Trimming Back the Hedge

[CyledyrWyllt]

Marcus sits in his jeep down the block from the construction site that was once the Four Seasons Hotel. He almost shivers as he remembers the sight of Spartan's charred remains falling to the pavement. Instead he cracks his knuckles and mentally checks off the contents of his rucksack. His trusty ax is obvious, what with the handle sticking out at an angle. The hedge warden always carries it with him into the wilds on the other side. The same could be said for his modified first aid kit as well. That was the last lesson he learned from Harry... and the hardest. You just never knew. Bottled water... check... protein bars... check... hooded jacket... check... nylon rope... check. Marcus looks down at himself next and nods as he glances over his rugged hiking boots, denim trousers and the drab long sleeved henley over his t-shirt. He's ready. Looking in the rear view mirror, the elemental patiently waits for the others to show up.

[Anubite25]

Stripes sidles down the street, taking a deep breath of the crisp Fall air. There's a bit of a playful air about the tiger, even reflecting in his mantle as the darting shapes seem to be chasing each other almost as much as stalking him. Strapped across his back is an old backpack, with a few water bottles and some bags of trailmix from his convenience store job stashed inside. In the tiger's pockets sit a seemingly unremarkable stick and a feather that seems made of stone, but he just smiles knowing the secrets of their powers.

In terms of clothing... well, Stripes is no stranger to the Hedge. Worn jeans and a tough jacket, along with some old sneakers that he definitely won't mind getting a little more scuffed up. Clambering around the thorns can be just as rough on clothes as skin after all.

At the sight of Marcus, Autumn's Paladin waves.

"Hope you weren't waiting long," Stripes says, flashing a fanged smile.

[Tally Benoit]

Tally arrives wearing a long sleeve shirt sporting a large image of some wolves in a forest with a full moon hanging over the scene. She's wearing black jeans and runners while upon her back rests a back pack. Upon spotting Marcus and Stripes, she shouts a greeting, "Hey Stripes! Marcus!"

She slows her pace as she gets close, glancing around to spy their other member of the party.

Equipment: Backpack within it is First Aid kit, munchies, three 250ml bottles of water, matches, flashlight, and scissors

[Dusan]

Justin walked up to the others, his gear tucked into a backpack as he did his best to look like just another kid heading to a McJob. In said backpack he had stashed some trail mix, a Sterno can, rope (because numerous gaming experiences had taught him you could never have enough), a couple of Peak energy bars, and four bottles of water. He had decided to forgo the energy drinks because the last thing he wanted to deal with in the Hedge was the possibilty of sugar lag when the things wore off.

His old adventuring outfit had been pretty much ruined when he took a shotgun blast to the chest some time ago courtesy of one of Enzo's henchmen, so he had opted for a leather biker's jacket, jeans, and a pair of sturdy boots. He had also remembered that he in no way wanted to dick around where there was stickers, so a good pair of leather gloves were tucked into a back pocket.

His body remembering the athlete he had been, Justin's Mantle was doing its go go go thing as he walked up to the others.

"Hey. Hope I didn't keep anyone waiting."

[Marcus Evan]

Marcus nods at each of them as they approach.

"Not at all Stripes. Alright, Tally? Justin. Glad everyone could make it. It's right over here."

The elemental feels the trifles in his pocket as he leads the way over to the alley and looks around to make sure they're unobserved. Even though there doesn't appear to be anyone around, he still speaks in low tones to his companions.

"Right. Now, I'm not sure how much you understood last night at Harry's, but let me be blunt now that I can speak freely. The destruction of the Four Seasons tore holes in the barrier that separates our world from the hedge. My engine got sucked over to the other side when I used it to close the tears. Now, I've seen some bad things happen when iron is left in the hedge. It gets well pissed off... the hedge, not the iron."

Not that the elemental would honestly know anything about Iron's moods, considering how it has always snubbed any of his attempts at conversation. While Marcus can't argue that Iron definitely has it's uses, that particular metal is just plain rude in his opinion.

"So, we're going to open a gate and see if we can go find it. Now, here's the catch... I didn't find any active gates nearby, so I'm pretty sure that we'll be walking straight into the Thorns... no path. So that means we'll need to find the engine PDF. Pretty. Damn. Fast."

Looking around at his companions, he watches as his words sink in and hopes they are up to the task.

"With that in mind, I thought I'd offer a pledge to watch your backs if you'll do the same for me. If we promise to stick together and keep our wits about us, we should be able to find the engine and make our way out of the hedge in one piece. But, if you can't keep your word, you can bet that you'll be sorry."

[Anubite25]

Stripes nods, fully grasping the mission. More or less what he'd gleaned from all the double talk last night.

"Cross my heart," the young paladin says, drawing a quick 'X' over his chest. "Wouldn't need a pledge anyway, I'm happy to watch your backs."

The tiger smiles, his whiskers twitching. He's eager to get into the Hedge after so long and get a look at what's been done. Whether anything (other than the engine) is salvageable.

Stripes spends 1 WP for the pledge once the mechanics for it are worked out

[Tally Benoit]

Tally greets Justin with a nod and a smile. She listens as Marcus speaks of a pledge between them and frowns for a few seconds before shrugging, giving Stripes a look before mimicking Stripe's promise, making an 'X' over her chest. "Cross my heart."

- 1 WP for the Pledge once the mechanics are worked out.

[Dusan]

Justin scratched thoughtfully at a spot on his cheek. The Hedge always seemed to have bad news written all over it where he was concerned. Enzo, weird dog things.....yeah. This was going to be fun.

Still, here was a Brother who wanted his help and he was going to give it. It was part of what he had signed up for and what he was expected to uphold as part of the Crimson. While Spartan, Rook, and Anya had passed into memory, he wasn't going to let them down. He wasn't going to let Marcus down. It was as simple as that.

Noticing how the others had drawn 'Xs' on their chests, he did so as well. "I watch your backs, everyone watches each other's back, and you watch our backs while we're in there. Sounds good to me."

OOC

-1 WP for swearing pledge, mechanics pending

[CyledyrWyllt]

Marcus follows suit and pantomimes crossing his heart, then places a hand on each of their shoulders in turn as he seals the pledge. The other changelings may feel the warmth of a hearth fire wash over them as the elemental spends the glamour necessary to negotiate the use of one of his contracts into the vow.

"Alright, then."

After the pledge is said and done, Marcus allows his awareness to roam the alley for any active hedge gates. He's fairly certain they're aren't any, but it never hurts to double-check. If there are none to be found, the metalflesh follows his tire tracks over to the cardboard boxes and sorts through them until he finds one large and sturdy enough to serve as a doorway to crawl through. If he does have to create a hedge gate, Marcus would prefer that it is one he can destroy when he's finished with it. After all, he wouldn't be much of a Warden if he was in the habit of leaving the door wide open.

  Hedge Gate Sense

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2013-11-24 21:08:46		Marcus Evan rolls 9 to Wits+Wyrd (10 Again)		6, 1, 7, 2, 7, 9, 4, 3, 2		1 success

Uses 1 Willpower to seal Pledge and 4 Glamour to fuel the Pishogue Boon.