RP Closure

[Katpride]

Harper will miss being a raven. In preparation for her mission, she had taken to long afternoon flights, tracing the path from the old woman’s home, through the woods, and to the closest towns. It’s different, watching everything from above. Quieter. Calmer.

She has tapped into that well of calm now, as the scenery around their small group settles from ribbons of colors into a steady and familiar sight. Despite herself, her heart beats faster as the gates that lead into the Baron’s gardens loom above, wrought iron set flush into the wall of tall hedges that blocks his estate from view.

Harper beats her wings and takes to the air, flying in a circle around everyone before leading the way along the hedge to a smaller entrance, one reserved for servants and staff. There, she lands and unbuttons one of her cloak’s fastenings, growing to human size just inside the wall so that she can ease open the door.

“Quickly now,” she insists, her voice low as she holds the door open for her accomplices. She digs through her bag as she does so, handing a little spray bottle to each person to pass her.

Once everyone is through, she closes the door carefully and takes a moment to adjust her own spray bottle, inspecting the liquid inside. Satisfied with what she finds, she turns the same sharp look on the group, looking them over. The area they’re in is quiet, enclosed on two sides by the same tall hedges, with a pathway that leads away from the door and turns sharply only a few feet away. No one appears to be nearby for the moment, so she takes a breath and straightens her vest before asking, “Does everyone remember the plan?”

 

[HighVoltage]

As the dazzling lights and colors fade away, a bittersweet feeling lodges itself in a grizzly’s chest as it pushes through some of the denser undergrowth that exists outside the Baron’s garden. With any luck, this will be the last time he will ever make a journey with his friend.

He hopes this one will tip the scales in his favor.

The bear staggers up to its hind legs, paw moving towards its chest. Its claws move with unnatural dexterity as they clasp at something and twist. Two buttons come undone, and the figure shrinks dramatically. Otis shakes himself, the shudder moving through his thick cloak. The transition never gets easier for him, always takes a moment to get his body feeling like his own again.

Otis takes the worn leather gloves out of his hands before taking the spray bottle from Harper. He inspects the liquid as he does so, wrinkling his nose at the bitter smell. He strides past her, a quick smile in her direction as he goes.

“It’s gonna work, Harp. Trust yourself.” He mutters before pushing his way into the garden. Various carefully plucked and pruned flowers and bushes line the area, brilliant colors and blossoms, trees laden with fruit, without so much as a dead leaf to sully the view.

It was a shame they’d have to kill it. Otis didn't like killing plants if he could help it. But it was for Harper, which meant he'd do anything.

 

[illirica]

Aiona DeSalle was in a jam jar.

This was, by far, her least favorite part of the whole experience. It made her wonder a bit about those who had ended up being larger aquatic species. What would she have done, for example, if she had been a shark? Flopped about a bit and hoped she made it in the right direction before her gills dried out? Abhorrent.

Still, there was something just a little bit inelegant about being carried around in a small glass container bearing a worn piece of paper with the lettering Miss Tilly's Strawberry Preserves. Perhaps, if she were going to do this more often, she could acquire a more befitting mode of travel. A crystal perfume vial or something? Or at least a vase - perhaps she would look around while she was here and see if this Duke had anything that might fit.

Fortunately, they had made it through the portal or whatever one called it, and she pushed the lid off and oozed out onto the pavement before wriggling a little bit in a certain way and standing up once more, human for the most part, a well-dressed young woman in a pale blue cloak edged with yellow ruffles, her hair a lustrous black but for the twin streaks of palest lavendar.

She screwed the lid back onto the jam jar with abhorred practicality, tucking it up beneath her bustle and out of sight, where it wouldn't attract attention. Of course, with the black-edged lavendar of the dress that mirrored her hair, no one was going to be looking for a jam jar unless they got particularly close, which... well, perhaps, if things went a certain way. Aiona smiled to herself, taking a moment to peer around the place.

Quite attractive, really. Aiona could get used to a place like this.

The raven girl was asking about the plan. Dreadfully plain, unfortunately. Aiona thought she had potential, if she would just do something with her hair... maybe add a little color...

"Of course, love. Murder the gardens, distress the Duke. Or... the other way around? So hard to recall..." She was teasing, of course. Although, privately, Aiona thought that it did make a lot more sense to do it the other way around, but it wasn't her past, after all.

 

[Azra]

Aurora Demiscura didn't like this. The idea of heading toward a barons home. She was far from her home and possibly before her own time. The idea of venturing toward any politician's home bothered her all the same. She was a princess once and had grown to fear recognition. The world she knew saw her as a traitor as a murderer. Sometimes she couldn't help but we nder if it'd be better to stay a dear. Sure that might lead to a life of stagnation, but the freedom from all the trappings of her past life had aspects that were endearingly simple.

A deer grazed through the fields slow to walk and occasionally dipping head down to bite at the grass or fruit in a bush. She liked to think it helped to maintain a disguise. Some deception to play the part, imagining herself as a spy was nice reprieve from remembering home. There was another vice to it however, just the obtaining of food. Maybe she should have stuck around to make friends with the group Ottis might have whipped up something perhaps more editable. The once princess didn't want to be a bother though, so her diet before the venture was still that of a beggar. Eating as a deer helped fill that hole in her stomach. Help at least have some energy for the venture to come.

Nearing the entrance she turns bag a hoof undoing the buttons needed to switch back to human. She looked a beggar honestly a street urchin not worth paying mind to by anyone. Her boots were well maintained and nice, and under tattered dress a shirt properly regal and violet. On face value though she looked tattered clothes dirty from the streets. Entering the room she was quick to turn to a window away from the others. A hand digs through a pouch to find an eyepatch to put on. By now they knew Aurora was missing an eye but she didn't like to show it all the same. Hands rummaged through her hair intentionally matting it in places and pulling bangs over the patch.

Disguise to her came first before she took the little bottle in hand. "Mind giving a recap, how you'd at least like me to do my part? Improv is a pain, anything would help a girl with the script." She smiled, confidence in idea of playing her own part in things. She wanted the bird girl to feel confident things would get done. Aurora just also was attached to the idea of the actress and spy of subterfuge and deceptions. Giving herself a part helped her escape well being her.

 

[Katpride]

Harper takes Otis’ well-meant platitudes with little more than a nod, her face still somewhat paler than normal. She’s actually doing it. Heavens, she’s actually here, in the past and just on the outskirts of the Baron’s estate. Oh, but it will be nice to get back at the wretched man who took her parents from her.

She clears her throat before speaking, a bit of color returning to her cheeks as she finds her resolve. “Yes, Ms. DeSalle, it is as you said. A few spritzes of the solution should be enough to kill the outer layers of any plant, but it really would be best if we can get it into the water source or very near the roots.”

She brandishes her own spray bottle as she mentions it, demonstrating with a small spritz on a nearby hedge. As they absorb the liquid, the leaves on the hedge wilt slightly, slowly darkening in color. With any luck, it should work slowly enough for them to get the entire garden before anyone notices.

“Oh, and do try not to breathe the vapors. I can’t say precisely what they’ll do to you, but, in the most likely case, it certainly won’t be entirely pleasant.” After all, the distinction between a plant killer and a human killer was often a matter of quantity. But she’s not going to say that, because it really should be common sense.

“We will stay together for now. I will locate the main gardens from above and lead the way there, if you three could get the hedges to either side as we go. Once we reach the garden- well, I’ll tell you when we get there. Any questions? No? Good. Off we go.”

Harper starts to shoo the others down the path, tucking her bottle back into her pack before re-fastening her cloak and taking to the air. It shouldn’t be too hard to spot the gardens from above. She would’ve preferred more scouts than just herself, but she shall have to make do.

 

[illirica]

Miss Demiscura seemed a bit out of her depth. It was possibly because she also seemed like a nice girl. Aiona, on the other hand... well, there weren't so many depths she wasn't willing to go to, given the right impetus.

"Just stick with me, doll. I'll talk us out of whatever we get into. Or talk us into whatever we get out of." She offered a wink, which may or may not have been reassuring. The nice man would undoubtedly take care of their leader. They seemed to have that sort of, hm, arrangement. Aiona wouldn't pry. She'd just listen for gossip.

For now, there were innocent plants to murder, as it were. Harper was spritzing them with her little bottle, and it was hardly any time at all before the leaves showed discoloration.

"Oh, it's a quick one, isn't it?" Not too quick, of course, but at least they wouldn't be waiting weeks for things to get around to dying. Aiona leaned in closer, peering at the shrub, then reached out and plucked one of the wasted leaves, popping it into her mouth and chewing on it idly.

It tingled a bit, but the best poisons usually did. The taste was certainly uninspired. Perhaps later on they could spritz a few ornamental lettuces or something; they would certainly taste better. But no, if she was going to toxify by the time they reached the duke, she needed to start the ingestion process sooner rather than later. Hedgerows it was.

"Ugh. Vile." Aiona picked off another leaf, staring at it as if hoping this would make the second one more appetizing, then shrugged. "The things I do for history."