[Relationship] Room 103 - To run where the brave dare not go

[Narrator]

When Viv gets back to her room there is a small roll of parchment paper sealed with wax on her pillow. A scroll, if you were so inclined.

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

Vivienne sighed as she set her books down. She had been daydreaming of a hot shower and fresh bedsheets when she picked up and read the note.

[Narrator]

The wax seal has the shape of a raven in flight pressed into it. Unrolling the parchment, she sees the following written in calligraphy:

Something is missing
Something is wrong
You'll find out what
Before very long

To find it you must
Be clever and fast
The game is afoot
The die it is cast

Tread on the living
They make not a mumble
Tread on the dead
They mutter and grumble

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

"Riddles?" she moved to sit on her bed. She read it over a few times. "Graveyard? Too obvious. What's dead that makes noise? Leaves...the forest then." She quickly changed into some jogging clothes and headed out again.

[Narrator]

As Viv approaches the edge of the lawn, she can see a freshly raked pile of fall leaves not far from the treeline.

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

She paused and took a moment to look around before she took a flying leap into the pile.

[Narrator]

Thankfully she doesn't land on anything hard in the pile, but buried in the leaves she does feel something long and curved, as well as another object that rattles a bit under the leaves.

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

Viv rummages around in the leaves, retrieving the items and crawling out to inspect them better.

[Narrator]

A bow and a quiver of arrows. Nothing fancy, probably from the school's athletics department. There's another parchment sealed around the bowstring.

On a high bough
A curious fruit
Will show you the way
To plant your boot

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

She brushed off what she could as she looked around the the area. She made sure to look up into the branches of the larger trees.

[Narrator]

Scanning the treeline, she spots it about thirty paces away. A red balloon, tied with a bit of ribbon to a high branch.

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

While her specialty was blades she knew how to handle bows. She knocked arrow and aimed at the fruit, letting the arrow fly.

[Narrator]

Her arrow flies true enough to pop the balloon, with another scroll tumbling from inside it to rest at the base of the tree.

Woodland weaver
Small deceiver
Fool ensnarer
Poison bearer
Midair dancer
What’s the answer?

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

"Spider?" Her nose scrunched in slight distaste and confusion.

[Narrator]

Deeper into the woods, she can spy a slight shimmer between two tree branches. Perhaps a web.

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

"You had better be very small..." She mumbled to no one as she approached, bow over her shoulder and retrieved arrow in hand.

[Narrator]

As she approaches, she can see some small twigs snagged in the web. Looking at them, she can see that they form an arrow pointing to a mercifully unwebbed branch that has another scroll tied to it with a ribbon.

As destructive as life,
As healing as death;
An institutioner of strife,
Just as prone to bless.
It is all that is good,
Yet with an evil trend;
As it was the beginning of things,
It can also be the end.

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

"Hmm." She thought a moment, then closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. "Fire..."

[Narrator]

Viv can smell woodsmoke, not far from here.

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

Viv followed her nose and stowed her collected item beside a tree before stepping into the firelight.

[Samantha McManus]

Sam is sitting in front of a campfire, a picnic basket next to her.

"So be honest, was that too many riddles?"

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

"Just the right amount." She said with a smile as she took a spot beside Sam.

[Samantha McManus]

"Figured it'd make it a bit... special, aye?"

"Long day?"

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

"I love it."

"Not too bad. Tech Studies is the bane of my existence."

[Samantha McManus]

"I'm guessing the professor won't accept 'a wizard did it' no matter how earnestly you mean it?"

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

"Wouldn't even let me arrange a meeting to prove it."

[Samantha McManus]

"What sounds good to start, here? I've got some cheese, some sausages... and a rotisserie chicken because I know your appetite."

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

“I used to think the term “hangry” was just a bit of modern human nonsense.” Viv remarked with a laugh.

“A bit of everything would be delicious to start.”

[Samantha McManus]

"Aye, that was before you could turn into a wolf," she chuckles as she starts laying out things from the basket.

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

"So very true. I would hate to see the school's grocery budget."

[Samantha McManus]

"I already know what our dates cost," she chuckles. "Worth it, though."

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

"They do not always have to involve food." She teased.

[Samantha McManus]

"Aye well, if I'm honest? I'm still feeling out what you like."

"You've made such an effort to acclimate to our world and I wanted to meet you halfway."

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

"This is perfect. Even before, I found nature soothing and familiar."

[Samantha McManus]

"I'll remember," she smiles. "Feels good to have things to do together after the band fell apart."

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

“It was fun while it lasted. Perhaps we can still get together and play from time to time.”

[Samantha McManus]

"I think I just got a bit ahead of myself there, aye? Got all excited for it, but it wasn't really what she wanted."

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

"When has anything gone right the very first time? Especially for us."

[Samantha McManus]

"Still, I'm the one who can actually read minds. I ought to do a better job of it."

[Vivienne Chinnoir]

"Actual conversations are good too. Now, enough self loathing. It is a lovely day and lovely company."