Miyu considered for a moment, then slid a talisman out of her ofuda holder. Black ink scrawled down from the top as she gestured with it, forming into a complex script. "On chirichi iba rotaya sowaka. Let good fortune come upon us." She said, slapping the talisman onto the ground. Its text began to glow with magic, and as the blessing came over them, she focused her thoughts on trying to pinpoint the type of narcotic that had been used. She actually wasn't very good at this, but...
...she might just have been able to squeak by this time.
Thomas braced himself on the bar as the fatigue settled over him. The weight of his firearm becoming quite apparent on the small of his back. Whoever, whatever, the man in the leaves was he was bad news regardless of whether or not he was responsible for the scream.
Straightening up he attended to the few patrons who stayed by the bar keeping his eyes fixed on the leafy bird man.
A murder in Valda's place on Midwinter, hard to believe it a chance. And someone wants to come in here...
She quickly braided her hair and grasped the Valknut pendant at her neck. I hope my kind still has some reputation.
Valda's head turned at Nurai call. She mouted a number of words that would not be suitable for polite company. Or a docklands dive, for that matter. Glancing over at Solomon, she shook her head. "I hope not. Explaining the pointy ears isn't too hard, but the Wings are a pain. Now, let's see what's going on."
Slipping out back into the bar, Valda looked up - way up - and said, "Hi, I'm Valda Simmons. What can I do for you?"
The figure tilted its head. "Twice now I have asked. Cease barring my way. Do not hinder my journey to my kin. Make me ask not thrice."
Valda considered for a moment, then pushed the door open and gestured for the figure to head inside. It strode inside, pausing to look down on the pathetic corpse. Its masked face was hard to read, but its body was tensed, shoulders rigid. It gestured with its left hand, fingers flexing. A smell of autumn leaves and a crackle of cold flowed through the bathroom, and the corpse shifted, changed. Slowly it flowed into another shape - a small dragon with gleaming silver-like scales.
"Know these things now," it announced, in a cold, sullen voice, This one has ridden with the Hunt. This one died as a guest in this hold. The Hunt shall call on this time in recompense. Before the end of the year is done, we shall reap the toll for this life. When the hounds bay you will know why. The life of that which took, or the lives we choose."
As it spoke, the last of the leaves on the figures cloak died off into winter pine. With a sharp crack of snapping ice it vanished, leaving a sheet of cold upon the bathroom.
Valda sighed. "Well...hell. Looks like we just upset the Wild Hunt." Afer a moment she nodded to Nurai, "Head inside, please." She looked over to the bar, waving Thomas over.
Once everyone was present, Valda closed the door. Rubbing her hand over her eyes, she added, "OK, so here's what we know. A glimmered Faerie Dragon was in the bar. Someone killed it. Someone else likely screamed, given it doesn't have a throat anymore. And a Fey of the Wild Hunt found it and claimed it as one of there own...moments after it died, in what is probably a set up. And if we don't find the actual killer the Hunt rides over Fever. Gotta love it. So, do you six want a job, or would you like to book a sunny vacation in Tahiti?"
Nurai followed Valda's lead with a silent sweet smile, shifting aside as the hostess pushed the door open, listening but not moving from her place until directed to do so. The shadow was a bit more nosy and irritated and slid behind Nurai into the bathroom hallway for a better view staying there until Nurai caught up.
Glancing at the others for a moment, she finds a patch of wall to lean again, the shadow following her up the wall...looming a bit taller than they probably should. Nodding to the bartender as he joins them, Nurai turns her attention and smile to Valda as the hostess speaks.
"Not nearly as fun as the last time we were in a crowded bathroom together, but I've never been one for sunny or bright. I will...offer my useful services if you think they will help with this situation, Valda." Nurai said, carefully worded to keep things as light as could be under the circumstances and give the flexibility Nurai preferred. Too much pain had befallen her family to risk pledging too much.
"You're darn right it's a setup." Miyu snorted. "Someone appearing that fast, and to blame you without further examining things? Screw the fey - or anyone else - if they think they can make up excuses to hurt people. Right now, though, I want to know why that little faerie was hopped up on drugs... plural... and what they might have seen." Her main job was that of an investigator - but at the same time, she was also an exorcist. Interceding at times like this was, quite literally, her job - because someone had to do it, and if not her, then who?
Solomon looked down at his cane idly. "Didn't quite come prepared for this, eh?"
"We'll figure it out."
He put his handkerchief away and noted the others around as Valda spoke. He wondered what good it would be to take a bartender, a party girl, and someone's underage daughter along on this type of investigation, but he also knew that the people here were likely to have more to them than was evident by simple appearances. At any rate, however, he did not intend to let them impede his work at least.
"I can try to learn more about the circumstances of this creature's demise, but it will take some time, and I will need to be left in peace with the body. Can this be arranged?" Solomon asked with a clinical indifference to the danger and complexity of the circumstance.
"Won't lie, Tahiti sounds awfully fine. But... But this place is my home. If I can help, I will."
She looked at the guests of the party with a pensive face, trying to guess how to be useful. Her skills in a fight would not be much use here, but she was relatively good with people.
"I can ask around, for one. See if anyone noticed anything odd, well, odder than average, some creature who shouldn't be here. Anyone I should start from?"
Jennifer shrugs at Valda.
"You know what sort of currency I'm after, and I know you can afford it. So sure."
Thomas looked much worse for the wear as if hed just sprinted ten miles. More than that he looked troubled as the images were still fresh in his mind. As he responds his face and his tone darken considerably.
You already know my answer. I just want to know when was the last time he rode down unarmed people.
Valda nodded, looking relieved. "Thank you all. I'm sure you've all worked it out by now, but no one here is exactly normal. You all have skills, abilities, personality traits and occasionally straight up, murderous power that will help when dealing with this. I'll pay you all, of course, as Jennifer mentions - cash, knowledge, magic and other, depending on what you want or need - since it's my name you're clearing." Laughing, she added, "I'd do it myself, but honestly, I think you guys are better suited to this than I am."
Looking over at Solomon, she nodded. "We'll close the bathrooms when we're done here. I assume you're gonna want to talk to people here, since the killer was likely here, so I won't shut the place down. Your guys' choice if we stop the party and you do this formal, or talk to people without them knowing what's happening." She nodded to Aurora. "The bouncer is a good place to start. With the wards up, he'll have noticed if anyone teleported in or out, and there's only a couple of physical ways up - main stairs and a fire escape to the side of the bar."
"Mm. This may be a bit of an awkward question, but do you know if there was any Angel Dust or Cassandra's Sight on the premises - or anyone who might have been the type to bring something like that?" Miyu inquired. She was curious about when and where the victim had been drugged, and if they could figure that out, it would probably lead them towards whoever was behind this...
From where she stood, leaning against the wall, Nurai glanced to the strangers around the room as she listened to their and Valda's words. She pondered them quietly for a few moments. At the mention of the drugs, Nurai's smile twitches with clear displeasure for a moment before glancing back to Valda.
"I'm happy to talk to people casually or formally. Either way, it will be difficult to...control a crowd like this. Especially if crap like that... Nurai says with a nod towards Miyu "...are involved. Keeping anyone here or making them talk...I mean...other than aforementioned personality traits...I cannot charm, compel, force, or otherwise influence their feelings to make them want to talk or be honest with us, contrary to stories and misapplied myths that may say otherwise. Nurai comments with a chuckle and pointed look at Valda. The number of people who mistake avatars of love for... well... beings with completely different, more european origins and completely different abilities was far more than Nurai would like. Of course, she would like no one to do that but had quite a few stories of otherwise...
Pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket, she looks through a few things before looking up again to Valda, "Since my usual way of deciding on accommodations is kinda a bust with this, do you have recommendations? Also, if you want all of us to work together, having a meeting spot other a bathroom hall or public and obvious like the bar might be a good idea..."
Heading towards the bouncer, Aurora let her hair down again, breathing deeply the pine-scented air to cleanse her nostrils from the smell of blood. There was the Hunt in those games and books... riding through the city, giving anyone they met the choice to run, hide or join. Well, not in my town.
She crossed over to the bouncer, a serious expression on her face, and while she walked she scanned the crowd, looking for anything suspicious... and undead as well, foul and aggressive creatures whose was evident to her eyes. She hadn't said it earlier because it could look like a silly theory, but little blood and a torn throat made vampires spring to mind.
"Hi, I'm working for Valda. We may have some undesired guests around, have the wards shown any teleport? Or have you noticed someone acting out of the ordinary, whatever ordinary is today? Someone acting suspicious?"
"I'm going to go check outside," Jennifer announces casually. She heads downstairs and out the front door and then circles the building until she's outside the bathroom's window.
"Hold up." Thomas called out before everyone scattered.
"I get everyone is eager to play csi. But I have real bad hang ups about trusting total strangers where my life is involved. So how about we just start with names."
Tom paused briefly as if listening to some distant sound and continued. "Im Tom."
KNOW local using true lore
know nature
know arcana
Nurai looked over at the bartender, Tom, with a warm smile. "Good idea Tom. I'm Nurai." she says, pushing her sunglasses back up her nose as she emphasized the 'eye' part of her name.
I met Valda...ooo, I'd say about 15 or so years ago. looking back with a smile to the hostess, "Between your stuff, my own stuff, my...large family and several housemates and their specialties over the years, we seem to run into each other pretty regularly since then for various reasons." Nurai shrugs before looking down at her phone.
At one point her upper back came off the wall quickly, as if pricked with something sharp, but otherwise Nurai listened to the others with a sweet grin and checked her phone for local accommodations when no one was talking to her. Nurai remained standing casually leaning against the wall as she plans in her head and on her phone while trying to ignore the impatient shadow that really wanted to get out and do something...
"Uh, good idea. I'm Aurora Goodberry, daughter of Iris, the owner of the Blind Seer pub. I've been living here all my life, and Valda's a friend of my mother's. Pleased to meet you all."
Jennifer stops and shrugs. "Jennifer Buscema. I've been in town for a few months."
After everyone makes their introductions, she wordlessly leaves to go check outside.
As everyone finishes their introductions and announcing their intents Thomas sighs wearily and rubs the back of his head pondering everything he knows.
"I better start closing the bar up. Ill make last call."
As he turns to walk back a thought strikes him and he turns back to Nurai.
"I have a spare bed if you need a place to crash. Long as you dont mind the old lady amell in the house." He says much more warmly than he has anything else so far.
"I'm known as Doctor Solomon. I profess at a university not far from here, but I'm better known for my writings both scientific and... 'fiction'."
Solomon notes his cane, an untimely inheritance from his father; he holds it up and examines the etchings in the head as he speaks.
"Perhaps best known for my father, Isaac Solomon."
He returns his cane to the ground and looks around at the others. "I suggest we conduct things in the most discreet manner possible. The less people know, the less confusion we will have to contend with. I'll see about any suspicious figures before I further examine the body. I'm sure as Ms Simmons has suggested that the rest of you are good at something. Just try not to destroy any evidence, scare off any witnesses, or tip our hand to whomever may have set us up."
With that, Solomon begins to work the crowd for any information they may have about suspicious characters, including if they themselves seem suspicious.
Well, as long as they were introducing themselves... "Just call me Miyu." the young woman noted. "I do investigations and exorcisms for people who need them." Both of which were probably going to come in handy, judging by the way things were going. For the moment, though, she'd decided to keep quiet about her other talents... although in fairness, it wasn't like she could rip people's thoughts out of their head or anything. Her psychic abilities were a bit more... complicated.
Valda smiled at Nurai and Thomas. "Well, he has a nice house, and I'm reasonably sure that Thomas is not a serial killer. You know, hiring practices and such. And given the whole gift of your mothers..." She glanced at the shadow behind the Avatar. "You'll be fine."
Looking over at Miyu, Valda shook her head. "Shouldn't be. Drugs does some weird things to people with powers, and Cassandra's anything is never a good thing. It just never ends well. Ever. No one I'd invite would have any...well, I'd like to believe. But again, guests of guests..."
A werewolf named Vargus was rumored to have hunted and killed people in other parts of the country before coming to Fever.
Marastra is a Nix. Although you've never seen any issues personally she has a reputation for resorting to violence when she feels slighted.
And Jared Rand is a Dhampire rumoured to be a little too close to his vampiric heritage, one who has a taste for blood.
Jennifer inspects the a/c unit. If she doesn't find anything other than the dent, she starts climbing the fire escape. She'll stop and inspect outside the window, and then she'll continue on up.
"Yep, that's me." said Aurora, glad for Valda's courtesy. "Which window was it?"
No point in asking for a guest list, not with all sorts of figments and glamours and plus ones going around.
After thanking the bouncer, she headed to look for Miyu and Solomon to take a look at the door. They looked like the smartest, as well as the most used to investigating.
Solomon moves to the bathroom to investigate the body further. He catches Jennifer examining the window and addresses her.
A voice echoes inside her head, *You can call for help, and I will hear you anywhere within this world.
Don't worry, I can only hear what you speak to me in your mind.*
Following the exchange, Solomon begins his work studying the creature in detail. He locks the door for privacy and to prevent any unwary party guests from making a shocking discovery, especially as he leans over the corpse of a mythical beast in a most incriminating fashion.
Nurai looked up with raised eyebrows in surprise at the bartender's kind offer. She paused a moment to consider her response...when the hostess got her remark in first.
Nurai sputtered laughter, "Such high praise! I don't think I want to know how you would recommend me or my place, Valda...and I wasn't particularly worried about that. I've developed good instincts for people..and my mothers' gifts". she replied with a warm smile and head shake for a few moments.
Looking over to Tom while still chuckling softly about Valda's remark, "I appreciate your generous offer, Tom, that will make things much easier. I can sleep most places as long as it's dark enough". she shrugs, pocketing her phone, "I'll meet you at the bar later. And Valda, I'll bring my family's presents for you over tomorrow and we can discuss things..."
Nurai nods with her sweet smile to Valda and Tom before heading out towards the other guests. People watching and chatting to get their experience of the evening - while dancing - had Nurai in her element...mostly...except for when Nurai got slightly distracted...her shadow trying to dance while looking out the window was a sight...but she went back into the discussion smoothly.
"Did you find something?" Miyu asked as she noticed Aurora making her way over. As Valda had spoken, Miyu had been idly rubbing her ofuda, pondering the best way to search for information. Ideally, she could find something belonging to the deceased, but that might be hard given their current form. In the meantime, though, she could certainly check out the rest of the place for signs of trouble...
"Yes. The bouncer said someone teleported from the bathroom- that would be our feathery dragon friend. But, five minutes earlier, someone, no, something had leaped out of a window, and the best part is that they're way too small for anything even gnome-sized to pass through. You mentioned being an investigator, so I thought you may want to search it out." She's so cute! Looks like a porcelain doll!
"Oh, and a random thought that I can't get out of my mind. Neck wounds, not enough blood... might it be a vampire? I only know about them from stories and shows, but, well, turning into a bat could explain the exit. If they really can."
As tom started to close the bar he kept an eye out for three individuals in particular. All three had cause enough in their natures. Though he wondered if they had any idea what they were victimizing. Could you fool a predator into thinking you're prey? Would it even matter?
The ghosts fidgeted and swirled in agitation. Blood and violence always did that. That's how most of them became ghosts after all. He served the last drinks and started closing down properly. All while watching the crowd for what expected might be people of interest.
"Jennifer, wasn't it? Funny that we should end up working together so soon."
"Well, doctor, feel free to keep my card," she quips distractedly.
"If you'll allow me, I'll give you... something that can help."
Jennifer looks at Daniel sharply as a new voice enters her head, but she nods tersely after his explanation about how the bond works. As she continues her inspection of the window and fire escape, Doctor Solomon hears her voice over the telepathic bond.
"No, it's fine. He's just being smart. Don't worry about--yes, I promise. Please calm down."
Miyu tapped her chin as she considered Aurora's words. "It's a possibility..." she mused, trying to remember what she knew of vampiric lore. If all the drugs in the deceased's system would have made a vampire pull back immediately, they might be able to discount the possibility. On the other hand...
Valda waved to Nurai as she headed out. "More presents? Thanks. I'm going to head out and mingle, stop any panic and questions as much as I can. If anyone needs me I'll be the magnificent woman with the finely tailored suit."
Nurai continued through the crowd, talking while trying to piece together information, her eyes flicking around as she danced and moved among the partying people. With what she had learned so far, Nurai focused on trying to figure out if the human form of the victim had been seen around before, their friends, enemies, and local issues around them, and the general moods and reliability of the people. If she was going to be for some time, figuring out and finding who to connect to and consider trusting would be important to the Avatar.
Nurai occasionally looked over and nodded at Tom as well as Valda and glanced at the others when she spotted them as she tried to keep track of everything. With the extra set of not-quite-eyes in her shadow who helped Nurai pick who to focus her smile on next through their own quiet eager moving about, Nurai tried to find her element as a stranger in all this through her love and knowledge of people...
Jennifer notes the size of the dents and then pockets the scrap of cloth. She then continues up the fire escape.
Solomon continues his work in the bathroom, assuming anyone with significant information will consult him and not simply forget him for an hour.
After thinking it over, Miyu nodded slightly. "Well, I don't think a vampire would pull away immediately in a situation like that. Mind you, they'd be pretty weird afterward if they ended up slurping down all those drugs he had in his system. I think that Doctor guy was still looking at the body - let's go see if it matches." she tilted her head towards the bathroom, then started over in that direction and knocked on the doorframe to let Doctor Solomon know they'd arrived. Some people could get twitchy if they were interrupted during examinations, though, so she left it at that for now.
"I'm not feeling very well. Please use another." Solomon calls out when someone knocks on the door. He'd thought it best to lock himself in so as not to alarm the other guests with a crime scene. But of course being in the bathroom for such a long time required at least some manner of excuse.
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"It's us, Doc! We got some clues and a weird theory we'd like to share!" So vampires exist as well. Is there any story that is not real?
"Ah, my apologies." Solomon says, pausing his work to open the door. His coat hangs from a peg nearby and the top button of his white cotton shirt is undone as he stands in the open doorway. He wipes his hands on a handkerchief and returns it to his pants pocket, pushing up his rolled-up sleeves to resume his work. "Come in. What've you found?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
Secondly, several people saw the man arguing with the lady he was with.
It would be ability damage that killed the fae in the end.
What killed the creature? (creature type, creature size, and creature gender)
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After a few moments thomas waves Nurai over and smiles in the guise of friendly conversation/ "There were two vampires in attendance tonight, well, one's a half vampire however that works. Both are gone. Vargus over there's a werewolf but unless our lady's been in the stall for a while or he cleans up fast he's probably not our guy."
"I'd rather not try to taint the direction of your thoughts, so can you tell us what you found first?" Miyu asked Doctor Solomon. There was an order to these things, after all, and their theory would be much more solid if the existing evidence proved it, rather than the evidence being interpreted to fit an existing notion.
"...can you tell us what you found first?" Miyu asked Doctor Solomon.
Solomon knelt down to indicate the neck wound and began, "Do you see the emaciation on the sub-dermal layer along the tear? This indicates that the subject was dehydrated, or mostly bled out by the time it was attacked so." His finger traced the air just above the wound as he explained. He continued, "Where the blood went, I'm not sure, but I think the subject was still alive when it was attacked here. It's possible someone weakened it for the kill, or he was just having a very unlucky night. But I asked around and the subject was apparently dancing with a couple of individuals here tonight. So whatever happened, it happened either suddenly or very discreetly."
Solomon adjusted his glasses and placed a hand on the creature's head, furrowing his brow and staring down at its lifeless eyes. He slipped in his question again without looking up. "What did you find?"
The stories were getting thin on the floor, so Nurai fluttered through the crowd and headed over to bar with a smile that showed only slight signs of tiring. Heading over to Tom, she listens carefully as she allows her shadow to glance around the room for her.
"Interesting, I think I've gotten all I'm getting on the floor. All the stories on...them..." Nurai gestured towards the bathroom, "...that I've heard so far involve two people being with them - one being the Dhampir...Jared Rand - the three were apparently seen taking drugs prior to coming in, were seen in here talking, dancing, being more than a little affectionate...as well as their two friends arguing was seen by quite a few people. It's odd, Jared almost everyone knew by name and more - and he was apparently putting heavy make-up on his neck?, but the lady... I've got almost nothing. I'd guess she was an out-of-towner like me or just blends in really well but... I'll talk to Valda and the others about it later, see if they know her. she shrugs with a small sigh, glancing around the room and down to the floor for a moment before returning her attention to Tom, "How are you holding up?" she asks with a warm smile as she leans slightly on the bar. The shadow seemed to stretch and lay against Nurai's legs like a tired dog while they watched the room.
Jennifer notes the size of the dents and then pockets the scrap of cloth. She then continues up the fire escape.
If she doesn't find anything of note at the window, she climbs to the roof. If she doesn't find anything of note on the roof, she'll circle the building to see if there's anything of note in the parking lot or beyond that her high vantage point affords her. After that, she'll return to the others.
"Me?" Tom said in mild surprise. "Just tired from a night of too loud music and too many dead women in bath stalls." Tom shrugged and smiled back warmly. "Nothing a calm beer and good company won't cure. Outside of that, I'm easy."
It's taken some time to gather all of the information you have acquired all the information you've found. It's now 1AM and to hasten things Valda has closed the club. The last patrons are wandering down the stairs and music being turned off as Valda asks you back to the main bar.
The woman is sitting at the bar, tie undone and the first few buttons opened to relax. "Hiya guys. Have a drink. Since we're closed, I'll even let Aurora have her mead, if her mother gives a text OK." Rising, Valda fixed herself a drink. "OK. Whatcha guys found out?"
Nurai nods, still smiling at Tom's response, before Valda approached the bar. Listening to the hostess for a few minutes, Nurai shifted to grab a seat at the bar, her shadow leaning half in her lap moments after she sits. One hand in her lap almost seeming to fidget slightly while her other arm rests on the bar. Nurai doesn't get or ask for another drink and starts unloading what she found out quickly.
"Well, quite a few people spotted the...victim and seemed to enjoy chatting about them. As I was discussing with Tom, the stories all involved them being with two other people, the trio all spotted doing drug together before they came in and while in here they were all seen talking, dancing, being quite physically amorous with each other... one of them most people knew as a Dhampir named Jared Rand? but other than a few physical details, no one seems to know who the lady with them was other than being with them and arguing with Jared which was seen by quite a few people. The Dhampir was also seen putting heavy makeup on his neck. If it is a set up, them coming in with a Dhampir and an unknown person would be a good cover for anyone...if not, they could be involved." Nurai said, glancing from Valda to Tom and back like she's remembered something else...
"Also, Tom mentioned a werewolf named Vargus being in, but I haven't seen anything that, in my experience, makes me think wolf blood - solo, clan or otherwise - to be involved with the murder, but you would know any local issues with them better than me." Nurai finished with a shrug, the one hand in her dark lap fidgeting as the shadow stretched out in it.
D-Kal
