Realistic or Modern A Night Bleeds (Closed)

[Silver-]

SILVER BLACKWOOD | tags: Out Of Words | location: Magic Corner​

The sound of water being lapped up halted abruptly upon glaring eyes settling on Foster after he denounced her to be ‘whitey’ before she licked her muzzle, purposely flashing her fangs as if threatening him to say it again. She noted how Rhevens had managed to pull on a few articles of clothing and at this she nosed through the crate containing food that the Minotaur had pointed out to them previously. An assortment of both fresh fruit, wrapped up, securely packed wads of meat and several unhealthy looking snack foods had been dumped inside.

Thinking the skin walker was still to tired to rummage for too long, she grabbed an apple and plopped it into his lap, taking at spot at his side to settle down for a bit while there wasn’t too much excitement occurring outside the walls. Her ears instinctively flicked his hand away when he went to touch her, earning him a momentary glance from the fae before she sighed quietly, allowing his fingers to sift through her fur.

So this is how dogs feel when we scratch behind their ears? She murmured to herself, admitting that it didn’t feel bad but rather quite soothing. She hated how easily she’d come to trust Rhevens to some degree and could only hope that the faith she had in him wouldn’t be tainted by his own hand.

Rhevens spoke of Midnight as if he was an entirely separate being that happened to be sharing the same body as he. From what she concluded, skinwalkers had pelts that they ‘wore’ in a way, with their own personalities and motives. Rhevens had no true control over Midnight, it seemed. Even less when in a stressful situation. It made her wonder why and how Midnight had even come to attach himself to Rhevens whom seemed like the kind of person to cower from danger or at least avoid it.

Amusement flooded her mind enough that she thumped her tail a little at Foster’s swift dejection, defending his rodent form adamantly. Just what else could he and Rhevens turn into? With a huff, she focused on the hand petting away at her neck and back, bristling for a heartbeat before relaxing when she reminded herself that it wasn’t a hand offering a painful strike.

Silver had been half drifting off into unconsciousness when the earth began rumbling beneath their very feet, stones groaning loudly as an unknown force willed them to leave their static positions. It wasn’t a smooth process like Sage had done as the rocks sounded their protest this time. The white wolf’s fur grew rigid once again as she stood up slowly, stalking towards the wall Sage had first closed up where all three of them had exited the garden from originally.

Her footfalls were silent as she stood in the space between the wall and where Foster and Rhevens sat with the crates and blankets. The back of her throat threatened to release a harsh sound of anger but she held her tongue as she listened, flaring out her senses so that she could sense the two beings that had paved their way into the garden beyond the stone wall. Their scents were sealed behind it but by how their footsteps sounded against peaty soil, it was a pair of humans—female and male.

The male carried a timbre of fortitude, set on the task at hand with a streak of jest that she was sure was nothing but a double-edged sword. Danger blared from his string of inquiries towards the woman whom sounded as if she were avoiding giving too many details—as if she had something to protect. But what? She glanced back at Foster, wondering if maybe she knew him. Her dialogue, the wavering in her voice.. she wasn’t happy to be with whomever was interested in finding a certain mouse.

Neither could tell that they were here but the male pressed on with persistence, giving the impression that suspicion as to whether or not their lost mouse was truly lost. Silver took a step back when she sensed one of them drawing closer to the wall, pinning her ears tautly as she braced herself. Should one of them come through that wall, she was sure that neither Foster nor Rhevens could hope to defend themselves against either of them. If they were to attack, she couldn’t tell Foster to hide or shift but she hoped that he’d sensed enough urgency to do so on his own.

What if there was a limit to how often he could shift? Pricking her ears, Silver lowered her head a bit and spaced herself accordingly so that she could launch herself forward should these people be able to dissolve the wall and decide to become the aggressors she thought them to be.

The silence that ensued from the woman’s answer to the man’s inquiries was followed by the familiar grinding of stone against stone as the wall threatened to crumble away. Silver gave Rhevens and Foster both a couple of glances before fixating her attention on the low noise before them.

 

[Maeteris]

Evelyn Harper

The vampire and the white wolf shifter seemed to be the latest addition, the casual air about them in the current situation elicited a sigh from Evelyn, responding with a weak shake of her head as she massaged her temples. Trying to piece the million piece jigsaw puzzle was a futile exercise. Is all of his even real or was her father still pulling imaginary strings?

A familiar and loud voice scattered her thoughts, apprehension seizing Evelyn as her memories clicked together.

No.

Caught unaware, Evelyn found herself in the embrace of Bug, loud and obnoxious Bug. Her memories flittered back towards a homely night at a strangers homestead as she tuned out the creature’s incessant ramblings.

Evelyn hummed, “Yes,.” Not aware of what she’s agreeing to as long as it shuts Bug up, still piecing the puzzle on from the ranch. They went to sleep afterwards, she was sure of it. Perhaps they were still dreaming?

A thrumming headache hammered her temple, “I do not need a place to sleep. I will meditate on past events.” She remarked. As if she could sleep anyway, even now the tendrils snaked around her lungs again.

location: ??? • tags • mood • Outfit: Hospital Gown• interactions

 

[Britt-21]

Tags: Out Of Words Vinegar Bees | Location: Sage's Garden

Hayley watched Rune for a while longer, letting him run around and try to find places to hide before she fed him. Which only allowed him to play with his food before actually eating it. While he entertained himself, the Pyromancer took the time to change into a different outfit. A red dress with black 1 inch heels. No way in hell was she going to wear tall heels. She then fixed her hair and makeup, only to come out from the bathroom looking as if magic did the trick on her current look "Alright, Rune-" before she could finish her sentence, he was slapping his fin on the floor as if he was a child. With a shake of her head and a laugh, she reached down and picked him up. Only to hold him like a newborn baby "For a little guy, you sure are demanding aren't you?" she asked as she made her way to the door to start her adventure to the Minotaur's garden.

Her expression had been serious and business-y. The less she smiled around the coven, the better. She may have been a leader, but she made herself seem more important than that just so her pursuit wasn't slowed. Along the way, she heard coven members talking about...A fire? A mouse? Taking a glance at the dogs, something was definitely going on and she didn't get the memo. Instead of stopping to ask, she increased her pace, though remaining professional in the process. Word doesn't spread fast around here. Especially to someone who runs one of the circles. Looks like she was going to have to light her own path just to find the answers she needed. "Rune, You're my second pair of eyes." she said almost in a mumble as she approached the open door to Sage's garden Why is the door open...? He ever leaves it open from what I could tell. Walking up to the doorway, she peered inside to see what was going on.

There was a Man she hadn't seen before, accompanied by a young woman. Another recruit? furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, she listened to the last of their conversation. Isn't just a mouse? Wait does that mean... the coven members that were talking about... Finding a Mouse? If this mouse is a shifter as he made it sound, then I need to get them out of here with the thought at the front of her mind, she spoke up "Sorry to intrude on your conversation." she continued "I couldn't help but hear that you're tracking a Mouse? A shifter of some sorts?" she asked, tilting her head slightly while calmly holding Rune "I passed a group of coven members that were talking about it, sounds like they caught a scent with those dogs they got. They were rushing to catch up." her eyes shifted from the male, to the female "I'm Phoenix, by the way." she introduced.​

 

[Vinegar Bees]

Maylee held her jaw shut as firmly as she could, hoping the tension would keep the fear dancing in her chest from showing on her face. So the mouse they were hunting was a shifter, indeed—and a rather special one at that, it seemed. She had never heard of a shifter who could take on the form of more than one animal. He—or she, maybe—must be a master in his craft, a shifter beyond compare. She thought of her own recent transformation, so clumsy and hobbled from disuse—it was no wonder Razial was after such a skilled, powerful shifter.

Her mind raced. This shifter clearly possessed a great deal of skill, and there was something to be said of the fact that Razial was hunting him to begin with—he had escaped. She didn't know this mouse, didn't know whether he was a kind soul or a power-hungry type like Razial, but gradually she began to build an image in her mind of a competent, clever spirit. Even if she did lead Razial to his scent in order not to fail her mission, maybe the shifter would be able to find himself a way out once again. Maybe she wouldn't be consigning him to doom. But what of the wolves and the human, then...?

As if reading her thoughts, Razial asked about the mouse's companions, and Maylee suppressed a flinch. Frankly, it wouldn't surprise her if he could, somehow, probe into her mind... the thought sent a wave of nausea through her, and she attempted to counter it by quickly shutting her eyes and breathing in the surrounding scents once more. Three distinct scents, to be sure, but... upon closer examination, one of the wolves' scents had similar undertones to the human's. A shifter, then, for sure, but—

What does that mean? Only one of them is a shifter? No, that wasn't necessarily the case—perhaps one of them had shifted back to human form, while the other remained in their wolf-skin. Maylee strained her brain, trying to piece together some sort of narrative of who this group of shifters was and what they had been doing, but any answers were as opaque as the heavy stone wall.

"Yes," she said cautiously to Razial, "one of the wolves smells a lot like the human. I think they're the same—"

Before she could go any further, however, Razial gestured for her to come close, and she felt clammy and cold as she hesitantly obliged. Being closer to him was the last thing she wanted, but she wasn't just here for herself, of course. There was Cillian to protect, and Leif was somewhere...

She stiffened in surprise as she pressed herself to the wall and listened—all at once, distant vibrations in the wall rattled in her teeth, and a groaning, scraping noise issued from somewhere deep within the expanse of stone. It was the very same scraping that had accompanied Razial's entry through the stone door of her room—she recognized it immediately in the pit of dread that abruptly opened up within her.

So there were hidden passages in the walls, then? Did that mean the mouse and the wolves were far closer than those truncated scents had suggested? Her heart began to drum in her throat at the thought that she was, perhaps, leading a dangerous predator straight to a group of individuals who had done nothing to deserve it...

"It sounds like a door," she said carefully, evenly, trying to keep her words as neutral as possible. "Like the door to my room, I mean."

Focused as she was on the noise, Maylee didn't detect the scent of a newcomer until it was already upon them; startled, she whirled around to take in the scent and sight of their new guest. A slender woman with sharp eyes, dark hair, and a tight red dress that looked better-suited for a dinner party than a stroll through the garden. She had a strange scent—something vaguely burnt, like coals smoldering after a fire—but strangest of all was the little creature tucked in her arms. Round and plump, it stared up at them with bulging eyes and quivering whiskers. A baby seal—? Maylee frowned, her gaze flicking from the little creature to the woman holding him. She was unsure what to make of her. That nice dress seemed to suggest some sort of status, as did the way she unabashedly approached Razial. Another one of them, then? Another power-hungry magician ready to grind everyone else to dust beneath her feet?

Another, chilling thought occurred to Maylee, then, and she felt her shoulders tighten in horror. What did Razial say about Levi—that he was with a woman in the coven...? Could it be—? Maylee was willing to guess that the little creature in the woman's arms was more than just a seal, so to speak, and Levi was a shifter, too... a shot of hot anger ran through her at the thought that this might be the very same woman keeping Levi captive, and she felt her hands ball into fists at her sides.

Stop it, she urged herself. Slow down. Don't make assumptions. Indeed, it was something of a stretch—surely there were plenty of female personnel here. Still, Maylee kept a stiff, defensive posture beside this woman whom all signs pointed to as Razial's colleague, and what the woman said next did nothing to mollify her image.

Dogs? There were dogs on their way here? No, no, no—once the other dogs arrived, surely they would alert to all of the scents in the garden, not just those she had pointed out to Razial. Surely they would notice the vampire whose presence she sought desperately to keep a secret...

Her heart was a sledgehammer in her ears, but Maylee willed herself to speak calmly, to be steel. "There's already a dog here." Firmly, she clutched a hand (clenched nervously into a fist, she realized, and then she forced herself to loosen her grip) to her chest. "I've tracked the scent here, but... it also stops here. I'm not sure a few more dogs would be of any help."

It occurred to her that she was speaking in the tone she remembered her mother always using, and a shudder of repulsion swept through her at how closely she still tied strength with the harshness of her mother—even so, it felt pitifully not enough. What else could she do? What were her options? As she clutched Cillian's and Leif's fates in her hands, Maylee felt as if she were traversing the channel between Scylla and Charybdis, despairing of the two hungry beasts who demanded a sacrifice she was not willing to give.

( Tags: Out Of Words | Britt-21 )​

maylee song.

hunter | werewolf

 

[KodakWolf]

Maddox Ward (Leif Hjalkarssen)
Location: Sage's hostel
Tags: Out Of Words Thropian Maeteris ​

Sage was quickly gone, not leaving them much time for further questions, after mentioning saving ‘others’. Perhaps the other ‘doggies’ and the ‘mousie’ he’d mentioned earlier. Trusting these ‘others’ or not, it felt like meeting them wouldn’t be a matter of choice anymore, so they’d have to take Sage’s word that they could be trusted.

At the sound of (another) wuffle, Leif glanced at Chase, who’d just mentioned picking a cot. Well, he still wasn’t feeling like risking to fall asleep anytime soon, but…

“MY DIBS FIRST!”

Leif’s head whipped towards the source of the familiar, but not so much, voice. Bug, of course. Sage had even mentioned him before. He did sound a bit different, but besides the AA style introductions at the Wranch, it wasn’t like Leif had heard him talk much, unless speeding towards each other with Bug screaming ‘Yeehaw’ after having dropped his lance counted as a conversation.

Bug’s reaction to them was amusing, but it didn’t beat Bug’s reaction to Evelyn, which in turn didn’t beat Evelyn’s reaction to Bug’s enthusiastic embrace. Leif held back a chuckle, that ended up manifesting itself as a half smile as he observed them in silence, until Bug asked for confirmation that they were his friends.

“I think so…?” And a small shrug. Now, Leif wasn’t one to call someone a friend after such a short time, especially not twice in the same day, but Bug was like… a kid. Not exactly like Sage, but still very much an overgrown kid, and it’d be almost cruel not to play along. Plus, he wouldn’t be lying if he said he was glad to see Bug too, just not in that overly enthusiastic way. One more that wasn’t dead or being experimented on. He just wasn’t looking forward to a hug like the one Evelyn was privileged to earn. Haha.

“Nice shirt.” He briefly gestured to the words printed on Bug’s shirt, frowning as he processed them. “We’re not in… Ecuador, are we?” It was just a shirt, of course it wasn’t enough evidence for anything, but… they were in a strange place, and no one had pinpointed it’s exact location yet, so there was a tiny chance that that shirt meant something after all.

Edwin then spoke, and it took only a few of his words for it to be clear that he, too, was different than his dream version. The excessive formality, characteristic of someone not very used to how social interactions worked, however, made sense when he introduced himself as Bear Spirit, and not Edwin. So apparently they’d switched places, or something of the sort. Wouldn’t be the first time Leif saw something like that, but it was also not something he saw frequently.

He did, however, bear great respect to animal spirits in general, and he knew a little bit about them, like the fact that they (and most animals, to be honest), were a lot more trustworthy than the majority of people. That hadn’t always been part of his world view, but over a hundred years among tribal peoples which shared great respect for the natural world (and animal spirits specifically, too) had taught the vampire that, and much more, most of such knowledge he still carried to that day.

He listened to the Bear with interest, though he frowned a little at the mention of their ‘respective spirits’, then assuming the bear was referring to Chase’s and Bug’s spirits, though the idea of bug spirits was a little strange to conceive. The Bear, too, seemed to acknowledge that something was different in Bug, which did raise a red flag for Leif. If the spirit had noticed it, then it probably wasn’t just an impression, though he wasn’t sure there was much they could do about that at the moment.

Evelyn then spoke that she did not need a place to sleep, and intended to meditate instead. The presence of the cots and all the supply boxes did indicate that they’d be spending more than a few hours in that room, but Leif didn’t know enough about elves to say they needed sleep for sure. Perhaps they could just meditate and get by. Either way, when she had his attention, he noticed something different about the familiar and alluring smell of her blood. In the dream, he remembered being pretty sure that she wasn’t magical, which marked her as an easy target, even. Though now, there was definitely some sort of magic mixed in, something he couldn’t quite determine yet, but couldn’t deny was there. He’d probably have time to investigate that, so for now he turned his focus back to Bug.

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

BUG

Tags Thropian Maeteris KodakWolf | Location: Emergency Shelter ​

Bug looked like he wanted to hug everyone else, even Chase picked up on it and with a couple of wuffles, held out his arms to show he was okay to hug. "Just don't lift me up, the legs no worky worky." Wuffle wuffle.

Bug swooped in with a bit of a caw sound, and nearly hugged the stuffings out of Chase. He sat on the floor next to the man, back against the wall. Bug allowed his eyes to roam over everyone's faces. "Soooooo... needle pulling thread. Uh. Yeah. Do you all remember the dream? Hard to believe it was a dream, huh? Like it felt like a lifetime ago, but like it only happened yesterday."

The chuckle was a little on the forced side, obviously putting off talking about the pink elephant in the room for as long as possible. Which wasn't all that long because he was still, at his core, Bug. "Okay so I don't know why, dreams are funny things I suppose. Where we can be whatever we want to be if we're not happy with who we are, or what's going on or all that psychoanalyzingmumbojumbo."

He leaned his head on Chase's shoulder, pouting a bit, worried about their reactions. "Maybe it's like an alternate time loop, like Devlin was talking about. Or maybe this is the alternate time loop, and we're all just mish mashed into what we should be, could be, would be?"

Chase had to give him a bit of a nudge for Bug to get to the point. "Okay, I'm a Corax. I don't even know if Cypher is a real thing, or something I just made up in the dream alternate time loop whirly world thing. But.. My name is still Bug. Just.. the full name is Eater-of-Bugs. Ha. Ha. Weirrrrrd right?"

Then as an aside to Leif. "Yes, we're in Ecuador. Sage got me this shirt. Do you want one too? SAAGEEEE? CAN YOU GET LEIF A SHIRT TOOOOO?"

coded by natasha.

 

[KodakWolf]

Maddox Ward (Leif Hjalkarssen)
Location: Emergency, hopefully soundproof shelter
Tags: Bug, Chase ( Out Of Words ), Evelyn ( Maeteris ), Bear Spirit ( Thropian )​

Leif didn’t move from the cot he’d landed on and watched as Bug squeezed Chase with the same expression he’d watched Bug squeeze Evelyn. Thankfully, Bug seemed satisfied with the two hugs and took a spot beside Chase on the rock floor.

As expected, he carried on talking, though the route his thoughts seemed to take tangled up in Leif’s mind in some sort of knot, and he rubbed his temple with a sigh, diverting his gaze to the floor. Had he not fed recently it’d precede the onset of a headache for sure. Too many words spat out at once, plus the several familiar yet strange scents filling the room were a bit too much at once and did set his head kind of spinning.

Chase’s blood should’ve made him feel good, and it initially did, though it also woke up his numb senses that now continued to grow sharper and overly sensitive to outside stimuli, as if not properly tuned after being asleep for some time. He tried not to make it too obvious and focused his eyes back on Bug just as he finally seemed to say something easier to process.

A Corax? Like a raven shifter… or a crow… or both. He was making bird like sounds, wasn’t he? Out of everything that could explain why something was off about Bug, that sounded like good news, though the man seemed kind of nervous when revealing who he really was. Was there more to it? Did he expect a negative reaction? Additionally , he seemed like one of the only shifters Leif ever saw that didn’t seem all too happy about their animal form. Leif rubbed his temple again with another sigh. He was probably overthinking it.

“That’s… interesting.” He started, trying to come up with something else to say that’d divert the group’s attention to a slightly different topic, as he didn’t feel like going through a second round of AA introductions in which everyone would reveal who they really were. Not right now. Or ever, really; he had nothing nice to say on that.

Though before he could say anything else, Bug dropped the ‘we’re in Ecuador’ bomb, and immediately started yelling.

“Fuck, shut up!” He snapped, eyes quickly moving up to the ceiling as he stood up and listened in apprehension for a few seconds. “There’s some monster thing up there.” he explained in a calmer tone and gestured towards where the garden was supposed to be, too focused on the monster idea to be mad at Bug for yelling, though it did hurt his ears. “Just so you know.” he added, again in that overly casual but not really tone, releasing the breath he'd been holding and throwing the others a glance. At least now, if things didn’t spiral down, they’d know the answer to the question of whether the rooms were soundproof or not.

Leif paced around a little, then moved to lean against one of the rock walls, still standing.

“Anyone else had strange dreams after the Wranch one?” he pitched, hoping that wouldn’t set off yet another bomb. Fucking Ecuador, for real?

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Alyce Wright

Tags: Coda Vinegar Bees Roje Britt-21 Indy Rhyme | Location: Hunting Season ​

Alyce giggled each time the red weaving snakes of magic directed her to take a turn. "They tingle! We'll find our prey yet!" Sometimes they went faster, with Alyce nearly running, her dress flowing behind her, hair caught in the currents of air she generated with her momentum. Other times, it was nearly a standstill, while she turned this way and that, attempting to discern which way the spell told her to go.

After about ten minutes, or maybe more, it felt like forever for those caught up in her web, they came before closed doors. "Here we go!" Before she even had to press a ring to open it, the door opened for her. There were four guards inside, two women, and one male. Alyce shook the spell off her hands as her head tilted far to one side as she stepped through the doorway.

"I want my shifter of tiny forms, the one I was promised." Her voice was saccharine sweet, but one could hear the edge of the cliff she stood on. She could either plunge forward, or remain standing on solid ground. Her eyes didn't linger on Key for long though, shifting quickly over to Wendy, and then Indy. "Oh, my manners, I must have them in a pocket!"

Alyce reached into a pocket of her dress and pretended to pull them out, holding them in the palm of her hands which she then presented to those gathered. "There they are. Hello! I don't know you, or you." She eyed Wendy and Indy before settling on Key. "Introduce please and thank you very much."

Key did seem to straighten his posture when she arrived, but other than the small movement, it was difficult to discern if he felt anything with her presence. "Of course, Miss Alyce Wright, this is Wendy, my fiance, and this is Indigo Sanderson. She was.."

Alyce shrieked, not in fear, but in glee and absolute joy. Alyce moved toward Indy, one hand reaching out in an attempt to touch her on the shoulder as if dusting off some lint. "Oh I know you! You and the shifter of tiny forms called me when you were on your way here! It was very amusing, the little scene you played out for me."

Key's face slowly turned toward Indy as Alyce rambled on. "It was so cute! Now.. I need to know, where is my tiny shifter? I have plans you see. He's going to join my kitty kitty and keep me company and entertained with all his tiny forms!" She turned to look at where the clouded leopard was still riding on Roje's shoulder, ears flattened any time Alyce looked his way. Thankfully, this one was brief.

"Can you imagine?" She leaned in a bit close to Indy, her eyes wide and off. "Imagine how fun to watch the kitty play with the tiny shifter."

coded by natasha.

 

[Vinegar Bees]

Coda stiffened a little when he heard his name spoken at his shoulder.

(Well, not his name. That thing he called himself.)

The sound of it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. There was only one person behind him, and he had never heard a sound like that—so quiet, so desperate—leave her lips. Swiftly, he turned his head around and saw a similar quiet desperation in Roje's eyes that had once sparkled at him with mischief and scorn. Indeed, he didn't have to be intuitive to know she was scared shitless.

And why wouldn't she be? Any reasonably sane person would. His own lack of fear wasn't a sign of bravery but of foolishness, of scorched synapses and instincts stalling out. The animals who, when faced with danger, stopped and stared in rapt fascination were the same ones who died out. It was simple natural selection.

Even if one of his most crucial instincts was broken, though, another was well intact, and he felt it flooding his bloodstream with heat at that moment. This feeling hadn't inhabited him in years, but once it locked into place, he recognized it immediately: his sister's wide, brown eyes shining with tears she transparently fought to hold back, the impish snickering of some shithead kid sitting up on the monkey bars, a wave of hot, inexorable anger brewing in his veins. It was so quick: a swing of a fist, a bloody nose, a trip to the principal's office. Malik gently scolding him as he pressed resentfully against the car door, arms folded at his chest.

But he was being a jerk, and it was upsetting her, and nobody else was gonna make him stop!

Coda gritted his teeth as the naïve, loathsome voice of a child rang in his memory. How he despised that little boy—and yet, in so many ways, he hadn't changed at all. Staring into Roje's frightened eyes, he might as well be a kid on the playground, overcome with rage at the petty remarks of a petulant bully. But he wasn't a child anymore, and there was far more at stake here than a simple scolding from an elementary school principal—no, if he followed his instincts and lashed out on Roje's behalf, he might very well doom them both.

Another familiar voice swirled in his head, and he flinched: You're right about that. So why did you think starting a fight would make her feel better?

Coda gritted his teeth, remembering those calm, keen eyes staring at him from the driver's seat of the car, those same eyes that refused to turn and face him as the apparition hovered outside his bathroom door.

You know what I think is cooler than being able to beat a guy up?

Coda's blood was pounding in his ears, a distant agony twisting in his chest.

Making someone smile when they're sad.

His brows were, as always, knitted into a scowl, but his hand was gentle as he reached over and grasped Roje lightly by the chin, lifting her head slightly. Chin up.

I'll protect you.

He turned back around to face Alyce, then, and before he could reason out why he had done what he had done or whether it even mattered, the three of them (four, he supposed, including the cat) had arrived at a door that parted to reveal a couple of familiar faces. Coda couldn't say he was particularly glad to see any of them, but—

He took a hissing breath through his teeth. Indy was there, and by all appearances, all of her limbs were still intact. Fervently, he tried to tamp down the spark of irritation that buzzed within him—as much as he couldn't stand the sarcastic little shit, Indy's presence would at least be a comfort to Roje.

Key and his apparent fiancée, Wendy (you've got to be fucking kidding me), on the other hand, he allowed no such concessions. As Alyce gleefully babbled on about her coveted shifter of tiny forms and began to describe her plans for the hapless little idiot in loving detail, Coda took a warning step closer to her. As unstable as she had proven herself, she was still his charge, and if Indy or Key or anyone had a mind to lash out at her, he would be ready.

Still, he made sure to keep Roje in his peripheral vision. There were, after all, two people in here he had sworn to protect: one promised through the binding of blood, the other through the private fire in his heart.

If it burned him to cinders, so be it. A creature made in hellfire was destined to return.

( Tags: Out Of Words | Britt-21 | Rhyme )​

coda.

half-demon

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Dusk

Tags Clementine AsherMasher | Location: Secret Hideout ​

Dusk grinned wide and laughed. "Good! Lew will be happy. She'll likely check in with us later. She was going to try and get a couple more out of the main room where they keep those they have kidnapped or duped." He took her bowl when she was done and made sure they were washed and set to the side to dry.

"We have a few allies here, but a couple of the ones we have are pretty powerful in their own right. And hopefully, those we are waking up will have their own formidable assets to add. Though, if any of them wish to leave, I won't begrudge them." He rubbed at his chin, as if remembering. "Not everyone's a fighter. And those that do, well, usually it's a good idea to pick your battles."

There was a darker chuckle, and a raising of an eyebrow. "I wouldn't normally pick this battle, but there's no way I can turn a blind eye to what's going on here. What has been going on here, for too long." Dusk rumbled and moved to find a couple of papers in a small pile he kept on a nearby table. "I'll see if I can get you a Reader's Digest version."

It took a moment of shuffling before he found it and moved to sit beside the bed again. "This coven, is full of magicians, and creatures who are magic unto themselves. And they take those they see as lesser beings. Maybe not adept at magic, maybe weak at it, but still they have special abilities. Their favorites are shifters."

He opened up the paper and it showed a drawing of a room with a device in the middle, and rings upon rings, growing in size the farther out from the middle device they went. "This is where they gather the magical energy to give themselves a boost, to power... all of this." He made a sweeping gesture of a hand. "We're inside an inactive volcano, in Ecuador. They've been feeding off ley lines used by the Aztecs long ago. Ley lines, and.. other things."

He showed another paper, one with a depiction of the moon in the sky, and a group of mystics below with arms raised upward. Small wavy streams seemed to be stretched between the moon and their fingers. "There is a lot of belief in the power of the moon, mystical and scientific. They're both right. The Aztecs used the moon and the sun to draw energy and power. The Coven is essentially doing the same, but with those in that room, and the moon. Only.. they've fucked up somewhere. And now the moon is very close to just..." He made one hand clench tight, then he stretched the fingers out making a 'bbrrgh' sound to indicate an explosion.

"Earth loses the moon, earth is ultimately fucked in an apocalyptic fucked way." He couldn't help but give a grin, because he was the type to tell adversity to suck it. "So we're close to finding out what they're doing to the moon, and then, hopefully stop it."

coded by natasha.

 

[Thropian]

Edwin Blut
Location: Storm Cellar
Tags: Maeteris KodakWolf ​

Bear chuckled quietly at Eater-of-bugs winding story. "So you are bird bonded then. I have seen swarm spirits, though I've not seen them bond, but it could be possible."

When Leif questioned the shirt, and by extent their location, Eater-of-bugs began yelling for further clothing until the vampire hushed him. He warned the group of some monster.

"Edwin spoke of strange spirits, feathered snakes and fated destiny. This is indeed a strange and confusing place."

The vampire then asked about dreams. "Yes, we did. We dreamt of lost family. But the wolf and cat spirits, Chase and Levi, brought us from it." He thought a moment. "Do we know if Levi is okay?"

 

[Maeteris]

Evelyn Harper

Evelyn had moved far from the group as they talked amongst each other, Bug happily accosting the white wolf shifter and regaling a story to Ecuador.

She opened her mouth to reprimand Bug as he shouted into the air but the vampire had her beat She lowered her head, a quiet sigh slipping her lips. Evelyn cringed as she was reminded of her dream, apparently everyone had shared dreams or somesort, explained by Bear or Edwin Blut who referred to himself as ‘we’.

He was worried about Levi, Evelyn found it difficult to remember who it was but finally came upon a face. The small human in the cavern from before.

“Personal dreams, none of which involved any of you.” She bit her lip and wondered. The others seemed to share dreams to an extent, why didn’t she?

location: ??? • tags • mood • Outfit: Hospital Gown• interactions

 

[Britt-21]

Tags: Out Of Words Rhyme Vinegar Bees | Location: Arkham Asylum's Cool Kids Club

That smallest movement. Roje saw it with her sharp eyes. It caught his attention, and that's what she wanted. His head had turned to look toward her, but all he would be met with was a scared vampire. There was no smart remarks, no jokes, not even a smile. Chaos was standing right in front of the trio, looking as happy as a psychotic little girl stabbing someone over and over again as if it was the best game she could ever play. Alyce's words only made chills run up her spine, the haunting tone she used. During this, it didn't take Coda long to reach out and lift her chin just a tiny bit. This gained him some attention, looking at the face he wore, hers was softer, kinder...But his hand had dropped and soon enough was standing in front of a closed door. They all went inside, only for the people inside to look over and instantly Roje became tense. Guarded. Here's that dumb mother fucker. And his stupid little Wendy Bitch. she thought bitterly. She was scared before, but now she was scared, but also ready to flip her shit out on that spiky haired prick standing in the room. But with the biggest threat standing out like a sore thumb, it kept Roje from lashing out verbally and kept her quiet.

Though, those hazel eyes landed on a familiar figure sitting on the couch, her eyes widening Indy! Oh my goodness. They didn't fucking do anything to you... Not yet anyway. I hope you didn't sign that damn piece of paper either. the vampire thought, only to look back at Key and Wendy bitch. Only to almost jump when Alyce shrieked, rushing over to her younger sister who began to claim that she and foster called her? What the fuck? No fucking way. You called her?! she thought, eyebrows furrowing in... A mix of emotions. When Alyce began to explain her plans, Roje started to become protective over the cat upon her shoulder. She wants to let the cat kill Foster? Why? What's the purpose? her eyes shifted between everyone and then she turned her attention to the cat. Oh man, her mouth was going to get her in so much trouble, but she wanted to know. She needed to know. Turning her attention back to Alyce, she parted her lips, hesitant to even speak, but she forced those words out to the best of her ability.

"Why?" she managed to get out, clenching her jaw for a moment before elaborating "Why would you want him to play with the tiny shifter? Why don't you choose something more exciting? It'll only be like watching the discovery channel. Gets old really fast, don't you think?" every gut in her body was telling her this was a bad idea to even speak around the Dragoness, Sonic, and Wendy Bitch. Indy and Coda were the only ones she could trust right now (And the cat on her shoulder), even if they didn't speak, Roje would always find the balls to speak "Just curious, Miss Alyce." she added for a little bit of brownie points and avoid the wrath and insanity she was portraying.​

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Sage

Tags Thropian Maeteris KodakWolf Silver- Location: Emergency Shelter ​

Sage was moving as fast as he could, without making the stone groan too loudly. Sometimes, he couldn't help it, and he'd pause, fingers touching the rock as he just seemed to listen. Then he'd move a bit more, rinse and repeat. Eventually, he had a tunnel to the underside of the other makeshift room created to protect the others he found and freed.

Sage moved much slower then, both hands sliding along the rock ceiling until he found the right spot. Then the stone just melted slowly, being reshaped to form a similar chute, only this one would wind up touching the floor. The idea was it would allow them to slide along the floor and into the tunnel leading to the main room. It took longer than before, because Sage was doing his very best to make it quiet. He couldn't even really call up, so Sage just had to wait and see if one of them would take the chute down.

Up in the room Rhevens was being quiet, and even Foster was doing his best. He had both hands clasped over his mouth, pressing as tightly as he could. When the floor in the middle started to melt away, he very nearly screamed. Only Rhevens was faster, tackling Foster and helping press a hand against the other man's mouth.

However, in the tackling, the momentum carried them forward and down the chute they tumbled. It was a jumble of limbs and bodies as the two of them slid across the stone floor until they were halfway in the tunnel. Sage didn't recognize Foster, so he tilted his head to one side and nearly asked a question, but remembered he was supposed to be quiet. So he just shooed them with a large hand, indicating they needed to go to the other room.

After a separation of limbs, Foster headed into the room, while Rhevens waited to see if Silver was coming.

coded by natasha.

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Razial Hale

Tags: Maylee Vinegar Bees Hayley Britt-21 | Location: Gardens ​

Razial tilted his head to one side as he gave this newcomer a studying glance, noting the little sea thing in her arms. He listened as Maylee quickly worked to establish herself as top dog, and he couldn't help but smile a little. "Yesss, she's quite the tracker, our Maylee Song."

However, he did step toward the new person, hands coming up to press fingertips together in front of his torso. "I don't believe we've met yet. I'm Razial, this is Maylee." His eyes glowed just a brief moment, a swirling orange flickering type of a glow.

"I'll admit to being a bit lax in getting to know everyone here, Alyce is usually the social butterfly more than I am. I should remedy that, however. We should always know those in the family. So.." He gave a small version of a royal bow, one hand moving to flip the palm upward as he gestured and turned the wrist.

"Tell me, who are you? And what a lovely pet you have." Razial gave another tilt of his head as his gaze settled on the sea thing in her arms. "Is that the pet you chose? Aren't they rather.. slow to move? Or, I suppose you didn't want an attack pet? Interesting." Before Hayley could answer though, Razial swung his attention to Maylee, his expression twisted with curiosity.

"What pet would you pick, MIss Song?"

coded by natasha.

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Chase Moon

Tags KodakWolf Thropian Maeteris Silver- | Location: WTF Going On ​

Chase wuffled, as Bug pouted at being yelled at, or reprimanded, or both, maybe something else all together. He rested against Chase's shoulder again, making soft little caw noises almost as much as Chase made wuffling sounds. It almost became a game of who could make the last sound.

Chase shook his head when more dreams after the wranch were brought up. Bug apparently didn't have any either, as he simply shook his head. But then they both noticed a couple of figures literally sliding their way. The two didn't quite make it more than halfway through the tunnel Sage made, but Bug was moving to go help.

Foster and Rhevens were confused, but Bug waved them closer before whispering, "Be vewy vewy qwuiet. There's a monster hunting for you, us, someone. Just.. monster. So.. yeah. And watch out for that one, he's cranky." Bug gestured toward Leif before moving to sit on the cot he had claimed earlier with his dibs.

Foster was about to do his usual what the fuckery statement, but Rhevens gave him a bit of a shoulder push. This earned the man a big of a glare, but Foster did shut up, so the trick did the job. For now. Rhevens looked around, not seeing anyone he knew. "Uh, yeah, there's one more of us. I'm Rhevens, this is .. uh.."

"Foster. Foster Croft."

"Yeah, and uh.. hi. One moment." He had to go back a little down the tunnel to see if Silver was coming or not. Which meant Foster felt like he could talk again, though he did keep his voice down.

"What the fuck is going on?"

coded by natasha.

 

[Silver-]

SILVER BLACKWOOD | tags: Out Of Words | location: Stone Barracks ​

Fear hit the roof of the wolf’s mouth, her muzzle scrunching into a twisted snarl as she spared another glance at Foster when the movement from outside the wall ceased. His eyes were glazed over with skittish emotion but the time she had to question as to why was brief as she somehow heard the scream manifesting in his lungs once those feverish eyes focused on something on the floor.

The fae almost whipped around to lunge at him but Rhevens surprisingly beat her to it, barreling into Foster and somehow vanishing from existence as they fell into.. a hole? A mouth yawned where it had once been smooth rock only minutes ago. A quiet struggle echoed much further down but what convinced her to follow suit was the scent of the Minotaur that replaced Foster’s quickly staling fear.

With a swift glance around the vicinity to ensure they neither left a trace nor needed anything in particular, Silver slowly scrambled down the chute. Her paws splayed as if to both dampen the scratching noise her claws made as well as to not slide down too quickly considering she had no idea what stood at the end.

A blaze of white fur sped into the tunnel, having to tumble a bit when she was alerted by the massive silhouette that turned out to be a true sight for sore eyes. Her tumble soon became a trot as she caught herself, using the leftover momentum to make her way to Sage and press against his side for a moment. She looked up at the minotaur, wagging her tail briefly as of saying thanks before her eyes caught the other recognizable shape of Rhevens.

Silver met the skinwalker half way, flicking her ears warily as she scoured the tunnel with scrutiny. Unfamiliar scents and silhouettes of humans appeared to be sitting ahead, brewing distrust in her chest as she drew closer to the group with Rhevens guiding the way.

Foster’s familiar dialogue greeted her ears as she came to stand at the edge of the group, noting the makeshift cots and the scents that came from each person or.. supernaturals, she should say. There appeared to be a bear in the room along with a woman that had.. pointy ears? A man that smelt faintly of blood, along with two that sat together, supporting each other tiredly with soft chuffs and .. caws?

Mentally, she felt unsure of it all but the composure she held as a wolf offered no break in her character as she took a seat, amber-gold eyes burning as they landed on each person that spoke, in silence.

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Alyce Wright

Tags: Coda Vinegar Bees Roje Britt-21 Indy Rhyme | Location: Hunting Season ​

Alyce turned around, but slowly, like some horror movie villain slowing turning around to stare at the one who dared draw her attention. The smile was fixated in place, and for what seemed like the longest of times, she didn't even blink as she looked to Roje, processing the question posed her way.

"Well, not if the tiny shifter can change into different animals. That makes it much more than some simple natural geographic channel." Her expression bordered on an obvious 'duh' kind of look, and a bit of a dubious curiosity why such a question was even asked in the first place.

She turned back to Indi with the same slow motion as before, reorienting her focus. "Now then, dear." One hand reached out in an attempt to touch Indy's hair, just a strand, as if looking for split ends. "Where is your phone pal? Foster? That was.. is his name, correct?" There was a side glance toward Key, lingering only long enough to receive a confirmation nod, then back to Indy.

"Who all is helping to find him?"

Key answered, "Several coven members and their tracking hounds. Razial and his protege were also informed."

Alyce's expression changed, expertly reflecting concern, "Oh, those hounds. They might just as sooner eat the little thing than capture it. Oh dear." She clicked her tongue before her eyes went sharp, and her features scowled. "If you know where he went, this might be the best chance of saving him."

coded by natasha.

 

[AsherMasher]

Clementine Holt​

Clementine tried to ignore the rising nerves that gave a slight shake of her hands. She clutched the blanket around her tightly and gulped down the lump in her throat.

Clementine was excited to see Lew again, but not under these circumstances. The word “kidnapped” made her head spin and her mouth go dry. Even with new friends and freedom Clementine wished for her mundane life to magically start again. As if to wake up from a long, tireless dream she had right before her school alarm went off in the morning.

Picking and choosing her battles was also not one of her abilities. Her fingers toyed with the edges of the blanket as she tried to calm her nerves while Dusk explained the situation. Clementine had heard and seen some pretty ridiculous stuff in the past week; including the interactions with Ash and her new fairy friend. Being in an active volcano in Ecuador was definitely another notch in the “weird situations Clementine is facing” belt. However, the mention of shifters did peek her interest.

“Shifters?” She asked inquisitively. “Like humans who turn into animals? I’ve never met one in person.” Clementine leaned forward in the bed towards Dusk, forgetting her anxiety. As Dusk continued one, she listened intensively. “The Aztecs? The moon? Ugh this is all so much!”

The headache became a dull throb as she took in all then information. She wasn’t sure what to say, or what she should say in a situation like this. It wasn’t like her teachers in Public Speaking or Communications class taught her to deal with conversations such as these. She recoiled at the foul language Dusk used and tried not to show her slight discomfort. That was also something should would have to get use to. Clementine Holt, sitting in bed with a stranger next to her spouting strange stories and expletives. If only Grandma could see her now.

“I want to help,” Clementine huffed out as she crossed her arms defensively. “But I’m not sure how I can. This is all so much.” She throws her arms out wide, gesturing to the room around her. “All of this. The “coven,” Lew, people being kidnapped, the wild amount of magic being thrown around involving the MOON!” Clementine flops down onto the bed. “It’s all so much bigger than me. What could I possibly do?” She looks over the Dusk with a frown. “I want to help I really do. But HOW?” Clementine holds the pendant around her neck possessively and sighs. “I’m just a teenage witch with untrained powers. Do you really think I could do any good?”

 

[Rhyme]

Indy
Tags: Out Of Words Vinegar Bees Britt-21
​

Why did Hell have to be full of chipper bitches?

Before the doom and gloom duo had a chance to cock and aim another condescending shot at Indy's chest the door to the office burst open, a seismic wave that seemed to shake all inhabitants aside from herself. Indy turned to see another impossibly beautiful woman, her long hair swinging behind her as she strolled into the room, demanding her tiny shifter. Her dangerously-sweet words seemed to shoot right up Key's ass, stiffening his spine as his gaze and slowing his speech as he addressed this newest hurricane with calculated caution. Interesting. Miss Alyce Wright.

Alyce and Wendy, upon initial impressions, seemed to come from the same pretentious stock. Yet, as Alyce danced around Key's words to approach Indy, her fingers pressing the space between them as her bright eyes appraised Indy openly, it became clear Alyce held something Wendy lacked; Key's respect.

"I-" Indy's words were swallowed by Alyce's bright babbling as she continued her verbal waltz over the otherwise silent room. So hypnotic, Indy had only realized the additional presences in the room following Alyce's direct referencing to a cat, one aside from herself.

Coda. But more importantly, thankfully, Roje, standing behind him with a suspiciously meek expression and--is that a fucking leopard?! Jesus Christ, throw in an elephant and we're one step away from our own Barnum and Bailey production. Roje seemed uninjured, thankfully, yet as Indy tried to meet her gaze she found Alyce back in front of her, piercing eyes digging into her bones as she carefully questioned about her tiny shifter.

Foster. The one that had called her. The mental string and picture board in Indy's brain spun, weaving events together as one theory finally came to its conclusion, seven steps too late; this was the voice on the phone, her savior. The male magician that could "see shit" who sent Foster to find her--tack. Foster was too much of an idiot, he absolutely got played, judging by his perpetual state of trauma--tick. The final string, now validated by Alyce's words, drawing a line between Indy's safe, isolated existence to this hell-hole snapped into place as Indy grit her teeth; this had been the plan all along. Foster fucking Croft, I am going to kill you.

One question, maybe a few questions, left; was this male magician real at all? Was there truly another cliche' Avengers group out and about, or was that another story concocted by the Coven in order to string the happy idiot along? And why fetch Indy, rather than collect Foster immediately--if this princess Caligula prized him so dearly?

Roje's words snapped Indy back to reality, her voice strained as she questioned Alyce. The words were drawn from the same sassy, laissez-faire pool of attitude Roje often drank from, yet her tone was jarringly cautious. Indy's fingers pressed tightly together, balling up against her legs as she eyed Alyce's reaction. Coda was hovering, yet his expression gave away his own contemptuous feelings toward the situation--yet Indy would sooner kiss the frigid bitch Wendy before she trusted Coda with Roje's safety.

Alyce rotated toward Roje with an inhuman slowness, her expression frozen in a twisted smile as her eyes seemed to widen. Even as she spoke, her lips seemed to stay fixated in their twisted smile, the words coming from beyond the room. Then she turned back, poisonous eyes and venomous tongue dripping stinging toxins with each word as willowy fingers pierced the dense air, the pressure building in Indy's lungs as Alyce reached toward her. She couldn't breathe, even the haunting song drowned out into the background as the drumming of blood rushed through Indy's ears.

It was getting old; these intimidating demons.

Indy allowed Alyce to touch her hair, glancing at her fingers as she twirled carefully studied a single strand. The spider appraising its newest piece of the web. She met Alyce's cool gaze, carefully keeping her own expression muted and unblinking as Key clarified the current hunting party set on Foster's ass.

"If I knew where he went, Miss Alyce," Indy mirrored Roje's words, her cool breath blowing the strand of hair from Alyce's twirling fingers, "I'd love to tell you. But the hickory-dickery-cock-head ran."

 

[Vinegar Bees]

Coda kept his eyes narrow, his breath low through his teeth as he listened to the room around him like a predator listening for the footfalls of the prey it was stalking. Quickly, he tried to piece together dynamics, figure out what was happening: this Wendy, whom he hadn't met before, seemed familiar to both Indy and Roje; she had probably shown up at the cell block after he had headed to the labyrinth, then. And then, when he had returned, Indy had been gone—so this Wendy, whoever she was, was probably the one who had taken Indy away.

She was, apparently, Key's fiancée (Coda felt another shot of disgust at the thought), and there was something vaguely, frustratingly familiar about her—something about the soft dove-gray of her eyes that contrasted with her primly pursed lips—but there was something far more important that soon became apparent. Her silence, her demureness—she was a subordinate here.

A hierarchy, he thought, laser-focused. A pack of dogs.

Even more important than that was the clear caution and reservation with which Key addressed Alyce, the latter's unimpeded demeanor of ghoulish delight. A fever began to buzz in Coda's veins, and his insides twisted in sick satisfaction: Even Key answers to Alyce.

It didn't feel good to see the bastard squirm, exactly—Coda had forgotten what good had felt like until those few fleeting, hungry moments with Roje had been snatched up from beneath him—but it sure as hell didn't feel bad, either.

His eyes, burning with intent, darted from Key to Alyce to Indy as his brain raced to get a full picture of what was going on. Indy seemed cooperative now, suspiciously so—her stale brand of sarcastic humor hadn't gone away, of course, but there were no more birds flipped, no more insults fired at her interrogator. Too bad, he thought absently. Indy giving Alyce lip would be a convenient excuse to smack her around a little.

(It occurred to him swiftly, though, that Roje wouldn't like that, and he gritted his teeth.)

So Foster had absconded—he knew that much already. Indy seemed more than a little eager to help Alyce track the idiot down—not particularly surprising, either, given how furiously she had reacted to his little Houdini stunt in the first place. And as they spoke, a group of coven members were scrambling to find him, scent-hounds in tow. Again, to be expected: he had seen the beginnings of a frantic search party forming in the ashes of those two unlucky bastards Alyce had torched. There was something else, though, something new—

Razial. Coda wracked his brain, trying to draw up any hint of memory, but he unequivocally hadn't heard the name before. And yet, the fact that he warranted a name at all in Key's mention, as well as the fact that he apparently had a protégé under his wing, implied a sort of grave importance to the coven at large.

Coda clenched his teeth harder, feeling frustration course violently through him. More shit I don't know, he thought bitterly. He had thought he had finally become someone of repute in the coven, but this was a raw, stinging reminder of how controlled his flow of information was.

If there was one thing Coda hated the idea of being, it was controlled.

"Razial," he said fiercely. His gaze started on Alyce before landing on and burning into Key. "Who is he?"

( Tags: Out Of Words | Britt-21 | Rhyme )​

coda.

half-demon

 

[KodakWolf]

Maddox Ward (Leif Hjalkarssen)
Location: Sage's boarding house
Tags: Bug, Chase, Foster, Rhevens, Sage ( Out Of Words ), Evelyn ( Maeteris ), Bear Spirit ( Thropian ) , Silver ( Silver- )​

‘Strange spirits, feathered snakes and fated destiny’ sounded less somber than ‘evil coven holed up in a volcano kidnapping people to use as fuel for their power plant’. Or that’s what Leif was going with, considering the whole ‘energy syphoning’ theory was correct.

So both Evelyn and Edwin had had other dreams, personal dreams, whereas Bug and Chase hadn’t. Wasn’t it weird, that those who’d been contacted by Devlin and Shia first hadn’t had any further dreams? But Leif couldn’t draw any conclusions from that, and besides, it wasn’t the time to feed feelings of distrust. Staying alert would do for now.

Eyes had laid upon both Evelyn and Edwin when they spoke. The elven woman had stepped further away from the group; ever since the Wranch she never seemed very fond of group interactions, but her answer was satisfactory. Though when the Bear spoke, Leif’s gaze lingered on him longer than would be necessary, which was also a way of finding something to focus on and push all the excessive information his senses picked up to the background. He hadn’t spoken to animal spirits in a long time, and there was something about them that evoked good memories, and a sense of trust. It wasn’t a rule of thumb, but many had proven themselves 100 times more trustworthy and wise than most humans.

“Levi’s with some high rank in the coven. He might be okay… all things considered.” he answered the Bear. ‘Alive’ was being considered ‘okay’ for now. “So is Maylee.” he briefly added, eyes finally moving away from the Bear. No one had asked, but he couldn’t not mention her. It was good to see everyone, but he’d give anything to see Maylee then. Their last encounter hadn’t ended very well, and to find out it was all some shared dream… had she dreamed the same?

‘We dreamt of lost family.’ The Bear had said. So did he, and maybe Evelyn. The wolf and leopard spirits had been present for Edwin, though Leif couldn’t be sure whether the wall trophy, the bear rug and the stuffed leopard had been spirits, their hosts, or a product of his own muddled imagination. They did help bring him out of the dreaming, though.

Just as Leif started to find a balancing point among all the noises and scents filling the room, stone moved again, differently than it’d been moving while Sage built his path out of the room. This time further away, by the end of the long corridor the minotaur had built towards somewhere else, where others still needed saving. The sounds hadn’t lied, and the stone had indeed been shaped differently, possibly creating another chute or passage into another room, because different scents could soon be picked up in the air, together with the sounds of someone (or something) clumsily sliding down.

Leif pushed away from the wall he’d been leaning on and stepped closer to where the group was, eyes locked on the entrance of the rock corridor as a moderate amount of adrenaline was again pumped into his veins. Reasoning said it wasn’t the monster; he could still smell Sage, and though the other scents were mixed together, they didn’t hint at a monster. Though not being a monster didn’t mean someone was a friend. His subconscious was overly cautious, and he strategically positioned himself between their group and the newcomers. There was nowhere to run to, and none of the others seemed very able to defend themselves (or at least try) as of then.

Had his mind not been overflowing with thoughts and magnified information, he’d have noticed Bug moving towards the strangers in time to stop him. He was too slow, however, and was left to observe with a mix of apprehension and interest as Bug started to speak, quietly for once. He understood that much, at least. When Bug waved the strangers closer, Leif was able to spot the two men, and he relaxed a little bit, as they seemed as lost as everyone in the group.

He let out a short, tense chuckle at Bug’s words. Cranky wasn’t really accurate, but he was closer to cranky than he was to taking part in another round of AA style introductions, so as the three walked into the room, he’d stepped back to take a seat on the cot he’d previously landed on. Dibs on a cot was about to become real. Not that he wanted one, as he still held no plans of sleeping, but Chase didn’t stand a good chance with his ‘no worky worky’ legs, and though it’d been his idea, he might as well be too nice and offer up his spot to one of the newcomers.

Leif moved as far back as possible, back against the rock wall and both legs on the cot as he observed the two men that arrived, frowning slightly as he tried to make out all the different scents and sounds that assailed his senses again. Another wolf, though this one had a strong smell that hinted at leather. Perhaps one of those pelt werewolves. The other seemed like a mix of every small critter one could find in a backyard at night, maybe that was the mouse Sage was talking about. And he was a talker, too, as hinted by the shoulder push that seemed to shut him up for now. Figuring out how soundproof those walls really were was becoming a priority.

“You tell me.” he mumbled a reply to Foster’s question, oblivious as to whether the man was able to hear it or not, and rubbed at his temple as he looked away.

There was someone else, a fact reinforced by Rhevens briefly going back through the tunnel only to reemerge with a white wolf, though this one with amber-gold eyes. Too bad for Sage, it was also not a dog, but an unfamiliar type of shifter, different from Chase, but that also lacked the dark magic that twirled in Maylee’s blood. Why were they in wolf form, though? Certainly a convenient way to meet strangers. Leif shot Chase a quick glance, looking for any signs his whole family had ended up there somehow, but it didn’t seem like the case.

The wolf took a seat to observe, and Leif looked back at it for only a brief moment before looking away at the wall opposite to the cot, a tired expression as he acknowledged something else brewing within his chest. He hadn’t killed in a long time, and predatory instincts were waking up by both the taste of blood and the high number of potential prey around, all in a single, closed room. It wasn’t something he couldn’t control, he wasn’t about to lash out at anyone, but the feeling was uncomfortable, nagging. The dark magic that’d fueled his transformation and ran within his veins demanded more than just blood. He let out a sigh, leaning his head back against the rock wall behind him and briefly closing his eyes, until he sensed yet another presence enter the room, though this one was familiar, and blueish-grey eyes opened to lay on the figure of the minotaur.

“Can they hear us down here, Sage?” he shot, before the minotaur had time to pull another vanishing trick, and gestured up to where the garden should be, head still resting against the rock wall behind him. Using the word ‘soundproof’ would maybe be too much for the minotaur, and Leif watched to make sure the question had been understood.

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Razial Hale

Tags: Maylee Vinegar Bees Hayley Britt-21 (via Discord) | Location: Gardens ​

Maylee suppressed a shudder for what must have been the fifteenth time that day (if, indeed, this all had been only one day—there was no way to tell time, really, in here). Razial's pet names for her were skin-crawling, but it didn't feel much better when he used her real name. It's my last name, she realized. Every time he had used her name, he had made sure not to leave out her last name, as if rubbing salt in the wound that was her mother's blood in her veins.

She glanced uneasily at the woman who had identified herself as Phoenix and the little creature in her arms; when Razial asked her to identify herself, Maylee was admittedly keen to learn, herself, but then the sinister magician swiftly veered off and, locking his gaze onto Maylee, asked her what sort of pet she would pick if given the chance.

She stared uneasily but steadily back at him, pausing only briefly to peer at the little creature in the tail of her vision. Was that what it was—Phoenix's pet? Something about the word felt almost baleful when it came from Razial's lips; in horror, Maylee wondered whether Levi was currently serving the role of someone's 'pet'. A brief image of a rabbit, gray-brown fur streaked with blood, flashed through her mind, and she clenched her fists, fingernails digging into her palms.

"I... don't need a pet," she murmured, keeping her gaze locked on Razial. "It would be a distraction. From what I'm here to do." Getting stronger, that was. Protecting Cillian. Saving Leif. "...I want to put every minute to good use." She glanced aside at Phoenix, then, indicating that she was done speaking. Razial hadn't given the woman a chance to answer his question.

Hayley wanted to respond, but she didn't. This was merely because she really didnt have the time to explain to the young girl on what she actually meant in terms of the dogs. 'Clearly she doesn't know what's going on. Definitely new recruit.' she thought, turning her attention to the male as he began to introduce Maylee and himself. Hayley made no movements, catching sight of the brief glow from his eyes 'I can do that too. But I wont.' "Razial." she repeated softly, giving a brief nod. "And Maylee." she gave another brief nod, as if she was confirming their names. Then it didn't take long for Raz to bow, which made the Pyromancer raise her eyebrow but say nothing.

Before she could give a response to his words, he spoke again, mainly to Maylee. 'Patience.' quietly, she listened before the girl decided to look over. With another nod, she spoke up "I'm the leader of the Sacred Flame circle." she claimed "I appreciate you complimenting my companion, despite his lack of speed, he's lovely." shifting her gaze back to Raz, she spoke up "He has a name: Rune. A name always gives them life, a personality. A purpose. Which is why I usually try to avoid using the term 'pet', no matter how true it is." she pointed out. Just out of her own views. "Having a companion like this gives me a challenge, especially since he isn't an attacker like some others.”

Razial still studied Hayley for a quiet moment of near total stillness, then he gave a slow smile. "Well, pleasure to make your acquaintance. Miss Song here has, as she's already spoken to.." He gave Maylee a bit of a glance before looking to the sea thing and Hayley. "Tracked the mouse we're looking for to this wall. And then it just.. stops? Did I get it correctly?" And his attention was back on Maylee.

The Sacred Flame circle? Maylee hadn't heard of such an entity before, and the vague name provided little in the way of details. Was it a subset of the coven at large or an entirely different group? Was this Phoenix a compatriot of Razial's or a rival?

Phoenix. Sacred Flame. Maylee turned the words over in her mind, making note of the clear theme of fire. It seemed strange, then, that the little creature she held—Rune, she called him—was quite clearly a denizen of a polar, watery environment. Was that part of the challenge she spoke of? What exactly was the little seal's 'purpose?' Did Phoenix intend to harm him, like perhaps that other, unknown woman may intend to harm Levi—?

She snapped back to focus when Razial addressed her, inquiring again about the mouse's scent. Maylee swallowed thickly but hammered a stern, serious expression onto her face and nodded. "Yes. The scent stops here. Just—falls off." She reached out and hesitantly touched the wall, tracing a hand down the hard, rocky surface. "Maybe there was some teleportation involved, or..." She trailed off, listening to the low ambience of the garden. That sound of stone scraping stone she had heard behind the wall—could there really be a hidden door? Why, then, would the scent stop so abruptly...?

Razial didn't let the silence linger as he had latched onto the last word, and he asked, drawing the sound out. "Orrrrrrrr?"

Maylee could feel her heart pounding in her throat. Or what, indeed? Again, she didn't know the mouse or his companions, but she couldn't bear the thought of handing over an innocent to Razial's blood-stained hands—even if he weren't innocent, it seemed unlikely that he could be more sinister than Razial, right...?

To protect. That was why she had become a hunter. To defend those who could not defend themselves. Betraying an innocent... it would be betraying her humanity. How could she live with herself if she played into Razial's hands?

At the same time... Cillian needed to be protected. He was quite literally helpless beneath the confines of his and Razial's magical bond. At all costs, she must protect him. She could not lose him again...

The scent cut off abruptly. Even if there were a door concealed in the wall, she thought, surely there would be some trace of the mouse's scent? Perhaps, then, he was already far away from here. She clung to this hope as she took in a breath and answered Razial's question. "He could have gone through the rock. Some sort of secret passage, maybe."

'The scent just stops?' she thought, looking between the two "I wouldn't be surprised if he squeezed through somewhere." she said "If his scent just stops here, teleportation is a more logical thought. Though, unless the little thing has magic, I don't think it teleported." she pointed out "On top of it all, it's possible he squeezed through whatever crack he could find and shifted into something else to throw your scent off. A good way to escape danger." she glanced down at Rune and gently rubbed the side of her pointer finger against his cheek for a brief moment before looking at the pair "Maybe his scent will pop up in another place." she glanced at Maylee "It's a possibility."

Razial moved to examine the wall, one hand sliding along the stone surface as he slowly bent down to try and find a hole, or crack, or other opening. Only there wasn't one. He stood back up, and noticed a group of coven members walking by. "YOU!" They stopped and one stood a bit nervously in the doorway with a small bow of acknowledgement. "Find me the minotaur and bring him here."

Once the member moved away, he grinned at the two of them, leaning back against the wall. "The minotaur can tell us if there is an opening. He claims to talk to the stone."

The pressure in her chest did little to abate as Phoenix and Razial continued to grill her—or, at least, that was what it felt like. Phoenix offered the sound theory that perhaps the mouse had changed forms to throw off the scent, but, lacking the nose of a canine, there was no way she could have known that there were indeed other scents mingled with the mouse's—and none small enough to be another creature this mouse could apparently shift into.

For a moment, she struggled to discern whether she should divulge such information to Phoenix—she didn't know the mouse and his companions, sure, but she didn't know Phoenix, either, and the fact alone that the woman seemed to be in good standing with Razial did little to make her seem trustworthy. Again, though, the abrupt truncation of the scents gave Maylee a flicker of hope that perhaps the group was long gone by now—

—something she shouldn't hope for, she realized, with Cillian's safety at stake.

She swallowed thickly and spoke: "There... there were a few other scents with him, actually. Two wolves and a human. But—" She inhaled sharply to avoid inserting a decidedly un-fearsome um. "—the human and one of the wolves had a similar scent. There was shifting going on, but... even if the mouse was small enough to squeeze through a crack, I doubt the wolves were."

Maylee flinched when Razial abruptly called out, assuming he was speaking to her, but her pounding blood relaxed—albeit only slightly—when another coven member swiftly responded to Razial's orders to fetch him the minotaur. Unease kneaded within her. The minotaur could speak to the stone—it seemed likely that he would be able to track the group within the rock. But this minotaur—what was he like? Was he as bloodthirsty as the magician he answered to? Was there any possible way he might be able to pick up the trace of a certain vampire in the stone...?

Not wanting to tip Razial off to her distress, Maylee kept her expression stony. "Oh," she said, "good."

Hayley almost wanted to bonk this girl on the damn head. On the exterior, the Pyromancer looked fine, but on the inside there was a burning flame that just egged her to lash out and tell Maylee to shut up. If there were more people on the other side, why rat them out? Pun intended. Especially if they were hiding "I've spoken to the Minotaur before. Very sweet, gets his job done when he's needed. He's good at making rooms by the way, Maylee. You should ask him to perhaps mold your room sometime." all the hints in the world wouldnt get through that girl's mind. Not when she didnt even know her in that way.

Razial moved away from the wall, hands pressing together in front of himself. "Well, hopefully he won't be terribly long. We can..." One hand did the twirling of the wrist as he gestured vaguely about the gardens. "...sit here and enjoy the... leafy things."

Definitely not a fan of gardens, but was a fan of sitting down. He found a seat with the fewest amount of leafy things near him. Legs crossed at the knees, he seemed to be studying Hayley. "Sooo. Are you a new relocation? I don't recall seeing you around."

Hayley continued to stand, not minding it due to her hikes in the woods whenever she was bored. After Raz asked her a question, she spoke "I wasn't exactly relocated." she said "I was hunted down, offered a job here. Being the strongest in my family, it wasn't a surprise that you guys came to look for me." she subconsciously began to gently pet Rune "With my powers, they couldn't offer me a recruitment. So they gave me something more... In the area of being Boss."

Razial couldn't help but adapt a very curious expression, eyes a little wider, eyebrows lifted slightly, excitement in the crinkling of his nose and corners of his eyes. "Ooooh. Are you 'the boss'?"

"Of my circle, yes." she offered a small smile but it disappeared as she moved from her position and began to look at some plants. Sage's hard work "It's a good position. Though, Alyce thinks my position is too low for the power I possess, essentially." Hayley glanced over "What about you, Razial?"

Razial had that smarmy grin, "Oh, so you're really more of an officer then? That's nice." His words were spoken more slowly toward the end. "Alyce is such a dear. She's always loved charity cases." When asked about him, he couldn't help but do a little lean back, arms pulled straight as hands still clasped his knees. It was the mannerisms of a little child bragging for sure. "Me? Oh. I'm the boss."

Hayley didn't let his words get to her. It was possible he was trying to push his limits. Drawing in a quiet breath, she let it out "You're the boss? Are we talking Top dog boss?" She asked "Like Godfather tier?" She had interest in her expression, eyebrows raised with it.

Razial smiled, and one hand lifted to air 'boop' her nose from a distance. "Like God tier. On the nose. Boop."

Maylee looked suspiciously at Phoenix when she described the minotaur as skilled in remodeling rooms. You mean my cell? she thought bitterly, but she wouldn't dare say it aloud. No amount of flouncy dresses could bribe her into forgetting that she was being held here, that Cillian was being held here, squirming under Razial's thumb.

She listened carefully to the conversation between Phoenix and Razial, straining to pick up as many details as she could about the pair. They did not know each other after all, it seemed, though they both seemed to occupy high positions of power: Phoenix within her circle, Razial within... well, whatever he wanted. Circle—Maylee frowned, turning the word over in her mind. So were there sub-covens within this larger coven that operated independently of each other? How, exactly, did the hierarchy work around here...?

There was another name, too: Alyce. Another woman. Could this one be Levi's captor, then...?

As they spoke, she noticed with a bitter sting how quickly they seemed to forget she was here altogether, and she was struck again with the burning sensation of being viewed as nothing more than a child. Maylee folded her arms around her shoulders, fingers digging into flesh, and tried to use the moment to her advantage: while the two powerful magicians spoke, she tried again to breathe in Leif's scent, to discern some sort of path from it.

No use. It was as scattered as it had been when she at first noticed it. Maylee felt her heart clench in dismay—nothing more could be done, it seemed, until the minotaur arrived.

At least Phoenix had described him as 'sweet,' though she couldn't be certain she trusted Phoenix's judgment. As long as she had been here, the only souls she could describe as anything approaching 'sweet' were Sage and Lew—though, to be fair, she had spent most of her time here trapped in one room. Gnawing her lip in apprehension, Maylee brushed her fingers over the yellow barrette Lew had given her.

"God tier. So you are the top dog then." which meant she had to tread the waters lightly. If he is what he claimed "Not bad. I thought about getting that high, but, alas, baby steps." she glanced down at Rune, still being gentle with him "So, Maylee, are you shadowing Razial?"

Maylee hurriedly drew her hand away from the barrette, as if she had been caught doing something forbidden, and replaced it where it had been gripping her shoulder a moment before. Shadowing Razial—was that what she was doing? No, that wasn't right—if she were shadowing him, she wouldn't have been confined to that room every time he stepped out. He had made it clear before allowing her to exit through the door she had just seen Cillian disappear through—this was an opportunity, and if she squandered it, he wouldn't hesitate to destroy her and the one she loved.

"I'm... just here to track the mouse," she said, her gaze fixed grimly on the grass instead of Phoenix's eyes. "I'm just a dog."

Razial gave a small laugh. "She is working up to shadowing. Also, greatly underestimates her own ability." He gave Maylee a smile before once more adopting the grasp on his knees and leaning back slightly position. "In my experience, those who underestimate themselves tend to be the true powerhouses in the long run."

Maylee felt as if insects were crawling across her skin as Razial complimented her, in his own way, as he smiled his predatory smile. More than discomfort, though, his remark ignited a sort of tremulous curiosity within her: the true powerhouses, he said, underestimate themselves. Clearly, there was no one here more powerful than Razial himself—did that mean, perhaps, that he had once been... different? Not so arrogant, not so bloodthirsty, only to be perverted and corrupted by the unfathomable power at his fingertips?

It was difficult to imagine.

"I'll try not to disappoint you," she said quietly, keeping her curiosity to herself.

Looking at the girl, she raised her eyebow 'Just a dog? I highly doubt that...' Hayley could tell by how she was reacting, that maybe she wasn't as bad as she seemed at first. Her attention turned back to Raz who explained a little more, and then shifted back "Disappoint? You make it sound as if he'd destroy you if you disappointed just once." She pursed her lips for a moment before speaking "We all make mistakes. It's part of growing. I doubt you'd be a disappointment. Since apparently you're with a God tier boss." She gestured to Raz with a slight nod toward the man.

Razial smiled, akin to the way someone who was just complimented might smile without wanting to obviously bask in the praise, while secretly basking in the praise. "Indeed, and that's how one learns, from mistakes. Adaptation is key to growth."

He pointed slyly at Hayley, "Listen to the wise woman officer. Offiher? Ha!" Razial grinned at his own pun. Though he was starting to get antsy waiting on the minotaur. "I do hope they hurry."

Maylee dug her fingers further into her skin at Phoenix's comment. You have no idea, she thought bitterly. How much amusement was Razial taking from Phoenix's comments, given that he had quite explicitly threatened to destroy her if she messed up? Mistakes were part of growth, indeed, but... she couldn't afford to make a mistake. Not now. A single misstep could bring severe punishment onto Cillian or position Leif right between Razial's crosshairs...

Still, Phoenix's reassurances—was that what they were?—gave her a less severe image than Razial at least. Combined with the way she was stroking the little seal Rune, Maylee thought, perhaps she actually was a compassionate person... dare she hope for such a thing? Cautiously, her gaze darted up to meet Phoenix's eyes after Razial agreed with her assessment (though she couldn't imagine any lessons learned from mistakes made on his watch would be anything short of cruel). A faint yearning flickered within her—what was she searching for, exactly? Kindness? Comfort? They were selfish, childish things to want, especially when she knew neither Leif's whereabouts nor his current status, and Maylee forced herself to swallow the fear that had begun to bubble up within her again.

"Yes. Thank you, Miss Phoenix," she said, nodding dutifully. "I... have much to live up to." It was true, with or without Razial. This magic she had been born with, the magic her mother had tried to rid her of—she needed to put it to good use. Better use than her mother had.

Razial's impatience was becoming clear, then, and Maylee felt herself stiffen in apprehension on the minotaur's behalf. Hopefully he would not be punished for running a few minutes late to an impromptu summons.

Hayley rolled her eyes playfully at Raz, making it quite obvious as she cracked a small smile and continued to look at Maylee. Noticing the tone with her words had shifted. Though, not as drastically, it was still noticeable "Just call me Phoenix. I prefer that." she offered another one of her small smiles.

Razial had shifted his gaze to the doorway, as if mentally willing the minotaur to already be there, would make the creature suddenly appear. He seemed to be focusing really, really hard on it.

coded by natasha.

 

[Thropian]

Edwin Blut
Location: AA 2.0
Tags: KodakWolf Maeteris Silver- ​

"Ah, yes, Meylee. The broken wolf. You were close to her. She is strong, strong enough to tame such a beast, strong enough to survive anything. They are likely more worried about-" Bear spoke, until interrupted by the sliding procession.

He bowed slightly as each entrant introduced themselves. "Rhevens. Foster. White Wolf." He turned his head, as though listening to something. "And a spirit collection. Interesting. We are being rescued it seems, though why we were taken or rescued is yet unclear."

He continued listening to the unheard voices. "It seems a dragon is in part behind this, and currently holds Levi. That does make rescue a bit more worrisome. And Levi is trapped? No, unable to shift. Is that what happened to you, White Wolf?"

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Sage

Tags Thropian Maeteris KodakWolf Silver- Location: Labyrinth Secret Guest Room ​

Sage was looking a little stressed, one hand kept reaching up to rub at a horn stub, and his ears drooped more than the twirled. He had closed up the hole he made in the floor before returning to the room, closing up the tunnel he had created along the way.

When Leif asked a question, it took a moment to process. Sage looked slightly upward and to the side, in a classic thinking expression before he shook his head. "No. Sage talk to rock, rock say help keep sound away. Long as no yell, rock will keep muted."

There was another poignant pause from the minotaur, one hand flattening against the stone. It only took a moment before his expression grew even more tense. "Sage have to go. They in gardens, and now ask for Sage. Sage go meet before they try to come in labyrinth. Uh.." His ears twirled a bit, the horn stub rubbing grew a bit more agitated.

Sage quickly moved toward another wall, near Bug's 'dibs' cot, and in the middle of it, he pushed with both hands. The rock moved, slowly, but it parted, as if he was opening up doors stuck with age. They revealed another corridor that turned to the left farther down. He turned back to Leif and gestured. "If Sage no come back, you go there. Come to door and knock. Say Sage sent you. Other there to help, too."

Sage then headed to the wall leading back into the labyrinth. "Sage go and close behind. Sage hope come back soon." They had maybe time for one or two questions while Sage asked for the stone to let him out.

coded by natasha.