7842/Sticks and Stones

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Sticks and Stones
Date of Scene: 15 September 2021
Location: Location
Synopsis: No description
Cast of Characters: Phoebe Beacon, Tim Drake




Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    THE JOURNEY BEGINS --

    It started in the early morning, actually, with the heroes assembling at the court of the Sand Witch, with Nacho (whose real name was Nathan, and he introduced himself as Nate Patel to Tim), and everyone eating a traditional breakfast of poptarts, donuts, and apple cider while Nick's mom Lucille made sure everyone had packed extra blankets since it might rain, and made sure Phoebe didn't need help with anything and that she was *always* there for everyone -- and had nearly ruffled Tim's hair in the process of wishing everyone a good trip, and stopped herself just in time with a 'oop! Sorry, you're not one of mine yet!'

    The drive upstate was full of fantasy metal like Rhapsody of Fire -- full on choirs of Italian men singing about unicorns and magical swords in order to get everyone 'in the mood'.

    Food and provisions accounted for, everyone riding in the Van of Mystery (Or VOM for short), either in one of the front seats or on the couch that had been ratchet-strapped to the side of the fan. THis was certainly *not* a safe passenger vehicle. There were four moving violations for every fifteen minutes the thing was putting down the highway.

    But no one seemed to give a care that Tim was introduced as a friend Phoebe made in her 'alternative schooling'. What they cared about is if he knew how to calculate THAC0 or played Magic: The Gathering.

    In short: Tim was trapped in a van full of nerds and one secret magical healer.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Of course Tim packed extra blankets. Tim's probably carrying at least 10 pounds more than anyone else in the group, not counting the additional goods needed for Yap, who is on his absolute best behavior, trotting along at Tim's side with the leash slack between them. And maybe Tim doesn't get his hair ruffled, but Yap certainly presents himself for pets from the entire group, one after the other. Really he just makes the circuit around, possibly begging for donuts (Tim feeds him an actual healthy breakfast, though, don't worry).

    Tim gamely takes a seat on the couch in the back, because it can't be any more dangerous than driving around on a bike going upwards of 100 miles per hour at night in Gotham. Yap sleeps for most of the way, tucked into Tim's hoodie with just his long floppy terrier hind legs sticking out, and his nose somewhere in the junction of Tim's neck.

    Yes, he can calculate THAC0, though nowadays he only DMs fifth edition. He doesn't actively play MTG but he knows the rules; he was more into Pokemon cards when he was younger but he's recently sold off his collection. The guys are all supplied with silicone reusable zip-bags with high quality, hand-crafted beef jerky, while Phoebe gets a similar bag filled with a protein-packed trail mix (though there are definitely also M&Ms in there, too). And then Tim settles in for the ride, grinning from ear to ear.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Jayjay talks about how he learned how to dungeonmaster with his dad, listening to the group his dad's been running for twenty years. He was thankful that he had a good group of friends to bring out larping, and doubly thankful that Nick's grandparents let them use the property for their shenanigans. He would have explained that they used to go every couple weeks in the summer to spend a couple of days at a time running around the woods. Parents would take turns driving them -- Jayjay's dad and step-mom. Nick's dad would pile everyone up int he crew cab. Phoebe's dad would take them all out for dinner on their way home at this little truck-stop restaurant on their way home. Their LARP stories interconnected and had begun as a way to blow off steam away from Gotham. Phoebe once broke Jay's nose and her dad reset it. Nick's grandmom had to come to the rescue once when Nacho got so sick he couldn't come down off the mountain, and they had brought The Monster up to carry all the gear and the sick Nacho down (His appendix was about to burst, it was amazing that it didn't. Phoebe stayed with him the whole time and held his hand while NIck and Jayjay went to get one of the adults).

    They had turned off the highway in a little town out in the sticks, where a red barn was painted in faded "VOTE FOR BUSH" -- with a picture of an actual bush. Then they turned off main street and crossed over a one-lane bridge, and made their way up a hilly side and to the farm. Phoebe had to explain that the town had gone down in the last two years -- the major employer had been mining, but there had been a bunch of deaths in one of the quarries and the place was closed down.

    Then they turned again, onto a dirt road, and rattled their way up to the farm. It was just that -- a rustic farm that maybe once had produced hay and corn or milk or beef, but these days the equipment wasn't used much. An ancient bull moo'd on their way in, and in the same paddock the huge, dark draft horse form of The Monster loomed.

    Out from the kitchen came a stooped, little old lady with a gray-as-steel bun and coke bottle glasses, wiping her hands on an apron that had many pockets.

    "HAIL ADVENTURERS!" she croaked, adn then gave the perfect witch's cackle. Nick's grandma, Poppy.

Tim Drake has posed:
    In turn, Tim gives a very edited version of the ongoing campaign he's been running for the Outsiders, with Conner's barbarian, M'gann's psychic warlock, and Phoebe's cleric. Though he's also looking forward to the Halloween horror-themed one-off session he's going to be running.

    He's never gone LARPing, but he got really into making his costume and his wizard's staff, as well as Yap's gear. His phone with the sketches he'd made during the drafting process gets passed around to all the van passengers.

    Somehow Tim's phone manages to have enough bars for him to continue texting throughout the drive.

    And then they've arrived! Yap's the first one out from the back of the van, having wormed his way out of Tim's hoodie as soon as they came to a stop. Though he waits there patiently for Tim to clip the leash onto his harness.

    "Oh wow," Tim says when he spots the Monster, and he shares a worried glance with Yap about the beast. "Pictures really didn't do him justice, did they?" But then he shoulders his pack, and the bag with his tent in it, and also Yap's bag--which eventually the dog will be carrying around himself--before he follows after Phoebe.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a hug to Poppy, and Nick follows Tim with a smile. "Yeah, the pictures really don't. The Monster is huge, but he's what Pops refers to as 'bomb proof'. He's not bothered by anything. Dogs, Smalls, supersonic jets -- Pops says once Superman landed in the cornfield near here but I think he's pulling my leg on that." Nick had given a grin.

    There was a brief exchange, and Jayjay offers pointers, and pointedly jokes to Phoebe that she's been cheating on him with another gamemaster! There's a friendly bit of cajoling, and then everyone's on their way up the mountain. Nacho has been learning ukelele, and plays it off and on while horribly singing sea-shanties. For four miles, up a winding trail marked with old tin can tops with nails through them.

    Once they get to the camp though, it's a heck of a place. The camp is sheltered on three sides by granite ledges, which helps stop any wind. A spring bubbles out of one of the ledges -- the same that feeds the narrow well nearby -- and makes a little babbling brook, and a fire ring constructed of several flat-ish rocks and ringed with heavy granite, moved into place lovingly.

    "All right everyone -- Peebles, you're on Lady's Latrine set up," Jayjay announces, "Nick and Nacho, secure firewood for the evening and set up the food. Timmeh and Sir Yap," he gives a grin "As you're guests, you get supervisory duties. I'll tend to the men's latrine."

    And the group splits up. Phoebe grabs up a tarp and some bungees, and gives Tim a grin.

    "I'll be back in about fifteen." she grins and takes off for the other side of the ledge-side.

    Nick and Nacho grin, and they shrug. "So, ever been camping out in the boonies before, Tim?" Nick asks casually. "'Cause we gotta know if you know what bear scat looks like. Just in case."

Tim Drake has posed:
    It only takes a few moments for Yap to get strapped into his little jacket and his pack, which contains: treats, his collapsible bowls, poop bags, a light for his collar for night-time, a chew toy and a ball, and a couple of water bottles just for Yap. There's even a sleep pad rolled up and attached to the top of the pack, so he looks like a *proper* camper. And he's apparently used to totting things around, because he dutifully lifts his paws and turns around as bid while Tim gets him ready.

    Once they're on the trail, Yap goes off-leash. A few times he takes a small detour to check something out, but he never goes far, and he's always within sight. There's reflective material on his harness and his pack, too. His tongue lolls out and he seems to be having a heck of a time on the hike.

    Tim doesn't have any issues with the hike either. He's quiet, for the most part, because he's susceptible to the awkwardness of being around people he doesn't really know. Especially with him not having the defensive shield of his armor.

    "We'll be here," Tim says to Phoebe, once they've arrived and been given duties. "Supervising, apparently." He grins, and crouches down to lighten Yap's load a bit so he can sniff around.

    Once that's taken care of (oh look, Yap helpfully marks the perimeter of the camp with pee, thanks Yap!) Tim sets to work clearing the ground so that they can set up camp. "Not recently, but yeah, I went camping plenty when I was younger."

    Well, it wasn't so much 'camping' as it was 'brutal survival training at the behest of Batman' but... same diff. "I do. Also, we should store Yap's food with the people-food, just to be safe."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Nah absolutely. Wouldn't want Yap to get hungry. Might start biting ankles." Nick gives a grin, and he begins to unpack.

    A bunch of gatorades get tied to a rock and put in the stream. They float in the cold spring water.

    "So, Phoebe told me a little bit about this alternate school. You graduated but you still hang around as some sort of advisor --" Nick continues, and he begins to cl ean out the fire pit as Nacho trails Yap to grab wood to start the night's fire, going to-and-fro to carry sticks for kindling and trying to get Yap to carry one too -- earning his keep!

    "But it doesn't qualify her for the pre-med program at Gotham U." Nick states, leaning back on his heels a moment, and giving a soft huff. "So what programs does it qualify for, and are they accepting mid-term transfers? Because man, getting to move to NYC and out of Gotham? Who wouldn't want that?"

    Nick is digging for details.

    Nacho comes back with a huff. "I'm way more concerned that she's not coming to hang out with everyone. I mean, after she broke Jessi's nose last year and... kinda... broke a third of the starting line up for the Turkey Bowl Game? And then disappeared out of the office? My mom thinks she's consorting with demons. I'd bet five bucks she's joined some sort of super-spy program."

Tim Drake has posed:
    Absolutely Yap will carry sticks. He might not want to let go of them, but he'll carry them! And really it only takes an actual order for him to 'Drop it' for that to happen, because Yap is very well-trained. Also he is a good boy.

    Tim busies himself picking up any rocks or sticks or other detritus from the camp area, throwing them off into the woods, so they'll have a nice, flat area to pitch their tents. "If Phoebe wants to get into the pre-med program at Gotham U, we're going to make that happen, whatever it takes," is Tim's answer, even though it's actually not an answer at all.

    He dusts off his hands as he surveys the area, and then unzips his hoodie. Underneath, he's wearing a shirt that says 'This Is Getting Dicey' with a rainbow collection of dice beneath it. As he folds up his jacket, he narrows his eyes off into the distance.

    "You guys know she's been through a lot, yeah? We're just trying to find the right set of professionals to help her, and sometimes you just have to go to where they are." Tim puts on a very good show of looking uncomfortable about this topic, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and chewing on the inside of his cheek.

    It's probably because he *is* uncomfortable, talking about it, but not for exactly the reason Nick and Nacho might suspect.

    Then he shakes his head. "I don't think we should talk about her like this, though. It's her own business. She's just... going through it, right now."

    And with that, Yap comes over to show him a VERY big stick, and Tim crouches down to praise him and his excellent find.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... well yeah. We know she's going through it. Nacho was at her adoption hearing when they were in kindergarten."

    "I grabbed her hair and she broke my nose. Chuck got me into aikido as her spartner -- that's spar partner--"

    "Pretty sure he can get that, Nacho."

    "Just in case! Anyway -- point is, we know our Peebles. An' if she's getting involved with a super-spy network--"

    "Nacho--"

    "I want in! I could be a spy!"

    "... you had your shorts on inside-out this morning, Nacho."

    "Yep. That's about Nacho. And I'm not joining a super-spy program." Phoebe announces as shecomes out of the woods, baring an arm load of sticks. "Lady's latrine and the solar shower's set." she announces, and she looks at Tim's shirt, and gives the brightest grin. "I love it! I want one!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim's gaze slowly moves back and forth between Nick and Nacho as they banter, and his eyebrows begin to climb towards his hairline. For several long moments he's just kneeling there in the dirt, holding Yap's very fantastic stick, until the dog lightly taps at his knee with one paw.

    "...Sorry, Yap," he says, and tosses the stick towards the other side of camp, away from everyone, and off Yap runs to go fetch it.

    At Phoebe's return, Tim rises back up into a stand. "The internet's great, isn't it?" he says as he holds out the front of his shirt, peering down at the design. Then he smiles. "Noted." Along with everything else Tim obsesses over, he probably keeps annotated lists of gift ideas, and now he has one more thing to add to Phoebe's.

    Then he gestures towards the ground. "Unless I missed something, there shouldn't be anything left to poke at us through the bottom of our tents while we're trying to sleep tonight." And then he tamps down on his natural urge to take charge, because he's just the new guy here. Instead, he just asks, "So, what's next?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Set up the tents." Phoebe gives a grin, and she looks, "Jayjay should have been back by now." she purses her lips "He always beats me back from latrine duty."

    "Ah, he's probably just stuck thinking up some way to work Yap into the bigger court of our new leader." Nick states, and he tosses a rope over the branch of a tree.

    Phoebe breaks down her pack, and takes out her tent. She'd chosen a smaller, less expensive tent, and she shakes out the poles.

    Nick and Nacho are currently swordfighting with their poles, laughing.

    Jayjay's pack goes untouched.

    "So, we can heat up some of the samosa on one of the flat rocks afterwards. Maybe get Nick to tell about the history of the place! It's the BEST ghost story!"

    "It's not a ghost story, it's history! You can go ask my PopPop he'll tell you about it. The Old Man of the Forest lives up here!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    Phoebe says 'set up the tents' and so... Tim sets up his tent. It's an expensive brand, no doubt, but it's not flashy or overly complicated with features, because ultimately, it's just a tent. And he's definitely set it up before, because he starts to lay it out in a very methodical way. Probably has the instructions memorized or something, knowing him.

    While the other guys are distracted swordfighting, he glances towards Pheebs. "Do you want me to go check on him?" Tim asks, voice lowered to keep the question between himself and Phoebe (well, and Yap, Yap's here too). His head tips in the direction Jayjay went, because Tim definitely made note of it.

    In the meantime, Yap sniffs at the ground between their tents, and then walks over to Tim. The dog sits down and waits patiently, obviously intuiting that this is going to be his new dog house. Okay, maybe Yap was involved in some of the test set-ups of the tent.

    Mention of the Old Man of the Forest has Tim looking over as he works on assembling his tent, interest piqued. Or maybe his suspicion. It's so hard to take things like ghost stories at face value, any more. "On a scale of 1 to axe-murderer, how dangerous is this Old Man, exactly?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I don't feel anything wrong--" Phoebe states, and she turns her left hand over, looking at the leather strap wrapped around her wrist "-- it's not even itching. That's... a little weird." Phoebe replies to Tim, and as she leans back, she pops her tent up. Ta-dah!

    And then she puts the rain fly on. Might rain.

    "Sevenish." Nick states. "The Old Man in the Woods has been up here since the area was colonized. He doesn't often make appearances, but when he does you hear the thunder without lightning, the wind without the trees rattlings, and all around him the animals heed his call and flee before him."

    "But we've never ran across him. My Pops says his dad, PopPop did. Pop Pop's like, a hundred and three though?" he thinks "He lives in a nursing home down in the valley. He said he was hunting one day, and he caught sight of a buck. Took a shot, but the bullet never hit the ground, and the buck ran like it had wolves on its tail. And when he turned around, he saw a tall, red-headed creature with eyes that glowed like the fires of hell and teeth hanging down from its jaw. An' then he passed out. When he woke up, he was missing his pinky finger--"

    "You said he lost that in the war last time." Nacho interrupts

    "-- and he was forever branded as an enemy of the woods, and would catch no game!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    Ding ding ding, Phoebe is the winner. Tim's a close second, his tent up and staked down a few moments later, and immediately Yap trots right in. "Hold on, hold on," Tim says, and the dog-sized mat that Yap himself carried up the trail gets rolled out first, before Tim's own, and then his sleeping bag atop it.

    Of course Yap will eventually end up cuddling with Tim, but for now he's on his own little makeshift bed.

    He climbs back out of his tent and zips the inner mosquito net flap nearly closed all the way, except for a small area at the bottom that Yap immediately demonstrates he understands how to wriggle his way out through. "Well, we're not up here to hunt anything, so hopefully we won't bother him any." But he does share a Look with Phoebe that says it's now on his radar, this possible demon-nature spirit-whatever haunting the area. He bends down to pet Yap. "Besides, we have Yap here, he'll warn us," he adds.

    Still, he's worried, because that's just what Tim does. He passes by Phoebe to go store Yap's food with the human food before it gets suspended out of reach, and he pauses to ask, "Could it be something that wouldn't tweak your... sensors?" Under his voice, of course. "Like, some natural phenomenon?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Nick gives a slight grin. "Nah, we've never come accross any proof of him, just PopPop's stories. An' he's geetting pretty old, so, you milealge may vary." Nick gives a wry grin, and his tent pops. He gives a "Sproi-oi-oing!" sound effect, and then gets to his pack to grab his sleeping bag and unroll it.

    "... it is taking Jayjay a long time -- how long can it take to ziptie the crates back together?" Nacho asks, a little unsure of himself.

    "I'll go check." Nick announces, hopping to his feet, and he reaches into his bag and pulls out -- AN EXTENDING STAFF! Except for it's about a foot and a half long, collapsed, and not nearly as good quality as it could be. It'll probably break the first time he uses it, but it'll give him the chance to run away.

    And that's when something is peering out of some bushies, still covered with late-fall foliage. It has an apish face, and reddish eyes reflecting off the light of day. Slllooooowly it begins to rise up, towering over the teenas and Tim, clad in reddish, baggy fur as it gives a horrible shriek, sounding like electronic feedback!

    Nate yelps, and he gives a fall back!

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Hey, you never know. Weird stuff happens all the time." Tim tries not to sound too ominous there, though he does make a face at the container of high-end dog kibble in his hands. The kind of face that reads as 'I'm trying not to low-key freakout right now' to everyone but Phoebe.

    To Phoebe, it's just Tim starting to run the numbers in his head, planning.

    He stores the dog food with the stack of people-food that Nick and Nacho have already assembled. Yap, meanwhile, gives Phoebe's tent a thorough check for structural integrity, primarily with his sniffer. All good!

    He trots back out and sits down at Phoebe's feet, one ear perked up, the other flopped down. But then his head cocks to the side, and he starts to bark, pointed in the direction of movement.

    Which Tim has noticed too. He's not actually packing much in the way of Bat-gear because that's just the reality of camping where you carry all your gear in... but he's not completely defenseless. The collapsible staff he slips out from beneath his belt out is much higher quality, though right now it's just about half a foot of a high-density metal alloy with hidden taser circuitry that he holds partially hidden against the inside of his wrist as he darts over towards Nate, making a show of trying to help him up--while also putting himself between the teen and the towering figure.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    It rises, up, and up, the electronic screech echoing in the woods as Yap alerts. Phoebe grabs a hold of Yap, scooping the dog up so that he doesn't go chasing after it, adn her eyes narrow a moment, her fingers curling lightly at her side --

    Nick's recovered enough that he does the HEROIC thing, swinging his legs out to sweep the creature, its head now nine feet above the ground -- and after the screech cuts out, and a muffled 'w-whoa!' comes out of the creature, it goes down!

    And the stilts show, and Jayjay's laughter errupts from the mask as he busts out into hilarity.

    "OH MIGOD JAYJAY YOU SUCK!" Nick busts out in anger. And it's true. His collapsable staff is one of those cheap ones you get from Ebay. It did not survive the encounter with a pair of aluminium stilts.

    Phoebe looks to Tim, and she looks to Yap and to Nacho, and then tilts her head back, and exhales all the built-up anxiousness of having to make a move in the woods.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim was already halfway committed to throwing Nick behind him when the ruse is uncovered. So maybe Nick gets, uh, dropped to the floor a little more heavily than Tim meant, but in Tim's defense Nick was *very* wriggly there for a moment, busting out his sick aikido moves.

    Nick yells, Jayjay laughs, and Tim very quickly tucks his staff back into its hiding spot, before he turns on his heel and heads straight back to Phoebe. He pets Yap on the head once, tells him that he's a very good dog and did an excellent job protecting them, and then he ducks into his tent.

    Probably to muffle a scream into his sleeping bag or something.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Shoulda seen the look on your FACES!" Jayjay laughs, and he attempts to swing himself back up, but can't thanks to the length of the legs "That was great!" he yells, laughing even harder.

    Until Nick throws a handfull of leaves in their GM's direction!

    "Ah knock it off, Jayjay. You suck!" Nick grumps. Nacho breathes out, and Phoebe continues to hold and pet Yap as poor Tim ducks into his tent.

    "Let's... nnnnnooot try to brank scare one another from now on, right?" she asks, giving a small laugh. "I mean, we're all adults, we shouldn't be pranking like little kids--"

    She releases Yap so he can see to Tim.

    The rest of the set-up goes smoothly. No one goes missing. Tents are put up, and samosas are warmed. Brownies are had, and the discussion for the next day is being planned with everyone holding a tin mug full of hot apple cider, made from a dry mix and local spring water.

    Nacho is fiddling with his Uke, and looks up "Anyone have any requests?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim dips back out of his tent a few moments after Yap enters to check on him. He's holding the dog like a baby. "Everything's fine," he tells Phoebe, forestalling any need for check-ups. And he looks fine, too. Somehow he doesn't even look the tiniest bit annoyed.

    The wonders of emotional support dogs. Not that that's Yap's official title, but he *is* very well-trained.

    Soon enough Yap is wandering around the campsite, keeping things under his su-paw-vision (hahahaha, get it?) as the group eats samosas and brown-butter brownies, which absolutely live up to the hype. Once things have settled down into conversation, the terrier returns and sits between Tim's feet.

    Not begging.

    But he does get a few treats snuck to him out of Tim's pocket.

    "...we should start with Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold," Tim offers up, after a moment. Which doesn't technically have music to accompany it, but it's obviously gotta be the first one they sing.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... you just made my weekend, Tim." Nacho gives the greatest of smiles, and he leans back a bit, He picks up a few chords, and he drops his voice a bit. "Far oveeeerrr the Misty Mountains cooold --"

    "In Dungeons deeeeeeeep-" Nick joins in, his voice is actually deeper than Nacho's, and they both know how to carry a tune. "And caverns old. We must awaaaaay, 'ere break of day to seek our pale enchanted goooold."

    Phoebe gives a smile, holding her cup of hot cider in mit-covered hands, giving a soft hum. Jayjay takes the emptied samosa tub, and begins to drum on it lightly.

    "You're going to have to sing along now, Tim. You're part of the group."

Tim Drake has posed:
    It was a safe bet. It's both the best song in the Hobbit (novels) and basically the one redeeming part of the Hobbit (Peter Jackson films), and yes Tim has Opinions about that. But those are for their planned holiday LOTR marathon extravaganza, and not now.

    He's humming along rather than singing, and at Phoebe's prompting he shakes his head. But then he takes in a deep breath and joins in on the next verse.

    "The dwarves of yoooore--"

    And so it goes. Tim's singing isn't going to win any awards, but he's got pretty phenomenal breath control--thanks, of course, to his Bat-training--so he at least provides a good, steady voice to underpin everyone else's.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The nerds all sing. Phoebe joining in "Wove mighty spells while hammers sang light mighty bells--"

    The fire crackles between them all, warming their hands.

    The quintet-and-a-half continues along the poetic song as the stars shine overhead. The world around them quiet save for their voices, and the late crickets chirping in the chill of the October night.

    No one's voice was properly low enough to be a dwarf, but it was an honest ode of love, written in verse and put to music.

    Phoebe had put on a pink hat, easier to see her head in the darkness as they sing along.

    And as their voices fade into the darkness, there's a scream. Quite close sounding.

    "It's okay!" Nick is quick to say -- "It's a fishercat!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    Even Yap joins in once or twice, head tipped back so he can howl up into the night sky. "Awwoooooooooooooooooo!" Well, it's not one of the lyrics written by Tolkien, but Tim rubs behind Yap's ears anyway for trying his best.

    "We must awaaaaay-- ere break of daaaaay,
    "To win our harps and gold from himmmmmm."

    Both Tim and Yap snap to attention when the last stretched out syllable is interrupted by a scream. Immediately, they're both on their feet, Yap hunkered down and growling in front of Tim. Of course Tim reaches down to grab him by the collar so he doesn't run off. "Are you sure?" he asks Nick, free hand curled into a fist at his side.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I'm sure." Nick states. "They're like, bigass weasels, smallerish than wolverines, but they're mean. I'd make sure Yap doesn't run off to try and take them on." Nick states.

    Phoebe moves closer to tim, and just very lightly puts a hand to his shoulder.

    "It's OK. I've heard them before. They also make sounds like crying babies. That was a hard one to get used to up here." she states gentle-like.

    Nick and Nacho look at each other, and then look to Jayjay.

    Jayjay takes a deep breath "Yeah, that's not my phone making the noises that time, so there is in fact a real stupid weasel out there being noisy. We're probably interrupting their normal path to water. I'm surprised we haven't seen signs of a raccoon yet, to be honest -- so you'll want to make sure your tent flap is closed with the zippers on the inside." Jayjay warns Tim.

    "They have thumbs, they can open the zippers. One did one year and I woke up to it sitting on my stomach." Nick states.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Sorry," Tim says, looking awkwardly downwards for a long moment before he reaches up to pat Phoebe's hand, lightly. He eases himself back down onto the log he was sitting on previously and lets out a deep exhale, then says, "Sorry," again. He shakes his head. "Guess I've been in the city for too long."

    His fingers uncurl from around Yap's collar, which was an unnecessary move. Yap has very much squared up against the terror that screams in the night but he wasn't trying to dart away, just put up a protective front. So he gets a few "Good boys" and scritches from Tim as he settles back down.

    But he's definitely still on edge, eyes narrowed as he searches the treeline in the dark.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe sits down next to Tim, and she breathes out. She was tense as well.

    "It's OK. I don't think a weekend goes by when we don't try to fight off something in the woods." Jayjay gives a smile. "Sometimes it's because I forgot to take down noisemakers last time. Sometimes it's fisher cats, or a particularly loud bird. One time it was a pair of deer that walked through the camp and we were scared, and had to poke our heads out."

    "Jayjay fell in deer poop."

    Jayjay gets a 'yeah that was true and I'm sad about it' expression, and then stretches.

    "Well, I've got first fire watch if you kids want to turn in. I'll let the coals die off and douse them with a bit of dirt. I've got to draft up my map for tomorrow when we head to the Orc Village." he states. Nick and Nacho down the rest of their ciders, and go to get into their tents.

    Phoebe looks to Tim, and she gives a smile before she takes her shoes off, and ducks into her own tent.

    "... you don't get out of the city much, do you Tim?" Jayjay asks.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Between Phoebe coming over to check on him and the reassurance from the guys, Tim's nerves are mostly soothed. Still, both he and Yap are obviously a little worked up, though Tim at least manages to flash a sympathetic look in Jayjay's direction about the whole deer poop thing. That's a fairly universal experience.

    "Sure, yeah, maybe I should try to sleep. Do you need to go before we turn in, Yap?" Oh, look, the dog's already in Tim's tent. Well, that's probably answer enough.

    He shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair. "Is it that obvious?" he asks, but his chin drops. "Yeah, no, not in a long while. Life's been... pretty crazy since my dad died." Then he turns to look over at his tent, to where Yap is sticking his snoot out of the little unzipped part at the bottom, obviously waiting for Tim to join.

    So Tim gestures towards the tent. "Well apparently our resident nobleman is awaiting his manservant."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "That's one of the reasons why we all liked to come out here. NIck had to live with his grandparents for a bit. Nacho would have never left Gotham. And Phoebe... well. She's always gotten the weird hands, and dealt with them." Jayjay sips his cider. "She speaks highly of you. In case she didn't tell you, you deserve to hear it. Now, go ahead and turn in. I'm sure sir Yippington of Barksville requires body warmth on a chilly night." he gives a grin.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim's head tips back and he stares up at the night sky for a moment or two. Not enough for it to be awkward, but... for a while. "Yeah. I haven't really taken much time for myself since it happened. Always another project or problem waiting for me to tackle," he says. "...Thanks. I count myself lucky to have met her. She's a great friend." Tim bites the inside of his cheek. "Stubborn as heck, though!" He laughs and waves to those still hanging out around the campfire before he unzips his tent just wide enough to duck inside. Aside for some faint rustling as he probably changes clothes and gets settled in, there's hardly a peep from Tim or Yap from that point on.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    And after a while, the light from the fire fades and finally dies, and there's the rustle of Jayjay entering his tent. The wind rustles through the trees, and the night is quiet.

    Morning comes. Nick had already been out to get the fire started, and there was a hearty meal of oatmeal with blueberries cooking in a pot near the fire. Someone's cracked open eggs sent up by Poppy, and the dark yellow yolks were shining.

    And better yet, people were coming out in their garb. HIgh boots and linen leggings and cloaks against the cold. Jayjay had a pair of elf-ears on, and Nacho was trying to fit a fake mustache to his nose without getting it in his coffee.

    Phoebe was sitting by the fire, with a blue wool shawl wrapped around her shoulders, nursing a cup of coffee out of her tin mug, the hood of her shawl pulled up over her hair.

    Jayjay asks her something in Elvish, and she answers musically.

Tim Drake has posed:
    At some point in the night, Tim comes back out with Yap, long enough for the pup to do his business. It's a very quick business, and then they're safely back in the comfort of Tim's sleeping bag. Some texting probably happens, because of course Tim's phone still has services. He's adhering to this being a vacation, though, so no Bat-business!

    And then they sleep. Yap is a very good space heater, as it turns out.

    im's the last out of the tent, because A. he has a lot of belt-strap-things on his costume and B. he also has to dress Yap up. But eventually he does emerge, hood up and scarf pulled over the lower half of his face, drapped in royal blue fabric and leather. He turns then and carefully holds the tent flap open so that Sir Yippington can join them, his chainmail tunic shining beneath his leather robe and matching royal blue sash.

    He says good morning, but it's in Klingon, which is the only fantasy language Tim's actually fluent in. Tim's also got in a pair of colored contacts that make his eyes glow silver.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "qaleghqa'mo' jIQuch!" Nacho greets back to Tim, he is glad to see him again!

    "Morning!" Phoebe greets Tim, and motions. "Oatmeal. Fresh eggs. There's wheat bread toast and thick rye toast for the eggs." she motions, with a grin. "You'll need to carb-load today. It's about a two mile trip out to the orc village, and then we'll be doing some investigating. And good morning, Yap!" she greets the pooch with a grin. The leather strap is back around her left wrist, and can be seen with its tags jingling.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Good morning," Tim answers in English, and then gets to work carb-loading, yes. But also caffeine-loading! Tim definitely contributed some instant coffee packets to the food supplies, and he gets some water heated for it. There's plenty more for others to have too, and he offers up a "'IwlIj jachjaj!" before he takes his first sip.

    Ah, so good. You'd be surprised by what being out in nature makes your tastebuds willing to accomodate.

    Yap gets his morning meal, and Tim sits by him as they eat together, quiet as they take in the sounds of great outdoors. No blaring car horns, no buzzing alerts, no alarms. Tim cups his chin in his palm and sighs behind his coffee mug. "I'm glad I used boots I'd already broken in," he says.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Hunger is the best seasoning, and the second is good company. Nacho laughs, and calls back to Tim "Quvar muHwI'!" before he finishes his breakfast.

    The group gives laughs as breakfast is consumed, and Phoebe brings her feet up. Her boots are well-worn.

    "I've resoled these ones. They're the best." she confirms, and she leans back a moment on their log.

    Breakfast finishes. Dishes are washed, food is stored back in their bear-proof hang-up method (both human and dog), and Phoebe hands out lunch sacks.

    "Oooooh. Phoebe made Lembras AND sugar cookies." Nick says, opening the sack up, and with a hup, their day-packs getting loaded in, and everyone grabbing four-foot staves (Phoebe's even gotten a black-and-red one for Tim), everyone begins the hike to the Orc village.

    Nacho is singing, and playing his ukelele "I have a yong suster Fer biyonde the see, ya de deeter, merry merry day! Manye be the druries that she sente me o/`" he sings cheerily as they go.

    JayJay leads, and Nick behind him. Phoebe comes after Nacho, walking a bit with Tim as Nacho sings in horribly accented Middle English.

    "... that's... weird." Jayjay pauses, and he looks at his map. "There shouldn't be a clearing up ahead..."

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim does a final checkover of the camp before they leave, paranoid as ever, and Yap does a circle too. Both manservant and noble dog lord have full bellies, and they get kitted up for travel, and then it's time to go! He doesn't peek into lunch, though he knows a good bit of what he expects to find in there. Already has the photo evidence on his phone, after all.

    The stick, though? That earns Phoebe a wide smile, and Tim crouches down to let Lord Yippington check it all out first.

    After some serious sniffing, the stick earns dog approval. Yes. It is a good stick. Thus it is decreed.

    And Tim is perfectly capable of managing this hike, same as the one that got them to the campsite. He has his phone out, taking pictures, and more than once he even points out some interesting bit of flora along the way. Knowing him, he's probably got some sort of identification guide loaded into his phone.

    When they come to a stop, Tim crouches down to give Yap some water from a bottle the dog has in his pack, as well as one of those pop-out travel bowls. "Is it possible someone's developing the area?" he asks, from the back.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... four miles up a mountainside on my family's land?" Nick asks, and he starts taking over the lead, stalking towards the clearing.

    "Nick!" Jayjay hisses "We were out here *last weekend* and there wasn't a clearing here -- maybe we got turned around!"

    Nacho stops strumming the ukelele all together.

    Phoebe looks to Tim. It's an expression that he'd know well, and she bypasses Nacho, dropping her pack, but keeping her staff with her as she goes to tail Nick. "Stay here. Get down." she states in a voice that shouldn't be argued with.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Maybe someone a little too determined?" Tim suggests, looking up from where he's kneeling next to Yap. The dog's slurp slorp slarp as he laps up water is truly a sight and sound to behold. "Could someone have tracked in from another direction? Maybe they didn't realize they'd crossed over into owned land."

    When Phoebe catches his gaze, though, Tim goes quiet. He lets his own pack slip from his shoulders and follows her up to the front of the group, though he doesn't go further than that. Right now he's asserting his authority as 'the oldest one here' as he puts himself on the path, blocking Jayjay and Nacho from following.

    Yap is at his heels, and he must sense the unease everyone is feeling, because the terrier is dropped low, both ears alert (though one is still floppy).

    "Pheebs?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe catches up to Nick. They exchange a few quiet words, and then Nick lifts his scarf like a hood, and Phoebe adjusts hers. They make an approach slowly to the side of the clearing.

    Jayjay looks to Tim, and defers, momentarily to him with a small nod.

    Nacho is peering between the two of them.

    "Nick owes me five bucks. She's totally training to be a spy!" he whispers in abject awe of his bestie.

    After a moment at the edge of the clearing, the two teens looking at one another and what looks like a tense conversation, Phoebe motions everyone forward, and gives Tim a motion to stay low, hoping everyone follows suite.

    At the edge of the clearing there isn't a logging camp. No, it's so much worse. It appears to be some sort of metallic base, a fallen ship of some sort? It has an open hatch, looking something like a cross between a 1950's disiel submarine and some sort of retro-space age craft. The reason why there's a clearing is that the thing has moved sideways.

    Upwards.

    From the ground below it.

Tim Drake has posed:
    When Nacho starts to whisper, Tim holds up a hand to quiet him. Though Nacho isn't part of his team and definitely isn't going to be used to Tim's brusqueness on the field, so he glances back with a quick look of apology, head tipped to the side. He's watching, eyes narrowed, and very slowly he lays down his walking stick. A few quick, silent movements has Yap leashed and the other end handed off to Jayjay, with the kind of serious expression that is both politely requesting and warning him to keep an eye on the dog.

    He takes a deep breath, nods to Phoebe up along the way, and before he starts to move he makes sure to lightly press on both Nacho and Jayjay's shoulders to signal that they really, really need to stay low.

    Then it's only a few quick steps before Tim's up there with Phoebe, because he's fast and light on his feet even in these boots.

    Though when he sees what they're approaching, he lifts a hand up, fist formed. Well, probably only Phoebe will recognize that as a 'hold' signal, so it might have been kind of pointless.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    It was a little pointless. Jayjay is still holding Yap's leash when the squad comes up to the edge of the clearing.

    "... ohmigod JayJay how did you get all this *up* here?!" Nacho asks, clearly being out of character now in awe of the obvious skill of his friend. Nick looks back to Nacho, and then to Jayjay.

    Jayjay whispers: "... Nacho, this isn't mine."

    Phoebe is already calculating what would be the best way to get a message back to other folks as she gives a slight swallow.

    "How do we want to do this." she whispers, looking to Tim. "Looks like it errupted from underground, and skidded to a stop here. If the hatch is open, something may have come out of it, crew member or exploration team?"

    "/Redshirts/." Nacho whispers.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Phoebe might notice that Tim has his hand tucked into one of his pockets, likely dialing into the Outsiders comm-network as they speak. He isn't going to call anyone up here until they have a confirmed sighting of... well, something alive and-or threatening.

    He sweeps his hair away from his forehead, jaw tight as he considers the options. "Do you think you can convince the guys to head back to camp?" he asks, voice dropped to a whisper, though he already sounds doubtful. Maybe if they weren't a bunch of nerdy teens, but... well, Tim's been a nerdy teen. He wouldn't leave.

    "Stay back, I'm going to go check it out," he announces quietly to the group, and then he points at Jayjay, "Take care of my boyfriend's dog, please!"

    Then, he squeezes Phoebe's hand--subtly passing her his phone with the Outsiders app already open--just before he's stepping out into the clearing. He makes as mad a dash across it towards the ship and its open hatch as he can while still remaining quiet, and to his credit he's at a pretty quick jog and managing to barely make a sound.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a nod to Tim. She didn't think they would turn back, but she does stay behind, tucking Tim's phone into her shawl.

    The others watch Tim take over, and Jayjay holds the leash a bit tighter.

    "... did not see either of those things happening, but thank Gods I can say now that Nick owes me five bucks that you weren't secretly married to him."

    Phoebe just slooowly turns over her shoulder and stares.

    Tim would find, coming up to the craft, that it's warm. There's a soft steam coming from inside -- some vent has broken, apparently. Down the porthole there is a wide, curved ladder that leads down to a grated walk. There's the sound of humming machinery.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Once he gets to the hatch, Tim pauses. Just long enough to make sure he's taken a breath, ready to start running again if need be. His hand flexes at his side, while the other one grips his staff, still collapsed.

    Nothing but the hiss of steam and hum of machinery reaches his ears, and so carefully he leans in to look down into the hatch. His head tilts one way, and then the other, before he glances back over his shoulder towards Phoebe and the guys.

    Then, without warning, he drops down through the hatch and disappears.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Son of a--" Phoebe whispers, and she looks to the others, and she takes a breathes out, and tilts her head back, pressing her lips together, and she mumbles "You better make this phone vibrate that you're listening to me because I'm giving you five minutes before I go in there after you."

    "... soooo if you're not married, and he's got a boyfriend, you're still single, right?" Nick asks, "'Cause I don't have a date to the December Formal yet and we could sneak you in through the gym--"

    Tim drops down onto a catwalk, made with hexagonal screenining over metallic supports. It has just the smallest amount of give to it. There's a broken vent, and some wires hanging down. There's a number of symbols on the wall, some sort of signage.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Indeed, in Phoebe's hand the phone vibrates, and if she looks down she'll see a notification pop-up:

QuackenTheCase: I hear you.

    Because, inside the ship, Tim just sub-vocalized "I hear you," after, as you may imagine, hearing Phoebe's muttered demand through the comm unit he's just pressed into his ear.

    He traveled light, but not *that* light.

    He looks down one way along the catwalk, then the other, before he considers the symbols on the wall. Without his HUD, he doesn't have access to the Roost's dictionaries or its auto-search/translate programs. So it's just up to him and his noggin.

QuackenTheCase: There's some damage to a vent. Might be why they're here?

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe looks down at the phone, and she reads the identifier and... tries so hard not to laugh. This isn't the appropriate time.

    And when she replies, it's Latin. Because of course everyone behind her knows Japanese. It's something about presence below -- did Tim want her down there?

    Luckily she's not in a casting circle or holding a magic book!

    There's lights below, along with grunting, squealing noises ahead of Tim.

Tim Drake has posed:
    If not for dating Lonnie, Tim probably wouldn't have brushed up on his Latin recently! But they like to philosophically snark at each other, so he's able to get what Phoebe's trying to tell him without having to put real effort into translating.

QuackenTheCase: Not yet. Hold on, I hear something.
QuackenTheCase: If I don't respond in the next 30 seconds, yes. I went left.

    And then he's on the move, glancing briefly towards the lights, but with his main focus forward, towards the sounds of... well, maybe life. Though even that is kind of a big assumption at this point. He holds his collapsed staff hidden behind him but ready to be snapped out at a moment's notice.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    And Phoebe's learning Latin for a very different reason, which is why her pronunciation has a Liverpool accent. She breathes out, looking at the screen and she begins to count down.

    Tim would find signs of life. It's... some sort of mole. He would have to crouch a little bit -- they're short. Probably have bad eyesight, maybe, but they look like a cross between moles and guinea pigs, really fuzzy ones with tiny eyes. There's a small conversation. One is holding what looks like some sort of spanner, the other a calibration device -- they're looking over a sort of map of the ship. There's several levels, and indeed it looks like some of their ship is broken and in need of repair -- a couple places are flashing orange.

Tim Drake has posed:
    There are a lot of things that Tim mentally prepares himself to face every day. Awful things. Violence, death, destruction.

    He is absolutely not expecting furry little creatures. Nothing in the world could have prepared him to deal with this in any kind of respectable way. Because... look. They're adorable!

    So, slowly, he crouches down, tucks his staff back into his belt, and then carefully taps one hand against the railing of the catwalk, making a tink-tink-tink noise.

QuackenTheCase: Do you happen to know the Speak with Animals spell for real?

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... Theoretically?" Phoebe states. "I was working on a spoken word translation spell before I left."

    "... do monks have rules for that?" Nacho asks, "Did she multiclass without telling us?"

    "... Nacho, I don't think we're playing the same game."

    "Ooooh. Jayjay, did they clear it with you?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    For several moments, no reply is forthcoming. But then:

QuackenTheCase: They're tiny little mole people. You have to see this.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe looks at the phone, and then looks at the group, and she whispers "Two minutes."

    And she takes off her pack. She takes out a marker, shakes it, and to her left hand scribbles a circle, and then she moves forward.

    "Peebles!" Nacho cries out.

    And they follow along behind her. With Yap.

    "You three.. wait here until I give the okay." she states, "And hold onto Yip."

    And she hops up into the mechanical earth-submarine, and she lands with the quietest 'tap'.

    And she turns left, stepping quietly, staying low, until she's by Tim's side, and peers down at the arguing engineers.

    Her head tilts a moment, listening, and she looks at the sharpied circle on the back of her hand. She reaches for Tim's hand, and she holds it tightly, bringing her fingers to her lips a moment.

    "-- the mover mechanism isn't retaining enough torque!" one of them is squeaking. It looks to the other two in dismay "For some reason the side-motor went off the side and it's just gosh-darn broken. The roters may need repaired, and yinz know we still haven't heard back from Squonel. He's been missing for almost an hour now!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    In the meantime, Tim crouches down, lowering his hood and the scarf around the lower half of his face. While he waits for Phoebe to join him, he's still and silent, observing.

    Best he can tell, they're having a conversation. Maybe an argument. They're certainly sentient, if they're creating ships and using tools, so it's just a question of being able to understand them.

    It's quite a question, though. Thankfully with Phoebe's magic, perhaps not as big an ask as it might otherwise have been.

    The only acknowledgment Tim gives Phoebe when she arrives by his side is a slight lift of his chin, but that's normal Red Robin behavior. When she reaches, he extends his hand, apparently getting the general idea of what she's trying to do. When her other hand lifts, he tracks the movement in his peripheral until it's up towards her face and then--

    Tim stares. He blinks a little bit. Then he stares some more.

    "It looks like gasket creep," he points out, hand lifting towards the bolted joint on the mechanism they're arguing over. "How long has it been since you've replaced the gasket on that bolt? Your maintenance period might not be short enough to compensate for the heat exposure. It doesn't look like it's retaining any clamping force any longer."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... did you know Tim and Phoebe spoke mole person?"

    "Nope."

    "They're kinda cute."

    Phoebe does not say anything, it would ruin the spell. She keeps her fingers at her lips and holds Tim's hand.

    "WAIT WHAT?"
    "Who said that?!"

    "GASP! -- TOP-WALKERS!"

    "... we replaced the gasket on the bolt about eight weeks ago, but they may not be standard variance. Or they're dry-rotted." an older one replies, the one with the spanner. He puts the spanner down, and looks up at the grouping.

    "... you seem to be a smart one. You think you can give us a hand?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim's also ignoring the guys, though he does glance behind him to make sure Yap is safe. Priorities. At least Yap, if he's down there, is great with all kinds of animals. So this likely won't end in dog-on-mole-person violence. At least, Yap isn't going to start anything.

    But he will end it.

    Once the mole-folk have gotten over the appearance of top-walkers, Tim turns to address the one who actually replies to him. "It could be a manufacturing defect," he acknowledges, eyes narrowed slightly as he stares up at the gasket in question. "If you have any spares--even if it's from the same lot--we could at least get it swapped out for you and re-attach the motor."

    He tucks a hand against his chin. "Can I take a look at the motor?" he asks. "I mean, from here it just looks like the outer casing is cracked, but--" Tim turns, abruptly.

    "Did any of you pack a costume repair kit with you? Something like a high-strength epoxy might be enough to hold the motor casing together if it's not on a load-bearing part."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... I've got nail epoxy that could withstand the space-shuttle re-entry in my bag." Nacho states. "... what don't look at me like that. It's great when my cosplay pieces have to go under heat-guns to be reshaped." he comments to the team, and he looks back to Phoebe and Tim.

    "I'll run and get it."

    Jayjay and Nick look at one another as Nacho goes to get the items. "Uh... anything else we need for this part?" Jayjay asks.

    "I didn't know there was going to be a scavenger hunt!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim examines the motor and determines that, yes, it's just the casing that's damaged, and not in a way that would mean serious structural instability. "That's perfect," he tells Nacho, and then he stands up, pulling Phoebe to her feet along with him. "The rotors are another problem entirely--and didn't you say you were missing one of your crew?"

    He looks up. "Maybe Yap could track them down. What do you say, Jayjay? In the meantime, this is going to be a big task--and I'm down a hand," he lifts up where his hand is still locked in Phoebe's. "So this is going to have to be a team effort."

    He's looking not just at the guys but at the mole-folk. "So, you all up for it?"