Closed Speaking For The Trees

[Oswald Brambleheart]

Oz wasn't necessarily a stickler for rules, but he didn't like to break them. He just wanted to keep his head down and do his own thing, without drawing unnecessary attention to himself. However, he had been eying off the trees of the forbidden forest for so long now, and his courage and curiosity was winning out over his need to keep a low profile. It wasn't as though he was planning to explore the forest in depth, he just wanted to go around the edge, seeing the kinds of trees around and maybe seeing if he could get some discarded branches for carving practice. He wasn't going to go ripping any limbs off trees (it wasn't like he could reach them anyway), just if any had fallen he could get some use out of them. The benefits of being small was that he could get in to the forest without easily being spotted, and where he was standing was close enough to the edge that he could still see broad daylight. Oz pressed his palms to trunks, getting a feel for the wood under his hands and trying to identify the types of tree from his readings.

 

[Aspen]

It was winter. and there were surly several more important things for Aspen to be doing than skirting the edge of the forest looking for students. but it was the first few days since they were back and like most winter breaks she missed them. missed watching them through the trees and the sounds of them playing.
she was wandering alongtheu edge of the trees ducking around areas of bramble when she heard a noise not too far away that dew her attention. it sounded larger than the usual animals that called the forest home but it was smaller than a student. she rounded a trunk and saw him a boy. smaller than almost any student she had seen before standing with his hands against the tree. "Hello" she said "What are you doing?"' she asked looking at him.

 

[Oswald Brambleheart]

Oz should have expected that someone would approach him, though he was half prepared to have to defend himself against a prefect or professor. Oddly, he relaxed a little when he saw the centaur woman, even though she still looked a little like she was here to tell him off. His ears pricked up, the pointed tips suddenly colder in the air and he was quick to try and brush his hair over them. Though, something told him a centaur would be the last person to judge him for being part-goblin. "...sorry," he quickly offered in apology. "I...just wanted to know about the trees...the kind of wood and stuff." He raised his hands, showing that he was not holding anything, his wand was in the pocket of his robes. Which had to be extended while the robes had to be taken in. It was awkward. "Wasn't gonna hurt 'em."

 

[Aspen]

Aspen saw the boy jump and fluster patting his hair down. she didnt mind people having messy hair. hers often had some form of twigs in it. though she had learned to keep it mostly braided to keep it somewhat out of trouble. as the boy backed away raising his hands, she knelt down and even from her chest and torso up she was still taller than him. though a lot closer to eye level. She raised hers in mirror to show that even thought he had her knife in its sheath and her bow on her back she was not armed as such. "don't worry, I trust you. What did you want to know about the trees?" she asked. putting her hand against the tree that the boy had been leaning against, a Rimu tree, old in comparison to some trees but still young by Rimu standards.

 

[Oswald Brambleheart]

Oz felt small at the best of times, but next to a centaur he felt positively diminutive. He almost wished she didn't try and awkwardly crouch down, but he wasn't going to say that to her as this was her home and he was the one intruding. Plus, he wasn't supposed to be in the forest at all. Oz scratched his head, shrugging a little at the question. "I like woodcarving," he offered, simply. "Wanna...understand trees and wood more, and stuff." It wasn't very eloquent of an answer, but Oz wasn't very eloquent himself. He had been taught from a young age to respect the materials he used for art, to never take more than was needed, and to know where the materials came from so he didn't take them for granted. He wasn't exactly good at expressing that line of thinking. "...your bow is cool," he added, with clear admiration.

 

[Aspen]

aspen smiled at the boys answer. it was a simple answer that rang with truth. not an excuse or a way to make themsevm better than they were . it just was. "Wood carving is a useful craft to like, and knowing the strengths of different woods is important, you can carve things out of most woods but if you pick the wrong one they may break or not be good for purpose" she added.
she smiled as he said he liked her bow. she unsheathed it and held it out to him to look at. "Thank you. its getting a bit old now. and I think it will need restringing soon. but for now, it does a good job" she said. trying to remember how long ago she ad made it. it had taken a while to get the right wood and to shape it.