Aurora's Underworld

(Okay, I'm back. Miss me?)

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," Jinx assured the green girl, lounging upon the gnarled branch in a very catlike manner. "Make it a rule not to mess with anything green. It's a rule I live by and it hasn't let me down before." He flashed her a grin, which may or may not have made her feel more comfortable. It was worth a shot either way. "This place just seems a hot spot for Hide and Seek, doesn't it? First the Skeptic, now you." Sitting up, he crossed his legs, folded his hands under his chin, and looked at her intently. "So, why not come down from here and meet the rest of the gang. They're really quite likeable for the most part. Not as charming as I am, but there it is then..."

Offering a final grin, he rose to his feet and leapt back down to ground level, where the others were waiting for him with questioning looks on their faces. "You'll have to get used to things like this, Jack. Expect the unexpected." Turning back to the tree, he looked up, passed the leaves to he could just see the Tree Girl. "You coming out, or what?"

Shy smiled a little, "Then again, those without beards are just as crazy. Although less likely to think you are staring at them, unless its that freak with blue hair." she trailed off as she lifted her gaze to the tree where Cat had gone and where Zombie was still looking. She jumped back when he jumped back out of the tree. "You shouldn't scare people like that. I bet she's run off." Shy pulled her fingers through her hair again as he glow eased away. "You know, it's getting a bit dark." She commented, "The crazies will be out soon, they are lovely to chat to you know, but I find that they like to bite if you get too close. Its probably why your friend is in a tree, stays out of the way of them doesnt it? I could chat with one forever if I were in a tree." she smiled slightly. "Yes, do come down Tree dweller, Cat isn't a crazy, yet."

Leo was distracted from the treetops as Shy talked about how those with beards could be just as crazy.
"So... is it just a better idea that I keep to myself most of the time then. To avoid the 'crazies'?" He asked, doubting he was going to get this right the first time. Hopefully Shy and Jinx would stick around long enough for him to get a good idea of what to do in awkward situations.
Leo hadn't even noticed that it was starting to get dark till Shy pointed it out, wondering where he'd stay for the night. He didn't want to be left to the crazies.

He looked to the trees again, wondering if the figure would come out.

~~~

Ivy was rather glad to hear that the Cat wouldn't hurt her, thankful for being green. Most considered it to be unlucky, but it seemed to not be the case for her. She watched as he jumped back to the ground, her head tilted to the side slightly as he suggested that she come to meet the others. She liked the idea to, though wasn't sure if she wanted to get involved with this group. She got the feeling that this would lead to her leaving her beloved forest.
The whispers of the forest reassured her though. It wouldn't be forever, and the other forests would always welcome her on her journey.

She nodded a little as Cat called to her again, doubting that he saw. She then began to make her way down, hopping down the tree branches, bouncing from branch to branch with ease, taking a moment to push the green hair from her big eyes before she reached the lowest branch from the ground, deciding to take a seat there rather than come right to the floor, allowing her to swing her legs back and forth a little as she looked from one person to the other.

((Too many distractions! They're ruining my life!!)

As the girl came out of her hiding place, Jinx smiled, actually purring in delight. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Granted, the hadn't really come out of the tree, but it was a start, he supposed. With that out of the way, he turned to Skeptic and Jack, having heard their previous conversation while he was up in the tree. Those ears weren't just for decoration, you know.

"By the way, I have to agree with you. People with beards are not the most pleasant you can come across. Of course, I've only personally met two men with beards, so my judegement my not be the most accurate." Shrugging, he looked up for no apparent reason, only now noticing how dark it was getting. "While I highly doubt any crazies would be crazier than this group, Skeptic's right. We should try to find shelter. Follow me." The theif's expression changed from playful to psychotic. "If you can keep up, that is..."

On that note, he bolted off through the trees, zig-zagging every now and then as if he was being chased by someone. Jinx liked to think that something about the night just brought out the animal in him. It actually wasn't long before he came to a halt in front of a cave, not even breathing hard. His air of semi-sanity returning, the cat-like humanoid strode into the cave, his own personal lair. There wasn't much furniture, just a few cushioned chairs and a pile of blankets, one of which had been converted into a hamock. The rest of the space was occupied by pile upon pile of stolen treasures, all sparkling in the dim light of the a few glowing crystals in the cave wall. "Well, make yourselves at home," he announced, not even turning to see if the others had followed him. Jinx simply removed the necklace he'd procured earlier in the day and tossed it onto a chair before throwing himself into his hamock. "What's mine is yours, so long as it doesn't leave this cave."

She knew that he had a right to call her whatever he wanted but she wasn't sure she liked being called Sceptic all that much. She frowned, agreeing with him when he suggested going to a safer place. She watched as he bounded through the trees, he was moving rather fast, which was annoying. If you want someone to follow you then surely you go slow so that they can. She looked to Zombie, wondering exactly what he was thinking. She supposed that it didn't matter if they lost Cat, the tree whispers would tell them where to go. She looked up to Dweller and knew that she needn't say anything, the girl would probably be able to follow Cat, if she wanted to. "Come then Zombie, I'll protect you, promise." and she started off, heading almost aimlessly into the forest again. It appeared that she was wandering from tree to tree as she made her way forward, Cat was long gone so she had to make sure that she was heading in the right direction. The whispers directed her true enough, and she would stop now and then to see if Zombie was keeping close. "This world is very useful, if you have the know how." she couldn't remember how she'd learnt so many things about it, but she had, long ago,and it helped her still. She came to the cave eventually, although a while after Cat had gotten there and missed all of what he had said. She wandered inside, her blue hair walling over her shoulders as she peered around. She picked a white pearl necklace, the pearls twisted with swirls of pale blue. She pulled it through her hands a few times.

"This is all very pretty." she sighed, "My home pales in comparison, I would like to stay here. None of that rif raff about going up, I like it here." she fastened the necklace around her neck.

Leo was a little dumbfounded as the conversation quickly moved from 'the crazies' to suddenly finding shelter. What about the Tree Girl, they hadn't even spoken to her yet. He felt a little disrespectful, leaving the girl out after Jinx had managed to bring her down from the tree tops. He gave the girl a small wave as he was soon lead away by Shy, hoping that she was a little more sane than the two he had already met. Maybe she would even call him by his real name if he was lucky. He was distracted again as Shy said something about protecting him,
"Surely I should be protecting you? I'm bigger afterall..." He said, rolling his shoulders back a little in an attempt to look a little less weedy. "Although, you would probably have to tell me how to deal with something..." he added as he nervously ran his hand through his golden hair with a sheepish smile.

"The know how?" He repeated, the curious expression returning to his face. He noticed how she occasionally glanced to the tree tops, as if they were telling her something. "Is that something you have to learn on your own? Or can I just borrow that information from you and Jinx?" He asked, wondering if Shy was beginning to get sick of his questionning everything she said. He glanced over his shoulder to see if the Tree Girl was following them.

When they entered the cave, Leo was slow on entering, more interested in the glowing crystals that lined the walls of the cave. Were they here naturally, or had Jinx brought them here? Looking to the piles of treasure, Leo was pretty stunned. Jinx was very feline-like then, with an obsession of shiny things. He didn't comment on the obvious though, gingerly picking up a few items to examine them closely before putting them back.
"So will nobody else find us while we're here?" He asked, feeling the need to keep his voice down a little in order to stop the echo.

~~~

Ivy couldn't help but frown slightly as the Cat said that coming down wasn't so hard. It was when you lived in the trees, obviously he didn't know that though - or he would understand. She watched as the Cat suddenly bounded off into the depths of the forest, quite amused by his sudden exit. She looked to the others as they slowly went to follow, noticing the small wave from the Fallen. Her head tilted to the side slightly, did he want her to come along too? Why would he want that?
She was a little unnerved by the thought of following after these people. She did not know them, only having watched them for a little while, and yet she felt drawn towards these few. The whispers of the forest, more like shouts now, told her that it was fine to follow. They told her to follow her heart to wherever it lead, and if that be with this group, then so be it.

She swallowed hard, still unsure in her decision as she pulled herself to stand on the branch again. She wandered along the branches, always prefering to work her way through the maze of trees than walk along the dirt paths. The trees lead her to a small looking cave.
"Are you sure...?" She whispered to the trees, who in reply blew a gust of wind towards the mouth of the cave, as if to shunt her of the branch.
Ivy hopped out of the tree, a little more on edge now that she was on the solid ground, hesitant to enter the cave at first. She took it slowly, almost jumping back out as her bare feet touched the freezing cold stone of the cave. She shivered before trying again, slowly making her way inside.

Jinx couldn't help but smirk as he lounged on his hammock, watching this unexpected guests trickle in and marvel at his humble abode. He didn't entertain often. In fact, the last time he'd had company had been... never. Theives weren't particularly known for their hopitality, after all. Anyone who dared to stay with one could usually expect to be robbed blind and-- in less fortunate cases-- killed in their sleep. Nevertheless, the Cat was confident that he could keep his kleptomania at bay for the night, at least. Although Jack did have a few sparkling trinkets that proved quite tempting.

Speaking of the newcomer, he seemed more interested in the lighting than any of the treasures they illuminated. "What's the matter, Jack? Never seen a starstone before?" Surely, there had to be some where he'd come from... weren't there? Jinx couldn't quite recall. There were only a few scattered, shattered flashes of his own life before the Underworld, and none of them had been all too bright. So, no, he supposed there weren't any startstones in the Upper Worlds. In was a slightly depressing thought, seeing as he'd grown so used to them. In a way, it was ever ironic. That those in the dark would be blessed with such light.

He shook his head, not unlike a flea-ridden dog. That was enough philosophical thinking for one day. "Well, as I said before, you're all free to spend the night here. Just be sure not to steal anything, because I will find out and be forced to track you down and gut you like a trout." The cheerfulness of his tone made the words even more disturbing. "Good night, all!" Curling up with his tail surrounding the rest of his body, it seemed his unlimited supply of energy had been halted as his eyes closed and his breathing became steady. His ears, though, remained as alert as ever, just in case something should happen that he might want to be awake for.