Mithar Keep & Frescot House IV: Magic babble lies within

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

"Don't worry, Cessie. I'm totally myself." Sakura grins and happily follows Cessie back to the keep. All around them the plant life is invigorated just like at first, though it doesn't grow quite so much. Which means that when they do get back to the Keep, someone is going to need to cut the grass later.

When they near the garden, Sakura hurries over with a bounce in her step. The plants grow up to meet her. She plucks a ripe cherry tomato and turns to Cessie. "Look, I just made this grow. Try it." She holds it up to her friend's mouth.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

"You know I have a condition with aether Sakura." Cessie replies with a smile, even if she accepts the tomato. "I'm very sensitive to it. It's still quite amazing though" She looks at the tomato closely for any abnormalities.

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

"Oh, is that something you have to worry about? It's just a tomato." The tomato looks completely normal, just more plump and ripe than any tomato that's come out of the garden before. Sakura grabs another one and pops it into her mouth. "Do you want me to try something before we go inside?" She glances at the greenhouse, curious herself about the strange plants Cessie has in there.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

"Not, that's alright Sakura. That tomato is enough." Cessie replies with a raised hand. "I'm more curious how you react to less common flora such as the Rose trees." She states while gesturing towards the greenhouse.

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

"Sure, let's go see." Sakura heads into the greenhouse. Her attention is immediately grabbed by the shapely trees. "Whoa, I can practically see the energy in them." She certainly knew they were different before, but now it couldn't be more clear. But that's not all there is here. Cessie mentioning the rose trees makes her think of her own rose bush. It, however, it not quite so spectacular. That's kind of disappointing. "Hey Cessie, are there more of those rose seeds around?" She is struck with a sudden thought.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

"I have quite a few spares, are you planning to make another tree? Since if so maybe we should plant it outside the keep instead?" In case it grew monstrously. "There is a lovely little hill just on in the back."

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

"I don't know, I just feel like I need to grow something." Sakura feels a surge of inspiration. The drive comes out of nowhere, and Sakura can't push it out of her mind. "Bring me some rose and fey apple seeds. And a pot full of soil. One I can carry."

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

"Very well, just give me a moment and I'll get it." She briefly considers leave something to watch over Sakura, in case she couldn't resist the urge to grow something the brief time she collected the apples, but finally decides against it. So she goes and gathers what Sakura had in mind and return with it to her. "I still think it's a better idea if we grow it outside the keep though." She states as she enters, carrying the little bot.

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

"Let's go outside first." Sakura takes the pot and seeds from Cessie and leads the way out. "I don't even know what I can do, but I feel something about these seeds." Sakura kneels down on the ground, just off the main path to the Keep, not too far from the building itself. "I can just tell that there's so much potential in all of them. More than a regular seed." She pushes an apple seed into the ground and it immediately starts to grow past her hand. She strokes its first leaves before moving a short distance away and doing the same with a second seed.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

Cessie looks curiously at what's happening and makes some notes. "So you can't tell the end result?" She asks as the plants quickly start to grow.

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

"I think it's a way home." She looks up at the rapidly growing trees as they lean in toward each other. The tops of the trees intertwine as they rapidly approach full size, forming an archway. "Let's go to that hill you mentioned." Sakura gets up and hurries off, the pot and the rest of the seeds in hand. She doesn't even give Cessie a chance to ask for clarification.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

"A way home? Like a portal to your home world?" That was pretty amazing, just wait until Geneva heard about this! She's still following Sakura however, she could always study the possible portal later.

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

Sakura laughs and runs ahead of Cessie. The other woman will likely fall behind. They both may have big bellies right now, but Sakura doesn't seem to be encumbered at all. Flowers bloom everywhere she steps, and the growth around her gets more potent in her excitement. "Cessie! These rose seeds are amazing. They're like... like a coiled spring, ready to burst!" She kneels down and pushes a rose seed into the very center of the hill. From it grows more than just a bush, but the beginnings of what must be a massive tree. It grows up, towering above Sakura in mere moments. She steps back as it fills out and turns her head upward to watch it grow.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

Cessie inwardly curses her pregnancy right now. So encumbering. It all would be easier once Jillian was born and she never would have to endure this again.
She eventually catches up with the dryad however and watches the tree sprout into existence. "Yes, I know. It's quite amazing..." She says, somewhat winded by all this. Perhaps she should try to fly forward instead of trying to catch up with Sakura by foot. "What are you doing now?" She asks after taking a deep breath.

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

"Just growing a tree." Sakura turns to Cessie and grins as the tree recheaches its full, towering height. Up in the branches countless roses bloom. "I wonder what else I can do." Sakura runs her hand over the tree's trunk. "Ouch!" One of her fingers catches on a thorn and begins to bleed immediately. She sucks on it and glares up at the tree. "I better do something about that. Don't want any of the kids hurting themselves." With another touch, the thorns seems to get drawn back into the tree and disappear.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

A rose without thorns? What a interesting concept. "Could you make it bear fruits too?" Cessie wonders out loud as she watches the tree grow.

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

"I think so, but then I'd need to give up the flowers." Sakura giggles. They're so pretty, though! She looks at another rose seed. Thinking for a moment, sheputs it into the pot and pushes it into the soil with her bloodied finger. "I doubt the tree has enough time to get pollinated on its own either. Not before it snows."

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

"Can't you do something else with the appleseeds? Like say a tree-golem?" Cessie wonders curiously as she attempts to hand over a few seeds that she took from her lab. "Just be careful about the rose seeds, they can infect people."

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

"I don't know, let's try." Sakura takes two of the seeds and puts them into the earth on either side of the rose tree. She gives them each a bit of attention, and they start to grow. They sprout upward quickly and start to take shape. Soon a pair of womanly trees stand before them, but these are more refined and life like than those Cessie grew. Even so, they don't move. "I don't know, I think they might be able to move but they're missing something." Sakura says with a little frown.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

"A mind, a brain?" Cessie suggests, watching the trees curiously.

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

"I'm not sure. Something like that. Trees just... don't have that. Not in the same way it needs for this to work. Some older trees have, like, voices, but they're not like people." Sakura tries to explain, furrowing her eyebrows as she considers it. "They'd need to get that some other way."

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

"A 'soul'?" No, Cessie had to think in the ways of the aether here which meant symbolism. A voice, a breath.
...
"Have you considered breathing life into them? Breathing into their mouths that is." She suggests.

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

"Oh, um. I guess I can try it?" Sakura steps near the closest tree. It's rather life like, actually. It almost looks like it will start moving any moment. The dryad leans in close to it, puts her lips near its carven mouth, and breaths.

The breath fills the tree up. It's leaves stir and fill out, it creaks as if it's limbs were moving. It almost looks like it's about to move, but then the moment passes and nothing changes. "Oh well, I guess it never worked."

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

"Perhaps you could give them some of your blood?" Cessie suggests, gesturing at Sakura's wounded finger. It was slightly grotesque but maybe it was something to it?

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

"I dunno, Cessie. It seems like a little too much for golems or whatever." Sakura looks at the tree women for a moment, thinking hard. Suddenly she kneels down, placing the pot she brought in front of her. The seed is already inside, and now she pours her energy into it. It grows, a short, wide little plant enveloped in leaves. A large, pink bud forms quickly in the center of it.

Sakura watches it intently, like a woman possessed. Cessie can feel the energy in the air. Whatever Sakura is doing, it's nothing small. Before long, she leans in close and breathes into the plant... and a baby's cry fills the air and the rose blooms.

Sakura slumps, barely keeping upright by holding the edge of the pot. She starts to turn back into her normal self, though her belly doesn't lose any volume and her hair lingers. Before her, laying in the pot in a bed of leaves lies a bawling baby. His skin is green and a pink rose envelopes the top of his head. Sakura can do nothing but look down at the baby, utterly shocked by what she just did.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

Cessie looks worried as Sakura starts focusing. What was she doing? She wasn't using too much energy was she? That could be dangerous. She gently places her hand on Sakura's shoulder just to make sure the dryad knew that she was there and that perhaps alerting her that she shouldn't exhaust herself like this. Still as soon as she hears the baby's bawling she realizes what her friend was doing. She wasn't sure what she would call it, a wererose? Or a rose-person? Whatever it was, Sakura had given it life with everything that came with it. "It's a child Sakura. I... think you should hold him." She was ready to hand over him if needed though.

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

Sakura scoops the child up into her arms, knowing without even thinking how to comfort him. This is all very overwhelming, and the full implications of what she just did have yet to really hit her. "Shh, shh, don't cry." It takes her a moment to realize that everything isn't quite right about herself right now, what she just went through aside. "Cessie..." She says when she recognizes the familiar feeling. "My water just broke."

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

What.
Sakura had to be kidding, it made her... Artari's light. How much of a coincidence was this?! Two babies at once?
The sorceress moves her hand through her hair. "...okay, I guess we have to go to the hospital. I'll have an elemental help you there. Don't worry. Kirin can probably take care of him for a bit right?" She asks, trying to keep her head cool even if this was a bit much at once.

[Gullara]

[A Visit!]

"I don't know if you can get me there fast enough." Sakura says. And Adir, he needed to know. She needs him with her. "I need to get back to the house." She weakly tries to get to her feet and walk there herself.

[Shadowcaller]

[A Visit!]

"Back into the house." The sorceress repeats as she tries to help Sakura up and towards the keep. "I could call an ambulance Sakura." She suggests. "I'm sure there is time for that and Adir."