[IC] Dick Blackman, The Moose

[Dragoknighte]

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole and that means comfort. Dick looked long and hard at the page in front of his eyes, trying to make out words in the dim light of the forest. Given the lack of light filtering through the canopy of wicked branches, it was probably overcast. It might rain later. Even though the cover of the book was faded and covered in dirt, he could tell that this was supposed to be something like a fairy tale he'd been told back as a child. He had seen a couple books before, but this was the first one he had been able to handle himself. He had learned to read a bit of them words back in the tunnels, but they said things like "Do not stand here," or "Danger" so he could make out maybe half the words in the first sentence. For all the fuss made about books and reading, this one didn't seem to be all that great.

Dick shut the book and looked up towards the great tree just ahead. If the old hag was right, and she usually was, this was the place. He stood there for several minutes, wiping away the dirt from it. These witches usually didn't like people barging in on them, so he had to approach this tactfully. The druid weaved through the trees, barely making a sound as his feet treaded softly through the black topsoil. For another several long seconds, Dick stood there unsure about how to progress. So he decided to wing it He put on his best winning smile and knocked thrice on the wooden door.

[Afina]

For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much – the wheel, New York, wars and so on – whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man – for precisely the same reasons. Kira read the words out loud, her fingers trailing under each word as she read; a dark mass of hair with braids and beads woven into it falling along the pages as she nestled the book on her thighs and hunched over it as she lay on her bed of furs. The air hung thick with the smell of incense and a the wafts of smoke that came from the burned aromatics rose into the roots above her.

Closing the book she leaned back and thought to herself, ”What’s New York?” she pondered inwardly, only mouthing the words. Shrugging she set the book to the side, pushing into a root shelf that was near the makeshift bed. In the center was a large tarp that was stretched tight between four branches that had been driven into the soil below. It dipped in the center and within that dip bubbled a murky looking concoction.

A caw came from outside and her head turned sharply as the knock came from the door. “Blithering fool,” she hissed as her deep eyes narrowed, speaking to her raven that had given her hardly any notice to the one that knocked at the door. Pulling her dagger from her side she crouched slightly and approached the door. Opening it slowly she let only a crack form between the door and the roots which held it into place.

“I have already found whatever god you are peddling, I have enough furs, so unless you have cookies, go away,” she muttered.

[Dragoknighte]

Dick was a bit surprised she thought he was trying to sell her stuff. This hut was pretty far out from anywhere in particular. Those missionaries and merchants must be more brave than he had thought. He had no idea what a 'cookie' was, so he couldn't help there. Unless that's what they were calling that these days. Dick craned his neck to try to catch a glimpse of the woman behind the door, but could only spot a single dark eye and a bit of skin.

"I think I found a book of yours," Dick said, moving the book where Kira could see it. Really, he had no idea if the book was hers. He had just found it half buried in the ground 100 yards away. But if it was, well then he had a way in. After all 'a witch who I ask for advice told me I would need your help to find soup' wouldn't be taken seriously by pretty much anyone.

[Afina]

Kira rose a thick brow as she looked over to the book, tilting her head to the side as she slowly opened the door a bit more; only enough to show her full features and to hold her hand out.

“Yes, that is mine,” she said as she brought her fingers in and out several times to motioned for him to hand it over.

“Who are you and what are you doing out here?” she asked quickly in a gruff voice as she looked the man over. A dark raven swooped down and Kira ducked as it flew in over her head, landing on her shoulder and cawing several times as it bobbed its head.

“Shh Legratha, I’ll deal with you later,” she scolded. The bird hung its head before flying off and into the dwelling proper.

[Dragoknighte]

Aha, so the book was hers. Had this gone differently, he might have been forced to break down the door. Dick pulled the book closer to his body when he saw the woman put out her hand in an expectant manner, he wouldn't give it up that easily.

"My name's Dick. I'm what you could call a Wandering Lover of Nature. Mind if I come in? I don't bite." He replied jovially. He told the truth. He did quite enjoy nature, including the less savory parts and if worst came to worst, he gored, kicked and trampled, but never bit. That was Wolfy's thing. In an attempt to show that he was no danger, Dick showed that the only thing in his other hand was his walking stick, gnarled and blackened.

[Afina]

Kira looked at him incredulously as he pulled the book to him. Her hand remained out, giving another motion with her fingers as she stood there.

"Give me my book and we will talk, not before," she stated flatly as she locked eyes with him. "Otherwise, good day to you sir."

[Dragoknighte]

"So you can shut the door in my face after I've given you what you wanted?" Dick asked. Despite what he had just said, he handed over the book almost immediately after saying so. He didn't have any use for a book, and it would be a shame for it to waste away out here, even if he didn't understand what it was about.

That said, if she attempted to shut the door in his face he would shove his walking stick in the door way to keep it open.

[Afina]

Kira took the book quickly and turned, stepping back inside her hovel; the door remained open as she did so. Inside she stepped over to the root shelf where she kept her books and slid it in place with her library of others.

Lagratha cawed from a low hanging root and Kira swiftly turned her head, eyes narrowing at the bird. Lagratha lowered her head and let out a soft nearly remorseful sounding chirp of a caw.

"Worthless bunch of feathers you are. You are supposed to give me warning of such disturbances.

Caw..

"I don't care your excuses, happens again and next time I need a ravens claw it will be yours," she warned as she pointed her dagger towards Lagratha.

Caw...

[Dragoknighte]

Don't mind if I do. Dick shifted his grip on the walking stick to hold it by the middle. Some witches were really anal about dirt being tracked into their little cottages. He slipped inside the hut, loosely followed Kira and looked around, but maintained a respectful distance away from important looking things.

"I don't think you should threaten her. I know I wouldn't be able to keep an eye out if I felt like a single mistake meant disfigurement."

[Afina]

"You worry about your animals in your way and I'll tend to my familiar in my way," Kira hissed. Lagratha flapping her wings and cawing roughly towards the man.

"I couldn't agree more Legratha," she smirked before tossing a handful of crushed plants into the makeshift cauldron in the center of the room. A blue haze bubbling on the surface before releasing into mist above it.

"Now, what do you want?"

[Dragoknighte]

I stick my neck out for you and this is my thanks? Now the question was how to bring up the reason he came to this Hut of Cantakerous Women without sounding like a whack job.

"Well, I was hoping to acquire your assistance on a task I'm working on." Dick's nose scrunched up at the smell of the smoke, but otherwise kept his composure.

[Afina]

Kira walked over to the board on the floor and picked it up, setting it on the bed of furs before she sat down next to it and bled out a creature looking to once having been a sparrow into a bowl.

"Why me?" she asked as she began to pull the feathers out at the breast.

[Dragoknighte]

"Well," Dick began, readying himself to tell quite a tale. "I happen to know this witch, Lady Gertrude she calls herself. She's really old, for a witch. I think at least a thousand years. She won't tell me how old she is. But she's pretty smart. And usually right. Occasionally she'll spout off these weird prophecies from visions she gets from looking into her cauldron. Well a few months back, she actually sought me out, pointed me in your direction and told me I would need your help on this thing and it was a task of vital importance. I learned long ago to do what she asks, so here I am." As he finished, he mentally prepared himself for rejection. Sure the old hag was right about things he needed to do, but she was almost never helpful with saying how to do any of the things he had to.

[Afina]

Kira placed the feathers down and glanced towards Dick for a moment before pulling her dagger; waving it a few times.

Caw.

Kira looked over towards the Raven before shrugging and cutting a wing off the bird she had bled; then the other.

"And what is this task?" she asked as she resheathed the blade and rose; carrying the wings in her palm before tossing them into the brew. A white smoke billowing up from the cauldron.

[Dragoknighte]

This was the question he had been dreading and the mouthy raven wasn't going to make anything easier.

"Well, I have to find one of the three Soups. The pools of mystical energy hidden somewhere in the forest."

[Afina]

Caw caw caw, came from Lagratha as if laughing as her head bobbed up and down.

Kira smirked and walked over to the board; pushing aside the rest of the carcass and spilling the blood over it. Sitting down she pulled a handful of stones from her pouch and tossed them over the board. Squaring down she held her hair out as she studied them.

"Runes say you speak truth," she said before picking them up and dropping them again. "But they will not answer if you are crazy," she added before grabbing the stones and shoving them back into her pouch.

"I think you very well may be."

[Dragoknighte]

Dick crossed his arms and shot a glare at the Raven. Maybe she did deserve to be threatened.

"If I be on the errand of a madman, then I'm not the crazy one, but it's the hag. And if she's crazy, she's eerily accurate for one who's lost their mind." Dick looked into the cauldron. He couldn't make heads or tails of it. Looked like a pit of tar with random crap thrown in to him.

[Afina]

"Who is more crazy? The mad man or the one who follows him?" she muttered more to herself than an actual question.

Pulling her dagger she pricked her finger and squeezed it over the cauldron. As the blood touched the murky concoction she leaned back, a split moment later a quick eruption of black shot up in the air. It quickly cleared and what was left was perhaps a couple of tablespoons of dark black ooze.

Retrieving a vial she placed it in the black and it quickly flowed into it. Kira smirked as she held it up and looked at it, corking it quickly.

Caw

"Yes, we will go."

[Dragoknighte]

"Great!" That went better than expected. And now that that was out of the way, it felt as if a great weight was lifted from his shoulders. Sure there was the whole find the mythical pool of magical energy that nobody's ever found thing, but you gotta take things one step at a time. Then an errant thought came in and knocked that train of thought right off the rails. "So uh, what's your name?"

[Afina]

"Kira Steros," she replied nonchalantly as she turned and tucked the vial away in a leather pouch that hung from the wall; it replacing the one empty place in the pouch.

"You have information to find these? A direction to go? A smell to follow? Or is this a blind walk?" Kira asked as she looked back over to him.

Caw

"Pressing your luck bird."

caw....