[IC] Chapter 2-3: Safe Haven

[Shanna Rendin]

...

You can hear some noise from the surrounding undergrowth all around the clearing, something resembling to tree branches moving in the wind. Except that there is no wind.

...

Shanna peers about herself suspiciously.  Wait a second...

"Archers!! All around!!" Porthos voice almost squeaks in his nervousness.

[OoC can he ready a spell... Mirror Image at the first twang of a bowstring being released....?]

Shanna snaps a hand up to retrieve her Wand of Silent Image as the alert is made.  She'd heard right, something had been amiss.  Credit Portho for putting two and two together faster.

Myshnue raises an index finger, as if disciplining a child.
"I did not bluff by saying that dozens of eyes watch your every move."

Looking at Merri, he shakes his head.
"I don't know how to rush a Matron. Do you?"

Then there is silence again. Seems that whoever are in the bushes, don't shoot.

After some more idle time, Boo sniffs the air and turns away from the tree, growling in the opposite direction.
Cranberry appears right next to him and offers a handful of fresh berries to the omnivore mammal.
The bear sniffs her offer but does not accept, nor does he stop growling, positioning himself to protect Toot all the time.
(OOC - Toot may correct but this is how I imagine Boo's discipline and dependency on his master's approval)

"Yes, but you never said that we were under direct threat.  Such actions are counterproductive to diplomatic interactions, no?  Of course they are not.  That is why we are reacting in this way: Diplomacy at arrowpoint is ineffective."

Lugar hates the thought of being watched, all he wanted to do was slink into the shadows but he couldn't.  (should've became a Shadow Dancer!) He drew his cloak around him and tried to be as unnoticeable as possible, especially when SG was about to spring a trap...  

Finally Cranberry arrives and gives them a mission.  Lugar couldn't help but feel that they were being sent on a fools errand but better that then dealing with ghostly ghouls and evil spirits.

"Might as well go, we can learn about this area better." Lugar replies to Toot then addresses their host, "I take it, this venture upstream is not the challenge and you may already know what is going on there?"

Shanna grins at Lugar "I struggle to believe that keeping watch over animals has anything to do with the Key or the challenge.  However..."  She muses for a moment, trailing off  "Was this Key not called the 'Key of Fear?'  Perhaps whatever is connected to this errand they are sending us on is somehow connected with the Key."  It was a Fool's Hope, to be sure, but might as well make the attempt at hoping.

"Yes, it is the challenge that keeps us home and that's why we need you to go on this important mission. If you can find out whether the animals are safe there, or better, why did they migrate there in the first place, that would aid our main goal a lot."

"So long as we do not return under arrowpoint..."

((Sorry about the delay in posting.  Passover is here and it wasn't until now that I could find the time (and internet access) to post)).