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View Full Version : {IC} Whispers of the Past Chpt 3: The Rising(m)



Koti~
02-16-2013, 10:55 PM
This game is rated mature for sex, drugs, rock and roll, cursing, potential gore-bloodshed and other things that may offend your sensibilities.


Time: Wednesday night
Location: Unknown(Inside a dream)

Turbulent waves of darkness swam around his mind, shredded claws and gnashing jaws closed around him. Haunted voices and screaming echoes blasted him from all sides, making his face twist in pain and anger as he was tossed around the turbulent waves, making his mind reel in shock. Soon though, the tides abated, and a soft feeling of grass lay beneath him, relaxing his brain and allowing the madness wash away from him.

“You’re back again.” The boy spoke up, terror slipping into his tone as Crow sat up. Smiling, he looked at the small boy, the place covered in breezy grass.

“You’re a very talented boy. What’s your name?” Crow said, kneeling down and placing his hand on Ryan’s shoulder. The boy tensed under the pressure, which only made crow smile more

“My… my name’s Ryan…what’s yours?” Ryan asked, his voice stumbling along, a tremor passing his face as Crow rested his hand atop Ryan’s chest. Giving a smile, the fingers dug in just a tiny bit.

“Oh… no need to worry about that, I’m just… a friend.” Crow said, his sweet smile grown sinister.

'A friend? Do....do you think, you could tell my dad something? We had a fight last night....umm over me being here.'

Ryan's fingers fidgeted about trying to hold back the wave of sadness washed over him. He bit his lip trying to hold back the tears.

'You know that people have these powers right? Annnd well, dad knows some of them and he is kinda worried. He says if I would just wake up we would leave town....well as soon as I get out of the hospital.....'

"Ah, I know of these people. Same as you Ryan. You have a very special special talent. You can enter or bring people into dreams. It's a rare skill, one that I could greatly use." Crow said, pulling his hand back. He stood up and stretched a bit, relieving his sore muscles. Turning his back to Ryan, he began to search through his cloak, wondering what tool should be best to use.

"And... I'm sorry to say, but.. I don't think you will be able to leave my dear boy." Crow spoke calmly, the inviting timber of his voice fading away.

'Well that is just it...Mister.'

Ryan's voice came quick, with a little bit of emotion rolling off his tongue.

'I don't want to go back. You or dad don't know what it is like, to be like me outside of a dream. Here I can do anything, I can run and jump, speak and yell, I can go anywhere.'

With his words he waved his hand and in a moment the two found themselves in the hospital. Or at least what the hospital would be like in a dream, Ryan and the man hovered above the scene of another 'Ryan' laying hooked up to wires.

'Where would you like to go? I can take you anywhere...'

The young child smiled at the man and waited for an answer.

"Most interesting. Your power would be most useful. There is no place I would like to go, but how would you like to be able to stay here forever?" Crow said, holding up a clear empty orb for Ryan to see.

Forever....

The word still hung in the air. Ryan was taken back to the previous night, the dream with his father. Wes had found himself in his house, laying on his old bed. He knew he hadn't been there in awhile but couldn't quite piece everything together. He could hear voices coming from outside one of the windows. Getting up and looking he could see his wife and Ryan walking hand in hand, feelings immediately swept him up and he found himself walking out to meet them. Ryan saw him first and smiled yelling out to him.

'Dad!'

'Ryan...this is another dream...isn't it?'

'Yeah...Mom is here, we are a family again. You could stay with us. You wouldn't have to go back....'

Wes sighed and sat on the ground, overwhelmed by emotions. Everything that had been going on finally caught up with him. He pulled his son in close and held him tight. Whispering gently into his son's ear.

'Ryan...you gotta understand bud. This, all this, even your mom. It ain't real. It's just stuff you are making up. Its what you want but it isn't real. In the real world you're in a hospital bed....you're sick and you aren't getting better. I think its because you are doing all this. Messin' with dreams, making your own. Ryan I'm beggin' ya please wake up. Once you are better we can leave town get out of all the strangeness. Just you and me....Please Ryan.'

His father's tears fell on his own face as he pushed away slightly. Shaking a tad he freed himself from his father's embrace and grabbed his mother's hand.

'But dad....what about mom?! How can you say she isn't real, she's right here! And look I can talk to you. I can hug you back, and run, and play....I don't want to go back to that dad. Ho---How can you even say those things. You don't understand dad, what its like over there.'

Soon Ryan was crying to, feelings he didn't quite understand gripping at his heart. His brow furrowing as his face became slightly disgusted.

'Why?! Why do you want me to go back to that?! It's awful dad....it's terrible. No! I'm not doing it, you can't make me! I'm going to stay here forever! With mom...and...well and if you don't want to be here fine. GET OUT!'

In that moment Wesley vanished leaving the crying boy with his mother. The memory was still so fresh and now the stranger was offering him what he wanted. Ryan looked up at him and smiled.

'Y...you sure it's OK with my dad? Wes Cooke? I got pretty upset with him last night....and well I guess I'm a little worried for him. A...are you a friend of his? Is this his way of letting me have what I want?! I'll have to thank him when I see him next. Ohh...thanks mister!'

With that the young child reached out his hand and touched the orb....

Crows smile darkened to a menacing grin as Ryan's fingers touched the orb. A bright light flooded the orb, seeming to pull Ryan into it. The life seemed to flow out of the boys eyes as his dream body seemed to grow transparent before fading altogether. Placing the orb away, he watched as the hospital faded away around him, returning him to his own body as the dream faded. Grasping the orb, he chuckled, waiting until he could get to the father, a red eyed crow perched on a tree outside their room, staring at Wes.

Time: Wednesday Night
Location: The Hospital

The sound was unfamiliar to the sleep man. A tone ringing into his ears stirring him from his slumber, as his eyes opened he began to recognize the sound and his face filled with terror. The heart monitor to his son showed on a horizontal line.

'...no...no...NO! Ryan?! Ryan!!! RYAN!'

Wes scrambled to get closer grabbing his son and holding him against his chest. The limp body gave no reaction, tears began streaming down Wes' face as he place a hand on his son's face brushing some hair back.

'Ryan...Ryan....C'mon. Don't do this! Oh God, please...no. Ryan...God no.'

Before he could finish nurses and doctors flooded in from the door, they quickly circled Wes and told him to get up and go. Unable to think clearly he refused. A nurse reached at Ryan and Wes pushed away the arm.

'This is my SON! This can't be happening...no, no no...no! NO! Oh God...'

'Sir, you need to put him down and let us do our jobs NOW. Every second is critical right now.'

Wes was trembling, shaking as rage and fear gripped his heart. He choked on words and his breath became short. Slowly he set Ryan back into the bed as two orderlies began to escort him out. Realizing he was helpless, the feeling crushed him and he gave way to the many people around. He watched as the readied the defibrillators before he was forced out of the room.

Unable to really grasp where he was being taken he finally realized he was sitting in a waiting room. The empty room eerily lit by a few ceiling lights. Wes still shook and the tears couldn't stop, his head was clasped in his arms as the two nurses went back to work having been ignored when they asked him if someone else should be contacted.

His mind kept running over the dream from the night before. How it had ended, Ryan's words, and his own. Trying to wipe the tears so he could see clearly was useless but the rage began to grow. Why?! Why now?! Shit...Ryan....Ryan no, please don't do this.

Wes found himself standing now, his right hand throbbing. When he looked he realized he had punched a hole in the closest wall, right under a television. Shaking his head he began to stumble a little bit finding his knees going weak. All this weird shit, and now....and now Ryan....oh God.

It had only been a few minutes when one of the doctors appeared. When he spoke Wes could only wail, his cry echoing down the hall. He quickly stumbled and ran his way back to the room only to see the nurses unplugging the many wires from the child.

'...nnnn...Ryan, I'm sorry...oh God, I'm sorry. Ryan, please...wake up.'

The man's whimpers were still quite loud and he slowly got to the bed and cradled the child's body.

A loud bird shriek blared through the darkened room, making the air seemed to hang still and silent. The boys body was gone, and so were the nurses, and any other signs of life. All that was left was the sobbing man laid out on the bed, cradling thin air now that the body had vanished. Footsteps echoed from the door was as a mans body appeared, aged and with a look of sorrow on his face.

"...Are you the Father of Ryan?" The man asked, his voice rimmed with concern as he placed his hand upon the crying man's shoulder, to comfort him.

The hand drew Wes' attention and he looked over his shoulder before wiping his eyes.

'uhhh....yes. Wes...Wesley Cooke. Umm, the doctor said that...som...someone would be coming. Y...You must be him.'

Trying to compose himself was proving fruitless but Wes slowly got off the bed and turned to meet the man face to face.

"I.. believe you have me mistaken. I .. am here to acquire your help. Your son didn't die of natural causes.... he was killed by a dark and twisted man." Crow spoke, locking eyes with Wes.

Wes shook his head, the man's words not making and sense to him. His body tensed and his teeth clenched.

' No...no you are mistaken. Is this some joke? I was here, I woke up to the sound of....of Rya.....'

The emotions bubbling out made it impossible for Wesley to finish speaking. He turned away and hit the bed with his fist.

'My son was...always had bad health. I don't find this fuckin' humorous. Coming in here and saying stuff like that. Check yourself man.'

As he stopped talking Wes' mind already began to spin. The dreams, and things Bao had mentioned. He shook his head violently trying not to let the man's words seep in any further. Trixi came to his mind, he wanted to see someone he knew.

'Look, I...I can't think about anything right now. I...I...I...Ryan's gone and I'm not quite sure how to ...cope. What did you say your name was?'

"I am a friend and ally, that is all you need to know, and I do not lie. A man from the past is trying to destroy this world. He was jealous of Ryan for the power he held, the power to manipulate dreams. He came seeking my help, to protect you. Now, I will not ask for your help with nothing in return. Before he died, he asked me to find some way to preserve him." Crow spoke, gripping the man on the shoulders. Standing back, he pulled out the glowing orb holding Ryan's soul.

"He is not truthfully dead. Once this evil is gone, I can bring him back to life, in a strong and healthy body, free from the wounds that plagued his body. But.. I need your help. My strength alone is not enough. Your friend Bao knows of this, and has promised to help me already." Crow spoke. The light emanating from the orb brought back memories of Ryan.

As the memories flooded Wesley's mind he couldn't help but drop all his defenses. The man's words brought comfort and warmth even if they seemed far past anything the man could imagine. Trust swept over him and he slowly reached towards the man, finding his voice in the process. Then he mentioned Bao....Wesley was surprised more than anything that she was more involved in all the strange things.

'What is it you'd have me do? Just tell me how I need to find....tell me the name of the man that hurt my son....that hurt Ryan.'

A sudden urge to seek revenge filled his mind, while it began to plot and brood over how he could get what he wanted now. As the fond memories kept surfacing the piercing urge sank and instead Wes found himself going over what still needed to be done.

'...Forgive me, and how I was acting. I've got to make a lot of calls and still meet with people from the funeral home. Could we perhaps get together again in a few days?....I..I just need some time...So Ryan isn't gone? How can I explain this to family and friends?...ugh'

As questions came to his mind he couldn't restrain them, they flooded out and Wes wasn't even sure he was wanting answers right now.

"Tell them to that Ryan has moved on to a safer place. Tell them little of what I have spoke to you of, for they will fear for your sanity. When you are ready to meet, follow the red eyed crow. He will lead to you a safe location where we can meet. May the blessing of god be upon you sir, for these are dark and troubling times." Crow said, grasping the mans hand as the dream/illusion vanished, leaving Wes standing alone in the room with naught but his son and machines, the hum of life slowly filtering in. The nurses flooded in once again telling Wes that he probably wanted to leave and not see the next part. The began getting the young body ready for its next journey.

Wesley didn't fully comprehend what had taken place but his confidence was placed in it being true. He slowly paced himself out into the hall before pulling out his phone and began dialing the number to his in laws.

Mysteria
02-16-2013, 10:59 PM
Time: Thursday
Location: Undisclosed

Jackie finished adjusting the chains on Rosa’s arms, securing her to the wall of the supply room and backing off, giving a brief shudder while looking down at Rosa’s slump form. Crow nodded at the girl, allowing her to exit the room as he glanced over at Alex, who was leaning against the wall with a stony eyed look. He let out a soft chuckle as he turned back to Rosa.

“Don’t look so worried boy, I won’t hurt her. She’ll still be functional for any… sexual needs that may arise for you.” Crow spoke softly as Alex shifted, feeling exposed without his sword. His entire body was telling him to rip out Crows throat and ram it into one of the dead bodies that guarded the entrance, but he knew better, since it would gain him nothing more than a dead Rosa and a dagger in his back. Crow bent down in front of Rosa and patted her on the cheek, the noise echoing lightly.

“Wakey Wakey miss Rosa.”

Lina felt something on her face and began to stir, trying to collect her thoughts as she did so. The last thing that she remembered was being in the dark room with Cheri and then...

Lina heard a strange voice talking to her but it sounded garbled to her. Had she been drugged by that man Alex? Then it came. That hand on her face again and dark orbs shot open, fully expecting to see the man named Alex who had been following her, who had threatened her.

Lina couldn't remember how she had gotten there but as her eyes adjusted it the realization came to pass that this man was not the man whom had entered her home. This person was someone different. Someone she didn't know. Something else Lina noticed as she regained her senses was the room was dark and dank and it smelled...no wreaked of death.

A look of disdain passed across her face as her head snapped back to pull away from the man's touch. "Who in the hell are you?" Lina spat the words. As her eyes became adjusted to the dark room Lina then realized something else, that strange man Alex was present in the room, saying nothing and merely standing against the wall.

"You!" Lina spit out then her gaze returned to the man in front of her, back and forth once, then twice from Alex to this new man "What is it that you two want from me? Why have I been brought here? I demand you untie me and let me go!" Although Lina's words were laced with venom and she tried to give the appearance of holding no fear, inside her heart was racing as fear spread throughout her entire body and then Cheri passed through her mind. Oh God..Cheri...was she okay? Lina prayed that by allowing the man to take her, Cheri would go unnoticed and be safe.

"Answer me!" Lina demanded, shaking with a mixture of fear and determination. "Who are you, why am I here!"

Crow chuckled as he watched Rosa's actions with an amused look on his face. Waiting until she had begun to grasp some form of the situation, he moved forward enough to fill up her vision, leaving her nowhere to turn. He reached slowly into his coat jacket and pulled out a short dagger with a rather thin blade, seemingly made more for separating skin from flesh then anything else.

"You'll do well to hold your tongue, or I may be ..persuaded to remove it." Crow said, his voice calm and cheerful, like he was eager to do just that. Stepping back a bit and letting the dagger stay in view, he stepped back and studied the girl. His eyes roved over every inch of the woman, leaving no part unchecked.

"As for who I am, since you won't be leaving this room, I am Eldrich Crow, and there is a very easy reason why you are here." Crow spoke bemused, like a prairie cat watching his prey squirm under his paws as he decided how to devour them.

"Your power has proven to be a ... headache in the past, so for now, you will remain tied up. Personally, I would have you slowly sliced open and your body defiled and experimented on for progress of magic, but... it seems your captor has taken a liking to you." Crow said, shooting a glance to Alex. A pained somber note passed along his face, like he was physically hurting standing there, but he covered it up with a cough and shuffle of his body, casting his eyes away from Rosa.

Eldrich Crow. Something about the man seemed sinister, if not even slightly familiar to Lina although she had reason to think she'd ever seen him before or that he was anything more than some sick bastard playing a very dangerous game.

Lina had bitten her tongue when the deranged man began to threaten her but then he spoke of her "powers" and she spit out "What are you talking about? I'm sure you must have me mistaken for someone else!" But then he was speaking of her captor and her gaze turned towards Alex.

His expression was pained as though he were somehow the one being hurt out of all of this, yet he looked away when she turned her gaze upon him. Lina's eyes snapped back to Crow's face.

"I don't know who he is any more than I know who you are." Her words were at first filled with venom, and hate for both men but then her words softened considerably "I assure you that I have no clue what you are talking about, I have NO power and I do not know either of you."

Her gaze fell away from him then, her eyes glancing downward to the floor then. She hadn't lied. She didn't know who they were but yet the moment she had touched Alex she had known that somehow she knew him, she just couldn't remember how. And now not only was she certain that she wasn't crazy, that she did somehow know him, she was becoming more certain with each passing moment that she should remember him.

Even if she did know him somehow that she couldn't remember, he'd still brought her here. He'd still taken her captive. Alex was as evil as Crow, and now she was in their clutches, not knowing if she would live, if Cheri were dead...

Lina shuddered then lifted her head. "Please, don't kill me. I know you think I'm someone I'm not but I swear to you, I have no powers...please. Don't kill me." Her eyes shot from Alex to Crow, as she beseech them to listen to her words.

"Mr. Crow" she said, attempting some measure of respect in hopes he'd not kill her, that if she could show some respect maybe he'd believe her somehow "I really don't know what you are talking about. I....I just don't know, I'm sorry."


"Mmhmhhm, if only that were true." Crow said, shifting his gaze back on to Rosa and putting the knife away. Stepping closer, he grabbed Rosa by the chin and forced it upwards, his cold skin pressed against Rosa's warm cheek bone. A vision cracked through Rosa's head at the contact, feeling both diseased and cloying.

A small boy stood above his parents, blood trickling off the blade. A soft smile formed on his lips as he raised the blade to his lips and licked it, his tongue darting across it with a fevered desire. His cold eyes roved the bodies of his parents, before shifting and seeming to stare up into Rosa's eyes, the dagger still held aloft...

" That right there, that is your power. I know not the extent of it, but.. you can see peoples memories, whether from this false fabrication, or the truth of your past." Crow spoke into her ear, Alex having moved forward in a defensive nature.

The moment Crow touched Lina, a sudden overwhelming need to loose the lunch she'd had just a bit ago with Cheri became stronger with each passing second his hand lingered on her face. Images flashed through her mind, twisted...sick images and she jerked her head away from his hand "Stop..stop this!" Lina stared at the lunatic, certain that he was some totally insane drug addict or something. What exactly he was, Lina didn't know but surely he'd drugged her too that she now saw these horrid things. This explained it, he'd been drugging her all along and that is why she kept seeing visions, even before this moment. Had she been dreaming all of this time?

"I don't know how your making me see these things, but please stop it." Her throat was dry and she began to cough, shaking her head "I do not know what type of trickery this is, what drugs your giving me, or what you are doing to me but I don't want to see these things anymore. I don't want to be here." She looked to Crow for some semblance or shred of mercy and found none but Alex's movement behind Crow hadn't gone unnoticed by the brunette.

Lina tried to ball up, her stomach hurting her more severely now. "Please stop, I don't feel very well" she said the words, gulping for air and feeling like she was being denied the very breath her lungs desperately needed.

“Crow, that’s enough!” Alex spoke loudly, stepping forward, only to have a knife at his throat. Jackie had moved forward to protect Crow, a small stutter in her step as Crow let out a sigh. Standing quickly, he turned fast and brought himself face to face with Alex, Jackie standing back slowly. They stared at each other, a smile slowly forming on his lips.

"Don't worry Jackie, so long as I don't kill her, he won't lift a finger against me. But for now, I will step back, to make sure our Prisoner doesn't die. She may prove .... entertaining..." Crow chuckled, patting the man on the cheek and exiting the room, leaving Jackie and Alex alone with Lina.

“I am sorry for all that has happened. I promise that it will make sense eventually.” Alex spoke softly to her, planting a small kiss on her forehead before leaving the room, leaving the crushed herbs to liven up the room.

Lina's stomach was in knots and she barely felt she had the energy to remain in an upright position in the chair she was seated in. She watched the exchange between Crow, Alex, and Jackie. Something was wrong with Jackie, Lina was certain. She appeared to have been brainwashed or...something.

None of this was making sense to Lina. She wanted to somehow ask something about her friend Cheri, but decided against it with the small hope that Cheri had went unnoticed and was now safe.

Then Lina felt it. Alex's lips pressed to her forehead and her heart raced slightly at the suddenly all too familiar of a feeling and then came his whispers and although she heard his words, in her mind she heard other words, spoken by his voice. The sound of laughter, the warmth of his fingers upon her cheek and the feel of his strong hand resting against the back of her neck, the whispers of "Rosa, I've never been happier, I love you" made Lina pull her forehead back and away from him.

With inquisitive eyes, she looked at him, searching for some kind of an answer, but he merely turned away from her, exiting the room and dropping the petals around her. Lavender...chamomile....jasmine... her bedroom...her bed..Alex...

Lina's eyes widened, the whisper caught in her throat as certain realizations began to dawn on her "Alex..."

Then he was gone and Lina was left alone with both Jackie and Lina's own muddled thoughts, and memories. She looked at Jackie, sweet Jackie whose face now appeared rather emotionless, almost lifeless even. "Oh Jackie, what has happened to you?" Lina whispered so softly that she would not be able to be heard over the ticking of the clock in the room.

The only sound in the room with the exception of Jackie's shuffling feet from time to time was the sound of ticking..time..tick...tick...the hands of the clock turned and Lina closed her eyes but she did not see the present now, having been transported in her mind to another time and place. A room..a room filled with the scent of her favorite flowers...petals strewn across a rather large, heavy wood framed bed as she lay wrapped in the arms of the man whispering her name as he brushed the hair from her face "Rosa...my sweet Rosa."

Lina's eyes snapped open. She was beginning to remember.

{A Koti~ and Mysti Co}

Kris
02-16-2013, 11:06 PM
Time: Thursday 8:00
Location: T.V news


Silly music opening theme for T.V news (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUzWBby2uUA)

“We are now Live at the 8:00 news, with our lovely COsts Jacobs Dale and Miss Belinda Ferguson”, announced the narrator as the cameras were slowly focusing on a two rather attractive hosts which were sitting beside a typical news show desk.

Jacobs: “Live on the scene of a horrifying disaster is our field reporter Jefferson Dale. Jeff, what is the news on this saddening news.”

Jefferson: “Here we are on scene of what was once a popular restaurant called Jackie’s diner, now ravaged and burnt down by a rather large fire.”

Belinda: “Oh dear lord, this is just horrible, jeff!! Horrible, I used to go there all the time!!!”


Jefferson: “So far, there have been a number of people injured and two people killed. It is believed that this fire was started in the Kitchen by a metallic cooking pan set inside a microwave, where the resulting fire caused the oils inside the kitchen to explode, sending out a massive wave of fire and debris into the kitchen.

Belinda: “Dear lord, well, this is just awful. I know mistakes happen, but how dumb can you be to do something like that by an accident?”

Jefferson: “Most disconcerting is the missing body of Jackie, the diners owner. The whereabouts of her are unknown at the moment, but it is believed it is connected to the death of two people, one of them the well renown Inspector Erebus Smith, and the death of one Jeffory Thompson, both of whom were found dead in an alleyway with several knife wounds.

On another note, and don’t panic folks, this is just an assumption, but we believe that the runaway criminal Jefferson Wayles was also killed but we still unsure on this one, since no one is allowed to question on that yet, but we will be sure to keep you update!

Belinda: “God, this neighborhood isn’t safe anymore. You know what I think Jeff?”

Jefferson: What?

Belinda: “I think those blasted thugs of Austin gang are behind it all! I bet the poor Jackie must be held by them somewhere too!”

Jefferson: Well, dear, we are rather unsure, The Police, had nothing further to say on this. Back to you Sasha. ” Jefferson TDale stated.

The camera switch to another person live on the street of the action where the inspector was said to be disappear at.

Sasha: “Yes, thank you Jeff. It is a heart rending tale that we must also continue, as the missing child, one Jessica and Kevin Sandra, Both of whom have not turned up since Tuesday, and the kidnapping of Rosaline Bennet, the local photographry for the Kings post. It is urged that if you have any news on these people that you call this hotline immediately.

In other news....”


***************************************

Many people watched with saddened reactions as they woke up on Friday morning, turning in the news in time to see the image of the burned remains of Jackie’s diner, playing throughout many locations during the day, a few including the local Gym and Library, and repeat castings of the news at varied locations, from internet cafe’s to the local Arcade. Students and teachers could be heard conversing over the topic as they looked over papers, hussled through hallways, and carrying bags.

Even the radio stations made many a mention to the topic, including a special broadcast of an Amber alert. Soon, the topic of the town was the Kidnappings and the attacks, everyone looking with a more attentive eye.

***************************************


Date: Thursday, 8:30 am
Location: Police Station


It’s been half a day since Cherilyn reported about her missing friend. Still no news were coming, and even the officers were nice enough to suggest and drive her home, but she decided against it. In the end she did sneak back to her apartment just to take a shower and get a blanket, but she stayed all night sleeping in the station, just waiting.

She was nervous and fearful.

She tried to recall of all the details she could remember of that guy Alex, and whenever a new piece of information popped into her mind she would announce it, until in the end the officers, that were terribly annoyed, politely allowed her to know that they were pretty much set on the profile.

“Can you turn that shit down!?”, Cherilyn snapped at the young secretary sitting beside the reception desk, and the woman, somewhat fearful of her, turned to the small T.V that was hung at the wall, and mute it with a remote control.

It wasn’t off, but at least it wasn’t stressing as before.

Just the repeated reports of missing bodies and death was more than enough to upset her.

She hoped Lina was okay.

Repent!
02-17-2013, 12:26 AM
Time:Thursday 8:45 AM
Location: 2 hours outside of town-Eric's house


Fwoooosh! Fwoosh! Fwooosh! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhSbxmAfoTA)


Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal clanging together could be heard were someone within eyesight of Eric's house as he pounded out the freshly heated slate of metal on the anvil. The heat from his back-up forge (http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b216/hero2/RP/forge_zps53cf965a.jpg) tickled the back of his neck and head as he continued to bring his mallet down on the metal before him.

Working in his forge was and has always been Eric's best form of stress relief. Between studying and practicing for his welding certification and still trying to figure out why the hell he was compelled to move to Maine of all places, his mind has been...troubled. It was the best thing he could think of to describe it.

Fwoooosh! Fwoooosshhh! Clang! Clang! Clang!

He would have loved to cut loose in his actual forge right now...but he was still kinda new to the area and figured he should fully understand how far he can stretch ordinance laws before bringing out his full setup. It was just about as simple as what he was working with right now, but it put out twice as much heat.

The music he had in the background helped set his pace. It kept him steady and on track better than anything he had tried previously. He really didn't care if he was jinxing himself in his recent thoughts, he just hoped something positive happened soon. Exploding diners and missing persons weren't really the best thing to hear about first thing in the morning.

Though soon even these thoughts were drowned out by the music and his low humming as he continued to mold his material...

Craze
02-17-2013, 09:41 AM
Time: 9:00 AM
Location: A camp on an abandoned theme park site

Azrael dragged the fifth rabbit he had caught this morning to his camp. He already ate four, but his strong appetite (after all, he was almost 7 feet tall) kept wanting him to eat more. After nicely scalping the fur off the animal, he went to cook it. While the rabbit was cooking, he cleaned his blade.

He turned on the radio to listen to some music. Instead, the news came on. Azrael despised the news, but he decided to listen to it anyway. After hearing the place called 'Jackie's Diner' was burnt down, he remembered seeing the diner on his way to his camp. It looked nice, but much too crowded for Azrael.

After eating the fifth rabbit, Azrael cursed himself. Again, he felt hungry. He once again armed himself with his blade and slowly walked into the nearby forest. He began to wonder if he would ever go to the city. He had grown used to the beings called 'cars', they seemed to do him no harm and actually were pretty convenient. He decided to take his chances and went in the direction of the city.

The Silver Crow
02-17-2013, 07:09 PM
Time: Thursday morning, 8:45 am
Place: King's Choice Gym, Women's Locker Room
~~~

Intake, release, repeat. Intake, release, repeat. It seemed like this circle was what made up Lax's life. Breathing was the key to everything. It created balance. It's cool and slow touch smoothed over the harsh, burning edges, making them in the least, acceptable. Breathing was life with rationality. You breath because you have to. Or else something terrible may happen. These terrible things that the world hates and shuns you for. And nothing is worse than having the world against you.

So you breath. In...out...in...out....in...out...

"Lax! Wake up, will ya? You're going to be late." The sharp, clipped voice of her instructor shouted to Lax, cutting through the pounding of water on her head and reminded her where she was. The shower nozzle continued to spurt a lazy stream of steamy liquid down upon her drenched hair and warm skin. All the sticky sweat she had built up from her two hour workout that morning had long ago washed down her body and swirled into the drain. All that was left was a naked girl standing in a gym shower wasting water for no apparent reason.

"Shit..." She immediately reached out and shut off the water, slightly discouraged by its disappearance down the little black holes in the ground, though she refused to show it in front of Berta. She stepped out, grabbed for her towel on the bench and proceeded to dry off her body. Her instructor continued to stand by the bench watching her. She wasn't self-conscious about being naked in front of another woman, especially Berta who pretty much knew as much about Lax's body as she did, considering she had been training Lax ever since she arrived in Maine. Instead, she could tell her instructor was waiting for her to say something. "Jeff will probably shove this in my face for the next two weeks."

"Has every right too." Berta responded, one hand hoisted up on her hip and the other holding out her clothes. Lax took them and swiftly slid them onto her limbs. It wasn't much more than she had on before; only her undergarments, some old black vans, a white spaghetti strap tank top, and a pair of thin-fabric skinny grey jeans that had nearly enough holes to make the reason of wearing them pointless. And sunglasses, as always. When Berta responded, Lax couldn't help a smile.

"He'll probably be late himself anyways." Lax joked and shoved her gym clothes and towel into her maroon locker. At first she stopped from turning back to Berta. There was a reason why they were still standing here talking and she knew why. Berta knew why and being probably the closest thing to a best friend Lax had, she was trying to get it out into the open. Discussed and taken care of. It just wasn't something Lax wanted to talk about. Already a grimace was forming onto her face and she felt the urge to leave and smoke a quick cig outside in fresher, less stuffy air.

"I can see something's bee-"

"No. Nothing's wrong. I'm fine." Lax interrupted and pushed past Berta. Why did she have to bring up this shit when she was having such a good mood only seconds before? "I have to go. I'm already late."

Berta didn't say anything nor reach out when her student walked away and out of the locker room. She knew that she would huddle in her little tattoo parlor for the rest of the day, ignoring what was really wrong with her. Maybe she could just try again tomorrow.

Elryndra
02-18-2013, 12:23 AM
Time: Thursday, 8:45 - 10:25 am
Location: Dance Blast Studio

A soft jingle of keys broke the silence as Kiera walked into the dance studio, flipping the light on as the door closed softly behind her.
Her lone footsteps echoed across the gleaming, hardwood floor as she made her way across the room to the tidy desk tucked in the corner, her reflection flickering through the mirrors that lined two whole walls of the space. Keys clinked together as they were dropped into the small china dish to mingle with the loose chain, safety pins, and the lone pink eraser shaped like a tiny elephant . . . . one of these days they were going to figure out who had left it here, a hole right through the middle where it had been skewered onto the sharpened point of a pencil.
"Good morning, like a drink?" A soft sloshing sound followed the question as Kiera dumped the remainder of her lukewarm tea from the mug onto the base of the flowering plant that took up a good quarter of the desk. One of these days a student was going to walk in on her talking to the plant and finally have the proof to claim she was crazy. Silly as it was she had picked up the habit when she was little, right after her uncle had told her that if you talked to your plants they grew better. Not a single plant since then had proved the fact, but she still found herself talking to the odd plant now and again . . .usually when she was stressed or depressed.

Moving here and helping out with her aunt's studio had sounded like the perfect thing to relax and spend some down time in a quiet little town, get away from all the hustle and bustle of the city.
It had been everything she'd expected, a charming place full of a diverse mix of people. Her aunt's studio, Dance Blast, was situated in a part of town that offered many different places to shop or relax, a little coffee shop, a book store, and a tattoo parlor, among other things, that lined this particular street.
It had been amusing watching her aunt explain the decision to rent the space the studio occupied, her nose twitching indignantly at the mention of the tattoo parlor. She hadn't been entirely pleased to put her dance studio in such close proximity to such a place, but it had been that or the space next to a bar several blocks over.
Kiera had gotten a scathing look when she started giggling, simply far too amused at the expressions that were being put to use to offer any sort of sympathy for her aunt's woes.
It hadn't taken long before she felt rather at home, relaxing for a couple weeks like her doctor had told her before taking over a couple classes.
Everything had been turning out wonderfully . . . . and then life had reared its head and proved that terrible things could happen in charming towns just as easily as they did in the cities.

News that was being constantly reported over and over again from every radio and tv station in the area. It was the type of news that reminded her why she didn't turn stations on in the morning. Starting your day off that way was one of the worst things a person could do, in her opinion, though everyone else seemed to disagree, what with it being on every single station she had flipped through.
Opening up the studio this morning was probably pointless, the chances of students actually showing up nearing the zero percentile. But, as Kiera had nothing else to do, that is where she would be, besides, if it was quiet she could use the time to do some dancing of her own. Regardless of what the doctor had said she was going to start practicing again, if she didn't it was going to be harder to get back where she was, already having realized her muscles weren't quite as limber as they had been before the accident.

There were no messages on the answering machine, which opened up the possibility that people would show up after all. Either that or they had been so distraught by the news that had hit so close to home, that canceling a dance lesson was the very last thing people were remembering to do.
Punching buttons on the radio she disappeared into the dressing room while the sounds of Peer Gynt echoed through the studio in an attempt to bring somewhat of a lighthearted feeling to the already dismal day.

No one showed up for their ten o'clock lessons, just as she had expected. Still, perhaps things would have settled down by the time the adult classes were supposed to start, she'd give it another hour or two before locking up and heading to that doctors appointment she had.
The thought of the appointment gave her a fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach as she moved from warming up at the bar to the center of the floor, poising herself in position before twirling off into the beginning steps of a dance. It probably wasn't the best thing to tax herself mere hours before the appointment, if something happened the doctor wouldn't sign off on anything and she'd be stuck here longer.
A soft thud followed her graceful leap, fluidly dissolving into a spin.
It didn't matter, doctor appointment or not, she had to dance. She lived and breathed dance, there was simply nothing that could keep her from it, even if her leg was beginning to cramp up, the muscles beginning to ache at the strain she was putting on them.
Every now and again, as she spun past the bank of tall windows that made up the front of the studio, she made it a habit to glance out into the street in order to assess the activity around town today.

Arthera
02-18-2013, 01:34 AM
Time: Thursday, 10 am
Location: Stephanie's Apartment


Did she really have a case of depression?

Placing the receiver down, the question ran through her hazy mind. Her friend Roxanne had just called, waking Stephanie up in the process, to ask if everything was fine with the apartment and if she was feeling ok. Stephanie had to admit she might have come across as a bit sudden with the demand for the spare flat, but it was only because her student block near the university was such a noisy party dump that it was hard to think. Just needed some quiet and time away to finish her assignments, that was all. Rox's parent's kept a place for their daughter in town and Roxanne didn't mind renting it to her friend when she wasn't using it. Her friend was still worried a bit and had mentioned depression during their conversation, which Stephanie dismissed perhaps a bit hastily, before they changed the subject and eventually ended the call.

With the call now over, Stephanie padded barefoot back over towards the bed and fell down face-first back into it's invitingly warm covers. So what if she might be a bit off her usual vibe, it wasn't like she was going to roll into a ball and mope around. Just a slump, maybe she just needed time away from teachers and the usual places to clear her mind and get her act together for the last few courses. Already she could tell she felt different, although for better or worse was kinda hard to say.

The news weren't super positive to watch and would make you depressed whatever you were feeling like before. Stab victims, exploding dinner's and missing people wasn't something she expected to greet her when she arrived in town, all within the same week no less. Couldn't she just have some quiet when she wanted some? Of course not, for all she knew, this is just the latest in bad things happening in town and she just jumped into the bad end of Maine. On the other hand, maybe everything was finished now and she could enjoy a bit of-

The trail of thoughts was broken when the alarm she had set last night started up, almost taunting her with it's timing. The pillow that flew across the room to meet it didn't dampen it's enthusiastic, high-pitched bird chirping imitation and burrowing under the other pillow gave no more respite. Stephanie wasn't going back to sleep, fate had decided so, and she voiced her displeasure with a curse before getting up and slapping the top of the clock to make it shut up with a resounding clap. That did make her feel somewhat better, yawning and stretching as she stood triumphant over the muted noisemaker. She could imagine Rox's voice saying that "a sign of depression is a shortness of temper". Well the clock deserved it, and anyone would be short fused upon hearing it...

Well... since she was up, she might as well go get her shopping done. Other than her laptop, a travel bag stuffed with clothes and a few other things, Stephanie had left most of her stuff at her own place. Food and a few more clothes were on the wanted list, but otherwise she intended to hermit indoors, get her shit together and work done. Ok, maybe have a look around town for...something or other of interest. Chances of there actually being something that would draw her attention were remote for all she knew, but then again you never knew.

Padding towards the bathroom, Stephanie stripped off her night clothes and tossed them on top of the heap next to the door. Nothing was going to happen before she killed the hot water tank, washed away those thoughts of depression and started feeling alive again.

Repent!
02-24-2013, 08:50 PM
Time: Thursday, 9:15-11:00am
Location:Eric's House

A hot shower always felt nice after working with hot metal for hours at a time. Hot soapy water melting off the sweat and coal was almost therapeutic as he stayed in the shower for what felt like an eternity. Sadly though like all good things it had to come to an end.

After drying off, Eric dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a red t-shirt with a decent looking pair of work boots and ate breakfast. Someone would've looked at him weird for wearing shoes inside, but he didn't care. If he wanted to walk around with boots on in his house, he'd do just that. It was his house and was going to do what ever he wanted with it.

After cleaning up breakfast, something made Eric fancy a run into town, it just felt right. There was a tattoo parlor he had driven past in his last run through and he figured next time he went down he should stop and visit, and he was going to do just that.

As he got to the door, he eyed the wall hooks next to the front door that held a helmet (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3629/3439940316_6586c9c849_o.jpg) and two sets of keys. Both had his house key on them.

"Which one today? Hmm...."

Eric reached in his pocket and pulled out a penny and got ready to flick it up in the air.

Heads for the truck. Tails for the bike.

Ching!

He caught it as it came down with his left hand, slapping it on the back of his right hand. Eric then began grinning like an idiot as he lifted his hand to reveal the result. He placed the coin back in his pocket as he grabbed a set of keys and his helmet. It was a long time coming.

Out the door and around the side, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XabAnAJjDik) Eric soon found himself staring down his pride and joy (http://i50.tinypic.com/2uykuv4.jpg).He put his helmet on as he got on the bike turned the key and turned the engine. The bike roared to life and Eric revved it a couple times before he took off to the road and beyond as the sun began to really make its presence known.


Roaring down the roads while exposed to the elements was quite possibly the greatest thing to experience in Eric's opinion. It was partly the reason he never wore a jacket while atop his iron horse. The time spent riding along into town gave Eric time to process his thoughts....still trying to figure out why he was here, the stuff in the news. A lot more action going on than he figured this far north, but everybody's gotta have something to hear about right? And here he was thinking that moving to Maine was going to be boring...

Regardless, Eric rolled into the nearest parking spot to the tattoo parlor after he rode into town. He dismounted his bike after turning it off and pocketed his keys. Afterwards, he removed his helmet as he walked to the door.

The Silver Crow
02-26-2013, 10:26 PM
Time: Thursday morning, around 11 am
Place: Filli's Ink tattoo parlor
~~~

Turns out that when Lax unlocked her shop at precisely nine seventeen that morning the only one waiting for her was a scruffy tabby tomcat she had been throwing scraps of her lunch at the last few days. Good thing too because she probably would have punched Jeff square in the jaw if he would have peeped one word about her being late. Which would have been inevitable with mouth. That boy was lucky he had talent.

"Jeff, pick up the damn phone. You're two hours late and I've already had five clients this morning. I swear if you don't call soon I will-" Lax's threat into her phone's receiver was cut short by the sound of the creaky door of her shop opening to another customer. While distracted for that moment, the ending tone brought her attention back to the call and she hung up. He would have to face her later. Might as well forget it for now.

Pushing herself to her feet and walking from the back room to the front, she quickly glanced over the man standing in front of her. He was tall, but most men were. By the helmet tucked under his arm and the corded muscles that were etched under his skin, Lax's interest grew a little bit on whether she might have another biker coming to her for a tat.

"Welcome to Filli's Ink. My name's Lax. My employee Jeff should be arriving sooner or later, but I'll be your artist for today." Lax stood about three feet away from the man holding out her hand in greeting. It was really just a formality to allow the customer to introduce themselves if they wished, even though she could care less really. She had never seen this man before so it was likely that she would never see him again. But, then again, he was a biker. So maybe she could get an interesting story out of him to distract her for the while. Anything to forget about the morning and Jeff and well...everything.

Wattz
02-27-2013, 01:12 AM
Time: Thursday Morning
Place: Abandoned Warehouse, 77th St.

The warehouse was just as they had left it. Wes’s truck was still tucked away inside, strategically hidden from the wandering eyes of anyone who should peak in through a clouded window. The concrete was cold as ever, rough to the touch and quick to echo a single spoken word. But for now, Bao and Duke did not speak. They sat down at opposite ends of the warehouse, with Duke resting on a block of broken concrete and Bao laying down on the floor. Wind whistled in through the cracks. The faint whir of cars sounded in the distance. Sparrows and ravens occa-sionally chirped.

Every time he heard a bird, Duke flinched. Bao tried to look disinterested, but she couldn’t help but hope that every raven in the rafters was actually a crow.

In silence they rested, neither feeling they had the right to speak. Duke had wanted to leave, but found he could not bring himself to be alone. He tried to distract himself from his anger by writ-ing poems in his head. In the valley of fortune, I am called king. Call me king, I say, or find another crack under the pavement under my nails or my skin.

Bao observed her wrists and arms, rubbing them lightly with her fingertips. She saw marks where the icicles had shot out from her skin, like impossible rings only there for the sake of memory. She wanted to tell Duke something, anything, though she was still in the process of remembering herself.

“I think my name used to be Baoli.”

“What?”

“Or maybe Baoli really is my name.”

Duke sighed.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. But maybe times are changing, and maybe we can’t escape it. And somehow…” she sat up, turned to face him, “I’m not afraid.”

“Maybe you should be.”

“Fear won’t get either of us anywhere.”

“Ice came out of your arms,” he said.

“I always have liked the cold.”

“Why did you follow that crow?”

Bao stopped to think of a proper response. “Because I remembered him. I remembered his embrace… and I followed.”

“Was it blind faith?”

“In all my years, I have never seen clearer. He knows something we don’t, Crow does. He’s been making these plans for a very, very long time,” Bao spoke slowly, softly, in such a way that Duke found eerily calming. He had to stop himself from swaying back and forth with the lilt of her voice.

“We need to give Wes his truck back.” Bao pointed toward the hidden truck.

“You can give it back to him.” Duke did not move.

More silence followed. Bao stood, walked over to Duke, reached out her hand. He refused to look at her, but dug the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Bao, careful to avoid touching her. She purposefully clasped his hand, and though he tried to pull away she would not let go until he looked her in the eyes.

“Everything is going to be okay, Duke.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Elryndra
03-05-2013, 03:10 AM
Time: Thursday Morning
Location: Dance Blast Studio - Hospital

"Well, that's that then, I suppose it's off to the hospital then and another bout of poking and prodding and a million questions that don't pertain to why I'm there . . . oh good grief." Kiera froze mid sentence, her eyes rolling when she realized she'd reverted back to talking to the plant. She'd be sure not to mention that little habit at her appointment, otherwise they'd be sure to throw her into a padded cell and never let her out . . .or at the very least 'recommend' visits to therapists and some sort of medication.

It wasn't quite eleven-thirty yet, but Kiera figured it would be a good idea to let her leg rest from the exertion she'd put it through before showing up for the evaluation appointment.
Changing from her dance wear to a comfortable outfit that consisted of a light, fluttery skirt that had been dip dyed with varying colors of blue and purple, and a cream colored top, she settled behind the desk to finish some paperwork that had accumulated over the week.
Skimming the text on the papers she absently ran her fingers through her hair, twisting it into a loose bun and securing it with a long hair clip, running her fingers along the side of her face to dislodge a few small tendrils to curl about her face.
Snatching up a pen she went about jotting down notes as she continued to peruse the paperwork, focusing on the task at hand.

An hour later Kiera's silver car pulled into an open parking space. Gathering her back from the passenger seat she headed inside, pulling on a jacket to guard against the wind that held a bit of a bite, hinting that colder weather was going to be arriving before long, bringing with it many days of having to be cooped up indoors with hot beverages and books.
"May I help you miss?" The smooth, polite voice of a secretary rang out over the soft, mumbled conversation of the few people sitting about the waiting room.
"Yes, I have an appointment, Kiera Scott."
Glancing at her computer screen the woman clicked away busily on the keys, tapping now and again as she went through the schedule of the day.
"Yes Miss Scott, one of the nurses will take you back right away."

Minutes later Kiera was shown into an empty doctors office, the soft click of a door signaling the exit of the nurse as Kiera sat on the chair set next to the small sink. A round, plain clock was set on the opposite wall, right next to a diagram of various skeletal structures, its soft ticking the only noise in the room. Even when she closed her eyes, and tipping her head back against the wall to relax while she waited, the smell of hand sanitizer and plastic gloves prevented her from being able to pretend she was somewhere else.
Ah well, opening her eyes she gazed about the sterile looking room, mentally giving it a new coat of paint and some more interesting wall decor, studiously ignoring the possibility that she might be given strict instructions to keep off the dance floor for an extended period of time.
Not that that had kept her off of it before hand . . .but still, it wasn't something she wanted to hear.

Arthera
03-07-2013, 01:45 AM
Time: Thursday Morning - 11am
Location: Apartment -> Capri's

Revitalized by generous amounts of warm water, Stephanie slowly got dressed with the first clean clothes she got her hands on, once her long hair was dry, and went to explore the contents of the cupboards and fridge. The heavy sigh that followed indicated that the grocery side trip was going to be bigger than initially planned, when she discovered there was very little available to eat. Which made sense as the place had been left vacant by her friend's parents. So unless she wanted to eat baking powder and a cup of dry rice, she'd have to settle for going out to get her breakfast. And coffee. No avoiding that.

Stephanie had seen a grocery stone a few blocks down, a small mom and pop place from the looks of it, and one of those generic fast-food places next to it. The kind that served everything from western foods to "Chinese" and Greek meals, seen on every street corner of most civilized cities. And also offering very cheap coffee in endless quantities for those not too picky about taste.

Grabbing the apartment keys from the table near the exit, Stephanie sat down on it's edge to slip into her ankle boots and pull on her sweater coat. Despite only briefly going out, it was still fall outside, and she really didn't want to get a cold on top of her slump, then she might really be depressed. A brief look through her hip bag to take out her iPod and out she went, her mind already focused on savoring that first cup of coffee as the first notes of Wings of Despair kicked up.

A mildly chilly wind was blowing greeting Stephanie as she stepped outside and locked the door. The three stack apartment was facing north in the curve, the street channeling all that wind right against the doors, and in turn onto Stephanie. Glad to have her warm gray coat and jeans on, she still gave herself a brief rub along the arms and hooked strands of loose blonde hair back behind her ears before going down the steps and heading towards the dinner. It couldn't have been summer-like warm of course, the weather was never on her side when she actually had to make trips outdoors. On the bright side, it wasn't winter, which would double the time to get anywhere and she really hated snow.

All things considered, the going was quick, not much traffic on the residential street at this hour and the commercial area was in that pre-lunchtime lull. Stephanie would get a nice place to sit and enjoy her food in relative quiet before it got packed with workers on break. Along the way, Stephanie looked around at what the little burg had to offer. Which turned out to be not much in her part of it at least. She passed a printer shop, several shoe stores, a laundromat, a tattoo parlor with the customary motorbike parked out front and a pet store. That last one made Stephanie pause out front, because there was a cage with the cutest pair of gray kittens on display.

After a few moments spent making silly gestures at the glass and giggling like a pre-schooler, her need for food and caffeine kicked back in full throttle and Stephanie increased her pace to get to destination, reaching it after crossing the next street. Capri, seemingly home to the best pizza in town. Hopefully they served at least a half as good breakfast, she mused.

Pulling the door and entering the comfortably warm interior, Stephanie made her way to a bunk near a window and ordered coffee right off when the portly waitress passed by. Setting her bag on the bunk, she looked out of the window, slightly bummed at only having a partial view of the tattoo parlor instead of the kittens.

"Cream or milk?" came a voice, shaking Stephanie out of her reverie and back to her original goal. Time later for sightseeing.

Repent!
03-18-2013, 11:55 PM
Time: Thursday 11:00am

Location: Filli's Ink tattoo parlor


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eric eyes wafted over from looking at some of the art on the walls to see the woman who later introduced herself as Lax. Her general body language, mixed with her visible tattoos, her hair, and those eyes...damn she was cute.

Regardless, Eric couldn't help but crack a small grin as he took her hand and shook it, showing a large patch of skin on his right arm clearly looking a few shades darker than the rest of his arm. "Eric, nice to meet you Lax. I was looking for something simple, kinda shy to say but this will be my first piece of ink. Never really had the opportunity to visit a parlor before, but I saw this place last time I was in town and figured I should drop in on my next run through."

"Nice to meet you too Eric." Lax replied, surprised that his arm was not tatted, let alone his whole body. She did noticed the shades of his skin though, as was her habit before marking on it, and it interested her how nicely tanned it was. Something a machine induced or spray tan couldn't do. It came from a long abuse of light and heat. It took a moment to realize that she was just staring at his arm like an idiot and she quickly dropped her hand away. "Well there is always time for your first. I'm glad you decided to drop by. Here come sit in this chair. You said something simple...any specifics or ideas beyond that? I have some sketches if you want to look through them."

Eric caught her staring and chuckled a little under his breath as he let her. It wasn't the first time he caught someone gawking at his burn mark, and she sure as hell wasn't going to be the last. He moved to sit in the chair as requested, setting his helmet down next to it as he sat down.

"Actually I already had something in mind, if you wouldn't mind taking a peek at it." Eric reached into his pocket and pulled out patch of paper with a rough sketch (http://www.vectorstock.com/i/composite/09,55/grunge-hammers-vector-10955.jpg) and handed it to her. "I do a lot of metal work for my classes and in my free time so I figured it would be the best place to start. I wanted to get it on my right shoulder, then if I wanted anything else I figured I would cross that bridge when I get to it."

"Ah..." Lax replied off-handedily, taking hold of the sketch and looking at it closely as she sat in a rolling chair beside Eric. The pattern was mostly simple, but a great symbol for his work. Once he said that he did metal work, she realized that the shades on his skin weren't from peculiar tanning, but instead were burns from the heat. Hardcore. Her respect for him grew a little and she began to focus on the details of her project."This is a great choice. Leaves plenty room for elaboration later on."

"Would you mind taking off your shirt and turning around in the chair (http://tribaltattoosupplies.com/images/uploads/tattoochair.jpg) so I can see my canvas?" Lax asked this with a smile, perhaps a little more than interested in the skin that she would be working on. Control your thoughts. Just another guy looking for a tattoo. She swiftly clipped the sketch up on a board by the seat so she could look up at it easily if need be and then proceeded to grabbing a thin washable black pen while rolling behind where he sat. "I'm going to start out with some outlines to make sure I get this down right. I'll wash them off after I start inking. Any questions before I start?"

"Nothing as far as questions go, but if I come up with anything I'll be sure to let you know." Eric then pulled his arms inside through the sleeves and then removed his shirt. His body was pretty average, showing that Eric wasn't too serious about toning his muscles, but was at least keeping himself respectably fit. His skin tone was even with his arms, save for his burn mark of course. The darker parts of his chest hair formed a 'T' on his chest with the line going straight down. He wrapped his shirt around his left hand and turned to situate himself comfortably in the chair. "Whenever you're ready, Maestro."

Lax watched Eric strip off his shirt to show his not-quite-so-bare chest. When he turned around, her eyes immediately went up to the shoulder that would be where she was working. The slightly tanned skin lay so smoothly over his shoulder blade she couldn't help but reach over and run her fingers over it. That didn't seem weird right? No, he probably thought it was just part of her working out what she was planning. Taking a deep breath to clear out out all the distracted thoughts that lingered in her mind, Lax regripped the pen, glanced at the sketch hanging so simply up on her board and started drawing a rough outline of the pictures. "So, what got you into this metalworking stuff? Not a very common job these days."

Eric turned his head to the side to catch sight of Lax as he put together the answer in his head before responding. "My mother and father are avid supporters of medieval culture and renaissance fairs, and they've been taking me to them for as long as I can remember. I loved watching the blacksmith make extra horseshoes for the farriers, swords and other little trinkets. It was the only place I wanted to be, the smithy and my dad were on real good terms and eventually he let me work the forge with him, and didn't regret a single second of it." Eric smiled as he looked at the underside of his right arm again and scoffed a little. "I learned a lot in my time with him ...eventually I got to the level where I could run the forge alone if he had a delivery to make or anything that needed him away from the smithy." I got into welding because a forge weld takes entirely too long for my liking and knew there was faster way. Though how about you? What got you into tattoos? Side question: Did you do your own?"

Lax thought it was rather admirable that he had taken something he loved and made it into a career. It was hard work to make dreams make money. She had that drilled into her mind as she grew up. When he asked her the questions, she had to look up at him for a moment with a humored smile. Her history? She had told it to many of her customers when they asked. Like a recorded message. Same situation for her tattoos. "My mentor is a tattoo artist. She just so happened to also be my guardian. I basically worked as her assistant for room and board. Eventually along the way, I came to love the art. Loved most of the customers and their stories too. So it was just natural that I'd end up in this job. My mentor's actually the one who owns the business."

"As for my tattoos," Lax paused at this because she had finished the sketch and needed him to approve how it looked before she got started. "Pretty much all of them are done by my mentor. Except one on my hip. That was done by my ex. Now, how do you like this? Any adjustments?"

Eric turned his head enough to get a look at the outline she had made and smiled. "That looks awesome, you can go ahead with that...."

RisingPhoenix
03-28-2013, 06:08 AM
Time: Thursday 11:00 AM
Location: 235 Gangsgrove Road, Apartment 7 => Diner/Cafe

The dreams plagued him all night long. The dreams of him running from something that he never could see were resilient. The dreams of darkness surrounding him, of voices speaking to him and then nothing continued. This was the fifth night in a row that he’d awaken in the middle of the night sweat beading on his freshly waxed chest. It was something he still hadn’t gotten used to. Each time the dream was the same, but he would get closer and closer to seeing the thing that was after him. Something or someone was trying to reach out to him, at least that is what he thought, but how was he going to find out exactly what it was? He had sighed and went back to bed only to awaken yet again at 8:00 AM sharp. This is the time he normally awoke since his body had been trained to awake at 8:00 to make it to work by 9:00.

National Bank was the place he worked, but today was his day off from all of the counting and dealing with people’s attitudes. How he had made it to Head Teller he’ll never know. On so many occasions he wanted to just call it quits and leave behind another job, but something kept him there. Perhaps it was the will to want to do something with his life that caused him to maintain a high paid job and go to college full time. This was his time to shower and get ready for the day. There was a routine he followed and as he finished it, he exited the bathroom getting dressed in casual wear. He needed something to eat and thus the reason for being in his kitchen.

The apartment he lived in had been the place he called home for quite some time now. During that time he had changed the layout several times over. Now he had a color scheme of blue and black. It looked nice, even the accented furniture and accessories blended well with the color scheme. While in the kitchen, he placed his K-cup into his brewer and placed a mug under the dripper. He placed a microwavable sausage biscuit into the microwave and pushed the desired time before walking towards the door. Walking outside of the apartment, he went straight to his mailbox where he received the newspaper and any other type of mail. As he looked at the newspaper and read over everything that had happened the previous day, he couldn’t help but wonder what the world was coming to. Then he noticed an obituary concerning a young boy named Ryan.

Now in his apartment, he read over the obituary and sighed. The poor boy was so very young, but why out of all of the obituaries had he stopped at this particular one? He ate his breakfast and sipped on his coffee before grabbing his blazer and making his way out of the apartment to start his day right. He would go to the diner, do a bit of writing, and then hit the gym. He grabbed his laptop carry bag and strapped it onto his shoulder. He grabbed his car keys and left his apartment.

Driving along the road, he made his way towards the diner/café he always went to. It didn’t take him long to get there, passing various people along the street. Everyone seemed to be going through something, or perhaps it was just a depressing day for people. There were hardly any smiling people out; still Tre was feeling rather good about today. He parked the car, doing so with careful precision, and made his way into the diner/café. Sitting down at his usual table, the waiter quickly made his way over. It was the same waiter who flirted with him on countless occasions. The poor guy would probably faint if Tre’von gave him his number. Still, Tre’von hadn’t dated since his boyfriend of seven years broke it off to fulfill his dreams of being an actor. Sure it had been a year since, but Tre’von wasn’t one to jump into something else so soon.

“What can I get you today Tre’?” the waiter asked with a soft smile.

“The usual Vince,” Tre’ replied with a welcoming smile, “…and how’ve you been?”

“Great now that you’re here,” Vince replied with a wink, “…and I’ll be right back with your order.”

Tre’von watched as Vince scribbled something on a ticket and placed it on the table in front of him. He then walked off towards the kitchen to put in Tre’von’s order. Tre’ flipped the piece of paper over and looked at it. Surprised was an understatement as the nine digits made Tre’von smile. The guy was persistent, that much was true. Still, he would enjoy his day off, and after the diner/café, he would work off some of the excess energy he had.

Kris
03-28-2013, 05:19 PM
Date: Thursday, 11:30 am
Location: Police Station


"How long are you going to stay here, girl?"

Cherilyn looked up, her mind still dazed.

The empty coffee's plastic cup was shacking in her hands, for Cherilyn was still irritated and stressed, and surprisingly enough, even on her fifth cup, she was still unable to calm down.

Ignoring Trixi she got up to the vending machine, and waited for the it to puke the shitty coffee she spent her coins on.

"Go home, Cherilyn, sitting here will not-!"

"WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO?"

Realizing she just snapped, Cherilyn set back down digging her head in the hand that was not holding the coffee, "I'm sorry..."

Trixi set down beside her, "Look girl, I know you've been through a lot... but sitting here like that won't help to solve the case. We got every available man looking out for her..."

"I know..."

"Good... then go home..."

Just then the two girls heard noises following from behind. Cherilyn barely noticed who the man that just walked in was, but she hardly cared to begin with. She streched as she got up and then helped Trixi to her feet.

"If anything pops up...-"

"I'll inform you, skipper, I promise", the police officer assured and Cherilyn nodded.

Walking by the counter she noticed the man that just walked in.

"Yes, you wanted to report about something?", asked the woman at the reception desk.

"Just wishing to find something I've lost...".

Cherilyn froze.

The voice...

His voice...


Flashback

"Hello?".

"Hello. Cherry....".

"Who is it?"

"A friend...."

Flashback ends


Turning around she took a more thoughtful look at the man, trying to recall every detail about him.

http://i1089.photobucket.com/albums/i358/livnatkris/Images/Michael-Fassbender-in-Shame-Review.jpg

"Oh! before I forget!", Cherilyn turned around to look at Trixi, "There's been some reports of people going missing in the area. Try to avoid being on your own for a while, okay?"

"Sure thing!", Cherilyn nodded.

Turning around she saw that the man was no longer there. Cursing under her breath, she decided to head for the only place she knew she could get answers from.

Her book store.

Storm
03-30-2013, 03:06 AM
Day/Time: Thursday 6:00 am
Location: Su Lin's Home

The alarm broke a restless sleep as she rolled over tapping upon the clock. As she focused on the alarm clock, the radio played nothing but static. The morning light slowly filters into her room, a crackling of the radio wakens her further.

"Damn you Gail!" comes from her lips as the clock's crackling ceases as it literally disintegrates replaced by a blue static electrical charge dancing about the area of the desk the clock once occupied.

Consciousness fully returns as she sits upright spinning out of bed looking toward where her alarm clock had once sat. She softly bites her lower lip running her fingers through her hair no longer freaking out over the oddities she has been experiencing. After a quick shower and getting ready for the day she scans through her phone contact list.

"Hello stranger, I was beginning to think you dropped off the face of the world..." came the voice who answered the call.
http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p512/RPAStorm/malana-lea-8_zpsd357e27c.jpg

"Malana ... do you think you can make a no questions asked visit?" Su Lin nervously asks.

A friendly response is offered "You know me girl, anytime, anyplace, just like you would do for me. Should I pack light or harsh?"

"I think harsh Mal... I think very harsh."

The soft spoken voice on the other end grows cold "Just tell me where and I'll be there as soon as I load up. How are the LLEO's?"

Having entered her address in the text block sending to Malana, Su Lin replies "Shouldn't have any real issues... things are a bit ... weird though."

Entering her hide away room on speaker phone and grasping one of her Glocks, eyeing over an assault shotgun and sniper rifle, a slight smile forming across her lips
"Oh Su, you know how I love weird..."; glancing at the received text "...and got your text hun, should be there in 6 or 7 hours... just need to pick my toys to bring ... weird you say..." before disconnecting and moving about selecting some assorted IDs, cash and assorted weapons.

Koti~
03-30-2013, 07:41 PM
Day: Thursday, 6AM
Location: Back lot of the hospital

Zac stepped outside with a sigh, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he stretched his body in the cold air. The night had been long as the rush of patients had been rather long, and he had barely had the time to do nothing more than fill up with hospital coffee and piss it out a few hours later. Leaning against the building, he dug into his pocket to fish out the phone that had been ringing off the hook for him nonstop all morning, making him feel rather upset that he had been unable to answer Lina almost all night. Just as he was about to flip open his phone, the sound of barking startled him, making him fumble the phone in his hands.

“Son of a bitch!” Zac spoke loudly as he grabbed his phone with both hands before looking down. A golden retriever sat near the edge of the lot, giving him a rather sad stare. It seemed that the thing had gotten loose from its home, if the collar around his neck was anything to judge by. Giving a sigh he walked over and bent down, petting the retriever on the head.

“How did you get out boy?” Zac asked quietly, scratching the dog behind the ears. His eyes were drawn to a small orb dangling from the dogs collar, completely clear but holding something much more. Giving a curious frown, he bent over and placed his fingers against the orb, not noting that the dogs eyes had grown dark…


Day Thursday, 12pm
Location: Hospital room

“Ah, miss Kiera Scott, lovely to see you on time this morning.” Zac spoke cheerfully, closing the room and giving it a quick lock. He tilted his head down and looked at the medical chart in his hands, thought his eyes barely registered the words on the paper. He then looked back up at Kiera and gave her an award winning smile of his, though it was clear he was still tired, and … off. Quickly crossing the room, he sat down in the rolling stool and set the clip board down on the counter, and moved over next to Kiera.

“In again for a bad ankle, Miss Dancer? You know, if you keep putting stress on it, you might end up worse than a swollen or torn ankle.” Zac spoke, hefting up Kieras leg to inspect the aforementioned area. He didn’t pay much attention to it, but he did poke and prod a bit at the leg, making sure to appear normal. But anyone who knew him well could tell that he was off, if ever so slightly.

“Mm, seems you put a bit of stress on it this morning, dancing again I bet. Now, I need to enforce that you need to stay off your feet, but other than that, you should be fine. Do you wish for something to numb the pain a bit?” Zac asked the girl, setting her leg back down carefully.

<<<<<<<<<Meanwhile, in another part of town>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Time: Thursday, 12 pm
Location: Cross Roads of Capri and the ink shop.

Jackie stood on the side walk, her hands stuck inside the jean pants that she wore, but her eyes barely seemed to focus on anything. She had been given a mission, and she would fulfill it as best she could, even if it did cause her pain. Looking around, she noted the 4 people she was warned about, one sitting in a coffee shop, another located in a pizza store of sorts, and two in a tattoo shop of sorts. Those were her four targets, and those would be the ones she was going to have to fight. Feeling the machete strapped to the inside of her pants, she quickly pulled out a small greyish orb, roving it around in her hands. Giving a determined sigh, she headed over to the pole sticking up from the corner, leading to the traffic lights.

“Time for some chaos.” Jackie murmured to herself before placing the glowing ball onto the pole and stepping back quickly from it. It began to smoulder and smoke quickly, sparks shooting off as the lights went haywire and the sound of skidding cars and blaring horns filled the room, sending two cars careening into each other. It was followed by loud swearing before people screamed in horror, having seen Jackie pull the machete from her side and gouge a man who had gotten out of the car, sending people running in all directions as she headed towards the compacted cars, a bored look on her face.

Mysteria
03-30-2013, 11:53 PM
Location: {Undisclosed}

A soft knocking echoed through the small room, causing Jackies head to turn slightly. Wordlessly and with little hesitation, she opened the door to see Alex standing there, his sword attached to his hip and a machete in his hand. Silenetly he handed the machete to Jackie and moved aside, motioning for Jackie to head out. The woman tilted her head to the side in confusion, gripping the machete in her hand before turning her head in the occupant’s direction. Alex shook his head quickly and muttered the word crow, which immediately got her attention. Giving a nod, she exited the room quickly, allowing for Alex to enter.

“Now that we are alone.” Alex gave a sigh of relief and slid the sword off his waist, allowing it to rest against the door. Quickly, he crossed the room and pulled Rosa into a tight hug, allowing a warming silence to fill the room.

“My Rosa, how hard it is for me to see you like this, and earth shaking to know that I had done it.” Alex whispered softly, his words filled with warmth, buried under waves of sorrow and regret.

Lina watched the man she'd come to know as Alex re-entering the room. She said nothing as she watched the exchange between him and the less than human like person who had once been her friend, Jackie. Lina was taken aback at the way that the stranger suddenly changed the way that he had been treating her. Confusion began to settle in over the brunette as she felt his arms slipping around her.

Confusion quickly began to give lend way to some slight form of recognition as images of him and herself in another time and place began to dance through her head once more. Although Rosaline didn't understand how, she had become fully aware that somehow this Alex person was someone important to her.

Although her feet were still bound in the shackles that kept her chained to the wall, her hands were free to move to his face. Her fingertips reached out and traced his face as she moved back from his embrace slightly but without fully breaking it. "Alexander?" Lina whispered his name, feeling the way it rolled familiarly from her tongue as though she'd said it a thousand times before.

"You're name is Alexander, I know this but I don't..." Her voice trailed off slightly as she looked into his eyes, the feeling of his warm skin as familiar to her as the sound of his voice speaking the name Rosa, her name. Fingertips trailed across his cheek, her hand cupping his face for a moment before fingertips finally traced softly over his lips "How is it that I seem to know you so well? Who are.." her eyes searched his for the answers "we?"

Alex felt happier in that moment than he had in weeks, yet saddened at the same time. Her memories were finally starting to return, and she was beginning to question their relationship. It was a hard won victory, and it made his heart soar. He smile softly as he felt her fingers trail across his lips, making a soft chuckle escape him. He took her hand in his own and planted a soft kiss, feeling the soft supple flesh against his lips, her scent intoxicating.

“We are lovers, entwined in each other’s hearts Rosalina, and always will be. You are what keeps me alive, and my most precious gift.” He spoke softly, holding her hand against his chest. He was so close, his lovers memories just barely behind a pockmarked veil of a spell.

“Please my love, remember who we are together, and let me see that smile of yours again.” He asked her softly, stroking her cheek with his free thumb, a pleading tone inside begging eyes, willing her to remember, to want her to see him for who he was.

Lina nuzzled her face against his hand despite that she still questioned who he was. But at the moment she was no longer even certain of who she was. She could see him, there in her visions and her visions were of him and her not only seemingly rather happy but also apparently...being very intimate.

Yet the images were surely not recent. Everything looked different to her. The bed where she lay upon his chest with his arms wrapped around her was not her bed. The sheets, the quilt, everything was different.

His eyes seemed so familiar, yet distant as they pleaded with hers.

"I'm sorry but I don't..know you...or understand any of this." His fingertips stroking her face so lovingly in such a familiar fashion caused her to pause, her hand stilling his within her own although she did not deny her impulse to kiss the pads of his fingertips as though from some primal desire to do so, or on some level deeper recognition but her lips moved softly, her breath warm upon his skin.

Dark eyes stared at him, her face mere inches from his "How can this be, that I know your touch so very well?" Her voice was barely a whisper now.

There, there it was, the lingering effects. He had known the spell would hold her back, but it was weakening, and her own fear of this moment was holding her back. It was so simple to see, yet so hard to grasp, like the light. He sighed softly as her lips pressed against his finger, the hot breath washing over his flesh, rising goose bumps along his arms. He pulled their hands back to his chest, his eyes never leaving hers.

“Its because my touch has brought you such joy and happiness, and brought security in even the most unsure moments. It has done the same for me. To know that a woman with such caring hands would have such strength and assurance behind them always kept me returning to you.” Alex spoke softly, leaning down and undoing one of the chains. He knew it was a risky move, but Crow would be distracted with his plans that this would be no big problem.

“My touch has also brought you excitement, to know that I had brought something that no other man had ever done, and would ever do. It always thrilled you when my hands trailed your body, sending ripples of pressure and warmth through your body.” Alex spoke, picking her up and holding her as he took her place in the seat. With as much care as a man would bestow a goddess, he cradled her in his lap, holding her in place as he allowed her head to press against his chest. He leaned in and kissed her warm cheek, hands strong and firm as they held her in his lap.

“My touch has also brought something to both of us … a sense of fulfillment. No matter what had happened during the day, or after, there was a sense of blissful completeness to the day. As long as I had you in my hands, and could feel your body resting against mine, the war and world no longer mattered. I longed for that every day I had to leave, and no matter how tired I was, just seeing you made me happy again, and relaxed me.” He whispered softly into her ear, feeling her heart beat beneath the flesh and clothes, her scent tickling his nose.

Having been unshackled and now cradled in Alexander's arms Lina listened to a voice so very familiar to her. The way he spoke, the way he pronounced the words...her name had Lina unable to take her eyes off of his face. She studied him as though her mind was trying desperately to see through some type of fog that was preventing her from seeing it clearly.

She could feel the warmth of his skin through his shirt as he held her hands fast to his chest. She could feel the beat of his heart, the very sound of it resounding in her ears between each syllable that slipped from his lips. Dark orbs scanned the contours of his face, the shape of his lips as Lina fought to see through the misty haze like obstruction that prevented her from seeing clearly. She forced her eyes to focus on his. Kind, gentle eyes staring down at her. Her eyes locked on the sapphire like color that were his, fixated as her palm rested on his chest.

Th-thump. Th-thump. Th-thump. Steady and strong was the heartbeat she felt underneath her fingertips as steely eyes held her gaze. Th-thump. Th-thump. Then Lina's soft lips parted slightly as she gasped in that moment of final recognition, her hands breaking free as she slipped her arms upwards around his neck and pulling him towards her until finally her lips graced the soft curve of his neck, trailing upwards to whisper in his ear.

"Alex. My love."

He paused just slightly as he let out a breath of ease, pure bliss filling his mind. He cradled her close, pressing her against his chest. He could feel her bosom press into his chest, the cloth separating their flesh from touching. Alex leaned his head back, allowing his eyes to absorb the luscious curves of her face, the rosy coloring of her cheeks giving a pronounced look to the lotus pale skin underneath.

“Rosa, my flower~” He sighs sweetly to her, warm breath rustling past her ear to become entangled in her hair. Smiling, he pulled her close, shifting his free hand to now cup her finely shaped rump in his arm, and brought their lips together. The warmth and tenderness was unmistakable as he took in a deep breath of her scent, his lips pressed against hers for the briefest of moments before his tongue darted out, seeking entrance into hers. His other hand cupped the back of her head softly, not wishing for this moment to end as his strong fingers entwined into her hair, holding her close.

Rosa's lips parted to grant Alex's tongue access to slide along her own warm delicate pink tongue and a the woman known as Lina sighed a small moan of pleasure, clinging to him and returning his kiss before finally breaking it. Still clinging to him she gazed up at him lovingly "Alexander..how can this be? I can't make sense of it all yet but...Crow."

Lina shuddered then as things began to become crystal clear to her. Her eyes widened "Alex! Crow...we have to." She shifted in Alex' lap, feeling the warmth of his hands on her body as a flood of memories filled her. Memories of his touch, the touch of a lover that could. A shiver ran through her then. A shiver of pleasure, the exact opposite of the shudder of horror she'd felt mere seconds before at the memory of Crow.

One hand shot to Alex's face, stroking it softly as kiss after kiss landed softly upon his skin. Time. There was no time for this right now, not with Crow around yet Lina couldn't pull herself from her lovers embrace. Time! "Alex, time...what has happened. I remember now, somehow time has me in the present but I remember you..I remember everything. But how can this be?"

Then another realization hit her and Lina began to struggle in his arms, suddenly almost frantic to pull away from him. "You...you loved me but you can't be Alex!" She eyed him warily "Alex would never help Crow, but you...you...you've brought me here!" It was then that her tiny fists began to beat upon his chest "Let me go, I don't know you..I...I...LET ME GO!" Lina began to struggle, feeling conflicted. This was Alex, somehow it was him. She knew that touch, she knew that heartbeat but it couldn't be Alex. He wouldn't hurt her, force her to be here, her Alex would not have agreed to help Crow for any reason. Her eyes began to dart to his face and then away again, fist continuing to strike at him as tears welled up in her eyes.

He let her fists rain down on his chest, feeling each pounding sensation against his chest. Just a few moments they had been entwined in each other, and now she was beating him. He knew though that this was his Rosa, the one he sought out. His shoulders felt heavy again as she continued away, watching the tears form in her eyes. He choked on the sadness engulfing him, yet he couldn’t find it in himself to stop her, for she was right. Normally this would never have been a problem, he would never have given himself to Crow, but this time was different.


“Rosa.. I .. I am sorry.” Alexander spoke softly, raising his hands to catch her fists, his rough hands grasping her soft. It made his heart ache again as he pulled her into a tight embrace again, trying once again to convey that sadness.

“I did it for you. These are not normal times, and crow here… he holds so much power. I .. I don’t know how to kill him. He can control the undead, bring thousands under his control, and even sway the hearts of generals. He … he serves a dark power and I don’t know how to stop him” He shook as he spoke, tears falling from his eyes as he sat in their embrace. He was terrified, not for himself, but for Rosa.

“He said that he would kill you, that your power held too much of a threat to him. I planned to take him down when I could, but … I don’t know how, I have no way to know how to kill him, he seems invincible Rosa. I wanted to protect you, and this was the best way I could. He knows too much about this new world, and I don’t know how to stop him. Please Rosa, I am sorry, I never intended to bring you here, but it was all I could to do keep you safe.” He spoke softly to her.

Only after Alex grabbed her hands and held them fast that she couldn't strike him again, and only after he began to explain did it begin to make sense to Lina. Crow had always been powerful but Alex was right. This world was different than their world.

Lina remembered their world. She was beginning to remember everything. The places, the people...Alex.

Then Lina became still, moving to wipe the tears from her own eyes, then Alex's. Her fingertips trailed over his face. Her Alex. He'd come for her, he'd found a way to get to her...to protect her...to still love her. Her heart felt as though it would come out of her chest then, overwhelmed with sorrow, and joy.

"Alex.. my Alex.." Her lips brushed his softly. "My love you are here, you've come to find me." Lina scooted around in his lap until finally his grip loosened enough that she could turn, now sitting directly in his lap. Her hands moved to the back of his head once more, her lips seeking his now in a much more needful and hungry kiss, Lina straddling his hips on the chair as she settled down firmly into his lap, it now Lina's turn to seek his acceptance of her kiss.

Alex was a bit thrown back at her change, but was glad. He had missed this, her kiss, her touch, her scent, and her smile. Her fingers trailed against the back of his head, making a smile cross his face as she sat in his lap, her legs holding his own. He lowered his hands and rested them against her hips, thumbs digging between her clothes and skin as her lips pressed against his own.

*This I miss~* Alex said happily as he allowed their lips to crush together, the room seeming to melt away as he moved his hands back and held her shapely behind , finding the pants to allow more curve and feel to her ass. He pressed and parted his lips slowly, allowing his tongue to snake out and press against hers, the soft pink flesh rubbing against her own in an exotic dance as he pulled her closer, feeling her inner thighs pressing against his outer as he pulled her closer.

The petite brunette could feel how Alex's fingers moved against the material of her blouse, barely grazing underneath the hem. As tongue chased tongue a low moan of pleasure slipped from behind the kiss. Lina knew Alex's touch as though it had merely been yesterday that she'd last felt it. But it hadn't been and exactly how long it had been she had yet to determine. There would be time for him to answer questions later but for now Lina didn't know how much time they had like this alone together before Jackie would return or worse, Crow himself.

Lina would not allow anything to steal her precious moments with Alex from her again. Although not even a week had passed since she'd felt Zack's arms around her...Zack...Zachariah! How could she have...but yet he was not Zacharia...was he. Lina stiffened. If Alexander were to know, what would he think? He already knew...but he didn't know that.

Not even that memory would deter Lina from knowing Alex's touch once more. She pressed herself to him tightly, her breasts rising and falling against his chest as her breathing became slightly more labored as that kiss intensified.

"Alexander" Lina murmured the words softly against his skin, breaking the kiss long enough to let him know that she truly remembered everything now "My Alexander, how good it is to feel your arms holding me again, to feel your warmth" Lina's lips moved softly over his skin, dancing lightly and nipping gently along the curve of his neck "However long it has been, it has been far too long my love." Even as Lina said the words, her hips swayed softly to and fro in Alex's lap, she molding herself to him as though she wanted to become a part of him that they might never be parted again.

“Far too long my love, far too long.” Alex spoke softly, feeling her lips press and pull on his skin, teeth making his flesh crawl. Warmth blossomed in his stomach as her hips swayed and shimmied against his body, bringing rise to old yet welcomed feelings in his body. His hands trailed up along her back, fingernails roving along her back as he broke their grasp just long enough to remove her top, revealing the wonders of a woman beneath. He kissed and pressed his hands against her back as his lips trailed her collar bone, his fingers fiddling with the clasp on the fabric that kept his goal constrained. His fingers undid the first two metal hooks when a rapping sound reverberated around the room, sending an ice cold through his body.

“When you’re done with your … toy, come and join me outside please, we have plans to make.” Crows voice broke cleanly through the room, making his chuckle echo through the room as one could hear his footsteps retreating away from the makeshift prison, leaving Alex both frustrated and saddened.

“I’m sorry my love, but ... I must go.” He whispered back into her ear as he allowed his hands to rest on her hips, pulling her back in for one final kiss.

At the sound of Crow's voice Lina stiffened once more. This time though, regret flooded her as she felt Alex pulling away from her and quickly she began to button her blouse, correcting the undone clasps behind her first and then making herself look presentable as she moved off of Alex's lap and seated herself back in the chair, preparing herself for whatever was to come next.

With regret, she watched as Alex headed towards the door, she mouthing very lightly so as not to be heard through the door "I love you and will wait for your return. Together, we will find the way."

Then, just as quickly Alex was gone to be replaced by one of the evil Lords undead who leaned against the wall, staring at her as though she would be his next meal. Luckily, the one thing that Lina distinctly could remember about Crow was, nothing happened without his permission and unless he said that she could be killed, she would be safe. Until then.

Slumping down into the chair her mind began whirling with possibilities. Cheri! Cherilynn...her old friend who had become her friend in this world too. Sooner or later, the others would begin to awaken. They too would begin to remember and sooner of later, the evil of Crow would be overcome by the good that lie with in Lina and the others. They had't allowed themselves to be taken from their homes, to have their memories all but erased for no good reason.

It was all about defeating Crow. It had always been about defeating Crow and soon enough, they would find the key.

Time was on their side.

(Smexy co with the talented Koti~!)

Arthera
04-04-2013, 11:41 PM
Time: Thursday, 12 pm
Location: Capri Dinner.

This place is cursed. There was no other explanation. The whole stupid town was in the middle of crazy land. What else could explain murders, exploding bars and a damn psycho lady cutting people up outside!

Stephanie had just started digging into her breakfast, one hand forking potatoes and eggs into her mouth while the fingers of her other hand softly tapped the keys of her laptop. With the second cup of coffee assimilated, the day started to look alright, she was awake, getting food and she felt like she could start on her work. Just a little bit to get the brain working while she ate, then go do her shopping and finish the day back at the apartment.

But right then, a streetlight across the way started spraying sparks and smoking, catching Stephanie's attention. When the traffic lights went out, it caused a few cars to ram into each other, which was bad, but not insanely so, fried circuits happen and it wasn't a bad crash, more like a firm bumping. The insanity only cranked up to eleven when a lady came out of nowhere and stabbed some poor guy stumbling out of his car. With a friggin' sword! In the street! Like, right there, in broad daylight! The guy crumpled in on himself, a doll with it's strings cut, and remained motionless as the girl seemed to keep looking for something else to murderize.

Weren't such things supposed to only happen in movies with super villains? The scene looked taken from a bad movie, one she was standing too close to the screen.

While most people stood and stared, shouted, cried or screamed, Stephanie's first instinct was to duck under the table, once her mind processed the moment, out of view, before fumbling for her pack where her phone was. She didn't feel panicked, not really. Scared by the events going on outside, sure, but not running-for-the-exits-screaming kind of scared. The "oh-my-god" factor was still there, it wasn't like she wasn't surprised at the sudden display of wanton brutality, but somehow she remained calmer than she expected she would be in such a situation. This was her first time under this kind of extreme pressure, but her body worked quite well despite the shock, surprising herself in the process.

Her trail of thought broke when she finally grabbed her phone from her pack and punched in the three important numbers. When the dialing tone didn't start up, Stephanie looked at her phone, the stupid battery low message blinking mockingly up at her. Seriously? Now? Didn't she charge the darn thing last night? Well, arguing with herself now wasn't going to help much, and the point was moot anyway, as she saw others all yammering on their own phones, calling 911. Or, god forbid, texting an update on their social network. Hopefully the swat was going to come barreling down the street and get this sorted out sooner rather than later, there was no telling how crazy girl out there was going to act now that everyone close at hand had run away.

Still hiding under the table, Stephanie considered the two exits, on opposite ends on the long building. Both led to the street where the crazed slasher was, and neither seemed like a good choice to take right then. Getting out of this place seemed more and more like a plan she needed to take on the other hand, as all these standing people were obvious targets should butcher girl out there decide she needed more victims for her sword.

The Silver Crow
04-12-2013, 11:25 PM
Time: Thursday, 12 pm
Place: Filli's ink shop and the square just outside.

Lax could never have expected that some crazy woman with a machete would start killing people outside her shop's door. So, it wasn't a surprise that when she heard the car crash, she dropped her tools on the plate beside the man still tattooless, and ran out the door to help whoever may have been hurt outside; only to stop and stare for a few moments in shock at the out-of-place woman. People ran screaming around her, running away from the woman. What knocked her out of her daze was the sight of the fresh, wet blood dripping from her blade onto the dark asphalt. Her pale eyes widened.

Lax didn't stand around anymore and retreated back into the shop, locking it in the process. She looked at Eric still inside, trying to read from his face if he saw any fear in hers. Seeing as the whole entry wall of her shop was just black glass, she rushed away from it, not daring to look back to see if the woman was following them. Would she?

"So, um, there seems to be some freaky bitch with a machete outside on a murdering rampage. We might wanna go out the back." As Lax said this, she was ashamed by how cowardly she must have sounded in front of the biker. She trained everyday as a fighter and never flinched whether it was guy or girl slinging at her. But why now? It had to be the knife. And the blood. A familiar chord inside of her that she couldn't remember how to identify pulled at her fear and crushed in her defenses before she even realized it. It would have been more paralyzing if it wasn't for the adrenaline now pumping through her veins.

She immediately grabbed her jacket, phone, and glasses, and slipped them on quickly. For a moment, she turned back to Eric, "it's this way. Come on!"

Elryndra
04-18-2013, 02:21 AM
Thursday, 12 pm
Location: Hospital Room

Straightening up as the doctor entered the room Kiera watched him as the door clicked behind him, eyes skimming the clipboard as he moved over and greeted her.
"Good morning," She replied easily, cocking her head slightly as she studied him. He looked tired, which made her wonder if there was a doctor anywhere that actually looked half way alert and alive. That thought made her spin off into wondering why it was, if every single doctor in the world always looked tired, why they made them all look incredibly alert and down right dreamy in movies and tv shows. . . that thought might have spiraled into several different directions, from the unrealistic situations brought up in movies, to the wacky plots they liked to use, to mistakes that were glaringly obvious. . . but then the doctor spoke and she was saved from her own ramblings.

"No, I'm in for a checkup because I'm supposed to until you doctors tell me I can dance again," She answered casually, brushing a strand of hair off her face. His examination of her leg wasn't what she was used to. She was used to far more questions and a lot more poking and prodding to test muscles and such. He barely even touched the sore area, which was nice because then it didn't ache so badly, but it made her wonder if he'd gotten any sleep in the past couple days at all.
"You must not get a lot of dancers in here," She said lightly, a hint of a laugh coloring her words, "The only way to keep us from dancing is to put us in a body cast, and even then I am certain we would find ways around it." It wasn't that they wanted to risk injuring themselves worse, but in their profession they couldn't risk being laid up for long periods of time, letting the muscles become stiff and unresponsive. It was worth a little extra pain to keep everything limber and loose, instead of having to deal with months and months of recovery before they were allowed to take parts. If you fell out of existence in the dancing world, even for a couple of weeks, your entire career could be at risk.

At his offer of medication to numb the pain she simply shook her head.
"No thank you, it doesn't hurt very bad, and in fact, giving me pain medication would be a worse idea than knowing I disobey your orders now and again." Shrugging lightly she felt the need to explain, just in case he ever had to deal with another dancer, even though she felt rather odd explaining it to this doctor that knew far more about injuries than she did.
"If I can feel the pain I know the limits of my body and when to stop, if I was using pain medication, however, I wouldn't know when I'd pushed too far, and then I really would damage something. You look like you could use some sleeping pills."
She wasn't sure what prompted those words to come out, but there they were and she couldn't take them back. Instead her fingers laced together in an almost nervous, twitching motion.
"I'm sorry, that's none of my business-well, it kind of is, considering my health as a patient depends on your judgment-but really, you look like you could use a couple whole days of sleep."

Repent!
04-22-2013, 04:15 AM
Time: Thursday, 12pm
Location: Outside Filli's tattoo parlor

Eric didn't have to be told twice when Lax informed him of the happenings outside. 'This state just got about a hundred times weirder.' While Lax was gathering her things, Eric had put his shirt back on and grabbed his helmet, before following Lax out the back.

They were well on their way when Eric caught a glimpse of the woman Lax noted earlier. He only met eyes with her crazy stare for at most a second before turning his head, and ducking behind a wall. He looked back and forth between Lax and his bike in the distance and an idea just entered his head. "Keep going, I'll be back in a flash."

With that Eric took a couple deep breaths before putting his helmet on and placing the engine key between his index and middle finger before taking off towards his bike. If he could get to his bike, he could grab Lax and get hell out of here until she at least found some other place to swing her blade around.

Jackie had paused some in her rampage when she noted the two people slinking out back, and then one of them heading towards the parked bike out front. Something spoke in her head, and she turned in the direction of the bike. The man was one of her targets, and she had a job to do. She looked between the two people, and decided that the one running towards the bike was more of a threat. Pulling her arm back with methodical precision, she hurled it tip over end, until it embedded itself dead center in one side of the engine with enough force to knock it over.

Jackie stood waiting to see the mans reaction, her shoulder lowering some with strain. While her body was capable of much stronger actions than normal, her joints and muscles still reacted the same, meaning that her body would shut down with enough force. The throw had popped her shoulder some, so she tucked it against her body a bit more, keeping her eyes dead set on the man, occasionally glancing to the woman.

Eric could only watch as he was within spitting distance of his bike as the machete hit. He fell to sliding a few inches on his knees at the same speed that his bike was falling. When they both stopped moving, his head drooped a little. His face was completely covered by the helmet and visor, but his body language spoke volumes of pain both physical and emotional and trying in vain to understand what just happened as his fingers curled into tight fists.

"You filthy bitch...."

One of his hands open up long enough to grab the machete by the handle and forcibly removing it from his bike as he grunted to his feet, shreds of red visible on his jeans as he got to his feet.

Then he took one step forward, then another, then the pace began to pick up. He then broke into a mad dash for the woman with the earth bending up and down in response to his feet giving a little extra boost as he ran. He was going to make her pay for her damages. He anchored hard on his left foot, causing stone to shoot out around her feet look to trap her as he put all of his weight in his one swing. Not taking care to be precise, nor lethal. He wanted her to suffer, and he was hoping that this attack was going to do just that.

Jackie watched the mans reaction, trying to connect to the emotion the man was showing. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the man wrench the machete out of his machine, a few sparks flying from the sudden force. Shifting to better protect her weakened side, she kept her eyes focused as the man ran forward. She could feel the magic starting to flow out of him, the earth pushing him forward. He stopped with enough force to send bits of stone to hold her while he swung the bladed weapon, making to strike her chest.

She didn't try to pull back. She didn't try to duck, and she didn't change emotion. Swinging her right leg forward, she stepped into the mans swing and easily avoid the blade, grabbing him around the arm and taking hold of the hilt. Working fast, she continued her motion, using the force of the mans swing to push her around his body as she took her weapon back with careful working before ending up behind the man, though moving back a few steps to counteract for the uneven earth.

Eric's helmeted head whirled around a tad faster than his body as he moved to keep her in his sights. His body was shaking and rattling with anger as he rushed her again, side headbutting the blade with his helmet to get it as out of the way as he could while he cocked back his right arm and came up to deliver a heavy right hook.

"Who gave you the right?!"

He wanted her to hurt. That bike was a gift, and it was now useless.

She moved most of her body out of the way, aiming to get at his unprotected side, but was just a tad on the slow side. The punch hit her wounded arm, making her spin that extra few inches out of the man's reach, resounding in a horrid crunching sound as her arm went limp, mostly. Glaring she raised it up and grabbed the mans helmet with it, her fingers digging into his skin as she wrenched his head as hard as she could to the ground as quickly as she could.

"Crow ... gives me the right...." She spoke in a jagged voice, as though the words were being forced through her. She raised the hand with the blade in it and aimed straight for the mans back, planing to drive the machete through the flesh and only that.

This woman made no sense. He felt her shoulder crunch yet she barely responded. Instead she decided to use the very same arm to toss him about like a ragdoll. Her skin was as cold as the dead...and a bird told her to just start fucking murdering people in the street? Then something screamed in the back of his mind as he hit the ground when she spoke. 'Move....Move you bastard.....MOVE!!!!' He tried to roll out of the way, though the tip of the machete was faster and it nicked him pretty deep.

Fucking whore!

Eric got up to one knee clutching his side from the pain of the blade through his skin. "Well then...you should run now so you can live to tell your Crow..." Eric undid his helmet with his free hand and slowly removed it, "..that they picked the wrong day....and the wrong fucking person...to mess with. Unless you'd like for me to choke out what life is in you right now."

Jackie stared at the man, a satisfied smile on her face as she lifted up the blade. A small section of blood rested on the edge of her machete, which she placed inside a vial of glass and tucked it away. With that, she stared back at the man and on the ground, seemingly bored. The man pulling her strings smiled, noting that his powers were starting to wake up, and begin to shape the world around him. Turning her back to him, she leaned her head over.

"Best of luck to you with that. You'd best go help your friend though, or she may end up in the same condition as your bike, but not repairable." She spoke in a cold tone, almost impossible to tell if it were a lie or truth. She walked off, her nearly broken arm not moving at all, machete still clutched in her hand.

It took a second or two for Eric's blood to lower from boiling in order for him to register her words. "What the f-....shit! Lax!" He turned and began to rush back to where he last saw her as fast as he could.

{Repent!/Koti~}

RisingPhoenix
05-11-2013, 10:59 PM
Time: Thursday, 11:30 AM
Location: Diner/Cafe

Duke stood outside the diner and stared up at its sign. The neon sign's light was absorbed by the daylight, and some of the letters flickered at him. He was slouched over with his hands in his pockets, trying to decide whether or not he should really go in. His eyes were transfixed on the blinkning letter "i," which for a split second he was sure, just so sure, that the dot of the "i" had really been the glowing red iris of a crow. He continued to stare with wide eyes until he realized a young couple had been watching him from afar. He shook his head, took a deep breath, and walked inside.

One of the waiters gave him an automatic smile and a hearty "hello," but his voice sank when he caught a good look at Duke. The blue of his coat had long since faded to gray, and his sleeves were caked in dirt and mud that looked suspiciously like dried blood if one were to lean in a little closer. His greasy hair was difficult to distinguish as blonde. The waiter appeared reluctant to even let Duke in the door, but somehow he managed to find a seat near the window before anyone could protest.

A plump waitress came over and tried to hand him a menu but he declined with a quick shake of his head. Though his stomach was empty, Duke would be unable to keep any food down. "Just coffee. Please."

Anything to keep him going. Anything to take the shakiness out of his hands. Anything to make the world seem real again.

He had been busy since his arrival at the cafe. He hadn't noticed anything suspicious in his surroundings, but he was so busy typing that his fingers began to cramp. So far so good. He had managed to get about twenty pages of his novel done, which was a milestone considering he hadn't done any work on it in the past two weeks. He sighed heavily as he stopped typing, took a few sips from his mug and a bite out of his streusel topped muffin before placing it back on the plate. Stretching his hand, he looked up in time to see a very strange man walk in. Something about this man was off, almost fearful in nature, as if he had survived a life threatening event. Tre'von could only feel sorry for the man and how his appearance was. Did he not have a home? Did he have family? So many questions and concern spread throughout Tre'von's mind as he looked at the much older man.

Eavesdropping, Tre'von heard the man ask for coffee and nothing else. The man clearly looked hungry, and Tre'von could only wonder why he hadn't ordered anything to eat. The look of fear still gracing the man's facial expressions as Tre'von decided to take the initiative and make sure the man was alright. Taking up his things, Tre'von walked closer to the male and sat down before looking over at him.

"Are you alright? You look a little skittish, a little fearful if you will," Tre'von began. This was just like Tre'von to approach someone and start up a conversation, even though he knew nothing about this man nor where he was from. Still, the kindness in Tre'von's heart wouldn't let the man go hungry. He would always think of how fortunate he was, and in his mind his fortune was to help others. He smiled warmly at the man, "rough night?"

The man in front of Duke was definitely young with the kind of well-chiseled face that only came along once in a blue moon. Duke took a few deep breaths, doing everything in his power to not lash out and snap, tell the kid to mind his own damn business. But his coffee hadn't come to the table yet, and he knew better than to let himself get too absorbed in anger. Even more pressing than his building animosity was the need to talk to anyone besides Bao.

"You know what's wrong?" His eyes flicked toward the kitchen. "I mean, what's really, really wrong?" Duke leaned in close to the table, looking right at the kind-eyed stranger. "This whole damn town is falling down." Duke paused, realized how ridiculous he sounded, then laughed lightly. He leaned back and sighed, eyes looking down at the table. A sudden melancholy rushed over him in that moment to fill the gaps between the words Bao had spoken and the things she'd done. The melancholy crashed in waves against his anger, slowly eroding the hatred he had built around himself. In place of this rage he now felt confusion, fear, helplessness.

"Just get out while you still can, kid." Duke mumbled. "Nobody's gonna make it out alive."

While he looked at the man and listened to him talk, he couldn't help but allow his face to show concern. There was something wrong with this man, be is psychological or physical, and Tre'von was trouble that for some odd reason he felt that what the man spoke was some type of warning, some type of awakening. Sighing, he shook the vibe and looked down at his slowly emptying cup. He took another sip and smiled at the man as he continued to talk.

"Get out while I can? Whatever for? What is going on that warrants immediate reaction to leave while I can? Is there something you know others don't?" Tre'von asked, the latter lowly as almost in a whisper.

Tre'von looked at the man who seemed so fearful, so confused and so helpless. All he wanted to do was reach out to him and help in whatever way he could.

"You seem a little on edge. Are you hungry?"

He spoke cautiously, not wanting to make the male angry, merely offering help, but who was to say that this man needed help?

Duke faltered when the man asked if he was hungry and eventually nodded his head. But he fell back to one of his previous questions:

"Is there something you know others don't?"

It felt like just the opposite. Duke had seen very little of the events in comparison to everyone else. Most of his knowledge came from Bao; she had never been the most reliable or even the most truthful. But he'd never seen her speak with such conviction.

"I know it's gotta be worse than even I know." He looked around, making sure there was no one around to hear, then began to mumble. "The other day, my friend was... she was talking and... these spikes just...." Duke shifted his words to encompass one of his real fears. He had to know he wasn't wrong, that he wasn't crazy, that his suspicions were valid. "Do you think magic--"

He stopped and covered his mouth with a sleeve as the waitress finally came by with his coffee, plunking it down on the table with a forced smile. Duke stuffed the words back by shoving the edge of the cup to his lip, downing the hot coffee just a little too fast. He placed the cup back down with a shaking hand and waited for the waitress to get out of earshot. He kept a sleeve covering his mouth as he continued: "Do you think magic is real?"

Tre'von listened to the man in front of him, listening carefully to each word, his attention being drawn to the waiter when he came to deliver the coffee.

"Wait, waiter, get this man something to eat please, and put it on my tab," Tre'von stated with a smile as the waiter rolled his eyes and hurried over to another customer who had just walked in.

Tre'von turned his attention back to Duke and caught the last bit of his question.

"Do I believe in magic?" Tre'von restated softly as he contemplated the idea, "I'm sure we all believe in magic to a certain degree. I remember when I was a kid pretending I was a superhero and defeating evil at every turn. So, to answer your question, yes, yes I do believe in magic. Just because I can't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Sometimes I think I feel it around me, pulsing and flowing with life, but who knows, maybe I'm just weird like that."

Tre'von laughed a little and nodded to show the man that he was serious, but thinking on it made him smile and laugh.

"and again I ask, is there something I should know?"

Duke shook his head furiously. "No, no, I don't mean like fucking pixies and fairy dust, man. I mean spikes of ice shooting out of your friend's fucking skin." He rolled up one of his sleeves and slapped his wrist a few times.

He recalled some of the things Bao had relayed to him, about Wes's kid Ryan, and some hokum about past lives and dreams. "This isn't about superheroes and good versus evil, this is about her swearing that a little kid was leading her around in her dreams when you know you saw him laying in a goddamn hospital bed. This is about--" he forced himself to become quieter, for his voice was beginning to rise gradually "--this is about the whole town going fucking nuts. I saw her. I saw the look in Bao's eyes before she chased that crow down the street.... She just wasn't the same person."

Tre'von's eyes widened when the man explained what he meant by magic. Truth be told Tre'von was the type to believe in magic. He was a roleplayer at heart, one who dreamed up creative stories and played along with his imagination, so the thought of magic actually existing was always something he believed in. He smiled at the man, a soft smile but a smile nonetheless and continued to listen. When the male finished, Tre'von sighed.

"Okay so a little kid has the 'ability' to visit the dreams of others? Wow this is something I just gotta experience. What else has happened? Who is Bao and why are you scared? I can see the fear in your eyes, the fear of the unknown. Why fear it? Embrace it."

He realized that he might sound a bit crazy for saying what he said, but he was speaking sincerely and truthfully. He knew danger when he saw it, and this man acted like what he saw and experienced was dangerous.

"I don't know what you've experienced, but I for one am eager to know what lies beyond human perception."

Duke let his head fall to the table. He felt his face turning red with a mixture of rage and embarrassment. He was just about to get up and leave this flighty, idealistic man behind when he remembered the pain of his hollow stomach. He lifted his head just for a moment to look towards the kitchen.

"I don't... I don't know anything about the kid. It's just word of mouth, just what she told me. Maybe it's just Bao that's going crazy. Maybe she really does just need help. But nothing makes ice jump out of someones skin, right? It's absurd. Don't tell me to 'embrace' that shit. The fuck makes you so damn eager about that?"

"I don't know. Maybe its just the way my parents raised me. They always told me about things, interesting things, things that I shouldn't say to anyone. They used to tell me stories about the past, but as a kid I never really understood what they were talking about, but your story may have validated what they preached to me. I don't know, maybe I'm the one who's crazy."

Tre'von looked at the waiter who brought Duke his food and filled up Tre'von's mug with some more hot chocolate. He looked at the waiter and smiled as the male retreated back to his post. Tre'von returned his gaze to Duke.

"If you don't mind, I would absolutely love to keep in touch. I would love to meet this Bao, and experience what you experienced. It seems destiny has her way of placing us in the right direction."

Tre'von sipped the chocolate and exhaled as if satisfied by the sweet drink. He looked at Duke and could tell the male was irritated by his sudden interest in what had scared the living hell out of him. He was probably thinking the worst about Tre'von, but the stories Tre'von's parents told him fit right in to what this stranger was talking about. Still, he wanted to experience it first hand. He had to know if it were true, he had to know if it existed.

The moment the plate touched the table Duke picked up his fork and dug into the food before him. He only partially listened to the man's words between massive bites that he barely chewed. He didn't look up once. The man talked of fate and destiny and thing his parents sold him as bed time stories and a whole lot of other shit that Duke had little tolerance for. He remembered when he thought his destiny had been a lovely wife, a decent job, and a white picket fence. Duke wiped his chin with one of his sleeves. Once upon a time, indeed.

"Sure," he finally said when he was just about done eating. "Why not. I'll keep in touch." At the very least, it was all he had to pay the man back. Duke's stomach ached from the whole chunks of food churning around but it was the first time he'd been properly full in weeks. "Thanks," he mumbled out of the corner of his mouth.

The check came, and Tre'von reached into his pocket and gave the waiter his black card. The waiter smiled and walked off to cash them out. Tre'von said nothing the entire time Duke ate, merely smiling and sipping on his chocolate. When he had finished his chocolate, and the waiter had returned his card, Tre'von looked at the receipt and noticed it had the waiter's number scribbled on it. He could only smile and look at Duke.

"I want to thank you for this chat, and remember what I said. Keep in touch. Here is my number and my address," Tre'von stated sliding the man his business card as he stood up from the table, "and I have no reason not to believe you, so I ask that you be careful."

Tre'von grabbed his car keys and nodded before heading towards the door of the cafe. It didn't take him long to nearly vanish from sight as he jumped into his car and inserted the key into the ignition. With a twist the engine roared to life and he was on his way, intrigued by the storyteller and the story.

Elryndra
05-22-2013, 01:20 AM
Thursday - 12:35 PM
Location: Hospital

Zack cocked his head as the girl declined his offer to give her something for the pain. His focus was more than just a little off. Something was downright wrong yet he couldn’t quite place what. It almost seemed to him that he was not himself anymore. Maybe she was correct, maybe he did need sleep. He looked down at his hands and then his feet and finally in the mirror that was behind Kiera. It looked like him but the girl was right, he looked tired and...

And that was when it hit him full force that he was staring at the doctor known as Zack but the sunken eyes, the incredibly dark orbs…dark … orbs…just like the retriever had. He felt something….overwhelming and although he tried to fight the intense feeling of darkness that was threatening to take control he…was…losing.

When Zack looked back at Kiera again she would notice something different about him. His cheerful disposition had changed slightly as he grabbed her leg again, feigning inspecting it further but as his fingers touched her skin a jolt of recognition went through him. It was as though Zack were seeing through someone else’s eyes. He knew her…not as Kiera but from the past….KIA!

Then it all came rushing back within one heart beat and the innocent sweet doctor had remembered everything, every detail that he’d forgotten since coming to this wretched world. And as Crow controlled him then he also controlled him now. And he recognized the girl who’s calf he held in his hand now. There was a certain gleam in Zacks eyes as his hands moved over the girls muscle. Although he attempted to be “cheerful” as was apparently who he had become in this world his voice took a different tone.

“Yes young lady, I do see many dancers in here and it seems to me that just like many do, you’ve over exerted yourself so I’m not going to risk you doing any more damage to this leg. “

His eyes glinted slightly "I want you admitted for observation overnight immediately" he said as he made his way to a cabinet and rummaged through it before producing a bottle and syringe. He drew a measure of the liquid into the syringe and returned to the blue eyed female.

“This is just a muscle relaxer to ensure you stay off of it and aren’t trying to dance in your room” He said with an odd dry humor very unlike his patients were accustomed to as he brought the needle closer to her, grabbing her rather roughly and firmly. His next words sounded almost sinister as he looked at her, eyes flashing wildly.

“Now don’t move, this won’t hurt...much.”

Kiera was ready to get up and leave, having figured that the appointment was over and the doctor would forget about her the moment his next patient walked through the door. She had gone so far as sliding halfway off her seat, when she felt his touch on her leg once again, as though he had changed his mind and decided to examine it more closely after all.

She studied him for a moment, an odd look hinting at the edge of her expression as she tried to pinpoint the change that seemed to have taken place. It wasn't immediately obvious, but after a second she wondered if it was the tiredness that had changed. Almost as though he had taken on a harsher, colder personality, the look in his eye unsettling as his fingers tightened.

When he spoke his tone was also different, almost condescending, like an adult speaking to a child that did not understand something. An odd tingling sensation itched underneath her skin, a feeling she took as warning signals, yet could not understand why she would be in danger. Certainly, the doctor was acting strange, but that was most likely caused by his exhaustion. He wasn't thinking entirely clearly.

Kiera's eyes widened slightly as he said she was to be admitted, but a second later she shook her head, lips pulled into a thin, determined line.

"I don't need to be admitted for any such thing, I didn't even pull a muscle and I'm not complaining of pain, so thank you very much, but I do believe I'll be on my-"

She broke off, eyes darting to the syringe he held in his hand. She had never been completely at ease around needles, they made her feel lightheaded and strange, and the fact that this particular syringe was held by a doctor who seemed to be going through a breakdown of some sort, Kiera certainly wasn't going to stay in this room and let him do what he wanted.

"I said I'm not staying!" She was a moment too late in her efforts to move away from him, his arm closing around her like a vise, an increasingly alarming look burning in his gaze.

"Let go of me!" Voice raising several levels as her alarm grew, Kiera struggled against his grip, swinging her leg back and kicking toward his kneecap with all the force she could manage while her hand snatched at the syringe.

During the struggle they bumped into the small desk, sending a lamp and a container of pens clattering to the floor, shards of thin glass shooting across the floor.

The more Kia struggled, the more insistent Zack became. Zack could see himself attacking her, an internal struggle ensuing. He knew he was hurting her but he had to...had to...obey Crow.

"Look here Missy, I'm your doctor and if you ever want to dance again you need to stay off of that leg!" He pushed the remainder of items from the desk on the floor, a large clanging sound echoing in the room which could undoubtedly be heard in the hall way and front offices.

Zack struggled with Kia, his larger size finally allowing him to barely pin the girl to the desk and draw the needle closer. Zack heard shuffling in the hallway outside of the closed door "Hey doc, everything okay in there?" it was the head nurse who must have overhead the noises being emitted from the room.

Zack's tone quickly returned to his former pleasant sounding voice, he glared at the girl he was struggling with.

"Everything's fine Susan, just a patient who is a bit needle shy." As Zack heard feet shuffling away from the door he again turned his attention to Kia, finding it hard to hold her down and inject her at the same time. His voice took a threatening tone, one that Zack didn't recognize and desperately tried to change but Crow...

"You little brat, hold still and let me give you this shot" Zack said the words, malice literally dripping from his lips.

Something was incredibly, horribly wrong.

As ridiculous as that thought was, especially in the current circumstances, it was the only one that kept running through her head. Along with the fact that his very personality seemed to be changing right in front of her, a dangerous one that freaked her out to the extent that the safety of her very life was beginning to come into question.

The sharp edge of the desk rammed into her side, momentarily stealing her breath as he answered the voice that filtered in through the door. It was as though he had a split personality, one calm and pleasant, the other dangerous and possibly bordering on insane murderer.
Her throat tightened as the nurse outside walked off instead of investigating, and the second she could summon a small breath Kiera made sure to try attract the attention of the nurse back to this room. Or at the very least anyone passing in the hallway.

"Somebody help!" Her cry wasn't as loud as she would have liked, what with the struggling and the shortness of breath she was already dealing with. Added to that the venomous words that spilled from the doctors lips, her position wasn't looking terribly good.

Everything seemed to still for a fraction of a second, her pupils dilating in fear as she stared at the man. Another odd tingle rippled through her, stinging slightly, yet at the same time almost comforting. It lasted no more than a second, the next bringing the world back to speed as she continued to struggle against him, lashing out anywhere she could to keep him from injecting her.

She didn't realize that outside the window, standing in the same place it had been for five years, the small, delicate cherry tree, had begun to tremble, as though something had begun to shake it from the inside out.

Twisting against the desk Kiera managed to break away from him, crashing into the cabinet as she did so. Her relief was short lived, however, as the freedom was limited to the corner behind the desk. Zack still stood between her and the door.

"Stop this madness," She implored, hands trembling as they fluttered about, searching for something she could use to defend herself.
"You need help yourself, it isn't me. Let me go right now and you'll find yourself in a whole lot less trouble."

Susan heard the words "Someone help!" coming through the door where she knew the doctor and patient to be, and not knowing what had happened she went towards the door, grabbing two orderlies before knocking on the door. "Doctor what is going on in there?"

Zack's eyes darted around the room. He had to get the drug injected into Kia so he tried to stall Susan "Really Susan, everything is fine." He yelled through the door but in his frenzy to get to the younger female in the room, he flung a chair across the room much harder than he'd thought and it crashed into the wall, alerting Susan that something was terribly wrong inside of the room. Yelling to the main desk in the hallway, "Get Trixie over here, somethings wrong!"

A nurse picked up the phone, calling the station while Susan and the orderlies burst into the room. "Zack, what is wrong with you?" Susan said, trying to remain calm but as Zack spun to face her she saw he was not himself, his eyes dilated and wild with frenzy.

"Zack, give me the syringe." Susan tried to reason with Zack but his eyes darted to the door and then to her, back to Kia than back to Susan. Susan looked at the orderlies, nodding for them to grab hold of Zack and as they did, she took the needle from him, grabbing a bottle of liquid to inject him with, something to calm him down until Trixie arrived and they could sort this out, the orderlies quickly taking Zack into another room and binding his hands.

Susan turned to Kiera "Are you alright? In the meantime, Zack struggled against his bonds to no avail, eyes wild as he searched for a way to escape, and then he slumped in his chair as he heard the voice in his head telling him to wait. "Wait Zackareth, you will be freed soon enough." The voice he heard was none other than that of Crow in his head, still controlling him.

The Silver Crow
06-08-2013, 03:38 PM
Time: Thursday, 12-12:30 pm
Location: Street outside the Filli's Ink shop

Seeing as she was already running away, when Eric said to keep going while he ran to his bike, she did exactly that. It was only when she heard a solid thump then crash, that she dared look back. Her eyes immediately caught sight of the tipped over motorcycle with the machete that was lodged into its side being pulled out by the very furious biker. She was just slowing down from her sprinting, when suddenly the asphalt beneath her quaked and she went flying face forward; just managing to catch herself, but scratching up her palms and knees in the process. What the hell was that? Since when were there earthquakes in Maine?

Her question was answered after she got up and looked at the fight that was happening between Eric and the freaky woman. How was he...? He was making the earth move. But, he couldn't be...it wasn't possible. She had to be seeing things. This stupid fright was making her irrational. She needed to focus. She needed to help Eric somehow. But what could she do? Eric seemed to be doing better than she probably could. Maybe if she got behind her somehow, she could get a punch to the right spot and knock her out.

"This is fucking insane." She murmured to herself and ran back to the shop, hoping she could round the building and surprise the woman.

Watching as the man ran off to find the woman, Jackie turned once again as she heard new footsteps moving towards her. It was the woman that had taken the back way, and was now heading to confront her. It was a silly notion, and one she would pay for. Pulling her arm back, she sent the Machete sailing through the air, embedding it into the wall a few inches before the woman's head was supposed to pop out at.

After paying extra attention to close the door softly so the crazy woman wouldn't hear her, Lax snuck around the corner of the building just in time to be scared half-to-death by the machete which embedded itself into the wall only a couple inches from her head. After she stood there for a moment in shock, staring at the silver blade, irritation sparked life back in to her. How could this woman foil her plan so easily? Either way it didn't matter. She had no weapon now. They were equal and she could now officially beat her ass for trying to kill her customer.

Lax's hands clenched into fists and she ran the distance between the machete and the crazy woman, hoping to keep as much room between the two as possible. As she got close, she got into the zone she was used to with at the gym, with both arms held up in front of her as defense. She was light on her toes and the heat from adrenaline rose throughout her body as she waited for the first strike from the woman.

Jackie watched with bored concentration while the woman dashed forward. She watched the woman take a fighting stance and matched it, eyes flicking to see the Machete buried into the wall. She would need to get the weapon fast, but it would take time. She matched the woman's stance while spreading out her legs a bit more, settling into a more sturdy stance. She was more of a wall and watched her some. Looking for an opening, she waited, her breathing deep and slow.

There, a slight shift in the breeze that dragged on her clothes. She dashes forward, swinging her left arm hard just short of the woman, and spun on her feet. Her right arm came up and headed straight for the woman's neck, flat-palmed and aimed to hit her right on the jugular.

Lax was surprised how easily the woman matched her stance, even if it was a little more grounded. It didn't surprise her when she threw the first punch, which she barely needed to evade. A smirk almost lit on her lips, but the woman's right hand came flying from the side. Thanks to her fighter instincts she automatically stepped back, her neck just a hair strand length away from her finger nails. "Holy shi-"

Her anger flared and so did the heat in her. How could she be so naïve to let her guard down for even a second? Fucking idiot. Before the woman could strike again, she got back into position and rushed forward, sending a jab right at her stomach.

Sucking in her gut and pushing out as much air as she could, Jackie allowed the hit to land, sending her onto her back with minimal effort. From there, she rolled, tucking herself into a ball and getting some good distance between them. Taking her time, Jackie looked the woman over, feeling the anger and heat rolling off of her. She could almost taste the anger as a smile spread across her face.

With a quick leap, she brought herself closer to her opponent and crouched fast, placing herself just below her chest. With one forceful movement, she brought her left leg forward in a hard defensive movement and rammed upwards with her right arm, palm up, aiming for the woman's chin.

Her punch hit hard, sending the woman off her feet and onto the pavement. It felt good to punch her, but Lax didn't let this little triumph overcome the situation at hand. Her mind flicked over to Eric for a moment, wondering where he was. Did he escape this chick? She didn't stay to watch what happened. What if he was just laying somewhere on the pavement bleeding to death? Why hadn't she considered this already? Did she really think she could handle this woman? She might have already killed...

SLAM!

The world erupted in pain from beneath her and she felt herself being lifted off her feet and land hard on her back. Her jaw pulsated with unbearable pain, so that she could barely focus on anything. Her teeth clenched and that let out another wave of agony. She felt her body heat raise even higher as if competing with the pain to make her more uncomfortable. She was burning and angry and hurting and pissed and completely vulnerable.

"Focus, will you?! Suck it up! You're about to be killed! But, God! It's fucking hot as hell! Her skin felt burning, but she managed to open her eyes and look up; defending herself from whatever next attack was coming with a raised arm.

Moving fast as the woman backpedalled, Jackie grabbed the woman by the arm, pausing for just a second as she could feel the heat building under the woman. A smile rippled across her face as she leaned forward, drawing her eyes close to the wounded woman. No light shown through her eyes, but there was a gleam there, as though someone was looking through it with a flashlight. She pulled the woman into a standing position, using her leverage and strength to pull her up.

"Good, your flame still burns. We shall meet again later woman, and may your fire be more than cinders." Jackie spoke, then pushed the woman back, making her stumble as she shifted her position a bit. After giving a smile, she waved and then was off, darting about the ruined cars and easily lengthening the distance between them.

Her heat was still rising, far above the pain, but Lax's full attention was on the lady who picked her up as if she was a little girl that had just skinned her knee. She expected the woman to kill her, hopefully quickly. She looked up to those eyes and saw nothing, except maybe a little amusement. What was wrong with this woman? A sociopath, maybe? She listened closely to her words. What did she mean her flames still burned? Did she mean the heat?

Lax was shoved away by the woman without another thought and she barely kept her footing to continuing standing. Sweat droplets fell from her forehead and when she raised her hand to wipe them away she noticed it was bright red like it was ready to blister. She gulped and another jolt of pain shot through her jaw causing a groan to grumble in her throat. The pain of the heat and her face that she had forgot for a moment was now back for vengeance, making her want to scream.

Something cool deep inside of her slightly distracted her, as if a figment of her imagination to sooth her nerves. It spread rapidly, becoming less of a thought and more of something actually coursing through her veins. It attacked the heat and pain, carving away at it like a wave to a dune. It was bliss and wonderful and surprisingly very tiring. Without much warning, her legs collapsed beneath her and she fainted.


{T.S.Crow & Koti~}

Koti~
06-09-2013, 09:06 PM
The sun had set into the waiting horizon as Crow fiddled with the glowing orbs. He had gained quite a collection, and a great one at that. With Dimitri off hunting supplies, and Alex and Jackie off with their needed tasks, he was left all alone … though not fully. In a chamber far off, waiting for a chance to break free was a woman, Rosa, the lover of Alex. He smiled even more, thinking to have fun with the poor woman. Rising slowly, he grabbed a small thin knife, strong enough to pierce flesh, but thin enough to leave nary a trace. Making his way over, he waved the guard off to the side, allowing himself smile calmingly as he entered the room.

“Ah, dear dear Rosalina. I hope that my interruption earlier had not been a disappointment. I would hate to have ended something important between you and Alex.” Crow said calmly, a false note of sincerity coating his poisoned words.

Although Lina stil was fuzzy about all of the details, she had become aware enough to remember that Crow was evil and part of the reason that they were here in this alternate reality of the future and worse, that she was now help captive by the mad man. Her eyes narrowed when he mentioned Alex and she spat the words at him from her bound position in the chair.

"I don't know exactly who you are, but you are sadly mistaken. You interupted nothing between me and that mad man who brought me here."

Even saying the words almost made Lina wince. She may not be able to remember every detail about her past with Alexander but somehow she knew he was very important to her and that she loved him deeply. If she could just remember it all and she closed her eyes, reminding herself that in time she would remember. She had to.

Then her tone would remain defiant.

"And don't act like you give a damn, because it's obvious to me that whoever, whatever you are, you are an evil bastard." Her chin jutted up into the air defiantely. "So, why don't you tell me exactly what in the hell you want from me?"

"Oh dear, seems someone hasn't gotten a lot of sleep lately. I can help you, you know?" Crow leaned forward, placing the tip of the blade against her throat. He moved it down some, cutting a small line into her clothing.

"Or maybe, another need keeps you irritable? I can help with that as well." Crow spoke more, continuing the line in her clothing. His smile grew wide as he leaned back, the cut ending just below her chest and revealing a fair bit of skin. He wanted to watch her squirm.

"And as to what I want, that will be of little importance. What is more, is that when the King arrives, he will need .. a concubine to .. relieve himself with. You seem to have more than a pleasing body for him to admire, if his taste in the last queen was anything to go by.


Lina's watched as the lunatic attempted to frighten her further. Although her heart was racing she remained unflinching in her resolve to not allow the crazy bastard to realize that he was indeed frightening her as the cold steel pressed to her throat.

She felt the knife slicing easily through the material of her blouse, inching lower and still her words were like venom.

"You can do nothing for me!" She spit the words through her teeth, her head jerking up in a show of bravery.

"And I will be no concubine to this King you speak of. I am no mans toy."

"Defiant to the end, are we? I like that in my victims." Crow spoke, feeling the hatred flowing from her. Smiling, he nicked the cloth between the black satin holding breasts in place. The cloth feel freely, revealing their held treasures as he leaned forward, a manic glint in his eyes.

"It makes it much more fun when I break them." He whispered into her ear, his knife now moving lower, pressing into her waist line as he sliced the area around the metal button, allowing the material to loosen. His smile grew cold and dark as he pressed the flat of the metal onto the now freed areas, noting the black satin match to the cloth above.

Panic tore through every fibre of Lina's being but she refused to allow Crow to see it. Although she was aware that he'd cut through her bra and was now threatening to continue with his sick twisted desires, her eyes remain focused on that evil face, her resolve strong.

Again he would find the pale brunette to be unwavering in her will as with a small toss of her head she moved her hair away from her face, head held high as she spoke.

"I may be your captive, but I will not be your victim. Her eyes fell from his face to the hand holding the knife and then back up to his gaze.

"I have something that you need and I assure you that if you don't stop this now, you will never have it."

At this he chuckled, leaning back as he clutched the blade. His laughter built, turning into a roiling laughter full of malice and utter detest. He looked back down at her, feeling the anger rolling off of her in waves. She hated him, hated him with everything she was.

"Oh, I'll get what I want from you, and so, so much more. You think, down here, bound as you are, that you can offer me anything?" He asked her, the question rhetorical. Swiftly he moved forward, placing a knee forcibly between her legs and right up against her hidden treasures. His other free hand worked it's way in between her bosom feeling the warm skin and the ramming of her heart.

"The ONLY reason you are alive is because you are a pawn. With you, Alex would never raise a hand against me, and the king will continue to keep me, for his own silly thoughts. Do not think I couldn't bend your will, for I know how to break a woman. Your body is strong, yes, but your heart is bound still, to those you call your friends and family. With a simple wave ... of my hand, I could have them executed in front of you, with only one hated thought, that your stubbornness killed them. Now tell me, Rosalina Bennet, what could you possibly gain by standing your ground." Crow spoke to her in heated breath, a sickening joy ringing throughout his voice. He looked at her, a vivid pleasure shining in his eyes.

Lina's head snapped back, her jaw squaring as she felt him bring his knee up between her thighs. To know that the bastard was touching her in any way sickened her to her stomach. To feel his hand upon her bare skin made her skin crawl and she spat the words at him.

"I am no mere woman and you know this, Crow." Lina was remembering now, each moment that ticked by brought back another memory of her past. Of her and Alex's past. Chery....Zack...

Oh God, she'd slept with Zack. For a moment, Lina would almost appear to look as though she had been defeated and then that resolve would return to her eyes as she stared Crow in the face.

"You could have them executed in front of me, but if you so much as touch a hair on their head you wil never get what you desire from me." She spat on the ground at his feet. "I'd rather die first."

And in that instant, Roslina became fearless, knowing full well that she would give her life for those she loved and cared for and that they would not want her to give in to Crow. One way or another, they would find a way to free her. Cheri...Alex...they would find the way to make good triumph over evil. For now, Lina would play the game though.

"Kill me if you want, Crow, but you will get nothing more from me!" Lina reinforced, then clamping her mouth shut and refusing to utter another word.

Crow studied her for a moment longer, before pulling back with a smile. He could see the resolve, see her steel her body against whatever he may do. A puzzled look crossed his face, thinking of ways to break this woman, to drive home how hopeless her situation was. He leaned forward, standing her up enough so that he could work. In a few deft moments, her clothes fell away in tattered rags onto the floor. With his job complete, he placed her back down and pulled up an orb, crystal clear in image and closed.

"Do you know, only those who willingly allow themselves to touch this orb will it effect them. I specially made the enchantment myself, and now..." With minor cuts, just enough to leave a red line, runes scrawled down from just under her breasts, to just above her intimates, before fading lightly.

"They exist in you... anyone you touch, not only will you steal their memories, but also their souls. You can watch your friends helplessly die around you, each only wanting to comfort you. I've never seen what happens when a human is a container for souls." He spoke with a bored air, as though dulled by the conversation.

Lina's dark eyes flared, hatred oozing from her every pore. Her usual peaceful like demeanor disappeared until there was nothing left but venom as she glared at Crow. "Fuck you, Crow. My friends will find a way."

Somehow, someway, Lina would get to Cheri. Cheri would find the way, she just knew it. It was merely a matter of time now.

((OOC NOTE: This post here ends off this day. The next post will start with the funeral procession for Ryan. I'll have it up as soon as I get in contact with Imposter. A cookie to anyone who can find the hidden Easter egg. GMs are not allowed to take part))

Repent!
06-19-2013, 12:20 AM
Thursday

Outside Filli's tattoo parlor

Eric's hobbled run was all for naught when he got to where he thought Lax was and found that she wasn't there, understandable since they were originally running in the first place...though she couldn't have gotten that far since he left. Then he heard something like a feet scuffling about behind him in the direction that he just came from. In that moment the thought just occurred to him that maybe she tried to double back to the shop. He returned to his run. His body wasstarting to adapting to the pain, giving some more of his stride back to him as he ran.

It was at this point that he turned around the side of the shop to find Lax collapsing to the ground. "Lax!" As he arrived at her side, he found her skin was slightly hot to the touch, and her jaw was slightly swollen. Did she try and fight that psycho? She must have seen him fight her and thought to try and help. Shit...

He tapped the side of her face that wasn't swollen a couple times as he spoke. "Come on now, stay with me Lax. Even if it's only a little bit, I need you to open your eyes and look at me. Where's your phone? I need to call you an ambulance."

The heat faded away. Lax hadn't completely gone under as she expected. Instead she lost consciousness for only a second or two. Still, exhaustion crept over her like a freight train and she just couldn't find the energy to open her eyes. Her mouth felt dry and her tongue awkward, like a useless piece of flesh. She needed water. Was this what it felt like to be in a desert?

She heard someone calling her name, but she didn't budge. It didn't take long for them to rush over to her. It was Eric, if she remembered his voice right. Did he think she was dead? Her thoughts came slowly, struggling to comprehend his words. He wanted her to open her eyes and tell him where her phone was. Sounded like a lot of effort. Couldn't he just look in her pockets and find it? The slight irritation at this sparked a little life into Lax's mind and she flicked open her pale blue eyes. After some blinking and squinting to get used to the light, she looked up at Eric hunched over her. She felt pressure on one side of her face where it was swollen. At least it didn't hurt. It would if she spoke. She'd have to deal with it, she needed to get to the hospital.

"Poc...ket." She whispered, trying to move her jaw the least amount as possible.

Eric heaved a small sigh as he reached for the pocket with her phone in it and dialed 911. He told the person that answered the phone what the damage was and the street they were located on, then the responder told them they had a unit in the area and they would be there momentarily. After a quick "thank you", Eric ended the call and set the phone to the side. "The ambulance should be here soon Lax."

Eric figured while they were waiting on the ambulance to show up, he should get her some water. He remembered having a couple bottles in the saddlebags on his bike, but he couldn't remember which one. "Hey, I'm gonna go check something real quick. I'll be right back." He rose to his knees, forgetting that his knees were scraped to hell as a grunt of pain made note to that. He then hustled off to his bike to the saddle bag facing up and undid the strap. He hoped he didn't have to lift the bike, he was already in enough pain as it was as he looked inside.

"Hell the fuck yes."

He had two of them inside, perfect. They were lukewarm, but anything was better than nothing right now. He jogged back over to Lax as he popped one open. "Alright now we're in business. Got some water for ya." He held the bottle close to her mouth, tilting it enough for a small flow. Given she had trouble with one word, logic and common sense would dictate she would've had trouble with a normal amount. Baby steps. "It's warm as hell, but it's better than nothing right now."

While Eric talked to the ambulance and went to get the bottles, Lax couldn't help but attempt to ponder what had just happened to her. Not the mad woman running through the streets, but the heat that had came when she was fighting her. She had always been hot while she was fighting in the ring, but that was nothing compared to this. Maybe she would mention something about it to the doctor.

Lax's pondering was stopped short when Eric came back and held the bottle to her lips for her to drink. She parted them slightly and let the sweet nectar pour into her mouth. He may have said it was warm, but it felt refreshingly cool to her, washing away the fatigue and the dryness. It didn't take long for her to make it through the first bottle. Since a good portion of the exhaustion had left, she attempted to sit up, though she didn't get far before she had to give up because of another wave of exhaustion. The pressure on the side of her face lessened for some reason, but she didn't spend to much time wondering about it. She was about to ask for the another bottle of water when the sound of sirens rising quickly stole her attention.

Friday
During the funeral

At the Hospital

During Eric's visit the day before, it had happened the way he figured. He was cleaned off, stitched up, bandaged and told not to sleep on the stitches. Payment was to be made to the front desk before he left. The only thing he heard of the medical jargon that he understood before he got separated was "severe dehydration and possible mandible fracture or break." He knew what 'mandible' was and he now felt like garbage. Her jaw could be wrecked right now, and it was because he wanted to be a bad ass and all he ended up doing was losing his temper and his bike, all while having her get involved...

He shouldn't have stopped running.

His self-loathing was probably one of the main reasons he was back in the hospital the next day asking the receptionist where Lax's room was. He found a 'get well soon' pre-made mix of lavender, green, and orange flowers on his way there along with a card. He kept telling himself how stupid he was being as he walked, he had only just met her yesterday....why was he going this far for an apology?

He sighed as he got to her door and knocked as he edged his head in. "Hey..."

Lax thought it was ridiculous that they had bothered to keep her overnight, let alone the rest of the day. She had been able to sit up after a couple hours of fluids and when she woke up that morning she didn't even have the bruise on her jaw anymore. They said it had been fractured and somehow miraculously healed. She thought it was a load of bullshit they made up to keep her from leaving. It was just a bruise and now it was gone. So why was she still here?

A knock at the door distracted her from her frustration and she looked over to see her customer from yesterday at the door. Eric, if she remembered right. What was he doing here? "Come on in. The nurses barge in without knocking. Someone that's actually worth talking to might as well too."

Eric couldn't help but chuckle at the truth behind her statement. "Sorry, I was raised to knock when I'm walking into a occupied room, so you'll have to deal with my politeness today."

He came in and had the flowers in full view, deciding to immediately explain them. He felt bad enough as it was, didn't need to add more by remaining silent and feeling like the biggest creeper on the planet. "I found this 'get well soon' arrangement on sale while I was on the way here and figured it would've been appropriate all things considered, though it looks like they already fixed it. Figured they would be prepping you to go under the knife today. Some new revolutionary surgery no one knows about?" He set the flowers on a nearby table and let his thumbs rest in his pockets as he spoke.

Lax gave a relaxed smile as he walked into the room, but that turned into one of confusion as soon as she spotted the flowers. Flowers? From a customer? She didn't even get to start his tattoo. She would be lying if she said she didn't feel the atmosphere grow about a hundred degrees of awkwardness, but any reply she may have been working up to make was stopped when Eric spoke first.

She almost had to laugh at how quick he talked. He was probably thinking the flowers were awkward as well. It was kinda sweet. If she wasn't sort of pissed off about still being here in the first place. "Nah. I think their machines are broken or something. They won't believe me when every time I tell them it was just a bruise--Pass me that glass of water, will ya?--Nothing even hurts anymore."

Lax paused for a second, hand held out to accept the glass, then when she spoke again, her voice lost some of its enthusiasm, "So...has there been any news on the woman?"

Eric slowly shook his head as he grabbed for the water nearby and handed it to her, partly relieved that she changed the topic. "Nothing that's crossed my ears....it's almost like she didn't even exist to begin with.." Eric scoffed lightly "..I don't even think she was even human in the first place if you ask me. I crushed her left shoulder and she responded by taking that same arm and tossing me around like a piece of paper."

"Fucking hell..." Lax cursed, hearing about the woman's disappearance and apparent lack of care over her injuries. Lax hadn't really noticed her bad arm that much. Another freakin' mistake she was too naive to notice. Frustration clouded her mind for a second, but she only noticed when she took a sip of her water and it was considerably warmer then seconds ago. It knocked her out of her frustration and she stared emptily at her glass. As if waiting for it to start boiling.

"I think she's coming back." Lax suddenly mentioned, remembering the woman's last words. "She said something about flames and that we would meet again. Do you think it's something I should be worried about or some chick-drama bullshit?"

Eric took a peek out the window as Lax reacted and responded, turning to watch Lax inspect her water after drinking. "With how ruthless she was yesterday, I would definitely put stock into it. I have a feeling that if I cross paths with her again, she'll be after more than a blood sample."

"She took your blood?" Lax raised an eyebrow in confusion. So, she was after something. But why didn't she take any from her? Why did she need it all? "Do you think this could be part of something bigger? Haha, maybe we have a bunch of vampires going through town, aye?"

Lax tried to joke around about it, but she couldn't deny this whole event had shaken her nerves a bit. It was the same feeling of dread that she got when she ever had to address something about the beginning her life. She didn't know what was going on and she didn't like it. It was making her irritated that she didn't know so much. She desperately needed to go to the gym again.

Eric chuckled as he lifted the side of the shirt where his cut was and moved back the bandage a little to show the stitches. "I only needed stitches and some gauze, so it's not really that big of a deal. She caught me with that machete a little while before you jumped in I think. Told me she got what she came for. Though while I'm on the subject, do you know anyone by the name of Crow? She mentioned it during my scuffle with her...said Crow gave her the right to start swinging that blade around, and I'm pretty sure she wasn't talking birds."

"No idea. Sounds like a nickname of some chump gang boss. I'll ask Jeff if he's heard of anyone like that," He had called this morning wondering why there were police cars outside the shop and what did he miss the day before. Because she had been particularly irritated at the time, she chewed him out for being late a good deal before actually telling him what happened. Since he was pissed off at being reprimanded, he teased her about screwing up the fight until she was angry enough to slam the phone down on the receiver. "after I punch him in the face, that is."

Eric lightly chuckled as he refit the bandage and put his shirt back down. "Lemme know when you do. That sounds like it deserves an audience..."

The Silver Crow
08-02-2013, 02:42 AM
Time: Friday Morning
Location: Cemetery

~~~

Despite the fact that she physically felt fine, Lax decided to take the day off and let that goon of an assistant manager run the shop for a day. She hadn't slept much the night before due to nightmares. They were similar to ones she had had before, but so much more intense. Instead of flashes of color, there was much more. There were screams. Yelling her name. Her actual name. There was a vicious fire, with oranges and yellows and reds. She could remember feeling the heat. It was similar to what she felt when she was fighting the woman, but far more intense. The smell and taste of fresh ash raked at her senses. Then there was the blade; meant to be bright silver if it hadn't been coated in dark dripping blood. With every splatter of the crimson liquid on the emerald grass, her heart beat like a drum in her head. A piercing, angry scream erupted from somewhere around her and everything went frighteningly cold before going black and she had woken up.

"Dammit." The dream wasn't going away this time. It stayed in her mind as if trying to throw Lax into a destructive rage. Why did it effect her so much? It was just a dream, wasn't it? Or was it a memory from...before? Why the hell did she ever want to come to Maine in the first place? She was stupid to think she could remember that shit.

Standing in front of a random grave, Lax glowered at the worn letters in the stained headstone, hoping that maybe her mind would shut off here; one of her favorite places in this boring small town. Suddenly, off to the right rather close, she heard the crunching of a stick in the grass and she flicked her head around to see who it was. The familiar figure surprised her and she pushed up her sunglasses on her head to see more clearly, "Eric?"

The man's body language positively radiated disbelief. "....You gotta be shitting me..."

His head turned slowly at the call of his name, recognizing Lax's voice and matching it with her face. Of all the fucking people for him to run into right now...it had to be her. He curved his eyes up at the sky and heaved a sigh at whatever gods may exist for the situation he was in right now as he ranted as hard as he could in his head.

'Go take a quiet walk...it'll be a great idea to clear your head...you could try and figure why you were being assaulted by the seemingly un-dead and flinging stone around like it nobody's business, as well as trying to figure out why you acted like such a fucking creeper in the hospital. She couldn't possibly have a reason to walk through a graveyard in the middle of the day. Fuck. My. Life.'

Some days he just wanted to punch himself in the face...

Eric tried to make a sentence happen in his head that didn't seemed bathed in stupid. Turns out the best he could muster was:

"We gotta stop meeting like this."

"Like at totally odd places?" Lax asked rhetorically, reading the shock on his face at seeing her. She was probably just as shocked. Hopefully this was just coincidental and he wasn't some sort of creeper. He didn't seem like one. "I don't mind."

Lax went a little quiet after that, not sure how to continue on. Was she really speechless? This is childish. She let her fingers tuck some of her ivory hair behind her ear while she thought of something to say. She looked down at the gravestone absently, then realized how she must have looked. "It's probably good someone else was here. I was just sort of thinking, talking really to this guy. I don't know him or anything! I just find it...easier. Kinda."

Great. Now she was the weird grave-stalking chick.

Eric chuckled at the idea of talking with graves. "Well it does have its pros and cons. On the plus side, they can't judge you for what you say, mostly because they can't talk back because of the whole dead thing. It also really good to vent out your frustrations cause they can't cut you off in the middle of a sentence or tell you to 'calm down' which is infuriating in its own right. "

Eric took a couple steps forward, till he was about a foot away from the gravestone separating himself and Lax.

"The cons should be obvious though. The dead don't really make for the best advice gurus, nor do they make a very effective shoulder to cry on. They only thing they can do really is lie there and listen..."

Eric's mind trailed off for a second...but after a quick few blinks and a short shake of his head with a light chuckle, Eric found his way back to the conversation . "Sorry I drifted off for a second...soooooo, I know it's not my place to ask and you don't have to answer, but are you visiting someone today? Or was the hospital air too stale for your lungs?"

"You really thought this out." Lax laughed at the reasoning, not because it was foolish, but because it was kinda true. She didn't have too many friends in this town, so the graves were it when it came down to the deep shit. She wondered if any ghost would come out of the ground to complain about her bantering. How ridiculous would that be?

"Actually not. I just was walking. Signed myself out last night." Lax answered walking around the grave, so she didn't accidentally step onto it. How awkward would that be? "And yourself? I would have thought you would be at your shop fixing your bike."

"It's a work in progress, but yeah I'm still trying to get the bike fixed. It's gonna be a couple days before my pops can be here from New York with the parts I need. I told him how me and the bike got trashed and he wanted to see for himself and wouldn't accept pictures as evidence. So besides getting it home, I haven't really touched it since our stay in hell yesterday. Mostly just been running errands with my truck today."

"Well, at least it's repairable. I still can't believe that yesterday even happened." Lax said, wrapping her arms around herself because chill released goosebumps across her skin. It wasn't cold, was it? Or was it another weird occurrence that her body was throwing at her now? Wait, no. Don't be paranoid. It was just a chill. She looked from Eric to the grave and then back again, "It's kinda been bothering me all day. I was hoping this place would distract me. Has it been the same way for you?"

"I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me. After they sent me home from the hospital, I tried to go back to my forge to try and clear my head. The fire was weaker then usual though, and nothing was setting right so I figured I'd be good for some time away from my house to get some fresh air. That soon led to the notion of visiting you at the hospital, which brings us to where we are now. I figured talking to the dead would help me figure out how I was doing the things I was doing while I was fighting her."

The scene of him moving the earth around him yesterday replayed in his head as a chill shot down his spine. "I didn't know what the hell was going on...but at the same time it felt like it was something I had been doing my whole life, if that makes any sense. I know it sure as hell doesn't to me."

"Kinda." Lax answered, knowing what he was talking about. Sure, she had no memory of the strange heat she felt yesterday, but it felt familiar. Especially after the dream. Why did it feel familiar? Had this happened before she could remember?...Was it the reason why she couldn't remember? God...now wasn't the time to think about this. She needed to be sure first. "Hey. Maybe we should try to figure this out. Before that woman comes back."

The mention of the woman sent another round of chills down her spine. Lax was surprised at the emotion the killer drew out of her. She was afraid. That's insane. She couldn't be afraid. She couldn't let her get inside of her. But, it was getting inside of her and she needed to find a way to make sure she could beat the woman next time.

"I got a good amount of open air at my place if your game. Would make it easier to keep from damaging the town any more than it already is, given everything that's happened so far." He really didn't have a better idea, and this really wasn't helping him feel like any less of a creeper, but it was better than nothing. If she rejected, he would be cool with that....it would give him a reason to totally berate himself for what he just said.


Lax was a little shocked at the suggestion at first, putting an odd, amused look on her face. His reasoning made sense though, so she agreed, "Alrighty then. I'm game."

She touched the gravestone in parting, then started walking to the path that led to the parking lot. She slipped her sunglasses back in front of her pale eyes as they walked into sunlight. When they arrived, she turned to him, "I brought my own car, so maybe I'll just follow you?"

'She agreed....well....at least I haven't out rightly been called a creep-ass and I haven't been slapped or pepper sprayed yet soooo.....so far so good I guess?'

"That dog'll hunt." Eric answered as he dug in his pockets for his keys while walking to his truck. (http://i42.tinypic.com/16bcair.jpg)

'Nice job idiot. Invite a woman who you've only known for a day and brought flowers to while she was in the hospital into your home. You wanna do anything else that's super creepy while you're on a roll? Maybe slap her ass before you get in your truck and speed away? Fucking Einstein over here....'

Eric shook his head as he got in his truck and began to make his way home with Lax at a reasonably close distance behind.

{T.S.Crow & Repent!}

Kris
08-11-2013, 11:08 PM
Time: An undetermined time on Friday
Place: Lina's "prison"


Lina paced the floor of her make shift prison cell. Although it wasn't actually a prison or a cell, that is what it had become to the brunette being held captive. Crow kept her door heavily guarded. Her once upon a time friend Jackie brought her food from time to time, and she was allowed the use of a restroom, albeit a very small one it did serve it's purpose.

With Crow now gone and one of his goonies standing guard at the door, Lina continued to pace. When she got tired of pacing, she sat for awhile and then would go back to pacing. She had nothing but time on her hands and she used that time trying to remember every little detail of her past, as well as how she could escape. Lina paced so much at times she was rather certain she was wearing a path on the wooden floor beneath her although it was very hard to tell as the room had little light save the small amount that filtered through a high window. Lina would have looked out the window to see if she could identify where she was if it weren't for the fact that the window was so high that even standing on a chair didn't help.

Lina had a sickening feeling in her stomach. The longer she was subjected to her captivity, the more she began to remember. She'd already determined that Alexander was a very intricate part of her past, the visions that floated through her head when he'd touched her had shown her that and with each passing moment she'd begun to remember more about him. As well, she had begun to remember Zackareth and a chill went through her lithe frame. Although she didn't doubt that Zack had not remembered his past, or at least not yet the fact was she'd actually begun to care for him, to enjoy his company...his touch. Lina shivered at the mere thought. Zackareth was evil, she remembered that. He was in allegiance with Crow.

She felt her stomach tying itself in knots, remembering how Crow had touched her and when he had, she'd remembered everything. If she had ever thought Zack was evil, she was even more certain that Crow made Zack seem like a saint. Crow was evil defined.

As more memories began to fill her mind, Lina had also come to understand why her and Cheri were such great friends now. Although many people in this present seemed to think Cheri to be a bit odd...no cold? No..that was the wrong word too. Many people viewed Cheri to be slightly less compassionate than they had Lina. But they were wrong. Lina now remembered Cheri from the past, she remembered what good friends they had been then. It only made sense that even here in this somewhat distorted future, they would remain good friends.

Lina sat down in the chair, tired from all of the pacing she'd been doing and rested her chin in her palms with a sigh.

"Oh Cheri, what have I gotten myself into this time?" The worn out female mumbled under her breath and she lay her head down on the table, closing her eyes. Visions of another time and place began to flutter behind closed eyelids. She was warmed by the memories that danced through her mind - visions of Alex - visions of Cherilyn. Now it was perfectly clear to Lina why Cheri had been dressed so strangely when she'd had the vision of her earlier on the street.

"That's it!" Lina mumbled, suddenly rising to her feet. Her vision of Cheri pouring over the scrolls, studying, perfecting her craft. If Lina thought she had been pacing before, she was almost doing it in double time now as everything came rushing back to her in a flood of certainty. Cheri would help her. Cheri would find a way to reach her. Lina just needed to wait for Cheri to remember, and now that Crow was here she was certain her friends dormant memories would begin to awaken just as her own had. She'd seen her vision when she'd touched Cheri. Lina's hand moved to her cut clothing and lingered over the runes Crow had infused her with. He'd made it impossible for her to touch anyone again, or so he thought. Lina smiled to herself. The simple bastard had underestimated her and her friends.

Lina began to focus on her friend, wondering where she was now and what she was doing. Was she trying to find her? Surely she was. And what of Alexander? It made sense now, all of it. Alex hadn't been trying to harm her at all. Crow was blackmailing him, Alexander was in his own way trying to protect her. Lina took her seat again, weariness over taking her as she suddenly began to feel as though she had little to no energy remaining. She shut her eyes tightly and an image of Cheri flashed through her mind of Cheri nodding off in her World Of Wonders store. The image felt so real, Lina could have sworn she could reach out and touch it. Her head began to swim, she suddenly feeling lightheaded. But it couldn't be, could it? Before she'd had to touch someone to have a vision, then she would feel ill.

No, this was different, much different and it was then Lina's eyes shot open.

She'd remembered! Everything! Crow...Zackareth...Alexander....Cherilyn...the king who'd sent them to the future and she even remembered why. More importantly, Lina had remembered the one thing that might save her from her current situation. As much as she hated to admit it, Crow was right. Lina did have something he wanted...no needed. Her smile widened. Rosaline had a power he coveted for himself and she knew it now.

Closing her eyes she began to focus. Oh, if she only had Cheri's power this would be so simple...so easy. But she did not have Cheri's power. She did however, have her own power and although she wasn't exactly certain yet how it worked, she knew it would come back to her. Closing her eyes, she focused all of her thoughts on the bookstore owner. Again, an image flashed in her mind but somehow it was different this time. A sudden feeling of worry encompassed her, concern shooting through her. Although she did not see her friend in her vision, she felt that she was there, that she was somehow a part of her.

A sharp stabbing pain went through Lina's head and she wondered what the hell was going on. For a moment her thoughts were interrupted as she tried to compose herself. Again, she shut her eyes and focused, this time putting all of her energy into her thoughts, when suddenly it came to her. Her power was somehow working differently here in this altered time she was currently in. Lina rose to her feet, refusing to allow it to deter her. She moved the chair against the furthest wall away from the window, looking into the thin stream of daylight and seeing nothing but blue sky and..and...Lina squinted. A tower! She was near a tower, but where? She desperately tried to remember where such a tower was in Kingsport but could not recall ever seeing a tower or anything...SMOKE STACKS! It wasn't a tower, it was a smoke stack of some sort.

Lina crawled down off of the chair and again squinted her eyes shut tight, forcing all of her thoughts to be of Cheri. She gasped out loud as she could literally feel the texture of the pages rustling against her face, emotions overtaking her. There was worry...there was sadness, fear. She could feel each tossing of Cheri's head, each emotion. Lina gasped. It was working, her power was coming back to her.

Focus Lina, focus! Her eyes squinted tighter as she tried to fight the growing feeling of being sick in her stomach but she pressed onward, forcing herself to think of her dear friend. Worry...concern....sadness...Lina bit her lip, just as she'd seen Cheri do a thousand times as her mind walked with Cheri's. Hands wringing..chewing on her bottom lip, overwhelming feelings of sadness...loss...and more worry. "Cheri..oh Cheri..please you must find a way..remember...remember.." Lina was whispering the words under her breath when suddenly her stomach began to lurch and she crumpled to her knees, dry heaves overtaking her as her body began to shake and tremble. "Cheri please....remember...you must...remem..."

Pain shot between Lina's temples as her stomach heaved, Lina grabbing the trash can sitting nearby and began to loose the little bit of food she'd been given earlier.


***


Time: Same time and date (Friday)
Place: Cherilyn's bookstore


If anyone walked in right now, he/she would have found Cherilyn drooling over pile of old books, lying fast asleep.

From time to time she would move and moan, but her eyes remained closed. The window's were veiled and the only source of light seemed to emerge from her tiny pendant that was pulled upside down against her chest.

Then, she started to speak, mumbling words to herself.

"Lina... Lina... Remember.... Lina....".

Visions started to pour into her mind in her dream.

She saw her friend tied and some men standing beside her. She started to walk for her direction but Lina would scream against it.

Cherilyn then felt her body frozen and she found herself to be deprived of any movement.

It was darkness once again.

"Where are you?!", she called to her friend, her eyes trying to see in the great void.


***


Time: An undetermined time on Friday
Place: Lina's "prison"


Lina held her stomach, crumpled on the floor and mumbling to herself.

"No Cheri...don't.."

Once again Lina would need the use of the bucket as her stomach twisted and turned into tighter knots.

This was much harder than Lina had ever recalled it being before. She sensed Cheri, so close but knew that she was not. And now, not only did she have to somehow warn Cheri of what Crow had done to her, to keep her and all of her friends safe, she needed to find a way to help Cheri find her.

Cheri was a smart girl. If Lina could just find the right words...the right way to let Cheri know. Becoming ill was hindering her progress greatly though. She allowed her eyes to open again and focus, forcing herself to become steady and allowing her thoughts to drift away from Cheri for a moment so she could regain her strength.

Think, Lina, think....

Lina began to relax, allowing her eyes to shut slowly and she placed herself in a very old library, one she knew that Cheri might recognize. If Lina's powers were coming back to her with Crows presence, the nearness to that evil might also awaken Cheri's powers. She found the book she was looking for, one filled with ancient symbols. Runes of the past, a language all of its own.

Then Lina touched the runes Crow had left upon her person, her mind now returning to focus solely on Cheri.

Words like danger, dark magic, runes, evil, Crow filtered through her mind like a mantra in hopes that Cheri's power was awakening, that she'd somehow understand and figure it out. Runes are dangerous to the touch her mind screamed over and over as her fingers felt the symbols on her skin.

"Where are you?!"

The sound of Cheri's voice permeated Lina's thoughts and her eyes shot open. Could it be, really be, she was getting through to Cheri somehow? Lina had to find a way. Fighting the pain that now consumed her body, the thin brunette crawled across the floor, words repeating through her mind as she made her way to the chair she'd stood upon moments before.

focus...focus...evil...runes...Crow...danger

The words spun around in her head like a revolver as she pulled herself from the floor, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. With every ounce of energy she had left, she got up on the chair. Her eyes narrowed as she sought to see out the tiny window once more. Images of the smoke stacks came into her vision but would be brief as Lina felt herself growing weak.

"Here Cheri."

Her knees buckled and Lina fell from the chair, her stomach heaving once more but this time naught but dry heaves would attack her, her stomach having already been emptied prior.

There on the floor, holding her stomach with pain rushing through her head, Lina screamed one word.

"Help!"

It was a plea to Cheri but the blood curdling plea that ripped from her lips would leave Lina exhausted, laying on the floor in a crumpled heap rocking back and forth as she tried to force the pain to subside. It hurt so badly that the plea began to sound like a whimper.

"Help...please help...."


***


Time: Same time and date (Friday)
Place: Cherilyn's bookstore


Cherilyn's eyes burst wide open and the next moment she found herself lying at the floor awake. She gasped with fear and shivered, unable to keep herself calm...

What...

What was going on?!

...

As she calmed down she felt a strong and piercing headache. She crouched at the ground, trying to redeem her terrible pain by embracing herself.

The line of her body started to disappear and re-appear, but she hardly notice it, for the pain and fear were great to bear as they were.

At the end, the realization sunk deep.

She knew.... somehow... where Lina was....

She didn't have the exact adress... but she capable to sense where to go...

The pendant around her neck started to glow but quickly dimmed.

Without her noticing any change upon her jewel or her body, she slowly got up, aiming herself to start going by an unseen trail.

Setsa
08-18-2013, 12:27 PM
Day/Time: Thursday 7:30 PM
Location: Melina's home, Lousiville Maine

Melina continues to sit across from her friend and openly listen to her story. During her travels, Melina had seen way to many strange things to dismiss what Su had been telling her. She rises and moves toward the kitchen offering a friendly

"Keep going, I'm going to get another pot of coffee on."

Su Lin watches as Melina starts toward the kitchen continuing her story

"...and you remember Gail don't you? I honestly believe she has been trying to set me up for something. She has been acting all weird lately. What is even odder, I seem to be able to .... do things. The past few days, I have been having those dreams again, they seem so real."

"Do things?" comes in the form of a giggle from the kitchen "Please tell me more." as Melina enters back into the living room with two cups of coffee. "I always figured Gail was not completely all there. So just what are these things you are doing now?" as Melina sets the cups on the coffee table.

Su closes her eyes and visualizes the serpent attack upon Kant once again. The air surrounding the cups start to crackle as the naturally occurring static electricity intensifies. Su opens her eyes which now are a radiant blue while extending her hand toward the cups. A blue aurora surrounds the cups as electrical charges crackle about the cups, brilliant blue electrical charges emanate from the cups before the light show fades as well as slight burned marks remain on the table where the cups once sat.

Su Lin's eyes return to a chocolate brown as she weakly utters "Unusual things...."

Melina still stares to Su, to the table and back to Su, mouth still open, speechless for the first time in years. Finally she gets some words out
"Those .... were my fave cups..."
still trying to control the level of freaking out she is internally going through.

Su spends the next few hours helping Melina pack for a trip to Costa Rica and Melina spends those hours trying to convince Su that she should come with her. The surveillance she was contracted for would be one of her most difficult and thought these 'things' Su could do would offer a layer of protection that even the best sniper rifle couldn't.

Day/Time: Friday 8:30 AM
Location: Kingport Cove, various locations

Having showered and changed at Melina's before Melina departed for another job, Su was deep in thought as she entered the outskirts of Kingport Cove. In an unusual state of calm as she continues down the highway on her way to her jewelry store having visions of the lake, of the mounted riders, of ... the evil. Fragments returning to her, when first met in this time, she was not aware. Upon their next meet, things shall be different. More self aware that her dreams may not be mere dreams however suppressed memories.

As she entered the business district, thoughts of Kant were still deeply embedded in her mind and heart. She owed this man an explanation on why she had disappeared so suddenly. She slows the car to a stop outside World of Wonders Books. As the engine silences, she exits the driver door as a knot twists in her stomach figuring it is nerves thinking on how she will face Kant. No, a simple phone call will not be appropriate, she will need to see him in person.

As she approaches the door, an odd feeling washes over her as the knot in her stomach intensifies. Cautiously she moves her hand inside her white jacket gripping a throwing star, her other hand opening the door to World of Wonders casting a view within.

It was but a few moment before she was met with Cherilyn, who looked somewhat dazed and mesmerized.

It took her long moment before she recognized the officer.

"Su? Su is that you?", she looked at the direction from which she came from, "Are you going to my store? Sorry no books arrived from your latest order... and I'm closing early today... I.... I....", she took a deep breath, "Su... I think I know where Lina is..."

Another deep breath, "I was about to head for Trixie, but you are a cop too, aren't you Su? Could you help me?".

As Cheri approaches, her heart skips a beat, for some odd reason she did not expect to see Cheri in the store. Thoughts of 'it's ok not to have the books here, I really wish Kant were here' drifting through her mind as she lets her throwing star drop back into the sewn in lining of her jacket.

At the moment she is about to interrupt Cheri and ask if Kant was available, the words of thinking she knows where Lina is registers.

Her tone softens
"No, I am not a police officer, I just know Trixi well. That however will not stop me from offering any help I might be able provide." while slipping her phone out tapping a quick text to Trixi

'Trix, can you jet to WoW asap, important, Su'

-----

This was all getting out of hand... people dying or at least disappearing which she wasn't sure if that was any better at all. Lost meant more worry, search parties to organize which was already being assembled. A mess, Lina was a good woman her disappearance was bugging the woman greatly. The dogs were laying in the back of the suv where soft whimpers could be heard as they were picking up their mistress's anxiety.

Trixi was on her way to the bookstore she had hoped Cheryl had something of Lina's for the dogs to pick up a scent from. If not she still thought she'd want to help assist in the search after running to the woman's house for maybe a well worn shirt in the laundry basket. The glow of her cellphone followed by the three toned sound of a text message sounded off in the cup holder of her center console. One hand thumbing a few buttons to read the text from apparently Su. She was only blocks from the bookstore by then and the coincidence she found intriguing to say the least. Perhaps no.more than five minutes would have passed since the text was originally sent. When the officer's suv would pull into a parking space in front ofnthe World of Wonders bookstore. Letting the dogs out of the back to then meet with the ladies along with pairs of big eyes giving the look of. "You're alive! "

"Hey there...I was actually on my way here when I got your text Su.... So what's so important?"

"I think I know where she is", Cherilyn said, "We must go.... We must go.... Please..."

The woman's pleads hit her heart...she wanted to find Lina perhaps more than herself. Gently placing Cherilyn's hand into both of hers she would give a reassuring smile to them both.

"Alright then lets go... Su if you want to come with it be appreciated. The more in this search party the better."

Releasing Cherilyn's hand she would pull out her walkies to inform the station the they would lead the search and to be at the ready with reinforcements if needed. Walking out of the store as she spoke into the device to pause after opening the door and look back.

"Well you two going to stand there or we going to get moving? Ah and any clothing you may have of Lina's that Maxum and Thor can pick up and follow would be great."

( A Kris, Storm, and Setsa production)

Wattz
09-18-2013, 07:22 AM
Time: Friday morning
Place: A walk to the cemetery.

Bao rattled the keys to Wes’s truck lightly in her hands. Her head swayed from side to side as she took slow, deliberate steps. She stepped very carefully on each crack in the sidewalk while imagining each one fill with concrete and fuse back together. Her skin was ice cold, and she felt comforted by the way her heart beat in her chest. Faster, faster, faster, as if trying to mimic the sound of two hearts at once. Deep down inside, Bao had always yearned to be this way. To return to her rightful place in the world. To be herself again: to be Baoli. But looking down at her dirty-caked hands and dusty clothes and tangled greasy hair swaying before her face… disgusting. If only she had her old armor, her chainmail and battle robes. Perhaps she could ask Crow for a favor. Maybe he would even grant Duke the same courtesy—

Bao shook her head fast. “Maybe… I shouldn’t have left him.”

”Of course I should have. He has no purpose in the new world.” This was Baoli’s voice, the one she considered the truest to her being. It would take time, she realized, to train herself away from her life as Bao.

The light tapping of passing citizens and cars filled her ears before she finally spoke again. “I suppose… I have a funeral to attend.”

She kept her eyes on the horizon and kept her ears open for the sound of a crow.

The Imposter
10-05-2013, 02:06 AM
Time: Friday morning
Place: Wes' Home

Wesley stirred awake to an emptiness, his eyes clouded and bloodshot glanced to the foot of his bed. There stood an apparition, a face strange yet familiar. The childlike face smiled but communicated something else entirely different than joy. Wes got out of bed and began getting ready.

The routine was carried out with little effort and his eyes continually darted back to the small shade, who continued to smile. Eventually the large man found himself dressed in a suit, aptly picked out by a friend over the last few days. It was a small kindness but Wesley clung to such simple things as of late. With a sigh he made his way to the small table in the living room that was now home to a mess of things. Above all was a snub nose revolver which seemed far more dwarfed in Wes' hand as he picked it up off the table.

The barrel spun wildly, a single bullet lodging within. Wes' mind fetched desperately for something to anchor himself back into reality. So much had transpired in the last few days, everything with Ryan, the stranger who had given comfort, even Trix...

The gun knocked against his chipped tooth as he closed his eyes and pulled the trigger. Click the noise was both comforting and devastating in the same moment. Opening his eyes the shade stood in front of him with a depressed look on his face.

'So you really going to bury me Dad?'

Dropping the gun, it free fell clanging against the table and onto the floor. The sound producing little reaction from the only one in the room. Wes looked towards the door and made his way out grabbing his cell. The crisp air hit him painstakingly hard, or perhaps it was the soft whimpers that grew into a laugh as the door closed behind him. Dialing for a cab he waited in his suit for a ride to Tuttel's Funeral Home.

Repent!
10-16-2013, 06:30 PM
Friday-Eric's house

The drive back to his house gave Eric the time to actually digest the past couple of hours in his head. Though he was more focused on probably the center piece of the coming tour of the house, his forge. He couldn't think of why the fire he was producing was still coming out so weak. He normally could put up a heat with a speed that would rival most modern ovens...he tested it one year.

Now it was barely getting to the regular temperature needed for basic forge work, let alone anything serious. It may just be lingering nerves from the scuffle at the shop, it may just be Eric being over critical about his work.

Regardless of what ever the hell it was, he needed to get it hell out of his head and calm his ass down. Never mind he can apparently cause earthquakes by walking too hard...Never mind the fact that he invited a girl over to his house after knowing her for not even a twenty-four hour time period, and never mind the fact that all of his conversations with Lax had made him look like even more of a desperate creep-ass with each passing moment.

Eric was forced to swallow all of his worry as he now approached his driveway and pulled in, leaving more than enough room for Lax to get in. He sighed deeply as he parked and took the key out of the ignition, moving to open the door and step out. Holding out a open hand once the door behind him closed.

"Mi casa."

The house's exterior was a one-story brick house at about 1500 sq.ft. with a screen door in front of his red oak door. A wooden fence about as tall as Eric curved around marking his backyard, though after a quick look around, it seemed that his closest neighbors were about fifty yards apart in either direction. Eric didn't care though. He wanted a fence, and damnit he was going to have one.

He fiddled with his keys and isolated the house keys as he walked up to his porch.

Shhhhk-Click-shhhhkk

The rumblings of a now unlocked door passed, he then opened it and strolled inside.

Lax rolled easily after Eric in her little blue bug (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/'79_Volkswagen_Beetle_Convertible_(Auto_classique_ VAQ_St-Lambert_'12).jpg). It wasn't until after she had parked and slid out of her car, that she actually took a glance around the property. It was...comfortable. That's the best word she could come up for it. The large lawn, red bricks, Maine air, and chimney made it like somewhere someone might to settle in for the rest of their lives. A small grin lit up on her face.

"Muy buen." She responded with two of the twenty spanish words she remembered from high school. She trailed behind him at a leisurely pace and waited as he unlocked the door and then followed him inside. Once she was in and her temperamental eyes adjusted to the lighting, she looked around casually. "Definitely not as messy as some of the bachelor pads I've been to."

Eric chuckled as he placed his keys up on the wall hook, then shut the door behind him locking the doorknob.

"So I've heard...I'm not too fond of my entire house being covered in soot and the smell of burning metal. So you could definitely say I've done a good job of keeping all of that outside in the open air as well with keeping up on my laundry."

Eric clapped his hands and rubbed them together as he walked past Lax to the back door. "So...care something to eat or drink before we get started or did you just wanna get down to business?"

"Probably would have to say business. Haven't had much of an appetite in a while." Lax replied, rubbing her stomach absentmindedly. She removed her dark grey leather jacket and her sunglasses; folding them in a little bundle and placing them on a nearby coffee table that had a couple bike magazines. Her thoughts reminded her of his punctured bike and then in affect of how it became punctured. A trail of goosebumps raced across her sun-starved skin.

"So, I'm guessing the first thing we're trying to figure out is this heat and earthquake thing." She looked in his direction, having a series of quick flashbacks of her fight with the machete chick. She pushed away outside details and tried to focus on the heat. "It's not something I've experienced before. Have you?"

Eric's head cocked to side in contemplation then he slowly shook his head. "As far as shaking the earth under my feet, no. Though as far as heat is concerned, I could probably relate to that. What did it feel like? Obvious factors aside, do you know what triggered it?"

"Well, it started after she threw the machete at my shop's wall. But it was just the normal heat that you get when you get pumped for a fight, ya know? But..." Lax concentrated on the details, like she was trying to figure out the correct choreography to replicate the whole scene. Her eyes widened in shock at a connection, "I got pissed. More than usual. Right after I dodged her first swing, I barely missed the second. She nearly clawed my jugular out and I just flipped for a second, but I definitely felt it get hotter. Then later, when she got my jaw, the pain seemed to make it unbearable. I was literally burning, like I was on fire from the inside. I got scared and it only got worse. I-I think it's connected to my anger or possibly just my emotions. Considering it got worse with fear."

Why hadn't she felt this before though? She had gotten pissed plenty of times worse than that in her life. Maybe the shock of the event. Maybe this would all go away..."Do you know what triggered the shakes?"

Eric opened the backdoor, motioning for Lax to follow him.

"I think it was more of the same, though it was less of pure anger and more desire kindled by intense emotion. When that machete hit the bike, I first wanted to crumble right there on the spot..." Eric directed attention to a dark tarp in the back yard covering what would be the bike, "...my mom and dad gave me this as a gift about a month or so before I left for Maine. Something to remind me of home while I was here."

Eric's hands and eyes rested on the tarp as the event replayed in his mind like a movie. "I wanted her to hurt, to suffer, I needed her to feel physically what I was feeling inside...and it wasn't happening fast enough." Eric's foot dragged across the ground in an arc as he went to turn around while still explaining, leaving a sizable divot in its wake. Eric's eye caught this and squinted a little...what if....?

Eric's heel still in mid-air he decided to bring it down with some extra force. The ground around his immediate area shook for a half second before a square block four inches up and wide rose from the ground.

"Well...how bout that..."

Lax trailed behind Eric to the next room where what she assumed was his bike under a tarp. A hint of sadness tinged by pity glazed over her pale eyes as she looked at him gazing at his motorcycle. She could understand his want to be reminded of something of his past, like his parents. Reflexively, her hand went to her upper right arm; caressing the soft skin where her winged demon tattoo rested. She almost got lost in her memories from growing up as a teenager when a slight vibration under her caught her attention.

Looking back over to Eric, she found him concentrated at his feet. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion and her eyes widened in shock, "Did you just...do it again? The earthquake thing."

"I....I guess I did....I have an idea." Eric placed his foot on top of the cube as he breathed in deeply. He then began to press down on the raised stone, seeming to section off a 2 inch thick slab of stone. "I thought so." He then bent over and gripped both sides as he lifted the stone with a slight grunt. "Apparently I can alter stone with my feet."

"How neat..." Lax watched Eric mold the stone and then stepped forward to touched the indent while he was holding it. An idea inspired by Eric's trial sparked a thought in her head ad she closed her eyes, to let herself think for a moment. She thought about last night's dream. About the screams and flashes and ash and fire. Her frustration grew with the confusion of it all and suddenly she felt her body heat rise accordingly. Focus.

After taking a breath, she tried to center the heat in her hand. Slowly her palm grew in temperature until the pain was nearly unbearable. Then, like before, a rush of coolness inside of her washed away the heat. She lifted her hand and tried to ignore the immediate small loss of strength in her limbs. "Did you feel that? Heat is supposed to travel through stone, isn't it?"

The sensation surged through the cool stone to warm his hands, to which he cocked an eyebrow. "It does and it did. I wonder...." Eric searched for the same state of mind he was in when he first made the block, except he moved it to his hands to try and further mold the stone in his hands.

Though he got a very different solution this time.

The temperature of the stone began to rise, the heat left over from Lax's alteration began to heavily condense and spread out, causing Eric to almost immediately start sweating on his brow and through his shirt. After a couple seconds, Eric sharply inhaled through his teeth as smoke rose from off his hands, dropping the slab at his feet. "Shit."

Eric looked at his hands expecting to be missing a couple layers of skin from the heat the slab was putting out, though again he was shocked and scoffed. "If I knew I could do this when I was starting out, I may not have gotten burned so badly." Eric looked up to Lax and slowly showed her his hands. They looked like he hadn't even touched anything remotely hot, like he just hadn't created the hottest stone in the area, though the heat still coming off the slab was still very real.

Lax cocked her head in confusion at first to what Eric was trying to do, but when she saw what was really going on her mouth parted a little in surprise. He was able to heat the stone just like her! Only a little different; heating the entire stone and quite a bit hotter. When he dropped it she thought it would catch something on fire, even though there was nothing to burn. When he showed her his hands, they looked completely normal. Well, normal if you didn't count the callouses formed from his experience as a blacksmith. She absent-mindedly reached out and placed her hand on top of his to see of it was radiating any heat. It wasn't, but she let her fingertips caress across the odd texture of his skin, before she realized how weird this must be for him to be petting his palm like an idiot. She quickly pulled away her hand and wrapped it around the back of her neck, "Well, it was probably for the better. I couldn't imagine a blacksmith with soft hands."

Eric cracked a smile as Lax recoiled her hands after watching her move her hands across his own. "Neither could my exes. Though that's a different conversation for another time." Eric chuckled as he moved to grab the stone he just dropped in a move to drop it in his forge when he came across another little surprise...

"SHHHHHIT!!" Eric quickly dropped the stone before it even fully left the ground, violently shaking his hand and taking a half step back. "Gods above, that hurt..." The sensation from the burn in his fingers quickly traveled to his head, giving him a slight migraine that only began to slowly grow, causing him to pinch at the bridge of his nose and speak with aggravated sarcasm. "Apparently, I need to be paying more attention when I grab stone that's near melting point."

Lax couldn't help but laugh at the frank irony of the last statement. "Yeah, that would help with you keeping that rough skin."

"Hey you need some aspirin? I think I got some in my jacket." She asked after seeing him cringe from his headache and walked back to the room where she had left it before he could actually answer her. She was just reaching into the leather pocket when the shrill cry of a phone made her jump and drop the bottle. She picked it back up and walked over to the phone of his wall, letting her curiosity urge her to look at the caller ID, "Hey it's the police station. You want me to answer it?"

"Yeah, go ahead." The migrane now only got worse as Eric's hands now moved to rub his temples to try and relieve the pressure in his brain with his eyes clenched shut...until it disappeared...just as quickly as it arrived. Eric's eyes fluttered open until he caught a full glimpse of his surroundings.

Stone walls were all around with an open passage in front of him leading to an open yard. He looked down to see his clothes were now hard leathers with a heavy hammer cinched to his belt. Before his eyes could wander any further though, his ears caught a girl's voice and his head turned to the passage with a knowing smile.

"Master Erit?"

There was a tall young man standing with a little girl with at about 12 to 13 years at the oldest in tow with her silver blond braid wagging like a tail behind her and both with bright smiles as they approached the blacksmith. "My sister heard I was coming to get my sword from you and she absolutely would not stop bothering me until I agreed to let her tag along."

Erit softly chuckled as he waved it off to show he didn't mind. Crillaxa was always a treat to have around the forge, especially since she held no qualms about helping speed along the process of forge work. Whether it be keeping spirits high to make the time fly or by actually participating by lighting the fire or stoking the flames once they were already lit, she managed to find plenty of ways to stay busy.

She was still far too young to fight or do any real forge work of course, but that wasn't stopping her from doing what she could to help her family...and Erit respected that.

"It's fine boy. She helped make it, so she wanted to be here to witness you holding it." This was only confirmed by the proud smile that lit up on her face at his mention of her help, "Now, about your weapon...."

Eric's sight soon went white as the view of his back yard returned to him. His headache was still there, though at a much more manageable state now than a few moments ago. His hand was still burned so he was going to have to get to his first aid kit and treat it.

It would seem his reduced head pain however, was traded off for a massive amount of confusion as he now began to wonder what the hell he just witnessed in his head...

Koti~
11-16-2013, 08:06 PM
Time: Friday
Location: Funeral

The sun was high in the sky as the hearse made it’s way down the winding back roads yesterdays incident closing off a rather large amount of the streets in town. The hospital was in an uproar, dealing with the crisis of the people hurt. Unlike normal runs, two police cars followed the hearse, keeping a vigilant eye out for the crazy woman, notified to be the missing Jakie. Eventually they pulled up to the funeral home, allowing the casket be brought into the building, followed by his father Wes, and strangely more, an older gentleman with a crooked nose and a young daughter, both sporting the standard black outfit. The day seemed perfect for the world, a few smatterings of clouds drifting about in the crisp breeze. It was just a perfect Autumn day, as if standing testament to yesterdays travesties.

Perfect for a Funeral.

Wes was distant, barely acknowledging the family members that came to pay their respects to Ryan. He nodded and spoke when asked, but hardly gave more than that, though many people had figured it from him. He had lost both his son and his wife, and his insides were probably a sea of turmoil. His only refuge was the older gentleman and his supposed daughter by his side.

The turnout had been massive, friends and family coming to comfort the poor man and looking for something normal, even if morbid, in the sea of chaos that had begun to seize their small town. The people seemed unsure of the world, with how the day to day events had become more morbid. From the children either attacking adults or being kidnapped, to people turning up dead in back alleyways, or crazy women attacking an entire street area with explosives, the world was going mad.

As the sermon begun, Crow watched with a smile on his face, seeing the strange comfort this brought to some, all the while thinking of the havoc that was going to befall these simple minded folk.


~~Elsewhere~~
Location: Hospital

Jackie slowly strode up to the backdoor of the hospital as the moon hung high in the air as she noted the men at the door. The police had finally arrived late at the hospital due to the current events, two of them holding onto the relaxed form of Zack. She strolled up to them, the machete in plain view.

“Excuse me mi… wait. You’re the attacker from the massive car pile up. Drop your weapon and put your hands up.” One of the guards shouted and drew his weapon, the other police officer taking Zack by the hands. She blinked in bored appearance at the office and looked to his gun. Her hand headed towards the weapon at her side and watched with mild interest at the guards body tensing. With a smile, she slide the weapon out and lowered it to the ground, following the guards request and placing her hands on her head.

Police officer John let out an internal sigh, thankful that this woman had not gone insane. He pulled out the handcuffs and advanced slowly, planning to grab her hands. He had her wrist for a few seconds before the woman backed up, pressing her back into him before slipping her foot between his. With a bit of effort, she flipped the guard onto his back, slamming him hard on the back while her hands grabbed the pistol at his side. With one fluid motion, she placed one shot in between his eyes before turning on the second, taking him out with three slugs to the chest, turning to look at Zack.

“Took you long enough.”

“Shut up, we got a job to do.” Jackie replied in her monotone voice, pulling out the second pistol and grabbing her machete, leading the way into the hospitals back entrance and closing the door tight.

Kris
01-03-2014, 01:58 PM
(CO by Repent/SilverSilverCrow/Elryndra/Kris)



On the way to the book store

Day/Time: Friday

(Repent/SilverCrow)


"It's for you, Eric." Lax handed the phone to Eric after he started towards her and then leaned back against his couch while he spoke into the receiver.


"Hello?"


"Yes, Mr. Tannen, this is Maine PD. We need you to make a statement about yesterday's events with an officer, are you able to do that today?"


Eric was inside the house by this point participating in the conversation as he reached for the burn ointment, medical tape and enough gauze to cover each finger as he kept the phone between his cheek and his shoulder.


"Yeah, you need me to come by the station?"


"We actually have an officer in the vicinity, you would just like to meet with her?"


"Sure, that would be great."


"Also, we've been having an issue getting in contact with Ms. Filli. Would you happen to have a way to get in contact with her?"


"Yeah actually she's the one that answered the phone."


"Great, if you could let her know that she needs to do the same that would be swell. Are you ready for the address sir?"


"Gimme one sec, need to get pen and paper..."


After taking down the address and hanging up the phone, Eric sighed and looked over at Lax, his fingers looking like he just taped them up for a football game. "So the police want us to fill out a statement about what happened at the shop yesterday. They figured it would be faster if we got in touch with one of the officers in the area and the closest one is at a book shop nearby. You good for another road trip?"


“As I’ll ever be.” Lax replied, looking skeptically at his quick bandaging and smiled humorously.


“It would probably be easier if only one of us took a vehicle this time. So did you wanna drive or me?”


“You. The less my old engine harms the environment, the better.” It was true. Her bug was a gas guzzler. Lax led the way out the door and to his truck, mentally preparing herself from what she was going to have to confront in just a car ride away.



*****



(Elryndra’s Part)


Peppy jazz notes spun through the dance studio, accompanied by a group of half a dozen young girls, ranging from ages four to seven, each one dressed in their jazz dance wear, complete with neon colored bows that had been tucked into their hair.


Due to the fact that someone had had the brilliant idea to have a birthday party before class, complete with pink lemonade and cake that probably equaled the amount of sugar that was needed to feed the entire state of California, there was more giggling, squealing, and collapsing on the floor than there was actual dancing.


No one seemed to mind, however, and the girls were left to have their merry way, leaving glitter and bits of floating pink feathers all over the polished floor.


Of course, it made it all the harder for Kiera to focus on the paperwork that had been beckoning for about a month. Tucked in the corner, laptop balanced on top of her legs, fingers tapping on the keys, she attempted to focus on the business reports and advertising decisions that had to be made.


But the cheery giggles and amusing conversation kept distracting her, and in the end, Kiera gave up altogether, finally clicking the laptop closed and shoving it into her backpack.


Wrapping a scarf around her neck she walked over to where her aunt was standing at the edge of the dance floor.


“I’m going to head to the bookstore to see if I can get some of this work done.”


“Sounds fine, make sure to get something to eat, and would you mind checking to see if my order has come in yet?”


It was not terribly far to the bookstore, so Kiera decided to walk, enjoying the fresh air and letting it clear her head of the thoughts that had been collecting there and causing plenty of trouble. She still felt a bit on edge after the whole incident at her last doctor appointment, a shiver rippling up her spine whenever the face of that doctor flashed into her head.


He had been crazed, intent on her in a way that had scared her to the extreme. The hospital had been very concerned about her, making sure that she made it home safely, but Kiera had a feeling most of their concern, as well as the follow up call from one of the head doctors, was simply to smooth over any damage that might have been done, in order to avoid any legal repercussions that might be leveled against them because of the attack.


Determined to forget about the whole thing, Kiera shook her head to clear the unwelcome thoughts, focusing instead on remembering just where the bookstore was. Glancing at the signs and looking for that one flickering store light that she always recognized first, ignoring the prickle in the back of her mind that would not leave her be.



****


Book Store
Day/Time: Friday

(Everyone arrives)


The ride to the address Eric was given felt like an eternity. Though that was more because of having to relive everything over and over again to make sure he had all his facts straight, and the dead silence wasn’t really helping matters. Upon arriving, Eric noticed the car with a group gathered outside. “Interesting.” Eric parked and exited the vehicle looking towards the group he spoke out first. “Excuse me, officer. We were told to come this way to fill out a statement about yesterday’s events.”

“It will have to wait”, said officer Trista, “This woman here, appears to have the knowledge of a woman who has recently disappeared", she said pointing at Cherilyn.




And there they stood.


Eric and Crillaxa at the doorway, unsure of the details.

Kiera was standing at some distance away, but enough to hear what all the chatting was about.

Trista's dogs barked loudly, as if encouraging everyone to just move on.

Su Lin and Cherilyn looked at everyone with determination upon their faces.


As far as Cherilyn was concerned, she was off to save her lost friend, despite the fact she couldn't logically explain what drove the whereabouts location's into her mind.


One thing was clear to everyone...



They had this urge to follow...



And little they knew that they were heading for Crow's lair...



Coming up next post: Onward to Crow's lair

Wattz
01-19-2014, 10:37 PM
Time: Friday
Place: Near a phone booth

After scrambling around in the corners of the city's gutters, Duke found enough change to use a phone booth. His hands shook as he slipped the coins into the slot one by one. In the other hand he held the phone to his ear along with the card the man from the diner had handed up. Beneath his foot was a newspaper with the picture of a young child on the front.

Duke dialed the man's number into the phone. The phone rang. Someone answered.

"T-Tre'von?" It felt uncomfortable, saying the name of a stranger, crawling to a stranger for... help? What could he possibly do for him?

Duke


Weird things had been happening to him since he had talked to the stranger in the café. Moments when he’d be reading a book and see things happening out of the corner of his eye started to worry him. Whenever he’d get near an electronic device, there would be slight interference, almost to the point of incompatibility. Then there were things happening with the weather. After he spoke with the man in the café, he had gone on a drive, and while he was driving he had started thinking about stuff. There was a moment that he wished the sun would be covered with clouds and before his very eyes clouds began to cover the sun. The things that had been occurring to him scared him, but he said nothing. His parents had taught him that weird things would soon happen, and the man at the café only confirmed it, but what was happening to him? He sighed and yawned as he woke up from his nap and realized that it was a new day.

There was silence all around him, but it wouldn’t last long as his phone began to ring. He looked at the number and didn’t recognize it.

“Hmmm,” he said to himself, “I wonder who this is.”

He answered the phone and spoke softly.

“Hello?”

The voice he heard in return caused him to swallow. He realized that it was the guy he spoke to in the café. Duke was his name he believed.

“Yes, this is Tre’von, is this Duke? Is everything alright? It’s kinda early, what’s going on?” Tre’von asked hoping he didn’t overload the poor gentleman with his quick bursts of questions. Still, he wondered why the man would be calling this early.

Thank god, a response. Duke wasted no time.

"I think she's going to be there. I mean at the funeral. The boy's funeral. Ryan. I didn't know who else to call. I don't want to face her alone, I don't know what she'll do. Can you go? There needs to be someone else there. I don't know what else to do."

Tre'von listened to Duke's response and could hear the urgency in his voice. He knew this man would not have called him if it weren't important.

"Calm down Duke, I will be there, just give me the address and I'll be there for moral support," Tre'von said softly trying to reassure Duke. He seemed so frantic and so distant that Tre'von became concerned. He would need time to get dressed and drive to wherever this funeral was being held, but he would go just to meet this person Duke was talking about. He began to think about the conversation that had in the diner that day. He recalled the man talking about someone named Bao, and he could only wonder if this individual was the one that he was trying so hard to stay away from. What could this person do that scared a grown man into fear so easily?

"Duke, calm down and I will meet you at the cafe in 30 minutes okay? From there we can go to the funeral together, just don't do anything dangerous."


Time: Friday
Place: On the way to the funeral

Duke had no intention of doing anything dangerous. He had no means to, really. He couldn't confront Bao on his own even if he tried. Now he was putting a stranger harm's way just to prove a point to an outside source.

So Duke met Tre'von at the diner. He began leading him to the funeral. He kept his head to the ground and his hands in his pockets, trying to remain as silent as possible.

"Duke," Tre'von said to get the male's attention after watching his mannerisms for the past twenty minutes. They were on their way to the funeral that Duke had called him about. Something was bothering the man and Tre'von was here to help in any way he could. "Duke what is so important at this funeral? Who is it that you're trying to avoid?"

Tre'von remembered the first time he met Duke and how the male acted then, but this was very out there. He seemed like whoever was attending this funeral was after him or something worse. Perhaps the man had a phobia of funerals, or maybe it was a childhood thing. Whatever the case may have been, Duke had Tre'von to help him, but Tre'von didn't know what his presence would do to soothe the male's troubled mind. This was probably about the individual called Bao, but Tre'von couldn't draw any conclusions and would wait until they got to the funeral to draw conclusion.

Sighing, he continued to walk alongside Duke.

"Tell me about this Bao person Duke," Tre'von said, "I remember you saying something about them at the Cafe. Are they gonna be at the funeral?"

"She's... a friend." He hesitated to say 'friend,' but what else could he call her? "But something's wrong. Ever since the city started going batshit, she went along with it. I've seen the look in her eyes, like she's become a whole new person. I saw--icicles--no, I swear to fucking god--icicles shot right out of her arms! It's that damn... crow or something...." Duke looked up to the horizon, as if looking for the bird itself.

"She hasn't really hurt anyone yet, as far as I know," Duke said as he absentmindedly rubbed his wrists where she had dug her nails in. "But I'm afraid. I'm afraid for Bao. I don't want her to... well, I don't really know. But maybe I'm just imagining it. Maybe she's really only in danger of hurting herself. Either way, something's wrong. I just want Bao to be herself again."

Duke's eyes flicked briefly toward Tre'von before looking down at his feet. He shook his head and laughed. "And you, you're fucking crazy. Crazier than me, I think! What are you even doing here. Why do I even think you'll be able to do something? I don't fucking know you."

Tre’von listened to Duke as they walked towards the funeral. He was explaining to him what this Bao individual meant to him. Apparently she was a friend of his, a friend that he was scared of, or something. He was describing what this girl was capable of. Apparently she could shoot icicles from her arm, and Tre’von raised an eyebrow. Who could do that? Who could create ice out of nothing? Perhaps this Bao person could show him how she did it, and help him try to control the phenomenon that had surrounded him lately. Tre’von looked at Duke as he continued to talk and when he began to question why Tre’von was here and the fact that he didn’t know him, Tre’von grabbed his shoulder and twirled him around.

“You were right, I meant to tell you on the phone but I didn’t know how you’d react.”


Before Duke could say anything, Tre’von held out his hand and placed his phone on it. At first nothing seemed to help it, and whenever Duke would go to say something Tre’von would shush him and then look at the phone. When he focused, the phone began to levitate above his hand. He looked at the phone and then looked at Duke.

“Strange things have been happening to me lately. Ever since I spoke to you in that café weird shit has started occurring and I don’t know why. Yesterday I flung a fucking vase across the room just by moving my hand. The other day when I got pissed off at the atm, I slammed my fist on the damned machine and 20 dollar bills started shooting out one after the other.”

He looked at Duke and sighed, realizing he probably scared the guy shitless.

“If this Bao individual knows something, I need to speak with her,” Tre’von said, “and we’re almost there.”

Quite right, Duke felt his stomach turn as the cellphone floated up from Tre'von's palm. His face turned green, and he turned away, breathing heavily. He mentally listed off every regret he had, one of which was calling Tre'von for help, who now revealed himself to be another wielder of... magic? Duke still felt uncomfortable calling it that. Before he could protest and run off, the gates of the funeral came into view. People were grouped up behind the fence dressed in black and speaking in hushed tones. The closer they stepped, the ore audible the mourners became. Duke felt his body grow cold as he remembered that it was a child's body was soon to be buried in the ground.

A woman of average height stood outside of the gate, her backs to the two men. Her long, tangled black hair swayed in the light wind. She stood with both hands in her pockets. Though she did not stand with her usual slouch, Duke recognized her instantly. He slowed his steps so Tre'von was a little more in front. Bao turned around.

"Duke," she said with a light note of exclamation. Her brown eyes, though framed in their usual dark circles, glowed with vigor. Her pointed face, though covered in bruises, held a light smile not befitting of a child's funeral. "I was just thinking about you. I hope you're not still sore with me. Who's this? Friend of the deceased's family?"

[font=century gothic]He could tell by Duke's reaction that he was frightened and downright disturbed by what he had just witnessed, but Tre'von couldn't blame him. He wasn't clear by what the hell was going on and he was scared out of his mind when it first happened, but now wasn't the time for him to go crazy, our make up excuses for what he was seeing. Now he had to get answers for what was going on. This clearly was something happening abroad, it just had to be, it wasn't some type of disease, but there was something mysterious going on and he would get to the bottom of it. Tre'von walked alongside Duke until the funeral was in eye's view, and that's when he allowed a gap to form between them, just so that no one would get any ideas that they were together or something like that. Duke was a friend, Tre'von could say that much.

There was silence walking up to the funeral. The mourning of those who loved the child filled the air. It was a sad occasion indeed. It was sad to have to bury an older individual, but a child was slightly different. They weren't given the chance to experience all that life had to offer. It was painful to see and behold, but Tre'von calmed his nerves. Part of him wept for the family of the deceased, even though he didn't know any of them. It seemed that time stood still as a girl with tangled black hair turned around and said Duke's name. Tre'von's beautiful eyes locked on this girl and he stood there as she addressed Duke. He made note of her features, of her posture and how she spoke. The smile on her face betraying the events currently transpiring. Yes, this girl was different and Tre'von could tell. Perhaps Duke was right about this girl, but she looked no more dangerous than a normal civilian, but then again an assassin could blend in with the best of them and portray a character. Assassins. Why was he thinking about assassins? Did he want to become one? The thought was invigorating, but he could never purposely kill someone just because he was hired to do so. Could he? He had the fighting skills to do it, so why not? Why was he even thinking about this at a time so delicate? He shook his head to remove the unnecessary thoughts and looked at the girl who had just asked Duke who he was.

"No, not a friend of the family, more a person interested in knowing what is really going on here," Tre'von said before Duke could say anything, "the name is Tre'von," he added looking into the girls eyes, "and you must be Bao. I've heard much about you. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

"Hm?" Bao looked at Tre'von and then at Duke. "Been shit-talking me again," she said with her playful, awkward side smile. For a moment, she seemed like the same old Bao. "We can talk. Come." She pointed to the graveyard. "Walk with me. We'll have a chat."

Kris
01-22-2014, 01:30 PM
Crow’s lair
Day/Time: Friday


Crow's lair appeared to be a very normal looking cave. Spooky and dark. The echoes were increasing so badly as they walked further in, that even Trixi's dogs stopped barking, probably fearful of their own sound.

"Are you sure she is here?", asked Su-Lin

"I can't very much explain it myself", Said Cheri, "But I know... We just have to keep moving forward..."

But it felt like an endless path. They had Trixi to provide them with flashlights, but it was Cheri’s pendant that was the main source of illumination. Blue light that was seemed to indicate of some trail… Cheri just decided to follow the light, and the others followed her.

Lax had absolutely no idea what drove her to follow this lot. Was it that they seemed to know something relating to the crazy machete lady? Or maybe it was something else. Thinking about it too much frustrated her and several times she felt her temperature rise and the steam rising off her arms. This would distract her and as soon as she looked down at her skin in curiosity the heat would ebb away and everything would go back to normal. This happened in a cycle several times as she walked quietly behind the chick with the dogs whose name she couldn’t remember.

“This is rather spooky”, Cheri said suddenly, looking at the others that decided to follow and watching their expression.

“You mean… aside of the fact we are marching into unknown cave and trying to find our way in the dark?”, said Trixi.

“Yeah… I…. Maybe it’s just me”, answered Cheri.

“What is that”, asked Su Lin, giving a hand to Lax and Eric.

“I feel like… I’m… seeing visions of sort….”, Cheri bite her lips, “Visions of myself… dressed differently… that is weird… some of you actually appear in them”.

“...Well when you put it like that… I have seen something too…”, said Su, “Still not clear enough… but I have…”.

“I see a war… a battle…”, said Trixi, “I think the more we walk inside the more serious things will get”

“Let us press onward”, said Cheri suddenly, “Lina?!”, She screamed, “Lina are you in there?”

“Oh.. she’s in here… somewhere..” A chill ran through the hall, the flashlights dimming some as a shadow stepped into view. Three figures stepped into the light, one pale, and the other two well tanned, but the final vacant.

“I see you have all come to grace my humble abode. May I ask why?” Crow asked as he stepped forward, utterly at ease with the intruders. Jackie, her eyes distant but hard, looked to the four of them, her hand wrapped around the hilt of her machete. Alex, dressed in his warrior garb, gave a small glance to Cheri before returning his gaze to the whole group, resting his hand on his weapon.

“Who are you?!”, Cheri asked.

The darkness prevented them to see, but she did recognized Alex… And that girl… Wasn’t she working at the restaurant that was burnt to crisp?

Even though the eerie voice of the man who spoke first sounded somewhat familiar, it was the sight of the lady with the machete that really caught Lax’s attention. For a second, the shock that she was there, standing peacefully and not killing everyone in sight, stopped all of her movement and Lax just stood there, probably looking like an idiot with her jaw dropped down to the floor. That only lasted a moment before that shock was replaced by a growing and steaming hate. While the others reacted to things she was clueless to understand, Lax only glared fiercely into the nearly emotionless eyes of the woman that nearly killed her and Eric only a day ago.

It was highly possible that Eric and Lax were on the same vibe as they met the woman with the machete again. Even though he had no clue exactly what was going on or who the other people with her were, something told him to be ready to run should the need arise. So much for just filing a police report and going home…



***


At the depth of the cave was Lina.

Her body weak from the exertion of having tried to contact Cheri, Lina had fallen into a unsettled slumber. Visions of Cheri and Su Lin had begun to dance through her semi conscious mind and she began to stir, muttering softly in her half state of sleep.

“Cheri….”

Lina shifted, her body almost falling from the chair she sat on, head laying on the table and she adjusted her position, again laying her head down and closing her eyes as she began to drift back into unrestful sleep.

Her head would move back and forth, uneasy motions as images passed through her mind. Jackie with her machete, Cheri...Trixi...Crow….Su… Alex. A stand off…

Voices. Muffled voices. Was she dreaming? Lina’s eyes shot open. “Lina are you in there?” Lina’s fingers gripped the edge of the table white knuckled as she shut her eyes, forcing herself to focus, to once again try to reach out to her dear friend. Yes Cheri, I’m here. Again the room would begin to spin for the brunette held captive in the dark room, the sickness returning to her stomach once more.

But it was the image of Alex that would return to fill Lina’s mind. His smile, his warmth enveloping her, hushing her softly, his voice soothing and telling her that it would all be okay. Alex!! Lina had to let Cheri know. Fighting the overwhelming sickness in her head again Lina rose from the table as she she tried to stand, her mind once more trying to push the images of Alex and herself out of her thoughts and into Cheri’s. She had to let Cheri know that Alex was an ally, she had to try. An image from another time and place filled her mind, that of her and Alex in the middle of the forest back home, his arms wrapped around her and his whispers filling her ears. “When the future of the kingdom is safe once more Rosaline, I will take you for my wife and we will live happily ever after.”

Rosaline had to make Cheri see...she had to make Cheri understand. In the end Alex would be their ally. He’d brought her here because it was the only way that he could protect her and her only advantage was that Crow could not see what her thoughts conveyed to the woman outside, her friend. Again her knuckles would whiten as she gripped the edge of the table, one final push of thoughts projected towards her dear friend.

Alex...mine… and with that Lina slumped over the table, her breathing ragged and body weak from exhaustion.



* * *



The feeling of unease could not be shaken, and for the life of her Kiera could not understand what prompted her to trail along after the others, errands completely forgotten at the overwhelming urge.
Though she recognized a couple of the others from having seen them around town, she did not really know any of them, hanging back from the group and observing instead of attempting to include herself in the conversation.

The more the echoes bounced around them the more Kiera felt as though they were being ensnared into an invisible spider web, the sticky strands tightening until it was hard to breathe. She couldn’t tell if any of the others felt the same way, but from the conversation that filtered back to her, everyone was definitely feeling something.

She couldn’t understand what they were talking about, visions, battles, war . . . she wasn’t getting anything but horrible, creepy flashes of dying an agonizing, slow death being consumed by giant spiders . . . . . perhaps she’d been reading too much fantasy lately.


“I don’t think we should-” When the yelling started, for whoever it was they seemed to be searching for, Kiera finally piped up to ask if it was such a wise idea. . . but she was cut off.

By a voice that belonged to someone not a part of their group.

Shivers ran up and down her spine, electric with a feeling she couldn’t place, suddenly overcome by a lightheadedness that threatened her stability. There was something familiar, eerily familiar about that voice.

“Why are we here? Oh, we’re thinking of forming a spelunking club and decided to see what it was like before diving in headfirst with all of that top-of-the-line-stupidly-expensive-equipment. That and we’d heard cave decor is ‘The’ thing this year and wondered if you would give us a tour!”

She didn’t know what made her, or why she couldn’t stop, chalk it up to that sarcastic tongue she’d inherited, coupled with the dizzying effect of overactive nerves, but it was out before it could be stopped.

Oddly enough she didn’t really regret having said it, even though the circumstances might have led a person to think twice about anything they might want to say, not to mention the warning twist in her gut.

To be perfectly honest Kiera hoped an explanation would be forthcoming, the suspense was nerve wracking and it was beginning to feel like the very shadows around them were beginning to move of their own accord.

Cheri glanced at Kiera. If it were any other time she would have laughed her ass off. Now… With the three people standing before them holding guns, it seemed to be rather unfitting.

It was then that Cheri was sure she heard something. She glanced at Trixi, her eyes still wide open, “Lina is here”, she whispered. She then looked at the three that were standing before them, “Do you know Lina?! Is she here?”, she asked their leader, Crow.

“Hm? I don’t know this Lina you speak of… and to the woman with the mouth, I could find some … more interesting uses for your fire than sass.” Crow spoke, eyeing the woman. He spoke softly before an orb of red light appeared in his hands. With one toss it stuck to the ceiling, bathing them in the light and highlighting the cave, showing it to be much vaster behind him.

“I will ask you to leave now, as I am working on something important, and if not, I will have my associates escort you out. Forcefully if needed.” He motioned behind him, three bodies appearing in the light, dressed as construction workers.

Biting her tongue now was of no use, but for some reason Kiera still felt an odd . . . detached sort of emotion, as though this was either familiar in some unreal sort of way, or her panic senses simply hadn’t caught up yet.

As the shimmering red light spread around them, revealing more and more of the cave, she was entirely ready to leave, increasingly uneasy about why they had come, as well as the words and actions of the man that stood before them.
She didn’t know these people, there was no reason to stay . . . but for some reason she couldn’t bring herself to abandon the rest of the group, and they didn’t appear to want to leave just yet.

“Fuck!”, Cheri uttered, still lifting her hands up in the air to block the horrible light from blinding her, “Look, Can we please just check?”

At that moment a tall man appeared. He had a blond hair and blue eyes.

Cheri shivered at his sight. It was her stalker.

“Crow, Crow, Crow”, the man known as Dimitri chuckled and tsked, “Please… allow our visitors to come inside and warm by the fire….”, he grinned, “I believe HE would be pleased to see his old friends….”

“Ah, Dimitri, always so hospitable. I guess we could let them warm up before heading off. And I do agree… he would love to meet some old friends. A nice little welcome party.” Crow said, smiling as he turned to Dimitri. The smile was anything but kind.

“Please then, join us. I would ask you to leave your weapons with my servants. I promise no hostilities from my cohorts or servants I… insist.” He responded, the mindless soldiers moving forward to them, ready to take their gear and items.

“I see you have kept my little present, my sweet”, Dimitri said to Cherlyn and the last simply looked at him, somewhat disgusted

“Look, I have no idea what you are talking about, and I sure wouldn’t want to know”

“Ah! But you seem to be so very fond of it!”

“What are you talking about?”.

Dimitri chuckled, “Fine, fine, let us go meet someone. Some things might make more sense then”.

Crow nodded, smiling at the two of them bantering and making a move towards the back of the cave. They made their way in silence, the lights slowly growing brighter as they headed further in the cave. The servants followed between the girls, Alex dropping back to be near Cheri and Trixie. The cave eventually panned out, a massive cavern that seemed to go upwards forever. On the center table laid the detective, his body unmoving and covered in symbols, brazzers surrounding him, giving off an eerie blue light.

“You’ll find your .. friend inside that tunnel there, but I suggest you stay for a bit. Our friend is almost here. He just needs to get settled in.” Crow spoke, his words trailing darkly as he pointed to a blocked off section of the tunnel, a large door in place.

The group looked at each, confused, but decided to walk onward.

Everything moved in a blur as they wandered through the darkness, that is of course until Eric and Lax came across the woman with the machete again.

Jackie moved forward, guided by unseen force to mark the door. Everyone halted just few inches away and at at the end it was Cheri that had the courage to step forward to where Jackie stood and pull the lever. She noticed that some people looked at Jackie with unexplained gazes, but thought little of that.

All she cared about at that point was her friend. Cheri looked inside as soon as the door opened. It was hard to see at first, but there were two figures sitting in the darkness. One was moaning with weak effort, while the other appeared frozen… almost dead by the way the head was tilted to the side.

“L-Lina!”, Cheri said softly.

“EREBUS!”, Trixi shouted, and before long she was kneeling beside the body of the dead detective that was tightly tied to the chair, “OH GOD!”, She screeched, “OH GOD!”.

Cheri tried to calm her down, but all the police officer did was push her hands away and sob softly into the lap of the man that used to be so close to her.

Before Cheri could free Lina, she felt a hand grabbing her shoulder, it was Dimitri.

“Well, you can’t just walk in, and not allow us to introduce ourselves first…”, He glared at Crow, “As I suspected, oh great wizard” (He seemed to be mocking this word, but Crow probably couldn’t care less), “They don’t remember a thing… Shall we allow the king… to speak for himself?”, Dimitri chuckled before reaching for Cheri’s neck. He tore the blue pendant from her and place it into Crow’s hand, “I think it was heavily filled with desperate and hatred, also the princess’ heart is unsettled, I believe we can start the ritual to summon the liege”.

“Very good. Thank you.” Crow spoke, holding the gem up to his eyes. He studied it, his face twisting into a malice grin while looking to the woman draped over the dead mans chest. Ordering one of his soldiers to drag the cop away, propping the mans.

RisingPhoenix
02-20-2014, 04:29 AM
As they walked towards the graveyard, Tre'von couldn't help but look Bao over several times. He liked to get a good imprint of those he spoke to so that he could at least identify them later if need be. While walking there wasn't much talking, it was only when they were a safe distance away that Tre'von spoke up.

"Duke here has been telling me things," Tre'von began, "things that have him so frightened he asked me to accompany him today."

Tre'von didn't give Duke any time to say anything before continuing.

"He is a friend, nothing more, nothing less, but he speaks of you," Tre'von said, "you scared him and I asked him to set up a meeting with you to find out why he has such fear, such bewilderment about you. What is it that makes you special and if it is what I think it is, how did it happen to you?"

Tre'von stood there holding his hands in front of him like a kid waiting to be told a enchanting story of some kind. He was silent, giving either of the two a chance to speak.

Bao tipped her head to the side. She furrowed her brow as she always did, sighed as she always did, and tipped her chin down as she always did. That's what made Duke so nervous. He could barely stand to look at her, but eventually he looked up. The moment he did, she smiled. As she always did. Then, she reached out her hands towards Tre'von, imitating his movement. She splayed her fingers and lifted her wrists upwards.

Then she flinched.

As she did so, two spikes of ice jettisoned out of her hands. They stopped just short of Tre'von's arms. Duke recoiled.

"Can you blame him?" Bao said. "I'm still bewildered about it myself. But it's coming back to me. It's coming back to all of us. The past is catching up with the future." She snapped off one of the icicles. The skin, reddened around the area, immediately bounced back to its normal place like a closing pore. She handed the icicle over to Tre'von. "But it's starting to make sense now. I am both an entity from the past, and the present. Soon, I shall be an entity of the future. Whole, complete. We all will be. So long as we follow Crow."
Watching the female with intense eyes, he could only cringe slightly as her facial expressions. There was always underlying thoughts and dreams of things that he deemed unrealistic. He had always felt that there were things in this world that weren't meant to be understood, but this was pushing the envelope severely. Tre'von's parents had always told him to be prepared, but they never told him what he was supposed to be prepared for. Sighing, he watched the girl as she reached out towards him. At first he didn't understand why she was doing this, but then when the two icicles shot out of her hand he gasped softly and watched as Duke recoiled.

He had managed to stifle his surprise, but he knew Duke was freaked out. He had reacted almost similarly to when he showed him the cell phone levitating. This girl knew something more, something he couldn't quite grasp in all the visions and dreams.

"I've always had dreams of things unknown, dreams, or what my parents called visions, but I never realized anything like this could be real," Tre'von replied grabbed the icicle. It was cold, very cold, and the heat from his hand seemed to melt the icicle slight, but when it began to levitated above his hand, he shook his head, "I don't understand why I can do this. There is no explanation, no hidden rules or anything like that. It makes me wonder if my parents knew anything about this, if they hid it from me for a reason. If they did what was that reason? Bao I do not know you, but the way I look at it you're the only one who knows more about this, this curse, and I need to know more." He looked at Bao and let the icicle fall straight into the ground, the sharp end digging deep into the earth as Tre'von wiped his hand off on his handkerchief.

Bao had mentioned a Crow, and Tre'von wondered if she was speaking about an individual or the actual creature. "You mentioned something about a Crow. Is the Crow a person or something else? What do you know about all of this, please I need as much info as I can get from you. I feel like I'm going crazy. I feel like I'm losing what little control I had in this life....."

He paused and looked at Duke. Poor guy probably thought the worst of them, probably feared both of them for their unique gifts, but Bao had managed to gather information about all of this and he had yet to find understanding as to why this all was happening. The only thing he had was those visions, those dreams, and the subliminal messages that yet to make sense to him from his parents.

Bao grinned with excitement as the icicle began to float. She was ecstatic and unable to show it. Before all this, the unknown was something to fear. Now, it was something to embrace. "I know exactly how you feel, Tre'von. I used to be just like you, but... I had no warning. Everything just came flooding back to me within the past few days. No one to guide me, no one to turn to, just... this." She pointed to her wrists.

"I need to take you to Crow," she said finally. She was genuine, hopeful, desperate. "Crow is someone I used to know from so, so long ago. Meeting him again was like walking out of the fog of a dream, but the moment we reunited, I knew, I just knew what was happening--"

"No. No, no, no, just shut up, Bao," Duke snapped. "You can't just take this guy to that fucking demon--"

Bao lunged at Duke, grabbing his shirt so hard she was able to knock him off his feet. She stared him dead in the eyes, and he listened. "Don't you dare," she snarled. "You don't know anything, Duke. What wonders have you experienced? What memories call to you? What can you call yourself?" Bao pushed him back up to his feet. He wobbled a bit before finding his balance. "I had no one to help me, Duke. No one to tell me why I was having fits in the middle of bookstores or why I didn't feel like myself or why..." Bao motioned to the icicle that fell to the ground. She shook her head. "There's no reason I shouldn't help him. Tre'von..." she looked the other man in the eyes again. "I promise you. Crow can help you. He can tell you who you really are. He helped me... he can help you too."

how to take. This girl clearly was unique, and from what he knew so far she had a gift to summon icicles from out of her body, and through her hands or rather wrists. It was something so odd that he finally understood why Duke felt the way he did about this girl. Who wouldn't be scared shitless if they saw someone eject icicles out of their body? Standing there with his arms at his side, he was about to speak when Duke snapped. It was unlike the male, or rather it was like the male to be so paranoid and cautious, still the way Bao handled it was far beyond any manner Tre'von was accustomed to. He had left the violent ways behind in honor of a peaceful life. Though he could defend himself if needed, he had taken a rather interesting approach to life.

After Bao supposedly put Duke in his place, Tre'von felt sorry for the male. He was only wanting to look out for Tre'von's well being and for that Tre'von could only thank him, but if he wanted answers he would have to visit this person named Crow.

"If you can take me to Crow, I want to know what is going on here," Tre'von said as he placed a firm comforting hand on Duke's shoulder to steady the poor guy. "I have to know, I just have to, if it is what I think it is I have to know....."

Tre'von looked at Bao and nodded slightly.

Duke pushed Tre'von's hand away. Before Tre'von could say anything, Duke was already stomping away.

"Ignore him," Bao said. "This isn't the first time he's walked away."

Bao grabbed one of Tre'von's hands with both of her own. Her hands were cold, though she held his hand with great warmth. "Come with me." She pulled his arm softly to indicate that she wanted him to follow. Tre'von watched Duke walk away, unsure of what to say or do to explain to the male that this is what he needed. He had to find out somehow what all of this meant and if he had any chance of finding it out, Bao was his chance.

Tre'von closed his eyes as Duke walked away and then turned to Bao who had pulled his arm to indicate her want for him to follow. He nodded and allowed her to pull him along towards whatever was to await him when he found the one known as Crow.

Kris
02-20-2014, 11:59 AM
Crow's cave.


Crow watched eagerly as the man’s limp body was dragged from the room and placed near the stone altar. He held the jewel in his hands and gave a short whistle signalling a young girl to appear from the side of the room, covered in a simple white chest and marked with some strange symbols along her exposed flesh.

“Dimitri, prepare the man’s body and start the chant.” Crow spoke to the man, before turning his eyes back to the girl. With a short command, he had her undress and hop onto the table, placing the necklace around her neck.

“Very well”, said Dimitri. He picked Cheri’s arm and pulled her closer to him.

“What do you think you are doing?!”, She said, trying to shove him off her.

“I am just making sure Crow is going to keep on his words”, He said, “After all, you were promised to me in this life, should the king be revived”.

“Dream on!”, she sneered as Dimitri turned to tied her beside Lina.

“Well, it is a sweet dream indeed”, Dimitri chuckled. He then picked the pendant that still shone with azure light, “I must say dear, I am grateful you kept it. At first this was a magical tool, devised to me by the great witch, Captain Baoli Kent”

“What for?”, asked Cheri.

“My dear, Cherilyn, child of the kingdom of Lemura, the kingdom that we wished to destroy. It was you, in our distant past, that is, that I was sent to seduce. I was to entreat you to help me. And the more time passed, so have I slowly found you irresistable… But I was still true to my plans from the start. I was a child of Lemura myself, but the king Lech has given me… a much better position and offer….”

At that moment Dimitri pulled out something from under his shirt. Cheri gazed back with a surprise. It was the same pendant that she herself had worn… Or at least a twin of it, since hers has been held by Dimitri.

“This was needed to track you… but with the two of them together, embraced with our powers, I can combine it into a one powerful item”.

“You mean… all this time…?”

“Yes, Baoli’s magical items has always proved to be more useful that what she planned them to be…”.

Dimitri held the two shiny objects in his hands. light started to appear at the tips of his fingers as he started to cast some spell. The two objects has started to slowly merge together. “All you have had experienced so far, dear Cheri…. The feelings we have both poured into these objects… this is the true key to bring back life… or to bring back someone lost in time and space”.

Cheri closed her eyes at that point for the light was already too bright to watch. She heard a terrible scream and when she looked up again she saw that Dimitri had been lying on the ground, blood covering him as cuts and wounds appeared all over his body.

Seemed like the spell was taking a great tool on of him.

“Crow!”, he said, reaching his hand for the man, waiting for the last to take the jewel, which was no longer bright blue, but rather dark purple.

Crow watched Dimitri, his face a mask as he watched the pain roll through him. He walked over slowly and plucked the stone from his hands. He held it, feeling it pulse through his body as he walked over to the child. Placing it in the hollow between her neck and collarbone, he watched as the lines and cuts spread out, following perfectly along the precut runes on her body.

“Lord Azathoth, creator of time and the master of Chaos. I, your humble and weak servant call to you!” Crow shouted into the air as his hands went up. A blast of cool air whipped around the room as the name echoed through the cavern. blue flames sprung to life around the outer circle, the runes etched into the ground glowing with a dim yellow light.

“Hear my plea and accept my offering. A virgin, untouched and unspoiled by the hands of man or woman. I beseech you, a task trivial to a master such as you.” Crow spoke again, turning his eyes to the girl as her mouth opened in a silent scream of pain. To her, her entire body felt on fire as the lines on the ground stretched to her, causing the cuts to split open. Blood bubbled up around the wounds, but none flowed down, only collecting above her.

“I bring you a host, to fill with the soul of the lost king. One of the same blood, trickled down through the ages and decades.” Crow spoke. He pulled out two silver blades and walked over to Dimitri, pulling the man up slowly and instructing him to stab the virgin. He watched as Dimitri, weakened with the pain from fuzing the gem, plunged the knife into the heart of the girl, sealing the trade with a spray of blood.

“And finally,’ Crow stepped up behind him, wrapping his fingers around the older man’s neck before plunging his own dagger through Dimitri’s chest. ‘, the soul of a man diseased and rotted by age.”

“WHAT?!”, Dimitri cried. Surprised, confused. Little did he expect it to be turning out like this. He was too tired to fight back… too wounded… Gasping for air, he felt his blood leaving his body.

Cheri was too shocked to scream. She locked eyes with Dimitri one last time before the sickening sight of his dead corpse looking back at her was too much to watch. She turned away, biting her lips and shuddering with fear.

The room stayed silent, the sound of dripping blood echoing around them.. It lasted like this for couple more minutes before a massive rift appeared above the two bodies, hands reaching out and grabbing the souls of the two dead bodies.

“I ...deem these worthy, lowly minion. Whose soul do you wish to bring back.” The voice boomed out, forcing fear into people’s minds of those in the room.

“THE SOUL OF KING LECH!”

Smoke filled the air as streams of light shoot and turn from each and every direction.

The men that held the body of Erebus were thrown away as all the lights turned into one massive beam that was shoot right into the dead man’s body.

Trixie was horrified. What were they doing to her old lover?!

Before long the light died out and a man was seen stepping forward.

“Hmmm…”, he hummed softly.

Trixie stared in utter disbelief. Was THAT… Erebus?!

Su-Lin tried to pull Trixie back, but the officer girl just couldn’t be budged. “Erebus!”, she called to him.

And he started to walk for her direction….

They met at a close distance, the policewoman and the inspector. Trixie looked at him and shivered. Something was off. It was something about… his manners of walking… And breathing...

True, Erebus had always had something about him that made him look so arrogant in her eyes, but now… now it seemed like he was carrying himself as if he was a prince…

No… not a prince…

A king.

“Who are you I wonder?”, he asked.

At least he sounded… like himself… Trixie thought to herself.

“A warrior of your age… fighting crime… tamer of two war dogs… and… a lovely seducer… a lover of my former host, are you not?”

Trixie swallowed.

He… was… unusually… alluring….

He moved closer… she felt his breathing at her neck and there was nothing she could have done to avoid him. As if… her body was drawn against her will…

“I might need to… have a taste of my own… little one…”, he grinned.

She swallowed again and he chuckled, enjoying her weak breathing and how uncomfortable she was around him. He took few steps away, his attention now elsewhere.

“Crow…”, he smiled, “My dear boy…. How do you fare?”

He looked around, “Alex… Alex… dear boy, the mighty noble… and look! Princess Rosaline… all together, with me, to celebrate my forthcoming….”

Erebus now looked at the dying body of Dimitri, “I guess… you didn’t told him… about his upcoming sacrifice haven’t you… Crow?”, he chuckled, “Look at him… dying…. so pitifully… and yet… impressively…His eyes never leaving….”.

Erebus now looked at Cherilyn.

He smirked.

He then moved closer.

Cherilyn’s eyes burst wide open. She was afraid.... more than that… she was terrified. She sobbed and cried so hard, never truly capable of explaining the panic that took over her. All she knew was that something dark and creepy was threatening to surface in her minds… some dirty thoughts… some dark secret…

Erebus… or the man known as Lech… continued to advance… for her direction...

Cherilyn started to fight against the ropes that bound her to the chair, her cries almost inhuman.

And just before the king reached his hands, there was a bright light. And Cherilyn… had disappeared….

King Lech screamed.

His shouts pure anger.

Lights were tossed all over as the place was threatening to collapse and bury everyone inside.

Alex was beside Lina now, “We have to get out of here”, he whispered to her as he untied her.

Su-Lin was already pulling Trixie and the others outside of the cave.

More and more stones and rocks fall around, the dust sinking in.

By the time it was already too late, the cave collapse and everyone were outside…

Aside of Crow… Lech… Jackie…


And… Cherilyn...


END PART 3.