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Post by HungryHunter on Sept 4, 2020 5:50:05 GMT
It was warm today. It was warm most days on the island, but today Scalag could see the heat rippling off of the rocks of the beach. Clouds rolled overhead, but if rain came from them, it was evaporating back into the sky before it reached the ground. Scalag measured the temperature for a while before turning to a clansman. “I am going to visit the spiral. It is too dry this season. The eggs may need more care.” He said flatly, only his body language betraying worry. Tail drooped, nearly touching the ground. Display scales on his head raised to make him look bigger. “They have lived through worse seasons. The guardians know what they are doing.” No fear. Flat scales. High tail.
“I will hunt near the spiral and investigate the eggs on the way.” Scalag jumped off his sunning rock and walked into the jungle. It was slightly cooler here, in the shade of the jungle. His tongue flicked out, catching the wind. Flowers, birds, other lizardfolk… blood. He hesitated, tasting the air a few more times. There were other hunters out here, and large predators on top of that. It wasn’t so unusual to smell blood, but there was far too much. His pace quickened through the brush, brushing aside branches and vines with his claws. It wasn’t far to the spiral. The jungle soon broke into a sandy clearing, barren but for a small hill with a burrow in the very center, large enough for a lizard to stoop in.
The sand around the burrow was saturated with blood and littered with arrows. The guardians lay dead, some mangled beyond recognition, others merely pierced by arrows. Scalag ran now, rushing to the burrow. Nobody would attack the guardians unless they sought what they guarded. He ducked low and immediately had his fears confirmed. Where there should have been dozens of eggs lining the sloped tunnel, there were none. His tail thrashed in agitation, his spines were up in fear. The only sign of hope was that there were no broken eggshells, no splatters of yolk. Whoever took the eggs, they took them alive. They could be saved.
“We cannot afford to wait.” An old toothless, tailless lizard said. “Of an entire clutch, narry one or two will make it to adulthood. Even the loss of that one adult will echo through the generations.” The other lizardfolk hummed in agreement. They grew slowly and life was dangerous. A lizardwoman was nearly 30 before she could lay her first clutch of eggs, and they were still usually inferior in size and quality for another few years. Before then, there was disease, predation, accidents. The drowning riptides, the boiling plague, the longstalks and jub-jub birds that prowled the island, many potentially deadly to even grown lizardfolk, let alone their children. “I agree, but what more is there to do? We have already searched the island, but for the most dangerous reaches. Are we to risk losing more in searching for these eggs?” A larger lizard with burnished silver scales said.
“We can search them without any risk to us. We will call the world outside!” Everybody turned to look and saw a blue lizard sitting atop a rock. They were the only one here who decorated their body in any way, a single red stripe down their chest serving as a badge of shamanhood. Tails slowed their agitated waves. Shamans were special. They worked with forces that nobody else understood. If anybody could solve the problem, it was the shamans. “Off of our island, there are people unlimited. Many of them will take great risks for things they desire.” The shaman said, holding out a handful of shiny yellow rocks. “Just this many rocks will buy us as much help as we need. I just need to promise them and people will come.”
“Why do you think people will want those rocks, let alone enough to risk death for them?” A red lizard asked. “The people outside are not like us. Rest assured that they will come for these stones, and for their own reasons. I will send my spirit messengers and we will have them tomorrow.” Everybody present nodded in agreement and separated, leaving the shamans. They worked in silence, crushing up berries and mushrooms into a thick purple paste. Alongside them they gathered valuable things. Food, worked skins. Each of them took a turn licking some up, eyes rolling back as the effects hit them. Whites began to glow purple as they saw beyond the regular world. “Spirits who surround us. Accept an offering and deliver our plea.” They spoke and the valuables vanished into thin air. “The agreement is reached. Say this to those who would help us…”
Eustace Kirk wrote his opening sentence once more. Tone. It was all about tone. But that was so difficult to capture without being cliche. A dark and stormy night? Passe. He would be laughed off of that wretched wordpress with such derivative tripe. No, he had to be more creative. Perhaps a change in setting. Some oppressive landscape, a land of misery. Eastern Europe was another cliche, but perhaps in the wake of communism, he could find something new to do there. Not Chernobyl, that would be hideously tacky. Radiation was for hacks. Eustace spun in his writing chair, grabbing his globe. “Send me somewhere.” He demanded, slapping it into a spin. Where his finger stopped it, he would find a viable location there.
Before he got the chance, a voice startled him from his seat. “You! Seek adventure? Seek gold? Seek good deeds? Find us, and you will have all!” A pale, translucent figure clung to his ceiling. It looked like a centipede made of lizard parts, seeming to become longer the more he watched it, more limbs and segments added by the second. He stared in abject shock as the creature dropped a shining stone to the floor. “One more, bigger, if you come.” An image flared in his mind, a tropical island, thickly forested across its breadth. With it came an exact knowledge of its location, translated automatically into map coordinates. “That’s it.” He said. “Yes, a jungle! Where civilization has never touched, crawling with disease and the tangled roots of nature!” A glittering at his feet caught his eye and he stooped to find a shining pebble of gold. “Ah. And that is good too.” Unpublished manuscripts did not keep his belly full, and this certainly beat those tedious mundane jobs.
“Haveeeeeeen!” Martha came bolting into Haven’s room. Her voice was loud enough that the soundproofed walls often couldn’t keep it out, and inside it was catastrophic, cutting clean through Haven’s headphones.
The purple-haired doll practically threw his headphones down onto the table in front of him and stood up. “What is it?! Are you alright? Is Ash alright?” He asked, instinctively thinking about those two. He had been deep in music production, so Haven was slowly coming back to his real life senses. “There was a ghost! A lizardy ghost! It gave me a thing and told me to, to do something and I don’t know what to do, Haven!” Martha erratically waved her arms, trying to center herself.
He stared at her for a few seconds to gather his thoughts. “A...ghost? A lizard ghost?” Haven walked over and put his arm on Martha’s shoulder to try and calm her down. “What did he give you, exactly?” He asked.
“Oh! This!” Martha opened her hand, revealing a gold nugget sitting in her palm. “He said that there would be more if I went to some island and helped people. The place is burned into my head… but how do you get to an island? Can you swim?”
“...uh...huh.” Haven said with confusion. “I mean, it looks like real gold. But I’m not exactly a jeweler.” Haven put his hand to his chin and stroked it thoughtfully. “So the place is burned into your head? Do you know if you can trust this person at all?” He asked. This could just be some trap to capture HW people and make them do forced labor, or something else awful!
“Well no, but…” Martha looked down at her feet. “I felt something, when the ghost talked to me. Like… kids were in trouble.” This made Haven lower his eyebrow with more suspicion. “Kids? Ok, where is this island? Can you show me on a map?” Haven flicked open his tablet and opened up a map service for Martha to try and point to. Martha closed her eyes and her fingers seemed to move on their own, zooming into a spot of the Atlantic Ocean, just above the equator. There was nothing there.
“That’s where it is. I know it. It’s not on maps.” Martha insisted.
Haven stared at the seemingly empty plot of ocean Martha was pointing to. “Hmmm...I mean, Hidden World stuff’s not usually on maps, I’ll give you that. Did he say it was going to be dangerous at all?” Haven asked, thinking about bringing along a few more dolls if this was going to be serious.
“If this is gold, it must be a little risky or they wouldn’t be paying so much.” Martha admitted. “But I don’t know about bringing the others. How about just you and me? We’re the adults, kinda. The responsible ones anyway.” Martha said. Haven paused and looked at the ceiling. “You’re not wrong. I guess if things get too bad, we can just fly away on my board.” Smirking, Haven pulled down his purple-tinted goggles and looked at Martha. “Come on, I know a gal who can make us a teleport scroll anywhere we want on this rock!” He said, pulling Martha out of the room.
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Post by othus on Sept 4, 2020 7:22:00 GMT
Shinkyo-city district
Akabane had felt this weird message pop on her head, and apparently, she wasn't the only one. She was supposed to meet with another agent who had gotten the same premonition.
She headed downtown, wondering why they didn't disclose the name of the agent. As soon as she saw him, she knew why
"*Oh come on* Hey Daisuke! so...good to see you, did you really get the message?"-Akabane said as she sighed, nobody wanted to team up with Daisuke, there was always a ton of collateral, and the credit payment often ended up in 0
"Howdy partner, If I hadn't gotten the message, I wouldn't have this now, wouldn't I?"-He said as he tossed a golden rock in the air and caught it.
"Eh, 6 points for the effort, you accent is still kinda awful, and wait why is your rock bigger?!"
"pff, everyone's a critic, what do you know about accents anyway?"-Daisuke dismissively replied to Akabane's critic
"A thing or two, "pArTner". I lived in Texas for a few years you know?" Akabane replied in a mocking tone
"Wait really?!...shit, we gotta go"- Daisuke had clearly seen something he did not like, the gunslinger reached for Akabane's arm and pulled
"Hey, what's the big idea?!"-she replied as she turned her head around only to see perhaps the two people he wanted to avoid the most in the world
"DON'T EVEN TRY TO RUN, FUCKER!"
"FUCK, Mai and Akane? what the hell did you do?!"-Akabane began sprinting almost immediately as well
"You know how that muscle bitch puts eye gouging prices on the virtual machines? well she sometimes drops a chunk here and there when she comes back from missions, figured that if she didn't need them I might as well...you know...take them"
A horse carriage flew their way and crashed into one of the buildings, both Yoshihara barely dodging
"Shit! wait, if that's it, what about Akane?! they are NOT supposed to get along"
"I might have had to sneak into the onsen for the last piece...anyway that doesn't matter, what do you think? 2v2, can we kick their ass?"
"You know, right now I kinda want to help them kick yours"
"okay okay!, to the teleport node then!"
Callie jumped in surprise as Haven and Martha came out of the room, they saw her! they probably think she was eavesdropping their entire conversation, she had only heard a bit by mistake! she had to make things clear now!
Mustering all of her courage she managed to speak up "um...hi"
her attempt at conversation was so embarrassing she turned red, she had to do better before they got mad!
"A-are you going out? I-is it ok if I go? (with you, y'know...although just going away would be fine too)"
She was actually ready to dash out of there, but she knew Martha would catch her regardless, now she was in trouble!
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Post by RedLenai on Sept 4, 2020 12:59:15 GMT
Inside an abandoned church, one in which not even homeless people would dare to spend to night mostly becase the roof was destroyed, open to rain, snow, wind or whatever that could land inside, there was one only man desperate enough or crazy enough to actually have spent the night there. Liam was laying down in one of the large seats, one that wasn't damaged enough. He spent the previous night trying to "pray" for something, it wasn't long enough as he was making his way back to New York, as he did some work and hunting, that other hunters he met along the way recognized the name of the person he was trying to get back to. He knew in the second he met the person that turn his world upside down, that there was something surreal surrounding him. As he once accidentaly let slip the name of his forced to be "ex", certain hunters glanced back, some surprised and others with certain repulse. Then, he got explained that Derek wasn't human at all, that he was from a species which was related to angels and celtic mythology. The ones that got surprised by him knowing the blonde, they explained to him that there was more to their surprise, and that was the fact that the boy he dated hided the fact that he was actually the heir of an Irish hidden Kingdom. The others just warned him, Derek was known for being a tricky bastard that put them in danger but the worse was that whoever hired him, squeezed even the last drop of money, mostly in research and magic-chemical based products for hunting. " Hey, kid" - He could hear a voice from the device he held in his palm - " Check your left" The voice of the mad scientist... Liam wasn't sure how the hell did he end up being the guinnea pig of some crazy bastard taht he didn't even knew. One day he was normally hunting and in one second he had a device attached to his hand and that modified robotic voice. He did as he was told tho, when he checked he saw a golden pebble... was that the signal he was looking for? He picked it up, but what did it mean? " On your back!" He turned around, before he did aynything there was a translucent creature, a lizard-kinda like creature with many extremities. He stepped closer, that couldn't be an angel, or anything Holy at all so it was probably a demon, or a ghost, or... the soul of a Lizard folk that couldn't find peace? Maybe? Come... for answers - He heard it say and the image of an island popped in his mind. A Jungle, immense heat, sand, blood... What was this? But in the second he tried to look back at the creature and ask it something, it was gone. "Giving you the coordenates, get out of that place, I'll open a gate to where it wants to take you" And then he went again... why on Earth the douchebag he was "working" for didn't made that damn gate in the first place? He could be on New York in a flash! But no, he had to go to some fricking island, in the middle of nowhere, probably some dangerous place and he wasn't even ready for that!
Fucking great... - He said as he went outside
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Post by TimePuppy on Sept 9, 2020 16:30:19 GMT
The sound of a sowing machine echoed through a kaspa decorated like a Japanese street during a summer festival, with lights of various colors illuminating rows upon rows of clothing. In the back stood a lone door, the passageway to Aimi Maki's green-tinted workshop. The seamstress was engrossed in her work, pressing the peddal of her machine and sliding the cloth through it with her tail while her hands worked on the intricate embroidery her customer requested, when a sudden "You! Seek fun? Riches?" startled her into pricking her finger.
She whipped around, looking for the intruder. How they managed to get in her kaspa uninvited was something she'd ask only after teaching them why breaking into a kitsune's workshop was a bad idea. instead of a physical intruder though, she was met with a spirit, an amalgam of lizards holding a shiny coin. Being a spiritual being herself, the seamstress wasn't easily awed by spirits like humans were, but an unusual one like this certainly made her foxy ears perk up with interest. It beckoned her to an island the location of which was engraved in her mind.
The spirit disappeared after giving its sales pitch, leaving behind Aimi with an excitedly dancing tail. Well, she just had to check out this little island. Luckily she knew of a little yacht club nearby that surely wouldn't mind if she borrowed a boat for a little while. A mischievous smirk appeared on her face.
---
A pale white-haired girl stormed through the hallways of Gateway in a huff. She'd just lost her weekly allowance on a dice game that was totally rigged! She slammed the door of her room and grabbed a box of dice to make sure it wasn't her luck that betrayed her. A candlestick holding a larger than average candle lit the table and her result.
"I knew it! They must have cheated!" Leslie Dike exclaimed. The candle reacted to her annoyance, hopping up and in front of her with a silly face. "Daw, don't worry Spakleach, you don't need to cheer me up. I'll get my revenge and my money back. I just need to get some-"
"Treasure you seek? Like this?" A golden pebble fell on the table from the clutches of a ghostly lizard. "More if you come."
"Wha- Who- What?" Leslie stumbled over her words as the lizard island's location got beamed into her head. The spirit faded before she could ask it for more information. But she didn't really need more information. This spirit must have been a fae! Her brother told her never to trust fae, regardless of the help they gave their family. But she really needed money right now. "Sparkleach, we are going on an adventure!"
---
"Glad I could help," Maya Baker said into the phone. "Feel free to call me anytime." She'd just gotten a call from the local police chief after she helped them solve a murder. Everyone suspected the butler for the longest time, but it was thanks to her help they managed to find the real culprit, the maid's illegitimate daughter.
It was all needlessly complicated, really... Maya wished she got some simpler tasks on occasion. Or at least less grim. But sadly, her reputation apparently made people think she was above looking for missing things. Finding missing things was the most fundamental skill a sleuth could have, darn it! Though she didn't mind being respected.
"You seek? You seek good?" A voice appeared beside her. She turned around in her chair, surprised someone managed to sneak in despite her highly trained observational skills. But it wasn't someone. It was something. A floating lizard spirit. "Come. Help us seek. Big reward." It dropped a shiny stone on her table. Visions of an island in the middle of an ocean filled her mind, followed by the empty nest.
A smile grew on Maya's face. "I'm on it."
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Post by Vapovile on Sept 14, 2020 1:58:01 GMT
Located within a tall hotel complex in Scotland, a woman was rooting around a large closet full of flashy outfits hung neatly up by hangers. The clatter of her shiny metallic bracelets jingled as she pulled out a shiny blue dress that flared out into black lace along the bottom, the top lined with faint gold lace.
“How about this one? Too posh for a night out?” Casey asked the man sitting in the living room, a 30-something man with short brown hair slicked back, a pair of rectangular glasses on his face. “I think it looks great! You’re the star here, why wouldn’t you want to stand out?” He asked. Casey gave a small frown. “This isn’t a performance, I am just walking around this city for a bit! I only want so much attention in a day, you know?” She said back, going to the clothes rack once more.
After a few seconds though, a surprised yelp could be heard, the manager getting up and looking in the closet to see Casey staring at a strange centipede-like spirit talking about...adventure? Gold? Good deeds? When it was all done, Casey turned the stone around in her hands.
“What do you make of it?” She asked, the manager looking on with confusion. “I mean, they didn’t know your name. But are you really going to trust this rubbish? This isn’t Star Wars.” He tried to joke, but Casey shrugged her shoulders, having no idea what he was talking about.
“Sounds like a fun time to me, why not? I trust you still have those teleport scrolls?” She asked. The manager looked on with disbelief. “Are you sure? It could all be some joke by the paparazzi, you realize.” He tried to reason, but Casey was already looking at her more casual outfits. “Are you doubting my ability to handle those cretins, James?” Casey asked, giving him a sidelong glance, confident smile beaming. He simply shook his head and produced a teleport scroll. “Of course not, ma’am.”
---
Meanwhile, Sid Renen sat on the bed of his old apartment, scrolling through his phone at various short videos that went past. He let out a chuckle seeing someone try grinding down a rail with a skateboard, and falling off halfway down onto the pavement. “Heh heh heh. Leaned too far to the left, my dude.” Sid said to nobody.
Suddenly, a strange spirit appeared to his right and promised treasure and adventure. Sid opened his mouth to try and respond, but the spirit was already gone, leaving a stone behind. “...what?” He asked in confusion, having not moved an inch since the spirit appeared.
Swinging his legs upward, Sid flipped off the bed and picked up the stone from the floor. “What was that dude talking about…?” He asked, scratching his unkempt brown hair. With a shrug, Sid pocketed the stone and grabbed a black shirt off the floor, slipping it on. “Well I got nothing better to do, might as well get some cash.” How did the thing show its location to his mind directly? With another shrug, Sid grabbed a strange medal off the counter and exited his apartment.
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Post by HungryHunter on Sept 16, 2020 1:11:04 GMT
In a blazing flash of light, Martha, Callie and Haven appeared on a beach. The heat hit them immediately, making Martha glad she had dressed down. Her coat was left at home, her shorts and sports bra plenty for the tropical island. She was glad Haven insisted on coating her up in sunscreen or she’d be going red in seconds. To their back was an expanse of water, empty and endless but for a single smaller island on the horizon, a craggy pile of geometric shapes. Before them was a jungle, thick and lush. Martha breathed in and smelled something like an entire fruit salad mixed with a hardware store.
Others were teleporting in around them, but she first noted the local. He sat sprawled in the sand, legs splayed out beside him. A thick tail curled behind him, helping his torso remain upright. He stood up and Martha noted with horror that he was naked, but a glance saw no sign of genitals, just flat, pale belly scales. The rest of his hunched body was a dull, rusty orange for the most part, but for the bright yellow scales that lined the back of his skull like a frill. They rose and then lowered, a nervous motion to Martha’s eyes. He was glancing at everybody present, nearly still but for his flickering eyes. Martha too managed to look away to look for the others here, noticing first the odd man stroking his chin at the fringe of the water.
Eustace Kirk had dressed for jungle exploration. His shirt was white, his pants tan, his thick leather boots nearly reaching his knees. A tough yellow pith helmet topped it all off, making him look distinctly out of place in the 21st century. As he was, in truth. The tools of survival around his belt, at least, were modern. A large flashlight, bug spray, matches. He had what he needed to make this trip exciting, but not too exciting. “Ah, you must be the one who sent for us.” He said to the waiting lizardman. “Let’s get on with this then. Direct me to the problem and we’ll get on with solving it.” He pointed at the hunched creature and his head scales stood on end. “Ah… not quite that… I want to make sure all are here before I begin.” The lizardman mumbled, fidgeting with the necklace around his neck, the only trinket on his body. He definitely seemed uncomfortable among the humans, despite being taller than any of them.
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Post by othus on Sept 16, 2020 2:40:20 GMT
Callie quickly set herself behind Martha as they arrived, what was that creature?! also, the heat was too much! shade, she had to find shade! As the lizardman began to speak, the doll silently walked backwards towards a nearby palm tree, setting herself right under it. that would do for the time being! ah, she found herself a little bit drowsy even. Let Martha and Haven deal with the problems, she would rest now, as long as they didn't move too far.
It wasn't long before Daisuke and Akabane teleported to the place as well, the Musashi lass falling right on top of Daisuke, who got flattened on the sand.
"Hey, looks like we lost them!"-Akabane said as she looked below at her partner, with no urge to get up. The breeze and heat instantly reminded her of Okinawa, before the invasion of course. As she looked at the groups telported her heart stopped for a second. That was Martha, wasn't it?! Akabane held her breath and tried to control herself a bit. It wasn't the same Martha, that much she knew, and yet, her stomach could barely hold the sight of her. She finally got up from Daisuke's back and headed towards the lizard
"Hi, I asume you understand what I'm saying? I'm Akabane of the Musashi clan, he is Daisuke, same as me. we are here to assist you"-She told the lizardfolk as she pointed towards Daisuke, who was still having trouble standing up
Akabane then looked at the dolls, the hint of hostility disappeared as she extended her hand
"Pleased to meet you, I hope we all get along"-She replied. If Martha shook her hand she would notice her grip was just a bit too tight.
Daisuke finally managed to get next to Akabane, noticing introductions were made, he took off his cowboy hat and set it on his chest as he extended a hand towards Haven
"Howdy Y'all!, pleasure to meet you ma'am! This...this heat is nothing, am I right?!"-He told her clearly being affected by the sun.
As Callie looked at the group gathering on the beach, there were suddenly two more, that was enough to make her move behind the palm tree. Her ears perked up at the sight of Akabane, she had never seen her before and yet, she felt curious about her. After a few seconds of analizing their interactions with Martha and Haven, Callie introduced her as well.
"hi...nyaice to meet you...I'm Callie"-She said all the way from the palm tree, her words obviously impossible to catch from that distance, or even up close for that matter.
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Post by RedLenai on Sept 16, 2020 2:46:45 GMT
In the second Liam teleported he could notice the immediate change in temperature, the heat suddenly made him take off his jacket and shirt, which he turned into a ball to put it inside his bag. Thankfully he was wearing a black t-shirt under the two first items. He hoped the jeans and logger boots weren't going to make him feel hot... he barely had clothes to spare.
He noticed the rest, different groups of individuals, obviously some of them weren't human. He could notice at the girl with cat ears, and the other two androgynous companions she had. Then two oriental... while the girl seemed polite the guy was a bit too much of an extrovert for his taste. But then he got distracted the second the scout that probably came out from a children's tv show talked and even proclaimed that all will solve whatever kind of thing the Lizard has summoned them... What on Earth this old man was thinking? He wasn't the boss around to be acting all mighty or as if he was a fricking leader? Ugh, he didn't want to make assumptions but the rookie immediatly felt he should avoid Dora's grandfather.
By the moment they had to wait... that was what the lizardman said in the middle of its discomfort. The only thing Liam could do was sigh, he didn't want to waste his time on the middle of an island doing whatever the Mad owner of the devide or a Lizard wanted! He had other things to do! Way more important! Better this other people come quickly, he didn't want to spend more than a day in the island. He didn't even knew where the heck he was! And what if the asshole inventor didn't want to teleport him back and he had to swim back to America!? He didn't even started but was already thinking the worst...
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Post by TimePuppy on Sept 23, 2020 15:39:05 GMT
Leslie blinked in the sharp light, the gateway tteleporter having left her on a sunny beach filled with people. She wasn't expecting so many others to be here or any others in fact. Suddenly she felt nervous. Some of these people looked really sketchy, like the long-haired weirdo in red, very unlike the kids she spent her time with in Gateway. She realized maybe she should've listened to her brother. And he wasn't here to protect her if something went wrong now.
The sun's heat made her snap out of her worries for now and made her realize she forgot to apply the special sunscreen her teacher made. At least she still had her parasol to protect her overly pale complexion.
"H-hello," she said realizing staying quiet wouldn't help her much now. "A ghost lizard told me to come here, so am- am I supposed to talk to you?" She looked at the lizardman.
The events on the beach were cut short by the sounds of a boat's engine. A yacht cut through the water at full speed, only starting to slow down when a foxgirl lept onto the hull. The boat reached the beach just as it fully slowed down and Aimi Maki jumped down onto the sand.
"Yahoooo," she exclaimed with a strong japanese accept and bent into an exaggerated bow that almost made her sunglasses slip off. She came wearing denim shorts and a short blue shirt that left her navel exposed except for the tassels hanging off of it. Flowers were embroided on the center, matching the ones on her overly short and loose-fitting cardigan. All her own creations, of course.
"Aimi Maki at your service. I am on the right island, right?" . Her ears twitched excitedly. Just look at the colorful little crowd that gathered here. They all look so delightful.
Maya would agree with Maki, at least with the first part. She'd just teleported onto the beach and saw everyone gathered. As expected, the spirit or spirits had gathered a large party for this scavenger hunt. In the little time she'd spent there, she did her best to observe them, the way they walked, the way they talked, their posture and even their clothes, and she made an important note. None of them seemed the type to steal eggs or live on tropical islands, so it was unlikely a mole had already sliped among them. Though she couldn't rule it out right away, especially considering there was a fox girl (Was that racist? Maya really wasn't sure), with how little information she had right now her efforts would be better focused on finding the eggs than the culprit.
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Post by Vapovile on Sept 24, 2020 11:07:28 GMT
Haven teleported along with Martha and Callie to the island, the purple-haired doll wearing a ripped black shirt with red lettering on the front, and a pair of purple jeans that had a silver chain coming off the right pocket. On his face, Haven wore his signature purple sunglasses that helped to minimize the blinding sun’s rays on his eyes. Looking around the area, Haven whistled at the area before him.
“Well, I guess there’s at least dry land here.” Haven joked, having prepared to put them both on a board of light and fish themselves out of the ocean. Right after they noticed the lizard man, two new figures appeared. Haven couldn’t hold in a chuckle and placed his hand in front of his mouth to try and stifle it at the display before him.
When Akabane and Daisuke approached them, Caven took off his tan hat and let out a bow toward Daisuke. “Nice to meet you too, pard’ner.” Haven smiled and placed the hat back on his deep purple hair. “My name’s Haven, and this heat is indeed nothing to me.” He joked, glancing over toward Callie, clearly wanting to join the conversation.
“This is Martha, and that over there is Callie.” He waved toward his skittish sister. On cue, more people arrived. First a black-haired man, followed by a girl with a parasol. They both seemed to be focused on the lizard man, so Haven turned his attention to the sound of an approaching boat. He repeated the hat bow gesture when Aimi joined them on the beach.
“I guess I now have competition for showmanship, eh?” He joked, walking over and offering his hand to Aimi for a handshake. “I’m Haven, what kind of celebrity am I speaking to right now, miss Maki?” He asked, smiling once more in a manner that had clearly come with practice.
---
Following Aimi, the group could see a large grey helicopter approaching the island. It sped directly above their heads, and promptly sped away after a figure jumped off the side and landed on the sandy beach below. The woman gracefully swept her hair to the side and looked at the group, an oversized pair of hazel sunglasses masking her eyes.
“Good afternoon, everyone!” Casey beamed at the group. She wore a deep green v-neck shirt with stars going down the left side, a knee-length white skirt with a flower pattern along the bottom, and a wide white sun hat. “I take it you’re the one in charge of this little expedition?” Casey asked, turning to the lizard man.
“Seems like it. I don’t see any other lizard dudes around.” Came a voice from behind Casey, the idol looking back to see a shirtless man with a mess of brown hair, a scraggly beard, and a pair of baggy blue pants. Casey narrowed her eyes at the man before her.
“Oooh? And just who said you could be sarcastic with me, mister?” Casey asked half-jokingly, rolling her eyes. Sid shrugged his shoulders and leaned against a nearby tree. “Just answering your question. Name’s Sid, by the way.” He said, opening an eye to see Casey looking at him. Why did she seem slightly annoyed?
Casey didn’t miss a beat in responding. “Pleasure. My name is Casey Williams, acclaimed idol from the United Kingdom. It looks like a fair amount of people have been summoned for this.” Casey looked on with mild annoyance at Sid. Who shows up to a place looking that raggedy?! At least most other people seemed to have made themselves presentable. Somehow she just knew she was going to hate how carefree that man was going to be on this trip.
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Post by HungryHunter on Sept 25, 2020 0:10:05 GMT
“Is it dry?” Martha muttered, her own sweat and the air’s humidity already beginning to take the spike out of her hair. Most of the dolls thrived in heat, but Martha wasn’t really made to survive the sun. She darted past the lizard, making him startle. His head-scales rose, making a frill at the back of his skull. “Oh, sorry!” Martha spoke from the jungle. “I just needed some shade!” “Oh. Y-yes.” The lizardman’s crest lowered, scales flattening so that they were nearly invisible on his neck. The people of the outside world were so strange! They were short, scaleless. He guessed they were mammals, and they certainly smelled like them.
There were so many here, more than any one band upon the island. There must be hundreds of these creatures out there! “In charge?” The concept didn’t properly translate in his head. Was he… the Speaker for everybody on the island here? Yes, he supposed he was. The idea made his scales stand up again and his tail droop. “I speak for all the lizardfolk of the island. We face a great crisis. I do not know how you do it on your islands, but here, all people have come to an agreement to lay their eggs in one spiral. Guardians keep watch over them and help them hatch, and then they are divided among the bands of the island."
"This year’s clutch has vanished and those guarding them were slain. We ask that you help us to find them and retrieve them.” He half-crouched, lowering his head. It was a gesture of submission, but with his height compared to them, it was difficult to communicate such. “That’s all then?” Eustace asked. He nodded in thought. A mystery, a native guide, an exotic setting? It was good. He could work with that. He pulled a fountain pen from his pocket and flicked it. Darkness spread from the tip and congealed, the pen itself expanding in his hand. Within seconds, it was a one-handed sword, blade short and inky black, end rounded to focus on slashing and chopping. “I’m ready then.”
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Post by othus on Sept 25, 2020 7:27:14 GMT
"Callie huh? that's a cute name"- Akabane said as she looked at the cat girl, waving at her in a friendly manner as to which Callie proceeded to immediately hide behind the palm tree.
"She's...quite shy, also cute"-Musashi added as she spoke to Haven.
Daisuke looked around as more and more individuals arrived, there was a damn platoon worth of people now. just how much freaking money these lizards had? He pulled Akabane to the side for a second
"Excuse us for a minute"-He told Haven and Martha
"I think we are the only faction here...doesn't seem like the JHWAB or the HWIC are involved in this, hell, I even see a few Yokai around"- Daisuke told Akabane closer to her ear
"well, kinda, the three girls we just spoke to belong to Marika's dolls"
"wait what? those are dolls? isn't there bounty for those? let's just get them instead!"- Daisuke told Akabane, to which she shook her head.
"Absolutely not, it's 3 against 2, and we don't know what they can do, plus...they are being really nice...I'm not gonna sell some potential friends for money"
Akabane broke contact with Daisuke and looked at the newcomers. All a bunch of weirdos, just like her. who to meet first? hm, maybe pleasantries for later, at least until after the mission was briefed.
As Akabane and Daisuke listened to the words of the lizard, Callie popped behind Martha, who had also run for the shade, the catgirl didn't say anything, she just set her cheek against Martha's while hugging her from behind. a faint purr could be heard if she payed attention.
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Post by RedLenai on Sept 25, 2020 14:39:13 GMT
And then more people came, they were DEFINETLY from the Hidden World - Fucking great... - He mumbled to himself.
Then there was a damn boat and a helicopter, some rich people came as well, huh... So there were a few celebrities which Liam didn't knew at all, so he didn't bother to pay attention to them. Carrying his bag with one arm he walked closer to the Lizard as he listened to its story, so they came because they were desperate to rescue their unborn children. Well, at least they cared for their well being, and enough to offer gold as payment. So, we're going to help get your eggs back? - He said, standing a few feets apart from Eustace and the Lizard - How many, how heavy and how delicate are these eggs we must retrieve? Just to know so we don't misshandle them - At least that was the only thing that he really wanted to know, if they weren't extremely big he could carry a few on his bag, not without taking of his stuff first so it had enough space and to keep them safe. Size and number was important too, but if they had to neutralize the ones that took the eggs first then probably once things were cool, the lizard folk themselves would take the eggs back to their nursery room.
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Post by TimePuppy on Sept 29, 2020 21:05:13 GMT
The foxy seamstress was approached by some purple-haired girl or guy, she couldn't really tell and even her canine sense of smell couldn't help her distinguish it. She still shook their hand "Celebrity? You flatterer, I'm just a humble seamstress." Aimi posed for Haven to show off her outfit. She pulled out a business card and gave it to them with a bow. With a wink she added: "Feel free to spread the word... Oh, sorry, I completely forgot to ask your name, miss...ter?"
Meanwhile, Leslie and Maya listened to the lizard's explanation.
"I can do that!" Leslie exclaimed. "I'm pretty lucky so I'm sure we'll find them quickly." She looked around at the others. Some of them looked responsible at least. Without her brother or the safety of the school, she had to assume the responsible people would be there to back her up if something goes wrong.
Maya on the other hand wanted more information and the best place to get them was right at the source. "I'd love to help. Finding missing things, or children as the case may be, is a detective's specialty. But I'd like to examine the scene of the crime." Means, motive, and opportunity. The three corner pieces of any puzzle, the most important parts that help build the full picture (though puzzles usually had four corners, but that wasn't a relevant detail, shut up). Hints to the means should be found at the egg spire they mentioned.
"I would also like to know if you have rival... Tribes? Either from this island or a different one." Motive and opportunity necessitated suspects, but this was an entirely foreign culture to her. Building a list would be made difficult by that fact, so she started by inquiring about the first possibility that came to mind.
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Post by Vapovile on Oct 5, 2020 3:55:06 GMT
Without missing a beat, Haven took the card and inspected it, his purple sunglasses hiding where his eyes were looking. “Ooo, well nice to meet you miss Aimi.” He let out a small laugh when she asked about his gender. “Haven. And what, is it not clear what gender I am?” He asked jokingly, tossing his hair to the side dramatically and lowering his sunglasses, revealing his light purple eyes. “Either is fine, but most call me a guy. So that’s fine if you’d like.” He told the foxy seamstress, putting his sunglasses back up.
Listening to the lizard man’s explanation, Haven nodded his head and processed the information. Recovering eggs shouldn’t be too difficult, right? His eyes fell upon the strange meeting between Daisuke and Akabane, unsure of what to make of the suspicious meeting. Was the cowboy some kind of bounty hunter? Most bounty hunters he knew sure thought they were cowboys. He needed to keep an eye on that man.
---
Sid listened to the explanation as well, raising an eyebrow slightly at Maya’s addition. “Detective?” He asked with interest. If they had a detective on the team, finding these eggs should be easy. Seeing that the idol didn’t want his presence, Sid strolled up next to Akabane and Daisuke, seeing them as the most interesting people not talking to the lizard man currently.
“Heya, what are you dudes up to? There a rodeo in town?” He asked, motioning toward the cowboy hat. “Sid Renen, what brings you two here seeking lizard gold?” Sid asked casually, arms still behind his unkempt hair. The black-haired girl didn’t seem like she fit with the western theme of the guy, so were they related? Lovers? Hard to tell from first impressions.
---
Seeing as the situation was now being explained, Casey took note of the strange explorer among them dressed in an outfit straight out of the 18th century. She wanted to say something, but didn’t feel like getting into an argument with an old guy who probably wouldn’t like her anyway. While everyone else talked to the lizard man to get information, Casey walked over to Leslie and gave a small wave.
“Lucky, huh? That does seem rather useful! So what sorts of fun powers do you have to get these eggs back?” Casey trailed off, giving a confident smile. “Casey Williams, by the way. You might have seen me on the idol scene if you follow that.” She followed up, unsure if anyone besides the hobo had heard her previously. Looking at the girl, Casey couldn’t help but feel she seemed a bit...young to take on something like this. Was she really here alone, or was someone here with her?
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Post by HungryHunter on Oct 6, 2020 5:57:07 GMT
Martha jumped when Callie appeared behind her. “How do you do that!?” She yelled, then remembered to control her voice. “Sorry.” She hugged Callie back. “I know you’re jumpy. You okay so far? Lots of people, huh?” She yelped again when a black blade swung through the vines beside her. “Hmph. My apologies.” Eustace said, not sounding especially sorry. His eyebrow raised when he saw the way Martha was dressed.
“Hm. You are surprisingly pale. Do you speak English?” He asked. “Huh? What? I speak English just fine.” Martha cocked her head, baffled. “Oh, you’re not a native. I couldn’t think of another reason for your nudity and… lack of grooming.” Eustace glanced at her bristled legs. “Oh. Ohhhhh. I get it.” Martha frowned, sagely nodding. “You’re a dick.” She stuck her tongue out in his baffled face and darted away. “Well, she was rude.” Eustace stroked his mustache.
“Tribes…” Scalag tried to parse the term. It didn’t have any equivalent in his language. There were no political units on the island. The closest thing was the band, a unit of 5 to 20 lizardfolk that lived and moved together, but they were fluid, flexible things. People went from one band to another at will, groups fracturing and coming back together depending on circumstance. So did that make everybody on the island a “tribe”? That would make others, not aligned with them, another “tribe”, which actually made for an answer.
“Yes, there are two other tribes, one on another island. Well, it’s a body. A dead dragon. Dragons are not to be lived on. It grants strength, but also grants dragon-madness.” His tongue flicked out, tasting the air. “The others… do not live. And they are not elsewhere. They are the dead who do not rest. They rise at times, but I do not know why. The shamans may know. They keep away the dragon-mad and put spirits to rest.” He turned and gestured with one claw. “Come. I will show you the place.”
Following Eustace and Scalag, the group moved through the jungle with surprising ease. Despite how thick the underbrush was around them, ferns and thorny bushes abounding, the native lizardfolk had cleared paths large enough for themselves, let alone the much smaller humans. Eustace occasionally took a swing at a branch and glared at Martha when she ran ahead and inevitably tripped on roots. He refrained from addressing her and fell back, turning to the others. Few of them looked any more well-dressed. They had made the mistake of dressing for the heat while forgetting about the jungle. Eustace’s outfit deflected thorns and whatever varieties of poison ivy crawled up these trees. Still, he was slowly realizing, despite blundering into several bushes, Martha was still unharmed. Regular thorns scraped along without piercing, some outright breaking on her. It irritated him. How was anybody to learn if their foolish actions did not harm them?
Soon, they emerged from the jungle into an open area, a flat, sandy crescent extending from a glittering lake. The most obvious feature was a half-hill of compacted dirt, opening up into a cave large enough for anybody present to walk without stooping. The bodies of lizardfolk littered the field, their blood staining the pale sands a rusty red-brown. It was difficult to say exactly how many there were, with the extreme damage suffered by some of their bodies, but closer examination and a count of parts would suggest there were five, all of them bigger than Scalag. Scalag stood away from them, frill up and tail drooping. Anybody approaching would smell rot on the air and see insects filling the air. “The shamans said to leave them so you could look.” Scalag explained.
“They said that… you would know things.” He looked at Maya. “But be careful, they may be restless.” He didn’t explain what he meant by that, leaving her to look on her own. Two bodies were closer to the body of water than the burrow. Their bodies had no signs of weapons use, but it was horrifying to think that bare hands could do what had been done to them. One had been torn in three, first losing an arm that was still clinging to a spear, then ripped in half. Their two halves were distantly separated, one half in the water, the other a dozen feet back. The other lizard looked almost intact until Maya looked closer to see that he was twisted entirely around, face pointing straight to the sky despite their belly touching the sand. There was horror in their eyes, legible even to a human. By the burrow, two lizards with bows had made their last stand. One had died when another lizard was thrown into them with such force they were practically pasted together against the hill, their bodies and the dirt mingled in a rotting soup.
The last had suffered a black-shafted arrow to the leg, with another stuck in the sand not far away. That didn’t seem to be the cause of death. Perhaps their missing head was the problem. “Ugh…” Martha’s stomach protested the sights and smells and she stumbled back into the jungle, holding her mouth. “Oh, flawless.” Eustace strode right out into the carnage, taking it all in. He removed a notebook from his pocket, scribbling down the imagery that came to mind. Now this was material. The jungle was a touch disappointing, but he would love to capture such a gruesome scene.
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Post by othus on Oct 7, 2020 2:42:29 GMT
Callie went misty eyed the moment Martha yelled at her, slightly sobbing when the doll hugged her. The moment Eustace's blade swung, Callie disappeared, bolting out of there like a spring.
"Oh hi, don't worry about him, he likes cowboy stuff"-Akabane told Sid with a grin on her face
"Well thanks Akabane, but I can introduce myself just fine...Daisuke Yoshihara at your service pal, oh and trust me, the rodeo is about to begin"-He told sid as he firmly shook his hand
"I'm Akabane, well, this is what we do for a living, hunt stuff and collect treasure. We are from the Musashi Clan, if you've been to Japan you might have heard of it. What about you? any more interesting reasons to be here other than gold?"
Entering into the killzone made Akabane slightly frown, she moved to inspect one of the corpses and clenched her fist a little. Daisuke whistled as he moved one of the corpses with his foot.
"Damn, what do you think Akabane? Stronger than Kijo?"-Daisuke told her as he pointed to the lizard flipped like a sandwich, as to which Akabane finally looked at him
"The slayer of our branch? probably, more on Mai's level I'd say...much bigger than her as well, unless we find evidence that shows otherwise"
Akabane looked at the group and spoke out loud
"Have you guys found any footprints yet? we have to know what we are hunting"
Callie stayed hidden for the most part, her senses were going crazy under the smell and she could not take it.
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Post by TimePuppy on Oct 9, 2020 20:16:31 GMT
Haven's teasing made Aimi embarrassed at first. Was it really supposed to be obvious? She hadn't meant to offend them. As she'd started thinking of ways to apologize, Haven revealed either gender was fine.
"Ohoho, you tease. Don't you know you shouldn't mess with vicious fox spirits? I hear they bite." Maki's tail swished playfully.
Nearby, someone had noticed Maya's inquisitiveness. Sid asked if she was a detective. "Yes, indeed. And you..." She looked him over. He had strong legs. An athlete? But calling his appearance disheveled would be an understatement. No athlete would be allowed to dress like that. And the rest of his body carried various marks, some clearly from combat, others implied various jobs yet none seemed deep enough for him to have stuck with it. "A traveling fighter?" she guessed.
Meanwhile, Casey approached Leslie. Out of the people here, she definitely looked like one of the better people. Dressed nice and didn't seem like a crazy person. Actually, now that she got a good look at her. Yes, she definitely recognized her! "Oh, h-hi! I saw you in some of my friends' magazines! You're totally famous. I didn't know singers could also be fighters." Then she asked about Leslie's powers. How open should she really be? If they knew what she could do, they could totally betray her. But if they had no idea, they couldn't coordinate that well. Maybe at least give her the basic. "I've been blessed by fairies so I can do some fire magic. What about you?" She asked.
---
Sometime later, the lizard led the group to the scene of the crime.
Maya could hear Leslie running behind a rock to puke. She couldn't blame the girl. Maya had seen some gruesome murder scenes, but this made even her stomach turn. Swallowing her discomfort, she started inspecting the scene, careful not to disturb anything. The bodies were definitely mangled and the murder weapon or weapons didn't seem to be your standard fare. The might of a giant or a giant undead dragon? Telekinesis? Or perhaps the magic of restless spirits? Some things seemed more likely than others, but she would like more info regardless. She looked the bodies over for claw marks or other marks to rule out other weapons or post-murder tampering.
"Are these all the guards who were protecting the, uh, brood? No extra victims or anyone missing?"
Having asked that, she went to observe the corpse struck by the arrows. Friendly fire? Accident or intentional? The tips seemed to hold the key to that mystery. They were metal! The arrows the lizards had were stone. Someone else was definitely on this island. Someone who didn't belong. Alright, let's take another step closer to the truth. Object history! She could sense the history of objects, a skill which she sadly couldn't use on corpses, though that would take the fun out of a good mystery anyway. With that, she could find out where the arrow was fired from and look for more clues there.
While Maya focused her trained skills of observation on what she could see, Aimi Maki had a different skill that could be of use. "I'll see if I can smell anything strange in the air. Foxy ears and foxy looks aren't all I'm good for. And this big boy will keep me safe." She grabbed Haven's arm. "Come on." She decided to get some distance from the dead. She'd gotten a very good whiff of them and she didn't need any more. She'd better focus on looking for smells that don't match the lizards or the tropical smells she sensed as they made their way here. Maybe she could find another distinct smell in the air.
Leslie was being the least useful contributor. She couldn't even look at the mangled bodies and she kept a handkerchief over her nose and mouth to stop herself from breathing in the foul stench of death. She didn't understand how all these people could just walk around them so casually. Inspect them. Touch them. She got nauseous just thinking about it. Were they all psychopaths? Unfeeling and unperturbed by death itself?
"How can you all stand to... do that?" She asked Liam, the nearest person to herself. "This whole scene is so disgusting..."
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Post by RedLenai on Oct 9, 2020 23:15:40 GMT
Liam coudln't agree the most with Martha, he subtly chuckled as she called Eustace a dick - Guess you shouldn't judge a book by its cover first, otherwise people have the right to be rude if you offend them - He said as he moved forward, following Scalag. As he listened to the lizard, he took mental notes about this dragon-mad people and the spirits, in his mind crossed the idea that maybe the dragon-mad weren't mad at all... they could be controlled by something or someone that took advantage of the isolated people as it seemed they didn't use any modern technology... it was well known that some shitty scientist took advantage of these tribes and manipulate them, making them believe they were divine creatures. That could be a possibility.... As he glanced at the bodies without getting too close to them he analized with what he barely knew... this could be the work of the dragon-mad... but at the same time that could be too easy, they could be blamed first and visiting the dragon-island wouldn't be the smartest idea if they got that wrong. Someone with telekinesis? spirits? mages? shamans? But then his train of thoughts got interrupted by a girl's question. When he glanced over he noticed the lolita girl, white hair, pale skin and red eyes, probably albinism or maybe she wasn't human like the others. This probably was the first time she witnessed such a gruesome scene... Well... maybe experience? When you get into this kind of stuff in the hidden world... well... you start seeing stuff like what we have here - His voice sounded calm but one of his hands was shaking, obviously a sign that he himself wasn't experienced either - But if there is something way more important you have to do afterwards then you don't have other choice but to overcome it
It reminded him of the very first time he got involved in all this stuff... no car, in the middle of the road and entering an abandoned house in order to pass the night... only to be attacked by a spider person... or an Arachne as how some of the senior hunters named what he described. When he accidentaly discovered the trapped bodies the first instinct he had was to puke his guts out then run away, he barely made it alive as the Arachne began to chase him if it wasn't by the fact there was a gun inside the damn house, probably from some hunter who failed to kill it, he wouldn't have survived.
The first times were a nightmare, that was for sure, but he adapted. Of course his very primal instincts were telling him to run away, to scream, panic and more... But this crap was necessary, that's what he thought if he wanted to go back to New York...
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Post by Vapovile on Oct 10, 2020 20:00:35 GMT
“Musashi?” Sid said, immediately recognizing the name. He had heard plenty about the Musashi from his time at Inazuma, so he roughly knew what to expect with these guys. “Yeah, I heard about you dudes. Spent some time in Japan myself, believe it or not.” He said, looking up for a second when Akabane asked about why he was here. “As for me...uh, it sounded fun I guess. Might get some cash out of it.” He stated simply.
Meanwhile, Casey beamed at meeting one of her fans. “Oh ho ho, singers can do quite a lot of things!” The question of what she could do made Casey frown slightly. She absolutely hated her powers, and kinda wanted to hang back if any fighting was going on. “Weeeell, where’s the fun in that? Perhaps you might see if things get troublesome~” She said in a singsong voice, joining the others in walking into the jungle.
---
The grisly scene before them made Casey turn and cover her nose, not wanting to take in the stench of death. “What on EARTH happened here?!” She asked though muffled hands. Haven came up, not really wanting to be around death either. “Sorry, I didn’t know this was going to be so...yeah.” He said. Casey looked at his face with confusion.
“You’re not in charge here, so no need to apologize. Casey, by the way.” She gave a small bow, not wanting to touch hands that have been anywhere near that carnage. Haven reciprocated, removing his glasses to reveal the purple eyes beneath. “Haven, nice to meet you.” He said, putting the glasses back on. “Didn’t expect this to be this rough either, I see.” He stated.
Casey rolled her eyes. “Well YEAH. I was expecting a fun treasure adventure, not...this!” Casey waved her hand behind herself. Haven had to stifle a chuckle. While he didn’t like seeing scenes like this at all...he was unfortunately pretty numb to the sight of dead bodies at this point, with Marika’s work being in the same house. Suddenly, he was grabbed away by the fox seamstress from earlier, saying he’ll be her protector.
Now jogging along, Haven looked at Aimi and smirked. “Ok, so you have fox senses. What do you see?” He asked, curious to see what she could find.
---
Back at the site, Sid simply listened to Maya’s explanation and looked around to see if anything else was amiss. He didn’t have cool detective skills or the senses of a fox, but he could probably spot something weird going on if it was obvious enough!
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