Titaani pauses. "Oop, I hadn't thought of that," she replies sheepishly. She puts her hand on Will's shoulder, and says to him in the kindest way she can: "Excuse me, Will, but are you aware that you are actually a large giant with demonic-looking ogre-like features including blue skin, dark hair, black eyes and black claws, and a pair of short ivory horns protruding from your forehead?" 

Matilda blanched slightly at the full description....it was a little different to what she had imagined...

"Uh," says Will, uncertainly. "I see." He shifts his weight uncomfortably. "Is that like, metaphorically, or...?"

"Well," he says after a pause. "Thanks for stopping by!"

"Look... she means it, don't turn us away we're trying to help. It's not a mean prank or some kind of twisted humor. This place... it messes with people. Who knows, maybe this is your true form but you have an curse upon you? I mean, we passed through a pretty creepy stretch of forest not far back and there seemed to be some kind of monster tracks there, maybe those were yours? Maybe you become the thing when you sleep, or only when you're hungry or angry..." Horatio pauses, a thought crossing his mind. "So, um... nothing for nothing, but how are you feeling... right now?" He shifts a little, stepping his left foot back slightly and squaring his shoulders reflexively, but subconsciously. 

"Sometimes it can be hard to hear the truth," Titaani says, nodding along to Horatio's words. "Trust me, I know from experience. Say, have you considered the fact that you could be a fey changeling? My moms used to tell me that sometimes evil fairies took children from their parents and replaced them with creepy monsters that looked just like their kids. And the changelings were none the wiser! You could be one of them."

" I do want to help."

" My brother could be one of those kids but we are really bad at fighting....I could try and sneak in though....after the unicorn."

>"...but how are you feeling... right now?"

"Uh... good?"

>"...And the changelings were none the wiser! You could be one of them."

Will nods and smiles uncomfortably.

"...I could try and sneak in though....after the unicorn."

"The unicorn... Yeah maybe these guys are right. You should maybe talk to Lamorna, th' unicorn, before heading to Loomlurch. She might know somethin' useful. You can wear our costume if you want - you need th' horn and stuff. Like they said, light a fire in the bowl on th' island to summon Lamorna."

He points out the way to Wayward Pool.

Horatio feels like Will is trying to usher the party away a little to eagerly all of a sudden... (( insight check! - 13 in DDB log ))

Horatio definitely senses that while Will genuinely wants the party's help, he is increasingly uncomfortable with your line of questions...

" So! Unicorn! Leys go!"

(Everyone off to see the unicorn? Any further business before you try to find Wayward Pool? Does anyone choose to take up their offer to borrow the unicorn costume or horn?)

Titaani will head to the wayward pool, unless anybody has any further business.

" You can make us look like unicorns, Titaani?"

Unicorn is fine with me. Is the costume sizes for small creatures or medium ?

As if in response to Ben's wondering, Zennor holds up the costume in the doorway of the treehouse for you to see and consider. It is big enough to be worn by two (medium) adults or four children (or Small adults) walking in single file. The wooden horse’s head is mounted on a stick that the person in the lead holds up, and the children have glued a wooden horn to the horse’s brow. Small holes in the fabric evidently allow the costume’s wearers to see where they’re going under the covering.

"That's... pretty neat... Umm, good job guys! Really... creative..." Horatio looks at the others. "Hey, is lying the best way to start off with apparently powerful magical beings we want to petition for help? I mean, we can take the costume I guess, but maybe we should send someone to try to talk to them first and only use the costume if we really can't even get to them?" As the thought occurs to him he looks back at the children, "Wait a minute, what did the Unicorns say when they realized you had snuck into their protected place? Weren't they mad at you?"

"She don't care," replies Will. "Lamorna don't care about costumes."

Titaani considers Matilda’s question for a while, playing with her crystal as she does. 

“I could probably disguise one of us,” she eventually says. “Maybe take the costume just in case?”

(Sorry for the lack of colour and fonts - I’m on holiday right now and unable to access my computer. I should also mention that I’m definitely not going to be able to post tomorrow, because that will be Christmas Day for me.) 

Matilda is already running off in the direction indicated....

Titaani takes the costume and, bidding goodbye to the gang of kids, the party moves on, following Matilda's lead and the children's directions.

The way twists and turns through extensive thickets of thorny bushes covered in red berries, frequented by small, iridescent birds that dart in and out unexpectedly. 

Just as they plunge into a deeper-shaded glade, Matilda, Ben, and Horatio hear a low, guttural sound just off the path, beyond some bushes that look recently flattened, and what looks like a fresh wheel rut. The grunting sounds of a large animal.

Matilda swung about and cocked her head, " I'll just have a quick look", she whispered before darting into the brush.

Perception:9

Stealth:7