So You Think You Belong In Summer?

**Jag** · Dec 27th, 2012 12:40 AM

It was early in the morning, only about an hour or so after dawn. Capitol Park was fairly quiet at this time, perhaps being too early even for the joggers that one could typically find running around the place most mornings. It could've been the fact that Winter had come to Sacramento, and while there were no snowstorms approaching the city, the winds definitely had more of a sting to them.

To members of the Freehold, this place was known to hold one of the most commonly used gates that led into the Hedge. Even those who were still fairly new had been told about Capitol's Park Trod, for it was an important landmark to the local Lost community.

This morning was a special occasion for some of the Lost in Sacramento, for it was today that their test to join the Summer Court would begin. While others who were already members, had been asked to participate by Summer's King. Everyone involved had been informed they were to meet by the gate an hour after dawn, so it wouldn't take much longer for them to show up.

Standing next to the monument that served as the Hedge gate, was Summer's Constable of Calefaction. The Snowskin was wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a matching hoodie, which created a drastic contrast to his pale, icy skin. He had a backpack hanging from one of his shoulders, surely filled with some of the essentials for today's trip into the Hedge. With his piercing blue eyes staring into the distance, the ice Elemental waited for the others to arrive.

The Gate

If your characters are bringing some equipment with them, please list it somewhere on spoilers in your first post. Keep in mind that they need to have the necessary dots of Resources to justify some stuff, so if your character does not have the necessary amount, I will edit the excessive things out of the lists. Have fun y'all

**Whisper** · Dec 27th, 2012 02:03 AM

Ion's warm-up for the task at hand was jogging to Capitol Park from her small studio apartment. Beneath the baggy sweat pants and shirt, she wore another outfit and was strapped for war. Not much ran through her mind as she approached the Constable of Calefaction, Duncan, and the Gate into the Hedge. She came to a halt a few paces away and drew down the hood of her sweat shirt.

"Sup..." She gave Duncan a quick nod. Ion was never one for words and there was no exception now. Her attention quickly shifted away from him as she glanced around the park.

After a couple of moments, Ion moved from her spot to sit against the slanted wall. She shifted uncomfortable as the some of the throwing knives pressed awkwardly against her leg beneath the baggy sweats. She adjusted for a moment, until she found a comfortable position for all the blades she intended to carry into the Hedge. She crossed her arms to fend off the cold and waited.

Equipment

Dec 27th, 2012 05:15 AM

Lou arrived not long after Ion, having walked from the Four-Season's hotel. He was dressed simply in a large, thick jacket, and a grey sweats with a flame stitched onto a pocket. He had also taken the time to acquire a pair of brass knuckles for the occasion. Save for his hollow, Lou wasn't fond of entering the hedge, but this was a test - one that he intended to do well in.

The Draconic nodded at the two summer courtiers as he arrived, grunting a greeting at them. He didn't have much to say this morning, so he decided to skip the pleasantries.

Gear

Dec 27th, 2012 09:10 PM

Jezebel found it hard not to feel a certain trepidation as she entered the park and began to make her way towards the gate. The Blightbent couldn't quite shake the feeling that she was reaching the end of a path that had been started soon after she arrived in Sacramento, when Justin had explained his reasons for joining Summer to her at the Spring Homecoming. Looking back over the months since then, Jezebel realised she had pushed herself, physically and mentally, harder than she had in years. Her body was stronger and tougher than ever, her mind...she wasn't any smarter, but she was more aware of her particular issues, and how to work around them.

And all of it leading up to this moment. It all felt a little surreal, like she was lingering on the edge of waking from a dream.

Stop it. Jezebel chastised herself. Stay focussed. You've done everything you could have done to prepare. The others in the Court seemed fairly impressed, probably, when we met at the Forge. There's no need to worry or start getting all weird and freaked out.

As she approached the monument, Jezebel gave the little gathering a wave. She was dressed similarly to how she had been at the forge - jeans, hobnailed boots and a black t-shirt, but with the addition of a heavy leather jacket. Partly to ward against the cold which, when the wind picked up, still managed to prick at her numb skin, but mostly to grant herself a little extra protection against whatever they were going to be sent up against. A small backpack hung from her shoulders, with a rather battered, notched wooden handle sticking out of the top.

"Alright?" She asked, nodding to the other three Lost. Jezebel wasn't entirely surprised to see that Malory hadn't shown up yet. The Blightbent turned back and took a quick glance back up the path she came down, somewhat surprised that Duncan was the only representative of Crimson waiting for them. "So, are we just waiting to see if Malory shows, or are there more still to come?"

Equippment

Dec 28th, 2012 04:06 PM

"I'm here." Mal said, sombrely. Emerging from the glare of the early morning sun at her back, a disposable paper Coffee-cup in one hand, her other hand running fingers through her thick, black hair. She looked different, strung out, her cheeks appeared sallow and underfed, there were dark shadows under her eyes, which themselves lacked a certain vital spark. She yawned enormously, showing a flash of sharp, pronounced canines, before scrubbing at her face with the palm of her free hand.

The little Beast had been having a pretty rough time since the Autumn Court's Halloween party. Her sleep plagued by nightmares, not of Arcadia but of a horror much closer to home. Of bare walls and wild, yellow eyes. Her lack of skill in Oneiromancy was proving punishing.

But she had come. In spite of all her misgivings about the Court, the people in it, and those who sought entry, she had come. Spartan had earned himself a not insubstantial measure of her respect with his decision to listen carefully to the debate, and the input of his seconds... then promptly dismiss it all and send them into the wilds to prove themselves instead. He had terrible taste in music, but he might make a passable Alpha yet.

She didn't know what it was they were looking for in a warrior of the Iron Spear, or if she possessed the smallest measure of it. Or if she was too far gone for it to even matter any more. But they had been called to hunt a threat. A threat to each other? A threat to the Freehold? A threat to the Lost as a whole? It didn't matter, much. For all her failings, she was a predator. A Hunter. They had made her that way, and just because she had escaped did not mean she was done nipping at her Fae master's heel.

She would call that Wrath, and let herself be judged accordingly.

"...Assuming I am welcome." she said quietly, eyeing Jez sidelong as she fidgeted with the sleeves of the thick, leather jacket she had bought after one too many of Perry's... associates had pulled a weapon on her for being 'a Mouthy liddle Mothafucka'. She remembered all to well the terms they had separated on. And there was no reason she would have kept it to herself.

Gear

Dec 29th, 2012 07:13 AM

gear

Llewelyn made his way across the park towards the gathering of the summer prospects, and the Constable. His nerves and adrenaline levels were running high; after all, the hedge was no place to fool about, and going into it to take out a threat threw an entirely new element of risk and excitement into the equation.

Sure, he was prepared - this wasn’t the first time he’d done such a thing, but those times were with a mob of Summer Courtiers he had known for years. In contrast, this was a small group that looked vaguely ready for combat, that he had been vaguely familiar with for the last 6 months. He was glad that Duncan was joining them on the job; it would help to have a member of summer who had already proven himself to the freehold. Seeing as he hadn’t been specifically told that he was to prove his worth, Llewelyn figured that Duncan was babysitting the group.

However, this implied that the job was going to be more than just a simple takeout of a total nobody. In that case, what’s the threat? Loyalists? Privateers? Some problematic hedgebeast? All seemed rather unlikely; if Spartan had really thought there was a serious threat he would’ve sent Rook, or done the job himself. Reaching the group, he greeted everyone with a small wave and a hello, before turning to the Snowskin. Having been caught out once already in Sacramento, Llewelyn took a quick look around to check noone who wasn’t in the group was listening, before quietly addressing Duncan. “So, whats this threat we are taking out today?”

**Changeling ST** · Dec 29th, 2012 11:53 AM

Duncan nodded at each of them respectively, in order of arrival. "We are still waiting on Justin," he said in response to the Jezebel's question. Turning to Mal, the Snowskin gave her a shrug. "You are here. Whether you come or not is up to you. I'm not here to make the decisions, that's entirely up to you guys." With those last words, he looked at the other Lost to include them in his response.

When the Wizened asked his question, the Constable reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a rolled up paper. "Here, this is your mark today," he said to them all, unrolling the paper to reveal their target.

paper

Dec 29th, 2012 12:22 PM

Lou took a good look at the sheet of paper, slightly frowning at the wretched visage of the thief.

He grunted maliciously as he thought to himself, "I don't like thieves." The Draconic extremely certain of this fact, though his certainty on why was an entirely different story. His hatred for thieves was an almost primal instinct, and there was no further question as to what would be the fate of this... parasite. He wanted to find it and squash it as quickly as possible.

A sinister smirk spreads across his face. "I think I'm going to enjoy this."

**Dusan** · Dec 29th, 2012 02:33 PM

Justin arrived at the meeting place with moments to spare.

His usual adventuring outfit had been badly damaged on his last foray into the Hedge when Summer was on the path of War against Enzo and his Privateer allies. Taking a shotgun blast to the chest had pretty much rendered the brown tactical vest and underlying jumpsuit into shreds, and while he would have liked to have had some upgrades and repairs made to the Hedgespun gear, part of him thought that it was time to leave that reminder of his Bad Old Days where it belonged - in his past - and make his own solutions for the future.

The Manikin was wearing a leather jacket, black multi-pocketed tactical pants, and the boots he had salvaged from his old gear. He was wearing a pair of tactical gloves that were reinforced at the knuckles to complete his protective ensemble, and over his shoulder he was carrying a backpack.

Justin's usual surfer-ish affable expression had been exchanged with something that was a bit more appropriate for the occaision. If anything the blond Cyborg looked more focused. Still, a slight smile played at the corners of the young Summer warrior's mouth as he approached the others. So they all showed up. Good. Let's see how they approach their assignment.

Noticing that Duncan was showing a familiar looking paper to the recruits, Justin gave a silent nod to his fellow Summer, seeing as that the other Elemental had the floor.

GEAR LIST

Dec 29th, 2012 07:33 PM

Well, she showed up. And found a chance to take the Oath. We'll see if anything's actually changed soon enough.

Jezebel gave Mal a small nod then turned back to the others. If the Beast's attitude had changed since their spat outside the Forge, then Jezebel was quite happy to give her another chance. The fact that she'd finally sworn herself to the Freehold, despite having not done so when given a chance when they had met to be evaluated by the Summer Court, helped a bit as well. Enough to satisy Jezebel that Malory wasn't some secret privateer or loyalist trying to spy on them, at least.

She was surprised, though a little reassured, when Duncan informed them that the only other guide they would have was Justin. Jezebel had expected the venture to be led by Rook or Anya - or even Spartan himself, since it had been his idea in the first place. Not having someone of that status breathing down her neck helped settle her nerves somewhat, though.

Jezebel leaned in closer when Duncan pulled out the roll of paper, running a hand over her gas mask and tapping her fingernails against the metal as she studied the picture.

Hard to tell what he is... She thought. Some hob, or a Wizened who got a real beating from the ugly stick?

"Alright, got it." The Blightbent said, after a brief pause. There was...something nagging at her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what the problem was. "So, do we know where this guy is, or are we gonna have to track him?"

No, thats not it...that's a problem, yea, but there's something else...

"Hang on, let me take another look at that." She muttered, reading and re-reading the writing on it. It seemed simple. He's stolen enough to get people pissed at him, and if you lived in the Hedge, people being pissed at you tended to wind up in one party being chased off or killed. But the feeling that she was missing some important connection remained.

Stole merchandise from several stalls at Sal's fleshmarket.

Wait. That doesn't sound good.

Jezebel blinked. She could almost imagine an audible clunk as things fell into place.

"Fleshmarket?" The Blightbent repeated, a dull anger creeping into her voice. She absent-mindedly grasped for her cross for a moment, before letting it go, her gaze flitting between Justin and Duncan. "I hope to God that isn't what I think it is."

So You Think You Belong In Summer?

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