**RP NOTE**: Full moon is on the 19th. We are going to pretend for the rp's sake that is today. lol
She hadn't seen Marius for a while, but she assumed that was because he was busy. She had her own things to do as well and now that she had a good stock of product to sell she could see about her new issue. There were two things she needed and needed quickly. So, gathering the items she needs, she sets them in a special bag, then into her backpack and taking her Gandalf like staff, she heads out as it was nearing dusk. Her employees would close the store and lock up as usual. They were reliable and honest.
She'd called an uber and took a it to Palo Hills. There it would a short walk into the White Oak Woods. There were a few places she could do this, but this was the largest and there were many places that were not bothered by other humans. This she was thankful for.
Going over in her mind everything that she needed to do. This was only part 2 of the spells. Part 1 she'd done before, hoping that everything was still there and not discovered or destroyed.
With her backpack on her back, she started along one of the paved trails before turning off onto a lesser, dirt trail. This was soon replaced by a non-trail. Going deeper into the area where no one really ever goes. She's humming softly, walking with a wooden staff with a rock that glows softly to light her way.
The last two times she'd been here was to prep the area for the next what she needed to do, and then was to bring the stones from the depth of the earth to rise and sit on the ground. The trees were perfect. 4 oak trees, the largest of the trees at North, South, East and West respectively. Between and around them were lesser oak trees and surround them were elm trees as if protecting the grove.
The other stones that rose up from the earth were 4 larger ones adjacent to the directional trees. Then there were lesser stones that were between each of the larger 4. This trip was to seal the area, clean up the grove a little more and consecrate it as her grove. This would be the second time in her life she did this spell. The first time was helping her grandmother back home. This time would be on her own. She wasn't looking forward to trying to go home after. Maybe she should send Marius a text. It'll be late tonight when she's done she will be exhausted.
And this is just the beginning.
It's her hope that she will find 2 more of her ilk in metro Chicago. But it would be difficult. Most true druids are from the UK. Most who fancy themselves Druid outside of that are not true druids. But even they could be taught, if they had the gift. Even some witches could actually become druids as well.
Ah well. it would be an adventure, that is certain.
Arriving at the circle, she pauses and pulls her backpack off.
Setting the backpack aside at the entrance to the grove as she pulls out the bag inside. Opening the bag she takes out another bag, opening it she sprinkles some of the mixture at the entrance before stepping inside the circle.
Setting the larger bag in the center, she moves to each stone and larger oak and sprinkles some in front of each while speaking some ancient words. They change slightly as she approaches each stone and oak given the direction they are sitting at.
Returning to the center she closes the bag and sets it inside. Then she takes out some items, offerings to each of the trees and stones. She repeats the words setting each item between it's perspective stone and tree. To the East she sets a very special stone set in a birds nest with dirt and leaves from her home and the grove she helped create with her grandmother. To the West, she sets a crude homemade earthen pot of water, both also from her home and the stream that runs through the grove there. To the North, she kneels and speaks softly, a small pile of leaves rise into the air and move around as if in a small whirlwind. To the south, she opens a clay pot, small that has a still burning ember from a fire from her fireplace.
Moving back to the center, she takes the bag and sets it inside her back pack, then heads back to the center where she kneels and closes her eyes. There it begins as the sun disappears behind the earth and the full moon has moved higher into the sky and shines brightly into the grove.
Whispering words of power, softly spoken ancient words that fall from her lips as though it was her native language. The stones begin to glow slightly as runes begin to form. First on the North stone, then each stone after that. One at a time. The words spoken are written into the stone. A single rune of power also appearing on each tree. Different rune for each tree.
Evening turns to night, the moon shines brightly into the grove giving it an eerie glow. Her voice hits a crescendo as the stones glow. The items brought and placed between the trees suddenly shattered or the leaves that were swirling around suddenly dropping to the forest floor. The hot ember in the clay pot suddenly bursting into flame and burning hot before dying as all the fire goes out.
Her words slowly fading as her eyes open and she looks around. When she finishes sleeping, her body falls to the side in exhaustion. As she lay there she begins to lose consciousness. Suddenly remembering that she didn't send that text, but she knows she can't get to the backpack just outside the circle before she passes out.
The circle was a full 30 feet in diameter from the 4 larger oaks. With 4 feet between the tree and their stone. The stone 2 feet deep, so the inner circle being 24 feet from side to side. Side to center was 12 feet.
The night turned to morning, and morning turned to afternoon. Aoife had helped her when she'd been sleeping behind the shop. Gave her a job and a place to live nearby. That was 2 months ago. She'd left yesterday as she had a week ago. Something about a grove. She went in to recall mode, recalling the conversation she had with her employer. "Park, grove.. tired." mumbling other things, using her fingers to count into the conversation recall. She'd asked a lot of questions and even tried to go with her, but she had to do it alone. Perhaps once day she could learn what her boss knows.
Darkness was falling again but Aoife was not back yet. She had a key to her apartment as well as the shop and she checked to see if she was upstairs when she didn't come down. Ok maybe she's out with friends or dinner.
"Don't panic Aimee.. she's ok. she's just out."
She went about to stocking shelves and working on some of the recipes that Aoife had shown her. She had her own stock of ingredients so she used that rather than Aoife's stock. That was for sellable product. She could sell hers, but she was under Aoife's tutelage so she'd let her know.
For now she was going to go into learning these salves and not worry about Aoife. Not yet anyway.
