Off-season Picknick

[Gerrit]

There was just a puff of surprised admiration for Vivians sleeping arrangement. He never thought about rain that way - then again, his battered skin would not take kindly on that 'massage'. He smiled at her, nonetheless. I wonder if her carefree nature is a product of her Durance or just something innate.

Gerrit stopped once he noticed Vivian leaning forward. She was quite the odd one, but there was a sincerity to her that was endearing. Maybe it was her Primordial nature, maybe it was what reeled her into the Iron Spear, but it was most definitely her - Vivian. He was concerned for a moment - his breath growing more shallow and shorter, the anticipation of a storm - but when she spoke about the work she put in, about her therapy he relaxed again. "That's very brave of you, to tell me something like this." But maybe it was just his upbringing that drove home a sense of shame about things like this. He held his breath for a second and took a leap of faith. "I also used to get therapy. Uhm, not after that, but once I moved away from my- parents. I'm glad it helped you." He didn't want to say much more - especially not since she remarked the importance of listening. She laid out her struggles, so he didn't want to make this about himself.


He was too much into the rush of making a spontaneous move to notice her worries. "Don't be sorry - that's who you are. Plus, we're in no formal meeting or anything, so why not do what we want to do?" He heard her wish for stillness, but he had been too passive most of his life. Yes, maybe now was the right time to sit down and enjoy the day, but if the Airtouched felt more comfortable moving around he could hardly impose this rule onto her. He grew more sure of his decision, the criticisms in his mind being shut down onw after the other the more they packed up. Besides, she would speak up if she wanted to stay put.

So they went. The bags were easily carried by the Ogre, and Gerrit enjoyed the change of pace. He worked a steady rhythm, not close to being strained but excited enough to breathe heavier. When Vivian pointed out the tree he was taken aback at first. Patterns, why yes - its bark. Then she hit him with her naive compliment. She had to be naive, not serious - nobody has called him beautiful since he returned.
That realization almost brought tears to his eyes, a wave of sorrow sweeping him up at that moment. He fought down the feeling, not wanting to spoil the mood and looked down at his hands self-consciously. The scars and scabs formed a pattern all right, but the sick and bloody colors were far from beautiful. Was she just being nice? That wouldn't fit the sincere impression he got of her so far.
Then the Stonebones noticed that he had been silent for a while, struggling for composure. "Uh, you think so? I mean, uh, thanks." Some awkward bean he was.

[Oscar Carpenter]

Oscar was entirely unaware of the magical moment forming not far up the path in the park he had decided to take a short cut through. The wheels of his messenger bike, fully loaded with small parcels, skidded loudly as he rounded a corner, mounting the curb of the path, and began barrelling through the gardens. He could feel the wind blowing though his long jackrabbit ears as he cascaded through a flower bed, but righted the bike at the last moment, and brought it back up to break back out onto the new path.

His black antelope eyes scanned the pair up ahead and in a panic he threw the brakes on, the bike wobbling and then coming to a stop. He exhaled slowly. Ok, that could have gone better. Or, it could have gone worse. Either way, something could have been different, and that.... his hyperactive mind began to wheel out of control. Only spotting that the two people up ahead held miens of the lost broke him out of his spiralling thoughts.

"Huh." He said, mostly to himself. "Well, I guess it was inevitable..."

With a very small push, he began to ride slowly forward, towards the pair of other changelings.

[Vivian Wing]

Vivian didn't understand that being in therapy was a cultural thing that many looked down upon. That flew right over the Elemental's head. So when he remarked on her bravery, she wasn't sure how it was brave exactly. It was certainly a sweet thing to say though, and that was not lost on her. Despite her vast failings socially.

She envied him that. Oh did she ever. All of his life experience before he was taken. She had nothing. She had been sooo young when she was taken. Eighteen may be the legal age of adulthood, but it didn't make you one. The horrors that followed were only beginning to be unraveled in the labyrinth of her mind. Stop it. You cannot compare suffering. So says the Owl.

"I was in pretty bad shape when I first came back. It was necessary, trust me. I would still be on the street if it wasn't for my therapist and the Old Man."

Standing there on the path she watched him, sensing his discomfort in his breathing. The way it caught in this throat, and the water in his eyes was a dead giveaway. She felt a little lost and in that silence she braced herself for the rejection that always came with really speaking her exact mind and not trying to filter herself. Why did you have to point that out. Damnit. You are such an insensitive prick. Humans simply couldn't hang, why would she expect the Lost too? She waited like a deer in headlights. And finally he responded and her lips parted a little in surprise.

"Well yes. I know so. It's a fact. At least to my perception it is." She was confused as to how he could see it some other way, but she didn't have long to contemplate when she heard a bike coming up the pathway. She instinctively moved to the side of the walking trails, like you were supposed to turning to catch a look at the passerbye only to do a double take.

He was a lost. She could see that. He wasn't apart of the Freehold however. The Wyrdstone that bound them all together told her as much. He was other. Uncounted, and unbound. He could be Loyalist, a Privateer, or just an independent lost like she was....or or or.....

She stiffened visibly and took a loose stance, but a clear and firm one in front of Gerrit. If he offered them violence she would protect him. She called out to the new face. "Hello." Her feet shoulder width apart, arms loose at her sides. She drew herself up to her full height. Lightning illuminated the clouds in her snow globe like eyes. Alien and completely inhuman. Her mantle flaring, and the heat of Summer blasted from the Elemental.

[Gerrit]

Gerrit could relate to her being in a bad shape, even if he had a whole lot of other reasons to feel miserable than she may have had. "Then I'm even more glad that you've found the help you needed."


Vivian's opinion meant a lot to him and the Ogre was about to either talk her out of it or try to otherwise diminish the impact of her words, when an unknown lost came trashing through the greenery. If the Elemental was listening to Gerrit, she would have picked up on a restrained breath, shallow and short. The new arrival was a stranger, not tested by the Wyrdstone and could therefore represent a whole host of dangers.
Vivian took the lead, however. Gerrit was no macho, he didn't feel his masculinity threatened by her protective stance - it was really just an extension of their respective Courts' function. The Iron Spear protected, the Silent Arrow observed. "Hello. Are you new in town? If so, there is someone to help you find you way around." It was subtle enough for non-Winter standards - new arrivals had to resonate with the Wyrdstone and anyone refusing to do so were a potential danger to the Freehold. And while he gladly offered himself to help others, a part of him cursed the Beast for invading in a deep shared moment between the Airtouched and the Stonebones.

[Oscar Carpenter]

Oscar’s eyes met with Vivian’s as she moved to the side, and he resisted ringing his bell. No need to make this weirder. Or should that be wyrder? He leant a little back, trying to convey a relaxed, non-confrontational look, even while making a beeline for the new position the pair had taken.

He could smell the summer in the air, mixed with the sparking in her eyes. It reminded him of those early summer tornadoes, warm sweltering days followed by the sudden drop in temperature meaning danger was on it’s way. He slowed his bike even further. He knew he was supposed to be attuned to fear, but in himself he wasn’t so sure.
The Ogre behind her seemed more relaxed, but he still felt uneasy. He had seen first hand the destruction some of the Farwalkers could bring to bear in Arcadia, and he had kept his distance from most of them since. But the winter courtier was the one speaking the most, so perhaps he was the one to address.
“Uh, hello.” His speech was quick, almost frenetic, as though he was trying to keep the words from crashing into each other and was just letting them spill out. His eyes, dark like a deer darted between the two of them, like a prey animal in front of a predator. And given that the young man seemed to be some kind of cross between an antelope and a rabbit, perhaps it was the case. “Sorry to interrupt your what is the word you know that thing for couples that thing that you call it oh yes a date sorry to interrupt your date I was just riding through and trying to get to the other side of the park to well to cross the park and…” His voice trailed off perhaps meaning he was out of breath, though maybe his train of thought just derailed. “No. I mean yes I am new to the area but no no one has picked me up yet and you have been the first lost I have seen so.” His voice cut of suddenly. “Hi, welcome to your park, or I guess that’s what you say.”

(Apologies for the lack of punctuation, Oscar speaks like a stream of consciousness, so I am attempting to convey.)

[Vivian Wing]

Vivian listened to the Jackelope and tilted her head to the side slightly. His assumption didn't rattle the Airtouched. His perception of their reality didn't change the truth of the moment. She did however feel obligated to help the guy get to Rhodes for some vetting. She smiled ever so slightly and glanced back up at Gerrit for a moment nodding once.

"Shall we call him, then? For our ...friend here?" Potential friend was more accurate but even Vivian wasn't quite that rude. She didn't say who 'he' was. Gerrit knew. She knew. If their friend was lucky, he would find out soon and the Wyrdstone would settle the question burning in their minds and making every muscle in her body stand on end with readiness.

Vivian broke down a bit after the initial shock of adrenaline began to fade from her bloodstream. She took a few confident steps forward, and introduced herself. She didn't offer to shake hands. A lot of of lost had issues with touching people they didn't know well. She wasn't one of them, but she had enough wits to show some sensitivity.

"I'm Vivian. Are you looking to join our merry group of like minded individuals?" She asked with a hint of levity in her tone. He hadn't done anything to warrant being afraid of him. After all....she had been knew once herself. "Are you relocating from somewhere else, or were you here for awhile already?"

[Gerrit]

Gerrit's breath was stuck in his throat for a second when the Beast took their meeting for a date. That's not- did I make any- The bruises around his cheeks and neck darkened as he threw a sideway glance towards the Airtouched. She was impressive to look at, a beautiful force of nature- he stopped himself. There was no time for that now. His breathing steadied again, he tried to remain aware and ready for anything.

Everything in the other's body language seems to suggest he was more afraid and anxious of them than the other way around. Then again, looks could be deceiving. While Vivian introduced herself, the Stonebones watched. The bike suggested that this was no freshly escaped Lost, unless they provided you with a farewell gift nowadays. Which again posed the question if he was as harmless as he appeared. When Vivian suggested called Rhodes Gerrit frowned for a second and shook his head slightly. "I can also give you a number to call. It might make for a better first impression if you introduced yourself - there is someone to reach out for if you want to look for a job, a place to live or get.. otherwise settled." He didn't want to give out too many details before he got a better feel for the Beast and Rhodes was probably better at gauging someone's loyalty - especially with the help of the Wyrdstone. He put some bags down to slowly reach for his cheap mobile in case he was asked for the Director's number.

Gerrit tensed up a bit when Vivian approached the newcomer - if there was an opportunity to spring a trap it was now - and waited for Vivian to step back again before introducing himself. The situation was tense enough, they didn't have to crowd the Swiftrunner. "I am Gerrit. Nice to meet you." He gave a cautious smile and shot the Elemental another look.

This day has taken quite the turn, and it all began with this impulsive idea to take a walk. Huh.

[Oscar Carpenter]

"Call who? Is it someone who is supposed to be here is this a police thing because I'm not carrying I swear." He took a step back as Vivian approached, almost twitching with energy. The rabbit in him seemed easily spooked, his lack of composure clear in his manner. His eyes flicked between the two of them wildly, but something suddenly caught him, and he stopped dead in his tracks.
"Like... minded?" His voice slowed, as he weighed up the words. "You mean." He tried to slow his breathing. "You mean like us? I didn't know there was a... circle of like minded people... locally. Didn't seem to be much on the other side, but I guess that's more to do with what the hedge wants to show you isn't it."
His voice began to accelerate again, and he stepped off his bike and began to pace. "Gerrit, Vivian, I'm Oscar, Oscar Carpenter, or at least that's what my documents say, you know what it's like, can't really use names properly, but I thought to myself, well Oscar, if you are going to start again, why not be something original, right? You get it Viv, I can call you Viv right, of course I can, what am I saying. So where was I? Oh, yeah, So I'm like, if I am going to be my own person, why not be an OC? Right? So that's what I became, OC, Oscar Carpenter. You can call me OC if you like. Everyone does. Or at least they will if you start it hey Gerrit. You know how you can't start your own nickname? Well, I need you to start it, you are a style icon, I bet." The little rabbit continued to pace.
"A job? Right, yeah, a job is a good idea. I've got a job, but another one can't hurt. I run messages around. I'm real fast. I can get your mail where it needs to be. Don't be like that Viv, I know phones exist, but I can also carry packages, and things you want to keep secret, like I don't know, secrets. I'm good at that. Also, can carry stuff to the Hedge, and can your nokia do that? Well probably a nokia could, but not a samsung, nope nope nope."

[Vivian Wing]

Vivian nodded slowly. Trying not to make any sudden moved to scare him. Funny how that ends up working out. She smirked a little to herself at the absurdity of it all. Welcome to the freehold. We have awkwardness and sometimes picnics. She made a mental note to have a picnic with Gerrit in her back yard. Alone. Wouldn't that be like a bbq or something? Yeah. That's the backyard ones. Her gaze lingered over Gerrit, and she nodded a bit.

"Well its nice to meet you Oscar. Yes. I mean others like us. Gerrit's gunna give you the Director's number, and he will get you situated. You can call him, and start mingling with the group so to speak." She glanced around. It wasn't that she felt any danger, she didn't, but talking this much out in the open like this, wasn't a good idea. Nothing says hidden people like talking openly about the Lost in public, eh?

She backed off and moved back over closer to Gerrit, watching the frenetic new friend they found. She grinned slightly to herself looking up at Gerrit with a rueful smile. "Well, this day has took an interesting turn, huh? I couldn't have prepared for all of this?" She said with laugh and shaking her head. "We didn't even get to the chocolate yet!" She pointed out, finding that rather funny.

[Gerrit]

Gerrit smiled appreciatively at Vivian - for an lack of tact mostly associated with Elementals she worked wonders on calming the Beast down. "If you've got something to write or a phone with you I can give it to you right now. Just explain you're a newcomer and he will set you up with everything you need." Giving out the number once Oscar was ready.

The frantic Jackelope was hard to follow at first, but once you focused on him it was easier. Gerrit still thought he missed something when Oscar called him a.. 'style icon'. He didn't know himself if he was holding back a chuckle or a startled gasp, but the rhythm of his breathing was thrown off for a second or two. He had an idea - he didn't like it very much considering how well he and Vivian were talking to each other, but he couldn't get away from himself: why didn't they invite Oscar to join their picnic?

He looked at the Airtouched and caught her smile, which he couldn't help but to return. "Yes, no boring day in Sacramento." Her laugh made him chuckle, mixing the jolts of pain this movement sent through his body mix with a soothing warmth. Once they calmed down he gave Vivian another look, before turning to Oscar. "Hey uhm OC, if you're not busy right now, maybe you could join us? I think there's some more food to spare. Also, you might want to keep the lingo to a minimum, okay?" Yes, the Wyrdstone hasn't cleared him yet, but this guy was obviously new and confused and Gerrit didn't want to be the Ogre that turned his back on some newly arrived Lost. The thought of Vivian disagreeing with the idea, maybe even being cross with Gerrit for suggesting it, made him a bit nervous - then again, she'd probably speak openly against it if she felt so.

At least that's what he hoped.