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

[He has no doubt it will travel fast. The killer definitely chose the most prominent spot in the bubble.

He thinks about Minato's question. Knowing how this happened would either give them a clue or just more disturbing things to think about.]

I don't know.

[...a quiet sigh.]

It's our job to protect everyone here, right?

Natives and foreigners alike.

[Protect, huh? At first, Squall only protected people when it was his job. Now he's doing it on his own free will.

Since when did he start turning into a knight?]

You're right.

We should probably do something now. Staring at the body won't help anyone.

[He just nods quietly.]

You're right.

I'm not sure where to start...but we have to start somewhere.

[He's not sure either. Tell him there's an invading army and he'll start barking orders out. But a murderer who invisibly preys on civilians? What the hell does he do?

Okay okay...calm down, think about this rationally...]

Keeping people safe should come first. Telling people to be careful. Ideally, I would like to increase patrols, but I don't know if our numbers can handle that.

[He lifts his chin.]

A few of the defense force members have already volunteered. I think we can do it, at least for a few days.

It would make everyone feel safer.

[They did? Squall should know better than to underestimate the very force he helps to lead.]

Then we should get those organized. A feeling of security is what this place needs right now.

[He nods.]

That's right. We should find Serph-san as well, to organize something.

[They'll protect everyone. He knows it's impossible, but he will make it happen somehow anyway.]

[SERPH IS HERE. THE LAST ONE. AS USUAL.

He's pretty calm about all this as he looks up at the body, frowning a little, before approaching the other two. HI GUYS I heard there was a dead local and it wasn't because of me.

He gives a nod in greeting.]

I saw the blood on the way to the library.

There you are.

[He'd be quite worried if you didn't see the blood.]

We need to start making a plan. Something that will calm people down, at least.

[Oh excellent timing.

He bows his head in response to Serph's arrival, but otherwise focuses on his co-workers.]

Yes, the most important part is making sure everyone stays safe.

[Serph nods before taking a moment to think. He knows the Defense Force is stretched pretty thin, and they're all volunteers rather than soldiers throwing their lot in with him, but...]

If people are willing to take on extra patrol duties, we should allow them to do so. The safehouses have been set up with a magical barrier from Zelda. It is best to inform the residents of both.

[He glances at the body for a brief moment before turning his attention back to the other two.]

We need more information. Someone may have seen something or have ideas regarding the murder.

[It's pretty touch and go here. Squall too is used to working with other trained and disciplined fighters.]

I'm sure some outside of the force will be doing some investigating. We can ask them for help.

[Minato just nods--he's used to working with people who aren't trained at all, and just throwing their best effort at it in hopes that it works.

And in his experience, that is usually enough.]

We'll keep everyone informed, so that they're more careful than panicked.

[A nod in agreement.]

I will update Vatheon via network.

[He's used to seeing such gore, so he can speak calmly of it. And based on experience, a lot of fears and anxieties can be assuaged by a calm demeanour. Although speaking of which...

Serph tilts his head.]

Are you two alright?

[Just because they've been fighting doesn't mean they've seen the same level of carnage before.]

[He's seen dead people before. Hell, he's taken lives himself with his own Gunblade. But this is something else.]

A little disturbed, to be honest.

But I'll be fine.

[He's not going to start throwing up or anything, but he'd rather look at that scene as little as possible.]

[Minato, on the other hand, is very much not used to dead people. The last time he saw a dead person was--Shinji.

There wasn't as much blood then.

At the same time, he's not a stranger to blood at all, with the way the Dark Hour metamorphoses everything, so he merely nods quietly, breathing in.]

I think so.

[They don't look too good, Minato more so than Squall, but Serph's sure they'll both be alright; you don't become a leader without finding a way to deal with unpleasantness.

Well, he won't comment; there's work to be done. He gives them both a curt nod.]

I'll leave mobilising the Defense Force to you two.

[DELEGATION AT ITS FINEST. If there's nothing else, he'll turn to leave; he's not going to make a video post to a background of blood :|b ]

Life's no fun without a good scare

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