Welcome to Gaia! ::

Bree takes a moment to catch her breath, a bit ragged from her home sprint.

"Carroll."

As the adrenaline wears off, the bruise on her cheek and the rope burns on her wrists begin to ache.

"I....." Her hands start to shake.

"I have to get out of here. It's not safe."

"Pretty quickly. I'm used to leaving places in a hurry. First lemme get out of this infernal thing..."

She goes into the bedroom, strips out of the gown, and dresses in her accustomed garb, forgoing the boots for the sake of expedience.

The few items that Hunter left behind are packed into a carry-box. Her spare clothing and shoes go into her duffel, a few dozen small vials and some leatherbound notebooks into another wooden box. Various small trinkets and personal items are stowed in the various pouches on her belt.

She slings the duffel onto her back, shoulders the carry-box, tucks the other box under one arm, and picks up her staff.

"I'm ready."

Bree nods mutely, hoping that Carroll won't do anything stupid, like harming his own people.

"You guys need to be on your guard too. He'll come after you for helping me."

It is the work of moments to get Bree and her belongings bundled into the car. She leaves a note for Stitch, telling her simply to take care and watch her back, giving absolutely no indication of where she plans on going.

Tealglory appears to have wandered off, but there's no time to look for her. Bree leaves a message with the nearby trees that only a Leshy would be able to find, with information on where she's going and directions to the old oak grove where she found sanctuary upon arriving in Boston.

The ride to Gibson's is as harrowing as before, but Bree is distracted by Hunter's absence. She ponders what she read in his notes, unsure if she'll be able to duplicate the experiment...or if he'll be able to reopen a portal and return to Boston. A dreadful loneliness begins to seep into her bones and the locket becomes a lifeline.

(Cont'd The Barracks, p. 1)

*Tealglory stops by the tree outside the apartment she remembers as Bree's, and something catches her eye, maybe it's a leaf moving oddly or a twig twitching somehow, but it gets her attention in the way the odd quietness of the other trees hasn't. She cocks her head at the tree, as if listening to something nobody else can hear.*

*The leshiy's expression changes from relaxed happiness to something more akin to anger, determination, and resignedness.* "Wait for me"?! I am not some puppy dog to be told SIT and STAY, miss missy, and if I have to track you through this entire town, I WILL.

*The leshiy marches off, her boots stomping across the pavement in the general direction Bree's trail went.*