Realistic or Modern If December Freezes (IC)

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
A Bargain Made​

The dark whispering seemed to titter with glee, but a different sound pulled on the dog's focus. The normal, gentle lapping of the water pushing up on the shore, became disturbed. Instead of a shuffling along the sand, a distinct sloshing grew prevalent. Boy could imagine the cause, just moments before his magic gave him the temporary measure to 'see' the truth.

The magic didn't grant the magi shifter actual sight, but a type of vision all the same. As the sound echoed, a brief outline was formed in his mind's eye. Several yards in front, a figure could be glimpsed steadily wading into the welcoming water. Ripples were illuminated with each motion, and the figure grew shorter and shorter the deeper the man walked. And truthfully, there wasn't any indication of the man stopping. He waded into the water as casually as one might walk along a path in the woods.

This echo sight barely lasted a second at a time, but with each new sound, another glimpse of a world previously filled with nothing but darkness. It was akin to someone with a flip-book, thumbing through the pages to give a sense of animation, only this was life. For a few moments longer, at least.

And then the sky opened up.




OOC Information

Riley KodakWolf :The darkness doesn't require anything in return, yet, but you know it will. Owing the magic, is likely worse than paying the price up front, but for the time being, you can 'see', as long as there is sound.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Who'll Stop the Rain​

There was a bolder smell of petrichor in the wind, a wind that grew a little bit stronger. Strong enough it worried those tending to the fire, worried embers could be blown around, or the flames might flare brighter once more. Rawiri helped Aódh with the hose, not enough energy to manage it by himself, but able to help keep it under control.

Just off to the side, but out of the main line of sight, for anyone not paying attention to the fire, Bill and Beatrice got their witch on. The words were carried away with the breeze, but the magic felt all the same by those sensitive to such. It was quick, as it swiftly moved with the wind, up and into the sky where clouds thickened and grew darker.

The crowd was happy when the first few rain drops fell, it wasn't unusual this time of year, even if it hadn't been in the forecast. They cheered when it came down a little bit harder, and the fire sizzled against the onslaught from even more directions. Then people were shaking hands, clapping the back of the ranger and others who helped with the fire as the water made the flames little more than smoke and ash.

The fire pump could be turned off along with any garden hoses people had made use of. Buckets stopped moving and were emptied, but soon filled again by the rain as it grew stronger. The steady rain became a downpour and people were sent scrambling for some type of cover.

And still it rained.




OOC Information

Hatsu silverwhere :The box looks very sturdy, and the lock would need to be picked. One might feasibly take a sledgehammer to the safe, but at risk of damaging the contents inside. Looking around, you think you might have spotted a bush moving, but it could have been from the wind that kicked up shortly before the sky opened up.

Rawiri & Aódh Collidias Rex Larry :There is a stronger sense of petrichor, and magic can be tasted on the tongue for a brief moment before it is carried up and away. And then the sky opened up.

Beatrice & Bill OrganicUFO BillieRoss :The magics work, and it begins to rain. However, something seems to have been added, another component, or magic stream, something or someone. The spell is way stronger than initially intended, and doesn't show any signs of stopping soon.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Marasong Health Local​

Marianne closed the door when one of the group seemed distressed at it being open. She wore a frown at the news of Marius having run off, but was torn with confusion as Indy seemed to speak about closing the door with the same urgency the blond man inquired after Chase and Turid. There was more than one question posed her way, but she started with the one asked first.

Her gaze met Leif's and lips pursed briefly in thought. "Chase? He's likely somewhere by the docks. Levi usually keeps an eye on him these days, makes sure he eats and gets home. As for Turid, was it? I don't recognize the name, but that could just mean they haven't needed the clinic's services yet." Marianne gave her best apologetic smile, before looking toward Silver.

"Yes, that sounds like Marius. He usually wears a suit and spends the day in the cafe. He isn't always... mentally present. Did you see him?" She laid a hand on the doorknob, prepared to open it and share the news of Marius, or if the assistant knocked with the extra shirts and blood bags, whichever came first.

And then the sky opened up and rain pounded the roof above. "Oh goodness. I didn't think it was supposed to rain today."




OOC Information

Leif KodakWolf :Something in Marianne's tone when she spoke about Chase seemed to mimic the way she spoke about Marius. She even glances your way when talking about Marius not always being mentally present. However, there is no recognition in the name Turid, so she does not appear to be lying about your daughter.

Silver Silver- :Marianne's voice carries genuine concern about Marius, and she's eagerly looking at you, one hand on the doorknob to open it with your answer.

Clementine AsherMasher :There's magic afoot, and not your magic, or anyone in the room with you. The heavy rain carries a strong sensation of magic, witch magic.

Everyone else in the clinic :The downpour came rather suddenly, and sounds almost like a monsoon season. In about two minutes, the assistant will knock again on the door with the spare shirts and blood bags. However, if Silver indicates it was Marius she saw, Marianne will open the door first, and call another assistant to give the information.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[KodakWolf]

Riley Adler / Boy
Location: Attempting a rescue
Tags: Out Of Words
​

Marius was heading into the water! The sloshing sound was unmistakable. Out of everywhere, he had to go into the water. The woods would have been a whole lot easier for Boy to interfere, or the town even, or even... anywhere, but the water. He was running now, the sand making his bad leg hurt more than usual, but it didn't matter, he had to get to Marius before the man got too far in, too deep for him to do anything about it. Before the dog could think anything else, though, he saw. And it made him gradually stop where he was, a few yards away from where most waves were breaking, the water stretching forward to gently engulf his paws before retreating into the ocean.

Boy didn't immediately process what he was seeing. Outlines were suddenly formed, then gradually faded and disappeared, being replaced by new, updated outlines of the world around him that would also fade and give way to new ones. It was a lot of new information for the dog that'd seen nothing but darkness in years, it was sight but presented in a whole different way, and it made the dog look around himself with a mix of excitement, surprise and fear.

Only several seconds later did his gaze lie upon the figure of Marius wading into the ocean like he was taking a walk in the park, and every other thought had to be shoved out of his mind for the time being. The dog sprinted after the man, giving it his best. There was something very strange about the way Marius just casually headed into the ocean, something unnatural. It didn't seem like just a disoriented old man getting lost at the beach. But still, in the small chance that was the case, Boy had to at least try to do something. And he wouldn't be able to without what seemed like an echo sight granted by his magic.

By the time he reached the man, barking whenever the waves allowed him a break, the water was almost too deep for him, and he'd lose his footing whenever a wave washed past them, meaning he had to leap up to swim over it. It'd certainly be a lot harder if he had to rely solely on his sense of hearing for that. He didn't mind the salty cold water that filled his mouth and made his eyes burn, nor what seemed to be rain, which made his echo vision a lot more confusing. He was really strong for a dog his size, unnaturally strong due to not being... just a dog, and latched a bite on the man's suit, pulling back with all the strength he could muster, whenever he managed to dig his paws into the sand below. The man wasn't struggling, but instead continued to try to casually walk into the sea, but the dog would persist for however long he could.

 

[Silver-]

Silver Blackwood
Tags: Out Of Words | Mentions: Thropian Rhyme | Location: Marasong Health Local


Silver couldn’t meet the woman’s eyes when she held such an eager expression, her dark gaze flickering as several responses flooded her thoughts but her tongue couldn’t settle on one in particular if she had held Marianne’s look. She took a moment to pause after having heard that Levi was the one taking after Chase, her mind feeding her images of when Edwin had been Dwight and the Levi that she could recall had been his young apprentice. How could they be stepping into another parallel?

The quiet melodies that drifted into the room from the parted threshold served to only strengthen the memories flooding the forefront of her thoughts but when she answered Marianne, the distraction didn’t reflect. “He was standing in the front yard of the clinic when we came through but he sort of.. vanished with the backdrop”, Silver mentioned what she knew coolly, half focusing on the rush of petrichor that percolated into the room now and cut through the crisp air with it’s salty humidity. “Do you need help finding him?” Her words hinted at an offer she couldn’t quite dish out so plainly, distrust still grasping her heart closely even if her intentions would be genuine should Marianne even allow them to leave the clinic in the first place.

Something about the way that the air had thickened and swirled, how the skies had parted with an unnatural cacophony of stark weather mixed with the choking smoke from earlier—it was too convenient. There was a weight of something unlike the feeling from before where it felt like soft cotton had swathed her shoulders, now it was as if the very oxygen she inhaled into her lungs was attempting to drown her with an intangible force. It lacked an oppressive feeling, but it wasn’t something to be brushed off either. An odd sensation trickled it’s way down her back, cold fingers lightly stroking her spine and raising the hairs on the back of her neck and the phantom hackles her wolf would’ve stood with. Ears straining to hear the tune that the melodies beckoned, a call within the ensemble that coaxed at inaudible words being uttered by the mouth of some unseeable soul. The beast coiled within her reared its determined head, fueling her with the urge to push herself off the wall and traverse into the unknown out of hunger for knowledge.

A sweeping glance at the rest of the group provided that not too many of them really seemed fit to be going out rather than allowing their weary bones to settle. Each held a pool of emotions that she would’ve rather not step into right now knowing how exhausted from the trek they were, so if perhaps she could scout the area, it would help further ease tensions while also helping the townspeople to find their missing elder. Maybe after gathering information they could better find Indy’s mother as well. Either way, it was up to Marianne.

 

[BillieRoss]

Bill
Location: 'Round back of the Old Miller's place
With: OrganicUFO [with]; Larry , silverwhere , Collidias Rex [in the vague vicinity of]

She thrilled at the thrum of the magic, the feeling of power surging up through her feet, through where she held hands with her coven, surging up through her and pouring out of her wand. She could almost see it fall skyward, the eddies and ripples of twin-spell magic. The sky opened up and poured with rain, putting out the fire with a quiet hiss.

Her arm dropped down to her side, limp and exhausted from the spell. She slid her hand out of Greenwitch’s and stumbled back against the tree, breathing heavily. She tucked her wand back into her coat pocket and slid down to sit in the damp earth, catching her breath, pushing her tangled mass of wet hair back from her face.

The rain was pelting down, way harder than she’d meant. Something else had added to it. Maybe a second leyline, maybe something more malicious. For now it didn’t make much of a difference. The idea of pulling herself to her feet and walking back home felt impossibly exhausting, let alone hunting down a rogue magical influence and dispelling an apparently incredibly powerful spell. For now she was hoping it would rain itself out, and be done with it before flooding the whole town. In a few hours, once she’d had a nap, had something to eat, she could think about dispelling it.

At least the fire was out.

“Good work, Greenwitch,” she panted. “Maybe a little too good. Nee worry. We’ll dispel it later if it doesn’t spend itself on its own. Give the earth a drink o’ water. I doubt we’ll get washed away.”

She heard cheering, murmuring, saw people dashing off into their houses. Thought, maybe for the first time, about the poor guy whose house this was. Wondered if he had anywhere to go.

She’d heard rumbles about the house being bought recently. Some rich fop from the states rolling up and buying the old place. She laughed under her breath, and then felt a little bad about it.

“Fuck. What a day,” she said, letting her head thunk back against the rough bark of the tree. “Still, nothing compared to day that poor bastard what bought the house is having, aye? I heard he only just bought the old place. Guess he didn’t check the wiring well enough before moving in, eh? Ah, Im only jokin’. Still, you’ve got to admit it’s a little funny. Ironic - or is it? I always forget what counts as ironic and what counts as coincidental. It’s the same difference though, don’t you think?” Again, she trundled on without waiting for a response, still catching her breath, still pushing the hair back from her face. “Och, but all the people you meet who’ve got such strong opinions on the thing. You’d think they were defending their mother’s honour, the way they go on about it. Unless you’re casting a spell, good enough is good enough when it comes to language, I think.”

She was getting soaked. She couldn’t find it in her to care.

She glanced over at the Greenwitch, face exhausted, voice just as tired. “I’m no’ talking too much, am I?” And then, again, without waiting for an answer: “Yer friend’ll be ‘round looking for you soon, won’t he? The Irishman?”

She'd need to think up an excuse for dragging Greenwitch away like that. Or an explanation to why they were now so thorouly exhausted. Mary'd be as good a scape goat as any. Cat got out, she'd say. Chased her halfway through the forest. She's back home now. Stop asking questions.

Hopefully the homeowner'd be too sad to look at the situation too closely. Hopefully the lanky, pale, weirdly soft spoken Paddy wouldn't ask too many questions. Hopefully they'd both just assume she was unhinged and a rude bitch and move on with their lives.

Great job making friends, Bill.

 

[silverwhere]

Hatsu Black
Location: In the rain
Tags: Out Of Words | (Nearby) Larry OrganicUFO BillieRoss Collidias Rex​

He was already soaked when cheering erupted from the crowd. He should be cheering with them, after all the downpour had put out the fire, but his attention was drawn away. His attention was now on the woods as he swore something moved in a bush. It could have been the wind, after all there was a strong gust of it prior to the rain. There was nothing to worry about right? He was just on edge because of the house fire- right? That didn't erase the feeling of him being watched and it wasn't the first time today. Something was watching him as he made his way to his house and he had lost track of that feeling during the house fire. Hatsu couldn't just chalk it up to coincidence or just being on edge. So he was going to get evidence that something or someone was watching him. Hatsu made his way towards the bush.

Even though he was doing something dumb, he was sure to be armed. He brought the safe with him. Part of him was worried that it would be nabbed if he left it, but he also brought it incase he had to protect himself. It was pretty weighty, or he was weak, either way it was something he could throw if he was in danger. He wasn't too worried about contents of what was inside- if it could survive a second story drop then it could survive a throw as well. If it couldn't then it was already broken. Plus, there were plenty of people nearby that if he needed another rescue he could get one. It'd be embarrassing sure, but he was certain that enough people knew that he was the one that bought the place and that they wouldn't pry or make fun of him. And if they do he hoped that they'd feel shitty about it when they try to go to bed.

 

[KodakWolf]

Leif Hjalkarssen
Location: Skyrim Health Local
Tags: Out Of Words Britt-21 Rhyme Thropian Silver- AsherMasher ​

A roller coaster of emotions would be the best way to describe what Leif felt in the few minutes following the questions he'd asked Marianne. To begin with, it felt like forever until her gaze finally met his, and she began to speak. Then there was relief and hope, when she said Chase was likely somewhere by the docks. There wasn't even time nor room for his mind to try to understand how come Chase'd ended up in New Zealand, because Marianne spoke further, something about Levi keeping an eye on him. He knew Levi too, but it didn't stop his heart from sinking at the realization that something was seriously wrong. And it sank further when she didn't seem to recognize his daughter's name; but then he could breathe again, finding a bit of solace in the possibility Marianne mentioned, that perhaps she was also there, and just hadn't needed the clinic's services yet.

It was really plausible, if he was to consider she was a vampire, as vampires didn't really get sick, if they knew how to feed themselves. Roje was probably the only vampire to ever need the clinic's services, and that was only because of the special teleportation circumstances that no one really understood. Now, if Turid was a vampire or not, if she was even alive or not, he had no idea, and the thoughts alone made his head spin and the headache threaten to return. For now, he'd try his best to focus on the information he had, instead on what he didn't yet know.

Then there was the talk about Marius again, and it was only when the man was mentioned for the third or fourth time that Leif's mind found the focus necessary to make the connection that it was Marius that'd been staring at him before they entered the building. Perhaps it'd been the fact that Marianne glanced his way once again when she mentioned Marius not being mentally present, something about the tone she used. Regardless, it caught his attention and he made the connection, blinking several times as eyes moved back to focus the woman.

The young woman from their group, the one he only now realized was possibly the other white wolf he'd come accross at some point in the past, or in another universe or whatever, spoke faster and answered Marianne's question. Only, she hadn't said everything, perhaps because she hadn't noticed it. Either way,the anxious feeling within his chest was growing again after Marianne's enigmatic glance, and equally enigmatic words. "He was staring at me." He added. His tone was incisive, as he was pretty sure of what he'd witnessed, of how deep Marius seemed to look into his eyes. "Looked to the side as if he saw something, then vanished behind a tree." Was it wise to tell Marianne all that, to tell her how Marius was specifically looking at him? Maybe it was, maybe not, but he wouldn't be able to restrain himself and not tell her anyway.

The sounds of stark rain made their way into his mind, and he suddenly stood from sitting on the bed, but caught himself before he bolted out the door and headed for the docks. Sure, it was raining, and out of nowhere it seemed, but who cared? Well, he should, because It appearing out of nowhere meant it was also likely to disappear out of nowhere, leaving the sun to shine its murderous rays freely upon him. It was still safer to wait for nightfall before heading out. Maybe. More out of anxiety than anything else, he reached for one of the blood bags, passing the fourth to Roje and tearing it with his teeth to try to distract his mind with something as simple as the familiar scent and taste of blood, not fully sitting back on the bed, but leaning against it, eyes still fixated on Marianne.

 

[OrganicUFO]

Beatrice Welles
Location: Around the back of Old Miller’s house
With: BillieRoss Larry (mentioned)
Beatrice smiled as she began to feel the rain drizzle down. In fact, smiling was an understatement. She was beaming near ear to ear. She could hardly believe she’d actually managed to help. Her excitement around the rain was a high she’d be riding for weeks, she could already tell. However, soon she realized that the rain was a little bit too heavy. There was no way this was her doing. Perhaps this other witch, Bill had been responsible? But if so, why would she have needed Beatrice to begin with? She could have easily made a drizzle. That would mean one of two things. One, Bill just wanted someone to be there for the superficial looks aspect and to avoid suspicion, or two, the more likely answer, there was another secret contributor. Regardless, Beatrice was too happy to really care, and as she heard the townspeople clapping a sense of pride filled her chest.

Despite the high Beatrice was riding, the exhaustion still kicked in, and she joined Bill in sitting, opting to lean against the opposite wall. Beatrice couldn’t stop looking up at the sky, and even if she had the energy to answer Bill back, she wasn’t given much room in the conversation to respond, so she simply nodded along. Bill did talk quite a lot, but Beatrice liked that. She was so used to trying to fill up every square inch of silence with something that having someone else ramble on was refreshing. It was nice. Plus the fact that the meanest thing Bill could seem to come up with for Beatrice was ‘greenwitch’ made her even more happy. Green isn’t bad. Green Isn’t a disappointment. Green is new, and she is new. More new than most her age, and maybe it’s because the spell worked, but for whatever reason today Beatrice was okay with that. So as Bill talked, Beatrice smiled and nodded along, feeling half drunk.
“Yer friend’ll be ‘round looking for you soon, won’t he? The Irishman?” Bill said.
Beatrice’s head darted up at the comment, realizing that Aódh would probably come looking at some point, and she really needed to come up with an excuse for her absence.
“Shit. Yeah that’s true.” Beatrice said, and as she did so she realized she still painfully clutched her wand.
Beatrice quickly put it away and darted her head up to look at Bill.
“This was an odd thing for us to do. Vanish like that. We should come up with an excuse.” Beatrice begins.
She rakes her brain for a moment, thinking what she could say. Then it hits her.
“You know. We could always say we’d met earlier. I mean, I’m new to New Zealand. But maybe we could say we’d seen one another on the plane. Sat beside each other or… something? Then when you saw me you were like ‘oh my god! It’s Beatrice! That’s so wild! I should go say hi!’ Or something. I mean, maybe not that exactly because you know. It makes us sound like dicks to be chatting during a fire. But it’s a start… right?” Beatrice says, looking at Bill.
All she can really hope is that Bill can fill in the rest, and that it somehow involves them staying acquainted, because the idea of having a witch around who just sees Beatrice as new is not only refreshing but exhilarating, and she really would like to get to know her better.

 

[Rhyme]

Indy

Location: Free healthcare for all
Tags: Out Of Words KodakWolf Silver- Thropian AsherMasher Britt-21

The moment the door shut, Indy nearly collapsed with relief. Her hand had found Roje's knee, the other grasping the edge of the bed tightly enough to make each tendon on the back of her hand stick out like taut marionette strings.

Marianne was discussing a "Chase" and, again, Indy's thoughts were drawn back to the memory of their "tests," where each of them had someone--some connection in that foreign world--waiting for them either outside the hall or beside them. The vampire was barely masking his desperation behind his rapt attention focused on every word, especially when Marianne discussed "Turid." Wildly, Indy wondered for a fleeting second who might name someone 'Turd' before realizing she had misheard. The shadow of the song must still be clogging her ears.

The song and the rain, evidently, which came without warning in a thunderous roar pounding against the clinic roof like the vengeful fists of god.

Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.

Apparently being in Marasong revived every childhood bible lesson she was forced to sit through, the quote sitting bitterly at the back of her tongue. She tried to swallow it back, only to find her throat swollen and aching as emotion began to threaten to bubble to the surface. She tried to anchor herself on what Silver was saying--her soft voice mentioning a man who had been watching them outside the clinic. Indy hadn't noticed the figure at all. Already, her wits were completely out the window--distrust for her own mind digging deeper into her spirit. How was she expected to protect her sister, protect Beth, when she wasn't even aware of an apparently crazy man staring at them a few feet away?

But Silver had noticed. The other vampire, a flash of recognition danced across his expression as Silver spoke--he had noticed, the words that followed confirmed it. Just as it had been them to do the work in getting Roje to the clinic while Indy lost herself in the burning song that corrupted every facet of her being. All of them, composed and observant while she had lost her mind.

She was the weak link.

Her nose burned as Silver asked whether Marianne may want help finding this Marius. Indy jerked up from the bed just as the vampire beside her did the same, something freezing him in his tracks just as Indy found herself frozen in her own. Quicksand doubt swallowed the offer to assist Silver. Beyond that door, the song crept. She could feel it, crawling along her skin and taunting her as the amulet pulsed softly against her chest. One step beyond the threshold and she would be sent back into the beyond.

Indy glanced back at Roje, still curled on the bed nursing the blood bag. Marianne knew what they were, Indy was trapped in the room, the cards were played. She only had one real thing to offer the group now.

Indy swallowed. Her throat was raw as the words scratched against her lips, weary eyes locked on Marianne, the poor woman no doubt sick of their interrogation. "Do you have a phone?" She ran a hand along her neck, trying to resist the temptation to grab the amulet. "And, uh, maybe the most recent number for Beth Sanderson?"

coded by: @s e v e n

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
To Save The Day​

Boy fought against the resistance of the water, latching onto the bottom of the old man's jacket. He tugged while he struggled to find a good footing with as far as Marius had waded by the time the dog caught up. Still, the old man wasn't the strongest, based on his slow, shuffling motions. With determined efforts, Boy was slowly but steadily bringing the man back to land.

After a foot or two, Boy could find a stronger purchase of paw upon sand, and then they were really moving. However, when Marius also found his footing, he maintained that odd gait toward the water. It wasn't until the old man fell onto his back after a couple of hard tugs from the canine, when he momentarily stopped moving. Blue eyes were blank, as was the expression on his face, even as the sky truly opened up and the downpour began.

In a minute, both the man and the dog were soaked, but Marius wasn't trying to get up or go back into the water, yet. His gnarled, wrinkled hands dug into the sand, as he clenched fingers into fists. For those few moments, it seemed like he was trying to hold onto the land. And he might have made a small sound, something like a groan, or smothered cry of sorrow. Or maybe it was just Boy's imagination.




OOC Information

Riley KodakWolf :With the multitude of raindrops, your echo vision is near constant, an overload of sight where before you had none. Also, you strongly suspect if Marius were to get to his feet, he'd try to wade into the ocean again.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Don't Beat Around the Bush​

The bush moved a couple more times as Hatsu slowly approached. It was just on the edge, between the town and the surrounding woods. With the absolute downpour, it made visibility even worse with the darkened skies above, and the shadows cast by the trees. Yet there was something there, or someone. Each time Hatsu paused or looked away, the leaves shook slightly.

They grew still when he was within reach, and then something a little deeper into the woods made a noise. Like a twig snapping, then another. It had moved further into the trees at his approach, but hadn't disappeared completely. In fact, if Hatsu parted the leaves of the bush, there was a visible form several yards away.

Encased in shadow and a curtain of rain, Hatsu would be able to just make out the shape. It was taller than he was, but most things were. However, it would seem to be taller than those of average height. Either it was long, or there were two forms standing near one another. It looked like two pairs of leg, and one had long hair brushed to the side like a pony tail. Their heads couldn't be discerned yet, but Hatsu knew they, or it, was looking in his direction.




OOC Information

Hatsu silverwhere :The rain makes it incredibly difficult to make anything out clearly. Two pairs of legs, two forms close together, close enough they seem to be touching in the middle. You think they're dressed in all black, or it could just be the cover of the rain and trees, combined with the distance. The hair at the end moves as if lifted then let free again. It seems to be trying to draw you closer, deeper into the trees. Teasing you even with a small movement here and there.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Blame It on the Rain​

Truthfully, the witches didn't have to worry about the locals coming to look for them. They were preoccupied with the fire, but now all they wanted was to get out of the downpour. People were soaked within a minute or two if they were in the open, a little longer if sheltered partially by the trees, like Bill and Beatrice were.

The fire was out, but puddles were quickly forming in lower dips along the cobblestone paths. Farms were getting a thorough watering, and people were scrambling to get home, or under some type of cover. Of course, the house now faced a potential flooding problem, but the Ranger and Aódh's job as firefighter Sam was done. Hoses could be put away, if one wanted to stand out in the torrential rainfall.

Wiri needed to get his truck back, but at least he knew where it was likely located. The firepump would be okay for the time being, but it shouldn't be left on the ground based on how steady the rain continued to beat down. At this rate, there would be mild flooding in a half hour, assuming it didn't stop before then.

For those with weather sense, it didn't look like it was going to clear up anytime soon. The sky was dark with stormy clouds, and it felt more like late evening than midday. And then someone came running from the clinic, only to see there wasn't a fire anymore, and no one appeared hurt, still they shouted against the rain. "Anyone hurt?"





OOC Information


Rawiri & Aódh Collidias Rex Larry :The house is in danger of flooding, with the partially collapsed roof. The ground is already getting muddy where there aren't cobblestones or grass, and even there puddles are forming. The danger went from fire to flood super fast, it was unheard of.

Beatrice & Bill OrganicUFO BillieRoss :You can both still feel the magic in the air, it's in the storm, in the rain, and it beats with a life all its own. The unknown addition to your spell is still unclear, but what a storm you two concocted! You're both soaked in a couple of minutes as you stayed to talk to each other, even with the partial cover of the trees. Water, water, everywhere!

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Marasong Health Local
Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls​

When Silver and the blond man both said they saw Marius, she took a quick moment to open the door and tell an assistant. "Tell Sage his father was seen in the woods several minutes ago. The area in front of the clinic." And she also had shirts and bags pushed into her arms in the exchange. "Thank you. Check on the inn and how many rooms they have available, please?" Then the door was shut, since at least one in the group didn't like it open.

Marianne moved away from the door to hand the two vampires new shirts. There were a small stack, various sizes, in white, grey or a light blue. "Here you go." She placed the clothing and extra blood packs on a table. "Marius hasn't been himself for a little while now. We think it might be a form of dementia, but testing for those things are difficult at best. Sage usually keeps him at the cafe during the day on the docks, so he can keep an eye on him." Her head turned toward the one who asked if they needed help. "Sounds like Sage and Augie are on the search. Augie knows the area better than most. But thank you for the offer."

The one unsettled by the door being open asked about a phone, and a name. "Beth? She should be at the town hall during the day. Though.." She looked up toward the roof, where the sound of the torrential downpour remained. "You'll be soaked in this rain in no time." She glanced back to the pile of shirts, "And I only have so many extra shirts." She grinned and gave a small laugh, hoping to put the others at ease. The tension in the room just kept growing.

"I'm sure there will be some rooms at the inn. I'll speak with Seraphim and you all can stay a couple of nights free there. Get your bearings and the like. They'll have a phone you can use as well, and some meal vouchers for the cafe. Tilly's cooking is the best around, you can't miss it." She was already rummaging around in a drawer, but still talking. "Of course, outside of this room, you're just humans, correct? I won't tell your secrets, they aren't mine to tell. I'm a doctor, you're my patients, there's a high level of confidentiality I provide. Free of charge." Another grin and small laugh.

"Here." She handed out some meal vouchers with the name of the cafe 'The Loving Spoon'. "My assistant will secure some rooms for you based on what they have available. The inn is a lovely place, on the docks with some really good views of the ocean. Now, unless anyone else needs some medical attention, let me see about those rooms." Marianne paused to see if there was any last minute needs of her medical services.




OOC Information

Everyone in the clinic :It's still raining, like ungodly amounts of rain. Marianne won't mind if everyone grabs an extra shirt just in case. They're simple t-shirts with a MHL in black lettering on the front left breast area. The vouchers are small, business card sized, and laminated, with a picture of a heart followed by a spoon underneath the cafe name.

Also, each time the door opens and remains ajar for over one minute, the lullaby will return in the back of the mind. Even for Indy, it's subdued now, the coin senses you're on the right path, but still pulses with a small amount of heat, letting you know it's there.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Britt-21]

Out Of Words Rhyme KodakWolf (mentioned/interacted) @EveryoneInTheClinic

Roje was relieved once her sister took a seat on the bed as well. With all the strength she mustered up, she was able to sit up a little more upright, giving more room for herself, Indy, and Leif to sit comfortably. As of the current moment, the vampire already knew that deep down, everyone needed some kind of moment to sit down on something comfortable. After all, they were on various different trips, between being tricked into some bullshit, traveling to some sort of alternate dimension, and then returning back kind of home. However, before she could think of words to put together, Indy greeted her, followed by a smart remark that made Roje proud. Removing her mouth from the thick plastic, she spoke "You can pretend it's Koolaid all you want. If it makes you sleep at night." she retorted back with a raspy voice, and a light laugh "Could pretend its a melted fruit punch slushie too. Or cranberry juice." there were many things that Indy could relate the blood drinking to, had she ever needed to keep using them to keep her sane.

"I'm just glad you're alright, after...Well...You know..." her voice had grown hushed, not sure if she was able to really speak around the doctor and whatever nurse came through. Biting back into the bag, she continued to drink it till it was practically empty, allowing her to put it down beside her. A few more and I should be good enough to walk about, get everything flowing again. hazel eyes shifted to her bloodstained shirt, even though it was hard to see with the black, it still had a strong sense of copper to it. New shirt would definitely be appreciated... I'll be sure to thank her when she comes by with those. just as she finished her thought, she caught word of the Doctor mentioning someone named "Chase" but soon after that, it was "Levi", causing her eyes to widen and whip her head in the direction of the doctor. This couldn't be coincidental, right? Was that cat here? The Leopard she carried on her back at the facility? On top of that, there was someone already stalking them. Well that's a little unsettling I may add...

Before she could ask about Levi, Leif had handed her another bag to drink out of, causing her to take it, but stare at the contents inside for a moment. This woman is just a doctor, what could she possibly know about things like The Coven? Every time there was someone around, they never knew the answers to the questions that were asked. What makes it any different now? the Doctor had turned her attention to someone outside the door before being handed shirts and extra bags, to which she placed on the table. Gray was her go to color if black wasn't available, blue was not her style and white...Fuck white. You could see everything in that, even dirt. Indy grasped her knee, causing her to look over and notice the tension she was releasing I wouldn't be surprised if it was high stress...we've been through a lot.

The doctor went on about an inn, and some kind of cafe, but then claimed she wouldn't share their secrets and asked if they were human. To which Roje put a thumbs up in reply before dropping her hand. The meal vouchers were handed out and she made it obvious she would be heading out in just a few moments, so Roje took her chance to ask questions now "Yo Doc," the vampire said a little louder to get her attention "Levi... Is it short for Leviathan?" as much as it was rough to talk, she pushed herself, knowing she'd be fine eventually. "A Leopard. If so, I've met him before." And I want to see him again, get some damn answers. "At a place called The Coven...Or something to that extent. Also thanks, for the...Shirts and all." she gestured over to the table with said-items, as well as referred to the inn and this 'loving spoon' place. As much as she wanted to eat, this was the one question she needed answered. Just...something to give her clues. Even if it meant it would give her more arising questions.​

 

[Larry]

Aódh McFaol
Location: Just outside Hatsu's house.
Mood: Feeling quite accomplished.
Interactions/Mentions: OrganicUFO | Collidias Rex | Out Of Words | BillieRoss | silverwhere .​

The briefest flicker of an appetite-enticed smile flashed across the young man's features when he heard Hatsu, the owner of the now thoroughly flame-lapped, crumbling house, offer the possibility of feasting all those who had aided him in combatting the fire. He gave an enthusiastic thumbs up to the beleaguered homeowner, with the hose shaking wildly for a moment before Aódh regained control. The latter was ecstatic; with Wiri apposing himself next to him, to give something of a more sturdy grasp to the hose, the Irishman was able to more effectively aim the controlled-torrent of water through the windows as the ranger had suggested he do so. Even though the flames were still licking away at the air, they had died down a lot as a result of his and Wiri's efforts. Then, as if the weather itself felt aggrieved by the steady work they were doing, suddenly burst forth from the sky was a tremendous downpour of rain, not unlike the weather Aódh was wont to see back home. But the ferocity at which it lashed, notwithstanding the volume, was something even he was be taken aback by. Seeing that the rain was eager to take over the work from here on out, Aódh and Wiri went about packing away the hose with a degree of promptitude. The two men, alongside a few others who had taken part in ferrying buckets, stowed the equipment away on a nearby porch, weary of any further precipitation being loaded into the pump. Alongside all the other people there at the time, Aódh was pining to get to some kind of cover. But it became apparent that the sudden change in the weather was now contributing to another problem.

Peeling away from Wiri for a moment, Aódh skipped over to the house, mindful not to land himself in any of the rapidly forming puddles along the cobblestone pavement. Pushing the well-charred door open, rather gingerly, the young man's fear were confirmed when a splosh sounded out upon his first step into the premises. Poor Hatsu, the youth thought, bemoaning the poor man's luck, he's been through hell AND high water today. Retreating out the hall, noticing the incremental-rise in the water level on the first floor, he felt it quite appropriate to report to Wiri the nature of the emerging problem, though Aódh realised that the ranger could have gleaned that from the sheer voluble nature of the rain hammering down. "I don't think there's much we can really do this time around, is there?" He wondered, his eyes darting between the sorry state of the Hatsu's house and the sky above, filled with bursting clouds. For his troubles, a single, sizeable droplet struck the Irishman's left eye, which caused him to flinch and scamper about for a moment on the spot, blinking furiously to try and ease the pain and filter out the water. A nervous laugh was evoked from the youth's lanky figure, realising that his momentary discomfort was a well-deserved reward for looking up at the sky as it teemed with thunderstorm-level rain.

Almost as though it jogged his memory, his thoughts turned back to two figures that retreated right before Wiri decided to propel himself off the windowsill: Beatrice and Bill. While the thought of looking for them crossed his mind briefly, giving the situation that he found himself in, it didn't seem advisable that he go out and look for the pair, especially if Wiri had an idea as to prevent any further flooding in the house; lambasting Bill and ensuring Beatrice was okay would have to be done at another time.

There was work to be done.

 

[BillieRoss]

Bill
Location: 'Round back of the Old Miller's place
With: OrganicUFO [with]; Larry , silverwhere , Collidias Rex [In the vicinity of]
Mood: Cautious Optimism

“...I mean, maybe not that exactly because you know. It makes us sound like dicks to be chatting during a fire. But it’s a start… right?”

Bill tried not to let her surprise show on her face. Greenwitch was…talking to her. Talking to her like they were on the same team. Like they were friends, or at the very least, could be friends in the near future. And she hadn’t said anything about the rambling.

She didn’t exactly seem all together normal herself. Not in a bad way; Bill hadn’t yet met a witch who wasn’t a little weird in some way or other. But the cheerful personality, the bubbliness, the excitement. Opposites attract, or so they say. And she didn’t seem to mind any of the more prickly things Bill’d said and done over the course of the fifteen minutes they’d known each other. Maybe she was better at the whole making friends thing than she’d thought. Or maybe Greenwitch had the patience of a saint. Either way, a promising start to a friendship. A promising start to a coven.

Oh right. She’d been asked a question. She lazily waved a hand, dismissing Greenwitch’s concern. ‘I’ve been here a month already. And yer pal heard me introduce myself, I dinnae think he’d fall for that.” She wiped the hair off her face again, and heaved a sigh. “I’ve got a cat. Pulled her out of me bins when I was livin’ in India. She’s a right beast. We’ll say she escaped and I needed help catching her. Worried about her runnin’ into a burnin’ buildin’ ‘cause she’s no’ got the sense God gave a goose. Or ye can say I was high and hallucinatin' and abducted ye for nae good reason. Take yer pick.”

Her brain caught up. Beatrice. She’d referred to herself as Beatrice. It’d probably be polite to start calling her that.

It was still pouring with rain. Bill was sodden, starting to get a little chilly. She couldn’t help but wonder where the extra surge of power had come from. Something else out there, malicious, maybe. Maybe untrained. It put her on edge a little, but she tried her best to quash those thoughts. They weren’t exactly profitable at the minute, and there wasn't much she could do. There were other things she had to focus on. Sorting out any suspicions that the others had, making sure there wasn’t any bad blood with the Paddy, putting her clothes in the laundry…

Well. She could start by getting out of the rain.

Bill heaved herself to her feet, swatting at the seat of her trousers to get the first of the mud and dirt off. She walked over to where Greenwitch (Beatrice) was slumped against the wall and offered her a hand up. “Come on,” she said, “Let’s get out the rain. I’m gonna go see if the happy home owner needs anywhere to stay. Ah’ve got a yoga mat and a sleeping bag if he’s really desperate. And yer pal’ll be worrying’ I’ve proper kidnapped ye by now. We’ll meet back here and dispel the storm in an hour if it doesn’t stop on its own before then.”

Wait. That sounded like she was trying to get rid of Greenwitch (Beatrice). She wasn’t, necessarily. It was nice to have a fledgling coven. And at this point this new girl had already seen half her unpleasant ‘quirks’ and didn’t seem too bothered about them. When was the last time she hadn't immediately irritated someone by being herself? The blind dog, probably, she thought wryly to herself.

What would Evie do? Invite them over. Be cordial.

“Come over sometime,” she said, and it sounded more like she was giving an order than making a suggestion, “I live just down the road, with Mr. Willis. I make a decent cup of tea. We can talk about magic and whatever. You can meet my cat, if ye've got a death wish.”

Excellent, she thought to herself, not entirely sarcastically. Good work. Now all that was left was to extend her neighbourly graces to the guy she'd just about hexxed fifteen minutes ago.

 

[silverwhere]

Hatsu Black
Location: Making bad choices
Tags: Out Of Words
​

Hatsu had done a lot of dumb stuff in his life, but he wasn't sure if he was prepared to make "got murdered in the woods" his dumbest choice. He watched the stranger as he shifted his weight to one side and rested the safe on the top of his thigh. Freeing a hand for a few seconds to grab his phone from his back pocket. If he was fast enough he might be able to snag a photo. Or better yet just text someone to let them know that if he went missing that he was probably dead in the woods. However, he didn't really know many people in town. He knew Augie but Augie didn't have a phone...and that ended the list of people he felt comfortable texting. And he was not going to call people- if he could avoid social interaction he was going to. His home screen lit up telling him the time and he quietly flipped on the camera before shifting the safe under his arm and standing up. The safe was no longer in optimal throwing position, but he could always chuck his phone at it and then the safe. Hatsu looked up at the stranger as it beckoned him to follow them and he couldn't help but try to think this over once again.

This was a stupid idea. Alarm bells are going off and if he was in a movie then the audience would be yelling at him to turn around and go back to the safety of people. He should pretend that he didn't see anything and pretend that there isn't a freaky person living in the woods. Live a nice calm life until he hit his mid-life crisis and pick up a weird hobby like yarn spinning. And maybe by the time he's on his deathbed he'd had long forgotten about the weird alien in the woods. So he turned to look back at his home which was now flooding. It was either a monster in the woods or dealing with whatever was going on with his house. And he decided that he did not want to deal with the house.

Today has been a rollercoaster of emotions. And he has decided the emotion that he was going to stick with was done. He was done with the house, done with socializing with people, and done with whatever was watching him currently. He was just done. The grownup decision of buying a house had literally gone up in flames and bit him in the ass. Not to mention the large shipment of goods that he now has to figure out what to do with. None of it was something he wanted to deal with and he was going to avoid dealing with it for as long as he could. So he figured that the worst thing that could happen to him now is that he gets his brains eaten by some cryptid in the woods. If that happened then he wouldn't have to worry. And maybe people will look back and call him stupid for going into the woods- but he didn't care. Let them write it on his gravestone,

he wouldn't care. "Alrighty asshole," Hatsu said as he stood up and took a few steps into the woods and pointed his phone camera towards its general direction and rapidly hit the photo bottom. He did this for a few seconds before swiping his thumb and hitting the record feature. If he was going to die then at least he was going to get a cool video of it. Maybe he'll go viral.

 

[KodakWolf]

Riley Adler / Boy
Location: Rescuing!
Tags: Out Of Words ​

It was working! Once they made a good bit of progress into shallower waters, even as Marius continued trying to walk into the ocean for whatever fucked up reason, the dog's tail even wagged while he pulled, glad the old man wasn't unnaturally unmovable as he'd suspected might be the case. He'd even considered shifting, because if the man had managed to wade any deeper, the dog just wouldn't be able to keep his head above the water without loosing his footing. But thankfully it wouldn't be necessary, and Boy would continue being just that, just a dog.

Things seemed to be working out until Boy noticed Marius was about to fall backwards. And fuck, he couldn't let someone a hundred and whatever years old just fall on his back like that, sand or not. He'd save him from drowning only to give him head trauma. So the dog was quick to position himself between Marius and the ground so as to break his fall, letting out a quiet whine when the man's weight hit his back. He then lay down on the sand and crawled backwards from beneath the man, tail already wagging when he got back up. The dog quickly circled around the man to check out his face, and that was when he almost panicked when encountering that blank expression. He couldn't have killed him, could he? Shit.

So Boy did what any dog would do: let out a couple of confused barks, and started licking Marius' face, in hopes it'd wake him up in case he'd just passed out. Then it occurred him that the pouring rain would probably do the job better, so he stopped, sitting beside the man while anxiously observing him. And then Marius moved, and the dog let out a sigh of relief, standing up and letting out a happier bark, tail wagging. Ears perked, he observed as old hands dug into the sand, and as a strange sound seemed to come from the man on the ground. The dog approached, trying to figure out whether he was trying to say something, or whether he was in pain, but then he'd already quieted down. With all the rain and the ocean sounds, it'd be possible that Boy was imagining it. But then again, he trusted his well adapted hearing too much for that.

For the time being, Marius wasn't trying to stand up, which was probably good, as he didn't seem hurt, or dead. The dog sat back down beside the man, panting as he still worked on catching his breath after the exercise, within reach if he had to try to stop the man from getting up. He'd considered sitting on his chest just to be sure, but Marius didn't seem sturdy enough for that, even with Boy weighing about the same as a healthy and strong dog half his size. The dog let out a couple more barks, hoping to attract attention, of the sort that'd be able to help Marius, and hopefully not sniff him out.

It was only then, when his levels of adrenaline finally started dropping, that he was able to fully take in the sights around him. All the raindrops, the ocean and the wind, it all made for a rich environment surrounding the dog. Head whipped around constantly and tail wagged as he took in all the sights, so much to see where before there was nothing. Where there had been nothing for years now. Riley liked to constantly remind himself of the appearance of things, and he often took some time to build images in his head, so he wouldn't forget what things looked like. Still, it was inevitable to an extent. Real mental images were progessively, over the years, being replaced by imagined ones, growingly different from reality. Now he was able to see what Marius really looked like. Not a mental image based on sound and scents, but an actual image! And he was able to remind himself of what the ocean looked like, what a beach looked like, what trees, birds, and rain looked like. All the information was overwhelming, and while dogs couldn't physically cry, well, he wasn't just a dog; or maybe it was just raindrops running down his face. But the emotion, the emotion was there regardless.

 

[Collidias Rex]

Rawiri Reaves​

Tagging: Larry

Fuckin' hell. Wiri growled quietly as he watched the sky from his little perch atop a rock. A bit of rain was a bloody incredible stroke of luck - but a bit of rain was quickly becoming a whole lot more than 'a bit'. He'd given himself a moment to take a breather after climbing and clambering all over the place, but the sudden downpoor struck a chord in him. This much rain, this quickly. This day is fucking weird. He sighed and heaved himself back to his feet, taking a second to adjust his beanie as the rain hit it. Shit, at this rate it would be drenched in minutes. Nothing worse than a soggie beanie. Wiri muttered and scooped the hat off his head, dropping it on the firepump as Aódh approached to take one side. Beanie would be safe under the porch.

He took a moment to survey the scene from the cover of the porch, gathering his bearings. Flooding wasn't on Wiri's list of "things to be afraid of", so he didn't conveniently have access to several tons of filled sandbags. The only flooding he imagined seeing in Marasong was that from a tsunami, and by that point a sandbag wasn't going to do jack-shit. Even if he had something to help - his truck was ... hopefully to the east of town, outside the clinic.

"Just one shitshow after another, today." Wiri sighed and dawdled toward the doorway after Aódh. Hope your friend in the truckbed is doing alright.

"I don't think there's much we can really do this time around, is there?"

"Not unless you can clap your hands and turn the rain off, like one of those fancy lamps." Wiri took a moment to stand beside him, following his gaze and staring up through a hole in the roof. "Fire you can put out. But water? Fuck, can't put out water. Gotta put it somewhere else." He paused and checked over his shoulder to see the townsfolk packing up shop. "I don't think we've got the buckets for handling this."

He swiftly stepped back the moment Aódh started flailing, stunned for a moment before he glanced back at the hole in the ceiling. Right. Despite himself, Wiri cracked a half-smile at the Irishman.

"Hah, at least you got a sense of humor intact. The name's Wiri. Now come on mate - I don't like this, but I don't think there's much we can do when the entire sky says 'fuck you'. Let's get outside in case the rain pools and something collapses under the weight."

With that, Wiri ambled back out the door into the rain. He scanned about as he padded out onto the lawn, stomping heedlessly through any puddles that were forming as his head moved on a swivel. Townsfolk were packing up, the irishman was accounted for ... where had Hatsu gone? He couldn't exactly pack up and go home like everyone else, so he'd need a place to stay ... where had he gone? Wiri called back to Aódh.

"Hey, Irish. You seen where the owner went?"

 

[OrganicUFO]

Beatrice Welles
Location: Round back under an old tree
With: BillieRoss Larry (mention)
“I live just down the road, with Mr. Willis. I make a decent cup of tea. We can talk about magic and whatever. You can meet my cat, if ye've got a death wish.” Bill said.
Beatrice grabbed Bill’s outstretched hand and gave her a smile as she pulled herself up. Beatrice was covered in mud and soot, but she was happy. She’d been invited over. To spend time with a witch, and talk magic. Plus she’s got a cat. To Beatrice that sounded like an ideal time. Especially since there was no mention of talking about Beatrice’s magic problems. Just magic. Her excitement over the prospect of a friendly witch made Beatrice entirely ignore the commanding tone of Bill. To Beatrice it just sounded like Bill knew what she wanted, and that was a quality Beatrice liked.
“That sounds good! Yeah!” Beatrice says, realizing she was gazing off. “And uh. I think I’ll go with the option of helping you check on your cat rather than the second one. It seems like it’ll save face for us both.” She adds.

Beatrice then looks up at the sky. The clouds are black and rolling. The smell of magic still moving and pulsing in the air. She half wonders what everyone else is thinking about the situation, and she half wonders who or what kind of power the third mysterious contributor to their spell has. All Beatrice can hope is that the rain either clears up, or this third person helps with reversing the spell because otherwise it looks like the town might flood. She feels bad for Hatsu too. The poor man’s house burnt down and now it’s being filled to the brim with water. If there ever was someone with the number thirteen stuck to themselves, Beatrice thinks it would be Hatsu.
“We should find somewhere to go to get out of this rain. Maybe see if Aódh is nearby.” Beatrice begins, “Either way. If we want to try to fix this in an hour or so… which I uh, can’t promise I’ll be able to help much with… but either way…” Beatrice continues, her cheeks flushing red as she feels a wave of embarrassment about the whole situation, “Maybe it would be better to stick together until then? I mean. If you want. I just figured since we can’t reach each other otherwise. Unless you’d want my number? But regardless we should get out of this rain. I just finished being seasick, and I don’t want to be rainsick too.” Beatrice says, speaking at what feels like a million miles a minute.
While she may not know exactly what’s going on with the spell, Beatrice is certain that she’s better off sticking with Bill. Not only because she’s the best bet in fixing the rain, but because she seems like the kind of witch Beatrice could learn a lot from, and quite frankly because she’s always been drawn to people like Bill, and for once isn’t being rejected by them.

Beatrice looks at Bill, and puts on her best smile. She may know Beatrice is weak, but at least this way she won’t see the full extent of how angry it makes her.

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
A Worthy Trade​

Like some type of classical symphony, there was a beauty and a song in the strange echo vision Boy experienced in the torrential rain. Even while his fur became soaked, making his skinny frame all the more obvious, he could see. All around, the impacts of the water hitting the sand caused little small explosions of sight. Marius, prone on the ground, had a near constant visible outline, showing his slightly larger than average nose and similar state of thinness with his suit clinging to the man's sunken form.

Further out, rolling waves kicked up by the wind accompanying the rainstorm were glimpsed off and on. There were the cliff walls where the land met the beach, and how they towered far above their heads. There was even the area of Riley's current home with Augie, the opening felt more than seen.

In all the excitement of seeing a world around him, one thing was not seen by the excited, emotional Boy. A hand reached out and curled into the sodden fur of the dog. Marius had given up his hold on the wet sand and reached for the canine. When Boy looked, his face was turned toward the dog, away from the pelting rain falling down making it difficult for the old man to catch his breath. He spoke, raggedly, as if he had run a marathon rather than try to wade into the water.

"Help."




OOC Information

Riley KodakWolf :Sounds are not Boy's best friends right now. With the roaring of the rain, you're limited to sounds in your immediate vicinity. You can just barely make out Marius' plea, and it's very clear the rain does not seem to plan on stopping any time soon. You're both soaked to the bone, and cold because of it.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Buckle Up Buttercup​

One leg of the leftmost shape seemed to lift and paw at the ground sideways with Hatsu's words. And when the flash of the phone's camera went off, there were glimpses of what the shapes were. What had been seen as two figures standing close together, possibly with arms linked, one with a long ponytail, was actually a horse.

What had been some creature twisted in torment, or a couple of assholes wanting to prank the new guy, that had all been in Hatsu's mind. This was simply a horse. Blacker than midnight, but most definitely a horse. An inky black horse with a long mane and tail of the same color. In the rain, it looked soaked, with water running down its entire form. It pawed at the ground, with a head turned toward Hatsu in another moment caught in the camera's flash.

Then it started to move.

With a low neigh, barely carried through the storm to Hatsu, the black horse began to head deeper into the woods toward the North. A flick of a tail, and it paused, eyeing the man who had emerged from the brush. A soft whinny, and it kept walking.




OOC Information

Hatsu silverwhere :The horse is moving slowly, you would be able to catch up to it, if you wanted. It looks positively drenched in the rain, but so are you. The rain continues to fall, with no signs of letting up.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Rhythm of the Rain​

The two witches made a move to get going, and maybe find someplace out of the rain. The rain that continued to fall from the sky, with no signs of abating anytime soon. The fire was most definitely out, and by the time Bill and Beatrice made their way back around to the front of Hatsu's scorched and waterlogged house, most of the other locals had dispersed. Even the guy from the clinic who came to see if anyone was hurt had departed.

Aódh and Wiri were still around, having taken care of the firepump, though the latter was still without his truck. Everyone was equally as drenched, but at least any of the soot from the fire was washed off the ranger in the process. However, the thorough soaking was beginning to get chilly, and everyone would likely be better off somewhere protected from the downpour.

The thick curtains of rain made visibility a difficult thing. They could just barely see some people rushing into their homes, but Bill and Beatrice making an appearance couldn't be missed. Everyone's hair and clothing absolutely clung to them, and it looked like they had all ridden some rapid water ride at least ten times in a row. Shoes would be filled with water, anything electronic or paper in one's pockets was at grave risk of not making it through the rain if they stayed out in it much longer.




OOC Information

Rawiri & Aódh Collidias Rex Larry : In scanning the area, you might have caught a glimpse of someone of small stature at the edge of the woods down the edge of town, farther along than the point Bill and Beatrice emerged.

Beatrice & Bill OrganicUFO BillieRoss : The easiest to see are Aódh and Wiri, but rain keeps getting in everyone's eyes. Looks like everyone else is scattering for their hopefully dry houses. The sense of that other magic is still felt, but diminishing.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Marasong Health Local
(Discord Compliation)​

There was a lot of information to process at once. But one thing was certain, Leif wasn't done questioning Marianne just yet. He had to learn more about whatever was wrong with Marius, and possibly Chase. Plus, that stare outside the clinic just filled his head with more questions.

Another spoke first, however. Indigo was asking about her mother. Leif wasn't sure he'd join in the quest to find Beth, as he now had directions on where to go, but he paid attention to Marianne's answer nevertheless.

He'd reached for a blue shirt, so at least from far away it wouldn't look like he and Roje were dressed the same in the clinic's shirts, which could attract unwanted attention from locals, and was in the process of putting it on, with the shirt over his head, when he heard Marianne mention Tilly.

"Fuck, Tilly's here too?" He mumbled, louder than he intended, immediately pulling the shirt down so eyes could lock on Marianne, who was rummaging around in a drawer and went on to talk about their secrets being safe with her. He didn't doubt it, but then again he didn't fully trust her, which would be unwise. Only they didn't have many options right now. And well, she was arranging for rooms at the docks. Good.

When Roje spoke again, she asked about 'The Coven', and Levi, none of which sounded unfamiliar to him.

"I've met Levi at a ranch." He cut in without really thinking, only then realizing the ranch was actually... at the coven, wasn't it? He shook his head. "Nevermind. It was at the coven, I think. Sage was there too." He then reached for the blood bag he'd put aside when changing, finishing it mostly out of anxiety than proper hunger. "And yeah, thanks by the way." He added after Roje thanked the doctor. It was only fair after all the woman had done for them.

Marianne was getting a bit confused, for she hadn't met anyone in this group before, but they seemed to know some of the others in town, but not know them at the same time, if that made sense. "Uh.. Leviathan is his full first name, yes. And.. I can't comment on the rest." She had just said secrets were safe with her.

As for anything called 'The Coven', her expression showed she was giving it some thought before she answered. "I don't know of this 'coven' but.. we have a cove?"

Roje was glad she at least confirmed Levi in some sort of way. Though, the other half remained a secret, which was fine. All she had to do was find the cat and talk to him because man was she confused. "Knowing that you know of Levi, is enough information for me. Even if you don't know about The Coven. That's something we can figure out at some point..." looking over at Indy, she knew all too well what the pair had gone through at that wretched place.

Leif couldn't really complain when Marianne didn't disclose any more information about Levi, as he'd been half expecting her to pull the 'must protect patient's privacy' card at any time since the questioning started, but instead she'd been surprisingly helpful.

However, the more Marianne talked, the more it sounded like they'd been transported into a whole new paralel timeline, or universe. And Marianne maybe thought they were all crazy at this point, with all those weird questions. Glancing at Roje, he wondered whether she felt the same. He wanted to ask her about the coven, because he wasn't fully sure he'd seen her there, but decided it was best to ask her later, away from Marianne, lest they sound even more nuts.

"Are Chase and Marius acting the same kind of strange? When did it start?" He turned to Marianne after taking a deep breath, voice a lot calmer now. Feeding stress and anxiety wouldn't get them anywhere, and he better start working with what he had, even if it meant mingling into yet another world. "I'll go look for him; what am I gonna find?" He added before she again mentioned her patients' secrets. This was important, even for her patient's sake.

Marianne was definitely puzzled, but she had stranger things happen during her time in Marasong. "It seems to be similar yes. Chase more recent, about a month perhaps? They aren't related, so it can't be a hereditary issue. What I can say..."

She paused and thought about what information didn't breach the patient and doctor confidentiality, and what information would be useful to ensure her patient's health and well being. "Levi might be able to tell you more. He's been looking after Chase since he started to show the same symptoms. If you do know Chase, he may not recognize you anymore."

Leif listened in silence until Marianne was clearly done speaking. That fleeting sense of calmness and confidence was quickly dissipated by Marianne's words, and replaced by a feeling of dread, like when one receives really bad news from a doctor, and his expression certainly showed it.

Everything sounded so wrong. So serious. So complicated. It was a feeling Leif wasn't too used to, but he suddenly felt insecure, unsure of whether they'd be able to ever fix whatever was wrong with everything and finally stop the involuntary time travelling, and the hallucinations, and the body swapping, and everything else.

It took a moment, but his thoughts eventually got back on track. The sinking feeling in his chest was still there, but he was able to think more clearly.

'If you do know Chase.' The words sounded so wrong. Even insulting. But they made him reflect. He had two very distinct sets of memories. One of a life built together, one in which Turid was alive. And another of a friendship forged under bizarre circumstances, one in which Turid was dead, for all that he knew.

Absolutely everything seemed to point at the present, Marasong Harbor, being yet another reality, yet another life. So perhaps he knew Chase, just not that Chase. Perhaps that Chase wouldn't recognize him regardless of whatever was wrong with his mind. The thought was painful, but couldn't be ignored. It remained to be seen what this set of memories would bring. What it'd be like, how long it'd last and how it'd end. And he had no choice but to push forward with every resource he had.

It felt like forever, but Leif finally nodded at Marianne's words. And yet another moment later, he mustered the strength and the focus to speak again.

"What have you looked at? In terms of magic." His tone was quiet, but clear. Sure she'd looked at magical causes, but it didn't hurt to ask. It was a start. Not that he was proficient in magic or anything, but he did have some experience. "And is Sage still out there?" He added, as doubt hit him. He wasn't sure what he should do first - if look for Levi and Chase, or Marius. And Sage.

From what Marianne spoke, Sage would possibly know details about the old man's condition, details that could be helpful. Eyes watched Marianne, eager but not as eager as before. And there was hope in them, although faint.

Marianne frowned, "I can't discuss another patient's treatment." However, she did open the door to ask, "Is Sage or Augie still here?"

"No, they went to look in the woods by the clinic."

Marianne nodded and closed the door before looking at Leif again. Her expression said she understood why he'd ask such questions, if he knew Chase, but she really couldn't provide more details. Others might, those not bound by such patient and doctor details. "Sage can tell you what we've done for his father so far, if he chooses to. And Levi has been Chase's guardian since he became afflicted. Those are your best sources, my hands are more tied."

“If some of us were to leave to investigate the state of things.. would the others be safe to stay?” Silver piped in when there was a polite enough pause between the two, noting the eagerness that had leapt from Marianne’s eyes to the blonde vampire’s expression.

"You're all free to leave as you need. Others who... are 'just human'.." And she did the finger quotes to indicate others who were not just human, like they were. "Might be able to tell you're .. 'just human', and you might be able to tell some of them. However, just... keep that in mind outside the clinic."

She wasn't about to hold anyone there. However, "If you do need somewhere to stay, check with Gabrielle in the other room. She was contacting the Inn and arranging some rooms free of charge for you, just a couple of nights and then, well.. if you really have need of further assistance, something can be worked out. There's always need for more helping hands. Such as helping rebuild a house recently on fire."

Leif grit his teeth as he forced himself to listen to Marianne's answer without much of a negative response. Because she'd been helpful way beyond what he expected, and he certainly couldn't demand anything else from her. It was that patient and doctor confidentiality that supposedly guaranteed that their secrets were also safe with her, after all. So he eventually nodded, resigned, letting out the breath he'd been holding. "Thank you."

He shot a glance through one of the windows, confirming it was still pouring outside. He could probably reach the docks safely, but then he doubted Chase would be anywhere outside, and breaking into places on their first day in town wasn't the way to go. But he'd decided to find Chase first, and then figure out the rest. It'd also help him know what to ask Sage later, if he did get the chance to talk with him.

"Yeah, I'll take a room." He added quietly, eyes on the ground, thoughtful. Did he even have any money? Eyes moved back to Marianne. "Are you used to people teleporting here?"

Marianne was about to say something when he talked about teleporting there. "Uh... no?" She was quite confused, but held up a hand and shook her head. "I don't want to know. Unless it is a reason for a medical need you have, I don't need to know."

Roje quietly looked at everyone, still eating everything out of her bag. Letting out a sigh through her nose, she took her mouth off the bag and spoke "Lets just say we've been through shit you couldn't imagine right about now. Probably best that you don't know, keeps you safer that way."

Eyes narrowed at Marianne's strange reply, but Leif just nodded, not saying anything. There was something going on, or she knew something she'd rather not talk about. Because if she was really clueless, she'd certainly consider their talking of teleporting to be reason enough for psychiatric assistance. Perhaps.

Eyes moved to Roje when she spoke, and a smirk formed on his lips. "You're making us sound insane."

Roje's hazel eyes shifted over to Leif and she let out a slight laugh, her throat starting to clear "Hey, we're all a little crazy here." she said with a shrug and bit into her bag again.

Marianne held out a small paper folded pamphlet style. "Here is a rough idea of the town's layout. Talk to Gabrielle on the way out, she'll direct you to the Marasong Inn." She pointed on the hand drawn 'map' the location of the inn. "It's at the Eastern most end of the docks, here. Just look for the lighthouse. They might have even turned it on if the storm is as bad as it sounds." She gave them a somewhat apologetic smile. "I don't have any umbrellas, sorry."

She moved to lay a hand on the doorknob, adding, "Might finish the blood bags before you leave this room though." She gave the two blood drinkers a bit of a look before adding, "And if you need anything, please seek out my son, Rawiri Reaves. And if you need my services, you know where the clinic is now." Then she opened the door and headed out of the room, going to Gabrielle to give the assistant a heads up to speak with the others before they leave and help with the inn rooms.




OOC Information

Everyone in the clinic : As soon as the door opens, the soft lullaby begins to play in your head, but it's muted. Almost like an afterthought, it doesn't dominate your senses like before. As everyone prepares to leave the clinic, Gabrielle gives directions to the inn, and explains Seraphim is expecting them. They'll all have rooms for the next couple of days free of charge. Past that, they'll need to make arrangements but help is available.

The rain can be seen just pouring down out the clinic's windows and front door, puddles already well formed here and there. However, you can't help but wonder...

Did anyone close the doors or windows on the ranger's truck?

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​