[PQ] a single courageous step

Quanil paced as they awaited the arrival of volunteers. They wanted, even now, to charge into the Labyrinth, to try to see if Freina had wandered in and gotten lost. What if she were dying of thirst or hunger? What if she were already dead? They had to know and they felt a riot of emotions to go along with their usual flurry of thoughts: guilt, shame, a tentative hope. She was their little sister - well, only a year littler, but still - and they'd lost her. If they were going to be a Seeker, then they'd better learn how to seek, starting with the nearest and dearest to them.

Freina was tough, she was strong, she never let anyone or anything get one over on her. Surely she wasn't in here. She wouldn't have gone in, no matter what the squirrels said. But they had to say they'd looked. They had to cross everything in the Hollowed Ground off their list, and even then they might not stop looking. Perhaps she'd gone through a portal? Who could say?

But they'd attended the Provost's lecture on the dangers of, among other places, the Labyrinth. So they stayed where they were, hammering a strong stake into the ground and tying a rope to it. Hopefully this would help them find their way back, even with the shifting hedges? Better than nothing, at least. Their staff leaned against their pack, filled with food, water, and basic medical supplies, just in case.

---

My first PQ! Little baby level 1 needs help to find their sister! THREE SLOTS OPEN TO ALL, with the caveat that this may be dangerous: it is the Labyrinth after all! (May be more dangerous to Quanil than to anyone else, honestly! xD)

We'll move on once all slots are filled! and I get back from PT!

1. Samuel
2. Weaver
3. Jigano

As the Natural advisor, when Sam had seen the note on the board, he'd felt an obligation to try and help out; perhaps it was also his recent increase in contact with his sisters, whom he had complex relationships with but nonetheless would be distressed if they went missing. The situation had tugged on his heartstrings enough to make him want to assist...and besides, The Voice had a shrine at the Labyrinth. If anything went horribly wrong, he was sure he could appeal to his Goddess for help. He'd been to the Labyrinth a few times and had never been too challenged by it; Sam walked with a quiet calm to the meeting place, spotting who he assumed must have been Quanil and nodding in greeting. "Hello...You're the one wanting help with your sister? I'm Samuel. The Naturals Advisor...I want to help." With a smile he held out a hand to shake, hoping that his assistance in this matter might improve the reputation of the Ascended too. For the sun he wore a wide brimmed hat and covering clothes, though he'd found recently it was feeling less invasive on his skin than it once had; still, no harm in taking precautions. Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

She seemed to spend way too much time in the Grounds. One of these days she was actually going to go back to Halo and maybe even stay put. Yet here she is, finding their notice board to be a useful thing and feeling vaguely annoyed that a bunch of Grounders had discovered something just beyond Halo, but she was trying to ignore that. It’s not like she intended to go to the place they had discovered, after all, and maybe she should just stop and be thankful other idiots went and did the hard work she wasn’t doing.

The note after that though made her feel rather bad. She’d heard about the Labyrinth, though never been, and she recalls being told the worst thing was actually the talking squirrels. Generally she avoided overly dangerous things, but this seemed to be like a more acceptable level of danger that she didn’t mind risking. Though really, she knows what it is like to lose a sibling, and if she can help someone else not lose one, she will.

There’s a familiar face already there, and she arrives in time to hear Samuel introduce himself to the other man, checking to confirm he’s the one who needs help with his sister. ”Weaver,” she offers, coming to stop by the pair and giving Samuel a nod in greeting before turning her attention to Quanil. ”What can I do?”

weaver

-- ask no questions, and you'll be told no lies --

Quote by Charles Dickens

As the one who had given Quanil the quest, Jigano felt he would be remiss in not helping his youngest Seeker see it through. Especially when it had apparently led the inexperienced adventurer to the Labyrinth, a place of known danger and uneasy threat.

He arrived with Isuma on his shoulder, the little gryphlet eager to range overhead and help guide them, and a smile for both Sam and Quanil, and a courteous nod for Weaver. "I'm Jigano," he introduced himself to the newcomer with a welcoming smile.

He nodded at the rope Quanil was tying off, though he had tried something similar on his first foray into the Labyrinth and it hadn't worked then. Still, experience was a better teacher than any lecture, and perhaps the Labyrinth would be feeling lazy today. These bakingly hot days towards the ends of summer could take the energy right out of anyone - maybe the hedges would feel the same?

"Isuma and I can scout overhead if you'd like," he offered. "Otherwise we'll just be along as extra protection." He grinned wryly at Quanil, for they had attended the lesson on the dangers of the Hollowed Grounds and knew the Labyrinth held hidden dangers within its leafy depths.

Quanil looked up from their preparations to see a ginger man in a wide-brimmed hat walking up to them. Naturals adviser? Oh, right, they'd heard of that. They smiled - of course - and shook his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Samuel; I'm glad to have your help!"

They were joined next by a very... striking woman, the kind you couldn't help but notice. Especially if you were Quanil, who was generally the opposite. "Oh, hello, Ms. Weaver! Well, I..."

And as literally attractive as Ms. Weaver was, nothing could distract Quanil's attention like:

1. Provost Jigano Silversmith the Sage, sir, and
2. A GRYPHON

The combo was hard to beat.

"YOU BROUGHT ISUMA!" they squealed and then cleared their throat. "Uh, I mean, thank you for coming, sir, I'm honored." With the provost here, surely their quest would succeed!

They walked over between the three volunteers and the (current, anyway) entrance to the Labyrinth. "Thank you all for coming! It really means a lot to me that you're willing to help me find Freina. For reference, she looks a lot like me, but... female." Some people thought Quanil looked like a woman, some thought they looked like a man, but there was very little doubt about Freina. "When last seen, she had a white shirt on with yellow embroidery, and a yellow skirt. Oh, and her eyes are gray."

They glanced down at the rope in their hands and back up at the three of them. "I think the overhead scouting might be a good idea, sir, if you two don't mind." It was tough to forego the company of a cute gryphon, but anything for their sister's sake. "As for Mr. Samuel and Ms. Weaver, well... we need to keep our eyes open for a few things: shifting hedges, any signs that someone might have come this way, and, of course, boggarts.

"You might already know about the speaking squirrels that say 'yes' and 'no' and 'follow me'? Don't do that, by the way. Ignore the squirrels. They're not helpful just 'cause they're cute. But there's also a chance we might run into boggarts." They glanced towards the provost and nodded a bit in gratitude. They'd never have even a sliver of chance of doing this safely without the lecture of his they'd attended. "They can look like anyone you can think of, and they usually hunt in pairs: one of 'em will shift to scare you and then you turn around and run right into the other one. You, uh... don't want to run into them.

"With overhead scouting, hopefully the shifting hedges will be less trouble - that's also why I brought the rope, by the way; not sure it'll work, but it seemed worth trying - and we'll be able to get back out. But we still need someone watching for danger and someone else looking for signs of recent human passage through here. I'm going to lead the way and call out for Freina; hopefully if she hears my voice, she'll call back. If she can." They cleared their throat and pressed on past that.

"Let me know what you're doing, grab onto the rope, and we can head on in!" They turned and, unspooling the rope as they went, began into the Labyrinth, making sure the others were close behind, of course.

---

Jigano & Isuma will be scouting overhead!
Need one of the other two to look for signs a human might have come this way recently and the other one to keep an eye out for boggarts!
No post order!

The leaves shiver eagerly. The trees whisper ominously. The labyrinth knows you are here. You may choose to go left or right.

Isuma reeped happily at being recognized and greeted, and Jigano grinned as he reached up to smooth her wings down. "I did promise her she could come on more adventures," he said with a chuckle. "But yes, I'm glad to help. Especially to reunite your family."

Quanil did an excellent job warning of the Labyrinth's dangers, and Jigano listened proudly to his colleague as they shared their information like a true Loreseeker. He glanced over to see if Weaver had any questions... Which was about the time that he realized that unless Weaver was an Attuned as well, his scouting above would make communication difficult. Not impossible, at least, with his particular shift, and it was the best they had to work with at the moment. He grimaced a little, still extremely uncomfortable shifting in front of an audience, but he had offered.

Taking his white raven form, Jigano flew up, Isuma close beside him. The pair ascended on pale wings until they could see a bit of the Labyrinth spread out below. Left or right, neither looked particularly threatening at the moment, so he took a guess and croaked out to those below: "Right!" in his rough raven's voice.

He'd never been called 'Mr. Samuel' before - the name made him smile and he pressed down a laugh, waiting for the others to arrive. Weaver, whom he had met before at the ruins and Jigano; a good team for adventuring into the Labyrinth. Sam was already well aware of the dangers of the Labyrinth but let Quanil speak, knowing if it was his quest he'd want to make sure everyone was informed too. Really, he'd been in several times and never faced much hassle, so he wasn't expecting things to get too difficult - was this foolish? Maybe, but he was hoping to look forward to a day of easier trials and successful quests. "Alright, let's go." He took hold of the rope, following Quanil into the maze. "I'll look for any signs." After all, he'd been to the Labyrinth a couple of times now, and he was an observant person (sort of). -- Sam holds onto the rope and goes with Quanil to look for human signs~ Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child

Ms. Weaver. Gods, she feels old. How awful. But she listens to the boy explain the Labyrinth, familiar with the talking squirrels from the warning given by Sunjata, and somewhat familiar with the concept of boggarts. The bit about them hunting in pairs is good to know. Watch your front and your back, it seems. Because honestly she wasn’t likely to run out of fear, but rather fight whatever comes her way. Still, it helps to know that they’d be coming from both sides.

She pulls the scythe from her back, holding it in one hand and placing the other hand on the rope. She’d have to let go of the rope to properly wield the weapon, but that was a risk she was willing to take if it came to that. Based on what Sunjata had told her though, she was hoping this wouldn’t be too terrible. Ignoring the talking squirrels seemed easy enough. ”Guess I’m looking for boggart signs. Any clue what signs there might be of them?”

It was hard to hunt something that had no known form. Maybe it would shift before it found them, in which case, she supposed she should start looking for ursur fur. If it picked her mind to play with, anyway, they’d be fighting the monsters of Halo.  

--
Weaver grabs the rope and her scythe, and says she’ll look for signs of trouble/boggarts

weaver

-- ask no questions, and you'll be told no lies --

Quote by Charles Dickens

Right, eh? A bold choice. The labyrinth shifts and shivers again, the whispers of the brush impossible to make out. The deeper they venture the darker it gets, until the canopy will seem to enclose them within, making it very difficult for Jigano to see anything should he choose to remain airborne. Eventually they come to a three-way split. To the right, Weaver will indeed see ursur fur caught upon the brambles. To the left, Sam will see footprints in the dirt. Straight ahead, Quanil will hear the whispers growing louder, and a voice they recognize calling for help. Should the group attempt to make a retreat they will find the way behind them blocked off and the end of the rope frayed, cut unevenly by... thorns? Teeth? What will you do?

Watching his guild master turn into a bird was amazing, and Quanil had to take a moment to focus up again after watching the provost and Isuma fly up into the air. They kept a firm hand on the rope as they walked into the labyrinth and called out for their sister.

"Thank you, Mr. Samuel." They were glad to have such a prestigious party here. "She's not a very sneaky person, so hopefully if she came this way, she should be easy to track.

"As for boggarts," they continued on to answer Ms. Weaver's question, "I'm actually not sure what we should look for. Just stay alert for anything suspicious, I suppose? I'm sorry, I know that's not much help."

They turned right at Provost Silversmith's suggestion - he just spoke to me - to us - as a bird! this is incredible! - and listened for a response from Freina. Nothing, at first, but as they went in, they could hear the susurration of the wind through the hedges that made up the Labyrinth's walls.

"We're all still together, right?" they asked, glancing back over their shoulder to reassure themselves. And Ms. Weaver and Mr. Samuel were still there, so they nodded. "Okay, good."

When they started losing daylight, they blinked and looked up at the steadily-enclosing canopy. "Oh, I didn't realize it could shift like this. PROVOST!" they called up. "You might need to come down while you still can!" They weren't willing to lose sight of him. The Labyrinth was already throwing surprises at their little group, and Quanil had felt so prepared before all of this.

When they came to the intersection, Quanil's natural reaction was to look around. But then they heard it. "A call for help!" they said. "Straight ahead!" They took a step in that direction but then paused. "But it might be boggarts. We should press forward carefully. Maybe Ms. Weaver with her scythe first, then..."

And that was when they realized they'd left their staff and backpack outside. They'd been so eager to get started, to see if maybe their lost sister was literally lost in here... Well, no point in wasting time on it now.

"...then me, then Mr. Samuel, then Provost Silversmith, if we can. At least, that's what I think. I'm open to suggestions."

---

Quanil wants to go Forward (to no one's surprise), but will listen to evidence provided by the others if they want to argue for a different path (or a different order for them all to walk in).

Is Jigano staying airborne or rejoining the party, and what does Provost Mr. Silversmith the Sage, sir think? Is Isuma still happily reeping?!

She likes that Quanil doesn’t have a clue either. At least she’s not the only one. So she just keeps an eye out. It’s not like she hasn’t spent her life learning to hunt, to look for signs of life in general, so she’ll just look. Though really, it proves to be pretty easy looking. They travel for a while, losing daylight to the canopy overhead, until they come to a three-way crossroads. Ah, choices; what a bitch.

She turns her attention from the ursur fur in the right path to the other two paths. There are clear footprints to the left, and Quanil wants to go straight ahead so she assumes he’s got a reason as well. ”A bunch of boys all sending the girl first?” She says it in a teasing, but clearly very pleased manner. It does not bother her to be volunteered to go first. After all, she is the most obviously armed, though who knew what tricks Jigano or Samuel may have up their sleeve.

She drops the rope, noticing how the path back is long gone anyway, and puts two hands on her scythe. ”There’s ursur fur to the right, so I assume some lurking boggarts. That said, I’m guessing this is the sort of place to play tricks?” She looks to Samuel and Jigano in case they have more experience here. ”I’ll go whatever way you tell me.” And prepare for trouble regardless of their choice.

---
Weaver points out the ursur fur to the right, agrees to go first, and says she'll go whatever direction the group decides.

weaver

-- ask no questions, and you'll be told no lies --

Quote by Charles Dickens

Brute force might have been an option, but it wasn't a very good one, and Jigano had seen how the hedges could fight back against those that tried to simply cut or smash their way through the greenery in search of shortcuts. He dove down through a break in the encroaching canopy to rejoin the party, Isuma right behind him, and he shifted back to human form behind the others. Sleeves straightened and poise regained, he followed Quanil and the others to the crossroads.

Fur and footprints were curious additions, but a voice calling for help was of significantly more importance. It probably was a trap, but it wasn't like they could risk abandoning whoever it was just because the timing was suspicious. "Tricks, traps, and all manner of mischief," he confirmed for Weaver, but nodding in respect for her willingness to go first. "We should be as ready as we can be for a fight, either way." He paused, realizing Quanil had already lost the wooden staff he'd made for them at the Oasis. He felt a flicker of exasperation but shoved it down, practicing the deep-breathing exercises he used to calm himself down before a performance. "Here," he offered instead, drawing on his magic - earth, fire, and creation - to meld together into a new staff, one made of metal, lightweight and strong. As he ran his hands through the air the steel coalesced between them, then extended from the ends until it was the right height. He hefted it consideringly to make sure it wasn't too heavy, then handed it to his young guildmate.

"Ready when you are."

---

Jigano rejoins the party in his human form and uses his combined magics to make a metal staff for Quani to replace their wooden one, ready to follow their lead.

Sam was content to follow along for the moment and to let Quanil lead, trusting Jigano's navigation and their teams competency. In fact, he enjoyed himself despite the hedges closing behind them, finding the whole thing almost fun; quite the change from his usual continuous stream of anxiety. As they came to the split paths he still wanted to let Quanil guide the way, but he agreed the risk of boggarts was definitely something worth considering. "I'll come too, but--" Sam shifted himself invisible. "--This way, if it is a boggart, I could try catch it by surprise if we need to." -- Sam goes forward with everyone else, turning himself invisible. Samuel He took a step but then felt tired He said, I'll rest a little while But when he tried to walk again He wasn't a child