Hedge Patrol I

[Gerrit]

The Ogre relished in his might, proudly carrying Cassandra on what he thought was the right way. A clear moment during the bruise-colored determination made Gerrit stop however. True, the Wyrd granted him the strength to haul around the Fairest effortlessly, but he didn't really like where his mind and heart was going while evoking Stone. As the Glamour faded, he felt the weight and the after-adrenaline exhaustion setting in. He could call Stone again, but he didn't want to lean on that too much. He knew that he had some more juice left in him and the reassurance that he was on the right track made him forgo the emergency button of his Contracts.

He readjusted his grip on her, made sure that she was still breathing and then reoriented himself. He had to get out quickly, he felt tired and frankly a bit scared. Gritting his teeth he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again. As much as his mind and body urged him to drop her and look out for himself, to get some rest and security - he was not going to leave her behind and he was not going to let panic and exhaustion mess up his navigation. "Hang in there." A pep-talk meant for himself as much as for the sleeping beauty.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2020-12-03 15:17:45	Gerrit rolls 6 to keep going strong (Str 3 + Stam 3) (10 Again)	6, 10, 6, 4, 2, 2, 10, 3	2 successes

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2020-12-03 15:18:41	Gerrit rolls 7 to find the way (Int 3 + Surv 1 + WP) (10 Again, WillPower)	8, 2, 2, 9, 3, 5, 4	2 successes

WP: 0
Glamour: 4

[Cassandra Reeding]

The dream changes around the Polychromatic and she finds herself alone of a stage, the scroll of her cello against her left ear, bow ready in her right hand. She begins playing a piece - a simple Bach prelude. It is beautiful, joyful, but something just seems off. Cassandra herself is dull, nearing a grey color, her colorful hues near gone. She barely remembers having them at this point.

All at once, a string pops, hitting her face and making her bleed. She cries out in pain and there is a light that makes its way into the stage, colorful and beautiful. It manifests into a man with black hair and black eyes, though their black eyes sparkle with what seem like the night sky, twinkling with stars.

"No, no, no. Your form is all wrong," it grabs her wrist of the arm handing her bow, bending it backwards. She yelps, "Didn't I teach you better than that? It looks broken. You must look as beautiful as you sound."

"Please stop," the scarlet-haired Artist whimpers, "I'll be better. I'll do better. Please."

"Perhaps I should reshape it like your pinky..." It seems to consider, as if she were just clay ready to be reshaped at a whim.

"Please, no. Not again, please," tears stream down her face.

"What ever happened to my strong Cassandra? You're broken..."

It all fades to black for her and she comes to an awkward realization. One she wasn't ready for.

Can she do anything to try and wake herself up?

[Ram]

That was... disappointing Ram thought as the swarm fled. For a second he considered pursuing. But that wasn't the mission. They were here to patrol and that meant protecting those here. Not chasing down the enemies. Yet it still made him angry. Bringing up all those thoughts and instincts for such a small thing that simply ran away. Ram snarled after the bugs and started off again, trying to put away the battle fury.

Stuck in his own head he simply grunted vaguely at any comment for a bit. Even when Cassandra fell, his first thought was to danger. Instantly taking a defensive stance as he started to circle around the group as Gerrit checked on the Fairest.

It actually helped bring him back a bit. Bring focus back. Making himself aware again of his surroundings in preparation for a fight. Organize his thoughts on what needed doing.

It made sense all of a sudden. Why they'd fled. Sting and retreat to wait for the poison to take effect, which meant...

"The bugs might be coming back," he warned, finally snapping out of his doldrums. "What's going on with her?" he asked Gerrit.

[Saber Sloth]

One step ahead of the other, a glance down reveals her pinched expression, worry and fear creasing her brow, and twist her lips into something close to a grimace. Clearly whatever lay within her sleeping mind, is far from pleasant dreams. The Ogres grip is strong and sure, Stone might and practiced endurance carry them forward.

Tracking the area around them, Gerrit knows the thorns, and is learning the area's, having just passed by it's easy enough for him to keep the Path.

Ram comes back from his Summer based silence, his focus more on their surroundings then Gerrit's burden.

A Resolve + Composure -3 please Cassandra!
And Perception (remember Clarity) for everyone else!

[Gerrit]

Hearing Ram's voice actually startled Gerrit. He was so focused, so lost in the boiling of his blood and the determination to make it out of here that he completely forgot his surroundings beyond finding the way. He gave Cassandra a worried look before answering. "I don't know, she's alive, but fast asleep. How are you, did they get to you?"

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2020-12-07 01:24:41	Gerrit rolls 6 to notice potential danger (Wits 3 + Comp 3) (10 Again)	5, 9, 8, 7, 7, 6	2 successes

Summer's reminder about the bugs made Gerrit look around again, the weight of his Onxy companion making his arms burn a bit. At least he wasn't alone in this, he shouldn't forget this again - the Hedge had its ways to make thoughts reality.

[Cassandra Reeding]

I'm only attracted to men who look like my Keeper...

Once more, the dream shifts. This time... for once, it isn't entirely a nightmare. And yet, even in a happy memory, there is so much sadness. “Eliza? Where are you hiding?” Cassandra's voice is playful, an odd change in the setting of the dream. For a moment, it is calm. Happy.

In an instant, she feels a hug around her hips and a sweet, childish giggle. A melodious little girl’s voice exclaims, “Boo!” She giggles again as Cassandra jumps a little, “Did I get you, mommy?”

Cassandra laughs, turning around to gaze down at this little girl, she couldn’t be more than five or six years old. Her hair is a golden brown, just past shoulder length, with a hint of a wave to it as it frames her face. Her eyes are a deep hazel green and they are bright and excited. She is wearing a little light blue, flowy dress and purple leggings. She reaches up to Cassandra, wanting to be picked up and she just smiles at her as she does so. “You sure did, sweetie. Is daddy teaching you to go around and scare mommy now?”

“Daddy says it’s okay as long as I give mommy hugs when I do it.” Eliza seemed pleased with herself with that statement.

Cassandra leans over and give her a kiss on the forehead, “Very silly. Well, my little dot, what would you like to do today?” She says, walking over into the kitchen, still holding Eliza.

“Hmm… park! Then daddy promised he’d teach me twinkle twinkle on the piano.”

“Oh, did he? Well, I think we can make the park happen.”

It was some of the few happy memories she'd kept. She couldn't bear to keep the rest. She didn't want to keep what happened, but she knows Eliza is safe now. She expected the dream to change, but she just hears a voice calling - her sweet, adopted child. "Mommy, wake up!"

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2020-12-07 01:48:58	Cassandra Reeding rolls 4 to Wake up! (Resolve 2 + Composure 2) - 3 (10 Again, WillPower)	3, 8, 4, 3	1 success

[Ram]

"Not doing too swell," he said honestly "But I'm not hurt or anything. Combat ended too quick, left me...," he wasn't even sure how to describe it "Wobbly. Happens sometimes."

"Feeling a bit clearer now, though," he assured Gerrit. Though still not at his mental best. Obviously.

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2020-12-07 07:15:55	Ram rolls 4 to Wits2+Comp2 (10 Again)	1, 2, 3, 6	failure

He was still lost a little in his own mind. Putting things back together. She was asleep. That was good. At least they weren't lugging a body around. Although he remembered what the insects had said.

"Could they be attacking her in there?" If they weren't out here trying to get her, maybe they were inside. Though that didn't have a task to do it and the only way Ram knew to do otherwise was with... Ram gave a small mutter of "Shit."

"She might be dream poisoned," he said hoping to god that if that was the case it didn't mean that swarm was actually one of the True Fae.

[Saber Sloth]

In Gerrit's arms Cassandra stirs, but doesn't wake.

Still coming down from the battle high, and his concern over Cassandra he misses it.

Gerrit doesn't though.

They're going back the way they came, and where they came had the roving hungry insects. There were less of them now, after the charge, after the ogre's might, but that just meant that they would be harder to hit now.

Cassandra has already used her WP for the Scene. Subtracting the 3 WP dice from the right leaves her with 0 successes. She stays asleep.

[Gerrit]

"That's good to hear." He didn't add that he almost forgot the Summer's presence, that he focused on himself and Cassandra. That was embarrassing. Plus, he was already spent and tired - he didn't want to go down that mental road. Ram's words worried him though. He didn't know enough about dream poison to reply to the suspicion, but the image of insects attacking Cassandra from the inside made him shudder. "In any case, getting us out of here is the priority."

Then he noticed it: he navigated a bit too well, straight back to the danger they were fleeing from. "Ram. They're back, get ready." Indicating with his head the direction in which he saw the insects. The wheels in his head were turning already - a bit slowly and rickety, but still. If it came to it, would he stay with Cassandra and leave the fighting to Ram or would he help trying to smash what's left of the swarm? His instincts were telling him to protect the defenseless Fairest, but he'd have to decide in the moment.

For now he just hoped it wouldn't come to that.

[Cassandra Reeding]

The voice was too distant. She thought she could do it - wake up from this ridiculous string of nightmares and confusing scenes, but even in this sleep, she is exhausted.

The Polychromatic finds herself in pure darkness then. No images, no eidolons to keep her company, just darkness. Within that darkness, she feels something familiar. No, it isn't so much feels as much as she can feel the absence of anything at all. It is silence. Not even a beautiful silence that marks the beginning of something to come. Such a silence is near torture for a musician. It is nothingness. Am I dead? No, that doesn't sound right, just dreamless.

But this dreamless state is cold and lonely, an abyss of absolute nothingness. She runs but cannot find anything, she cannot even see herself. There is nothing to run into, just the continuing blackness. It is terrifying, like it is engulfing her slowly. She sits down and begins to sob, but nothing comes out. She tries to scream, but it is as if her voice is completely gone.

She folds into herself and just feels like giving up. She has no more will for the moment. She begins to wonder if a dreamless sleep is worse than having nightmares. Though, this is a nightmare in itself, isn't it?

Sorry! Miscounted. Thanks. Can I keep testing until one hopefully succeeds? Current stats:
WP:0
Current damage: 2B.