Realistic or Modern If December Freezes (IC)

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
1st Floor Rooms​

As Bernard headed toward his room to change clothes, he wound up in the same hallway as Augie, who was near an open door farther along. Room 104 to be exactly. Augie was peering inside and talking to someone in the room. The conversation carried well enough along the nearly empty hallway.

"Excuse me, have you seen uh.. a dog? About.. this tall, black in color, has a collar?" He moved a hand to show the approximate height of said dog.

"Sorry, no." The female voice carried the smallest tremble, probably from being surprised while working. It grew firmer in tone, but didn't completely lose the shakiness underneath. "I need to finish cleaning this room, sorry."

Augie made a sideways frown as a hand ran through his hair. "I swear I saw him in this hallway. Uh, thanks, sorry to bother you." He started to back away from the open doorway, when he spotted Bernard. A bit of a wave, and he moved toward the man, which was in the direction of the lobby. "Did you happened to see which way a black dog went?" He was obviously worried, and it carried through his tone of voice.




OOC Information

Riley KodakWolf : Underneath the bed, you can still hear the maid and Augie's conversation. You can hear the question Augie asks of someone farther down the hallway. Neither apparently spotted you darting inside or your hiding place. However, you can see a few things under the bed. They were likely dropped or maybe placed there on purpose. You're pretty sure one of the items is a wand, and a pair of bright yellow rain boots. Now you're inside the room, you can also pick up the scent of magic.

Bernard Worthlessplebian : There are small little surges you can pick up in the conversation, the quick ticks of electrical impulses that come with a spike of fear, and the wavy sensation of worry, the latter from Augie. He isn't hesitant to approach if it means he might find where the dog, Boy, went to. You might be able to pick up on more electrical impulses if you focused your abilities. (AKA roll a D20 in Discord if you go this route with your post.)

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Exhausted​

Mentally exhausted could lead to some strange dreams and perceptions of reality. The muffled click clack of the box of beetles became a very sporadic sound once very couple of hours. Nothing loud enough to interrupt one's sleeping, but present in the back of the mind all the same. Enough to make Mary slink off to another room.

Mind still worked even as sleep claimed Bill, and in sleep, a surreal mix of reality and perceived reality haunted her dreams. There was the house fire, but the flames danced and became a herd of small roaring dragons. Mini dragons, small enough to fit into a pocket, waddled around the house and spewed fire until the monsoon rains chased them away.

There was the other witch beside her as the rains drenched the two of them. She wore a bright green raincoat and a witch's hat one would expect to come out of some Halloween costume pack bought online. And the waters grew, reaching their chins though everyone else seemed unaffected by the swirling river to be. The witch in green slipped and disappeared beneath the water, never to emerge even once the waters receded into the surrounding woods.

Then there was the sound of a horse from the woods. The noise loud, nearly deafening as it seemed to be laughing more than neighing. Bill moved to investigate, only to see a dark, melting image of a unicorn dragging its butt along the ground, leaving behind a rainbow. The rainbow grew brighter and brighter, obliterating everything else until Bill found herself back in her rented room, in the bedroom with the beetles.

Beetles the size of a medium dog, black with many legs twitching every which way. They danced around Bill, chittering, click clacking, with Mary and a translucent rabbit riding on the back of two insects. They had little saddles and reigns, and rode them toward Bill's bed, the other insects followed. When they reached the bed frame, they shrunk small enough to skitter underneath, just as Mary jumped on top of the bed, but the rabbit stayed on the beetle, disappearing with the rest of the swarm.




OOC Information

Bill @BillieRoss : You wake up in between the dreams, each time feeling like there's something important you should remember. The dreams fade faster the more coherent you become, but you are able to fall asleep easily enough after a few minutes. And the next dream comes. Rinse, repeat. After the dream with the beetles, you wake up to Mary licking your face and meowing as she sat on your chest.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
In The Lobby​

Dapper laughed, and it took a few moments before he could stop chuckling and explain. "No one owns Indy. She's quite the independent... adventurer." Another couple of pets, but then the said adventurer was squirming and wanting down. "Okay, okay, easy. Here you go." Dapper sank into a crouch rather than bend down. He gave a good rub of the feline's head before letting all four paws touch the lobby floor.

"I'll find you later, yeah?" And then he let the cat go, but stayed in the crouch, obviously watching to make sure the feline knew where to go even as he addressed Aódh. "I don't know this Silver or other woman, but I trust Indy." He slowly stood, gaze still keeping a watch on the small cat. "If they're her friends, then they're in good company."

Seraphim let out a bit of a sound when she saw the cat free and scurrying about. Dapper held up a palm, "It's okay Sera. Beth can explain later." Seraphim slowly closed her mouth, cutting off any further noises of protest. She make it look like her attention was on the pile of pamphlets she had stacked on the front desk to refill the shelves for visitors' information.

"Hope you enjoy your visit to Marasong." Once again, Dapper was fully facing Aódh and addressing him directly. "Nice to know even visitors care about others. Even a cat." He gave a smile, one of those 'know something not being said' kind of smiles.




OOC Information

Aódh Larry : Before you can reply to Dapper, the lobby door opens and Silver enters, with Rhevens not far behind. And Dapper moves toward the front desk, seemingly to converse with Seraphim, likely about the feline in question.

Silver Silver- : Rhevens followed you back to the inn, either to make sure you arrive safely, or because he didn't have anything else he would rather do at the time. His smiles remind you of another time and place, underneath a different tree, but with the same warmth as that Rhevens tried to give you reassurance and peace of mind.

He holds the door for you when you arrive back at the inn, and you enter in time to hear Dapper talking about a cat. And you can see mentioned cat scurrying along the floor.

Indy Rhyme : Dapper's laugh reminds you even more of the days not so long past, when cookies were shared along the edge of the docks, feet swinging back and forth as ships were pointed out and stories made up about the cargo they carried. You can feel the weight of his gaze, a warm blanket against cold nights, as he obviously waits to see if you know where you're going.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Bernard Greve
Location: In the Inn;
With: Boy;
Interactions: KodakWolf (Boy) Out Of Words Only mentions: Larry (Aódh)
Art by leevolt on DeviantArt
Mood: joie de vivre;​

Greve closed his room door with scrupulous mindfulness, a thud could not even escape. His gaze, cocked eyebrow and all, surveyed the antiquated hallway. A fly's paranoia could not compare to the Dane. Such is life when dealing with the paranormal, perhaps more so now that chronological tomfoolery had been confirmed. A million-billion ideas ran through this dynamo vampire's skull. One of them was the idea that all of this transpired before in a hitherto mysterious timeline, but Bernard had dismissed such claims. If that truly be the case then he lacks sufficient evidence to prove it. The Dane could confirm one thing however, his temporary residence had not been a burgularised victim or befallen to a sneaky saboteur. The exchange of garb to sportswear seemed to warrant it. A deep blue tracksuit with a stylised lightning bolt on the left breast held the most value at the moment, if he needed to engage in kittenish activities. He is apprehensive about his behaviour, someone with keen pattern recognition could interpret Bernard's irregular behaviour ergo discover his motives. Then again, they could decipher any of their inclinations with enough time.

The rushed breathing of a young man drew Bernard's attention, his soft-looking-yet-firm fingers twisted the key as Bernard's head pitched at the direction. A sentiment of "this poor goose needs a flag of truce." Appearing on his face as a derisive smirk. Pocketing the keys, Bernard meandered his way to Augie. Hands dipped loosely into his pockets concurrently loosening his electroreceptor around to act as an interceptor of their reverberating rhythm. Like an algorithm designed to filter out the wheat from the chaff, his brain worked. He detected two living beings and an incredibly faint yet persistently present tocsin.

Augie mouthed off his worries. "I have not seen your dog pass my room, perhaps I just missed him." Though Bernard gave the truth, his intentions were never truthful to the world. His eyes snuck a peep at the maid, she seems to be working with haste. Aódh will be placed on Bernard's backburner for the moment, as he waited out the maid. Bernard found a tiny, slip of paper in his pocket. Devoid of contents, but it should serve his purpose. He stood there and silenced his breathing, this quieting of his noise will serve a purpose. His thumb pressed the slip against his other fingers and strained his eyes as if trying to read it. The maid emerged from the room three to five minutes later, her peripherals were filled with a blob of blue. Her head whips to find the professor gentleman preoccupied with a paper. This was when Bernard spoke up. "Oh, terribly sorry, excuse me, I was just reading this," Extended ring and pinky finger to add emphasis to note, while also not lifting too high for the light to reveal that it is, in fact, blank. The trick seemed to work, as it caught the maid flat-footed. She didn't even lock the door!

When she seemed far enough away, Bernard furtively entered the premises. The beeping signal on his radar pointed to the bed. His shoes tip-toed over the floor and met themselves in front of the mattress. "I know you're under there," He says, lightly tapping his foot. "Best come out, lest you face your master's scolding." By the third step, Bernard knew who it was under the bed. Boy, the dog or was he a dog at all?

 

[Rhyme]

Indy

Location: De Inn
Tags: Out Of Words Silver- Larry

Was she going somewhere? She had definitely been going somewhere, but Dapper's hand rubbing between her ears was like a magnet drawing her thoughts out of place. He said he would find her later, there would be a later--just as there always had been. It was a promise to return, someday.

She should have known better than to think she would never return to Marasong; that was her own fault.

The innkeeper looked pissed that she was around; funny how she didn't mind the dog too much but a cat was out of the question. Dapper's response to the innkeeper's complaints caught her attention, however. Beth had almost implied that her condition, as well as Roje's, were more or less open secrets--so why wasn't the innkeeper up to speed? Who knew about the nonhumans? She tried to think back to what that woman had told them when they first arrived in Marasong, that woman at the clinic--she had claimed those beyond her walls didn't know the difference but so many clearly did.

But Dapper was talking again in soothing tones and any cohesive thought was being washed away by the sound of water lapping up against the dock as he helped her toss bits of food to the fish swarming below their feet...

The door opened.

Silver.

She barely noticed the man at her side as Indy skidded across the floor and slammed into Silver's legs. She was safe, she was alright, it was Silver and everything in her brain felt like a thundercloud crackling with lightning as the two halves of herself seemed to crack against each other.

You're okay? You're okay. Please tell me you're good and nothing weird happened because I am losing my absolute shit and--her eyes snapped finally to the man standing beside Silver. Is that the fucking guy from yesterday?

coded by: @s e v e n

 

[Larry]

Aódh McFaol
Location: Marasong Inn.
Mood: Content to let things happen.
Interactions: Out Of Words | Silver-
Mentions: Rhyme | Worthlessplebian ​

I didn't think it was that bloody funny, Aódh thought, slightly confused about the egregious amount of chuckling that Dapper found himself subject to. He continued to speak about how Indy didn't really have an owner, talking about the feline almost as though she were a stray; that wouldn't explain why Silver impressed upon himself, Bernard and Jay that if they were to find Indy, to let her know. Strays, as far as Aódh knew, which wasn't too much admittedly, didn't need to be coddled too much, given that they're able to survive by themselves. So, as it stood, he was more inclined to trust the perception that he had of Silver and the other lady being Indy's owners, especially since Dapper stated that he didn't know who those two were. But that begs the question then: how is it that this Dapper knows of Indy but at the same time, doesn't know Silver and the other woman? The oddness of that situation is even more pronounced if Indy is a local cat. But if she's a local cat, surely he'd know the owners? But then why say that Indy doesn't have any owners? Aódh could feel his head becoming more and more mithered the more he considered the inconsistencies about Indy's ownership, so he just decided to leave things as they were, which included Dapper crouching down to let a restive Indy loose onto the floor, with a concerned-looking Seraphim peering out at the cat from behind the desk. Aware to her concerns, Dapper tried to allay whatever worry was threatening to creep even further over Seraphim's face, explaining that somebody called Beth would drop by and resolve everything.

Dapper then commented that, despite not knowing who Silver and the other woman were, that, if they were Indy's friends, then they were in good company. Aódh gave the barest nod of a head, not really sure how to respond to the statement, since his only impression of Indy was the feline trying to furiously escape his capture, though Aódh could understand the cat's reticence, given how demented himself and Bernard looked when they ran after her. Then, having got back to his feet, he wished Aódh an enjoyable stay in Marasong, appreciative of the effort, however strong, of the young man's attentiveness towards Indy. Before he couldn't even fathom the idea of responding to the man's well-wishes, the Irishman's attention was rapt by the sudden irruption of an ambivalent scent entering into the inn. He knew who these odours belonged to; the pleasant one, and the nauseous one. And indeed, if Indy sudden darting past him in the direction of the door to the inn, then so did she. He peered around, glimpsing both Silver and Rhevens together, the former given no time to think before Indy was practically clambering all over her leg in excitement.

"Well, I did as you asked," Aódh smirked, his mood made somewhat neutral by their joint arrival, "She seems to be fine though, if perhaps a bit rattled, but that Dapper lad seemed to have calmed her right down. Well, I suppose that's that. I'll talk to ya in a bit."

Looking around him, noticing the conspicuous lack of a Danish physicist in the lobby, he sighed, saying, "Where did ya go Bernie?"

 

[Silver-]

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

The door to the inn opened after Silver gave Rhevens a defeated, yet blithe sigh, nearly rolling her eyes at the chivalrous move paired with that warm smile of his. If this was his way of reassuring her, it was working--but she'd never admit it aloud. Her eyes snapped to a cascade of dark hair belonging to what appeared to be a man resting up against Seraphim's receptionist desk. The scent that drifted from him was.. odd, to sat the least. She barely had time to mull over it before something barreled into her legs and she whispered a "shit" in surprise, only to find it was no other than the pesky feline she'd been searching for the whole time.

"Indy!" Silver dropped to her knees as the cat fussed at her, Indy's words coming out loud and clear to her despite them being translated into a multitude of head rubs and meows for those whom were watching. Her dominant hand leapt to her mouth as she suddenly burst into laughter at the question that stabbed into her mind, Indy's attention glaringly trained onto Rhevens. She pulled it away to grin at Aódh with the remainder of the light that reached her eyes, nodding at his words. "Be seeing you." I'll have to figure out a way to repay you somehow. Thank you, Aódh. He'd been standing there the whole time with his body directed more so towards the man in question whom was still at Seraphim's desk.

Dapper.

The name wasn't familiar nor was his scent or appearance but from what she could tell, he'd interacted with Indy judging by how strongly she reeked of him. It stirred her wolf in a way, had her focusing a little more on whether or not he was to be trusted even if he'd calmed Indy down as the werewolf had claimed. She glanced up at the man, wanting to avoid him with her entire being but maybe if she picked up Indy she wouldn't have as much of an issue approaching him without purpose? Very carefully, she gathered Indy in her arms, mumbling quiet apologies to her about being scared she'd drop her or harm her on accident. She loved cats and all animals for that matter, but picking them up was something that struck her with fear more often than not. Cradling her like precious cargo, Silver began to approach Dapper silently but upon sensing the disquiet within Indy, she changed course in a swift motion to head straight for their room instead. There was some kind of rumbling happening and it wasn't Indy purring. It felt like the beginning of some kind of change.

 

[KodakWolf]

Leif Hjalkarssen
(Via Discord)
Location: Ranger's shack​

It took Leif another loop or two to realize he had a certain level of control over the scene pleying out. To realize he could pause it, replay it like a video, and have it go forward or backward. And that he was a part of the scene to an extent. For how long, he didn't know.

He started with tentative steps toward Wiri, shooting a glance around every other second so as to try not to miss anything. Perhaps he'd be able to see who the man was calling, or why he was fiddling with that drawer.


There wasn't any dialing, indicating Wiri had been the one called and he just picked up the phone.

As for the drawer, there was a brief glimpse of a notebook with a lack cover being laid on top of more notebooks. Wiri was locking it away in the drawer after having picked up the phone.


Eyes were glued on Wiri, attempting to read what he was saying. And when the phone call was over, he watched as Wiri locked the drawer, hoping to catch were he left the keys.


The memory wasn't in 4k HD, and pausing the playback would make motion parts blurry. Leif was only able to make out a few words and wasn't entirely certain he was correct.

Where...
When...
Shit...
...my way...

In his hurried movements to leave, seeing what he did with the key was impossible, but Leif did pick up the distinct sound of something clinking against the floor or some other hard object.


It was hard to read what the man was saying when Leif had no access to a context. But it sounded like the key had been dropped somewhere. Perhaps he'd be able to find it once he was out of this loop, whatever it was. Hopefully it'd stop.

He didn't linger too long on those thoughts, as soon the blue fog rolled in, or was that... water? And there was blue plankton, the same Leif saw at the beach where that picture had been taken, the one he visited the night before while looking for clues. Only this time if felt like he was in the depths of the ocean, not in shallow waters.

When the figures appeared, Leif tried to approach them, to take a better look. Wiri hadn't seem to have noticed him, he wondered whether those things would.


Like someone 'pinching' a phone screen to zoom in, Leif attempted to view one of the ghostly swimming figures closer. The lower half was definitely more like a fish, only void of any color save the ghostly translucent hues of the dream.

Leif moved to peer at the upper half, when suddenly the whole dream was interrupted. There was no more control, no more playback, no escaping the sudden face that filled the 'screen' larger than life. And it stared directly back at Leif.

"Tsk, tsk tsk." As if scolding a child, the voice had a lighter, higher pitched tone, but it echoed. It echoed like a chorus of thousands, with a bone chilling hiss underneath it all. "No more peeking for you."

And after a small, evil smirk, the mouth opened up wider than imaginable. Rows upon rows upon rows of sharp pointed teeth looked ready to devour the vampire's soul.


Leif was dropped back into reality with a racing heartbeat and lungs that gasped for air after holding his breath throughout the whole horror scene. He was left staring back at River's empty eyes but not really seeing them as his mind raced to try and make sense out of what he'd just seen.

Why had that happened? Was that a vision of the past, the present or the future? And was that an effect of River's blood, or part of the process they hadn't really talked about? What did sirens or whatever they were had to do with the horned creature from the picture, and was negotiating with them even something to be considered? And what would be the smartest way to go about it?

He was broken out of the rush of thoughts suddenly, just like the way he'd been pulled out of the creepy scene that'd been playing in a loop, and shot an instinctive glance at his surroundings, then down at himself, just to make sure he was where he thought he was.

River still stared at him, or toward him, with no visible indication that he'd wake up anytime soon. If anything, perhaps his eyes were even foggier. Fucker. How long was he supposed to wait before starting to think of ways to dispose of a body before the ranger (or someone else) showed up?

Running a hand through his hair with a sigh, Leif moved to a stand, looking around to locate the desk he saw in that vision. Eyes remained on River as he walked past the man, but once he reached his destination, he started looking around the desk for the key that seemed to have fallen somewhere nearby.

 

[KodakWolf]

Riley Adler/Boy
Tags: Worthlessplebian

Under the bed, the dog saw a few interesting objects. He was sure one of which had to be a wand, the magic that oozed off it leaving little doubt. Yet why would it be under the bed? And why was the maid placing everything in a garbage bag? It was a little unsettling, the kind of scene that usually followed some sort of grim event.

Every now and then, when he wasn't being stressed, threatened or chased by the things Marasong randomly decided to throw at him, he still sat in wonder at the marvel that being able to see again was. But sometimes he still had to rely on his other, better trained senses. He then let his nose start exploring the area under the bed and the many objects lying around, hoping to find an answer his eyes weren't able to see.

He was soon interrupted by the sounds of steps, several people, some walking, some almost running, it was hard to tell them apart, although the distinctive and familiar sound and rhythm of Augie's steps jumped to his attention. He made a slight motion to crawl out and meet his friend when the sound of Augie's voice was finally heard, but another voice stopped him, the maid he'd almost forgotten about in his rush to reunite with Augie, and he froze in place.

And he intended to leave again when Augie's footsteps started moving away, so as not to let the man get too far, but Boy was stopped again, this time by a voice that made him freeze even more frozen, if that was possible. The strange, funny speaking man he'd run into befote, the man who'd been chasing the cat, the one who started to seem like an ordinary tourist to him, but that at the same time he kept running into for no apparent reason.

And there he was again! What could he possibly want in Marasong, why was he always around? Marasong was small, but not like that! The dog's heartbeat started to really race when he sensed the man entering the room after the maid had left. Godammit. When he finally spoke, his words were what broke the dog out of his temporary paralysis, and he slowly crawled backwards, getting further away from the man without exposing himself and leaving the safety of the mattress.

'Best come out, lest you face your master's scolding?' First of all, that was no way to address a dog. Did he suspect him not to be a dog? Second of all, if the man had any good intentions, he'd have informed Augie of the dog's location, and not sneaked into the room like that. As if Boy needed any more reasons not to come out right away, there was also the fact that Augie was his friend, not his master, and that he wouldn't be scolded for looking after his own safety.

So still he remained, while carefully watching and listening for any movements from the stranger.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Bernard Greve
Location: Hallway;
With: Boy (Formerly);
Interactions: KodakWolf (Boy) Out Of Words (Augie)
Mentions: Rhyme (Indy) and Silver- (Silver)
Art by leevolt on DeviantArt
Mood: Relaxed;​

The continued resilience of the canine was commendable, though excruciatingly grating on Bernard's nerves. A withering of the soul, he would call it. His foot began to tap, giving more leeway to the animal stubbornly hidden under the mattress. His muscles tell him he could lift up the bed and expose it immediately, but that would result in a biting and we wouldn't want that, now would we? So there Bernard was, looking like a fool burning a hole through the years-used mattress. His left hand came to rest on the hip, loosening a sigh of exasperation. After a solid minute, no progress came. The Dane took a step back from the bed, intending to spread Boy's personal space. It was being obtuse, just like EVERYONE ELSE IN THIS GOD FORSAKEN TOWN! Finally he decided to speak, resolving to cut the deathly silence. "Alright then, let's not beat around the bush." Stolid, but tone lighter than a feather. It wouldn't do to alert anyone else in the vicinity.

"I can easily lift this bed, expose you then you'll very likely bite me in retaliation. So I won't do that." The man began to circle the bed, while keeping his eyes trained on the spot Boy occupied. "You're probably wondering why I didn't inform Augie that you were here," Hands moved behind his back. "Because I didn't see you, not in the traditional sense. And with that maid there, who was adamant that your caretaker not enter the premises, I did not want to trade verbal blows with her. You know how they can get around here." His footsteps tip-tapped the floor with unnatural lightness. "I know what you are, so I know that you can understand every word I say." Unbeknownst to the cowering canine under the cradling bed, this had been a bluff. Bernard only suspects what Boy is. For all he knew, this dog could actually be a dog. His actions were not in anyway contradictory to a frightened animal. But what Boy doesn't know, won't hurt him. "So I will extend an agreement to you, like I did to that young man Aódh. Marasong is submerged in supernatural ekskrementer and I am not sure if it is ontologically banal or benevolent so I intend to find that out. When we meet later, and I assure you we will, I hope you'll drop the act of ignorance. I'll get Augie in here."

The man walked away, the door flung open and he peeked his head outside. Looking both ways before calling out to Augie. "Hey boy, I found your Boy!" He stepped outside in full view so that Augie could see him. "The guy is absolutely paralysed with fear under the bed, guess he must have seen something odd or maybe I scared him accidentally." An index finger accusatorily pointed at the bed in room... 106. Once Augie entered, Bernard stepped away not wishing to further interact.

But not even two inches away from the room, his senses were suddenly assaulted by an eclectic surge of electricity. Bioelectricity emanating from a different room entirely. Such an overpowering phenomena could only be explained away by reconstruction of hundreds of thousands neurons as if they were being burn-etched into a new body. His eyes fluttered from the sensation as he propped himself against the wall. "That is... Staggering." A muttering acknowledgement of what transpired. To Bernard, it was like an adrenaline rush. He deigned to wait again, until whoever occupied that room left.

 

[Silver-]

[Scene Compilation]: Inn Rooms 202/203 (but actually the Ice Bucket Room downstairs)
Tags; Rhyme (Indy), Worthlessplebian (Bernard) Mentions; Britt-21 (Roje) Out Of Words (Augie, Dapper, Seraphim) KodakWolf (Boy)

Indy was shaking as Silver heaved her into her arms and began ducking down the hallway toward their rooms. She seemed to sense the static spreading throughout Indy's body as small crackles of pain blistered across her skin. It felt as though the whole of herself was being simultaneously pulled and pushed by some interior force that turned her vision blurry and her mind into fuzz. Fuck.

Her claws extended and a flicker of guilt swiped through her gut at the idea of accidentally nicking Silver's arms, but any sense of control over her body was gone. The string around her neck tightened like a noose as her skin began to bubble, ripples running from tail to nose in heaving waves. One paw extended toward Silver, claws nearly swiping her nose as Indy rolled in her arms. I'm dying. I am definitely fucking dying.

A single parting glance to Rhevens and Silver was hurrying down the hallway with a stride that wouldn't halt for anyone. She could practically feel the static coming off of Indy's body, wincing a bit as it felt like she was being zapped by dozens of little needles with Indy's claws pricking into her skin. She had no idea what was happening but maybe if she booked it quick enough, she could get them back to their room. Her head jerked up when claws reached up to slash at her, Silver murmuring quietly to Indy that it would be alright. There was one problem though: She didn't have pockets and the door was locked. My keys are in my coat. Fuck! The brunette whirled around to only see hallway extending before them on either side after she'd cleared the steps to the second floor. The bathroom? Maybe? Cursing under her breath, she adjusted Indy in her arms as the anxiety of holding her made her heart race. She could try and break down one of the doors, but it would cause a commotion. A closet maybe? Somewhere that they could hide. "Sorry, Indy. Bear with me."

Indy stilled slightly as Silver attempted to comfort her.
She couldn’t hear the words over the static crackling in her ears, but the soft hum of speech was a comfort to clutch. At least until Silver froze at some unknown realization that sent her whirling in circles. The quiet vibrations in Silver’s chest were drowned out by the quick drum of her pounding heart, her panic melting onto Indy. Any final vestige of control was lost; her skin burning and her legs spasming, Indy fell from Silver’s arms onto the carpeted floor.

Her vision was a churning mess of sparking red clouds as she careened on clumsy feet. She smashed into one wall and bounced off the next, shocked when the second wall turned out to be a door that gave way until the force of her small body. A room?! No, not a room—a closest, maybe. Something made the sound of a metallic beast crunching loudly with steel teeth and Indy pushed her body toward it. She had passed the point of simple pain and ached to find anything to mitigate the burning as one avoided the pain of an open wound by slicing off the opposing limb. Any torture would be better, any fresh hell so long as it was different than the current agony.

Her legs spasmed as she jumped, catching on the lip of a metal box as she flipped head-first into the metal beast that continued to groan. Ice. It was an ice machine, the door left open by some lazy guest. For one blissful moment, the rippling in her skin and the static in her brain subsided as the shock of the ice set everything still.

Then she began to morph. Her bones shivered. Her skin rolled in heaving waves that peeled back and churned as fur was swallowed by pale flesh. Paws spasmed and extended slowly into fingers. Indy’s mouth opened as she fought against a pained yowl while sharp teeth splintered and flattened into human molars.

Silver knew she'd made a mistake in hesitating the moment Indy's body slammed into the wall. Instantly, grief leapt into her lungs, chokingly holding her at the starting line of sudden panic as she felt the barrage of emotions from not only herself but from the little body that thudded ungracefully onto the floor. Half following the feline, Silver wrenched a random door open, barely catching sight of the fact that it was marked by a placard as an ice bucket room. It was tiny inside, smelt of frigid air and metal as water seemed to be trickling into the machine that formed the ice that now sat in a clean mound inside it's open door. Silver had a split second to notice the way Indy's muscles rippled for a jump, her arms catching air and her hands knocking against the metal machine just as she failed to grab Indy but at least made sure that she'd gotten all four paws safely into the ice box.

Her knuckles stung after impacting the cold material and she sucked in air quietly to both calm herself but also cut off any sound that may stress the feline further. She wasn't prepared to see a shift though. The scene played out exactly as it would've in a movie or show - something fabricated with graphics and animations yet this time it was real flesh and bone being hulled over a seemingly innocent Siamese cat body. It was loud in the way it filled the air, in how Silver could practically feel the bones snapping and being enveloped by muscle. She wanted to scoot away, cover her ears, and squeeze her eyes shut until it was over. It cemented itself her mind as she watched Indy shift in front of her - but in the end, she couldn't allow Indy to deal with it on her own. She couldn't bear to see her in pain. Fire raced up her arms and nearly had Silver buckling when she touched her, the pain itself seeming to pool into her as she crouched and pulled Indy out of the ice. Was she absorbing it or just feeling it through her? Whatever the case, she hoped she could take the pain away.

As Indy’s bones cracked and her body stretched, the rising tidal wave of pain stuttered just as it approached its crest. The pain was still present in a constant barrage against her body, yet the vivid sparks felt as though they had been seized by an invisible pair of hands that shielded some of their bolts under cool fingers.
Silver, she realized. She could feel her friend’s hands against her skin, she could smell the mix of pine and earth that composed Silver’s lupine form lurking beneath her own skin. Indy knew she should have felt guilt for the pain her friend accepted on her behalf, but in blind panic all she could muster was insurmountable relief as a series of loud pops signaled the final stages of her shift back into her human form. A silent tug of war played deep inside her core was ceasing, the feline half of herself giving way as her human body clawed to the forefront with furious determination.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Indy took a final gasp of air. When she exhaled, she felt the familiar woosh of breath expelled from her human lungs. Everything ached. Every muscle throbbed, her arms and legs continuing to twitch as residual flashes of fire burned their way down her form. The cool pressure of the ice turning into icy teeth without the fur to protect her skin. The ice box itself, once a comfortable cave, pressed into her hips and back as her larger body bent awkwardly to fit inside the space.

Slowly, Indy opened her eyes and blinked warily up at Silver’s blurry face. “I forgot,” she wheezed, her tongue thicker and heavier than she was used to. “How fun that is.”

"Could've fooled me." Silver mused quietly, hoping to not only sound a little blithe to cover up the pain wracking her body but also to confirm to herself that Indy was alright after all. "I didn't realize that there was that much involved." The words came out automatically but Silver didn't really expect an answer as she began gathering Indy out of the box. She didn't really meet the other woman's eyes as she did so, more noticing the fact that carrying another person was now taking her little effort. Did she want to keel over from the pain wracking her body though? Yes. Did she want to drop Indy though? No. Taking a sweeping glance around, she didn't really see a comfortable spot to exactly put her down and murmured a low apology.

"Would you.. prefer that I put you down? I don't know if I trust this little ice box?" She very specifically didn't allow herself to look down at Indy, instead busying herself with scouring the built-in shelves of the room for some type of thing to cover her up with. Her wolf growled in her ear like a timer to let her know it wouldn't be long before her strength waned because whether Silver liked it or not, this new and improved form of her's had limits and she'd just tapped into something that drained her strength if she didn't take care to rest.

"Always like this for me, I think." Indy's lips felt like two cotton balls wrapped around her tongue. "My dad--not him. Dunno the others." She couldn't remember whether her first shift had been so painful, but the second and every one that followed certainly had. She had assumed it was the same for everyone until she watched her father slip in and out of forms like slipping on and out of an oversized coat. He had made it appear so effortless, switching between languages and shape with practiced ease, whereas every shift Indy had ever suffered felt like a fracturing of her personhood. He father danced where she waged war.

Despite the careful steadiness in Silver's speech Indy could see flickers of pain in her own face as well; the sensation of pain being shielded away may not have been a fever dream after all. Indy hissed as she moved, carefully gripping the sides of the ice box as she pulled herself back from Silver's grip. "No, shit, I'm sorry--I'm good, I'm alright. It's not so bad now, just...aftershocks." Her knees buckled in response but she stayed standing, too dizzy to give any shit about her nakedness as she blew the hair away from her eyes and tried to force the blurriness from her vision. "I'm sorry," she said again. "Are you good? Fuck, what a fucking mess."

The words that slipped from Indy drawled a bit, Silver realized. After what felt like days of meandering as a cat and dealing with other people recognizing her even as she took on the lithe form, it had torn into Indy's humanity. The way she'd shifted nearly made Silver wonder if it fell hand-in-hand with her.. relationship with that part of Indy herself, if that made any sense. If what Indy had said was true - that her father shed skin for fur so seamlessly - then maybe that meant he had a tauter connection to the form he shifted into while Indy had to quite literally claw her way out of the feline just to sit in an unsteadying haze of the mundane. Her father didn't sound like someone whom held the same ability, but at the same time, part of Silver wondered if meeting him could help clear up what exactly she might be. Her eyes snapped back into focus at the hiss that cut the air, Silver then taking a step to give Indy some space although her hands were at the ready in case of anything.

Silver cocked her head a bit around the machine to catch sight of a small cabinet and after giving Indy a glance to make sure she wouldn't fall, she maneuvered into the space, thankful that the doors weren't locked. "Don't worry about it. We need to get you back to the room." A few stacks of crisp, white towels sat on the shelving and when she pulled one out, it was big enough to definitely wrap someone in. "I would've taken you in there myself but the keys are in the room, I forgot to take them with me after swapping clothes, I guess."

Silver almost sounded apologetic as she draped the towel around Indy's shoulders in a way that it wouldn't fall, offering her another to cover up her waist down. "I could ask Seraphim if she has a master key if you'd like? You should probably rest here for the moment while you can." Moving around in the space helped ease her nerves a bit and turn what was left of the pain Silver had absorbed into dull thuds. The image of a human attempting to morph from a cat's body was still pretty fresh in her mind enough that she couldn't quite look at Indy all the way, but she blamed that more so on the fact that she was stark naked.

Indy watched Silver's expression shift as she moved about the rooms. Never before had Indy ever met anyone who could understand her while in her second form and, while she had initially assumed it could be explained by her lack of exposure to other shifters, she was beginning to wonder whether Silver had a deeper insight into their...condition. An understanding that even her father had lacked.

When Silver pulled the towels from the cabinet Indy made an effort to stand a bit straighter, letting go of the ice machine with one hand in order to clutch the coarse corners of the cheap cotton towel around her shoulders. She tried to twist her lips into a thankful smile as she looked up at her friend. "Ah, thanks--"

Indy noticed Silver's eyes were carefully cast aside.

Her grip on the towel tightened. Of course, Silver had the right to be freaked out. Everyone tended to be. Indy wouldn't hold that against her, she couldn't expect things to be different--not when her father had encouraged her to continue hiding her form once she had moved to the city. Even her mother, her Beth, had felt it was best handled at a distance. "Yeah, Seraphim--the lady at the desk, right? I'd go with you but uh, I think she's been pissed off enough." Indy tried to keep her tone light. "Roje might be inside--I'm sorry, by the way. About the docks. I should have been at the docks but things got...weird."

The moment Indy’s words were cut short, the very air itself seemed to tense and light leapt into Silver’s darkened gaze when she realized that she’d been too obviously averting her eyes. A brief sigh left her lips in knowing that she needed to be careful around her new companions. She was no longer dealing with mere humans that would stray away at the wave of a hand or a harsh remark to send them on their way.

Indy, Roje, Rhevens, if she was to actually entertain the idea of sticking around them she couldn’t allow her facade to falter when it needed to serve its purpose. There would also be times were her mask would need to fall away though.

“Don’t apologize for what you couldn’t control. It’s not your fault.” Silver shook her head, pausing for a moment as she finally met the shifter’s eyes. “I don’t think of you any differently now that I’ve seen you shift, Indy. I just haven’t.. been a shifter for long, if that makes sense. I only recently figured out that any of these things existed in reality.” She slowly reached out and tapped lightly at the hand Indy was using to clutch at the ends of the thin towel as if to say ‘loosen up’. “I’m less freaked out by your shift than I am about how much pain you were in, to be honest. So don’t be discouraged or start getting sad. I’m here for you. Okay?” Silver tilted her head a bit, offering Indy a small, but reassuring smile.

Indy blinked. So Silver hadn't been a shifter very long either; with the way she seemed to balance between forms, Indy might have guessed Silver had years of practice under her belt--but to think they were both fresh to the experience... Ever since she had been kidnapped by the Coven she had been bombarded by nonhumans who seemed more comfortable with the fantastic aspects of themselves than the normal bits and pieces left behind. To see Silver, however, similarly uncomfortable and unsure in how to navigate their increasingly strange world was a wash of air over her shivering skin.

"Hey, it's cool. All good." The corner of Indy's mouth twitched up as she smiled back at Silver. "It's nasty business, yeah? Funny too, the wolf saving the cat--that's some strange animal friends shit." She waved a hand as she spoke, forgetting exactly why she had such a death grip on the towel until it fell into a puddle on the floor. "Ah...shit. Sorry. We should ah, probably get that key. And my shirt."

Silver fumbled a bit with the collar of her shirt in embarrassment, not fully expecting the smile to have been returned as she felt herself slip back into her shell. "It's definitely something for sure. Kind of cool, in a way, considering it's not a common concept." Chuckling a bit, Silver stepped away to grab the last towel that had been tucked away in the shelving. It was as thin as the last one but at least it would cover Indy while she left to hopefully acquire Seraphim's help.

"Yeah.. Are you sure you wanna walk around with just a towel though?" She made a nuance of her intention to grab the one that had dropped in order to warn Indy prior, swiftly folding it as well as she could before placing it somewhere where it could be seen by an employee. Hopefully to be taken. Either way, she hovered closer to the door, listening briefly to any noises she could catch outside.

Indy tucked the towel around herself again. "It's a short walk, I'll be alright. Just tell anyone I was at the spa, or the pool. Whatever they have here." She could tell Silver had retreated back into herself--it always seemed to be a dance with her, coming in and out from behind whatever walls she had built just as she slipped between forms. Seeing Silver's expression close back off unsettled something in Indy; the puzzle pieces were slowly being laid on the table but she wasn't certain she would ever know the full truth of Silver's history.

But that wasn't important, was it? Ideally, they would all leave Marasong soon and she wouldn't see any, aside from Roje, again-- Including Dapper. She would never see Dapper again. Or Augie. They would all be gone, back into their corners of the world and Indy would be alone again in her small apartment that had probably become infested with rats feasting on rotting pizza in her absence. The coin, still around her neck, felt a bit heavier with the realization. "I'll wait here while you get the key." Indy jerked her chin toward the door. "Seraphim barely tolerated me as a cat, don't think she'll like me in a stolen towel much better."

[End.]

Indy had jerked her head in the direction of the door leading to the outside hallway just as Silver swore that she'd heard a muffled thump against the wall out there, momentarily distracted in mind but offering no hint of what she'd heard to reflect in her movements as she nodded to the other woman. She could tell her wolf was alerted but not quite stirred, as if whatever was out there wasn't exactly something to be afraid of. At least not right now. "I'll be back soon, maybe take a little cat nap." She offered Indy another small smile before prying open the ice bucket room's door open a tad, leaving an opening wide enough that she could languidly slip out but not enough for eyes to peer in.

It was then that she attached a face to the presence that she'd caught onto earlier. Dark eyes stared unwaveringly in Bernard's direction as Silver approached silently, feeling her wolf bristle the further the space between them closed. Something hummed in the back of her mind, her eyes drifting briefly to the door that Bernard was leaning across the wall from and concluding that it must've been where he'd just left. Someone appeared to be in there as well, maybe two. The scents were just as familiar as the electric vampire was though. Augie.. and his dog? They all know each other? That's where she knew this guy from. He'd been traveling with.. Aódh.

Part of her wanted to thank the man for his efforts in helping her find Indy safe and sound but the latter was more so focused on the fact that she'd have to walk up to Seraphim and ask her for another set of keys, something that told her heart to race and the blood to freeze in her body. It was such a simple task and yet the only thing really stopping her from turning around and pacing about how to explain that to the receptionist was the fact that Indy was sitting buck naked in an ice bucket room. Getting her out was top priority, more than anything else right now. So instead, she offered Bernard a respectful nod in passing should their eyes have met, her footfalls nearly soundless from the carpet underfoot. A familiar sensation of being cloaked eased the rigidity of her shoulders and she exhaled carefully, half hoping nobody else would pop up and jumble up the perfect dialogue she'd formed in her instinct-driven mind.

 

[Britt-21]

Roje & Co.
Out Of Words

Roje's vision went from black to suddenly light as something was pulled off of her head. She squinted for a moment due to the sudden light and she looked around quickly, barely spotting others within the room. The woman she recognized after a hot minute, she was the blonde pencil-skirted bitch who tortured her to give answers about being Shadow Kissed by pouring Virvane down her throat, trying to poison the Vampire....At least that's what she remembered. When trying to move, she was bound to that same damn chair For fucks sake she thought as her eyes snapped to the male who seemed to take charge. Holding a needle, she knew very well what had been inside and how it was going to get into her system in the most painful way possible.

"Of fucking course I know." she replied, gritting her teeth as she gazed over the pair. Same shadow hunter runes that peeked from the clothing they wore. The place she had been contained in was definitely different. Moving a bit more and glancing down at her restraints, she caught sight of her own wounds and tried to remain calm. Though as the man got closer, she flinched away, trying to keep that needle from poking her "Who the hell is Juniper?" her hazel eyes side glanced the man, knowing what was about to come to her bloodstream. "If you fucking think I know someone named Juniper then you got the wrong fucking idea bucko."

Her face was itchy, and that was because of the wet hair that was clinging to her face, though her clothes felt relatively dry. Thank God for that, wet clothes were gross.

The male laughed in a condescending way. "You know. You know where she is and you're going to tell us." He jabbed the needle into the side of her neck, and pushed the toxin into her veins. It seemed like he went extra slow in an attempt to heighten the agony.

The woman moved to sit down in a chair as she reached over to a video camera and pressed record. The red light taunted Roje nearly as much as her cat ate the canary grin. "We have time."

Roje flinched and as soon as he jabbed the needle into her neck, she started to scream. Feeling the burning of Virvane through her veins was so agonizing. It felt like her body was becoming on fire. She coughed, squirmed and more. Ingesting the liquid was different than having it literally shoved into the veins on a whole other level and this vampire was not having it. This is not how it went down, not like how she remembered at all. "You son of a BITCH!" she shouted, her teeth tightly together as she squirmed in agony. It didn't take long for her to get a memory unlocked, gazing down at her phone and going through contacts. Only to see Juniper, but from what she could tell, the name still wasnt ringing any bells "If I knew, I still wouldn't tell you where this "Juniper" IS!" her body started to sweat, her face, her arms, everywhere. It was starting to take a toll on her body as she slowly grew weak, hopefully she didn't have Virvane Poisoning.

The woman started to look at her nails, as if completely disinterested in Roje's agony now. She spoke slower, as if talking to a child. "Yes, you do. And yes. You will." The male had moved away and seemed to be preparing another syringe, as if the one wasn't enough.

For a brief moment, the memory of looking down at her phone lingered. It lingered long enough for Roje to look up from her phone and at the clinic around her. Abruptly, the memory went black, and pain seemed to invade all of her nerves at the same time.

Roje felt that cold sensation roll through her body, almost like a cold chill during a fever. Fucking hell I hate this she thought as a memory popped into her mind as she looked down at her phone and at the clinic she barely got to see when she first arrived with the group. Suddenly it went black once again and she felt pain from every inch of her body, causing her to scream out loud. There were no words coming from her, not now.​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
The Loving Spoon​

The sun set quickly, and there was still no sign of Augie. A few other folks made it in for dinner, but no one of any real consequence. Miranda came to help, but it was going to be a slow night from the looks of things. Tilly was busy packing carry out orders, and spoke with Miranda to brief her in on the night. It was a few minutes later when Miranda approached Hatsu.

"Hey, Tilly says it looks like Augie might not make it in tonight. He never misses breakfast though, usually more of brunch by the time he makes it in." She gave Hatsu a smile and took out a small notepad. "If you want to leave him a message in case he stops in, feel free to write it down and Tilly will get it to him." She placed a small pencil by the pad and pushed it toward Hatsu before moving to draw the blinds over the windows for the night.

A few more folk stopped in, but it seemed like most of them were just picking up their orders and heading back home. It was one of those kind of days. Tilly always greeted them with a smile and knew just which bag was meant for whom. She even had packed a small to go bag for Hatsu and brought it over herself.

"Fer those late night snackin's. May you have a good rest and mebbe we'll see ya in the morn." Tilly patted Hatsu's shoulder before setting the bag on the table. "Don't linger outside t'night. There's a chill in the air."




OOC Information

Hatsu silverwhere : You can smell some lasagna from one of the containers inside the bag. It looks like a full to go meal and then some, and she's not charging for it. Then again, in hindsight, Tilly doesn't seem to charge most of the time. If people have a hankering to pay, she let's them but doesn't seem to ask for money for the generous food she dolls out. Maybe they pay online.

By the time you make it outside, it's dark, the sun set while you were inside. Tilly was right, there is a chill in the air, and you're not completely sure if it's the temperature, or some of those other factors your eyes are now opened to.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Exploration​

Leif spent a good chunk of time just looking for where the key in his vision might have dropped. It wasn't under the desk, or the chair. And wasn't found along the base of the adjacent wall. Still Leif searched, having really nothing else to do than stare at River's dead body and wonder how long it would take for the man to return. Or even IF River would return.

The vampire did have some luck however, finding the key partially hidden by a coat that had fallen from the rack nearby. By the time Leif held it in his hand, one look out the windows revealed the sun had set, and it was most definitely night., and still no sign of the ranger or his truck.

A check in with River showed the man to be in the same spot Leif had left him, dead on the floor. The inspection of the desk yielded better results, and the key fit in the bottom drawer the vampire had seen the ranger locking in his vision. Hopefully whatever was inside had more answers than questions. .




OOC Information

Leif KodakWolf : The coat that had fallen to the floor was evidence the ranger had to leave in a rush. It was doubtful the man would have not taken the time to pick it back up and place it on the hook before leaving unless it had been an emergency of some kind.

The drawer didn't even creak when opened. Inside rested three spiral notebooks, the kind you'd get in any store with lined paper for writing. (Pick a number 1-3 and this will continue in Discord)

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Past, Present, Future?​

Like a nightmare that never ends, Roje opened her eyes again to find herself at a trial. Her trial. Several shadow hunters sat behind a long table, judgement in their eyes. Roje held a sword in her hands as she stood facing this 'council'. There were a few other guards near her, and she wore cuffs, keeping her hands clenched around the sword hilt, preventing her from ever letting it go without their assistance.

"You know why you're here, but to state it for the records, you're accused of killing several shadow hunters without just cause." The male speaker, his face hidden in the shadows of the hooded robe he wore, gestured toward the sword Roje held. "The sword of truth will cast away all doubt of your crimes. You will answer the questions as they are asked without hesitation or lies, or you will feel the wrath of the sword."

The figure then took a step back, and another hooded shadow hunter from the table spoke up. Her voice dripped with hatred. "I ask about the shadow hunter known as Jeremy. He approached you in Huntsman's Alley, two months ago. Did you attack him without provocation and drain him of all blood?"




OOC Information

Roje Britt-21 : You remember this event, more or less. On trial, hunted and accused of murders you didn't commit. You can feel your wet hair clinging to your face, and water drips into your eyes. There's even a small puddle of water pooling around your feet. But there's no sign of the source and no one else is even damp. (This will continue via Discord)

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Innbelievable​

Augie thanked Bernard and headed into the room the maid recently left. "Boy? Come on out. Let's get home. It's been a long day." He clicked his tongue as he sank into a crouch to try and peer under the bed. "Come on, you're safe." He patted the floor lightly as he attempted to entice the dog out.

Meanwhile, Silver slipped by the commotion around room 106, and headed toward the front desk. Seraphim was waiting, almost staring at the front doors in a trance like state. Until movement entered her line of sight, then her gaze zeroed in on the source, Silver. The woman put on a small smile and waited with her hands folded on top of the counter. Aódh was still in the lobby, but wasn't moving enough to draw Seraphim's attention away.

Indy remained stuck in the ice room, but no one wanted ice at the moment. However, after such an eventful day, and intense change, legs shook and it would be difficult to remain standing for much longer. It takes a lot of energy to shift, especially as abruptly as Indy's change. Maybe snacking on some of the ice cubes would help bring some, albeit temporary, bits of energy to wait for Silver's return.




OOC Information

Riley KodakWolf : Augie's there in the room with you, and the stranger can be sensed outside. Along with another who quickly passed by the room. Still the wand and the magic it held calls to the darker magic you possess. Opposites attract and all that.

Bernard Worthlessplebian : There's some residual currents coming off Silver in passing, but it doesn't seem like she was the source. Just close to the source.

Silver Silver- : Do you look back at Bernard once Seraphim has locked her gaze on you? She clearly expects you to come to her desk, and has put on her best customer service smile, but something doesn't quite reach her eyes.

Aódh Larry : You see Silver coming out of the hallway where the first floor rooms are located, and possibly a glimpse of someone else, but at the angle you're currently standing, you can make out who it is.

Indy Rhyme : You can hear Augie's voice, a bit muffled, and calling out for Boy. But your legs are shaky, no, your whole body is trembling from the change. Muscles feel like they haven't been used in a while, or like you've done some rigorous exercise without a warm up. The only place to sit would be the floor, and you're out of towels aside from the two you have wrapped around you.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Larry]

Aódh McFaol
Location: Marasong Inn.
Mood: Patiently waiting.
Interactions: Worthlessplebian
Mentions: Rhyme | Out Of Words | Silver- ​

This feels like I've just beaten the main boss in an open-world game, Aódh thought to himself, almost plaintively, now that the cat had been reunited with one of its owners, at the very least. Silver, still owing to their lack of familiarity, expressed her gratitude pithily before scooping the feline into hers arm and dashing in the direction of what the Irishman naturally assumed to be their room. It seemed that Rhevens, in a way, had been given his marching orders to leave her and the cat to their own devices for the time being, so he promptly made his way out of the inn. It seemed that on each occasion that he'd find himself in proximity to this man, Aódh would struggle to mask his aversion, such was the noxiousness of his particular scent; it was a stark contrast to Silver's, yet why there was such a distinction at all was curious to him, in spite of his thrall to its assessment. As he saw the figure of the man thrust open the doors and take a turn to the left, Aódh breathed a sigh of relief, Still, now that the incident with Indy was sorted, all he had to do now, for he had little to do for the rest of the day, was to keep an eye on Bernard, who had slinked away over the course of the youth's bizarre conversation with Dapper, to somewhere else in the building. Not wanting to seem like a gawper to Seraphim, whose face was beginning to unfold into a more relaxed expression, free from the tinge of worry that had scrunched up her forehead, he moved over to just beside the stairs, below the banister, and sat himself into a deep squat. At least this way, odd though his form might be to someone passing by, he'd be able to see those who made their way across the main lobby from the ground floor rooms, and be alerted to the sound of people walking down the stairs behind him.

A few minutes didn't seem to pass before, all of a sudden, Silver walked out of the room that she rushed into alongside Indy. Even stranger still, Bernard's form appeared through the frame of a doorway, likewise making his way into the lobby. Whilst the door slowly closed behind Silver, Aódh thought he saw the faintest glimpse of another figure in the room, though, given the angle of the door and point he was squatting on, it could have been anything really, so he didn't give it much mind; the last thing he wanted was to see a hint of Marasong's otherworldliness in every possible thing, though it was difficult not to. Nonetheless, he rose from the spot, bending over to touch his toes in a stretch before making his way over to Bernard, with an inquisitive glint in his eye.

"Did you have to get something in that room so urgently that you fecked off and left me to talk to that Dapper lad all by myself?" he asked nigh incredulously, "Either way, what's the story now? Where do we go from here?"

 

[Worthlessplebian]

Bernard Greve
Location: Marasong Inn;
With: Silver, Aódh and others;
Interactions: Larry
Mentions: Silver- Rhyme Out Of Words
Art by leevolt on DeviantArt
Mood: Surprised;​

Bernard remained perched against the wall, lungs stealing gulps of air before finally calming down from the physio-sensory high. The pores on his skin did not falter though, as salty beads poured down his face and neck. His palm rubbed them away in response, his eyes then caught the door of the problem room yawning open. The Dane waited on tenterhooks at the prospect of catching who caused this ineffable episode of hyperexcited neural stimulation stipulating somatic stresses, stringing serotoninic responses. Mydriatic, short of breath, and confusion at the sight. Bernard did not expect the girl that bequeathed their aid in finding her cat to be the source. Greve decided that he shouldn't look so rakish to frighten her away, so tightened his demeanor just under Silver's nose. Silver threw a respectful nod at him and Bernard replied with the same courtesy, but his analytical eyes caught something that she perhaps did not want uncovered.

She seemed oddly preoccupied. The same bearing students have when they have viva, eyes locked forward and body sharply position. Minds racking themselves with words and sentence-tying. And the bioelectric aura that resonated off her body, it is clearly not her own but rather residue of another. The density of the electric charge is noticeably different, but quickly being subsumed by her body's natural charge. The Dane decided to follow her down, in part to observe her behaviour and because he needed to reunite with that Irishman anyway.

Until an epiphany struck... Where's the cat? Silver struck him as a very instinctive girl, instincts would tell any responsible pet owner that wouldn't so hastily abandon their furry companion less an interesting dilemma had occurred. If Dapper relinquished the cat to Silver then that means she took it up to the room, had a 'phenomena' and is now rushing to acquire an item from somewhere, someone, or something.

Indiana Jones. A terrible pity that I only watched one film of that thrill-inducing franchise, (The Temple of Doom wasn't that exciting unfortunately), why did the odd bloke mention it rhymes with Indiana Jones? Indium? No, that doesn't seem right. I am thinking too distant from the franchise. Oh, right. What did people on the internet call the main lead? Indy, right. So the cat's name is also—

But Bernard's thoughts were cut down by Aódh, the Irishman addressing him. Well, Bernard was an Irishman short but he didn't expect him to be up here. "Yes." Bernard answered superciliously. "I was in dire need of clothes, Boy." He added an odd emphasis on Boy, but soon he reveals: "It seems from my detour, peculiarities and opportunities sprung."

His left hand grasps Aódh's left shoulder, pulling him inwards to trade secrets. "My assumption is that Silver took her precious kitten, correct?" He whispered in rhetoricals. "Moments ago, I suffered an outrageous stimulus to my supernatural sensory neurons. It bordered on sensory overload and I do not use that word lightly. If I had to describe it, it was as if God himself came down with his fingers from heaven and etched an entire nervous system into a newly-grown body. An Artist to an Artfoil. Seeing as Silver is still walking about uninhibited from such a magnificent occurrence then that only leaves her cat to be the culprit. Tell me, did you happen to spot another figure or similar from your position?" He saws into the conversation while his gaze moved back and forth from Aódh to where he looked momentarily ago.

"Regardless if you had, the choice is inexplicably clear... Follow Silver and see what the cat... Dragged her into, hhmmm?" He awaited Aódh's answer with an unwarranted level of glee.

 

[Britt-21]

Is that bacon?


Roje & Co.
Out Of Words



Roje looked at her surroundings, recalling this wretched trial. Albeit different to an extent being that's how majority of her memories were starting to play out. She stared down the hooded figured, taking a good guess that it was a Silent Brother. She knew how the sword worked, but apparently he didn't think so as he explained what it did. Her hands were basically glued to the sword and her hands bound Not exactly how I remember but okay, I'm game I guess. anything could happen, right? Dimension jumping could do that. Another hooded figure spoke up, and what came from her mouth made the vampire cock an eyebrow "Jeremy? My cousin's best friend? More than likely not but no. I feed on animal blood, not on humans. Not unless I'm at the point of starvation but even then I try to go to a blood bank."

Being accused of draining someone of all their blood was definitely against her morals. Water dripped into her eyes and she tried to use her shoulder to wipe them, even taking notice of the pool of water around her feet. "Listen can I get a fuckin' towel instead of being wet over here please. A little hard to focus when you have water running into the eyes."

There was another not so small difference than what Roje remembered. The sword of truth worked opposite to its namesake. Either someone switched the sword, or messed with it because now, if Roje told the truth, she felt sharp stabbing pains through her body. No truth today, she was setup in a big, big way.

Roje gritted her teeth, feeling that pain run through her body "What the fuck!?" she shouted, finding this incredibly frustrating at this point. What was going on, what did this dimension's Roje do in this world? "I don't know why this "sword of truth" is doing this, but I can quite assure you that I'm telling you the truth. I don't know who killed your Jeremy."

More pain, each time Roje told the truth, the agony increased. No one seemed to comment on the water, they didn't even seem to notice the growing puddle around the vampire's feet. Or how all of her clothing was getting more and more soggy, clinging to her form.

They just noticed the pain wracking her body with her answers. They were lies in their eyes.

Roje felt the increasing pain and it caused her to fall to one knee, her 'breathing' becoming a little ragged "Mother fucker..." she said as she looked around at those staring her down "I bet you if I say I'm a virgin, it'll still knock me down huh??" she asked, wishing that Alex was here, at least she could've gotten Roje out of here and proven her innocence.

Each lie Roje uttered, brought blessed peace from the agony. Truth brought pain, lying gave relief.

The female shadow hunter's smirk could be felt through the tone of voice. "So, you're trying to claim you didn't drink Jeremy dry?"

Roje had no idea what this sword was, but it was not the sword that gave her peace with proving her innocence. It felt like every truth she spat out was met with punishment. If this was a game she had to play, then she'll play it. "I fucked him, in bed of course." if she could just tell the truth with lies, then maybe she can work around the sword. After all, she did fuck Jeremy once. Pretty nice actually. Wait, that was a truth, fuck. "If you also believe I'm a virgin then please, be my guest."

There was more pain with the first, as Roje had actually fucked Jeremy, thus it was the truth. With the part about being a virgin, the pain subsided.

"Did you kill Jeremy? Yes or no!"

Roje felt that pain and was spared after her second statement. Well, that just confirmed her confusion. Tell the truth with lies. Damn it, how can I tell the truth with lying... this was a lot harder than she had thought. Lie to get out of being possibly killed. She decided to try something, hopefully a bigger play on her part "No I didn't kill him, because I was drinking beer at my house." which was a total lie. What the hell was she doing that night? Not so sure.

It was a hard line to walk, the first part being truth. Pain shot through the vampire's bones, but didn't last as long as it might have, because of the lie at the end of Roje's statement. The shadow hunter scoffed, "She killed Jeremy. Next?"

The next shadow hunter behind the table sounded male as he asked, "Yes or no. Did you kill the shadow hunter Elise?"

Man this was one tricky sword. If I can pull pokerfaces then maybe I could play off these lies. But this sword pain is no joke. "No, I didn't kill her because I would have put her up for display for you guys to find her in a more extravagant way." Roje hated vampires, or even people who tried to show off their killings like that. Which was why she kept trying to travel this fine line.

Once again, pain flared through her body with the truthful answer at the beginning. A hand banged on the table. "Only answer yes or no! Again, did you kill Elise?"

The young vampire tried her best to keep it together. When was this going to end? "If you listened to me, I already answered your dumb ass question." names were being thrown around and she could not recall either name (Aside from her knowing a Jeremy but it wasnt the same guy. He was a vampire too.)

There was a guard behind her, and with a nod of the shadow hunter's head, an electric cattle prod was shoved into her side and held there for ten full seconds. When it was removed, the man asked again. "Yes or no. Did you kill Elise?"

Roje screamed when the electric rod was shoved into her side. It felt like ages before the rod was finally removed. She took a few breaths and glared at the person questioning her "I already fucking answered you. I'm not changing my response!"

The shadow hunter gave another nod, and the cattle prod was pressed into her again for a count of ten. Then the guard waited for another nod before repeating the action. Apparently, the shadow hunter was not going to stop until he made Roje answer yes or no, again.

I'm not going to give into this. I've been through worse. she thought, screaming in pain and refraining to the best of her ability to say anything else. She wasn't going to change her answer, which meant they'll never get theirs. "Go ahead, torture me all you want! I already told you what the fuck my answer was! You're all worse than the New York Institute."

Another nod, and the prod was pressed against Roje again, only it didn't move away after the count of ten. There was the smell of burning flesh, and incredible pain. The guard kept the electric prod against Roje, even if she fell to the floor. No one moved to help her. No one moved to stop the guard.​

 

[silverwhere]

Hatsu Black
- He/Him -
The Loving Spoon to The Inn - It's dark outside
Tags: Out Of Words
​

He enjoyed his warm meal as seats filled around him for dinner signalling that the day was finally coming to a close; however, there were no signs of Augie. As more people came the more Hatsu felt like Augie wasn't going to show and his suspicions were confirmed when Miranda approached him.

"Hey, Tilly says it looks like Augie might not make it in tonight. He never misses breakfast though, usually more of brunch by the time he makes it in." She threw a smile at him and reviled a notepad and pencil which she pushed towards him, "If you want to leave him a message in case he stops in, feel free to write it down and Tilly will get it to him."

"Uh, sure yeah. Thanks." Hatsu said as he started to tap the pencil as she closed the blinds.

This would be so much easier if Augie had a phone, he'd just be able to write a text message and get an answer quicker. Hatsu enjoyed the comforts of modern technology and it baffled him that someone could survive without it. Maybe, Augie was someone who lived off-grid and free from the toxicity of the internet. Hatsu could see Augie living in a cave somewhere and being content. That wasn't something Hatsu would do - he enjoyed air conditioning. The tapping stopped as he finally wrote on the notepad:

Do you have a metal detector?
-Hatsu

It felt weird to write such a direct question but he wasn't in the mood to write an entire letter on a notepad. It was just better to keep it nice and short. Part of him was tempted to draw the "Yes" or "No" boxes that you would find on a middle schooler do you like me letter but he decided against it and pushed the notepad away from him as he got up to pay for his food. He was intercepted by Tilly who put a takeaway bag on the table. Hatsu didn't wait to check to see what was in the warm bag that radiated smells of fresh lasagna. There was a nicely packed lasagna with other containers that looked to be filled with sweets and a hand full of napkins with a few forks placed on top.

"Fer those late night snackin's. May you have a good rest and mebbe we'll see ya in the morn." Tilly patted his shoulder, "Don't linger outside t'night. There's a chill in the air."

He nodded, "Uh, thanks. I appreciate it." He made sure to tip well for the free food before he speed walked out. Tilly and Miranda were nice but he was ready to be done talking to people for the day.

It was dark outside and a chilly breeze sent goosebumps up his arms. The day had finally ended and he was certain that tonight would be a night where he goes straight to bed. Fuck dental hygiene, he was tired. Unconsciously, he started to speed walk back to the inn as the kind words Tilly left him with echoed in his head. He was sure that she meant it as a kind gesture, afterall, maybe she wanted to make sure he didn't catch a cold but it felt more like a warning with everything he knew. They were being watched by something and whatever it was knew that he knew about its existence.

He came to a conclusion, if anything tried to jump him he was going to sacrifice the lasagna and book it. He was determined to get some sleep tonight.

 

[Silver-]

Silver Blackwood
Tags; Out Of Words Mentions; Worthlessplebian Larry Britt-21 Location; Marasong Inn (Lobby area)

Being followed had an interesting perk, Silver thought as she sensed Bernard’s presence lingering behind her and maintaining a fair proximity. It stopped her heart from thudding loudly in her chest, filled her with thoughts that were simple and straightforward. One wrong step and I’ll just take him out, is what clouded her mind. Her motives were practically animalistic down to the way her gait changed from that of a student stricken with anxiety to someone with practiced control as if she were counting each of the steps she took until she reached threshold to the lobby area.

Silver was surprised to see Aódh’s familiar form squatted seemingly comfortably on the ground, tilting her head inquisitively at him before she cut her attention to Seraphim whom she caught staring at the front doors up until she ventured into the woman’s peripherals. Nodding respectfully upon approaching the receptionist, she noted how her wolf had it’s attention on the unlikely pair that were now hunched together in low talks. “Seraphim, sorry to bother you again. I was wondering if you perhaps had a spare or master key I could briefly borrow?” The excuse Indy had made up would’ve worked, should Silver had not heard whisperings that included something along the lines of her being followed purposefully by not only one but the both of the supernaturals that had originally helped her find the cat shifter. Curse Beth for having busted half of her hearing, it was already tough enough trying to put together hushed tones. “I kinda forgot that they were in the coat that I put through the wash. My roommate seems to be out with her boyfriend somewhere and I can’t really reach her.” Speaking of which, where was Roje in the first place? It’d felt like she hadn’t seen the woman in hours and surely she couldn’t have been dallying with Dusk the entire time? The idea of them making out in front of her was enough to make her mentally flinch, shoving the image away as she could practically smell the excitement littering the air from the corner where Bernard stood. It made her wolf’s fur bristle and in turn, she swallowed down a growl before it could leave her chest.

“Also..”, the words she’d swallowed in reservation whilst on her way to the desk now sat encouragingly at the tip of her tongue. “Are you alright?” Silver had caught her staring almost too intensely at the entry and exit point to the inn. It almost felt as if she'd been intruding on something with the way Seraphim's eyes had snapped onto her like a target. Had Dapper startled her that much? Or maybe there was something else. Whatever it was, she didn’t seem to be the kind of person to be so distracted.

 

[KodakWolf]

Boy / Riley Adler


It was an uncomfortably long silence, with the stranger just standing there while Boy kept as still as possible under the bed, hoping the man would just give up and leave. All the while he was also trying to draw an escape plan, should the man actually try something funny. He was in a good position to get away, if he could anticipate well enough.

When the man finally spoke, it startled the dog a little bit, pulling his out of his escaping thoughts. Or maybe it'd been what the man just said that startled the dog. What the hell? Did he really know? Hopefully his reaction wasn't too obvious, as Boy wasn't really planning to drop the act anytime soon. Whether the stranger was bluffing or not.

So he kept absolutely still under the bed throughout the man's whole (and fancy) speech, muscles tense as he prepared to get away if the man was using words to distract him and try something, brain barely registering what the man was saying as he tried to focus on all of his senses at the same time. Even when the man stepped away and gave him a little more space, he didn't really relax until the man turned around and called out for Augie, and even so he only wagged his tail when his friend finally entered the room.

As he started to crawl out towards Augie, his mind registered the strange objects under the bed again, now that there wasn't danger around to distract him. In fact, he'd crawled towards the wand, only realizing it when it was finally within his reach, and the magic's power was sensed in its full force.

It was tempting, yet overwhelming. As much as he wanted to grab it, he was scared of what it could possibly do if picked up. It took a bit of an internal struggle there, for about a minute. Glancing around nervously, his eyes landed on the bright yellow rubber boots. They sure looked like an awesome chew toy, and his dog side would never hesitate to grab them had the wand not been present. So he hesitated. But he eventually won the battle.

Soon after Augie called him out, the dog crawled out of bed, tail wagging as he approached his friend, proudly showing off his new bright yellow chewing toy. He didn't look back at the wand under the bed, lest he not be able to resist it.

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Past, Present, Future?​

Once more darkness flooded the vampire's vision, and still the wetness clung to every bit of her. For a brief moment, Roje's hands even splashed in the pooling puddle of water as she fell to her knees from the agony of the cattle prod. And then, the pain was gone, as were the shadow hunters when Roje opened her eyes next.

Roje's vision started blurry, but the more she blinked, the clearer it became. There was a woman's face peering only inches away. Her voice was somewhat melodic and nearly child like. "Are you okay? Hey?" Her eyes seemed strangely bright, and the smile didn't quite fade even as the woman drew back to give Roje some room.

The vampire was in a small room with dim lighting. Roje sat on a set of wooden crates along one side and felt light headed. Her clothes and hair were soaked to the point where water dripped from her sleeves. It looked like some warehouse where people usually arranged to meet for business proposals.

The strange female titled her head to one side, hands on her hips as she stared at Roje. "Do you remember the details of the deal? Don't tell me you first need a meal!" In one hand she was toying with a pretty ring as she waited for Roje's answer.




OOC Information

Roje Britt-21 : It takes a little bit before you recall this memory, as warped as it may be from what you remember. The fairy had a job for you in exchange for a ring that would offer you protection against the sun. You needed to fetch a fur covered crate without opening it, and the ring would be yours. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Let's All Go To The Lobby​

Once again, the lobby became a happening place. Seraphim waited for Silver to talk, and when asked for a spare key, Seraphim made a small grimace, but gave a nod of her head. "Yes, but you must return it as soon as you get your door open." She had begun to rummage around in one of the drawers under the counter when Silver asked if she was alright, and it gave her a momentary pause.

"Me?" Her head tilted to the side as she stopped her search and looked at Silver directly for a moment or two before giving a small smile and nod of her head. "Yes, just.. what's the phrase? Spacing out?" A little laugh, one of the social kind rather than genuine mirth. "Ah, here it is." She picked up the spare key to their room and held it out, only she didn't let go until she had Silver's direct eye contact. "As soon as you get the door open, I'll be waiting here." She was serious about getting the key back as soon as possible.

Augie greeted Boy with some good, reassuring neck scritches, though he made a little face at the sight of the yellow rain boot. "Drop the boot, Boy, that belongs to someone." One hand tried to take the boot from the dog so it could be set down on the floor. "Someone's going to come looking for it sooner or later." Augie even glanced behind him at the still open room door, expecting the maid or whoever was staying in the room to suddenly question why they were there. "Let it go, and let's get home. We'll have leftovers tonight." Maybe if they timed it right, they could get out without catching heck from Seraphim.

Meanwhile, Bernard and Aódh regrouped in the lobby, while Silver was occupied at the front desk. As such, they bore witness to Hatsu returning to the inn. The bag he carried indicated he came from The Loving Spoon, and the scent of lasagna temporarily overpowered any other scents in the area near the front doors. Seraphim's gaze darts toward the doors with the man's entrance, but only briefly before snapping back to Silver and waiting an acknowledgement before letting the key go.




OOC Information

Riley KodakWolf : Augie wants to leave the boot behind, and get the heck out of Dodge, so to speak. It's dark outside now, and only getting darker, and you still have the trek back home. However, you can also sense he's very relieved to have found you.

Bernard & Aódh Worthlessplebian Larry : You can both clearly smell Tilly's lasagna from Hatsu's bag o' food. Do you look away from Silver and Seraphim even briefly to observe Hatsu entering? Or do you remain staring unabashedly toward the front desk?

Silver Silver- : When you reach to take the key, you come into contact with Seraphim's fingers and you can feel the small tremble. Anxiety? Nervousness? Bottled up rage? Any and all are plausible. She definitely wants the key returned and you get the feeling she'll come up after it if she has to. She'll let it go when you acknowledge you understand.

Indy Rhyme : At least it's cool in the ice room. However, every now and then, the ice machine whirls to life with a startling noise. If the ice is below a certain level, then more fresh cubes are produced and tumble into the bin with the rest of the ice.

Hatsu silverwhere : Other than a strange sensation of being watched, which could have been completely your imagination, there's nothing you had ot sacrifice your food in exchange for your safety. You enter to see Aódh and Bernard nearby, while Silver is at the front desk speaking with Seraphim. You'll wind up having to walk past Aódh and Bernard to reach the stairs leading up to your room, otherwise it seems fairly peaceful inside the inn.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Larry]

Aódh McFaol
Location: Marasong Inn.
Mood: Incredulous!
Interactions: Worthlessplebian | silverwhere
Mentions: Rhyme | Out Of Words | Silver- | Britt-21 (implied)​

"Do you feckin' hear yourself, do ya?!" Aódh muttered, though aggravation coursed through his words, "Do I seem that bloody nimble that I can nip in and out of another person's room without getting caught?! And even if there was another person, who's to say that it wasn't her other owner, the one I saw in the Loving Spoon?!"

As much as his intuition nagged at him, and despite how forceful he was in trying to combat its cynicism, Bernard's explanation of what had occurred blew his hopefulness out of the water. Despite his predilection for foisting his physiological problems on others, the Dane wasn't a liar, so Aódh took careful heed of his intimation. Given the Irishman's experience of having his bioelectricity siphoned, and Bernard's reaction to that at the time, the language he used to describe this incident seemed almost hyperbolic in comparison, which, in any other circumstance, might have made Aódh wary of the physicist's report. But, this was Marasong they were dealing with: its creeping, supranatural touch hovered over everything. Yet, the fact that it concerned Silver bothered him in two ways: the first being, rather obviously, that he had only so recently reunited her with Indy, so to be seen snooping about in her room would lead to an attenuation of trust that was already very thin; the second naturally followed on from being discovered in the act of sneaking around. Aódh knew that Silver was a werewolf and, despite not knowing how capable she may be, he knew full well how lacking he was in combat ability, should her shock be enough to elicit a transformation on her part. If that imagined scenario wasn't dire enough, she was also familiar with Rhevens, whose presence unnerved him to a frightening degree. Despite his having left the inn, it wasn't as though Marasong was so expansive that he would be incapable of hearing Silver in her transformed state, should she trying to summon him for assistance.

All in all, Aódh didn't think too highly of Bernard's suggestion to sneak into Silver's room, but he knew it would be at his own peril to ignore Bernard's report of that phenomenon. whatever its source may have been. If anything, he felt more inclined to turn the offer back around to the one who suggested it in the first place.

"Let me just say, first of all, that I haven't the slightest intention to this, not in a million feckin' years. I just helped that woman find her cat and I don't intend be thrown out of the inn, stuttering for a reason as to why I was in a stranger's room, UNINVITED. That's why I think..." Aódh whispered, grasping Bernard's right shoulder with his own right hand, "...that it would be far better for you to do this instead. If you do decide to do that, promise me that you'll nip in and out in a blink of an eye. I wouldn't want Silver, despite how she may appear, to catch you in there: it might not end pretty."

It was at that very moment that the door to the inn swung open, drawing the young man's attention to the sound, and therefore to the figure of Hatsu walking through with food in a takeaway bag, the scent of lasagna wafting through the air.

"Hello there Hatsu!" the Irishman saluted with a smile, freeing himself of Bernard's grasp in the process and talk of the prospect raised by the Dane, "Looking to head in for the rest of the evening?"