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Downtime is accessible from anywhere, but Maddy probably wouldn't appreciate it if a bunch of Changelings started using Maddy's as their front door, on account of Easy Access means that you're going to come back out where you went in. Plus, like, Sturm will end up with a ticket and so will Teagan, if they leave their cars on the street.
So they drive home. And once they step into the house, there's a certain knock to be used on any door, and they step through. Teagan thinks it's very funny to go in to the closet in order to get to Downtime. So they take hold of Sturm's hand, since she's never been there before, and lead her through, with the others following behind.
Downtime is about big enough for most of the motley to be in there once, comfortably. All of them crammed in there at once for an extended period of time would start to get crowded. Its walls and floors are smooth stone, dug out of the Hedge Earth and hardened into a perfectly-temperature-controlled space. Off to the left side, there's something that looks like a icebox door formed into the wall; directly ahead, a large, sunken area in the floor that's a cuddle space big enough for the entire motley. Yes, including Sturm. On the other side of the cuddle area? A spring, with a shower area off to one side, and stacks of clean towels (mundane, not provided by the freehold.) There are hooks along the back wall for people's clothes, and it's toward that Teagan goes directly.
"So... this is actually home."
June pinches her nose and jumps through the door when her turn comes, like someone jumping off a pier into a lake or something. No reason, just because she feels like it. Once through she lets go of her nose and gasps like she's surprised to be able to breathe. "Hey, it's still here!" she remarks aloud.
I mean. Leaving your house and stepping right into Maddy's sounds like a great way to end up eating breakfast at the same amazing place twice in a row... but the suggestion to physically drive home before stepping into Downtime in order to avoid tickets is totally valid.
Let the record show that, while Sturm is normally exceptionally squirrely about all things Hedge-related - particularly her involvement with going into it - she actually seems excited about it this time. Well, whatever passes for excitement when you're 6'11" and too grouchy to do anything but frown. Sturm follows Teagan's lead, accompanying them to the clothing hooks - looking around and taking in the sights her whole way.
"... well, I wasn't having any anxiety about spending regular time inside the Hedge until you did that." The corners of her mouth wobble, threatening to smile at June's antics - so she's clearly not too worried about it.
Unsurprisingly, Sigrun keeps much of her arsenal here. When it's always a secret knock away, it's almost as good as walking around with a broadsword on your hip at any given moment. True to her prior word, she heads over to the bank of the spring and sits herself down to start working on her boot laces, tugging them off one by one. "If anyone's grabbing drinks, I'd love a mead, please. I'm going to have a soak. If not, I'll grab a round once I'm done, here." Sigrun exhibits the opposite of anxiety in being here, even if it is the hedge. This is where Sigrun can be the most Sigrun that Sigruns get.
Johnnie's in tow, but she's fokkused. She's got a tracing of the map she and Laura pulled from the latter's remarkable book of secrets, and seems to be trying to collate it with a map of the city, both held by her shadows while she works with a soft leaded pencil. She's distracted, but amiable and present. Mostly to reflect her player's partial pre-occupation!
"Yeah, I'll get drinks. You want a soda, doll? You'll end up with some brand of soda that's never been made, but. It's an adventure." The Mirrorskin shucks off their coat and hangs it up on a hook -- the one that's their hook has a second hook underneath it for hanging up Baby, so that's what they do. Then they start in on unlacing their boots. "It's as safe as we can make it, inside or outside of the Hedge."
The pillows in the center of Downtime stir, and a pixellated face appears between them. Glitch was apparently dozing in here, possibly due to power tools being used in the basement. He sits up groggily, hair sticking every which way atop his head, and rubs at his face with a bare arm. "Teagannn?"
"It only disappeared once! It's totally safe!" June says, definitely teasing. "I'll help with drinks, Tea! I'm going to get a mead, and if everyone wants drinks it will be a lot of drinks. Hi Glitch! Nice bedhead! Want something to drink?" She wasn't wearing a coat or anything, since she's fuzzy and stays quite warm, but she does kick her shoes off at the area where all the other shoes and coats are piled up, flinging them across the Hollow before heading toward the fridge.
"Uhh, well." Beat. "Adventure isn't really my preference when it comes to putting shit inside my body, but... yeah, fuck it. Fuck me up, I guess." There's a little, low chuckle, and she sorta hovers there with both hands shoved deep into her jacket pockets. Wish you weren't so fuckin' awkward, Sturm. "Oh, hey Glitch." There's a little smile.
Vorpal stands near the door long enough for her shadows to shuck her duster and pull Sigknifr's shoulder holster off to hand by the door before she sighs in open frustration and folds both maps to tuck into pockets of her coat. "Lemme help with drinks. I've got the hands for it. Point me at the drinks, June, and we'll get everyone watered before long. Sup, Glitchboi?"
Sigrun peels out of her socks once her boots are off, then hops back to her feet to rid herself of her jeans and underpants. Off goes the leather jacket and shirt. The bra can go straight to Hel, too, as far as that goes. Then Sigrun dips her toe into the water, finds it pleasing, and steps down into the bathing pool, heading over to her preferred rock and settling down into the water like a proper queen. She tosses her hair back onto the rocks, leans her head back on the head rest, and lets her eyes drift shut as the water soaks its heat into her aching muscles and joints. Don't mind her.
Teagan shucks off boots, socks, pants, t-shirt. Tank top and boxers are the rule of Downtime, apparently. At least for now. "Hey, Player One," they offer, their expression melting a little at the sight of the speepy little emo boi, and they step over to crouch down and kiss him on the corner of his mouth. "We brought Sturm home. You wanna wake up so we can have a proper swearing-in?" They ruffle his hair with one of their scarred hands, then head to help gather drinks. "Doll. This is your home. You belong here. You can relax."
"What Teagan said!" Johnnie calls over her shoulder as she facilitates the rapid selection, assignment, and delivery of drinks to June and Teagan's waiting hands, covering the remainder herself. "Whatever it is you're tense about fucking up, rest assured that I have fucked up worse, and recently, and everyone still loves me. Which means you're aces, so- like Teagan said. Chi-" She pauses.
"... is it PC to tell Sturm to chill?"
Sigrun blindly picks up one of her socks and flings it across the hollow at Johnny.
(It smells of feet and excellence.)
It's not like Sturm needed to be told she was allowed to relax and drop the mask, but also... She kinda needed to be told that. There's a little half-snort-half-laugh. A very quiet one. Then she rolls back her shoulders, shrugging out of her jacket and hanging it up on an unoccupied hook, because her usual move of tossing it over a piece of nearby furnature seems rather silly with a clothing rack right fuckin' next to her. She quirks an eyebrow at Johnnie - looking up from unlacing her boots - the corner of her mouth threatening to curve into a smile again. "Is it PC to say you seem a bit shady sometimes?"
The other sock is balled up and flung at Sturm. Sigrun's aim isn't the best at this distance, mind.
Glitch sits up with a yawn and a stretch, both arms going out to either side. He's bare down to at least his waist, where he's still buried in the pillows. Teagan's kiss at the corner of his mouth has him lazily opening his eyes, and slowly looking around, realizing that there is an entire crowd of people in here and that one of them is Sturm. In the same glimpse, however, he takes note of everyone shucking their clothes. He does something of a double take, looking down at his state of undress, and then at Sturm, and then at everyone else, and then at Teagan. Then he shuts his eyes again and rubs them with his hands. "Whaaat is even..."
"Okie doke. Callout yer drinks if you want something, and Johnnie and I will get them for you!" June bounces over to give Johnnie a hug before they engage in drink-fetching, and then go over to pile onto the cushions. "Normally I'd be throwing my clothes all over the place, but in deference to Sturm's not yet being used to aggressive nakedness on our parts, I'll take it easy. I might take my socks off, though. The scandal."
Johnnie helps with drinks and growls playfully when June hugs her. "Grrr, lemme seem them ankles, girl." (Gotta make dinner,do not wait for.)
And then there is a SOCK and Johnnie nigh unto shrieks. "AUGH! TRAILSOCK. PFFFAH! ICANTASTEIT. AWW, ICANTASTEIIIIIT"
"You are too sweet for this world, June Desrochers. Seriously." Sigrun pops open an eye to smile up at June, then belts out a peal of bright laughter at Johnny's reaction to the flung sock. The laughter becomes a witchy cackle, she can't help it. She even slaps the water, pointing at Johnny as her cackling gives way to overly amused wheezing. Somewhere in there, she manages to get out a request for what was probably mead. But who knows.
Thankfully - given Johnnie's reaction to being nailed with Sigrun's laundry - the sock sails a few feet past crouching-Sturm who is currently a much smaller target than normal. Thankfully. "Soda, please?" Sturm kicks off her boots - setting them nicely in the pile alongside everyone elses - hooking her thumbs into the front pocket of her jeans. And even though everyone else seems to be stripping left and right, given that she's currently wearing a sleeveless crop top, this is probably the least amount of clothing most of the room has ever seen her wearing.
Johnnie's antics make Teagan snicker, too, and they shake their head in amusement at her overblown reaction. Then they wander over to the blanket area and flop down next to Glitch, carrying their beer and Sturm's weird Hedge-brand soda. "We brought Sturm home so she can be proper Oathed in," they explain to Glitch, and hold the soda out toward Sturm with a look. She's gonna have to come to the snuggle space to acquire that soda.
"I know!" June calls over to Sigrun. "Don't drown over there, though!" She moves around on the pile of pillows so that she can snuggle up on Glitch's other side, from where she wiggles one foot at Johnnie. "If you want them off, come take them off. Just make it count!"
Glitch doesn't look too upset, just comically disoriented. He turns to Teagan, rubs an eye again, thinks, and finally asks: "How naked is everyone getting for this Oath...?"
In an imitation of John Mulaney so spot-on that only a Mirrorskin could be doing it, Teagan deadpans, "Undress to your comfort level."
Sturm relents, descending into the pit for whatever nightmarish flavor soda the Hedge has cooked up for her - oh, and also cuddles - with an exasperated look on her face.
Sigrun's eyes pop open and she looks down at the water she's lighting up like a pool lamp, then back up at Glitch with a raised eyebrow, "I can't get any more naked without some shaving cream and a razon, Glitch. And I haven't touched one of them since MusicFest in 1982." Sigrun then reclines back and says in a less spot on Mulaney, but a perfect Chicago accent, "So I put on a sweater and some courduroys. And I felt safe."
Glitch snorts out in laughter, and looks at Sturm. "I was just worried we were gonna freak out the noob," he beeps, engaging straight into too-cool mode while still half naked and bedheaded. There's a lazy smile on the pixels of his mouth though. "And I already undressed to my comfort level when I fell asleep in here because of the noises coming from the basement," he beeps back over at Sigrun, briefly mouthing out That's hot in silent reply to the dated claim. "Just wasn't expecting to wake up with my entire fuckin' family here."
But he relaxes back into the cushions, leaning against Teagan and laying his head on their shoulder. "It's kinda nice, though."
"For a second I was going to say noises in the basement and ask if we were haunted, and then I remembered the construction," June says with a laugh. "We aren't haunted, are we? That would be pretty cool, but we could probably have got a discount on the house if it has ghosts." She cuddles up to Glitch and agrees, "it is nice."
When Sturm descends to the land of snuggles, Teagan rewards her with a small smile and a can of soda. "It's never terrible, it's just sometimes weird," they explain. They could be talking about the soda, or they could be talking about the motley, or they could be... "Well, we came in here because she's never been in Downtime before, and it seemed appropriate." Also appropriate? Leaning back on Sturm and poking their feet at Glitch and June. Poke poke. "If Johnnie hasn't been too traumatized by Sigrun's feet, I think this is ... actually... I wish Laura weren't at work, but getting all of us in once place gets ... catastrophically harder as we grow."
Johnnie puts herself to work taking off June's socks without A.) tearing them on her claws, B.) Missing any chance to grope June's calves, or C.) tasting them. "Cherish the challenge, says I. The moment this gets easy is the moment we got lazy. I like that it takes effort!" She finishes with June's socks, bends to smooch her right betwixt those fucking adorable ears, and moves to pat Sturm on the shoulder before she goes to stick her feet into the hit spring, settling next to Sigrun and giving her a 'no hard feelings' smooch.
"Oh, well that's good." Sturm cracks the can of soda before slipping an arm around Teagan, and sinking into the pillows. She takes a sip - which produces a delightfully confusion - and she scrunches up her face to peer at the side of the can. She smacks her tongue, completely distracted from the room as shr wills the can to reveal it's secrets. "It's not bad," Is she talking about the soda, or the motley, or? "...but it definitely doesn't taste like a normal soda, that's for sure." Okay, she was talking about the soda - and also, she does not poke her feet at anyone, because she's not a gremlin. Mostly.
Sigrun returns the smooch, making room for Johnny to settle in at her side before scootching a little lower into the water to shift where her weight is resting on the stones. She rests her head back and takes a nip from her bottle of mead, smiling to herself. Because her Motley is all together, and happy. She really is a golden retriever!
"Thank you, Johnnie love," June says when she has finished divesting the panda of her socks. With a deep breath and a soft sigh she says, "this is the life."
Glitch stares at the dark feet being pushed into his face. He lifts one hand and extends a single finger, buzzing with static electricity, before poking it gently into the center of Teagan's foot and tickling at it. His face remains a moody sort of placid, perhaps the grumpy tomcat to Sigrun's Golden. He pauses to look around at everyone happily sprawling on and around him, tightens his mouth a moment, and beeps out:
"Forgot to turn my swag off, woke up covered in bitches."
"Johnny, can you find a sock and throw it at Glitch? I already lost mine." Sigrun then calls over to June who is, in point of fact, in possession of two socks. "Get 'im!" She points at Glitch, waggling her finger in his direction.
Snickering, Teagan shakes their head when Sigrun tells June to attack Glitch with socks. The Mirrorskin is actually relaxed now, for possibly the first time in... well. Since someone threw a table in the Freehold Hollow, probably. They take a swallow of their beer, let out a long, slow breath, and let their eyes shadow over.
"I pledge myself to my family, our work and its blessings. We will strive, we may quarrel, but at the end of the day, we're family, and we'll never intentionally hurt each other. An injury to one is an injury to all, and we'll never intentionally and in sound mind allow our family or its members to come to harm; all our fights are shared fights. We all agree that sparring or stopping someone not under their own control doesn't count as harm. When we work together, our blessings are shared: who speaks for one speaks for all. Should one betray this oath or otherwise wish to forsake fellowship with us and go their own way in peace, let them seek our each member and render apology through service, performing one task for each member in turn. Having done so, they would be free to go about their lives without recrimination or shame so long as they bring no further harm to us. Until that time, let their name be poison on our tongue."
Sturm takes another swallow of her Not-Coke, frowning about the taste of carbonated Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust. She continues to drink it anyway. When she realizes that Teagan is reciting the Motley's oath for her, her posture straightens just a hair - abandoning her concerns about whether or not this drink should exist - as she listens intently to the words she's going to need to repeat.
This moment has been a long time coming. Did she always want this? Not really. There was a time that being in a Motley with anyone in this room was an utterly foreign concept to the Jotunn, but now? Does it feel right?
Well...
"I pledge myself to my family, our work and its blessings. We will strive, we may quarrel, but at the end of the day, we're family, and we'll never intentionally hurt each other. An injury to one is an injury to all, and we'll never intentionally and in sound mind allow our family or its members to come to harm; all our fights are shared fights. We all agree that sparring or stopping someone not under their own control doesn't count as harm. When we work together, our blessings are shared: who speaks for one speaks for all. Should one betray this oath or otherwise wish to forsake fellowship with us and go their own way in peace, let them seek our each member and render apology through service, performing one task for each member in turn. Having done so, they would be free to go about their lives without recrimination or shame so long as they bring no further harm to us. Until that time, let their name be poison on our tongue."
When Sturm is finished June sits up and starts cheering. "Wooo, welcome to the family, Sturm. I'm so excited! I'd jump over there and hug you but I'd probably step on like four people and spill my drink everywhere, so just... imagine really hard that I'm hugging you, okay?"
Sigrun probably shouldn't stand up and applaud right now. That would probably make things weird. But she does offer her best 'from the crowd' shrill whistle with two pinkies in her mouth, followed by some loud 'woo girl' shouting and a lot of over the head applause. Like they're all at a rock show. "YEAH! STUUUUUURRRRRRRRMMMMMMMMMMM!" More applause and whooping follows. Apparently once Sigrun makes a decision, she backs it whole hog.
Glitch just watches, and folds his arms, and nods sincerely, showing his respect as much as he can while half-clothed and ungroomed. He briefly is distracted by Sigrun performing Valkyries Gone Wild, but his attention is drawn right back to Sturm. "Welcome to the Party."
The Mirrorskin actually kind of holds their breath during the Oath, as if the world is sort of suspended during that moment. They let out that breath once Sturm speaks the last word and the oath snaps into place. They don't say anything, but their expression goes all soft and contented, and they turn a rather proud little smile up toward Sturm, leaning in to kiss her. Not on the corner of her mouth, either. Sorry, Sturm. Embarrassing actual kiss in front of everybody. Deal with it.
"And there you have it! Or. And here we have you? Something like that. Welcome to the snuggliest pile of murder junkies this side of... anyplace, I think!" Johnnie lounges imperiously with Sigrun, toes swishing through the spring water while she beams at everyone cheering Sturm on.
"I can stand up so you can come hug me. Personal experience tells me that imagining things isn't anywhere close to the real thing," She looks a little sheepish about all the attention - and cheering - but she does her best to keep it under wraps by quirking an eyebrow at the tiny panda-friend. Y'know, before then practically jumping out of her skin at the cacophony of noise coming from Sigrun. Then the kiss. That's the last straw for her failing composure, and when she pulls away, she's blushing a dark navy, and grinning like a big... well. Someone who actually smiles.
"Fiiiiine, I'll get up!" June says, shifting around to get to where she can stand, careful not to spill her drink, and she starts carefully climbing around and over people to head for Sturm. "I much prefer real hugs, anyway. I was really just hoping you'd do what I said and imagine hard so I could yell, 'harder, Sturm!' Harder!" She tries to hug Sturm if given half the chance.
"I am just going to stay in the bath and hug you later, Sturm. On account of. Yeah." Sigrun probably should have held off on the bath in hindsight, but too late now. "Skoll, though!" She salutes Sturm with her mead and tilts back the bottle thereafter. "June, if you won't throw a sock at Glitch for me, at least give Sturm an extra hug from me, okay? Thank you!"
That dark navy blush makes Teagan smile in a manner that's almost smug. Of course, then they're taking a drink during the 'imagining things' comment, and actually spit-take, coughing beer. Cough cough cough. They lean out of the way in order to allow June to red panda her way in for hugs, on account of Sturm giving rather lovely hugs.
Sturm does - with great willpower - manage to detangle from the Teagan (even as they're spitting drink everywhere) that she's holding so tightly. Y'know, to stand up so she can give June an extremely tight hug. Or two, on account of Sigrun's request. Then June keeps talking, and thankfully she'd already swallowed her Not-Coke, because now it's her turn to sputter like she's forgotten how to talk.
Quick, June! Now's your chance to steal that hug!
Glitch is at least modest enough to cuddle, and thus modest enough to hug. He actually leans over and winds his arms around Sturm from behind. Slowly, making sure she has plenty of time to register it's just him, not something pouncing onto her back suddenly. He gently winds his arms around the ogre in a loose piggyback-ride grip, resting his chin on her shoulder. Spritehug.
Sigrun beams from her seat in the pool and once more lifts her mead in salute to them all, whooping again. When she lowers her bottle for a sip, her lips draw back into a vicious little victorious sneer. She cuts loose with a flowery bit of Faroese aimed up at the sky, then drains the last of her bottle, flinging it towards the pillow pit in celebratory sacrifice. (Don't ask where it goes. Just don't. Why are pillows different than trash? HOW DOES IT KNOW? Again. Don't. Don't ask.)
June wraps her arms around Sturm in a big hug, not so tight that it cuts off breathing or is going to risk hurting her, but firm and affectionate. "I'm so glad you're here," she says quietly into Sturm's body as she hugs. "I've been hoping this would happen for a long time." She starts to step back and then starts hugging again. "This one is for Sigrun. Sigrun, I Johnnie took my socks! I don't even know where they went."
She does not, in fact, pick up Sturm. Or try to suplex her into the pillows. But she does think about it.
Sandwiched on both sides by Glitch and June each giving delightful hugs is a good way to go, right? She leans her head over to the side, placing it against the little sprite's as she returns June's embrace with at least as much hugging-force. "Yeah, me too." She mutters back to June. Then there's a pause, and a low chuckle. "Wait, how long?"
Oh yeah, also they can both feel the coolness radiating off of Sturm's mien - even through her clothes.
"Yeah," Teagan offers, once they get their breathing back under control and are not inhaling beer. When Sigrun hurls her bottle, they dodge, letting the empty fall onto (and into) the pillows. "I'm glad you're here. Obviously." But then the Mirrorskin leaves the hug pile to the tiny folx and sidles over to lean over the spring and give Sigrun a kiss instead. Since it's time for affection distribution, apparently.
Glitch blushes lightly at Sturm's large head rolling to rest against his own. He almost closes his eyes to enjoy the nuzzle, and then a bottle flies through the air and lands with a soft thump in the pillows right next to him. "Jesus DICK," he beeps, "We're in Philly for like a fucking month and we're throwing bottles at our new motleymate."
The Sprite buries his face against Sturm's broad shoulder, stifling a giggle. The bottle slowly sinks into the pillows until it disappears from view.
"Since we went to work out together the first time," June admits with a laugh as she finishes hugging and steps back. "I wasn't sure sure, but I had a feeling this would be where you belonged, eventually. I mean, I also knew I definitely had the hots for you pretty much from the beginning. I just..." she shrugs. "I dunno." She turns to call at Sigrun, "I know I'm a small target, but I thought your aim would be better than that!"
"Oh man, that was a while ago." Good thing she's already blushing. Y'know, so she doesn't have to address that comment about June having the hots for her just yet. She gives June one last squeeze before letting go, and then - looking down for the now-disappeared bottle with a puzzled expression - climbs the rest of the way out of the pillow pit (carrying Glitch along with her if he doesn't let go) so she can make her way over to the spring area and sit down at the edge. Near Sigrun. On account of she can't come visit at this moment.
Sigrun turns her head to return Teagan's smooch, scritching the back of their head while it's in reach for her to do so. "Are you happy?" Sigrun looks back to Glitch and pulls down her lower eyelid at sticks out her tongue at him. Sigrun then calls back to June, "I can find the spot when it counts, Junebug." Grinning broadly, she looks up to Sturm and wiggles her fingers at the Jotunn. "Congratulations. You're stuck with us now."
"I'm happy," Teagan agrees with Sigrun, smooching her nose, too, and then sitting down on the edge of the spring and slipping their feet into the warm water with a contented sigh. "I'm very happy." They abandoned their beer to come smooch Sigrun, and now it's all the way over there, but they don't seem to mind. "You are, in fact, stuck with us now. Especially Glitch, apparently." On account of the whole piggyback thing.
Glitch does not let go. He clings and dangles from Sturm's back, revealing himself to be wearing a pair of black boxer shorts festooned with little green 1-UP mushrooms, because the time you get caught in your undies is always the time you're wearing something embarassing. But he doesn't show any sign of distress as he gets a jotunback ride over to the hot spring where a valkyrie is bathing, because he only pretends to be an asshole as a coping mechanism.
His head lifts, and he frowns briefly, trying to figure out what could possibly be missing. His chin tilts up towards the ceiling and he calls out, "Computer! Weed!"
"OH, hey, sup?" Johnnie quips as Sturm meanders over with a load of Glitch to where she and Sig are settled. "You gonna soak? Or just coming to bask in the glow of perfection?" She lounges back. "I. Am basking. Brightest lights cast the coolest shadows."
"Thanks," Sturm nudges Sigrun's shoulder with her elbow. Which is made out of ice, so it probably feels a little bit odd considering she's in a hot spring. "Doesn't really feel like being stuck, so I think I'll survive." There's a pause at Johnnie's words. "Oh, I am absolutely not going to soak. Just. Sitting." Then - in probably the most animated she's ever been - she reaches out towards June and makes grabby hands like hey, you're the only one over there so why don't you stop being over there and be over here.
"You're going to smoke hedgeweed?" Sigrun is either impressed or horrified. Either way, that's some dedication to the high life, there. "If Glitch starts speaking in assembly language, hold his reset button for twenty seconds and then restart him." Sigrun stretches her arms out to either side of herself, one around Johnny and the other on the stones beside herself. She likewise reaches out to June with the grabby hands. Come to ussssss.
"You sure can!" June agrees with Sigrun, laughing. "I'm also pretty sure we have weed around here somewhere, Glitch." She joins everyone else in heading over to the waterside, but she sits down on the ground away from the spring, not putting any of her furry parts in it. Otherwise everyone has to doze off later with a wet panda in the bed.
"There's actual weed in the pocket of my coat," Teagan offers, shaking their head in amusement. "If you don't want to smoke what the, uh, Hollow creates." They laugh aloud at Sigrun's comment, offering, "I don't want to think about where Glitch's reset button might be." A beat, and they jut their chin out a bit. "Actually, maybe I do want to think about that." They lean over to kiss Sturm's shoulder and then absently adjust the sapphire necklace so it hangs properly on the choker chain.
Glitch snorts, slowly slipping off of Sturm's back so that he can sit somewhere between Sturm and Sigrun, letting June figure out how to interpose. He dangles his legs into the spring with a relaxed hum. "I've smoked hedgeweed from here before, it's fine. I don't go wild with it. It's as dangerous as eating the food or drinking the sodas. We don't have to worry about Poison Flavor because it's been set up properly to be safe. Right?"
Then he blinks, says "Oh," and gets up again to go fetch the weed from Teagan's pocket.
Sturm quirks an eyebrow at the reset button comments, but any comment she might've made is lost upon having her necklace adjusted. Once Glitch leaves to get the weed, valuable real estate is freed up. She wiggles an eyebrow at June while the red panda situates herself in the crowded space - hooking a free thumb behind her back at the newly-freed-up spot.
Come on, June. You know you wannaaaaaaa.
Johnnie leans into Sig's embrace, heedless of what gets wet. She doesn't care. June heading over towards them makes her light up with a grin, as everyone links up around the spring. "Y'all enjoy the ganja. I am super good. I dunno what smoke tastes like to a hyper-sensitive pallete but fuck if I ever wanna find out first haaaaaaand~" She laughs, waving at the others. "I'll taste it on most of your tongues. Close enough for me."
She also cheats. Everyone gets shadowhugs. Suck it.
June hops to her feet, ignoring any invitations to get into the water, and goes to latch onto Sturm's back, instead. She presses herself against Sturm, sways back and forth, and makes a happy, contented little noise. "I'm going to want to snuggle you all summer, once it starts getting hot out," she comments. "Like the exact opposite of a lizard's heat rock."
Sigrun blows June a kiss when she joins the group, wanting to respect her wishes where her fur and water are concerned. Given Sigrun's hair care regimen, this should surprise no one. She Gets It. "That actually sounds pretty amazing," Sigrun admits when June comments about keeping cool near Sturm. "I hated Miami in the summer. It was the worst. And I'm told Philly isn't really that much better. Like living in a swamp."
"It's not anything like Miami," Teagan offers, bristling up in defense of their hometown. "Not even a little bit. It's hot, sure, but it's ... it's nothing like Miami. Or Texas!" This with a nudge for Sturm. They're ... relaxed. Content. The smile on Teagan's face? It's a real smile. Not one of those little sly things that are their constant companion.
"Yeah, because it smells like fucking Philly," Sigrun counters back to Teagan, which just proves she's becoming a resident.
"Unfortunately, there is a distinct possibility that all of your Summer mantles combined will turn whatever room I'm in into a sauna, but..." There's a little shrug, and she snickers. She's got no problems with being cuddled. At least here, and by those present. Apparently. "Yeah. Weather sucks, but. It's definitely not Texas. It'd be above a hundred in Nacogdoches by about this time of year."
Glitch returns after a brief absence with a fluffy white towel, a perfectly normal glass pipe full of weed, and a proper pair of swim trunks in black and white checkerboard. He also has his shades on, because he knows the Ferris Bueller act amuses people. Traipsing back spring-side after taking a hit a polite distance away, he sets the bong and towel down to testingly hug his arms around Sturm's upper arm, seeing just how cool she is. The previous piggyback ride was brief and exciting, after all.
"A hundred is not an amount of degrees the thermometer should be showing the weather outside to be," June complains. "That's just inhumane. A hundred should only be used for... for... I don't know, the number of kisses I get from my motley in a day. Or the minimum number of orgasms I have in a month." She says while pressed to Sturm's back. At least she has her clothes on.
"She's got a point. Sucks, but the only one that's gonna get full enjoyment outta summer Sturm is me," Johnnie drawls. "Acourse, she's gonna love you lot in Winter, I bet. Toasty fresh, the lotta ya, like towels fresh outta the dryer." She's leaned back, draped against Sigrun's arm, hardly even bothering to look about while she teases the collective.
Teagan gets up, goes to get their beer, and then does a spit-take in response to June's comment. JUst because.
"You all know there's a contract that lets you control whether or not you get too hot, right?"
Sigrun begins counting on her hands after June's statement. Her expression looks briefly confused, then one eyebrow slowly rides up her forehead and her lips purse together in thought. Nice. She quickly leans over to smooch Johnny's cheek ahead of rising up out of the water to walk back to the edge of the pool. She steps out to grab herself another mead, popping the bottle before heading back to the spring. But for Sturm's introduction to matters, she probably would have asked if anyone wanted anything. She returns to her former seat and to having her arm around Johnny.
She is quite cool, actually. Her skin is a bit like a frozen pond - her scars like cracks and dents in the icy surface, with a swirling navy blue beneath it. Aaaaand speaking of that swirling navy blue, it's pressing up against her skin like it wants to escape. 'Cause she's blushing again.
There's a snort at Teagan's response, and she takes a sip of her Not-Coke - a time honored tactic for avoiding being seen while blushing. "Shhhh don't tell them about the contract. Let me be popular."
"I can't help being hot," June says, and she shimmies her hips back from Sturm so that she can wiggle her ass at Teagan. She's wearing a fairly short sundress, so it's possibly a rather tantalizing sway of her backside. "I could learn the Contract, but snuggling against Sturm is so niiiiice."
Glitch is more than happy to nuzzle the big icy limb for a bit, but then he hops into the spring to bask, resting his head against the giant's leg instead now. "Adult red pandas rarely interact except to mate," he beeps. "But they only mate January to March. So good job carving your own path."
Well, that's just asking for your ass to get smacked, pretty much literally. "I'm just saying, for when Sturm is busy." Total deadpan. They wander back over and swat at June's backside in that sundress, a sharp crack! of sound repeating around the hollow. "But you should definitely snuggle against Sturm. I highly recommend it."
"Glitch?" Sigrun begins innocently enough. A bad sign, clearly. "Were you googling red panda sex facts because of June?" Sigrun turns in the water to peer back at him with an amused expression and a raised eyebrow. Not an unkind expression, though. But definitely amused.
Glitch lazily raises a finger as his shades-festooned face rests a tingly cheek against the side of Sturm's knee. "That's just from their wikipedia page. I didn't go to redpandasex dot net or anything. Or furry twitter."
June lets out a giggling yelp when Teagan smacks her on the ass. She can take it! "Fortunately for all of you, I'm not just any red panda, and I come around for more than booty calls. Also," she reaches out and lightly bumps her first against Glitch's arm, not a real punch, just a bump. "Let's not use the word mating in comparison to me, please. It sounds... weird."
This is all a little outside Sturm's element. So she's just going to sit here amidst all the gremlinry and butt smacking, sip her Not-Coke quietly, and smile as she grows more and more accustomed to the taste of cheesy apple pie soda. Cute friends. Snickering at weird sex facts about the red panda hanging from her shoulders. Life is good.
The Mirrorskin takes a groping handful of butt before sitting back down. That contented expression of theirs isn't changing, just... settled. It's been a long, stressful couple of months, but here they are. In Downtime. With the vast majority of their motley. Drinking a beer. Teagan is a happy Teagan. "Glitch. Really." They drag a hand down their face in amusement.
"Oh my god dot com," Sigrun says, having once been cool many years ago. She hides her face in her hand for a moment, chuckling helplessly. Oh, good grief. "We only make sweet sweet love to our JuneyJune. Or whatever else she's in the mood for." Sigrun is starting to show signs of her drinking, but she's always been a friendly mead mom in this respect. "Speaking of, some of that weed would be amazing. I may wind up dozing off in the pillows, though."
And in pads a hyena, a slightly sleepy one but a hyena all the same,moving over to offer hugs and smooches to various folx.
Glitch sticks out his tongue. "Wikipedia said mate, and was talking about animal pandas. June fucks. Unless you want me to say that the little furry guys at the zoo fuck, which sounds off too." He has the glass pipe nearby, so he plucks it up and obediently swims it over to Sigrun after taking a hit himself. "Fluffy!"
"Please pass that once you take a hit?" Sturm gives Sigrun a hopeful look. She has nothing to say on the subject of whether or not June - or the average red panda - fucks, but boy howdy will she fuck with some of that weed.
"Nah, mate. Thats like half the time. The other half, June-" Johnnie pauses, considering her words for once. "... well, it ain't lovemaking and it ain't the word she doesn't like. Come to your own conclusions." Sig returns and Johnnie leans in, soaking up the total lack of tension for the first time in forever, feels like.
June wiggles her bottom when it's grabbed, but doesn't let go of Sturm. Until Laura comes in, when she turns around to wave. "Laura! Someone else who will understand why I don't want to just jump into the water!" She hooks a thumb at Sturm. "Look who we caught." Then she turns back around to start rubbing Sturm's shoulders. How she manages not to claw Sturm's skin up is a miracle, but she pulls it off.
"Sparks!" She croons back to Glitch, rubbing her cheek against his affectionately. "I can steal weed when it's free." Sturm gets a warm hyena grin. "Welcome." She tells the frost giant. And then June is regarded and offered a tight hug from behind given her shoulder rubbing. "We're good at catching people. And wet fur isn't always fun. But does give me excuse to sunbathe when it's hot out."
"I'm pretty sure it's okay to say that June fucks," Teagan deadpans, and then they turn toward Laura as she comes in, rolling to their feet to pad over and kiss her on the corner of her mouth, as is Teagan's rite and custom. It must be done. They hang on to their single beer that they've been nursing, and wander back to their spot between Sturm and Sigrun. Lazing. "I'll take some of the weed, for sure."
"Kay, well. That," confirms Johnnie.
Sigrun takes a big old hit off the thing before passing it back towards Teagan. She can no longer safely weigh in on the Great June Fuck Debate of 2020. Waste not, want not. After she's sat on her air for a good long time, she exhales slowly towards the roof of the cavern and sinks back down into the water again, ripples from the waterfall lapping at her chin. That's going to be pleasant shortly. She joins June in gesturing towards Sturm, though. She adds in jazz hands, though.
Glitch rubs his cheek against Laura's and gives her a tiny scritch, while careful not to get her wet. His eyes droop as he steeps in the hot tub, looking quite content himself. "Yeah," he beeps, staring up at the points of starlight above. "This ain't bad."
"This isn't bad at all." Laura agrees, scritching June as Glitch does the same to her and rumbling happily. "Should talk about stuffs soon, me and Jackie did some digging." She nods to the other Autumn. "But weed time first. Also, I wanna learn a new trick if I can."
"I'm not going to lie, there is nothing I want less in the entire world than to talk about work." Sturm looks up at June - careful not to bang her horns on anything soft, or important - sticking out her tongue. Then she focuses her attention back on Laura and Glitch, snickering as she reaches for the weed. "Miles to go before I sleep, and what-not, but for now... please don't tell me about anything that isn't threatening to level Philadelphia at this moment, or I just might throw up in protest."
"It's definitely okay to say that. I fuck," June agrees. She leans back into Laura's hug, without stopping what she's doing with her massaging. When that's done she keeps going, trying to work tension out of icy muscles.
Snagging the pipe, Teagan steals a hit for themself before passing it on to the next person who wants it. "Oh, please no. No, just no work tonight," they echo Sturm once they've held their breath and exhaled slowly. "We have our whole family here for once, and it's good. No work. Work tomorrow, unless something is exploding right now."
"If you do it?" Sigrun points over the way to the pillow pit, "Do it in there, okay?" Just don't ask where it goes. "Is it anything I need to be worried about because if I don't it may make me lose my grip? You can lie." Sigrun relaxes back into her seat again, sipping at her bottle of mead, just trying to let the heat and the current ease her aching muscles.
Glitch doesn't even mention work. He's the one here without a job, and he doesn't consider killing monster 'work', so much as a function of his being, but... "It's Downtime, guys," he beeps plainly, and relaxes further back into the water. "Sigrun, you play any more Valkyrie Profile? Sturm, you poke at your God-Killing game any without me?"
"No work talk." She nods. "Deal. And no Sig, no immediate explosions." She smiles, kissing June's shoulder. "I am currently debating whether I want to pay the price for getting wet for a good long soak. And can I add that I fuck too?"
"Actually? Nothing of imminent threat to us. Working to resolve it would be charity work, not "save our fucking futures" work. So no worries. It can wait." Johnnie confirms. "Though I have to say, I sternly disagree with the assignation of "work" to "things that are challenging and also interesting and hella fucking dangerous" because that describes my hobbies, please and thank you. BUT. I shan't discuss my hobbies just now, because semantics do not override the greater good."
As Laura pipes up, Johnnie takes a look around the room. "... does anyone here want to be excluded from the "I Fuck" categorization? I won't speak for anyone else, but figure since we're down to volunteering..."
"I appreciate the radical transparancy," says the Winter without a hint of irony. "... but I don't think there's ever been a single doubt about whether any of you fuck. For the record. It was almost literally the first thing Teagan said to me when we met." Okay wait. JK. It was snark. "Naw, Glitch. I've been waiting on you to play more - it's less fun to play by myself, and besides, I have an entire island to maintain in Animal Crossing that eats all my spare time."
"Hey, now, I just said that I fuck, and I was being a fucking shithead trying to make you laugh," Teagan answers with mock-sulking. "But since we were talking about hobbies, I guess that's one of mine." A little snort, then, and they finish their beer, rolling up to their feet to go get another one of the Mystery Beers from the icebox, dropping the empty into the Mystery Pillow Pit.
"You also implicated Sigrun and then Glitch implicated himself by blushing furiously." She responds lightning fast.
"Thank you, baby," Sigrun says with her eyes still closed. Now she can go on pretending everything's fine and the sword is on the wall for good this time. "And no, Glitch, I'm sorry. I had to finish up Laura's armor, and then started on the basement remodel. Plus I had work and patrol. So. I haven't. I am taking hair day off, though, so if you want to blaze it and play Valkyries with me, I can order pizza and coke and grab you a bag of swizzle sticks and we can do that thing." Sigrun's head then lifts to peer over at Sturm, "Wait, what?" Beat. "I'm high, not gonna lie. Implicated me in what? Fucking, or?"
"Fucking."
"Now?" Sigrun's brows lift in surprise. "I'm not."
"No apologies necessary, but I'll take you up on pizza and video games any day." Glitch watches the quick back and forth, tilting his head a bit. "And...swizzle sticks? Like the little plastic things? I don't eat plastic..."
Sturm opens her mouth to respond with something snarky, looks confused, and then closes her mouth.
Sigrun snaps her fingers and points at Glitch, "Pixie sticks!" She then proudly declares, "Told you I was high." Nailed it.
"No, you were implicated in previous fucking, like I made some dumb comment about my dick to try to make Sturm laugh, I don't really remember," Teagan sighs, adding, "It did not work, for the record. But I guess Glitch blushed." They puff out their cheeks. "Anyway. Video games." They're leaned against Sturm and sort of ... well, stoned.
"Oh." Sigrun blinks slowly, "Nah. Haven't fucked anyone all day. Been a slow week, even. Been pretty busy, though, like I was saying. Cuts in to horizontal mambo time."
That's it. As soon as she can the hyena seizes the weed and takes a pull, shamelessly stripping clothing away after and standing to step into the water and sink down to her neck with a pleased sigh.
"It did not. I have never laughed in my entire life," she deadpans. Like a fuckin' champ. "I don't remember if Glitch blushed." She does. He didn't. "... but it just seems likely." Sturm leans her head towards the direction Teagan is leaning from, snickering. "This was months ago, Sig. You're in the clear, don't worry about it."
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