Chapter Text
There were... rumours about this town.
Empires was a small town, only about one thousand people, but it was a nice town. A quaint suburban town in the middle of a thick forest in the north of Edinburgh. It had a cople of shops, a few dozen parks and even a decent sized museum, but many people don't dare come close enough to see any of that. Because everybody heard about the rumours, about the forest, about the... curses.
They all heard about the call of the forest. The people called by it, by the forest. They all heard the rumours, about the people that enter the forest in the middle of the night only to come back in the morning... different. Sure they looked the same, talked the same, acted the same, but they were always diferent.
Maybe your friend entered the forest at midnight, beckoned by the whispers between the trees, and sure, when he came back in the morning he was the same guy you knew since 6th grade. The same happy-go-lucky guy that runs the local pub, but if you looked close enough you could swear his face shine like plastic, his hair felt like yarn if you took a moment to think while you're fixing it and you were sure you could see stitches at his joints like the limbs of a rag doll. But you keep quiet. You know you're in no place to judge.
Maybe your wife went in the forest after night fall, just after letting your dog out in the garden, feeling its pull all over her body. And maybe she did came back just after dawn, sneaking under the cover while you were pretending to be asleep, too worried about her to fall asleep, but to scared to let your guard down and greet her, but you saw how she changed. Her bones weren't quite right. They were bending a bit to much (she wasn't this flexible before was she. No. Of course not), her knees almost looked backwards, her pupils more like a cat's than human and her nails looked more like claws. But you don't question it. You're no better yourself.
Or maybe you saw that cute florist that has a shop just next-door coming out of the local Pub and, instead of making his way to his house he starts walking left towards the forest. You debated following him, but decide not to. It wasn't your decision. The forest doesn't want you there. But you still watch him go, the fog of the forest seaming to almost drag him, guiding him like a good friend. You don't follow, even if you want to. Sure you see him the next day, sitting on his counter as always, but when you look closer you can see the vines of the hanging flowers curling around his shoulders like protecting hands, you see the orchids on the floor curling around his leg and if you look close enough you can see the daffodil that always sits behind his ear (the one he started wearing after the two of you meet) seem to almost grow out of his skull. But you don't say anything. You knew this would happen and you know he actually enjoys this.
Oli knew about the rumours too. One of his ex-coworkers from Edinburgh told him. Or was it a classmate? He can't really remember, but apparently it became kinda like a urban legend in the area and- NO. Wait. He was getting distracted again. Whatever. That doesn't matter. What matters is that his stupid fucking boss called him about 5 hours ago and told him he was beeing moved to a post in the middle of nowhere Edinburgh in the cursed fucking town of Empires (witch was a stupid name in his humble opinion). He didn't even knew what he was doing in this company for god's sake! Bloody Hell! He was with this company for 3 years and he never did the same job twice. Once he has a guard at some weird ass greenhouse, but he got moved once he started asking questions. Other times he was- No. Wait. He was distracted again. Bloody Hell. Back to beeing moved. Focus Oli. Focus.
So here he was now, packing his little to no belongings in a small worn-out suitcase. He didn't have much, never made enough money for any sort of luxuries, just a couple of chlotes, a pillow he really liked, his panda beanie and some other personal belongings. It didn't really matter how many belongings he had. After all it was easier to move at a short notice if you didn't have a lot of stuff to move. He was leaving tomorrow. He was supposed to be in Empires by 5 p.m. the next day. It was a 5 hour drive, 6 if his car decided to brake down. Witch honestly, it will a hundred percent happen. Curse his shit car.
He was told all the details thankfully. He was going to be working as a research assistant for the Empires Museum. Something about a new project, what was it called? Ancient City? Ancient Ruins? Ancient... Something. Eh whatever. He wasn't paying much attention to what his boss was talking about. He always zones out after beeing told he needs to move away again. That's a problem for future Oli (god, that guy must hate him by now). He was going to get a nice flat in some local housing complex and some money until he gets his first paycheck. The usual stuff. Help him get started, give him a nice place to get attached to and than move him to the other side of the country.
No. Nope. Nopes. He refuses to get sad right now. No saddens for Big and Strang Man Oli™️. He just needs to get to bed and next morning Oli can deal with the rest. He just has to go to bed and get some sleep. He doesn't need to be up terribly early, but he knows he never gets enough sleep before he moves away.
He changes into some pijamas (he'll probably just throw them in the suitcase in the morning), washes his teeth with only some water and gets into his sad tiny bed. Just get some sleep Oli. Just get some rest.
His boots made a tapping sound as he walks throu the grand halls of the museum the vines and flower hanging loosely from his frame dragging on the marble floor. He hears voices. Voices he knows well. The voices of the ones that are like him, touched by the forest.
He rounds the corner comeing in the doorway of the biggest display area of the museum where the eleven other ones were gathered at a large table. He enters thrue the imposing archway, everyone quieting down as he makes his way to the head of the table. As he walked to his chair all the plants in the room move with him, moveing along the walls, on the floor and on the cealing, taking their place behind his chair making it look like an imposing throw.
"He will be here tomorrow." he says with an air of solemnity making everyone nod at him. He turns to the man to his left "Could you get a room for him by tomorrow? He'll arrive around 5 p.m."
"Absolutely!" the man says, cheery as ever.
"Good" he turns his eyes to the rest of the room "Try to make him get use to this place before it clames him." the rest of the grup nod again "Good. Meeting dismissed." he says riseing from the table, plants taking their place back in the room. His silent watchers told him all he needed to know already so they could go back to their posts. They need to be prepared after all. They were having a guest tomorrow.
Tomorrow the forest will have its will.