Trouble Rides Again (Open)

[wolfie]

He was smarter than she gave him credit for. She sighed wondering what else would go wrong. Deciding to make the bird fly on the first stone she had managed to get out of the way before she could be skunked herself. She couldn't imagine what they would do to her.

Well marking me like that would give away where I am. He's got some kind of brain up there after all. I wonder what I can do to him now. She thought wondering how miserable he was in soaked clothing. She had delayed him some from leaving the woods, but she had a feeling that wouldn't be the same much longer.

What would he do with me if caught? She thought not liking that idea. She wanted to wait and see if another opportunity would present itself. He had played into her hands showing his mind did indeed work. There was only one question on the little one's mind - now what?

[TheHighwayman]

Lerrok grimaced as he heard no signs of success in the following moments. He hadn't really expected it to work to begin with, but it was still somewhat disappointing. Worse, he'd likely tipped his hand with that, and he wouldn't be able to catch it- no, her, the voice had definitely sounded feminine- off guard if he were to try something like that again.

His damp hair had fallen in front of his eyes again, and he brushed it aside. With a shrug he started off along the road again. "What else could I try?..." As long as his opponent was watching him, he had one major disadvantage- he couldn't see what the other was up to.

But she had to take her eyes off of him at some point if she wanted to lay another trap. He was beginning to form the basis for a number of attacks, but none of them would work if he was observed first. Immediately after whatever the creature were to throw at him next, that's when he'd set his plans in motion.

[wolfie]

Findra wasn't the most patient brownie in the world. She was worried about this one he seemed smarter than she had thought. She had heard of stories where fairies had been caught by humans who were underestimated. She wouldn't do such a thing.

She wanted to plan another trick on him, but she wasn't sure what. No opportunities were presenting themselves. Fin wanted fun, but it wasn't possible. She stayed on her bird watching the Human below. She had allowed him to hear her voice. That might have been a mistake.

She smiled as his wet hair got in his face. She had caused him discomfort and a lot of laughs for her. She wasn't done with him, but she would have to wait. She knew that if he got comfortable again he might think she just gave up on tricking him. It would be then that she could go again without him catching her. She sighed and knew this was the best plan.

[TheHighwayman]

Grimacing, Lerrok stopped walking for a moment to better focus on his thoughts. It looked like his opponent was just about out of tricks- it had been longer than he expected it to take to run into some trap or other. If that were the case, if he put on a bit of speed and tried to cover as much ground as quickly as possible he could probably get out without any further trouble. He discarded the idea pretty quickly- he wanted to get some degree of satisfaction before departing. Besides, he liked a challenge.

Lerrok continued walking, figuring his plan would be a bit obvious if he were to do so immediately after that pause. He didn't do anything so obvious as starting to whistle, but he couldn't quite stop himself from walking with an extra spring in his step. After a minute or two of walking, he sped up mid-stride, turning and dashing into the woods.

He sprang over or barged through any foliage in his way, hardly slowed by obstacles. He couldn't keep that pace up for long, but if his plan worked, he wouldn't need to. Lerrok slipped a hand under his coat and grabbed a hold of his extra waterskin. Was what he was about to do wise? No, but it was, after all, an extra skin, and he was past the point of caring much about wisdom.

[wolfie]

Fin was watching him letting the bird follow around but not too close to the human. He was being weird stopping like that. It was almost as if he didn't want to leave the forest. She thought this most suspicious considering he was heading some place before she started playing tricks on him.

Watching him she found he was heading off in a faster pace. That seemed to make more sense, but she wasn't sure of this yet. He was just moving faster that didn't mean anything. She kept high up so that he might not see her while flying through the woods.

She wondered if maybe the forest was playing tricks on him with the branches and things he had to go through. She thought that funny, but hadn't done anything to do this. She hoped he wouldn't blame her for the forest's doing. She just kept a good vigil for the moment figuring something would pop up again.

[TheHighwayman]

It didn't seem to be working. She must have been following him from too far away for him to hear whatever noise she might make. He'd only get one shot at this, so he'd need to make it count, and right now the odds of that happening weren't feasible in the least. He'd need a slight chance in plans.

Lerrok ran through his options and decided what he needed to do. First, he began to speed up gradually, making it harder to keep up. Secondly, he made an effort to run into denser foliage, minimizing the ability to keep an eye on him from higher up in the air. He needed her to follow pretty closely behind him and not much higher than he was tall for his plan to work.

He'd be dirt tired once he got on the road again, but even the satisfaction of attempting one last time was worth being a little out of breath.

[wolfie]

Findra wasn't dumb. She wondered how long before he realized that. She could see a trap when one came along and that was fine. He had sped up and was moving through thicker areas. She wouldn't dare follow him at least not on a bird.

Fin wasn't happy about letting the bird go, but she knew it was time. It had outgrew its usefulness to her. She needed something else something that would be able to go from tree to tree with no problem. She needed a squirrel.

She released the bird and waited in a tree for one to appear. She didn't have to wait long. Once the squirrel was there she tossed a vine around its neck and jumped on its back. It tried to displace her just like every other animal. After a few minutes it tired and realized it was caught.

"Don't worry I won't harm you I just need your help little friend. The biaf needs to be taught that it can't underestimate those who aren't as big as it is. Going from tree to tree will help in this," she said hoping the animal would understand. Not all of them were smart, but some were willing to help her.

Once the squirrel was in complete cooperation she set off from tree to tree after the man. She noted which way he was heading and decided to get ahead of him again. Once she was she was going to lie in wait. It was time to catch him instead of the other way around. There was a spot where the vines above would help her do that.

She arrived not sure how this would work. The bird was there the one she released along with the rabbit from earlier. They had followed her even though she had released them. It took her by surprise. Both seemed eager to help her. Making signs and talking to them she had the rabbit dig a hole down below. The bird brought some friends along to help toss vines down at the man. The trap was ready now all she needed was him.

[TheHighwayman]

Lerrok slowed as his breath began to run out. He'd heard rustling off to the side and past him at one point, but not what he needed. His plan obviously wasn't working. He slowed to a jog and put the waterskin back into place. He continued on at a quick walk, not entirely giving up quite yet. He'd continue on for a few moments, see if an opportunity presented itself, then turn back.

Then the vines started dropping on him. They began to entangle him, and if he'd flailed he'd likely have gotten himself pretty thoroughly stuck. As it was, he ripped the vines away from him with his right arm and used his dagger to saw through any that wouldn't fall away.

As he worked at the vines, he glared into the woods around him and attempted to make as little noise as possible, listening for any sign of further attacks. He couldn't help cursing his own stubborn streak at this point- he should have just left when he had a good chance rather than running into more traps. "How did she even drop that many vines on me at once?"

[wolfie]

There he was, but it hadn't worked. There just weren't enough vines to trap him. It wasn't enough even with her plan. She sighed and wondered what it would take to get through to him that she wasn't going away and that she was smarter than he took her for.

She was glad she had allies in the forest animals. It would definitely help to have them trick him in her travels. She heard him questioning her again. She shook her head while staying out of sight. It wouldn't do if he saw her now of all times. Fin noticed he hadn't seen the hole yet. The bunnies had worked hard to make it deep enough that it would be hard for hi to climb out of.

Using the help of her friends she knew she would have to trip him up or something. She motioned for the rabbits to run around his feet. If they could get him to stumble he might fall into the pit. She could only hope. This was too much fun.

[TheHighwayman]

Sighing in relief as the last of the vines fell away without any further attacks, Lerrok turned to leave. He was naturally a little surprised when the first thing he saw was a number of small, furry rodents running at him and darting about his feet. "What are you-?" The man stumbled back a bit, more in astonishment than any physical obstruction. His right foot came down behind him, but half of it was left in the air.

It took him just an instant too long to realize what was going on, and his left foot was in the air before him could stop himself. Lerrok teetered over the edge for a moment, and it looked as if he'd be able to regain his balance. Before he could regain his footing, however, the dirt beneath his foot gave way and he tumbled into the hole.

Lerrok grimaced and rolled over, getting slowly to his feet. "Those are some industrious friends of yours, I'll give them that." He peered around, looking for an easy way out. He knew he had to hurry; it wouldn't take too long for her to find something unpleasant to drop in there with him. The hole looked too step to just trudge out of, and was largely without good hand or footholds. He certainly couldn't just jump it.

He circled the hole for a moment or two before he had an idea. First, he took a hold of his pack and tossed it out of the hole- he didn't need the extra weight. Then, he drew his sword and dagger, holding them both in reverse. He stepped back to the opposite wall and sprung forward, darting up the side as quickly as he could. He stuck his blades into the side for a small boost of extra momentum and to stop himself from falling back, and within a few seconds he was out, panting for breath. His hair was coated with dirt and his clothes were muddy, but that was hardly out of the norm for him.

[wolfie]

Fin watched and chuckled as he fell into the hole. She wasn't expecting him to stay in there for long. She sighed wondering if he was ready to admit she was smarter than given credit for. She had a feeling he hadn't learned that lesson yet.

She heard he gave some acknowledgement to the rabbits. She was glad of that but it still wasn't enough. She smiled when she saw his pack was tossed out of the hole first. He was more worried about getting out than keeping his things with him.

Fin sent the birds after the pack. It took all of them to lift it in the air and carry it off. She rode off on one of them having the squirrel tied up properly. She wasn't about to trust just anything to fate. They flew past a small clearing and then hid his pack inside of a dead tree. She knew where it was but wasn't about to tell him any time soon.

The bird she was on flew her back to the squirrel. She arrived just as he finally got out of the hole. Getting back on the squirrel she had it dart too high for him to see her. She would watch him from a safe distance. She chuckled at how he looked - completely dirty.

[TheHighwayman]

Lerrok brushed himself off, looking around for his pack. "Gone... I should have expected that, really." He paused and looked around for some clue as to where it had been taken, but found none. Still, it couldn't have gone far in the short amount of time he'd taken his eyes off it. The thief sighed and put his dagger away, though he kept his sword drawn- if he couldn't find his pack he wanted to be able to stick any of his assailant's furry allies that bothered him again; he'd need to eat something after all.

Without any sort of clue as to where the rest of his things had gone, he didn't have much choice but to start searching the nearby area. He didn't search too thoroughly- he also wanted to keep an eye out for any other tricks, and he'd likely have more luck covering ground quickly than probing every nook and cranny anyway.

"By the way," he called out as he searched, "my name is Lerrok, Lerrok Okren. Not 'big dumb dumb.'" He muttered a quick curse as he parted a suspicious-looking bush to find nothing of note. "And why are you so persistent in harassing me, anyway? What exactly did I do to you?" The human sounded genuinely curious, if somewhat irked. "Surely there's somebody out there who would be more entertaining to mess with. Some superstitious village rube, maybe." As he went, he picked any berries he came across- he had a plan to use them against the brownie if she gave him the chance, and they'd make good bait for a snare if not.

[wolfie]

Findra was highly amused. She watched and heard what he said. She sighed and shook her head knowing that talking to nothing was a sure sign that something was wrong. It only made her laugh again.

The animals had gone into hiding. They were being just as cautious as she was around this being. She heard his name and made note of who he was. It would be easier to keep tabs on him now that she had it. She didn't answer his questions it would give away her location.

It as easy to mess with a superstitious person I know that, but some village idiot isn't as fun. They tended more to ignore me than go along with my plans like you Lerrok. She thought to herself hearing how irked he was. It was working better than she had hoped.

She noted the berries wondering what he was planning now. She couldn't understand this man. She knew humans got hungry, but he wasn't eating them. It made her curious, but not enough to ask or go closer.

[TheHighwayman]

Lerrok grew increasingly grim as both his attempts at finding his pack and his attempts at getting some answers out of the sprite proved fruitless. He opened his mouth, about to chide her for her paranoia- did she really think he'd be able to do anything if she flew around above him and spoke?- but he decided the last thing he needed right now was for the creature to realize she could taunt him from safety if she wanted to.

"Fine then, stay silent." With a sigh and one last look around, he decided there was no way he'd find his pack before nightfall. He'd only gone a few steps before realizing there was more to it than that- he'd never find his pack without help. He continued walking- it was worth a shot, but he was trying to figure out how to word it.

"They say that your kind are fond of games, and I assume that's why you've set out to ruin my day." He scanned the trees for any sort of reaction as he spoke. "So how about a bit of a wager? A game of either chance or wit. If I win, you give me back my pack. If you win- well, I don't really know exactly what you'd like, but I'm sure there's something I could do for you. Besides, I bet you don't get many offers like this- it'd be a different experience for someone like you, wouldn't it? And I can't hurt you if I want any chance at finding my pack, so you've nothing to fear from me." If the man was bluffing, he was doing a rather good job of not showing it. "Or I could leave- sure, you get the satisfaction of stealing my pack, but I doubt you'll have many more chances to get at me." Lerrok paused at the end, waiting for any form of response. He ran a dirt-streaked hand through his hair. At this point he really just wanted the matter settled one way or another.

[wolfie]

Fin couldn't deny it this man had given her plenty of amusement. She couldn't help but laugh again at remembering how he had jumped when those quills went into his backside. She would have to remember that one for future times.

She listened to what he had to say about staying silent. That was usually the best thing for a brownie. Those who talked usually got caught or were helping Humans. She didn't care for those type. They usually weren't much fun. Hearing the rest of his idea she was giving it some thought. The fun would stop if he left. Would the fun continue though maybe if she agreed to what he said? Could he be trusted? She didn't think so.

"You are right about that, Lerrok. I don't get offers like this. How do I know I can trust you though?" She said still keeping out of sight. She had given her voice before so this was no different. She was curious, but not dumb enough not to be cautious.

[TheHighwayman]

Lerrok didn't turn to look at the source of the voice, not wanting to give the creature any reason to think he was about to try something. "I just told you, didn't I? If I want my pack back in my possession, I need you to be both able and willing to tell me where it's gone. Besides, you'd probably be more trouble than you're worth to catch. I just want my things back and to be on my way." The bandit slipped his sword back into its sheathe and popped one of the berries he had picked into his mouth.

"So, I've got nothing to gain except perhaps a little bit of satisfaction, and I'm not a cruel man- I'd not enjoy inflicting any real harm on you." The man began to search around for a comfortable place to sit. He frowned as he continued- he couldn't think of anything other than logic that he could use to prove he was speaking the truth.

"Now, you can either trust me far enough to try, or you can stay hidden and I'll be on my way. I'll give you to the count of ten to make up your mind." Lerrok waited a moment, then began to count slowly. He kept an ear out for any other tricks that might come while he was stationary, though he didn't think there would be any coming. He took a seat against the back of a tree, resting his feet on a mossy patch. "One... two... three..."

[wolfie]

She watched him as he seemed to get comfortable instead of staying on guard. She noticed he was eating the berries.

"You don't know much about this forest do you? I wouldn't eat any more of those. They aren't poisonous, but they are good for sleeping. Although you falling asleep means I could probably draw on your face so go ahead and eat more," she said not sure why she warned him.

"I'm glad you know I'm nothing but trouble at being caught. As you have experienced I'm not cruel either just looking for some fun. With you on your way though my fun stops. Then it's back to boring every day life," she said not wanting this to end. She knew it would eventually though then she would need to find someone else to torment.

She moved to be seen. It was something she wasn't used to. She sighed not liking this, but she wasn't ready to give up her fun either. She gained nothing by having him leave his pack and her.

"Okay so now what?"

[TheHighwayman]

Lerrok's eyebrow lifted as the brownie stepped into the open. "Well, I doubted I'd get this far, so I don't really know. Ordinarily I'd suggest a game of cards or a contest of marksmanship, but you're too small to hold a hand of cards properly or to throw a knife. Hrm..." Standing up and beginning to pace about, he muttered a number of possible solutions to himself, discarding most of them almost immediately.

It took him about a minute to stop. "Well, about all I can think of is would be a game of riddles, unless you have any better ideas. Now, you know what I want out of this, but if you win, what would you want?" The man sat back down and tilted his head as he looked at the brownie, completely unsure as to what he could offer.

"I don't think I have any material object you'd have any use for..." Lerrok grabbed another of the berries and began tossing it about in his hand. "I might be able to lure some other sucker here for you- or maybe show you how to make better traps than those shoddy vines you kept throwing at me..." He gauged her expression for any sign that he'd stumbled on an acceptable deal.

The thief was somewhat concerned by the fact that even if he won, he couldn't trust the brownie to actually hold up her end of the bargain- though she did warn him about the berries, so he supposed she had to have some sense of fairness. It wasn't like he had many choices in any case.

[wolfie]

Fin listened to what he was saying. This was all new to her. She nodded as he thought up of things and then dismissed them. There wasn't much someone her height could do. She did like the idea of riddles. It was right up her alley.

"That's a good question. What do I want? You are right I'm not interested in material things of this world. Suckering someone in to take your place isn't any fun for me. Better traps? Now that is more fun. Alright if I win you show me some better traps that someone my size can toss at those bigger than me," she said with a big grin on her lips. This was going to be so much fun.

"It sounds like we have a deal. Who will start?"

[TheHighwayman]

Lerrok stood up and tossed the berry at a nearby bush. "I'll start. Now, to be fair let's avoid riddles involving things the other couldn't reasonably be expected to know." He began to pace again, muttering to himself. His brow furrowed and he scratched at his stubble, trying to think of a good one. "Try this one."

He stopped and turned back to the brownie. "What could be there for all of history, yet neither see nor remember a moment of it? What has no reason to fear a fist, a blade, or the hangman's noose, but goes to pieces in a the rain? What bears being trodden on by king and beggar alike without complaint, but can bury a hapless traveler in its wrath without so much as a word of warning?"

Deciding it would just be a waste of time to sit down again, he raised an eyebrow and gave the brownie some time to think- this one shouldn't really stump her, and he wondered what she'd come up with.