Log:Whispers on the Wind

Whispers on the Wind
Participants Ziv Allendale, Nathania Winters, CB Alexander, Glitch, Leviathan, and Eckhart as ST	21 October, 2017 A group of Changelings go in search of hedgespinning ingredients in the Evercaverns.
Location Evercaverns
The early morning wasn't the best time to go out. Things were damn near freezing, and the Hedge was even less pleasant. It wasn't until several hours had passed, the sun was hanging high, and things were warmer that a journey seemed tenable. Entering the evercaverns from the real world was easy enough with the Gate located there. However, they're no following the main tunnel that leads to the usual exit. After a bit of looking around they can hear the wind blowing, inside the cavern no less, and from a westward tunnel lit by blue flame. Ziv has asked the various individuals here for a variety of reasons - because they might know more what they're doing (Nathania) and because they're more or less a trusted friend she'd like to have at her back (C.B.). And in the case of Levi - it doesn't hurt to have muscle, or to have another new Lost learn about how things work alongside you. Not to mention there's a trifecta of Winter Court currently present, and some club solidarity is always good. Though, at the moment, it might just be that they're enduring the trip rather than really reveling in it. It's like one of those mornings where you determine you absolutely -must- go this thing, but it's also freezing. And Ziv, at least, doesn't look entirely thrilled. She's wearing boots, for once, uncomfortably along with a pair of altered jeans and an overly large hoodie, with an expansive scarf. That, at least, should help keep the cold at bay a little. "...That's odd," she notes as they've ventured into the cavern - one of the things on her list might be difficult to find at present. A whisper from a cave, a warm breeze, silk from the hedge, and some other material - fur, perhaps? But this probably doesn't lead to any of them. Nathania brings her husband Glitch with her. He's good in the Hedge--because muscle. She follows Ziv inside. "What's... odd?" she asks, stopping behind the bat and peering around. She's dressed for spelunking, in everything but a hard hat. Her jeans are thick and flannel lined, her boots heavy, and her shirts layered. She's got this. She glances to Glitch, before looking around again. Glitch tails Nathania like a hooded shadow, not a bit of his skin or face visible under the ragged but heavy winter coat he has on, boots tromping across the trod. Him and the dolly apparently do not want for clothing. When Nathania looks his way he lifts his head enough for the hood to fall back slightly and for her to see his face, a grim and determined look on it, all serious business. But there's a tiny, reassuring nod. Ziv wants a friend? Ziv has a friend, in the form of one rather perpetually cranky electric Wizened. C.B. trudges along more or less next to her in his more-or-less usual uniform of worn Levis, work boots, messenger bag covered in Leftist pins, and a red and black plaid work shirt. There's a gunbelt slung around his hips that contains two pistols: a Colt M1911, perfectly ordinary, and some sort of Hedgespun flintlock pistol that's blacker-than-black. A chrome megaphone is clipped to his bag, and Yossarian, his papery Hedgebeast Companion of a cat, has his head sticking out of said bag, watching the world through glowing yellow eyes. He glances over at Ziv, then nods -- looking slightly confused -- at the sight of Nathania and Glitch. "Alright, kid," he mutters to Ziv, taking a drag off his cigarette because yes, he smokes in the Hedge. "Hope you know what you're after so we can get in and out quick. I have pages to write." Levi is simply dressed. Heavy black leather jacket, jeans bearing her name, boots, and... well, a tank top under her jacket. She looks cold, but she's making do. Oh. And she's also the size of a car. Literally, like a police cruiser standing on end. She's huge. She's also without any weapons or armor- but she's made of rock, maybe she doesn't need either. "Don't worry. If there's anything dangerous, we have enough muscle to handle it. Just... gotta be careful." As they follow that wee bit of wind it leads them to another set of tunnels that count five. Light can only be seen from the first, third, and fifth tunnels. However, wind can be heard passing through the second and fourth. With a bit of work, however, they're able to discern that the true source comes from the second, and the fourth is somehow connected. Further inward things become darker, and they can hear the scuttling of creatures in the distance. "What I mean is... is it supposed to be like this?" It's not like Ziv really comes into the Hedge all that often; it's one of the things new Lost might not necessarily do with any frequency. Even if her frequency is suddenly and dramatically increasing. She doesn't seem to be too concerned about the dark, at least - her eyes gleam in the shadows, probably due in part to the contract which involves the owl feathers tucked into her hair. Some fumbling, and she takes a jar out of her rucksack, holding it in one wind. A glance is paid aside to C.B., and she comments to him, "I'll try to get you back to your books as soon as possible. I know it's like leaving a kid behind." Her tone might be a bit sarcastic, there. Nathania nods. "Sometimes," is all she murmurs, before watching Ziv take the jar out. She's silent, button eyes dark in the gloom. C.B. glances over at the huge sight of Levi, eyebrows raising. "She lives. Levi, wasn't it?" Then he shrugs to Ziv, some of the lightning around him crackling -- he has rather more than usual going on thanks to his armor. "Who the hell knows? Like this place is ever fucking predictable." He squints in the direction of the many tunnels before him. "Which way, chief? Do you even know what you're looking for, exactly?" He's actually smiling a bit, because she placated him with the kid comment. Sarcastic though it may be. "You have no idea. Books aren't children; they're fucking vampires." Glitch stays mostly grim and silent, though his head lifts at the sounds of skittering further ahead. His hand reaches up to grip at the sword on his back, glove tightening around the hilt as he watches ahead, glancing behind them every so often. It's an odd sight to see such an imposing figure hunch her shoulders and hide behind the thick, stony fall of her hair. "Hi, CB. Yea, I'm fine. I got a job and a new place to stay. I've been by a couple times to help out. We must have just missed each other. I- sorry." She looks away, wincing at what seems to be perceived disapproval, and trundles after the others, keeping up the rearguard. "I've only seen the woods. So. I dunno if this is weird." "That's... a little ominous. But I guess that's about par for the Hedge," Ziv squints in the gloom, probably needlessly, but then seems to shudder as she continues to walk in the direction of where the skittering and wind are coming from, her ears occasionally twitching to pick up various sounds. She does give a little nod to Nathania, poking out her tongue as if to taste the wind - and apparently not finding what she wants. She keeps going. Aside to C.B., she quips, "Well then maybe you should rub some garlic on a stake, and um... penetrate your writing with it... or something." A pause. "Garlic stake sounds good." She glances over at Glitch then, but doesn't really address him - she's seen him a grand total of once, afterall. C.B. just shrugs at Levi. "Sure," he says. Does he disapprove? It's not his life, is it? Why the hell should he care? At least, that's what his facial expression suggests. He mostly sticks close to Ziv, finishing his cig and, for once, putting the spent butt in his pocket rather than tossing it into the Hedge, because you never know what will toss back. The others he almost seems to be watching, so either he doesn't trust them or he's just plain paranoid. "Ziv? I don't really want to talk to you about penetration right now." He narrows his eyes and squints down the tunnels, almost like he's trying to sense something. Nathania hugs herself. "I don't like... the blood smell," she murmurs to Glitch. "It's not.... right." She stares toward the light, the Stay Outs, the--everything wrong. Ziv sniffs a few times at the air, staring in the direction of the blood. Her ears twitch forward, and then back again, as she just kind of... continues to stare at that side tunnel. It might be rather disconcerting, the intensity in which she does so. Then, her head tilts back, and she looks upwards at the four-legged insectoid creatures, watching them carry pieces of an unfortunate hob or traveller back to their lair. Slowly her head tilts to the side, and she finally states, "Not really what I came here for..." " The ground here might not hold me. It's got me kinda nervous. Is this where we need... to..." Ziv is looking up. Levi peers at her, worried. "Ziv..? What... is up there? Should we be worried?" She looks after Glitch, not sure what his particular outburst is about. The wrongness of th e tunnel? The obviousness of Nat's comment? Who knows. Tunnels and blood. Who doesn't love that? C.B. looks mighty uneasy himself, and then...he slowly looks upwards, too, at the thing Ziv appears to be looking at. And then his hand is reaching for the strange black pistol by his side. "Oh no, Ziv? You didn't come to be devoured by Hedge creatures?" The lightning zaps around him, like it's dying to act as some kind of enormous bug zapper. A flicker of a grin is seen from Ziv, along with a flash of sharp teeth. But then she shakes her head at the others, looking away from the ominously marked tunnel ahead. "I think we should probably turn back. I... well. Was looking for silk, a whisper from a cave, and a warm breeze. I don't really think we're going to find any of those here." Her head tilts to the side, dark eyes roaming over to Glitch and then Levi. "These things probably don't... um... Spin silk. But I guess they might." She glances again, overhead, and wonders aloud, "Where do they go?" Nathania shakes her head. "Are you sure... you want to .... find that out?" she asks Ziv solemnly, button eyes reflecting the light and C.B.'s electricity. "I still don't see what's up there, but if it comes down, Ziv, Nat- I can stop it if it comes close so CB and... um... Mister Hood can kill it," Levi offers. Glitch seems to just be concerned about the entire situation they're heading into. He winds an arm around Nathania in a protective squeeze, before letting go and staring up. "I think we've got enough things trying to kill us without going looking for more," he mutters dismissively, but still stays at the ready. "Not my quest, though." C.B. raises his eyebrows and shrugs. He looks up, too, like he's also wondering where they go, and then briefly pats Ziv on the arm, wandering in a vague circle. "Whatever you want, kid. If they all turn back, I'll go with you. Unfortunately." Almost like he doesn't have a choice or something. "...Let's head back. I don't think there's likely to be any silk here. And I'm not going to risk people's lives -just- for winter clothes," says Ziv, though the tone suggests she might otherwise do so - under different circumstances. Her ears fold to the sides, and she glances at the others before nodding. Then, to Levi and Glitch, she says, "Unless you two -really- want to fight something; but I don't have any idea what these things are, and I don't think... well..." "I didn't think... to bring... hedgefruit." Nathania is obviously kicking the hell out of herself mentally. "I can fight if we need to. I'm just here to help, though, Ziv- I'm following your lead. I don't need to pick a fight when there's more to be done And there might be fights waiting." Ziv gives another smile - this one nicer - to Glitch and merely nods her head at him. "Let's head back then, and check the other corridors. Since it's... um... my call I guess, we're not going to risk anyone's life over this." Her eyes slide over to C.B., and she considers him as she heads back down the tunnel, commenting, "As... much as you dislike Freeholds... I would've thought you'd think following anyone into danger blindly would be really dumb." The creatures scuttling inside still pay not mind to the Changelings, and find the way as easy to return as they came. It takes just as much time to find their way back to the main tunnel, although they're no longer the only ones there. Two hobs stand in the tunnel, likely miners made obvious by the picks they have hanging from their belts. They're wearing a leather tunics covered in bits of dirt, and the same is true of their greenish-brown skin. While humanoid in appears from the neck down, their heads are more akin to rats than anything human. "Help?" one asks when they spot the changelings. "Yes, you help!" exclaims the other. "You kill king?" "I'm not following blindly. I know what I signed up for, which was to help you do something potentially stupid and dangerous," C.B. tells Ziv as they head back. But he startles, briefly, at the sight of the hobs, and then groans and rolls his eyes as he digs another cigarette from his shirt pocket. "Oh, brother. No!" he yells at the hobs, gesticulating with the unlit cigarette. "If you can't kill it, what makes you think /we/ can?" Not like he even knows what the king is, but...he can probably hazard a guess. Levi stays silent on the topics of freeholds and foolishness. The hobs, though, surprise her, and... well, she looks down at CB and the hobs before simply pointing out, " We're towering rock giants and warriors with weapons. They're miners. I'm not saying we HAVE to help, but. Their comparison, at least, is pretty sound." Nathania blinks at C.B.'s reaction to the hobs. "How do you know... it's not.. another hob?" she murmurs to him softly. She looks at the pair of miners in the tunnel and shrugs. "What's in... it for us?" she asks, after nodding to Levi. "Uuuuuh..." Ziv stays quiet on the fact that she does not, actually, have any weapons. Other than her claws, which are reasonably sound in some ways - except that she's a scrawny ass bat changeling. She flicks an ear towards the others, falling silent for the time being. "No, /you're/ a towering rock giant," C.B. says to Levi, apparently not considering himself a warrior with a weapon, despite the fact that he has at least two. "I'm just some shmuck with a few guns and a big mouth." And lightning, which zips and zaps all around him. He shakes his head at Nathania and says, "You're right, I don't know. Okay," and he gestures impatiently at the hobs, "What the hell are you talking about? If you want us to help, give us some goddamn details." Glitch lets CB do the talking, though he listens with an interested face. Being begged by Hobs to save them seems a bit more on the level than shoving forward into the death-tunnel. Even if that's where they're gonna lead them. He keeps an eye out, though, lest anyone else interesting sneak up on them while the "friendly" miners are talking. "Killing rulers seems popular these days," he says quietly to himself. "Round!" the one in front shouts. This draws a bit of curiosity from the other as he whispers, "What round?" Without waiting and answering he grabs his compatriot by his shoulders, and turns him around. He reaches for a bag held on the second miner's belt, and yanks it off. "This!" he shouts when opening up the bag and revealing what's inside. A few uncut gems of various shapes and sizes can be found inside, although nothing normal can be said about them. A few of the redder ones emit a faint glow; a whiter, clearer one has a bit of something black swimming inside; the three blue ones appear to have feline eyes inside that blink and look around every few seconds; and the largest of them all is a yellow gem that can just barely be heard whispering something every time it moves. Nathania looks to Ziv. "It's your.. expedition," she says quietly, "but I could make.. some very pretty... things with those." She considers, but lets the bat-ling do the talking. "Whisper from a cave. Couldn't... the big thing be it, Ziv?" Levi murmurs, peering down at the pretty stone's. "...Huh," says Ziv with several blinks as she looks at the gems. Whether it's because she's interested, or there's some memory it kicks up, or just because 'that's something you don't see every day' is hard to tell. She kind of squints at the yellow one for a moment, and then she goes to put the jar back into her rucksack, once she's realized she's still been holding it. "Um, well, that's a pretty good price" - she glances towards the others as if for confirmation - "But... what's this 'king'. Is it with the..." She starts to make a gesture with her 'hands' and then seems to remember they're wings. Instead she settles for, "Crawling things. The king of those?" C.B. squints at the gems, and the lightning around him shoots out a little brighter. "First bribery, then who knows what..." he mutters to himself, lighting the cigarette with a match to his bootheel. But Ziv has gone ahead and ask the questions he had next, so he at first he just stands there with his arms folded between drags, staring down the hobs with a cynical, skeptical look on his face. Then he asks: "And what's in it for you, anyway? Is this 'king' blocking the rest of your mining, or what?" Levi looks back and forth at the others while the Hobs speak. She's so completely out of her element. "Pet the biter too hard and it bites back... sounds like it might have anticoagulant saliva..? And... it likes... big things. Like me. Aaaaand can eat through rock. Is that what you mean? That it can cut through me too? What do you mean only hurt when cutting King stone?" She looks to the others- Levi feels totally unsure of her guesses at what they mean. This is all so -strange.- "No... I think um... I think this 'king' might be made out of rock. They're saying it's... similar to you, I think..." Ziv's ears are flickering to and fro while she listens, eyes squinting thoughtfully on the two hobs. A few times she blinks, and then wonders of the hobs currently petitioning them for aid. "Is the king... your king? Your leader?" The hobs both shake their heads fervantly. "No. It eat queen. Eat queen when sun is angry." The second shouts, "Very angry!" The first elbows the second in the side to kill the chorus, and continues on. "Not like biters. Biters no bite big things. Only gone things that don't move. Things gone for many days with worms in them. King like rock person." Then it reaches for and pulls out its pick axe. "We cut stone. Cut you stone, yes?"