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[P] To catch a killer. - Printable Version

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To catch a killer. - Gull - 06-10-2015

Gull

Maybe the glacier maze had been a bust, but the winding maze had given you an idea. Upon leaving the icy north, you had set your course here—the next best place you could think of for a murderer’s lair. Of course, it was not lost upon you that the last time you had been here had been decidedly happier. Blue eyes close briefly, and you swallow hard as you remember your reunion with Muriel. After having been missing for so many months, you’d had no choice but to assume that she was gone. But on that day, she had come back to you from death and had sparked a tiny flame of hope in your heart. If only you had known that the flame would die along with her, not even a season later…Now, the pain of a double loss is all the worse: it is as if Fate herself is twisting the knife in your gut by forcing you to return. But you vowed to find her killer, and you will give your own life before breaking your final promise to her.

A harsh cough punctuates your thoughts, and you pump your wings harder, defiant. Powerful feathers cut through the air, angling to navigate the warm updrafts as you swing in a wide loop around the magma-filled crater. You choose to land a safe distance away, then pick your way through the boulders and towards the entrance to the caves. It looms before you like the gaping maw of some stony predator, and you steel yourself for the damp darkness that is to come…then you are inside. The shadows here are so thick that you can almost feel their clammy grip sliding along your back, and you shudder, moving hurriedly toward the wall of fiery rock that illuminates the end of the passage and coughing hoarsely as you go. Being in a contained space is bad enough without the darkness too.

Once you reach the wall, a path stretches before you, seeming to branch off into several rooms, presumably each with tunnel systems of their own. Frustrated, you pause, tail twitching and breath rattling impatiently in your throat: which one should you choose?

OOC: Questing, part II!
@[Isopia]


trouble just grew wings
Image Credit



RE: To catch a killer. - Isopia - 06-14-2015

Isopia
Down one of the paths, if you look, there's a faint but warm sort of glow bleeding through the tunnel. The source of the light is a bronze acorn charm, which is currently being held at the top of the cave by a hover combinations of rocks, that looks something like a dragon. Isopia hadn't really bothered with anatomy this time - she merely needed something to hold the charm so that she could see what she was doing. Her magic would hold the creature up, and, given that Isopia had never been one to particularly worry about aesthetics, had simply let her mind vaguely form a shape and take off.

The warm light cast darkened shadows on her blood-splattered body. She was tan with marbling of maroon, though that bloody-palette was much more prominent on her left side rather than her right. The paint-markings were the only real reminder of her mortal lineage. Everything else about her screamed supernatural: from her incredibly height, so the four horns and wings that her body sported, to the mask of death that covered her pretty face, and finally to her chillingly academic gold stare.

Her cape trailed on the ground around her, but did not get dirty. It never did, really. The feathers which loomed on her pauldron were a bright white. The had changed a few days ago before Isopia had even really noticed that FrostFall was upon her. But her Father's magic did not lie, and neither did the feathers.

The last time Isopia had been here, she was cleaning up crystal with her cousin - crystal that Ros had recklessly broken off from the walls and left littering the floors. So, the earthen-child had returned, walking through the caves to ensure that no one else disturbed the fragile ecosystems that persisted down in the dark depths. As she moved, her magically-created rock-dragon followed at the top of the caves, loyally lighting her way.

@[Gull]



RE: To catch a killer. - Gull - 06-15-2015

Gull

As you peer into the darkness, trying to decide which path to take, you catch a faint glimmer of gold from the corner of your eye. Heartbeat quickens as your eyes dart back to the source of the light and you hear heavy hoofsteps, along with the faint sound of something dragging. You remember Muriel’s missing wings, and instantly your blood boils and your wings flare, readying yourself for a fight. The beast is coming right to you.

You sidestep into the shadows, doing your best not to make any noise, but alas, your body betrays you even in your endeavor of revenge. The coughs come strong and rapid, like sick machine gun fire, echoing chaotically off of the cave walls. Having lost any element of surprise, you instinctively swear, but no sound comes out—you cannot catch your breath. Panicky, you stumble, mouth gaping. What’s happening to you? For a few long moments, your breath is gone, and then…it returns to your lungs with a sudden whoosh.

But your problems aren’t over yet. The sound of hooves on stone is even closer now, and you turn to find a giant approaching. The largest mare you’ve ever seen in striding up the passage to your left. The first thing you notice besides her size are the wings and horns, then the strange garment, and then…are those rocks floating? And glowing? The fact that she does not match your killer’s description in the slightest does little to comfort you. You do not trust anything that lives in these caves, much less this intimidating giant of the deep. “Who’s there?” you call out hoarsely, coughing between words.


OOC: Questing, part II!
@[Isopia]


trouble just grew wings
Image Credit



RE: To catch a killer. - Isopia - 06-21-2015

Isopia
Isopia could hear the faint hoof-falls on the stone, but thought little of it. The girl had never known fear or self-directed malice before. She had never felt the tingling sensation of worry or anxiety as it worked up her spine, had never felt her loins grow cold suddenly with nervousness. She had no reason to believe that there was reason to fear any of the pain she might feel in this life, for it was inevitable. Why run? Why be afraid?

And so she completely ignored the sound of Gull approaching. In fact, she didn't even really lift her golden gaze when he came into view. Instead, she continued on methodically inspecting the crystal.

Who's there?

"I am." She responded simply, and unhelpfully. Her rock-dragon floated forward still clutching the necklace. Like some sort of ungodly chandelier it floating directly above Isopia, lighting the area around her with an eerie warmth. Her skull-marked face was entirely impassive and emotionless. Silently she wondered if the owner of the voice had been destroying the eco-systems down here. If so, that would give her a reason to continue the conversation which was inevitably going to happen. But if not, the demi-child (who was really no longer a child) had much better things to do. Still, she had been trying to put on a facade of normalcy - of being patient, of answering questions with answers which were expected of her. It was difficult and taxing, but the earthen-girl had found that it was much easier to get others to leave her alone if she merely acted busy, but normal, rather than just herself. So she waited.



@[Gull]



RE: To catch a killer. - Blu - 08-09-2015

unarchived per request


RE: To catch a killer. - Gull - 08-12-2015

Gull


“I am,” the voice rings out, offering little reassurance in its feminine rumble. You eye the creature uneasily, though she barely pays you any mind. Still tense, you watch her warily from the shadows, but she merely continues on her way, seeming to inspect the crystals on the walls as she goes. She doesn’t seem like much of a threat, but down here, you never know. Plus, those floating rocks are giving you the creeps.
 
Summoning up your courage, you clear your throat—which of course, accidentally sets you off coughing again, making it difficult to breathe. Hoarsely, you suck air into your windpipe, willing yourself to steady your nerves. You’ve already got enough problems to deal with without suffocating yourself to death because a cave giant made you hyperventilate.
 
Breathing more even, you try again. You do not bother to ask her who she is, for you have a feeling you’ll get a similar answer. All you want to know is if anybody has passed this way before you, particularly anyone suspicious. “Hey,” you begin rather lamely, voice echoing eerily off of the walls. “Have you seen anyone else down here lately? I’m looking for someone…” Your sentence trails off, and you pause to repeat your cough-and-gasp routine, ears pinning in irritation at the difficulty of breathing. “Or maybe you’ve seen some feathers like this?” you continue, shaking back you mane to reveal the bloodstained pink plumes from Muriel’s wings. “Or maybe,” you finish, trying to catch her eye, “Maybe you’ve seen…blood?” 




OOC: Questing, part II!


trouble just grew wings
Image Credit


@Isopia


RE: To catch a killer. - Isopia - 08-12-2015

Isopia
Hey

hey


h  e     y


His voice echoed off of the walls, and Isopia impassively listened. He was asking her something now - something about feathers and blood and finding someone. Suddenly this entire conversation - this meeting - seems horribly derivative. It was like every moment she had ever experienced with others was simply a variation on the same theme.

They asked her something of which held no importance, and she was left deciding whether or not to play along. To play nice. Each time she encountered this decision it became more and more taxing. Why did she have to dumb herself down for them? Why couldn't they just be smarted. Why was it so hard?

What do you mean by 'lately'? She wanted to demand. And feathers like what? Of that color? That shape or size? And of course she had seen blood before. All of these thoughts whirled with a near-anger in her mind. SPECIFICS. Was that so hard?

Expressionlessly she gazed at Gull. None of her frustration or confusion flashed in her amber gaze. It wouldn't have served much purpose anyways, to let him know what she thought of his mannerisms. Her rock-dragon hovered closer, holding the glowing bauble above them to fully illuminate the area.

"Maybe..." She began. "But I don't think
that they meet the description of who you are looking for. "


His cough caused her ears to flatten as the sound loudly bounced off of the walls of the cave. "Are you thirsty? It might help your cough.." She ventured, aiming at being polite though not knowing whether or not she hit her mark. At her side, a new dragon-like creation formed. This one however was composed entirely of water. It flitted towards Gull, offering itself at nose-level should he want to drink from it.
@Gull



RE: To catch a killer. - Gull - 08-20-2015

Gull


She just looks at you with dead eyes, and though the anxiety remains, you find yourself growing impatient. “Maybe…” she ventures noncommittally, and you choke back a scream of frustration with another cough. This conversation is becoming all too familiar by the minute, you think, remembering the brat from the ice-caves. But just as you couldn’t pick a fight with a child, you’re loathe to challenge this regal-looking giantess.
 
“…I don’t think that they meet the description of who you are looking for,” she finishes, appeasing you a little. A spark of hope and rage ignites in your chest. So there had been someone. “Well, what—“ you wheeze, losing your breath once more mid-sentence, ”—what did they look like? Please,” you add on second thought, unusually polite in your desperation.
 
Before you can choke out any more, the stranger seems to take note of your cough. “Are you thirsty?” she asks, and though her face doesn’t show it, you get the sense that internally, she is frowning. Nothing, though, prepares you for what happens next: from thin air, water gurgles into existence. It twists and torques, folding over and into itself until a form emerges—roughly the shape of the rocks hovering above her, but you don’t notice. As the water-dragon floats toward you, you shy in terror, eyes rolling in fear and nose pointed skyward. Your coughing intensifies with your rapid breathing, creating a lovely cacophony in conjunction with the sound of your hooves wildly tap-dancing on the cave floor. “Get—“ you sputter between hacks, “Get that thing away from me!” What witchcraft was this?!
 
OOC: Sorry that these have been so short!


trouble just grew wings
Image Credit


@Isopia


RE: To catch a killer. - Isopia - 08-22-2015

Isopia

"One had a companion that had the ability to shape-shift-" The demi-child began with a nonchalant shrug of her maroon-splattered shoulders. In mind rolled backwards to her cousin, and the ever shifting cheek. She couldn't recall the creature's given name - it was far too long. It could easily have taken the form of something with a pink feather, but then, the companion was never very far from Ros. If it had been Cheek's fault, surely this coughing and spluttering mess before her would be searching for her cousin? If nothing else, he would have more to go on than simply a pink feather. It was doubtful the pair she had seen in these caves were the ones he was looking for - she had already said as much. "She is stout, with odd markings and a horn that appears to be lightning. She is the offspring of the God of the Spark, and her companion is a rougarou." Surely if it was those two he was looking for, that would be all the description he needed.

As the pale pegasus balked and retreated from her offering of liquid, the girl couldn't help but sigh with exasperation. This was precisely why she didn't like interactions with others. Had he nothing rattling around in his brain? If she wanted to injure him, wouldn't it have been more likely that she would have done so already? She could have dropped the charm which was lighting the room and attacked in the dark, or done a hundred other things. Perhaps he thought the water-creature was not one of her own doing ... and yet that would have been ridiculously coincidental. Not impossible of course, but surely he would see how foolish he looked, presuming the random appearance of a water dragon just seconds after she offered him water? 

"Fine." She responded flatly, as the water dragon crashed to the ground, sending a cascade of droplets scattering across and into the nooks and crannies of the hardened floor. 

@Gull



RE: To catch a killer. - Gull - 09-01-2015

Gull

The hybrid mare does not seem particularly moved by your plea, but she decides to humor you anyway—or perhaps she pities you in your wretched state. Either way, with a neutral shrug of her shoulders, she offers up a description as requested: it had been a tubby unicorn mare with one of those shapeshifting companions, daughter of some spark god…whatever that meant. What interests you is the horn. True to form, your ears flatten its mention. Of course it was one of them, your mind growls, and your tail lashes ferociously at the thought. But while your kneejerk reaction is to condemn the stranger, the lack of other evidence gives you pause. As much as you’d like to see the unknown unicorn (and all her kind) wiped from the face of the earth, the information is still not enough to go on.

But then, what had you been hoping for, really? Brigand hadn’t exactly been forthcoming about the details he’d witnessed, and you…well, you had been so bent on revenge that your search had relied purely on instinct and assumption. Your mind reels, sifting through the facts, stretching to remember: and you come up short. It’s not enough. Whomever you may have thought you were searching for, what you have is not enough to find them. Anger is not enough. Grief is not enough. And whatever you had felt for Muriel? It’s all gotten you nowhere: this is a wild goosechase.

Hopelessness packs a powerful punch, but thankfully, fear is more deeply rooted in your animal brain. As the water-dragon bursts and spatters to the floor, darkening the red walls of the cave like fresh blood, you snap out of your mind and back to reality. Hoarsely, you yell, backing toward the mouth of the cave to flee the scene. You’ve had quite enough of this place and this eerily calm giantess with her strange enchantments and hollow voice. You’ve already wasted too much time running after shadows: Brigand is your last hope, and you have to find him. After all, the prospect of failure is the only thing worse that what you’re feeling right now.

OOC: Sorry that this got abrupt; I'm trying to wrap up some of his threads and he wasn't giving me much for this one! Gull’s out.



trouble just grew wings
Image Credit


@Isopia