PrP Tunnel Trek: Intermission

[Circe]

The meeting room in Funderland was a good choice to reconvene. It was close to the tunnel entrance, in case they didn't want to delay, and it had a table.


Tables were good for holding snacks, be they fruit or confectionaries, of which the table had both. Also, coffee. For Circe was the one presently present to present such victuals.


Her attire was much the same as her prior venture into the tunnel, save for having knee high combat boots on now.


The room also had one more advantage. The walls. They were painted for dry erase markers. Which are fully stocked in the room, probably for actual staff meetings. Or Circe figures it could also be to entertain lost children. Lost as in misplaced by parents, even if Lost children would probably be equally entertained by a dry erase wall too. Her brain was on a tangent!

The others should have gotten her message to meet.

Apologies for the delay Boxing Unicorn / Liam and Orianna / Seraphina . I've been sick this week, so typing was difficult to conduct.

[Liam Gelt]

Continued from RE: Tunnel Trek - Looking for Gila...

Liam ducks into the meeting room less one lizard and kind of hungry after a busy day of tunnel trekking and wildlife relocation. The smell of coffee is a welcome aroma compared to rats and dark, wet earth.

"Circe! Good news; our lizard has been found a new home. Though I was told we should keep an eye out for any nests while we're down there." Maybe that was too much information for now, but he doesn't want to leave Circe out of the loop. So far the dry-erase walls were doing a great job of attracting Liam's attention; child or no, he appreciates the union of artistry and efficacy. "Hey! This is nice. We can sketch up a map of our progress."

The Giant makes himself a cup of coffee and finds an unoccupied wall to lean on. ​"So, what's our net move?"

[Seraphina]

Sera had taken the time to head home for a quick shower and to find a new pair of boots. Thing with exploring the Hedge and tunnels? It had given her an excuse to keep a few pair of boots on hand. These were leather, and as promised before, lace up to her knees. Lets see some giant ass lizard bite through these!

Her bag was in her SUV, just in case. But she didn’t carry it in.

Smiling, long hair still damp but tied in a long braid. “Hey!” walking over to the coffee, because that was needed. An apple picked up cause it just looked good.

“What’s the plan?” sitting in a chair.

[Circe]

"Oooh?" Circe reacts to the news from Liam, "Good news builds up Liam. I bought some solid sticks and a net, just in case of more of 'em." When he brings up the map, she taps the side of her head with a smirk, "I am brilliant."


"Welcome Sera," Circe smirks as she gets a dry red marker. Then proceeds to coffee. prepares, "Plan? Well," she sips her coffee and goose steps over to the wall, "Step Vun," Circe effects a false German accent, "Map!" She draws out a map of the tunnels as they've explored. Adding some to it since the last time. "Zen, discuss ze plan!"


Circe points with the market at the 4-way intersection that they had stopped at. "We've got this spot," she points to the G gallery, "Here," and the poop tunnel, "And there left unexplored. But, we left the robot here," she taps the 4-way, "And the Gila Monster was down there," taps that tunnel spot, "So if we wants ta look fer more of 'em it'd be around there. Or, we can say fuck it and just put up a small fence or something."

She tosses the pen up in the air before catching it. "Options?"

Le Map:

[Liam Gelt]

​Liam echoes Circe's gesture playfully. "Never in any doubt about that."

Liam waves to Sera, glad to see the Spring Monarch unharmed. "Nice boots! Looks like you're ready for whatever other ankle biters we meet." He's impressed how she can be wearing the most practical gear and yet still look so effortlessly beautiful. Like a shimmering model in combat attire.

As Circe lays out the map, Liam follows along with his eyes. He furrows his brow in thought for a few seconds. "Maybe a gate so that we can move down that tunnel if we want to? I'd really hate to miss out on any more exploring. Gila monsters are decently big for lizards, so a thick chain link fence should be enough to keep them at bay if more are down there." He's also thinking of the local rats; he can only imagine how grateful they'd be to have potential predators blocked off. "Oh yeah! The robot you brought down. Was is a camera drone?" Part of him wonders if Circe was going to equip it with a bomb or a flamethrower to fight off any other tunnel hazards.

[Seraphina]

An eyebrow was arched at the accent, but there was a smile.

Looking at the map, and listening as Circe laid things out, there was an absent nod as she thought.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to relocating them, but it probably requires us finding their nest and ways of getting in.” looking to Liam, as he seemed to know the most about them. “I would hate to not use the robot because I’m sure it wasn’t cheap, so that gets my vote.” Sounded good.

A nod to Liam, “I certainly am! Lets see ‘em get these off my feet.” Humor in her voice.

“I agree with Liam, I’d hate to lose out on anymore explorations. Are there any humane traps we could use?” looking to Liam and Circe, “If so, it might be a good thing to start using.” She would rather leave the things unhurt if possible.

[Circe]

"Gates," she writes down on the wall, "Are cheap fer chainlink. Easier then hunting lizards down," agreeing with Liam. T1hey had the concrete still down there for anchoring it or whatever. The drone question gets a nod, "Yup. By phone or iPad it'd work from the tether. Plop in the water and any aquatic horror eats circuits instead of my face. I like my face. It's where I keep the eyes I use fer aiming."


And not vetoes on the drone usage. Drone gets written up. Then boots, "Safety first," she adopts a British accent, "Do ya have a solid pair of boots yerself Liam? Even ski boots would do." She drops it as she writes down traps. "I have no idea Sera. Could be a pet someone ditched, could be more. Probably are humane traps that'd hold 'em. And hey," she looks to Liam, "Funderland has justification ta buy 'em now. Business expense!"


Circe wrote down a dollar sign. "I shall not even consider writing down belt or gumbo as an alternative."

[Liam Gelt]

Liam nods gratefully to Circe as she accepts his chain-link fence idea. "Great! I can help with installation too, shouldn't be too difficult with the tools we have." He sips some coffee, letting the black bean juice get his Ogreish mind-gears turning. "You think the tunnels might have some water monster? I don't think there are a lot of big water predators in this area? Water snakes maybe? Or an escaped gator at worst." Not that Liam relished the idea of gator wrestling, but out of everyone here he'd be the best bet for it.

"I've got a pair of hiking boots that have some thick toes. It's not metal, but it should be tough enough to take a bite or two." He hadn't used them since the last Hedge Patrol, so they hadn't gotten too much wear and tear. "Something like a raccoon trap should work, as long as there isn't space in the framework for the lizard to wiggle out. I imagine those can be found fairly cheap. The real matter is bait: we'll probably have to get some fairly specialized bait to attract Gila's." He makes a mental note to look up the specifics of Gila Monsters' diet.

​"The water would lead out to the Sacramento river, right? Do you think we'll have to build a sluice gate of some kind to keep swimmers out?" Even if the river wasn't open for public swimming, some people had a mind to do what they wanted anyway. But if they did, Liam had the long arms for fishing them out.

[Seraphina]

Eyes study the map and notes as Circe talks and writes them. “Yeah, I’d prefer you to have your eyes.” A nod. Yup. “But I hope there isn’t anything capable of eating faces in the water, cause that just adds a whole new level of crap to deal with.” Rats, lizards, sewage, she’d had enough.

Smirking, “Have you added accents to your list of talents?” she jokes. “But ski boots are hard to walk in, no flex at all. Though it will protect your feet. Or a handheld weapon.” That could work. “If you don’t, let me know and I’ll buy you a good pair of boots.” Protecting her Court was important.

Arching eyebrow, “Gator? I did not agree to tangling with one of those.” A shake of her head. Nope, that thing will eat you! “If there is gators, I vote for dropping some dynamite in the water and walking away.” Cause fuck gators. She could mess with the desires of Briar Wolves…but gators? Might be above her pay grade.

“Well, if you want something with a steel toe, I can hook you up.” Always good to offer. “When you get the info, let me know and I’ll help cover the costs.” That made things easier.

Nodding in agreement, “A gate would be good.”

[Circe]

Circe drew a square across the newly explored area. Adding little X marks into it to make it look gate-like, "Easy peasy, that does pleasy."


Water monster? "Well," she looks to Liam, "I did mount a giant crab claw off something I killed in the Hedge," Circe felt that was important. "Unlikely if there ain't an underwater Trod. Not like river fish can be scary. Sharks are in the ocean," she winks at Seraphina, "And gators are a southeast thing. But I love the idea of dynamite fishing," she writes that down with gusto, "Oh ho ho! Good idea Seraphina. Uh. Wait. Are water snakes venomous?"


Circe writes down raccoon trap on the wall. "Eh," she shrugs as Liam brings up specialized bait, "We'll email the zoo fer advice." Circe waves her hand towards the door, "I mean, they already know Funderland caught one Gila Monster. Would make sense fer us ta put up traps, and humane ones! The zoo should love that." Circe writes down zoo.


"Work boots with steel toes are pretty common," she writes down Wolverine (TM) on the wall, "If we need boots, most retail stores are fine fer that. Beats a ski shop."


Then adds the word skin divers. Before crossing it out, "I doubt that is a worry Sera. I looked up cave diving before buying the drone. It's why I bought the drone. Something about swimming with sharks being safer. Anyone SCUBA dives up ta the tunnels?" Circe laughs darkly as she takes the security quite seriously, "There is that dynamite ta seal them inta the stone and water."