Who: Zach and Adrienne
When: Night, shortly after 8:30 pm and during the snowfall.
Where: Adrienne's cottage, her bedroom.
What: Dealing with the aftermath of hell.

A low whistling noise filled the room as the wind howled outside of the window, and Zach’s eyes stared over Adrienne’s hair at the glass panes. He watched the swirls of white flakes and puffs float and twirl through the air together in an intricate dance before eventually landing on something below. Some flakes gathered on the ledge of the window, pilling up a white trail of fluff that looked a lot like cotton. There were no other noises inside of the room aside from the steady sound of their breathing.

His arm laid around Adrienne’s waist, careful not to touch her middle where Dante’s stab had pierced her flesh. Zach was still not sure if Adrienne was alive or not, even though they were lying here together. He hadn’t expected her to survive two deep stab wounds like those, but they said the shifting had saved her; it sped up the healing process, made the wounds smaller than what they originally started out as. A part of him still feared she would slip away in the middle of the night, and so he clung to her for as long as he could without letting go. Maybe this would be the last time he could hold her like this before she disappeared from his life forever.

Zach closed his eyes and buried his face into Adrienne’s hair, squeezing them shut as a few tears slid out. They would have soaked into the pillow if not for her hair, which took them in instead. Though he wasn’t pressed against her wounded back, he was very close to her, not even an inch away, and one of his legs was pressed to hers as the other had curled over hers long ago. The blankets were cozy above them, but the heat from the combined bodies was the only thing that really kept him warm.

Who: Zach, Nico, Dante, Dione, and Adrienne
When: Early Evening
Where: A cave near the western edge of the haven.
What: Zach and Nico wander off from the search party and find trouble.

Zach sat on the ground a little ways off from the fire, staring off into nowhere. He heard the crackle and pop of the flames eating up the twigs and the dead branches and the quiet murmur of conversation from other people in the group. It served as background noise for his troubled thoughts. He felt useless just sitting here, resting when they should be searching for Adrienne . . . and Dione. He almost forgot about the other girl in the midst of it all, but he wasn’t really trying to rescue her. Adrienne was his main priority. If they were able to take Dante out of the picture, Dione would be safe as well.

Zach already ate, a small helping but enough to keep him going. No one would miss him if he got up and looked around the area while everyone else was still taking their break. However, slipping away by himself wasn’t going to be easy. Glancing over to look at his best friend, Zach knew Nico would want to come with him if he got up to do more searching. There was no way in hell Nico would let him go alone. It wasn’t that bad, Zach reasoned, having your best friend want to come with you. Some people didn’t have best friends to care for them at all.

“You feel like doing more exploring?” Zach asked, reaching up to scratch the side of his head. His hair was itching. It had been a day or two since he last washed it. “I’m getting anxious just sitting here.”

Who: Open to Everyone
When: All Day
Where: The edge of Elysium, near the mountains.
What: Some of the search party checks inside Elysium’s borders for Dante.
OOC: Post multiple threads, leave them open for others to join, or set your character up with someone in particular! Just have fun and use your imagination! Clues, discoveries, and more are up to you!

Despite their reasons for being at the edge of Elysium, the edge of the land was a beautiful place to behold. Mountains rose high into atmosphere, shadowy blue in the distance and snow-tipped at the peaks. Endless caves burrowed into the mountains, though most of them were occupied by the dwarves and their little kingdom apart from most of Elysium. Not only could Dante not hide with the dwarves, for they had been warned of his possible presence at the borders, but the search party could gleam information of local happenings from the dwarves.

It was unlikely they would find Dante today, but the werewolf had to have left a trail due to traveling. There was no way he could not be traced, not when he was being followed by trained guards, eager citizens, and other praeternaturals with senses to combat Dante’s own. Taking the two women with him had been a terrible mistake, and the search party was determined first and foremost to rescue Dante’s captives and to take Dante—dead or alive, the announcement said—back to Helicharis.

Now, it was simply up to them to pick up a trail and discover the location of Dante Donovan, Adrienne Conté, and Dione Castel.

Who: Zach and Logan
When: Mid-day
Where: The Alchemy Labs
What: Zach works on something very special for Dante.

Alchemy was a very precise science, and Zach concentrated hard on the vial in his hands as he poured just the right amount of mixture to the proper line indicated in the book. The heat of the fire burned at the right temperature as far as he could tell, but the most important part was adding the correct amounts of the ingredients meant to liquefy the metal and keep it from hardening once it cooled. The alchemist had no need of a solid substance but a liquid substance, and making liquid silver was tougher than it sounded. He hadn’t ever attempted it before, and he was afraid of messing it up. Everything hinged on him getting it right.

He poured it into the mold shaped like a small bowl on the end. With the flames blazing upward, Zach slid the iron mold into the fire and let the arm rest within the hooks. He backed away from the furnace and removed his gloves to toss them onto the table. Zach wiped the sweat from his forehead, letting out a sigh, as he wondered how long it would feel like as opposed to how long it would really take. He knew the search parties would be happening soon, and he wanted to be prepared to join them.

Walking out of the room for a small break, Zach made sure to set the timer. The funny thing was his timer was an hourglass, but it was just as good as a watch timer. Too bad the batteries on his watch died recently, and he hadn’t bothered to see if he could fix it or find an old wind-up watch to replace it.

Outside of the labs, it was much cooler, and he hugged his jacket close to his body. Zach wasn’t expecting visitors today, not to the alchemy labs. People rarely came out this way, and it was a lot like a private refuge for him these days. Sometimes, though, when people couldn’t find him elsewhere, they knew to look here.

Who: Zach and Hayate [Narrative]
When: Night
Where: Around the town cottages.
What: Hayate tells Zach he let Dante out.

Zach resolved himself to talk with his girlfriend at last. He had been stubborn for long enough, and he knew they had to talk sooner or later. If he was going to go and avoid her like this, he might as well pull the plug on their relationship—which was something he didn’t want to do. The only thing left was for him to face up to recent events and speak to her again. For some foggy reason, his thoughts were laced with apprehension at the idea of discussing it with her, but it was unavoidable. Adrienne probably had questions on her mind, and he simply couldn’t go on dodging them in this manner. He already looked like a prick for his actions so far, and he knew he had hurt her feelings over it.

With his hands shoved deep into his pockets and his jacket zipped all the way up, he made his way through the grassland between the cottages to Adrienne’s house. He wasn’t bothering with the paths, and it took less time when he just cut his way through in a straight line. He spotted a familiar figure up ahead on his walk, and while he could have stayed silent and continued on his way to Adrienne’s place without any interruptions, Zach didn’t think much of a quick meeting with a relative.

( It was strange how Hayate wasn’t quick to greet him . . .  )

Who: Sascha and Zach
When: Mid-day
Where: Market Square, the Park
What: An unexpected rendezvous

Sweeney was starting to develop a phobia- not that Sascha could blame her, exactly. After all, quite a few nasty incidents had taken place in some of the very public spaces of Helicharis: the encounter with Danté just a few days prior, for instance, or the harpy attack the previous fall. Brasco hadn't been around for the latter, but Sascha could tell from the way the muscled black mutt stalked along beside his female companion that the both of them were more alert than usual.

It was a cold and relatively gusty day for a lunch in the park, but that's exactly what the trio had planned. Sascha and the dogs munched and mingled their way around the Fresh Food Pavilion, charming various delectables from the vendors (and even a few fellow shoppers) before heading out onto the open grounds for a little romping. They'd eaten very light, so the telepath wasn't too concerned about upsetting any stomachs.

Sascha raced back and forth with the dogs in hot pursuit, laughing and darting away when they drew up on either side of him. He dug in his coat pocket for the tennis ball he'd stashed there earlier, and with a flick of his wrist he sent it flying across the stretch of dead grass, watching in amusement as Sweeney and Brasco raced to beat the other to the prize. It was rare that he took the time to enjoy simple pleasures like this, and he began to entertain the idea of not returning to the library at all that day. It would be terribly unprofessional, of course, but he was dangerously close to the point of not giving a damn. He just wanted to play with his dogs.

Who: Zach & Nico
When: Late Evening
Where: Their cottage.
What: Zach has to talk to Nico about the girlfriend situation. Post will contain chilling, alcohol, and perhaps a little bit of Bad English.

Zach wasn’t a girl, so luckily he wasn’t spending his time moping the way a girl usually did. No ice cream was lying around the kitchen, sad songs weren’t playing from the stereo, and he definitely hadn’t spent any of his time crying. Crying was one of those things Zach strongly avoided and for good reason. It was considered good for girls to cry because they were expressing themselves, but for a guy it seemed the rules were different. Crying made you look like an ass — a pansy — or worse, a mentally unstable person with serious issues. Most people couldn’t handle seeing a man cry, and there was a reason for that. It was very unsettling.

No, Zach was dealing with the situation in a much more manly fashion. He was eating nachos, listening to blaring rap music on the stereo system from their vast collection of CDs, and waiting on Nico to return with the booze. Yes, the booze. Uncle Jack and Cousin José at your service. They were going to have a night of supposed fun, just chilling together as best friends, and get some of their frustrations off their chests. Zach was going to approach this predicament the appropriate way with his friend. First, they were going to bullshit and eventually it would lead up to talking about the more serious things as the night progressed.

Right now, Zach was sprawled out on the floor and staring straight up at the ceiling as he bobbed his head from side to side, which consisted of rolling his head along the carpet. If his hair wound up with static in it, then it wound up with static in it. The two of them would have one more thing to laugh about if it did.

When the front door opened, Zach rolled his head over to look. He was too lazy to get up and check. “Yo, Nico, is that you?”

Who: Elijah and Zach
When: Mid-morning
Where: Zach and Nico's cottage
What: Elijah checks up on Zach, and proposes an idea.

The incident from the day before angered Elijah more than he readily admitted. He put on a happy face, one that held questions at bay, and kept all of his negative emotions inside. His heart was full of turmoil, and uncharacteristic guilt. He felt guilty for not being able to protect the young alchemist from the grips of the insane werewolf. Though he and Zach were not bound to one another through traditional alchemic means Elijah still felt very protective of Zach.

It was the reason for Elijah's most recent decision to stay by Zach's side. He would make damn sure that the werewolf named Danté wouldn't get anywhere near Zach ever again. It didn't matter that Danté was locked tight in the dungeon Elijah only knew that as long as that monster was still alive Zach was still in danger. The only thing that worried Elijah was whether or not Zach would accept his help. It wasn't looking to emasculate the alchemist, or to fight his battles for him. There were things that Zach could take care of without the elemental's help. A crazed werewolf willing to kill for a girl wasn't one of them. It made Elijah wonder if Adrienne was really worth all the trouble at all.

He arrived at Zach's house, and noticed a basket of cookies wrapped neatly in cellophane waiting on the doorstep. He picked it up, and then knocked firmly on the wooden door. He hoped it wasn't so early that Zach wouldn't be awake, and if it was he didn't mind waiting there until he woke up. He would stand guard like a sentinel, unwavering in his task. That is if Zach didn't answer the door first.

Who: Those injured in the confrontation with Danté, Medical Pavilion Staff, and anyone else who'd like to join in
When: Late morning
Where: Medical Pavilion
What: Treating the injured, and other various little scenes

The medical pavilion was usually busy with minor things, the sort of everyday injuries that one would expect to see in small cities. There were no gunshots wounds to worry about, or car accidents to pry people from. There were no rapes, or gang related incidents. The 'normal' injuries that could be found in a secluded haven like Elysium were things like cuts, and scrapes. Occasionally a broken bone would come through the place, or a baby would be born, and the staff could always count on the full moon to bring them lycan related injuries.

So when the victims from the altercation with a non-full moon crazed werewolf came in the night before the medical pavilion staff was excited to say the least. It wasn't the idea of having injured citizens that was exciting, but it was the chance to use their skills to the fullest that was. Granted everyone would rather have injury free people in the haven, but there were something that felt right about getting the chance to use the skills you had to help the people around you.

Needless to say Zane didn't sleep all night, and he was still going strong the next morning when it came time to check in on the patients. "I need someone to check in on Ms. Wilson in room three, Mr. Connolly in room five, and Mr. Ishikawa in room seven. Get their vitals, see if they're awake yet, and if there are any complications then come and get me. So, any volunteers?"

Who: Dante, Zach, and whoever else wants to join in
When: Evening, after this
Where: The Temple
What: The showdown finally comes to an end

Too many voices. There were just too many voices inside, and out for Dante to deal with. He had to run. Had to feel free even though he was anything but. There was no freedom in this place, and so his frustrations were showing themselves in the most violent of ways.

The lycanthrope carried Zach through the more deserted areas of the town. Back alleys that were nothing like the ones of New York or L.A., but still back alleys with little light, and places to hide. But Dante didn't stop to hide. He just ran, and ran, holding Zach tightly in his clutches. Without realizing it he ran all the way to the Elven temple, a place that would normally be a sanctuary would be the place where Zach would meet his end. It seemed fitting in the werewolf's mind even though it would effectively corner him in one place. Dante just wasn't thinking clearly, but every decision he made was backed-up with a fallacy he created in his mind.

Inside the temple Dante dropped Zach to the floor before he put a heavy foot on his back. He began to revert into a human form if only so he could talk to Zach. He was shirtless when he was done, and wearing a pair of tattered jeans. Dante knelt in front of Zach, and lifted his head by pulling on Zach's hair. "I don't usually kill men," he said with a smirk. "But I'll make an exception for you just like I made an exception for that other guy. What was his name—" He paused, and tapped his chin with his free hand. "Oh right, Simon. You remember Simon, don't you?"

Who: Dante, Zach, and open to others
When: Evening
Where: Beginning at Market Place
What: Dante's a shady mofo, fo'real, and he's mentally unstable.

The dark aura around Dante spread out like grotesque wings, slicing through the tranquil air in the haven and leaving behind a heaviness that hadn't been present before. Dante flew through the night on those dark wings with Zach in tow. One hand clasped tight around the boy's smaller wrists as he dragged him through the dusty trails of the cottages. The lycanthrope didn't know where he was going, or what he was going to do with the boy. No - he did know what he was going to do with Zach. He was going to kill him. Gut him from throat to groin, and let his innards spill to the earth. He'd display the empty shell in front of Adrienne's house as a final show of power. How could he resist her then if she saw how weak the alchemist truly was? Surely, she wouldn't.

He was only semi-shifted with sharp claws on his hands, and sharp teeth in his mouth. His shirt was torn with the protruding muscles of his arms, chest, and back. The vertebrae of his back was pushing upward, curving into the lumbering form of the werewolf. His muzzle had yet to form, but the madness in his eyes was already there. It had always been there. Lying in wait for the perfect moment that didn't exist. There was no perfection in this - only insanity and chaos. All of Dante's planning didn't mean a thing when it seemed violence was the only way to make things happen.

He should've known that the only way to get things in life was to take them.

All logic was gone from the man's mind, and he made his way toward the market place without another thought. Dante didn't think of the people he would encounter, or the fact that someone might recognize him. He was a rabid animal running wherever his feet took him. Instinct had taken over, as did madness. Madness must never be overlooked.

He was in the market place before he knew it, and there were eyes on him. Staring at him. Whispering about him. He heard them all, too. It was too much. He growled as loud as he could, a warning to everyone to stay back.

Who: Zach and his Kidnapper [Short Narrative]
When: Early evening
Where: Zach and Nico's cottage.
What: Someone isn't very happy with Zach . . .

Zach was coming back from another day at the alchemy labs with Elijah, wondering when they were supposed to do the binding ritual. No one had told him what was going on with Adam, but it was probably best that he didn't find out. He had enough on his mind already, and more worries to add to his list weren't going to help him clear his mind for the ceremony.

He reached home and trudged up the steps to the front door. It was quiet, which wasn't usual for the house if Nico was there, but Zach figured Nico must have left while he was away. He had been gone for a couple of hours. Zach turned the doorknob and opened the door, stepping inside the cottage with his messenger bag in tow.

Dante had been at Zach's cottage for the greater part of an hour. A feral animal with nothing to lose Dante had come to the final precipice in the entire situation surrounding Adrienne. He realized that the girl was far too attached to the alchemist, and that meant he had to get rid of him. It was the only way, and then Adrienne would be his.

The moment Zach stepped through the door Dante grabbed him from behind, a strong arm tight around the alchemist's neck. He breathed heavily into the boy's ear, and quickly placed an arm around Zach's middle. "Surprise, cupcake," he said with a low growl. "I've been waiting for you."

Who: Zach and Elijah
When: Afternoon
Where: The Alchemy Labs
What: Elijah is helping Zach prepare for the binding ceremony.

As much as Zach didn’t mind the ability to turn lead into gold, he wasn’t all that thrilled about the finer aspects of alchemy. He had known since he had picked up his first book on alchemy that there were more complicated rites when it came to creating higher substances, messing with elementals, and even producing the infamous carmot. What he didn’t, though, was just how boring those processes really were. He was crouched over the floor of one of the rooms in the alchemy lab specifically built for the practice of elemental summoning and binding, drawing what was the beginning of an alchemy circle with a piece of chalk in his hand.

It was not Zach’s idea of a picnic.

Alchemy circles, or transmutation circles, were hard pieces of work to create. Zach was lucky he had a mild finesse with drawing or he wouldn’t have been able to make one at all. He had to start from the center of the circle and work his way out, which was the hardest part of all. Zach always preferred to start outward and work his way in, but unless he wanted to smear the circle he had to do it this way. The bending put a crick in his neck and his back ached from the position.

Worst of all, his hands were sweating inside of the gloves he had to wear to keep his hands clean of chalk. The discomfort added onto the list of reasons why Zach didn’t want to be doing this right now, but his grandmother said he had to know how to do an alchemy circle or they would never get to the actual binding because she wasn’t drawing it for him. Constance was more than adamant about Zach learning a thing or two, but then again, it was nothing new out of his grandmother.

Zach fell back on his heels, looking up at Elijah. “Can we stop for today?” Zach asked. “I seriously need a break.” He wiped a hand across his forehead, coming away with droplets of sweat on the back of his hand. It shouldn’t have been this hot in the room, but maybe it was all of the concentration causing him to sweat like a pig. Zach wasn't very good with stress.

Who: Adrienne and Zach
When: Night, around 8 PM
Where: Medical Pavilion
What: Adrienne just wants to go home, but Zach convinces her otherwise.

"I don't see why I can't go home." Adrienne's voice was echoing through the long corridor in the Medical Pavilion as she tried to walk past a couple of nurses who were blocking her.

"Miss Conté, it has been recommended that you remain here for another night for observation. It would be best for you to return to your room."

"But I feel fine," Adrienne whined. Though the lycanthrope came into the facility in pretty bad shape that wasn't the case now. Couldn't they see that she was fine? Adrienne was fully healed thanks to Theora who had been called in due to the severity of her injuries. Thinking about the situation caused Adrienne's stomach to twist in knots. Had she ever been that badly hurt before? The attack that made her a werewolf wasn't that severe though she wondered if it could have been if her attacker wasn't interrupted.

She shook the thoughts from her mind just as the nurses began to lead her back to her room. Adrienne squirmed in their grasp trying desperately to free her arms from their hands. "C'mon you guys," she pleaded. "I just want to go for a walk." Adrienne didn't like being restrained like a child, or some sort of crazy person who couldn't take care of herself. Coupled with the fact that she was still in a hospital gown, and wriggling around left and right she probably did look crazy.

Who: Logan, Mitsuko and Zach
When: Night, after Logan brings Adrienne to the Medical Pavilion
Where: Mitsuko and Logan's place, then Zach's place
What: Bringing the terrible news


Once Adrienne was safely in the hands of the doctors, Logan slipped out of the Medical Pavilion silently. Everyone was in such a rush to take care of the badly injured girl, they hadn't noticed the bloodstained boy that had brought her in leave.

Where everything had been a panicked rush in trying to get Adrienne there, the world seemed to have slowed down now. His body felt heavy-- so very heavy. Each step home felt labored. He could feel the blood drying on his hands-- and his face. When he'd cradled his head, the blood-- Adrienne's blood-- had clung to his flesh.

Reaching home seemed to take forever-- when really, not much time had passed at all. He pushed open the door and went into the living room. He knelt down beside the couch, where the snow-coloured fox slumbered.

( It's Adrienne )

They arrived at Zach's. Logan raised his hand to knock on the door, but he hesitated. Could he really do this? Could he tell his friend-- one of his best friends-- his girlfriend had been attacked by what looked like a wild animal?

He had to. Finally, he rapped his knuckles against the door and waited for what seemed like eternity for someone to answer. He wasn't completely certain what he would say, but he was certain he face spoke volumes as it was. Something bad had happened.

Who: Zach, Lucinda, and Hayate [Narrative]
When: Morning
Where: Town Hall’s dungeon.
What: The Kitano family is pissed off.

With everything going on lately in his private life, Zach couldn’t figure out if it was his own fault or someone else’s that he hadn’t found out about Hayate’s arrest until today. Well, he heard about an arrest that happened the evening before on Sunday, but it didn’t cross his mind that it could have possibly been Hayate and no name was mentioned. Just an arrest. Zach didn’t even hear the charges because apparently there weren’t any official ones yet.

Now, it was Tuesday morning and his great uncle and friend, Hayate, was the one locked up. He immediately told his parents about it, and they all decided to go to Town Hall together to see Hayate. Kelsey demanded to know what was going on, which caused quite a ruckus with the guards. Meanwhile, Zach and Lucinda headed to the dungeon to speak with Hayate themselves.

It was dark in the dungeon, and the air was cold and wet. Zach wrapped his arms around himself and walked the length of the corridor to the only occupied cell down there. It was guarded by two Elven guards. Inside was Hayate. Before Zach could speak, his mother beat him to it.

( “Oh my god,” Lucinda said, bringing her hand to her mouth. )

Who: Dante, Zach, Nico
When: Afternoon
Where: Around the cottages
What: It's not smart pissing off a werewolf

He had been watching Zach ever since their last confrontation. The alchemist's activities were of particular interest to the lycanthrope since they involved Adrienne. Adrienne was his only concern. She was the goal, the only thing that mattered in this situation. Dante had been waiting for Zach to follow through with their agreement, but so far he hadn't seen a sign of it. Day in and day out Dante watched, and waited for the alchemist to break up with Adrienne; but all he saw was the two of them growing closer. This wasn't how it was supposed to work; this was all wrong.

Zach hadn't broken up with Adrienne, and it was obvious that he hadn't taken Dante's threat seriously. It was an annoyance that grated Dante like nails on a chalkboard, and all he could do now was deliver the message again. It was a waste of time, time that he could be spending watching Adrienne, being with Adrienne. Adrienne, Adrienne - she was the only thing on his mind right now. He could have been with her now if Zach had followed through, but the little chicken shit decided to grow a pair and defy him. He'd learn that that was a mistake.

He stalked the two boys for a few minutes until he emerged from some nearby bushes like a bat out of hell. Dante went straight for Zach, and grabbed the boy by the collar. "I thought I told you to stay away from her!" He pushed Zach away from Nico violently. "Listen here, boy, she's mine and you don't belong near her. Got it?" He pointed his finger toward him in a menacing manner, ignoring Nico all the while. He didn't care about the other man, though maybe he should have considered the fact that a witness was not something he should overlook.

Who: Mitsuko and Zach
When: Afternoon
Where: Shore of Lake Alata'elen
What: Taking a walk and offering free hugs

It was a pleasant day and Mitsuko was off of work, so she decided to take advantage of it. She gone out for a long walk around the Haven. The weather was so nice, she actually managed to wear an outfit which was probably the least amount of clothing she'd managed in a while (at least, in public). It was a black dress, which resembled more a shirt. Written across the chest in bold letters were the words FREE HUGS. Of course, she didn't want the chance the weather too much and wore knee-high boots to protect her legs. That, and she looked good in boots.

Her outfit was mostly an invitation for people to talk to her. She was feeling very sociable at the moment. Considering Mitsuko was usually ridiculously sociable, this was saying a lot. Things seemed to be going all right for her personally at the moment. The election of the Vice Council was tonight. Hopefully that meant her mother would be voted on and have something to do with her time other than get into Mitsuko's business. Logan was working hard making jewelry for Valentine's Day. There was also the issue of the rumors around town. Gossip was the Head Council was going to arrest someone for an attack, which might also be connected to the murders. A thrill went through Mitsuko as she though about whether or not the arrestee was Hayate. He was, after all, the only psychopath she knew in town. She hadn't really thought her poisoning would be fatal, it was just something to feel less helpless... Him rotting in jail would be even more satisfying anyway. He could be locked away for a very long time, given vampire life spans.

The only thing that made her feel a bit sad was looking out onto the water as she walked by Lake Alata'elen. She wondered how Loki was doing. If he was all right. If took the compass she'd given him with him. If he might occasionally think about her. But she did not dwell on those thoughts long. It wouldn't do her any good and she was in too good a mood to have it ruined.

Mitsuko let out a sigh and enjoyed the nice weather. She wondered if she might come across someone else who was enjoying the weather today. She could use some company.

Who: Zach & Irei
When: Evening
Where: The Wine Bar
What: Zach is looking for a necromancer, and someone told him he'd find one here.

Despite all of the other issues going on in his life, an idea struck Zach a couple of days ago out of the blue. He always thought about his brother, even if he didn’t talk about him out loud anymore. Zach talked to people about him in the beginning, but eventually the conversations with others stopped serving a purpose and only caused him to dwell in ‘what ifs’ and ‘could have beens.’ It was then that Zach tried to let the memories go, burying them under the surface where no one else but him could see them. Still, they persisted on and on.

The unanswered questions in Zach’s mind were too much to bear sometimes, and he wanted to find closure for himself — and for his family. There were people who could talk to the dead, to spirits, and Zach could ask one of them to find his brother. They could speak with him again and find out the truth; they could finally rest at night knowing Jared knew what they knew, and even Jared could find peace in whatever place his spirit laid beyond the grave.

Zach pushed past the doors of the wine bar, glancing around slowly at the unfamiliar landscape inside. He was told he could find the necromancer here, someone who could call his brother forward again. He didn’t have a name. He only had the occupation, assuming ‘necromancer’ was an occupation. Not knowing where else to go, Zach approached the bar and sat down at one of the stools until someone came to serve him.

“Hey,” Zach said to the bartender. “I’m not looking for a drink. I’m just looking for a necromancer. Do you know where I can find one?”

Who: Adrienne and Zach
When: Afternoon
Where: Conté cottage, Adrienne's room
What: Broken ribs are not fun!

The full moon was all but a blur to Adrienne, especially the part when she had gotten into a fight that was bad enough to break a couple of her ribs. Another wolf had jumped her from behind, she remembered fighting, but in the end they had gotten the better of her. Typical werewolf rough housing was what it boiled down to. Even with advanced healing broken ribs took at least a week to heal even with Elven medicine and magic. It was the reason she had stayed home for the past two days. Walking home from the medical pavilion had been hard enough that Adrienne couldn't imagine walking anywhere else.

Her dad and brother had been especially helpful, and they catered to her every need. Jason could empathize with Adrienne if only because he had broken a rib once a few years back. He told her it was one of the most painful things he ever experienced, and now Adrienne agreed. It felt like someone had taken a sledge hammer straight to her chest, and just let her have it good. She literally felt broken, but she tried not to let the pain show on her face. It was a shame that faster healing didn't come with higher pain threshold.

Adrienne sat on the edge of her bed, her feet planted firmly on the ground to brace herself to stand. She took a deep breath, one that turned out to be a bad idea since that hurt, too. She inhaled sharply, and grabbed her side. "Oww..." she mumbled under her breath. Werewolves were supposed to be tough, but she felt far from it now. She glanced at the door to her room, and sighed. Maybe she really didn't have to go to the washroom just yet.