Gardens and the Graves

[Lady Shatterstone]

*Oribella looks to Grouse with worry on her face. She is not sure trusts whatever is within the well*

" The weather is fine, why don't you come up here. It looks so dark and cold down there."

 

[hafrogman]

Gus waddles over to Grouse and looks at the dandelion. He blushes a light pink and leans in close to the thistle, whispering under his breath.

"Sorry, I didn't think I'd need to do that today."

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"Can't get out. Heeheehee! Wanna come see?" the voice cackles. Katherine and Titian look simultaneously fascinated and afraid of what's going on.

 

[Lady Shatterstone]

*Oribella smiles at the children trying to give them some comfort. She jumps down from Katherine's shoulder to the ledge of the well. Searching the well for any sign of life she continues to talk to whoever is down there. *

" Why can't you come up? Are you stuck? Are you all right?" She asks with worry in her soft voice as she waves for Grouse or Gus to come join her. She gives a look to Tuk to see if he has any ideas about this strange situation.

 

[Ashy]

Gus waddles over to Grouse and looks at the dandelion. He blushes a light pink and leans in close to the thistle, whispering under his breath.

"Sorry, I didn't think I'd need to do that today."

Grouse's blue eyes take on a measure of kindness for a moment and he pats the mushroom on the head. "S'alright, lad. S'alright..." He hitches up his sandy-colored overalls and scratches his pointy chin, returnting Oribella's look of concern. He shambles over to the well and climbs to the top, turns and motions to the children and other faeries as if he is shooing them away.

"S'kedattle, th' lot o' ye. This might get a bit ugly..."

Once all have backed from the well, Grouse begins to whistle a quick little diddy, accompanying it with a playful and silly little jig. The song and the dance make you think of bright, summer days and playing in bright green meadows beneath the smiling sun...

In the span of a breath or three, the tune and the jig complete with a bowing flourish on the part of Grouse, which winds up with the thistle pointing his hands down to the bottom of the well. Daylight erupts at the bottom of the well, and Grandfather Thistle hopes that it will expose whatever lies there...

OOC: Casting daylight

 

[Lady Shatterstone]

" Come little ones... step back and let Grandfather Thistle do as he needs."

*Oribella speaks as she flutters about the children's heads and shoulders. She settles on Katherine's shoulder again to watch Grouse.*

 

[hafrogman]

Gus doesn't step back with the children and instead follows Grouse up the side of the well, and peers down the well with the thistle. While Grouse is singing, Gus claps his hands together in front of him and bobs his head up and down for a moment, murmuring to himself. When he looks up his eyes shine bright blue, the color of clear skies and sunny days.

[ooc - casting True Seeing and peering down the well with Grouse]

 

[Ashy]

Grouse, knowing from experience what his fellow faerie is doing, quips, "Let me know wha' ye see, lad..."

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Daylight pours into the well, illuminating a metal grate on the bottom. Underneath it is a dark red creature, no larger than a cat, and vaguely human-shaped. With a tail. A pointy tail. Gus' eyes reveal a much larger creature under the grate, a huge hulking muscled thing with wings and fiery eyes.*

*The thing screeches like a cat whose tail has been stepped on when the light hits it, and it cringes back into a corner, covering its head with its arms. It starts to sob hysterically.*

*Katherine looks striken at the sound, and Titian look around nervously.*

 

[Lady Shatterstone]

" It is all right dearies, we are here to look after you. Gus, Grouse, what is making that horrible noise?"

*Worry is settling into Oribella's heart.*