RP: directed at welsh_raven!

[w0tcha]

It happened, appropriately enough, while Will was absently leafing through the pages of an old history of Roman Briton. The day was grey and miserable, about what you'd expect for November, and Will was curled with a blanket on the window seat, mug of tea gone cold beside him. Raq dozed at his feet, while the usual clatter of a weekend in the

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[welsh_raven]

The strange feeling came upon Bran while he was wandering the pastures and hills of and around Clwyd Farm. He'd occasionally had similar sensations before, but never something powerful enough to cause him to stop in his tracks.

And then the landscape changed. All he'd done was blink, and the Welsh pastureland became a strange, thick, dark forest.

Forcing back a shiver of unease, Bran pulled his jacket closer around him, only to find it wasn't quite what he'd pulled on that morning. Tawny eyes blinked and peered down at the long, black cloak. It seemed familiar, comfortable even. As if he'd been wearing it for days already.

The black trousers and wool sweater, he remembered from that morning, though where his sunglasses had gone, he didn't know. Yet he was warmer than he aught to be, it shouldn't be that warm in November, in a forest.

He looked around, expression intent as if he were listening. Perhaps he was, to the forest, to what he could hear around him. After a moment of stillness, he started down the path he'd arrived on, keeping a close eye and ear on his surroundings.

[w0tcha]

The forest had a timeless quality; it was hard to tell how long he'd been walking when the path was joined by another path before continuing on its way. Will hesitated over it before deciding that whatever wanted him to follow the path didn't want him making side-turns. Still, there was something about this path that made him pause before continuing on his way. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans, trying to work out just what -- if anything -- he was waiting for.

The footsteps answered that question. Right on cue, Will thought amused, as he drew himself up a little taller to meet the other.

[welsh_raven]

Something was telling him he was almost there. But where was there? Bran forced his focus on the path that had remained easy to follow. A bit too easy, but he had chosen to continue on it a while longer.

Before he was really aware of it, despite his attention, he'd come to a branch in the path. And someone was waiting, apparently for him. He stopped, staring at the other boy, expressionless.

He seemed..familiar, somehow. The dreams? Bran wondered if he had fallen asleep somewhere on the farm back home, despite the fact this had not happened before in any of the dreams he could remember.

[w0tcha]

If Bran was having feelings of familiarity, Will was somewhere in downright recognition. If the cape hadn't been deja-vu enough, there were a limited number of people who could be reasonably expected to appear in one in a forest that appeared outside the Stanton home. Add to that the size of the other figure and the field narrowed quite considerably. Will pushed back his hood.

"Fancy meeting you here."

[welsh_raven]

When the hood came down, Bran managed to keep from starting. It was the strange boy from the dreams.

The fact the other spoke English came as little surprise, the vague dreams Bran remembered had the other figure speaking English, not Welsh, though he had a suspicion any attempt at Welsh would leave him laughing.

"How do I know you did not cause this meeting? You were waiting," came the cool, precise reply.

[w0tcha]

The coolness was a surprise -- not that it should have been, Will reprimanded himself sternly. But the accent, the voice --

It was amazing how clear the memory was. Could have happened yesterday, not years past-- No, Will stopped himself. That train of thought never does any good.

He casually shrugged the cloak out of the way to stick his hands in the pocket of his jeans, adopting his best 'ordinary' smile. "You don't," he said affably. "But I was waiting." He cocked his head towards the path in front of them. "Shall we?"

[welsh_raven]

"You know me." It was a statement. Abrupt and to the point. Bran was sure of that much.

He didn't quite believe the 'ordinary' in that smile, but then, this whole forest had his feelings shouting how ordinary had no place. He kept his gaze on the other, for a moment before flicking a glance in the direction Will was facing.

A shrug, oddly seeming to be carefree all of a sudden. It did seem like that was where they had to go next. "That is why we are here, is it not?"

[w0tcha]

Will's smile was calm, unruffled. "I do. I take it you don't?"

He relaxed as Bran shrugged, seemingly deciding to go with the situation. It would be awful to meet him again only to promptly annoy each other -- then again, it had taken the necessity of defeating the Dark to get them to be friends the last time. "I suppose so. It just seems -- intended. And not in a bad way--" He paused. He couldn't be sure what Bran sensed, or even what he remembered. Still, the High Magic had resources the Light did not. "How does it feel to you?"

[welsh_raven]

"If this is a dream, then yes. I know you." If it wasn't, well. That was a whole other issue, wasn't it?

There was just something about the air around him, it felt like he was meant to be there. Even more so, was the necessity to be there with this other boy next to him.

He gave a curt nod of agreement, tawny eyes a bit unfocused on the path as Bran tried to put the feeling into words. "It feels right."

[w0tcha]

Now that was interesting. Will kept his expression mild. "You wouldn't happened to have dreamt about this forest before, would you?"

Bran's last words were a definite relief, and Will's smile grew as Bran settled on 'right.' That was very reassuring. "Only one way to find out what's waiting us," he says. "And I'm Will, by the way."

[welsh_raven]

Bran wouldn't say it, or outwardly show it, but he was glad the other kept calm. This place and situation was strange enough without there being panic all around. At the question, he gave a slight shake of his head. "I have not." It was obvious the other hadn't been to the forest before, if he'd had to ask that.

A pale brow lifted at the introduction, but nodded. A name to go with the face, that was something. Then, on a whim, he asked, "You wouldn't happen to be a dewin, would you?" That was a test, to see if this Will knew what the Welsh word for wizard was. The strange dreams seemed to indicate Will wasn't normal, then again, Bran wasn't exactly normal either.

Even as he asked, he started walking again, turning onto the intersecting path.

[w0tcha]

Will nodded, not entirely surprised that Bran didn't recognise them. "Not England, I think," he said following the path. "The trees are wrong, somehow." They were the tall, dark fir trees of forests of very cold climates indeed. Eastern Europe, maybe? Then again, Will reminded himself, anything that had the power to draw Will from the Thames Valley and Bran from Northern Wales obviously could play as it liked with mere geography.

He couldn't help the smile at Bran's inquiry -- maybe he did remember something after all? "Dewin," he repeated, making a (for Will) creditable attempt at the pronunciation. "It's as good a word as any."

Excuse the dialogue fail -_-

[welsh_raven]

Bran gave a small shrug, agreeing. "The air does not feel right to be from Britain." Too warm, for one. He couldn't help but feel there was something important he had to remember, something to do with Will, it seemed.

The other boy's reply seemed to confirm that thought, and he once again turned his gaze to Will, studying him again. "Did you do something to my memory, then?" His tone held only a little suspicion.

Hey, making small talk with a stranger is hard work!

[w0tcha]

Will snorts, about to reply to that -- then realises that Bran is right. "Not November," he says surprised. "I wonder when we are then?"

Whenever the path takes them underneath a break in the trees, they can see blue sky ahead, definitely not the day they left. The breaks are starting to appear more frequently too -- nearing the end of the forest perhaps? Will follows the path, trusting that his questions will soon be answered. Now, what to do about Bran's?

"Not me," he says simply, with a sadness he can't quite suppress. He grimaces at Bran. "There are some questions I can't answer," he warns.

xD Especially when Bran knows he's missing memories about Will.

[welsh_raven]

"When?" Bran echoed without thought. That was probably the oddest thing about it all, which was saying something.

He was getting the feeling the edge of the forest was near as well, though he wasn't as familiar with forests as Will seemed to be.

He was actually surprised when he heard the sorrow in the other's voice. Will seemed honest, but how could he know for sure? He couldn't, he just had to trust his instincts were right, that Will wouldn't hurt him if he could avoid it.

After a moment's consideration, Bran gave a small shrug and kept walking. It was a wordless acceptance.

[w0tcha]

"Mm." Will wasn't sure if he should say more or let Bran figure it out -- better Bran works it out, Will decided. There wasn't much Will could say without implying he knew more than he was telling -- which was only partially true. The forest was thinning into farmland and the path had become a road. A country road sure, but still and road. And Will had no idea where it was going still.

He paused suddenly, hands still in his jean pockets. He frowned at the fields around them. Though signs of long habitation were there in the stone fences, covered in moss and crumbling in parts beside more modern metal gates, there was a distinct lack of livestock -- or people. "Does it seem too quiet to you?"