[PQ] Putting it all on the line

What sort of offerings did one give to a Spark Bird, with feathers of lightning and fire? Gifts in her likeness and fruit and treats, yes, but if they wanted her to spend a week at their Perch they would need to feed her as well. Fish, smoked and bloodless to keep the monsters at bay until her prayed-for arrival, seemed like a good place to start, and Jigano had rolled up his proverbial sleeves to gather provisions for those who had signed up to help.

At the appointed day and time agreed on at the gathering, he showed up to the Oasis with fishing poles in one arm and a bag of supplies in the other. Amalia and Rance had already agreed to join him, but he still hoped someone else might round out their little group. But there was some prep work to do to make the afternoon a little easier on all of them; snow to sweep away from where the fire would be built, stump-like chairs to craft from Earth magic so they could sit above the snow and be dry, and holes to knock in the Oasis to eventually drop their lines through. The Provost would bustle about at these tasks until his friends arrived and they could really get the party started/

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This is a PQ to procure offerings of smoked fish for the Spark Bird! There is one slot open. Rounds will move forward every 48-72 hours.

1. Amalia
2. Rance
3. Lily

Rance was torn between thinking people were making too big a deal about this and wondering if, maybe, it was a bigger deal than he was giving it credit for. Logically, he understood that he Spark Bird was to help drive away the monsters of Long Night, and that it was rare (one of a kind?) But there was still a big part of him that insisted a bird was a bird. It didn't need 'offerings', it just needed a steady food source. By that token, at least, he understood the goal of what their little group would be doing that day. A bird that wanted to survive would go where the food was. It was only practical.

Never having flown out toward the Spire, it took him a few passes to find the spot where Jigano was waiting. He let out a series of guttural croaks in greeting as he spotted familiar silver hair. A moment later, he was on the ground, tugging at the edges of his cloak, a muscle memory that wouldn't soon vanish. "Hey! Time to get some bird food?"

YOU SAID THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE MOON IT ROSE TOO SOON AND WE'RE DOING WHAT WE SHOULD Never much of a hunter, it is with some reluctance that Amalia agrees to join this little venture, knowing her skills will likely be lacking in the acquirement-of-meat department. It is a cold day, as is every day in deepfrost, and so the Shield arrives in her snow leopard garb, long-tailed and graceful and covered in fur. She's brought some supplies, slung into a makeshift harness she wears upon her back. The makings of tea; food for them to eat; a few other odds and ends she thought might be of use. And, of course, a small container which she intends to use to capture fish in and bring them to Safrin to bless. Coming to a stop at the small gathering, the leopardess whuffs a greeting to Jigano, blinking familiarly at the others. Do you think the bird is watching us? she wonders, reaching out through the Attuned bond to try and get a sense of it. It's so strange, to think about it living alone in the Glade for all these years... how lonely it must have been. a m a l i a You said it's life that moves too much We're losing touch But I'm not losing you

A little bird told her that there might be a group still wanting help with the Sparkbird stuff, and since Lily has been a tad lax, what with her journeying back and forth to Torchline, she scampers off to find the fishing crew. Tail high, the flame-licked cat bounds through the snow, no more than a flash of dark red amongst the white and grey of winter.

She arrives to find everyone already assembled and shifts, breathless, back to an appropriately garbed woman with a wolf fur coat to replace the cat fur. She isn’t much of a hunter either, her prey far smaller than the leopard’s - whom she flashes a grin to - but maybe there’s some fishing instinct in there somewhere.“Sorry I’m late!” the entertainer announces to the other three, “Did I miss anything?”

He was just getting ready to drop the first rock when the sound of a corvid's caw caught his attention. The raven wasn't stealthy in his approach, and Jigano shaded his eyes as he looked up and grinned a greeting as bird became man. "Thanks for coming, Rance . And yes, it's that time. Hope you like fishing!" With a cheerful grin he gestured to the poles and stump-chairs behind him.

The cats arrived next, and the bard couldn't help but laugh delightedly at the menagerie of friends who had come to help with this important task. Bowing to Amalia and Lily he motioned to the little camp he'd been preparing, knowing it would likely be a cold few hours of fishing and smoking their catch before they would be done. The weather was clear and the air was still, however, and the sun shared a mild warmth with them through the skeletal branches.

"I hope she is," he answered Amalia , sending a warm pulse of welcome and reassurance into the Glade in case the Bird was near. "I don't know where she came from originally. The mountains to the west, maybe? But I hope she'll come spend LongNight with us this year." She was far too big to pass through the portals, and if she hadn't yet gone to the Greatwood then he had no idea where else she could go.

"You're right on time, Lily ! We're just getting started." He grinned in relief as the entertainer arrived in feline style, glad to see her again. She kept him on his verbal toes, and he enjoyed the time spent with her. "Lily, Amalia, this is Rance. Rance, Lily and Amalia. Apologies if you've already met," he offered, unsure of who knew who already, and who were still strangers.

"When you're ready, we can get started. We'll want to get a big fire going, both to keep us warm and to burn down to coals for smoking the fish we catch. If someone could get the hooks baited for our fisherfolk, that would move things along. There's a bucket of bait over by the rods," he gestured to where the jar of squirrel innards was still sealed. "I've brought the ingredients for stuffing the fish with when they're ready to go on the coals, but they're a bit mixed together. If someone could help sort out and portion the onions, butter, and salt that will make things easier later." He glanced over at the ice-covered Oasis ruefully. "And we still need to knock some holes in the ice so have places to fish. Let me know what you'd like to do and I'll fill in what's left."

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Pick a task; no posting order:

- Gather wood and light the fire
- Bait the hooks
- Portion out the supplies (onions, butter, salt, and paper for wrapping the fish)
- Make fishing holes in the ice

“Nice to meet you, Rance,” Lily says, offering a handshake and a smile to the man, giving him an appreciative once-over. Then they’re given the options and the redhead thinks that for once, she might want to pick an activity that suits her instead of being the last to post waiting for the others, Lily’s ears proverbially pick up at the mention of wood and a fire. No thank you to standing on the ice and freezing her precious fingers off. Those fingertips are important. “I’ll work on the wood and the fire,” she calls out when Jigano is done listing the options.

The entertainer waits for a second before traipsing into the woods, looking for drier stuff of various sizes. She can’t haul a proper log back, but there are some dead trees that seem like they might be easier to break down. Starting with what would be good for kindling, Lily kicks aside leaves until she finds dry bits, collecting enough to get a fire going before returning for the next size up, breaking branches over her knee until she has an armful. Eager to get that started and then search for the bigger pieces later, she takes out a tinder box, arranges the kindling in a log cabin structure, and then strikes her flint, hoping to set it alight.

Rance was wary for a moment when the large feline entered the clearing -- spotted again, was that just common for the cats here? -- though the packs clued him in to her not being a wild animal. The voice across the bond a second later had him relaxing significantly. The burnished cat that followed that transformed into a woman brought a grin to his face. More shifters -- attuned -- and this time in a setting where he knew enough to appreciate it.

He accepted Lily's hand with a short, "Same", though he didn't return her once-over and just barely held back a slightly dismissive sneer at the look. This was neither the time, nor place to be snippy for something so small.

He offered a nod to Amalia as well. "She?" he asked in lieu of an actual greeting. "Is the Spark Bird intelligent?"

Once introductions and greetings had been traded, Jigano listed what needed to be done. Rance shrugged and offered, "I can take care of the bait. Haven't done a lot of fishing, but I'm not squeamish." He wasn't go to cringe from getting his hands dirty. He dropped down on one of the odd stumps that had been cleared for them to sit on and began putting bits of meat on the hooks, readying them to be tied to lines and dropped into icy holes.

YOU SAID THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE MOON IT ROSE TOO SOON AND WE'RE DOING WHAT WE SHOULD The familiar sight of Lily earns another happy whuff from the leopardess, who shrugs off her packs and strides forward happily, pressing her head against her friend as she transforms and purring loudly. Sitting back on her haunches near Lily the leopardess waits for Jigano's instructions, head tilted as she listens to the options given. One task in particular seems well suited to her talents; with a toothy grin and a quiet, feline laugh, the Shield rises to her feet. I'll take holes. Striding confidently toward the frozen pond, Amalia begins to shimmer and shift. By the time she reaches the edge of the water she is standing on hooves instead of paws, fire blazing merrily and harmlessly around her feet. The Qilin steps into the frozen surface as lightly as a dancer, putting an appropriate distance between herself and the shore before pressing down with her sharp hooves, in an attempt to break the ice. Ama chooses making holes in the ice, since she can walk on water ;D a m a l i a You said it's life that moves too much We're losing touch But I'm not losing you

Sometimes, things just went right with the world. Lily found several nearby deadfalls that had succumbed to an earlier ice storm, the wood free from rot but dry enough in the cold winter air to burn merrily. The problem of lighting the fire was solved handily by her tinderbox, and the flames caught on the first try, so that soon she had a blaze merrily growing within the large firepit, and feeding it with the wood she continued to bring back had a wonderfully roaring campfire going while the others went about their tasks.

Rance 's dexterous fingers had a few slips and struggles with the slimy squirrel guts, but he was able to impale them on four rods without stabbing himself or dropping too much by the wayside. Plenty of bait remained for several rounds of fishing if it became necessary, since he was able to secure it easily enough not to waste much, and soon enough the rods were ready to be cast.

Amalia might have had delicate legs and hooves, but those sharp feet cut right through the ice, breaking holes through the thick, glass-like surface and into the dark waters below. The sheet over the Oasis was already several inches thick, she could see by what had broken away, and looked sturdy enough to support the fisherfolk at their task.

Jigano hummed contentedly as he set about the domestic task of dividing up the ingredients for flavoring the fish while they smoked. Optimistically, he portioned out enough for six medium-sized fish, assuming they could adjust as needed, and some of the ingredients remained in the bag in case they were extraordinarily lucky.

With that complete he looked up to see how everyone was doing. Gratified to see everyone had succeeded not always the case in these undertakings, as the Perch building had proved, he smiled at his gathered friends and gestured to the rods Rance held. "If you have an animal form you'd rather fish in, you're welcome to do that. Otherwise, let's grab our poles and chose our... ah, seats," he changed at the last moment, a wicked grin lifting the corner of his mouth at the near-slip of the tongue. "We'll be here for a couple hours, so don't hesitate to go warm up by the fire and keep building the coals up if you get chilled. If fishing isn't your idea of a good time, you could gather snow moss to line the Perch's nest with?" A suggestion he made to all, but his blue gaze flickered to Amalia with a pulse of uncertainty as to whether she wanted to be involved in the taking of even a piscine life.

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Time to get fishing! No post order.

Amalia's shift from cat to -- something else -- was certainly interesting. At least having seen more attuned shift between different forms before this prepared him a bit. Maybe he was finally get used to how different this world was. It had only taken him two gods-damned seasons.

Drawing his cloak around him, he gave Jigano a sharp grin at the near-slip-up, his mind immediately diving into the gutter and not bothering to hide it. With a chuckle, he took up one of the rods and headed for the ice. Ravens, unfortunately, were not natural fishers. So, in this case, Rance would be remaining in human form. Putting his cloak between his ass and 'stump' Jigano had provided, he began as if fishing during warmer weather, dropping his line down the hole with little idea if this was the right way to go about it.

YOU SAID THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE MOON IT ROSE TOO SOON AND WE'RE DOING WHAT WE SHOULD Their efforts blessedly successful for once, the Shield allows a sense of relief and pride to wash over and through her, offering it in silence to the gathered group. With a last puncture of the ice she daintily makes her way back to the shore, shifting reluctantly and at the last moment, finally, to human form. Jigano is correct; Amalia would rather not be involved in the taking of life, even piscine, but she has another task to complete today. From the sledge she'd pulled along the girl reveals her purpose: a tank made by Deimos in which she hopes to coax some of the fish, that they might go to Safrin's shrine and be summarily blessed. So as the other bait hooks and lay in wait Amalia, in a comfortable layer of otter fur, slips into the water until she is waist-deep, calling to a few of the fish through the Attuned bond and song: Dreaming high above in the sky, Safrin, goddess of starry eye. Watching and learning, Protecting and yearning, To her embrace you'll fly. Light the darkness, light the night, Light the way with beauty bright, Blessed and belov'd by skies above, Let now your dreams take flight! Amalia is attempting to collect dreamfish for Safrin to bless a m a l i a You said it's life that moves too much We're losing touch But I'm not losing you

Clapping her hands as the fire begins to roar to life, Lily continues to feed it a little more until there seems to be a healthy, merry blaze going.

However, as Jigano details their next task and suggests that an animal form may be more appropriate, the pampered house cat in her recoils violently at the thought of sticking her paws (or any part of her, really) into the freezing cold water. No thank you. That is not a task for any part of the entertainer - Attuned or otherwise. She makes a face and chuckles to herself. “I’ll start on some snow moss, but if you two aren’t successful, give me a shout and I’ll join y’all.” The boys can have their man time. She’s perfectly content to sing a little song to herself and venture forth to collect snow moss, taking a bag with her in anticipation of success.

Besides, she gets cranky when she's cold. It's better if she keeps moving.

Amalia 's decision to leave the hook-and-line fishing to others didn't surprise the bard, but her slip into the frozen water with a container did. He might not know what she was up to, but he could appreciate her song in the clear, cold air, and he smiled as he tested his own line and chose a fishing hole. A few curious goldfish came to investigate Amalia and her tank, tickling her fur and two even swimming into the tank, but the dreamfish didn't make an appearance, slumbering deep beneath the waters and ice and lost in their own dreams.

Jigano waved to Lily as she chose her preferred task, confident in her ability to find more of the moss. She was well-practiced in it by now, but many others had the same idea recently. Though there were signs of snow moss patches near the clearing, they were picked clean by greedy hands. Her luck was even worse than Amalia's as she made her way through the moss-less trees. She'd have to go further afield if she wanted to find anything.

"Did you do much ice fishing on your world?" Jigano asked Rance as they settled onto their seats at separate fishing holes. Dropping a line of his own into the waters, the bard schooled himself to patience - and was surprised as the raven's fishing pole almost immediately dipped as something tugged on the line. He must have dropped the line right in front of a hungry fish that wasted no time in considering such providence, for it swallowed the hook as well along with the bait. Rance would have to wrestle with the fish, using muscle and guile both, but he was able to land a large, fat catch that was soon flopping and gasping its last upon the snow.

While watching Rance fight his own fish, Jigano almost missed the tug upon his line. A reflexive jerk set the hook and he soon had his own problems to focus on, which he did with relish. A second large fish was quickly landed and he grinned at the other man as he tilted his head back at the other two poles. "Want to double our chances? If we each take two poles we might get twice as lucky." Or they might lose a pole down the holes. But risk... reward...

Behind them, the fire began to burn low as it devoured the first batch of wood that had been placed on it.

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Mixed luck this time, but so far 2 large fish have been caught as offerings!

Tasks for this round:
1. Fishing
2. Tending the fire
3. Continue to search for moss (or not, since the perch has already been lined, whoops) - or other offerings for the Spark Bird in the Woods

No posting order!

The song across the bond is unexpected and unique. He could definitely say that he'd never experienced music that way before. It brought a smile to his lips, despite it obviously being some sort of hymn.  Definitely a nice accompaniment to the potentially boring chore of fishing.

Of course, it turned out that it wouldn't be so boring in the beginning. He'd begun to reply to Jigano, "Not really, I--", when a sharp tug on his line nearly pulled him off his seat in surprise. Cursing loudly, he focused his attention on that, on trying not to let the line scrape on the ice. On hoping that, whatever was on the other end, it wasn't some gods-damned lake monster. It was a relief to see just a large fish and he made sure to toss it well away from open holes in the ice.

Jigano caught his own fish a few moments later and made his proposal. Rance, rarely one for restraint, grinned at the idea. "Higher the risk, the sweeter the victory, right?"

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Rance is double-fisting those rods!