Relocation. (Open, After exiting "Heave Ho, All Together")

Barefoot, still in her baggy bookworm shirt and bicycle shorts, the Dreamspeaker darted and bounded through the property with a mildly distressed look on her face. Hopping onto a deer trail she knew of, she quietly berated herself for not considering thoroughly enough the placement of the shrine to the Forest King in relation to a tasty crop of greens. Going over the ledger for the bookshop would have to wait until she'd found a suitable location to relocate. The shrine was small, but it would take time and due care to transfer the items from one location to another. If anything, it was a truly lovely excuse to get some time to herself and avoid the larger gatherings of the Awakened like the plague.

No more barns for her.

As she walked, she considered the life cycle of deer and stags, the creatures she knew the Forest King to embody most often. "Rutting in autumn, birthing in late spring," she muttered to herself. Emma's footsteps slowed to a stop, her face crunched up in something approaching a wince. "Oh, they're not going to want to move." Groaning, she lifted up her leather folder of work papers and let her forehead fall onto that. The Dreamspeaker exhaled heavily. "Just have to make a really, really good case and find an even better spot. Ugh..." She resumed walking again.

The woman paused in a small clearing, the sun falling warmly onto her skin. Almost immediately, tension melted out of her shoulders and a smile crossed her face. The radiance reminded her to worry less and be grateful and reverent. Emma knelt and puttered around in her cloth bag that Hannah had made for her, pulling out sticks of incense until she found the scent she wanted. Holding it under her nose long enough to identify the sweet smell of a rose, she produced a piece of flint, a piece of steel, and a round, flat rock that was as wide in diameter as the length of her hands outstretched. It was thin, more akin to a stone plate than anything else, and it was upon this smooth surface that she placed the incense stick. A little hole had been drilled through it for just such a purpose.

"Thank you for the dawn," she expressed quietly, striking the flint against the steel after each sentence. "Thank you for the new day. Thank you for your light and for your strength. In your eyes, good work is done." The tip of the incense caught fire, and Emma reverently placed the tools on the rock. She waited a moment before extinguishing the tiny flame so that the smoke could twine lazily up toward the sky. "Without your blessings, no life would grow. We hold you sacred in our hearts, and we give you thanks and praise." Turning her face up toward the sky, she watched the day slowly pass by and contemplated the glory of the sun, remaining in a seiza position until the incense burned away.

A man walked up, not realizing she was there. Upon seeing that someone was meditating, he stopped, not wanting to disturb them. And then he realized just how quiet it was being away from a city.

After a minute, he decided that it had been far too long since he had peace and quiet. He sat down quietly and laid his glowing umbrella across his knees. He then tried to relax, pushing all thoughts out of his mind.

When she stops meditating, he will smile and say "Hello, I'm sorry to surprise you like this but I'm lost."

As he gets up he will extend his hand, "My name is Doctor Ion."

Dr. Ion appears to be a healthy young man in his late twenties. He has brownish-hazel eyes, black hair, and tan skin. His face is kept clean shaven.

He is wearing blue jeans and a buttoned down shirt, a pair of goggles and a small black medallion both are around his neck, an umbrella that glows blue and a messenger tote bag brimming with odds and ends.

He had come upon her without hear noticing. That jarred her most of all, made her realize most clearly that she was without any of her cabal to protect her. The woman's eyes went to the lurid blue umbrella that glowed with its own light, and her limbs felt cold all over. Lurching to her feet, she fixed him with a profoundly wary look. Her heart was hammering in her throat, but that didn't stop her from making some sort of response.

"BREN!!!"


Emma stumbled back a few paces from the stranger. "You're on private property!" she gasped, hand falling to a tree trunk for support. She soon put it between the two of them. "The road is east. Go away."

He couldn't have been cooking breakfast that long. Standing over the pan, moving things around in an inept but enthusiastic way, the young man could have spent his entire day doing just that. But, then he heard that shout from out near the hemp patches and he was through the door. Well, after moving the pan from the stove. Safety first, even with a wood-burning stove. 

Taking to the grounds in his bare feet, he ran full bore in the direction of the shout. "Goddamned if I'm gonna fight another wild animal with my bare hands..." he grumbled to himself as he ran, a full span of sixty seconds passing before he'd come skidding into the clearing where Emma was hiding behind a tree-trunk.

One look at the Dr. Ion and Brent couldn't help himself. "Wizards are coming out of the woodwork... You here to cause trouble, friend?" he asked a bit breathlessly and reached down to make sure that Emma was just spooked and not hurt.

Barely a moment after Brent got on the scene, Hannah broke through the trees into the area that already held the three individuals. The Verbena knew her way around this forest and her footsteps were quiet despite her speed. She stopped just in front of the tree that Emma was hiding behind. A very wicked looking hunting knife was already out in her hand and the look in her eyes was protective and territorial. It took her a moment to register the situation but since Brent wasn't attacking, she too kept her hand at bay. The look she gave the newcomer was withering.

With her free hand she reached over to Emma and encouraged the Dreamspeaker into her arms. The knife remained clutched in her right hand, pointed straight at the intruder.

Josiah strode over the crest of a hillock from roughly the same direction Hannah came. A large pistol was in his hand, hanging at his side. He did not aim the gun at the stranger.

"We don't need any Fungineering out here, and our lightning guns and difference engines are in fine working order. Had a boiler break down last week, but she'll whistle 'Dixie' for you now, if you stoke her right. It's plain to see you're lost, sir. How about we all walk east?"

He pointed a finger eastward with his free arm.

One last individual arrives on the tail end of the rest, panting a little bit with the effort of trying to catch up. Dylan remains on the fringe of those gathered, as he shrugs back into the leather trench he'd cast off several minutes before. Quietly, he checks in on the various objects kept inside his coat, before finally leaning up against a tree, content to observe for the time being.

The man stepped back, the smile fading as raised his hands up to show he was not armed. At the mention of wizards and lightning guns, he was confused. At the sight of the knife, he paled, trying and failing to keep the fear out of his face. He looked where the man pointed briefly, maybe he could run.

"I... I'm sorry I startled you. I'm lost."

The appearance of the knife and the gun both blew firm out of the water the idea that things could stay under the radar. Holding his hands up so that hopefully his friends would ease their thoughts for the moment, he smiled and tipped his head to the side.

"Big span of ground out here, isn't it? Easy to get lost when you just go for a stroll. S'like you can never really find what you're looking for out here. I'm Brent, and these are the folks. Let's take that walk East on the nice-and-easy, and we'll talk. Where'd you find yourself lost from?"

The smile and friendly tone put the man even more on edge. In his experience monsters smiled as well as people. Looking around briefly, he could not determine what connected this assortment of people. Something was off.

But he took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. As he did so he carefully lowered his hands to his sides.

"My name is Jon or Doctor Ion, whichever you prefer. from Illinois. I was seeking the Covington residence. Harlan Covington."

Maybe this was just a misunderstanding. "And I am terribly sorry I startled you ma'am."

Josiah holstered the pistol. "Well, Jon, I must say you are Hell and gone from the Covington residence. Harlan Covington lives in the town of Defiance, Ohio. About twenty minutes southeast by car - after you get to the road, that is.  You're outside incorporated land, matter of fact. Government land starts about a mile south." He jerked a thumb southward.

He began to walk towards the east, and indicated that Jon should follow. "We don't get too many visitors out here, though I got a funny feeling that may be changing. What kind of business do you have with Harlan Covington? I'm guessing you're not seeking him in the darkness nor in the daylight, if you take my meaning."

Jon will follow, but shake his head. "I have no idea what you are referring to."


He will then look at his watch and press a button on it, bringing up a compass, checking to see if they were in fact going in the direction they said. He would then press another button, the watch would synch with his laptop in his messenger tote, reviewing current energy signatures in the area."


(ooc: he will use his awareness ability and cast the prime 1 rote: watch the weaving. Would anyone have any spells or effects up, be wearing any magical items with current effects, etc)

((Awareness gets nothing from Josiah. Ambient stuff for your awareness spend, plus any effect, should probably be sent to uncertain dash destiny dash storytellers at googlegroups dot com.))

Josiah gamely explained. "Shade, Jon. It's an old tradition to walk in the shade. Neither darkness nor daylight. I'm talking about the shade." As he walked, he gestured at the dappled shadows falling from the canopy.

((OOC: Awareness provides no hint of the truly supernatural from Emma. Agreed that any castings should be sent to uncertain-destiny-storytellers(at)googlegroups(dot)com and ascensionimperator(at)gmail(dot)com.))

The connection between most of the people came into evidence as Emma reached up and first took Brentley's hand in an iron grip when he arrived. The petite woman gave him a profoundly grateful look as she slowly rose to her feet. Then, she accepted Hannah's unspoken invitation and nearly huddled against the knife-wielding woman. The way the group clustered together suggested a long-standing familiarity with each other, a familial sense of safety and community that had been stumbled upon in these early hours of the morning. Emma's eyes slid to Dylan, and she admitted that she was a little surprised to have seen him appear on the scene at her scream, although not as surprised as she could have been. The Dreamspeaker gave him a tiny twitch of her lips in a smile of appreciation, then lowered her eyes and pressed her face against Hannah's shoulder.

((Awareness/Watch the Weaving gains no insight regarding Brentley.))

Allowing Josiah to handle the poetic speech, the young man tucked his hands into his pockets and started to walk flanking the pair. He seemed of good enough nature, glancing back at the trio who had joined them and cracking a smile.

"C'mon. We'll get back to work out here soon enough. That wire isn't going to staple itself up, is it?"

Dylan remains on the outskirts of those gathered. Though the situation no longer seemed dire, the detective kept himself out of striking range, making sure the visitor would need to deal with both melee and ranged defenders if it came to that. Emma's smile was met with a soft grunt of acknowledgement, and the man tucked his chin down, focusing on preening the feathers of his greegee.

(Awareness reveals nothing special about Hannah. She's just your typical backwoods, knife wielding maniac.)

Once Emma was firmly in her arms Hannah relaxed just a little bit. The fact that Brent and Josiah had little trouble herding the intruder towards the border of their lands helped as well. The knife was lowered but she followed along behind the three men. In this configuration he was surrounded on all sides from the small familial group. Hannah gave a glance to Dylan encouraging him to complete the circle.

"Did he try to hurt you?" Hannah murmured the words under her breath to Emma. The knife was still held very tightly in her hand and there was little question about her ability to do violence if it was necessary.

OOC: I am waiting in case the player of Emma wants to post something.

"No," she answered in a small voice, drawing in an unsteady breath as she stayed glued to Hannah's side. "I don't know how he got here. I was considering the Sun on my way to fix that thing, and he was just there. I didn't hear him walk up or anything. I'm sorry..." She kept a close watch on Brent while he and Josiah escorted the stranger off their lands.

He seems about to answer Josiah when a voice comes from his watch, which startles him. It sounds like the voice of a British women was slightly auto-tuned. "Doctor Ion, thorium-Q radiation detected in close proximity."

Ion seems to relax. He clears his throat. "I am a Natural philosopher. And I suspect that all of you are as well."

"If you are not accustomed to the phrase, some call themselves Awakened or the Inspired. I am a Scientist and yes, I follow all guidelines as established by the Ethics Committee."

He does not raise his voice but he no longer seems afraid.
"I was sent an invite by Mr. Convington to visit but I got lost on the way and startled your friend, for which I have apologized several times. Over the past few months I have been fired from my job, constantly threatened by entities I did not know existed, shot at, beaten, stabbed, tortured, dunked in lava for the amusement of fairies, my wife was kidnapped and my best friend was brutally murdered in front of me. So while I can understand why you might feel some comfort at holding me at knife point, I would very much appreciate it if you put it away."

Josiah went on walking, and simply nodded to Jon's self-identification. 

Then, after Jon had talked about his troubles, Josiah said calmly, "Jon. We take the land seriously out here. I think Hannah's just about to put away that thing. For next time you're out in the woods, remember that the best way is to holler before you walk on someone else's land. We've had our own hard times, and I won't burden you by telling them. Would that we could say that the threats of trespassers were only those of the Union, the Mad, and the Fallen. Alas, it isn't so."

He then looked at Hannah.

Hannah nodded at Emma and squeezed the girl closer. "It's okay. You don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong." She still guided her along behind the boys as they walked the young man off of their property. 

When the newcomer described all of the things that he'd gone through the steeliness in her eyes did not abate. In her experience those that too quickly shared their pain with strangers had an eye for gaining sympathy and when it meant the safety of her family, she wasn't willing to risk a thing. It was only Josiah's statement and his look that made her slide the knife back into its sheath. 

"I'm sorry for your troubles. We're not unsympathetic but those that mean us ill also have unkind pasts. The next time you want to visit announce yourself properly and there'll be camaraderie and a meal in it for you. Look for the metal man. I think you might find something in common with him." She'd follow them to the end of their property still holding tight to Emma.

The man keeps his thoughts to himself, obviously frustrated by the whole situation.

He begins to quicken his pace when he sees the road and his car, a black unmodified and rather beaten up Ford Fusion. The tires are slashed and the windows have been recently broken. He walks briskly towards the vehicle.

At the sight of the vandalized car so near their property, Emma paled slightly and gripped Hannah's arm more tightly. "Who would've done that?" she asked the Verbena in a hushed tone.