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.

]

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[ And look what the cat dragged in. Turning his attention away from taking notes on the body now. When he speaks his voice is harsh, carrying the same manner one would have when directed toward a misbehaving pet. ]

There you are.

[ One pause before he speaks, dusting off his coat as he gets up from his crouching position. ]

...what's odd?

[ What a coincidence. Here's his primary suspect now. He stands by Sebastian's side, arms crossed over his chest and scowling very pointedly in Grell's direction, visible eye narrowed distrustfully.

He lets his butler speak for the moment, however, as he observes silently. ]

[She honestly looks like she doesn't feel well. Normally she'd be ecstatic and eyes practically shining at the fact that there is so much red and destruction...

However her eyes are dull to dead as she stands there. Her cheeks are slightly flushed and she keeps her hand up close to her nose and mouth, her other hand moving to a pocket which removes a small white handkerchief with a very fancily embroidered G.S. in red.

She looks over at Sebastian.]

I can't see the Cinematic Record...

[ And there goes all measure of disdain whatsoever. He finds himself looking between Grell and the body before turning his attention back to Ciel a moment.

With a breath, he approaches the corpse again as if there was something he'd overlooked. ]

...You look quite worse for the wear, Grell.

[ Mulling, mulling... ]

What would that constitute? A lack of a soul?

Wouldn't you have had to cut her open yourself in order to see her cinematic record?

[ Ciel speaks up, stepping forward as well. Something does not sit right here at all. ]

[Grell puts the hankie in her other hand. She closes her eyes but for a moment, as if trying not to be ill. She takes a breath before she looks to them again, removing the cloth.]

Fighting something off... It's not easy for reapers get ill. However because I was in that frigid water for so long and so often... And with nothing to dry off with either...

[She sighs before looking to Ciel. Her eyes are a little more deadly when not feeling well. She nods sharply to acknowledge that not only he answered but he answered correctly.]

A cinematic record can only be seen by non-humans when another non-human has activated it in some way. As you said, in my and other reapers' cases, we would have to use our scythes. [She looks softly to Sebastian, trying to flutter her eyes.] You'd have to ask our beloved Sebas-chan how demons and angels do it.

[She give a weak smile before covering her nose again.] There is the possibility of no soul, however. This maiden hasn't heard of such a thing, but this may be a first.

[ See that returning look of disdain, Grell? Do you? That's pretty much directed at you right now. Not amused. Totally not. But he'll take a step away, eyeing the body and the area around it with greater scrutiny. ]

Unless the soul itself has been consumed to begin with.

[ A pause, turning to her direction. ]

And this isn't your doing entirely?

[ Double that look of disdain. ]

Forgive me if I think it too much a coincidence that a gruesome murder in a style you would likely find appealing occurs just after you arrival.

[She sees Ciel's more than she does Sebastian's - because that's how she is. She's not happy.]

I'll have you know that I know nothing of his "Charlotte" person. I've only been here a couple days. While I may be a people person, I am most certainly not THAT good at doing something.

[She really doesn't look well as she stands there. Do you honestly think she's done it at all at this point? She's swallowed hard a couple times now and that usually indicates trying not to perform the "technicolor rainbow."]

And of course it's not my doing at all! After all, I only recently got my scythe back and I only used it for work on that ship as well as work at your manor with those people from the circus.

[She sighs before looking at the two, her eyes tired and still very dead looking.]

Back home, I am under quite the watch as of getting off suspension - a type of severe and mandatory probation. And though we are away from home, I am NOT going to risk the possibility that William or someone else from Dispatch might pop up somewhere and tell me to hand over my beauty once more...

Your timely arrival coupled with this sudden murder that held a measure of dramatics was rather uncanny to begin with. Naturally we would have come to this conclusion.

[ Attention back at the crime scene however. ]

...Considering the peculiarities of death however, that could possibly explain the lack of a cinematic record.

Life's no fun without a good scare

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