Scene #9033: Recruitment: Keeper of the Grove

Owner	Pose
Casey Muir	There's more than one Florida in the multiverse. There's more than one United States, really. This particular United States of America is right on the border of the Great Ocean, actually mostly in what's considered the Tapestry, but this Florida is jutting out (almost obscenely) into what's undeniably the Great Ocean. There's magic here. The magic was wild once, and in some places still is, but in most places it's been captured, studied, examined, and industrialized. Gasoline/mana hybrid cars are trending upward. The AKC has a new show category for warlock-hounds. This world's Martha Stewart published the Joy of Rituals instead of the Joy of Cooking (though, curiously, she also went to prison for nearly the exact same crimes and sentence.) And, in at least one instance, magic's been at the root of disaster as well. Technically, officially, nobody should be living in Florida, at least not any further south than the panhandle. Practically the entire state is a permanent evacuation zone. And it's from this evacuation zone that the community called the Grove reaches out, with an offer of help, sent to the Watch via one of the Watch's scouts that happened through the area - though also sent out in general to various elites. The offer of help doesn't come with preconditions or discriminations, apparently. What the offer does come with is a need to travel. There's no direct warpgate to the Grove - it's large enough to get one eventually via warpgate prolifieration, but the initial unification process only saw fit to add warpgates to the three largest settlements: the city of Panhandle in the north, the nation-state of Tamporlando in the west, and the colony of Miami in the southeast. Miami is the closest warpgate to the Grove - Miami is reasonably friendly to outsiders, but seems too preoccupied with itself to pay much attention to whoever comes through the warpgate. Most everything here is in rows and lines - both lines of houses but also lines of people queued out through the doors in various places, waiting for whatever they're buying. Nobody is malnourished, but there's undoubtedly some sort of scarcity and delays going on. ... The situation here would be something to look into later, maybe. But not right now. Right now there's a rendezvous to attend to, and a long way to walk. 'Close' is relative, there's about a hundred kilometers to go, which is probably a full days walking, assuming you don't have some way of speeding that up. ... Did rivers in Florida always flow upstream? Not 'north', since there was the rare north-flowing river already, but - literally upstream. The rivers seem to also be fluorescent, at least a little a bit. ... Were the deer here always so... dead-eyed? One of them looks up at you - looks inside you, looks around you, looks through you, looks at everything except you, all without turning its head - and then calmly turns and starts bashing its skull against a tree until it falls over in a dead gory mess. None of the rest of the herd react. ... Were the alligators always so big? ... Were the locals always so hostile-looking to travelers? "Yeah, you better keep moving," one of them says as the group passes, standing behind a fence by the roadside, fingers itching as though they're ready to reach for their gun at any moment. ... Actually, that last one's probably not all that different from mundane Florida.
Casey Muir	The destination comes into view long before the group reaches it. The massive towering mangrove tree known simply as the Grove. There's buildings visible built among or on top of its tangle of stilt-like roots, with a few more in and around the trunk itself. The actual place for the meeting is not the Grove proper, but the smaller settlement of Uproot a few kilometers away. Uproot is centered around one of the Grove's massive roots - poking straight up through the ground, three stories tall. The air here is noticeably nicer than the oppressive, arcane-saturated air the group has been traveling through. The weariness of the walk is alleviated - partially, as though just by arriving you've already had a few minutes to get off of your feet and rest. "My name," says your contact here, "Is Terebinth. I speak for the Keeper of the Grove." Terebinth is a muscled middle-aged man clad in leathers, and openly carrying a rifle. "You are our guests here, but you must show respect. Anything you hunt here, you make use of every part. You may take supplies, but you may not leave here with more than you can carry in your arms. If you pollute here, you die." He crosses his arms. "When the Keeper comes to meet you, you bow to them first. You refer to them as only the Keeper or the Keeper of the Grove. You must always-" "Oh, bless your heart, Terry," says a new voice. "These are the chaotic good skrunklies, right? Don't start by showing them the rules." That's from a girl who's aggressively, violently, dressed in orange. Orange dress, orange shirt and vest, orange shoes, orange parasol, orange hair, and freckles that are not quite literally orange but are still a very yellowish shade of red. "Lady of the Lines. It is important that we impress upon them that-" Terebinth starts to say, arms crossed. "That you've got a stick so far up your ass that they're ventriloquizin' you in Panhandle, they got it. Hey y'all," says the orange-clad woman. "Sorry that we ain't got proper hospitality down here. Hope you aren't worn slap out. Name's Orange. You want some juice while y'all wait? Fresh squeezed, never frozen." She pulls a set of thermoses out of a bag and throws them at anyone who seems even remotely receptive. "She - I mean, they're fixin to be by in a bit. The Keeper, I mean. Just sit tight and try to ignore Terry's hissy fit over yonder, alright?"
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan, who lived in Vore Ridge, Kingdom Of Ohio, United States of America, is pretty sure he can blend in here. As such, he is wearing a red and black flanel shirt, a snap back cap with holes cut out for the ears that says 'Fish Love Me, Women Fear Me', and thrift store jeans. He carries his normal bag of supplies. Aidan's attempt to keep his face as neutral and stern-eyed male as possible fails when he sees the first person and waves a hand, "Hey there, I'm Aidan Proudpick!" "Yeah, you better keep moving." Yea, at least he feels an expert on the land of America. Except for the rivers flowing up north. He squats down near a river to drink a handful, then take another handful and let it run out of his fingers. "That shouldn't be doing that, even with weird magic." He tastes the air as well, breathing it in, letting it settle into his lungs. Deer! A smile frozen on his face, soul lanced into place by the all consuming stare. Their pupils unify for just a moment, only for Aidan to immediately watch the deer commit suicide, "Wait!!" THE GROVE This magical mystery land has already worn Aidan down, the aggressive nature of every creature pushing hostility at him breaks down Aidan's mood pretty quickly. Thankfully, it immediately swings back when he can crane his hand back and look up at the mangrove tree. He whistles a shrill whistle of appreciation as he follows it upward. "I speak for the Keeper of the Grove." "Hey there! I'm Aidan Proudpick, pleased to meetcha." His eyes slide off the rifle quickly, but settle on the leathers with a frown. Then, as the rest of the explanation slides out, a thoughtful look comes over his face. "Every part? I guess that's better than normal. Don't pollute." He nods seriously along, only to smile at Orange. "Don't worry! Those rules ain't too bad. As long as they ain't some king or something!" He takes the orange eagerly and opens his back, "Oh! Hold on, I remember how this goes." Out comes a glassware container of almond scones. CUT TO the Tridaeg building, Aidan attempting to use an oven after a decade of using an earthern non-electric you control the temperature with logs oven. After the fire alarm goes off and Aidan has his kitchen privileges revoked, he made them at Honey's apartment in the Gale Empire. BACK TO THE GROVE He speaks slowly, as if trying to remember the precise words, "Well thanks, I just moved into town, thought we'd get to know the neighbors." He hands them over to Orange in exchange for her juice.
Gaonoir	The trek isn't -that- terrible at least as far as Gaonoir is concerned. He's had to march through worse. Fight through much worse. Even if his dark essense can feel how dredged in magical energy this place is. The dead or aggressive stares don't get to him, being the dark and still semi-edgelordy beast that he is. Of course it helps that he's in his larger form, with big legs and paws to trudge through with, being closer to a giant bear in size and build. Just with a purple scarf and a head like a husky's instead, that's not afraid to pitch a little growling to keep anything at bay. Which, by the glimpse of wildlife they do get, is probably not the strangest thing to be seen around here. No, if anyone asked him Gaonoir would say the worst part of the trip was having to listen to Erika start spinning a new conspiracy theory at every oddity they see along the way. Except for the ornery locals. That's pretty normal for most Floridas. At least she's relatively clear of the mire sitting upon the dark digimon's back. At last they make way into the meeting location near the massive mangrove but not -at- the giant tree.... only to start getting an earful of instructions. At least until hunting is mentioned, and not leaving anything to spare. To which the giant dog-bear grins widely, all the fangs and sharp teeth showing. "Oh, I would love to see if you actually have anything large enough I couldn't take it all in one go." Which gets a tug on his scarf from Erika, just lightly to keep him from saying anything else that could possibly get them into trouble down the road. "The heads up is appreciated though." Fortunately Orange is a bit less... twitchy? Twitchy. And the juice is gladly accepted, as Erika fills the cup lid of the thermos for herself and hands the rest of it to her larger companion. "No worries, we'll be patient." Gaonoir just snorts softly. He's fine with less talking on his part. Probably thinking about those big gators... and if there's any bigger ones out there. A monster can always hope.
Echolalia	Echolalia is not from the Watch and isn't actually here to recruit Casey Muir at all or even investigate the grove or help anyone in particular! The truth of the matter is something much more mundane. Echolalia is lost. She is actually looking for someone else entirely and ended up stumbling into Florida. Well, she does have some curiousity about 'Earth' as a general matter of course, but she doesn't mind or notice people giving her strange looks or even the threat--but she isn't intending to antagonize anyone either, less out of kindness and more because she's too distracted to notice. "Oh bother, bother, bother. this isn't working at all, at all..." She is looking at a tablet of a multiversal map. "Is this place even on here...?" She scrolls with her index finger, frowning. "She hasn't been through here, least not on foot... ughh... Maybe I should just ask them, ask them..." A deer is staring at her. Echolalia looks at the deer. "Oh, what a cutey you--" The deer unalives itself. Echolalia stares in shock for a moment before murmuring to the tree, "Are you alright? I'm sorry you were made into an accomplice for deer murder... If they charge you I'll tell them you were just standing there, okay okay?" She arrives at the Grove shortly after the others, long enough after that she might not have actually come WITH them. She is a woman with light green skin and faintly glowing green eyes. She looks about in her early twenties. Her hair--such as it is--is a vibrant mess of sparky colors bursting around her hair like (harmless) fireworks, occassionally popping and sparking and shifting in vibrancy. Right now her hair is a mix of yellow, red, and green in a crysanthemum (firework) effect around her head. She's wearing a yellow and orange flower patterned dress with a slit up on one side and a pair of sandles. "Giant alligators..." Echolalia murmurs to herself. "Giant squirrels." Aidan speaks with words and Echolalia gasps in surprise that he can do this. ''Terry's rules.'' "Oh yeah sure no prob." Echolalia says while marveling at the giant mangrove tree. It's so big! She thinks that's really cool. "I don't know about ''killing'' people who pollute but I mean I wouldn't, obviously." Largely obscured by the fireworks, a pair of antler-horns can occassionally be glimpsed in the swirling mass of color that is her 'hair'. Then Orange shows up. "Well if it wouldn't harm your self-sustainability, I'd love to try some juice. Did your Keeper of the Grove make it, make it? Are they a terraformer too?" It should surprise her more, she thinks, but the more she thinks about it the more completely logical it seems to her that there would be other terraformers out in the multiverse. "Oh! Echolalia, by the way! She/Her. Only She/Her!" She pauses in confusion as she's given a second set of pronouns and she manages, "It's okay he's just being protective. And who knows what suspicious stuff I'm up to, haha.... Definitely not lost."
Casey Muir	"Neighbor? Thought we were getting offworlders an' the like." Orange gives Aidan a look as she takes the scones. "What puddle did y'all fall into to be a giant brushtail?" Terebinth clears his throat. "That is one of the Watch agents we were expecting. Aidan Proudpick, who has a bit of a reputation." "Oh, I'm sure he can't be that bad," says Orange, who's dropped her parasol and is immediately trying a scone. Gaonoir gets scrutinized next. "Some sorta boxing dog? Well aren't you precious" asks Orange, tactlessly. Then over to Erika. "Ah, you're his owner? Might wanna keep him on a leash, th' gators around these parts don't tend to chew." And then to Echolalia. "Nah, the fruit fallin' off doesn't put me out none, no more than the hair fallin' out of your..." Orange peers closer. "Antlers? Y'all didn't take a swim on the way here, right? I thought there'd be more humans, is all." > "Are they a terraformer too?" "Terra form or what?" Terebinth clears his throat again. "The Lady of the Lines is a visitor from further north, apprenticed under the Keeper of the Grove. Hopefully to help her carry herself better with the elegance and bearing suitable for a dryad." "And highfaultin' Terry here's apprenticed to-" What Terebinth is apprenticed to is left as a mystery, because there is another arrival. A bright light shines from the base of the giant root, traveling upwards - and then descending back from the tip, down to the ground. "Blessings and warm welcomes be upon you," says the figure. She - or they - are ten feet tall, with an androgynous build and face, bearing a flowing flowery dress and a vine coronet and bracelets, and glowing faintly. "I am the Keeper of the Grove. I hope the journey was not too hard upon you." They look down at each of the group in turn. "My hopefully new friends of the Watch." "I wish to lend my personal support, as well as the support of the Grove's community, towards your efforts." "Yeah! So y'all better be plumb grateful to them," says Orange, stepping forward. "The Keeper here's worth thirty of any of y'all, I tell you what." "Please, Lady of the Lines," says Terebinth, but then his frown turns into a slight smirk. "You can put that a bit more tactfully, even if it is accurate." "... Please forgive my people, they... think very highly of me, and are very defensive of me," says the Keeper, looking like they just bit into something a little bit sour.
Gaonoir	While there's a lot of things he would want to say at Erika being called his 'owner' Gaonoir refrains, just rolling his eyes a bit at the assumption because he happens to be so dog-like and grunting, "I'm not gonna be the one that needs the leash if they try." "More like partners," Erika corrects politely, even as she teasingly pats Gaonoir on the head. "Don't worry, any gator that tries to go after him is gonna be biting off more than they can chew." Potentially literally. He's got -much- bigger forms they'd have to deal with. But that's neither here or there. At the Keeper's emergence on the scene she does bow politely as they were suggested to... and after a slight bump with her elbow Gaonoir does the same. While probably muttering about formalities under his breath. "The offer is highly appreciated," Erika continues after the gestures are done. "Of course, it means you will also have the Watch's aid in matters when required as well. Two way st--mmm." She pauses a moment, rubs her chin. "Does two way street still apply in the wilderness?" She looks to Gaonoir, who just shrugs indifferently.
Aidan Proudpick	Ooh. Aidan looks up to marvel at Echolalia's hair, the subtle crack and sparkle around it. "Is it okay if I ask, does your hair just do that or is there a special place you can go to do that?" He pulls off his own hat, dropping his camoflague as they are no longer in the city itself. A sheepish smile at the 'reputation' part. "Yea! I'm kinda like a neighbor. I was born a squirrel. With magic! It's normal where I'm from. And hey, Gaonoir is..." He squints, realizing he doesn't actually know what the relationship is there. "Partners, yea!" "You keep talking about the water... nothing happens if you drink a little bit of it, right?" Though Aidan is quickly relaxing, pouring himself a thermos cup full of OJ and smiling at the banter between the two. "It's nice to have a bit of elegance and still work in the wind. I'm taking some classes at a local school for drama and ballroom dancing. Sometimes you just need to be fancy, yanno?" Immediately, Aidan stops in awe at the bright light, eyes widening as he takes in the tremendous and magical figure, looking upward. He stands up, and gives his best stately bow, "Thank you, Keeper of the Grove, we appreciate yer offer for mutual support," oh no, is he the most active watch member here, "I am Aidan Proudpick, and I was happy to travel here to take the journey to your land, the Kingdom of Floor-Rye-Dah. The Watch is happy to help you fight against inequality and injustice in your world, as you help others do the same." He pulls back up, beaming, proud of himself.
Echolalia	''Does your hair just do that'' "Are you saying you're interested in learning about the Goddess Ran and what she can do for ''you''? Because I'd be happy to give you the literature." Echolalia responds enthusiastically. "...Well I don't have them now because I don't have pockets right now but Ran's love encompasses everyone, everyone." ''Y'all didn't take a swim on the way here, right?'' "Nah, flew mostly. THen walked." Echolalia says. "Oh--shoot--are the antlers showing one sec..." The antlers pulls back into her head with a shwoop. "I'm trying to be..." She sighs. "Subtle." Her hair detonates softly. "And then I got lost and I'm kinda attracted to the vibe here, vibe here yeah yeah yeah." ''Terra form or what?'' "Oh ummmm---Hmmm..." ''Suitable for a dryad'' "Oh dryads can do what they want in my opiinon. Cause they're cool." ''New friends of the Watch.'' Oh no, ECholalia thinks, did she stumble upon a SECRET TERRORIST MEETING? She doesn't know much about the Watch, actually, aside from rumors here and there but-- --before she can really dwell too much on that, she does have some empathy for someone who is surrounded by people who are too protective of them. "Hey it's just proof that you're loved and a big deal to them, it's okay." Echolalia says, panicking a little about this. "Oh--right." She bows her head. She doesn't think much of it and doesn't linger in tha position for too long. Is she ALLOWED to offer her help? She's worried less about them being Watch at this point and is more concerned about the dangers of invasive species. It takes active effort on her part to not make flowers explode out from underneath her feet. But she feels compelled to ask. "I gotta ask though! When I showed up a deer just went and killed itself, you know what's up with that?"
Casey Muir	"Now hold your horses, I can dance quite well," says Orange. "A 'square dance' is not a typical selection for a formal ball," says Terebinth. "It's the dance of my people," says Orange, grabbing her parasol back up and gesturing at him with it. "Quit bein' ugly." "I see. Partners," says the Keeper. "I do have some partners in a similar manner myself. Although not nearly as talkative." "The Grove is strong, and help is not needed in our world, I assure you. The offer is appreciated, even so," they add, nodding. "... Perhaps some of our communities on the outskirts of the central tangle could make use of it. For some minor matters." > "Nothing happens if you drink a little bit of it, right?" "It is contaminated with arcane runoff and needs to be deritualized before drinking," says Terebrith. "It would depend on how much and where you drank it from. If you aren't showing effects already, you are likely going to be fine." > "Subtle." "Subtle's boring as a small fish in a small pond, I reckon," says Orange. "Y'all gotta pick a vibe pick a theme, and embrace it. Let it fly like your uncle after she's three sheets to the wind. The Freaks ain't got the sense god gave a goose, but they've got that part right." > "Oh dryads can do what they want in my opiinon. Cause they're cool." The Keeper smiles subtly. Orange looks much more overtly pleased. "Plumb right we're cooler than an eskimo in an icebox." > "I gotta ask though! When I showed up a deer just went and killed itself, you know what's up with that?" All three of them start looking a little distant as soon as Echo mentions the word 'deer'. "Oh. The deadeyes." "Yes. The deadeyes." "Butter my biscuit, the deadeyes." "Regrettably, they tend to do that." "They sometimes do a lot worse. To others." "Yeah - if you see one, don't lock eyes." "Keep your distance." "Don't give any of them a name." "Don't eat one, live or dead, even if yer starvin' worse than an ant in a bowl of fake fruit." The three shake it off, gradually. "There's a lot of unfortunately dangerous things here. The deadeyes and the alligators are the most common, followed by humans," says the Keeper. "You should keep your guard up wherever you go." "... Though, myself and my honor guard, will be leaving for a time to help you in your worlds. I understand there are radios to be given out?"
Aidan Proudpick	Aidan shoots Echolalia a sidelong glance and presses his hand to his ear to speak to Erika over the radio. He nods, and smiles at her again. "Oh, is it a religious thing? Sure! I don't really have a god, I usually just pray to the winds, safe travels, fair winds, that sort of thing." "Ooh, I'd love to see square dancing!" "And, yea, I only drank a little of it." He leans forward, putting his elbows on his knees, having forgotten being fancy with all this casual talk, falling back into sitting around at the common house, drinking beers, making poor phallic jokes with his friends. "Well, we love helping! There's plenty in the multiverse who'd love to come by and help, not just us. You don't have to worry too much about that." "Yeah - if you see one, don't lock eyes." A little bit of rising panic, "I locked eyes with one."
Gaonoir	Pay no mind to the light blip-blip-blip sounds. That's just Erika noting all of that down on her digital tablet. The not drinking the water. The not being subtle. The gators. The deadeyes. Repeatedly. As it's repeated. For emphasis. Granted some of the repeats are the specific notes like 'don't look in the eyes' and 'don't eat'. "If you say so." Gaonoir just refolds his forelimbs. A lot of them say that they want to help but don't need help themselves. That.. doesn't always last. But no reason to pick nits over it. "I take it the farther from your Grove the more... problematic things can possibly be?" "Oh! Right, radios." That's enough to snap Erika from her notetaking. The tablet is tucked under an arm and she pulls up her satchel to open it and retrieve the devices. Thank goodness one of them is decently prepared.
Echolalia	"Well sure," Echolalia agrees as her hair explodes into vibrant oranges and pinks, feeling like she's being lectured on her own life philosophy. "You can't say I don't have a theme." Though admittedly she's being sensitive to another 'dryad's' territory. Not that Echolalia is one, but she's close enough that she'd feel weird flexing here and, specifically, here. She hasn't even done proper research. She's surprised to hear that they don't really need help in a world where there's ''deadeyes'' to worry about, apparently, but the multiverse is huge so she supposes she doesn't have to? Besides, she's on another mission right now. It seems like they would rather help others, which is sweet, even if it's maybe...these guys? She doesn't really know them at all, but she says, "Sure I'll getcha something next time I run into ya!" Shedidn't really do any of those things that they are warning about. She can't even complain about being told late about these ruels because she wasn't even supposed to be here. "I'm new to the multiverse too, so--well I guess we AREN'T really but I only just got to exploring."
Casey Muir	> "I locked eyes with one." Aidan gets sympathetic nods. "You're fine now," Terebinth clarifies. "It's an immediate danger, not a lingering one." "I take it the farther from your Grove the more... problematic things can possibly be?" "Yes and no. The lands nearest the grove tend to be very dangerous for outsiders, which we encourage on purpose for our own safety." "But the further away you get from one of the major settlements... yes. They all attempt to keep their surroundings relatively safe, for obvious reasons. Of course then you are dealing with those settlements, and we do not see eye to eye on all things." "I have not gone too far outside the Grove's area of influence, myself. This will be a first for me." The Keeper smiles. "I confess to being quite excited to travel. Even if it must be with an honor guard." > "I'm new to the multiverse too, so--well I guess we AREN'T really but I only just got to exploring." "Oh..." The Keeper clasps their hands together. "Perhaps you and I could be... exploring partners?" Orange doesn't say anything out loud, but she glances from the Keeper to Echolalia, the corner of her lip curling down.
Gaonoir	"Noted." Gaonoir doesn't even have to look back when he answers, he knows Erika has already gotten back to her tablet to add that to her list. "Hey we all had our first time." He glances between Keeper and Echo. "Probably doesn't hurt to not go alone." Then to Orange and Terry. He -knows- those looks. He remembers seeing them from the elder members of the Royal Knights when the younger generations wanted to venture out to fight the Demon Army on their own. "Not that you're ever one to be alone." Have fun learning to reign them in you two.
Aidan Proudpick	"It's an immediate danger, not a lingering one." "Oh. So it's not some sort of life long hunt me down sort of thing." He is 80/% relieved. 15/% a little sad that he doesn't have something like that hunting him down, it would make a neat story. The last 5/% is for considering if he should tell Kale about it for the bird's enrichment. "People aren't bad, we'll be fine. They are just scared, so they take it out on people. Usually." Aidan looks down at his own camoflague and why he needs it. "It just takes time," he adds at the end. "I confess to being quite excited to travel." "Oh! It's great out there, there's so many new things! They got these things out there called canyons, you should see them! It's so exciting out there." He seems to remember he's talking to someone who is TEN FEET TALL, "Oh, but, a lot of the public transportation isn't really in your size. Can you fly? Or run or teleport or something?" And he remembers Echolalia is there again. Aidan looks at here and takes half a second to form an opinion of her. "Oh! Yea, that'll probably be fun!" A smile at her, then a smile over at Orange and Terry, Aidan's attempt at 'this'll all work out great!'
Echolalia	''Orange doesn't say anything out loud.'' Echolalia would normally just read her mind and see what the matter is but she thinks she's got the gist as it stands. But even she is not really sure how far it'll go when she says, "Oh that sounds cute, sure let's do it!" She wonders if she's agreeing because she's still grouchy about Dysnomia running off. Which she definitely shouldn't be broadcasting right now in case Dysnomia is listening. So she stops thinking about that. Instead in an attempt to keep the peace (you're going to be a great Paladin, Echolalia!, she thinks to herself), she says, "Orange is going along too right? Since she's your cool special apprentice?" The idea of encouraging a bit of danger near your territory in order to keep it safe is something Echolalia files away in the back of her mind. She ... well, she has reasons tto worry for hr own home sometimes. ...Wait, should she have brought a 'guard' along with her? But nobody is tougher than HER back home. Or anywhere close, really. It'd be a little silly to have them be as a guard even if they insisted. "Yeah I getcha. I'm excited too."
Casey Muir	"Oh - canyons? Those are just gaps in the ground, right?" says the Keeper, as someone whose idea of a 'steep hill' is something you can get up and down in five minutes. > "Orange is going along too right? Since she's your cool special apprentice?" And that ameliorates things with Orange. Mostly. "You're darned right I'm the cool special apprentice," says Orange. "Whatever deer thing you've got going on, I'm the only other dryad here. Ain't nobody gets it like we do between us." "Deer thing? Oh - do you have something you can do?" asks the Keeper, politely. This feels like Echolalia's opening to show off a bit, if she wants.
Aidan Proudpick	"Some of them are really deep and all sorts of colors." He glances around at the variety of flora and fauna here. "Well, I guess you have some things here too. This place is going to be great to walk around in." He glances over at Terry, trying to ease his burden as well. "Most of the places out there don't have deer that headbutt themselves to death or gian-" Aidan brings his tablet up, slowly typing out how big a normal gator is- "Oh that's WAY bigger than that guy was, wow." He looks back up, "But, everyone here can handle it, right? And most people are very polite! I bet you might even have some fu-" Aidan considers the massive amount of human caused pollution out there in the multiverse. "Oh." He scratches slowly at his cheek. "I guess we still got cars and oil and animal slaughter and everything out there. But there are plenty of worlds that don't have that!"
Gaonoir	Gaonoir and Erika look at each other for a moment. "Well, maybe then they will find one of those worlds they want to help," Erika says after a moment. To which Gaonoir shrugs and goes back to being his usual just there in the background because I'm dark and broody looking. By this point in their partnership Erika has learned that sometimes it's just easier to try and point one in a direction they might be able to do something useful than try to stop them.
Echolalia	Echolalia is getting a little worried that she may be accidentally joining a terrorist cell on what is basically her first day of being a Paladin--heck, BEFORE her first day of being a Paladin. But she reasons that if she tells them it was an accident it'll be okay. And well, if they're ''ecoterrorists''... But she isn't really expecting the 'deer thing' to be commented on. "Oh! Well. Sure! I'm not a dryad, exactly." Echolalia says completely honestly. "Do dryads usually get deer things going on?" She is a little worried this'll get back to Dysnomia but what are the odds of that? Someone like her would never join THE WATCH of all places. She's pretty dang confident in that! Aggghh she can't help it, she is ALSO cool and she has to show these people that she is or she'll never live it down. Her antlers regrow. And grow. They become less deerlike and more branch like as it grows, flowers blossoming as at the ends of the branches and leaves pushing out until an apple grows out from the edge at the very end of one antler. Extending a hand, Echolalia catches it as it drops into her hand and takes a bite. "Don't worry, I won't dispose of it here." She adds, a bit sheepishly (but also kind of relieved she got to show off a little). "Oh but uh--yeah, definitely not a dryad. This is just what was important to me." She doens't clarify any further than this just in case. If Mia finds out, she might just fly off somewhere else! She can't let that happen until she gets an explanation for sure. And then she won't have to worry about it so much.
Casey Muir	Dysnomia? Who? "Dryads usually just have some features of their host trees," says Terebinth. "Not animalistic features." Echolalia does her trick. There's polite applause from Terebinth. Keeper looks intrigued. Orange looks a little put out that someone else can do fruit. "Interesting. You aren't anything I recognize... I mean you are not a dryad or any other of the human alters, for certain. I'd be interested in knowing more." "Oh! I have some new tricks as well!" Orange pipes up. "I'll show them off to you later." She seems to feel the need to get the last word in. Though with that, the recruitment meeting wraps up, and the journey back to the warpgates begins. What will the future hold, now that the Keeper of the Grove has taken the stage? --- "No - I insist. I just need a moment to rest in private. Please go on ahead, we'll catch up shortly..." "... Are they far enough away?" "Yes, Keeper Muir," said Terebinth. And with that, alone in the roadside clearing, the Keeper of the Grove stops glowing, and... shrinks. From a 10' androgynous being of light, all the way down to a 5' woman with frizzled hair, wrinkles, and love handles. "Whew..." said the woman. "I'm out of practice in keeping that up." "You think it's really all that necessary, Casey?" asked Orange. "Yeah - I'm not being down on myself, but we need to make a good impression," said Casey. "And..." She gestured at herself. "This ain't it." "I'd disagree, Keeper Muir," said Terebinth, neutrally. "But it is your call." "They want to see someone impressive, not a fifty-five year old woman who needs to get out more." She shook her head. "Okay. Let's get going again once I have the magic going again... the rest of the Watch needs to meet the 'Keeper', not Casey Muir." TO BE CONTINUED