blackwolf npc

      she seemed so much more comfortable talking about it then he was.  ‘  three days,  ’  he repeats, letting it sink in. he sighs,  ‘  nothing. except for the scar.  ’  there’s a sinking feeling, a wondering of  what  was wrong with him that they decided to just spit him out, mark him but show him nothing and give him nothing to navigate the world now that they had changed it for him.  ‘  it was …  freezing cold. even after i got home i couldn’t get warm, but it was… on the inside somehow. nobody else could tell. it was dark and i felt like i was floating, perpetually feeling like you’re at the top of a roller coaster when your stomach drops and you feel weightless. it was a few hours but it felt longer. i thought i’d be there for the rest of my life, if not longer.  i  –  ’  once he starts talking about it all flows out, but suddenly he stops. he doesn’t want this to be a joke, for his truth to be twisted into another lie.  ‘  yeah.  ’

she could understand in some ways what he had gone through. what he could feel and no one else would understand. although he never experienced the cold he did, she did know what it felt like to be different. but to go through all of that and not even be given a gift back. "no..no gregor...i hope it's okay that i call you gregor." she said moving to his side, taking his hand in hers. "please, don't feel like you have to hold back anything. i won't either because for the first time i can talk to someone and they won't assume i'm crazy or exaggerating or making this up." she smiled. "even dad. when i told him about everything i had to take it away. he just didn't understand like i wanted him to. but you gregor, you understand me and maybe...maybe they did give you something you just don’t know yet.”

      there’s a hint of jealousy in him when she explains. he never got anything for his trouble but disapproval and disbelief. he tries to press that down, knows it’s not the right response, but he can’t help it. a smile comes across his face when he sees the mark on her neck.  this was real.  his heart is beating fast.  ‘  i don’t …  i’m not sure. a few hours, probably, based on what’s missing. or, how long i was missing. it’s hard to pin down cause… well i normally was gone in the afternoon anyway, and it wasn’t long enough to raise any attention.  do you remember anything  ?  ’  he asked, looking at her intently. he only had sensations… and questions. so many questions. 

she felt like she was a little girl giddily showing another her scar. how simple the thing was that brought both of them such joy. but it meant neither of them was crazy. and getting to meet someone else who had been through what they had been through. "a few hours?" her voice seemed genuinely surprised by his answer. "i was gone three days. it was the biggest news around this town. when i got back it's all everyone could talk about for a year. they all just assumed i got lost and found my way back home. but i knew the truth" she said. "i don't remember everything. some parts i do. some memories are still there and others are just a blur. but this..." she said standing up walking towards the two large white arches. "this i saw everywhere there. it would never leave my mind." she said, her eyes locked on the arches. "what about you. what can you remember. what were you given?"

      he had  hoped  he would, always hoped he would run into that person who understood exactly what it was like and maybe they remembered more then him, more then being ice cold and weightless… that’s what all this was about. he wouldn’t even be on the blackwolf team, wouldn’t be in this random town, if he didn’t hope he’d find someone who could understand what he had gone through.  ‘  close encounter, type four: reality transformation, arguable type five inclusion: lasting physiological effect,  ’  he murmurs it to himself like a mantra, something he’s repeated in his own head but never out loud. he doesn’t, maybe can’t, say it’s the summary of his own experience, but he looks at her firmly and adds, voice stronger,  ‘  i understand.  ’  a inhale, trying to relax himself. if this was it  ?  if this was… what he had been looking for? none of the case felt right, but…  ‘  how could you tell  ?  did you see something  ?  ’  he thought his hair was long enough to hide the scar or whatever you should call the mark that was left on him after that night.

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"a feeling like i said. i was blessed with it ever since i was little...ever since i was returned. i just got this read on people sometimes and i ain't never got a read like i got on you. but i couldn't be sure about it. until you bent over to help me pick up my groceries. and i saw that scar on your neck. i got one just like it." maybelle brushed aside her curls of blonde hair, turning to show him the scar on her neck. "i used to tell myself it was from when i fell off my bike. not sure how that is even possible but it was all i could think of." turning back in her chair, she couldn't help but smile. sitting across from someone who was like her. someone who could understand what she was going through and what had happened. “i feel like you were meant to be here. meant to be on this case and meant to be sitting across from me right now. all of this. all my work was worth it.” she smiled. "how long did they have you for? i always wondered that."

      while there is something undeniably unsettling about all of this, he can’t deny she has a point about the room. there was a certain charm to it and perhaps if the ominous arches were removed, he’d feel content here. he’s listening to her but his gaze is exploring the space, trying to take in everything, but then she mentions secrets and he focuses intently on her, eyes narrow. he only had  one  secret, and it was the big one. a hand scratches at the back of his neck in a way that could be explained as a nervous habit, and that was partially true, but it meant more than that to him.  ‘  you’ll have to elaborate,  ’  he says, not going to admit anything before she does.  ‘  what do you think it is we have in common, mrs. harper  ?  ’

her words must have hit something as he nervously ticked in scratched the back of his neck. maybelle felt even more sure than before that she was right and that this risk was maybe going to pay off. "have you ever meet someone and you just get that overwhelming feeling that they might feel how you are feeling? like maybe they could understand you just a little bit. because that's the feeling i got from you the first day we met in that parking lot. i just sensed something... i never had it happen before but i knew you were like me. i just knew it." she said. "it's hard to even say out loud. i forced myself for years to not even think about it. because if thought about it then maybe it would just go away. it would have never happened. but it did mr.adair. you and i were visited by something beyond what most people can even dream of."

     he didn’t think he knew enough to have questions yet. well, he had a few, but nothing overly specific at this point. he just wanted to get the bigger picture and… well, figure out if he was able to leave. he nods, taking a breath.  ‘  yeah, lead the way. maybe you can explain all this to me, mrs. harper ?  ’

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leading him down the shinning white hallway, she stopped at one of the doors. "this is one of our meeting rooms. normally reserved for the upper members of the church but i think an exception can be made given how important this is." she told him. opening up the large doors she gestured for him to come in before closing the door behind them. the bright white hallways were behind them now as they entered the darken room. illuminated by various candles that maybelle had meticulous lit and arranged while she had waited. the walls and floors of the room were dark giving the floating candles even more look of starlight. the other source of light was the large white double arches in the room near the small round table. "the room was designed to make you feel like you're outside at night. not as beautiful as the real thing but i find it to be very relaxing." she said taking a seat at the table. "now mr.adair, i have to admit something to you. and i hope i am not being to forward with you. but...i know a lot more about you than i think you know about me. but one thing i can say for certain is that we are a lot more similar than you might imagine... we both hold such big secrets.”

      whatever he expected, the shift in maybelle’s eyes were not it. however, he’s fixated by the them, and her words. he doesn’t respond, he just nods solemnly and listens to the instructions. his impulse is to follow them to a t. it’s strange, and he’s not sure he likes it. apparently he retained enough of himself besides the instruction to feel apprehensive about what this meant.   ‘  right, yeah,  ’  he says, nodding again, after things go back to normal… or at least they appeared to. the idea was still firmly lodged in his mind.  ‘  i should get back to them. good to speak with you, mrs. harper.  ’

– 

      gregor opens the doors to the church at almost exactly midnight, and looks around the now somewhat familiar space. he had not been given instruction on what to do once he got there, so he just stands there… waiting, and unsure what would come next. the same apprehension is still causing his chest to tighten, ready for this to go wrong. clearly he was wrong about his suggestion to dante earlier that this case should be passed off to another unit. this was directly in their purview, but they hadn’t caught it, and now he was standing in the middle of the storm waiting for lightning.

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maybelle watched as gregor left with the other agents, and she couldn't help but smile. this was perfect, maybe not how she planned on getting him alone but it would work nonetheless. heading back into the church, she needed to prepare for what was going to come. after the large crowd outside finally dispersed, she spent her time making sure the church was cleared away too. letting everyone know that she needed the space alone to work on things. others she was just able to tell them to go. even dad went back to their home to work on his next speech.

out of her old clothes and into something new, she made sure she was cleaned up well for her guest. it was an exciting night, a special night and she wanted to look her best.

the midnight chime rung throughout the church, along the small clicking of her heels on the marble floor as she walked into the entrance.

"mr.adair, i am so glad you were able to join me tonight. i promise you it will be worth all your time." she smiled. "i'm sure you have many questions and i will answer all of them, if you just follow me this way."

      ‘  well, i’m glad we can help,  ’  gregor answers, though he does have his own reservations about  the horrible man  in question. that’s not something to discuss here. he tilts his head at her inquiry… he knows he should stay with the other agents, but then again, maybe she had something that could be helpful. without much of a good reason, a possibly a bit against his usual character, he finds himself nodding.  ‘  of course, mrs. harper. i’m sure you have somewhere  ?  if you’ll just lead the way.  ’

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the crowd was turning more into a mob than anything else. the little time she had alone with gregor was going to be gone soon and her opportunity would be gone with it. this was risky, she knew that but she needed to make her move now. reaching out she grabbed onto his arm, pulling him close to look right into his eyes. in a flash there was something changed in her eyes, the dark black pupils seemed to almost pulse in her eyes before they grew to almost cover the entirety of her blue eyes. "go home with the agents and then come back to the church at midnight. do not tell anyone where you are going." she told him. the black of her pupils shrunk back to normal and she let go of his arm. the southern smile returning to her face. "i think it's time for you to go mr.adair. your friends look like they need you."

        gregor had been standing near some of the other agents, attending the vigil out of respect for the deceased and since  dad  had invited them personally. the speech was certainly something, but he did not have too long to think about it before maybelle arrived.  ‘  evening, mrs. harper,  ’  he replies.  ‘  i wouldn’t say we’re happy to be here given the circumstances, but hopefully we’ll be able to reassure people a bit.  ’  he brushes past the way she singles him out, chalking it up to the hospitality she’s shown since they arrived, an attempt to make each of them feel welcome.

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"i don't think any of us are happy to be here but i do think that being here is important. and having all of you here right now is even more important. to help give everyone a sense of safety with all that is happening. and now that you have caught this horrible horrible man." she told him. looking around the crowd bustled around them more, as all of them were now getting motivated by dad's speech. she could see some of them moving towards where the agents were standing"mr. adair...." she started, unsure how to phrase this. "i need to speak to you about something...something in private. it is very important."

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         Horror at being caught out makes Oscar stumble from where he’d been trying to silently open a backdoor; he rears back a couple of steps, accidentally catches a (thankfully unlit) candle with a flailing hand, and descends into chaos as he tries to stop both it and himself from falling, all to a tune of, “Oh shit, oh no, damn it– no, okay, got it, sorry, crap.”

         Oh, god. It’s Dad. Oscar stares in mute panic, clutching the candle, trying desperately to think of an excuse for why he’d been sneaking around backstage. He’s silent for too long, awkwardly long, before he finally manages, “I was looking for pamphlets on… the good word. And your church. I’m… curious?” Hey, it’s not a total lie?

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harlon was not a stupid man. but even a stupid man could see the agent stumbling on his words infront of him and how panic he looked at him. "calm down son. you aren't in any trouble." the pastor said, holding out his hands to try and reassure him. sure he didnt like people sneaking around his church but he was an agent he was sure that was part of his whole job.

but if this man wanted to talk about things then he was glad to do just that. placing a hand on the agents back, he smiled as he led him towards his office. "i have plenty of pamphlets in my office and i would be happy to answer any questions you have there. i hope you were able to listen to my speech. i think it went well."

“is that so? well, amber does seem like a pleasant, quaint spot to settle down. is it the kind of place where people end up at and never really leave?” she smiled. even if she had already outlined him as her personal prime suspect, she had to stop herself from refusing him cordial treatment, as superficial as this may be. and who knew, maybe disclosing that the team would be keeping tabs on him from now on wasn’t a wise move just yet. “yeah, tragic doesn’t even cut it. i… can’t imagine what her mother is feeling. did you two ever interact before all of this? i mean, did she ever…  reach out to you to talk about her daughter?” 

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“oh yes. people around here tend to stay here for their entire lives. you know the young adults move away from college but most tend to find their way back home. i suppose this place just beckons them back. somewhere they know they are safe... or i suppose they were safe until all of this.” he said giving a heavy sigh, thinking to all the murders that had happened here. “unfortunently i did not have much of a relationship with victoria. she was always a bit of a outsider to the entire town. cynthia and i always tried to welcome her into events but she never wanted to partake.”

ingrid hated interrogations. she didn’t have the patience for them and was prone to giving up. she always passed it off to others as letting the perp ‘stew’. but the truth was that she preferred paperwork to conversation, especially when she was supposed to play good cop. as a very direct person she could never understand why someone wouldn’t cooperate. she, unlike most, preferred the kooks who rambled every thought and theory that popped into their head. 

she was inclined to be sarcastic and snap back at him, but instead she just sighed and slumped in the chair across from him. the new tactic was to anger him, but not in a way he’d notice, “not really. i think i’m just gonna sit in here a while. doesn’t matter if we talk or not, i’m being paid by the hour and i could really use an extended paid break, courtesy of the taxpayers.” 

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stephen finally lifted his head up more when he heard the voice of his "interrogator". this was going to be a long night he knew it. his head was pounding, he was exhausted and he just wanted to lay down and sleep for a bit. instead he had to sit through even more pointless questions.

"so what you're just gonna sit here and stare at me for awhile? i already told all of your what i needed to say. i did it what other questions could your possibly have?" stephen had already been frustrated the moment they brought him back to the police station. they had everything they needed from him right? why go through all this shit again. he did it. he admitted to it, why all the questions that were just gonna go on and on. "if you're just planning on sitting here then why don't we just end this crap? send me wherever you're gonna send me."

flicking lights from candles dotted across the lawn of the great white church. like tiny stars moving around in the grass, each person there ready to mourn the loss of another person in the community.

the high pitch whine of a microphone cut through the noise of the crowd and soon all of them fell silent. members of the church turned to look towards their dad as he got ready to speak. dressed in a dark suit, he stood up on a glossy white platform. maybelle by his side, dressed in a perfectly tailored black dress. her red bottom shoes clicking as she walked up to the microphone first.

“thank y’all for coming here tonight. i know i speak for daddy and myself when we say we wish this was for a better reason.” her lilting southern accent echoed through the speakers. “but i believe being here now with each other is the best thing we can do to honor those we have lost. i turn the microphone over to my husband who has a few things he would like to say.”

grateful applause came from the attendees as dad himself stepped up to the microphone.

“thank you to my beautiful wife for that. i know we are all here together to mourn the tragic loss of people in our community. this small town has faced the horrors of what the real world can throw at you. so much tragic death and loss. too much one would say…. and loss of life too young. cynthia morgan sato was a vibrant young member of our family here at this church. she was dedicated and smart and loved this community. and her passing is something i don’t think even i have fully proceed.” dad kept his voice strong though it was clear there were emotions pushing through as he spoke. behind him, maybelle dabbed her tears away with a black handkerchief. 

“those who have attended my masses know i am a man of forgiveness. i believe all of us can be forgiven of what we have done if we truly have grown. but i must admit...i am struggling to forgive the man who took the life of cynthia morgan sato and then brutally killed her mother victoria. i am struggling my children and for that i am sorry.”

the crowd called out encouragement towards their dad. no dad! it’s okay. we love you. 

raising his hands he calmed the crowd. “but this night is not about me or how i am feeling but how we as a community are feeling. and i will forgive this man one day. but i believe we all are in agreement here that justice must be served in this case. and thankfully due to the hard work of the fbi agents it seems like justice will be served.” he said motioning towards where some of the agents were standing and the crowd applauded.

“but we must rise together as a community. this stephen picky can not get away with what he has done. therefore i am offering a reward for anyone with information with mr. picky can come straight to me with the information. we need to help our fbi friends here. give us information. give us evidence that will help gather justice. because we will NOT stand another member of our community being taken from us. will we?”

NO. NO DAD WE WILL NOT. HE WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH THIS. this crowd yelled back.