2021.05.06: AquaTart Pt.1

Meeting the AquaTart
Coming to a crossroads of sorts, the group meet up and hear something in distress, only to find an unknown aquatic creature upset.
IC Date	05/06/2021
Players	Einar, Evonna, Leif, Miguel, Nico
Location	3-4 miles outside of Stonecreek, deep in the forest
Spheres	Gaian Garou Fera

People come to Stonecreek. There are many ways to get there. There are also Stonecreek patrols. There is also a cross road sort of thing and that's where most of the paths converge and also where patrols from Stonecreek tend to meet and pass each other. There's usually a wave, a few words passed, then on to the rest of their circuit. Today, the stars have aligned perfectly. Miguel is coming from one direction, Nico is coming from another. Einar and Evonna are doing their patrol and emerge from the forest just as Leif comes out from another direction.

Leif lifts his hand in a wave to the converging group and comes right up to the middle where all these paths meet, looking amused, but kind of pissy still - however that works. "I didn't even bring beer," he calls out.

Evonna laughs, "I'll take some mead though, if you have it." Otherwise her water bottle will do. She looks around and sees Nico and Miguel. "Ja, this is the right place. Land of the Giants!"

Nico holds up the cooler she is carrying, "I did." She was on her way to Stonecreek, and her grandmother's taught her never to come empty handed, so she sought out some hand brewed honey mead to share with Leif and his pack, but anyone was welcome to them.

Einar grunts and smirks, "And me without my fuckin cooler," he adds in and then Nico's coming through and he thumbs at her, "Fuckin eh, right?" Impressed. He smirks towards Evonna, "Not used to lookin up so fuckin much either."

Miguel chuckles at Leif as he takes his human shape with his big ass hammer propped up on one shoulder "This is interesting. I was coming over for a visit since I haven't been out in a while. How are things?"

"Stop being short. Problem solved," Leif says casually to Einar, with a little grin. He moves in Nico's direction first because she has the beverage. "Nice to see you, Miguel, Nico. Heading to Stonecreek?" He opens his mouth to say something else and there is some sort of sound, something that sounds almost like a howl way off in the distance, even further from Stonecreek. Leif pauses, tipping his head to listen. Another howl goes up, this one clearly pained, and a rather high-pitched scream. It's a long ways off, maybe another mile or two, further into the forest.

Evonna sighs to Einar, "You get used to it." She grins to Nico, "Bestie!" She laughs then! "Ok, seriously, that is great. We should hang out more, I swear." To Miguel, "Hey there! I sure hope someday I can see you use that hammer. That is impressive!" Because weapons are cool.

Evonna hears the howls, and her hand goes to her waist and grabs her sword. "What?" She's ready to shift and head out now. "We need to go that direction."

Nico drops the cooler, shifts into a wolf and shoots in the direction of the howls and screams. Maybe in hind sight thinking should have been done, but a wolf and someone in need was more important that thinking in that moment, think on the way.

Einar goes tense the moment the howls turn to pain and he's with Evonna, the pack of Blue Jay ready to move with the swiftness of their Totem. "We fuckin go now?" he still checks in with Leif out of respect, but he thinks he knows the answer.

Miguel nods at Evonna and drops down into his feline form to follow along, the carried hammer disappearing, as dedicated items do, into a pattern of markings on his fur. And he heads off after Nico because he's curious of course.

"Go," Leif says, also switching, shifting down to his wolf form and barreling after the others. Howls and snarls, snarls and howls, punctuated by an occasional scream. Female...maybe? Probably. Or someone very young maybe?

With a whoosh around her, Evonna stretches and grows until landing on all fours with a snarl.

Blood Thorn shifts to Hispo, since she needs the bigger size to fucking keep up with this lot, and she's ready to take off! She's going at top speed following the others and keeping up JUST FINE.

Themis' Hand's body changes to the form of a very large, but average looking wolf.

Themis' Hand continues her run, shifting her run to a direction off the path to the northeast a little bit, following the sounds and sniffing for signs of what might be ahead of her.

Einar bolts after Blood Thorn in the same shape, using four legs to blaze a trail towards the problem with his packmate. Just a streak of silvery grey fur mostly.

Mirror-Shadow is not running ahead of the wolves, he's not that much of a go-getter. He's keeping up though but he's more than happy to allow whatever wolf wants to have point.

The sound, the screams, the howls, the snarls, they grow louder and louder. Round a bend up a hill, down, a little sprint that takes everyone through some brambles and then a clearing with a little pond. In the middle of the pond is a being that at first glance appears human, but she has big curly goat horns and blue hair and scales that run up her neck. Naked, of course, but she's mostly covered by scales. The screaming and snarling and things suddenly just.. stop. The .. spirit? Nymph? Whatever gasps and dips below the surface. Leif woof comes up, almost at the back, digging his paws in a little to skid to a stop. >>The fuck was that?<<

Turns out, she is not faster in this form, and boy fuck does she learn that! She trails behind because it is too important to get there and she'll go on adrenaline now. She finally gets there when the others stop, and just misses landing into Leif's tail. She blinks and blinks and see this thing. >> Meerjungfrau << Which maybe german, but comes out in Garou really garbled so just sounds angry, even though she absolutely is not.

Themis' Hand skids to a stop, sliding a few feet but not wanting to even touch the water. >> What in the worlds...<< Turning her head she looks over to Leif, well the wolf that is leif, then starts backing up to move back into a place closer to him.

Einar comes to a skidding stop when everyone does because he's not sure he's seeing right. Nymph? Dragon lady? Whatever the fuck she might be she seems to be in trouble and in need of help, >> We still help...right? Can anyone swim easily? <<

Mirror-Shadow does not dive into the water yet, he approaches the shore gingerly and sniffs at the water as he replies in wolf-speak, not garou >>I swim. what is that though?<<

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuh. The gigantic wolf tips his head a little to the side and takes a step closer. >>Um... hello... are you oka----<< The ground starts to quake and shift and shimmy and Leif backs up a step or two. The ground starts to crack, opening up, water spilling along the cracks as the water starts to bubble in the middle of the little pond. Also, wolves do not go BACKWARDS well.

Themis' Hand okay, so backwards slowly has now become turning around and moving away from the water because fuck that, she has no idea what that was, no hint at all, she doesn't even know Nymphs are a real thing so better to not be the first thing it sees should it show it's face again.

Blood Thorn does not know what the heck this is, so she will let those that might be able to speak take the lead at this point. Then the ground begins to crack, and while a step back may help, she's going to the side and turning around to try to get a bit more distance.

Einar takes an instinctive step backwards with everyone else, his desire to find out that it's an angler fish-styled trap dwindling as the ground rumbles away. >> That's not supposed to happen, right? <<

Mirror-Shadow is really really glad he was not out in front as he peers curiously >>Pretty sure not. Does this feel like a trap to anyone else?<<

There is a low, keening wail that quickly grows in volume and intensity. Themis is okay. BT and Einar are still on their feet, but DAMN that hurts. It's violent to the ears. Leif stumbles backwards a step or two and his foot goes into a crack and he falls all the way down, flopping onto his side. Mirror is completely unaffected, even though it's loud. Those horns slowly rise from the water, followed by a face with eyes that are now completely white. ~~~~ FRIEND OR FOE? ~~~~ The water bubbles more violently through the pond, like a hot tub, or an angry pot of soup.

Blood Thorn calls out first, >> Friend! << Even though she does not know /what/ this is, better to say friend than foe. This is not something that she has seen before, but hopefully the angry pot of soup will stop boiling.

Themis' Hand looks toward Leif, leaving the answer to someone with more experience and perhaps a clue, instead she will try to assist the fucknormous wolf that is likely actually smaller than her.

Einar struggles against the pain of the sounds, he is keening right back after a moment and simply trying to flatten his ears against his skull as much as possible. >> Friend! << repeated in a pained bark.

Mirror-Shadow is gonna hang back, clearly watching with wary suspicion as the conversation(?) begins.

~I don't believe you! Why are you here? You come to drink my water and eat my friends?~ The voice is almost piercingly shrill, and it's all literally in the mind, but also fucking with the ears. It's bad, ya'll. Leif hasn't moved, maybe a little stunned from the sudden burst of sound. ~You come to kill me, shifters of dogs and cats?~ The water bubbles more violently and little water jets start to pop up around the body, which is slowly emerging further. ~You interrupt my time out of the water and think you can kill --~ The name is garbled and twisted, like it doesn't have a human equivalent. Or a Garou equivalent.

Fish are friends not food? Blood Thorn is taken aback here at the anger from the mad soup. >> We did not come to kill. We heard a howl and screaming. If someone offended you, or disrespected your territory, we will help! <<

Einar blinkblinks, this is not the first time he's been caught where he shouldn't be, but Blood has the right idea and he just quietly nods along. >> Thought there was someone in danger....screaming. <<

Mirror-Shadow has the Secret of Spirit Speech so the weirdness doesn't bother him has much. He nods in agreement with Blood Thorn but says nothing still.

Themis' Hand is standing protection over the stunned Fucknormous Wolf, poking at him a little, trying to help if she can.

Fucknormous Wolf is starting to recover now that the voice isn't QUITE so loud.

The water thing.. being.. whatever it is, centers on Blood Thorn. ~~I dropped something. It was taken. I can't find it. It's too far from the water. It was taken. Right from my grasp. By that.. that..." The mad soup gets madder and little water jets shoot up into the air a good ten or fifteen feet and some foam starts to form along the edges."

Blood Thorn tries her skills here, and talks. >> Tell us what it is. We will find it and return it to you. Let us help you, and prove we mean no harm. <<

Themis' Hand nudges the Fucknormous wolf one more time, making sure he's alive and kicking before looking back to the WaterTart. She says nothing, no way is she getting involved in that conversation, but Blood Thorn is already saying what she would anyway, if the thing/woman needs help, she'll help.

Einar lets the Forsetti do the talking because they don't need to be glib right now, in which case the Rotagar would step in. So he stands there simply hoping for the best.

Mirror-Shadow nods at the water spirit as BT continues the negotiations, content with how things are handled for now.

THE WATER TART lifts one hand in the air and waves it about. The water shifts upward and swirls around, and around and around, little jets shooting out. A form appears up in the air. It's a long tube of water that tapers off at one end into a very pointy point and the other has what looks almost like a crescent moon with a star on the other. "My staff. Find it. Bring it back." She moves her hand and it points at Evonna. "I have marked you. I will know you. I will find you if you do not return." Evonna will feel a light tug, something in her chest. It hurts, but not badly.

Blood Thorn blinks a bit and then chuffs >> We will return with it as soon as we can. << She looks to the others. >> I can do a Rite to help find it. Let's return to Stonecreek and prepare for this. <<

Themis' Hand steps back from Fucknormous Wolf as he gets himself up, then looks back to Evonna. >> I am with you til the end of this, one way or another we will find that staff. <<

Einar gives a firm nod towards Blood, >> Seems a reasonable course. << in agreement. He's mostly glad that the serpenty lady isn't going to eat him right now.

"You have two suns of time," the AquaCrumpet says, and dips back below the angry soup. Each of you will feel that faint little tug.

Even Leif, who makes a grumbly sound and gives his head a quick shake.

Blood Thorn gives a respectful bow to the serpentladythingofthemadsoup, and then turns to the others. >>To the end, we will quest to find this staff and return it so the soup is no longer mad.<< Hopefully that does not make the tart upset.