Cartography of Waking and Dreams

[Marcus Evan]

Marcus notices Sam's odd reaction to Jacob, but simply puts it down to the Wizened's usual paranoia.

"Sam... Jacob. Jacob... Sam. Jacob's been working at mapping out the gates and trods of the Freehold. I thought it best to start here and work our way out. Sam here, is The H... one of the best hunters I've ever seen."

Marcus covers his slip, still not quite used to Barkley's new affiliation. The Elemental adjusts the shoulder straps of his rucksack to cover his discomfort.

"Right. We're off, then?"

Marcus starts walking over to the gate, looking at his companions to make sure they are ready to head into the Wilds.

[Sam Barkley]

Heh. Maybe the Tiger holds this cat's tongue. Sam smiles at it. Never a good sign to see Barkley smiling.

He nods at Marcus' compliment, which to Sam's mind, is simply a statement of the facts. He was, because that's who the Tiger had made him. "Right." Barkley pats his pockets, double-checking that the distinct lumps of Hedge Fruit were still present, takes up his staff and follows Marcus, a steady thump as the wood digs into the ground ahead, like a really slow drum solo.

[Marcus Evan]

After a quick look over each shoulder, Marcus doesn't see anyone hanging about the Vietnam Memorial. Putting one hand on the rightmost pillar, he concentrates on that part of him that belongs on the other side of the gate. He grasps the Otherness inside him and twists it like a key in a lock.

"Knock, knock."

The Metalflesh can feel the metaphysical tumblers turn and soon the interior of the Memorial is filled with the verdant foliage of the Hedge. Clover carpets the floor and vines and creepers cover the interior walls until only the vaguest suggestion of something man-made is apparent. With one last glance at his companions, Marcus steps through the gate and into the Wilds.

Open the Hedge Gate

2010-08-11 05:27:10
Marcus Evan rolls 3 to Wyrd (10 Again)
5, 1, 10, 10, 2
2 successes

[Fractured]

Sam politely tells Jacob "After you," then likewise walks into the Hedge, laughing to himself that they've already made it farther than the ill-fated Tickle mission. His gnarly hands grasp his staff even tighter as he goes, its thirst for Fae blood, and its solidity, a comfort in a place where it was everything but.

[Marcus Evan]

Once on the other side of the gate, a few remnants of the mundane Capitol Park are still visible amidst the wildness of the Hedge. The trees are more plentiful, but mostly look the same, just larger and somehow greener. Nearby, an old wooden bench with a broken leg stands choked with vines and brambles, while a few stray napkins and soda bottle can be glimpsed within the tangle of the surrounding Thorns. Before them the cracked cement of the Trod gets more broken and weed-choked as it winds its way into the depths of the Hedge, until it becomes a simple path of well-worn dirt and grass.

When Marcus first crosses over, the afternoon sunshine intensifies and the far-off sounds of children playing in the park turn into more aggressive shouts and cheers. However, when Sam follows in his footsteps, the sunlight dims and the sounds of the children are muted until only the quiet of the Briars surrounds them. The handle of the Elemental's Hedge Ax sticks out of the top of his rucksack. Marcus reaches back for it and pulls it free, stroking the ax head as he does so. Gripping it in his right hand, he looks over to his Wizened companion.

"Sam, have you noticed anything... odd about the Hedge, lately?"

[Sam Barkley]

Sam notices how the Hedge reacts first to Marcus', then his Mantle. He finds the quiet peaceful, not eerie, the dim light more relaxing than the brightness exacerbated by Summer. Of course, this was meant to put him off his guard, and Barkley will have none of it, his beady eyes doubling their efforts to search out potential danger along the path, and pinching his bark whenever he feels his vigilance give way to the stream of consciousness, the slight pain keeping his senses sharp. Sam starts to laugh at Marcus' question at first- it was the Hedge. It was always odd. Just last week he had dined with purple cartoon hippopotami. There weren't nothin' that weren't odd 'bout that. But then he pauses. "Weeeeeeeell," he says, rustlin' the leaves of his beard as he scratches at it idly, "one thing comes to mind. When I left Gianna's fer me Hollow, she tol' me I'd come to a fork in the path, and to go right. But, when I got there, it weren't a simple fork, it'd split three-ways- left, middle, right. I thought it was either her havin' a trick at me expense, or a test, y'know, or the Hedge was tryin' to get cute with me mixed-up brains."

[Marcus Evan]

Marcus is silent as Sam speaks. He simply nods as the Wizened relates his tale.

"Hmm... with everything that happened afterwards, I never had a chance to tell you what I saw on that trip into the sewers. We found and killed the beastie alright, but the Hedge, itself... it was... well Sam, it like it was... breathing. That's odd, right?"

Looking over the diminutive Woodblood's shoulder, Marcus casts a suspicious eye at the vines and Thorns, half-expecting them to expand and contract as they had before. But they don't. Bloody Hedge.

[Sam Barkley]

"Yeah," Sam agrees, lookin' round the Briars for signs of life himself, "that's damn odd. It ain't s'posed to do that. If it's become an organism," he says, exhausting the breadth of his scientific knowledge in a single word, "in its own right, somethin'...or someone...musta served as a catalyst." Okay, I lied. He knows two. "Oooooor," he says slowly, lightbulbs slowly comin' on, "it's always been alive, an' now its under distress fer some reason, an' its defendin' itself." His mind goes back to Tickle...bridge-burning...that red-haired sonuvabitch. What has he done? "If its alive, Marcus...we need to talk to it."

[Marcus Evan]

"Alright. You have any idea how we can do that?"

Marcus doesn't find the idea of talking to the Hedge in the least bit strange. Why would he? He has conversations with manhole covers. Just then, he looks around and notices that Jacob hasn't followed them through the gate. Looking back, he tries to see the Beast on the other side before the doorway closes.

"Oi! Jacob!"

[Sam Barkley]

Barkley laughs that mad, reckless sound made by crazy, dying men. "Yeah, I do. We need to find its heart," he says, looking at the strange life all around them. "The Hedgiest of the Hedge. Deep. Close to the Place, deep." Dammit! He'd become distracted by his thoughts and lost track of 'Jacob.' Sam's neck whips round.