vatheon | Life's no fun without a good scare

It starts some time around 3am, Tuesday morning. Thin whispers of fog start appearing all throughout Vatheon, creeping through the narrow, winding streets, up the steps, and over the park. It starts in the lower district, but as the night progresses and daylight approaches, it spreads to the other districts as well, growing thicker and thicker as it does. By the morning rolls around, the mist is thick enough that visibility has been compromised greatly, and the temperature seems to have dropped a few degrees, an odd chill filling the air.

And on the walls, there are stains.

They are infrequent at first, just a odd ruddy brown smear and a oddly bright red drop here and there, but the closer to the Plaza, the more numerous they become. There is a large smear across the steps leading up to the Plaza, as if something big was dragged up them. In one place the blood -- for it is blood, there is no deny it at this point -- pools thickly as if whoever was responsible took a casual break there, leaving the poor victim to bleed out on the steps.

On the plaza, the mist is thinner, but that is no relief. Rather, it just functions to make the gruesome scene all the more clearer.

A woman is draped upside down on the coral. Or, well, woman. It was once a woman, certainly, but now it is nothing more than something straight out of a nightmare. The flesh seems to have been torn carelessly from her limbs here and there, showing the white gleam of her bones, her nurse outfit torn as if raked apart by giant claws and her head...

well, it isn't there anymore.

The ground in front of her is smeared with blood as well. But where the previous smears had been accidental, these are deliberate, long lines curving and meeting to spell out

hel pm e

But no help had been forthcoming, clearly. No, it seems that this murder, this brutal murder, was nothing more than a game to whoever did it. The walls of the buildings surrounding the plaza are coated in bloody, spelling out a long string of mocking 'HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA's and directly in the center, behind the coral.

Who is next?

The notice board seems to have been hit too. The killer did not tear down any of the notices on the board already, but they did cover the entire board with blood-stained sheets of paper, each adorned with the same text over and over and over again.

Chop chop, sweet Charlotte Chop chop till she's dead Chop chop, sweet Charlotte Chop off her hand and head.

For those brave enough to check, no, the poor girl still has both her hands. Was the killer just sloppy, or does this mean this is not Charlotte? So many unanswered questions, more born every passing moment.

Who had done this? Why? Where they going to strike again? And why had nobody heard anything?

[ooc note: Consider this your mingle log. Have fun, go forth, threadjack.

And as a further note, the fog does not seem to be clearing up as the week goes on.

]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I think I am too...

[She grimaced and deliberately ignored the way he'd just winced, doubting he'd appreciate her noticing it.]

I don't really know anything about them either, I've never even met an indigoblood besides Gamzee, but - I know they like writing in blood like this, don't they?

They do, paintin' and wwriting. [He eyes the words] But I don't knoww if that's his quirk.

I don't know either I'm afraid.

[She shakes her head, then crouches to sniff at the blood.]

And it's like there's too much blood to have come from just one human too.

It can often seem that wway, wwhen a murder's particularly brutal. [But despite that, he thinks about it and examines the area] Could be he or she murdered more than one person, though.

That's what I thought it might be! This one's name isn't Charlotte after all... But I'm not used to the smell of human blood so I can't tell if it all comes from the same person or not.

I havve no idea... Perhaps a human could tell.

Purrhaps! But I don't think they have a furry good sense of smell, and they get a bit squeamish around blood too fur some reason.

[Siiiigh.] I was really hoping things would stay nice and quiet here fur a little while longer! Especially after being stuck on the island for so long.

Wwhat strange creatures they are.

Quite. But I supposed there's alwways somethin' happening.

Uh huh! They're weird. But purretty interesting too I think!

I suppaws there is, but at least it could be something nice happening, like with the bubbles or the fairytales. [Another sigh, this time more heartfelt.] I don't know what to do about this. I wish Signless was here, he always knows how to fix things or at least make them a bit better.

[He pauses at that, then nods] I don't knoww if Signless has a lot a experience wwith murder invvestigations, but I suppose he should be informed.

[For a brief moment she looks surprised. She hadn't meant to mention Signless to the seadweller, not after his outburst on her post last time. It was just natural to her by now to think of him whenever something needed fixing. But then she nods too - hey, if he's going to agree with her she's not complaining!]

I don't know if he does either! But I still think we should tell him, even fur him to be careful fur a while until we find out who did it. Purrhaps I'll go find him now...

I can take care a it. [He well remembers his outburst. The uncomfortable thing is, he since actually became Signless' moirail, and though it's not exactly a secret, he hasn't really been telling anyone, either. He eyes her sidelong, wondering if she already knows.]

No, no, that's okay! [The quick way she replies hints at her not having been told yet. Dualscar had simply reacted too badly that she'd never guess he'd end up in a quadrant he seemed so disgusted by such a short while ago. Signless hasn't gotten around to telling her yet.] I want to visit and see him anyway so you don't have to go out of your way, I'll just tell him as soon as I see him, yup yup.

[He regards her for a moment, then nods. He could protest that he's Signless' moirail and will likely be talking to him today at some point, but he's not sure he wants to tell her. It's obvious she's nervous about him going to see Signless, and he can't blame her. Let her continue to think that way, for all he cares.]

Vvery well. Be sure you do.

I will! [She's obviously relieved once he nods and lets the subject drop - though she'll definitely have something to say about it once she finds out they've been holding out on her. And when it's indirectly thanks to her that they had the conversation leading to their moirallegiance too!]

It's nice finally meeting you in purrson, Mister Dualscar. [And...she actually does mean it too, even if it's mostly just her being polite. He's acting far calmer and a lot more rationally than she'd expected.]

[Not all highbloods spend their lives in a state of frothing rage, Nepeta. That wouldn't exactly make for a powerful Empire.

Dualscar inclines his head in acknowledgement of her words] I'm sure wwe'll see each other again. [And he walks away, striding off through the fog until he's lost to view]

[No, but then again she knows his descendant and was also there for Dualscar exploding over one little shipping picture. She may be slightly justified in not expecting him to be a paragon of level-headedness.]

Uh huh, I'm sure... [Except he was already leaving, and she watched him go before turning to leave herself.]

Life's no fun without a good scare

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