Encounterlogs
Ritsukas Odd Encounter Sr Ash 241130
On a chilly November night, Ritsuka finds herself in a precarious situation deep within a sprawling cavern, bound by ropes of smoke amidst the cold stone and eerie stillness. A strange, intelligent creature, bearing a glow that pierces through the darkness, captures her with intentions of keeping her as a good luck charm, promising safety and sustenance. Despite the creature's seeming naivety towards her true potential, Ritsuka's initial compliance masks a brewing defiance. Meanwhile, Ceryn, following a trail through the misty forest, discovers the entrance to the cavern. Armed with a satchel that hides a transforming mossy-furred fox named Kesp, he embarks on a descent into the depths, driven by whispers from the spirits of nature.
The confrontation that unfolds in the cavern twists with negotiations and misunderstandings. Ritsuka, exploiting the creature’s desperate hold on her for perceived luck, offers it a chance to serve under her, promising protection from otherworldly dangers and a life of purpose. Ceryn stands ready to engage, leveraging both his words and his readiness to strike. The creature, caught between its fear of returning to a torturous past and the unexpected unity of Ritsuka and Ceryn, finds itself in a dilemma. As Ritsuka's light begins to challenge the darkness that binds her and Ceryn prepares for combat, the creature's resolution wavers, leaving the outcome hanging in a delicate balance.
In a separate but similarly strange event, Novel encounters a bewildered man lost in the forest, clad only in pajamas and lacking any sense of his surroundings. Novel's approach, blending blunt mockery with a begrudging guidance back towards civilization, suggests a complex character who's more compassionate than his harsh exterior suggests. The man, bewildered by Novel's fantastical warnings of monstrous creatures lurking in the forest, is left to ponder the reality of Haven—a place where the extraordinary and the mundane intertwine. As Novel departs, his actions leave a faint mark of kindness in the wintry night, obscured by his gruff demeanor and mysterious origins.
(Ritsuka's odd encounter(SRAsh):SRAsh)
[Fri Nov 29 2024]
In The Heart of a Shrine House
This cavern just *feels* far too deep. The light drip of water, a classic sound, and the chill of stone that can no longer remember the warmth of the sun. There's no roots down here, no plant life, not even fungi has sent spores this deep. Jagged stone, dirt, and stale air are all that make up this place. Through a hole in the roof, a slanted tunnel winds and twists its way up to the surface, a steep slide for those coming from above. And the presence... the pressure in this place... the last mark of this burrow.
It is afternoon, about 51F(10C) degrees, and there are a few dark grey stormclouds in the sky. Ankle high mist flows through the area.
Ritsuka is out cold. There was not much of a struggle - as her own team said, if it comes to it, it comes to it, they will know, and they will be there, but it was for the best to save her strength, to seem weak while so few know to what she is truly capable of doing. It is with concealed purpose that she impresses small and weak, that she does not resist the chloroform when it is something that, now, she perhaps could do far more easily. Of course, it is not as clean as her assaulter wants it to be, she presses a small and little button, hidden somewhere on her... A silent signal and an alarm for her own people. The light in her heart burns, but right now - she is out cold. Unmoving, and still.
"Kesp?" Ceryn murmurs, looking into his satchel as he pauses in the shade of a particularly shady birch tree. His eyes dip into the bag, the yapping and yipping of a sly, mossy-furred fox only growing louder once it stuck it's head through the gap. "I know I fed you today, and you gotta stop digging into my bag, one of these days someone's gonna see you and I'll have to tell them you're addicted to rolling in paint..." He sighed, only for the thick, billowing mist to catch Ceryn's attention.
"Really is a busy day." Ceryn murmurs to himself as he kicks back into a cautious run, chasing after the cloud before it seeps into a crevice. He stops around the entrance, kneeling down to inspect it, getting an idea of how wide it is or how deep it goes.
Ritsuka will wake, at last, to the cavern she's been brought to. Her limbs are tied, of course, in ropes of smoke. No easy shadowwalking here, alas... not for her, anyways. The cavern is dark, sans for a glowing creature, a pale, sickly gray light emanating. The creature that her eyes will see when she's awake enough to peek through her lids is a creature not unlike a frog, though with claws on hands - yes, these are certainly, unfortunately, hands - and feet. Sans webbing, the general shape and bulging eyes - the main source of the glow - preserve the batrachian details of the beast... no.
This is no beast... though those swirly eyes, irises and pupil like elongated, twisted stars, look monstrous and alien... they're intelligent, as it looks Ritsuka over. It sniffs the air as she wakes, then speaks in a foreign tongue. Of course, she can understand. The meaning is in her head, even if the sound is simultaneously musical and horrid. Like a song perfectly played on an instrument that grinds and sounds like rust and splinters.
"You will stay here. You bring good luck when home. I keep you here, feed you burrrrgers and noodly things from the big green bowls between the... domiciles for the making of the feeding. You wiiiiill be safe, so stay good. I be nice to you. Ask me things, and I will maybe bring them-things to you." It reaches out to pat her affectionately on the cheek.
As to Ceryn, he'll find the crevice wide enough to admit perhaps three people side by side... though, it's certainly a crawl. He'll see the cave goes back some ways, and can see the other end - and he'll see, off to the side, the beginning of a tunnel. He'll have to go inside to see it, but the spirits with plants around him whisper, "Down down, down down," in their way that truly doesn't make a single sound. He can find that they mean down, past their roots, and more.
"Vague as always." Ceryn murmurs to himself as he begins to lower into the cavern. As the darkness thickens the lower and lower he goes, he follows the the, bioluminescent glow of a sly, mossy-furred fox, aided by the soft azure that dwelled behind his eyes. "Good thing I'm not claustrophobic." He notes again, fingers trailing against the smooth, wind-weathered stone that surrounds him.
Ritsuka wakes and she shakes her head, shaking some of the drowsy out and away to focus enough. Alas, she can see a little better in the dark, she can tell that she is bound by darkness, and there is touch and words. Oh, but it doesn't know. It looks to have intelligence, but oh, it doesn't know what she is and what she can do. Not that it is for her to reveal, no, not now. Her limbs still feel drowsy. Five, ten minutes, and then she is good. The defiance does not show in her eyes, no, she is a Japanese girl, and the culture turns women to be quite more submissive. All that she makes when the beings attention resides on her is to give it puppy eyes, and a light bite of her lower lip. And she, of course, speaks in her own native tongue. "I'll be good for now-" The words are sweet, and in Japanese, even sound cute. "You look quite delicious." She comments, and her senses spread and reach out.
No good deed goes unpunished - not in Haven. Ceryn finds that there's a faintly familiar smell in the tunnel. But, faint, he can't make it out. Not dirt or rock, limestone, or fungi... not something he might *expect* to smell. It's a pleasant smell, but it brings unsettling feelings with it. And while he explores, he finds that the tunnel, though wide enough, gets pretty steep after a point. Not a drop, not a fall... but he may slide a bit here and there. Getting back up would be hard... if he couldn't just shadow walk. Ideally, anyways.
The worst part, really, is the tiny little residents of the upper cavern. What likes dark, cramped spaces? What favors the gasp of air that comes in without a real breeze to warrant destruction? What brings this faint feeling, brushing his shoulders, his face, his hair? What scuttles over his feet? Surely, he knows this, he knows.
Through gritted teeth, Ceryn steels himself, the naggling sensation at the back of his mind crawling down his spine. He releases a breath, one that fills the room with the what stress-laden sigh. After a moment, he shakes his head, continuing to steadily make his way down, uneven footing and slick surfaces not quite being at odds with the wilderness inclined wildling.
As for Ritsuka, her subtle threats - for such is the way in the polite east, subtle, efficient, and sharp - seem lost on the creature, who doesn't give a morsel of fear or anger for her to snack on. Instead, it tilts its head, a little curiosity flitting by, before it politely responds, "So are you. Maybe eat snacks latter, pretty toes and fingers."
It compliments her with a nod of the head, before asking, "What food you desire eating? I used to eat human food, once, but the food here in the Earthworld is strangest to me. I remember comforts... you desire... pillows? I remember pillows...." It responds to her tone appropriately, which may feel out of place for a... frog gremlin? Whatever it may be, it treats calm with calm.
"Hai, pillows would be absolutely delightful," Ritsuka quietly answers, her chewing of her lower lip shifting into something more of a smile. "Those little things are necessary for me to keep." She says evenly, "We wouldn't want anyone to end up hurting." Or so she claims. The feeling in her limbs slowly begins to recover, and there is a brief analytical look that she offers the entity, trying to sense if it holds any weaknesses or sins to exploit.
Ritsuka adds belatedly. "I eat other's emotions. Can you bring emotions to me?"
The creature nods, though it seems to lack any evident weaknesses to exploit. One can assume, at least, that it's not protected by Sanctuary, at least, with a red glow. "I can get pillows," it says politely, nodding. It adds, "I can get emotion human, too. One is coming now, just gonna eat limbs first. Can't have it letting my good luck charm free." It turns its head to the tunnel, where the sifting sound of dirty and tiny pebbles sound. "That might be tasty for you, its pain."
Ritsuka licks over her own lips - there is no test of her strength against the binding yet, no, her eyes turn towards the tunnel, it would be best to see who comes through first, than to already start her own defiance and let the fire burn free.
It's that singsong voice, the meaning not clear yet, that brings the scent to memory. It's the musical tone of the fae, in a guttural representation that almost mocks the language. It's the scent of the Other, with its unique and varied plants, where sometimes the breeze smells like bubblegum just because, where water can taste like gold or acid.
Ceryn can tell that the voice isn't fae - they prefer to mock others, not themself, but that may be enough of a hint to what sort of thing lies below... what he might have become, once. What may yet happen to those he once knew. He is near the bottom.
Instinctively, Ceryn spat on the ground the moment he heard anything that reminded him of the fae. He glances down to a sly, mossy-furred fox, "Alright, Kesp, seems like you might be able to eat again after all." He told the moody shrubbery.
Reaching into his sheath, Ceryn drew out that curved blade of his, pricking his thumb on the tip. Letting the blood run down, he ran the bloodied digit along the bridge of a sly, mossy-furred fox's nose, the vitae sinking into the faux fur with an eerie glow. After Ceryn stepped back, a sly, mossy-furred fox began to ripple and shimmer, the once lap-sized creature erupting in a rampant growth as it feasted on the wildling's vitae. By the time it stopped, the mossy vulpine stood alike a wolf, fangs and claws elongated, "Take point, Kesp." Ceryn murmurs, patting it fondly between the ears.
The creature frowns, seeming to sense what's happening in the tunnels without being able to actually see the two. It sniffs the air, then growls, just a wisp of anger flitting to Ritsuka's mind. Not really a bite, even, but promising. "It smells like that *place*," it says, though the meaning in *place* sounds off again and again. It means prison, it means place, it means nightmare, with a lowercase. It means House of Pain, it means a life forgotten, where who it was dripped away like golden rain.
As Ritsuka is able to drink in more anger, some emotional pain, Ceryn is able to understand the words now, as the attention of the gremlin thing turns on him. "You can't take me back! I have a charm! I have the luck! You won't take me back!" It shifts, going on all fours as its body shifts into something murky, like an embodiment of a swamp. Decay and brackish water, soggy roots and sharp things that swim, in a shape neither frog nor gator, with a faint haggish resemblance.
It is then that the creature shifts that Ritsuka's expression turns several notes darker. She was fae, that is the fifty-one percent of her blood, the other, oft forget in situations like this, is the blood from a place entirely different. Fortunately perhaps, as it would otherwise make her a far too easy target for rape outside of Haven where it is stopped by sanctuary. She begins to push against the darkened tendrils, and from within her, the radiant light of the rising sun of the east begins to shine - and then to boot, as floating lights of gold begin to form around herself to both burn at the shadows that bind her and to defend.
"A forgotten thing for a forgotten place." Ceryn murmurs aside to a sly, mossy-furred fox, who's yips had quite as it began to drop to a low prowl. He descended further, arrow knocked and bow half-drawn, eyes anticipating whatever may turn the corner.
OOC: The room description changed, by the way... forgot to change the room name, though.
The opposite of darkness is light... but the opposite of smoke is not fire, nor light. The ropes of smoke stand firm, almost as if the creature knew that it was holding a powerful supernatural captive, and planned for her to be much more violent than she is now.
Though the light *must* be distracting, the creature is focused on the wolf-sized creature and the wildling man dropping out from the tunnels. Rather than attacking, the gremlin puffs up even more, growling, "This is my domain, trespasser! You shall not take my luck from me again!" It glowers threateningly at Ceryn and Kesp, with its back turned, almost defensively, to Ritsuka, not too far from her. It'd been in touching distance only a moment before, after all. From it, instead, emanates... emotions, inflicting them unto them both.
An almost disgusted look passes Ceryn's features as he looks down at the creature from the entrance of the cavern, "Luck is something that will be and has been, it's not something to hoarded or stolen." He merely mutters, drawing the bow taut as the arrow begins to splinter and pock with vicious thorns. Snapping his fingers at a sly, mossy-furred fox, the overgrown houseplant hops forward teeth bared and a low grow coming from it's throat, "Good to see you in one piece, Ritsu." Ceryn flicks his attention over to Ritsuka just as the draw of the bow gives way to the light shaking of his grip, betraying the faux confidence that hid under his mask.
The creature stands on hind legs, its bipediality more unnatural in this form. For Ceryn, he can see those eerily spiral eyes start to turn. "They stole it from meeeee," it hisses. "I don't hoard - I've only found one! She's a good one! Out of all of the charms in town, she's the greatest... like an idol." Idol, something to be worshipped, a connection to the gods, blessed one - it means all of those at once, the meaning spreading to the minds of the others all at once.
Ritsuka rolls her eyes at the stupid bindings, and so, it comes down to two things - She focuses on the emotions flown around, and feeds. She cannot help to not feed on someone in extension, but she tries to give him a look that tells to be careful with what he feels, it is... the best she can do. Unfortunately perhaps for the frog-thing, its own emotions do not settle as strong onto her. She feels that... panic, that primal fear, but there is simply this point where an emotion becomes too much and cannot be felt vividly anymore - this is that point for her. Her emotions and whatever part in her brain is there to experience the emotion, just shuts down, and her words cannot help but to be cold. It is not so much outside of awareness... But still. "If you wish to protect me, to not be confronted with the Other... You can serve me. I will ensure you are fed, and that you will find purpose and use, that you will not be exploited by another party. I cannot promise that there will never be danger, but service and loyalty will forever be rewarded, and you will not be put into dangers you are not expected to handle." There is a light shrug of her shoulder. "And you can know safety. Whether I wish it or not, I am branded by a fae, and he is far more dangerous than Ryn-san here is. It is in your interest."
Ritsuka rolls her eyes at the stupid bindings, and so, it comes down to two things - She focuses on the emotions flown around, and feeds. She cannot help to not feed on someone in extension, but she tries to give him a look that tells to be careful with what he feels, it is... the best she can do. Unfortunately perhaps for the frog-thing, its own emotions do not settle as strong onto her. She feels that... panic, that primal fear, but there is simply this point where an emotion becomes too much and cannot be felt vividly anymore - this is that point for her. Her emotions and whatever part in her brain is there to experience the emotion, just shuts down, and her words cannot help but to be cold. It is not so much outside of awareness... But still. "If you wish to protect me, to not be confronted with the Other... You can serve me. I will ensure you are fed, and that you will find purpose and use, that you will not be exploited by another party. I cannot promise that there will never be danger, but service and loyalty will forever be rewarded, and you will not be put into dangers you are not expected to handle." There is a light shrug of her shoulder. "And you can know safety. Whether I wish it or not, I am branded by a fae, and he is far more dangerous than Ryn-san here is. It is in your interest."
Ritsuka rolls her eyes at the stupid bindings, and so, it comes down to two things - She focuses on the emotions flown around, and feeds. She cannot help to not feed on Ceryn in extension, but she tries to give him a look that tells to be careful with what he feels, it is... the best she can do. Unfortunately perhaps for the frog-thing, its own emotions do not settle as strong onto her. She feels that... panic, that primal fear, but there is simply this point where an emotion becomes too much and cannot be felt vividly anymore - this is that point for her. Her emotions and whatever part in her brain is there to experience the emotion, just shuts down, and her words cannot help but to be cold. It is not so much outside of awareness... But still. "If you wish to protect me, to not be confronted with the Other... You can serve me. I will ensure you are fed, and that you will find purpose and use, that you will not be exploited by another party. I cannot promise that there will never be danger, but service and loyalty will forever be rewarded, and you will not be put into dangers you are not expected to handle." There is a light shrug of her shoulder. "And you can know safety. Whether I wish it or not, I am branded by a fae, and he is far more dangerous than Ryn-san here is. It is in your interest."
"We are kindred, in a sorts, you forgotten thing." Ceryn speaks in a more measured tone, nothing visible under the depths of the skull worn on his head. "The fae do take, disgusting creatures which are a blight on the beauty of the other, I share no fondness for them." He takes a breath, the strain of the bowstring settling on his wrist, "But, that doesn't mean you can take something from someone else. Whether it's luck or freedom, all you do is make someone as a victim of yourself."
"An idol isn't to be chained up, it's to be seen by all who could bask in what it is and what it will be, I'm sure a creature from the other would know that." Ceryn continues the parley as a sly, mossy-furred fox stalks from left to right, the soft azure of it's eyes staring down the forgotten thing.
Ritsuka is ignored, at first. It's a bit late for her to negotiate... not while danger already faces it. It might have ignored her entirely - but for her bluff, about being branded by a 'fae'. It rolls one eye in her direction, catching just the shape of her with a grotesque 270 degree spin, as it allows its focus to split. "I sense Them no upon you... perhaps touched, but by something weak. I must maintain the power over you - that is how the luck works! Whoever holds the power keeeeeeps the luck!"
It points a long hagfinger at Kesp, groaning as it says, "That one is more powerful... this is the threat!" Perhaps a foolish statement - even bound, Ritsuka has powers to bear. And Ceryn being underestimated in its distraction is, of course, a mistake. After all, this cave, though absent of plants, is still no stranger to the spirits of the natural world. Its split attention is a point to utilize, before it turns back to Ceryn, perhaps to keep explaining the power dynamics of held faeborn some more.
Regardless, even though one eye follows Kesp, the other getting only a vague impression of Ritsuka from this angle, there is an opportunity for all three to move upon the creature... lethally or to subdue it, or maybe try again to plee with it. It's not that it's unmoved by them, Ritsuka's kind offer or Ceryn's understanding after all, it's just clinging to something that it's finally achieved as a measure of safety.
(Your target's been contacted to help find a civilian who's become lost in the woods.
)
Novel smells of sand and dust, of bloodshed and mayhem, and of sharp, foreign spices and strange scents still clinging to his form like a cloying robe. He licks his fingers clean of the remains of the Hawawshi he was eating - a non-local local street food that he somehow managed to bring here. And yet, he's unharmed, except for his jacket and jeans being scuffed, and with the whistling cheer of a man who's at the top of the world as he strolls north from the college, towards home.
The sounds of fingers being licked clean and wintery wind that rushes beyond Novel's ears can be heard by the man, but something else is carried on that cold, wintery wind. A voice. It seems to not be consistent just yet as Novel walks north away from the college, but it is distinct enough to be heard. Is it a scream? A cry for help? It seems like it is coming from the northwestern portion of this area, leading towards that northern forest which is often filled with mist and other creatures, none of which are probably as finger-licking good as that Hawawshi.
Novel considers. Go home and abandon the voice to their fate, OR, investigate. He weighs curiosity against his desire to take a nap. Curiosity wins, his path adjusting and his feet carrying him towards the noise as he edges his way towards the forest. He remains as close to the road as he can, not wishing to be suddenly jumped by the appearance of a manticore, his hand sliding into his insulated jacket to finger the knife in case this is some sort of odd trap. Booted feet thump across the terrain, the hiking boots gradually being worn down over time for how much he walks upon them.
The noise becomes more clear as Novel nears the area and edges his way towards the forest. There is someone out there calling for help, and that faint sound of a masculine voice carried on the wind becomes louder as he is obviously heading in the right direction in a vague sense. There are some words able to be made out now, "Help! ... lost ... cold ..." The general sense of the situation is clear here, someone is in the forest, now whether they are baiting for a trap or not is another story. There is a light mist trailing out of the forest tonight, as it often does, the trickle of shadowy tendrils of darkness combined with hitting the barely there street lamps of Haven creates an eerie display.
Novel is not very smart. This much is true. He is, however, fairly good at fighting, and approaching fighting scenarios. The thoughts that go through his head is simple. The odds of it being a trap AND an injured person, staked out by any number of entities that would snare people and drag them back to the Wilds or another world. Fortunately, being trapped on campus gave him other thoughts and options.
He looks around, then down, then up - and then wanders over towards one of the nearest trees and then clambers right up onto one that looks sufficiently thick. After all, nobody looks up. And then he'll spend some time clambering across the upper density, making his way over towards the sound.
While Novel clambers closer and closer to the sound, the masculine figure it spotted in the distance. They are wearing what looks to be pajama pants and a t-shirt, barefoot. It is the sort of thing that one doesn't wear out into the world this cold and definitely not the forest, but with the new moon, things are dark out there and the person does not look like they have the ability to see in said darkness, no flashlight, no phone. They are crunching around the forest, shivering, arms wrapped around themselves as they call out again, "Hello!? How the fuck did I even end up out here..." They look scared, confused, and for now, there does not appear to be any monsters lingering nearby to try and lunge at unsuspecting heroes.
"I don't fucking know. Maybe you got sucked off by a squid person, dumbass." Novel remarks a voice that suggest such things are a common event, full of rich hostility and open aggression and a deeply amused, a bassy, smoky voice, floating down from the woods above the barefooted man. There's actually a pang of sympathy. He's been clinic'd before. No idea what this guy went through. "Though you're close to the road, fucker." Then there's the appearance of the lanky and somewhat threatening man, his face illuminated by a pipe glowing red as he slides down a tree, his features cast in starkness in contrast to the darkness. "C'mon before a spider lays eggs in your belly."
Well... the options are to stay here or follow an obvious tweaker.
The startled reaction from the man below Novel is clearly seen as he cries out in fright. A hand reaches up to clutch at his chest as he staggers into a nearby tree to lean against it, breathing heavily, "Holy fuck man! What the hell are you doing up there!?" He doesn't seem like he is drugged up, maybe from leftover turkey, but it looks like a guy who might have been watching football one moment and another moment he is out in the woods after enjoying a Thanksgiving holiday, "Spiders?" There is a cautious look around himself, but the guy can't see shit in this darkness, just squinting. He chooses to follow the obvious tweaker, "Where is the road? Maybe I can find a phone and call someone to pick me up?"
"I heard you screaming and mewling like a pathetic baby from the road and decided to come investigate you, cunt," Novel answers with a mixture of mundane and insult that is likely more relieving and down-to-earth then meeting someone super nice and super suspicious in the woods. A drug addict? EVERYONE expects someone slightly deranged in weird-ass woods. Some nice professional man who wants to talk smoothly and wants to get you out? SUSPICIOUS. It's easy horror movie logic. "It's south-east of here. You're basically directly north of the college honestly, and if you kept going south..." His head jerks in that direction. "You would have ended up in around there somewhere. Sure, whatever. You do you. I don't fucking care." He clearly does care - otherwise he wouldn't have stopped to help.
Novel adds, "And yeah, spiders. They're all over the place. You haven't seen them, scuttling around, crawling over things, and jumping people? Really fucked up."
With how cold it is outside and the state of the man's attire, he might be too out of it to really register just how suspicious Novel looks or how crazy he might sound. He takes the insults and begins to tromp through the forest in his bare feet in the direction it seems like Novel is indicating as he says, "Thank you, thank you..." He shakes his head at the spider comment, walking through the forest until he does seem to spot a faint glimmer of light, and hope, "Spiders? They're everywhere I guess, but I've only heard about how you eat a few a year on accident while sleeping... jumping spiders? They're harmless, aren't they?" He starts to move faster now, his breathing heavy, breath shown in the air with each step and exhale.
Novel continues to lead the way, his glowing red pipe dancing through the air and his lips as he walks, filling the man's mind with terrible things. True things, not borne of this world, as he sort of rambles on, "Nah, giant spiders. Red eyes. Giant rats, too, they hunt in huge fucking packs, give the goddamn... New York rats a run for their money. I blame the goddamn fuckers and their labs screwing around in the college they're always up to some weird shit." He's one aluminum hat away from finishing the disguise. "But mostly around this time of year it's manticores. I sometimes come out here to smoke and watch them. Easier to see them after you're smoking," He adds, as an afterthought. "Takes the edge off." At least he's leading the man somewhere he can get away from him.
Here is a normal guy, wanting a normal Thanksgiving, and getting anything but that as Novel fills his mind with all sorts of creatures and things that are clearly not of this world. Things that normal people might not need to know about but once that glimpse of the street is spotted by the man he begins to rush towards it, "I have no idea what you're talking about..." He treats Novel with kid gloves, trying to be nice, in the way you are nice to some crazy person on the subway if you're stuck in the car with them. He finally does hit the edge of the forest and to civilization at least and he says to Novel, "Thank you, but I don't think I need to smoke anything, I'm cold and barely feel like I can breath as it is... but I think I recognize this street... we're near Elm? I can find a phone! I'll be okay, thank you!"
It's not just Thanksgiving! It's Black Friday! Buy, buy, buy! Novel snuffs the pipe as light appears and quickly hides it before a cop car or the police can appear, tucking it right into his jacket. "Yeah, most people don't." He sniffs. "Fucking whatever, you clearly took a bunch of shit before we met. And yeah, this is Elm. I told you. We were north of the college. I just told you, idiot. Anyway. Seeya. I got some stuff to do before I just fucking pass out." And then he just ambles off, reeking of smoke that covers up the scent of foreign lands, and not calling attention to the sand that still clings to his form as he disappears towards the apartments, leaving the rescued man behind.
Black Friday, that is definitely something the man didn't get a chance to invest in today. He was being lazy with a turkey hangover and ended up in the woods, but that is Haven. Black Friday might mean something entirely different, wholesale meals for manticores or big spiders, a buffet, a shopping spree. Novel leaves the man behind to try and fend for himself, but a decent deed is done in the end, even if the man is left to wonder how many crazy people live in this town, once again.
The confrontation that unfolds in the cavern twists with negotiations and misunderstandings. Ritsuka, exploiting the creature’s desperate hold on her for perceived luck, offers it a chance to serve under her, promising protection from otherworldly dangers and a life of purpose. Ceryn stands ready to engage, leveraging both his words and his readiness to strike. The creature, caught between its fear of returning to a torturous past and the unexpected unity of Ritsuka and Ceryn, finds itself in a dilemma. As Ritsuka's light begins to challenge the darkness that binds her and Ceryn prepares for combat, the creature's resolution wavers, leaving the outcome hanging in a delicate balance.
In a separate but similarly strange event, Novel encounters a bewildered man lost in the forest, clad only in pajamas and lacking any sense of his surroundings. Novel's approach, blending blunt mockery with a begrudging guidance back towards civilization, suggests a complex character who's more compassionate than his harsh exterior suggests. The man, bewildered by Novel's fantastical warnings of monstrous creatures lurking in the forest, is left to ponder the reality of Haven—a place where the extraordinary and the mundane intertwine. As Novel departs, his actions leave a faint mark of kindness in the wintry night, obscured by his gruff demeanor and mysterious origins.
(Ritsuka's odd encounter(SRAsh):SRAsh)
[Fri Nov 29 2024]
In The Heart of a Shrine House
This cavern just *feels* far too deep. The light drip of water, a classic sound, and the chill of stone that can no longer remember the warmth of the sun. There's no roots down here, no plant life, not even fungi has sent spores this deep. Jagged stone, dirt, and stale air are all that make up this place. Through a hole in the roof, a slanted tunnel winds and twists its way up to the surface, a steep slide for those coming from above. And the presence... the pressure in this place... the last mark of this burrow.
It is afternoon, about 51F(10C) degrees, and there are a few dark grey stormclouds in the sky. Ankle high mist flows through the area.
Ritsuka is out cold. There was not much of a struggle - as her own team said, if it comes to it, it comes to it, they will know, and they will be there, but it was for the best to save her strength, to seem weak while so few know to what she is truly capable of doing. It is with concealed purpose that she impresses small and weak, that she does not resist the chloroform when it is something that, now, she perhaps could do far more easily. Of course, it is not as clean as her assaulter wants it to be, she presses a small and little button, hidden somewhere on her... A silent signal and an alarm for her own people. The light in her heart burns, but right now - she is out cold. Unmoving, and still.
"Kesp?" Ceryn murmurs, looking into his satchel as he pauses in the shade of a particularly shady birch tree. His eyes dip into the bag, the yapping and yipping of a sly, mossy-furred fox only growing louder once it stuck it's head through the gap. "I know I fed you today, and you gotta stop digging into my bag, one of these days someone's gonna see you and I'll have to tell them you're addicted to rolling in paint..." He sighed, only for the thick, billowing mist to catch Ceryn's attention.
"Really is a busy day." Ceryn murmurs to himself as he kicks back into a cautious run, chasing after the cloud before it seeps into a crevice. He stops around the entrance, kneeling down to inspect it, getting an idea of how wide it is or how deep it goes.
Ritsuka will wake, at last, to the cavern she's been brought to. Her limbs are tied, of course, in ropes of smoke. No easy shadowwalking here, alas... not for her, anyways. The cavern is dark, sans for a glowing creature, a pale, sickly gray light emanating. The creature that her eyes will see when she's awake enough to peek through her lids is a creature not unlike a frog, though with claws on hands - yes, these are certainly, unfortunately, hands - and feet. Sans webbing, the general shape and bulging eyes - the main source of the glow - preserve the batrachian details of the beast... no.
This is no beast... though those swirly eyes, irises and pupil like elongated, twisted stars, look monstrous and alien... they're intelligent, as it looks Ritsuka over. It sniffs the air as she wakes, then speaks in a foreign tongue. Of course, she can understand. The meaning is in her head, even if the sound is simultaneously musical and horrid. Like a song perfectly played on an instrument that grinds and sounds like rust and splinters.
"You will stay here. You bring good luck when home. I keep you here, feed you burrrrgers and noodly things from the big green bowls between the... domiciles for the making of the feeding. You wiiiiill be safe, so stay good. I be nice to you. Ask me things, and I will maybe bring them-things to you." It reaches out to pat her affectionately on the cheek.
As to Ceryn, he'll find the crevice wide enough to admit perhaps three people side by side... though, it's certainly a crawl. He'll see the cave goes back some ways, and can see the other end - and he'll see, off to the side, the beginning of a tunnel. He'll have to go inside to see it, but the spirits with plants around him whisper, "Down down, down down," in their way that truly doesn't make a single sound. He can find that they mean down, past their roots, and more.
"Vague as always." Ceryn murmurs to himself as he begins to lower into the cavern. As the darkness thickens the lower and lower he goes, he follows the the, bioluminescent glow of a sly, mossy-furred fox, aided by the soft azure that dwelled behind his eyes. "Good thing I'm not claustrophobic." He notes again, fingers trailing against the smooth, wind-weathered stone that surrounds him.
Ritsuka wakes and she shakes her head, shaking some of the drowsy out and away to focus enough. Alas, she can see a little better in the dark, she can tell that she is bound by darkness, and there is touch and words. Oh, but it doesn't know. It looks to have intelligence, but oh, it doesn't know what she is and what she can do. Not that it is for her to reveal, no, not now. Her limbs still feel drowsy. Five, ten minutes, and then she is good. The defiance does not show in her eyes, no, she is a Japanese girl, and the culture turns women to be quite more submissive. All that she makes when the beings attention resides on her is to give it puppy eyes, and a light bite of her lower lip. And she, of course, speaks in her own native tongue. "I'll be good for now-" The words are sweet, and in Japanese, even sound cute. "You look quite delicious." She comments, and her senses spread and reach out.
No good deed goes unpunished - not in Haven. Ceryn finds that there's a faintly familiar smell in the tunnel. But, faint, he can't make it out. Not dirt or rock, limestone, or fungi... not something he might *expect* to smell. It's a pleasant smell, but it brings unsettling feelings with it. And while he explores, he finds that the tunnel, though wide enough, gets pretty steep after a point. Not a drop, not a fall... but he may slide a bit here and there. Getting back up would be hard... if he couldn't just shadow walk. Ideally, anyways.
The worst part, really, is the tiny little residents of the upper cavern. What likes dark, cramped spaces? What favors the gasp of air that comes in without a real breeze to warrant destruction? What brings this faint feeling, brushing his shoulders, his face, his hair? What scuttles over his feet? Surely, he knows this, he knows.
Through gritted teeth, Ceryn steels himself, the naggling sensation at the back of his mind crawling down his spine. He releases a breath, one that fills the room with the what stress-laden sigh. After a moment, he shakes his head, continuing to steadily make his way down, uneven footing and slick surfaces not quite being at odds with the wilderness inclined wildling.
As for Ritsuka, her subtle threats - for such is the way in the polite east, subtle, efficient, and sharp - seem lost on the creature, who doesn't give a morsel of fear or anger for her to snack on. Instead, it tilts its head, a little curiosity flitting by, before it politely responds, "So are you. Maybe eat snacks latter, pretty toes and fingers."
It compliments her with a nod of the head, before asking, "What food you desire eating? I used to eat human food, once, but the food here in the Earthworld is strangest to me. I remember comforts... you desire... pillows? I remember pillows...." It responds to her tone appropriately, which may feel out of place for a... frog gremlin? Whatever it may be, it treats calm with calm.
"Hai, pillows would be absolutely delightful," Ritsuka quietly answers, her chewing of her lower lip shifting into something more of a smile. "Those little things are necessary for me to keep." She says evenly, "We wouldn't want anyone to end up hurting." Or so she claims. The feeling in her limbs slowly begins to recover, and there is a brief analytical look that she offers the entity, trying to sense if it holds any weaknesses or sins to exploit.
Ritsuka adds belatedly. "I eat other's emotions. Can you bring emotions to me?"
The creature nods, though it seems to lack any evident weaknesses to exploit. One can assume, at least, that it's not protected by Sanctuary, at least, with a red glow. "I can get pillows," it says politely, nodding. It adds, "I can get emotion human, too. One is coming now, just gonna eat limbs first. Can't have it letting my good luck charm free." It turns its head to the tunnel, where the sifting sound of dirty and tiny pebbles sound. "That might be tasty for you, its pain."
Ritsuka licks over her own lips - there is no test of her strength against the binding yet, no, her eyes turn towards the tunnel, it would be best to see who comes through first, than to already start her own defiance and let the fire burn free.
It's that singsong voice, the meaning not clear yet, that brings the scent to memory. It's the musical tone of the fae, in a guttural representation that almost mocks the language. It's the scent of the Other, with its unique and varied plants, where sometimes the breeze smells like bubblegum just because, where water can taste like gold or acid.
Ceryn can tell that the voice isn't fae - they prefer to mock others, not themself, but that may be enough of a hint to what sort of thing lies below... what he might have become, once. What may yet happen to those he once knew. He is near the bottom.
Instinctively, Ceryn spat on the ground the moment he heard anything that reminded him of the fae. He glances down to a sly, mossy-furred fox, "Alright, Kesp, seems like you might be able to eat again after all." He told the moody shrubbery.
Reaching into his sheath, Ceryn drew out that curved blade of his, pricking his thumb on the tip. Letting the blood run down, he ran the bloodied digit along the bridge of a sly, mossy-furred fox's nose, the vitae sinking into the faux fur with an eerie glow. After Ceryn stepped back, a sly, mossy-furred fox began to ripple and shimmer, the once lap-sized creature erupting in a rampant growth as it feasted on the wildling's vitae. By the time it stopped, the mossy vulpine stood alike a wolf, fangs and claws elongated, "Take point, Kesp." Ceryn murmurs, patting it fondly between the ears.
The creature frowns, seeming to sense what's happening in the tunnels without being able to actually see the two. It sniffs the air, then growls, just a wisp of anger flitting to Ritsuka's mind. Not really a bite, even, but promising. "It smells like that *place*," it says, though the meaning in *place* sounds off again and again. It means prison, it means place, it means nightmare, with a lowercase. It means House of Pain, it means a life forgotten, where who it was dripped away like golden rain.
As Ritsuka is able to drink in more anger, some emotional pain, Ceryn is able to understand the words now, as the attention of the gremlin thing turns on him. "You can't take me back! I have a charm! I have the luck! You won't take me back!" It shifts, going on all fours as its body shifts into something murky, like an embodiment of a swamp. Decay and brackish water, soggy roots and sharp things that swim, in a shape neither frog nor gator, with a faint haggish resemblance.
It is then that the creature shifts that Ritsuka's expression turns several notes darker. She was fae, that is the fifty-one percent of her blood, the other, oft forget in situations like this, is the blood from a place entirely different. Fortunately perhaps, as it would otherwise make her a far too easy target for rape outside of Haven where it is stopped by sanctuary. She begins to push against the darkened tendrils, and from within her, the radiant light of the rising sun of the east begins to shine - and then to boot, as floating lights of gold begin to form around herself to both burn at the shadows that bind her and to defend.
"A forgotten thing for a forgotten place." Ceryn murmurs aside to a sly, mossy-furred fox, who's yips had quite as it began to drop to a low prowl. He descended further, arrow knocked and bow half-drawn, eyes anticipating whatever may turn the corner.
OOC: The room description changed, by the way... forgot to change the room name, though.
The opposite of darkness is light... but the opposite of smoke is not fire, nor light. The ropes of smoke stand firm, almost as if the creature knew that it was holding a powerful supernatural captive, and planned for her to be much more violent than she is now.
Though the light *must* be distracting, the creature is focused on the wolf-sized creature and the wildling man dropping out from the tunnels. Rather than attacking, the gremlin puffs up even more, growling, "This is my domain, trespasser! You shall not take my luck from me again!" It glowers threateningly at Ceryn and Kesp, with its back turned, almost defensively, to Ritsuka, not too far from her. It'd been in touching distance only a moment before, after all. From it, instead, emanates... emotions, inflicting them unto them both.
An almost disgusted look passes Ceryn's features as he looks down at the creature from the entrance of the cavern, "Luck is something that will be and has been, it's not something to hoarded or stolen." He merely mutters, drawing the bow taut as the arrow begins to splinter and pock with vicious thorns. Snapping his fingers at a sly, mossy-furred fox, the overgrown houseplant hops forward teeth bared and a low grow coming from it's throat, "Good to see you in one piece, Ritsu." Ceryn flicks his attention over to Ritsuka just as the draw of the bow gives way to the light shaking of his grip, betraying the faux confidence that hid under his mask.
The creature stands on hind legs, its bipediality more unnatural in this form. For Ceryn, he can see those eerily spiral eyes start to turn. "They stole it from meeeee," it hisses. "I don't hoard - I've only found one! She's a good one! Out of all of the charms in town, she's the greatest... like an idol." Idol, something to be worshipped, a connection to the gods, blessed one - it means all of those at once, the meaning spreading to the minds of the others all at once.
Ritsuka rolls her eyes at the stupid bindings, and so, it comes down to two things - She focuses on the emotions flown around, and feeds. She cannot help to not feed on someone in extension, but she tries to give him a look that tells to be careful with what he feels, it is... the best she can do. Unfortunately perhaps for the frog-thing, its own emotions do not settle as strong onto her. She feels that... panic, that primal fear, but there is simply this point where an emotion becomes too much and cannot be felt vividly anymore - this is that point for her. Her emotions and whatever part in her brain is there to experience the emotion, just shuts down, and her words cannot help but to be cold. It is not so much outside of awareness... But still. "If you wish to protect me, to not be confronted with the Other... You can serve me. I will ensure you are fed, and that you will find purpose and use, that you will not be exploited by another party. I cannot promise that there will never be danger, but service and loyalty will forever be rewarded, and you will not be put into dangers you are not expected to handle." There is a light shrug of her shoulder. "And you can know safety. Whether I wish it or not, I am branded by a fae, and he is far more dangerous than Ryn-san here is. It is in your interest."
Ritsuka rolls her eyes at the stupid bindings, and so, it comes down to two things - She focuses on the emotions flown around, and feeds. She cannot help to not feed on someone in extension, but she tries to give him a look that tells to be careful with what he feels, it is... the best she can do. Unfortunately perhaps for the frog-thing, its own emotions do not settle as strong onto her. She feels that... panic, that primal fear, but there is simply this point where an emotion becomes too much and cannot be felt vividly anymore - this is that point for her. Her emotions and whatever part in her brain is there to experience the emotion, just shuts down, and her words cannot help but to be cold. It is not so much outside of awareness... But still. "If you wish to protect me, to not be confronted with the Other... You can serve me. I will ensure you are fed, and that you will find purpose and use, that you will not be exploited by another party. I cannot promise that there will never be danger, but service and loyalty will forever be rewarded, and you will not be put into dangers you are not expected to handle." There is a light shrug of her shoulder. "And you can know safety. Whether I wish it or not, I am branded by a fae, and he is far more dangerous than Ryn-san here is. It is in your interest."
Ritsuka rolls her eyes at the stupid bindings, and so, it comes down to two things - She focuses on the emotions flown around, and feeds. She cannot help to not feed on Ceryn in extension, but she tries to give him a look that tells to be careful with what he feels, it is... the best she can do. Unfortunately perhaps for the frog-thing, its own emotions do not settle as strong onto her. She feels that... panic, that primal fear, but there is simply this point where an emotion becomes too much and cannot be felt vividly anymore - this is that point for her. Her emotions and whatever part in her brain is there to experience the emotion, just shuts down, and her words cannot help but to be cold. It is not so much outside of awareness... But still. "If you wish to protect me, to not be confronted with the Other... You can serve me. I will ensure you are fed, and that you will find purpose and use, that you will not be exploited by another party. I cannot promise that there will never be danger, but service and loyalty will forever be rewarded, and you will not be put into dangers you are not expected to handle." There is a light shrug of her shoulder. "And you can know safety. Whether I wish it or not, I am branded by a fae, and he is far more dangerous than Ryn-san here is. It is in your interest."
"We are kindred, in a sorts, you forgotten thing." Ceryn speaks in a more measured tone, nothing visible under the depths of the skull worn on his head. "The fae do take, disgusting creatures which are a blight on the beauty of the other, I share no fondness for them." He takes a breath, the strain of the bowstring settling on his wrist, "But, that doesn't mean you can take something from someone else. Whether it's luck or freedom, all you do is make someone as a victim of yourself."
"An idol isn't to be chained up, it's to be seen by all who could bask in what it is and what it will be, I'm sure a creature from the other would know that." Ceryn continues the parley as a sly, mossy-furred fox stalks from left to right, the soft azure of it's eyes staring down the forgotten thing.
Ritsuka is ignored, at first. It's a bit late for her to negotiate... not while danger already faces it. It might have ignored her entirely - but for her bluff, about being branded by a 'fae'. It rolls one eye in her direction, catching just the shape of her with a grotesque 270 degree spin, as it allows its focus to split. "I sense Them no upon you... perhaps touched, but by something weak. I must maintain the power over you - that is how the luck works! Whoever holds the power keeeeeeps the luck!"
It points a long hagfinger at Kesp, groaning as it says, "That one is more powerful... this is the threat!" Perhaps a foolish statement - even bound, Ritsuka has powers to bear. And Ceryn being underestimated in its distraction is, of course, a mistake. After all, this cave, though absent of plants, is still no stranger to the spirits of the natural world. Its split attention is a point to utilize, before it turns back to Ceryn, perhaps to keep explaining the power dynamics of held faeborn some more.
Regardless, even though one eye follows Kesp, the other getting only a vague impression of Ritsuka from this angle, there is an opportunity for all three to move upon the creature... lethally or to subdue it, or maybe try again to plee with it. It's not that it's unmoved by them, Ritsuka's kind offer or Ceryn's understanding after all, it's just clinging to something that it's finally achieved as a measure of safety.
(Your target's been contacted to help find a civilian who's become lost in the woods.
)
Novel smells of sand and dust, of bloodshed and mayhem, and of sharp, foreign spices and strange scents still clinging to his form like a cloying robe. He licks his fingers clean of the remains of the Hawawshi he was eating - a non-local local street food that he somehow managed to bring here. And yet, he's unharmed, except for his jacket and jeans being scuffed, and with the whistling cheer of a man who's at the top of the world as he strolls north from the college, towards home.
The sounds of fingers being licked clean and wintery wind that rushes beyond Novel's ears can be heard by the man, but something else is carried on that cold, wintery wind. A voice. It seems to not be consistent just yet as Novel walks north away from the college, but it is distinct enough to be heard. Is it a scream? A cry for help? It seems like it is coming from the northwestern portion of this area, leading towards that northern forest which is often filled with mist and other creatures, none of which are probably as finger-licking good as that Hawawshi.
Novel considers. Go home and abandon the voice to their fate, OR, investigate. He weighs curiosity against his desire to take a nap. Curiosity wins, his path adjusting and his feet carrying him towards the noise as he edges his way towards the forest. He remains as close to the road as he can, not wishing to be suddenly jumped by the appearance of a manticore, his hand sliding into his insulated jacket to finger the knife in case this is some sort of odd trap. Booted feet thump across the terrain, the hiking boots gradually being worn down over time for how much he walks upon them.
The noise becomes more clear as Novel nears the area and edges his way towards the forest. There is someone out there calling for help, and that faint sound of a masculine voice carried on the wind becomes louder as he is obviously heading in the right direction in a vague sense. There are some words able to be made out now, "Help! ... lost ... cold ..." The general sense of the situation is clear here, someone is in the forest, now whether they are baiting for a trap or not is another story. There is a light mist trailing out of the forest tonight, as it often does, the trickle of shadowy tendrils of darkness combined with hitting the barely there street lamps of Haven creates an eerie display.
Novel is not very smart. This much is true. He is, however, fairly good at fighting, and approaching fighting scenarios. The thoughts that go through his head is simple. The odds of it being a trap AND an injured person, staked out by any number of entities that would snare people and drag them back to the Wilds or another world. Fortunately, being trapped on campus gave him other thoughts and options.
He looks around, then down, then up - and then wanders over towards one of the nearest trees and then clambers right up onto one that looks sufficiently thick. After all, nobody looks up. And then he'll spend some time clambering across the upper density, making his way over towards the sound.
While Novel clambers closer and closer to the sound, the masculine figure it spotted in the distance. They are wearing what looks to be pajama pants and a t-shirt, barefoot. It is the sort of thing that one doesn't wear out into the world this cold and definitely not the forest, but with the new moon, things are dark out there and the person does not look like they have the ability to see in said darkness, no flashlight, no phone. They are crunching around the forest, shivering, arms wrapped around themselves as they call out again, "Hello!? How the fuck did I even end up out here..." They look scared, confused, and for now, there does not appear to be any monsters lingering nearby to try and lunge at unsuspecting heroes.
"I don't fucking know. Maybe you got sucked off by a squid person, dumbass." Novel remarks a voice that suggest such things are a common event, full of rich hostility and open aggression and a deeply amused, a bassy, smoky voice, floating down from the woods above the barefooted man. There's actually a pang of sympathy. He's been clinic'd before. No idea what this guy went through. "Though you're close to the road, fucker." Then there's the appearance of the lanky and somewhat threatening man, his face illuminated by a pipe glowing red as he slides down a tree, his features cast in starkness in contrast to the darkness. "C'mon before a spider lays eggs in your belly."
Well... the options are to stay here or follow an obvious tweaker.
The startled reaction from the man below Novel is clearly seen as he cries out in fright. A hand reaches up to clutch at his chest as he staggers into a nearby tree to lean against it, breathing heavily, "Holy fuck man! What the hell are you doing up there!?" He doesn't seem like he is drugged up, maybe from leftover turkey, but it looks like a guy who might have been watching football one moment and another moment he is out in the woods after enjoying a Thanksgiving holiday, "Spiders?" There is a cautious look around himself, but the guy can't see shit in this darkness, just squinting. He chooses to follow the obvious tweaker, "Where is the road? Maybe I can find a phone and call someone to pick me up?"
"I heard you screaming and mewling like a pathetic baby from the road and decided to come investigate you, cunt," Novel answers with a mixture of mundane and insult that is likely more relieving and down-to-earth then meeting someone super nice and super suspicious in the woods. A drug addict? EVERYONE expects someone slightly deranged in weird-ass woods. Some nice professional man who wants to talk smoothly and wants to get you out? SUSPICIOUS. It's easy horror movie logic. "It's south-east of here. You're basically directly north of the college honestly, and if you kept going south..." His head jerks in that direction. "You would have ended up in around there somewhere. Sure, whatever. You do you. I don't fucking care." He clearly does care - otherwise he wouldn't have stopped to help.
Novel adds, "And yeah, spiders. They're all over the place. You haven't seen them, scuttling around, crawling over things, and jumping people? Really fucked up."
With how cold it is outside and the state of the man's attire, he might be too out of it to really register just how suspicious Novel looks or how crazy he might sound. He takes the insults and begins to tromp through the forest in his bare feet in the direction it seems like Novel is indicating as he says, "Thank you, thank you..." He shakes his head at the spider comment, walking through the forest until he does seem to spot a faint glimmer of light, and hope, "Spiders? They're everywhere I guess, but I've only heard about how you eat a few a year on accident while sleeping... jumping spiders? They're harmless, aren't they?" He starts to move faster now, his breathing heavy, breath shown in the air with each step and exhale.
Novel continues to lead the way, his glowing red pipe dancing through the air and his lips as he walks, filling the man's mind with terrible things. True things, not borne of this world, as he sort of rambles on, "Nah, giant spiders. Red eyes. Giant rats, too, they hunt in huge fucking packs, give the goddamn... New York rats a run for their money. I blame the goddamn fuckers and their labs screwing around in the college they're always up to some weird shit." He's one aluminum hat away from finishing the disguise. "But mostly around this time of year it's manticores. I sometimes come out here to smoke and watch them. Easier to see them after you're smoking," He adds, as an afterthought. "Takes the edge off." At least he's leading the man somewhere he can get away from him.
Here is a normal guy, wanting a normal Thanksgiving, and getting anything but that as Novel fills his mind with all sorts of creatures and things that are clearly not of this world. Things that normal people might not need to know about but once that glimpse of the street is spotted by the man he begins to rush towards it, "I have no idea what you're talking about..." He treats Novel with kid gloves, trying to be nice, in the way you are nice to some crazy person on the subway if you're stuck in the car with them. He finally does hit the edge of the forest and to civilization at least and he says to Novel, "Thank you, but I don't think I need to smoke anything, I'm cold and barely feel like I can breath as it is... but I think I recognize this street... we're near Elm? I can find a phone! I'll be okay, thank you!"
It's not just Thanksgiving! It's Black Friday! Buy, buy, buy! Novel snuffs the pipe as light appears and quickly hides it before a cop car or the police can appear, tucking it right into his jacket. "Yeah, most people don't." He sniffs. "Fucking whatever, you clearly took a bunch of shit before we met. And yeah, this is Elm. I told you. We were north of the college. I just told you, idiot. Anyway. Seeya. I got some stuff to do before I just fucking pass out." And then he just ambles off, reeking of smoke that covers up the scent of foreign lands, and not calling attention to the sand that still clings to his form as he disappears towards the apartments, leaving the rescued man behind.
Black Friday, that is definitely something the man didn't get a chance to invest in today. He was being lazy with a turkey hangover and ended up in the woods, but that is Haven. Black Friday might mean something entirely different, wholesale meals for manticores or big spiders, a buffet, a shopping spree. Novel leaves the man behind to try and fend for himself, but a decent deed is done in the end, even if the man is left to wonder how many crazy people live in this town, once again.