The Rainbow Tree Grove
7 Zorromes, 334
Fate
Okay! For posterity's sake...
The Hometown rescue plan is
- DAINA SMASH. (Specifically the factories.)
- SLAVINA FLUTTER EYELASH. (Specifically the occupying force.)
- AAREN FIX ASH. (Also everyone else. Especially Quinn.)
We haven't figured out any details or logistics, but that's going to be done in collaboration with Vanya and Dragomir.
The plan for tonight to proceed with catching up with the refugees.
But before we do that, I'd like to answer questions. Also I'd like to know if y'all want to work out the logistics now or at the beginning of next session, wherein you'll presumably launch your rescue mission.
Daina
and finding out if they want or need Daina's food. medicine. emergency evac help?
Slavina
I think I'd like to RP first, since we may get context that way that will be important for planning/logistics. And I can't think of any questions for you that wouldn't be better answered by our RP interactions :)
Aaren
I vote we sort out logistics later.
My questions I think will all be answered via information we received while RPing.
I think Aaren would want to go immidently to visit (as long as it seemed reasonably safe for us to just follow Frankie.)
Slavina
Actually, that second bit isn't 100% true, but I think that will come into play more for the nitty-gritty bits of logistical planning so they won't occur to me ahead of time I'm afraid.
Aaren
Mel, that's an important question but not part of the Rescue Plan (since its more of a Getting HomeTown Stable part of the plan.) Did you want to Ask Megan if they want that now, or maybe after we do the Rescue Plan?
Daina
after rescue is fine
so long as I dun forget
Slavina
We'll try to help you remember :)
Fate
Okay!
I will write a scene-setter, then!
Fate
It's decided: standing by for the next patrol is too long to wait. As a group, they decide to head towards the camp forthwith.
(Nora quietly shadows them, having little else to do.)
Although Frankie's journey, round-trip took a mere two hours, unhindered by terrain, it's not until mid-afternoon (Angel only just past her journey to the peak of the sky in the last day of her warm, gentle sunlight) that the crew hears the telltale chiming of the leaves of the rainbow trees in the breeze. However, from there, the camp slowly unveils itself: first through the people-sounds—laughter, singing, talking, shouting—and then through the gorgeous, shimmering sight of the rainbow trees, through which people move and children play.
But it's not long before they stop, slowly, and stare at the return of those who had passed from the forefront of life into memories that were already beginning to become fuzzy around the edges. (Some moreso than others.)
And then the warm chaos begins.
Many swarm the returning heroes, showering them with greetings, crying, hugs and kisses, happy songs, relieved songs, sad songs. Slavina is not spared (though she certainly doesn't face the same degree of it as Aaren, Daina, and Kelly). It's enough to halt their progress. Only Nora is left at the back of the group uncertain and overwhelmed, and concentrating on moving properly through this world.
Others sprint towards the various entrances to the barrows below the rainbow trees their songs echoing through passages and caverns, carrying word of their arrival.
Daina
would Nora have accepted some warmth to help her while she's adjusting?
Fate
If it was made clear to her that it'd help. But... wouldn't that just give her an energy boost a la caffeine?
Aaren
Aaren comes into the camp singing quietly. She seems subdued, on edge. Its the anticipation that's the problem. Knowing its going to hurt, seeing all those people in the wrong place. Seeing all those places where faces aren't.
Today, she is short, only six feet tall. Her hair, irredesent to mimic the song of the Rainbow Trees, is long, swinging across her muscled waist. Her noises clang and rattle, along to the clink of the noises on her walking stick. Her eyes are brown today, Mom's brown.
When they get close enough to hear, Aaren starts to cry. She doesn't stop as people begin to swarm, even as her songs change to begin healing those people she knows will be okay with it. She stops when they can no longer move, to hug and greet, and rapidly explain.
Daina
oh yeah.. prolly.. I think that's what it did.. heh guess we can just give her a latte
Aaren
XD
Slavina
Uh wait is it winter or summer?
Fate
Summer
Aaren
Woooooops. Hang on, I'll edit.
Daina
Daina smiles happily at the greeting and gives hugs and kisses where warranted and desired. Sending a chemical greeting to the Rainbow Tree as well.
Slavina
Before reaching the crowd - before even leaving their strange pocket of quietude - Slavina girds herself with warmth and joy. She follows in Aaren's wake, returning greetings and hugs and songs as they're offered (and asking after those personal details she can recall). When they slow to enough of a halt and the crowd pulses in on the hometown natives, she takes a step back out of the way and looks around to see the situation first-hand.
Fate
Kelly's attention is drawn more places than ever before in his life, and he answers question and statement after question and statement, hardly able to track which is which.
And then, "Vinochka!"
It's Vanya. Her clothing isn't quite full military, but it is austere, and her hair is put up for convenience's sake rather than for style. Shadows settle more deeply in the hollows of her face than Slavina remembers, and her shape isn't quite as full as it once was (although that may be mostly an effect of the clothing). Beside her is the Pearl Speaker—Sonja—only just settling a child (can't be much older than three) at her hip and putting a hand over her mouth as if to pull something out. What comes out between her thumb and forefinger is her tongue, though, followed by an exaggerated puzzled expression, a faux grunt of confusion, and a giggle from the child.
But Vanya hardly notices. She's booking it towards Slavina.
Slavina
She freezes at the name. At the voice. A reminder of the past running down her spine like an icicle in summer.
She doesn't crack.
But she does whirl the quarter-turn it takes to face her old friend and wraps Vanya in a near-desperate embrace, burying her face in his shoulder (not crying, she is not crying).
Aaren
Aaren's voices have swirled away from the learning songs. They pour over now, into healing and ache-relief. She is listening to the people below, ears straining even as she answers questions for a hint of her mother's song.
Daina
Daina lifts her head and sniffs the air she too searching for Jeri and the new sibling that's soon to arrive it seems. She really really was going to make sure all the good for pregnant women foods were growing strong around here. Concern for the new lives that were being brought into the world when all was so uncertain. She glances to her fellows to assure herself of their status, looking worriedly to Nora who most of all of them was a stranger in a strange land. At least Slavina had been here several times.. Nora hadn't even been to this realm before.
Fate
Vanya wraps up Slavina tightly, laughing and crying all at once, pulling away only briefly to look at her, really see her, for only bare moments at a time before the space between them gets to be too unbearable. Words fall from her in a tangle of Chlovak and English, soothing words, excited words, relieved words, concerned words, tumbling over each other barely comprehensibly.
Meanwhile, from another hollow, Jesse can be seen poking his head out (humming a curiosity song which doesn't match him anymore), Lila holding his hand (she's so big now!). Then he pulls up short, as if hit by a brick wall, eyes going wide. Then he turns and asks, "Mommy, can we go see them?"
Tris comes up behind him (the thumping, uneven cadence of her steps still familiar; although her song precedes her by several paces) and she scans the crowd. Her eyes soon settle on her long-gone family. For a moment she can't speak, the breath stolen from her. So she nods, and Jesse invites Lila to join him—which she accepts with a bright grin blooming over her face. Then the two children take off towards them, hand-in-hand.
(From within, faint, echos Jerri's song, making their way to the surface. They're accompanied by Dragomir's, and Auntie Harley's, and Hana's. It's somewhat slow going, though, as the people within are beginning to pour out all at once.)
Throughout all this Nora wanders off (not far, though), carefully studying a rainbow tree, taking samples of each of its parts, and the soil.
Aaren
Aaren pushes forward, singing the crowd aside, so that she can swoop up Tris. And also Jesse and Lila if they don't get out of the way.
Daina
Daina watches Nora distractedly and questions the tree if it's ok with the sampling. She doubts it's a problem but is a bit concerned. They are a special type of tree after all, at least to these folks and herself. Smiling a little as she smells Tris's familiar scent and others that are close to it. She looks between the approaching family and back to their guest. Wondering if she will need to be the one to introduce Nora to the folks here about.
Slavina
Awash in this river of Vanya's words, Slavina says nothing - just smiles and laughs and shakes her head and hugs her friend painfully tight. When the flood slows to a trickle, when she can manage to get a breath in between phrases, Slavina says, "It's good to see you again." Her voice is steady, but with a sandpaper rawness under the velvety surface.
Fate
With another breeze comes the subtle musical cascade, anew. A scent washes over Daina from the trees, a small part of it unclear about what Daina's referencing.
Once Aaren breaks away, Tris does a breaking of her own (from her temporary paralysis) and hurries to meet her little sister, tears beginning to stream down her face. Jesse and Lila get there first, though, and are quickly wrapped up in Aaren's embrace. Kelly attempts to push his way from the crowd too, glancing towards Daina to check and see if she was okay.
Vanya gives Slavina a firm kiss on the forehead. "Good?" she teases. "Bozydar took all the good words along with him, didn't he?" Her eyes and cheeks are red and she sniffs and lets out a shaky breath, her smile trembling. But it's a rhetorical question, because her face brightens and she breathes, "You need to meet Jelushka." She swallows and pulls away, urging Slavina back towards Sonja.
Daina
Daina hmms and nods a little as she leaves Nora to her explorations but quietly asks Frankie to just make sure she stays out of trouble and such. Maybe try small talk?
She smiles as the kids and Tris reach Aaren and Kelly and she waits her turn for hugs. Her song one of greeting and happiness to see them safe. Look how big everyone is 'oh sakes!' Her tail making an appearance to wag behind her, ears perked up on her head. Her own movement through the crowd is less push and more sway duck dip and step
Slavina
Slavina laughs, breathless and brittle. But before there's time for a reply she has to change paths. "Jelushka?" she asks, not really a question since she knows the answer.
Aaren
Aaren breifly considers growing more arms to hug Triss. But that wold require rerouting too many important songs. So she just sort of half-collapses on her older sister instead, not loosening her hold on Jesse and Lila.
Fate
"Gabrijel Moradov Ivanovič Kovač," Vanya replies, her tone grandiose, as they pull up to Sonja (who offers a deep nod in greeting).
The child looks between Vanya and the new arrival, mouth slightly open, and then perks and says to Slavina, "That's my name too!" The baby-lisp is still in full force.
Tris hugs Aaren as tight as she can manage, shaking with crying. She manages to get out, "You're short today!" (She's still easily two inches shorter than Aaren.)
Then, seeing Kelly and Daina approaching, Tris stretches one hand out to them (still entangled as she is in Aaren's embrace), and waves them over, mouth twisting with more crying. Once Kelly gets close enough, Tris uses that one hand to pull him more in her reach by his shirt and then gently yank on his ear; and in turn she affectionately tugs one of Daina's ringlets.
Aaren
"I'm in stealth mode." Aaren manages.
Daina
Daina laughs a little and scrubs her eyes a bit but tries to be not emotional. She's a little worried they were followed or .. something.. it seems so much has gone wrong while they were away. She halts a moment to sniff the air for any scents of machinery ... mostly things that smell like the wolves before or just.. not like something the hometown folks make or use. Or the scent of stuffy uniform fabrics aside from Vanya maybe... really anything out of place.
Slavina
Slavina tries to say... something. Anything. But words won't come out and she can feel herself starting to crumble so she makes a little half-turn, a little adjustment in how she stands so everyone's attention will just slide away from her.
Then she grabs Vanya like she's drowning , buries her face, and starts to sob.
Fate
Tris lets out a small, choked laugh at Aaren's response, replying dryly, "Aren't we all?" then pats her to give her other siblings a proper hug. She starts with Daina, lifting her up in a vigorous hug and peppering her with tear-soaked kisses on cheek, forehead, and hair—and Kelly is currently occupied by crouching and squeezing Jesse, who's humming the Uncle Kelly Is SO COOL song. (Out of everything so far, this is what gets Kelly to shed a few of his own quiet tears.) Lila stands and watches, meanwhile, eyes wide and mouth a round 'o'. Kelly invites her to the hug, and she joins them.
Vanya wraps Slavina up again, slightly surprised, but holds her without reservation, rubbing her back, her soothing words much more comprehensible now.
Aaren
Aaren stands up streight again and closes her eyes, letting the songs wash over her as her voices twine around them. No one is as well as they were when she left them.
Aaren's been healing whatever—now she begins to sort out and prioritize, begining with the injuries and goin gfrom there.
Daina
Daina squeaks and giggles at the smooching and feigns protest but responds to it all with a warm hug and a welcoming song. "I'm glad to see you too" she teases with a small smile. Safe to say no weird smells are smelled? nothing to hint we were followed? did Frankie go to see Nora and try the small talk?
Slavina
It's Slavina's turn to be incomprehensible now, shaking as she pours out a jumbled, repetitive litany of apologies and fears and grief along with her tears.
Fate
No weird smells are smelled. And Frankie is at Nora's side. He doesn't understand what small talk is, really.
Daina
fair!
Slavina
that's okay neither does Nora :P
Fate
Eventually, as more hugs and kisses and tears are passed around and another group swarms around the people who returned, Dragomir's resonant voice resounds into the air, a low rumble of excuse mes and pardons. He towers over the crowd, easily spotted.
"Can I, can you make me a giant now?" Hana chirps. "So I can see?"
"Absolutely, little bunny!" says Dragomir. Soon enough, Hana's on his shoulders. But he hangs back at the edge of the crowd, just watching.
(It's hard to believe he's the same person. He's cleaned up, and wearing sleeveless, sweat-stained work clothes. He smells of soil and toil, dirt still present under his fingernails.)
Then there's a sharp bark. "Hey, people, move your asses! Let a woman see her kids, alright?"
It's Auntie Harley.
"Harley." It's Jerri's unmistakable Warning Tone (TM).
Some of the crowd thins away, little by little.
Auntie Harley sings the slightly flippant, slightly taunting 'too late now' song.
Shortly, the crowd is thin enough, revealing the two of them. Faced with the full sight of her kids, all hardness just... melts from Jerri's expression. Weariness drags at her eyes, but a smile spreads across her, knit with the pain of relief at the brow. "Ah, shit," she breathes. Her eyes slide over Aaren, Daina, and Kelly. Then she starts forward, her arms spreading. There's no particular aim—just the overwhelming feeling of Hugs Must Happen Now.
(To Aaren) Aaren can hear the echoes of Jerri's injuries. Her spine healed, but slightly off, putting the rest of her body out of alignment because of the complex series of compensations her muscles have done; her right lung is not quite flush with her chest wall; and the scar on her thigh still sounds angry even after all this time.
Aaren
(To Fate) How long would it take to put it all back?
Fate
(To Aaren)
Just a couple of days.
Already Aaren can hear the low-grade but more-or-less constant pain easing out of the measures of her song.
Aaren
(To Fate) Cool. :) Thanks.
Aaren
(To Fate)
Yaaaay! :)
How preggers is she?
Fate
(To Aaren) About a third of the way into her third season. (So in OOC terms, just over seven months.)
Aaren
(To Fate) Baby is healthy?
Fate
(To Aaren) Yes, though it does have a case of the hiccups presently. And it is just the one baby. No twins or triplets or anything.
Aaren
(To Fate)
Phew!
XD Triplets would be next, and that would just be too much.
Fate
(To Aaren)
XD
Oh boy would it.
Aaren
Aaren swoops away to go to her mother, already starting in on her aches, pains, and still-healing serious injuries. She hugs her, gently.
Daina
Daina gives a little giggle snort hearing the two and once more gives her eyes a rub with her forearm as way is made. "glad some things stayed the same" she sort of mumbles mostly to herself as she finds a place for herself in the hugging and is careful of baby bump even if she's to the side and it's not strictly needed anyway. Daina is quiet but warm, probably a little warm to the touch as well, as she half hums half mumbles a song of 'I'm so glad to see you again/ thank the gods you're ok-ish'. She definitely isn't crying ... much. Reddened cheeks with a few tracks of wetness down them.
Slavina
Eventually she lets go of Vanya. Having emptied herself of words (it doesn't take long - there will be more later, but she is small now), Slavina takes a moment to compose herself: tears folded up in a handkerchief, grief tucked in pockets, pain smoothed off her face. A process very familiar to the both of them.
Once complete, she gives a little shake of her shoulders. Nothing much, but it breaks the surface that had been sheltering her from attention. "Well." Slavina takes another hoarse crack at talking to Gabrijel, talking to Sonja and Vanja. "It is an honor to meet you, Gabrijel Moradov Ivanovič Kovač. I'm Zdeslava Bozyhostavic Liudzi." She gives him an obviously-silly, over the top bow-curtsey to go with the overly formal introduction.
Fate
No longer distracted by all the commotion, Gabrijel regards Slavina again, almost surprised. Then he takes a breath and he says, "Nice, nice to meet you... Desam... Desalma"
Vanya smiles at him. "Bozyhostavic..."
"Bolahammic..."
Her smile spreads further. "Liudzi."
"Loozyeh."
Sonja turns her head to the side that's away from everyone else, politely spitting honey out of her mouth onto the ground. (Or at least as politely as she can.)
Jerri forgoes gentleness entirely in favor of just trying to press the whole year-plus's worth of 'I love yous' and 'I missed you so muches' in one hug. "You're short today, Aar-bear," she comments. She presses a cheek against Kelly (whose angle of attack is from the side), and she says, "And you got taller!" And then, after a moment subtle tenseness drains from her muscles and she sings the gratitude song to Aaren, breathy and relieved, weaving it with the sound of the song Aaren's using to heal her. "My little treasure girl, you're a sight for sore eyes." She takes a moment to plant a kiss in Daina's hair and rub her back. "Is that supposed to be a dress or a coat?" she asks.
Daina
She smiles at the pet name and then laughs "Uh well I guess it could be either I mean Bogulya isn't specific about a lot of things" she smiles a little and her hand sort of grips the sleeve of the coat almost protectively. Her joy faltering a moment as she remembers where he is and why. They would get to him though.. she goes through her mental self reassurances for the umpteenth time.
Aaren
Aaren calms the baby's daiphram so the hiccups stop. She doesn't say anthing, just keeps singing and hugging.
Slavina
Slavina grins, a little bit of sparkle making its way into her eyes. "Very good! But who has time for such a long name? You can call me 'Slavina.'" She holds out a hand to shake hometown-style. "How old are you?" She asks.
Fate
"Sweetie, I don't follow," Jerri says, in response to Daina.
"Hurry it up!" Auntie Harley says, though without any real conviction to it. "I get a turn too!"
"Daina got the... um... coat from her Bogulya," Kelly explains. "He used it to help us escape from... another god."
Jerri goes still, but she doesn't break the hug. "Um excuse me what?"
Auntie Harley's manner drops too, her arms crossing.
Meanwhile, Gabrijel shakes Slavina's hand, confident. "Three and a half. And, and Mommy's 69."
"Try a smaller number than that, solnyshko," says Vanya, dry, even as she tenderly brushes his hair back from his forehead with her fingers.
"Forty... um... forty-eleventeen."
"Well, no, but I'll take it."
"What's your favorite song?" Gabrijel asks Slavina, blithe.
Daina
Daina winces and looks apologetic not having meant to halt the glad tidings of homecoming. "Uh not a big deal really this guy wanted to grab us Mokosits stepped in and hid us.. so it .. uh it ended ok for us?" she attempts uncertainly, glancing to Aaren like 'is this how we wanna present it.. this is reassuring right? help I shoulda not said anything I don't know how to human about this!!'.
Aaren
Aaren takes a deep breath. Sings, "Basically, yes. We don't know if the other god, the Machine Tsar, is still looking for us. I think we've lost him. Thanks to The Guest." Her tone is reassuring, but she doesn't want to hide the truth. She brightens. "But Bulguya left us a sweet pocket of Between that seems to have doors to all kinds of places, including here! We climbed down a tree infront of the Hunter's Lodge and bam—here we are!"
Aaren takes the oppurunity to gesture across the crowd to Nora.
"That's Nora, by the way. She's.... I have no idea why she's still following us, but she helped us out and ended up all wrapped up in it with us."
Daina
Daina shrugs a shoulder "what else is she gonna do.. how can she even get home?" said as an aside of sorts. "Sides I think we might need her help s'more.." her tone uncertain as she thinks at for a test 'Frankie, How's Nora by the way. She smell ok at the moment?'.
Fate
Not even Nora can ignore all the eyes on her. Seeing that she's the current, transient center of attention, she says in the language of Tír na Tearmann, 'Right, can anyone show me where the shitter is?'
Daina
Daina snorts softly at that question and unless someone else moves to do so she'd slip free to show her. Fairly sure she can find it by scent at the very least. ew gross XD
Slavina
"Oh! Hm." Slavina screws her face up into a thinking expression and taps her lips with one finger. "That's so hard... it depends where I am. But my favorite right now..." Slavina starts on a Liudzi-style song in Chlovak, one that has a simple refrain any hometown child would be able to pick up on. The melody is haunting but it's clear Slavina loves it for the words: double- and triple-meanings that mean it could equally be a fond rememberence, a farewell, or a lament.
It's not a terribly long song. When it's done, Slavina spares a glance over at the Jerri-centered crowd and then at Nora. "Ah... I think I might be falling down on my obligations as a guest. " She smiles tightly at Vanya, really not wanting to leave.
Daina
Daina smiles and excuses herself with a chiming sort of tune that says be right back and goes to show Nora the way. "Heh how're you doin?" she questions "sides needing the shitter I mean"
Fate
In response to Daina's mental question to Frankie, a smell drifts over her. It's Nora's smell, but in sharper detail—probably far more than she ever wanted to smell about her.
Vanya's ear is automatically drawn by the name "Mokosits". Her attention is split, but it matters little for now as Slavina seems to have things well in hand.
"Alright, well... I guess a few dozen skittles are in order," Jerri says at Aaren's explanation, a little stunned but otherwise largely unfazed.
Auntie Harley heaves a laugh. "And a fucking boar or two and a barrel of mead."
After a couple measures of Slavina's song, before he could even pick up on the tune Gabrijel joins in, unabashedly, filling in words he doesn't know or doesn't remember with sounds that maybe vaguely match what's supposed to be there.
After it's all over and Slavina's reluctance almost tangibly fills the air, Vanya gives her a pained but sympathetic smile and says, "We aren't going anywhere except maybe inside." She motions to the barrow entrance.
Nora stares at Daina for a moment, at the verge of being lost in thought, and then responds, 'I'm in a completely different world that I only know from her' she jabs a thumb Slavina's way, 'muddled dreams, I don't understand anything about anything here, I'm traveling with two goddesses and one bull-man, I can barely walk on my own, there's a huge fuck-off number of people within spittin' distance so I can hardly hear myself think, much less hear Brian talking to me, and I only understand maybe a few dozen words being tossed about like rain.'
Aaren
Aaren smiles at her mother and Aunt. "They certainly wouldn't go amiss. Mom, I'm going to start loosening your muscles up so I can move your spine. Let me know if I make you too relaxed, okay?"
Daina
Daina nods a little bit and smiles in a sympathetic way. "We can work on the language barrier soon if you want to.. and I can try to answer your questions though this strictly isn't my world either.. but I've been here long enough I think" she does the math "like 13 years or so" she murmurs before continuing "as for your traveling company I can only offer my condolences" she jests carefully. A moment of pause "I can leave ya be and let ya wander a ways away to sort yourself if ya want.. Frankie can make sure you're safe... if you'd like"
Slavina
Slavina droops with relief. "Oh good. I would really appreciate sitting down right now. Especially if the down I'm sitting in is a little less... boisterous. Maybe down from a very boring, serious duck."
"Maybe a duck accountant."
Fate
Jerri sings a relieved song of assent.
Auntie Harley's brow furrows. "Is that a good idea? I mean she's—" She waves a hand as if dispersing her question like it was a bad smell. "Nevermind. You two know what you're doing."
Nora impatiently tosses her hand over her shoulder. 'Just show me to the shitter.'
Vanya's smile eases and broadens. She brings a hand up to Slavina's upper arm and gives it an affectionate squeeze. "Make yourself at home."
"The duck went to the under the, the, under the sea," Gabrijel explains. "There's no more duck."
Slavina
"Oh." Slavina says. "I'm sorry. Is Marian doing alright?"
Daina
Daina gives a nod and a song of 'sure thing' feeling. She shows the way and makes note of it for later. "Don't fall in" she calls before returning to the gathering of people.
Fate
Vanya nods. "She took it hard, but... Well, it's been more than a year now. She's taking good care of the last egg. Anyway..." Vanya motions Slavina onward, to wherever she was headed.
Fate
It's a long, slow process into the complex network of dens and tunnels as—even after Auntie Harley has had her turn sweeping her nieces and nephew up in her bear hug, interrupting Daina's process of showing Nora to the toilet, and even after Nora returns from the toilet—people continue to crowd around the homecomers, offering more hugs, more crying, more laughter, more questions, more requests... among them are Auntie Jordan, the Keeper of the (Deceased) Golden Duck, Aya's husband Pyotr, the Man with the Stick Army, Logan, and many more. Luckily Slavina is spared some of it and Nora only faces it by proxy (a fact which she vehemently, irritatedly complains about, mostly to Brian).
It takes Auntie Harley again, this time with Vanya, to settle everyone down. Soon enough, there's space made for the homecomers and company, in a vaguely circular-shaped den half the size of the Arechavaleta home. There are cushions on the ground here, rolled-up bedrolls lining the walls of the place, a couple lanterns hanging from the ceiling, a simple, makeshift hand loom on which there is an unfinished square of fabric, and a half-finished mending project not too far beside it. There are two tunnels leading out concealed by curtains, one to the main thoroughfare and one to a medbay, and a side-room which houses a firepit, several cooking implements, and a crude, subtle chimney which vents out to the surface.
Soon everyone is urged to take a seat, either on a cushion or on a favorite person (the Arechavaletas have never been terribly picky about that). Kelly finds himself piled on by Jesse, Hana, and Lila, and Nora does away with sitting entirely.
Despite the smaller size of the room, the complement is not very big. It consists of a number of children, yes. But aside from that there's Jerri, Harley, Jordan, Pyotr, Tris, and Logan; and even with Vanya and Dragomir its hard not to notice that there's something missing.
Still, the mood seems to be bright. Logan plinks away on Aya's guitar as best she can, and both Harley and Jordan set about gathering what they can for snacks and tea.
Aaren
Aaren has already begun picking away at the most troublesome health problems.
Once everyone is at least semi-settled, she sings her family, and company, a short, company safe, version of their trip so far.
"We have to continue on with the Tsarbog's errand." Aaren concludes. "I'm pretty sure that its important to removing the imposter from his throne." (She's avoided saying why the Tsarbog is missing from his throne now.) "But, for now, how can we help? We were thinking we could go break open the rabbit pens and get everyone out."
Daina
When Daina spots them searching out snacks she excuses herself and runs up and out, marking the way back with a small line of moss growing in her wake. She reaches the surface and ducks a bit into the woods around them to look for something sweet like berries or fruit, bribing a plant with some warmth if need to be make it flower and produce. She returns with her shirt made into a basket and a big smile as she brings the goodies over to the aunties with a hopeful expression that the help will be appreciated.
Slavina
Slavina takes a seat next to Vanya, naturally. And since Gabrijel is feeling sociable today she quickly ends up being a combination sofa and climbing-tree for him as he clambers around her and chatters quietly with Slavina through the not-terribly-toddler-interesting story.
When she notices Nora's restlessness, Slavina catches her eye and pats the seat next to her. "Come sit down." She murmurs. "And while you're at it can you undo Jelochka's hard work?" She holds out a long string of amber-and-glass beads that's now hopelessly tangled.
Fate
As Daina excuses herself, Pyotr volunteers to be her buddy in this instance (since the buddy system is very important presently, something which Daina would be unequivocally informed before being excused). Sure enough, they return not long after Aaren finishes her report. The tea is steeped, there's some acorn-flour bread on offer with a crude pine nut oil and thin, watery vinegar in the middle for dipping, and it's not long before the basket of berries is passed around.
Nora huffs very slightly at Slavina, and eyes Gabrijel with something approaching mistrust or perhaps distaste, but otherwise wordlessly makes her way over and begins working carefully at the necklace.
At Aaren's matter-of-fact presentation of her idea of action, there's a stricken silence.
It's broken by Auntie Harley. "Fuck. Yes."
"Ehh!" This one exclamation claims Vanya's spot in the conversation. She takes some time to think it over, then says, "I would like to get everyone here as healthy as possible first."
Jerri nods. "I agree." She offers a thin smile Daina's way. "And more food for everyone."
"More blackberry wolves too," Auntie Harley adds, firmly. Then she waves a hand. "Anyway, we can spring them out after all that."
"How long do you have?" Vanya asks.
Aaren
Aaren smiles, glad they have work for them. "I've set us a soft dead-line of two weeks. I can push it out to three if we need too- I want to make sure we have time to check in on the people in Bakersfield before we get back to work."
(Aaren had already explained about their new Between Pocket.) "I will plan to visit as often as possible as well, although-" She takes a voice away from its work for a moment to sing the 'what with what happened last time, who knows' trill.
Daina
Daina smiles brightly, clearly overjoyed that there is something she can do to help! She also offers. "I'd like to grow a plant with a root base that will help dig out larger homes for you and keep them as safe as possible from cave ins... roots are very adept at holding dirt and all" she nods softly.
To Auntie Harley she questions "do you think you could help me design the new ones to be effective and draw the least attention? I'm thinking to make them able to reproduce this time but at a very slow rate. Just in case you need more, but we don't want them to get out of hand after all" She hmmms and waits for further questions but those she has about the food situation are going to be a bit more complex for the current basic information exchange.
Slavina
Slavina asks Vanya (quietly, so she won't interrupt any side conversations), "Are you planning to stay here? Or do you have plans for moving back to the town?" After a moment's silence while Jelochka tugs on her lips she adds, "And did you want anything done about the factories they're building?"
Fate
"Two weeks?" Vanya sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "I don't think we can plan and launch a rescue mission in just two weeks."
"We may not have much more time than that anyway," Dragomir points out, his voice rumbling through the cavern.
"Yeah, treasure girl, we know that, about the roots." Jerri motions upwards towards the roots currently neatly framing the ceiling and even along the walls some.
Tris scans the whole group. "Do we need larger homes? Would that be better?"
"I wouldn't mind more space," Dragomir says, a little tentative. (Even sitting, his head's not far from the ceiling.)
"What, the wolves?" Auntie Harley asks. Then she both shrugs and sings a shrug simultaneously. "Fuck if I know. The ones you made were fantastic. I dunno what you mean by 'draw the least attention'—they were quieter than this guy." She motions to Kelly, throwing him an affectionate, teasing half-smile.
"We don't need larger homes at present," Vanya intones, to Daina's question. Then she focuses on Daina directly. "There's more to this network you haven't seen. Lesh has provided very well for all of us. Let's start with food, the blackberry wolves, and enough childbane to last us through at least another winter." Then, upon seeing that Jelochka is being a bit of a problem, Vanya reaches over to detach his fingers from Slavina's face and offers him a replacement toy (one which, by the look of it, has been well-loved). "We have dreams to move back to town. And dismantling the factories. But no plans as yet. Our resources are few, and our options limited."
"Less so now with our present company," Dragomir points out, mildly. But he's not tentative this time, not in the least.
Vanya hums a concession, eyeing the homecomers and company, her gaze lingering a little on Nora.
Daina
Daina smiles and nods "I figured you did but I wanted to offer my help to expand if you wanted... " her tone sheepish but she nods firmly to the three things requested all things she'd been intent on providing. A faint hmmn as she quietly makes note to talk to someone about what plants they want specifically and moves towards Vanya and holds her hands out. "may I?" she questions with a nod to the wee babbin with his toy. Moving to sit fairly nearby either way.
Fate
A smile flickers over Vanya. "Ask Vinochka." She motions Slavina's way.
Aaren
Aaren presses her lips together. She doesn't wan to naysay Vanya, since she's clearly in charge. But really. "Vanya," She sings, in her suggestion tone, "I could simply sing all the solders around the hutches to sleep and keep them that way until everyone was out." Aaren's not married to the plan. It's just a top-of-the-head response to Vanya's insintence that it will take two weeks to plan.
Slavina
She murmurs a suggestion to Jelochka that he go play with Daina now. Frowning and looking at the floor through half-lidded eyes, Slavina says slowly, "May we buy the town back for them, Renina?" Slavina uses a Liudzi expression that has connotations more of brokering a highly advantageous contract than a monetary purchase.
She looks up, catching Aaren's eye. "It might take some extra time, but they could all go home..."
Aaren
Aaren smiles. "That would be amazing, Slavina. Do you think you could pull it off?"
Then she frowns. "And, actually, if we can keep the soldiers from actually going home? I don't want them all to get turned into monsters."
She winces. "Well, mechanical—you know what I mean."
Slavina
Slavina flicks her eyes to Vanya, Jerri, checking to see their reaction to the idea of the Chlovak soldiers staying before she comments.
Fate
A little tension rises in the room at Slavina's suggestion. It seeps into everything, even the children playing with Kelly. They start to grow louder, a little more shrill. (Gabrijel even looks over, distracted, and clearly very tempted to go play.) But given as the statement was directed to Aaren and she's a priest—moreover, she thinks it's a great idea. The tension falls, but Pyotr quickly moves to help Kelly get them more under control.
"Whatever, just get them the fuck away from here." Auntie Harley slashes her hand through the air sharply.
Jerri looks her younger sister's way. "We don't want them to report back to the Mechanical Tsar."
Vanya nods. "They must stay, if we can manage." Before Harley can retort, Vanya returns her attention to Slavina. "Regardless, I think we're going to need a much better negotiating position, though. Even if we can free their prisoners..." Her gaze slides to the side. "This CO has... made a number of decisions I wouldn't have made if I were in his shoes."
"Translation: 'he's a dumbass.'" Anger lends quite a sharp edge to Jerri's words.
"I'll give him a 'much better negotiating postion'," Harley growls.
This is enough to draw the children's attention somewhat, and spur their discomfort.
"Jer, Har, please," sings Jordan.
Daina
Diana frowns a little... "You all think it's a matter of the imposter wanting money or ... wealth of some kind? I suppose it could be, I know people in power can be... petty but... I can't help but worry they won't walk away from this place so easily..." she chews her lower lip and digs out the crystal in her bag. "The mines and labor can be found ... many more places... these though?" she frowns a little. "I ... worry about giving them any warning before we ... act more aggressively?" She frowns and fills the crystal up with energy creating a glow in it with the magical action. "Now...maybe he doesn't know about all it can do yet but... I'm worried he might... and if that's the case then ... getting the place back as a gift or with a purchase would only draw their attention and leave us with the same defenses they already overcame?" She looks at the others "I've got several ideas to ... tweak the situation to the very best advantage we can get... and of course I know you all will have even better ideas..."
Aaren
Aaren nods at Daina's concerns. "Tell you what." She sings, to Daina. "Let's try it. And you should talk to Vanya about your ideas for defense once we decided about our next step—regardless of what we do, we'll want to help with that."
But then Aaren realizes she's taking control again, and turns back to Vanya. "I know that doing anything risks an angry god, and I won't be here, so this is your call. My apologiese."
Slavina
Slavina gives a little smile at the dumbass translation. "A better negotiating position like the one we'll be in after their equipment and buildings are all destroyed, they lose all their prisoners after mysteriously falling unconscious, and they're harried relentlessly by monsterous plant-beasts?"
Daina
Daina looks to Slavina and nods "I was thinking of some... stone like trees as well... barriers to keep reinforcements away?"
Fate
Gabrijel moves to join the more appealing chaos since the adults are adulting.
Vanya, on the other hand, now growing half-distracted by the increasingly rowdy kids, furrows her brow, parsing through everything that was just said.
Jerri holds a hand out to forestall Daina. "Slow down, treasure girl. We haven't even decided what we're doing yet."
Jordan, well knowing that Aaren is too busy to sing the children's calm song, says, "Tris, Pyotr, Kelly, how about you all take the kids outside?"
Tris sings an affirmation and gets to her feet. Catching the cues, Kelly and Pyotr soon follow, all three working together to herd the rambunctious group out of the tunnels.
At that, Harley sings the gratitude song to Jordan, with no small amount of exasperation.
After they're gone, Vanya takes another moment or two. Finally, she looks to Slavina. "I really like your ideas, Vinochka." Then she regards Daina. "Daina, right now what Slavina is suggesting is getting the Chl—Mechanical Tsar's forces to surrender. If we succeed, we aren't going to let them walk away." She regards the group as a whole. "I'm sure we can forestall notice. For example... say..." she waves a hand, as if wafting the first idea in, "falsifying reports to whoever is in charge of this CO. But we must be prepared to evacuate everyone and flee to safety. If we truly do draw a god's notice," she looks Daina's way, "I'm sorry, but I don't think we can defend against that. The Mechanical Hounds tore through your blackberry wolves."
Daina
Daina huffs softly at that last bit... "I wasn't exactly making them to stand up against mechanical hounds when I designed them the first time" a bit defensive but also under that a tone of hurt that her ideas seem totally ... worthless to the current leader of the group. Her jaw sets slightly and she fixes her gaze on her lap a moment. "Fair enough then... I"m going to go help with the wee ones ... just come get me with instructions." she murmurs as she rises very gracefully and moves to follow after the tykes and friends.
Slavina
Slavina dips her head at Vanya's comments. She summarizes the conversation so far for Nora, then adds to Vanya, "If we need to I can forge reports. Or whatever else. Just tell me what to say and get me a sample of his handwriting."
She grows silent after that, as the idea of the god showing up again really sinks in. It's a sobering thought on an already far-too-sober mind.
Fate
Vanya watches Daina go, strung a little with unease.
Jerri does too. Then her gaze drops, and for a moment (to those who catch a glimpse, or those who can hear her song) she is exhausted and sad. But this is dispelled as she takes a breath to square herself and plants her palms on her knees. "Do any of you need me here for all this official business shit?"
"If we do, we'll come get you," Vanya assures.
At that, Jerri nods and looks Aaren's way. "Do I need to be in here for whatever you're doing to work? Am I at a point we can put it on hold?"
Aaren
"Just stay within hearing distance." Aaren waves a hand. "If you walk too far away you'll probably cramp up a bit but be fine otherwise."
"My hearing distance." She ammends.
Fate
With another nod, Jerri begins the laborious process of rising.
Auntie Harley starts forward. "What are you—?"
"I'm sure it can wait, Jer," Auntie Jordan sings at the same time.
"I'm..." Jerri sings Ash's song, but in a verbing sort of way. The strength of her voice leaves no room for negotiation.
At that, Harley and Jordan fall silent and Dragomir rises and helps her up.