Difference between revisions of "Log:Hedge Misadventures: Flora and Fur"

23 October, 2017

Two Changelings go to retrieve some hedge fruit, and receive more than they bargained for.

Stoneheart and Steepscrabble

Eckhart has been hanging out at the Freehold's Hollow a lot more as he's become aclimated with the Freehold and its people. The Elemental's currently near the training area, and dressed for the weather with a sweater, jeans, and an actual pair of new shoes. He's currently messing around with the plants that catch the various projectiles shot there, jotting down notes after occasionally poking at it for its reactions. When the venus flytrap-like hedge plant takes his pen he's left cursing the foul flora while trying to find another one in his pockets.

Rowan arrives in an unusual fashion. Instead of her normal pseudo-heroic stride, she scurries in looking a bit harried, a small knife in hand. When she spots Eckhart she slows down and straightens up, clearingherthroatand smoothing down her clothes andhair, trying to pretend like she's all cool and collected. Raising the hand with the knife in a wave, then quickly stowing the weapon before repeating the gesture, she calls out, "Hello again, friend. Tormenting plants today?"

Eckhart shoots up when Rowan announces her presence. The knife gets his attention first, and she earns a quirk of his brow. When its thrust away, and she waves again he flashes a nervous smile. "Um, good evening, Rowan. Not tormenting the plants, no." He looks over his shoulder at the plant that ate his pen, frowning as he looks back. "Why do you have a knife? Hope you're not planning to cut my ear off. I've grown rather attracted to it."

Rowan approaches, with knife safely tucked into her belt at the moment, "Ear? That's a pretty specific body part to worry about. Not the one I'd expect either," she offers a mischevious wiggle of her eyebrows and a pointed look toward his nether region before chuckling and waving it off, oh so cool and collected...Ish. "Anyway, knife...Uh, I had it out because, uh, well, I wasn't paying attention and wandered somewhere...unexpected. Figured it was good to have /something/ to fight with if you're out in the thorns.

"Don't worry about," he answers with a shake of his head and a smirk. "It's an old fairie tale from back home. Cut the ear off, dry it, and bury it in your front yard. Cursed them for an age until they did something to repent." He shrugs idly, gaze turning towards the Hollow's entrance. "It does pay to have some form of protection, though, in all manner of things. But, it does remind me that there are a few things out there that I need to get."

Rowan ahs and laughs,giving a little nod, "Ah well, I'd imagine with the right set of circumstances, an ear used in such a fashion would indeed be a curse. But it does seem a waste of a good appendage." Sheshrugs, letting the thought brew in her brain for a moment before shaking it off and grinning, suddenly eager to run right back onto the trod she just scooted out of. "Oh yeah? Need a trod buddy?" She pulls out her knife again and tries, with moderate success (she doesn't cut herself at least), to give it a twirl to show off her mad skills with the blade.

He nods to that, running a hand through his hair as he looks back to her. "I most definitely do, yes. In the waking world with shade and spirit I can find help easily enough. Within the confines of the hedge though..." His voice trails off for a moment, and then he slowly starts his walk to the exit. "I'd very much welcome you along, Rowan, and it'd show me something of what you know too. Just be ready to run if things go south."

Rowan laughs and shakes herhead, informing Eckhart confidently, "I'm sure it'll be grand. Between us we're sure to kick some butt."

The Fairest follows along after Eckhart, knife out once more in preparation to enter the less safe areas of the hedge.

"I'm not one to kick butt. I mostly leave that to the Summers, and pray they do that bit well." Eckhart chuckles. As they reach the threshold from the safety of the Hollow to the dangers of the Hedge he turns to her, and his mantle flares briefly with its accompanying whispers. He rolls up his left sleeve to reveal more the greenery that makes up his left limb all the way up to the elbow. "On the brightside, if things aren't so grand we can always lie about it later."

Rowan winks at Eckhart at that last bit, a conspiratorial sign that she is in agreement with that plan. "Oh, I'm sure it will be a grand adventure, no matter what." She seems much more eager to go adventuring in the hedge now that she's got a partner in crime, as it were. "So what is it yer after finding, anyway?"

"Slumberberries. I've been told that they grow somewhere on this side of the mountain, although it may be a bit of a walk," Eckhart notes while heading outside. The cold of the Hedge isn't much better outside, and the Elemental shivers for a brief moment while stealing a glance in Rowan's direction. "The stuff is good for sleeping, but can also give you some vicious nightmares."

Rowan pulls her leather jacket closer around her as they enter the trod outside. "Ah, well, sounds like a good 'un either way, depending on who you're giving it to, I suppose." She grins and pats the feathered bag at her side almost instinctively, as if to reassure herself it is there. "So you just an insomniac, or you muddle about with dreams as well as ghosties?"

"My own mostly. It's always been a strange thing to be in control of one's dreams, or to enter anothers. Fascinating at times, and daunting at others." Eckhart stops for a minute as a gale blows through, and he points north as the trod slops downward. "The nightmares can be occasionally peaceful, though. A different thing to break up the usual, I suppose."

Rowan arches an eyebrow at that, then snorts, "Spoken like a true Autumn, my friend." She shakes her head and moves forward, trying hard to pretend like she doesn't notice the wind and cold, though she's clearly affected. "I've never been one to delve too deep into the psyche, really. Seems there's enough going on out here like." Granted, Rowan doesn't seem the sort for an excess of self-reflection in any form, which may contribute to her opinion of oneirophysics. "You'd do good to focus a bit on the solid, flesh and blood world, I'd bet. Seems like everything you're interested in is ephemeral and far away. Seems a dangerous place to focus too much on."

"Perhaps, but I've grown rather fond of it over the last few decades." Eckhart points off again as a turn nears, and then stops a moment to make sure he's no longer ahead of Rowan. "I do enjoy some things of the real, physical world. It's just easier to deal with the unknown than than the known at times. Intriuging, in fact. What about you, though? There's nothing you're focused on?"

Rowan laughs at that, "Ah well, I'm just in it for the craic, ya know? Bit of fun, bit of adventure. A good story or two to tell along the way. I've not found any particular thing that makes me think 'ah, I'd like to spend all my time and energy on this' like. I know for some people it's easy. 'Oh, I like to cook. Oh I love a good book. Ah, I just want to bust some heads'," she makes faces and mimes her impression of the sort of people who say such things, "But for me, I'd say I'm a dabbler." She shrugs and gives a look of what she clearly hopes is some sort of self-effacing apology.

Eckhart remains silent throughout Rowan's answer, only nodding slowly as she speaks. He laugh does bubble up at her mimicry, and he simply nods once more when she's done. "I can kind of understand that. Still deciding or just wanting a taste of everything you can, yeah? I wasn't too different after I escaped, really. Especially with learning how to speak properly, but that may been a spiritual problem."

Rowan grins at that, "Ah well, I'm lucky I suppose. I came out gabbing. Perhaps it's the Irish way, Blarney stones and all that nonsense. But as you say, giving everything a go and seeing what sticks is the way I try to do things. And for all that, I don't worry to much about the spiritual." She grins and glances over as she continues to stride along beside Eckhart, glancing around in case of danger, "You seem to have been around for a while, eh?" The statement is left as more of a question, a gentle opening for Eckhart to share more about himself, if he should choose.

"Not too long, I think. I can't remember the exact time, and I've never looked too deeply at it," Eckhart admits despite his usual, exacting nature. "It's been almost a century, give or take a few years." He shrugs, crimson gaze scanning the area as they move along. "It wasn't the most pleasant of times when I did get out, but things are greatly better for now. How long have you been the master of your own domain? Especially with the freedom of living out in a van."

Rowan arches an eyebrow at that, "You've been out near a century?" She seems incredulous, or perhaps just impressed, "You certainly have aged well, friend." She grins and shrugs a bit, "Ah, well, I've barely been out at all, by that measure. A year or so I've been free. Travelled a bit with a motley that worked the festival circuits. Just left them a few weeks back, when I heard about this place." She waves vaguely back toward the direction of Stoneheart. "Seemed like a bit of a laugh, seeing what was going on with this new freehold. Perhaps a good chance to make a name for myself or something like, you know?"

"I'm surprised by your surprise," the Elemental admits with a wry grin. "I did say I've made a few deals with several devils in my life time." As they reach near the borderlands of Steepscrabble Eckhart stops to scan the area for a few moments. "But, new places are always a place to make a name for yourself. It's how I've parlayed a little bit of respect with the other Courts, although that's not always been the most fun for me."

Rowan considers that, "Ah well, I suppose you're /quite/ Autumn. Might be a bit rough to get the Springs or what have you to like ya." This seems to be half joking. She considers and makes a little face, adding, "Not sure I'd like to meet your devils, to be honest. Seems a rough choice, living that long. It'd get a bit boring, I'd imagine." She pauses when he does, looking around, though she clearly doesn't know what she's looking for.

"I've had my fun with Springs over the years, but it isn't all it's cracked up to be." He stops, getting lost in thought before shaking his head. "No, it is," he adds with a slight smile. "It's never been boring, what with us being what we are. However, it's not the most fun to see the regular friends age and die. That still takes a bit of getting used to."

Rowan nods, wrinkling her nose a bit. "Ah yeah, I can imagine that'd be a bit of a downer. Though it does explain a bit your interest in the dead, I suppose." She points to a large pod of berries, bright fuschia and deep purple, though it's a bit hard to decide which are ripe and which aren't. "Is that the thing you're after?" It's a wild guess, most likely wrong, but clearly an inelegant effort to change the subject from the morose and morbid.

Eckhart moves near the berries Rowan's pointed out, and squats down to get a good enough look over them. He picks them up for a few seconds, shaking his head as he looks back to the Fairest. "Sadly, no. Slumberberries'll be about the same kind of green like you. Maybe a bit darker. I haven't seen any myself beyond what's already prepared and steeped."

Rowan considers that, then nods. "Ah well, we'll keep looking then, I suppose." She smiles and shrugs, wondering, "If it's easier to get 'em dried or whatever, why don't you just pop off to the goblin market and get some off a hob for a dream or something like?"

"I rather like my dreams, and the last time I traded anyway it bit me in the ass." As he stands back up a shiver runs down his spine, either from the cold or the memory. As Eckhart motions for them to continue going on the faint echoes of howling can be heard in the stance. "And I'd rather not make any form of deals if I can get away with it. I don't completely trust the hobs and Lost at Markets," says the man that regularly speaks of such dealings with spirits and ghosts.

Rowan laughs a bit and nods, "Ah well, that's half the fun, isn't it? A good story about how this hob or that got one over on you, but you ended up with some bit of tat. All on the off chance that instead you'll come away with a story of how /you/ got one over on /them." She grins, but the grin slowly fades when she hears the howling, "I don't blame you for being cautious though." She clears her throat and asks, "You hear that?"

Eckhart nods, and looks about for a beat. "My age /is/ thanks in part to Market, but I generally don't have too much faith or trust in hobs. That's a long story for another day. A day where I'm both warm and with a bottle of bourbon in my hand, though." He points further down the trod, motioning for their walking to begin again lest they wait for whatever was the cause of the sound.

Rowan gives Eckhart a sideways glance and a smirk at that, nodding as she begins to move once more, "Ah well, I'll be sure to make the conditions right for that story, my friend. Sounds like a good 'un."

"We'll see," he says with a laugh. As they continue their walking again the howl's heard once more, but it doesn't bother Eckhart initially. However, when a second follows almost immediately after the first it gives him a moment's pause. "But, let's not mess around out here too much and for too long. Sounds like briar wolves."

Rowan makes a show of brushing off the concern, "Eh, what's a briarwolf or two, right? We've got them handled, I'm sure, if we really had a need." She does run a finger along her feathery bag once more though, as of contemplating dipping a hand inside to grab something, though she refrains for the moment. "If you're afraid though, we can move on. Did you hear there were some of these dream berries around somewhere nearby, or are we just going on a hunch and a hope?"

Rowan's indifference brings a bit of relief to the Aetheric as they walk. "That's good to hear, then. The bastards usually run in packs of about four, and love preying on fear. They eat the stuff as much as we do." He taps his chin, and stops in spite of the danger he just mentioned. "I wonder if we've ever tried reaching out to them before. Maybe-" He shakes his head, chuckling. "Something for another day. Hunches and hopes aren't necessarily my forte. I trust what reliable information I can gather from people and my own experiences. But, the information I paid for may be wrong. Slightly askew, if you will."

Rowan snorts at the mention of 'reaching out' to briarwolves, shaking her head a bit, "Whatever you reach out to a briarwolf is gonna get bit off, I can guarantee you that." She looks around and points in a direction, conveniently in the opposite direction of where the howling is coming from. "Maybe the fruit patch is that way?"

Eckhart lifts up his thisled, left hand, and barks a laugh. "Going 2/2 isn't too bad a thought, although I don't ever want to go back to that damnable circus again." He keeps going as Rowan points, pointing out, "Worst case scenario is us running for the rest of the night since the trod goes all the way to a gate somewhere in the wilderness on the right side of things."

Rowan shrugs and says confidently, as she heads the direction she's pointed, "I can find us a gate, sure. And if worse comes to worse, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that don't require running. I'm more of a stand and face the music kinda gal, in any case. But for now, let's keep moving, see if we can't find what you're after before we run into these lot face on."

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind the next time I piss off an ogre." Eckharts jesting nature is short-lived as the howling grows ever closer. Concern becomes present in his face as he takes a quick look behind them. "Rowan, tell me something. On a scale of deaf after a concert to bloc party across town, how much do you want to face that music?" His question comes with him looking up and from whence they came, but the briarwolves are coming from ahead while only one skulks from the path they took.

Rowan considers the question for...well, longer than necessary, given the current circumstances, "Right next to the speakers at an Enya concert, maybe?" She turns, though, clearly ready to face that howling...music...whatever. The knife is shifted slightly as she moves into a defensive stance. Glancing at Eckhart she asks, "How capable are you in a fight, my friend? Because if this is gonna get real bad, and you can't handle it, I'll grab us a solution." Because that makes sense.

"Never heard of Enya," Eckhart admits after taking a deep breath. With the last bit of air is out of him he whips it into a frenzy around his body. He lifts that hand with the hole in it, and within the next breath he brings out an overlarge sword from the aether. He hefts it up, and then reaches for it with his other hand while looking over to her. "If we ever get to that bottle of bourbon you can show 'em to me. Maybe even-" He never gets out that next word as the howling that nears turns to growling as a briarwolf comes running down the trod to rush down the pair.

"Ah, fuckin' hell," Rowan mutters as the briarwolves appear. The hand goes into the bag as she curses, and it flushes with glamour, the too-human eye on the bird's head opening and staring out at the briarwolves and Eckhart. "Let's hope for an expedient solution," she says, knife still at the ready in her free hand.

From inside the bag Rowan finds several clumps of fir-colored fruits, each attached to a different vine. The weirdest of it all is the slick crimson they're all covered in. "Expedient. Right," Eckhart says while readying his sword. He drops down into an aggressive stance, eyes flitting to the Fairest. "What's the worst that could go wrong?" Rowan doesn't have answer his question as the growling begins to echo as the chorus of more briar wolves come from behind them.

Rowan pulls out the fruit, scowling at them like they've done her wrong, "Hey! These look familiar?" She spins around, clutching a bunch of the fruits in her hand tightly, the knife ready to stabby-poke with the other hand.

Eckhart has to put the weight of his weapon on his shoulder while he reaches for the fruit. He stares at it for a few seconds as the pack begins to encircle them. "I fucking hate the Wyrd," he grumble while handing them back. "These are the fucking berries I'm looking for, but fuck it. Throw 'em if you got 'em, unless you think we can take these out without them."

Rowan curses and scatters one bunch of the berries toward the briarwolves, "Eat up, pups!" She takes a deep breath and moves closer to Eckhart, trying to create a 'back to back' position that will give the pair the best cover. "Remind me to get a feckin' bow when we get back to town." She notes, "And we'll have the bloody bourbon, don't you worry about that."

As the fruit goes flying Eckhart lets out an annoyed sigh, and gribs the handle once more. The briarwolves, however, are soon worse for wear. All of them save the biggest start chewing up the offered slumberberries, and one by one they fall. "Naughty, naughty," it growls to Rowan, staring up at her with the gleam of hunger in its eye.

And at that comment, Rowan disappears. Yup, just 'poof!' she's gone. Of course, Briarwolves and anyone else with an acute sense of smell, might still be able to catch a wiff of the Fairest, but for all intents and purposes, she's gone.

Eckhart, for his part, appears at least somewhat confident in their affairs when numbers slowly turn to their side. The briar wolves on the ground doze off, and in the wake of that he turns to Rowan with a smile. That smile's turned upside down quickly when he no longer sees her around. "Merde," he mutters, and when he turns back to the hobgobling its already upon him. With little in the way of defense he lifts his one good arm to defend himself, and begins tumbling backward.

Ah, the joys of invisiblity. Rowan keeps very quiet and, when the briarwolf goes for Eckhart, she leaps upon its back, slashing its throat with a knife...Well, at least, she /tries/ to slash its throat, but instead only manages to draw a bit of blood from the chest area, where her poorly aimed attack actually hit.

While the briar wolf does get something of a snack when it bites down on Eckhart's arm the wind whirling around him serves to protect him from the brunt of the damage to be done to him, altough he's still in pain as his blood begins to trickle from the freshly opened wounds. "Ro- Rowan!" he shouts through clenched teeth, and summons another blade from the aether while trying to find the Fairest.

Rowan makes another stab, getting a slightly better position this time, but the briarwolf is wiggly, and she's trying hard not to accidentally stab Eckart. When he calls out to her, she calls out in a surprisingly upbeat tone, "Right here, pet. Right here." Granted, as she speaks her voice seems to be on the move as her invisible self dances around to try and get a better position.

The wolf was enjoying much of its Elemental meal as Rowan commenced with the slashing and stabbing. The last blow causes it to release its hold of Eckart's arm, but not without dragging its teeth along the changeling's arm. This has Eckhart shouting in pain, even as Rowan makes him aware of her presence again. As the briar wolf lets go of Eckhart it begins sniffing about for its invisible assailant while Eckhart trying to push himself right back to his feet.

When the creature starts focusing on finding her? Well, then it's time to stop playing around. The invisible Rowan takes aim and lunges forward, letting out a loud, gutteral scream as she sinks the knife into the beast's eyeball.

When Eckhart does finally get up its with the fall of the briar wolf. The beast had finally found Rowan's scent, but not quickly enough. It was already in pain, but the blade brought through its eye causes it to howl in pain until the sound cascades into a garbled mess. It falls down in a slump, likely taking the Fairest's dagger with it unless she holds tight.

Rowan doesn't hold on to her dagger too tightly. After all, she can grab it later. Still invisible, she says, clearly sounding impressed with herself, "See. I told you we could handle 'em."

"I didn't doubt you," Eckhart responds while looking over his arm. He grimace at the sight of it, and then looks back to the trail they were going along. "O invisible protector, let's keep going then. I can get this looked at later, and I'd rather get those berries after having to give them up to stop the rest of these bastards. The pelt and carcass of the wolf is yours if you want it." With that said he lifts his good hand, and sends his sword away again.

Rowan suddenly reappears, looking much too smug for someone smeared with briarwolf blood. She considers, then shrugs and reaches down to grab her knife, noting, "Don't have much use for a briarwolf carcass, really." She does take a moment to chop off its tail though, clearly intending to make it some sort of hedge soveneir. "Lets go then." Even though she's reappeared, it seems quite easy to...forget she's there. Ah, the side-effects of using weird tokens. "You sure you're okay?" She asks, perhaps as much a quick reminder of her presence as any real concern.

"Yes, I'm obviously fine," he says while looking over his wounds still. Eckhart does grimace for a moment, but carries on as best he can. It may as well have been a minor scratch despite one look at his arm reveals the lie even if he denies it. The once grey sweater is turning red, but he soldiers on. "Things can't get any worse either way."

Rowan seems oblivious to the lie. He says he's okay, and she believes him without giving it much thought. And onward she goes. "Right. Weelll...I wouldn't tempt fate, my friend. But we'll hope we've seen the worst of it, no doubt." She looks around, then asks, "Now, where exactly was it you were told these bloody berries were, anyway?" Even as she says it, she scuffles her feet around the sleeping briarwolves, hoping to find at least a couple left, though it's a half-hearted attempt, made even less effective in her effort to avoid waking the creatures.

The pair of Changelings don't have to walk too far before they find what Eckhart was lookign for. Part of it. The vines strung up in this little patch near the trod are exactly as the fruit Rowan found in her satchel. However, the the vines are bare, and nothing else is there beyond the thistle, thorn, and dying leaves. Eckhart just stares at it a few moments, breathing out a tired sigh of exasperation at the sight.

Rowan can't help it, she lets out a little laugh and makes a face. "Ah well, that's luck for you, ain't it?" She does dig in her bag, just in case there's a loose berry left in there, or at least makes a show of looking. "Don't you Autumn yokes have a trick to make the fruit fresh or something like?"

Eckhart moves to her side to look in the bag with her, but the bag itself appears empty for the time being. "I don't know how to do that," he flatly admits, and then looks back the way they came. "Remember, my works with the invisible and intangible. I think I'm going to have a few drinks when I go home now. Maybe try that rum I've been saving."

Rowan gives Eckhart a sympathetic look and a friendly slap...Unfortunately probably smacking one of his fresh wounds. "Ah well." She looks around, then takes out her knife again and cuts off a branch from the plant, offering it to Eckhart, "Maybe put it in a cup and see if it grows? Like an avacado pit?"

Eckhart hisses in pain, and muttering, "Fuck," with the exhale. He does take the offered vine with his good side, and looks it over curiously. He stows it in his pocket for now, and nods towards the trail back. "We'll see. I think we should go back before the scent of fresh prey draws something bigger. Unless you wanted to stay out here, and sleep with them."

Rowan snorts and shakes her head, "Nah. Though I suppose we /could/ go gut one of 'em and see if the fruit's still whole in there," she jokes as she makes a rather decisive turn, heading down the path at a quick clip. "This way, buddy. This way to safety. First drink's on me."

"I'd rather not waste the time performing an impromptu autopsy, and I'd wager on it not being whole. However," he stops, letting her get off just a bit further ahead before he decides to catch up. "I'll collect another one on another day, and inspect the insides if there's nothing recorded by the Custodians."

Rowan nods, turning to walk backwards so she can maintain eye contact. "Ah well, that sounds like a good plan. Fight the good fight another day, my friend. For now, a few bandages and some booze."