CADE MIHALEV

     Vanessa didn’t care much for the people laid out on the slap back at her morgue . she hated the witches , was indifferent to the wolves , and most humans were idiots in her eyes . a means to an end . live stock for the vampires , especially tourists . she did see however how their deaths affected most in town . especially their respective faction they belonged to and the humans who couldnt stomach the scene .   “ Then you should be waiting for me at the morgue rather than a place so public , detective .”  she laughed at his counter . “ Drinking yourself into the night ? Not really a good idea . “ 

Just as he wasn't surprised to find her here, Cade wasn't entirely surprised that she didn't want to talk about work over here. "Wouldn't have gotten a whiskey there, would I..?", he countered, just as the bartender placed the drink in front of him. He quickly lifted the glass as if to toast and then faked a way too sweet smile that didn't quite reach his eyes though. "Didn't know you were worried about me de'Mor..." Not that he truly believed this was the case but especially since he knew that Vanessa would do the same, he couldn't help but at least tease her a little. "You can relax though, technically my shift was already over about twelve hours ago..." Which was probably just another reason why it would have been wiser to go home instead of having a drink but he didn't really care.

“Well damn, don’t look at me like that. I didn’t murder anyone.” Today. Regardless, he definitely didn’t think he’d done anything to deserve this cold greeting. “Is it my cargo pants? Because I was told that they were coming back into fashion.”

But he wasn’t an idiot. This had nothing to do with his cargo pants, or him at all. There had been a mass murder here not a few hours earlier, followed by a terribly gruesome display that was just too much. When shit like that happened, the town usually went after the weird reclusive people in the woods first. Easy targets and such. And those weird, reclusive people just happened to be his family so he had to make sure they weren’t the first suspects on the board. “Is this a new detective method I don’t know about. Strong, silent surveillance of the scene? Because if it is you’re doing a great job…” Reiss paused, and then decided that maybe being a smart ass wasn’t the best route to take at the moment. “Okay, I’m sorry. I’m being a dick, it’s kind of how I deal with things…I just wanted to know if there were any leads.” 

The last thing Cade could use right now, were people who were simply being curious. And yet it seemed like this was exactly the case right now. Not that he was surprised or that he couldn’t understand it. Even if it hadn’t been his job, he still would have wanted to know what had happened. But answering questions like this only delayed his work. And so he simply stayed silent for as long as possible, only raising his eyebrows further as he started to fear that this guy was never going to shut up. “It’s a method that got you talking, isn’t it...”, Cade only replied. He had already learned long ago that simply staying quiet was a way more effective way to get people talking than the best questions. Most people just couldn’t stand the silence and that was something he had learned to use to his advantage. Right now it hadn’t helped him to find out anything useful - on the contrary - but one could still never know.. “If there were, how professional do you think it would be to simply tell everyone around here?”, he added, knowing very well that professional clearly wasn’t the term most of his colleagues would use when asked to describe him but he didn’t really care.

Naturally, Avery had heard the screams echoing throughout Briar Creek that morning as they made their way to work. With school having just started back up, Avery wanted to get a headstart on planning for next week’s lessons; and, selfishly, they had been utilizing their classroom supplies to work on a project of their own, one they had awoken thoroughly inspired for. Their inspiration, however, was short-lived once their course was diverted into town, their eyes falling upon the same horrific scene nearly everyone in town had been audience to. Now, after classes had been completed for the week, they’d felt compelled to make their way back to the scene, though for what purpose they couldn’t be sure. There was no denying the sheer evil they felt surrounding the scene- it was as though every bit of energy in the air had shifted, and being a witch, Avery could feel it all. They hadn’t intended to disturb the other, though given the weight of the stare they received once their presence was noticed, they’d managed to do just that. “I, uh-” Clearing their throat, Avery clicked their tongue. “I was just passing through, I guess, and I…I don’t know. I suppose I felt like I should pay my respects.”

Of course, Cade wasn’t entirely surprised that he wasn’t the only one around here and that maybe the person behind him hadn’t even wanted to talk to him but was simply curious or, in this case, wanted to pay their respects. And still it wouldn’t be him, if he simply accepted that and left them alone. “You knew any of them..?”, he asked, not really in a compassionate kind of way like he knew someone else might have done, but in a much more direct way that demanded an answer. If he wanted to find out what had happened and, more importantly, stop it from happening again, he couldn’t waste any time by comforting other people or drying tears. That wasn’t his job after all and it wouldn’t turn back time and change anything either. 

Exhaling heavily, Kai ran his fingers through his hair, doing his best to reign himself in. Having such overwhelming emotions was a near-foreign feeling to Kai; the majority of his adult life had been spent in a regulated emotional state- a vast difference from the up and down experience of his adolescence. Since witnessing what he had that morning, however, seeing Ethan in such a state, knowing what the deaths of the Trina Dea witches meant, and even what the addition of the humans would cause, remaining emotionally regulated, especially in moments which he perceived to be private, fell low on his priority list. Turning, his eyes landed on Cade, another lifelong resident of Briar Creek. “Yeah, I guess you could.” Pushing himself off the wall, Kai straightened his back, taking a step towards the other man. “Just…Blowing off some steam. Ethan…” His voice trailed at speaking his friend’s name aloud. “He was…We were close.”  

His eyes still fixed on the guy in front of him, Cade knew that somebody else would probably try and comfort him somehow but he wouldn’t be the person to do that. It wouldn’t change anything about what had happened anyway, would it..?! So what was the use in even trying?! It would be of much more use if he was doing his work, which was finding out what had happened. And if the man in front of him had known one of the victims, he might as well try and use that. “Just Ethan? Never seen one of the others with him..?”, he asked. It was one of the few things he was still trying to wrap his head around after all. If whoever had killed those people had chosen them on purpose or if they had simply chosen random people. 

      Vanessa gave the human detective a look . one that by now they both understood . “ Can’t work on an empty stomach, detective . “ although it was still questioned by many at the station who had a case how in the hell could she eat while working on the bodies . “ And I am starving . “ She replied casually without missing a beat . “ Funny though , same can be said about you . Figured you’d jump at the chance to be the lead Sherlock Holmes in this case .”  Vanessa tilted her head a bit before her name was called out and the waitress handed her bag of goodies . 

Although he was probably known as being rather sarcastic at times, Cade really wasn’t that surprised to see Vanessa around here right now. They were working together for quite some time now and it clearly wasn’t the first time they’d met here. However she managed to do that, it seemed like Vanessa always needed something to eat when there was work to do. And that clearly was the case right now. Cade himself wasn’t particularly hungry at the moment even though he knew that he should probably eat something himself. But with those images of the crime scene appearing in his head all the time, he probably wouldn’t be able to get anything down. “One whiskey. Neat”, he simply ordered instead before turning back towards the brunette. “Maybe I’m only here to find out if you already have anything useful for me...?”, he countered, slightly raising his eyebrows.

     Feyrah knew the town was in utter chaos . emotionally wise . there were deaths but something like that didn’t just happen . was it a serial killer on their hands ? new people have been moving here recently but one can never know for sure . God , I’ve been watching too many crime documentaries . she shook the thought away before seeing cade . seeing the turmoil in his cold look . wrapping her arm around his arm , feyrah’s eyes looked at the blood stained on the concrete . already fading into it . she was sure by tomorrow it would be gone . “ You look tired . You need rest , cade … “ Brown eyes looked at him . this was all a mess and she knew it wasn’t really safe until whoever did this was caught . “ You can’t really put your all in this if you don’t rest and overwork yourself . ” a troubled mind and the negative thoughts she was sure he was having was not good . 

Cade was a little surprised to see that it was Feyrah who was standing behind him and yet he couldn’t deny that he was somehow glad. He didn’t know how well he had managed to pull himself together again and if there was anyone he didn’t mind seeing him like that, it was his best friend. They already knew each other for so long, that technically he knew that he didn’t have to hide what he was feeling as he turned back around to stare at the blood stains on the concrete once more. And yet he couldn’t entirely help it. But he didn’t pull away when she was wrapping her arm around his which was definitely way more than he’d allow most other people. “Watch me try!”, he finally replied, knowing Feyrah was right though. And still it seemed impossible to imagine how he was supposed to rest when something like this had happened. “How are you doing..?”, he asked in an attempt to at least somehow change the topic, his eyes still focused on the town square in front of them before finally turning his head back towards Feyrah.

It had already been quite a few hours since someone had called the police station to let them know about the bodies that had been found in town - as if they hadn’t heard the screams themselves - but somehow Cade had still found himself wandering back to that very same place he had already stood back then. Of course the bodies had already been removed by now but standing here, he could still see them right before his eyes. He didn’t even notice when his hands had started trembling but when he finally did, he immediately clenched his fists to try and stop it. But he already knew that this mixture of anger and helplessness wouldn’t go away until he knew what had happened here. Cade was still lost in his own thoughts, when he heard the footsteps behind him. Finally able to tear his eyes away, he slowly turned around with his hands still in the pockets of his jackets and a cold look as he met the others eyes.

   Vanessa had her work cut out for her . a dead alpha , two witches from the trina dea coven , and four humans .Of course she knew the trina dea coven would want their witches back after the autopsy . Much of it is evident as Emily from the coven kept pestering her about it before getting angry at her , causing vanessa to use her magic discretely . the girl began to choke and vanessa patted her back as if she were helping out  “ If you keep annoying me and don’t fuck off , you’ll just be another body for me to cut into tonight .” she spoke just low enough for her to hear before putting on a concerned face . “ Oh, honey . You need to be careful when drinking your liquids . Why don’t you go home . After a day like today—you need rest .” She gave off a sweet smile before sending her off as she waited for her order to grab and go . 

Cade didn’t even know how much time it had been since he’d last slept. It had been the end of his shift when they had discovered the bodies and even though he’d probably been allowed to go home, at least after a couple more hours, he simply couldn’t. What was he supposed to do there anyway? Simply sit there, knowing that whoever or whatever had done this was still out there..?! And still, after a couple more hours, he still needed to at least grab a drink. He probably already had dark shadows under his eyes anyway and so he could use a rest. He probably wouldn’t get much of them as long as he didn’t know what was going on. When he reached the bar, Cade immediately noticed a familiar face as she apparently send somebody else home and then waited for her order. “Why am I not surprised to see you here..?”, he asked, knowing very well that Vanessa could probably say the very same thing about him. 

status: open  location: briar creek auto shop & repairs

Kai’s blood felt as though it was boiling as it coursed through his veins. Though he fought to maintain control, to keep his mind clear and straight, the grief, pain, and anger ripping through him made the task damn near impossible. Flashes of what he’d awoken to that morning- images of Ethan, his mighty and fierce Pack Leader, strung up as he was- continued to burn behind his eyes, and he found himself unable to speak, unable to breathe, unable to do anything with any level of certainty. Turning, Malakai brought his fist flying forward, his knuckles making contact with the concrete wall of the auto shop. The smack of his skin as his fist collided with the wall was masked by the scream which tore from his throat. When he was done, he turned, chest heaving as he rested his back against that same wall. Bowing his head, Kai didn’t bother to move at all when he heard the approaching footsteps. “What?” He spat, bringing a hand up to rub over his face. “I- I’m sorry. I- What is it?”

Since they had found the bodies, it was impossible for Cade to somehow take a breath. Not just because the entire police force were working on the case, but because he knew that he wouldn’t be able to properly sleep before he knew what the hell was going on anyway. The only problem was that so far it seemed like nobody knew anything. At least not more than he already did as well. Which was pretty much nothing. But instead of simply going home after an already pretty long shift, Cade still found himself walking around town even though he didn’t really believe in finding out anything useful anymore. At least not today. He was just walking past the auto shop, when he noticed someone throwing his fists against the wall with a scream before turning around and finally seeing him approaching. When Cade heard the others question though, he only raised his eyebrows with his hands still in the pockets of his jacket. “Funny, could ask you the very same question..”, he replied, nodding his head towards the wall.

* & – freddy carter : cis-man : he/him. → it seems like cade mihalev has been seen around town, humming hard to kill by beth crowley under their breath. apparently they are a 30 old human. townsfolk whisper about them being determined and loyal, but also resentful and scornful. they’ve been in town for his whole life, and give off the vibes of a look that could kill & an ice-cold breeze in a stormy night.  

tw: family death