Log | Late November through December Catch-all | OTA

[edalyn]

Who: Eda Clawthorne and YOU
When: Late Nov - Throughout Dec
Where: ADI, Gloucester outskirts, Bonnie’s
Summary: Moving to Bonnie’s Flophouse (and settling in there), sparring, survival training, exploration.
Warnings: Injured animal/pet + blood mentions (and minor self harm in the context of needing blood for potions purposes) in the second Hunter thread


Nesting 2.0 Late Nov - mid Dec

a) let's decorate it with things of our own
Late November sees the ADI’s resident witches, Eda and Raine, moving to Bonnie’s Flophouse. Fortunately this isn’t all that difficult, given how close the place is. There’s not an exhausting amount to move in the way of possessions, but there are definitely some.

In a trait that might be more befitting of a magpie than an owl, Eda likes things. In her over six months here, she’s been accumulating shiny objects, potted plants, books, little gadgets, and a lot of art to hang on her walls. Along with a few more unique pieces of décor, not all of which will necessarily fit in one bedroom. Hope you like taxidermy jackalopes and clocks that look like they’re made of teeth. Both are in the shared living space now. The jackalope is also a lamp. You’re welcome.

Eda doesn’t appear to be a terrible housemate, but she does wander in and out at strange hours, sometimes via windows. And there are starting to be a lot of feathers around. There might be one in your last load of laundry.

At least… she’s not a terrible housemate at first. After a few days she starts to seem increasingly sleep deprived and on edge.

b) |Closed to Raine| we'll be faced with highs and lows
Eda’s doing her best. She really is. But the not sleeping is starting to become obvious, and probably not a good time for anyone around her. One morning she corners her roommate, clearly out of sorts and holding a mug of what might actually be coffee for once.

“Look, we need to talk about the–” she waves a clawed hand vaguely, “rooming situation. I gave it a go, but I can’t do this.”

c) I know somewhere down the road / we can make this a place to call home
It’s the day after her conversation with Raine, and about a week and a half into staying in the Flophouse that Eda disassembles one of the beds in their room and stuffs all the pieces into the attic.

Beyond asking Bonnie what to do with the unused furniture, Eda doesn’t bother to explain anything about what she’s doing. People are free to make whatever assumptions they want about the witches not needing both of them.

She also doesn’t bother to explain anything ahead of time when she starts dragging sticks and branches into the house. She’ll be at this for at least a couple of days–apparently she needs a lot of them.

Survival of the Fittest Dec 1 - 31

a)
Anyone want to practice their monster fighting skills? There’s a harpy happy to indulge. Possibly happy to challenge you just because you walked by. Eda needs to blow off some steam, and sparring in the new gym is technically an ADI-sanctioned way to do that.

Those who take her up on the challenge–or watch for a while, will find that she’s definitely not the most amazing fighter here, but she certainly knows how to hold her own and it doesn’t hurt that she’s seven-plus feet of wiry muscle, claws, and talons.

She knows she could use the practice herself, given that she’s still getting used to both the body and the lack of using magic in her fights. Not that she’s admitting that, to most people at least. No, mostly she’s just daring people to try their luck.

She had actual training, once upon a time, but for the last few decades her practice has been the kind of fighting that’s more about evading capture or staying alive than it is about form. Then again, survival training is the theme, so that might not be the worst thing.

b)
Eda is offering tips on outdoor skills, sometimes in the area set up for it officially–but especially for anyone who wants to follow her into the local wooded areas. Whether this part is specifically sanctioned by the ADI is anyone’s guess, but she sure is offering it.

Her advice ranges from surprisingly useful to somewhat baffling to outright unhelpful.

When it comes to topics like tracking things, and to navigating in the woods without getting hopelessly lost, Eda knows what she’s doing. She can show you how to set a snare trap in a pinch, too.

On the other hand, she has a lot of tips about getting in touch with the land via approaches like sniffing moss or eating snow. She thinks it’s your loss if you want to pass up this wisdom.

Her comments about what mushrooms are edible (to witches), meanwhile, should be avoided at all cost by anyone who is not a witch.

c) - Exploration
Eda will be taking a few trips into Dogtown now that it’s open, and she’s willing to admit it’s safer to go in pairs. She’ll be teaming up with people who are interested, provided she thinks they’d have her back and also aren’t likely to get themselves killed.

If we have exploration planned, feel free to throw me a starter or ask for one!


Wildcard
Throw a custom prompt at me! Or hit me up to write one!

Comments

survival, b

[friendsfordinner]

"You absolutely do not need to eat snow," Hickey points out, frown on his face. He's been in the Arctic! The snow was useless! He will die on this stupid hill!

"Yeah, s'pose it could be water, but just water isn't going to be enough. If you don't eat, all the water in the world'll be useless."

[edalyn]

"It's not about the water," Eda points out with a little huff. "It's about identifying different types by taste. So you know what the weather is doing, and what's it's going to do."

Does that actually work? Well, she's going to die on this hill too, apparently. Even if this is a different world than the one she spends most of her time in. Where the rain doesn't boil... okay, so the weather is very different. But it's definitely still useful. It's about noticing details--that works anywhere, right?

[friendsfordinner]

"You know how I can tell what the weather's going to do? I look at the bloody sky."

Are there better methods of telling what the weather's doing? Probably! But is Hickey not going to acknowledge them in favor of picking a fight? Absolutely.

[edalyn]

"Yeah? Tell me how that works out for you. I'm willing to bet my ways are better." Is she actually proposing some kind of entirely pointless wager? Possibly.

While she does think there's some wisdom in her approaches, she's also just not the type to back down from an argument. Whether or not there's even a quantifiable way to prove who's right.

[friendsfordinner]

"Want to have a wager then?" he grins. "We both take a look at the weather using our methods, we decide on what we think's going to happen in a few hours or so, we wait and see who wins."

[edalyn]

"Well, I'm not one to turn down a wager," Eda admits, like she wasn't the one implying the suggestion herself. Either way it's true and occasionally a problem, though to be fair most of her pointless wagers are with her dog eight year old son.

It's also likely she's already planning to cheat one way or another.

[friendsfordinner]

And Hickey's a bundle of unearned confidence. He looks up at Eda with a little smirk on his face.

"So. What do you want to bet?"

[edalyn]

"Mmm... good question. Got anything more interesting than money in mind?" She can spare it, there are a few perks to having a steady job even if she hates in on principle, but it really is the least interesting option.

She leans back against a tree as she thinks, idly kicking at the nearest pile of snow on the ground.

[friendsfordinner]

"We could always just keep it simple. One favor, to be cashed in whenever, winner's choice."

Wildcard~

[byeeeeeeeee]

[Hunter has only been here a short while. Long enough to realize he isn't where he's supposed to be. And he's alone. No friends. No Flapjack...

He got the run-down - ADI, Entities, apocalypse - and immediately put it all on the back burner. It's too much. He has so many other things to worry about. Where are the others? Did they make it through the portal? Or did they get dumped somewhere new like he did?

He abandons the shelter he's been provided and goes exploring. He knows he's still in the Human Realm, but this isn't Gravesfield. Some things are familiar - the stores, city center, buildings - but also foreign. Of course, a different city will look different, but it leaves him feeling lost. He feels wound up. Defenseless. On edge.

And then he sees a mass of gray hair and thinks maybe he's lost his mind.]

...Owl Lady?

[edalyn]

[Eda doesn't fully understand the human holiday that's apparently coming up, but she does understand shiny objects and string lights. She's currently hauling a bag of assorted lights and ornaments back towards Bonnie's, where she's still decorating her new room and nest.

Normally she'd probably just stuff the lot in her hair, but she really is try to use less magic here. Unfortunately, this means she's startled enough to drop said bag when she hears a thoroughly unexpected voice.

There's a little sound of something breaking and at least one colourful orb rolls away across the sidewalk as she turns.]

...Hunter?

[Shiny bobbles completely forgotten for the moment, she rushes over.]

Where were you we all thought-- [And then she blinks, and as excited as she is to see the boy alive her brow furrows with worry as she takes in the fact he's acquired a good deal more scars than the last time she saw him.] What happened?

[Her voice is a little softer on this question--if she sounded exasperated for a moment there, it turns to pure concern once she has a look at him.]

[byeeeeeeeee]

[He winces at the sound of something breaking and makes an aborted move toward the dropped bag. A bauble rolls away, and he thinks someone should catch it before it also breaks. But then Eda is right in front of him and looking...concerned.

His hand finds his cheek and attempts to cover the larger scar stretched over it.

He blurts out:] Gravesfield.

[The first question is easier to answer, even if he's not entirely sure what she's asking. For instance, who is "we"?]

I...We were in the human realm. Or, I guess, here, but not here here. I didn't think I'd see you here, though. [Or anyone from the Isles.]

[edalyn]

[Eda backs off, just a little, as Hunter tries to hide the scar. She doesn't want to pry--well, she kind of does, but not if it upsets him. She's just worried. But then his answers leave her looking very thoroughly baffled.]

Gravesfield? We don't have one of those here--wait, why didn't you think I'd still be here? [After all, she'd seen him pretty recently, albeit long enough that she'd been deeply concerned. But Gravesfield... that's in her--their version of the human realm. Does that actually mean that the people who vanish go home? She has so many more questions than he probably wants to deal with. The gears turning in her head are practically visible.]

[byeeeeeeeee]

[His hand shifts from his cheek to the back of his neck, though he unconsciously angles his face away. He hasn't had much time to get used to his new look.]

I know. [He'd had a lot of questions for the personnel who found him when he first arrived. He had even insisted that if they just pointed him in the right direction, he could make it back to Gravesfield on his own. Imagine his surprise when they showed him it wasn't on any of their maps.

His eyes narrow, confused.] Because you should be on the Boiling Isles? That's where we saw you last.

[edalyn]

[Eda wants to look him over closer, but it doesn't seem like any of the injuries are terribly recent, so for the moment his new look can wait.]

...And the last time I saw you was here. Were you home after that? Had... time passed there?[This already isn't adding up, but then again things didn't add up with Hunter last time, or with Raine when they got here. She's getting really, really tired of trying to figure out exactly how this place works.]

[byeeeeeeeee]

[That gets his full attention, and a very confused stare.]

Here?

[She had to mean Gloucester. They'd already established that he'd been in some other version of the human world. But that didn't make sense.]

I...I have never been here before.

[edalyn]

What--actually... that might explain some things. [Eda looks... thoughtful now. Because Raine remembers her home past the point she showed up here. She remembered Hunter home past the point he showed up here last time. Neither of them acted like they remembered this place there, did they?]

Okay, kid. This is gonna be confusing... but you have. I think maybe--maybe we don't remember this place if we leave.

[That, or they're not the real versions of themselves. Or there are actually multiple versions of the Demon Realm, just like there are apparently multiple versions of the Human Realm. But that's getting headache-inducingly confusing, so for now she sticks with what she said.]

Wildcard, the Sequel

[byeeeeeeeee]

[Hunter is on his way back to ADI housing with a bag of newly purchased thrift store clothes when he hears it: a little chirp from the hedges lining the sidewalk. His heart always jumps when he hears a familiar tweet, but this time...this time he understands it.

He practically dives into the bushes, heedless of branches and needles scraping his skin. He calls Flapjack's name and follows the answering chirps until he finds his palisman, broken and huddled under a hedge.

Time's weird here. That's the only explanation for this. Hunter is alive because Flapjack is dead.

He utters reassurances as he pulls a sweater from his shopping bag and carefully folds Flapjack up in it. The rest of his purchases are left behind, forgotten, as he slowly stands and then runs.

By the time he reaches Bonnie's, he's out of breath and panicking. He checks on Flapjack, and then frantically pounds on the door.]

Eda! EDA!

[edalyn]

[Fortunately, Eda happens to be home, albeit busy. She's in the kitchen making herself some lunch when her feathery ears prick up at the sound of someone hammering on the front door.

Initially, she doesn't react. Instead she takes a sip from a mug of what may or may not actually be coffee, and flips the very-rare steak she has on the stove. Someone else will get the door, right?

But then she hears her name, and a familiar voice. She calls across the house for Hunter to let himself in, before remembering the house is usually locked in case of non-ADI folks poking around. She sighs, flicks the stove dial to off with a claw, and heads to the front door.

It's not too terribly long before she opens it. She looks tired and possibly a little cranky, holding a coffee mug and with her hair up in a loose ponytail. And, as she steps aside to let Hunter in, it becomes apparent that here, in a space where the ADI's human glamours drop, she's currently not just a witch but a harpy.

Standing a good seven-and-a-half feet tall on her taloned legs, she looks down at the panicked teenager and her expression immediately softens in concern.]

...What's wrong, kid?

[byeeeeeeeee]

[He's getting ready to just kick the door in when it swings open, and he finds himself gaping up at...Eda? He's already moving backward when she speaks, and yeah. It's Eda. But why is she...?

The bundle in his arms shifts, and he pushes all his questions to the back.]

You said you can fix palismen?

[edalyn]

[Eda might have cared more about Hunter's reaction to her current form if the next thing he said didn't have her briefly looking at him confusion. She did, but why would that matter? She'd made that offer before finding out it was too little, too late.

Except whatever he's holding moved and--she has so many questions all at once. Isn't Flapjack dead? He said Flapjack was very decidedly dead. But... time is--yeah, there's no point questioning anything, is there? Not in this place.]

I... I can. But I don't exactly have my tools or my supplies let alone the old workshop--[She trails off, not wanting to sound too negative before she even knows how bad things are. She steps further back into the living room and gestures for Hunter to follow.

Then she takes a deep breath and swallows before holding out her hands.] Show me?

[byeeeeeeeee]

[She doesn't have her tools or supplies. And she's still a harpy. Why isn't she changing back? That's a thing she can do, isn't it? He follows her inside, though whatever thread of hope he has is quickly diminishing.

He pulls back the edge of the sweater with shaking hands. Flapjack is curled inside, cracked and barely moving. One eye creeps open to look up at her.]

Can you do anything?

[edalyn]

[Eda does her best to keep from wincing as she crouches slightly to look. That's bad, there's no way around it.]

Red... someone really did a number on you, huh? [Eda reaches to pet the cardinal's head. Harpy form or not, she's very gentle.

When she looks back at Hunter's expression she feels a twinge in her chest. If anything happened to Owlbert... she doesn't even want to think about it.]

I'll--I can. I can do this. I'll just need a few things. [She does her best to sound confident.] Bring him upstairs, okay?

[byeeeeeeeee]

I...Belos... [Belos had done it, but it had been his hand, his body. He hadn't reacted until it was too late...

He is doing his damnedest not to cry, but he comes real close when she says she can help. Even if she doesn't sound entirely confident, he'll grab onto any scraps he can. He cradles Flapjack close and does as he's told.]

[edalyn]

[Eda makes a little growling sound in the back of her throat at the name, ears folding back. She's not surprised... and she doesn't realise Hunter might blame himself.

She heads up to the third floor, before pushing open her and Raine's room. It's cozy--decorated with curtains, rugs, and a large assortment of throw pillows. Art and potted plants cover various surfaces, string lights are tacked along the corners of the room, and gold stars hang from the ceiling.

On one side of the room is a bed, covered in more pillows but hardly notable aside from that--and nearby, what Hunter might recognize as Raine's violin.

And on the other side, partly obscured by a paper room divider, is a bird nest big enough for... well, Eda. It's made of sticks and branches, with some ribbons and strings of beads woven in. Inside are blankets, miscellaneous hoarded shiny objects, and gnawed bones. Her bell cittern hangs on the wall behind it.

Eda shoves a stack of books off a small side table near her nest and gestures for Hunter to get his palisman settled there.]

I'll... do what I can to make sure he's stable for now. But those look like some big cracks. They'll need to be filled, not just pressed back together. [She looks thoughtful, fidgeting with her hair while she thinks.]