Realistic or Modern If December Freezes (IC)

[Britt-21]

There the vampire was. Still floating in the water with no vision of what was around her. I feel like that blonde woman I saw earlier isn't going to make it. Surely she isn't an infinite life force like I am. But hey, at least she'll be gone and probably up in heaven or some shit, where I'm still stuck in this garbage. Roje thought, the water still roaring in her ears before she spotted something odd within the black abyss that was her "Vision". Naturally, she'd furrow her eyebrows in confusion at what just made itself known. I mean, better than nothing. what could be causing the ripples? Was someone jumping into the water? Were people far above her where they were having a grand ol' swimmingly time? Would it even be worth it to struggle? Then suddenly, an idea popped into her mind which made her hope grow even more Wait why didn't I think of this earlier? She was under the water, which meant she could possibly blow bubbles into the water that would rise to the surface! Fuck, could it even be possible with the water that already snuck into her lungs? There was only one way to try and she was just simply too tired to do anything else.

With all her might, she tensed up certain muscles to push out whatever she had in her lungs and tried her best to create any type of bubbles. Would it work? Well she had no damn idea, she couldn't see those damn things float to the top. More than likely, she would probably be just pushing water back into the water and make no difference. I'm impatient as hell. I know someone knows that better than anyone she had been referencing her cat companion who had gone quiet on her after the connection it had made.
​

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Bernard Greve
Location: Crowd controlling Docks;
With: Indy, Leif;
Interactions: Rhyme Mentions: Out Of Words KodakWolf
Art by leevolt on DeviantArt
Mood: Stifled stoic;​

The manhandling of the rotted corpse had not attracted as much attention as Bernard speculated, this provided an ample opportunity for an examination beyond the rudimentary look over after helping Indy haul the stiff out of the bottomless water. The flesh is waterlogged so heavily that discoloration, that of moldy grey and feels granular under the fingertips as Bernard when he briefly touched the ribbon-mangled back. Fist-sized chunks, undoubtedly caused by hungry, hungry fishes or... Bernard peers down, a handful of these bites look too irregular to be truly from native fish. The corpse stench assailed him the closer he inched his face. The holes in his body reveal fractured, yellowed bones—particularly the ribcage seemed to suffer a violent thrashing likely indicating that something dragged him down—and the meaty, greenish-red, almost vile-smelling folds of his intestines confetti-ed. The professor's nape stung with cold sweat, sending a minute quiver to his waist. The face, unrecognizable as is, stuck in Bernard's mind, that half-consumed visage.

He has met this man before?

He relented, pulling back to converse with the soaked Indy. "Tourist or local, whichever he was, did not meet with a pleas—" A heart-wrenching shriek blasted a ways away from behind Bernard's back. Glancing over his shoulder, Bernard taken aback by the sight of the rushing lad, which Indy and him conversed mere moments ago about the disappearance of Indy's sister. Bernard stepped back from his knelt position to give the distraught youth much needed distance. The aired grievances alarmed pedestrians - humans, as Bernard intimately knows, having been one himself, are wired through their neural pathways to immediately recognize, scrutinize panic then seize action. It is what helped them survive for hundreds of thousands of years, Bernard pondered with an academic tinge.

Racked with grief, Rhevens' hoarse voice identifies who this once was, much to Bernard's genuine bewilderment. Yet, unquestionably tragic situation aside, explains Bernard's familiarity with the body. This inadvertent information could hold the key to questions which have up to this point remained frustratingly illusive. Exigent circumstances, however, require attention in the present. Bernard glances at Indy the opportune time for her to impart an important, non-verbal message - a request more like. He will comply, for Rhevens sake.

Wheeling to the crowd, Bernard spread his arms to the side to obscure with his body as much as possible from the growing public's authentic worry or perverse curiosity. His voice, anointed with the strength of his lungs and conviction, permeated over and through their inter-conversational nagging. "Alright, people - step back, give him space!" A thick-accented command. Coincidentally, the years of wrangling rowdy students have paid off in an unexpected manner. It also helps when the oration is edged with unyielding confidence.

Bernard spots an individual who slinked passed his impromptu bulwark to converse with Indy. A blond haired man with an armring, silver. His eyes did not flicker from the crowd, a face of somber seriousness, but minds the individual with his peripheries.

 

[BillieRoss]

Bill
Location: The Shore
With: Hatsu ( silverwhere ), Rhevens ( Out Of Words ), Indy ( Rhyme ), Bernard ( Worthlessplebian )

The scream stopped her dead in her tracks. She turned to look towards the source, took in the body in the water, took in the nonsense, grief-stricken babble.

Her family had been healers. Her mother's mother's mothers were curing diseases in their little town long before anyone knew what caused them. Even now, they made healing potions, they made salves. Harry had even gone off and gotten a Medical License.

When it came down to it, this was the thing she could never do. The bedside manner. The fallout of things gone wrong. Dealing with the panic-stricken family members. There was something about the situation that always felt perilously out of control.

Hatsu said something. Hatsu started moving away.

Bill stood there for a moment, trying to work out what to do. She still had healing potions on her person. She still had her wand. What good would either of that do? What help could they possibly be? From the sounds of things, 'Dad' was long dead.

What good could she do? What help could she possibly be?

From here, none. That was certain.

She followed Hatsu towards the scream at a run.

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
GM Updates​

The scene by Dusk's houseboat was not quite chaotic, but close enough. Most of the dock workers knew Dusk and Rhevens well. Sage arrived near the front, and with his size, there was little to hold him back. His voice was tight, gruff, as he moved to lay a hand on Rhevens' shoulder. "We'll take care of him." He was then barking orders at some of the other dock workers, they were a crew after all. "Max! Go fetch Marianne and alert her staff. See if Wiri is there, too."

Max raced back toward the town as fast as he could move. While Sage tried to help with crowd control. He sounded like he'd been through something similar. "No one touch him, we need to wait for the ranger. We need to cover him though, who has a tarp? It's not right to leave him exposed." All while keeping a firm grip on Rhevens' shoulder, keeping in place should the lad feel inclined to 'help'.

Benny skirted the crowd's edge and was beside the two quickly. She asked gently, "I'm going to go on the boat to get your dad a blanket, okay?" She waited for a nod of Rhevens' head or some acknowledgement before she climbed up the houseboat to find adequate covering.

Sage bellowed with a wave of his other arm, "You heard the man, give space. We'll wait for the ranger, nothing more anyone can do right now. There's plenty of work still on the docks." And he gave Bernard a nod of his head in acknowledgement of holding back the bulk of the crowd. Then his gaze settled on Indy who was wet from head to toe. Another man had slipped from the crowd and had spoken to Indy, they seemed to know each other, but Sage's question was meant for Indy. "You found him in the water?"

Meanwhile, Aódh was zeroing in on a figure which grew clearer the closer the werewolf came. It was a woman entangled in thick kelp, and one might have thought her dead, if not for a sudden bubble that escaped her mouth. Like a last gasp of life, it helped Aódh know she wasn't completely gone just yet. However, he was completely engulfed by water by the time the figure was within reach. And surprisingly, there was another figure behind him not entangled, but fighting the need to breathe just the same.

Silver managed to hold onto the tail in front of her, and in moments, she was underwater and holding on like a lifeline. It took a moment for the scene in front of her to register, but it was Aódh and he was reaching for Roje, tangled up in a mess of kelp. There was no visible sign of the water's surface, but based on the sandy bottom, one could determine the general direction they needed to go. Question would be if they had enough air to make it there.

Boy and Augie made their way to the clinic, he had to vouch for Boy being a good dog before the canine was allowed in with Augie. Then they made a troublesome discovery. Upon entering, Augie asked for Marianne as they did an initial check and verified his arm was broken. "Sorry, Marianne's not here. She.. fell ill and her son took her to another facility, deeper in on the mainland. Christy is here to help as a temporary substitute." They were shown into the back room, "Please wait here, I'll let her know she has a patient."

Augie looked worried, but didn't say anything until it was just the two of them. And even then, it was more a whisper, "Wiri's gone, too? That's... that's not good." He ran his good hand through his hair, wincing each time his broken arm moved. "Fuck, that's really not good."



OOC Information

Hatsu, Bill silverwhere BillieRoss : You two happen upon the scene about the time Bernard takes crowd control duty. You're both there to hear Sage, witness Max running back to town and the clinic located along the eastern edge, and Benny climbing into the boathouse to find a blanket. It's a gruesome sight, especially if you've never seen a dead body, this one is not pretty by any stretch of the imagination. You're currently in the throng of people who are being 'held' at bay by Bernard and Sage's words.

Indy, Bernard, Leif Rhyme Worthlessplebian KodakWolf : All the dock workers are grumbling about, but mostly under their breath and are grouped more or less together. They are listening to Sage however, but more than one have a distressed expression that turns sour as they grumble longer. Bernard, you get nice little moments of 'feeding' whenever you come into contact with another, as if the feeding can't help but take a little here, a little there. If any of you want to focus on what's being said, roll a d20 with your post, or in Discord.

Riley KodakWolf : You can smell Augie's distress spike considerably when he learns the ranger and his mother are no longer in Marasong. His mood considerably tanks the longer you two are waiting for the stand-in doctor alone in the back room. And then it surges even more when there's a commotion in the main room when Max arrives. It's easy to hear as he tells the news of Dusk's body on the beach. Augie goes quite pale and has to sit down. Only you hear dark Riley say, "Oh, when the cat's away, the mice will play."

Aódh, Silver Larry Silver- : Aódh you are within arm's reach when you notice two things, you recognize the figure wrapped in strands of kelp, and behind you, Silver has tagged along by holding onto your tail. You're both holding your breath, as you find yourselves on the sandy bottom of the ocean with no idea how far up you'll have to go. And there's still the matter of freeing the female struggling in front of you. Both of you please roll d20 and let me know the result with your post or in Discord.

Roje Britt-21 : You can't see anything more than the strange rippling in the void, but you can feel someone reaching for you. There's no sense of the small cat spirit, but maybe it managed to do something to help you after all.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Larry]

Aódh McFaol
Location: ?
Mood: Reaching a limit...
Interactions: Silver- | Britt-21
Mentions: Rhyme | Worthlessplebian ​

Almost as though he were changing the quality settings on a Youtube video, the more Aódh's exertive stomps forwarded him in the direction of the figure, the more details about this person became more salient. From being, initially, almost like a sketch of a human being without any distinctive characteristics, then, as though by the hand of an artist, the young man could now see this person's true visage, and it shocked him. He had seen this woman once before, only a day or two ago, though his glimpsing of her was but for a brief moment, prompted as it was by her, and the strange company she kept. This lady, whoever she may be, was one of Silver's companions, and therefore one of Indy's, now that that particularly mystery had unfurled itself. She was a vampire, evidenced by the similarity between her scent and that of Bernard's; but it was only that, a similarity. Despite his mind's inclination to wander even in the most grave of situations, a fell conviction scrunched the faoladh's features, as step by toilsome step, he edged ever closer to this woman. However, as oxygen's dearth made its onerous absence more pronounced, whilst he approached this person, his mind countenanced the thought, 'What about her, then?' A panic set itself invidiously in the young man's chest, and prodded on by this, his gaze set itself firmly on the woman, hoping against hope, to see even one sign that she was still alive. For all the focus that he channelled into studying her form, he couldn't find anything, almost as though the kelp that had wrapped itself around her had veritably squeezed the very breath from her lungs. Dread, following after panic almost as though it were a shadow, soon began to enervate all sense of purpose from the young man. I've failed...I've failed her, the young man thought, recounting all the various moments of hesitation that culminated in his being too late to save Indy and Silver's friend. All that was left, now that the chance of saving this woman had passed, was anger and frustration, urging him on, as though they were saying, "Bring her body back, at the very least."

So, onward he went, seeing as though there was no other reason for his being there.

A bubble.

Aódh gauped at the phenomenon, his eyes tracking, what now seemed to him to be, the physical encapsulation of hope. This woman, despite however long she was down here, with the kelp seeming to constrict whatever life was left in her, accompanied by the lack of oxygen and water pressure, still persevered: that bubble was determination incarnate. Hope roared in the young man's chest, and, for the first time, pushing himself to the very limit, Aódh dashed a few feet at a team until he was only whiskers away from the woman. But he didn't consider the toll that this was going to take, and as it so happened, the werewolf dropped to his knees right in front of her. But, aside from his own weight, he felt, strangely enough, something else fall down onto the path. Aódh turned around, and he couldn't believe his eyes: it was Silver. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! Aódh wanted to yell, but the discombobulation might have been apparent enough from his eyes, which still struggled to register the sight of his fellow werewolf as being true. But he could tell that she was struggling too, perhaps only having got this far by clinging onto his tail. There was only so much he could do in this short spate of time. The eftest action was obvious, so, seeing Silver, Aódh decided to pick her up off his tail and drape over his left shoulder and turned to the woman.

Struggling to get to his feet, the young man reached out his hands to try and tear at the kelp, and then, hopefully free this woman.

 

[BillieRoss]

Bill
Location: The Shore
With: Hatsu ( silverwhere ), Rhevens, et.al ( Out Of Words ) , Indy ( Rhyme ), Bernard ( Worthlessplebian )

Christ.

Jesus Christ.

Bill did her best to keep a straight face, looking at the bloated corpse sprawled across the shore.

She’d seen corpses before. Who hadn’t? She’d seen a dead fox by the side of the road, felt a sick sheep take its last breath, watched her great-grandfather become still and hollow at his vigil. They’d all been peaceful, sort of, gentle passings. Here one breath, gone the next.

This was grim. This was a miserable death. Drowned, several days ago, probably.

She looked away, glancing out across the crowd. Anything to not look at the corpse. There was the woman from the morning (Mindy? Minty? Something like that) soaking wet. There was Sage, doing crowd control. There was the bereaved son, shellshocked and open mouthed.

There was Bernard.

Jesus Christ.

She didn’t like that. Motherfucker kept popping up when she least liked it. Butting in on conversations, and now…

What did he have to gain from killing this guy, though? Maybe he was telling the truth, maybe he was a vampire, maybe he’d fed on this guy and needed to ditch the evidence.

Why chuck his body into the ocean? If he was telling the truth about that, maybe he really was some kind of weather professor. He’d know, then, that the tide would carry him here. Unless he was panicked. Unless he was lying. Unless unless unless. Too many variables. Nothing that could be tested yet.

She was staring.

She tore her eyes off him and forced herself to look at the corpse, a little more deliberately. She couldn’t get any closer without obviously shouldering her way through the crowd. And anyway, she did have the smallest bit of good taste and social awareness. The last thing anyone wanted was some lass spinning the body around and looking for clues. This wasn’t CSI. This wasn’t Scooby Doo.

She did her best to check for any marks, any conspicuous fang-marks, any monstrous tears in the clothing.

She was staring. What else was she supposed to do?

One day, she was asking for one day she could take the time to get her shit together. Too much to ask, apparently.

Christ.

What was she even still doing in Marasong?

 

[Rhyme]

Indy
Location: the docks
Mentions: Out Of Words KodakWolf Worthlessplebian silverwhere

The amount of people was growing nearly as rapidly as Indy’s quickening breaths. She took another step back behind Bernard, but there was no real mistake from the horde. Strangers and, shockingly, familiar faces alike appeared in a muttering crowd all gaping over the rotting corpse.

The first face she recognized belonged to the vampire from the first day. Fuck. That was not good news. Her feet edged toward the water as he strode forward, clearly aiming not for the body but for herself. His murmured words confirmed any fear. “Bit busy at the moment,” she muttered back, sending him a sideways glance. “And don’t plan on it.”

Maybe he knew where Roje was, hence the urgency despite the literal deadman sunbathing by their toes.

She was busy rolling over the vampire’s words in her mind when the newest stranger appeared with his one question, this one especially authoritative—which may have prompted her instinctive sneer before she caught herself.

“Yeah. He was—“ careful. Careful giving it all away. She glanced down at the body. “He was in the water. Under the docks, maybe. I’m not sure—it was really dark, you know?” And she didn’t know him. She had no idea if the body had anything to do with Roje, or Beth, or the accumulation of non-humans but she was certainly going to hold any information close until she was certain.

“Is he—he’s a local, yeah?” She blinked owlishly, making the show of a curious and moderately traumatized casualty to the waterlogged tragedy.

 

[Silver-]

SILVER​

Tags: Larry Out Of Words | Mentions: @Rhyme|Location: The Deep End of the Pool

Not Midnight.

Not him whatsoever, not Rhevens either.

Grasping the fluffy tail sent a chill up Silver’s spine when the blurry shape before her began to turn humanoid. Burly, broad shouldered, the top of its head being at least two feet taller than where her own build stood at. The figurative light at the end of the tunnel consisted of slimy kelp and a whole ass werewolf. Darkness crept into the edges of her vision as her lungs began burning for air, bubbles escaping her lips when she came to her realization though not out of fear, but surprise. She cursed herself immediately for wasting precious breath on a reaction. Electric-blue eyes caught her own dark brown ones in an unwavering stare before she had to adamantly turn her head away to turn them to slits as salt stung them. There'd been recognition in those eyes.

The familiarity was what had ice lancing through her muscles, her hand slipping away slowly from his tail as she found somewhat better footing by half floating around, half kicking up sand in an attempt to steady herself. Nothing felt quite right. The lack of air after the initial struggle was making her feel dizzy and pinpointing anything was becoming a more prominent frustration. There was more than just this werewolf here, but what else? Everything felt alive, purposeful, like they’d been brought here.

A voice blared into her mind as if someone had placed two speakers on either side of her head at full volume, her body folding in half as she half released the breath she was holding in surprise at the sound. The voice was gruff, sounding like an agitated snarl under the waves until they registered into words she could understand.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!

They rang clearly as her hands clapped instinctively over her ears as much as the water would allow whilst she flinched. Fuck, hi, you’re loud. Aódh was in her dream? It wasn’t odd, in fact, it was proven that people appeared in each other’s dreams, but there was also no way that they could be so vibrant that they’d give him a whole wolf form without her even having seen it prior. Dreams like this were realistic, sure, but never to such a degree. They’d shift like the wind and angle into something else entirely or she’d gain consciousness even if only for a few moments before heading back to sleep and if she had a nightmare, maybe she’d be lucky enough to say that Aódh had become an ally rather than someone to be wary of.

He didn’t give her much time to think. Silver froze up like a fainted goat when she was lifted so effortlessly, her heart beating against her rib cage and thudding now into a bunch of muscle and fur that had darkened and plastered against Aódh’s body, her eyes barely peeling open as she forced herself to bear the sting. She was pretty sure she’d just been tossed over someone’s shoulder and if they’d been on land, the werewolf would’ve earned himself a knockdown.

He struggled to regain his balance now, but in standing back up to his real height, Silver used the fact that they were underwater to twist around and perch herself up on his shoulder instead. She offered him a sidelong glance out of stubbornness before her eyes widened and promptly closed at the rush of seawater but what a sight she’d seen nonetheless.

Entrenched in a forest of kelp that tethered to her body in every which way, robbing her of breath and movement and strung up like sea life caught in fishing line that littered the sandy sea floor in an infinite reel—was Indy’s sister.

Roje. How the fuck did you get down here?

An unfortunate feeling told Silver that this wasn’t just some force of her brain concocting up a bunch of images that happened to place the vampire here anymore. Roje and Aódh were here, or at least, Roje was stuck here and it was the only rhyme and reason that would make sense as to how she managed to not be traced anywhere else in Marasong. No scent or sound of neither her nor Rhevens’s father since The Loving Spoon.

Everything told Silver to remain ragdolled over Aódh’s shoulder since she could barely even keep her eyes open nor could she really breathe at this point. The lightheadedness she felt was approaching its limits her vision continued to waver into sinister shapes or the ever narrowing vignette around the edges, but she couldn’t just sit and sense Aódh’s struggle knowing that Roje was looking pretty dead for an undead. It filled her with worry, had her planting her feet onto the sandy floor unsteadily as she could only imagine how Indy would feel to know that her sister had succumb to the sea. Sure vampires and werewolves were immortal and all, but there were limits. Limits that both her and Aódh were going to hit with nothing to show for it if they didn’t wrench Roje free.

Silver dug her hands into the kelp and tore away at it with all the strength and leverage against the shallow flooring that she had, squeezing her eyes shut half the time and peering through narrowed slits for the rest. Glimpses of Roje’s face appearing so at ease like she was asleep, frustrated Silver to no end because if she really had used up every ounce of energy struggling against the tangle, then there was no telling if there was enough time to even get her out nor if there was any chance in them freeing her enough before they too ran out of time.

C’mon Roje, give us another sign.

 

[KodakWolf]

Riley Adler / Boy​

The path to the clinic was uneventful, aside from the usual ‘dogs not allowed inside’ that Augie again managed to navigate around. But uneventful never really lasted too long. Once inside, they were soon told the news that Marianne, whoever she was, was no longer in the clinic, at least temporarily. And her son, whoever he was, was also no longer in Marasong, busy taking care of his mother. Didn’t appear like happy news exactly, but it also didn’t appear like something that’d affect them too much. There was a substitute, and she could fix Augie’s arm, right?

But Augie’s reaction said otherwise. He didn’t initially say anything, but Boy was instantly able to tell Marianne and her son’s departure was bad news. But he wouldn’t elaborate, which was frustrating. But the fact Augie was whispering hinted he wouldn’t elaborate anyway, not even if the dog was able to ask him to. Not there, anyway.

It was a long wait, or it felt like one, with the atmosphere only getting heavier and heavier. He’d been sitting a few yards away from Augie, watching him intently. Perhaps it’d been actually less than a minute when a commotion was clearly heard in the room next door, when Max walked in. Yes, he was that good at recognizing voices.

A body found on the beach. Another body. It made Boy’s blood run cold; he knew Dusk. From far away, but he knew who he was. That'd be hard to pass off as a drowning. Plus, that was the second body in a short amount of time.

If there was still any room for doubt about Augie’s mood (and there wasn’t), now it’d reached a completely new level. Despite that, the dog felt the urge to leave and go check it out by himself, to make sure it was real, to try to understand it, now that he was able to navigate with ease. He even got up, and loitered near the door for a minute, hoping someone would open it and he’d be able to get out. Thedamn lack of thumbs, and all.

When the voice inside his head spoke again, it wasn’t nearly as much of a surprise as it used to be the first few times, but it still startled him a bit. One never really gets used to hearing a dark version of their own voice inside their heads. What it said though, made no sense to him. This couldn’t be his magic. He hadn’t done anything, and neither had his magic. It was always with him. Was he himself in danger though? Was Augie? His friend's broken arm probably spoke for itself.

He just couldn’t leave Augie now. Even if his presence had proven itself dangerous to Augie before, he couldn’t leave his friend to deal with those news by himself, and with a broken arm on top of it all. Besides, in a place as small as Marasong, the clinic would probably be where the body would be first taken anyway.

So he moved away from the door and towards Augie, nudging his hand a couple of times in reassurement, then curling up at his feet. It was the best he could do for now. At least until he understood more of what was going on.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Bernard Greve
Location: Crowd controlling Docks;
With: Indy, Leif, Bill, and Hatsu;
Interactions: Out Of Words Mentions: Rhyme BillieRoss KodakWolf silverwhere
Art by leevolt on DeviantArt
Mood: Stifled stoic;​

Inevitably the crowd's size doubled, but Bernard had not been alone in his shepherding efforts. Indeed, a group helmed by a man as broad as a barn of tungsten with a messy hairdo provided assistance. Bernard had his back to the man portioning out orders to townsfolk near him, a mote of appreciation as Bernard recognised a kindred familiarity in the man's actions. His chest and arms still hold the crashing tide of bodies, big and small, back, but Bernard turns his head in time to catch a nod sent to him by the man. Replying in kind was the only course of action sensible.

Imperceptibly, their nudging, their rubbing, their chafing amongst themselves produced a cat's whisker of static in which Bernard, wholly unbeknownst to his senses, siphoned off of it. By extension, the touch on their persons also yielded a boon, however minor, to Bernard. The whole process reminded of sucking through a straw unconsciously... Or feeding nutrients to a coma patient through an intravenous tube in his subclavia vein. The Professor's eye twitched to the disruption.

With one ear, Bernard lent to the crowd to hopefully lap up a smidgen of their conversation, hoping for a salient detail as the first, best option or early warning. Despite the proportion to his back, Bernard could auscultate the details of their conversation between the burly man, the blond man, and Indy herself about the waterlogged corpse that had been Dusk.

He'd maintained well enough focus to know certain details, but the vast array of his caught another concerned onlooker amidst the thalassic mass of fizzogs; the coincidental appearance of this woman, built like a chimney with dirty irises, intrigued Bernard. Previously, he had assumed that, after their parley in the Spoon, they'd retreat to the forest or continue on with their investigation, but with the revelation of her presence challenged that prior assertion in full to Bernard's rationale. The simplest explanation is undoubtedly that they were within the area, Bernard knew that he did not possess evidence beyond the scope of heuristic conjecture.

The witch's panic had been plain as day to Bernard's mind. It started off as a stare, but oh Bernard knew what she was thinking: why's he here, why's he here?! He stopped looking at Bill immediately, moments before she snapped out of her faux-leer at him. He will assume a time to converse with her later.

 

[KodakWolf]

Leif Hjalkarssen​

It was impossible to miss the large man approaching through the crowd, and as Leif’s gaze was drawn to the figure, he immediately recognized him, although the impression the man gave off was very, very different than that of the minotaur the vampire remembered. Leif watched as the man took over the scene and started giving directions. All the while, the crowd grumbled and mumbled under their breaths, words the vampire would’ve easily picked out, were it not for the huge number of people. He watched as a woman approached and made her way to the house boat, and as another man left to look for Marianne and the ranger.

Which made his mind dart instantly to the ranger station, where whoever went there looking for the ranger would most likely find a dead body next to a glass of water, a piece of paper and a pen. If they got through the locked door, that was, which was only a minor hindrance to someone determined enough to find the ranger.

Now, he wasn’t too worried about it. Most locals probably knew what River’s deal was, and if they didn’t, it wasn’t an issue impossible to remedy. But he remembered Wiri’s notes on Sage, and if he could potentially trust anyone there, it’d be Sage.

“Sage.” He raised his voice enough to draw the man’s attention to himself. At this point, he expected the familiar face to meet his eyes without any signs of recognizing him, but it was still a strange sensation. He waited for Sage to show any signs of listening, before he spoke. “The ranger’s missing.”

The words that escaped his mouth weren’t exactly the ones he had in mind, but they were the most genuine. He intended to say, ‘the ranger might be missing’, or something along the lines of ‘the ranger hasn’t been in the station for at least a few days’, but he knew something was wrong and the man was definitely not around. It was a gut instinct, and Leif had long learned to listen to those at the right times. Whether he was dead, on vacation or pushed out of town for unknown reasons, by unknown forces, the vampire knew he wasn’t within reach and wouldn’t make it to the docks to take care of Dusk’s body, not today. Sage would need a plan B.

 

[Britt-21]

Despite still being blind as a bat and releasing the last of her bubbles into the abyss, the rippling continued to hold her attention. Whatever the hell it was, it was giving her one thing to look at while feeling this odd feeling of something coming toward her? Did her plan actually work? Oh good heavens it had to! Without even thinking, she attempted to move her arms and try to reach up, reach out, in whatever direction she could to assist in her aid. Her heart was leaping with joy, her stomach doing flips. This presence was not like that of the monster child so she knew that this was it. She was getting the fuck out of here and being brought back to the group. You sly one. Roje thought, referencing to the cat who gave her the one chance to make it.​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
GM Updates​

Underwater, Aódh fought to free Roje from the tangle of kelp, but they fought back. If not for his quicker reflexes, Aódh would have surely become as ensnared, if not worse. Yet Aódh was prevailing, tearing off more than the stalks could replace, and Roje could feel the lightening of the constriction around her body. However, Silver wasn't faring as well. Perhaps she was weakened by being underwater so unexpectedly, but Silver's attempts to mimic Aódh's success was failing. Vines began wrapping around Silver's wrists, twisting and turning, trying to disorient Silver by spinning her around and around, while more vines began to creep up around Silver's legs.

Roje could feel the constriction being loosened, though it felt like they were fighting something or someone. Still blind and deaf to anything but the sound of water, she could still sense someone helping, or attempting to help. There were two distinct presences nearby, but one had started to give off a sense of distress. Or perhaps that was Roje, so close to possible freedom, senses overloading with the surge of adrenaline.

Meanwhile, in the clinic, Augie was tired of waiting as well. He moved to the door not long after Boy moved away from it. When it was opened, it was to a small scene of chaos. There were a couple of staffers quickly shouldering bags and grabbing a stretcher, each one asking questions. "Are you sure he's dead? Has anyone alerted Beth? Where is this at again?" Max was doing his best to answer and reassure that the body was most definitely deceased.

One noticed Augie and moved toward him, but he was already speaking, "Uh, I'm sure it's just a sprain, if I could just get an arm sling? I can come back tomorrow for a checkup, you seem to have your hands full at the moment." And because they did, indeed, have their hands full, they didn't move to question or check his arm to make sure it was just a sprain. An arm sling was handed to him and he quickly made his way outside, just a minute before the small crew rushed out and followed Max to the location of the deceased. Once they were clear of the clinic and a little ways away, Augie headed for their cove. "C'mon, Boy. I need to think." He was definitely more solemn and quiet, and in pain but masking it well.

Down along the shore and Dusk's private dock, Bernard strained to make out any relevant conversation. However, each time he inadvertently fed by brushing against someone in the crowd he held back, a small electric hum filled his ears. It grew in volume with each subsequent feeding, making the eavesdropping an impossible task. However, the vampire could not miss the hard stare of a certain female in the crowd.

Once Leif advised Sage the ranger was missing, the large man did lose a little color in his complexion, but carried on. He kept his voice low, masking his worry almost convincingly. "They'll send someone from the clinic, most likely. After that... they might have to call someone from another town then." He looked to Indy, his forehead creased briefly. "Make sure you go with them, they'll need to write down your statement."

Sage still had a hand on Rheven's shoulder. "You won't be able to help right now, Rhevens. You stick with me, got it?" The boy was still in shock, sobs stilled, but tears still coursed down his cheeks. He couldn't answer other than a nod of his head as he rocked slowly. "We'll sort it out." The crowd itself was starting to meander apart, work still needed done after all. Lots of cargo still to sort and put away. Some stayed, faces solemn, perhaps wondering what if it had been one of them, or empathy for the young man who had lost his dad. Maybe just morbid curiosity kept them around, but they weren't trying to get closer at least.




OOC Information

Hatsu, Bill silverwhere BillieRoss : Bill, in staring at Bernard, you think you see small twitches in his arms, or the sides of his neck. It seems to happen each time there's contact with someone else in the crowd. Maybe he really didn't like being touched. Hatsu, you figure it's going to be a pain to remember where you were at in the treasure hunt and will need to start over, or try again another day. Also, please roll a d20 with your post this week.

Indy, Bernard, Leif Rhyme Worthlessplebian KodakWolf : Indy, sounds like you may be expected to go with whoever comes to pick up the body, or at least stick around to give a statement. Leif, Sage definitely understood what you mean, and you could tell it wasn't good news. Oh, and you've lost track of Bug in the commotion. Bernard, the more you feed, the louder the hum in your ears, and it's beyond your control, as is the periodic twitching of muscles each time you come into contact with someone.

Riley KodakWolf : Augie's arm was not a sprain, but he was either not in too much pain, or good at masking it, which might mean this wasn't his first broken arm rodeo. His steps were fairly swift, it was clear he wanted to retreat to their little cave and get away from the chaos that was sure to fill the rest of the day.

Aódh, Silver Larry Silver- : Aódh you're focused on Roje, but can sense the vines whipping around, spinning up a current next to you. Silver, in your spinning, you catch a glimpse of other vine 'pods', several years apart from one another. Some with more bulk than others, but your immediate concern is not letting those vines entangle you like they did Roje. It's highly doubtful Aódh would have enough air left to free both of you.

Roje Britt-21 : That was not just the vines you felt briefly, someone had touched your wrist, your arm, and the vines there lessened. You were so close! Do you struggle to help, or stay still and let that someone do what they can? But what was that strange churning in the water near you?

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Britt-21]

Oh shit! Whatever was happening, it was helping her move more and more. Despite her deafened and blind state, feeling just the presence of another being continued to fuel her hope to survive. Even just feeling that brush of connection against her skin was fueling her even more. The vampire wanted to help, she wanted to make it easier. Which was why she reached out forward to the best of her ability with one arm, while the other reached up. If anyone was above her, they'd get a hand, and whoever was in front of her had gotten the other. Come on, come on. she thought. This woman was determined to get the hell out. Though she wished she could see again, or even hear. But right now that was hard to wish for when her sense of touch was starting to go into overdrive with already most of her senses blocked out.

Out Of Words Larry Silver-​

 

[silverwhere]

Hatsu Black
- He/Him -
The Dock | Everything is not fine
Tags: Out Of Words BillieRoss Rhyme Worthlessplebian KodakWolf ​

Nothing could prepare him to see a waterlogged body that was no longer human. He had been in the water long enough for nature's unforgiving grasp to take hold. Hatsu couldn't remember the man that once walked the same dock he did now, but he knew this was once a local. It was rare for a local to drown. Typically, the role filled by tourist who never knew how unforgiving the shores of Marasong could be - but things were changing. It wasn't long ago when another local mysteriously drowned. The data was painted an ugly picture proving no one was safe from the deadly waves.

Morbid curiosity brought a crowd of people came, one pushed walked past the body and towards Indy, the rest were confronted by Bernard and Sage who did their best to send people away. He turned to look at Bill to see how she was holding up, but instead of the body, her eyes were glued onto Bernard. The warning she gave him echoed; did she think he did this? Maybe he did, but it didn't make much sense. Indy was dripping wet and that meant she most likely dove in and drug the body out of the depths. Bernard wouldn't let her do that if he had something to do with the man's death.

That brought up another issue, Indy had been looking for her sister. Did she think that maybe her sister could be down there? It brought up a terrible realization: where there is one, there is more.

The crowd slowly started to dissipate, their curiosity was satiated and there was work that still had to be finished by the end of the day. Sage stayed next to Rhevens and comforted him as Bernard kept the remaining crowd back. The stare that Bill gave Bernard was enough of an excuse for him to ignore the other man. He slipped pass the remainder of the crowd and made sure to keep distance from the grieving son. He held his breath as he walked passed the body and swung his backpack around to pull out the sweater he had been saving. It would have been more noble to give it to the dead man so he could have some privacy in his final moments, but Hatsu did like this sweat...and he doubt that dead people would care. So the sweater was handed to Indy. It was better to be traumatized and warm then traumatized and cold.

"Here," He said not giving her much of a choice but to take it before he turned and carefully made his way back to Bill.

Hatsu was ready to leave and see if he could find a good therapist.

((rip the dice roll was a 3))

 

[KodakWolf]

Leif Hjalkarssen



Sage masked his worry almost convincingly. Perhaps convincingly enough for most of those who could hear him, as gradually the crowd started dispersing (way sooner than Leif'd expect them to), but the vampire could easily tell 'calling someone from another town' wouldn't be enough to replace the ranger, whatever that meant. Guess he'd stick around a little bit longer, though the list in his mind of people he had to see kept growing. He definitely needed to talk to Sage, and Ravens might have an idea why his father was targeted, though Leif wasn't really sure when he'd actually be able to talk to the grieving man. And maybe he shouldn't. He couldn't help but acknowledge this nagging feeling he didn't have too often, as he watched the young man cry for his father. The feeling that perhaps he shouldn't cross into the victim's side of the line, that he shouldn't even talk to Ravens, not to offer him words of comfort and not to ask him for information. How hypocritical would that be. He hadn't been the one to kill Dusk, but he'd killed so many others...



His eyes soon moved away from the young man and Dusk's body as he switched his focus to Indy, as he realized neither Roje or Silver were anywhere to be seen.



"Where's your sister?" He asked her in a quiet tone. He knew enough about Roje's history with Dusk to know she might very well have been taken as well. That was probably why Indy was diving under the docks to begin with.



When he did look at Indy, he couldn't help but notice out of the corner of his eye that something was going on with the man standing next to her. The one he assumed he could potentially trust, given that he and Indy seemed to be on the same team. In what looked like a nervous tic of sorts, his muscles twitched every time he touched someone. It was subtle enough that it didn't immediatelly draw attention, but once Leif noticed it, it was hard to ignore.



The stench of the corpse, plus all the people gathered in the same place, made it hard for him to pick up any sort of information that could tell him more about the man's potentially supernatural nature, but his instincts and experience told him there was no 'potential', but definitely a supernatural being there. Takes one to know one. Something was off about him, perhaps something in the air around him, perhaps just how he carried himself. And perhaps Leif wasn't the only one who had noticed it.



The stare of a woman standing in the crowd was short of burning through the man's skin, and perhaps that was why Leif's gaze somehow found its way to her. Again, from that distance and with that many people around, he wasn't able to tell much about her other than she looked odd, odd for just a regular human. It wasn't too hard to tell apart those who knew what the world was really like from regular, nonsuspecting humans.



His gaze was drawn away from her, however, when another figure broke out of the crowd and made his way to them. A short man was walking towards them, which put Leif on alert as he watched the man approach and hand Indy a sweater, then turn around and leave. Odd. But perhaps the least odd thing to happen that day so far. As he watched the short man leave and join (guess who) the staring woman, Leif's attention returned to the man who looked like he was permanently electrified.



"Are you alright?" He addressed the man quietly, still keeping the strange duo within his peripheral vision, while his eyes now focused on the man standing next to Indy. And the question his eyes asked was more of a 'What is going on with you?'.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Bernard Greve
Location: Crowd controlling Docks;
With: Indy, Leif, Bill, and Hatsu;
Interactions: KodakWolf Mentions: silverwhere Out Of Words Rhyme
Art by leevolt on DeviantArt
Mood: Stifled stoic;​

Finally, the crowd's bustling receded then withdrew entirely, silently Bernard appreciated it. There was a static in his muscles erratic yet subdued. And Bernard sprouted an inkling about it moments ago, had he been feeding on these poor, worried, dyspneic souls? Was a question that Bernard did not expect to ask of himself today, but in strange days then even the composed may falter. He broke off from them and they him with the motility of two sticks of adhesives divorcing. The professsor pondered properly in purview of Bill's persistence in this preposterous property, could revanchist thought now spur her onward to strike him down? Hardly an opportune time, but keeping in mind with the prospects of spellcraft inclination then the reality of it isn't so far-fetched as one would believe. In either case, Bernard isn't keen on mounting defences against her. One on the basis of not being able to defend lacking the proper conceptual tools, the latter reason being that it could trigger a premature act if she became aware of it.

He found his way by Indy's resting side. Hatsu, one had been accompanying the witch, draped a sweater around Indy. This prompted a cocked eyebrow from Bernard, rubbing the stubble dotted on his chin. "Mærkelig fyr. That Hatsu is," Bernard murmured unintelligibly as he dropped his arms to the side. Although his attention now turns to the blond man whispering an interesting question to his ear.

"Are you alright?"

Were the words that Bernard heard through the narking hum in his ear. He gave him a sidelong glance, just long enough to hint that he is processing the line of questioning. "Ah, oh... I'm fine? Just a condition I have, had an accident years ago in the lab." Said Bernard with a hushed tone, thickened by the presence of his Danish accent. "I'm sorry, did you know the deceased well?" This is a benign, normal question but Bernard used it to turn the tables on the interloper. Regain the initiative, if you will.

 

[KodakWolf]

Leif Hjalkarssen

The man gave a vague answer, and was quick to change the subject. Fair enough. Leif didn't really expect him to spill all the beans at a simple question from a stranger. Now, what he said might be true, might be a partial truth or a straight up lie. Leif had reasons to believe this man wasn't to blame for Dusk's death, yet he wouldn't be unwise as to rule him out completely just yet. But there was also no need to push him any further for now, so he just nodded in acknowledgement of the man's answer, eyes on him the whole time as he pondered an answer to the question he'd been posed.

"Kind of..." he spoke quietly and made a brief pause, when eyes drifted towards the body and then back to the dark haired man. "Depends." He gave a small shrug and his focus shifted back to Sage. It did depend. On which timeline they were at, for one. But it was pointless to detail things like that. He doubted anyone but those he arrived with would deem him anything other than insane upon hearing something of that sort.

 

[Rhyme]

Indy

Location: On the docks
Tags: Out Of Words Worthlessplebian silverwhere KodakWolf Mentions: Britt-21 BillieRoss

A Ranger. The Ranger. She had met a ranger, hadn't she? On the day they fell from the sky into this backward-ass rendition of her hometown, he had helped them--with the truck, right? Fuck all her memories were churning again, warped and rattled by song and stress. And the vampire, did the ranger have to do with why he wanted to talk to her--or was it only one of a growing pile of events for them to sort through?

The man's--Sage's--expression at the mention of the missing ranger confirmed her anxieties. Perhaps this wasn't the first body to be discovered recently in Marasong--hopefully Indy wasn't too late to keep her sister from being the next.

When he mentioned her going to the town station, Indy bobbed her head. "Sure, yeah, of course." She wouldn't be going anywhere.

The man didn't seem to catch her suppressed sarcasm to he turned away without further questioning, giving the vampire the opportunity to continue his own questions.

"Where's your sister?"

The muscle in Indy's jaw jumped. "I'll let you know when I find her."

A movement behind him caught her eye as Hatsu--probably lured by the kid's sobs--appeared with a backpack in hand. She was certain he was going to the kid in order to offer additional comfort, but instead, he took a wide path around the body in order to approach her.

She held the sweater in her hands numbly as he passed it to her. Her expression was blank as he unceremoniously turned, heading back into the crowd to meet the girl from the cafe earlier--the one who had been anything but pleased at Indy's appearance, and now looked a bit ill at the sight of the corpse.

He was too far away from her by the time she remembered her manners, so she lifted one hand in acknowledgment rather than shouting her thanks over a deadman. The material was soothing against her cold skin and that small cord of nostalgia for the community warmth in Marasong was once again plucked.

She listened to the vampire and Bernard exchange quiet words as she pulled the sweater over her head, her face popping out just as the vampire admitted to knowing the deceased. Only kind of, however--that had her turning a curious look toward him. So he certainly knew something.

"You're right," she muttered. "We should talk. All of us, maybe." She was tired of trying to decipher a jigsaw puzzle with only a fraction of its pieces--and there was no way she was going to find Roje on her own, not at this rate. The risk was worth the information.

coded by: @s e v e n

 

[BillieRoss]

Bill
Location: The Docks
With: Hatsu ( silverwhere )

Bill watched as Hatsu turned back from the crowd, wandering away from the bloated corpse.

That was fair, she supposed. It was hardly a pleasant sight. Or smell. And there wasn’t much help for them to be.

The man was dead. There were some things even she couldn’t fix.

It felt insensitive to ask whether they were going treasure hunting, and the taste for it had left her mouth. Besides. She was starting to get the feeling she had bigger fish to fry.

She fell in step beside Hatsu, walking away from the scene.

“D’you want to come back to mine?” she asked quietly. Her place would be nice. It was somewhere quiet. Somewhere away from it all. Somewhere with free tea and wards that would keep things that go bump in the night out.

They could regroup there. And maybe she could brush up on her vampire lore. You know. Just in case.

She knew Bernard had seen her staring. Fairly everyone had. So what, she thought, let them judge me for all I care. I’m tired of playing nice with these people. I’m tired of playing nice with this town.


She glanced over her shoulder at the corpse one last time, just in case it had moved. Of course it hadn’t. She glanced at Indy, at Bernard. At the crying man. At Sage.

What a mess.

What a fucking mess. And it wasn’t even noon.

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
GM Updates​

The scene by the water didn't ease up, if anything it grew more complicated as the crew from the clinic made it, having rushed all the way there. They puffed slightly out of breath, and others smothered a gasp at the sight of the body. It took a minute before they moved into action. They laid the stretcher down alongside the body, politely guiding those near it to move out of the way. A blanket was laid on top, covering the man almost head to toe. Dusk had been rather tall, after all.

"We'll need whoever found the body to come with us to the clinic, please. And anyone who was a witness at the time." It was a small sized team, of five, four would be needed to carry the stretcher once the body was moved onto it. Until then, they did their best to take pictures of the scene, and they asked names for all those around the body at the time. The crowd beyond Bernard started to disperse, but a few remained behind, determined to see it to the 'end'.

The one with a clipboard started with those immediately next to the body. "Since the ranger isn't here at the moment, we'll need to do our best and record everything needed for an investigation. Names, please. And how did you happen upon the body?"

Meanwhile, Augie is determined to head back to the cave, away from the commotion, but something about Boy's determination had him diverting his path slightly. He made a beeline for Tilly's cafe instead. The crowd was thinned out as most had gone to see the commotion by Dusk's boat. Some were starting to head back, but by the time Augie and Boy reached the Loving Spoon, it was sparse inside.

Tilly took one look at Augie's arm, and ushered the two of them into an small room toward the back. It looked like an office, more or less. "Miranda, tend to any customers, please." Boy was allowed in as well, but she gestured toward a spot out of the way. "You sit there, mister." Even had a small wag of a finger at the dog before she turned her attention fully to Augie. "Ach, whatyerdun?" Followed by a clicking of her tongue in a classic tsk tsk manner.

Hatsu and Bill were discouraged from continuing their treasure hunting for the day. Instead the pair made their way back to Bill's place, where even the permanent box of bugs seemed to sympathize. They only clicked and clattered around until Mary thwapped the top with a paw to get them to stop. What started out as an excited day quickly spiraled into a dark and somewhat ominous atmosphere instead.

It was still a better day than Aódh, Silver, and Roje were having. The water pressure around the would be rescuers began to increase, and there was a strange whispering in the back of all their heads. It sounded amused and pissed off at the same time.

"You shall not take what is MINE!"



OOC Information

Hatsu, Bill silverwhere BillieRoss : Mary seemed to have developed a method to shut up the bugs in the box permanently affixed to Bill's floor. She sits near it and keeps them quiet, more or less. Without the treasure hunt to distract, stomachs are grumbling for some lunchtime meals. It is nearing 3pm, time a wonky thing, and it keeps your insides slightly off kilter. Or was that just seeing the dead body? Do you investigate the current happenings, or try to chill and plan out the treasure hunt for the next day?

Indy, Bernard, Leif Rhyme Worthlessplebian KodakWolf : All three of you are questioned by the clinic member with the clipboard. Sage as well, and he explains his part, which wasn't much. Rhevens is excused from answering, but requested to come to the clinic for a general well being checkup. Indy and Bernard, if you try to get out of going to the clinic, be sure to add a d20 roll to your post.

Riley KodakWolf : Tilly speaks and looks at you like she definitely knows your secret, but her concern is fixing Augie's arm. There is a moment when she's asking Augie, where those eyes look to you as if you could answer instead. There's a sense of intimidation in that gaze, but the dark magic just gives a low chuckle in the back of your head.

Aódh, Silver, Roje Larry Silver- Britt-21 : The vines holding Roje are stubborn, and your air is quickly depleting from your lungs. Chests burn with the need to breathe. Need Silver and Aódh to roll a d20 with your next posts. Roje, every now and then, you can feel those trying to free you struggle. The attempt to tear off the vine hesitates, and their motions seem sluggish. And then you all hear the whisper at the back of your mind. Roje, you've heard it before and you know a certain thing must be coming back.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[KodakWolf]

Riley Adler/Boy​

It looked like Augie was game to head to the docks and see for themselves what was going on, but Tilly’s turned out being the furthest the man was really willing to go. Fine. The smell only got worse the closer they got to its source anyway, so perhaps by stopping at Tilly’s they could learn something, maybe eat and hopefully not sense that powerful smell as much.

It was quiet inside, but they were soon ushered into another room in the back, as Tilly was quick to notice they weren’t there simply looking for food. Boy hadn’t really planned for it , but perhaps she’d be able to fix Augie’s arm, which would be better than waiting for the next day. He quickly obliged when Tilly sent him to sit somewhere out of her way, and he did his best to watch from the distance, not even moving to get a better angle when Tilly happened to stand between him and Augie at times.

There was something about Tilly’s tone, about her gaze, that wasn’t as welcoming as it used to be, or at least as he remembered it. She was obviously more focused on fixing Augie’s arm than anything else, but she did make it obvious that she knew Boy could understand everything she said and did. It did spark a vague memory on the dog, from some time ago, of her telling Augie to stop by the cafe alone. Yes, maybe she already knew.

Still, as intimidating as her gaze was, the dog wagged his tail quietly every time she looked in his direction. Maybe she didn’t like him very much, but he liked her regardless. Especially because his dark magic seemed not to. Augie probably wouldn’t be able to explain why he fell, and to be honest, Boy probably wouldn’t be able to offer a very good explanation either, although he obviously saw more than Augie did. But he didn’t really understand what he saw. Was Tilly suspecting him? Perhaps she wasn’t able to tell the difference between his magic and himself. Well, even Boy himself wasn’t, until a short while ago.

 

[KodakWolf]

Leif Hjalkarssen​

The crew from the clinic didn’t take long to arrive, especially considering they ran from the clinic to the dock. Even in a small place like Marasong, Leif was still expecting to see some sort of vehicle. He quickly stepped back to give them space to work, but made sure to stick around for the questioning he knew was about to happen, otherwise it’d look pretty suspicious.

He answered whatever questions were thrown his way when it was his turn, but definitely left out any mentions of time traveling, universe skipping and things of the sort. Thankfully, the questions were pretty basic and didn’t seem to concern much of the supernatural world, even though they definitely should. Something told Leif that the crew wouldn’t be able to get a lot done in terms of stopping the killings (killings, because Dusk was certainly not the first one) or even investigating. They were probably on the same side as himself in those circumstances, but they didn’t seem like they’d be of much help. Perhaps it was the fact nothing supernatural was even remotely mentioned during the questioning, even though Leif was pretty sure whatever was to blame for the murder was anything but mundane.

Regardless, his suspicions seemed to have been confirmed when one of the crew members mentioned the ranger not being around, and they needing to record as much as possible for a future investigation. When asked, they said something about the man's mother taking ill so he took her to a place deeper mainland, which still sounded like a excuse for something else, even if the crew themselves potentially didn't know what the something else was. Leif didn't ask them further, for now. They didn't seem too concerned, or they hid it pretty well. Leif’s guess was they were still counting on the ranger's return sooner rather than later. Still counting on him to save Marasong.

And was the ranger really the only one responsible for the safety and well being of everyone in town? Whatever kind of supernatural being the ranger was, it still sounded like not enough law enforcement, especially when those on the other side of the law were constantly not human either. No wonder this thing chose Marasong to start murdering people. It did seem like an easy enough target, a thought that evoked an unwelcome but very familiar feeling in the back of the vampire’s mind, one he chose to ignore at a time where there was so much more at stake.

“I need to talk to you about your father.” He approached Sage, and whispered just loud enough for the man to hear him with a minimal chance of something else hearing it as well. “Meet me later at the ranger station.” The cafe was also a good pick, but it’d be more likely they’d be overheard there. No sea glass, but lots of real ears around. He offered Sage a nod when he met his eyes, hoping the man would be interested enough to show up. One thing he was sure of, no one would be talking openly about anything of importance right then and there, so he might as well keep moving.

Leif offered Indy and Bernard a small wave and a nod, and whispered to Indy three words, ‘ranger station later’, before he started walking away from the scene and back towards town with the few other spectators that’d stayed behind long enough and were now also heading back. He made sure he saw no familiar faces in the streets before he headed to Levi’s house and knocked on the door. He hadn’t seen Levi at the scene with the body, so hopefully he was still home.

 

[Britt-21]

Out Of Words Silver- Larry

Roje heard it. That cursed voice in the back of her head. Whoever was saving her was going to get caught. Fuck fuck fuck. They had to go. They had to leave her here. If she had to stay down here longer than so be it, there was no way she wanted to have her saviors be caught in this mess too. I'm not your property you damn fish she thought while shaking her head within the water. While the vampire was tired, the hope of others saving her was fueling the desire to help in return. As far as she knew, it was her and whoever had touched her. Two against one. Despite being in the darkness and deafened by everything around her, Roje was still a vampire. She had her speed, she had her strength -whatever was left from it- and much more. Water slowed her movements, but she used what she could to muster the will to fight back against the vines in attempt to free herself and get her savior out of here. They had to go up with one blind and hopefully not the other blind.​

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Bernard Greve
Location: Subtler Docks;
With: Indy, Leif;
Interactions: Mentions:
Art by leevolt on DeviantArt
Mood: Medicating The Medics;​

The striding arrival of the clinic crew caught Bernard off-guard enough to step back. Creating room for them and their stretcher, four to take the body and one to question with clipboard in hand. Bernard rubbed his wrist in confusion. This had been the scene of a murder, or at the very least untimely death. So why are the authorities absent like a deadbeat father? He crossed his arms, pursuing rationality to explain away. Until he heard a whisper come from the blond man, it was not directed at him but Indy specifically. Through the low-tone and shuffling pedestrian feet, the Dane heard a single word: "ranger."

After the man's questioning, he managed to duck away. Vanishing into the bustling docks. Bernard will ask Indy about the whisper later, once his line of questioning had been concluded and they arrive at the clinic. "Greve, Bernard. Professor at the Copenhagen University in Denmark, my academy duties relate to physics. My friend and I" gesturing at Indy. "were perusing the docks in search of her sister, she had gone missing as well, you see. She happened to spot an oddity in the water, too strange to be ordinary detritus. So I suggested that she submerge to see what it is. That is when we happened upon the boy's father and when we retrieved his remains." Bernard explained.

In sincerity, Bernard thought nothing of this interaction. What is a local, bottom-of-the-barrel in terms of sophistication clinic would or could accomplish? These disappearances, evident by their suspiciously convenient happening, spell potential doom and threat for victims, now and future. Of which Indy's sister, Roje is certainly apart. He hopes the feline sister does not allow that line of reasoning to poison the well, but also wishes she brace herself for an unfortunate inevitability.