In the waning days of Summer, the Lincoln Park Zoo regularly attracts numerous visitors, most of whom are under the age of sixteen. The pathways and exhibits are usually packed full to bursting with crowds and squealing children, the voices of whom rise and fall in perfect harmony with the lazy movements of the various animals on display. Happiness and the taste of discovery hang heavy on every nook and cranny, lingering well after their bearers have departed for other activities. Yet so too does fear mingle with those more joyous emotions, hanging heavy in the reptile room and before the cages and pens of predatory animals.
All of it is so thick in the air, that it remains even as night falls and the front gates to the Zoo close and lock. There's not much of value to steal at the Zoo, but trespassers and vandals are a frequent nuisance, so the night security is relatively numerous if a little lazy. Consisting mostly of cameras posted on easy access points, keypad locked doors, and the occasional pair of security guards on a semi-regular patrol, it's enough of a deterrence to head off all but the most determined of head-strong teenagers.
Solomon is dressed for night skulking; a dark, long-sleeved shirt of thin fabric, leather gloves, black jeans and sturdy shoes. He's met the others at the pre-arranged time and spot, and is grinning with anticipation. Even as he does say, quietly, "We're not here to cause a ruckus. Ideally, in and out and nobody notices. Once we're in - Rachel, will you lead the way to the gathering area? I never went."
The look Rachel has today could best be described as military surplus store punk. She’s got combat boots, camo fatigue pants, and a flak jacket over a shirt. There’s a pistol strapped to her hip, and rucksack on her back loaded up with who knows what. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail, and she’s forgone rings and bangles, though her hamsa remains on it’s cord around her neck.
Today her physical fae traits, often mutable and changing from one day to the next, are decidedly insectine. What look like small dots above her eyebrows are actually additional compound eyes, and a quartet of dragonfly wings have sprouted from her back, somehow seamlessly folding over her flack jacket and to either side of her rucksack by bands of chitin, and her dextrous fingers are sheathed in retracted chitinous claws.
At Solomon's request, she glances over at him, "I'm gonna step into the shadows, but I'll rove ahead and guide you by text. Keep your phone handy. But set it on vibrate." With that, she moves into one of the deeper shadows, lurking there until neither man nor machine remembers her presence.
Javi, too, looks like he's ready to go be somewhere at night where he isn't supposed to be seen! He's maybe not looking //quite// as excited as Solomon, but he also doesn't look //particularly// uncomfortable. A little twitchy, maybe, but he does always look kind of like that, so he's probably fine.
He's been relatively quiet on the walk, looking around a little absently, but like he's keeping track of his surroundings. Habit, maybe. However, Solomon's words have him speaking up. "After we're done, you all wanna hit the African Journey? 'Cause that shit is fucking good." He's joking! Mostly, anyway. But he also may be speaking from experience. At least he says it quietly.
Elias is wearing dark gray, almost black himself as his shows up, sweatpants and a matching long sleeved tee. He's tying a white cloth about his wrist and tucking it up his sleeve as he closes in on the fence. His form seems to just bleed out into his surroundings. He's not impossible to see, but he blends in with whatever he happens to be standing in front of, eyes wanting to just slide over him and ignore his presence. He carries no visible weapons on him, other than his claws which not all present are privy to. He grins to the other two lost as he pulls out a matching dark colored beanie and pulls it down over his head. He nods at the instructions, giving a pat to the rectangular shape in his pocket. "If we need to distract, I can do it." He looks to Solomon and Javi. "You two go ahead in that case and I'll catch up. If I start singing, close your ears."
Solomon snickers. "If there's time," he tells Javi with a flash of a grin. He's not particularly blend-in-ish, but he's very quick on the fence, swarming up with it like...well, like he's got magical Spiderman powers. He pauses to help anyone who needs it, before slipping over the top and landing on the other side, all as quiet as possible. There's a thumb's up to where he figures Rachel...might be.
Perhaps due to familiarity with the zoo, or perhaps due to simple luck, the group's chosen infiltration point was handily located at a spot where there was ample tree cover on either side of the fence. Climbing the fence in that *particular* spot, also happens to put them between the Small Mammal-Reptile House and the Foreman Pavilion, right on the path they need to take to get to their ultimate destination: the old meeting place of the Chrysanthemum Freehold, the Park Place Cafe.
Alarms don't start blaring loudly through the park, and no one starts shouting at them, so chances are high they managed to cross unspotted...
... For now.
Rachel isn't //that// high above the group, but she is zipping about checking the nearby paths, trying to keep track of all the guards, the cameras. She sees something, and taps out a message on the phone in her hand.
Javi flashes a thumbs up to Elias at his instructions, as well as a wider grin at Solomon for the reply, before he takes on the fence. Or, more appropriately, leaves the fence immediately behind in the dust. Unlike Solomon, there's nothing supernatural-looking about the way he scales it -- just like he's had many, many, //many// opportunities to practice hopping fences and has honed the skill to perfection. You have to admire that kind of dedication to one's craft, even if the reasons for it might be a little suspect.
He sticks the landing like a pro, straightening up and looking around to orient himself. It only takes a second -- then, his posture shifts, waiting to see where they're going to go.
With a little assist from Solomon, Elias is up and over and landing on the other side of the fence, eyes casting upwards. "I need learn to do that without going full owl." He lowers his eyes, giving a little sideways glance at Javi, and smiling reassuringly. "Good choice of music by the way, been listening to that band quite a bit." He says in a soft whisper, motioning to the front of his hoodie. Then he's moving closer to the shadows, trying to at least be a bit more sneaky than strolling around in the open.
Once Solomon hits the ground on the other side, he's got his phone out (and yes, Javi, it's a flip phone). His eyes flash in reflected light like a cat's and he doesn't seem to have any trouble reading the tiny screen in the pitch black. His phone WORKS. His voice is a low hiss. "Rachel says we're heading to the cafe. Northwest. And there's a guard patrol coming in. Hide until it passes." He looks to scale the pavillion's wall and find a high, dark place he can wedge himself into; if someone needs help, he tries to gesture at other hiding places that might work.
"No problem, man," Javi replies, lifting a hand to point at Elias with that same grin -- that is, until Solomon is telling them to hide, and them going to hide himself. Maybe he should have spent one or two fewer seconds feeling cool that he'd recommended a good band so he could have a little more time to take cover, but, hindsight. He will comment further on the flip phone later. For now, he takes a moment or two to look around before ducking behind a convenient dumpster. Big enough to hide him, sure, but also a pretty obvious big hiding spot. So, yeah.
Elias looks up at Solomon's words about a patrol coming and nods. He's about to duck behind a tree and at the last minute decides behind a corner of the nearby pavillion is the better option. The moment of indecision almost costs him as he's just slinking into the shadow, his form blending with it just in the nick of time.
There's some time between Rachel's texted warning, and the group's quick scramble to take cover and hide themselves from the coming patrol. Even if it was a slightly *sloppy* scramble, all three manage to find their spots just before a flashlight comes sweeping over the area.
"I'm telling you, all kinds of people would come through here at night. They must have had some sort of club or something..." A male voice says conversationally on the night air as it drifts towards them from the source of the light. "A club?" answers a feminine voice, curious and unbelieving in equal measure, "What sort of club meets in a zoo at night?"
"I don't know, but they had special clearance or something. Haven't seen them in a while, though." The flashlight scans the fence, sliding over scenery and objects as the guards close in on that dumpster, shining the light behind it an angle that *almost* touches upon Javi's foot. Before it does though, the bearer stops and retreats, swinging the flashlight beam back out down one of the side pathways as the pair of guards wander on, talking about Freemasons and secret societies.
Rachel floats over the party, all four dragonfly wings humming behind her. She follows the patrol for a few seconds, and then doubles back, making sure there's not a straggler, or a second patrol coming along.
Solomon crouches in his shadowy alcove, watching the patrol approach. When they get close to Javi's hiding space, he bares his teeth and tenses, eyes narrowing as he sizes up the possibility of knocking them both out before one of them yells. Then they retreat, and it's all he can do not to breath a gusty sigh of relief. Once they're out of range, he quietly makes his way back down to the ground to whisper, "Looks like they're gone. Let's go, shall we?"
That extremely close shave might have Javi a //little// rattled, but once the guards move off he lets out a little sigh of relief of his own. Still, he's a lot more careful as he slips out of the shadows behind the dumpster, and there are no more quips about potential visits to exhibits after hours. For the moment, anyway. "Yeah, he murmurs quietly instead as he looks to Solomon, "right. Let's go,"
Elias for his part moves just a bit as that light sweeps near Javi, perhaps ready to do his distraction, but as it proves unneeded he slinks out of the shadow and shoves his hands in his pocket, not looking the slightest bit worried. He shoots Javi a reassuring smile, then nods to Solomon, eager to get back to business.
Rachel zips ahead towards the cafe. Confident in the protection of her Contract, she comes in for a landing where she can look in through the windows, making sure the place is all closed up. Meanwhile, she shoots Sol another text.
Solomon looks down to check his phone. "Rachel's seeing if she can get us in." He flashes a grin at the other two. "If you've got any sort of lockpicking skills, now's probably the time confess your - very useful - sins." He winks, and then starts slinking his way towards the cafe, eyes peeled to see if he can spot the Darkling.
Javi returns Elias' smile, perhaps //slightly// less than reassured, but he's doing okay. At least, he's continuing on with the others, looking around a little more carefully this time. "Uh," he replies, reaching up to rub a hand over his forehead at Solomon's question, "kinda. I mean, I could prolly get into a place, yeah. Might take a minute." Which doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but by the end he at least seems reasonably sure about it.
"I can get in throught some pretty tight spaces, but not pick locks." Elias says with a slow shake of his head, keeping his voice pitched to as much of a whisper as he can get away with and still be heard. He looks over to Javi at the man's confession, and gives an appreciative nod. "Well, we should be able to spare a minute."
The Cafe, the ultimate destination of the group of infiltrators, is closed up at night along with the rest of the Zoo. It's part of why the actual security on the fence is relatively lax -- every building and exhibit with a door gets locked as well. So when they come upon their goal and find the doors locked, it's not so much a *surprise* as it is a minor inconvenience. Changelings, luckily are quite good at getting in and out of places.
Which is good, because with the Cafe being one of the few places in the Zoo that actually holds a supply of cash on the property, there's a solid and well-constructed lock on the door. It proves resistant to picking, unfortunately. So resistant, in fact, that when Javi attempts to pick it, his lockpick snaps off in the lock and leaves a fraction of metal jammed in the keyslot.
Whoops.
And the evening started out so well for Javi, too! Maybe he just wanted it too badly. Or, you know, maybe it's a lock and he's not actually someone who's picked a //lot// of them, at least not of this caliber. When he gets various go aheads he steps forward to try, but after the minute turns into two, and it's not that long after before his tool literally breaks off in the lock. Someone may have trouble getting into that tomorrow. "Motherfucker," he hisses, his mouth twisting in frustration as he steps back, shaking his head. "Sorry," he mutters. Definitely not looking at anyone around right now.
Above the group, Rachel's been hovering. Keeping an eye out. Making sure no guards are approaching. When she hears something that doesn't sound right below her, she looks down, and slowly lowers her altitude, coming in for a landing. She pauses, looking at Javi's failure at the lock, and types out a quick message on her phone.
Then, with her additional compound eyes, she scans light and shadow of the night, finding one particular shadow in the moonlight cast by a tree, which falls from the external wall, through a window, deeper into the cafe. She steps into that shadow, and then //becomes it//, sinking into the writhing mass of darkness that is her own shadow and slithering into the tree's, traversing it like one might a road, through the window and into the cafe proper. There she emerges, taking on solid form once again, and walks towards the door. She checks her chitin-sheathed fingers, making sure she'll not leave fingerprints, and then flips the catch on the lock for the front door.
Solomon reaches out and tousles Javi's hair. "It's fine," he says with a grin. "You didn't fall through a glass window into a gang hideout or anything." He peers at the lock and the grin turns into a grimace. "...that looks jammed." When his phone vibrates, he looks down at it, and types back a quick message. "Rachel incoming," he whispers.
Elias watches, seemingly confident that the door is going to magically pop open under Javi's touch, then after a few seconds looks a little worried, then at the snap winces. "Eeehh.." So he backs up a little to get a look at the building. He crosses his arms and bites his lower lip as he starts scanning the facade. "Opening shift is going to be annoyed, which will be funny, at least." He watches Rachel and then just shakes his head. "Show off." Though it's light-hearted.
Luckily, unlatching the lock from the interior doesn't meet any resistance from the piece of metal firmly jammed in the keyslot on the door knob. The morning shift will most definitely be cross and a local locksmith is going to have an interesting job tomorrow, but the door proves to be only a minor obstacle for the investigatory group.
Within the Cafe, it's dark. The lights are off, and the only light comes filtered ambiently through the shuttered ground-floor windows or the unobscured ones higher up near the ceiling. For some it proves an impediment, for others it's barely noticeable. Either way, the interior of the Cafe looks less like a Paris bistro and more like a food court, with various tables set about in the center of the room, flanked on either side by concession counters, condiment stations, and garbage bins.
For what it's worth, a preliminary inspection provides no hint of the tragedy that befell the Chrysanthemum Freehold here almost a year ago.
Javi glances briefly in Solomon's direction at the gesture and manages a smile that's a little weak, but he doesn't reply. His head is still mostly down, though he's looking around enough not to get caught unawares by a security guard -- hopefully. His shoulders hunch even further when Rachel flies down, but he still says nothing, and once the door is open he follows the others in, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Thanks, Rachel," Solomon murmurs as they slip inside the cafe, even though he can't actually see her. He looks around and can't help but sniff the air as he looks around in the darkness. "Did the Freehold keep any records here, do you know? Or did you ever see anyone going in and out of offices on this side in here?" Yes, he's talking to the air, it looks like, but he trusts that Rachel is...there. Somewhere. His phone buzzes, and he hums. A glance to Elias. "Closet to go to the other side." He gives Javi a look, then reaches out and thumps his knuckles on the younger man's shoulder. "Nope. No moping. You're gonna see some magic. You //might// even survive it, if you stick close and don't go wandering." And now he's heading for the closet.
Elias gives Javi a light nudge with his elbow as he moves inside and a cheery grin. "Don't sweat it, shit happens." He puts his hands in the front pocket of his hoodie and glances around with a shake of his head. "I like I current spot better. This feels like it should be the set of a 1980s teen drama movie." With a nod to Sol, he heads over to the closet in question, hoping it doesn't fry him on he spot. Which might be the slim case.
Though she's being hidden from notice, Rachel strides lightly alongside the group. As her phone buzzes, she taps out a reply.
Or rather, when Solomon speaks to the air, she, like any Millennial would, has her face in her phone.
With a bit of focus, an application of Glamour, and most importantly the *intent* of a being altered forever by the twisting nature of the True Fae, the door to the janitor's closet opens not on cramped space full of cleaning supplies, and instead on the Hedge...
This is a reflection of the world -- a mirror and a border between Mortal and Fae, the Living World and Arcadia, and it is treacherous. Though the Freehold had abandoned this particular space only months ago by the reckoning of time on this side of the Hedge, reality wasn't quite the same on the other side of the gate. What was once a well-maintained and fortified Hollow is now a battlefield, abandoned and scarred by the arcane forces that descended upon the Lost all that time ago.
It's a jungle clearing -- or it appears to be, though hints and brief glimpses of the Cafe left behind can be seen through thick vines and even thicker trunks of exotic trees that ascend high into the sky through a ceiling of leaves and twisting vegetation. The clearing is bounded on most sides by this wall of jungle flora, but the center is otherwise relatively free of plant-life.
Chair and benches carved from logs and fallen hammocks twisted from vines and broad leaves lie strewn about the dirt floor. Pools of liquid fire gather here and there, and blue crystalline structures arc up out of the ground like lighting frozen in time. A podium floats about the room, tossed about on playful clouds that take one look at the entering Lost with their wide, moon-like eyes before the drop the forgotten bit of furniture and zoom off through the gaps in the trees, emitting sounds like stampeding elephants and roaring lions.
Yes, Javi's currently mood projects //just// as easily as it does when he's happy, and with about the expected consequences. He's not a big man generally, but now he looks even smaller, and a little as if he could just disappear into the shadows, too. Just not in any supernatural way. He only wishes.
He glances over to Solomon when the man speaks to him again, though -- and while it might not have him doing a complete one-eighty, it //does// have him making a visible effort to get over himself. He straightens up, and doesn't hang back when the others move ahead, smiling briefly but appreciatively at Elias, too. And then they're //both// going into the closet -- and he has to either go, or get left behind. Does he briefly consider just bouncing? ...Possibly. But he does not, and instead takes a deep breath and steps through, too.
And then promptly stumbles forward and nearly falls right on his ass as soon as he sees where they actually are. "Yo, what the //FUCK//?!"
Solomon bares his teeth at the playful clouds as he steps through, but there's no serious malice to it. Just a bit of wariness, as is warranted for any denizen of the Hedge. _Especially_ the cute ones. He looks around, and can't help a shiver that works its way down his spine. His expression is, for a moment, haunted.
And then Javi is stumbling through and falling on his ass, and Solomon laughs out loud. "...yeah. That's about the long and the short of it. Welcome to the Hedge." He reaches out to help him up, adding with abrupt severity, "I meant it. Stay close. Don't fucking wander. Now...we should see if anything's left behind." He looks for a good place to try and make sense of what happened.
Unnoticed, as they transit to the other side, a forlorn look comes over Rachel's face. She hasn't been here since she //fled// from here. Some part of her feared that there would be bodies. Remains lying scattered around. But no, of course there wouldn't be. Even if the Gentry itself didn't want them, there are too many uses for Changeling parts. Hobs would have them all.
She intentionally lets the Contract hiding her from sight expire, stepping out of a shadow near the group. Slowly, so as not to cause alarm. "The last time I saw Faizah was right there," she says in a quiet voice, pointing at a spot near one of the overturned benches. "She was trying to get to Hector. He just kept saying it couldn't be happening. It was //Spring//, it couldn't be happening..." She wraps her arms around herself, as if suddenly cold.
"...H-hey Solomon, can I borrow a dollar?"
"Yeah, careful. This side can be a fucking trip." It's Elias' voice, and most of his face with a cast that might be a bite feline, though with a spread of opalescent white feathers where his hair should be, and more sweeping feathers along his fore arms to be-taloned hands. His black leonine tail swishes lazily behind him as he takes a slow look around. "Okay, this is more impressive. We need to do up the new place a bit more."
Elias lets out a soft sigh and begins to move about the clearing, keeping those bright golden eyes of his flicking about, trying to see if he can spot anything that might be a clue to what they're looking for. Records, or something that definitely doesn't belong. "Take your time Rachel. This must be rough."
Solomon gives a real, full-body shudder at Rachel's recollection. "It shouldn't have happened. Who hates the Freehold that much? That //personally//?" He pauses on his beginning search and reaches for his wallet in his jeans. He offers a worn dollar bill to Rachel. "You gonna be okay?" he adds, quietly and with no judgment.
She takes the dollar, crumpling it in her fist and tucking it into her pocket. Solomon's words make her glance away from the scenery for the first time. Her face is a mask of loss for a moment, and then a broken smile comes across it. "Are //any// of us okay?" She asks with shakey voice. Then she licks her lips, swallows, sobers, and nods. "Thanks. I'll pay you back," she tells him, unfolding her arms and touching him lightly on the shoulder, before proceeding forward into the Hollow.
After taking a moment to gather themselves and then begin the investigation, the group manages to turn up three items of interest in the battle-torn clearing...
The first is a glass bottle, shimmering and bright as a small scene plays out within: that of a storm-tossed galleon perpetually racing up and down massive, undulating waves as thunder cracks like snapping fireworks overhead. It's exact nature and method of use is a little unclear -- it feels almost like the Token itself doesn't entirely know its purpose -- but there is little doubt to the Lost who interact with it, that somehow it sends messages.
The second clue is a broken spear forged of an unknown material, green and vibrant and alive except where the break has occurred. There, the weapon has turned the graying brown of dead vegetation. It is, undoubtedly, a unique sort of weapon.
Finally, a few notes scrawled in a careful hand record the itinerary for the final meeting ever held in the Zoo Hollow of the Chrysanthemum Court. It looks quite dull and dry, and where it's been sitting near a pool of liquid fire, it's a tad scorched, but it lists the final item on the agenda as a 'Special Announcement.'
They aren't the only clues however, for the enterprising and investigatory Lost. Near the edge of the clearing, leading off in a multitude of directions are a series of footprints pressed deep into the dirt as if several people took off running in one direction through the twisting maze of the Hedge.
Javi will take Solomon's hand up, but he barely seems to notice it. He's mostly staring at those cloud-creatures as they rush away, and then still where they've disappeared to after they've gone. His breaths are coming a little quicker, and he starts to say something -- and then whips his head back and forth, as though he's suddenly looking for something. Whatever it is, he seems to find it, and it manages to settle him a little bit. At least enough that he can slow his breathing, though it also allows him to really take in Rachel's and Elias' current appearances. For some reason, Elias' in particular makes him let out a startled laugh, as if he's suddenly come to some realization, or //just// understood the punchline of a joke. Oddly enough, Solomon's change doesn't seem to phase him too much -- small miracles.
Once he's managed to compose himself a little, though, he actually proves vaguely useful in the search. He may not know the exact significance of what he finds, but he //does// manage to find something, and it's helpful! Maybe? Okay, he's not actually sure. But the important thing is that he's trying //so hard//, folks. Like, painfully hard.
Solomon stares at Javi for a moment, making sure that he's not going to run off or start freaking out. A brief, approving nod when neither of those things happens, and he moves carefully away to pick his way through the battleground, as if he wants to leave as little impression on this betrayed ground as possible. He'd barely interacted with the Freehold before the attack, but it's clear that he can't see something like this and be unaffected. Although affected doesn't mean blind - he drifts over to the flaming puddle on the ground, and the notes beside it. He picks up the paper in his gloved hands. "Hmm. An itinerary. Rachel, do you remember what this 'Special Announcement' mentioned was?"
Rachel is always bright and expressive. She smirks, she smiles, she grins. When she frowns or grimaces it transforms her face. Beautiful expressions. But here in the old Freehold, her expression lives up to the other name for Changelings. Lost. Like she's been abandoned, and knows no one's coming back for her. None the less, she takes part in the investigation, the search of the area for clues.
The broken spear catches her interest for a moment. When no warning comes from Ares, or whoever warns her of such things, that it is booby-trapped, she scoops it up, turning it over in her hands. Trying to remember if she's seen it before. But she lifts her attention from that when Solomon asks her question, turning to face him. She shakes her head, "No. I have no idea what that is. Maybe Real knows? Or the Queen?" She frowns slightly.
The sight of the footsteps finally stirs her. Her empty hand balls into a loose fist, and a frown comes over her face. "This shouldn't have happened," she says, quietly, forcefully, as her mantle flares. "I can't change that it happened... but whoever I can protect I will. And I will //punish// the ones who hurt us."
Elias points at Javi as he laughs, winking. The crest of feathers on his head lifts a little as he breaks into a grin, but lay back again as he remembers where he is. He goes back to pacing the clearing, looking about and even sniffing at the air as he does so. He stops at the tracks next to Rachel, looking down at them with a frown. "Barnabas did say they were spread all over, didn't he?"
"Just be careful." Elias says with a bit more volume. "BArnabas indicated somethign was used to call in the attack, it might still be around here, especially if the traitor didn't want to get caught with it."
"Yeah, I getchu now, man," Javi remarks with another laugh, returning Elias' point. The laugh is still a //little// bit trending toward hysterical, but he still does not run away screaming into the jungle after the clouds. Instead, he just continues to look, moving off in some direction or other, though absolutely staying close enough to make sure he's still in full view of the others.
"Uh..." Suddenly, he stops, and leans down to pluck something out of the ground somewhere. Maybe it was underneath one of those log benches, or behind one of those crystalline structures (that absolutely distract him a little bit here and there from his search). But whatever the case, he turns to hold it up toward the other three. Should he be touching it? Oh well. "Is this something?"
Solomon shakes his head, slightly. "I'm sure they do. But I'm not comfortable bringing these questions to them, just yet." He's clearly let Barnabas' words weigh on him just a little. Perhaps more than he should - but Autumns, man. Gotta be paranoid about something or they're just not happy. He carefully folds the notes and slips them into a pocket. "I've got an idea of who I can ask."
Elias' call has him turning around, curious and wary all at once. And then Javi is //finding// something, and his eyebrows go up. "That's...magic. Careful with it." A glance towards Elias, then Rachel. "You guys recognize it?" Then back to Javi. "Feeling like you're about to burst into flames, or hearing whispers or anything?" His tone is way too cheerful for those sort of questions.
Elias mutters, "This is why being friends with autumns is dangerous, they find your imminent immolation potentially fascinating." And yet, he somehow still sound fond. Who knows, Lost are a peculiar lot all around after all. He turns and freezes as he sees the spear. There's genuine fear in his eyes as he looks at that weapon, after all, he's not long escaped himself. Even without touching it, he wipes his hands on the front of his sweatshirt and steps away. "Can.. we leave that behind?"
Rachel glancs at the object Javi has found, interested, clearly, but mind largely on other matters. Then her attention is drawn to Elias. She looks down at the spear in her grip, considering. After a moment, she shakes her head. "We need the reminder. And so do the others, the other court. What the real threat is." She hefts the broken weapon, lifting it's point in the air, "Maybe I'll even get to return it. By shoving it in the Huntsman's guts." Maybe that will wash the blood of her friends and neighbors from it's tip.
"Oh shit!" At least Javi doesn't immediately drop that bottle after Solomon's extremely cheerful words, letting out the ship out and KILLING THEM ALL. "...No?" He's not totally sure of that answer, but the longer he holds it the surer he becomes, so that's something. His eyes drop to it again, and when they do he just //stares//. "This is so fucking cool," he murmurs. He manages to tear his eyes away from it long enough to look up at Elias, though, and this time his laugh is a lot more natural. Not hysterical at all! "Right?" He shakes his head as he looks back down to the constantly rolling waves inside the vessel, and he pulls it a little closer to his body so he doesn't drop it. It's then that he looks up at the spear, though, and when he does he squints, his brows pulling together as he regards it for several seconds. Then, suddenly, a little shiver runs through him, and he nods along with Elias. He's not going to argue -- but when Rachel speaks, he doesn't argue with //her//, either. Not after that last statement. No sir.
"Dangerous...but entertaining," Solomon is quick to shoot back at Elias. But even he goes still and silent at the sight of the spear. There's a swallow. But he says, quietly, "We shouldn't leave it here. It might be useful in some manner of spell or ritual, even outside its exciting revenge prospects." Autumns. Fucking Autumns. A brief nod as Rachel picks it up. "We should also research that," he nods at the bottle in Javi's hand. "It's clearly a Token, and warrants further inspection." But his eyes go back to the spear and he adds, "I think we've gotten what we can. We shouldn't linger."
"Fine, but just.. keep it away from me." Elias says with an annoyed look to the spear. Instead he strides across the clearing to Javi to bend over and get a look into the bottle. "Now that is cool." He looks over to Sol and gives a firm nod. "No, we gotta do more guard dodging on the way out after all. Or some of us do, anyway." He looks back and around the clearing once more. "I wish we had some way to leave something here to watch the place."
"We'll have to come back," Rachel says as she turns towards the gate. "Or I will I guess. You guys don't have to come with me. But those tracks you found Elias? I gotta..." She pauses, casts a glance back over her shoulder, "I gotta find out what happened to them. If they're alive or... I need to be sure."
There's a beat where she pauses, then continues walking.
Javi is happy to have Elias have as close a look as he wants now that he's not freaked out anymore. Actually, he now seems oddly calm, much more so than in his reality where his movements are all sharp, and quick, and a little like he's constantly on the edge of fight or flight. "It is, right?" he agrees as he starts toward Solomon and Rachel, presumably to be close to them all when he's going to have to have them help him get //back//. However he does add to Elias, under his breath, "Yo, what's a Token?" Whether he gets the answer tonight or not.
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