Weaving Her Web - OPEN

[Evadne]

Really, Jadore thought as she paced between the first trees outside of the cave system, You might have thought this through a bit more.

The conditions in the camp were sorely lacking, even by the standards of someone who'd spent Turns in a prison. The lack of regular meals, everyone doing whatever they liked willy nilly, and frankly, Jadore did not at all care for the look of some of the others who'd elected to come along on this venture. She supposed she was nominally in the company of her peers- or she supposed they at least thought so, regarding herself, if only on a technicality- but between the insanity and the glint of murder she'd seen in several pairs of eyes, it was all a bit much.

But from chaos, must come order...

The woman stopped beneath one of the more petite specimens of tree in the area and tilted her head back to study its branches. She was no stranger to jungles, though this one was perhaps a touch more verdant than she was accustomed to. But really, weren't they all much the same?

There, yes. Vines. And from vines, nets would be made. With nets, those among the prisoners who weren't quite as adept with the sharp or the pointy would have some advantage in this securing food business.

And they who had the means to procure food had some influence, didn't they? Yes, yes they did.

She reached back to check the knife she had tucked into her belt, making certain it was secure and not about to poke her in the buttocks when she began climbing. It wasn't the most impressive weapon but she'd made certain it was sharp when filching it on the way out of the Weyr. Vines weren't the easiest things to cut, of course, but that was part of why they'd be good as nets.

And curtains. A curtain over the door would be lovely, wouldn't it? The thought was worth a wistful sigh. It really was the little things that made a woman appreciate civilization.

But curtains could come later, after the nets and the glorious food. Steeling herself, Jadore stepped up to the tree, placed her toe against its craggy truck and reached for a low-hanging branch to begin hauling herself up. The trick of climbing, she'd discovered when she was younger, was not to be slow about it. Quick and sure, up to the first and largest branch that would hold her weight, while getting her into reach of her target. Once there, the limb secure between her thighs and knees, she unsheathed the knife and began sawing away at the vine.

Cut cut cut tug and to the ground with it. Given enough time, she'd have a healthy little pile down there, and could move onto phase two...

[Inkwell]

Astor watched Jadore with interest from about thirty feet away (far enough away to both be able to see her and ensure that she didn't see him). He hadn't interacted with Jadore much as of yet, but he'd noticed her general distaste for their new, more natural home. If Jadore was thinking about adding curtains, he was thinking about why couldn't they sleep out under the stars? It wasn't so bad out, and it was warm to boot, since it was summer. He'd spent most of the past few days merely exploring the area around their little camp, falling down various hills, getting smeared with various types of dirt and mud, and getting various sticks and leaves stuck in his unruly hair. He'd never had more fun. Well, unless you counted setting things on fire, but the humidity here made that difficult, so he had to settle for other ways to keep himself occupied.

The pile of vines Jadore was making seemed a prime opportunity. Once she had a good pile going he began to sneak closer, half-crouching, because half the fun of an exercise like this was Not Letting Them See You. And then, when he was about ten feet away, he dove towards the pile, grabbing a few of the vines and throwing them over himself, effectively wrapping himself in the things.

He was now a fierce tunnel-snake, bad-tempered and full of fangs! He slunk about on the ground beneath the tree, making ridiculous hissing and ftzing noises and generally enjoying himself more than any twenty-four-turn-old man covered in mud and twigs really had a right to. At least he smelled the part of a tunnel-snake, if nothing else. That was important! The smell would warn Jadore that he was there, and that she was now his Hapless Prey, and had no business getting out of that tree if she knew what was good for her or he'd feed her to his tunnel-snake babies. Ah, nature. So lovely.

[Evadne]

Jadore was satisfied with the progress she was making. Even without a pair of gloves to protect her hands, there seemed to be enough vines within reach that she wouldn't have to move to another branch. There'd be enough for a net, possibly two if...she was...frugal...

The commotion below, full of oh so fierce snarlings and hissings, and of course the toe-curling stench, led her to drive the tip of her knife into the branch before leaning over the tiniest bit. What in Faranth's name?

Really, she shouldn't have been surprised to see the vine-draped madman circling the base of the tree. This was her life now. But she had underestimated the extent of his insanity and could not keep herself from simply staring for a moment. At Astor. Wrapped in vines. Pretending to be...what? Some sort of flailing predator by the looks of it. Was he...yes, he was baring his teeth at her.

This wouldn't do. This wouldn't do at all.

Hazel eyes were narrowed as Jadore turned carefully on the branch, hooking her dangling ankle up over it. She'd often found that with the crazy ones it was best to indulge them...to a point.

"My my my," she murmured, just loud enough to carry, "Aren't you the fierce one?" Softly spoken but seeming to carry an admiring note, for all of that.