Not a Couple; Just Partners (Private, future MH, NSFW)

"Just sleep on it." She said, though she knew he wouldn't; really they didn't have terribly far to go from here, but she was still fairly particular about people not knowing where her hideout was. "They'll drop us off somewhere and we hike from there."

"Fine by me," Jay said, shrugging only a small shrug to make sure his channeling didn't stop. That wouldn't go down very well, he knew.

Being a helicopter ride, the only real way to communicate was through shouting or headsets, neither of which were things that Phoebe was terribly keen on --- horns had a way of making headgear difficult. So, instead, she merely relaxed in the seat, holding and petting her new little monster for the duration of the trip. True to her word, the helicopter touched down in a field that seemed perhaps way too close to a cliffside, but Phoebe was unphased by that much. Disconnecting herself from her safety belt, she stepped out of the helicopter with the aid of one of the workers, nodding to them in thanks before waiting for Jay to follow.

After Jay stepped out of the helicopter himself, he waited for it to take off and be far away enough that the noise would no longer hurt the little one's ears; he then dispelled his magic, stretching out his hands and arms after that, having not moved them for a while, "Lead the way," he said simply.

Phoebe nodded, holding Pleasant out for him to take, if he wanted to, before proceeding down towards the hideout's entrance. It was a decent trek, so really it was unlikely that neither of them would talk along the way. However, she opted to see if he wanted conversation instead of starting one, herself.

Jay happily took Pleasant from Phoebe. He'd take most any chance to hold the little guy that he could, he thought. A moment later, after the griffin was settled in some way in his arms, he did speak. "So this is also where Lady is, right?"

Phoebe gave him a nod, though she didn't look back at him while she responded, "And Xenia. She's my on-site caregiver and essentially another guard... my assistant, I suppose. She's a shapeshifting chimera." They came to an area that actually had paths in this forest patch, one which was heavily worn down and one that had recent footfalls. She took neither, dodging off to the side to walk along a collection of haphazardly placed logs.

Jay easily traversed across the suddenly differing terrain, easily following Phoebe. He held up Pleasant in front of himself, briefly, before speaking again. "Ah, I see. Think she and Pleasant here will get along well? A chimera and a hybrid aren't that different, right?"

"She's come across griffins before." Phoebe said simply, nodding again before jumping down a bit of a hill, landing on top of a grate. She'd still not figured out where it went, but she'd not much looked for herself. Not giving it a care, she continued walking along, using the rocks that followed as misplaced stairs before swinging him down towards a cliffside. "You'll want to be careful holding him."

Jay did as he was told, clutching him more tightly to himself rather than holding him in a way that didn't leave him squirming again. Whenever he jumped between rocks, or down hills or anything, the wind seemed to pick up somewhat around him, keeping him steady and light on his feet. It also seemed to work to keep him stable on any precarious footing.

The next jump could lead them into water, if they weren't careful, but Phoebe had made sure that a dock had been put into place, which is where she landed when she jumped down. Stepping out of the way to make it easier for them to approach, she made her way to the end of the little dock and stooped down, swirling her hand in the water. The area they were in, lit only by what sunlight filtered in from the large cliffside hole, appeared to be a giant, cavernous pool. That wasn't all this was, but they certainly found themselves in a decent sized lake. As such, it should have been obvious to Jay what would happen next; their favorite little water beast appeared at the gentle summoning, looking at her owner curiously.

You're back sooner than I thought you'd be.

Jay seemed to gently float down onto the dock when he jumped down onto it, his footfalls barely making a sound against the wood. He figured why he would have to hold Pleasant tightly when he saw the water. He stepped away from the edge so that he wasn't too close to Lady when she surfaced, so that Pleasant wouldn't try to run away. "Yo," he said to the water creature when she appeared, "long time no see."

The bird is here? Lady said, even as she observed him, kneeling her head down to look at him more closely. I liked this one.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted to eat him." Phoebe said, unaware that Lady had made it possible for both of them to hear her last sentence. In fact, she wasn't actually aware that the water monster could do so.

"I'm a bird, not a fish," Jay commented on what Phoebe said, even if he didn't hear that Lady had called him that moments prior. Adjusting Pleasant to hold him securely in one arm, he reached the other out to nearly touch Lady's nose, leaving the creature to do that herself if she so wished. "If I knew I was coming, I'd have brought fish. Or a map... Hey Phoebe, you got a map of the area on you?"

Lady moved forward to nudge his hand, like a fist bump, before pulling back to her normal height, looking between the two of them. She knew the answer without the witch having to say.

"I'll guide you to the nearest city." She said simply; he would be able to figure out where they were better once she'd done so. "We need to get him to the main area, first. Xenia will be waiting for us there."

Snack? Lady asked, when Xen's name was spoken; she still hadn't acknowledged Pleasant.

"I was going to look for the nearest lake rather the nearest town," Jay said, shrugging, though he otherwise didn't say anything more. If he couldn't get the information, he wouldn't get Lady's hopes up.

Phoebe laughed, finally catching on. "There's one under the cliff, but I don't think you feel like making a swan dive, right now." She waved towards the back of the cave, shrouded in darkness, at present. "But the kitchen is back there and we can get some treats from there."

Lady made a sort of chittering, cooing sound at this, ready for an unscheduled snack.

"Diving is also not what I had in mind, no," Jay said, playing along with her joke. "The kitchen will have to do," he said, turning around to go in that direction. He also assumed that there was a place there that he might safely put Pleasant.

Phoebe grabbed the back of his clothes before he walked straight off the dock, which he'd do if he didn't pay attention. Instead, she gestured towards a small boat off the side of the dock. "This is a secret base, Jay. I wouldn't make it so easy to get to the back as just walking." A sound escaped Lady that sounded almost like a laugh. Honestly, it probably was. Without another noise, she slid back into the water, the ripples showing that she was swimming not far under the surface towards the other end of the cave.

He didn't argue with Phoebe when she grabbed him, nor did he argue with getting into the boat, which he did soon after. "My magic is more versatile than you give it credit for, Phoebe," he said with a sigh. "Then again, I doubt Lady would appreciate me freezing any of the water she lives in..."

She laughed, shaking her head at this, "Considering I'm pretty sure she's partially reptilian, you might kill her." Still she grabbed the paddle and started transporting them through the lake and to the other side, where the creature in question was waiting. As they drew closer and their eyes adjusted, they'd see another figure standing on the opposite dock, arms folded across her chest when her hands were pushing back short, blonde locks.

"Didn't she herself try to freeze you?" Jay asked, chuckling at the idea that Lady had used magical attacks which would harm her in any way. In which case, she really must have been pissed back when they caught her. He said nothing more about it after they neared the opposite shore.

Phoebe laughed, genuinely, "I haven't had her seen by a vet yet! I can't tell if she's cold-blooded!" This earned her a rather confused look when they made it to Xenia, as the woman had never once seen the witch laugh.

"Ms. Mystic...?"

"It's Phoebe, Xen," She said, tying up the boat with the chimera's help before stepping out and reaching to help Jay, if he needed it, too.

"You tell me every time and I still don't plan to listen." The woman reminded her, her eyes going wide when she saw Pleasant properly. Trying not to look eager, she had to force herself from holding her hands out for the baby. "Is this the sorcerer you told me about?"

"Jay," he introduced himself, bowing his head slightly to the woman in lieu of a handshake. He could hold the griffin with one arm, true, but changing how he was holding it probably wasn't the best for the small creature's temperament.

"Xenia, charmed." She said, returning the bow with her own. Keeping her hands down made it easier to resist the temptation anyway. "Ms. Mystic and Lady have spoken about you. It's awfully surprising hearing about anyone from-"

"That's enough, Xen, don't bore him with how antisocial I am." Phoebe said, waving her head dismissively before leading them both deeper into the caverns. Most of the passages were left in their natural state; it wouldn't be until they got much further in that they'd begin to see anything man-made, and even then, there were some secret entrances to get through, first. "Are you going to introduce him, Jay?" She asked, amusement in her words.