ROLEPLAY HQ - mc-rp-woods

"Mon Dieu..." Lou whispered with a perfect French accent.

"I've seen some shit in the last 60 years, but this..."

12:41

The Sheriff and Head Deputy walked around the new crime scene. As before, several Deputies and CSI were there, taking pictures, taking stock of bodies and marking evidence. The Werewolf corpses were being identified by their lupine-form dental records, as they had all been burned beyond recognition. Rich was about to smoke a cigarette, but then thought better of it; there'd been far too much smoke here already. "I'm gonna need a drink after after one."

"You and I both, sir." Lou sighed, "Is Althea on her way?"

Rich nodded. "Yeah." The two Vampiric lawmen could only look upon the ghastly handiwork of murderers. "I'll wait here for Thea; talk to Heath and Alder, get their story."

"Yes, sir."

@Talousie

Indigo Cobalt

@Talousie

(I’ll be on in an hour!)

1

(No rush, just FYI to organize

) (edited)

1

Indigo Cobalt

(No rush, just FYI to organize

) (edited)

(Wait was Althea called about the incident and is on her way?)

14:20

(Oh I just read, that’s a yes

)

Althea had rushed the moment she heard about the homicides. Out of breath, Althea would finally arrived. Her stomach would plummet at the sight of so many wolves lying dead “By the stars…” She would be horrified. These were faces that she recognized. Maybe ran into them in town, maybe at the Council town halls

Rich sighed. "I'm sorry you have to see this, Thea. It's a horrible thing. It's the same MO as Theobald's killer: Fire and bullets, probably silver this time." He looked Thea in the eyes, a look on his face that said he didn't want to say what he was about to say. "I need you to tell me what kind of magic was used here...please."

Althea would be speechless for a moment “Fire…? But…so we are dealing with a magic user. I thought the last time it was Theobald’s flames but…if this is the same sort of incident.” Althea would look around, trying to look at the scorches only. She would observe the patterns of the burns, trying to decipher the scene “This will be harder. There’s no a Fae death or witche death to dispel mana, so that won’t work again. As for the magic used…definitely a powerful source. This is a lot more energy used the in spells than the last time.”

14:48

Althea knew that this kind of magic on the scene put the target right back on her and the Coven. Once again, the noose had tightened

@Indigo Cobalt

Rich sighed, rubbing his chin. "So Theobald may not have thrown the fireballs last time. Shit..." He paced around, "There HAD to be multiple assailants for this many Werewolf victims...is there ANY indication if this is Fae or Warlock magic?"

Althea would sigh in frustration, looking around “Not by just looking at it. They had to have messed up somewhere. Magic can be like a fingerprint! You just need to know where to…..” Althea would get an epiphany “Look…” Althea would whip out her phone and dial the Coven. She would wait a moment until the other line picked up “Juniper! Jun, I need you to listen to me. Go into my office and in the drawer, hit the switch underneath and go to the bookshelf. A vault to a book will appear. I need you the use the vareum spell to send it to me. Now.”

"Good evening, Miss Quartz." Lou said upon his return.

"That was fast." Rich commented, raising an eyebrow.

"They were not inclined to speak, I'm afraid...at least not to Vampires."

Althea would keep instructing Juniper on the phone until a witch’s circle would appear in the ground, a book in the center

15:11

Althea would quickly pick up the book and flip it to a certain page. A *Reflectum spell that should reflect the presence of channeled mana, whether channeled by a witch or birthed by a fae*

"There's more, sir...." He continued, "All Vampires have been ordered to leave the crime scene, by order of Alpha Heath."

Rich sighed and shook his head. "Damnit! Thea, not to rush you, but..."

Althea would tie her hair up “I’ll have your answer in ten minutes, just whatever happens, don’t touch me till it’s over.”

Rich nodded. "Okay, just...be careful."

Lou raised an eyebrow at Rich's concern, suppressing a smile and saying nothing.

1

Althea would return a reassuring smile with a nod, and after a deep breath, would go to a nearby tree and touch the trunk, starting to recite the spell

"I'll start gathering all the Vampire Deputies that are here." Lou spoke, leaving the area.

"Make that everybody period." Rich added. "Remember, she needed room for this to work last time."

"On it, sir."

The deputies would feel the winds sort of change as Althea spoke and the tree that she touched would darken. In order for the spell to work, she would have to drain a large amount of mana that in this case would be enough to kill the tree. In Althea’s eyes, she could almost feel the scene playing out, each spell that was casted. She felt fire surrounding her. And there it was. The fingerprint. The aura was alien compared to her own, as if from another world. It was Fae. From the onlookers perspective, Althea’s eyes would be white, her hair violently whipping around as the tree was practically dying. Her nose would begin to bleed from exhaust as she tried to inspect the aura closer

15:29

Suddenly, Althea would feel a blockage. The aura was protected and a counter hex would knock her out of the spell, keeping the identity of the Fae hidden. Her eyes would come back to life and she would immediately fall to the ground. Her head was spinning and she felt like she could vomit, the blood still dripping down her face. But it was Fae. She knew it was a Fae. Not one of her kids, and for that she was thankful.

@Indigo Cobalt

"I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to this." Rich said, in awe of Althea's magic on display yet again. He was unnerved by how a vibrant and healthy tree suddenly went through death throes, leaves falling and branches shriveling. He was alarmed by how she began bleeding from her nose, barely holding himself back due to her warning; Do not touch her. Finally, the spell ended, and Althea fell to the ground, looking like she'd just been assaulted. With inhuman speed, Rich was at her side, catching her just before she hit the ground, lifting her up and supporting her in his arms. "Easy, Thea, I've got you." He spoke gently, "Are you alright?" He could smell her blood...so warm and fresh...it prodded something deep inside him. He had fed only an hour ago, and yet...the difference between the cold, preserved blood he normally had and this...it was like night and day, cold leftovers and fresh, hot... NO. He stamped it out, using a handkerchief to quickly wipe the blood from her face.

@Talousie

Althea’s eyes had closed for a brief second, but her eyes would slowly open after Rich had caught her, easing her back up. After her eyes started to register it was him, an unguarded faint smile would play across her face. “See…? Nothing to worry about.” she would say. She would chuckle a bit before she immediately stopped, now truly afraid that she’d vomit. Her head would feel like a hundred pounds, but she was still proud of what she discovered. “It’s Fae… The spell. It was performed by a Fae.”

@Indigo Cobalt

Rich nodded, hanging on her words. "The Fae..." He repeated, more to himself. "Another piece of the puzzle...our killers, or at least one of them, is a Fae." He looked at Althea in concern. "Here, let's get you to the car...." He gently led her back to his vehicle. "If...I-If you need it, I can...y'know, carry you..."

"Alright, show's over." Lou said, sorting the proverbial wildcats. "All Vampire personnel, leave immediately!"

“I..I think I’ll be oka—“ Her legs would give out again to moment she had tried to put weight on them. Despite the way her heart jumped at the idea (why, she never knew) and her thoughts said to quickly deny, her body had simply betrayed her. “Yeah, I think that’s our only option right now.”

(Althea is ✨stubborn✨)

1

16:19

@Indigo Cobalt

Rich caught her when she stumbled. "Agreed." With that, he hefted her easily, carrying her bridal-style to the car. Carrying her like this felt...Hell, he didn't know what to feel about this. Was he starting to like her? Like...LIKE like her? Naahh, come on now, this was Althea Quartz, professional pain in the ass! So many times, he had to break up one of her protests, or keep her from assaulting one of the Council Members, or tell her not to trespass on Town property! He frowned a bit. That seemed a bit harsh. After all, she was being a huge help of this case, even if it was only to keep her own head off the chopping block. And she wasn't so bad; she was a great gal...smart, easy on the eyes, tough as nails...why, he could easily see himself... Son. Of. A. Bitch. He DID like her.

1

Althea would be taken aback at how effortlessly he lifted her into her arms. Though she was physically drained, that didn’t stop the blood from rushing to her face. Stars, had he always been this strong? Althea wrapped her arms around Rich’s neck in order to hold on. As she tried to regain her strength, she couldn’t help but enjoy the smell of his cologne. She felt like she could stay like this forev— What the hell is happening? Stars, Althea! Rich Caruso could wrongfully arrest you at any minute, whether it’s his choice or not! He’s done it before! Well, not wrongfully The focus is and always *will be keeping the Coven afloat, not smell some sexy vampire’s colog— Oh, goddammit*

16:42

Nope, nope, NOPE. It was just because she was exhausted! These thoughts would never happen again. EVER Stars, she hoped so

1

Rich finally let her down just long enough to open the passenger door, then helped her inside. Maybe it was the roaring 20's in him, but he just really liked that "strong yet fragile" quality that Thea had about her; powerful, yet feminine. A real tough cookie: Sweet but hard. "Lou!" He shouted, "I need to take Thea home; are you good?"

"Yes, sir!" Lou replied, giving a thumbs up.

With that, Rich drove away from the crime scene. "So...where to?" He asked Althea, "I can take you home, or...?"

Althea couldn’t imagine being carried into the Coven like this, scaring her students. Especially the younger ones. Also, the questions it would bring up “Is there another place I can rest, like the station or something. I just need like..an hour or so, tops. I just don’t want my students to see me all beat up like this...”

"Well, uhh, I was thinking..." Rich was hesitant to ask, but what the hell? "I know this great place, we could...maybe have dinner?"

1

Althea would look at him and would blink with shock. Did….did he just—? Althea’s heart would be racing all over again— Stars, why does he always do that to her so easily?? “…You wanna take me out looking like this?” She knew that her face was atleast slightly stained with blood, not to mention her hair was a complete mess. And if this WAS a date—which she would not get ahead of herself! It was probably just business—! Damn, she wanted to atleast look better than this.

He smiled at Althea sheepishly. "Good point...we'll stop by the station, so you can freshen up a bit."

17:11

The car came to a halt at the station, where Rich rushed around to help Althea out. She had recovered a bit, so he only needed to hold her by the arm every once in awhile. He showed her the way to the restroom, stopping by the water cooler to get her some water on the way.

Althea would be thankful for Rich’s help, but she was furious at herself for how much she loved this new attention. Once in the bathroom, she would take out her endless bag (thank the stars she brings it everywhere) and pulled out her brush, her makeup and a backup pair of gloves. She had been so caught up in everything, she had just realized that she had forgotten to take off her gloves before casting the spell. The palms of the gloves would be practically worn through. Once freshened up, Althea would rejoin, Rich. Her feet were still uneasy but it was manageable. Perhaps she wouldn’t tell Rich that just yet. “So, where is this great place that you know?” She would ask, slipping on her gloves

Rich smiled at how much better she looked, ever the picture of posh. "Are you familiar with Luther's? It's this great place downtown; the owner, Luther Van Dino, is actually a former student of the Coven. He said he discovered his passion for cooking because he excelled so well at potion making. I can't really eat a lot of what's on the menu, but the smells... You'll love it."

Althea couldn’t help but smile. Out of all the places, Althea would never expected him to say Luther’s “I love Luther’s. Luther always visits the Coven, too. I-…wow, yeah. That sounds amazing.” Althea was pleasantly surprised. Not many people outside of the warlock community chose to support warlock-owned businesses. Another part of Althea was infuriated. This made him even more attractive to her.

@Indigo Cobalt