yet another spooky jump in

The older girl lead the way out of town. The sidewalks soon disappeared and were replaced by the leaf-covered ground. The dry foliage crunched under Aster's feet as she continued along the path back to the house. The woods on either side of the road made the area a little darker than it actually was. The silence that settled between the two girls was broken by Luella. Aster listened to the younger girl's words as she walked along.

"I'm not a social worker, so I can't say why people would let kids be fostered here. Actually scratch that. Most people don't believe in the supernatural, so I imagine people just assume it's the town coming up with myths to attract tourists." In a way, it made sense. Aster had expressed her belief for the paranormal before and was only met with laughs or looks of people who thought of her as crazy. After a moment, Aster glanced back at Luella.

"I don't mean to pry, but your a foster kid?"

Aster glanced back at the younger girl sympathetically. "Well I like you and I'm sure this will be different." Even as the words spilled out, Aster winced. Luella probably heard that often. Her words were empty. Typical for someone trying to be supportive but not really meaning it. The young woman bit her lip, letting the silence build. After a moment Lu referred to herself as a monster and laughed it off.

Aster let out a quiet, awkward laugh but didn't find it funny. It seemed to bother the girl. Before she had a chance to say anything, she changed the subject to her home. Aster softly sighed, but offered a warm smile.

"Yeah we're almost there. In fact you see where the road turns off up ahead?" Aster gestered to the area. An old mailbox with peeling black paint was the only thing that indicated there was a house somewhere in the area. "We turn down there and then the house is only a short walk after that. You can see part of it from the road, actually."

Aster made the situation awkward and made the girl feel worse. Chewing the inside of her cheek, the young woman took a deep breath and spoke again.

"Don't apologize, you have nothing to apologize for," Aster began softly. "Look I'm not the best way talking with people. I also can't say I truly understand what you've been through or know what it's like. I mean I was lucky enough to have a great uncle who basically adopted me and my sister after our parents...Anyway I like you. You seem like a bright person and I've enjoyed speaking with you, Luella. For now how about we forget all that and talk about something else." Aster inwardly winced. That's now how she wanted to end things. It was too late to say anything different now, however.

Eventually, the pair reached the mailbox and continued along the path. It was quiet along the small road as they passed through the forest. Up ahead just beyond the trees, the low lights of the house were already on. The trip there would be easy and quick. They would be safe in no time. Her sister was likely already home after work while her uncle took care of things around the property before nightfall.

(Woah those are some really cool character drawings!)

Gifti — Amber
If he was being honest he had never quite thought about the possibility of there being different breeds of werewolf. It was something he had never heard about before, even when he had been close to werewolves. For the most part they were all relatively the same with some individual differences, but nothing that would have been able to be classified as a different breed. But maybe that was just something werewolves didn’t talk about. Maybe they were ashamed of it or something along those lines. ”I’ve never heard of there being different breeds, but it could be possible.” If he tried to go off and say something was impossible then he would be bad wrong there. In a place like Echo Ridge anything was possible. ”It would be something to look into at least.” Afterall, just because Gifti had never heard of anything like that didn’t mean it wasn’t actually true. He only knew some things about werewolves, he wasn’t an expert.

What he did know, though, was that the entry from October 13th had mentioned an initial sighting with the blue eyed beast. That meant somewhere in the files before then there was something else on this creature, maybe something that explained it a bit more. And if there had been at least two different sightings the chances that there was a third was likely.

Upon hearing how out of order the files were, Gifti had an uneasy feeling wash over him. He looked at Robin as he asked, ”Do you think your grandparents weren’t possibly the last people to touch these files?” For all Gifti knew the chances of somebody else having looked through the files were slim, but he wanted to get the possibility out in the open since he had given it some thought. ”Because as you’ve pointed out, it’s odd that these are so out of order when everything else was neat.” It seemed like with each new thing found even more questions and mysteries were opened up, and Gifti couldn’t help but wonder just how they were going to solve every little problem here.



[ oh no nova, lillian is weird and doesn’t deserve your gay panic xD ]
Lillian — 《Kᥲιrσʂ》
She hadn’t expected such praise from the other girl. Truth be told she hasn’t expected any praise, but perhaps a spiel on how she could have done the picture a lot more justice than she did or something along those lines. The praise she received was unexpected and she could feel her cheeks warm ever so slightly at the fact that somebody seemed to actually like something she had done. ”Th-thank you,” she stammered, glancing down at the ground for a moment. Her attention was brought back up when she heard the teacher explain how it was getting late and it would be best for everybody to start heading home.

A part of Lillian was glad to hear that they were being dismissed now - she really didn’t want to stay any longer seeing as it was growing darker by the second. But another part of her wasn’t too fond at the prospect of walking home alone with it being as dark as it was. Usually Lillian was already inside and safe from the outside monsters by now.

Looking over at Nova, an idea came to her. Lillian was awkward and shy and just an overall social mess, but maybe she could get Nova to stick around for a bit longer so long as it wasn’t out of her way. ”So, uh, where exactly do you live? I, uh, you don’t...don’t have to tell me, I’m just curious, yeah.” Man, that sounded stalkerish didn’t it? Lillian glanced away from Nova yet again, hoping she hadn’t spooked the girl off with her question.




[ --cato phoenix 
do you have any preference over which kid I throw over at arlo? I’m bad at deciding for myself oops
but I’ve got time, scarlet, and Seth open, but because I also have zero self control I can always toss in a new kid if none of those three sound appealing o; ]

”I can try to get some information about the werewolf thing. I’m still in contact with a few.” Most of the ones he knew well didn’t actually live in Echo Ridge, but they weren’t too far away from the small town. From shenanigans he had gotten into years ago he had a decently wide range of connections with other creatures, and of course with being a supernatural creature himself he knew how to get ahold of a good amount of people when he needed to. 

Besides all that, though, the uneasy feeling he had earlier came back when the possibility of somebody having gone through the files was brought back up. He had been the one to suggest the possibility, but he still didn’t like the fact that now Robin was considering that a possibility. Now hearing everything else Robin had to say Gifti couldn’t help but think that there was something more to all of this, something more that went beyond just normal causes. 

While he didnt want to add to anymore distress Robin might already be feeling, Gifti had to give his input on the whole thing. ”When it comes to meddling in the supernatural world, not many things are what they seem.” He then let out a low sigh, thinking about everything they had discovered so far. ”We keep digging up more questions than answers, aren’t we?” The shape-shifter let out a chuff of amusement after the words slipped off his tongue. They were certainly getting into some stuff Gifti hadn’t thought of when this all first started. 

( hmmm... could you tell me a little about them? or i can just use a random number generator because i'm bad at deciding too c'x )

"That makes sense. You blend in more and it's probably quicker to contact each other that way." Although she wouldn't admit it, Robin was slightly disappointed by the shifter's answer. It was probably because it was so mundane and not what she would have expected from the supernatural. But it also made sense. Communication by text was quicker and arguably more reliable than trying to talk to them face to face. Beyond that it was a way to appear more human.

"Exactly. More insight on the situation is always helpful. Sparrow works tomorrow, but I have some free time. I'll go look into the file." Robin paused for a moment and glanced at Gifti. "You can come along too if you'd like." Color had returned to the young woman's face by that point. However the thought of someone having tampered with the files lingered in the back if her head. She wouldn't know where to begin that investigation assuming someone really did tamper with the Echo Ridge box.

(No worries, there's enough there for me to work with.)

At the mention of a face to face meeting, Robin shot her head towards the shifter. She tried to hide her excitment, though wasn't sure how well it worked out. "I can imagine. Anyway I don't know how any of it works or what would be better. Just do whatever's best I suppose." The young woman paused for a moment and twirled her hair through her fingers. "Of course take my opinion with a grain of salt. As I said, I have no idea how any of that works."

The young woman smiled. "Alright. I'd like you to join me, only if you wanted though." Gifti had some good insight on the situation and with Sparrow unable to join her, she would rather have someone there. It would ultimately be better to have two people around, especially if she came across anyone strange again.

Her attention was drawn away from plans tomorrow to the situation of the night. There were only three bedrooms in the house, her grandmother's old room, which was now hers, the room her brother was in, and the toom they were using for storage. "The study's small for a bedroom, but there's a couch in there you can use. You remember it from earlier." Robin felt kind of bad giving a guest a couch to sleep on, even if he was fine sleeping like a cat. It seemed rude, though Gifti didn't seem to have a problem with sleeping somewhere small.

Gifti — Amber
The shifter once again found himself giving Robin a faint smile, this time it painted with a bit of merryment. For somebody who had just discovered that werewolves and shape-shifters and everything else in the supernatural world existed just that day she sure was taking it all in stride - at least outwardly. For all Gifti knew she was panicking on the inside, but if she was he had to give her props for hiding it so well. 

That aside, he focused back on what Robin was saying about going to the police station tomorrow. ”I’ll come along. After everything today I feel like I’m just as invested in this as you are,” he admitted. Plus, helping with all of this might help him along in his own search for answers. This could all bring him one step closer to figuring out what killed his twin years ago. 

”Don’t worry about the size of the room like I said, I’d be fine with just a cat bed in the living room if it came down to it. I’ve had to sleep on some pretty uncomfortable things, a couch is like a cloud after all that,” Gifti replied, honestly just glad to have a place to stay for the night. Robin didn’t have to let him stay. She could have kicked him out if she had wanted, but she hadn’t, and that in and of itself was already more than enough for Gifti and he was beyond grateful that she was so willing to let him stay overnight. 



Time — --cato phoenix
This place - Echo Ridge, he had found out what it was called not too long ago - was certainly interesting. It was far enough away from where he had been running from for him to feel comfortable enough with the distance for him to take a few days’ rest here. He wouldn’t be staying for long, but he would stick around just log enough to get his bearings, take in a few good meals, clean up, get an actual night’s sleep, and whatnot. There was no reason for him to stay beyond just a few days, maybe a week at most, in Echo Ridge, and he planned on making the best of it. 

Already he was noticing the overall mood of the town and how people seemed to be on edge now that night was falling. He had made it into town earlier that day, and it wasn’t until the sun started to dip down toward the horizon that the residents began to act nervous and flighty, like they were needing to get somewhere else in a hurry. Time still wasn’t sure what the deal was, but he had eventually been able to sense a huge supernatural energy over the town. Perhaps that was the reason why people were so frightened to be out past sunfall. 

Time himself wasn’t all that worried about getting somewhere inside by nightfall, but he was a bit surprised to find that somebody else seemed to share his nonchalance over the matter; a part of him was curious as to why the young woman wasn’t as concerned as the rest of the people in the town, but he decided that was none of his business and, unless she stopped him, he would keep going on his way as to not possibly disrupt the woman in anything that she was doing. 

[ ooooo all that sounds interesting, and I’m excited to see what you decide! I’ve got a character that’s eventually gonna figure out they’re half elf at some point :3 

im also thinking we’ll jump along to the second day in the next page or two since this day seems mostly wrapped up, just a heads up for everybody! ]

Since talking with Gifti and finding the files, Robin had grown more relaxed with the supernatural. Well relaxed was putting it nicely. It was more like she shoved any unease about it to the back of her mind and instead put her energy into research. She was still freaked out about the paranormal being real, but gaining a better understanding of it helped her accept it better.

With everything her grandparents left behind, accepting the supernatural was ultimately make it easier. The young woman smiled and gave the man a slight nod to Gifti's words. She was glad to have some help with the investigation. Robin didn't know what she wanted. If her grandmother's death was suspicious, then it would confirm someone had been at the home before the twins. That itself had many unsettling possibilities. If they found nothing, then they couldn't be sure if someone had gone through the files.

"Alright, I'm glad to hear it'll work." She gave Gifti a sympathetic look when he mentioned a couch would be like a cloud. Is he homeless? She didn't say it aloud, not wanting to offend the shifter. However she couldn't help but wonder.

The young woman thought for a moment before shaking her head. "I think we're good for tonight, though I may skim through the files to see if I can find the initial sighting before bed. Besides that, eat I guess. Well I need to eat and Sparrow too probably." She hadn't eaten since breakfast, and she only had a piece of toast and some milk. Of Sparrow knew, he wouldn't appreciate his twin not taking care of herself. Her thoughts were pulled away at the shifter's next question.

"Good question. Sparrow are you doing alright?" Robin yelled into the other room.

"Yeah! I found some hunting gear if you guys wanna come check it out!"

"Okay. I'm going to make myself a sandwhich before joining you. Want one?" There was silence for a few moment. He was thinking.

"Sure. Turkey and cheese would be good for me!" Robin didn't say anything more as she got up from the table. She glanced at Gifti and gestered to the other room. "You can go ahead and see what he found. I'll be a few minutes."

While Robin and Gifti were in the other room looking through the files, Sparrow had continued his search through the other boxes. He found some equipment, which looked like belonged to a hunter. He wanted to believe it was for a monster hunter, but it could've also been for a monster. Of course it made sense that there would be similar tools used between both hunters. He was deep in his investigation.

Sparrow smiled. "Yes actually." He paused for a moment and pulled over the box with all the tools and equipment. "I found this. There's not anything too fancy or unusual it just looks like normal hunting gear. Of course that's not surprising because I would imagine normal hunting gear and monster hunting gear would be similar but still. I also haven't found any weapons, just this stuff."

Although he wouldn't admit it, the young man was kind of disappointed. He was interested to find what weapons a monster hunter would use aganist whatever they were tracking. It was out of a curiosity and a boyish desire that was growing the more they learned about the supernatural. Robin would scold him for being childish. He didn't care. He wanted to know, to understand more about what his grandmother did. Perhaps he could even become a monster hunter with his sister being the one to write down their findings. She loved research and there were still a number of unexplained things out in the world. It would be something he'd have to bring up with her later, however. Right now he was looking through the old boxes to see what else they could find.

Arlo had flipped to the end of her book again and started sketching a new picture of the street. Comparing her old sketches with what she'd seen so far today, it didn't look like the little town had changed too much since her last visit. Some of the shops had changed, and work had been done here and there in some areas, but so far the main difference she'd noticed was the lack of people. Walking down the street, she had seen very few people. A sign that the stories she'd heard about the place were true- not that she really needed a sign. From the moment she'd arrived, she'd felt something unusual about the place's energy. Something strong enough that she wondered if others could feel it as well.

It reminded her a bit of somewhere she'd spent several years... She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing yet.

Suddenly, Arlo glanced up from her book, noticing someone looking somewhat curiously at her as he walked by. For a moment she worried that he'd recognized her, but no, she was pretty sure that people in Echo Ridge wouldn't have heard of her. She was nowhere near where she'd come from. Maybe he was just wondering why she hadn't headed inside yet like everyone else, it had probably been over half an hour since she’d seen anyone and he must have known that it wasn't safe to stay out late in this place... right?

She watched as he continued to walk down the road, not seeming at all concerned about the setting sun. Maybe she should warn him, just in case. “Hey, uh...” Arlo lowered her book a bit as she called after him. She really hoped she'd been right and that he hadn't recognized her. "Are you from around here? Do you know about what’s been happening around this place?" It would probably sound kind of dumb to a local- why would she still be out if she knew what could happen - but what if he was another traveler and didn’t know the risk?