OC blog

“That would be nice, yes. But,” Elene paused and sighed, becore continuing with a sharpness in her voice “you said it yourself, no one has died… so far. But how long, do you think, it will be before someone does? Because if something isn’t done quick, it will happen.” Elene had been shuffling the papers in her hands, but now she paused. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet. “And that someone will be followed by many, if, again, something isn’t done quick.” She turned to look at Victor, sadness in her eyes. “Listen, Victor, I’ve seen what it’s like to live when nowhere is safe from monsters. I couldn’t do anything back then, but if I just can help it, I’ll do all I can to revent it from happening in here, too.”

“I personally cannot relate, Elene, so I do not entirely understand your pain about it. Having lived somewhere where monsters are…not domesticated but, perhaps evolved? They are not fearsome pests. They are as dangerous as anyone, adding extra teeth and claws.” Stopping in his ramble, Victor took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses, looking at his colleague and old friend through narrowed eyes. “But I can assure you that this minor catastrophe will not reach major levels, as long as I am here to help you and we can pool our resources because your-” he stopped, glasses back on. “We can fix this. Just do not let the past hinder the present.”

“We can’t say for sure, Victor. We’ll do our best, and we’ll do all we can. But we can never say for sure.” Elene took a deep breath. “And I’d rather think that way and not get my hopes up too high. I’ve made that mistake often enough… but,” she shook herself and brushed her hair back with her hands, about to tie it up and out of the way, “now’s the time to try and stop the invasion before it even starts. You seen the notes about the patient files somewhere?” As if all melancholy had fallen off, she now looked sharp and ready to work on the task at hand.

“I suppose we will just have to work with our opposing opinions on how this will go. But,” Victor cracked his knuckles and stretched a bit to try and shake off the tiny bit of sleepiness left lingering in his mind. “If you ask me, that pessimistic view can jinx you and your work. Especially in a place such as this with high concentrations of, well, magic. Words carry power.” He spoke while going through the papers he had taken from Elene in their stroll down to the lab. “The notes on the files….notes…” a frown appeared on his face, “…am I looking for files in total or…was it just papers.” he rubbed at his eyes behind his glasses with one hand and took a step back, holding out the loose sheets he had in his free hand that was just a list of those that had checked into the clinic after being attacked. “I had…this?”

“…Well, yes, that is needed too.” Elene furrowed her brows slightly and studied Victor’s face closely. “But there should be a bunch of hand-written notes, where we gathered up the key info about each patient’s symptoms and treatments done on them so far, do you have it somewhere there?” She didn’t want to voice her concerns aloud yet, but she couldn’t help feeling worried for her friend anytime the present seemed to escape him.

“The…what.” Victor looked even more confused, trying to think back quickly to when they had written any of what Elene just said. He set the papers he was holding down and glanced up at her over his glasses, though it wasn’t much help since she became a bit of a blur that way. Expression changing to a dawning realization kind of look, the doctor looked slightly embarrassed and shook his head, rifling through what he’d taken. “Are you sure you do not have them? You have half the files for the patients in that cluster with you, I am sure of it, so maybe we put it in one of those files.”

"Oh, that is a good point, give me a moment..." Elene browsed through the papers she had in hand, muttering softly to herself before shaking her head. "I don't see them. I might have something in my laptop, which we can use, but we have a written copy too... or at least had, somewhere. Hmm." She tapped her chin lightly with one hand, having set the papers onto the table. "Well, I'll set my laptop up, and then we'll get these files in order. We'll see what we have."

Lucio’s eyebrow twitched as he brushed off his sleeves, feeling the disgust for the man slowly fading as Cado spoke. He turned to look down at the boy and his expression smoothed into one of care and concern. “Was I lucky enough to stop him? He did not hit you before I interfered did he?” he fretted, kneeling down to be more level with the seemingly shaken up child and made Cado let go of his coat so he could look him over for sign of injury. He sighed, gently ruffling Cado’s wild red hair and smiled bittersweetly, “Do be a little more careful, dear child. It was an accident, yes, but you must be a little more aware of your surroundings so incidents like that may be avoided.”

“He, no, I- I’m okay, just, I…” Cado paused for a moment and sighed, looking down at his feet. “I’m alright. H-he didn’t hit me, you were quick enough… thank you.” Cado looked into Lucio’s eyes but soon looked down again, biting his lip and doing a very bad job on trying to hide his upsetness. “And… s-sorry for causing you trouble.” Cado blinked away tears, trying to battle away the ashamed feeling. He wasn’t new to causing trouble, but this was the first time in a very long while he made someone who cared about him upset because of his messing around.

“Oh heavens no child you’ve caused me no trouble! And I’m not upset with you at all if you may be thinking that.” Lucio’s expression went from bittersweet to apologetic as he swept the boy into his arms and into a hug. “Accidents happen, it’s alright! You were just not a bit more careful than you maybe could have been but it is not your fault that the man reacted how he did.” he held tighter, a hand in Cado’s hair to smooth it down and to try and soothe the upset child. “Let’s not let a small bump ruin our whole day, my son. Perhaps a light snack and some sentient potato people hunting will make you feel better?” he continued to rub Cado’s back to comfort, worried by how often the boy seemed to be upset.

“…you really aren’t mad? You don’t think I’m a stupid child for not watching where I was going?” Cado’s voice was quiet. He felt a wave of relief was across him (don’t trust him hes lying) and silenced the spirits in his head. He squeezed Lucio tight and muttered a thank you into his jacket, discreetly wiping his eyes on the fabric that had been worn soft, before stepping back a bit with a little smile on his face. “And… yeah. We’ve potatoes to track down, we probably should go before there’s too many peoole tracks on where they went. They were near the bakery when we saw them, yeah?”

“I’d never think anything like that of you, God no.” Lucio couldn’t help the hurt in his voice, painfully reminded that Cado hasn’t had an easy life from what he’s heard. He hugged just a little tighter until the boy was stepping away, eyebrow turned up in concern at the red in his face. “I…believe so? Wherever we had gone to sit down and eat when you had spotted them.” He pushed himself up with a grunt and rolled his shoulders, “Are you going to try leading again?” he asked in a softer voice, wanting to make sure Cado was still comfortable with taking the lead again after what just happened.

“…yeah. I can try.” Cado wasn’t still feeling all that great, but Lucio was helping him feel more reassured and less guilty of the situation. He snuck his hand into Lucio’s before heading outside. There were a few people out in the streets, but it wasn’t too crowded just yet. Cado looked around, left and right, before muttering in embarrassment, “…I don’t remember which direction we went? Like where the bakery is?”

“It is alright, we just follow the smell of fresh bread.” Lucio chuckled, his expression light and thoughtful. He squeezed the little hand that was holding his and gently tugged the boy the direction he remembered the bakery being - the left of the place they were staying. “And then it was across the street.” he said aloud, keeping his steps short so Cado could keep up. “But please….please tell me you’ll be careful today, alright? You’re injured and if anything bad were to happen to you,” the priest’s words faded off as he couldn’t find what he wanted to say. He was still feeling the guilt from being the one who injured the kid in the first place, he’d do what it took to protect him and make up for it.

Cado was surprised; he hadn't expected the priest to shift from casual chatter to sudden concern so quickly. He was silent for a moment, collecting his thoughts, before he gave a soft response. "I'll be careful, I, I promise to." He tilted his head and then continued "do you trust my promise enough to not worry too much for me? I mean, I don't mind it! But you look really worried and, sad and, I know how to manage myself and I don't want you to look so worried all the time."

“I mean, I think it’s mornin’? But I ain’t got a clue on how early it is fer reals.” Micky rubbed his eyes and followed Jhonny to the front. “What? Oh, nah, I ain’t got work ‘fore five t’night. Goin’ ta have a fun night with some drunkards, hah.” He brushed a hand through his hair, feeling guilty when he saw Jhonny’s distress. He glanced outside, trying to figure out what the time could be. But being a city boy, born and raised, he had no clue. He felt around his pockets and went “a-ha!” when he found his phone. Squinting at the bright screen, he felt relieved to see the numbers “5:38″ on the screen. “‘s half past five, ya got plenty o’ time ta do yer things, ‘less there’s some secret performer rituals I never knew about?”

“Oh, damn…” Jay’s eyes widened as he stepped inside in Tristan’s wake. As if in a trance, he slowly glid across the floor, letting a hand run across a few desks and drawing clean lines in the dust. “It’s so cool.” His voice was quiet - he felt like he’d disturb something if he was too loud. “And, like.. probably the first time I’m actually in a school that looks like a school? Y'know, how they’re shown in movies and junk?” Jay paused and looked at the floor for a second, before nodding to himself. “Yeah. First time for me inside an actual stereotypical school.”

“…no offense, man, but you’ll never find a school that looks like this nowadays.” Tristan replied with a small airy laugh. “This is some old timey shit right here. The kind of stuff they’d have way back in the olden days.” As he spoke, he started wandering towards the far wall of the small room, in the direction of the old bookcases. “Ooh…” He said in fascination as he examined the contents of the shelves closely, “fuck ton of bibles here for some reason. I’m gonna see if I can find a cursed journal or some shit.” He said as he reached out and began rifling through the books.

"Well I wouldn't know! I have only been in school tents up until this point and - wait, what!" Jay jogged to the bookshelves, shoving Tristan a bit to get where he was. "If there's a cursed journal, I'm going to be the one to find it!" he laughed. "Or maybe there's a cursebook hidden inside one of these bibles." He took one from the shelf and opened it right from the middle. "Not in this one, though."

“I mean, I think it’s mornin’? But I ain’t got a clue on how early it is fer reals.” Micky rubbed his eyes and followed Jhonny to the front. “What? Oh, nah, I ain’t got work ‘fore five t’night. Goin’ ta have a fun night with some drunkards, hah.” He brushed a hand through his hair, feeling guilty when he saw Jhonny’s distress. He glanced outside, trying to figure out what the time could be. But being a city boy, born and raised, he had no clue. He felt around his pockets and went “a-ha!” when he found his phone. Squinting at the bright screen, he felt relieved to see the numbers “5:38″ on the screen. “‘s half past five, ya got plenty o’ time ta do yer things, ‘less there’s some secret performer rituals I never knew about?”

“Oh f'sure.” Jhonny’s expression turned into half amused half ‘you’re-an-idiot’ as he fumbled for his keys, muttering under his breath that they were lucky they weren’t robbed. “Takes at least 2 hours ta do my hair an’ makeup ‘fore I can meet up with the girls ta sacrifice ugly outfits. Candles an’ everythin’, ya should come sometimes.” he started the engine and felt his heartbeat ease its racing a bit at the familiar soft rumble. He ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to tame the mess it probably was, looking into the rearview for help. “Mind…tellin’ me yer address again Michael?” he mumbled after a minute, embarrassed that he couldn’t think about where he’d driven to get there, only how the buildings had looked.

“Oh, ya can just drive down th’street-” Micky motioned to the right direction with his hand “-I’ll tell ya when ta drop me off. I can get a lil’ mornin’ walk too an’ get m’self awake.” He rubbed his eyes and yawned. “That, or then I’ll gt home an’ go back ta bed. Perks o’ bein’ the barman’s that ya don’t gotta do dark magic ev’ry day ta get yerself look all fancy schmancy. I don’t got th’patience fer that, so props to ya, goin’ through that ev’ry damn day.” Micky gave Jhonny a little smile. “But damn, ya hav mastered th’arts of make-up.” He bit his lip, unsure if that was a compliment reaching over to wrong territories, and leaned back in his seat. He watched the buildings glide by, his breath leaving a little blurry patch on the window, until he noticed a very familiar streetsign. “That’s th’street I live on, to the right- I can get off here?”

"Again..." Micky muttered to himself once he was away from the rain, and couldn't help a small smile creeping on his face. He then sighed and took his coat off - it was completely soaked at this point and wasn't warming him up at all - and headed up towards his apartment. It couldn't have been an invitation for a date, and even if it had been (which he doubted) he wouldn't date someone who was already taken. By the time he stepped inside, he looked just tired and sad. Thankfully, it was quiet - perhaps his roommates were gone again, or maybe they were asleep. He headed to the bathroom, leaving tiny puddles behind him, and hung all his clothes up to dry before jumping to the shower. Maybe it'd clear up his head.

Lucio’s eyebrow twitched as he brushed off his sleeves, feeling the disgust for the man slowly fading as Cado spoke. He turned to look down at the boy and his expression smoothed into one of care and concern. “Was I lucky enough to stop him? He did not hit you before I interfered did he?” he fretted, kneeling down to be more level with the seemingly shaken up child and made Cado let go of his coat so he could look him over for sign of injury. He sighed, gently ruffling Cado’s wild red hair and smiled bittersweetly, “Do be a little more careful, dear child. It was an accident, yes, but you must be a little more aware of your surroundings so incidents like that may be avoided.”

“He, no, I- I’m okay, just, I…” Cado paused for a moment and sighed, looking down at his feet. “I’m alright. H-he didn’t hit me, you were quick enough… thank you.” Cado looked into Lucio’s eyes but soon looked down again, biting his lip and doing a very bad job on trying to hide his upsetness. “And… s-sorry for causing you trouble.” Cado blinked away tears, trying to battle away the ashamed feeling. He wasn’t new to causing trouble, but this was the first time in a very long while he made someone who cared about him upset because of his messing around.

“Oh heavens no child you’ve caused me no trouble! And I’m not upset with you at all if you may be thinking that.” Lucio’s expression went from bittersweet to apologetic as he swept the boy into his arms and into a hug. “Accidents happen, it’s alright! You were just not a bit more careful than you maybe could have been but it is not your fault that the man reacted how he did.” he held tighter, a hand in Cado’s hair to smooth it down and to try and soothe the upset child. “Let’s not let a small bump ruin our whole day, my son. Perhaps a light snack and some sentient potato people hunting will make you feel better?” he continued to rub Cado’s back to comfort, worried by how often the boy seemed to be upset.

“…you really aren’t mad? You don’t think I’m a stupid child for not watching where I was going?” Cado’s voice was quiet. He felt a wave of relief was across him (don’t trust him hes lying) and silenced the spirits in his head. He squeezed Lucio tight and muttered a thank you into his jacket, discreetly wiping his eyes on the fabric that had been worn soft, before stepping back a bit with a little smile on his face. “And… yeah. We’ve potatoes to track down, we probably should go before there’s too many peoole tracks on where they went. They were near the bakery when we saw them, yeah?”

“I’d never think anything like that of you, God no.” Lucio couldn’t help the hurt in his voice, painfully reminded that Cado hasn’t had an easy life from what he’s heard. He hugged just a little tighter until the boy was stepping away, eyebrow turned up in concern at the red in his face. “I…believe so? Wherever we had gone to sit down and eat when you had spotted them.” He pushed himself up with a grunt and rolled his shoulders, “Are you going to try leading again?” he asked in a softer voice, wanting to make sure Cado was still comfortable with taking the lead again after what just happened.

"...yeah. I can try." Cado wasn't still feeling all that great, but Lucio was helping him feel more reassured and less guilty of the situation. He snuck his hand into Lucio's before heading outside. There were a few people out in the streets, but it wasn't too crowded just yet. Cado looked around, left and right, before muttering in embarrassment, "...I don't remember which direction we went? Like where the bakery is?"

“That would be nice, yes. But,” Elene paused and sighed, becore continuing with a sharpness in her voice “you said it yourself, no one has died… so far. But how long, do you think, it will be before someone does? Because if something isn’t done quick, it will happen.” Elene had been shuffling the papers in her hands, but now she paused. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet. “And that someone will be followed by many, if, again, something isn’t done quick.” She turned to look at Victor, sadness in her eyes. “Listen, Victor, I’ve seen what it’s like to live when nowhere is safe from monsters. I couldn’t do anything back then, but if I just can help it, I’ll do all I can to revent it from happening in here, too.”

“I personally cannot relate, Elene, so I do not entirely understand your pain about it. Having lived somewhere where monsters are…not domesticated but, perhaps evolved? They are not fearsome pests. They are as dangerous as anyone, adding extra teeth and claws.” Stopping in his ramble, Victor took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses, looking at his colleague and old friend through narrowed eyes. “But I can assure you that this minor catastrophe will not reach major levels, as long as I am here to help you and we can pool our resources because your-” he stopped, glasses back on. “We can fix this. Just do not let the past hinder the present.”

“We can’t say for sure, Victor. We’ll do our best, and we’ll do all we can. But we can never say for sure.” Elene took a deep breath. “And I’d rather think that way and not get my hopes up too high. I’ve made that mistake often enough… but,” she shook herself and brushed her hair back with her hands, about to tie it up and out of the way, “now’s the time to try and stop the invasion before it even starts. You seen the notes about the patient files somewhere?” As if all melancholy had fallen off, she now looked sharp and ready to work on the task at hand.

“I suppose we will just have to work with our opposing opinions on how this will go. But,” Victor cracked his knuckles and stretched a bit to try and shake off the tiny bit of sleepiness left lingering in his mind. “If you ask me, that pessimistic view can jinx you and your work. Especially in a place such as this with high concentrations of, well, magic. Words carry power.” He spoke while going through the papers he had taken from Elene in their stroll down to the lab. “The notes on the files….notes…” a frown appeared on his face, “…am I looking for files in total or…was it just papers.” he rubbed at his eyes behind his glasses with one hand and took a step back, holding out the loose sheets he had in his free hand that was just a list of those that had checked into the clinic after being attacked. “I had…this?”

"...Well, yes, that is needed too." Elene furrowed her brows slightly and studied Victor's face closely. "But there should be a bunch of hand-written notes, where we gathered up the key info about each patient's symptoms and treatments done on them so far, do you have it somewhere there?" She didn't want to voice her concerns aloud yet, but she couldn't help feeling worried for her friend anytime the present seemed to escape him.

"Oh, damn..." Jay's eyes widened as he stepped inside in Tristan's wake. As if in a trance, he slowly glid across the floor, letting a hand run across a few desks and drawing clean lines in the dust. "It's so cool." His voice was quiet - he felt like he'd disturb something if he was too loud. "And, like.. probably the first time I'm actually in a school that looks like a school? Y'know, how they're shown in movies and junk?" Jay paused and looked at the floor for a second, before nodding to himself. "Yeah. First time for me inside an actual stereotypical school."

“Sometimes I am really glad to have a gigantic beanpole as a friend,” Jay muttered when he pulled himself onto the wall. “And- woah, this is high…” He stared at the ground for a second before biting his teeth and pushed himself over the wall, dropping to hang from the edge of it before letting go and falling to the ground with a thud.

In one swift motion, Tristan hauled himself up onto the top of the wall and dropped down to the other side before glancing over at Jay with a wide grin. “You good?” He asked, not waiting for a response as he turned to face the thick foliage that now stood before them. “Through all that,” he said, pointing, “it’s a short walk. Everything’s kinda overgrown so be careful.” He added before reaching down to grab his board and sauntering over to the small forest opening with it under his arm.

Jay took a second to breathe before opening his eyes and picking up his board. “Plants I can deal with. Heights, not so much…” he muttered as he hurried after Tristan. “Look, dude, I can handle some heights if I know I’m going to be there, but getting thrown up suddenly like that? Kinda makes my brain scream and cry for forgiveness for all its sins,” he rambled as he followed the taller man, trying to drive away the uncomfortable anxiety of being up high away. Being small as he was, he stuck to Tristan’s wake, having an easy time navigating through the foliage.

“Oh, shit, sorry dude,” Tristan said over his shoulder briefly as he lumbered through the overgrown thicket, “suppose I should’ve given more warning next ti- ow, fuck.” He was cut off as his face collided directly with a large, high up thorny twig sticking out of the foliage lining the beaten dirt path, if it could even be called a path. “See, this is why I wish I was smaller like you sometimes.” He grumbled as he smacked the twig away with a gloved hand.

Jay snorted as he dodged the twig which propelled at him now after Tristan had pushed it out of his way. “Being a shortie does have its good sides, like never hitting your head in the doorframe. Or, well, okay, I’ve hit my head to a doorframe several times but that was not because I’m short but because I’m an idiot.”

“Hah! Can’t say I don’t relate though. Oh, look-” Tristan said as his mouth formed a pleasantly surprised little “o” which swiftly turned to his usual big grin. “It’s just around here…” He said as they entered an overgrown clearing; much more spacious than the path they’d traversed on but still pretty overrun with greenery. Pointing ahead into the brush at a slither of red bricks amongst the thick plants, he turned back to Jay with a delighted grin. “C'mon, it’s just this way!” With that, he suddenly galloped off into the underbrush, board in hand.

“Well goddamn you and your giraffe legs!” Jay laughed as he sprinted after Tristan. He could hardly keep up with his much taller friend, panting heavily when Tristan finally slowed down. He dropped the board to the ground to lean onto his legs, trying to even his breath. “Sheesh, think about your dwarf friends, will you- oh, hot damn…” Jay’s playful complaint turned into an awestruck gasp when he looked around.

“Et violà…” He said with a fanciful flourish towards the building standing before them. It was made entirely of red brick and mortar, and was a little on the small side for a school; possibly a private school for the young'uns back in the day. It even had a little bell tower poking out from its triangular roof. The building had a pleasing symmetry to it; the main entrance area, and two equally sized brick triangles on either side with dusty shutter windows. Despite the natural weathering of age, the building was actually in pretty good nick. “Isn’t it cool?” Tristan said with childish excitement.

“Duuuude!” Jay’s eyes lit up and he grinned. “That’s so good! It looks so friendly!” He skipped a little in place in excitement and turned to Tristan. “Have you been to the inside- or, actually,” he crossed his arms and gave his friend a sly smile, “now you can tell me how you found out about this, right? Because I wanna hear.”

With a knowing hum and a clap of his hands, he locked eyes with Jay and threw him a grin. “Alright, if you insist. So, like I said before, I was just skating around when I came across that huge wall, yeah? So I just climb right up that shit because there’s gotta be something juicy behind a wall like that. And so I get… I get to this… like…” Tristan’s expression suddenly dropped like an anchor and he stared flatly ahead before turning to the ground for a second and scratching his cheek absent-mindedly.

“…this little charming building?” Jay was not new to Tristan’s way of pausing in between explanations and knew that most of the time he wouldn’t remember if Jay had said something while he was out of it, but Jay still liked filling in the gaps, even if just for his own amusement. “Or did you mean the small overgrown jungle?” he remarked, before pausing to wait when Tris would be back in action.

A few more seconds of staring passed before Tristan slowly started up again. “…this fuckin’… Miniature jungle, yeah? So I go against my better judgment as always and go right through that shit, get cut up to hell, and then I stumble into this little clearing-” he gestured around at the area, “-and then I see this little slither of something red in the distance, so I go to check it out, and what do ya know? It’s a full on school! And it’s not in terrible condition, either!”

“Kinda like me after a fun weekend. Except I’d be red and in a terrible - hm, yeah, welllll… yeah.” Jay snorted and shook his head. “Terrible joke. Aaanyway anything more I need to hear about this school? Because, because I wanna go… words, the fuck,” he lifted a hand to push his hair back from his face, pausing for a moment with a hand on top of his head while thinking. “go adventuring! That’s the word. Wanna get to adventuring already.”

The joke was lost on Tristan, who was too busy bubbling with excitement. “Oh, apparently some shit went down here, like… I think it was used as a drug den or something. Or maybe a cult hideout. Or a murder? I don’t remember, but that’s why its all walled off like this.” He explained casually. “But that just makes it more interesting, right? Come on, let’s go in!” He started to walk towards the small wooden door before stopping and adding, “..I haven’t actually gone in yet, but I guess its probably safe.”

"Oh my god. Oh my! God!" Jay was grinning like a madman. "That is so cool!!" He skittered after Tristan and laughed. "Probably safe, but you still took a bait with you?" He teased, nudging Tristan's side with his elbow. "Don't worry, no monsters would go after your bony ass anyway."

“Sometimes I am really glad to have a gigantic beanpole as a friend,” Jay muttered when he pulled himself onto the wall. “And- woah, this is high…” He stared at the ground for a second before biting his teeth and pushed himself over the wall, dropping to hang from the edge of it before letting go and falling to the ground with a thud.

In one swift motion, Tristan hauled himself up onto the top of the wall and dropped down to the other side before glancing over at Jay with a wide grin. “You good?” He asked, not waiting for a response as he turned to face the thick foliage that now stood before them. “Through all that,” he said, pointing, “it’s a short walk. Everything’s kinda overgrown so be careful.” He added before reaching down to grab his board and sauntering over to the small forest opening with it under his arm.

Jay took a second to breathe before opening his eyes and picking up his board. “Plants I can deal with. Heights, not so much…” he muttered as he hurried after Tristan. “Look, dude, I can handle some heights if I know I’m going to be there, but getting thrown up suddenly like that? Kinda makes my brain scream and cry for forgiveness for all its sins,” he rambled as he followed the taller man, trying to drive away the uncomfortable anxiety of being up high away. Being small as he was, he stuck to Tristan’s wake, having an easy time navigating through the foliage.

“Oh, shit, sorry dude,” Tristan said over his shoulder briefly as he lumbered through the overgrown thicket, “suppose I should’ve given more warning next ti- ow, fuck.” He was cut off as his face collided directly with a large, high up thorny twig sticking out of the foliage lining the beaten dirt path, if it could even be called a path. “See, this is why I wish I was smaller like you sometimes.” He grumbled as he smacked the twig away with a gloved hand.

Jay snorted as he dodged the twig which propelled at him now after Tristan had pushed it out of his way. “Being a shortie does have its good sides, like never hitting your head in the doorframe. Or, well, okay, I’ve hit my head to a doorframe several times but that was not because I’m short but because I’m an idiot.”

“Hah! Can’t say I don’t relate though. Oh, look-” Tristan said as his mouth formed a pleasantly surprised little “o” which swiftly turned to his usual big grin. “It’s just around here…” He said as they entered an overgrown clearing; much more spacious than the path they’d traversed on but still pretty overrun with greenery. Pointing ahead into the brush at a slither of red bricks amongst the thick plants, he turned back to Jay with a delighted grin. “C'mon, it’s just this way!” With that, he suddenly galloped off into the underbrush, board in hand.

“Well goddamn you and your giraffe legs!” Jay laughed as he sprinted after Tristan. He could hardly keep up with his much taller friend, panting heavily when Tristan finally slowed down. He dropped the board to the ground to lean onto his legs, trying to even his breath. “Sheesh, think about your dwarf friends, will you- oh, hot damn…” Jay’s playful complaint turned into an awestruck gasp when he looked around.

“Et violà…” He said with a fanciful flourish towards the building standing before them. It was made entirely of red brick and mortar, and was a little on the small side for a school; possibly a private school for the young'uns back in the day. It even had a little bell tower poking out from its triangular roof. The building had a pleasing symmetry to it; the main entrance area, and two equally sized brick triangles on either side with dusty shutter windows. Despite the natural weathering of age, the building was actually in pretty good nick. “Isn’t it cool?” Tristan said with childish excitement.

“Duuuude!” Jay’s eyes lit up and he grinned. “That’s so good! It looks so friendly!” He skipped a little in place in excitement and turned to Tristan. “Have you been to the inside- or, actually,” he crossed his arms and gave his friend a sly smile, “now you can tell me how you found out about this, right? Because I wanna hear.”

With a knowing hum and a clap of his hands, he locked eyes with Jay and threw him a grin. “Alright, if you insist. So, like I said before, I was just skating around when I came across that huge wall, yeah? So I just climb right up that shit because there’s gotta be something juicy behind a wall like that. And so I get… I get to this… like…” Tristan’s expression suddenly dropped like an anchor and he stared flatly ahead before turning to the ground for a second and scratching his cheek absent-mindedly.

“…this little charming building?” Jay was not new to Tristan’s way of pausing in between explanations and knew that most of the time he wouldn’t remember if Jay had said something while he was out of it, but Jay still liked filling in the gaps, even if just for his own amusement. “Or did you mean the small overgrown jungle?” he remarked, before pausing to wait when Tris would be back in action.

A few more seconds of staring passed before Tristan slowly started up again. “…this fuckin’… Miniature jungle, yeah? So I go against my better judgment as always and go right through that shit, get cut up to hell, and then I stumble into this little clearing-” he gestured around at the area, “-and then I see this little slither of something red in the distance, so I go to check it out, and what do ya know? It’s a full on school! And it’s not in terrible condition, either!”

"Kinda like me after a fun weekend. Except I'd be red and in a terrible - hm, yeah, welllll... yeah." Jay snorted and shook his head. "Terrible joke. Aaanyway anything more I need to hear about this school? Because, because I wanna go... words, the fuck," he lifted a hand to push his hair back from his face, pausing for a moment with a hand on top of his head while thinking. "go adventuring! That's the word. Wanna get to adventuring already."

“Sometimes I am really glad to have a gigantic beanpole as a friend,” Jay muttered when he pulled himself onto the wall. “And- woah, this is high…” He stared at the ground for a second before biting his teeth and pushed himself over the wall, dropping to hang from the edge of it before letting go and falling to the ground with a thud.

In one swift motion, Tristan hauled himself up onto the top of the wall and dropped down to the other side before glancing over at Jay with a wide grin. “You good?” He asked, not waiting for a response as he turned to face the thick foliage that now stood before them. “Through all that,” he said, pointing, “it’s a short walk. Everything’s kinda overgrown so be careful.” He added before reaching down to grab his board and sauntering over to the small forest opening with it under his arm.

Jay took a second to breathe before opening his eyes and picking up his board. “Plants I can deal with. Heights, not so much…” he muttered as he hurried after Tristan. “Look, dude, I can handle some heights if I know I’m going to be there, but getting thrown up suddenly like that? Kinda makes my brain scream and cry for forgiveness for all its sins,” he rambled as he followed the taller man, trying to drive away the uncomfortable anxiety of being up high away. Being small as he was, he stuck to Tristan’s wake, having an easy time navigating through the foliage.

“Oh, shit, sorry dude,” Tristan said over his shoulder briefly as he lumbered through the overgrown thicket, “suppose I should’ve given more warning next ti- ow, fuck.” He was cut off as his face collided directly with a large, high up thorny twig sticking out of the foliage lining the beaten dirt path, if it could even be called a path. “See, this is why I wish I was smaller like you sometimes.” He grumbled as he smacked the twig away with a gloved hand.

Jay snorted as he dodged the twig which propelled at him now after Tristan had pushed it out of his way. “Being a shortie does have its good sides, like never hitting your head in the doorframe. Or, well, okay, I’ve hit my head to a doorframe several times but that was not because I’m short but because I’m an idiot.”

“Hah! Can’t say I don’t relate though. Oh, look-” Tristan said as his mouth formed a pleasantly surprised little “o” which swiftly turned to his usual big grin. “It’s just around here…” He said as they entered an overgrown clearing; much more spacious than the path they’d traversed on but still pretty overrun with greenery. Pointing ahead into the brush at a slither of red bricks amongst the thick plants, he turned back to Jay with a delighted grin. “C'mon, it’s just this way!” With that, he suddenly galloped off into the underbrush, board in hand.

“Well goddamn you and your giraffe legs!” Jay laughed as he sprinted after Tristan. He could hardly keep up with his much taller friend, panting heavily when Tristan finally slowed down. He dropped the board to the ground to lean onto his legs, trying to even his breath. “Sheesh, think about your dwarf friends, will you- oh, hot damn…” Jay’s playful complaint turned into an awestruck gasp when he looked around.

“Et violà…” He said with a fanciful flourish towards the building standing before them. It was made entirely of red brick and mortar, and was a little on the small side for a school; possibly a private school for the young'uns back in the day. It even had a little bell tower poking out from its triangular roof. The building had a pleasing symmetry to it; the main entrance area, and two equally sized brick triangles on either side with dusty shutter windows. Despite the natural weathering of age, the building was actually in pretty good nick. “Isn’t it cool?” Tristan said with childish excitement.

“Duuuude!” Jay’s eyes lit up and he grinned. “That’s so good! It looks so friendly!” He skipped a little in place in excitement and turned to Tristan. “Have you been to the inside- or, actually,” he crossed his arms and gave his friend a sly smile, “now you can tell me how you found out about this, right? Because I wanna hear.”

With a knowing hum and a clap of his hands, he locked eyes with Jay and threw him a grin. “Alright, if you insist. So, like I said before, I was just skating around when I came across that huge wall, yeah? So I just climb right up that shit because there’s gotta be something juicy behind a wall like that. And so I get… I get to this… like…” Tristan’s expression suddenly dropped like an anchor and he stared flatly ahead before turning to the ground for a second and scratching his cheek absent-mindedly.

“…this little charming building?” Jay was not new to Tristan’s way of pausing in between explanations and knew that most of the time he wouldn’t remember if Jay had said something while he was out of it, but Jay still liked filling in the gaps, even if just for his own amusement. “Or did you mean the small overgrown jungle?” he remarked, before pausing to wait when Tris would be back in action.

“Sometimes I am really glad to have a gigantic beanpole as a friend,” Jay muttered when he pulled himself onto the wall. “And- woah, this is high…” He stared at the ground for a second before biting his teeth and pushed himself over the wall, dropping to hang from the edge of it before letting go and falling to the ground with a thud.

In one swift motion, Tristan hauled himself up onto the top of the wall and dropped down to the other side before glancing over at Jay with a wide grin. “You good?” He asked, not waiting for a response as he turned to face the thick foliage that now stood before them. “Through all that,” he said, pointing, “it’s a short walk. Everything’s kinda overgrown so be careful.” He added before reaching down to grab his board and sauntering over to the small forest opening with it under his arm.

Jay took a second to breathe before opening his eyes and picking up his board. “Plants I can deal with. Heights, not so much…” he muttered as he hurried after Tristan. “Look, dude, I can handle some heights if I know I’m going to be there, but getting thrown up suddenly like that? Kinda makes my brain scream and cry for forgiveness for all its sins,” he rambled as he followed the taller man, trying to drive away the uncomfortable anxiety of being up high away. Being small as he was, he stuck to Tristan’s wake, having an easy time navigating through the foliage.

“Oh, shit, sorry dude,” Tristan said over his shoulder briefly as he lumbered through the overgrown thicket, “suppose I should’ve given more warning next ti- ow, fuck.” He was cut off as his face collided directly with a large, high up thorny twig sticking out of the foliage lining the beaten dirt path, if it could even be called a path. “See, this is why I wish I was smaller like you sometimes.” He grumbled as he smacked the twig away with a gloved hand.

Jay snorted as he dodged the twig which propelled at him now after Tristan had pushed it out of his way. “Being a shortie does have its good sides, like never hitting your head in the doorframe. Or, well, okay, I’ve hit my head to a doorframe several times but that was not because I’m short but because I’m an idiot.”

“Hah! Can’t say I don’t relate though. Oh, look-” Tristan said as his mouth formed a pleasantly surprised little “o” which swiftly turned to his usual big grin. “It’s just around here…” He said as they entered an overgrown clearing; much more spacious than the path they’d traversed on but still pretty overrun with greenery. Pointing ahead into the brush at a slither of red bricks amongst the thick plants, he turned back to Jay with a delighted grin. “C'mon, it’s just this way!” With that, he suddenly galloped off into the underbrush, board in hand.

“Well goddamn you and your giraffe legs!” Jay laughed as he sprinted after Tristan. He could hardly keep up with his much taller friend, panting heavily when Tristan finally slowed down. He dropped the board to the ground to lean onto his legs, trying to even his breath. “Sheesh, think about your dwarf friends, will you- oh, hot damn…” Jay’s playful complaint turned into an awestruck gasp when he looked around.

“Et violà…” He said with a fanciful flourish towards the building standing before them. It was made entirely of red brick and mortar, and was a little on the small side for a school; possibly a private school for the young'uns back in the day. It even had a little bell tower poking out from its triangular roof. The building had a pleasing symmetry to it; the main entrance area, and two equally sized brick triangles on either side with dusty shutter windows. Despite the natural weathering of age, the building was actually in pretty good nick. “Isn’t it cool?” Tristan said with childish excitement.

“Duuuude!” Jay’s eyes lit up and he grinned. “That’s so good! It looks so friendly!” He skipped a little in place in excitement and turned to Tristan. “Have you been to the inside- or, actually,” he crossed his arms and gave his friend a sly smile, “now you can tell me how you found out about this, right? Because I wanna hear.”

“Sometimes I am really glad to have a gigantic beanpole as a friend,” Jay muttered when he pulled himself onto the wall. “And- woah, this is high…” He stared at the ground for a second before biting his teeth and pushed himself over the wall, dropping to hang from the edge of it before letting go and falling to the ground with a thud.

In one swift motion, Tristan hauled himself up onto the top of the wall and dropped down to the other side before glancing over at Jay with a wide grin. “You good?” He asked, not waiting for a response as he turned to face the thick foliage that now stood before them. “Through all that,” he said, pointing, “it’s a short walk. Everything’s kinda overgrown so be careful.” He added before reaching down to grab his board and sauntering over to the small forest opening with it under his arm.

Jay took a second to breathe before opening his eyes and picking up his board. “Plants I can deal with. Heights, not so much…” he muttered as he hurried after Tristan. “Look, dude, I can handle some heights if I know I’m going to be there, but getting thrown up suddenly like that? Kinda makes my brain scream and cry for forgiveness for all its sins,” he rambled as he followed the taller man, trying to drive away the uncomfortable anxiety of being up high away. Being small as he was, he stuck to Tristan’s wake, having an easy time navigating through the foliage.

“Oh, shit, sorry dude,” Tristan said over his shoulder briefly as he lumbered through the overgrown thicket, “suppose I should’ve given more warning next ti- ow, fuck.” He was cut off as his face collided directly with a large, high up thorny twig sticking out of the foliage lining the beaten dirt path, if it could even be called a path. “See, this is why I wish I was smaller like you sometimes.” He grumbled as he smacked the twig away with a gloved hand.

Jay snorted as he dodged the twig which propelled at him now after Tristan had pushed it out of his way. “Being a shortie does have its good sides, like never hitting your head in the doorframe. Or, well, okay, I’ve hit my head to a doorframe several times but that was not because I’m short but because I’m an idiot.”

“Hah! Can’t say I don’t relate though. Oh, look-” Tristan said as his mouth formed a pleasantly surprised little “o” which swiftly turned to his usual big grin. “It’s just around here…” He said as they entered an overgrown clearing; much more spacious than the path they’d traversed on but still pretty overrun with greenery. Pointing ahead into the brush at a slither of red bricks amongst the thick plants, he turned back to Jay with a delighted grin. “C'mon, it’s just this way!” With that, he suddenly galloped off into the underbrush, board in hand.

“Well goddamn you and your giraffe legs!” Jay laughed as he sprinted after Tristan. He could hardly keep up with his much taller friend, panting heavily when Tristan finally slowed down. He dropped the board to the ground to lean onto his legs, trying to even his breath. “Sheesh, think about your dwarf friends, will you- oh, hot damn...” Jay’s playful complaint turned into an awestruck gasp when he looked around.

“Sometimes I am really glad to have a gigantic beanpole as a friend,” Jay muttered when he pulled himself onto the wall. “And- woah, this is high…” He stared at the ground for a second before biting his teeth and pushed himself over the wall, dropping to hang from the edge of it before letting go and falling to the ground with a thud.

In one swift motion, Tristan hauled himself up onto the top of the wall and dropped down to the other side before glancing over at Jay with a wide grin. “You good?” He asked, not waiting for a response as he turned to face the thick foliage that now stood before them. “Through all that,” he said, pointing, “it’s a short walk. Everything’s kinda overgrown so be careful.” He added before reaching down to grab his board and sauntering over to the small forest opening with it under his arm.

Jay took a second to breathe before opening his eyes and picking up his board. “Plants I can deal with. Heights, not so much…” he muttered as he hurried after Tristan. “Look, dude, I can handle some heights if I know I’m going to be there, but getting thrown up suddenly like that? Kinda makes my brain scream and cry for forgiveness for all its sins,” he rambled as he followed the taller man, trying to drive away the uncomfortable anxiety of being up high away. Being small as he was, he stuck to Tristan’s wake, having an easy time navigating through the foliage.

“Oh, shit, sorry dude,” Tristan said over his shoulder briefly as he lumbered through the overgrown thicket, “suppose I should’ve given more warning next ti- ow, fuck.” He was cut off as his face collided directly with a large, high up thorny twig sticking out of the foliage lining the beaten dirt path, if it could even be called a path. “See, this is why I wish I was smaller like you sometimes.” He grumbled as he smacked the twig away with a gloved hand.

Jay snorted as he dodged the twig which propelled at him now after Tristan had pushed it out of his way. "Being a shortie does have its good sides, like never hitting your head in the doorframe. Or, well, okay, I've hit my head to a doorframe several times but that was not because I'm short but because I'm an idiot."

“That would be nice, yes. But,” Elene paused and sighed, becore continuing with a sharpness in her voice “you said it yourself, no one has died… so far. But how long, do you think, it will be before someone does? Because if something isn’t done quick, it will happen.” Elene had been shuffling the papers in her hands, but now she paused. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet. “And that someone will be followed by many, if, again, something isn’t done quick.” She turned to look at Victor, sadness in her eyes. “Listen, Victor, I’ve seen what it’s like to live when nowhere is safe from monsters. I couldn’t do anything back then, but if I just can help it, I’ll do all I can to revent it from happening in here, too.”

“I personally cannot relate, Elene, so I do not entirely understand your pain about it. Having lived somewhere where monsters are…not domesticated but, perhaps evolved? They are not fearsome pests. They are as dangerous as anyone, adding extra teeth and claws.” Stopping in his ramble, Victor took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses, looking at his colleague and old friend through narrowed eyes. “But I can assure you that this minor catastrophe will not reach major levels, as long as I am here to help you and we can pool our resources because your-” he stopped, glasses back on. “We can fix this. Just do not let the past hinder the present.”

"We can't say for sure, Victor. We'll do our best, and we'll do all we can. But we can never say for sure." Elene took a deep breath. "And I'd rather think that way and not get my hopes up too high. I've made that mistake often enough... but," she shook herself and brushed her hair back with her hands, about to tie it up and out of the way, "now's the time to try and stop the invasion before it even starts. You seen the notes about the patient files somewhere?" As if all melancholy had fallen off, she now looked sharp and ready to work on the task at hand.

“I mean, I think it’s mornin’? But I ain’t got a clue on how early it is fer reals.” Micky rubbed his eyes and followed Jhonny to the front. “What? Oh, nah, I ain’t got work ‘fore five t’night. Goin’ ta have a fun night with some drunkards, hah.” He brushed a hand through his hair, feeling guilty when he saw Jhonny’s distress. He glanced outside, trying to figure out what the time could be. But being a city boy, born and raised, he had no clue. He felt around his pockets and went “a-ha!” when he found his phone. Squinting at the bright screen, he felt relieved to see the numbers “5:38″ on the screen. “‘s half past five, ya got plenty o’ time ta do yer things, ‘less there’s some secret performer rituals I never knew about?”

“Oh f'sure.” Jhonny’s expression turned into half amused half ‘you’re-an-idiot’ as he fumbled for his keys, muttering under his breath that they were lucky they weren’t robbed. “Takes at least 2 hours ta do my hair an’ makeup ‘fore I can meet up with the girls ta sacrifice ugly outfits. Candles an’ everythin’, ya should come sometimes.” he started the engine and felt his heartbeat ease its racing a bit at the familiar soft rumble. He ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to tame the mess it probably was, looking into the rearview for help. “Mind…tellin’ me yer address again Michael?” he mumbled after a minute, embarrassed that he couldn’t think about where he’d driven to get there, only how the buildings had looked.

“Oh, ya can just drive down th’street-” Micky motioned to the right direction with his hand “-I’ll tell ya when ta drop me off. I can get a lil’ mornin’ walk too an’ get m’self awake.” He rubbed his eyes and yawned. “That, or then I’ll gt home an’ go back ta bed. Perks o’ bein’ the barman’s that ya don’t gotta do dark magic ev’ry day ta get yerself look all fancy schmancy. I don’t got th’patience fer that, so props to ya, goin’ through that ev’ry damn day.” Micky gave Jhonny a little smile. “But damn, ya hav mastered th’arts of make-up.” He bit his lip, unsure if that was a compliment reaching over to wrong territories, and leaned back in his seat. He watched the buildings glide by, his breath leaving a little blurry patch on the window, until he noticed a very familiar streetsign. “That’s th’street I live on, to the right- I can get off here?”

Lucio’s eyebrow twitched as he brushed off his sleeves, feeling the disgust for the man slowly fading as Cado spoke. He turned to look down at the boy and his expression smoothed into one of care and concern. “Was I lucky enough to stop him? He did not hit you before I interfered did he?” he fretted, kneeling down to be more level with the seemingly shaken up child and made Cado let go of his coat so he could look him over for sign of injury. He sighed, gently ruffling Cado’s wild red hair and smiled bittersweetly, “Do be a little more careful, dear child. It was an accident, yes, but you must be a little more aware of your surroundings so incidents like that may be avoided.”

“He, no, I- I’m okay, just, I…” Cado paused for a moment and sighed, looking down at his feet. “I’m alright. H-he didn’t hit me, you were quick enough… thank you.” Cado looked into Lucio’s eyes but soon looked down again, biting his lip and doing a very bad job on trying to hide his upsetness. “And… s-sorry for causing you trouble.” Cado blinked away tears, trying to battle away the ashamed feeling. He wasn’t new to causing trouble, but this was the first time in a very long while he made someone who cared about him upset because of his messing around.

“Oh heavens no child you’ve caused me no trouble! And I’m not upset with you at all if you may be thinking that.” Lucio’s expression went from bittersweet to apologetic as he swept the boy into his arms and into a hug. “Accidents happen, it’s alright! You were just not a bit more careful than you maybe could have been but it is not your fault that the man reacted how he did.” he held tighter, a hand in Cado’s hair to smooth it down and to try and soothe the upset child. “Let’s not let a small bump ruin our whole day, my son. Perhaps a light snack and some sentient potato people hunting will make you feel better?” he continued to rub Cado’s back to comfort, worried by how often the boy seemed to be upset.

"...you really aren't mad? You don't think I'm a stupid child for not watching where I was going?" Cado's voice was quiet. He felt a wave of relief was across him (don't trust him hes lying) and silenced the spirits in his head. He squeezed Lucio tight and muttered a thank you into his jacket, discreetly wiping his eyes on the fabric that had been worn soft, before stepping back a bit with a little smile on his face. "And... yeah. We've potatoes to track down, we probably should go before there's too many peoole tracks on where they went. They were near the bakery when we saw them, yeah?"