Post by toska on Dec 1, 2019 8:38:45 GMT -5
merle tran & linh.
the garden of eden. not as paradisal as it seems?
the garden of eden. not as paradisal as it seems?
The city was confused. In turmoil, perhaps. Nobody knew what was going on – the little section of the city known as the Garden of Eden had never been dangerous. It was peaceful and full of nature. The streets were kept clean by the residents, trees and flowers thrived, and everybody knew everybody. It had a low crime rate, it was safe. It was secure. Some often theorised that it was protected by a mob, or that it was someone’s territory and kept safe to keep up appearances...but none of that was relevant, because all that mattered was that the Garden of Eden was safe, and that was what mattered.
It had started happening six months ago. A body was found in the park that spanned a large portion of this section of the city. There had been no trace of the ash that became of a daemon when a human died, which led detectives to believe that there had been foul play involved. It had become the talk of the entire city. Some, those more into the supernatural, began pushing around rumours of a ghost seeking revenge for the Garden of Eden’s past. But none could find this dark past, and so it quickly began dismissed.
Then the second body was found. And the third. The fourth, the fifth, the sixth. Body after body, all immediately kept under wraps.
Merle Tran wanted to find the source of this. As they walked down the street with their silver Kai Ken daemon, Linh, behind them, they ignored the whisperings around them. The Garden of Eden was their home. They had grown up here – though poorer than most residents.
“We’re not going there, are we?” Linh asked, trotting faster so that he walked alongside Merle. “It’s probably not a good idea.”
For a moment, they didn’t respond. Their pace was brisk and they adjusted their shoulder bag, smiling politely as they passed their landlady. Though she seemed interested in where Merle was off to in such a hurry, she didn’t stop them to ask. As far as she knew, Merle could be late to an evening lecture – though the sun had long set, and while Winter certainly made the night come quicker, it was nearing ten in the night. But before their landlady could stop them to ask, Merle had turned a corner and was quickly jogging down a long set of steps, entering into what was, technically, a more dangerous part of the Garden of Eden. It hadn’t been in the past – though dark and ominous, with only a photobooth’s light spilling onto the ground. Accidents had happened here, because it was technically a road. Cars would come without realising that many people used it as a shortcut to get to their homes or schools.
It was also the fastest way to the park.
Linh’s anxiety increased as they walked through the dark alley. He looked up as the clouds covered the moon, hiding what little light they had. As the duo were plunged into darkness, Merle paused and peeked around a corner.
They weren’t fond of police, and this was something Linh knew intimately. They were a troublemaker, had been in trouble multiple times before for trespassing, but that wasn’t the reason. Merle’s nose twitched a little as they curled their lip, tucking some dark hair behind their ear as they crouched down and took out their phone.
“They’ll scent us,” hissed Linh, fur along his back rising.
“Shhh,” Merle glanced up, “they’ll hear us, too, if you aren’t careful.”
But it seemed that they had been discovered. A large German Shepherd stood at the mouth of the alley, her ears perked as she approached. Though Linh bared his teeth, ready to fight, the dog chuckled and sat down.
“You two again?” she asked, head tilting. “Don’t you ever quit it?”
With rising relief, Merle realised that it was just Nadiya. Their stepfather’s daemon – someone who enabled them more than she was supposed to. They were always impressed at how Nadiya could keep secrets from Jacques, or at how far she could venture from him. Linh just seemed unnerved by it, often muttering about how unnatural it was for a daemon to be able to do such things.
“We’ll find more than the pigs,” they said, putting their phone back into their pocket. A glance told Linh that they had turned it off entirely. “You know we will.”
Nadiya sat and scratched her ear, considering these words with a thoughtful hum. Lights flashed and Jacques’ voice called. “A little birdie told me that the park will be unguarded for an hour, right now. Do with that what you will.”
“Why?” it was Linh who growled, wariness tinging his voice.
“Short-staffed, changeover, you know the drill,” the larger dog stood and trotted away. Before she left the alley, she threw a look at the duo over her shoulder, “but don’t come through this street. Take the other route.”
Before either could protest, she was gone. Linh and Merle exchanged glances, but before Linh could talk Merle out of it, they were up and off, walking quickly as they all but beelined towards the park. With no other choice, Linh followed at a near-run, glad for the emptiness of the streets. If this had been a normal year, the streets would be bustling even this late into the night, for people had believed it was safer than anywhere on the planet. But now, with the dangers lurking, it felt more like a ghost town.
The park came into sight, and there was no going back from here.
As Nadiya had said, it was unguarded. Not even the usual park guard was here. Merle paused to check for surveillance – but, of course, they hadn’t fitted any. Yet. The gate was locked, though, and that was their only hurdle. It was arched at the top, but it had no points or spikes, nothing too hard to climb, really. It was child’s play. They took a few steps back to get a good running start, and jumped onto the gate. It shook as they climbed, but they were soon straddling the top, looking down at Linh.
“Coming?” they asked, a sharp grin gracing their features.
Linh took a deep sigh and climbed up after, his paws finding good holds. It was harder to climb gates and fences than it was to climb trees, but they were all the same in the end. If they couldn’t be scaled by him, what sort of daemon was he?
Once the dog reached the top, he jumped down immediately, a low huff escaping him as he landed in a crouch. Some days, he wondered if it would’ve been wiser to settle as some kind of cat or monkey. But he’d had no say in the matter. This was just what fit better, what felt true to Merle’s nature.
Merle, themselves, dropped down next to him and immediately straightened, walking through the park with confidence that felt rare in this city, nowadays. The lake was still beside them, quiet aside from the odd hoot here and there from an owl abovehead.
Everything seemed...normal. Merle hadn’t been here in six months – they’d shut the park down at the first murder – and yet nothing felt different. The moon had emerged once again the cast a gentle glow over the park. They had been expecting to find something. Maybe...maybe some blood, or a whole body, or signs where the police had been investigating. But everything seemed eerily still. Dead, even. Against his will, Linh’s fur rose and he found his tail raising, ears perked as his gaze scanned the park. A normal dog’s eyesight would not be able to make out much, but as a daemon, he could see more than even Merle could.
“Mer--”
“Shhh...”
Merle’s hand flapped a little at him, as if they were trying to listen to something else. His ears perked again and he rose to his tip-toes, straining to hear whatever Merle could.
Then, it came. A high-pitched sound, something that even a child shouldn’t have been able to hear. Merle was quietly trotting towards it, using the shadows as a cover. They hadn’t dressed much for sneaking around, but the grey didn’t make them stand out too much. There were worst options they could’ve chosen, like their array of Hawaiian shirts. Linh crouched to the ground and crawled after them.
Instead of choosing the path, they went through the trees. They were both good at moving like this, and the frost had yet to settle so their footsteps were quiet.
Voices, next. And then nothing. Merle peeked through the trees and froze, every muscle in their body tensing as they saw the scene laid out in front of them.
A man had been laid on the floor, next to the fountain. His eyes were open and blank, the undeniable proof that he was no longer with the living. He seemed to be positioned carefully, as if he had died leaning against the fountain. There was something sickly sweet, too – not the smell of death, for he had clearly not been dead for long, but something else. Before Merle could identify the scent, Linh growled next to him.
“Stay back and watch. Maybe those people will come back,” he whispered, eyes foucsed forward. Merle leaned back and nodded, lowering themselves further to keep a watch on the body. They felt Linh move next to them, intend on watching their back so that they couldn’t be sneaked up on.
If someone came to adjust how this body was found, or perhaps sprinkle some ash to make it look more natural, the duo would be ready for them.
It had started happening six months ago. A body was found in the park that spanned a large portion of this section of the city. There had been no trace of the ash that became of a daemon when a human died, which led detectives to believe that there had been foul play involved. It had become the talk of the entire city. Some, those more into the supernatural, began pushing around rumours of a ghost seeking revenge for the Garden of Eden’s past. But none could find this dark past, and so it quickly began dismissed.
Then the second body was found. And the third. The fourth, the fifth, the sixth. Body after body, all immediately kept under wraps.
Merle Tran wanted to find the source of this. As they walked down the street with their silver Kai Ken daemon, Linh, behind them, they ignored the whisperings around them. The Garden of Eden was their home. They had grown up here – though poorer than most residents.
“We’re not going there, are we?” Linh asked, trotting faster so that he walked alongside Merle. “It’s probably not a good idea.”
For a moment, they didn’t respond. Their pace was brisk and they adjusted their shoulder bag, smiling politely as they passed their landlady. Though she seemed interested in where Merle was off to in such a hurry, she didn’t stop them to ask. As far as she knew, Merle could be late to an evening lecture – though the sun had long set, and while Winter certainly made the night come quicker, it was nearing ten in the night. But before their landlady could stop them to ask, Merle had turned a corner and was quickly jogging down a long set of steps, entering into what was, technically, a more dangerous part of the Garden of Eden. It hadn’t been in the past – though dark and ominous, with only a photobooth’s light spilling onto the ground. Accidents had happened here, because it was technically a road. Cars would come without realising that many people used it as a shortcut to get to their homes or schools.
It was also the fastest way to the park.
Linh’s anxiety increased as they walked through the dark alley. He looked up as the clouds covered the moon, hiding what little light they had. As the duo were plunged into darkness, Merle paused and peeked around a corner.
They weren’t fond of police, and this was something Linh knew intimately. They were a troublemaker, had been in trouble multiple times before for trespassing, but that wasn’t the reason. Merle’s nose twitched a little as they curled their lip, tucking some dark hair behind their ear as they crouched down and took out their phone.
“They’ll scent us,” hissed Linh, fur along his back rising.
“Shhh,” Merle glanced up, “they’ll hear us, too, if you aren’t careful.”
But it seemed that they had been discovered. A large German Shepherd stood at the mouth of the alley, her ears perked as she approached. Though Linh bared his teeth, ready to fight, the dog chuckled and sat down.
“You two again?” she asked, head tilting. “Don’t you ever quit it?”
With rising relief, Merle realised that it was just Nadiya. Their stepfather’s daemon – someone who enabled them more than she was supposed to. They were always impressed at how Nadiya could keep secrets from Jacques, or at how far she could venture from him. Linh just seemed unnerved by it, often muttering about how unnatural it was for a daemon to be able to do such things.
“We’ll find more than the pigs,” they said, putting their phone back into their pocket. A glance told Linh that they had turned it off entirely. “You know we will.”
Nadiya sat and scratched her ear, considering these words with a thoughtful hum. Lights flashed and Jacques’ voice called. “A little birdie told me that the park will be unguarded for an hour, right now. Do with that what you will.”
“Why?” it was Linh who growled, wariness tinging his voice.
“Short-staffed, changeover, you know the drill,” the larger dog stood and trotted away. Before she left the alley, she threw a look at the duo over her shoulder, “but don’t come through this street. Take the other route.”
Before either could protest, she was gone. Linh and Merle exchanged glances, but before Linh could talk Merle out of it, they were up and off, walking quickly as they all but beelined towards the park. With no other choice, Linh followed at a near-run, glad for the emptiness of the streets. If this had been a normal year, the streets would be bustling even this late into the night, for people had believed it was safer than anywhere on the planet. But now, with the dangers lurking, it felt more like a ghost town.
The park came into sight, and there was no going back from here.
As Nadiya had said, it was unguarded. Not even the usual park guard was here. Merle paused to check for surveillance – but, of course, they hadn’t fitted any. Yet. The gate was locked, though, and that was their only hurdle. It was arched at the top, but it had no points or spikes, nothing too hard to climb, really. It was child’s play. They took a few steps back to get a good running start, and jumped onto the gate. It shook as they climbed, but they were soon straddling the top, looking down at Linh.
“Coming?” they asked, a sharp grin gracing their features.
Linh took a deep sigh and climbed up after, his paws finding good holds. It was harder to climb gates and fences than it was to climb trees, but they were all the same in the end. If they couldn’t be scaled by him, what sort of daemon was he?
Once the dog reached the top, he jumped down immediately, a low huff escaping him as he landed in a crouch. Some days, he wondered if it would’ve been wiser to settle as some kind of cat or monkey. But he’d had no say in the matter. This was just what fit better, what felt true to Merle’s nature.
Merle, themselves, dropped down next to him and immediately straightened, walking through the park with confidence that felt rare in this city, nowadays. The lake was still beside them, quiet aside from the odd hoot here and there from an owl abovehead.
Everything seemed...normal. Merle hadn’t been here in six months – they’d shut the park down at the first murder – and yet nothing felt different. The moon had emerged once again the cast a gentle glow over the park. They had been expecting to find something. Maybe...maybe some blood, or a whole body, or signs where the police had been investigating. But everything seemed eerily still. Dead, even. Against his will, Linh’s fur rose and he found his tail raising, ears perked as his gaze scanned the park. A normal dog’s eyesight would not be able to make out much, but as a daemon, he could see more than even Merle could.
“Mer--”
“Shhh...”
Merle’s hand flapped a little at him, as if they were trying to listen to something else. His ears perked again and he rose to his tip-toes, straining to hear whatever Merle could.
Then, it came. A high-pitched sound, something that even a child shouldn’t have been able to hear. Merle was quietly trotting towards it, using the shadows as a cover. They hadn’t dressed much for sneaking around, but the grey didn’t make them stand out too much. There were worst options they could’ve chosen, like their array of Hawaiian shirts. Linh crouched to the ground and crawled after them.
Instead of choosing the path, they went through the trees. They were both good at moving like this, and the frost had yet to settle so their footsteps were quiet.
Voices, next. And then nothing. Merle peeked through the trees and froze, every muscle in their body tensing as they saw the scene laid out in front of them.
A man had been laid on the floor, next to the fountain. His eyes were open and blank, the undeniable proof that he was no longer with the living. He seemed to be positioned carefully, as if he had died leaning against the fountain. There was something sickly sweet, too – not the smell of death, for he had clearly not been dead for long, but something else. Before Merle could identify the scent, Linh growled next to him.
“Stay back and watch. Maybe those people will come back,” he whispered, eyes foucsed forward. Merle leaned back and nodded, lowering themselves further to keep a watch on the body. They felt Linh move next to them, intend on watching their back so that they couldn’t be sneaked up on.
If someone came to adjust how this body was found, or perhaps sprinkle some ash to make it look more natural, the duo would be ready for them.