August 27 2007

who: oz, billy, maddie and mathias
where: oz's basement
when: late evening

Oz was kind of nervous about this. He'd gotten the call from Mathias about having some of the girl's stuff, and had started the set up. He was pretty sure that there were explanations that would be needed here, but he wasn't offering them up quite yet. Because really, the less he had to explain about knowing a really, really long dead witch? The better. He didn't really want to explain about the cage either, but maybe Mathias would just think he was a monster movie werewolf, and didn't really know the difference. Otherwise? He just had some crazy shit in his basement.

Either way, he didn't do a whole lot of overexplaining. About all he did was mention that Sophie didn't like magic, and that was why after she'd offered everyone drinks, she hadn't come downstairs. It was just prudent lack of explaining. Or something. Whatever. It was a sound theory about an hour ago, and he was sticking to it.

Who: Herbert and Stacey
Where: The phone again
When: Around 4:30PM

Once he was home and clean again and had eaten a little something-- worry, he was finding, made him less hungry; it was something of a miracle, though not necessarily a good one-- Herbert started to pull out his school things and see what, if any, of his homework he could get through. He wished briefly that he had Fallon's phone number so he could call and see if he had that day's statistics homework, but maybe it was just as well, since he'd probably get it all wrong, anyway.

Oh wait. He was supposed to call someone today. Not Olivia; she was supposed to be here after school but had either had to leave before he got back from the mine, never made it back between jobs, or was working late at the diner. Not Dorian, as there were no promises made there as to when they'd call, and besides, he hadn't been at Nevermore when he'd checked, anyway.

Oh! Stacey! Herbert heaved himself up, perfectly happy to put off the homework, and went to find the phone. He went back to the couch, flopped down, and dialed her number.

Who: Mathias and Dorian
Where: The Lockwood Residence
When: Evening

Dorian's day had seemed rather full, and by the time he headed home, he was starting to think an early bedtime would be nice. Or perhaps that was due to the anticipation of seeing Delilah again and he wasn't tired at all. Not yet, at least. He couldn't seem to make up his mind. After leaving Nevermore, he'd stopped by the hospital to visit Caleb, gone to the store to pick up dinner, then headed home. Groceries had gone into the house, but the toy chest remained in his car. He'd rather not have Mathais end up locked out when he got home, even if he'd be filling his brother in on the toys anyways. He started dinner, then collapsed on the couch, flipping on the tv for a bit. It was a nice change of pace to let his mind go numb, though he knew it couldn't last all that long.

Mathias had been avoiding the hospital all day - there was no way he was going to visit Caleb until he had something to tell his brother, since he knew the guy would be all over him about Leija and he wasn't big on directly lying. He much preferred to sidestep questions and tell half-truths, make people believe they'd heard something other than what he'd actually said. Dorian could visit today - he hadn't been called to look for Leija and could fob Caleb off a lot better than Math would be able to as a result.

Who: Fallon and Jordan
When: Theatre Tech Class
Where: MSHS

Jordan had arrived early to class and plopped down into a seat. She was dressed in all black as usual, a skirt today pleated and black boots that zipped up the sides, tight black shirt with fishnet sleeves that hung over her sleeves with holes that slipped over her thumbs. She pulled out her notebook while she waited, and continued the work on the still unfinished song. Still no lyrics, but the notes were coming along.

Who: Domino and Olivia
When: Evening
Where: Random Bar

Who: Jace and Konnor
Where: Barton home
When: Monday August 27, late night.
Warnings: Slightly NSFW

The brothers' minds ran rampant, though their bodies remained huddled tightly together on the basement floor of their home for long hours into the night after the Mourning Star had departed. Jace was revisited by images and fear he'd experienced during his period of disappearance; images of sharp teeth and ripping claws. Then the surroundings shifted, and he was recalling the feeling of a recent kill, the blood seeping through his fingers. Only when he looked down at the human he'd begun to devour, it had his brother's face. Horrified, the elder twin woke with a start, screaming and shoving at Konnor's dead weight, not sure if he was still dreaming or awake. He was covered in sweat, every muscle tense to the point of aching, and that place inside still empty. He broke down, hands reaching out to clench Konnor to him as he let go of the anguish he'd been building up for months.

Konnor had been awake for hours already, still trembling, face wet. He'd expected this, wanted it, longed for it, and yet...the reality of it was nothing like he'd expected. He felt empty, dirty, guilty, the latter from the words the Mourning Star had uttered regarding Konnor having dragged Jace down with him, the last person he'd ever want to hurt or disappoint. Hours had passed, and when Jace started awake, perspiring, every muscle coiled tight like a spring, Konnor backed away. "I am so sorry," he said. The basement was small and barren; there was no place to hide.

Who: Dorian and Harper
When: Afternoon
Where: Nevermore

It was earlier than she needed to be (yet again), but after yesterday she couldn't stay at home. Harper had barely slept, worried about what kind of dream might follow the trip to the mine but she was kindly surprised once she did sleep that there were no dreams. She still couldn't stop thinking about that chest, and that feeling she got in the mine. With a heavy sigh she entered the store, and looked around for Dorian hoping he wouldn't be upset with her curiosity about the chest.

With the mysteries of the chest at least partially solved, Dorian had put it out in his car. While he preferred it in Nevermore, it would be impeding on business to keep it there, and so his trunk it was. The little bell rung on the door as someone entered, and Dorian headed up towards the front of the store. "You're early," he said with a little smile and a shake of his head. "You know I can't afford to pay you overtime when you do this, don't you?" He felt bad for it, but he didn't have the funds to do so.

Who: Sammy and Geo
Where: The Williams House
When: Evening, right after dinner.

Geo had skipped dinner, excusing himself with a story about a headache. His mother had looked concerned, but seemed to understand. She missed it, though, when he snagged some of the sandwich stuff (and another apple) on his way through the kitchen. He didn't have a headache - he had a deeply rooted desire to avoid talking about his afternoon. Like...at all. At least until he'd thought of an excuse, a proper cover story. Something other than Mom, I'm working for a vampire.

Who: Val and Jericho
Where: Babylon and a back alley
When: Late Monday night, August 27, just before midnight.

"It doesn't really matter," Jericho smiled at the bartender, "whatever is freshest will do." The vampire looked out over the crowd, which was filling in nicely already even though it was barely midnight.

"One AB-positive," the bartender said, sliding the glass of warm blood across the slick, polished wood surface of the bar. "Enjoy."

Jericho thanked the barkeep politely, though he had absolutely no intention of drinking the blood. With no sense of taste, his only pleasure of feeding was derived from the hunt and from the actual taking. For him, seduction was a flavor, exotic and spicy. He'd simply buy a few drinks to patronize the establishment, tip the bartender generously, then dispose of the blood in the restroom. He had to be careful in there, though, and avoid looking at the wall over the sinks. Fucking mirrors.

Who: Dessicant and Mike
Where: Outside Babylon
When: Mid-morning

Since Babylon was the place both of them new how to find, Babylon seemed the best place to meet Mike for their non-violent form of demon-hunting. Dessicant waited outside, leaning against the wall next to the door; Mike wasn't inside, he'd checked, and he'd rather wait somewhere where he didn't need earplugs just to stay focused.

Because today? He wanted to stay focused. A new demon in town, without a brother to take revenge, young and without experience, was the best thing that'd happened since he'd met Mike. Hothrem would get his dinner and Dessicant would get his peace, at least for a while. So the demon was early, and waited with barely-contained impatience and anticipation.

Who: Herbert, Charlie and Chance
Where: Phone/The Mine
When: Around 1PM

As soon as Herbert got home he made a bee-line for the phone. Olivia, thank the spirits and may they bless her wherever she was, wasn't home. So he didn't have to explain why in the world he wasn't at school right now. He took he phone to the couch, where he pulled out his folder-- which was swift becoming full of people's phone numbers-- to hunt down Charlie's number. He punched it in, messed up and had to apologize to the poor old man who'd answered instead of little Charlie, and had to dial again, this time hoping he'd got it right. If he got a cell phone, he decided it'd have to be a big one, or he'd always be calling the wrong people.

After leaving Chance, Charlotte had basically run the entire way home, and had been beyond relieved to find that her mom wasn't home. This would have been awful if she had to find a way to sneak in and out of the house again. She'd never had to do that before, and she couldn't imagine that her first attempt would go well - particularly in broad daylight.

Who: Alex and Melia
When: Night!
Where: Lake, bar, lake. In that order.

The day she'd told Alex she'd go drinking with him had come and Melia had taken extra care to blend in with humans for that evening. The human books with the pictures of the females on the cover (with stupid names like 'Vogue' and 'Allure' and 'Cosmopolitan') had elaborate human rituals for going out at night, most of which Melia thought were ridiculous. But all the same, she was making an effort to blend in like she'd promised Caleb, so she had to at least try. She'd stolen a drunken college boy's wallet and used the cash to buy tiny bottles of 'shampoo' and 'conditioner' to clean her hair, washing in the lake. The suds were strange but soft and the citrus-y scent, though odd to keep smelling as her hair dried, wasn't that unpleasant. Her hair was indeed much softer and shinier, drying in large soft curls, and Melia decided she might do this more often.

Who: Alejandro and Jezebelle
Where: Alejandro's place
When: Before school

Alejandro hadn't exactly waited up for Jezebelle. Not really. She was her own person, and allowed to be out until all hours of the night if she wanted to. Hell, she was a fae, even if she was just a little girl. She wasn't exactly helpless. But she was still a little girl, and living under his roof, and whether or not he actually, consciously waited up for her, he didn't actually fall asleep until he heard the door click open and click shut again, as quietly as someone could open and close a locked door in the middle of the night.

The next morning, he made sure he was up before she had to be up and getting ready for school. He actually made breakfast, too, since he had to do something with the time.

Who: Anton and Brian
Where: Mya’s Diner
When: late afternoon

Anton was wholeheartedly determined to make this trip out the shortest ever. Just grab a quick dinner, and then head back to work, he mentally told himself as he nudged the door of the diner open, staring thoughtfully at his shoes. Right, right.

… all right, so, as of yet, he wasn’t winning any record-breaking ribbons. That ‘oh, it will take just five minutes’ peek into the corner bookstore hadn’t really taken five minutes. But blast it, that had been a good book. Hour well spent, if he did say—er, think so himself. Even if he had more work to finish in a week than he could possibly squeeze into the remaining one hundred and sixty-seven hours.

Who: Dessicant and Chloe
Where: Lake Superior
When: 8AMish

It was a good morning. Breezy, which was nice, not too hot but not cold at all. The air tasted clean with a hint of rain in the distance, but not close enough for comfort. He had his morning free-- his idiot employer was going to be out until noon, since he had been up until all hours of the night playing-- so he could go hunting with Mike. Best of all, though, it was a school day. So there was no Peyton Marsh running down the beach to intercept him.

Not that he really minded, since she was amusing and a fun object of the random curse now and then. But too much of her meant too much nice, and that just ruined his whole day.

That morning, though, Dessicant had left the lakeshore without interruption. He had gotten all the way out to the cold, deep middle of the lake before settling himself just below the waves and just... floated, the tip of his nose and part of his spread frill above-water so he could breathe but the rest happily submerged. With an expected good day ahead of him, he could relax a bit until he tackled it.

Who: Aiden and Shannon
When: Afternoon
Where: Bar and Grill

Who: Jovie and Judiel
When: mid-morning
Where: Tourville Apts.

Judiel had woken up in good spirits. Which was getting to be more and more the norm for him. Not that he was complaining or anything. Quite the opposite, really. Things were going really well: work was good, guild was good, and best of all he (sort of) had a girlfriend. Thinking about Olivia in any capacity always made him smile, so he ended up doing it a lot. No matter what his mother said. He'd gotten up and headed down to take a swim first thing. It was invigorating, and he was feeling awesome by the time he got out and toweled off. Awesome and hungry. He considered going down to Mya's for breakfast, to see if she was there and stuff his face, but he wasn't sure if she'd be okay with that or not yet. He'd have to remember to ask if she minded him dropping by to see her. It wasn't like they'd stated anything officially yet or anything, but ... yeah, he didn't know. Judi hoped to see her tonight, though, at least.

He headed back toward the stairs to his floor, whistling a bit, towel draped over one shoulder, enjoying the feel of his t-shirt starting to stick to his back and letting his mind wander. It was gonna be a good day.

Who: Thom and Kurt
Where: The Inbetween
When: Time is meaningless here, but after the Thom/Kaysen/Isaac scene

Thom located the man standing on his own a ways up the passageway. He understood the need for solitude, but he was fighting his own need. He had things to do - others who needed him, even if it was only to shout at. He would keep it together for them - he would go and see the guy, Kurt, get a light and... he hadn't actually thought any further on than getting Kaysen something to burn. He was one step at a time guy, it seemed, here. But that was all he had, and so he took the step, walking up to Kurt and stepping into his line of sight. "I was wondering if I could borrow your lighter, sir?" he asked, formal and polite.

Who: Dorian and Delilah
When: lateish afternoon
Where: Nevermore, then a coffee shop

Delilah had been disturbed to hear that, in the direct wake of two teenage murders, four more children were missing. They were older children, granted, but with the horror of what had happened previously, she couldn't help but hug the few kids in her small shared classroom a little tighter as they left. Things were just ... awful. In that regard. She knew it all had a purpose somewhere down deep in the fabric of reality, but still, you couldn't avoid being affected. After getting home and changing into some more comfortable shoes, she'd decided to take a walk to clear her mind. She harnessed up Alexi and left the house, heading into the downtown proper. She'd learned a good number of the buildings, what they were. She knew where the places she frequented were by heart. However, her thoughts had wandered so far by the time that she slowed to a stop in front of Nevermore that she wasn't quite sure where she was anymore.

"Oh dear," she murmured to herself, biting her lower lip for a moment before she started feeling for the door. Delilah walked in and inhaled, immediately recognizing the place as a bookstore. Oh lovely, she was sure someone here could give her directions.

After the mess of the morning's events, Dorian had taken the toy chest out of Nevermore and put it in the trunk of his car. It hadn't taken long to understand that it was causing his customers problems with entering the shop, and that was something he'd prefer not to deal with for the time being. The afternoon was going along smoothly though, and he looked up from his current reading material as someone entered the shop. Dorian paused and considered his predicament. She appeared to be blind, and he was almost positive he didn't carry anything she could read. "Can I help you?" he asked. Maybe there was something else he could do instead.

Who: Eury and Ash
When: late afternoon
Where: Eury's place

Ash was supposed to wait until he closed down the shop before he wandered over to see the girl. Eury. Dread-locked and tattooed and with an eye condition and antiques. He technically did wait for a while, puttering around and wasting time until around four o'clock, when he couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't like he had anything huge to do anyway, it was all just shit work. So he closed the bay doors, locked up, and tromped upstairs to take a shower. After a brief pop-off a the liquor store, he was set with a six pack of something that most everybody liked to drink, and a bottle of burbon. If she didn't approve of either, he could always go back out, after all. Ash found Stone Eye Antiques again with no problem, and stubbed his smoke out on the side of the building with his free hand before he pushed on in through the door.

Eury happened to still be in the shop proper, though she hadn't had any customers in ages. It was that time of the afternoon where everyone was fucked off at work or home. So, she was having a lazy sort of afternoon, rearranging things in the shop on the shelves. When she heard the bell, she looked over, then beamed as she saw who it was. Bouncing(carefully) on over to the glass door, she opened it up, seeing him there in the small entry way that lead to both her shop and the stairwell up to her apartment. "Lookie who we have here!" she said brightly, clearly pleased. "Ooh, do you come bearing gifts?"

who: joshua and lullaby
where: school to lullaby's house
when: after school

Lullaby had gone back to school after she'd walked Sammy home. Which was probably weird, but she did it anyhow. She'd gotten back for last hour, not that she had paid the slightest bit of attention to it. Her mind was elsewhere, as she gazed out the window. Not even she could say where it had been, just that it was nowhere near Geometry. When class ended, she headed outside. She hadn't bothered to put her backpack back into her locker after the walk, so it was shrugged over one shoulder as she exited the building, walking slightly slower than everyone else. She was half looking for friends. Charlotte, Dean...maybe Isaac, even if she knew he wasn't going to be there. She had to look anyhow. Not seeing anyone she was looking for, she headed down the steps then off onto the side lawn away from the crowd, never really liking being in one in the first place.

Joshua had gone to the school to wait for her, about a half hour before it let out. He wasn't sure exactly where she'd be coming out of, but he wanted to be there for her. She was having a really hard time with everything, and it wasn't like he wasn't, but she was more important than he was. So, he'd sat on the side lawn where he'd met her for lunch until he heard the final bell ring, then gotten up to mill around and look for her. Which was kind of difficult, she was short, and there were a bunch of people around, but his roaming gaze caught her finally, breaking away from everyone. Joshua weaved through people and hurried toward her. He reached out and tugged on the loop-strap of her backpack to get her attention.

Who: Buttah and Socko
When: noonish
Where: home
Warning: NSFWish

Buttahfly went straight home after visiting the funeral home. She was serious about getting a shower, she hadn't felt so ... scuzzy in a long time. That, and she had to talk to her man. She pulled the car up in the driveway and turned it off, getting out and slamming the door behind her with a little more force than was absolutely necessary. Jaw set, she strode up to the front door and unlocked it, walking in. There was just something about the entire encounter, despite the fact that she'd baited Jace into it all, that just got her hackles up. They were gonna kill that motherfucker, that was for damn sure. She shut and locked the door behind her, dropping her purse and starting to toe out of her sneakers. "Baby, I'm home!" she called, not looking up. Maybe he wasn't even here. "We gotta talk!"

Generally, Socko wouldn't be home at this time; his day normally got going not long before this with a late wake-up, some leftovers for breakfast and a joint. Then it was just a matter of stuffing into his shoes and hitting the streets in search of people to sell his sundries to. Today though, Socko had only made it to the late waking point. He'd rolled out of bed like usual, scratching his fuzz-covered cheeks and yanking open drawers to find a clean shirt, and though it had taken a few minutes to register, Socko had spotted something wrong. Bu had a few hiding spots for blades, no doubt; emergencies in case something ever followed them. But the only one Socko was concerned with was the drawer, with it's empty sheaths where there should've been razor-sharp steel.

She'd gone hunting. Without him. And he knew that even if he could find her, it wouldn't be in time if something happened. So instead Socko had hopped right back onto the bed with his rolling tray and one of her knives, and sat there still as he worked at rolling an absurdly large blunt. It was a calming action, something that kept him from blindly searching for her as he hoped instead for what had just happened, a safe return. "In here," he called as he heard Bu's entrance, wishing he'd spent a little less time rolling and a little more thinking on how to voice his worry and concern for when this moment arrived.

Hey Billy, it's Syn. I know I'm not supposed to call you on anything, but I wanted to let you know that the dreams stopped last night. I don't know if it's a permanent fix or not, but we didn't have them last night, and we got into the mine, and all that bullshit. Hopefully it's over. I just wanted to check in. Call me sometime.

who: seph and syn
where: dreamscape
when: early morning

Who: Lullaby and Sammy
Where: Steps outside MSHS
When: After lunch

Lullaby didn't actually intend to return to class after lunch. Her mind was far too all over the place to concentrate on anything she would be required to in class, so it was a really moot point. She was worried. Incessantly worried. Isaac she couldn't stop thinking about, and how he was gone, and he was like her. There wasn't anything he had going on for him, nothing supernatural that he could fall back on and he was just gone. She knew if it were her, she'd be feeling lost and out of her depth to an insane degree.

That was, if they weren't all dead.

Who: Corwin and Mya
Where: A coffee shop
When: 6PM

Going for coffee in a diner where the person he was going for coffee with worked was one thing. Going for coffee someplace he'd never actually been in where he had no guarantees that he'd be safe, not stared at, not recognized, not kicked out, not whatever was something else. And now Mya knew exactly what he was, which was something else to worry about. Would she act differently? Would she even show up?

The vampire waited, restless and nervous and quite alone, as neither ghost was around, at the corner outside the coffee shop. He had his hands in his pockets and his scarf wrapped up snugly around his face, looking around hopefully for the at least somewhat-familiar blond woman.

Who: Stacey and Sammy
Where: MHS Cafeteria
When: Lunchtime

Who: Geo and Jericho
Where: 1142 Northrup Street, aka Jericho's home and office
When: circa 4:00 pm, sharp!

It was 3:57 PM and Geo stood at the front porch at the address he'd been emailed, pulling his tie straight. He hated ties - hated suits - but after eight jobs, twelve interviews, well. He'd learned a thing or two. Places like offices, people like doctors, were more likely to hire if you at least looked vaguely professional.

Which was why his room was currently chewing at his mind. He'd left it a wreck, in order to find the box that had had his suit, find the right one for the tie, and the third for his shoes. That had taken some time, and, well, after showering he hadn't managed to get it back to clean. Not even close. And his subconscious knew it, too.

Who: Dorian and Jocelyn
Where: Nevermore
When: 9:45 AM

It had been his first dreamless night in what felt like weeks, and when Dorian rose for work Monday morning, he realized it was the first good night's sleep he'd had since the dreams started. Now that they'd taken their leave, perhaps things could get back to normal, though he still had the toy chest to worry about. Rather than leave it at home, Dorian packed it in the back of his car and drove it to work, setting it on the table in the center of the store. Once he got the shop opened and everything set, he'd get to looking at it, but there were things to attend to before then. The shop had been closed all day Sunday, with both he and Harper down at the mine, and there was a tiny bit of catching up to do.

Who: Jace and Konnor
When: Monday late afternoon/early evening
Where: The Barton house

After the visitation of the young University reporter, the afternoon had flown by for Jace. He'd finished cleaning up the mess in the main building as much as possible, and was relieved by the second shift of workers. With the entire grounds quarantined all weekend, there was a line of bodies in need of cremating, which gave Jace the perfect excuse to lock the doors and appear too busy for interruptions. With four bodies in all, Jace picked a few choice pieces from each and was quite well fed by the time he locked up.

He walked home with a full belly, thinking up ways to track down Ms. Krystal, terrorize Ms. Olivia, and get back at Corwin. Underneath it all though, was a need to start looking for Konnor. Walking up the front steps of their home, Jace slipped the key into the lock, and pushed open the door.