LostButterfly92

WORM: Parahumans Manchvegas [CANCELLED]

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Myrtle Gardner - Wallƒlower

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Seventeenth of November (Evening, Elm Street and beyond]

Work was miserable--the second half of her shift always was. At least in the mornings Myrtle got to sort packages and mail, get a little exercise, and have time to think. The second half of her shift was always working the register, and it was the least favorite part of her job. But a few miserable customers hours later, Myrtle closed up shop, dispatched, and was out for the rest of the evening.

The sun was setting on the Queen City by the time Myrtle got out--and that meant people would be out clubbing, drinking, smoking, and causing mischief. After chowing down on an energy bar, Myrtle made a quick change in a quiet alleyway and soon emerged as Wallflower. She felt a little guilty about going out without Ray Madjick, but she somehow managed to forget his phone number. Oh well, Kotov would probably give it him or they would inevitably run into each other. For now, Myrtle needed to blow off some steam and feel like she was doing some good in the world, and a patrol was likely to help with that.

Wallflower would start with the beautiful, bustling Elm Street, (because that was where her workplace was located) and then circle around check the various clubs, bars, and lounges looking for potential robberies, car thieves, and sexual assaults, and then later, go into the less desirable areas of town and be on the lookout for thugs, drug dealers, and burglars.

For right now, all seemed well and good. Elm Street was the home of the local Protectorate Office (inside City Hall), so it would be well protected. The streets were lit with Christmas lights, the sunset was stunning, and the streets were full of laughter and the aroma of delicious food being served in the many restaurants that lined Elm Street--but there was no telling what she would find later during her patrol.

Elm Street at Night

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Wallflower left the comfort and safety of downtown and traveled further out, keeping to dark alleyways, staying close to walls and other unlit areas of the city. Even though she knew she was doing good, she didn't like drawing attention to herself and always felt kind of weird skulking about in costume. Every streetlamp felt light a spotlight, hot on her head, and she would avoid them as much as she could. Deep down, she hoped she would never find fame, no matter how flattering it could be.

It wasn't long before she spotted trouble. Two young, white males were going around a parking lot with a black trash bag, trying every handle in the parking lot. They had their heads shaved, and they were covered in tattoos. This scene was becoming all too familiar... was a gang moving into town?

"Hey, you-you two," Myrtle spoke up, trembling a bit. The guys kept on going as if she weren't even there. Myrtle frowned and furrowed her brow, frustrated. "HEY! I'm talking to you." Wallflower called out, stepping into the light of a lamp post. Her green contacts almost seemed to glow as the light shone on them. Vines were growing out of her pockets, waving threateningly. She put her hands on her small hips, trying to play more confidence than she had.

The two guys looked at each other for about two seconds, they bolted, taking their duffle bag with them. "That doesn't belong to you!" Myrtle scolded, chasing after them. But just two minutes later, they were gone and out of sight, and Myrtle was left huffing and hunched over, hands on her knees with a stabbing feeling in her side. But after a few seconds of recovery, she was taking deep, slow breaths and stood up straight. "I-I better hit the gym, if I want to get in hero-shape," Myrtle spoke quietly to herself, with nobody around to hear her. Lifting packages isn't going to cut it, anyway... Wallflower thought as she righted her mask and adjusted her cape.

But then, BANG! A pang of fear and dread hit her chest like a bullet. Wallflower was off again like a dart in the direction of the gunshot, hoping she wouldn't be too late.

---

The shot was fired in a local convenience store, judging by the crashing and yelling going on within. Rather than going inside, Wallflower flattened herself near the door and laid out a few trip vines. It was only a couple of minutes later that another skinhead came running out with a gun in one hand and a duffle bag over one shoulder. One quick pull of the vine and... WHAP! the man fell down the step onto his bag while the gun went flying and skid to a halt a short distance away. Two other black-masked villains fell onto their comrade in a heap, and moments later were tied up by writhing vines, the men groaning and swearing.

"Thank you, young lady," an elderly Asian man said with a nod and pleasant smile. "Who you?"
"W-wallflower, sir," the heroine answered with a shy smile and a curtsey. "Do you know who these guys are?" she asked.
"Empire 88, bitch! Better watch your back, little girl, 'cause now you're on our hit list!" one of the goons snarled, following with a spit in her direction. Myrtle made a face in disgust.
The old store owner shook his head with closed eyes. "I no pay protection money, they come after me. Lucky for me, you help," he explained, finishing with a nod.
In the distance, police sirens could be heard. Myrtle's heart began to race in time with them. "Can you take it from here, sir?" she asked, looking to the still struggling goons. The man nodded, "An honor."

With that, Wallflower ran off into the night with a smile on her face, but worry in her heart. If Empire 88 was staking a claim in Manchester already, other gangs would not be far behind.

The Convenience Store

Recollections: Magnanimous (Cancelled)

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"Fetishists and witches and stolen property? Oh my! Aileen replied, grinning and raising a brow. She was probably one of the few who actually wanted to attend the meeting with the investigators, but this was turning out to be more interesting--and exciting--but dangerous. She was falling in love with the mansion and its quirky inhabitants. A couple of weeks ago when the Vanburen Mansion got broken into, she had felt awful about not being able to do anything to stop it. But this time, there was something she could do. And she would do everything she could to help her new family.

Too much and not enough was going on, here. Too many people talking or running around and getting in the way for Aileen to be dancing with pretty razor blades. She would have to find another way if she wanted to accomplish anything. One great thing about creepy old mansions is one thing: there's always another way.

After feeling along the wall for a bit, Aileen opened one of her previously-discovered doors. It would lead her deeper into the mansion, and hopefully, lead her to some of the witches...

---

Aileen exited the secret passageway closer to the study but still a little far from it. If the witches were truly after a magical artifact, they would wind up around here eventually if not already. So with that in mind, she tapped her thumb and pointer finger to reveal pulsing energy between her fingers. Then, carefully maneuvering her hand, she began to rotate her hand in a circle, and as she moved her hand the light began to trail a ribbon of hard, rainbow light energy. It circled her as she walked down the hall toward where the study would be. The rainbow was probably no more than 4" tall, but grew several feet long and would serve as a sort of weak defensive shield, cutting into and possibly twisting or dislocating any limb that might get into its path.

The girl moved slowly and quietly, squinting her eyes as she went toward the study and gallery. She could hardly see, but she could still hear and detect movement--and from what she could tell, the voices were getting closer.

WORM: Parahumans Manchvegas [CANCELLED]

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Myrtle Gardner - Wallƒlower / Ray Clayton - Madjick

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Seventeenth of November (Afternoon, Arms Park/Secret Bunker)

"Really?! You want to team up?! Excellent!"

Ray seemed rather excited about the prospect, especially since he wouldn't need to do this job of heroism alone. "Patrol, train, whatever, it's your pick, my treat." He then lurched forward, whispering to her ear. "I can also tell you how to win my man's heart."

"You-you would really do that for me? Tha-thank you..." Myrtle stammered, her heart fluttering with renewed hope. She put her hands together and wiggled a bit, with her hoodie sleeves flopping around as she moved. But this wasn't all about repairing her relationship with Kotov.

Myrtle smiled gratefully up at Ray and then nodded. "We should train first-- get to know what the other is capable of. That way, we can work more effectively in the field."

"Hmmm. Okay." Ray didn't have a lot of ideas about her and Kotov, other than the fact that she was head over heels in love, and that he was... well, not really returning the favour. Either way, they should start on getting familiar with each other's abilities now.

Ray chucked the rest of the ice cream into his mouth, and then downed the cone itself to the point of getting some of the stuff on his beard. He wiped it with his jacket's sleeves, and then looked back at Myrtle. "Let's get to it, then. I have a secret place where I train..."

Myrtle giggled quietly, hiding her laugh with one sleeve, as she watched Ray take care of his cone. [color=8dc73f]"A secret place, huh? I can't wait to see," she said as he finished. She looked into his eyes and clapped her sleeves together in a quiet thud. "So, how do we get there?"

"My bourgeoise friend Caitlin Le Roche has a testing facility a few blocks away.", Ray said, pointing past a few buildings beyond the part. "She's been kind enough to let me use her basement. And I told her that I might be bringing a friend, too."

"Sure, that sounds awesome! And very generous of her, too." she remarked, giving him a curious smile, wondering what kind of relationship they shared. "...Much better than trying to hide out in the woods, like I normally do. So far out of the way, and you always have to worry about hikers or hunters..." Myrtle babbled, getting psyched at the idea of some real superhero training. "Please, show me the way!"

"There are also lots of plants for you to use in there, before you ask.", Ray said as he began to walk towards a rather old building. It was a dilapidated thing, and was probably around since the 40's. The wood creaked with every step they made, and the dust was rather annoying to the nose.

Even Ray sneezed, as there was quite a lot of fine dust just floating around due to neglect. "Sorry about that.", he said, hunching over an old rug. He summoned one of his spectral hands, which then pulled the piece of sheepskin off the floor. There was a trapdoor under it, though it could only be opened by hitting these six switches on the walls simultaneously...

"Get down.", Ray said to Myrtle as all six of his eldritch hands came into existence. They then charged for a brief moment before firing, heating every one of the switches until they all opened. And with that, the trapdoor opened as well.

Ray jumped down the trapdoor, and once Myrtle had followed suit, she would find a rather spacious basement; it would seem that this was a Cold Era bunker, built to survive a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union. Now, it was a training ground; burn marks on the far side of the wall told them much.

Putting an arm over Myrtle's shoulder, Ray started talking again. "She'll be here soon."

"This place is awesome... a real war-time bunker! I heard these things existed around Manchester, but never could find one. And-and those custom switches, are they Tinker made? It's a-it's ah... ahh-chu!" Myrtle sneezed cutely into her elbow, sounding almost like a little mouse. "Scuse me, sorry." she giggled self-consciously. "This place is perfect for our training... and I can't wait to meet your friend." she nodded, looking up into Ray's eyes with a smile, and then around the room in anticipation.

"Well, not Tinker made.", Ray answered. "Caitlin is just a brilliant engineer, and she made those so that I'm the only one who could access the bunker from that trapdoor. They're calibrated to resonate with the eldritch energy that my spectral hands emit. Pretty neat huh?"

As if in cue, a door opened, and out came a rather young woman, dressed in a grey sweater, a lab coat, and holding a cup of coffee in her hand. "Speaking of which, this is Cait.", Ray then introduced Myrtle to her. "Caitlyn, this is Myrtle Gardner. You know, the one I told you about?"

"Yeah, nice to meet you, lovergirl.", Caitlyn simply said with a wink. She then whispered to her ear. "My guy friends are so cute, right?"

Lovergirl! Myrtle closed her eyes, embarrassed, and blushed red at the young women's comment, laughing nervously. She looked at the undoubtedly beautiful and brilliant women up and down, heart sinking. This is somebody she has to compete with?!

"Um, the pleasure is all mine, Caitlyn. Thank you for having me here." Myrtle said, looking her in the eyes and nodding graciously. "They are very cute, hehe..." she giggled shyly, smiling and looking away from her.

Then, looking to both Ray and Caitlyn she spoke up, "Um, is there anything else I should know?"

"We're not in a relationship, if that's what you're asking.", Ray answered with a shrug. "Cait is my girl best friend. We've known her since college, and she's like the one that keeps the insanity that Kotov and I exude contained."

Caitlyn nodded. "The two of them are like my younger brothers. I care a lot for them, but to feel romantic about any one of them feels... wrong."

Myrtle took a breath and felt a weight leave her chest, nodding thankfully. It was not the question Myrtle meant to ask, but it was the answer her heart was looking for. To her relief, the perfect woman in front of her was not Kotov's hot new girlfriend but rather a trusted friend as close as family.

"Aaaaanyway..." Ray pointed towards the potted cactus nearby. "We should get started."

"Yes, let's get started!" Myrtle replied enthusiastically. She set her bag on the floor by one wall, then knelt next to it and pulled out her mask and gloves. She stood back up and pulled her big hoodie up over her head, accidentally tugging her shirt up a little. She righted it, then put herself together now appearing as Wallflower.

After stuffing her hoodie away in the bag, she turned back to the others and smiled. "I'm ready. Want a demonstration or should we just get down to sparring?"

"Let's see what you can do first.", Caitlyn said to Myrtle. "You can make plants grow really fast, right? Anything else?"

"Yes, that's basically it, but not all. Here, um, let me show you..." Myrtle trailed off. Her heart was pounding at the thought of having an audience, but she was itching to finally show somebody what she could do. She took a few moments to awkwardly toss seeds around her, then closed her eyes and activated her power in full force.

All at once Myrtle was aware of her surroundings: the roots behind the walls of the bunker, the plants seeping through the cracks, the seeds on the floor. The seeds and her own body began to take on a faint glow. Soon sprouts were shooting out and blossoming into hundreds of tiny pink flowers. Seconds later thousands of tiny pink petals shot into the air, swirling almost as if they were riding a gust of wind. Half of the petals circled Wallflower while the other half began to take on a feminine human shape. Wallflower and the petal-girl walked and then ran, circling each other until they were face to face. The two struck out in a punch, exploding into a rain of petals.

Then all at once, the petals dropped to reveal Wallflower wrapped up in vines. She was held off the floor by four vine-legs. Two vine arms whipped around. With a look of fierce concentration, Myrtle raced across the room like some kind of strange insect, reaching out for her target. "Ahhhh-YAH!" the girl called out, lassoing the potted cactus around the neck and pulling it to the floor. She skid to a stop at its feet.

Wallflower stared at the fallen cactus, breathing hard. She put one hand over her heart and closed her eyes as she lowered herself down to the floor, where she took a deep breath. Soon her breath returned to normal. "Uh.. uh... s-sorry about that... Myrtle apologized nervously as she walked back toward her companions. She rubbed the back of her head and closed her eyes, feeling embarrassed. "Sometimes I... um, the more I use my powers--it's like something else is taking over me."

"That was... uh... spooky and really weird, but awesome, nonetheless." Ray gave a nervous chuckle, and then summoned his own spectral hands. "Everyone who gets powers feel like something else is taking over. No one is sure what that is; could be the feeling of power, maybe there's something about power acquisition that causes shifts in our brain chemistry. When I first had these hands, I didn't feel like myself for a time until I realized that these newfound abilities change who we are, somewhat."

Caitlyn snickered in an effort to lighten the mood. "You're still the sweetest, though."

Ray winked in response. "Now that is something that will never change!"

Myrtle gave them a small smile, although she was not feeling much better. Her display had gone a bit out of control, and didn't exactly go as planned. What she intended was to show off her decoy and mover capabilities, but a weird aggressive part of her came out. This thing inside her made her do it, and freak her friends out in doing it. To be honest with herself, she felt less in control than the last time she practiced. Maybe it was because of her recent emotional breakdown? She would have to find a way to defeat enemies and be a hero without drawing too much of her power, for fear of losing herself.

She walked over to the fallen cactus and righted it back up. She laid her hand on it and let her power flow, causing the plant to heal and blossom on top. Myrtle sighed, looking at the cactus."I much rather use my gift in small ways. It feels.. safer. Like tripping, binding, disabling and hindering movement," she began, then turned back her companions. "But... I can and will fight with every trick I can think of if that's what it takes to protect those I care about." Wallflower explained, looking back to Ray and Caitlyn in the eyes, smiling sadly.

Then, chuckling a bit, she shook her head and added, "I used to think about how I could use my power to solve world hunger, instead of crime-fighting."

"I thought about using these hands for sewing stuff en masse and to be the first pianist with eight hands." Ray joked. "And then I found out that they're basically made of rock, so it was impossible to do anything more complicated than grab and punch things with them."

Caitlyn chuckled in response, and gazed at the light bulb above them. "You should have listened to Kotov when he rambled about becoming a power plant when he was as high as a kite."

Myrtle couldn't help smiling for real, hearing their own fantasies. The two guys were just so cute and tender-hearted.

"Anyway, I get it. Everyone with powers has a tendency to lose themselves... we're all here to help you get the hang of it. After all, you haven't possessed abilities for a long time, unlike us, who had it for years."

"Thank you--thank you both. I-I never had friends like you who really cared about me..." Myrtle admitted. She crouched down on the floor and pretended to sweep at the petals, her long hair hiding her face and the tears welling at her eyes.

"I should clean these up before they die-- since I-I can't control or revive dead plants--if I want to make it to my second shift on time. I'm sorry I have to leave so soon..." Myrtle apologized as she got back up, rubbing the tears away from her eyes. She had time to make it to work, but right now she was an emotional trainwreck waiting to happen, and she needed to take time away from people to calm down.

Ray nodded, placing both of his hands on Myrtle's shoulders as a friendly gesture. "Okay.", he then said to her with utmost care. "Be careful out there, hmmm? Come here, gimme a hug before you go."

Myrtle nearly burst into tears at Ray's touch but tried to hold it in resulting in a sniffle. She looked away from him, smiling sadly. It was bittersweet--she was so happy to have found a good friend but couldn't help hating herself and her weakness. Sniffling quietly again, she hugged him tight, taking in his warmth and sighing. A few moments later, she let go, feeling more composed.

Wallflower stepped back and with a wave of her hand, the plant debris around her began to swirl and form a cloud that followed her as she moved. She picked up her bag and nodded her thanks with a grateful smile to both Caitlyn and Ray. "Okay, I should be off now. Thank you again for having me here. I hope to come back soon."

"Well, that was something." Ray watched as Myrtle fled the basement, the trail of plants following her like a whirlwind. "She's going to need every bit of guidance to ensure that she stays on the right path."

Caitlyn chuckled. "Yeah, and she's definitely going to fall for one of you guys."

"Nah.", Ray turned to her with a wry smirk. "She already has."

WORM: Parahumans Manchvegas [CANCELLED]

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Myrtle Gardner - Wallƒlower

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Seventeenth of November (Afternoon, Arms Park)

I really need a warmer costume... Myrtle thought, shivering, as she leaned on a fence by the Merrimack river in Arms Park. She wanted to take a break from her patrol and this park was just enough out of the way to be quiet and peaceful. At most, there were only ever a few pedestrians and bicyclists at any time--so when somebody said her name, Myrtle gasped in surprise. But even before she turned around, her heart started accelerating because she knew who it was.

"R-r-ray! Hi... You're looking better since I last saw you..." she gushed, smiling nervously and caught off-guard, as he was practically standing right behind her. She took a moment to look around for Kotov as a blush warmed her cold, rosy cheeks. But when he was nowhere to be seen, she relaxed a little and put her focus back on Ray.

The man appeared to be in civilian clothes and was enjoying an ice cream cone with a goofy smile on his face. Myrtle chuckled a little inside at that. Here she was, chilled to the bone while wearing her costume (minus the mask) and an oversized green hoodie with sleeves to her knees, while he licked joyfully away at his cone, thinking it must take a wonderfully warm heart to do that.

When Ray stepped forward and hugged Myrtle, she tensed up for a moment as her anxiety kicked in. But his touch was so warm and comfy, like a cloud, that Myrtle couldn't stop herself from melting into his arms, pressing her face against his chest and hugging back.

"It's great to see you too, Ray. I'm sorry I kind of disappeared for a while..." Myrtle apologized, trailing off and feeling guilty as she looked up into his grey eyes. "I wasn't... feeling well... for a while, but I really do want to team up with you, if that's okay," she finally answered, smiling awkwardly. But a real smile of excitement spread across her face at the idea of it. "I have my stuff with me--we could train or go on patrol today or sometime soon..." she offered in a whisper with a sparkle in her eye.

Arms Park

@The Man Emperor

WORM: Parahumans Manchvegas [CANCELLED]

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Myrtle Gardner - Wallƒlower

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Seventeenth of November (Afternoon, Somewhere in the City)

Days passed, and then weeks, each fading one into one another. Her job at the post office had picked up due to the upcoming presidential election. And for a while, she blamed work exhaustion as the reason she didn't check Facebook or try to get in touch with Kotov, or even just go out on patrol for that matter. Sixty hours of postal work was just too much, you know?

The election came and went without much fuss and Myrtle was out of excuses. While she couldn't bring herself to check messages or go back out as Wallflower quite yet, she made herself leave the house for a few half-hearted patrols with her costume by her side. But when she did, her heart just was not in it. It was good nothing much happened because she would not have been able to help anybody even if they needed her.

It wasn't until just last night that she saw a couple of lovebirds in the park, that she finally went home, broke down, and cried her heart out.

But today is a new day, and with tears gone dry and a renewed sense of purpose, Myrtle planned to get back into her game. She wanted to help the city and its people, and she was not going to let a broken heart keep her from it for long.

First thing after work, Wallflower was patrolling, looking for trouble around every corner...

Post a random fact about yourself.

My dad says his house is built on an native american Indian burial mound. I dont know if it's true, but I swear that house is haunted even though it was built brand new. Weird sounds all the time, things just disappear, and I used to get the most vivid ghost/demon/alien/entity nightmares ever. Now that I've moved out, I get normal dreams.

Roleplay advertising question...

Thank you for the advice everybody. =) I really don't want to insult or annoy anybody, so I think I will just post occasionally the status updates like most of you suggested.
Mayve about what's happening in my game... Thank you!

Roleplay advertising question...

Hello everybody. A question.

I have a roleplay and I want to attract more participants. It's for a fandom, and I noticed their are several dead roleplays for the same fandom. Would it be appropriate to either @mention members of those roleplays to ask/suggest they join my roleplay, or PM them directly to ask? Or is either option not really advisable?

Recollections: Magnanimous (Cancelled)

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Aileen made it over the pile of debris and out of the smoke into a clearing, where she got back to her feet. After taking a moment to rub the tears and grit out of her eyes, she saw who must have been one of her brother's returning for the reunion and the meeting with the investigators. He seemed surprisingly calm despite the chaos going around him.

"Oh, em... 'ello!" Aileen waved back with a friendly but curious smile. She then followed the man's gaze to a veil of fire. And through the veil, she three monstrous hellhounds--the source of the hellish howling. And behind them, there were three silhouettes. Because, of course, trouble always comes in threes. She readied herself in a fighting stance, and her eyes narrowed and brow furrowed, as now was the time to get down to business. As she activated her abstraction, her eyes and the Sigil on her shoulder began to glow. "Looks like I missed a lot while I was out, eh."

For now, she would hold back. There appeared to be somebody on the other side of the fire opposing the intruders, and she didn't want to risk them getting caught in the crossfire, as fighting at a distance is much more difficult when you are colorblind. Unfortunately, she had no way to put out the fire, but one of her brothers was working at that. Gradually the fire was being choked by well-placed stone slabs. Even if he could not put out the whole fire, they would have a path across, and Aileen would be ready...

Recollections: Magnanimous (Cancelled)

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"One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told..." a girl whispered, counting as she looked out the window from the back of a taxi. Her voice was low, faltering as she went.

Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss,
Eleven for health,
Twelve for wealth..." she paused, gulping as a lump formed in her chest.
Thirteen beware it’s the devil himself...." Aileen finished, choking up. She watched a flock of black and white birds cawing as they flew toward the Vanburen Mansion. Black clouds were billowing over the horizon and raindrops began to fall. This was a very ominous day indeed.

---

The driver drove through the gate and then pulled around the cul de sac, dropping Aileen off by the front entrance. She paid her thanks, fare, and tip, before getting out. She waved, then walked up to the door, taking a deep breath and expecting the worst. With a creak, she opened the door and walked inside, the door slamming behind her.

"Brothers and sisters, Aileen's home! Sorry a'm late..." she called out, trailing off as she looked cautiously around. The bad feeling in the pit of her stomach was getting worse. In the distance, she could swear there were sounds of breaking and crashing. She sniffed, smelling a fine wisp of smoke. Something must have happened at the meeting with the investigators--and she was going to find out what.

---

Aileen arrived at the scene, choking and coughing as she crawled over the rubble. Familiar and unfamiliar voices were shouting, and unnatural barks and howls were resounding throughout the building. Some places were drowned in water, and others engulfed in flame. "What is going in 'ere? she coughed, heading for the hellish barking, where there was bound to be trouble.