Encounterlogs
Vindictas Odd Encounter Sr Ritsuka 241114
In the eerie and mist-soaked heart of the forest along Elm's Bane, sheriffs Valerie and Vindicta embark on a chilling journey to confront the source of a supernatural storm wreaking havoc in the area. As they delve deeper, the weather shifts dramatically, turning a relentless rain into a snowfall centered around a mysterious shrine adorned with kanji and protected by komainu statues. The air is thick with tension and unspoken fears, notably from Vindicta, who is distinctly uncomfortable with the potentially dangerous wildlife and the supernatural presence lurking within the mist. A sinister nature spirit, manifesting as a dark, formless entity with grotesque features, adds to the ominous atmosphere, engaging the duo in a cryptic exchange before momentarily targeting Vindicta with a menacing gesture.
The story reaches its climax as Valerie and Vindicta confront the heart of the storm - a shrine pulsing with magical energy. Valerie, with a mix of determination and tactical pragmatism, makes the decision to disrupt the source of the unnatural weather. Ignoring Vindicta's cautious observations of the seemingly abandoned house nearby, she draws blood to alter a glowing kanji on the shrine's altar, a ritualistic action aimed at breaking the spell fueling the storm. This decisive act brings a swift change to the environment; the wild weather calms, the oppressive mist lifts, and for the first time in days, sunlight breaks through the storm clouds, heralding a return to normalcy. The immediate danger appears to be over, leaving the pair to ponder the implications of their encounter and the mysterious homeowner's involvement in the ordeal. Thus, amidst a blend of relief and unresolved questions, Valerie and Vindicta make their way back, leaving behind the quiet of the now serene forest, a stark contrast to the chaotic forces they had quelled.
(Vindicta's odd encounter(SRRitsuka):SRRitsuka)
[Wed Nov 13 2024]
On Elm's Bane
This long, straight road plunges deeply into the dark heart of the forest, the mist-soaked depths of which pour brambled thorns and creeping overgrowth like some arboreal vitae that coats the sides of the asphalt implement buried within it. Wide enough to allow the passing of two decently-sized cars, it's flanked by ancient elm trees spotted with lichen that clings to their craggy bark and twisted, reaching branches. Many of the elms are dead; twisted grey skeletons with cracked bones that refuse to shuffle off into decay and instead impede the growth of the still-living trees that seem to always be growing no matter how often they're cut down. Prickling burrs and nettles creep amongst the dead, dessicated trees, winding themselves about their splintered trunks and branches. The thickness of the elm growth barely allows for the briny, seaside breeze to freshen the area, causing the air to hold a cloying mustiness of earth and decaying wood.
The atmosphere of the forest this far in is sinister and ethereal; it needles at the skin and causes a sense of foreboding hyper-vigilance, especially to those unaccustomed to otherworldly circumstances. Unnaturally large animal tracks are evident here and there to the side of the road, and there is an eerie silence that is occasionally interrupted by the snap of a twig, the scuffle of footsteps, or the rustling of undergrowth.
It is afternoon, about 44F(6C) degrees, and the sky is covered by dark grey stormclouds. It's raining.
With the heat running on full blast inside the jeep, Valerie and Vindicta have already run reconnaissance along the back roads of the northern end of town, chasing the storm into its heart, the wind shield wipers flicking back and forth wildly to keep the frost and rain at bay. "I believe we are nearing the worst of it all, Bianchini," she tells her partner, pedaling down to a crawl. "There are supposed to be several statues that are likely the catalysts for sustaining the energy. The temperatures plummeted the most here in these spots," she marks them on her map. "So, these are likely culprits, don't you think?"
It seems that Vindicta was, on the contrary, burning up and sweating for the entire patrol around the length of Elm, stripping out of her hoodie, or at the very least pulling it unzipped when the cruiser eventually pulls to a crawl, and finally the little albino looks over helplessly at her partner, chewing at her lower lip. "Yes.." she says softly. "Val have all information- Bianchini not resource.. Res... Research yet, since seem Val already do," explains the teeny bopper.
Rain pellets relentlessly against the windshield and hull of the jeep as the two sheriffs, Valerie and Vindicta make their way through the rain. Of course there had been reports, people telling that the storm is the worst in the north of the city, and the department might have heard that it would be worst to the northeast of the city itself, not so far as to be outside of the inner forest, but the inner forest itself. The clouds carry darkly over the skies with little in the way of eventual reprieve. Frost suddenly crawls over the windows on the side, and there is the chill that just runs along one's own spines, and the quiet, quiet but yet so beautiful whisper...
The jeep drives further along the street, eventually along the forest view drive, and even without any arcane prediction, this is where the rain is the most relentless. It pours and pours, endlessly, to a point that the side of the streets hold ankle deep water, and there is simple the point where a few, gentle flocks of snow mix invisibly into the storm itself. Along the right of the street, both of team V can see a home. It opens up with a torii gate, and leads into a courtyard that holds a barren cherry blossom. A few small balls of mistletoe parasites on the branches of the tree. Beyond it lies a shrine that resembles more a home than a shrine with a shut door, and to the right and left, from an approaching point of angle lie two shrines. To the right stands one that holds many and differently sized cat statues, some of them appear to be specifically of a Japanese culture, and others of a far more Egyptian one. A single, white ball of catness hides under the shrine's altar from the downpour. To the left lies a more deliberate shrine, covered completely in a white substanc covered in a gentle fog. Four komainu statues stand guard around the altar, more traditionally known in the culture as sort of lion-dogs.
eases the Jeep to a halt just beyond the torii gate, her sharp gray eyes narrowing at the scene ahead. The frost creeping up the windshield glistens under the relentless downpour, and a low hum of unease settles over her as she surveys the shrine grounds. "Bianchini," she says softly, her voice barely above a whisper cutting through the patter of rain on the roof. "This is it. If those statues are catalysts, then this place is our epicenter."
She pulls the vehicle into park, leaving the engine and wipers running as the temperature inside the Jeep feels worlds away from the icy landscape outside. Valerie leans forward to get a better look, the frost on the windows threatening to obscure the barren cherry blossom tree standing solemnly in the courtyard. Her gaze shifts to the shrines flanking the path, studying them both. "Two shrines," she notes aloud, nodding first to the feline collection on the right. Her lips purse thoughtfully as she lingers on the mix of cultural motifs - Japanese and Egyptian, then her attention moves to the fog-shrouded shrine on the left, where the komainu statues stand guard like silent sentinels. "And one very inviting white ball of fur."
She turns to Vindicta, a faint smile curving her lips despite th tension. "You ready for this piccola? We've got some frost and felines to contend with." Reaching into the console, she grabs her flashlight and checks her sidearm. Her fingers linger briefly on the comforting weight, not waiting for her partner's response before popping the door open, and stelling out into the rain with a sharp intake of breath as the biting cold hits her face. She immediately opens her umbrella, the chill cutting through her tactical layers.
Vindicta stares out the window at the cat with wide, cautious eyes, her entire body gone rigid and even slightly shivering from the tension that comes over her muscles. "No move," whispers the teeny albino as she observes the predator from within the safety of Valerie's police cruiser. "Cat. Slash through, bite spine, not think twice," she claims, her right hand slowly, carefully drifting towards the revolver at her hip, fingers splayed for her fluid motion as she never once blinks.
"Take out from afar. Break spell. Never have get out of car," she decides, though judging by the sheer amount of religious symbology around, even if she does shoot the cat, it's unlikely to be that easy. Regardless, she seems to be blaming the feline for the whole storm- or maybe looking for an excuse to blow it away. It's very clear that she's afraid of it for one reason or another.
Unfortunately for Vindicta's plan, Valerie is already opening her umbrella and getting out of the car, leaving the fearful little femme behind- and up to her own devices.
(Room description has been updated)@line
The cat lying under the cat shrine under its altar, does not seem to even heed or pay any attention to the two women, team V, Vindicta and Valerie. It remains balled up, into itself and has its back turned to the street, and perhaps to everyone's own misfortune, it is then that two, yellow eyes open its eyes from barren mistletoe atop the cherry blossom. The form of this thing is black. There are no whiskers or specific shape to it, just a black ball and a fleshly hand reaches out from it as it pushes itself upward to peer down to the umbrella-carrying woman who's steps find that she is stepping into frost. The form of teeth show on this thing's shadowed ballness and it sinks down, and then watches - and watches. Never blinking and not yet fading.
In the meantime, ankle-high mist has started to flow through the area, and it covers more of the ground of the shrine to the left.
Valerie steps lightly, her boots crunching against the frost-coated ground as she makes her way further into the courtyard. The umbrella in her hand catches the occasional gust of wind, but her grip is steady as her gray eyes flick toward the cat under the shrine, still seemingly uninterested in their presence, but she doesn't trust its stillness. Not here. Not in this storm. "Bianchini," she calls back toward Vindicta in the Jeep Jerokee - not her HSD SUV - and shouts. "You see anything move, you light that shit on fire. Capische?" She doesn't wait for an answer, her focus already shifting upward as a shadow stirs above the cherry blossom tree. The sight of the black orb, its grotesque hand emerging, stops her mid-step. Her breath fogs in the frigid air as her eyes lock on the shifting mass of darkness. The grin of sharp teeth in the formless shadow sends an involuntary chill down her spine. Her free hand instinctively moves to her sidearm, her thumb flicking the safety off with a soft click. She wastes no time in palming the weapon into her hand, sucking in a breath.
If she sees something move? Vindicta's pallid pink eyes are locked upon that dark, writhing mass in the trees with those horrid yellow eyes. Her firearm was already in hand and angled out of her rolled-down window to point at the ball of white fur posing as a cat hiding under the shrine. It's not that hard for the albino to angle her revolver upwards and lean out of the window a bit more, pointing the barrel of her Judge right at the mass.
Light it on fire? She can do that, too. A dainty, feminine thumb idly presses against her cylinder, sending it to spinning over and over again until it clicks in place and is still once more- all for show, of course. But she isn't hesitating. The faintest squeeze of her trigger finger fires the hand canon, and a bullet is immediately in the air headed towards that shifting mass of darkness without an ounce of remorse on her face. It had moved, after all, and Vindicta is already terrified enough with all of the lightning and thunder crashing around. She doesn't need more spooky things in her life.
The shot rangs through the air, much louder than the distant bong-bong of a clocktower's chimes - a white cat makes a loud meow, scared up to jump away from under the altar and then to dash immediately away into the forest, knocking over a rain-filled porcelain bowl and a statue or three as well in the process. The bullet flies and whizzes through the air and cuts short of a few strands of mistletoe. By all means, it should have hit, it should not miss. Valerie on the other hand can see that the creature simply dissolves into a dust that seems to cling and then draw into the mistletoe itself. It appears again only a moment later, near Vindicta, through a bustling of a nearby bush and then onto the jeep. Its grin has disappeared and it is holding and carrying itself by one wrinkled hand and points at Vindicta. And then, it disappears again. It would perhaps be fair to ask on who the fuck has a creature like that running around. Owner of the house apparently. But it does not reappear now as an eerie silence envelops the area now, no more than a few seconds, only to then break by the crackle of ice somewhere.
The sharp crack of Vindicta's shot echoes through the storm, silencing even the distant whispers carried on the wind. Valerie's gaze flicks sharply toward the altar as the porcelain bowl crashes, water spilling out in rippling waves across the frost. The cat's panicked yowl as it bolts into the forest barely registers compared to the unsettling way the dark entity dissipates into dust.
"Mistletoe," Valerie mutters under her breath, the wheels turning in her mind. Her gun stays raised, her body tense as the thing reappears near the Jeep in a disjointed flicker of movement. The grin is gone, but its pointed hand and sudden proximity to Vindicta sends a cold wave of unease crashing through her.
"Vinny," Valerie shouts, head whipping toward the Jeep. She pivots, weapon trained on the bush where it had disappeared. "Report!" Her eyes dart between the faint tremor of disturbed leaves and the stillness of the shrine grounds, scanning for movement. The crackle of ice somewhere nearby snaps her focus back to the courtyard, her breath forming soft clouds in the freezing air.
"That thing, whatever it is, it's tied to the mistle toe," Her voice lowers, edged with frustration as she mutters to herself. Nature spirit... maybe a guardian, or worse. She glances up at the barren cherry blossom, her lips pressing into a grim line. "Why do I feel like the owner of this place is about to be a real headache?"
"Bianchini fine!!" Vindicta calls out when she whips around again, firing another shot at the creature when it apparates so close nearby to her, another bullet whizzing through the air in its direction before she tucks herself into the Cheep Jerokee, breathing heavily with fright. "Creature say... Nature suffer for man... I must suffer from man too," recites the tiny thing, hugging her gun to chest for a moment as her eyes scan the trees.
"Mistletoe," she repeats softly, then angles her gun out of the window once more, aiming, staring amongst the leaves- trying to find that parasitic plant that people so enjoy smooching each other underneath. "Bianchini see! Want shoot??" she calls to Valerie across the way, breathing a bit more steadily now to prepare herself for a shop. Whoever the home owner is- if they'll be dealing with them- she seems far less afraid of humans than of wrinkle-handed shadow monsters that whisper cruelties in her ears.
The nature spirit does not reappear, and Vindicta experiences no immediate effects. The mistletoe sway along the pelleting rain, and the harsh winds. It is then that a cascade of word carries through from nearby frost. From here, it is a far more fascinating view, as a gentle light blue shines behind the fog of the northern shrine, carries through the frost in the ground, and along of it, a certain voice. Soft, sweet, and more than that, as if royalty "We do what must be done. If the world deems us monsters, so be it."
The nature spirit does seem to be re-appear, perhaps words that do hang, perhaps the consequences will appear later, or perhaps in days, or perhaps someday in the future, or never yet. The shrine to the right, the one dedicated to something cat, remains still and empty yet, while the one to the left still bears the fog that still partly covers the four komainu statues. The house itself still remains locked, empty, there does not seem to be anyone at home, or if there is, she does not come out. Perhaps Vindicta or Valerie ran a search result on possible homes and addresses along the street coming here and very much know who it is that is living here, it would certainly be in the department's ability to accomplish.
Valerie narrows her eyes toward the mistletoe swaying in the storm, her weapon steady but her finger sliding from the trigger as she makes a decision. The spirit's lingering words gnaw at the edges of her mind, but she lets them fade into the rain. "Negative, Bianchini," she calls back, her voice firm as she lowers her gun and scans the frost-covered courtyard one last time. "We don't have time to play whack-a-mole with shadows. Keep your eyes sharp, but save your ammo." She immediately flicks her gun up to fire off a silenced shot at the mistle-toe, rather than risk touching it directly, to shoot it down.
Her attention shifts to the shrine on the left, the faint blue glow behind the fog drawing her focus. "That's our problem," she mutters, stepping cautiously toward the komainu-guarded altar. Her boots crunch over frozen ground, the sound muted by the relentless rain. Valerie keeps her umbrella tilted to shield her view, her free hand reaching into her jacket to pull out a small, heavy-duty flashlight.
she studies the shrine's base, noting the frost creeping unnaturally across its surface. "This thing must be holding the storm together" she reasons to herself, drawing back some steps before she trains the statue within her sights and begins to quickly fire off a few shots. She normally wouldn't resort to simple property damage, but time is short and the cold is too much.
The mistletoe falls and Valerie starts to fire bullets at the shrine- meanwhile Vindicta observes the house from afar, gazing past the spray of bullet towards the windows, the roof, the doorway, and around the sides, seeking any sort of movement, or hint that the owner, or a resident, or squatter, might be around. She doesn't seem incredibly pleased with the proerty damage caused by her partner, but it sn't like the albino was making an attempt to do anything beyond shooting herself, staying safe within the confines of the vehicle. "Not see anyone home.." she mentions, keeping her voice low and hushed, reachable by Valerie's ears but not much further than that. "Think... Destroying shrine will fix problem, then? Shrine and mistletoe?"
The moment that Valerie steps onto the surface of the shrine to the left, the storm is no longer a rainy storm, but one of snow. It is centered specifically around the left shrine and under the boots of her shoes, there is a little crunch, the familiar kind that tells that Valerie is stepping into shallow snow. the altar itself at the center seems to also be from where the fog draws from - not the shallow, ankle high mist that draws over the ground, but definitely the fog. The altar itself seems to pulse slightly, there is a single kanji letter glowing gold atop of it, hidden from the distance by the fog.
The statues, it feels as if their gazes turn to someone when she draws near and the caution does prove to be justified, as their eyes begin to glow golden, a stone claw tries to rise - only to be cut short by shorts that hit their marks quickly. It is perhaps evident that whomever that had set these four up, is not a trained arcanist, or it might be plain fate, fortune, or simply that the one responsible for the storm has no longer an interest to maintain it. A question that won't be answered here.
The altar lies open now, she could remove the evidently magical and glowing kanji, likely with some of her own blood as it is common with ritualistic magic, or to wipe it away or break it in another way. And the storm - should end.
Vindicta watches the house, but if there is someone within, it still does not reveal itself, the building lies in silence from where she is at, both overpowered by the sound of the rain and the brief distance, one would probably have to be much nearer to listen for the quiet sounds within. The gunshots are loud, too. So if someone is within, they probably know something is going on. But so far, nothing.
The moment that Valerie steps onto the surface of the shrine to the left, the storm is no longer a rainy storm, but one of snow. It is centered specifically around the left shrine and under the boots of her shoes, there is a little crunch, the familiar kind that tells that Valerie is stepping into shallow snow. the altar itself at the center seems to also be from where the fog draws from - not the shallow, ankle high mist that draws over the ground, but definitely the fog. The altar itself seems to pulse slightly, there is a single kanji letter glowing gold atop of it, hidden from the distance by the fog.
The statues, it feels as if their gazes turn to Valerie when she draws near and the caution does prove to be justified, as their eyes begin to glow golden, a stone claw tries to rise - only to be cut short by shorts that hit their marks quickly. It is perhaps evident that whomever that had set these four up, is not a trained arcanist, or it might be plain fate, fortune, or simply that the one responsible for the storm has no longer an interest to maintain it. A question that won't be answered here.
The altar lies open now, she could remove the evidently magical and glowing kanji, likely with some of her own blood as it is common with ritualistic magic, or to wipe it away or break it in another way. And the storm - should end.
Vindicta watches the house, but if there is someone within, it still does not reveal itself, the building lies in silence from where she is at, both overpowered by the sound of the rain and the brief distance, one would probably have to be much nearer to listen for the quiet sounds within. The gunshots are loud, too. So if someone is within, they probably know something is going on. But so far, nothing.
There are always many questions that cannot be answered in the heat of the moment, so they are catalogued into the recesses of Valerie's mind for a later date. She slides down into a crouch, the tip of her finger ran across the serrated edge of the knife she keeps under her jacket, a bright red bead of blood welling up as she squeezes and agitates the small wound to reach in and quickly disturb the glowing kanji, breaking the magic circuit pulsing within. Gray eyes stay pealed to the house, and the mists, and her surroundings, slowly rising up and retreating back to her Jeep Cherokee where Vindicta watches her six.
"... Storm all gone?" Vindicta wonders to Valerie, peeking over the edge of the window where her partner smears away the kanji with a bloodied finger. "Look snow.. Maybe no more lightning soon now.." whispers the tiny albino, who draws back into the car partially after some quiet observation of the home. "Not think anyone here still.. No one move, not come out. Maybe leave before do," is her suggestion as she carefully settles her gun back into the holster at her hip. "Val come home now?"
Blood drops and falls over the Kanji, and the bead of blood draws over the Kanji, changing its form, changing its status. The snowfall, here, at the shrine specifically comes to an end, and it is right there and then that, for the first time in days, a ray of sunlight returns to the world, for the hidden sun to return once more in its ever waging war against the void's darkness of the universe. But it is here, and not only here as the rain finally draws to a finish. Maybe that means having stopped a flood, maybe that means something else and someone else will take advantage, and most of all, the noises, the frost... the whispers in the air. It is all gone now. Life in Haven continues, and so... be it...
The story reaches its climax as Valerie and Vindicta confront the heart of the storm - a shrine pulsing with magical energy. Valerie, with a mix of determination and tactical pragmatism, makes the decision to disrupt the source of the unnatural weather. Ignoring Vindicta's cautious observations of the seemingly abandoned house nearby, she draws blood to alter a glowing kanji on the shrine's altar, a ritualistic action aimed at breaking the spell fueling the storm. This decisive act brings a swift change to the environment; the wild weather calms, the oppressive mist lifts, and for the first time in days, sunlight breaks through the storm clouds, heralding a return to normalcy. The immediate danger appears to be over, leaving the pair to ponder the implications of their encounter and the mysterious homeowner's involvement in the ordeal. Thus, amidst a blend of relief and unresolved questions, Valerie and Vindicta make their way back, leaving behind the quiet of the now serene forest, a stark contrast to the chaotic forces they had quelled.
(Vindicta's odd encounter(SRRitsuka):SRRitsuka)
[Wed Nov 13 2024]
On Elm's Bane
This long, straight road plunges deeply into the dark heart of the forest, the mist-soaked depths of which pour brambled thorns and creeping overgrowth like some arboreal vitae that coats the sides of the asphalt implement buried within it. Wide enough to allow the passing of two decently-sized cars, it's flanked by ancient elm trees spotted with lichen that clings to their craggy bark and twisted, reaching branches. Many of the elms are dead; twisted grey skeletons with cracked bones that refuse to shuffle off into decay and instead impede the growth of the still-living trees that seem to always be growing no matter how often they're cut down. Prickling burrs and nettles creep amongst the dead, dessicated trees, winding themselves about their splintered trunks and branches. The thickness of the elm growth barely allows for the briny, seaside breeze to freshen the area, causing the air to hold a cloying mustiness of earth and decaying wood.
The atmosphere of the forest this far in is sinister and ethereal; it needles at the skin and causes a sense of foreboding hyper-vigilance, especially to those unaccustomed to otherworldly circumstances. Unnaturally large animal tracks are evident here and there to the side of the road, and there is an eerie silence that is occasionally interrupted by the snap of a twig, the scuffle of footsteps, or the rustling of undergrowth.
It is afternoon, about 44F(6C) degrees, and the sky is covered by dark grey stormclouds. It's raining.
With the heat running on full blast inside the jeep, Valerie and Vindicta have already run reconnaissance along the back roads of the northern end of town, chasing the storm into its heart, the wind shield wipers flicking back and forth wildly to keep the frost and rain at bay. "I believe we are nearing the worst of it all, Bianchini," she tells her partner, pedaling down to a crawl. "There are supposed to be several statues that are likely the catalysts for sustaining the energy. The temperatures plummeted the most here in these spots," she marks them on her map. "So, these are likely culprits, don't you think?"
It seems that Vindicta was, on the contrary, burning up and sweating for the entire patrol around the length of Elm, stripping out of her hoodie, or at the very least pulling it unzipped when the cruiser eventually pulls to a crawl, and finally the little albino looks over helplessly at her partner, chewing at her lower lip. "Yes.." she says softly. "Val have all information- Bianchini not resource.. Res... Research yet, since seem Val already do," explains the teeny bopper.
Rain pellets relentlessly against the windshield and hull of the jeep as the two sheriffs, Valerie and Vindicta make their way through the rain. Of course there had been reports, people telling that the storm is the worst in the north of the city, and the department might have heard that it would be worst to the northeast of the city itself, not so far as to be outside of the inner forest, but the inner forest itself. The clouds carry darkly over the skies with little in the way of eventual reprieve. Frost suddenly crawls over the windows on the side, and there is the chill that just runs along one's own spines, and the quiet, quiet but yet so beautiful whisper...
The jeep drives further along the street, eventually along the forest view drive, and even without any arcane prediction, this is where the rain is the most relentless. It pours and pours, endlessly, to a point that the side of the streets hold ankle deep water, and there is simple the point where a few, gentle flocks of snow mix invisibly into the storm itself. Along the right of the street, both of team V can see a home. It opens up with a torii gate, and leads into a courtyard that holds a barren cherry blossom. A few small balls of mistletoe parasites on the branches of the tree. Beyond it lies a shrine that resembles more a home than a shrine with a shut door, and to the right and left, from an approaching point of angle lie two shrines. To the right stands one that holds many and differently sized cat statues, some of them appear to be specifically of a Japanese culture, and others of a far more Egyptian one. A single, white ball of catness hides under the shrine's altar from the downpour. To the left lies a more deliberate shrine, covered completely in a white substanc covered in a gentle fog. Four komainu statues stand guard around the altar, more traditionally known in the culture as sort of lion-dogs.
eases the Jeep to a halt just beyond the torii gate, her sharp gray eyes narrowing at the scene ahead. The frost creeping up the windshield glistens under the relentless downpour, and a low hum of unease settles over her as she surveys the shrine grounds. "Bianchini," she says softly, her voice barely above a whisper cutting through the patter of rain on the roof. "This is it. If those statues are catalysts, then this place is our epicenter."
She pulls the vehicle into park, leaving the engine and wipers running as the temperature inside the Jeep feels worlds away from the icy landscape outside. Valerie leans forward to get a better look, the frost on the windows threatening to obscure the barren cherry blossom tree standing solemnly in the courtyard. Her gaze shifts to the shrines flanking the path, studying them both. "Two shrines," she notes aloud, nodding first to the feline collection on the right. Her lips purse thoughtfully as she lingers on the mix of cultural motifs - Japanese and Egyptian, then her attention moves to the fog-shrouded shrine on the left, where the komainu statues stand guard like silent sentinels. "And one very inviting white ball of fur."
She turns to Vindicta, a faint smile curving her lips despite th tension. "You ready for this piccola? We've got some frost and felines to contend with." Reaching into the console, she grabs her flashlight and checks her sidearm. Her fingers linger briefly on the comforting weight, not waiting for her partner's response before popping the door open, and stelling out into the rain with a sharp intake of breath as the biting cold hits her face. She immediately opens her umbrella, the chill cutting through her tactical layers.
Vindicta stares out the window at the cat with wide, cautious eyes, her entire body gone rigid and even slightly shivering from the tension that comes over her muscles. "No move," whispers the teeny albino as she observes the predator from within the safety of Valerie's police cruiser. "Cat. Slash through, bite spine, not think twice," she claims, her right hand slowly, carefully drifting towards the revolver at her hip, fingers splayed for her fluid motion as she never once blinks.
"Take out from afar. Break spell. Never have get out of car," she decides, though judging by the sheer amount of religious symbology around, even if she does shoot the cat, it's unlikely to be that easy. Regardless, she seems to be blaming the feline for the whole storm- or maybe looking for an excuse to blow it away. It's very clear that she's afraid of it for one reason or another.
Unfortunately for Vindicta's plan, Valerie is already opening her umbrella and getting out of the car, leaving the fearful little femme behind- and up to her own devices.
(Room description has been updated)@line
The cat lying under the cat shrine under its altar, does not seem to even heed or pay any attention to the two women, team V, Vindicta and Valerie. It remains balled up, into itself and has its back turned to the street, and perhaps to everyone's own misfortune, it is then that two, yellow eyes open its eyes from barren mistletoe atop the cherry blossom. The form of this thing is black. There are no whiskers or specific shape to it, just a black ball and a fleshly hand reaches out from it as it pushes itself upward to peer down to the umbrella-carrying woman who's steps find that she is stepping into frost. The form of teeth show on this thing's shadowed ballness and it sinks down, and then watches - and watches. Never blinking and not yet fading.
In the meantime, ankle-high mist has started to flow through the area, and it covers more of the ground of the shrine to the left.
Valerie steps lightly, her boots crunching against the frost-coated ground as she makes her way further into the courtyard. The umbrella in her hand catches the occasional gust of wind, but her grip is steady as her gray eyes flick toward the cat under the shrine, still seemingly uninterested in their presence, but she doesn't trust its stillness. Not here. Not in this storm. "Bianchini," she calls back toward Vindicta in the Jeep Jerokee - not her HSD SUV - and shouts. "You see anything move, you light that shit on fire. Capische?" She doesn't wait for an answer, her focus already shifting upward as a shadow stirs above the cherry blossom tree. The sight of the black orb, its grotesque hand emerging, stops her mid-step. Her breath fogs in the frigid air as her eyes lock on the shifting mass of darkness. The grin of sharp teeth in the formless shadow sends an involuntary chill down her spine. Her free hand instinctively moves to her sidearm, her thumb flicking the safety off with a soft click. She wastes no time in palming the weapon into her hand, sucking in a breath.
If she sees something move? Vindicta's pallid pink eyes are locked upon that dark, writhing mass in the trees with those horrid yellow eyes. Her firearm was already in hand and angled out of her rolled-down window to point at the ball of white fur posing as a cat hiding under the shrine. It's not that hard for the albino to angle her revolver upwards and lean out of the window a bit more, pointing the barrel of her Judge right at the mass.
Light it on fire? She can do that, too. A dainty, feminine thumb idly presses against her cylinder, sending it to spinning over and over again until it clicks in place and is still once more- all for show, of course. But she isn't hesitating. The faintest squeeze of her trigger finger fires the hand canon, and a bullet is immediately in the air headed towards that shifting mass of darkness without an ounce of remorse on her face. It had moved, after all, and Vindicta is already terrified enough with all of the lightning and thunder crashing around. She doesn't need more spooky things in her life.
The shot rangs through the air, much louder than the distant bong-bong of a clocktower's chimes - a white cat makes a loud meow, scared up to jump away from under the altar and then to dash immediately away into the forest, knocking over a rain-filled porcelain bowl and a statue or three as well in the process. The bullet flies and whizzes through the air and cuts short of a few strands of mistletoe. By all means, it should have hit, it should not miss. Valerie on the other hand can see that the creature simply dissolves into a dust that seems to cling and then draw into the mistletoe itself. It appears again only a moment later, near Vindicta, through a bustling of a nearby bush and then onto the jeep. Its grin has disappeared and it is holding and carrying itself by one wrinkled hand and points at Vindicta. And then, it disappears again. It would perhaps be fair to ask on who the fuck has a creature like that running around. Owner of the house apparently. But it does not reappear now as an eerie silence envelops the area now, no more than a few seconds, only to then break by the crackle of ice somewhere.
The sharp crack of Vindicta's shot echoes through the storm, silencing even the distant whispers carried on the wind. Valerie's gaze flicks sharply toward the altar as the porcelain bowl crashes, water spilling out in rippling waves across the frost. The cat's panicked yowl as it bolts into the forest barely registers compared to the unsettling way the dark entity dissipates into dust.
"Mistletoe," Valerie mutters under her breath, the wheels turning in her mind. Her gun stays raised, her body tense as the thing reappears near the Jeep in a disjointed flicker of movement. The grin is gone, but its pointed hand and sudden proximity to Vindicta sends a cold wave of unease crashing through her.
"Vinny," Valerie shouts, head whipping toward the Jeep. She pivots, weapon trained on the bush where it had disappeared. "Report!" Her eyes dart between the faint tremor of disturbed leaves and the stillness of the shrine grounds, scanning for movement. The crackle of ice somewhere nearby snaps her focus back to the courtyard, her breath forming soft clouds in the freezing air.
"That thing, whatever it is, it's tied to the mistle toe," Her voice lowers, edged with frustration as she mutters to herself. Nature spirit... maybe a guardian, or worse. She glances up at the barren cherry blossom, her lips pressing into a grim line. "Why do I feel like the owner of this place is about to be a real headache?"
"Bianchini fine!!" Vindicta calls out when she whips around again, firing another shot at the creature when it apparates so close nearby to her, another bullet whizzing through the air in its direction before she tucks herself into the Cheep Jerokee, breathing heavily with fright. "Creature say... Nature suffer for man... I must suffer from man too," recites the tiny thing, hugging her gun to chest for a moment as her eyes scan the trees.
"Mistletoe," she repeats softly, then angles her gun out of the window once more, aiming, staring amongst the leaves- trying to find that parasitic plant that people so enjoy smooching each other underneath. "Bianchini see! Want shoot??" she calls to Valerie across the way, breathing a bit more steadily now to prepare herself for a shop. Whoever the home owner is- if they'll be dealing with them- she seems far less afraid of humans than of wrinkle-handed shadow monsters that whisper cruelties in her ears.
The nature spirit does not reappear, and Vindicta experiences no immediate effects. The mistletoe sway along the pelleting rain, and the harsh winds. It is then that a cascade of word carries through from nearby frost. From here, it is a far more fascinating view, as a gentle light blue shines behind the fog of the northern shrine, carries through the frost in the ground, and along of it, a certain voice. Soft, sweet, and more than that, as if royalty "We do what must be done. If the world deems us monsters, so be it."
The nature spirit does seem to be re-appear, perhaps words that do hang, perhaps the consequences will appear later, or perhaps in days, or perhaps someday in the future, or never yet. The shrine to the right, the one dedicated to something cat, remains still and empty yet, while the one to the left still bears the fog that still partly covers the four komainu statues. The house itself still remains locked, empty, there does not seem to be anyone at home, or if there is, she does not come out. Perhaps Vindicta or Valerie ran a search result on possible homes and addresses along the street coming here and very much know who it is that is living here, it would certainly be in the department's ability to accomplish.
Valerie narrows her eyes toward the mistletoe swaying in the storm, her weapon steady but her finger sliding from the trigger as she makes a decision. The spirit's lingering words gnaw at the edges of her mind, but she lets them fade into the rain. "Negative, Bianchini," she calls back, her voice firm as she lowers her gun and scans the frost-covered courtyard one last time. "We don't have time to play whack-a-mole with shadows. Keep your eyes sharp, but save your ammo." She immediately flicks her gun up to fire off a silenced shot at the mistle-toe, rather than risk touching it directly, to shoot it down.
Her attention shifts to the shrine on the left, the faint blue glow behind the fog drawing her focus. "That's our problem," she mutters, stepping cautiously toward the komainu-guarded altar. Her boots crunch over frozen ground, the sound muted by the relentless rain. Valerie keeps her umbrella tilted to shield her view, her free hand reaching into her jacket to pull out a small, heavy-duty flashlight.
she studies the shrine's base, noting the frost creeping unnaturally across its surface. "This thing must be holding the storm together" she reasons to herself, drawing back some steps before she trains the statue within her sights and begins to quickly fire off a few shots. She normally wouldn't resort to simple property damage, but time is short and the cold is too much.
The mistletoe falls and Valerie starts to fire bullets at the shrine- meanwhile Vindicta observes the house from afar, gazing past the spray of bullet towards the windows, the roof, the doorway, and around the sides, seeking any sort of movement, or hint that the owner, or a resident, or squatter, might be around. She doesn't seem incredibly pleased with the proerty damage caused by her partner, but it sn't like the albino was making an attempt to do anything beyond shooting herself, staying safe within the confines of the vehicle. "Not see anyone home.." she mentions, keeping her voice low and hushed, reachable by Valerie's ears but not much further than that. "Think... Destroying shrine will fix problem, then? Shrine and mistletoe?"
The moment that Valerie steps onto the surface of the shrine to the left, the storm is no longer a rainy storm, but one of snow. It is centered specifically around the left shrine and under the boots of her shoes, there is a little crunch, the familiar kind that tells that Valerie is stepping into shallow snow. the altar itself at the center seems to also be from where the fog draws from - not the shallow, ankle high mist that draws over the ground, but definitely the fog. The altar itself seems to pulse slightly, there is a single kanji letter glowing gold atop of it, hidden from the distance by the fog.
The statues, it feels as if their gazes turn to someone when she draws near and the caution does prove to be justified, as their eyes begin to glow golden, a stone claw tries to rise - only to be cut short by shorts that hit their marks quickly. It is perhaps evident that whomever that had set these four up, is not a trained arcanist, or it might be plain fate, fortune, or simply that the one responsible for the storm has no longer an interest to maintain it. A question that won't be answered here.
The altar lies open now, she could remove the evidently magical and glowing kanji, likely with some of her own blood as it is common with ritualistic magic, or to wipe it away or break it in another way. And the storm - should end.
Vindicta watches the house, but if there is someone within, it still does not reveal itself, the building lies in silence from where she is at, both overpowered by the sound of the rain and the brief distance, one would probably have to be much nearer to listen for the quiet sounds within. The gunshots are loud, too. So if someone is within, they probably know something is going on. But so far, nothing.
The moment that Valerie steps onto the surface of the shrine to the left, the storm is no longer a rainy storm, but one of snow. It is centered specifically around the left shrine and under the boots of her shoes, there is a little crunch, the familiar kind that tells that Valerie is stepping into shallow snow. the altar itself at the center seems to also be from where the fog draws from - not the shallow, ankle high mist that draws over the ground, but definitely the fog. The altar itself seems to pulse slightly, there is a single kanji letter glowing gold atop of it, hidden from the distance by the fog.
The statues, it feels as if their gazes turn to Valerie when she draws near and the caution does prove to be justified, as their eyes begin to glow golden, a stone claw tries to rise - only to be cut short by shorts that hit their marks quickly. It is perhaps evident that whomever that had set these four up, is not a trained arcanist, or it might be plain fate, fortune, or simply that the one responsible for the storm has no longer an interest to maintain it. A question that won't be answered here.
The altar lies open now, she could remove the evidently magical and glowing kanji, likely with some of her own blood as it is common with ritualistic magic, or to wipe it away or break it in another way. And the storm - should end.
Vindicta watches the house, but if there is someone within, it still does not reveal itself, the building lies in silence from where she is at, both overpowered by the sound of the rain and the brief distance, one would probably have to be much nearer to listen for the quiet sounds within. The gunshots are loud, too. So if someone is within, they probably know something is going on. But so far, nothing.
There are always many questions that cannot be answered in the heat of the moment, so they are catalogued into the recesses of Valerie's mind for a later date. She slides down into a crouch, the tip of her finger ran across the serrated edge of the knife she keeps under her jacket, a bright red bead of blood welling up as she squeezes and agitates the small wound to reach in and quickly disturb the glowing kanji, breaking the magic circuit pulsing within. Gray eyes stay pealed to the house, and the mists, and her surroundings, slowly rising up and retreating back to her Jeep Cherokee where Vindicta watches her six.
"... Storm all gone?" Vindicta wonders to Valerie, peeking over the edge of the window where her partner smears away the kanji with a bloodied finger. "Look snow.. Maybe no more lightning soon now.." whispers the tiny albino, who draws back into the car partially after some quiet observation of the home. "Not think anyone here still.. No one move, not come out. Maybe leave before do," is her suggestion as she carefully settles her gun back into the holster at her hip. "Val come home now?"
Blood drops and falls over the Kanji, and the bead of blood draws over the Kanji, changing its form, changing its status. The snowfall, here, at the shrine specifically comes to an end, and it is right there and then that, for the first time in days, a ray of sunlight returns to the world, for the hidden sun to return once more in its ever waging war against the void's darkness of the universe. But it is here, and not only here as the rain finally draws to a finish. Maybe that means having stopped a flood, maybe that means something else and someone else will take advantage, and most of all, the noises, the frost... the whispers in the air. It is all gone now. Life in Haven continues, and so... be it...