Despite the threat, Jen's mouth went open as she shot back,
"I wasn't even talking about you; how about you kiss my a-"
"... Let's keep it in your pants, ladies," Lily replied with a roll of her eyes - with all the weird shit going on out here, these idiots have nothing to do but try and tear each other's hair out. At the same time, Lily would have loved to see that any other time; she wanted to get the fuck out of there as fast as possible. The smell of weed on her clothes permeated through the rest of the van, but did Lily care? Not one bit. What was on her mind was the sudden rain storm, and as she sat in her chair, she quickly glanced at her cell phone, then the weather app. It still said that it was bright and sunny.... then again, the internet out here was god awful, but that didn't explain how sunshine went to rainstorms in the blink of a goddamn eye. Lily just rolled her eyes as she stepped out of Jennifer's van (she was likely the sole reason why Jen wasn't getting back her security deposit).
The rain hit Lily's hair and soaked it, and she knew that her dreads would be in desperate need of retwisting by the time she got back to San Antonio. She walked over to Charlie and Ophrenia as they discussed whether or not to climb the fence. It didn't have barbed wire at the top, so getting over it was easy. It was evident that Ms. Tea and Crumpets never did anything "street," but the New Yorker was more than willing to help her! Lily walked over and gave Charlie a little tap on the shoulder as she stepped past her and teased,
"Maaaaaami! You know you'll have a hard time getting over that fence with all that junk in the trunk!" Lily laughed as she put one foot ahead of herself, placing all her weight on her back leg, and bolted. Once she got in range, she jumped and grabbed the top with both hands, throwing her right leg over the fence and hooking her heel over the top. Lily then gracefully dropped down... and then looked down and saw that her Adidas sweatpants were ripped.
"Awwww fuck, I just got these!" Lily shook her head as she grabbed onto her pants and shook her head. She looked up and saw that Jennifer had vaulted the gate by sticking her hands and feet through the holes and dropped down the other side. Lily turned her head and quickly took off her backpack and dug out the flashlight as if she was not going to have her cell phone get drenched (nor kill the battery). She shined it ahead and asked Jennifer, "Straight ahead, Jen?"
"Y-yes," Jennifer answered.
"Then let's go! My dreads are getting drenched," Lily placed one foot forward and then allowed Jen to lead the group (who had a flashlight of her own). Hopefully, if a swamp bear or something attacked them, it would attack from the front and let their fearless leader take the brunt. Lily felt the mud squish against her feet, but fortunately, she had on some Timberland hiking boots just for this occasion. Jen had her flashlight facing the front, while Lily was scanning the sides of the woods...
Then she came to an abrupt stop, tilting her head to the side as she said, "... What. In. The. FUCK?" Lily's flashlight landed on a strange sight in the swamp, a strange humanoid deer thing that took motionless in the swamp, like some macabre statue made of pulsating flesh that went into the swamp water. Lily had no clue if it was dead or not - but she was sure as hell hoping it was!
"Yooooooo, what the fuck? I seen a lotta' shit, but I ain't eva' seen some shit like that?" Lily was briefly brought back to their conversation about twenty minutes ago about the glowing jar. She was hoping that this was not another thing.
"Yeah, um...." Jennifer looked to the side. "Let's... keep moving."
There was also a deer following behind the group, trailing far enough behind not to be noticed but close enough to keep the group in their sights...
The Shells had deployed, some quickly advanced into the treeline for cover, and it wouldn't be long before the Murakumo Robotics Advance Party would catch sight of them. Their radar systems were likely not advanced, or this operation would have died in the water. The plan was to let the fire support take apart the Advance Party, with the others likely handling the rest. In Magpie's opinion, the best way to eliminate threats was to destroy them before they could fight back. Some of the other Vultures liked the rush of battle, but they forgot that they had to front the bill to get their Shells repaired.
"Let the fire support do all the heavy lifting. Typical," Magpie replied in the comms... one might get the idea she was scathing, given that it was spoken completely monotone until that statement was followed by laughter. "Moving, Barn Owl, I trust everyone else sticks to their strength, yeah?"
Magpie quickboosted into the treeline; her radar suppressant should keep her safe - at least for now - she made sure to scan the skies... her FCS was stated to be one of the best in the world! Or at least that was what the gentleman who sold it to her said. It wasn't long until the Advance Party's primary airship. A massive beast of an aircraft that dwafted the Shells - but it reminded her of the Nest in size. It was heavily armored and had some cannons underneath and on the sides - suggesting to Magpie that this was made for quick entry into the battlefield to drop off forces. It was escorted by Murakumo's fighter jets and some drones with microcannons under-mounted. That would make this problematic... but Magpie was here to provide firing support; she would let the other Vultures take center stage.
The fleet flew above her, rustling the treeline and drifting off, as Magpie readied The Claw...
... They drifted into the perfect spot for the ambush.
That seemed to jar the man from whatever train of thought he was in, "Yeah?" Clay squinted, his expression briefly crinkling as he caught a whiff of the distinct herbal remedy Lily had inbibed ahead of their redoubt.`
“What did you think of Mr. Ghouls and Goblins back there!?” Lily chuckled, then playfully jabbed her shoulder into Clayton’s side.
Stiffly, he glanced her way, then relented with a smirk.
"What, the part where people just disappear, or the whole... werewolf, alligator thing the doctor was talking about?"
Clay huffed a little and shook his head. "You'd be surprised how 'normal' folks can really buy into that shit."
“The weird dude, Papi... Think his name is Erik? Talked about ghosts before I walked the fuck out, Papi.” Followed by awkward laughter as people DO buy into that shit. This was around the time Mami came over!
“Do you, uh, have that jar with you? I don’t believe any of that magic shit, but maybe it’s some kinda super swamp disease cure… Whatever it is, it’s better than nothing.”
“Oh yeah!” Lily said as she dropped her cutesy Hello Kitty backpack, unzipped it, and pulled out the jar…. Glowing green, that only Lily could perceive. “It's glowing and shit… You two can see it. Right?”
"Uh..." 'Carl' leaned closer, his brow furrowed, "Looks like water to me."
Charlie squinted her eyes at the very dull, herb-filled and not glowing jar. "Uh, no… it ain't glowing.”
"You sure you ain't uh, y'know..." Clay sniffed, then shrugged towards Lilly.
“… You can come out and say it, Papi,” Lily answered, “Ya’ll think I’m a crazy bitch.” She looked at it and then back at the two…
… Then she shoved it into Charlie’s hands and walked away, rubbing her eyes.
“Wait!” Charlie ran after Lily, awkwardly holding the jar under one arm, and reached out to grab her wrist before she got too far away. “For the record, I don’t think you’re crazy.” Weird, maybe, but most of the group was. “Maybe it's the light or something… Or you can see something we don’t…” Charlie trailed off, laughing awkwardly.
Lily’s foot hit the ground, and she turned on her heel as she stopped stumbling around. She faced Charlie as she looked at the jar again. Then she shook her head, placing both hands on her cheeks as she said, ”It’s a fuckin’ glowing jar; there’s no mistaking it.” In the most monotone fashion she could. ”Ay, mami...”
"Or," Clay sucked in his teeth,"You can smell the herb a mile away." He shrugged. "Look, I ain' gonna judge, I'm just saying."
Lily was dead quiet before she said,
”It’s weed, Papi,” She started, “Weed doesn’t make you see shit, Papi… unless….”
'Carl' shrugged at that.
"Unless it was spiked with whatever that weird girl yesterday was high on?" Charlie suggested half joking. "Maybe she snuck some in while you weren't looking. A glowing jar is nothing compared to all that magic shit she talked about."
”Maaaaami, there ain’t no drug in the world that can…” Lily stopped herself because there was no way that spooky bitch could have done so. ”... Know what? You’re right, Mami. Let’s drop it.”
"Alright," Charlie shrugged, before holding out the jar like some kind of peace offering. "You want to take the jar, or will I hang onto it?"
“… Ehhhhh, how about YOU keep it?” Lily shook her hands from left to right. “It’s better in your hands, Mami.”
Charlie then glanced over where the rest of the group seemed to be gathering. "We should probably go see what that's all about."
“Ye-yeah,”
"I mean, you wanna hang onto the homeopathic stuff, be my guest-.... oh, you gotta be fuckin' wit' me." Clay's personable demeanor stalled midway through the conversation into an uncharacteristically sharp tone, his brow cocked at an acute angle, pointed towards Zeltzin and Ophrenia, "Jesus, man - I hope they know those ain' fuckin' toys..."
“Yeah, if you two psychobitches-” And Lily meant that playfully. “-decide to cut loose with those jawns, make sure I’m behind you!” She laughed.
Erik probed Jennifer, and there was that creeping thought to tell them what was out in the swamp. Jen didn't know what exactly was out there, but she knew it was crawling with Apparitions and Abominable. However, they would not believe her even though she had a feeling that they were beginning to catch on that this was no ordinary town. Fortunately, Neko cut in and gave Jennifer just a moment to gather her thoughts, and she replied,
"There, um... should only be alligators and the sort out there - but, uh... um, keep your eye out for anything else." And hopefully, that "anything else" would keep their distance and safely allow them passage through the swamp. After the two spoke, Erik was oddly quiet, and Jennifer nodded.
"Um... I... think? I think all we decided on the longer route, yes?" Jennifer spoke. "I, um, reeeeeented a... van all of us can ride in - if you want to - but the trip is veeeeeeeeeeeeeery short, like, uh, fifteen minutes to, you know, um, get there."
She looked among the group; some were armed, "Tiiiiiiiiiiime... we get a move on, ummmm... I'm going to grab the van, stay put..." Jennifer walked away, hoping her merry band wouldn't do anything too crazy out there.
Road To The Old Black Manor.
Rain pounded against the hood of Jennifer's rented van, it was expensive, but fortunately, that Esports stuff was paying off. What was weird was that Quintin was suddenly barraged in a raging storm... that was not on the forecast for today. Or for the rest of the week. There was definitely something going on here that she wasn't prepared to tell the group about. She had limited knowledge of the world of magic, but she wouldn't be surprised if rain heralded something. Jennifer glanced at the mirror and saw the group that came with her in her van - all doing their own thing. She was hoping that she, at the very least, prepared for some inclement weather.
Jennifer drove through the empty roads of Quintin, which were ominous and flanked at all sides by woods or swamps. However, now and then, she saw a particular deer just staring at them as they drove by. When Jennifer thought she had passed it, it would just appear again... staring at them. There was that gut feeling that something was wrong, but maybe if they just passed through as fast as possible, there would be no trouble.
"In 300 feet; turn right." The GPS interrupted her reverie, and Jennifer spun the wheel in the instructed direction... Only to see that a metal gate (that was heavily chained) blocked the rest of the road - and there was a massive pool of rainwater on the other side of the gate. Now, Jennifer would have loved to keep driving; the best option was just to walk. Jennifer turned around, looking over her shoulder the best she could with a seatbelt on.
"Okay, ummmmmmmmmmm - grab your things, weeeeeeeee're... just going to walk the rest of the way..." Jennifer started before her eye landed on Ophrenia, "... and for the love of God... we're not supposed to be here. Do not do anything stupid like, ummm... shooting the lock."
Walking around with weapons - regardless of it being a pistol or a switchblade - was simply insane to Jasmine, but this was America... where people shot up schools on a near-daily basis. She lived in a state where people got high off bath salts and ran around naked. Maybe that combat knife she just purchased and (very poorly) stashed into her sweatshorts didn't seem that insane. Jasmine accompanied Neko in her little investigation, and, to the surprise of no one (probably), they never even checked into the hotel. They clearly got spooked and left, but Jasmine felt little need to dive deeper into the two. Jasmine was here for Eleanor and Eleanor alone; if they wasted time chasing after everyone that got spooked, they were going to go missing next.
And it was clear that nobody was going to look for them. Jasmine stuck around near Neko, unbothered by the cigarette smoke, when the latter dropped a particular question on her...
“Hey Jasmine, can I ask you a question? You don’t have to answer it and I’m sorry if this seems like I’m prying but it’s just, you know, I get Charlie wanting to look for her mom. I get Carl wanting to look for his wife. But if it wasn’t my daughter who’d gone missing but somebody who was responsible for an awful moment in my life I wouldn’t go looking for them when they suddenly got replaced by a different person. I definitely wouldn’t go looking for them in a dangerous swamp with a bunch of trigger-happy strangers. I'd probably still be hungover from celebrating. So, um, why?”
Nosy, American.
Jasmine mentally seethed; while she wanted to say it aloud, she didn't want to antagonize the group (Maybe Charlie later). Neko dropped a major question on Jasmine, which the latter would have dismissed if it wasn't because she didn't want to cast suspicion on herself. While Neko gave her the easy way out, Jasmine had her idea of the kind of person Neko was - the pushy kind that'd silently judge her - and knew she would be suspicious of her. Suspicion was not optimal, especially when Jennifer herself was the shadiest person in the world and lacked the social competency to realize that. Jasmine would give Neko half the story - only half because she didn't want to make things awkward by saying she had feelings for someone who could be her daughter.
"Closure," Jasmine started, "Me and Eleanor - my Eleanor - have unfinished business, and I would sleep much better at night if we resolved this." She kept it at one sentence, short and straightforward.
That was when Ophrenia showed up with a shotgun slung around her shoulder; Neko told her to put the damn thing away - which Jasmine would have agreed with, but it was pretty apparent that Ophrenia wouldn't listen regardless of how much logic you waved in her face. Then Ophrenia just have to show off - probably out of some lesbian desire for Z... who likely would continue to stand there. Jasmine shook her head as she walked over to Jen who suggested two routes... a quick route directly through the swamp and a long but safer route. Jasmine knew what the group would pick, but Erik asked if there was something else. Of course, Jasmine had just seen a ghost yesterday, so she wasn't that skeptical anymore. She turned towards Erik and chuckled. Ophrenia, in a moment of competency undisplayed before, suggested taking the safe route and Jasmine had to joke. She turned towards Ophrenia and said,
"... And here I was thinking you were itching to use your new toy." Then chuckled.
The rainforests of New Zealand were taken to a literal level, as this dark and stormy night was, at a glance, no different than any other night. While thrown off by the spontaneous near-constant rain, a Morepork bird sat perched in a tree, its feathers drenched but unperturbed otherwise. The Owl creature watched the forests it claimed as its home and was at peace... A massive explosion vibrated through the rainforest, causing the bird - and many others - to fly away.
A Shell, the IOR's standard "footsoldier" design, quickboosted backward through the treeline - knocking the whole damn thing over like it was dominoes. He got about three rounds off from his rifle, as another Shell that many would recognize as the infamous Grim Reaper quick boosted directly at him.
"What the-?" He tried to escape, but The Grim Reaper had closed the gap and blasted him point-blank with the shotgun. Shredding the poor Shell to bits, he crashed into the ground as a firey ruin. The Grim Reaper quickly turned to see two more IOR Footsoldier Shells flying towards him, firing away with their assault rifle. A round hit him on the shoulder, another round hit him dead center, and he quickly boosted into the treeline for cover. The two Shells split up, and one chased The Grim Reaper, fired into the treeline, and attempted to hit him. However, his barrage was interrupted by a round from the Grim Reaper's shoulder-mounted cannons, which hit him directly in the shoulder. Staggering him, then the Grim Reaper moved in to deliver the kill...
"... Oh no, you don't, you bastard!" The female pilot of the other IOR Shell shouted as she charged in, firing wildly as a hip compartment in her Shell opened up - revealing a knife. She reached for it and dived, releasing a savage, animalistic battlecry. She raised the knife above her head and tried to dive in to impale the Grim Reaper. The infamous Death God stopped dead in his tracks and quickly used his other shotgun to stop the attack. Causing a brief stalemate...
"Got you now, bastard!" The Shell that the Grim Reaper had dead to rights charged in, firing away at Abel and hitting him several times - chipping away at the Grim Reaper's armor.
"... Do you now?" The pilot of the Grim Reaper said as his shoulder cannons aimed for the one that had him pinned down and blasted her with both point blank. They dug massive holes through her Shell's armor, sending it staggering backward.
"... HE'S GOT MY GRAVITY MATRIX!" She shouted as the Shell fell over, and she ejected before the thing could collapse... her mini-escape pod flew out, deployed the parachute, and let out a sigh of relief... before she looked down the barrel of the Grim Reaper's shotgun. She made silent peace with her deity...
"... Ceasefire, ceasefire, ceasefire, ceasefire, ceasefire!" Radiated through the comms as anotherIOR Shell made a sudden landing off to the side. He knelt on impact, stood tall, facing the infamous Grim Reaper, and spoke, "My word, you Pups..."
"Commander Fox," The Grim Reaper told him, turning around to face the IOR Shell, sheets of rain dripping down the Grim Reaper. "It's about time you showed up...."
"You know, there is a more constructive way to gain my attention than killing my men and women," Commander Fox answered. "I gave you a direct link to contact me, you know?"
"... But, this way speaks volumes louder," The operator of the Death God Unit, Tabitha Crest, the Eclipse, butt in.
"So, you finally decided to hear out my offer?" Commander Fox said. "Well, I guess we can excuse the Patrol Group you just slaughtered for absolutely no reason at all... all is fair in love and war, after all." He followed that with a chuckle.
"You seek a world free from the Ruling Corporation's malfeasance..." Tabitha said, "... Perhaps this is a vision we both share. However, Abel here is not going to follow anyone blindly..."
The Grim Reaper aimed one shotgun at Commander Fox...
"... He wants to see just how serious you are."'
The Grim Reaper boosted toward Commander Fox, and the man could only laugh over the comms.
"... Then I will show you."
"... Vultures, I have a job for you."
Ava spoke through the radio as The Nest approached New Zealand; the rain pounded against its exterior. "We're approaching New Zealand, making our way to Modal-Auckland. However, before we're allowed into Modal-Auckland, Paragon United wants us to complete a job first."
She paused, and on the screen was an image of a massive Murakumo robotics airship escorted by fighters, helicopters, and other aircraft. "Murakumo Robotics has sent a forward party to establish a foothold on New Zealand for them to invade as well, and being Paragon United premier enemy, they have... strongly requested that we eliminate them. Then we can move onto Modal-Auckland and get briefed on whatever insane operation Paragon has cooked up."
There was another pause. "Their armaments seem very light; they thought they were being sneaky, and they didn't bring any firepower that would trouble a team of Shells. However, don't underestimate them; they could very well have their own team of Shells aboard. "They will arrive in twenty minutes, so I will leave it up to you all to decide to handle this... I suggest an ambush, but you're not WOLFHOUND's best for nothing, after all."
The Nest made landfall and descended closer to the beach, covered in debris from previous battles, and on the other side of the beach of a thick rainforest. "Paragon is enforcing a strict guidance on usage of codenames only until they lift it, so unless you want us to miss out on a lot of money, I suggest you all stick to it. I will be hands-off this time and let you know about any developments. Remember, complete the mission, get paid for the mission, and then you all can go waste your money in the brothels, bars, and casinos..."
The Shells were deployed from the Nest, and their flying fortress drifted away from the combat zone.
"... Wings of fortune. And let that bird fly high."
Interactions: None.
The Beach
"... System checks complete, combat mode is engaged."
The very feminine voice of Magpie spoke through the radios, as it was the procedure in the WOLFHOUND world to inform your teammates about your Shell's status. Keeping everyone in the loop was important, especially to Magpie. Though she was a bit annoyed that Ava railroaded them into a mission before they so much as stepped foot in New Zealand, she knew that this was work for the other Shells teams like the Vanguard... but, such is the life of a WOLFHOUND. It was easy money, and as long as she had money, she could not complain.
When it was time, Magpie dropped from the Nest and watched as it flew off. The endless rain hit against her armor, reducing visibility, which could work both ways for the team. However, she scanned her environment and saw all the Shell ruins... all the pilots that were once strong and mighty, just like them, cut down and became nothing but scrap for the junkies to salvage. She shrugged it off and spoke through the radios, "I'm going to follow ya'll lead, but an ambush is our best option here."
Jen's eyes briefly went towards the piece of rebar at Erik's hand, and she tried to keep her facial expression neutral as he was hoping that he wasn't relying on that. At the very least, he had a hidden card up his sleeve, as Jen could tell that the group didn't fully trust each other (or like each other). That was fair, but Jen hoped nobody stabbed each other in the back while they were out here...
"Want me to show my hand? All I can say is there are a lot of unknowns in this world, and we only have scraped the service. While there are traditional unknowns, Eleanor's case transcends that."
"Yes, that is true..."
There was a trace of thought that Erik was in the know; how he talked suggested he was a Paranormal... just like her! She knew this because her Eleanor was Paranormal, and Jen knew that anyone Paranormal was instinctively drawn to others like them. Then he opened the book, and Jen's bespectacled eyes glanced up and down the page; he showed her...
... and her jaw dropped.
It was some weird ass diagram featuring nonsense and rubbish that wasn't even close to the truth (and she wondered if he got this from some tabletop game). Not a word escaped her mouth as she stared at the paper and saw things like "Satan," "Ben & Jerry's," and other nonsense... and suddenly, she felt a little bit stupid for assuming.
"... All I know is this place is dangerous, but do you have my back Jen? I bet you don't cutely stutter when you're gaming, so I'm going to need your best when we go in there. Focused, on the ball and switched on. Like you're a Wolfhound, you know from Tyrant Shell? Best of the best, and nothing less. You ready to venture into the unknown?"
"... Uhhhhhhhhhh.... sure! Yeah, suuuuuuuuuuure!" Jennifer put on a chipper smile as she didn't listen to what he said and just agreed. She noticed that people were trickling in individually and found her easy way out. She awkwardly waved Erik goodbye as she quickly moved to the middle of the parking lot. She raised one hand straight into the air and said, "Um... Can everyone gather around?!" She shouted as she knelt down and gently placed her backpack on the ground.
She turned around, bent forward, opened her bag, and rummaged through it, looking for her map; the second she found it, she picked it up and placed it on top of a silver Audi Q8 with a California tag (that was definitely not hers). She gestured for everyone to come closer and then pointed at the X she had scribbled with a red marker.
"Okay, um, so... we're here," She started. From the X, a blue line through the swamp directly to a circle suggested a pretty quick walk. Then there was a black line that followed the roads above the old black manor, then went straight down.
"So, the blue line would be the quickest way there..." Jennifer started as her finger followed the blue line, then quickly shot back to the X and traced the black line. "However, this one would be the safest."
She looked at everyone as she said,
"I'm... going to leave which route we take up to you all..."
Sybil Harkness & Odessa Maxwell
Interactions:
Webb Family Coffee House
It was a long day.
Sybil Angela Harkness went on her usual lunch break from twelve to one PM... though, since she finished her last appointment a little earlier, she left about thirty minutes before twelve. She casually removed her Doctor's clothes and switched to her regular clothes because she didn't want to get germs on everything. What was notable about her outfit was the leather duffle bag that she kept slung over her shoulder. It was a time-consuming process that Sybil thought was necessary, even though she would only walk down the street to the Webb Family Coffee shop to grab a coffee and relax for a little bit. Then, return to inspecting Old Man George's balls for the third time this month. Sybil walked in and scanned the coffee house as she always did...
... and saw Carl, Lily, and Charlie, with a giant ass group of people.
Dr. Harkness turned on her heel and walked out of the coffee shop without hesitation. It was not out of disdain towards the trio that grilled her yesterday, but she was not going to spend her lunch break getting examined by an even more considerable amount of people about those girls that went missing (at best). Keeping up this trend, someone should come to her office today to ask about them. She snorted and chuckled at her joke, uncaring that people were out here watching her. So, Dr. Harkness would spend her break in her house today, and she walked up her stairs and put her hand on her doorknob. She dug into the pocket for the key...
"... Hi!" Sybil turned to the side to see Odessa Maxwell holding her flower basket in both hands with a wide and unnerving smile. Sybil put her keys back into her pocket and instead unzipped her duffle bag slowly, asking,
"... Can I help you?" Sybil asked as she finally had enough of her duffle bag open to get at one of the glowing jars she kept.
"You can!" Odessa stepped forward, and Sybil quickly pulled out a mason jar full of a glowing yellow liquid.
"Alright, don't step any closer!" Sybil warned, "This stuff is acid!"
"Relax, friend," Odessa stepped back. "I mean you no harm! I just wanted to ask a few questions!"
"Oh lord," Sybil sighed, "Shoot."
"Well..." Odessa's eyes trailed off to the side, then she giggled. "... When will you stop leading people to their deaths like lambs to a slaughter!?" Then she laughed some more.
"What do you mean?" Sybil lowered her jar.
"Simple!" Odessa raised a finger, "You tell those poor five girls about the old Black Manor; they don't even make it to the next morning!"
Sybil narrowed her eyes as Odessa just tilted her head.
"... What do you honestly think is going to happen to them?!" Odessa chuckled. "Eleanor Black is not real. And out there in the swamp is slaughter! And death! And pain. And even worse."
There was a brief pause before Odessa continued.
"Only a being like me can survive out there," Odessa began laughing before that smile went flat, "... And you know this, so tell me..."
Then, there was another pause.
"... Why did you tell them, knowing it was dangerous out there?" Odessa started, "That makes you - and only you - responsible for whatever happens to them!"
Sybil was utterly silent during Odessa's rant... even after the rant, she was silent. Just a few moments before, the Doctor shrugged and said, "They asked for my help, and I gave it to them - I told them how crazy things in Quintin were. If they get hurt, that's on them." Sybil said as she put the jar away and then adjusted her glasses.
"Is it really now?" Odessa laughed at the notion. "You could have just - you know - turned them away! But you didn't!" She held her flower basket behind her back.
"You can make excuses to try and convince yourself it's okay, that you had zero part in it... but the truth is, your role was the most important of all!"
Then she smiled, and Sybil was quiet.
"... You're not human, are you?" Sybil asked, "What stakes do you have in this? Why do you care?"
Odessa hummed a little song as her eyes drifted off to her left, and then they landed on that peculiar ring on her finger, and she said,
"... From a technical standpoint, I'm as human as you are!" Odessa began laughing, "You see, while I may have lost my humanity a very long time ago, I still act in the interests of humankind across all dimensions. As the balance of life and death, magic and mundane, survival and extinction is a very, very, very, very fragile one."
"I am human," Sybil said.
"Suuuuuuuuure, you are," Odessa rolled her eyes. "I'm just trying to figure out the Eleanor Black phenomenon before more people die. Then, I'm going to move on to the next place. Maybe spend some time on an island; that would be nice, wouldn't it?"
"Then..." Sybil trailed, "... We may have something in common. Because I don't want to see anyone else getting hurt because of this... Eleanor Black. Just what do you think is going on?"
Odessa shrugged.
"I suspect it's an Apparition or Aberration luring people here with fake memories, then eating them!"
"Why Quintin, though?" Sybil asked. "I grew up here and love this town... but if that's the case, then wouldn't setting up shop somewhere like New York make more sense?"
"Quintin already has a reputation for people going missing, perhaps that manifested an Apparition,"
"True," Sybil said, "What do you think we can do about it?"
Odessa shrugged.
"Simple!" Odessa answered, "What we can."
"I never caught your name,"
"Odessa Maxwell!" She answered and presented her hand, which Sybil shook... feeling how oddly cold her hand was.
"Dr. Harkness, Sybil Harkness," Sybil said.
Odessa turned around and then said,
"I'm going to make sure your little group of lemmings doesn't run off a cliff!" Odessa chuckled.
"Wait, here, take this!" Sybil said, rummaging through her duffle bag and pulling out a glowing green jar. "This will help if they need it."
"Why, thank you!" Odessa held it, standing completely still for a moment before casually lifting her robe enough to reveal her stomach (showing she was not wearing anything underneath). Then, her midriff converted into a mass of vines and wooden roots. It parted open, and Odessa stuck the glowing jar into the space and then dropped her robe. She turned around and skipped into the swamp without another word.
And Dr. Harkness just tilted her head as she watched this strange display.
“Right, um, sorry Jen. Didn’t mean to go off on you. Just, ya know, a bit overwhelmed lately. Haven’t been sleeping. It’s just…anyway, sorry.”
"... It's fine."
Jennifer lied. It wasn't, but she would instead focus on the task at hand, finding their girl, then bickering, if she had to be honest. She knew that the group didn't trust her, given the constant subtle jabs thrown her way, but they didn't have a problem with all the leads she was providing them. So, did they really have a problem with Jennifer? She scanned every one of their faces for an entire moment before sighing. Guess not. At least not for now.... but what were they really going to do? Make her walk the fucking plank and feed her to alligators?
"We'll make it through this, but we'll need to be prepared for this journey. Silver is useful, plentiful in bullets, or solely in a knife. It'll be a bit different if we're fighting ghosts, but I think there's more here than we've seen thus far. Jen, you'll be coming with us; I think it's best if we stick together after what happened, don't you agree?"
"I will be,"
Jennifer said as she looked up at Erik; it was clear that he knew something about the world of the Paranormal. This was strange because, as far as she could tell (from their various reactions to experiencing slight supernatural activity), she was the only one with a certain... proclivity. She had to probe more... hopefully, he has an abstraction! Which would be more beneficial than any firearm against the things in Quintin. However, they needed to get a move on because Jen would love to be back in the motel by the time the night fell.
And not trapped in a swamp.
"Alright... let's.... uh, meet in the parking lot of the Summit Motel in an hour? Right?" She said, placing everything into her backpack and getting ready to leave. The rest of the group trickled out one at a time.
The Summit Motel Parking Lot.
Unlike the rest of the group, Jennifer did not look for a weapon and instead just stocked up on supplies such as water - it was going to be hot and humid, and it was unlikely for the Black Manor to have running water. Even then, she would rather shoot herself than drink Quintin's tap water. She was the first person to arrive there, and she awkwardly stood in the middle of the parking lot as there were little to no cars.The Summit Motel was not a very welcoming place... but Jennifer wanted to get a motel that was anywhere but the place where those missing girls stayed. It was only Jen's paranoia, but she didn't know who would be creeping around and didn't want the unwanted attention.
Eventually, just the person she wanted to see showed up,
Erik.
With an excited smile, she walked over to him with her backpack straps and said, "Erik, I... wanted to talk to you," She started, "Um... You clearly - I hope - know something, that something the, um, others... uh.... don't."
She stumbled through that sentence as always before she said,
"Uhhh... just... what do you know about the Paranormal? Just so we're... on the same page, yeah?"
To the surprise of no one, poor Neko did not have one more peep to say. Jasmine half-smirked... there was the urge to gloat, but the pride of "winning" over Neko soon was overtaken, and she quickly went back to mindlessly stirring her coffee. Unlike others, she was less focused on the swamp itself and more on the Old Black Manor that rested in the swamps. The swamp was probably full of alligators that, if they weren't going through the water like a bunch of morons, should serve as an easily avoidable obstacle during the day. What was on Jasmine's mind was what exactly happened to those girls when they went to the mansion. Is the threat still there? Can they handle it? Jasmine could, but she would rather not be alone in the middle of Redneckville...
"Cool, so we'll go to the swamp, go to an abandoned house guaranteed to get us dead, and then...Guess I'm in."
Though some of the other group members irked her with their lack of situational awareness.... she almost visibly cringed when Ophrenia spoke, probably trying to be "funny." With a roll of her eyes, Jasmine turned towards Ophrenia and said,
"You realize we're in the boonies, right? One that is full of racists? It is not like whatever is at that mansion is more dangerous than what's here." Jasmine rolled her eyes. Jasmine would love to get her German ass back to Florida, where she can pretend she had a purpose in life that was more than taking pictures of her ass to put on Instagram.
“Wait, really? Yesterday at Mr. Thornton’s cabin, I looked in the pond and saw a, well, I don’t know, I thought it was a drowned girl, but when I looked back, she was gone. I thought my mind was playing tricks. What did she look like?”
Now, that caught Jasmine's attention because she thought that she was going crazy (well, crazier) because Erik didn't seem to notice the things that Jasmine saw. Well, for some "investigator," he certainly seemed a bit slow on the draw (missing the ghost twice), but Jasmine did give him the benefit of the doubt. Something was going on here that was deeper than they thought... more dangerous than possibly an Alligator. She was getting off track as she turned towards Neko and answered,
"I could not get a good look at her... She was like a silhouette, but when she came, I saw like... static in the corners of my eyes," Jasmine started... before Jen spoke.
"Alright... let's.... uh, meet in the parking lot of the Summit Motel in an hour? Right?" She said as she placed everything into her backpack.
"Hmph," Jasmine made the noise as she got up, walked over towards Neko, and gave her a little tap on the shoulder as she leaned in and whispered, "Let's go for a walk... I'd rather we talk in private anyway; gamer-gal here seems to talk like she knows something."
The Summit Motel Parking Lot.
Unlike the others, Jasmine did not get a firearm... she was a bit caught off guard that America allowed you to carry around a knife where German knife laws were a lot stricter. Jasmine longed for home because she did not have to worry about getting stabbed by some junkie, but... she thought about what Charlie said yesterday and remembered just why she exiled herself. She walked to the parking lot of this dingy motel... there was not a single car here, and she could see the nervous husbands peaking out the windows at them, scanning to see if any of the group were their wives. Before returning to their mistresses, Jasmine looked disgusted at them as she walked to the parking lot with her new "friend" Neko.
Jasmine was silent as she kept the combat knife in her pocket... she didn't trust her ability to shoot (the Americans would likely have all the firepower), and she was more concerned about having proper food and water. This was the first time that Jasmine embarked on such an adventure, and she made sure to buy a backpack and stuff it with food and water.
Lily was silent during the meeting because she got high as fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.
She wore sunglasses that hid her red eyes... though she still reeked of the stuff. Lily knew that the majority of the group was white, but she still didn't give a fuck. The only magic was the magic ganja she smoked before she walked into this lame-ass coffee shop (again) and her magical coochie. She had to conserve what she had because there was no chance she would get more weed in this awful, awful, awful town. Though, even though she was high enough to steal a plane...
"We'll make it through this, but we'll need to be prepared for this journey. Silver is useful, plentiful in bullets, or solely in a knife. It'll be a bit different if we're fighting ghosts, but I think there's more here than we've seen thus far. Jen, you'll be coming with us; I think it's best if we stick together after what happened, don't you agree?"
... She could still tell that people were talking crazy. Lord, they step into a spooky town for a minute, and everyone starts losing their head! If another motherfucker goes on about magic... though, she couldn't stop herself from smiling as she picked on Erik a little bit.
"... And don't forget to bring a sword and shield in case there's a dragon out there, holmes!" Lily's Spanish accent was ramped up to the point where it sounded sterotypical, but afterward, she broke out laughing. "I know your first thought is to grab weapons, but make sure to stock up on some baby wipes, ladies! You're going to be reeking." She spoke to the rest of the group.
She chuckled again as she walked out around the time everyone else did...
The Summit Motel Parking Lot.
Lily bet she was the only one who brought some medical supplies rather than just stocking up on firearms... Yes, she had a pistol in her cute little backpack that she should probably stuck in her waistband if she wasn't wearing leggings. Everyone probably thought they would brute force their way through the swamp, but what if they got caught off guard? What if they fell and got hurt? Nobody's infallible, and Lily doesn't want to see anybody get hurt. She was no EMT, but she was good enough to make sure that, at the very least, they could probably get back to Dr. Harkness... which didn't bode well because the closest hospital was probably in Lafayette, a thirty-minute drive at minimum.
However, Clayton was already here, and Lily waved to him - not getting too close because she didn't know the guy! and shouted, "Papi!"
[center][b]"You're a fine warrior. Call me sentimental..."[/b][/center][table][row][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/139ceac154751673f3ae0a9fe3c9db14/tumblr_n5ns5eDSUE1spjmjdo1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/8de527f156d1dcdab59303529f9a2963/tumblr_n5ns5eDSUE1spjmjdo2_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/fdd81701556b497cef877cce8608411e/tumblr_n5ns5eDSUE1spjmjdo3_r1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][/row][row][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/f4c53df62090bdfc77fc8d4af49bd3bb/tumblr_mp19k0oeBn1spjmjdo1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/tiUPmOX.png[/img][/center][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/973255b1496b1e15ea88881ee0842923/tumblr_n5ns5eDSUE1spjmjdo4_r2_400.gifv[/img][/cell][/row][row][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/92b4cd3f3f69445efc0b66dbf4040d4e/tumblr_mp19k0oeBn1spjmjdo3_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/076f8a0494600005276b223a9c34f4df/tumblr_mp19k0oeBn1spjmjdo4_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/91ef2adb4acfaae1ed6e5882900137f2/tumblr_mp19k0oeBn1spjmjdo2_r1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][/row]
[/table][center][b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oBfsNh4c_E]"...but I wish we'd met under different circumstances."[/url][/b][/center][hr][hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/RKmK4q0.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/N7tTd5u.png[/img]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug852nvAGZw[/youtube]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/hFWozfG.png[/img][hr][hr][img]https://i.imgur.com/1efdG4h.png[/img][/center][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent]Currently updating...[/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][table][row][/row][row][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/f12910313dd47ea9cead1c314f8ab833/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo3_250.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/fe472fa332e424f66ed2837f2eaf23c9/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo4_250.gifv[/img][/cell]
[cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/fb00b50c1dbf289d9140c30a7a332011/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo8_250.gifv[/img][/cell][/row]
[row][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/ec26b8c0fcc1da9903b62bf0022ce62c/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo5_250.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/468eaf4ed38d54774f2d3fd269296f74/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo6_250.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/23bf4bb5ad09c631a81860f2f822ccce/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo7_250.gifv[/img][/cell][/row][center][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/30d05b58ba9137c6662a93a96bfa527a/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo2_400.gifv[/img][hr][/center]
[center][b]"I'm a dominant..."[/b][/center][/table][center][hr][b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v31J3arX5Kg]"... This is my job."[/url][/b]
[img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/e91570ee96f9a973747062884eeea1ce/tumblr_ntbm31BkSa1sznb4xo1_400.gifv[/img][hr][/center][table][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/XFCLhxV.png[/img][/center][row][/row][row][cell][center][b][color=forestgreen]REALLY PUNCHY GUYS[/color][/b]
[sup]_______________________________[/sup]
[b][@redbaron1234]
[@Kamen Evie]
[@KaiserElectric]
[@Drag]
[@KremeSupreme]
[@Megsychan]
[@Oddsbod][/b][/center][/cell][cell][center][b][color=forestgreen]THE DISAPPOINTMENT CLUB[/color][/b]
[sup]_______________________________[/sup]
[b][@Spoopy Scary]
[@Junkmail]
[@Maxx]
[@Luminous Beings]
[@Dragonbud][/b][/center][/cell][cell][center][b][color=forestgreen]OTHER SCRUBS[/color][/b]
[sup]_______________________________[/sup]
[b][@Zombiedude101]
[@Lord Wraith]
[@FernStone]
[@Atrophy]
[@Moth]
[@Skai]
[@silvermist1116][/b][/center][/cell][/row][/table][table][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/GXlptHc.png[/img][/center][row][/row][row][cell][center][b][color=forestgreen]SETTINGS[/color][/b]
[sup]_______________________________[/sup]
[b][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/183613-the-tyrant-shell-universe]The Tyrant Shell Universe[/url][/b] - Mechapunk (Mecha and Cyberpunk mixed together).
[b][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/183624-the-black-fall-universe]The Black Fall Universe[/url][/b] - Modern-Superhuman tale.[/center][/cell][cell][center][b][color=forestgreen]LINKS[/color][/b]
[sup]_______________________________[/sup]
[b][url=https://discord.gg/4FznNGS]The Collective[/url][/b] - My Discord Server.
[b][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/183740-the-ghost-lounge-a-1x1-thread-thats-destined-to-go-places-bad-places]The Ghost Lounge[/url][/b] - My 1x1 Thread.
[b][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/183358-the-ghost-archives]The Ghost Archives[/url][/b] - Character storage.[/center][/cell][/row][/table][table][row][/row][row][cell][img]https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/928186361494425545/93DB229F54AD7363FF943FAF9627A2056CE6A354/[/img][/cell][cell][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wmKBNmF.png[/img][/center][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/aab171d51ab0877e8cb44ef26725c12f/tumblr_mmijotYZ851spjmjdo1_r1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][/row][row][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/a8b92dee73766c54e1c588067f7b05e9/tumblr_mmijotYZ851spjmjdo2_r1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/c6db94e7f43a0116556b31237e9394cb/tumblr_oetl2fk7YA1r9ibuko1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/d85b9d9f883fcf1e71cad4d1b5c574e2/tumblr_oetl2fk7YA1r9ibuko2_400.gifv[/img][/cell][/row][row][cell][/cell][cell][img]https://64.media.tumblr.com/827528918c7f7bf2672681b30b851654/tumblr_otjspp0ccf1u0vn73o1_400.gifv[/img][/cell][cell][img][/img][/cell][/row][/table][center][b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnvqcSKho5w]"Oh, I'm afraid we have no allies. No allies nor enemies. I love EVERYONE!"[/url][/b][/center][hr]
Member
Tlaloc
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NoriWasHere
Framing A Moose
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