Realistic or Modern If December Freezes (IC)

[Rhyme]

Indy

Location: Match...Start!
Tags: Out Of Words Silver- Mentions: Larry KodakWolf (Boy) Worthlessplebian silverwhere

Indy's knees collapsed beneath herself the moment the door shut behind Silver. She caught herself on the ice machine, hissing as the cold metal bit into her palms. Every muscle felt as though it had been run through a taffy machine, her bones too soft and her ligaments too tight. She could still feel the phantom sensation of whiskers on her cheeks. Scents no longer traceable by her nose still crept across the room; the pungent mildew in the back corners of the wall behind the ice machine, the sharp bite of cleaning chemicals that had been used sometime in the previous week--all still there in her memory, even if they were lost to her human nose.

"Oh fuck," she hissed. Could she walk? She could definitely walk. There was no reason she shouldn't be able to walk.

One foot edged out away from the ice machine--a loose limb dangling from an uncooperative joint made of strings and cement. She leaned forward--

And immediately collapsed.

Her hands clawed against the ice machine, pulling herself up from the floor as she bit back a sharp screech of frustration. Four limbs were decidedly easier than two; whatever branch of the human species that decided vertical height was more advantageous than stability should have been wiped out by Darwinism. It was fine, she decided. Completely fine, everything was alright. She just needed a couple of minutes--Silver had said she would be back soon anyway, she was just heading to the desk. Just a couple of minutes and Indy would be fine to follow her back to the room where there was food, privacy, and actual pants instead of repurposed bath towels. Giving in to the aches chewing a path down her body, Indy leaned against the ice machine and shut her eyes.

The chill of the machine was a balm against her aching back, despite it making a poor excuse for a chair. Periodically it rumbled as new ice was dropped into the basin, sending shivers down her tingling skin each time. Gradually, the gel in her bones seemed to solidify and Indy found herself able to put pressure onto her feet without toppling onto the floor. She perked up as a set of voices crept under the door, too muffled for her frustratingly poor ears to decipher. For a moment she thought one of them may have been Silver, but then she heard a familiar voice shouting for an unfortunately familiar dog.

Fuck. Augie had followed them? Or had he come for another reason? The idea of seeing him--she couldn't. Being a cat, that was different. He had never seen her as a cat, he wouldn't recognize her anyway--but to see him as a human? To have him look her in the eyes with that vacant stare signaling not a goddamn hint of who she was?

She would stay put. Silver would be back any minute and it would be fine.

Unless Augie came into the ice room.

"Shit." Indy pushed herself away from the ice machine and barreled into the door. Not only was Augie right outside, but it was taking too long for Silver to get back. Anyone outside her sight--she didn't know what could be happening. Anyone could have found Silver, something could be happening in the lobby and Indy was sitting on her ass in the ice room. She would just pop out and make sure everything was alright, get a visual on Silver, and dip back when she was sure Augie was gone. Anywhere was a better hiding place--especially when that dog was prone to sniffing her out.

Besides, she probably didn't have to be worried about anyone else being in the lobby; everyone was probably out getting dinner or doing touristy crap.

Firm in her decision, Indy pulled open the door.

Right as Augie came out of the room across the hall.

She froze, one hand on the door handle and the other tightly gripping the towels wrapped around her torso. "Uh." He looked the same. It was obvious as a cat but so painful as a human--to see him exactly as she did back then, that same easygoing smile--she looked away before his surprise had a chance to turn to confusion. "Sorry--wrong room."

Eyes still on the floor she stumbled away from him toward the lobby where she could hear Silver's soft voice and--

People. So many people.

The two guys who had chased her as a cat were still in the lobby, huddled together and looking absolutely suspicious as hell as they spoke in soft whispers. Silver was at the desk talking to the innkeeper who looked thoroughly pissed off. Indy froze as she looked at all of them--should she run back? No, Augie was there. Maybe the door? It was maybe another five big leaps and she could at least get enough time to figure out how to fix her newest particular mess.

The doors opened as a short man with wild hair stepped inside, a bag cradled in his hands as he walked inside with blissful ignorance of the chaos within.

"Well," Indy muttered. "Shit."

coded by: @s e v e n

 

[Britt-21]

Roje and Co.
Out Of Words


Once everything had gone dark, she felt as if she was going to fall into a fainting spell. She collapsed and her hands dipped into some water before suddenly the pain had stopped. Her hazel eyes opened and she looked around, though finding it quite difficult to be honest. The vampire blinked a few times, catching sight of a woman who stared her down just a mere inches away, asking if she was okay. As long as you dont interrogate me too she bitterly thought, bringing her hands up to rub her eyes and then glance around the room she was in. The light was easy on the eyes, allowing her to quickly adjust to it without any issue. She brought her hand to her head and moved her hair from her face to the best of her ability before dropping them into her lap.

Roje examined her surroundings, knowing the place seemed like a place she'd hang out in on a daily. However, right now her mind was a little hazy before her eyes finally landed back on the female who had her hands on her hips "The deal?" eyebrows closed together in confusion as she struggled to remember. Once again, she lifted her hands to rub her temples and then her face, words being muffled "Fuck." was the only word that left her mouth before looking at the female once again. Though she noticed a ring that she was playing with and spoke up "Hey, isnt that my ring? My daylight ring?" then it hit her, this was the deal from way back when. She stared at the woman "Just..forget about it. I just need to get the fuck out of whatever mind fuckery I'm in."

This seemed to irritate the fae, her eyes narrowed and her expression twisted as she peered harshly at the vampire. "You said the words and the deal is made! The crate returned, or a price paid!" She hissed, revealing lots of small pointed teeth that were no doubt quite sharp.

A sigh escaped her lips and she shook her head "Calm down, shit. I just got thrown through like 3 other dimensions in the past five minutes it feels like." her hand even shifted down to where she had been burned by the iron. "Where am I right now?"

She drew back, doubt in her expression as she stared at the vampire for a few moments before replying. "One of your warehouses, at least you don't have mouses."

"Oh good, we're still in New York." home sweet home baby "I like to keep my places clean, thank you." How do I even go about this? These memories are warped to all shit compared to the ones I've actually had "Date and time? I'm serious by the way, wouldnt be pulling your leg over dumb questions"

She made a face like a child who was asked a silly question might. "We don't pay attention to time or dates. For goodness sakes!" She pouted and looked at the ring before she started to move away a couple of feet. "You find the crate, and don't be late! Or we'll have your head, and you'll be dead!" Then she made a motion with one hand drawn across the front of her neck in a classic slice the throat move.

"Very helpful..." she muttered and put her hands on her lap "Listen, I get the whole "We'll kill you if you dont do this" thing, but could you just help a person out of the kindness of your heart?"

She let out a laugh, one that trilled with echoes. "Fae are never kind, keep that in mind. Everything must serve a purpose, you are hired to do a service." She made the ring disappear, somewhere for safekeeping no doubt. "Bring back the pelt owed to one, and our deal will be done."

Throwing her hands up, she got off of the crate she was sitting on "Yeah yeah. After I find out why I keep hopping about my life here and why nothing makes any damn sense around here." looking up to the ceiling, she threw her hands out to the side and spoke up "Okay I'm done now. I think I much rather prefer being blind for a hot fuckin minute!"

And for a hot fuckin minute, Roje returned to the world of darkness. Followed by a vision of the vampire under the water. There was no air, only water every which way Roje looked. It was somewhat murky, obscuring much of anything else, save a glimpse of leafy vines swaying along with the vampire's body.

A muffled sound, and Roje felt excruciating agony in her head, then it went dark again.

Roje was glad to have been taken out of that memory, not like that girl was helpful anyways. It was dark, but a vision came through of her being beneath the water. Since she had not been inhaling, her lungs were saved from the water that had flooded them before. Felt almost like a reset to her Where in the hell am I? she thought, trying to see if there was anything she could point out, but before she could suddenly it went dark and pain filled her mind, causing her to scream into the water. Bubbles escaping her mouth and hopefully floating up so she can get the fuck out of here.​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - Discord Compilation (Leif)
No Body Knows​

Each notebook appeared to be the same, same number of pages, same size, same brand even. Leif picked the middle one to look through first. Inside was a fairly neat handwritten observation notes about Marasong and it's inhabitants through the ranger's eyes. Though with this level of observation, it was clear there was much more to the ranger than met the eyes.

Inside the book, a few names stuck out. They were listed at the top of the page, and each seemed to have a good handful of pages before the next name came. Some names had more pages than others.

Dusk
Rhevens
Marius
Sage
Maximillian

Leif focused all of his attention and thoughts on finding that key, before thoughts about the rest of the vision took over. It was a lot to process, but in a way he was thankful for that, as the more time passed and River didn't wake up, the more the body's presence in the room bothered the vampire. It was almost like the room kept getting smaller and smaller.

Thankfully, it hadn't been a dumb idea, looking for the key he saw im some sort of vision that possibly streemed from the past. The key was indeed there, found after a decent amouny of searching. The vampire was quick to open the drawer, finding inside three identical notebooks. Nothing too exciting, but it sure beat staring at River's body for any more amount of time.

As he picked a random one and went through it, its contents immediately drew his attention. Those weren't ordinary notebooks, with ordinary notes by an ordinary, curious ranger, however those were supposed to look like.

Inside, there was detailed content about Marasong and its inhabitants, and the ranger was clearly dedicated to his research, as the level of his observations was beyond that of a mere curious human. Well, Leif did know the ranger wasn't quite human. He still didn't know what exactly he was, but he might just be about to find out more about Marasong's strange citizens.

As he skimmed through the pages, several names jumped to his eyes. The ranger seemed to have written quite a bit about each of those people. Better than the work of a lot of detectives for sure. In the absence of Chase's name, which could possibly be justified by the man arriving only recently in Marasong, Leif ended up zeroing in on the most important name (in this dimension at least) he could find in the notebook, even if others might be even more familiar: Marius.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[silverwhere]

Hatsu Black
- He/Him -
The Inn - Very Packed
Tags: Out Of Words Larry | Worthlessplebian Rhyme Silver-
​

Thankfully, there wasn't a reason for him to toss his lasagna and with a quick walk Hatsu found himself at the inn. He had hoped that the lobby would be empty and quiet. Most times, it was only Seraphim who was there running the desk, but just like this morning, the lobby was packed. He only recognized two people, Seraphim and Aódh, the other two not so much. He felt like he had seemed them previously, but didn't bother to remember who they were. Both seemed busy and he had hoped that meant he would have enough time to sneak to his room without being dragged into another conversation. He was tired and his social meter was already close to empty; however, Aódh always seemed to be in the mood for a conversation.

"Hello there Hatsu! Looking to head in for the rest of the evening?" He said as he pulled away from the grasp of the other man. Hatsu wasn't sure why, but Aódh reminded him of a parent who was reacting to a child that had just walked into a serious conversation. That or he was trying to flee his previous conversation. Either way, he wasn't in the mood to stay and chat long so Aódh would have to find another escape.

"Yep. Long day," He said before adding, "I'm pretty worn out so I'm going to head to bed. Good night."

Then he weaved around Aódh and around the crowd. He sped walk back up to his room without any pause. If he had, maybe he would have seen the other crowd on the first floor surrounding the ice room. He was ready to just lay in bed so as soon as he got to his room with a few simple kicks his shoes were off. The lasagna was thrown into the fridge with little care and he went straight to bed.

 

[Rhyme]

Indy

Location: Discord Compilation
Tags: Out Of Words Silver- Worthlessplebian Larry KodakWolf (Boy) Mentioned: silverwhere

Spacing out. The words didn’t sound right coming from Seraphim. The fact that her laugh was more of an empty social gesture than anything else was enough for Silver to place her prying on pause. There was no use in heckling the innkeeper where there were more pressing matters like two men following her back to her room. “I’ll bring they keys back.” Silver murmured with a nod at Seraphim, flinching internally at the fact that the other woman’s fingers were trembling and the heat of her gaze gnawing into her. It was understandable though.

Losing the key or locking yourself out of your own complimentary room was already kind of stretching the ability to ask for favors alone. Seraphim had already done so much for them.

As she murmured a low ‘thank you’, the scent of lasagna filled the air paired with Aódh’s voice suddenly raising to a suspiciously normal level to which when she’d turned away from Seraphim’s burning gaze, she gave them an empty stare.

No amount of lasagna could warm the expression she wore before it melted into a stony mask as she stood in place to allow this Hatsu person to pass.

Alarms in her head caused her grip on the key to shift as she casually fumbled with the sleeve of her sweater, a scent that she expected to have started fading from time suddenly growing stronger with that of another.

Indy’s on the move.

Her wolf was already stirring, threatening to louden the beating of her heart for fear of something happening to the cat shifter should she come into contact with the other werewolf and.. his friend. She couldn’t tell what the tall man with the slicked back hair was, but he faintly held the same scent properties as Roje.

Augie was focused on guiding Boy without the dog running off again, he nearly collided with a young towel-clad woman. First, he noticed the fact that it was an attractive young woman only wearing towels. That in itself sent a bit of a flush to his face and caused a small widening of his eyes. "Oh, excuse me, sorry."

Then, the scent hit him. And really, before he could even think to not say something, the words slipped out. The last word ending on a higher pitch, like most questioning statements would. "Kit Kat?"

The keen-eyed Dane keyed the interaction between Seraphim and Silver. Then this Irish fool broke the focus when he split from their whisperhold. The werewolf of Dublin moved with haste to chat up Hatsu. An infinitesimal moment, Bernard stood stupefied. You cretinous creature, the carving of your carcass would... The Dane ceased creating vile-dagger thoughts. His palm met his face and rubbed away the flicker of anger that flushed him. "I shall see you later then." He called out to the Irishman. Resolving to comb over the documents from the town official once more.

The Dane unquestionably entertained the idea of pussyfooting into Silver's room. But he observed that delaying this would be the prudent option. Unpalatable as it is to not pursue the truth, there is a time and a place for it.

Trailing down the hall, Bernard's peepers peeped Augie smacking into a toweled woman. Eyes flinched and right cheek creased upwards then down. "Oof," Continuing down, Bernard realised who this might be and simultaneously suffering secondhand embarrassment since Augie exclaimed. "Kit-Kat"

The Dane moved alongside the woman with raised brow and faux-disappointed. "Unless you're talking about the chocolate bar, I see no kit or kat here." The Dane placed hand on his hip. "She just came out of Silver's room, the cat is still in there therefore it is highly likely it rubbed its scent off."

Her hollow glaring must've worked because Aódh had trailed after Hatsu with a sudden haste full of greeting. His vampire companion seemed taken aback by the actions, likely upset that he didn’t have a wingman for his snooping antics to keep a lookout which would’ve brought relief If she hadn’t sensed Indy’s encroaching.

Wait, no. There was more in that hallway than just Indy. The scent of the ocean paired with.. dog? Bernard had been first to go down the hallway, anxiety striking Silver to the point that it hurt her gut. She didn’t know what this person was capable of or what they wanted, but her and her wolf both knew they needed to stay the fuck away from Indy.

A dampened thud of bodies mixed with the quiet thrum of paws against carpet caught in her good ear with a steadily sharpening loudness. Her eyes zeroed onto Boy, a whisper in her thoughts marveling the canine’s presence. If she weren’t so busy broiling beneath a nonchalant mask, she would’ve politely asked him if he wanted a pat on the head, but unfortunately for Bernard and Augie, she was on guard duty.

“You seem to have a lot to say for someone wanting to sneak around said room.” Silver’s tone was icy, leveled almost too well by how she could feel herself trembling as she carefully tugged Indy closer to her person and lengthening the distance between them and Bernard. “I got the key from Seraphim and it seems like she doesn’t like waiting, ready to go?” Silver nearly gave Indy a look of despair as she started to hear the cascade of blood roaring into her ears.

Boy resisted a little bit when Augie attempted to take the boot from his, like most dogs would, just in case his friend was interested in a short game of tug of war. He wasn't.

As Augie put the boot away and started moving out of the room, hoping to guide the dog with him, Boy hesitated. No, those weren't someone's boots. Whoever those boots once belonged to, was probably no longer their owner. Possibly no longer alive. And there was more under the bed.

The dog circled around anxiously a couple of times, bowing his head to shoot a glance under the bed at both the other boot and the wand that still sat on the floor, hidden under the bed.

Unfortunately, Augie didn't seem to have noticed. He seemed more interested in getting the hell out of there as soon as possible.

Against his own will, but trusting Augie's judgement, the dog followed after him with slow, dragged steps. Until something else caught his attention. No, someone else.

The dog saw her a split second before Augie did, or rather collided with her. A woman that for some reason was walking around the hotel building wearing nothing but a towel. And her scent, that also hit the dog a split second before Augie manifested having recognized her. The cat!

Ears pricked forward, gaze locked on the woman, the dog stood still, unsure of what his next move should be. Unsure of what his brain was telling him. Certainly that had to be the cat's owner. Yet the intensity of the scent, combined with the fact she wore nothing but a towel spoke otherwise.

It was the arrival of another person that prompted the dog to move. The eccentric man, the one who spoke with complicated words, and the same one who had cornered him in that room just minutes earlier, claiming to know more than he should. This time, his words weren't nearly as scary as in the last time the dog had met him. Yet his presence alone was too much for the dog to bear at that moment. There was certainly something about him that the dog couldn't quite place, something unnerving that went beyond his previous accusations.

And on top of everything else, the dog quickly met the eyes of another young woman that seemed about to head down their way. No, too too much. Quicklly and silently, the dog turned around, tail tucked, and trotted back into the room he'd just come out of, crawling back under the bed and turning around before he settled, curled up on the floor, eyes on the door as he did his best to ignore the tempting objects that again sat around him.

Augie was fill with all sorts of confusion that echoed in his expression. From the woman smelling like Kit Kat, to the other guy adding more confusion with his words. He didn't have any time to comment or say much of anything when another was coming to join them.

And then Boy retreated to under the bed. Augie closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose while forcing himself to take a slow breath in and out before wordlessly turning to follow the dog. He even closed the door quietly and leaned against it.

"Okay. We'll wait it out a little. If I get in trouble for being in someone else's room though, I'm eating your portion of bacon tomorrow. Just sayin'."

The sound of familiar footsteps indicated Augie had followed right after him into the room. Boy watched from under the bed as Augie closed the door and leaned against it.

Sure, he could have all his bacon for all of the upcoming week, he didn't care. The tail thumped against the floor as the dog wagged it, glad Augie chose to join him in the room. At least now Boy wouldn't need to worry about Augie possibly being in danger, or feel bad about running away without much thought and leaving his friend behind.

He quickly crawled out from under the bed, tail wagging, sniffing Augie a little bit before turning his back to him and lowering into a crouch, clearly eyeing something under the bed while not actively reaching for it. Yet. He'd crawl a few inches forward, then settle on the floor. Then rinse, repeat.

Soon Boy had realised who stood before Augie and bolted away with haste. Drawing an indignant scoff at the notion as if it amused him. Supernaturals are rightfully superstitious, but the level of mistrust levied at the physicist is quite vexing. Silver, for instance, snapped with icy reserves at him. Head swiveled to meet her blood-rage leer, confronting her with downturned lips and steely gaze. Augie went off to retrieve the mild-appearing canine.

Sucked air straight to his throat, before eyes tilted to the carpeted floor.

"Bite your instincts and tongue, Silver." A black look was thrown her way, the Dane moved passed the duo. Widening the distance. "If you hadn't heard the man just now, I suspect that nose of his had proverbially and literally sniffed out your friend here. Forgive the whims of curiosity, but it's not every day your skull nearly explodes from the surge." Refusing to use Indy's name less someone was listening. "And if I wanted to harm her, as you wrongly assumed, I would not have attempted to dissuade Augie. God knows I'm tired of the subtlety with you people. First, the bartender then the Irishman down there and Jay, then that dog-" He pointed to the door without looking." Who is more than meets the eye. And now you two." Gave a two with his fingers." Two weeks of no findings then in the span of two days, I encounter more odd phenomena than the number of treasures in Sesame." Moving away further so as to not seem as if he is impeding them."If you ever need my help, you know my lodging." The Dane showed them his back, content to leave them to their goals. Then it dawned on him. By the way, where is that friend of theirs? Looking over his shoulder, he wondered if it warranted mention. With the way, the she-wolf is then refraining is the correct course. He found himself a task in the declining the prospect.

The moment she heard Augie speak Indy froze. For a split second a wash of cool relief carried sweet bliss over her sore body as she reveled in the idea that he remembered her, that all her fears had been nothing--except, no. Of course he didn't remember her, not as she had been. He remembered a cat that wanted tuna and had to be pried from his dog's teeth more than once. He remembered her scent, not her.

Her bare heels dug into the carpet as she turned back toward Augie, yet before she could conjure a response the man with the slick hair and severe expression stepped forward a voice of liquid disdain. His sharp words were equal shield and sword, it was difficult to tell whether he was coming to her aid or giving more power to the hot spotlight now safely leveled over her head. The back of her jaw popped as she grit her teeth.

She felt Silver move beside her, nearly shielding her from the others as she sharply rebutted the man. Up until that moment, Silver had always seemed--not demure, but less overt in her aggression. Except for the incident with Beth, anyway. Evidently, Silver had teeth in both forms. Indy stepped forward, her lips parting again to help her friend, when she spotted a familiar scruffy form peeking from a doorway. The fucking dog--and it was looking at her. If Augie was at all uncertain about recognizing her, that dog was going to seal the deal. Fuck.

Thankfully, he didn't stick around long. Indy kept her eyes on the man with the slick hair and thick accent as Augie and the dog disappeared back into the room. Her hand tightened on the towels as she watched the door click shut behind them.

The moment the door was shut, the man in front of them seemed to crackle with indignant frustration as he began to meticulously dress them down in a fashion Indy had only ever seen before in the classic films the TV would play during the early morning after her father drunkenly forgot to shut it off. It should have been infuriating, but as he spit his frustrations toward them she felt the words slid off the bubbled pain in her mind. All of her own rage was dulled by deep exhaustion; there was no room left for anymore struggles in taxi cabs or fighting with prison guards--it had all finally been bled dry.

That didn't mean his words were entirely lost on her, however. As he continued to hiss, her eyes narrowed. When he finally seemed to pause--either for breath or lack of any other obviously suppressed complaints to express--Indy placed a steadying had on Silver's shoulder and stepped toward him as he turned away. It was most likely the remains of her transformation, but the closer she crept toward him the more her skin seemed to crackle.

"Sounds like you've had a rough couple of weeks," she said lowly to his back. "You're looking for weird shit, yeah? Why aren't you happy about finding it?"

The Dane's ears twitched surprisingly. Picking up the hushed tunes of Indy's voice. Body perked up when she mentioned his apparent lack of happiness. His hands balled into fists, thumbs rubbing circles around the index. His running shoes suddenly felt claustrophobic as if they threatened to slice off at the ankle. He did not wish to admit it, but Indy's words... They possessed a truthful vulgarity to them that cuts down the situation succinctly. A fight brewed within Bernard. A titanic battle between succumbing to the maddening hilarity of this farcical moment that he found himself in or to refuse the call.

He spun around on his feet, the regimented sole twisting the synthetic fibers of the carpet. His lips parted, only to fall into an innocuous half-smile as eyelids close while his head tilted towards the floor. The man raised his fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose. That conflict had almost decidedly ended with laughter, but restraint like chains was wrapped around Bernard again. This town truly tenderizes the temper that Men built-up and maintained through societal guidelines, hardened discipline, and physiologically endowed. He faced their leers again, this time possessing the ability to converse.

"Do not presume my lack of excitable expression for absence of joy." Whatever venom, Bernard spat before, had entirely disappeared. The entire tone, height, and colour of his voice simmered down. A hint of understandability flaked it too. As if for one moment the vampire had become the professor again. "I am happy at finding--as you so put it--weird shit. If only that were enough, but it never is or will be for me. Since the days of toddlerhood, I've been fascinated by the world around me. Not just to know of it, but to know it. To understand it as keenly as I understand why atoms have an electric charge, or Ohm's law of electrical resistance, or the inductance and capacitance of alternating currents in a circuit. To surmise…” The Physician’s lungs deflated into a sigh. “I’m merely looking for answers.” His shoulders slumped in relaxation, but his eyes trailed further than the two women in front of him. He felt exposed, inexplicably more naked than the woman clutching a bath towel around her form. His mind drifts back. The crash of glass, the crack of lightning. The searing pain razing the young man. The nanosecond instance when the nerves became the receptacle of a stimulus so powerful and intense that they’ve never experienced it before in their existence. The nanosecond later when they popped. A miracle that Bernard did not die from the eerily strategic placement of the bolt just behind his heart. Surely it would have over-stimulated the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves malfunctioning the innervated system and led into a cardiac arrest. But the transmogrification induced had been more miraculous than— His mind rebounded forwards in time to the confrontation between him and them again. Eyes narrowed, not out of hate or fear or whatever. But tiredness. “Any other question?”

Indy stepped back as the man crackled with open frustration. Her shoulder bumped against Silver and she glanced at her friend, the silent sentry. Whatever his reasons, the man before them had been drawn to Marasong in his search for 'answers.' That was enough to make him worth questioning, but not in the hallway of the Inn with a potential spy for Beth fuming at the desk a few feet away. He didn't appear to be a threat exactly either, at least not directly--if anything, he was an exposure risk. She would have to be careful how much she let on; if he got too many ideas and managed to string them together in just the right fashion, there was no telling what shit he could wade into.

So she waved a blasé hand at the bristling, crackling man in front of her. "No questions," she said. "Unless, of course, you have any for us--which, clearly, you already know where to find us." One brow quirked accusingly.

Her hand tucked itself into Silver's elbow as she pulled her toward the door to their room.

"Good night Hatsu, sleep well," said the young man earnestly, knowing that yesterday's events would pre-occupy the man's mind for weeks, if not months, to come.

Whilst Aódh had taken a moment away to speak with Hatsu, he knew that he was likewise leaving Bernard unattended for a time, the Irishman still very much doubtful whether or not the Dane was going to heed his own suggestion being flung back at him. As it so happened, now that Hatsu clambered up the stairs, his body sluggish with lethargy, the Irishman sought to bring himself back into the scheme of things as it concerned Bernard and the lukewarm scheme to enter into Silver's room. To his surprise, it seemed that the physicist seemed more inclined to discuss things not only with Silver, but with another woman, seemingly impervious to the cold, evinced by the draping of a solitary towel around her figure. Aódh could not believe it, so much so that he gawped in amazement at the sight the trio struck; that their huddled confidence, which had made them look suspicious enough in the context of the lobby, did not lead to him taking up his own plan but now he was actively engaged in speaking with Silver and, by the way she nestled her hand around the werewolf's arm, a companion of some sorts.

One other thing about this woman that struck him was the degree to which Indy's sense emanated off her. She must have really missed that cat, Aódh inwardly remarked, imagining that the feline must have clambered onto this particular woman the moment Silver escorted her through the door. Regardless, Aódh, as he observed the three of them, baulked at the idea of going over there and disturbing the conversation as it was happening, noting, even from this position, the tense atmosphere that Bernard, Silver and this strange woman generated. Clueing himself into the conversation, he picked up on the emotion dripping from Bernard's words as he talked about his curiosity about the world, and his interest in seeing how it is structured. Given that his only other display of emotion was occasioned by draining bioelectricity, Aódh was glad to hear something a normal person would say and not, well...Dracula.

Then, as the towel-clad finished speaking, she pulled Silver, who was staring daggers at Bernard, in the direction of their room.

Aódh rightly seized on the chance to skip on over there.

"You changed the plan up a bit, didn't ya?" the young man said, standing just to the side of the physicist, "Silver looked like she was going to level you the moment you said anything out of line."

The Dane's relief exceeded limits once the duo that were Silver and Indy slithered away from his presence. Silently, Bernard thanked the toweled lady's insistence on leaving him be (or perhaps the cold air had finally gotten under her freshly-knit skin). With a short trot, he would return to his room but was stopped by the subtle voice of a young man. The Irishman had skipped over to Bernard, bearing a countence that seemed all too pleased with himself. Another possibility is that those feelings were directed at the physicist which would've pulled the rug out from Bernard's feet. His ear lent itself to the words, finding them trivialising. This same notion reared its ugly head in Indy's eye as well, did they think so little of him? A soft smile snaked its way across his lips. His fingers twisted the knob of the door. "Seldom do opportunities appear without preparation, but the few that do must be seized, for they are the most fleeting of them all. One, however, must discern whether an opportunity is wholly happenstance and not the machinations of an alterior force." His impromptu advice caused him to giggle with a... Serious innocence." Well, I would not want to see the winner of that pankration, I assure you." The Dane smacked his lips." I take it Hatsu shooed you away? I'll be going over the official's civil documentation if you find sleep elude you, you're welcome to," His gaze slinks up to the doorframe as if looking for something."crash. Could use a pair of eyes."

coded by: @s e v e n

 

[Silver-]

Silver Blackwood
Tags; Worthlessplebian Rhyme Mentions; Out Of Words Britt-21
Location; Marasong Inn

The words that hissed from Bernard, to Silver’s surprise, sounded more like a report than something accusatory or wholly suspicious. It’s obvious they’d been had—or at least Indy’s supernatural streak was vaguely hinted upon for the sake of curious ears. Aódh. A bartender. Jay. The dog? This man knew they were something, thus quelling his quota and offering a lending hand if they were to ever had need of him.

It was making her head spin, the way he spoke. Meticulous, reflective of how he moved and acted, like someone with an air of patience. A teacher. Silver could feel her rage draining away exponentially the moment she was touched as a shock to her body had her pausing and being the first to break the mutual glare with Bernard. Her wolf had been bristled, posed to strike down the man before them should he have taken one step in the wrong direction, until a small body thwacked it nonchalantly in the legs. The touch from Indy had translated into her feline flickering it’s tail into her flank as if to dissuade any further tensions as Silver breathed a low sigh, fumbling with the keys in her hand to keep distracted.

Bernard was searching for answers to the very questions that made up the cells in their bodies and their charges that formed their essential functions. He was exposing himself all of a sudden and although her earlier flame of suspicion should’ve been stoked, all Silver could feel was how much she related. Coming from him, it sounded almost personal. She caught Indy’s glance upon their shoulders touching, moving as if to catch her and nearly tossing Bernard another look until his tired expression reminded her of her own. As soon as they gained access to their room again, she needed to give the keys back to Seraphim for sure or she’d knock out and forget.

Before she knew it, Silver felt herself following Indy as a hand tugged her back towards their room. A flood of exhaustion was clinging to the air after enough tension had crackled only to fizzle out brightly with the end of their newest interaction.

Upon reaching their door, Silver lended an ear to the inside as if expecting someone or something to be behind it before stepping in with Indy to their quiet unit.

Roje’s scent was alarmingly stale, but the mere idea of plopping onto the closest bed was confirming her need to rest. She ensured that Indy was safe and her own set of keys were actually in her old coat prior to heading quickly back to the lobby, sparing the doorway they’d just been standing in a passing glance. Once the keys were securely handed back to Seraphim, Silver allowed her shoulders to relax a bit more, moving through the routine prior to preparing for bed until her head finally hit a pillow and she knocked out.

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - Discord Compilation (Leif)
Ranger's Diary​

Marius. The handwriting is careful, neat and legible without looking like it took a lot of time to write. Instead, they were written in a manner where the author intended to be able to clearly read and understand what he originally meant to convey. Leif did lose track of how long he spent staring at those pages. It wasn't a direct answer to all the questions he had, but things were starting to add up.

How he wished the ranger would walk into the station now... he shot a glance at the door, then at River's body, wondering whether that'd be a good scenario, when he realized the last entries about Marius seemed to be dated several weeks ago. If only he could talk to the ranger about having seen Marius outside of the clinic right before he seemed to go missing.

The next names on the list were related to Marius, so he'd check them out next. But first, Leif decided to look for the most recent entry, skimming through all three notebooks. He had a bad feeling about this. The ranger station was too quiet, the notes seemed too old and he hadn't heard from or seem the ranger anywhere. Granted, it hadn't been more than a day yet, perhaps he was overthinking. But the circumstances were odd. The ranger could very well be in danger.

The most recent entry was in the third notebook, under the name 'Tucker'. The small notation had a date of two weeks ago, and was on a sticky post-it note attached to the page. Sirens. The world swirled in his mind as the vampire tried to find meaning and logic in the puzzle pieces he found in those notebooks. Each entry led to another one, an endless chase that rendered bits of valuable information and little certainty.

Another glance thrown at the body that still lie on the floor, and Leif started searching for a next entry. Whichever came up first, Chase or Bug. It was in the first book, where Leif spotted Bug's name among the writing. Back to being a Cypher then. And a Kelpie. Interesting. The corner of his mouth tilted slightly upwards at what the ranger had written about Bug. As opposed to what Leif originally thought, the ranger didn't know everyone that deeply. He'd been doing his own research, his own observations. Which was still valuable.

And then he finally looked for Chase's name. The ranger had to know more than he did. It was toward the back of the last book. It had an initial writing along with a post it note. Leif read the page over and over, he didn't really count how many times. It was hard not to feel a certain level of what could be called a mix of frustration, anger and guilt.

There wasn't a lot of information on Chase, but it did confirm what Leif more or less already knew: that he hadn't arrived in Marasong by chance, like others apparently had. He'd been guided there, by Turid. Who might've fallen prey to whatever had Chase as well. And Leif couldn't help but wonder whether he could've prevented it somehow, whether any version of him in any universe could have.

One thing Leif knew, he'd have to read through everything the ranger had written, and if possible, figure out what happened to the man, if he was indeed in danger. Perhaps if he waited for River long enough in the station, the ranger would show up, a scenario that quickly transitioned from undesirable to desirable. Knowing what he apparently did, the ranger would probably understand the presence of the dead body in the station, if Leif managed to explain it well enough. Hopefully.

Regardless, the next steps were clear, until River somehow came back from the beyond. There were several names Leif still had to find. Alice, Turid, Levi, and so on. And well, so far, he had time.




GM NOTE: The writings inside the ranger's journals were conveyed via private message to keep some secrets.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - Discord Compilation (Riley/Boy)
What Lies Beneath the Bed​

Augie was tired, based on how heavily he leaned against the door. So it took a good minute of watching Boy slowly making his way back under the bed before he did anything. "What now?" Instead of following, Augie just settled into a seated position against the door. He was trying to listen or feel vibrations that would signal when those outside had left. "I'm getting too old for this."

It didn't look like Augie would crawl under the bed to check the wand out anytime soon. This made the dog let out a frustrated woof, before he crawled back under the bed, this time with more determination, to try and sniff the wand closer.

Augie finally moved to lay on the floor, where he could see what Boy was doing, without spending too much energy. "What is it, Boy?" He sounded tired, and his eyes seemed heavy. Truth was, the carpeted floor was more comfortable than the cave, and he'd be lying if he tried to say he wasn't eyeing the bed.

Boy heard Augie moving to lie down on the carpet, but he still wasn't coming any closer.

Upon sniffing the wand again, nothing had changed. The magic was still there. So he nudged it. In the absence of anything extraordinary happening, he'd just finally grab it and crawl back to Augie with the wand in his mouth.

Augie watched as Boy retrieved a stick and came toward him. Only to realize it wasn't a stick. Augie's eyes narrowed initially, but then recognition dawned and he obviously knew it was a wand. His tone of voice even changed to a more quiet, but stern whisper. "Boy, set it down. That's.. that's not anything to play with."

The tail wagged casually, but slowed to a stop with the tone of Augie's voice. He wasn't sure what he expected to hear from Augie, but he knew he wanted to know more.

It was a strange sensation, holding the wand in his mouth. It kind of tingled, funny. But even stranger was how his own magic seemed to be repulsed by it, right after he'd felt that powerful attraction toward. The longest he held onto the wand, the less conflicting his feeling became, and the more he felt the need to drop it.

He stepped forward toward Augie and did drop the wand, which even left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. He dropped it right over where Augie's hands were, and it rolled to the carpet, part of it still touching Augie's arm. Despite everything, Boy was curious.

But Augie seemed so tired, Boy wasn't sure they were still going to make their way back to their cave at that point. He didn't care too much. Worst thing that could happen if they were caught sleeping in that room would probably be getting kicked out by Seraphim, and he'd already experienced that. And the inn was pretty far away from the ocean and whatever had been lurking there lately. He wouldn't complain to have a fancier room for once. Whatever Augie decided was the best choice for them, he'd be happy to follow.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Britt-21]

Roje and Co.
Out Of Words

The pressure of the water seemed unrelenting for nearly a minute before Roje's vision blacked out again. The headache was excruciating, like hands digging through her brain. A couple moments later, the pain faded to a mild remnant of what it was, and her vision returned.

There was a chill in the air, and Roje could feel her hands curled around the edges of a jacket, pulling it tighter around her body. It was night, and she sat on a bench in the city facing a building that looked like a Red Cross.

The tension was thick, one could even taste it. Something was going down, soon.

The squirming, the pain, she wanted it to end. But suddenly, it did and she was found on the bench by a nearby building that had a cross on it. Looking around and down at her clothing, she noticed that these were old clothes, very old actually. The jacket was very much not hers as it was a little larger for her smaller frame. Glancing back up, her eyes widened as she realized where she had been "Oh no." she said aloud as she stood up "Why the hell would you send me back here?" the vampire muttered as hands gripped onto the jacket even more. She could feel that lingering hunger she had no control of.

There was just Roje and the silence in the night. Until the silence ended with a loud explosion. The blood bank exploded, but there was a screaming from inside. Something not in Roje's memories. It was a female, and the sound was filled with abject agony. Someone had been inside at the time of the explosion.

Roje ducked out of instinct and shielded her eyes from the blast. When she lowered her arm and looked back at the building, she heard screaming. In her time, no one screamed, in fact, it was empty. "Wait! No!" she shouted and threw the jacket off, running to go inside and save whoever was screaming "You son of a bitch! FUCK! I wish I remembered your fucking name!" she growled and tried to find any way that didn't block her path from the outside

A man laughed from somewhere nearby, and the woman's screamed sounded like a witch burning at the stake. The building was very quickly engulfed with flames.

She heard that laugh, but the person inside was far more important than the culprit. After getting a way inside the building, she could only make it as far as the lobby, the heat and the flames strong as could be. Even for her fresh skin, it was definitely more than enough "Hello!?" she shouted, only to hear the screaming come to a stop. "Fuck!" she slapped her leg and stormed outside and away from the fire "You fucker where are you! I know you're here!"​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Dawn of a New Day​

Every day has a night, every night has a dawn. There are those who may feel lost in the darkness, who battle through to see the illumination of the next sunrise. And there are those who beg for the darkness to take them away from the light highlighting every mistake they made, and the fear of making more. Marasong was filled to the brim with both, and so very much more.

So very much more.

Hatsu had more than his fare share of mistakes in the span of just a few days. Not necessarily his own, but they cost him all the same. Cost him a house, peace of mind, and ripped the blinders off his eyes. Reality, previously filled with blissfully mundane issues, changed in incomprehensible ways. Now Hatsu would be forced to now live with opened eyes and a very new take on reality. It was unlikely a meal of lasagna and a night's sleep would suddenly resolve, but comfort food could still bring a measure of temporary serenity. And sleep could bring a night of forgettable dreams, but filled with a rest that sunk deep into one's bones.

Bill wouldn't be able to say the same, unfortunately. A restful slumber would have been welcomed, but snippets of memories grew into nightmares, one after another. Nightmare could be too strong of a word, but there was a strange sense of disquiet left in their wake which couldn't be shaken off as easily with the rays of the morning sun. If each segment was taken as separate moments, the discombobulation grew. They were fragments of a greater whole, but finding the right angle to see how they were mere pieces of a bigger puzzle would be difficult, to say the least. But not impossible.

Aódh and Bernard spend most of the night perusing puzzles of another nature, history of a building, of a family, of a town. Each one seemed inconsequential, but lined up next to one another, a bigger tale could be told. The whole place has felt like a confusing puzzle with very elusive answers, all starting from a mail and a grainy photograph. Two heads may prevail to be better than one, four eyes better than two. Though having to part ways in the night to recuperate before dawn, there might be more than one possible answer in the shared notes jotted down in the dark. Morning, well, that was another beast all together.

Riley, once so comfortable in just being a dog, was finding the ruse harder and harder to maintain. Things were happening all around making disguising one's true nature all the more difficult. And a friendship which bloomed under such circumstances may or may not be threatened by the truth. Decisions were coming to a head, and it was likely sooner rather than later, reality would reveal itself whether Boy wished it to or not. But for the night, Augie and the good boy enjoyed the luxuries of the inn's room, which included the bed and a hot shower in the morning. Followed by a strangely withdrawn Augie as the two made their escape before Seraphim could catch them.

Leif kept a dead body company, a state of being the vampire was greatly familiar with. It was a strange comforting quietness, allowing Leif to contemplate the musings of one not as dead. Writings and notes jotted down about the various denizens of Marasong. Some were familiar, yet not exactly as the vampire recalled in previous iterations. Regardless, the small morsels of information might prove fruitful in the larger picture of things. Of people held dear, no matter the current reincarnation. Dead hearts can still hold a yearning for the ages, but sheer determination alone may not be enough to save everyone. Would it be enough to save just one?

Silver and Indy find a peace with each other's company as they return to their room on the second floor. The cat who is now a human again, is still haunted by memories of old friends, and a time spent in Marasong long ago. Yet, it felt like only yesterday, so vivid are the emotional ties still rising to the surface. One by one, the longer Indy remains in the town of her kitten days, the stronger the emotional upheaval, and even more questions. Would Dapper have a clue as to what is going on? Or would diving deep with Augie be a better path to take? Then again, maybe Indy should just return to old habits, and run away from everything, shove it down with a damn shovel if need be. Ignorance is bliss they say, but was it really? Could Indy say she was actually happy living the life of the purposefully ignorant?

Silver found a new sense of self in the turmoil of the day, but inside she was stronger for it. Yet with the newfound strength, came the exhaustion of familiar self doubt. Could she protect those she has come to care about? Did she need someone to protect her? Was she worthy of someone's tenderness? Ghosts of the past, of another time and place, whispered good and bad words in her head as she finally gave into sleep. In the morning, while the body felt rested, the heart ached with a greater pain. Roje's bed was still empty.

Roje remained battered and bruised, with strange memories long since buried. They weren't quite the same, leaving a small sense of disbelief that wormed through the vampire's brain. Was this a series of uncontrollable jumps? Alternate timelines, parallel worlds? Or had she eaten something that disagreed with her system and now rebelled, throwing her mind into chaos? It was difficult to separate reality from recollection, difficult to find steady ground to plant her feet on and gain her bearings again. Yet, something nagged at her, like something eating away at her psyche. Had she finally succumbed to insanity?



OOC Information

Hatsu silverwhere : You have a very satisfying slumber, where you forget magic existed and you're back in the bliss of ignorance. However, upon stirring and stretching your way into a new day, your new reality returns to your wakeful mind. Blinders torn off, what's been seen cannot be unseen, and the world of Marasong seems to realize this. There's a saying, an old trope used again and again in horror movies. Once you become aware of the supernatural world, the supernatural world becomes aware of you.

Of course, there's a more rational explantion. Maybe you weren't really awake fully when you thought you saw eyes staring in your direction from the pebbles of sea glass that made up the pretty lamp sitting quietly on the nightstand beside your bed.

Bill BillieRoss : You have the pieces, maybe not all the pieces, but enough to make the edge of the puzzle that's nagging at the back of your mind. It doesn't feel like a one person job, however. It's a choice to dwell over, but not for very long. There's the green witch, Beatrice, or Alyce, either one could possibly have some fresh eyes on the situation. There's also Hatsu, with newly opened eyes, or a number of Marasong citizens to interrogate, if you feel you can believe their answers.

Of course, there's always the option to ignore it completely, but is that really your way of doing things? Regardless, there's something there, in those slivers of memories, truth, fiction, an answer, or more questions. There's something waiting for your next move.

Aódh Larry : You help peruse the documents Bernard had gathered so far, yet it seemed early in his investigation. The pub on the docks seemed to be owned by the same family, though registered under different names, each one an anagram. Rearranging the letters always seemed to return to the Tangaroa family. You and Bernard both determine at least one common denominator, the family name, and each business seemed to suffer a fire at least once during it's reign at the docks. Your sleep is sound, without dreams, however your sheets have been shredded by claws when you wake in the morning.

Bernard Worthlessplebian : Having fresh eyes was helpful, yet also a bit of a hindrance. Additional questions asked, and more forks in the road opened up. You helped cross off the least likely to be the truth, and together you're able to discern each business had suffered a fire during their stay at the same location. However, attempting to locate any photos of the owners or curators of each business proved useless. You've only the grainy photograph of the man in question as a background character in someone else's story. The hunger for answers is only rivaled by your need to feed when the dawn rises.

Riley KodakWolf : You notice Augie gave the wand and boots a fresh look over in the morning. And in the end, Augie put the items into a bag from one of the empty trash cans, and wrapped them up to take with them. You see a shadow pass over his face as the two of you quietly, and successfully make your way unseen out of the room and out of the inn during a rare moment where Seraphim was not behind the front desk. The shadow was contemplation perhaps, or was it regret? Augie remained silent as he led the way back to the cave rather than stop in at Tilly's for breakfast.

Leif KodakWolf : All night long, you peruse the journals. Some names would not be found, but the weight of their presence on your mind would not be lessened, but rather increased with their absence in the written word. Did the lack of an entry mean the ranger simply hadn't crossed paths with the unmentioned? Or was there a more sinister reason? Are you sure you've found all the journals? Before you can mentally answer the questions, you hear a groan from the back room.

Sounds like you're the only dead body in the ranger station now.

Indy Rhyme : This had been your home, and you can clearly recall being happy off and on. It was a simpler time, where you took joy in the little things, like friendship and a good ball of yarn. It made things more difficult, like looking back at your life before the world turned inside out. The meager existence you had, the troubles and tribulations. And you can't help comparing the two, filled with 'what if' questions. They plague your sleep along with the memories of Dapper, and other friends you had growing up.

Until you wake up in the morning and see Roje's empty bed.

Silver Silver- : You want to protect them all, those who came into your life suddenly and actually gave a shit about you. There's a dogged determination deep inside, but it battles with old nagging self doubts instilled by those nature called family. Is family the ones you're born into, or the ones you choose? These thoughts nag at you in your slumber, but you wake well rested.

Until you see Roje's empty bed.

Roje Britt-21 : Where the bloody nine hells are you? What can you believe? What can you cast away from you in doubt and disbelief? Maybe Dusk gave you something in that sex filled hazy morning on his boat. Did he slip you a pill? Did you drink of his blood in the heat of the moment? It's something, on the edge of your thoughts, but you can smell it, burning away those edges, making your thoughts smaller and smaller. Will it consume you before you can find clarity? Dammit, Roje, think!

There's the sound of the blood bank exploding, and a woman screaming. Maybe the burning you smelled was the fire? There's your crush, laughing off to the side. Black hair, good looks, leather tight enough to see when his muscles flex. He's your bad boy, and your only guide to your newfound vampire state of being. Or is he?

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Larry]

Aódh McFaol
Location: Marasong Inn.
Mood: Rested.
Interactions: Out Of Words
Mentions: Worthlessplebian ​

All that could be heard from within the room was the sound of the Irishman's gentle breathing, contrasted against the sporadic spattering of rain against the window. It was no wonder that after collating various documents last night with Bernard, on top of the temporal distortions which had sprung out and collapsed like an accordion, that Aódh collapsed into bed, possessing, just about, the necessary amount of energy to wrap the duvet around himself. Compared to the night before, where he had to contend with the awful experience that turned him into a werewolf, there was no such remembrance this time; a flash of blackness seemed to envelop him, and he awoke. I haven't...haven't had sleep as good as this in ages, Aódh thought to himself, a tad bit too groggy yet for speech, though he prepared the way by stretching, eliciting a grunting yawn as he did. Then, it was by grasping the sheets, with a bit more awareness about him, did he notice the tattered state that he, apparently, had rendered them in. The sight was enough to coax him out of the bed with a leap, incredulous, standing to the side whilst he caressed the covers, wondering as to how he had done such a thing. It wasn't as though he had a proclivity for walking around in his sleep, especially after he had turned into a werewolf. Perplexed, the first thing he decided to do was to inform Seraphim of the incident, despite the bout of redness that was no doubt going to be fanned up in his telling. After that, it seemed that a meeting with Bernard was in order, to see what the man decided to do, in light of their discussion about his burgeoning investigation.

So, quickly sifting out an outfit for himself amongst the clothes in his bag, he grasped the key from the bed-stand, walked over to the door, opened it and locked it once he had made it to the other side, all in one fluid motion. Aódh didn't even know what time of the day it actually was, so he wondered, as he descended down the stairs, whether or not Seraphim was up and about. But, ever constant, the receptionist was there, busily going about her work in a way only she could.

Stirring himself, he walked over to her.

"Good morning Seraphim, I hope you had a...had a good rest," he said almost distractedly, trying to prudently construct what he was going to say next. "There was something of an...incident last night in my room; honest to goodness, I could not tell you how the sheets ended up in that state, since I fell asleep straight away the moment I landed on the bed. If it's at all possible, would I be able to get a spare pair of sheets off of you? I can only apologise for what I must have done."

 

[Rhyme]

Indy

Location: Do Cats Dream?
Tags: Mentions: Silver- Out Of Words (Augie/Dapper)

What little strength kept Indy standing slipped the moment the door shut behind Silver. She eased herself onto the bed as Silver pointed out the extra set of keys before disappearing back out into the hallway; the innkeeper must have wielded a few heavy threats to send Silver back her way with the borrowed keys so quickly. Roje was gone, though Indy wasn't particularly surprised to see her bed still empty. Had Roje been inside, she would have certainly marched out the moment their small confrontation started in the hallway. Roje, those two Europeans, Augie--the mysteries kept piling higher, fighting for priority as Indy grappled for any leads to hold on to.

Her clothes were still lying in a pile on the floor. Indy took advantage of Silver's absence to slip into them; after being away from them for so long she had lost her desensitization to the bitter stench of sweat and earth, but their time apart had brought back her shirt's stink with a vengeance. Tomorrow, she would get new clothes. First, however, they needed to find Roje--and she was determined to stay awake and wait for Silver to return so they could figure out some excuse of a shitty plan.

All she had to do was stay awake. Sitting on the bed, her fingers pressed against the plush quilt. Warm. A soft comfort to her twitching muscles--if she just eased down, she could keep her eyes open. Just a couple of minutes with her nose pressed to the fresh sheets, she would keep her eyes on the door. She would wait--

Her eyes shut in a weary blink, yet lacked the strength to reopen. The soft quilt caved around her body as she was dragged deeper into the mattress.

There were no dreams at first, only abstract waves of color and calm that washed away the chaos of the day. It wasn't as hypnotic as her sleep back at the cave, yet it was an insistent roll into unconsciousness she was unable and unwilling to fight. Faces began to push through the clouds of swirling golds and blues, smiling and laughing soundlessly--Beth, smile lines deep around her grin and hair left wild around her shoulders. And Indy was swinging, her body leaning back as an unknown force spun her playfully under a developing sky. Her fingers buried in the familiar silky strands of hair below her, Dapper's face tilting upward to reveal it was his shoulders she was perched upon as his hands tightened on her legs.

And Indy, her voice lighter with childish glee and her fingers clumsy with adolescent fumbling, released her grip and spread her arms at her sides as the wind swept past them all. It was the ocean in the distance, the salt that curled her mother's hair, the warmth of Dapper's steadying hands--it was home. She was back home.

Indy jerked awake.

The world continued to spin around her even as the dream began to dissolve in her mind. Her breath was stuttered as she slowly scooted up onto her elbows. Was it morning? Maybe, or afternoon? Fuck, she didn't know. Everything still ached, every muscle still refusing to work as she rolled onto her side and slid her feet to the floor. It was like any other bad hangover; she just needed a bit of water, maybe a bit of detoxing into the porcelain throne--did that work for shifting? Fuck, she didn't know.

She made her way to the bathroom anyway, heels dragging on the floor. Her hands held the edge of the counter in a white-knuckle grip as she waited for the sink to groan to life, a few pathetic spits of water spraying into the basin before it finally managed something resembling a steady stream. The cool water was a shock against her hot skin as she cupped it between her palms and dipped her face into the basin, splashing her face and letting her hands drag down her features.

Every night over the past month--months? Years? Centuries? She had nightmares. Every night was full of some sort of horrors; even prior to her kidnapping, she would have hesitated to call her frequent nightcap-induced comas "restful." It was always something; things that happened or things she was promised would, eventually. But in Marasong...

She didn't feel sick; she felt rested.

Her hands were steady as she stared at them, fingers stretched wide under the running water. Had she been meant for this? Had Beth made a mistake in taking her away, had she accidentally caused all the pain that followed by taking Indy from where she had truly belonged? Maybe there hadn't been nonhumans in that Marasong, but they certainly existed here and perhaps they had existed back then too--only her Beth hadn't known. Who would she be if she had remained beside Dapper? What would have happened if she had met Augie as just another local working at the gift shops during the afternoon and hiking up to the falls during the evenings?

Indy looked up at the mirror over the sink. The stress had drawn any remaining color from her face and the shine from her hair. The hollows of her cheeks were a bit more prominent, her eyes a bit more narrowed and set a little deeper under her brows. She had never considered her face to be particularly welcoming, but now she looked like the sort of girl who started bar fights over a stolen pack of cigarettes.

It was hard to picture it as anything different. Maybe her hair would have been a bit longer, a bit wavier after years spent in the sea air. Maybe her cheeks would have a spray of subtle freckles days spent laying out in the fields, with wrinkles around the corners of her mouth rather than trenches between her brows. Indy's hand reached forward, her finger brushing against the mirror as if to wipe the anger away with a brush of her thumb.

It was never worth considering what could have been; not when there was no chance of going back.

But going back was exactly the kind of chance Indy had been granted.

First, though, she needed to wake up Silver. Then, they both needed to find Roje--if she hadn't come back during the night.

coded by: @s e v e n

 

[BillieRoss]

Bill
Location: Marasong Inn
With: Hatsu ( Larry ), Seraphim


Bill sat up groggily, petting Mary, trying to work out what had just happened. She'd slept awfully. The dreams had been maddening. She could just about recall the important details - the dragons, the unicorn, the beetles riding around her room. That damn rabbit.

She blearily sat up and reached blindly for a rarely-used notebook. It was half-filled with half-finished thoughts; "Dreamed of Halo -- symbolism: want 2 play halo (?)", "Dreamed about being 4 -- symbolism: feel stupid", "Dreamed about Julian stealing my organs w/out asking -- symbolism: J is a I'm uncultured".

She knew she should be keeping better track of her dreams. They could be a form of premonitions. They could be something beyond the veil trying to contact her. Mostly it just seemed like a waste of time, but after last night, she thought it might be helpful.

"Dreams as weird memories. Dragons starting/being fire - Hatsu housefire = supernatural? Deliberate? =/= accident. Witch in green raincoat = Greenwitch. Unicorn in forest - forest = weird? Go in the forest? Avoid it? Forest = obscuring truth? Forest = supernatural? Big Beetles = ... I hate them."

She sighed and tossed the book back on the night stand, petting Mary under the chin. Hopeless.

She'd never been much good at divination. That had always been Murdinah's area of expertise. She wasn't sure if she should call and ask. It'd been years since the hexing incident, but Bill still felt like there was some bad blood there. She'd need to push through with someone else's help. Alyce? No. Last resort. Greenwitch still had her head halfway in the sand. She was unlikely to have much to add. That just left Hatsu. He seemed logical. And he had a cute treasure hunt to go on. She'd go find him. Maybe together they could Scooby-Doo their way out of this mess. Or follow Long John Silver's spooky map and make enough money to get out of dodge.

She rubbed at her eyes, trying to get her brain to come online. I need coffee, she thought. I need to meet up with Hatsu. Come to think of it, I need to give Hatsu a nickname. Newbie. Mundie. I'll workshop it later. I need to work out what these dreams mean. I need to get rid of the seaglass fragments. I need to call Granny. I need to work out what happened to all the time lost the other day. I need to find out what in the Hell is going on with Paddy-

Paddy. There he was again, an unexplained element. Some baby Irishman halfway around the world. Someone stronger than he looked. Someone with something to hide. He was new to Marasong, and things had only gotten unforgivably weird in the last few days...yes. There was something about him he was keeping to himself.

A wizard, perhaps? Maybe some kind of malicious Pyromancer? Sure, he'd been holding the sheet to catch the ranger if he jumped out of the burning building, but he'd hardly done anything to stop it. But she hadn't felt anything magical coming off him, so maybe there was something else there. Something less known. She'd heard rumors of vampires knocking around in Libya. Someone in Chennai had sworn there were zombies up in Uttarakhand. They were both said to be strong. Erratic.

Ireland was a long way from either of those places. Maybe he was lying about that too.

Well. There was something he was hiding, Bill was sure of it. Maybe this morning was the time to find out.

She grabbed a silver chain off her windowsill and slipped it over her head. Lots of things found silver distasteful. It was what Harry would have called 'broad spectrum preventative measure'. It was what her Mum would have called 'wise'.

She got dressed, grabbed her wand and slipped it into a hoodie pocket. She had a look through her prepared potions. Nothing that looked too helpful, but she rarely went anywhere without a couple potions of healing. She tucked them safely in the pocket of her jean jacket.

She poured out some food for Mary, pulled on her boots, and made a bee-line for the Inn. Hatsu was staying there, but she'd seen Paddy there as well. Maybe she could stall Hatsu long enough and ambush Paddy when he came down for breakfast. Corner him. Figure out the right string of words to get him to confess. She could plan that whilst she waited for him to come down into the lobby.

She opened the door wide, and was met with his long frame, leaning over the reception desk.

Fuck.

Well, she supposed she'd need to improvise.

She plastered a wide grin on her face. As wide as she could manage. "Paddy!" she called, bounding over to where he stood and definitely interrupting whatever conversation he'd just been having. "How'd you sleep? Well? Brilliant. Hey," she said, trying to sound gentle. Contrite. "I reckon I've not been the friendliest tae you over the last couple of days, aye? I've been calling you Paddy this whole time, I don't even know your name. That's hardly neighbourly of me is it? I was hoping to apologise. D'you have breakfast plans? It's been a while since I was down at the Loving Spoon, I was wandering if maybe you'd like to join me? I'm only here to wait for Hatsu, and Christ only knows how long he'll be."

If she could watch him eat. Get him to lower his guard. See how he does in crowds. See if he pulled a hungry bead on anyone walking by, see if he avoided garlic. Maybe it'd tell her something about what he really was. Maybe she'd be one step closer to unraveling the rest.

 

[silverwhere]

Hatsu Black
- He/Him -
In Bed - Nice and Cozy
Tags: Out Of Words - BillieRoss
​

As soon as Hatsu's head hit the pillow he was out like a light. He didn't remember falling asleep when he finally started to stir and went to roll over to face away from the sun that peaked through slightly opened blinds. Just a few more minutes of rest was all he wanted but instead his sleepy gaze briefly caught a glimpse of eyes through the bits of sea glass on a lamp placed on the nightstand. At first, it didn't registered what he had just seen and a he nearly fell back to sleep. Soon enough, his brain woke up and put the pieces in place and his eyes opened once more to blink lazily at the lamp. Part of him wanted to pretend that he didn't notice; go back to sleep and back to a time where he didn't know he was being watch. However, the idea of something watching him was too unsettling for him to get comfortable enough to fall back to sleep. He wouldn't be sleeping in today and grumbled as he sat up in bed rubbing his face away.

Hatsu sat there for a bit as he looked at the lamp for a bit longer and silently dared whatever it was to make a reappearance. It already knew that he knew about it right? Either way, Hatsu didn't want it to stay and keep watching him.

There were a few things he could do:

1. Put a blanket over it - it can't watch what it can't see right? He wasn't sure if it could listen though and he didn't want prying ears either.
2. Ask Seraphim for a new lamp - she'd probably ask what's wrong with it and he didn't really want to figure out a believable enough lie
3. Give it away to someone else - first off, it wasn't his to give. Second off, he didn't want to give this problem to a new set of people.
4. Ask for a new room- but he'll have to move all his stuff and he didn't want to think about that
5. Just break it and vacuum up the bits - it'll know for certain he saw it but he could miss bits with the vacuum

There was also another problem, what if it saw through all sea glass? Didn't Bill use some magic to break some seaglass and that's how they found out they were being watched? And couldn't the lamp just be replaced with another sea glass lamp and he was just back to square one? And didn't Bug give him a basket with sea glass in it? Would he have to find a way to get rid of those too?

Okay, he was thinking too much about this and the entire situation started to stress him out. With a grumbled complaint, he bent over and unplugged the light and carried it over to the fireplace. He relieved some stress by smashing the lamp against the fireplace. All it did was make a mess. Hatsu turned and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. He wasn't going to tell Seraphim that he broke a lamp in yesterday's clothes.

 

[Britt-21]

Roje and Co.
Out Of Words (mentioned Rhyme Silver- )

Fuck fuck fuck! I need to get out of here! I want to get out of here. What the hell is going on!? her mind was racing, she felt mixed feelings that she couldnt explain and with that fucker laughing, she couldn't help but want to feel like killing him at this moment. She took a deep breath, feeling a sense of worry, betryal, fear. "FUCK!" she shouted as she stomped her foot into the ground and stormed towards the one person she could talk to here "You son of a bitch! I need you to talk right the FUCK NOW! I am done with this bullshit!" she reached out and grabbed him by his shirt "Tell me where the hell I am! I need to get back to my fucking SISTER! I need to get back to Silv! I have no time to play these games!"

Instead of reacting to her anger, he wrapped an arm around her and attempted to kiss her. He seemed high, but he always did enjoy chaos a little too much. "Babe.. babe... You're right here, with me.. wanna feel me?" He wriggled his eyebrows and thrust his hips a couple of times.

Yet, buried in the sound of his voice, and the roaring fire burning down the building, Roje could hear a swishing noise. As if under water.

Roje's face turned to more of a disgusted look as she tried to shove him away and she turned her head to the side "Fuck you!" she shouted What in the hell did I do in this timeline that got my memories all warped in such an extreme way? what more could the Vampire think at this point? She heard the swishing noise that sounded more like water "Right. Fucking right. I got pulled into some water prison thing of whatever-fuckery." blood boiling, she shook her head and got herself away from the man as she raked her hands through her hair Breathe Roje Breathe. You're gonna wind up going into a frenzy

When Roje tried to focus on breathing, it felt like she was drowning instead. Her body wanted to cough and lungs tried to spasm uncontrollably. Her bad hot guy was by her side then, and he held up a thermos. Roje knew it would be filled with blood. "Babe, babe.. calm down. Here, have a drink."

Roje felt the same sensation as earlier and she leaned over, placing her hands on her knees and coughing. When she was offered the thermos, she shoved it away "I don't want it!" She got out, wishing she could get out of whatever he'll hole she was currently stuck inside. When was someone going to come save her? As much as she hated to be the damsel, she was trapped and she was starting to accept that fact

It felt like no one was going to come save her. Darkness swam in her vision as Roje had a particularly bad coughing spell. The kind that feels like it could break your ribs. Stars swam in the vampire's vision long after the coughing spell ended.

When she stood up again, she found herself in a cavern cell, and while she couldn't see to either side, she could still hear. The voice sent chills down her spine. "Don't you want to help your big sister?"

Followed by Indy's voice, "Fuck off."

That voice, "So be it." And then Indy screamed, and the sound of a vampire drinking was unmistakable.

Roje felt like she was on drugs at this point. She couldn't tell what was real, what was not. All she could think of was the anchors that kept her from losing her grip entirely: Indy and Silv. She looked around the cell she was trapped inside and then moved quickly to the bars "Indy?!" She shouted before hearing her scream and all roje could do was scream and try to pry the bars apart "YOU BASTARD LET HER GO!" it wasn't real. It's not real.

There was just the sound of more drinking, and Indy's screams faded into pain filled groans and gurgles. It seemed to go on forever before that certain voice chuckled darkly. Sound of fabric moved against skin, as if wiping the mouth off with one's sleeve. "Wonder how long it'll take for her to turn. What do you think?"

"You mother fucker!" She shouted, continuing to use her strength to open the bars apart. "I'm going to kill you when I get out of here!" At first she was silent prying those bars but her silence turned into a scream at she pushed herself

There was a moment when the owner of the voice leaned far enough to be visible to Roje. Same spiky hair, but with blood dribbling down his chin. Indy's blood. And this time around he had fangs, and was wearing the same leather outfit as her hot bad boy.

As Roje pushed and pulled the bars with a scream, they started to give way. And in another moment, they were no longer bars, but long stalks of seaweed. They were completely wrapped around her arms and legs and bodies.

Roje's eyes widened as she saw that familiar face before the bars turned into stalks of seaweed. She wanted out, and she was going to fight for it this time. I may be wrapped up but I will not let stupid plants hold me down she thought, pulling her arms with all her might, trying to get them free before anything else. I will not give up! I'm not some useless Vampire! the woman's jaw clenched tightly as she could only think about Silver and Indy and how much they actually meant to her. Just something about them in general made her want to protect, be their best friend in the world. Made her feel more human than before.

The seaweed stalks were strong, they had been there a while based on their growth. It almost looked like Roje was in a forest of seaweed in the water. And the more the vampire struggled, the more it seemed to tighten. However, that wasn't the worst of it.

Soon as Roje looked up and around, she could see clumps of seaweed all around. And more than that, others trapped just like she was, or worse. There were some that looked like they were very nearly skeletons, they weren't moving save for the motion of the water. Others looked a bit gaunt, but did seem to move slightly now and then. And a couple of others in much better shape, including a blonde haired woman who made eye contact for a second.

Then Roje was swept back into darkness, and the pain of another memory surfacing started to build.

Roje took note of everything she could see around her. It seems that she was not the only one who was also brought down into the depths. From skeletons to fully being a meatbag, she noticed a blonde-haired woman who she managed to lock eyes before suddenly was brought into darkness. Fucking dammit! I think that woman is going in and out of this loop too. She's trapped down wherever we are. once her vision was regained, she felt that sudden familiarity.​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - Discord Compilation (Riley/Boy)
Burdened Down​

Augie didn't seem that much interested in the objects Boy fetched from under the bed that night. The bed itself seemed a lot more attractive to a tired body. Boy wasn't that full of energy anymore, so he chose to follow Augie's lead and call it a day, leaving the boots and the wand undisturbed for now. There was something strange about Augie, and the dog found it better to just go to sleep for now. Maybe things would be better in the morning.

It was a restful night, and even though their cave was great, it couldn't be compared to an actual room, with hot water and all. But despite all that, things weren't really that much better in the morning. In fact, Augie did look over the objects once more after they woke up, and things only got stranger.

Was he thinking? Remembering? Was that guilt that just crossed his face, or was it sadness? Did Augie know the previous owner of those objects? It was really, really hard to tell what was going on, and it was really unsettling for the dog that had grown used to being able to clearly tell his friend's emotions.

He wasn't really sure how to react but to keep his friend silent company. He didn't get in the way when Augie wrapped the objects to take with them for whatever reason, and he didn't nudge or sniff the bag as they made their way out of the inn (for some miracle Seraphim wasn't standing on her usual spot) and back to the cave. Augie didn't even stop for breakfast, and the dog just quickly corrected his own route when he noticed they were heading straight back home.

At some point, he wasn't even sure he should be following Augie, but he figured the man would try to shoo him away if that wasn't the case. He really wanted to be able to ask. Ask what was wrong, whether he should stick around or not. But then again, maybe that wasn't really the time for it. Maybe Augie just needed some time, and some quiet.

Augie was quiet all the way home, and once home, he set the bag in an empty corner opposite where he usually sat or slept. Then he dug around in the small cooler he kept their leftovers in. Boy's bowl was fixed, and Augie looked like he might eat something, but he put his portion back after a minute of contemplation.

Then he sat down, elbows on knees, head in his hands. His voice was quiet, subdued, troubled. "That's not right. And.. I'm not sure how to make it right. I don't..." He let out a frustrated sound and allowed the back of his head to thump soundly against the cave wall at his back. "Fuck."

This might very well be the weirdest day in Marasong since he first arrived in town, and that was saying a lot. How could some random objects found under a bed in a random hotel room do that to Augie?

Boy's eyes didn't leave his friend from the moment they stepped into the cave. When his bowl was placed down on the ground for him, he glanced down at it, then back at Augie as the man gave up eating.

Boy just couldn't focus on food with everything that was going on, especially after Augie sat down and it looked like he was finally outing some of that frustration he'd been apparently holding in. But it still made no sense to the dog, so he just stood there in front of his bowl, and watched.

Augie rubbed at his eyes, a little roughly, a sign of his agitation. Hands swept along the sides of his head and linked behind his neck as he sighed heavily and looked over at Boy. "Go ahead, you eat. I'll eat.. later probably. You're a good boy, Boy."

"Maybe a little later, we'll go to town again. Need to speak with someone. Not sure if it'll help. Might just open up a shitstorm honestly, but.. I'd rather try than not."

Seeing Augie like that was disturbing. The dog just didn't know whether he should move closer, or further away. So he even spooked a little when Augie finally looked at him without warning.

As he spoke, the dog relaxed a little bit, because he did sound like Augie. The Augie he knew. Maybe not quite, but close enough.

The tail moved a little bit in a shy wag when the dog heard his name, and the ears flicked back and forth as Augie spoke , and what he said was the most intriguing. Boy lowered his head to sniff the food, then looked back up at Augie several times before he finally started eating.

He didn't eat much, and he ate slowly, leaving a decent amount of food still on the bowl when he walked over to Augie and curled up beside him. He just couldn't eat with so much going on in his head. The more Augie spoke, the less he understood what was going on, and the more he wondered what was up with those objects and whether he should have better left them alone under that bed. The whole time, his eyes were glued to the bag across the room, inside which sat the wand and the yellow rain boots.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - Discord Compilation (Leif)
Only Mostly Dead​

At first, the sensation was that of finding a pot of gold as Leif perused the journals. Even though it was clear the ranger was doing his own research and didn't hold all the answers, it was still so much more than what Leif could ever dream of possibly learning at once.

He was no longer in the dark, in a strange place. Now he could see key pieces of the puzzle floating right in front of him, and it was a matter of piecing them together and finding the missing links.

Yet page after page, such missing links proved themselves to be more and more important, and excitement turned to anxiety, and then anguish. There was no mention of Turid's name. Which at first thought made no sense if she'd arrived in Marasong even before Chase did. The ranger should've run into her. And there was also no mention of an Alice, a name he'd really hoped to find after being instructed to both seek her and not seek her by two potential allies. Leif even looked everywhere for more journals, but found nothing.

If only River woud wake up already... Leif already had a list of people he had to seek, even if he didn't really know if he should seek them... regardless, he was still stuck in the station for the time being. But while one of the possible directions he was contemplating would be finding a boat to look for sirens, or possibly diving into the water even, he now at least knew he wouldn't need to go that far to find them. In a very small town fashion, everyone you needed turned out to be actually pretty close by. Or almost everyone.
He was still immersed in his own thoughts, trying to make a mental list of all the new important topics and places to go next, when the noise was heard coming from the backroom. A human voice.

He froze where he was for a solid second, then started putting the journals back into the drawer as quickly as he could while still making sure they didn't get damaged. He knew it was River, it had to be River, it sounded like River. But he'd lived enough to know one's brain can esily fool itself, so he was careful when he closed the drawer and made his way towards the sound. Quickly, but silently.

River still laid on the floor, holding his head in his hands as he struggled to 'wake' fully. The groan was more ragged, but bit by bit, he seemed to be working on getting himself into a sitting position against the wall. He was still pretty pale, and shivering as if cold. He didn't seem aware of Leif's presence yet.

The moment Leif laid eyes on River, he fully stepped into the room as relief washed over him, making sure the man could see him. It wasn't the ranger, it wasn't someone or something else, it was River, and he was alive! Not fully awake yet, but he hadn't been lying this whole time. It remained to be seen whether he really had some sort of answer, but the first step was there.

"Hey." Leif tried to draw his attention, hoping he wouldn't startle the man by suddenly running up to him. So he waited, impatiently, for any signs that the man recognized him before he approached and offered him help sitting up against the wall.

River jolted with the vampire's voice, eyes going as wide as humanly possible. It took another second for the man to relax slightly, though he never seemed to completely let his guard down. Little signs of his nerves existed in quick ticks of his head and fingers, or the eyes sometimes darting all around the room. He opened his mouth to speak, but just a dry harsh sound came out. River made the hand motions for having a glass and taking a drink indicating he could really use a drink.

With all he'd seen and experienced in his long life so far, Leif'd never watched someone return from the dead. Not like that, at least; in other circumstances, yes. So he didn't worry too much about River's nervous ticks or the gutural sound coming from his throat. Coming back from the dead certainly had to be harsh. What really mattered was that he was back.

Once he made sure River was sitting up against the wall, he moved to look around for something that could function as a glass of water. Thankfully, the ranger station had a glass. And a tap. So it wasn't long before he rushed back to River with the glass of water.

"Here you go." He knelt next to him to make sure the man would be able to drink by himself, and refrained from saying anything else at the moment, though his eyes never left River as he waited.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Thursday's Trials​

There was a strange tension in the air for this Thursday. It looked like it was going to rain off on on, and the weather forecast said it was likely to be intermittent all day. At least it wasn't going to be too cold, or too hot, but if one became soaked in the rain, it could get very chilly.

Speaking of chilly, Seraphim might not have had her morning coffee yet, as the gaze she gave Aódh lacked her usual pep and vigor. At least until she blinked a few times and managed to put on her usual customer service smile. "I'll note your room down for a fresh pair of sheets. It'll likely arrive around lunch time. If you need any laundry service, please let me know."

Then Bill arrived at the counter before Aódh could reply. Her customer service smile remained on her face, but she did busy herself with straightening pamphlets that really didn't need straightening. It was to give the guise of not listening, while actually listening in on the conversation between the two.

While Indy spent some time in the bathroom, Silver was still slumbering away when Indy did emerge. And Roje's bed was empty and cold. She hadn't been there in the night, and it wasn't likely she would have left without saying something if she had been in and out. Silver seemed to be sleeping restfully from outward appearances. Which would remind Indy of how nice her own sleep had been. There was little doubt Dapper would see her again, especially now that he knew she was in town. Based on her memories, Dapper had often said how she could always make him smile. Of course he'd seek that out.

Hatsu had some explaining to do, once he talked to Seraphim. But first, he had to make himself presentable for the day. Was he trying to wash away his new knowledge of magic and the 'new' world around him as a result? No amount of hot or cold water would do such a kindness. Even with the lamp broken, once Hatsu looked around the hotel room, there was more sea glass. There were wall sconces made of it, little bits of 'decor' here and there. It seemed to be unavoidable.

Roje left the world of water and seaweed for a bloody mary without the mary, with company. Jeremy and Jason are arguing again, and it's over her, again. This time though, it seems more heated. There's a thicker tension in the air as their voices keep rising louder and louder. Jason goes so far as to punch Jeremy on the chin. They both grow silent for a long moment, completely ignoring Roje's presence. And then Jeremy lunged, grabbed Jason and in a swift move, buried his fangs into Jason's neck with a near feral growl.

Augie did finally eat a little something, though he picked at it for several minutes first. He was obviously in deep thought, but not giving them voice. So he ate in silence, and then stared at the bag with the wand and rain boots just like Boy. It was almost startling when he did start to talk again, breaking the silence. "The maid was bagging up stuff in the room. Big black garbage bag. Usually they do that if the person bailed, like maybe to try and not pay a bill."

He looked over to Boy, checking the dog's bowl to see if the canine needed more, or had to be encouraged to finish the meal. "I don't know who was in the room, could ask Seraphim but, I get the feeling the maid wasn't supposed to miss anything left behind. Soooo... Not Seraphim." He frowned and shook his head as he stood. "I'll have to think about it some. Tomorrow's Friday. Gotta do a few things before tomorrow night." And he headed toward the entrance to their cave.

River's hands trembled slightly as he took the drink, but was able to hold it well enough with both hands. He took large sips until the glass was empty, and he held it in his lap, not yet willing to let it go. When he spoke, it sounded like he had been asleep with his mouth open, his throat just sounded dry. "Maybe.. next time.. we go over the question before you do the deed." He gave a small, wry smile, but with a cough, he continued.

"More specifics are.. usually better. However... lucky for you, I knew one of those." River handed the glass over as he looked at the vampire. "Good or bad news first?"



OOC Information

Aódh Larry : Seraphim does seem to warm up as time passes, maybe she really wasn't awake fully yet. However, when Bill joins you at the desk, she looks like she's giving you two privacy, as much as can be had standing around together. You can tell by the slight tilting of her head, she's just angled her ear to listen in better while not looking directly at either of you. She's the type that likes to know what's going on with everyone, you can nearly smell it. Or was that the banana nut muffin she had tucked just out of sight below the main counter?

Bill BillieRoss : You're just close enough to hear something about sending some new bed sheets to Paddy's room. Soon as you start a conversation with Aódh, Seraphim politely looks away and becomes busy with a stack of pamphlets, the top one discussing some lovely sights around Marasong. You instinctively know she's still listening.

Indy Rhyme : Would Dapper recognize the young woman you've become? He remembered your cat form, but it's been a while since he's seen you person to person. Or was it just someone saying your name? And then there's Augie, you're sure he had a glint of recognition due to your scent, but had retreated rather than pursue the knowledge. And that dog surely knows, too. Today might be quite different if you take a walkabout around town in search of Roje. And maybe it was a little exciting, seeing who could tell the real you. How long as it been since you knew the real you?

Silver Silver- : There's a strange sensation in your chest when you do finally wake. Your gaze faces Roje's very empty bed, unchanged since yesterday morning. Your mind's in a bit of a fog, and thoughts drift over those you've come to know in your strange time warp dances, like the group you arrived in Marasong with. How were they all faring? Or was it too much, to even dwell on anyone other than Indy and Roje? Or Rhevens? The heart leaps a little at the memory of the peaceful glade. And then you spy Indy, already awake, waiting for you to stir.

Hatsu silverwhere : You think you even see eyes blinking off and on in the fire glass they use in the hearth. However, you can't see it when you look directly at it. It's only when viewed out the edges of your periphery, which might make you question if you're really seeing it or not. You know the town uses the same type of fire glass hearths throughout the area. There are open ones on the street that light up at night, and most places have some sea glass in one form or another.

Except Tilly's cafe. You can't recall seeing any sea glass there.

Roje Britt-21 : Another memory not quite like you remember. Pretty sure Jeremy didn't bite your cousin, but he is now, and by the sound of his drinking, Jeremy is looking to drain Jason dry. (Include a roll with your reply or in Discord's IC encounters.)

Riley KodakWolf : Augie's tone is weighed down with something, it's lower, quieter and lacking his usual peppiness. And then he starts to mess with a pile of rocks near the entrance. You had missed it before, because it blended in so very well with the actual rock of the cavern. They were of various sizes and shapes, and he seemed to be starting to stack them in a way to eventually block the entrance, but it would take some time.

Leif KodakWolf : Yeah, he used past tense there. He knew one of the two you mentioned. Was it intentional, or just a slip of the tongue? Do you want the good news or bad news? What could the news even be? There was still the question if River had been telling the truth after all, maybe he didn't really find out anything and was pulling it out of his butt.

Bernard Worthlessplebian : You're sleeping in, or attempting to stave off waking up fully. However much pretending or actual sleeping you do, your hunger will only deepen. Batteries not included, but you sure need some extra strength ones now.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Larry]

Aódh McFaol
Location: Marasong Inn.
Mood: Restive, nervous.
Interactions: BillieRoss
Mentions: Worthlessplebian | Out Of Words ​

Aódh didn't know what to say, nor did he have the chance to say it, such was the speed with which Bill spoke after entering the inn. Even now, two days on from the incident in the forest, his gaze struggled to meet that of the Scotswoman. Her display of contrition for a lack of 'friendliness', in spite of the face that he was the one who aggressively hoisted her back to her feet, only served to aggravate his shame even further, his face dour with a more neutral expression than the one he had prior to talking to Seraphim. The young man cursed that Bernard was not yet awake, for if he was, he wouldn't have been put into such an awkward situation, only for that selfsame situation to potentially breed an even more awkward scenario. If the physicist didn't make his appearances within the next few moments, Aódh felt himself compelled, out of both a sense of shame as well courtesy, to accept Bill's offer, despite how odd it was that she made it to him in the first place. Considering the way in which they had interacted the day before, it seemed strange to him that Bill could have gotten over the incident so quickly, which her current demeanour, in the Irishman's eyes, attested to. It gave him pause for a moment to think whether the situation was as bad as he thought it was, before his obdurate sense of guilt intruded upon that doubt. You still acted like a brute and that's the end of it, his mind inwardly remonstrated, his speculation now easily put to rest. So, for the second time on so early a morning, Aódh stirred himself once again.

"W-Well," he began, his tone shaky, "I would have been counting on Bernard to be here considering...considering the discussions we had last night, b-but he's nowhere to be seen. So, I'll take you up on that offer, if it's no bother." In a way, it was a timely offer; he was quite hungry, as he was most mornings, but the uncertainty surrounding the sheets being ripped, ostensibly by him, coupled with the events of the day before and Bill's abrupt offer, induced in him a hunger he hadn't felt since the aftermath of the event in the forest. Perhaps, he dryly mused to himself, this might be an inversed from of being 'hangry'. When food was in the offing, it tended to overawe what other emotions or sensations tended to bother him.

He didn't know what to expect, so it only served to increase his agitation, thrumming beneath his skin.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Bernard Greve
Location: Room 103 to Lobby;
With: Aódh, Bill;
Interactions: Larry BillieRoss
Mentions: Silver- Rhyme
Art by leevolt on DeviantArt
Mood: Dead on his feet, Eager;​

Bernard stared painfully plainly at the dust-caked ceiling of his room. Absentmindedly, mouth agape with voiceless answers. Neural fire flushed, turned, and retreated in the spindly bundle of superhuman nervous system. It raged, raged, and raged. Until the body's occupant returned to cognizance. The Dane's body puppeted upwards, invisible strings hooked under the skin, the muscle, and the bones. His mouth slack-jawed drew the translucent fluid of saliva before closing with laggard hurry. A lethargic hand swam up to massage the eyeballs. The dryness stang with the ferocity of a dozen insects, drinking aqueous humor by way of proboscis. The moisturising nature of his eyelids and the quaking tear ducts were poor palliative caregivers. Blood-eyed, the Dane surveyed his accommodation with all the interest of a beetle in a world of grey. His laptop hummed in a calmative fashion, betraying the fact by the gently strobing power-light and the fan's thin spin. The laughable pile of documents remained close by as well; many words, little value. He wanted to laugh, but found his throat bereft of wetness. Instead a cough wormed its way out. His lungs and diaphragm trudging to life, an ache formed. Was he sleeping... Or dead? The Dane could not answer with the comforting notion of certainty. He relinquished himself of the bed sheets, finding himself clothed only below the waist. That is... dubious? He questioned, rarely if ever has he unshirted himself before going to bed. His feet swung onto the floor like an obese tiger, crushing a paper that hid under the foot of the mattress. A succinct sigh that stank of tiredness escaped Bernard as he lurched forward to pick it up. The paper had a single word written on it in a font that danced between a beast's and a scientist's handwriting with eccentrically sized lettering. Batterier Bernard nodded in understanding, it appears that this is a message from his past mere hours or minutes ago to now. But there was nothing. Not yet. Bernard reveled at the internal peace produced, protracted by the absence of his hunger. He carried himself off the bed, straightening out the wrinkle-cramps in his muscular tapestry. Before spiking pain spread from his back in ugly, pulsating waves. It came from his lightning bolt scar. Fingertips reached over to touch the problematic tissue finding the creased area tight, thumping, and gelatinously sticky. Bernard growled in a low tone. Much as he wished to remain confined, he needed to progress. He hurtled through his routine, though still taking care not to be too reckless in his number. Once decent, Bernard stood in the centre of his room. His hands clap together. Washed whites grated against each other, a crackle traveled from neck to shoulders to elbows to hands. As Bernard parted them a ferocious bolt of energy - electricity - pirouetted between palms. Cycling akin to the treads on a treadmill. The air quivered with the power exhumed. Even his fingers sparked tiny fractals. The power sang a song of buzzing and crackling destruction. Bernard's fingers fought to close themselves, repelled by the locus of the bolt because of their magnitised nature. When done, the bolt disappeared as if it had never been there. The hunger crept up.

The Dane slipped out of his room and into the hallways where yesterday he confronted Indy and Silver. Or did they confront him? He was sure that was how they'd see it, but regardless of semantics, Bernard found it fruitful. He wondered what the werewolf has done in the brief disappearance of himself? Since the confrontation at the shaman's house, they've been linked at the hip. He knew of course, that Aódh thought if he shadowed Bernard then he could stop him potentially harming someone else. As if Bernard is ignorantly unaware of how his actions could affect people. Let him continue, if nothing else then Bernard will/would prove to him just how much control he exerts over himself.

The former question was soon answered when he saw the Irishman engaged in chitter-chat with the Bill woman. His ear pricked at the end of their conversation. Worry-painted voice of the Irishman and seemingly innocuous voice of Bill. Bernard wasn't about to be inculcated by Scottish-accented woman with poor nail manners. Bernard slapped his claw on Aódh's back. "May I partake in your sit-down at the Spoon." He spoke as if it was phrased as a question, but the confidence spelled that he was coming whether or not that was an option. He felt the shiver of Aódh, the poor lad is scared to death. It seems this woman is ostensibly connected to the event two days ago. "I simply need to stop for a moment at the general or convenience store, just an errand or two to run." His hand lowered itself to Bernard's side. Externally, he looked fine but closer inspection reveals the eyes dogged by bags and freshly-scrubbed face. He just woke up, as unprecise as that term may be to his situation. Though his body still stood as a paragon of preparedness, utterly mismatching the tired face.

 

[silverwhere]

Hatsu Black
- He/Him -
The Inn - Everyone's awake
Tags: Out Of Words BillieRoss Larry Worthlessplebian
​

He hadn't realized how much sea glass there was in the room until now. After leaving the bathroom, newly changed and washed, Hatsu kept seeing eyes hidden in bits of sea glass and every time he turned to get a better look they would be gone. He wasn't sure if he was just crazy and imaging the eyes or if they were really there - taunting him for his failed attempt of removing them from his room.

Hatsu groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tracked his way over broken bits of lamp and towards the door. It made sense why there was so much sea glass in his room. It was a readily available material for Marasong and the town made use of it. The glass could be used anywhere and everywhere, from decorations to more practical uses; like fireplaces and lights. That meant that the eyes had plenty of places to watch from. It brought up another question, who else were the eyes watching? He doubt it was only him and Bill. It was another mystery added to the pile. Either way, he should let Bill know about his recent discovery, preferably somewhere without seaglass. Thankfully, there were a few places that he could think of that were free of the abundant material, The Loving Spoon and (most likely) the middle of the woods. He quietly and quickly put on his shoes and rushed out the room making sure to lock it on his way to the lobby.

The lobby was already packed and he wondered if anyone in this town knew how to sleep in. Thankfully, Bill wasn't one to sleep in. She was already at the Inn and he wouldn't have to worry about how to contact her. However,all hopes of having a lonesome breakfast with her was quickly sweep away. While she waited, she made small talk with Aódh and Bernard.

"May I partake in your sit-down at the Spoon. I simply need to stop for a moment at the general or convenience store, just an errand or two to run."

Luckily for him, it seemed that the group agreed to get breakfast together. It was a venture that Hatsu was not ready for but he rather face an early morning social breakfast then the eyes in his room. He also trusted Bill. She was more knowledgeable about the world of magic and if she a felt that the two knew something that they didn't, he wasn't going to question it. If eating breakfast with them would give them some answers then it was a sacrifice that he would make. At least he kinda knew Bill and Aódh. The only real stranger that would be there would be Bernard

"Morning. Sorry to keep you waiting," He said to Bill with a small wave as he tried to hide how tired and stressed he actually was, "If you want, you can go ahead and go to the Spoon. I can meet you there, I have to take care of a few things first."

He ignored the group as he went up to the front desk to speak with Seraphim.

"Theoretically, if I broke a lamp, how much trouble would I be in?"

 

[BillieRoss]

Bill
Location: Marasong Inn
With: Aódh ( Larry ), Bernard ( Worthlessplebian ), Hatsu ( silverwhere ) [+Seraphim]


Bill listened to Paddy talk and smiled, wide and self-assured. The stuttering and stumbling over his words might have been a ploy to get her to lower her guard, but the nervous sweating and trembling voice would have been hard to fake. She made him nervous. That was a good start. It immediately put him on the defensive.

She had him cornered. She had him right where she wanted, alone, far from anyone who'd be able to provide him with any cover. All she needed now was to-

A tall, thin creature appeared out of the ether, slapping a hand on Paddy's back. He was dressed like he was about to go meet his girlfriend's parents. He was dressed like an asshole.

"May I partake in your sit-down at the Spoon," he asked, but Bill knew well enough that he wasn't asking. He was demanding. Whatever the next thing he said was, Bill didn't catch it. Who did this guy think he was, coming in here, inserting himself into the conversation, inviting himself to breakfast with a couple of strangers-

Or not strangers. He seemed to know Paddy. It would have been weird to slap him on the back like that if he didn't. Probably.

Bill eyed him, his hair, his upright posture, his weird and stilted manner of speech. His accent. European or something. Europe was half a world away, she knew better than anyone, so what was he doing here?

Something about him rubbed her the wrong way. But she could hardly tell him no without sounding suspicious.

She wondered briefly if she was being ganged up on. She smiled, doing her best to make it warm and friendly.

"Sure," she said, trying to sound chipper, "It's a public place. And the more the merrier. I'm Bill, nice to meet you."

She did not offer her hand.

It was only then that Hatsu decided to make an appearance. She bit back the reflexive comments about sleeping beauty and Rip van Winkle that rose in her mind.

"Morning. Sorry to keep you waiting," He said with a small wave "If you want, you can go ahead and go to the Spoon. I can meet you there, I have to take care of a few things first."

Something seemed off, but that might have just been her unease at the new fella. The new unaccounted variable. The newest weird thing to crawl out of Marasong. But as she heard Hatsu say something about smashing a lamp, she made a note to ask him about it later.

"Aye, 'course, join us when you're ready." And then, because something about this whole situation was starting to concern her, and she wasn't sure that adding Hatsu to the mix would do anything than put him directly in the firing line, "Don't rush on my account."

She hoped he'd understand. She hoped she didn't sound too suspicious.

Bill turned back to the door and opened it, gesturing for Paddy and the new fella to go first. She'd be damned if she let them out of her line of sight.

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
The Loving Spoon​

This morning, the Loving Spoon was a little light on customers. People were too busy on the docks, as a ship had recently docked. One with a large sized cargo, needing all the usual available hands to unload and keep the dock free from too much clutter. Sage, Max, and Rhevens were among those carrying crates, or helping to sort the cargo. Marius was already in the cafe, his mostly untouched plate beside him as he stared out the window like usual.

Inside, Tilly and Miranda are busy, but not overly so. A nice buffet is already prepared and set out along tables pushed together against one wall. There's biscuits and gravy, bacon and sausage, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and so much more. Menus have all be gathered up and placed behind the counter. It was apparently a buffet kind of day. Plates and silverware were setup at one end of the table, indicating where people should start to fill their plates.

This allowed those working hard on the docks to quickly grab some grub and get back to work. Tilly kept the trays filled and fresh, while Miranda helped with the beverage selection. She brewed up fresh coffee and tea, and there were individual milk cartons set in ice at the end of the table. It was a help yourself morning, and they were there to keep things running smoothly.

It felt like this was standard operating procedure when they had a significant amount of cargo and work to be done. They still greeted everyone who came in with a smile, called them by name, and wished them a good day upon their departure.




OOC Information

OOC Information : IC encounters, or my DMs are available in Discord, but we are extending this week. The next major GM post will occur Sunday, July 3rd.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Larry]

Aódh McFaol
Location: Marasong Inn → Loving Spoon.
Mood: A bit more at ease.
Interactions: Worthlessplebian | BillieRoss | Out Of Words
Mentions: silverwhere ​

Just as the young man thought that there was no getting out of having to eat breakfast with Bill alone, a smack on the back by a thinly fingered hand alerted him to Bernard's presence, who, rather bluntly, let himself in on the occasion at the Loving Spoon. Aódh was inwardly relieved, though not so much that it would lead to an issuance of such a breath when he was so close to Bill. But, not only did the Dane so timely arrive, but so too did Hatsu, waving at Bill, who then stated that he would join them later at the café after he had concluded some business with Seraphim, or so the young Irishman assumed. Aódh theorised that it must have something to do with his foisted-upon residence at the inn after the 'business' with his house; he couldn't even imagine how annoying it must be for Hatsu, despite the great hospitality the town had shown him, to have a possessed a property for so short a time, only for it to go up in flames without a cause having been evinced as of yet. It was good to see, in the Irishman's eyes, that he hadn't been driven into the maw of total despondency after what happened, though I doubt anybody would have held it against him if it did. After Hatsu walked over to the reception desk and started conversing with Seraphim, Bernard stated that he too would join them in a bit, needing to get some messages in the meantime. Though he had a predilection for being quite furtive about his intentions, Aódh reasoned, giving the tired look on the physicist's face, that it might be a bit too early for Bernard to undertake anything without expressly telling him. Still, it was a possibility, but if he was to trust the Dane at all, he needed to not see deceit behind every word.

"Sound so," the Irishman responded, a bit more poise about him as he turned to Bernard, "I'll be on my way to the Loving Spoon..."

Then, turning to Bill, "...I'll s-see you there."

With that, arms by his side, he made his way out of the Marasong Inn. As he glanced about his surroundings, his gaze settled firmly on the sight of a ship docked at the harbour, with groups of men hoisting its sizeable cargo off and away to the side. They're mighty bits of stuff, Aódh inwardly admired, so drab and dreary were the conditions so early in the morning that if he were to imagine himself in their positions, he might just about shed a tear. He wondered if there were any familiar faces trudging about with all that cargo, but the thought was quickly doused by the need to get to the Loving Spoon as quickly as he could. It wasn't as though he was in a rush, not at all, rather it was the idea of keeping Bill waiting on him that unnerved him if he were to arrive late. Even now, as the familiar sight of Tilly's establishment came into view, he wondered unto himself why Bill wanted to speak with him all of a sudden, thinking perhaps that if he pored over all possible reasons once again, one might suddenly fit. I suppose we won't have to wait much longer now, the youth reminded himself, readying himself for whatever Bill had in store.

Approaching the door, he pushed gently against its frame as the familiar bell rang out.

The smell struck him before the sight of the food did, and what a sight it was.

"Good morning Tilly, Miranda," he said, something of a more beamish tone to his voice now, "Would ye mind at all if I had a bit of this?"

 

[Rhyme]

Indy

Location: Out and About
Tags: Mentions: Out Of Words (Dapper/Augie) Worthlessplebian silverwhere Silver- Larry BillieRoss Britt-21

Indy spent more time in the bathroom than she cared to admit. It wasn't her reflection that caught her, not exactly--but she couldn't shake the sense of unfamiliarity as she stared into her own eyes. Dapper and Augie, even the guys from before--would they recognize her as she was? Were there others from this alternate past that might know her? Who the fuck was she? It was a question that had remained unanswered ever since Foster had crept his way into her apartment.

When she finally made her way out of the bathroom she poked her head back toward the bed where a lump indicated Silver was still passed out. The other bed was empty.

Roje had never come back.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck--

Her feet took a quick stumbling few steps toward Silver before she froze, one hand outstretched before it snapped back to her side. Silver had been through enough, the exhaustion had been clear on her face from the moment they had been reunited; at least in the inn she would be safe, and she needed the sleep. Lord knew where Roje was and Silver had dealt with enough trouble already. Indy turned to the small table instead, fishing an old napkin out of the trash as she hunted for a pen.

In her clumsy scrawl, she wrote a quick note and left it on the table beside Silver's bed. Gone to look for Roje, will check back before dinner.

If she wasn't back before then...well, shit. It wasn't like there was much that could be done, considering how things had gone the last time they had attempted to rely on Beth for help.

The hallway was quiet when she stepped out, though she could hear voices from the lobby. She recognized the accent of the man from the hallway, as well as possibly his friend, though they seemed to be on their way out of the inn alongside a few strangers Indy didn't quite recognize. A hand hovered over the coin still tucked in the pouch around her neck as she urgently strode toward the woman Silver had called Seraphim, stepping beside the stranger also standing at the desk as she glanced at him. "Sorry, really sorry to interrupt--" she turned to Seraphim, her hand spread on the countertop as she half-turned toward the door. "The other girl in our--my friend's room, 202--sort of looks like me but uh, lighter hair? A bit taller? Have you seen her? Did she come back last night?"

coded by: @s e v e n