Fantasy Sir Eward's Agency for the Paranormal and Occult

[GamerCarrot]

Ross stood there for a moment in complete shock. No one knew his nickname as a child nor that he used to hide in the walls of his parents’ home as a child “H…how?” he shut his mouth before he could ask Alden how he knew what his parents used to say to him whenever he climbed through the walls. “Yeah, I’ll leave you be for a bit take it easy” Ross turned and left the room, leaving Alden to his own thoughts.
He returned down to the bar, taking a seat and ordering himself a drink. He sat there trying to wrap his mind around how Alden knew about that from his past, there was no way Alden knew that before they had met nor found that out in Ross’s home. He would’ve asked but Alden looked seriously exhausted and Ross doubted he would want to explain what just happened to him so he figured he’d leave it for a few days until they were both comfortable talking about themselves. As much as he was curious, Ross highly respected Alden's personal space and what he chose to reveal to Ross. He took a sip of the drink he ordered, he figured he'd be here for awhile so may as well get comfortable. InsanEleven

 

[InsanEleven]

The next morning they had left Balderstone, with Alden feeling significantly better as they'd left early before the busiest time of day. Not having to confront people anymore and with his mind closed again he couldn't read people anymore. Despite that, when he glanced at Ross now occasionally from over his book, he saw a slight shine around him, coloured a red, earthy brown, with green flares and slight golden and soft salmon pink hues. It made large, vibrant motions and was rather lively. Sort of pretty actually...

 

[GamerCarrot]

Since they had left early Ross was a little tired but functioning. As they traveled he could feel Alden stare at him even if he wasn’t facing towards Alden, he smirked “Enjoying the view back there?” he teased. He wanted to see how Alden would reaction to his words but kept his view focused forward. “How are you feeling by the way?” He asked, Alden was very off yesterday and even though he had said it was only a migraine but Ross still thought it polite to ask and just check if Alden was still feeling off. Ross thought it a little strange that a sudden migraine would just hit him when he seemed perfectly fine only hours ago. InsanEleven

 

[InsanEleven]

A blush spread across Alden's face when he'd been caught, burrowing back in his book. He wasn't quite sure how Ross could have while looking forward, but apparently he did... unless he was just talking chit chat, or flirtful guessing like he'd done with the ladies of the inn during breakfast.
"The ehm... scenery is lovely. I quite like the rural areas..." Hopefully that'd divert Ross from knowing where he had been staring in the first place. "I'm feeling fine, the migraines just happen occasionally, it's nothing you should worry about. Let us just look for a place to get something to eat, we should arrive at our proper hotel a while after nightfall. I have gotten a room with servant's accommodation, so you will not have to sleep with the other boys and the horses tonight."

 

[GamerCarrot]

Ross chuckled “Mhm… the scenery is quite lovely” he really wanted to see Alden’s expression when he knew that he had been caught looking at him but he let it alone not wanting to embarrass Alden any further as much as it was highly tempting. “Alright just let me know when it happens next” even though Alden had said not to worry Ross was happy enough to try and at least help, “So would you like to pick where we eat since you’re enjoying the “scenery” so much.” Ross really couldn’t help it that time. It was a little into the afternoon so it had been awhile since they had eaten and since Ross had chosen where they stayed last night Alden could choose the place they would eat. InsanEleven

 

[InsanEleven]

Alden had just silently rolled his eyes at Ross' commentary on the 'scenery'. But he wasn't to just going to take such brash commentary without commenting on it. "Yes Ross, we know that the 'scenery' is nice, don't get ahead of yourself. I'm not some milkmaid easily impressed by the first sight of something out of the ordinary. It's nothing you wouldn't find anywhere else in the country." he said while closing his book and putting it back in his suitcase, awaiting the next place of dining that stood out where he'd be comfortable eating.

Of course, when he found it, Ross had gotten a poor man's meal to be eaten while tending to the horse, and it seemed Alden had gotten a bit of a payback for Ross' spat of brave flirtiness: the food definitely wasn't the same standard as it had been the day before, instead just getting some meagre, watery leftover stew. After about an hour, the food had been eaten, and they'd been on their way again, although Alden was slightly quieter now. And definitely not looking at Ross as much, instead he sat staring at the scenery, apparently thinking of something with a journal and pen in hand.

 

[GamerCarrot]

Ross laughed, “That’s quite the wit you have there” he chuckled. He was quite surprised that Alden had that comeback within him although Ross did deserve it. While Ross attended to the horse even though the breakfast was small he didn’t mind he figured this was Alden getting back at him for his brash comment which still made him chuckle a little. Once they had finished their meals they returned to the road. Ross took the time to actually admire the scenery that Alden had commented on all flirting aside, he was correct it was quite lovely out here. Ross hadn’t noticed how lovely it was until he took the time to look at it. He had also noticed Alden had gone reasonably quiet, not that he wasn’t quiet before but last time he heard pages turning indicating that Alden was going through his journal but now he was just being very quiet. “You are right the rural areas around here are quite lovely” He said all flirting aside being quite serious about his comment. "So I have a question if you don't mind me asking" he chose his next words carefully not wanting to make Alden think Ross was asking him about his complete past "What got you into the paranormal?" he asked completely curious. InsanEleven

 

[InsanEleven]

Ross' question had come a bit out of the blue, but it didn't seem to strike Alden in any way, just quietly placing his pencil in his journal and closing it while he thought about his answer. Giving the scenery a good look over he replied: "just a stroke of fate, I presume. In the same manner I could ask what got you into blacksmithing, but that would get a similar answer no doubt. My occupation is rare yes, like any of the new philosophies, but the reason for it is all the same as if I had been a lawyer, like my father was. The world wants me here instead, or so it appears... so perhaps it'd be wiser to be concerned with what got you here."

 

[GamerCarrot]

Alden’s statement left Ross at a loss of words, it seemed simple on why Ross had gotten to this point of his life. Ross was very much a go with the flow type of guy, always going where ever the tide led him. But he had always been stuck in the same cycle for a long time now, becoming a blacksmith to help his father and learn some life skills. He started thinking about this the whole time while they continued moving along.
Ross had kept quiet for the whole journey till they got to the town they needed to arrive at, it was a bit past nightfall when they arrived. He kept the horse moving until they found the hotel they were going to be staying at for awhile or at least until Alden told him to stop. InsanEleven

 

[InsanEleven]

Well that shut him up... guess thinking isn't his strong point. Alden couldn't help but think as Ross didn't say anything anymore for the rest of the way, thus leaving him in peace to write down notes in his journal. They were rather important, as he was preparing himself mentally for what it could be that nestled in such a small town out of the country. If it had been something left unattended for too long, he could only wonder what it was. Perhaps something ancient awakened, or something that had been broiling under the surface for too long. Whatever negative energy spooked around, he'd have to cross off possibilities and add details until the specific thing was revealed.
The hotel in question was a small little building just before the town itself which laid in the valley between two shallow hills. The only reason on would know was because of the soft golden lights still burning in some houses, but for the most part it was dark. The roads had long since turned into paths only shown by worn out cart tracks. On the other side of this particular hill, a building stood, the edges barely visible against the stars and the fading shine of the last greying light of sunset. When his gaze fell upon it, Alden had seemed to stop in his motions, staring for a little while, as if drawn in to the silhouette. He could sense a darkness, like the watching of black eyes... something was there, waiting... something evil.

"Ross, you can stable the horse and the cart, then join me in my room."

 

[GamerCarrot]

Ross tried extremely hard not to try and flirt with Alden after his words but he decided it was worth whatever Alden was going to say about his obnoxious flirting, he left himself wide open for it. Before Ross went to go stable the horse he got off the carriage and walks over to Alden, leaning down to whisper in his ear “I look forward to ‘joining’ you in your room” he smirked moving away from Alden so that he didn’t hit him in embarrassment, he gave Alden a wink then moved back onto the carriage leaving Alden to soak in what he had just said to him. He went to go stable the horse, letting it rest after the long journey. He hoped Alden wouldn’t hit him when he went to join him in his room, he may not look like it but Ross could be serious when he wanted to and his playful flirting depending on the person could be very serious or just him teasing the person. InsanEleven

 

[InsanEleven]

Alden had just kinda leaned to the side feeling the definite desire to slap Ross across the face for that comment. Although it seriously made him wonder if it'd been a smart idea to take an apparently immoral flirt with him for this mission. That could be problematic, whether it was a weird manner of domination through embarrassment or him actually seriously flirting. When Ross had winked Alden had just rolled his eyes not very amused by the interaction, but he wouldn't let himself be intimidated by this, much less he'd let himself get emotionally attached to Ross. There was a danger to this that did not allow any close ties... although he did wonder if that was more out of precaution or perhaps because of who he was.
The inn had been calm, calm enough for Alden not to have any problems. There were a few people drinking, but because it was such a small town and a small place that wasn't enough to overstimulate his senses. The few impressions coming through were easily ignored and placed in his memory, in case he needed them. Having his key, he waited in his room for Ross to return, writing a few last things in his journal just as side notes. The rules he'd have to lay were clear, because Ross had no clue what it would entail if it truly were a case of the paranormal going haywire, and from these sources he was nearly positive it was. GamerCarrot

 

[GamerCarrot]

Once everything had been finished with the horse, Ross grabbed everything and headed up to Alden’s room, unsure what he wanted to talk about. As Ross walked through the hotel, watching the people quietly interact and drink. Almost tempted to go grab a drink before heading to Alden’s room but he shook the thought out of his mind figuring that whatever Alden wanted to speak to him about would have to be important enough. Getting up to Alden’s room he knocked on the door “Hey, it me I’m coming in” being polite before opening the door, walking inside seeing Alden writing in his journal choosing not to look over his shoulder to see what he was writig about, he put down their belongings. Leaning against the wall he looked at Alden “So what did you need to talk about?” He asked. InsanEleven

 

[InsanEleven]

"Just some general rules regarding the situation." Alden closed his journal and turned around facing Ross, and although Alden was always serious, this time he was very serious it appeared. A certain type of intellectual nonchalance that had been there before was now missing, giving Ross a thoughtful look over as if he was assessing him... possibly his mental capabilities too. "If you want to get home safe, you will follow these rules. There could be a dangerous presence here, and you are not equipped to deal with it, nor do you have any knowledge on the topic, so I need you here solely as my assistant. This means the following; you will only stand to the side and listen and observe, no mingling or interfering no matter how moral you think it is or isn't. If I tell you to get out, you will get out, whether it is the room, or running through the woods barefoot. I expect you to trust my judgement completely. Lastly, and I think this is obvious and polite, but you will not meddle with my items, no matter how curious you are, some of the substances and items can be dangerous for those without the right knowledge. Do you understand your situation?" GamerCarrot

 

[GamerCarrot]

Ross nodded moving away from the wall moving to stand in front of Alden, a serious expression on his face “I understand my situation perfectly, I will listen and trust your judgement completely not question it. Your belongings are yours and I will not snoop” he spoke with seriousness in his voice his personality taking a complete change from how he was being earlier, he wasn’t the type to go through people’s belongings no matter how curious he may be he was a little offended by the idea but he didn't show it. Alden was the boss here, Ross was simply here to help and nothing else, there was a debt to be paid and this is how he was going to pay it. He was also here to learn from Alden and if that meant Ross would have to stay out of the way then that was fine even if he didn’t agree morally with Alden’s actions. "Is there anything else you wish to discuss with me?" InsanEleven

 

[InsanEleven]

Alden's face took a more grim turn, a topic he'd rather not discuss but he knew he had to if he were to be fair to Ross. "Yes... there is one more thing. No emotional attachment. These jobs are dangerous, you need to keep a rational outlook on things and try to achieve the best possible outcome, prioritising someone won't allow that. It might even lead to the opposite, it can cause you to make mistakes, or worse, be manipulated by evil. If I decide it is necessary to make a sacrifice for the greater good, I will do so in good conscience, and I cannot have you interfere. You are in all this a passive player, which will see to it that you will get home safely and wiser. That's a responsibility I feel I have toward your family, not only you." GamerCarrot

 

[GamerCarrot]

Watching Alden's face take a grim turn he knew he was going to hate what Alden was about to say. Hearing Alden's words Ross could only nod. "Alright, I understand what I have to do and what not to do" he spoke with a slight annoyance in his voice, he understood everything that he was told to do but completely disagreed with his statement that Ross would not interfere if Alden chose to sacrifice himself. He started to get a little angry about what Alden was asking him to do in that case but chose not to say anything further about the subject. He sighed rubbing the back of his neck he respected his decision not happy about it in the slightest but he silently agreed to his rules. InsanEleven

 

[InsanEleven]

Alden gave a stern nod, noticing Ross' anger, but he knew that it would be hard for him to understand without seeing first hand what this line of work entailed. "Very well... your bed is over there, I suggest getting a good night's rest before we investigate the case tomorrow. I expect you ready to follow orders and without misplaced rebelliousness." Alden had pointed toward a door at the other side in the room, which lead to a smaller space with a thin bed and a small closet for clothes and perhaps small personal belongings. It was clearly meant for servants during travel, but it was a place to stay for the duration of this investigation that didn't involve hay and the horses. "Good night, Ross." Alden had said it with a little smile, although there appeared to be a bit of a melancholy in his tone, as if he wasn't just wishing that to Ross... in truth, he'd sensed the darkness from the moment he was here, and he knew it would not lead to pleasant dreams. How unpleasant was still a mystery though, he hoped he could give Ross a good night, but he was not sure of that.
GamerCarrot

 

[GamerCarrot]

He started walking over to the small room, giving Alden a small smile in return "Yeah I'll be ready... Good night Sir" he bowed his head in respect, knowing that Alden would probably not prefer to be called by his first name after the little chat they had. Opening the door to the servants quarters he walked inside, immediately closing the door behind him, leaning his back against the door, rubbing his forehead still slightly annoyed but getting over it slowly. Before jumping into bed Ross removes his shirt and vest, placing them down at the end of the bed. Crawling into the small bed he looked up at the plain roof of the room, trying thinking of the endless possible dangers they would come across but none coming to mind. Rolling over so that his back was towards the door, attempting to fall asleep quickly so he could wake up before Alden which was an unlikely scenario. InsanEleven

 

[InsanEleven]

Alden had finally fallen asleep after this feeling of impending doom stirred through his mind for hours. It had invaded on his mind for a long while now, but he knew he could not resist, his sixth sense too strong it was like trying to go blind. Thus he'd let it happen, whatever had wanted to reach him overwhelming him between the brink of sleep and consciousness, and now he could no longer resist the images laid before him. Like a prisoner in his own body and mind.

Fire... old wood... greying... the rugs had faded stained... so bright. It hurts. Everything hurts. How long still... how long... screaming was already impossible... I do not know about the rest... take it... leave me alone... leave me alone... leave me...
The eyes that reflect light... shimmering... like hell... it moves... always there... and it hurts. Make it dark... let me fade. No more fire. No more light... no more pain... let it fade... please let it fade. Farewell light... let me sink into dark... death, finally... finally...

Quiet scratching filled the room, like mice, something gnawing on the wood, breaking it in Ross' room.

GamerCarrot

 

[GamerCarrot]

Ross was having problems sleeping, he tossed and turned trying to fall asleep but the sound of something scratching and gnawing at the door made it hard to completely fall asleep. He sat up not looking at the door quite yet, rubbing his eyes trying to let them adjust to the darkness that filled the room. He sighed That better not be Alden trying to play a joke he thought about that possibility and reconsidered his thought Why would he be playing a joke like this? He turned his head slightly towards the door, his eyes widening. That's not Alden he quietly moved himself to the end of his bed. What the hell is that thing?! it was too dark to see much only a figure really. How the hell did they get in here with out Alden noticing! His mind was going about a billion miles per hour trying to think of how the hell it got in here. InsanEleven

 

[InsanEleven]

Surely Alden wouldn't have liked being referred to as a 'thing' even mentally. But at this rate one could hold a hefty discussion on if it was Alden at all. The way he moved was not quite right, like every motion forward hurt, and had been hurting for a long long time. Using his wrists, knees, and other unusual parts of his body to move forward, half dragging half throwing himself.
"Home... home... he'll be back... take me home..." It was still Alden's voice, but with completely different inflection and troubled, one could only wonder if it was for the same reasons the movement was impossible. His body was right, but whatever was in his mind wasn't, and hadn't been for ages. When he had begged to go home he'd turned his head toward Ross, but his eyes had rolled back leaving them only white. He apparently didn't need his eyes to acknowledge Ross' existence. "No... no home... no more..." It continued to drag until it'd reached the other wall, and when his hands had touched the wall it had left dark marks, barely visible in the low light, but there. Apparently the scratching had been done with his nails, rather desperately... and he didn't seem to have all of them left now.
"No light... bad light... stay in the dark... stay in the dark... stay in the dark..." He repeated it over and over while he dragged his bloodied fingers across the wall, but his writing wasn't quite right. Like he'd forgotten how to... or never had been able to...

 

[GamerCarrot]

"Alden?" Ross knew he shouldn't be calling him by his first name, he was confused why was Alden like this he was perfectly fine before they went to bed so what changed. He watched for a moment becoming concerned watching him drag his fingers across the wall, Ross grabbed Alden's shoulder pulling him away from the wall looking into Alden's eyes or the white of his eyes "Hey! What are you doing!" Ross looked at Alden concern written all over his face, was he sleep walking? This would've been a nice thing to mention earlier. "What is going on with you?!" from what Ross has known about Alden this was not of the norm with him, something was off and Ross couldn't place it. He considered punching him in the face to try and wake him up but thinking it over again maybe punching him was a little too harsh so he settled on slapping him just enough to see if he was awake. "Sorry for this" with that Ross had slapped him, kind of regretting the choice to do so once he had done it InsanEleven

 

[InsanEleven]

"Huh?" The confused little sound forced it's way out of Alden unwillingly, getting back from halfway between a terrible nightmare and getting the shit slapped out of him, and he wasn't quite sure how different the two really were. His hands hurt, his face hurt... but not as much as the dream had. His eyes fluttering he seemed to have gotten back somewhat but definitely not coherent. In a slight panic now he realised that he was still hurting and it wasn't going away he had grabbed whomever had been slapping him, but that only hurt his fingers more and they were slippery to boot. He couldn't quite make out who it was in this darkness, and finding himself in this strange, rather uncomfortable situation he didn't know whether this person was friendly or not, but clearly he couldn't fight him. "Who... who are you?"

 

[GamerCarrot]

"I didn't hit you that hard, did I?" Ross could feel the blood from his fingers on his arm he needed to tend to those wounds once he had gotten Alden to relax a little bit, he saw the panic on Alden's face and figured it be best to get Alden to sit down for a bit. He grabbed both Alden's shoulders gently and got him to sit on the bed, trying to not make him more panicked than he already was. "My name is Ross don't worry I'm a friend, do you know who you are?" Him saying he was a friend was a stretch because they weren't but he figured saying that could help him figure out he wasn't here to hurt him. Ross knelt down so Alden didn't have to look up at him, answering his question about who he was, not sure how much Alden could remember considering the state he was in he just needed to know if Alden could remember his own name first, then Ross would go onto asking more questions. InsanEleven