Astronomika - Shooting Down Falling Stars (IC)

[Frantic Author]

Alexstrasza Lockhart
Location: Road's End - Streets
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain



I frowned, looking at Travis with unblinking wide eyes as I crossed my arms.

"To me, it is you lot who are the strange ones," I said, blowing a stray strand of hair out of my eyes. "Frankly, I can't understand half of what you do. Elaine and I have... An understanding."

I should really try to speak to her at some point, but doesn't she seem really busy? I don't want to bother Elaine. Maybe if I bribe her with a treat?

"Hmm... Perhaps if I brought the tiny morsel to her... Then maybe we could become closer friends!"

Travis looked deep into my eyes, so I naturally stared back as he spoke.

"I believe her name was... Tiberia Stetanto? She is apparently some kind of personal doctor for Cesarina."

I vividly remembered her eyes when she looked at me and frowned.

"She is... A person who is easy to dislike, suffice to say. She was also..."

I tried to remember what the woman looked like.

"Very... Green? Yes! She was a green person. She appeared after Professor Leuzinger called her, so she must have already been around."

I looked around surreptiously before leaning in close to whisper something to Travis.

"Between you and I, Travis I've started to suspect that we are all just experiments in some kind of mad scheme! A grand and devious sort of machination that stretches across all of Road's End, perhaps even further! We were brought here for a reason, after all!"

I looked at him with wide shining eyes, my body shaking a bit as I stared at him.

"And isn't that... Isn't that so terribly exciting?! Except for the part where Cesarina is involved. I'll kill anyone who hurts her, but that's only natural."

I closed my eyes, nodding with a contented smile. It was good to have friends.

[Mormarth]

Elaine Winters
Location: The Lighthouse
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

I squinted, my frown deepening.

"Haah?"

I let out a noise of pure aggravation as I took in his words and the televisions scattered across the room.

"We're all in danger, idiot. End of the week's coming, and at this point, ain't none of us gonna make it through, most likely. At this point, it's probably too late to do anything about it."

My frown turned into an outright scowl.

"An' I didn't walk all the way across town after having some trippy-ass detention that ended in that jackass fading away like the morning dew, leaving me to haul my sorry ass over here looking for your rusted bumper, just to get a 'nooo go awayyyyy', from you."

"So we're gonna sit here, and we're gonna talk, and we're gonna figure this shit out. I don't give a hairy asshole about some washed up ghost with a chip on his shoulder," I twitched my eyes to the sailor's phantom in front of me, "No offense. But I have had an exceptionally bad day, in this place which seems to produce a fucking bumper crop of shitty days."

I remembered something of John's words from the car.

'Dot F. Loonwaters has a taste for eyes'.

My eyes fell on my friend's new bandage.

"This place is a cursed beacon for the dead, it's a prison of souls, a blight on the land. It's not safe for you to be here by yourself, might lose an eye or something."

I put one foot forward.

"Please, what's wrong? Just talk to me. It's too late now, you know how this works."

I smiled at him.

"You're a human being, right? So I gotta help you out, it's the kind of person I am, Mr. Shining Armor."

[Cheetose]

Hisa Momoi
Location: Near McLampet Estate - Servants' House
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

[Far as I’m aware, there are many ways for a spirit to linger behind...even more so under circumstances like this,] I thought as I raised an eyebrow slightly, [Though that certainly sounds like the most convenient explanation. Granted...something feels odd here.]

Looking away from the scene, I lean against the wall as my eyes trace the form of Sakura;

[The way some people described the...or one of the vengeful spirits here, it is supposed to have a wicked, ever present smile, and is missing their left eye. It’s supposed to haunt people’s dreams here, which takes place in the Ghostwood forest, and take their left eyes, an injury that manifests in the real world as well. But...with how the story went, doesn’t that sound more like Indrid, instead of this Allene? But if that is the case, then where exactly does Allene come into the picture?]

Of course, it is entirely possible that something else happened to Indrid since then, but right now, it sounds exactly like one too many vengeful spirit haunting this town…

[At any rate, it sounds like this story is over. I had some questions that I would have liked her to elaborate upon…]

My attention turns back towards Barney, and while still conversing with Sakura, I focus for a moment to establish yet another connection.

[But after that, we should move on. Somehow, I feel that we can throw the assumption about the McLampets being vampires out the window...and after this, I am not even sure if Josie is even really a player in this mystery. Still, the manor might be worth checking out.]

But for now…

Yes.

Questions.

I’m sure some of these would occur to him naturally, but a few little nudges won’t hurt, just to make sure that he asks them. For example...Patient Zero. Yes, you remember that the Girl in Blue was somehow associated with that name. This is where you assumed that the government and the military came into play too, but why, exactly? Didn’t Beatrice say that the Girl in Blue first appeared with a military escort?

Then...the name Indrid Cold, you mentioned it just today. Rumours about them wandering about town, approaching people and asking them questions about the Girl in Blue. Doesn’t that just sound weird?

So does Daniel Cooper. You heard about the plane incident. How Jake mentioned some Cooper being responsible for the newspaper in town. Could it be connected?

What about Jack Parsons? And Halloway? What happened to them afterwards? They were infatuated with Allene, but unlike Howard, they did not die...so how exactly did they take it?

And Beatrice herself. You heard someone mention it. Why exactly does she spend so much time at the lighthouse, especially if she considers it the place that this spirit haunts?

One by one, I guided him towards realizing these questions, and once finished, I leaned back again, waiting for the interview to continue. Really, it was a rather roundabout solution...but perhaps this was the most fair for everyone.

---

Hisa Momoi (Sakura)
Location: McLampet Saw Mill
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

“Finally, someone who understands it,” said the doll cheerfully as it extended its small arm to pat the man on the shoulder, “Not that we could really tell you for a nature lover on first glance. But if you are russian, we could see why you would appreciate a change of scenery like this.”

Pulling back its arm, the doll moved its hand to its chin instead, and started rubbing it as if deep in thought, all the while tilting its head, and even leaning to the right and left with its whole body, observing the man from every angle.

“An important person, aren’t you? A scientist or something, you look too notable to just be someone sent out to gather things,” the doll started its assessment, “You also look quite unfazed by running into us here, and you are here, of all places, to begin with, certainly quite interesting…”

Seemingly realizing how its curiosity got the better of it to the point where it even forgot about proper manners, the doll let out an embarrassed cough, then curtsied, with the wooden footwear clacking on the concrete once more.

“You can call us Sakura.”

[Verg Avesta]

Hisa Momoi
Location: Near McLampet Estate - Servants' House
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

"I... see. That is... quite the tale."

Barney wiped some sweat off his forehead and rummaged through his bag for a plastic bottle of mineral water, which he hungrily gulped down. Perhaps this was the time he needed something other than tea, though judging by his emotional state, he was ready to hit a whole other type of bottle right at this moment. The man had certainly expected some answers to the many questions he had, but to receive such a mysterious tale and for it to raise even further questions... perhaps Barney was starting to realize he was bit over his head here.

But still, once he had emptied half of the bottle with one gulp, the man pressed forward. Not simply because Hisa had nudged the questions into his mind, but now that he had recovered a bit, that curious flame within him had flared up once more. And it was the girl who stoked that fire.

"Still... I have some questions, if you don't mind," Barney continued, flicking his pen open and close a few times while shooting Beatrice a pointed look. "Clarifications, if you will."

Beatrice simply hummed with some amusement.

"Mm, I bet you do. Fine, shoot away," the old woman said and leaned back. "Ask what comes to mind."

"Well, first of all... how much do you know about military's involvement with Allene McLampet? They were the ones trying to ship her away in the first place, and if I add what I know of the Ourang Medan to this whole deal, then it sounds like that something happened at the East-Asian waters... something that left only Howard McLampet and her as the survivors of that incident," Barney started. "A partner of mine had done some digging around and found out that the girl in this picture, Allene McLampet, had been known also as Patient Zero. Do you know anything about this?"

Beatrice nodded, but only slightly.

"Yes, I think I heard that term as well. The soldiers who escorted her to the harbor back then certainly called her that. Though what it truly means is... well, something I do not know. Miss Allene never talked about her past, and never brought it up. Neither did I ever ask... for obvious reasons. Though with the way she acted, it did not seem like she was a local," the old woman answered. "Perhaps you would have better luck interviewing some of the members of the End's Mercy Hospital. It, well, it seems like a medical term, does it not? Though, now that I remember... there was another time the term was mentioned. Back some, ah... twenty-one years ago. I believe I heard the term back then, but in what context, I cannot say. I only remember..."

The old woman pursed her lips a bit.

"... That it was the old janitor of Pinefall, Billie Boulders, who mentioned it."

Barney's surprise was clear, and judging by his foremost thoughts, he seemed to immediately establish a possible connection to the Pinefall High Massacre that had happened at that same year.

"I see, I see..." Barney hummed, nodding slightly. "Another thing I wanted to ask was about Indrid Cold herself. Did you know that she's been apparently sighted around the town, asking people about the same things I have? Have you heard anything about that?"

This time, Beatrice simply shook her head.

"I'm afraid not. I've heard the rumours, but honestly, I've paid not too much mind to them. Those that have seen her have, after a little pressing, gotten the feeling they've only dreamt about her. Not to mention... she would certainly not look now as she did all those years ago," Beatrice said with a hint of a chuckle. "The last I remember of that woman is that after everything was said and done, she was escorted out of the town by the military. Or at the very least, I presumed it was the military - the cars had the word 'ATSC' branded onto their sides."

More sounds of scribbling filled the air as Barney continued to write.

"I see, so she was gotten to by the Man..." Barney grumbled, sounding a little displeased. "Then, what about Daniel Cooper? I'm sure you heard of the incident back in the 70's. Could that have been the same man? Would he have any reason to hijack a plane for ransom?"

Beatrice let out a little sigh, a sound that made her sound unsure as well.

"I'm... not sure. In all honesty, Daniel changed a lot after the incident," the old woman admitted. "He became more sullen and shut himself off from the rest of the community. Perhaps the guilt hit him the hardest. He enlisted to the military himself and headed off to Vietnam... and that was the last we ever saw of him. And yes, I did hear of that incident, and if I'm honest, I wouldn't put it past him. He was... fearless. I could see him doing something like that. But yes, while he loved this town up until his high school years, it may be that the love ran out after the dust had settled regarding Allene McLampet. If... if you want to try and see if there are any clues left of his whereabouts, I would suggest visiting his old family house. It's been abandoned for a long time now, but it lies in the forest near the Pinefall High School. Who knows? Perhaps Daniel left some clues as to what he was planning on doing after coming back from the war..."

Barney made a special note about the abandoned Cooper house, marking it down and circling the location that had been given to him. From the sounds of it, it shouldn't lie too far away from the dorms themselves. Barney debated a bit to himself whether he should bother the students again to help him search for the place, but then decided against it... at least for now.

"Speaking of people, what about the other two from those ensnared by Allene McLampet? Jack Parsons and James Halloway?" Barney continued. "What happened to them after all this?"

A somewhat difficult-to-read expression appeared to Beatrice's face in response.

"Hrmm... well. Jack Parsons, for better or for worse, never got to see the end. From what I understand, he died ten years prior to Howard. Apparently it was due to an explosion in his home laboratory, but there has been... questions left behind by the incident. Neither James nor Howard ever mentioned him afterwards. Perhaps out of respect, perhaps due to... other reasons, but I believe only they know the truth," she replied. "As for James Halloway he... well. You've most likely seen how he is these days. Holed up in that rotting castle of a hotel of his, never leaving, stuck in the past. When Allene died, it was as if time itself had stopped for him. He became a recluse, to the point that even his life and children left him. Perhaps it was lucky for him that his sister's family started looking after him. And nowadays, his niece has become almost like a second daughter to him... though he has hardly changed his reclusive ways. I believe that the death of Allene left a hole in his life that could not be filled."

Considering what was known of the Halloway family partiarch and what Hisa had seen at the hotel, this was hardly surprising. And even that room she had seen... it was certainly akin to a separate world from the rest of the hotel, and the rest of the town. One could easily see the old man shutting himself off there for years on end, not coming out due to whatever feelings still lingering with his heart.

"Lastly... Mrs. Beatrice, I'd have a question about you," Barney finally said, lifting his sunglasses-covered eyes to meet those of the old woman. "From what I hear, you've been seen around the lighthouse a lot... the very same lighthouse you spoke of as cursed. Why... is that?"

The silence that reigned after the question was short and muffled by the rain.

But, eventually, the old woman smiled.

"... Perhaps I see it as my penance," Beatrice replied. "To keep watch over the place where it all might have started... and to appease the spirits that may still gather there. I know of at least one, an old, old spirit who keeps watch over the town. And has, for a long, long time."

Again, Sakura looked at Hisa with a hint of curiosity when she heard this. Judging by Beatrice's voice... while she may not have known about the true purpose of the lighthouse, she knew of the spirits - at least some of them - who gathered there.

---

Prushka
Location: Big Boy's Gas Station
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Rob's chuckling sounded almost refreshed from the other end of the line.

"Fine, fine... understood. It's all a big maybe, and perhaps the new environment has just put your head for a spin - along with the aforementioned puberty. Once you've gotten your bearings back, it's back to business as usual," the man said, and the smile on his face was clear from the tone of his voice. "A-after all, we all know you're much more natural as a brat, so you should do as is best for you."

There was definite teasing in that voice, which was almost unheard of when it came to the man nicknamed Darwin. Then again, this was a new situation for them both, so perhaps he was just getting a bit even from all the times before. Nevertheless, it was said by a man without a single mean bone in his body, so while it was certainly teasing, there was no harshness to it. If anything, it was just like an adult needling a child with a smile on their face.

A rather refreshing mental image in this day of dreary rain.

"I wonder where we went wrong...?" Darwin sighed exaggeratedly, and chuckled. "You were the one in charge of emotions, but you never did become emotionally mature... then again, maybe this puberty of yours can work miracles!"

He was having way too much fun.

"Guess it's just another thing to measure!"

Still, while laughing like this was nice, Robert did know that there were other things to talk about. Namely...

"W-well, that all aside, what is up, then? You mentioned your possible puberty wasn't the only thing you wanted to talk about?" He asked, switching gears a little bit. "Was there something else on your mind? Or has something happened over there?"

[Bloble]

Prushka
Location: Big Boy's Gas Station
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

"Darwiiiiiiin."

I don't often use that nickname, 'cus it's a bit mean. But right now a bit of meanness is exactly what this human needs!

"Hmph, I won't forget what you just said! But you're off the hook for now. Or at least until I come back."

Truthfully, I can't imagine what I'll be like in a year. But if I miss everyone back home, even a little... maybe they miss me too?

...nah, that's probably not the case. I was pretty awful to them, after all.

"W-well, that all aside, what is up, then? You mentioned your possible puberty wasn't the only thing you wanted to talk about? Was there something else on your mind? Or has something happened over there?"

"Oh, right!"

Train of thought halts. Switches over to the other track. Starts up again.

"So, I've been going around town a bit, exploring, getting to know the other students, that kinda stuff, and some weird names have popped up."

I mentally thumb through the dossier in my head. It's incomplete, full of holes. Many are just names with no context attached to them.

"Let's see. Elliot Challenger, Dakota Discovery... those two are researchers associated with the army, aren't they? I think they came up in my lessons. Kampff, Feroce... European bionics and arms manufacturers. Then a bunch of Air Force bases. Fairchild, Montauk, Maxwell... And of course, weird names and acronyms I've got no clue about, like Satel, DDS and Gottlieb Pharmaceutical... all of them are either in Road's End, or being talked about. It hasn't even been a week."

It's a downright suspicious number of people to be connected to a small town like Road's End.

I sigh. "Rob... did you only get clearance to send me here because there was already government business going on in Road's End?"

That's the most logical explanation. The Institute shouldn't have been so easily convinced to lengthen my leash. Especially after what happened to the rest of my batch.

"I won't be mad if that's the case. It must've been hard even getting the paperwork done. Just... I'd prefer not to be in the dark about who these people are if I'm going to be spending the rest of the year in the same town as them."

[Kuroyuki]

Vier Wolff
Location: McLampet Saw Mill
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

While the doll went to approach the man below, I took the opportunity to make a quick sweep of the place. While I didn’t take it slow enough to analyze the area with a fine tooth comb, I could fairly assume that no one has approached the saw mill in ‘this’ week. The lack of a broken lock or the smell of gunpowder partially confirmed some of my hypotheses. Fyrtio was looping somehow or another. Whether it was because she was Zieg or via some other means is still unconfirmed. Regardless, Fyrtio would be a great asset or one of our worst enemies.

Eventually, I saw the doll entering the factory and took an overwatch position. Initial contact seems to be good and amicable. However, despite his appearance of being harmless, his reaction. Yes, he was surprised at the sudden appearance of a walking talking doll. However, beyond his initial surprise and confusion, he didn’t see anything wrong with this situation. Instead, he was calmly talking to it as if there was nothing wrong with it. With that kind of reaction, I could only assume he was associated with the Turnside or some kind of paranormal investigators like the Omkaras.

While I wouldn’t mind revealing myself to him if he truly was harmless… I wasn’t so trusting of someone who reacted that way to the doll and was investigating this kind of place so nonchalantly. So for the time being, I’ll just observe the two… Everything went fine until he bent down to talk to the doll on a more equal level… From here, I couldn’t watch Sakura or deal with the man. With that thought in mind, I quietly moved through the second floor in order to reposition myself to be able to watch over the two once again.

[Cheetose]

Hisa Momoi
Location: McLampet Estate - Servants' House
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Intriguing.

Hardly were there any answers to what was going on in the present, but it certainly gave a better insight into the past. Shed light to some figures that clearly played a key role, even if some of them sounded rather controversial…

And more importantly, it gave another reason for why talking to Billie might be worth the time, other than just the fact that she was a rather pleasant person. On the surface, at least…

Still, while there were other questions that might have been worth asking, now was certainly not the best time. She was already quite generous with information, and anything more would have already been unrelated to the topic of the interview.

[Let’s go, before they start packing things up,] I warned Sakura as I gestured towards the other end of the hallway, [Don’t want to get caught, and sneaking up to the mansion might even be easier while Beatrice is still busy with this guy.]

That was if we were going with the plan, at least…

But what exactly could I expect to find in there, anyways?

Most of my suspicions for why I wanted to look in there were more or less cleaned up, if we could believe Beatrice’s words…

[We’re leaving. The interview was certainly quite interesting, in a sense,] I formed the thoughts, this time, to contact Pyry, [Everything okay out there? I think we’ll be moving up to the manor now.]

[Ayakashi]

"There's no need for that. In fact, that'd just be making things overly complicated in the long run. A hasty lie leaves short tracks, and all that. You can just act as my partner in this. In other words, no need to come up with a cover story for no reason whatsoever."

Going in without any form of obfuscation? That was also one way to handle the situation: ultimately Vivienne is... mostly a nobody to the average person. A movie goer might know her but these should be far and between at Road's End... the main exception being Travis... Travis... someone who she should maybe try to talk to some time as well.

But coming back to Vivenne's identity, it was true that unless they had gotten clues similar to Elaine, there would be little reason for any individual to show a vested interest in Vivienne.

"As for the person themselves... no. Not exactly. I know who they are and know what sort of information they're supposed to bring me, but that's about it. Still, since we don't know him too well, be on your guard. Look for anything suspicious... but don't be suspicious yourself. Just keep your wits about you, that's all."

By the sound of it, standing guard and listening attentively to the exchange between Alex and the Informant would be the best course of action here. Oh, and of course, taking action if for some reason Vivienne's 'other' skill set was somehow required... and as they spoke of the devil, it would seem that they had arrived...

...or not really? 'Barney Keyhoe' was a name that Vivenne mentally bookmarked for future reference -- it was possible that the others that had been investigating might have heard of that name. She figured that whenever she would have the time again it would be worth to start an inquiry about that name... but for now, the important matters at hand were the identity and the 'genuineness' of the man before Alex and her. Someone bearing the name 'Orion'... did he not give his family name, or was that just a pseudonym similarly to how Vivienne went about as 'Persona'? Or perhaps that those that christened him liked Greek Mythology.

Vivienne scrutinized him to see if she could pick up anything strange or spot anything that would ring some alarm bells, but other than this out of place name and him being an unexpected liaison she couldn't really pick up anything of interest via observation... for now.

Perhaps it was best to wait.

Though an interesting link that Vivienne had made via mental gymnastics with her knowledge of Greek mythos, was that Orion was the God of Hunting, and that he had a rather famous Dog, Sirius. Of course, Sirius was not prominent in the greek Mythos, instead being more famous for being the brightest star in the night sky but... if this man was Orion and Lobo was Sirius... this could lead to an interesting theory.

Of course this was all nothing more than that -- a theory. Vivienne was already doing a good job at trying to think like Alex!

Vivienne gives a brief, subtle glance to her Sherlock, dutifully playing her role as the Watson in this relationship. She shakes her head as if to pass on the unspoken message to Alex 'I can't see anything fishy... for now'. Still, through Vivienne's blank eyes Alex may still have understood certain undertone of caution being advised from Vivienne. One can never be too careful, especially with unknowns like this Orion...

There was also of course, the possibility that Alex Terrot might just be not understand anything that Vivenne was trying to imply wordlessly to her.

[Verg Avesta]

Hisa Momoi
Location: McLampet Manor
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

After spending a good long while in the pleasantly warm corridor drying up, slipping back into the cold rain wasn't exactly the most fun experience. Even Sakura frowned a little as she closed the door behind the two without making any noise.

[Oh? You gotta tell me more about it back in the car,] Pyry's response came almost immediately, though Hisa could it feel it being tinged with a little bit of annoyance. [And yeah, we're fine out here. Gradient's been amusing herself with the local frog populace, which left me watching the big house and...]

Hisa could have sworn that what interrupted the mind message was a sneeze.

He really was like a cat left out in the rain...

[No movement so far. Josie McLampet retired to the second floor, where her bedroom must be. The nightlight's still on there, but that's it,] the boy continued. [Though, we did notice something else. Namely... the lights are on in another part of the house as well. Something that looks like a sitting room or a library on the third floor. Only, we haven't seen anyone there, and since Josie should be here alone...]

He left the words hanging in the air of the mindscape, full of meaning.

Yes, if Josie McLampet truly lived alone in the big mansion, why was there another room with lights on if she had retired to her bedroom? Was there someone else in the house? Who? Had she simply forgotten the lights on? That didn't sound likely, though there was always a miniscule chance. Yet at this point, after hearing all these tales and learning that the mansion certainly had its share of a dark history... well, it was easy for one's mind to start to wander into shadow-like possibilities hiding in the corners.

After all, hadn't Beatrice implied that Allene McLampet's room had been on the third floor...?

"Hisa. Pst. Look."

Sakura's voice pulled Hisa momentarily from her thoughts. As the two girls used the shadows of the undergrowth and the forest as their shield from any prying eyes, they had quickly crossed across the small estate. Then, with Sakura's lead, they had made a dash to the other side of the paved yard while staying low, avoiding anyone who could have been looking out of the windows. And now that they were this close...

--- Yes, Hisa saw it as well.

Light on the third floor window.

Definitely.

Warm like an oil lamp, or a candle light.

"I'll start working on the door..." Sakura quietly spoke as she slipped effortlessly from shadow to shadow, moving up to the main double doors leading inside. Thankfully, the balcony gave the duo some shield from the rain. "You think of what places we should check out first. I get the feeling that if we comb every inch of this house instead of focusing on few specific places, we're gonna risk getting caught."

With that, the girl fished something that looked like a set of lockpicks from her pocket, and started working on the lock.

---

Vier Wolff
Location: McLampet Saw Mill
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

"Ah, Miss Sakura. It's truly a pleasure to meet you."

Nikolai smiled gently at Sakura's good cheer, clearly happy that the person they had run across had turned out to be a like-minded individual. The man nodded a couple of times, as if affirming himself of this fact. Still, while he was squatting there on the ground, talking to the doll, this left his attention completely occupied. He was clearly unaware as Vier dashed from one shadow to another, taking a better place from where she had a vantage point of both of them - the doll and the man. Unfortunately, the further in she went, the less protection she had herself of any prying eyes. There was no reason for the man to look upwards and possibly spot her, but if she did something to draw attention to herself...

"A-and well, I can't say that I'm that important of a person, miss!" Nikolai continued, laughing a bit sheepishly. "I'm no scientist or a researcher. Heaven's, I'm not even that smart in the grand scheme of things! I'm just someone who can do their job relatively well, that's all."

As if slightly embarrased, he scratched the back of his head.

"That being said, I suppose not being fazed by the unexpected is also one of my few talents in life. I just aim to take everything in a stride," the young man spoke again. "Especially when dealing with delightfully beautiful young ladies such as you, Miss Sakura. I must admit, someone as bright as a flower in this rain-coated forest is truly a sight for the sore eyes."

Honestly, it was the type of blatant flattery that made it hard to not roll one's eyes when hearing it. That being said, the man spoke it with such genuine emotion that it was hard to judge if he truly was just running his mouth, or simply happened to be a sap who believed in everything he said - even if it was such sweet nothings that they were close to being trite.

Perhaps he was simply old-fashioned and a little bit naive?

"Still, while I may not be important, my job rather is. Not just for my own sake, but for the sake of everyone wherever I go. A bit of a darker side to such things, but alas, that's just how it goes," Nikolai added, lifting himself up from the ground. "Actually, I think you might be able to help me a bit, Miss Sakura - since you seem to know these woods and this area better than I do."

The man put his hands on his hips and smiled widely.

"Would you happen to know where I can find a woman named Anna Vandemeel? She's an extremely dangerous criminal on the run from the law, and I've been tasked with bringing her back - dead or alive. Preferrably the latter."

And asked such a question that did not fit the smile or the tone of his voice in the least.

---

Colt Davin & Liana Skye
Location: Spade Queen Country Club
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

"Golf course? Out in this rain?"

Cathie folded her arms across her chest and shot a raised eyebrow at Liana.

"You serious? Or rather, is dummy over here the type of guy to know such weirdos?" She asked, throwing a bit of a verbal needle towards Colt like it had become an ingrained habit. "Oh what am I saying... he's exactly that type of guy, isn't he? Even that poor Tris is acting all weird when he's involved, so I can only imagine what sort of crew he's assembled at your school..."

Of course, while her tongue was as sharp as ever, the girl didn't exactly sound like she was insulting him seriously. If anything, it was just her way of having fun... a thing that Liana noticed clearly from the way the redhead smiled whenever she spoke out such words, often accompanied by a surreptitious sideways glance at the boy.

However, that was not the only thing that Liana noticed. While they stood there, thinking of what their next move should be, she managed to overhear some of the stuff that Agent Ferguson and Hawthorn were talking about. The two men had descended into some intense conversation, spoken with hushed voices... intense to the point that for the moment, Hawthorn had actually forgotten about Colt and the rest of them completely.

"Oh? Are you saying that I should run a background check on all of them?"

"Well, something like that. Couldn't hurt to be too careful, no?"

"Perhaps not, but suspicion without reason is hardly the way a federal employee should do things..."

"See, that's the thing. If you just go by this like normal, you won't find anything. The skeletons in the closet here aren't squeaky clean - the type you'd see at biology class."

"Haha, you're starting to sound like my assistant, Mr. Hawthorn."

"Heh, if you say so. But listen... I'm talking about some stuff that's never seen the light of day. 'Parricide' might not be the right term, but it's damn close to it---"

A sudden noise whisked Liana's attention away from the distant conversation.

"Oh! Wait... is something wrong with your compass, Colt?"

Cathie looked at the trinket that the boy was holding with a bit of a dumbfounded face. The moment he had opened it up, the thing had started spinning wildly, before ending pointing towards the boy himself. Then, after few seconds of staying still, it had spun angrily around once more, and this time, ended up pointing towards one of the corridors that had multiple signs next to it. Kitchen, restaurant, and last of them, a bar...

As for the arrow, it was almost like it was screaming.

'This way, you dunce!'

---

Elise Pelltier
Location: Pinefall High Campus
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

[Wahahaha~!]

As if in response to Elise's thoughts, she suddenly heard the familiar laughter within her. A laughter that was boisterously loud, and sickeningly sweet, like rotting flowers on a dead meadow that was slowly encroaching to the forest of Elise's mind. In her hands, Elise could feel Tonkori tense up. The small dog let out a growl and aimed its eyes towards her face... no, not at her. The dog was looking something beyond her, growling at the sight of the presence that had suddenly flared up.

Subaru, the Child of Gods, watched quietly and with an impassive expression at what was going on - the glass-like eyes of hers observing the situation.

[Oh~? You want to talk, Girl? Well, you've been awfully chatty ever since we arrived here. In fact, I don't think we've talked this much ever since we became roommates, haven't we? After those first few nights of screaming and crying and begging for me to leave, you became much too boring,] LBJ cackled, and Elise could practically feel it hanging onto her shoulders, stepping in her shadow. [Well, that's fine, that's fine~! Let's talk, shall we? It's much better than to be the backseat driver to your sad life, watching as you squander every opportunity at a meaningful existence just because I've got you on speed-dial.]

Yes... this was it. This was the creature that had burrowed deep into Elise's head. The intrusive, violent impulse. The destructive thought with an ego of its own. A stray idea that could not be controlled by the mind it inhabited. A piece of evil, more or less.

Yet, as it talked right now, Elise could feel it. Something was different from before. This way of talking, this bravado and cruel, malicious joy it was presenting over her situation... it almost felt like a facade. Or perhaps, an act. It was like the demon was putting on a mask and acting like it was expected to, all so that she could face the intrusive, foreign, misanthropic element within her.

LBJ was making this too easy. Like it was gathering Elise's hatred to itself. Almost like painting a giant bullseye to its stomach.

[Just a fair warning though~!] The demon cooed to Elise's ear - so close that she could feel its scorching hot breath against her skin. [That shit about mastering yourself and taking a hold of both your darkness and your light? That's just utter crap. Sure, it might work on those turbo-charged ghosts they call demons in Asia, but here... oh here, Girl, we're speaking of things that are Biblical in proportions. In every meaning of the word. So don't expect some positive thinking and little Kumbaya is going to help you.]

She could see the rows upon rows of teeth grinning at her in the darkness of her heart.

[You're stuck with me for the long haul... Schoolgirl C. Because without me, that's all you are. Unremarkable. Meaningless. Worthless. Just a plain ol' nobody that can be replaced by anyone,] the demon softly growled, it's voice rumbling deep within her. [In a world of saints and deity-level tyke-bombs, of mental tyrants and atom bomb babies, you've got no place. Not unless I'm right there with you, holding your hand all the way~]

For some reason, even for LBJ, these words...

... They felt like a cliche.

[Spinach]

Colt Davin
Location: Spade Queen Country Club
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

“I’ll have you know that I’m perfectly capable of making… normal…” Colt peeled his eyes away from the locket in his hand, his voice trailing off as his rebuttal began to fall apart in his head. The image of Pyry drinking under the moonlight, memories of Hisa reading his mind, Lucille drawing a huge sword into her hands out of thin air, all those thoughts began to block him from saying what he wanted to say. The final nail in the coffin was Gradient, muuing and doing her odd reverberating laugh. “… Okay, you got me there.”

The boy admitted defeat with a slight smile, then returned to his locket.

"Oh! Wait... is something wrong with your compass, Colt?"

Cathie, whose eyes had turned to the compass as well, spoke up.

“I-I dunno,” he answered in honest amazement. The needle flickered and spun rapidly, chaotically, like usual, then stopped to point right at him. That could qualify as something wrong. After all, that needle pointing anywhere with purpose meant that it was acting out of the ordinary. “This thing, well, y’see it uh, never quite points in any single direction like this. So-“

With another spin the irate needle froze in place, pointing elsewhere. The words on Colt’s lips froze in place along with the needle, and he began looking up at the direction the needle directed him, then back to the needle, over and over. Blinking in surprise, he stared at the path he had been pointed toward.

“I ain’t questioning this thing anymore.” He tightened his grip on the locket, his feet obediently following the locket’s guidance . “I’m not missing her twice in a row.”

[Airen]

Liana Skye
Location: Spade Queen Country Club
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

"..."

---For a moment, silence.

Listening in on other people's conversations was simply one of those habits ingrained to you by life in the Turnside; knowledge was both wealth and power after all, the most valuable of commodities in a world drenched in mystery, and so...

You learn to listen if you're doing nothing else.

Parricide?

What are they talking about?

...And well, skeletons in closets were always interesting...

But...

Then this becomes a dilemma...

If this Luca is what she suspects it could be, such an entity is horrendously dangerous, in potential at least if not in actuality... It's the exact sort of entity you do not run across very often, something that's almost hypothetical, the sort of being that you're taught only probably exists...

So... Letting them go to it alone is... Problematic...

At the same time...

"..."

Colt doesn't have the marks that John had, there's still a brief sting of something she can't describe when she thinks about the events of last night, and...

"...Looks like you've found your path, then?"

...Really, it's not the middle of the night. What did she honestly think was gonna happen? If a fight started between her and this Luca, they'd wind up smashing the club to pieces, and that wouldn't be good for anybody... No, as absurd an existence as it probably was, it probably wasn't going to do anything particularly... Dangerous... So...

"In that case, I'll have to call a rain check on the rest, they're having an... Interesting conversation upstairs, and I did promise I'd meet with them tonight..."

Divide and conquer.

---Information was power after all, and they were running out of time in the week, so...

"So go on, I'll be in the building if you need me... Just..."

...She decides to trust them to take care of themselves.

In the worst case scenario she can intervene even from upstairs, so...

"...Try not to look her in the eyes alright?"

A bizarre piece of advice.

Made with the same mother-like tone as back at the doctor's...

[Verg Avesta]

Colt Davin
Location: Spade Queen - Cocktail Lounge
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Where the duo arrived could hardly be called a "bar" in any sense of the word.

It was, in all honesty, a proper cocktail lounge.

The dim, dirty golden lights, the velvet drapes, the table-surfaces so shiny that you could see your own reflection on them. The carpets smelling faintly of tobacco and whiskey, the grand piano squatting in the shadows of the corner, the bottles of foreign alcohol sitting on the shelf with brands no one had ever heard. It was all like stepping into another world. One veiled with cigarette smoke and adorned by the music of a distant saxophone, lonesome in the night. And to top it all off, there were no other patrons in the lounge. No lonesome businessmen drinking for their wasted youths, no perfurmed old ladies sighing for a future long lost, not even an old moustachioed bartender behind the corner, slowly drying a wine glass with a towel.

No, it was just the two of them, Colt and Cathie.

"Man... I so feel like I don't belong here," Cathie muttered quietly, as if not wanting to break the heavy atmosphere of the room. "You sure that this is where we're supposed to be...?"

Perhaps the place was intimidating, perhaps she was afraid that some employee would pop up out of nowhere, but Cathie moved a little bit closer to Colt. Normally she would have never done not, that even as a joke, but now her instincts seemed to have taken control. So all-encompassing was the atmosphere of the lounge that they had entered - like pushing aside a red velvet veil and entering a world unto itself. A pocket dimension of long lost tales and a getaway from the normal world outside.

But... perhaps Colt did not even realize that Cathie had sought a bit of safety from him.

Because at that moment, his eyes focused on something.

And finally, so did Cathie's.

They saw her.

And she saw them.

And they all saw each other.

--- Sitting there, at the counter, with a glass of bourbon in hand, was a young woman.

... Or was it?

Something in the person that the duo saw told that what they were looking at was naught by a facsimile of what she truly was. Perhaps what their minds could comprehend of the thing before them. It was akin to something grand having reached out to the physical world, and that reaching hand took the appearance of a person within the minds of those present. Still, whatever she was, she lifted the glass to her lips and sipped on it elegantly, with the precision brought by decades upon decades of enjoying spirits and the finest of alcohol. A quiet sigh of satisfaction, a small smile, a graceful twist of the wrist... and then, the glass was set on the coaster. She leaned at the counter with her elbow and turned towards the approaching duo.

The smile widened.

And they realized, that the darkness of this dimly lit room...

... It was her shadow, wasn't it?

"Well... t'was quite the time you took, băiat. Were you sightseeing? Despite having been explicitly called here? Kaka, kaka... how brazen. But forgivable, I suppose," the woman spoke, her voice soft and commanding - young yet old. "And you brought a friend with you as well. 'Tis a merry occasion then, for I had not thought you capable of forming friendships anymore. Oh, t'were just a blink or two ago when you were a mere whelp bawling your eyes out, stuck to the hem of my skirt. Verily the time flies, does it not?"

A pair of crimson eyes beckoned, and a laughter like hundred wind chimes echoed through the lounge.

"Fear not, my boy and his friends - come closer. T'were no jest of mine, my mood is jolly. Far be it from me to eat any of you right now. I'd much rather enjoy this Martell and run my mouth instead," the woman continued. "I judge you not for imbibing the spirits here, years are naught but numbers to me. So go on, hesitate not. Lest you make a bad impression when meeting your friend's ward, kaka~"

The last sentence was clearly aimed at Cathie. The redhead, realizing she had been noticed, grabbed onto Colt's arm as if searching for safety. Her whole body was trembling, and bullets of sweat were running down her face - the eyes of the girl wavering with terror. She did not know the true nature of the woman before them, but she had happened to glance at those crimson, vermillion eyes - glanced them but a moment. And in turn, the natural instinct that she had as a human, the one that warned her of a predator - a being that sustained itself by hunting humans - now screamed in her head. So, the only ports in the storm she had were the two who she had come here with.

But the woman, as if not noticing the plight of the girl, moved her eyes squarely at Colt.

And a smile that was practically innocent scored her face.

That smile, those strange clothes, that pale countenance that was like the moon hanging in the darkness of the outer space, gazing down at the world... that inhuman nature that filled the room...

It all felt so familiar, so familial, to Colt.

"'Tis a long time, my boy, since we conversed... right?"

[Cheetose]

Hisa Momoi
Location:McLampet Estate
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

[...Sorry, I guess I ended up dragging you here just so that you could sit in the rain, huh…]

Can’t have been the most pleasant thing.

But...I guess I was just expecting something...more. Not to mention that having him close makes me feel much safer.

[How about you guys come up here too? I don’t think we need to worry too much about security, and I’ll just make sure that we don’t run into anyone in the first place.]

Not that we could run into too many things. Other than Josie, and Beatrice - who was still busy with Barney - it was only really whoever was up on the third floor…

Surprisingly deserted.

Wouldn’t be too hard for anyone to just walk in and out...but then perhaps that is how that guy managed to spy on the McLampet siblings so effortlessly.

[I can fill you in on the interview too in the meantime, long as you can pay attention to it while moving around. We’re on the balcony, at any rate.]

Even without saying, I made sure to express that there was no room for arguments. Whether it was right or wrong, I could not tell...but perhaps the right thing would have been to not drag him along in the first place.

Lost in my thoughts, I observed absentmindedly as Sakura started picking the lock, working on it almost with the speed of a professional. Or, at least, that’s what it seemed like. Never saw a professional to begin with, nor did I really know anything about the art...though, the more I thought about it, the more useful of an asset it seemed.

“Not sure about specific places,” I answered quietly, “I can look around once we’re inside, to see if I spot anything interesting. Definitely should head towards that room on the third floor though. Probably the one thing that feels most off on first glance.”

Indeed, something just did not click about it. I did hear about Josie having a daughter, someone who never even left the mansion, who was referred to as the Girl in Blue, and sometimes as a vampire, but after hearing about Allene...made me not so sure about it anymore.

[Mellon]

Anna Vandemeel
Location: Owl's Nest Hotel - Library
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

"Is it just me, Red, or are there some Turnside warning bells ring-a-ding-a-linging?"

“Mhm… Orion? Only idiots two-hundred years out of sync with the rest of the world would probably name their kid something like that. Well, not that there aren’t idiots like that who aren't involved with the Turnside, but…”

It was definitely a name that carried heavy significance in the more magical corners of the Turnside. The legends associated with that particular name, and what it represented, were almost countless, after all. Back home, the Orion constellation had two parts,

Belt of Vanemuine

Vanemuise Vöö

and the

Sword of Kalev

Kalevi Mõõk

that hung from it. In Arabic foundations, it was termed as Al-Jabbar, the giant who carried a sword, while Egyptian mythology linked it to the god Sah, oft-forgotten ancient Father of the Gods.

And then there was the elephant in the room, of course, the Archer – Íjász, Nimrod, Hapj… Orion itself.

No, definitely not a name without significance. Even if that type of posing had fallen mostly out of favor on this side. Indeed, in a way, he reminded her of the Indian girl that Terriot had met yesterday. She had some problems melding in as well. This… Orion was more subtle in melding in, but that was not a feat by itself, considering how loud that girl’s outfit was. And it wasn’t by much anyway.

“I agree, we should probably keep an eye on how things play out here.” Anna’s voice dropped to a brief murmur, only audible to the girl next to her. “Don’t know what happened to her, but the last time all the chips were thrown down, so to speak, Terrot was nowhere to be found in the dorms.”

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if she stumbled into something that awoke a dragon… or a hunter, in this case, with all her poking around.”

[Verg Avesta]

Hisa Momoi
Location:McLampet Manor
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Eventually, the main doors of the McLampet manor clicked open, and four shadows slipped in without anyone detecting them.

Sakura was first. She had picked the lock in a record time, and right afterwards disabled the alarm system by simply jamming something that looked like a paper slip against the sensors. When met with questioning gazes, the older girl had simply grinned ever so slightly and made a gesture to keep silent. After Sakura came Hisa, who had spent the time it took for Sakura to open the door to bring Pyry up to speed. The boy had brought himself and Gradient over, and for a moment now they had all been hunkering under the eaves and shadows cast by the large balcony up above. Him and Gradient sneaked into the house last, closing the door quietly behind them.

[Eyes and ears alive, people,] Sakura sent a telepathic message through Hisa. [If you sense anything moving, anything at all, inform the others with gestures. We don't wanna get into trouble with local law enforcement.]

As Hisa looked around, she realized that they had arrived into an open lobby that connected directly into some sort of sitting room. She could see old sofas, and an even older TV set, and the windows showing the back yard and the cliffs beyond. The open space of the sitting room connected to left, where it expanded into a dining room, and from there, there was a door to what must have been a large kitchen. However, from the lobby itself, there was a long corridor both to the left and to the right. The one to the left had no doors along the way, only a single one at the very end. And judging by the smells of soap that wafted from that direction, it must have led to a big bathroom. The corridor the right had multiple doors along the way, each one fitted with a name plate that they could see even in the dark. Tea room, smoking room, library, fireplace room - all in order.

Lastly, from the sitting room, a grand staircase headed up to the second floor, which seemed to have multiple corridors criscrossing around it, each with many doors. It brought to mind the floors of Owl's Nest, and there was a good chance that it was filled with bedrooms and guest rooms from the times that McLampets had been far more influential people.

[A house near Pinefall High...] Pyry mused, having descended deep into thought after Hisa's explanation. [Do you think that could be the cabin Jake talked about? Y'know, during the, eh, Test of Courage? We could check it up tomorrow if---]

Pyry's mental message was cut by a sudden, quiet sound.

A sound that sounded like a mix between a deflating balloon and a harmonica in A-minor.

All eyes, especially Sakura's, turned towards the source in slight panic... and Gradient, who had let out the noise, blushed ever so slightly and let out a soundless, sheepish laugh while scratching the back of her head.

... Even her sneezes were weird.

[... If we have time after this, let's drop by A.D.'s, yeah?] Pyry commented to Hisa with a hint of a grin. [Sounds like Graddy needs some hot cocoa after tonight's stake-out.]

---

Anna Vandemeel & Vivianne Bianchi
Location: Owl's Nest Hotel - Library
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Alex, still looking suspicious, snatched the envelope from Orion's extended hand. She then retreated a couple of steps and started ripping the thing open. From within, she fished out what looked to be a thin folder stacked with papers... and with a polaroid picture attached to it with a paper-clip. Seeing the picture, Alex's eyes widened for a moment - enough for Vivienne to realize that she had been genuinely surprised. From the looks of it, it was a picture of some young woman, though it was a bit hard to make out in the dim lighting of the library. Still, after checking out the picture and the papers a little bit, the young reporter seemed to be satisfied.

"... Alright. This is exactly what was promised," Alex replied, nodding. "... And the name's Alex. Alex Terrot."

The young man hummed quietly, folding his arms across his head.

"Alright, got it. Do you have any questions, then?" He questioned the girl. "From what I hear, you were informed about this... 'Patient Zero' business."

The blonde girl frowned a little bit, glaring at Orion and then the papers at her hands. Finally, she let out a bit of a sigh.

"... Just give me a moment. I want to read these through at least," she replied curtly. "We can talk more afterwards."

With that, the reporter walked a bit aways from the man, motioning subtly for Vivienne to stay and to keep an eye out for him. She sat down on a stack of books nearby and began to leaf through the papers that looked like reports - and did it with considerable speed, no less. Her eyes were practically running on the lines of the paper, taking in every bit of information that was available.

Ramia, at the other end of the room, raised her eyebrow further as she looked at Anna.

"... Patient Zero?" She quietly asked. "The hell's that about?"

However, she didn't have time to question it more, as at that moment, Orion was on the move again. Or rather, the man took a step a bit closer to Vivienne, eyeing her up with a slightly lazy sort of interest in his eyes, from head-to-toe. After getting a good look at the girl, the young man leaned his shoulder against the the nearby bookshelf, a subdued yet confident grin rising to his face. Something about him felt almost like a predator on the hunt, and while his demeanor was, at least for the most part, cordial and nice, there was something about that look in his eyes that told of ulterior motives...

"--- So. Didn't catch your name, angel eyes," Orion started, addressing Vivienne with that grin. "I take it you're friends with Miss Intrepid Reporter over there? Partners-in-crime or that sort of thing?"

He sounded so smooth it had to be a trained thing.

"I take it in this combo, you're the beauty to her brains?"

Meanwhile, at the other end of the library, Ramia rolled her eyes and made a wanking motion.

---

Liana Skye
Location: Spade Queen Country Club
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

"Oh? Well, this is a surprise. I figured you were stuck with Tom Swift over there."

Hawthorn's sarcastic greeting was laced with genuine surprise as he turned his head and saw Liana approaching. The man held a glass of whiskey-on-the-rocks in his hand, but despite how much of it had been emptied, he didn't look drunk in the slightest. Either he had a surprisingly good tolerance, or then undeath made you immune to that sort of things. Of course, the man he had been talking to, Special Agent Ferguson, had drank just as much and looked only mildly tipsy. Indeed it was far cry from the type of teenage drinking that had been seen at the Pinefall on some days (mostly thanks to Sakura Tsukioka...).

"Ah, Miss Sora. I see you decided to join us as well," Ferguson greeted the girl by raising his glass. "We were actually just discussing you a bit earlier - thought nothing bad, I assure you. Mostly just how you brought us together, which ended up being more or less beneficial to the both of us."

Hawthorn cackled, for once looking to be in a good mood.

"Well, guess great minds think alike and all that - though I wouldn't call this fool in a suit a great mind in any sense of the word," he replied, grinning slightly at the agent. "See, he's much more of a weirdo than he lets on. You should have heard about that Tibetan method of catching of divining for clues he had. Bottles and rocks, hah..."

Ferguson simply shrugged, but didn't seem at all fazed by these words.

"I suppose it takes one to know one. And really, despite the difference in our methods, I believe we're both agents of truth just trying to solve a case in our own way."

The black-haired man cackled again, but punctuated it with a nod.

"Well, could be. Though I wouldn't call myself anything fancy like that. Truth and justice are a bit too high-brow for a simple guy with a vendetta like me," he snarked, before turning back towards Liana. "That being said, and since you're here right now..."

He cocked an eyebrow.

"... What was this I heard about cookies?"

---

Alexstrasza Lockhart
Location: Road's End - Streets
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Travis scoffed.

"Exciting? Thanks but no thanks - I'd rather avoid being the guinea pig of some hidden organization straight outta conspiracy theory," he replied, shaking his head. "There's already enough 'grand experiment' in the way Mr. Oceandrop and his program are trying to make upstanding citizen out of a bunch of weirdos like us. Well, some of us are fake weirdos like yours truly, but I guess I crossed the line too far into one direction so it's not like I can go back now..."

He let out a bit of a yawn and leaned back on the bench. The eyes of the young man scanned the empty streets, and a frown adorned them all the while. It was beginning to be quite clear that the person Travis was looking for - his sister Nora - was not going to come by today. Indeed, not a single soul had walked past them in the rain for half an hour or more right now.

The streets were as desolate as the grey sky above them.

"That being said... Stentato, huh? The name doesn't ring a bell. Except that it's, you know, Italian," Travis continued, before suddenly, a slightly confused expression came up to his face. "Wait... Italian? Green? Easy to dislike?"

He looked at Alexstrasza with a raised eyebrow.

"You sure that's not just Cesarina's aunt or something?" he asked. "There can't be too many green-haired Italians around Road's End, you know. Sounds to me like there's some sort of connection there. Oh, and speaking of connections..."

For some reason, a slightly teasing grin rose to the boy's face.

"If you want to talk to Elaine, you should just do it. No need to use Stephanie over here as your shield," he chuckled "In all honesty I think Miss Ponytail gets lonely easier than she lets on, so having more friends would be a big thing in her books. Though if you're shy about it, I suppose either me or the brat over here can come hold your hand and make sure you don't chicken out."

Stephanie, as if sensing what was being talked about, giggled at Alexstrasza.

---

Elaine Winters
Location: The Lighthouse
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

A pained expression washed over Kean's face, and he struggled to say something. However, at that same time, some sort of flash of pain ran across his body, and for a moment, Elaine could see blue sparks and violet lightning streak across his back, as if from the base of his spine to the back of his head. The boy let out an agonized grunt and collaped to the floor, falling to his knees. He clutched his head, especially the eye he had lost. Then, once he had managed to catch his breath a little bit, he leveled a pleading look at the girl.

"E, please... just get out for now! I can't...! Every word risks him noticing what's going on, and if he awakens, he might...!" He grunted again, grasping his shaking left arma s if to calm it down. "I... I had no choice...! He said that if I didn't, he'd make me... he'd make me hurt... you, so... don't...! Don't let this all... be in vain...! I'll find some way to... fight back so now... you just gotta..."

He grinded his teeth together, and beneath his bandaged eye, Elaine could see lightning arc once more - with smell of ozone filling the air.

"--- Step back, just this once!"

With that, Kean cried out in pain once more, but whatever happened, Elaine couldn't see. At that very moment, the strange sailor-suited man stepped right in front of her, blocking her field of vision. Those eyes, green and red, were locked at her own, and there was a humourless smile on his face. That single expression revealed that while he might have looked young, something in that man... felt old. Very old.

As old as this building.

"Heartless, aren't you?" The young man asked. "Here your friend is, going through hell. All so he can keep the one person he cares for safe. And now you want to trample all over that? Make all his suffering mean nothing? Screw everything up? That's pretty nasty of you."

The cheerful way he spoke didn't fit the mood, but the young man without presence didn't seem cheerful in the least. If anything, he was dead serious.

"... If it's answers you want, join me outside. The spirits may be asleep right now, but speak too much of them, and they awaken. You know how it goes, right? Speak of the devil and he doth appear? Let's let those sleeping dogs lie then..." He said, gesturing towards the hatch back to the staircase. "And if you truly want to help him, then don't ruin your one and only chance. He's barely keeping a hold of his own self, a control of his inhuman body."

Those mismatched eyes narrowed.

"--- Don't awaken the shadow strangling him so that it takes over it completely."

---

Prushka
Location: Big Boy's Gas Station
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

... For some reason, there was a surprisingly long silence that followed these questions.

And it was not as if Robert had been surprised, or that he was once again hurrying to get some files or books from where he could check, or anything like that. Instead, it was as if the man had just suddenly fallen silent. That quiet stretched longer and longer, and even the sense of the man's breathing had all but faded from the other end of the line. Within this disquieting switch in the atmosphere came a sudden feeling of dread... or perhaps, a foreboding omen that knocked to the back of Prushka's mind. Like she had just stepped onto a minefield and a single step to the wrong direction would send her sky high.

Even Xandra seemed to realize that something was wrong, as she aimed a question look towards the small girl.

"Prushka... listen."

Rob's sudden voice through the speaker came like a mild surprise.

"Hmm, first of all... well, this situation is a bit like Ferris Bueller in a restaurant," Darwin said with a measured voice. "You get what I mean, right?"

--- Ferris Bueller in a restaurant.

In other words, there might be someone else on the line. Listening in on every word that was being said.

Suddenly, Prushka felt a cold hand creeping up her spine.

"Still, about your questions... I don't know much about the air force if I'm honest. They've always been a secretive bunch, so there's not a lot of contact between us. You know how it is with US government - the right hand not knowing what the left does. Still, I've heard of both Challenger and Discovery, and while they're both working for the air force, there's been... nasty rumours about them. Like that it's only on paper. I'm not sure how much of it is true, however," Rob continued, sounding like he was calculating each word he spoke carefully. "Oh, and speaking of Montauk, I don't think that's an air base that's operational anymore - no matter what the conspiracy theorists claim. It should have been decommissioned years ago. The rest though are functioning, but as all such places, they've got their own secrets - not something I'd know about."

Something about the order which he answered in sounded a little bit... off.

"Hmm, what else... ah, right. While I know that Kampff does deal in stuff related to, uh, our... business rivals, that's about it. No idea about Feroce, except that they're mostly on the level. Oh, and their daughter is supposedly to be a regular child genius. Though I'd bet that's a bit of an exaggeration. No human girl that young should be as smart and knowledgeable about the things she is," the bespectacled man continued. "As for Satel, I've honestly no idea. Could just be a name. Gottlieb Pharmaceutical, on the other hand, is a small but extremely well-funded company from the East Coast. Can't remember who created it or when, but I know that they specialize in neuroleptics and the like - though we've never used their products."

It was strange just how much the mood had changed, and how monotone, almost textbook-ish Rob's answers had become. But at the same time, the paranoid feeling of being watched, being listened, just kept getting stronger because of it. The man was clearly picking and choosing what and how he answered, and was being extremely careful about it... and perhaps hoping that Prushka would catch his drift.

"--- That's all I know, I'm afraid."

He concluded with that.

"But really... don't worry. We didn't secure a spot for you through anything like that," Rob added, a bit of warmth creeping into his voice. "In fact, it was the Oceandrop Project who approached us once we had made that fake profile for you and sent it out into the ether. In other words, they asked for you specifically."

---

John Dove?
Location: Avery’s Dinner?
Phase: Evening Phase?
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)?
Weather: Rain?

Oh?

What's this?

Could it be?

Oh, oh, oh, oh....

---------- This is something new.

At first I presumed this to be yet another one of the possibilities where John Dove more or less deduces my nature based on the testimonies of Anna and Ramia, but those are a bit rare. Ramia Ramalsaqr more often than not succumbs to her desperation and opts to kill one in order to save the rest - not that ever works out. It usually takes Anna Vandemeel to be the mediator between the two, and she has a bad habit of dying through her short-sightedness. So that particular group is a rare one.

But this... this is something else.

What did he say? 'The Sunday that no longer happened'? What's that supposed to mean? Wait, could it be? Does he remember? Has he become self-aware? Has he started retaining his memories through these loops? Wait... is this my fault? Hah, has my radiation started leaking my memories too! What is this, what is this! Oh, oooh, oh no, I'm getting excited. I can barely keep a straight face! No good, no good, oh my god, no good! Shit, this is way too exhilirating! I can't keep my usual attitude up if this turns out to be true! Stop it, don't blow up anything! This chance is too precious to pass up!

Aaaaah, oh my gooooood.......!

Something new.

How long has it been?

I already mapped out the possible iterations so many times, yet... I've stumbled upon some 0.001% chance.

"_H_A_.__Y_O_U__R_E_A_L_L_Y__A_R_E__T_O_O__S_M_A_R_T__F_O_R__Y_O_U_R__O_W_N__G_O_O_D_._"

I reply to him with a thundering mental message, and the stars outside collapse.

"_A_N_D__N_O_W__Y_O_U__W_A_N_T__T_O__L_I_S_T_E_N__I_N_S_T_E_A_D_?_"

I grib the hem of my beloved cloak.

"_._._._S_U_R_E_.__L_E_T__U_S__T_A_L_K__P_R_O_P_E_R_L_Y_,__J_O_H_N__D_O_V_E_.__W_I_T_H__A__F_O_R_M__T_H_A_T__D_O_E_S__N_O_T__G_L_A_S_S__Y_O_U_R__B_R_A_I_N__S_M_O_O_T_H__A_N_D__T_R_A_N_S_P_A_R_E_N_T_._._._!"

And then, I throw it aside.

The firmament of colours that protects me is removed, revealing what lies beneath it. I take the energy that is me and knead it, using my own strength to force it into a shape. I reduce my array of vision, the eyes that see through so many colours that the people miss, and reduce it to an almost normal human levels. I take the part of me that is pure ultraviolet and force it to descend, become something that he can actually catch a glimpse of. The cosmic radiation that swirls within me is altered to the point that it starts resembling flesh. The heart of a beating plasma gives away to something physical, something tangible, instead of a rotating quasar that beams like a fountain across space and time. Reduce, reduce, reduce - simplify, simplify, simplify - downgrade, downgrade, downgrade - lessen, lessen, lessen - manifest, manifest, manifest and manifest again. To the point that I become numb to the sensation. With the cloak no longer holding my form back, I need to do it on my own.

What appears to him as a torrent of heat and energy, the raging heart of an explosion, is just my shameful display of nudity.

And then, it's over.

Though he can still smell the outer space.

What should have looked to his human eyes like the Pillars of Creation now has become just another human like him. A little bit borrowed here, a little bit borrowed there, but undoubtedly a human form. Both familiar and not. Carrying traits that he has and what he holds dear - with a little bit of dash of my own.

--- Thus, I stand before him without the protection of Her Spectrum.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

And speak with a human voice, instead of transporting the massive load of information into his brain like a brunt of a sledgehammer.

"Exhilirating, is it not!?"

I can't help but to laugh. After all, I took down all my defenses. But what of it? He's just a single human. If it were those friends of his, if they had existed within this abandoned second, I might have thought twice, but this time... it's alright. We're just having a conversation, right? And since he's offering me something new, I should be courteous and offer something in return.

"Without the Seven Rays, I'm a bit... overwhelming, if kyute. I must take care, or otherwise this might become another blasted heath," I speak, trying out my new voice - which is pretty cute, if I say so myself. "But I think I can work with this. How about you? Can you? Or should I tone it down some more? How's the volume, gud? Oh, right, sorz... no wonder you can't answer. I didn't adjust the gravitational displacement, what a flex!"

Immediately, I wrangle that maddened horse and subjugate it, allowing the boy to breathe free again - and longer feel like the world itself is crushing him against the floor.

I better help him up from the floor - and so I do, whisking him upwards with a gesture and back to his feet.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! It has been a while. Sorz~" I laugh, bouncing on my heels. "Do forgive me if I take a moment to adjust back, this is a bit different from the usual. Oh, and bee-tee-dubs - do sit down. Your legs lowkey appear as though they are still shaking."

I let him do that, all the while watching him with a smile on my face. A smile that I've hidden for a long time. After all, there has hardly been anything to smile about. But now, oh now... now there's finally something that has caught my interest. Something new in this looping, infinite, stagnant world.

So, let's see what this new thing has to offer.

Who knows?

Maybe there's something to be found there.

Or maybe I'm just more insane than usual.

"You asked what it is that I seek, why have I sought you out? Well... I admit I have been lowkey curious," I continued. "You have acted surprisingly on fleek in this loop, so I sought out to find the reason. But for it to be a 'Sunday that no longer is'... ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! This is truly lit!"

I aim my ever-widening smile at him, and my eyes shine with their full force.

"I am curious AF and thus, I shall find the truth of what you mean!"

Like spinning pulsars.

Accompanied by a mischievous grin, as I place a finger on my lips.

"... And perhaps, I shall feed that ever-hungry mind of yours with some answers. Does that sound gucci?"

--- It felt like it was time for mind games.

New Moonchild Met!

[Airen]

Liana Skye
Location: Spade Queen Country Club
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

"Oh? Well, this is a surprise. I figured you were stuck with Tom Swift over there."

"Well even I can tell when I'm being a third wheel, you know?"

She shrugs, seemingly letting it all bounce off of her with a sigh, but...

---In reality, some light paranoia remains. The circumstances seemed to dictate that it was probably safe (relatively) to let those two go on their way, even a nosferatu should know better than to start something in the middle of the day, but there was always that part of herself, the part that felt responsible for everything, that was continuing to buzz at the back of her mind...

But she lived with it.

It would be alright, even the worst case scenario was something she could react too, so...

Just gotta chill out for once...

Have faith, eh?

Focus on this moment.

"Ah, Miss Sora. I see you decided to join us as well," Ferguson greeted the girl by raising his glass. "We were actually just discussing you a bit earlier - thought nothing bad, I assure you. Mostly just how you brought us together, which ended up being more or less beneficial to the both of us."

"Oh really? That's good, figured you two might learn something from each other, maybe make friends~"

So she does, pushing her anxieties away with a smile, although...

"Well, guess great minds think alike and all that - though I wouldn't call this fool in a suit a great mind in any sense of the word," he replied, grinning slightly at the agent. "See, he's much more of a weirdo than he lets on. You should have heard about that Tibetan method of catching of divining for clues he had. Bottles and rocks, hah..."

"Eh? Eh? Eh?"

She blinks, looks at Scottie, and then...

"You told Thorne? The secret you were muttering about this morning? No fair-!"

...Says this with an obviously overdramatic gasp-!

Before finding her own place at the table, shaking off the jacket and backpack as she sets her board up next to her chair, and...

Sits down halfway between the both of them.

"Well, could be. Though I wouldn't call myself anything fancy like that. Truth and justice are a bit too high-brow for a simple guy with a vendetta like me," he snarked, before turning back towards Liana. "That being said, and since you're here right now..."

He cocked an eyebrow.

"... What was this I heard about cookies?"

"Ah yeah, gotta give me a second, still reeling a bit from you paying more attention to Colt than me, you know~?"

She can guess at why of course, but the teasing poke is a poke nonetheless-!

"But they're chocolate chip -figured you'd like those- made em at Aunt Dorothy's house; got some black tea in here too, took me a bit to find the thermoses, and couldn't take the milk tea with me because of the milk, but..."

She reaches down into the backpack, producing a -rather sizable plastic container- and two thermoses from within, before setting them down right in the center of the table.

"Go for it~ I made plenty, so you can have some too Scottie, I've got a smaller batch for Sierra still in the bag..."

A pause, then she blinks as if realizing something:

"Then again... You two seem to be hitting the whiskey, so maybe now's not the best time for tea?"

She puts the thermoses away.

---It was Friday, so...

Couldn't blame them for hitting the spirits, sort of evening where she might even go for a bit of it herself... Were it not for the fact that FBI Agents tend to frown on exactly that sort of thing...

"What's tonight's brand of choice for you two? It's a Country Club, so it's gotta be something decent, right?"

She wouldn't ask outright... But maybe she can get away with it.

One wouldn't hurt.

[Bloble]

Prushka
Location: Big Boy's Gas Station
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

"..."

Well then.

I glance at Xandra, telling her with my eyes what she already suspects: the call is definitely being monitored. I already expected that much; this is an external line into a secure government facility after all. But I was hoping it wouldn't be that bad.

"They asked for me, huh..."

Small talk. Can't let the space empty out.

"Yeah, I can imagine that. The principal over here is a pretty zany guy. Big, muscley, beardy, loud... and the first thing he did when we got off the bus was belt out a song from an old timey musical about friendship. Might be hard to believe, but I'm not even the weirdest kid here. They came in from all over the world. Put us side by side and it looks like Captain Planet."

While I talk, I think. About the order of questions and answers. Association by proximity.

Challenger and Discovery. Bad reputation. Work for the Air Force on paper. So not in this context? Putting Montauk immediately after that means they're connected to that place. And talking about conspiracy theorists even though I never did... then its one of those theories that they worked on. The Philadelphia Experiments Hwan mentioned? Should have been decommissioned. So it wasn't. Experiments are still going on. If they're here, then... the experiment from that place has moved to Road's End, and those two are here to continue working on it.

Kampff, AMADEUS. They and Stargate never did get along. But mentioning Feroce immediately afterwards... and their daughter. A genius. No human girl should be that smart, but Cesarina certainly is. Her knack for technology was obvious just from one talk with her. Bringing her up right after Kampff, though... no way. Is she not human? An android then? Created by the Feroces? Her? A tool? A killing machine? I can't imagine it. Try again later.

Finally, Satel. Nothing. Just a name. A false name? Or does Rob really have no idea? And Gottlieb... small and well-funded. East Coast. New York, then? Linked to Montauk? Could be taking money from the army. Can't remember who created or when - does that mean Satel? No, too soon to assume. Their pharmaceuticals are neuroleptics. Drugs for psychosis. That report mentioned trials. Something to induce or manage an altered state of mind. A picture of Xylia. An observation log. DDS, the answer? It's some kind of chemical or syndrome, then? When he says we never used their products... does he mean others did? Or is he saying we did use them after all?

So much to decipher. And yet you delivered all that info with so little room to speak freely. Rob... you might have a reputation as a coward, but right now, when things are dangerous, I can't see any of that. Not a stutter in sight. And you're keeping it cool, even passing along information without breaking. How did I miss that you were actually reliable all this time? How did everyone else miss it too?

Still... that's not enough. I'm one of the Investigators. No stone left unturned, no matter the risk. We don't have time. Sunday's closing in.

"Really though, compared to the puberty thing, you're being no help at all here. That's really all you know? I figured a big famous government researcher would have all the details." I faux-chide him. Only someone who knows me closely, like Rob himself, would know that's not how I actually scold someone. "Maybe I should-."

I pause, about to ask to talk to the waiter. 'No matter the risk', huh? That's fine for me. I'm not going to be scared off. But I'm not the only one venturing too far here, am I?

"...aw, fine. I guess if you don't know, you don't know. Thanks for trying though. I'll just take it easy. Got a whole year to puzzle this out after all."

Rob, putting you in danger would just be awful. So I won't.

But there's one more thing I can try before giving up. One language we share just between us.

"Oh, right. And could you send over the latest G Gundam episodes when you get the chance? I need to know if Domon found that guy he was looking for. If you've got any other show recommendations for this season, I'll take those too. Depending on how good they are they might go on for movie night. 'Cus all they've got up here are reruns, and those VHS tapes you lent me are running out fast."

There's no way a government agent could decode this conversation. After all, only an absolute nerd would watch anime.

[Spinach]

Colt Davin
Location: Spade Queen - Cocktail Lounge
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

Even for a young man accustomed to the splendor of wealth and wasteful luxury, the atmosphere of the lounge was hefty for he as well. As he was just shy of adulthood, it was only natural to feel out of place. Such a space was meant to be occupied by the older, the wealthier, the classier. The refined who had lived full, long lives, rife with loss and regrets and victories to ruminate over spirits that only an aged tongue could fully appreciate.

For the girl accompanying him, it must have been an even stronger feeling. She was from a small town, lived a humble life. Cathie Walker had likely only ever seen such places in films, far removed from the reality that was her day to day. It was only natural to feel rejected by the lounge. It was another world, separated from the redhead’s own by a combination of years and wealth.

So it was only natural to seek an anchor to that world of her own which she was so familiar with, even if it was in the form of Colt.

But that anchor, though he stood sturdy like a great weight of iron, was not capable of grounding her in that world she came from.

Colt Davin’s eyes were transfixed, his feet frozen, his hand which held onto the locket he could not separate from stood still. Although her words reached his ears, they did not register in his thoughts. Even though she was close enough for him to see her in all of her subtle, youthful beauty, there was only one thing in his sight. The world seen by the young man was that of a seated figure, draped in a pale light alike that of the moon.

Standing in the shadow cast by that regal being, whose countenance twisted the light, whose satisfied sigh gifted a warmth unto his heart, like fire to coal, the boy could only meet her otherworldly smile with one of his own.

"Well... t'was quite the time you took, băiat. Were you sightseeing? Despite having been explicitly called here? Kaka, kaka... how brazen. But forgivable, I suppose. And you brought a friend with you as well. 'Tis a merry occasion then, for I had not thought you capable of forming friendships anymore. Oh, t'were just a blink or two ago when you were a mere whelp bawling your eyes out, stuck to the hem of my skirt. Verily the time flies, does it not?"

That voice which he had yearned to hear for so many years brushed against his ears like the wind on a cloudless night. It was dreamlike, a tranquil peace coming over the boy that he blinked, as if to see if reality was playing a trick on him.

"Fear not, my boy and his friend - come closer.”

The voice called him out of his brief doubt. It was foolish to ever believe that anything could deceive him in such a way. No force on this earth, not above nor beneath it, could ever recreate her presence. The splendor of her regality which nothing could encroach upon.

“T'were no jest of mine, my mood is jolly. Far be it from me to eat you right now. I'd much rather enjoy this Martell and run my mouth instead. I judge you not for imbibing the spirits here, years are naught but numbers to me. So go on, hesitate not. Lest you make a bad impression when meeting your friend's ward, kaka~"

Before he could come closer, as he was beckoned to do, the girl at his side took hold of his arm, seeking comfort. Colt’s eyes, which had been set upon his savior, his guardian, his family and friend, at last turned to the girl accompanying him. He looked at her in surprise and confusion.

Colton Davin couldn’t understand being afraid of the woman before the teenagers. The one before them was a faultless protector, his sole comfort across years of loneliness. His life began with the sight of her hand reaching out to him, the first words he knew were hers guiding him from harm. Fire and smoke parted before that moonlit monarch, daring not to besmirch her. Colton Davin nodded obediently, daring not to question her.

Failing to understand why any would fear her.

He took hold of Cathie’s hand, which had taken shelter from the heavenly storm by grabbing onto Colt’s arm. The boy offered her an encouraging smile, to show her that there was nothing to fear. He was here. But more importantly, so was she.

His trusted, beloved friend. The one who presided over his birth, commanding him to walk towards life.

The one his eyes turned back to, who in turn had her eyes, the color of a ripe blood moon, fixed squarely upon him.

"'Tis a long time, my boy, since we conversed... right?"

“For me. After all, it was only a blink or two ago that I was your little crybaby, isn’t that right?” The boy took a step forward, gently urging Cathie to follow along. “I’m not so little anymore, yet looking at you it’s like not a single second has passed since the last time I saw you.”

With a light chuckle Colt brought Cathie over to the predator that had sent terror to her very core. He reached for the stool closest to the woman and seated himself, selfishly gesturing to the redhead to sit beside him, so that he was between the two.

So that he could sit closer to his moonlit savior.

“I’ve made a few friends. But only a few now, and it wasn’t easy for me, but it’s enough that I think I can be proud of myself.” With a smile, he turned to Cathie. “This is Cathie. Cathie Walker. You’ve stopped by Avery’s, haven’t you? That to-die-for cherry pie? Cathie’s own pie doesn’t lose one bit to her mom’s.”

Having introduced the girl, he again beckoned to her to sit. That she was confronting, standing before, and approaching a being that hunted and ate humans as naturally as a wolf would chase deer was never a thought in Colt’s mind.

“Another friend of mine, Tristellia, she said she’d love to meet you. She went as far as saying she’d give her left hand for the chance.” Thinking about the knight’s luck, that she was missing this moment, Colt’s smile drifted for a fraction of a second. “She was with us just a while ago, but she isn’t well right now and needed to rest.”

It saddened Colt for Tris to miss the chance to meet the woman before him. Not only because he knew that the blonde placed great stock in the regal woman, but because he wanted the chance to show her how he had grown. The friends he had made.

He would have to find another opportunity to meet her again. So that they could meet. So that Tristellia could know the majesty of his moonlit friend.

“I won’t be having any drinks. It would be irresponsible since I’m driving, but Cathie,” he glanced at the shelf lined with bottles of alcohol that were as much decorations as they were exorbitant luxuries. “Well, any of them catch your eye?”

[Mormarth]

Elaine Winters
Location: The Lighthouse
Phase: Evening Phase
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)
Weather: Rain

I glowered down at the Tiny Tim-looking little special boy who wanted to be mouthy.

"Y'know, just once, I'd really appreciate if when people wouldn't just go off and do stupid shit and then not tell anyone what they're doing because it just ends up going like this," I said, knife-handing at Mr. Moany 'oh nooooooo' over there.

"Maybe I should just blast all of you stupid ghosty bastards and give Einstein over there a bop on the head because I'm sick and tired of people giving me the run-around."

...

"Feh."

I shrugged expansively.

"Fuck it, whatever. It's all crap anyway. Yeah, yeah, horrible monster, selfish bitch, ruins everything she touches, blah, blah, blah."

I turned away, nodding at the door and feeling sick to my stomach.

"Fine then."

"Let's chat."

What's another corpse on the pile of regret anyway?

[Daneel Rush]

Location: Avery’s Dinner?
Phase: Evening Phase?
Date: 09.09.1994 (FRI)?
Weather: Rain?



Before John can say anything, it removes the cloak, and there is only light and heat and pain.

There are no words. There would not be any, even if he were able to speak. He is staring at the life cycle of a star, at the gates of Heaven, at the network of pathways and currents inside a human brain. Everything that is may pour out of that light, and probably a thing or two that are not. That cloak she wears is the cosmos, concealing something deeper and more fundamental within its depths. Seven rays, encompassing everything. Upon pulling them aside like a veil, what terrifying thing is revealed?

Why does he still exist? Why is he not unmade, rendered into nothingness by this explosion at point-blank?

Because this is a world that follows Ultravania’s commands, and everything is as Ultravania deems. The moonchild reveals itself, with candid honesty that would be touching if John were not struggling to cling to whatever sense of self he still possesses. Were he not already scarred, branded, and shackled, would anybody be surprised had his soul broken in this very moment?

John does not realize when he falls, crushed against the floor as if bearing the weight of a building on his back. His mouth moves like a fish out of water, yet he finds not the relief of oxygen—whether it is an external force impeding his breathing, or his body unable to remember how breathing works, it matters not. There is no room for thought or unconscious action; there is only the spectrum and the ever-expanding star and the crushing force, all of them existing both around him and inside his head. Yet his body does not disintegrate, because Ultravania does not allow it. Nor does his mind shatter…perhaps for the same reason he was able to stare fixatedly at those eyes so many years ago, long past the point any ordinary person would have just turned their gaze.

He is losing consciousness. He is losing himself. Everything should fade to black, but that is not how things work in this world. Even as consciousness, identity, and life slip away, there is only the maelstrom of light and color—

—until, all of sudden, he is no longer swallowed by the light of a living star. He is out of the storm, and this allows the spark of consciousness to flicker alight once more. Again, he is himself. He is John Dove.

He still cannot breathe.

Ultravania is laughing. It is saying things. The words are no longer synesthetic explosions in his head, but the bright, enthusiastic pitch of a young girl.

He still cannot breathe, and he cannot ignore it, because it is obvious that he has not been breathing for some time now, and his lungs feel as if they are on fire. There is no amount of self-deception that can spare him from this. He is going to die—

Now he can breathe.

John Dove feels no shame in taking in as much air as he can, looking as desperate and miserable as one can be, when some force lifts him back to his feet. He is not the urban-dwelling bird, but a newborn deerlet struggling to stand on its legs.

There is something next to him. A stool. Right, Avery’s Dinner. The counter. He was seated there. Before…she undressed.

“You asked what it is that I seek, why have I sought you out? Well... I admit I have been lowkey curious. You have acted surprisingly on fleek in this loop, so I sought out to find the reason. But for it to be a 'Sunday that no longer is'... ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! This is truly lit! I am curious AF and thus, I shall find the truth of what you mean! ...And perhaps, I shall feed that ever-hungry mind of yours with some answers. Does that sound Gucci?”

A youthful voice using slang he does not recognize. Perhaps he should…but, it is still hard to think.

What is this person—no. Using that word is clearly a mistake.

On that night ten years ago, he was mesmerized by a person. For all Her power, for all Her overwhelming presence, She remained something the little John Dove could categorize as “a person.”

What just happened…the glimpse of what she is beyond the colors…Ultravania could not be furthest from that. If anything, calling her a “person” seems almost insulting. What stands before him is plainly so different it is absurd. Her “otherness” is such that he cannot find it in himself to feel humiliated or emasculated by her power—it would be as ridiculous as envying the Sun.

The now-seated John Dove does not realize he is staring, as his mediocre mind struggles to describe and categorize the being in front of him. However, John Dove only knows what he knows, and he can only follow the rules of logic that govern his simple, mediocre mind. She asked him something, but he is still catching up to…her. To her everything.

He cannot. He is too lacking. Perhaps Vandemeel or Ramalsaqr would be more knowledgeable. Perhaps Momoi or Elise Marie would be more intelligent and insightful. John Dove is nowhere near as attuned to the ways of the Turnside, nowhere near as adroit or cunning. In the end, he can only latch to the words of his betters.

“Thought cannot pierce the glory that defendeth her, for thought is smitten dead before her presence. Memory is blank, and in the most ancient books of Magick are neither words to conjure her, nor adorations to praise her. Will bends like a reed in the tempests that sweep the borders of her kingdom, and imagination cannot figure so much as one petal of the lilies whereon she standeth in the lake of crystal, in the sea of glass.”

John sighs after reciting Aleister Crowley’s quote. He is not aware of the slightest smile adorning his face.

“Seems like he knew what he was talking about, after all.”

What would Elaine Winters think of all this? The boy idly wonders.

“I’ll have to apologize to Prushka,” he blurts out all of a sudden for a reason that only exists in his mind: her amazing scooter has been utterly defeated.

As his vitals and his consciousness slowly settle back to a more useful state, John ponders her current appearance. A moonchild is born of a woman impregnated by the Babalon Working, so she should have a biological basis for it, he guesses. However, she is just, so…colorful.



Indeed, he can see her like he has not seen anybody else in the past ten years (bloody red eyes in the dark notwithstanding). For the first time in ten years, he sees blue, and he sees orange. For the first time in ten years, he sees the color of pristine white skin. If he did not have already enough reasons to feel overwhelmed, this would be enough to render him speechless.

This entity, this…girl, pulls his mind is too many different directions.

She is overwhelming, in a completely different way than his savior.

John realizes what he is doing and stops himself when his right hand is mere inches away from her face. Alarmed by his own actions, the young man quickly retreats himself.

“Ah, I, uh, my…my utmost apologies,” he stammers weakly, looking down at his hand as if questioning it without words. “I, I don’t know—I wanted to…”

Of course, he knows exactly what he was doing.



“…I wanted to check that you are real,” says the young lad who conveniently manages to justify his face feeling like it is on fire as a lingering effect of exposure to Ultravania’s light and heat. Fortunately for the pitiful John Dove, he has regained enough composure for his well-practiced habits to settle in and pull him back to his usual John-Dove-ness before he makes a greater fool of himself.

As long as he focuses on the important things, he will be fine. Or so he tells himself.

Naturally, John Dove can only work with what makes sense in his head: that Ultravania has diminished itself to accommodate him. It is not an act of kindness—she did it because she does not fear him nor has reason to be wary of him. He finds no issue with that. The thing here is that her action can be interpreted within the framework of “human behavior.” Regardless of what she may or may not be, he can treat her as a fellow human being, for she has shown a willingness to engage the authentic human way—honestly, straightforwardly—, and John Dove can both understand and appreciate that.

“Anyway, is…is this really alright? Reducing yourself like this. Are you confident an enemy cannot intrude in this space? I do not deserve this kind of consideration in the first place, but in return for your good will, do allow me to take responsibility. Please do feel free to use me as a shield if it comes to that.”

Well, this idiot still has a long way to go, if this is his idea of courtesy. This cannot even be called selflessness; it is sheer disregard for his own life.

“In any case, I should…yes, I have a number of things I believe I must say,” he says with a hard expression while rubbing his temples again, this time without kaleidoscopic lights to blame for it. “First of all, please don’t say I’m smart. Momoi is smart. Elise Marie is smart. Vandemeel is smart. I am not. I have not done anything to deserve that adjective, so you calling me smart sounds like a bad joke. I would be grateful if you stop doing that.”

Unusually forceful, but very John-Dove-ish nonetheless. Perhaps Vandemeel should have kicked him harder.

“Secondly, it is not my place nor my interest to call you out for the things you did to my classmates in the previous loop. I can only say that I am not the only one who remembers, and they might not be as welcoming to peaceful conversation.”

It is only after this that his expression softens. His expression does not show much, yet it projects vulnerability beyond his powerless humanity.

“Thirdly, I have come to the conclusion that I owe you an apology. The way you speak of the loops…suggests that, as I suspected, there were more beyond the single iteration I remember. Probably a lot more.”

Anybody who pays attention would notice his jaw tightening for an instant; the boy unconsciously restraining something, holding it before it can manifest on his face.

“It means I have failed even more times than I was aware of, to more people than I imagined. It is beyond shameful.”

Expectedly, he does not look or sound very much ashamed. It is up to the listener to believe his words or his voice, based on what he knows—or believes he knows—about John Dove.

“I know my apologies carry no meaning, and my classmates probably would not approve if they were here to see me doing this, but this is not about them.”

It has never been about them. What currently pushes John Dove forward is nothing so lofty as friendship, affection or loyalty towards his classmates.

“So let me apologize. For the things I have been unable to do. For whatever ways my actions and my inaction have perpetuated this circular flow of time. I do not know how I would change after ten, a hundred, or a thousand loops, but I can imagine it is not an easy burden. So…I am truly sorry. I have made you bear with my incompetence for too long.”

So what? There is only so much you can lament your incompetence before it becomes deplorable self-justification, and there is only so much you can talk about things you know nothing about without sounding patronizing. Though…it is not as if John Dove is not aware of any of that.

The boy sighs, as if letting go of something. He is in fact fulfilling a promise, not to Anna Vandemeel, but to himself. The boy remains broken and stupid, but he will no longer let personal failure grind him to a halt. No matter how many times he trips and his face hits the mud, as long as he keeps moving, he will certainly reach somewhere.

“With that said, please talk to me. If there is anything you can tell me—tell us. Anything, no matter how insignificant, that may help us put an end to this…please, share it with us.”

Naturally, in his head he secretly laments he cannot make his plea sound more honest and heartfelt. Yet another failure.

“And in the same way, if there is anything you think I can do or say, no matter how insignificant, that could help us break out of this prison…”

He will do whatever it takes, even if it kills him. For the sake of his single, most powerful desire. The one he has hidden so well from even himself.