The Shippensburg Experimental Roleplay

[Molten Silver]

Audrey felt like she had a pretty good thing going on to be honest. It wasn’t every lycan that didn’t join up with a pack. Owning and running a restaurant, even if it had a very specific clientele, was a lot better than dashing through the woods after a deer. Well, usually. The urge got REALLY strong around the full moon of course, but in the dampening smell of exhaust and humanity… Sometimes it seemed like the better option was just to stay where she was. Instincts were dampened in cities.
The city had its benefits, even if it smelled awful. There was the park, which was spacious and well kept and had a few trees. The playground in the park was the delight of neighborhood kids, and there were paved walking paths running here and there. Audrey liked the park. She liked watching kids play. Perhaps it was instinctive. Lycan females were made to have puppies. All you had to do was run over to the nearest alpha male, and VOILA! Like magic, you had instant status among other pack members.
But no. Audrey felt like the restaurant was where she was supposed to be at the moment. She met lots of people. Most of them supernatural, but there were a few human hangers-on. There was that cute little witch that dropped by occasionally, and the one vampire that always snidely asked for ‘something vintage’. Audrey assumed he meant grandma blood, but it was hard to tell with vampires that tried to be too enigmatic. The lycan found no pleasure in a vampire’s guessing games, and truth be told it was the closest she ever came to speciesism. Audrey just wanted to cook
She’d gotten quite good at it too. Her tiny restaurant, hidden away in one of the city’s back alleys, had gained a good reputation among the various non-human denizens of the city. If you managed to find the place you’d be treated to a dinner to remember, served by a very restrained little lycan. The restaurant only had three tables, and an open kitchen so Audrey could chat with her guests while she cooked. She had fine wines, blood, and more or less anything that someone could request.

Audrey turned the key in the lock of the little door, and flicked on the lights of the restaurant when she stepped in. Not that she genuinely needed the light, with natural nocturnal vision. She was surprisingly short, for someone who could turn into a powerful wolf at the first hint of a moon beam. Petite but somehow SOLID looking, as though she was a bit more real than her surroundings. She stuck out like a sore thumb, and it wasn’t only because of her mass of curly brown hair. Audrey dressed in cheap jeans and a plain, if snug, white t-shirt. These things were easy to replace if she had to make the shift all of a sudden. There were always people who might decide to take umbrage against her existence.
Audrey smoothed the white tablecloths over the tables, adjusting the chairs and going through the usual preparations. The place needed to look nice. It was one of the reasons Audrey also slightly disliked serving her own kind. Lycans were messy eaters. It was in their natures. When you ripped out entrails as part of your natural diet, a knife and fork seemed rather mundane… Oh well. The restaurant was open for business as far as she was concerned. It was bound to be a quiet night. There hadn’t been the usual shrieks and sounds of nightly activity when she walked from her house. Audrey tisked under her breath. Fewer customers meant, of course, less money.

[Greystone]

Matthias Hunter stepped into the restaurant with a look of bemused, barely concealed excitement. He had long been searching for a den of the supernatural creatures so spread throughout the city that would not be automatically hostile to humans… like him. As he surveyed the room, he let out a disappointed sigh. He seemed to be the only customer her.

How was he supposed to document eating habits without subjects to watch? No matter. He picked a table and sat down, pulling a notebook out of a pocket of his old brown jacket. Matthias ran his fingers through light blonde hair as looked around and waited for a menu.

As he waited, he idly scratched with a ballpoint pen in the notebook.

Night 1
Meeting place appears almost deserted, hoping for more patrons tonight….

[Molten Silver]

Audrey soon came around, flashing him a quick smile and setting a menu on the table in front of him. "Heya! I expected it to be a pretty quiet night... Can I get you anything to drink? You don't strike me as the usual type to come in here. You smell too human." Not many average people dropped by, so she was sort of inquisitive... And what was the notebook for? Eh, you got all sorts in this restaurant, and it usually paid to keep questions to yourself. Her latest guest smelled human, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. So long as he didn't bother other people she supposed she had nothing to complain about.

[Greystone]

Matthias blinked once, opened his mouth- then shut it again. He smiled a little sheepishly "I- ah, wasn't expecting such an honest answer from a member of the supernatural community" he coughed "I will have just a burger if you please, medium done"

He sat a few seconds and scratched another note

Met with proprietor, seems friendly, certainly honest. Will attempt more contact. Perhaps conversation"

He looked over as Audrey bustled around the kitchen and he cleared his throat "So, uh, I hear from a friend that you are a Lycanthrope... is that true"

[Molten Silver]

"Burger? That's easy enough," Audrey said cheerfully. She headed over to the kitchen and turned a burner on to start cooking. "Yeah, I'm a lycan. Eight years and still doing pretty well, all things considered. There's not a lot of female lycans. Well, not a lot of female WEREWOLVES, so I tend to stay out of the way. Obviously, I own and run this restraunt, and since you know about it, you must be involved with the supernatural?" She turned the burger and settled back, folding her arms beneath her breasts as she eyed him.

"Your bloodline does smell old. Interest in ther supernatural been in the family, or are you the first informed one?"

[Greystone]

Matthias gave a short laugh "You could call it that. My family was originally institued by the Papacy of Avignon. Most of the interest in the past has been anatomy and post-mortem dissection" he ran a hand through is hair again, something he seemed to do a lot.

"I have a more... academic interest. I like to talk, to categorize, and to learn. Luckily, blind hatred through faith died out in the 1800's for the most part"

[Molten Silver]

"Woah, okay, good. When you were going on about post-mortem blah blah blah I was thinking it might be easier to kill you while you were talking..." Audrey admitted sheepishly. "But research is all well and good." She finished cooking the burger, and set it on the table in front of him. "Anything I can help you with?"

[Greystone]

"Well yes actually" His tone is unconcerned by the threat of death, but Audrey notices him touch a silver crucifix hanging from his neck "As I said that I want to research and expand my knowledge base. My overall goal is to write a book with my findings. So I suppose if you could tell me a lycans exact capabilities, that would help. Also your name would be nice"

He smiles slightly "I'm Matthias Hunter"

[Molten Silver]

"Hmmm... I suppose I can give a hand with that kind of thing. I don't really have any pack secrets to keep back. I'm Audrey. It's nice to meet you, Matthias Hunter. So, lycan stuff... Well, I'm sure that you're aware of the basics. We turn into wolves at a full moon. Some lycans are too inexperienced to go the whole way though, so they end up as wolfish humanoids a lot. I can shift almost entirely wolf now, but since I live in the city I usually don't." She shrugged. "It's sort of lonely. Lycans are meant to go in groups."

[Greystone]

Matthias nodded "Yes... Yes... Alright, uh- and your exact strengths and weaknesses. I hear a lot, but most of the old texts are infurieatingly vague or loaded with enough purple prose to fill a King novel"

He snorts in vague derision before continuing "Also, while were-wolves are certain the most commonly discussed lycanthrope, is there any truth to the reports of other weres of all sorts?"

[Molten Silver]

"Hmm, specifics? Silver you obviously already know about. Also, strong scents can be really painful. Peppermint is like, an instant migraine to be honest, but I've heard that the worst scent is different for each lycan. I just really hate all things peppermint. Another weakness, well, I don't even know if it's a proper instinct or not, but when we've been in cities for awhile our instincts are dampened a lot. I'm not about to go running off after the first deer I see, if you know what I mean. As for strengths... A lot of lycans nowadays can shift at will. The first shift is always triggered by the moon, but if you want to go through the pain of practicing you can master it in a couple of years. It's a lot harder NOT to shift during a full moon than it is TO shift without one."

[Greystone]

"yes, yes. Interesting. I assume that this is the reason for the sizeable difference in numbers of attacks between urban and rural areas." He stroked his chin "And as to my other question?"

[Molten Silver]

"As for your other question, yes. There are other kinds of lycans. The lycanthrope species has kind of exploded in the last decade or so as far as I've been able to tell. There are cats, and some vampires are arguably a kind of lycan, since they can turn into bats..." Audrey shrugged. "It's a really bizarre species I guess. I don't really know what the weaknesses of a werecat would be though to be honest. Maybe water?"

[Greystone]

"interesting" he coughs "Uh, do you have anything to drink"

[Molten Silver]

"Hah, sure. I've got pepsi products, milk, blood... Whatever you you want." Audrey shrugged. "Gotta take care of the human! This supernatural bookwriting thing's gotta be kind of dangerous though. I can't imagine a bloodthirsy vampire sitting down and having a chat with you."

[Greystone]

"Uh, I'll take a pepsi" he wsat back in his chair "You'd be surprised by how often they sit down to have a chat... after the discussion is where the difficulty usually lies."

[Molten Silver]

Audrey grimaced a little at that, and fetched him a pepsi from the kitchen. "Why humans do the things they do I'll never know. They always seem to want more. You want more knowledge, so you show up at a restraunt where a lot of supernaturals eat, and for all I know you would task a vampire to open its mouth so you can study its fangs. Human beings are absolutely bizarre." She flashed him a quick grin. "No offense of course. I hate to think of what the world would be like without people. They move very quickly."

[Greystone]

"Yes the world needs lots of different types...." he pauses and looks up, flashing a cocky grin "Y'think a vampire would dop that for me?"

He took a long drink from the pepsi, and gave a loud sigh "Ah, thats better" he cleared his throat "What is the strangest thing- err creature, uh- supernatural person that you have ever met or seen?"

[Molten Silver]

"Dude, you don't have to be politically correct. I'm not the sort of werewolf that rips our your throat at the slightest sign of insult," Audrey said amusedly. "The strangest creature I've ever met would prooooobably be a little witch named Tetra. She's perfectly human but she is completely bizarre in every other way. Then the strangest, thingamajig, of a different species is probably.... Aaah.... Probably a unicorn. I know they're one of those stereotypical things but it wasn't at all what I expected to be." She wrinkled her nose at the memory. "It had a colt and almost gored me."

[Greystone]

"You're in contact with a witch?" he looked surprised, and took another drink of his pepsi "I've never met a true practitioner..."

He laughs "Not including Tarot readers and shamans"

He looks into his glass "My contact is a bit magical- but it seems to be a natural ability that she can focus... instinctive really, no spells involved. Fascinating really!

[Molten Silver]

"If you ever want to meet her I've got her number," Audrey announced. "Magic has really never been my thing to be honest. It just seems like the sort of thing that it would be best for a werewolf to avoid. Being unpredictable is what we do, and unpredictability mixed with magic doesn't seem like a good combination. I don't want to die after managing to survive this long as one of the more hunted species. Although I have heard of a bounty hunter or two going after vampires for their fangs..."

[Greystone]

At that, an irritated grimace flits across his face "Bounty Hunters, pah! They occasionally provide a service, but they are without honor or restraint" he shook his head "Too many of my family have fallen down the path of greed for the glint of silver. Did you know that some of the richer eccentrics are offering millions for live supernaturals? Disgraceful... and dangerous"

[Molten Silver]

Audrey wrinkled her nose. "Millions for a supernatural, huh? They really can't know what they're messing with, otherwise they'd be offering millions for one's head most likely. I think a bounty hunter may have been after the lycan that bit me. I got in the way of the chase and voila. Species change. I found the other lycan's body later on when I got morbidly curious. Not a pretty sight."

[Greystone]

"Ah..." Matthias nodded slowly "So you were turned in an act of kindness? Or were you simply in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

[Molten Silver]

"Haha, wrong place at the wrong time. It wasn't realy traumatic or anything. I was just kind of shocked when a huge wolf leapt out of an alley and chomped down on my arm. I ran away and it's a good thing that I did because the lycan had a hunter after him I think. Poor guy never had a chance." Audrey shrugged. "I met up with a pack for awhile and kinda learned how things worked, then went off on my own."

[Greystone]

"So you have no ill will for the one that damned you to this existence?" Matthias raised an eyebrow "The one that tore you away from family and friends?"

[Molten Silver]

"Oh if he was alive I'd probably rip his throat out just to watch him bleed, but I mean, come on. You have to keep going. You can't just stop, howl at the moon a couple of times and then die because someone broke your heart. I was old enough to leave home, so I did. And, well, once you get assimilated into a pack you kind of forget about humans for awhile.The instinct to join with a pack is a lot stronger when you're new since it's your best chance for survival."

[Greystone]

Matthias eyes softened "You.... forget being human? You forget all that you were and those who influenced you? That... that is so sad"

[Molten Silver]

"I haven't forgotten entirely. I still remember who my parents are and who my boyfriend was. But with a bit of animal in you... Well, animals think differently than humans. Past and future don't have as strong a meaning. You won't find a sentimental lycan no matter how hard you try. I'd like to have, you know, a love life or something eventually, but that's EVENTUALLY."

[Greystone]

"Hmph" he shook his head "Still seems strange to me. You just admitted to wanting a love life, but really doesn't that go against what you just said? Can you make any meaningful relationships without sentiments?"

[Molten Silver]

Audrey nibbled at her lower lip a little in thought. "With other lycans you can make relationships. But with anything else it's harder. A lot of lycans are loyal to a fault, but the first thing that catches their loyalty is a pack, and they don't usually stray from it. Perhaps eventually loyalty, when placed with the right person, could turn into a relationship. I've never tried it.

[Greystone]

"So loyalty is first to the pack" Matthias says thoughtfully "So, does your instinct, and by your I mean a Lycans, classify humans as a natural food source? Because that would explain the werewolf attacks throughout history. Or is it more of a need to procreate, continue the specis as it were?"

[Molten Silver]

Audrey chewed her lower lip and pondered over it for a moment or two. "Well... Yes. Humans are always an option. Most humans are weak, although larger game is more fun to hunt. There's more meat on a bear than there is on a human. Some of the more sadistic lycans develope a taste for human meat and hunt them almost entirely. A lot of lycans don't have the controll to just bite someone and not eat them. It's mostly a masculine thing to do the more difficult hunting, so my job would've probably mostly been to have puppies. It's not a bad thing, but meh." She shrugged. "I wanted to try something else."

[Greystone]

Matthias chuckled when she said 'Make puppies', but his smile disappeared when he realized she wasn't kidding. "Ah, so there is Gender inequality among the Lycans? Tell me, do you receive any negativity from not... continuing the specis?"

[Molten Silver]

Audrey cracked a grin. "Well, I don't hang out with other lycans enough to get any negativity. There aren't a whole lot of female lycans for some reason..." She shrugged. "Puppies that are born seem to be a lot stronger, or at least have more controll than a lycan made through a bite. There're definitely gender DIFFERENCES among lycans. Lycan females aren't usually turned down. Like, if I wanted to join a pack, all I'd have to do would be go snuggle up to the alpha male and, if he didn't already have a mate, I'd be the alpha female by default. It's all a bit weird."

[Greystone]

"Hmmm, very feral of the lycan, which I suppose is half the point" he taps his pen on the notebook as he thinks, before a thought seemingly strikes him "You mentioned Alpha status. Who gets that? The strongest male? The oldest?"

[Molten Silver]

Audrey grinned. "Usually the smartest, actually, which sometimes does mean seniority. Like you said, lycans are pretty feral, so the alpha's gotta have something more than strength to show off. All lycans have that to some degree. Personally, I'm kind of a whimp as far as lycanthropy is concerned. If you're so curious about everything, perhaps I could show you? It could be a little dangerous, of course, but..."

[Greystone]

"yes, yes that would be" Matthias's eyes flew fully open and he stammered slightly "wait... show me? What exactly would that entail?"

[Molten Silver]

"I'm not quite sure yet. But you seem interested. I might as well show you. I'm not going to bite you, but I could take you to the closest pack. Ones that live near cities are less likely to try to kill a human, unless the alpha is a complete idiot. Even some lycans have the sense to not reveal themselves all the way."

[Greystone]

He nodes slowly, then again- like he was steeling himself "Yes. That sounds most informative. One question though" he looked around "What about your restaraunt?"

[Molten Silver]

"The restraunt can close for a few days. It's no big deal," Audrey said calmly. It'll be a full moon in a couple of nights anyway, so eveyone who knows who I am will assume that I'm off running around covered in fur. So long as you stick close to me when we head to the pack you should be fine."

[Greystone]

"When do you intend to do this?" he stands up and takes one last swig of his pepsi " Because if is tonight I'm ready"

[Molten Silver]

"Tonight's as good a night as any other I guess," Audrey stated cheerfully. "Do you have a car? If not there's a bus that runs reasonably close to where the pack is. It'll be a ****load of walking either way, and I've never had someone ride me before..." She gave him a considering look. "You're not too big though... Well, we'll see how this goes. Pity you aren't a lycan as well. That'd make this easier."

[Greystone]

"And I'd prefer to stay not-a-lycan" he smirks a bit "My family would disown me. But no worry" he holds up his car keys.

"I've got a ride"

[Molten Silver]

Audrey brightened when she saw the keys. "Wonderful! Can we stop at my apartment on the way out of town? THere's a couple of things that I want to grab before heading out. It's only like, a five minute detour if you're up for it." She took his dirty dishes and set them in the dishwasher, then flicked off the lights in the kitchen. "Keep in mind that this pack is relatively tame compared to what you'd get in, say, Europe somewhere."

[Greystone]

"Well, for my first field experience outside of small time hunting I suppose that is for the best"

He leads Audry out to his car, a silver honda pilot, and gets in the car. But, not before he opens the door for her to get in. He put the keys in the ignition and began to pull out.

"Where is your apartment again?"

[De-seaver]

The streetlights have turned on by this time leaving intermittent spots of light and darkness along the street. A medium sized man with clearly dark hair walks deliberately around the spots of light only becoming visible by the occasional light radiating off of a parked car or the sandy white sidewalk. He comes to a stop in front of Audrey's restaurant and looks into the window as if scoping the place out. He then glances over his shoulder and survey's his surroundings. He then knocks on the door with a gloved hand.

[Greystone]

Matthias, who was in the process of pulling out pauses and stares.

"Uh.... Audrey? You appear to have a customer...."

[Molten Silver]

"Aw, man!" Audrey groaned. "I'm gonna go see what he wants, maybe it's nothing difficult... Or maybe he could come with us. Safety in numbers is a good idea when visiting lycans." Since he'd stopped the car anyway, the lycan opened the door and hopped out, striding over towards the visitor. "Hey! We're just about closed for awhile, do you need anything in particular?" In otherwords, what the heck do you want?!

[De-seaver]

The man slowly turns toward her jumping and shaking in fear. " Uhhh ... well I heard that you make really good food and I am starving. I can go elsewhere if you are close it is no big deal." His skinny body still shaking after he finished speaking and his stomach growls. At a closer distance, It is clear that he is very unkept. His hair is disheveled and his clothes aren't in the least bit new or stylish. His arms were really thin and almost bone like.

[Molten Silver]

Audrey eyed him for a moment, and eventually breathed a sharp sigh. "Ummm, look, I've got somewhere that I need to be. But we're going back to my apartment and you can have some food there. I've got some quick meals that only take like, a couple of minutes to make. Sooo, if my friend over there is okay with it he can drive us there." Reopening the restraunt meant that more people would probably show up, which Audrey didn't want to have to deal with. Besides, if he did anything stupid in her apartment, she was content with the knowledge that at the drop of a hat she could hunt him down and rip his throat out.

[De-seaver]

He looked past Audrey at Mathias in the car then back at her. "If you are busy I can go elsewhere. I don't want to be a bother." He looks back at Mathias. "Where are you going that you are closing shop so early though? If you ask me it isn't a wize business move."

[Greystone]

Matthias watched the two two talk with vague interest, giving the man at the restaraunt a nod of his head as he made eye contact.

[Molten Silver]

"Eh, I have a better venture than making money for a couple of nights," Audrey said with a snort. She glanced over at Matthias, and eventually motioned for the starving guy to follow her over to the car. "Hey, is it okay it he hitches a ride to my place? I don't want to seem totally creepy or anything but..." She shrugged.

[Greystone]

Matthias raised an eyebrow "Whatever works" the unsaid was obviously 'what is he going to do to us, we have a lycan with us.

[De-seaver]

He nodded back to mathias due to the guy code and cautiously followed her to the car. "I am really not trying to be a bother honestly. I can go elsewhere." He looks back at the empty restaurant and then back at Audrey. "You only lock the front door? This sort of neighborhood doesn't seem the safest. And I should know, I basically live in the slums."

[Greystone]

"its not a bother" he shrugs "If your with her, whatever"

[Molten Silver]

"Thanks dude," Audrey said contentedly. "I still have dibs on the front seat though." She opened the door for her starving guy and then settled down in the front seat. "Ehm.... How much do you know about who the restaurant serves? Um, it would suffice to say that anyone who breaks in would have a lot more than a whimpy alarm bell to contend with. I had a witch put a couple of spells on it. Good times...."

[De-seaver]

He climbed into the back of the car and buckles himself in. " So it is magically protected. That is very interesting. Not many things can get past that sort of security. Very wise choice... Ms....I don't know your name." He glances at Mathias trying to get a read on his surroundings. He is used to being around this many people other than his business meetings. " My name is Gaven."

[Molten Silver]

"Oh, sorry! My name's Audrey. I'm the one who's going to feed you once we get to my apartment, so it's in your best interests to be nice to me," the werewolf said with a smirk. "I'm sure I've got something to satisfy your hunger." Not meant to be taken as an innuendo AT ALL. Maybe werewolves went into heat occasionaly?

[Greystone]

Matthias raised an eyebrow "Are we ready to go?"

[De-seaver]

"I will be sure to behave myself then." He buckled himself in and looked a Mathias again. "I'm ready if you guys are." He slouched back into his seat and then looked out the window fixing his view on the outside.

[Molten Silver]

"Yeah, I'm ready. Drive away fast so we don't pick up another stray," Audrey said with an amused smile. She did seem to smile an aweful lot for a supposedly cursed being. Maybe she just liked being nice to people?

[TheBeard]

Three days two nights. That’s when ridiculous chase, or “game” as she called it, started. She was adept to the shadows. The only way he’d been able to keep up with her is through her small signs. A flash of her violet hair, a giggle, very subtle hints. It also didn’t help that she wore mostly black and purple, but as stated, she did most of her movement in the shadows.
The chase had led them to a small city. She stuck to the darkness, going around corners, alleys, and on-top of buildings, jumping from one to the next. The only way he could tell where she was by seeing a wisp of her violet hair or a quiet laugh as she darted out of sight. He had now almost seen half the city, seeing the sizes of buildings and locations; he guessed where she’d go next. He had heard a laugh to his right while continuing down the street, but decided to go left down an alley. There he found a latter going up towards, for what he guessed an apartment.

He reached the top, and without surprise, found her at the ledge of a building. She was staring up into the night sky, her hand on her hip. She looked her over shoulder as he climbed up the final step of the ladder and onto the roof. A smirk formed over her face. Hey eyes showed she was clearly enjoying this.
“So!” she shouted, wanted to be obnoxious and she could be, “Do you like failing like this, Demios? You’re going to have to try a lot harder of course! I’ll give you a break, go somewhere else and I’ll give you a hint to where I am soon, but until then, haaaahhaaaa!” and with that she jumped over the ledge.

Most people would have been surprised, but Demios wasn’t, he had known her for too long. He had also felt the surge of frigid air tear through the rooftop while she was mocking him. He ran to the edge just in time to see the dark abyss that she had opened up, and with a small smile, plummeted into it. The portal closed, and with it went the cold air.
"Oh of course, that wasn't obvious." Demios said sarcastically; then climbed back down to the alley and into the street. He continued to search for any more glimpses of her but so far none. He didn't expect it in all honestly, she had just pulled off. He'd give it an hour or so. The streets were strangely empty. He looked only to see, if anything, a lone person walking. He continued his venture and turned a corner, but quickly turned back. Around the corner he saw three figures.

“Weird…. there’s an actual group of people?” Demios thought to himself. He continued peering around the corner. It looked like they were about to go out around the town. He then looked towards the building behind them. It felt weird, as if something wasn’t natural about it. He had sensed it before…magic maybe? It had to be, he had felt it around the girl he had been chasing, well, her version of tag. Both were interesting, but nothing really caught his interest until he felt a cold breeze from that direction. He knew what it was, he had just felt it. Maybe the girl was leading him towards these people? Whichever it was, Demios decided to follow them when they finally would decide to leave, but far behind. Hopefully they wouldn’t notice him, but for him being 6’2”, wearing all white, and having red hair, it might be a little more difficult then he planned….

[Greystone]

Matthias didn't see a thing. With both of his passengers in the car, he pulled out and began driving "So, where is your place Audrey?"

[De-seaver]

Gaven saw Demios out of the corner of his eye just as they were pulling out but felt as though he should not say anything. As they moved his eyes followed Demios until he would have had to turn to see him. "Not very subtle at all," he muttered softly to himself. His eyes then went to looking straight out the window as he fogged up the glass with his breathe. He then wiped it away with his gloved hand. "I am sorry I smudged your window."

[TheBeard]

Demios saw them get into the car and start to pull away. He had to start following to keep up. It didn't seem he was spotted...but it had looked like someone had looked back quickly. He couldn't really tell. He hoped that no one knew. Just in case, he decided to take a more discreet path. He sprinted towards the ladder he had just come down from went to the roof. The building didn't seem too far apart....it would be risky, but he could jump it. With one last quick thought of a painful landing, he jumped to the next building, following the car as it drove off...

[Molten Silver]

"Okay, come out here and make a right on Walnut Tree Avenue, then after a couple of miles you'll hit the residential area. I'll point out the building to you when we get there," Audrey announced. She hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary yet, but she did glance back at Gaven. The guy wasn't ENTIRELY normal, but eh.... No one who knew where her restaurant was would be totally normal.

[De-seaver]

Gaven could feel her looking at him but he didn't want to move from his vantage point. He knew something was out there and now it was following them. "Did you have a question Audrey?" he stated with out breaking his gaze out the window. As they drove down the street the lights were shining in the window causing Gaven to cast a shadow. The odd thing was the shadow never moved from it's positioned as they passed in and out of the light.

[TheBeard]

Roof to roof, Demios followed the vehicle. So far it had only made a right turn, which was great for him. The more simple the direction, the better. He kept his gaze directly on the car. So far he felt like no one had noticed him, but he himself had noticed, faintly, of a strange shadow the car was putting off. It seemed it stayed... even in the darkness? "Nah...I'm just seeing things." He thought to himself, as he bolted across the roof towards the ledge.

[Molten Silver]

"I might have a question later, but now isn't the time," Audrey eventually stated. "For now, oh, hold on, my apartment is coming up on the left here. It's the one with the red door." The lycanthrope shifted restlessly, happy to be back home but worried about Gaven. He was a bit odd...

[Zeek]

O God. The terrible, terrible pain. He twitched and squirmed in between every breath as she delved further into him with her tools. He kept telling himself this was for his own good; this was for the better of himself. And, that it'd be worth it in the end. Or, at least he hoped. His hands gripped tighter and tighter on the arm rest, as she kept poking and prodding. It hurt so much. His eyes darted left and right, up and down, and every direction in between, all in effort to find something that would take the thrashing pain off of his mind. However, the only thing that would come into focus was her face, cloaked by glasses and a breathing-mask. It felt as though he'd been here for hours, but it'd only been a little less than half of one.

"And, that will be that, Mr. Lingslee!" She said happily like there was chocolate and rainbows flowing through the room.

In effort to hide his regret and anger, he kept his cool and said a quaint little "Thank you." He got up from his seat, rubbing his jaw, almost like he had a beard. If only he would lay off the soda, he thought, if only....

Frank never enjoy the dentist all that much.
-
After paying his dues and telling the dentist office that his insurance company hadn't changed yet again, Frank walked outside into the cool night air. Streetlights lit every corner, with moths and insects slamming themselves into the glass bulbs like a horny dog. Someone, at this very moment, was getting murdered, and someone else was proposing a marriage; Frank was walking back home. He didn't expect to stay out this long, as he would've changed his attire earlier to go along with it, but now he was stuck with what he had. There was currently a newly created stain that he got from the dentist's office on his button down, white shirt (which he wouldn't notice until much later). The chills the light wind was giving on half of his exposed arms were trying to tell him there was a stain on his shirt, but Frank didn't speak "wind" all that well. He typically wore his sleeves rolled half-way up, half mast, since it made him feel classy, yet hip (but, in reality, no one really noticed this, or cared). His khaki pants went right along with his pitch black shoes. His tie, also being told in "wind speak" to look for that stain on his shirt so he could possibly grab some Tide-to-Go, swung like a grand father clock's pendulum on a bit of steroids. He clomped and stomped down the sidewalk to his residence house with a bit of jazz (http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/102850) playing in his head. It was on the corner of This and Something or Other.

After walking a few flights of stairs, he came to his door, but he passed by it. It was nice outside, he recalled, so the roof seemed like a nice place to chill out for a bit. Plus, there wasn't anyone waiting for him anyway, as much as he wished otherwise. He kept trudging up the stairs. Finally, he made it to the roof; the door to it seemed heavily rusted, and creaked quite loudly as he used all of his strength to push it open. A grunt or two later, he was out on the roof, gazing at the stars. He didn't bother to realize that if the roof access door was shut, it stayed shut. Thankfully, however, he would now never notice that, as there was someone else out on the roof with him, standing on the ledge. With a bit of confusion and panic lacing his eyes, Frank thought, 'O, not again.... too many people commit suicide off of this roof... This would be the fourth body to fall past my window.' Frank started calmly walking over to the guy, in effort to coax him to get off of the ledge.

He was a bit confused about his attire, and why someone who wanted to kill themselves would dress like that (the man was in a white leather jacket with a pair of white cargo pants, blending together to almost look seamless. His white steel-toed boots gave off a shine in the moonlight, and then there was a giant cross on the front of his shirt [Frank couldn't see the front, as the guy appeared to be staring intently at something down at the street; probably a quick and painless target to land on, Frank thought.). But hey, maybe he wanted to go out in style.

In any case, his thoughts were now riding on a bunch of horses in the Kentucky Derby, all of which were racing to be his opening statement. It was "Hey," in the lead, followed by "What the heck are you doing?," close behind him. "Don't even think about it," was running the wrong way, and "Do it," was having trouble getting out of the stall. The race was almost finished, but the dark horse "Whatcha' doin'?" was gaining fast, and zoomed by "What the heck are you doing?" It was now "Hey" or "Whatcha' doin'?" fighting for the lead. Neck and neck, head to head, it was a photo finish. It was a tie.

"Whatcha' doin', hey?" Frank said before correcting himself to a "Hey, whatcha' doin'?"

[TheBeard]

Demios was about to jump to the next building when he heard this man’s voice. He was utterly surprised he never even noticed the man’s presence until now. He saw the vehicle take a left up the street; now generally knowing where it was going. The first thought was to just keep up the pace, but why not talk to this strange for a minute? It couldn’t really hurt him. He turned to the new presence.

“I’m actually chasing down a vehicle right now, it had just turned left.” he stated, pointing in the direction of the vehicle. He continued, “They seemed…interesting, as no one was really on the streets. So I decided to see what was up.” Thinking of the words he had said made him realize how much of a creep he had sounded. But who cares? This person had no idea of the real cause. Who would believe him that the wind from a dark abyss had lured him to follow the vehicle? For Sh**s and giggles, he decided to asked, “Care to join? Nothing else to do around here. Maybe they’re going to do something crazy….who knows.” a small laughed came out after he was finished his sentence.

[Zeek]

"So, you're not going to jump, I see," Frank said quietly to himself as he rubbed his chin, letting it sink in; there wasn't going to be yet another deformed bloody, carcass on the sidewalk tonight. Suddenly, back in Frank's mind, "Do it" got out of the gates in his somehow-still-running Kentucky Derby. But, it was fortunately/unfortunately sideswiped by "What the heck are you doing?" before it got anywhere.

"Well, considering I probably just locked myself out up here, and there's not much to do tonight other than to watch 'me some Craig Ferguson, I suppose I could come along. I mean, it's not weird or creepy at all," Frank threw his arm's out to show his idea of it, if the blatant sarcasm hadn't bounced on the other man's eardrums. Frank was pretty sure he was talking to someone who thought they were Super Jesus, or something like that, and was puzzled why this man was asking him to follow a car that he simply found "interesting." Not too mention he just now met the guy, randomly by chance, on the roof of his building. God knows what would be in store for an "adventure" such as this.

However, there was this nagging feeling of destiny tugging at him as he thought about joining "Super Jesus." Probably because he then remembered that the only thing he'd done recently was, well, nothing. Maybe he too could become a "Super"-something and get a new take on life; it certainly must have happened for this guy. Plus, the man did appear nice, at least, and Frank did ask and he got his answer (something entirely unexpected, but an answer nonetheless).

'Finding some guy lookin' like this is a one in a million, I'm sure. Might as well take the chance. I mean, he doesn't look like he kill me or anything. Unless he requires blood for being Super Jesus... O jeez...' Frank rolled his eyes as he processed the probable outcomes of his body if he were to go through with this. Then, Frank shook his head slightly, but a bit feverishly to shake the terrible thoughts of how his body could be dismembered.

"Aw what the hell, why not?" Frank instantly changed his cross expression to one echoing the dentist from just a bit ago in his day. "Anything I can refer to you as, good sir?"

[TheBeard]

“Now that’s the spirit!” Demios cheered, his enthusiasm now that of one of those pep rally leaders. Hearing the sarcasm in the man’s voice from his earlier arm waving and such, Demios stated, “And of course I’m following these people for more of a reason than because they’re just interesting.” He winked, “But those reasons are mine for now. Don’t worry; I’m pretty sure nothing too hideous will happen.” Though as he said these words he thought of the girl he sought after, and realized they might have to endure some heinous prank of some sort. His spirits lifted either way, he liked having company. Hanging out with random people is what he had done for a while now during his many travels. This man did look like he’d be some good company. With a deep breath of fresh, cool air, he was about ready to jump, but then remembered the stranger’s question. “The name is Demios, by the way. It’s an name that was used long ago, that’s why no one really has it.” He chuckled. He liked his unique name. He had always hated being with the “in” group and loved to stand out. His attire clearly spoke of that, though he questioned it when he had to follow people discreetly. Demios then realized he didn’t know this stranger's name either. “I might as well call you something to, what may your name be?” he asked. He looked back quickly to see the vehicle take a left; he’d have to start moving again in a couple seconds.

[Zeek]

"Alright, cool. De-my-os...De-me-os," Frank sounded out before saying "Demios" correctly to himself, "The name's Frank, Frank Lingslee. My name is in use by pretty much every other person you probably know, or something." Frank shrugged a little, unable to add some snarky or nifty significance to the name his parents gave him 22 or so years ago.

"So..." Frank raised an eyebrow, "You are---I mean---WE are following a car that's down there..." Frank crossed his arms and pointed down with his right hand, he also started to tap his foot, "and, we're up here..." Frank's eyes and pointed finger followed the stars in the sky as he pieced together the situation, "how are we supposed to follow them if we're up here and they're down there?..." Frank's head remained pointed to the sky, but his eye's shot some obvious confusion to Demios.

[TheBeard]

“Well, it’s nice to know you’re name now Frank.” Demios said, putting his hand up to his chin in a thinking position. Frank did make a good point. The people they were following are down on the streets while they are on the roof. He decided to scan the rooftops near him for any ladders. For some reason this building didn’t have one, which was weird. Though he did get up to very first rooftop with a ladder, so one of the buildings had to have one. The look on Frank’s face made him laugh a little. Hopefully he didn’t hear the small chuckle. While amused at Frank’s face, Demios then noticed the building behind them. He saw the silver shine of handles and new there was a ladder down towards the alley. One building wasn’t too bad to back track to, and the car was now out of sight, so he had no worry of being seen. He then removed his hand that was at his chin and pointed towards the building behind Frank. “There’s our ticket down. Now all we have to do is jump across and it’ll be a nice chill walk towards where they turned!” as he said this, he bolted towards the ledge, and then jumped, making a clean landing onto the building’s roof. He then turned towards Frank who was still on the building where they met. “Think you’ll be able to make it bud?” a concerned appeared on his face, as the gap between the buildings had to be at least ten feet.

[TheBeard]

a concerned look*

[Zeek]

Frank jumped back a bit as Demios whizzed by; Demois leapt across the gap to the building behind them. Demios' concerned look at the space between them once he landed didn't put Frank off, as he thought he could make the gap. Some time ago, Frank and and a few of his friends were on a parkour kick; jumping over trashcans, benches, strollers, and homeless people around the city. But not buildings; they weren't that stupid. Staring at the gap for an extended period started to create some concerns in Frank's head. Frank thought about how he was well built, and that he could probably jump it. However, if he wore a red hat and overalls, he may have a better chance. Unfortunately, he was stuck with no hat and a white shirt that had a stain on it (which he still didn't know about it, as much as the wind tried to tell him). Thus, summoning all of his energy, he bolted.

With arms flying back and forth, and his hair whistling in the wind, he was gaining near the end of the building. With each thunderous and powerful stomp, he let out one heck of a grunt; determination at its best. Then, right as he got to the edge, he stopped point-blank from the ledge. He almost flew over from the momentum, but balanced himself before he turned back around, breathing heavily with his hand on his mouth in embarrassment; he didn't think he would make it now. All those times in gym class when the kids would make fun of him for not making it that far in the long jump resurfaced in his mind. He had never jumped even close to that far. But, he was locked out up here, and it was pretty much the only way off without waiting until tomorrow. He looked towards Demois, who still held a frightened expression on his face that read to Frank, "O God, I hope he makes it."

"Alright...it's all or nothing," Frank said quietly to himself. He walked back to where he was before his initial try. He took one last deep breath to calm those "Ogodimgoingtodiewhylordwhyojesus" feelings. He stared at the ground, a small drop of sweat feel off of his nose and made a splat on the ground. He returned his gaze to the other building, completely forgetting why he was jumping to it. His eyebrows formed a "V" as he focused on the spot.

He ran. He ran faster than he had before.

In what seemed like the fastest sprint Frank ever felt like he ran, he jumped onto the ledge before doing one last powerful spring off the edge of the building. Frank felt like he was going in slow motion as he went flying. He looked around himself to see the lights from the windows of the high rises blur, and a few planes fly past him. Looking down, he saw his legs outstretched, his left leading the way. His arms were opposite, clenched in tight fists. He was halfway over the gap now, and so started his decent.

Frank's hands started to go in circles as he prepared for a landing; his shoe strings freaking out even more so. His tie stayed glued to his side, hiding the stain on his shirt. He blinked a few times before he saw the roof of the building overtake his vision. Then, he landed.

Skidding across the roof on his feet before tumbling over a few times, he stopped. On his back, he looked up with panic, which then turned to joy, as he realized he managed to jump the gap. "...I did it! Holy crap, man, I did it!" Frank said to both the air above him and Demios. Surprisingly, there wasn't a scratch on him, nor a new hold in his pants or on his shirt. Frank outstretched a hand, signaling for Demios to help him up.

[TheBeard]

The surprise in Demios’ eyes was obvious. Frank had soared through the air, landing with a roll. He honestly didn’t think Frank would have made it, let alone make a….safe as it could be, landing. His guess what that he’d have to go back over there for Frank and bring him back. Now that Frank had made it by himself, things would be much easier and they’d save a good chunk of time. With the shake of his head to re-collect his thoughts after watching the jump; Demios shifted his gaze towards the ground at Frank. Frank held his hand out high for Demios to help pull him up. “That was pretty nice man, I’m impressed!” He said as he extended his right hand, grabbing Franks, pulling him up. The man wasn’t too heavy, Demios guessed around one hundred forty, or somewhere around that. Demios then circled around Frank, to make sure he wasn’t actually hurt. He did notice something on his shirt though. It was a really, really, random stain. With a small laugh, he pointed with his right hand to the stain on Frank’s shirt; literally poking it, and said “You got somethin’ there buddy, might want to clean it up later. As for now, we better head down the ladder.” He nodded his head towards the ladder where they’d go down. He walked towards the it with the utmost excitement. For some reason he felt following these people would truly be entertaining. Just before he touched the top step, he looked up into the sky. “Beautiful out isn’t it?” he said as he turned his head towards Frank, then towards the alley way below, starting his decent.

[Greystone]

Matthias pulled the car in. He stepped out, and made a point to hold the door open for Audry. It seemed like an automatic reaction.

[Molten Silver]

Audrey gave him a quick nod of thanks, and withdrew a key from her pocket. She unlocked the door to her apartment and stated, "You guys both might as well come in, I need to get Gaven something to eat anyway. And Matthias, if there's anything you don't understand about my house I'm sure I'll try my hardest to explain it." She gave the man an amused grin and headed inside, leaving the door open for the pair of them.

Her apartment was... Apartmenty. The walls were painted white, the furnishings were simple, and the place looked very neat and clean. The front door opened up into the livingroom, which had a basic, worn looking grey couch, an armchair that didn't quite match... There was also a large mirror on the wall. Oddly enough there wasn't a tv, but there was a small stand with a radio sitting on it in one of the corners. There was a small hallway that lead off to the bedroom and bathroom, and the kitchen was large and open. Clearly, if Audrey had chosen this particular apartment for anything, it was the up-to-date and enormous kitchen.

Oddly enough, the entire apartment positively reeked of lavendar. The scent permeated the air, and it came from a variety of sources. There were scented oils burning in just about every room, the scented steam rising through the air and drifting to and fro. Perhaps the over-scenting of the apartment was to cover a wet dog smell or something?

[De-seaver]

Gaven got out of the car shutting it with his gloved hand all the while staring at the rooftops until he entered the house. He looked around. It seemed very quaint. He sneered a little as he looked around. He assumed she would at least have something interesting in her house. What a disappointment. He stomach growls and he grabbed his stomach in a slight pain. He meandered into the kitchen. Ugh, What is that smell. If it weren't for the fact he was almost double in hunger pain he would have lost his appetite by now. "Make me anything. I don't really care I am just hungry."

[Molten Silver]

Audrey muttered something under her breath about people starving themselves to death. She headed into the kitchen and opened a cupboard, grabbed a heat-and-eat meal, then stuck it in the microwave. "Not the best tasting thing in the world, but it's the fastest meal I can make you..." Audrey leaned against the counter and eyed Gaven carefully. "Soooo... Who were you watching on the car ride here? Or are you on the lookout for something?" He seemed far too frail to be in any sort of horrible trouble, but you could never tell with those involved in the supernatural...

[De-seaver]

Standing there thinkinkg about the food and then looks at her."We were followed. There was someone on the rooftops." His face was expressionless. "I doubt they will be any trouble." He seemed skinnier and weaker than when he first ran into Audrey. His arms looked terribly boney and his cheek bones were highly visible. Yet, he didn't really look sick just hungry."I am going to want more than that. I am really hungry."

[Zeek]

A startled expression came from Frank's eyes as the confusion started to settle in. 'Got somethin' there...' Frank repeated in his head before looking down at his shirt. He poked it, right where Demios did only a moment ago. Due to the bad lightning on the top of the building, Frank couldn't make out what Demios was talking about. But, in the end, he did feel a small patch of hardened cloth. He shrugged, guessing it must have been a stain on his shirt, or something. However, little to either of the two's knowledge, the stain was slowly growing; very, very slowly, but steadily, growing. What this could mean was only known to the wind, unfortunately (and, once again, only Frank's tie could "speak" wind [albeit loosely. It's been awhile], so there was no way in getting a real message across to Frank for the possible events that'll occur later on).

After giving his shirt a swipe or two with his hands to hopefully get rid of whatever it was, Frank quickly followed Demios' path.

[TheBeard]

Quickly down the ladder Demios went, not wanting to waste any more time. The people he was following could have already started to leave from their previous destination. As he finally got down to the alley, he decided to observe what exactly was around him, making sure no people were going to mug, or something. It was like any other alley; the dirty old dumpster, graffiti on the walls (which he thought were well done), and an aura of rancid smells. He saw Frank coming down from the ladder and was about to take off out of the alley when he noticed something. It was in the dumpster, and hand a nice clean shine to it. The first thought that came to Demios’ head was “Oh look, it’s shinny!” but then asked himself, “Why would someone throw something away this nice?” He went closer to the dumpster to find a perfectly in-tact aluminum baseball bat, from what it looked it. Taking out of the trash, he found that nothing was even sticking to it. No trash, gum, dirt, nothing. It was really clean, from what he could see from one side.so he decided to hold it up in the air and twirl it around to see if he could notice anything. There had to be a reason why such a fine bat would be tossed out. With another twirl of the bat he realized that….there really was nothing wrong. With a smile that resembled a child who just got candy, he turned to Frank, pointing the tip of the bat at him with his right hand. “You see this?” he asked, “Why would someone throw something so nice away?” looking towards Frank, still pondering his own question.

[Greystone]

"someone was following us?" He blinked "My word..."

He leaned back against a wall, where he thought was the best view of the door and windows. His eyes darted back and forth. Suddenly he raised an eyebrow and took a look at Audrey.

"Lavender? Is there a reason you chose that scent? I have read in some tomes that if burnt correctly it has some small mystical properties..."

[Molten Silver]

Audrey shrugged, passing the microwave meal and a fork to Gaven. She started heating another of the meals, and asked, "Errr, how many do you think you'll need? If you're really really starving I could make a proper meal..." She leaned back on the kitchen counter, folding her arms over her chest and nibbling at her lower lip.

"Eh. I just like lavender. I'm sure it's got some mystical stuff going on. Besides, strong scents throw off trackers a lot of the time. Some hunters are mythical themselves, and of course, any werewolf who would try to find me would be completely thrown off by the scent. Rosemary or aniseed are the worst for killing a lycan's senses, but any strong scent will do. But I've spent alot of time with the lavender so you get kind of used to it."

[De-seaver]

He instantly digs into the food, devouring it like he hasn't eaten in days. Gaven looks up at her and chokes down some of the food. "Maybe four more including the one you have cooking now." He goes back to eating and sits back when he finishes. "I like Aniseed. It smells like black licorice."

[Greystone]

He nods slightly "Makes sense to me"

[Molten Silver]

Audrey soon had another four or five of the microwaved meals for Gaven to eat when he got to them. "Right.... Sorry about the detour," she said with an apologetic smile. "I don't like letting people go hungry." She eyed Gaven to make sure he wasn't looking, then she mouthed the words, "He looks half dead!" to Mathias. But hmm, someone was following them... Perhaps she should go out and take a look? Or maybe it would be better to leave well enough alone.

[De-seaver]

Gaven justs sits there eating his food while his body seems to be instantly filling out to a normal level. If that wasn't odd enough, his shadow began to slowly drift toward the stairs even though there were no lights casting a shadow in the direction. It looked like it was almost alive and sometimes it looked like It would rise off of the floor. Gaven looks up at her. "Thanks for the food how much do I owe you?"