[adamu]

Thursday, 21 November, 0911; Small wooded area in a field in Snohomish

Even as John prepared himself to meet the two - yes it was two - ents, the very grasses and twigs surrounding him began to reach out for his arms and ankles, twisting, catching, entangling, trapping. As he instinctively moved away he found that they could not hold him completely, but he was slowed to a snail's pace.

The charging ent, however, was not, and even as John tore away from the clinging brambles it reached out strong branches with lightning speed, holding his limbs, neck, and torso fast. And as it's grip tightened, it sang, a low, sonorous dirge well befitting its appearance:

Still your squirming tin man
Break you like a twig I can
My aim though is not distress
But to ensure a chat with my mistress.

Silly song or not, the second ent was now coming up to join its friend, branches outstretched...

[Jack_Spade]

"Set. Me. Down.
Or this wood will be turned into a poisoned wasteland. Do you think I came unprepared here? A crop sprayer drone is circling above us, loaded with good old Agent Orange and a healthy side of methyl mercury.
Every living thing in about a 100m radius will die a slow, agonizing death - including your fucking bitch of a conjurer.
Ah, you know what, why wait. I just sent the command. It will start to rain in about 15 seconds if I don't rescind the order."


I'm not happy being grabbed/subdued without a defense roll - John's chassis may be slowed but it's not immobile

For the sake of drama let's continue with the cut scene - I'll resist the urge to set everything on fire 

Con w/edge: 8d6t5 4 [8d6t5=4, 6, 6, 6, 2, 6, 4, 4]

[adamu]

Thursday, 21 November, 0911; Small wooded area in a field in Snohomish

The approaching tree, the one that had first spoken to John, stopped, a look of grave concern on its wooden visage. "My mistress begs you not to do this thing. I retreat. Come brother, let us release him that the saplings may fulfill the measure of their creation."

But even as that one's anthropomorphic features began to blend back into the surrounding flora, the one holding John replied with a mournful tone. "It cannot be, sister, for my own mistress does not release me."  And then it spoke to his captive. "I am commanded to ensure your destruction if you do this thing, an additional service to which I am not obligated but nonetheless personally disposed."

[Jack_Spade]

"I'm more than willing to wait here for your mistress and have a talk with her, but I am not an animal to be captured and displayed.
You may be able to destroy my body, but that won't kill me. It might take me a while to get one as nice as this again. But time is no big thing to the ageless. If you challenge me I won't go eye for an eye - I'll take your hole face and that of your loved ones.
All you have to threaten me is a chunk of hardware - very expensive but ultimately replaceable. The same can't be said for this pristine natural place.

Tick Tock - I've still 6 seconds to call of the drone..."

[adamu]

Thursday, 21 November, 0911; Small wooded area in a field in Snohomish

"Very well," the spirit intoned as coarse wooden limbs unwound themselves from around the trunk and appendages of John's chassis, "But attempt no treachery, defiler. This place and you are watched, and the reach of the watchers is long indeed. She that would speak with you will be here very soon. No more than a few hours, I should think. I go now to soothe the fears your threats have caused." And with that the very form and figure of the spirit became one with the surrounding flora.

[Jack_Spade]

"Yeah, you do that Woody. And if soon is a few hours from now, you probably don't mind if I wait in my car. I'm very curious about the person who thinks attacking someone will somehow make them inclined to be sympathetic to her cause."
John took the moment of respite to make a quick self diagnosis. Everything seemed to be ok. Mentally he noted to get himself a crop sprayer drone.

[adamu]

Thursday, 21 November, 1122; A field in Snohomish

John did indeed wait two hours. And change. Then his car was rocked gently by a sudden gust of wind, which was odd since the tall grasses in the distance were motionless. Looking around he saw a woman putting towards him on a tiny Dodge Scoot. It was silent, one of the painfully slow all-electric models.

She pulled up and got off, standing a few feet from the car. The vehicle rocked gently again - clearly he was being reminded she was not alone. And then the point was puntuated as the earth beneath her feet coalesced around her into a great behemoth of soil and rock that enfolded her in a protective embrace.

She was dressed like a hippy - all loose natural fiber clothes and hand-woven accessories around her wrists. She was petite, maybe five-foot-five. Her hair was white and her face was so beautiful that the stripes of red smeared roughly but symetrically on her forehead, cheeks and chin did not detract. The color of her hair was matched by two white horns spiralling up from her crown, and also by the small owl that fluttered down onto her shoulder. It was graced by the same red markings she was.

[Jack_Spade]

John got out of his car and stretched - equally for effect as well as to make sure all his cyber limbs were working correctly.
"Good morning. So tell me, why exactly should I not inform the cops that there is a crazy mage threatening harmless wanderers?
And please cut the bullshit. I've been waiting for over two hours. What the fuck do you think you are getting out of threatening me?
If you hadn't set your pet trees on me I'd have gone away and likely never returned."

[adamu]

Thursday, 21 November, 1122; A field in Snohomish

"Oh no, seriously? I am really sorry. It's just that I thought you were sent after me by the Seoulpas, sooo..." She shrugged. "But since you're just a harmless wanderer out for a hike, well, I'm really sorry to have bothered you. Feel free to come hang out in my sacred grove anytime, though!"

[Jack_Spade]

"Now, I never said that I was this harmless wanderer. But likewise I'm not a "defiler" or necessarily your enemy.
I have a professional interest from stopping any further escalations between you and this Mafia - mainly because I not so recently tried to save a young lady not unlike yourself from the Korean adult industry. As a direct result of this illadviced chivalry I find myself now assaulted by you.
I'd have hoped you would be a bit more civilized than the Koreans and actually explain what's going on here."
John had taken a seat on the hood of his car, keeping a - hopefully - calm smile on his face.

[adamu]

Thursday, 21 November, 1122; A field in Snohomish

The girl reached up and stroked her owl's chest. Her demeanor relaxed a bit, but the earth spirit's did not. It's scowl at John appeared carved in stone.

"Trust me, mechanical guy, any womyn caught up in the exploitation industry is nothing like me, but right on for helping her out. The rest of your tale is tedious, though. Paint drying. I really shouldn't even be here, because if the Korean-Americans are tracking you, they'll be coming at a run. But after seeing your aura I couldn't resist a peek. We thought you were a drone at first, but before we decided what to do about it, we got a better look at you. And then your conversation with our friends confirmed it. So. like, do you have emotions? How about, like, personal values?"

[Jack_Spade]

"Gosh. Yeah, one of my primary emotions right now is annoyance for you dodging my questions. I am human - I just had a nasty accident and now need a full body prosthesis. You should visit one of those sensitivity classes for the workplace on how to approach the subject of disabilities.
Regarding Values:
I have friends, I enjoy things - not necessarily the baser desires - you need glands and other messy organics for that - and I happen to be all in all in favor of solving situations peacefully. Sure, my stance towards the sanctity of life has changed with me having died and then gotten better, but all in all I prefer not having to murder my way through my problems, since that creates only more problems of the same kind in the long run. Which incidentally is something you and your friends should take to heart.

So to clarify and restate my earlier question: What. The fuck. Is going on here between you and the Koreans?"

[adamu]

Thursday, 21 November, 1122; A field in Snohomish

"Well...." she was watching him intently, but her gaze was somehow unfocused. "If your primary motivation is not creating more problems, then me talking about my thing with the Korean-Americans will not be your thing. Too bad. I've been getting a lot of Wizard of Oz imagery when tripping lately, so I thought maybe you were the one I was supposed to find. But maybe I should just start looking for a Cowardly Lion or a flying monkey. Anyway, can't very well tell you anything if you're just going to run back an report to them."

[Jack_Spade]

"Yeah, sure. Because me telling them something they already know is what they have been waiting for.
And you should listen to what I'm actually saying: I don't care about creating problems - I care about stopping further escalations.

As far as I know, you or at least one of your friends murdered a bunch of people who at the time weren't giving you reason nor excuse to use lethal force.
I don't know how you justify that and I don't particular care from a moral perspective. It just looks needlessly wasteful. How do you expect to impose your will if you don't tell anyone what you want in the first place?"

John had reclined a bit more in his car seat. Talking to stoned hippies was annoying, but it beat fighting against magic trees...

[adamu]

"Typical male. Never seeing...what?" She turned and looked at empty space next to her. "I'm not....Seriously?....Him?....No no no. Are you joking with me right now?....He'll just....No, mistress.....Yes, mistress....Yes, mistress."

She turned back to John. One corner of her mouth was twisted into a pensive pout. A cool breeze sent her hair waving in counterpoise to the ripples in the grasses around them. She started to speak twice, but no sound came out either time. Finally, she swallowed and asked, "Our problem...part of our problem... is that your Korean-American friends are kidnapping children and selling them as sex toys and food. Pretty much of a bummer all around. The sort of a crime only a patriarchally heirarchical organization could commit, since no womyn would be a part of it. My mistress, whom I obey even when I don't agree with her..." her sidelong glance confirmed to John that this mistress was, at least in the horned girl's eyes, still present. "...she thinks you'll help us...take them from your friends."