The Ghost of Graver

Anyone willing to talk to him about this was someone he was eager to make friends with. Rylan hadn’t even agreed yet, and he was already taking mental stock of what was in his pantry to see if there was enough stuff to whip up a quick batch of cookies to bring with him when he came to talk shop. 

“I already do medical stuff, so when I caught a vampire making a guy into a meal, that’s the angle I took it. I’m already a paramedic, I’m... I don’t know, med school is an option? Hunter stuff is starting to factor into everything else I have going on.” Sammy shrugged. “I don’t know if I have it in me to explore every avenue of this that I’m curious about, but I’m gonna keep going as far as I can until I burn out. I don’t like the idea of there being whole orders about killing supernaturals but not as much about the medical side of things.” 

But the boy seemed nice, eager too, the animals would probably take to him just fine and an extra pair of hands to help with the work was something they could probably appreciate.

She listened carefully to Sammy’s tale, they sympathized, vampires could be gnarly when they wanted to be, as they knew from experience. They resisted the urge to rub a fist over her heart.

Buttercup let out a soft bwoof and settled her chin on Vidya’s knee. Vidya rolled her eyes fondly and scratched behind her ears. “This is Buttercup,” she said, smiling at her fellow dog-owner. The food was a bit of a distractor, sure, but Buttercup’s lack of a signal let her know this was another human. “She’s a good girl, she’s just also very tempted by food, and she knows she’s allowed to eat here.”

Vidya took the burger for the dog and, as Buttercup perked up in rapt attention, set it down on the ground. The dog stared down at the burger, then looked up at her pleadingly. “Eat,” she said, with a small nod. Buttercup needed no further instruction. Vidya sat back in her seat, and looked back to the other person. “I’m Vidya, by the way. How long have you had your boy?”

Rylan then turned to meet the other dog, “Well hi Buttercup, it is lovely to meet you.” Rylan extended a hand, they had taught Argus to shake but was unsure if this woman has done the same. It was almost a relief that they could do this social interaction through animals. Rylan always had preferred the company of animals to humans. “Also its fine, I am also very tempted by food. It gets me up in the morning.”

Still, he didn’t laugh much lately. Too much had gone sideways these past weeks. Had him sleeping with the rifle propped by the door, thumb resting on the safety as if something might crawl out of the shadows and take a bite out of him. Folks still came by the barn needing things; food, or a patch up, and he still showed kindness where he could. Gave what he had, but not without a look first. He’d study the lines on a man’s face, the color in his eyes, the twitch in his mouth or the set of his hands. Colt had always been cautious, but now he half expected to feel venom under a man’s grip when he shook it.

Pitchfork hit the dirt with a dull clang, and he was already running through the trees, following where Buck swore the damn lamb had gone. Branches slapped at his cheeks, stinging his cheeks raw. Damn it, Koko. What's gotten into you?

He forced his mind quiet and shoved the noise down before crazy thoughts could take root. There was already enough madness kicking around up there. The sounds got louder and louder. Then he saw it: a lamb hanging limp in someone’s arms. Hands that had either caused this or were trying to undo it. Either way, it wasn’t Koko. And he should’ve turned back right there. Keep looking and stay out of whatever this was. But he couldn’t.

"Y’all alright?" he called out. "Which one of you owns the lamb?" Don’t get involved. Don’t.

But he would, because if it were his lamb hanging by a thread, he’d pray someone like him would. "You haven’t seen one just like that but in better shape, anywhere around here, have you?"

“I haven’t seen another lamb, but it seems strange two would go missing in such quick succession.” Rylan whistled to Argus 2 short and high, one low jutting there chin in the new comer’s direction. Argus followed the directive, sniffing about the stranger and his horse before darting off to the East. He had a scent, he would get extra treats when they got back to the isle.

A wheelbarrow just outside the door, a package, a dog and Rylan. Aurelia's lips twisting from the their usual frown into the ghost of a smile. Not an unwelcome sight if an unusual one. "Rylan and Argus, what a sight for these tired eyes. No apologizes needed I'm just happy it has arrived safe and sound." Aurelia hummed softly, fingers drumming on the counter. Twitching towards the package that had been set down before curling into the rag again "You don't typically make the deliveries. " The package was drawing Aurelia's eye, however it was better unwrapped in the privacy of her office later. There were more unanswered questions wrapped in the young hunter in front of her.

"Did something happen to Berit or did you just need to stretch your legs?" The question was soft, the older hunter having an inkling the pain that it might carry. Aurelia could feel the weight of the day on young Rylan. She couldn't imagine they made it the mainland all that often. Berit was an old stubborn bastard, mostly kept to his island but he was something of a friend, and Aurelia needed to know if there was another candle to light that evening.

“He’s gone.” She nodded, blinking. “They’re both gone.” The smile was still firmly in place even if the corner of their mouth was twitching. “I don’t know why or how, I just found them both in bed one morning.” She tilted their head slightly up. “Its what they would’ve wanted, you know? To go together.” They then forced her lips into a line, looking at Aurelia, but not fully meeting her eyes, they weren’t ready to see it. Had had no one to share it with but Argus and the other animals in her care. “So I’ll be handling deliveries from now on. Sorry for the delay, Ms. Aurelia.” Rylan hoped the seasoned hunter didn’t hear the slight break in her voice at the end of the sentence.

She deals in death, and her little lamb hadn't yet fulfilled its duty.

There is something cursed about a spell with interference. Maja will not reignite the fires of the dead, nor attempt to reconcile with the flames that only act to burn. She unburies the knife and begins to hastily disrupt the circle. Shattering the beginnings of the spell by erasing runes and kicking wood out of shape; a veil she had hoped to put up around newly acquired Grimhjarta land that would warn them of unwelcome magic.

Another time, now. She will settle for removing traces that she were here at all.

She could still bring back dinner to the troupe if she got her lamb back.

Sheathing the knife, Maja unclips the talisman from her waist and knots it in her hair. It rattles when she walks when it is at her side; it informs all that she's coming. Bones are quieter when they get caught in a snare. Then, she takes off running into the night. Blood still soaked through the tips of her fingers, and footsteps were a soft rustle as she kicked leaves up in the dark.

A silhouette brings her pause and she slows. She can see the beast of a dog that had stolen her sacrifice, and someone hunched over them. Eyes fly to the bag, wraps and all kinds of ointments spilling over the edges. You mean to save what is marked to die? Maja makes herself known, from behind them.

Grimhjarta's do not take kindly to thieves. "You have something of mine."

Then the innate prickle shoots up her forefinger, fizzes, this is a witch. “I have no fight with you witch if you have no fight with me.” Rylan turns her gaze back to her patient just as they know Argus’s transfers onto the intruder. “You may either stay while I do my work or leave to continue your evening, the third option you seem to want to choose will help no one.”

Rylan means what they say but the sword at their side and the gun at their hip are both within an instants reach and the knife she will use to cut gauze in already in hand. Argus is stiff besides her.

When she looks up, she's a little surprised by the gentle nature that this person exudes, and her smile falters - just a little - into something a little softer and easier than the bright, wide one that stretches her features. "Oh, uh. Sure! I wouldn't mind a walk back. I know there's a bridge or a boat or somethin' somewhere."

It had been an important lesson, in both Berit’s eyes and Fred’s, the multifacetedness of a person’s character. No one was ever one thing.  “I live across the way, on the island.” Rylan’s voice was low, hesitant to break the air of somberness and civility that had taken hold.

Argus’s soft footsteps could be heard following behind them. An eye constantly on the watch. “We should be able to make our way back to you home through the trees.” Rylan nods, “I assume you live on wolven territory.” Rylan could feel the wolven tingle on her arm as well as knowing they were in wolf territory already. But this person also had the unmistakable vibe of someone who grew up around magic. Rylan should know, so they thought they should at least check.

Whatever gifts her father had as a chef had not passed on to Vidya. She could cook, but she didn’t particularly like to (and it wasn’t much better than simply edible). It was probably why the greenhouse had so easily become her territory — it kept her out of his kitchen.

All that was to say, while he was away, she had the opportunity to explore the other cuisine Port Leiry had to offer. Her favorite place so far was a burger spot with a welcoming policy for pups — something both her and Buttercup appreciated.

Normally, Buttercup was well-behaved, but she was… well, ever so slightly food motivated. So it wasn’t until Vidya felt the leash slipped out of her hand that she realized the dog was making an attempt to help herself to someone’s momentarily unsupervised meal. She tugged on the leash just in time and called, “Buttercup, back! Sit!” The dog huffed and padded back to sit by her chair. Vidya sighed and looked down at her. “You’re being so bad and for no reason, I got you your own burger,” she told Buttercup. "Stinker."

She looked over at the patron at the other table. “I’m so sorry, I swear she’s trained. She’s just a little excitable about food.”

Rylan choked back laughter at the expression on the poor hound’s face, “Don’t apologize.” They shook her head smiling at the other owner before slapping the table top lightly, “Argus. Paws.” The paws and nose of her eyes barely poked up over the table, still licking his lips of any beef taste he could still get off of his last bite. “You don’t have the only dog who thinks Bun Intended is an exception to the training rules. This is Argus.” Two taps of her toe. “Down boy.” And he whipped back under the table to lick the floor of whatever taste it might still contain and Rylan turned their gaze to the visiting pup, “And who do we have here?”  she queried.

He brightened at Rylan’s suggestion. He didn’t order all the books he needed in one single trip, but Farnon’s Splints hadn’t made it on his list. 

“War horses, huh? I hadn’t even thought about looking into hunter veterinary medicine, there’s probably a lot that can transfer over. I know at least horse medicine can sometimes translates over to human fingers if it’s all about the legs. Did you know that they have similar bone structure?” That’s an insane sentence to say out loud, bud. “I mean. I think I read it somewhere that they might. But... yeah, that book sounds great! I’ll put that in with my next order. Do you have an interest in supernatural medicine, too?” 

More than fascinating but Rylan couldn’t get into that. Fred might be dead and gone but the majority of the hunter community wouldn’t understand and Rylan’s love of medicine was so tied to her love of Fred.

“What about you? I was genuinely surprised to see the order come through, plus your uninked.” Rylan indicated his arms, “How does a human get into hunter medicine?”

As much as she didn’t care for an impromptu lecture, it was good to know it could really light up a place… and that it had other passable uses beyond drinking and arson. She’d take any excuse to play off having it on her.

“So, uh…” Nori cocked her head. “Thanks for the info. Is the dog gonna let me through…?”

She also moved to the side as the girl moved past and though she may be awkward but she was still a hunter, in a low offhanded tone as the girl scooted away, “Whatever recreation that may be.”

She then gestured to Argus. They still had things to pick up and then this long day would blissfully end.

With that, he stepped back, leaving the girl (... boy? The they.) in the hall as he shut the door and turned back into his apartment. 

Rylan had once asked Berit about why there was a no liquor in the lighthouse rule and had received a very long lecture about how dangerous everclear and flames were.

'Shit, they must have seen…' he murmurs under his breath, he can smell the faint whiffs of magic coming off the other. Magic blended with ink. Hunter. It puts him on edge, but he supposes this one is giving him an out and he has had intimate relations with a hunter before.

Her hands dropped as they shrugged, “You were attracting looks and…well I would want someone to help if I was in that situation…so I thought I would help.”

The pace was steady as they continued to walk together, a few moments passing in silence before, “Are you ok? I mean….I read a lot of veterinary literature but…the scratching…are you all good?”