Tempting Fate [IC]

[QuidEst]

Kyoni toyed briefly with the idea of amusing herself at the expense of the others, but quickly discarded the possibility for a number of reasons. "Hello again, boys," she said rather dryly as she dismissed the glamer concealing her. "Glad to see you're both in one piece. I've got better shelter available if you're interested and don't mind things being a little cramped."

[TheOneHawk]

Finn jumps to his feet as Kyoni appears in a panic and kicks Gil awake before he recognizes her. "By the gods Kyoni you gave me a hell of a scare. Can't be doing that, sneaking up and just appearing outa nowhere on a poor unsuspecting fellow like that. Right rude it is." He replies, then takes a deep breath. "Better shelter'd be nice, but where's Darruck and Tove?"

[The Hellbug]

Gil, never a heavy sleeper even in the most comfortable of times, wakes with a start at Kyoni's arrival. In contrast to his friend's reaction, though, the spy's hands go straight to his crossbow. His hat falls from his head as he stands up and trains his weapon on the new arrival. "Better question," he starts, still sore from the recent fey trickery, "how do we know you're who you say you are?"

[QuidEst]

Kyoni shrugged. "Well, I'm not just going to wander around out here alone and visible if I can help it. I've set up an extradimensional space just off the cliffside. Thought I told Darruk to pass that on. As for the other two…" Here she paused to pull out the other containers she'd received. "Since these showed up, I'm guessing that insulting invisible strangers is at least as inadvisable here as it is anywhere else." She turned to stare down Gil's crossbow. "A good question. I'm Kyoni,
you're Gil, and he's Finn. The poem I used to barter for crossing was titled, 'A Brief Guide to Casual Trade in the First World'. Sufficient?"

[TheOneHawk]

Finn sighs and offers a wry smile at Kyoni's words. Not gonna lie, I'm surprised even the three of us made it outta there. Maybe next time I repeatedly warn something is dangerous, people should listen." He says, then glances back at the forest. "So what's the plan? I'm still down for finding these damned wells, but perhaps a more cautious approach, eh?"

[The Hellbug]

"Hmm, welcome back, then," Gil relents, lowering his weapon and bending to pick up his hat. He then turns to Finn:"I don't have one. Best I can think of is heading back to city and starting over. Someone has to know the way through, and we could find them. Of course, we were moving pretty quick on that barge; it'd be a long walk back."

[TheOneHawk]

Finn rolls his eyes. "I already told you the way through, we just need to stay to the tops of the trees rather than walking straight into the scariest fey we can find and insulting him."

[The Hellbug]

"Tops of the trees?" Gil challenges, "you still sure about that? With the way that boogeyman moved I doubt we'd be safe up there, either."

[TheOneHawk]

"Safe?" Finn scoffs, "Since when is anything here safe? Yes I'm sure, though. The tops of the trees are the best way through. We shouldn't so much as look at the forest floor until we're at the pool, nevermind walk on it."

[QuidEst]

"Well, regardless, I'm not going to make it up any cliffs without suitable preparation. I'm not planning on it either. You can either join me in the relative safety of a small pocket in space, or else you can camp out here. Now that we've all had an object lesson on the value of civility towards the fey, I suspect we can at least rule out a repeat of this particular sort of incident," Kyoni said. "Anyway, if you're coming back, how long do you need to pack things up here?"

[The Hellbug]

Gil shifts uncomfortably. "I'm already packed," he replies, "but back in there? Sure we shouldn't wait a bit longer?"

[TheOneHawk]

Finn laughs and lightly punches Gil in the arm, teasing "You scared of the bogeyman, Gil? Never took you for a coward." His tone is lighthearted, but even as he jests there's a note of fear in his own voice.

[The Hellbug]

"Coward?" Gil snorts derisively, "as I recall, the only person out of those woods quicker than me was you, friend."

[QuidEst]

Kyoni gave a broad smile at both of them. It wasn't a very pleasant one. "Well, it's been about two hours so far. But tell you what, why don't we just stay here, out here in the open, and wait for night. Then we can go through the same place, only it's night then, so we'll need have an obvious light to give away our position with."

[The Hellbug]

"Kyoni, now is not the time for sarcasm," Gil warns, his irritation only just covering his nervousness, "besides, what could the dark bring that's any more dangerous than what we've already seen? Two of our allies are dead, cut down less than a stone's throw from the rest of us. And waltz back in? That's your plan?"

[QuidEst]

Kyoni looked unimpressed. "Listen. Tove insulted a powerful fey, and got into a pitched fight rather than running. Not her first significant lapse in judgement. Darruk got involved in what was clearly a lost cause, and refused to back down. We'll try not doing anything suicidally foolish. I don't see waiting any longer improving the situation, and I'll take what we know about at present over future unknowns. Still, if you'd rather stay here, I'm not going to make you come along." She was far too tired to do that at the moment.

[TheOneHawk]

Finn nods at Kyoni's words. "She's right, Gil. Plus, if we stick to the trees rather than running headfirst into the forest for no apparent reason," He pauses to cast a meaningful look at Gil, "We should be substantially safer."

[The Hellbug]

Obviously, their minds were set. Gil takes one last long nervous glance at the woods before leaning down for his pack. "As you wish, then," he concedes grudgingly, "Kyoni, lead the way."

[QuidEst]

Glad to have matters attended to, Kyoni started back towards the cliff edge where she'd set up the extradimensional space, doing her best to keep an eye out for any unwanted company. She didn't want to resort to invisibility again, but it was still best to be prepared.

[ylvathrall]

Kyoni sees nothing out of place on her way back to her shelter, and there are no more gifts on the way. When she reaches it she sees the rope still dangling out over the branch, precisely as she left it.

[QuidEst]

Kyoni gestured to the dangling rope hanging from nothing amongst the tree branches. "Home sweet home away from home," she said with a short bow. "Just climb up that. We've got a few hours left on this one, and I can make a new one."

[TheOneHawk]

Finn glances up the rope and shrugs. "Room for all of us in there, eh? Seems like it'll probably be... cozy." He chuckles to himself quietly then starts to climb the rope.

[The Hellbug]

Gil's finger never leaves the trigger of his crossbow during the short march to Kyoni's hideaway, and he glances back and forth nervously at even the smallest disturbance. "Quickly," he says impatiently when they reach the rope, "get me away from this place."

[ylvathrall]

The night, such as it is in the perpetually twilit shade of the forest's boughs, passes uneventfully. Kyoni's extradimensional pocket is cramped, but safe, and while one might not be precisely happy with their quality of sleep within it, it's better than nothing.

The next morning, you wake up to a fundamentally unchanged environment. Behind you, the trees loom, casting shadows over your resting place. In front of you, the bright morning sun is gleaming on the tops of the trees in front of you. You hear birdsong and, when you listen more closely, the faint sound of the river not too far away.

[QuidEst]

By the time the others awoke, Kyoni was already awake and prepared for the day, lounging in the safety of the extradimensional space. "You boys well-rested?" she asked, peering at them through the gloom caused by only receiving light from beneath. "We won't have this luxury tonight, I'm afraid- given the trouble that setting foot on the ground causes, I've put my resources towards making sure I can get back up here if something does go wrong." When they'd gotten ready, she proceeded out with them into the canopy.

[TheOneHawk]

Finn yawns and rubs his eyes blearily after exiting the rope trick. "Ok, we're where we should be now. Any bright ideas for not falling out of the trees?"

[The Hellbug]

Needless to say with the cramped space and the debacle that was the previous day, Gil doesn't sleep well. Kyoni, though, doesn't make any exceptions for that. "Never better," the spy lies, following Finn out of the extra-dimensional pocket as soon as he's sure the coast is clear. Next, though, is finding a way into the trees.

A quick look around the surrounding canopy gives Gil his answer to that conundrum. "It won't need a bright idea," he responds to the sorcerer and pointing off into the treetops, "look there, you see those coils of branches? They look like they form a path. Just give me a second."

Taking only a second to survey his path, the spy leaps from branch to branch, quickly covering the distance to the road through the treetops. He looks down it either way once he arrives and then calls to the others. "Sure enough. It's looks like a road. You two shouldn't have any problem getting over here if you take your time, and it even looks like it's going in the right direction."

[TheOneHawk]

Finn's face brightens at the stroke of luck and he quickly starts clambering after Gil, albiet rather less gracefully. "Excellent work, Gil. I knew I kept you around for something. He says once he's securely on the path, landing a playful punch on the man's arm.

[QuidEst]

"Thank you. I'm glad that we can get back to the proper road despite our poor choice of detour," Kyoni replied, giving an apologetic nod to Finn. She followed along, occasionally supplementing the route with some simple shaping rather than risk the nuisance of a fall. "You two been working together for long?"

[TheOneHawk]

Finn thinks for a moment before replying brightly, "Month and a half, maybe? Dunno, time's kinda hard when yer travelling and every day seems the same. Once in the First World time just goes out the window,
too. He worked for my father and then we just happened upon each other on the road. Been travelling together ever since."