3/2 Game: The Blair Mutant Project

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Ferguson
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3/2 Game: The Blair Mutant Project

Post by Ferguson »

Wednesday, March 9th

<@Fabian> Fabian punched the code into the gate and held it open for the others. "You know, weekday drinking wasn't near as fun before we started going when Vito could drink as well."

<Johnathon> "I think he should carry biodynamic beer with a low carbon footprint...," Johnathon sulked.

<Jessica> "Does that even exist?" Jess raised an eyebrow.

<Cecilia> "Thank you, mi amor," Cecilia laughed, giving Fabian an overly dramatic bow before sliding through the gate. "I dunno I don't think any nights a bad night at Vito's as long as there's some brandy."

<Johnathon> "It should, in a perfect world."

<@Fabian> "I think I'll let you have your beer and stick with flaming shots with a middle-aged bartender with a shotgun behind the bar." Fabian decided, returning the ridiculous bow to Cecilia.

<Cass> "Oooh, I've seen flaming shots go horribly, wonderfully wrong," Cassandra commented, sauntering through the gate behind the others. After those three glasses at the school's local pub, she found herself skipping and twirling while walking even more so than usual. "I suppose the potential for hilarity is even bigger when there's a shotgun involved."

<Cecilia> "Those things don't exactly tickle," Cecilia noted to Cass. "Believe me, I've been shot at enough to know."

<Jessica> "Not sure I'd consider potential fiery death a hilarity but sure, whatever." Jess laughed a little.

<@Fabian> "It just makes the evening a little more exciting." Fabian shrugged, stepping in after the rest and letting the gate lock up behind him.

<Cass> "Not for the one on the wrong end of the barrel for sure, no." Cassandra chuckled, prancing over to one of the stone statues that lined the driveway. Holding on to it with one hand, she swung herself around it.

<Cecilia> Cecilia sighed, scooping up a handful of snow. Now the question was should she go back to her side project: searching her bible for clues, taking down notes and making feverish theories in an attempt to get inside this serial killer's head or slack off for the rest of the night?

<Hisako> Stepping around the corner of the mansion, Hisako blinked at the group, tightening her grip around her bokken. She took a deep breath, stepping into complete view and waving to the other students.

<@Fabian> "Well, I'm in no hurry to play Russian Roulette with the man but you just never know where the evening will take you."

<@Fabian> "For instance, now we've encountered a Japanese girl with her beating stick."

<Cecilia> She took aim and smacked the stone statue that Cass was swinging on right in the head with her snowball, before scowling at the sight of Hisako. "Great and this had been a good evening..." she muttered, annoyed.

<Johnathon> "That reminds me, I still have a video to watch of a Japanese girl beating stick later on."

<Jack> Jack came running up to join the rest, "Geeze, thanks for waiting. You lot should be glad I'm covered in fur, otherwise I would have frozen my balls off back there." he thumbed to the general direction of where the word 'Jack' was written in yellow in snow, and will forever be forgotten and never seen again.

<Jessica> Jess wrinkled her nose a little. "You couldn't have waited until we got inside?"

<Hisako> "You all went out?", Hisako asked, sounding wholly uninterested in details and ignoring the lack of a greeting, "This is all of you?"

<Jack> "No I could not, some people can't handle that much beer, okay? Was an emergency."

<Cecilia> "Yeah and without you- can you imagine that?" Cecilia said to Hisako, voice dripping with sarcasm.

<@Fabian> "Yes, that's what people do sometimes and we've managed to keep track of ourselves."

<Cass> "Now that would have been a real shame," Cassandra commented, after flinging herself away from the statue, only to catch herself by basically falling against Jack. Wrapping her arms around him from behind, she placed her chin on his shoulder, looked up, and waved. "Hey look, it's a Hisako. Hello, Hisako!"

<Johnathon> "I have a spot next to my bed, I could have gone back directly from the bar, but I figured it's nicer to go back together, you know?"

<Hisako> Hisako rolled her eyes, "Well, then it isn't you.", she turned to walk away, "You should all go back inside, there might be danger...", with that, she started walking away.

<Jessica> Jess blinked, "Danger? Like what?"

<@Fabian> "Isn't you what?"

<Hisako> Stopping, she looked over her shoulder, "It might be nothing. I will find out."

<Cass> "Thanks for the warning, but there is no need to worry," Cassandra called back at the Japanese girl. "I've got the terrifying bunny beast firmly under control." She squeezed Jack to accentuate her point.

<Cecilia> Cecilia edged a little closer to Fabian. "That danger had better not be her coming at you with that goddamn sword," she muttered.

<Jessica> "Well, we'll come with you then? Safety in numbers, right?"

<@Fabian> Fabian rolled his eyes. "Please, like I'd have a problem with burning her out nowadays?"

<Jack> Jack just patted Cassie's hand and gave her a hug back, walking with her still clinging on to him.

<Hisako> Stopping, Hisako sighed, turning around, "I'm not deaf.", she felt the need to explain, giving Fabian a scrutinizing look, "And no, I don't need help. Go and enjoy getting drunk, or whatever you want...", she threw a hand through her hair, "It is likely nothing."

<Jessica> "I can't get drunk and I've had probably more training than you..." Jess pointed out, "Plus I can probably see better in the dark."

<Hisako> "Then why were you wasting time drinking and not here guarding the building like me?", Hisako smirked, shaking her head, <"More training, less discipline, maybe?"> she added in Japanese.

<@Fabian> "Nobody ever said you were deaf." Fabian chuckled, "And we're hardly drunk so you may as well calm your tits." He quieted down though, listening for any sound that seemed out of place...so far nothing.

<Cecilia> "Oh for God's sake are we really taking this seriously?" Cecilia said, rolling her eyes. "This chick is so crazy she makes me look like a shining example of mental health!"

<Cass> "And miss the chance for an exciting adventure in the dark woods at night? No ma'am, we'll stick along!" Cassandra performed a rather improvised looking salute.

<Jessica> "<I've had plenty discipline, thank you very much.>" Jess frowned, "<And I wasn't drinking, I was out being sociable. Maybe you should try it once in a while?>"

<Hisako> Hisako raised a hand, gesturing idly to Cecilia, "You see? Ichiki is insane, do not listen(!)", she cast a glance to Cassandra, "....do as you please.", she shrugged, stepping away towards the forest.

<Cass> "I always do," she replied, a wry smirk forming on her lips.

<@Fabian> "There's a roster for guard, Hisako. We all take turns so don't act like you're anything special because tonight's your night." Oh the specialness was strong all around.

<Jack> Jack rubbed his humongous hare ears and listened. "Only thing I can hear is Simon and Garfunkel."

<Jessica> Jess blinked, "I hear that too... I thought I was imagining it."

<Cecilia> "<She prefers to drink alone I think,>" Cecilia remarked in Spanish to Jess. "< At least she stumbles around so much and looks so spaced out I think she does.>"

<Cass> "So she was right about the danger," Cassandra muttered, looking warily about.

<Jack> "The sound of silence." Jack nodded sage-like.

<@Fabian> Fabian stepped ahead, listening for anything that might be around. It was too faint for his ears but those with better hearing could possibly pick up the faintest sound of steps deeper in the woods and, once in a while, the sound of something cutting into trees.

<Hisako> "May-chan, maybe.", Hisako commented back to Jack, smirking a little at Cassandra's remark.

<Jessica> "<Well maybe she is drunk but it could also be something... and it's not like we need her permission to go and look. We're all nosey young adults with crazy powers. What could be safer?>" Jess replied to Cecilia, also in Spanish.

<Jack> Jack's ears actually perked up and his silliness dissipated. "Shh..." he hushed, wearing a look of seriousness. "Can you hear that?" he asked, cocking his head to the side and concentrating.

<Jessica> Jess turned her head to try and hear what Jack was picking up to see if she could confirm whatever it was.

<Hisako> Hisako drew her wooden sword, eyes flashing violet as she turned to Jack, "Direction?"

<Cecilia> Cecilia strained her ears, staring intently at the bushes. "I hear something... it's probably nothing, but if you all wanna go take on the big bad squirrel in the woods don't let me stop you."

<Cass> "These woods are spooky," Cassandra commented, silently strolling along as she let her gaze wander around the tall trees. "Why don't we come here more often?"

<Hisako> "It was the shadow of a person.", Hisako informed Cecilia, "...I...think it was. Someone, maybe...", her eyes gazed towards the woods again.

<Jack> "That's not squirrel..." Jack said, brow furrowing as he tried to make out where in the woods the sound came from. "I think... I think it's coming from that way." he pointed. "It's like chopping sound."

<Cass> "What if it's squirrel cavalry," she asked, turning around to look at Cecilia. "I imagine the fairies would know how to train them."

<Hisako> Nodding to Jack, Hisako ignored Cassandra's digression and set out towards the direction pointed out to her.

<Jessica> Jess started for the sound without giving it a second thought, lifting from the ground and taking to flight for stealth.

<Cass> "That woodcutter must be way behind his work schedule if he's still out here chopping trees at this hour." Cassandra hopped up onto a fallen tree trunk, balancing along its length.

<Cecilia> Cecilia froze at the words 'shadow of a person.' "...Maybe we should go back," Cecilia said. Suddenly she didn't feel so safe. The hair on the back of her neck was standing up and she was beginning to hear whispers...No...she had to be imagining it. "Guys, really, I have a bad feeling about this."

<Jack> "Sounds nothing like squirrels, Cassie," Jack said, stepping back to her to put an arm around her waist and watched as the other two ran and flew off."Squirrel woodcutter maybe. Big nuts on him to take on a whole tree."

<Johnathon> "See, now, I understand why those of you that can actually do stuff would go to check on this noise, but why does the guy who is mainly good at avoiding trouble have to come along?" He got a little closer to Fabian. Not because he expected protection. But the guy looked juicier than him, so a bear or something of the sort would hopefully go after him first.

<Hisako> Hisako shook her head, "Don't take my advice, then want to take it?", she scoffed at Cecilia.

<Cass> "A shadow of a person you say?" Standing on the very edge of the fallen trunk, Cassandra wore a thoughtful expression while tapping a finger against her chin. "You mean like this one?" She had gathered enough of the ambient darkness to create a human shape behind Cecilia, and was now pointing at it.

<@Fabian> "If it's squirrels I'm screwed. they're going to remember what I did to their families." Fabian muttered, putting his hand to one of the trees as he started to duck into the woods. He paused, frowning as he felt something at the bark.

<Cecilia> Cecilia turned around to see what Cass was pointing at...only to see a dark shadowy figure standing behind her. She yelped and fell backwards over a rock into the snow. "GODDAMMIT CASS! THAT'S NOT FUCKING FUNNY!"

<@Fabian> He stopped in his walking, fumbling in his pocket for his phone and then aimed the screen at the ground as he turned on his flashlight app and aimed it at the tree.

<Hisako> Heading the group, Hisako spun around in time to see Cassandra's little build-up to a trick, "Very funny, baka....", she cut her eye at the girl, "If you think this is a joke, then get lost.",

<@Fabian> (( This is what Fabian just found: http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/ ... 08b12e.jpg ))

<@Fabian> "...what the ever-loving fuck?"

<Cass> Cassandra snickered and clapped her hands with fiendish glee, while the shadowy shape she had created evaporated into the night. "I'm so sorry, Cecilia, but I have to wholeheartedly disagree," she said, hopping down from her trunk. "This was awfully funny."

<Hisako> Turning back, Hisako stopped dead at the sight, "......c-carvings on the trees?", she blinked, shuddering gently.

<Jessica> Jess held up a hand, pushing energy into it to bathe the area in the green glow of her venom blasts.

<@Fabian> Fabian glanced back behind his shoulder at Cass and Cecilia. "What on earth is going on with you guys. Does anyone have a pencil and paper?"

<Cecilia> "No it's fucking not!" Cecilia exclaimed. "Do you have any fucking idea where I've been this week?! I'm already on edge and you go and bring back a memory of something I've been trying to forget for months! So thanks. Thanks so much for scaring the shit out me! I hope you had a good laugh!"

<Hisako> "Gh-!", Hisako took a deep breath, gripping her weapon tighter to stop the trembling and shying away from the blast Jessica had released ,"So, you will give away our position, all of you!?", she sighed, "If we die, it is your faults...."

<Jack> "Oh dear god, not that... not that. We have hobgoblins and gremlins infesting the woods. Or maybe a bad case of patterned treepox." jack said looking at the tree.

<Johnathon> "What's that? Looks strange..." He peeked over Fabian's shoulder.

<Cecilia> "I'm not fucking dying, not here and not now," Cecilia snapped at Hisako, approaching Fabian. "Here," she said. "Pencil and paper."

<Jack> "Writing a Will?" Jack asked Cecilia.

<Cass> Stepping up to Cecilia, she leaned down to extend her hand. "Ah, did I hit a nerve?" Cassandra smiled. "Again, please accept my apologies. I only meant it as friendly prank. No harm done, yes?" She snickered again. "And yes, I did indeed."

<Cecilia> "It's my goddamn shopping list," she said, peevishly.

<Hisako> Resting her bokken on her shoulder, Hisako gave Cecilia a blank look, "Says the girl who screams loud to attract the killers....", she deadpanned, stepping around the tree and looking around in the darkness.

<Jessica> Jess patted Cee on the shoulder with the hand that wasn't busy containing a charge to light the area by.

<@Fabian> Fabian passed Cecilia his phone and took the pen and paper, raking a rubbing of one of the markings. "And you're still arguing so why don't you shut up as well and we actually attend to the task at hand?"

<Cass> Stepping closer to the tree, Cassandra looked up and tilted her head as she inspected the markings. "Very strange indeed," she remarked. "I've never seen patterns like this. They look like runes, except they are not."

<Hisako> "Too busy doing just that, jackass.", Hisako hummed to herself in response to Fabian, squinting in the blackness. She was sure it was here on the camera feed she'd seen something...

<Cecilia> Cecilia ignored the hand of friendship from Cass and the remarks from the peanut gallery and kept the light on the tree. "...Ever seen symbols like this before?"

<@Fabian> Fabian just looked at Hisako making his point for him.

<Jack> "You know what would fit this moment perfectly right about now? Small twig dolls hanging from trees. That and a shaky camera."

<Johnathon> "It's looks like a bug?"

<Jessica> Jess intensified the glow from her hand and moved closer to the tree for a better look.

<Cass> Smiling to herself, she once more tapped her chin. "Maybe it's Wood-Troll for 'we were here and will be in love forever'?"

<Hisako> Hisako slowly slid her weapon away, frowning. The sounds just happened to stop when they came to the carvings? Sure they were being watched, she did her best to act like she wasn't concerned, slowly returning to the group.

<@Fabian> Just at the edge of Jess's glow something low and bent over shuffled on into the shadows and soon after running could be heard.

<Johnathon> "Or a trilobite?" He kept on going through things that would resemble the strangely oblong and edgy scratching on the trunk.

<Jessica> Jess froze at the sound of movement, looking towards it and shifting her light to shine in that direction.

<Cecilia> Cecilia's gaze fixed on another tree a little farther ahead. "Oh my God...you gotta be fucking kidding me." She handed Fabian his phone back and rushed up to said tree. "There's more here!" She called back.

<@Fabian> All that greeted the new light source was swaying branches.

<Jack> "Is something running away?" Jack asked, ears perked up towards the direction where the sound was coming from. "Should I run after it?"

<Jessica> Looking back to the others, Jess debated going after whatever it was.

<Hisako> Returning her gaze to the dark, Hisako scowled, "Something is out there.", she affirmed, sure of it. She looked to Jack, "I will follow you, ok?"

<Cass> Cassandra's head spun around when something quickly darted by at the edge of their meager source of light, only to vanish into the shadows again. "I think we may not be alone," she commented, slowly proceeding towards where she had last seen the movement.

<Cecilia> Cecilia studied the markings on the tree, pulling out her own phone to shine light on them and take pictures, completely oblivious to what the others were doing. "Jesus Christ..."

<@Fabian> Grabbing up a branch, Fabian started picking his way forward. If they were going to go after something he at least wanted something to hit it with.

<Johnathon> "I just want to mention that this has the markings of every slasher movie ever..."

<Hisako> With a sliding sound, Hisako drew her weapon, starting towards the shadows with it held aside. The moment she swore she'd seen something, she called out, rushing towards it and into the blackness, shortly followed with a rustling sound and a scream from the Japanese girl.

<Cecilia> Cecilia stood up at the scream, no-one was nearby. "Guys? Goddammit..." They must've moved on without her. Assholes...

<@Fabian> "Crap, I'm the guy who dies because of sex, aren't I?" Fabian muttered, though his comment came short as he heard the scream from Hisako. "What happened? Where are you?"

<Cass> "Surely whatever it is doesn't hope to hide in dark from me." The raven-haired girl smirked as she followed the dark path through the woods at a mellow pace, her eyes scanning any potential hiding place. "Now now, whoever you are, why don't you show yourself? We mean no harm."

<Jessica> Jess decided the scream needed more attention than the running whateveritwas and turned for that.

<Jack> Jack literally bounded after the sounds, trying to keep up and pausing from time to time to try and listen where it was coming from.

<Cecilia> A chill ran down her spine, quickly snapping a few more pictures she set off in the direction the group had gone, following their tracks and shielding up. She wasn't taking any chances. "What the hell happened?" She exclaimed crashing through the bushes back to the group. "Where's Hisako?"

<Hisako> Hisako's bokken lay on the other side of a narrow hole in the ground. Deep beneath it, Hisako could be heard catching her breath and shuffling around, desperately trying to regain her composure and wincing in pain, "D-down somewhere!", she called upwards to whoever was around.

<@Fabian> Fabian motioned for Cecilia to follow him, heading after Jess and trying to find Hisako himself. "Hurt?"

<Jack> Jack grumbled when all he could make out was Hisako and the others' voices. Instead of trying to find what was moving about he turned to backtrack where Hisako was.

<Hisako> Pulling a sharp piece of stone from her right hand, Hisako stood slowly, the walls of soil and exposed roots helping her keep her footing on the uneven floor, "Bruised...", she exhaled in reply, probably not audible to the intended receiver as she dusted herself off.

<Cass> Turning her head, she looked just in time to watch Hisako bolt through the woods, before disappearing inside the ground. Cassandra quickly sped over, coming to a halt at the edge of the pit. "Clearly, not all of us are as suited to stalk the night as I am," she remarked, cocking her head. "Do you need any help, perhaps?"

<Cecilia> Cecilia followed closely on his heels. "Might be an old mine shaft," she said, "this place was apparently built sometime in the 18th century- or so Charles told me once."

<Jessica> "Need some help out?" Jess landed on the ground at the edge of the hole, shining the light down.

<Hisako> The squeaking of a rat made Hisako jump, sighing at the origin. She looked up at Cassandra, "N-no... I'm fine.", she nodded, pulling leaves out of her hair and looking around before attempting to climb her way out.

<Jessica> "Okay... but it'd be faster if I came and got you...."

<Johnathon> "You know...." Johnathon had arrived at the unlucky girl's position and looked over the edge of the hole. "I could just throw a spot down to you to help you get out?"

<Hisako> Hisako gasped as one of the roots she grabbed a hold of pulled free, sending her back to the bottom of the deep pitfall with a pained grunt. She sat up, holding her side where she'd landed on a jagged stone.

<@Fabian> Fabian stopped at the edge as well, looking down. He shook his head at her stubbornness before grabbing her bokken and holding it and his makeshift staff down for her. "Grab on...or yeah, Johnathon's good to get you out of a tight spot as well."

<Hisako> Looking up, she nodded, "S-spot? Ahh....yes. Please."

<Cecilia> Cecilia let the others handle Hisako...staring intently behind her as though listening to something very far away...."Does anyone else...?"

<@Fabian> Fabian went quiet, listening. There was some rustling but he couldn't identify anything except maybe for a dragging sound. "I'm not sure."

<Jack> Jack slowed when he saw the others at the hole. He joined them and peered in, "...is it weird that I have this urge to jump into your spots?" he asked Johnathon

<Cass> "How about now," Cassandra asked, leaning forward to glance down the pit, arching her eyebrows. "You heard the lady." She turned to look at Johnathon. "If you'd be so kind to lend a spot."

<Jessica> "Well I don't feel offended at all...." Jess rolled her eyes.

<Cecilia> "Oh good, it's not just me hearing voices then," Cecilia remarked. "Nice to know I'm not completely insane."

<Cass> "I'm sure someone could come up with an interesting explanation for your urge to dive into dark holes," Cassandra remarked, glancing at Jack with a smirk curling the edge of her mouth.

<Johnathon> He pulled a spot out from under his collar, placed it on the ground, and then threw another one into Hisako's general direction, where it just suck in the air. "Don't make them dirty, though. They're a bitch to clean."

<Cecilia> "...We should go back," Cecilia said, shuddering abruptly. "I was wrong, okay? I have the balls to admit it. I was wrong and we made a mistake coming out here. We should go back there's a lot of place we could be ambushed out here. Somebody's fucking around with us here."

<Hisako> Stepping through the spot-portal, Hisako stumbled as she regained her footing, "I-I didn't want you to have to waste time....", she explained to the group, nodding thanks to Jonathon and looking away before spotting her bokken in Fabian's hand. Reluctantly, she approached, offering a hand for it.

<Jessica> "Go back if you're scared..." Jess lifted into the air again, "I'm staying out here for a while..."

<@Fabian> "I don't want to think about those explanations for Jack." Fabian straightened up, stabbing at the ground ahead in case there were more pits before stepping forward, passing Hisako her bokken. "Need any patching up? It'll last the day so you'll have more than enough time to get to the medlab."

<Hisako> Above ground was less earth-smelling, so Hisako took a deep breath of it, looking around and spotting Cecilia, "I was warning for your benefit, you know.", she explained, her usual irritated angst aside as she took her weapon back, "I-I'm fine.", she explained to Fabian.

<Hisako> At that, she stretched, wincing a little, "...j-just bruised..."

<Jack> "God i hope it isn't that psychotic religious Czechoslovakian hunter that I keep hearing people talk about in the school."

<Cecilia> "I'm not-" She started to Jess, but she was. She was afraid. "Whatever," she grumbled to Hisako. "Excuse me if I lost some faith in you recently."

<Hisako> Hisako let it slide, looking to Jack, "The 'Farouk'.", she nodded. She knew that name well...

<Johnathon> He collected his spot again, slightly dusting it off before shoving it back under his collar.

<Cecilia> "Wait...what did you just say?" Cecilia asked Jack.

<@Fabian> "...I think you've got the wrong name there, Hisako, the only thing Farouk could hunt down is a cheese danish." Fabian smirked, moving ahead.

<Cass> "Ah, why head back now? There's no reason to be afraid of the dark, after all." Cassandra gave the others around her a confident smile. "Not with me around, anyway. We're the best kinds of friends, remember?"

<Hisako> "...w-wh--?", Hisako blinked, blushing a little at Fabian's remark, "...t-the Farouk is not the hunter?"

<Jack> "Nah, The Farouk is a fez wearing ball of gravity. He lingers some times in the economy class." Jack replied.

<Hisako> Nodding, Hisako frowned, "The wrong name...gomen.", she smiled wryly, scratching her head with her off hand.

<Johnathon> "He is the enemy of the working classes!"

<Cecilia> Cecilia sighed and followed along. She wasn't really on board with running around the woods all night like a bad reenactment of 'The Blair Witch Project' but she wasn't really willing to leave people to be hurt, especially when she could protect them.

<Jessica> "Everyone is the enemy of the working classes in your weird world, Johnathon."

<Johnathon> "Not the working classes!"

<Hisako> "Feels bad man.", Hisako smiled to herself, "Still, we may being chased.", she looked around, "Hear anything?"

<Cass> "I like him," Cassandra remarked from the back. "He looks cuddly."

<Jessica> "I heard something running earlier but couldn't tell what it was with all the talking," Jess frowned into the shadows and started off again, diming the venom blast light because it was going to tire her out eventually.

<@Fabian> "Am I the enemy of the working class?" Fabian asked, actually quite curious to hear the answer as they went along. "Does anyone even hear anything still?"

<Cass> Cassandra squinted. "Thank you," she said as the green light was dimmed. "I can see better this way."

<Cecilia> "If you are does that mean I'm sleeping with the enemy?" Cecilia teased weakly "...Yeah I do...but now I'm starting to think I'm paranoid...I've been hearing it for awhile now."

<Hisako> Hisako rested her bokken on her shoulder, making a dissatisfied sound, "How someone can dig this hole and not be noticed...", she sighed, "...this whole area has no camera covering."

<@Fabian> "It does have camera coverage though." Fabian pointed up to where the camera was situated. "We're going to have to watch it when we get back, whoever it is must work fast."

<Johnathon> "Maybe it's that super fast guy that used to be a student here?"

<Hisako> Looking up, Hisako clicked her tongue, "I didn't see anything...."

<Jessica> Jess put the light out completely once her eyes were adjusted, the others could stumble through under their own lights. Distracted by another sound which was probably a squirrel, she didn't look where she was putting her feet and let out a yelp as something lifted her up into the trees. A few twists later, she freed a hand from under her to discover it was a net.

<@Fabian> Fabian jumped at the yelping and looked around, taking stock of who all was there he could see. "...Jess?"

<Cecilia> "Holy shit!" Cecilia exclaimed as Jess was lifted off the ground and tangled in a net. "Are you alright?" She called up.

<Jessica> "Up here..." Jess lit her venom blast again so they could see where she was. She was not at all pleased.

<Cass> "Covering an actual forest with cameras sure must have been a lot of work. I suppose there are reasons for that kind of paranoia, yes?" Cassandra stopped dead in her tracks when Jessica was pulled up into the air right in front of her, accompanied by a rain of snow and leaves. "Obviously."

<Hisako> Hisako's weapon was raises as soon as Jess had made a sound, "A net!?", she looked around, "This must be some kind of joke...", approaching, she raised her sword to one side, her force-armor glowing above her like a bright purple hologram before slicing the top of the trap open.

<Jessica> Jess was glad she could fly. That could have been a painful landing. "Jeez, Hisako! Warn people before you drop them like that!" She hovered in place where the net had been holding her.

<Cass> "Are you alright," she called up at the trapped girl, before quickly checking their surroundings for any movement or signs of other traps.

<Cecilia> Cecilia frowned, edging closer to the group "...Are we taking turns getting caught in shit? 'Cause I don't like my chances here. I've seen enough horror movies to know how it ends for the black girl."

<@Fabian> "Luckily you've got some pretty good defenses, you'll not go down as the token." Fabian assured her but he had to admit this was starting to make him a good deal more nervous.

<Jack> "Yeah, and how goes the scary movie formula for the slut in the group?" Jack asked.

<Jessica> Running a hand through her hair, Jess lowered herself slowly down again, pausing about half way there and frowning into the shadows. "I will wrestle you for that part, Jack..." she muttered, "I think I see something."

<Cass> "Just out of curiosity, who of you is the slowest in this group?" Cassandra looked around. "Just in case there is really someone planning to hunt us down out here, I'd like to stay close to them."

<Cecilia> "'I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you,'" Cecilia deadpanned, keeping her eyes peeled.

<Jessica> "There's something up ahead there," She pointed, knowing they'd see her direction thanks to the venomblast charge she still held in her hand. "It's not moving but it doesn't look like a tree..." she landed among them.

<Hisako> Hisako slid her sword away, her armor doing the same with its own and remaining floating above her as she looked around. She ignored Jessica's complaining completely, but not her indication of movement. Without a word, she started towards that location.

<@Fabian> "Human, animal or what?" Fabian asked, gripping his branch a bit tighter.

<Jessica> "Can't tell... doesn't look big enough to be a person..."

<@Fabian> "Well, we're either about to wrestle a little person or a surprise animal so I think we can handle that." Fabian shrugged, going on ahead as well.

<Cass> Her eyes narrowing, Cassandra focused in the direction pointed out by Jessica. "Oh, this does not look so good at all," she remarked, not depending on any sources of light. "Not big enough for a whole person, anyway...."

<Cecilia> Cecilia stalked forward, shielding arm cocked back at the ready. "Whatever it is I'm ready."

<Jessica> Jess moved to the left side of the group to keep her line of fire free of people.

<@Fabian> ((And here is what Jess saw the dark shape of...and now you know why it's not big enough to be a person: http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/ ... 508575.jpg ))

<Jessica> She held her hand high, spreading the light for the others, then stopped walking at what it illuminated.

<Cecilia> Cecilia felt her stomach drop as the smell of rotting flesh and sharp tang of blood hit her like a brick wall. "Oh God..." she moaned. "Oh no...not again."

<Hisako> Hisako's armor contracted in size and covered her in glowing violet samurai armor as she crouched low, preparing to strike any would-be attackers. Creeping forward, she gasped suddenly at what she saw at the edge of her vision, "N-Nani!?", she stammered.

<Johnathon> "Oh well, crap..."

<Cass> "Be prepared to have your evening ruined," she warned the others, right before the dim light illuminated the disfigured corpse.

<Jessica> "I was really hoping that one dead body would be enough in my lifetime... I'm racking them up here."

<@Fabian> "...oh Christ, where's the rest of him?" Fabian asked, pulling a face and stepping right back again. "Okay, even though I don't want to be around them...cops are something that really should be called right now."

<Jessica> "I'd take out my phone but then it'd be dark."

<Cecilia> Cecilia covered her mouth and nose and stepped back, pulling out her phone. "I'm on it."

<Hisako> Shuddering, Hisako blinked as she took in the body, straightening up as her armor faded around her, "H-he is...w-was...a police?", she managed, stepping back.

<@Fabian> Fabian frowned and then took a closer look. "...you're shitting me." They did indeed have a dead cop on their property.

<Jessica> Jess lifted from the ground, moving to look at the body without disturbing the evidence. It bothered her a little how desensitized to this she was.

<Johnathon> "This is just great, isn't it? I mean, what kind of school is this? There is literally a 'corpse of the week' thing going on here!"

<Cass> "I suppose it would be wishful thinking to assume some kind of wild animals did that, yes?" Cassandra still stared at the body - or what was left of it, anyway - before scanning their dark surroundings.

<Cecilia> "Yes, 1407 Graymalkin Lane, please come quickly!" Cecilia asserted to the 911 dispatch. "Yes, we'll be there." She snapped her phone shut. "They'll be here in about ten minutes," she said to the group. "It's weird...it's almost like they were expecting my call...they must've been looking for this guy."

<Jessica> "Well I think they'll still be looking for him in a sense for a while..." Jess muttered.

<Hisako> Hisako stepped away, leaning on a nearby tree as she took a few calming breaths. She was shuddering from the shock, doing her best to regain some composure.

<Cecilia> "For fuck's sake, Jess!" Cecilia snapped. "Have some goddamn respect the guy was torn in fucking half!"

<Jack> Jack stared at the corpse, reached into his pocket and said, "They'll be torn up about him." Jack pulled out a pair of sunglasses and put them on.

<@Fabian> "She has a point though...I wonder where the rest of him is...and I really hope it's not here."

<Jessica> "I can't help it... I use humour to cope." She shrugged, "And you can't say you're not curious what happened to the rest of him.... it could be like a scavenger hunt..."

<Cass> Cassandra couldn't help but snicker in the background at Jessica's remark. "Oh, it could be here and there," she tossed in herself. "Or everywhere."

<Cecilia> "No, I'm not, 'cause I'm pretty sure I know what happened," Cecilia said, looking away. "God, I hope he didn't have a wife or kids..."

<@Fabian> "So...does anyone else hear what we were following?"

<Hisako> "You people are disgusting!", Hisako snapped at Jessica and Jack, offering a final scowl at Cassandra before retreating back towards the grounds - she couldn't bear being there among this amount of disrespect for a dead person.

<Jessica> "Cannibals?" Jess hazarded.

<Cecilia> "...Well for once we actually agree on something," Cecilia remarked, watching Hisako leave. "We should go after her, the police'll be here shortly."

<Jessica> "Well you can go after her then - you're the only other one with forcefields."

<Cass> "Someone is going to miss him," Cassandra said, solemnly looking at the dead person. She turned her head to watch Hisako walk away. "I don't think anyone is still around. Not as far as I can tell, anyway. I wouldn't put too much faith into my gut feeling, though."

<@Fabian> "Hisako, wait, don't go walking out there on your own." Fabian sighed and turned to follow her.

<Cecilia> Cecilia bit down hard on her tongue and started after Hisako. "I called, they'll be expecting me anyways...and I'm so looking forward to talking to the cops again," she said sarcastically.

<Cass> "Whoever did this must know how to avoid any unwanted gazes." She took another careful look around. The forest appeared calm and silent to her. Almost eerily so.

<Cecilia> "Hisako, wait!" She called, rushing down a small embankment after the girl. "I'm coming with you...and apparently Fabian is as well."

<Hisako> Ignoring any shouts to herself, Hisako carried on walking, wanting nothing to do with anyone in the wake of the events.

<Jessica> "Yeah, to get past Jack and me with our senses too..."

<Johnathon> "Hey, I was just wondering, shouldn't we call Xavier too? It is his land after all."

<Cass> Cassandra frowned as she watched the others leave after Hisako. "I suppose that means we get to stay with Bob here," she said, turning towards the others. "I named him Bob, by the way."

<Jessica> "Oh please don't call him Bob. Call him something else..."

<Johnathon> "I like Bob, it's a good name."

<Cecilia> Cecilia sighed again. She'd keep an eye on her and stay nearby but she wouldn't try to talk again. Clearly her presence wasn't welcome. "Well, guess who's not sleeping again tonight?" She said to Fabian.

<Jack> "There's always Shorty as a name." Jack suggested.

<Jessica> Jess couldn't help the small laugh at that, landing beside Jack. "I feel terrible for thinking that's funny..."

<Cass> "Well, I don't hear any complaints coming from him..." Cassandra had to snicker, as well, showing the others a wry smirk.

<@Fabian> "I suppose not for fun reasons, huh?" Fabian sighed, slumping against a tree nearby and pulling himself back up as he felt carvings.

<@Fabian> ((Time Passes))

<@Fabian> The woods had been roped off and the place seemed, especially to Fabian, to be swarming with officers and cadaver dogs. "Well...this is plenty unsettling." He admitted.

<@Fabian> He had been hanging back from having much to do with the police at the moment since it hadn't been too long since his Yo-Yo Rodriguez incident but, luckily, he hadn't gone out today looking like he was covered in dead body dressed like a hoodlum. It was amazing the difference not having flecks of deceased person all over had on a person.

<Cecilia> Cecilia watched the police taping off the area with an agonized expression on her face. This bought back so many bad memories, so many things she couldn't seem to forget, no matter how hard she tried "...This is just too much," she said flatly.

<Johnathon> "I think having found half a corpse is more unsettling than the strongmen of the bourgeoisie running all over the place."

<Jessica> Jess had fetched a blanket and a patio chair and was sat huddled up under said blanket. She was not supposed to be outside standing around for this long.

<Eddie> In among the officers, Eddie Brock deliberated with them, stretching after pointing out something to someone and resting his hands behind his head, frowning over at the students all grouped together. He knew he'd rather be somewhere else, so he could only imagine how they felt...

<Angelina> How she had been nominated for this she had no idea, but her shoes were still in her hand as Angel flew out to meet the cops and her students. It was the students she went to first, however. "Fantastico! So! What in hell is going on out here?!"

<@Fabian> "Dead body."

<@Fabian> That rather covered it Fabian thought.

<Jessica> One round of police questioning over a mystery corpse should be enough for anyone in any lifetime. But apparently whatever gods were up there thought she needed to go through it again. Obviously she hadn't learned enough from the first horrible experience. Drawing her blanket tighter around herself, she tried to suppress the shivering.

<Cass> "At least they won't suspect us, even though is has to look suspicious how this could happen right in front of our door," Cassandra muttered under her breath, standing by Jack's side. "I mean, everyone knows rabbit's only eat salad, and you can vouch that I've been with you the entire night."

<Cecilia> Despite the cold, Cecilia was actually sweating. The slew of cops weren't helping either...she prayed she didn't have to talk to them long. She just couldn't seem to keep a non-suspicious demeanor around them. "Well, half of one anyways."

<Angelina> "I didn't know anyone was missing..." She struggled into her shoes before she dropped to the ground and slicked back her wings. "...half?"

<Jessica> "It's no one we know...." Jess offered by way of consolation.

<Cecilia> "...There's a torso of a police man out in the woods," Cecilia said dully, gesturing, her face ashen. "His face is chewed off."

<@Fabian> "Yeah, there's still the lower portion missing." Fabian admitted. "And it's none of us, a cop. We also have an interesting bit of graffiti carving happening on a lot of the trees in the woods."

<Angelina> Angel didn't even have words for that. No, wait, she did. It was a string of cursing in Italian, however.

<Eddie> Sure the other officers wouldn't mind, Eddie passed under a ream of crime-scene tape and approached the students, waving a salute to Angelina Salvatore and looking to them with concerned eyes, "You guys alright?", he asked by way of consolation, not the hope they'd say 'yes'.

<Jessica> Jess' eyebrows went up, "Wow..."

<Jessica> "Oh sure, we're used to this by now," Jess replied with added sarcasm.

<Angelina> "Oh, si, I'm certain they are simply fabuloso," she snapped and looked at Eddie. "I want to see it."

<Cass> "I might say our evening has been thoroughly ruined, but not nearly as much as for this poor guy," Cassandra replied, vaguely gesturing in the direction of the corpse.

<Cecilia> "Better than the guy out there," Cecilia remarked, eyes distant and body slumped "...Do they know who he is? Does he have any family?"

<Eddie> Nodding, Eddie gestured to the side, "Sure, Angel, I'll take you over in a sec." he cut his eye at Jess, "I was er...just trying to be nice, but thanks(!)", he sighed, turning to Cecilia, "....actually, I do."

<@Fabian> "You want to see it?...why?" Fabian regarded Angelina a bit oddly.

<Jessica> "I can tell you you don't want to see it," Jess wrinkled her nose. "Really."

<Cecilia> "...You gotta be kidding me," Cecilia said. "Who is he?"

<Eddie> "W-well, I say 'know', not personally, but...", Eddie took a breath, "His name was Caleb Michaels...h-he er....has two kids and a third on the way..."

<Cecilia> "Oh God," Cecilia moaned, covering her face. "I knew it. I fucking knew it..."

<Eddie> Hands going into his pockets, Eddie frowned, "Y-yeah...he's been missing for a little while. I assumed he was just off, you know, with the missus..."

<Jessica> Jess attempted a consoling pat for Cecilia's shoulder, at least until her arm felt like it was going numb then she quickly retracted it back into her blanket.

<Angelina> Angel was cursing in Italian again. She knew she should have brought Scott with her.

<Eddie> "You all gave statements, yes?", Eddie asked, looking around the group, "None of you, like, touched the body or contaminated the scene with trash or whatever?"

<Cass> "At least his family no longer has to live with the uncertainty." Cassandra crossed her arms, turning her head to gaze towards the woods. "And there is someone to remember him."

<Jessica> "Why would anyone voluntarily touch the body?"

<Eddie> Eddie sighed at Cassandra, "...well, at least you're staying positive, I guess.", he nodded, "I need to know so they don't assume you did anything, Jess..."

<@Fabian> "This one was all ready on the ground, lucky, so no, no tampering to worry about. Some of us probably touched the carvings."

<Cass> "No, sir, for once I kept my hands to myself," she replied, holding up her hands as she showed Eddie a small, cheeky looking smile.

<Cecilia> "I didn't touch it," Cecilia said. She shook her head at Cass. "Knowing doesn't really help and it's not him I'm worried about- it's his family. They're gonna be devastated..."

<Jessica> "I didn't touch it... I did hover over it a bit..."

<@Fabian> "There's also a pit out there, and a net. Did they find any other traps?"

<Eddie> Blushing a little, Eddie looked away from Cassandra - now was not the time for such impure thoughts, "The carvings ...I'll make sure they know. Might need prints from you all, too.", he looked back over at the taped off area, "Long as you didn't warp any of the evidence, it's alright.",

<Jessica> "Don't think I did... unless getting caught in the net counts."

<Cass> "Yes, you should tell your people to watch where they step," Cassandra tossed in and nodded. "There might be other nasty surprises left out there that we missed."

<Angelina> Angel cast Cecilia a sympathetic look and reached over to grip the girl's shoulder. "Allora, there wouldn't be finger prints on tree bark anyway. The fewer records of vitals of our students exist, the better. You know this, Eddie."

<Cecilia> "What for?" Cecilia said suspiciously. She was not giving prints if she had any say in it. "I didn't do anything wrong."

<@Fabian> Fabian slipped his arm around Cecilia. "That's a relief then. I don't think there was anything else for us to have touched out there other than that, then."

<Eddie> "You know, they found one more net, but nothing else.", Eddie assured them, "As for that, Angel, there's literally nothing I can do if they want them but give them.", he sighed.

<Angelina> She sniffed and fluttered her wings. "We shall see."

<Cecilia> "I'll refuse," Cecilia said feverishly. "I'm not giving my prints. I don't care if I go to jail for it. I'm not doing it, period."

<Jessica> "I touched nothing. I know better."

<Eddie> Shrugging, Eddie nodded, "Guess so.", he looked at Cecilia, "Kid, I do not need to tell you how bad that'll look if it comes to it - and that's if it comes to it, so calm down.", he looked back at Angelina, "Wanna....go down there?"

<Angelina> "It's all right, Cecilia," she consoled. "You won't have to do anything you don't wish to do." Angel fluttered her wings and looked back at Eddie. "Si."

<@Fabian> Fabian just wanted to headdesk at Eddie's condescending 'kid'. If he was going to be a real cop one day he really needed to learn how to talk to people. "You don't have anything to worry about, Cee. If they do, and that's a strong if, it's just to not waste their time on the prints they know belong here. You'll have the chance to refuse, though. We're not suspects."

<Cecilia> Cecilia just shook her head. "I don't care, I'll take the risk. Refusal to submit fingerprints or DNA samples are not a sign of guilt, no matter what the fuck anyone says. You're damn right I won't," she said to Angelina.

<Jessica> "Cee, calm down... they haven't asked for anything yet..."

<Eddie> "Ugh....just...", Eddie shook his head, "Do as you please, ok? Just tryin' to help, no need for the PMS.", he turned to lead Angelina away, "Y'should all get some rest...", he half sighed, kind of wishing he could, too.

<Angelina> "It's fine, Cecilia." She shot Eddie a look at that. "Excuse me?! You will not make such insinuations. How precisely insensitive are you?"

<Jessica> "I really hope he doesn't talk to other witnesses like he talks to us because he's going to find himself the subject of a lawsuit really soon if he does...."

<Cecilia> Cecilia sighed. "This is last time I call the police," she muttered. "Do you guys understand? The last fucking time."

<@Fabian> God but he was an idiot. Fabian certainly hoped they intended to give him a desk job or something because he was not good with the public judging by this. Fabian tried to catch Angelina's eye before she took off, knowing they might need someone to properly take care of this.

<@Fabian> "...you've not taken your sensitivity training yet, right?" He sure as hell hoped not.

<Eddie> Eddie stopped, looking back, "You know what? I was trying to talk to you guys like people I know rather than be condescending because of my badge.", he explained, "But if you wanna bite my head off...", he gestured with his hand, "...then g'ahead.", he turned back to the scene, resuming his walk.

<Jessica> "If you treat us like crap we're going to call you on it. Badge or no badge."

<Angelina> "Oh, so you decided to be condescending from the kindness of your heart? How kind." Angel wasn't through, though she'd caught Fabian's look.

<@Fabian> Why did there have to be cops around when he actually wanted to punch someone in the nose? Sure, he'd probably spring right back from it but it would be fun.

<Eddie> "....take it how you want, I wasn't being serious.", Eddie sighed, really not feeling the atmosphere. He was completely off his game and he knew it, the whole situation made him sick to the stomach.

<Cecilia> "Fuck guys, just let it go!" Cecilia snapped. "I don't wanna stir up shit and give them a reason to make my life hard!"

<Eddie> "Forget it. Seriously, just....", Eddie walked away, approaching his car instead to radio Misty - she'd want a minute-to-minute on the situation for sure.

<Angelina> "He is in no position to stir anything, bella," she said, deciding not to follow him to the scene. She'd lost her appetite for dealing with the police if they all acted like him.

<Jessica> "We're not stirring up anything with them, Cee. Just him. And he needs to know when he's being a dick."

<@Fabian> "They're not going to do anything. He's just an asshole and obviously needs to learn a lot about how he should treat people he knows and people at a crime scene." He sighed, shaking his head. "So...how much trouble could this be for us?" He asked Angelina.

<Angelina> She watched the former student go, then looked back to Fabian. "Allora, it's not good in any way... we can't stop the school from being investigated as a crime scene, but considering what's been going on..." She sighed and fiddled with an earring. "I don't know."

<Jessica> "When do you think they'll let us go back inside?" Were her teeth chattering? Maybe... "Like... for tea or something?"

<Cecilia> Cecilia seethed quietly, just waiting for one of those assholes to suggest she come in for 'further questioning' or provide fingerprints or anything else. She'd lawyer their ass right up if they even suggested it. "They're gonna be all over us, goddammit ..."

<Angelina> "No, we have certain protections." She smirked at Fabian. "Still, we will have to cooperate to a degree."

<@Fabian> "I imagine we can, it's not like they don't know where to find us now." Fabian shook his head to Cecilia. "Cee, we have camera evidence of us coming home and finding the body. We're fine...we're going to want to get the security feed for them probably." He nodded with Angelina. "Yeah, you're well taken care of, don't worry."

<@Fabian> "...might be time for some security lights in the woods though."

<Jessica> "Forget lights, we need tripwires."

<@Fabian> "Whoever this was probably installed those somewhere for us all ready."

<Angelina> "I would say this would be an argument for Charles to upgrade the security system again, si."

<Jessica> "I'm going to fly everywhere from now on..."

<Angelina> Angel didn't disagree.

<Cecilia> Cecilia rocked back and forth on her heels. Stuffing her mittened hands into her pockets and shivering. "Increasing patrols, telling people to travel in groups...we're not safe in our own home," she looked to the woods and shuddered again. She couldn't look out there at night now and not imagine someone was out there looking right back.

<Cecilia> "I never liked the woods," she admitted. "I grew up in urban sprawl...the quiet bothered me when I first got here."

<Jessica> "I think it's adorable that you've ever felt safe in your own home."

<Cecilia> "Despite the difficulty I had a surprisingly happy childhood," Cecilia remarked to Jess, an eyebrow raised. "If couldn't go home I'd have eaten a lead salad a long time ago."

<Jessica> "Well good for you then, I guess." She gave a small shrug under her blanket. "I can't say I've ever felt truly safe anywhere."

<Cass> "Strangely enough, I feel safe enough in some eerie woods in the middle of the night," Cassandra remarked, looking between the others as she smiled. "Than again, I may be a little biased towards any dark places."

<Angelina> "I think we all have our own levels of paranoia... sometimes it's more called for than we expect." Angel shifted her wings and looked into the quiet woods herself.

<Jessica> "Mine's mostly inherited... I never even had a home before I came here." She got to her feet. "I'm going inside..."

<Cecilia> Cecilia stared at the red and blue lights for a long moment. "....I can't take this anymore," she stated suddenly. "I'll be in my room," she said, turning and striding off towards the french door of the patio.

<@Fabian> Fabian fell into step after her. "Let me know how it goes." He said to Angelina before disappearing inside.

<Jessica> "Do you want my chair and blanket?" Jess offered, holding both out to Angel.

<Angelina> Pulled out of her thoughts, she nodded at Fabian. "Oh, si, Jess, grazie... i think I'm gonna be a while."

<Jessica> "I'll bring you some hot chocolate when I've made some." She set the chair back down and handed her the blanket, "See you in a bit..."
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