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Post by Taya on Jul 19, 2012 10:35:47 GMT
"Or you could find someplace else." Morrigan said a bit territorial. She shifted her body slightly to the side to make herself less vulnerable and easier to protect the cub if the need arose. There was something about his energy signature that she couldn't quite pin down and until she could, Morrigan didn't trust him. "Like I said, the fish are scarce as of late and if I can't get a bite, no one can. The road is that way." She added cooly while gesturing with her head.
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meilstrom
One Of God's Mistakes
Posts: 23
Hogwarts House: Gryffindor
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Post by meilstrom on Jul 21, 2012 5:51:11 GMT
John frowned. 'How rude' He thought. But then again, could he blame her? After all, he was the intruder. "Thats too bad." He said. "I was hoping to get some fishing in while I was here. Thanks for the direction. Sorry I bothered you. He turned and walked in the direction the girl had indicated. 'Interesting people.' He thought. 'Too bad I didn't get to know them.' Even though he didn't plan on bothering them anymore, he couldn't shake the feeling he would run into them again.
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Post by skati on Aug 2, 2012 13:44:41 GMT
Terry frowned as he watched the man leave. Something still seemed off and it bothered him. The fact that he couldn't figure out exactly why it bothered him just made it worse for the boy. Another growl, this one more contained and silent, escaped his lips. "Who are you?" he muttered to himself. "And why are you here?"
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meilstrom
One Of God's Mistakes
Posts: 23
Hogwarts House: Gryffindor
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Post by meilstrom on Sept 17, 2012 1:47:24 GMT
I left the two teens to their own devices and began my journey back into town. I wondered if they knew about each other but doubted that they did. Personal secrets are the hardest to share, especially when they can have such a large impact on your life when they get out. Which was something I knew well from personal experience. There are people in my own family that have no idea what I am and to this day they think I had some sort of psychosis as a child. I shoved the thoughts aside and, forgetting I wasn't wearing my coat, tried to adjust my collar. I grimaced, brushed my shirt off instead, and continued down the path.
This case was definitely turning out to be a strange one. First the strange, and very amateurish, client that thought he was in a 60s dime novel. Second, a series of disappearances and animal attack victims that the small town has been covering up. No surprise there. If tourism is important they wouldn't want to spoil their quiet little dreamy hamlet image. Thirdly, the extremely strong vision of the killing. I had let my guard down and payed the price for it but, even so, visions like that only happen in places where something really traumatic happened. Then, while exploring the area, I ran into two people that had more to them then meets the eye. I wondered what the nature of the girls power was and what she was capable of. From what I saw, she had to be aware of its existence at least. And what about the boy? What was his story? There was definitely something off about him but not in a crazy way. Whatever it was, he was perfectly sane, and the way he acted was normal for him. I was so deep in thought I almost didn't notice that I had left the forest and was in someones back yard. I quickly returned to the inside of the tree line so I could move unnoticed to the road. Once there I turned up the street and began the long trek back to The Willows.
It was late in the day when I finally arrived. Belle had saved some food from dinner for me. I told her it wasn't necessary but she said that she did it for all the guests. If by guests she meant her friends always came over for dinner then she was right. It was still nice of her to think of me though so, after thanking her, I sat with her and ate. She asked me how I was enjoying the town and I told her about how peaceful I found the area, how I looked forward to exploring it, how it would be a great place to settle down, and everything else that every tourist would say. She believed everything I said and, for a moment, I almost felt bad about lying to her. However, in my business, lies are as necessary as demanding pay from my clients. We spoke for a while after I finished eating. She spoke about her past and how she ended up owning The Willows while I spoke about my fake career and how I was considering a change because of how draining it was. She was genuinely sad that I was having a hard time with my career and wished me luck in the future. I made a note to try to do her a favour sometime if I could. I almost never run into someone that is genuinely kind like that. After a while she excused herself and went to bed. I spent some time in a large sitting room, watching birds hop around cheerfully in the grass before returning to my room to get cleaned up. After a long shower, I unpacked some clothes I would need the next day. A simple suit and black tie along with a lab coat. I also took a package out of my suitcase that contained special glues, hair clippings, and dies that I could use for disguises. Another package contained coloured contact lenses so even my eye colour couldn't give me away. I reached into a hidden compartment in my suitcase and removed a small leather bound journal with my grandmothers initials embroidered above a Celtic cross. Its aged pages promising the possibility of finding at least a few answers to my questions.
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Post by skati on Oct 22, 2012 3:06:21 GMT
Terry watched the man, Trevor, leave. Something was still bugging the boy and for a moment, he had the urge to follow this strange man. He did still have a lock on his sent; couldn't imagine it being too difficult to follow it.
Terry took a step forward, but paused. What was he going to do? Confront him? With what? This whole thing has to just be a coincidence. I don't know how, but it has to be. I was just thrown off, is all.
Instead, the teen forced himself to relax, calm down further before turning back to Sarah. "You OK?" he asked. Though his question was for Sarah, he did move a bit around her, enough to reach out and try to scratch the pup's ears. The pup squirmed a bit as he did so, prompting Terry to stop and withdraw his hand. Terry sighed. "Guess I scared you too much, kid," he muttered to the cub.
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Post by Taya on Oct 22, 2012 20:33:15 GMT
"Hey." Morrigan said scolding the wolf pup. She lifted it to look it straight in the eyes. "That is not polite. Apologize." Setting the pup on the ground, she answered Terry's question. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just not a big fan of strangers. You two play nice now. Catch you later." Morrigan gave Terry a nod and walked off in the direction the man had originally come from.
She waited until she was out of sight before actually whispering the words that would show her the energy trail 'Trevor' had made through the trees. It was probably foolish to be following whatever had attached itself to that man, but she had to protect her home. Reaching the small spring, Morrigan could see that the man had be purging himself of whatever she had sensed.
A chill went through her as she touched the water. The shiver that ran over her skin reminded her that she was still wet in the damper area of the forest. With a shake of her head, Morrigan's hair fluffed, dryed, and fell perfectly around her face without a strand out of place.
"Much better. Now back to the task at hand." Morrigan said to no one.
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Post by skati on Oct 23, 2012 16:10:04 GMT
"Later," Terry said with a wave, watching until Sarah had disappeared entirely. With a sigh, he looked down at the wolf pup. "Well, looks like it's just you and me, kid." The pup, instead, took to leaning more against the tree, away from the teen. "Or not," Terry muttered.
A growl caught his attention. Terry looked up, but didn't see anything. He did take a sniff though, then smiled as recognition kicked in. His eyes drifted towards a particular grouping of trees. "Knew he smelled familiar."
An older wolf, almost all gray, was heading towards Terry as he spoke. Unlike the cub, she was not afraid of him; not one bit. She actually walked rather confidently towards him. For his part, Terry dropped to his knees and lowered his head. The she wolf nudged him with her muzzle and licked his cheek, almost as if the boy were her own cub.
For its part, the cub was confused. He did move away from the tree, but didn't quite make it all the way to his mother. Instead, he looked from her to the strange human and barked. A growl from the she wolf cut him off midway through.
Terry had to hold back a chuckle at the sight. Probably not a good idea to make it seem like he approved, not with the pup's mother around anyway. Still, he couldn't hold back the smile.
"Terry?"
Terry slowly stood and turned towards the voice. Bobby Jo stood off to the side, almost as if she were too scared to approach any further. Still, Terry at least waved to her and asked, "What's wrong?"
"The wolves," she stammered. "You're not...scared of...them?" She seemed confused. "How can you stand to be so close to them? How do they allow you to be so close?"
The she wolf, at this point, had moved in front of Terry and growled low. It almost seemed protective, in a way. The boy couldn't help but chuckle at her fear. "Let's just say she," Terry motioned towards the she wolf in front of him, "has been a good...mentor. I guess..." Terry looked thoughtful as he tried to find the right words. "I guess you could say we're kind of like...family, to an extent. She's helped me out a lot when I first started exploring these woods, stumbling around and running around in circles, unable to find my way back home. Kind of like a lost pup, I guess you could say. She taught me how to navigate these woods, how to find the different lakes and streams when I'm too far away, what to look for in terms of figuring out where I am. That kind of thing. I guess, in a way, you could say that she, her pack as well, raised me."
"That...makes no sense, Terry," Bobby Jo called, even more confused now. "Wild animals can't raise humans, unless..."
"Unless what?" Terry was genuinely intrigued now.
"Silly superstition, just forget it."
Terry found himself smiling wider. "You do realize I'm just going to keep asking you until you tell me, right?"
"Fine," Bobby muttered in an exasperated tone. "Unless you're a wolf too, or at least that's what the townsfolk say."
Terry frowned as soon as his friend finished. Could they know? He thought. No...they probably would've ran me out of town by now, if they knew. But still... "What makes them say that?" he found himself asking, slight edge to his voice.
"Come on Terry, you know how superstitious people are around here. I mean, you've met my father a lot and he's about as superstitious as they come."
"And does he believe that I'm a wolf as well? How does he feel about you hanging out with a 'wolf?'"
"I told you, Terry. It is just superstition. Nothing more. As for my father, well...yeah," Bobby hung her head as she spoke, clearly embarrassed, "He does believe you're one. Has a lot to do with your personality and features, they do seem to be, well...wild and wolfish I suppose. Your hair always looks a bit wild, your nails look sharp from time to time...I don't know. It doesn't matter." She was a silent for a moment, but eventually looked up and smiled. "Besides, he trusts you, for whatever awkward reason. Believes your not a threat to us and, I think, is kind of happy that I have a 'wolf' for a friend."
"He's definitely a weird one," Terry commented. "Most people would be scared out of their minds at the thought of their daughters hanging around with wolves."
"But you're not a wolf. Like I said, superstition. There's no truth to it. You're far to nice, in your rough edge sort of way, to be a wolf. As far as these two here go, I'm just going to chalk it up to you being very good with animals. Nothing more, nothing less."
"So you say," Terry replied, "so you say." He knelt down at the she wolf's side as he spoke, rubbed her head to signal that he was OK. The wolf looked from the teen girl in front of her to Terry and licked his cheek once, before grasping the cub by its neck with her teeth. "See you around, kid," Terry said, scratching the pup's ears. This time, it didn't squirm much, apparently accepting of the teen again. Terry didn't doubt that a lot of it had to do with its mom.
Terry watched the pair leave before getting back to his feet. "Just do me a favor," he started as he approached Bobby Jo. With a toothy grin, he raised his hand, back of it to the girl, and finished with, "Let me know when the town starts seeing the Devil's mark on me."
"Jerk," Bobby muttered, punching his arm in the process. "It's not nice to make fun of our folklore like that."
"Yeah, well, you left it open for me."
The two teens just laughed as they made their way back to the lake. By the time they got there, a lot of the other teens had already left. Those that remained were largely packing up. Terry and Bobby Jo both joined this group. As they were leaving the lake, Bobby popped up out of nowhere with, "Hey Terry."
"Hmm?"
"Do you think the rumors about Sarah may be true?"
Terry frowned. "What rumors?
"You know, about her being a wraith or something."
Terry only laughed. "So it's impossible for me to be a wolf, but totally plausible for Sarah to be a ghost? A ghost that we can all see and freely interact with, at that?"
Bobby punched the boy again. "Jerk," she muttered in the process. "People can't physically turn into wolves. Stupid superstitions."
"Heh, and you were giving me crap about making fun of folklore."
"Quiet you. But no, seriously. It was really freaky how she didn't make a splash with that dive. It couldn't have been natural, no way someone could dive from where she was and not make some kind of larger splash."
Terry's frown returned. So, she did notice it after all. I'm guessing the others did as well. "I saw a good sized splash actually," Terry lied. "You must have just imagined it or something, I don't know."
"I didn't imagine it," Bobby angrily shot back. "There was barely one. It should've been bigger. It wasn't natural how it happened. I used to think the wraith comments were silly superstition, at least until today."
"And what if she was one? What would you do?"
"I...I don't know. Find out what she wants, I guess? I really don't know."
"It doesn't matter anyway," Terry muttered. "She isn't a wraith. Trust me, my senses are very good. She lives and breathes, just like the rest of it. I can tell by looking at her." Truthfully, Terry came to the same conclusion, that the way Sarah made that dive wasn't natural. Still, if she had been a wraith or ghost or whatever, he would've picked up on it long ago. However she made that dive, he didn't know. He did, though, know for damn sure that she is a living human and truthfully, that's all that mattered.
Bobby shook her head. "I guess," she said after a while. "Was she OK, at least? That had to be rough on her, regardless of whether or not she's a wraith, leaving with so many people staring at her like that."
Terry just shook his head at the wraith comment. "She's fine," he replied. "Well, she seemed to be at least.
Bobby nodded. "Hey Terry," she started after another short silence. "Thanks, for earlier."
"Not a problem," the boy replied, waving his hand dismissively in the process. "Oh, hey, could you keep your eye out for any strangers in town?" Terry shook his head at the questioning look in his friend's eyes. "There was someone in the forest earlier, tourist I guess. There was something...off about him, I can't quite put my finger on what. I just...I don't know, I may have been imagining it. Just keep an eye out, is all."
"Sure thing, Terry," Bobby Jo said after a while. "Bye," she added with a wave.
Terry watched her take off a bit before he too left. His thoughts were occupied as he made his way back home. Chief among them were concerning Trevor. Who was he, what was he doing here? And why did he feel so off?
OOC: Finished! Sorry if the length bothers anyone, I got carried away >_>. Also, Taya, wraith thing was on the fly. If you have any issues with it, I can cut it out of the post. Easy enough change.
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Post by Taya on Oct 24, 2012 22:47:39 GMT
Morrigan continued to follow the trail shivering the closer she got to the source. Death had been here. A violent death. She turned away not wanting to feel the energy any more. A human life had been lost. It was easy to tell the difference between a human death and a the natural cycle of life. Nature was never this cold.
Heading away from the site of the murder, Morrigan turned off the beaten path and made her way to the overgrown cave she called home without crushing a single flower. She lifted the ivy that covered the opening and slipped inside. Her empty stomached growled and Morrigan fetched what was left of her gathering. In the blink of an eye, the few nuts, berries and stale bread were gone. It would be a long hungry night and she couldn't get the feeling of death to leave her. She only hoped that the stranger had nothing to do with the murder.
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meilstrom
One Of God's Mistakes
Posts: 23
Hogwarts House: Gryffindor
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Post by meilstrom on Oct 26, 2012 1:19:52 GMT
I returned after a long shower to the bed that promised a night of restful sleep and eyed the leather bound book that awaited me. It gave off an aura of mystery and intrigue that made me feel almost like a little boy sneaking a peek in his sisters diary. Inside was a small note that read:
"I'm so proud of you. It reminds me of when I was your age and my adventures were just beginning. I hope this book will help make your travels easier than mine were."
Smiling, I tucked the note back into the book, flipped through its pages, and stopped on the first page that felt right. It had an illustration of a full moon with a man that looked a lot like Lon Chaney in the Wolf Man. Underneath it was the word "Werewolf" in old english cursive. I chuckled. "You can't be serious grandma. Werewolves?" I muttered to myself. The next pages told about a young man my grandmother met while traveling through France. After a short love affair he suddenly disappeared without a trace. She searched for him but wound up finding out that people in the area had been attacked by a weird animal of some sort. She did some research and found that there was a pattern to the killings and, on the night a killing was supposed to happen, she went searching for the animal. What she found was a man who, during a full moon, was forced to undergo a frightful transformation. He grew hair all over his body, his nails changed into long claws, and his teeth became elongated like a canines. The creature possessed amazingly acute senses and, knowing she was there, attacked. She ran but the creature was in much better shape than she was and it quickly overcame her. At the last second, a large wolf pounced on the beast and quickly killed it. Just before leaving her alone with the body of the creature, which was rapidly changing back into a man, the wolf turned and studied her. When their eyes met, she knew what it truly was.
I anxiously turned the page for more of the story but, aside from a strange code and a sketch of the wolf, I found nothing. Disappointed, I continued flipping through the pages. I found some talking about other psychics and people with the power to warp the elements to their wills. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything describing what I felt from the girl. According to the book, there were a few creatures and people, both living and dead/undead, that could do similar things but I didn't have enough to select one. Eliminating the undead and the creatures, I would have known if she wasn't human, I read through the human chapters and learned a lot. Mostly that my grandma had a very eventful life, and an even more eventful love life that had me wishing I could pour salt into my minds eye to kill the mental image. I found a chapter on other psychics that could perform extraordinary feats and there were a few chapters, full of more weird code, on witches that was interesting.
The witch chapter had a picture that looked like an old woodcut of a woman kneeling in front of a fire with a creature that looked like the devil standing in it. Next to the picture was another of a woman at the intersection of three roads under a full moon with a three headed woman, who seemed to be Hecate, watching over her. She told a story about two twin sisters who were always at odds with each other. One was the proverbial good twin and the other evil. The good twin just wanted to live a quiet life and run a small occult store. The other liked nothing better than to make her sisters life hell. One day, when they came of age, the good sister was given an ancient book that her family had kept a secret for centuries. The other sister, green with envy, stole the book to learn its secrets. Not knowing the mistake she was making, she performed a ritual that summoned an evil entity, made a deal with it for power, and was turned into a monster. She used her new powers to hurt all the people she encountered and, not wanting to harm her own sister, the good twin fled the area. While in hiding, she met my grandmother who convinced her that she would have to return and face her twin. She knew a ritual that would enable her to summon a good entity to counter her twins evil one but, she needed another person to help in the ritual. With my grandmothers aid, she summoned the entity and, with her new power, defeated her twin. Unfortunately, the end of the chapter and the parts describing the ritual were in code and I was unable to gain any more useful information.
Noticing how late it was getting, I returned the book to its hiding place and thought about what I had read. I still didn't want to believe it but the book had vivid descriptions of events that were too detailed to be made up. And why the code? Was it just to keep some details safe from prying eyes or was it something more? And these Witches. Did they really have the power that the book described? If so, I would have to watch myself around the girl if I ran into her again.
I slipped under the covers and settled in for the night. There was little chance that I would run into either again but I had a feeling, one that I have learned over the years not to ignore, that I would. I pushed the thoughts aside. I had a busy day ahead of me and I needed to be as sharp as possible for it.
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Post by Taya on Oct 27, 2012 14:56:46 GMT
Morrigan was up before the sun. She had to be, if she wanted to nick some food and not be caught. The way her stomach was growling from last night's meager meal, she had to get a move on. Dressed in worn patched jeans, an old green t-shirt too big for her and tied in the back to fit, and a black jacket that came to her knees, Morrigan tossed the strap of her bag over her head and across her chest. Quickly and as quit as she could she headed into town, only stopping to collect fallen nuts as she passed. She never collected the ones off the trees. The squirrels would need them to store for winter.
She reached the edge of the tree line near the more tourist center of ton. The Willows B&B always had great biscuits and honey, if she timed it right. It was about sixty feet from where she stood to the back door. If it was anyone else sneaking up on the house, they would worry about being seen, but Morrigan had perfected a few spells even without her family's tomes to learn from. Her concealment charm had gotten much better, so that if anyone looked in her direction they would simply look away and think nothing of it. However she still didn't even try to use it around Terry's place. For some reason, he say her every time.
Using very little energy, the charm was in place and Morrigan headed for The Willows back door. It was the quick access to the kitchen. As first light spread across the town, she magically picked the lock on the door and slipped inside. She could hear the cook leave the room briefly to use the facilities. Morrigan had this place down like clockwork. Off a tray of twelve, Morrigan slipped three hot biscuits into her sack. She also worked an illusion that would give a recollection of the correct number of baked goods. The icebox held several blocks of cheese and Morrigan was quick with a knife to slice off a bit for breakfast.
That was all she was going to take, but then she saw the bowl of fruit sitting on the island. Fresh fruit that she could eat all day. By her timing, she still had another two minutes before someone would enter the kitchen. As a policy, she tried not to take too much from one place, but it would mean she could spend the rest of the day building up her stores of food, water and firewood. Besides, she hadn't hit The Willows in weeks. So without bothering to check for anyone, Morrigan snagged several pieces of fruit. Let them think the guests got hungry. That's what it was there for anyway. Happy in the knowledge that she wouldn't need to make another stop this morning, Morrigan turned back towards the door.
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meilstrom
One Of God's Mistakes
Posts: 23
Hogwarts House: Gryffindor
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Post by meilstrom on Nov 1, 2012 2:59:03 GMT
I woke the next morning to the cheerful singing of birds. I looked out the window and saw them hopping around in the grass looking for worms in the moist earth and morning dew. I grimaced. I don't care if your human or not. If you go to bed early, you should not rub it in with over cheerfulness the next morning.
I carefully shaved to avoid cutting myself and packed a bag with the items I would be needing. I dressed in hiking clothes and headed for the kitchen. Maybe I could convince whoever was working down there to let me make something I could eat on the run.
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Post by Taya on Nov 1, 2012 19:13:01 GMT
'Shit.' Morrigan mentally cursed as she heard someone heading towards kitchen. She could make a mad dash for the door, but that would create unnecessary noise. Without much time, she ducked behind the island and gave her concealment charm more power just as the door opened. Hopefully the person would be quick and she could be on her way.
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meilstrom
One Of God's Mistakes
Posts: 23
Hogwarts House: Gryffindor
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Post by meilstrom on Nov 7, 2012 0:20:55 GMT
I entered the kitchen to find it empty. There were kitchen utensils and the room smelled like fresh baked bread. There was a basket of fresh baked biscuits sitting on the counter. Bellé must have just left. I didn't have time to wait around so I decided to help myself to the fruit on the counter. I could always get something to eat later. Circling the island, I held my hand over the bowl and reached out with my mind. “You didn't think you could hide from me could you?” I said and, digging to the bottom of the bowl, fished out an apple. I turned to the biscuits next, wondering if there would be any harm in taking one. I touched the bowl. The biscuits were meant to go with the sausages and eggs she was about to cook. There was something strange about the biscuits. It felt like there should be more of them but, at the same time, it felt like their was nothing wrong at all. Underlying the contradictory feeling was the same strange energy I had felt in the clearing the day before. Had the girl from the field been here? I checked the door and found it to be unlocked. I crouched and examined the floor. It was clean except for a very faint mark near the door that looked like a partial footprint. Backing away until leaning against the island, I took a bite out of the apple and considered the scene. Had the girl from the field been here? If so, what was she after? And why was I getting the strange feeling that I was missing something? I was about to look harder when I sensed a presence near me. Smiling, I resisted the urge to greet Bellé and instead waited for her to speak first.
“You're up early.” she said. “Busy day planned?”
I laughed. “I'm on vacation. One of the last words I want to hear is busy. I think I'll spend the day hiking and wandering.”
She laughed back. “Fair enough. Would you like me to pack you some of my biscuits? I just made them.”
“Thanks but no. I had this apple. I'll be fine until lunch.”
“Oh come on now. Thats not nearly enough for a young man like you. Now, go in the sitting room and I'll bring you a real breakfast. I insist.”
Knowing that arguing would get me nowhere, I thanked her and went to the sitting room to wait for breakfast.
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Post by skati on Nov 12, 2012 3:58:18 GMT
Bobby Jo was humming a pop tune to herself as she reached the Willows. She may not have had farm work today, but there were still other chores to do. Helping her grandmother out at the inn was one such chore; and so here she stood, dressed in a Sunday dress (grandmother always insisted she dressed more lady like around here), aurburn hair falling past her shoulders.
She didn't bother knocking, just entered. Looking around with brown eyes, she stopped when she noticed a man she hadn't seen around here. "Oh, hello," she said, smiling broadly (again, her grandmother's insistence when meeting potential guests) and waving.
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Post by Taya on Nov 12, 2012 11:53:15 GMT
Morrigan held her breath certain 'Trevor' was going to catch her. She knew that he had some sort of sense about him but the concealment charm seemed to do its job. It didn't help her nerves when the woman had come in, too. How was she suppose to sneak past both of them.
'Calm down, Morrigan.' she thought to herself. If she couldn't get her nerves under control, Morrigan knew her spell had a good chance of failing. Morrigan was quick to make for the backdoor when she hustled the supposed fisherman out of the kitchen. Though him being up this early, did lend itself to his story. With a few whispered words to the door hinges, she was again outside and about to make for the tree line.
'When am I going to get another chance like this?' So Morrigan sprinted for the trees and then made her way as fast as she could to the doctor's house. It didn't take very long and they didn't have much time to spare before he set out. She had climbed the tree outside Terry's window plenty of times with ease and this morning was no different. Morrigan began tossing tiny pebbles at Terry's window pane, while containing the sound to just his room, but also making it louder and sharper for him.
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