MH - S01 E09

<Darkling> After everything had settled in the cabin and Billy had gotten Gramps covered in a few more blankets, the group of girls split up. Elisa was heading back to town to pick up a few things and go to the library, Avaline and Tina in tow. They were just arriving at the school library now. "You know, you guys really didn't have to come along, I know most people think the library is boring."
<Avaline> "Don't worry about it, Elisa." Avaline says with a smile. "I'm a literary geek anyway. Got to stay on top of my forbidden lore and depressing poetry and all."
<Midnight_> "And this is important. They probably have all sorts of info about this."  Tina says, though she doesn't look as convinced as she sounds.
<Darkling> "I'm not sure they really have books on this sort of thing, but it's worth a shot." She pushes open the doors and leads them up to the stacks at the back of the library. "No one really comes back here, so this is where they'll be."
<Darkling> There's rows upon rows of shelving with untouched books on them. How the library even had this many books for such a small town seemed slightly uncanny.
<Midnight_> A paradise for nerds...Pretty scary for Tina. "That is a lot of books."
<Darkling> "And a lot of archived stuff like newspapers. They were supposed to replace it with computer databases, but took it out of the budget." She starts perusing down one of the aisles, fingering the books as she goes.
<Avaline> "Well... we can manage. Guess we can try to narrow it down to specific topics and that might help?" She also begins going through the aisles, looking at titles.
<Midnight_> "Well, I guess we'd start with the true stuff...you know the stuff that isn't made up stories?"
<Darkling> "I can usually tell non-fiction from fiction, but I can't say I've ever looked at any sort of, occult, books before.
<Darkling> She disappears around a corner.
<Darkling> There's a lot of history books back here, geography, scientific papers and journals, newspapers from all over. Nothing that would seem to be related or helpful at all yet.
<Avaline> "Hard to tell truth from fiction when it comes to the occult. You've got to get a feel for it, maybe do some trial and error." Avaline says to Tina. "Weird news might yield some info, too. Think of it all as learning to sift through garbage for diamonds."
<Midnight_> "Well, then I guess I can be helpful after all.  My dad used to say many hands makes light work."
<Darkling> You hear Elisa from behinds some shelves. "More hands the better!"
<Avaline> "Yeah... mine never said that, but I did want to clone myself a lot of the time and split the work load. It seems really prac..." Avaline pauses, eyes widening. "Holy..."
<Midnight_> Tina looks around wondering where Elise went off to and bumps right into Ava.  "Oops!  What is it?"
<Avaline> Avaline takes a book, only to drop it as Tina bumps into her. "Gyaaah! I just saw something interesting." With that she quickly moves to pick up the book.
<Midnight_> "A book on what?"
<Avaline> "Carmilla. Ever read it? It's romantic, memorable, and pretty steamy for its time." She says in a dreamy tone.
<Darkling> "I'm going to go back a bit further!" You hear her footsteps carry off.
<Midnight_> "Okay!"  Tina calls back to Elisa then she turns to Ava again.  "Carmilla? I-I don't think I ever heard of it.  You seem to really like it though."
<Avaline> "It's the original book of romantic lesbian vampire erotica." Avaline says while pondering Tina as a vampire.
<Midnight_> Tina blushed "Oh wow."
<Avaline> "Yeah. It really is.. wow." Then after a small pause she continues. "You think we'll find anything here?"
<Midnight_> Tina gestures around to all of the books.  "There has to be something we can use.  Besides, we have Elisa to help us."
<Darkling> You hear a thump from an aisle behind you.
<Midnight_> Tina looks around, curious.
<Darkling> It didn't come the direction Elisa went off in, and a shelf is shaking a bit.
<Midnight_> "Who's here?"  Tina asks, more curious than scared.
<Avaline> Avaline makes a hush motion, then begins to sneak around to see what the source of the noise is.
<Darkling> You hear some scrambling and hushed but startled voices and catch a glimpse of two people running off, half clothed, and some of it left behind.
<Midnight_> "Looks like we interrupted something..."
<Darkling> There's also a few books that were likely giving the couple some inspiration open up on the ground.
<Avaline> "Knew it." Avaline mutters, looking a bit flushed as she eyes the books. "You know what, Tina? This two were dumb."
<Midnight_> Tina can't help but stare at some of the open pages.  "Why were they dumb?"
<Avaline> "This is the sort of thing you go to the bathroom for. idiots." She mutters softly, picking up a book to flip through it.
<Midnight_> "But the bathroom is so...gross."
<Darkling> Elisa round a shelf holding two large books with a wide smile on. "Look what I foun.." She trails off as she sees the books all knocked around and the panties on the ground. "Uh.. found. Did.. did I interrupt something?"
<Midnight_> "Well, you didn't but we did."
<Avaline> "That's why I used to bring a blanket in my backpack when I... gyaaah!" Avaline jumps, dropping the 'inspirational' book down on the ground. "Yeah... we weren't actually looking at these books."
<Midnight_> "Anyways...What did you find Elisa?"
<Darkling> "Some books that look legit!" She's holding two large, very dusty, old looking books. "One seems to have stuff about witchcraft and spells and stuff and the other I can't read, but it has pictures of fairies and tree-people-things in it."
<Avaline> "Sounds pretty neat. I wonder if it's left hand path stuff."
<Darkling> "I don't know what that means, but maybe?"
<Midnight_> "L-left hand path?"
<Avaline> "A lot of occult traditions that do spells tend to advocate a certain level of... minding your own business and such, and not using magic to do harmful stuff. Then there's stuff they call left hand path that doesn't have those restrictions. The dark side of the Force, if you will."
<Midnight_> "Oh...I hope not.  That sounds dangerous."
<Darkling> "Yeah, I don't want to hurt anyone."
<Avaline> "Oh well. Just as long as it doesn't say anything about signing over your soul or your loyalties to any weird powers or baby sun gods. I didn't think you put much stock in this stuff though, Elisa. Has that changed?"
<Darkling> "I'm, just trying to be helpful. And books are my friends." She hugs the leather bound tomes to her chest and shrugs.
<Midnight_> "You are really helpful Elisa. Let's look at the books."
<Avaline> "Yeah, might as well. I forgot my sheet and disinfectant."
<Darkling> "Maybe not near these." She moves to another, cleaner, aisle.
<Avaline> "Yeah, wouldn't want a  librarian to walk by..." And with that she moves to find another spot.
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<Darkling> The three girls had left the cabin quickly after Gramps had been seen to bed, leaving Izumi and Billy more or less alone in the cabin. There was a slight snoring coming from Gramps, but otherwise it was peacefully quite.
<Billy_Blackfeather> Billy watched Gramps quietly for a bit after the others had left, arms folded as the wheels in her head slowly did their work.
<@Mr_Rage> Izumi leans, giving the werewolf a tap on the shoulder. "Ready to go?"
<Billy_Blackfeather> "Even if I say 'yes' I don't know where to start." She got to her feet and stretched.
<Billy_Blackfeather> "There were all kinds of rituals once I'm sure, not just passing around a pipe." She ran her fingers through her tangled hair to try and tame it. "Any ideas?"
<@Mr_Rage> "Hmmh... any place you'd call center of the forest? Core of it?"
<Billy_Blackfeather> "A center? Hrm." Billy paces toward the door, finger tapping against her chin. "I might have a good idea."
<Billy_Blackfeather> Billy grabs up a bow and tomahawk sitting by the door before opening it. "After you."
<@Mr_Rage> Izumi salutes, and heads out~
<Darkling> The woods greet them and treat them well as they head off, Billy seemingly picking her way at random. She had been through these woods countless times growing up, playing, tracking, hunting and who knows what else. After what seemed to be an hour or so of walking they enter a bit of a clearing. There's a rock outcropping and a small trickle of spring water running between the rocks, and some enormously tall trees that dwarf even the biggest buildings back in town.
<@Mr_Rage> Izumi whistles appreciatively, but thankfully restrains herself from making a wood joke.
<Billy_Blackfeather> Billy's quick pace slowed considerably as they entered the clearing, bow hanging from her shoulder so she wasn't obviously wielding it. "I used to think I found this place accidentally. Not so sure anymore." She brushes lightly past Izumi, looking for something that wouldn't be so easy to find. "The Blackfeather clan wishes to speak to the forest spirits."
<Darkling> Silence. Utter silence.
<Billy_Blackfeather> "Figures." Billy squats down, elbow on her knee as she rubbed at her chin and mouth in contemplation.
<@Mr_Rage> The Japanese girl adjusts her hair, looking this way and that on her way towards the largest of the trees, reaching out to touch it. "Mmh. It never that simple."
<Billy_Blackfeather> "Well we're not about to start eating strange mushrooms so..." She stands long enough to make it to the stream and sits on her legs, dipping a hand into the water.
<Darkling> The water is ice cold. Other than the trickle of water babbling, there's still not another sound in the forest.
<Billy_Blackfeather> She cups her hand to lift some of the water to her lips for a sip, gaze wandering in an attempt to find Izumi again.
<@Mr_Rage> There she is, standing still as she can, reminiscent of the wildlife.
<Billy_Blackfeather> Hrnf. Maybe she's on to something. Shaking her hand dry Billy eases into a more comfortable pose, becoming still and quiet.
<Darkling> A small breeze blows some leaves past her, one settling on her head. Still, the forest remains silent and anything beyond what she could see was closed to her.
<Billy_Blackfeather> Billy huffs, considering her options.
<@Mr_Rage> The Japanese girl's fingers find Billy's shoulders, coming in from behind. "I have idea. Your problem is you too physical. Trying to see, touch, blah blah. Yes?"
<Billy_Blackfeather> Billy takes the leaf off her head as Izumi speaks, eyeballing it. "Not exactly my style but...what the hell." For a moment her head tilts, cheek rubbing against the asian's fingers, and then she's back to normal. See and touch what was there but she couldn't see. She was going to have a headache tonight.
<@Mr_Rage> "Shh~ Idea isn't to see or touch. Have to feel it. Call to it." Izumi's hands move rhythmically, at first simply rocking the wolf-girl back and forth, then more subtle movements, harmonizing Billy's breathing and heartbeat to a larger, grander flow.
<Darkling> As Billy is rocked slowly and gently she can feel something pull at her, then the whole world goes black, Izumi and the woods are gone, and she's falling through nothing.
<Darkling> Then she's back in the forest, faceplanted, Izumi appears to have left, but the time of day is wrong, and everything appears brighter than normal, more vibrant and full of life and colour.
<Darkling> It takes a moment, but you realize you are being watched. There’s a creature standing not five feet from you, it's shape seemingly disfigured and made of gnarled wood, the colour of it's skin blanding itself into the surroundings almost perfectly.
<Billy_Blackfeather> Weird. Still, better than her last experience with this stuff. She was disappointed Izumi was gone, she'd brought her as some of her only reliable backup. She squinted and rubbed at her eyes until she could see past the brightness of it all. "So is it you I'll always be talking to?"
<Darkling> "I am but a messenger. What reason do you have seeking the fair folk oh mangy one?"
<Billy_Blackfeather> "Mangy?" That kinda stung. "I need answers so that I can do what my clan has been avoiding and help the forest."
<Darkling> "You may ask." It's head tilts. Did it have eyes, or any facial features for that matter?"
<Billy_Blackfeather> Even if she stared at it she probably wouldn't get any answers. "I...my friends and I need items for a ritual. A heart, blood, earth and a seed. We think. What's special about them? Where do we find them?"
<Darkling> "What recompense shall you give us for answering this?"
<Billy_Blackfeather> "Wha...I'm going to kill a...a demon of reek. For the sake of the forest. What else could you want?"
<Darkling> "The word of your kin is no longer considered of value."
<Billy_Blackfeather> "Then what if I swear the oath the Blackfeathers did back then? I'm the last one, you'll have me til I'm used up or dead."
<Darkling> "You will be bound to us in ways you cannot fathom."
<Billy_Blackfeather> "We were before. So was Gramps...Red Wolf...right?"
<Darkling> "The ways of the old are not the ways of today. To make make this pledge lightly, but choose now."
<Billy_Blackfeather> Billy covered her nose and mouth with a hand as she considered it, her independant streak fighting against it. Dammit. "I'll do it."
<Darkling> The creature moves towards you, body bending in awkward places making it look like some sort of spider from an insane nightmare.
<Darkling> "This is not a vow you can break without consequences. We shall answer you."
<Darkling> "Earth is the simplest, for it is all around you. Take the unspoiled to the rot. The heart will be of the Stag, greatest and proudest of the wood. The blood is that of bonds, the strongest of all, unbreakable and powerful."
<Darkling> "The last we will give to you when you bring us these. A seed will bloom into the wood that will bring life anew."
<Billy_Blackfeather> "Bring the first three here and you'll give us the last one. Alright."
<Darkling> "The deal is done. " The creature extends a rough looking hand with long twig-like fingers and taps Billy in the chest, and she wakes up in Izumi's arms.
<@Mr_Rage> Hard to argue with those pillows, Billy. The Japanese girl's got her arms around the wolf-girl snug, watching with a flash of concern.
<Billy_Blackfeather> "Nnh. How long was I out?" She's in no hurry to move. Everything feels heavy. Is this how Izumi felt with those big jugs?
<@Mr_Rage> "Couple hours. You okay?" Almost automatically, Izumi's hands start kneading Billy's arms and legs, getting the blood moving.
<Billy_Blackfeather> "Exhausted. Didn't feel like two hours." She closed her eyes again and sighed. "I know what we need but I think I did something stupid to get it."
<@Mr_Rage> "Mm. Well, when time comes, we'll see what we can do about that." A kiss on the forehead, and she gets Billy upright.
<Billy_Blackfeather> She's on her feet but not terribly steady. If she could sleep standing up she might. "I need a nap."
<Darkling> --------------------------