Welcome to Gaia! ::

Zeffer peered down at the slightly crumpled paper in his hand as he stood at the threshold of his hive. He'd found the note shoved under his door, apart from the other mail he'd received...and the other note. The one that had a certain purple seal stamped on it. That note happened to be shoved under another pile of mail and trash. Maybe he hadn't even seen it, who knew? That's what he was going to tell himself as he carefully folded the paper and slid it into his pocket. Already shouldering his backpack, he bid Snakedad goodbye for the evening and slipped off into the night, head swimming with thoughts about the message written on the paper in his pocket.

It wasn't that Zeffer was maliciously disloyal to their ruler, or even that he thought that things were particularly bad...but he still harbored fears. Fear of the future, about what was going to happen when he grew up. If he even got to do that at all. He'd already seen their queen once recently, and he didn't feel obligated to accept the invitation that had been sent. The usual grin graced his features as he picked his way through the outskirts of the Four Fronds, making a point to avoid its (no doubt) busy center. He could almost hear the hum of the crowds that were filling the streets, but he was not destined to be apart of them that night.

He had had to take the note out a few times in order to check the directions on it. The woods were like a maze, almost, and though he'd been in and around them plenty, he wasn't an expert. Hell, he didn't even participate in the hunts that occurred there, but sometimes it was a neat place to go. The breeze rustling through the trees was pleasant to hear, and the dim atmosphere was comforting. He wasn't here tonight to play, though, and he paid extra close attention to the instructions, only to find himself stumbling out into a clearing some time later, his eyes widening. Quite a sight, to see the light from the twin moons filtering down onto the overgrowth.

Zeffer didn't get to admire it for long, because when the hooded figures rose up from the grass, it almost gave the poor blueblood a heart attack, and he hissed out a curse, bristling out before calming down again. How he'd managed not to yell or cry out was anyone's guess, he even held his tongue when the blindfold was offered. Questions were starting to rise up now, but he didn't ask them, swallowing hard as he reminded himself that their symbols matched the one on the note.

When they finally seemed to reach their destination, Zeffer blinked a little as the cloth fell away from his eyes, and he watched the hooded figures retreat, eyebrows raised. He turned back to the strange building, and the group of trolls, jamming his hands into his pockets and heading over, intent on finding out a little more about the meeting, and what exactly his attendance at the gathering meant. He surveyed the little gathering first, though, trying to see if anyone he was familiar with was present while he tried to listen in on what was being discussed.

Okay... okay.. okay this.. this could be not the best idea I've ever had... in a long while... in a while... and THAT'S okay- I'm still breathing. I think. No. Now-now-now I am. I am. Yes. Calm. Calming down. Now. We are- I AM. I am fine. "Iamfine. I'm fiiiiiI'mtalkin'outloudagainaren'tI? Ermmmgh... Hmmmhmmhmm!"

Humming along to no particular tune, Janzek's spirits were awash in uncertainty and tightly wrapped around a spindle of anxiety. The fact that he was being led along by two complete strangers out in the middle of nowhere with naught but the sounds of his own panicky gibberish and the gentle trampling of leaves and twigs underfoot probably was the cause in that, but that would just leave any of those bothering to guess half right. To be completely in the right, you'd also have to know that Janzek wasn't a particularly bold or daring person to begin with. As such, this was par for the course. Another night in the life of a drone with a special feature of underhanded hi-jinks thrown in for your entertainment.

He was sly to rumours. Whether he wanted to hear them or not, things always popped up; snippets that would linger and dwell heavy in the back of his mind. While he had enough self control to not let himself become apart of the chain, he wasn't entirely opposed to finding out sources and that crumpled note was one step towards an answer he'd been long wanting to find. Funny enough, had he any foresight that it'd lead towards the sticky end of the forest and be met with two, in-so-far, unresponsive living automatons, he'd probably have chosen to opt out on this investigation. My decision making hasn't improved at all. That's rather depressing to know...

After what felt like entirely far too long of a trek, the trio came to a stop and Janzek was finally awarded back his sense of sight and an odd one at that. The hodgepodge of fellow disoriented trolls, kids and adults alike (some he even recognised as being D-Class), only brought along more questions, but so too did it bring some small relief. As his 'guides' disappeared back into the shadows, the drone lingered on the outskirts of the clearing, humming to himself again while waiting for events to unfold.

When Odette received those two notes, she overlooked them because of their location. Four Fronds was far from home, and much too far from her dear lusus. Still, they intrigued her. The note from the queen seemed rather... frightening to say the least. And it requested the attendance of all able-bodied trolls, which was the last thing Odette thought herself as. How would the queen make use of a sniffly, quivering lowblood like herself? The other note, however, made big promises that sounded much more enticing to the tiny dancer. But that didn't matter. She could never leave swanmom for this event that she knew nothing about... That was, until swanmom found the note and insisted she go, urging that Odette and her both needed a change of scenery. And who was Odette to disagree?

So after a lengthy and laborious trek to Four Fronds, Odette found herself lost on the outskirts of the hunting grounds, with swanmom stashed away in her coat. She froze when she heard rustling in her general vicinity. She spotted two large trolls walking determinedly towards her. Highblood hunters?!? she worried. Paralyzed with fear, the two offered the blindfold to her, and recognizing the symbol, she loosened up slightly. She put it on reluctantly and allowed the two to guide her.

Before long the blindfold was slipped off of her and she found herself among an eclectic group of trolls to say the least. This was a bad idea, she thought to herself. I know, I'll just leave! Oh wait I can't leave I don't even know how I got here!! Oh god what do I doooo?? her mind was rambling on and she was pacing around when she felt the weight of another troll fall onto her. Swanmom let out a loud honk, garnering the unwanted attention of trolls that stared at Odette questionably. "Sorry!" the other troll cried out. "No no no, I'm should be sorry, I must have been in your way" Odette apologized, lifting herself back up and extending her hand to the greenblood to help her up onto her feet. "I shouldn't have been running around worried like that. This place is just a little more threatening than I expected."

Two letters, one appointed time. Miss one or the other.

She honestly wasn't in the mood to skip work and getting yelled at by her boss, but soon after she got the letters, she received a message from her boss saying she was off work.

Huh. Was it that critical?

Both the letters sounded rather... disturbing. The first one she had gotten was an official message from the queen– it was direct with what it wanted, a Four Fronds meet up with all the trolls, no sweet words, no convincing pleasantries. It requested for all able-bodied trolls, and Vremea wasn't what one considered as able-bodied. She could put up a fight, but nothing more. This message sounded serious– maybe it was only for highbloods. It was rather disconcerting. The other was extremely vague in what it wanted– it was confusing and Vremea was suspicious and curious.

Curiosity killed the purr-beast, as the saying goes.

Following the steps for the second note closely, she reached her destination, reaching in her bag and touching the stone, hoping she made the correct decision.

Two hooded trolls came up to her, handing her a blindfold as she pursed her lips– she was already here, she shouldn't be denying this. Nodding softly at the trolls, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to be blinded. Trying not to panic, she calmed herself down so she could think about this. She let herself be led as thoughts rummaged her mind– where were they going? Who are you? What are you planning? But she knew now was not the time to ask them. It was too... early, she guessed?

After a while of walking around, they reached their destination. Sliding off the blindfold, she opened her eyes slowly and tried to get her eyes accustomed to the moonlight. A few blinks was all it took to get her pupils accustomed to the new light. Looking around, it seemed that she wasn't singled out– but she had expected this. There were more trolls around, and she hoped she'd recognize some... and she did. Weren't those the two trolls from the Battle Royale? Uhm... Zeffer the third place winner, and Aprife, the champion?? What were they doing here? Wouldn't the Queen be looking for them at the meeting, expecting them not to be skipping, since she did announce them personally! Sending a troubled glance in their direction, she continued to look around.

There was a troll just staying apart from the groups, watching them all, and she felt somewhat... nervous. Vremea pursed her lips, continuing to look– oh, whoah, look, it was her tailor. "Athene?" She voiced out loud, wondering if her eyes were deceiving her.

"Zeffer!"

The blueblood blinked in surprise at the familiar voice calling his name, and spun around, a big grin spreading across his features as he caught sight of Aprife. "Dude! The hell are you doing here?" he laughed, stepping over to greet his yellow blooded companion. He hadn't seen Aprife since after the tournament had ended weeks ago, and it was good to see him again. "Guess you got one of those shady letters too, huh?" he asked, his voice immediately lowering, despite everything. During the few short while he'd been loitering around, the gravity of the situation had sort of begun to sink in. He was all too eager to find out what the vague message in his pocket really meant. He had an inkling, and it really made his blood-pusher thud in his chest to really consider it.

"How ya been, anyway? Been a while...kicked any asses lately, Mister Champion?" he teased lightly, giving a sharky little grin. He'd never forget the a** beating he had received from both Aprife and that icy greenblood all those weeks ago. Zeffer tried to focus on the small talk. Uncharacteristically, he seemed to have an air of unease in his demeanor, in that he shifted a little and glanced about every so often. His eyes darted around at the others, over towards a petite redblood and a few other low blooded girls that were talking amongst themselves.

Zeffer was none the wiser to the fact that Aprife had followed him all the way out here...not that he'd have cared. Hell, it might have been nice to have company, but there was no use worrying over it now. They were both there, and still, so far, alive. He was all smiles, until Aprife happened to mention the royal letter that had come as well. Almost like they were being given some kind of ******** up choice. His brow furrowed a little, and he nodded, toeing at the grass. It wouldn't have bothered him so much if that letter hadn't seemed so urgent.

"Yeah. Kinda surprised to see you here instead of there. I thought about going, but...eh, that place gets so ********' crowded. Plus, I've never been this far into the forest before. Pretty neat, huh?" he gave a few crappy excuses to mask the real reason that had probably pulled all of them to the secretive meeting spot. He had to admit though, the sight of the starry sky through the treetops was pretty cool, and he set his hands behind his head to look up at it for a moment.

"Ahahaha! Well ain't that a shame. Ya shouldn't let those amazing skills of yours go to waste." he snickered, half-teasing. It'd really been Pyre's attacks that had taken him down that day...ever since, he'd sort of been itching for a friendly rematch. Now wasn't the time or the place though, and he heaved a sigh, trying to will himself back into his usual carefree demeanor. The question caused him to look up, and he took a moment to get a good look at everyone. There was the gaggle of rather cute chicks, none of who he knew by sight, and.... Wow, there were even a few adults mixed in there, along with a weird guy with sea green eyes and...no horns. Was that a drone?

"Nope, can't say I do. I'm kinda glad you showed up, to tell the truth." He laughed. If you were gonna get yourself mixed up in some possibly heavy s**t, you might as well do so with someone you knew.