Almost a picnic

[Bosie Vaporgate]

Between her unfruitful meeting with the battlemage and a fruitful trip to the produce market, Buoyansie had already checked two of her items to-do off her list before ten a.m. She'd had the time to stop at home before her next meeting and coax her boy into eating some spinach-filled dumplings for his health. Now, on the way to the woods for the next item on her agenda, she sucked at errant flecks of spinach in her teeth and swung her string sack of newly acquired drupicots.

The pearly pink-orange fruits poked their ovoid ends through the gaps in the knotted bag; the were the size of large grapes, or kumquats, and seemed in imminent danger of toppling out of their containment, but the taut loops of string held them in with just barely too little leeway for that. Tucked into the bottom of the bag--and stained by a squirt of clear juice from a softer drupicot that had burst--was a folded sheet of paper.

Bosie hiked up a small incline, huffing in a pleased sort of way as she took the unnaturally large steps to lift herself. From the top of the knoll she could see, further on, the approximate spot on the outer edges of the woods where she was to meet her next obligation. The spot wasn't too close to the main road as to be noticeable, but not so far as to be unidentifiable by landmarks.

She set off at a swinging gait for the stiff little copse that jutted out from the sparser edge of the woods where she had agreed to meet him. As she rather jogged along, her bag of fruit caught on something jutting from her hip. She stopped for a moment to disentangle her bag from the pistol in its holster. Having a second thought, she drew the pistol out and wiggled its weight in her hand. She shifted the bag to her other arm and walked along again, occasionally screwing one eye shut to point the pistol at a bird in flight and vocalize an imaginary shot at it. "Pi-TAO!"

She soon arrived at the intended spot and walked around the perimeter of the trees to see if he was hiding behind. She noticed a sagging branch of a drupicot tree swinging out from int the middle of the copse, and lifted her sack to compare the quality of her fruits to those on the branch. With a good-natured sneer of satisfaction, she decided the unpicked fruits looked too orange, and were probably overripe and far too sweet. Bosie stepped away from the drupicot tree to watch the hillside for Thokas's approach.

[Synius]

A ruby red apple. Exactly what he needed on a day like this. A little sun, and just warm enough to get him to open his shirt up a little bit. Thokas took a bite out of the apple and smiled. Perfect. Nothing was quite as refreshing as a good bit of fruit. He'd timed it just right, to be at the meeting place exactly on time. He didn't want to appear in a rush, and he didn't want to show up too early. Too early would be like shouting he had no trust, not that he did quite yet, and being in a hurry would show any number of horrible things. He had no manners, he was weak and couldn't be on time, and so forth. He took another bite out of the apple. Absolutely perfect.

While he did love to walk out in the woods, it was refreshing to get away from people, he still didn't like what it did to his clothes. A fine suit of light grey like this one did not wear well, and it would be quite a pain to have to have it repaired, or worse yet, replaced. Getting a suit on such short notice was not easy or cheap, and Thokas had no intention of repeating the process. He'd need to thank his father, and the wonderful little savings that he'd put under the floorboards. If he ever saw the man again.

He took another bite out of the apple, and headed toward the trees. It really was best to meet away from others. He wasn't entirely trusting of the woman he was meeting, or much of anybody at this point, and it would be easier to deal with problems out here than in a city. That and no one could be sure what they spoke of, or even that they spoke at all. He didn't expect trouble, if what he'd heard was true, but one could never be too careful.

He caught sight of her just as he stepped between some trees. He put on his best smile, and set the apple on the ground, at the base of a scrawny little tree along the way. If things went well, he'd want a bit more of it later.

“Ah, madam, so good to see you.” He made sure to keep his voice level. “I hope you are well.” He bad eye twitched, and he took a quick look about. It didn't look like anyone else was about. Good. Then things were going as they should. His smile was a little less fake than it had been before.

[Leaf]

For the better part of the day, Sparrow had been hunting rabbits. It hadn't been very fruitful, since the furry creatures were faster than lightning, but she had managed to catch herself lunch and cook it. She had spent the rest of the day with a lone wolf who had recently struck out from the local pack, only saying goodbye when she felt that perhaps wasting her days in this manner was counter-productive to going into human territory and trying to find information on her thus far completely useless quest to find her father.

The other wolf had fed her well with part of a deer's hind leg, and being full always made her tired so, with the consolation that she would renew her search tomorrow, she crawled out of any known wolf territories and hid under a bush so that she could sleep off the food for a couple of hours before making her way into whatever settlement she happened to come across next. She had never formulated a map of the world in her head, so although her sense of direction was good she didn't know her way from one place to another and usually just ended up following the dominant scent trails.

She woke up several hours later, still in wolf form, curled up tight a bush only a few metres away from a drupicot tree. There were snarls and tangles in her coat, and after stretching out she started scratching under her chin with determination. She knew it would be easier for her to change into a human and back again, after which her fur would be soft and fluffy again, but this way of getting them out was more satisfying. Besides, changing quickly from one to the other and back again was disconcerting. The dizzying feeling of all her senses dulling and then sharpening almost immediately left her disorientated and slightly queasy.

It was about then that she heard the distinctive "Pi-TAO!" of someone pretending to fire a gun. Normally this would have just set her at ease, since people with guns seldom only pretended to fire them and people without were usually the ones to make loud noises, but she was downwind of the person, and she could smell the metal. She stopped scratching and lowered herself back to the floor in silence as the gun-toter walked straight towards her hiding place. Maybe she hadn't been seen. Maybe the gun wasn't meant for her. Maybe-

The person, a gnome by the looks of it, veered off at the last second and did a quick perimeter search before settling by the drupicot tree. She was soon joined by a man, apparently human, and Sparrow settled herself a little bit more comfortably in preparation for the a long wait. Wriggling around until she found the right spot wasn't as noisy as she had expected, and she was just thinking how clever she was for avoiding making any tell-tale sounds, when a twig cracked under her left front paw. She froze.

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[Bosie Vaporgate]

The gnome plopped her bag down on the ground where sparse grass faded into the radius around the trees. She shifted her weight heavily onto her right leg and craned her head to the side to watch Thokas's approach. She lifted herself up onto the balls of her feet; her manner was as if spring-loaded, and it was a sign of good faith that she holstered her pistol as the swing of his gait changed to indicate an awareness of her presence and receptivity to a cordial meeting.

Bosie took a few steps backward as Thokas came up, to open up to him the invisible space she had first claimed with her tense posture. She grinned up at him and stared directly at his bad eye.

"I'm great!" she chirped in response to his well-groomed manner of greeting. If her reputation for disarming people in first impressions--for better of for worse--hadn't preceded her, she was prepared to display it so no mistakes would be made: "I read your prison records!" she added, with no change to her chipper tone. The raise of her eyebrows that followed wasn't exactly sassy or snide, but the expression belied a certain ruthlessness, an intention to control the conversation with an upbeat refusal of politeness.

Luck would have it for the wolf, Bosie reached up to pinch an outlying twig overhead just as another twig snapped in Sparrow's half-camouflaged spot. The gnome didn't so much as glance over at the sound, just twiddled the shred of bark in her fingers and peered at the chalky brown residue.

She looked back at Synius and this time avoided staring quite so conspicuously at his bad eye. "Have a seat," she said with a shrug of one shoulder. She swung her hand up to bat uselessly at a branch out of her reach, like a pre-adolescent child aims his fingertips for the top of the door frame.

"Have a drupey," she added, and she indicated the sack slumped on the dirt. She herself trotted over and knelt to fish the sticky strip of paper out through a gap in the knotwork of the string bag. She curled the paper up in her palm and then plopped down on her bottom to help herself to a little fruit.

[Synius]

For a moment, Thokas shut his eyes, and took a deep breath. This is necessary to continue on with your work he told himself. He open his eyes, and kept his smile where it had been. He had not been told about the gnome's....excess of enthusiasm. It was a tad disconcerting. That and the fact she kept staring into his left eye. He disliked people staring in that eye for large amounts of time. It might have been the thought that they took pity on him for his injury, which was not needed or wanted, or the thought that people might consider him slightly freakish, slightly less than a normal person that made him dislike it so.

For his part, he attempted to keep a level head, and maintain the same vaguely enthused expression he wore when he arrived. At the invitation for a drupicot, he made a small sweeping gesture with the back of his hand, and politely said 'No, thank you.' He didn't have much of a taste for the things in the first place, he had a perfectly good apple laying no to far from here, and he did not want to appear as if he needed the handout.

“I am glad,” he said whilst taking a seat, “That you have read my files. It shall make our meeting go much better if I do not need to explain what happened.” And while the expedient close of this meeting may just be a good thing, that overly chipper tone grated on him when casually throwing out the fact she new about his...sentence. That same tone, he suspected, was the cause for a series of rumors he'd caught, by chance, whilst finding out what he could about the gnome.

“Before we go any farther, madam, I would like to know if there are any clarifications that need to be made, in regards to that file. It would be better to make them now, then have ourselves labor under the delusion that we both know the truth and in fact to do not. If clarifications need be made, of course.”

[Bosie Vaporgate]

Bosie popped the drupicot into her mouth and allowed a few moments to pass during which Thokas wasn't talking and she squeezed her palm repeatedly around the crinkle of paper she held. As she chewed the fruit and sucked its pulpy flesh off the narrow pit, the rosy, faintly sour perfume wafted out in little bursts barely perceptible by senses like those of a human or gnome. Bosie turned to spit the pit into the brush beside her, hitting at the base of the drupicot tree.

She licked her lower lip and pursed her lips thoughtfully as she looked up at Thokas. He was very far up indeed from her sitting position, and she had to crane her neck to an uncomfortable-looking angle for this.

"It wasn't very flattering!" she said finally, in regards to his file she'd reported to have read. Her tone, however, sounded optimistic, if not complimentary. "No clarification needed!"

She furrowed her brow and looked down at her hands as she unfurled the paper there. While most of her feathery hair fell shaggily above her shoulders, the hair of her crown was pulled up into a nearly vertical ponytail. The appearance of this little spike of hair was as if a spike on a military helmet were to be animated to comic effect. When the gnome scrunched up her forehead, the ponytail stood erect.

"Soo . . . you like fighting . . ." she began as she stared at her slip of paper; her tone was as if she were reading these notes for the first time, but they both knew better. "Um-hm! . . . what else . . . your parents . . . something-something . . ." She folded the paper once in her hands and looked up at Thokas for any sign of response on his face.

"See, because," she began as she gazed at him from her low position, "these aren't your public records, is why I bring it up." Her manner of speaking was distinctly plebeian. Her tone was just as cheery as before, but her face was the smallest bit less intensely exuberant. There may have been a modicum of caring or concern in there.

[Synius]

Thokas took a few deep breaths, working to alleviate the irritation growing before it grew too large. He needed to remember why he was hear. There wsa the pretext he discussed beforehand, and then there was the fact that he needed allies. He needed people who would listen to his arguments, and repeat those same arguments in a favorable light. He could not get what he wanted if he did not have allies.

So, while the diminutive woman chirped on about his records. He did everything he could to maintain the look of outward calm, although he was not quite sure it kept the irritation in check completely. “These records have not been opened to the public, you say?” He couldn't hide the interest in his voice. If true, it made things much easier for him. Most people would not be able to see his transgressions, would not know about his stay with fellow inmates. These facts would make furthering himself much more difficult. However if no one knew, then all sorts of possibilities would stay open.

Thoughts about the small womans attitude were put aside, and he focused a little more on what she was saying. If the rumors he'd heard about her were true, then having her as an ally would progress things nicely. So he smiled, ands listened, And made sure it looked like he was a little more interested now.

No need to rush things of course. There was only so much time they could speak to one another right now, and if he attempted to take every moment he could, that would show a very wrong impression indeed. He he would be patient, and wait until time provided what he needed.

[Leaf]

Sparrow couldn't help moving as the drupicot pip hit her in the side. At least it hadn't stuck there, which was a bonus, but she had flinched away from it and ended up hitting the trunk, which had hurt. In fact, this whole situation was getting to be quite painful, as the position she had landed in was brutally uncomfortable but she was scared to move in case she made any more noise.

In any other situation, she would probably have upped and left by now, knowing that she could sprint to the safety of the woods before either gnome or human got a fixed aim on her. But here, today, things were just getting interesting. The human was a criminal of some sort, apparently, and the gnome was what? She could be a criminal herself if she'd got hold of the man's records, but she could equally be a legitimate member of whoever it was that had access to everybody's records. The whole thing was progressing much as a business meeting between two people normally would. Sparrow was just fascinated as to why they had chosen the woods as a location. Obviously they wanted to keep something quiet. But what, and why?

Their behaviours were most interesting. She found herself examining both of them, and realised that both of them were not how they appeared. The chirpy gnome was sharper of mind than she appeared, but she probably wanted to seem less of a threat. The human was feigning interest like a pro until he actually found something worth listening to. It was amusing to watch how they interacted, like boxers in a ring, trying to form judgements on each other.

She slowly rolled back onto all fours so that she was more comfortable, and wriggled forwards for a better view. Her nose was probably poking out just a little bit, but humanoid creatures tended to be about as observant as fleas, so she was banking on the belief that they wouldn't notice her.

Oh, the man was paying more attention to the woman now. Something had captured his interest, but she had missed exactly what while she was concentrating on moving forwards without making too much noise. She wanted to stay and find out more about what was going on here, but she made certain to stay aware of the gnome. She didn't want to be surprised by another drupicot pip at an inopportune moment.

[Bosie Vaporgate]

Bosie formed a ninety-degree "v" between her thumb and forefinger and cradled her chin in that crook. She furrowed her brow and squeezed her thumb and forefinger against her cheeks to give herself a comically thoughtful pout. For a few moments, she stared at Thokas this way, and then she finally shook her head at him. Whether her expression was farcical or actually sincerely one of concern was hard to decipher.

The gnome glanced back down at her paper and tipped her head as if reading her notes from a different angle would provide some new insight. "Well of course, some records are bound to be kept classified at all times, you know, accessible only to those in the right position--" Here she paused to give Thokas a pointed look that clearly established she could be considered one of these. She licked her lips and continued. "The government doesn't hold a high priority for transparency."

"Um," she went on, "but what is atypical here is--" Bosie paused abruptly and glanced over at the rustle in the shrubs not more than a few paces from herself. She hopped up to her feet and hunched her neck forward to peer inquisitively at the leaves and branches of brush around the small copse, and what might be hiding in the gaps therein.

She stamped one moccasin in the dusty ground and licked her lips again. Most reassuringly, her hand didn't appear to be itching to draw her pistol. She held both hands in fists at waist level.

Then, she caught sight of something bristly, and a little fuzzy--not vegetative. "Huuhhh?" she murmured as she leaned forward to get a better look at the wet nose and the muzzle that appeared to be attached.

[Synius]

This woman was not as easy as most to read. He couldn't tell at a given moment what she was thinking, and that was troubling to him. Most people wore their hearts of their sleeve, which made discerning their moods, their actions, quite easy. Not this one. This one seemed to be as suspicious as himself, laying trails of falsehoods for him to follow. And while it was interesting that she did it with such skill, the question always was 'why.'

What reason would she have for deceiving him. There was the nature of his record, and perhaps she had some aversion to those who had been incarcerated. But if that were true, she just wouldn't have met him in the first place. Perhaps there was some grudge he did not know about, or fully understand. But if that were the case, he was sure the more direct approach would have been to fire the pistol at him, and leave him to die, not lead him on in this manner.

So, while he could not determine her motives yet, he would simply need more time. More time to study this woman, find reasons behind her actions, and then find a way to controll those actions to get him what he needed. All he needed was time.

When she stood, it took him a moment to refocus his attention on the present, and follow her moments. Was this another ploy of some kind? Was it a trap? He didn't know, and didn't dare find out without more proof. He would not be stopped because someone half his height had different plans.

"Well, what have you found, madam?" He still spoke with that little bit of interest peeking through, but he couldn't tell anymore if it was planted, or if it was genuine.

[Leaf]

Sometimes she forgot how long her wolfy nose could be. Now her plans to find out more were well and truly scuppered. The only thing to do now was decide whether she should turn into a human, or stay as a wolf, and whether to run as fast as she possibly could for the tree line, stay perfectly still and hope they went away, or come out of hiding. Running would mean she got fired upon by the short woman, probably - she'd seen the gun - or the male, who had that faint shimmering around him that she had come to know as magic, could cast a spell on her. Either way, she didn't want that to happen. They had seen her, so staying still was out of the question too.

So she was going to come out of the bush slowly and carefully. That much was now decided. But in what form? They had seen her nose, so they knew she was a wolf at that precise minute, and it would be painful to change in the cramped space under the bush, which meant she would come out as a wolf. But then she would change so that they didn't attack her. Wolves weren't widely accepted as friendly creatures by the general humanoid population, for the most part with good reason.

She wriggled out on her stomach, tail gently wagging so that they would - hopefully - realise she was friendly. The woman's hands were clenched into fists, but she hadn't reached for her pistols, which was a good sign. Sparrow stood up on all fours so that she wouldn't be lying in the mud when she turned human and looked around suspiciously, fixing her wolf-perceptions of the clearing in her mind before she changed. Then, before she had time to think about all the reasons these two people might kill a werewolf, changed in the blink of an eye to her human form. She had never understood why her clothes changed with her, but they did, so she was thankfully fully clothed.

She quickly jumped to her feet and looked around again at the area. It was easier to identify the people now that she had full colour as well as scent and hearing to go by. The man definitely had magic of some sort, although it didn't appear to be too strong, which was a problem. If it had been stronger, she might have been able to tell what he could do. As it was, all she knew was that he was a criminal with some sort of power that could be dangerous to her. The woman... the woman seemed alright as far as she could tell, aside from the guns.

"I'm Sparrow," she said with a smile. "How's it going?" She realy, really hoped she wasn't about to get into a big argument with them about how she'd been spying on them, but as long as the woman's bullets were ordinary lead, she'd be fine.

[Bosie Vaporgate]

Buoyansie took two comically large steps backwards as the wolf began to wriggle in her direction; she rotated her narrow hips in two large arcs parallel to the ground in order to swing either foot back and plant it in the dust. With her tight-lipped grimace and her fist hovering above the shiny nickel hammer of the pistol at her hip, she looked every bit the wild-eyed gunslinger as she turned to study Thokas; his question seemed to have answered itself.

When the wolf got so swiftly to its feet, Bosie instinctively reached for her gun. Her draw was quick. She had the barrel directed in a straight line between herself and the wolf's face, and her left hand poised like a shield behind the hammer as if to protect herself from any possible backfire. The gesture would be futile in the case of a serious backfiring, but it was stylish practice all the same among those using the volatile gnomish devices.

"Woh!" Bosie startled and dropped her aim when the wolf turned out to be a girl. It wouldn't do at all to have her gun pointed at another sentient being. Her fist tensed around the grip of her gun and her brow knit into a scowl of concern as she stared at the girl.

The first impression Bosie determined from the girl was that she was not assimilated. There was the off-chance that she was a particularly canny spy whose skill was to play dumber-than-dumb if found out, but as this semi-secret meeting with Thokas was not of utmost sensitivity, the notion of a spy wasn't the highest suspicion in the gnome's mind. Most likely, the girl an unassimilated animal-human-type, and didn't interact properly. Most likely.

Bosie wasn't exactly trained in psychology, and she could only piece together some ideas for interaction from her experience with marginally functional individuals. "Ohh hii," she said loudly and slowly; her tone was not unfriendly. The girl didn't appear to be rocking back and forth on her feet, avoiding eye contact, or fidgeting weirdly with her fingers, but Bosie kept a sharp eye on her for such signs.

"I'm Booosie. Vaaporgate. And you may have a drupey--" here she pointed to the sack of fruits-- "if you like."

Her hazel gaze rose up to eye Thokas with a funny look of skepticism that didn't seem entirely serious. How funny that he'd asked " . . . what have you found . . .?" in that almost knowing way.

[Leaf]

Sparrow wondered why the woman had drawn out all of her words. It seemed like she could be speaking slowly to her because she thought she was more animal than human and therefore slightly stupid (not the case both times - she was relatively able to function as a human, and most animals she knew were highly intelligent). On the other hand, the woman could just have something wrong with her speaking ability, but Sparrow highly doubted it. She quickly constructed a very long, complicated sentence that would put paid to this notion.

"I'm Sparrow Kethil," she repeated. "And you found a werewolf, in case you hadn't guessed. I am grateful for the offer of your drupicot, but I would hate to impose when within reach there is a treeful. I would feel it almost wasteful to take one of yours." She reached up and plucked one of the better-looking drupicots from the tree, examined it carefully, then bit into it. She was careful not to drip juice over herself. She tried to keep it off of her face that she was making a point and normally didn't talk with quite as much clarity or precision, but probably failed. She felt that she had made certain the woman didn't think she was an idiot anymore, and tried being normal again.

"I'm sorry I startled you." (Although for the most part that was because she hadn't wanted a gun pointed at her head.) She wondered what she had in her backpack that might be useful if things turned nasty, but came up with nothing. The two others had been discussing something private, and although she had been unable to place the context of most of it, they seemed to not want company. Why else would they be out here? She took another bite of the drupicot to cover her confusion.

She did, however, notice the colours threading through the man's 'shimmer' now. As a wolf, things were in black and white, but now she could see the pale green lines wrapping around him in like ribbons being blown around in the wind. He was a healer only, and not a great one at that. She imediately felt much more confident, since he didn't appear to have any long-ranged weapons on him should he decide to attack. And she was certain she could outstrip him. An ordinary wolf could sprint at upto seventy miles an hour, and she was faster than an ordinary wolf when she changed shape.

She ran her hands through her hair out of habit and tried to scent if anything was out of the ordinary but came up with a blank. It looked like things were good and fine, so she relaxed and worked on making herself as innocuous as possible. it wouldn't do for them to think she was a threat just after she'd let down her guard.

[Bosie Vaporgate]

Bosie glanced over at Thokas, who seemed to be merely observing for the time.

The lopsided spire of hair tied up from her crown bobbed when she raised her eyebrows anew at the werewolf's refusal of her offer. The gnome dug the heels of her hands against the jut of her miniature hips and drummed her fingers against tightly bodiced midsection. Between the lower edge of her leather bodice and the soft waistband of her trousers, a narrow band of loose abdominal skin peeked out just enough to jiggle with each tap of her fingers. She pointed her chin at Sparrow and gave a tight smile.

"Suit yourself, yep . . . mine are already picked, so it wouldn't be a waste by my thinking. But um . . . anyway!" Bosie glanced back at Thokas again, who didn't seemed exactly agitated by their unexpected visitor, and she herself was prepared to accept the digression in conversation, so she turned her attention back to what really intrigued her.

She began to pace counterclockwise slowly around Sparrow. She craned her head lower as if to find some different news from another angle, and then suddenly spun on her heels and moseyed clockwise instead.

"You say you're a werewolf, huh?" The revelation that the girl was a werewolf couldn't possibly have been something Buoyansie needed to confirm. She had seen it with her own eyes. The question she had posed was different--the emphasis wasn't on the word werewolf, but rather there was a certain pointedness to the word say. She went on.

"Do you--usually tell people that? Or just when they see you . . . both ways?" Bosie's voice rose a bit in pitch and volume. She seemed perhaps on the verge of excitement, but it may have been just her usual exuberance. "I mean--do you want people to know all that?" She stopped pacing and stood askance to Sparrow.

[Leaf]

Sparrow stayed perfectly still as the woman paced around her. If a wolf did that, she would have stayed facing it so that it couldn't attack her from behind, but humans worked differently. She did keep her ears turned, though, so if a weapon was drawn she could react. It was a relief when nothing violent occured, and she took another bite of the drupicot.

Then the woman said something that didn't make an awful lot of sense, and Sparrow frowned. Yes, she did say she was a werewolf. She had already said that. And the woman didn't seem to be an idiot, so there was really no excuse for it. Unless she was implying that the statement was a lie? No, she wouldn't do that within minutes of making an acquaintance, would she?

She simply nodded in agreement, unwilling to get into an argument with a stranger in the middle of nowhere. Whether or not the woman could physically hurt her was irrelevant; Sparrow had no idea whether or not she had influence within the authorities, and there were some (perhaps even many) who thought that being able to change shape was magic and therefore illegal.

"Generally only when people see me change," she said, wondering what use the information was. The woman seemed to be getting quite hyper over it. "I don't want them mistaking me for a skin-walker. On the other hand, no, I wouldn't really want people to know." It diminished people. If she ever accomplished anything (doubtful), she would be 'that werewolf who did blah-de-blah,' instead of 'that person.' And it would be one more way of identifying her if she was caught doing something illegal. And then there was the fact that in a fight she had the element of surprise. So she didn't want people to know for a variety of reasons.

"Why do you want to know?"