The Trickster Tricked - RPLOG
Participants
Date
30/4/2016
Log
Glenstock is quiet and cool in the late afternoon. It seems that the distress beacon is coming from the town hall itself. The streets are mostly deserted, but every now and then a Fox can be seen going about its business. The helicopter that brings visitors from outside is already lifting off and leaving its cargo behind.
Kazel certainly does feel like cargo, unable to fit inside the helicopter she had to travel under it. The large dragon is helped out of the straps and sets her four feet onto the street. Its the first time she is here as she generally does not tend to leave Fairhaven and its surroundings. She cranes her long neck to get a good overview of the situation and waits for someone else to take charge.
A man in a black exosuit stared out the window of the helicopter. His visor was dull and green and not showing any of the anxiety he's feeling at the moment. There is a time and a place for walking around like one's pockets are full of spaghetti, and that is not whenever the case file for a mission comes with more bold red ink than black. Like don't touch anything. Don't let anything touch you. If you see an Oregonian, run. If you see a god, don't piss it off. If you have to fight, frontload the damage as much as you can. Forkbomb found these to be common sense. Which is exactly why he's so worried. Because if they're reminding him of these, then it stands to reason that it's a lot more difficult here than it is usually.
Edel steps out of the helicopter, smoothing down her luxurious robe. "It has been ages since I've been out here!" The tanuki chimes, taking a moment after the flight to restring her large bow and wave towards the Fox. "Hello there! Nice to meet you... Again? Perhaps."
"Fork, you realize, this is probably the safest square mile in all of Oregon, right?" Redd snickers, sitting on a box in the landing zone. "You can relax. Unless you do something really stupid, you're pretty safe here." The coyote isn't unprepared, mind, but he hardly seems worried.
Wess hops out of the helicopter, squirming and adjusting his armor, the man a bit more heavily armored than usual, holding his rifle at his side. Looking around at the various strangers, he lifts a hand, lowering it again to tap at the nametag on his chest for anybody interested. He idly checks his equipment, waiting to be told what to do.
Jojo taps his foot against the floor of the helicopter with unspoken apprehension, his eyes looking about for motions as they came down to depart. A foreign place for the mouse, Jojo steps off the helicopter, keeping close to Wess as he moves over to join up with the others forming their group. He does not speak just yet, instead letting his gaze wander about to the others.
A pair of passing foxes wave at the group. "Welcome!" they say in eerie unison. One comes trotting up to the group. "Glad you made it so quickly," he says, "I am in the town hall waiting for you. Straight down the street." Then the fox trots off again on his errand.
Kazel nods slowly at the fox and tilts her head a little as he walks away. She has never met a packmind before and it is kind eerie. Like creepy twins from pre P-day horror movies times a dozen. She shakes off the feeling and, with a look to the others in her group, sets her course down the street, towards the mentioned building.
Forkbomb's voice crackles mechanically as if he were sighing into a microphone. "If everything were safe and dandy, we wouldn't be here." He got off the helicopter with a leap and a grunt. He regards the passing foxes with a brief moment of silence and a quick check of the locations of his weapons before heading off in the direction indicated. The simultaneous speaking made his brain itch. "Someone has to play Angus, Redd. I can do it, but I warn you, I'm kinda crap at being all gruff and grumpy all the time."
"Gruff and grumpy?" Edel asks, raising her brow. "Angus? Huh." She shrugs and nudges up her glasses. "Not at all how he is at home!" TUrning, she follows towards the town hall where they were directed. "But! Let's see what we're needed for."
"Most things can be resolved peacefully. If not, I've got a couple dozen pipebombs in my bag. Explosives work well on most anything." The coyote grins, strolling towards the courthouse himself, hands in his pockets.
Wess raises an eyebrow at the foxes, turning back to face Jojo with a grin. "Come and play with us," he said, putting on a breathy and high pitched voice. He looks away to see the dragon leading them off, clearing his throat and swinging a hand through the air to beckon Jojo to follow him. He glanced around at the others as he listened to their conversation, turning back to Jojo again to raise his eyebrows twice. "Let's try peaceful first, save you the time of making more pipebombs," he suggests, giving a nod to Redd.
Jojo arches an eyebrow to the two strange vulpines that bounded up toward them, reaching around to ensure that his gear was exactly where he had left it upon his person. "We're gonna be alright, right?" he says to Wess, moving off with the others in the direction of the town hall, though his posture visibly relaxing at his words.
Up ahead at the town hall, two figures wait. One is one of the identical foxes of the packmind, and beside him stands a tall, dark skinned man with long, dark hair in a long braid. "Welcome! Welcome!" calls the fox, "I thought we had better meet out here with how big your friend here is." The fox points to the indian man beside him. "May I introduce Fox?" he offers, "He is the one who called you all out here."
Kazel flashes her teeth in a smile. "Thank you for that, it is much appreciated." She inclines her head to the man. "Greetings, Mister Fox." She pauses for a moment, lifting her right front leg a fraction of an inch, before remembering that she would better not touch anything and that that includes handshakes. "What exactly is the issue you are facing?"
Forkbomb rubs the back of his neck. "Don't piss off a god, don't touch anything that looks dangerous, and we'll be fine, Speedy." Aaaand more foxes. There goes the brain itch. Come play with us, Danny. Forever and ever and ever. "Fox? The god Fox?" He pauses. Shit, in a pickle here. "... If your brother asks, me and him totally put a bucket of water above your door or something." Now that the formalities are out of the way, he gives a polite bow. He doesn't look like he's very used to the motion. "How can we help?"
Edel waves towards the man, smiling. She remains quiet, though, folding her hands in front of her. Her tail flicks and sways back and forth, though, betraying her otherwise stoic pose.
"Considering your followers tend to appear as feral foxes, I'd have expected the same of you, I suppose it'd get confusing with all the other foxes here though." Redd grins, extending a hand to the man. "My name's Redd, one of, if not the first, to dedicate themselves to Coyote. Haven't been out to Glenstock often, admittedly."
Wess stopped near Kazel as Fox was introduced, lifting a hand in greeting before lowering it to tap his name tag yet again. His attention was back on Jojo for a moment as he whispered aside to him. "Yeah- we're going to be alright, alright? We have guns and that guy has bombs, you'll be alright." He gives the mouse a pat on the back and a kiss on the cheek, adjusting his grip on his rifle before he straightens up his back, staring at Fox expectantly.
Jojo steps up with the others, keeping toward the back of the group as he took on a more passive role in watching as hands were shook and words were exchanged. He tucks his hands behind his back, his tail idly swishing back and forth as he watched the two interact, though his heasitant gaze came down on the foxes multiple times.
"It is about my brother that I have called you," Fox says in a deep, sonorous voice, "I am pleased that you came so quickly." The tall, native man waves to the smaller fox creature beside him who nods and trots away, his duty done. "My brother, who you call coyote, has angered the Bird Woman," he explains, waving a hand toward the heavens in a vague way, "She sent Raven to take him away and imprison him. I cannot go and seek his release from Raven's house, but I will reward you for your aid." He turns away from the group and waves a hand through the air, creating a strange ripple in the air, like heat waves. He regards the group with a critical eye. "I warn you," he says, "Raven is powerful, and you will not be able to use this world's new magic in his house. Coyote will be trapped in stone somewhere in the house."
Kazel runs one of her front legs across her snout, thinking. Its probably best to let the more experienced people handle the talking and leading and just do as told here and wait for things to happen. The dragon nods and remains silent.
Forkbomb inhales deep. Oh. /Oh balls/. "Okay, so. Um. Please excuse me for a moment, sir." He quietly slides out for a moment out of earshot. He may be muffling himself. He may also be screaming obscenities. It's kinda hard to make out. After doing... Whatever it is he was doing, he comes back looking fit and confident. "Right! How'd this happen, where do we find the place Raven's holing him up, and do you know any easy ways in?"
Edel rubs her chin, humming. "Well, I do not fear winged things. And I do not rely on the 'new magic.' Tell us where they might be, and we'll see what we can do. Perhaps we can work out a trade with them for his release."
"Hardly the first time Coyote's gotten in trouble and needed someone to bail him out." The coyote rubs at his muzzle. "When you say new magic, you mean what, stuff like breathing fire, hi-tech toys, etc? I assume claws, teeth and fists still work as well as ever?" Redd watches Fox with interest, considering how often one ends up rescuing his own god. Can't be that common, can it?
Wess nods along with Fox's explanation, giving a thumbs up when he's finished. "Do you have any tips on negotiating with 'em?" he asks, raising a hand up as he asks his question. "Or.. 'negotiating', whatever happens." He scratches his head, sighing deeply as he thinks over the mission he's undertaking.
Jojo tilts his head to the side at the mention of the imprisoned coyote, and mentions of a raven. Without much input to give himself, he resigns himself to listening to the others with rapt attention.
Fox nods his thanks to the group and points to the strange ripple in the air that has grown and spread to the size of a large, double door. "This portal will take you to Raven's house," he says, "It is in a place outside of your nanite bubble and their magic will not work. I leave it to you to decide how to rescue Coyote. Only be careful. Raven is clever and may deceive you." He jams his hands in the pockets of his worn jeans and watches the group. "If Coyote is not there, he will be in the Bird Woman's House nearby. This door will stay open until you return," he says, "Good luck."
Kazel eyes the portal cautiously before taking a step towards it. At least being outside of a bubble would mean that touching things is probably okay there. She takes a deep breath and steps through.
Forkbomb immediately collapses the stock of his laser rifle and slides it to the back. Great, that's not gonna be useful. "Anyone got regulation? I'd rather my laser rifle be good for something other than shining in something's eyes." He waits until someone speaks up, pulling out his sawed-off shotgun instead. "Any takers?"
"Nope. I've never needed it," Edel says, patting the sword at her hip before stepping through the portal. Coyote wasn't going to rescue himself! Well... He probably would, but it wouldn't be very time effective.
"I saw keep the weapons drawn until we see if we can't find a peaceful means to rescue, I mean, hell, we'd be fighting a god, after all." Redd sighs, following after Edel. "I'm good at turning nanites off, I'm not terribly bothered by them staying off." He hikes his bag up onto his shoulder. "Failing all else, we do our best to sneak in, grab Coyote, then run like hell."
Wess watches the others discussing weaponry, racking the slide on his plain old assault rifle and stepping in after Kazel. He patiently awaits the others on the other side, idly tapping his fingers along the side of the gun.
Not wanting to be left behind, Jojo scrambles in beside Wess, a moment of heasitance before stepping into the odd portal behind him. "I hope everything goes okay..." he whispers to himself.
The landscape on the other side of the portal could not provide a starker contrast to the cool green of Oregon. It is night and a huge, waning moon peers down on a dry, dusty landscape. Long, thick, grass waves in a gentle breeze. The group finds themself on top of a little hill amid short, scrubby trees. Below is a. . . trailer? What kind of god lives in a house trailer?
Kazel ducks down after stepping through the portal, she might be huge, but she can still try to not be too obvious about her presence. Then again, there is a huge portal floating in the air, so the stealth approach is probably out of the picture anyway. While she waits for the others to arrive, she pushes a button on a device on her left wrist and a group of four drones fly out of her saddlebags and take positions around her.
Forkbomb steps through and looks around. Okay, okay. Gotta be ready for /anything/. There might be fifty bird monsters on the other side of this portal. A wall of fireballs! A three-headed dragon that breathes fire, acid, /and/ lightning... Or just a rinky-dink fucking trailer. Forkbomb felt overprepared, somewhat. I mean, were things really that bad that a god has to live in a trailer? Seriously? "... Be, uh. Be careful, everyone! This could be one of those trailers that are bigger on the inside! Or this whole place could be an illusion!" Or maybe Coyote tried to steal from a damn trailer because of some sort of rivalry. "... Okay, um. Anyone know anything about Raven?"
Edel folds her arms, looking at the trailer. "Huh. I see," she says, before patting her hands off and trotting off towards the trailer door. "I'll just knock and say hello! I'm sure they're perfectly reasonable."
"No harm in trying, I guess. Isn't Bird Woman's house supposed to be somewhere around here? And a bit, I think Raven's one of the other native trickster spirits, or the like. It's been a long while since I read some of that stuff." Redd follows after Edel, scanning the horizon for any other buildings, or hell, even a road and telephone poles.
Wess looks at the trailer, staring a moment to process it before giving an affirmative nod. "Trailer," he says, looking to Jojo to see his reaction before his attention is back on the others. He glances to Kazel and nods. "Sure fuckin' hope it's bigger on the inside," he grumbles, rolling his shoulders. He nods in agreement with Edel, jogging ahead to keep up with her. "If there's one thing to describe how things are nowadays, it's 'perfectly reasonable,'" he agrees. "Sent by tricksters, to a trickster, to save a trickster. I have a feeling we're getting tricked at all angles, here."
Jojo had only just stepped into the portal, expecting things to be so much worse off inside. When a simple trailer was all he found, a look of confusion washed over his features. "This?" he says. "Is... that what we're looking for?" He rests his hands on his hips, though much relieved at the sight but still a bit nervous none the less. As Edel takes off toward the door, Jojo quickly says, "W-Wait. Shouldn't we..." but simply sighs and takes off with her. As they reached the door, Jojo extends an arm to lightly tap her. "Don't you think we should just consider what's on the other side first?"
The trailer does not look too imposing, or even all that interesting. It is one of the old "Silver bullet" models from what? The seventies? There is a little wooden deck built around it, showing that it has not moved in a very long time. Several potted plants, some ornamental and some fruit bearing are lined up neatly across from the door and an assortment of windchimes and dream catchers hang from the railings.
Three of Kazel's little drones wobble out of her backs, the medibot not even activating. However, as the group moves away from the portal, the drones do not follow! Any examination of a com link will explain why. They all bear a message informing the unlucky users that there is no satellite or network reception here!
The windows of the little trailer spill warm, inviting light into the cool night air.
Kazel groans and makes the drones drop back into her open bags by pressing the button again, turning them off. Seee
Kazel groans and makes the drones drop back into her open bags by pressing the button again, turning them off. Seems like it will be biting and clawing if it does come to a fight, for now, she simply follows Edel.
Forkbomb opens his mouth to speak. And then shuts it. If he could actually touch his temples, he would be rubbing them to reduce the headache he's feeling right now. "... Okay, okay. We're already in the trick. There's no way we can spot it to counter it in time. We might as well get this over with. Maybe Raven'll take some waffles in exchange for Coyote, if she even has him." Forkbomb surreptitiously puts his shotgun away, shoves his gloved hands into his windbreaker pockets, and tries to go around the side to peek in through the window before maybe joining the others at the front friggin' door. Maybe she'll be distracted by them and he can get a good look without Raven knowing.
"Of course we should," Edel says, nodding at Jojo. "I already considered it and decided this was the best course of action." The Tanuki steps up towards the trailer door and reaches out to knock upon it. "Besides. You have two tricksters here as is. We're qualified."
"... To be fair, we're already doing better than I expected. I mean, we're at the front door, and it's been what, 5, 10 minutes?" Redd shrugs, standing right behind Edel. "It could be a lot worse."
Wess puts himself betweem Jojo and the door as he gets closer, fidgeting anxiously. "It's fine, Jojo. I am sure if he killed everyone at their front door, Fox would have at least given us a hint." He takes his hands off his rifle, letting it hang from it's sling in front of him. "We're just gonna talk." He nods along with the others plans and comments, giving a thumbs up to Edel as she knocks.
Jojo takes a step back,
Jojo takes a step back, moving toward the rear of the group as they came to the decicion to knock. Though apprehensive of the choice, he did not attempt to stop them either. If they say all was to be well, then he could only trust that it would be. "Alright," he says, folding his arms over his chest.
Peering into the window reveals a strange sight. Inside the trailer there seems to be a dirt floor surrounding a wide fire pit. Smoke makes the air hazy and three human shaped figures go about their business in the gloom.
It is quiet for a moment after Edel knocks on the door. Then a deep voice comes from within. "Just a minute," it says. There is a short wait, then the door swings open to reveal a tall, native American man in a denim jacket and dark jeans. "Yeah?" he asks, "What do you want?"
Forkbomb takes a closer look through the window, cupping his hands over his face to block out sunlight. After he's sure that he's seen all he can see, he moseys to join the others as inconspicuously as possible. "Um. I'll let the talky people do the talking, but just so we're clear, I brought waffles. So that's on the table."
Edel bows politely to the one that answered the door and smiles. "Hello there! I am Edel Lin, and we are looking for Coyote. Have you seen him, by chance? We heard he was in the care of Raven. If you happen to know where we might find them, I would greatly appreciate it."
"And please don't just point to me and say 'There he is.' That got old the first couple times." Redd quickly adds to Edel's comment. "But yeah, would you be so kind as to point us in the right direction?"
Wess watches the others speak to the man in the door, giving him a wave and a nod before slinking behind Edel, waiting for her to deal with the diplomacy. "..Yeah," he adds, feeling the need to make some sort of contribution.
Jojo stays in his position. For some reason when the man steps out, Jojo again appears a bit confused. Perhaps expecting someone else? Still, with Edel talking and everyone else fine, he resigns himself to his idle listening.
Kazel simply remains silent and looks around the area, this is all weird to her. And uncomfortable. Native Gods and magic portals. At least the usual craziness she faces everyday is science based. This is new not her.
"I am Raven," the man grunts, "Coyote is not here." He frowns hard at Redd. "Neither he, nor his people are welcome in my home," he growls, "Now, go away."
Forkbomb cranes his neck to look up. This isn't going to get us anywhere. He started to think of plan B's, but then remembered that gods had a habit of reading minds. So, instead, he started to think "Never Gonna Give You Up" really, really loudly.
"Wait! Before we leave, can you at least tell us where he is?" Edel asks, frowning. "If you can tell us that, we will go fetch him and be on our way and out of your hair. Fox said you had him, but if you do not, do you know where he is?"
"I mean no trouble, but if you don't have him, would you tell us where we can find Bird Woman? We were told you or she would know where Coyote was." Redd's ear's flatten, somewhat embarrassed. "We wish nothing more than to help Fox find his brother, since he's unable to go, we're here in his stead."
Wess anxiously tap his foot off the ground, rolling his shoulder and tilting his head from side to side to crack his neck. "I'm not Coyote's people," he says, shrugging at Redd. "Maybe we can hang out."
Jojo's eyes remain trained on the man whom identifies as Raven. Definitely expected something different. Was he reffering to only Redd, or the entire group as well? Either way, it was interesting to watch none the less
Kazel shuffles about, unsure what to do or say, so she lets the others try to convince Raven to help and takes a few steps to look around the area, behind the trailer and and if she maybe can spot the Bird woman's house somewhere.
Raven looks a little surprised at the mention of Fox. "Fox sent you?" he asks, suddenly seeming interested, "And he told you that Coyote was captured by Bird Woman? Hmm." He seems to consider something, arguing internally for a moment, then he nods. The tall man steps down onto the deck and closes the door behind him. "Come with me," he says, then stalks around the corner of the house.
As the group follows, walking on the deck, something strange happens. The tiny deck seems to stretch out behind them as if they had crossed a long distance. The dreary prairie they arrived in is gone and the group now stands in a lush, forested area before a high, wrought iron gate.
"This is the way to Bird Woman's house," Raven says, "She will not release Coyote. You will have to steal him away or take him by force. He has been turned into a fine stone bowl in her house." Then the striking man sits off to one side of the gate and simply watches.
Edel taps her chin. "I see. I already have a plan," the tanuki says, nodding decisively as she follows along. "Does Bird Woman not like trade, then? I was hoping to barter with her, or otherwise have conversation. Perhaps a game. Ah, we shall see when we get there."
"I assume I ought not go forth looking like this." Redd places his hands in his pockets, looking for something. "Give me a moment."
Wess walks casually behind Raven, glancing back as the deck disappears behind them and he suddenly finds himself in the forest. "Huh," he says, peering up at the trees, then the gate. "So, uh.. we gonna go in and take her bowl? Maybe she'll be nice and offer us food, and.. whatever, yeah." Watching Redd transform, he gives the dragon a nod, then steps forward to open the gate.
Jojo steps up onto the porch after the others, watching as the scenery distorted and found themselves in a new place. Like the man, Jojo too watches, looking toward the others for a plan or idea.
Kazel flaps her wings behind her once and squints at the magic deck, or rather where it was a moment ago. She shakes the weird feeling off and gives the gate a push with one of her front legs.
The gate swings open easily under Wess's hand, revealing a dirt road. Walking along the trail is easy and soon the party can see a beautiful house ahead. While Raven's home was a tiny trailer, this home looks to be an ultra modern home, all terraces and glass and even one of those fancy infinity pools! There is even a car port with a very stylish, white car! There is none of the brik-a-brack that covered Raven's front porch, aside from a single, large dreamcatcher that hangs above the door.
Strangely, though Redd does manage to affect his transformation, he has not grown any larger! Looks like there aren't any nanites to add to the former coyote's size!
Forkbomb furrows his brow invisibly. "Alright. You do that. I'll sweep around the side. If you think we can get in without a fight, whistle and stop me from B'ing an E. If you think we can't, well. You'll be a pretty badass distraction. Sound good?"
Edel settles her hands on her hips, looking over the house. "This is a pretty nice place. Not quite what I was expecting, for sure, but nice. I'm not sure if I want to jump straight to breaking and entering, but... Ah well. I don't know. What do you guys think?"
"We'd probably be best served by knocking on the front door and walking in. At least, if Bird Woman is hospitable, maybe we'll get a tour. If we can't get in politely, well, we've got pipe bombs by the dozens." Redd turns towards Fork. "So yeah, don't try breaking in first, that'll be if this fails."
Wess nods his head, looking over the various luxuries at the bird woman's house. "Nice," he mumbles, walking right up to the front door, looking up at the dreamcatcher as he knocks three times. "Direct approach."
Jojo follows close behind Wess, his eyes full of curiosity as he looks about. His silence goes on, hands tucked neatly into his pockets as he trailed behind.
The cat is out of the bag! Wess's knock echoes in the house's beautiful yard, giving anyone who does not wish to be seen only moments to hide!
After a short wait, a rather harried, but beautiful woman answers the door. She has long, straight, black hair and glittering, black eyes, certainly holding to the native American motif of this adventure. She seems to have hastily donned the fluffy, white bathrobe she is wearing. "Well?" she asks after staring for a moment, "What do you want?"
Forkbomb is not around when the party knocks on the door. He's pressed up on the side of the building, listening in. Preferably still even behind a hedge or something.
Edel remains where she is when the door is answered, treating the woman to a bow. "Good day, I heard you had a dog in your posession and I would like to see if you would be willing to give him up. Not for free, mind you, but if there was something we could perhaps offer in return, or do for you in return?" Straight forward.
Redd nods, taking off his hat and holding it in front of him, watching the woman closely. "Would you be willing to consider a trade of some sort?"
Wess
Wess smiles sheepishly to the woman, stepping aside to let her talk to Edel and the others instead. He rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah," he mumbles, shaking his head to Edel and Redd as he grits his teeth.
Jojo too takes a step back, out of the doorway and off to the side, hoping to divert any attention to himself to the others. Perhaps they would know what words would suffice best in this situation.
The woman stares at Edel and Redd for a moment, a frown growing on her otherwise lovely face. "There is no dog here," she says firmly, "good day." She shuts the door and there is the decisive click of a deadbolt being thrown. Well, that could have gone better.
Forkbomb ducks down and silently sighs. Plan B. He sticks his hand out as a fist, then opens it very quickly. He then rotates his index finger and then points back towards the side he was on. Blow something up, run away, then a quiet team regroups where they won't hear her. Perfect gesture use, right?
Edel stares at the door for a long, hard minute and furrows her brow. "Hold up, hold up. What if there isn't even a coyote? What if this is all just some elaborate joke? A prank played by Fox to try to trick Bird Woman out of her bowl?"
"Raven would be in on the joke too then, and his reaction makes me think this isn't a prank." Redd leans against the wall. "Well, we could try again." He straightens himself up, stands up to the door and knocks again. "May we please at least discuss this civilly?"
Wess raises his eyebrows, staring at Edel. "You're only just now considering that one of the tricky dickies tricked you?" He grins, glancing over to Fork. He turns back to face the door as its knocked on again, calling out "we're good people!" That ought to encourage her.
The door opens again at the insistent knocking and Bird Woman is back. "I told you!" she says, obviously exasperated, "There is no dog here!"
"Ma'am, we're looking for Coyote, he's supposed to be helping mediate between the Kitsune and Tanuki back at our home, and we kind of need him for that, lest our home turns to a battleground between them." Redd raises a clawed hand. "I don't know what Coyote may have done to upset you, but surely it's not important enough that you'd be willing to let innocents get stuck between two sides of a potential fight." The dragon sighs, "So, would there be any chance we could do something to get him back?"
Forkbomb presses closer to the wall. If he was going to make Plan B work, he had to have Redd's expertise in blowing shit up in rare form. Either that or he needed to find a way down the chimney to be the most fucked up version of Santa ever.
Edel nods at Redd, folding her hands in front of her again. "Yes, as he said. We were told you were keeping Coyote here as a bowl. And it's important that we get him back, for the fate of many well-beings are on the line."
Wess drags his fingers down his face as Redd continues to tell the truth, before forcing on his most polite smile for the Birdlady. He idly fools with his rifle, running his hands over it as he waits for them to converse.
Jojo found himself crouching down to the ground, looking up at the others as they did their best to converse with her. A bit cranky for him, but it could be going worse, couldn't it? She didn't seem like she would outright bring harm to them, but of course he could be wrong.
The Bird Woman stares for a moment in silence, then sighs. "You had better come in," she says, stepping aside and letting the group into an open sitting area. There are a pair of pristine white sofas arranged around a glass top table. On the table is a wide, flat stone bowl. "Fox," she says softly, slumping onto one of the sofas, "You had better come out here."
A new native american man steps from another room wearing a bath robe. This is definitely NOT the fox the group met before!
Forkbomb crooks an eyebrow. He couldn't see what was inside, but he was sure that if his input was required, Redd would get him. With nothing else, he sits down by the side of the building and pats down the spot next to him for Jojo to sit down. "We have some downtime it seems. Hey, sorry for being so formal. My name's Forkbomb. What's your name?"
Edel tilts hr head at that and makes her way inside at the woman's beckoning. "Hmmm. Curious. I don't want to make assumptions, though, so... What's going on?"
Redd follows inside and remains standing, "If you're Fox... Then how'd we get here? I mean, someone who said they were Fox opened a portal that brought us here." Redd stares, obviously confused. "... Now I'm more than a bit worried we're trapped here, if that wasn't Fox back in Glenstock."
Wess tilts his head slightly as they are invited in, walking in, his hands on the grips of his assault rifle. He remains standing near the sofa opposite Bird Woman, fidgeting nervously, his eyes widening as he spots the new 'fox'. "What a fun jape," he adds, nodding at Redd.
"I thought so," Bird woman says, "Fox and I have been. . . well, seeing each other. And his brother would love nothing more than to ruin our little retreat." The beautiful woman points out the stone bowl on the table. "I assume you were told to retrieve a large, stone bowl?" she asks as Fox joins her on the couch.
"Indeed we were," Edel says, looking towards the bowl. "I wondered if it was some kind of prank. I didn't think Coyote would be turned into a bowl. That's usually our kind of thing. So... What's the significance of it?"
"We were told simply a stone by 'Fox'. Raven told us that Coyote was being kept as a bowl. I don't suppose Raven is also jealous of this pairing, eh?" The dragon glances towards the gate. "Not that it'd surprise me too much, admittedly. Raven always did like nice shiny things." Redd comments. "Either Raven's in on it or something. Otherwise, if the bowl isn't Coyote, then somebody's got explaining to do."
Wess chews his lip, nervously tightening and loosening his grip on his rifle. "If that's fox, our first guy was probably 'yote," he says, with a shrug. "Why don't you just give us the bowl anyway?" he asks, with a tilt of his head. "If it's just a bowl and not a coyote. I mean, it's a nice bowl, I guess. I'd want to keep it too." He mumbles some more about the bowl, then shrugs.
Jojo slides down from the wall from a standing position down to a sitting position, crossing one leg over the other. Though his eyes wandered, his ears stayed alert and positioned to listen to the conversation.
Bird Woman frowns again when she hears that Raven requested the bowl. "It is my seeing bowl," she says, "And I will not part with it." She raises an eyebrow at Edel. "I am certainly able to do what Coyote told you," she says, "And I would not mind giving both him and Raven a lesson for trying to butt in here. Will you help me?"
Forkbomb perks up, helping support Jojo. In the most foreboding voice he could muster, he said, "What do your mouse ears hear?"
Edel rubs at her cheek, considering that before nodding. "Yes. I will, at least. Wouldn't be much of a trickster or samaritan if I didn't! What's your plan?"
The dragon's form shimmers again, a grin on his muzzle. "I'm up for mischief, and I'll happily play the part of trickster." Redd's fur returns, his form returning to his customary canine countenance. "Give me a moment to go grab Fork and the other guy from outside." He steps outside, whistles to Forkbomb and Jojo, gesturing for them to come inside. "You can put away your toys, Fork."
Forkbomb checks the pump action on his shotgun idly. "We good? Problem solved, we got the bowl, mission accomplished, XP and Waffles time?"
Wess continues to fidget and stand around with his rifle, simply listening to the other's plans. "I'll just.. do whatever they do," he says, with a shrug.
Jojo stands up from his sitting posture, shaking his head to Forkbomb's question. "Was that everything?" he asks Redd.
Bird Woman does not smile, but she seems pleased. "Wait just a moment," she says, rising and leaving for another room.
The man who was introduced as Fox really does look a lot like the man who gave them the mission. The two could have been twins, though there are subtle differences. "I really am sorry about this," he says, speaking for the first time, "I can't believe my brother would stoop to hiring someone to come and crash our getaway."
Bird Woman returms carrying a large, stone bowl, identical to the one on the table. "Give this to Raven and Coyote when you see them again," she instructs, "It ought to teach them a lesson."
Forkbomb blinks imperceptively. Oh. Okay, they /were/ being played the entire time. Alright, time to make good on a promise. He grumbled, digging through his things. 'Fox, I have a honeymoon present for you. Now, It's an /awful/ idea for me, as a mortal, to cross the gods." He slams a bottle of Uncle Jimmy's Finest Imitation Maple Syrup on the counter. "Far be it from me to tell you wrong." He slaps a waffle on the counter. It was cold by this point. "So it would have been a terrible, /terrible/ idea for me to put these in a bucket and put it above his trailer door when given the chance." He crosses his arms. "Let it be said that I am a man with a lot of common sense, Mr. Fox."
Edel holds her hands out, nodding. "I will pass along this imitation bowl, then!" She says, before frowning. "Ah, but there is only one bowl and two of them. Who do I give it to?" She asks, ears perking.
"I was about to ask the same." Redd chuckles. "Though, not like we'll have too much trouble, methinks. Would there be any chance of us coming back to visit, or you coming to visit us? I mean, least we can do is offer a lunch and tea at some point for you helping clear this up." Redd picks up the bowl. "I'll carry the bowl, once we know where it's headed."
Wess shuffles over to linger by the door, no longer paying attention to the exchange that was occuring. He does take the time to admire both the gods in their bathrobes, however.
Fox looks blankly at Forkbomb for a second, then understanding dawns. "Oh!" he says, "Yes, I see what you mean." The man gathers up the gift and carries it away.
Bird Woman gives a sly little smile. "First to Raven," she says, "And then to Coyote. Don't worry, it won't be a problem." The woman gives the bowl to Edel, then waves the group away while she reclines on her couch.
"Say hello to my brother for me!" comes a call from another room.
Forkbomb waves as they leave. "Happy spelunking! I am glad that we could reach an agreement on this matter." He replies, zipping up his things. "Now. I'm not getting paid for this anymore. Probably never was, so, uh. Let's just get this over with." He rubs his hands together, exiting the place.
Edel takes the bowl and nods at Bird Woman, starting for the door. "I will do as you say. Take care!" She calls out, looking around before squinting back in the way they came. "I think it was that way, right?" She says, setting off back for the trailer.
"Will do!" Redd calls to Fox in the other room. "The gate, remember?" Redd points Edel back towards the dirt road.
Wess sighs deeply, rubbing his temples at the mention of not getting paid. He grumbles and curses to himself, just following after the rest, looking quite frustrated as they head off for the gate, gun gripped in his hands.
It is a short pleasant walk to reach the place where Raven is still waiting. "Did you get it?" he asks, scrambling to his feet, "Quick! Give it to me!" he reaches out for the stone bowl.
Forkbomb nods. "Oh, yeah. Wasn't even a problem, sir. It was a classic maneuver. Did a ton of stuff like this back when I was into corporate espionage." Hey, he wasn't lying. "Redd, give the nice man the bowl. I want to see Coyote again for a job well done!"
Edel offers the bowl up to Raven, smiling. "Yes, we've got it. Here you go! I'm not sure what you intend to do with it, but it's yours now," she says, nodding along, tail flicking side to side.
There is a horrible sucking sound as Raven touches the bowl and though he does not actually go anywhere, there is a sudden sensation of looking at him through a telescope the wrong way round. Then he is gone!
"What just happened?" Redd stands slightly confused. "Like... I don't even."
Wess stares as RAven is sucked into nonexistance, blinking rapidly and then looking to the bowl. "That was fucked up," he says, with a shrug. "How are we gonna get back to his god damn house?"
Raven is gone, but his trailer is still there. Perhaps just walking around the deck will work. After all, it is not like there was anything special the group had to do to get here.
"Not our problem is what happened. C'mon. Let's head back through his trailer door. Odds are, the portal is still up." Forkbomb is hesitant for a moment, but then decides to pick the bowl back up again. But he isn't looking directly at that thing. Hell no, he's not eager to join that poor bastard wherever he ended up. "Fox wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone. Among our options, let's just trust him for now."
Edel glances at Fork as he takes the bowl next, shrugging. "The usual godly things," she says, setting off around the deck. They had the bowl now, not her problem what happens from here out!
Wess just looks around the group, tapping his foot as he waits for the group to progress. "Onward to 'yote," he says with a shrug, taking a deep sigh. "I wish we got money."
The walk around Raven's trailor is just as gut wrenching and mind bending as it was the first time. Even so, it does not take long for the party to reach the portal and reemerge in Glenstock where "Fox" is waiting. "Did you find him?" the man asks, "Thank you for your help!" The man points at a number of small satchels on the ground. "Here is your pay, as promised." He frowns when he sees the bowl that Forkbomb is holding. "You are sure that is him?" he asks.
Forkbomb attempts to hand off the bowl. "Oh, yeah. I grabbed this bowl like Raven asked, Mr. Fox! Yeah, when Raven took a look at it, he was ecstatic to see it. I hope Coyote will be proud of me. Had to pull of some classic stuff from my corporate espionage days to get this thing off of them."
Edel smiles at the 'Fox' and nods, reaching for one of her satchels. "It's the only fancy bowl they had, so I would imagine so. I suppose you'll find out, yes?" She says, tilting her head. "Assuming you know how to reverse it?"
"On a side note, your brother says hello." Redd smirks as Fork hands over the bowl.
Wess swoops down to snatch up a satchel, scurrying away before some more chaos happens. "Yeap," he adds to the conversation, standing off behind the rest of his companions.
Fox reaches out for the bowl. "Yes," he says, "I have prepared a Blessing way to undo the spell." He looks confusedly at Wess just before his fingers touch the bowl. "But my brother is-" hebegins, but whatever he was going to say is lost as the bowl sucks him up like al dente spaghetti. So. That is that. All that is left is to wait for the helicopter.
Forkbomb's expression goes deadpan. "Oh, jeez. Oh, no. How unexpected." He said sarcastically, grabbing the bowl. "So. Two things. One, I'm just gonna leave this back at Fox's place. He'll probably be back soon. Anyone that wants to stand guard over the bowl totally can. I might pop in, but that's not gonna be me." He lifts his satchel. "Second, who wants to bet that these things are traps?"
Edel laughs softly and claps her hands together. "Well! That was a treat. I'm sure they'll get out once Bird Woman feels they've had their proper lesson," she says, stretching out and making her way back towards the landing zone. Might even get a short nap in while waiting for it to arrive!
"I'll take the bowl, I'm tempted to serve punch in it at the next party. Or serve food on top of it. Who knows, maybe I'll get some time to talk to Raven and Coyote alone."
"I'll take the bowl, I'm tempted to serve punch in it at the next party. Or serve food on top of it. Who knows, maybe I'll get some time to talk to Raven and Coyote alone." Redd snickers, "Won't take too long, hopefully."
Forkbomb hands it off to Redd. "Keep it safe, don't fuck up the finish. Put it behind about like fifty measures. I ain't going on a rescue mission again unless it's absolutely necessary. And hopefully, next time, if they want to dick with Fox, they'll let us in on the joke. It's not like I'm gonna say no unless they're being dicks like this."
