Xander's Cross, Oregon: a small town ringed with forbidding mountains and misty forest. The sky may be gray, but the townspeople are welcoming to people of all kinds...and things that are not quite human as well. Here the native shifters, aliens, werewolves, and witches live in peace. They have yet to find out the new business owners encroaching on the land are also vampires.
The peace has been broken by murder, however, and things in Xander's Cross are about to become quite a bit darker.
Welcome to your new home.
is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?
August 20, 2020
The mayor, Rowan Starkwood, was found dead less than a mile from his home. Rumors say his body was mutilated, but the state of the body has not yet been released to the public.
Post by Kale Roemer on Nov 11, 2020 0:03:49 GMT -5
He went back to spinning in his seat as if he hadn't just casted a protection dream spell for her. In fact, he'd binded himself to that jar essentially. His blood would give her protection, and should anything come for her in her sleep, he'd know about it. The moment that seal was broken, he'd know. Damn, he really must of have been bored to go out on a limb like this....
He spun and stopped at her question. Looking at her from over his shoulder, he slowly turned back around, crossing his legs and folding his hands on his knee. "Murder." He said simply. Like it was an easy answer. Kale was anything but blunt and brutally honest. He wasn't the type to beat around the bush. "My guess is sleeper demon. They haunt your dreams until your so exhausted you don't sleep and then come for you when you're awake. You're so delirious from exhaustion that you think your actually dreaming when it's actual reality. People passing away peacefully in their sleep? Yeah right...." He mused.
He pushed of the ground with a booted foot, and went spinning again, watching her face each time he passed by before he stopped. Leaning his elbow on the counter, while his brow furrowed. "They're usually summoned..." He said running a hand over his chin. "They usually only haunt one person until they've fulfilled their contract." He said quietly, narrowing his eyes again. "Buuuuuut I'm cynical and paranoid. Could just be nightmares. But, if the jar works...." He shrugged. "If it doesn't it's all in your head, Sugar." He reasoned, trying to put her at ease. He didn't know if it was actually comforting or not.
Post by Josie Andrews on Nov 11, 2020 15:22:14 GMT -5
Josie just stared as he went from ADHD child to completely serious to answer her question. Actually, that was probably exactly what he was: he needed to be occupied with something to keep himself still. If he wasn't focused on something, then he was going to vent that energy some other way. She'd have mentioned it to him if he hadn't immediately started with "murder."
A sleep demon was literally trying to stop her heart. She wished he was lying, really she did. But he believed it, one hundred percent. Listening to him explain, she felt like the blood was draining from her body onto the floor, leaving her cold and empty--save for the warmth of the jar in her hands. She clutched it tighter.
He must have realized she was upset because he was backpedaling soon after, giving her an escape route. If the jar didn't protect her, then it was just a nightmare. If it worked...well, then she had bigger problems.
Josie slumped down and put her forehead on the counter just as Mason returned with Kale's actual order. She could feel the scrape of the plate against the Formica rattle around in her head. Ugh. She couldn't outsmart a demon by not sleeping, apparently, so she was just going to have to deal with it. And even now, she couldn't sleep until this dumbass finished his burger. Well, even if he wasn't a werewolf, she hoped he ate like one. She just wanted to go to bed.
With another heavy sigh, she lifted her head back up and propped it on her elbow, mirroring him.
"Alright, Mr. Social Butterfly. Allegedly, you've solved my problem. But I'm still stuck with you till you finish that--" She pointed at the burger. "So what do you want to hear about? Civil law? The legal precedent for adoption cases? Weird laws from ancient Rome?"
Post by Kale Roemer on Nov 12, 2020 3:39:20 GMT -5
Kale watched Josie as she put her head on the counter. For once, he might have felt a smidge of badness for bursting her bubble. But, he'd rather know what she was possibly dealing with upfront and now than later. She could thank him for living later, after she got that goodnights sleep. He turned his head as Mason approached. Smelling the greasy diner food already had his stomach rumbling and seeing it caused him to salivate. How could he forget how hungry he was? Oh yeah, because of the Sugar Fae.
He twirled around in his seat so he was facing the counter and patted it, telling Mason right where she could put that plate. "Thanks." He told her before he picked up a fry and shoved it into his mouth. Nearly groaning at the taste. Oh yeah, he was hungry. He picked up a few more fries and shoved them into his mouth before looked at Josie as she raised her head and looked at him.
His dark eyes watched her as she pointed out she was stuck there until he finished eating, and he almost slowed down just out of spite. But he eyed that jar he'd given her. Nah, the girl needed to get home and get home quickly so she could sleep. He could bug her later. He snorted at her list of topic options. "Sure you aren't' trying to put me to sleep there Sugar?" He asked her.
He picked up the burger took a large bite of it. He chewed thoughtfully, staring at the counter across from him before he flickered his eyes towards her. "Tell me about the town, you said I'd like it here. So...Let's see if I like it or not." He said with a raised eyebrow. It was one way to get good recon if he needed to.
Post by Josie Andrews on Nov 12, 2020 20:03:39 GMT -5
"Sure you aren't' trying to put me to sleep there Sugar?"
Josie shrugged. "It's your own fault for expecting a lawyer to entertain you. All I know is the law, politics, and literature."
She waited for him to decide, staring blankly as he chewed the burger. He definitely did eat like a wolf. But she was pretty sure werewolves couldn't do magic… But there was a first time for everything.
"Tell me about the town, you said I'd like it here. So...Let's see if I like it or not."
Josie's eyebrows went up. She hadn't expected that, but she'd answer as best she could. She glanced around the diner, deciding things were safe--the teen in the kitchen was a werewolf, and Mason a witch. Seeing as there were no other regular customers right now, she could speak pretty freely.
"Xander's Cross is special," she began, laughing softly at herself for using the stock phrase everyone in town seemed to default to. "As I said, most of the town is something or another. The town started out as home to the Isaneqwe tribe--native Americans whose legends tell of people being able to transform into their spirit animals." She paused to give him a meaningful look. "Over time, the town started to take on settlers, people who were fleeing other persecution; the witch trials, being hunted, even people from other planets and planes of existence. It's a safe haven for people like us. It's a place where you can comfortably be yourself and more people know and accept you than not."
"The thing is...the magic of this place, it doesn't just draw nice things, and people looking for safety. It also draws dark things. There are strange things in the woods. And I don't just mean the carnivorous deer."
Post by Kale Roemer on May 2, 2021 21:08:21 GMT -5
Munching on another fry, Kale arched a brow at the Sugar fae. “I wouldn’t say that,” He said thoughtfully. “You gotta know more then boring subjects.” He pointed out. Already from talking to her, and not about those subjects, she’d become an interesting person. Or at least someone that was holding his attention for more then five minutes, which was a feat in and of itself.
He ate quietly while he listened to her talk. Paying attention to how she described the town, and those dark eyes glanced sidelong at her while she said the town had become a safe haven for people like them that were on the run. Weh-heh-ellll, then he was right where he needed to be then wasn’t he? He just hoped Ruby and Dmitri would get him out of here soon, so he could go on the war path.
He glanced at her again, nibbling on a fry as she started to describe the magic. Playing it up that he was possibly a witch and so, he showed more interest with the magic talk. He couldn’t help the grin at hearing it drew in dark things, and couldn’t help the small chuckle. “You don’t say?” He asked. Kale hadn’t planned on checking out the woods, but carnivorous deer? That was interesting. It was good to know all about this though. Good know what might possibly be lurking in this seemingly little town and what he would have to be on the look out for.
“Don’t go into the woods, got it.” He voiced. Correction, do go into the woods. Kale had always been one to do the opposite of what he’d been told…
He licked some ketchup off his thumb, and before he realized it, the burger had been inhaled as well as a good portion of the fries. He put one last one in his mouth before taking a sip of his coffee, and then glanced over at the Sugar fae. His eyes went the jar he’d given her. Mildly wondering if he’d get summoned out of his bed that night, or some other night that week. Well... time would tell to see if he was right. And if he was…
He’d be kicking in her door with a squirt gun full of holy water, and salt packets. Now wouldn’t that be something… “Well Sugar, I think you’ve upheld your bargain.” He said nodding towards his dinner plate. He was done, having finished his meal. Meaning she was free to return home and to her bed. If his jar worked, she’d be getting the best damn sleep she’d have all week.
He was looking forward to the possibility of being right, when she’d hunt him down sometime tomorrow. Now wasn’t that rather arrogant of him? But Kale was usually always arrogant, and it was for good reason.
Post by Josie Andrews on May 2, 2021 21:56:32 GMT -5
“I wouldn’t say that,” He said thoughtfully. “You gotta know more than boring subjects.”
Pff. He was showing his inexperience with her, thinking she was interesting. If he'd been a local, he'd know she was telling the simple truth. Josephine Andrews was as basic and as boring as a girl with a high-court fae for a mother could possibly be. She liked learning, she liked being right, and she liked people to leave her alone. In high school, she'd been practically invisible behind a boring ponytail and a mouth full of braces. Half the students she'd had classes with probably wouldn't even recognize her. The most stir she'd ever caused was taking all AP classes and still doing well.
“Well Sugar, I think you’ve upheld your bargain.”
She followed his gesture to the empty plate and her shoulders visibly relaxed. She could go get some rest. Or...well, at least she could try. She looked to the spell jar in her hands and bit her bottom lip. Was this really going to solve her problem? And if it did...was that better, or worse?
She sighed and hopped down from her stool, trying to ignore the lead weight of exhaustion still weighing down her bones. "I'm sure we'll meet again. Small town, and all that. And...Thank you for this? I think." She held up the spell bottle. "Goodnight, Kale."
Post by Kale Roemer on May 4, 2021 21:47:49 GMT -5
Kale pushed the plate away from him and folded his hands on the linoleum. He leaning forward so he could also rest his forearms on it. His head was turned so he could watch the Sugar fae, noting how she chewed on her lip. He was curious to know whether or not she believed him, or if she'd actually do as he suggested with the jar. For all he knew she could toss it in a dumpster on her way home and he wouldn't know. Nor would he care. Maybe... He did put some effort into that jar. He didn't practice magic all the time ya know.
Those dark eyes watched her hop up off the stool and a slow grin spread across his face. Oh we'll meet again Sugar. Count on it. He thought. "Sweet dreams. Sugar." He nodded at her in farewell, watching her as she made her leave from over his shoulder. Once she was gone, he lifted his coffee cup to his lips. "And pray to the moon that jar does it's job." He whispered under his breath as he finished the rest of his coffee.
[End thread][/i]
last edited May 4, 2021 21:48:09 GMT -5 by Kale Roemer