WEEK 05

[modmachine]

Weather: The temperature has dropped another notch, enough to start being seriously uncomfortable for those who sleep outside with no cover. Tuesday and Wednesday will have freezing rain at night, though it’s not snowing as of yet. Some of the kids wish it would, though, the closer it gets to the Festival of Lights.

Moon Phase: Monday brings the new moon, not that most people will be able to see it through the gathering clouds. If you look, though, it's possible to see the waxing crescent in the early morning late in the week.

School's Out: This week is finals at the college, and as a result, Friday through Sunday see a large number of the students moving out for the winter holidays. Most of those who opt to remain are shuffled around in order to leave two buildings - the senior hall used by students in the sciences and one of the freshmen halls - completely empty. The official explanation is building maintenence. On Wednesday, Ryoji will get a text from Ci asking if he's staying over for the holiday.

Winter bluster, winter blow: Things are starting to get a little messy in the Winter Court as their season approaches. For most of the last year, the Court has been run by committee, after the last Winter King inexplicably vanished. No successor was named, and with the seasonal coronation less than a month away, the court's usual plots and intrigues are starting to spill into the open. As of now, things seem to be divided between three factions - a group of diehard supporters of the previous King, certain he'll return; a group supporting the former brother-at-arms of said King, who may have been involved in the disappearance; and a third group supporting the King's protege, clearly hoping that the youth's relative inexperience will make him an easy puppet. Business as usual in the Winter Court, but it has the potential to spill into the others and turn nasty.

Day Zero: Network Zero’s been alight with chatter for those who follow it. There’s been clear footage of something that appears to be a man with a knife on fire in one of the warehouses - and yet none of the fire seems to catch anything around him. There’s also a report that the person who took this footage is in the hospital for a broken bone, though there haven’t been any updates yet. The local Sin-Eaters aren’t thrilled about this either, and on Friday night two teenagers are spotted around the area, along with a trio of younger boys armed with a camera.

A Strange Guest: Casper's new... ahem, roommate, is causing a few side effects. Most prominent will be the small patches of black and dark blue scales - they start tiny, like freckles, but grow in over the course of a few days to something better called patches before they stop. And the entire time they're growing in, they itch like the bejeebus. On the bright side, after some adjustment, the new addition is alert and willing to communicate... as long as Casper doesn't mind that he's going to have a near-encyclopedic knowledge of astronomy before the week is out.

Words for the Wicked: In the park where the hunt took place last weekend, something is writing on the trees. It starts out with just scratch marks, but before long it's scraps of the sorts of conversation you might overhear in the park, people talking to their children or dogs, that sort of thing. On Friday night, however, the words start to take a darker turn - KILL IT is repeated in numerous places, sometimes accompanied by the words TROPHY and MONSTER. And on Sunday, all the words are gone, except for a single phrase written under the hole made by a stray bullet during the hunt - i'll hunt you back.

Frostgrowth: The entrance to the Hedge used by the recent Goblin Market is continually frosty this week, as is the Underworld entrance used by Ryoji and Casper. The changelings in particular are wary about the change, though none of them seem to have put it together with the other strange patch of frost. Lingering at either location too long will draw the attention of the Frostiron Guardian more quickly than usual.

Trains keep on rolling: Construction on the building in the Sixth has progressed far enough that watching the building is pointless even for the thickly built man, who has instead resumed his trainspotting ways.

Weekly service: The nighttime bell-ringing at St. Madeline's church occurs again on Sunday night, this time drawing a bit more of a crowd. In hushed voices, a few people approach the Acolyte responsible for the bells about organizing a regular service of the church of the dead. She seems uncertain, and no formal plans are made that night.

Put Yourself Back Where You Came From Or So Help Me: On Thursday night, Tobias will have a brief visit to his lair through the Primordial Dream - another, weaker Horror, still wary and apparently checking things out. It's hard to tell exactly what the creature is, but the impression is of something shadowed and low-to-the-ground that leaves behind a smell of soured wine.

Comments

OTA

[dangerouslyinlove]

I

Ryoji's mom lives in the city, but he has learned over many years of living with her that while she loves him, he can be a bit... much for her to handle. (Thanatos does not help with this at all.) So while he can visit her as much as he wants over break, he usually opts to stay in the dorms. So he can be found around all his usual haunts, the library, the coffee shop, and any place that is probably actually haunted. Like you do. As promised, his dorm is open to any of his new friends who want an escape from the cold, whether they be a cat, hawk, or dead man with a dragon's spirit in his body.

Ci will be getting a very cheerful text back: Yeah! :) what about you?

II

The warehouse is another one of the 'probably actually haunted' places, so he's definitely there, especially after seeing the footage. He'll give a smile and wave to the two teenagers if he seems them, still not entirely sure what the boy is, but mostly he's sticking around to see if he can find the ghost. Or, at least, get some indication of what it might be up to, or if it's even still here. (It probably is. They don't tend to travel a lot.)

But he'll be there, hanging around a sketchy warehouse if anyone wants to run across him.

III

Avoiding the frosty gate seems like a good idea, so he'll wander back towards the church and the case of the missing bell. He is very curious about that, even though Lirisoir is no longer living down there. But churches are really awkward for him, so he won't go in, even though he's tempted by... "Was someone talking about a service for a church of the dead?"

[runs]

Kitty will actually pay him a first visit this week, on a night when Tobias is wherever and the temperatures have gone very low, so that it seems wiser to not strain the heater and instead steal some warmth from Ryoji. She lets herself in (sure, the door is locked, but she is invited, so it's not like she's breaking and entering if she picks the lock and sneaks inside, right? Especially if she locks the door behind herself again... And is extra careful that nobody sees her.

She changes back into a cat as soon as she doesn't need her hands to handle a lock pick anymore, tucking it safely away under the kitchen counter, and then pads around until she has found Ryoji and just jumps up - into his lap if he's still awake, and just on his chest if he's asleep.

[dangerouslyinlove]

Ryoji's awake for the moment, scrolling through some information on his computer- thankfully no longer studying, but that just means he can focus more on ghost things. His earbuds were in so he didn't notice the door open until there's quite suddenly a cat in his lap.

"Huh?" he peers down, pulling out one of his earbuds and spotting the creature in his lap. It takes him a moment to make the connection before he smiles. "Hey, Ebru."

[runs]

She purrs and shifts in his lap until she has found the best position. Yep, she's gonna stay here tonight, buddy, better get comfortable.

...At least until she gets hungry and goes to pillage his fridge, but that will take a bit.

[dangerouslyinlove]

He's going to need to go to sleep eventually...

But he'll let her stay on his lap until he has to move to get ready for bed, petting her periodically. But even when he has to get to bed he'll just get up and change in the bathroom and then just settle in bed. She is free to cuddle up there.

(And there is some tasty food in the fridge, his mom sent him back with some stuff.)

[runs]

She purrs and sleepily kneads his thigh if he ever pets her for a bit longer, but mostly naps in the warmth of a properly heated room and the body heat that Ryoji supplies.

His getting up is met with protest, but after stalking away indignantly she suddenly remembers how hungry she is.

So Ryoji's changing in the bathroom will be rewarded with a naked kid digging through his fridge when he comes back out of it. Typically, she remembers humans' issues with wearing no clothes, but she's sleepy and hungry, and besides just really has no clothes with her, okay?

"Are you hungry, too?"

[dangerouslyinlove]

Ryoji might be sleepy, but that is still the kind of thing he notices and very immediately tries to look anywhere but her. "No, I already ate. Um... do you want a shirt, or something?" Please wear a shirt, Kitty. He is very much not ok with the current situation.

[runs]

"It's pretty warm in here, I'll be okay." She'll put one on if he reminds her that he's very much not okay with this situation, but right now she's noticed the two cans of tuna on the cupboard next to the fridge and gone to find a can opener. Dude, that's what opposable thumbs are there for. Can openers.

II

[modmachine]

The boy doesn't really respond much, other than to shrug, but the girl grins, mouthing 'good luck!' to Ryoji as he heads inside.

The warehouse has clearly seen better days, crates and tarps littering the large, mostly-empty space. There's a smashed box near one of the supports, but otherwise it's quiet.

... Or. Well. It would be, if there wasn't a ghost rapidly appearing in front of Ryoji. "Get out!" He brandishes the knife towards Ryoji, flames starting to appear around him.

[dangerouslyinlove]

Ryoji waves back at the two, smiling brightly at the girl as he goes inside. Luck is always a good thing to have.

And speaking of luck, by his estimation this is very lucky. The ghost with the knife doesn't chase him out, instead eliciting another wave. "Hello!" he says cheerfully, not budging from his spot and looking up to try and meet the ghost's gaze.

[modmachine]

... That is not the normal reaction he gets. "OUT!" He shakes the knife at Ryoji, snarling as the flames intensify.

He's... not moving further towards Ryoji, though.

[dangerouslyinlove]

Yeah, Ryoji isn't good for normal reactions. If anything, he takes a step closer. "Do you have a name?" he asks, voice gentle and positive. The ghost might not, which is fine, but it's nice to know it if he has one. "I'm Ryoji."

[modmachine]

He jerks his head to the side, stepping back. "None're... business..." The sound fades in and out, and it's hard to tell through the flames, but the ghost looks... tired? Do ghosts get tired? He sounds older, at least.

[dangerouslyinlove]

That doesn't really surprise him- Ryoji is tempted to close the distance between them again, but he lingers where he is for now. He doesn't want to scare it. "That's alright," he says, still smiling quietly, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. How long have you been here?"

[modmachine]

He doesn't respond verbally, but swings his knife towards Ryoji.

... At least it seems like he's not doing it to be aggressive, more to keep the distance between them. The flames flare around him and he hunches defensively.

1 - [text]

[modmachine]

Yeah, they're shuffling me around though. I'm in Bulwark Hall next semester. Think you can give me a hand with some boxes this weekend?

[dangerouslyinlove]

Yeah, sure! Just tell me when, I'll probably be around. :)</font Unless he's not and then he swears there's likely a good reason.

[modmachine]

Saturday noonish? You can bring an extra body or two if you want. I'll get pizza.

[The eternal bribe of the college student. Free food.]

[dangerouslyinlove]

[oh he knows some people who will work for pizza.]

Sounds good!! See you then. :)

3

[modmachine]

The acolyte eyes him suspiciously - with his death sense, it probably won't be hard to put together exactly why she seems oddly young-faced compared to how she carries herself. "It's for the dead," she says quietly, showing a bit of teeth. "Meddlers not invited."

[dangerouslyinlove]

"Oh, sorry! That makes much more sense." Ryoji smiles, laughing it off a little. But yeah, he picks up on that, and it's all the more reason to continue the conversation. "That sounds like a nice thing to do, though."

[modmachine]

Normally people get scared off by that. She just watches him for a moment. "Even if God has turned away from us, it does some good to hope," she says quietly. "For the people we left behind, if nothing else."

[dangerouslyinlove]

Ryoji is not normal. At all. "Mm, yeah, I'm sure it does," he says, with a soft smile. He doesn't entirely know what happens after death- he didn't get that far, no Sin-Eater really does, and the Underworld is a weird place and no one can quite agree if it's for certain souls and not others or if everyone goes there. "When are you going to be doing that?"

[modmachine]

She's nodding until he asks his question, at which point it's back to eyeballing him suspiciously again. Meddly meddler boy, her eyes seem to say.

[dangerouslyinlove]

Ryoji blinks at her. "What?" What did he do??