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Lif shows up at the appointed time in a tank top that says "SLEEVES ARE BULLSHIT" and jeans, their hair back in a braid. There's a small black backpack on their back, and they're waiting for the others to show up. While they're waiting, they unclip the water bottle from their backpack, opening it and grabbing the water inside, which flows out in the form of an elemental whip, which they coil and add to the clip that's holding the water bottle.
Spicy shows up and she's geared up in case things go sound, sporting a leather armor with a helmet, shin guard and forearms and was likely made by Sigrun given the general looks and signature. The suit of armor is cared for obviously. A sword sit on each hips, mundane, yet bearing a similar mark and make as the armor, one is a broad sword and the other seems like a shorter yet heavier blade.
In her hands, resting on her shoulders is a big sword with the handle wrapped in ribbons of shadows, the blade appearing to be made out of a block of ice containing shadows in the middle of it. "Alright, i'm all geared up. What's the objective?"
Lucia shows up in her duster and jeans, whip in a holster under the armored coat and a few too many knives visible on her belt. She's carrying a backpack too. She tends to be quiet and now isn't different, as she wanders up and unslings her backpack and starts opening it up without saying anything to anybody yet.
What she pulls out of the bag when she opens it is another duster. That duster is made mostly of leather dyed such a dark blue it looks black in all but the brightest light, but the dying has an ombre effect that lightens into a faintly greenish blue as it reaches the bottom. The last couple of inches are textured with a lighter pattern that looks like sea foam on breaking waves.
Lucia just holds it out silently to Lif.
Lif looks at it with complete awe, her face lighting up with a broad grin. "Lucia, this is amazing. This is for me?!" She accepts the present, putting it on immediately, practically bouncing as she does so. "Thank you so much, this is lovely!"
Spicy chuckles at the sight of the bouncing and the exchange of gift. She rest her hands onto the handle of her big sword as the tip rests against the ground. "Hey there."
Lucia hands the duster over with only a nod, both with her head and with a first in an ASL "yes" to answer the question, then she zips her bag up again and slings it onto her back. "Hi," she says to Spicy. It's not rude in tone, just... laconic. "I hope it keeps you alive," she finally says to Lif. "Better if you don't need it to, but you're Summer."
"Better if I don't need to, but I'm very new to being a summer." Once the duster's adjusted, she reaches into a side pocket of her backpack, pricking her thumb and sucking the blood off it--and a thin slick layer of blood coats the duster, looking slick and sinuous and kinda wicked.
"Alright. So, the point of this exercise is to gather information. I have some field equipment for studying the roots in my bag, but really, here's what I want us to learn, to pay attention to: what's getting hurt the most? Is there anything that isn't getting hurt as bad? Anything the roots seem to react to? Either way, we're not here to start a war, to get into big fights. I know, I'm Summer, it should hurt me to say that. But if we end up in trouble, retreat is totally an option. Okay?" This pep talk, as weird as it is, manages to legitimately Inspire the pair of them.
"Understood, I'll keep you guys as safe as I can be." A roll of her shoulders. "I brought a few fruits from my garden if the glam runs low. I don't have any special fruits though, this is just a refill." she looks around "And I can heal a little bit, but not exactly the best on that one." she shoulders a smaller than usual duffel bag and nods.
"Good plan. I'd rather not fight if we don't have to," Lucia agrees without reservation, surprisingly nobody coming from a Winter, even one as decked out as she is. "I brought jars for samples. I'd also like to keep eyes open for useful fruit, but it's not a focus." If the little cybergremlin is inspired she does a good job of not showing it. She just looks eager to help. She gives Spicy an approving look. "I brought some of my stash too."
"I don't have any fruit, but I am capable of helping if there's a blow to someone's Clarity. I was a Joyeux, before joining Summer." She makes sure her backpack is secure on her back, the red blood rippling over her new blue coat. And then she sets off, onto the trod.
Spicy follows, a fast pace seems to come naturally for the Ogress and with the frosty nature of her mien hidden within layers of clothes and armor, it's harder to see the colder reflection from her. However, as they take the first step into this adventure, Spicy's mantle rise, a stronge breeze, refreshing and carrying the scent of flowers and fruits around her as her own excitement rise.
The trio wander down the Trod for a while, walking in relative safety. The Trod is still... mostly hanging on. But the hedgewalls are browning and notably weak in places where the thorns are brittle and dying. It doesn't appear to be a universal effect--there's patches where the "blight" is worse than others. There's even places where the ground is broken, dark roots growing up out of the earth, weaving through the thorns to form part of the walls. Like the roots are trying to take the Trod over.
They collect samples along the Trod, especially of those roots, presumably. At first it doesn't seem like there's much of a pattern to the so-called blight, but they definitely find the connection between the roots and the blight--where the roots are most prominent, the rest of the Hedge is weaker. The roots appear to prefer softer soiled and wetter places, they realize--areas where the Trod is made of concrete and grit seem less effected. Not untouched--there's roots still growing out of cracks, but it does seem to grow more strongly in the more natural areas of the Hedge, where the walls are made of vine and thorn rather than urban material.
But then Lucia feels a pull from the Wyrd, her Contract directing them off of the Trod through a small gap in the wall--into the thorns.
Lif's taking the journey thoughtfully, stopping regularly to pull out a sample jar or her small field microscope. As they walk, they're talking to themself--a freeform slam poem about parasitism? It's on their mind for more than one reason. The rhymes aren't perfect, though--leech doesn't quite line up with bitch. Still, it's their passion that's carrying them, here.
Lucia's singing voice is probably surprisingly beautiful, an alto so clear that it sounds almost artificial. She sings to the hedge in Spanish, and whatever words she's saying seem to coax it into different shapes, urging the thorns out of her way. The tone of the song is a bit of a sing-song, like maybe it's a nursery rhyme.
Spicy is surprisingly good for a woman her size and her gait at not being seen, the singing and slam poetry toward the Hedge makes it easier for her to just make it so things don't react to her presence as much as they should. She fails at gathering or finding anything for the moment, when the path takes them deeper into the Thorns, she takes a deep breath and changes her approach. She starts cutting open a path when the thorns seem reticent to listen to her team's singing.
Into the thorns they go. In a way, the blight makes it easier for them. The brittle thorns are easily pushed aside as they travel through them, Lif's words seeming to charm the Hedge--or at least distract it. They feel that looming predatory desire biting at their heels, when they first step off of the Trod--but then it slips away. For now.
The blight seems subtly less prominent once off the Trod, though. Still there, still noticeable--but it's like the roots focused purposely on the Trod. Perhaps it's intelligent enough to realize that the Trod is useful? That it's 'enemy' territory?
Lif disappears ahead of Lucia and Spicy--slipping through the thorns like... water.
"On some level, this supports the hypothesis that it is Patriarch Tree, if it's attacking everyone else's tr...oh." She seems to realize she's ahead mid-sentence, and pauses to totally take out that field microscope and ogle the nearest leaf.
Lucia keeps singing, the nursery rhyme in question changing whenever she finishes a previous one. That gives way to a lullaby, like she's trying to put the Hedge to sleep so that it doesn't have the will to get in her way.
Spicy keeps moving, her eyes narrowing at her surrounding. Whenever the hedge doesn't feel like it's reacting enough again, she smashes at it with her big ass sword, cutting whatever gets in her way and there is a rather telling grin whenever that happens, showing her ice wrought teeth.
They head deeper into the Hedge, and briefly Lif gets separated from Lucia and Spicy--but they can hear the echoes of Lif's slam poetry, and after crossing a small stream they find her on the other side. Though they did notice that the roots seem to get stronger around water--they grow thick through the mud and the flow of the water doesn't seem to slow them down--they create snake-like tendrils that grow through the stream, giving them something to walk over, then bury again onto the opposite shore. Around the water, the roots almost look like something you'd see from a bald cypress. Not really the same, but there's similarities there in how the roots seem to naturally adapt to the water.
As the group presses forward, the change in terrain becomes immediately clear. It's like stepping from one world to another--one moment, they're in a blighted thorn-covered forest, the trees wilted and dying, leaves brown--then they cross a threshold into a lush, vibrant, green oasis. The vines here are still covered in thorns, but flowering with the brightest, most beautiful flowers they have ever seen. The thorns create thick, tall hedgewalls that they can't see past.
But they all notice something: the corpses growing among the hedgewalls, tangled among the vines. All manner of hedge creature, big and small. Some old, merely dried bone, some newer, mostly buried but the stench of death is masked by the beautiful scent of the garden.
Lucia and Lif notice something else: Two large shadows circling over head.
If the corpses weren't enough of a hint, Lucia can feel that the vines forming the hedgewall are very dangerous.
"We're getting close to the grove that I was sensing," Lucia answers, pointing a mechanical finger in the direction where she's picking up the grove on her internal fruitdar. "Both good ones and dangerous ones." She stops after a few more paces and looks up. "There's something up there," she says. "And stay away from the vines in the wall, if you don't want to join the corpses."
Lif nods, looking at the hedgewalls, hands clasped behind their back so they don't touch. "Are we trespassing here, in someone or something's home?"
Spicy does look upward when there is mention of those things over there, curious for a moment. She seems ready to go, eager even, but she doesn't move past what the others are doing, just being prepared in case something happens.
Above, the large winged creatures swoop downwards, disappearing past the hedgewall, then flaps back upwards to circle again. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e9/f3/fb/e9f3fba47e2543b70163c4790a99963e.png
When Lif speaks, the flowers growing along the wall nearby all at once turn towards her, as if watching her.
If there's one thing that Lucia isn't afraid of it's looking like a coward in the face of major threats. "On second thought, do we need those fruit?" she asks.
"No, we don't need the fruit, but...we need information. Perhaps if there's someone whose home this is--a hob? Someone--we could exchange for information. Someone clearly knows how to keep their home safe, you see?" A gesture at one of the flowers, careful not to touch.
Lucia also does pull out her whip, coiled in one hand, and a dagger that looks like a ridged swordbreaker in her left. At least if they're facing danger she's going to have her weapons in her hands.
Spicy, sensing the fear steps a little closer to Lucia, trying to make her presence reassuring, to act like a protector at least as she tries to keep her eyes onto the beast above, curious at the size and shape of it, she wielding her weapon is a rather protective fashion.
"Information?" a soft, feminine voice echoes out from... every single flower along the wall, creating an eerie, echoing, cacophonous effect. "What do you seek to know?"
For now, the beasts don't seem to be paying them any mind--they continue diving down every few minutes before flapping back up quickly. Once, one of them comes up holding a plump, dripping fruit in it's claws.
"How to protect our trod and our home from the parasitic roots that have been draining the life from the Hedge. What the roots are from, and if they represent a malicious attack or simply an invasive species with no reason not to spread out--like kudzu." Lif doesn't take up her weapon, squaring her shoulders and speaking with confidence.
"Help me remove these thieves from my grove," whispers the chorus of blooms, "and I will tell you what I know."
It allows its self to be Sealed. Whatever it is.
"The thieves being the big flying bats, right?" Spicy asks, curious and weaving her weapon left and right in a defensive fashion.
"Yes," the flowers echo.
They look at Spicy and Lucia and smile crookedly. "Are you two up for it?"
Lucia shrugs. "We need information, so I'll have to be. How do you want to get them where we can reach them?"
"I am." A wicked smile this way goes and the various cold, icy features of the woman suddenly makes more sense. The grip on her weapon is strong and nods. "Hmm, Hedgespinning or maybe calling their mom a hoe?"
Lif adjusts her duster, and then yells at one of the flying beasts. "You're less of a nuisance than a cave full of Zubats!" And her mantle flares, with a chlorinated scent, the blood sheen on her armor rolling over the leather in a rather intimidating manner. A wave of fear washes over the flying beast, driving it into numbness as the Contract takes hold of its heart and mind.
Spicy is absolutely happy with the plan and makes quick work of stretching lengths of woods into thin lines that can be used as rope and forcing things into the correct shape while Lucia works on assembling the pieces she hands off to her, her sword planted nearby. Nothing she does should work, but damn isn't she making it.
When comes the time to fire, she's right there, aiming and cheering and cackling just a little too much but her energy for it is infectious.
The first beast falls as Lif's wave of fear ripples through it. It's wings beat erratically a moment, but it doesn't seem able to focus enough to keep it's self up. It falls, it's wings making it fall at an arch. Perhaps it seems to subconsciously be trying to aim its self out of the garden, to safety--or it's just a coincidence of aerodynamics. Either way, the beast ends up crashing along the top of the hedgewall instead. The fall alone causes a painful crack as one wing breaks--but then the vines come to life, constricting the creature and pulling it down into the wall, where it's bound. It's body spasms for a moment, but then goes still.
The second creature turns as it's fellow falls, letting out an ear piercing screech of rage. But it's swoop downwards is interfered as the ballista is fired dead center. The dead log they had magically molded into a massive spear goes flying, skewering the giant bat right through the chest. It's wings crumple, and it falls to the ground past the hedgewall, struck instantly dead.
Lif turns to the flowers. "Have we managed to remove those thieves to your satisfaction, friend?"
Lucia turns to look at Spicy after they make their shot, takes in the glee that the ogre seems to be experiencing, and actually offers a smile. Briefly. For like 2 seconds. "Good job," she says before moving back to Lif and the conversation that's started up again.
Spicy smiles and nods toward Lucia as she makes her way closer to the bat that crashed down, wielding her sword, carefully, with her weapon held defensively, just in case.
The flowers don't reply.
Instead the vines shift and slither to open up, forming an archway large enough for them to safely walk through. Beyond the hedgewall is a lush garden, filled with all manner of flowers and fruiting hedge plants. Harmless insects and little hedgecreatures flitter around here and there, creating a thriving ecosystem completely untouched by the blight.
They can hear soft singing coming from the center of the garden.
There is a flower within my heart, Daisy, Daisy...
Planted one day by a glancing dart,
Planted by Daisy Bell...
Whether she loves me or loves me not,
Sometimes it's hard to tell;
Yet I am longing to share the lot
Of beautiful Daisy Bell...
They offer a polite bow at the flowers, and move into the garden curiously, heading toward the singing. While they don't take samples, there is an occasional pause to look at the lush plantlife, and at one point coo at the perfectly formed bud of a plant. "Yes, that's what you're supposed to look like."
Lucia quietly proceeds after Lif, once again falling into helper-bot formation, glowing green eyes darting around to take things in and search for danger. She doesn't say anything immediately, but she does look more at ease.
The tune is meant to be cheerful, and it does have an upbeat little diddy to it--but there's a distinct longing to the way it's sung that just makes it... sad.
Spicy enters the place with a little shrug of her shoulders, keeping the blade over her shoulders for the moment, she glances about, curious as to what kind of fruits are hanging around here and maybe even trying to see the dangerous one that Lucia mentioned earlier.
In the center of the large grove they see a beautiful woman sitting in the grass. Her hair is long and ethereally flowing, flowers creating a crown around her head. She's wearing a long white dress. A wedding dress, the bottom seams tattered, but it still hangs around her beautifully. She's idly picking a bouquet of flowers as she sings softly to herself and only looks up to the approaching group distractedly. But she offers a soft smile in greeting, the tune falling away to a moment of silence. "Hello."
Lif offers as formal a bow as she can, when laden with backpack and armor. "Hello, fair gardener. My name is Lif Loracks, my companions are Spicy and Lucia. We come from the Shackamaxon Freehold."
"Hello!" She replys with a cheerful smile, one hand on her hips and the other keeping her sword on her shoulder. "Pleasure to meet you."
Lucia offers a little nod of her head and lifts a hand in half a wave, but quietly studies the figure with the unblinking glow of her green eyes, which whir occasionally as their focus adjusts. It's pretty obvious she's content to let Lif talk.
"It's nice to meet you," she replies, in the same feminine voice that had echoed from the flowers--but now one voice, just from her. She looks back down at the bouquet, and continues picking flowers idly, continuously fiddling and changing the bouquet, as if never satisfied with how it looks. "I'm Catherine." She considers the bouquet a moment more, then plucks out a few flowers to set aside, replacing them with pink ones.
"Oh..." She glances up as if she'd forgotten they were there for a moment. "Oh, yes. You have questions."
"We do. About the roots spreading and damaging the Hedge outside your garden. Especially the trods. What do you know of it, Miss Catherine?"
Spicy, for the moment, just stand by the way side and observe the surrounding areas and the location more than the ghost itself, just in case it contains something that may be dangerous for them.
Catherine has a dated way about her--she must be quite old, so has sort of old fashioned sensibilities. Not being too forward or crass is good, using polite and not too informal greetings and such are good too. Though she seems a bit... distracted and out of touch as well, which isn't too unusual for a ghost. Lucia definitely gets the sense she should not touch the flowers without permission, too.
"They're rather nasty, aren't they?" she asks airily. "I don't let them grow here. They would ruin my flowers. I'm sorry to hear they are causing you trouble."
She reaches to pluck out a vibrant blue flower to examine. "She has forgotten her sacrifice. She only feels pain. It's... sad."
"May I look closer at your garden, Miss Catherine?" Lucia speaks up to ask. "I have no intention of touching without your permission, of course. It's a lovely garden, and I'm sure that you'd be quiet upset if anything disturbed your pride and joy."
She glances up to blink slowly at Lucia, before smiling. "Of course. Just please do be careful. I'm making the perfect bouquet for my beloved, you see. My Daisy. The flowers must be perfect."
"I'm not certain who you're talking about, Miss Daisy. Who has forgotten her sacrifice? Can she be helped?"
Yeah, the bat is now being... uh, looks like devoured by some vines on the edge of the garden.
"Queen Cypress," the ghost replies to Lif, distractedly fidgeting with the bouquet. She frowns briefly. "I'm not sure if she can be or not... Perhaps if she is reminded who she is. She doesn't remember. The Wyrd has twisted her too far."
Spicy doesn't really notice anything else weird, but she does spot glimpses of bones poking out from under the bed of flowers. Old. The tattered remains of white cloth stained brown.
"Who is she?" asks Lucia from where she's inspecting some of the plants. Without touching them. "If you tell us what you can about her, maybe we can help her to remember as well."
"We'd like to...make things well again, if that's possible, Miss Catherine. There's trouble brewing, caused by this matter."
Spicy stands back up and moves back closer to the two other Lost as they talk to Catherine and stands close, listening to the conversation.
"I never met her," she replies with a shake of her head. "I only know what the flowers have whispered to me. She has grown in the Hedge since before I came here looking for the perfect flowers. She was once good and kind... But now..." Her slim shoulders lift faintly. "Her sacrifice has become a curse."
"Where would one find her--not the roots, but her body, her core, her parts of herself which might be show reason again?" Lif's attention has been caught on this matter.
"What sacrifice?" Spicy asks, a little curious, asking as gently as she can, just in case the topic might be a sore one.
Lucia returns from her perusal of the plants to rejoin the conversation. She glances at Lif, nods, and waits patiently for answers with just another glance at Spicy.
"At the Tree," Catherine replies. "The sacrifice that gave birth to the Tree."
"The Patriarch Tree?" A glance at Lucia and then Spicy.
Lucia shrugs at Lif and nods, since that was going to be her question.
"The Tree at the crossroads." The ghost nods.
"Probably? That seems to be that?" A little shrug, clearly she's not certain.
"...the crossroads of the trods. Oh, this is going to make for an interesting diplomatic mission." Lif shakes her head wryly.
"Yes," Lucia agrees with the very faintest of sighs. "This is information our diplomats will probably want, though."
"I'm afraid I don't know anything else," Catherine replies with an apologetic frown.
"I'm on that trip, to Dover. I'll need to make sure Annie and Aurelio know about it, going in." They reach up to tug at their braid. "And research Cypresses. Those aren't normally parasitic."
"You've been very helpful, Miss Catherine, and I'm grateful for your efforts," Lucia assures. "Please, be glad that you were able to tell us so much."
Spicy smiles at the Hedge Ghost and nods to Catherine. "Thank you for the information" she gives a little bow as well and looks to Lif and Lucia to see what their next step would be
"I do hope you can help her," she says softly. "I'm not sure how much longer I can keep her roots from growing here. I would be so sad to see the flowers die." She frowns deeply at the thought.
"We will do what we can, Miss Catherine." One hand folds over their chest and they nod.
"I would be sad for that too, Miss Catherine," Lucia agrees. "I think we plan to do everything we can."
"I hope we can solve this matter before it happens." Spicy says with a glance toward the garden.
"Thank you." She smiles dreamily again. "It was nice to meet you all."
"And you." Careful not to touch the plants still, she turns to exit the garden. "...are we taking the ballista with us? Might be nice to gift to the Freehold defenses."
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