The Hollow
This part of the woods has opened up into what would normally be called a clearing. Rather than an open piece of land and a view of the sky, however, the center of this area appears to have been wholly occupied by one of the largest trees in the forest. It stands before you, ancient and massive, it's branches reaching up nearly one hundred and fifty feet into the air and its base measuring nearly as far around. The ground leading up to it is mounded and misshapen from the tree's massive root system. At one point, the tree appears to have merged with another, and a hole large enough for two grown men to stand inside of now resides on one side of this giant, arboreal creation. The inside of the hollow is smooth and free of disease or fungus, giving testament to the tree's ancient health and vitality.
It is not the biggest tree on Pern by any stretch; any number of Skybrooms come far closer to touching the heavens with their staggering height. It may not be the oldest deciduous mass on the continent, either. It is simply a tree. But in that respect, it seems to be the very item the universe had in mind when it first conceived of the thing. Its bark is rough in some places and smooth in others, colors radiating from deeper brown at the base to a smoky dust color as the trunk continues upwards. Branches both small and large reach outwards and upwards, too numerous to count, the lowest of them hanging a mere six or seven feet from the ground. Around the tree is a halo of light, shimmering in dozens of shades of green and yellow to reflect the thousands of leaves above. Lean up against it. Sit beneath its branches, within its hollow. Perhaps the tree would welcome the company, after such a long time on this earth. If one was careful, they could probably climb up into the tree a great distance.
At some point, people really need to stop asking how Rhodelia gets anywhere. Like fifteen feet up a tree. A tree that's largest branches are well above the girl's head. The climbing is neither here or there, for she is clearly up the tree. And well, those knees might be a little banged up. But she's ignoring that as well because there's more important things to do. Like dig into her rucksack however the digging is also followed quickly by a THUD and a "Shit." Well, at least Rhody is still in the tree.
No stranger to this strip of forest, Taeli's just ranging her way through the forests with a brace of cleaned rabbit carcasses tossed over her shoulder, whistling tunelessly as she moves towards a set of traps laid on the westerly side of the giant tree in the middle of this particular clearing. But then there's an item THUNKING down directly in front of her face and she hops back with sudden alertness, one hand lifting to the machete handle sticking up over a shoulder. "COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME THEN!" her sizzling voice diverts upwards, angry blonde eyebrows VEXING upward.
Rhodelia eyes grow wide as she peers down after the mysterious falling object and spots the very angry huntress. "I think I'll pass on the fighting. And the coming down." In fact, she's busy fastening that bag back up and slinging it on her shoulder so she can scamper up another branch or two for good measure. A coward? Rhody? Yes, that's exactly what she is. It's a big enough tree that she has a WAYS to go before she'll figure out that there's no where to go but up. Or Down.
It's a long moment before Taeli parses the voice that lilts down — then she's tilting her head and ungrasping her machete's handle, instead cupping her hands 'round her mouth and casting upwards, "COUSIN RHODY IS THAT YOU?" because, well, she didn't expect to see a bartender proverbially stuck in a tree.
There's a long pause before Rhodelia works up the nerve to answer as she finds another suitably large limb to perch on, feet dangling down. "Maybe?" She blinks as she looks down. "You're not still wanting to fight me, right? You can have that canteen if you want." There's a fifty fifty chance that whatever liquid it's filled with is definitely not water.
Taeli squints down at her feet, then stoops down to collect the canteen. She hefts it in a hand, weighing it. "IS THIS BRANDY?" she shouts, like Rhodelia's not basically within talking range. She probably shouts at old people too. (just 'cause they're old doesn't mean they're deaf, after all)… Then, 'cause this is the real headscratcher here, "WHY YOU UP THERE?"
"Yeah. It's a coconut one," Rhodelia replies as she goes back to digging in the bag, although the rummaging is much slower this time. "I'm up here cause I climbed." She shrugs like that's the easiest answer in the world and totally an appropriate answer to her 'cousin's' question. After a little bit more rustling, she finally pulls out a charcoal pencil with a satisified AHA! It promptly gets tucked behind her ear and the bag searching continues.
The canteen is uncorked and sniffed, Taeli's face immediately clearing of expression as her head turns in clear indication that THERE'S ALCOHOL HERE FOLKS. Indeed, she just corks the canteen and adds it to her belt, approaching the lowest limbs of the tree with her head canted back, trying in vain to locate the runaway. "Well duh. But WHY?"
Rhodelia may have packed more fun flasks than water flasks on her preparation for her forest adventure. She can afford to lose one. The next thing coming out of the pack is a notebook which was apparently the last item the bartender was looking for as she settles back in. "Why not?" She grins down at the earthbound hunter. "Figured I could get some perspective. And a nice place to stretch out." Which she carefully stretches her arms out until her back pops. Then the pencil is retrieved and the notebook flipped open.
Squint. Nose wrinkle. "ARE YOU GONNA BREAK YOUR NECK FALLING OUT OF THE TREE?" Taeli calls, just because y'know, she thinks it may actually be a thing.
"That's definitely not my plan!" Rhodelia scrunches further back against the base of the tree. The branch she's sitting on seems plenty thick enough. "I'm just sitting." And occasionally dropping things.
"I think you dented your canteen," Taeli comments. "I wonder if that's high enough for you to break something important." Her nose scrunches again. "LIKE YOUR ELBOW!" She winces even after she says it, cradling one of her own elbows reactively. "That'd suck."
Rhodelia raises an eyebrow as she peers down at Taeli. "My elbows are staying up here. And unbroken!" You can't just say something and make it so, but Rhody is at least trying her hand at declaring things. All the while there are a few more swipes made at the paper. "And it wasn't my canteen. I filled it, but found it in the lost and found."
"And then you lost it," Taeli reflects, wandering under the spread of leaves right under Rhodelia's location. She seems content to walk and examine the ground beneath her feet, looking closely: looking for tracks, no doubt, her own steps soft and unhurried. "And then I found it!" she brightly finishes, beaming upward in no particular direction. Honestly, she'd look like a freakin' crazy person if someone came across her right now, wandering around and talking to a tree.
IT'S THE CIRCLE OF LIIIIIIIFFFFEEEE!!!! But Rhodelia doesn't burst out into song, she just shrugs. "Looks like it. Enjoy! Especially if you mix it with any berries. Well, not any berries." Preferably not the poisonous ones, those she wouldn't recommend. Even as she's talking, she's still sketching, with a little bit of humming tossed in.
"Oh look!" Taeli says, having gone a bit around the tree's trunk by now: "Oh you're a pair of plump little guys," she croons, presumably to the pair of wild rabbits caught in her snare. This is going to end badly for everyone, because Taeli has zero regrets about killing and field-stripping fluffy little bunnies (see the two on her shoulder). They are delicious eating. "No berries? Or berries? It seems awfully strong," she seems to talk to nobody in particular, being the only one on the ground. Is she talking to herself? She could very well be talking to herself.
"I meant, not just any berries you find. Like uhhh… those!" Rhodelia points to a bush not too far away from the fluffy bunnies in the snare. "They could be poisonous." The berries, not the bunnies. As for the hunter's exclamation, from up in her perch about twenty feet high, the bartender gasps. "You aren't gonna!!!!" Although we all know, Taeli's totally gonna.
Sorry guys, but not sorry Syl is in a /bad/ mood already because he has to be outside. The only reason he's purposefully wading through the forest right now is because he's looking for some ingredients for his next dish. Not those berries they're pointing at, but there's a flower that only happens to bloom in the summer and can be /very/ difficult to find and he /needs/ it. "Fuck all this shit…" Yeah Mister Broodybutt is making a racket as he wades through the bushes, hands empty so far. There's sweat dripping down his forehead and his dark locks, usually nicely styled, are in complete disarray. He also doesn't /look/ like he's dressed for forest exploration. A button down shirt's sleeves have been rolled up past the elbows and he's in a pair of pants. After some time the baker eventually emerges into the clearing and….stare. People. People and /rabbits/.
No, Rhodelia's up in that tree. She's not super visible unless you're looking UP, tucked in on a broad branch as she is. So it's just Taeli and a disembodied voice telling her what to/not to do. "What these berries? They're just gooseberries," she reassures the tree, aka Rhodelia. "Come here little guy. Don't panic, this won't take long," as she takes out her hunting knnife and THUNKS it into the ground in front of her, capable hands reaching forward to free the first rabbit from the snare and toward certain death. She hasn't noticed Sylvarin yet. "You're gonna make a great stew for someone," she praises the little guy (the rabbit, not Syl) like it's his main reason for existing.
That pseudo-disembodied voice gasps in horror again at the mention of the word gooseberries. "That's doubly the reasons not to eat them!" Because geese and all things geese-affiliated are clearly evil. She has some scars to prove that. And one of the advantages of having the literal high ground is that Rhody definitely does see the baker arriving and seizes on that for a distraction. "Yes, fuck all this shit and run little bunnies!" And to top off the distraction, she'll drop either a pine cone or acorn or whatever other half-green seed type thing this monster of a tree might have at hand and try to aim for a few feet away from Taeli.
Sylvarin is there, staring in horror as Taeli starts making preparation for rabbit-killing. Only upon hearing Rhodelia's voice does he actually look up and then back down again. For a second he closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose, as if this was something to make the whole scene in front of him go away. Of course, it doesn't. Though, honestly, the baker looks /relieved/ when a pine cone is being hurled down in Taeli's general direction. "I'd throw at least 3 or 4 more just to be safe, Rhodelia." A pause. "Or maybe make it ten."
BAM. "Dammit!" Taeli says, struggling to hold the scratchy little beast currently fighting to get away while getting BRAINED IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD by a PINE CONE. "What is your PROBLEM? Do you not eat meat?!" she calls upwards, the ferocity of her grip only matched by that of her gaze. And then she's wrinkling her nose at Sylvarin-manifestation. "Why are you all sweaty?" is the most important question here.
Rhody may have locked and loaded one more pinecone-munition, but doesn't look like it's needed. "I don't eat cute fluffy stuff. Kill all the wherries you want. They're gross and got the creepy neck thing going on." She even does a little bobblehead motion imitating a wherry's peculiar motion. "Whatcha doing? Looking for the evil berries?"
Oh man, when that pinecone hits head? He LAUGHS very /loudly/. Yeah, it's rude, but oh man he enjoyed that more than he probably should. "I just woke up this morning and thought to myself it's a /great/ day to be sweaty, in fact…I'd like nothing more in the world." Sylvarin's words are heavy with sarcasm as he narrows his eyes in Taeli's direction. Eventually he glances upwards again though, finally giving an /actual/ response when the bartender questions him. "Not berries, but a flower, I need it for one of the desserts I'm working on." The bakers hands move to his hips now and he squints upwards, "What are you doing all the way up there anyways?"
SNAP. Sorry rabbit. Life sucks and then you die. Taeli dumps the carcass to a side and reaches for the next one, 'cause fluffy things are delicious indeed, no matter what Rhodelia says. Or how hard Sylvarin laughs. "Well that's weird, but whatever," she shrugs to Sylvarin's extolling of the virtues of sweating.
Rhodelia might not have been able to save the first one, but she'll try and try again. Round 2 is lobbed down with much less precision. It veers more towards the baker than the bunny murdering machine. "What sort of flower? Maybe I can see it up here." Her pencil is tucked back behind her ear again. "And I was climbing. Now I'm up here."
"Hey, watch it!" Sylvarin steps to the side, thankfully narrowly avoiding bombardment by pinecones. He eyes it for a moment and /very/ seriously considers throwing it at the huntress but doesn't. That's not his way of revenge. "It's a pale purple flower, grows in small bunches off vines usually. Sometimes there's white variations but they're not the ones I'm looking for." He is /definitely/ not looking at the dead rabbits because poor things. Seafood? Not as big of an issue with him, for whatever reason, "Were you climbing for fun?"
Second rabbit goes the way of the first and then Taeli's picking up the first one for the tedious job of field-stripping small game. "DON'T WATCH RHODY," she yells up at the tree, "I don't need you pukin' on me," muttered more to herself. Though let's be real here, Sylvie's WAY more likely to throw up by that long, delicate cut that Taeli executes along the underside of the rabbit than Rhodelia…
Rhodelia looks around with a loud hum as the mention of the flowers main characteristics, not seeing much on the ground, but then she looks up and ahas. "Like those?" A vine is dangling a few feet above her head. As for Taalie's advise, she snorts. "I'll puke where I wanna!" And with her track record of throwing things today, on Taeli seems like a safe bet.
But she's totally not puking yet.
"You found them?" Sylvarin's voice picks up a bit, a hint of relief gracing the words as he starts moving towards the tree. He's spent /way/ too much time outside and he's quite eager to get a look at these flowers in the hopes that they're the right one. Unfortunately…that brings him into Taeli's vicinity where the gutting is happening. One whiff of blood in the air and the baker is gagging. "Da—" Yup, there's another gag. Maybe Rhodelia isn't puking but him? He's getting dangerously close now.
"Dude, it's just a rabbit," Taeli says, squinting upwards at the same point in time she finishes the cut and hooks an index finger in there to pull the rabbit's throat loose. The bag of entrails follows, expertly not-punctured 'cause Taeli's a mofoing PROFESSIONAL people. "YOU FED PEOPLE FRUIT AND SHRIMP GARNISH ON TOP OF CANDIED SEAWEED," she accuses, her blonde eyebrows going all D:< at the INJUSTICE of this all. "THAT YOU NEVER TASTED BEFORE YOU PUT OUT!"
"Maybe," Rhodelia shrugs as she peers up at the vines. "They're definitely purple. And I'd recommend taking off your shoes for more grip!" She wiggles her own barefeet for demonstration. They only look a little beat up from the climb. And then mid-wiggle she catches a sight of the tumbling entrails and starts turning green again. Back to looking up at those pretty little flowers. "I DON'T FEED ANYONE SEAWEED! I FEED THEM BOOZE! NOT BLOOD!'
Is Sylvarin responding to Taeli's accusations? No. He's distracted because it smells like /blood/ and disgustingness and the dude is PUKING. Sure the baker is very miserable right now but he is /hoping/ beyond hope that some of this is getting on Taeli. He's very uncomfortable and very unhappy, but her suffering would /definitely/ ease all of that. "I…don't think I can climb any trees Rhode-" His words are interrupted by MORE PUKING.
"OH MY GOD THE SPLATTER," Taeli hollers as she hops up and nimbly FLEES the PROJECTILE vomit, leaving Sylvarin to splatter his lunch all over the innards of the rabbit she just pulled out. "I'M TRYING TO FEED A WEYR HERE, CAN YOU STOP THROWING UP AT ME!" because apparently capslock is a thing. Where's happy lab Taeli? Maybe that's just off-duty Tae and this frowny-faced one is knived-up Tae of RABBIT DOOM.
Rhodelia looking down at the rabbit/vomit massacre below and wrinkles her nose. Since going up will put further distance between her and that, the notebook and pencil goes back in the bag and Rhody is on the move!!! "You're not going to feed much of a weyr with a single bunny. Wouldn't wherries be more efficient?" Not to mention the whole wherries aren't cute and fluffy. But as she's busy climbing up towards those vines, a flash of inspiration does hit. "Soooo, if I bring you these flowers, does that mean I get to try whatever dessert first?"
"So sorry, just can't help myself." Sylvarin sounds surprisingly laid-back for someone who was vomiting his guts out. The baker glances around and eventually finds a leaf large enough to use as a makeshift napkin for the moment. "That's why we have wherries, don't worry…no one will starve if your rabbits get vomit on them." And maybe Taeli avoided the splatter but her prize? NOPE. Yeah there /is/ nasty vomit gunk on those poor little dead creatures. The baker /is/ finally moving away from the entrails and the nastiness though so he doesn't actually vomit or gag some more. "If that's what it takes for you to bring me those flowers? Definitely."
AND THEN THERE WAS LEIRITH, SWOOPING IN BECAUSE CAPSLOCK IS THE SONG OF HER PEOPLE, BOUNDING UP AND ALONG TO SCARF DOWN ALL THE RABBITS AND maybe lick a little bit of that throw up. It could have just been your imagination though. Maybe. Stop judging her. « THANK YOU, MINION. I REQUIRE MORE SUSTENANCE, SO THAT I MIGHT MAKE BABIES. » Go on then, murder more cute fluffy things you STRAIGHT SAVAGES.
Taeli just stands there and rubs her brow in VEXATION. "I'm pretty sure that's poison ivy," she asides to Sylvarin, AND THEN LEIRITH. Taeli takes a full two steps backward and holds her hands up in partial-worshipfulness 'cause hello giant minion-leader. "OH! I have two more!" 'cause she does have a brace of dead bunnies slung over one arm. She almost trips in her haste to unsling them. Now tell her she's pretty and such a good minion. That's how this works, right? RIGHT? "RHODY DON'T FALL DOWN, shemightthinkyou'refood,"
And suddenly, a swooping Leirith appears and suddenly there aren't any more bunnies! Or vomit. Possibly still some vomit. Rhodelia just clings to the tree as the leaves stir around her. "If I fall down I'll break my neck!!!" And she'd really not like that, so she's clinging, eyes closed. No more forward momentum. No dessert is worth potential neck breaking.
Sylvarin is now….staring. "Oh damn…" He's really hoping that Leirith didn't just accidentally eat some of his vomit because /what/ the /heck/. As for Taeli's words there's a quick eyeball and shake of the head, "That wasn't poison ivy." He doesn't like the outdoors but the baker /is/ out here gathering his own ingredients and would at least know the difference between unpleasant leaves and safe ones. For now he's just going to keep looking upwards, and try not to think about Leirith potentially eating vomit. "Uh…you alright up there?" Not that he could do anything about it really, but…he'll ask!
« EXCELLENT WORK, MINION. » And those blue eyes whirl, humor as-ever evident in tone of mind because this is Leirith and the dragon is probably immune to things like bad days and bad attitudes. « FIRST YOU MUST CHEW THEM UP AND THEN PUT THEM INTO MY MOUTH. LIKE A BABY BIRD. I HAVE HEARD THAT THIS ONE LIKES THOSE. » Did she just NOSE-POINT at Rhodelia up in her tree? She did. But more importantly, is she joking? It's hard to tell when you're on a one-track mindshare with this particular queen, and it doesn't help when she's looking back at Taeli as that maw drops. GO ON. REGURGITATE FOOD INTO HER, MAMA BIRD. YOU'VE GOT THIS. « YOU. » This for Sylvarin while she waits. « YOUR ARMS LOOK LIKE YOU KNOW HOW TO ROTATE SOME EGGS ON THE SANDS. » … Yeah. Leirith just hit on you. It's fine.
"… uh." Taeli is caught flat-footed with THIS request, staring first at the rabbits and then to Leirith. She lifts her free hand to scratch-scrunch into the hair along the back of her head, a delaying tactic and/or trying to kick on the correct sequence of braincells. C'mon, it's not like she has that many (or does she), frowning vaguely. "… uh," she says again, "You want me to chew them?" GUESS WHAT GUYS FOUND OUT EXACTLY WHAT TO SAY TO MAKE TAELI SPEECHLESS! take notes, this doesn't happen every day
"Birds are evil! Eat them all!" Rhodelia yells from where she's still clinging to the tree. After being chased by demon-geese, she's written off all fowl as foul. And even from her clinging terror, Rhody can still laugh at Taeli's misfortune. "You hear her, Mama Bird." And as she slides back down to the lower branch, "Soooo, just how important are those flowers to your dessert? I mean, bubbly pies are nice."
Sylvarin is not /exactly/ in shock, but his mouth hangs open slightly as the gold demands Taeli's regurgitation in the way of food. He's just /not/ going to say anything but honestly? He kind of thinks that the huntress might do it. And her speechlessness? That's both good and entertaining in his book! His observation is interrupted however as words are suddenly thrown in /his/ direction…thankfully it's a different topic though an equally shocking topic. Yeahhhh, he's taking a moment to process this. She can't be hitting on him right? Proddy dragons and humans. No amount of changing is going to change that fact however and soon he /does/ manage to come up with an answer. "I'm not sure I have the right…/appendages/…for doing anything other than turning eggs on the sands." He's talking about /wings/ you guys. Cause flight and all that! As for how important those flowers are? "Very, /very/ important but…maybe I can bribe someone with a flit to fetch them for me." At least he knows where they are now!
BOMBASTIC GIDDINESS. Leirith laughs, a thrumming of sound that is equal parts humor and really loud. That maw closes, Leirith shifts forward to nudge Taeli WITH HER FACE, and then she makes to boop Sylvarin as well. RHODY, HOWEVER, IS SAFE IN HER TREE. « IT WAS A JOKE, MINION. » A beat, and then, more gently. « Though I admit that it would have been the most badass thing I have seen a minion do if you'd done it. » AND THERE SHE GOES. TAKING A BOUNDING LEAP, AND MAKING FOR THE SKIES. « FAREWELL, MINIONS. DO NOT LET THE BIRD LOVER FALL FROM THE TREE. » Gone!
And in the aftermath, Taeli, crestfallen. "I should have done it," she says, staring wistfully into the sky.
Please don't let the bird lover hater fall. Rhodelia is at least semi-safely slumped back onto her original branch. There's a possiblity of surviving if she were to fall now and were really, really lucky!. "Can you also bribe someone to get me down? My arms are all woooobly…" And she waves them around like a slow moving wacky, waving inflatable arm tube man.
"Yeah, you definitely should have done it. Pity really, she might be disappointed in you for a bit now." Because it would have been /hilarious/ in Sylvarin's opinion. The baker watches the disappearing gold for a moment before his attention moves back to Rhodelia. Ok those brows are knitting again, "Can you lean on the tree?" He's actually starting to sound rather concerned and now his eyes are scouring the tree to see if there's actually any way down. "I bet we can find someone just…hold on." Because that's probably what she wants to hear right now, hold on! He'll /probably/ try to break her fall if she goes tumbling though.
Taeli finally seems clued in on the plight of COUSIN RHODY stuck in the damn tree with nobody to be engaging in K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Tough luck. "I guess I could carve you handholds if you give me a minute. Just don't tell anyone." Her gaze shifts dubiously to Sylvie, 'cause everyone knows that dude can't be trusted with NOT TELLING ANYONE that Taeli just defaced an ancient, gorgeous tree for the sake of one lost pigeon.
"I'm just going to sit here. For a while," Rhodelia leans back against the tree trunk. Good thing she made it to the giant branch. "Not the tree! If you stab it, it'll get sick and die! You don't want to kill the tree." Although considering the hunter has no problem killing fuzzy bunnies, tree probably has it coming.
Sylvarin frowns slightly. He notices that glance form Taeli but chooses to ignore it for the moment. "Just…let us know if you start losing your balance or getting dizzy or something." Because fake-cousin to the huntress or no, she seems pretty decent and he doesn't want her to /die/ out here. "I wonder if search and rescue might be able to help…" Because he's kind of at a loss as what else could be done other than tree defacement. "Or maybe someone has a ladder somewhere."
Brightly, "I can't kill a TREE, silly," because that's a lumberjack's job and Rainse is not around for the kill currently. Taeli re-situates her brace of rabbits and calls, "I'll go get someone!" before vanishing. Sorry COUSIN RHODY, she's uh, she's gone.
Rhodelia has a firm grasp on the branch now as she's taking some deep breaths. "It'll be fine…" And then as it looks like Sylvarian might also run the way of Taeli in search of help or ladders or stuff. "DON'T LEAVE ME!!!" There might even be a little sniffle.
Sylvarin's head turns to watch the departing Taeli and seems like he's gonna take a step in that direction, but when Rhodelia's words come to his ears the baker stops. He'll turn back around, one hand moving to rest on the tree as he glances up towards her. "She'll be back with someone soon, I'll keep an eye on you until then, ok?" Because yeah, her falling and dying while everyone's gone would suck. "So…what's up with the whole bird thing?" Look at him trying to distract her with small stalk!
Rhodelia sniffles a little bit more as she clings, but talking she can do. "I don't know how Leirith knew that… but I tried to feed some ducks once. But… they weren't ducks. They were geese. And they ran me and Nessalyn and the Weyrleader away. That's how I got this scar. and this scar. And that one!" She loosens one hand enough to point at some miniscule scars that definitely can't be seen from the ground. BUT THEY EXIST!
Sylvarin makes an /effort/ to see the scars, even though he can't. One hand moves to shield his eyes as he looks upwards and soon he lets out a low whistle. "That's a lot of unfortunate scars. But that didn't ruin /all/ birds for you, did it? Because I hear there are some nicer ones." Not that he's personally bothered to try and make friends with any! "Maybe you could even train one of the prettier ones to be an attack bird, just in case you encounter more geese." He's mostly joking about that bit!
"Only nice bird is a fried bird!" Rhodelia gives a small head nod to punctuate that. All the tough talk about bird-hate would probably crumple just as quick if anybody ever shows her a couple little yellow chicks or ducklings. Then it'd be all AWWWWWWWW. But back to tree-situation. "I think I'm going to drop my bag down. There's mostly nothing breakable in there." Dentable, but not necessarily breakable.
"Fried birds /are/ pretty tasty." Sylvarin admits this before her next words have him taking a step back. "Do you want me to try and catch it?" A beat. "But only if nothing's going to knock me unconscious if I miss it." Cause that would be great wouldn't it? Bartender stuck in a tree, baker passed out on the ground, and help /hopefully/ coming at some point.
And so, Rhody tosses the bag down without braining the baker. And eventually, somehow gets down without breaking her neck. Everybody lives to hate another day. The End.