Friends At the Table

[Liam Gelt]

Liam sits at the table and begins to dig in, starting with whatever fresh fruit lies within his massive reach. "So, how have folks been. Feels like a lot's happened in the past month."

Continued from (2109) Autumn Equinox...

[Circe]

Circe opts for something apple like amongst the fruit. "Ya don't know the half of it Liam," she tells him, "I had a shitty adventure dealing with a lot of dirty rats."

The tunnels were less fun and more work then expected. "How about yerself? Ya lived in intersting times this month?"

[Liam Gelt]

Liam pauses briefly as a full melon gets chewed down and swallowed, the Ogre not really thinking of the ramifications of a treant devouring plant matter so ravenously. "Actually pretty interesting; you remember Templeton?" Surely Circe would, if only because the little rat had been one of the few creatures to nibble the Summer Queen and live to tell about it. "I've been teaching him little tricks like running through mazes. He's really smart for an...uneducated rat." Now might not be the best time to mention that his apartment houses a wild animal. "And work at the club as been picking up; lots of good tips." He smiles, Sera's praise still warming his heart. "Honestly I just try to bring a smile and some long arms to pass drinks down the bar."

Rhodes' entrance genuinely spooks the Giant, but his mind quickly turns to considering this Hunt he mentioned. He was glad Rhodes gave the option of bringing the quarry in alive, and the thought of having a favor from the Autumn King did turn the wheels in his Ogrish mind. Rhodes mentioned he teaches Dream magic. Maybe he could teach me! Liam had been wanting to expand his Contract knowledge beyond that of his own Spring and Ogre magics. An idea strikes him and he leans over to Circe, booming voice down to a modest stage whisper. "Circe, do you think we could team up? I'm no good as a hunter, but I might be able to do some research that could help." ​He'd much rather compete with the Queen of Summer than against her.

[Colonel Worm]

"Woah woah woah, are we talking Autumn Hunt here, folks?" Worm slides into a chair across from them, very excited.

"Cause I want in. What say the three of us catch this...whatever-it-is?"

He looks between them, like a kid proposing a crazy scheme to his parents. Hoping against hope they accept.

Continued from (2109) Autumn Equinox...

[Ram]

Ram approached the Summers and Liam, having only just arrived. Still looked sheepish about it and it wasn't just his horns.

"Hey," he whispered "What'd I miss?"

[Circe]

At the mention of Rempleton she nods, "I fear the day Sonja learns of him and forces the poor fella ta wear a tiny hat." As for the training part, "Good hobby. Unless yer planning something Ocean 11-ish with rats."


Something Liam says about work? Yeah, "Oh ho ho ho ho!" Circe sputters out the fruit she'd nibbled on, "Sorry, sorry. Just, long arm made me think ta guns, then shirt cannons, then beer launcher, oh ho ho ho, sorry."


"Helluva entrance right?" She comments on Rhodes arrival. Ah, he was interested in the hunt? And so was Colonel Worm? "A treant, a goblin, and a dark elf? I see no reason ta not go team Tolkien my boys. Even if I know ya want me fer my hands. Though two things." She bites into the apple again. "As Groundskeeper I may hafta follow extra rules," she shrugs not being sure, "Hafta clear that up with Rhodes."


"And second ta answer that Worm. It won't be a snipe hunt," Circe assures him with confidence, "Rhodes doesn't have that kind of sense of humor. I think," her confidence lessens. "Ram, welcome! just catching the boys here up on shit and talking about going Super Sentai Team on the hunt." Inaccurate. They'd technically need a fifth to have a minimum Super Sentai team, "Ya want in too?"

[Liam Gelt]

Liam finds Circe's laughter infectious, though he makes sure his mouth is empty before he joins in. "Ha! You know, I've always wondered what it would be like to have arm cannons. Though I don't think they'd fire t-shirts. Beer? Maybe; that might be fun." Certainly would make him quite the party attraction.

Worm pops in and Liam's grin widens. "Are you kidding? We'd love to have you, Colonel!" He raises a glass in toast to the Goblin. Worm's tactical experience was welcome in any scenario. "You can probably charm the thing to Rhodes' doorstep." He thinks of Worm's expert deception when dealing with the Handy Child. He'd distracted the creature long enough for Liam and Titania to get Timmy to safety, then single-handedly taken care of the creature.

Liam liked the idea of a team name. Helps with camaraderie; and it just sounds cool. Ogres were all about titles with punch. "Oh no, Circe. You're so much more than that; you're smart, and brave, and... In his haste to encourage the Fairest, he'd failed to notice she was joking. "Oh...yeah. But you're hands are good too. I mean with guns and stuff." ​Ram's entrance helps buffer the Giant's embarrassment. "Hey, Ram! We were talking about making a hunting team. Want to join us?" Liam wonders what favor Ram might ask of the Autumn King...

[Colonel Worm]

The Colonel rubs his hands together, gleeful, "Suh-weet! We're gonna do the damn thing." Come on: Circe, Liam, and Worm? Fucking dream team, baby!

A wink to Circe, "Worm's not afraid of a challenge. Let's get this bread. You just clear the whole Groundskeeper thing with Rhodes and we're golden."

Then Ram joins them looking...a little out of the loop.

Worm leans in, speaks in a conspiratorial tone: "Wait, did you miss all that?"

Doesn't wait for an answer. "Check it: Rhodes showed up as a bunch of leaves, came floating in on a cold breeze. And then the leaves all clump together and turn into him. Wild right? Anyway, he did his Hellos and Welcomes, promoted Anatole to Shadow Warrior or something bad ass, and then told us about an Autumn Hunt. Don't know what we're hunting yet, but he said its cunning and dangerous, right? Sounds rad." A pause to puff on his vape.

"We can go it alone or work together," a glance to Circe and Liam, stoked on their team, "and whoever wins gets a Boon from the Dread Lord. We'll have to swear a pledge to enter and time's up when Winter rolls around. Oh yeah, and the reward's dead or alive. And even just spotting the...whatever-it-is can bag you something cool."

Worm sits back, excitement bubbling out of him in waves. "So yeah, we're going in together. You wanna join up, soldier??"

[Ram]

Ram did his best to follow everything and everyone.

“Sounds like fun,” he said with a smile for as much fun as hunting down something could be as long as it didn’t trigger memories of the Battlefield “I’d be up for joining. A hunt for what? What kind of rules?” Ram asked, sounding interested before a thought occurred and the sheepish look came back.

“Or… I would. I, uh, kinda promised Sera I’d help with the tunnels once I got some free time.”

[Circe]

"Yes Liam, but ya'd need ta be more blue fer and arm cannon ta work. Also, ya'd hafta give out catcher's outfits ta the customers," Circe faux chides him. Circe grabs some meat and smiles wider as Liam doesn't quite get her joke. It was funny. "I can even make spears if were going classic hunt. Pokey stick."


And then the Colonel starts to lay down the tale that Ram had missed. And Circe adds in little hand gestures ranging from stage signals to Jazz Hands. The occasional "Whooo," or "Ah" to add emphasis to the goblin's words. Mention of Anatole's new title got two thumbs up.


"The rules and prey? Tis a mystery," she sings, "Our team will make history, ooo-woo-ooo."


"Dude, I'm still doing the tunnels too," she explains to him, "Gonna get me a submarine drone ta look at the flooded areas. Probably put up some fence gates too, security and all."


Circe didn't see aught wrong with working on many projects at once.