View source for Log:Of Wizeneds and Hedge Beasts

{{ Log
| cast = [[Velvet]], [[Widget]], [[Weaver Utridge]]
| summary = Playing a game of fetch leads to catching Wizened instead.
| gamedate = 2018.08.09
| gamedatename = 
| subtitle = Goddamnit, Fido.
| location = [[FB07|Lakeside Lodge]]
| categories = Changeling, Utridge
| log = This late into the evening the Utridges are awake when everyone else near the lake was sleeping. So what if it'd rained most of the day, that doesn't mean the night can't be enjoyed. Weaver's outside in pyjama pants and a t-shirt. Currently, he's chucking a ball as far as his Ogre might can muster, and Fido's dashing off to chase it. The overlarge hedgebeast is just now returning after his latest retrieval, although he doesn't bring back the ball that was thrown. No, he's holding an all too familiar Wizened that he proudly drops down at the dragon's feet. "Goddamnit, Fido," he mutters under his breath. Fido barks in response, tail wagging as he waits for the pets of approval.

Having been up for hours and out of the house, Velvet has only recently returned. But despite the clear skies outside, she's stepping out of the house soaking wet in her Hedge-hunting gear. But despite the soaked clothes, the woman actually appears to be in a good mood. A rare smile drawn across her lips. She pauses in the door, staring at Fido as he drops poor Widget at Weaver's feet. "I think he might have interupted her nap," she chuckles.

Widget looks up at the pair, rubbing the back of her neck. In her other hand she's got the ball and doesn't seem to want to let it go. That might be why the dog chose to cut the knot and just take both parties back. Only Widget could look oddly triumphant clutching a slobber-damp toy to her chest after getting draggeda bout like a petulant puppy. Sure, it bonked her on the head after she fell asleep in the bushes. But...finders keepers? 

Wait, no. That'd make her the dog's. ...Unless the /ball/ was the one who... 

Oh, right. She was on someone's porch. 

"....Hi."

Weaver eventually relents when Fido starts to whimper, and kneels down to pet the dog. Widget gets an apologetic look, but he's quick to flash a smile. "Hello, Widget." Fido barks again, the closest he'll give to a greeting. He could also just as easily be complaining about the lack of ball. "I hope your trip here was nice. Because there really are worse ways to get around."

"Hi," Velvet offers to Widget with a smile as she steps out of the door frame and makes her way towards the yard itself. She gives the woman's head a ruffle and leans up to kiss Weaver on the cheek. "Are you going to ask me how the hunt went?" she wonders with lifted brows. Her turns towards Fido, giving him a sharp gesture that makes his rump hit the ground obediantly. Then she's leaning in to ruffle his ears. "Good boy. You got the ball back your own way, didn't you?"

Widget stands, before looking at Fido. Then the ball. Then Fido. Finally she shuffles over and hands the ball to the dog, reaching out to give it a gentle pat. She liked dogs, but it was rare to find one that liked her. She didn't...animal...well. In either case she smiles up at Weaver, nodding. "Was okay! Yes." She pads over to Velvet, experimentally tugging at her rain-soaked clothes. Hm. Fancy gear! "Hunting? Hunting what?" From what she knew of the woman that could be anything from annoying birds to actual people.

Fido barks happily when Widget pets her, and would have given her face a big lick if Weaver didn't pull him back at the last second. "Yes. Good. Safe." He stands fully, with the ball in hand now, and starts tossing it between his hands. "Yes, Vee, how did that hunt go? If it didn't go too well there's always market, and we can see what kinda shit we'd have to trade there."

Velvet laughs as Widget circles her and starts tugging at her clothes. "I was hunting fruit this time. A very rare, very dangerous to find fruit." Her hand presses to her chest in mock offense as she looks at Weaver. "Why would you assume it didn't go well? Have you ever known me to NOT get my way?" she wonders. Which is a very good question, does she ever not? Velvet digs into her bag and pulls out the fruit, holding it in her palm with a beaming grin that lights up her face. A rare sort of smile for her. In her hands is a fruit that it only truly rumored to exist, or to work. Pedacle Velvet.

Widget tilts her head at the fruit, clearly trying to look impressed but absolutely unsure about what she was impressed about. She had found some fruit too, but she had to be told what it was. She knew blushberries. That was it. Whatever Velvet was holding could clone tiny versions of anyone who ate it and she'd know no better. "...What is it?"

"Velvet," Weaver jests when he catches sight of the collection of hedge-made lichen. "I guess you could say-" Weaver stops, smile remaining as he turns to Velvet. "No, I'm surprised. You're just so wet that Ithought you might've fell in a lake or something along th way." He pauses, the smile fading as he looks between the other two Changelings. "Did you fall into a lake?"

Velvet laughs. "It is called Velvet, he's right," she tells Widget with a laugh. "You know how we're not able to have children because of the changes our bodies were put through in Arcadia? This is rumored to let you be able to have a child." She gently sets it back in the bag, protective. She scoops up a rock from the porch and throws it at Weaver a moment later with perfect precision. "I didn't fall into a lake! It was raining for hours while I was out there."

Widget nods, staring at the fruit. "Oh. Okay." That must be really really expensive! Velvet was gonna sell that for...lots of money. Or something. Probably. She traces the arc of the thrown rock, head cocking. Weaver's comment gets a raised hand. "I did." It was dark and she wasn't used to navigating around bodies of water. At least it was cooling.

"Lakes can be fun. That's kinda part of why we're over here." He smiles, so proud of himself for that. "The swimming and the boating are just amazing, but I love just gliding as high up as I can." Weaver lifts a hand well over his hand, and then it dives down. "And bombing into the lake. Before either of you worry," as if either would, "I'm invisibile when I do it. Also, wait. No." He shakes his head as he looks back down to Widget. "No, we're not selling it."

"Lakes can be fun. That's kinda part of why we're over here." He smiles, so proud of himself for that. "The swimming and the boating are just amazing, but I love just gliding as high up as I can." Weaver lifts a hand well over his hand, and then it dives down. "And bombing into the lake. Before either of you worry," as if either would, "I'm invisibile when I do it. Also, wait. No." He shakes his head as he looks back down to Widget. "I'm gonna wager that your trip into the lake involved a boat turning over, or did you find something really shiny down there?"

"You need to be careful going into lakes, you're going to rust even more!" Velvet offers Widget an affectionate look before she moves to pick up the game of fetch with Fido. "Even invisible, dive bombing our lake is eventually going to draw attention. It'll start all kinds of sea monster rumors," she chuckles.

Widget nods along, getting excited by proxy as Weaver mimes out the activities. The phrase 'dive bomb' is always a good way to do that. Velvet's teasing gets what looks to be a totally genuine nod. "Know, yes. Flakes off, though." Speaking of, the damp gremlin is leaving orange footprints on the deck. Eh, they were small. They'd rinse off, probably. Along with the oil. And the grime. Honestly, her falling into a lake was probably positive, overall. And maybe she did go back into it after she fell because she did in fact see something shiny. "Found something!" 

Who's the proud owner of six new slighty-corroded bottlecaps? 

This girl!

"Rumors?" Weaver scoffs and even waves it off. "Never. This lake is as harmless as harmless gets." Save the many changelings that live there. Weaver stops his jest to look over all of the bottlecaps, and gives them each a bit of scrutiny. It may be junk but he knows the importance of such stuff to the goblin, and gives an approving nod. "So is this gonna be made into or with some kinda thing later on?"

"As long as it flakes off and doesn't hurt you, then that's good." Velvet chuckles at Weaver and Widget interact, taking her time to throw the ball out for Fido, and wait for it to return. Not too much later does a large, maine coone sized black, hedgebeast come prowling through the door and moving for Velvet, twining between her feet and begging for attention. "What'd you find?" she wonders, peeking over to try to see what's in Widget's hand.

Widget nods, edging closer to Velvet. She liked Velvet. A lot. "Doesn't hurt anymore! Sometimes it got itchy, though. Yes." Watching the dog run off, she smiles at Weaver. "Yes! Something special! For the Freehold!" The gremlin wanted to help! Even if that meant blasting craters in the Hedge. /Especially/ if it meant that. 

Of course, things are put on the backburner because /talking kitty/. Widget kneels down, barely managing to not squeal or giggle or attempting to grapple it into a hug. Instead she proudly displays the caps, eyes shining.

Fido was listening to all of teh Changelings talk until Velvet had the ball. He follows its every moment until its tossed away. He barks happily, and then takes off after like a bat outta hell. It can be heard barking again when it does find the ball, and then returns to silence as it lopes back.

"Just make sure you don't go helping for free," Weaver offers. "That's when they start taking advantage of you." He nods, and crosses his arms at that. When the conversation shifts to Mkaz he steps back, clearly not up for getting between Widget and a cat.

Mkazandon pulls away from Velvet's legs and prowls towards Widget. There's really no other way to describe that panther-like padding from the feline. There's a little sniff at the bottle caps before black eyes shift to Widget. "Is it food? Doesn't smell like food." The voice is young, meaning that the already large feline probably has a lot more growing to do. "Weaver's right. That's a good way to get taken advantage of," Velvet points out as Fido returns. She wrestles the ball from him before tossing it again.

Widget looks between the two, genuinely confused. "But...helping...is...free? Right?" How else was she supposed to do it? Or get taken advantage of? She liked blowing stuff up! The Freehold would tell her why she was doing it, and they'd have good reasons for getting her to do stuff! ...Right? Before she gets upset, the cat pipes up. Oh! Young for something so big! "Not food. Want food?" If there was one thing Widget had on her at all times, it was snacks. Lots of snacks. Like, say, a half-open tin of sardines. For some reason. Probably best not to dwell on it.

When Fido returns he drops the ball. It rolls to the side as he looks up at Widget the way only a dog can. It whimpers up at her for its own food, but this earns a glare from Weaver. "You didn't finish eating that thigh from yesterday, and refused to share. Go back in and eat that, and then Widget can check and see if she has something for you." The dog tries to look innocent when its figured out. He concedes in a huff, and goes back into the lodge "It's free, yeah, but if you're gonna do it for free you gotta learn to set some kinda limit or next thin you know they'll want you building a buncha boring shit just because you'll do it for free."

"He is right again," Velvet offers in agreement with Weaver's statement. "But not just that. People will start using the good of the Freehold as an excuse to do stuff that really only benefits them. Sometimes they might even put you in danger for it and you don't even know. We don't want anyone doing that to you." She watches Fido sulk inside as Mkaz devours the sardines in a couple of bites. He then offers a smug look up towards Weaver. "I ate it when he was playing." That's what he gets for not sharing!

Widget still has some jerky waiting for Fido when he gets back, because she liked him and she knew the struggle of having your food eaten. She gives the pair an odd look. It's almost like she's realizing that if it wasn't for them telling her this stuff she literally couldn't understand it. She still sort of didn't. But, that's what friends were for. Now that the cat was busy eating the fish, she stands up to hug each of them. "Thanks. Yes."

"He doesn't get anyway. I got to-" Weaver's hugged and he's left blinking for a few moments. "You don't have shit to thank me for, Widget. We're family, and that's that." He did uncross his arms to return the hug with one arm, but seems adamant on this. "It isn't just advice, but if you ever need anything you know we'll always have your back."

Velvet is just as awkward as her husband when she gets hugged, but her arms relax around the woman in a little squeeze. "We'll always have your back, and I will literally kill anyone who tries to fuck with you," she assures. Which, given her reputation for murder is saying a lot.
}}