Catching Up

[Degnar]

After having run into Green at the Blue Note, Degnar had left a note for the Elemental, instructing him to meet him down in the sewers, near to the entrance of his Hollow. He figured that the Earthbones would know the way, since Smudge had brought him to the place at some point. Then again, with how dark things were in the tunnels, it was easy to get lost if one wasn't careful. Therefore, the Tunnelgrub opted for walking around the area while he waited for Green to show up, figuring that it would be best if he was close to the manhole that lead the way down.

[Malcolm Green]

Green arrived at the appointed place a little later than the appointed time. He had, after all, several false starts before he found his way. He closed on the spot, finally, with a slowly returning familiarity. Once, the Elemental Smudge had extended an invitation to form a motley... this might have been the place they met. An enigmatic smile cut into his face. Degnar had chosen a very appropriate place for their meeting: out of the way and laced with meaning only known to themselves.

In short - private.

The mountain is impossible to miss: jeans, boots, large white T that is still straining to encompass his blocky form.

[Degnar]

Not even a blind man could miss Green's arrival, and Degnar certainly didn't. As the Elemental approached, the Darkling offered him half a wave in greeting. "Glad you found it," he said to the mountain, gesturing for him to follow his lead. "The other day, at the Blue Note, you said you wanted to talk." The Tunnelgrub began to walk towards the entrance of his Hollow as he said those words, careful not to trip over anything as they proceeded further into the tunnels.

"I'm guessing it had to do with Court matters?" he asked, wondering what the Earthbones wanted to chat about.

[Malcolm Green]

There was a long pause before Green responded. He wasn't being rude - anyone with half an ear or an eye could tell he was battling the confines of the tunnels. It didn't look like he minded the "tight" confines, though - he was enjoying the test.

"Yeah. Court matters. Freehold matters... maybe... hard to tell. See... <<huff>> ...Well, you could guess having the heart of the 'hold ripped out or burned down or whatever would shake a place to the core, right? Afterwards, lotta talk. Lucas Gregory gets the Summer Crown at a damn sight weird coronation. I thought that Duncan'd get it, myself... anyway... uh. You heard about Lucas Gregory and the book burning, yeah? After that things went pretty quiet."

He paused, as much for breath as to fathom how best to turn a corner.

"We on the other hand... uh... turn our attention to rebuilding and strengthening the cottage network. Uh apparently it took a big hit when the Dragon came through. We been repairing it since. So I dunno, maybe look for some likely bolt holes before you check in with the Queen. As you saw... Blue Note is ours. Autumn <<pause, tight squeeze>> people all hang at Edna's now."

Green paused again, this time to let the glower burn through his frame.

"'Hold still got no heart. You seen Quicksilver Gate? That is not a place for us. Too open."

He sighed. "I been doing my bit by patrolling the borders of the 'hold and beyond. Not that I see much, you know. But it beats sitting on my ass or... partying. Like all is normal."

He actually managed to force out an apologetic look toward the Darkling, as though he had imposed himself too much.

[Degnar]

Degnar remained silent as he listened to Green, continuing to lead the Elemental towards his Hollow. He was definitely interested on what the Earthbones had to say, especially since he had been so out of the loop with all that had happened since Fairweather's attack. "Lucas Gregory?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow slightly as he did not recognize the name. "Have not met the guy." The Darkling wondered where this new Summer King had come from, and whether he was actually legit, or possibly a goon who was actually working for the Dragon. "Why was he burning books?" he asked, slightly confused by the whole thing.

When Green mentioned that the Silent Arrow had turned its efforts towards rebuilding the Cottage Network, the Tunnelgrub nodded in approval of such an idea. It sounded like they had been keeping themselves busy, and he was looking forward to doing what he could in order to assist his Queen's efforts. "Rebuilding? Good, that sounds good," he said as he continued to nod his head. "I have my own little hole in the wall. Hmmm, I could work on a way of linking it up to the Network." That would certainly be useful, and something he had not considered before. Perhaps it was him just being paranoid, but there was no reason not to trust his own Court.

"Quicksilver Gate?" he asked, unsure of what the Elemental was talking about. The Darkling shook his head, clearly not aware of the place. "I'm not familiar with the place...but I'll take your word for it." Degnar wondered if he should pay the place a visit at some point, at least to get a feel for what it was. Getting reacclimated with the Freehold would take some time, especially with all the changes that Fairweather's assault had caused.

"Patrolling is good," offered the Tunnelgrub in response to Green. "Always good to keep an eye out. You never know what threats may be creeping around the 'hold." And that was something he had done during his time in the Freehold, but since his absence, he had not done much of anything except hide. Sooner or later he would have to face Katrin, and perhaps take up his duties once more.

[Malcolm Green]

Green grunted.

"Well... I did find a ghost out west, you know? Whole pack of us kinda descended on this apartment for our own reasons. And got chased out." There was no emotion in his voice as he related the event: it was from earlier in the year, and nothing had come of it. Thus the mountain kept his peace. "Anything else I find thats... um... Wyrd... I double back and tag. Hopefully it'll alert the curious before they step in shit."

[Degnar]

Degnar quirked an eyebrow at the mention of ghosts. "Hmm, that's strange," he said in response to the Earthbones. The Darkling had never encountered any ghosts of his own, but he knew that there were Darklings out there that had the ability to communicate with them. Hmm, it may be something to consider, he thought to himself as he nodded to Green once more. "Its good that you do such things, warn people of possible dangers," said the Tunnelgrub in response.

He remained silent for a moment, considering a few other things that were still bugging him. "Umm, you don't happen to know what happened to Smudge, do you?" he asked, wondering if the Elemental may have some information on his old Motley mate. "I remember that he had talked to you about joining our Motley, before everything happened..."

[Malcolm Green]

Green shook his head with a certain solemnity. "Nothing. I got caught in the Hedge when the Dragon came through. Ended up trying to outrun a firestorm. Barely managed to find a safe spot before doubling back here... ah... nothing on Smudge though. I thought a whole lotta good people had gone down with the Four Seasons, you know?"

[Degnar]

Degnar remained silent and perfectly still for a moment. As he did so, it almost looked like the Darkling blended with the shadows of the tunnel itself. "Understood," he finally said, breaking the silence. "I hope he was able to escape as well; maybe he made a run for it." He paused for a moment, considering whether Smudge would've joined a last stand against Fairweather at the Four Seasons. The Ogre had always been quite stubborn, but he had been a Silent Arrow nonetheless.

Let's hope not.

After another moment of silence, the Tunnelgrub turned his attention back to Green. "Well, I'm glad you made it out alright," he said to the Elemental, nodding his head once.

[Malcolm Green]

"Same to you. Yeah."

Some might have said the way he dipped his head was a trifle aggressive, but it was probably about as emotional a response as one could get out of the big Elemental. Unless you succeeded in getting him mad.

"So. You and Smudge had this Hollow down here... right? He mentioned something about you guys being motley."