shatterverse | (no subject)

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Sam took great delight in frequently asking 'are we nearly there yet?' as they travelled. Then his attention was rather sharply drawn by all the snow and ice around San Francisco.

Then his attention was even more sharply drawn by the sudden storm that picked up, tossing them around. Their landing was ... rather rough. They hit a tree, among other things.

Twenty minutes later, Sam is shivering from the cold as he inspects the engine of the car.
"Why is everything so cold here?" It is, indeed, very cold. San Francisco appears to be not only utterly wrecked, but also entirely deserted and covered in snow (almost up to Sam's knees) and frost. After a moment's staring at the engine. "Guys, we're going to need a bunch of new parts for this thing."

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"You wouldn't be imposing." The old woman rummages in her basket, eventually producing a red apple. "Here. Fresh from the food facilities to the South."

She smiled, and accepted it.

"Thank you. Are there stores nearby as well?"

She then took a bite, chewed and swallowed it. ...Funny, didn't remember apples being so sweet.

Neither the old woman nor the child answer. Instead, they shift and shimmer into glowing, humanoid shapes, which flutter around Kate and giggle before vanishing away.

The wind picks up, the gentle snowfall becoming a blizzard as frosty shackles form from thin air about one of Kate's wrists.

There's a sled, drawn by white deer, coming down the street. We can safely presume that it isn't carrying Santa.

What the hell? She blinked, dammit, they must have poisoned her. Maybe something psychotropic?

Felt strange like her head was swimming a little, and she struggled against the shackle.

"Come back and fight!" She yelled even as she felt her feet start to move out.

Toward the sled.

A tall, slender figure steps out of the sled. Pale-skinned, pale-eyed and pale-haired, dressed in white fur and carrying a silver mirror in one hand.

She doesn't speak. She silently waits for Kate to step into the sled.

Who? Some kind of witch maybe? Kate continue to struggle, but her feet continued moving forward. With a free hand she was able to toss the bow away. She didn't expect to be found, but maybe tossing away something personal... Hawkeye's bow, maybe they'll get the message of danger.

She balefully stared back at her, blue eyes fiery with anger. Bad enough being captured, but whatever this was... it was a lot worse.

Even still, she found herself calmly stepping into the sled anyway.

The woman steps back into the sled, sitting down next to Kate.

The sled's driver - A rather dimunitive, green and warty thing, with quite sparkly insect wings - gives the reins a flick. The sled starts moving once more.

An hour passed and Kate didn't return, Will went searching where she had been.

In time he finds her bow and nothing else. He shouts and yells into the snow, digging and searching for her, not caring at the pain it brings to his wounds.

He doesn't want to go back to Sam yet and just holds her bow for a while staring at the snow and wishing there was something to hit.

He doesn't need to go back to Sam. Sam goes looking for him before too long.

"Will?" There may be a hand settling on Will's shoulder.

Will looks up blinking and shows Kate's bow,

"She's been taken by somethin', wouldna just leave this. 'ave to find 'er, na one is to 'urt 'er."

"We'll find her. First we need to find out who took her, though."

"Oh aye, I know, canna see any tracks, like she's just gone."

"Did you see any people while you were looking for parts? Anybody that could've kidnapped her?"

"Nay, 'avena met anyone, if I didna know better would say the Good Folk took 'er."

Then Will crosses himself just in case they're listening.

"That wouldn't be very good of them." Sam points out.

"Oh aye, but they're na that good."

He starts walking around the area, trying to find something, anything to help them.

"Shouldn't be called the Good Folk, then." Sam points out, a little grumpily.

"Call 'em that to be polite."

Will's grumpy too and trying to not get angry or too worried, Kate can take care of herself. Then from somewhere under a snowdrift, a weak voice calls for help, Will runs over, digging through the snow,

"Sam, come 'elp me, tis someone trapped!"

Sam pads over, kneeling down to help Will dig through the snow.

As they keep digging, suddenly a small head with a woven cap appears, crawling out of the hole they made. A little man dressed in the greens of the forest and looks at them with big eyes,

"Oh masters, thank you for saving me. I'm in your debt."

Will kneels down, meeting the man's eyes and says,

"Ye do look far from 'ome, good sir, tell me do ye know o'anyone who would be stealin' lovely ladies."

The little man looks awkwardly at the ground, not talking at first and twisting his cap,

"Oh good masters."

Sam facepalms, a little.

"Great. A midget." He grumbles.

The little man straightens up and looks at Sam,

"I'm a hob, good master, no midget I. And oh good masters, the Queen just found herself a lovely lass with hair of a raven and eyes of clear ice blue."

Will goes very still, his hand on the hilt of his sword,

"Tell us where to find the Queen, good hob, an consider our debt cleared."

The hob looks down again,

"Oh masters, you should not wish to find her, she is cruel and hard as ice, your lady will be safe just she is lost forever to you."

"Ravens don't have hair." Sam points out irritably.

The hob glares at Sam,

"Best learn to be polite, young master, else she'll be stealin' you away."

Will glares at Sam, "Please, master hob, tell us where to find the Queen."

Again the hob looks down, "If you truly seek her, young masters, find her over the water at the island prison, she guards all her treasures there."

Then he steps sideways and disappears from their sight, which causes Will to curse.

Sam considers this for a moment.

"We need iron."