this is Salem, a land filled with magic and maladies. It is a place where witches and their elemental familiars gather, a home to legend and
lore that predates time itself. Yet of all the wicked and wonderful stories the past can tell us of, the most magical are the ones yet to happen.
This is Salem - this is the start of your very own journey. Welcome to starfall
Starfall is an animaga witch roleplay set in mostly modern times. Members play as witches in a world plagued by monsters, where the only safe spots are walled cities. Starfall strives to be a character-driven roleplay with expansive lore and a highly interactive plotline. We want to allow members to
create and look back on a magical journey, and mold the site and its plot as their characters grow.
Its strange, most burglaries targeted the Hovel or downtown. Though in the Hovel most of them went unreported. Most denizens there decided to take matters into their own hands and tracked down the thieves to beat the daylights out of them. Usually, it was pretty civil. This area…seemed too nice for burglary. Too secure. But perhaps that was why a string of robberies had started occurring. Aiden didn’t bother reasoning why too tired to care. For now, it was simple enough to know it was happening, and Medeia wanted it to stop. That’s what the extra patrol duty was for. Any witches that weren’t tasked out to more difficult duties were volunteering, or well more like being voluntold, for extra night shifts. The increase in patrolling had begun to exhaust the current night crew the coven had and so more had to be pulled in. He wouldn’t have minded it all too much. He’d been on a couple of night patrols before. Most of them were pretty quiet, especially around these parts, and he got a little time to study when they rounded back to the coven to check in.
Tonight however, he wasn’t with the usual people. Tonight, he was supervising a fledgling for her first night patrol. He assumed anyway. IT was a fledgling after all. They didn’t get to do much. Still, he had prepared a few topics of discussion, and a quick explanation of what the routine would be. More importantly, he had left his textbooks in his room to pay more attention to his…charge. He didn’t like that word. He was a novice sure, but he didn’t feel up to the task of overseeing someone. Much less supervising them. What’s worse, he wasn’t really in the mood to have his trainee get him in trouble because…if they got in trouble...he’d be in trouble for being in charge of them. He barely had any free time left; he had to protect the little he had.
So, there he stood, absently plucking red hairs out of his scarf. It got a little chilly at night around 2 am. McKenna stood with him, mist flowing off her tail and antlers like dry ice. She was excited for new company and her big sparkly eyes glanced around from one way to the next waiting expectantly. Finally, he heard the footsteps of he assumed the person he’d be patrolling with. “Hey, I’m Aiden.” He greeted politely offering a small wave. “Are you…uh…Emery Argentia?” he asked tilting his head up as he noted the closer she came, the taller she was. IF he hadn’t been uneasy then he was definitely uneasy now.
OF ALL OF YOU THAT BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE RIGHT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, BUT ARE YOU RIGHT?
[attr="class","frniknaktop5"]
THE JUDGEMENT MAN HOLDS MY FATE. AS I GAZE AROUND THE ROOM, THEIR EYES ARE LIKE KNIVES: COULD DECAPITATE.
[attr="class","frniknakmid"]
She'd received word from her superiors that she was called for a mission that was situated in Downtown Sundial. Someone of a higher rank of hers will accompany her on this mission, and he couldn't help but feel quite relieved. This was her first mission and she couldn't do it all by herself. She hoped it would be Claire; but then again, one shouldn't expect to much because it wouldn't be the trait of a Knight anymore. One has to be modest in this situation.
[break][break]Recent burglaries had been happening in Downtown Sundial, with people losing much more than they ever had. Why, though, of all places, would the burglars do their theft on a hustling and bustling place like the Downtown? However, the leader of the Knights, Medeia Trevil, wants to stop it. She didn't know why she, of all people, was tasked for this mission, but then again, she wouldn't be all by herself, wouldn't she?
[break][break]Rogue accompanied Emery -- like he always would -- to Downtown that night, as it was said in the letter that she'd be meeting with her superior there. The area was particularly chilly at night, so luckily she decided to wear a scarf, which completed her attire for this mission. Even Rogue was wearing something that could cover his "overly-sensitive" fur for the night.
[break][break]From the distance she could finally see a small shadow of a figure, making her raise an eyebrow. Maybe some stranger walking around the streets that night, but who in their right mind would ever walk around the streets at 2 PM when they were supposed to be asleep? So then... she assumed this was another Knight patrolling the streets.
[break][break]But then again, Emery and her other companion were supposed to be the ones patrolling right now.
[break][break]As she neared the figure, his head turned and he greeted her, saying his name. Emery stopped and tilted her head, then listened as he asked if she was Emery Argentia. Of course she was, but Aiden... who was this? Sure, he might be a Knight, but--
[break][break]...Wait.
[break][break]Is Aiden her... companion?
[break][break]Emery almost wanted to scream in disbelief, but she couldn't do that right now. But seriously, I never would've thought my superior would be much smaller than me... She coughed and managed to smile back at him with a nod. "Hello. Yes, I'm Emery Argentia. I'm assuming you're my companion in this mission? My... superior?"
[break][break]Somehow saying the word 'superior' felt wrong -- absolutely wrong -- but she couldn't do anything about that.
[break][break]After all, one shouldn't underestimate the people in front of you. They actually might be something bigger than you are.
Aiden tried to keep calm in all professional situations, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little…perturbed at the fact that his underling for the night was someone so much taller than him. He hated having to crane his neck up to people, especially people he was supposed to be in charge of. It felt a little embarrassing. Besides, short people in positions of authority was just begging for those Napoleon Complex rumors to go flying about. He didn’t need anything tarnishing his banged-up reputation, much less something that he couldn’t deny without people disregarding him anyway. “I am the novice witch assigned to patrol with Emery Argentia tonight, yes.” He replied curtly, his words clipped as he purposefully avoided the word ‘superior’. He didn’t want to say it right now. He just wanted to get this over with. McKenna circled the newcomers, offering no greeting words but she did seem to give the pair a nod of acknowledgement. The redhead nodded over at his familiar. “This is McKenna. She’s…taciturn.”
“I’ve been told that this is your first mission as a knight. Is that correct, Emery?” he asked as he began committing her face to memory with the name he’d just spoken. He gave her a few minutes to speak before continuing. “It’s a pretty simple first mission, even if it’s a little over your level.” He stated hoping to brush off any lingering nerves that his companion may have had or worsened at the sight of him. “I hope those shoes are comfortable,” he added pointing down at the woman’s feet. “We’ll be walking on and off for the majority of the shift as we make the rounds through the residential district. There’s only been a couple of incidents reported by other shifts but none of them ever the cat burglars which makes this one cat burglar or burgling ring, pretty smart. Stay sharp.”
Aiden took a moment to check his boots, tucking in the laces behind the flap before making sure he had every on him. He didn’t carry much in personal belongings at the moment, the only thing really noticeable aside form a patrol uniform and some warm underclothes was a metal thermos hooked to his belt. He’d started packing some intensely caffeinated tea for the occasion. It stayed hot for the majority of the night and the unusual amount of caffeine in it kept him extremely alert. He usually stopped drinking it an hour or so before his shift ended, if only so he could fall asleep properly. “Right well, if you have any questions we can walk and talk.” He said as he gave himself one final pat down before nodding in the direction they were going and taking lead. His pace wasn’t too quick to allow Emery to fall in step with him. McKenna stared at the fledgling pair before blinking out of existence and appearing next to her witch’s side.
OF ALL OF YOU THAT BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE RIGHT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, BUT ARE YOU RIGHT?
[attr="class","frniknaktop5"]
THE JUDGEMENT MAN HOLDS MY FATE. AS I GAZE AROUND THE ROOM, THEIR EYES ARE LIKE KNIVES: COULD DECAPITATE.
[attr="class","frniknakmid"]
Emery wants to giggle at how cute Aiden was, but then again that is not a sign of respect to higher ranked witches, so she simply nods and smiles at the shorter boy. He confirms that he is Aiden and is here to patrol with her, and she nods once more. That one was already understandable. His tone is rather curt and attentive to Emery, but the way he almost tries to talk authoritatively to her makes her smile in amusement. His tone still poses a sign that he is a higher up, but he still looks quite childish.
[break][break]Rogue was the first to glance at the gazelle circling them. The deer does not greet them, but nods anyway. Emery and Rogue do the same, and once Aiden introduces his familiar, Emery nods in understanding. "Nice to meet you both, Aiden and McKenna. This is my familiar, Rogue." She says, pointing to the cat. "I hope he proves quite useful in this mission. He can be mischievous sometimes." Rogue smacks her head with his tail, and she simply giggles before being serious again.
[break][break]"Yes, correct." She replies after he asks her if this was her first mission. Then he states that it's a simple mission, even if it's pretty above her level. "Don't worry. I can take it." After all, she's already a grown-up. She may have weaker spells and she needs to learn, she knows very much how to defend herself. She didn't bring her two knives for nothing. He then hopes that her shoes are comfortable, then tells her that they'd be doing rounds on and off.
[break][break]Again, Emery nods. "I'm prepared."
[break][break]Aiden then states that they'll talk while they walk if she has any questions. Emery nods again and follows the younger novice. Indeed, she does have a question. The blonde female looks at the novice with a raised eyebrow and opens her mouth to speak. "So, we all know that there had been cat burglars roaming around these parts," She looks around the moonlit downtown, then turns to Aiden again. "Question is, though, when did the burglars start their theft?"
Aiden turns his head back to Emery as she introduces her own familiar. He gives the cat familiar a simple nod. McKenna snickers at the description, hoping the familiar did indeed prove to be an amusing one. “There’s always room for that.” She supplies, her voice airy but soft. It was more directed at her witch than the other two. Aiden tilts his head back to McKenna rebuffing her gently, “Don’t encourage them.” He’s glad that Emery is confident in her skill and hopefully, they wouldn’t require her skills much at all tonight. He’d make sure to cover her if they were stuck in an incident of course but the likelihood of that happening was pretty low anyway.
“From what I’ve heard we had a string of robberies a few weeks back that happened around the same neighborhood with only a few days in between.” As they leave Headquarters he begins taking the patrol path he’d been assigned for the night. He had hoped he wouldn’t be taking that many shifts but he supposed until the burglar business was dealt with they’d be out for appearances for a long while. He’d learned this and a few other paths. “Pay attention to the route we take. We’re on this one tonight and but it might change tomorrow.” He said as he stepped over a crack in the pavement. McKenna followed his lead, hoping over it before glancing around, ears twitching as she listened for any other noise other than the group’s footsteps.
“Anyway, we don’t have any suspects at the moment or persons of interest. The investigators couldn’t gather a lot of info from the crime scenes, so it’s just patrols while they continue searching for clues.” He didn’t think they’d be informed too much on the details but hopefully they’d stop these. Unless Medeia planned on making this a permanent part of HK duties which, would probably need an increase in recruitment. He paled at the thought. He wasn’t a morning bird by any means, but very few things were open during the later hours of the night. He needed to eat. It wasn’t like he could cook for himself. Augh, how annoying. He’d made a small note to himself to start stockpiling food he could eat easily with little preparation. “You may not recognize this way, but we’re eventually making our way for the Rose Glade neighborhood.” He stated.
OF ALL OF YOU THAT BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE RIGHT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, BUT ARE YOU RIGHT?
[attr="class","frniknaktop5"]
THE JUDGEMENT MAN HOLDS MY FATE. AS I GAZE AROUND THE ROOM, THEIR EYES ARE LIKE KNIVES: COULD DECAPITATE.
[attr="class","frniknakmid"]
She receives a statement from both the novice and his familiar, and she chuckles lightly, finding it to be the truth. Most familiars she had met are indeed mischievous than she thought they would be, including her familiar. Tonight is no time for amusing each other, though. Patrols need serious attention and that is what Emery is trying to divert herself into.
[break][break]The two witches are walking away from the Headquarters. Emery turns her head back for just a split second before turning to Aiden as he replies to the question she has asked him a few seconds ago. "Hmm... they must be new, then." She mumbles to herself, grazing a finger through her chin. "That's undeniably unbelievable that multiple burglars could already form a group in just a few days, though. We have to be more alert if that is the case."
[break][break]Aiden then tells her to pay attention to the routes, and she smiles and nods at this as a response. "Don't worry. I'll remember the details." She sees the broken pavement that Aiden has stepped on. Different routes can be a little bit of a hassle sometimes, but with a few small details she could probably remember which street or part of town this is. For example, that broken pavement is their first checkpoint.
[break][break]Emery frowns upon hearing that there are no suspects as to who the burglars are yet. "...Now that would be quite a challenge." She didn't have any other good word to prove her point at the moment. But if this keeps going on, that there will be no suspects to be pointed out, maybe Medeia will increase the patrolling and assign one Knight everyday. Now this was quite annoying. She sighed inwardly and shook her head. I hope Aiden and me catch those burglars in time...
[break][break]Rose Glade Street wasn't really far from the first route they had just walked into. She nods and follows Aiden towards the neighborhood. Even though it was dark, Rogue could still spot a few people walking around, very much awake. There are about five to fifteen people awake here, Emery. He tells his witch, who nods at him in response.
[break][break]"Oh, would you look at that," She says, pointing to the people walking around. "Some folks are still awake."
He shrugs and offers a vaguely encouraging response. “That or they’ve been working elsewhere if they’re this proficient at breaking and entering.” He went on to add a few more details of what he’d heard. “Most people didn’t realize they were being robbed until they heard faint noises, by then the burglars had left. OR you know, found their offices and living rooms ransacked.” McKenna takes a moment to point out something else. “They’ve taken valuables but also…at times…linens, food stuffs, and even books…Valuables and objects of random interest.” She states loud enough for the pair to hear her.
Aiden nodded again. “Yes exactly. Random. I personally think it’s one very lucky or very smart individual, but they’re theorizing multiple people because of how recent and wide spread the robberies have been. Multiple houses are being robbed in one night.” Whoever it was, was aware of what they wanted and where it was. Maybe their familiar was in tune with their needs so they could sniff it out. Or a powerful witch that had fallen on hard times, though missions would probably be far more lucrative than snatching up trinkets in well to do households, right?
“Yes, and without leads and a dramatic increase in patrols it’ll be even more challenging to find anything related to the thefts.” The ginger said with a sigh. No justice would be served, but at least the citizens would be at peace. Utilitarianism at its finest. Though, he couldn’t argue with that. His job was to ring the most amount of good to the most amount of people after all. As Emery points out the few citizens strolling around he waved at them casually. He recognized a few faces from previous nights, and like any good beat witch he’d exchanged pleasantries with them. “Yes, we’ve just started patrolling after all. It’ll clear out by 11:30, Emery.” He assured her. “We’ll be doing the basic streets in this neighborhood and when it gates later, go back around to get the backyards and alleyways.”
OF ALL OF YOU THAT BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE RIGHT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, BUT ARE YOU RIGHT?
[attr="class","frniknaktop5"]
THE JUDGEMENT MAN HOLDS MY FATE. AS I GAZE AROUND THE ROOM, THEIR EYES ARE LIKE KNIVES: COULD DECAPITATE.
[attr="class","frniknakmid"]
Emery listens more as Aiden explains the situation further, and she frowns at what she heard. So there has been a lot of thefts happening around the street than she thought there ever would... the blonde nods and grazes a finger through her chin, staring at the moonlit concrete gound in concentration. "Now that's unfortunate..." She mumbles thoughtfully, and after hearing McKenna's addition to the things that had been stolen, this only emphasizes what Emery said. "These thieves don't have a specific pattern, then. They just pick the stuff that seems appealing to them, at least." She adds, closing her eyes. "They don't seem to be up to something... possibly doing this for the laughs."
[break][break]At the mention of multiple people, she nods in agreement. "Indeed, it is possible. How else would they steal that much if this were a one-man operation?" She says, looking around. So far only other people she ever saw aside from her and Aiden walking around were those people in Rose Glade. She then considers the multiple houses being robbed in one night. At this, she stayed silent and thought more. There are so many types of witches that are willing to rob houses depending on the situations they are in... and they're probably doing it all together.
[break][break]She sighs and shakes her head when Aiden tells her that they would be a challenge. "I can already see why with the police." She states. Not only are there so many of them, they are also stealthy and could get away real fast.
[break][break]Power groups, those sods are, Rogue snarls, looking around the dark streets with Emery. They probably don't know the value of the things they are stealing.
[break][break]Emery could only nod and pat Rogue to calm him down. Things like this made him heat up, and so does Emery, but letting her anger take her away should be set aside for now. As she sees that they are nearing Rose Glade, she squints more to see if the same amount of people are still there. The few awake people wave at them as they approach, and Emery simply waves back with a small smile. Aiden then tells her about the area they are going to patrol, and she nods. "Roger that." She says with a small salute and a wink at Aiden and McKenna.
[break][break]Rogue smirks and turns to Emery. This is going to be a loooong night.
Post by aiden emerson on Sept 4, 2018 20:30:05 GMT
The redhead nods slowly. “One or both. We can only really speculate until we happen upon more evidence.” He sighs. IF they were lucky enough to chance upon evidence anyway. Most of this had been gathered up by more powerful witches that specialized in investigating or whatever. As they passed one of the homes that had been robbed he pointed it out quietly before passing on as usual. “They haven’t hit the same houses twice at least.” He notes. He huffs at Emery as she salutes him and McKenna. His familiar on the other hand gives her a nod in his stead and trots along after her witch.
A couple of hours pass with ease and Aiden is, for the most part, silent. Occasionally he pipes up to break the silence with a whisper or two at his charge. It’s awkward but the attempts are still there. The temperature begins dropping swiftly once they hit midnight. Aiden picks up the pace in order to stay warm. He covers himself with a cloak at McKenna’s urging, and he tightened the scarf to wrap more around his neck. He didn’t know whether he was particularly affected by the cold or if it really just was him. Either way, he sipped from his thermos and stuck to the shadows the darker it got. It was a patrol, but he felt more like a prowler at this point.
His steps are more deliberate as he attempts to silence his movements, and with a sharp look to Emery and a quick whisper he urges her to tread just as carefully. He leads her through a particularly green walkway before making his way around some backyards until all he could see was a line of fences. “Watch your step, it’s a little less lit here.” He notes before leading forward for another hour or so. At one point he stops at McKenna stares something down, only for it to turn out to be a small squirrel that scurries away. The redhead sighs. “Please stop making friends with the wildlife…” he pleads while McKenna laughs soundlessly. He hears the amusement in his head.
“What about you?” she asks, getting closer so Emery and Rogue could hear her. “Will you be making friends with them?” she asks. And before Aiden can ask who ‘them’ is he hears a pitch of laughter before profuse shushing a bit of a ways away. He looks to Emery in surprise as a singular thought passes through his head. who the hell? McKenna disappears, for the moment and there’s whispers. Multiple whispers. “Let’s get closer.” He says beckoning the apprentice closer before moving slowly towards the source, staying hidden. “If we have to interact, I want you to do it.” He added gripping his cloak tightly to keep it closed.
OF ALL OF YOU THAT BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE RIGHT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, BUT ARE YOU RIGHT?
[attr="class","frniknaktop5"]
THE JUDGEMENT MAN HOLDS MY FATE. AS I GAZE AROUND THE ROOM, THEIR EYES ARE LIKE KNIVES: COULD DECAPITATE.
[attr="class","frniknakmid"]
Emery simply nods as Aiden says something about evidence; she looks to the side and sighs herself. It would be quite hard to solve a case without any evidence, that is. No wonder why the police are having a bad time trying to catch them right now. Aiden then states that the thieves apparently hadn't hit the same houses twice; Emery sighs in relief at this. "Well, that's good. In a minimal way, that is..." She says with a frown. "It's not like it's better than multiple houses being robbed, but at least the same citizens wouldn't have to suffer a robbery twice or thrice."
[break][break]Hours passed by, and the both of them are still walking beside each other; Aiden has remained silent while walking this time, and so does Emery. The blonde female simply watches the surroundings around them, taking note of the houses being silent now. There wasn't a single soul outside of their houses this time. Looks like most of them are asleep... She says to Rogue, who hears her and nods, before turning back to the alleyways again. No strange figures, no suspicious movement... looks like the most silent part of town.
[break][break]Then Aiden warns about watching her step, and she nods at the novice, though was almost about to roll her eyes at the warning. "Hey, I'm fine here." She simply says, nothing more, as she doesn't want to appear rude, especially to someone with a higher class than her. Then McKenna is reprimanded by her witch after having interacted with a small squirrel; Emery and Rogue were then asked if they would make friends with wildlife. Emery smiles at her and nods, but doesn't say anything; only Rogue has the opportunity to open his mouth. "Yeah, sure. So long as they are nice, that is."
[break][break]Emery was about to ask something, but a sudden laughter intervenes. She stops walking and whips her head around in alarm. The blonde Knight raises an eyebrow and keeps looking around, then turns to Aiden after he told her to get closer to them. He then tells her to do the interactions if they ever needed to talk to someone. The blonde Knight pouts, but doesn't complain. But I probably think the superior should be in charge of the talking, though... She thinks to herself, not saying it out loud.
[break][break]Well, since he wants to make her do interactions, why not do it right now? With a small mischievous smirk, she turns to where she and Aiden had heard the laughter and puts a hand around her mouth. "Hello?" She calls out softly, wanting to gain the attention of the strangers if there are any. "Is anyone here?"
Post by aiden emerson on Sept 7, 2018 23:22:03 GMT
As Emery takes point, he tries to match her steps as he obscures his presence. Unfortunately, he’s not aware of any spells that can mask his footsteps, so he relies on natural ability, the little bit he has from creeping around in his own neighborhood. McKenna is soundless but she’s before him, guiding his steps in the low light. It’s hard to move but he manages as the voices pick up.
“Who’s there?” “What was that?” “Shhh!” “I told you guys you were being to fuckin’ loud.” “Quiet!”
It was too late to run. Aiden and Emery were far too close for them to make it out without prompting a chase. They hadn’t been paying attention which explained how McKenna could’ve noted them and let Aiden and Emery know about the group before they had much of a chance to react.
“Can you all just chill?” hissed a female voice before shuffling some dirt, probably turning towards Emery. There’s a pause in the conversation and Aiden gets the feeling that the girl has moved closer towards Emery, or her familiar has. While this is happening, Aiden directs McKenna partway around the gaggle of kids, directing her to stay in the bushes. If they made a break for it he wanted her to cut them off for him. They could easily switch places and he could begin- well, probably asking some really invasive questions honestly.
Honey colored eyes pierce through the darkness, staring down at Emery despite being much shorter than her. Not as short as Aiden, but shorter. She looks over Emery in the dark before eyebrows furrow together. “What, no booze? This is a bring your own beer party.” It seemed she had been harshly judging not Emery’s face, but her outfit. The cold weather gear and scarf didn’t seem to alert her. The fact that she had continued to speak instead of darting off signaled at the very least, Emery blended in. Nice.
“We couldn’t carry anymore if she did!” pipes up a boy in Emery’s defense before a couple of others let of quiet laughs. “Shut it.” The first girl snaps with a glare ad without even giving Emery another glance turns back to the gathering of teenagers in the middle of the night and continues. “Another straggler. Who else did you tell Petey?” She puts her hands on her hips as she glares at a blonde boy with green eyes. Even without light fully illuminating the girl he tries to shrink form her view. “I-It’s fine. I only told people we can trust, Maple.”
Maple huffs now beckoning Emery and pointing at her to join the others who were half sitting, half squatting in the dirt around a couple of luminescent balls of light. Popped open cans and thermoses lay around smelling of beer and ciders. Probably to ward off the cold. “No one followed you right?” Maple asks, turning her attention to Emery once again. “I don’t want to have to repeat myself tonight.”
“You know you love the sound of your own voice!” pipes up a different girl before giggling. Maple throws an empty can at her head and misses. “This is an elaborate route, so pay attention if you wanna get your kicks in. What’s your name again?”
OF ALL OF YOU THAT BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE RIGHT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, BUT ARE YOU RIGHT?
[attr="class","frniknaktop5"]
THE JUDGEMENT MAN HOLDS MY FATE. AS I GAZE AROUND THE ROOM, THEIR EYES ARE LIKE KNIVES: COULD DECAPITATE.
[attr="class","frniknakmid"]
There were whispers from the darkness after Emery had called, as if someone was replying to her. She was pretty sure they were confused, as the only things they kept mumbling to each other were 'who that was' or 'everyone shut up'. The blonde Knight smiles and turns, but her eyes widen upon discovering that Aiden wasn't there anymore. Where the heck...? She looked around but found no sign of the novice. Well, he did tell her that she would be doing the talking but... still.
[break][break]After a sharp voice tells everyone to be calm, a girl emerges from the darkness, staring down at her with the kind of pride and arrogance in her look. Probably not afraid that Emery was taller than her. The blonde then stares and squints her eyes to see multiple other figures just behind the said girl, and she raises an eyebrow. What are a bunch of kids doing around here in the dark?
[break][break]They're probably just messing around. But still, shouldn't they have known there were burglars running around that could rob them out cold?
[break][break]The girl snaps at her about having no beer, adding it was a bring-your-own party. Emery furrows her eyebrows back at her. "Sorry girl, I don't drink." She snaps back at her. A boy then pipes up from the darkness, followed by the girl's retort. The girl then asks him who else he told, and Emery raises an eyebrow at this. These people are strangely... weird, and their vibe...
[break][break]Huh. I don't know. They're just weird.
[break][break]She then asks whether no one followed her; figuring that she should lie for Aiden and the mission's sake, she nods with a casual look. "Yeah. Just strolling around." She replied casually, looking over to the other figures and finally seeing their traits. They looked to be teenagers, about the same age as Aiden, or older than that. One thing's for sure, none of them are the same age as her. She thinks.
[break][break]Then a series of laughter follows after a joke, then she ends up being told by the girl to pay attention to the route they are about to take. The girl asks her name. "...Emily." She figured she had to lie again... for the mission's sake, of course.
[break][break]She briefly looks behind her and displays a cautious face, just for show in case one of the kids ask what that was about. Hopefully Aiden is still there watching and not leaving her behind with a bunch of teenagers...
Post by aiden emerson on Sept 22, 2018 5:53:24 GMT
As the teenagers bicker, he notes the faint smell of beer and decides they aren’t alert as he thought initially. That being said he feels confident and moving around them, keeping Emery in sight. Slowly but surely, he gets in her direct line of sight and lifts up a hand very slowly to give her an ‘ok’ sign before going back to crouching in some bushes. She was doing fine. He only wished he could send her directions like he did with McKenna.
Maple on the other hand isn’t too keen on a straight edge in their midst and eyes the other boy that had come to this new stranger’s defense. Though she’d never seen the girl before she imagines she just can’t possibly know everyone. Her thoughts are dulled slightly by the buzz of alcohol and thus she doesn’t get that concerned about this set back. “Alright kiddoes. We’re ideally hitting up 3 different zones tonight. 2 houses in each one.” She paused as she wrote on the dirt directly visible in the low light. She began drawing simple enough illustrations and explaining the route they would be taking. Occasionally she would drop comments or other would pipe up with relevant information like, “Macy said Mr. Goldberg has a wine stash in the basement” or “Mrs. Lighton is on vacation and the house is empty.”
“Everyone’s got their teams, right?” “Right!” “Wait- Emily isn’t on one-”
“Oh right.” Maple turned over to the trying to guess what she was good at before simply asking. “Hey, what can you do? Or we can just set you up as a look out.” She offered nonchalantly. It seemed like the group had had this kind of meeting multiple times already, the process pretty mundane to them as they all continued softly chattering among themselves and finishing off the last dregs of alcohol they had in their cans.
Aiden nodded to himself. He’d heard enough. He straightened up his knees cracking loudly and causing a slight stir, though none of the teenagers seemed to take notice. Frozen in the spot for a moment, the novice began to back away after attempting to send his partner a thumbs up. Unfortunately for him, as he moves back the back of his heel catch on a tree root. McKenna is at his side as soon as she senses the panic, but even she can’t do anything as Aiden flails backward and lands on his back with a crack of a few small branches and a loud thud. “Shit-” he hisses, the breath not knocked out of him fortunately.
“Who’s there?” Maple calls sharply and Aiden shoes McKenna off as the kids finally get up and rush into the brambles towards the source. The ginger blinks carefully a source of light on his face, blinding him. He scrambles to his feet, but hands are on him as he tries to pull his cloak shut again to hide his uniform. “Uh n-nobody.” He says meekly as two kids push him up to a tree before turning to Emily, the other newcomer. “You know this brat?” Aiden keeps his mouth shut as they all collectively look at Emery, but he can’t help but glare at the child that called him a brat.
OF ALL OF YOU THAT BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE RIGHT, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, BUT ARE YOU RIGHT?
[attr="class","frniknaktop5"]
THE JUDGEMENT MAN HOLDS MY FATE. AS I GAZE AROUND THE ROOM, THEIR EYES ARE LIKE KNIVES: COULD DECAPITATE.
[attr="class","frniknakmid"]
She walks with the youngsters towards their so called "quarters", and then the next thing she knew she was standing against a pole while they talked about stuff. Stuff that... seemed to be connected to the mission they were doing right now.
[break][break]Besides, why the heck would these teenagers talk about three different zones, two houses, a wine stash, and some Goldberg person leaving the house empty due to some vacation?
[break][break]The kids then discuss about teams, until one of them brings her up and tells their leader that she doesn't have a team yet. Maple turns and asks what she can do, even offering to take her up on keeping on guard. The blonde female smiles cheekily and nods. "Yeah, I can just do night watch. Besides, I'm not one of you guys, and I'm afraid I'd mess up if you guys take me along to your... teams... thing." Besides, after they were going to do their endeavors she could just tell Aiden about them and they could interrogate them later.
[break][break]...Which wasn't likely to happen, because the crack of a tree root can be heard in the darkness, causing the kids to switch to alarmed mode. Maple calls out, before rushing over to the direction where Emery though Aiden was trying to escape through. Emery hastily follows after them. Why did he just have to get himself to a situation like that?!
[break][break]Finally she stops and finds Aiden being held up to a tree, Maple turning to her and asking if she knew him. The blonde woman gulps down her own saliva, before turning to Aiden with a pretending glare on her face. Well, one way to reprimand him why he stepped on a tree branch, and...
[break][break]"Nope. Not familiar." She replied, grazing a finger through her chin with a small smirk. "Well, since he's also a stranger that happened to bump into you like I did, how about assigning him something? He could either come with you or be with me as guard."
[break][break]Emery was giving them options, since she was being kind enough just to make things easier for them. And also since Aiden got himself to this situation.
Post by aiden emerson on Sept 29, 2018 6:11:22 GMT
Fantastic. Cover blown and allowing himself to be held like a little kid. Then again, a couple of the people here were probably a couple of years older than him. He wouldn’t admit that though. He had an actual job, he went to university. He cooked and took care of his family. He was practically an adult. And here he was at the mercy of some girl name Maple. They weren’t even smart enough to come up with fake names probably. Emery dismisses him with ease and he held in a sigh of relief. Maple seemed annoyed by this turn of event but perhaps the alcohol taken previously makes her lower her guard. “Ugh, whatever, kid-” she points a finger at him. “You following your older bro or something??” It takes McKenna’s gently prodding at the back of his mind to not slap the finger out of his face. He pitches his voice higher and pretends he’s looking for his older cousins at age 11 again. “Yeah I was. We were sneaking out and I got…lost. Um, since guards have been patrolling more often he gave me some clothes to blend in.” he hoped they were stupid enough to buy that. At least it would save him some trouble, hopefully. If not, he was down with taking one in if they scattered.
Maple rubs her temple, but it seemed she was rushing now. It was getting colder. This would’ve been around the time him and Emery would’ve ambled over to a different area to inspect it. “Right just keep watch and keep your mouth shut, brat. Do a good job and you can have some of the wine or whatever.” She said dismissively. The kids that had been hanging onto him let go. Someone handed Maple a can which she tilted back to chug before dropping the can to the ground without a second thought. “Let’s go, I’ve had enough setbacks tonight.”
The teens led them to a three story house, the lights were off. “This is Lighton, get to it team.” Maple said. A group of teens peeled off jumping the fence and creeping towards the backdoor of the house. Aiden paled hearing a distant click before the rest began moving in. Maple patted both him and Emery on the back before leaving another girl keep watch with them. Though, for all intensive purposes she seemed pretty distracted. She wandered closer to another girl and Aiden heard a bit of soft giggling near a tree. He turned to Emery before whispering, “I’m sending McKenna off. Play along with them until you can disappear.” Something told him the longer the night went on the drunker they’d get anyway. Probably placidness from not getting caught. The girl assigned to them came back and gave them both a look before offering a friendly smile but not really saying anything. Probably taking her job seriously now.
