[Nexus] Inside 31

[Terumitsu]

[Market Street]

Ah yes, the hustle and bustle of the market place. It was one of Nephea's favorite places to be as there were so many unguarded coin-purses and unwatched stock ripe for the picking. Quite literally even, given that the turn of phrase was often applied to things that didn't easily fit in the palm of one's hand nor was it often used to describe food much, anymore.

Nephea wasn't bothering with sayings at the moment, though, as she was currently enjoying a frosted cinnamon roll. It had been free, of course, but the thief wasn't about to let anyone else know. However, the vibes she was getting were not the usual tense but generally pleasant sort that were normally around the market and so she pricked her ears up to try and eavesdrop a bit as to what was the matter.

Though, she was noticing the spoiled goods now... Maybe there had been a bad shipment recently?

[Murkus]

Inside General

Several huge, cheesy billboards are being set up in several intersections across town. It shows a relatively small stylized human in a stylish bowler cap and a worker's pair of suspenders. The businessman is standing to one side, looking quite happy with himself. He wears a thin, appealing smile, one hand clasped around his left suspender, the other extended open-palmed toward a row of glass-covered vats. He and the vats are the only things actually illustrated, the rest just fading into a toothpaste-blue background.

Scrawled in flowing, cartoonish writing beside the vats is the company title 'Happily Ever After, Inc.' This is followed by the caption 'The Nexus's one and only public cloning service. Coming soon! Call or click now to reserve a luxury vat!'

A cell phone number and Nexnet address is scrawled at the bottom of the sign.

[Rae Artemi]

[The Hunt!]

Huh, that's not good. Hang on, give him a minute... His coat shifts colors to a comforting Blue, he flaps his wings out to fluff them up a bit, and he puts on a comfortng smile, looking the perfect picture of a benevolent angel. "It's alright, everything will be fine now, don't worry. Are any of you hurt badly?" He asks slowly approaching the family.

[Lord Magtok]

Inside General

Several huge, cheesy billboards are being set up in several intersections across town. It shows a relatively small stylized human in a stylish bowler cap and a worker's pair of suspenders. The businessman is standing to one side, looking quite happy with himself. He wears a thin, appealing smile, one hand clasped around his left suspender, the other extended open-palmed toward a row of glass-covered vats. He and the vats are the only things actually illustrated, the rest just fading into a toothpaste-blue background.

Scrawled in flowing, cartoonish writing beside the vats is the company title 'Happily Ever After, Inc.' This is followed by the caption 'The Nexus's one and only public cloning service. Coming soon! Call or click now to reserve a luxury vat!'

A cell phone number and Nexnet address is scrawled at the bottom of the sign.

At some point, a few of the cheesy billboards might find themselves vandalized by purple spraypaint, with the message changed to "UNHappily Ever After, Inc", and with a few Xs over the eyes of the men involved.

Magtok isn't amused.

[TechnoScrabble]

The Hunt

The family stares at Crae for a few moments, then shakes their heads collectively. The parents pull their children back a bit.
Crae may hear unearthly bells and chimes behind him, a smooth melody of rushing wind and metal instruments. Behind him is an ancient, hooded figure, standing tall and hunched, like a grim reaper with the build of an old man who was once a burly muscle builder. The figure is dressed in dark, homespun robes and has bells and wind chimes strapped all over the robes and to a gnarled staff.

"It seems my hounds have done their work," the voice is quiet, but forceful and booming at the same time, as if the man is inside one's head and shouting at them from there, "They commend you for helping them. You may take one with you, if you please."

The figure scratches one of the younger hounds, all of which are now docile and almost cute looking, despite the fact they're soaking in blood and have green fire for eyes and tongues, "Do not worry about the family. They shall be cared for properly. Hopefully, when my work is done, they will remember nothing of this night."

[Artemis97]

[Market Street]

A tall, thin man was selling apples out of barrels. The fruit looked quite delicious, each one a bright, shining red, except...

"I don't understand it! They were fine when I picked the, but now they've all turned to mush! Look." He picks one out of the barrel and slices it in half with a practiced move. The apple merchant holds out both halves to be seen. What should be white, juicy flesh, was brown and dry.

[Arkham Street - Ward Cemetery]

Raril frowns upon reaching the cemetery's walls. Nervous, he reaches for the dagger he keeps in his boot. In his present dress, though, it was strapped to a sheath at his ankle. The others might catch a glimpse of the garters holding up his dess socks too. "Not a word." The drow growls, not as his companions out of embarassment, but at the knife itself, the moment the blade was exposed.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Hotel

Delta nods a little as Jericus falls asleep. Then she turns to Jamie. Guess we should get some rest, too, huh?

[Reinholdt]

[Arkham Street - Miskatonic University]

[Ward Cemetery]

A low stone wall, crumbling. Decayed. Caked with lichen and some unidentifiable gelatinous orange growth. Mist creeps through the rusted wrought iron fence that tops the wall, flecks of corroded metal dripping off with the condensation.

It's silent.

Eerily so.

No voices. No whispers. No wind. No insects.

Even footsteps seem... muffled.

Reinholdt doesn't help much to break the eerie silence, instead simply looking for a gate or opening to pass through and get into the cemetery proper so they can look for mad scientists.

Reinholdt glances at Raril when he speaks, but follows the request and breathes not a word. Guess he's not in the teasing mood, sadly.

[UncleWolf]

Market Street

Justinian frowns when he sees the fruit. "They've been...defiled. Tell me, did silver objects glow earlier? It might have been a demon who caused it with their unholy magicks."

[Murkus]

At some point, a few of the cheesy billboards might find themselves vandalized by purple spraypaint, with the message changed to "UNHappily Ever After, Inc", and with a few Xs over the eyes of the men involved.

Magtok isn't amused.

Someone, somewhere is.

But hey look, more fresh billboards!

[Rae Artemi]

[The Hunt!]

Crae turns away from the family as the noises begin, and then hits his head with the heel of his hand as the figure starts talking, as if trying to get the voice out of his head. "... So, the people are gonna be okay, and I get a doggie? Sweet!" Crae says happily, Running over to pet the dog that he was riding as a duck. "I want this one!"

[Chaotic Bob]

[Market Street]

Kara considers the apple for a moment.
I wonder if it can be purified.
Seeing it worth a shot, the little girl tries to reach out and touch one part of the apple, while her other hand sits over where her holy symbol is hidden.

If there is some sort of unholy magic involved, perhaps it can be simply removed.
She's hoping it's not the sort that comes in, does the deed, then leaves.
Magical state-changes are easier to fix.

[TechnoScrabble]

The Hunt

There seems to be a toothy smile coming from the faceless shadows within the hood.
"A fine choice. May she serve you well."
The man sweeps his cloak about, which will block Crae's vision unless he can see through cloth, and when he is done, the man, the family, and all but the wolfhound Crae chose and the bodies of the harlequins will be gone. It seems the man needs to take the people who got caught up in the chase home, too.

The otherworldly wolfhound Crae chose walks on up to him and sits down, smiling and wagging her tail.

((The wolfhounds can teleport short distances, make people want to hunt with them, breath the green fire, which instead of burning things just eats at them and removes them from reality at the same speed fire would burn it, they can run about as fast as your average motorcycle goes at top speed, they are much stronger than they should be, more than enough to knock an orc to the ground, and most nonmagical things that touch their fur when they don't want to be touched turn into that strange, ashy smoke stuff.))

[Terumitsu]

[Market Street]

Rotten apples disguised as fresh ones? Such a travesty!

Although, the thief's ears did catch something about demons. Generally, this was something she would attribute to a bunch of rather rude imps instead of fully fledged demonic forces... But then again, she hadn't run into any of them before so she couldn't exactly say for sure.

At least she had been lucky to grab a pastry before the dough went sour.

Though, she had never heard of this bit about silver glowing before.. As such, Justinian may find a catamander edging closer to listen in better. Or he might not, given that Nephea was keeping close to the crowds and just blending in.

She was pretty good at that.

[Rebonack]

[Arkham Street - Ward Cemetery]

Finding the cottage isn't that hard.

Not only is it the only home within two blocks of the creepy cemetery it's also lit up with sickly green lich-light. Missing it would be difficult to say the least.

The pathway there is long.

Dark.

Lined with leafless trees whose branches grope and twist and scratch despite the unnatural lack of wind. Vile orange growths cling to the dead snags, glowing with an unearthly internal blaze. The ground looks disturbed, as though someone or something had been digging in it recently. Every here and there the odd bone or rotten limb is poking up from the muddy earth.

[Artemis97]

[Market Streets]

"I haven't noticed any silver glowing. And I'm sure my wife would've complained to me if it'd happened." The apple merchant reports.

Kara's magic doesn't do anything to the apple, unfortunately.

Meanwhile the rather portly man in the next stall laughs harshly. "You think that's bad!? All my ale's gone flat and sour!"

[UncleWolf]

Markets

Justinian frowns, and experimenting, sends a bit of his purifying Light into the apple to see if it destroys the taint. It's equal parts Holy and Fire, so it may do something different than Kara's. "Notice anything suspicious at all?"

[Rae Artemi]

[The Hunt!]

~Crae got a doooooooog!~ He pets his new doggie happily, smiling. "Huh, so where should I take you to show off?" He scratches his chin thoughtfully, before deciding! "I'mma take you to GLoG! Crae decides, changing himself into duck form and sitting upon his new pet, riding her toward GLoG!

[Chaotic Bob]

[Market Street]

Well poo, Kara was always a fan of simple solutions.
Although, she's getting a funny feeling that this one won't be quite as simple as she expects.

Rotten fruit, bad alcohol...
Um, has anything...particularly abnormal happened, lately? I mean...more than the usual weird...

[Reinholdt]

[Arkham Street - Ward Cemetery]

Only one thing to do.
Walk right up the middle of the path towards the cottage and see if anything attacks along the way.

Reinholdt gets his rifle ready about a third of the way there, remembering that he has it and probably needs it.

[TechnoScrabble]

[The Hunt!]

~Crae got a doooooooog!~ He pets his new doggie happily, smiling. "Huh, so where should I take you to show off?" He scratches his chin thoughtfully, before deciding! "I'mma take you to GLoG! Crae decides, changing himself into duck form and sitting upon his new pet, riding her toward GLoG!

To GLOG with you, then! The dog is now yours to godmod as you please!

[The Bushranger]

Hotel

Delta nods a little as Jericus falls asleep. Then she turns to Jamie. Guess we should get some rest, too, huh?

"Yeah...probably."
Jamie sighs, seeming to draw in on herself somehow.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Hotel

Delta raises an eyebrow. You okay?

[The Bushranger]

Hotel

"It's just...a lot to take in," Jamie says quietly.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Hotel

Delta gives a small smile, then goes to put an arm around Jamie's shoulders.

Hey, don't worry. May seem like a lot now, but you can get through it.

[The Bushranger]

Hotel

Jamie nods, and manages a smile as she leans against Delta.
"Yeah. It's just...well...not as homey as the Smiths' was."

[KerfuffleMach2]

Hotel

Jamie, trust me when I say it could be a lot worse.

[The Bushranger]

Hotel

"Yeah. I get that. It's just...well, the only time I've been away from home before was when mom and dad were on their honeymoon," Jamie explains.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Hotel

Delta waves a hand. Ah, don't worry. You'll be fine. I might not exactly like this guy, but he seems to be alright. And I'll be here with you.

[The Bushranger]

Hotel

"Thanks." Jamie smiles, then blushes a little. "You know, I've always wanted a big sister..."

((That's it for me tonight though))