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Laura
Laura likes to cook. This is not at all an unknown thing to anyone who knows her, quite the opposite. Which is why the smell of blueberry pie drifts from the windows and doors of the kitchen as it bakes. She's in her element, humming as she continues to throw things together. Mostly for the sake of avoid food splashes and the like, she wears a long t-shirt with a cartoon hyena on the front and some shorts. She's barefoot though, because she always will be given the chance.
Bones
Bones came flowing through the pathways and roads, following different ley lines and energies in their studies. Today's study brought her close to the D.A. House. At which point, her enhanced senses picked up the scents and caused her feet to pivot towards the door.
She knocked on it, and then straightened out her white sundress, making sure everything was still buttoned and relatively clean.
Laura
An ear pricked and flickered towards the sound. A guest? Someone who could be talked into trying out her efforts before it was offered to her motley? Excellent!
She padded that way after checking nothing would immediately burn and pulled the door open before bestowing Bones with a wide smile. "Well, hello there!" She stepped back, beckoning. "Good timing."
Bones
"Oh! Laura!" she smiled and gave the Lost a big hug, "It was by chance and happenstance I got out this way, and then I smelled your cooking. Had to see what was on tap today!"
Laura
Wiry yet strong arms wrap around the Awakened and Bones gets quite the bear hug back. "Maybe I should use my cooking as bait, it does seem to draw people in." She winks before ushering Bones into the kitchen and setting her out a plate. "Do you like blueberries? Trying out a pie. I'm mostly carnivorous, but I hear blueberry pie is quite the treat." She pauses as something Bones sank in. "Ah, you were just out for a wonder and found yourself near us? I could point to subconscious desires, maybe."
Bones
"Probably," a grin, "I haven't seen a lot of the group since Christmas. Though I did see Teagan and a guy named Jack at Maddy's... then Teagan ran off quick. It was quite a thing to see someone else just disappear like that... normally it's me!" a grin and she flowed through the path to the kitchen, "I was following a different set of ley lines to get a feel for them. Learning the area, seeking what might be of use, resonances, all sorts of things."
Laura
"Teagan is rather good at that whole side of things." She smiled fondly. "And at reappearing if one of us needs them. And I think I can persaude you to stay for at least a little." She cut out a generous slice of pie, plating it and offering it to Bones along with a pot of cream if she so desired. "Ley lines?" A thoughtful rumble. "Wonder if that's something I could learn to follow. Hm, wait. Follow as if sensing them, or if actually moving through them?"
Bones
"Huh... there's a thought..." she looked off into the distance, halfway between taking a piece of pie on a fork for her mouth, "...Ley Line travel... hrm.. Oh sorry... " she took the bite, "Sensing them. Studying where they go, the connections they make."
Laura
Laura leans forward, watching Bones. For the moment almost all her attention seems focused on her reaction to the food and if Bones could see her mein, her tail is twitching a little nervously. "Hm." She adjusts to the conversation with a thoughtful nod. "We make arrangements, deals, with elements of the world. I have a few with mirrors and reflections, for example. I wonder if you could with ley lines.. Still, your magic runs on different lines from ours. I think.. maybe there's some overlap."
Back to the more important things. "How's the pie?"
Bones
As she chewed the pie, she melted into a puddle in the chair.
"This... goodness... perfect tartness balanced with sweet... and how is that crust crispy yet melt-in-your-mouth...mmmmmmmm"
Laura
Laura's expression lights up and she claps her hands together, beaming. "Excellent! I was worried I'd used too much sugar and haven't got the pastry right!" She continues to smile, even as she cuts out another slice for Bones. "Hadn't tried this recipe out before."
Bones
Bones' frame didn't show that she could put away food, but she could. She was always running and bouncing and skipping after all.. She finished up the first slice and went right into the second as Hyena dished it.
Laura
Laura settled into the opposite chair, watching keenly and with a smile. Best way to compliment a cook, at the end of the day. "You might have guessed, but I usually only give food to those I consider friends."
Bones
"...Awwww...." she blushed deeply, "THank you! You are all so kind here!"
She leaned her head over to Laura's shoulder and rested it while eating the pie, "I am so happy that I've met the whole crew."
Laura
"Hm." Laura gave Bones a thoughtful look, raising a hand to carefully pat at her hair. "We came from all over. I was adopted in a few years back. And what I learned then is how welcoming and compassionate they are, yes. Back then.. well, I benefitted from meeting them."
Bones
She tilted her head in the other direction this time, and grinned, "I think everyone benefits from meeting Sigrun and Teagan. Except those on the other side of their blades."
Laura
"Oh yes. If they're you're friends, you'll never find truer ones. If you harm others, prey on them? Hope you never come to their attention."
Bones
"That's how I feel exactly. WIth all of you. Vorpal, you, the whole group. ANyone on your bad sides would not have a long time left in this world."
Laura
A quiet nod. "You feel safe, accepted? I get that feeling. And, thank you for the vote of confidence." She smiles. "I'm nowhere near as capable as Vorpal and Sigrun, but I have a trick or two of my own if need be."
Bones
"Yeah. This house is as much as a home as any I've ever experienced. ANd I love my home. Y'all feel home."
Laura
"Mm." A thoughtful hum. "I am very grateful for the thought." She smiles. "Would you like to know me a little better, in the sense of asking questions? I think you know enough about us to know the sort we'd prefer to not be asked."
Bones
"I... I stumble into a lot of pitfalls," she seemed nervous, "I say things that are Durance related by pure mistake, as with Ylva... but um... besides cooking, what do you do with your time these days?"
Laura
She nods, rubbing Bones' shoulder. "Aside from getting out and about a little more? I dabble in the occult, look out for anything weird and interesting to take a look at. For the more fun, casual side of things? I spend time out with the others, but I tend to be more reserved and often follow their lead. I haven't spent as much time outside recently, but I'm working to change that."
Bones
"Like go out to go outto a bar? Or Out like... Camping in the woods? I like both, though I have two left feet when I go dancing..."
"I do a lot of puzzles, whether jigsaw, word, number puzzles... or I've done escape rooms! Those are fun..." a tilt of her head, "You're more than welcome to bring me along to any sort of occult, weird, fun and interesting. It's my specialty, beyond being magicy."
Finishing the slice of pie, she even scooped the crumbs onto the fork and bringing it to her own mouth, "I started to learn how to crochet... put computers together... But honestly? So much of who I am is my career and my role in the Mysterium. I don't really know what else to do. "
Laura
"Bars mostly. I've not done the camping out thing for maybe a while, but hey, maybe I should?" A smile. "I'm not too elegant either, so if you ever wanna try a dance..?" Hyena nods. "If I come across anything juicy in the occult field, I'll try looking you up. I'm not sure how I'd cope with escape rooms, you can obviously leave at any time, but..." A shake of her head. "And hey, maybe you just need to find the right thing you enjoy that's not connected to your work."
Bones
"I guess bars, or coffee shops, the diner... anywhere i can just talk to people is a hobby of mine. I'm not the most graceful, but I certainly like to try. Easier with Sleepers sometimes," a bob of her head.
"And escape rooms? They are more... like Sherlock Holmes, than prison cells, unless that's the thme. Maybe we can find one with a comfortable theme, like the Clue House or something..."
Sigrun
Sigrun comes out of her room, with its doors to different places. She's changed out of whatever she was likely wearing out and about, and is wearing instead one of her simple linen sheaf dresses and a robe made of wolf fur, to look at it. Black wolves, of some variety. The collar and cuffs are finished with white fur, possiby rabbit. It's belted closed, less for modesty and more for warmth.
"I smell muffiiiiiiins!" Which of course means Laura's down there somewhere. She slides down the bannister and dismounts at the bottom with a little hop, surprised to find Bones present. But not the least bit bothered by it, "Fucking cooooool. You two are friends?"
Laura
"Hm." Laura nods, pondering. "Maybe. And I do like a good challenge. Would need to think it over some, but, that could possibly work. And hey, I'm not the most extrovert but I do like hanging out in quiet spaces and finding people to chat to as well. The diner's a particarly good spot."
And then Sigrun's entering the room and she's looking up, still leaning slightly into Bones as her expression lights up. "Sigrun!" She looks her over, standing and bouncing a little on her feet before stepping over to hug the Fairest like they'd been apart for days. "I baked blueberry pie and it's still hot! You're just in time. Bones says it's good, so taste test complete." She smiles, nodding. "And we are! We were just doing some chatting, getting to know each other better."
Bones
"I met Laura the first night here... then saw her a few times since. Including the night after you tucked me into the guest room..." she blushed deeply at the memory.
"I've gotten to try Fajitas, and now Pie!"
She stood and moved over to offer Sigrun a hug after Hyena.
Sigrun
Laura doesn't just get a hug, she gets a nibble and a lick at the corner of her mouth. Which is only weird if you don't know she's a hyena, and that was actually quite sweet. The hug is tight and up on her tippy toes and done with a little hum of sound to make it clear she means it. "Love you," she assures Laura before the hug breaks.
Then she's stepping over to wrap her arms around Bones, too, rocking them from side to side in one of her full body ✨ experience ✨ hugs. "I love fajitas and pie and you, too. Let's eat fajitas and pie." Hug concluded, she spends a moment smiling down at Bones and rubbing their upper arms, then gives a happy little sigh and tromps over to hop up on a stool and let Laura bring her food this time.
Bones
SHe melted into the giant hug from the Fairest, returning it with a smooch to the cheek. Then she returned to her chair, and bracing their elbows on the counter, they put their chin in their hands and watched the ladies.
Laura
There's a soft, almost purr at the nibble and lick. Mmm.. affections. Always good. "Love you too." She tells Sigrun, dropping a kiss on the top of her head as she sits before heading to the counter to serve up more blueberry pie. "I don't have any fajitas going now, but I'll get some started. They're pretty quick." She nods keenly, utterly untroubled by having the dessert before the main course. They make up the rules as they desire in this house. "You should tell Sigrun what you told me." She smiles at Bones. "About how you feel about us and being here. Unless you already have." Pie lands in front of Sigrun, and there's a smooching of her cheek at the same time.
Sigrun
Sigrun glows figuratively for Bones and literally for Laura in the wake of the smooch to her cheek. She rocks a little side to side after it's received as though just letting it soak into her skin. Only then does she lift her fork and stab the pie with likewise zero hesitation. She's got her cheeks full of a bit in a moment, and is smiling around her chewing. She looks over to Bones with an expression of interest. Oh?
Bones
"If I did, it is good enough to be repeated, that's for sure!" a grin and blush, "Yeah. This house is as much as a home as any I've ever experienced. And I love my home, with mi Papi and all and yet, Y'all feel home."
She ran a hand through her hair and repeated her earlier statements still, "I also mentioned that anyone who meets you on this side of a blade is blessed to know both you and Teagan, where as those on the far side would have short time left on earth."
Laura
"Beautiful.." Laura mutters in Sigrun's ear, loud enough that Bones would hear even without enhanced senses. She winks at them both, heading to the cooker to start on the promised fajitas. "I had no argument with any of that, and full agreement." She comments. "I know exactly what Bones means, about finding home here."
Sigrun
Sigrun turns beat damn red there for a moment or seven, her ears pinking up, even. She tucks a little hair behind her ear and gives Laura's ass a swat before she can fully escape to enjoy her victory. Brat.
"I often argue those who meet me on the wrong end of my sword are pretty lucky, too. Imagine losting to an ameteur. Oof. At least you go out with a good story to tell when you get there." Sigrun's take on life is, perhaps, not entirely like everyone else's.
"But I'm glad you view it that way, here. That's what we strive for. A community. A home. You're welcome here, as far as I'm concerned." She gives a broad smile back to Bones before taking another bite of her pie.
Bones
She sighs happily, studying Sigrun's pink face with a grin. "Normally I'm the one who gets that pink around here."
Laura
"We could ensure that you do get that pink?" Laura comments wryly as she cooks, having swayed her hips following the ass swat (not terribly well, but she tried). "We have ways." She chuckles quietly as the smell of cooking chicken with onions and peppers fills the air. "Good point." She points a spatula at Sigrun. "They went out fighting a warrior. Points for bravery and knowing they lost to someone talented."
Bones
"Oh... umm... I think... yes. It's really easy to ... " Bones' eyes watched the hips swaying, her cheeks going bright pink.
Looking up at Sigrun, "Is everyone in this house a walking God or Goddess?"
Sigrun
"Laura knows what she did," Sigrun accuses without any malice, more amused than anything. The pointed spatula is winked at, as though daring her to do her worst with the weapon at hand.
"And see? If you don't plan to die some day, don't pick up a sword and point it at other people. It's really as simple as that. I'll happily chat things out with you or chop your goddamn head off about it. Your choice. They keep pickin' wrong, not my fault."
Valkyrie, see.
The question earns a thoughtful pause, "Sam is a trash panda and Glitch is just a raging battle twink. But, we're all super hot and swim in and out of each other's beds like guppy fish. People tend to feel some kind of way about that last bit, I found."
Laura
"I'm more.." Laura hums. "Well, the name Hyena is a hint. I can't show you my true self without some serious issues, but, I also carry elements of the storm with me. I wouldn't say I'm any sort of deity. Though sometimes others here do get me to chant 'Oh God'". That blush is watched as she says that, a little impishly. She laughs at Sigrun, turning back to her cooking. "Laura knows exactly what she did." She confirms. "And I know how I feel about swimming in and out of people's beds. I love everyone here and the freedom to express that." Her words soften at the end.
Bones
"I've heard of Glitch, but I haven't met them... and I've also heard of June... haven't met them... I think this is the first time someone's mentioned a Sam to me," She recites, going through her memories.
To Laura, "Well, I'm working on that. THe magic book gave me a hint and everything... but also, I have been to Sighall. I don't even cast magic or study things without asking first, just in case!"
Sigrun
"I told 'em to keep their magics in their pants while we were in there, and leave all the hoodinkery to me." Yes, Sigrun says 'hoodinkery' in her big round midwestern accent. It is precisely as comically adorable as it sounds in theory. "I wanted 'em to see me. So. If you want 'em to see you, too? I don't mind it none."
There's a small pause between this thought and the next, and the next is addressed to Bones. "Yaknow werewolves?" It has the tone of someone asking if someone's tried a sex position out yet.
Laura
"Glitch, June, Sam.. they're amazing. All of them. Sam wanders, but always comes home." She smiles, then peers at Sigrun. "Say that again? Pleeeeeease?" A pause as she strightens and serves up the completed fatijas. Three generous servings. "Now?" She asks Sigrun. "It'll be safe to show her?" There's also a hint of nervousness in her question, that's not about the potential risk of revealing her mein. Revealing herself is still a little anxiety inducing. "And, been a long time since I met a werewolf, I think.."
Bones
"I'm actually a bit of an expert there... at least with my library, I can be..." she said softly, touching the right side of her ribs, "Why? What about Wuffs?"
"And only if you want, Laura. I don't pressure. Just saying it's possible. I've been to the hedge and sat on my metaphorical hands. ANd maybe had them chained up too..."
Sigrun
Sigrun does absolutely not blush about the mention of Sighall's lesser known ameneties. She just gives Laura a waggle of the eyebrows and a saucy grin. Half offer, half confirmation.
She does look back to Bones to answer them, however. "Well, I recalled you had mentioned having some trouble with them. And I didn't want you getting spooked when you see that Laura looks a lot like a werehyena might. On account of magical hoooooodinkooory." The last word was clearly for Laura's benefit.
"And I know for a fact that if you spooked it would hurt her feelings. And that if you hurt her feelings you'd feel terrible. So I just wanted to make sure before anyone does anything, everyone's best prepared for it to go awesome."
She attempts to model, "Wouldn't it be cool to hug a nine foot tall hyena lady?"
Laura
"I need to hear more about that sort of thing later." She tells Sigrun wryly. "Or see. Or experience." She nods slowly at the words and considers Bones before taking a breath and closing her eyes for a moment. Here in the house she feels safe, and she's learned to not hate her spots, but even some, this is still something that makes her nervous.
"I want you to see. I get anxious about it, but, I do want you to. If you're happy for that?" A slow nod to Bones.
Bones
She nodded slightly to Sigrun, replying, "I've had history. It is true... my trouble with them is more directed towards..." she trailed off, remembering a conversation with Hyena and Ylva in this veyr room. Then the thought of Laura's confidence in her earlier echoed in her ears and instead she stood, "I think it would be absolutely wild to hug a nine feet tall Hyena lady," she bobbed her head to both, "Where can I find some cider, so that I, myself, may pour some for myself, to drink?"
To Laura, "I would love to see the true you."
Sigrun
"There's mead and cider in the fridge. June's meadery, too." Sigrun answers as she wipes her mouth off on her sleeve and leaves crumbs on the plate. She busses her own plate, brushing a hand over Laura's stomach as she passes her by. When she returns, she's wrapping her arms around Laura from behind, resting her cheek on the other woman's shoulder.
"If you promise to be brave, I promise to be proud of you."
Laura
She nods quietly to them both, leaning back against Sigrun in turn and closing her eyes again. "Love you." She tells her quietly, earnestly. "Thank you. And I will try to be brave, yes." A rub against Sigrun's arm. "I'd like some med too though, please?" She glances back to Bones. "And I would love to hug you, mm. In any form." A small little smile.
Bones
She easily found some of the meads and cider for the group, pouring it into mugs or other vessels as appropriate. A flicker of magic that they may ken, and the ciders were a perfect 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bones put one of the ciders infront of Sigrun, a mead infront of Laura, and took a drink of the hot mead for herself. Then she moved behind Laura and gave her the biggest hug she could. SHe was tiny compared to the Hyena, and not super strong, but she had the heart behind it.
Sigrun
Sigrun leans a little further over Laura's back to nuzzle her cheek against Laura's neck and cheek from behind. This should either help her relax or complete distract her, at least that seems to be Sigrun's working theory. Her arms slide up to take a handfull of Laura's chest in either hand and give dem tiddies a playful squeeze. "Tag."
And then the Fairest is scampering off on Glamour quick legs, sprinting up the bannister itself and then swinging around the knollpost to shoot into her room sideways and grinning. "YOU'RE IT!"
Laura
"Mm.." A happy sound as Laura leaned back into both hugs, half turning to return them and taking a slow sip of her heated mead. "Now this is.. oh!" That as Sigrun expresses affection with two playful squeezes. She blinks and takes a second to adapt, which gives the Fairest a head start. There's a slow grin, a wink at Bones and then Laura is padding up the stairs herself. She's not moving near as fast, but there's a certain relentleness to her stride that suggests she fully intends to catch up.
Bones
They braced to run as she saw Sigrun start to grab and run. She let the Hyena go without question, but again they may have kenned some magic... as Bones seemed to be in the kitchen one moment, and at the top of the stairs the next.
She didn't seem to want to involve herself in the hunt, but rather to witness. Though for fun, she did sniff and study the area.
Sigrun
Sigrun is not so careless as to leave her hollow door standing open unguarded. So she's crouched upon the Tiwaz Stone just inside the door, waiting for Laura to catch up so she can take over also being responsible amid the play. "Last one through shuts the door, Thane's rules!"
And then Sigrun springs off on all fours, like a red panda bounding from one stone to the next before tumbling into a roll and popping up at another inhuman sprint, heading up the winding cobbled path towards the twilit and torchlighted Hlevangr village.
Laura
Hyena let out a yowling challenge in a still mostly human tone (at least for Bones' sake). This until she hurtles through the door after Sigrun, though she pauses to make sure Bones is through before closing it. At which point her form shifts and changes and she's no longer human or even humanoid. Instead a raven sits there, ruffling its feathers before letting out a caw and taking off to chase after the fleet of foot Valkyrie.
Bones
By the Time Hyena thought about it, Bones was already ahead of them in the village. Though she did stop to take in the Hyena in her true glory, before... a Raven? SHe gulped at that.
Bones of Magic fought her instincts to fly as well, remembering where she was, and the promises she made... and instead walked ever so quickly after Sigrun and the raven. Hopefully previously active spells didn't count.
Sigrun
Sigrun is, inexplicably, hanging off the side of the forge chimney, which is one of the higher points in the village. It gives her a good vantage point on the other two and how they're progressing, while also giving her a fairly straight show up the road towards the falls and the spring, where most of the open green space is on the shores of the pond.
She waits to make sure the other two are coming before heading off again, attempting to telegraph her desitination for all that she's making it a game. She's not really trying to win it, after all.
Laura
Laura was torn at this point, between chasing Sigrun and teasing Bones. In the end she decided to try for the best of both worlds. To that end she circled above Bones' head and let out a challenging cry before beelining straight for Sigrun. It was unlikely she could match her speed, but she was damned well going to try. This would end with her true self being visible to Bones, and not just the brief glance from before. Games helped build her confidence towards that moment.
Bones
Bones took off after the pair of lost, using her supernatural sense of Time and Space to ... holy shit, there's people in the way, and why is that road rising... and that ... oh no...
She came skidding to a stop and dug his heels, as all of his magic just went away. Tommy was still in the same dress and the like of course, but at least he pushed against whatever that was.
Sigrun
Sigrun, unaware that her lack of understanding of how wizard magic work has caused a problem, squeals when she sees the Hyena charging for her and springs off the rooftop, off the opposite wall, down onto a passing cart one of the Kraklin is pulling, and then off down the street that leads back out of town and towards the spring. It's generally pointless for her to try to hide anywhere, but especially in here. The light coming in through the ceiling literally follows her like a spotlight.
Once she jogs to a halt in the mossey bed alongside the pond, Laura will have caught up to her, and so the squealing renews as she prepares to be wrestled about by Hyena hands. "Eep! Be gentle, I'm preggers!"
Laura
Also unaware that Bones has run into something of a prickle, Laura is focused on Sigrun as she finally catches up to her changes back to her native form to wrap arms around her, mock growling. This stops at her declaration and she goes still, blinking at her with wide eyes. "Wait, what? Really?"A slow tilt of her head as she's caught off guard by Sigrun's words.
Bones
"Sigrun! Hyena!" Bones' voice, now in his masculine form, had a definite edge of fear.
This didn't happen the last time that they came to the Hall, but that time they held Sigrun's hand. And in Ylva's hollow, it was the same, more or less....
"Something just attacked me...."
Sigrun
Sigrun is a bit too far off to hear that, but the village isn't. There's not too awful much population there, but eight Kraklin come rattling and scuttling out of the forge and armory, wearing their strange crab-shell armor, wielding spears and shields. They start marching up the street in two rows of four, shoulder to shoulder. The Rivermen, a little slower on the uptake, are shortly pulling on their bows and coming to the shore of the river to man their little redoubts built into the shoreline. The overall ambient light in the hollow raises several candle levels, and things get awful quiet.
The Kraklin part around Bones and then snap their phalanx back together once around them, coming to a clicky-footed stop on far too many feet.
Sigrun finally does call from the pond in a shout, "Hey, what the heckin' heck?"
Laura
"Er.. fuck?" Hyena utters as she becomes aware, a second after Sigrun that things aren't great. She glances at the Valkyrie and then turns to lope towards the sound of the commotion, trying to get a handle of what's going on. Sigrun still gets glanced at a lot though, she's much more aware of the environment here.
Bones
Bones looked around at all the activity, and hoped that the Lady of the Hall's welcome was enough to protect him.
He slowly, and with palms out like "no weapons in hand" here, in case of danger.
"SIgrun?! Hyena?!" he says a little louder, "Can I get a hand finding where you went? Something happened. I was attacked by something?!"
Sigrun
"The alarms ain't goin' off!," Sigrun complains, as though this is all the justification she needs for not just running off when things started getting a bit silly. But she does come jogging back quickly while the Kraklin sniff about and kick rocks over in search of what might have attacked Bones. What they lack in brilliance, the Kraklin make up for in cleverness. If there was something hiding here, they'd be stabbing it by now.
"Attacked how?" She finally asks when she closes the distance, a little out of breath from all the running around and shrieking girlishly. She waggles a hand in front of Bone's face. That probably isn't helping. "You okay?"
Laura
Hey, bright side? Hyena's forgotten all about her nervousness of Bones seeing her spots. So when she comes jogging down with Sigrun she's there in all her glory, and without any worries of Tommy spotting her. Instead she moves to his side, wrapping a wiry, protective arm around him and glancing about to also try and figure out what's going on.
Bones
"I... have you... do you all feel it, if something attacks either... you...or ... your Deals that give you Power? Like... When you pit your expertise, and the depth of your ability against someone or something else's will?"
Bones grasped an arm around each of the women, a little shaken. If he could confidentially cast, that would be one thing, but right now? He was no better than a sleepwalker, and it caused him to shake a bit, "Something ... Something strong just came and hit me in... in my spells? Like it targeted my mind, and my soul, where the spells are linked...
"Suddenly the crowd of your villagers were in front of me. The road stones were higher than I thought... this cart went in my way, and even the buildings seemed to move around me.... but now they all look... normal?"
Sigrun
"Ohhhhh! Yeah, that's just the--" Sigrun gestures at her head vaguely. Is it really like that all the time for them? "The Hedge is psychoactive. It hunts you down and tries to make you lost so it can strip your soul out of your body and feed it to the thorns. This place is hunting you, and my hollow is an unnatural bastion of sanity in a mad, mad place. So. Yeah. If you feel like you're being watched here, it's because you are. And if you feel like you are being chased down the trods, it's because you are." She waggles a finger up at the air.
"That? That thing you're feeling? That's being us. That's our life. So much so we don't really even register it, here? In the hollow, the chase is a game to us. Out there, it's game on. So. Yeah. Sorry. This is a case of us having a trauma normal that you look at and scream 'you live like this?'." There's a little twitch at the corner of her mouth. "I'm sorry, Bones."
Laura
"It's not just a place, it's.." Hyena works to put things into words, though Sigrun covered most of it. "It lives, it acts. Maybe not like a sentient creature, but, an innmue system carrying out its function. Which is fucking nasty to anything or anyone it's targeting." She glances at her motley mate, reaching out to quietly squeeze Sigrun's shoulder.
Bones
"Well... now that we're all here ... I'd be happy to keep going wherever you were leading us... and I'm sorry for making the village stand on end? Out there? If something does that, it's another mage, spirit, ghost, or otherwise supernatural, you know? I thought there was someone..."
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