By the skin of their life[zavijah/stenson/open]

[okami1reeka333]

there has been a string of odd occurrences in the resent few months. 3 bodies were found with an identical method of death. each victim was found on a post in a small clearing in random locations within at least 4 Km of each other. their bodies were found skinned, their eyes removed, bodies drained of blood while their blood lined a circle of strange and unidentifiable symbols. . .nonsensical to those unfamiliar with such. apon further examination, it appeared as though something else about these bodies that is not normal for a human had been removed. one of such was decapitated at the base of the skull and neck before the head was placed back apon the shoulders while voids seemed to line the side of the head and body. the neck completely missing. while another seemed as though a set of wings were removed. . .

DNA tests would show the victims were unregistered, nor do they have any present Identification of any kind; another similarity was that their ears were removed. . . the only thing that happened before death was the initial skinning. everything else was post mortem actions. however, no scent was found that trailed away from the bodies, no evidence of hair, or anything else that would point to as to who did this.

even foot prints seemed to have been erased. as if whoever was doing this has had plenty of practice in the darken behavior of such disgusting murders as this.

then there was the method as to how the bodies were decomposing. one seemed to rot especially quickly when it touched the dirt. while another seemed to rot quicker when there was a charge in the air. another seemed to rot faster, almost cooking when exposed to normal temperatures. . . but otherwise kept relatively well in extreme cold. each seemed to have been killed a month or so apart from one another. their blood was unstable and their flesh would cause irritation, as if their bodies were laced with something should they have been discovered.

due to this, the Police department of Wathias had past the case onto WSPD for further investigation due to the nature of the bodies.

zavijah:

She was late. . . . .the sun had clearly passed the point to which Stenson had agreed as the time they should meet up at this 'fantastical cafe n cake' shop they have met few times before. . . . .she had to change her shirt and pants. . . She had no time to mend nor clean the clothing she was wearing. . . The right pant leg of her pants were sliced into what she recognized as a Dragonebony blade. . . . She knew not that people had such access to such. . .

This sent chills down her spine. . . Surely this realm knew of no such. . . Right?

No matter. . . She was late . . . She had wasted time nullifying her blood, wrapping her wounds and changing clothes . . .this time around she wore a tiger's skin as a cloak, similar to the deer, and the boar, and the wolf skins that she has worn prior. . . this one had a talisman activated, so she would not be able to burn it with her blood. . . it was fire proof. .

she slowed herself when she reached the block next to the cafe. . . she took a breath before scanning the area. . . when she found the cafe, she walked towards it, not giving notice to those believing she was one of those weirdos or children who dress up as 'furries' or as some random character from some show she has never heard of or whatever in God's name those were. she looked to see as to if Stenson was present, still awaiting her to appear. . .


edit: spelling corrections, goofed detail.

[Pearl Dragon]

Stenson took a careful sip from his coffee, savoring the warmth while skimming a newspaper for any interesting headliners. There'd been a few mysterious deaths as of late which he was certain the WDSA was already going to be investigating shortly. Not just for the cult-like nature of the murders, but also because the victims were reportedly supernatural as well.

He set the coffee down and turned the page, absorbed in an article about a dog rescuing a local from a stray bear when he spotted a figure outside looking into the coffee shop. She was as colorful as ever, dressed today in what appeared to be a tiger's hide, a tad out of place in fashion sense but who was he to judge. On the contrary, he was off work and dressed in extremely casual light-blue t-shirt with a darker pair of plain navy-blue running pants. Nothing at all colorful about him, at least Zavijah knew how to make a statement with her taste in clothing.

Stenson waited until he could see her spot him through the window before giving a curt wave and smile. His coffee rested in the grip of his other hand, and once he was sure she'd seen him, he turned his attention to the barista at the counter. He nodded to them to bring the second coffee and pastries, now that his friend was here, and the barista saluted before getting right to work on Zavijah's drink. He wasn't sure if she'd ever had coffee before, but he was curious to find out if she'd like it. When she entered the cafe, his attention would be turned back to the dog rescue article, finishing up the last few lines and taking another small sip of his own beverage.

[okami1reeka333]

zavijah:

meanwhile, the tiger hide itself looked like its seen better days. . . the skin over the head seemed to at one point have been damaged, and forced back into place with rather primitive metal workings. . as well done as it was, it was obvious no machine has ever touched it. fur in some areas was tattered, small tears at the edges but never the less, well maintained and taken care of. . .

when she finally noticed where Stenson was seated at, she hurried over towards where he was, abit relieved he was still present yet saddened she made her ally await her. she bowed to her ally before taking a seat at one of the chairs. . although siting on her left leg, she was actually sitting on the chair. . . something she didn't start doing until perhaps a month or two ago. "apologies for my tardiness, Stenson. " she stated. . .

of all the times they visited/ met Stenson here, she has not tasted coffee yet. . perhaps from distractions of other places but prior, this was a close enough meeting area with an hard to miss sign. . . " Hao have you fared, Stenson?" she asked.

[Vaitris]

Hau sighed and slumped further over the cafe's counter. This job had seemed like such a good idea at the time. Despite getting the cheapest hotel in town, Hau found his bank account was quickly running dry and the cafe was a focal point for local gossip. It seemed a natural choice for someone trying to keep their ear to the ground because, really, what super didn't stop for coffee once in a while?

The reality of it was far more disappointing. Word of mouth news was abundant, yes, but Hau was learning more about who was dumping who and who was cheating on who than anything even remotely supernatural. And certainly not anything dark or illicite or in any way related to why Hau was in Wathais in the first place. Now he had to suffer a pushy boss who was almost a decade younger than him for not much pay and terrible hours.

So when the gray skinned man showed up Hau immediately took notice. And then there was the strangely dressed young woman. Hau could usually identify supers by their slightly different scent but he didn't even need that here, she may as well have been wearing a sign. Intrigued, Hau snatched up the order for coffee and pastries and took it over to them. Trying to be subtle but hoping to overhear something useful, he slid their food onto the table. "You need anything else?"

[Pearl Dragon]

Stenson looked up from his article as Zavijah seated herself across from him, apologizing for being late. She was getting the hang of the "sitting" thing, and he was glad to see her a little more comfortable around him as well as being out in public. His eyes glanced over her tiger's hide and noted the rough but re-sewn areas with some interest. She'd had it for quite some time, that much was apparent, but she seemed to take well enough care of it.



"How have you fared, Stenson?" She asked, to which Stenson pushed his paper aside in favor of holding his cup with both hands.

"Not bad, work's been picking up lately, but I can't complain. How about you? I see you've...decided on another wardrobe for the day. Haven't seen that one yet?" He remarked, taking a sip of his coffee as he gave her a teasing, questioning look.



Barely a moment later, a shadow fell over their table as one of the cafe attendants gave them their pastries and Zavijah her coffee. It was the blue-haired young man who had apparently just began working recently.

"Ah, thank you, Hau! I'll take a refill if you have some to spare. I hope things are working out for you here? You're new, I've heard." Stenson said warmly with a disarming smile as he caught sight of the young man's nametag. His reflective orange eyes shimmered behind his glasses, reminiscent of cataracts but without the apparent blindness. They would seem almost mirror-like. On the contrary, the blue-haired cafe worker seemed to have a curious shimmer in his own eyes as well. All the same, Stenson was appreciative, as well as a chance for Zavijah to meet more new people.

[okami1reeka333]

zavijah:

She was happy her ally was 'not bad' at least. . . .She blinked abit at stenson's question towards 'her wardrobe' rather confused as to how she would change entire furniture pieces in- oooooooh . . . .wait was this a reference to her cloak? "Ah. . . I honestly did not realize this cloak would be that obnoxious as to be a cause for concern. . " she replied.

She was not use to being teased. . . Little alone the social interaction. . . It was jarring in thought that months ago they went from such an aggressive encounter to this. . . That she was atcually venturing into the city state more. . .

Though the teasing she felt reminded her of her brother. . . How would of life had played out had her brother not have died protecting her?. . Similar to this, perhaps? Definitly more peaceful she thinks. . .

Though when a shadow lurked over head she glanced over before seeing the 'server' or 'waiter' as stenson explained placed their foods? And a strange cup of a dark brown liquid. . . . It was like tea but opaque. . .

She lightly bowed to the server. "Thank you " she spoke. Before Stenson started to speak with the man. . . Asking for a 'refil' . . .mentioning that he was rather new here. . . That his name was Hau. . .

She glanced up at the young man curious. . . If he were to catch a glimpse of her eyes, she did not have any pupils that one can see. . . As if she was completely blind. . . Yet she was looking at the young man as if there was nothing wrong with her eyesight.

Blue hair? . . .that was possible? Perhaps his hair was so black that the light sheens blue. . . And that it was just merely really bright inside. . . Though she was in no place to judge. . . Her hair was pure white. . .shes perhaps just as much of an oddity alone with the hair if not worse. . .

she glanced back at the cup of coffee. . . Not sure what it was. . . It smells nice. . .but what was it?

[Vaitris]

“Ah, yeah.” Hau chuckled to hide his surprise. Working here, he’d become accustomed to people either asking what hair dye he used or writing him off entirely. “Things are working out fine. Thanks for asking.” In the general sense, they were. This job wasn’t terrible even if it wasn’t what he wanted. The $100 in his bank account would get him through the next week or so. And he had plenty of time to look for more work on the side if need be. It was always difficult moving to a new place but Hau wasn’t one to complain.

“Let me get you that refill.” He grabbed the empty coffee cup from the table, eyes lingering on the newspaper right next to it. News of the recent murders filled the headlines. He burned to ask about it, get the opinion of someone native to the city, but bit his tongue. Best do his job first.

Hau turned his attention to the man’s companion. At first, he would have assumed the young lady was blind from the look of her eyes. But it was clear from her actions that she was very much not. This led him to wonder just what exactly she was. He’d never met someone quite like her, and there was so much more variety in the supernaturals living here than anywhere else Hau had ever been. It was quite fascinating.

However, she seemed to be confused about the coffee sitting in front of her. Hau glanced between her and it, a little uncertainly. “Not what you ordered? We have juice, water, or tea if you want something else.”

[Pearl Dragon]

"Ah yeah," the young man replied before giving a quick affirmation that he enjoyed his job. Of course, Stenson could tell it was a generic answer, one he probably gave most of the regulars here. It wasn't that he didn't believe the man enjoyed the job, anyone could find enjoyment in a job if they put their mind to it. But at the same time, it was a part-time job, and typically a stepping stone for most youths. Still, he wasn't going to bother the employee with any other invasive or cliche questions.

There was something else in the man's eyes too, that same sort of twinkle. And for a moment, staring distractedly as if past Stenson to the articles on the newspaper. But before Stenson could consider following his gaze, Hau's attention was back on them.

"Let me get you that refill." Hau said, grabbing Stenson's finished cup, to which Stenson replied with a quick, "Much appreciated, thank you."

Zavijah, on the other hand, was indeed distracted. Her coffee sat before her, its steam rising to her face in gentle curls. She seemed more interested in taking in its scent than trying it.

"Not what you ordered? We have juice, water, or tea if you want something else." The employee said after a while, to which Stenson folded his hands to see what Zavijah might say. He didn't want to speak for her, as he normally did. This time, he wanted to see how she handled her own. If she glanced his way, he would raise a sarcastic eyebrow and mildly nibble the corner of his danish with a coy half-smile.

[okami1reeka333]

zavijah:

she blinked before glancing between Hau and the coffee before at Stenson, noticing his rather coy smirk, before back to Hau. . . well, it could be worse, he could of been trying to get her to 'order' her own food with everything written in Modern English. . "ahh. . apologies. " she bowed to Hau "I have never come across such a drink before. I meant no offense in my inaction. . I was merely enjoying its aroma. " she explained in abit of a fretting manner.

"I will happily accept it if it was meant for me? . . . Ah, though forgive me for presuming so much so soon . . " she grew abit flustered, not quite use to this sort of attention. . . before she sunk abit in her chair. she hesitantly reached for the cup, if Hau doesn't take the cup up or wack her hands away as she seems to believe as to what will happen she will gingerly pick the cup up and cradled it in her hands. .

"I thank you for the cup of. . . this drink. . and I apologize for creating a 'scene'. " she sheepishly stated, abit embarrassed. . . . .with the tables designed like basket weave on the surfaces, it would be rather difficult for one to see blood slowly seeping onto her right pant leg. . . for now it looked small and was a harmless small dot on her knee where her pants sat apon her bandaged injuries.

she then glanced at the pastries before she asked Hau " if i may. . . what are the foods on the plate? im afraid ive never seen such where im from. . " she asked. too her they look like either cheese cake or a bun? if not some sort of daring mixture that might be very delicious. . .
all while daring to take a sip from the brown drink. .

it was bitter. . she found, yet the subtle tastes intertwined with the bitterness was rather soothing. . . harmonious with the overall taste. . .


meanwhile, three more customers entered the cafe . . one of which sporting a bandaged arm seeming to curse 'that crazy bitch' who burnt him this morning. while the three went and sat at a table abit of a ways away from the Cop, wanderer, and waiter. a woman with coffee colored hair, highlighted as if to look like a natural goddess with various shades of brown that complimented the shape of her head with the long locks. one of the men, whom looked unassuming sported the injury while the other the other looked a little on the older side, not ugly or feebly old, just older. . . . could easily be mistaken for a father and two young adult children. . despite the relatively close distance in age against one another. . .just one ages poorly compared to the other two.

[Vaitris]

“Oh, you didn’t create a scene.” Hau waved her off, trying on his widest smile in order to reassure her. He’d never had quite this reaction from someone before and he was beginning to doubt the original order he’d been given. Wouldn’t be the first time he’d accidentally switched up tables. “Your friend ordered it for you.” He glanced back at the man, noticing the small grin himself, and wondered just what he’d gotten into with these two. “But if you’d like to order your own food, the menu’s here.” He slid one of the laminated cards towards her.

Hesitantly, she asked, "if I may. . . what are the foods on the plate? I’m afraid I’ve never seen such where I’m from. . ."

“Well, the little thing with the fruit filling is a danish, the triangles are cherry turnovers, and these two are eclairs. If you’re looking for something less sweet, we have croissants in the case up front along with various pies and cinnamon rolls.” Was there another reason he’d chosen the café for a job? Yeah, it was the food. Hau never could deny his sweet tooth. “But, uh, if you’re looking for something simple the danish is a good place to start.” He bit his tongue, knowing that he’d probably already overwhelmed her, but too late to take it back now.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hau kept tabs on a group that just walked in. Once he was done here he’d better see to that table. It was hard to tell if any of the other waiters would have time, they were short a worker today. But it looked like the group could wait a bit. One was cursing up a storm and Hau knew better than to step into that, best to give them a few minutes to calm down first and get settled.

“I’ll be back with that refill.” He said before stepping away from the table.

[Pearl Dragon]

The interaction went just about as Stenson expected, some stammering and obvious social nervousness on Zavijah's behalf while the employee politely reassured her.  Stenson felt a little bad relying on the cafe associate to help his friend practice social interations outside of what Zavijah was used to.  Still, he was also grateful.

While Zavijah and Hau conversed, Zavijah inquiring about the food and Hau providing her with a menu and explaination of the danish, Stenson made mental notes on Zavijah's progression as he kept his eyes on the restaurant around him.  Force of habit, as an officer of the law, he was always vigilant even if he had no need to be.  And for the most part, he was relatively content to simply enjoy the atmosphere around them, at least until a group entered and seated themselves at one of the farther tables.  Their entrance was somewhat rowdy, one of the three sporting a bandage on one arm and cursing about something or another.  They almost seemed to be a family, perhaps a father and his young adult children, with emphasis on the "children" part since the young man saw no problem with cursing loudly in a quiet public place.  He eyed them with a darkened stare, but as they settled into their table, he drew his attention back to his own table.  He looked up at the associate and noticed he too had caught site of the newest group.  He hoped, for Hau's sake, that those people were at least nice to him if he had the unfortunate luck of having to help them.

As Hau excused himself to refill Stenson's drink and probably help the three who just walked in, Stenson lowered his gaze to Zavijah.
"So?  How is it?  Not what you expected?"  Stenson said, his question more than likely directed at the coffee, but in truth aimed at the entire experience in general.  He was genuinely proud of her, and he didn't hide it in his smile.  Despite her nervous disposition, she had done well when left to her own devices in public interaction.  It was baby steps, but leaps and bounds in progress.  

Even as he spoke, he continued to watch the group from the corner of his eye, in case they gave Hau any trouble.

[okami1reeka333]

zavijah:

when Hau started to talk about the various foods, you could of almost place a cup down on the amount of curiosity that seemed to emit from her. it wasn't that she had a preference for sweet or not sweet, her food exposure was too small for such to be really declared. if anything, she was curious at all the things he seemed to list off as food. . . she was almost saddened when he hurried away, but what are cinnamon rolls? shes never heard of this name before despite being familiar with the spice. it was just merely known as Cassia, or Kezia. . . she glanced at the food curiously before she glanced towards Stenson who had a rather large grin on his face when he asked her his questions.

"aah. . .its actually quite nice. its similar to a tea from the desert highlands west of my birth village. . . " she replied. " though for them, water is boiled within the pod to create the tea, rather then removed since metal tends to tarnish the taste and make the drink abit poisonous to drink. " she explained. she has no idea why he was grinning at her- what did she do to cause this? has she done something that was humorous? she was abit at a lost but did not let it consume her. . .

she quietly eyed the food before grabbing one of the danish? she believes Hau called it, he also suggested it as a 'good place to start'. . . before quietly grabbing one of the two . . .she assumed there was one for her and one for Stenson. . . Hau did elude that it was sweet. . . perhaps it was like Chocolate sweet? she liked the darker of the chocolates she and Sara had. . . Kira seems to similarly like all the sweet things she has brought towards her tree home. . .

her ear twitched to the quiet 'tink' of the cup she held, pulling her from the mental tangent. . she quietly set the 'danish' down on the small plate before quietly drinking half of the cup's contents. . when she set the cup down on its small plate, she picked the 'danish' up once more before taking a bite. . . her eyes lit up, similarly to when she had first tried chocolate or cheesecake. . "Hau was right. . . this is sweet. . its fairly good. " she noted.

---------------------

the group seemed to talk about what they were going to order. . . the girl reassuring the younger looking one that it was alright, we will talk some sense to her. she cant get away with assaulting him so easily.

"Well, what if we cant? she did burn the hell outta me. " the younger looking man groused.

"Hey, you need to watch your language. just because your hurting doesn't mean you get a free ticket to run your mouth and complain. besides, what would Helen say if she heard that type of language coming from you? " the older one chided as he folded his arms.

The younger one sighed. " I know. . . its just going to suck for a while with this. " the younger one groaned.

"Hey, hey, it will be alright. . .besides, you were able to keep Darren from getting hurt. . . at least think of it this way. . . you know how badly his baby sister freaked out when he had frostbite three months ago . . ." the girl pointed out.

" Yeah. . . true. . " the younger looking one sighed. . when the older looking one noticed Hau, he gave the young man a rather friendly nod, noticing the young man seemed abit weary about the group, he waited for the waiter to approach their table and address them before he spoke. "hello, I would like to order a hot chocolate with a shot of espresso, please. " he asked. "I would like to order a vanilla Cinnamon latte " the girl added. "aaah. . . I would like some black coffee. . ." the young man asked. " and can we also order an eclair, and two cinnamon rolls? " the older looking one added.

[Vaitris]

Hau headed to the counter at the rear of the store. There was another worker manning the drinks, a teenage girl who was playing on her phone. “Can you get me a refill for table five?” She gave him annoyed look when he interrupted her. “Please?” He said, a little more forcefully than might be considered polite. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed a fresh cup from the pile beside her.

While she was working on that, Hau reached into his apron pocket and grabbed his note pad and a pen - wait, where was his pen? It was gone. Again. “Grab me a pen, will you?” He asked sheepishly.

The girl reached under the counter for a replacement. “That’s the third one today. They’re going to start charging you for those.”

Hau grinned. “Thanks a bunch.”

Fully supplied, Hau headed towards the newcomers’ table. They seemed to have calmed down by the time he got there, and he stepped up to the group as the older man gave him a nod. He caught a little of their conversation before his approach, but it seemed like the usual café patron chatter. He’d keep an ear on it though. “Sorry for the wait, were you ready to order?” He asked with a practiced smile. As he wrote down their request, he noted the younger man’s injuries. A little unusual. He’d ask about it, but the group seemed impatient for their food. “Good choices. Let me go grab that for you.”

Back at the rear counter, he tore the top page out of his notebook. “Order for table two.” His coworker traded him a new coffee for the paper and Hau returned to the young woman and the gray-skinned man.

[Pearl Dragon]

Stenson enjoyed his own danish as Zavijah spoke about her own home and how the coffee compared to where she was from. He found it fascinating and wondered if it was anything like Earth. Probably not, given how new she seemed to everything, especially the city. But, the more she shared, the more he could come to understand some of her habits and tendencies, the more to lend to helping her find her way in this modern world. One thing Stenson was happy of, he'd never had to worry about going from one world to another like Zavijah and her bat-like friend from the woods. He could count himself lucky in that regard. He took a bite of his danish, savoring its tart, creamy filling just as Zavijah reached for her own danish. His eye caught something strange at the edge of her coat sleeve, just past the edge and beneath where her hands and wrist were. But, when his eye tried to catch it, she'd already pulled the danish to herself and whatever he thought he saw was covered once again. He chewed and then decided it was probably nothing.

As his coffee was returned to him, Stenson gave Hau another warm smile and word of thanks. He'd watched the young man from the corner of his eye as he helped the group of three, but so far they seemed decent enough. From what he could hear, they had a hearty appetite for sweets and fancy drinks, except the youngest man who ordered a simple black coffee.

Curious, but not out of the ordinary.

[okami1reeka333]

zavijah:

she quietly hoped when Hau returned, he does not try and pick her cup up. . . she has drank from it to the level where the amount of coffee was below the hairline fracture in the cup that ran along it horizontally. . . almost as if someone placed a ring on top of the cup. . . though perhaps the handle will keep it from falling apart in half? she mostly did not want him to cut himself on the damnable thing. . . although it does not seem as though a finger could be cut apon the edge of the break from how well it fixed itself ontop of the other half. . like an unintentional puzzle. . . still rather it not occur. . .

she took afew more bites from the danish. . quietly taking in the flavor of it. . before she knew it, it was gone. . . as good as it was while it lasted, there were two more pairs of sweets to try from. . .the next one she grabbed was a 'cherry turnover'? rather curious as to why they would call it a turn over. . .was it because the rumps of the cherries were 'turned over' to face the sun? or was it upside down and prepared as so? or perhaps different meaning derived from it. . . taking a bite from it, she found it pretty sweet as well. . again, her eyes lighting up like a child when they were first exposed to sugar. . . all the same, enjoying the peaceful moments so rare to her. . .

she then glanced at the salt shaker. . . pondering. . .

what would it taste like with salt added to it? not alot- mind the curious. . .but alittle bit. . perhaps the curiosity of the tongue and mind will forever curse her towards as well as against her better judgement. .

so she started to reach out towards the salt shaker. . .she could add pepper too! perhaps the taste would prove another interesting experiment to explore. .

on the cherry turnover, it would appear that parts of it were slightly browned abit more then the rest. . . . near the center of the pastry where she held it.