Strange Town, Stranger Mystery (Chichi Cheetah and Freckled_Beauty)

[Cheech]

His thumbs smoothed the last of the lines on the face of the sculpt he was working on, and he picked it up, turning it one way and another after turning the music down. "That seem about right to you?" Kristoff Thomas asked absently, even though the office was empty... though, he knew he was hardly alone. He never was.

I had a lazy eye. But... I never thought I'd see my own face again. The voice was soft, quiet, a young woman's. The voice of the poor deceased one whose head he now held in his hands.

Kris smiled a bit and gently rested the clay-covered skull back on its stand, leaning back in his rolling seat. "It's what I do." He turned and looked at the rest of his office though, at the empty morgue slabs and the locked coolers across the room. His smile and slight pride faded as he stood up, walking away from the Jane Doe skull and over to the coolers. "Who's talking?" he asked. The faint whisper he thought he'd heard didn't repeat and he wrinkled his nose, leaning in and resting his ear against the one that contained poor Marceline - the most recently deceased victim of the strange killings. "Marcy?" He tapped on the door, frowning.

Nothing.

He sighed and pushed away, rubbing his face and grimacing at the bits of clay that rubbed from his fingers to his cheeks, and he grabbed a few paper towels from his desk to clean the mess with. "I need to eat something, I've been here all night," he sighed. He grabbed his keys and wallet from a desk drawer and hung up his lab coat, grabbing his sweater instead. Cool autumn had come just in time in Sanford and he was relieved - local cities were in the midst of a heat wave there, but thankfully the local witches kept the weather here perfect year-round. Once in a while, they let the air get just a little too hot, but after the Hot Summer of 87, they were loathe to let the hot sun bake town too long.

His car was parked outside and he climbed into the driver's seat, getting comfortable and letting his eyes close for a moment after locking the doors. He hadn't started the engine yet; the car was still in Park. For that one peaceful moment, he just let his mind drift... and then he fell right asleep in his car, quietly snoring in the early morning sunlight as it peeked through the trees.

-----
​

Tybalt Carver walked along the road leading to Cathy's, a warm jacket zipped up around him and a scarf around his neck as he braced against the cold morning air. He was not a fan of cooler weather, but this was his home. He'd make due, as he always had, for all these long years. At the moment, his car was in the shop - well, at Toni's place, anyway, Toni was good at fixing almost anything in a vehicle bar the engine itself being in pieces.

The old shapeshifter stopped to take a brief break on his walk, watching a buck keeping an eye on him from across the asphalt. "Easy there, young man," Ty chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck under his scarf, "I'm not gonna steal your girl over there." The male deer lowered his antlers briefly, still staring at Ty, before a noise from the bushes scared him off. The man raised an eyebrow as the deer fled, and he kept walking on his way to get his usual breakfast.

Cathy Hollin was just pulling in as Tybalt approached from the street and she waved to him as she got out, shutting her car door and locking it with a sigh. "You wouldn't believe the night I had," she said. "Kept hearing animals screaming all night. Reckon a mountain lion got 'hold of something but I've never heard anything like it in my life." She shook her head as the two walked up to the door and she unlocked it with her key, leaning down to unlock the bottom door lock and pushing the door in.

"Well, I'm glad you're safe." He gave her a soft hug with an arm before sitting in his usual seat. "Not like you to be late, though."

"Slept through my alarm." Cathy shrugged. "Not like you to be here as soon as I open, either. Toni still have your car?"

Tybalt nodded and unwrapped his scarf, folding it and setting it down in front of him. "Guess one of the belts went out. Still waiting for it to be delivered to Toni's place, then we're back in business. The walks aren't so bad though."

"Until your bones start hurting." She pushed a finger against his forehead. "If you need a ride somewhere, you can always text me, Ty. I know how you get when it's cold."

He made a face at her and gently pushed her hand away. "Sure, Cathy." He looked out the diner window behind him then back at the cook as she fired up the grills and stoves and ovens. "You don't think it was the thing attacking people near your place, was it?"

She shuddered and held a hand over her heart, exhaling. "I damn well hope not. I've been here my whole life, Ty, so was my mother, and her mother before her. If that thing sees me as an outsider, we have a deeper problem."

"You're as much a part of Sanford as I am, Cath. No worries." He smiled at her a bit and took the offered coffee gratefully, letting it warm his hands as he watched her get to work. He'd learned years ago not to offer to help - Cathy the Fifth, she was, was very particular about how she ran her kitchen and his relaxed way of cooking drove her up a wall. "Did you need me to pick up anything from Jacoby's place?"

"I'm going to need more of those wonderful cookies of hers!" Cathy laughed and leaned on the counter with her own mug of coffee. "I managed to eat the last batch last night, watching the new American Horror Story episode. They're just perfect for anxiety munching!"

"I'm swinging by there later today, I'll make sure to drop some off for you on my way home." Tybalt chuckled. Cathy was one of the few people here that could get the grouchy old 'shifter to relax.

-----
​

Dale Seraf parked his car in front of Borland Teas and looked at Emilia Borland herself in the passenger seat. "You're lucky was I driving by when I was."

"I'm surprised you bother with driving, you can just poof yourself about," the witch sighed, wrapping her scarf around her neck. "Don't know why you're so interested in that fortune-teller, either."

"Hey, I put a lot of love into this car. Of course I'm going to use it." He patted the dashboard with a chuckle. "As for her, call it an odd hunch."

"She's done this before. She'll be back." Emi climbed out of the car and scurried into the shop after shutting the door behind her, and Dale waited a few minutes. Emi came back out not long after with a large to-go cup of tea and he rolled down the window with a smile. "Thanks for dropping me off." Emi shook her head. "I wish Ari would have told me she was taking Oldboy to the park today."

"Sorry about that. But, thanks for the tea." He took a sip and hummed happily. "Still the only chai I like."

"Suck-up." Emi chuckled and headed back inside to get back to work.

Dale enjoyed his hot tea for a few more minutes before driving away, double-checking the address on his phone as he approached the closed-up shop. He only had a name - Hilda - but something nagged at him. He had to find out what had made her close up shop suddenly. Folks rarely disappeared overnight like that, and this disappearance didn't match the ones around town.

He pulled to a stop a few yards away and picked up his tea, taking a sip as he eyed the place. It would be easy to just slip inside, with his brand of magic, but with no knowledge on what kind of person Hilda was, that was risky. Ari said she'd just been a simple fortune-teller, selling trinkets and small things. But what would make just a simple person run off? he wondered, tapping the steering wheel with one hand as he watched the place for a while.

-----
​

Ariella Gottklein watched Oldboy run around the small town park, a smile on her face as the eternally-youthful beagle bounded around as fast as his legs would carry him. The vampire had found a lovely tree with some clinging foliage to relax under, though she still had her umbrella over her head as well to shield her from the sun's painful rays. "Come here, boy!" Ari called, whistling, and the dog zoomed straight for her and landed in her lap with a hop, curling up happily as his tail whipped wildly back and forth. "Good boy," she giggled, playing with his ears with a hand. "I know you were all wound up after I was gone for work for ages. Pity Mastodon won't go for walks and that Pepper's too small." She sighed and leaned back against the tree, pulling her phone out and checking her messages. Hadn't Elena come back recently...? She opened that thread of messages and typed,

Elena! I miss you! Are you back in town? Mastodon misses his favorite groomer and I miss my buddy. <3

Ari hit 'send' and set her phone down, closing her eyes and feeling glad for this quiet, brief reprieve from the attacks. The strange creature that had been plaguing Sanford for the better part of a year had gone strangely quiet - had it calmed down? Were there no outsiders that it felt threatened by? She hoped that was the case. If Emi's theory was right... Ari shuddered and shook her head.

She really hoped her sister was wrong.

-----
​

Toni Carver stretched their arms over their head with a yawn as they stepped out shirtless onto the porch, not minding the fall chill and even sighing happily as they rubbed their arms, feeling the goosebumps on their skin. "Mmm, almost perfect weather," they chuckled, smiling to themself as they walked down onto the yard. Today's intent was to investigate two strangers who had come to Sanford - two women, strangers to each other but strangers to the town as well. Ty had been a bit under the weather lately and hadn't yet checked in on who they were, so it fell on Toni to do that. But, for now, they decided to sit and enjoy the morning air, taking a seat on the porch steps and basking in the cold sunlight.

Their phone buzzed in a pocket of their jeans and they tugged it out, reading over the text.

Am I done being exiled yet?

Nope. Not til this thing is dead. You're the last person it attacked and you survived, Chax. Congrats: You are The Last Girl. /s

Except I'm not. Today. I mean, I woke up a guy today.

You'll get the hang of it eventually. Toni scratched their cheek and added to the text, When did you start changing shapes?

When I was thirty. Kind of awkward after spending all my life as an incubus with a dick and waking up with what is decidedly not a dick.

Did Nyx ever have that problem growing up?

Great-Aunt Clara does I guess. Or did, then her body settled into whatever it wanted to be.

Well, yours will probably do the same then. Something about that was odd though to the shapeshifter, but they didn't say so. Chax had approached the younger of the Carver pair ten years ago, more out of desperation than curiosity, about the odd shapeshifting problem he had. Talking to Ty would have been weird, Chax had said.

I guess... just don't want to scare Emi off. I mean, she hasn't been scared off yet, and it isn't like we're exclusive, but...

Toni chuckled and texted him back, It's fine, kiddo. You two are making it work the best you can. I gotta get to work, but text me if anything comes up.

Thanks, Toni. You're the best uncle... aunt... person, ever.

Toni snorted with laughter and fired off a quick 'thanks xP' before standing up, heading back inside to get clothes on. Couldn't walk up to strangers topless, tits akimbo, after all.

Once dressed, Toni hopped into their car and drove into town. It didn't take long to find the motel and the shapeshifter eased their car into an alley between two of the motels, checking their phone for the pictures of the two women. Ari hadn't had time to find much on either of them before she'd had to take a break from work after months nonstop, so Toni only had two names - Genesis Erickson and Aliana Johnson. They both seemed... normal. For humans anyway. Genesis might be the biggest problem though - a journalist digging into what was happening here was a bad, bad idea. Toni frowned, glancing up at the motels. Damn it, Ari, why did you burn out just as this info came in?!

 

[freckled_beauty]

“You hear it don’t you? Can’t you feel it calling out to your soul?” The words rushed through the leaves and branches of the tress. No person was speaking them and yet she could hear the words clear and plain as if they came from right next to her, but no they were being carried on the wind. The voice of the wind often sounded like her mother other times her grandmother, but ever since that night it was different unfamiliar and cold, and yet she knew she had to follow it.

“But…where?” She asked speaking to no one “Which way do I go?” She screamed out looking about. The wind had now stopped and the forest was silent. No chirping birds, no singing crickets, not even the crunch of leaves under the paws of a rabbit could be heard. Hilda was alone left with only her thoughts “Which way do i go?” She repeated a heavy sigh on her lips. She pulled the backpack up on to her shoulder and began to walk forward.
——
Separate but in sync. Strange how that works with the universe, isn’t it?

“Why the hell did she have to move to the middle of fucking nowhere?” Aliana grumbled glancing down at her phone only to see that it had stopped giving directions and was desperately trying to search for a signal. “Useless piece of crap!” The phone went flying into the floor of the passenger side of the rental car. She peered out of the windshield and smiled happily seeing the town sign. She squealed in delight and pressed on the gas a bit more and she crossed the threshold into the town. “Now. They said there was a motel not to far from here.” She of course was only speaking to herself, something she had been doing for the last 30 minutes as that was when her phone began to act up. She slowly pressed on the breaks as she saw the red light and as soon as she had come to a complete stop she was going again. She smiled seeing the sign of the hotel and turned off of the main road and into the parking lot.

There was another car parked in front of the main office, this one was a black two door camera, a rental as well but clearly someone who had money to burn. Aliana sat in her car for a moment observing the appearance of the building, it really did look like a motel. Nothing about the building even gave the illusion that it might be much nicer on the inside. Aliana didn’t have high exceptions she did pray that she would not find any roaches in her room.

Once she placed the red Honda in park Aliana unbuckled her safety belt turned the engine off and reached into the back seat to grab her purse then got out the car and headed into the main office.

As the door was pushed open the bell over it rang. Aliana looked about the small office observing it. There was another woman at the counter clearly waiting for some help, impatient from the way she hit the little bell to call for someone. Aliana titled her head and watched her.
~
“HELLO! DOES ANY ONE WORK HERE?!” Genesis called out very loudly not just to be heard but to be heard over her ringing of the desk bell. “YOU GOT CUSTOMERS! DON’T YOU WANT TO MAKE SOME MONEY?” She continued to ring on the bell until she finally took notice of the other person who had entered. She turned around ready to chew their head off but quickly stopped. Staring at the taller woman the oozed sophistication and grace. It made her tense up and then turn her back very quickly. I must look like that one impatient idiot. Well I have been waiting an unreasonably long amount of time. I need to find that detective. Stepping back from the counter she folded her arms and looked at the other woman.

“You know I’m not sure anyone works here.” She said casually

“Maybe they just don’t like the bell being abused.” She suggested with a shrug and turned moving her to the window. Aliana had time. Hilda’s shop wasn’t going anywhere there was no real rush on her part. Plus she was starting to see the beauty of the town. She wanted, no she needed, to learn all she could about Hilda living in the town, why she choose this place to settle, who knew her and maybe who knew about her disappearance. My first stop should be the police station.

———
Jacoby’s days started well before the sun rose and ended well after it set. When she first arrived people often questioned if the woman even slept. She did but they would probably be more considered power naps to a human. To Jacoby those few hours she slept was more than sufficient. She had been at the bakery for a while now she was actually working on a few new items, these savory. When ever she came up with a new recipe Kristoff was one of the first, if not the first to try it. Jacoby enjoyed the silence that came with the early mornings hours and often found herself walking from place to place. With the muffins in a simple box and few extra things in the cloth tote bag on her shoulder she saw the police station come into view. Parked right outside she saw the familiar car belonging to her Kristoff. She smiled and hurried over to it. She leaned down peeking into the drivers side window and she clicked her tongue seeing Kristoff dozing off at the wheel. Geez i bet your didn’t go home last night.
She knocked on the window then opened the door. “Morning sleepy head, or is it goodnight for you?” She asked and pressed the unlock button for the other doors. Jacoby shut his door and went around to the other side. She made herself comfortable in the passenger seat before taking the keys from his pocket and rolled the windows down to allow the cool morning breeze into the car.
“I have breakfast” she said cheerfully, “and coffee if you want it, as well as orange juice.” She said cheerfully opening up the box. Smells of cheddar and spinach wafted from the box and bacon.
“Come on, share some breakfast with me Kristoff.” She insisted and pulled some napkins from the tote bag placing one on her lap and removed a muffin for herself and then placed the open box on his lap and napkin on his chest. “Eat up, oh there’s a surprise in the middle.” She added taking a bite into her muffin and when she did a runny egg yolk dripped down the sides of her muffin and from the corners of her mouth.

————-

Elena had gotten back into town a few hours before dawn broke. She had just tossed the last of her dirty clothes into the wash she heard the all to familiar chime of her phone buzzing from a text message. She kicked the door of the washing machine closed and started it before walking off to her phone. With it in hand she moved into the kitchen. On the counter sat a tall glass and next to it a medication bottle. There was no label on the bottle though. She closed her eyes thinking back to the instructions Yona gave to her. Yona, her maker, had given her very strict instructions to follow regarding the supplements. She was to either swallow the tablet whole or dissolve it in a glass of water filtered or bottled then drink it with in 5 minutes. Take it at least 3 times daily but no more that 6 tablets in a day.

Before reading the message Elena swallowed the small brown pill. Her smile grew reading the message. It was from her good friend Ariella.

>Just got back last night. Are you at the dog park? I’ll come join you.<

She hit send and placed the bottle into the cabinet. She then headed to her bedroom grabbing her boots and jacket, as well as her charm. It was a simple gold bangle with an oxen stone in the center of it. The charm protected her from the sunlight and enabled her to move about as she placed regardless of the time of day.

 

[Cheech]

Dale climbed out of his car, shutting the door softly and walking up to the front door of the shuttered shop. He glanced one way, then the other, confirming the area was empty before pressing a hand against the glass. As his skin contacted the pane of the door, the limb phased into a whorl of smoke, sliding in through the edges of the doorway. The rest of his body followed suit, leaving nothing behind on the outside of the shop.

Inside, his shape reformed and he tugged his jacket a bit to readjust it, grimacing - he wasn't much a fan of disintegrating these days, preferred staying solid. "Let's see here, what has miss Hilda left behind," he said out loud, to nobody. But there was something in the air in here and caution was undoubtedly the way forward. He walked around the shop in silence, not touching a thing, as he observed the stillness and he stopped at the counter, where she'd probably spent much of her time in the store, and rested his hands on the counter. "If I were a fortune-teller, what would spur me to leave," he sighed. Oh, he knew the answer - had done something similar in his far-away youth, when fear had been stronger than his insatiable curiosity. He glanced up, examining the trinkets of the room, before pushing away from the counter, turning around and leaning back against it. If he could even grasp a bare hint of a wish, of a dream, here, maybe he could find her - at the very least, track her direction.

He just hoped she wasn't walking straight into the creature's den.

-----​

Toni watched the red Honda drive up to the motel, tilting their head and narrowing their eyes as Aliana climbed out. She checked the picture - yep, match. The absolutely beautiful Camaro had already been parked here and as Toni checked what Ari had sent them, they blinked: That was Genesis's car??? Oh, wow. Toni had a few questions about that engine...

Damn it, work now, be a car nerd later, Toni, they scolded themself, sliding out of the car and walking around the back of the motel once Aliana was heading inside. Where was the clerk anyway? Toni peered through the small office window, seeing the older employee asleep at a desk. Ah, that would do it. Toni shook their head and rolled their shoulders, flexing their fingers as they pushed the window up and open with ease. "Attaboy," they chuckled softly, climbing in and shutting it quietly. It squeaked a decent bit, but the ringing of the bell at the desk might hide it. Grabbing a jacket from a coat hook, Toni dressed up as an employee and gently touched the back of the employee's head, closing their eyes and inhaling deeply. Unlike Ty, the younger shapeshifter usually had to touch someone to borrow their shape the first few times - Toni wasn't sure if that was to do with amnesia-related issues or just a result of their younger age. But in moments, Toni no longer resembled their usual youthful, snarky self and instead looked like an average, small-town citizen. After grumbling and testing the voice for a moment, "Eddie" (Toni had to glance twice at the guy's nametag) opened the door, squinting at the two women as "he" mimed sleepiness. "Sorry, slow night."

"Eddie" approached the desk, opening the roster and turning it to face Genesis since she was closest. "Go ahead and fill out the info, I'll grab the keys." It was apparent by their body language that the two didn't know each other. That was good - made it less complicated, trying to figure out what the two wanted. "You can either pay by the night or all at once for the duration of your stay, room service usually comes around at nine AM, sometimes ten. If you don't want bothered, there's the relevant signs you can hang on the doorknob in your room." The false employee scratched "his" chin, adding, "Diner up the road, vending machines out in the hall to your right when you step out of the office." "Eddie" tilted his head, "What brings you to Sanford? Not really tourist season right now."

-----​

Kristoff had just begun to slip into dreams, and those dreams were rarely pleasant. He only saw his old office, in his old house - a calm escape in a tumultuous city. Everything was in its place, as it had always been, books alphabetized and desk tidy. But at the large window behind his desk, a woman stood with her back to him, shoulders slumped and head bowed. Limp blond hair hung over her neck and shoulders, her body damp from rain, even though the rest of the room was dry, and he tensed as he watched her start to lift her head. "No, don't- Not again!" Even in his sleep, he was mumbling the words. "God, Kris, wake up, wake up," he covered his face with his hands - instead stared at the mess of his hands, seeing dried blood around the fresh stumps of his fingers. He tore his gaze away and up, jolting when he saw the woman had moved - closer, so close he could touch her, but her back still facing him. "Don't, please don't look at me, don't- don't-!"

The knock on the window made him jump, though not far, in his seat, staring at her with wide red-rimmed eyes as he panted lightly. "O-Oh, Jacoby! Uh... yes," he answered vaguely, half-hearing her words as he fixed his glasses. He stared briefly at his scarred hand as his friend moved to the other door to climb in, turning his own hand back and forth a few times to really dismiss the nightmare, before exhaling in soft relief. This wasn't the first time someone had woken him up before he'd really gotten into it... But he was glad it was her, this time. He gave a token protest as she grabbed his keys from his pocket and stuck his tongue out briefly at her, sitting up straighter in the driver's seat and perking up at the very notion of coffee and food. Orange juice didn't sound too bad, either!

"That smells incredible! Something new?" he asked, chuckling at the placing of the napkin on his chest and fixing it so it was tucked partially into his shirt collar. He picked up the muffin and took a small bite of just the top, 'mm'ing briefly, before taking a proper bite and going 'mmff!!' even with the warning of the surprise. Luckily, he still had a hand on the napkin and used it to clean up the short mess he made, wiping his mouth and holding the muffin carefully in his other hand so it wouldn't drip anywhere it shouldn't. "This," he said after swallowing, "is absolutely heavenly, Jacoby. You've outdone yourself again." He smiled at her. "Thank you, this is perfect." Between the amazing breakfast and the cool breeze gently passing through the car, he almost felt human again. It was at this moment, as had happened with so many other small moments, he was grateful that Jacoby had popped up here, in Sanford, of all places. She was exactly the ray of sunshine people needed.

He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin after he finished the muffin, asking her, "Have things been quiet on your end of town?" Ever since the attacks had started, he'd been nothing short of worried about her. He wasn't very good at hiding it, either. He knew he probably qualified as an outsider, himself - every victim, with the exception of the witches who had died, had all come to town within the last ten years, hell even within a few bare months, and they both fell within that window of arrival. But he was as human as you could get. Hearing dead people didn't count as very supernatural, compared to Sanford's denizens. "The thing's been too quiet. It's starting to freak Ty out. Lenora keeps coming and sitting in my office when she isn't pacing around hers."

-----​

Ari remained in her seat under the tree, her dog curled up under an arm as she read her e-book on her phone. It sucked, but the vampire couldn't focus - hadn't been able to focus in weeks. The agitation, the nerves - all of it had started when the coven's combat witch, Marceline, had died attacking the beast. Marcy... her ex. Ari rubbed her eyes after putting her phone down, gritting her teeth and exhaling as she tilted her head back into the tree.

Her phone beeped pleasantly and she snatched it back up, half-wondering if it was Ty with news of an attack - and both relieved and disappointed that it was Elena. She smiled, a little guiltily, and texted her back, Yep, I've got Oldboy with me! He's full of energy after not going to the park for so long. I'm just glad our backyard is enough for Pepper and Mastodon. She settled back against the tree, scratching the beagle's ears affectionately as he curiously looked up at her. "Guess who's coming to see you, buddy," she cooed, grinning as Oldboy's tail started thumping. "Your favorite person in town!" The beagle snuffed in his special beagle-way and nuzzled up to her more, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he grinned a content doggy grin.

 

[freckled_beauty]

Her jacket slid on with ease and she grabbed her keys, and headed out the door. The door closed behind her and Elena had just turned the key to look the door and stopped remembering that she wanted to share Yona's invention with Ari. In fact Yona had given her more than enough to share though his intentions behind were not all that pure. He wanted all the research data he could get and knew that his beloved would help him with that. So Elena hurried back in and grabbed the sample and then was back out heading to the park.
~~~
Jacoby smiled at Kristoff as they sat in silence for a few moments and enjoyed their breakfast. She knew when she woke him it had been from one of his many nightmares. He past seemed to actively haunt him, and she hoped that the little breaks she gave him helped to relieve those living nightmares he was trapped in. She finished her muffin and began to sip on her coffee and looked past him and out the window. From where the car was parked Jacoby could see the tree line where the forest began. Her eyes lost focus and she believed that she saw a bright glitter of the sun catching on a pair of wings.

"Sorry..." She said and blinked her eyes shifting to Kristoff "Yeah things have been very uneventful. You know if I have any issues I'd come to you first." Her eyes shifted again and she began to clean up the small mess that was left over from breakfast. "It's still kind of early and I don't think you're going to get any fresh bodies soon, so I'll let you go back to sleep." She said with a soft smile and leaned over kissing his forehead. "If you don't come see me before the sun goes down, I'll be back with some dinner for you." Jacoby said and with that she got out of the car and gave him one more kiss. "Gotta get back! My public awaits!" She giggled and headed off.
~~~
Genesis sighed exaggerated as 'Eddie' finally made an appearance and explained it had been a slow night and from the looks of him it seemed that he had been sleeping. Pathetic. This town really must not get visitors. "Thank you!" She said pulling the book towards her and began to fill out the form. As she finished and he handed the keys to her she nodded looking at the tag that had her room number on it. She turned and looked out to the Camaro and then back at Eddie. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped and closed her mouth turning away. "Thanks. If I need anything I can ring the front desk?" She asked her head turned and eyed the woman and then looked to Eddie.

Aliana waited patiently on the other hand while the young woman, Genesis, filled out the roster and took her keys. They both listened to Eddie's spill about paying and then the basics about room service and the nearest place to get food.

"Oh I'm here to write about the disappearances, and how the bodies have turned up shredded to ribbons. From what I've heard it's animal attacks but I really doubt that." Genesis said with a arrogant smirk and folded her arms with a big smile as if to say she was going to uncover the truth no matter what. While Genesis spoke explaining her reasoning for being in the town Aliana filed in her section of the roster.

"I'm here to find a friend. Thanks." She said and took her key and left the office.
~~~