The Gifted and Cursed (IC)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Extreme =&gt; Extreme Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: nyarlathotep on 30-08-2012, 19:02:28</h2>
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				Title: <strong>The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>30-08-2012, 19:02:28</strong>
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				<span class="bbc_u"><strong>Prologue</strong></span><br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote from: H.P. Lovecraft</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">To no gale of earth’s kind<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Sways the forest of oak,<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Where the sick boughs entwin’d<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; By mad mistletoes choke,<br>For these pow’rs are the pow’rs of the dark, from the graves of the lost Druid-folk.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>He was stressed. And tired. The meeting had gone badly. Four of the five suppliers were backing out on the deal and as junior exec it was his head that now lay on the chopping block. This was the reason why James had decided to take the scenic route back to Cardiff and clear his head. The trees on the left side of the road swayed gently in the late summer breeze. This, coupled with the shining sun would have made the drive a pleasant affair if not for the intensely wierd sense of dread that filled the air. The trees, rather than seeming green and full of life seemed <em>too</em> full of life. It was as though they bent forward with malign intent, their branches hoping to scrape the windshield of the car or force a blow out by pushing their thorny tips against his tyres. Perhaps it was James' foul mood that reduced him to such morbid fancies.<br><br>It all happened in a split second but for James it seemed that time had slowed down. A woman emerged from the trees. She was young and slender, her naked body clothed in nothing but garters of flowers around her wrists and ankles. Her golden hair was matted and sweat soaked. Her eyes wild with a madness beyond fear. She half ran-half limped straight in front of James' car. He slammed on the breaks but the momentum caused the bonnet to slam into her beautiful body, sending her tumbling like a rag doll over the roof to fall on the roadside behind him.<br><br>Cursing he got out of the car and ran toward the naked figure. She was dead, but the nature of her wounds were such that no car could have made. Her body was covered in large red welts, as though somebody had placed huge plungers against her flesh and plunged out most of her blood. That was not, however, the terrifying part. The terrifying part was the hideous look of fear in the cold dead eyes. Eyes that looked as though they had seen something that no sane man was meant to see.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>30-08-2012, 19:46:42</strong>
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				<strong><span class="bbc_u">One: The Gathering<span class="bbc_u"></span></span></strong><br><br>The room was small, brightly lit and sparsley decorated. A single desk dominated the room. Two side by side chairs sat in front of the desk and a series of documents lay there.&nbsp; An old looking woman with long grey hair and features so lined with wrinkles that it gave the impression that her skin was made of cracked porcelain squinted at one of the files. She was frowning, a guesture that was brought into sharper relief by the wideness of her mouth and the thinness of her lips.<br><br>"I accept that the Ukranian and the Russian can be useful", the woman croaked. "Both have rather unique talents that can add to the team but this girl? She is an empath. We have plenty of empaths. And then there is your own talent."<br><br>Her companion was a man. Much younger than the old woman. His handsome features regarded the photo of the woman in the document with bright blue eyes that whilst usually expressive did not at this moment give away what he was thinking.<br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7f/Caleb-Lane-Handsome-Male-Model.jpg)</div></div><br>"If you are referring to my aura reading ability, Marge, then that is not the same as empathy. An aura can tell you about the nature of a person or thing. It can give a general indication of their overall mood. It cannot tell you their intentions or hint at their emotional state."<br><br>"Nevertheless Sarah is a skilled Telepath as well as an Empath and..."<br><br>"Sarah is still undergoing her induction. She has a few more weeks to go before she's ready".<br><br>The woman looked the man squarely in the eye. Of all the people in the Agency, Marge was the only one who could do this and not have his large eyes affect her in any way. "Richard, what is your interest in her? She is young. Perhaps her life force..."<br><br>"Marge. Stop, O.K.? Just stop. I know what you're suggesting and frankly I feel more than a bit offended by it. Of all the others Mi deliberately sought us out. She shows great initiative. She also responded to the blood ritual better than anyone ever did..."<br><br>"See. It <strong>is</strong> more than a professional interest you show. Mi does have initiative and curiosity. She's also a loner. Distrustful of others. And lazy."<br><br>She sighed. "It's your call. Your team. You want her on it then fine. I would suggest we also take the shapeshifter which leaves us to decide on the others."<br><br>***<br><br>The following day found a series of text messages&nbsp; being sent to various mobile phones. The recievers of said messages were given a time and location. They were all to gather in a disused warehouse near Bute Town in Cardiff. The time of gathering, three thirty A.M. That surreal otherworldy time in the morning when the veil between the sane and the not so sane grows thin.<br><br>Inside a series of makeshift sofas had been set up, along with a coffee machine. Richard sat in the larger of the two sofas, going over the series of files he had in front of him. All of the team were new, inexperienced. He hoped they would work well together. At least better than the last team. If they were really lucky they might survive more than a week.<br><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Acid Lips</strong> on <strong>30-08-2012, 20:32:45</strong>
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				Rachel sighed as she drove around town, the text message said it would be a abandoned were house somewhat near where she was driving. It was way early in the morning, why would a person make a meeting at this time in the morning.&nbsp; She put on the radio as she drove, her eyes focused on the road ahead, her mind focused elsewhere. She had joined this team a few days ago, apparently they knew about her ability and wanted to make a use of it which brought the question… were people like her around?.<br><br>She noticed the warehouse and stopped near it, studying the building was one thing however it was totally another to go in danger. Closing her eyes she focused on her sense of hearing, “One heartbeat…..”. There was one person inside for sure at least that gave her some hope that it wasn’t a trap. She also heard what appeared to be shuffling of papers and files, somebody was looking at files. Focusing back to reality she turned off the car and got out.<br><br>Walking to the warehouse she noticed the man on the couch going through some papers.&nbsp; She knocked on the wall besides her and smiled at the young man, “Good morning, I was sent a text and told to meet somebody here, I guess you are the person I need to meet. I am Rachel…. Pleasure to meet you” she didn’t say what she was capable of doing. She wanted first to see if this was a trap or something like it, telling her ability up front would bring trouble. <br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>30-08-2012, 21:09:05</strong>
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				Yes, one heartbeat. And yet there was something odd about it. A faint echo, almost inaudible even to Rachel. It was as though something inside him... ...no. More like something sharing the same <em>space</em> as him were sharing in the beat of his heart.<br><br>The man looked up, smiling warmly. "Rachel Jhonson? Nice to meet you in the flesh. My name is Richard Llewellyn. Please, take a seat. The others will be here shortly.<br><br>He regarded her with eyes that were at once alluring yet vaguely disturbing at the same time.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Acid Lips</strong> on <strong>30-08-2012, 21:13:28</strong>
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				She knew that she had to be on her toes, he wasn't a normal person. She looked at him as she smiled, hearing his heartbeat yet again <em>You are indeed a strange fellow, two heartbeats in one... strange</em>. She sat down on the chair and sighed, there was dust everywhere and it was obvious on her face that she really didn't like being there. When you can see stuff in a microscopic level and you see all the dust in the place then everything seem dirty to you. She looked at the time as she crossed her legs together trying to stay on the cleanest part of the sofa.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Siereis</strong> on <strong>31-08-2012, 03:48:05</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(http://oi46.tinypic.com/2gtw329.jpg)</div><br>Mi was busy lounging on a sofa in her small, cramped living room as she got the text message.&nbsp; It was already late in the night and nothing PG rated was on the television at this time of day.&nbsp; In fact, Mi had expected to not go out again that night and had dressed down to a simple bra and shorts that reached down to just barely covering her rear.&nbsp; The girl groaned and rolled her eyes as she heard the characteristic beep of the small cellphone laying of the ground, the tone aggrivating her since she knew it had to be either her landlord depanding rent again or her employer telling her to come in first thing in the morning.&nbsp; Regardless, Mi rolled off the sofa before picking up her phone.&nbsp; She laid on her front as she read it, her heard jumping into her throat at the words.&nbsp; After only a few moments the slender girl quickly got up and ran into her room to get dressed, throwing on a simple t-shirt over her chest and a pair of simple flats on her tiny feet.&nbsp; She kept on the shorts she had on previously.&nbsp; As she ran out the door, Mi slipped on a black leather and fur jacket that reached down to her knees and concealed her form except for in the front where it was not zipped up. The only skin visible on the girl was the shins of her lower legs and the inner thighs were the jacket was not zipped up. In her rush, she forgot to even lock her door.<br><br>Since Mi did not have a car, she had to call a taxi to pick her up.&nbsp; She got the cab to drop her off a few blocks from the warehouse - mostly because she didn't want to answer any questions about where she was going so late at night.&nbsp; She walked the rest of the way to the warehouse, her flats making quite loud noises on the sidewalk as she went and her long, slightly messy reddish hair swaying in the cold air behind her.&nbsp; At the sight of the warehouse, Mi stopped and looked around, trying to detect any danger.&nbsp; She noticed a car drive up to the front of the warehouse and a woman get out after a few minutes.&nbsp; Mi decided to wait a few minutes herself after the other woman disappeared inside.&nbsp; As time passed, she decided that she was satisfied that she had not heard screams or cries for help.&nbsp; Mi came out of the shadows before walking the rest of the way to the warehouse and went inside as well.<br><br>Upon entering, she looked around suspiciously and kept her hands in the pockets of her over sized jacket.&nbsp; She recognized Richard, the odd man that had saved her life before, yet she had no idea who this other girl was.&nbsp; Mi did not voice her arrival and instead remained quiet as she approached the others, only offering a simple nod to the man as she entered to signal that she remembered him.&nbsp; She kept her dark eyes on the two of them, still not sure if she could trust Richard and definitely thinking to herself that she could not trust the other girl..at least not yet.&nbsp; She remained standing for the moment, her pale legs together as she stood upright and hands in her pockets secretly still.&nbsp; Upon seeing the other girl in the perfectly normal and decent sofa, Mi could tell that the other girl was a bit disgusted with the conditions of the place.&nbsp; Turning her gaze back to Richard, she imagined that he felt a little spark of hope and perhaps a bit of nervousness, though of course she had no idea why.<br><br>Mi still felt a bit anxious herself after the last few meetings she had with Richard and her hopes were quite high that perhaps she would meet people like her.&nbsp; However, she kept her attitude calm and in control.&nbsp; Eventually she turned back to Richard, shrugging under her coat, <strong>"So..why are we here and why the Hell this late?"</strong>&nbsp; She swayed slightly as she stood there, her long hair dangling down her backside and reaching to her waist as she eyed the warehouse nervously, not sure what to expect.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>31-08-2012, 10:42:31</strong>
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				Richard didn't speak again until Mi entered. When she did he smiled warmly. Rachel would notice two things about him. Firstly his unorhodox heart rate increased. Secondly, his pupils dilated. It was a tell tale sign that his interest in Mi went beyond the professional.<br><br>Of course, Mi would experience the familiar feeling of desire flood from his mind.<br><br>When Mi asked the question he expected Rachel to ask he answered.<br><br>"Mi? I had expected you to be one of the last to arrive. The lady sat next to you is Rachel. Mi is an Empath. She can read emotion. Rachel can enhance her existing senses to superhuman levels. I will reveal why you are all here when the others arrive. In the meantime, would you like some coffee?"<br><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>31-08-2012, 12:47:57</strong>
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				Just as Mi had observed the arrival of Rachel, Ivan observed Mi's arrival. He had managed to arrive in that tender sweet spot of time between the two girls, but, he had postponed entering the place for a brief stake out.<br><br>He had,&nbsp; like Mi, not come straight to the warehouses. Rather, he had come from a spot, on foot, two blocks away, and he had been casing the joint. Rachel is likely aware of the fact he's around, but outside the building. <br><br>He waited a full five minutes after Mi had entered before going in himself. She didn't seem like the ambushing type, and she herself did not seem to have been ambushed within. Though he was still wary, as this whole adventure to get out to Cardiff itself was a bit too clandestine for his liking, he made his approach. <br><br>He entered the building, clad in black, no-name shoes that used velcro rather than lace. The pair of denim jeans he wears is standard blue in color, and a few years old; though kept in good condition, its faded in some places, and several patches and sloppy stitch work attest to the fact that the article of clothing has seem some abuse. <br><br>Covering his upper body was a plain black t-shirt, over which was a threadbare and ratty looking green hoodie [much like in his picture]/ The hood is currently drawn up in such a way as to partially obscure his features, while minimizing loss of vision.<br><br>If Rachel focuses in on him, she might notice just the faintest glint of ceramic in his right hand, concealed as it is within the sleeves of the hoodie. A folding pocket knife. It was seven inches long, currently folded in on itself. <br><br>She is also likely to be able to catch the whiff of vodka coming from a canteen that is attached to his belt. Their is also the faint trace of gunpowder still clinging to him, though even for the girl with sharpened senses, this would be difficult to detect, due to how many days its been since he last handled a gun. <br><br>Mi may get the initial calm impression the man that enters seems to have, but because of her gift, she probably realizes that calm on the outside or not, he is very guarded. One might call him paranoid, except he has so many very good reasons to be wary of this place, and this situation. <br><br>Also, she might pick up that while he is not tired in the least bit, he is somewhat twitchy and energetic; in the way that a man gets when he has consumed a large amount of espresso in the past few hours. Rachel might smell that, too, mixed in along with the gun powder, strong liquor; though their is a noticeable absolute lack of both sweat and antiperspirant/deodorant scents. That's just plain odd. <br><br>"I apologize for my tardiness," He says, his accent thick, but not to the point of slurring words. He speaks with the sort of hesitancy that comes with someone who has to actually think before speaking, translating things in his head. "A flight delay." He offered in explanation, and while both girls might be able to note that he is a damn good liar, and could fool most people most of the time, he is, in fact, lying about this point. He is late because he was watching the place. <br><br>He had already looked over the girls, briefly, and wagered that they posed no threat to him. The man, meanwhile, gets most of his attention; the girls, he keeps in his peripheral. He positions himself in the room in such a way that he could watch them all, without having to move his head one way or another, except in the slightest of ways. "I take it you're in charge? I must admit, I am hoping that their is a good reason why I am here, and not going through my tests to join the Berkut (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkut_%28Ukraine%29)." It is obvious, to all, that he is hoping for a damn good explanation, and sooner rather than later. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Siereis</strong> on <strong>31-08-2012, 19:11:44</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(http://oi48.tinypic.com/2u7ln69.jpg)</div><br>Mi continued to stand for the moment, her dark eyes looking between Rachael and Richard as they sat on the sofas in front of her.&nbsp; As Richards attention turned to him, she could feel his mind rather surprisingly turning to emotions of pleasantness.&nbsp; Of course, she had been around Richard before and every time he looked at her, she felt the same reaction coming from the man.&nbsp; However, the desire that she could feel floating over him caused her to blush, seemingly due to nothing as would have been apparent to the other two.&nbsp; Mi quickly reached up and adjusted her long hair, letting the long bangs reached down and cover the front of her eyes.&nbsp; She shrugged at his statement, looking perhaps a little embarrassed and agitated. <strong>"Eh..I was already on this side of town so I figured I might as well check things out...oh, and no coffee for me, thanks..I can't stand caffeine in my system." </strong>&nbsp; Mi of course did not want to admit to either of them that she had been looking forward to meeting other people like her, so instead she tried to look as bored as possible.<br><br>As Richard introduced her to Rachael, Mi nodded back to the other girl in a polite manner, a simple yet obviously fake smile on her thin lips.&nbsp; Mi walked around to the side of one of the sofas and took a seat on the armrest, her long legs off to one side of the sofa.&nbsp; Upon hearing that the other girl had 'super' senses, Mi raised one of her eyebrows speculatively, wondering if the man was messing with her or was actually telling the truth.&nbsp; She focused on the pair of them, neither of which seemed to be feeling the least bit of guilt over that last statement - which usually implied it was the truth.&nbsp; <strong>Enhanced senses huh?&nbsp; Well then tell me...what scented shampoo did I used earlier this morning?"</strong>&nbsp; Mi was sitting far away enough from Rachael that there would have been no way any ordinary person could have answered correctly.<br><br>As she saw the new, darkly clothed person arrive in the warehouse, Mi nodded in his direction as he introduced himself, though she herself remained calm for the moment as she tried to judge him.&nbsp; She felt that despite his outward appearance of calmness, the man was actually quite guarded inside.&nbsp; Such a reaction she thought was to be expected since she imagined everyone here did not quite know why there were here yet.&nbsp; At this mention of why he was late, it actually took the mind reader a few seconds to realize he wasn't telling the truth due to the fact that it was such a small lie and he did not apparently feel all that guilty or misleading about it.&nbsp; She squirmed on the chair of the sofa that she was sitting on, repositioning herself so that she could see all three people.&nbsp; The girl continued to remain silent, not sure what was going on still.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Acid Lips</strong> on <strong>31-08-2012, 20:51:41</strong>
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				Rachel looked at the girl that just arrived and smirked, she could read emotions huh?. Rachel could do the same somewhat by reading the heartbeat of the people, it told quite a lot about them. On hearing the request from the girl Rachel answered without much trouble, she did answer everything the shampoo had including the microscopic materials only by smell. Her attention went to the guy and she just coughed, “Why would you bring a knife… and what is the smell of vodka you have around you, are you drunk?. I need some air…” she stood up and brought her hand to her forehead as she tried to calm down and let her senses go back to normal.<br><br>The girl could see that Rachel was a bit bothered by something, the dust all around the room were getting to her. She would need to clean herself up as soon as she can, calming down she walked back to the sofa and sat down, her senses focused on nothing at the moment since she needed to clearly calm herself. “I would be careful&nbsp; about the hooded guy, he has a couple of big knives somewhere on him”. She looked at him and smirked, “You cannot hide anything from me but you can trust me if that is what your worried about. I have no experience fighting”. <br><br>She walked once again to the coffee machine and made herself some coffee, “Mmm there is nothing better like a good coffee to put your senses back in the low”. She giggled as she took the small cup of coffee with her and sat down. Activating her smell she smelled the coffee and began talking about the components of the drink. Then she activated her taste and began drinking the coffee with a smile on her face.<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>01-09-2012, 13:39:34</strong>
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				Richard was mildly amused to see Mi's attempt at boredom. She was just as curious as the rest of them. And as distrustful. He wanted, needed her to trust him, though. He felt the <em>other</em> within him, struggling to be released. It would be so simple to relax it's control, let it reach out to her....<br><br>But he didn't want that. He wanted Mi, but if she were to come to him then it would be of her own free will. Marge knew that deep down, which was why she had been reluctant to let him have her on the team.<br><br>Richard's lips formed into an amused smile as Rachel first described Mi's shampoo and then the vodka on Ivan's breath.<br><br>"That enough evidence for you Mi? No you're not alone. But surely you already knew that?" He was referring, of course, to the blood ritual. But there was more to the statement than she would realise.<br><br>"Ivan. Welocome to our little gathering."<br><br>He walked over to the coffee machine and drank some of the liquid.<br><br>"Think of this as a transfer of responsibilities. Unlike the others you haven't undergone agency training. Unlike the others you don't need it. I know you want answers now but I'll only have to repeat myself later if I just explain to you three. Ivan, why don't you tell Rachel and Mi a little about yourself?"<br><br>(OOC: After Ivan's response another player can jump in)
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>01-09-2012, 18:05:37</strong>
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				"That smell? I'm&nbsp; Ukrainian. We sweat vodka." He said this as if this were irrefutable truth, even though everyone here is clearly smart enough to know that that is not how it works. In truth, it was just his attempt at self-deprecating humor.&nbsp; In truth, though, he had not had any to drink for quite some time; it was merely that he kept some in a canteen, on his person. <br><br>"And the knife... well. You get called up to do some light international traveling, off the cuff, and you don't bring a weapon with you? Brave. Or foolish." He drew out the ceramic knife, but did not actually unfold the weapon; he merely presented it for everyone to clearly see, before he slipped it into a pocket, a small clip holding onto the edge of the fabric, facilitating an easy draw if he needed it.<br><br>He paces around the place for a while, eventually settling into a position with his back against the wall; a position where he could see the other three, as well as the door. He chooses the position for its tactical value, rather than any comfort; which is not to say, however, that he was discomforted. <br><br>Other things that Rachel might note about this guy? He's not giving off any sort of body heat. Although his blood flows through his veins, and his heart pumps in a steady, healthy rhythm. "Ivan Dimchak." He finally said, offering the women a proper introduction. "I'm a Ukrainian, trained in policing, and in the middle of training for anti-terrorism and riot control, when I got a mysterious call that was a little too intriguing to not investigate." <br><br>It was at this point that he took the canteen from its attached position on his belt, and uncapped it. The smell of strong vodka should be noticed by everyone. He takes a few healthy pulls of the stuff, before capping it, and re-attaching it to his belt. <br><br>"I am guessing you, with the blood hound nose, is Rachel, da? Which means you," His gaze focuses in on Mi "Would be Mi?" He wanted to be sure; he'd rather ask a foolish question than be a fool later on. <br><br>"Which, I imagine, leaves us all waiting for the mysterious host to do the big unveiling, when the fourth comes, right? Or is it even more then that?" This last question was posed to Richard. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sussurus</strong> on <strong>01-09-2012, 20:02:35</strong>
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				(http://www.geldik.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/gothic-hair.jpg)<br><br>"Hello?" A petite, dark-haired woman peered into the room, registering couches, people, coffee machine-- "Ooh, coffee. Perfect." She poured herself a cup, and added a more-than-generous quantity of sugar, before turning to the man who stood beside the machine.<br><br>"Hey, Richard. So who's who, here?"<br><br>The appropriate introductions being made, she raised her coffee cup in a small salute to the group. "Cheers. I'm Threnody Sokolova." Indeed, there was a very faint Russian accent overlaying the predominant American one. "Astral projector," she added cheerfully.<br><br>She strolled over to the nearest couch, and sat cross-legged on it, sipping at her coffee.<br><br>Threnody seems, to anyone's senses, ordinary enough. There's the slightly musky scent of a deodorant most likely marketed to men. The black boots that hug her legs are real leather, not synthetic. And her heartbeat is steady and calm... she's not at all anxious about being here.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Siereis</strong> on <strong>01-09-2012, 20:32:51</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				(http://oi50.tinypic.com/hsm982.jpg)<br><br>Mi remained seated on the arm of one of the sofas she she looked back between the group assembled.&nbsp; Upon hearing Rachel's answer to her 'test' question from before, Mi's lips formed a thin, tiny smile that would barely have been considered a smile by most.&nbsp; However, due to her usually blankness expressions, it would have been quite the tell that she was both surprised and relieved to have met these people..at least so far.&nbsp; <strong>"Er...well ya, that's right Rachel, at least the part of it being Strawberry scented. The rest of that chemistry I don't think I can verify..."</strong>She quickly looked away from them all once she realized that she had smirked and attempted to hide her face under the long strands of her hair that draped down the front of her face.&nbsp; She forced the smile off of her pretty face before looking back up and reaching up to straighten out her hair again.&nbsp; <br><br>She hated showing emotion..not only because it betrayed her feelings, but also because it messed with her own abilities.&nbsp; The more emotions she showed, the more likely she was to make a bad emotional reading of her target.&nbsp; As she had been distracted with her own emotions, she missed the temporary spike that Richard's desire had experienced, but she felt the residue of it once she looked back over towards him with the corners of her eyes.&nbsp; She nodded towards Richard at his question, shrugging her petite shoulders under the t-shirt in confirmation. <strong>"Sure, I suppose you've both proven now that there are other frea...er...talents out there beside just me."</strong>&nbsp; <br><br>Turning her attention back to Ivan as he strolled around the room, the girl fidgeted nervously at the sight of the knife he showed them all.&nbsp; It had only been a few days ago since she was near murdered with a similar weapon and of course she was still not over it.&nbsp; She squirmed due to her own thoughts, though quickly corrected her posture before eying Ivan again.&nbsp; As he undid the cap of the canteen full of vodka, Mi turned her nose away and looked a bit overwhelmed by the smell, though nodded at his question all the same. <strong>"Yes, my name is Mi."</strong>&nbsp; She could feel that the man was a bit embarrassed by his question, though only barely since it was mixed in with a sate of self confidence and guardedness.&nbsp; She then nodded over towards the new arrival. <strong>"And you? What's your power or talent Mr. Vodka?"</strong>&nbsp; She held back a laugh before continuing, <strong>"It's not the ability to smell like sweat and alcohol all the time is it?"</strong><br><br>Just as Ivan had asked his question towards Richard, Mi noticed the new arrival of said fourth person.&nbsp; The new girl with the dark hair seemed to be quite at ease..more so than anyone including Richard as she went around nonchalantly getting her coffee and sitting.&nbsp; In fact, even using her abilities Mi did not detect a hint of nervousness or guardedness..something she thought was quite odd given the location and time.&nbsp; However, despite her curiosity and thoughts to herself, Mi politely offered Threnody a simple wave back. <strong>"Welcome I guess..and what exactly is an Astral Projector?"</strong>&nbsp; Mi had not offered back her own name, instead preferring to not let the new guest know anything about her yet.&nbsp; She adjusted her place on the arm of the sofa as her rear was getting a little bit uncomfortable sitting on the wooden handle.&nbsp; She instead now slid down to take a proper seat on the sofa and kept her rather short short&nbsp; clad legs straight out in front of her in case she had to stand up quickly.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sussurus</strong> on <strong>01-09-2012, 20:56:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Threnody took another sip of her coffee before answering Mi's question. "Means I can sort of slip out of my body, and operate on what some call the 'astral plane.' I deal with ghosts and poltergeists and what-not."<br><br>Threnody looked over the girl with the dark glasses, making no attempt to hide her curiosity. "So, what's your deal, then?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Acid Lips</strong> on <strong>01-09-2012, 21:10:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rachel smiled as she looked at the girl letting her confirm who she was and what she was capable of doing. Then another person walked in and grabbed coffee, this time she could hear a faint heartbeat coming from this person, to her she was practically normal. So there was four people in the group, she really had no idea what the Asian girl was capable of doing, the man sweating alcohol, and the other person all were strange to her. The most strange person of all was the leader, it was like there were two people inside his body. Looking at him she smirked, “How about you, I know your not normal. I can sense two heartbeats inside you which means either your two people in one body or you have two hearts and I know it aint the last one”.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>01-09-2012, 21:25:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Gifts, abilities, astral projectors... what in the hell has he gotten himself into? He remains quiet, outwardly changing very little, but the Empath would be able to feel the internal changes if she wished to. His calmness on the inside was slowly being consumed with an anger that did not seem warranted, but which from him, was.<br><br>Of them all, he might have the most practical skill sets for whatever shadowy organization was being made here, but his own knowledge of his abilities and what they mean are abysmal. As far as he was concerned, their really wasn't anything all that special about him. He was just a tough son-of-a-gun who had some vivid hallucinations, and the romantic wish that it be something more then that.<br><br>His attention slowly slipped over towards Richard, whom was the apparent recipient of most of this anger. From his perspective, this was not some joyful connection he could make with someone gifted or cursed or whatever the hell it was that you wanted to call it. No, to Ivan, this was all a god damned farce, and now he was out all the money, time, and effort he put into getting out here in the first place, and only had to look forward to cutting remarks of other officers for going off half-cocked on some wild goose chase. <br><br>"Hey, you two." he suddenly says, his voice relatively calm, but with just the lightest amount of anger in it; enough that an average person might not notice it, but Rachel might be able to pick up on it if she was using her power.<br><br>His comment is aimed at the newest comer, and at Richard, since the two seemed to know each other. "Just what in the hell kind of a pig-in-a-poke are you two up to, hmm?" He managed to come across as sounding impatient rather than angry; and he was feeling that, as well. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>02-09-2012, 04:41:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"What we are up to, Ivan, is keeping the darkness at bay." The words came from an old woman who had just entered the room. Her face was riddled with lines that would put her age at least well into her nineties. Her lips were unusually thin and wide and her eyes unusually large. Despite this it was obvious that when she had been younger she would have had a strange beauty.<br><br>Even now she moved with a measure of grace as she moved to stand behind Richard. Rachel would detect an irregular heartbeat on the verge of collapse.<br><br>"You've all been picked because of your unique talents. Your gifts. Some of you I personally reccomended. Others I didn't."<br><br>The woman directed her gaze at Mi when she made the last statement. Mi felt two main emotions directed at her. Frustration and jealousy.<br><br>"My name is Margery Williams. I am the founder of an organisation known as 'The Agency', an organisation to which you all now belong."<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>JohnTheGreat</strong> on <strong>02-09-2012, 05:13:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rose raced towards the building, one hand holding her laptop bag still while she ran and the other clutched tightly around an unnecessarily large styrofoam coffee cup. She hated being late, everyone always looks at at the late person, but it really wasn't her fault the cab driver didn't know where to get coffee at this time of night. <br>She hated being late so much in fact she has barely stopped to think if this is safe. She thought it was, surely if it wasn't she would have seen it. Well.. she hoped if she was in danger she would see it, she has never actually put that to the test.<br>She reaches the door and suddenly stops and checks her phone to be absolutely certain this was the right place, there were lights on inside so it is pretty obviously the place but she still had to check. After a third look around she nervously opens the door and slips inside.<br><br>"Um.. hi. This is the place right?"<br><br>Even for those that don't have empathetic powers it is pretty obvious she is nervous and rather uncomfortable. She pulls her jacket tighter around her and looks around.<br><br>"So um, did I miss anything?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lisa2lady</strong> on <strong>02-09-2012, 21:44:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i457.photobucket.com/albums/qq291/neesee101/images5-1.jpg)</div>It was a nine hour trip from Abu Dhabi back to London&nbsp; Macy had been bouncing back and forwards between the two countries over the last couple of days taking care of business. She had arrived at London international a little after eleven o’clock <strong>"this is going to be close." </strong>She check the time twice just to make sure she had read the message right <strong>“3:30am really who in the hell wants to meet at 3 in the morning.” </strong>As she walked through the airport she exchanging her blond curls for black wavy hair. Her deep blue eyes faded into a Hazel brown in a matter of seconds, by the time she got to the door she was 5 inches shorter and 30 pounds lighters. Her face might have changed but the smell of mint and lavender still lingered on her skin. <br><br>&nbsp;After&nbsp; a two hour drive to the middle of nowhere even her Gps gave up on finding the location. In the distance she spotted a young woman running inside the. <strong>“at least I am not the only one late ” </strong>&nbsp; She was in no rush if&nbsp; it became a problem all she had to do was smile and things would be alright. As&nbsp; she walked inside she could hear&nbsp; the other girl she saw earlier asking if she missed anything.&nbsp; She stood next to young woman&nbsp; <strong>“sorry I am late” </strong>&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Siereis</strong> on <strong>02-09-2012, 22:58:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(http://oi50.tinypic.com/hsm982.jpg)<br><br><br>Mi remained seated on the sofa, now leaning back comfortably and crossing her legs at mid thigh as more and more people came in.&nbsp; She nodded over to Threnody, looking impressed at what the girl had said about her being able to commune with the unnatural.&nbsp; In return, Mi simply shrugged under her t-shirt before responding.&nbsp; <strong>"Oh, well nothing quite so impressive as that Ms. Threnody.&nbsp; I just happen to be quite .. 'empathetic' towards others and can't understand how they feel..at least sometimes."</strong><br><br>As more people came in and socialized, it was becoming harder and harder for Mi to read them.&nbsp; All the mixing of emotions and motivations was almost too much to process at once.&nbsp; This was why she hated crowds.&nbsp; Just as she decided not to bother trying to read anyone anymore, the old woman walked in responding to Ivan's question.&nbsp; Mi quickly sat up in place, her attention snapping over to the old woman, focusing her power on the woman, and Mi raised her eyebrow speculatively at the mention of darkness.&nbsp; She listened intently for the moment, turning a shade of pink as she could tell that the obvious leader of the organization did not like her already due to the presence of jealously and frustration.&nbsp; <br><br>Mi wondered to herself why the Hell this woman had any reason to feel this about her, yet she knew that she'd probably not find out.&nbsp; Looking a little nervous herself now, something she rarely did, Mi voiced up a question to the woman, <strong>"Well since when do we already belong? I think you forgot to offer us compensation or a more detailed job description before we decided to er..join this agency or whatever."</strong>&nbsp; Mi crossed her arms under her chest, as if to show her own seriousness as she sat on the sofa looking unprofessional in a t-shirt and shorts.<br><br>Upon hearing the other two women enter into the warehouse, Mi gave them both a quick look over before turning her attention back to Ms. Williams and Richard.&nbsp; Her nervous glance switching between the founder and the man as she waited for more answers to be presented.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>02-09-2012, 23:59:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				If the Ukrainian man was impressed by the old crone, it does not show overly much. However, he does seem to settle down, right quick, when she showed up. Call it a hunch, or intuition, but he had the feeling that the old woman was not one to be trifled with. <br><br>"I'm seconding what Mi said. Thus far, <em>belonging </em>to this so-called agency has done nothing but cost me time and money. " He took out his canteen again, and had a good, long pull from it. "Neither of which I have an excess of." He adds, as an afterthought.<br><br>His attention focuses in on Margery. "I take it you're the one running this shindig? So, when do we get some info?" He had noticed the new arrivals, but honestly, they didn't really concern him right now.&nbsp; <br><br>If this nonsense didn't start making sense, and soon, Ivan found himself figuring that it wouldn't be that hard to catch another flight, and get back to his beloved homeland before too many people had the opportunity to ask themselves 'Hey, where did Ivan go?' <br><br>If Mi decided to read him, she might pick up on some anxiety; a small portion of it. But, his exterior has remained one of mostly-calmness. He does speak with a sort of enthusiasm, but, it could not rightfully be called hostility. Perhaps impatience. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Acid Lips</strong> on <strong>03-09-2012, 02:07:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rachel looked at everybody from where she was sitting, most of them were clearly not comfortable with what they were being said and neither was Rachel. Suddenly being drafted into a company was something she clearly wasn’t expecting however she just remained quiet letting the others talk first, she was better listening than talking. She could see elevated heart beatings on most of the people in this place, she took a sip from her coffee as she looked around more and more people coming.<br><br>She decided to talk, it wasn’t like what she was about to say wasn’t in the mind of others. “First off you summon us here at three in the morning. What a place to meet to recruit for a company in a abandoned warehouse. Seems to me that you aren’t that serious about it and I think your either lying or think we are nothing by bringing us in such a dirty and disgusting place. You didn’t even consider how a place such as this would affect me, I am sick of all the germs all over the place. Unless you tell me why you summoned us into such a dirty place I will not join any company I am sorry but you cannot force me by saying… you now belong to “The company” “<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>03-09-2012, 16:17:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Margery merely stared at Rose and Macy when they entered the room and then diverted her attention back to the others. When Mi spoke she scowled. She turned to Richard. "Really, dear, I did warn you about Mi, but you wouldn't listen, would you? The girl is rude, antisocial, greedy..."<br><br>"I remember a sixteen year old girl who was just as rude, just as antisocial. Perhaps you have forgotten her, Marge?"<br><br>The old woman blushed, and then her blush turned to anger. Before she could respond, though, Ivan spoke, Followed by Rachel. Both of them demanding answers.<br><br>It was Richard's turn to comment on recruitment skills. "And how about your choices, Marge? Impatient bunch I think, don't you?"<br><br>The two locked gazes. If stares could kill the pair would both have been very dead very quickly. It lasted a few seconds and then both faces simultaneously softened. They laughed.<br><br>Richard turned to the others. "Mi. I will be more than happy to compensate you once this first assignment is over."<br><br>"I'm sure you will..."<br><br>"Can it, Marge. I know you want answers, well here is your answer."&nbsp; He handed around a photograph. It was of a naked girl lying on a mortuary slab. Strange, unidentifiable symbols had been cut into her breasts and her abdomen, just above her shaved sex. Her body was covered with strange, unnatural welts. It was as though a multitude of huge sucking mouths had attached themselves to various parts of her body and literally sucked the blood out of her. Her dead face was a mask of abject terror.<br><br>"This girl was run over by a businessman by the name of James Williams on a road just a few miles outside Cardiff. Mr Williams is currently receiving counselling. As you can see the nature of the girl's wounds are unusual to say the least. Needless to say, it wasn't the car that killed her. <br><br>You have all been chosen because of your unique skills. We have yet to see how you work as a team so we chose this to be your first assignment. Think of it as a prelude to being a permanent group. I'll be coming along for the ride but only as an observer, an advisor. We need to know what killed this girl and why. Any questions?"<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sussurus</strong> on <strong>03-09-2012, 16:49:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Threnody sipped her coffee as she listened to the others' protests and questions, not adding to the chorus herself. She'd already decided she was in, as soon as she had half an inkling of what 'the Agency' was about. She was tired of dealing with penny-ante hauntings. She wanted to use her skills on something real, something meaningful... something challenging.<br><br>Threnody's brow furrowed, looking at the picture. Her pulse picked up. <em>Well, this is certainly a step up from poltergeists... </em><br><br>"We need to know what killed this girl and why. Any questions?"<br><br>Threnody, expecting the others to renew their questions about the Agency rather than their case, was quick to jump in. "Do we know who she is yet? And has anyone else been reported missing in the area?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Siereis</strong> on <strong>03-09-2012, 17:08:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(http://oi46.tinypic.com/2gtw329.jpg)<br><br>Mi stared at the image curiously.&nbsp; She had never seen anything like this before, but then again, she was figured she was only 19 so how could she?&nbsp; The girl shook her head, shivering at the thought of dying like this.&nbsp; Looking back at the image, Mi noticed the cuts along the breasts (around the aerola or higher?) and near the girl's sex.&nbsp; Looking more closely, she tried to decide if those were made by a skilled hand or a wild beast.&nbsp; <strong>"What exactly are these markings on her body? And why are they cut out around her er..'lady' parts?"</strong>&nbsp; Mi had never been good with human sexuality and even mentioning private parts by names tended to embarrass her.&nbsp; <br><br>Looking back down at the image as she sat on the sofa with her legs crossed in front of her, she continued.&nbsp; <strong>"Better yet, this road where she was hit..was it urban or rural environment?"</strong>&nbsp; Mi noticed the numerous suck marks along the once pretty girl's body, though she had no idea what they were .. perhaps leeches?&nbsp; &nbsp; Once again, the girl shivered and pushed the image away from her, unable to look anymore.&nbsp; The image did more than just weird her out a little bit.&nbsp; Mi was not unusually low of constitution - if fact she could stand the sight of blood and the smell of rot.&nbsp; However, since she was empathetic by nature, upon seeing the dead girl's tortured body Mi felt a sting of pain herself, as if she was the girl in the image.&nbsp; Turning to look back up towards the others, the girl waited for more details and possible ideas from the others.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>03-09-2012, 20:22:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Richard was about to answer when he saw the look on Mi's face as she looked at the photo. He exchanged a glance with Marge. She answered Threnody.<br><br>"The girl is called Emma Winters. She has no family. She split up with her boyfriend about a year ago and moved to wales to 'find herself'. That was six months ago. She disappeared off the radar until now."<br><br>Meanwhile Richard moved over to where Mi was sat. He put a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear. "Are you alright? Do you want to get some fresh air?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Acid Lips</strong> on <strong>03-09-2012, 22:21:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She grabbed the photo and looked at it, she focused her sense of sight more than the others. To all other people she was like fascinated with the picture but not talking or moving at all. The bites on the body were real human or something just as big bite marks. She needed to see the woman if she was ever going to figure out the rest of them, by a picture she could not see much. "The bites are human, just the right size on their body. Either a big female or a normal sized male I think. I could be wrong I cannot see much from a photograph". She passed the photo to the person closest to her and yawned as her senses came back.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lisa2lady</strong> on <strong>03-09-2012, 22:30:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;Macy looked down at the photo it was pretty disturbing she quickly flipped the photo over. There was obvious signs that the young girl was <br>attacked by some type of animal. Just looking at a second time caused her to question what&nbsp; was doing here she&nbsp; looked around the room <strong>“You know what Marge it is Marge right and guy over there umm this is not my thing&nbsp; whatever did this to her well&nbsp; only do the same to us and this looks like you need professional&nbsp; forensics team or something like that not a&nbsp; shifter”</strong> she shook her head and&nbsp; handed the picture off to Marge <strong>“good luck”</strong> she started to walk out the door the images were still burned into her mind as if she was still looking at the picture. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>JohnTheGreat</strong> on <strong>04-09-2012, 03:38:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Takes a glance at the picture and looks like she might throw up for a second. It passes quick enough and when it does she takes a sip of her own coffee (god how can those people drink that other crap) and finds a spot to sit. She then pulls out a rather expensive looking laptop (well if it weren't for the stickers plastered all over the top it would look expensive) and starts googleing.<br><br><b>"Which road exactly was it on?"</b>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>04-09-2012, 07:41:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When the opportunity presented itself, he would take a look at the picture. He stared at it for several moments, exhaled something that was a bit more powerful and louder than a sigh, and shook his head. He would eventually pass the photo back to Richard.<br><br>"Well, assuming you have the power to do so, all the relevant police reports would be a good first start; at least for me.&nbsp; Then we'd need to see where she was discovered. She was likely running, so we can calculate, based on her physique--or just human endurance records-- how far she could have possibly traveled. We then have a radius where we are likely to find the place of... whatever or whoever did this."<br><br>"Based on the markings, I would say it's cult stuff. I have studied a few cases at... what you would call, I think,&nbsp; an officer's academy?" He rarely had problems with the English language, but here, he shows a bit of uncertainty in how he could accurately translate a word. "I do not know what could have caused the other wounds; an animal of some sort, but, I don't know, that's not my expertise..."<br><br>"And since this likely involves dealing with people who are not in their right state of mind, and who may be armed, and furthermore factoring in my training, I would like to be armed for this investigation. I would also need the appropriate permits, as my Ukrainian permits would count for less-than-nothing here in Wales. I would prefer a sub machine gun, however, I am also a quite good with hand guns of all sorts." <br><br>Though he had been somewhat temperamental before, once the task was handed to him, their was an entire shift in his personality. He became as stark, cold, and deathly serious as the blizzard that nearly ended his life.&nbsp; This was, more likely than not, something he picked up during his <em>militsiya</em> [police] training.<br><br>he had a case in front of him, and whether he liked the people presenting it or not, he couldn't turn a blind eye to the travesty and tragedy of what happened to that girl. Nor could he ever bring himself to forgive them. If he had it his way, he'd find the dirty sons of bitches that did this to her, and let them bleed out from gut shots, because fuck them, they don't deserve a clean death. That was not a 'hot' rage that burned within him, though; it was cold, and sober. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Tad</strong> on <strong>04-09-2012, 15:52:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The stunned silence in the room allowed the sound of a car door slamming shut to be heard, followed quickly by a young female voice.&nbsp; "Get your hands off me, you bastard!&nbsp; I can get out of a car... Hey!&nbsp; Let go!!"<br><br><div class="floatleft">(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MgMFaY9LZWo/TLCN1YrEGJI/AAAAAAAABmM/LMV6PAlI84M/s400/hot-girl-hairstyle.jpg)</div>The outside door clanged open and the voice steadily got closer.&nbsp; "You can't just take me to some goddamn warehouse and drop me off.&nbsp; I have rights!&nbsp; Where the hell am I?!"&nbsp; Suddenly the source of the voice became apparent, a thin teenager a couple inches shy of 6 ft with brightly colored hair.&nbsp; She stumbled into the room as the two men behind her pushed her forward, then turned to leave.&nbsp; They'd only taken a couple steps before the girl turned around and shouted "That's right, get out of here you wankers!"&nbsp; Turning back to face the group, she murmured under her breath "Goddamn custody officers....."<br><br>Her hazel eyes scanned the room, looking distrustfully across the various faces until her gaze fell on Richard.&nbsp; Letting out a groan, she moved over to an open chair and fell into it.&nbsp; "You, huh?&nbsp; I thought you were just spouting some shite about getting me out of there.&nbsp; So does this mean I'm part of your super special secret team now?"&nbsp; She looked back around the room.&nbsp; "....Along with these tossers?&nbsp; I was expecting something a bit... more... "&nbsp; The girl's eyes fell on the open laptop and for a moment she was silent, before turning back to their host.&nbsp; "Cardiff?&nbsp; Really?&nbsp; Why in hell would you want to even be here, let alone drag us all along with you?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Siereis</strong> on <strong>04-09-2012, 20:36:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(http://oi46.tinypic.com/2gtw329.jpg)<br><br>Mi shook her head, recovering from her earlier weak stomach, before she looked up again at the others.&nbsp; As Richard came over and tried to comfort her, the girl simply shook her head 'no', causing her long dark hair to sway against her back as she eyed Richard over her shoulder.&nbsp; She could tell he felt something for her, yet it was still unclear to her whether he thought of her more as a daughter to take care of or something more..?&nbsp; Regardless, the short girl's mind quickly cleared and she thought about the case again, mindful that Richard was touching her shoulder, but not quite sure what to do about that.&nbsp; At Ivan's comments, Mi rose an eyebrow in surprise, thinking that perhaps he had experience at this sort of thing.&nbsp; After all of the group had posed their questions, Mi looked up between Richard and Marge.&nbsp; <strong>"Well...I suppose just sitting here thinking about it won't do us any good, let's go do some investigation or whatever.."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>05-09-2012, 11:58:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				OOC: Sorry for the delay guys. Wow. Lots of questions.<br><br>After finishing her answer to Threnody, Marge addressed Mi.<br><br>"The markings - that is another mystery you all have to find out. I would suspect that she was part of some form of fertility ritual. We found evidence that she had been involved in some form of sexual intercourse prior to recieving the wounds.<br><br>The place she was hit was just a few miles from cardiff. Near a small village called darkwood. It's not a village you would find on any map. It's not well known and it's a little off the beaten track"<br><br>OOC: This is a fictional village<br><br>When Macy decided to leave, the woman stared at her.<br><br>"If you want to go, Macy then go. But consider this. You are in a room of people all with unique talents like yourself. They are perhaps the only people who could hope to understand you, to relate to you. Do you want to throw that away?"<br><br>Answering Rose she said, "Its a slip road just off the M4. One that is rarely used. It sits just beside Darkwood itself which sits between it and the village it is named after."<br><br>In response to Ivan she said "I can arrange for the appropriate permits and provide you with a semi-automatic handgun."<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>05-09-2012, 12:05:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Despite Mi's protests, Richard sat beside her and put an arm around her. It was perhaps a bold move but he could see through her bravado. He could tell by her aura that she was uncertian about him and that troubled him. Especially in light of their first encounter. The blood ritual should not have saved her but it did. And the way her life force reacted to him...<br><br>When Zil entered he smirked at her rebellious attitude, but he didn't rise to her comments.<br><br>When Mi showed her own impatience she nodded.<br><br>"Somebody give Zil the photo and fill her in. I suggest we reconvene at Darkwood tomorrow morning. There's a B&amp;B there called the laughing dragon. We'll meet there about eight O'clock. You should all get some sleep before then."<br><br>Before they stood up to leave he spoke to Mi. "Mi. Could you stay behind for a moment please?"<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sussurus</strong> on <strong>05-09-2012, 16:35:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Threnody suppressed a grin as the rainbow-haired teenager entered... the team had needed some color.<br><br>"I suggest we reconvene at Darkwood tomorrow morning. There's a B&amp;B there called the laughing dragon. We'll meet there about eight O'clock. You should all get some sleep before then."<br><br>"Wait, so that's it?" Threnody looked around. "So why were we even meeting at this ungodly hour, if you don't have a ghost to trot out?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>05-09-2012, 19:13:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Excellent. A box of ammunition and spare magazines as well, if you do not mind." He was speaking to Marge. "Hopefully, it won't be necessary, but in my experience, even the sane criminals rarely want to give up, and I would hate to see fatalities on our side."<br><br>Since he still had the photo, he would go over to Zil, and offer it to her. "We'll be going after the people that did this to her.&nbsp; And whatever critter they might have, too.&nbsp; It's probably a cult of people that have lost touch with reality; probably pretty violent and dangerous folk, too. Maybe you'd be&nbsp; better off skipping&nbsp; the mission." He seemed to say this in a way that was almost challenging,. as if he was presuming she would be incapable of being of help. Of course, it's entirely possible that their was a deeper reasoning behind his choice of words; perhaps he was trying to goad her into staying with the group. "if you want in, though, look for a bed and breakfast called Laughing Dragon in a tiny little village named Darkwood. Eight'o'clock." <br><br>With a sigh, he would move past her; this meeting had left something of a bitter taste in his mouth, as he still had more questions than answers, but hopefully, once this business was dealt with, he could get those answers. For now, he had to figure out how he'd get to this hidden little village in about four hours.&nbsp; This would undoubtedly require a large espresso. <br><br>Unless stopped by or for whatever reason, he would soon exit the warehouse, and disappear off into the city. The next they'd see of him would be at this Laughing Dragon place, or some place en route. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Acid Lips</strong> on <strong>05-09-2012, 19:54:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rachel sighed as she heard all the people around her, sure out of all of them she was perhaps the most efficient to get some answers. She had a bad feeling about this, somehow this didn’t felt right, how was it possible that a woman got those wounds, surely whoever did this wasn’t going to stop. Being a human meant that as soon as he felt that someone was after him or her running was surely an option. She looked around to see what people might do next, she knew the case interested her however she was also nervous about ‘The Agency’. <br><br>A government agency like this meant it had hidden agendas on their minds, it always happened. She stood up and grabbed her bag, she was going to need some time to think about this. “I will think about it, I am still not sure about a lot of stuff. You changed the conversation quickly to the photo, I know the so called ‘Agency’ have a secret agenda, why would it gather a group of people with talents like ours? Oh and by the way what is your talent?”.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>JohnTheGreat</strong> on <strong>06-09-2012, 03:03:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rose, suddenly remembering there are other people in the room, looks up from her laptop. She glances around the room and stands, packing away her laptop and taking a sip of coffee as she does. Once she sees Ivan leave she heads out too, mumbling a <strong>"Uh, see you all tomorrow then"</strong> and already trying to figure just how she is supposed to be any use tomorrow with only three or four hours sleep.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Siereis</strong> on <strong>06-09-2012, 05:40:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				((In advance, sorry for long post...can't help myself sometimes))<br><br>(http://oi46.tinypic.com/2gtw329.jpg)<br><br>Mi turned her attention up to Marge, looking slightly intimidated by the woman who obviously didn't like her.&nbsp; She could tell just by the facial expressions that the older woman was distrustful of her, yet by feeling her emotional energy, Mi was also able to tell that she had bottled up her own frustrations with Mi and was being as professional as she could at the moment.&nbsp; As Marge answered her questions about the marks that dotted the dead girl's body, Mi simply nodded in realization, rolling her eyes at the mention of "Darkwood".&nbsp; Mi had heard stories that strange things in that village as a child, but she had always just assumed it was her classmates trying to trick her and thought it was some made up place.&nbsp; <strong>"Oh of course...no doubt Darkwood is home to all sorts of strange and abnormal occurrences.&nbsp; But then again..." </strong> Mi looked over at the picture that was being passed around before continuing, <strong>"Perhaps there is something quite abnormal about this after all."</strong><br><br>As Mi turned to notice Macy starting to leave, Mi thought the same thing as the other girl - namely that if something did this to Emma Winters, it would no doubt be just as dangerous for the rest of them.&nbsp; However, as Marge mentioned the fact that their small group was similar in their differences, Mi decided that she might as well stick it out - if only to find out more.&nbsp; Besides, that Russian guy that smelled of vodka certainly looked like he knew how to take care of himself with all this talk of weapons.&nbsp; Mi rose an eyebrow in nervousness though, thinking to herself that it might be a good idea to be armed as well.&nbsp; <strong>"Er..say, while you are going out of your way to give the Russian - er..you said your name was Ivan right? - How about you get the rest of us something to defend ourselves with? I can't claim I've ever fired a gun before in my life, but at least we'll all look a little more dangerous."</strong><br><br>The girl continued to sit on the sofa, slouching backwards slightly (which was no doubt horrible for her back), and kept her hands in her shorts clad lap.&nbsp; She realized the apparent group leader Richard was still hanging on and sitting next to her, his arm wrapped around her shoulder in an affectionate manner.&nbsp; She was still highly suspicious of the man and unsure of his motives, but at least he seemed friendly enough.&nbsp; Additionally, his arm on her shoulders actually felt sorta nice - something which Mi had trouble admitting even to herself.&nbsp; The girl had almost never been close to people, including her parents, so to have someone actually even feign interest in her was nice to say the least.<br><br>As Richard told the group about the B&amp;B in Darkwood, Mi nodded before standing up, brushing Richard's arm off of her as she stood.&nbsp; The girl stretched her legs out as she stood upright and let out a long yawn - she had been working since 8 that morning so she had been awake for nearly a full day now.&nbsp; However, just as she was prepared to go and finally get some sleep, the girl heard Richard ask her to stay.&nbsp; She looked back at him with a curious glance on her face, raising a single eyebrow in question. <strong>"Uh..sure Richard, what's up?"</strong>&nbsp; As she waited for the others to walk out, the girl reached down and adjusted her shorts a few times, looking a bit nervous since she had been asked to stay - had her question about compensation been too bold?&nbsp; <br><br>As Rachel voiced her question about Richard's abilities, Mi looked curious as well.&nbsp; She had remembered him doing something with his own blood that day he had saved her - but the memory was quite difficult to remember given that she had been near unconscious most of the time.&nbsp; Seeing Rose get up and close her laptop after Ivan, Mi offered them both a simple smile and wave bye before they disappeared outside again.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lisa2lady</strong> on <strong>06-09-2012, 08:34:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She hated when others were right there was a lot of people that can relate to what she was going through. She rolled her eyes on top of everything she owed the Agency she could not afford to cause any trouble. She walked back over to Marge and snatched the picture out her hand. “fine” she mumbled under breath. She forced herself to look back down at the picture while the others were asking questions. “ your going to need more then guns.” she thought to herself. The moment Richard and Marge released them she did not hastate to head for the door…
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>06-09-2012, 15:47:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Neither Richard nor Marge said anything when Mi asked to be given a weapon. They did exchange a glance though. When Rachel spoke up Richard merely smiled. <strong>"I have a few unusual traits. Most of them are a little hard to explain."</strong><br><br>Mi would sense Richard's reluctance to voice what he was capable of. He was obviously hiding something but rather than feeling like he was trying to deceive, it felt like he was trying to <i>protect</i> the group from something.<br><br><strong>"One of my talents is that I can see auras. In some ways it is not too dissimilar to Mi's empathic ability but a lot more generalised. I can read the measure of a person but not their substance, so to speak. I can also tell if they have any unusual side to their nature or if indeed they are human at all."</strong><br><br>When Mi brushed off Richard's arm she could sense the disappointment coming off him in great waves.<br><br>As the others filed out Mi did as she was told and stayed behind. He waited until everyone had left before producing a large bottle of scotch and offering it to her.<br><br><strong>"I'm sorry that we never got to chat much after the incident back in Maria's flat"</strong>, Richard Began, <strong>"I have been preoccupied with some very important things. How are you feeling? I mean emotionally as well as physically. It must have been a traumatic experience for you."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Siereis</strong> on <strong>06-09-2012, 17:05:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(http://oi50.tinypic.com/hsm982.jpg)<br><br>Mi rolled her eyes as she saw the look that passed between Marge and Richard after she had asked for some sort of weapon to defend herself with.&nbsp; Despite being agitated by the lack of an answer, the girl realized that perhaps it was only them being cautious - after all, this was only the group's first meeting and it was probably a good idea not to trust an initiate in the agency with a firearm so soon.&nbsp; Regardless, Mi stood up and crossed her arms under her small chest, continuing to look slightly offended.&nbsp; Once Richard also refused to answer Rachel's question about his abilities, Mi sighed again, realizing that perhaps it was just better not to ask questions to the higher-ups.&nbsp; Well at least he had let them all know that he was capable to detecting 'auras'..whatever that was - perhaps something similar to how Mi always expressed being able to detect exterior presences.<br><br>She realized that Richard was more than just a little disappointed as she pulled away from him - something that didn't surprise her all that much.&nbsp; Was he feeling protective over her since he had saved her from death a few days ago? Or was it something else?&nbsp; Mi shook her head, not knowing the answer to her own question since she could not detect his thoughts - only his emotions.<br><br>As Richard offered her the alcohol, the girl turned her nose up slightly to the drink, shaking her head emphatically.&nbsp; <strong>"Thanks but no thanks..I could never stand that stuff."</strong>&nbsp; She turned back to look at Richard as he apparently tried to see how she was doing.&nbsp; His questions made it seem like he actually did care at least something for her - something that Mi was still getting used to.&nbsp; However, she tried to keep up her visage of stubbornness as she responded. <strong>"Er...well I'm fine, at least I guess.&nbsp; I try not to think about it all that much honestly."</strong>&nbsp; Mi quickly averted her eyes before she shook in place, remembering that night when the knife had been plunged into her flesh just above her stomach.&nbsp; Turning back to look at Richard, the girl was looking a little vulnerable at the moment, despite her best efforts to not do so. <strong>"I mean, I've still got that scar from where he...did that to me, but aside from that I am just peachy."</strong>&nbsp; Mi now turned her curious eyes up to the taller man, squinting at him now.&nbsp; <strong>"I don't suppose you'd like to share what you did to me that night to save me huh?&nbsp; I'll assume it was just one of those unusual powers you don't want to explain."</strong>&nbsp; By now Mi's agitated manner had transformed into one of curiousness and her arms were down at her sides as she looked up at Richard from under the bangs of her long hair. <strong>"Anyway..er...It's already getting close to 4 in the morning and we are meeting in like 3 hours.&nbsp; Can I go now so I can at least get some sleep and a change of clothes?"</strong><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>06-09-2012, 17:29:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Richard sighed. It was no use trying to get the beautiful Korean woman to open up. When she asked him his question he considered giving her an honest answer. It was difficult.<br><strong><br>"Do you believe in the human soul, Mi. The life force? It is a very powerful thing. There are.. things. Things that exist in a realm <i>parallel</i> to our own. They feed off such life force."</strong><br><br>He frowned, knowing that he wasn't explaining it correctly.<br><br><strong>"Whilst such life force can be taken away, it can also be given, surrendered. But only to a suitably compatible recipient. I gave you some of my blood that night, but I also gave you much more. You took a part of my soul."<br></strong><br>He waited for the information to sink in.<br><br><strong>"I have only done the blood ritual three times. The first time was with a girl I went to college with. She had twisted her ankle. I healed that ankle. It drained me. I slept for weeks. The second time, I gave it to Marge. She had suffered spinal injury. She wasn't dying but she was paralysed from the waist down. After I healed her I was in a coma for two months. She was sixteen at the time."</strong><br><br>He waited for the last sentence to sink in. He had given away much more about himself to Mi than he'd hoped to.<br><br><strong>"The last time was with you. I fully expected the experience to fail. You were dying. I shouldn't have been able to save you. Yet here you are. What's even more interesting is that I was fine again after only a full night's sleep."</strong><br><br>There was much more to what Richard was saying. Mi could feel it, but she also felt his reluctance to share it with her.<br><br>He was lost in thought, wondering what to say next when Mi asked if she could go. <br><br><strong>"Wait!"</strong> he said and then the <i>other</i> took over. It was only a momentary lack of control but enough. A set of invisible psychic tendrils snaked their way towards Mi. She was suddenly hit by an electrifying sensation. A supercharge of energy that set all of her nerve endings on fire. It was ecstatic, arousing, highly addictive...<br><br>As soon as it was felt it was gone. Richard had brought the <i>other</i> back under control but too late! He turned away.<br><strong><br>"I'll call you a cab right away"</strong>, he said. Mi could see that he was shaking.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Siereis</strong> on <strong>06-09-2012, 17:54:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(http://oi50.tinypic.com/hsm982.jpg)<br><br>As Richard started to name off things as fantastical as the human spirit and a parallel universe, Mi rolled her eyes and crossed her arms again.&nbsp; It was quite obvious she didn't believe him - but then again, she had heard and seen some rather surprising things this night, so perhaps he might have been telling the truth after all.&nbsp; Despite her confusion, the girl remained quiet for the moment, simply listening as Richard tried to explain his power.&nbsp; As the man told her about how he had shared some of his life force with her, Mi rose an eyebrow in speculation, not quite sure what to believe. <br><br>Thinking back on since the attack, Mi realized that she had been acting a bit out of nature - she had been more eager and curious to learn, in fact she had even gone to the department store and bought a whole variety of new clothes on a spur of the moment, which was hightly unlike her.&nbsp; Additionally, the young girl felt more energized than usual most of the time, yet she always felt like something was yanking on her in an attempt to make her do something.&nbsp; Realizing all of this, perhaps the man was telling the truth after all..besides, she could not detect any falsehood or guilt in his emotions.&nbsp; Despite her realizations, the girl continued to remained quiet as he continued.<br><br>She listened as the man explained how he had healed the college girl's ankle and about how he had healed Marge's back when she was only 16.&nbsp; As she thought about it, Mi tilted her head in confusion - 16? How the Hell was Richard older than Marge?? She looked to be well into her 90's.&nbsp; Realizing that today was neither the time nor place to discuss Marge, Mi decided to simply remember what she had learned for later.&nbsp; <br><br>However, as Richard mentioned he had healed her, giving part of himself over to be in her, and learning that he had recovered quickly, the girl could no longer remain silent. <strong>"Only one night? Well er..perhaps you are just getting more experienced with this ability of your's? Or perhaps I was not nearly as gone as you thought and didn't require as much of your ..er..soul, or whatever.."</strong> The girl would have continued to offer ideas as to why his ability seemed to be much more in tune with her, yet before she could voice any more, the girl suddenly felt odd.&nbsp; Her eyes opened wide with surprise and her body trembled - not in tiredness or pain, but in pleasure. <br><br>&nbsp;Mi did not even have time to realize what was happening before the feeling was gone.&nbsp; She was left with her legs trembling quite obviously under her since she was only wearing the shorts that showed off all of her legs.&nbsp; She quickly took a seat again on the sofa, not sure if she could support even her own body weight.&nbsp; What had just happened? Was she just exhausted from a long day? Or was it something more?&nbsp; She shook her head, the long dark colored hair swaying behind her as she hid her slightly blushing face under the bangs of her hair. <strong>"Er..ya, please do call the cab, I er..I need to get some sleep soon I think."</strong>&nbsp; <br><br>She looked up in time to see the man shaking in place, not quite sure why but wondering if it had something to do with the feeling she had just experienced.&nbsp; What's more...she felt as if the man felt guilt over something, though she could not tell what.&nbsp; Still feeling a bit aroused for some reason, the girl slowly got up on her feet again before heading for the entrance of the warehouse, looking back over her shoulder one last time curiously.&nbsp; <strong>"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow Richard.."</strong>&nbsp; Without waiting for a response, Mi ducked outside and waited for her cab, all the while thinking about what had happened that night.&nbsp; When her ride finally arrived, the girl went back to her apartment and got the minimal amount of sleep she could.<br><br>((and onto the B&amp;B scene I guess...))
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>20-09-2012, 17:10:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<span class="bbc_u"><strong>Two: The Arrival</strong></span><br><br><strong>Character Name:</strong> Richard<br><strong>Location:</strong> Cho Eun-Mi's Apartment<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Mi<br><br>It was seven in the morning when the buzzer to Mi's apartment sounded. Richard had parked his car as close to the apartment as the over-populated street would allow. He waited patiently for her to answer the buzzer.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>20-09-2012, 17:17:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong> None<br><strong>Location:</strong> The Laughing dragon<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Everyone Else<br><br>The journey to the village was via a long and winding road between tall trees. The Laughing Dragon itself was just on the outskirts of the village itself and the first thing any traveller would come to.<br><br>The words 'Laughing Dragon' were perhaps inaccurate given the logo outside the&nbsp; door. The dragon in question was a hideous, semi-visible monstrosity with more than the natural set of talons and teeth. It's malign stare was more of a leer than a laugh.<br><br>Inside the inn looked even more depressing. The reception area was given to a large bar room carved in dark oak with very poor lighting. A series of unoccupied tables and chairs were dotted about and the only other dominant feature of the room was a large unlit fireplace. The man serving behind the bar was hard to put an age on. His craggy face and bald head put his age as well into his sixties, yet his muscular body and the way he furiously cleaned and re-cleaned the bar and his glasses had all the vigour of a man in his mid twenties.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sussurus</strong> on <strong>20-09-2012, 17:28:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong> Threnody Sokolova (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=150387.msg6832527#msg6832527)<br><strong>Location:</strong> The Laughing dragon<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Everyone Else<br><br>"Anyone want to split a double?" Threnody asked, looking at whoever else had arrived but not yet checked in. <br><br>She glanced around the place. Cheery... and that man was unnervingly energetic, for this hour of the morning.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>20-09-2012, 17:33:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				To hell with it. He can sleep when he's dead; he can rest when he's dead. The small bit of rest he had gotten at the warehouse was enough to still the aches in his legs; though he certainly felt the aching return by the time he had hoofed it all the way to the bar.<br><br>Ivan was just not the kind of person to slow down or stop. Tenacity practically dripped out of his pores. Although, it does help that he can't really suffer from heat exhaustion, or get too hot; his internal body temperature was tepid at best. it had been that way ever since his strange encounter as a teenager.<br><br>He would, upon entering the bar, make his way over to the bar, where he'd settle down.&nbsp; When the man whom seemed to be the bartender got around to it, he'd ask for black coffee; no cream, no sugar, just the coffee. <br><br>"Eh." He says to Threnody. "I'll pass. I can't nap, and we won't have all that long before we need to be working. I'll just work my way through it. It's not the last time I've pulled an all-nighter, and it certainly won't be the last." He says with a slight laugh.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sussurus</strong> on <strong>20-09-2012, 17:48:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Y'know, that doesn't sound like a terrible plan," said Threnody. "I mean, out of the available options." She sat down next to Ivan at the bar, prepared to order a coffee for herself as well -- with cream and <em>lots</em> of sugar. <br><br>"What the hell were they thinking, having us meet at the witching hour? I figured they had some ghost or something they wanted us to see, but..." she shrugged.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>JohnTheGreat</strong> on <strong>20-09-2012, 17:57:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Rose Willson<br>Location: The Laughing dragon<br>Tagging: Everyone Else<br><br>Rose takes a half a glance around the inn before deciding she doesn't like it. <br>She heads over to the bar and quickly moves her hand, hoping she only imagined that sticky patch. She glances at Threnody and says <strong>"If we need to stay here I wouldn't mind sharing a room, I'm stuck on a students budget."</strong><br>She then turns to the bartender and asks <strong>"Any chance I could get a double peppermint white chocolate mocha?"</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>20-09-2012, 18:12:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Ivan Demchak<br>Location: The Laughing Dragon<br>Tagging: Everybody<br><br>Ivan did not seem to mind the place. In truth, it reminded him of a dive bar he went to on occasion back in his home town, a... quaint, rustic locale, off the beaten road. Most Ukrainian's were pretty rough around the edges, but his own home town had a lot of rough rough edged types; and places to match. <br><br>"It's like I said before. When you're doing something in secret, you do it at times of day when a sane person is sleeping." He rolled his eyes a bit, his words deadpan. <br><br>When he hears Rose make her order, he scowls. "Their are people that drink that? I thought the coffee vendor at the airport was pulling my leg, on account of me being a foreigner." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Callie Del Noire</strong> on <strong>20-09-2012, 19:55:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Emerald Dante<br>Location: Small Barge along the Thames.<br>Tagging: Everybody<br><br><br>Emerald kept running, her feet beating along the treadmill while her playlist shuffled from Evanescence to one of Johnny Cash' last songs. With Hurt, as sung by the late country star, in her ears she sprinted out the last stretch her morning 5k run. She ran through the rest of the song as she finished up her cool down run before hopping off the treadmill. <br><br>She grabbed her towel and rubbed her face and chest clean before taking a bottle of water from the fridge in her 'exercise room/den' and headed down into the office/kitchen space as the microwave finished cooking breakfast. Her planner was laid out on the table as she took the plate and set it down by it. Fishing out the milk she poured herself a long drink and set it down before pulling out a set of sealed cutlery and sat down as she opened the planner. <br><br>Slowly, she popped one pill after another as she worked down the list of items. Vitamins and supplements to help her regimen of fitness, a few anxiety pills, one or two chemical stabilizers and last but not least a nice purple pill that was still an experimental anti-psychotic. Not that it worked for that, at least for her.. but it did help tune down her 'reception' and she had a long day. Nothing like a nice long name of two dozen letters at two hundred quid a pop to keep her from picking up things from the person sitting beside her in the tube. Last thing she wanted was to know that the umbrella that Nana left her seat mate had been used to choke someone to death in a back alley in a pique of rage.&nbsp; <br><br>"Right, medication done.. time for omelet and bacon." She said as she peeled the wrap off the implements and started eating with vigor. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Banks</strong> on <strong>20-09-2012, 23:15:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Sam Doyle<br>Location: The Laughing Dragon<br>Tagging: Everybody<br><hr><br>In his taxi on the way to the inn, Sam was not in a good mood.&nbsp; First someone had somehow discovered his secret, his uncanny control over his own muscles and the ability to cause spasms in a target, and was now blackmailing him into working some sort of X-files case.&nbsp; He had looked at the picture but what the hell was he supposed to say?&nbsp; He was a cab driver, an amateur boxer and a lover of women, not a private detective.&nbsp; The only thing that picture, the only apparent evidence he was shown, said to him was that the girl lying dead in it would have been pretty attractive if she didn't look like the latest victim of some low budget horror film monster.. that and the look on her face freaked him out more than the wounds on her body did.<br><br>Paying and exiting the cab, Sam finally pulled up to the inn where he was supposed to meet his fellow amateur detectives.&nbsp; He thought back on what he had been told about them.&nbsp; Quite honestly, nothing made much sense.&nbsp; This was the most rag-tag random group of people he had ever heard of.&nbsp; One of them was able to speak with ghosts, another was a living microscope, yet another...&nbsp; <em>*Well, whatever.*</em> he thought <em>*This thing didn't make sense from the start, no point acting surprised now.*</em><br><br>As he made his way up to the bar he paused, his hand on the half-open entrance, suddenly remembering one thing he <em>had</em> liked about this whole affair: nearly all of his teammates were women, and attractive ones at that.&nbsp; <em>*I might have a reason to get a little hands-on during this case after all.*</em> he thought with a smirk.<br><br>Now in a much better mood, he continued on in, entering the The Laughing Dragon with a smile on his face despite the gloomy interior.&nbsp; As he spotted some faces he knew at the bar, he headed towards them, assuming that they had been briefed just as he had, calling out <strong>"Hey all, Sam Doyle reporting for duty." </strong> He held out his hand to each person in turn, shaking their hand in a firm but painless grip unless they visibly pulled away from him.&nbsp; <em>*The best first impression is always the hand-shake*</em> he thought to himself, believing strongly that a firm one exuded confidence, while a weak one indicated shyness and uncertainty. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sussurus</strong> on <strong>20-09-2012, 23:37:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Threnody smiled apologetically at Rose. "Yeah, I'm thinking of just staying up, actually... sorry. S'just that I'm already caffeinated at this point, so..."<br><br>She looked up as someone new approached, and then introduced himself.<br><br>"Hey Sam," said Threnody, matching his firm grip when he shook her hand.. "I'm Threnody, the ghost-wrangler for this outfit." She grins, apparently not caring if the man tending bar hears this rather eccentric statement.<br><br>"We were just discussing the relative merits of try to catch a nap before it's really actually morning, versus sitting around drinking coffee for the next couple hours."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Siereis</strong> on <strong>21-09-2012, 10:53:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character:</strong> Mi<br><strong>Location:</strong> Her apartment and Richard's car<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Richard<br><br><hr><br>Mi awoke to the sound of her apartment buzzer going off, sitting up lazily before she realized what exactly was happening.&nbsp; Apparently after she had gotten back to her apartment, the young girl had fallen asleep on her sofa, not even bothering to change out of her shorts and t-shirt or get into bed before passing out due to exhaustion.&nbsp; To make matters worse, the already tired girl had only gotten a little more than 3 hours of shut eye.&nbsp; Hearing the buzzer sound again, she sprang up off the sofa and darted for her window to see who was ringing her.<br><br>Since her apartment looked just over the front street where Richard had parked his car, she would have easily been able to see him.&nbsp; The girl rolled her eyes at first, wondering to herself why had he decided to pick her up?&nbsp; Regardless, Mi waved down to him to get his attention from the 3rd floor of the building and motioned to give her a minute.&nbsp; The girl disappeared again for the next few minutes, supposedly to get ready.<br><br>Around 10 minutes later, the girl emerged at the front door of that apartment before closing the door behind her.&nbsp; She looked back over at Richard in his car before making her way over to him in order to get in.&nbsp; Her hair was wet and straight, clinging to her brow and the sides of her head - a sign that she had taken the time to get a shower before coming downstairs.&nbsp; Additionally, the girl had changed into clothes more fitting for a potential trip through the woods - wearing a pair of surprisingly tight looking blue jeans that showed fit low on her hips, showing off a hint of skin just above the pelvis and offering any observant lookers a glimpse of a black thong that rose up out of the back of the jeans, the strap apparent on her sides.&nbsp; Additionally, she wore a simple grey t-shirt, nothing too special, however it might have been noticed that no bra lines were visible.&nbsp; On her small feet, the girl wore a pair of blue and white tennis shoes with simple ankle socks.&nbsp; She had on her aviator sunglasses and a simple necklace dangled from her slender neck with a silver ornament dangling on her bust.<br><br>Mi quickly walked around the front of the car before opening the front door and sliding into the seat next to Richard.&nbsp; Initially the girl remained quiet, only offering the man a curious glance from above the rim of her glasses before adjusting them. <strong>"So...why the pick up?&nbsp; I am certainly capable of calling my own cab you know."</strong>&nbsp; Without so much as a thank you or a hello, Mi pointed towards the road in front of them before continuing, <strong>"Well...might as well get going huh?&nbsp; Don't want to leave the other weirdos all alone at that bed and breakfast."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>21-09-2012, 11:16:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When it came his time to introduce himself to this 'Sam' fellow, he would give the man a good, firm shake of the hand. He might notice that Ivan's hand is room temperature; which may very well just mean that he has poor circulation in his hands, but that wasn't it. It might bug him, it might not; it certainly was odd.<br><br>"Ivan Demchak." He introduces himself, but offers no hints as to what his talents might be. Call him crazy, but he was <strong>not</strong> a fan of discussing any of this stuff in front of the civilian. Or in&nbsp; public. My god, did anybody here know of the value of secrecy?<br><br>After giving the shake and intro, he turned around, and picked up his cup of steaming hot coffee. He wrapped his hands around it, loving the warmth that radiated from it. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sussurus</strong> on <strong>21-09-2012, 16:30:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Threnody grinned at the Ivan's laconic introduction, behind her own cup of coffee. She took a sip. The coffee was predictably bad, but the sugar helped. And more to the point, it was caffeine.<br><br>"So what do you do, Sam?" Leaving the question ambiguous as to whether she meant what kind of job he did, or what his more unusual talents might be.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Banks</strong> on <strong>22-09-2012, 20:12:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Sam Doyle<br>Location: The Laughing Dragon<br>Tagging: Everybody<br><hr>Sam smiled broadly, shaking Threnody's hand, noting the firm grip&nbsp; <em>*She looks pretty tough for someone so short*</em> he thinks.&nbsp; Outwardly, he responds to her question <strong>"Benefit of getting some Zzz aye?&nbsp; Well no one told me shit really.&nbsp; All I got was a picture, a brief head's up of who I can expect to find and a message telling me to get to some crappy inn in the middle of nowhere..."</strong> glancing at the bartender <strong>"No offense"</strong>.<br><br>And turning to Ivan, he was pleased that he had a strong grip.&nbsp; Sam noticed the odd chilliness of his hand, but brushed it off as bad circulation while he tried to remember if anyone had told him anything about this Russian-sounding guy.&nbsp; Sam couldn't recall anything else about this guy, other than he was from Ukraine, wherever the hell that was.&nbsp; Although the guy didn't talk much, or look like he wanted to talk, at least he seemed like someone you could rely on in a pinch <strong>"Sam Doyle"</strong> he responded plainly, not seeing much of an opening for conversation.<br><br>As Threnody asked him a bit more about himself, he turned to face her, taking a second to look over her facial features, taking special note of the piercings <em>*pretty cute punk look she's got*</em>.&nbsp; He smiled and answered <strong>"Me?&nbsp; As far as what I do is concerned, I'm a cab driver, straight out of Chicago.&nbsp; But that is just to make ends meet, what I really like is to give my muscles a good workout, especially with an opponent.&nbsp; I'm a boxer myself"</strong> and giving her a half-smile continued <strong>"but I like most things that get my adrenaline flowing."</strong><br><br>Suddenly noticing the emptiness in the bar, Sam frowned slightly and leaned back against the bar, expecting to have met more than three people.&nbsp; <strong>"So, where is everyone?"</strong> he asked to the room at large.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sussurus</strong> on <strong>24-09-2012, 04:38:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Adrenaline, huh?" Threnody gave Sam a once-over, taking in the muscles, and returned the half smile. With her delicate features and pixie-cut hair, it looks quite impish. "I like skydiving, myself."<br><br>She looked around at his question, and shrugged. "Beat us here and actually got rooms, maybe..."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>24-09-2012, 12:31:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Bartender<br>Location: The Laughing dragon<br>Tagging: Rose Willson<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=150581.msg6951483#msg6951483">Quote from: JohnTheGreat on 20-09-2012, 17:57:50</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">She then turns to the bartender and asks <strong>"Any chance I could get a double peppermint white chocolate mocha?"</strong><br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>The man stopped rubbing glasses and peered at her, a straight expression on his face.<br><strong><br>"I'm guessing that's some form of coffee, luv"</strong>, he said,<strong> "I can do you a coffee if you like, but it'll be a normal one, from a jar of instant powder. D'you want milk and sugar?"</strong><br><br>He stared at the sudden influx of people that had entered the inn.<br><br><strong>"Is this some kinda rambling convention?"</strong>, he asked, <strong>"There's more customers here now than I usually get in a month."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>24-09-2012, 12:34:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Andrew White<br>Location: Small Barge along the Thames.<br>Tagging: Emerald<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=150581.msg6951950#msg6951950">Quote from: Callie Del Noire on 20-09-2012, 19:55:24</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Right, medication done.. time for omelet and bacon." She said as she peeled the wrap off the implements and started eating with vigor.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>There suddenly came a light rapping on the side of her barge. The rapping belonged to a rather non-descript looking man of average height, dressed in a smart business suit. He was wearing glasses and carrying a notebook and pen in one hand, and a piece of black silk material in the other.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>JohnTheGreat</strong> on <strong>24-09-2012, 12:39:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Rose<br>Location: The Laughing dragon<br>Tagging: Bartender<br><br>Rose does her best not to grimace at the 'coffee' the bartender is describing. <strong>"Oh, in that case I'll be happy with a glass of water then."</strong><br>She also has to wonder just how this place stays open with so few customers. <strong>"It is probably best to just ignore our lot, just a lot of odd people form all over having a get together."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>24-09-2012, 13:00:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character:</strong> Richard<br><strong>Location:</strong> Richard's car<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Mi<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=150581.msg6955343#msg6955343">Quote from: Siereis on 21-09-2012, 10:53:32</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Mi quickly walked around the front of the car before opening the front door and sliding into the seat next to Richard.&nbsp; Initially the girl remained quiet, only offering the man a curious glance from above the rim of her glasses before adjusting them. <strong>"So...why the pick up?&nbsp; I am certainly capable of calling my own cab you know."</strong>&nbsp; Without so much as a thank you or a hello, Mi pointed towards the road in front of them before continuing, <strong>"Well...might as well get going huh?&nbsp; Don't want to leave the other weirdos all alone at that bed and breakfast."</strong><br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Richard watched as Mi silently got into the car. His eyes cast an appreciative glance over the curve of her thighs in the skin tight jeans and at the flash of flesh between said jeans and her top. He had done a lot of thinking prior to picking up Mi, and had finally come to a realisation that Marge was right. His interest in Mi was more than just professional. It also allowed him to come to a decision regarding her, and take a chance for once.<br><br>Richard waited for Mi to speak before starting the car. When she did speak Richard sighed.<strong> "Unappreciative as ever? Surely you'd prefer my company to some faceless cabbie who would charge you a fortune for such a long journey?"</strong><br><br>He started the car and began driving toward the Laughing Dragon. After about five minutes he looked at her.<br><strong><br>"Mi. Aren't you even a little bit curious as to what happened to you back at the warehouse this morning?" </strong>He was referring to the sudden wave of sexual energy he had sent her way. His eyes were trying to read hers for any sign of interest, any show of something more than just rebellious paranoia and mild tollerance of him.<br><br>He continued.<br><br><strong>"I'll level with you. It was hard to control my feelings this morning. It's been getting harder to control them every time we meet. What you experienced is something that is as natural to me as breathing. You surely know how I feel about you Mi. You are wary of me, I know. You have every right to be, and it is a wise thing. If I wanted to I would only need to reach out and gently touch your soul with mine."</strong><br><br>By way of a demonstration he let the other free, sending an immediate rush of sexual energy and desire at Mi, setting her every nerve ending on fire. Then he reigned it in.<br><br><strong>"I could have done that at any point since I'd met you. I have done that before, with others. Out of necessity. I have kept that side of my nature in check, for you. When I performed the blood ritual on you, you responded in a way that makes me think we are compatible. I can't explain exactly what I mean by that yet but there was only one other woman who I once thought that of and I was wrong about her in the end. I hope I'm not wrong about you. But none of this will mean a damn thing unless you want me in the way I want you. As I said, I could make you desire me but I don't want that from you. I don't want that from anyone. I want this to happen because we both want this, not just me. Am I making any sense to you?"</strong><br><br>The car pulled up outside the Inn. Richard stopped the engine and stared at her, waves of warmth and desire flooding her empathic senses.<br><strong><br>"Say the word, and I'll tell you everything. Otherwise, tell me to stop and I won't embarass you or myself any further."</strong><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Callie Del Noire</strong> on <strong>24-09-2012, 15:38:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Emerald <br>Location: Small Barge along the Thames.<br>Tagging: Andrew White<br><br>She jumped at the knocking, most folk usually ring her before coming and met with her on shore. She liked it that way. The repairman, her father and Doctor Donovan were the exceptions. James, the repairman came when she called for him; Suzan, her doctor, had a set routine of checkup calls to make sure of her health and her father came and went as he pleased. <br><br>She pulled on her gloves as she got up, aware of how they stood out with her still in her exercise gear and tucked a few things in her pockets 'in case.' Then she walked up to the door. <br><br>"Most folk ring me first," she said eying the man and his bundle with care. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Banks</strong> on <strong>24-09-2012, 18:01:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Sam Doyle<br>Location: The Laughing Dragon<br>Tagging: Threnody / Everybody<br><hr><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Adrenaline, huh?" Threnody gave Sam a once-over, taking in the muscles, and returned the half smile. With her delicate features and pixie-cut hair, it looks quite impish. "I like skydiving, myself."<br><br>She looked around at his question, and shrugged. "Beat us here and actually got rooms, maybe..."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>Sam liked the spunk of the self-proclaimed "Ghost-Wrangler".&nbsp; He laughed in response to her last comment, assuming she had implied that those upstairs were satisfying a baser need than just plain conversation.&nbsp; <strong>"They're the smart ones then."</strong> he said with a grin.<br><br>Noticing that the others in the bar were busy enough anyway, the redheaded Rose talking drinks with the bartender, the Ukrainian who didn't speak enjoying his coffee a little too much, Sam said <strong>"I just spent 8 hours asleep on a plane from Chicago, and then few hours getting here by cab."</strong>&nbsp; He returned Threnody's once-over look himself, taking in her features before continuing <strong>"If nothing is happening down here I might head up too, I could use a bit of exercise to loosen my muscles up"</strong> leaving the last part ambiguous as to what kind of "exercise" he intended.<br><br>Just before he could get up, a car was heard pulling in outside.&nbsp; Seeing as everyone in their little group had probably gotten the same time and place to arrive at, and the bar looked like no one but the criminally bored would come here anyway, Sam figured it was one of them that was about to come in.&nbsp; <strong>"Well speak of the devil..."</strong> he said, eying the door as he waited to meet the next member of their little posse.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sussurus</strong> on <strong>24-09-2012, 20:29:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Threnody chuckled as Sam took her comment quite differently than it had been attended... but then, she'd met the girls in question, and he hadn't. Not that she'd assume anyone's orientation after so brief a meeting... but none of them had seemed likely to run off to bed together, anyway.<br><br>"Have fun," she responded to his comment about 'exercise,' with a smirk and little salute of her 'coffee.' God, if she'd known the stuff was reconstituted powdered crap, she'd have gone native and ordered tea...<br><br>She was distracted by the sound of the arriving car, and glanced curiously towards the door as well.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>27-09-2012, 00:24:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Bartender<br>Location: The Laughing dragon<br>Tagging: Rose<br><br>The man nodded but Rose could see he was frowning slightly. He dissapeared through a door marked 'private' and returned a few minutes later with a jug of water and some glasses.<br><strong><br>"The gentleman that phoned ahead of you booked up all my spare rooms. He was just as evasive as you are luv. Look I appreciate the profit, but we are a simple folk here. We don't take kindly to strangers. Just a friendly word of advice, mind how you go."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>27-09-2012, 00:28:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong> Richard<br><strong>Location:</strong> The Laughing dragon<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Everyone<br><br>There followed a few moments of awkward silence which was broken by Richard opening the car door. He walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for Mi, offering a hand to help her out. She hadn't responded to him either way and so he decided to let the issue drop for the moment.<br><br>He opened the door to the inn for her and entered behind her, looking around to see who was here and who was missing. <strong>"What would you like to drink?"</strong>, he asked Mi before heading for the bar.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>27-09-2012, 00:36:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name: </strong>Andrew White<br><strong>Location:</strong> Small Barge along the Thames.<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Emerald<br><br>The man made no attempt to respond to Emerald's statement. Instead he opened the patch of silk. Inside it was a piece of string around which were woven several wildflowers. There were some dark crimson stains on it.<br><br><strong>"Emerald Anne Dante? I represent certain people who would require your assistance in a rather sensitive matter. I understand you are skilled at 'reading' objects. Would you be so kind as to tell me what you can about this garland?"</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Callie Del Noire</strong> on <strong>27-09-2012, 05:36:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name</strong>: Emerald<br><strong>Location</strong>: Small Barge along the Thames.<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Andrew White<br><br>Few folk knew of her.. talent. Her father, a handful of very well paid medical professionals who had been well paid for their silence, a few detectives that were sure she'd been working through a psychotic break and her father and his solicitor. <br><br>"I.. dislike reading things that look like they bear the imprinter of violence." She said as she started peeling off the long gloves she wore. "Why don't you come in.." She left her lack of his name hanging as she put the gloves down. "Also, I am taking several very potent anti-psychotic drugs with the knack to interfer with my talent. I was planning on going out today, I don't typically plan on reading when I go out. Do not put it on anything here, I dislike cleansing the barge from stray imprints." <br><br>She sat down, took a long drawn out breath and held out her hand. Taking it in her hand and opening her power to it, betting that she would be throwing up very soon.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Siereis</strong> on <strong>27-09-2012, 09:16:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong>Mi<br><strong>Location:</strong> The Laughing Dragon<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Mostly Richard, though slightly anyone in the B&amp;B already.<br><strong>Ability:</strong> Can sense other people's emotions<br><strong>Previously doing:</strong> Riding in car with Richard<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> Jeans and a t-shirt, aviator sunglasses, tennis shoes, obvious thong<br><br><br><br><br>Mi sat in the passenger seat of Richards car as she realized he was looking over her waistline with more interest.&nbsp; The girl's pale cheeks turned a shade of pink in realization all the while wondering if perhaps she should not have chosen that piece of underwear.&nbsp; However, she quickly shook her head and hid her blushing face under the bangs of her long hair before looking away from the male and shrugging at his question about her being unappreciative.&nbsp; <strong>"Er, ya, I suppose you are at least someone I can talk with...and ya, I am sorta poor until my next paycheck so the ride is nice of you to provide I guess."</strong>&nbsp; However, the girl and man sat in silence for the next few moments despite the occasional yawn from the girl.<br><br>She was facing the window next to her when Richard asked her his next question about the warehouse.&nbsp; It was true...the remembrance of that feeling the girl had experienced had her wondering literally most of the night.&nbsp; She arched an eyebrow in curiosity at his question as she turned back to face Richard, her hands in her lap as she stared curiously at him.&nbsp; She started to voice her response, though at first she stuttered. <strong>"Uh..well ya, though er...how exactly did you know about that? I mean..that wasn't you that made me feel that way way it?"</strong> The girl bit her lip and squirmed in her chair as she remembered the near ecstasy that had flown through her body earlier that morning in the warehouse.&nbsp; Not only was it scary...but it was thrilling and amazing.<br><br>By now she could feel the attraction for her flowing out of Richard.&nbsp; This emotion she could detect was not like the one she had detected last night..it felt much more potent and precise.&nbsp; She squirmed in her chair again as she thought wondered how someone could feel that way about her.&nbsp; Sure, she had detected lust before from guys, particularly at her restaurant job where she had to wear tiny shorts...but this feeling that she had found from Richard was so much more.&nbsp; The girl blushed again at the words coming from Richard's lips, causing her to look away from him in embarrassment as he pretty much confessed his soul to her.<br><br>As she listened, the girl continued to bit her lip nervously.&nbsp; She had no way of knowing how to respond to the man.&nbsp; However, as he demonstrated the ability to that he had just explained to her, the girl felt it.&nbsp; Her back arched high as she felt the energy flowing through her spine from her groin to her next and her eyes closed tightly as she groaned out in surprise.&nbsp; In her tennis shoes, Mi curled her toes in delight.&nbsp; Just as she was beginning to truly enjoy the ecstasy that had flown through her, it stopped.&nbsp; She collapsed back onto the chair as she panted heavily, her eyes wide in surprise as she kept herself looking down.<br><br>As he continued his responses to the quivering girl, she continued to keep her eyes down and averted from his own.&nbsp; However, as Richard asked her if he was making sense, she simply nodded quietly to signal her understanding, though she continued to lean over and breath heavily after the experience she had just had for the second time.&nbsp; As he asked her if she wanted him to say more the girl bit her lower lip nervously again before looking up at him with her excited eyes.&nbsp; She tried to voice an answer, yet nothing seemed to come out except a few squeaks.<br><br>In the following quiet and awkward moments, Mi regained her composure and averted her eyes again, though she stil didn't know how to respond to the man.&nbsp; Sure..she felt at least something for him.&nbsp; Perhaps it was thankfulness, perhaps it was awe, perhaps it was lust?&nbsp; She couldn't decide and she squirmed again before looking away from Richard.&nbsp; She could feel he was disappointed with her lack of response, but perhaps that itself would have said enough?&nbsp; She was almost working up the courage to say something at last..but just then she heard the door open and close as Richard got out and came over to help her out.<br><br>Mi found herself staring at Richard curiously as he pulled her out of the car, her own tiny hand in his before she stood up and smoothed out her jeans over her thighs, pulling at them a bit so that her jeans showed off a bit more of her hips and the thong straps at her sides.&nbsp; She offered the man a quick nervous smile though made sure to keep her eyes hidden behind the aviator sunglasses she wore.&nbsp; She followed Richard inside, entering just before him as she let her eyes adjust to the smokey dark room.&nbsp; She found herself leaning up against the wall and responding to Richard, <strong>"er...how about just some coffee for now?&nbsp; I'd like it creamy."</strong>&nbsp; As he moved on to the bar, she looked around, wondering who from before was already here.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sussurus</strong> on <strong>27-09-2012, 10:27:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Mornin', Richard... Mi." Threnody lifts her 'coffee' in salute. She considers warning the girl, but decides against. The stuff tastes even worse to her now that she knows it's reconstituted.<br><br>It looks like it's been some time since Threnody slept. Her dark, pixie-cut hair is mussed where she's been leaning her head on one hand, and her eyes have a slightly bruised look. And she's still wearing the clothes she had on last night -- faded gray jeans and a comfortable-looking black sweater... plus knee-high leather boots with low heels and plenty of buckles. The boots and the piercings do give her a slightly punk look, but her attitude seems more mellow than that.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>27-09-2012, 13:23:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Name: </strong>Ivan Demchak<br><strong>Location:</strong> The Laughing Dragon<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Richard, Mi<br><br>"Mornin', you two."&nbsp; He gave a sort of salute to Richard and Mi as they entered.&nbsp; Ivan himself is looking something like Threnody. An obvious lack of sleep is starting to physically manifest on him, but instead of making him look tired, he seems more... haunted. It's just the forming of the rings under his eyes, combined with his other features; more like an optical illusion than truth-in-advertising.<br><br>Ivan was, also much like Threnody, not too fond of the coffee, but he doesn't care. It's hot, and it has caffeine in it. He likewise makes no warnings about its quality or origin.&nbsp; The poor guy that runs this place could probably do with the business more than they could do without bad coffee. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Banks</strong> on <strong>29-09-2012, 01:42:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Sam Doyle<br>Location: The Laughing Dragon<br>Tagging: Richard / Everybody<br><hr>Sam leaned back against the bar as he casually watched the two new arrivals.&nbsp; The Asian girl looked a bit flustered as she entered, quite attractive really, but quickly settled into her own as she looked over the room.&nbsp; The man that had entered looked almost completely focused on her alone.&nbsp; As Sam heard Threnody speak their names in welcome, Sam raised his eyebrows briefly, <em>*Richard and Mi?*</em>&nbsp; He recognized them from the briefing he had received.&nbsp; Richard, being the leader of this outfit, was the most interesting one at the moment, if the Marge woman who had briefed him could be believed.<br><br>Waiting for them both to enter the room before speaking, Sam looked at both of them, smiled and said <strong>"Hey there, we haven't met, I am the newest member of this little group.&nbsp; Sam Doyle's the name, pleased to meet ya."</strong> His smile widened into a friendly welcome as he stuck his hand out towards Richard, intent on using his ability to feel the muscles of others he came into contact with to check for muscle tension or other indicators of nervousness.&nbsp; He would shake Mi's hand after he shook the bosses hand.<br><br>Focusing his gaze on Richard, Sam asked <strong>"Don't suppose you care to fill me in on what a Chicago city cab driver is good for here in the middle of nowhere, UK?"</strong> He left out the part about him having a special power, as well as being forced to come here, blackmailed in fact.&nbsp; Someone had been able to not only see he was using his powers during a fight, but what they did as well.&nbsp; That had gotten him into this mess to start with.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>29-09-2012, 02:06:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong> NA<br><strong>Location:</strong> Small Barge along the Thames.<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Emerald<br><br>The moment she opened herself to the object she became aware of the darkness surrounding it. Her mind took her to a place deep in the woods where a clearing had been created with the removal of several trees.<br><br>She felt the roughness of a large oak stump against her naked body as she lay down on it. She was not tied down, but could not move, as though trapped in her own mind. The object she had just been holding adorning her ankle as others adorned her wrists and other ankle.<br><br>Figures surrounding her, vague, indistinct. She felt fingers press against her flesh, painting strange symbols on her skin in what appeared to be blood. Then the figures moving, dancing around her, chanting unintelligable words. Her own voice joining in with them.<br><br>The ground shaking, trees bending and breaking. A huge shape, tall as the trees itself, lurching toward her. A black, sickly stumpy mass.<br><br>Then her mind returning for a brief second, realising she can get up, can flee. Standing, turning to run, looking back, about to see the full hideousness of the monstrisity as it enters the clearing...<br><br>The connection was mercifully severed before Emerald caught a full view of what it was the previous owner of the garland had seen.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>29-09-2012, 02:19:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong> Richard<br><strong>Location:</strong> The Laughing Dragon<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Sam Doyle / Everybody<br><br>Richard's hand shake was strong and the muscles of his hand felt relaxed. They also felt odd, as though there were more of them than should be on a human being. They had a weird <i>elasticity</i> to them that was rather strange. Richard himself seemed a little distracted as though lost in his own thoughts. He glanced over at Mi more than a few times.<br><br><strong>"Didn't Marge tell you why you should be here?"</strong>, he asked. He handed Sam the photo that he had shown the others in the warehouse earlier. <strong>"The rest of the gang can bring you fully up to speed."</strong><br><br>He addressed the rest of the group.<br><br><strong>"One of our agents is currently in London visiting a potential new recruit. She should be able to feed him some information about the girl in the photo that we may not otherwise have access to. Hopefully she will also be joining us later today. In the meantime, you all have been booked into seperate rooms here, the barman has keys for you all. I'm afraid cellphone and internet coverage only extends to this inn. Once in the village you'll have to rely on rather old fashioned land lines. So first order or business, you should all decide a plan of action and delegation of duties. Remember I'm here to advise and observe, but not to order you about or guide you in any way. I want to see how you handle things in the field your way. I'll only step in if the mission is put in serious danger."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Callie Del Noire</strong> on <strong>29-09-2012, 02:29:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name</strong>: Emerald Dante<br><strong>Location</strong>: Small Barge along the Thames.<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Everybody<br><br><br>Emerald's first thoughts came to her as she hung from the railing of her barge, throwing up her not quite digested breakfast into the Thames with more vigor than she felt at the moment. She was crying and shaking, as she hugged the railing for dear life. If she fell in, she wasn't sure she'd be able to restore her shields and after THAT contact she was sure she'd need more meds to make it through the day. <br><br>"You, sir.. are an utter shite." She said, her genteel accent mixing with some acquired slang from her street contacts. "That without a doubt was one of the nastiest things I have ever opened my sight to. I shall have to cleanse the whole goddamned barge to keep from getting flashes, you know. Do you have any IDEA how much that costs? How hard it is for me to find a flat, or hotel room in this city that I can sleep in?" She said as she wiped her mouth with her hand and walked in to clean up. She dearly wished she had kept the gun her father had brought her, it was in her bank deposit box. She'd shoot the officious little prick since she was going to have to cleanse the entire barge anyway. She figured a good shot in the knee would do him wonders.<br><br>"That without a doubt was the most toxic psychic aura I've ever seen or felt. I didn't get that bad a feel going through the tower." She said as she pulled on her gloves. Granted she was drugged out of her head but she had still felt the echoes of centuries of history all around her in the tower. Impersonal and long history but that.. thing.. in the vision was.. potent in a more telling way. It was like the different from picking up static from walking on a shag carpet and getting juiced off a district mains line. She picked up her pad and walked onto deck to draw out the shape she saw, working briskly with pencil and paper before finishing the ugly scene she had seen and felt and LIVED and held it to the man. The entire pad. She didn't want it on the barge. <br><br>"That make your grade?" She asked angrily. "Is my gift 'real' enough for you?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>JohnTheGreat</strong> on <strong>29-09-2012, 02:52:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong> Rose<br><strong>Location:</strong> The Laughing Dragon<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> everyone<br><br>Rose is relieved that the rooms have been taken care of but she looks utterly mortified at the idea of no internet. First no Starbucks, now this, plus there is probably some horrible monster in the woods.. yea this is gonna <span class="bbc_u">suck</span>.<br><strong>"So what are we getting paid for this?"</strong><br><br><br><strong>"So um.. I have no idea where to begin with this stuff but if we are delegating duties I call dibs on the one that doesn't put me in the creepy forest."</strong><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>29-09-2012, 03:10:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong> Ivan Demchak<br><strong>Location: </strong>The Laughing Dragon<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Everyone<br><br>"Well, I'm not one to put myself into the limelight all that often, but, I would like to step forward, then, as the leader in this investigation; at least in-so-far as delegation of duties and handling of the investigation goes. I've actually been schooled on how to handle traditional investigative work... the details of this case put me a little out of my territory, but, the standard operating procedure should still do wonders for us."<br><br>"Especially since we'll be operating under limited communication conditions, we need to be well organized and thorough in our approach.&nbsp; Does anyone have a problem with me taking charge like this?" he'd ask as he looked, in turn, to each of those gathered here.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sussurus</strong> on <strong>29-09-2012, 03:30:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"No objections," said Threnody crisply, as soon as Ivan was finished speaking. "Frankly, this is going to devolve quickly if nobody is in charge, and it sounds like you're qualified." <em>Thank God</em>, she thought, but didn't add. She gave Richard a brief, dry look. She strongly suspected that his hiring practices were biased, given the group composition, but at least he had the sense to hire <em>someone</em> with some relevant investigative skills.<br><br>"Although," Threnody added, "I'd suggest that we each give an accounting of any relevant paranormal abilities, to begin with. We're not going to be doing ourselves any favors by playing coy with each other."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>29-09-2012, 03:44:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong> Andrew White<br><strong>Location:</strong> Small Barge along the Thames.<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Emerald Dante<br><br>The man took the notebook and examined the drawings. His facial features never changed. He put the book in his inside pocket.<br><br><strong>"Emerald Dante. My colleagues have never doubted the reality of your gift. We need someone like you. The information you have just given us has been quite useful already and you could do so much more. We believe that the owner of the garland I just showed you and the thing that you have so painstakingly rendered to paper is part of a much bigger picture. We are in the protection business, miss Dante. Our clients are the human race and things such as what you have just witnessed is what we are protecting them from.<br><br>If you are interested then please accompany me to Cardiff. There is a train leaving Paddington station in under an hour. It will have you in Cardiff in less than three hours after that. I assure you that if you join us then your compensation will more than pay for many a nights stay in a hotel. In fact it could even buy you a place of your own in central London."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Callie Del Noire</strong> on <strong>29-09-2012, 04:15:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name</strong>: Emerald Dante<br><strong>Location</strong>: Small Barge along the Thames.<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Andrew White<br><br>"I'll go.. but tell me you dinna expect me to go into the forest and face that thing." She said quietly. It would be the end of her, of that she was sure. "And.. I would like something the police have in evidence from my kidnapping if you can get it. A set of lockpicks." She didn't really care about the pay, not that she'd turn it down. A clean house would be nice. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Banks</strong> on <strong>29-09-2012, 19:25:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Sam Doyle<br>Location: The Laughing Dragon<br>Tagging: Everybody<br><hr>Sam did his best not to show any kind of reaction at the feel of Richard's grip.&nbsp; To say it felt odd was an understatement.&nbsp; Sam had felt the muscles of 100's, maybe 1,000's of people in and out of the sparring ring but no one felt so... inhuman as Richard did.&nbsp; Forcing a smile, he disengaged from the handshake.&nbsp; <em>*Makes sense that our leader is the biggest freak of all.*</em> he thought sarcastically.<br><br>Sam took the picture, he had seen it already and was about to tell Richard that his question was more aimed at wondering what <em>he</em> specifically could do in a case like this but the others seemed to be sorting out a plan regardless.&nbsp; Besides, hearing Richard mention he would only step in if the "mission" was in danger, as opposed to it's members, lead to the obvious conclusion that he was not overly bothered about our safety and well-being. <em>*Not like I have much choice anyway, being blackmailed.&nbsp; Might as well get it over with.*</em> he though gingerly.<br><br>The others had started discussing some of the mission organizational details.&nbsp; Following the conversation, Sam heard the quiet guy offer to lead and followed Threnody in saying <strong>"Fine with me too.&nbsp; All I know about detective work comes from the movies anyway, and they tend to use their fists and guns before their heads."</strong>.&nbsp; Looking at Threnody, he continued <strong>"I think in addition to our <em>special</em> skills, we should mention any normal skills that would be useful in this case."</strong><br><br>Sam looked at each of the others for a few seconds.&nbsp; It didn't look like anyone wanted to go first. Frowning for a second, he thought <em>*Well, in for a dime, in for a dollar.*</em>.&nbsp; <strong>"I will start then.&nbsp; As far as I can see, my most useful skill here is that I'm a kick-ass driver,"</strong> and thinking about the roads here added <strong>"at least the kind of driving where you aren't on the wrong side of the road.&nbsp; I can fight too, and well.&nbsp; Been boxing for almost 15 years now and I can count the number of times I have lost on one hand.&nbsp; And as I said before, I have seen nearly every "Dirty Harry" movie, so if you need a one-liner, I'm your man."</strong>&nbsp; Despite his attempt at humor, Sam clenched his teeth for a second, before spilling the more important part <strong>"As for makes me... different, I have special control over my own muscles, I can move each one individually, or to maximum effect"</strong> to prove his point, Sam lifted his shirt to reveal his muscled midriff.&nbsp; He flexed each of his 8 visible abdominal muscles individually, making only one bulge out at a time.&nbsp; It looked a bit like a perverse whack-a-mole game.&nbsp; That over with, Sam grinned for a second before adding <strong>"And I can cause a similar effect in anyone I touch.&nbsp; You wouldn't believe how useful this is for fighting and for... other things."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Siereis</strong> on <strong>29-09-2012, 21:31:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong> Mi<br><strong>Location:</strong> The Laughing Dragon<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> The group<br><strong>Ability:</strong> Can sense other people's emotions<br><strong>Previously doing:</strong> Just arrived at the Laughing Dragon, ordered coffee<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> Jeans and a t-shirt, aviator sunglasses, tennis shoes, obvious thong<br><br>Mi remained leaning up against the wall as she eyed everyone that was already assembled inside the bed and breakfast.&nbsp; As Threnody and Ivan mentioned their hellos to both Richard and her, she simply nodded back in hello.&nbsp; She could feel the disappointment that Threnody felt and already she suspected that the coffee in the other girl's hand was the source of said disappointment.&nbsp; Unlike both Thronody and Ivan, Mi looked completely well rested - even though she had slept less than 5 hours.&nbsp; Her skin was clear and hair neatly combed.<br><br>However, as she looked over the people already gathered before her, the other man looked new - she had not seen him at the warehouse the night before.&nbsp; She kept her arms crossed just under her breast, eyeing the new male suspiciously for the moment.&nbsp; However, he seemed friendly enough as he introduced himself as Sam and offered to shake hands.&nbsp; Additionally, she could not feel any distrusting emotion coming from him.&nbsp; Figuring she should not be cold towards her fellow group members, she stood up off the wall before walking over and shaking hands with Sam, her own relatively tiny hand feeling excited and nervous in his as she offered Sam a quick smile back. <strong>"And I am Mi..as you seem to know."</strong>&nbsp; She was curious what Sam's ability was, but with the bar tender so close she figured it was a better idea to remain silent on that matter for the moment.<br><br>Pulling her hand away again, she crossed her arms once more before walking off a little way.&nbsp; As she stood there, she could feel Richard's emotions rise as he looked over at her.&nbsp; In fact, she could not help herself from glancing back at the strange man, though aside from her prying eyes, nothing else about her body posture betrayed her curiousity.&nbsp; She felt bad still that she had not answered him back in the car, though she was not quite sure what to say to him still.<br><br>As Ivan seemed to take the lead of offering to put himself in charge, Mi looked back at the man slightly surprised.&nbsp; She herself had no experience with this sort of job, so his suggestion to let himself give out roles was actually a not a bad suggestion at all.&nbsp; She shook her head at his suggestion, <strong>"Actually I agree with her, I rather like that idea of Ivan being in charge...you seem to er..at least understand what you are doing."</strong><br><br>She listened as Sam explained his own skills at both driving and fighting.&nbsp; As he demonstrated his ability to control his own muscles, the pale girl's face turned an obvious pink color in blush before she quickly looked away from the display.&nbsp; Biting her own lower lip nervously, she turned back to the group before continueing on with a quick shrug.&nbsp; <strong>"Okay...well unlike Ivan or Sam here, I er...don't really have that many 'applicable' skills.&nbsp; I guess I am intuitive when it comes to dealing with most people, but I sorta don't think that's gonna be all that useful in this case.&nbsp; To be honest, I uh...am not all that sure how useful I'll be here, though I promise I'll do just about whatever is needed to prove myself here.&nbsp; My er...'power' or whatever you people wanna call it is, is that I can detect how people feel."</strong>&nbsp; Grinning now before she glanced back over at Sam she continued, <strong>"However, unlike muscle abs over there I don't think I'll prove myself at just this moment."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>30-09-2012, 00:58:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong> Andrew White<br><strong>Location:</strong> Small Barge along the Thames.<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Emerald Dante<br><br>The man, his face still impassive, said <strong>"I'll see what we can do, miss Dante. The train leaves in under 20 minutes. I have a car waiting."</strong><br><br>He escorted her into a black mercedes and drove her to the station. a few minutes later and the pair had a first class seat on the train bound for Cardiff Central.<br><br><strong>"A car will be waiting for us at Cardiff. Our destination is an inn called the Laughing Dragon. It is a twenty minute drive from Cardiff. Do you have any other questions?"</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>nyarlathotep</strong> on <strong>30-09-2012, 01:08:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong> Richard <br><strong>Location: </strong>The Laughing Dragon<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> The group<br><br>After introducing himself to Sam Richard moved over to stand beside Mi. When she glanced at him he smiled back. She felt an aura of warmth and reassurance wash over her, something she hadn't felt in him before now. When she gave her own self depricating speech he walked over to her and put an arm around her. Something had obviously changed in him. He'd become more human in his actions.<br><br>He whispered in her ear. <strong>"Don't sell yourself short, Mi. there is more to you than you realize. I can feel it."</strong><br><br>She felt the desire in him once more, but there was also something else, a holding back. It was the psychic equivalent of giving her space, of backing off, letting her make up her own mind.<br><br>He addressed the group again.<br><strong><br>"I forgot to add. I have been reliably informed that our sensory expert, Rachel Johnson, has decided not to join us. She feels that the agency is not for her. That is a choice you may all make at any point during this mission. Zil and Macy have both been unavoidably delayed, but should join us later."</strong><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Callie Del Noire</strong> on <strong>30-09-2012, 01:10:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name</strong>: Emerald Dante<br><strong>Ability</strong>: Psychometric Reading.<br><strong>Location</strong>: Train heading towards Cardiff<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Andrew White<br><br><strong>"Why do you want me around? You do know that in normal settings I'm almost a total basket case."</strong> She said as she drummed her gloved fingers over the window ledge as she looked out the window. <strong>"Whatever the kidnappers did to me broke the 'off switch' in me." </strong><br><br>She constantly checked the shields she had built to keep herself sane, even in this relatively new car had lingering auras all around. She could feel them pushing against her shields. She took a long cleansing breath as she pushed the sounds and smells of past lives away. <br><br><strong>"So why do you need an object reader slash forger like me?"</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>JohnTheGreat</strong> on <strong>30-09-2012, 05:39:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong> Rose<br><strong>Location:</strong> The Laughing Dragon<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> The group<br><br>Rose sighs, she knew this would come up sooner or later but she hoped it would be later. <strong>"Alright, if we are doing what makes us special"</strong> she glances back over to the bartender to make sure he isn't listening before continuing, <strong>"I sometimes see things.. things which haven't happened yet. I don't know much about it beyond that it is unpleasant but it has been useful in the past. As for other skills, need someone to research something or hack a police database, not that I've ever done that before.. that would be illegal and totally not as much fun as you'd think, I'm your girl."</strong> She glances around the room with a slight look of contempt on her face, <strong>"But without a stable internet connection I can't think of a way to be useful."</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>30-09-2012, 15:00:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Ivan Demchak<br>Location: The Laughing Dragon<br>Tagging: The group<br><br><br>"Alright then, I'm starting to think of a plan." He says this, then pauses to finish off his coffee. "But <em>first</em>, some ground rules. <strong>Especially</strong> since we're forced into maintaining silence here. First of all, outside this place, we must act in a professional environment. <em>Civilians</em> do not need to know who and what we are, and what we're doing. As far as they should be concerned, we're family members of the deceased girl, <strong>Emma Winters</strong>. This is our cover, because we do not know if we might discover or be discovered by the person or persons responsible for this or not. If you can't maintain your cover, you paint a big target on your back, and with limited communications... well, I'd really rather not see fatalities on our side, and I'm sure none of us want to die, alright everyone?"&nbsp; <br><br>He would look to each person in turn, and wait for acknowledgement that they understood him on this part, before he'd even think of continuing on. He was nervous working with these people; he had serious misgivings about their ability to to do what needed to be done, and Mi could probably pick that up with ease, even if outwardly, he didn't show it.&nbsp; But, now he was looking at them, gauging their reaction, and trying to find a reason to have confidence in them. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lisa2lady</strong> on <strong>02-10-2012, 10:35:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Macy <br>Location: The Laughing Dragon<br>Tagging: The group<br>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>The tick from the clock got louder with ever second Macy head kept pounding with each tick&nbsp; . The sound along with the imagine of the young girl in the picture pulled her out of her sleep causing her to&nbsp; roll off the bed&nbsp; and hit&nbsp; the cold floor. She laid there for a&nbsp; moment groaning into the palms of her hands&nbsp; <strong> “Not doing that again.”</strong> she felt lick she got hit by a bus that meant her powers were going to be all wacky for the day.&nbsp; She set up and stretched her body out noticing the time “dame I am late again”&nbsp; she yelled into her pillow.&nbsp; She quickly got ready and&nbsp; grabbed her things before heading&nbsp; out the door. <br><br>She arrived at the inn just in time to hear Ivan <strong>“why am I here” </strong>she mumbled to herself before joining the group during Ivan’s lecture. The talk of death was not very encouraging she brushed her hair back and shrugged her shoulders “well I can’t speak for others but I am not planning on dying in the backwoods of some shitty London town” 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sussurus</strong> on <strong>02-10-2012, 16:30:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Threnody listened with interest as the others explained what they could do. She'd never met any 'gifted' people outside of her own specialty, and the variety of talents was fascinating. She smirked at Sam's 'and other things'... and didn't say anything about the first thing <em>she'd</em> thought of, which was that he could almost certainly kill someone with a touch. The heart was made out of muscle, after all...<br><br>Threnody quirked an eyebrow at Ivan's suggestion. "Well, I for one do what I do professionally... so, possibly I'm a medium who's been hired by all of you 'relatives'?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Banks</strong> on <strong>03-10-2012, 01:25:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Sam Doyle<br>Location: The Laughing Dragon<br>Tagging: Ivan, Everybody<br><hr>Sam listened to the others explain their powers, or in the case of Ivan, avoid talking about them all together.&nbsp; Frowning, he decided not to mention anything.&nbsp; He wasn't about to scare off the only one in their group who seemed to have any experience in this type of thing.<br><br>After the girls had finished responding to Ivan, Sam, with a serious look on his face said <strong>"It seems we're finally making some headway here, this conversation is the first thing I have heard that made sense since I was told about this case."</strong> He frowned for a second before looking at the black-haired European <strong>"Ivan my man, I like your plan, but I am not sure how we are going to pull off the whole "relatives" thing believably"</strong> he said while scanning each member of their ragtag multicultural little group.&nbsp; Asians, eastern Europeans and an American <em>*Heh, just about the only place we could pass unnoticed is at the United Nations*</em>.&nbsp; Sam eyed the newcomer, Macy, a bit longer than the others.&nbsp; She was an attractive Indian woman with curves in all the right places <em>*She sure is a hottie, but sure as hell doesn't look too happy to be here, not that I can blame her*</em>.&nbsp; Sam smiled and continued&nbsp; <strong>"I suppose a few of us could pretend to be friends of the family or... pretend to be married into the family.&nbsp; But as far as cover goes, I'm with Threnody, best find an additional something we can each pull off realistically so we don't stick out like sore thumbs if caught alone.&nbsp; For me, I will see if I can find something that looks like a taxi.&nbsp; I can pull off cabbie in my sleep, and you guys will have gotten yourselves a free ride."</strong><br><br>Outwardly, Sam a showed confident and determined look, but for anyone reading his emotions he might have actually looked a tad excited.&nbsp; Though he was not particularly interested in solving some odd murder case, all this undercover stuff was pretty stimulating, as were the women.. eh people he was working with.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>03-10-2012, 04:14:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Ivan Demchak<br>Location: The Laughing Dragon<br>Tagging: Everyone<br><br>"That is a good point, Sam. Threnody, in your case, we could say that the family has hired you, because we are interested in trying to make contact with her spirit. In my case, I think my accent will give me away... so I will be claiming to being a freelance journalist, who just so happened to get a hot scoop." He hmm'd, and looked around at everyone.<br><br>"Well, I will admit, this will be the first time I am doing field work, so I will apologize if I am not entirely well versed in this. Though I was in the top five of my class for everything. Speaking of which, Richard, I believe the woman you work for should have gotten a package together for me..? Any chance you have it? I hope we won't need it, but it's better to be prepared than sorry." He was referring to the pistol and license to possess said weapon.<br><br>"Mi, I would like you to partner up with Macy. Try to canvass the town, get a bead on people. Your talent at reading people obviously surpasses my own; I can't learn in the class room what you can do intuitively, and your ability to read people may help us find out if anybody here is responsible for it."<br><br>"Sam, why don't you team up with me? Partnering up is the best way to stay safe, the buddy system, you know? You could be my assistant, another journalist whom I am showing the ropes.&nbsp; Trust me when I say, I know how to handle the difficult questions." Because Ukrainian police are typically trained as interrogators as a matter of course, though he does not come right out and say that. <br><br>"Threnody, Rose, I'd also like you to team up and canvas the area. Look for suspicious places, suspicious people; if neither are you are good at prying information out of people, then maybe just do some recon for us?"<br><br>"Richard, I know you are here to assess us, but I would like to ask your assistance in a small matter. Since we won't have a reliable means of communicating via phones, it seems to me that we will need to simply have to check in periodically with someone, and perhaps leave notes. The problem, of course, is making sure said notes are not compromised in any way. We don't want to tip our hand to anyone, nor do we want anyone onto us to be able to lure us into a trap with a false note.&nbsp; I am asking you to do this, because otherwise, I'll have to leave two behind here, and that lessens our efficiency as a group. Plus, I know I can trust you with such an important task."<br><br>"Well, that's ultimately the plan I have. We split the place up into half; me and Sam cover one half, Mi and Macy the other. Threnody, Rose, you'd be mostly be investigating whatever passes for hot spots in the town; probably the local market, checking along the perimeter of the town. Don't go wandering off into the forests yet, that would be stage two."<br><br>"If their's any questions, concerns, or someone sees a gaping hole that needs to be patched up, now is the time for us to do that. Well, anyone..?" Though he seemed fairly confident, and held himself in that way, Mi's talents, if put to use on him, would betray some anxiety. Which makes sense, since this is the first time he's actually putting what he's studied into practice, and under entirely strange circumstances. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>JohnTheGreat</strong> on <strong>03-10-2012, 06:01:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name: </strong>Rose<br><strong>Location: </strong>The Laughing Dragon<br><strong>Tagging: </strong>Threnody<br><br>Rose looks a bit disappointed at the idea of having to leave what is apparently the only part of the town that is living in the twenty first century but she is happy someone is taking charge at least. She hops oh her stool, pick up her bad and says <strong>"Alright then Threnody, shall we go exploring?"</strong><br>Rose knows there is little chance of the town having a starbucks but they might have a highly suspicious coffee shop somewhere.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Lisa2lady</strong> on <strong>05-10-2012, 21:00:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong> Macy <br><strong><strong>Location: </strong>The Laughing Dragon<br>Tagging:</strong> Mi <br><br><br>She was not to happy to know that technology did not exist in the small town. Life with out her phone and laptop would be miserable but what could she do. She listens to the rest of the plan everyone was now teamed up as if they were real detectives or some shit.&nbsp; &nbsp; Macy smirked at Mi looking her up and down she did not know anything about the young woman nor did she care to. She walked over to her and place a fake smile that covered up her annoyance with the situation. <strong>“Well&nbsp; Mi lets hurry up and get this&nbsp; over with so&nbsp; I can return to my normal life”</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Banks</strong> on <strong>06-10-2012, 00:35:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Character Name: Sam Doyle<br>Location: The Laughing Dragon<br>Tagging: Ivan, Richard, Everybody<br><hr>Sam listened to Ivan's plan with a serious look on his face, nodding when he mentioned they should work together.&nbsp; <strong>"Yah, sure.&nbsp; We are going to go about questioning people then?&nbsp; Sounds like I will get to use my movie know-how after all."</strong> he said with a grin and a roll of his shoulder.&nbsp; Quickly returning serious Sam added <strong>"I'll be the one driving though, it gives me the creeps when I am not in control of a car."</strong>&nbsp; In truth, although Sam was probably in the most interesting position with the knowledgeable Ukrainian, but he would have had a lot more fun with at least one girl on his team.&nbsp; <em>*Oh well, it will add to the excitement when we all get together again*.</em><br><br><strong>"Alright, after you get what you need from Richard, I am going to see about renting myself a car.&nbsp; As long as it has a decent engine in it I'm happy.&nbsp; That will of course be covered by company expenses?"</strong> he said raising his eyebrows at Richard.<br><br>Sam was feeling mostly excited at the prospect of trying something so new.&nbsp; At the same time there was a tint of disappointment at not spending as much time with the girls.&nbsp; He was not nervous at all though, he had the utmost confidence in his skills in both fighting and driving, a little x-files case was not going to change that.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Gifted and Cursed (IC)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Siereis</strong> on <strong>07-10-2012, 14:22:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Character Name:</strong> Mi<br><strong>Location:</strong> The Laughing Dragon<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> The group and Macy in particular<br><strong>Ability:</strong> Can sense other people's emotions<br><strong>Previously doing:</strong> Just arrived at the Laughing Dragon, ordered coffee<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> Jeans and a t-shirt, aviator sunglasses, tennis shoes, obvious thong<br><br><br>Mi looked a bit uncomfortable as Richard came and stood next to her, causing the slender girl to look down at her tennis shoe clad feet nervously as she listened to the group continue on after she had last spoken.&nbsp; She could tell the man was trying his best to be friendly to her..perhaps more than friendly given how their last conversation had gone.&nbsp; As he whispered in her ear, she looked back up at the male and simply offered him a simple tight smile that could barely be called a smile at all.&nbsp; However, the smile quickly disappeared again and she shook her head to bring her thoughts out of the clouds before listening to the group again.<br><br>First of all, she heard the suggestion from Ivan that they all go under cover as family members of the dead girl.&nbsp; Remembering that picture from last night of the naked girl with hurtful looking injuries all along her body, Mi squirmed in disgust once.&nbsp; However, as she looked around she already realized that Ivan's initial plan was not going to work - something that Sam had already seemed to catch on to.&nbsp; At the moment, Mi did not voice up her own opinions, but if any strangers asked who she was, Mi was going to just say she was a friend of Emma Winters and was investigating the odd death along with family members.<br><br>Mi had continued to stand there with her slender arms crossed just under her chest as she eyed the others in the group as they divided up roles.&nbsp; It seemed like a decent enough idea to split up, but then again Ivan could have just been pulling this idea from an episode of "Scooby Doo".&nbsp; Regardless, Mi felt like she was in no place to argue with the male so she allowed him to continue, all the while glancing back over to Richard out of the corners of her eyes.&nbsp; At being told to partner with Macy though, Mi glanced over at the other woman curiously.&nbsp; Macy certainly seemed annoyed at something - though at this point Mi was uncertain why.&nbsp; Regardless, the slender Korean girl pulled away from Richard after giving him one last look and walked over to join Macy.&nbsp; <strong>"Right...investigate the locals and see if there are any emotions out of place.&nbsp; got it...just us two defenseless girls against the mysterious village people."</strong>&nbsp; Mi rolled her eyes again before heading for the front door.<br><br>Mi nodded to Macy once before she walked out the front door, holding it open to allow the other girl to follow before she started walking around the town.&nbsp; Already Mi was glad she had worn tennis shoes instead of high heels like she was considering.&nbsp; The town was not even fully paved and the slightly muddy pathways were still wet with morning dew.&nbsp; Mi rolled her eyes, already hating this place.&nbsp; <strong>"So Macy...any idea of where we should check out first?&nbsp; I figured since it is still morning in this tiny ass village we should check out the places like the local breakfast places?"</strong>&nbsp; As Mi continued to walk, she shivered in place due to the cold.&nbsp; Hopefully by later on in the day it would warm up.
			</dd>
		</dl>
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