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

[notachickenhawk]

I. Trees

Tobias pays attention to the trees. They're the easiest things to get some good height off of when he can't climb up a fire escape. The words concern him, so he keeps hanging round the park in the evenings, hoping to see if he can spot whoever's making the scratches. Anyone else who's 'odd' might catch his attention, though. It's easy enough to catch it.

II. Exit, pursued by a police officer

Late night on Tuesday, in the downtown area, the shriek of an alarm system echoes out into the night. Tobias hunches his shoulders as he walks briskly away from a broken window, but a rent-a-cop catches sight of him and follows him.

'Kid! Stop!' Tobias turns, feigns a surprised look, and starts walking faster. The man keeps following him as he turns onto a more crowded street. He's not being all that careful as he pushes past people, so it's possible he shoves someone a little too hard by mistake.

III. Lair Sweet Lair

Tobias doesn't usually stick around in the Dream too long if he's not hunting, though the fear created by his stunt earlier in the week was really good. But his Horror alerts the rest of him to something in the Lair, and he goes inside to check it out. The wind is pushing the scent around, but he ducks low to try to figure out what he's sensing.

IV. Everything else

Tobias tends to go out at night, wandering around the downtown area or the sixth. He's not afraid of things that go bump in the night anymore, after all. His wanderings occasionally take him towards the residential district, but he doesn't linger too long there. This is the territory of too many other Beasts. He wouldn't want to step on toes (or paws, or talons) and cause an issue.

Occasionally, he ducks into a pawn shop in the sixth, takinig some time to trade things that he's found. It's not like he has much use for a lot of the junk he picks up. He needs things for survival, even if he and Kitty of the heater now - the winter is only going to get colder.

but what if, in a Plot Twist, the police officer is a bear shapeshifter

[runs]

Luckily (?), some punk hidden in the shadows throws a heavy piece of loose pavement at the guard just as he starts to catch up with Tobias.

Moments later, a cat catches up with the Beast and then falls into step besides him.

ohshi-

[notachickenhawk]

The pavement lands right in front of the guard's feet, sending him sprawling and tumbling into a group of people, who shriek and yell at him.

Tobias glances down at the cat and murmurs a thanks, not stopping until they get past another few groups of people. He then crouches down, offering his arm for her to climb up on so she can get to his jacket.

=D that's what friends are for

[runs]

Kitty takes the offer, quickly climbing up Tobias's arm and getting comfortable on his shoulder.

She purrs in reply to the thanks, but otherwise just sits there. Can't do anything not cat-like out in public like this, can she?

[notachickenhawk]

He scritches her gently, and continues on his way. The guard is far behind them at this point, and they still have a bit to go until they get home. "I guess you were getting in trouble on your own tonight, huh?" He smiles, sounding gently fond. It's... nice to be around a cat again, even if it's one that can talk.

[runs]

Well, she can't talk right now, and will hiss in reply to that. She never gets in trouble.

Okay, not tonight. She didn't get in trouble tonight. The hiss is very half-assed though, with no aggression behind it. Just mild offense.

[notachickenhawk]

"Uh huh." He laughs and rubs her under her chin carefully. "We'll be back soon enough. Let me know if you're cold or anything? You could probably fit in my pocket." Even with fur, it must be getting a little hard for her with how the temperature keeps dropping.

[runs]

You know what, that sounds like a pretty good idea.

We hope you don't mind tiny claws digging into your clothes as she climbs down there quickly and tests that hypothesis.

Yes, indeed, she fits. So there's a pocket-kitten here, now.

[notachickenhawk]

He can't help but snicker a little and pat here gently, making sure she's secure. "I'm glad you're comfy." He looks back to check if anyone's following, but no - he's clear. "Hang on. We're going up."

And indeed, since the crowds are thinner here, he slips into an alley and leaps up to try and grab the fire escape. He does manage to grab it... and it creaks before sliding down on top of him. He adjusts quickly, and only manages to slide down onto his butt, keeping Kitty up and safe from being rolled on as the fire escape ladder slams down over his legs with a screech of metal. "... That. That wasn't... huh."

It was loud, and Tobias frowns before pulling his legs out and climbing up anyway as quickly as he can. Easier to get around downtown on the roofs anyway. He'll just have to avoid rolls while he's got Kitty in his pocket. He quickly takes off running, jumping to the next building easily and scrabbling up the wall to get to the top of a third.

IV

[dangerouslyinlove]

Ryoji tries to keep an eye on Tobias and Kitty both- Kitty is someone easier, since she has and continues to sneak into his dorm to take advantage of central heating. But he will come to their camping spot with some food his mom sent him as he's staying at the dorm over break. "Tobias?" he hesitantly calls.

[notachickenhawk]

Tobias has largely moved their camp now that the weather is getting colder, but he does still hang around the area, partially to see if he can pick up any info from either the human or supernatural sides. He spots Ryoji and heads over to him. "Hey. What's up?"

[dangerouslyinlove]

"Not much. Mostly wanted to say hi!" Because you are friends in all. "How are you doing? Do you want lunch?"

[notachickenhawk]

Ryoji please. "Uh... sure? I'm doing okay. I've been hiding out in an abandoned building mostly since it's too cold here at night." And unlike Kitty, he doesn't have fur.

[dangerouslyinlove]

"You can come hang out with me, if you ever need it." Kitty certainly has. ...He may have been buying tuna specifically for her.

[notachickenhawk]

"I appreciate it, but..." He shifts a little uncomfortably. "I don't really feel comfortable crashing with other people long-term." It's not right, to just take without being able to give, and it's nothing he's earned. Even if they're friends, they haven't fought alongside each other.

[dangerouslyinlove]

"Why not?" Yeah, that's not a mentality Ryoji gets. You are his friend! He wants you to be safe and happy and warmth is an important part of that.

[notachickenhawk]

"I..." He hesitates, and lets out a long sigh. It's hard to explain... "I haven't really earned it. Hell, I invaded your dream. And I trust you, but... it's hard to... when you know you might... might not be able to keep being around people... and the closer you are to someone the more likely it is that you'll end up trying to get in their dream. It's... I don't want to hurt you. And I don't..." He doesn't want to be hurt, to lose someone again.

3

[modmachine]

Lower is better; there's a bit of a smell of overturned earth and blood, but mostly the scent of gross wine is most distinct. If he's looking for tracks, there are a few, but it's hard to make heads-or-tails of exactly what kind of creature left them, out than it being there.

[notachickenhawk]

He growls softly, making a note of the tracks so he'll be able to draw them later n the physical world, but right now his Horror is angry at the intrusion. He follows along, carefully, tasting and sniffing the air to try and follow it. He pushes, willing and pushing at the Dream to open up a pathway toward what he's tracking, but doesn't get much response.

The smell makes his stomach churn, remembering the different yet similar scent of old beer his uncle used to drink. Shoving the memory aside, along with the question of if he's still around, he pushes forward, doing his best to follow the scent. The stronger it gets, the closer he has to be.

[modmachine]

The path is twisty and keeps to the edges of the cliffs for the most part, but he'll eventually be able to make out the shape of whatever is lurking, looking oddly top-heavy pressed against the cliffside.

[notachickenhawk]

Fortunately for Tobias, the intruder doesn't have a way to deal with the wind unless he says so. And it doesn't bother him any, so he growls low, a warning and a question. Don't try anything funny, it says in the growl. Who are you, and why are you here?

[modmachine]

Alarm. Sounds like branches shifting in the wind, leaves rustling where before they had been quiet. LosthungryjustlookingforHUNGRY -

[notachickenhawk]

He lurches towards the sound's source, growling some more, though it's less severe. Lost and hungry, he can understand. He's still irritated about the intrusion - anyone would be, really! - but if this is a new Child... Where? What sort do you hunt?

[modmachine]

The response isn't in words, but in a spiked feeling of abandonment - people who leave, that's what.

[notachickenhawk]

... Oh. I hunt those who forget to be grateful for their safety and what they have. He can't help with the abandonment part, but... he knows how hard it is to feel abandoned, even if he's in some way guilty of it himself. You're new, aren't you? I'm not going to hurt you unless you make me. If they harm those in his... very odd brood... well. That's a personal matter. Otherwise... unless the new kid threatens to bring in danger, there's no reason to.