(Budding Thorns) Searching for Billy

[Ingrid]

"No. I'll be okay. I just... need to rest. First."

Ingrid breathed heavily and hauled her tired body into a sitting position. She did indeed look wan; hollow eyed with her ethereal glow fading. The Darkling seemed to sink into, or be absorbed by, the ambient shadows.

"We came for you." She smiled weakly at Billy, still unaware of exactly where they had turned up.

[Circe]

Circe looked down at Ingrid and then over to Sasha. Shrugging, "Well Sasha I didn't bring my adrenaline syringe, smelling salts, or espresso maker with me. I can carry her aaaa," the elf bit her tongue, "keister but I'd have to drop her if we find trouble." And Ingrid was back up. Circe moved to Ingrid's right and offered a arm to help the director steady herself. The humor as she spoke was genuine, "Oh never mind. Unless Ingrid ya really want a piggyback ride."

Circe sent a glare towards Ouphoria's old direction, not happy with what was so close. That castle couldn't have been a coincidence on the other side. Could it be the Purple Prick's Hollow? But that wasn't something for the kids to worry about. So she put on a friendly smile, "Yup Billy yer sis called in the cavalry to look for ya. I'm Circe and glad to see yer okay. Katie did a great job! We found ya, Ingrid healed ya, and this blue lady here," she raises her right hand and points her index finger at her face. Circe is trying to keep her tone comforting, "Knows exactly where we are! So while we are Lost we ain't lower case lost."

Circe then whispered to Ingrid, "We're near that old Loyalist drug club. I don't like a Gate being here. Can we wreck it without serious property damage? Uh, on this side of the Thorns." Because screw caring about it on the other side. She'd be fine with dousing the doorway with gasoline and a fuse. She'd have mentioned it to Sasha but whispering to her was going to be difficult.

Then she smiled at the kids again, "So ya tykes have had a shsssseriously," she bit her tongue again to stop herself, "rough night. Who's this green dude?" Circe quickly moved on in the questions to not seem like a bitch, "Is he around here? I'll kick his butt if he is," the elf had already impressed her protective bravery image on Katie. Might as well get Billy on the bandwagon.

[Ingrid]

"Not without wrecking the doorway first..."

Ingrid sighed.

"And even if you managed to wreck the doorway on this side. 'Cause its, like, tethered to the Gate in the Hedge. Like formed by it.... Even if you destroy the Gate, all it'll do is make this.... um... inconvenient. We can make Gates out of anything. We all can. As long as we can pass through it and it has a kind of structure - a window, a gap between two trees... the opening of the alley there... Just a bit of effort."

He rubbed her eyes.

"But yeah, if you want to slow those guys down. Sure - but you'll have to trash that door frame completely."

The Darkling stumbles after Sasha.

"And someone is going to have to explain to me this thing about that club."

[Circe]

"Trash thorny side then. Easier. Ta paraphrase Heath Ledger," the elf grins but still kept her voice low, "dynamite, gunpowder, and gasoline are cheap. Do it later." The grin faded as she answered Mhairi, "Also later, not PG. Not in front of the kids."

Then Circe pulled out a device to help them solve the problem of two children alone in the night. Her cell phone. Her speech raised in volume so all in the alley heard her, "Right, so shall I call a big cab? Or just give Billy the piggyback ride?"

[Travisc06489]

The young Elemental stares, wide-eyed coal-eyed at the ethereal Darkling. He swallows hard, but manages a nod. "Th-thanks, lady."

Katie stands protectively near her younger brother as the self-proclaimed blue lady explains the situation. Katie tilts her head a little at the whispering, but says nothing. At least, until praise is directed her way. "Yeah, I had to show them our hiding spot. But I found Mister Buns!" The girl hands her brother the slightly singed stuffed rabbit, but Billy doesn't seem to mind in the least. He clutches the toy to his chest.

Billy, stands but doesn't seem interested in having much conversation with the three older Lost. Instinctively, he 'hides' behind his older sister. Katie, on the other hand, doesn't waste time filling them in. "We don't know who the green guy is, but he knows our 'babysitter' Emily. I guess he's kinda like us. Looks like a sick little goblin man, though. And he talks in crazy rhymes."

"He was lookin for us at the hideout. He said he wanted to help us but I think he's a liar..."

We should get this one into continuity soon. I can open a new thread for discussions soon. Only input I need is where the children are headed from here.

[Ingrid]

"Cab. Then... I don't know. Eh Katie and Billy should go back home. Your mom and dad will be worried for sure. And if you need us, look for us around Funderland."

Ingrid roused herself. Did she want to contemplate the possibility that the two young Lost had been replaced by Fetches? Not really; not now; not with a fatigue clouded brain.

Ingrid's only thought is that the children should go 'home' because anything else is going to throw up other issues that she doesn't want to deal with right now. As for where Billy and Katie sit in the future, I'd suggest they be NPC / Shards who are considered part of the Freehold but don't contribute anything unless a plot demands it.

[Circe]

Circe starts dialing while thinking on drivethrus in the area just in case the kids were hungry. "Yo!" she speaks into the phone, "Can I get one of the bigger cabs for a half dozen people? Cool."

As she was organizing this, Circe didn't really think on the whole Fetch issue as the cabbie needed directions to their location. She'd think on the worry of shooting chibi Fetches later.

I am so good for IC discussion scene. Circe was serious about her Heath Ledger quote

[Travisc06489]

Alright. Closing her out in time for XP reports Tag me on discussion thread.