WEEK 06

[modmachine]

Moon phase: The first quarter moon is on Wednesday the 7th, and the moon will be nearly full on the weekend.

Weather forecast: After so many days of clouds and threatening, the freeze has arrived for the year beneath an open sky.

Ghost Bust(ers): On Tuesday, Ryoji will get a message from Autumn on the Twilight Network, letting him know that the situation involving the old man’s ghost has been resolved.

E(dda) T(ravis), Phone Home: On Wednesday evening, Corwin gets a phone call from Edda, asking if she can come over sometime on Saturday.

To Invitations: Speaking of Corwin's house, both he and Malin will be able to notice signs of something in the trees nearest the place occasionally. Whatever it is is the size of a large racoon and seems most comfortable staying in the trees, especially during daylight hours. Large claw scratches can be found in the trunks frequently.

Sparkle and Flicker: The park light displays put up throughout the end of November are now open to the public, from now until New Year's. They're drive-through-only on weekends, but on weeknights, when the goal isn't getting as many people through as possible for the park to have budget until summer boating season, it's just as likely that people will park at the nearby ice rink and walk through the well-lit sidewalks. (It helps that there's a discount for families on Tuesday and college students on Thursday, too.) Of course, off the paths, you can never be quite sure what you'll encounter…

Red like... Cherries?: While Tobias seems to have scared the 'younger' Beast off from his own Lair, it seems to have decided to hang around picking out easy targets. Those who are closer to Tobias will find themselves plagued with dreams of a blooming cherry tree throughout the week. Approaching the tree within the dream will reveal that the bark is coated with dripping blood - looking up for the source will show someone close to the viewer impaled on sharp branches, the blossoms on the other side of the body in perfect condition.

Tell me True: Various hunter channels, including Network Zero, start to get posts from someone talking about 'the truth of the city' and 'the real power here.' This isn't completely abnormal for them, given how many conspiracy theorists (right and wrong) are in such places... But what's odd is the amateur photography and exacting records of trains going around the city, and how food seems to appear from nowhere on them. Anyone wanting further information is encouraged to contact the poster by leaving a note at a certain abandoned house in the Residential District.

Cutting Loose: The local high schools are also empty for winter break, which means there's a lot more teenagers on the streets of the Residential and Sixth districts than usual. In particular, a senior in a red aquarium hoodie can be spotted skateboarding around by himself, in places you're specifically not supposed to skateboard, almost out of spite. Some of those places skirt dangerously close to Infrastructure, and even straight through it if it's outside buildings. The only place he seems unwilling to disrespect is a graveyard on the border between the two Districts, where he goes and sits in front of a headstone most afternoons to eat his small packed lunch.

Comments

[crazycatvampire]

I. Invitations

Corwin doesn't expect there to be animals anywhere near his house when he's in it, to be quite honest. Malin is the closest thing to an animal that can stand him. So while he notices the claw marks, it takes him several days to actually catch sight of the creature making them, and even then it's fleeting and surprising.

Still, if there's an animal who decided to make his house its territory, far be it from him to complain! Instead, he's increasing the amount of cat food he leaves out for Kitty, leaving some on the porch and some more under one of the trees within view of his living backyard window, which he then leaves one of the curtains open on. He wants to see if he can get a glimpse of whatever it is, if it will come down during his off-hours while working on his experiments, and while he's recharging.

II. Tell me True (and general stuff)

While out and about making his usual rounds of watching the city's inhabitants and checking on places he's seen strange ice and signs of the supernatural-- like the park where he'd met the hunted one, or the place where the goblin market entrance had been-- Corwin also drops by that certain abandoned house to leave his email address. Why not, after all? It could be interesting, and he's started to have doubts about... something. He's not sure what, but definitely something is worrying him.

Something to do with that vivid imagery of biting and drinking and killing, that came from catching Malin at dinner, and the inexplicable and troubling certainty that he'd done that before.

So while he waits to hear back, he's prowling, he's fretting, and he's worrying at his not-real brain in the hopes of coming up with an answer. Anyone who recognizes him by now would recognize he's distracted.

III. Phone Home

It's with surprise and pleasure and worry, all rolled into one, that Corwin makes sure to clear his afternoon for Edda on Saturday-- though he's just as surprised it's not including Avere, as he is that she's contacting him at all. He warns Malin that they will have company, but she can keep her door locked and they will do their level best not to bother her, since it's during daylight hours.

He actually buys some tea and cookies, just so he has something to feed Edda when she shows up, and he spends all his time until she arrives fretting that something is wrong. After all, something wrong and strange happened to him that he still can't explain... maybe Avere is malfunctioning somehow. If that's what this is about, he's going to be terribly upset.

II

[dangerouslyinlove]

Corwin is not the most comfortable person to hang around for long, but Ryoji has been trying to be conscious of how he reacts around the man when he sees them, since Corwin warned him about the freak-outs some people apparently get. So even though there is a bit of distress when Corwin comes into the area, Ryoji will smile and wave at him, but...

"Hey! Are you ok?" Something seems wrong.

[crazycatvampire]

Corwin offers a small smile in answer, glad to see someone who's willing to talk to him, and knows something of what he's really like. "I am worried about myself," he answers, because he's not great at small talk and it's hard to focus on, anyway, when you're worried and uncertain.

[dangerouslyinlove]

That... is not terribly helpful. "Um... what do you mean?" Ryoji asks, very puzzled by that response and a little worried.

[crazycatvampire]

"I don't know," Corwin answers, which also doesn't help. He does give it a try, though, drifting over in Ryoji's direction. "I saw something, in my head, that doesn't belong there. Like a memory, only it can't possibly be mine. And it's... disturbing."

I

[movingon]

"...Have you found what made them?"

The scratches haven't been there for long, so she hasn't really looked into them yet, but her question still holds more than idle curiosity. After all with an animal coming this close to Corwin... you got to wonder if someone supernatural is spying on them.

[crazycatvampire]

"Not yet, but if it's something that can stand being around me, I definitely want to," Corwin says, pausing yet again in stirring the concoction in his beaker to peer out the window. Since it's after dark, it's safe for Malin to be around with the curtains apart. He doesn't want to put her in danger, after all-- she's more important than an animal. But he's definitely curious.

"I put out some food, so maybe it will come down where we can see it," he adds hopefully.

[movingon]

"If it can stand being around you, it might not be a regular animal at all."

It's half a wish to caution against too much trust and thus protect Corwin, and half the worry of losing him speaking - she wouldn't mind sharing him in theory, but she knows all too well from experience that things don't work that way. An animal would be no issue, but if it's something else and Corwin befriends the something else, she is almost certain that he'll decide to replace her. Because that is how such things work. If someone who can fill her position - a friend, someone who will readily be around Corwin - comes along, and she doesn't fight nail and teeth to not let them be better at that than her, she will be replaced. And as bad as that would be emotionally, it would be worse practically. He's more than a friend, he's providing shelter for her and knows way too much about her. So in part, her words are an attempt at a precaution, to sow distrust between that whoever or whatever and Corwin.

"You should be careful until we know what it is."

[crazycatvampire]

"I'll be careful," Corwin promises, but in a distracted manner, letting the curtain fall again. "Though I doubt it will be able to hurt me, whatever it is. It might be able to hurt you...." He hasn't quite been convinced that vampires aren't as durable and quick to repair themselves as Prometheans are.

[dangerouslyinlove]

I. Ghost Busters

The note is good sign, probably! Ryoji heads back to the warehouse to check up on it, since 'resolved' can mean a bunch of things... and maybe he'll run into Autumn there, if she's around. He hopes it means that the ghost found peace, but he's not always sure what other Sin-Eaters do to achieve that.

II. Red like Cherries

Ryoji has kind of weird dreams to begin with, but this is... more out there than normal. Especially when he gets to the tree and looks at the person in it.

It's a boy, about his age, face obscure by a baseball cap tilted down over it. Ryoji doesn't know this person, and therefore it shouldn't really bother him. Death doesn't as a general rule these days. But that's not what happens. He is upset when he sees the boy there, with a sense of more personal loss than he's known in a while. It hurts, and there's that feeling of being alone, being left behind.

...But, hang on. Does he know this boy? He's starting to look a little familiar, and Ryoji approaches the tree carefully, trying to get a better look.

III. Sparkle and Flicker (and general)

The lights are always nice, and Ryoji will totally take up discounts for college students, but he's not very good at staying where he's supposed to anyway. It's quite hard to not get curious and explore, at least for him. And the park is where some of his friends are staying, and he is definitely still going to be checking up on them. A lot. They can't escape. Or heck, even random people that look vaguely familiar. He'll smile and wave and say, "Hi, how are you doing?" and good luck getting away without any conversation.

His dorm is pretty quiet right now, most of the students still out for the break, so Casper and Kitty and whoever else would like are more than welcome to stay with him, and he's a little insistent about it. Though whoever's staying with him might notice he's a little shaken up after waking from a very, very distressing dream...

I

[modmachine]

Autumn is indeed there, leaning against the side of the building and humming as she works on stitching up the side of a very worn-out looking teddy bear. She quirks her head as she listens to her Geist whisper in her hear, and looks up, smiling at Ryoji.

"Hey there! How's it going?"

[dangerouslyinlove]

"Good!" Ryoji beams back, approaching her, "I got your message. Did you guys manage to help him out?"

[modmachine]

She grimaces a little bit, shifting uncomfortably. "Yeah... kind of. Dexter's not... as gentle about it as I'd like."

[dangerouslyinlove]

...Oh. Ryoji feels Thanatos stiffen behind him, flaring its wings out in what is a likely precursory to anger. "...What happened?" He needs to know, even if there's a decent chance he's going to have to make sure Thanatos doesn't do anything, well. Rash.

III

[runs]

He'll wake up to a kitten snuggled up against him after his distressing dream. It was always very useful when Chantalle was sad or distressed, she found, and she could hardly ignore Ryoji's distress, even if it was just a nightmare.

[dangerouslyinlove]

...Awww. Even though he is a bit panicked and very confused after the nightmare, kitties do help. Ryoji smiles a little, shocked awake by the ending of the dream, and will just pet her for a moment. (She is definitely a cat, which is a thing he has to focus on because thinking she's a girl is way too weird.)

[runs]

She purrs at the pettings and lazily opens her eyes only enough to look at him and see how he's doing. When he looks rather terribly, she snuggles a bit closer and then climbs onto his chest and starts kneading.

[dangerouslyinlove]

That is ridiculously adorable. Ryoji will continue to lie there and pet her until his breathing calms and his heartrate goes back to normal. ...It takes much longer than he feels like it should. "Thanks."

[helborn]

I: Light It Up

Casper doesn't like to just sit around, especially with someone inside of him who hasn't been alive for some time. On a lot of weeknights, he can be found wandering around the park lights. He's got a little bit of pocket money, so it works. The twinkling lights are somewhat nostalgic... he remembers wandering through Christmas displays. Not that he ever really celebrated that, but it's still nice to remember. Of course, if anyone's nearby, he'll try to strike up a conversation with them.

II: Fear is Compressed

It's not as if Casper is never afraid of things. He just processes it differently. In fact, he's worried enough about things that he's spending a lot of time prowling around the edges of the city. It's taking him a few days, but he's looking for any sort of crack or oddity. Anyone near the edges of pretty much any district can find him staring at the Wall, frowning. There's got to be something here...

III: We are Magnets:

Eventually, though, Casper has to find rest somewhere. He's been trying to stick near Ryoji at night, since he has no real idea how the city works. He hasn't been around for long enough, really. Even if it's not the most pleasant of places, Casper has taken to sitting around the graveyards of the city to try to find a little peace. It's not exactly the most common idea of peaceful, but it's a sort of place he's always been comfortable with. And if a ghost wanders around, he won't exactly mind.

... Anyone living and not obviously visiting a grave, though, will get a bit of an odd look. Someone here for a similar reason to him, maybe?

III

[dangerouslyinlove]

Ryoji likes having Casper around- he's a much nicer person than Ryoji's actual roommate, and it is nice to have people around who kind of know what's going on in the world at large. Or... this world, within the walls, anyway? Suddenly it gets much more confusing when you add in all of that.

He's been a little... shaky since his nightmare last night, but he's still all smiles as normal as he settles down next to Casper.

[helborn]

It does get very confusing, but he smiles at Ryoji. "I should have guessed you'd come out here." It's just so quiet here. It makes it easier to think, even without his new friend in his head. "Are you doing okay?" He'd noticed Ryoji looking a little off this morning, but he hadn't wanted to pry.

[dangerouslyinlove]

"Mm... I'm fine, yeah." Ryoji isn't fine, exactly- the nightmare has stayed with him all day, but it's more confusion and worry than the sharp fear that had been sunk into him during the dream. He's not sure if he should talk about it, or keep it quiet, to be honest. "You?"

II

[runs]

"You can go on top of them, you know?"

There's a kid next to Casper all of a sudden, a kid he knows.

[helborn]

Hello there, Kitty.

"I know I can go on top of the wall, but I'm trying to figure out what it's made of, for a start."

[runs]

"Gears." Well, partially, anyway. A big enough part to warrant that description, anyway. "Gears that are big and strong enough to grind you to death and if you try to stop them an angel will come and kill you or worse."