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Post by jarahamee on Jun 27, 2018 23:35:14 GMT -6
The werewolf's ears pricked upwards as he heard the banishing words. His gash-like right side of his mouth opened into the silent laugh of a dog's stressed panting. So, they were being dismissed. Best to heed this warning and tip off the squad while keeping the threat contained to this area. Perhaps, look for anything else that might confirm what everyone had suspected might have happened here.
Cassius' hellish green eyes shone in the darkness as he rose, almost painfully, from his laying position to walk, carefully picking up a bunch of papers from his mouth and dropping one where he stood, before padding around softly, sniffing, looking for evidence. He had no reason to incur the wrath of this creature now, but at least his wards would establish a barrier between the malignant spirit, and his junior officers. He sought out any traces of clues in the darkness. It was his hope that perhaps they may be able to save any of the real night guards who might be standing unawares in the midst of a predatory ghost. Perhaps, a warning was in order.
He walked off into the dark region, following the scent of the happenings here, and perhaps, the traces of evil feelings in the darkness.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Jul 16, 2018 9:54:06 GMT -6
Samael saw that flicker of contempt, brief as it was, quickly snuffed out and brought under control. Buried yet again under a blank expression. But it had been there. And Samael recognized it, having seen it so many times throughout his life in the eyes of living, dead and those inbetween. It was a universal feeling, contempt. And it was a feeling that he would continue to experience, in some way, it was easier for him to handle than so many other emotions. It was simple and something he couldn’t always change, like now. This woman’s contempt was something deep seated, rooted in the core of her being and keeping her alive, so much so that any attempt to lessen her contempt might actually have serious consequences for her and those around her
Samael shuffled, becoming restless as some part of him began to become... impatient. Both he, and the officers, knew that this was probably the entity they had been called in to deal with. However, lack of evidence, in fact lack of anything prevented them from doing much at this point. Those where the rules that had been put up and the rules they had to follow Stenson spoke however, making the dullahan turn his head. In some way, Samael admired the officer’s patience, his willingness to be a mediator and keep the situation peaceful. Perhaps that was what came with being a actual officer for so many years. Whereas Samael, who was merely a consultant, and also had quite another purpose was used to a different approach, if the situation had been different. Currently, he could jeopardize the safety of these two officers, and it wasn’t a risk he was willing to take. But even so he hated the feeling that their efforts were in vain, as they seemed to be now, hated the feeling of trying to move, but going nowhere. And still, some kind of sympathy began to surface, mixing with the impatience and the urge to actually fix the situation. Samael wondered what had caused the woman’s contempt, what person or event had managed to place the malice so far into her being. The mere thought that anyone living or dead would do something like that was almost incomprehensible, but just barely. Remembering what his creator told told him, he was calm. He had to focus. One wrong move from his side could ruin it all. The officers knew what they were doing, he had to count on that. And they had to be able to count on the fact that he knew what he was doing.
As Stenson finished talking, rising from his seat, Samael offered him an acknowledging nod. He was doing well. “Would you like to be escorted out of the building afterwards, Ma’am?”, Samael finally offered, looking back at the woman, “Just to be on the safe side...”
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Post by MP on Jul 16, 2018 11:52:12 GMT -6
To this, the woman only shook her head and laughed. It was a dark, throaty sound, soft as the scratching of a moth at the glass and devoid of any kind of warmth. It seemed a statement rather than a response, and though she let them go, the woman’s eyes followed the retreating officers. Her shape faded into the dark - a pale, upright figure whose gaze seemed to crawl down the spine long after they left her behind.
A hush had fallen over the gallery. The natural air flow, the whisper of vents and the ambient electrical hum - all of it had gone quiet, held like a breath, the silence pressing in. The exhibits seemed subtly altered as they walked: here a statue angled imperceptibly as if to watch them enter; there a mask that seemed to bare a little too much of its stylized teeth. Even the old bronze weaponry seemed sharper at the edges, shadows pooling like liquid at their ragged edges. In the distance there was a dry patter of feet; behind them, a figure.
The woman had followed them. Always distant, trailing around a corner or standing in the shade of some exhibit, but watching. Her forefinger tapped over folded arms - once, twice, relentless as she watched them with a flat expression and a keenness in her eyes like hunger.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Jul 16, 2018 17:02:18 GMT -6
Leaving her behind to continue their search seemed rude in and of itself, but then again, she had wanted to be left alone. They had found what they'd come for, and so it was up to Cassius as the leading officer, and Samael with his specific skills, to finish up where they could before further investigation could take place. Stenson followed the other two, mostly watching as they worked while eyeing some of the surrounding displays of the shadowy museum. The area felt quieter, denser even, and malicious. Everything seemed to be watching them, and since leaving his seat beside the woman, Stenson had been unable to shake the chill that continued to tickle his spine.
Every so often he would catch a shadow in the corner of his vision, a figure standing, watching from a doorway, only to be gone the next second when he looked in that direction. It was her, he was sure, and it made him nervous.
"Cassius." He whispered finally, after about the fifth time he'd noticed the last bit of shadow vanish from view. "She's following us, just thought you should know. Samael, be on your guard. I'm sure she could just be curious but...this whole thing is giving me the chills." Stenson folded his arms in front of his chest to stand next to a glass display case of antique scimitars. The dim glow of the emergency lights seemed to rest perfectly on their edges, as if to give them a dangerous gleam that warned the officers not to get too close. Stenson's shoulders gave a small shudder and he rubbed his arms uncomfortably. The constant sense of being watched had him feeling unusually on edge, perhaps even a tad jumpy.
It's just a ghost...nothing to be scared of. They're just people too, right? But dead... Stenson thought to himself, hoping maybe the concept would make him feel a little better.
It didn't.
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Post by jarahamee on Jul 17, 2018 0:06:03 GMT -6
Cassius looked up at him, a paper in his mouth, which Stenson would realize, was actually a binding seal. He made a meaningful deep-breathing whuff sound, and looked into his eyes. His nightmarish yellow-green eyes blazed back, fangs visible between parted lips.
He had been carefully laying them as they surveyed. When it was closed, she would be contained. But it was not closed yet. He glanced back at the ghost. She was watching them, stalking them even. She probably thought they were too stupid to come up with some kind of counteraction for what she was doing, biding her time until either they left her in peace to continue consuming and killing, or made themselves vulnerable to her consumption.
He placed it down on the ground carefully, completing the circle, then gave Stenson a meaningful look. This barrier was safety if things went wrong. It would protect them and contain her. He then turned, his nightmarish beast body forming a half-arc. For that bare moment the deep, intersecting lines of his lash scars showed through his thick fur, and went back to his police dog business, as if imminent danger meant nothing to him.
Cassius sniffed about to find any signs of their missing security guard, or any trace evidence he might have found. He paid no attention to the ghost, though he was fully aware of her on his peripherals. There was nothing he could do to directly attack her, and he knew that. His fighting prowess would be completely useless. None of his potions would be potent enough, unless they somehow happened to be her exact weakness. Which he knew was a pretty narrow set of possibilities.
No. They were going to need to call a specialist for someone like this. If it came to that, anyhow.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Jul 19, 2018 16:28:37 GMT -6
The dark halls only became more oppressive as they walked them now, knowing that they had just talked to the entity they had been looking for. Shadows seemed deeper, reaching out like claws, hostile, leaving Samael to wonder if she would be hiding here or around the next corner. The silence intensified every noise they made, from the sound of their shoes hitting the floor, to the soft rustling of cloth as they moved, all of sounded like a hurricane, bricks smashing against glass, disrupting everything. Perhaps because of habit, or maybe driven by his own sense of unease, Samael stayed close, like a sentry, mirroring the guard he felt comfortable being, but had never been asked to be. His stride was smooth and effortless, yet not quite elegant, merely efficient. His back was straightened and shoulders pushed back, natural for him but not necessarily for others. Aware of both the physical and metaphysical world like he was, it was nice to hear Stenson confirm what he himself felt. That she was there, behind them, watching. Following. She hadn’t seemed to latch on to their presence, like some spirits did, which, while half a comfort, also meant that they could loose sight of her more easily, should she decide that she had become bored. For now, he tried not to worry about what she really wanted with them, knowing his own tendency to be a pessimist.
“-Samael, be on your guard.” The words reached him quickly, catching his attention, “I'm sure she could just be curious but...this whole thing is giving me the chills.", said Stenson. The whispered tone, muting words, made the dullahan turn his head slightly, looking at the officer. Stenson had glanced over his shoulder multiple times now, no doubt seeing the woman, but perhaps questioning if he really did. Samael nodded, confirming that he had heard the officer.
Relaxed but alert, Samael studied Cassius as he worked, laying out seals in a circle, possibly a protective measure, the dullahan would try to see if he got the chance to ask about them later, intrigued as to the full extent of their use. He himself had never used seals such as these, and for good reason, it never had and never would be part of his skill set, due to his lack of knowledge in the arcane field. A quick scan of where they were, analyzing as always. Then he saw how Stenson shuddered slightly, rubbing his arms. Uncomfortable. Made sense considering that he had been the primary target of the woman’s cold, needle-like words, the victim of her gaze. And considering how unsettled Samael had been by her, he didn’t doubt that Stenson had it worse. A sound akin to a soft exhale could be heard coming from the dullahan, before he walked over to Stenson, standing before the glass display as if to study its contents and shoving his hands in his pockets. “First assignment like this?”, he asked as he turned his head to look at the officer. He kept his voice low, so his words stayed between the two of them, “I know this isn’t much, but you’re doing great so far.” If he could, Samael would have grimaced. His words were genuine, yes, but he wasn’t great with praise. It came out awkward. The dullahan’s approval could be won, but he seldom voiced it, prefering a quick, acknowledging nod, or a pat on the shoulder over actually talking. But this was different. Having seen how uncomfortable Stenson had gotten while talking with the entity, the dullahan attempted to lighten the mood. He considered saying more, but wasn’t entirely sure if he should, thinking he might make it worse.
Absentmindedly he studied the scimitars, defaulting to years of experience as his gaze sought out cracks in the handles, or weaknesses in the metal. Anything that would render it useless for a wielded or prove advantageous for an attacker. All of it was a part of how he stayed focused, but kept himself from overthinking.
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Post by MP on Jul 24, 2018 23:36:24 GMT -6
The woman followed them at a languid walk, silent steps over marbled floors. She seemed almost to glide through the gallery, the moonlight turning to something flat and lifeless in her wake. So it couldn't have been her footsteps in the dark, around them, behind them, stalking them along their circular path. It couldn't have been her. Yet she was smiling as she followed them - a subtle, private thing. And when she stopped abruptly, jolting as she met some unseen wall, her reaction was not the foiled wrath it should have been.
At first, the woman looked down at the seal, emotions flickering over her face like firelight. Confusion. Understanding. Anger. A kind of bitter resignation. These things passed in an moment, nearly too quick to follow. Then she folded her arms, a regal, unbowed figure, and simply watched them go. She was smiling as they left her behind. The expression was cold and curved as a knife.
They saw no more of her as they moved into Gallery H. It was the last room before the path began looping back around and was home to paintings, tapestries, other wall ornaments - nowhere a body could hide. The night guard's chair was empty. The walls were clean and bare save for several dark smudge marks. And yet her footsteps seemed to follow them, faint and uncomfortably hollow. Perhaps it was only their own heartbeats in their ears.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Jul 29, 2018 7:54:02 GMT -6
Quelling one more shiver, Stenson took a moment to examine one of the papers Cassius was spreading throughout the gallery. They looked peculiar, now that he considered it, and noted the odd symbols on their surface. Some sort of binding seal, perhaps. He'd heard of them in his training, and seen a few up close, but it seemed all different sorts existed in the field of dealing with supernatural entities. Still, the sight of them scattered strategically throughout the area brought a small measure of comfort. Even as their search continued, he could almost feel as if the presence following them like a whisp of smoke was now falling farther and farther behind. Or, it might have been the part of his mind that wanted it to fall behind. No matter how much he wished the feeling would dissipate, he couldn't shake the last little bit of chill that clung to his skin in a layer of gooseflesh.
"First assignment like this?"
Stenson's shoulders tightened slightly at the voice, the only sign that suggested he was a bit more on edge than he probably should have been.
"Ah, no. I mean, yes, well, for this kind of assignment I guess you could say. They don't normally put me on ghost-patrol, but with this they wanted to make sure all bases were covered in case our murderer was solid, you know?" Stenson looked back once more over his shoulder at the deeper shadows, noting yet another glimmer of movement from farther back.
"I know this isn't much, but you're doing great so far."
"Heh, thanks," Stenson said, offering Samael a grateful smile. The distraction in the shadows was momentarily forgotten in the praise, and Stenson relaxed if only a little. "So, what do you make of it? Were you able to see or sense anything when you were...uhm, 'across'?" His expression became apologetic at the lack of what to call Samael's ability, but he could only guess at what it was like for the Dullahan. "You're probably better suited for this than me or even Cassius. Did you see anything?"
As he made small talk, Stenson noticed the empty chair of the night guard. Odd, usually the guards remained in place for the entire night. "Hey, isn't there supposed to be someone in here?" He nodded at the chair and gave a small shrug. "On break maybe? Or is this...our guy?" He then added, trying to dispel his returning anxiety but failing miserably. The soft click of distant footsteps sent a new wave of goosebumps up his back and he approached the chair as if to seek comfort. Some knowledge that the night guard had only stepped away for a bathroom break or something.
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Post by jarahamee on Jul 29, 2018 12:52:40 GMT -6
Cassius curled back to sniff at the chair, and extended his senses to observe anything in the area. He stood still as a statue, feeling the air as if it might conduct some sense of change or tell him all of its secrets. His long legs held him at length and his body was held rigidly, his intense yellow-green eyes glowing brightly in the half light. He seemed nightmarishly constructed of hide and bone in the half-light; something instinctually frightening.
Perhaps, this too, was part of the crime scene, or they were looking a different issue altogether. He inspected with all the canine power invested in him, and the Beast's keen instinct for danger. Or thrills. Mostly danger.
He finished his survey and booped Stenson's radio with his nose. A signal. Then he looked up into Stenson's eyes.
They were going to need more men on their crew. And possibly be switched now, knowing now what this case was really about. They would need more witches, to be sure.
He huff-huffed softly, and picked up the briefcase. They may need to place more seals somewhere to give them added protection against the being, should it become hostile. It was fully capable of killing armed men. What was to say it could not do the same to them?
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Post by NightshadeVII on Sept 16, 2018 8:17:51 GMT -6
It did not go unnoticed how Stenson’s shoulders tightened as Samael had spoken, but the dullahan didn’t take it personally, they were all on edge, perhaps expecting the spirit to somehow break through the barriers Cassius had set up or just suddenly appear out of the darkness. “Ah, no. I mean, yes, well, for this kind of assignment I guess you could say. They don't normally put me on ghost-patrol,”, Stenson said, looking over his shoulder as he spoke. Samael managed to chuckle a little at that choice of words. Odd. However, the sound itself was raspy, stuttering as it came out as more of a wheeze than anything else. There was a reason he didnt laugh much. “but with this they wanted to make sure all bases were covered in case our murderer was solid, you know?” Samael nodded once in understanding. From what he had gathered on the case before arriving, no one was entirely sure of how to approach this. Better safe than sorry right?
A small thanks slipped past Jones’ lips and he smiled for the briefest of moments, the stress of the situation taking backstage, even if only for a little while, as he accepted the dullahan’s praise. “So, what do you make of it?”, asked Stenson, returning to the reality of the situation, “Were you able to see or sense anything when you were...uhm, 'across'?", the other officer’s expression quickly became apologetic, as if he worried that he had said the wrong thing or somehow offended the dullahan. In reality, Samael had never called it anything, so the action, the phenomena had remained nameless all throughout his existence. Being across was as good a term as any. He considered the question, trying to think of how to reply, but couldn’t really think of any fitting explanation yet, so he was almost grateful when Stenson spoke again. "You're probably better suited for this than me or even Cassius. Did you see anything?" Perhaps he was better suited, but he was also more of a liability. And despite how much he hated to admit it, it was a fact he had to recognize. If the spirit learned just how suseptible he was to possession and chose to exploit that, it wouldn’t matter how qualified he was or how many techniques he knew. He would be a danger to everyone, no matter what.
Samael shook his head, knowing he couldn’t think that for too long, unless he wanted to become pacified by his own worries. And here, now, in this situation, he couldn’t allow that to happen. Feeling responsibility for the officers, himself and the spirit, he couldn’t just back down. Yet the question remained unanswered. What had he seen? He held no doubts as to what he had experienced, Yet he found that words fell short, or simply weren’t adequate. The way the entity had managed to infect the place, the way it had taken root, he could still see it, as if it lingered in his vision, the sight a ghost in its own right . Finally, Samael gathered his thoughts enough to speak. “Thank you, Stenson, I hope I can be of use here”, Samael said, looking back up at the officer, ”And yes, I did see something. But I’m afraid it wasn’t good...”, he hesitated, unsure of how to word himself, “the enitity has...entwined itself with the building, like the roots of a tree of you will. It was oppressive, choking almost. And it’s angry... very angry. It felt as if it hated us just for being here.” Samael paused, realizing just how pessimistic he sounded. “I’m sorry, I’m not really being all that optimistic.”, an apologetic shrug, “but I’m not sure it can be reasoned with. I hope it can, but I doubt it.”
As silence fell again, the dullahan looked back to where they came from, down the dark hallways. Somehow, the fact that the woman was now out of sight, brought Samael no comfort, if anything, it made him more uneasy, put him more on edge. Not only because he worried for the officers and his own safety, even if both of the other officers were higher ranked than him. Yet he still remembered the way the woman had smiled as she was left behind. Samael didn’t doubt that she knew exactly what she wanted to do, and that she would try to go through with it, no matter what. That was when Stenson noticed the empty chair, asking if this was perhaps their guy, as he put it. Until now, this was the only empty guard post they had seen, making it a weird break in routine, a small sign that something was off. Already, Cassius had prepared himself to lay down more seals which, Samael grimly noted, might be needed. However, he would not allow himself to be forced out of this vaguely human form, unless he had no other choice.
“Could be...”, Samael finally agreed, returning his gaze to the darkness around them, almost expecting to see the woman appearing now. Without thinking, he stepped closer to the two other officers, readying himself, should the situation worsen. “Either way”, Samael continued, “I reckon the spirit isn’t too fond of that seal. We should work quickly.”
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Post by MP on Oct 16, 2018 23:56:29 GMT -6
For all the officers' precautions, the air only seemed to thicken as the trio walked on. There was a living chill to the air, cold and aware and malicious. The woman had long since stopped by the barrier, but it no longer seemed to matter. The darkness thickened. It seemed to narrow in on them, moving over their living outlines one by one. And then - inexplicably - a laugh.
The sound was very faint, out of place in the gaping hallways. It was not the dusky laugh of the woman. There was a patter of feet from the nearby stairs. Another giggle, warm and delighted. It faded down the way they had come, toward the weapons and arrowheads and, beyond that, the statues on the floor below. The air seemed colder in its absence, a closing wall of frost. In the aftermath of the distraction, it was all too easy to miss that the dark was more directed now. Sly and gradual, but slowly circling in on a certain dullahan.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Nov 11, 2018 8:45:12 GMT -6
Stenson looked back the way they'd come, following the sounds of the warm giggling and barefooted running that was running away from them and into the dark. It almost sounded like a child, but he could only guess that it was either a separate spirit or the same spirit playing some kind of game with them. The ice cold that settled around them was unnaturally intense, and he folded his arms in a small shiver.
“Thank you, Stenson, I hope I can be of use here”, Samael said, ”And yes, I did see something. But I’m afraid it wasn’t good...the entity has...entwined itself with the building, like the roots of a tree of you will. It was oppressive, choking almost. And it’s angry... very angry. It felt as if it hated us just for being here.”
"Well, I don't have to have spirit-sense to agree...I'm sure that cold isn't the air conditioning." Stenson said with a shivered shrug. "I'll stand by the door, in case something tries to come through the seal. I don't know how much help I'll be, but at least it'll give you two more time to intervene if something should happen." Stenson stepped towards the doorway that he'd seen the shadowed figure and heard the footsteps, arms still folded but standing straighter. His nerves were still on edge, but as he gazed into the darkness, he was at least able to see the edges of the furniture and any physical movement that appeared through his nightvision.
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Post by jarahamee on Nov 11, 2018 12:45:48 GMT -6
Cassius paused where he stood, taking in the strange sounds and sights with an intent lupine expression. The situation was becoming dangerous, and they needed to call in for back-up now. He didn't like the sound of any of this noise, and it seemed like the situation was not well-contained at all. He moved behind one of the nearest pieces in the hallway, out of view of any security cameras.
With wet-sounding pops and crackles, he resumed his human form, shedding the skin off his own flesh. The feeling of the Beast's head reflecting off his own and peeling back like a pear was nothing new or unusual to him. He then adjusted it for relative modesty and picked his radio up off his vest to call. This was urgent.
"This is Officer Lucidus, requesting back up. We have an malignant incorporeal situation. Class B. Do you copy?"
He spoke in a smoker's whisper, hoping the being did not overhear. She should not have, with the wards in place, but there was no way to be sure. And indeed, they would need back up, or the situation could get dangerous. The being had already killed one person, possibly more, and was infiltrating this place?
Cassius did not wait for the crackle of the copy message. Instead, he took his briefcase and jogged, half-covered by the Beastskin, back to his colleagues. His expression was serious and focused, despite his relatively ridiculous presentation; a tactical vest and the beast-skin over his otherwise unclothed body. His scarred flesh caught the artificial lighting, enhancing the grotesque grin of his mouth, moving like a map over dense muscle.
He could not feel anything coalescing on Sam, but he had the distinct sense they were all in danger. He opened the briefcase and offered some of the seals to the two of them. They might provide some protection, or perhaps, distraction until they had someone on hand. It was their duty to evacuate personnel and his to keep his junior officers safe.
"...We need to give the Security detail the evac order, and retreat ourselves. Now."
He spoke with specific focus on Stenson. This was not a situation they could handle on their own. There was a hushed urgency in his voice that was seldom heard, though his dark eyes were feverishly bright with focused intensity, like a working dog. He moved to Sam's side protectively, scouring the dark.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Nov 18, 2018 3:52:04 GMT -6
Old instincts kicked in as Samael heard the laughter and the running, prompting him to draw a weapon, so he could protect the other officers. But he didn’t. Training and self control was quickly pressed down over instict as he reminded himself not to act rashly. He shouldn’t antagonize the spirit further, especially not if the drop in temperature was anything to go by. That was when he noticed the darkness, circling, yet barely visible, slowly closing in on him, interesting, but probably not a good sign. He could have missed just as easily. To calm himself down entirely, he reminded himself of the words of his mentor. Discipline strengthens focus.
“Officer Lucidus, Officer Jones... please keep some distance from me.”, Samael spoke, his voice ringing hollow, but focused, controlled as he noticed how the darkness began to circle him, slowly closing in, predatorial, threatening, not immediately aggressive. It assessed him. The dullahan had no idea what it wanted, no idea how to respond to something as intangible as this. For a moment he wondered, if he was just seeing things. If the tension of the situation made him see threads where there were none. Still Samael began to step backwards away from the officers, slowly, carefully, to see if this darkness would follow him. He fully intended to stay were the two officers could see him, but right now, he’d prefer to have as much distance between them as possible.
Finally, Samael stopped once he was satisfied with the distance between himself and the others. Even now, the darkness, whatever it was, closed in on him. After having shoved aside first thoughts and impulses, Samael opted to wait, to see what would happen now, if anything at all. In either case, he didn’t want to be the one to jeopardize all of this. So the dullahan attempted to brace himself, even if he didn’t know what he was bracing himself for. If all came down to it, he knew he could take blows that might come, physical and metaphysical alike. And he would take them, for the other officers or for himself.
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Post by MP on Dec 1, 2018 2:29:30 GMT -6
In response to Cassius' words, there was a sharp crackle. A voice answered, flat and interspersed with static. But if there were words in the garbled speech through the earpiece, they were unintelligible to the listeners. There was another crackle. A bubble that might have been the distortion. Might have been laughter. And then the sound cut out.
At Samael's other shoulder, the side opposite Cassius, something seemed to solidify in the dark. A presence - less than that - an intent that edged in closer as the dullahan turned to warn away his companions.
The change was a subtle one. For Stenson, standing guard by the door, it might have gone unnoticed altogether. There was a shadow down the hall, out of sight of his fellow officers and beyond the seals, peering around a doorway at him. As his eyes fell upon it, it beckoned him over. The fluttering fingers were slender - a woman's hands. They were the only part of her that could be seen. Her shape was otherwise ducked and furtive, shielded behind her wall. She beckoned him again, more urgently this time.
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