling posie hilltops and gold waves of honey, but the drip of his bleeding encroaching on his vision? To the void with them, he thinks. Damned that bloody ranger and who'd nearly shorn his brows!

If only he'd been paying attention. If only his head was blaring like a storm. If only he'd told her why the pangs were worsening... If only she knew about the his father's wretched ritual.

"you know, complaining only makes it worse, dorian," she teases, a quirk of her lips betraying the almost-serious tone of her voice. it's a tactic she learned when helping some of the younger members of the clan, teasing & distracting them from whatever injury they've procured. usually it's more for scrapes & bumps, but she only has so much in the proverbial tool box. she winds the bandage carefully, giving a slight tug to ensure the tension. deft hands reach for the knife at her side, cutting the fabric & then tucking the end in.

"let's return to camp -- it's getting late, anyhow. you can be looked at by a real healer." her expertise lies closer to the realm of hunting -- butchering, even, knowing more where to make the cleanest cuts than how to close them. necessity begets some knowledge in the opposing direction, but not a satisfactory amount. ezra pauses, brow furrowing slightly.