Hester’s Wednesday afternoon odd encounter(Kai)

July 24, 2025

Date: 2025-07-23 14:24

(Hester’s Wednesday afternoon odd encounter(Kai):Kai)

[Wed Jul 23 2025]

In Equipment Storage/span>/spanMetal shelving units line the walls of the equipment storage room, their
industrial frames holding an assortment of gear that reflects the Sons’ dual
nature. Motorcycle helmets rest alongside tactical vests on the upper
shelves, while lower sections contain toolboxes, spare parts, and maintenance
supplies. The concrete floor shows oil stains despite regular cleaning, and a
workbench against the far wall holds vice grips and other heavy tools. Locked
metal cabinets occupy one corner, their reinforced doors suggesting more
valuable or sensitive items within. The fluorescent lighting casts harsh
shadows between the shelving units, and the air carries the distinct smell of
leather, motor oil, and gun cleaning solvent. Several motorcycle jackets hang
from hooks near the door, their patches and emblems visible even in the
utilitarian lighting. A pegboard system on one wall displays various tools
and smaller equipment in organized rows, while plastic storage bins labeled
with masking tape stack neatly beneath it./span>/spanIt is about 60F(15C) degrees. The mist is heaviest At Maple and Lake/span>/span(Your target discovers a seemingly ordinary object at a yard sale or thrift shop that turns out to be a prison containing a minor demon or malevolent spirit. When they handle it, the entity begins whispering promises of power in exchange for “just a small favor” – one that will inevitably corrupt them or harm innocents.)

While Hester is dealing with her typical duties, she comes across someone who has, for some reason, decided to set up shop on campus. a middle-aged woman with salt and pepper hair is posted up by the eastern archway and she’s trying to draw attention to herself, calling out that she has powerful artifacts for sale. A beach towel sits before her, covered with a range of different oddities. An old alembic, a rusty ceremonial knife, a tarnished bronze apple and the skull of a kobold are among them.

Kai and Justine arrive, Kai had been notified about the strange ‘yard sale’ happening and came by to see if there was anything to move. He gives a polite nod to Hester and looks at the varied stuff with a less than impressed expression on his face.

To Hester, however, the tarnished bronze apple keeps drawing her eye. It’s as if the item were reaching out to her and in her mind, she can feel an inviting sound, like a soft heartbeat. There’s no words, but the feeling is simply take me.

“Hello, Hester, I hope you feel better.” Justine/span>/spanOf all the people busy and about in New Haven, this afternoon’s ill fate falls once again to this bottom fragger. After spending most of her day with engineers, she’d been sent to make a run for one trivial component that somebody forgot to purchase refills for. She’d left a couple of spares somewhere in the Windermere dorms, it seems.

But of course, if you’re as heavyset as Hester is, you’d want to do the most you can in a single journey – hence, the very distracted ginger ogling the middle-aged woman’s wares. “Ehm, is that hollow or is it entirely solid, ma’am?” she inquires of the bronze apple. “Edible?”

“Oh, hi, Miss Ward. Are you ehm, still fighting with Miss Pinn?” she greets and just as well wonders. And of course, without thinking, she picks it up to examine the apple herself, lest the woman not know what at all she’s selling in the first place.

Students pass by, most of them ignoring the little sale, though one of them wanders by and dickers with a middle-aged woman with salt and pepper hair about the ceremonial knife, ultimately buying it for $40. The woman smirks after the student heads off, as if she got the better end of that deal. Hester’s question draws her attention and she replies, “I don’t rightly know if it’s hollow or not, but you’re liable to break your teeth if you take a bite!” she laughs, “That one… that one’s cheap. The condition of it. I’d be glad to get it off my hands. How’s ten?” she asks the rather rotund student and licks her lips a bit, watching Hester.

Kai, for his part, has become totally disinterested and is trying to not-so-subtly stare at a couple of the more well endowed and/or less clothed female students that wander by.

In Hester’s mind, that inviting presence becomes a full on voice, a pleasant, reassuring whisper within the back of her mind, All the sugar you could eat and not a pound put on, if only you would take me and do me one or two small services, my dear. The voice is largely androgynous, though there’s just a hint of the feminine in it.

The voice, of course, is unheard by Justine or Kai, however.

Justine glances over at Kai and then back to the woman’s towel. “Is this why we stopped your lessons? So you can look at this trash heap?” She’s talking as if the older woman isn’t even there. “No, we’re not fighting, Roberta and I, we’re the bestest of friends.” Seeing how she’s already here, being dragged o

Hester glances at Kai, having missed him in the bustle of passing students the first time. And now, she makes sure he knows she chooses not to see him, not even bothering to return the nod while she gives Justine a pinched look that might as well say ‘Doubt X‘. “… friendship is weird, I’m so done with it,” she bitterly mutters.

“Ten? Ehm.. how about seven?” she has the gall to haggle, a glint in her eye seen through her fugly glasses. With a voice heard out of nowhere, she has to swivel looks around, brows drawn in puzzlement. “Uhh.. who said that.” Crickets. Her thumb just idly brushes at the smooth surface of the bronze apple, while she waits for the middle-aged woman to give rebuttal or otherwise.

Once Hester haggles, a middle-aged woman with salt and pepper hair hesitates for half a second, but nods, “Seven!” she agrees and reaches out for the money from Hester, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Within Hester’s mind, the voice responds I need you to open yourself up to me. I need you to clearly ask me for what you want and promise me a bit of yourself. Not all. No, not all. Only a small fragment. You won’t even notice… and you will have all the sugar, cakes, pies, french fries… anything you’ll want. Not a pound more will you weigh. it whispers within her mind softly.

Kai glances at Hester, “What? Who said what?” he asks with a tilt of his head and looks around in confusion.

OOC: sorry about this guys, Justine’s/span>/spanJustine frowns, putting the weird shaped skull back. “Are you still ill, Hester?”

Hester hadn’t even gotten to uncrumple her bills yet and the middle-aged woman snags it right out of her hand. The odd side-eye is now given, like that was surely a red flag, if she didn’t see one. “U-uh.. I guess I have a new paperweight,” she hrms down at the thing, showing it off to Justine. “I’m uh, not injured anymore. If that helps.” The bandages speak another story, though.

Petty creature that the freshman is, she shows Kai not the apple but her hand. “You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to, Mr. Ashford,” she huffily says with her nose in the air, turning away from the pair to go all ‘my precious’ at the apple and whisper to it. Well, almost.

Justine clicks her tongue, gaze darting between Hester and the merchant. “Sales go alright, ma’am?”s

As soon as the deal is complete, a middle-aged woman with salt and pepper hair begins to pack up her wares, folding the beach blanket into a bundle, “All done for today!” she tells her few remaining potential customers. Once it’s all swept up, he swings the towel over her shoulder like a bag and gets ready to walk off of campus, “Yes, yes, good business today,” she waves off Justine with her free hand as she begins the process of fleeing.

Kai frowns a bit at Hester and says, “Hey. I’m trying to be professional,” to the other freshman and rolls his eyes a little.

Life is full of risks, Hester. But a bargain, a bargain binds us both to one another. You must only make your intention, your invitation to me full-throated. There’s a pause and after a moment, confined within Hester’s mind, Losing weight is also within my power. But that is another bargain. Another price to be paid. Still one you will hardly notice. it murmurs to her softly within the chamber of her mind.

Justine watches Hester silently for a while, noticing the girl speaking to herself. “Nice advertising technique you got there, ma’am.” is what she says to the merchant. “Bit of cold reading, am I right?”

“Then we can talk when it’s a professional setting and we actually need to work together,” Hester/span>/span“I’ll do it. It’s just one small favour, right? One favour, for this -one- thing,” Justine might hear Hester tell no one. “Right, Miss Ward?”

There’s a station wagon parked near the sidewalk and that’s where the peddlar heads, she glances over her shoulder at Justine, offering her a simple knowing smile and a wink. The bag of trinkets is tossed into the passenger seat and soon enough, the woman has sped off away from the campus, a little plume of exhaust flows out as the car gets started, sending a cloud up into the air to slowly disperse.

Kai tilts his head at her and frowns a little, “Fine,” he presses his lips together in annoyance and lifts his brows at the last thing she says, but since she’s asking Justine and not him, he glances her way to see if she knows what’s going on.

A favor. Two if you also want to lose. But you must make your intentions known. You must believe, you must be committed in this bargain. There can be no hesitation. You know what you want, Hester. Now take it.

Justine is a little

Justine reacts to slowly, only being able to wat

Hester takes her turn to roll her eyes as well, examining said apple and giving it a little rap with her knuckles. “Hrmph.” Cursed objects must make for better comrades in her book, because she’s now chitchatting with the damned fruit, “I’m so fully committed, alright? And you know what, if you let me have those two things we went over, I might even be open to two favors.”

Justine reacts too slowly, being able to watch the pedler’s sma

Justine reacts too slowly, being able to watch the peddler’s sma

“What’s it asking for?” Kai/span>/spanThe favor is simply to allow me a little piece within you, a bit more for the two rewards you are after. You must keep me in your possession at all times, or my blessings will fade. Do you agree? Agree to let me in, Hester. We could accomplish so many things together. Wonderful. Beautiful. Extraordinary things.

“None of your business, unless you want to trade it for another contract,” Hester/span>/span“None of your business, unless you want to trade it for another contract,” Hester flatly intones to Kai, but she doesn’t even have enough in her to angry-face at the guy. She keeps her back turned, still Grimace-shaped. “But we all know that’s gonna be a waste of time, anyway.” She waves dismissively, deeming now anything but the time to hash out burned bridges. The social worker with them gets to watch this flaming dumpster fire happen from the front row.

“A little piece like what? I’ve got.. a lot of piece,” she sniffs at bronze apple, tucking it into her fanny pack. After some tries, she does find it, even if it’s hard to see.

“But sure, I’ll let you in,” Hester states, in case it wasn’t clear. Fruits are fruits.

There’s a little laugh, a sound that echoes in Hester’s mind and her mind alone, The word SOUL is often given much too much weight, Hester. But that is what I am asking for. Not all of it. Only a fragment or two, a little piece of You, to make you be a better You. Nothing is without cost, dear Hester. This is the price of admission. All the food you could want. None of the consequences… all of the benefits – socially and to your health – from becoming slimmer. All for a couple of pieces that you won’t notice are missing at all. Invite me in. We can accomplish great things together.

“Hey I was a /great/ best friend forever. You’re the one who shanked me during the vote,” Kai complains and narrows his eyes at her, his curiosity of the apple outweighs his desire to just abandon this conversation for now, it seems.

Hester probably should’ve waited before blurting that out. Right as the entity’s started expounding, she just nosedives into it. “Let’s do it. Take whatever. You wouldn’t be the first who’s eaten a portion,” she mutters throatily to the apple. Kai’s quip brings her hissing at him aside, “You’re the one who turned tail and was a jerk using me to clean up your jokes! That’s how I knew you never actually wanted to be friends in the first place.” Ah, drama.

There’s a tingling, burning feel that starts at Hester’s core and slowly radiates out her. It’s painful, yes, but there’s a pleasure in it as well. Her nerves catch fire, metaphorically. The feeling lasts for perhaps 20 seconds before it fades

Keep me with you, Hester. Keep me in mind when you have other desires. We will do great, great things together the voice reiterates to her once she’s invited the entity in.

Meanwhile outside of Hester’s body, Kai is rolling his eyes, “I don’t know what you mean. I don’t need anyone to clean up my jokes, you’re crazy. My jokes are good as is!” he shakes his head and turns, “You’re still a traitor,” he calls to her over his shoulder and stars to walk off in a huff.

Hester’s/span>/spanThere’s two of them with her now.