Fantasy Anything Goes

[kenryuko]

Hunter had awoken to the sound of his phone ringing, and groaned 'who would call at this hour?' He thought as he noticed it was midday, and checked his phone, noticing the number he quickly sat up and answered it "has the the search been going well?" A voice said with heavy modulation to it "quit with the modulator I know who you are." The blonde responded with a hint of annoyance in his voice, a click was heard and the voice came through again "your no fun, but back to the question, have you found it yet?" The voice, now identifiable as a male, asked "No, I haven't even started to search yet Jackson " he answered the man "WHAT!? WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE LORD HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THEN!?" Jackson yelled forcing Hunter to hold the phone away from his ear. "I've been taking a walk down memory lane, alright" the shifter said calmly "Dude, I like abit of R&R as much as the next, but if you don't find it" Jackson paused for a moment "we may not be able to stop what happens next." Hunter put his head in his face as he heard this "I know and I'll start today, I gotta go man" he said hanging up, to get dressed and head out to begin his search he grabbed a small case from his back pack noticing the missing book, he automatically assumed that Aileada took it out at some point and was relieved that she didn't find the case. Hunter l put a note on the counter saying he would be out late tonight and walked out the door. On a roof top a figure seemed to blur into existence, their features hidden by a cloak, the figure watched Hunter as he left and blurred away once more as if they were never there.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

Victoria lays her head on his shoulder. "I can't stay here now. I've hurt people... They'll just think I'm a monster..."

 

[OmegaFang232]

Shinu couldn't help but feel as though his day was far from over. Something unseens nagged at him, and he began to move at a quick trot. Whatever it was, he had to hurry. He continued to talk to her, attempting to soothe her as he loaded her into the passenger seat of the mustang. A quick glance around told him everything he needed to know, and it only added to his urgency. Without permission or explanation, the wolf quickly took the wheel and sped towards her home, arriving a bit later than he'd wanted to but without incident. He took her inside and carefully tucked her into bed. She didn't appear to be too badly wounded aside from fatigue and a few scratches. Without a word, he gathered a quick set of supplies and re-entered the bedroom where she lay resting. "Listen, I have to go do something. I'll be back before sunrise, ok? You have my word. I'm not leaving, not yet anyway."

 

[MissZoeHatter]

Victoria nods and grabs his hand. "Be careful," she says and gives his hand a light squeeze.

 

[OmegaFang232]

He leaned down and pressed her hand to his forehead, muttered a quick prayer and an incantation for healing and blessings from Amaterasu, and bolted to the living room for one last gear check. The Absolution, his .600 Nitro pistol. His father's Mosin Nagant, an old bolt action from World War Two. His usual emergency bag. Rope and climbing hook. In moments, he'd changed his clothes to a black and deep grey pallete, his head completely covered by the black Afghani shemagh. The young wolf slipped quietly out the door, locking it behind him, and took a quick sniff of the air. Now was the perfect time. And at that, he bolted for town, this time taking the rooftops to ensure he passed undetected. Tonight he would find the owner of that book, or die trying.

 

[kenryuko]

Hunter walked down the streets of Liondil, he knew he was being watched but by who, he couldn't tell. He had just reached an old abandoned church and decided to enter, as he opened the doors, which looked ready to gal off their hinges, a torrent of dust flew up it to the air making him sneeze. "ugh, allergies" he grumbled as he looked around, the first thing he noticed was a cross behind the pulpit that looked a little to new in the surroundings. 'Bingo' he mumbled as he walked up to the cross and pulled it towards him, the ground shook a bit as a stairway opened behind him leading down, he smirked, before realizing that this was to easy. He suddenly ducked as a sword sliced where his head was, turning around he noticed a living suit of armor was the wielder of of the blade, and seemed to come out of where the cross originally was 'figures' he thought as avoided more slashes form the armor, and shifted his hands into claws and sliced the armor in half easily. He shifted his arms to normal and his eyes to be able to see in the dark as he walked down the stairs as the cross returned to its original position, closing the stairs behind him, and the armor mending itself while doing the same.

 

[OmegaFang232]

Shinu made his way to the book store, entering from the second floor window as he had before, this time with his suppressed pistol drawn and at the ready. He was in no mood for games tonight. He searched the bookstore for any signs of life, to ensure he was alone, before continuing his investigation. Sure enough, his note was precisely where he'd left it. So who had been on the roof earlier, if not the book's owner? He quickly returned to the roof of the building and went about the task of setting up a sniper nest, one that afforded him a well hidden view of the entire town. And thus, he watched and waited. Liondil was small enough that he could reach any portion of the town in a matter of seconds. He just had to be patient.

 

[kenryuko]

Hunter continued down the stairs noticing the runes on the walls, he couldn't tell what they did and he didn't entirely want to find out, and continued down the stairwell, little did he know that the runes made a pocket dimension out of the stairwell and all that was below, with a time difference that made it so an hour in inside was roughly a day in Liondil

 

[MissZoeHatter]

Soon after Jack leaves, Victoria slips into a deep sleep. She needed to rest.

 

[OmegaFang232]

It took approximately six minutes before the wolf lost his patience. He quietly packed up the sniper nest and made his way back inside the bookstore. Surely he'd overlooked something. He searched high and low, sniffing around in every nook and checking every inch of the place. At least his cryptic note was still where he'd left it. Perhaps, in time, it would yield results. At last, he found a clue. It wasn't much, but it was a start. A single strand of red hair had become trapped in the corner of the false wall where the hinge was anchored and the dust inside had been disturbed by slender hands recently. He paused for a moment and looked around carefully, more out of earnest curiosity than anything else. The pile of maps contained another hair, but that didn't tell him much. Of course Aileada's hair would be here, she seemed to frequently find herself behind the counter. But why was a strand of her hair trapped in the corner of the false wall? And why he found what appeared to be her fingerprints inside the false wall's compartment? He stood and took one last look around, hoping to find something, but his efforts were to no avail. He took an absent minded note of the broken glass and decided to repair the damage in the morning. As silently as he'd arrived, the wolf departed and returned to Victoria's home. Once he was inside, he peeked into her bedroom and found her sleeping peacefully. And so, he laid down amongst his belongings and removed the shemagh from his head, staring at the ceiling as he pondered his predicament. Eventually, Shinu drifted off to sleep, with thoughts of the book and the town filling his dreams.


((Hardcore edited))

 

[MissZoeHatter]

(Indeed. I was rereading things and was like "Wait. What?")


Victoria sleeps well into the next day. At least by her standards. When she wakes up, it is nearly 10 AM. She sits up in her bed and stretches her sore muscles. She gathers up her clothing for the day and goes into the bathroom. She needed to shower, badly. Her skin was caked in dirt and sweat from yesterday's incident and her hair was stringy with oil. She peels off her tattered clothing and jumps in the shower. Once she feels she is clean enough, she gets dressed and exits the bathroom, filling the house with the scent of strawberries and vanilla. She walks into the living room, still drying her hair with a towel, and smiles when she sees Jack. He hadn't left.

 

[OmegaFang232]

His dreams were tumultuous, but he never stirred despited the visions. All at once, his eyes shot open and he took in a deep breath, shaking off the nightmare merely by blinking a few times. He sat up and searched his pockets for a cigarette, still a bit groggy and unaware of Victoria's presence behind him. He'd fallen asleep facing the front door, in case of an intruder. And he'd forgotten to change his clothes before bed. He cursed under his breath and slowly got to his feet, yawning silently as he cracked his knuckles and shuffled to the door. He'd make short work of the cigarette, and then shower. As the thought drifted through his mind, he gradually became aware of the smell of what he could only describe as strawberry cheesecake. He turned and smiled a bit, his words a bit slurred by exhaustion, but still decipherable. "Morning." He greeted her as he stifled a yawn.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

"Good morning," Victoria says quietly. She runs the towel through her hair one last time and drapes it over the back of a chair to dry.

 

[OmegaFang232]

He slowly opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, striking his zippo and lighting his cigarette, taking a long drag as he warmed himself in the morning sun. For once, his mind was far from his troubles, but he still couldn't shake the night's events from his thoughts. Something about the situation didn't sit right with him.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

Victoria follows him outside. "Is everything alright? You seem...off. What happened last night?"

 

[OmegaFang232]

His ears perked up a bit when she inquired about his behavior. He'd have to tread carefully. "It's hard to explain." He started, trying to think of how to honestly give her an answer that didn't make him sound like a lunatic. "Let's just say I smell trouble brewing, and I'm trying to track it down." It was the shorter answer, but it was the most logical. He'd only been in town a few days, and he'd already been in two fights and he was already finding trouble. That didn't exactly set a good reputation for him so far, and he blushed at his own recklessness. He'd been careless, and it had caused him some trouble, but he had no one to blame besides himself. He could sort it all out, with patience and time, but it would take a good amount of both.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

Victoria nods. "I would help you, but I feel like I would just get in the way." She looks around and sighs. She was going to miss this little town, but she couldn't stay here anymore. Not after what had happened yesterday.

 

[OmegaFang232]

His gaze flicked up to meet hers as an idea burst to life in his head. Maybe she could help? "Well, you can draw, right?" He inquired as he nearly leaped to his feet, suddenly his brain began to fire on all cylinders.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

"No. Not at all," she says sarcastically. "I just own hundreds of dollars in supplies because I like to look at them."

 

[OmegaFang232]

He playfully stuck his tongue out at her with a sarcastic look on his face. "Ok then. I need someone who can draw. Can you solve puzzles?" He asked as he took a long drag from his cigarette, his mind already at work. If nothing else, it was a valid excuse for the both of them to stay for awhile longer. He had a mystery to solve and a book to track down, and he needed her help. It was simple, but it was better than 'Hey, stay here with me because you're cute and I'm not usually this socially active'. Shinu had never been one to express or deal with his emotions, especially in the presence of others.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

Victoria shrugs. "I'm pretty good at them." She turns and looks at him. "But why do you need someone who can draw and solve puzzles?"

 

[OmegaFang232]

He twitched his ears a few times, contemplating a dozen things at once. "Because a puzzle solving artist can do things I can't, like provide an outsider perspective or interpret details and make them into a picture." He said with a smirk. He had a plan in mind, and he knew exactly what to do. It would be a risky maneuver, and he'd have to give her a crash course on breaking and entering, but he'd had worse ideas before.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

Victoria nods. "Okay. But if I do help, you can't keep things from me. You can't lie about them either."

 

[OmegaFang232]

For a moment, he stopped his pacing and bit his lip. There was always a catch, and this one was going to be most difficult to negotiate. "Agreed. But there's one compromise I have. One rule." He explained, a hint of a serious tone in his voice. "I tell you the unbridled truth, no matter what. But if we go out after dark, you do exactly as I say, without hesitation. Do we have a deal?" He rarely took on a companion, but this was an extraordinary circumstance, and he truly did need her help. Still, he was uncertain of his decision. If something went wrong, he would be responsible for both of their safety and survival. If she agreed, he decided he would take her for a test run and see how she performed. If she was truly up to the task, then he'd take baby steps from that point.

 

[MissZoeHatter]

Victoria nods. "Deal." Despite the dampness of her hair, she pulls it back into a high ponytail in an attempt to keep it from sticking to her neck and shoulders. "When do we start?"