Shot through the heart~!

[hashtagwoof]

Who: Hunter and YOU
Which: Open Log
Where: Around town and a bit into the woods.
What: Hunter gets a much needed haircut, cleans up his own mess, then gets into the love arrows.
Warnings: General chaos. Will add more if needed.

You had one job, and...

Hunter thought he was very clear with the hairdresser he found. He wanted an undercut style, hair parted to the right, right side longer than the left, layered, with a fringe. And what did the bloke give him?

Not the style he had in mind, that's what!

The kid's a bit miffed about the result, but ya know what? The new look sure beats looking like he was raised by wolves. Plus, this seems easier to maintain in a world where modern hair products of good quality don't exist.

If anyone needs him immediately after that he'll be at Dreambucks, sitting next to the window. The guy at the counter recommended the Overcast Earl Grey and it put him in the mood for people watching. So here he is, watching people pass by with a dulled gaze. Occasionally he'll glance at the rest of the diner behind him and contemplate pulling some prank on the waiter to spice things up... But nah. Not this time.

"Stupid Cupid?" Try "Literal Gremlin Cupid." (Dream Board #204)

There was one other quest that caught his eye. Sure, playing matchmaker with magic arrows sounds cute on paper, but those arrows make people fall in love with anything in sight. Anything...

Hunter readied the crossbow he was given with a wicked grin on his face. This seems like a fine way to blow off steam...

#LOVESICK
The easy part was borrowing a ladder and climbing onto the roof of Madame Blackbird's shop. Harder part was learning to aim from such a height. He hasn't done any sniping before, much less sniping with arrows, but if he wanted any form of stealth he was gonna have to learn. So of course the kid misses a couple of times, if not hitting someone he didn't mean to hit.

When he hits his mark, though...

Hoo boy, does it cause scenes. One fellow starts aggressively flirting with a bewildered mutton man. Another declares his love for a lamp post. A heated argument suddenly turns into a heated makeout session. The weird cactus in the middle of town gets up and starts chasing a startled pedestrian for a hug.

So much chaos... And the kid behind it all is biting his lip to keep from laughing too hard.

#STOLENHEARTS
Of course, it's all fun and games until you get more than you bargained for.

Hunter spotted a scruffy man taking stuff from a cart while the attendant was talking to someone else. The man was occupied, his back was turned. All Hunter had to do was wait until the man looked up and...

BULLSEYE! Now that man's dropped everything and is dragging the attendant in for a kiss! A flawless prank... If not for three things that were off:

One, the guy had a lot of shinies on his person. Two, the attendant slapped him across the face, which would have been fair if not for the third issue... Which was said attendant shouting something about thievery.

Um. Yeah, this sounds like bad news when the arrow wears off. Hunter scurries to hide behind the chimney and starts glancing around. "Great... That guy had better not turn around any time soon..." So his only options are to stay hidden until the coast is clear or find another way off the roof. Easier said than done...

#WILDCARD

[ Feel free to hit me up at nyanka for plotting! ]

Comments

Of course, I've been looking forward to this!

[perfectenn]

[ And Tenn had hardly expected to suddenly be in charge of a great witch’s project, but things happened. During those weeks of preparing herbs and stirring a cauldron, he was reminded that this only came about because he was a cat once, and had access to abilities he never would've normally. If others had that, if they could control their forms better in and out of dreamshifts, who knew what else they might discover?

Many people didn't like transforming. Tenn understood that. It was awkward, even frightening. Not like the heavy, sticky prosthetics and makeup of TV, but a change that affected one’s whole being. Knowing at least one person had an interest was a welcome start.

Tenn’s voice comes through the open window, friendly but distracted. ]

Hunter? You can come in.

[ It's a modest living space, and half is a kitchen – make of Tenn's hobbies what one will – with a spiral staircase hugging the trunk of the tree going up and down. Otherwise not well decorated, because the town was just getting on its feet, after all. Tenn himself standing at an old-fashioned stone stove, one hand extended to focus a small flame hovering in the fireplace. He makes a sharp dismissive gesture to poof out the flame, and only then does his attention shift off it and to Hunter. ]

Sorry, it's been some time. The Witch's Brew was understaffed for a while.

[ His smile turns curious – stage actor though he is, the drastic improvement in hairstyle catches him by surprise. ]

Ah, that looks better. Your haircut.

[ He’d certainly been puzzled by the previous state of the boy’s hair, but too polite to ask directly. ]

[hashtagwoof]

[ Interest? More like an interest in actually learning to control his dream power stuff and not be so... What word do you even use? Dog-brained??

Anyway, Hunter seems somewhat impressed by the room he found himself in. The giant kitchen's a bit weird, but everything else seems to be on point. ] The Witch's Brew? Is that some kind of restaurant?

[ Whatever it is, that comment's enough to get a genuine smile out of him. ] Thanks! I've been meaning to get it cut for a while now. [ Just to put it lightly, of course. That rat's nest was definitely not his style, so it does lift his spirits to hear someone complimenting the fresh look. ]

[perfectenn]

[ It’s certainly nice to see his whole face and smile for a change! Tenn's own smile turns a bit amused at the question. A restaurant serving from bubbling cauldrons would be popular there. ]

You didn't see it on the community board? [ Tenn asks, mildly surprised but only briefly. Hunter is a kid, after all, and probably not one who'd have an interest in herbalism. ] It’s an apothecary at Holiday Haven. I was recreating a potion we discovered during the Halloween dream. That was from before you arrived here. But it's where most of us had our first experience with shapechanging.

[ The tea kettle has been kept warm thanks to his flame, and two simple wooden teacups await. Tenn has a poised way of pouring, like he's used to doing so for show. The scent is floral and fragrant, chamomile mixed with a little peppermint and honey. ]

[hashtagwoof]

Maybe? [ He kind of skimmed it over to the cupid arrows and the... Erm... Mistake. He really doesn't wanna answer questions about the snare traps, so he's been trying to disarm them when people weren't active... Though half of the time, someone else had beaten him to it. As long as no one realizes...

Ignore the sudden falling of a couple autumn leaves outside the window. Everything is fine.

Hunter's gonna focus on Tenn's story until... Well. The shapeshifting part. ] So... What kinda potion were you trying to remake? Something to do with the shapechanging thing?

[ More importantly, how is he gonna explain why he's wanting to learn more about it in the first place? ]

[perfectenn]

[ Fortunately for Hunter, Tenn is adequately distracted. And running off assumptions. ]

No. It’s to combat Erasers. We found it in the dreamscape, where it was brewed by the witch Baba Yaga. I and several others thought it would be beneficial to have here, too.

[ It’s a good question though, because there were quite a few shapechanging enriching candies available at that time. Sweet tooth though he has, Tenn had to use his nose and be careful. There’s a little crease in his forehead at the memory. ]

... There were things there that could enhance our transformations, but I preferred not to use them. I believe taking things at one’s own pace is best.

[ Stirring the tea until he’s pleased with the blend, there’s a passing smirk of humor as he offers one to Hunter. ]

And this is just an herbal blend of tea to relax. I think you’ll like it, it’s sweet. [ He could’ve chosen something more robust and floral, but for a kid, he fixed one of he and his brother’s childhood go-tos. ]

[hashtagwoof]

Erasers... Huh. [ He sounds somewhat familiar, but not really. The kid wasn't paying close attention to Santa's lecture back then.

He nods at the second transformation enhancing thing. He isn't looking for enhancements at the moment, so it's a good thing Tenn's not rushing anything. As for the tea... ]

Huh. Smells nice... [ A part of him is worried about poison, but that's rather unlikely, so he takes a sip... ] And tastes pretty nice too! Did you make this from scratch?

[perfectenn]

[ Relatable, though Tenn has become less wary of drugs and more of spells being slipped into his beverages. The teas served at Dreambucks are probably excellent... he just doesn't want to deal with the emotional consequences. Hence, having a spacious kitchen to make things for himself is a must. ]

Thank you. And yes, I prefer to make it myself.

[ Now onto business! Cradling his warm cup in his hands, Tenn continues thoughtfully. ]

I find being calm and focused is important for building self-awareness. When I started, it was easier if I wasn't distracted.

[ He takes a sip of his tea, pausing to recount in his head the major dreamshifts they’ve had thus far. ]

Shifting in dreams is easier, of course. It takes much more concentration here. Since you came here recently, I'd guess you've not had much experience with it yet?

[hashtagwoof]

Sweet. Sure beats the store brand. [ Well, ignoring Dreambucks for a moment, he's more used to instant tea. Not that he couldn't afford better, being high class and all, but when the servants boil down to some borrowed mooks and a cat you end up throwing a pod into a tea brewing machine and calling it a day.

That's way beside the point. By now, Hunter has found a place to settle down with his cup and idly sips from it as Tenn starts talking... ]

Well, actually... [ Ah. Great. There's no side stepping the elephant in the room. ] It's the distraction thing that's tripping me up. It's like... Ugh, how do I put it- I got this weird habit thing from an incident a while back, and whenever that acts up here I accidentally turn myself into a dog. Sorta.

... Long story.

[perfectenn]

[ Tenn settles for leaning against the counter to listen. He’s fortunately used to very odd things happening here. There's a briefly worried cant to his eyebrows, but relaxes soon after. And his tone doesn't change, mulling over that halting description. ]

I see. [ Yes, he sees it's uncomfortable and Hunter doesn't want to talk about it excessively. Very understandable. Tenn can work with that. Digging to the root of the problem is important, but so is managing the surface reaction. Without knowing how detailed Hunter wants to go, considering they're still getting to know each other, Tenn settles for the most immediate question. ]

I was under the impression that you came from a world without magic. Do you have shapeshifting tendencies naturally, in your family background, or is this coming up with your use of dreamotion?