Logs:Blushberries and Bad Birds

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Cast

ST: Dadhoc
Arthur Phoenix
Aurelio Menegi
Gallowglass
Mel Joyner
Petra Fichette

Setting

The Hedge

Log

AdHoc: The hedge is on edge today, thrumming with the ambient anxiety of the city it nominally reflects. This isn't entirely unheard of in times of civic tension, and is frequently as likely to keep the hedge's denizens in their lairs as to make the hedge itself more dangerous. Great navigators enjoy travel during these periods, since the threats of ambush are lower. Hedge hunters tend to stay at home. Not much prowls the trods under such circumstances. It does make this a rather ideal time to walk the trods for hedge fruits, however.

The entrance to the Freehold Hollow behind them, the long trod stretches south and east towards Cape May, then North towards the Old Iron freehold in Allentown and Bethlehem.


Gallowglass: Gallowglass shifts his considerable weight, the motion edged in the soft chink-chink of chainmail in motion. He squints into the middle distance briefly, shoulders squared, and then turns to look at Petra. "All right, little bird," he says, cracking his knuckles. "You know which direction you want t'go?"


Aurelio Menegi: Aurelio arrived to meet the others in a timely fashion, a leather coat borrowed from the Spear's armory joining his normal ensemble. He remained quiet for the most part, a bit more withdrawn than the others had seen than usual.


Arthur Phoenix: True to his word Arthur arrives at their designated meeting spot. It's easy to tell that the wizened is rather excited to be on an adventure. There's practically a glow around him as he stands around, though perhaps it's the glint coming off of him?

Where he normally has pale flesh, burnished gold shimmers in its place. His soot-black forearms. Are a dull contrast to this like lead almost. A silvery spear rests over his shoulder as he quivers excitedly.

No need to ask if he's ready to go: his backpack is on his back and he looks alert. Lofting a hanf he greets the first arrivals. "Hi! Everybody ready? I'm so excited. Anybody hungry? I brought snacks."


Mel Joyner: Mel had come in time to greet everyone, and then step into a shadowy spot to go Light-Shy. After all, the best scouts are the ones no one can see. It does make communication a bit difficult, but trade-offs were the nature of the Hedge.


Petra: Petra shifted anxiously, chewing on a very sharp looking talon. "I'm a Pathfinder," she admitted as she plucked a thorn from a vine and fiddled with it. "But I'm not very comfortable in here, for the record. This can tell us the direction and how far but not really how to get there." She drew the thorn across the back of her arm so it drew a drop of blood and let it fall to the earth as she invoked the Wyrd for direction. (Pathfinder loophole, let's me know distance and direction of the nearest patch of healing fruit AND as a Beast, info about nearby critters- number and whether they mean ill)


Gallowglass: Gal's brow furrows as he nods, rolling his shoulders. "None of us ought t'be comfortable in here, I don't think. But I get what you're sayin'. In and out and movin' on, that's our goal, right? Get th'fruit and get th'fuck out. We got Mel to scout, Arthur's got ranged support. I'm happy t'get up close and personal with whatever causes a problem, and Aurelio'll make up the difference. Sound good?"


Aurelio Menegi: "Sounds good." Aurelio nodded in return, passing on the offer of food for the moment.


Arthur Phoenix: Artie's eyes go a bit wide with surprise. "Uhm... I-i'm not v-very good ranged sup-support... I have. Some knives but uh...spear?" He says lifting the weapon for emphasis.


Mel Joyner: Mel nods, even though they know no one can see them. They debate for a moment about having their gun in hand as they scout, but not everything in the Hedge is exactly susceptible to bullets, so they pull out their pepper spray instead.


Petra: Petra let the bloody thorn spin in her palm until it pointed down the trod and nodded a bit. "It's a ways that way. Um. I'm not sensing anything on the trod but there are some bad things in the thorns, which shouldn't a surprise to anyone and I'd really prefer to avoid going there."


Gallowglass: "Oh sure, spear range." He wobbles a hand from side to side, giving Arthur a grin. "We'll just call that ranged support for t'day." He nods to Petra, mouth pursing thoughtfully. "I'd really like t'avoid goin' into th'thorns as well. I don't think we gotta vote on that one, pretty sure we're all on th'same page. Lead on, little bird. Aurelio and I will flank you, and Arthur, you and your spear right up front, all right?"


Petra: Petra was a nervous wreck but took a couple deep breaths and put on her I know what I'm doing, trust me face that she normally only wore when at work as a paramedic, and began hiking down the trod. She could hear the briarwolves howling in the thorns and sense the terror of the psychoactive spiders as she went, but pulled her composure around her like a cloak and nimbly hopped down the trod, avoiding the occasional grasping thorns and uncertain footing as if it were a pleasant walk on a spring day in the park.


Gallowglass: Gallowglass is not typically a stoic; however, he maintains his composure despite the howling pricking at his nerves. He follows the paramedic by picking his path carefully, attempting to wind his way through greedy thorns and the unsteady footing that makes him stumble and fall behind.


Aurelio Menegi: The Torrent's firm composure extended to his passage through the Thorns, carving a path though the Thorns in Petra's footsteps. He didn't move as surely as the Beast did, however, keeping his footing but not moving nearly as swiftly.


Mel Joyner: Light-shy shouldn't affect their own perception. And, in fairness, it's probably not the Contract's fault. But for all that Mel's good at sneaking around and shadowing folk in the Ironside, the Hedge is different. They're supposed to be watching the group's six, but it feels like every root rises to trip them, every branch or vine that could slap in their face does. They feel like they're just falling further and further behind.


Arthur Phoenix: Artie, once the skillset confusion clears itself up takes point with a curt nod and a deep breath. He's focused on his duty so he starts them off, setting a brisk pace.

His feet fall over and over in a steady rhythmic cycle, unmarred by holes in the trod or wayward vines. He leaps and bounds with the occasional look backbuntil he skids to a stop beside a bush dotted with color. "Oh... Hey. Are these the berries, P-petra?"

Then he looks back. "Oh.... Uh oh."


Gallowglass: Gallowglass no longer bothers with the stoic-page-routine; he's sick of being in this fucking hellpit and it shows. He can't seem to catch up to the berry patch; he realizes this, and also seems to realize he's not the only one lagging. So even though he's picking his way more carefully and, in some places, just forcing his way through - he does not leave Aurelio's side. "Puts it all in perspective, doesn't it? Few days ago I thought th'worst that could happen is that I'd fall off a building. Wrong."


Petra: Petra nodded, looking around anxiously. "Y-yeah, it's them. See? Pink, and kind of like cherries. But where is everyone. She grabbed hold of Artie's arm. "We were supposed to all stay together!"


AdHoc: As Petra declaims the obvious, a nearby bird in the thorns takes flight, its flapping wings sounding just a touch like mocking laughter. There's been a lot of that in here lately.


Aurelio Menegi: Aurelio, for his part, had turned to what he knew best: using his hands to make something new. The attempts to reshape the thorns around him were passable, but still far below what he would have preferred. "Indeed...best to keep pushing tho, no?"


Mel Joyner: Mel snarls in frustration at the way the Hedge seems determined to actively fight them. Stupid non-logical quasi-intelligent place! They fluff their feathers, ball their fists and legit just punch at anything and everything in their way.


Arthur Phoenix: "I know..." He says, face twisting with worry. "Was... I g-going to fast you think? Hmm..." He bemoans.

"Th-though I've heard the he-hedge can be like this sometimes. All... Pr-predatory and stuff... Sh-should we get berries and goo find them?"


Arthur Phoenix: "Should we try to signal them? We could try t-to guide them t-tobus. But... We m-might get... Bad guys." He asks Petra, his hand grabing her's on his arm trying to be comforting. She might notice this is the first sge's ever seen him do such a thing.


Petra: "Maybe?" she said uncertainly. "Fill your bag with as many fruit as we can find and carry first though. If something happens and we have to run, better to have blushberries along. I could always try to Pathfind our way to them."


Arthur Phoenix: "Oh yeah. That's smart." He grins brightly. "Complete the mission first. R-right" he nods again resolutely.

From there he gathers as many of the fruits as he can in a tupperware container so he can keep them in his bag. He offers Petra plastic baggie for hers.


Gallowglass: Gallowglass slogs onward, unsettled and on edge. He climbs over obstacles by sheer power, forcing himself onward with years of surviving in even the bleakest conditions. Just keep going. Just keep going.


Mel Joyner: "Fucking Hedge" Mel mutters, continuing to punch and shove their way through. Vines whip at them and thorns try to scratch, but they just clench their beak and soldier on.


Aurelio Menegi: Aurelio pressed on behind Gallowglass, muttering some very unkind words in his native tongue as he forced his way through the thorns in a similarly brutal fashion.


Petra: Petra filled the baggie Artie offered her until any more blushberries seemed to slip between her fingers whenever she tried to carry them. Then she tucked it safely away in a small wooden box in her messenger bag while Artie went to work spinning and kept a wary eye out around them for enemies.


Arthur Phoenix: Arthur sets his bag down and takes another breath. He spends a moment meditating a bit, letting the sounds of the hedge fill his ears, feeling the crunch beneath his shoes.

He'd only seen this done a few times so he wasn't sure he knew what he was doing but people needed him. So with the essence of dreams tingling against his skin he let instinct take over. Posing with his spear he gave it a mighty flourish, twirling it in a wide graceful arc, the point sliding against the ground kicking up sparks like a firework. He let the shaft scrape against his metallic skin sending out even more embers and then with a final spin gathered them all into one tight sun-like ball before sending it into the sky.

As it rose, the orb of light burst into a giant winged raptor: Artie's namesake the phoenix lingered in the air as a beacon for all to see.

"Cmon guys..." He prayed.


AdHoc: The hedge twists and turns, throwing blind corners into the trod around which people disappear, only to round the corner and the stragglers find they've disappeared entirely from the visible course. The walls of the thorns scintillate with colors, bright and sickle greens, pink and reds like inflamed skin, yellows like bile.

Arthur's efforts were not in vain. Mel at the least finds the clearing and its fruits. Gallowglass and Aurelio on the other hand? They're not so fortunate. Or perhaps they are fortunate and it's the others who are lost. Because they arrive at a clearing along ... a trod. And it, too, is ripe with blushberries. Blushberries aplenty. Growing from vines near the ground, a particularly large and visibly ripe cluster dangles from the canopy overhead, swaying invitingly in the calm hedge breeze.


Gallowglass: "Wait," he says, stopping abruptly from approaching the lovely, enticing blushberry cluster; he lays a hand on Aurelio's arm, pointing with his free hand. "Lookit that, it's...a flare? A beacon. Is that a bird?"


Aurelio Menegi: Aurelio paused when they made it to the clearing, the sensation of something being out of sorts humming in the back of his mind. He seemed ready to go towards the fruits until Gallowglass' touch drew his attention, looking where the Ogre was pointing. "Seems so. Think it's them leading the way, or another lure?"


Arthur Phoenix: Eyebrows wrinkled with worry, the wizened looks down from his handiwork. A few moments later, Mel materializes and he swells, joy filling him.

"Yay! It worked! Mel a-are you ok?"


Mel Joyner: Mel looks more tired than injured, and more annoyed than anything else. Their feathers are all poofed, and they growl out "Stupid Hedge. Forgot how much I hate it." But they take a deep breath and preen their feathers back into a smoother configuration . "Nah, I'm fine. Where's the other two?"


Petra: Petra very nearly burst into tears when Mel appeared and pulled them into a hug. "Thank the stars. The others haven't gotten here yet."


Gallowglass: Gallowglass scratches at his beard, his scowl divided between the tempting berries and the flaming bird in the sky. "I got nothin'," he decides, glancing sidelong at Aurelio. "It's all lures on top of bait, I don't trust shit in here. If these are blushberries, that's what Petra wanted. And they ain't here. So..." he spreads both arms, looking this way and that. "Or they were here and they went t'find us, or that's them at the firebird."


AdHoc: In the clearing where Arthur, Mel, and Petra have reunited, things are calm relatively speaking. That sense of anxiety, of being watched, that's pervasive in the hedge. Always. But nothing is leaping out to devour them, true to forecasts. The only thing odd is that damn bird that flits about with its mocking laughter of wing beats. It alights on a particular vine, begins pecking at some of the blushberries, and causes two of them to fall to the ground amongst the trio. After it's pulverised them, of course, with its beak. It flies off again down the trod, trailing its insulting sounds all the while.


Aurelio Menegi: "It may be them...Arthur is a smith, so the flame makes sense." He looked to Gallowglass at that. "Onward, then?"


Arthur Phoenix: Artie begins to pace a little, eyes looking towards the direction they'd come from flitting to the bird in the air and the berries on the ground.

Remembering, he pads over to the branches again shreds a few of them into glamour to refill his reserves. He's getting nervous but that doesn't mean his wits are gone.

"If you two need any glamour, n-now's a good chance."


Mel Joyner: It's obvious that Mel's not used to sudden physical affection especially since they don't really know Petra all that well, but they don't push her away either. At least not right away. But when they do step back, they spend a few moments straightening their clothing and otherwise trying to avoid really looking at anyone. "So, um... should I grab some fruit too?" It's mostly a rhetorical question, as they pull out a baggy and start looking for good berries


Petra: Petra nodded, anxiously watching the hobbird. "I don't like this."


Arthur Phoenix: "Me either... But my job is to protect you. S-so I gotta get you home safe... Th-then I can go after those two.... Un-unless... No. You first." He says after a moment of waffling


Gallowglass: When in doubt, punch your way out. Gallowglass relies on old habits and busts his way out of their current hot spot; he yanks here, shoves there, and generally just finds any way possible to fight his way through the Hedge to find his people. By the time they burst through to join the others, he's sweaty and furious, muttering up a storm of cursewords fit to blister paint.


Aurelio Menegi: Perhaps it was that feeling of wrongness that permeated the clearing they were in urging for a quick egress, but whatever it was Aurelio was able to carve a clear path towards the beacon with far more ease than his previous attempts. He arrived looking worn out but otherwise unharmed, a look of relief on his face as he saw the others.


AdHoc: As the misguided duo turn to leave, the ground beneath the dangling fruits cracks open and eight glowing eyes peer out from the darkness beneath. Two of its legs reach up, polychromatic, hirsuit, and quite chitinous to whack at the cluster of berries several times, knocking them free. The bait proved too obvious. Better luck next time.

The ground collapses down again, and in moments it's impossible to tell it had ever risen in the first place.

The trip from the Obvious Trap to the intended destination and its firebird beacon. The whole trip the pair are harangued by that mocking bird, flitting just out of sight, harrying at them in annoyance. You were supposed to fall for it! This isn't fun! This isn't how we play this game! The hedge seems frustrated, petulant, and now? Rather angry. But it can't stop the pair from getting where they want to go, and the bird finally gives up the chase to fly to safety in the opposite direction.


Mel Joyner: "Well," Mel says in a tone as dry as dead leaves. "That was fun. And now we get to do it again in the opposite direction."


Petra: Petra did break into tears when Gallowglass and Aurelio arrived mostly safe and sound. She rubbed at her eyes. "This fucking place. Fill your pockets with as much fruit as you can, if you please. And let's get out of here before... yeah."


Gallowglass: Gallowglass doesn't look relieved until he's touched all three of the others; just a gentle tap to prove they're whole and unharmed. Only then do his features sag in relief, and he obediently fills his pockets with Petra's blushberries. "The beacon was real smart."


Arthur Phoenix: Relief washes over Artie as the ofther Pages finally emerge from the vines, they look haggard but they're alive and that's what counts.

"Oh thank g-gosh. I was g-getting worried. Ev-everyone's in one piece. Do you guys n-need to rest? Or sh-should we push our way home? Either way... I think we should spin our way there." "Th-thanks," the smith says, his golden cheeks glowing warmly with a faint blush.


Aurelio Menegi: The bird earned a "vaffanculo!" from the Torrent as it buzzed off, with Aurelio shaking his head as he went to collect what berries he could. "Indeed...was much help."


Gallowglass: On the way back, Gallowglass is a large, gruff mother hen. He regularly checks in with the others and makes sure he's sticking close, even expressing: "I know it was just th'Hedge, but I got a job t'do." He also makes sure the blushberries survive the trip in his pockets, stopping to check on them every now and again to be sure he's not accidentally making blushberry jam somehow.


Aurelio Menegi: Aurelio was also rather uncharistically bristly on the way back, keeping a wary eye on the thorns around them as they pressed on but remaining quiet for the most part.


Mel Joyner: Mel stays on the group's six, but closer this time, not letting anyone get out of their sight. While also trying to scan the entire Hedge around them. It does not make for a happy and calm Mel. Their shoulders are visibly tense and they mutter something under their breath that's distinctly uncomplimentary about the Hedge and/or its parentage.


Arthur Phoenix: Artie walks the entire way back backwards. He maintains point but never takes his eyes off of the. Group. He doesn't mind that he looks stupid. "Everyone m-makes it home safe. And Together," he promises as they go.

He doesn't have much of an issue in doing this despite that his eyes arenct on the path.

"B-but... Hey. Bu-buck up guys! We were a success! We did it. A-and no one got hurt."


Petra: Petra didn't relax until they were back at the freehold, and was shaking with anxiety by the time they were safe again with their haul. "Thank you guys. I was so scared I was going to lose you guys permanently."


Gallowglass: Gallowglass nods in agreement with Arthur, stopping at the freehold to shuck the chainmail with a groan of relief. "No harm done; just th'fuckin' Hedge. I...got more than a little nervous, but we made it and we got th'fruit. S'all that matters."


Arthur Phoenix: "I k-kinda wish Mr. Wood was here so we c-could tell him about the trip..." The smith fusses with sagged shoulders.

"And d-don't worry Petra... I-i pr-promised Guy you'd make it home. And as S-summers it's our duty to make sure everyone g-gets back."


Aurelio Menegi: Aurelio let out a slow breath as they returned to the freehold, shaking his head as though to clear it before looking towards the others. "No harm done, always a good thing."