The Castle [03] (Remba, but don't let it stop you)

[Cogidubnus]

 Deafeningly loud, a thundercrack exploded through the alley, a bolt of lightning striking the roof above them and sending a few clay shingles clattering to the ground. The roar and sudden flash was enough to startle both Sebastian and Keaton, the Jackal faltering before she could swing at the mass of darkness.
Hat blown off by the constant wind, Cog stood at the entryway to the alley, a single fist beckoning to the storm above them. He was ominous in the darkness, hair and coat whipping about him, and the glasses that had slid half-down his nose exposed his eyes, the one visible orb fairly pulsing with rage. His free hand had gripped his sword, and already pulled it halfway out. The hand fairly shook as he held it, and with a metallic clack slammed it back into the sheath.
"Don't touch him, Keats." Cog said, his voice oddly even. He sniffed once, his face somehow darkening even more. "Let him enjoy his meal. Nothing do be done for Andrea now." he said disgustedly, turning and walking off, bending over to pick up his fallen hat as he left.


* * *

Cog cursed as he lost the bat, walking quickly towards the alley. He faintly knew it may do no good. The bat was as good a shadowmelder as he'd ever seen, and could be halfway across the city by now, if not simply incorporeal. The darkness provided by the storm was doing him no favors, and his sense of smell was severely hampered by the rain. Still...
He fairly ran up to the alley, stopping just short of entering. His sharp ears caught just a bit of movement from the other end, and he set off, taking care not to clomp loudly as he ran after what he hoped was the bat.
He ran out from the other end, practically stumbling to a halt. No-one. An empty street. He cursed, a fat drop of rain rolling off his hat and dropping down his nose. He looked around grimly for some sign of him, yellow eyes carefully picking out where he may have gone...and started, catching some kind of movement from across the street. He ran, taking another street ran parallel to this one. He jogged down it, still not-quite seeing where Sebastian had gotten too - the street was completely empty. He stopped about in the middle, slowing down to a walk and finally simply standing. The ran was still pouring, bouncing off his hat and fairly soaking him through. He stood like that for some time, muttering a low curse, when his ears perked.
He could hear crying of some kind. Sobs. Not the sad kind. The terrified, tortured kind. His face fell, and he turned around, ducking into an alley he had missed before. There ahead of him, he could see the shadow of three individuals cast on the opposite wall. He rounded the corner, the wind blowing his hat off. He didn't care to pick it up.

[Stygian]

It all happened in a flash, literally. The creature's face twisted into a snarl as Keaton leaped against it. It swept out one knife-clawed hand in an arc, and instantly a thick tentacle formed from the black and followed its movement. It punched out like shot from a gun against Keaton, but didn't go head for her. Instead, it went around and closed the three clawed fingers on its end around her arm and hand, and wrenched her strike way off. It didn't manage to get too close to her before a roaring peal of thunder shook the place and the roof above was torn up. The creature screamed and put its hands to its head, then looked to the wolf. And its face seemed to droop.
   Cog turned and hit it. There was tense silence for a few seconds. Then the creature spoke.
   'Damn it all to fucking Hell,' Stygian said.
   A door creaked as it opened in the yard, behind both Keaton and Stygian, and the monster snapped his head around. Then the door slammed shut, and shouting commenced from behind it. He snarled loudly, right at Keaton for some reason, and then backed up slowly, before leaping up the wall and throwing himself up on the roof of the building above. He looked down, the grotesque darkness around him drawing in and crawling back into him, melding together to form skin, fur and clothes. He glanced over to the body of the woman, and then when he was back to normal, he darted away out of sight.

- -

When the bell in the door tinkled lightly as Jeremiah stepped in, there was instantly a bang from something heavy hitting wood right beside him, loud enough to startle. And then there was a whine.
   'Ow, ow, ow...' came a voice from under a counter. 'Ow, ow shit, ow...' It moved back on the floor.

[Boog]

"Woah!" the frog backed away hurriedly. When the sky didn't fall on him or anything like that, he approached the counter hesitantly, "Excuse me? Are you alright?"

[Stygian]

The small green head of a gecko, her eyes hidden behind a pair of round glasses, slowly rose from behind the counter. She had them closed, but even so they were magnified to fill the glasses of her spectacles. She rubbed her bruised head, breathing through her teeth.
   'Ow, gee, damnit... Sorry, sir. What can I help you with?' she said in a bright voice tinged with embarrassment.

- -

Cog had a few minutes to walk, before a series of fast taps from steps from behind alerted him to the presence of someone else. And right then, who could it be besides a certain someone?
   'Yeah, that's very convenient! Like I asked you to come! Let me enjoy my meal indeed...' Stygian said angrily.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

"Yea, the blue is nice.  But this dark blue with silver lightening pattern....mmm...."  she eye the cloth closely.... "Okay Let's see if we can find some help.  and maybe a dress for you.  I will also need some practical everyday clothes.  Over here in the clothes section.  "  

Bambi and Gina head more into the shop and get to the counter with a bell and cash box.  "Hey anyone open for business?  You left the door open.."shouts the Fae as she rings the bell   The girls hear nothing but silence, and there is no light in the back, that they can see...

"Oooo, The monster stories' forever repeating stupid moment... Do the heroes go into the darkness and to find the monster?  and get kill.  OR Do they do the smart thing and try to go get help? and be laugh at by the unbelieving Friends, authority, or townpeople" jokes Bambi, but she suddenly looks worried into the back.

PBH

[Boog]

"For the moment, sit down a minute. I'd feel like I was being ungentlemanly if I imposed while you'd just gotten beaten up by gravity," he smiled pleasantly, remembering only a split second soon enough that some of the changes effected by the specter might make any display of teeth on his part a bit less reassuring than usual, "I'll just browse, shall I?"

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel opened the door of the magic shop gently, softly clearing her throat to let the man know she was there without startling him. His work looked delicate and she didn't want to be the cause of ruining his project. She smiled briefly, the place smelled like home with the magic components and acids and metals. She made a second soft sound to alert the owner that he had a customer as she looked around. The contents were mostly locked up or covered up for the night, but the little she could see looked interesting. Hopefully the proprietor was interesting as well.

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog tried to ignore the steps behind him, but stopped when the bat spoke, bringing himself to turn around and face him. He regarded the bat coolly, but at his sides his hands were shaking.
"No. I don't imagine that you would." He crossed his arms, suddenly unmindful of the rain. He had to speak up to drown out the roar of the raindrops, but raising his voice did not prove a difficult task. He seemed to seethe for a moment, silent, and almost made to turn around again. About halfway he ripped the shades from his eyes and threw them into the wall, the glass shattering on the brick. His eyes were livid, and mixed in with a fair bit of hurt.
"Did you have to eat her, Sebastian?" he said, walking closer, practically yelling. "I'm not an idiot. I was listening. And of course I didn't know, not for sure. But..." he shook, his fist clenching. "You are better than this. I've seen you drink blood. Again, I'm not an idiot." His eyes were blazing. "You can't starve. I understand that. But to kill someone when you don't have to, just for taste..." he trailed off.
"You didn't even kill some random passerby. You killed the Tailor. Andrea. Remember her, Sebastian? I think you're wearing one of her shirts." Cog's voice was venomous. His eyes had taken on that feral look again, and he shook his head as he turned and started walking again.
"Sorry if I interrupted dinner."

[Stygian]

Stygian's eyes were heated as they darted around, looking at their empty surroundings but very clearly scanning for anyone or anything that might be within earshot. He hissed between his teeth.
   'She was out in the back. She remembered me. She was cubi! Living in a town on the border, she's probably just here for the food herself!' he growled, pacing closely. His voice was sharp and cruel. 'Can you live on bread and cheese, Cog? I've been locked up! I have to get a decent meal every once in a while, or I'll starve; I'm that much of a monster. Or is it because she came on to you that you're so damn aggravated?!' He shook his head. 'I'm sorry. Next time I'll go eat someone's dog instead then, if it hurts you so much.'

- -

The gecko looked at Jeremiah a bit confoundedly, still rubbing her head.
   'Actually, when I heard the bell I go...' she began, then stopped and sighed, blushing. 'Right. Take your time. And let me know if you need something, okay?' she said, a bit more composedly. Then she ducked behind a tall stack of books, and then got under the counter again.

- -

'Be right with you,' the white-shirted man said, his hands moving slowly over the little thing he was so intently focused on. 'Just a second... there!' The thing on the chair snapped. He made a short laugh, and then backed up. 'Perfect!' he exclaimed. With his hands now out of the way, Mel could see that the thing he had been working on was some small, shiny device, not very much unlike a pocket watch. Instead of continuing with some sort of explanation, he quickly swept up the thing in a hand and tucked it in his breast pocket.
   'Now, how may I help you?' he said. Now that he had straightened, it was plain to see his species. He was a stag, and it was a wonder she hadn't noticed before, what with his angular and sharp horns sticking up over him. Handsome in an equally angular sort of way, he was tall and broad and smartly dressed, beaming down on her with a smile that was just as neat as the rest of him could be perfectly described as.

- -

Touching Bambi's arm, Gina slowly walked around her, and into the back of the shop.
   'Hello?' she called, once. Then, she moved out of Bam's sight. 'The door's open here,' she said, not too loud. 'Hello? Anyone there?' A cold, wet draft hit Bambi's face as the back door was opened.

[Boog]

"You'll be the first to know," Jeremiah chuckled as he strolled off amongst further shelves, stacks, crates, piles, and tables of books. Briefly he wondered what she was getting up to under the counter. Heh, yeah. I've been freaking mutated by the haunted castle I've been staying at, I'm apparently possessed by some laughing ghost, and I'm cursed in ways that even the big betenticled beastie of the castle doesn't know much of yet. Of course what I really want to do is pry. Now, technically, he was looking for a section with art supplies, namely a new sketchbook, pencils, ink, some new g-nib pens and perhaps a few brushes. He'd often found that you can find just about anything up to and including (in the right town, if you knew who to buy drinks for) used car parts. However, while he did have a goal in mind, he most certainly couldn't be expected to not take a look here and there at the science fiction section. And the more obscure political books that caught his eye, he'd always had a bit of a morbid interest in such things. And he simply had to flip through this one labeled "Inadvisably Applied Theology, Philosophy and Archeology" if only because of that NAME. And...

[Prof B Hunnydew]

Bambi follows Gina to the rear door and hears voices outside.  Cog? likely Stygian? maybe...

Still in the dark of the doorway, Bam calls out "COG?  Stygian?  Ah Gina?" as Bambi steps out into the alleyway..


PBH

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog turned again, his eyes a little more than hurt this time. He bared his teeth at the bat, his eyes taking on a slight glow. Thunder cracked in the distance, one, two, three in a row, in almost the same place, and the dull resound of thunder echoed through the streets ominously.
"Came onto me?" he said, sucking in a breath. "Are you insane? You think this is about me liking her?" he said, his voice almost drowned out by another crack of thunder. "You could have killed anybody, and what difference would it make! Making it someone we both know just makes it worse." he spat, now walking very close to the bat, looking down at him. "I understand you can't starve." he said, eyes glinting. "But I would gladly eat bread and cheese for the rest of my life if Mel or Keats or Jeremiah were the alternative. Could you eat them, Sebastian? Ah, but the tailor, she's okay. How ironic. She was just here for food anyway. Doing the town a favor, right?" His voice became quiet. "Until next time."
He restrained himself from hitting the bat, instead simply glowering at him. "If you did eat a dog, that would be one thing. But the flesh of such... lesser creatures just lacks that taste, doesn't it." He said, his voice dark. "Succulent, isn't it? I remember waking up with another's blood on my teeth for the first time. It was so sweet." he said, his voice oddly level. "I couldn't eat for days. Everything tasted like blood."
He stayed like that for some time, looking down the on the bat in silence, fists shaking. He looked up at the sky, and the darkness gathering behind the clouds, and scowled, turning and walking away. Before he got too far, however, he stopped, uncaring of the rain washing over him. He sighed, his shoulders slumping, and turned, regarding the bat for a moment. His eyes were a little less hard. He spoke softly. "If you are being honest, and you must, I... what can I say to that? You can't starve. And if the woman was truly a danger to the town..." he sighed, avoiding the bat's gaze, staying quiet for a long moment. He finally looked the bat in the eye. "I'm not a fool. I stand by what I said. But you are better than that, Sebastian."
He held his gaze. "I won't follow you again."

[Stygian]

Stygian stopped, arms straight down, hands quivering. Pain had hit him with those last words. Then, in a movement so quick that Cog only had the time to draw his blade halfway, he stepped forward and raised his hand, clawlike and large, to the wolf's head. But he didn't grip him. Instead, he merely touched him, fingers through Cogidubnus' gray fur. His eyes met the wolf's stare unblinkingly.
   'I could eat you. And Keaton. Though I don't think I'd find Jeremiah very tasteful,' he said, his voice slithering and low. 'It works that way. This power of mine is a bit of a two-edged sword, but at least it's terribly sharp. And I've come to enjoy the taste of blood long ago...' Slowly, he ran his fingers down Cog's cheek, razorlike claws running over the wolf's skin. Rain slicked his blond bangs over glowing eyes behind thin, wet glasses.
   'But I never would,' he said finally, lower, and lowered his hand. His eyes dimmed back to gleaming black. 'Instead I chose someone else. Now I didn't manage to get much, so I'll have to hunt again soon. But at least I'll last some time.' He stood looking at Cog a bit, but as there wasn't much else to say, he just sighed and then walked away. A woman carrying a package rushed down the street under an umbrella, and some music could be heard from a pub, but otherwise the town was as empty as before.

- -

The alleyway was dark and open, rain running in a steady stream down into the drainage a bit off and making a pouring sound. The water was colored a light shade of red, as it blended with the slight flow of blood from the shadowy outline of a body over on the other side of the backyard. Gina was standing to the side of the door, leaning against the wall, looking at the dead woman blankly. Somewhere, someone was shouting.

[Sunblink]

Not long after the deafening thundercrack had snapped like gunfire through the alleyway, Keaton found herself unceremoniously deposited in a furry, damp heap on the ground, not far away from her discarded umbrella. Fluctuating with her concentration, the darkness circulating in her mace dematerialized into thousands of fleeting, abysmal particles, the umbrella following shortly after and transforming back into the shadowy mass it once was. From on the ground, in a disillusioned trance, Keaton listened distantly as she heard Stygian's voice curse, then a shuffling noise as he leapt out of sight.

Stygian's voice?

Terror hit her.

FUCK.

That propelled her onto her feet almost immediately, pain in her backside be damned. She didn't bother to conjure up another umbrella. Instead she followed Cogidubnus as swiftly as she could, the shadows sloping outward and coiling up her body until she was completely suffused by them. Suddenly, her body broke apart into pieces as she was siphoned back into the darkness, allowing her to follow them, hopefully, undetected and silently. Could Stygian, that fucking bastard, find her in the darkness? Would he eat her as well?

That was a disturbing thought, but it was dispelled when she closed in on his and Cogidubnus's conversation, their images reflected in her mind's eye. ''I could eat you. And Keaton. Though I don't think I'd find Jeremiah very tasteful,' he said, his voice slithering and low. 'It works that way. This power of mine is a bit of a two-edged sword, but at least it's terribly sharp. And I've come to enjoy the taste of blood long ago...' she managed to hear him say over the pounding of the rain, horrifying Keaton to no end. If she had a tangible form she probably would've looked nothing short of mortified. Was every helpful thing Stygian had done just a facade before he lunged in to devour all of them?

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel smiled back at the stag. "I am not looking for anything particular, sir. But I dabble a bit in enchanted items myself and have an object or two I might consider trading if something catches my eye." As she looked over the neatly labeled wall of drawers containing magical supplies she put her hand in her pouch and withdrew it. When she opened her hand a butterfly flew out to land upon her shoulder where it could be seen that it was not alive, but a piece of jewelry. Delicate wings of plique-a-jour enamel sparked with an occasional gem slowly opened and closed as the enchanted object crawled a bit down her arm then back again.

[Aisha deCabre]

As Aisha stepped up with the group and started down the trail to the town, the rain came down upon them with what she thought was quite a force for a midday storm.  She saw the umbrellas of magic conjured by the others and chuckled to herself.  How resourceful.  She had the cowl of her cape pulled over her head the instant they stepped outside, the first time that a few of them had been outside of the castle itself for a few days.  The drops pounded her head through the fabric, and Aisha only listened to the sounds it created in the spaces.  The panther quite liked the rain, if she were at least expecting it.  So she didn't bother taking up anyone's offer of sharing an umbrella...her cowl was waterproof enough.

The town had looked somber under the darkness of the clouds, obscuring the light of day and giving one the illusion that it was draped in a very hazy evening.  Her bare paws felt the cold drops of water in puddles across the square as soon as they arrived, actually a welcoming sensation.  She stood somewhere offshoot of the group but still in eyesight, listening to Sebastian and silently agreeing with the others to meet up there after an hour.  The town was theirs to wander inbetween.

What a day for it, Aisha thought, glancing upward and having the raindrops fall in pellet-like rivets on her face.  Looking back around as the group dispersed, she had observed some of the places were either deserted or just closing down.  Escaping the storm and taking a day off, she guessed they were doing...they could hardly be blamed.  Leaving the place empty and desolate, seemingly hard of welcome.

The huntress pondered following someone, then just shrugged and headed for the bar.  Since breakfast was small and lunch bypassed, hunger and thirst won over any natural wanderlust for the time being.  And after all, she had promised herself a drink.  The place still sounded somewhat lively.  Walking into a tavern in these conditions wasn't anything new.  The storm outside still made her nerves tingle with the prospect of excitement, the very air itself swarming with it.

Aisha must have been something of a sight, walking into the building.  She was partially drenched, having been happy to take her time walking in the storm, and still wearing the somewhat fancy clothing she had gotten from the castle...yet she still carried the sword strapped to her back and the razor-edged boomerang at her waist.  She shook her head free of lingering droplets and meandered to the counter on a side that wasn't too crowded.

"Glass of ale," she murmured to the barkeeper and set a few coins on the table, just as a flash of lightning briefly illuminated the whole of the square, close and loud enough to make her flinch.  Crimson gaze narrowing at the window, Aisha wondered if she had gotten inside just in time, or if it had actually come from someone.

The later commotion outside was on mute to her.  But a few times she could see her tail ring taking on a small, lingering glare of light green.

[Stygian]

Stygian kept walking down the street, hands in his coat pockets and his feet rapping against the ground for once. His eyes were fixed straight ahead, mixing sadness and anger, and his neck was stiff with tension. He passed not six feet away from Keaton, right before he rounded a corner and went straight for the square, and disappeared out of sight, his steps fading away.

- -

The stag raised an eyebrow and looked appreciatively at the little jewel insect, humming pleasantly. He stepped closer and eyed the thing, pulling up a pair of small round glasses and placing them on the bridge of his muzzle. Still, he didn't seem overly excited.
   'Not bad. Not bad at all,' he remarked with a smile. 'But I'm afraid that if you're interested in selling, or trading, you're going to have to cut me a pretty nice deal. Mostly I do demand-only works. Living in a town like this means that I can get my hands on good materials for low prices, but it doesn't really make the hand-to-hand business flourish.'

[Sunblink]

Almost the moment Stygian started to approach her Keaton involuntarily felt her breath hitch, even though she knew, logically, that she did not need to breathe, or do any such natural urges when in such an intangible state, in something resembling terror. Despite every instinct screeching at her to run, Keaton remained paralyzed, struggling to control the concentration keeping her linked to her camouflage, even as a thousand different, disturbing thoughts spun through her head. For a moment she thought that Stygian had seen her, but nearly released a celebratory breath of relief once he unexpectedly bypassed her. No further encouragement was needed. The second his back was turned she started to speed through the shadows once more, navigating almost blindly, not even realizing that she needed to traverse the alleys in order to reach the others. She had to warn them SOMEHOW, that Stygian was some sort of cannibalistic creature or something equally hellish.

Once she was certain she was safe, Keaton felt her body emerge, bit by bit, from her shadowy subterfuge, veins of darkness roiling and bubbling over her muscles and deliquescing in wispy, smoking trails through the air. She glanced furtively over her shoulder, allowing her body to run forward despite the neglect of her eyesight--

--when just as her gaze reversed back to its former position, her body froze up entirely once she saw what was in front of her.

Stygian. Eyes glowing like ethereal lanterns as he stared down at her, face calm, yet rigid and unamused, lips barely moving as he spoke. "I would appreciate it if you did not try and listen in the next time," he said.

Keaton didn't respond. Any ability to speak seemed to be entirely robbed from her, like her throat had been completely siphoned clear of moisture. Ears laid flat against her skull as she stared up at his penetrating gaze, eyes widening and widening as he glowered and glowered. Without further hesitation, as though she had expected for him to lunge at any moment, she whipped around and dashed past Stygian, running for her life.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Stygian]

The jackal dashed past him, but Stygian didn't so much as move to stop her. When she was halfway out of sight, he turned, looking after her. That's it, he thought. Run. Run away from the monster...
   It was only a short way to the square, and from there to the road up to the castle. Stygian only cast a glance toward the lights of the tavern, not stopping. The others could find their way back. And, practically, he had gotten what he came for. Any thoughts of Ketefe or what she would do or say he had discarded. He tread the path wearily, hanging his head, his face a bitter mask. Dark thoughts rushed through his mind, and memories caused sharp pangs of pain in his heart.

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog wasn't expecting the bat to lunge for him, and although considering what he knew, he shouldn't have been surprised. Sebastian had caught him flatfooted, and off-guard. Still, he should have been able to at least get the tip in a position to stab faster than he did.
He was stopped, however, about halfway into his draw, Sebastian's ice-cold claws caressing his face. Cog kept very still.
The bat withdrew. Cog slipped the sword back into the sheath, the metal giving a soft click as it set into place, the both of them taking a single step back. He said nothing to the bat about his words. There was nothing more to say, and the bat turned and walked away slowly, quickly being swallowed into the night.
Leaving Cog standing in the rain, alone.

* * *

He did stand there for a long time. He was already sopping wet, after all. No reason to get out of the rain, really. He'd have to dry his clothes before going to bed. anyway. He hoped the didn't shrink. It made him glad he'd gotten them a size too big...
Cog scowled, turning and walking down the sidewalk. He had no idea where the others were, and didn't much feel like company at the time. He walked until he found a open restaurant, the smallish kind you sometimes find in little towns. Family-run. Sometimes they were simply bumpkins with a grill, but other times you found the really authentic ones. And this was one of the better ones. He could smell the garlic and cheeses from the outside. A good cuisine, if rare this side of the world.
He walked in, the bell tinkling. The staff was mostly lounging around, it being a slow night, and they all gave the dripping wet stranger a look before one of them approached and showed him a table.
Cog ordered some coffee, and watched the storm roll off the glass windows.

[Stygian]

Keaton's surge of panic brought her on tense and adrenaline-pumped legs through the alley, back out against a narrow street. Where were the others? She had to get away. She had to get back to the others. To get to the main street, she had to go through one of the other alleys. Her boots beat fast against the ground. Until one suddenly decided to stop. She fell.
   Her foot slipping out of her heavy shoe, she tripped and hit the ground, and immediately felt that something was wrong when she was about to get up. Her arms were stuck. So were her legs. She could move them, but something had snagged them and her hair, something strong and elastic that stuck and...
   A web.
   'Well, well...' a silky female voice purred from behind and above her, descending. 'Still running loose around here? I'd have thought he would kill you or send you off.' She had heard that voice two days before.

- -

Stygian stopped by the first turn of the road back up to the castle. His thoughts ached and fought in an uproar. He was conflicted, he realized. And he was an idiot. But going back down there would make no difference. Even if he felt he should somehow, strong enough that it had broken his usually iron determination.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel almost, but not quite, smiled. The stag jumping practically to negotiation meant he probably already had a buyer in mind for the toy butterfly. She just shrugged and continued looking at the items on the wall, with a couple of glances to the sheet-covered displays. "I wouldn't want to leave you with unwanted stock on your hands. If something catches my eye I could probably pay in coin." She turned towards the next wall and with a bored little sigh added "Perhaps something less exotic for a town this size? I have shoe buckles that keep you from getting sore feet."

[Prof B Hunnydew]

Seeing the body in the alley, Bambi comes up behind Gina...Gina jumps when Bam puts her hand on her shoulder.  Seeing the shock and fear in her face, Bambi gentle calms her as best as she can.  

"You know, who did this, don't you, Gina?" asks Bambi as she leads the angel ferret away and back into the store and out into the rain again to the tavern.   Bambi is a sight in just a wet green leafy miniskirt and a sleeveless top.  But the Horror in the Ferret's face, silence the bar full of 20 people drinking and eating.  Bambi and Gina goes to the bar table where Aisha is.  Bambi seats the ferret girl, and get  her a drink from Aisha's mug into a spare cup.  She makes Gina drink from the cup.

"You have seen this, before, have you, Gina?" whispers Bambi to Gina and hugs her. "You aren't alone now.  We must find the others, Mel, Cog, and Keaton and everyone.  I see Kefete across the room at the stairs with her stuff.  I am not sure what happened, but we will not rush to judgement.  We could use the healer, but we will have to settle with Mel.  We need all the facts. Facts.  Aisha find Mel in the Jewelry shop, send her here and maybe you can find the wolf or Keaton?  Mel and I will look into this."  Bambi waits for the dragon, or the wolf as she holds the ferret.

PBH

[Boog]

Jeremiah gathered up what he wanted to buy. A new sketchbook, some bristol paper, some proper pens and brushes (amazing what you'll find in small bookstores), some ink, colored pencils and a recent sci-fi anthology that might keep him occupied for a whole twenty-three minutes. Remembering the shopkeep's earlier reaction to surprises, he briefly wondered how to catch her attention without surprising her again.
"Excuse me? Miss?" He said, trying not to speak exspecially loud or fast so as not to startle the young woman again.

[Stygian]

It was with his stomach souring and making knots around itself, and a very prominent sense of discomfort and pain along his spine and in his chest that Stygian wandered up to the castle, having decided finally that he could do nothing at the moment but leave things be. The shutting of the heavy doors behind him as he entered felt like the sealing of the doors to a prison, cutting him off from the hope and promises of the world and leaving him only with his memories and his heritage. With himself, and all that entailed.
   He started walking toward the northern tower.

- -

The stag cocked his head slightly to the side and altered his face just a bit, but whether toward surprise or suspicion was hard to tell. He placed his right hand at his waist and stuck his thumb inside the rim of his pants, placing the other on the table next to him and leaning on it.
   'I'd hardly consider that. We've got the apothecary for that, miss. And people who live in the mountains like us don't really have problems with that sort of thing,' he said, in a clear strike of directness. He wouldn't be thrown off by her calling him a peon. 'If you're going to sell anything here, you'd best come up with something a bit more astonishing. But no transformation amulets or patches.'

- -

'Yes?!' the little lizard replied terribly quickly, darting up fast into Jeremiah's field of vision. Oddly, a book balanced on her head and made a little jump as she came up, bopping on her scalp as it fell back perfectly in place. In her hands were four others.

[Boog]

"Just wanted to pay for these," Jeremiah replied, stepping back a little in surprise when the young woman popped back up. Heh, cute. Must have a great sense of balance too, to keep that book there. "And of course keep them after paying. You'd think I wouldn't bother to specify, but the last place I went to was run by a guy with a degree in law and a mean sense of humor."

[Mel Dragonkitty]

"I think you misunderstand. I'm a collector and creator, not a traveling saleswoman. I was hoping for something new for my collection, not just to make a sale." Mel checked the little watch on her lapel. "No sense in dragging out every last item I might consider parting with if there isn't anything astonishing to trade for. Could you direct me to a good restaurant?"

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog sat in the little restaurant for awhile longer, drinking coffee and eating the cheese-filled tortellini they had brought him. He hadn't bothered to order, but hadn't complained when they brought it either. It was delicious either way. He chewed his way through a bit as he watched the storm outside. He could see his own eyes in the reflection of the glass. He turned from the window, looking at his food morosely.
"Besides the force it has to fright, the spirits of the shady night, the same Arts that it did gain, A pow'r must it maintain..." Cog said, silence falling after his words. He looked at the little rolls of cheese wrapped in pasta, swimming in butter and garlic, and seemed to turn green for a moment. He pushed it away, leaning back in his chair and finishing his drink. He paid for the meal shortly after, the only words between him and the staff being his order for his drink. He wished them well, truly.
It unnerved him, the sudden, evil thought of what might happen to them, later.

Cog was wandering aimlessly around the town, not wanting to go back to the castle, and not wanting to join the others either. He was wet, miserable, and extremely depressed, and felt likely that he wasn't in any mood for company at all. He was glad the others had decided to take care of their business. Less likely to come looking for him.
It was to his great surprise, however, to run into Keaton, walking in the rain.
She started back at seeing Cog, her chocolate eyes wide and bright, and walked up closer to him, the umbrella of darkness she had conjured covering them both from the rain. It was dark, but Cog could tell she was a little frightened.
"Cog! You alright?" Her face tinged with concern. "Is...Stygian...is he..."
"Sebastian is fine, Keats." Cog said. He somehow doubted that's what she was trying to ask, but he continued on. "And so am I. It's...just, not now. Talk to Sebastian." Cog looked out into the still raging storm, and back at the Jackal. He paused, searching for something to say, and then nodded at the Jackal herself. "Are you alright?"
Keats paused and nodded quickly, her mouth pressed tight. She looked back at the night, behind her, and then turned back quickly. She looked up at the castle.
"Do...you think we should go back?"
  Cog raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we wait for the others? Or Ketefe?"
Keats looked at Cog, and rolled her eyes. Keats was Keats, after all. "I think she can take care of herself, Cog. Maybe even changed her mind." She paused, and looked him straight in the eye. They beamed sincerity. "You should go back, I think."
Cog regarded her for a moment, then nodded softly. "Allright."
Cog turned away from Keats, and passing back out into the rain quickly felt the night swallow him back up, cold water and lightning his only companions on his trip back up to The Castle.

[Stygian]

The stag laughed, a deep, smart sound. His eyes glimmered with humor as he faced her look.
   'I'm sorry miss, but we'll have to take a look in the other shop if it's jewels you want. And most things I do here, I make on demand, as I said. I could show you what's in the stash...' he said, and walked to the back of the shop, behind the counter. 'In any other case, you have the nearest restaurant right down the street. To your left.'

- -

The gecko blushed and giggled at the joke, even as she took the books and ticked them off.
   'I promise; we don't pull that sort of thing here,' she said, smiling a bit shyly. 'You want a bag with that?'
   When Jeremiah left the shop he did so still seeing her smiling at him, book balanced precariously on her head.

- -

When they stepped into the entry hall, Keaton held out her umbrella and let it vanish, the water drops collected on the thick darkness simply falling to the floor, and then shook her clothes, wiping her boots a bit on the carpet. She strolled in slowly, looking around for a while as if lost as to what to do. Then, she turned, and gave Cog a quick look.
   'I think I'll go back to the library. Not much else to do,' she said, and set off at a casual walk, hand fumbling in her pocket for something, most likely that marble of hers. As her steps faded all too slow in the empty corridors, Cog was left standing alone in the murky emptiness.

- -

Gina shivered a bit as she accepted the drink, keeping an empty gaze forward. She seemed as if on the verge of crying, but as if she just couldn't find the tears or remember how.
   'It's him. He did that. It has to be. He needs to feed. He's done things like that before,' she said, silently.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

"Ah Yes, the old survival of the fittest rule the demons go on about.  It is a law, I don't like either.  I just wish, he could go after some thief or something, if he needs to eat and not starve himself that he can't use some judgement.  And Judgement is something we need not to jump to before we have the facts."  Says Bambi in a low voice to Aisha, Kefete and Gina. 

The bar has gone back to their business of eating and drinking, but the atmosphere was stained, the laugher force, and crowd was quieter than when they entered into the tavern.  Fear was so heavy, a non-cubi could see it.  Fear of knowing, fear of not want the adventure's monsters after them, but know the monsters were already here.  Bambi orders dinner for Gina and herself with bottle of wine for both of them and another pint of ale for Aisha. 

(EDIT) "Sorry Aisha, About your ale and I have order you another one..." says Bambi to Aisha.

"Kefete stay with Gina, I am going to get Mel.  She is right across the street, Cog and some of the others should be on their way here, soon.  I will be back in five minutes at the most." says Bambi

Bambi runs almost flies across the street to the Jewelry store.  Bambi is huffing and puffing at the door of the store as Mel hear about the restaurant.  She has not gotten herself dress yet, but her leaf bikini has grown to a miniskirt and a sleeveless blouse with a strap over her one shoulder.  "ah ah ah oh Hi Mel, ah we may have a problem.  Can you come?" asks Bambi. 

(OOC... Bambi will show her the body in the alley first,  before returning to the tavern, if Mel comes)

PBH