[IC] Occult Regulation Office: A Mature Wizarding World Anthology

[jetipster]

Dr Felix Twycross Athos Zara

Felix’s nervous smile as Athos accepted was soon wiped off his face as their resident Legilimens appeared nudging him out of his admiration. He glared at Zara as she teased the newbie. His daggers stabbed into her mass of lilac curls knowing full well that she would hear his thoughts even if she didn’t want to if he thought them loud enough at her. “LEAVE HIM BE, YOU AUBERGINE HAIRED HAG!” he ‘thought loudly’ in her direction, with equal laughter and humour as there was genuine concern. Hopefully she’d only sense the first emotion… Although he was under no illusion that his Kiwi friend knew everything about his thoughts and feelings toward already. He’d made friends with her sharpish once he knew her ability and although Zara was highly professional, they’d gotten drunk enough on enough occasions for him to know a few juicy titbits about a variety of their staff…

Her smirk widened as the man looked up at her, clearly embarrassed. There was no doubt that she absolutely knew what his feelings were towards Felix, so it did not surprise her when the man was caught off guard. With a small giggle, she was about to make a remark to his statement when her best friend's voice rang extremely loud and clear in her head. Zara scrunched her nose and put two fingers to her temple as she glanced at Felix. Sticking out her tongue at him, she shrugged. "Crikey! Don't have to be so loud, cuz. Gonna give me a headache. And it's lavender, thanks so very much. Can be such a wet blanket at times."

Athos raised a brow at Zara before letting himself be moved by Felix. A tingling sensation spread on his back while the man worked and he found himself going into a statue like state. His eyes shut and his body perfectly unmoving.

Felix shrugged off her comment with blushing cheeks and proved to her that she wasn’t the only one who could do magic without a wand. He sat down on the bed beside Athos and, turning the magizoologists torso, pressed his hands over the two hoof marks and closed his eyes.

As Felix moved to attend to his beloved crush, Zara leaned her back against the wall and folded her arms across her chest. She watched as his face construed in concentration, not being able to help a giggle when his tongue stuck out. The man was an absolute genius and she was lucky that he was one of the only ones who didn't find her crazy or spooky. It could be a little upsetting to know that someone could dip into your mind at any given moment- she was often given the cold shoulder and ignored when she was found to be a Legilimens.

While this was happening both crows tilted their heads at Zara. They seemed to tell whenever someone was uncomfortable around them and unlike many other animals did not seem to push those people. Snape let his pale beak open for a yawn before letting out a soft caw. Clearly the birds were bored...bored and tired. A good mix for the two at the moment.

With a quick sigh, she studied the room around her while she waited. Her eyes strayed over to the crows and she couldn't help an inward shiver. She hated those things. The wings, their beady eyes...They gave her the creeps.

Felix's magic wove into the soft skin, firstly tickling the local nerve cells so his patient would only feel a slight itch before moving the leaking blood back into the broken vessels. His eyebrows furrowed and tongue stuck out slightly as he focused on knitting back together the microscopic capillaries. Normally he didn’t bother with bruises but he didn’t want a newbie to have any disadvantage out on the field especially if he was partnered with them.

Zara ran her hand quickly through her purple curls to distract her mind. She needed to focus on something else entirely before she ran from the room. Looking back over towards the two men, she allowed another peek into the both of them. She had known for a while that feelings were building within the two, yet they were both too taken aback to even do anything about it. There had to be something she could do to push them along to their realization. All the Regulators were known to have a short life span. Their lives were absolutely too short to hold anything back. That thought alone had her own mind drifting to a certain individual…

Felix finished with a quick check of the area surrounding the bruises, no muscular damage or broken ribs, and finally promoted a spike in adrenalin and dopamine for the guy. He sighed in slight exertion as he finished, opening his eyes and placing a hand on Athos’ toned bicep. “How does that feel?” he asked, with a beaming smile on his face.

Athos felt Felix finish with the bruising and felt the sudden spike in energy and happy. He felt a chuckle escape him and he found himself beaming. "I feel awesome thank you" he tried very hard not to think about Felix touching his arm....and was failing a bit.

Taking a quick breath, she shook her head and once more looked at Felix and Athos. Once the magizoologist was healed, she nodded shortly and straightened. "Perfect! Now how about you two pash and make each other better so that we can get to the cases at hand, eh?"

Athos’ focus was then shot to Zara and he blinked his ears slowly brightening in color. "W...what. I mean....we....uh" he could not even form a coherent sentence and resorted to avoiding all glances.

Felix merely went bright red and quickly removed his hand from Athos’ arm.

Before either could answer, Emory's voice boomed throughout the house that they were nearly to their first destination. She grinned and rocked back on the heels of her feet. That was, before it was wiped away when she realized she was still in her pajamas. Her eyes widened. "Crikey! I'm still in my grunds!" Hurrying out of the room, she raced to her own living quarters before pulling on a pair of denim shorts and an over sized black t-shirt.

Zara grabbed a hair tie and knotted the side of her shirt into a ball at her hip before securing it with the tie. Before slipping her feet into a pair of purple converse, she covered her feet with a pair of socks. She checked her reflection in the mirror quickly before deciding against adding makeup to her face. She definitely didn't have a use for it and she was working a case, not trying to impress anyone. Although...

She shook her head quickly. They were on an assignment; she couldn't afford for her emotions for the man get in the way of that. Yes, she knew the very possibility that she could die at any moment. But she was here to do a job. That came before anything else.

Athos barely noticed her leave as he wondered if he could actually sink into the floor and hide. Or maybe go into his bag and hide there.

Felix and Athos stood at the same time and fell into that awkward situation of being very close face to face. Felix’s eyes flew wide and his heart raced. God he’s gorgeous. All he had to do was… There was a moment of silence before awkward smiles prevailed. “Errrr...yeah.” All he wanted to do was lean forward further but his professionalism prevailed and he quickly stepped back eying Athos’ shirt and quickly tossing it toward the half-naked man. “Here, you might want this.” He hurried rushed to leave, only to knock over his bag spilling it’s contents, vials rolling across the floor. You clutz! “I’ve got it!” he snapped before Athos’ could even offer to help, annoyed at himself, not his partner.

Athos blinked at the sudden closeness of Felix from standing at the same time as him. He felt his face heat as his cheeks decided to match his ears. Should I? But what if it ruins everything...why is this so complicated before he could even fully think about doing anything Felix moved away and tossed him his shirt. Athos pulled on the purple t shirt and felt rather frustrated, but shook himself out of it. Athos snapped his attention to Felix as the sounds of rolling vials reached him and went to help, but stopped at the snap. He hoped that annoyance in Felix's voice was for the bag.

Zara pushed her hair away from her face before racing back towards the meeting room, yelling into Athos' room on the way. "Hey, mate! Once you're finished pashing the both of you need to quicken your tail feathers!"

Felix scrambled to push everything back into his bag with more haste at her yelling and stood up to leave, completely flustered and his face completely flushed. “Erm… well I’ll see you downstairs then.”

Athos nodded as Felix left, he completely ignored Zara's comment. "Yeah I'll be down in a moment" he watched Felix leave before going to a trunk he had tucked underneath the window. The two crows cawed and Athos shook his head. "you both know that he won't hurt me... I'm raising him" with that he disappeared inside.

Soon arriving to the designated meeting place, Zara’s grin widened. "Present and accounted for. Ta!"

Felix raced down the corridor to enter the meeting room just after Zara. “I’m here!” he declared to the team leaders before turning on Zara with false menace “As for you,” he growled, “When I get back, we are going to have words…” It was obvious from his expression that his façade of annoyance was merely masking a deep insecurity and fear of opening himself up. He hoped she’d sense his cry out for advice.

She didn't have to to what his words aloud to know he was flustered. With a small grin, she leaned over and placed a big kiss on his cheek. "We both know you love me, Lixie." Lowering her voice so the others didn't hear her, she shrugged. "You two obviously adore each other. Go for it, cuz. No worries."

Several moments later Athos made his way back to the meeting room with his crows and a vial. The liquid looked rather different and in his other hand he held what looked like bandaging. He inhaled before making his way to Felix and handing him the soft cloth. "Let me know if this work well for you. Oh and the liquid is for defense" he carefully handed the vial over.

Felix looked quizzically at the material and vial he’d been handed. “Erm… thanks,” he replied, too overcome with the situation and Zara’s ‘helpful’ comments to even ask what they were for. Great. Now it was awkward.

[BrutalBx]

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Feeling a unique thud beneath his feet, Emory look out of a nearby window and the unfamiliar site of a rough terrain of the Lone Star State. He had visited Texas only once before, he and Daisy had taken time off to go to a convention in Austin, she was a huge nerd. He had enjoyed it, good food, cheap beer, not a bad place at all. Yet this was not Austin, this was Blue. All he knew about it was that it was small and it was the site of a horrendous killing spree. Still, that was not his cross to bare today, today that was Isadora and her teams job. He’s fate lay elsewhere, somewhere a little warmer and with a very different vibe.

Somehow, Emory had become a leader amongst the Regulators, not that he wanted to be. He guessed that it just came with the fact that he is one of the longest surviving members. Making his way to the meeting room where the teams were now gathered, the usually stoic Emory said his final piece. ”We’re working on very little information here, for both cases. Stay vigilant, trust each other. Muggles aren’t always forthcoming, especially in small towns like this. Say your goodbyes and when you step out of that door, you’ll be in Blue. Die well guys”

The Caretaker entered the room with a box of coins, offering one to each Regulator. ”Enchanted as per the usual instructions. These port keys will bring you back here if things get…unpleasant”

Leaning against a wall, the Charms master watched as the team of Isadora, Felix, Athos, Tariq, Kieran, Natalia, Arthur and Sebastian left the Mysterium Domum and walked into the unknown. Would this be the last time that he saw them? He didn’t know but it was highly possible and very probable. In any other job, Emory probably would’ve given them all a different and significant goodbye…but not here, not as a Regulator. As best he could, he tried to keep all of them on equal footing. Even the likes of Felix and Tariq whom he has known since his school days, they were no different to Sebastian and Athos whom he’d only known a few months. In spite of they sexual relationship, Isa was nothing special. If she died on this case, he would mourn and then he would move on, that’s just how it had to be. Survival of the fittest.

With the Texas team gone, the Domum began to move again. It would be only minutes before it reached its destination of California. ”Right, our plan starts at the house. We’ll go in as tourists and go from there. Zara, you’re with me on this one. You’re better with people than I am and we might need your legilimency talents to get into places people don’t want us to” Emory liked Zara, she was someone whose company he enjoyed in more ways than one. In a lot of ways she reminded him of Daisy and that stung a lot. She was beautiful, no doubt and with a kind soul. Some days he did sit and ponder how so many good folk wound up in a job like this.

In another bump, the Domum hit the California coast and the old oak door swung open to the San Jose sunshine. The Welshman placed a hand on the Caretakers shoulder and lead his team, consisting of Zara, Bunny, Florian, Richard and Nickie out of the house. ”Right then Bunny” Emory turned to the inventor and smiled. ”I know you’ve already researched the shit out of this place, so give me some details to work with”

[Sarcelle Renard]

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The workshop that Kieran shared with Miss Moon was very much so a labor of love, as the two inventive Regulators had poured themselves into the room’s two distinct personalities. On the cleaner and more orthodox side of the room, there was Miss Moon’s station, with all of her artificing tools neatly arranged in their proper place. But once one crossed over to Kieran’s side of the workshop, they were introduced to an odd gradient of messiness that got more and more disordered the farther in they got. At its worst, there were cauldrons filled with half used ingredients and vials containing half made potions, while along the walls were glass cabinets with all sorts of potions, some labeled others not, in what appeared to be no true order.

In the werewolf’s mind, there was a method to the madness that he found helped him organize his thoughts, although admittedly even he struggled at times to find things in it. However, Miss Moon had made it quite painfully clear to him that she would not tolerate his clutter anywhere near her workstation. It had taken quite a bit of getting used to for both parties involved, but for now it seemed like the two of them were managing to coexist in relative peace. That was of course minus the occasional explosion that inevitably resulted from their work, but that was beside the point.

Kieran looked at all of the potions that had been beautifully arranged before him. While he was packing the usual potions to keep him and his colleagues alive through the case, such as Essence of Dittany and Skele-Gro, there were a few potions that he had picked specifically as countermeasures for this “Candy Lady.” In order to abduct their victims, the culprit was possibly using magic or poison to immobilize them, so a vial of Anti-Paralysis Potion and a Wiggenwald Potion should cover most of his bases. The calling card candies that were being left at the crime scenes had also caught the werewolf’s attention, so he was bringing along Magi Litmus Solution to try and discern their properties and perhaps even their origin. And finally, there were two potions specifically for himself. While his ever handy Lunar Calendar assured him that he still had another two weeks until his next furry outbreak, it never hurt to take a vial of Wolfsbane Potion just in case the investigation took longer than expected. And then there was the Calming Drought, which was to help with a different matter…

”TEXAS ARRIVAL IN TEN MINUTES!” Corrigan’s magically enhanced voice announced throughout the Dormum. With a sigh, Kieran slotted the last potion into his metal attaché case, wishing he had more time to deliberate on which potions to bring. Alas, it was not meant to be, so with a heavy heart he picked up the case, slung it over his shoulder, and left the place that made him feel more at home than his own room. He made a brief detour to his room to grab his ORO issued field suitcase, which unlike his attaché case had an Undetectable Extension Charm placed on it as he didn’t have to worry about the magic interfering with his potons. As he opened the door to leave, his eyes glanced over to his desk and caught sight of his notebook, still open on the page he had been working on earlier that morning.

”I’ll be back for you,” he quietly promised, as if to remind himself that he didn’t have permission to go off and “die well” until he finished his research. The door closed behind him unceremoniously, hardly a reassuring response.

And so he took returned to the Map Room and took up his position against the wall once more, ready to follow Miss Fuji’s lead. Out of everything Corrigan said, the one thing that Kieran agreed with the most was that there was very little they knew about this case. And if there was one thing that led to dead Regulators, it was going into a job in the dark. With any luck, they won't miss anything too crucial because of it and they would all be able to come back from this one.

[RumikoOhara]

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@Xilaw@BrutalBx@Sailorsadie@Lauder@Shadow007

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” Mrs. Winchester came to the Santa Clara Valley and purchased the site of a former farmhouse and 162 acres in 1884 after receiving her husband's $20.5 million dollar estate.

The house has roughly 161 rooms containing 40 bedrooms, 2 ballrooms; one completed and one unfinished as well as 47 fireplaces and over 10,000 panes of glass along with 17 chimneys and evidence of two others.” she paused briefly to make sure she wasn’t boring everyone then continued

“Many believe that Mrs Winchester built this house to appease spirits of the dead but there is another supported theory that explains the house and it’s structured purpose very differently.

There is evidence that Sarah Winchester strongly identified with the great muggle genius Sir Francis Bacon and saw herself as the reincarnation of Bacon. They say that the details are specifically demonstrated by Bacon’s symbols and numeric cipher code lavishly displayed throughout Mrs. Winchester’s Grand Ballroom particularly in the “Shakespearean Windows.

Then there is the Séance Room located in the precise center of the House which is claimed was actually Mrs. Winchester’s Rosicrucian “Sanctum”, a special place where Rosicrucians typically practice meditation and study at or near the center of their homes……… trails off realizing how off track she’s becoming and blushes

Sorry Emory I suppose I should say the answer is yes I have researched the Mystery House, sort of a passion of mine you might say finishes with a nervous giggle and strangely leaning closer to Florian as if she were about to take his arm.

[Sadie]

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Raising a brow as Athos slipped his way back into the room, she smirked to herself at their interaction. She could feel the unease practically rolling off of Felix and it almost made Zara giddy. Not that she was teasing her best friend or wanted to see him upset, that is. She knew how long the two had had feelings for each other and she was just so very glad that they were interacting even more than usual. It wouldn't be long before the two were all over each other and Zara would be the third wheel. Normal people would be upset by thinking of themselves as the sidecar; Zara was enormously happy that her bestie was going to finally get some action.

And then it was time to say goodbye. Her smile soon vanished at the very thought of the majority of her favorite people being separated from her. She cleared her throat and gave a short nod to Felix. It was time for strictly business. Didn't mean her heart didn't break a little each time they went onto a case. Never knew when it'd be the last time she'd ever see him. Clearing her throat once more, a gentle smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She lowered her voice towards Felix. "You know I won't say die well. You better get your arse back here alive."

Watching him off, she took a shaky breath before taking back full control of her emotions. She turned her head in response to her name coming from Emory. Listening to his directions, she nodded shortly and grinned. "No worries. You could be better with people too if you tried, cuz. You have such a majestic smile and an amazing bone structure. Could learn to use that to your advantage."

He wouldn't know. He could never know. Anytime she tried to take a peek all she saw was his ex wife. How could she ever compete with that? And she knew he often related her to Daisy. His memories made her queasy each time she stuck her toe in them. Emory would never be able to see her, for who she was, if he continued to compare her to Daisy. The thought made her upset.

The house soon landed at its next Destination. As they headed towards the exit, she stood up on her toes and placed a kiss to the Caretaker's cheek. "No stealing my chips while I'm gone, eh?" She gave him a small wink before practically hopping out of the house. It had been a good while since she they had been on a case. She was more than ready for this next one.

Bunny soon started to explain the house, causing Zara's brows to furrow. "One hundred and sixty one rooms? The lady may be crazier than I am. And that's saying something." She propped her hands on her hips and looked around them. With a nod of her head, she took a deep clearing breath. "I'll find the entrances if we can get close enough to the caretakers. Try to weasel my way into their hearts. Or their heads. Whichever comes first."

[Shadow007]

~*~ Isadora ~*~

Isa sighed softly and closed her eyes, she didn't exactly know what sort of answer she was expecting from Emory, but it did indeed hurt her on some level. She knew in the deepest depths of her heart that she could never (and would never want to) replace Daisy in Emory's heart and mind, but that was just Emory's nature to be blunt and to the point, something she admired him greatly for. She was starting to get to that point herself, not that she really minded, but she did treat her other members as family of sorts. She supposed that would get in the way of things if everything was to get messy, which it often did... Fast.

Despite the sting from Emory's harsh words, she shook her head before going to prepare everything she needed for the mission with a level gaze forward. Perhaps some of Emory's cold stature was starting to come off on her. As she thought about that she shrugged to herself, did she really mind? Not really. She was used to be treated with the frigid nature of reality, and the fact that her family status was oozing with the concept of death, she had a set mindset of being considered inhumane towards certain concepts. Watching people die before her didn't matter to her anymore, she just continued living her life.

With her still level gaze, Isa lead her team out into the wilderness that was the Texan countryside. "Alright." She stated suddenly and a bit matter-of-factly. "Time for me to explain the basis of the mission." She addressed everyone on her team, glancing over them slightly as she did so. "The Candy Lady as the locals call her supposedly leaves candy for children and a note asking them to come play. Children who agree to this go missing and later are found with their teeth pulled out and their eyes gorged out with a fork... And candy in their pockets. Only thing is that this Candy lady is said to be at least a hundred years old. So, you can see why we were asked to look into it. The basis of the mission is to find the Candy Lady and stop her from committing any more murders... Questions?" She asked, folding her arms as she regarded her team.

[Heretic]

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Natalia sat cross-legged on her bed with the usual warm cup of tea in between her hands. They'd been given roughly an hour to prepare for the mission, and given that she had gotten ready at a relatively quick pace, she decided to take 5 to 10 minutes of that time to just relax and let her mind flow freely.

As she looked out her window, Natalia couldn't help but picture Arthur from when she saw him not too long ago. The thought alone made the young woman blush, although she would never tell a soul about her attraction towards the man 8 years her senior and likewise, she never acted any different when he was around. She always enjoyed his company though as he was a very easy-going person to talk to, and since they've been at the ORO for 5 years, she's gotten the chance to talk to him more so than she's interacted with anyone else. Not only was he good a good talker (and listener), but she loved his eyes. Sometimes she would catch herself staring at them as if they were the only thing in the room.

With such thought, she snapped out of her trance. Natalia took one final, long sip from her cup before she set it down and proceeded to grab her stuff.

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Now in the meeting room, Natalia waited by the window to receive their final instructions, but she didn't have to wait long. Given some information they were already aware of, Natalia couldn't help but tense up at the fact that this was already a dangerous mission and their group was just about ready to leave the house.

[Zahir]

interacting with

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Listening to the female and what case she was assigned to. Nickie was on a totally different case then Tariq he nodded his head in politeness as she spoke. "Ah" He paused his words as he seemed to be thinking. "Have fun with your case." He muttered and snickered a little. Before turning away and leaving the female.

As Tariq noticed his team leaving, he instantly got out of the house the fastest he could and waited. He only could hear apart of Emory's little speech before they went out. But, in reality he didn't want to hear those words. 'Die well...' the first time Emory said that it brought back flashes of the past and every since then he would just rush out of the house or stand there have present in the mind. He stopped caring on what speeches were said when he was going out.

Tariq then followed Isa into the country side as he listened to what she had to say on the mission. "The Candy Lady as the locals calls her supposedly leaves candy for children and a note asking them to come play. Children who agree to this go missing and later are found with their teeth pulled out and their eyes gorged out with a fork... And candy in their pockets. Only thing is that this Candy lady is said to be at least a hundred years old. So, you can see why we were asked to look into it. The basis of the mission is to find the Candy Lady and stop her from committing any more murders... Questions?" hearing the questioning of Isa. Tariq nodded his head and cleared his throat. "Yes." He spoke out loudly from a distance he was already not with the team in seconds he was at least five feet away from everyone at the moment. "Has there been any attacks on teenagers or adults? or is it just children?" He rubbed his neck as he glared at Isa. "As well...if there have been, aggression told the older. What have the turn outs been like?" He questions the pale female again. He seemed to have a very expressionless expression towards her as he just stared right at her. Tariq was always off seeming with Emory and Isa...though he seemed to be able to talk to Isa and not run out of the room like he did with Emory. He stood there as he looked round the place checking everything out.

[Angel Eyes]

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[Lauder]

Nickie

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Nickie watched Tariq as he left, not bothering to stand and wait around, she moved back to room to do some last minute packing of some clothing that would have been a good idea to take along with her on the case. The lady did not have much time and barely looked at what she packed, but she was not looking to be fashionable or matching by any means, just to survive the case. Coming back down in time to hear the group’s cover, she nodded to herself in order to remember that piece of key information that may be a good cover for a later situation. Finally they had arrived, the oaken door had swung open and she hurried herself out as she wished to see California for her first time.

The young witch’s eyes glowed as she marvelled at the sight of California, taking in the fresh air and a smile erupting onto her face. Had she kept her eyes closed, Nickie may have forgotten that they were on a mission of the utmost importance. Sadly, her dreams of being an actual tourist would have to wait as, again, this was a very important mission for them as it had to do with dead bodies or something. However, she could not help but to think of what she could do while they were in the state.

Talking brought Nickie back to reality, snapping her head to Bunny who seemed to cling onto Florian for some rather odd reason, only a glare towards the girl was given. Those bright blue orbs of Nickie’s wandered up Florian’s arm before she looked at his eyes, quickly she blinked and forced herself to look away rather than think of the possibility that he was infatuated with her. The young witch let out a sigh as she did so, crossing her arms and looking away from the wizarding group. Again, she looked towards the wilderness, a smile on her face as she watched the bloody boring scene before letting out one comment and one comment only.

”This should be pretty fun.”

[BlackPanther]

*is being a tad bit distracted**pretend photo is here*

Athos

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Athos lit up when Felix said thanks and nodded. He hoped the webbing would work well as bandages...he didn't see why it wouldn't but it would be good to know if it was pointless to get more. He half paid attention to Emory, but as soon as he had stepped out of the house he took on a seriousness that was rarely seen. He had a small notebook out and was taking notes as Isa said them. His brows furrowed. A fork? He listened to the other questions and waited until he could speak.

"How certain are we that it was a fork used to pull out the eyes?" He seemed rather unfazed by the grotesque nature of eye gouging and leaving behind candy. That and the teeth were missing. Were they certain they were facing an actual 'lady' so to speak and not some form of a creature. Either way he was glad he gave Felix the venom. Any form of defense their healer had made him feel better.

His thoughts started rattling through creatures that he knew of as he tapped his pencil against his arm. That and the candy...perhaps this is some form of sick human cannibal? a sick twist on the tooth fairy? or is it a intelligent creature....but what likes eyeballs and teeth...hmm

[Xilaw]

FLORIAN SABINOV

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The time Florian spent in his bed just reminiscing of things and thinking about what could be helpful to the case felt longer than it actually was. Forty minutes long casual lying on that ugly yet unusually comfortable bunk and alas the announcement finally came. They are at their first landing already. He decided to get his things and take them downstairs to meet with everyone else. It wouldn't be too long after the first drop before his team has to set out as well. He tightly gripped the large suitcase expecting to struggle with it, but it was as light as feather and he seems to forget it every time, its size being quite an eye fooler. As he made his way down he noticed many have already assembled in the meeting room, ready for departure.

A room quite large, almost inexplainably, given the house's appearance from the outside. It had a very high ceiling with two majestic chandeliers hanging from above, covering every inch of the room in their light. Walls are tall and covered in some very dark wood up to the middle with exquisite designs while the other half that connected them to the ceiling was coated in wallpapers. Large entrance on one side, wide enough to fit four average humans standing shoulder to shoulder, and a pair of tall windows on the opposite end, starting somewhere at the hip level and stretching all the way up, just barely short of the ceiling. Most of the room itself was fairly empty as far as furniture goes. It was meant for assembling teams before going on missions and on some occasions house parties.

He approached the group not saying anything, just creeping up with his giant suitcase which he then casted aside. Seems as though the Texas case team was exchanging information about their case, which to Florian meant nothing so he stayed out of it. Finally, his team assembled just as well on the side, forming a circle of their own with his partner sharing valuable information to the rest of the crew. Florian listened carefully trying not to miss a single detail. Loads of unusual stuff and he wasn't sure what to make of it without further examination. Shortly after finishing her dictation, Bunny made her way over to Florian, almost pushing up against him which made him feel slightly uncomfortable. While he was trying to figure out how to get out of it, he noticed with the corner of his eye that Nickie was spectating the event for a brief moment. "Is she jealous?"- he pondered keeping her in sight for a second then looking away not to give her any ideas. After all, they never did have a talk about what happened that one time. He's not the type to settle down for a relationship and he didn't think it would be an issue with her, either. But it's been a fairly awkward situation ever since, and he's been wondering if she had actually taken it to heart. As a result he's been limiting his contact with her to a minimum, not opting to tell her directly. After all, he was never a big conversationalist anyway.

And finally the time came for the first team to leave the premises. As they departed, Florian's group slowly prepared itself as well, getting a hold of their luggage that was scattered around and slowly assembling in the lobby before getting off. "Looks like we're here." - he stated as the house was now slowly descending in some remote area of California, supposedly not too far from the crime scene.

[Heretic]

Interacting with

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"Actually, I don't have a question...more like a suggestion," Natalia interjected, making her way to the front of the group. "Since we know very little about the case, maybe we can start by interviewing the victims' families. There's a chance that these attacks are connected, or maybe they're not, but either way we'll know whether we can follow certain clues that could very well lead us to the crazy lady."

Natalia figured she could put her two cents in without sounding like she wanted to take charge of the case, which wasn't true at all. However, her years of experience have equipped her with some investigative knowledge that always came handy regardless of the type of case they were working, and this time was no different.

"And if it does in fact lead us to her, maybe we can prevent an attack," she shrugged her shoulders, the idea sounding good to her but maybe the same couldn't be said of the others.

[BrutalBx]

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Emory allowed his face to curl into a rare grin as Velvet began her tangent about the history of the Winchester House. He had no doubt that her brilliant mind had absorbed everything from the blueprints of the place to what colour was used in the walls of every bathroom. Bunny was talented like that. Her mind was a perfect weapon…when it wasn’t off inventing magical toilet cleaners or cauldron splitters. In her rant about the house, the bewitching inventor made mention of a séance room and a particular Rosicrucian theme throughout the house. It seemed that spirits would be very prominent in this case.

Ghosts were always interesting. He remembered when he was a boy, not long after he first began attending Hogwarts, he was told the story behind Slytherin’s house ghost; the Bloody Baron. As a young man he fell in love with Helena Ravenclaw, but she did not love him. He was sent by Rowena Ravenclaw to find Helena in Albania, but Helena refused to return with him and so he killed her in a rage. When he realised what he had done, the Baron stabbed himself with the same knife and died. He continued to haunt Hogwarts, covered in his beloveds blood. Every ghost had a story and whom they were in life wasn’t always a way to see how they would be in death.

This was the reason why the Welshman hoped that he would never have to cross paths with the spirit of his wife. Of course he would want nothing more than to see her again but death changes a person. In his experience, spirits can sometimes take the most negative aspect of a personality and exasperate it ten fold. Seeing his Daisy become a monster was something he had to avoid at all costs.

”Right then. When we get to the house, we’ll join the tour and when we get chance, we’ll split up. Zara, Nickie, we’ll aim for the séance room. Florian, Bunny, you guys take this” Emory handed the eastern European dark arts master a sheet of paper. ”That’s all the info on the last victim. Find the room where he died and see if you can pull anything residual from there. Let’s get going” As he finished his speech, the Charm aficionado watched as the Domum apparated into thin air, obviously on it’s way back to Lundy to recharge.

A short time later, the group had found its way to the Winchester Mystery House:



From the outside, the house was gorgeous if not a little strange in its architecture just as Bunny had explained. Most definitely the building would not look out of place in the wizarding world. Maybe that was by design. The truth of what was going on behind those walls was unknown at this point but not for long, the Regulators would find out what was going on. Emory leaned forward and pressed the doorbell. He placed his arm around Zara’s shoulders as the door opened and they were greeted by an old face. ”Can I help you?”

”Hey bud. I’m Brad, this is my girl Holly. We’re from the University? We called up about a tour a few days ago. We brought some friends too. Is that ok?” Emory’s faux American accent was flawless. He had spent several years perfecting this particular talent. It was almost as difficult as his O.W.L.S….almost. Brad Ludwig was an undergrad at UCLA, The Caretaker had cleverly managed to cause a slight change in his plans to allow Emory to adopt his identity for this case. ”Of course, sir. You and your…crew will not be alone on the tour. You will be joining the Barr family. If that is to your liking?” Emory turned to the others and smiled. ”Yeah we’re good wit that Jeeves”

Following the butler into a separate room, the Regulators came upon the Barr family. A man, a woman and a child, a little girl. ”Talk amongst yourselves. The tour will begin shortly”

[Sadie]

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Zara had busied herself with studying the outside of the house. It was absolutely huge and definitely not lacking in character. She could see herself residing in a place like this if she were no longer a Regulator. However, once in, there was really only one true way to get out. Her eyes looked over at Florian and Bunny before her brow raised slightly. Before she could say much, she caught the look between Nickie and Florian as well. The girl tilted her head and tiptoed through their thoughts. A small grin pulled at her lips as she saw the connection between Nickie and Florian. "Well...Now how did I miss out on that one?" She glanced back to Nickie and gave her a small wink. "Kudos to you, cuz."

Before either could state a reply, they started making their way to the front of the house. Zara could feel the tension in the air grow denser with each step they took. With a shaky breath, she muttered slightly. "Something spooky this way comes..." She couldn't think too much of in when Emory's arm draped neatly over her shoulder, drawing her in. It was time to put on the persona of a chilled out college student. Easy enough. Leaning into him, she wrapped an arm lightly around his waist and allowed her fingers to play with the hem of his shirt. The door was soon answered and she smiled brightly as Emory spoke.

They were led inside and Zara added a little bounce to her step. She could hear all sorts of whispers throughout the house- there was plenty of time to get to those later. Her eyes took in everything they passed and it all amazed her. The lady who built this house was extremely kooky- and Zara absolutely loved it. There was a time in life when she imagined having a simple life. A husband, kids, sanity...It was all out of reach for her now. Her life belonged to the mission and she never knew which day would be her last. Might as well enjoy every last one of them.

When they reached what she had assumed to be the sitting room, her eyes took in the small family that was waiting as well. Zara took a shaky breath as she looked at the little girl who seemed to be awfully uncomfortable in such a setting. She cleared her throat and placed a chaste kiss to Emory's cheek before disengaging herself from his arm. With a grin, she sat down near the girl and leaned over, resting her elbows on her knees. Zara blew out a breath and winked at the girl. "Hi, there. I'm Holly." She was received with a toothy grin before hearing a clearing of the throat from the mother. Raising a brow at the woman, Zara glanced back at the little girl and gave another wink, earning yet another sheepish grin. She stood and moved back over to Emory as she lowered her voice. "Someone's a little touchy."

[RumikoOhara]

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Bunny moved away from the others few paces studying the Mansion trying to decide which section was the one she was looking for as she believed that it might be there that any magical additions would have been placed. The house at one time had appeared totally different because it had reached as high as seven stories tall. (1905) It would be the perfect place to place hidden aspects and where she would have added her’s because they were sympathiclly available to be refilled; “Magic like Water or Air seeks the Easiest Route” had been Miss Night’s favorite Dumbledor quote and therefore Bunny’s.

Reaching into her bag she removed a bottle containing a mixture of dust gathered from artifacts she’d cleaned over the years since she had begun to understand the journals of he Uncle Alexander Crane who in her opinion had been one of History’s grandest Artificers. He had expanded the understanding of sympathetic materials and how they were either attracted or repelled by different types of magic his formula as artful as any by the great muggle mathematicians and why she had decided to begin applying the laws of experimental science rigorously as she could to her magical research.

It was during her research she’d discovered why some magical items gathered dust faster than others and how they caused disruptions in the flow of magic through the Artifact. She had developed methods to see or illuminate the dust in ways that allowed her to sometimes tell what type of magic was in an area or had been cast and if she got lucky how powerful and detailed it’s use. It might prove useful in exposing and hidden structures by simply disappearing as it drifted through the air.

Their Leader spoke up addressing the group”Right then. When we get to the house, we’ll join the tour and when we get chance, we’ll split up. Zara, Nickie, we’ll aim for the séance room. Florian, Bunny, you guys take this” Then Emory handed Florian a of paper saying ”That’s all the info on the last victim. Find the room where he died and see if you can pull anything residual from there. Let’s get going”


Bunny was thrilled to be able to go to the Celestial Sanctum of this obviously mystical structure even whispering to herself the opening phrases of meditation “May the Divine Essence of the Cosmic infuse my being and cleanse me of all impurities of mind and body, that I may enter the Celestial Sanctum, and Commune in pureness and worthiness. So mote it be!” before she turned to Florian and said This is so exciting don’t you know?

[BrutalBx]

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Emory watched as Zara attempted to make small talk with the little girl, only to be ushered away by her parents. Well that just wouldn’t do. ”Sorry guys, Holly loves kids. She wants to be a paediatrician, that’s what its called right babe? Anyway, I’m Brad. The lovebirds behind us are Kyle and Jen and the little blue haired firecracker is Ronnie. And you guys are, the Barr’s right?”

The little girl soon piped up with her big toothy grin ”That’s right, my name’s Vespa and these are my parents” With a begrudging grunt, the father of the girl whom now identified herself as Vespa nodded his head. ”I suppose if we’re going to have to endure this hour with you kids we might as well be civil. I’m Henry and this is my wife, Tina. Her family own this place. We’re not really here for a tour. Vespa wanted one last look before we tore the thing down. So you kids are just in time” Emory darted a look to his fellow Regulators, all of whom possessed the same glint in their eyes. The house was being threatened just as murders begin occurring…an interesting and serendipitous turn of events to be sure.

Before anything more could be said, the Butler walked back into the room, arms crossed behind his back. ”If you would all follow me, we will start the final tour He ushered the two groups from the room and began to walk them through the house. With every new room explored, new stories were told of the supernatural goings on within. As the group fell deeper into the maze like building, a chime rang throughout the halls. ”That is the phone. Please remain here while I tend to it. Do not move. The last person who left the group…well…excuse me” As soon as the man was out of sight, Emory brought back his faux accent. ”Let’s ditch, do a little exploring of our own” He said suggestively to “Holly”. Taking her by the hand, he looked to Florian and Bunny, giving them a nod. They knew their roles in this, it was time for the Regulators to do what they did best, work.

Leaving the Light and Dark partners to find the last crime scene, Emory lead Zara and Nickie further into the house and directly into the séance room. Upon entering, a sudden feeling washed over the Welshman, a feeling of deep dread and fear. ”Girls, you feel that?

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With the college kids gone, the Barr family awaited the return of the Butler. ”Maybe we should go find those kids. After all, they never did catch…” Tina was immediately cut off by her brutish husband whom glared at her with malice.

”If they want to get themselves lost in here, that’s fine with me. We’ll get them out when we tear the damn thing down”

As her mother and father continued to argue, Vespa backed out of the door and took off running down the corridor. Why did they always have to fight? She didn’t want them to bring the house down, this was a magical place. People loved it. Why did they always have to ruin everything?!

Turning to see her daughter missing, Tina shook her head and left the room with a snarl. ”LOOK WHAT YOU DID NOW, HENRY! BASTARD! VESPA HONEY!”

Henry, now alone sat a chair in a huff. The room he was situated in was pretty barren save a window that looked out onto a blank wall and a cupboard. As he sat with steam emerging from his ears, he slammed his closed fist against the cupboard door, forcing it open. Jumping to his feet, Henry shook his head and opened the cupboard door fully. As he poked his head inside, the curtain from the window ripped itself from the wall and wrapped around the man’s throat, forcing him inside the cupboard. As the door slammed shut behind him, he clawed at his neck to try and free himself from the tightening makeshift noose. The curtain tail raised up and wrapped itself around the high beam inside the closet, pulling Henry with it. His feet leaving the floor, his eyes bulging with terror, the father made one final gasp for freedom, scratching at the bolted door until finally his neck snapped and his body swung back and forth from the high beam.

[Lauder]

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Nickie listened to Emory’s plan of splitting the group, never a good idea to do from what she could gather from the muggle cartoon “Scooby-Doo.” Then again, they were not exactly the run-of-the-mill muggles either so they would surely fare better than a group of teenagers and a dog. She went along with it, following Emory ever silently as she kept her distance from Florian and being very mindful of that distance. The girl’s eyes looked over the mansion as they approached it, it surely seemed normal from the outside and not supernatural but they were not there to judge the house on its looks alone.

Then they met the family, a family of what seemed like rich folk and, technically, being of the working immigrant class, she immediately disliked them and their pretentious nature as she listened to the father speak. She turned her back to the rest of the tour group and began exploring the room, finding everything seemed a bit normal with everything in place. ”Got to give to that butler, keeps the place clean,” she mumbled to herself as she found the place pretty clean.

Then the suggestion from Emory, ”Let’s ditch, do a little exploring of our own,” and with that her normal cheeky grin coming to her face as she silently nodded in agreement. Nickie walked after Emory and Zara, following them closely before finding themselves in the séance room and was immediately accompanied by the feeling of dread.

”Good, I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt that,” Nickie stated, turning around to check their backs. Then she could hear the mother and her absurdly loud voice go through the house. ”Well, doesn't sound like the family is in good spirits,” she giggled, finding the families strife enjoyable as she knew rich families were not exactly the greatest, primarily from hearing the fact from other irish immigrants.

[Sadie]

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She wasn't offended in the slightest that the parents didn't want her around their kid- after all, she was a purple haired stranger who they had never seen before. If she had kids, she would be hesitant at first as well. Emory coming to her defense stirred something within her gut and she couldn't help a grin in his direction. He was really an amazing man in his own right. Too bad he couldn't get over his own inner demons. Then again, that's why they were all in this group, was it not? Each member having their own personal tragedy- some more than others. Zara definitely hadn't gotten past what had happened to her mother. For a stranger to take away a child's parent with no rhyme or reason...It just didn't make any sense to her.

As the man spoke, Zara surveyed the room some more. His personal story wasn't really much interest to her. That is, until he mentioned his wife's ownership of the house. She quirked a brow and glanced back at the woman. With a breath she allowed herself a glimpse into the Muggle's mind-and was quickly surprised by what she found. The woman absolutely loathed her husband and was only considering demolishing the house because he wanted the land. She wanted the house to continue standing in all it's glory. She bounced herself into the man's head and took a staggering breath; he was absolutely vile. He was money and power hungry and didn't care in the slightest about how he made anyone feel, his own family included. Zara couldn't stand that much negativity. She quickly pulled herself away from his mind and she wobbled back a bit on her heels. The man's mind made her feel drained.

The tour soon began and she allowed herself to lean on Emory as her energy slowly returned to normal. It was just about there when the Butler had to leave hastily for a phone call. Seeing him hurry off, she nodded at Emory's suggestion. With a small squeeze of his hand, she allowed him to lead them away from the group. Zara's breathing only grew more heavy once they entered the seance room. Her hand was still in Emory's as she reached up to place her free hand against her chest. She shook her head slightly. "These people...They're not happy at all, Emory...This place is toxic.."

Hearing the screaming of the woman, she rose a brow and glanced at Nickie. She didn't agree with the girl's enjoyment. No matter what the status of the family, any kind of strife was never a good occurrence. Zara took another quick breath. "They can't be spatting like that in here...It'll just add more negative thoughts into this place." Straightening slightly, she closed her eyes and squeezed Emory's hand to center herself. It had taken her a lot of training to be able to read people who were not in her immediate vicinity. Reaching out with her mind, she heard the inner sadness of the daughter, then the inner panic of the mother. Zara cleared her throat once more and reached out to the father.

Her mind reached into his just as the curtain lifted his feet from the floor. She could feel his terror and it flooded her mind. Crying out, she started to choke as she could sense him dying. Her body wobbled and she hit the floor with a sob as she felt the last thought leave the man's mind. Letting her head drop, she sobbed as her own hand wrapped around her throat in pain. She was only able to squeak out her statement. "The father.."

[Shadow007]

Interacting with:


~*~ Isadora ~*~

Isa nodded as she took in all of her teammates questions, before taking a breath, "The only victims accounted have been children. So, no. Teenagers and adults are not in the victim range." She explained, addressing Tariq's question with a slight, but haughty glare of her own. While Tariq may have a year of experience on her, she was not going to be talked down to on her mission. "As for turnouts there have been at least 300 victims in the last hundred years... Unfortunately... More and more victims have been arising as of late..."

Once Isa had addressed Tariq's questions, she turned her attention to Sebastian, "We're in the small town of Blue, Texas. I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard of it... Because... Honestly, neither have I until this mission." She admitted, playing with a strand of her hair, wrapping it around her pale finger. "And... Don't mind the vulture. I'm sure they'll be many more showing up." She said in an almost ominous tone.

"We are certain that the instrument to gouge out the eyes was indeed a fork due to the certain pattern tongs make in flesh." Isa said with an eerie gentle smile as she looked over at Athos. "They say that eyes are the window to the soul... Perhaps that's why our famous Candy Lady takes them? Definitely will have to do more research on the subject."

"And yes. Thank you, Natalia for the wonderful suggestion." Isa said with a more genuine smile that most of the members had witnessed. "I want nothing more than to put a stop to these attacks as soon as possible. So, now that we have a game plan so to speak... Shall we split up to cover more ground?" She suggested with a slight tilt of her head.