The ugliest stump of them all [part 1]

[vile]

[20:08] <vile> The courtyard! It's a nice night outside so, of course, a few people are hanging around in it. A soft breeze wafts through the scene, rustling tree branches and leaves, producing a calming sound. The prisms Nick tied to the limbs also move and sway, catching the natural moonlight and the glare from the lamps that keep the pathways lit. Katydids buzz, crickets chirp. All is well. It's too nice out there in fact. One by one the insects fall quiet and even the moths fluttering around the lamps fade away. Within ten or so minutes it's oddly quiet. There's not even a single mosquito out to harass the shit out of anyone enjoying nature.

[20:09] <MarloCross> "Heard. Is Nick Ok?" He pushed away the Nachos and looked to Midas with his cool black eyes. Obviously they were thinking the same thing. Everyone was.

[20:15] <Midas> Just the skin too, yea that would work. Leave him all flesh and blood on the inside. Peering at Marlo, his own chocolate colored eyes holding a doubting look in them. "They said he will be okay, but right now.." Shaking his head. "When they..dropped him off he looked like something out of Hostel.." Nick had looked terrible..then again you been tortured and dropped three stories to a messy death. "He isn't awake right now." Keeping the dead part to himself, then again Marlo could probably figure that out by the look on his face. "I left him a few things, for when he wakes up, and made Shiloh knew."

[20:15] <@Sisip> Sisip is just about to respond to Tori when things seem to change. Not a great deal but ... the lack of ambiant noise made the woman tilt her head just a bit. Her voice was quiet, ".. huh .. aint that a thang." Was there weather coming? Perhaps a storm? "Well, I'm out, yes, but I know Fergus will want to return to the team sooner rather than later but the more experience we have on there the better we are. It'll help coach the greenhorns with their leadership skills to have some more experienced people like Fergus and you around."

[20:22] <@AnE> Tori's look was returned by Seven. What? Just because she never got caught. Or turned herself in. Don't be jelly. She smiled, ever-so-sweetly before shrugging, scooting away fromo Sisip's belly and leaving wiggles to do whatever it was that tiny humans in-utero do. She looked around, taking notice of the silence that suddenly hung in the air. "...hm." Knitting her brows, she shook her head, glancing toward Sisip and gnawing thoughtfully at her bottom lip. Team. Hngh. She worked better alone, buuuut. "In the event that the team lacks someone capable of stealth, I'd be happy to lend my talents." She did not, however, mention that she was totally becoming a ninja. Cuz, you know, ninjas didn't do that.

[20:23] <vile> Another breath of wind, this one strong enough to bend some weaker limbs, blows through the courtyard. The leaves rustle louder and almost seem to make a hissing noise. A storm? That's the most likely thing right now except there's not a cloud in the sky. The moon and stars are all quite visible, as would the awesome display of some falling meteorites later. The insects stay quiet and absent. All falls quiet again, at least until the next gust of wind.

[20:24] <Lanse> "True, true." She nodded, raising a brow over her shades as she glanced around. She didn't know why she was suddenly on edge, but .. that's what instincts were for. "Yeah, I gotta work on bein' less uh.. brusque in situations n' such. But aside from that... I dunno. I just feel... good." She looked back to Sisip and gave a shrug. "'s not all perfect, but then again what is? Still. Don't want t' let th' momentum go t' waste, 'specially now. I mean, not ... right now... now. I think."

[20:33] <MarloCross> Marlo nodded at the information. Nick would survive, but dying would be such a bitch and a half for the zombie regenerator. It destroyed his memory the last time it was so severe." Lets see that prick try workin' me over.." They were of the same mind. They both wanted Hayden in a body bag. Marlo, simply for the fact Hayden had made him look the fool.

[20:35] <@Sisip> Sisip wasn't expecting the wind, which was stupid of her since she'd just wondered about the storm, so when the wind kicks up for a moment her hair gets in her face and she makes a noise of dislike. Wind was bothersome when she didn't have control over it. SISIP NEEDED TO CONTROL ALL THE THINGS! Pushing her hair from her face once the wind dies down the injin returns her attention to Tori and Seven. "Good is good. Every day you feel better is .. good." She smiles softly at the Britt, "You're doing fine, Tori. I don't think you'll lose the momentum." Looking over to Seven her smile becomes a concerned one, "I know, we all do. And I'm sure by the end of all of this, Sev? You'll be asked to .. help."

[20:36] <@AnE> "You know--" BLUSTERY WINDS. "--after all this heat, it would be nice to have another storm." Then again, be careful what you wish for. She looked down at her nails, plucking at one absently while her tail flicked slowly behind her. A glance was cast Tori's way, brows furrowing in thought. "Hm." Wasn't she a chatterbox? But after a moment, she rolled her shoulders, "Most of us only live once. It is useless to sit and dwell on the past and be miserable and watch the world pass by." Something that Seven learned the hard way. The amount of time that she had been free was miniscule in comparison to the time she'd been staring at those pristine white walls, smelling ether and awaiting another injection. Or beating. Lips drew out into a thin line, and after a moment of glass-eyed staring into space, Seven shook her head, rising from the bench and wandering a few yards away in order to collect her bow, "And when that time comes, I will."

[20:40] <Midas> "I'd rather see him tied to a table with an SND around his neck." He'd snort bitterly. "I've always wondered how fast the inside of something thicker than a spoon or pin turned.." Picking up his stew with both hands then, he'd bring the bowls edge to his lips and turn it upwards as he drained it. Blissfully for the moment unawares of the strange loss of background noise outside.

[20:40] <Addison> Perfectly mosquito free evening on the courtyard? Addison is there to soak it up while wishing that he had a beer in hand. A cool wind came blowing in from one direction or another, startling the Texan awake from his nap. If only he'd heard their claims of this being a heat wave--people in Salem didn't know heat until they suffered a few days in the south. This was the best weather he'd ever 'suffered' over a summer. "..Shit. Been sleep all evenin'," he complained grumpily, pushing up and rising to his feet from the grass. He'd dozed off sometime during the afternoon with his back propped against a tree, being the lazy, somewhat jobless bum that he was. Jeans, a cool black shirt with a gold trimmed fiery phoenix, and his usual western boots were the attire of the evening.

[20:41] <Lanse> "Heh. That's just it. Y'know, for th' past year or whatever I used t' think th' only reason I'm not dead is because o' luck. Some... freak reaction from my mutation n' th' way I 'died' all combining t'... do somethin' lucky. But th' more I think about, that's bloody stupid." She glanced towards the trees and held off a frown before adding "It's pretty obvious now that I got another shot because I'm too damn stubborn t' admit when I'm dead. That's somethin' ye cin take t' th' bank with ye, luvs." She grinned at the pair, setting hands on her hips.

[20:41] <vile> The trees rustle and sway again but this time there's no gust of wind to move them! The sound of shaking leaves is quickly followed by an ominous low creaking noise. The tree limbs continue to sway and move. A large root of one of the older trees wiggles from one side to the other before it's pulled free from the ground, leaving a deep trench behind. Another root is pulled free from the dirt it's called home for so many years. As the tree frees itself it seems to get taller and taller, lifting itself up. But that's not all! The same noise comes from the inside of the hedge maze but it's tone isn't quite so booming. But it is quite a bit louder considering how many plants there are in there...

[20:47] <MarloCross> "Lets not get too sadistic on the guy, dude." Strange to be the voice of moderation of revenge in this instance. but, Marlo knew what hatred could do to a person. Giving his Nachos to Kid Blob, He heads over to Midas, sitting across from him. He looked around nervously before hand. Hadn't therebeen wind before?"

[20:49] <Saraia> She'd been wandering into the courtyard, bored with sittinga round her rooma nd tired of the rec center. She enjoyed being outside, so outside she went. Just in time to catch what appeared to be a storm rolling in, only..no clouds.

[20:49] <@Sisip> As the tree begins to move Sisip blinks. "Uhm... " Standing slowly she looks about for Willow. Was the woman playing some sort of prank? Or.. was she upset? Standing the injin frowns as more noise is heard. "What the hell?"

[20:50] <@AnE> Seven hoisted her bow, a lightweight compound device that housed her arrows within itself so she didn't need to awkwardly carry around a quiver, replacing the one arrow that she'd tried and failed to shoot earlier in the day. "...sometimes I wonder why I'm not dead." The albinoid mused quietly as she shouldered the weapon, tucking her free hand into the pocket of denim shorts. She looked slowly over in the direction of ... er, a tree. A moving tree, brows furrowing. "Anyone else see th--" Crickety crickety crack. A root pulling itself from the ground. OH GOD THE ENTS WERE MARCHING. Seven blinked red eyes dumbfoundedly and then looked around, taking a step back toward Sisip and Tori, "Uhhh. Did someone tick Willow off, or...?" Her tail fell between her legs, gaze darting about in a wide-eyed stare.

[20:52] * Midas smirked a little as he sat the empty bowl down. "I don't really care, I've seen those types before they only stop when you make them stop." Taking a slow breath. "In the most painful way possible, and the-" He was cut off them, by the noise outside. "Did you hear that?" He'd ask Marlo peering over at the exit to the food court then.

[20:54] <Lanse> "Oh, hell. Someone tell those BLOODY TREES that my gardening abilities are not very good and if they're smart they'll go back where they belong!" She cracks her knuckles and eyeballs the moving trees. "Doubt this is Miss Green thumb. You-" She pointed at Sisip. "Get somewhere safer than out here." She was about to turn to Seven, before adding, "That is, if it suits ye n'.. Wiggles, as ye say." A wink before her gaze swept to Seven. "Dunno how how ye feel about chainsaws, so ye cin either help me raid Pablo's closet, or try n' scout for whoever's doin' this. Or whatever." She was already pulling her earbud from her pocket and tucking it on. "Shatter here folks n' we have a situation. Kindly respond at yer earliest convenience, as experience tells me that trees uprootin' themselves ain't a good sign."

[20:55] <vile> The first tree, one of the oldest in the courtyard, spreads its great branches wide as if it's stretching after a long slumber. It stops moving then and just seems to watch the group. The thing has no eyes, not at first at least. But two branches bend around to be held in front of it and twigs move around, forming the shape of eyes. As if it's mocking the puny things with eyes. The thing's attention focuses on Seven. And especially her bow. Oh. It remembers arrows quite well... | The noise coming from the hedge maze grows louder as more and more of the plants are uprooted and start moving around. They start trotting around each other, almost like they're all lost and trying to find something they'd dropped somewhere in the courtyard. It's chaos! Not to mention hard to move for anyone that's eager to flee the scene because the great plants are always in the way no matter which direction one may head.

[20:56] <Addison> A root came up from the ground and Addison briefly contemplated whether or not he'd even awakened at all. "....I'm seein' it," he confirmed for Seven, staring with the same dumbfounded look of wide-eyed amazement. The earth shifted and moved as the roots were pulled up from the ground, a tree rising up higher and taller until it seemed prepared to outright march away from the courtyard . "...Maybe it's just goin' off for a stroll. Wait nope. So what'd you do to piss it off, Seven, cause that big bitch is starin' right at you."

[21:03] <Saraia> Trees. Walking. It was like something out of Lord of the Rings, only Ents weren't real. RIght? Right?! She scrambled to get back to the others, because a glance back towards the doors she'd just come through showed more plants scrambling about. Riiiight, not going that way then. Over to Addison and Sisip and Seven she went, eyeing the tree who was eying Seven. "Ok...what now? Seriously, can't it ever be normal around here?" Maybe they had a new florakinetic who was throwing a hissyfit.

[21:03] <@Sisip> The pregnant woman doesn't need to be told twice to move back. She does so, "OH it suits us!" though she doesn't go inside at all, since she wasn't able to really. Her hands twist around her as a wall of wind rises up around her, very much in the fashion that had been around her when she'd killed Julie but not nearly as angry. Watching the tree focus on Seven Sisip freezes. Please god don't let it Whomping-Willow on Seven.

[21:05] <MarloCross> Oh he heard it. He dug out his phone and called Sisip. If anything was going one, surely she would have heard about it, despite her reduced team status for maternity leave." I did. Lets go see what the frig is goin on." As he waited for an answer, he got up.

[21:05] <@Sisip> It would go to voicemail, since her hands were busy.

[21:09] <@AnE> Seven would have turned white as a sheet, but genetics took care of that for her already! A wide-eyed stare before she looked over her shoulde, nodding in affirmation to Sisip, "She's right. We'll why is it looking at me?" Her confusion, fear, all seemed to meld together in one HUGE-eyed stare up at the tree. Why did it make eyes? Why did it have a face? Oh, god. "Hrk." Was her choked non-response to Addison and Saraia, tail falling between her legs, hand on her bow. Was the tree mad? Did Seven care? Pushing out a breath, she looked back toward the three, "...Right. Someone is controlling this thing--" Crickety crack crack. "-as well as some of the other plants. We need to find out who." Her bow? It was un-slung from her shoulder, eyes narrowing on the tree. "I am in no mood, let me tell you."

[21:10] * Midas nodded as he pushed his chair back. "Lets go." Without a moments hesitation he'd head for the door, peering outside first. "Holy Crap on a stick!" He didn't mean to censor himself, it was just a force of habit. Pointing outside. "Look at that!" He'd say before shoving the door open to step out!

[21:15] <vile> The huge tree just...sits there. And stares at Seven. The 'eye' branches are brought together to blink but open up again. And it continues to watch her. A few more branches are twisted around and down to form a mouth. It grins at her. | The dozens and dozens of hedges rush and scurry around every which way until they start lining up side by side, forming a large circle around the group. When their formation becomes apparent, it's already too late to escape. A line one deep is formed first and a second soon rush behind them to make it thicker. Once in place they freeze and dig their roots into the ground. The plants aren't going anywhere. | Some of the smaller plants start to move now. One of the pansies from Nick's garden uproots itself and scampers through the grass and then winds its way between the hedge trunks. It comes to a stop beside Seven and staaaares up at her. A single leaf is pointed at the albino. Too bad plants can't talk or anything because it would totally be making threats if it could. The flower points at its face and then back at her. I'M WATCHING YOU.

[21:17] <Lanse> "Ye know, I'm tryin' t' have a serious conversation with me friends that doesn't end with me depressin' everyone or whatever and you INTERRUPT IT!" She shouted at the trees. Shifting into glass, she looked down at her shirt. "It was going well too, I'll have you know.... trees. AND DOES ANY ONE OF YOU KIDS HAVE ONE OF THESE THINGS ON?" She shouted into her earbud, her glass voice particularly loud. "I'm goin' t' clear out.. that mess." She pointed at the hedges. After a moment of thought, off went her t-shirt onto the bench. While her glass form didn't hide her figure, it was anatomically perfect. Read: opposite of Batman and Robin suits. GET IT? Whatever. Didn't last long anyway as step number one was to take off at high speed into the big tree so she could be in more than one piece.

[21:18] <@Sho> ** The trees were acting funny? Of course they were. Things had been quiet on the campus itself for too long... So of course something unexpected was overdue. Not nearly as impressive as the oldest botanical resident on campus (which reletively wasn't all that old at all seeing how many times the grounds had been denuded and replanted and helped along powers-wise, but there were just as likely assisted repottings of elder trees and maybe even a strong lone survivor, greater than all the other trees.) These younger saplings were more excitable than their elders. Wandering around, changing places, maybe dislodging the occassional squirrel at somebody. **

[21:21] <@Sisip> Sisip's hands continued to twist around her, the wind barrier picking up as the plants began to barricade them in. The last time she'd seen trees get this aggressive was.. "Lulu?" No, it couldn't be her.. could it? Didn't she take her trees and go home, to wherever home was for her? No.. wait.. she took her trees and trashed Salem. Frikken florakentics, right about now Sisip was in the mood to RoundUp everything!

[21:22] <Saraia> Squirrel! Flying at her face. Saraia did the instictive thing and shifted, flesh giving way to gimmering green gemstone shot through with a deeper blue. Poor squirrel got quite the knock when it hit her, falling to the ground dazed before scampering away. She stood there in gemstone form, glancing about nervously as the group was effectively surrounded by hedges, the tree still staring down at them.

[21:22] <@AnE> ... One could almost see Seven ellipsisising as she stared at the trees. They were... what, holding them hostage? Trying to pen them in? Her expression fell flat, and -- GODDAMMIT TORI. She scowled as the woman became glass, stripped down, and flew right at a tree. "I could have just walked through them, you know!" But, nope, now she had a moral obligation to babysit Sisip and Wiggles. She wouldn't dare try to teleport the pregnant woman away when she'd only successfully teleported someone else once. So, now she glared at the trees, and the creepy little flower that was now pointing at her and, presumably staring threateningly. So, she raised her bow for now, wishing desperately that she'd been able to figure out the trick to those incendiary arrows as she took aim at one of the large trees as she had done during so many archery sessions.

[21:23] <Addison> "....Goddammit I just trimmed those hedges yesterday!" Addison complained loudly, swearing a few more times now that he's realized this angry florakinetic is messing with his job. He'd be busy as balls tomorrow repairing this and filling in the holes...and he liked his job exactly the way it was. Minimal amounts of work and very little to do. The Texan gave a disgruntled snort and brought blue eyes toward Seven's direction. "Well...I don't see this goin' any kind of good way without some damage bein' done... so... Flame on?" This was Addison attempting to make a light hearted joke in a shitty situation. He had no chance of bursting into flames from top to bottom like the human torch, but the orange and golden tattoo wrapped around the cowboy's brawny forearm peeled off, liquid and glistening until life was brought to its shape and the very real, living phoenix was able to land upon his wrist. "How do you suppose we oughta be findin' this person that's controlling them, Seven? I dunno about you but I ain't got a chance of seeing through walls and shit...maybe they're in the hedgemaze." He shrugged at Saraia and cracked a grin. "Gonna burn my way through that wall is what I' gonna do."

[21:25] <MarloCross> When they got to a window, Marlo's eyes went wide," What in the sweet fuck of a lifetime? Why does this shit always gotta happen on cheat day?" Following Midas out, The intrepid kinetic put his phone away. He'd spotted sisip as soon as they hit the courtyard. As Midas moved past, Marlo got into a three point stance and waited," Hey, Sisip? Why is there a tree moving around?
[21:25] <Addison> tldr Addison hulks out, summons bird.
[21:26] <Blatant_Boy> "OH SHIT A BIRD!"
[21:26] <Saraia> "I think fire may make them, I dunno, angry." Her voice had a resonant quality to it while in this form, chiming almost. She stepped over towards Sisip as well, placing herself between the injin and the tree much as Seven was. Saraia might not have offensive abilities, not really. but she was sturdy in this form and could at least help keep the preggo from harm.
[21:28] <Midas> "S-should I like pop you or something?" He'd say questioningly at MArlo, remember how griffin had to give the guy a boost to get going so to speak. He stared wide eyed at the large tree, then at the hedges as they formed that circle. "Okay...this is like something out of a Batman comic..." Had to be a mutant he figured. "Someones gotta be doing this.." Of course he didn't fling himself
[21:28] <Midas> into action, but he did look around to see if he could spot anyone that might be the cause..before stareing at the plants again. "What do we do?"
[21:28] <vile> The big tree stops fucking around and starts getting active when Tori flies at it! Two of the larger branches are swung through the air right at her like she's a baseball or something. It's seen more than enough games of baseball to have some idea of how that damn game is played. Old bark creaks as it moves around, stepping off to one side with those great roots like tentacles moving it along the ground. | The hedgemaze stays right where it is! They're good soldiers and stay right where they're ordered. They're unmoving, not giving the slightest if they're pushed or shoved out of the way. The things don't even react to the threat of fire. | And that creepy little flower continues to make threatening, and then lewd, gestures at Seven and company. The thing's easy enough to forget about but man it's kind of annoying. | There's no obvious source of the shenanigans. For now it's just the plants run amok.

[21:33] <MarloCross> "See If you can get at the roots and ground it."

[21:34] <@Sisip> Sisip sounds exasperated, "Ashimal? If I knew why do you think I'd be doing this?" Her windshield was starting to angle inwards, towards her feet.. almost.. like a funnel. As the limbs make their move against Tori the injin calls out her name, TOTALLY HELPING! Not at all distracting in the least! God being pregnant sucked when people were in danger.

[21:34] <@AnE> "Well, I...was hoping that they... would not do what they...just did just now..." Came Seven's sheepish and steadily quieting admission to Addison that she had NO idea the trees were going to surround them like that. Lips pursed, gaze lifting to to look around, though all she saw was wood (no giggity!). With a sharp huff, she looked toward Saraia, "Probably, but from the looks of things, they are already angry. Take my hand or -- just. Touch me. Something. If the trees will not move, we will move through the trees." One oustretched to whoever would grab it, as she was fairly sure she could phase through a bunch of trees with company without incident. Staying in one place was dumb if they were being toyed with, or if this was a distraction for something larger. She... glanced down at the flower, lips drawing into a thin, unamused line. "...that's not right."

[21:35] <MarloCross> "See If you can get at the roots and ground it." Marlo attempts a K-Jump toward the branches swinging at Tori. With no kinetics stored up, he hoped to aborb that which come from the offending branches...Or crash right the fuck through them. anything to keep poor Tori from getting flattened." I FUCKIN' HATE NATURE!!!" the first part was to Midas...

[21:36] <Addison> "I think they're already pretty angry. You got a better suggestion, darlin'? I'm all open for suggestions." Sisip was outside, pregnant and.... fuck. Like the others, he scooched aside to protect the pregnant woman as well, forming a living wall of people around Sisip was done easily enough when they worked like a team. He didn't know if it would stress Seven's abilities to phase so many people through a wall of nature, so when she offered out her assistance, he flicked his wrist and sent his fiery companion forward at the corral line of bushes. FOOOSH went the first breath of fire, shrieking as it went.

[21:39] * Midas nodded, it was as good as an idea as he had. He'd run out after Marlo had lept, he was quick but not super humanly so. Trying to edge around the apparently pissed flora and fauna, brown eyes watching those roots as he watched, and waited for the right moment to leap at one and try to lay his hands upon it. The result if he succeeded would be him trying to transmute as much of the
[21:39] * Midas roots as he could touch into gold. Not that would stop it from giving him a good thwacking for being dumb enough to get close to it..if even got that close.

[21:41] <@Sho> ** Frikken florakinetics! Just like Sisip thought. Or was it? This could be anything. A mutant? Aliens? Anything! Anyways squirrel proved ineffective at Saraia. But others maybe? More squirrel projectiles! And were there any fruit baring trees around? Well now they were! Chucking their own fruits at people, more force than the squirrels. Even the lowly grass was getting some action. Growing at a rapid pace and seeking to entangle our heroes. **

[21:43] <Saraia> "No.. Nothing comes to mind." She just didn't think setting everything aflame was all that smart. Still, if things weren't so potentially dangerous, she'd have ogled teh phoenix for sure. How had he done that? "I'll stay with Sisip." The plants had only hedged them in until now, and they were the ones atatcking first. Saraia was into rocks, not plants, and she'd no idea what was going on. More squirrels flew, followed by fruit, and she didn't really feel any of it as more than a dull thud.

[21:43] <Lanse> Tori was moving too fast to know exactly what happened. If she'd been able to keep up with it, she might have rolled her own eyes at Marlo's attempt to be valiant. But it didn't really matter what did the job- if Marlo intercept the branches she continued on her course to smash into the trunk, hard, shattering her into a bunch of small pieces and some larger ones. If the branches hit her.. same deal, only she went flying in all kinds of directions. Either way it all pulled back together and in whirling mass of dangerous glass she would move 'round the Kite-Eating tree to make for smaller targets in shearing apart the hedges violently.

[21:46] <vile> NATURE HATES YOU TOO MARLO! The tree has many limbs and they're all out to keep the main trunk safe. Two more branches swing towards Marlo, trying to hit him like he's a baseball too! But the second his k-jump hits, the limbs shatter! Pieces of wood, sap, leaves and branches fly through the air. The tree can't scream but if it could, it would. It is not happy. Very not happy. If the tree wasn't pissed before it sure as fuck is now! As there were more branches called into duty, the ones going for Tori nail her. But it damages those branches in the process, splintering them. | Addison's fire crashes into the hedges! And...they resist it a few seconds before igniting. It's fast, of course, and ravages the plants. Black smoke flows up into the air in plumes as the plants burn. But the wall doesn't move! Even while on fire the dutiful soldiers just stand there and keep blocking our heroes away from safety. As Tori goes after them like a horrible mutant chainsaw, the hedges...stand there stoically. | As for the lewd flower, it continues to mock everyone in an equally awful fashion.

[21:50] <vile> As for Midas' attempt to turn the pissed tree into bling, it succeeds! Slowly. Very slowly. The roots start turning to gold and after a respectable amount has been transmuted, it creaks and bends under the tree's weight.

[21:53] <@AnE> Well, HM. Nobody seemed to take her offer. Sadface. "Ah. Mm. All right. I'll be back in a moment." But she turned toward the trees and narrowed her eyes, sucking in a breath and running forward. SHOOOM! Through the trees did she go, bursting out into freedom or so we can assume. As she ran, she looked up toward one of the various tall lightposts scattered throughout the courtyard. Leaping into the air, she vanished in the blink of an eye, reappearing atop it for a better vantage point (and to get away from the perv flower). What she wouldn't give for some binnoculars.

[21:53] <@Sisip> The grass grows at an alarming rate. Sisip catches Saraias offer to stay with her and the injin steps towards her, hands pausing for a moment to drop her shield before they start up again, this time around Saraia aswell! The concerned injin smiles at the woman, "thank you" is pretty much all the woman has time to say before a squirrel bounces off her wind-shield. Huzzah it worked! Poor squirrel really didn't bounce so much as it was caught up in it and flung around the curve like a Bird of Prey using the suns gravity to fling them into the future. ZING!!!! Poor squirrel.

[21:54] <Saraia> No one wants to leave preggy Sisip alone!

[21:55] * Midas clung to the roots he'd grabbed, likely getting slung around by the old things as he squeezed his eyes shut and started to transmute them! Body trembling a little as he pushed the process out along those roots. Finally he lets go rolling to the side, as he head it creak and bend under the trees weight. It'd been awhile since he tried to transmute so much, while not burnt out it had been a little more taxing than he'd remembered.

[21:57] <Lanse> Tori had to wonder what the goal here was. After doing some work on the hedges, the shards of glass simply... shot up into the air. An earbud was still clipped to one shard as the mass spread out and looked over the Sanctum in full. There had to be more going on here- she was pretty sure that every mutant that was 'surrounded' could escape the Hedgemaze in one form or another- if they were just going to stand there, they weren't really a concern... at least that seemed logical to her for the moment!

[21:59] <MarloCross> With hundreds of splinters now in his face but enough kinetics to punch through a Bradley, Marlo slowed his fall to try and get into a three point stance. Sadly, his moment taken to observe the battlefield has him entangled by THE FUCKING LAWN?! Struggling to get loose, ripping grass from it's roots, Marlo yells to Addison-forgetting her name," Hey, Hothead! Hit that 24 Karat Leg! Melt it!"

[22:02] <@Sho> ** Phasing through trees wasn't a smart option. Sure if the trees were behaving normally and you know, stationary but nope, these trees were moving and did not like the fact that Seven was passing through them, even making sharp motions to throw off her equalibrium and sense of where in the tree she was. Careful, Seven! two objects existing in the same place at the same time is what cost JJ his arm! Squirrels screeched and tried to take cover where they could, including up peoples' pant legs. The trees were not safe for them either! Midas touched and started transmuting, branches and shap twigs would reach and whip at his face and head. Glass hit and pierced trunks, sap oozed out thickly, normal on most.... but did that one sap red? **

[22:03] <MarloCross> HIS!!! FUCK HIS!!!
[22:03] <vile> <fuck his what?>
[22:04] <@Sisip> <I don't know, but I demand video proof>

[22:05] <Addison> They had a wind mutant to corral the flames before there was risk of anything blowing or spreading out of control, or so he hoped. Hedges ignite and flames go up, spreading enough that there's a temporary bonfire going on in the courtyard. Addy was preparing to punch his way through the shriveling, ashen branches that remained when he heard Marlo's call. Hothead? "On it!" The others were watching Sisip's back--err, front, and he was quickly becoming entangled by the grass, burning his way out of it with hands that were brilliantly red from the force of the heat he wielded. The bird itself had become entangled within leaves and brambles, only to free itself anew over and over. A flap of feathered wings freed it from the ashes of the most recent weed to capture it, and it flew forward as its Texan owner launched himself at the golden root. Two hotheads worked better than one.

[22:08] <vile> Too bad Kay isn't here to give Midas a boost! But the transmutation is quite useful, at least, by throwing the great tree off-balance. The root gives under the weight and bends right in half with a booming creak! The tree's distracted by OH GOD WHAT IS HAPPENING and pain, if it can even feel pain. The remaining limbs wheel around, flying each way like it's trying to swat at flies or something. It's trying to stay upright! And it manages that by putting one branch right through a nearby window. The glass shatters and scrapes some bark right off the limb but it stays up. The remaining roots shift around and shove upwards, trying to get it back into the air. | The hedgemaze is battered, shredded and toasty but still standing. Some spots are gone, reduced to mulch, but most of it's still up. At least until all that goddamn fire incinerates it all! It still burns but if someone were to try and shove their way through, the dying branches would give. All's going to plan...until the hedges uproot and start fleeing. They resume that mad dash they'd been circling around in before, scampering every which way. Big balls of fire, mobile, and wanting to give everyone a hug. Saraia was totally right. Fire was a bad idea.

[22:11] * Midas THWACK! Midas would get caught by a swing tree branch. Apparently he hadn't rolled away far enough, half up is when the branch would catch him and send him tumbling off to the side. "Uggg!" He'd groan, landing on his side curlingup a little. "I'am okay.." He'd manage after a moment, and he wasn't seriously hurt, he'd just gotten the wind knocked out of him and would need a moment to recover.

[22:12] <@AnE> Ohhh nnnnooo. Seven could not afford to have things fused into her and bits replaced, so after a bit of running and not much teleporting, she stared, steadily corraled back towards the group. Now she didn't know where she was, and that was going to make teleportation a slight pain. Scowling, she pulled out her bow and shook her head, "Well, that worked about as well as could be expected." The albino deadpanned, then narrowed her eyes, staring skyward -- or, you know, where the sky should have been, "...ohhh my goodness this is a bad idea. Someone with a communicator get security to turn on the sprinklers!" If they weren't working on that already! In the meantime, Seven vanished. This was a bad idea. When she landed, she would likely be on top of a tree, if any weren't on fire.

[22:14] <Lanse> The fact that there was suddenly a lot of fire down there only further made Tori glad of her decision to get some distance. Some part of the glass that made her up was frowning. Her boots had survived the flying around and were thrown onto the nearest roof. Her denim shorts didn't survive nearly as well, and the shredded article of clothing was thrown down carelessly to probably land on someone. Maybe that stupid flower- she didn't really care. Whether she heard Seven or not was in doubt, but she was afraid of fire to come up with the idea on her own. "This is Shatter t' security." One floating piece of glass said to the one with her earbud. "TURN ON THE BLOODY SPRINKLERS. ALL OF THEM!"

[22:19] <MarloCross> Marlo couldn't talk. He was coughing up a storm. The burning bushes were making so much smoke that it was hard to focus. Flattened his hands, he swung low, pushing kinetic force into the edge of his hand. His hope was to clear the grass to make a dash for the other leg. As soon as he could get out of the grappling grass. His coughing was loud and hoarse.

[22:21] <Saraia> Right, that little flower with his lewd gestures was just getting annoying. What was it, a pansy? Orchid? Whatever it was, Saraia bent over to pluck it up right off the ground, crystalline fingers unbothered by thorns or stingers or anything else it might have. "You are a rude little flower and that is enough." she said sternly, holding it by the stem up in front of her face. "Stop this all right this instant before people get hurt or I start plucking petals."

[22:21] <@Sisip> Seeing the mobile fire plants Sisip grunts and drops the shield around herself and Saraia. This was stupid.. this was stupid.. but she couldn't just stand there and do nothing. Heading towards the bushes the woman focuses, hands pressed together infront of her as if in prayer. Eyes focused on one of the burning bushes and since there was no Moses around to talk with it she decides to not bother with asking. Holding her breath she pulls her hands apart quickly and nothing seems to happen... at first. Suddenly the bush was just .. not on fire. How convinient was that! The idea had been given to her ages ago and it had taken a lot of practice... the woman still not very good at it, but if she could push air she could pull it. In a flash the oxygen was pulled from around the boosh and the plant quickly smothered.

[22:22] <Addison> If any weren't on fire. There's no telling how badly it's spread now. At last Seven was lucky enough that she didn't figure out her incendiary arrow trick because she'd be in the shit with Addison then. Poor guy. "....Uhoh. Tactical retreat!" he calls to the dazzling, flame hued bird that was in the midst of attempting to exhale another plume of fire from its open beak. Swosh. Like that, it dove at Addison and flattened against skin so easily it was as if it'd never been there....though it clearly left enough evidence behind. "There's got to be a florakinetic around here somewhere doin' this bullshit," he complained. He needed to be as mobile as Seven and was incapable of doing that for as long as he was grounded. Marlo and Midas were battling the tree, the latter knocked on his ass and downed for now, Addison reached down to yank the hispanic guy up onto his feet again. "There you go."

[22:27] <vile> Now the big tree has gotten its balance again, it finally attacks! One of the great branches is swung through the air, right at the downed Midas. IT'S WHOMPING WILLOW TIME! Another branch sooooars through the air, heading right for where Seven'd just decided to roost...and the tree she's perched on. And then Marlo makes another of its damn roots explode! The tree loses its balance again and winds up stumbling around, heading towards Addison! Oh noes! If he doesn't move in time, this is definately going to leave a mark! | Sisip puts the bushes out one by one, just in time for the sprinklers to cut on! The things spit water, not enough to really have much of an effect on this much shit on fire. It's kind of sad. But hey! Maybe it will spare a few blades of grass from a horrible fiery death. | As for the lewd flower, it stares at Saraia. The questionable behavior instantly stops and it just starts tugging at her fingers, trying to pry them loose. Soon...she's surrounded by horrible little flowers, all mimicing the bad behavior the first did! A sea of dry humping air. Just what group of plants is the worst is hard to choose from but at least these are harmless. Good thing Annalisa isn't around!

[22:32] * Midas had finally managed to push himself up onto his hands and knees. Was that smoke? Peering up in the fire's direction..he failed to notice one of those great branches coming towards him. Yet he did notice the shadow. "Ah shit!" He'd fling himself to the side, only to get struck again by the end that brnach mid -fling. Grunting painfully as he's thwacked back into the grass with a low groan. "I hate trees..."

[22:35] <Addison> Addison knows how to dive at last. He used to play football! He tucked and rolled as swiftly as he could without the aid of one of his beasties to call, but he couldn't evade it all and caught enough branches scraping past his skin to begin his swearing and cursing anew. He certainly didn't waste a second of time after that despite the reluctance he felt when it came to drawing out one of his larger friends. The great, vicious griffin that nearly got him sunpunched by Gains the last time the creature fubared a mission was released onto the courtyard. Addison grabbed ahold of it and pulled himself onto the monster's back...and what does the jackass decide to do after that? He rakes his claws into the field of dirty flowers, like an angry cat tearing up an expensive couch. "Hey, wait, no!" Shit.

[22:36] <@Sho> ** TREES ON FIRE! TREES. ON. FIRE. That's bad, very bad. And what's worse? Worse is trees on fire throwing squirrels on fire at everyone! And flaming fruit too. And flaming grass trying to hold everyone down, though the grass didn't last all that long. The assault just keeps going. An apple is lobbed at Sisip's head while she's distracted by putting out fires. An old apple that sat around on the grass too long. A smushy mushy rotten thing. "Annnnnnd the treeeees haaaaate yoouuuu...." Came a wispy whispery voice from seemingly thin air. More of that blood red sap leaked from a large and gnarled looking mishappen form of a tree. Some of that blood colored sap was flicked at the golden mutant - a plush and fluffy coating of moss would start sprouting from whatever it landed on. **

[22:42] <MarloCross> As his fist followed through the leg, Marlo spun, hoping to catch the Tree's 'belly' with a side kick. His Martial arts lessons were paying off. more precious kinetic force was expended, using the tree's earlier swing against it. Regardless of his hit's connection or miss, Marlo screamed out to Addison"Go <COUGH> find 'em. I'll <COUGH COUGH> we'll hold off the landscaping!"

[22:44] <@AnE> Okay. Standing. Balance-- OH CHRIST IT'S MOVING. Seven did not have super reflexes, sadly, and was promptly THWACKED by a tree branch that lashed out for the tree she'd found refuge in. With a pained grunt, she stumbled, holding her ribcage as she plummeted toward the ground. Thankfully, she had the good sense to teleport before becoming flattened, but she landed in a heap, flickering as she curled up in the grass. There was a lot of hissing in pain and silent swearing as she struggled to get back onto her feet, even if she totally borked her landing. Eventually, she made it onto her knees, coughing softly. Her bow did not break her fall goddammit.

[22:45] * Security was on the case! It only took another two rounds, but the sprinklers were soon rising from the grass and firing off water every which way. Of course, this wasn't exactly firefighter-grade stuff, just lawn-watering stuff, so it might take a while to do anything of use.

[22:45] <Saraia> Flowers. Vulgar flowers. A whole slew of them. This was just not her day. She was usually fond of flowers but this was ridiculous and she tossed teh one in her hand aside, kicking at the flowers, keeping them away from preggy momma Sisip while she put out fires. Suddenly flaming fruit and she started to swing at them with her arms, trying to knock the fiery bombs aside away from people, unable to be burned in this form though her clotehs weren't so lucky.

[22:46] <@Sisip> *SPLUT* Not paying attention to anythign but dousing bushes the injin squaw doesn't see the apple when it heads for her head. It strikes true, Sisip crying out more of alarm than pain, though her hands do come up to her head! Jesus was she bleeding.. was.. gods.. wait.. no.. it was.. enough for her to start backing away, eyes wide with alarm.

[22:48] <vile> Trees hate you too, Midas. This one does at least! The branch used to play a game of whack-a-mutant snaps, leaving the end jagged. All this moving around is wearing down the limbs and they're left far less durable as when it'd begun. Great cracks run down those thick limbs as they begin to splinter. The tree lands on the ground with a very loud WHUMP that's hard enough to be felt by people gawking from inside the sanctum building. Wood can be heard cracking as it splits in half. The limbs continue to flail and strike the ground like it's throwing a big tantrum. It tries to push itself up but can't. Marlo's kick snaps it in half! The poor tree is ruined and on the path to being mulch. The branches slow their movements and eventually stop. | The sea of lewd flowers recoil from the griffin! Their leaves are thrown up to shield them and they start fleeing like little flowery people running from a Godzilla attack. They even squeak in terror as they run! Run awaaaay! The one in Saraia's hand fired off a puff of pollen right into her face before it's thrown to the ground. Such a horrible flower. | The sprinklers start to do their job and douse the flaming bushes down so they start to be put out. What started off as an awesome hedge maze is now...some skeletal black hedges in random spots, some lying on the ground, some still upright. How sad! But one guy will be happy the damn maze is dead. One guy. Too bad he's deceased too.

[22:52] <Addison> This wasn't what he wanted. "Come on, dude, don't do that! Why cain't you do what I want just once!" Caw, caw! It screeched and had another massive temper tantrum against the lewd flowers, doing everything but pausing to squat a massive kitty dump afterward. Just when Addison thought the creature planned to ignore him, the majestic wingspan of the griffon was snapped outward and unfolded. "That way, over to Buddha!" he directed it with a gesture of one hand toward Sisip. With his sharp eyes, he saw the strike of the apple too clearly, and in a bound they were beside the injun. "Sis, hop on and hold on to me tight!" This was no place for her to be and he didn't want to take no for an answer. If she agreed, she'd find him helpful enough in heaving her up behind him. Either way, he'd intended to scout out a look from above and was off in a leap, airborne within seconds and clearing the danger zone of the whomping willow

[22:52] <Lanse> This was frustrating on every level imaginable. THe fires were .. mostly put out, but she wasn't much for punching through larger trees, she couldn't communicate with anyone in a broad sort of fashion, and... she had no idea why this was even happening. She pulled her pieces together and shot down to the ground as she reformed, one solid mass of womanly shaped glass that wasn't wearing anything. "Fucking. Hell. Mates."

[22:53] * Midas was promptly splattered by the red sap. Ewwwww! Scrambling to get up, battered in bruised it would look almost comical as he crawled rather quickly on his hands knees away from the assualted tree! Likely collecting a few nicks, and scraps from flying glass, or splinters before he manages to get on his feet. He wasn't terrified...scared but not paniced. He just needed to get some space before he could figure out what to do next...then he noticed something growing on his arm. "The hell?" Moss?!

[22:55] <@Sisip> She didn't question the assist, the woman reaching up to climb behind Addi, clinging tightly to him. Applegunk was stuck to her head and dripping from her hair and smelling like .. well .. rotted fruit.. but on the back of the griffon she was at least out of the way. She'd talk to Addi about being called Buddha later, of course.

[22:57] <MarloCross> When next they looked at Marlo, he'd be covered in the moss, struggling to get it off his face. He was having a hard time breathing from the smoke, now he had Moss growing on him. He dropped to hisd knees, letting off the last of his kinetic charge as his hands hit the ground. BOOM!!!" Get...<cough> this shit...Off."

[22:59] <vile> The great tree is now dead. It remains dead and does not magically reanimate to resume giving everyone the nastiest bruises ever. | The lewd flowers, what remain of them, seek refuge faaaar away from the group...and resume being the horrible little things they are. But it's much less annoying considering there's only four or five left. | Finally the hedges are out, dead and sad-looking.

[23:00] <@AnE> Slowly did Seven rise to her feet, dizzy and aching as she looked around. She probably came an inch away from being impaled on her own arrow, Darryl-style, but for now, she was mostly just bruised. She tried to find the source of this, but there was only so much she could see. Staggering forward, she vanished again, making a second go for the lightpost as she blinked out of sight and reappeared atop it, clinging for dear life. "The...hell... are you?"

[23:02] <Saraia> Flaming apples, rotted fruit. Not fun. And no one knew who was causing it all so nothing was really being accomplished other than buring the grounds. Addison got Sisip up to safety and Saraia was patting out a few spots on her teeshirt that had caughtfire. Yup, she'd not be changing back out here, thats for sure. The big tree fell, dead it seemed, and the lewd flowers had run off to be rude elsewhere. Ugh, awful things. "Alright, who's doing this?"

[23:03] * Midas brushed some of the moss off his arm. "What ju-" THUMP! And down he went again. Today just wasn't his day. The Culprit this time...an apple. Luckily the one that struck him wasn't onfire. Dazed he'd lay there for a moment...contemplating if it was worth getting up.

[23:03] <@JJ> ** At least it wasn't blood or brains! Just disturbingly warm rotted apple sludge. Sticky... Lesser plants were flailing and failing. Burning, bruising, getting torn asunder. Well that's what they get for acting all unplantlike! But with mutants creating things that shouldn't be, flotakinetics, and all that. Who's to what shouldn't be? The courtyard was looking denuded once again. Sad, dry, devoid of most plantlife. That twisted ugly lump of a tree still contiued on. Raspy voice that sounded more like wind gusting through its branches than it did speech. That wisp of a whisper floated at Seven. "The same could be said of you, Snowgirl." More of that red sap Midas had felt was flung from the fould being. Sharp twiggy fingers reaching into the holes within its trunk and flicking the moss growing substance at the attackers.**

[23:13] <Addison> The thing was talking again and once Addison had set Sisip down somewhere in safety--the top of the recreation center where she'd have a good view of the courtyard from above, and easily could access the rooftop door into the building when needed, he was back to his previous task. THe others were victim to rotten apples and dead squirrel flinging attacks, but the Texan wisely kept to the air, circling around and sweeping his gaze over the grounds. Was the twisted tree the source of it?

[23:14] <@Sisip> If this was Hayden Sisip was going to give him SUCH a Melvin when they caught him. Thanking Addison she watches from over the edge of the rec center, safe and quiet.

[23:15] * Addison had to make sure Buddha was okay :3

[23:17] <Lanse> "I swear t' god if me shirt caught fire.." Tori muttered to herself. Glass eyes were hard to read, but she surveyed the situation as it stood now. The glass figure strode towards Seven and... apples and... well, she wasn't sure past that point, but even with the glass nature of them it was apparent her eyes were narrowed.

[23:17] <@Sisip> Addi was in such crap later.