Obvious or not, Chago doesn't trust it yet. As soon as the wagon is slow enough, the Redcap moves to jump down and scoops up a handful of road dust and blows it from his palm, using the simple bunk to blast up a spray of dust ahead of the wagon to get a nice wide arc. Then he listens for the cough or sneeze the sudden cloud might provoke as he stalks forward behind it, guard on the wagon.

That's right. Now that things are happening, he's showing a few of his cards. Sorry Baron. Enjoy the reports that the Brute isn't just a Brute. "Genny?" he calls. "Should I tell 'em to bring Tommy too?" he asks. His mortal dreamer from back at Kink. Yeah. Bringing a mortal to the Dreaming. He can't be thinking anything nice with that.

As he jumps off, Genny takes a moment and wraps two leather straps around her hip, one over and one under. It looks a little odd but adds strength to the healing joint so when she vaults the edge of the wagon and lands it doesn't collapse out from under her. One of her ears twitches as they listen, and she considers the question. She nods. "Yes...bring him."

A noise answers the bunk...ever so soft. A gasp...a faint inhale from just inside of the first caverns...or maybe it's just the wind.

Chago nods once. "We'll tell the boys to bring him then." Not ask him. Bring him. Hopefully Kiersten is too drugged still to notice the difference. Shova? Chago doubts he'll pick up the difference. "I'll want your help." As he says this, he gestures to the sound slightly and then moves a little quicker, to offer himself as a target to lure out the source of the sound for Genny to whip.

Kiersten shifts on the wagon and Genny shoots her a single look, freezing the sidhe in place. That won't be so easy a few weeks from now, but for the moment, she shifts back again leaning against Shova.

There isn't need for discussion from the satyr woman either. She creeps forward, moving to an opposite side and watching the shadows. As a figure emerges from the darkness of the caves, she strikes, but obvious to Chago if no one else she pulls the strike to turn it into a wrap instead of a split. The chord catches the figure around the neck and she braces and pulls. This sends a young redcap sprawling out of the shadows, landing on one knee before he grabs the whip and starts pulling back. "Bitch!"

Chago's lips curl into an amused and toothy grin as he turns to fully face the new figure. "Yeah. She can be. She's my bitch though so ya might wanna be careful. She's used t'us." he warns, not interfering in the tug of war yet.

"What's ya name?" he asks then as he gestures for the wagon to stop and moves toward it to lean on the side when it does. "How long ya been here?" For all the casual moves he makes, a good eye will see the tension in his arms as he tries to play relaxed. He's still on edge, no matter the words.

For a moment the young cap ignores Chago, trying to pull the whip out of Genny's hands, which just isn't going to happen until or unless she lets it. She flicks the chord, like plucking a string and a glamour backed vibration runs down giving a stinging sensation. "Behave."

He growls and throws himself forward, bellowing at her...not that it's a very grand bellow, he's young and he has a knot around his throat. "LET GO!" The browbeat attempt would likely work on some but Genny just laughs and pivots out of his way, jerking the whip around so he sprawls at Chago's feet now.

And while they've seen some aspects of the bond between Genny and Chago, now the pair in the wagon get to clearly see another. Not just the trust and the understanding the pair shares, but also teamwork. When the young redcap lands in front of Chago, the older 'cap moves like he knew where the fellow was going to land and drops a knee in the small of his back, pinning him in the dirt.

"Okay... let's try this again. She's mine. She ain't scared of a pissant brat that ain't got his full set of teeth in yet. Do you hear me now mula?" he growls out. "Now... I'm Chago, but you can call me Boss if that'll suit ya better. Ya wasted your chance in pissing me off so now we're gonna trade. You're gonna answer my questions and I'm gonna let you keep fingers every time you do. What's your name? How long you been here?"

The young cap twists just a little, trying to decide how solidly Chaso is on him. Fortunately for him he’s semi intelligent and goes back to lying still and scowling at Genny. "Kenneth." He growls out the name, teeth grinding together. "And I been here for a bit over a week. There were some critters, but it's my place now."

Genny snorts, "That so?"

Chago's grin grows a little and he snorts softly as Genny does. "Actually, it's mine, but we can argue that later." he adds softly. "Here's the short form. I'm a Witch King now. This place is where I'm gonna set up. I'm gonna light a Bale here. I need people with balls enough to live near a dark trod, able to handle themselves well enough that their alligator mouths don't write checks their hummingbird asses can't cash, and that I ain't got to lock in their rooms when I decide I want a nap to make sure I ain't gonna wake up half dead with them trying to finish the job as long as I'm doing my part too. If you already cleaned out some of the crap that comes here from that trod, you probably fit the first two. If I let you up, you willing to try the third, or is someone gonna have to say 'oh my god! You killed Kenny!'?"

Kenneth's lips curl in protest, but as he's being knelt on, he's rather at a disadvantage. "How you think you gonna hold this place with just two of us?" Then he adds, jutting his chin at Genny. "She staying too?" Yeah, it makes warped sense to direct his ire at her since he thinks she may be less likely to bite his fingers off.

Chago shifts so it's just the knee that's pinning poor Kenneth, but there's a bit more weight on said knee to keep that pin secure. "Yeah. She is. I've got a corby too. I'll be bringing the ones of it I know are worth a damn and I can count on." he explains. "Be at least a couple of trolls then. Plus, I'm gonna help the Baroness get her throne so the county will owe me." he points out as he pulls his Gauntlets off and tosses them to land near Genny's hooves.

Once his hands are bare, he drops down to pin the younger 'cap in place with hands as well again and gives Genny a nod to let her know to release the binding of that whip. Then he leans in close and his voice drops so, hopefully, only Kenneth hears it. "I am a draoi boy. I'll prove myself worthy of Witch King. The fool claiming to be Baron got no idea. Genny, the satyr that caught you... she knows."

He sits up then slowly and with a sudden move jumps away from the young 'Cap. "Now... get your ass up. You only got a few choices. Test me and see if I'm telling you the truth, then join up. Test me and go away when I beat you down. Take my word for it and either join up or go away. Get eaten. That's all I can think of. If you can come up with another, I hope it works for you."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

With that, Chago lifts his bare hands and makes a 'come on' gesture, letting the young one see he's at least got a fair fight for that test.

Genny releases the whip and carefully scoops up the gauntlets. She's fully aware of their hunger and very cautious not to become a meal. They've taken nips of her before after all. They probably like the way she tastes as much as he does.

Kenneth lunges to his feet, scowling at Chago. "Ain't no such thing." This apparently referring to the claims of being draoi, the nearly non-existent redcap wizard. "Don't work that way." And then he charges Chago, jerking to the side at the last moment and taking a swing. The kid doesn't totally suck at this, and in a gang of other teenagers he's likely pretty fierce, but against someone with Chago's experience...umm...yeah.

Chago smirks and laughs. "Yeah. There is. Me." he assures as the kid runs forward. For the moment, he's being at least kind of nice. He dodges the swing, barely, and catches the arm while it's out. What should have been a setup for popping the kid's shoulder out of socket is too light though and just succeeds in swinging his opponent back into the clear area he started from. "Want me to show you that instead of making you look stupid here?"

"Then you ain't a real cap, shorty." Kenny growls. When he becomes a real grown up it'll be threatening. "I know what my mentor told me, and I've never seen a one." He scoops up a handful of dirt, throwing it at Chago before following the dirt with a side kick. It's not martial arts, not pretty, just meant to break stuff.

Genny, meanwhile, has moved back towards the cave, checking a few things while she waits.

Poor kid. He does have one thing down pat for certain. He knows how to be insulting. Chago's temper flares at the comment and he shifts, bracing as he closes his eye to the thrown dirt. Old trick. Especially on a one-eyed man. He doesn't even try and avoid the attack that follows, and instead waits for the impact. As he grunts softly at the kick, his arm snaps down and traps the kid's leg before he can pull it back and the other hand drives downward in a hammerfisted blow, aiming for the knee by feel. "I -am- a redcap!" he snaps in a tone as vicious as the blow that lands with a snapping of tissues as a join that's supposed to bend north and south is just folded west.

As soon as he feels the amount of damage done, he shoves the kid away without even slight care for the wound and makes a gesture like tying a knot to unleash another cantrip, intent on binding the brat where he lands with whatever the power can reach to do it.

Vines lurch out at his command, deep earth vines, black and brittlely strong. They wrap over the youngster, pinning him to the ground. Not that Kenneth was going far anyway, his knee floppy and him cussing up a storm. He cusses like a proper Cap too.

The pair from the wagon are studiously watching anything else, pretending they can't hear or see this. It's just...easier.

Genny, for her part, wanders back over. "Rest 'f the place is decent, though it’s got depths ya need ta explore. I feel magic in there. Magic like yours. Other’n that, smells right an' feels right. Jus' the pissant as an occupier."

Chago walks away from the ranting redcap and to the back of the wagon. He checks over a few things to pick out the least fragile things and marks them out with a series of gestures that each arc and end aimed near the way into the caves, where they'd need to be unloaded anyway. With the last one, each of those boxes leap into the air and land near Genny. Then he opens another box and brings a pack of jerky and the lid of the wooden box with him.

"Open Up Kenneth." he tells the kid as he displays a bit of the jerky and then drops in toward the hurt kid's mouth. Then Chago presses the lid to his chest and raps on it as it touches his body with a last touch of glamour. Yeah, he's showing off a little, but he needs to redo his armor spell anyway and there's no harm in doing it as a demonstration too, right? Especially with a plan in place to recharge fully in place.

He drops to one knee after the display of three different arts. "Now do ya believe me?"

Genny leans against the stone of the opening, grinning as she watches. She resists the urge to applaud, since she knows he's doing it to impress the kid and she's not going to take away from that, but it is fun to see him show off.

Kenneth grinds at the jerky, the combination of pain and awe making him quiet...well...temporarily. Once he swallows, he finds his voice again. "How did you do that?" And the unspoken...how can I learn?

Shova looks over, squeezing Kiersten gently. "Are we finished with the demonstration?"

Chago glances to the wagon first and nods. "I think so. We should start unloading." Then he gestures to Genny to come over and bends to breaking lose some of the vines holding Kenneth down.

"I told ya. Real lesson number one: Mentors ain't always right. Yours told ya we couldn't master arts like that. Mine tried t'make me hide what I am. Managed t'get an oath outta me that I want t'kick his ass for now. Back when I listened t'him, I thought it was a good idea." He explains. "Now... if ya want lesson two, ya better tell me if you're staying or going. If you're staying, you do it my way. If you’re going, start running before the goat decides she wants a race.”

Genny stays long enough to point out a few boxes to Shova. The ones which shouldn't be dropped or lost and the ones which are the most perishable and that she wants early access too. Then she moves back to Chago's side, or at least his general area as he brings her back into the conversation. Her eyebrows lift and she shifts from one foot to the other, as though she’s jonesing for that race.

Kenneth ponders for a moment. "If I can learn what you did? And have a chance to kick pointy eared ass... Staying."

Chago nods. "Good to hear. Lesson two is gonna be your most important lesson. Only thing limits you is you. I can teach you arts. So can everyone here. You want to learn, you can learn. That don't mean you're gonna be good at everything though. You ain't. Genny here is a hell of a healer and there ain’t a mover or an earthworker better. Me, I heal better by sticking to bandages and saving the energy for important stuff. Flip side, I make any travel mojo I ever done look easy. Especially haste. It ain't always gonna be easy either, but if you want it, you can get it."

Once the vines are almost all ripped away, he bends to checking the kid's leg and straightens it carefully. "Third. Pick your enemies. Not every sidhe needs to be eaten. There's a few worth keeping around. Not many, but a few." As he speaks, he gestures for Genny to come take care of the kid's leg more completely. "Don't piss off everyone just because you can either. You might want to have backup eventually and it ain't easy if all you do is piss in everyone's Corn Flakes. Now, that don't mean be nice. That means know when you do anything that you can't take it back and it's gonna matter later."

Those rules explained. He then explains the 'ground rules' of being there. Home. Corby. The usual. Then he pulls a small knife and flicks it to the kid. "Now, I want a piece of you. I taste everyone that's that close so I can find them again if need be." Time to see how smart the kid is, and how he uses it. Does he assume something that won't hurt? Something that will? Ask?

Once the vines are clear enough Genny kneels on one knee, shifting weight over off her hip. She hums softly, a lullaby memory and makes little stitching motions along the snapped knee. A whisper of glamour floats from her fingers and he stiffens, expecting pain and seeming surprised when there's none to be had. She shifts back, staggering to her feet and rolling her joints, giving Chago a grin and a little nod.

Kenny takes the knife, frowning a bit at the request. He peers at Chago, actually taking a moment to think, and then gives the knife to Genny. "Take something I don't need then."

Chago nods his approval to both the healing and the kid's answer. "Just prick him some babe. A little blood should be more than enough." Then he looks to the others. "You guys, I wanted to see what kind of balls you had. Him, I wanted to see smarts." he tells them before either one can ask why he wanted to bite them but cutting something was enough for the other redcap.

Once he's tasted the blood and confirmed it's enough to pinpoint the newest recruit, he gestures to the gear. "Help unload. Ask Genny where we need stuff." he tells the youngster before going to heavier cases and starting to help himself. "Once we're set up, I want to seal us in and then me and Shova got some serious work to do. You'll wanna watch."