Werewolves (RP14.1) A Precarious Road
Quote from Indy on October 4, 2021, 11:07 pm"Shut up," the woman muttered, face still hunched somewhere in the dirt, "I didn't say that. I didn't say any of that. Maybe I just got sick off fast-food".
She rolled herself upright, feeling like freshly earthed-death. The air was starting to grow more cloying, more humid. The scents in the air were becoming soft and muddled, drawn together. Another storm in the air again. She squeezed her fingertips together, drawing the dirt beneath her palms. The little bit of grit rolling between her fingertips somehow felt the most real sensation of all.
"It's not about butterflies," she took a deep breath and staggered to her feet. She looked away from the pile of sick in the corner, and for good measure kicked a pile of dirt. The wave of nausea receded without anything further to bring up.
"I don't... I don't care about butterflies," she mumbled, "The other night... Ulric and I, we came across a woman in a cavern with her child. She had a gun and she was afraid of us, and I didn't... I just needed to escape, and I don't feel bad - whatever happened, and maybe that makes me a bad person but I don't. Because it was us or them- and if it's that choice, I won't feel bad".
She tried to follow Sabrina's gaze to the depths of the forest, imagining far-away worlds and dancing faeries luring travelers to their doom. Instead her gaze trickled back to the side of the road, settling on half of a blue fender that had been left behind.
"But that day was pointless," fingertips folded into her fist, feet kicked at the debris, "I thought I was doing something but I did nothing, and I continue to do nothing, except make problems for everyone else and maybe save that stupid sister of mine".
She turned to Sabrina, averting her gaze from the dirt and leaves beneath the fender. Her expression was rigid, "Are you happy now? Is this where we go braid flowers in each others hair and skip off into the sunset, become one with our inner ruins, everything taped back together?"
"Shut up," the woman muttered, face still hunched somewhere in the dirt, "I didn't say that. I didn't say any of that. Maybe I just got sick off fast-food".
She rolled herself upright, feeling like freshly earthed-death. The air was starting to grow more cloying, more humid. The scents in the air were becoming soft and muddled, drawn together. Another storm in the air again. She squeezed her fingertips together, drawing the dirt beneath her palms. The little bit of grit rolling between her fingertips somehow felt the most real sensation of all.
"It's not about butterflies," she took a deep breath and staggered to her feet. She looked away from the pile of sick in the corner, and for good measure kicked a pile of dirt. The wave of nausea receded without anything further to bring up.
"I don't... I don't care about butterflies," she mumbled, "The other night... Ulric and I, we came across a woman in a cavern with her child. She had a gun and she was afraid of us, and I didn't... I just needed to escape, and I don't feel bad - whatever happened, and maybe that makes me a bad person but I don't. Because it was us or them- and if it's that choice, I won't feel bad".
She tried to follow Sabrina's gaze to the depths of the forest, imagining far-away worlds and dancing faeries luring travelers to their doom. Instead her gaze trickled back to the side of the road, settling on half of a blue fender that had been left behind.
"But that day was pointless," fingertips folded into her fist, feet kicked at the debris, "I thought I was doing something but I did nothing, and I continue to do nothing, except make problems for everyone else and maybe save that stupid sister of mine".
She turned to Sabrina, averting her gaze from the dirt and leaves beneath the fender. Her expression was rigid, "Are you happy now? Is this where we go braid flowers in each others hair and skip off into the sunset, become one with our inner ruins, everything taped back together?"
Quote from Kaqurei on October 18, 2021, 12:43 pmSabrina smiled grimly. "You know I don't love anyone."
Her tone was so strange. It was at once, "You know, I don't love anyone" and also, "You know I don't love anyone, don't you Jackie?" and still "I don't love anyone. You know that." without being any of those more specific sort of tones.
She kind of blinked and tilted her head, as if she'd surprised herself. But she went on, "Anyone. At all. In the whole wide world, there's not a single living breathing thing that I love. You at least can say you love your sister. So, Jackie, tell me, which of us is the bad person? I'm not a shrink, but trust me when I say there's a difference between not being able to feel something because you can't fully process it, and not being able to feel anything at all. Yours is the result of trauma. I'm simply wired this way."
She touched her ever-present herb satchel. "Love isn't required to do what I do. I can fix broken flesh. I can fix broken bones. But I can't do anything for broken hearts or broken minds. So no, there will be no skipping into the forest to pick flowers and braid each other's hair. I'm not the person to turn to for sentiment. That's why a pack is made of many. There are limits to what individuals can do."
Sabrina smiled grimly. "You know I don't love anyone."
Her tone was so strange. It was at once, "You know, I don't love anyone" and also, "You know I don't love anyone, don't you Jackie?" and still "I don't love anyone. You know that." without being any of those more specific sort of tones.
She kind of blinked and tilted her head, as if she'd surprised herself. But she went on, "Anyone. At all. In the whole wide world, there's not a single living breathing thing that I love. You at least can say you love your sister. So, Jackie, tell me, which of us is the bad person? I'm not a shrink, but trust me when I say there's a difference between not being able to feel something because you can't fully process it, and not being able to feel anything at all. Yours is the result of trauma. I'm simply wired this way."
She touched her ever-present herb satchel. "Love isn't required to do what I do. I can fix broken flesh. I can fix broken bones. But I can't do anything for broken hearts or broken minds. So no, there will be no skipping into the forest to pick flowers and braid each other's hair. I'm not the person to turn to for sentiment. That's why a pack is made of many. There are limits to what individuals can do."
Quote from Indy on October 19, 2021, 7:07 amJackie was quiet, feeling the lapse a painful itchy thing. Her first impulse had been to disagree, her second had been to ask about Timothy, and her final - successful - had been to remain silent. She could hear only the rise and fall of her chest, something now carefully measured and constrained so she didn't hurl or scream.
"It wasn't blue," she mumbled abruptly, the non-sequitur stated as though it were a profound life-realization.
Yet by her gaze on the blue fender, it was clear the statement was entirely literal. She carefully shifted aside the fender of the bumper, starring hard at the foliage beneath. The dead leaves beneath it looked the same as those around it, despite a passage of time - as though it had only just recently been placed there. On closer study, there was signs of disturbed earth beneath the underbrush layer on top.
She tilted her head to Sabrina, for a moment at a loss to rise to the dare on what lay beneath..
Jackie was quiet, feeling the lapse a painful itchy thing. Her first impulse had been to disagree, her second had been to ask about Timothy, and her final - successful - had been to remain silent. She could hear only the rise and fall of her chest, something now carefully measured and constrained so she didn't hurl or scream.
"It wasn't blue," she mumbled abruptly, the non-sequitur stated as though it were a profound life-realization.
Yet by her gaze on the blue fender, it was clear the statement was entirely literal. She carefully shifted aside the fender of the bumper, starring hard at the foliage beneath. The dead leaves beneath it looked the same as those around it, despite a passage of time - as though it had only just recently been placed there. On closer study, there was signs of disturbed earth beneath the underbrush layer on top.
She tilted her head to Sabrina, for a moment at a loss to rise to the dare on what lay beneath..
Quote from Kaqurei on October 22, 2021, 8:10 pmSabrina knit her brows, confused for a moment as to what Jackie was talking about, until she followed her gaze to the fender. Intrigued, she took a step closer to see what she would uncover.
"Clever," she commented under her breath. Such a small detail, and one only Jackie would notice. In the place only Jackie would come. It was all so perfect. Perhaps even a little too perfect, but Sabrina didn't know the sister enough to judge her foresight or the lack thereof. She didn't know the opposition well enough either yet, and she found that disturbing.
But she waited. This was Jackie's part to play, after all. She simply stood at the ready then, to see what the former would uncover.
Sabrina knit her brows, confused for a moment as to what Jackie was talking about, until she followed her gaze to the fender. Intrigued, she took a step closer to see what she would uncover.
"Clever," she commented under her breath. Such a small detail, and one only Jackie would notice. In the place only Jackie would come. It was all so perfect. Perhaps even a little too perfect, but Sabrina didn't know the sister enough to judge her foresight or the lack thereof. She didn't know the opposition well enough either yet, and she found that disturbing.
But she waited. This was Jackie's part to play, after all. She simply stood at the ready then, to see what the former would uncover.
Quote from Indy on October 22, 2021, 8:56 pmJackie was at a loss of words, starring at the pile of leaves and underbrush. As though expecting something to just rise up from the dirt, unbidden - yet the leaves stayed as they were, and besides the occasional scuffle of forest-left, everything had fallen silent since Sabrina's 'clever'.
Shakily, Jackie cleared away the top layer of dead leaves to reveal the soil beneath. It was a dull ashy brown, implying some manner sedimentary earth, yet the soil parted easily beneath her fingertips. It was easy to see it had already been dug up recently.
At first she was gentle, brushing aside the dirt like an archeologist might a delicate bone specimen. Yet as her fingers continued to pull up more loose soil, it was clear whatever had been left beneath was not buried at the surface. She began to dig, two legs straddling the exposed earth of the hole and her arms propelling clods of damp earth behind her. There was a desperation to the action where at first there had been a timidness - now that she had started, she would not stop until it was complete.
It couldn't have been any longer than fifteen minutes later when her fingertips brushed against something solid, two feet down into the softened earth. She breathed heavily and began to scope out the sides of the object - feeling how far beneath the earth it extended. To her surprise, it felt relatively small; an exposed surface area of perhaps two and a half feet by a foot. As her fingers began to investigate its depth into the earth, she brushed against something else that made her breath shudder.
Her muddy fingers closed around a silver key that had been taped to the surface. She starred at the cold light of the muddy key, trying to swallow the bile that had risen to her throat. Though only two feet down, she had not noticed how the walls of earth already closed and pressed against her like a coffin until that moment. She lifted her eyes, catching sight of the sky, trying to slow the racing thrum of her heart in her ears - and caught sight of Sabrina for the first time since she had begun to dig.
She clenched her jaw, rigid. She was weak, small, and afraid. More than anything she wanted to avert her gaze before Sabrina saw it, to make the tininess of herself vanish by moving forward (always moving forward), yet suddenly the woman's earlier words rang in her head - That's why a pack is made of many. There are limits to what individuals can do.
"Help me..." she managed softly, "I can't.. lift it out alone".
Jackie was at a loss of words, starring at the pile of leaves and underbrush. As though expecting something to just rise up from the dirt, unbidden - yet the leaves stayed as they were, and besides the occasional scuffle of forest-left, everything had fallen silent since Sabrina's 'clever'.
Shakily, Jackie cleared away the top layer of dead leaves to reveal the soil beneath. It was a dull ashy brown, implying some manner sedimentary earth, yet the soil parted easily beneath her fingertips. It was easy to see it had already been dug up recently.
At first she was gentle, brushing aside the dirt like an archeologist might a delicate bone specimen. Yet as her fingers continued to pull up more loose soil, it was clear whatever had been left beneath was not buried at the surface. She began to dig, two legs straddling the exposed earth of the hole and her arms propelling clods of damp earth behind her. There was a desperation to the action where at first there had been a timidness - now that she had started, she would not stop until it was complete.
It couldn't have been any longer than fifteen minutes later when her fingertips brushed against something solid, two feet down into the softened earth. She breathed heavily and began to scope out the sides of the object - feeling how far beneath the earth it extended. To her surprise, it felt relatively small; an exposed surface area of perhaps two and a half feet by a foot. As her fingers began to investigate its depth into the earth, she brushed against something else that made her breath shudder.
Her muddy fingers closed around a silver key that had been taped to the surface. She starred at the cold light of the muddy key, trying to swallow the bile that had risen to her throat. Though only two feet down, she had not noticed how the walls of earth already closed and pressed against her like a coffin until that moment. She lifted her eyes, catching sight of the sky, trying to slow the racing thrum of her heart in her ears - and caught sight of Sabrina for the first time since she had begun to dig.
She clenched her jaw, rigid. She was weak, small, and afraid. More than anything she wanted to avert her gaze before Sabrina saw it, to make the tininess of herself vanish by moving forward (always moving forward), yet suddenly the woman's earlier words rang in her head - That's why a pack is made of many. There are limits to what individuals can do.
"Help me..." she managed softly, "I can't.. lift it out alone".
Quote from Kaqurei on October 22, 2021, 9:26 pmSabrina absent-mindedly toyed with her own key, the one from the vault, in her inner coat pocket. Perhaps, for the look of some mild entertainment on her face, she was amusing the idea that perhaps there was a body hidden as Jackie's prize. But all she smelled was the rich moist soil, the rotting leaves, and cold metal. Still.
Then came the plea.
She gave a quick nod and knelt down to help Jackie lift her prize (not a body) out of the ground. It was a bit heavier than she expected. Still, with a hoist, the pair of them were able to drag it out into the fading daylight to inspect what they'd found.
Sabrina absent-mindedly toyed with her own key, the one from the vault, in her inner coat pocket. Perhaps, for the look of some mild entertainment on her face, she was amusing the idea that perhaps there was a body hidden as Jackie's prize. But all she smelled was the rich moist soil, the rotting leaves, and cold metal. Still.
Then came the plea.
She gave a quick nod and knelt down to help Jackie lift her prize (not a body) out of the ground. It was a bit heavier than she expected. Still, with a hoist, the pair of them were able to drag it out into the fading daylight to inspect what they'd found.
Quote from Indy on October 22, 2021, 9:34 pmAfter the object was lifted, Jackie floundered back to the flat, untouched ground and starred at the sky up above. She was covered in mud on almost every corner of her body. It was strange how she did not want to look at the prize she had fought so hard to extract. Yet just for a moment she needed to look at the open sky, and feel the cool, damp air blow across her skin.
The prize had not, in fact, been a body. It appeared to be a black brief case, although its depth was quite a bit thicker than one used by a typical business-goer. It also, somewhat conspicuously, was closed shut by a solid metal-lock. And most strange of all, there was a subtle odor permeating from inside the box. Perhaps recognizable, as it was the same they had encountered under the floor boards of the impound lot...
After the object was lifted, Jackie floundered back to the flat, untouched ground and starred at the sky up above. She was covered in mud on almost every corner of her body. It was strange how she did not want to look at the prize she had fought so hard to extract. Yet just for a moment she needed to look at the open sky, and feel the cool, damp air blow across her skin.
The prize had not, in fact, been a body. It appeared to be a black brief case, although its depth was quite a bit thicker than one used by a typical business-goer. It also, somewhat conspicuously, was closed shut by a solid metal-lock. And most strange of all, there was a subtle odor permeating from inside the box. Perhaps recognizable, as it was the same they had encountered under the floor boards of the impound lot...
Quote from Kaqurei on October 23, 2021, 9:19 pmIt was fitting, perhaps, as they waited there for a moment. Jackie, covered in mud from head to toe, out of breath and bedraggled from her inner demons like a vagabond - as compared to Sabrina, who actually had a stray hair from her tight ponytail fall out of place.
Yet, even as Jackie needed a moment to collect herself, Sabrina felt a little on edge. The blue chemical... whatever unnatural brew it was, she was pretty certain there was more of it in that case. But why, and what was the stuff? That was the million dollar question, wasn't it?
It was fitting, perhaps, as they waited there for a moment. Jackie, covered in mud from head to toe, out of breath and bedraggled from her inner demons like a vagabond - as compared to Sabrina, who actually had a stray hair from her tight ponytail fall out of place.
Yet, even as Jackie needed a moment to collect herself, Sabrina felt a little on edge. The blue chemical... whatever unnatural brew it was, she was pretty certain there was more of it in that case. But why, and what was the stuff? That was the million dollar question, wasn't it?
Quote from Indy on November 3, 2021, 8:44 pmJackie sat up, back turned to the brief-case. She studied the mud buried beneath her fingernails and pasted to her clothing, then the emptiness that was the quiet country road. She did not glance behind her towards the prize that she had fought so hard to obtain.
"We should get going," she said stiffly, "Put that back where we found it... lay a trap for Melinda when she comes to check up on it in a few days".
Jackie sat up, back turned to the brief-case. She studied the mud buried beneath her fingernails and pasted to her clothing, then the emptiness that was the quiet country road. She did not glance behind her towards the prize that she had fought so hard to obtain.
"We should get going," she said stiffly, "Put that back where we found it... lay a trap for Melinda when she comes to check up on it in a few days".
Quote from Kaqurei on November 5, 2021, 10:35 pmSabrina pursed her lips. "Really," she said, unimpressed. "You clawed through the earth to retrieve this, hauled it up out of its hole, just to what? Sniff it? Perhaps I am imagining things, but I do believe that you're stalling. Again. Not this time, Jackie. Your sister might not be a wolf but I doubt she's so stupid as to not know that you were here--to come here again not expecting you to have come before her. If that's your plan, I can tell you right now it's fruitless."
She stabbed an accusatory finger at the case. "What is in there? And why did she leave it for you? You had vials of it when you first came to Phantom. I smelled it then just as I smell it now. What is it?"
Sabrina pursed her lips. "Really," she said, unimpressed. "You clawed through the earth to retrieve this, hauled it up out of its hole, just to what? Sniff it? Perhaps I am imagining things, but I do believe that you're stalling. Again. Not this time, Jackie. Your sister might not be a wolf but I doubt she's so stupid as to not know that you were here--to come here again not expecting you to have come before her. If that's your plan, I can tell you right now it's fruitless."
She stabbed an accusatory finger at the case. "What is in there? And why did she leave it for you? You had vials of it when you first came to Phantom. I smelled it then just as I smell it now. What is it?"
