Mean and Green, part 2

The dusky woman cants her head the other way and holds up her empty hand, "Voices..." she whispers, posture shifting as she expects mischief to occur, "More than one" And she nods her head toward another path, "That way."

Bannon turns his head, lifting the sunrod in the same hand as wears his buckler, "I hear them too." He then looks around, "Do we want to go see what they're doing? We'll be going off the trail we mapped out up top. We could get lost in here for days. Weeks even." He then frowns, shaking his head, "Our only companions being each other and the Otyughs..."

Victor turns his head slowly towards Bannon, but stops before he's staring directly at the man. After a moment's consideration, he looks away without comment. Instead he peers back in the direction Strike indicated. "I concur...with not leaving our original route, that is. They can't be looking for us, surely no one knows about our mission other than those who sent us."

"Oh good, I found you guys." A golden-haired sorceress with a clothespin on her nose steps out of a side passage, holding a sunrod in one hand and a crinkled up map drawn, apparently, on a napkin in the other. "Sorry, Donna," she adds, "That... hold up with the guard took way longer than it should have. I'm positive Norrington put him up to it, he wanted to ask all the questions. Seriously, all of them." She shrugs, and stuffs the map up one of her sleeves as she smiles at everyone, and falls into step beside her sister.

"Say," she adds, "Did you all have to deal with a dwarf guardswoman at the gate, before coming down here? I tell you, what a sourpuss. She was almost worse than the other guy I had to foist off today. I thought she was gonna demand to rifle through my backpack and pouches and corset and everything."

"It's a very nice corset." Strike replies blandly as she recognizes the sorceress as she makes her arrival. She cranes her neck again, wondering if that didn't jsut give them away to whoever else was in the tunnels, and she fans the shuriken in her hand. She doesn't remark on the otyhugs, but, "I say we proceed on guard." she says softly.

Bannon points to Delilah, his eyes narrowing, "I knew I wasn't the only one to think that about the guardswoman. It's like she was assigned to a sewer or something." He then looks, peering towards the voices, "I think we should check it out. I mean..." He looks around, shrugging his shoulders, "What can it hurt, right?"

Victor looks at Bannon again, a bit surprised at the reversal from 'stranded with only the Otyughs for company'. "...let us proceed, on our guard...on our original mission?" He looks back and forth between the others, hoping they're actually on the same page.

So keyed up is Donna, that the sound of her sister's apologies actually causes the brawler to jump, fists raised as she whips around. Seeing only Delilah, however, and not whatever hellish abomination her imagination was planning on dealing with, she lets out a long, harsh sigh. "...Hey, D," she says, waving for silence. "Keep it down, though. Been hearin' voices up ahead... maybe behind? An' we oughta get to our job before we get distracted."

Strike nods quietly, considering her fellows a moment and decides at that time to ask in a lowish volume, "Does anyone else know handspeech?" She looks to either of their routes, then back to the group, "if so, we should probably use it for now."

'Donna and I do,' Delilah answers to Strike, using handspeech, followed by the universal thumbs-up gesture. For now, though, the sorceress just kind of sticks by her sister, mostly since the dark-haired twin (and literally everyone else here) probably have a much better idea about what's going on than she does.

Though she did just come out from that one tunnel, so she probably knows what's going on in there quite well. And, given that she emerged from it not just uninjured but more or less happy, one might surmise that what's going on down there is basically nothing.

Asmli's head snaps up at the mention of handspeech, and his hands immediately lift in answer. "down wave waggle left" He looks around at the others, to see if anyone else responds. Opting for silence over words, he simply nods to Victor. <unknown>

Letting out a long breath, Donna only nods, both to the suggestion and in agreement with her sister. "right waggle up right up right up up pointpoint flick" she signs. "point pointpoint right point up point thumb finger flick left down pointpoint wave up up pointpoint thumb thumb wiggle waggle" <unknown>

Victor looks between the others, a tiny crease between his eyebrows. He shakes his head and holds out his hands in a shrug. If anyone moves in either direction he'll follow.

"wave flick wiggle point wave thumb thumb left" Asmli signals the others in that hand language. "finger waggle pointpoint down right right left up flick left waggle wiggle thumb pointpoint up right finger flick wave right wave up waggle finger up wave wiggle right pointpoint down left right point point" <unknown>

There is a little satisfaction at that response, ok, almost big, but in any case Strike gives a nod of approval. She considers her kinsman a moment as he seems confused, but nods again, then brings a finger to her lips, and signs, "left point wiggle right pointpoint wiggle waggle wiggle up finger left wiggle left thumb wiggle" Though, with Asmli's imput, she thumbs up, "finger" then whispers, 'We will move quietly as we can.' for Victor's benefit. <unknown>

GAME: Asmli rolls perception: (16)+4: 20

GAME: Strike rolls perception: (9)+13: 22

GAME: Donna rolls perception: (2)+10: 12

GAME: Victor rolls perception: (20)+7: 27

GAME: Delilah rolls perception: (1)+0: 1 (EPIC FAIL)

As the decision is made to leave sleeping dogs lay where the might, you continue along navigating as best you can by torch light and map reference. You're able to follow this particular main for quite some distance before the route indicates stepping into another of those side passages. It does require crossing the sludge in the channel that runs the center of the passage.. thankfully there are bridges spaced at distances just this side of inconvenient. Less fortunately they're not what one would necessarily deem 'safe for children.' They tend to get build up of slime and other icks, or molds and fungus that tends to thrive in this environment. And that's not even getting into the varying degrees of erosion. But at least none of you have to step in the muck, assuming you're careful...

It is after this crossing that you come to the designated passage leading away from the main, and it is there that you take stock... and some of you notices mucky tracks leading out of it and directly into the sludge in the middle of the main tunnel you're about to leave.

Victor eyes every bit of slime as he passes. But he always seems satisfied by whatever he sees - or doesn't see - and continues on. When they reach the tracks he examines them carefully. After a moment's consideration he lowers the visor on his helmet.

Asmli says "right wiggle flick point wiggle point pointpoint thumb wiggle waggle wave up left flick right pointpoint flick down left finger flick waggle thumb thumb thumb wiggle flick flick right left waggle pointpoint flick point down waggle waggle point up wiggle point wave down point down waggle down waggle pointpoint thumb waggle wave finger thumb right finger point pointpoint point up point wiggle left flick waggle left right thumb finger right"Someone isn't minding their own business, look."pointpoint flick right thumb waggle thumb left wiggle" <unknown>

A few slips, a few slides, a flail - but nothing Asmli can't handle, and after the one flail that barely avoided landing him in the drink, he can be seen laughing - as quietly as a khazad ever laughs - about the whole thing. He settles down quickly enough, though, when the group encounters the tracks. He holds up a hand, then turns to signal the others by torchlight. "pointpoint waggle point finger pointpoint point finger" He points at the tracks on the floor. <unknown>

Strike manahes to negotiate the bridging well enough, and tries to offer some assistance to her fellows. On sight of them, the half-mul cants her head a little bit and dips into a crouch near the tracks as she holds up a hand, sighing, "left finger" She drapes an arm over an upraised knee and sweeps her gaze back along the trail, then, "pointpoint waggle up finger waggle" <unknown>

The traversal is less difficulty for Donna than her sister, and at times the dark twin stops to keep Delilah from pitching into the yuck, with never a word or look of complaint.

'....Hell,' Donna mutters, upon having the tracks pointed out to her. Her eyes move toward their destination, then to the tunnel the tracks lead to, and back again. "left down left wave flick thumb up up waggle left wave point pointpoint up wave wave right wave point wave wave finger down waggle pointpoint left up pointpoint down waggle wiggle thumb down waggle finger point right up wiggle right flick up thumb right right down left"

Glancing up at Victor, she shrugs, and keeps her voice quiet. 'Think *that's* something we may want to have a look at.' <unknown>

Delilah says "wave down wave right point pointpoint flick thumb down flick waggle wave wiggle right finger pointpoint down up flick up waggle wiggle pointpoint flick wiggle up wiggle up up flick"This is disgusting,"wave right right left wave waggle up waggle left"Why are we doing this again? I hate the sewers. Completely. It stinks down here and it's gross."thumb point finger pointpoint point point"Check... that out? Yuck. Well, let's get it over with."" <unknown>

Asmli snorts at Delilah, but with amusement, but that smirk fades instantly. "up wave wiggle wave waggle up thumb wave finger wave down finger left up finger wiggle point up point wave wave finger finger up waggle up wiggle left finger pointpoint right up finger up" <unknown>

GAME: Donna rolls survival: (8)+6: 14

GAME: Asmli rolls survival: (8)+7: 15

GAME: Strike rolls perception: (17)+13: 30

GAME: Delilah rolls survival: (4)+0: 4

GAME: Victor rolls survival: (13)+7: 20

Strike stands and regards the way they came as the others investigate the muck. A hand extends toward Victor's arm for what would be a light touch should it land, while her other hand begins to sign, "wave wave down right right pointpoint up wave" 'It may be safe to speak more regularly, though best to keep our voices down.' she whispers. <unknown>

Strike's reassurance is acknowledged with a nod from Donna, who crouches down to examine the tracks, wrinkling her nose from the sheer proximity to the awfulness. "Boots made that," she says quietly, frowning down the tunnelway. "Somethin' else too, but, whoever was chasin' practically ran *on* the prints, I couldn't tell if it's man or hippogryph."

"Ain't see any tracks going the other way," Asmli listens to the other two, then looks in the direction they're coming from and going. "We'll probably find the oher side of those tracks if we keep going."

"Boots? And something else?" Delilah speaks in as hushed tones as Donna, mostly so her sister can hear her while examining the tracks. "So it's a strange muck-dwelling humanoid with a pet, then? As long as it's not a pet spider I guess that's fine." She stands back, and has a look down the tunnel. "Either way, I don't think we should... hang around here, it seems like an awful place to get ambushed."

Victor 's voice is a bit hollow as it is in his helmet. "They aren't going the same direction as we are," he says. He hefte the box, having carried it all this time - although he has changed hands a few times. "Shall we complete one task at a time?"

"'They,' yeah. Maybe three, at least," Donna says, frowning just a bit harder, before rising back to her feet with a sigh. "You're makin' sense though, Victor. Let's do the job we can to do, an' see if there's cleanup to do after."

Strike nods, looking to the trackers as they make their appraisals, "I wouldn't expect a hippogryph to be very happy down here." She looks to her companions in turns, then, "I agree, let's complete the work, but be on guard." There's an arched eyebrow to Delilah and, "Something in particular about spiders?"

"Spiders are gross," Delilah hisses. "They're all leggy and hairy and crawly and nasty, and they jump out of weird places at you, and the last time I had to deal with spiders they were the size of cows, one was like a large boulder, and it wasn't fair." She folds her arms across her chest and hrumphs. "I don't think /anyone/ would be happy down here. Let's get on with it."

GAME: Williwaw rolls 1d20+14: (8)+14: 22

GAME: Victor rolls perception: (3)+7: 10

GAME: Donna rolls perception: (17)+10: 27

GAME: Asmli rolls percpetion: (4)+percpetion: 4

GAME: Delilah rolls perception: (7)+5: 12

GAME: Asmli rolls perception: (8)+4: 12

GAME: Strike rolls perception: (4)+13: 17

Into the side passage you push. It's a narrower, shorter tunnel... the kind that likes to press against your sense of space. Unlike in the main passage where the filth is kept larely off of the walking areas thanks to the main channel, the much smaller channel in the center of this tunnel has a tendency to sometimes overflow. This means that though the filth may be contained at this particular moment, times past have left something of an icky film up on the edges and where a person might walk. It's old, so not exactly slimy nor slippery.. but it isn't pleasant either. In fact, it has a tendency to kick up in the air when violently disturbed.. such as by kicking it. Not that anyone here would have a mind to do that....

This also makes those tracks you spotted in the main way a little more obvious.. and whoever passed this way wasn't particular about whether they disturbed the caking filth. Which unfortunately means smell.

GAME: Strike rolls sense motive: (1)+11: 12 (EPIC FAIL)

GAME: Donna rolls sense motive: (18)+5: 23

Donna's fist shoots up after a ways of trekking through the dry, stenchy tunnel, in an unmistakable 'HALT' gesture. "finger flick right" she signs. "wiggle waggle flick up up waggle point finger left pointpoint thumb wiggle flick pointpoint right thumb point finger thumb flick point wiggle right" <unknown>

Asmli scowls at the muck and filth, and the smell, but it -is- a sewer, and so he says nothing, favoring his left side a little more as their journey continues. The halt, though, brings him up short, and he takes a moment to make sense of the signals before nodding. "left waggle down" he signals. <unknown>

Strike draws up as Donna is bringing her hand up, though she seems somewhat preplexed by whatever she's hearing. When Donna's signs start flying, she nods, "down wave left finger" and she reaches to stifle her everburning torch. She looks back to the group and brings her finger up to her lips in the 'shhh' gesture. <unknown>

When Donna signals trouble, Delilah stops chattering about nonsense and goes silent; but for the sound of her pistol emerging from its holster and the hammer pulling back. She takes a step forwards, moving up behind Donna and Strike but staying in that position, not advancing past two people who are most assuredly a lot tougher than herself. "up flick" she replies, using her free hand. "pointpoint wave flick waggle wiggle finger flick" <unknown>

Victor moves after the others. He takes care to move slowly but in his armor he can't hope to move with any stealth. He keeps to the rear of the party.