Event - The Ballad of Thomazine Younger

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The Ballad of Thomazine Younger

➥ Ghosts of Yesteryear

(cw: references to blackmail, plague, fire, being buried alive, altered mental states, spying, and cannibalism; implied eye injury)

The local legend of Thomazine "Tammy" Younger, Witch Queen of Dogtown, has been regaining traction in local gossip of late. The stories all revolve around the same nuggets of probable historic fact: there definitely was a Thomazine Younger who lived in Dogtown at the time it was abandoned by most of its population in the 1800s, and she definitely had a reputation for witchcraft she used to extract tolls from any merchant or freighter passing by Fox Hill. Beyond that, the stories are varied and contradictory–some say she was the ringleader of a coven who would turn themselves into rats to thieve from neighboring Gloucester and spread pestilence; others that she could turn solid earth into mud to swallow up the wagons of those who refused to pay her off. Depending on whom you believe, Tammy engaged in such varied hobbies as sending unholy fire to burn entire fields of crops, spying on her neighbors with her magic eye, twisting the minds of brothers and sisters so they no longer knew one another, or luring travelers without goods for her to steal into her home to slaughter and eat them. Some even say she was the cause of Dogtown's mass exodus, blighting the land so that none but witches could survive there.

The resurgence of her urban rural legend coincides with something a bit more troubling: sightings of an old woman in a ragged dress on the outskirts of Dogtown. She's been seen just inside the fence line on the northern edge of the park, prowling around the general area of Fox Hill, staring and making arcane gestures at anyone who sees her before disappearing into the undergrowth. Eyewitness accounts from locals and ADI employees patrolling the area differ in terms of the specifics: in some accounts the specter of the Witch Queen is a tall, emaciated creature practically in rags; in others she's a stout, moon-faced matron with tears of blood dripping from her eyes, or a bent old crone with fingers too long and too many. Always, though, she disappears before anyone can come near enough to see her up close or confront her.

How she disappears, though, is less consistent. Sometimes her exit is precisely what one would expect of a ghost, when she disappears in the blink of an eye or her form twists before your eyes until you aren't certain whether she was there at all or if you mistook the gnarled trees for a vision of something more sinister. Other times, her exit is more…human. That is, she might simply turn and walk away deeper into the undergrowth until she's lost from sight, or slip behind a tree. One confused ADI patroller even claims he saw the ghost of Tammy Younger trip over a root before scrambling back to her feet and limping away at speed.

There's something pervasive and potentially dangerous going on here…but something about it doesn't quite line up.

➥ Outfoxed at Foxhill

(cw: alcohol, dolls, potential for injury)

ADI is keen to end things quickly with potential ghosts running amok, particularly one with a known history in Dogtown. There's a serious concern that regular residents of Gloucester are going to start taking matters into their own hands and trying to start exploring the park when they ought not to be.

The decision is made quickly to send ADI personnel into the park more actively to search out Fox Hill, one of the purported locations of Tammy Younger's hauntings. Volunteers will find themselves paired up and sent off. Curiously, the locations that were previously mapped by others aren't appearing properly. Like Dogtown is warping and twisting around at will for the moment. It's unclear why this is, but it seems… safer than it should? The obstacles and strangeness seem to have faded away for the time being, replaced by a quiet and picturesque woodland. It doesn't take long to find Fox Hill. It takes far less time than it reasonably should, in fact, but getting to the top of the hill is… a challenge.

There are hidden dangers on Fox Hill. Pit traps that seem to go down very deep, indeed, nets that spring up when you step in the wrong spot and leave their quarry trapped in some tree or other. Maybe you're one of the lucky ones that somehow triggers an avalanche of small boulders and… are those marbles? Every conceivable way that one could lay a trap to prevent someone from mounting the hill has been employed. Clearly, someone or something doesn't want you getting up.

Along the way, volunteers will spy evidence of the ghost. There are discarded liquor bottles everywhere–the legend does say she'll take her payments in drink or blood–phosphorescent trails, and small, sinister-looking stick dolls. Those trying to analyze these things will find that the liquor bottles are from the present day, the phosphorescent trails are a sort of paint, and the stick dolls… well, those look like what you would see in a horror movie that involves witches.

➥ Those Meddling Kids

(cw: stalking, potential child endangerment)

The nights in Gloucester seem to be returning to a state of restlessness as rumors of ghosts quickly turn to rumors of ghost sightings. Pale and spectral figures lurk at the edges of people’s sight, follow victims, and seem to come out of nowhere and vanish just as quickly without a word. Between the recent evidence and a known slew of sightings a couple months ago, ADI is keen to put more than a few people on this to get out ahead of it. People are encouraged to search in groups no smaller than two, but won’t stop anyone who decides they hunt alone. After all, it’s a well-known fact ghosts rarely like to be seen by more than one set of eyes. Especially these ones.

People out investigating may find their paths fairly quiet most nights. However, separate from your partner for a bit, fall behind, or go it alone, and you might just notice a pale figure vanishing around a corner or standing eerily at the end of an alley. Sometimes things you follow even seem to vanish into walls or thin air. They very rarely say anything, but they can be heard. Boxes and small items knocked over, trash cans rattled, fire escapes landing just ahead of you to get in your path, it seems the ghosts are mostly interested in being seen, not interacted with. Too bad they got you on the case.

Those dedicated, skilled, or perhaps powerful enough to exert a little fear of the law or simply fear of things that actually go bump in the night may swiftly discover a few key things: Ghosts caught up to quickly enough can be seen slipping behind doors, scaling buildings, or using creative escape routes to get away. Clumsy ghosts seem prone to bumping into things as sure as the next person…and those fast enough to catch up to some gangly, terrified, legs are quick to learn the legs, torso, and the whole rest of the ‘ghost’ is very real. Very real, rather young, and often quite terrified of the adult now catching them. Hopefully no one used actual powers on these miscreant teens.

➥ And You Must Ask Yourself

(cw: spiders, allusion to swarms, sleepwalking, compulsion)

'How did I get here?'

It might be one of the first thoughts to occur to you as you wake with a sudden start. But lucky you, you have a friend! Or… an enemy? You have another (apparently) human being nearby who's probably looking just as confused as you are. The spider web tattoo you earned after your ride with Gus the Bus tingles uncomfortably, like many delicate little feet are swarming across it before dissipating.

It may take a few moments, or possibly more, for you to realize you're somewhere you may not wish to be. These trees, the thick and eerie forest around you… this is Dogtown. Somehow, you've walked yourself into a veritable minefield of danger, avoiding everything that might kill you (or worse). Until now. You're conscious, stuck with someone you may or may not know well, wearing… well, if you're lucky, you're wearing your regular clothes and didn't walk in here in your pajamas.

Good luck finding your way out.

➥ Mod Notes

• GENERAL - Players are welcome to play background NPCs for themselves when they are needed in a thread. If you need more information on general behavior for these types of NPCs, please feel free to ask! In general, the information provided in the prompts should be sufficient and ordinary people will act like… ordinary people! You're welcome to make up any details for your specific scene. Also, please remember that character deaths are permanent and plan accordingly! For this event, in particular, the Meddling Kids™ are very dedicated to their efforts to remind the world about Thomazine Younger and bring her story to the world, so they're not going to break their ghoulish character until something truly frightening happens to them… or characters try to hurt them. Or… succeed in hurting them. Please don't murder too many young people now.
  
  
• GHOSTS OF YESTERYEAR (16-20 April) - While the ghost of Tammy Younger's appearance may vary, she usually appears as one of the three specters described in the prompt. Notably, when her ghost does not align with one of those three descriptions or when her proportions are twisted beyond what's humanly possible is when she's most likely to disappear in an obviously supernatural fashion rather than walk away like a real, solid person. Regardless, even at her most corporeal Tammy seems to be quite good at evading capture, as though very familiar with the current layout of Dogtown.
  
  
• OUTFOXED AT FOX HILL (19-20 April) - The path into Dogtown seems to have been chosen for the characters to lead them to Fox Hill. It's the only path that appears to exist during this period. Trying to leave Fox Hill will take you swiftly out of the park. It doesn't matter where you start from, what direction you're going. You end up coming to the fence or leaving the park. This effect will only be in place until the THOSE MEDDLING KIDS prompt concludes. The traps on Fox Hill are all designed to be nonlethal, but they can certainly hurt you, and players are welcome to come up with whatever traps they might like their characters to encounter. There's nothing particularly supernatural in any of the things found up there, and atop Fox Hill is only a stash of spray paint and half-drunk bottles of liquor.
  
  
• THOSE MEDDLING KIDS (20-24 April) - The pale figures reported are quickly found to be teenagers in bodysuits or paint (at least they didn’t use sheets) and very much still alive while the ghosts seen going through walls can be quickly explained through pretty decent mobile projectors. A couple of the teens will be caught wearing costumes that match the appearances of "Tammy" in Dogtown. Teens will flee and resist capture from most normal means, but won’t fight too much if caught other than to get away. They really do seem to be kids that went a little too far with a prank. Those who might end up on the wrong side of a stray power or two will be downright terrified of their pursuer and likely to either turn to another adult in the group for safety or shut down entirely. Maybe you should be more careful next time. Either way, the local authorities will take it from here.
  
  
• AND YOU MUST ASK YOURSELF (16 April - Ongoing) - Characters will only be affected by the compulsion to walk into Dogtown if they rode in and were marked by Gus the Bus. Gus continues to be available and around in Gloucester should you wish to have your character captured and marked by him. Details about Gus are included in the March 2023 TDM. Gus has also been added as a feature to the Dogtown Searches page and description in the Locations page.
  
  Players can have their characters turn up in any explored square in Dogtown or one of the unexplored squares adjacent to them. Please just submit a search request for the unexplored square that you'd like your character (and a friend) to discover!

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Edalyn Clawthorne | The Owl House | OTA

[edalyn]

Ghosts of Yesteryear
Eda's getting more than a little bored patrolling the fence surrounding Dogtown. While she's very curious about this particular rash of reports—hard not to be when it's this witch focused after all—she’s still having trouble staying focused on staring at the woods. Especially with the occasional little creature scurrying through the underbrush.

But it just happens that one such noise draws her attention towards… it’s surprisingly hard to tell if that figure is one of the trees, but after a moment she's certain. The proportions are odd, but it's definitely an old woman—who turns and is seemingly swallowed up by the ground once Eda approaches the fence and makes eye contact with her.

“Hey! Wait, I just want to talk. One witch to another, yeah?”

Outfoxed at Foxhill [Closed to Raine]
“You sure about this, Rainstorm? I mean there's no one I'd rather explore the monster-infested woods with…” All the same, she left the implied but hanging there. Dogtown was one thing that was exactly as dangerous as the ADI said, in her experience. Which wasn't to say that Raine couldn't take care of themself, but she wasn't completely sure how they were doing for magic, and physical fights weren't necessarily their strongest area.

That said, Dogtown seemed to be… behaving itself, for a given value. Or at least no one seemed to actually be running into those monsters lately. But that was part of what had her a little on edge.

“But I don't know if I trust how quiet it is,” was what she settled on. So far the walk through the trees was frankly nice. Tamer than the forests on the Isles were likely to be, even. It would almost feel like a simple hiking date, if not for the fact Eda didn't fully expect things to stay nice. Or the fact they were looking for the ghost of a local witch—then again, that felt like the sort of afternoon adventure she and Raine would have come up with when they were kids. She couldn't help feeling a little nostalgic at the thought.

She reached to absently adjust the backpack that sat between her—currently glamoured—wings. It was mostly supplies they might actually need, but there was also a soft clink of glass. From everything Eda had read about the witch ‘queen,’ homemade apple blood (or at least a half decent approximation) wouldn't be amiss for a peace offering.

Those Meddling Kids
I. “You know, if we were back home I could definitely cobble together something for tracking ghosts,” Eda muses casually to whoever chose—or was volunteered—to go ghost hunting with her. It's hard to tell how serious this is, but hey– no one here can prove her wrong, right?

Not that she’s certain whether the sightings are ghosts, at least maybe not all of them. But she’d like to find an actual ghost. Honestly, she’d like to find anything. She's starting to think maybe they ought to try splitting up.

II. Another night, Eda has significantly better luck hunting on her own, though what she’s caught definitely isn’t a ghost.

If someone passes by a certain back alley that just happened to be a dead end, they might notice a few drips of glow-in-the-dark paint leading into it. Or they might overhear bits and pieces of a conversation between Eda and a younger-sounding, anxious voice.

Bits and pieces like oh calm down, do I look like someone who talks to cops? or this thing you’re doing, it’s pretty cool.

And You Must Ask Yourself [cw: the prompt + (mild) body horror]
Eda always used to like spiders.

She didn’t even see why everyone kicked up such a fuss about the ones with the cute little hands a few months back.

Eda’s getting really damn tired of spiders.

The first nightmare was perhaps still the worst. Or at least the most personal. Someone she very much loves and trusts being the one to catch her in their web, trap and bind and poison her.

But the nightmares plaguing her since her unpleasant bus ride aren’t exactly a good time either. The exact content varies, but the most recurring theme is control. Puppet strings guiding her through the motions of things she’d never do, or toward some unknown destination.

That’s what it is tonight. Following a forest path even as she struggles, tiny spiders coursing down the strings of web that pull her along, weaving them thicker and stronger.

She still feels them as she blinks awake. Spiders on her skin, or maybe under it. Tiny little feet crawling through the veins in her wrist.

Not fully conscious, Eda responds to the discomfort by pulling her lower arm off. It separates neatly, the joint coming apart with a little pop that she’s long since gotten used to. She tosses it to the side instinctually.

The crawling, tingling sensation fades as she sits up, suddenly alert and deeply lost. Normally when she wakes up from one of these nightmares she’s doing something only mildly out of character, like cooking breakfast at a reasonable hour.

This is the first time she’s dreamt of the woods and woken up there.

She’s startled as she spots whoever happens to be nearby. If you’re lucky, you simply have a witch staring at you in slightly sleepy confusion. If you’re less lucky, you just got smacked with a severed arm bearing a spider web shaped tattoo on the wrist. There are probably worse ways to be woken up, right?

Wildcard!
Feel free to throw a starter at me or hit me up on discord at Ilya#4143 or badgirlcoven

Those Meddling Kids - I

[canofmanji]

"Tracking? I can believe that, but any idea how to stop them?" That's what Manji would like to know. "If ghosts can just... whoosh through walls then how are we suppose to catch them?"

[edalyn]

"Oh catching them is easier," Eda said with a cheerful little shrug. "You know, at home." Another thing that, while he couldn't disprove it, wasn't going to help them here, at least not without a good deal of modification.

"I used to go out and do that before school," she added. "And then set them loose in the school." She let out a chuckle that quickly turned into a snort. "...Good times."

[canofmanji]

"If there so easy to catch back home is it really that much of a problem to let them loose in the school?" He's not so much of trying to say it wasn't a cool prank, but he's lost some of the context by not living where she does. "Couldn't they just catch them again?"

[edalyn]

"I didn't say it was that easy for everyone," she points out.

"They still hadn't cleared them all out when I went back to get my human enrolled." Which... might say as much about the administration as anything else, but she's choosing to ignore that.

[canofmanji]

"Ah, I see." He says with a grin on his face. "That sure is a legacy to leave behind, isn't it? Hopefully you taught your human how to catch ghosts. Or going to let her figure it out the hard way?"

[edalyn]

Eda rolls her eyes and gives an extremely exaggerated sigh. "Neither, my old principle made me round them up before he'd let her in," Eda grumbles. She's pretty sure the girl's locker room was more fun when it was full of ghosts.

"And wash off all my hexed graffiti," she adds with a huff. "And a bunch of other things. He hadn't found my secret tunnels in the walls, though." She seems proud of that last part.

[canofmanji]

"Secret tunnels in the walls? I think your schools are a bit bigger than the school I've gotten use to." He's seen the local school on his walks through town. He knows they're bigger than his back home. "You should just have her put the ghosts back when she leaves."

[edalyn]

Eda just shrugs. She's guessing it's true, but it also helps to make the walls bigger on the inside than the outside. She's pretty sure that's not true of most schools here.

"...You know what, that's a good idea." It gets a laugh, at least. "Gotta keep Bumpikins on his toes." You know, assuming he's alive. And that Luz is alive. But she's dealing with that by firmly continuing to talk about them like they are.

[canofmanji]

"Their name is Bumpikins? Man doesn't stand a chance!"

[edalyn]

"His name is Hieronymus Bump," Eda explains, with a snort.

"But he hates when I don't take him seriously." Which means the nicknames are probably just going to keep getting worse.

[canofmanji]

"Seriously?" Manji cackles out his laughter. "That's his actual name! His parents must have hated him!" Eventually his laughter calms a little more. "And I bet you never took him seriously, did you?"

and you must ask yourself

[energyfieldgood]

There are probably worse ways to be woken up.

Right now, Rodney can't think of a single one.

It's the combination of Dogtown and spider dreams and severed arm and severed arm touching his face and the nice little spider web tattoo as cherry on top.

He sputters, wiping at his face and backing away from Eda, still bleary-eyed but alert enough to be thoroughly agitated.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

[edalyn]

Unfortunately, Eda's own mood is suffering from the combination of spider dreams and waking up here. It doesn't help that she's suddenly being snapped at for pulling her arm off because it felt like it there were spiders in it.

Which was admittedly not a normal thing to do, but she felt like it was a perfectly understandable response at the moment.

"What the hell am I doing?" She snapped right back, but then paused.

"That's... actually a good question," she conceded. "Or at least what the hell I'm doing here is."

She glanced Rodney over suspiciously, but she suspected this had more to do with the web mark and the nightmare than with him.

Her arm scuttled back over to her, crawling in a way that was second nature to her by now—so why did it suddenly make her think of a spider? Either way, she picked it up and looked at the little web sigil tattoo, just to make sure nothing had changed. She didn't see anything, but she still hesitated, not snapping her arm back on just yet.

[rainestorms]

"I know you're worried about me because I don't have easy access to my magic, and I'm not the... strongest... but I'll be fine, Eda."

Raine walked next to Eda, and took her hand. They gave it a reassuring squeeze, and smiled. Truthfully, they had a healthy amount of anxiety about stepping into territory like Dogtown, but.. they still were a little excited to have an adventure in the great outdoors with Eda again.

"Besides, I've got you here. Anything that happens we'll get through it together," they pause, and gazed back out at the trees that surrounded them. "And maybe it's a good thing that it's quiet.."

They trail off again, content to listening to the world around them and Eda's response until they hear a clink in her bag. They narrow their eyes at the bag.

"What. Was that?"

[edalyn]

Eda squeezed Raine's hand and gave them a slightly apologetic smile. She really wouldn't worry about them at home--they were one of the most powerful witches she knew. And they weren't even physically weak, she hadn't missed the fact they had a surprisingly easy time carrying her around these days. But she worried here all the same.

Still, it was nice to have them there, and it was nice to hear them say they'd get through anything together.

"Yeah, maybe," she agreed, and she was about to go on, but then Raine looked startled. "At least it's something different."

"What was what?" she asked, glancing back at them. Part of it was probably the fact that she knew her idea was silly in a lot of ways, but she also wanted to make sure they hadn't actually heard anything more important.

[rainestorms]

"I heard something in your bag," Raine responded, and let go of her hand. "Why's there glass in your bag?"

They reach for her backpack- it's a bit of a stretch, but they manage to open it. Raine fished for the bottle, and inspected it before they held it up to Eda, confused.

"Is this.. Apple blood? Eda why'd you bring this?"

They didn't want to accuse Eda of anything, nor did they want to get angry at her. But the alcohol was taking up space in a rather. Interestingly packed way. They could've used the space for something more worth their time- supplies like extra food, water, bandages. Things that could potentially save them if something happened.

Even so, they began to move things around in preparation to put the bottle back in- they weren't going to make Eda leave it. Even if her reason was silly. Raine worried that causing upset might attract whatever was currently hiding from them.

[edalyn]

Eda raised an eyebrow at their decision to simply grab at her bag, but she stopped walking. Anyone else would get a slap—or maybe a bite—on the wrist, but Raine mostly got a startled chuckle.

Most of the pack was supplies, what she'd considered enough for what was meant to be day-trip. Especially given how quiet things had been. So it was possible she missed what their main concern was. It was also possible she simply chose to ignore it. Either way, she gave a little shrug as she let them rearrange things.

"Well, near as I've been able to make to apple blood," she said. It might be a horrible waste of magic here, but she was really missing that little whistling trick of theirs lately.

"And I brought it 'cos what kind of witch would I be if I went to look for the queen without an offering, huh?" Her tone was light--she knew it was a silly idea, but it wasn't actually a joke either.

"Tammy used to charge her toll in booze or in blood. I figure this covers both my bases."

[rainestorms]

"I just didn't even know you could make apple blood here," Raine flatly replied, their attention on the backpack still. "I assume it's not authentic. And I know you're probably thinking you want me to use my... trick to make it taste better, but I think that's a poor use of what little magic I have. Even if I want to."

Raine finished up the bag, and zipped it shut, satisfied with their work. It reminded them a little of the various times Eda'd needed their help back at Hexside, and Raine couldn't help the fond smirk that tugged at the corners of their mouth.

"I appreciate your dedication to Tammy's lore, but Eda we don't even know if she's actually a witch. She's certainly not a real Boiling Isles Witch in my opinion, at least," Raine moved to Eda's side once more, and took her hand. They looked around though, realising how that might sound if Tammy was listening in.

"That's not to say she's not powerful, but for all we know she could just be a displaced person like us. Or she could be an Avatar. I'm not sure how willing an Avatar would be on bargaining considering where we are. I've never met one before, thankfully, but I've been doing some reading, and dead people can still be Avatars.."

Raine trailed off, and gravitated a little closer to Eda. Truthfully, they were a little worried she'd try to do what she did at the parade. Not exactly, of course- Tammy wasn't the Raine Whispers even by resemblance- but Raine had admittedly begun to air more on the side of caution towards things. Things outside of the ADI especially. They didn't want to get turned into a weasel again. This time their fate would probably be much less mild than that- it would be more permanent than just a sharper set of teeth.

"I just want to make sure we've got all of our options covered. Just in case."

[edalyn]

Eda rolled her eyes when Raine picked up on the fact that their bard magic was on her mind.

“Nah, I’d only ask you to do that for me,” she pointed out, though it sounded like she's probably kidding. Probably.

As for the rest, Eda… sighed, but she let Raine take her hand and gave theirs a light squeeze.

They were right, of course, about all of the possibilities, and about how it’s not that likely to accomplish anything. But they weren’t quite right about where she was coming from. Which was her own fault for being flippant about it, but that approach was more fun.

“It’s not about the lore, Raine. Or it’s not about… believing all the lore,” she pointed out, and then hesitated a little before going on.

“I do want to know if she was a witch. But I know she probably wasn’t our kind of witch. And I know the stories ain’t worth much. She was a real person though. Even if she was just an old woman doing her best after everyone else left this place for the dogs.” Because sure, it’s possible Tammy really is the reason the townsfolk left, but Eda had her doubts.

“Whatever she was, I know how people used to treat ‘witches.’ I’d threaten to curse ‘em too. Even if she got mixed up in some powers…” Eda trailed off and finally just shrugged. It’s not that she thought that would be alright, but she did think she wouldn’t necessarily blame someone either.

“I know she might be an avatar. If it’s even her. But I’d rather start out looking for a person than a monster. The rest of the ADI’s got that covered.”

She was telling the truth about her reasons. But there was a tension in her posture, a slight edge to her tone despite her effort to keep it light. This might have been her real reasoning, but at the end of the day it wasn't really about Thomazine Younger.

[rainestorms]

Raine listened to Eda quietly, and their surprise grew the more she spoke. She spoke about the possibilities of Tammy just being a normal person in unfortunate circumstances and Raine understood Eda's angle. But, they were surprised at the edge to her tone, the way she tensed up as she spoke about how she'd rather be looking for a person than a monster, and it clicked for Raine.

It wasn't just about proving the ADI wrong or not going into the situation assuming the worst. Maybe those things were part of it, but they gathered it was more personal for Eda. Raine understood Eda knew what it was like to be misunderstood, seen as a monster when she was just a witch for her curse, and their stomach sunk a little. Concern overrode surprise on Raine's face.

"Hey," Raine really didn't want to stop for a second time, but they wanted to make sure Eda was listening to them. They stood in front of Eda, and held both of her hands in theirs as they spoke in a gentler tone.

"I didn't realise how strongly you felt about this. I should've guessed, but I was so busy worrying. I'm. Sorry. I just want to make sure we're being safe... there's a lot of people who'd miss us- would miss you- being gone."

Raine smiled at Eda through their worn concern, and rubbed the backs of her hands with their thumbs.

"But, if you think that Tammy is different, or misunderstood, I'm with you every step of the way until we find out otherwise. I don't believe everything the ADI says anyways. Plus, if you're right, you get to tell them they're wrong."

Raine averted their gaze down at their hands, and brought one up to their face, and pressed their cheek against her knuckle.

"Just stay close to me. Okay?"

[edalyn]

Eda was a little surprised when Raine stepped in front of her, though she supposed she wasn’t surprised how fast they caught on that she was feeling strongly about the whole thing.

After all, she’d never been the best at hiding her emotions even if she was prone to trying, and Raine had more experience in reading her than almost anyone. All the same, she dropped her gaze, feeling a little bad for making them worry or feel like they needed to apologise.

That, and it sounded like she’d made them worry a lot if they were jumping straight to the idea of them–of her being gone. Perhaps she shouldn’t have played up the dangers of Dogtown quite as much as she had, even if they were very real. Either way, something hit harder than she expected about the idea that really were people here besides Raine who would be upset. She swallowed and her ears folded back, though the latter was hidden by her glamour.

When they pressed their face against her hand she leaned down to give them a kiss on the forehead.

“I’ll stay close,” she assured them. “We’re not splitting up in here.” Even if that was more to do with the fact she wanted to be able to protect them.

“And… it’s no big thing, Rainstorm,” she added. Her tone was gentle, although it ended in a slightly awkward chuckle. The bigger picture of what she was upset about was, if she were being honest, but Raine getting a little annoyed with her over one silly idea wasn’t.

“I just think we don’t know yet. And I do want to be able to tell the ADI they’re wrong about something.” It might not have been her biggest motivation, but it would be really nice if she got to.

“Thanks. For… coming with me.” Probably also a bit for being sweet and understanding, but she didn’t say that part out loud.

[rainestorms]

It was hard not to worry about Eda on all accounts of how things had gone in their lives since they'd met again. It wasn't a matter of trust, or the lack there of. But rather, it was a return of something that ate at their fear of losing her again. If there was some place where this was a likely event Dogtown certainly hit prime real estate, and any chance the powers that be could pull on Raine's fear of losing Eda, they would.

"It's a big thing to me if it is to you," they insist. "And I think we will be able to prove them wrong on something. I just don't know what yet."

Raine almost moved on to whatever they needed to do next, but stopped in their tracks when Eda thanked them. Surprise wasn't easy to cover up on their face but they nonetheless gave Eda their best smile.

"You don't need to thank me, Eda. I came with you because I..."

They hesitated to tell Eda that they loved her and that's why they came with her, because it wasn't the only reason and they didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Plus, it was an awfully strong word to say in a place that could definitely kill them.

"Because I care about you a lot, and I don't want you getting into too much trouble without me."

[edalyn]

Eda did her best to grin confidently when they talked about proving the ADI wrong on something. She really did want to, sooner or later. Hopefully pretty much everything, but she supposed she'd settle for just about anything.

Whatever else she was originally going to say, though, she instead glanced away uncertainly at that pause. She wasn't upset they didn't say they loved her, this probably wasn't time or place, but... it reminded her they hadn't. And she hadn't. Not quite, not in so many words.

She wanted to, but she wasn't sure how fast she should do that. For the moment, she just squeezed their hand.

"Yeah, I... care about you a lot, too. And there's no one I'd rather get in trouble with." Eda shot them her best attempt at a mischievous look and knocked her shoulder against theirs as she started to walk again.

[rainestorms]

Raine's smile faltered when they caught Eda's uncertain glance. They still returned it, and kept their balance steady as they took what with a non-harpy Eda would be a normal shoulder bump.

They kept quiet for the time being, face turned away with their eyes on the treeline.

"This reminds me of when we were kids, and how fascinated you were with the Human Realm. We even promised we'd go together one day, if you remember that. I know you already did when.. you were hiding from the Emperor."

Raine grimaced for a moment. There wasn't a good way to talk about the time they'd spent away from each other after the breakup.

Besides, Raine didn't want to dwell on it. They had a point to make, and they attempted to return the shoulder bump.

"I'm.. glad we finally get to explore it together. Despite the circumstances. I wish they were better, but.. we're working with what we've got."