2022-03-31 - Into The Woods

The woods are so beautiful at night, lit up by the stars and the fireflies. It's strange that it's only Spring and their are fireflies, of course. But it's Gray Harbor, and what's really strange when you think about it? Any sane person with the shine would know that it's best to avoid this forest at night, because anything could happen, but Ava would argue that it doesn't matter what time of day or night it is. Things are going to come when they're going to come. She isn't going to work her schedule around Them.

So it is that anyone else daring these woods at night can hear the sounds of a shovel in the dirt. It may be Spring, but the ground is still quite cold and partially frozen from a long Winter, making it a little tougher to get through. "I know you'll thrive anyway, though, won't you?" comes a female voice through the trees as the shoveling sounds continue. There's illumination up ahead where those sounds are coming from.

Light but rapid footfalls, the sound of someone running, grow from deeper in the forest. They get louder, sounding like they're coming towards the woman digging holes in the woods at night. Fortunately enough, a little red bobbing flashlight can be seen through the trees before the running person comes fully into view around a bend.

And sees someone... with a shovel. And the beginnings of a hole. This is the sort of thing maybe better ignored. Just keep running, you didn't see a stranger digging a hole in the middle of the woods at night. Nope. This is not what Garrett does. He stops his jog, several paces away, hands on his hips and breathing deep. "Evening," he greets, nodding and giving the shovel a curious look.

Red light bobbing quickly in her direction? Along with the sound of running footsteps. That is usually a sign of danger. The grin on the shovel changes just slightly, but Ava knows it won't really do much in the long run. Of course, she spots the glimmer not too shortly before she is able to focus on Garrett himself. That helps her relax just a little bit, though not completely. "Evening," is offered in return. "This is a dangerous place to be taking a run, you know. Especially at night. You could get hurt."

Pot. Kettle. They name is Ava. If she realizes how suspicious she looks, she doesn't let on. It may be that Ava doesn't realize how bad it looks just yet. At least there doesn't appear to be any dead bodies around her. Maybe they're already buried?

Garrett shivers in a way that has nothing to do with the chill of the evening when Ava mentions the inherent dangers of being alone in the forest, going spacey for just a second before shaking his head. "Yeah," he eventually agrees, clearing his throat. "Can only run through the city so much, though," he reasons with forced casualness.

"...so, gotta ask... what's with the shovel? I'm pretty sure bodies are better buried further from the path," he says, offering a little grin. "Otherwise any tosser could run by mid-burying." His London accent creeps in as he relaxes more and realizes he's probably not witnessing a body disposal.

Ava glances around the trees. "Plenty of places in town that can be just as dangerous as this place to run through, to be fair. Just don't go by the Saw Mill. Unless you're super powerful. Even then." She wobbles a hand back and forth. "I want to go check out the saw mill, but my friend Ravn is a stick in the mud and won't let me go without a group. Which is safe, but boring." She grins.

The shovel is finally stuck into the dirt so that she can lean on it, then give it a quick glance. "Huh? Oh! Oh." There's a laugh. "I'm the town Coroner. I have much better methods of body disposal than this, I assure you I'd be far more creative." Is that really reassuring? "I'm planting fruit. Special fruit. In a special area."

The saw mill evokes another, stronger shiver, and Garrett looks over his shoulder as if expecting something Bad to approach any second. He shakes his head, banishing the feeling and focusing on Ava. "Yeah, hard pass from me on the saw mill," he replies.

Town coroner? That gets a vaguely impressed, curious look. "Yeah, midnight burying is probably not for you, then," he agrees. "I'm Garrett. Park ranger up at Olympic for the time being. Nice to meet you, Doctor....?" He trails off, leaning in to offer a handshake. Special fruit goes unquestioned. For now.

"Oh come on. Have a little fun. What doesn't kill you gives you PTDS and makes you a little stronger. That's what this town is all about." Ava offers a chuckle that's not really filled with humor at all. "Sadly, if you don't go to it, it will usually come to you. I like to cut it off at the knees when I can."

Her hand reaches for his, peeling off the gardening glove she's been wearing to returns the handshake. "Doctor Brennon. But you can call me Ava. It's great to meet you. Garrett." Where has she heard that name before?" Her eyes spark. "Room 404! I've heard great things about your abs." There's a grin at that. "Dita speaks very highly of you. It was my clinic that blew up in the building not too long ago."

"...you remind me of Kelsey," Garrett tells his new acquaintance. Who Kelsey is and if that's a good thing is left unspecified, but there's just a hint of fondness when he mentions her, so probably not an entirely bad thing. "She always took a very.... pro-active approach to things."

"Nice to meet you, Ava." Room 404 gets a head tilt. Then a half-smile. "My reputation precedes me, I see," he says with amusement, preening just a little. Amusement fades at the explosion being mentioned, though. "Oh. Shit. Well, glad you're okay," he says, sobering a bit.

In the distance between the trees, another light shows. It's not one of the myriad little glows given off by the fireflies or the random instance of any bioluminescent fungus. It's plain and simply a flashlight, industrial grade, probably made of some pretty heavy metal to whack some skulls pretty hard if need be.

It's in the hands of Ariadne, who seems to have heard at least one familiar voice on this evening's walk. She was heading out of the forest, you see, knowing she was distracted by the fireflies -- charming little things -- and knowing she needs to get back to Samwise, her dog. A knitcap pulled down around her red hair and a sturdy windbreaker as well as knee-high muckboots display knowledge of tromping around the woods of the Pac-NW.

"Hello?" she calls out, hoping (nearly with literal fingers crossed) that it is Ava she's hearing and not something else more...Grey Harbor-ean.

Ava lifts a brow at the mention of the unknown woman, Kelsey. "Was she also this brilliant?" The Doctor wonders with a chuckle. "Pro-active is a good thing. When you become complacent, problems start. I've seen it first hand. I won't let myself get to that point. Or, I'll try not to, anyway. I haven't yet reached that breaking point, thankfully."

"It does proceed you, but in the best ways, I assure you. Dita turns into a smitten kitten when she talks about you. It's the cutest thing." Ava reclaims her hand, waving it in the air a moment as she sees his amusement fade. "No no, go back to the more amused look, please. Nobody was permanently harmed, the place has been restored to working order. We found out that healing powers are messed up worse than we first that, even. So, it a weird way? It kind of turned out okay. Other than the whole, explosion part of it. You know."

Eyes flicker towards another light, and another voice. But this time a familiar one. Her hand lifts to wave in the redhead's direction. "Ariadne! Hey."

"She is brilliant, yes," Garrett assures with a little smile, nodding. "And also seemed to think the best defense was good offense. Or... choosing your own terms to deal with things on, at least," he amends.

Hearing how Dita talks about him gets a wider smile, hand coming up to rub across the back of his neck in a vaguely embarrassed sort of way. "She's not the only one smitten," he mumbles, half to himself. Ava's explanation of the benefits of the clinic explosion does, oddly enough, actually seem to calm Garrett a bit. And the fact that nobody was hurt. "Well. That's all good, I suppose," he concedes.

The voices of unfamiliar women calling through the woods, though, does not inspire confidence in Garrett, and his head immediately snaps towards Ariadne's voice, eyes widening. But then Ava is calling back. "Friend of yours, I assume?"

It is Ava -- thank god. The relief is real. Nothing spooky.

"Ava!" comes the holler back and, not a second or two later, proper personage through the trees. Ariadne walks with a crackle of stepping upon dried blackberry stems as she appears, aiming the beam of her flashlight down rather than blinding her fellow Grey Harbor-ites. "Hey, I thought it was you." Garrett is an unfamiliar face, for all the barista of Espresso Yourself sees a lot of locals over the work week, and she gives him a polite smile as she stops within proper conversational distance. "I wasn't sure what was...going on."

Shovel is eyed. Ava is eyed. "...burying a body?" she quips drily. "I forgot to bring the lime, my bad."

"Man, you bring a shovel into the woods in the middle of the night and everyone thinks you're up to something nefarious," Ava returns with a playful scoffs. "As if I wouldn't know a hundred better ways of disposing of a body. Though it is nice to know you would bring lime if I asked it of you. You're a good friend." She glances down to the hole that she was working on and then to the fruits nearby. "Veil fruits. Got them from August. He told me which part of the Forest was the best part to plant them in! I'm putting some in my backyard too, but I have to wait for someone to respond to my add about building me a greenhouse. Or I have to find a way to bribe the Faeries."

"Yes," Garrett gets. "Garret this is Ariadne. Ari, this is Garrett!

There's an 'ah-ha!' expression on Garrett's face when he is not the only one that thinks the worst of Ava's late-night shoveling. He gives Ava a pointed 'told you so' look, arching an eyebrow.

"Nice to meet you, Ariadne. I'm very happy you weren't some Bad Thing just pretending to be a woman calling through the woods." He has no shame in his concerns about being in the woods. At night. Just standing around. But then his attention is back on Ava.

"I'm sorry, did you just say Veil fruit?" His tone is torn between morbid curiosity and horror. "I feel like I'm further behind the times than I realized," he grumbles.

A bit of rustling from some overgrowth surrounding a nearby crop of trees draws attention to a figure approaching, slowly standing upright from a slouched stealty stance. A glint of light brown eyes reflect off the moonlight revealing a rugged looking man with obnoxiously perfect black hair, a crocodile hunterish type khacki hunters outfit, and what looks like a hand carved yew shortbow sheathed into a utility backpack.

"Well then, if three's company, then four's a party. Isn't that what you said you needed Ava?" The stranger says stepping into the open moonlight, stance relaxed and not looking particularly ready to pounce. "'Fore you could go nosin' round that ol' saw mill?" He speaks in a thick accent, mirroring Garrett's pretty spot on. "I think I caught all of yer names. I'm Bayin."

"You know me, ever pragmatic," the barista murmurs of bringing lime. Ariadne's attention shifts between the disturbed dirt and the pile of questionable-looking fruits. Her flashlight's beam ends up on them and she frowns, only glancing up when Garrett speaks again.

"Nice to meet you too," she replies to Garrett. "And glad we share the nerves. Nobody needs any Bad Things pretending to be whomever at this time of night. I'm....with Garrett though, Ava." Still keeping the golden cone of her flashlight's beam down, she gives Ava a concerned look. "Veil fruit? Planted on this side? This just...doesn't sound like a good idea. Also bribing Faeries. That also sounds like a bad idea." A firefly buzzles by and manages to bounce off of her arm. She gives the confused bug a vaguely-amused smirk as it flies off again. Adorable. And weird.

And "Whaaaaaat the ffffffffffff -- " Okay, another human, yes, with a serious set of equipment and hair. Ariadne ends up sliding over nearly elbow-to-elbow next to Ava, her flashlight almost flicking up to the newcomer's face. She stares.

Ava makes a face back at Garrett's pointed look. It's very mature, very doctorly.

"I did say Veil Fruits! But luckily I already know mostly the results of what's going to happen. I'm not the first one to plant them. August already did most of the ground word. I'm just expanding his experiments. Also, planting them in the Faerie Garden means getting to see what kind of variations we can get, which is brand new and exciting." Don't give a wanna Druid Veil fruits and seeds and expect them not to do something foolish. "They sprout flowers and animals! It's going to be amazing." A dream come true for her. For everyone else? Maybe not so much.

Then someone is jumping out. Someone she's never seen before who knows her name. Ariadne is tucking in close and Ava's arm immediately moves in front of the other woman in a protective gesture. Everyone here has the shine, then can all see the sparkle of fire around her fingertips as she comes this close to be startled. "You should be more careful about startling people in this forest. It's a good way to end up as barbeque."

"Flower! Get your fuckin' ass back here!" Leila's yells out into the night. There is a bit of a pause, then a delighted, "Got you, you li'l fucker. Jesus girl, you'll get bit if you keep running off like that..." After a moment or two, a beam of light cuts through the forest, waving about lazily as the sounds of Leila's feet approaches. Leila's ambling footsteps are followed closely by that of her Dobermann's, leashed now safely to her side but trailing in front of her. The sounds of other people has attracted her attention and the beam from her flashlight begins to angle towards them. What are these sounds? Is what she was told true? Could the forest be that haunted? Or is it just the high school kids needing a place to get drunk away from prying eyes? Well, Leila's prying eyes are about to find out.

"You're planting Veil fruit. That's going to sprout flowers and.... animals? Do I have that right? As someone that lives here, and a natural resource management major, I cannot overstate how awful this idea sound," Garrett says, frowning at the fruits.

Garrett points at Ariadne, a 'this girl gets it' motion when she agrees that nothing Ava is doing seems like a good idea. He's maybe about to say more, but then there's more interruptions. He turns at the sound of underbrush crackling, eyes narrowing and nostrils flaring in a mix of anger and concern. He also gravitates towards Ava and Ariadne. He knows them (marginally) better, after all.

He is a bit less polite than Ava in his greeting. "The fuck kind of idea is that, skulking around the woods and sneaking up on folks?" Electricity crackles at his fingertips for a moment, but then he sniffs and it fades, the initial shock fading as he shakes his head and looks curiously towards the latest approaching person.

Bayin lets loose a small but still massively immature snicker as Ava. "Sorry luv, didn't mean to put you fer a scare. But picture this: A hunter stalking the night, looking only to survive until dawn." He says, forming his fingers into a square frame for emphasis, "When suddenly, he hears a birdsong cutting through the trees! The perfect song! And so, he follows." He waits for a beat, letting everyone digest the confusion until he finally speaks up again, this time dropping his thick fake london effect, and speaking up in more typical american accent. He gestures to Garrett. "I was out hunting and I heard you talking. You've got like, the best accent ever dude! I've gotta have it!" He raises a brow to the rest of the group, "I hope you don't mind me interrupting on your, uh ritual? What are you guys, anyway, like witches or something? I hope I didn't just earn myself a curse." He finally clarifies, now seeming to be a bit more awkward.

Bayin squints at Garrett's bit of sparks, but seems to write it off as some sort of trick of the light. (Malfunctioning phone? Yeah.)

Ariadne, still newly-come into her own Glimmer, isn't opposed at all by having one if not two bodies between her and the guy with the short bow. She's got the flashlight, but nothing else on her person, and frankly? She feels very stupid for having left her mace back in the motel room.

A questioning glance between Garrett and Ava before she replies to Bayin, hesitantly, "Nooooooooo..." Drawling the word, she continues, her own accent local Pac-NW but for some Midwest and a little something else, "No ritual here that I'm aware of. I'm a barista and marine biologist, paid for the first and gratified by the second."

Another distant light has the redhead sighing hard enough for her breath to show in the ambient glow of her flashlight. "Didn't think this place was so popular," she mutters for the folks in the general vicinity.

"Yes!" Ava offers that as an aside to Garrett, very pleased about the idea of seeds that grow both plant and animal. "Don't worry, I'll be keeping an eye on it. Though, I'll need someone strong in the mind to help with the animal aspect of things, for sure. I'll have to poke around and see who is interested." That was all before the jump scare, though. "I'm not scared," Ava informs Bayin with a lifted brow. "I'm wary. Sometimes reactionary. I'd hate to light you on fire, only to find out you were a friend and not something trying to rip my throat out." That could mean a bear, right?

"Usually not quite so popular," she tells Ariadne with a chuckle. "Guess tonight is just one of those nights." Bayin gets another little squint as he goes off on his tangent about birdsongs and curses. "I"m not a witch, I'm a Doctor. Also a Coroner."

The voice cursing, hearing the name Flower, her head pivots towards the trees. "Leila?" she calls out in question.

Bayin says, "Oh I thought I heard someone mention something about fruit? I thought this was one of those moon fruit rituals. I used to know this group of Coachella goths who did them all the time." Bayin says with a ditzy tone, not seeming to pay too much heed to the fact that everyone's a bit sketched out by him. Though his brow suddenly furls as a thought comes to his mind. "Wait, how long have I been out of town? Is Fruit some kind of slang for drugs? Am I interrupting a drug deal? Are marine biologists what we call dealers now?" %% He turns back to Garrett and nods, "What part of London are you from? Is that Southeast? Man, I just wanna hear you talk for like an hour." He says extending out his hand with just the slightest bit of sheepishness, for a handshake. Hopefully he's not pressing his luck too far already."

There is a voice she recognizes alright, "Ava!" Leila calls out, a bit more excitedly than intended since it is apparently not ghosts. Well not yet. Making her way through towards the sounds, Leila finally appears and stops at the sight of everyone. Reaching up to her hair, she brushes off a twig that happens to be stuck there as she flashes everyone else an lazy grin. "Oh hey, looks like I keep interrupting things. Please tell me this isn't a Hot Fuzz kind of situation."

Her dark eyes refocus back on Ava's familiar face, only to notice that three people here are facing off Bayin. Blinking at the lone man, Leila tugs Flower and quickly shuffles to Ava's side of the group, only to pause as she flashes her beam of light directly at Bayin. Leila narrows her eyes as she tries to get a better look, whether the light blinds him or not. "You...look kind of familiar..."

"Holy shit." Garrett just gives Bayin a long, disbelieving stare. "You.... followed me. Because of my accent. Through the woods. In the middle of the night." Pause. "...with a bow. Mate. That is, and I can't believe I'm about to say this, the worst plan I've heard all night." His eyes flicker briefly to Ava when he says this. Reluctantly, though, he gives Bayin his a hand for a shake.

"Ava. Ariadne. Apparently Leila. Nice meeting all of you. I assume." The last is said with glance towards Leila. "But I think I've had enough crazy for one night. Ava. Please. I will person my build you a greenhouse if you promise not to plant weird shit in the woods?" he offers, tone just short of pleading.

"And you!" Back to Bayin. "Stop creeping up on people in the woods. It's weird. You wanna talk some time, let's do that not in the woods. At night. With a fucking bow." He shakes his head. "I gotta get back to Dita. If I'm out here too long she'll think something ate me. Stay safe out here," he bids the group, still shaking his head in disbelief as he jogs off down the trail, heading for town.

"Hmph." Sounds like the barista doesn't necessarily agree with how popular the area is -- or maybe it's lingering concern about the Veil Seeds. She spares the small pile another concerned side-glance before returning her attention to the group, growing by one given Ava's call-out of the name. Ariadne's flashlight now bounces in somewhat of a nervous tic along the outer line of her jeans as her eyes linger on the newcomer and her Doberman.

"Like he said, I'm Ariadne. Nice to meet you," she offers to Leila from mostly behind Ava. Garrett's departure has her offering the man an up-nod which might not be seen in the low light. Oh well, it's the thought which counts!

"I admit, I don't recognize you, Bayin," the young woman then says to the man with the short bow. "You're...from something? Somewhere? I'm new to the area, soooooo...if it's a local thing, I'm out of the loop, probably."

Oooh. Garrett got her attention. "I promise I will not plant any more if you will help with my greenhouse!" That means that a few have probably already been planted. Sorry Garrett. Damage is done. "It was great finally getting a chance to meet you. I'll stop by Dita's soon and we can talk Greenhouse plans." He's not getting out of that.

"Hey Leila. Hey Flower." That last bit is cooed as she reaches down, giving the dog a chance to sniff her before she attempts any petting if she's given the go ahead. "No drugs. No Hot Fuzz situation. They're actual fruits," is assured. "Figs, in this case. Do not let Flower near them." Her tone is very serious when she says that. "They are not from Here." With the girls on either side of her, Ava hasn't become less protective, though some of the tension has eased from her shoulders as she glances towards Bayin. "Now that they mention it, I have seen your face somewhere before. But not around here. How do I know you?"

Bayin's face lights up a bit as Leila recognizes him, "Me? Nah. I mean, yeah I did do some movies, but that was like, a million years ago. I'm nobody." His chest puffs up a bit, though, clearly loving the idea of someone remembering him. He points a thumb at Garrett as he makes his leave, "Now that guy is a real character. British dude comes to little American town to be a coroner. If he can see ghosts he's got himself a TV show!" Bayin sighs, "Sorry about dropping in like a creep. But when you're in the mindset of a hunter, you get stuck in stealth mode. But hey, what's this about a sawmill? I uh, used to live here. Back in high school sometimes kids would dare eachother to go in there and mess around. It's supposed to be haunted, or something, I think?"

As Ava approaches Flower gently, Flower herself pushes her head into Ava's hand to force some headrubbing while her tongue lashes out for a quick lick. The stub of her once glorious tail wiggles a like crazy, causing her butt to shake as she approaches closer. "Little slut," Leila murmurs in her dog's direction with incredible affection as she smiles before refocusing. "Hey Ariadne and goodbye Garrett," she offers, watching the latter go. "I seem to have that affect on men here," she murmurs in amusement before offering a quick salut in Ariadne's direction. The 'Here' is noted and Leila gives the fruit a longer glance as she moves her body between it and her dog. The flashlight doesn't linger on the figs for long however, and they are quick to go back to Bayin.

At the mention of movies, Leila's eyes widen a bit. "Oh! You're that guy!" She blurts it out without meaning to, then pauses as she realizes she isn't sure who that guy is yet, but, well, y'know! That guy! The mention of the sawmill quiets her, however, and Leila loops her flashlight around her to see if she can get a better view of it from where they are.

That guy! Ariadne squints. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to give me a name of a movie or two. The lighting's pretty bad and I'm not about to shine a flashlight in your face," she informs Bayin. "My mother raised me better than this."

Now, Flower? The barista spots that little hula-dancing rear end and can't help the crooked grin. "She's a cutie," the redhead tells Leila. "Mind if I love on her too?" Knuckles are offered out for the Doberman to sniff if permission is given. "I've got a Windhound, Samwise. Greetings, fellow dog owner," comes the quiet laugh. It seems a terrible idea to laugh any louder, especially so near to the sawmill. A few other locals have informed Ariadne about this place. She has zero intentions of checking it out.

"No, I'm the coroner," Ava says. "He's a park ranger. Not for this forest, though. I would not want to Range for this forest, believe me." There's a narrowing of eyes as she squints at Bayin again. School? Oh yeah, that's where she knows him from. "School! You were a year ahead of me! That's right. You remember a couple of those kids went missing, right? That's why the rumor kept going. Don't go to the sawmill alone. It's good advice." A finger waggles towards Ariadne. "Don't tell Ravn I said that. I don't want him to know that he's right."

Flower gets all the affection asked for and more. Ava has no problem giving her lots of love. "Leila here is a new vet in town," she offers as a way of introducing Ariadne and Leila in a more meaningful way. "A bunch of us met her at the Addington Open House. Ariadne is a Marine Biologist, and makes killer coffee." She looks back to Bayin and points at the bow. "What are you even doing with that out here?"

"Go ahead," Leila returns towards Ariadne, looking like a proud mother with a well-behaved child. "She's a softie most of the time. A windhound? Damn, that's really cool. I haven't seen many of those. They are /gorgeous/. Would love to check her out if you bring her down." She nods at Ava as she mentions her being a vet. Though Ariadne being a marine biologist seems to quirk her interest. Really, any animal lover is aces in her book. Flower is loving all the attention as she strains against her leash to get closer to Ava and Ariadne, pulling Leila closer.

Leila's attention is back on Bayin as she was definitely not raised with proper flashlight etiquette since she keeps flashing it towards his face every once in a while, possibly trying to figure out a name from which movie she had seen. Goddamn Veil messing with her memory! "Wait you're from here? And you came back? I was told one should never come back..."

Bayin says, "Yup! The guy with the hair and the face!" Bayin replies to Leila, seeming to think that she's joking. Though he deflates just a tiny bit as Ariadne shows a bit more bluntness. "Oh, it's fine. I'm basically not even famous anymore. I'm Bayin Archer. Addington, class of none 'cause, I dropped out to become an actor. Here's a tip - don't do that." Bayin smacks himself on the head at the occupational mixup. "Sorry, I was paying more attention to that accent. I think learning a good strong English accent could be good for me." He pauses for a moment. "Yeah. I do remember that. I also remember a rumor about one kid who went in there, and he came out so tramatized that his hear turned white!" He chuckles ghoulishly at the old memory. "You're the coroner right? Have you ever thought about cracking open those cold cases? You'd be working on your own classmates. That's a bit wild isn't it? Actually I think you're the one who needs the TV show!" %P He shrugs at Leila's last bit, "I guess I had nowhere else to go.""

"My lips are sealed," Ariadne murmurs back to Ava. No informing Ravn: okay.

Her fingers scritch over the Doberman's head and gently try to find The Good Spots as she devotes semi-attention to the dog. "She's a doll," compliments the redhead of Flower. "Sam's a rare one, yeah, I had to go down to Nevada for him, but imagine a mini Borzoi and you've about got it right. You're at the office not far from here then?" Still, she diverts back to Bayin and squints again. This time, the flashlight's circle drifts up his body to just below his face, still polite about his night-vision.

A beat. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Well, dude, trippy, I had no idea you were from around here."

"You're a good woman," Ava says with a wink to Ariadne.

Baying gets a lifted brow and a thoughtful expression from Ava for a long few moments. "I've thought about it, yes. But at this point all of the evidence of what could have happened to them would be gone. Considering all of the different things that it could be, there's no way it'd be solvable at this point. Considering." Sure he shines. But he doesn't shine. It's there, but it's dulled, under the surface. Like it's waiting to pop. It's all a very curious sight to see. Something you see in kids, sometimes, rarely in an adult.

He's a caterpillar ready to bloom. All those powers are already there, just waiting for a spark. "You remember what else we said, Leila? Even if you get out, you get sucked back. No matter how hard you try otherwise. It's not a matter of nowhere else to go." She grins at Bayin. "You are always meant to come back."

When Bayin says his name, Leila snaps her fingers in a 'yup! that's it!' manner, satisfied that she finally has a name to put to his recognizable face. "Hey, I'm horrible with names, and faces," she offers as a way to apologize. "Well, Mr. Hollywood, bet you got to sleep with all the hot babes there," she flashes him a wicked grin.

Looking down at Flower as her back leg begins to kick a bit, melting into the scratch, Leila lets out a snort of amusement. "Yea, that's how I happened across you guys. Was letting Flower out to stretch her legs, then she must have picked up a scent of something and bolted. It isn't like her either, girl has no prey drive." She then glances at the special fruit, but since Flower doesn't seem that interested in them, it is safe to say that wasn't what attracted her attention.

"Holy shit, you weren't kidding," Leila returns towards Ava with a blink.

Bayin tilts his head aside, waving off Ariande's lack of recognition. "Well, I've had a little work done between now and then. And I never talked about Gray Harbor when I was a thing. Why would I? We're literally a one Starbucks town." He gives Ava a curious look, pausing for a moment, "You're not the first person to tell me that." The hint of glimmer in his soul seems to pulsate for a fraction of a second before going back dormant. He looks back at the sawmill. "I think you're right. Something tells me that there's a secret in this town, waiting for me to discover it."

"This place's theme song should be Hotel California. Ravn's always had it right." Having noted this while she straightened from scritching at Flower's head, the barista then glances around the woods one last time. The fireflies still dance about, but knowing the sawmill is so nearby puts a damper on her enthusiasm yet.

Sighing a cloud of mist in the cooler temperatures, Ariadne looks between all present again. "I've got to get back to Sam, so everybody get out of here safely, okay? Ava." A longer look at the doctor. "Think planting those seeds through, okay? From one science major to another. Leila, Bayin, nice to meet you. I'm at Espresso Yourself in the evenings if you need a pick-me-up." A final nod to everyone and a smile stressed about its corners before she begins tromping her way back towards the main path, scattering up more fireflies as she goes.

"Oh no. I don't kid about that stuff. I mean, we were being playful about it, yeah. But we were kidding because it's truthful." Ava has deemed Baylin a non-threat enough to finally move away from him in order to start picking up the rest of the fruits that she's promised Garrett she will not be burying out here in the forest. They're wrapped into a towel and settled into a bag which she hoists over her shoulder. Of course, that means that she has to start refilling the hole she was digging, too.

"Don't worry, Ari, I promised I wouldn't plant any more out here in the forest." Any more than she already did. Leila gets a sneaky little grin from the doctor as Ava goes about refilling the dirt where she was planting.

Bayin nods, "I think I should be heading home too. I don't think I'll be catching something to make into a hat tonight. I do love a good pun though, so I think I'll see you all around the coffee shop." Bayin says with a wink. "Sorry about the scare again. I owe you all a drink." He sets off back the way he came through the overgrown bushes, though this time not bothering to hide his steps. He's definitely an odd man.

As the group begins to disband, Leila offers them a quick wave, "Nice meeting you Ariadne, and give Sam a good scratch from me. Would love to meet him whenever you're free." Which reminds her, Leila flicks her eyes back to Ava, "My apologies about last time, an emergency happened at the shelter, some asshole ran over a stray. But it's all good now, the little guy is fixed up and resting." She then watches her as she plays with the dirt. "I'm guessing that's going to sprout a rather interesting little plant..."

"Don't worry about it. I've had plenty of emergency bodies of my own to deal with before. I know the drill all too well," Ava assures. "I'm glad the sweet baby is okay, though. Poor thing, must have been so scared." There are a few other holes around that have already been planted. Quite a few. Poor Garrett. "Haha, yes. I don't know if you're going to love or hate this." Uh oh. "Veil fruit, when you plant it and they bloom, they tend to grown flowers and animals."

"Flowers and animals? Are you serious about animals?" Leila's eyes widen in surprise before she crouches down to look at where they were planted. "Like a Thumbelina? Holy shit, the Veil is insane. When can we see what happens?" She peers towards the figs but doesn't try to pick it up, keeping a safe distance.

"Veil flowers and animals, but yes! It'll probably be about a month or so before they bloom. So we have time. I can't wait to see what turns up. Ravn said one of them ended up being a giant veil wolf. Very exciting. I want to create a bestiary of Veil creatures. I think this will help! I'd love if you wanted to help, too! We could absolutely work on this together. I know Veil animals aren't exactly like ours, but your expertise on this will no doubt come in far more handy than mine when we're dealing with them."

"Veil wolf sounds kind of dangerous," Leila returns with a little laugh. "I kind of have some training in animal behavior, but you're right, I am not sure how effective that is with a Veil creature. Hell, don't think I have ever met one." At the question of helping, her eyes widen with excitement, "Fuck yea! I'd love to help, especially if it means meeting new creatures," of course, she hasn't experienced any of the deep horror yet, that explains her excitement. "Any idea on how they are? Like what differentiates them? Like are we talkin' about three headed dogs?"

"Giant Veil wolf. So very dangerous, yeah. We're going to hope that it's not one of those, honestly. Though, you and I do have a lot of firepower between us, so I think we'd do pretty well if push comes to shove. Unlike August, the guy who first planted the fruits to find out what happened, we know what happens, so we can be semi-prepared, right?" Ava grins.

"From the books that I've seen they can be almost identical to our versions, but larger or small. Or they can be combinations of animals. Or just, something super random. Some of them are cute and harmless, others can just straight up eat people in a way that normal animals wouldn't be able to. Like the nightshade bear that's currently loose on the outskirts that my friend Conner is working on getting back to the other side.

"I was going to say, you shine like crazy girl. It's crazy to know someone who kind of gets me," Leila flashes her a quick smile at that, reaching over to scratch Flower's behind her ear. "Combination? Holy shit, that's...crazy. Can you imagine their anatomy? Well, I guess maybe they are not limited to natural physiology." Just the thought of that seems to boggle her mind. The mention of a nightshade bear piques her interest as she perks up. "The scary thing is you're serious. I think I may have a few tranqs in the office, if you guys need it to take it down...Do tranqs even work on them?"

The quick smile is easily return before Ava pats the dirt at the top of the no-longer-hole. She brushes her forehead to wipe way the sweat. "Wooh. That was tough, but worth it. "I get you," she assured. "I can't imagine their anatomy, that's why I would love to get some on this side. I'd love to have a chance to see them and watch them, make my own little menagerie, as it were. Study and release program. That way, we can fill out the bestiary, get valuable information, then return them home without them being harmed. That's the hope."

Seeing the perk at the mention of the bear, she grins wider. "Well, he and I are putting a team together to get it back where it's supposed to be. If you want to bring the tranqs, we can always see if they work? It's good to know in the name of research and in the name of safety.

"Hell yea," Leila returns brightly. "I'll do what I can. I suck at shooting, but I'll get the tranqs and I'm sure the rangers have some tranq guns too. If not I can make a call and see if I can find some." She nods eagerly before reaching over to tug Flower up to position. "I'll go check and see what I have to use, to help you out. Let me know when you need me, or if you just want to grab coffee." Stretching her back out to crack her spine, she lets out a sigh and rolls out her shoulders before turning her eyes back to Ava. "I'm going to head out. Wanna come with me? Better than staying out here alone."

The shovel is pulled up and draped over her shoulder with a nod. "Oof, that's heavy after all that work," Ava chuckles. "I'm going to need a massage tomorrow. But yeah, you have my number, so just give me a text and tell me what you found out. It might be a bit. I haven't heard from Conner in a couple of days, so I think his phone might be on the fritz again. But, as soon as I know when we're doing something, I'll let you know." She starts moving in time with Leila in Flower. "I'm come with you, it's safer in numbers."