Private Tales Strangers in the woods.

[Asuego 'Susanna']

It was eve in western Epressa. Rain would pitter-patter from leaf to leaf. Drip from one to another each forest level lower.
hitting the ground very lightly, like a wet kiss of the sky, sometimes on a person, sometimes on a bush or woodland critter that still mingled about.
Yet it was frigid, to the bone-chilling. Such was normal in autumn.
Even in houses, it was notoriously cold if a fire was not well tended to.

At such a time, Asuego was in her home, skipping her nightly flight across the sky for this day. Getting hit by thunder seemed like the least fun activity scheduled for today. And so she'd spend her evening on her rocking chair, crotcheting away as the fire of her oven would emit a pleasant gloom through the window.

the house was secluded, seemingly cobbled together from various materials and its windows did not properly align with the assumed floors within.

 

[Huang Tien]

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
― Gautama Buddha
It would have been an oddity to think that anyone could have been wondering through the gale and the rain...it perhaps would have been somthing that warranted one to seek shelter. Even so, there are those whom did not fear the so call wrath of nature, yet instead revealed in it's ferocity, it's power.

The rain was as natural as the sun that shines, so why should one be bothered by such a thing? Cold, heat, it was all the same...we only crave the latter when we have to much of the former, and vice versa.

Looking outside, one catch a glimpse of the flash of lightening streaking through the air...it's bright light no doubt dazzling...but in it's momentary existence, it revealed a figure in the distance...not much detail could be seen, except for the fact that it's head looked more like a mushroom top...and the figure had with it a pole.

But just as quick as it came, the lightening faded, a moment later the sound of thunder would follow.​

 

[Asuego 'Susanna']

The witch breifly stopped in her craft as the thunder flashed throughout the room. Some things you can't get used to, even after living a lifetime of a hundred men.

»THERE IS A VISITOR« Her stove suddenly roared out, warming up the house in red light. Asuego seemed unimpressed, though the demon rarely got this excited for mere villagers. Probably somebody it never sensed before. Though Ardomma had an uncanny addiction with inviting guests into her house. Sue minded it more when she was not at home.

»I'LL GO CHECK THEM OUT.« The demon bellowed. »Ardomma, s-«
The witch was about to command but before she could usher her words, the room was pitch dark and only a sliver of smog was left within.
»stay... «

The gloom from the end of the trail seemed to suddenly grow larger before a light hopped down the trail. When it got closer one could hear loud winces and see it suddenly ignite and extinguish candls left on cairns and wedged lamps on the path towards the man untill a hand lantern laying on the floor with a browith a broken glass.

»OOF OOFFF OOF. HEY YOU, .... HAT-MAN. PICK ME UP, PICK ME UP.« The demon winced as the raindroplets singed on it's ethereal body. The demon was of fire, but looked rather petite when in a lamp.

 

[Huang Tien]

The man picked up the lantern, not with his hands. Instead, using the pole he carried, he stuck it through the lantern's top, lifting up arms length away from him, taking a moment to allow the light to shine across his face, as watched the lantern dangle.

"Well...your certainly a curious one..." It was the only thing the fellow had to say, as he observed the talking fire. Not at all an oddity, perhaps the only thing really odd about it was the shape it took. Most of it's kind that the fellow had met tended to be...bigger.

With one motion, the stranger retracted his pole, allowing the lantern to drop, before his feet made contact with the lamp in a rather soft manner. Regardless, the man basically kicked the lantern up into the air and back from wince it came, not minding whatever it had to say for itself. It didn't even seem to bother the man, as he continued down the path...​

 

[Asuego 'Susanna']

The annoyance would not so simply go away. The demon migrated from the lamp to another. Singing any time a raindrop fell on it. »I ADMIT YOU'RE QUITE ATHLETIC, BUT I DID NOT ASK FOR A SAMPLE.«
From candles stuck o nthe floor it would soon migrate to those left on top of the shambled walls that lined the path.