Logan Russo
A few miles outside the city
A month ago....
Collab with
@Sketching101
"You found them like this?" Logan asked standing over the bodies of the three, torn apart people. "Yes sir. Think these were the folks that were givin' you folks in Breez trouble a while back, they got other pieces of people in their cooler." The older man, Jeb, was a frequent trader of Breez. He found the corpses while scrounging through the suburb they were held up.
"'Looks like they got what was coming to them." He continued, spitting on the ground towards the bodies.
"Yup, these were the Guzzlers cause a ruckus in the bar." Logan recognized the three Folly-folk after he had to escort them out of town a little over a month ago. After that people started going missing when passing through the area. Most people assumed, Logan included, that a new monster was stalking the area. Seemed like it was just a group of cannibals.
Logan knelt down to inspect the first of the three bodies. Behind him Jeb force a sort-of cough "So uh, figured since I found out what happened to the missin' people I should get some sort of reward." Logan sighed and shook his head. "Go see Jay, he'll cover you. Have him give you a little extra so you stay quiet about this. Don't need anyone in town hearing that some of their loved ones got eaten by people."
"It's an awful way to go. Looks like that one had some ironic justice huh." The older trader stepped up beside Logan and motioned towards the corpse in the middle of the room, the remains sprawled out on the floor. While the other two bodies were torn into, pieces of their bodies torn messily from the rest of it, the third body was mostly whole. Instead it seemed dried out, as if something had drained the body of its fluids and left the body out in the sun for too long. Its skin was starting to grey and more like a raisin. "You don't happen to know what did that do you?"
Logan looked up at the man with a 'get the hell out of here look' and nodded out the door. "Can't say I do but you should be getting back incase its still lurking around." Getting the hint, Jeb nodded and headed out the door.
In truth, Logan had an idea of what creature drank the blood of its victims and messily tore through bodies. He hadn't seen it in over a decade, though he still remembered the bodies of the victims she left behind. Maria Rosewald had been both a doctor and an acquaintance of Logan. In fact, it was Maria who helped save Logan's life when he first arrived in Breez. Turned out Maria was a vampire, and Logan had to be the one to kill her.
Vampires weren't common, though he knew of one that lived in Breez. Lyra, Maria's daughter. Lyra never showed signs of vampiric aggression in the city. No one ever turned up dead with their blood drank, nor had anyone else been affected by the Crimson Thirst. Still, the chances of another vampire being this close to the city was slim. Plus, the fact Lyra went missing a few weeks ago and randomly reappeared without saying where she was didn't help. Logan spent the next twenty minutes examining the bodies, looking for signs of it being something else, but everything he found pointed towards a starving vampire who was deprived of blood.
So Logan gathered whatever supplies they had that were usable, headed back to the city and went straight to the library. It was nearly evening when Logan got there. "Kid, you here? We need to talk."
After a few seconds, the telltale sound of an old door creaking open echoed through the building, followed by light footsteps climbing down the stairs. Lyra emerged behind one of the curtains, scrutinizing Logan through the windows. She opened the front door, and stood right in the doorway, her right hand still grasping the door handle on the inside. She still had a few bandages covering some of the deeper wounds, but most of the cuts had already scarred. "Need a book, or somethin'?" she asked, clearly still distraught, despite her best efforts to hide it.
"No not a book. Never been much of a reader." He looked at the ground and scratched his neck. He wasn't able to look her in the face and accuse her. He felt a knot welling up in his stomach. He usually didn't feel sorry for people, but the things she probably went through. That she still was going through couldn't be easy, and knowing that made him hesitant. "We need to talk about things." He finally looked up at her, his eyes glancing at the bandages before he looked back behind him to see if anyone was around.
Most people were already in for the night, some heading home or to the bar in the center of town. "Mind if I come inside?"
She hesitated before slowly nodding. "Sure, the library's not mine after all," she said, stepping back. She walked over to the counter and sat on the stool. Still fidgeting, she pretended to organize some of the paper documents strewn along one of the bookshelves to avoid looking at Logan. "So, what'd you want to talk 'bout?" she asked coyly, biting down on her lower lips, and trying to get a look at the man from the corners of her eyes.
"How have you been feeling? Remember anything from those weeks you were missin'?" Logan leaned up on the counter, looking away from Lyra to scan the library. He slipped a hand inside his jacket and slipped out his flask, unscrewing the lid and taking a drink before setting it on the counter. Taking a breath and looking at Lyra, he said "Found some bodies out a few miles from Breez. They are a few weeks old. Wouldn't happen to involve them, would it?"
The sound of paper moving around stopped as Lyra's shoulders stiffened and her head sank. Her breathing grew heavy and rapid. "Reckon it did," she managed to say between breaths. "I barely got outta some den full of corpses, if you could even call it that, once you have 'em sliced up into pieces like that. What those people did..." Her whole body tensed up as she continued, a panic beginning to swell in her mind. "So, what? You're here just to talk? I 'aven't done anythin' wrong..."
Logan turned and leaned his back against the counter, his elbows resting on it. "Nope, nothing wrong. You did what you had to. They were bad people who did awful things. But you did do it, didn't you?" He slid the flask her way some, in case she wanted a drink. "No one knows I'm here. No one knows you did it. I just need the truth, kid."
When Lyra turned around, she was holding up a potted plant with bright purple and yellow leaves and petals up, the same way she would hold up a gun with trembling hands. "So what if I did? You'll do me in as well, then?" she managed to blurt out. "Like you did with her?" She glanced over at the flask and back at Logan. "You should know that the flask doesn't do much for me these days," she said, forcing a chuckle.
Logan frowned, nodding some as he understood the animosity. "Doesn't do much for me nowadays either. Used to help me sleep, but not any more." He faces Lyra, shaking his head now. "What happened with Maria, I didn't like it. I don't know if she was always like that or if the virus messed with her mind, but I know you aren't her. What you did; that was self defense. She was like them." He took the flask from the counter and took a drink, his gaze now stern and serious. "I want to help kid. If you want to lock yourself in this library and tackle it on your own, you can. But if it starts to affect this town we will have a problem." His gaze softened some, replaced by a look of pleading. "So please, for my sake just let me help. If not me then Jay or Kathleen."
After a moment's hesitation, Lyra gently put the plant back down behind her, relaxing a bit. "Right… Alright." She remained quiet for a few seconds, looking down and rubbing the back of her head. "I--uh… I go out during the night from time to time to see if I can find any newly blooming bloodroses," she said, bringing her hand up to cover her trembling lips. "I'm a bit hazy on the details. I think they shot me; I remember falling to the ground, and then..." She paused for a moment. "I guess you saw where they took me, right? I was there for a while." She placed a hand on the filthy gauze covering her left shoulder. "They brought in a few others while I was there, but they..." Her voice trailed off. She continued after a few seconds. "I don't really remember what happened right up to that moment. But it was me." She looked up at Logan. "After I killed 'em, I started walking 'til I got to the town square. And… here we are."
"That's all I needed to know. Thanks." He relaxed some, taking a deep breath as he relaxed against the counter again. "The bloodroses helpin' still? Looks like you really did a number on one of them. That because you were starvin', angry or..?"
Lyra's shoulders slumped as she gripped her left arm. "The bloodroses are… I'm working on it." She paused for a moment. "I..." She heaved a sigh before continuing. "I was in pain, tired, delirious… and, I s'pose, yes, hungry. But I didn't have much else I could do." She brought up her wrists, wrapped around in reddish bruises between the scars. "Look, I… I'll get a potion formula to work again, and soon. Okay?"
"You did what you had to, I get it. I know the feeling all too well." He reached over and gently patted her on the less damaged shoulder, then started to rummage through his bag. "Maybe you should talk to Kathleen." He found what he was looking for, a small orange bottle with glowing pills. He showed them to Lyra, shaking them so they made a little noise. "She made these to help with my uh… Ailment. Works better than syringes and easier to make. Kathleen is a good person. Even better alchemist." He popped open the bottle and took out a pill, popping it in his mouth and washing it down with his flask.
Lyra tensed up in a reflex as Logan's hand touched her shoulder. "Mr. Adar used to help me with it, so it might be helpful to get advice, but..." She paused for a moment before looking up at Logan. "Er… Does she know about me? Otherwise, that might be an awkward little talk."
Logan nodded. "As far as I know the only ones that know about you are me and the council members. The council agreed to not keep secrets from each other, and I'm the one who keeps my hands dirty for'em. I reckon you've told Mona somethin' too?"
"Yeah, she's known for a while now." Lyra interlocked her fingers and let her arms loose. She let out a sigh. "I'll talk to Miz Ramadan soon, then." She seemed to have calmed down quite a bit, at least as much as someone could calm down in that situation. "Was that all? I want to get some work done before it's too late."
"Yeah." Logan said, starting to gather his things and heading towards the door, pausing to give a nod to Lyra. "Have a good night kid."
Jumping some, Aster turned laughing some at how easily she was startled. "Hi! No, no books today I'm still reading some of Jays when I have time." She gave the book-keeper a smile, hugging her before pulling away. "How've you been feeling? I heard you got stuck outside the city when that last storm blew through." She remembered the letter, and urgency that Jay spoke with. "I'm actually looking for you and-" before she could continue a voice called out from down the road. "Lyra! I've fixed the last of the books." Smiling, Aster waved to Emrin, giving her a hug when she came close. "Just who I was looking for! Jay has asked for you two, Nomad, Mona and Logan to visit him in his office. It's important, wanted to tell you himself so I really need to find everyone quick. Have either of you seen the others around?"
He just wanted a solid sleep. Just once in his life. Yesterday he managed to barter a traveling trader for a new mattress from Providence, one not covered in dirt and sweat. He was up a bit later that night dealing with some obnoxious drunks, so he was planning on sleeping in. The banging on the door caused him to jolt up, reaching for his revolver. "Sheriff? Sheriff Russo are you in!" He set the gun back on his nightstand and groaned. Another knock at the door finally got him to answer. "One second damn it, I'm getting dressed." Standing up, he was still wearing his jeans and boots from the night before. Walking to his table, he poured himself a shot and took it with little trouble. Making his way to the door, he was greeted by an older woman and a cold draft came from the hallway. "What do you need and how'd you find where I live." The woman look at his shirtless body with a look of curiously, expecting to see someone not as rough. She extended a muffin, a small smile on her face. "The nice girl at the bar told me. The one with the tattoo'd face."
He groaned and took a bite of the muffin, thinking silently Damn it Aster.
A few minutes later...
"I'm telling you sheriff! It was the biggest griffin I've seen. Size of a dragon I tell you." The woman finished her story, expecting him to ride out on a horse and bring in the creature. She was one of the newer folks living in Breez, in a small homestead just outside the city with her boys and some cattle. "First off lady, don't call me 'sheriff'. I'm not enforcing any laws and certainly not hunting some giant griffin." He started to close the door. "Second, if it was the size of a dragon you and your boys would've been taken, not your cow." He left the door cracked some as he finished up. "Third, if you want someone to take care of your griffin probably just throw up a bounty on the board. Someone will get to it eventually." He heard the lady say something else, but he ignored it as he rummaged through his closet for a shirt. Her steps echo'd down the hall and he started to button up the flannel. Heading to his desk, he pulled open the drawer and got an orange prescription, the label peeled off with 'Mana-Suppressor' written on the bottle with a marker. Taking out a pill and swallowing it with a liquor chaser he slipped the bottle in his bag on the table.
After getting back to Breez months ago, Kathleen had made up a pill-formula for his normal syringe injected medicine. It was more convenient, less damaging to his muscles but didn't quite give him the rush any more. Like the liquid, each pill glowed a dim blue.
Gathering the rest of his things, he grabbed his flask on the way out and frowned when he felt how empty it was.
Heading off towards the bar, he nodded to a few familiar faces as he neared town square. It was already starting to bustle with people for the day, some people trading will others made their way to the bounty board. In the road was a truck with lumber pilled in the back, Natasha direct a few men and pointing them down the road.
As Logan paused to examine the square, he spotted a some-what familiar 'face' across the road. "Hey Gasmask." He hailed the younger man. The two didn't talk much, mostly due to the kid literally not speaking and Logans anti-social behavior. When they did interact, it was almost always business. "My flask is running empty again and I'm out of bottles. Need you to do a run for me." He said as he crossed the road. "Normally I'd take one from Jay, but he said my tab is starting to add up." He clasped Nomads shoulder, shaking his hand.
For some reason, be it they survived Stoneview together or simply the gas mask wearing kid found good liquor, Logan liked him more than most.
Jay Kennedy
Jays Bar ~ Parlor
Mid Morning
Collab with
@StareNation
Downstairs the sound of a door opening causing Jay to glance up from his desk to the door. He was about to call out We're closed until the evening. before he heard Nissa's familiar voice. "Yeah, I'm up in my office. Grab a bottle of tequila on your way up. Hastily straightening up his desk to make things more presentable, before turning to a mirror on the wall beside his desk to fix his hair. He turned in time to see Nissa reaching his door. "Well good morning to my favorite gunsmith. How're you doing today.
Nissa eventually saunted through the office door with the aforementioned tequila bottle subtly dangling from her hand, a small smile lifting as she watched him swivel about on his chair. It had been a good few months since they had seen one another though as usual nothing with Jay seemed at all out of place.
"Caught someone in a good mood i see," Nissa replied.
"I'm always in a good mood." he replied with a lively smile. In truth he was freaking out inside. Kathleen's report had done a number on his nerves, and he needed a drink to calm himself down. Opening the desk drawer on his right, he pulled out two glasses and set them on the table. "Take a seat, we needa' catch up!" He motioned to the chair across from him.
"You know, you should go get outside once in a while, get some fresh air," Nissa mentioned as she handed him the bottle and wandered over and made herself comfortable in the chair across from him. "All this time spent in an office and the bar downstairs will age you y'know." She mused as she casually swung one leg over the other and leant back in the chair. His smile was broad and she couldn't help the warmth it set.
"Although I actually came to see if you could do a tattoo job for me," She asked. Her eyes cast a glance at the desk of papers and she looked back at him with a small chuckle.
"So what's new then?."
Jay took the bottle, pouring the liquor in one glass and sliding it her way. "I got a few good years left before I start getting some gray hairs." He replied with a playful wink. "Besides I got everything I need in here. Drinks, work and good company." He filled up a glass of his own, raising it in the air and taking a drink. Setting the drink aside he grabbed a piece of blank paper and pencil. "Nothing really. Running the town while Kathleen and Natasha stress me out. He chuckled, and for once there seemed to be a crack in his enthusiasm as he glanced over to the paper on his desk. "So about this tattoo. Enhanced or standard?
"You don't have downtime and we both know that's the truth."
Nissa took a drink and set the glass down beside her as Jay told her about what was happening in short form and mentioned Kathleen and Natasha. It was no surprise to hear the drop of other council member names and she figured the stress he mentioned was over governing matters.
"Enhanced," She went with his change in topic. She dug out a small folded piece of paper from the pocket of her jeans, unfolding it and handing it across to him. It was an old tattered sketch drawn with a piece of charcoal, the paper long since weathered and smudged in a few places. The image she had brought him was a symbol, archaic looking and she had figured if he couldn't get it done for her then perhaps he would know a useful contact.
Jay started to sketch the charcoal drawing on a separate piece of paper, trying to fix the edges that were smudged."So where'd you find this?" He paused, to observe the paper, reaching over to take a drink before continuing the sketch. "And what enhancement are you thinking?"
The question was met with silence for a moment as Nissa juggled internally with how much to say and how to go about requesting the enhancement. She trusted Jay enough to tell him things that no one else knew about her but her mother's words echoed in her mind. Trust noone, never tell them what you can do, who you are. After a minute she eventually answered.
"From home..stoneview home. Its from my mother and it comes with scripture. The enhancement is for a strong protection of the wearer." she reluctantly told him as a frown creased her brow. "I'd appreciate it if we kept this one quiet." she added shortly after.
He nodded, silently lifting the paper up to examine it in better light. "It'll be our secret." He finally replied, giving her another smile before starting on the last details of the sketch. "I'll be busy most of the day." He put down the pencil and observed the sketch, grinning once he decided he was happy with the work. Sliding the paper across the table for Nissa to examine it he continued. "Some annoying business with Kathleen. I should be free tomorrow if things get sorted out this afternoon.
He glanced at the paper his fellow council member sent him earlier that day, a thought forming in his head. "Maybe you can do me a favor. Just a small one. Then we'll call it even on the cost of the tat'."
As Nissa picked up the sketch to examine it she stood up and walked over beside Jay, picking up the original sketch she had brought to him and turning to lean against his desk as she compared the sketches side by side. It was important to her to have the detail correct and though Jay was damn good at his job she had her own concerns involving the design. She nodded as she concluded that the design was perfect and lifted her gaze to him as he mentioned a favor in exchange for the cost of the tattoo.
"Given your history of favours I'm not sure if i want to blindly accept this one," Nissa commented as she raised a brow. "Tell me what you need Jay."
He nodded understandingly. His last favor ended up with her crashing a motorcycle, fighting some trolls and limping back home. His track record wasn't really known for 'small favors.' "That's fair." He motioned to the paper in case she wanted to read it. "Kathleen found<i> something </i>. She isn't sure what, and that bothers me. He paused, taking another long drink to finish up the cup on the table. She thinks it could be a number of things. A manawell. A magic anomaly, the beginnings of a portal, a magic ritual or even just some unknown creature. He reached for the bottle before stopping himself with a sigh, pushing up from the desk to start pacing. "It's three miles west of the city in a small suburb. It attracts a creature or two every few days, then they leave as if nothing happened. Says they aren't hostile, some are even docile she claims.My usual guys are helping Natasha with the wall, so I'm sending a few of the younger people in the city to just help out with whatever she needs. Lyra, Mona, Emrin, Nomad and Logan if I can convince him with a little liquor. He strode back to the table, leaning on the table to face Nissa with a smirk. "See, nothing crazy like Stoneview. Just babysitting some kids while they help Kathleen. You and Logan can share some drinks for all I care. Just want this sorted as peacefully as possible so nothing happens to the town.
While Jay explained the situation, Nissa took up the report from the desk and skim read through briefly to get an idea of what Kathleen had presented. There was no wonder why Jay seemed a little tense and even though the main points were that there wasn't much to worry about, Nissa had some reservations.
"These portals are starting to become a damn problem." She commented before listening to him explain exactly why he needed her involved. As much as she hated the idea of having to babysit again she knew he had a point in regards to being protective of Breez.
"You are lucky your reasons are logical.." she murmured before heaving a sigh.
"Alright fine but as soon as I get back I need this tattoo done." she replied as she looked back up at him, watching him smirk and shaking her head.
"Deal." He said, the smirk widening to his normal cheeky grin. "I'll start getting my tools prepped as soon as you leave. If you want to gather your things, everyone should be getting here shortly and you all can head out around noon. He glanced at the clock on the wall. "Gives you about an hour and a half to prep.
With Jay agreeing to the terms, Nissa took the original sketch and refolded the paper, stuffing it back into her pocket and stepping away from his desk, leaning up and kissing his cheek gently.
"Sounds good, I'll be back in a little."
She promptly headed for the door and paused at the top of the stairs, leaning back so that she could see through the doorway to him.
"And thanks," she added with a small smile before heading downstairs and out of the establishment with the purpose of heading home to collect her things.