August 5 2007

Who: Mathias and Olivia
Where: Venture Motel/Middle of Nowhere
When: Close to midnight

The ankle felt better and thankfully the swelling had gone done. She hadn't really wanted to spend most of the day with it elevated on the motel bed, watching infomercials, but that's what she got for not paying attention. It was well past sunset now, and the clock next to the bed moved closer to midnight. It was ridiculously late, but she wasn't tired. Olivia tossed and turned for nearly twenty minutes before she gave up entirely on the whole sleeping thing.

She changed back into her clothes, tied her hair up and slipped on her sandals before grabbing some cash and slipping it into her pocket. She left her motel room, hesitating for several moments in the hallway before she shrugged off her reluctance and knocked at Mathias's door. Maybe he'd be sleeping and she could just go off on her own and...and Olivia sighed, wondering why she was knocking on his door one minute and wishing he wouldn't answer in the next.

Mathias wasn't asleep, though to be honest, if he had been the knock would have woken him. Being a light sleeper was stock in trade when you lived the kind of life he did. Currently, though, he was flipping through the channels on the TV, the volume low, watching nothing in particular. He flicked it off as someone knocked at the door and he checked his watch. It was late - which immediately put him on edge.

Who: Mathias, Tensiel, and Dorian
Where: Lockwood Residence
When: Evening

Mathias considered announcing his presence when he arrived at his brother's house, but decided that he'd like, if possible, to have a quiet word with Caleb before he saw Dorian. He hadn't actually talked to his youngest brother alone since they got back, after all. There were things to be discussed. Not seeing Caleb around anywhere, Mathias skirted quietly through the house and knocked at Caleb's door. Trying the handle and finding it open, he slipped inside. "Bro?" he asked as he walked in.

Perhaps unfortunately for both of them, Tensiel woke up again at the sound of Mathias' voice. She was lying flat on the bed again, her stitched belly covered by the blanket tucked up over it, but she turned her head and blinked blearily at the voice. She didn't take painkillers often - whatever Caleb had given her had knocked her out again - and though the hurt of the stitches was dulled it was still very present.

Not that she wanted to let it show if it was Mathias who'd shown up. Tensiel tried to make her eyes focus and look at him. Oddly, there was a very tiny prick of relief. The man who'd died last night had been blonde, it was very odd to think a small part of her hadn't wanted it to be Mathias. She swallowed and cleared her throat a bit. "Caleb's at the store... I think..." she murmured.

Who: Eris and Bailey
Where: Babylon
When: 10:30 PM

Eris was in her office, which had enough soundproofing in it both physical and magical in nature that she didn't have to deal with the noise from downstairs. Or upstairs for that matter. She was going over buisness expenses, and while she didn't strictly have to do it--it wasn't as if her buisness was legal in any sense of the word--it was giving her a break from having to be downstairs for now. She was still hiring help, and would still need to do more, though she knew that wouldn't be a problem. There would be enough people in town who were curious if nothing else, and of course the cases of those who just couldn't find anything else and she paid well. Pampered her employees, even. It was good for business. She paused and took a sip of her wine, leaning back in the leather chair she sat in, eyes drifting shut for a moment as she listened to the music she did have playing softly.

Bailey climbed the stairs up to Eris' office, the noises all around falling on deaf ears. The first thing he'd learned once Babylon was built was how to ignore the sounds behind the doors and only allow in that which needed to be heard. There were screams of pain and there were screams of pain. Funny how similar they could sounded, though the later was always followed by the sweet sound of silence as the perpetrator was teleported away. It made his job a bit easier, not having to worry about what went on behind those doors. Still there was one door that continued to intrigue him, that he'd hesitate to enter, yet couldn't stay away. He knocked on that door and waited, positive that Eris sat inside.

She smirked. Bailey. She could tell his knock, it always had a certain tone to it. Like it was hesitant, but trying to sound like it wasn't at the same time. "Come in." she called in a silky tone, setting her pen aside and closing the books she'd been working on. She crossed her legs and reached over to turn the hurricane lamp light up a little, the only other light from the fireplace that was going. It wasn't throwing heat tonight, just light. She liked it, and she knew that it always set a certain tone. One she particularly liked thworing out there when Bailey was around.

Who: Isaac, Thom and Kaysen
Where: Party/ St James residence
When: Late/ night

The thing about teen parties was that news traveled. Especially when violence was involved. The gossip spread around the party - Kaysen St James and that weird Chance guy had started a fight! And it had been totally uncalled for as well - and then they'd run off, though nobody could say whether it was separately or together. Of course, there were all sorts of rumours flying about what they may have gone off to do (though people were careful to not say those ones too loudly where her brother may hear). Promise Theory had spent the latter half of the party playing, and so they didn't actually hear about the fight until they stopped and were packing up, when Thom heard some guys talking about what had happened outside. He thought nothing of it until at the time, since no names had been mentioned and a scrap was nothing much to worry about. It wasn't until Tyler was dropping them off and Isaac and Thom were standing on the sidewalk outside Isaac's house that the dufus actually saw fit to mention to Isaac, almost in passing, that he'd heard his sister had been in one hell of a fight.

who: kaysen and chance
where: Thom's basement
when: night

Chance followed, preferring to walk aimlessly rather than stay at the party and risk getting his ass kicked again. He usually did well one on one, but when there was more than two, he was usually screwed. He could hear a couple obscenities being yelled toward them behind him, but he ignored them, not wanting to return for another beating. He caught up to Kaysen, using his shirt to wipe the blood from his chin. "Are you hurt?" he asked, turning to study her in the dark.

"Depends on your definition of 'hurt'." Kaysen said, not believing what had just happened and what was currently going on. Her theory about everyone going insane all at once was holding more water now. Because seriously. Either way she was walking between houses, using short cuts that got them closer and closer to the street she lived on. Which still had her wondering where the hell she was taking him. "You look hurt though, what happened? Er. I mean, not what happened I saw what happened, what's hurting?"

Who: All teens and others
Where: Random house
When: 9pm onwards

Thom had been late - but he'd expected to be and they'd been ready for it. And, as had been expected, the party hadn't been all that underway anyhow when he finally arrived at around eight. Promise Theory, the rest of the guys, they'd all been set up to go when he got there, so it had really just been a case of walking in, grabbing a drink, plugging in and setting off playing. Which had been a little disappointing, all things considered, because he'd hoped to at least be able to say a few words to Leija before they started, but he hadn't even seen her, the way he'd been practically dragged inside.

An hour in though, he decided that he'd had enough and announced that they'd be taking a short break. They connected up the CD player and shrugged off instruments - and by the looks of the room and the noise from outside, the party was very definitely now in full swing. the place was heaving.

Who: Harper & Isaac
Where: Between phones
When: After six

It'd been a slow day so Harper managed to get the place closed and locked up quickly. As she pulled on her jacket and shoulder bag she pulled out her phone. She dug Issac's number from her phone list and hit send before she could chicken out. She'd been thinking of calling him all day, and after what she'd seen yesterday she'd realized she -needed- something to keep her mind off it, and off the images she saw when she closed her eyes. So she'd decided to call Isaac, step up to the plate. Her aunt would be so proud.

She walked down the street as the phone started to ring. Please go to voice mail, please go to voice mail. Harper hoped as she walked.

who: journey, lullaby and joshua
where: lullaby's house
when: late afternoon

Lullaby had set up a meeting for Journey and Joshua. They were going to gather at her house, under the pretense of watching movies and that kinda crap. Her parents were more than happy to accomodate her, because generally speaking, Lullaby never asked for much. So when she did ask for something like 'hey, could you guys go out for a little while tonight so I can have a little gathering' they obliged without complaint. This was a good thing, considering she wanted them to be able to talk without worrying about who might be around. Not September, not Unc...it'd be just them. She'd texted them both to let them know when to be there, and as she eyed the clock, she sighed. They should be around at any time now. Not that she expected Journey to be on time. He was allergic to punctuality, really. She was sitting in the living room, a movie on though she wasn't paying attention to it. Just a little longer and they could talk about things. Why was she so nervous? Probably because she was worried.

who: Caleb and Jamie
where: her house
when: afternoon

Caleb had been walking around for a while. He'd sort of...wandered until he didn't have anyplace else to wander to then he'd gone towards Jamie's. He'd stopped off at the island to drop jewelry into the water first though, and of course kept his eyes open for anything. He just wasn't stupid enough to think he would find the thing that attacked Tensiel in broad daylight. He did see a cat or two, kind of like Jamie had described but they'd been wandering around, no big deal. He didn't think they looked feral or anything. Either way, he picked her a flower on the way over, something that he hadn't consciously thought about, but was there in his hand as he approached her window. He could have gone for the front door, but he didn't know if her grandfather would be there, and he didn't want to confuse the guy. Particularly not when his head was such a fucking mess.

Jamie wasn't having a good day. She'd slept fitfully, finally waking up around three AM with the screaming knowledge that oh no she was not okay. Her entire body hurt, like a fluy ache but a good ten times worse. The bites and scratches burned, and she kept swinging back and forth from violent chills to burning fever. In summary? She was a very sick girl. A very sick girl who had already attempted the walk to the medicine cabinet three times and nearly fainted upon standing. So she was also a very stranded, sick girl. Her glazed eyes ticked absently along the ceiling, following the rainbow-swirls of color that she knew weren't really there... but they were so very pretty. She reached up for them, tracing them in mid-air with her fingertips.

who: Eli and Syn
where: their houses (phone call!)
when: afternoon

It was past eleven by the time he made it home. Eli stepped into the too quiet house, immediately feeling uneasy. Lydia. Shit. He still needed to find her, deal with... whatever the shitty aftermath of Friday would be. How creepy would it be of him if he just randomly showed up wherever she happened to be today?

...fuck. He'd worry about it later. Syn first, before she started a manhunt or something. He made a beeline for the phone in the living room, digging in his pockets as he moved for her phone number. He needed a book for this shit, like a normal person. He had far too many worn out slips of paper in his pockets with fading ink.

But he did find her number, thankfully, and he quickly dialed her number, drumming his fingers on the arm of the couch in agitation. At least she wouldn't be as intimidating over the phone, right?

Synnove picked up on the first ring, relief flooding through her as she recognized the number. "Where are you, and are you okay?" she asked. 'Hello' just wasn't going to cut it when he'd taken off. Teddy had told her she wasn't allowed to go running off after him, and she'd been distinctly displeased over that, but she'd listened. For once. That hadn't meant she hadn't been pacing around the attic for ages.

Who: Doc and Eva
Where: Campus, then a cafe
When: afternoon

Sunday afternoon found Eva working in one of the well-appointed studios on the school campus; she'd gotten her office settled to her liking and decided to test out the facilities. Seated on a stool in front of a workbench, she had a small desktop lamp shining down on her current project. It was an intricate silver-wire pendant, the loops of which Eva was patiently and delicately bending so that they all twisted and turned in on each other, making it so that one couldn't tell where the piece began and where it ended. In the center was an empty setting; when the main piece was crafted, she would finish it by setting a gem. Which gem in particular, she wasn't sure yet.

One for the books, Doc thought to himself as he stepped through a winding hallway, staring daggers at a 'No Smoking' sign in passing. He was counting the sporadic doors as he passed them, following instructions from the scheduling secretary towards one studio in particular. Doc was surprised by himself, by the willingness he'd had to keep his deal with Eva and drop in sometime soon. He'd held himself at arms length from real involvement in the mundane world for years upon years, first for his career and then for the kids. Both factors were still there, even if the twins didn't exactly need him these days.

Who: Oz and Sophie
When: Afternoon
Where: Their house

Sophie put down the phone, a little shell shocked. She hadn't heard from her aunt in getting on for years and now she calls up out of the blue and several hours later, after some industrious catching up there had been a suggestion made that would turn Sophie's world upside down. She just wasn't sure what to make of it. Shock alone had made her babble out that she'd think about it - when she'd been able to actually form words again.

She stood, alone, quiet in the kitchen for a few minutes, before going off in search of Oz. They'd need to talk about this.

Oz was outside. He'd known Sophie was on the phone with family, so he'd gone wandering around the property. This was to ensure he didn't hang around doorframes and eavesdrop as he was kind of want to do occasionally. He knew it would drive her nuts, so he removed himself from the situation. And he'd gone padding around the area before wandering back in wolf form, spotting his mate looking around for him. So he trotted back up.

Sophie didn't even blink when she saw the wolf heading towards her - she knew Oz by now and even if she didn't, their bond would never let her feel any less than safe around him, even on the nights of the full moon when most people would look at him and see a monster. She eyed him. "We - need to talk," he told him, before heading back inside - he'd want to get dressed, after all.

Who: Herbert and Charlotte
Where: Library
When: Early Afternoon

So... America, eh?

Herbert Cayce had been cycling since sunrise, but you'd barely know it to look at him. The tall, well-built boy was standing looking at the local library for the town of Marquette, Michigan with his hands in his pockets and his brown eyes idly scanning the building. This was the first large settlement he'd come across since crossing the border last night and he figured that it was a good place to find a phone and call his Pa from. Only trouble was, he didn't have any of the local currency. Loonies didn't work in the phones round these parts he was sure.

Ah, well. Maybe American librarians were just as nice as the ones back home and they'd let him borrow the phone until he could swap his money from Canadian to US dollars. Herbert turned and wheeled his loaded bike towards the bike stands and set about locking it up. Another reason to come to the library, they always had cycle stands. Humming away to himself he locked down his muddied mountain bike and pulled the heavy pack containing his tent, his sleeping bag, and all his possessions onto his back.

Herbert sniffed the air, looking around. This town surely did have an odd sort of smell to it. Different. Very varied, changing so much just depending which way he turned his head. He had to wonder what was causing that. He gave a hearty sneeze and rubbed at his nose with the back of one big hand. Well, at least the library smelled like books.

who: chance and kaysen
where: outside graevaret
when: mid-dayish

It felt abnormal to be out, skateboarding again. It had been awhile since he last took his board out of the garage, but given school was starting again in a few weeks, and certainly had no plans to walk to Marquette Senior High, he knew he'd have to get a feel for his board again at some point. Plus, it gave him an excuse to check out Graevaret. Not that he was looking for company exactly, but his curiosity was getting the better of him and he had seen other skateboarders there before. He pushed his foot off of the pavement of the street and up into the parking lot of the middle school, his gaze sweeping along the area. He saw her almost instantly, swerving her board back and forth, oblivious to his being there. He stepped off his board and stepped on the edge with his shoe to catch it, deciding to wait until she saw him before he said anything. The last thing he needed at the moment was to scare Kaysen St. James.

Kaysen was in her own little world, which was the one she usually occupied. It was nicer there than y'know. Reality. Reality was full of lame people that made her feel bad, like Thom and more recently Taylor. So her world? Was much much better. And less confusing. It had things like skateboards and tricks she could pull off with ease(most of the time). And she hopped her board up and did a grind down the metal railing on the steps, board landing with a loud clap as she hit the sidewalk again, landing it. There. she thought as she smiled in a satisfied sort of way.

Who: Kurt and Natalya
When: morning through afternoon
Where: Natalya's place

Morning dawned and found Natalya on her way outside for her morning workout. Attaching the silks to her rig, she meandered on down to the lakeshore with a towel, which she spread out on the grass to do her stretching. She sank into an easy side split, bending flat to each leg in sequence. It was this still time of the morning that she cherished; it seemed to help her keep her mental balance through the day more than if she'd missed it. It was peaceful; the sun just-risen over the lake, the cool weather, the soft sounds of birds waking up. She took a deep breath, just sitting and appreciating the day for a moment.

It wasn't as still as Natalya believed. From the underbrush at her back, three pairs of eyes were settled on her. Three tails swished in unison. They were watching her. Her goodness floated back to them on the faint breeze coming off of the lake. She wasn't entirely pure, but she was enough to get their attention. Slowly, on silent paws, the three cats crept forward, stalking the girl.

Natalya sat up straight, arms stretched over her head, breathing deeply before switching position. Stretching both of her legs in front of her, she bent forward, forehead pressed to her knees, and stayed there for a long moment as she stretched.

Who: Aiden and Delilah and a special guest phone appearance by Lee
When: late morning
Where: street, hospital

It wasn't a warm morning, but the air felt good around her as Delilah strolled down the sidewalk, her hand firmly on Alexi's harness. She'd had a busy night, but took a couple hours in the wee morning to actually get some rest of her own, and felt nicely refreshed. After a breakfast of eggs and grapefruit, she'd decided to stretch her legs some. And Alexi's legs too. So she was headed down to the market to perhaps pick up some fresh vegetables for a salad or something that evening. All in all, it felt like a perfectly normal day. ... except that something seemed to have her dog on edge. He was still walking obediantly, but would twist his head to look behind them and whine in his throat every so often. "What is it?" she asked him, totally oblivious to the small group of identical gray cats that were following her.

After having bought himself breakfast and filled up the gas tank in his car, Aiden was eager to return back to the motel to sleep for the rest of the day. It had been a long night, and the sun was bothering his eyes. As he sat at a stop light, his gaze was drawn to a young woman walking her dog...and the gray cats following closely behind. His eyes narrowed as the dog cowered from them, the woman seemingly oblivious, though she seemed to be able to tell her dog was bothered. Something about the scene kept his attention, and he continued to sit in his car and watch, even as the light turned green.

who: Vincent and Olivia
where: Trowbridge Park
when: Late Morning

Olivia had thought it on more than one occasion, and she was thinking it again. Marquette was a strange town. Everyone was entirely too trusting. Well, mostly everyone. Strangers had no qualms about talking to other strangers, and Eris had offered her a job without even bothering to ask her last name. Mya had given her a job after two questions. Not that she was complaining, because she wasn't. She felt good about everything thus far - well, almost everything - and she should be able to pay the Antique Store Sunglasses Girl back sooner than she thought. Olivia shook her head as she jogged around Trowbridge Park. The running bit was all part of that normalcy thing she was trying out. After meeting Eris, she had returned to the motel and changed into sweats to go for a run. Her lungs were burning already and she made a mental note to quit smoking. Tomorrow.

She jogged for awhile, too far distracted in her thoughts to register she was about to run into someone until it was too late. She fell back onto the grass, only able to mumble an apology before she continued onto her back and covered her face with her hands. Olivia released a groan, not only from the embarrassment of being so oblivious that she ran smack into the back of a stranger, but from the pain shooting through her ankle as well.

Who: Chance & Jordan
Where: Hospital
When: mid-morning

She was wearing his trench coat, the one he'd worn that night. It covered her dark clothes and surrounded her with warmth she imagined came from him. Jordan had just finished visiting with Devon, her mother having texted her, asking for her to come home. As she stood in the elevator she pulled out her phone and texted her mother back, letting her know she was on her way.

As the elevator stopped on a floor- not hers- she moved out of the way so others could get on. ICU wasn't on the bottom floor so she was used to having a full elevator by the time she got to the bottom. Just as normally she was in an elevator that emptied mostly on the way up. Finally, after a few more stops, the lift stopped on the ground floor and Jordan let the crowd clear out around her before getting off before the people going up got on.

Who: Isaac and Miriam
When: morning
Where: Isaac's yard/kitchen

Yesterday had been exhausting; unloading the large moving van and doing all the little things that needed doing during the move. Miriam had gotten up that morning intending to keep unpacking and helping her mother, but Rebecca had had other ideas. After breakfast, she'd sent Miri out to explore their new neighborhood. She'd enjoyed the lake despite the less than sunny weather, but eventually started taking a stroll down the street they lived on. It was idyllic; all the houses were nice with well-kept lawns, and it certainly had the small-town feel that she'd grown accustomed to back home.

Isaac was out in the front yard. Sure, it was early, but he really kind of felt too shitty to sleep any longer. It was crappy weather to match his mood, but he was out anyway, sitting in shorts and a long-sleeved shirt on the front porch. His bass was in his lap, but he wasn't paying any attention to it. Even though he probably should have been. Practicing and stuff. Since ... yeah, tonight was the show? Instead he was staring listlessly out at the street. He blinked as a girl crossed his line of sight. One he'd never seen before.

who: eris and olivia
where: babylon
when: morning

Olivia had woken early, which to her, seemed to be becoming the norm lately. She was finding it more difficult to sleep, and she wasn't entirely sure it had to do with the thousands of thoughts running through her head every day. So rather than toss and turn in the motel bed, Olivia got dressed and decided to try for normalcy. After pulling her hair back into a ponytail, she left the motel, ignoring Mathias's door. She wasn't about to knock...or ring. Not yet. She needed to clear her mind and re-prioritize and remember her reasons for being in Marquette in the first place. She headed down Washington Street, already becoming familiar with the shops and houses sprinkled along. Being Sunday, many of them were still closed.

Except for one. Olivia stood outside of Babylon, her brows furrowed in confusion. She couldn't remember ever seeing the place before, but then again, she had never really paid much attention. Her mind was always working overtime, yet she found it strange that a bar was open so early...and on a Sunday. Curious, and ignoring the tiny voice inside her head that said drinking before noon was completely wrong, Olivia entered the building, surprised to see there were actually people inside. It had a strange atmosphere about it, and rather than taking a seat, Olivia began to wander about, her curious nature overtaking her.

Eris happened to be behind the bar. Every so often she bartended. It was fun for her. Highly entertaining, bartending, or it could be. She noticed Olivia wandering around looking at things, and she half leaned on the bar to watch her. "Good morning." she said to the girl, giving her a smile. "Looking for something in particular, or just curious?"

who: Caleb & Tensiel
Where: Lockwoods Residence
When: Early morning

Caleb hadn't gotten much in the way of sleep. He'd been watching over Ten. He might have drifted a little in and out occasionally, but really, he had spent most of his time just...watching her. Listening to her breathing, the long, even exhales and quieter intakes of breath. His mind circled around and around endlessly, getting absolutely nowhere. He didn't know what to say, glad she was out for the count so he didn't have to figure that part out quite yet. When the darkness outside his window turned into lighter dawn, he watched the light slowly illuminate her better and better. She didn't look any healthier in the natural light than she had under the lightbulbs the night before.

The pale morning light crept over Tensiel's eyelids, and eventually it was that which stirred her awake. Her eyes screwed up a little against the brightness, resisting waking up like she usually did, and she tried to do as she usually did - curl up into a ball and wish for five more minutes.

Not a good move with a body full of bruises and a belly full of stitches. A small cry of pain escaped her lips when she tried to turn onto her side and her eyes flew open. There was a dizzying moment as the pain in her belly and the confusion of where it was coming from made her very vision spin, and she said the first thing that came to mind... "Caleb?"