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 Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 9:34 am
This case, like so many others, had begun on the internet. Someone finds something weird on a beach or flying through the city and takes videos that inevitably ended up on the worldwide web. A great deal of them were faked, of course; doctored photographs, double-exposures, and cgi were sometimes difficult to tell from the real thing. Most people didn't actually believe in the paranormal, but the FBI was well aware, or at least the Paranormal sector. Gifs and videos were studied closely, then tracked for location if plausible and agents were sent out with the latest secret technology to find out if it had just been a trick of the light or an actual entity. The men in black were real, the government was definitely hiding things from you, and half of those conspiracy theories were at least partially accurate.
The flight out to Oregon was born from a "REAL PARANORMAL FOOTAGE!!!" video that had blown up over the past week. Their experts hadn't been able to find any alterations in it and so they had tracked down the location of the upload and found themselves a small town. They'd flown as normal passengers to not raise alarm, dressed in normal civilian clothes. Poor Dari was entirely made up head-to-neck and hands-to-elbows with a generic baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses that, if he had removed them, would undoubtedly cause some panic and a dramatic, necessary memory erasure. They arrived in town mid-afternoon and got settled in the hotel room, hiding questionable bits of equipment with large suitcases and hollowed-out books. The "Do Not Disturb" sign went up immediately, as it always did when the FBPI had no base of operations in a town.
This human settlement was small, a tourist attraction with a beautiful beach that they were lucky enough to be investigating on. Their room had a view of the ocean lest they miss a chance to catch their target.
Oregon? Why in the world would a selkie be in Oregon? Their last seal-woman had been in Scotland, a rather pleasurable vacation spot after registering her with the organization. Regardless of locale, the partners went out to the beach with a printed image. Where exactly had the video been taken? They started walking up the long stretch of sand looking for the specific spot. Selkies were often creatures of habit and their best bet to find her would be to find the place she carelessly allowed herself to be captured. They found the spot with relative ease and decided to wait for a while.
Sometimes the humans of the world needed to be protected. Sometimes it was the paranormal subjects. This was one of the latter situations.
After some time, Toby decided that he was hungry. They'd passed a burger joint on their way in and he decided that meat grease and fried potatoes on the FBPI's dime seemed a-ok with him. He entered and offered the man behind the counter a smile, ordering a burger and fries for himself, topping it off with a soda because when he went unhealthy, he went hard. Of course they kept their eyes open, Dari as he wandered to find a seat and Toby when he later joined him. Even the most irresponsible selkie would presumably not become a seal and flop their way into a burger joint, but if their taste was for human food and not raw fish, this might be the place. They'd have to case everywhere, and they couldn't go home until they'd found her, alive or dead, free or owned.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 9:57 am
Maia was not aware of the video: or of the internet at all, really, beyond Google. She'd only learned about that at the town library, to find the best way to cook fish. She hadn't been very successful. She had quickly discovered that it was much easier to purchase food from the burger stand on the beach. They didn't have fish: a shame. But they did have these skinny potato things that were absolutely divine. And burgers. Those weren't bad either. She ordered her food, paid for it: one wouldn't believe how much money tourists brought with them to the beach. It was easy to grab for a wallet when they were distracted by crabs, the surf and the possible (false) shark sighting. She didn't really need the money, not when she was most often in her other form, but it was nice to be able to make purchases.
She noticed someone she hadn't seen before. This wasn't unusual, this town was a tourist attraction, after all. There were always new people visiting her beach. Still, she felt a bit uneasy. She wanted to shift and go off for a swim after eating.
Once she'd acquired her food, she made way to one of the tables. She hoped no one would join her: she'd quickly discovered human language had changed over the years: now they spoke of cells, computers and Netflix. It was hard to keep up.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 10:10 am
Toby dug in, hoping for magic and getting a pretty standard beachside burger. Oh well. Meat was meat, fries were fries. It'd keep him from keeling over or getting too hungry to think later. Who knew how long they'd have to wait to find the subject of their investigation? He had doubted the likelihood of an actual selkie in Oregon, but when two psychics and the entire photo/video team told you it was legitimate it was certainly reassuring. A little Googling later he discovered that Oregon was actually full of seals. Go figure. Theyd have to catch the selkie in her human form, because seals tended to just act like seals, legendary creature or not. Catching one peeling its own skin off would be prime, but that rarely ever happened.
He noticed the woman at the other booth, noted her face lest he have to start playing Federal Agent and asking questions. He offered her a little smile as if he had made accidental eye contact and turned back to Dari, who was watching out the window.
"You okay, Slimebag?"
Dari smiled slightly and turned to Toby. "Of course."
"See anything?"
"The ocean is incredibly beautiful."
Toby wondered idly if Dari saw something else in the sea. He must. He saw everything differently. The alien had tried several times to explain the fourth dimension to Toby with no success. Sometimes he was jealous of the ability.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 10:47 am
Maia ate with the gusto of a seal who hadn't eaten that day. She still hadn't adjusted to human behaviors, Not entirely anyway. As she ate, she thought about the ocean. How she wanted to swim, directly after her meal. Apparently that was bad for humans. She'd heard too many mothers demand that their children wait at least thirty minutes after eating before swimming. She thought the whole thing was rather funny, she usually ate while swimming.
She flashed the man across from her booth a smile. Huh. He seemed friendly. She didn't engage in conversation though, seeing as he had already turned away to talk to his friend. She looked out towards the ocean. The blue gray of the water delighted her. She couldn't wait to be in it.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 11:04 am
Toby had ceased to watch the young woman with full attention. There was his food and the ocean, and it was always a little suspicious when you looked at any one person for a long time. The selkie in the video had had pale hair and so did this girl, but so did the majority of the women on the beach and even a few men. It could be any one of them. He'd have to observe personalities, mannerisms. ...
Well then. That was an interesting way to eat. He only glanced up for a moment and then looked to Dari. He tapped two fingers on the table and pointed through him at the young woman currently chugging her burger. There was no other way to describe it. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.
Dari, unfortunately, was mostly painted-up and unable to see through the back of his head, but his periphery remained excellent. He turned more starkly toward the ocean and regarded the woman. His partner seemed to think she was a party of interest, and he had certainly never seen a human eat like that. A lesser mermaid, maybe. He turned slowly back and nodded. It was their best lead so far.
Dari made a fist and clapped his other hand over it, then tapped an outside finger on his knuckle. Should they follow her? Toby replied with a smallest of expressions that said 'maybe.' Good partners knew each other well enough to speak without speaking, taught hand signals aside.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 11:25 am
Maia was not oblivious to the men noticing her: and finished her meal quickly. Had she done something impolite? Humans didn't eat burgers with forks now, did they? She didn't think much of it, however. She threw her trash away, and made her way to the door. Briefly she wondered if she'd be able to catch any fish: the ocean was smooth and lovely, perfect for a swim. That also meant it was perfect for fishermen. Perfect for other predators. Perfect for divers, and even though she was sure they never meant to scare the fish, they tended to.
She exited and made her way to the surf. The ocean winds caused her hair to flare up behind her, but she didn't seem to mind. She was focused on her goal, the smell of the sea air invaded her senses. Nothing else mattered, not the tourists under their umbrellas, not the children with their kites and pails, not the people setting up a fire pit on the beach. Probably to cook up some crab, that seemed to be a popular treat.
She was more fond of the sticky candy people brought in white paper bags.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 11:36 am
Just like that, the woman was leaving. The short video that had prompted this investigation had been the first of its kind from the area. It was possible that the selkie was so inexperienced with humanity that she was most often a seal. As it turned out, Oregon had a good number of seals who probably took part in the same seal-like activities as their selkie. If this girl was it, they'd have to follow her. It would be impossible to trap her at this time of day, though, with the beach so well-populated, but what choice would they have? Toby did a lazy man's sign, tapping one finger on his other hand as they barely touched. Yes, they were going to follow her. Dari rose from the booth and Toby followed, unwilling to abandon what remained of his fries and taking a handful with him.
Hopefully they'd just blend in on the beach.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 11:53 am
They didn't have to worry about blending in. The beach was fairly crowded with children playing and even the occasional set of teenagers walking the length of the surf, holding hands. Maia was worried: She couldn't shift here. There were too many people. She knew the dangers of that, at least. With so many people, one was bound to believe what they were seeing. Humans who believed, that was dangerous.
She decided to wade in the water instead. Slipping off her flats and tossing them on the beach, she rolled up the cuffs of her capris before heading into the water. She'd been right: it was wonderful. She'd have yo find a more secluded part of the beach.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 12:08 pm
Luckily, the selkie (if this was her) knew better than to shift surrounded by people. That would become a whole new dramatic event requiring some serious paperwork when they returned. The pair noted the bag and shoes left on the beach and shared a brief look. Dari moved to stand just beside the bag. If she was a selkie, her pelt would undoubtedly be within. If not, they were casing some poor girl's purse and suntan lotion.
Toby meanwhile offered the girl a smile and leaned down to roll up his pants. In just a short while he was wading in too, still smiling. The positive to looking like a twenty- or thirty-something meant flirtation was still a decent way to talk to the suspect ladies... and some humans. Sometimes.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 12:20 pm
The bag carried her pelt: silver, soft and spotted. Nothing else was in the bag, she rarely found anything worth keeping. She did have a decent sized collection of shells in the hut on the beach she occupied when not in seal form. Shelves and shelves of shells she'd found on her walks down the beach.
She noticed Toby coming out to wade as well. That caused her to stare. Most of the tourists she'd met complained about the cold waters, at least until June. "Cold, isn't it?" she asked with a smile. "You wouldn't think it would be, with the eater so smooth and the sun shining so brightly." But it was spring. And humans complained often about cold waters. It was probably a good idea to mimic them when engaging in conversation with other humans. "I'm Maia," She added. "Is it your first time here? My family comes every year."
It was probably a good idea to lie, too. He didn't need to know she lived there year round.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 12:27 pm
The water was cold, but he couldn't let this girl run off and disappear. She was their best suspect thus far and the best part of every case was getting to go home after. Besides, he'd set them up with the eye contact and smile at the burger joint. He'd made himself known as a happy neutral party.
"Toby," he responded, putting his leg out to swish the water, "and I'm from the northeast, so this is nothing." His smile spread. "Oh, do they? Yeah, this is my first time here. Not the first in Oregon, but never here. It's nice. Kind of... quaint." He peered off in the direction of town a moment, then turned back to the young woman.
"Hey, have you seen that video they took down the beach?" With the tone of an excited internet-frequenter. And so it began.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 12:39 pm
"Its quiet," she said. "That's why I like it so much here, it's a getaway from reality." At least, that was what she'd heard said. This was her reality. She didn't know anything different. "Oh? Where abouts?" She'd never been out that way, preferring to be close to her home. That way she avoided predators like orcas and sharks. "There's a really good taffy shop down the street," she said. "Everything there's homemade. I like to take some home with me when I leave. Its a reminder of My vacation."
Video? Down the beach? "I haven't," She said, blinking. Videos were moving pictures, people went to see them in theaters. Or in hotels. Or on something called YouTube. "I don't have computer access."
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 12:49 pm
"Mm." Boy, this girl sounded like an ad for Oregon. Of course he was probably biased by his suspicion, but it seemed a little insincere... everything but the taffy, anyway. Who didn't like taffy?
"No? Well, it's been up a few weeks now," Toby continued. Who didn't have access to the internet nowadays, let alone a computer at all? Selkies might. "It's right down there! Honestly that's half" all "of the reason why I came down here. I mean, given the choice, go to the famous place, right? It was like a woman." His voice began to change, suggesting something like a warning. "She puts on a cloak, and she turns into a seal." He paused, only briefly. "I mean, it sounds crazy, but nobody's been able to debunk it."
And if you were that woman, people knew about you.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 1:06 pm
Maia had started to go pale, freckles seeming dark on her skin. She took a step back, as if to flee. If she hadn't already given herself away, she certainly was now. "Selkies huh?" she laughed nervously. "I'm sure that's a hoax. There were a lot of pictures of the loch ness monster, too." And they'd found those pictures to be false. If it was her, how had she not noticed someone filming her? She wanted to get away: to run. She was sure this man had come to capture her now.
What if more of these tourists had come for that very reason? She'd have to hide. To move, find another beach. "I can't feel my feet," she muttered. "I'm sorry. I have to go. It was nice meeting you!" She hurried out of the water, turning back to glance at him. The fear in her eyes was evident. She didn't want to be put on display like an animal in the zoo. She set her gaze on Dari, hesitating. That was the man who'd been with Toby at the burger stand. "Aren't you going to into the water?" she asked.
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Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2015 5:11 pm
Nobody else would panic at the mention of magical sea creatures. He hadn't even used the word 'selkie,' that was her own addition.
"Sure." Except he saw things every day that people had disproved on other occasions. For example, at this very moment he was pretty sure he was speaking to a selkie. It was just a normal day in the life of an FBPI agent, really. They did the weird s**t so people didn't have to. Hell, half of the FBI itself had no idea they existed.
The girl turned to make an escape. Toby kept his hands at his sides and casually began walking out, flashing first two fingers, then one. She was still the suspect. As she came closer, Dari took her back and stood.
"No, not as if yet." His teeth were black and slightly transparent. The inside of his mouth was a pit of darkness, no glistening pink and wet to be seen.
This was the easy part. If she fought, if they were wrong, they could flash their badges and call it a misunderstanding. If they were right, they had her.
"It'd probably be best if you came with us," Toby said, approaching from behind but by no means blocking Maia's exit. He had both his badge and a printout of several frames of the video, but at the moment the poor thing look scared enough. He didn't imagine the government or blackmail were going to help. "We're here to help you. You may be in danger. At the moment, we're the safest people on this beach." Of course if they had her pelt, she didn't have a choice.
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