(IC) HtV STL by Night

[Bennosuke]

The three farmers remain as Jen and Frank pack up their camp into the truck, though only the heavy set older brother watches with any suspicion. It is almost a relief leaving the three behind, though anxiety begins to creep back in as Frank drives back into town. It is not hard to find the road that leads back to the freeway, and by now the entire town has shut down and there are no lights on on main street.

It's no more than a ten minute drive before they get to the motel; the only building for what seems like a few miles in either direction. A dingy neon sign in front of the building reads, "Salem Motel" uninventively. The building is L-shaped, two stories of drab curtained windows. The parking lot is on the side of the motel opposite the freeway onramp, and when Frank pulls in he sees that there is only one car parked. The motel clerk's office sits at the corner of the L, and is the only part of the building with it's lights on. Glass doors peer into a homey but characterless office space with grey carpeted floor and yellow fluourescent lighting. Despite the fact that the lights are on, no clerk sits at the desk, and you can't see anyone from outside the office.

[Daishain]

"Nice and inviting." Frank states dryly as they pull in. "You want one room or two? I can sleep on the floor if you want to stick together, it's the least I deserve for this farce"

[Thundercracker]

Jen

“Eh, it’s not your fault,” Jen replied, “besides, this is kind of an adventure anyway, right?”

“We’ll get one room, let’s see if they have two beds though,” she said, “no need to pay more than we have to and this whole place gives me the creeps. We should probably bring our stuff in from the truck, too.”

[Bennosuke]

As Jenn and Frank enter the motel office, the glass door slaps a brass bell which wakes the clerk who must of been sleeping. He's just a kid, the rash of acne on his face screaming that he can't be any older than 16. His voice even cracks when he greets the two. "Welcome," he almost shrieks, "my, you two are getting in late. I take it you need a room?" He pauses for a moment, his face suddenly flushing as he eyed the couple. Just by voice alone, you can tell the clerk is not a local; not a hint of midwestern twang.

[Daishain]

Outside, Frank responds to Anna, "Thanks, I am sorry though, I swear I checked online before we left, there wasn't anything like this mentioned."

Frank ignores the awkward look "Yes, looks like we have our pick, so maybe whichever's had the fewest problems."

[Thundercracker]

Jen just nodded and kept her mouth shut.

[Bennosuke]

"The fewest problems?" the boy asks with confusion and concern, clearly not picking up on Frank's tone. He looks at the two with a vacant and tired expression, and then seeming to give up, chuckles awkwardly before saying, "May I recommend the Valentine's Suite? It is one of our most spacious rooms, and comes with a bottle of sparkling wine. Perhaps that would be a nice way for a... couple like yourselves to end the night?" He smiles at both Frank and Jenn, trying his best to be welcoming and perhaps hide an adolescent anxiety and discomfort.

[Daishain]

"Do we look like we're looking for that sort of evening? No, don't answer that. Just a regular room, one without major complaints, messes, or nasty history."

[Bennosuke]

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the boy squeaks, his voice cracking an all time high, "Sure sure. Uh, I take it you want two twin beds then? Do you want separate rooms?" He turns to his computer and begins a short burst of typing.

He gets the two whatever configuration of room Jenn and Frank prefer, apologizing repeatedly. Fortunately, the prices are more than affordable, and the duo are able to afford whatever sleeping arrangements they are most comfortable with. Of course, you get what you pay for, and while the room is not particularly dirty, it is far from spacious, comfortable, or luxurious.

(OOC: If you want to RP a bit please, otherwise, let me know what time Frank and Jenn plan on waking)

[Daishain]

Frank simply hands over his card to pay for the single room with two beds without tormenting the youth any further, then starts hauling everything of notable value from the truck into the room. He pulls out his sleeping bag and lays it over the hotel bed Jenn didn't pick, even if he trusted the cleaners here, the thing was more comfortable anyways.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I'm fine ending it here or RPing out a bit more, either way.

[Thundercracker]

Jennifer Gibbs

"Good idea," Jen said as she followed suit with her own sleeping bag.

"This is kind of like camping in a way, right?" she said.
"So what do you think was going on with those guys?" she asked.

[Daishain]

Frank laughs a little, "Not quite the same feel, but sure."

"Anyways, I dunno. Probably just hustled out to deal with a few trespassers, which I can't say I really blame them for. I'm just glad they didn't try to stop us from leaving or anything like that."

[Bennosuke]

Frank's phone alarms early in the morning, too early considering the late hour the pair went to sleep, and the hard mattress, and the scuttling noises coming from the walls. The lack of sleep certainly won't help the mood, but at least it is easy to check out of the motel in the morning. The same teenager is at the desk, bleary eyed but surprisingly cheery.

As the sun is starting to rise and turn the sky pink, Frank and Jennifer take off for Lychwood Park, a ride that is both mercifully and surprisingly short. They pull into the Eastern Parking lot, where a handful of trucks are already parked. Contrary to the description received the night before, the park seems to be fairly well maintained... at least from the parking lot. Next to the dirt path entering into the park from the parking lot is a big green sign with yellow/gold lettering that reads "WELCOME TO LYCHWOOD PARK", then under it in smaller font, "Toadstool Trail". A park ranger in khaki colored uniform is kneeling next to the sign with a can of paint, touching up the ivy colored sign.

When Frank pulls in and parks the truck, the ranger gets up from his work, and saunters over to the them. Now that he's walking towards the car, you can see that he's really just another teenager; one with long straggly blonde hair. The button down shirt of his uniform is wide open, exposing his wiry frame and sun kissed skin. He grins under his pathetic attempt at a mustache as he approaches, and once close enough that he does not have to raise his voice the ranger says, "Welcome to the park. I take it you'll be camping here overnight?" There's none of the twang in his voice that hung heavy in the locals who had caught Frank and Jenn in the field last night, and none of the suspicious glances.

[Daishain]

Frank eyes the place, "That was the plan originally, but on the way here we caught some worrying chatter. Something about visitors disappearing and the state looking to shut the place down? What the heck's going on?"

[Bennosuke]

Frank's statement makes the ranger chuckle. He grins and says, "That's just uneducated hoosier superstition man." After taking a moment to gaze back at his sign and the dirt trail he adds, "I've only been here for a little bit now, but my understanding is we have just about the same number of disappearances, accidents, and injuries as any other major park. We sure as hell ain't shutting down." The ranger shakes his head, his messy tangle of of hair flapping side to side with the gesture.

Something in the back of Frank's truck catches the ranger's eye and he takes a moment to stroll over to the side of the truck for a better view. "Take it you're plan on doing some hunting and fishing while you're here?" he asks.

[Daishain]

Frank looks at Jen with a triumphant grin, "I told you those guys were just messing with the out of towners."

"Yeah, we were hoping for some channel catfish and maybe a deer. Certainly not planning on shooting any eagles, and we know not to mess with the hellbenders, the mussels, or the bats. I happen to like black bears, but we're not looking to mess with those guys either, and I've got a fresh can of EPA approved bear spray. Oh, and there's a snakebite kit in there in case of vipers, though its done nothing but collect dust since I picked that one up."

"That about cover most of your warnings?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Couldn't find a Lychwood park in the state, so I took information on the local animals, including which are protected, from Mark Twain National Forest, which is pretty close to Salem Missouri. If anyone's wondering what the heck is a hellbender, they're a kind of salamander, pretty big as such things get (usually a bit over a foot long, sometimes as much as twice that, but they're harmless, I'm not sure how they got the name)

[Thundercracker]

Jennifer Gibbs

Jen glanced around at the nature around them while the others talked. They definitely took the long way to get here but they were here, and that’s what was important.

[Bennosuke]

The Ranger nods his head, seemingly appreciative of Frank's detailed knowledge of the local hunting laws. "Sounds good," he replies, before going into a short summary of the park's specific rules regarding what can be hunted, and what can be brought out of the park. He offers Frank a hand to shake and says, "Anyway, my name is Mitch. Nice ta meetcha, and have a safe stay at our park!"

He gives Jenn a wink and a nod, then saunters away from the truck and heads back to finish his touch ups on the sign.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I assume Frank and Jenn are going to start by setting up camp, but I will defer to you two as to what you want to do first.

Couldn't find a Lychwood park in the state, so I took information on the local animals, including which are protected, from Mark Twain National Forest, which is pretty close to Salem Missouri. If anyone's wondering what the heck is a hellbender, they're a kind of salamander, pretty big as such things get (usually a bit over a foot long, sometimes as much as twice that, but they're harmless, I'm not sure how they got the name)

Yep, that's because Lychwood Park doesn't exist :P! In fact, I didn't even realize there was a Salem MO, and the town I described is definitely not based on the real place. When the characters return to St. Louis proper, I'll base locations and the like in more reality, but this part is definitely fabricated.

[Thundercracker]

Once they found their site, Jen busied herself unloading the car and setting up the tent, using a small hammer to drive pitons into the ground to anchor it. Once that was done, it would be a two person job to get it up and aired out.

[Daishain]

Frank finishes hauling the stuff out of the truck and to the center of the campsite while Jen stakes down the tent, then goes to help get the poles set and the thing erected.

After the tent is set, and the basics placed where they need to be, he unfolds a chair and plops down into it, grateful to finally be here. "Well then, that was fun. All right, we've got the hiking map to those landmarks we wanted to see, there's a good meadow off to the south that we could check for deer, but after last night might I suggest starting off with some relaxing fishing?"

[Thundercracker]

“Yeah, and the beers,” Jen said, “can’t forget that.”

[Daishain]

"Works for me" Frank grabs the chairs and loads some beer in the smaller, easier to carry, cooler. He checks the map for the likely fishing spots they'd worked out earlier to make sure their orientation is right before setting out.

[Bennosuke]

Frank and Jenn grab their fishing gear, their cooler filled with beer, and some chairs and head out for the lake. It's about a fifteen minute walk during which time the pair run into not a single other person. In fact, the forested park is remarkably quiet; no birds chirping, no bushes rustling, just peace and quiet. The route to the lake is a relatively straight forward path down a winding but well maintained trail that would be wide and even enough for biking or even horseback riding. Several smaller paths break off of the trail, some so narrow and forested that it's unclear if they are foot paths or clearings made by animals. The trail crosses several large creeks and ravines, likely small offshoots of the Mississippi. Fortunately, most of these can be crossed by small wooden bridges, though there is once creek where Jenn and Frank are forced to haul everything cautiously while stepping from rock to rock.

Finally, the trail widens out as it comes to the lake. The map calls this "Black Raven's Lake". The dark green body of water seems to go on forever against the horizon, and if the map is truly to scale, it must be nearly ten miles in diameter. It's clear to see why it might be named after a raven, as from above the lake has a shape like a bird's head and beak viewed from the side; like a crescent feeding into a round basin. The air smells fresh here, and it's nice and cool by the murky body of water.

Jenn and Frank set up their chairs, their cooler and their fishing rods, and get to finally enjoying their trip.

Is the time spent at the lake relaxing? Do the two finally find an opportunity to catch up like old times, or is there still underlying tension given how poorly the trip first went?

[Thundercracker]

Jennifer

“Now that’s a lotta algae,” Jen said as they set up and cast their lines, “so how’s life, how long’s it been, two years since we did something like this?”

She occasionally turned a few ticks of her fishing rod, but the activity was something more of a background to the chance to relax and catch up.

[Daishain]

Frank sighs as he settles in and casts a line. He hoped that this getaway turned out well. Not just because he'd roped Jen into this, but for his own sake. He didn't like to admit it, but he needed a break pretty badly...

He grunts as Jen breaks the silence first, "Closer to three I think, it really has been too long. Things are going all right for the most part, the girls are finally settling down after the divorce. It hit them pretty hard for a while. What about you?"

[Thundercracker]

Jen

"ugh that sounds like such a pain, at least its settling down somewhat," Jen replied, "you know me, more of the same. I bounced around the east coast for a while, Miami, Atlanta, Raleigh, and thought about heading to California but I didn't have enough money to stay and look for a job if I didn't find one right away, so I ended up back here. Now I'm hoping to find something that'll let me travel out west. Can't see one ocean without seeing them both, right?"

[Daishain]

Frank nods, "I know you said you'd think about it, but that offer to work with me is still open. Once you're certified you can get welding jobs anywhere. I don't think there's a state in the country that isn't running short on skilled tradespeople. Anyway, not really here to talk about work though. So west coast huh? Anything in particular you wanted to see?"

[Thundercracker]

"Yeah seriously let's not talk about work.

Eh, I wanna drive up that coast road you always see on TV," Jen replied, "guess that means I'll have to learn how to drive, or hitch a ride with someone who's willing to put up with me ha ha."

[Daishain]

"You know, when we were younger I always kind of pictured you as a motorcycle kind of gal, I guess I'm surprised you never learned to drive even a normal car. There a story there I missed?" Frank reels in his line to check the bait, grimacing as he finds it missing. Dang fish... He replaces it and recasts.

[Bennosuke]

As the two are chatting, there is a rustling in the brush about fifteen yards away. The noise is soft at first, then grows louder. The forest and bramble are parted by the emergence of a stag's antlers, followed by the long triangular head. The deer is massive, the biggest Frank has ever seen; almost the size of a moose, though with a more slender regal figure. It takes tall graceful steps as it comes out of the forest and turns to side eye the two humans. Unlike any deer Frank or Jenn have ever seen before, this ancient creature's coat is an almost charcoal grey, shaggy and mottled. It looks at the two humans with an heir of almost disdain, before sauntering over to the edge of the lake for a drink of water.