Roseburn | IC

[envogue]

R o s e b u r n
Discord | Char Index
OOC

"Things are about to change..."

Roseburn About Species Rules Character Sheet

• 
  
• 
  "Hazel was only the beginning..."
  In this roleplay, we will follow the lives of our supernatural and human characters as they attempt to go on about their daily lives after Hazel Pearson's death. The witches were always a tightly knit community, but for a long time they dealt with the vampires and werewolves positively. Many made friends with the others, aiding each other by sharing their strengths where others were weak.
  
  After Hazel is murdered, a dark cloud seems to form over the supernatural community, and no one knows who to trust anymore. One thing is for certain, only another supernatural could've taken Hazel out. She was a formidable witch, a mentor to many young witches, and was kind to all. Her death shocked not only the supernaturals, but the humans as well. The last known murder was over a ten years ago and the killer was caught red handed within days. But the detectives have no leads, and not a clue about where to start. Naturally her peers begin to look into the murder, pulling others into the madness along the way. Many vampires and werewolves hope to clear their name from the witches's list of suspects, and find themselves down an even darker rabbit hole than they imagined.
  
  We will delve into a town of secrets, lies, and conspiracy, as the characters try to unravel the gruesome murder that took place on December 29, 2017.
• 
  
  Vampires: Immortal, sensitive to sunlight. Needs human blood to sustain themselves. Has the ability to glide, heals quickly. Can only be killed by stakes, decapitation, werewolf bite and intense UV exposure.. Change involves being bitten by a vampire and drinking their blood, the human body has to die in order to change, but the change isn't guaranteed.
  
  
  Werewolves: Immortal, shifts uncontrollably on the full moon. The more they fight their shift, the more feral they are in the beast form. Weak to wolfsbane and silver, sensitive to high pitched noises and high voltage electricity. Can shift whenever they like into a bipedal wolf beast. Have their consciousness when shifted, but it's weakened on the full moon. Can be killed by large doses of wolfsbane, decapitation, vampire venom and silver poisoning. Can change humans with a bite, but only an alpha. A bite from a non alpha will result in death
  
  Witches: Not immortal, able to use magical powers. As magical powers are used more often, the more toll it has on its user, pulling away from their overall stamina. Magical spells take time to invoke, so they are weak against fast and immediate attacks. Witches can be killed by any normal means of killing (buckets of water don't happen to work here, sorry). Witches can use spells whenever they like, but the cost that comes to themselves is something they really need to watch out for. Witches are essentially normal humans with some magicky magic.
  
• 
  
  1. Obviously all Iwaku rules apply here. I do consider this an adult roleplay, because it will explore darker themes, such as murder and sacrifice. All main characters will be between the ages of 16-18, at least in appearance.
  
  2. I'm not going to tell you to do anything crazy, but GMs word is law. Please respect that, and your fellow roleplayers! I love drama, but it needs to stay IC. No bickering, no arguing. If you have an issue, come to me and I will do my best to solve it.
  
  3. To be apart of this roleplay and to continue participating, you must post at the very least once a week. Failure to do so may result in your removal in the roleplay. What happens to your character is left to the GMs. If you're going to be away, please just let me know, so that I can make plans for your characters absence. If you need to drop, lemme know! I might even let you come back if you want.
  
  4. All posts need to be at at least two full sized paragraphs, with minimal typos. Nobody is perfect, obv. So I won't hound you about it, unless there are a lot of typos often.
  
  5. No Mary Sues or Gary Stues. Be reasonable with your character creation, and be sensible when writing their strengths, abilities, and weaknesses.
  
  6. You are encouraged and expected to be able to help move your own individual stories along, as well as contribute to the plot in small or big ways.
  
  7. There will be mature themes, but there will be no sexin' in the IC thread...or OOC thread. If two redstars or bluestars want to take it to the PMs I have no issue with that, but please fade to black otherwise, before it gets too steamy.
  
  8. Be consistent. Consistent with your characters personality, and with your posting! Just be consistent. :)
  
• 
  
  Name:
  
  Birthday: (It just seems easier than asking the age of every species separately. So, how long has your OC been alive...er, undead? All main characters will be between the ages of 16-18, for now, except vampires. Vampires, no older than 200, and the older they are, the less time they've spent in Roseburn.)
  
  Species: (Human, Vampire, Werewolf, Witch)
  
  Height:
  
  Weight:
  
  Grade: (10-12 Year 2-4)
  
  Occupation: (If applicable)
  
  Personality: (Three sentences minimum giving a basic overview of your character's personality.)
  
  Positive Traits:
  (Top three personality traits that your OC will exhibit the most.)
  
  Negative Traits:
  (Top four traits that your OC shows during negative situations.)
  
  Strengths:
  (Can be physical or mental.)
  
  Weaknesses:
  (Can be physical or mental. Must have at least three, not relating to your species.)
  
  Skills:
  (A maximum of five skills that your OC has regardless of species. Please be specific!)
  
  Gift:
  (Applicable to Witches, Werewolves, and Vampires only. Vampires may choose between speed, strength, charm, and aura(hypnosis), meaning they're better than average in that category. Werewolves will choose between, control, speed, strength, stamina, and intelligence. Witches will place their affinity/element here. Witches are expected to elaborate on their gift. One max.)
  
  Gift Description:
  (Witches are expected to elaborate on their gifts, as well as listing strengths and weaknesses relating to their gift. Vampires and Werewolves, please explain how they fare in categories other than the gift you've chosen for them.)
  
  Attitude:
  (Can just put like or dislike.)
  Humans:
  
  Werewolves:
  
  Vampires:
  
  Witches:
  
  Bio:
  (At least five sentences discussing their life before, or after their stay in Roseburn. Can also discuss present time!)
  
  Sample post:
  (Can be anything. Must be at least two paragraphs.)
  
  Relationships:
  (Optional)
  
  Extra Info:
  (Optional)
  

​

 

[Celestial Scorpio]

It had been several minutes now as Claire sat on the floor sulking. Taking her time to get herself composed, she eventually took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. Slowly standing up her eyes gazed into the mirror to look at her dress. Luckily the stains could be hidden if she simply zipped up her jacket. Taking a bit of toilet paper she dabbed at some of the mess before throwing it away and closing her jacket.

Of course this meant it would be a tad warmer now that her body heat would collect in the closed fabric. Claire saw how her eyes were red and puffy. Taking some cold water in her hands she splashed her face and dried it off. Heading out of the bathroom she turned to look out towards the backyard. She knew she made a scene and right now she didn't want to have eyes on her. Deciding to look around the home Claire realized the house was nicely decorated.

Making her way about the blonde was a bit envious of the home. Compared to hers it was just so.. lavished. It however wasn't overly done and it had a nice balance to it. The atmosphere felt nice despite the current situation. Claire realized this was the same feeling from that day but before she could get lost in her thoughts her attention was brought to the kitchen. Glancing in the room the person she complimented earlier was in there. "Evil is going to plague this house if they don't open up the windows soon."

That was a bit odd to hear but it did make Claire curious. Approaching the other she moved a bit slowly, not sure if there would be tension from her outburst or not. Not saying a word for a moment she looked a bit away. Her face held little expression but if the other looked closely she would see Claire's eyes and the light irritation to them. "So why would the windows need to be open? If you don't mind me asking?" Even if she was curious her tone remained bland as she spoke.

"I don't think I properly introduced myself earlier. Claire Rose. It was probably a bit odd for the drive by compliment but I find tattoos artistic and beautiful. I haven't seen you around. Are you new to town?" Claire gave Juniper her attention now as her eyes set on the figure. The smell of Burgamot and Mandarin hit her nose but she hadn't paid close attention to it earlier if it was present or not. Compared to other's it stuck out in the smaller closed off space.

@Vio​

 

[envogue]

People watching wasn't nearly as satisfying as Hibiscus had hoped. Everyone was obviously grieving, though most tried to act as happy as they could in this situation, no one could truly be okay with Hazel's death. She took a deep breath, swallowing some nasty ball of emotions that she wasn't quite ready to deal with, yet. It was is overwhelming to say the least, but she could at least enjoy the peace that being alone provided. Or, so she thought.

Here was August and Sieg making their way for her table. Of course it wasn't her table, and she had no right to tell them to leave. She only watched as the two took their seats, and surprisingly enough, she didn't hate that they were there. Everyone was sad, why not be sad together?

Gross. Hibiscus thought to herself, and just like that, she threw that idea away. She got comfortable in her chair, sipping her bubbly, fermented brew as she looked around. She found her parents near Hazel's parents, chatting to guests and dealing with little things that the Pearsons were unable to right away. The sight comforted Hibiscus, and she was able to relax knowing that her parents and Hazel's family were safe.

"Soo, Hibiscus. How long have you known Sieg? I don't think I've seen you around a lot..."

Hibiscus looks away from her parents and at August. Her left eyebrow raised at the question, and she glanced at Sieg, suspicious of the duo's intentions.

"Is that really what you want to talk about, August?" Hibiscus asks, a hint of curiosity in her tone. She noticed August stand up at the table, and turned to look over her shoulder to see Jack not too far off. Hibiscus tried to maintain her ice cold gaze, but it was hard not to shatter at the sight of someone who had just lost a loved one. Jack might as well have been her neighbor too, seeing as how he was always over at The Pearson's home for Hazel.

On a few occasions they all had dinner together, but Hibiscus hadn't taken the time to really get to know him, and boy did she regret it now. As if it wasn't bad enough that she hadn't made much of an effort to get to know Hazel better. Ugh. He probably hates me. Hibiscus pushes the thought down and stands up from the table. Though she didn't want to put Jack on the spot, he was close enough to them that she would only have to travel a few feet to get to him. She closed the distance and stopped in front of him, and for some reason, Hibiscus didn't hesitate in embracing him tightly.

"Jack..." Hibiscus honestly didn't know what more to say, and she didn't care too much about whether or not he accepted the hug. "You really should come sit with us. " She concluded after a moment, before releasing him.

@SaberWolf @Fox of Spades @Baddamobs ​

 

[Mars Walker]

Aurora LaBelle

Aurora's attention was pulled away from Hazel's picture to the effeminate boy beside her, and she smiled a bit. Just as she opened her mouth to reply, Isaac popped out of seemingly nowhere, putting his two cents in about Aurora's current attitude towards Hazel's funeral. His mention of speculating about the nature of Hazel's death ended up making her wonder for a minute.

Just as quick as he had arrived, Isaac was gone before Aurora could respond to him. And that was fine with her- she wasn't sure how she felt about Isaac, since he always seemed so rehearsed. He was nice, she knew, just odd. All the more reason to spark her curiosity about the boy.

As Isaac left, Aurora's glistening eyes settled back onto Byron for a quiet moment.

"Byron Ducat, it's good to see you too," Aurora adjusted her scarf and placed her hands on her hips as she looked up at the taller person. He was pretty, and if asked, she wouldn't deny it. But she knew what he was, and it made her wary. Alas, she wasn't going to ever be outwardly rude to Byron- he probably had no say in what he was.

"I think I should say that Hazel wasn't simple in the slightest- She was a curious, beautiful girl. Always willing to learn more, and always so kind and sweet. She had a certain je ne sais quoi that was absolutely charming. I like to think that she was a good friend of mine, and I will admit I'm a little more upset than I appear about her passing..." Aurora's smile wavered, and she sighed a little bit, producing an embroidered handkerchief from her coat pocket to dab at her eyes.

After a moment she sniffed and spoke to Byron once more, "Mon amour, how are you feeling? My bookstore is always open to a soul in need of comfort. A sweet cup of hot tea can warm the coldest of days." She smiled kindly at Byron.

@Random @★Under The Stars★

 

[Saber]

​

Why was this happening to her? Sieg groaned softly as August patronized her about having a crush and mentioned something about a 'bro code'. He was always mentioning that to her, but they weren't related at all. And if they were...she'd probably have killed him by now, or at least tried. The one thing August mentioned that made Sieg actually listen to him, was that he only heard that it looked like Hazel had been attacked by an animal. She furrowed her brow in thought as she hummed to herself. There weren't many predatory animals that wandered the forest near Roseburn, but that didn't mean one couldn't have found its way there and found the unsuspecting Hazel.

Knowing what she knew about the world and being one of the things that could easily kill a human while making it look like an animal attack, Sieg knew better. It easily could've been a werewolf, or even a vampire. Her grandfather may have told her that there weren't any living in Roseburn, but that could've been a lie, or maybe he didn't actually know. The latter was unlikely. Alphas always knew what was going on before they settle in one area. One thing that bothered Sieg the most was that Hazel had been in the forest alone. She was almost always with Jack, so where was he when she died?

'Listen, why don't we sit next to your crush instead?'

Sieg flinched slightly when she heard August refer to Hibiscus again and before he locked his arm with hers, dragging her towards the table where Hibiscus sat. "She's not my crush!" Why does he insist on embarrassing her? As if it wasn't enough that he had barged into their previous conversation, now he was forcing her into interacting with the girl after Hibiscus had walked away. August sat down across from Hibiscus and Sieg practically fell into the chair to his left. Blue eyes darted to the brunette with a sharp glare before he spoke again.

'Soo, Hibiscus. How long have you known Sieg?'

Why... Sieg thought to herself as she rested her elbows on the table and let her face fall into her open hands. It was like August lived to torment her, in some way or another. She made a mental note to try and embarrass him in anyway possible when he found an object for his affections. Though that would be a bit difficult since August was so obnoxiously open.

"August, please stop talking." Sieg sighed as she glanced at the boy and then cautiously at Hibiscus. At this rate she wouldn't be surprised if the girl never spoke to her again, especially if August was around.

Thankfully, August's attention was drawn to someone else and Sieg followed his gaze to see Jack Duston, Hazel's boyfriend. Sieg immediately forgot her annoyance at August and sorrow took its place. She didn't know Jack very well, but you could hardly ever see Hazel without Jack. When August waved him over and Hibiscus stood to hug him, Sieg could only offer a calm smile. She didn't handle social situations well, especially with people she didn't know. Really, she didn't handle sorrow well either, or any other strong emotion, at that.

Her instincts were too overwhelming sometimes when she felt surrounded, and it was starting to feel that way. It always felt like she'd get an itch she just couldn't scratch, the kind that drove you a little crazy when you just couldn't find the right spot. Sieg rolled her shoulders slightly, feeling that familiar itch starting between her shoulder blades. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, regaining her composure before catching a scent coming from under the table.

The thoughts of Jack were momentarily pushed aside as Sieg lifted her eyebrows in confusion. She bent over, lifting the table cloth up to find a girl crouching under the table. The wolf blinked a few times before clearing her throat to get the girl's attention.

"Hey," She lifted her hand up in greeting. "So...what are you doing down there?"

@Sailor Moon @Baddamobs @Fox of Spades @yourwarriorangel ​

 

[Baddamobs]

At memorial/At table with Shea hiding underneath/@Sailor Moon @SaberWolf @Fox of Spades @yourwarriorangel
=====================

The person Jack had bumped into gave him quite the intense glare, one that caused Jack to shrink back out of concern. It hadn't seemed exactly like an angry look, but judging by the fact that they had to close their eyes and shake their head gave Jack the impression it definitely wasn't a happy one. That shirt must have been pretty expressive if getting muck on it caused such a reaction. Jack was about to apologise again, when the stranger let out a breath.

"It's fine."

Jack blinked as they proceeded to, almost absently, flick the linger piece of food off their shirt, and half-heartedly dabbed at the minor stain left behind. Huh. Maybe not that expensive? Still, it wasn't exactly behind reason that someone might be feeling slightly high-strung at a memorial, and even a simple bump from someone can cause annoyance. Combine both, and Jack was fairly certain most people would be pretty frustrated. Before he could ponder further, however, they replied to his last apology.

"It's okay. I understand....don't...,"

Jack blinked as the stranger's eyes moved to one side, and he turned his own gaze just in time to see a blond haired figure carefully approaching. It took a second for the boy to place a name next to the face, though eventually an answer light up in the boy's head.

"Claire?"

He wasn't too familiar with the girl, if Jack was being honest. He'd seen her around at school, of course, but aside from distantly greeting each other when he and Hazel had made the rare visit to 'Beatrix's Odds and Ends,' he didn't really know the girl. Most likely, she (and the odd few other students that Jack had spied around) had arrived due to the fact that Hazel's memorial had been brought up at Roseburn's sole school. Still, Jack was glad to see even a vaguely familiar face.

"Hey.. Jack.. I am sorry for your loss. Hazel was an amazing person. If you need anyone to talk to.. uh you can come to me."

Jack felt a sad, mirthless smile tug across his face, one that was struggling just to make an appearance through the dense swirl of bleak thoughts that clung to him. Just hearing Hazel's name felt cruel, as did the memories that came unbidden after the fact. Despite that, it truly gladdened Jack to know that people were still coming together to offer others support, especially after something like this hit the town.

"Thanks, Claire. I'll keep that in mind."

It might do him some good to open up to someone that wasn't just from his immediate family; even if it didn't offer some new perspective, it'd be foolish to turn away an open hand. Claire then turned to the now silent figure that Jack had bumped into, and made a comment about the tattoo that was painted across their hand. As the stranger started to reply, Jack used the brief window to make another grab for some food from the buffet table: the shock of slamming into someone had must have helped to restore some of his appetite back, since he was really starting to feel some hunger again. It had only taken him a few moments to reconstruct the plate of sandwiches again, but when he turned back around Claire was nowhere to be soon.

Jack halted in his movements, before shooting his gaze left and right. It might have just been because of the gathered clusters of people, but the boy couldn't see Claire anywhere. It was only then did he realize he was still standing next to the now perfectly silent stranger. Just as he was wondering if it would be more polite to simply excuse me himself at this point, Claire quite suddenly made her location known.

"You did that on purpose you bitch!"

Jack flinched at the raised voice, which cut through the otherwise tepid atmosphere. Jack leaned over the crowd just in time to see Claire disappear into the house, looking pretty close to tears. The boy frowned in concern. She'd seemed just fine a second ago, though such outbursts were probably to be expected at this kind of…event. Not too much of a surprise, considering it was completely unheard of for something so horrible to happen in otherwise unassuming town Jack was about to ask if she had said anything to the person he had bumped into, when he looked around and realized they had made a sudden disappearing act as well.

"I guess everyone's feel pretty high strung." Jack commented to no-one. While it was a little disorienting to everyone around him sudden vanish, it at least it had solved the matter of if he should have excused himself.

Jack was just wondering if he should go and seek out his sister, when a voice reached his ears and a motion caught his eye. Turning, he saw none other than Augustus Fontaine. Much like Claire, Jack couldn't say he was on speaking terms with the guy, though Augustus was defiantly more 'infamous' than Claire. The guy was sitting at a table with Hazel's neighbour Hibiscus, and one other girl that Jack didn't recognise.

"Yo, Jack, right? You okay over there? We were grabbing some refreshments and food. You can join us if you like, you look like you could use some company."

"I…" Jack hesitated, taking a few steps before halting altogether. He didn't doubt that the gesture was genuine, and the guy was just being kind. But at the same time, the only person he knew even slightly on the table was Hibiscus, and even that was just a passing acquaintance formed by seeing her whenever he came to Hazel's home. He wasn't exactly in the best mind for getting for conversing with so many people at the same time besides. In addition to all that, he really should have been looking for his sister. "…I might pass-"

Jack found his voice froze when, much to his surprise, Hibiscus stood from her seat. Her movements were calm and sure, which made it all the more surprising when pulled Jack into a hug.

"Jack…You really should come sit with us. "

The girl was…unusually warm. That wasn't even an expression, Hibiscus felt oddly heated, like she her entire body was very subtly acting like a radiator. While initially quite surprising, the warmth was undoubtedly comforting, like the grim thoughts that hung around Jack receded in time with the cool air. Jack felt his arms raise, loosely holding himself against the girl for a few more seconds before finally dragging himself away. He wasn't too surprised that he was smiling as he said,

"Yea, of course I'll sit with you guys."

Jack, feeling at lot more optimistic about this whole encounter, didn't waste any time sitting down. As he schooced the chair closer to the table, he thought he felt his foot impact off something, but put it out of his mind. He was too busy reaching for something to say.

"Feels a little odd to see everyone together like this. Like, I've seen everyone around, but it's pretty strange to see everybody grouped up like this, since..."Jack trailed off. His attempts at small-talk had been starting to shift in a pretty grim direction. In all honestly, he couldn't bear the thought of just making chit-chat when something else was plaguing him.

His fingers briefly drummed against the table. The subject was perhaps too direct considering where they were, but he ached to try and talk to someone about it. He shifted in place as he said,

"This might be a bad time to bring this up, but…" Jack fiddled with the cuffs of his shirt, brow creasing together as his expression twisted in anxiety. Jack almost felt his skin go pale as he said, "Do you guys believe what they're saying about the cause of death? What the heck kind of wild animal could even do something like that, let alone some animal around here?"

The reports on Hazel's death had been hazy and lacking fine details, but Jack had heard enough to piece together that everyone's best guess for her demise by something big, and with a lot of teeth and claws. Considering the most beastly thing Jack had ever seen anywhere close to Roseburn had been one errant fox, this seemed almost beyond belief, but what other explain was there? The thought of Hazel being torn apart by some huge…something made Jack sick to his stomach, and all of a sudden the plate he had gathered for himself didn't look so appetising.

Just as his stomach threatened to turn, Jack looked across the table at the girl Augustus had been quite animatedly talking to. It looked like she was…looking under the table?

Confused, Jack leant down and pulled the table cloth away, revealing-

"…Wha?"

First people vanishing into thin air, now people hiding under tables? What the heck was going on at this memorial?

 

[Jargo]

He wasn't surprised at all that Jade Ethan knew his name. In fact, Kiril would be more surprised if she didn't - he was the mayor's son after all. The smugness this thought would have normally brought on was almost downed by the realization that he was under heavy scrutiny from everyone and anyone in the vicinity because of this very lineage. This made him question his decision to talk to this girl here, practically within hearing range of anyone who might be inclined to eavesdrop but alas, there was no turning back. "The only thing worse than making a mistake is hesitating whilst in the progress of making one, as it only prolongs your suffering" is what his father had taught him. Kiril had remembered his lessons and remembered them well. If he was about to screw up with this conversation he would do so both confidently and straightforwardly. Luckily, Jade seemed in the same boat as him, as far as the whole memorial situation was concerned

"Thank you." he replied, sharing her eagerness to delve into the conversation as a means of tuning out whatever worries each of them had "You can call me Kiril. Mr. Zarovich is my father. He's alright, but he can never dance like I can." Kiril paused, only for the briefest of moments to gauge whether she'd appreciate his attempt of a joke and continued hurriedly, in case she didn't "And to answer your question - no, I barely knew her. Well... everyone knew Hazel, of course, but I didn't know know her, if you know what I mean." He nervously rubbed his neck at the involuntary tautology "Anyways, I completely share your sentiment in that I too feel like some sort of an intruder here." Though for entirely different reasons, I'm sure. Of course he didn't say the last bit out loud but it didn't make it any less true. Whatever this girl's reasons for guilt were, they most certainly weren't as pertinent as hers. Her family didn't have to shelter the burden of the entire town's peace and, consequently, she couldn't feel guilt over failing in this regard. On the other hand, however, he could fully sympathize with her feeling like an outsider. After all, they were both attending the memorial service for someone she'd barely known. "I got drunk with her once. I guess that counts for something... although everyone got drunk at that party so I'm not sure if it does."

He paused, unsure if he could, or even should, say anything more, so instead he went silent for a while. His eyes darted around the hedges which were, ironically, teeming with life. A girl with a cane observed them for a while but then turned and walked away. Kiril wondered for a while if he knew her or not, but eventually decided he didn't, seeing as he could recall the name. Why was she holding a cane? Some random screaming from the house distracted him and by the time he turned to look at the maze once more, the girl was gone. With a sigh, he turned back towards his conversation partner whose phone flashed, signalling she had just received a text message.

"You got a text." he noted absentmindedly "I wonder what happened to her... She was a witch, after all, so I don't buy the animal attack story. It worries me, honestly." he added the latter with the same relaxed tone he'd used when noting her text, deliberately keeping his gaze averted, watching her reaction with the corner of his eye. He knew Jade's family belonged to a witch coven and how she'd react to him nonchalantly mentioning the supernatural side of town would tell him something about whether she was someone he could potentially seek help from. At least if she was protective about it he'd know that she placed importance on her community. Someone who would worry as much as he did could definitely become an ally. At least those were the thoughts that Kiril choose to focus on, since the alternative would be to bite his tongue in fear of his gambit turning sour and provoking the witches into some rushed action.

 

[Lockheart]

​

Jade giggled a little internally at the joke but tried not to show it too much. Perhaps laughing at a memorial would be frowned upon. In fact, frowning upon things was typical memorial behaviour in most cases. But she knew what Kiril meant. Everyone had known at least of Hazel. She was just that type of girl, touching everyone's life.

She was listening to him talk and completely forgot about her phone. Hopefully Juni had texted back. Hopefully it was not a text from her damned aunt. If Kiril had not pointed it to her then she very well may have just ended up ignoring for a very long time. Though, of course, the main reason she did not notice it was because he was talking to her.

"Thank you," Jade said as she reached for her phone beside her. As she unlocked the phone, Jade paused. "Wait... Did you say witch?"

She noticed that she had two unread text messages. One from Juni and one from her aunt. For now she would ignore her aunt's message... She was already feeling crappy enough. So she only opened and read Juni's message.

[ Hey Jade!


It's good to hear from you. C-man says I can hang. The bookstore sounds great! Having a crummy day? Oh hey, are you attending the memorial service? Cassius is forcing me in attending, so if you're there I guess I'll see you soon. If not....wish me luck. Hah. ]

"Hazel was into wiccan stuff. Never would of guessed that." It just seemed so surprising. But there was nothing wrong with that. "But what does that have to with the animal attack? I don't understand..."

She began writing out her own text, her thumbs darting around the phone's screen to type at the keyboard. And when the text was finished she pressed the little send button. Wasn't it considered rude to text while talking to someone?

[I'm already at the memorial service. Sorry U didn't text back faster, little distracted.

When you get here, I'm in the hedge maze with the mayor's sun.]

After pressing send Jade found herself growing annoyed at the number of typos. At least auto-correct had not botched anything up too bad.

---

---

@Archmage - Kiril​

[/hr]

 

[Esmeray]

L O C A T I O N : K I T C H E N
M E N T I O N S: C L A I R E ( @Celestial Scorpio ), J A D E (@Lockheart ), K I R I L (@Archmage ), C A S S I U S ( NPC)

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Juniper shifted to face her new found company after they spoke up, questioning her recent choice of words. Honestly Juniper felt a bit surprised that the young blonde had quickly pulled herself together. Had it been Juniper she probably would have left the party and walked home. Of course, Cassius wouldn't like that very much. Juniper ran a hand through her own blonde locks with a bit of a sigh. She wasn't really in the mood to open up to a stranger about her mom, not in a place like this anyways. It took Juniper a moment to really formulate the proper response, but the sadness could still be seen on her face as she opened her mouth. "My biological family were Orthodox Christians, and during a quake it is customary to open up the windows to release the "evil" that's plagued the family. We also covered mirrors and other reflective surfaces with white table cloths so the soul of the deceased wont be trapped in the house. I'm not really religious per say, just a little superstitious about things like that. I'll probably burn sage or something when I get home."

After the short explanation Juniper hums to herself curiously looking towards the kitchen window with some curtains. The sun was filtering through the window just right, and the room looked clean and serene. It smelled nice too, and Juniper assumed it had been cleaned recently....or maybe it was all the candles that are lit. Juniper contemplated whether or not opening the window and letting the warm breeze flow into the kitchen, and decided to just go for it with a shrug of the shoulders. If anything she'd just apologize for touching it. Unlatching the window she lifted it up, and was immediately met with a warm brush of wind. Then took a seat at the island bar. "Nice to meet you Claire. I'm Juniper." Once again Juniper is drawn to her tattooed hand, and she self-consciously rubs her fingers into the inked skin. She didn't really want to talk about it. "Yeah I get complimented on them a lot. I love tattoos. I hope to get more in the future. Oh and speaking of which, you're earlier comment! I like to believe there's a tattoo out there for everyone, you just gotta figure out what you like and go for it."

Suddenly there's a vibration in Juniper's pocket, and she immediately pulls out her phone knowing full well who it was from. Confirming the text was from Jade Juniper set the phone aside for now so she could give her current company her full attention. For the moment anyways. "Yes, I just moved to Roseburn last month. Due to sudden life changes and my health I haven't been able to start school yet, which is why most of you probably haven't seen me around. Have you met Dr. Lysander? He's my current guardian." Juniper briefly gestures to Cassius who can be seen in an adjacent room from theirs. He's still chatting away with a group of colleagues, but he gives both the girls a side glance as if he knew he was being talked about. Jeez, don't be a creep C-Man...., Juniper thought to herself. Due to having a pause in their conversation, Juniper quickly takes this moment to read Jade's text and reply back to it.

[I'm already at the memorial service. Sorry U didn't text back faster, little distracted.

When you get here, I'm in the hedge maze with the mayor's sun.]

Oooo, fancy.... Juniper thought to herself, curious as to how that's going for her friend. Juniper had never met the son of someone with such prestige before. She tries not to imagine him as the stereotypical princely gentleman, or the arrogant annoyance. Juniper has clearly watched too much anime and tv shows recently. Snapping out of her own mind before it totally derailed from it's tracks Juniper's fingers flitted across the keys.

[Yeah I got here a while ago. Someone bumped into me at the buffet table, but I never got his name. I just met a girl named Claire though, and we're talking at the moment. Otherwise I'd come find you. If he tries to pull a fast one on you let me know......I'll come over there and break his legs. :P ]

After sending the text Juniper returned her attention fully too claire, "Hey do you know mostly everyone here? Maybe you could tell me who is who?" Juniper asks.

 

[Celestial Scorpio]

Watching the other she noticed the hint of sadness in her expression but Claire just listened. She found it interesting that someone held superstitions like that. She herself did not tend to be the type to be superstitious but her parents didn't hold a religious preference. Growing up the most she ever did that was religious were the traditional wolf ones. But those were more so a species thing than a religious thing. "That is pretty interesting. I never heard of such a thing. I should probably research more cultures." The blonde smile softly and nodded. Though she wondered if she would find the time to delve into such matters.

The rush of warmth felt nice for a moment and rustled her hair. Watching as the figure sat she decided to sit on the opposite side. "Juniper. That is a nice name." Glancing down Claire saw Juniper rubbing the tattoo and figured to not prod her on it anymore. It seemed to make the other uncomfortable. Laughing softly she shook her head. "If I got one my dad would kill me. Literally. Even though it was common for my ancestors he is against us getting any. I am shocked he let me get my ears pierced." Unlike the normal atmosphere she felt around other's this person made her comfortable. Maybe it was the fact Juniper was new. In other cases she would fall near silence and hold no expressions.

Looking over at Cassius she felt a chill run up her spine and she glanced back to Juniper. "I know of him but I have never personally met him." Her attention went to the phone but she didn't try to get into the person's business so she looked out the window to give Juniper time to reply. Once she spoke again Claire shifted her attention back to the other. "I know a lot of people here, yes. I have lived in Roseburn my entire life but I don't know many personally. The guy you were with earlier was Jack. Everyone knows Jack, he and Hazel were together." Sighing she glanced away and rested her chin on the palm of her hand.

"Hazel was a pretty known girl. I am sure everyone has met her once. Or had. Who do you want to know?" Claire moved her eyes to looked a Juniper but continued to face a bit away as she sat. "I am glad to help you know some of your future school mates. So far I have seen a few people about that go to our school. Or well the school you will attend." Of course she knew literally nothing about them other than their name and maybe some rumors she heard.

@Vio​

 

[★Under The Stars★]

---

Byron was decently surprised that Aurora did not respond sourly to his interaction with her. Byron smirked a little as she began to spew absolutely beautiful Franglish toward the dead girl who was now possibly jeopardizing his lifestyle. Ah yes, this was but the most wonderful of occasions to be attending. Byron, at this point, got a little peeved at Aurora. Oh yes, this woman spoke french. Oh yes, she was absolutely beautiful. Oh yes, she knew how to make an absolutely wonderful and tasty cup of tea (if he wasn't angry about that, he'd be absolutely insane).

"Ah yes, that quaint bookstore you work at, is it? When I find the time, I'm sure I'll make a stop there sometime. I also didn't know Hazel too well, but I brushed past her a few times in classes. She was well-known and I'm not one to ignore anyone with the reputation that Hazel had. She... Was interesting, and it makes me anxious to see what happens now." Byron had half a mind to scoff at her for addressing him as Mon amour. "I'm afraid I must take my leave from you, my many friends seem to be calling me." Byron made eye contact with her as much as he could before he walked over to his friends.

"Oh my god, why would you talk to her?" "Byron, are you okay?" "Be careful her ugly-ass book smell didn't get on you."

Byron hated these comments. He was mad at Aurora for being so absolutely radiant, considering that meant that he wouldn't even be able to compare to her because of his... Sensitivity to things as bright as a star. "I'm fine, but contain yourselves. You don't want Jack hearing now, do you?" Byron's eyes closed as he recovered from their 'toxicity' as most people were putting it nowadays.

Mentioning Jack reminded him of who exactly was here at this death party, of sorts. It seemed Jack had joined a group of people, who were about to sit at a table. Byron was going to be bold and make sure he got one of the seats at the table. When they sat down, he was simply going to sit down with them without saying a singular word.​

 

[Mars Walker]

Aurora LaBelle

As Byron spoke, Aurora could feel his energy shift, his feelings shift. It was hard to tell wether he was amused with her, or annoyed. Aurora chuckled slightly after he took his leave, smiling at the group of gremlins Byron called his friends. She could tell by their expressions what they were saying about her.

Aurora wasn't sure for what reason Byron's gremlin friends disliked her- she knew for a fact that she hadn't ever done anything wrong to any of them to warrant their disrespect. Of course, she knew that she could take them all out in a flash, so she didn't ever bother to stand against them, And she was fairly certain that somewhere in the depths of their souls they knew that she was a woman you wouldn't want to make angry. Turhtfully, she worried about Byron's involvement with the gremlin group.

Alas, Byron is a grown man, and I'm sure he's old enough to know where to put himself. Such a pity that those are the people he hangs around...

Aurora shook her head slightly, and put her handkerchief into her coat pocket, taking a slow breath to steady herself as she surveyed the celebration's guests. Everyone from her book club was there, and it made her happy to see the familiar faces. There were also people she didn't know so well- and one face in particular caught her interest.

Their face was angular, but their plump lips cut through the sharp features, and their eyes were a rich hazel color, drawing even more of her interest. Aurora's eyes moved slightly, noticing a girl whom Aurora knew as Claire standing by them and chatting casually.

Mon Dieu, I must introduce myself! I don't believe I've ever talked to either of them!

Aurora stepped away from Hazel's portrait, curious to know how the two knew her. She made her way swiftly over to Claire and the new person, smiling kindly, "Mes amies, I don't think I've ever properly introduced myself to either of you," Aurora spoke in a friendly tone, "I am Aurora LaBelle- and what shall I call you two by?" She asked, moving a stray piece of her red hair behind one ear.

@Celestial Scorpio @Vio

 

[yourwarriorangel]

It all happened slowly. She was exposed. The table cloth lifted, revealing a girl. "So...what are you doing down there?" the girl asked.
"O-Oh nothing much! Just hanging underneath....tables...I guess..." she stammered in reply. "Wasn't spying though! Totally, not. I just like hanging around under tables." Well this was awkward. It was so obvious she was lying. Since she didn't want to be a total weirdo to a stranger, she quickly fixed her story. "I mean, I was just..uh.....okay. Long story short, I'm a journalist looking for someone who knows about Miss Pearson."
Didn't that just make things a little more awkward?
"I was just listening for people who sounded like they knew her....underneath.....a....table" Wasn't that basically spying? Great. This is exactly the way you should greet someone at a memorial. Underneath a table, beginning with an obvious lie, then suddenly saying you're a journalist of all people. Now she was going to think she was one of those reporters who are always in people's faces.
"But I'm not one of those obnoxious stereotypical ones that are always in your personal space!" she blurted, waving her hands. "I at least stand outside of their bubble. Most of the time...Anyways, y'know of Miss Pearson?"
Good impressions, good impressions. That was what her boss told her got the gold.
But at the moment she wasn't in a mood to be okay with her boss. Not in the least.
"I didn't really plan on coming here y'know.....I was woken up....no.....FORCED UP by my IGNORANT boss." she felt herself getting angry. The second she said ignorant, which she didn't mean to say out loud.
"This is NOT IN THE LEAST FAIR since this WAS MY FREAKING DAY OFF!!! Not that I feel like COMPLETE SHI-OWWWWWWWWW!" she groaned.
In her fire she never realized she was slowly rising, and when she did jerk up she hit the table, forgetting she was under one.
Pulling at her head, she plopped back down on the grass. Remembering she had an audience, she turned to face the girl again. "Yeah...I'm not really a morning person" she explained.
"My boss is just being a bit unrealistic, unfair, STUPID, I mean not reasonable, RETARDED, don't tell my boss I ever said that!" her face flushed.
"I'd be DECAPITATED if he heard I said that. And that's no aphorism, it's truth"
It was agreed it was a day off though. She could have slept in, enjoyed the comfort of her silky garments, her nice cold pill-
"BUT THAT STILL DOESN'T MEA-OUCH!" she screamed as she fell back onto the grass. She has once again managed to slam her head on the underside of a table.
Then she started punching the grass and screaming insults in her boss's name. "UNCONSIDERATE, PROCRASINATER, CHILD ABUSER, DOUBLE-CROSSER!"
And then she was once again aware she had a spectator. Crawling back in position, she spread her legs in front of her and faced the girl.
"Don't mind my childish REASONABLE outbursts." she grinned, with her now messy hair and grass stained dress that is.
Then she say another face poke in, a boy's, who then questioned "...Wha?"
"Don't bother asking about my appearance or why I'm underneath a table in a memorial. At all." she made clear.
"It's not that it's bad or anything!" she lightened the mood. "Long story! Very long. Bascially, I'm an abused journalist in need of a nap. I was getting around, like an undercover agent. Unnoticed. Stealthy." she emphasized her words jokingly. "Smooth" she sliced her arm through the air. "That was until I was exposed by this girl over here." she gestured towards her other onlooker.
Who knows what kind of rumors of her there'll be now? Well, now she knows she's capable of getting herself in such a situation. If she were the boy, she thought, she'd just walk away. Now to untangle this mess.


@SaberWolf @Baddamobs​

 

[Fox of Spades]

August noticed the hesitance in Jack's answer and tried his best to deflect it with another nonchalant invitation. "Nah man, you really look like you need someone to talk to right now." Considering the guy's girlfriend had just been murdered that was quite the understatement. Still, if Jack refused, he wasn't going to chase the guy down. Thankfully, Hibiscus seemed to be doing a much better job convincing the grieving boy to join them.

As Hibiscus pulled Jack into a hug, he noticed Sieg looking underneath the table.

The hell, was she... was she trying to look up someone's dress?

August blinked stupidly as he turned his head right and left, no one was near enough to allow for that. "Sieg... you okay there, buddy?" He lifted the tablecloth on his side to peer at what exactly was so interesting.

Well, this was odd.

Jack and Hibiscus had returned by then, but as they chattered on about Hazel's death and what could have caused it, he found himself unable to concentrate on the questions at hand. "There's a girl down there."

August winced when her head audible collided with the bottom of the table. Before he could offer her a helping hand or a seat she started to go on some tirade against her boss. Journalist something something, abused journalist something something... spying on people who knew Hazel so she could get a juicy scoop.

His insides churned in disgust.

What's a cute girl like you doing in such a secretive spot like that? The pickup line he had in his head disappeared into oblivion and his demeanor changed entirely. "That's really fucked up."

He didn't care if the others heard him, but he did try to keep his voice leveled in an act of respect for everyone else who didn't need to know about this shit. "Her parents are right there. Her boyfriend is here. These people are fucking grieving, they don't need you spying on them for some shitty headline."

Even if her boss was a grade A ass, the fact that she'd agreed to such a thing proved she was one too.

"I suggest you walk the fuck away and leave these people in peace." August's voice was loud enough for only those sitting by the table to hear, but there was no mistaking the anger and disgust in his words.

@SaberWolf , @Baddamobs , @yourwarriorangel , @Sailor Moon

 

[Esmeray]

L O C A T I O N : K I T C H E N
M E N T I O N S: C L A I R E ( @Celestial Scorpio ), A U R O R A ( @Mars Walker ), A U G U ST ( @Fox of Spades ), H I B I S C U S ( @Sailor Moon ), S I E G (@SaberWolf ), K I R I L ( @Archmage ), H A Z E L (NPC), C A S S I U S ( NPC)

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"Your ears are pierced? That's pretty cool. Mine are too, but I don't wear them often since the clash with most my closet. I only wear them if I'm feeling particularly 'edgy'." Juniper double backs on the earlier mention Claire had made about them. She considers giving her collection to the girl, but wasn't sure if they'd be fitting for the other blonde's style. The notion of ancestors intrigued Juniper, as she had always been fascinated by other cultures. She didn't know too much about her own ancestry and their cultural customs, but she always wanted to find out personally.

"That's pretty neat that your family is so in touch with their ancestry. I'm half greek, and half Japanese. I know I don't really look like it. A lot of people confuse me for being a mixed race Korean. I'm sure there are other things mixed there that I'm not aware of though so I don't complain. You should tell me about your ancestry sometime. I'd love to hear about it." Juniper gives Claire a small smile with her indication that they will be talking again in the near future, possibly around school. She wanted to express an obvious interest in Claire's family heritage as well as their conversation in general. Juniper looked like a child fascinated by the world around them at the thought. Though perhaps she was just starving for some human interaction after being violently up rooted from her old life.

"I see so it is true that everyone knows everyone in these small towns. Interesting. Anyways, yeah Cassius is....nice." Juniper nearly cringes at the fact that she didn't have anything better to say about her sire. Truth be told she felt so conflicted over the man, there was an obvious closeness they shared due to their relationship prior to her change. She could feel a sort of gravitational pull between them, but she wasn't sure if that was because he was her sire or because of their history together. Technically he had lied to her about who he truly was, and then changed her against her will or her consent. Before Juniper lost touch with reality and her mind spiraled down the rabbit hole that is her connection with Cassius, she keyed in on a certain fact that was just made known to her.

"They were together? Man now I feel bad for being annoyed with him earlier. He kind of spaced out and bumped into me." Juniper mentions casually since she personally didn't think the occurrence was a big deal. It was just something for her to talk about in regards to the topic of him and Hazel. Speaking of which. "Yeah I can see that Hazel was familiar with a lot of people. The crowd here proves it...." Juniper trails off for a moment as she thinks back on some of the faces she saw earlier, and who'd she found most interesting. She recalled seeing a incredibly handsome boy earlier with dark skin and pretty green eyes. He was goofing around with two other girls earlier, and seemed like a fun guy. Juniper wasn't sure about the other two with him though. They looked easily annoyed by his presence, and wondered whether or not he was actually friends with the two girls. Maybe he was a womanizer, but Juniper knew she could handle someone like that. Plus, Juniper didn't really look like a girl, so maybe that would deter unwanted flirting and encourage a more meaningful conversation. Then there was the mayor's son that her friend Jade mentioned earlier. Juniper was quite curious about how he looked and how he carried himself. After mulling it over Juniper opened her mouth to discuss her thoughts with Claire when a stranger entered the kitchen along with them.

Juniper's breath hitched at the sight of the woman. She was beautiful in every sense of the word, and Juniper couldn't help but be surprised by how striking she was. Long rosette locks gracefully cascaded down her shoulders and framed her pretty face. The warm rays of the setting sun settling on her features made her glow radiantly, and her smile was enough to make Juniper melt on the inside. Juniper's Hazel hues subtly glide across the woman's entire figure. From her dark and inviting amber eyes to her sense of dress, to her shoes, and then all the way up again. Immediately her pupils dilate, and there's a faint indication that Juniper is with out a doubt attracted to the red-headed lady. A floral and woodsy scent wafts into the room along with the woman, and Juniper's sense of smell picks up on it quickly. It's heavenly, but slightly over bearing on her sensitive nose. Still Juniper couldn't help but imagine getting lost in it. At the thought Juniper's fangs protrude slightly, but not from a desire to feed, and her cheeks flushed lightly.

"Mes amies, I don't think I've ever properly introduced myself to either of you," Aurora spoke in a friendly tone, "I am Aurora LaBelle- and what shall I call you two by?"

What the fuck, she has an accent too!? Fuck! Juniper mentally swore at how weak she was. She needed to gain control over herself and quickly. She was not about to make a fool out of herself in front of complete strangers. She absolutely refused! Unfortunately, for her she was already rosy cheeked and at a loss for words. She had been awe struck, but she was fully aware of her situation. Subconsciously her body had already shifted involuntarily as her brows knitted together hinting at her frustration with her lack of self control, and she had leaned forward, resting her chin into the palm of her hand. Her long elegant fingers partially covering her flushed cheeks, and she had tilted her head slightly away from Aurora. If someone didn't know better, it would have been easy to confuse the gesture as annoyance. However, the fact that Juniper's Hazel orbs still haven't broken contact from Aurora's form was an obvious breach in that misconception. Had she truly been annoyed, Juniper would have looked away. There was a pause from Juniper as she silently recollected her self, and in a quiet voice she speaks.

"Enchanté Mademoiselle...," Juniper pauses again as she tries to recollect what she managed to retained from her first year french class. She scratches at her head in thought then perks up again. "Ah! Je suis Juniper, et voici Claire. Nous parlions juste de Hazel ..." Juniper replies to Aurora in the French tongue, but it was clear by her lack of accent that and how choppy her speech was that Juniper was rusty with french and not a native speaker. Quickly after Juniper switches back to English, not sure if she'd be able to actually hold an entire conversation in French. Had it been Spanish or Japanese Juniper probably would have been a bit more confident in her skill. Plus Juniper was unsure if Claire could speak french or understand the language. "Claire here has told me how well known Hazel was around Roseburn." Juniper continues in a low even tone while gesturing to Claire. "If you don't mind my asking, were you two close with Hazel? Since I just moved here, I'm curious as to what kind of person she was....." Juniper explains opting to leave out the part that the reason for said curiosity was the impact Hazel's death had on Cassius.

 

[Celestial Scorpio]

Moving her hair Claire showed Juniper the small wolf studded earring she had in her earlobe. "My dad let me get them a year ago. Though he is selective on the kind I wear." Letting her hand rest on the island now her hair covered the earring once more. "I think you should go for it. As you can see my wardrobe clashes all the time but I wear what I feel like. As long as you're happy fuck what others may think. It's clothing." Though as much as she would love to feel that way, in her mind Claire always thought about the judgement she may get. If she wore something odd she often found herself even more distant from others to prevent any negative comments.

"Hmm maybe one day." She slightly grew a bit tense thinking about sharing such things with someone. How would one just casually go about being a werewolf? Claire gave a small smile. "Well I personally think you look like both, Greek and Japanese. But I do have a bit of knowledge about them. Not much to tell you about them but what they generally look like." At the mention of Cassius she glanced over at him once more then back to Juniper. "I just am observant. I would say for the most part some have more knowledge on the locals than me. Some of the people here I have seen once or my family has mentioned. So I could tell you a name and that's about it."

Claire shook her head. "Jack will be fine. He is a tough guy despite his size. As for Hazel. Yeah..." When Juniper paused she looked about the room to wait for the other to speak again. It was obvious she was in thought and Claire was fine with waiting. Once the other's mouth opened she looked at her but nothing came out as her attention went elsewhere. Looking over she saw Aurora approaching. If she recalled the woman was of French decent. Hearing Juniper's breath hitch her eyes shifted back to her. Watching as the other's eyes looked Aurora up and down she wasn't sure what to say or do. Eye's dilating, flushed cheeks, yup Juniper had a crush. Claire knew the little signs one would show when interested in another.

When Juniper seemed to try and hide her flushed cheeks she almost laughed. It was funny seeing this person trying to act cool and hide their sudden feelings. Claire was almost a bit envious, though she grew accustom to not having such feelings towards another. Hearing French come from Juniper made her instantly feel like a third wheel. There was that, her friendly conversation had turned into the love of the croutons. The star struck escargot and the French maiden of.. wait what the fuck was she thinking? Claire mentally smacked herself. To not seem rude she smiled softly. Nothing to add and if she tried French it would come out as 'oui oui Eifel Tower, French fries, insert generic racial stereotype here.' She did not want to be that person.

As soon as she was asked if she was close to Hazel, Claire tensed up again. "I uh.." Looking out the window she continued. "I wasn't close to Hazel. I do know she was an amazing person. I had only met her once and she is the type to bring a smile to your face. She was the friendliest person one could ever meet. She was also smart and she cared about others deeply. She didn't deserve.. this. I can tell you that now. Whoever did this... I hope they burn in hell." Sighing she looked over at Aurora. "You can call me Claire. It is nice to formally meet you Aurora." Claire smiled. Her attention was brought to the backyard though as she overheard a conversation going on. From the sound of it someone was looking for info on Hazel and one of the guests was upset about that. She cringed at hearing the male's voice and gazed towards the area wondering what was going one. Deciding to drop it she looked over at the other's and gave them her full attention.​

@Vio @Mars Walker

 

[envogue]

Hibiscus rejoined the others at the table, and her golden yellow eyes flickered towards Jack as he began to speak. Unlike the others, she was far too interested in hearing what Hazel's boyfriend had to say. Like Jack, Hibiscus had her own suspicions about Hazel's untimely fate, but there was no proof. She couldn't have access to the crime scene investigation photos or autopsy report... Not that she would want to see something so gruesome up close. She just wanted to know what had happened to her neighbor, but at what cost?

As Hibiscus sat there deep in thought, her attention went towards whatever the group had been looking at underneath the table. She could see perfectly well from where Jack had lifted the table cloth. Her eyes narrowed just a bit as they settled on the brightly dressed girl taking refuge under the table. Well, this is strange. Hibiscus shouldn't have found the sight amusing, but she did. Of all the things, a journalist hiding underneath the table she'd chosen. Now the poor girl was surrounded, and judging by the looks of it, not everyone at the table would appreciate the blabbering mess of a girl. August had been especially harsh in his delivery, and one thing Hibiscus didn't want to do was gang up on this hapless girl.

"For the love of Vishnu, show a little compassion." Hibiscus interjected, her body language lax and her lips curved into a smile that could easily be read as a smirk. "This girl was only doing what she was told, and last I checked, none of the other journalists or reporters have done an amazing job trying to uncover the facts about what really happened to Hazel. Unless, you're satisfied with that story about an animal attack?" Hibiscus knew that even August had to be a little skeptical about the story the media had put out, but she was addressing the whole table now.

"I'd be more inclined not to make a scene if you tell me everything you know about the investigation." Hibiscus said calmly to the girl, though it was pretty obvious that this wasn't a negotiation. "Your boss...He must know something. What's he been saying?" Hibiscus said, and then asked in a gentle tone. She patted the seat beside her, her bangles clanging together lightly as she gestured for the girl to join them at the table.

@yourwarriorangel @Baddamobs @SaberWolf @Fox of Spades​

 

[Baddamobs]

At memorial/at a table that no longer has a reporter hiding underneath / @Sailor Moon @SaberWolf @Fox of Spades @yourwarriorangel
======================================
Jack had listened to the girl's rather…particular rant with a mystified expression. He had just about caught the parts she had been saying to the girl that had lifted the table cloth originally, and her 'summary' did little to rid him of his confusion.

This whole thing sounded way beyond the pale. Hazel was hardly in the ground, and this 'reporter' hadn't even asked permission to come to the memorial. Hell, they hadn't even had the good will to simply ask around and resorted to some spying gig. The thought of it all left a foul, bubbling sensation rising up the back of Jack's throat. Before he could even process this, though, Augustus managed to just about sum up the situation.

"That's really fucked up."

It was a crude way of putting it, but Jack found he didn't disagree.

"Her parents are right there. Her boyfriend is here. These people are fucking grieving, they don't need you spying on them for some shitty headline."

Jack struggled with a lot of emotions all at once. One small part of him was a little sorry that the girl was receiving such a thorough chewing out for simply making (what Jack hoped was) a mistake. On the other hand, a much larger part of Jack was immensely grateful that Augustus was managing to put into words what he was still struggling to process. He made a mental note to thank the guy later, but right then all Jack felt like doing averting his eyes from the whole confrontation and waiting for it to resolve itself.

"For the love of Vishnu, show a little compassion."

It seemed, however, that Hibiscus was taking this whole turn of events much more in-stride.

"This girl was only doing what she was told, and last I checked, none of the other journalists or reporters have done an amazing job trying to uncover the facts about what really happened to Hazel. Unless, you're satisfied with that story about an animal attack?"

Jack had to admit, she wasn't exactly wrong. Thus far, apart from the bare basic facts of the matter, no one had been able to present anything concrete about this whole mess. That being said, what the heck was the girl hoping to find at the memorial? And hiding under what, as far as Jack could determine, a random table at said memorial?

"I'd be more inclined not to make a scene if you tell me everything you know about the investigation."

Jack, upon hearing the calm but exceedingly severe tone of voice from Hibiscus, briefly reflected that he wasn't sure whose anger he would want to risk less; the open fury and growling from Augustus, or the collected but burning light that came from Hibiscus' eyes. He honestly didn't envy the reporter girl's position, though Hibiscus mention the investigation made him sit up.

"Your boss...He must know something. What's he been saying?"

"I-in particular," Jack tried to sound sharp as he cut in, but just talking about this subject was causing his body to shiver slightly. "Has he said anything about the cause of death? Estimated times or suspected…animal?"

Jack didn't want to think it could be anything but a freak animal attack. Nothing more than just a horrible incident that came about because of the town's close proximity to the untamed woodland. But…Hazel wasn't really the type to be ignorant of the dangers the woods presented.

She had actually led him on a few trips into the woods, once or twice. The expeditions had shown her great love of the natural world, and her apparent fearlessness of exploring it's depths. She had always been careful, though, and had never ventured so deeply into the woods as the spot that her body had been found, at least to Jack's knowledge.

Too many questions remained, and while it was a long shot Jack was willing to hear this odd girl out if it meant he would something. Because until Hazel's death made sense, the rest of the world wouldn't.

 

[Saber]

@Fox of Spades @yourwarriorangel @Sailor Moon @Baddamobs
​

Everything happened a bit fast by the time that Sieg discovered the girl under the table, as well as the others that were seated there. She listened to what the girl had to say and cringed when she hit her head, it apparently wasn't her day. She felt, rather than saw the irritation in August. It was rolling off him like a heavy fog and Sieg rolled her shoulders as she sat upright again. It was making her anxious. Of course it was inconsiderate of this journalist to be there and be sneaking about, but it was nothing to cause a scene over. Or at least, in her opinion, nothing for August to get that mad over. As much as she wanted to be angry for such an intrusion, it wasn't her place. She had never been close to Hazel like Jack, so she didn't really feel what August did.

Sieg glanced at Hibiscus when she heard the girl mention the investigation over Hazel's death. Of course she was curious as well, but she knew not to pry just yet. Humans weren't very efficient when it came to finding things, or at least finding out all the facts. Hazel's murder was a mystery on all sides and Sieg was sure the humans were eager to write it off as an animal attack so they didn't have to do as much work. Not to mention the small town didn't really have the means for an all out investigation. It was human nature to be curious, but that didn't stop her from being a bit surprised at Hibiscus's brashness.

Even more surprising was when Jack started to chime in about details of the murder as well. Were they all this obtuse? Did they not think of the repercussions of talking about such a sensitive subject out in the open for any stranger to hear? Let alone Hazel's parents. The wolf sighed softly to herself before massaging the bridge of her nose. Some people. Not to mention that fact that if Hazel had been murdered by a person, they could still be around and on the loose. Who was to say that person wasn't someone Hazel knew?

"Do you really think that now is the best time to be given details about Hazel's murder?" Sieg asked as she turned to Hibiscus, then glancing at Jack, trying to keep her glare to a moderate inquisitive glance. "Surrounded by her friends and family, at her memorial? If you're really that persistent to get details, maybe we should go somewhere a bit more private. Or at the very least, wait until more people leave." Her grandfather had always taught her to be cautious. That was a trait of a leader, be cautious and tactful of your surroundings. Sieg's surroundings told her this definitely wasn't the place for this conversation.

It wasn't that Sieg really cared about anyone overhearing, but she did care about the backlash they could all get from prying into Hazel's murder. Really, besides Jack, none of them had been close enough to have the right to care. Besides, this...journalist, seemed to be pretty...unpredictable. Who knows if her facts were even facts.

"Why don't we start with your name." Sieg continued as she glanced back down at the girl under the table who was still...under the table, for some reason. "I'm Sieg," She pointed to August. "That mean guy there, that's August, and that pushy girl is Hibiscus, and the quieter one is Jack. What's your name?"

 

[Jargo]

Jade's answer puzzled him. He was prepared for many a reply but this was not among them. Could a witch be a witch be unaware of the fact she is one? Plausible, though unlikely. Their "gift" was supposed to be something they're intrinsically aware of, even before they could acutely describe or know exactly what it was. Similarly to how regular humans were aware of their own bodies, a witch's gift was supposed to be a part of the her. And while exceptions were certainly possible, he was unconvinced that this was the case here. Ah, look at me, actually trying to rationalize someone's avoidance of a topic. I truly am both gullible and tactless. Obviously a witch wouldn't bother discussing witch business with a normal human, they'd be too high and mighty for that. I suppose it was worth the try anyways.

Regardless of him trying to rationalize it, he felt some irrational insult. A tint was put in his pride as Jade had, apparently, declined the offer to level with him and pool in their knowledge and expertise. And for no other reason than pride. Of course, it could be that she was under pressure from her elders not to talk about witch business after the current events, but somehow Kiril had trouble believing that. Nonetheless, he wasn't one to succumb to foul mood. Failures were just a part of life. Come on, you didn't expect the first supernatural person you meet to open up to you, did you dumbass?

"Yes... she was into wiccan stuff." he said, somewhat reproachfully, but quickly realized it and went back to his usual polite register "Her whole family, in fact. I suppose I mentioned it because..." he made only the smallest of pauses to think of a reason that is both socially appropriate reason and suggestive at the same time "I guess I mentioned it because I somehow thought that wiccans were so close to the nature that things, which would endanger a normal human such as myself, like animal attacks for instance, were no danger to them." Kiril once again reprimanded himself for perhaps being too brazen and quickly added, somehow softer this time "I suppose that's quite silly of me. I apologize if I've made you uncomfortable with my deliberations." The apology part was sincere and his choice of words - deliberate. He didn't feel sorry for trying to engage Jade, but he did feel that the proper thing to do was apologize, after losing his temper, even for just a little bit.

He leaned back on the hedge wall and after a moment of silence decided to try and break the tension by changing the subject "Anyhow, it would be weird going back to school now, wouldn't it? I saw a lot of people from school in here and... well... to be entirely honest I'm not sure if I should talk to them or avoid them. It feels like such thing as a "right" or "proper" course of action just doesn't exist at events like this, doesn't it?"

 

[Lockheart]

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She had often wondered about being a wiccan herself. And it certainly seemed interesting but Jade could never bring herself to believe in anything like magic. That was just silly...

"The whole family..." she said to herself, under her breath. It was not surprising to find that the family had shared the same religion but she had just expected them to be your typical orthodox Christian family.

But he almost seemed upset. Did she say or do something wrong? Until he was back being very polite again. It was beginning to become a little confusing. But he almost seemed... Silly? As though a wiccan could be protected from an animal? Jade really did not know what to think. Maybe the first phase of grief really was denial. And all he needed was friend. Someone to talk to him and help him. Not many guys were in touch with their sensitive side or would openly be grieving about a dead friend.

Jade smiled as she stood up. She tried to lean against the hedge wall same as him.

"Right and proper aren't things I'm so good at," she replied. "Maybe we should go talk to th-"

Suffice it to say that the hedge was not as dense everywhere. She fell into the hedge with a rustle of leaves. She squeaked as she hit the stumpy bottom of the hedge wall.

"Err..." What should she do? "Please get me out of this damn bush."

Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Jade could only hope that Kiril was not the type of person to tell others about something so embarrassing. She must of looked like a complete fool!