[NEXUS] Clearing in the Countryside II

[A Rainy Knight]

Isabel leans back against the bedroom door.
Did it leave?

[The Bushranger]

"I...think so?" Dani says, breathing hard, her eyes wide. "That was the biggest deer I've ever seen!"

[A Rainy Knight]

Isabel sighs.
I'm so glad I can't have heart attacks, because I would have totally had one back there...

[The Bushranger]

Dani can't help but giggle a little. "Yeah, me too! If I weren't so hyper!" Dani nods, then eeps a bit as the elk bugles again, this time in the distance. "I guess he's gone now! And, um, we're gonna need to fix the window."

[A Rainy Knight]

Well, we don't exactly have any panes of glass around. What are we going to do it with?
She sits down on the floor and puts her arms around her knees.

[The Bushranger]

"Maybe he has some! And, um, there's always plastic bags or something..."

Dani drops on the floor next to Isabel, looking worried, and tries to put an arm around her shoulders. "You OK?"

[A Rainy Knight]

Isabel gets arm-put-around-shoulder'd.
Ah, sorry, I'm just still really scared... I don't think I'm shutting off again until we leave.

((Deadtime.))

[The Bushranger]

"Awww....well, I doubt he'll be back..."
And Dani gives her friend a reassuring hug.

((aw. 'night!))

[McBish]

The rings activate and Angie steps out of them carrying two packs over her shoulder.

[The Bushranger]

As a note, Dani and Isabel are long since having returned to HALO.

Angie will find the cabin as described in the OP and earlier, with one window hastily repaired, and the latchstring outside the door, ready for visitors, a swing swaying in the slight, cool fall breeze.

[McBish]

Angie heads inside and tosses her bag into the bedroom before heading into the kitchen looking around and starting to cook up a simple and easy meal to eat. After eating a little bit she heads into the bed room and pulls a small velvet bag from there. She lays down and takes a bit of powder out of it rolling up her sleeve and letting a bit of powder onto a dull rash there. And in a few moments the rash turns black and Angie's body stiffens in pain. After just laying down for awhile she gets up moving, not stiffly but relaxed. She steps out of the cabin onto the porch looking around at wilderness around her.

[The Bushranger]

((Sorry, Internet died and then missed this))

If Angie sampled the sugar, she found it still laced with salt. Silly Tobias.

Nothing stops her, alas, from her self-induced rash-drugging. When she heads outside though, the evening is becoming cooler, the spruce surrounding the clearing sighing as a soft breeze blows through their branches, and a moose grazes on the wildflowers in a small bog on the far side of the clearing.

[McBish]

Angie smiles and kicks off her shoes and walks off the porch and enjoys the cool feel of the grass in between her toes. She starts to wander around just enjoying nature.

[The Bushranger]

In the cool evening air, a whip-poor-will calls from the edge of the woods, as owls start to hoot further away. A few bats linger, swooping over the clearing hawking insects, as the moose snorts and moves away into the woods.

[McBish]

Angie has been enjoying her mini-vacation here. Today she decides to go for a bit of a swim in the nearby lake/stream/whatever sort of body of water there is. Glad she brought her swimming suit, since last time she went skinny dipping she was surprised by a couple running into her.

[The Bushranger]

That would be somewhat...awkward, yes.
Angie will discover a stream flowing nearby, almost a river, with a beaver dam forming a large, calm pond with marshy edges.

...as she arrives at the pool, a junco swoops down and lands atop the beaver lodge.

Peeeeeeering at her.

[McBish]

Angie wades into the water and glances at the junco. Hey there what's up with you? She says to the bird.

[The Bushranger]

"Seeeeep. Seep seep chirrp seep seep tweedledee tweedledum seep!" Tom the Junco replies.

Also known as "...goodness. Long time no see, but longer for you, I think." If Angie understand Avian, which Tom's player can't recall.

[McBish]

Nope Angie has no idea what te little bird is saying. But she nods letting herself float in the pond.

Yeah long time no see. You flying solo these days or still hanging around Erin?

[The Bushranger]

Tom fluffs his feathers indiginatly.
How dare Angie remind him he's supposed to be with his mistress who he hasn't been in the same thread with since arrving here!

"Seep. Seep seep chirrup seep."
Translation: 'Ask that question again and you'll get pecked on the nose.'

[McBish]

Yeah I haven't seen her in awhile either.

Angie floats her way over to the shore grabbing her towel and drying off.

[The Bushranger]

Tom fluffs his feathers, flutters down into a shallow spot near Angie, and starts to bathe.

[McBish]

Angie heads back to the cabin making and pouring herself a cup of coffee. She reaches into her pack and brings out a music player and walks out to the porch turning up her music and sipping her coffee.

As the music plays Angie starts to hum along and then singing quietly under her breath.

[The Bushranger]

Tom the Junco, meanwhile, flies off!

As Angie walks out onto the porch, the sound of whip-poor-wills in the woods continues, joined by a chorus of frogs, and the season's last cicadas...


...when suddenly: owls.

One owl, for example, landing on the railing at the end of the porch, and looking at Angie.

[McBish]

Hm, those are some mighty friendly and fearless birds. Angie stops her singing and tilts her head at the owl.

God I should have been a bird, I seem to make avian friends quickly enough.

[The Bushranger]

The owl bobs its head, and keeps staring at Angie.
Silently.

Eeeeeeeeerily silently.


...who said the owl was friendly?

[McBish]

Meh it isn't attacking her and trying to gouge out her eyes. So that seems friendly enough.

So there mister Owl, you know a junco named Tom?

[The Bushranger]

The owl, if it knew Tom, would have put him on the menu.

And so it peers at Angie a bit more.

...then a second owl flies up, and lands next to the first one.

The a third.


Parliment, it seems, is in session.

[McBish]

Do you guys really think that you are intimidating? Sorry you need to work on that.

Angie says with a small smile. She doesn't want to leave the porch, but the owls aren't much company.

[The Bushranger]

And it's at this point...that the owls start hooting.

One answering the other, and onwards, almost like a conversation. Heads swiveling to peer at each other, then back at Angie.

Maybe they're discussing her amongst themselves?