Be Prepared!, [invite only: thread currently on 'hold]

[Genie]

BE PREPARED!

aka: 48 hrs in the wilderness with Genie!
Starring Snow White, Audrey Ramirez, The Mad Hatter & Dr Facilier

Appearing in a fluff of purple smoke, Genie wearing something akin to to a certain famous bullwhip-cracking archaeologist's get up, shrugged off his backpack and took a long appreciative look around, shading his eyes against the brilliant sunshine with a large blue hand.

From the towering yet slender rocky outcrop on which he now stood, he could see for miles. Directly before him lay Paradise Falls, a constantly moving ribbon of silver knifing its way through high cliffs to the white-water river churning below and casting his gaze further afield took in the gullied, wind-carved red rock plains and a lush sweep of emerald jungle. A satisfied smile curled the edges of his mouth, this was perfect.

Never one to stay still for long, he got straight down to business and after a couple of zaps of magic had a large bright fire burning merrily away and pile of various packs and sacks and bundles and boxes of what looked suspiciously like a wide variety of camping equipment - which of course was exactly what it was! Ohhh this was gonna be fun! Rummaging in a pocket he pulled out a notebook and flipped it open, his eyes whisking down the list of 'special guests' all of whom had been hand picked with an idea towards complementing each other like different pieces of a jigsaw. Okay, yes, so some of the pieces - Genie wasn't stupid, he already had a pretty good idea of which ones - might need re-shaping to get the best fit, but at the end of the day it would if nothing else be a great exercise in working together to achieve a common goal. And speaking of goals, he was under no illusion in assuming that after 48 hours in his company, for his lucky 'guests' that goal might just be as simple as getting outta there!

Still, nothing ventured nothing gained. He looked over the list again. Hmmm, Audrey Ramirez, a feisty Hispanic mechanic whom he felt sure would be able to cope with whatever he threw her way. Mending stuff, catching food, performing karaoke in a Bo-peep style dress, ahhh piece of cake! Snow White, singing to animals seemed to be her forte but hopefully she could cook as well and abseil with the best of 'em. The Mad Hatter ... Genie's eyebrow quirked sharply, he couldn't remember why he'd asked him but hey, he was a guy and so if they got themselves attacked by a troupe of baboons, crazed elephants, misplaced Vikings or ants intent on carrying off the picnic then the Hatter would surely be their first line of defence. He reached the end of the list and congratulated himself on inviting Dr Facilier, it never hurt to have someone in the medical profession along!

To these lucky four he had sent an invitation by way of a dream inviting them all for a life changing experience at a Place called Paradise Falls. Genie's voice had whispered in their minds offering beautiful scenery, great opportunities, the chance to enrich themselves ... Okay, so he had neglected the part about camping in the wild and putting up tents and sleeping in tents and carrying water and walking along bug infested trails and bathing in streams and no stores or drive-throughs or infomercials or wi-fi, but hey, humans loved surprises, right!

Stuffing the book back in his pocket he cracked his knuckled and then bending low, drew four large X marks on the ground before him which immediately began to glow purple, scarlet, yellow and pink. Dusting himself off, Genie took a step back and as shapes began to form within the plumes of smoke now streaming up from the Xs, threw wide his arms and welcomed his happy campers with a deep bow, a beaming smile and a big bowl of trail mix .

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[OOC: Seph, Jenna, Nate, Tox - okay guys, here we go, hope it works for you all. My idea is that we get right on to the action and fun and don't get bogged down with 'how I got here' and lengthy introductions as the guys will be thrown together soon enough so there'll be plenty of time for bonding and getting to know so and so. Anything we need to change or edit or anything you need me to explain, give me a poke on Genie's eventboard! Thanks for coming on the trip, your muses will thank you for it!]

[[x]Snow White]

Snow White loved to dream. It was something she found herself doing frequently nowadays; her princess duties were new, interesting, and, of course, important to her kingdom, but she sometimes wished for the quiet cottage in the woods. She was once free to cook, clean, and spend time with her friends among beautiful scenery. Now, however, her current line of work kept her cooped up within the palace walls, and although the people were nice, there was just so much pressure pushed upon her...

One night, someone in a dream informed her of an escape: beautiful scenery and a chance to enrich herself. She knew she couldn't leave her duties behind, especially on such short notice... but her advisor seemed to have a better idea on what to do as a princess than she did, and she supposed a tiny break wouldn't be too much of a problem. Thus, Snow White marched right over to her servants, and in an air that would have made her prince proud, declared she had some diplomatic business to attend to. Unknown to them, the princess was secretly planning on what to pack, how to get there, and how she was going to invite her dwarf friends along for the ride.

However, the moment she returned to her room, she found herself somewhere completely different! Surveying her surroundings, she spotted a majestic waterfall in the distance, a lush jungle, and... goodness!

Snow White was surprised, to say the least, to see the large blue Genie in front of her. Eyes wide, all she could manage to say was, "Oh my!" He didn't seem to be human, although he vaguely resembled one if one was coated in blueberry juice. Was he a magical creature, like out of a storybook? He must have been the one who summoned her there!

He was well-mannered, at least, welcoming them with a bow and a bowl of food. She smiled; he seemed nice enough. "Well, how do you do? I'm Snow White. Did you bring me here?"

[Dr Facilier]

(sorry so short! D8)

As the large whuff of purple smoke dissipated upon the hot breeze to swirl over the precipice of the rocky plateau and out over the trackless plains, so it drew a pair of scheming violet eyes which widened immeasurably at the sight of such a sprawling vista. After life in the bayous and city of New Orleans, Dr Facilier had never seen such a vast and varied landscape, and, for a good few moments, was struck dumb.

He hadn't asked for this. Indeed, the mere notion of following some strange voice that had cropped up in his dreams promising something of importance was anything but a good move to the bokor - having spent long enough around black magics and dangerous spells (not to mention is own sales techniques), he knew well enough to be wary of such offers and was hesitant to accept. Regardless, his curiosity seemed to act as an acceptance of the invitation and, before her knew it, everything had changed in a startlingly bright assault upon the senses.

But this...this he hadn't expected at all. Finishing with gawking at the landscape that had greeted him, Facilier became duly aware of others' presence and, finally turning to better assess his company, stared flatly from under the brim of his hat at the large blue djinn and young woman nearby. Both hands resting upon his cane with a forced nonchalance, the witchdoctor shifted his weight and remained, for now, in a polite, if icy, silence; being displaced from his comfort zone was one thing to worry about, being in the presence of a clearly deranged genie was another matter altogether.

[Audrey Ramirez]

Scenery? Not really. Great opportunities? It depends. Enrich herself? Now that keyword really caught the money-greedy Hispanic's attention. Audrey wasn't into adventure or exploring unless she received some kind of payment out of it, but when she understood that this invitation had the promise of her getting rich, that was when the mechanic truly set her sights on heading over to Paradise Falls.

Just as she turned her mind to the idea of going, she blinked with bewilderment set upon her small-framed face when she found herself transported somewhere far different than where she was originally. Yet before she could even react to the beautiful atmosphere and the lush greenery she was somehow surrounded in, her large brown eyes stared directly at the broad smiling face of a blue person wearing an attire that Audrey recognized to be something people would wear if they were an explorer or were on an expedition. Yet what really struck the high school bully as odd was the fact that this person was completely blue, down to even his hands! It was almost as if the person just decided to paint himself blue all over. The petite teenager in over-sized overalls turned her head to glance over at the people beside her, some of them wearing the strangest attires with the exception of the tall, slender black man who wore a formal looking attire with a top hat (which was something she was used to seeing in her time); yet also noting that they did not seem to react too strangely to this guy being painted all in blue. "Why is he blue?" Audrey asked aloud of the people beside her rather bluntly, not caring to take into consideration that the blue man in front of her could hear her, although the tone of the Hispanic's accent was soft and filled with curiosity rather than its usual gruffness as she tilted her head and stared at the blue man with wonder. Glimpsing down from his brilliantly smiling face, she noticed him holding a bowl of trail mix in his large blue hands. "Hmph," Audrey resumed her toughened countenance with an indifferent shrug of her shoulders and a tiny smirk curving up on edge of her thick lips, "This better be for free.." Far too impatient to bother waiting for a confirmation from the blue man, she boldly stretched her arm out to take a handful of trail mix from the bowl. If this place she had somehow landed in was the very place she was promised to get rich in, then the Hispanic figured on taking advantage of everything she could get.

[The Mad Hatter]

Nothing like falling asleep on a cozy little teapot after a long day of extreme shenanigans. It had been a pretty eventful day! Reggie, Marchy, and Dory all found a new teapot sitting on the shelf in Reggie’s house (a lavish nine spouted one with lime green paisley patterns crisscrossing its way around the porcelain), the March Hare fell off his chair while drinking a freshly clean cup and ended up spewing tea from his ears, and Reggie found a piece of yarn! By goodness it was an eventful day indeed. To make it all the more exciting, it was all probably going to be repeated again the moment he awoke from his slumber! Minus the yarn piece of course, because finding yarn is such a rare occasion that it happens usually only once every Monday of the third month, and for that reason, Reggie holds a special place in his jacket pocket just for his string. Of course, falling asleep with such precious cargo in ones pocket is not the most brilliant idea, so to protect his darling yarn, Reggie had removed his jacket before dozing off and had placed it neatly behind his favorite plush red chair. In his vest and shirt, Reggie fell off into dreamland, which no doubt was

He was chasing a long piece of yellow yarn. It was all twisty and furry looking and oh he just had to have it! There! It ran up a tree! Hatters are expert tree climbers! There! It’s now flying on the breeze over a mountain of sugar cubes! Hatters are extremely….terrible flyers. Oh look! Now it’s swimming in a great river of tea! Hatters can float so that accounts for something! But it was just then when he was about to jump into the river to chase the yarn, the thick smell of smoke filled his nose. Ignoring it at first, Reggie continued his dream of jumping after the yarn. But the smell seemed to get stronger. Now it wasn’t exactly a burning smell, but it had that essence of smokiness to it. Bolting his eyes wide open, and shattering the dream of the little yellow yarn, Reggie found himself sprawled on the ground, looking straight up into a blue sky, and surrounded by wisps of smoke. ”MY HOUSE!” the Hatter screamed hopping to his feet, ”MY HOUSE IS ON FIRE!” Running around in circles, Reggie ignored the fact that he wasn’t alone nor did he even bother to notice the scenery. With both hands on his face, the little man continued to run in circles screaming the same phrase.


”Oh Marchy, I told you putting the tea pots in the fireplace where a terrible idea!” he screamed as he launched himself into the puffy yellow skirt of someone he still didn’t pay attention to notice. Beating on the skirt and tugging at it, Reggie wailed. ”Oh why? WHY? My poor, poor house is on fire!”. Then slinking from the mysterious yellow skirt, Reggie sprawled himself out on the ground, crying and moaning, and began to convulse as his tantrum continued. His movements ranged from the worm, to the motions involved in making a snow angle. It was only when he found himself getting to his feet and running head first into a great blue thing that Reggie stopped his fit. There was a man made of blue jell-o as it appeared standing before him! Reggie’s eyes grew twice their size and his mouth fell agape. The stout little man backed up a few steps to admire the blue thing, and then, sticking both hands out in front of him, eyes still staring huge, he muttered ”Mine…” And like a little boy in a candy shop heading for the jar of lollipops, Reggie began slowly making his way toward the blue man.

[OOC: Sorry that took me so long guys! And sorry it was random! And double sorry Reggie was attacking Snow's skirt Jenna X__X ]

[Genie]

Genie, grinning from ear to ear looked at his assembled troops with fond delight, aww what a mixed bunch they were, he could hardly wait to get them started on this little expedition. Of course he didn't see - or perhaps more accurately, being Genie he wasn't equipped to see- the expressions of confusion and suspicion on some of their faces, but ahhh what did it matter anyway? They were amongst friends here and before they knew it they'd all be getting along famously!

Suddenly clapping his hands together loudly enough to make everyone jump, Genie launched right in with the introductions, "Hi, hello and how'd ya do everyone and welcome to Paradise Falls! I'm Genie and I'll be your host for this tram ride to the Transportation and Ticket Centre and - ye-ow!" Stopping dead he pressed himself sharply in the chest, there was a whirring sound and a small silvery disc popped out of a hitherto invisible letterbox-like slot. Zapping it away into the ether, Genie produced a gold-coloured disc and sliding it neatly back into place (both disc and slot vanishing as if they had never been there) smiled apologetically at his staring audience, "Whoops, my bad. Sorry guys, had an outta theme park experience there! Uh where was I? Oh yeah, welcome to Paradise Falls, I'm Genie and yes I am a genie and no I'm sorry but I don't do those wish giveaways any more. Sorry. Now why are you here in Paradise Falls you ask? Well I could ask you the exact same thing but to save us all a long and boring conversation let's just cut to the chase and say you're here because you wanted to be here! You've all come to enrich yourselves right? So c'mon then people let's get rich rich rich!"

Spinning on the spot he promptly took off striding towards the distant foothills only to stop dead after several paces and come trotting back again sheepishly. "Okay, okay, mustn't get ahead of myself, right? I bet you're all wondering who these other guys are huh? Well let me introduce ya all! Here on my right is the lovely Snow White, a pretty little princess with a heart of gold and oh, sorry playboy -" he threw the gaping Facilier a wink, "...but she's very much taken, so no funny stuff right! Ohhh! But this little lady who goes by the name of Audrey is, I believe not taken so whaddya know Doc, if ya play your cards right she might just smile upon you!" Oblivious of the scowling going on all round he prattled on, "Now Snow here is good with animals, vegetables, musicals and apple pies while our lil' Audrey is a whizz at all things mechanical so mind your Ps and Qs or she'll throw a spanner in your works and charge ya to remove it!" Moving across to the openly steaming Facilier, Genie nudged him closer to Audrey and made a photo frame with his hands, "Ahhh don't they make a lovely couple? Ohhhh, do I hear wedding bells? Say, who brought the rice and the lucky horseshoe? ... Uh, where was I? Oh yeah, this is Doctor Facilier people and he's very pleased to meetcha and ya know what guys? He's a professional so if you get a splinter in your pinkie or sit on a thorn or if you find you can't sleep at night -" his eyes caught sight of the sentient shadow slinking about the bokor's feet, "... which with that thing on the prowl is a distinct possibility, then you'll know who to turn to. Doctor Facilier everybody, a face you can trust!"

A spluttering noise drew his attention to the last in line and for the first time that day, Genie looked slightly confused, "And this here is Reggie, the Mad Hatter, he is ..." he trailed off groping for a suitable description of the seemingly crazed little man whom they had all just witnessed rummaging around in close proximity to the innocent Snow White's skirts but for once was unable to think of anything even halfway suitable. "Um ... well he just IS. Trust me, you'll get used to it! And that my friends is that! Anything else you need to know, please don't be afraid to ask, knowledge is power guys, I should know 'cause to tell ya the truth -" He grinned at them from beneath the shadow of his battered fedora, "I'm making this up as I go!"

Suddenly brisk again he raised his arms and twirling his wrists - for added dramatic tension - sent twin bolts of power surging from his fingertips into the ground at their feet. Immediately five backpacks blossomed into existence and grabbing the nearest one and hoisting it onto his back Genie gestured for his new friends to do likewise. "Come on guys, time's a wasting! We have to be over thattaway -" he indicated the foothills about a ninety minute hike away, "... in time to pitch our tents before it gets dark! Believe me you don't wanna be caught out here when night falls, there's stuff lives out here that makes heffalumps and woozles look like Jigglypuffs and Slowpokes! C'mon, chop chop! Last one there has to collect the firewood, second last there's gotta make the s'mores!" Seeing Audrey's expression he threw her a wink, "Well? Whaddya waitin' for A? For all I know there could be gold in them thar hills. Lots of gold!" And with that he turned on his heel and began marching away, there was absolutely no question that they were all expected to follow.

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[OOC: apologies for the massive post, I'm just trying to tie it all up so that we can do away with intros and stuff so please don't feel you need to write up a giant reply too as I'll be doing much shorter posts from now on. Feel free to pick it up from when the backpacks appear if you like.

Also, if you have muse then just go for it, I'm not a great stickler for rigid posting orders so if you want to jump in 'out of turn' so to speak, do feel welcome to. =)~ ]

[[x]Snow White]

Snow White watched in awe as the other three humans appeared out of thin air. It was one thing to go through such an experience yourself, but to witness the event was something else entirely.

As they materialized, the princess studied them curiously. One of them was tall and thin, with a skin tone much darker than her own (which, she supposed, wasn't saying too much, since she wasn't named Snow White by her birth mother for nothing) or anyone else's in Germany. He wore a tall hat with a feather sticking out of it, although much smaller than the feather in her Prince's. Something about the man reminded her of her late stepmother; perhaps it was the common love of the color purple.

She was stunned and somewhat offended by the next guest's choice of clothing. The woman was lovely, of course, but she was wearing trousers! In her kingdom, every woman - rich or poor - dressed in skirts; only the men wore pants. Snow White knew she wasn't brightest star in the sky, but she knew for a fact this stranger was a woman and shouldn't have been wearing pants. From what culture did she come from...? The princess wondered if she came from a land in which the opposite was common and men wore the skirts instead.

Before Snow White could even think about exchanging introductions with her companions, another figure appeared. If she thought the others to be strangely dressed, why, this one took the cake! His green hat was tall, similar to the first man's, but he wore such a bright orange coat it almost made her eyes hurt! Goodness...!

She didn't have much time to ponder his outfit, however, as the man launched himself into her skirts, pulling on it! Shrieking, she placed her hands on her cheeks, appauled. Why, she had never been so humiliated in her life! Not even Dopey had ever done such a thing. Someone needed to teach him some manners!

The brunette was about to scold the man when he slinked out on his own, looking even more distressed than she felt herself. She remembered how she had raced through the forest in a fit of hysteria; she didn't invade the privacy of a married young lady, but at the same time, she couldn't help but be reminded of the traumatic event as he ran towards the blue being.

Finally, the mysterious blue figure - a genie! - explained what was going on... well, mostly. Snow White still wasn't quite sure what exactly their purpose of being there was besides enriching themselves somehow and "pitching up tents before it went dark." She was deeply flattered when Genie complimented her, and giggled in amusement at his side comment to the man in purple. My, did genies know everything about everyone? She was certain they had never met before. Perhaps word of her marriage to Prince had gotten around quicker than she assumed...

Snow White didn't understand most of what Genie described about Audrey, but she did feel somewhat safer with the knowledge they had a doctor in close proximity. The man that had taken a liking to her skirt was called Reggie, the "Mad Hatter." With a hat so large and colorful, she supposed he should be a hatter; but why was he mad? Perhaps Reggie was only having a bad day, and didn't even realize where he was or what he had done in his confusion. She hoped so, because she wouldn't be able to relax around a man who purposefully hid in women's skirts...

The petite girl was startled when a foreign object popped up before her. Watching as the Genie picked his up, she mimicked his movement, scrutinizing the bag. What in the world...?

Genie talked so fast she had a hard time of keeping up, but she was able to make out that he wanted them to follow him somewhere. Knowing she had no choice and feeling strangely secure around the friendly fellow, she fell into step behind him, eyeing Reggie cautiously as she walked. She would give him a chance to redeem himself, but she definitely did not wish to have a repeat of his first appearance...

(OOC: Post is long, crappy, and unchecked for errors. I am so tired right now. x_X)

[Dr Facilier]

Rich, rich, rich!

The simple mantra placed itself on an infinite loop within the Bokor's head, just as much to keep him focussed upon the real reason as to his lingering with the strangers as it was to keep him from losing his sophisticated attitude with the great grinning buffoon and his tirade of magic nonsense. Truth be told, the Shadowman had gained little to no experience with the djinn in his lifetime, only hearing of them in fabled tales and books that did not often include their presence in America; in spite of this, everything about the glowing, yabbering loudmouth screamed that no matter what he was, their guide was anything but ordinary.

Trying his best to ignore the teasing comments and focus more upon each person in his own manner of scrutiny, the witchdoctor's violet eyes flicked from face to face, politely devoid of emotion as he inclined his head to each in turn. The youngest woman was introduced to the small group as Snow White. How ... appropriate. Now, wasn't she just the perfect picture of innocence; she looked sweeter than beignets and gullible as his first customer - to all intents and purposes a kid who, especially considering that 'princess' moniker of hers, could land him in some pretty big bucks. Of course, the fact she already had her little Prince Charming could be a problem to consider for the future, not to mention how he'd have to tread around the ever-watchful gaze of the genie, who, apparently taking note of the Bokor's unimpressed expression, had decided to cajole him further.

His lanky frame didn't stand much chance against Genie's nudge and, in spite of the resistance, Facilier found himself pushed into proximity with the shorter, irritable-looking young lady - a mechanic, apparently, which for the voodoo doctor seemed almost laughable a profession for a lady to even consider herself in. Of course, going by her expression and manner of dress, he wasn't about to contest the matter and instead gave her a look that clearly expressed apology and silent exasperation behind the smirk he offered.

Genie moved onwards in the introductions and accordingly Facilier took a casual step away from Audrey, inclining his head to get a better look at the last member of their eclectic party. Talk about colour, this guy was a one-man Mardi Gras all in himself; though his way with women wasn't exactly smooth, the stranger had energy to spare and, if was lucky, would provide an ideal means of distraction with their group leader, leaving him to get on and get through whatever task this was and grab the riches with minimal trouble. For the time being, he decided not to bother telling the group that he was no medical doctor: with a magical creature at their lead, he wouldn't be needed anyway and the alternative would put him in poorer standing, aggravating as the truth was.

Having enough experience around magic not to be overly fazed by conjuration, Facilier blinked down at the small pile of backpacks that sprung from thin air and gave them a sneer; following the money was one thing, but nobody had told him there'd be work involved. Half-tempted to leave his pack and walk on without, it was only Snow's own initiative and Genie's fast moving that persuaded him to hurry up and do likewise, ignoring his shadow's silent, mocking spasms of laughter as he shrugged the pack on and followed.

Well, whilst they were all busy scrambling to keep pace with the...worryingly energetic djinn (nobody he knew of in New Orleans ever smiled like that and proved to be of sound mind), the doctor saw no reason not to attempt sounding out any kindred spirits. The youngest he knew already seemed to be in favour of the blue stranger, but perhaps the others could be brought round to his way of thinking, or were already harbouring suspicions akin to his own.

"Am I the only one here feelin' just a little less-than-impressed with our gracious host?" Facilier hissed under his breath as he stalked after the oddly dressed genie, vaguely aware that he might have been heard in spite of the lowered tone but knowing that by now he might as well finish what he'd started, "I know for one thing that I never agreed to some walk through wild lands in any case."

[Audrey Ramirez]

An expression of bewilderment was worn on the teenage mechanic's face when something came out of the blue man's chest, her only silently curious response was accompanied with a minor head tilt as she pondered on what was going on. Was that supposed to be a magic trick? If it was, she didn't understand what he took out. CDs were not made in her time period, but it vaguely reminded her of a smaller version of a record disk because of the shape. Audrey turned her gaze towards the others, yet again they seemed to be unfazed by it. Deciding to reason that with some kind of magic trick, Audrey grabbed some trail mix from the bowl and casually stuffed it in her mouth with a shrug of her shoulders. She began munching away with her eyelids lowered indifferently as Genie began introducing everyone. Her large eyes flickered over to the beautiful Snow White in her colorful dress when Genie spoke about her being a princess. Audrey was admittedly intrigued at the fact that a princess decided to come here. But for what? More money? Upon perceiving the princess' judgmental stare, however, Audrey retaliated with a scowl of her own. How she hated when the rich people looked down upon her.

Suddenly, the Hispanic's munching stopped and her brown orbs widened upon hearing Genie talk about her, astounded by how well he knew her when they've only just met. The fact that Genie knew she did that to the people she hated or mistreated her made her feel a little creeped out and at the same time annoyed that her secret was out with these people. Her irritation transformed into a glare when Genie paired her up with Facilier, narrowing her eyes in silent warning to make sure this guy would not get any ideas. Yet she knew by the apologetic expression he wore when he bumped into her that it was mainly Genie's fault. Still, Audrey tried to keep her frustrations contained within. She wasn't sure how this Genie guy knew her, but she also did not know what this guy was capable of doing. Feeling too disgruntled over genie, she paid no mind to what was said about the doctor or the Mad Hatter, whose crazed, perverted antics reminded her of Mole.

Although caught off guard by camping backpacks suddenly appearing in front of her, Audrey stubbornly crossed her arms over her flat chest when they were told to head off. The entire time he spoke, the teenager did not hear anything about money involved so she purposely remained behind. She was not doing this for no reason. It was only until Genie piped up to her about there being gold in the hills when Audrey slung the backpack on and began walking along with the rest of the group. The teenage mechanic turned her head when Doctor Facilier spoke about feeling unimpressed by this. At least she wasn't the only one. "Yah, me neither. He better be right about the gold up ahead or I quit this thing." Her Spanish accent drew firm with promise in that low undertone, holding meaning to what tough teenager intended to do. Walking through wild lands was of no concern for her when her mind was focused on the pile of gold waiting for her. Audrey had been working all her life; the hardworking Hispanic did not mind working towards the gold as long as she got what was promised in the end.

[Genie]

Ahhh it just didn't come any better than this, beautiful scenery, fresh air, exhilarating adventure aaaaaand the continuous griping of two of his companions as they traipsed grumbling along behind him muttering dark asides about how they expected him to come up with the goods here.

Genie rolled his eyes, humans were weird, no two ways about it and some of these guys seemed extra weird. Oh, and speaking of which ... His eyes widened as a sudden thought struck him and coming to a halt quickly enough to almost send the unwary Facilier cannoning into his back, turned and looked back the way they had come. As expected there was no sign of the Hatter who had last been seen on all fours in front of a large rabbit hole the occupant of which he had appeared to have engaged in lively conversation. Genie tugged absently at his beard, lions and tigers and bears he could understand but where wild creatures were concerned, the Hatter was in a class of his own. Shrugging amiably at his now three companions,he resumed his trek. Wherever he ended up, something told Genie that the Hatter would be all right.

They trudged on a little way more before shielding his eyes against the slanting sunshine, Genie pointed out a shallow dip not far ahead where the ground evened out onto a stretched of lush green turf beneath the eaves of a shady forest. The glitter of a little waterfall caught the light away to the left. "There ya go guys. Here's where we make camp. See? Toldya it wouldn't be too much of a walk." Ignoring the unimpressed silence and what felt like downright hostility emanating from two thirds of his companions, he elected to ignore them and concentrated instead on Snow White who trotted gamely beside him. Genie was impressed with the girl, she hadn't complained once and genuinely seemed to be enjoying herself. He smiled at her, "So Snow, ohhh can I call ya Snow? What do you think of this place? Pretty neat huh? Ya know I think we may even see fairies flitting about tonight!" Stooping suddenly he plucked a white flower and flicking his fingers over it, sent it gliding gracefully on a plume of sparkles to rest in her small hand, completely oblivious of the other two campers reactions behind him.

Reaching the little dip at last, Genie threw down his own pack and helped the girl off with hers before turning back to Audrey and Faciler who had fallen a little behind and were apparently far from content. Hmmmm, how to cheer 'em up ... they wanted proof that there were riches to be had here, right? A wicked grin curved his mouth as careful to shield the pulse of magic with his body, he sent a bright blaze of power into a nearby red-berried shrub. 'Aw this is just too easy....' Turning back to the young mechanic and the glaring bokor, Genie swept into a deep bow, offering them a dazzling and disarming grin that suddenly became an expression of shocked and growing delight as without preamble, the small bush that he had zapped suddenly walked stiffly past them all on slender twig-like legs. The red berries were gone and in their place grew things that looked remarkably like careful concertina'd ten dollar bills. As if to assuage any doubt or suspicion that their eyes were playing tricks, the bush suddenly stopped and scratched itself in leisurely fashion causing one of the bills to unfurl and flutter to the ground close to Snow's feet before it moved on, increasing its pace as it did so.

"Well would ya look at that, money really does grow on trees and quick trees too. That thing'll be right outta sight before long..." Having poked in the hook, Genie was content to let the tension grow and after giving the clearly confounded Audrey and Emmanuel a 'told ya so' bounce of the eyebrows, turned his back on the retreating shrub and made a show of rummaging in his pack before triumphantly pulling out a large paper bag packed with candies which he offered first to Snow White. "Chewy Bon-bon?"


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THREAD ON HIATUS!
Seph, as mentioned in the PM I think we need to discuss what's going to happen with the thread so it's closed for now and we'll decide what to do with it when Tox & I get back in Nov. =)