a radiant darkness

You know that means I don’t believe you, right?

How’ve you been, Julie?

What’s there to not believe?

Beating the Bush | Leah & Julie

Sexy librarian.  Something about that wording reminded Leah of someone else she’d met recently.  “Y-you think I’m sexy?”, she asked, and then shook her head quickly.  That definitely wasn’t the point. “Wait, did I meet you on the internet, recently?  If not, you’re the 2nd person in the month to imply that I might be sexy simply because I’m a librarian.  That seems too unlikely to be a coincidence.”

Leah’s line of sight followed the other woman’s and her eyebrows furrowed.  Her suggestion didn’t seem likely, and Leah voiced why she thought so.  “I don’t think multiple trees are falling in a row like that”, she countered, her eyes traveling around them as if it would be easy to locate the source.  She didn’t know if this woman knew about the supernatural, but the more thuds she heard, the more she was convinced that was exactly what it was.  It would probably be safer for the two of them to get out of there as fast as possible.

She glanced at the woman as the sound got louder, and she nodded before she even finished her question.  She started walking immediately, knowing the other woman wasn’t far behind.  “I think we should try to get to open ground… which means out of the woods”, she said, already going into problem solving mode.  Old habits die hard, and her first thought was to trust the unspoken rules of the forest. “The fastest way out has to be to follow the trails, right?  That’s gotta be why they exist.  I’m Leah, by the way.”

Julie had to smile at her stutter, but then tried to keep up with everything else she was saying. They met on the internet? Julie tried to remember the interaction, librarian... sexy.... yeah, she was probably the one who said that. Not like she was going to let her be aware of that, however. “Hey, if two people make the assumption it must be true, right?” It would be fun to play with her for a bit. It might have been longer if not for the thumping sounds. Why was there always something to happen to ruin the fun?

“I - uh, sure. I was just trying to get home but yeah.” Julie muttered, not having remembered the lie she told in the beginning. Julie wasn’t the best liar to begin with which was why she tended to not say anything than to lie. She followed Leah through the path, correcting herself so she didn’t start walking to the side however it was proving to be difficult and she would bump her shoulder into a tree to help her get back on track. “Oh, I’m Julie.” She finally introduced herself with a wink.

I’d say a solid percent do, yeah. 

Well, damn. That escalated quickly. You make it point of talking about murder on main often? 

Uh-huh. A likely story. 

So what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done? Since we’re on the topic.

I wish I was that lucky, I imagine she’s got at least another few years before she drops dead. Until then I’ll have to put up with her asking when I’m planning to give her grandchildren.

I Find You Amusing | Drew & Julie

Drew didn’t disagree, honestly. She bragged about stupid shit; winning prizes on rigged games, speeding past sleepy cops on her bike. Stuff that didn’t matter. Julie wasn’t gonna catch her bragging about the basalisk skin she’d found, or the huge payout she’d secured for finding a couple of important books for a client. She sure as hell wasn’t going to be bragging to anyone about taking a kitsune on a date either, that was for damn sure.

Would she have to find a polite way to thin out their contact, after this? Drew wasn’t a cold person really, just set in her ways. Hadn’t dated a lot these past few years. White Crest wasn’t exactly renowned for its eligible singles… Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing, to see her again. If they kept it light. “I’m sure most people throw them away.” Drew shrugs, “the humor is in the initial reaction. Not what they do later.” She was always up and out the house early doors, so sometimes she even passed by a house she’d dumped a toy on in time to see the occupants find it. 

She watched Julie’s aura wriggle and grow as she grew frustrated, like hackles rising on a cats back. She wasn’t worried about the dangers of it- as far as Julie knew Drew was just your standard issue clueless human, so there wasn’t going to be a flashy display of strength or power over the game. Which meant Drew was free to stand back a step, barely concealing a chuckle at how into it she was getting.

So it wasn’t until the guy behind the counter started stammering that Drew stepped up to stop the situation escelating. “Aaaand I think we’re done with the ring toss.” She said, looping her arm around one of Julie’s to drag the other woman away from the table, “it’s the way the bottles are weighted or some shit.” She shares, “but, no worries. We’ll find something to do that can’t lead to abusing park staff.” Drew points to her left, and a big rollercoaster with two loops that stands a fair bit taller than any of the other rides. “Wanna try that?” She challenges, wiggling her eyebrows.

Julie really wanted to know what this dude’s problem was. Why was the game so hard when it seemed so simple. It didn’t make sense, surely he was doing something behind the scenes. Julie just didn’t know what. When she felt Drew tugging at her arm, she went along with her, figuring it was better to just walk away. Although as they did, she shot the kid one last look before facing forward. “Well, weight distribution or not, that shit’s rigged as fuck and stupid. They’re lucky I was trying to play fair.”

Her attention went to the rollercoaster Drew pointed out and wondered what that must be like. “Yeah, lets go do that.” Instead of fear or anxiety, Julie was actually interested in how it would be. As they got closer she heard the sound of faint screams. Is that what people did on rides? Scream? That must get annoying really fast. “Have you been on the ride before?” Julie asked since Drew was the expert on this place, having visited when she was younger. 

Beating the Bush | Leah & Julie

Leah looked the woman up and down, taking in her attire specifically.  It didn’t seem like she was wearing something to jog in, but stranger things have happened in White Crest.  There was a worry in the back of her mind that the woman was in some type of danger, which is why she was running in jeans. 

“I just got off of my job at the library.  Sometimes I take a walk to relax after thinking all day”, she explained, pressing her lips together.  “I’m not worried about my ability to protect myself.”  She knew it was probably easy for people to underestimate her because of her stature, but she was always determined to prove them wrong.  “Can’t the same be said for a jog?  What makes your jog safer than my walk?  And off a path, no less.”

But then, there was that heavy sound again.  It seemed more clear than the last time she heard it, but she couldn’t tell for sure.  She wondered if she was the only one worried.  “Okay, am I ridiculous, or can you hear that noise too?  it sounds like a giant is traipsing through the woods”.  She was only half joking.  

Julie didn’t appreciate being questioned and maybe on a more sober day she might have been a little less... tactless. “So you’re telling me I just happened to run into a sexy librarian? Just my luck. I wasn’t sure those existed outside of movies.” She wasn’t about to answer some questions on if she was safe - Julie knew there was nothing that could harm her that she couldn’t find a way out of. It was a fox’s way. Getting yourself out of tight situations.

While she had been hoping it was only herself that was hearing those thuds, she didn’t know how to take it that she wasn’t alone in that. She could have just chalked it up to being drunk but now she couldn’t use that excuse. Scratching at her head Julie tried to look through the trees - nothing dangerous would move that slow right? “I mean, yeah, I heard it. It sounds far - it’s probably some trees falling or some shit.” Julie just shrugged it off. It was better to not go to the sound.

But what if I’m too drunk to put the password in but I need to use my phone? Like in an emergency? See, FaceID can come in handy sometimes. 

Did the frat boys deserve it? Sounds fun.

Frat boys always deserve it.

one else in town?”

I didn't think you went cowboying around town, Julie.

Had a little team up to smack some frat boys around after a night at a bar. Generally work solo but the guy looked like he needed some help.

Beating the Bush | Leah & Julie

All things considered, it had been a nice day.  One thing that was really nice about living in Maine was that it never got way too hot, not even in the summer. One of her favorite things to do at the end of a long day was to take a stroll in the woods.  Most people, maybe even her friends, might have said that was a strange choice to go for a walk, especially if you considered the dangers that lurked in the forests of White Crest.  But there was something so peaceful about watching the sunset peak through the treetops as she walked.  She considered herself knowledgeable enough about the dangers that lurked, and so more often than not, she took the risk.  

Okay, so maybe the risk today was bigger than normal.  As she walked her normal path, she heard a heavy sound in the distance.  It might have been footsteps, even, but she couldn’t really tell.  She considered shooting her sister a text, just so she knew where she was in case something went wrong. She stopped to do just that, literally on the cusp of sending the text when someone flew out in front of her, causing her to drop her phone.  

“Shit!”, she said, reaching down to grab it  quickly.  She looked up at the girl’s accusatory tone, already feeling on edge from the sounds she had been hearing before than ran into one another.  “Me?” She asked incredulously.  “I-… I’m taking a walk.  What are you doing out here?”  She looked the woman up and down.  There was something vaguely familiar about her that Leah couldn’t quite put her finger on.

Julie straightened herself out, brushing off her pants and whatever else as she thought of a response on what she was doing out here. Going home wasn’t a normal response and so she had to think of something else. She didn’t appreciate being asked in a similarly aggressive manner but Julie wasn’t about to back down from that. “I was... on a run - jog.” That’s what they call it, right? Julie didn’t know and she was too drunk to think or speak too clearly. Bumping into someone sobered her just slightly, but not enough.

Generally, Julie didn’t put much effort in lies and in this case, she couldn’t. She was wearing jeans and a pair of boots. Not really something you took on a jog but she said what she said and she didn’t really care if she wasn’t believed. “It’s kinda late for a walk, though, isn’t it?” Julie glanced up at the sky, as if that alone would be able to tell her what time it was - she really had no clue. “Not really safe out here.”

There ya have it folks. I clearly wasn’t lying. 

Damn FaceID… lets drunk me get into everything on my phone. 

Clearly.

@phoenixleah​

Mm. It wasn’t even 10pm and Julie was already drunk as all hell. She had no idea what time it was. It could actually be 10pm. Or 3am. She just went into a bar and started drinking until she got kicked out (which didn’t take long Julie was notoriously a lightweight and an aggressive drunk). Nonetheless the party was over early tonight which was fine with Julie as she would just go to her tree and sleep it off. She knew where home was at least. She couldn’t forget that even if she took a different path this time. A new one. Yeah, all she had to do was cross through this part and she’d reach her tree in no time. Until then she would just have to tell all the supernatural creatures to fuck off. Given the darkness that the woods brought, it wouldn’t be too difficult for her.

As she trudged through the woods, she heard something - it didn’t sound that close but it sounded heavy. She just walked faster really not wanting to get into a fight on her way home. However, there was another sound - this time it sounded closer. She turned and headed towards it, wondering what the fuck was going on. She rushed forward, eventually coming out into a pathway and finding herself in front of someone just barely missing them (at least she thought so).