Newspaper (Fae)

[xiulan zhou]

March 19, 2026

The suitcase that she had packed looked more like an apothecary than anything, a layer of potion bottles secured in place and separated from her clothing by a few scarves she no longer wore. It would be enough, Xiulan hoped, to last her for a few days. She was functioning on little in the way of sleep, however, still trying to wrestle with what she was doing. What was she thinking, after all, going all the way to Hy-Brasil, especially after the catastrophe that she had seen that very morning in the Orb? It would have been so much easier if she could have told the High Druid that she was sorry but she couldn't actually go to her island to help her and her people. It would have been easier if she were selfish.

She couldn't bring herself to tell Fae that she couldn't come to Hy-Brasil after she had already made that promise to her. Even though she knew that her excuse made sense to her, there was no telling what Fae or the other Druids would think of it. Apart from her "fits" and the injuries that occasionally resulted from them, she had never been in poor health from a physical standpoint. Explaining that she couldn't visit Hy-Brasil—no matter how much she truly wanted to—because going a few steps outside of her flat was enough to drain her for weeks would only make her sound as though she had nothing better to do than come up with excuses, Xiulan feared. That judgment—even just the perceived judgment—made it even harder on her. She had done so well to maintain the image that she was able to live a normal life, and she couldn't allow that to crumble.

It wasn't that Xiulan didn't know how fortunate she was; she did. She knew exactly how much she had had to endure and how close she had been to losing everything before, and she wasn't about to let that happen. She knew that she was as prepared as she would ever be and had taken as many precautions as she possibly could. A band was fastened around the leg of her phoenix, Zhurong, to identify that he was hers, as she couldn't fathom leaving the bird, even in the care of someone else. He would be coming with her, come hell or high water.

After trying multiple times to make it beyond her flat before unpacking her suitcase long enough to take some Draught of Peace and then ensure that everything was back where it needed to be, she looked to Zhurong. Taking a Portkey had been an option for her, but that would have been more trouble than it was worth. Not only would she have had to find some discarded object in public, but she would have had to conceal Zhurong around all of the Muggles and didn't think that that was particularly fair to him.

As much as it felt strange to her to use Zhurong himself as her mode of transportation, Xiulan knew that she didn't have to worry about Splinching herself trying to get to Hy-Brasil. She stroked Zhurong gently for a short time, her other hand gripping her suitcase. She wanted to make sure that Zhurong wasn't tense, and she eventually took hold of the plumage of his tail.

Xiulan heard a crack and knew that she had materialized somewhere. It was clear, however, that where she was was somewhere she had never been before, and neither did she have the words to describe it. She had arrived, it seemed, at some sort of port. The handle of her suitcase was still in one hand, Zhurong's tail in the other, although she carefully let go of the latter. That was right, she thought; she had had to submit information about herself in order to be granted entry to the rest of the island. As she looked at her surroundings, she looked out upon the ocean. How long had it been since she had last seen it? Was the water always so choppy?

She looked back and couldn't see Zhurong, though it was only momentary. He had only flown a short distance from her and was standing nearby, preening his feathers. Beyond her phoenix, though, Xiulan could see that a number of redheads had stopped whatever they were doing to stare at her. It was a little unnerving and made her feel even more as though she were the spectacle of the day, but Xiulan forced herself to take a deep breath. These people couldn't hurt her—quite literally—because they would have to risk banishment from their island and ostracization from their community if they were to use Dark magic at all. Her heart continued to beat quickly in her chest in spite of that knowledge, though, because never before had she been somewhere where that was completely out of the question.

No, she was safe, Xiulan reminded herself, and she was a guest of the High Druid. That was probably all it was, she thought. It wasn't anything sinister. She called Zhurong back over to her and waited for the bird's talons to reach her outstretched arm before continuing on and making her way into what appeared to be her first destination on Hy-Brasil, the customs office.

fae iona cloudbreaker

[fae iona cloudbreaker]

▲

March had been an interesting and fulfilling month so far, and a lot more had happened than Fae had anticipated would when she first set out for London three weeks prior. The many discussions with important individuals and organizations had led her to believe that there were definitely those that were thinking along the same line as she was when it came to dealing with the Yrisle problem. In a perfect world, the right people were going to be contacted and their skill sets put to use, and eventually, with the help of a number of Ministry employees and other talented magical folk, the island would be dealt with. Fae still believed that the best option, and most likely the easiest for the time being, would be to re-seal the island and then put people to work recording everything possible for the future generations should Yrisle make another appearance. If her ancestors were able to place the fog there and lock it away until now, she had no doubt in her own abilities (with the assistance of the staff) at doing the same thing again. There were specific areas within Hy-Brasil’s records dedicated towards important rituals and customs, and she figured sticking her own results with Yrisle in that section would be sufficient for the High Druid centuries from now. The other option was to destroy the island, though she feared doing so would only unleash the fog onto the world, freed from its shackles for the first time in recorded history.

The Council had a lot of opinions on what should and shouldn’t be done over the next few weeks and months, and while Fae agreed on certain portions of their collective reasoning, she still had matters to deal with that only she could do. They weren’t going to prevent her from following through with her plan if things worked out the way she hoped they would, especially if it meant being for the greater good. In the meantime, she had managed to persuade her new acquaintance, Julia Zhou, the Seer, to visit Hy-Brasil to assist in research. With everything she had learned from Bianca and other sources since visiting Julia, there were definitely a few leads that the two of them could follow. Fae had also put to work several of the younger druids, all of whom were still studying, but were extremely knowledgeable on what the archives held. Various other members of the community were assisting as well, mainly elders that were better versed in the oral history and legends that Yrisle originated from, though tracking that down was becoming increasingly more difficult since some knowledge died with whomever knew it. There was unfortunately a limit to anything that wasn’t written down.

News of the stranger at the port that appeared in a burst of flames holding onto a phoenix spread quickly across the island, and Fae swiftly made her way towards the entrance to the island. Based on correspondence she had with Julia, that was to be her mode of transportation to Hy-Brasil. There were often times Fae cursed at herself for being a metamorphmagus, because if she hadn’t, she could have chosen to be an animagus that could fly or run fast. Instead, she was bound to her own feet. While the option of riding one of the griffins from the herd she lived near was certainly possible, specifically the one that she had raised herself, she feared being seen as the High Druid that used animals, as opposed to one that was friends with them. She knew that was silly to be worried about, but anything was possible in these times. The last several months had absolutely been trying to break her, and had gotten close on numerous occasions.

“Julia!” Fae called as she slowed her gliding walk to an almost stop near the customs office. That was typically a requirement of visitors, though special circumstances and the pressing need to get things done on time meant it could be omitted for now. “I have already talked to customs prior to your arrival. We can visit them later to fill out any paperwork they require.” Her gaze followed up to the phoenix resting on the woman’s arm. Hy-Brasil had them, of course, but mainland ones still impressed her. The local flock would never let a human domesticate them like this. Clearly it trusted Julia immensely. “Come, we have much to discuss and plenty of material to look over. I will show you our archives first, and then I can bring you to your lodgings.”

xiulan zhou ● 760 ● Sunny In Saint Petersburg by Saib

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[xiulan zhou]

March 19, 2026

Xiulan had just about made it to the door of the customs office when she heard someone—Fae, in fact—calling out to her. She startled for a moment at the sound, and she realized that Zhurong must have, too, by the way that his feathers were slightly ruffled. Both of them quickly relaxed, however, when it became clear that Fae was only trying to get her attention and that it wasn't because there was an emergency of some kind. It was also a strange sight to see Fae dressed in what Xiulan presumed was her usual clothing, since she had been wearing Muggle clothing when she had met her previously. She looked much more at ease in that way, composed and certainly regal.

"I have already talked to customs prior to your arrival," explained Fae as she approached her. "We can visit them later to fill out any paperwork they require."

That was thoughtful of Fae, Xiulan felt; it certainly saved her some time, though she hoped that it wouldn't have been a hassle in any case. She didn't get the feeling that the people of Hy-Brasil were going to demand form after form from her even once she did get around to visiting the customs office, but maybe she was incorrect in that assumption.

Also noticing Fae look at Zhurong, Xiulan gave the High Druid a small smile and readjusted her hold on the handle of her suitcase. She didn't think that it was because Fae hadn't seen a phoenix so closely before, although it was possible that she was wrong about that.

"Come," Fae instructed her. "We have much to discuss and plenty of material to look over. I will show you our archives first, and then I can bring you to your lodgings."

"Yes. Of course," Xiulan nodded her head in reply. That was to be expected, she supposed. She was visiting Hy-Brasil not as a tourist but on business of sorts. The more that she and Fae could accomplish, the better off they—and everyone else—would be. Xiulan didn't exactly frame her journey as a mission to save the world, but it would have been remiss of her not to acknowledge how important her being there was to the High Druid.

fae iona cloudbreaker

[fae iona cloudbreaker]

▲

“Prior to my appointment as High Druid, I worked as a visitor guide,” Fae tacked on, as if the clarification about why she went out of her way to get the customs details in order. Tourists, in the few numbers they used to come in, weren’t typically required to enter the customs office. Researchers were though, and since there was a distinct lack of visitors for tourism and plenty of magizoologists and herbologists cutting their teeth with Hy-Brasil, she had become relatively acquainted with both them and the office that Julia was trying to enter. Basically she had to kill time somehow, because it was either that or herding the griffons on the farm. Talking to strangers was infinitely more enlightening than shoveling manure was. Now she was unable to do both, but that was neither here nor there at the moment. The sudden freedom over the last month to do what she wanted (all within Council parameters and for official business) had been amazing.

The reinvigoration of positivity now that things seemed to be working in her favor, or had the potential to at least, changed everything. Her parents had mentioned the marked difference, though that wasn’t always exactly difficult because her emotions could be read just by the color of her hair. Today it was close to her normal straw blonde, but even she had noticed the shimmer of vibrant yellow when the sun caught it the right way. That hadn’t happened in close to six months now, and just seeing it this way made her feel better. Weirdly, it was cyclical.

As she led Julia down the singular ‘street’ of Boudicca’s Grace, Fae pointed out the few landmarks of the town, as well as the nearly invisible pathways that led off into the trees and towards other parts of the island. “I can give you a tour of the whole island at some point. I find that it is necessary to take breaks and walk after researching. Hy-Brasil has a natural way of easing the mind and helping with thinking clearly.” Except when absolutely panicked, as she had been when the barrier first fell. That was a different situation altogether though, and the temporary one in place sort of worked. Realistically she wanted it back to the way it was, just in case.

Pointing at the large tree right on the outskirts of the village, Fae continued, “That is the Tranquil Oak, where you will be staying. And this-” she stopped in front of a medium-ish sized building, “-is where we will be the most. It functions like a library, though most of what is inside are writings from previous members of our Council, prior High Druids, and anything my ancestors deemed necessary to place inside.”

xiulan zhou ● 459 ● Honest by Ira Wolf

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[xiulan zhou]

March 19, 2026

Xiulan wasn't entirely certain how the political system worked on Hy-Brasil or among the Druids in general, but she was surprised to hear Fae speak with such enthusiasm about the fact that she had been a guide for visitors to the island prior to her appointment as High Druid. There was nothing wrong with her having been a tour guide, in Xiulan's view, but she did find it interesting that Fae had gone from being a tour guide to being the High Druid of Hy-Brasil.

As Xiulan discovered, the town just beyond her port of entry was called Boudicca's Grace. She was glad that Fae was there to point out where things were, given that it was unlike anywhere she had been before. There was little in the way of signage and even fewer businesses, from what she could see of the place. Plenty of paths went off in different directions, and Xiulan knew that it would be easiest for her to stick close to Fae or someone else in the know. Trying to explore on her own didn't sound ideal to her, though.

"I can give you a tour of the whole island at some point," added Fae. "I find that it is necessary to take breaks and walk after researching. Hy-Brasil has a natural way of easing the mind and helping with thinking clearly."

That was reassuring to hear, thought Xiulan, who then mentioned to Fae, "Thank you. This is the first time I've done something like this." It was easier than explaining that she had nearly gone back on her word to her earlier that very day. Seeing how thrilled Fae was to see her there kept her from being as terrified. Though still feeling overwhelmed, it wasn't as negative as she had anticipated.

Fae soon pointed out what appeared to be a large tree. "That is the Tranquil Oak, where you will be staying," she informed her. (Xiulan thought that it was sort of different that she would be staying in a tree, but she trusted that Fae knew what she was talking about.)

"And this—" Fae went on, drawing her attention to a different building, "—is where we will be the most." That was convenient; it wasn't too far away. "It functions like a library," she said, "though most of what is inside are writings from previous members of our Council, prior High Druids, and anything my ancestors deemed necessary to place inside."

So it was an archive of sorts, Xiulan considered as she nodded. She understood why it was necessary, of course. She would have worried if things of importance were just kept in various places, although she supposed that there could be some benefit in not putting everything in one location in the event that anything were to end up damaged. "Wonderful. That's very convenient."

fae iona cloudbreaker

[fae iona cloudbreaker]

▲

She wasn’t sure if Julia’s comment about this being the ‘first time she had ever done something like this’ referred to travel to an island of solely magical potency, or a big trip in general. Fae absolutely understood what accompanied a trip like this, as she always had her own anxieties about going to the mainland when it was required. As of late that had been dulled quite a bit because her purpose for being there was engrossed in meetings and necessary decisions to get everything back into order. Coming back to Hy-Brasil was literally a fresh breath of air for her, and she immediately felt relieved the second she got back home. It didn’t help that the pressing matters surrounding her trips, and likewise Julia’s here, were regarding what they were. She already knew that she wasn’t going to be complaining ever again about Ministers of Magic bullying her into policy changes, because that simply wasn’t going to be happening anymore. If anything, this entire ordeal starting with the barrier had helped with her resolve and helped her see things more clearly. It only took years to get here.

The door to the library, which is what she was going to be calling it from now on, now that she had seen mainlander libraries, was stuck as she tried the handle. That wasn’t exactly a surprise, as it was rarely used and only opened when important events occurred on the island. Anything relating to festivals and religion were kept elsewhere. Which reminded her…“I hope you do not mind, as I seem to have forgotten to mention that Ostara began today. There will be several brief matters I will have to attend to over the next few days-” Fae put her shoulder into the door while trying the handle again, a struggled grunt coming out of her as it didn’t move. Taking Merlin’s staff, she tapped the door, and it flew open in a cloud of dust, clattering as it strained against its hinges. Of course it was that easy.

“But you are welcome to join in the festivities if you want,” she turned and smiled at Julia before entering the building. Another simple tap of the staff on the ground and globules of soft light went into the fixtures in the ceiling, revealing the stacks of books, scrolls, and papers that culminated in the majority of Hy-Brasil’s written history. “I did not think it would be this dusty,” she said, scrunching her nose at the amount of dust she could see in the air. “We can leave this open while we head to the Tranquil Oak. Right this way,” Fae stated as she moved back outside and started heading towards the giant tree.

xiulan zhou ● 454 ● Tough Act by Maisie Peters

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[xiulan zhou]

March 19, 2026

Xiulan tried not to react when Fae started saying something about how she hoped that she didn't mind something or other. She didn't mind entirely, except she couldn't really say that. Everything was so different for her, and she was still trying to make sense of it. It wasn't that she was sheltered, save for the past few years; she knew how other parts of the magical world worked, but Hy-Brasil was so… distinct. Still, Xiulan forced that thought out of her head almost as quickly as it had entered it. Realistically, she considered, she probably didn't mind whatever had crossed Fae's mind. There was little to fear, strangely, but was it that she had become so accustomed to the worst case that it was difficult to think beyond it?

Something had begun that day, Fae went on to explain, though Xiulan didn't get the feeling that it was cause for concern, whatever "Ostara" was. It was admittedly a bit of a challenge to focus on that when Fae appeared to be struggling to open the door. Not that she was sure that she would be much help with a suitcase and a phoenix, Xiulan was nevertheless prepared to assist the High Druid if she needed it. The staff worked much more easily to open the door than had Fae's shoulder, however, and Xiulan wondered if Fae felt embarrassed that she hadn't tried the staff first.

"But you are welcome to join in the festivities if you want," Fae smiled to her, entering the building.

"Thank you," Xiulan nodded as she followed after Fae, despite not knowing what Ostara entailed. The room into which they had entered was illuminated as if by the electricity used in the non-magical world. It was also incredibly dusty, so much so that the particles were visible.

Fae said that she hadn't expected that there would be so much dust in there, and she stated that they could leave the door open while they went to Tranquil Oak. Xiulan realized then that leaving a door open probably wasn't as likely to invite trouble on Hy-Brasil, and it would hopefully get some of the dust out of the air in the meantime.

"Right this way."

Although she had barely gotten a chance to look at what they were likely going to have to look through, Xiulan nodded and followed Fae back outside. Her accomodations did really look like a treehouse of sorts in an oak tree. It certainly wasn't her flat in Belgravia, though Xiulan knew that she had become spoiled by that, posh as it was. She hoped that it would be adequate for a few days (and was looking forward to being able to set her suitcase down), but she also knew that she had survived worse.

fae iona cloudbreaker

[fae iona cloudbreaker]

▲

“The Tranquil Oak is typically what we use as our guest accommodations,” Fae explained as she led Julia towards the gigantic tree. It was funny; having really only seen the darkened firs and ancient oaks of the forest that bordered Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, and obviously the plants native to Hy-Brasil, the trees of London that she had seen during her most recent trip were pitiful. They were choked out by the concrete of the city, stuck inside ‘planters’ or front gardens. Not even the public parks or private greenhouses she had glimpsed compared to what she had here on the island, and it was distressing at first. No wonder druids stayed in their communities and didn’t dare venture out often. And that was all before animals were brought into the equation. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what the poor little nifflers in Diagon Alley had to contend with. At least on Hy-Brasil they had free reign to pilfer whatever they wanted and without repercussion. On the flip-side, it seemed like muggle mainlanders were fairly content with the open air spaces that they had created, despite the collecting smog and bubbling pollutants that sat in their sewers below them.

Compared to all that, the Tranquil Oak was a force to be reckoned with, and the closest thing Fae could put it up against on the mainland were their skyscrapers. The way she ogled the large buildings was the same glow of excitement that she saw in the eyes of visitors when they learned that they were going to be staying in a tree house. She hoped Julia would be the same way, as hosting the fortune teller in her own hut wasn’t exactly feasible. While a cabin, it wasn’t meant for more than one. Guests were treated much better inside the tree anyways. “I had a spot about halfway up set aside for you. Unless you do not like heights?” she asked as they arrived at the foot of the spiraling ramp that looped along the trunk all the way to the top. That specific lodging had the best view of the island and allowed for a gentle sunrise. Fae had personally tested it out multiple times following festivals that ran into the early morning hours, when she had a bit too much of the Wormwood wine. There was a reason she didn’t partake in libations nearly as often anymore…

xiulan zhou ● 400 ● Psycho by Maisie Peters

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[xiulan zhou]

March 19, 2026

"The Tranquil Oak is typically what we use as our guest accommodations," Fae told her. Xiulan couldn't say that she had ever slept in a treehouse before. It was neither the best nor the worst thing she had experienced, but Xiulan knew that it was also the Druids' culture that they didn't have the same infrastructure as in her flat back in Belgravia. As trees went, though, the oak tree was exceptionally large, and it made Xiulan wonder what the treehouse would be like on the inside. It would be rustic, Xiulan supposed and maybe a bit of an adjustment, but it wouldn't be permanent. Neither did she think that Fae or the other Druids would be at all neglectful, but her frame of reference for anything that wasn't to the standard of where she was currently living was the Lin Sòng.

"I had a spot about halfway up set aside for you," Fae continued as they approached the ramp that led up the tree like a spiral staircase. "Unless you do not like heights?"

Xiulan shook her head. "The height isn't a problem," she assured Fae, and it wasn't. Of all the things that completely terrified her, heights weren't one, though she knew that she would need to be careful up there regardless. Zhurong flew ahead of her, perching on a tree branch about where Xiulan anticipated that her room was situated. It was strange to see him looking like a wild bird, though Xiulan knew that he was probably just curious about the change of environment.

"Thank you again for arranging everything," Xiulan told Fae after keeping an eye on Zhurong for a few seconds to ensure that he was alright. "Should I put my suitcase up there?"

fae iona cloudbreaker

[fae iona cloudbreaker]

▲

The Tranquil Oak was most likely named the way it was because of the magic that it exuded, though Fae had never actually seen someone afraid of heights have trouble going up it. She wasn’t an expert in ancient magicks, but that certainly seemed like a possible side-effect of being on the tree. Thankfully Julia wasn’t, so that wouldn’t end up being a problem. Personally, Fae enjoyed the higher rooms, the sunset or sunrise being perfect when it came to the height and location of the tree. It was a far cry from her shack, which was hidden inside the Wildwood. The comfort of home contrasted with the majestic oak tree was vastly different but she enjoyed them both the same. With most of her life - outside of griffins - being relatively grounded, having a different perspective from time to time was nice. Comparing it to the skyscrapers of the mainland was definitely one way to do it, though the tangled metal and concrete was so unnatural that it felt like she wasn’t connected to anything when in one. How other druids managed to live over there and in a building like that was beyond her. A house would be one thing, but a giant man-made tower?

“It has been my pleasure,” Fae smiled at her guest as she was thanked. As for the bags, that was certainly something that needed to be taken care of. “I can have them taken up for you, or if you would prefer to see the lodgings first before we continue?” she offered. The storage shed was probably aired out well enough by now, and if not, spending time at the Tranquil Oak for a bit and then giving more of a tour of the island before doing research would definitely clear it out. Ultimately it was up to Julia though, as Fae was free until she had official duties later in the evening. But that was hours from now still. Typically right around now was when she would be helping with the griffins…

She had almost forgotten that the phoenix that was accompanying Julia was not one from the island. While definitely not a frequent sight due to their elusiveness, she probably saw more phoenixes on a daily basis than the average witch or wizard did in their entire life. Owners being the exception, of course. “Your friend seems to enjoy the Tranquil Oak as well,” she laughed as the bird perched on one of the branches. “And he knows where your room is,” Fae added, making note of the phoenix’s location. “I can wait down here until you are ready to see more of the island?”

xiulan zhou ● 447 ● Talk About Me by Skott

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[xiulan zhou]

March 19, 2026

Fae said that it had been her pleasure, and she offered to take her suitcase up to where she would be staying—not personally, from what it sounded like—although she did also give her the option to see it for herself before they continued.

That seemed like the better option, and she didn't need to wait on someone else to handle her suitcase when she was perfectly capable of doing it on her own. "If you don't mind. I only need a few minutes," she assured Fae. She just needed to get her suitcase up the ramp to where she would be staying and ensure that Zhurong was settled. As much as she loved the bird, it would be easier to do what they needed to get done without having him perched on her arm. Phoenixes weren't small birds.

"Your friend seems to enjoy the Tranquil Oak as well," Fae laughed at the sight of Zhurong in the tree, mentioning that he had also identified where her room was. "I can wait down here until you are ready to see more of the island?"

"I'll put my suitcase up there and then come back," Xiulan told her. Zhurong looked content, so that was good for him. She made note of where the phoenix was relative to the height of the tree, and she made her way up the ramp.

Though she left her flat sparingly, there was something quite interesting about being in a place without many noticeable buildings. London, Macao, and Beijing were all home to no shortage of skyscrapers. Hy-Brasil wasn't a barren plain, but it was different from being surrounded by concrete everywhere. It was entirely magical, too, as far as the eye could see. Xiulan could only imagine how much different her life would have been if she had been born into the world as a Druid on Hy-Brasil instead. It really was so far from her reality that it was only as she took in the interior of her room in the treehouse that she understood just how foreign her flat must have seemed to Fae.

She called Zhurong inside from his new perch, checking to make sure that he was comfortable and wouldn't have any issues if she were to leave him unattended there. It would be an adjustment for him, too. He didn't spend his time around other creatures, though he was doing better at not being overwhelmed than she was.

Once she had gotten her suitcase inside and was satisfied that Zhurong would be okay without her, Xiulan made sure that she still had her wand on her in case she needed it and then made her way back down the ramp to Fae. "It's beautiful," she told her. It was different and would probably take some adjusting to on her part, but it was beautiful nevertheless.

fae iona cloudbreaker

[fae iona cloudbreaker]

▲

Fae bowed her head slightly as the other woman decided she'd carry her belongings up to the lodging first, before they continued along their tour. Watching Julia head up the ramp, the High Druid started to mull over what else she could show her new friend before returning to the archives. The storage would need a lot longer than ten minutes to be cleared of all that dust. Heading back now would only lead both of them into sneezing fits and itchy eyes. She didn't really feel like casting a cleaning spell with Merlin's staff was the best way to utilize its power, but she would do it if it was still a mess later on in the day. Hopefully the breeze would wash most of it away now that it was opened up.

Plucking at a tiny dried leaf that had wound itself into her hair, she waited patiently for Julia to return down from the tree. It was a shame that plants had to die, and despite knowing and accepting that this was all a part of the life cycle, the way the leaf disintegrated between her fingers as she looked at it was a reminder of how precious time was. Especially now that Yrisle had arrived and they were left with very few answers on how to combat it. While she preferred to call herself the voice of reason, she could already tell that there were some on the mainland and within the Ministry that viewed her as a pessimist. Convincing them was going to be difficult.

Julia eventually came back down from the tree, her phoenix seemingly remaining up in the room provided to them. "We have very few guests that stay more than a day," Fae explained as she began her walk towards their next destination. "But the Tranquil Oak is kept pristine just in case. Hogwarts even sent students last month for research, and they all stayed in it." She'd personally been hesitant about allowing things to remain 'normal', in the sense that the Ministry wasn't taking any of this seriously. Holding that against the students of Hogwarts though? There would be no end in sight to the complaints from her naysayers if she suddenly tried to 'stifle education'. Merlin, she had nightmares about that.

"I figured the beach might be a good place to stop first. It will lead us to a spot I want you to see." Her ruminations over the past few months had led her to believe that part of the answers to Yrisle could be solved by better understanding the power of Merlin's staff. They weren't inherently symbiotic of one another, but two tragedies so close to one another concerning druid-kind felt more than just a coincidence to her. If anything, harnessing the staff would only help her with whatever she needed to do to seal the other island once again. Taking Julia to the cave where Merlin's staff had once been was part of that discovery process.

xiulan zhou ● 499 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[xiulan zhou]

March 19, 2026

"We have very few guests that stay more than a day," Fae told her after she had made her way back down from her room in the tree and they began walking again. Staying in what was essentially a treehouse wouldn't have been her first choice, perhaps, but Xiulan didn't think that it would be so intolerable that she would want to leave after only one night there. Could so few people from outside Hy-Brasil handle the Druids' lifestyle? That seemed pretty shocking. Surely there were all sorts of people who would want to visit the island and see what it was like, and not only the thrill-seekers. Magizoologists must have been giddy at the thought of anyplace where the only creatures to be seen were magical. (On that note, Xiulan thought, she would want to make sure that there were no Nifflers around the tree to get into her belongings once she began to unpack.) "But the Tranquil Oak is kept pristine just in case," Fae added. "Hogwarts even sent students last month for research, and they all stayed in it."

It must have been very strange for the students from Hogwarts to stay there, Xiulan felt; it would have been for her at their age. The trip must have been fascinating for them, though; she had only been there for a short time, but she was already amazed by Hy-Brasil. There was so much that she didn't know, and the island really wasn't that far away from where she lived.

"I figured the beach might be a good place to stop first," Fae said. "It will lead us to a spot I want you to see."

"Whatever you feel is best," Xiulan nodded, although she couldn't remember the last time that she had been on a beach—the port into Hy-Brasil notwithstanding. It must have been Macao's Cheoc Van Beach, probably, years back. She knew that she wasn't just there to enjoy the seaside, though the fresh air itself was marvelous.

fae iona cloudbreaker

[fae iona cloudbreaker]

▲

Leading the way down towards the beach that encompassed almost the entirety of the southern edge of the island, Fae immediately removed her sandals upon hitting the sand. The water was still cold at this time of the year, but the sand did a wonderful job at absorbing the heat from the sun all year round, always leaving it comfortable to walk on in her opinion. While she knew humans didn't actually photosynthesize the same way that plants did, she liked to think that it was absolutely integral to take in rays every day if possible. And who didn't get instantly happy from walking down a beach? It was a great way to think, second only to meditating in her favorite grove. "There is a mermaid colony off the shelf out there. If you are familiar at all with the Selkies that live in the Black Lake at Hogwarts, the community here comprises of Merrows. A different subspecies of merpeople." In the books she had studied on merpeople and their language, there were quite a few sections depicting mainlander's views on the species as a whole. Most muggle stories either referred solely to one of the subspecies or mismatched their names and combined features. Either way, it was quite easy to differentiate between them. "I can speak Mermish, you know," Fae bragged. "It is a requirement of the High Druid. Communicating with our neighbors, whether human or creature, is a significant role. The Merrows help regulate the coastline and let us know if there are any problems with the ocean's ecosystem."

After a bit of walking and soaking in the sun, Fae eyed the pathway that led off of the beach and back into the forest. A couple inconspicuous turns down paths that didn't look like paths at all, and they would be at the cave where Merlin's staff had been kept. "We will be going this way now," she pointed at the footpath ahead of her. Setting her sandals back down, she left them where they were and proceeded into the trees. Feeling her way down the pathway by her feet was easier than visually remembering where she needed to turn off at. Maybe it was silly to say that she felt like the plant life was telling her where to go, but it certainly came across like that at times. That and Merlin's staff was instantly drawn to its former home. "The cave I am looking for is right ahead of us," Fae called back to Xiulan as her feet danced around bushes and underbrush automatically. Any moment now and it would be in sight...

xiulan zhou ● 437 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[xiulan zhou]

March 19, 2026

As they began to walk along the sand, Fae removed her shoes. Xiulan did, too, though only because she realized that it would be exceptionally uncomfortable to walk around for the rest of the day with grains of sand in her shoes if she didn't. Fae explained that there were merpeople living in a colony not far from where they were strolling, as there was at Hogwarts in its Black Lake. That was news to Xiulan, but she wasn't too surprised.

What was more fascinating to her was that Fae revealed that she could speak Mermish and that the merpeople also helped the Druid people by guarding their coastline. It made perfect sense, but it wouldn't have been the first thing to come to Xiulan's mind. She nodded as she listened, though, interested in hearing what else she didn't know about the High Druid.

"We will be going this way now," Fae told her after some time, indicating a path off of the beach. Xiulan used water from her wand to rinse and dry her feet, then she slipped her shoes back on. Fae, she realized, hadn't put her sandals back on. Instead, she had chosen to remain barefoot as they walked between trees. Xiulan didn't openly question it, but she supposed that Fae must have known what she was doing.

After a little while longer, Fae relayed to her that the cave that she was looking for was just ahead. Xiulan, who had remained a pace or two behind Fae so that she could remain mindful of her footing, nodded. "Thank you," she replied, wondering what Fae wanted her to see in a cave.

fae iona cloudbreaker