Realistic or Modern If December Freezes (IC)

[KodakWolf]

Leif Hjalkarssen
Location: Wiri's truck
Tags: Rhyme Silver- Britt-21 Collidias Rex Thropian AsherMasher Out Of Words ​

Surprisingly, very surprisingly, Leif didn't even get to play his little act. From his spot, sitting against the wall beside Roje, he listened as the man grabbed hold of the doorknob, listened as he was interrupted by his phone ringing, listened when the doorknob made a concerning sound within the man's grasp, a result of whatever bad news had been conveyed to him through his phone, and listened as he finally let go of the doorknob and turned around, announcing the cause for his sudden change of mind: fire.

Then blessed be the fire, was Leif's first thought. It'd just given them the chance to wait for nightfall, and then safely and comfortably head to town beneath the cover of darkness. The mere idea of going out into daylight was dreadful. Being inside the station was a partial relief, but he had the clear feeling that it'd only halted things, halted the burning. He somehow knew that once he stepped outside, it'd be like he never headed into the shack in the first place. Waiting inside longer, perhaps they could even get lucky, and some lost human traveler would stop at the station some time later. Leif would certainly rather avoid hunting in town.

Then came the next words being yelled outside, and Leif was suddenly questioning his initial thoughts. The town was dangerous for supernaturals, and as of right now, the whole group was out there, including Indigo, who claimed to know the area. Plus, they were getting help from another nonhuman. If he and Roje waited too long in the station, who knew who or what could show up. Truth was, their best bet was staying with the group, after all. And the ride to town would be considerably short, meaning he wouldn't burn to death, even though just the thought of going outside made him grit his teeth.

They had sixty seconds. And the door would maybe not open smoothly. Between kicking it open, which would be more likely to attact the man's attention, Leif opted for opening one of the windows, which didn't offer much resistance. It was a split second decision, as if he considered just a second longer, the anxiety he was keeping at bay would take over, and he'd cling to the safety of darkness.

"The others are outside, let's get out of here." he muttered while grabbing Roje by the armpits and quickly dragging her to sit beneath the now open window. Quiclkly waving for the group outisde to wait, he hopped outside through the window, the scent of smoke instantly reaching his nostrils, just as the heat on his skin kicked in again, then quickly turned to get Roje out, leaning into the shack and positioning his arms beneath hers so he could pull her out. Once outside, he was quick to adjust her in his arms and make a run for the truck.

"Lost hiking group, that the story?" He whispered, eyes moving between those near the truck, confirming he'd picked up the bullshit the group had come up with. He placed Roje in the truckbed, and intended to sit beside her throughout the trip. He knew most vampires became weak when starved, not dangerous, and he wasn't even sure Roje was starving or if something else was wrong with her, but again, he wasn't taking chances. As for their story, well, he just hoped the man would be too busy with the spreading fire to demand too complete of an explanation from them.

 

[Rhyme]

Indy

Location: The Station in the Woods
Tags: Thropian AsherMasher Silver- Collidias Rex Britt-21 KodakWolf

It was getting louder.

"Ah, yeah, I...yeah." Wiri was speaking. She could hear him, the hum of his voice over the growing orchestral ringing vibrating against her skull. She could see his lips parting, the scruff of his beard nearly caught in his teeth, but it was static in a crowded room to her ears. She glanced back at the group, saw them speaking softly--or maybe just breathing, heads ducked together in their own special torment. She couldn't tell.

Fuck, she was tripping out. Her arms were itching, fingers twitching as she resisted the urge to scratch at the burning sensation now spreading from her chest down her body like fire ants. She glanced back again to the group, to Wiri--who was on the phone now, something was setting him off now too as the man's body froze and jerked. For a fleeting moment, her own heart lurched, images of a frozen body and brain matter on pristine floors nearly muting the sound of the painful singing. A crunch made her heave, back at the coven, with Key--with fucking Foster---

"Fire!"

"Wha--" The coven shattered around her, lurching Indy back to the present. She tasted blood. A quick prod with her tongue confirmed the inside of her cheek was split. She must have chomped down on it. Fuck.

Wiri was shouting now, just barely audible as Indy resisted the urge to clamp over her ears. Something about a truck, town, their shit--come around back? There wasn't enough time to think, a ring of keys was coming straight for her and Indy swore, fumbling and ducking aside just enough to avoid being pegged in the face as they fell into the dirt. It was hard to think, to even coordinate her hands as the singing consumed her. Every part of her body was attached to puppet strings, tangled and detached as the song wove her more and more into one thick tangle.

"Let's go, let's go!" Indy dipped to grab the keys, freezing as she caught a glance under her shirt. The whole of her chest was burnt, a deep furious blush that was creeping steadily up to her collar, the focal point right under where the amulet rested against her skin. Shit.

Indy lurched forward, sliding across the hood of the van as she fumbled to open the driver's side door. She perked up on her feet, gravel spraying out from under her as she shouted to the group. "I'll pop the back, does anyone need help getting in?" At least, she hoped that's what she said. The words were absent, lost in the static as her lips and tongue struggled to imitate the shape and sound her mind remembered. As they approached, Indy watched as Silver jumped inside. The man with the girl approached next, standing beside her lithe form protectively. He looked disoriented--eyes nearly as jumpy and wild as Indy was sure hers were. She gestured to the girl between them, not trusting herself to speak as they both helped her up into the back. Indy didn't miss the tremble in the girl's legs, the way her hands pulled at her sleeves. It didn't take much to wonder what unique horrors they had been through in order to end up here as well.

When the final member of their scary squad was loaded up, Indy jumped back to the front in two strides, nearly faceplanting onto the dirt as she caught herself on the open door. Bottles and miscellaneous clutter clattered as she slammed the door shut. As Indy reached to shove it aside her hand brushed against the polished wood of a rifle. She flinched back, immediately feeling to check if the safety was on. Jesus Christ; if she hadn't spoken to him, she would have presumed this guy was definitely either a serial killer or a nomad, but "Marasong resident" fit the profile equally as well, frankly. She fumbled again with the fucking keys, struggling to find the right one as she tried to force them all into the ignition, resisting the urge to slam her throbbing head against the steering wheel. When one finally fit, she grinned--until her foot nudged the extra pedal under her feet.

Triple fuck.

"Hang on, this is gonna be a bumpy--oh what the fuck?!" That's when she saw it, the bobbing head of blonde hair carrying a bundle of what suspiciously looked like her goddamn sister, writhing in pain.

"Compared to fucking time travel?!" Indy snapped harshly at the cheeky blonde asshole. There was no time to check on her sister, not with them in the sun--not with, apparently, a fire more or less literally biting at their heels.

With a hefty jerk and a quick colorful apology, the truck started with a miserable screech, Indy slamming on the gas as she whipped around the back of the station, branches striking the top of the cabin. She could barely breathe now, her voice raspy as she threw the truck into park and shoved open the driver's door, right beside Wiri--who was dragging what looked like a horror movie gas pump out of a decrepit shed, along with some hoses. "Found friends," she rasped, bottles clattering to the floor as she climbed over the gearstick to fall into the passenger seat. "Ready when you are." And let's fucking go.

coded by: @s e v e n

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
The Loving Spoon​

Tilly kept a side eye on her customers, while she set the new bulbs on an empty table. "Augie, luv, once all th' glasas is cleaned, kin ya replace the' bulbs with these 'ere? Miranda kin 'elp." The woman smiled when Augie nodded his head, and observed quiet for just a moment as she made sure they were getting all the shattered bits of glass. Then she moved behind the counter, retrieving a couple of items from the display case to the side.

These were set on small saucers, and delivered to each customer who was in the store at the time of the inconvenience. They were cupcakes, complete with buttercream frosting in various shapes and colors. When she reached Beatrice and Aódh's table, she set them down with a gentle clink on the tabletop. "This one 'ere's chocolate chip cookie dough, with a peanut butter frosting, and this one is strawberry cheesecake, with a vanilla frosting. Courtesy o' the lovin' spoon for all yer troubles."

She smiled warmly at the pair, before adding, "Dinner tonight should be without unexpected bulb 'splosions." And there was a bit of a wink, but it wasn't really clear if Tilly meant it for someone specific. "When yer done, jus' leave the plates on the table, dearies." And as she wiped her hands on the apron she wore, Tilly headed to the back room.

Miranda and Augie were working on the last bits of the glass, with Augie holding the dustpan, and Miranda sweeping it in. They were about to say something, when there was a loud, rhythmic ringing of a bell, like a church bell of a sort. It was enough to have Tilly come out from the back room, towel in her hands. "Ach, that's the alarm bell. Augie, best go see if'n you kin help."

Not a moment after the words left Tilly's mouth, Marius was pushing out of his chair and moving faster than they've seen him move in some time. "THEY'RE COMING! THEY'RE COMING!" His voice was loud, and full of obvious panic and alarm while he bolted out the front door.

Augie sprinted after, pausing only to help guide Boy out the door. He tried to point the dog into the direction of their usual path, "Go home, Boy. Home. Get home! I'll find you after. Home!"




OOC Information

Aódh Larry : Once Marius has opened the door, you can detect the faint whiff of smoke. It wasn't from a grill, or camp out, this carried the scent of things burning, things that normally shouldn't be burning. You would also see what Beatrice sees if you glance out the front window.

Beatrice OrganicUFO : A glance out the front window reveals more than a few people sprinting across the wooden planks of the docks, heading for the town hall tucked away behind the docks and the stores. That's where the sound of the bell seems to orignate from.

Boy KodakWolf : You can definitely smell smoke in the air once you leave the shop with Augie. He does his best to guide you toward the usual path you take 'home'. You can sense Augie lingering to see if you start off in the right direction or not, but a sense of urgency can be felt coming from him.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Heading to Hatsu's Home​

After Angelo hung up the phone, he was shouting at someone to go sound the town alarm. While the figure ran off to do just that, he moved to find another nearby house with a garden hose. Upon seeing Hatsu determined to help, he held the end of the hose out. "Hatsu! Here! Take this." He waited until the man had a good grip on the hose, then he opened up the valve.

"It looks like it's on the upper floor. Aim it high! Stay here!" Angelo had recently been inside the house, he knew the layout, and was probably best suited to go inside and see what was going on. He shed his jacket and left it crumpled on the ground before using the keys to get the front door open. No smoke billowed out the door yet, a good sign all was not lost.

About that time, a loud, rhythmic bell rang from the center of town. Not even a half minute passed before more bodies were there to help, and more running to the scene. As soon as it was determined to be a fire, people started finding buckets and forming a line. Whoever had a hose available filled up a bucket, and it was passed through the line while the next bucket was already being filled.





OOC Information

Hatsu silverwhere : Pretty quickly, there are enough people you can hand the hose duties over to someone else and take part of the bucket line brigade, or do your own thing. The smoke is still slowly turning darker, indicating more things are aflame inside. Many people can be seen running to come help from all areas of the town.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Silver-]

Silver Blackwood
Tags: KodakWolf | Mentions: Rhyme Britt-21 AsherMasher Thropian | Location: Definitely not an American truck

A single obscured look from Indy meant that she had caught her giving the supposedly empty station an expression Silver ought to have been hiding instead. She silently hoped that Wiri hadn’t caught her staring in that direction. She also hoped that the man wasn’t so aware of his surroundings enough to notice how suspicious Indy was beginning to look. Her hands fumbled for a purchase within her clothes, the stammering between her words and the distress that was coming off her reminded Silver of a feral cat in a corner. Hackles raised, little body rigid and fluffed out to appear bigger with eyes that were glazed over with raw fear and the innate desire to survive. Silver hid how impressed she was at how well Indy was maintaining her composure through all this, noting that she was picking up low humming from the other girl’s chest for some reason but tearing her attention away to the station that Wiri was now making a beeline for.

Silver had stepped forward intending to help Indy, but she felt as if she were doing nothing more than causing her more stress as her stammering gradually evolved into physical ticks that were beginning to wrack her body. She tried to move in order to get closer to Indy, thinking perhaps it might help to touch her arm or shoulder but Silver found herself fixed into place with her heart thrumming louder than before. A low wailing noise settled in the back of her mind, the faint, monotonous tone sounding as if it were riding on a tailwind with how it graced her ears. She took a moment to glance around, catching sight of only Ashley and Edwin—with the latter looking particularly distraught about something other than his mobility. Mobility. Was he being hindered in some way? Part of her noticed that he didn’t seem to carry the same disposition as he had when she’d first met him and the bear, speaking solely through the intangible link she had somehow held in her wolf form with them both. Maybe whatever was causing him to struggle wasn’t of his own volition but rather he’d lost something that had been conjoined enough that it was outwardly affecting him.

The wailing grew ever stronger, morphing into something between the sound of cold zephyrs blowing through canopies and a disembodied voice. Run. Run. Run. Why? Her answer lay in Wiri’s rigid form, his hand gnawing into the doorknob of the station where Roje and Leif’s scents were the strongest. An ancient phone that sparked some amusement somewhere within Silver chirped with clear words from it’s speaker. Fire. But she couldn’t smell anything? It was then that she felt a sense of hollowness, her mind instinctively reaching for the comfort of her wolf but grasping at nothing but the image of billowing smoke sourced from hungry embers. Nausea churned uneasily in the pit of her stomach at the idea that they’d left, her unfocused thoughts colliding with the ebbing and flowing of the howls she could barely discern.

Silver hadn’t realized that her body had eventually moved on it’s own, walking speedily towards the Hilux’s right flank and throwing open the door. She nearly climbed inside when the sight of the steering wheel being on what she knew as the passenger side in the states’ halted her efforts and she could only blink silently in confusion, automatically going around to the truck’s left flank and giving it a look before hopping in. A pungent, salty tang hit the roof of her mouth when she gathered the water bottles that littered the seat, confirming her earlier suspicions that Wiri not only smelt of the sea but also drank it’s contents voluntarily. As she gave the inside of the cabin another look, her gaze swept across several closed containers full of … things. They could be liquids, they could be solids. The truck lowered a bit when weight had shifted on it’s bed, signaling the arrival of Edwin and Ashley taking spots in the back, soon followed by a blaze of blonde hair and a writhing Roje. The blonde man was physically exhausted, the crease between his eyebrows signaling pain even with the sun not baring down fully on them. Roje didn’t appear to be any better with the way she wasn’t even responding unlike when they’d seen her before.

Silver jerked at Indy’s near mishap, clearing away anything that may have stopped her from getting into the driver’s side quickly before she too jumped in and shifted the vehicle into gear with an all too familiar crank. She fastened her seatbelt just in time for Indy to bring the truck to a screeching stall, Silver turning away to wince as the vehicle churned up dirt before whipping around the station. The driver’s side door was soon thrown open to reveal Wiri dragging a monstrous looking generator..? And hoses that looked too heavy for a single human to be hefting at all. Not human. A shudder passed through Silver, followed by the feeling of something wrapping itself around her. It was warm, probably meaning to comfort her, but the sensation combined with the current situation felt like flames lapping at her skin instead. There was no time to simply relax. The howling in her head would not cease to waver and although it was faint, it was distracting her at a time that she should probably be paying attention. Like how Indy would probably need this seat so Wiri could drive. Shit, I’m an idiot. Silver unclicked the seatbelt just as Indy began clambering over to her side, her heart pounding wildly at their sudden proximity before she stepped out and closed the door without meeting the other girl’s eyes.

Something spoke hushedly above the drawn out tone in her mind, offering another round of warmth that was causing her shoulders to go rigid. It was gentle; the murmurings of a mother lulling it’s child into a pacified state. Of all the times there’s been trouble, why is right now going to be okay? Silver gripped the side of the truck bed and using one of the back tires to lift herself up, she dropped into the back, deciding to settle on the other side of Roje. Should the woman gain some strength, Silver be fine with her lashing out at the sight of unfamiliar faces surrounding her, but for now she unconsciously wanted to ensure that she wouldn’t topple over on the way to the source of the fire. There was also the fact that her anxiety didn’t seem to mind her being by someone that was already in a weakened state so they probably wouldn’t notice her in the first place. “Do you think covering her up a bit would help?” Silver asked quietly, looking over to the blonde man that had carried Roje.

 

[Larry]

Aódh McFaol
Location: The Loving Spoon.
Mood: Alerted.
Interactions/Mentions: Out Of Words | OrganicUFO | KodakWolf .​

Aódh smiled wolfishly as the scent of cupcakes, lathered in cream he couldn't even begin to name properly, wafted its way towards the table that himself and Beatrice were seated at. As Tilly drew closer, the young man had to try and regain some composure, lest an almost-cartoonish strand of saliva drip out of the side of his mouth at the sight of the treats. The proprietress laid down the plate gently on the table, and thereafter explained precisely what each cupcake was made out of. The moment she had enunciated the last phoneme in 'cookie', the Irishman had his mind set; he greedily swiped at the chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake without waiting so much as waiting for a noise from Beatrice. She can give me a skelp later, he thought giddily, before systematically devouring the cupcake, slowly eating around the rim of it before gobbling up the bulk of the bun outright. Tilly then informed them that dinner would hopefully go without such an incident as the one had just occurred, with a wink in their direction. Aódh smirked at the gesture, realising through the his movement that there were a few crumbs scattered to the side of his mouth, so he promptly retrieved a napkin to rid himself of them. Were he by himself, Aódh would have just flicked the specks of cupcake off his chin but that would look rather ill-mannered on his part. His parents had raised him better than that, and the young man wouldn't wish for his fellow lodger nor the patrons and workers of this café to think of him as uncivilised...were it not for the cacophony of squelching, munching and slurping noises that emanated from him as he went through his English breakfast.

So a barebones civility would have to do the job, Aódh felt.

"I'm sorry for how quick I was to nip in and steal that cookie dough cupcake," he apologised, placing the grease-covered knife and fork in an X-shape pattern on the plate. "You know how you just have to something a bit sweet after a feed like that? My hand was moving before my brain could keep up!"

The Irishman was about to ask his Canadian companion how she found her breakfast, were it not for the sounding out of a bell nearby. That it was an alert of some kind was made obvious by Tilly, who, running out from the back of the kitchen, told Augie to go and check to see if he could offer help. But it was Marius' sudden outburst of "THEY'RE COMING! THEY'RE COMING!" that rattled Aódh, whose head snapped back to see the old man, with surprising speed, dart out the door to the café. The young man's eyes trailed Marius' figure as he ran past the window and thence out of sight. Then, Augie, now that the remaining shards had been swept up by himself and Miranda, urged Boy out the door and to make his way home. When the door opened, the faintest scent of something aflame made itself apparent to Aódh, the rancid smell causing his face to scrunch up slightly. There was something odd about it; to the young man, it smelled of something it shouldn't have...it was something that should not be burning. The smoke seemed to have primed the young man, who, in a sense-switch, ran over to the window situated behind Beatrice, and proceeded to peer out of it alongside the latter. The docks were aflurry with activity, with a contingent of people running in a particular direction. The young man didn't have too certain an understanding of the layout of the town, but he would have liked to assume it was where the bell was ringing from.

"There's a lot of commotion," he commented, looking across at Beatrice, "Should we go and see if we can help Augie with whatever's going on?"

 

[Collidias Rex]

Rawiri Reaves​

Location: The Station, Marasong Outskirts | Hatsu's House

Tagging: AsherMasher Rhyme Silver- Thropian Britt-21 KodakWolf silverwhere

---

"Ready when you are."

Thank fuck. Wiri released a shuddering sigh even as his heart pounded like a jackhammer, glancing up from the firepump to see Indy shifting into the passenger seat. He crouched low and heaved the firepump to the deck without thinking twice about Indy's comment about friends. Not until he'd nearly dropped it on the prone, sickly woman who he hadn't noticed while bent down.

Dammit dammit dammiiit ... he strained, burning what strength he had left as he hauled himself sideways and brought the pump heavily down on the deck and safely away from the newcomer. Where the fuck did she come from? But that was a 'later' thought. He forced it down, grabbed the hoses and piled them onto the deck with his new passengers, and leapt into the cabin.

Fuck. Priorities. Fuck. He'd tried to push the thought back, but the woman on the deck lingered at the edge of his consciousness. He grabbed a water bottle from the passenger seat floor - double checking that there was no tape around it - and he tossed it out the window, toward the passengers on the deck. He didn't want anyone to attempt first-aid while on the back of a moving vehicle, so he could only hope a little water would help the woman. "Hang on!" He threw the truck into gear. He circled around behind the station, grimaced over his shoulder as he reached the road, shifted up a gear and shot away from the station toward town.

"Oi!" He shouted out the window so the folks on the back and Indy alike could hear. "Shit's going to be hectic, so listen close! I'm going to jump out when we arrive in town. I'll bring the pump and hoses with me. If any of you can help, I'd fucking appreciate it!" His words felt hoarse, half growling like he had to force the air from his lungs to become words. Priorities. Fire. Strange newcomers. Injured woman. No, no. Fire, injured woman, then strange newcomers. "Once I've unloaded, one of you jump in the driver's seat and get your friend to the doctor. Head east, follow along the outskirts of town. You want Marasong Health Local, MHL on the sign. North-east corner of town, just near the beach." He paused a moment, to emphasize his next point with a darker tone. "Go through the front gate and the front door. Do not stray from the path from the gate to the front door."

It was tapu to be cruising around the edge of town in a vehicle, but tapu be damned when people were injured and buildings were on fire.

He leaned back into the cabin, holding a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel and working his jaw absently now that he'd stopped speaking. He felt like his tension could run a marathon, but he kept it together. It was methodical from there on out - the advantage to driving one road your entire life was that you knew that road like the back of your hand. You knew when to shift up, shift down, brake, accelerate, you knew exactly how long it was until you got where you needed and you knew how to get there as quickly as you could, though the pump and passengers on the back slowed him some few precious seconds on the corners.

"We're getting close!" He called out the window. Houses were in view ahead - most prominently the smoking one. "Get ready!"

It was a grim thought, but thank god the fire had been on the closest edge of town. Wiri's door was partially open before he was even on the scene, ready to hit the ground running. Trying to ignore the unfamiliar presence in his passenger seat for now, he grabbed a construction hardhat from behind Indy's seat and wrapped a scarf around his face. He retrieved his saltwater bottle and took a long swig before chucking it behind his seat. He didn't bother stopping; slowing on the approach to the house, he shifted the truck into neutral and leapt out of the driver's seat, hitting the ground at a running pace alongside the vehicle. He swiftly fell in behind the truck and hauled the pump, then the hoses from the back.

"Oi!" He shouted to the townsfolk gathered around the building. "Someone hook this up to the water while I get it started!"

 

[Britt-21]

Tags: Rhyme KodakWolf Collidias Rex Silver- Thropian AsherMasher

With the pain growing increasingly worse, she began to tune out the world around her, her heart beating loudly within her ears. Is this what death by starvation felt like to a Vampire? Cause Roje didn't want any of that, even if she had no choice in the matter. This is how I'm going to go out...Without a bang and in a shack with blondie over here. she thought to herself. The surroundings were muffled to her as Leif began to speak. What did he say? She couldn't recall, but all she could feel was him grasping her and dragging her to another part of the shack. Did she care to open her eyes and look? Not really. But she hoped maybe he would put her out of her misery and kill her right here and right now. I'm dead weight and he still chooses to save my sorry ass. a moment of no movement had gone by and she felt slightly angry but understood, maybe he did turn tail and abandoned her.

Suddenly she felt hands on her body again and was soon lifted. Causing her to open her eyes a little bit and regret it instantly as the sunlight began to engulf her body. Fuck, I'd prefer to stay in the shack. as much as she wanted to make comments and try to lighten the situation, she just couldn't. Her energy was dropping lower and lower to the point where it felt like she was on 2% of battery on a phone. Once again she was found being carried by Leif...You know, this carrying thing was hurting her pride and ruining her badass image. Despite not having any choice besides being left to die or be carried.

Muffled sounds of yelling were heard, but nothing that she could make out. Feeling that familiar build next to her, she felt herself slowly lean against his side. If she were to keep herself propped up, she was either going to fall toward him, or away from him and onto the truck bed. Though, at this moment she didn't notice she was in a truck. Not even her nose was working, which meant her senses were beginning to dull. Soon there was another figure on her other side, the only way she knew this was because she felt something being brushed on the opposite side from her. Followed by more muffled talking. Can everyone stop talking like the parents from the Peanut movies!? she thought angrily, eyebrows barely furrowing as she peeked open her eyes once again to see that they were no longer in the shack, but in a moving vehicle with the others she had been with before. Closing her eyes for the 1000th time, she tried to retreat in the back of her mind, away from the pain, back to where she was the one giving the pain.

As she sat within the bed of the truck, she heard all different muffled heartbeats pounding in her ears between those muffled words. There had been one that seemed to stand out more than the rest. It was quick and thumping harder, which meant blood was furiously pumping through their veins. No. Roje. Stop. she'd rather die, than to feast from one of the people in this truck. Unfortunately, while she would fight the satisfying sounds of that heartbeat, no one knew what was about to happen in a short amount of time.​

 

[OrganicUFO]

Beatrice Welles
Location: The Loving Spoon
With: Larry Out Of Words
​

Beatrice watched excitedly as Tilly placed two cupcakes in front of her and Aódh, and gave her a smile and light chuckle at her comment on the lightbulbs. She definitely knows, there’s no way she doesn’t. This train of thought preoccupied Beatrice’s mind, so before she could make much of a choice in which cupcake to eat, she finds that Aódh had already snatched up the cookie dough cupcake. Fortunately however, Beatrice was a big fan of strawberry and it looked just as delicious.
"I'm sorry for how quick I was to nip in and steal that cookie dough cupcake," he apologised, placing the grease-covered knife and fork in an X-shape pattern on the plate. "You know how you just have to something a bit sweet after a feed like that? My hand was moving before my brain could keep up!"

Beatrice had no idea how this man is able to eat so fast, but she found his commitment towards politeness none the less endearing.
“It’s no worries! I love strawberry. Plus this just means I have an excuse to come back tonight and try that one!” she says, smiling as she grabs the strawberry cupcake and takes a bite.
The flavour near explodes in her mouth, and Beatrice swears she has never had better food in her life. She closes her eyes and really tries to soak up the taste. However, before she can truly savour the cupcake an unfamiliar voice catches her ear.
"THEY'RE COMING! THEY'RE COMING!" the voice shouts, as alarms sound.
Beatrice opens her eyes and looks out the window to see a commotion of people by the docks. What the hell? Beatrice thinks. She really didn’t expect such a quiet town to have any sort of hiccups in the day, but something told her this was unusual. As the bells ring, Aódh’s voice cuts through the noise.
"There's a lot of commotion," he commented, looking at Beatrice, "Should we go and see if we can help Augie with whatever's going on?"
Beatrice looks at him and nods.
“Absolutely. It seems like it could be kind of serious. Though I don’t want to dine and dash.” She responds.
Then, it hits Beatrice, she does have a voucher for breakfast so perhaps she can repay Tilly tonight instead.
“Oh! Wait. The vouchers!” She says, rifling through her pockets before placing it on the table. “Ready to go meddle?” she asks, standing up from her chair and looking at Aódh.

 

[Rhyme]

Indy

Location: Fire in da house
Tags: Thropian AsherMasher Silver- Collidias Rex Britt-21 KodakWolf

Oh, to not panic. Yet, panic they must, considering Wiri was about to absolutely lose his shit. The morbid coincidence of Marasong erupting in fire with Indy's homecoming was not lost on her. Wiri's instructions were nearly lost on her completely as she gasped, fingers trembling violently as she attempted to bind them in the sleeves of her shirt. The burning was soaking into her lungs now, her breaths low and raspy as they jostled across the uneven road--choking, yet the singing felt..softer. Still loud, grating against her brain, but more balanced. Harmonizing with the outside world. Two prongs of a tuning fork quickly matching pitch the closer they approached the town, the black smoke billowing up into the sky and tainting the clouds.

Wiri certainly seemed to know what he was doing, the truck gliding like a dream as his hands danced between the wheel and the gear shift, predicting, measuring, reacting with the road like a fish gliding through rapids. Indy chanced a branch to the face and shouldered her upper body out the window, glancing into the back where she could see the group--Roje, from what little she could see, looked miserable. Her features were twisted and pained as she sat beside the blonde vampire and Silver, the other two sitting nearby--still broken, still distant.

Now they were heading into a literal fire.

And there, amongst the thorny branches of her own terror, twisted memories, eternal singing, iron guilt settled in her chest.

She dropped heavily back into her seat, breaths coming in heaving gusts as she chanced a glance at their chauffeur, a livewire of sparking tension that radiated from the twitching muscles in his hands and jaw. As they closed in on the fire, Indy could see a crowd had already gathered. In a classic Marasong fashion, firehoses were replaced with a bucket chain that barely touched the blaze.

She flinched as Wiri reached an arm behind her seat but he didn't seem to notice, his focus entirely on the blaze. One construction hat, scarf, and a guzzle of water later--seriously what did this man not have in his truck--Wiri was out the door. The truck rattled along without him, the gear stuck in neutral. Indy screeched, grappling for the wheel as she scrambled to press on the brake. "What the fuck are you--" as she watched him keep pace and sweep to the back, the screech of metal and another jostling bump signaling the pump and hoses had been hauled off the back. How the fuck did he--adrenaline?!

It didn't matter--Indy threw the truck in park, pressing on the brake with her hand, cheek against the driver's seat cushion as one leg was still flung awkwardly over the passenger seat, bottles pressing into her stomach. The moment the truck jerked to a stop Indy traipsed forward, clutter flying as she fell out of the still-open door. She landed heavily on her chest, grunting as her head slammed into the dirt. The smoke was burning her nose, her eyes already tearing up at the heat as she pulled herself up by the wheel, by the side of the truck, leaning her body heavily over the side as she coughed. Her hands, scratched up from her fall, left red prints where she gripped the tailgate.

Roje. She looked worse up close--all of them did, she did--fuck. "What's wrong with her?!" Indy choked, reached for her sister. "Fuck, Roje, just--hang on." Could she even hear her? They needed to get out. The crowd, the sun--everyone needed to move.

Indy coughed again, rubbing her eyes--the blood worsening their stinging. "Get her in the truck. You two, you should get in the truck. Get her out of the sun, get you both out." Indy glanced at Silver, to those who remained strangers, and raised one trembling hand to smack the back of the rear window. "Please tell me someone knows how to drive a manual." Before she drove them straight off the goddamn cliffs.

coded by: @s e v e n

 

[KodakWolf]

Riley Adler / Boy
Location: The Scary Spoon
Tags: Out Of Words OrganicUFO Larry ​

If only Boy knew how the day would turn out to be, perhaps he wouldn't have followed Augie into town to begin with. Postponing his chance to finally meet the famous Tilly would be a fair price to pay for not having to go through the exploding light bulbs and now that alarm he'd never heard before in the few months he's been in Marasong. He didn't have to have heard that alarm before, however, to realize it wasn't an everyday occurence. Curious about what the alarm meant, and not willing to stay in the cafe with Marius if Augie decided to head out and do what Tilly was telling him to do (despite the fantastic ear scratching, Boy's loyalty still lied with Augie), the dog stood up, inteding to find his way to Augie and regretting not being able to stay and perhaps sniff out some cupcake crumbs.

Before he could step away from Marius, however, the old man stepped away from him. Or rather, seemed to have broken into a sprint he shouldn't be physically able to accomplish, yelling a 'THEY'RE COMING' while his voice dripped panic and alarm. It made the fur on the dog's neck rise, and he immediatelly bolted after the old man, hoping he could catch the front door open long enough to be able to slip out. But the thought of Augie made him stop halfway to the front door, and he heard the sound of the door shutting behind Marius as he searched for Augie instead. Thankfuly, Augie was quick to find him, and they didn't linger inside the cafe, heading out the front door shortly after Marius.

Outside, the scent of smoke immediately reached Boy's nostrils. Not any smoke, but the scent of a fire, together with the many sounds of steps across the wooden planks of the docks. It initially made Boy confused, as he wasn't sure whether he should follow in the same or in the opposite direction the people were going. Were they running to attend the fire, or running away from it? He didn't have to find an answer himself, as Augie was quick to point him on the way home. The dog instinctively sprinted forward several feet, but then stopped when he realized Augie wasn't coming with him. He turned around, barking at Augie a few times, then anxiously circling around and barking again. A sense of urgency was felt coming from Augie, and the dog then realized he'd have to continue on his own for now, and barking just wouldn't make the man follow him home. By lingering, he was just standing on Augie's way to help put the fire out.

So, after a few more seconds of hesitation, he took off in the direction he deemed correct to find his way back home, hoping the circling around hadn't made him lose the sense of direction Augie had just given him. He sprinted for several yards, but ended up slowing down to an apprehensive trot, unsure of his surroundings and afraid of running into something or someone. Sniffing around, he tried to pick up familiar scents, hopefully their own scents as they made their way to the cafe, which would allow him to find the exact path they took and follow it back home. The scent of smoke, however, was too strong, and together with the scents of all the people that'd just run through the area made it really hard for Boy to locate himself. They absolutely should have practiced following that path before trying it on a chaotic day like that.

Just as he was deciding to continue cautiously following in the direction he thought home could be, he picked up one scent that soothed his distress, if just a little bit. Marius'. It led inland, away from the sea, but sort of towards the fire, although not directly. From the tone of Marius' voice when he yelled 'they're coming', Boy assumed the man was running away from whoever 'they' were, and hoped the trail would eventually lead away from the fire as he started following it, still kind of disoriented, heart racing within his chest and ears perked to pick up any sounds.

 

[KodakWolf]

Leif Hjalkarssen
Location: On the road, then finally town!
Tags: Britt-21 Silver- Out Of Words Collidias Rex Rhyme Thropian AsherMasher ​

The plan obviously worked, because who would stop on their way to attend a fire to check the identities of mysterious new passengers in their truckbed, right? As another woman moved to sit on the other side of Roje, the one that smelled familiar but didn't seem familiar, she suggested covering Roje up. Sure, she probably felt the effects of the sunlight to some extent, but he doubted that was the cause of her troubles, as sunlight by itself didn't seem to have worsened her symptoms. She was in bad enough shape even while they were inside the shack.

"If you got something, probably." Leif nodded slightly after some considertion, turning to look at the woman that shyly offered help. Damn, it'd probably help him more than anyone at this point, as the increasingly burning sunrays reminded him and he lowered his head some more, squinting. He also picked up the clear scent of blood coming from the cabin, and glancing down at Roje noted she probably didn't, meaning she either wasn't starving or was too starved, past the point of being able to even smell anything. If the woman did have something they could use to cover Roje up with, Leif would make sure to take it from her and wrap Roje up himself, lest the vampire attempt some desperate feeding. At this point, truth be told, he wasn't fully sure he should stop her, but Indigo's advice kept ringing in his ears as a reminder, 'Be human, appear human.'

He trusted her more than he trusted the man driving the truck, more than he trusted any of the people attempting to put out the fire that would soon come into sight. No, he'd never seen her before, but something was connecting all of them, so until proven otherwise, they were all together in this; Indigo obviously knew the place well, and Leif wasn't about to disregard her advice, so he reached out an arm and wrapped it around Roje's shoulder, attentive to strengthen his grasp if she gave any signs of attempting something.

"She needs blood more." he added in a quiet tone so only the woman and maybe Roje could listen, giving her a quick glance before looking back down and away from the sun. Grabbing the water bottle that was tossed their way in the back, Leif opened it, and attempted to have Roje drink some, holding her chin slightly up with one hand, while the other, whose arm wasn't wrapped around her shoulder, carefully tilted the bottle at her lips. Of course the truck's jolting and occasional wobbling as it swiftly made its way to town resulted in water being splashed over all three of them, so Leif kept his attention even more tuned on Roje, in case the water managed to wake her up some.

Just as quick as they'd started moving, the truck came to a stop, and the driver quickly appeared before them disappearing shortly after hauling the pump and hoses that'd been riding with them in the back. Then the driver's directions to them jumped into mind. Drive to the clinic, following the outskirts of town. Front gate to front door, no deviations. In reality, all that mattered was that they now had a truck (with an enclosed cabin) and a means of getting around.

The truck jerked to a stop, and Indigo was spit out of the cabin in a scene that would be comic were it not for their current circumstances. Leif didn't need to see the blood on her face and hands to know she was the source of the strong, powerful scent, a scent which temptation it caused Leif was more than capable of pushing aside. Another glance at Roje, and Leif was quick to stand up, the woman already in his arms.

"She needs blood. Get in." he spoke again and nodded toward the truckbed, answering Indigo's question to the best of his knowledge in a quiet but hushed tone, so others around couldn't pick up. Before Indigo was done speaking, Leif was already on his way to accomodate Roje in the passenger seat, then scramble over to the driver's seat. Throwing the truck into gear, he put them on their way without really checking who was still on board or not. He'd had more than enough time in his hands over the course of his life to learn how to drive pretty much anything, with ot without wheels, so it didn't take a lot of concentration to follow the path along the outskirts of town, even with a few trees on their way, and finally get them away from the burning smoke. He considered asking Indigo for Beth's address, but concluded it wouldn't be wise to approach Beth with Roje in that state. That definitely wouldn't count toward 'appearing human'. So first try to fix with some blood, then look for Beth.

Leif didn't drive too long, as in just minutes they arrived at the edge of town, the closest they could get with the truck. Walking under the sunlight, even five minutes, would be too painful, enough to make the drive worth it. Leaping out of the truck, Leif quickly circled around it to grab Roje from the passenger seat, heading quickly into town, where he spotted the sign for the clinic. He made a beeline for the front gate, hoping any others would follow, then headed straight for the front door as instructed, not without glancing around the area between one and the other first. It was a strange recommendation after all, and one the driver had seemed to emphasize. Leif considered mentioning again the need of blood to the others, so they knew what to look for or what to expect in case he had to pull a desperate move to acquire some (say, by attacking a receptionist), but something within him made him keep his mouth shut. What if someone overheard them, someone with enhanced hearing? Instead, he busted through the front door, feeling the instant relief of being finally out of the sun.

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Alarm Bells​

By the time Aódh and Beatrice made it out the door, the docks were filled with just a couple of stragglers. They weren't able to go and help because ships still had to be unloaded, they had scheduled to keep. Or stores couldn't be closed and couldn't be left unattended, not even in a small place like Marasong Harbor. However, there were quite a few who ran across the docks and along the path between the line of shops leading to the middle of town and beyond.

Once outside, the acrid smoke could not be missed. There were a few voices yelling loud enough to carry to the two as they followed their noses, and the flurry of activity ahead of them. "FIRE! GET THE BUCKETS!" More than one voice called for buckets, or shouted general directions. They would likely get a glimpse of one or two people shouting as they headed closer to the commotion.

Past the town hall on the left, and the farming fields to the right, along the back Northwestern corner of houses, smoke billowed upward in ever darkening patterns. They arrived in time to see a truck pulling away and disappearing behind a row of houses on the town's perimeter. A bucket brigade had formed on one side of the path leading to the burning house, people had hoses and filled up the buckets which were then passed back and forth through a line. They seemed like they were making sure the fire wasn't spreading, while leaving others to deal with the fire inside the structure.

Like the large man wearing a construction helmet and a scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face. he was working with a box-shaped contraption with an engine, pump, and nozzles. A couple of others were getting hoses connected to a water source, and the firefighting was about to get real.




OOC Information

Aódh & Beatrice Larry AsherMasher : There are a few faces both of you have glimpsed around here and there during your stay. Augie can be seen hurriedly talking to a broadly build man with short brown hair. You would have seen the man now and then passing by the cafe, always apparently checking on the older man, Marius. After a moment of talking, the larger man looks panicked, and the two of them head away from the fire and toward the back row of houses in the Southeastern corner.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Hatsu's Housewarming​

Before Angelo could do much inside the house, a truck glided near, and more importantly, Rawiri. Angelo came back out, holding a piece of cloth to his face. He had a small coughing fit before quickly speaking to the ranger. "Wiri! It's on the upper floor, just starting to get the upper floor. I wasn't able to get a better look." He obviously had confidence in the ranger, as he stood out of the way, but nearby in case Wiri wanted him to do something. He was a lawyer though, he put out a different kind of fire.

Traces of the smoke started to filter down into the first floor, and out the front door. It's darker brown, with some growing traces of black, and the plume exiting the top of the house has grown in width. It meant part of the roof was gone, and possibly more about to collapse. The heat from the fire pushed steadily outward bit by bit and flames were now clearly visible in the windows of the second story.

Something inside explodes, a small one, but it fuels the fire and startles some in the crowd of helpers. Somewhere outside someone screamed, with a few others shouting at those too close to get back.





OOC Information

Hatsu silverwhere : Almost on auto pilot, you've been filling bucket after bucket as they hold it out for you to fill. It looks like they're keeping surrounding trees and roofs wet to avoid any embers catching and spreading the fire.

Rawiri Collidias Rex : The small explosion was likely caused by some cleaning supplies, as the place had been going through a cleaning in preparation of being sold. Any of the gathered helpers will follow your orders and actually look to you to lead them as the Marasong Ranger.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Marasong Health Local​

There were a few moments where Leif had to swerve left or right, but they were still in one piece when they went as far as the truck could go. While they were unloading and started to head toward the clinic, there was the strong sensation of being watched. Hairs raised on the back of the neck kind of watched. However, it wasn't until they had opened the gate and started on the path to the front door when the source was actually seen.

The person was standing stock still beside a tree, in a light colored suit, sans tie. Chalk white hair was short, but frazzled, and wrinkles spoke of his age. The blue eyes seemed to stare directly at Leif when their gazes met. Even if others turned to look his way, the man's eyes seemed fixated on Leif. His stare was unblinking, open and wide, yet seemed to pierce through to the very depth of what made Leif, Leif.

It might have continued like that endlessly, if something to the side hadn't drawn the figure's attention. His head turned sharply to look at something the others couldn't see, and then he was gone. The man had stepped behind the tree, and could no longer be seen. Whether or not one of the group wanted to pursue the figure, the moment was broken by the front door of the clinic opening up.

A man wore a bright blue safety vest, with a red cross symbol outlined in white to make it stand out even more against the blue. He was swinging a medical kit bag over a shoulder and talking as he moved. "I'll be in contact." He held up a walkie talkie device and nearly collided with the group. "Oh sorry! Sorry! Marianne can help you." He gestured to the woman left standing in the open doorway before he edged around the group and out the gate on his way to the fire.

The woman wore a medical gown and had a white covering over her hair and head. A mask was currently underneath her chin, and she had a bundle of blue disposable gloves clutched in one hand. "Oh dear, are you from the fire? Come in, come in! I didn't think anyone had been hurt in the fire yet?" She was already giving them a once over, and then another as they grew closer and headed into the clinic. Something passed over her eyes and the edges crinkled softly. "Oh. Special ones. Head to the very back room, please."

The place was very clean, and well stocked as far as health clinics go. There was a small waiting room to the left upon entering, with a single receptionist. A couple of curtain drawn bays that could be surmised as a triage area, and then several rooms beyond that. A couple were offices, what looked like an operating room, and enough areas to know the clinic here was in it for the long haul and had likely being doing this for a while.

The back room was a good sized examination room, and all of them could easily fit into the space with ample room to move. There were two beds side by side, with about two feet in between. Marianne had followed behind, and made sure the door was closed and curtains drawn before she addressed them further. "Okay, I need to know who's hurt, and what you are before I can treat you accordingly." She didn't beat around the bush.





OOC Information

Everyone in the group: Everything feels better here, it's comforting, even the air smells clean and crisp as if the fire was in another town all together.

Indigo Rhyme : The amulet is warm, but no longer burning. It pulses quietly, and the song isn't deafening, but persistently stuck in the back of your mind. There's no such thing as a moment of silence, for the song fills that space.

Edwight Thropian : The urgency has lessened, but with it comes a crash, like after an adrenaline rush. Hands shake, the body feels as if you haven't slept in days. Your head feels light, almost but not quite dizzy, and it's starting to feel like maybe this is a dream, surreal and not quite as clear.

Roje Britt-21 : There's blood here. You can hear it in the beating of many hearts, not just within your group, but others now in the clinic. It's rushing like a river in your senses, and you know the pain will stop if you can just have a drink or two. Or ten. And your body shakes hard with the desire to just bathe in it all.

Leif KodakWolf : Roje's starting to shake uncontrollably, not quite seizure worthy, but beyond what she can hold in check. However, you're also out of the sun now, and while the burning has ceased, the uncomfortable warmth lingers still.

Silver and Clementine Silver- AsherMasher : There's a soft singing in the back of your mind now. No words, just humming, quiet, soothing, reassuring humming. The beds look more comfortable than they likely are, but you know Roje needs one. Still, that leaves one bed open. And it would feel so nice to lay down just for a little while and let the melody soothe you to sleep.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Stalking Marius​

Marius' scent led along between the stores and a row of houses. He apparently moved fast when panicked, but Boy could get a strong bead on the man's specific oceanic scent. The farther from the fire it moved, the easier Boy could track the man. The quicker Boy followed it, the stronger it became.

Once the trail cleared the edge of town, it started to head South. It weaved in and out through some trees, before there were other sounds, even voices. There were several pairs of footsteps, one pair heavy as if carrying a load like they do on the docks. Marius' scent is strong, no longer moving, but it is quickly mixed with no less than six other scents, then seven, and a fainter eighth.

Some of the scents make no sense, ancient and earthy, one is from a very deep earth. There's a wolf and feline scent, and a combination which cannot be picked apart without more familiarity. There's the ever present ocean breeze, and... magic. Different from the one in the cafe, but there's no mistaking it was magic.

An unknown male voice, moving as they speak, "I'll be in contact... Oh sorry! Sorry! Marianne can help you." Those footsteps quickly leave the area, as an older woman's voice can be heard, from the direction the male had come from.

"Oh dear, are you from the fire? Come in, come in! I didn't think anyone had been hurt in the fire yet?"

Then, there's the realization Marius' scent is nowhere to be found.




OOC Information

Riley KodakWolf : Marius' scent isn't there, at all. There isn't a wind to have carried it away, there's no explanation for it, it's not there. However, after the other scents clear, you can determine you're close to the path you and Augie take through the woods back home.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​

 

[Larry]

Aódh McFaol
Location: Near Hatsu's house.
Mood: Worried.
Interactions/Mentions: Out Of Words | OrganicUFO | KodakWolf .​

It seems that his sense of smell had been proved useful yet again. After Beatrice had given approval, the two of them made their way out of the Loving Spoon towards the source of the smoke, with Aódh doing his best not to how have an unflattering look on his face, upon receipt of such a disgusting odour. It seemed the fire had done away with whatever attention was being given to work on the docks, with just a smattering of people here and there unloading crates. I suppose life has to go on, he remarked to himself, eyeing the various storefront and the activity, despite the fire, continuing within those premises. Then, the sound of exhortation rung out through the air, the message being that of "FIRE! GET THE BUCKETS!", so with a glance and affirmation, the two lodgers made their way over to where the man was shouting from. As they made their way past what seemed to be the civic-centre of the town on one side, and fields on the other, Aódh face began to scrunch up in more and more folds, almost in correlation to the darkening of the smoke that billowed out of one of the houses, or at least the Irishman assumed it to be a house, based on the area that they had traipsed into. As they rounded the corner, Aódh noticed a truck disappear around a row of houses, but the thing that really caught his eye was the extensive line of people ferrying buckets, almost assembly-line in standard, up to the house currently engulfed in flames. The young man thought about hopping in line to help out but, seeing how well it was functioning as it stood already, he decided against doing so.

It was in his by-standing that he noticed Augie, the owner of Boy, conversing with a rather stocky fellow. They were conversing in quite a composed manner, or at least from what Aódh could render, conscious of not trying to impose on their conversation, in an eavesdropping sort of sense. Then, all of a sudden, there was a sudden shift in the demeanour of the two of men, which promptly turned them to race about in another direction, away from the fire. Aódh was puzzled at the sight of the two men leaving the scene; what could be so important, or, indeed, cause such worry that it took them away from A HOUSE ON FIRE? The Irishman could do little but shrug at the pair of them, and quickly turned his attention back to the conflagration. Even though, as it was back in the Loving Spoon, a whiff that the young man described as being 'unnatural', he wanted to make sure that there was nothing within the fume that smelled of something more...morbid. Steadying himself, he concentrated on the scent as it passed through his nostrils, seeking to derive whether anybody was being burnt alive in the flame. After a bout of intense concentration, no doubt he felt would draw a wondering look from Beatrice, Aódh ceased his pruning and, thankfully, there was no indication that a person, perhaps the owner of the house, was caught up within the fire. The young man breathed a hearty sigh, with a muttering of "Thank feck!" under his breath, as he watched alongside Beatrice, as the makeshift, fire-containment unit struggled to keep the blaze from spreading to nearby houses.

Yet, he felt a bit inadequate, that he couldn't do much to help, much like it was at the Loving Spoon, but the feeling was a good deal more amplified this time around. Not only was the fire on his mind, but Augie's flight from the emergency with that other man, as well as Marius' unexpected speed in darting from the Loving Spoon, all came together to form a perfect storm of confusion.

"I'm at a loss Beatrice," Aódh said, turning to the Canadian, with a ponderous look on his face, "What should we do?"

 

[Britt-21]

Tags: Rhyme AsherMasher Silver- Out Of Words KodakWolf Thropian

Roje could no longer hear clearly, all that came to her ears were that constant "womp womp" noise, or even bassy sounds. Keeping her eyes closed, she did her best to try to sleep at the very least, or even put herself in a state where she wouldn't be as active. The pain continued to grow and she'd do anything for it to stop at this point. With the swerving left and right, Roje was surprised that she didn't gather enough energy to strangle the person who was driving the damn car. Soon enough, it stopped and she found herself finally able to gather some bits of herself. Once again she was picked up, probably by the same person who carried her once before: Leif. This allowed her to relax against him, hearing the bassy thump of his heart. Allowing her to focus on that and slowly fall into a state of sleep to avoid the pain.

Spoiler: Dream/Past Sequence

"You shut the fuck up and get in your damn truck! I don't care what fucking blood you have! I don't want to hear not one fucking word from you about it." it was clear he was snapped from his rage as she turned to Dean and shoved him back, her bloodied hands leaving marks on his body "You!" she shouted "I don't want to hear one fucking word from you! If I do, I'm sitting your ass down again!" the fire that burned within her eyes was strong, more like a blazing inferno "You're going to get in that fucking car, and you're going to shut your fucking mouth."

The man that she had been going at, his name was Dean. A previous lover of hers that had gone missing in her past. He was staring back at her, only for him to fight back and shove her to the ground "I'm not the one who threw a fucking fit and almost got us all killed!" he replied.

"You really fucking think that what happened down there was a fit? You got another thing coming, Mutt!" she shouted, getting up from the ground and shoving him back before getting close to his face "If she wants to murder me, then let her. I'm not going down without a fucking fight and you know that!" her hands clenched into fists as she continued to spoke "Maybe if you didn't keep messing around down there, we could have been out sooner. You were taking too long, and now look!" she pointed to the sky "We don't know how much fucking time we have and we wasted a whole fucking night!" at this point, her head was pounding, far angrier than she ever had been. If I keep going, I'm only going to get worse. I need to fucking stop but I cant. He's just pissing me off more and more and not realizing the stress he was causing. Even before getting here last night. The image of Dean stepping in front of the Queen to protect her only made Roje more rage induced. Lips were tight as she tried not to have another outburst. But she couldn't help her mouth as she glared at him "Don't you ever try to protect me ever again, Dean. I fucking mean it."

A rough memory that she had with him. Why was her anger always getting the best of her in the past? Why did it always come back in bits and pieces? Hell, was this the only place that she could dream of to get away from the pain? The sounds of thumping started to wake her up from her light slumber. Hearts. Those were hearts beating all around her. There was more, so much more. Her body began to tremble severely as if she had been left out in Antarctica. There was blood all around her, blood she could choose from. She was starving, dying for a drink...Perhaps a whole body to drain. Her mind had been so fully focused on that, that she didn't realize her surroundings were different now.

Blood. She needed blood. Her hand grasped onto Leifs chest, shaking but at the same time gathering the strength to clench tightly, though not enough to rip the shirt, it was enough to get his attention and possibly notice how she was growing restless.​

 

[Silver-]

Silver Blackwood
Tags: Out Of Words Rhyme Collidias Rex KodakWolf Britt-21 AsherMasher Thropian | Location: The road to town, but now a scary place.

The volume in which Wiri threw his words of warning to them at were somehow louder than the Hilux’s gurgling motor that roared with effort, racing along dirt and asphalt alike with an ease that it couldn’t have held with Indy commanding it. Every crank of the gears registered in her ears, her mind all to focused on the loudest sounds while half paying attention to the lower ones that were beginning to overstimulate her mind. Her heart thudded loudly, betraying her indecipherable expression as she silently assessed everyone’s state of mind from what she could see, hear and smell. Tapping into her newly acquired skills was becoming something of habit now and she was sure at least part of it was due to the simple fact that she couldn’t just allow something like this to fade away. She wanted to learn more about whatever she was.

After giving Roje a good look, Silver decided to see if perhaps she could help but the idea of having a conversation with someone without purpose would do nothing but manifest choking thoughts. She summoned a few words in Leif’s direction, just enough to satisfy her quiet desire to quell the turmoil Roje was mentally writhing in beside her. The blonde man had said nothing at first which allowed her some time to put his and the other’s faces’ to her memory. The assortment of people that had been cultivated into their little group had some sort of connection by which means she didn’t know, but each held their own sort of vibration or aura to an extent that she could sense. None of them appeared to be ‘bad people’ in that aspect and that alone, she supposed, was a good thing. Not even Wiri had appeared to be anything more than a good samaritan with the jumpiness of a prey animal that was constantly expecting to be flushed from it’s hiding place. Aside from the fact that he isn’t human. The thought continued to prick at her, fueling sudden doubts about all that she knew so far. Leif didn’t give them time to take root as Silver snapped her dark gaze up towards him when he finally responded, remaining silent for a few heartbeats to watch as he lowered his head, eyes closing to tired slits. Maybe he needs it more. Silver kept her silence as she shed her main article of clothing. It was a trench coat and although it wasn’t of a thick, winter-suited material, it was black and so it would absorb the brunt of the sunlight peaking through the clouds. It definitely wasn’t a fire blanket or blackout curtains but it was something. Unsure of whether or not to touch Roje, Silver reached over her carefully to place it on Leif’s leg, not meeting his gaze as the scent of smoke choked her senses again.

Blood, huh? Being in the splash zone was the least of Silver’s worries as the blonde vampire attempted to feed the practically unresponsive woman beside her some water, the truck soon coming to a screeching halt—no, a slow down? Wiri burst from the driver’s side as if the fire itself had escaped into the cabin, Indy following suit by not-so-gracefully plummeting to the gravel that seemed to be the only thing slowing the vehicle down. The truck bed leveled itself after being relieved of the grueling weight of the pump, Wiri not even giving them so much as a glance even though he’d entrusted them with what was probably his most important possession. The blonde vampire had sprung up from his place on the truck with Roje already in tow after Indy’s frantic words slowly registered in Silver’s mind, her focus instead on the unseeable flames that were lapping at the second floor of the two-story home that moved panoramically in front of them.

It was all turning into some wayward movie but instead of her being in the audience, she was one of the actors. Shadows of people blurred with that of the burning house itself, smoke billowing from an opening on the charred panels of the second floor and the scent of familiar chemicals drifting in the air. A single line of people moved in coordination amongst those whom were scrambling for other ways of smothering the flames, passing each other bucket after bucket of water in an attempt to save the home. The raucous bouts of yelling were soon replaced by the gonging of a bell that echoed from somewhere in town, fresh throngs of townspeople heeding it’s call as she could hear several footsteps racing not only in their direction but also in the area in which they were headed.

The truck burst with loud groans of contempt, threatening to leap into the kind of stall that would put lowriders to shame until Indy was replaced by the blonde vampire whom now chanced the wheel. It wasn’t long until they arrived at the location Wiri had directed them to but they weren’t the only ones in the front yard of the clinic building. Silver nearly breathed a sigh of relief when familiar bristling swept over her, signaling her wolf’s instinctive reaction that put her on high alert. The relief was short-lived, but nonetheless she was glad to know that it hadn’t left her to her own devices. There was more than one pair of eyes watching, she noted as she brought up the back of the line once again. The most prominent was an older gentleman in a suit with blue eyes that seemed trained on one of them. Unlike most of his age bracket that she’d met, his stance made him appear as if he were chiseled from stone with how static he was and the scent he carried was that of which the wind carried. Oceanic. Not like the saltwater encased in Wiri’s bottles but of the ocean itself. Seafoam, churning bluish-gray currents bubbling over hot sand and archaic is the only way to describe it.

The other pair of eyes she couldn’t pinpoint it’s location, sparing a glance over her shoulder but catching only glimpses of the townspeople and the buildings around them. The muscle in her jaw leapt when the white-haired gentleman had vanished when she’d turned her attention back to the path in front of her, his scent reduced to only the salty tang of the nearby ocean. Keeping her eyes trained on the ground now, Silver dodged the clinic staff that moved past them, his walkie buzzing about the fire. The woman he’d left them with made her want to shrink away. The clinic appeared to be like a sort of souped up urgent care with several dedicated rooms rather than ones with simple curtains to separate them and that stark, clean scent that either reminded one of sick people or disinfectant, both of which made Silver speed up her pace a bit. The woman—Marianne?—Had guided them to a room deeper into the clinic, following behind them all and as a result, Silver had to swallow a growl of discomfort. A quiet hum murmured into her thoughts once they reached the room, easing the tension in her body but not the distrust that flared into her eyes when Marianne questioned them bluntly. Surely this woman was joking and even if she wasn’t, she didn’t even know what she was in the first place.

Rather than answering, Silver’s gaze wandered to the few beds that sat around them, an exhaustion she didn’t know she had being emphasized by the soothing tones that had replaced the howls in her head. To which she’d give into, she didn’t know, but at least her mind was on alert enough that she knew she wouldn’t be able to rest in a place like this. Movement drew her attention to Roje whom was now gripping the fabric of the blonde vampire's shirt, quaking in his arms with a renewed strength driven by the heartbeats that were thudding incessantly in her ears.

 

[silverwhere]

Hatsu Black
Location: Not the right kind of housewarming
Tags: Out Of Words Larry Collidias Rex OrganicUFO
​

To say that Hatsu wasn't getting frustrated would be a lie. He understood why the buckets of water were being tossed onto other houses, the nearby trees , and the nearby grass- he totally got it. It was far better for one person to be out of a home than an entire town or for a forest fire that could take out acres of land. He got it- but that didn't mean that he wasn't cursing the samaritans as they came hungry for their own buckets to be filled to protect their own homes. He felt himself getting more frustrated as each time he thought he could point the house at his own home another person came with an empty bucket. It became a pattern of him just filling buckets and just being frustrated. He could just ignore them but at this point the house was most likely a total lost. He didn't know much, especially in architecture- but he could tell by the way the roof sag that it was probably going to give way soon and only fuel the fire more. Not to mention the smoke that was pouring out from the door and the flicks of burning red that he saw ate away at whatever hope he had left.

He's attention was shaken when a beat up truck came racing in and suddenly stopping with a mountain of a man bundling out and grabbing what looked like some sort of water pump. He paused for a few seconds to catch a glance and the rather odd situation as the man yelled an order to help him connect the pump to water. He couldn't help but notice someone falling out the cabin as a passenger that was riding in the truck bed practically dragged a red headed into the truck before the group speed off. He had lived in Marasong for a few months and it felt like today was the most intense and interesting day he's had, obviously, but it was not every day that you see something like that. His attention was then suddenly snapped back to him command of the scarf man wanting the pump to be connected. Hatsu wasn't sure if he knew how to do that, but he still pushed the responsibility of filling buckets to a poor soul that was too close and ended up with the garden hose. He wasn't sure if he could keep filling bucket without exploding so he raced over to see if there was anything he could do to help with the pump- besides maybe it'll be more of a direct way of putting out the fire.

 

[OrganicUFO]

Beatrice Welles​

Once Beatrice and Aódh where outside, the smell of smoke filled the air. Beatrice watched as only a couple stragglers moved boxes and other items. It seemed as though the majority of the town had travelled towards the commotion. She stayed close to Aódh, as she still didn't know exactly what was happening. However, as they ventured further towards the commotion, it was clear something was very wrong. Beatrice turned as multiple voices shouted, "FIRE! GET THE BUCKETS!" and quickly walked towards the chaos. Beatrice didn't pay much mind to the scenery around her, although she made vague note of passing by what felt like an important artery of the town. Most of her attention was focused on the smell of smoke, which felt both familiar and distinctly foreign. Beatrice was used to fire, as it was a common practice in her home. In fact, every summer Beatrice's family would gather and create a massive bonfire to honour those lost to the witch trials. It would even be complete with the burning of a witch, except instead of a real person it was a life-sized doll stuffed with hay. But this fire, it was clearly not supposed to be there. It made Beatrice uneasy, and the smoke made her throat scratchy.

Beatrice watched as countless people with buckets ran about. She wanted to help, but felt that as an outsider she may well interfere with the flow of work. Part of Beatrice wished she could simply use her magic to create a massive rainstorm to put out the flames. The only problem with that is for one, she really should not out herself as magical, and two, even if she could out herself as magical without consequences, Beatrice could only dream to have the kind of power needed to create even a little rain-shower, let alone a storm big enough for those flames. Instead, she turned towards her companion, to see what he would do. She watched as he seemed to stand back as well, and felt more reassured in her own decision. Her eyes briefly wandered, and she noticed Augie speaking with another man, however, the flames captured her attention too strongly, and she quickly peeled her eyes back towards the fire. As the flames continued to burn, she turned back towards Augie and the mysterious man, and noticed he was nowhere to be seen, which confused Beatrice. She then turned towards Aódh, and noticed he had an odd look on his face. She thought she had heard him mutter something, however she wasn't sure, so she turned back towards the fire.

Beatrice felt completely helpless, and saddened for the owner of the home. She could only hope that whoever owned it wasn't inside. Even Beatrice's favourite defense, which is to slap a smile on her face wouldn't work. Which is perhaps for the best, as putting on a smile while watching a house burn to the ground is a bit fucked up, to say the least. All Beatrice could do was watch, with a concerned look on her face. Suddenly however, Aódh's voice snapped her out of her head.
"I'm at a loss Beatrice," Aódh said, turning towards her, a ponderous look on his face, "What should we do?"
Beatrice looked at him and frowned.
"Honestly... I don't really know. I'm worried if we started helping with the buckets we'd mess up whatever system they might have." she begins, her voice strained. "Truth be told, I think our best bet if we want to help is to find whoever is leading this entire effort. They'll probably know where we can be of use." she says.

Beatrice Welles

LOCATION

Near Hatsu Black's Home

WITH

Out Of Words Larry silverwhere

 

[Collidias Rex]

Rawiri Reaves
​

Tagging: silverwhere

---

Not again.

"Top floor, got it!" Wiri yanked on the rip-cord a fourth time, finally kicking the pump to life as he handed the hose off to someone. Hatsu, he noted somewhere amidst the chaos. He'd seen the lad about town. He called after Hatsu, shouting over the drone of the pump. "Hook it up, ask someone if you get confused!"

Not again.

With that, he spun back to Angelo. "I'm gonna get up there! Throw the hose up to me by the front window when I lean out. And fuck, get some people with a blanket outside the front window in case I need to jump!"

It wasn't Wiri's smartest idea. He pushed the hose into Angelo's hands, pulled the scarf optimistically tighter around his mouth, and started running for the door. No, definitely not the smartest - he noted this again as something exploded in the top floor. But the bottom floor wasn't burning yet. The bottom floor wouldn't completely collapse, but the middle portion of the roof might. He could stay by the outer edges, that might keep him out of the way. But even then he'd need to be quick; the smell of smoke was ever-present as he rushed into the bottom floor. It was a bad idea, and he reminded himself of the fact very loudly - but there was one thought that was louder still.

Not again.

Not after the shark. Not this soon.

He kept his head down and eyes squinted as the cloying smoke stung his eyes, scuttling up the stairs and into the worst of it. He beelined for the front window, mentally counting every second he spent in the building. He moved in a half-crouch, plotting the floorplan in his head as he moved through the house. Peeking around one corner, he swore as he found one room well and truly ablaze. He doubled back, winding around and taking a detour to the front wall.

Wiri grimaced as he put the pieces together. The hose was only so long, and it wouldn't wind through the house. He'd have to improvise.

Sorry Hatsu.

Wiri put his fists through two opposite walls as he passed.

Good enough. He could thread the hose through the interior walls to reach the worst of the fire quickly. He might need his enhanced strength if something went wrong, but it was already fleeting just with the seconds passing. Best to use it now and make the most of it.

When he found the front wall, he cracked the window and heaved it open as wide as it would go, leaning out and pulling his scarf aside for a breath of fresh air.

"Angelo! Here!" He waved a hand and reached down as far as he could stretch.

Thank god it was only a residential property and nothing larger. At least at this size, Wiri could zip back and forth to the window for air. He'd reach the hose, douse the immediate area to keep his safe zone around the window damp, then he'd thread the hose through the hole in the wall to get at the worst of the flames deeper in the building. Hopefully the garden hoses and buckets would keep it from growing elsewhere as he tackled the the center. If all seemed lost, or if the smoke was too much for him ...

I fuckin' hate heights. He grimaced as he thought of the blanket.

 

[KodakWolf]

Riley Adler / Boy
Location: Running through the woods
Tags: Out Of Words ​

The further Boy followed Marius' scent, the further away he seemed to get from the fire, and the stronger and clearer the man's scent became. He was getting close, he had to, although he couldn't pick up the sounds of Marius' footsteps just yet. The man was very, very quick on his feet for someone as old as he was, or as old as he sounded at least. It did worry Boy a little; whoever it was the man was running from, whoever it was that was coming, had to present quite the threat to make him run like that.

Finally, the sounds of footsteps found their way to the dog. Had to be Marius, the scent was stronger than ever. His flash of hope lasted only a minute, however, as soon he could pick up the sound of several more footsteps, accompanied by several scents, none of which made sense. A mix of animals, earthy scents, magic... undoubtedly they weren't human, and at least one of them sounded like they were carrying something heavy.

The dog was frozen in place the moment he picked up the mysterious scents, hoping he wasn't within their line of sight. He didn't know the town, and therefore couldn't make sure to stay out of sight. Listening closely to a couple of people speaking, it didn't seem like they'd paid him any mind, which was great. It also sounded like they were coming from the fire, and the load one of them was carrying was likely someone who'd gotten hurt there. They probably had more urgent things to worry about than an unusually scented stray.

If the situation was a bit more... usual, and if Boy hadn't picked up magical canine and feline scents, he'd probably feel confident enough to investigate closer. But the dog and the cat might be able to smell him out, and he didn't want to take those chances. Plus, he did feel like he was in some strange, distressing dream and was taking way too long to wake up on his cozy old mattress.

He should just find Marius, and quickly. As the dog started again sniffing the air and the ground where just a minute ago Marius' scent was strong to be identified, he found nothing. The longer he searched, the more anxious he became. It made no sense. Not even a strong wind could've washed if off so clear in such a short time, and it wasn't even windy, for coastal town standards.

Most of the time Boy coped rather well with his blindness. He genuinely did his best. But at times like those, he cursed it with all his heart, and that sure didn't help him focus on what he had to in order to get out of there. One thing he knew though, he couldn't just stay there and wait for Marius or someone he knew to magically appear. Magically. Haha.

The dog decided to continue cautiously moving, attempting to continue forward from where he was coming from, although he wasn't sure he was managing it, disoriented as he was. But he just couldn't stop. It was shortly after, however, that Boy felt himself entering familiar territory. It seemed like Marius had maybe accidentaly led him home. Or at least up to his path home. Not wasting any time trying to find the exact trail he and Augie usually took, Boy darted off in the general direction of the beach, where home would be. He felt safer in the woods anyway, and would certainly be able to find home once out of town.

 

[KodakWolf]

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

Leif had settled on covering Roje up with the trench coat offered by the other woman, whose scent he'd now identified as somewhat canine. Painfully familiar. He'd figured Roje was probably burning under that sun as much as he was, and she was also starving, which he'd now recognized at this point, so it was only fair to try to alleviate things for her.

It was upon reaching the clinic, and before entering, that they stumbled upon who was likely the source of that sensation of being watched. At least for Leif, as the pair of blue eyes stared directly at him, there was no mistake about that. Everything about the old man was unnatural: from his stance, to his piercing, wide eyed stare, to the ocean scent that emanated from his blood. Leif's mind went blank, and he stood there, holding the man's gaze that almost seemed to keep him from feeling the sun rays upon his skin. It felt like through that piercing stare the man could access his very soul, all of his centuries-old memories, even the ones spanning different universes or timelines. It wouldn't be too much to say that being could probably see the future too.

When the man sharply turned his head to the side like in a horror movie, Leif startled and gasped, as if brought back to reality, only then realizing how shallow and rapid his breathing was and how fast his heart was going. He frantically tried to locate whatever the man was looking at, but there was nothing, and suddenly the old man was gone, unnaturaly disappearing behind a tree. Out of everything, that was honestly the least strange thing about him. It took Leif some more moments of standing there before he partially regained his bearings, the sunlight upon his skin suddenly reminding him of the housefire they passed by and making for a good reminder to quickly head inside.

However, he was still disoriented, and barely registered the people they crossed paths with. Just humans. No soul piercing stares, no ocean scents. Just humans, or so it seemed. It didn't really matter. He didn't even register when a woman referred to them as 'special ones'. It was the trembling of Roje's body in his arms that snapped him fully back, or at least close to fully back. It was clear she was starving, as he, too, started registering the many heartbeats around them, which were probably causing Roje's reaction. His grasp tightened around her shoulders and knees, signaling he got the message, or a message at least.

The woman who'd led them inside had said something else, and again he'd barely registered, but it seemed important. Somehow, he knew that she knew they weren't just humans. But he didn't have the time, the focus or the energy to ponder which would be the best or most strategic way to answer her question. His gaze snapped to meet the woman's eyes and he, too, didn't beat around the bush.

"She needs blood. Now." The sense of urgency was clear in his voice, his eyes and his stance. He didn't make a move to place Roje on a bed, and instead maintained the tight grasp around her body. He couldn't risk setting her down unrestrained. That was, however, one last attempt at keeping things under control, and if he didn't get what they needed right away, he'd have to take another kind of action, and he just hoped those around him were aware.

 

[Out Of Words]

IF DECEMBER FREEZES​

IC Thread - GM Post
Smores Anyone?​

Angelo helped make sure the pump got connected, and the hose worked while Wiri disappeared into the burning house. He called over whoever was closest, giving them instructions. "Run to the town hall and ask for the tarp. Take someone with you, need it here asap in case Wiri needs to jump out the window. Got it? GO!" He clapped the man on the back, and turned his focus back to watching for the ranger at a window.

The fire was definitely having a rager on the second story, There wouldn't be much left of the second floor, at least from the walls upward. There were parts of the roof already threatening to crumble inward from the fire. Somewhere on the back side, a window shattered, fueling the fire with fresh oxygen. Water was needed like yesterday. The best outcome would be stopping the fire without any major damage to the first floor.

Angelo looked relieved when he heard the ranger calling out, and quickly got the end of the hose to him with a bit of climbing on a lower windowsill and stretching as far as he could. Soon as Wiri had it, they made sure the pump was on full blast. Angelo kept an eye on the hose to make sure it didn't get twisted, or loose from the fire pump. He did see Hatsu coming over to try and help and waved him closer.

He stood a safe distance away from the house, but close enough he could hear if Wiri needed something. "It'll be okay. We'll fix the house, don't worry about it. But, stick around here if you can. We'll need people to help hold the blanket if he has to jump out of there." A blanket that he could see was just arriving. "Here it is, come on. And... you! You!" He pointed at Aódh and Beatrice, and a couple of others who were nearby. "Come help hold this blanket!" Angelo helped guide people on how to hold the tarp's edges in a way to not cause the material to rip free from their grip.




OOC Information

Hatsu silverwhere :Angelo shows you and a handful of others how to hold the blanket in the best way. He seems determined to try and keep you busy.

Rawiri Collidias Rex :The second floor is definitely beyond saving, but the fire needs to be put out. The water from the fire pump has the force garden hoses do not, and is working wonders getting the flames quenched. There's a lot of smoke, but most of it is billowing up and out of the holes in the roof. The most danger you have to face, is avoiding more parts of the roof, and other debris. Though you nearly trip over a small box near one scorched and partially collapsed wall, one of those fireproof safes.

Aódh & Beatrice Larry OrganicUFO :You've been pointed at to come and help hold a tarp in case the ranger needs to jump out the second story window to avoid the fire. The man who gestured at the two of you, gives you a quick run down on how to hold the blanket and how to move if someone has to land on it, so they don't just bounce off.

IF DECEMBER FREEZES
A story by Out Of Words​

Season One: A Night Bleeds​