Nox seemed to accept her opinion on hurting the servant easily enough, but he seemed a bit gloomy and kept very quiet, not giving an answer to her words. She wondered if he agreed that it would be wrong, now that she had pointed it out, or if he simply understood that it would make her angry and didn't pursue the idea further because of that. It was a bit unsettling not to know.

"Yes, I hope Gustavo will be able to carry the ladder. I will speak to him about it tomorrow when I next see him."

Before Nox had mentioned it, Ama had never considered asking Gustavo to come with them. Would he want that? She had trouble imagining the cultured young man with his love for musical instruments out in the woods. But who knew?
Still, it would be very risky to tell him the full extent of her plan. She hadn't yet told Nox about how much he knew. She needed to make sure Nox wouldn't give the rest of it away to him once they came to get him out!

"Gustavo does not know I plan to go with you, Nox. I only told him I would let you out. I'm afraid he would not be alright with me going, he would worry for my safety. He is a good friend, but if he thought it was better for me to foil my plans to keep me safe, he might do that."
Or maybe he wouldn't. The more she thought about it, the less sure she was. He had implied that he suspected her plan to be more than she told him, but had accepted that and not tried to get her to tell him more. Maybe he would indeed respect her decision? Ama was used to people making decisions for her, ignoring what she wanted because they 'knew better'. But Gustavo had never really given her cause to think he would do the same, had he? She had just assumed all grown-ups acted like that. But was now a good point to test this? There was too much in the balance to take any risks.
"If I think about it, I'm not sure. Maybe he would accept my decision to go. But it's a big risk to tell him..."

(( Do you think they should take Gustavo along? Even if Ama thinks it's too risky to tell him, he could confront her about what her plans are (I think he can guess) and she could admit to it and offer to take him with them. I wasn't really planning on him figuring it all out, but if that's where the story takes us, I'm fine with that :) - Btw, feel free to control Gustavo as well if you like. I've always written Amas encounters with him as one big post, but I could stop doing that and let you take control of him to make these parts more interactive? Tell me if you'd like that! ))

(( I think Gustavo has a side that says 'don't go' and another that says 'adventuuureeee~'. He seems docile but oh so curious. It would be cute for him to come along but it would be difficult for him, considering who he is. The two need an adult in their adventure, after all, even if he might be a bit useless in terms of survival xD ))
(( I'm kind of scared to control Gustavo. He seems like an untouchable mochi noble to me. I don't want him to turn OOC ... I might give it a try though? ))

(( edit: I'm doing it O_O ))

"But you need his help. Surely he will wonder why taking the ladder out is so important." Nox had answered. The more he thought about ways to get out of the cage, the less ideas he seemed to get. No hurting humans, to destroying the cage, and no doing anything suspicious during the day.

But at night, when the mansion is deadly silent, a single creak might wake the humans inside, alerting everyone. And with the amount of creaking the cage made on the chains with even a little bit of movement, it would surely alert someone. Unless they get used to the sound ...

But getting used to the noise would take days and he only has a few to spare to warn Ygddra and his brothers. 'Maybe if I stay on the edge by the lock?' It was possible. But the creaking the cage would make when moving back due to the loss of weight would be loud as well. 'But if I move out of it slowly ...' It might work.

"We would only need the key and the ladder." He spoke resolutely to Amaris. "The key from the man and the ladder from over there. And then at night, we would-"

"Amaryllis?"

There Gustavo was, standing by a half-opened door, eyes shifting from his student to the caged boy hanging from the ceiling.

(( Haha, yes, he probably does! :D I'm glad you decided to try out controlling Gustavo! ))
(( Uh oh, how much has he heard? ))

"Well, of course we need the ladder, how else should we ever reach the lock?"

In the flow of the conversation, Ama had stopped looking around before she spoke. She nodded to Nox' conclusion that the key and the ladder were the important parts. But then she heard her name spoken from behind her and her heart almost stopped. All the blood drained from her face and she was pale as the moon when she turned around to see who had come, not having recognized the voice amidst her shock.
In the few heartbeats it took her to turn around she saw all her plans falling apart in front of her eyes, Nox locked up and kept away from her forever, the forest burning down...
The relief that washed over her when she recognized Gustavo was only slightly diminished by her fear that he might have overheard a bigger part of their conversation. But then again, he wasn't the type to listen on the door, was he?
"Gustavo! I think my heart might just have stopped!"
He bowed slightly, apologetically.
"I didn't mean to startle you. Or maybe I did, you ought to be more careful than this, Ama." There was both a little reproach and humour in his voice. She faintly wondered if he had deliberately used her full name to make it less obvious who was coming in.
He was silent for a moment, looking up at Nox again.
"I hadn't realized that you know each other and have already talked. Your performance was marvelous, I thought you were seeing each other for the first time at the gathering. That was not the case though, was it?"
Ama felt herself blush a little, both for being found out and for the compliment.
"Yes, I have to admit I was very curious and snuck into the upper eastwing once I knew Nox was kept there. Of course, I still thought it was just some interesting animal then... But I forget my manners. Apologies. Gustavo, meet Nox. Nox, this is Gustavo, my music teacher."

(( I hope you don't mind if I give Gustavo a little something something. If you want it changed, please tell me >w< ))

Gustavo smiled warmly at Nox, something the Raven Boy did not expect. "Although it might be preferable to meet in better conditions, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Nox." the instructor had greeted. Nox could only nod in reply at the unfamiliar warmth that came from the man's words and proceeded to study him.

Although he knew of the man only through Amaris' descriptions and stories, he felt a sense of familiarity the moment he spoke to him. The air around him seemed familiar. It felt like ... the forest. Nox leaned further into the bars, pressing his forehead on the steel to get a better look at the noble. "You've met Ygddra before, haven't you?"

Gustavo's eyes widened before they curved into a soft sad smile. "Ygddra, was it?" he spoke softly, not a word echoed on the large walls. "In the heart of the forest stands a tree that reaches up to the sky with its long branches, catching the rays of sunlight between its leaves, reflecting gold on its ivory skin. It stands still in the night, glowing silver at every flutter of the wind, where wisps of a multitude of colors dance on the pristine lake below." He looked at the Raven Boy in the eyes, nostalgia filling his irises. "Am I correct to assume that the great tree is Ygddra?"

(( I don't mind at all, I like it :) It's a very interesting twist :) ))

Ama's eyes darted back and forth between her teacher and Nox. Why did Nox think - no, know! - that Gustavo had seen Yggdra?
The soft, musical words painted a multitude of beautiful pictures in her mind and she felt an intense longing to see this beauty for herself. It felt almost as if the tree in her mind was calling out to her.

"How? Gustavo, you have been there? Nox, how did you know?"

She didn't know who to look at for an explanation, so her glance continued to shift between the two. What did this mean for them? Surely, the way Gustavo had talked of Yggdra, he would want to help save it as well, right? Would he really want to come with them? The consequences for him might be even more dire than for her. While her family would not cut her away, they could easily send Gustavo off. She had no idea where he would go, what he would do. He had been in her father's employ almost for as long as she could remember. As a young, musically talented noble with a few older brothers he'd been glad to obtain a teaching position in a respected household like this one. Running off into the forest with his student would make it impossible to ever find something similar again. It would be too easy for her parents to push the blame onto him, pretending he was the one who had led the young and naive daughter of the house astray, which would cut down the damage to her and her family's reputation somewhat. No other family would want a man like this teaching their children afterwards.

(( Yay!~ ))

"I was a clueless boy back then," Gustavo had started, chuckling to himself, "when I ran away from home." He seemed distant as he spoke those words as if he had traveled to the forest miles away from where he was standing. "I felt unwanted a number of times when I was younger, especially with all the talented brothers I had, so I had thought to run away, seeing as my parents had no need for me. I packed my satchel and journeyed into the night, making my way into the forest."

"You see, I read about the jungle man that grew up with the winged baboons who swung from vine to vine and I wanted to see how it felt. To live with winged baboons. You know how innocent children think." He looked to Ama with a grin on his face. "And so I wandered into Sondrier Forest and spent days lost in the wilderness. That is, until one night, a wisp appeared in front of me, then another, and another! They dotted the forest floor in a line and it led me to this ... this ... this sanctuary. And there it was. Ygddra." He looked at the floor afterwards, with a mixture of emotions on his face. "I remember the day I came out of the forest. No one believed me, the stories of a child. I'm glad no one did. I had started to think that it was all a dream, something I came up with as I wandered the forest in my destitute state, until Nox told me its name."

Gustavo looked to the caged boy. "Ygddra told me its name. I remember now. It whispered to me as I left the forest. It told me that the forest would always welcome me back home." He turned to Ama with determination on his face. "Question my state of mind if you must, but I do not care for society and the norm as much as a noble should. Let them think what they will and speak what is on their minds, I do not care for their trifle views and accusations."

"Tell me, Ama. What are you planning?"

(( Whoa, reading Gustavo's speech is giving me goosebumps! ))

Listening to Gustavo's story made her shiver. The thought that some adults might have believed him and went into the forest to look for Yggdra was oddly terrifying. What would they have done if they found it? Hacked it down to fashion it into an exceptionally fine cupboard? What they did to the raven boys did not give her hope that they would have had any more respect for a tree, no matter how fascinating and beautiful it was.

"Tell me, Ama. What are you planning?"

His earnest rejection of society's judgement was a relief. Finally, she could just open her heart to him without fear. He might still think her plan would endanger her, but if he had no better idea for saving Yggdra, she was sure he would not object now.

"I will go to Yggdra with Nox. I will leave a note that will be found when we are far enough away, telling my parents where I am. I hope that once they realize burning down Sondrier forest would kill me, they'll find a way to stop it from happening. That is why I asked you if my father had the power to do so..."

She was quiet for a moment, looking to see Gustavo's reaction.

"You realize that that will put you in a lot of danger, Ama." He did not put it as a question. "But it is not your life that you must fear for most. It is the future that was planned for you. It will almost surely be lost, no matter the outcome of your adventure. Are you ready to give that up?"

His question was serious, but given openly. He did not voice it in the way questions like this were often given, suggesting it was ridiculous to answer with yes.

She took a moment to consider the question seriously because of this. Was she ready to give up her social standing, her parent's plans for her? It was surprisingly easy to answer - it weren't her plans, she had never really thought about what she wanted from the future. But now there were things she wanted. Seeing Yggdra. Saving it and the raven boys. It weren't long-term goals, but she felt confident that she would be able to make plans for herself for the long term that she would be happy with as well. And her goals were her own now, close to her heart and important.

"Yes, I am."

(( Sorry about the late reply ))

A few days passed and the time had come. A letter had arrived addressed to Lord Wittingham and his wife, informing them that a new creature had been discovered an is in the possession of a Collector three villages away. Upon hearing the news of the new creature, the Lord Wittingham immediately ordered the servants to prepare a carriage for their trip.

Around this time, Gustavo informed the Lord and the Lady about a concert in the next town in the opposite direction of the Collector. Amaryllis' parents had agreed to let their daughter's teacher bring her to the concert while the married couple would travel to take a look at the new creature.

When the Lord and Lady Wittingham had finally left on their carriage, Gustavo went to visit Ama.

"I see you've packed your bags. The servants are preparing the carriage and I've readied a double bass case in the grand hall. The caretaker's taken good care of that bottle of wine I've sent to him and he's sleeping like a baby in his quarters."

He looked straight at his student. "Have you finished writing the letter?"

(( No problem :) ))

Everything seemed to be going according to plan. Ama's parents had agreed to her "concert trip" and they had fallen for the letter inviting them away as well.
Ama had said goodbye to her parents already at the breakfast table and gone back to her room where Mia helped her pack her bags. Of course, her friend had made her pack all the finest gowns and lots of jewellery, wanting her to look her best for a trip to town where she'd see a lot of important members of society. She had managed to convince Mia to at least pack two simpler dresses, arguing that for being on the road these were appropriate and she wouldn't want to ruin any of the good gowns.

When Gustavo entered, she was almost done. The only thing left to do was seal and hide her letter. She hoped that it being sealed and addressed to Lord and Lady Wittingham would keep the servants from reading it before they managed to get her parents back home, winning them precious time.

"Very good Gustavo. Yes, I finished it. Would you like to read it before I seal it?"
She handed it to him without waiting for his answer, wanting his feedback on her words in a sudden fit of nervousness.
It read:

Dear Mother, dear Father,

I want to inform you that I have not travelled to a concert, but instead am on my way to Sondrier Forest together with Nox.
The thought of the Hunter's Association burning down this precious piece of nature and murdering so many creatures inside pains my heart too much to idly stand by. I hope you will find a way to stop this disaster from happening, seeing that now your own daughter will be among the murdered.
I did not wish to put you in this situation, but I saw no other way. My only hope is that you will find it in your heart to forgive me one day.

Your loving child,
Amaryllis V. G. Wittingham

(( I got too caught up with ... well ... everything. So sorry for being late! ))

Gustavo's eyebrows scrunched as he read the part where Ama wrote about the Hunter's Association burning the forest but said nothing as he finished the letter. He nodded as he returned the letter to his student.

"Now, shall we?" he asked rhetorically as he left the room. The servants would be arriving to get her bags soon and they have to get Nox out during that time. He made his way to the great hall, bringing a ladder with him. He stood a few feet from the Raven Boy's cage as he positioned the ladder.. "We will get you out soon. Ama just has to return with the key, then we'll hide you inside the case. Remember to stay quiet and keep still until we drive away. We don't want them finding out that there is a living boy in there instead of a wooden instrument."