Realistic or Modern If December Freezes (IC)

[silverwhere]

Hatsu Black
- He/Him -
IC Encounter - Lovin Spoon | A totally normal breakfast
Tags: Out Of Words Rhyme
​

"Indy," she stutter as she introduced herself, "I'm Indy. Thanks again for the help."
"Yeah, no problem. Nice to meet you." Hatsu said as he slid past her and into the busy cafe while he searched for his friend.

It wasn't a surprise that the normally busy cafe was packed. People rushed to grab takeout while Tilly and Miranda did their best to keep up with the rush. Tilly was in the back with Aódh by the sink with their backs to the wall while Miranda was busy with guests. She waved to them while she gestured to the buffet "Good morning! Help yourself, if you need anything just get my attention!"

He nodded in response as Marius caught his eyes with a wave before he returned to his window watching. Hatsu would pretend that he didn't notice in an attempt to avoid another social encounter.

Finally, he noticed Bill's table where the vibes looked off. Aódh was still busy in the back with Tilly, so that left Bill alone with Bernard. The two were face to face and it felt like they both were going to stab each other with their culinary any second now. Eventually Bernard shook his head and Aódh returned to the table.

"You said you were meeting someone here?"
"Yep." He said as he made his way over and grabbed an extra chair to put at the end of the table so Indy didn't have to sit next to a stranger. He slide in next to Bill and did his best to not force her deeper into the booth.

"Sorry that it took me a bit. This is Indy," He said as he gestured to his guest. Hatsu wasn't sure what to say next, part of him wanted to just say he offered to help find her missing sister but he wasn't sure if it was something she wanted the entire table to know. She felt jumpy and unsure with all their previous interactions and he didn't want to push her into a new one - well he already did force her into this. At least he could do was introduce everyone right?

"This is Bill. That's Aódh," Hatsu couldn't remember who Bernard was, "And that's some guy."

This was going great.




He was ready to leave.

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - Discord Compilation (Roje)
Back?​

Roje powered through what felt like Eons of pain, if she was gonna have to fight some weird kid fish thing, then so be it. Didn't matter if she was in the water or not, she'd fight till her last dying breath. Though, those thoughts instantly vanished as she felt the bed pressing against her back. Wha- that's when she opened her eyes and looked up towards Dusk as he looked down at her Granted, it's a blessing looking at this man's face, but certainly not for the price I just paid. It was as if he had no idea what in the world just happened to her, he was oblivious if anything. "No, you weren't boring." she replied, still trying to process what in the fuck just happened. It definitely felt like a dream, but something in her core shouted otherwise. The vampire was starting to learn how to trust her gut at this point.

"Something...Came up, if anything." in her mind, she wanted to get out, find her sister and Silver. Reaching up, her hands grasped his shoulders and she gently guided him to her side before she sat up. Everything was left as it was before she got in this bed to begin with. Muttering under her breath was the one thing that she was pretty notorious for "What in the fucking, fuck..."

Dusk was playing with her hair as he was fine with laying beside her. He rumbled, "What's wrong, darlin'?" He chuckled. "Did you want some breakfast to refuel?"

Something was wrong. Very wrong. She glanced over her shoulder at him "Nah I'm go- breakfast?" her hazel eyes widened as she realized there was no way...right? "Holy shit I've been gone for a whole day?!"

Dusk gave a grin that was a bit on the pleased and wicked side. "Well. Yeah, we've been pretty occupied." Only then did concern start to filter into his expression. "Are you okay? We sat on the deck and watched the sunset. You don't remember?"

"I don't remember jack shit." she shifted her body entirely to face him, her legs folded underneath her "Was I...Was I acting odd? Did I look weird? Sound weird? Was I not home in the head?"

Dusk propped his head up on one arm, the other continued to touch Roje in an attempt to be comforting. "Well, haven't known you long enough to know odd from not so odd." There was a small chuckle before he continued, giving it obvious thought.

"You were... hot. I mean... You seemed to be all in."

Roje stared at him for a moment and her eyebrows lifted with her head tilt in almost a 'Oh, well, thanks but not what I meant' attitude. The corner of her lips were tugged but went back to normal "Of course I'd be all in with the one person I trusted most. Regardless of where I'm at." Though I'm starting to realize I can only trust who I arrived here with so far. "As much as I appreciate the compliment, I'd like some answers before my very tiny fuse -that is my anger- begins to explode once again. Personally, nothing against you, but I'm tired of being played like I'm some sort of toy."

He chuckled, "I didn't notice you spacing out or anything of the sort."

Roje needed to get back to her sister. This was getting her nowhere. It's time to let him go Roje. Let him live his life here without you. "Okay," she reached her hand out and cupped his cheek "As much as I love being here with you -Just like all the other times- It's time I let you go, Dusk." she bit her lip and removed her hand "You wont understand what I mean, I didn't get to tell you before, but I'll tell you now." she moved away from him and began to crawl out of the bed "Me and werewolves do not mix. I've lost one after another. You more than all of them." she took a deep breath as her feet touched the flooring "I've accepted the fact that I bring bad juju and that my life does not want me to have a second half. I'm a loner, only with enough space for family." it tugged her heart, but it had to be this way.

Dusk moved to sit up on the edge of the bed after she moved away. He wore a look of confusion, but gave her a raised eyebrow. "Oookay?" He stood up and gave a stretch before moving to put a shirt on. "I mean, no hard feelings. I have only known you.. a day now? But.. a good day I'll remember for awhile."

After shrugging his shirt on, he gave her a serious look. "Are you okay though? Do you need help getting back to town?"

She very much knew that he wouldn't understand. But that was okay. It was better for him this way. She began to get dressed, remaining quiet while he asked her a set of questions that she could reply to, but knew better than to travel alone after what was experienced. "I'm fine. I just need to get back to my sisters." might as well include Silver with that, avoid using her name too much "I would like an Escort back to the town...Preferably far from the water."

Dusk moved to find his shoes. "Sure thing. Give me just a couple." It took only a minute or two, but then he was helping guide Roje up and off the boat house to the shore. "We can cut through the woods if you'd rather stay away from the water." He made a gesture toward the thick trees of the Western woods.

Roje went out with his guidance and sighed when he mentioned the woods "You can't win, can you?" She muttered and put her hands in her pockets. "I'd rather not do that. Can we just stay away from the water? Not too close? Go back the way we came?"

Dusk gave a nod of his head. "Sure. I'll walk on the side near the water if you prefer." There were some spots where they had to get a little close due to one obstacle or another, but overall they made it to the Western edge of town without issue after several minutes. "You'll be okay from here? I need to check on my brother." They were near the Careless Shark pub.

Roje nodded "Yeah I'll be fine. I got a nose to follow certain people." She gave him a warm smile and then thinned her lips soon after as she drew in a breath, happy to not inhale water "Listen, Dusk. It was nice seeing you again, even if you haven't met me before. You take care of yourself, okay?" She cupped his cheek and gently patted it before she pulled herself from him.

Dusk grinned and wriggled his eyebrows. "You too, darlin'. You know where my boat is if you ever need."

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
GM Updates​

OOC Information

The Loving Spoon (Hatsu, Bill, Indy, Bernard, Aódh) silverwhere BillieRoss Rhyme Worthlessplebian Larry : Continue with your group conversation. You're not limited to one post in the week as long as everyone gets a turn, or they pass on their turn. Workers will start slowing down on the coming and going, and Marius settles into just nibbling on his food and watching the flurry of activity outside the window without the constant knocking on the glass. Tilly and Miranda will start taking away dishes from the buffet as they get empty instead of refilling, and within an hour, the buffet will be dismantled and tabled returned to their places on the far side of the cafe. Tilly also brings a plate of warm cinnamon rolls oozing with icing to your table, enough for everyone to have two if desired.

Still at the Inn (Silver) @Silver- : The wolf does want to leave the forest glade. It will be a battle of wills to win this one and wake up. When you're ready, roll a d20 in the Discord and if it's 15 or higher, you win. Otherwise you remain in the forest glade for another turn. It's peaceful there, with crisp fresh air and a light breeze.

On the Docks (Roje) Britt-21 : When you step onto the docks, it looks different. There's no one around. Stores look open, but they're empty of everything. Even The Loving Spoon. Looking for Dusk won't help as he's no longer in your line of sight. No one is. You can roll a d20 in Discord but include what you're wanting to do. Some options include take a deeper look around, listen for others, focus on something (include what), etc.

Augie's Cave (Riley) and Ranger Station (Leif) KodakWolf : Carrying over from last week, see the previous GM post.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[KodakWolf]

Boy / Riley Adler

It was taking a while, as Augie had to move the bigger rocks by himself, but they were making steady progress. Sometimes the dog would trot further down the beach to check out their progress from a different angle before circling back, and it was during one of those short trips down the beach that he first heard it that day.

A chuckle in the back of his mind, one he was unfortunately experienced enough to know didn't come from a conventional outside source. It sure did put him on edge, but upon looking around everything seemed calm. Nothing in the water, nothing anywhere else that he could see, yet the sensation of being watched was there, and now magnified.

Did it make any sense? Not really. His magic was inside himself, wasn't it? Regardless, he scurried back into the cave, with the irrational hope that the voice would leave him alone in the presence of someone else.

It didn't, as he soon found out. Sitting in a corner inside the cave as he anxiously watched Augie work, ears flicking back and forth the whole time, he heard the chuckle again and again inbetween brief intervals of hopeful peace. His magic was well aware he was the only one able to hear it, and didn't seem to care about Augie's presence at all.

Maybe his magic did care after all, because at some point, Boy just had to get up and trot out, as sitting there was becoming harder and harder to bear. And then it spoke. Not a chuckle anymore, but words again, words that made the dog freeze in place as he felt its physical presence pierce through his skin. He tried to shake that sensation away, shake those invisible needles off, but he could shake his fur all he wanted, the painful sensation was too real to not be true. Too real to be a fruit of his imagination.

The waters looked calm, as did the whole area he could lay eyes upon, yet it didn't stop the dog from anxiously scouting the area again. At this point, he didn't really know what to expect; he definitely had no idea what was going on. He wouldn't be surprised to spot the horned creature again, yet he also wouldn't be surprised not to.

Who was speaking to him? Was it really his own magic? If so, why had he been feeling eyes upon him lately? And those words, there was something about them he couldn't quite name yet; dots that needed to be connected. But his brain was still missing something.

 

[Britt-21]

It's like a desert out here.
Out Of Words


Roje nodded briefly as he headed off and she too went to go her own way, but noticed that the area was pretty... Deserted? Wasn't this place hustling and bustling before? Turning back around and parting her lips to call out to Dusk, he was already gone "Well shit." turning back around, she looked at everything in her line of sight. If no one was around, might as well make use of her ears. "I doubt anyone is having a surprise party for little ol' me." while remaining quiet, the Vampire moved as swiftly as she could. Passing by the familiar shops. One that included that one shop with the item in the window. What in the world was it again? If I can't find anyone, I have a bad feeling about this

One by one, each of the shops and stores looked the same. Empty save for a strange mist like fog. No people, no items, nothing. However, entering the cafe would reveal items at least. All the tables and booths just like Roje remembered when they all met for breakfast last time. Still, no people. And the only sound, very faint, were the waves lapping against the pillars of the dock under her feet.

Roje stepped into the cafe, eyes glossing over everything inside. Her ears had not picked up anything but the sound of waves against the dock. "Well this sucks." she threw her hands up and dropped them to her sides "I doubt calling for anyone would help either... Doesnt hurt to try?" with a shrug she called out to the girl squad "Indy!? Silver!?" the vampire wasn't going to stay very long in the cafe, in fact, she was gonna start screaming for them outside.

There were some faint sounds, mumbled, incoherent, as if from far away and Roje was only hearing the echoing remnants. It was impossible to tell where they came from, inside or outside. It had no discernible source. The 'fog' inside seemed to have brief moments of motion, as if the air had been disturbed, but nothing else responded or reacted to Roje.

Roje heard...something? Whatever it was, she could barely hear it even with her vampiric hearing. She backed out of the Cafe and looked around outside. "If this is what peace is, it's definitely not my type of peace." Running her hands through her hair, she had to think of something else. What about the cat? Maybe focusing on that could help her out of here.. "I know you're in charge of this place! Might as well show yourself!"​

 

[Rhyme]

Indy

Location: Discord Compilation; Brunch at the Angry Fork
Tags: Larry Worthlessplebian BillieRoss silverwhere

Indy withheld a grimace as she slowly eased into the chair Hatsu had pulled out for her. So she would be joining brunch then; she had expected to do the verbal equivalent of hanging up a "Missing Vampire, Please Call This Number" poster, but Marasong had never done things quite like that--had it?

Only the woman at the table was entirely unfamiliar to her; Indy was certain she would have remembered her if they had crossed paths already, the woman's fair skin framed by wild black hair did not serve much subtlety. But the other two, she certainly remembered.

"We've met," Indy muttered as Hatsu referred to the final member of the group--the man with the grey streaks of hair and sharp expression. "Still looking for weird shit?"

Not the most diplomatic approach, but it hadn't escaped Indy that Roje's disappearance was lining up quite well with the sudden and consistent appearance of the two men with their foreign accents and prying questions. While Hatsu didn't seem suspicious, the fact her search for her sister had so immediately led her back to the eccentric pair had her sitting toward the edge of her chair, fingers digging into the wood where they were hidden beneath the table.

And soon she came, that catshifter whose vampire went missing. No cool grin, but appeared rested to his blue orbs. Her blue gems locked him and she offered greetings in the form of a verbal jab.

This drew a chuckle. The sound human with hushed undertones of snick lightning, the power of the storm. "Well," The Dane smiled in cooled appreciation. "To borrow a proverb from my home: "No one gets into trouble without their own help." I would think that would be apt." Bernard couldn't profess, but the stirring stomach sickness subsided shortly. Its strength slipped as he felt the Eldritch annulus stripped away when the talk of weird shit ended. Indy's spite edged dangerously when Bernard scrutinised it. A gravity of a different matter pressed on him - - or them if Aodh could sense it.

Bernard's fingers retrieved the miniature spoon from the teacup's side. Metal against ceramic as Bernard dashed away the brick orange droplets. The man with the grey streaks twirled the silvery appliance with his left-hand in a metal blur. The suspicions grew malignant in the professor's heart. First, Bill inferred an accusation, insultingly inaccurate, at him now the Siamese cat. This one had a modicum of possibility. Except her actions mirrored that of a dog, snarling and possessive, of the nearest tree. Why is the man who had barely spent a fortnight in this town the blame attractor when the obvious target was the ragged, giant with a wolf's glare. The revulsion at indignation almost reached Bernard's mouth and eyes, almost lost control. Control... And Appetence. "Do you need anything?" He asked with inviting frost in his eyes. Her friend must mean a lot to her.

This is going to be quite the lovely conversation, isn't it, Aódh inwardly lamented, sipping at his tea the same way that this lady's comment seemed to sip at whatever goodwill was left at the table. Even if he didn't know this woman's name, it seemed that Indy spent the whole night within the woman's embrace, given the way that the feline's cat seemed to drip from her, such was the concentration of it. Yet, it wasn't only the cat's scent that was carried over from the night before; so was the woman's animus, readily recapitulated the moment she was brought to the table by Hatsu. Even though Aódh wasn't the biggest fan of firebrands, if his demeanour around Bill was any indication, that Hatsu seemed at ease around her, even if only initially, was was enough of a reason to give her a chance, loathe as he was to extend it, such was the effect of Tilly's revelation upon his mood.

"Easy, easy, both of you," he said, unused to taking on the role of a mediator, "It's a bit early in the morning to be exchanging thinly veiled barbs like this. Some introductions are in order my name's Aódh, I'm from from Ireland, the lad you've been staring daggers at is Bernard. What's your name, if you don't mind me asking?"

Clasp. The spoon went betwixt fingers. The Irishman's words inspired soulful reflection in Bernard. Of course, Bernard leaned over the table and notched his head to the side. "Oh, this is banter, I assure you." He will not be the one to surprise him, leaving that trickster's honor to Indy.

Hatsu had hoped that since almost everyone knew each other that the table wouldn't be awkward, instead it was tense. He was a bystander to the back and forth questioning as Aódh desperately tried to keep the peace, but it did made him question who Bernard actually was. Indy brought up a question that was answered in an nondirected way. What was Bernard looking for? And did Bill find out? Part of him wanted to ask but he had a feeling he was the only one left in the dark. He'll ask Bill about it later.

For now, he'll try to help keep the peace, "Are you also from Ireland, Bernard?"

Indy forced a small smile as she met the man’s—Bernard’s—gaze. She wasn’t sure whether the guy was challenging her or respectfully allowing her to reveal her secrets on her own terms; more pushing and pulling as they tested each other’s character. The whole table felt like a pond of ice, the lot of them trying their best to keep their balance as they probed for cracks around others’ feet.

All of them, dancing around each other as though they all had reasons to feel suspicious—things to feel uneasy about. The only others Indy had encountered who felt a similar sense of unease and paranoia so far were those similarly dropped on their asses into New Zealand beside her. Surely too early to tell, but could these people have arrived under similar circumstances?

“Ireland?” Indy turned to the second man, Aódh, who seemed a bit more conversational—if slightly put-out—than his friend. “What tempted you to make the trek all the way from Ireland?”

"Well, I thought seeing a bit of the world might have helped me in making a decision about my future," Aódh expressed candidly, trying to shield his seared hand from view, "I was in Wellington originally, but then I came across a tour going around Te Waipunau, Marasong being one of the first stops. That was...three days ago now, I think, and it's been quite the experience, I can tell ya that much. Pardon me, I still didn't catch your name?"

Indy’s hands clenched as she felt phantom claws sprout from her fingertips. So at least one of them had come naturally, supposedly. He seemed earnest enough as well, but she had learned to never trust a coincidence. “Sounds like quite the journey. I’m Indy”—she paused. Best to get ahead of things, she supposed. “I think you may have helped my friend earlier—with finding her cat? My sister thinks she’s funny, gave it the same name and everything. That’s why I’m here, actually. She didn’t come back last night.” She scanned the others at the table, watching their expressions carefully as she spoke. “Last time I saw her she was here with some bulky guy. Looks similar to me, hair’s a bit lighter and she’s a bit taller, but similar enough. Any of you see her around at all?”

Bill shook her head, waiting for the roil of nausea to pass.

No. She hadn’t seen this person’s sister. She hadn’t seen much of anything last night, as she'd been too distracted by the scrying and the beetles and the explaining everything to hatsu. Really she had bigger things on her plate than someone's missing sister. She was a little annoyed at the intrusion, to be honest, as well meaning as Hatsu had been bringing Indy along.

Marasong wasn’t that big, she thought irritably. If she wanted to find her sister she’d find her. Or else she was in bed with the man she’d just described. Or else she was wandering around aimlessly in the woods and would soon be dead. Surely there were better people to ask than the first four or five strangers she came across.

Bill tallied it up in her head, poking listlessly at the eggs on her plate - Bernard Greeve, working theory vampire. Aódh NLN, werewolf. Hatsu NLN, hapless Mundie. Beatrice NLN, lost to the four winds. And now Indy, who was capable of losing someone in a town with a population of less than 100. And Bill.

If Bernard was right, and there was some kind of immortal thing leeching off Marasong, she didn’t particularly like their chances.

It all made her a little sick to think about. She picked at her toast.

A delicate, coy smile snapped into being as Indy so eloquently explained her "unique" situation to them. Rather to the werewolf as he is quite privy to her situation. Bernard released the spoon that he so recently fiddled with into the glass with a clink. The Dane leaned back into his chair smoothly to compound his knowledge. "Ah, I--or we know who you're talking about. That bulky guy you were talking about also had a protégé. His son, I believe, around his or so height, he walked with Silver when she was searching for Indy the Cat." He crossed his arms and hung an ankle over his left knee."As with any lost thing, I'd suggest looking at the last place you saw it. Or in your case, the last place that you suspect she'll be. The heavily built man smelt of the ocean, likely has a maritime property." This had been conjecture in Bernard's mind, but not without vital precedent. Dusk and Rhevens weren't your average individuals in terms of appearance nor passive hygiene so it was simple, brutally so, to establish at least a baseline to where the search could begin.

Indy focused on Bernard, his cheeky smile not lost on her; he absolutely knew, yet still didn’t broadcast her secret to the table—not yet, at least. Whether it was out of amusement or he too understood “fantastical” things weren’t exactly well-liked in Marasong, she wasn’t sure. Still, the discretion—however temporary—was appreciated. His information doubly so.

And Silver—she had been with the other guy as well? Her and Roje had split up? They hadn’t had a chance to talk the night before, but Indy tucked that tidbit away with a mental note to ask Silver the minute she returned to the hotel. Hopefully, she would still be there when Indy got back with Roje in tow. The whole thing was beginning to feel a bit like herding cats.

“The docks, thank you.” Indy shoved back her chair, tucking her hands into her pockets. The tension had been building ever second she spent at the table and it hadn’t escaped her that the one girl still hadn’t said a word, instead looking mildly sick as the conversation continued; it was time to take her leave. “I appreciate it. Sorry for uh, intruding. And thanks again, Hatsu.” She bobbed her chin. “And thanks for helping Silver find the…cat.” Though, maybe next time don’t chase it down the street like a couple of goddamn maniacs. Though, they were still better than the dog—that was certain.

The Danish professor scratched his chin and arched an eyebrow. This presented a problematic conundrum. Taking account that Indy is still quite weak, that she'll be alone - seeing as her friend is gone, and Bernard's scrutinous affliction then it might be wise to become an intelligencer and aid her in the search. He crooked up from the chair and placed a hand over the Irishman's shoulder. "I'll go with her. In consideration to your canine characteristics, I suspect you should not tag along. Hold the fort." Whispered the Dane. He straightened up and gazed at the Scottish Witch/Warlock/Wizard. "We can continue our parlay at the Inn, Room 106 at eighteen-fifty or... Six-fifty pm. The documents will with me on our sempiternus"

With all said and done, the Dane hastily walked outside the Spoon.

Bill blinked a few times, startled at the fact she’d been addressed directly. She sucked at her teeth, considering the proposal.

Bernard knew things she didn’t - know two ways about that. Maybe meeting with him wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Especially if she came prepared. Especially if she looked him up beforehand.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re incredibly bossy?” she asked dryly. “Six-fifty, aye, I’ll be there.”

She watched him make his rapid exit, disappearing out the door of the Loving Spoon.

She turned to Hatsu. “You know him? Never mind - what was that about a lamp this morning?”

"Oh, yeah no problem." Hatsu responded to Indy. He had really only been a bystander so far as he listened to everyone talk. Bernard soon invited Bill to some sort ot meeting before he quickly left the table. Then Bill's attention turned to him with a simple question of a lamp.

His stomach turned as he tried to find a good excuse to let her know what he saw without tipping everyone at the table.

"You know that state you go into like between being awake and asleep?" He paused for a bit, "Apparently in my dazed state I thought I saw something on the lamp and before I knew it I had broken it."

So, that explains that, Aódh mentated, almost dolefully; another secret has been laid bare before him, despite such dissulimulation on behalf of the one who admitted it. This lady is Indy the cat: Silver is a werewolf; and, if the pattern has any consistency to it at all, their other friend, the one that Indy and Bernard have gone off in search of, must be a form of 'shifter' as well. It made him wonder why there was such a draw to this place for creatures like them, how and why it so deeply affects their moods and psyches whenever talk of what they are is uttered. Aódh didn't respond to Bernard's pithy comment, but kept on eating whatever was left on his plate until nothing but crumbs remained. Then, once he had taken one last drought out of the mug of tea, he fished around in his pocket for a voucher. He straightened it out, as it had gotten crumpled in his pocket before lurching his way into a standing position. The Irishman made his way over to the counter where Tilly.

"Thank you for the food Tilly, Miranda," Aódh said, his tone coming off as rather dispirited, "I'll see ye again sometime soon."

With that, he paced his way over to the door, avoiding what seemed to be an assembly line of men arriving from the docks. Unconscious of his strength for a brief moment, Aódh swung the door open and closed it in one movement, with the loud bang it gave being enough to startle him.

It didn't take too long for him to make his way back to the Inn, or to his own room, whence, having made his way inside, locked the door and sat on the side of his bed before finding his head slump onto the pillow.

"We'll give it a break for today," muttered the youth, before closing his eyes in an attempt to relax.

coded by: @s e v e n

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Yes This is a Title​

Tilly and Miranda bade those leaving a pleasant day. Hatsu and Bill remained in the cafe, where they were treated to a plate of warm cookies as Miranda was trying her hand at making some. "If they aren't good, let me know. I need the practice." She gave them a smile and moved to finish their after breakfast clean up. The cookies were decent enough, simple sugar cookies with a light icing and rainbow sprinkles on top. The outer edges might be a bit crunchier than it needed to be, tasty, but not quite like Tilly's.

Marius had settled down quite a bit and seemed to be taking a nap with his head against the window. Tilly took what was left of his breakfast plate, which was about half. In its place she left him a muffin and a cup of warm tea. She didn't disturb him but made sure he wouldn't fall off his chair if he continued napping.

Aódh had enough, maybe the signs were telling him to get back in bed and that's just what he did. It felt comforting, laying down with his head on the pillow. The quiet was relaxing, and it wasn't long before he was back asleep. This time, there were no nightmares, instead, Aódh dreamed of a wooden glade. The leaves were brightly colored, as if the season was autumn. Vivid yellow, orange, and red leaves mingled with green. And it looked like there were a wide variety of trees, even trees not often found growing in the same glade. The sky was blue and full of fluffy clouds in hues from white to grey.

It was a place that seemed to fit only in dreams, and yet somehow Aódh knew this place existed. Like some siren's song, it called to the werewolf, whispering promises to his deepest longings and desires. Over and over as Aódh dreamed, it sang.

Find us. Find home.

Meanwhile, Indy and Bernard went on a journey to find the missing sister. The docks were still full of activity, so they had to be careful to stay out of the worker's way. Some of the stores along the docks, normally open, had signs they'd be open after lunch. Most likely helping out with the cargo in some way. There was no sign of Dusk or Roje among the faces, however, as they reached the front of Imported Booty, a figure was walking back toward the docks from somewhere just to the West.

Rhevens walked with one hand against the back of his neck, the other in a pocket. And his expression conveyed a sense of inner turmoil.

For a certain canine, the dark chuckle did wind up fading away. However, the sensation of the magic did not. It felt like an icy, moist blanket tied tightly around the dog's torso. A monkey on the back, so to speak, it clung no matter how hard Boy might try to shake it loose. Augie looked toward Boy now and then as he worked on finishing his task to hide their cave before the next day arrived. However, when the dog still seemed restless, he stopped and gave his attention to the dog.

"Boy? What is it?"

Roje tried to see through the fog, or whatever was making everything so clouded. Nothing answered her when she called out, or was that a faint echo of her own voice thrown back at her? Outside there were a few more muddled sounds, and patches of mist that swayed now and then. Sometimes a section of fog would be thick, and suddenly nearly non existent. When Roje brushed against any of it, an icy, clammy sensation was left behind on her skin.

It felt like seaweed.




OOC Information

GM Notes : It's around 11am. There are no additional notes from above at this time. Groups may continue to use IC Encounters in Discord as needed. Leif and River's encounter in the station will continue via Discord another week. Britt-21 Please roll a D20 in discord with your next action.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[BillieRoss]

Bill
Location: The Loving Spoon
With: Hatsu ( silverwhere )

Bill rubbed at her eyes, forgetting to acknowledge Miranda at all. Whoops. To be fair, she had a lot on her mind. Things in the seaglass again, goddamn it. Scrying. Watching. She didn’t like it, even if it was benign - and she was honestly doubting that it was benign. She’d need to look into wards that blocked that sort of thing. Just in case.

Her hand fell to her lap and she stuffed the biscuit into her mouth. Good enough. She should mention it to Miranda. After dealing with everything else in the town that needed addressing. What a lot of horrible secrets crammed into one town. She didn't like how many things there were that could kill her, never mind someone who was mundane.

Speaking of mundane. She turned her gaze to Hatsu and gave him a long, flat look.

God, Hatsu got into a lot of shit for someone who didn’t know about any of that stuff before yesterday. And speaking of which-

“You need to keep away from Aódh,” Bill said quietly, leaning in so as not to be overheard, “And Bernard. Probably doubly Bernard, and not just ‘cause he’s walking around with a stick shoved so far up his arse that it’s a surprise he doesn’t spit splinters. They’re-“

But there it was again, the swelling unease, the nausea clawing up her throat. She breathed deeply through her nose, waiting for it to pass, and rubbed at her eyes again, slumping back in her chair.

“They’re dangerous,” she managed. “Properly, seriously dangerous, both of them, and that’s coming from me, Hatsu. I can’t- do you understand? Please tell me you get it. Please don’t make me spell it out."

Spell it out. Ha ha. That was funny. She’d be laughing if she wasn’t focusing so hard on not throwing up.

It passed. She looked down at the table and started absently stacking the dirty plates for want of anything better to do.

“Anyway," she sighed, "Are we going on a treasure hunt today or no?”

 

[Larry]

Aódh McFaol
Location: ?
Mood: At ease.
Interactions:
Mentions: ​

It wasn't his intention to fall back to sleep; even whilst he found himself battling back against the clamping shut of his eyelids, his eyeballs, valiantly tried to make a sortie to keep the Irishman awake. But it was to no avail, for Aódh found himself mired in drowsiness, as his consciousness began to fade from the waking world. Much like most of his dreams, the young man, devoid of any sensory perceptiveness yet sensing still in an abstruse way, felt the darkness welling up within him, and without, ever circumfluous, with no end in sight. Faint reminisces always carried over into the waking world of this particular state and questions, alongside tentative answers, abutted the phenomenon. It felt to him at times, and for the sheer grandity (and pompousness) of the sentiments expressed, he only ever muttered it to himself, like what the concept of a human being was before being born, and at others, when he was perhaps somewhat melancholy, it felt to him like death, eerily peaceful. This sensation, so potentially multiplicitous in meaning, so penetrative and yet so encompassing, only ever seemed to last for a brief time before the actual contents of the dream began. His senses restored, a world of colour burst into view before him; the scenary appeared to him as a wooden glade, deep in the throes of autumn time, made apparent by the sheer variety of coloured leaves. Red, yellow, orange, with the odd remnant of green, all painted an ineffable feeling of warmth, girdled above by the vast blue sky. Even the clouds themselves reflected this great diversity, variegating an spéir with white wispy sorts, whilst at the same time dark clouds dotted the horizon, ponderous both in size and the facets of natures which they often bore.

To Aódh, this glade inspired such a feeling of comfort that, standing up, he wished to just sink to his knees, taking his rest upon the grass beneath whilst the sun shone on him from above. To be here, in a place that induced in him such a sense of repose, seemed almost too good to be true, if one were to compare to Marasong. And yet, despite it being an extraordinary lucid experience for him, there was a sense of...reality about this place: as though, if he so wished, he could find it somewhere in the world. Even if it was only the product of intuition, the circumstances making such a judgement inherently unverifiable, this diminutive certainty, and the feelings it brought about in him, were enough to override that trifling need to be exact. Wait...what IS that, the Irishman thought to himself, his caution cocked by a sudden, what he felt to be, protuberance in the serenity of the glade. Then, in a way that seemed to be almost unnerved by his awareness of it, the singing, or so he heard it to be singing, gradually undulated in pitch until it fell beneath the din of rustling leaves. Much like the waxing and waning of the tide, so too did the din of the leaves seem to subdue itself beneath the sound of the singing, resurgent, whereupon, having concentrated for a stretch, Aódh finally realised what they were saying.

FIND US.

FIND HOME.

His gaze manouvred around the glade as though on a swivel, a strange medley of eagerness and worry haling him to find the author of that chant. When his attempts at espying a culprit proved to be fruitless, a notion took a hold of him, one, that if he were in Marasong, he would not readily entertain. But here...this place seemed, for the scant time that he had found himself there, safe enough that he had the requisite confidence, so lacking as of late, to ask directly, and so he did: "Who...who are you?" said Aódh, his eyes darting from tree-to-tree to potentially find a respondent, "Where is this 'home' you speak of? What is this place?"

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Bernard Greve
Location: Spoon > Docks/Imported Booty;
With: Indy;
Interactions: Rhyme Out Of Words Mentions: N/A
Art by leevolt on DeviantArt
Mood: A Hankering... FOR POWER!;​

The docks were straight, but the path crooked and filled to the brim with hazards in the form of body-shaped bricks of muscle, sweat, and sea-stench; caused Bernard's nostrils to revolt against the smell. He understood that Marasong, being a port city, required immense amount of trading via sea access. Yet being a Dane after his homeland, he has visited the ports cities of the fatherland but this borders on ridiculousness. For instance, how he sidestepped -- swerved almost -- to avoid a burly man hauling a rather obnoxiously large, plastic, blue crate or carton of fish. Then he'd really smell fishy. He hoped his savvy sleuthing partner had better luck than he in navigating this mess.

But their search meant naught when they simply could not find Roje or Dusk. Could it be that his predilection in prediction be wrong? Just as hope teetered on the precipice of abyssal despondency, a brief glimmer, a silver-lining, the pot'o'gold at the end of the rainbow came into view. He gazed to the right to see an establishment, the Imported Booty. Clever wordplay aside, Bernard spotted Rhevens, the protégé. Excellent, time to ask him where his dear old man went off with the brunette sister of Indy.

But as Bernard stepped forward, a weight of immaterialness dashed against him. His mouth gasped for the briefest of moments inhaling a whetted, wet breath of air. The arteries in his eyes burned crimson as his eyelids flared. The sweat on his brow became misty as his wrist shrugged against it. Bodily aches was the term that his medicinal colleague used, but Bernard prefers the term inertialess discomfort. Unyieldingly FAST...

His teeth bared themselves instinctively, the gums fleshy and blood red; his teeth glistened from... spit? Aware of this predatory display, Bernard sprinted a hand to cup his mouth. Cold, dry hand met clammy and warm mouth. Rhevens did not cause this disastrous disorder instead his hunger finally caught up to him, giving him a perilous reminder that he needs. TO. FEED.

Flat-footedly, he stepped back.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Recite the Electron's charge.

Homeostasis returns from the disruption. The sweat reclines and his eyes assume normalcy. Though his breathing is still trembling and laborous, it is by all intents and purposes regular or soon to be again. Indy would've noticed this surely. He turns to her. "That's him, the understudy I mentioned earlier. After we question him, can we stop by the general store?" Both a request and an intention, beholden to how Indy chooses. The Dane fixes his hair slightly to reorient his scholarly presentation before resuming his previously paused perform.

"Hello, young man. Remember me? Silver asked Aódh and I to find her cat, but funnily enough now we're searching for someone..." Though judging by the grimace on the young man's face, something terrible is afoot. "But... is something the matter?" Bernard was never as avuncular as his peers, but he knew how a person reacts when something is unsound.

 

[Rhyme]

Indy

Location: Sherlock and Holmes but it's a cat and a vampire
Tags: Worthlessplebian Out Of Words

Indy tried her best not to stare at the man who strolled out behind her as she left the cafe. The familiar reactive spear inside her wanted to lash out against him when she realized he intended to follow her, but she tamped it down. Being back home, even in this strange mirror-image version, had done something to dull her nerves. Red bitterness had swollen and rounded into weariness, her hands now more likely to curl over her arms than strike out at another person.

He hadn't said anything to the others, even if she was certain he knew what she was. He was something, even if she wasn't sure what; did that mean the others were too? Did he know what danger they swam in? Or...maybe there was no danger at all. Not here. Not in this Marasong.

As they strolled down the street toward the docks Indy pinched her lips together, holding back the desire to start some sort of questioning. A busy street wasn't exactly the best place for an interrogation and, honestly, she was curious whether he would bring up the secrets lying between them first--but he didn't. He only strolled on, every bit the curious and confident tourist as she stomped alongside him.

Until he froze and Indy stumbled to a stop behind him, taking in his wide eyes and suddenly twisted features as a hand flung up to cover his mouth. Was he...drooling? What the ever-living fuck? It didn't last long--his features snapped back into composure before she even had a chance to comment, but it was enough to give Indy an inkling of what kind of man Bernard might be. His expression, twisted and desperate, hadn't been entirely unfamiliar; she had seen a similar look on Roje's face before.

But he was in the sun, wasn't he? Either way, it was a clue.

"That's him, the understudy I mentioned earlier. After we question him, can we stop by the general store?"

The store? Her head jerked with a quick nod, though she couldn't fathom what he might want at the store. He was welcome to go, anyway. But if the stranger they were quickly approaching knew anything about Roje, that would be Indy's priority.

And Indy did recognize the guy, sort of. She hadn't exactly studied the two guys who had found her and the girls and breakfast, but he seemed similar enough.

"Hello, young man. Remember me? Silver asked Aódh and I to find her cat, but funnily enough now we're searching for someone... But... is something the matter?"

Something certainly looked wrong, suspiciously so. Indy crossed her arms, lips pressed tightly together as she stared the guy down. Upset or not, she wanted to know where the fuck her sister was.

"You went out with Silver yesterday, right?" Indy stepped forward, hands jammed into her pockets as she flicked her gaze over the upset stranger. "What happened to your friend? The big guy?"

coded by: @s e v e n

 

[Britt-21]

Still under da water
Out Of Words

Roje was foolish to let something like this happen to her. Foolish for being so blind. She should have just stayed with the others, this was her own fault. Her own doing in getting her into possibly the worst trouble that could lead to potential death. Nothing could fix this, Roje had to think of a way to free herself. As mist brushed her skin, she felt...clammy? A string of profanities escaped her mouth as she shouted at the top of her lungs, wishing she could just get the hell out of here. The vampire was finished with games and wanted nothing more than to be free at this moment. "No, I'm not going to "Feed" you! No, I'm not going to become your little slave! I'm. Getting. My. Ass. Out. Of. HERE!" at this point, she felt like she was being a spoiled brat who wasn't getting her way. But who the hell wants to be trapped in seaweed? Not her.

Darkness filled Roje's vision, sweeping away the illusion of the docks and stores. It left her with the realization she was still likely trapped underwater, in a bed of kelp, watched over by some little girl thing.

There was a voice in her head, quiet and sickenly sweet in tone.

We'll see how you enjoy an existence in nothing then. Do let me know when you'd prefer memories.

And then the vampire was left in pitch darkness, a void with no sight or sound, not even the sensation of touch.

And there she was, in darkness. It felt like she was in a deep sleep, knocked out from the rest of the world. It's boring here but it's better than having false hope the vampire thought as something occurred to her Memories? if she could furrow her eyebrows, she would. How was her leaving Dusk's place a memory? Considering she was trapped here...Fabricated. That was a fabricated memory. Listen here you little girl fish thing, what the hell am I doing here? What the hell do you want?

There was still nothing but darkness and silence. It reached the point where Roje might start to even doubt being able to 'hear' her own thoughts. And yet.. a presence was felt. Weight of eyes upon her, maybe even the slightest sensation of a hand running over the back of the vampire's own hand. A child sized hand.

What more would this take? How long could this take? She was basically dead weight in the water, being sucked dry of whatever energy she has left. Apparently she had all the time in the world, and you know what, she was gonna use that to get free to the best of her ability. While starting to yank herself away, she could feel a small hand holding her back. But that didnt stop her from trying her hardest. Fuck this.​

 

[KodakWolf]

Eyes kept scanning his surroundings, and found nothing. It'd been well over a minute since he heard the last chuckle, and the dog was starting to relax a bit, even if the sensation of being watched hadn't completely waned yet. It might as well be just his own paranoia at this point, because he was pretty positive there were no horns in the water or anywhere else in their surroundings.

Yet the short moment of relative calmness and normality was soon over. Before the dog could brush off that strange sensation of being watched, that eerie invisible presence that seemed to be lurking around made itself definitely known. Suddenly, everything he'd been brushing off as fruits of his own imagination became intensified, and very, very real.

It went from a sensation of eyes watching him, of an ethereal presence, to something physical, touching him, wrapping itself around him. It was cold and wet, and seemed to squeeze tighter every second. And the dog went from being just restless to straight up shaking his fur repeatedly, stopping only to roll violently in the sand.

Still, Augie's voice did get his attention, and he stopped for a brief moment when the man spoke, eyes quickly locating him. He wasn't really sure what to do anymore, and he had no idea what was going on. His immediate instinct was to quickly run to Augie, and weave between his legs back and forth, still hoping he could rub whatever the thing was off while his brain struggled to think rationally.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

On The Docks
A discord collaboration between Out Of Words Rhyme Worthlessplebian ​

Rhevens looked up, but without any recollection of having met the two addressing him. "Uh, hello?" It took a moment for him to address the last question tossed his way. "Silver? Yes and ... big guy? Oh.. My dad. Yeah. Uh, who are you?"

The Dane tilts his head in confusion at Rhevens statement. Letting out a pensively tiresome sigh before speaking again. "So," Says Bernard brimmed with importance. "I'm Bernard and this is..." He glanced at the chatte fatale. "Indy." For a fraction of the second, Bernard wrestled with the idea of using fake names but taking into account of Rhevens apparent forgetfulness, that did not seem practical. "Indy here is looking for her sister, which we know was last seen with your father." Bernard adjusts the cuff of his sleeve. "I'd ask if you know where he is, but seeing as you're distractedly distraught, you don't know either?" Ascertaining from Indy's assaulting bluntness from earlier, Bernard will have to be the slow stream.

“Yeah, Silver.” The way he said her name and the look on his face made Indy uneasy. Silver had looked fairly exhausted the night before but Indy had attributed it to the general chaos—was there more to it? “Did you see where your dad and my sister went off to?”

Rhevens rubbed at the side of his face, his expression still showing his concern. "I thought they went to his house boat, but I just came from there and they weren't there this morning." His eyes darted around the docks, at the faces of the workers still quite busy. "He should have been on the docks for the cargo but.. no one's seen him. I.. I don't know."

Bernard scratched his temple with a thumb, grimacing at the accuracy of his prediction. His hands slap down to his waist, Bernard inclining his head to sigh. "Very well," Says Bernard, the gravity of the situation grew heavier. Either the Father kidnapped the Cat's sister or they both winked into thin air. Either situation did not bode well. "Can you take us to the boat house? We'd like to take a look at it for ourselves." Bernard's tone soft as baking cream so as to not appear incredulous or anemic in heart, the last part was true though. Increasingly so.

Indy’s frown deepened. So this kid had wandered off with Silver and Roje had gone to a strange guy’s fucking boat? Someone needed to show the vampire a few videos on stranger danger.

“Yes, that’s a great idea.” Indy tried to turn her grimace into something akin to a friendly smile. “Would you mind showing us the boat? Maybe they came back after you left?”

Rhevens frowned a bit, and gave it some thought. When he answered, it was in a more confident voice, though the concern still filled his expression. "We can head back there to see if they're around, but you can't go on it. It's my dad's home."

Bernard lowered and confided in soundless breath. "O ye of little faith, but bloat in conviction." Before rising to meet the young father's boy. "Very well, lead on."

 

[silverwhere]

Hatsu Black
- He/Him -
IC Encounter - Lovin Spoon | A Table for Two
Tags: Out Of Words BillieRoss
​

The table quickly became less packed as people started to leave to go about their own lives. It left only Bill and Hatsu there as Miranda placed a plate of sugar cookies in front of them. He nodded a thanks as he went ahead and ate one. It may not have been as good as Tilly's, but he still enjoyed it. With as stressful as this morning already was, he needed something sweet to help ease the tension.

Bill leaned in as he finished a cookies, “You need to keep away from Aódh and Bernard. Probably doubly Bernard, and not just ‘cause he’s walking around with a stick shoved so far up his arse that it’s a surprise he doesn’t spit splinters. They’re-“

She took a deep breathe, like it was hard to say the next thing, “They’re dangerous. Properly, seriously dangerous, both of them, and that’s coming from me, Hatsu. I can’t- do you understand? Please tell me you get it. Please don’t make me spell it out. ”

It made him wonder if maybe Bernard had blackmailed her, she looked sick as she warned him, and from the little bit he was able to see from him it felt like the professor was good a manipulation. He doubt that Aódh, although strong, had the guts to do wrong. Then again, maybe he did and was just good at not showing it. Either way, Bill knew more than he did about this. If she thought it was best to give him a vague warning than he wasn't going to question her.

"Got it," it wasn't the most sympathetic response, but it was all he could think of on the spot. "I'll keep my distance from them."

Was it safe to even let Indy go off with Bernard then? Bill had other things on her mind though, things that related more to their problems.

“Anyway," she sighed, "Are we going on a treasure hunt today or no?”

"Maybe, I haven't found a metal detector yet. I thought about going to Bug's and seeing if he had one but he's probably busy with the shipment today. Docks are busy and I rather not be knocked overboard. The only other option is to see if Augie has one, but I haven't seen him."

 

[BillieRoss]

Bill
Location: The Loving Spoon
With: Hatsu ( silverwhere )

Bill braced herself for the argument Hatsu was going to make, the answers he was going to demand. It was an insane thing to be told by a stranger, she knew, and really she had no reason to expect that he'd listen-

"Got it. I'll keep my distance from them."

Oh.

That had been surprisingly easy.

"Maybe," he said, referring to the treasure hunt, "I haven't found a metal detector yet."

Bill looked over at Hatsu, eyebrows furrowing as he mumbled whatever the hell about the people he could ask. Was he joking? Was he being serious?

Mundies lived in such a small world. It shocked her every time she remembered it. What it must be like to be lost in the woods and genuinely have no way home. To have no way of lighting up a room without some thing powered by batteries. To have to wait for the sun and the rain and the wind, to have so little control over their own circumstances. It must be like being blind. No, more than. To be blind without even knowing other people could see.

What must it be like, then, to realize there's a whole other world out there, one most of them couldn't even begin to conceive of? What must it be like to see?

"You don't need a metal detector," Bill said flatly. "You've got me."

She stood up, stretching out her back. "Come on. D'you have a shovel? I might have a trowel somewhere lying around. Give me thirty minutes with some books to double check how to calibrate the..." she made a gesture with her hand, miming an invisible wand, "and we can be on our way."

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Thursday's Troubles​

For Aódh, there were no answering voices. The trees swayed a little, the scent of the earth teased his nostrils, and something was tugging on his wolf instincts. It was a calming glade, yet when Aódh looked past the trees, just beyond the border, a storm seemed to be brewing.

It wasn't a normal storm, the more the man watched, the better defined it became. It looked similar to a tornado, but made of water, A swirling whirlpool which bumped almost constantly against an invisible barrier keeping the glade, and Aódh, protected from the damaging storm. The water's roaring grew in volume, and with it, Aódh finally heard the voice again.

Help them.

Meanwhile, the town's mascot was getting a little help of his own. Augie crouched and reached for Boy, giving him a two handed vigorous rubbing. For Boy, it did seem to alleviate the strange sensation of the dark magic. "Restless, Boy? Suppose we could take a break from the wall building."

He kept giving Boy attention until the dog seemed to be settling down. "It's too busy on the docks today for the likes of us. Maybe we can forage in the woods for a change of pace?" He stood up and moved to the corner where he kept his supplies and things. Augie picked up a basket, tucked a couple of cloth sacks inside, and seemed ready to go. "Ready?"

Rhevens was ready, although reluctant. He paused to give the faces along the dock another good look over, obviously searching for signs of his father. When he had no luck, the man nodded toward Bernard and Indy. "Yeah, okay, let's go." He led the way off the wooden docks, and onto a small stretch of the shore. From there, a boat could be seen along the horizon, though it'd take several minutes to get there by food.

"Dad's been a bit more private, so that's why you can't go onto the boat. But I don't think we'll find them there anyway. I did just come from there." Rhevens rubbed at the back of his neck, with a glance here and there toward the other two. "So you haven't seen your sister at all since yesterday?" A small, brief smile crossed his face, "She sure seemed to hit it off with my dad."

And then there were two, at a table in the cafe. It was quieting down more and more, Marius had slipped into a slumber, and Tilly was scrubbing the back to prepare for even more cooking. Miranda was putting away all the buffet bits, trays, holders and all. She smiled at them as they seemed to be getting ready to leave. "See you at dinner? Tilly's letting me make the dessert." She gave a smile, one of those nervous but also excited type of expressions. "Mini cheesecakes!" Then she gave them a little finger wave as she disappeared in the back with the food trays.




OOC Information

GM Notes : For the characters not included above, can continue with the encounters channels in Discord. For anyone without additional GM notes below, feel free to use the encounters channels as well, or just your weekly post.

Indy Rhyme : As you follow along with Rhevens, it feels like a migraine headache coming on. It takes a couple of minutes before pain lances through your brain, sharp enough to make your vision go all white, then black. Followed by a cat, purring as the pain begins to ease, yet your vision remains dark.

Bill and Hatsu ( BillieRoss silverwhere ) : The docks are not quite as busy, but still pretty crowded when you two head out of the cafe. A couple of the ships have left, but there are boxes all over still being sorted, catalogued, and delivered. However, the path back to Bill's home is surprisingly smooth sailing. Even Mary is in good spirits, relaxing on a windowsill, and the bugs are silent as can be.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[BillieRoss]

Bill
Location: Bill's room.
With: Hatsu ( silverwhere )

Bill pulled her boots off in the entryway and gestured for Hatsu to do the same.

She hurried her way through the kitchen towards her room, calling out over her shoulder, “Do you want another cup of coffee? Actually never mind, I do at least, stick the kettle on would you? Cheers.”

She pushed the door open and was relieved to see the room was more or less as she’d left it - pile of clothes over the box of beetles and all. She gave Mary a quick hello scratch between the ears as she walked past. She was in a rare good mood, it seemed. She pulled a thick tome off her shelf and started leafing through it, clearing off some space from her cluttered desk. “This won’t take more than half an hour. Make yourself comfortable, sit wherever. Whilst we’re here I might as well look up scrying wards, actually, you’re in no hurry are you?”

Maybe it was just the fact she had a task again, or maybe she was so wound up from the morning’s conversation with Edward and Jacob. She felt like a dog on a lead with the smell of blood in her nose. Rearing to go. Ready to hunt.

She flipped through the book, looking for the spell she knew was here. There it was, the Latin helpfully annotated in Gaelic - reperio; lorg. ‘I find’. She pulled open a lower drawer with her foot and fished out some chalk, starting to carefully copy the runes on her desk.

“Do you know what kind of metal it is we’re looking for?” she asked absently, “Like, Iron? Steel? I think the more specific it is the better. I don’t actually have much cause to use this one. It’s great practice. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know, we might just have a couple false starts.”

It felt good to be doing magic again. Natural. Like stretching out your legs before a run. She was already more aware of the leyline, stretching out under her feet, racing away across Marasong, across the ocean.

She idly wondered if it stretched all the way to Australia. All the way to India, to Russia, to Ireland, to the Highlands. If her whole life had just been skirting along the same leyline.

It seemed improbable. It was a nice thought.

She laid her wand in the middle of the runes, being careful to point it away from them both. She waved her hand gently in the air, as though she were conducting an invisible orchestra. “Bidh mi gan lorg,” she said under her breath, glancing at the book spread open in her lap, “tionndaidh iad a-mach às an talamh.” These things I will find, turn them up out of the ground.

She moved her hand in small circles above the wand. “Le na seann mhàthraichean, seall dhomh na tha mi a 'lorg.” Show me what I search for, by the old mothers.

She held out her hand, palm down, above the wand. “Tha mi a' sireadh. lorg mi.” I search, I find. “Lorg mi, lorg mi, lorg mi.” I find, I find, I find.

She held her hand there a few moments longer, feeling the magic creep up from her feet, through her arm, into her finger tips. She could almost see small wisps of pale purple emanate from her hand into her wand, catching in the morning light. When it was done she shook out her arm, already feeling tired.

She’d get over it. There was coffee on the way.

She picked up the wand again, cautiously, just in case it reacted particularly violently to her touch. When it seemed okay, she lifted it a little higher, and held it in her open palm, concentrating. After a few moments, it began to hover in her hand, turning gently as though bothered by some slight current. It spun, as though the tip was pulled along by a string, and pointed to the battered up pot she used as a cauldron. After a few moments it turned again and pointed to the jewellery scattered on her window sill. It tilted up, pointing to the curtain rod.

Bill allowed herself a wide grin.

It’d do.

She glanced over her shoulder at Hatsu, eyebrows raised. Not bad, right?

She put the wand back in her pocket and had a quick flip through the book, first to S-for-scrying, then to W-for-wards. Just in case anything jumped out at her immediately. To be honest, the smart thing to do would be to take the time to sit down and fashion the wards. It wasn't like they were in imminent danger of losing the light for the treasure hunt. But she was straining at her lead, and the smell of blood was in the air, and she wanted to get out of this town and have a nice, long walk through the woods.

 

[Rhyme]

Indy

Location: Discord Comp. Indy's side.
Tags: Out Of Words Mentions: Worthlessplebian Britt-21

Indy tried to ignored the first lance of pain creeping up her neck, but it was undeniable soon enough. Each step sent another red bar of iron through her temples, every word that Rheven's spoke striking her brain like buckshot until she could only grunt in reply.

Then it was over.

The suddenness of it nearly knocked her to the ground. The world snapped shut like someone flicking the power off of an old television set, all the noise and light being sucked out with a sharp whine. "Fuck." It was a sharp exhale between clenched teeth. "Fuck, holy fu--"

As the pain slowly ebbed away, the darkness seemed to deepen. She could feel herself, could feel her clammy skin with trembling fingers, but there was nothing.

Except for one sound. A soft rumble, one that vibrated over her spine and gave false comfort to her heaving chest. A purr.

Nope. No. Fuck this. "Bernard?" Indy slammed her palms into her eyes, pressing and releasing--each time certain her sight would return, each time finding only darkness. "Hello?! What the Fuck!"

The purring surged briefly, but more importantly, Indy could detect some presence, albeit from a seemingly long distance away. The purring became more distinct, definitely a cat. And it was calling to Indy's feline side something fierce.

Neither Bernard nor Rheven’s responded but the purring was absolutely real. She heard it grow louder in a quick burst, an insistent response to her shouting. An acknowledgment.

“Hello?” Her voice dropped from panicked anger to a softer pitch—one of them was reaching out to a scared animal but she wasn’t sure who played what role.

She took a few more hesitant steps forward, arms outstretched and toes skirting across the ground as she attempted to follow the noise.

No matter how much she moved, or felt like she was moving, Indy never actually wound up anywhere else. The other presence though felt stronger, strong enough for Indy to tell it wasn't the source of the purring.

".. Da.. I'm r...t here..."

The voice was not the purring, as the purring never stopped or paused. However the voice was very faint, still distant, but it sounded all around Indy rather than something heard with the ears.

“What? Where?” Indy froze, knowing she might make more progress walking on a moving treadmill than she would wherever she had ended up. The best bet was to keep whatever was calling out talking, to try and recognize the voice—even as the purring grew louder.

One hand raised to clutch at the coin still around her throat. “Can you see me? What’s your name?”

Hopefully Bernard or Rheven’s could not hear her at the moment. She could only imagine how this must look from the outside.

There, in the darkness, a small figure showed itself. Translucent and white, it didn't have any illumination aura, it was just visible, though it seemed to flicker in and out slightly. There was a faint pulsing, both in the vision and the purring. When Indy grasped the coin, it flickered just a little bit stronger.

Quick. Focus. Sister. Danger.

The words came to Indy's mind with each flicker. One word each time. And behind it, in the distance, like an apparition, Indy could see a female figure, tangled with something too blurry to make out.

“Who—oh, oh fuck, yep okay Fuck—“ Indy was initially almost relieved to see the ghostly light appear, but it’s accompanying shadow monster slowly forming behind her was certainly not welcome.

But, sister. “Roje? Are you—“ No, it wasn’t. It didn’t sound like her, it didn’t sound like anyone. It was louder than anything she could imagine, a piece of herself broadcast through her skin—the voice felt like her own thoughts, just as the haunting song constantly plucking along in the back of her mind once had.

Focus. She had to focus. The coin throbbed as she squeezed it tighter in her hand, the other reaching out toward the figure as she tried to move forward.

“What danger?!” She pleaded. “Where?!”

The purring grew the strongest it's been, but words floated through and past the vibration. It thrummed with energy, but it was also difficult to completely make out. It still sounded distant, and distorted, a warble of sorts.

Water. Trapped in .... Careful of wat.. ....ter.

Indy’s chest seized as she thought about the creature from the cave, how close she had come to being pulled in along with it. Had Roje not managed to evade the same creature?

“Where are you?” Indy surged closer to the figure, to Roje. “Tell me where to find you—fuck where are you?!”

The purring started to falter, the feline form spasmed once. The toll of holding up this strange bridge between the two was starting to show. Roje's voice grew softer, farther away.

I.. ..re Indy! Fol... my vo...! F... my ...nt, a..thing .. fi.. .e!

The figure wrapped in lines, maybe ropes, writhed and began to fade while the feline fought to maintain the focus.

Indy froze. “The… thing? You’re at the thing?” Sure. Easy enough, just find the thing. As hard as she tried to push forward, Roje sounded staticky and disconnected.

But there was something holding her back; Indy could see that at least just as the figure began to fade entirely. Ropes or vines, and that was something right? She could find her through that, right?

Ah, shit.

“I’m coming!” She took a few more pointless steps forward. “I’m coming, I’ll find you!”

Like with the feline, the figure wrapped in strings, or whatever it was, seemed to have a burst of energy. Three words were clear as day, strong, definitely Roje.


WATER. TRAPPED. WATER M...

But it faded surely and swiftly, as the feline could not maintain the strange spirit bridge between the two sisters. It's purring ceased as the form fell over, and then everything faded in a near instant.

Indy was back on the docks, having not moved a single step. With Bernard and Rhevens looking like nothing had ever been amiss.

She suppressed the temptation to heave forward, body still pushed by false momentum as Bernard and Rhevens continued on their stroll.

The water. Roje was trapped somewhere underwater. Rheven's dad lived on a boat. That was the place to start--not on the boat, but under it. Once they had a moment alone she would give Bernard a heads up; maybe the better idea would be to fill Silver in before Indy took the risk, but Roje had already been gone for nearly a full day and there was no telling how much longer she would last.

coded by: @s e v e n

 

[Britt-21]

Out Of Words Rhyme

Spoiler: Pt1

Would you rather dream? Or stay in the darkness?

The child like voice echoed upon itself no less than three times as it whispered and ran through her mind. There was a flash of sharp pain along one hand, as if nails had been raked along the back of Roje's hand as she fought to pull away.

I'd rather get the fuck out! she felt the pain through her hand. IT felt like someone jabbing knives into her skin and dragging them along through her flesh. How about you answer my questions?

The creature laughed, again echoing upon itself no less than three times. Followed by the sensation of a large leaf plastered against the cuts on Roje's hand, as if drinking the blood spilled.

If it amuses us. You may ask. we will see.

If Roje could punch this creature, she would. Well nothing that comes out would probably amuse you. Why the fuck am I here? The hell did I do?

You drew our attention.

For a brief moment, all the vines tightened, constricted to the point of it being painful before relaxing slightly again.

If you amuse, we'll keep the pain away.

Man, what would it take just to roll her eyes. Her body received the pressure of tightness before it was released. I drew your attention. Could you be just a little bit more specific? I fall from the sky, stay for a day, see my ex from like however many ages ago, and now im here in whatever the fuck I'm in. I've had a rough time. Cut me some slack.

There was a good few moments of silence, save for the faintest sound of water. The leaf against the cut hand stopped moving, or maybe the sensation just grew numb again. Bit by bit, the small senses Roje had were taken away, and the voice that 'spoke' was cold and devoid of anything save malice.

No.

You're a real pain in the ass, you know that? What in the hell makes me so intriguing to you? how do you fight a water monster...isn't there something in the books???

There was a long silence, long enough to make one think the being had left her alone again. A good couple of minutes passed before Roje had an answer, as if it had to think about it a while.

Your extremely long lifeforce.

Roje kinda just, chilled there. Felt like ages before she got a response. If only she was able to move around, cross her arms, have an attitude. Finally though, she got an answer and she sighed Yeah well, being a vampire does that so. Living forever comes with the package. I can make you one, probably. Maybe.

Not necessary. We have you.

Roje could just feel the presence leaving her alone then. But there was something else, a faint purring in the far back of her mind. It sounded similar to the way a cat purrs to calm its kittens. Roje wasn't completely alone.

Spoiler: Pt2

Once the presence was gone, Roje wasn't sure what to do now. It didn't take long for another sound to softly creep in, the sound of purring. Man that was reassuring. At least that was the one positive thing that came out of the whole situation so far Please help me out of here... she thought in a calmer tone. I can fight and squirm but nothing is happening.

The purring paused briefly, but then continued in the same attempt to reassure and calm the vampire. Only when the vampire was able to calm down further, did she hear in her mind.

Patience. Relax. Let me work.

Roje was wondering how she could relax in such an intense situation. But she supposed that she was possibly getting help? So to bother the purring in the back of her mind, really wasn't a good idea. Especially if they were helping her out. Okay...Okay. This is just...messed up man. she thought. This felt like hell. But without the heat and a hell of a lot of water.

There was the vague sense of another presence, it was weak, and distant, and familiar somehow. The purring continued, constant, steady, lulling.

Suddenly, and as if from a great distance, the vampire could just barely make out "Hello?! What the Fuck!"

Instead of thinking and stressing herself out even more, she finally just began to listen to the purring more intently. It was better than bothering the cat or even struggling against her restraints. Eventually, she felt something familiar through her body and it almost engaged her to try to break free and hurry toward the familiarity. Then she heard it, a voice. A familiar one. Her heart skipped with joy That's indy!

Again with the voice, softer though. “Hello?”

Roje wished she could scream at the top of her lungs to get the voice's attention. But she was worried that maybe she was being tricked Dammit, I'm right here. she thought. To keep herself from losing the only thing she had going for her, she continued to listen to the purring

“What? Where?”

And for a brief moment, the darkness was broken with a certain translucent feline figure. It pulsed and flickered, short words broke through in the pauses of the purring, but clear enough to make out.

Quick. Focus. Sister.

The vampires heart skipped a beat and felt like she was going to be saved in this very moment. It almost felt like she was going to cry rivers. She took the felines words and continued to focus Water. Trapped in kelp. Careful of water monster.

Almost the same time Roje started focusing, Indy's voice sounded in the strange void. “Roje? Are you—“ The purring grew the loudest it's been yet, and Roje could almost hear her thoughts echoing away from her, hopefully toward Indy.

Roje was seriously hoping indy had not gotten caught in this mess. Though with the purring, she was confident that her sister was okay and actually looking for her. The purring was loud, but she accepted that purring with open arms I'm here indy! Follow my voice! Find my scent, anything to find me!

The purring started to falter, the feline form spasmed once. The toll of holding up this strange bridge between the two was starting to show. Indy's voice grew softer, farther away.

“Whe.. ar. y..? T... me w...e .. f..d y..—fu.. w...e ... y..?!”

The feline figure flattened its ears and hunched a little lower, an attempt to maintain the focus a little longer.

Noticing the weakened feline, there was no time to waste. Short and sweet words should do the trick WATER! she shouted TRAPPED! Context clues were the only thing she could give her sister at this rate WATER MONSTER! Roje didn't want the feline to stress any more than it already was. So far it had been trying so hard to help her despite not being bonded with a spirit animal. Once she got out of this mess, she was going to be forever grateful for this.

Indy's voice came through strong. "I’m coming! I’m coming, I’ll find you!”

Then the feline form fell over, the purring ceased, this strange connection snapped in an instant. Roje was slammed back into the total darkness, with the sensation of leaves and vines holding her tight.

Hearing her voice loud and clear gave the vampire relief. Indy heard, and she was coming to find her. Oh how a joyous day this is. Despite being right back into the darkness. The cat had helped her get in contact and help was coming. Now it was time to play the waiting game.

​

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Bernard Greve
Location: Imported Booty > A Dusky Boathouse;
With: Indy and Rhevens;
Interactions: Out Of Words Mentions: Rhyme
Art by leevolt on DeviantArt
Mood: Something Fishy comes this way!;​

The Dane's nails ate away the flesh in the palms of his hands. Scratching, scratching, scratching. He figured that the pain of a thousand mouths feasting would quench or distract his need for his own feeding, but the steps that he took in tandem with Indy and Rhevens dashed that hope against the rock. It remains there, niggling him. If he were to describe it again, he'd borrow his earlier mentioning of an inertialess discomfort but append to it the unmistakable sensation of a million and one insects peeling away the inhibitions of his mind with their tiny pincers. Bite, lift, pull. A gradual process, yes but one that pains him immensely. He doesn't want to feed on them, he doesn't honestly. When the pain no longer bothered, his hands trembled mightily. A scowl panned across his face as he moved his arms behind the back. Shaky fingers gripped quivering wrists. Eyes fixing, stabbing at the passerby's with no regard for societal cues.

It seems for the first time that Bernard hadn't been alone. This mephitic misery maiming man's manners mustering malevolence in his heart. Admittedly, it isn't that dramatic or harrowing for Indy, that migraine of hers. Then she went vacant... Technically speaking, she seemed transfixed on something far, far away. The stare one gives when their minds disconnect from the physical world, similar to computers unplugging mice, keyboards, and speakers -- leaving only the monitor. His nostrils flared as the breathing deepen, blue eyes walked down her body onto her nape. His arms unhitched themselves, dropping to the side. Droplets of viscous crimson dripped. A hand had continued to abrade itself in anguish, injuring itself.

"Why are you so distracted?"

An innocuous question, but Bernard flooded with degenerate, lecherous, predation. His teeth shined with spit behind his lips.

The world deafened itself, peripheral vision fell to the wayside. The only target, the only object of attraction was Indy's nervous system. Pupils shrank to animal dots as they stripped away the skin, the muscle, the sinew. He pictured her now, as a skeleton with the nervous system spiderwebbed around the woman. Cut around the skull, frontal to parietal. Expose that mass of grey and white matter. See the packets of electrical energy travel up and down the structure; from the brain to the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and musculature that props her up. Little charges, little charges oh where do you go and why do you sing, twinkle, dance so attractively.

He didn't notice —how could he, so lost in his mind— but bumped into a worker or the worker crashed into him, it didn't matter. Finally, free of his hunger-hypnosis. Bernard apologised profusely before continuing to follow Rhevens to their boathouse. Resorting to not gaze directly at Indy for the duration of the walk.

Once in front of the boathouse, Bernard calmed down. Managing to subdue the beast once more. Cursing Marasong for driving him to this state, he wonders if it did this deed with malicious volition. Rhevens spoke while Bernard hid the bloodstained hand in a pant pocket, now dry with coagulated blood. Scabbing as well. "Odd question, but has your father left an item or belonging that he normally wouldn't leave without?" Asked the Dane. "At the house I mean, " Gesturing with eyes and head towards the boathouse behind Rhevens.

 

[silverwhere]

Hatsu Black
- He/Him -
Bill's Room |Crisis in the Kitchen
Tags: Out Of Words BillieRoss
​

Hatsu followed Bill's lead and slipped off his shoes, when finished, he looked back up. She was excited and had already rushed through the kitchen and to her room without waiting for him. “Do you want another cup of coffee? Actually never mind, I do at least, stick the kettle on would you? Cheers.”

With that, Bill left him to a foreign environment - the kitchen. "Uh, sure," he responded back as he took a quick look around. Hatsu was never good in the kitchen. He always burnt the popcorn or somehow managed to both over and under season the food. Needless to say, he started to stay out the kitchen expect to cook a few easy quick meals that listed enough instructions how to not fuck it up.

“This won’t take more than half an hour. Make yourself comfortable, sit wherever. Whilst we’re here I might as well look up scrying wards, actually, you’re in no hurry are you?”

"Nope take your time," Hatsu said as he started to search the cabinets for some sort of guide, "I have nothing better to do."

He knew how to use a coffee machine, but it didn't seem like Bill owned one. He was not a regular coffee drinker and didn't know the different ways coffee could be made; his coffee making skills were nonexistent. He knew the basics, coffee grounds and water, but he knew nothing about the ratios. He could make it too weak or too strong and did the temperature of the water matter? Was too cold of water going to ruin the coffee? The next problem, what kind of kettle did BIll own? Was it the one that went on the stove or one of those electric ones? He didn't know how to use an electric one unless it had a clear On button.

“Do you know what kind of metal it is we’re looking for?” she asked absently, “Like, Iron? Steel? I think the more specific it is the better. I don’t actually have much cause to use this one. It’s great practice. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know, we might just have a couple false starts.”

"Nope, not a clue what we are looking for." Hatsu said as he finally found something that could be coffee in an airtight container and pulled it down from the cabinet. He assumed that this wasn't some pour and stir instant coffee. He would probably have to pour the hot water over it like a coffee maker would so he would have to find the filters somewhere, right? He didn't really want to keep snooping in the cabinets and opted to take a break to find the kettle which was hidden in plain sight on the counter.

It was a simple electric kettle that had no clear instructions on how to use it. He'll figure that out later, he could at least put water in it and then worry about it. Part of him was ready to just get a mug full of water and put it in the microwave until it boiled. Once full of water, it was back on the stand where he stared at it as he tried to decipher how to turn it on.

It took a bit longer than he would like as he turned it to see if there was an on button. It was simpler than that, it was just a leaver. He finally realized and flipped it on. He didn't leave until he was certain that worked and the water started to have signs of boiling. One problem down, now where are the filters? Once again he began his search for them while Bill went to work on casting the spell. He had toned her out completely and was unaware of what she was doing. He finally found what he thought was filters and grabbed a mug.

He placed the items in front of him. The coffee grounds, the mug, the maybe coffee filter, and the kettle. Seemed simply enough, he put the filter on the mug and pour a bit too much coffee grounds into the filter. Then he just poured the water onto that and into the mug.

There was no way this was right.

 

[Larry]

Aódh McFaol
Location: ?
Mood: Cautious...
Interactions: n/A.
Mentions: ​

The young man, having waited for an answer to his question for a short duration, realised that no such clarification was forthcoming from that nebulous enunciator, its presence seemingly vanishing with the gentle breeze that blew throughout the glade. The leaves found themselves tickled by the wind, almost as though the two were a part of an intimate, yet passionate dance, always upon the cusp of it degenerating into something else entirely. The wind seemed to have another passenger, bearing scents from across the plain to the Irishman's nostrils, evoking recollections in Marasong of when petrichor, especially in the Loving Spoon, seemed to spring from nowhere. It was pleasant, for the most part, yet bored with a certain pungency, and heaviness, that only the earth could provide. Aódh squatted down onto his tippy-toes, placing his palm flat against the ground, trying to ascertain whether it was dry enough to sit down upon; having acquired the answer he sought, the youth sat down, criss-crossing his legs as he stared out over the horizon. His right arm found itself propped up on his knee, his mouth pressed firmly against his fist, as though he were doing an imitation of The Thinker sculpture: indeed, the questions he found himself concerned with were of a similar enough nature, though tinged by exigency. What did it mean by 'find us', Aódh wondered to himself, his eyes trained on a spot of grass in front of him, and what did it mean by 'find home'? He was well aware of where home was, so the voice, whomsoever it belonged to, obviously wasn't referring to County Galway, especially to a small parish outside of Tuam. So in what capacity, if it related to him, did the voice mean by 'home'? There was only one option then, that he could think of.

Was this 'home' that he was to seek out, the putative home of all werewolves? He didn't know to what think of such a place, if its existence was the wellspring by which he was forced to turn through such a...traumatic episode. But if it weren't that, if it was something else entirely, then why would this voice enjoin him to seek it out, and an unknown group to which it belonged? There was no doubt, that he ever since he arrived in this place, that it seemed to excite his latent, lupine nature. He could count on his hand the number of instances when such a sensation snuck up upon him, mostly when he found himself in moments of irritation or anger. This time, however, there were no such concomitant emotions, only the barest of affect attaching to it. As his ponderings came to a halt, deriving no answers from the venture, Aódh's eyes scanned the horizon, more intently this time; this focus would reward him, as an ominous phenomenon came into his view. With his enhanced visual prowess, the visage of what seemed to a hurricane, serried by dark clouds, found itself abutting a barrier, indiscernible to the eye. Gazing at it further, after a few moments, what he originally thought to be a hurricane was actually more akin to a water spout, though displaced, unnaturally, inland. All of a sudden, when the danger of what could potentially come to him was firmly established, the voice returned, imploring him.

HELP THEM.

"HELP WHO?! FROM WHAT?!" The Irishman yelled, rising to his feet in exasperation, his head gearing about to find the source of the plea, "From that bloody thing?! What can I do against it?! I'm just a MAN!!" In his heart of hearts, despite the protests of 'self-preservation, self-preservation!', Aódh knew that was where the voice wanted him to go. He wanted to smother this notion, but it went against his nature, however contrary that might to be rationale of any self-minded person. The Irishman clenched his fist together, a gesture looking to evince a sense of determination in regards to the task ahead of him, as well as a means to try and stifle the embers of discontent this decision brought. A few steps, tentative at first, turned into a steadier gait before turning into an outright sprint, as the young man, sweat nearly bubbling up from beneath his brow, ran to provide succour to a nameless people, in aid of a home he does not know.

 

[KodakWolf]

Riley Adler (Boy) & Augie
(Via Discord)​

Augie crouched and reached for Boy, giving him a two handed vigorous rubbing. For Boy, it did seem to alleviate the strange sensation of the dark magic. "Restless, Boy? Suppose we could take a break from the wall building."

He kept giving Boy attention until the dog seemed to be settling down. "It's too busy on the docks today for the likes of us. Maybe we can forage in the woods for a change of pace?" He stood up and moved to the corner where he kept his supplies and things.

Augie picked up a basket, tucked a couple of cloth sacks inside, and seemed ready to go. "Ready?"


The dog's mind worked as hard as it could, trying to come up with creative (or desperate) ways to ask for help in case that first attempt didn't work. This time the presence was so intense, he kinda doubted it would. But Augie's touch immediately repelled whatever it was that'd wrapped itself around him. Like magic, he felt himself free from it, at least temporarily, and the relief was huge.

It wasn't long before the dog settled down on his stomach, still panting from the stress just moments ago, but clearly relieved. So relieved he didn't fully listen to what Augie said. But he did recognize that pattern, when Augie stood up and moved to where he kept a bunch of things, usually a move he made whenever they were about to head out.

He watched as Augie grabbed a basket and lined it up with pieces of cloth, which meant collecting something, hopefully food, not shells. The dog was sure ready to leave the beach. So when Augie asked, Boy promptly stood up and trotted to his side. He wasn't cheerful and his tail wasn't wagging, as he still hadn't wrapped his head around what just happened, but he was more than ready to start moving.


Augie left the cave behind and moved up the shore heading toward the woods surrounding Marasong. "Sometimes we can also use stuff in the forest. Acorns especially, but sometimes branches can be made into some nice trinkets as well as other items. So .. anything interesting, just let me know."

He laughed a little. "Maybe I need to get out more, talking to you like you can fully understand but eh. You're a smart doggo, Boy." He made a gesture with one arm once they hit the treeline. "Fetch. Anything."


Well, he did understand everything Augie said. Hearing Augie say that did make him feel a little bad, because Augie thought he didn't. But would he be as open and genuine if he knew? Perhaps Boy should just stop paying too much attention to making sure he acted like a dog, dog.

He was good at it at this point, and it came mostly naturally to him. But he still paid attention to his behavior at times. Maybe he shouldn't.

As they walked to the forest, he kept close to Augie, hoping his presence would keep the dark magic from coming back. He saw nothing suspicious along the way, but he still didn't fully relax. How could he, after what'd just happened?

But when Augie said 'fetch', he couldn't not fetch. He fetched, and he fetched the best acorns and branches he could find.

 

[KodakWolf]

Leif Hjalkarssen & River
(Via Discord)​

The vampire had to suppress a kind of nervous chuckle at River's answer. Sure, he had people to ask questions to and sure, he did have people apparently willing to help. But it did feel like the more River spoke, the more questions Leif had.

He didn't know if River was doing that on purpose or if that way of speaking came with his divination super powers, but it sure seemed like the answers the man gave without needing to die first were more cryptic than the ones he gave after coming back from the dead. But Leif still didn't want to kill him right away again.

"Alright." Leif took a deep breath in. "First things first. I won't deny your offer for second question. But I need you to be a little more clear before I can ask you anything else." His tone was more calm and rational than it was demanding. As hard as being rational was, a long life tends to teach one a lot of skills. "What exactly has become serious? I know a few things about this place now, but not enough to paint a clear picture yet. I'm hoping you might be able to help me, but who else are you helping?"


River lifted a hand and did a finger wraggle in that 'you're getting it' kind of way. "See... Some things I can't talk about. Not because I don't want to, even if I don't, but more of... I can't." He gave a chagrin type of expression as he moved to comb his hair away from his face, again.

"What can I say.. uh.. let's see.." It took a couple of minutes where he was clearly thinking of phrasing. "Serious things.. like a on the precipice of going from defcon three to defcon two. Uh.." He tried to say more, but all that came out was pure gibberish.

He gestured to his face, "Yeah, that's a thing."


As River spoke, the vampire's eyes were glued to him, trying to pick up any subtle signs of what was really going on. It was clear enough that this wouldn't be simple or straightforward, but River did seem to be willing to help. Only he was also helping others. At the very least, he was bound to something else.

"Right..." Leif nodded as he observed River try to speak, only to sound completely unintelligible. It wasn't that they were necessarily being watched, but he still looked around the station to see if he could maybe spot fireglass somewhere. It seemed like River was being physically prevented from speaking out.

"But if I kill you first, then you can talk? Or are you limited on that as well?"


River seemed to catch on, because the grin he gave Leif was wide and genuinely filled with amusement. "Just need to be as specific as you can with your question. I am bound to answer in the most honest and straightforward manner I can. IF you are specific enough. Like.. genie in a bottle, make a wish, think about possible loopholes."


No fireglass in sight. And possibly no fireglass anywhere in the station, given the way River reacted to Leif's next words. His grin was so spontaneous it seemed genuine enough, and the words that followed didn't hint that River was concerned about being overheard.

A small smile did cross the vampire's face, but there was still a lot to be figured out, and he was having a hard time sorting out possible questions and outcomes.

"What's the shortest amount of time you've ever been dead?"


River gave it a minute's thought, "Several hours. About.. half a day, I think. It's kind of a blur by this point. Lost track." He gave a dry chuckle. "Longest.. oof. A week, or was it two?" River rubbed at the back of his neck. "The more specific, the more time it takes, unless you know how to word it just right."


Alright. On the good side, Leif certainly had enough time to run some errands before River were to wake up again, like talking to Bug. That is, if the ranger didn't return to find a dead body in his station. On the bad side... well, this was going to take a while regardless. He let out a sigh as he tried to reorganize his thoughts around the new piece of information he'd been just given.

"Right... do you have any straightforward tips on being specific?"


River grew animated, as he completely geeked out. "Well, in Dungeons & Dragons, or really any good rpg game, you could find things, people, that would give you a wish. But if you didn't think it through, they would find a loophole to make sure they benefited more than you. You know?" His hands moved, he even scooted a bit on the floor as he talked.

"Like, you couldn't just say you wished for a hundred million bucks. Because you didn't say where it would come from. Maybe it's stolen from the banks and you're about to go down for it because now you're surrounded by cash, and like you can't even get out of your house there's so much of it and.."

He cleared his throat, realizing how much he had just geeked out. "Sorry, uh.. yeah. Just um.. think it through, maybe write it down and ponder it a bit. Think of all the angles someone else might be looking for to twist it around."


Leif listened with raised eyebrows and a somewhat surprised expression as River gave his geeky explanation. The vampire wasn't as surprised about the geekiness as he was about how clear and straightforward of an explanation River was giving for once.

"No, you're fine. That was very... clarifying." If being clear meant geeking out, Leif was fine with that. "First off though, where can I find Alice?" That did seem like a question River should be able to answer without dying first. Hopefully.


"Alyce?" His eyes did grow a little wide, but also filled with a gleam of excitement, or was it hope? "She.. she can be different places. She's very uh.. moody. And that's assuming .." And there was some gibberish before River stopped and took a breath. "Uh.. Probably in a place you can't get to at the moment."


River's change of expression was noticed by the vampire, who subconsciously mirrored it to a lesser degree. He still paid attention to every word the man said, and when they stopped making sense once more Leif let out a sigh that was a mix of frustration and resignation. But then eyes soon focused back on River.

"She can be different places. Is that what you just said?" He spoke slowly, paying attention to River's reactions and hoping a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer wouldn't be too much to ask.


River scrunched up his nose. "Well, not at the same time. She has a few places she likes to hang out, some... you won't be able to get to."


"Right..." a short sigh was let out before Leif moved on. "Thanks for trying to answer." He pondered some more about the strange vison he had upon drinking River's blood earlier, but it was hard to even think of a question to ask about that, and it was hard to guess what exactly that all was. He might need to give it all another go.

"What's your favorite way to die?" In all of his long life, the vampire could probably count on one hand the amount of times he actually asked someone that question. Well.


River was quick to answer, "As painlessly as possible." He gave a dry laugh. "But.. depending on the question, sometimes uh.. it has to be pretty .. thorough. The time I have to search for the answer can depend on the manner of my.. ahem. Demise."

He ran hands through his hair briskly as he spoke about it. "The more it takes my body to heal, the more time I have to search. Though that can also be a downfall. If I find the answer pretty quickly, I still have to wait for the body to recover so I can return."


That was an interesting way to work. Leif still had no idea what River was, and the more the man explained the more it became clear. One's never too old to learn. But even with all that new information (and presented surprisingly clearly, by the way), it wasn't like it made that much of a difference. Even though there's millions of ways to kill someone, it wasn't like Leif had a myriad of tools available to kill the man painlessly. There were a few options, and they'd probably have to gauge which of those means might give River more or less time to search.

"Interesting... alright. Before anything else though, just nod or shake your head if you're not able to speak..." he locked eyes with River. "Can I trust Bug?"


River rubbed the side of his temple with one finger, an expression of contemplation for a half a minute. "Yes. Especially if you make it clear you don't side with Tucker in any way, shape, or form. Long story, lots of loathing there."


Leif thought it to be a really straightforward question, and while he expected River to perhaps not be able to answer it, he didn't really expect the man would need to ponder the answer. But he waited however long River needed to ponder. Perhaps he was pondering how to word it, after all.

"Word. I'm assuming the details of that story aren't relevant to our case." Eyes studied River carefully. He knew very little about that topic, only what the ranger had mentioned in his notes, and he wasn't sure how connected everyone in Marasong was. "How is Seraphim involved in that?" More than what River would answer, Leif hoped to pick up cues in his expressions as well. Especially in case the gibberish talk came back.


And the gibberish came back. River's expression indicated he knew it would, so he didn't really try very long to talk. He just gave a shrug, and a 'what can you do' expression. There was another half a minute where the man seemed to give it some thought. And in the end, he said, "No."


When the gibberish came back, Leif wasn't really that surprised this time. Yet even if it was gibberish, it still meant something. When River seemed to be thinking again, Leif waited.

"Can I trust her? Yes or no?"


The response was much faster. "No."


A small smile formed on the vampire's lips, involuntarily. The pieces of the puzzle were falling in place, little by little, and the ranger's notes seemed to confirm what River was saying, or vice versa. Leif was initially more inclined to trust the ranger's words, because those notes were written from the ranger to the ranger, meaning there was little reason for them to be filled with lies, while River... well, he was basically talking to a stranger from out of town, answering tons of questions thrown at him. But so far, the information they both provided didn't diverge a lot.

Leif's next move was fishing Chase's phone from his pocket, and pulling up Turid's picture. Maybe this would help River this time.

"This is Turid. I need to find her, and Alice. Alice, in a place where I'm able to get to her." He watched River's reaction to the picture before he kept talking. "How long do you think you need to find those answers?"


River looked at the picture, studying it for a minute or two. He gave a little nod only once he felt he would remember how Turid looked. And then thought about Leif's question. "Well.. Would probably need to focus on Alyce after, because otherwise where she was at would change."

Rubbing at the side of his face, he continued pondering out loud. "And I hadn't found anything by just Turid's name the first time.. uh.. Okay. So.. uh.. Can you give me an idea about..." His voice lowered to a near whisper, uncertainty in his tone. "You know.. what.. she is?"


Leif let him study the picture however long he needed. If the problem last time was not knowing what Turid looked like, he might as well stare at the picture for a full hour if he felt it was needed. And Leif nodded when River talked about having to find Alyce after. Again, sure, whatever he needed.

But River's next question sparked a warning light in his mind. Leif almost answered, when the man was finally done uttering the question and it turned out being a question with an easy and direct answer. Whatever River needs to find the Turid, right? Maybe not. Leif wasn't even sure what River was to begin with. And the vision he had upon drinking his blood was... unsettling. And he and Turid hadn't survived that many years by telling anyone who asked what they were.

"Why do you need that information?" His question was plain and direct, unlike River's.


River's expression didn't show any hint of malice or lies, "It may help me narrow down where to search." It was clear River wasn't human, and knew others weren't necessarily human as well.


There was a minute in which Leif carefully observed River's expression and assessed his answer. But no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't able to find any alarming signs. And at this point, Leif was at the very least competent at reading people.

"She's a vampire." He finally spoke. "I believe she encouraged Chase to come here. I don't know why." He made a quick pause. "While you're at it, I don't know how I turned up here either. Not a priority, but if you learn something about that I'd like to know."


River nodded after a moment or two. "Okay, thanks. That might help. Uh.. I don't know how long. At least I know where not to look this time around." He gave a small laugh, "Yeah, okay. Find Turid. Find Alyce. Bonus find reason why. I think I got it."


Leif nodded as he listened to River repeat the series of things he had to find out, but the man wasn’t sounding as certain as Leif would like him to.

“Find Turid. Find Alyce in a place I can get to her and get her help. Find out how and why I ended up in this timeline.” He paused. “That clear enough?” And he waited for any sort of clear confirmation from the man. And when River confirmed he'd understood in a way Leif found satisfactory, he waited for the man to say he was ready. And when he finally did, the killing was a repeat of last time. River sure seemed fine enough with it, as fine as one could be in those circumstances, and since this time there were so many questions, a broken neck might give the man more time to search than, say, death by suffocation.

Regardless, the vampire drank from him again. What happened last time was freaky, but not freaky enough to stop him from trying again. He had to understand what it meant, what it was he'd seen. Yet this time was somewhat different. The haze, the adrenaline rush from the killing, the boost to his senses, all was there as usual, whenever he drank from a supernatural being. Yet there was no vision of underwater creatures, no peeking into something he didn't really know what it was.

Instead, he seemed to be presented with of a recap of everything that happened between now and the last time River died. That was still unusual, but even after watching it all a second time, Leif didn't really see any details that he might have missed the first time. He didn't see, but he heard something. The usual effect of peeking into his prey's mind seemed to be there, because there sure was a calling that started the moment he drank River's blood, and stopped the moment the scene repeated itself. Had someone been summoning River the whole time up to his death, but had he been just ignoring it? It was a clearer calling, different than the humming one heard pretty much everywhere in Marasong, and it might make sense to assume it'd been playing in River's mind that whole time, if the logic Leif was used to still applied. How important was it? Was the man really ignoring it, or was it actually playing in Leif's mind only?