[RP] Around the IoP (Open to all)

[Azana Brown]

Church of Kasdeya

"That time already...?" Kasdeya hummed. It was tempting...but she knew Hemlock wouldn't be the sort to keep these cultists in line. Then again, her priestess had become quite devoted; she could keep track of them through her.

"I'll see if I can pencil in a visit. Running a little piece of Hell on earth makes for a busy schedule."  

[Gren_Eckener]

Church of Kasdeya

"Getting on it, yezzz...they've already begun planning the feazts."

Malachai sighed dreamily, cheeks flushed. "Ahhh, I haven't been down for a while~. I hope everyone's just as I left them, gracious."

"You may have difficulty, Malachai..." warned the lizard. "You might have to be rezieved as a neophyte, if you cannot defend your rank."

Malachai grinned. "That's not as bad for us Cubi as you might think...we're the forgiving sort to our own, after all."  

[Azana Brown]

Church of Kasdeya

After an awkwardly long-winded goodbye, Kasdeya breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "...and now I remember why I don't typically invite him over. Guess you should get going, too, Malachai. Wherever you're going. I'll have to stop by the Inn at some point, but I'd prefer to avoid the thunderous one. She's incredibly irritating."

She strolled over, handing him a single black rose. "Thanks for the iced cream, by the way..."

Fastway Supermarket

Azana hovered to land near the dumpsters. While creatures of all sorts made Gaia home, there was still a part of her that enjoyed laying low, magically speaking. It seemed like any other...why would the mannequin go here, every week or two? And why didn't they report it sooner?  

[Astra_Senpai]

Forge

The giantess stretches, giving a long yawn, as joints crack and muscles groan. She has no recollection of how long her rest had lasted. Scanning the space, she makes note of the thick dust and cold forge; perhaps this had been a long rest. There is no sign of the wolf, perhaps he's moved on to greener pastures. It was his right, she had no hold over him. It was no longer her nature.

Brushing calloused fingers over the head of her warhammer, the energy of it sleepy and quiet, her lips quirk into a thin, fleeting smile. Such peaceful times are a boon to her kind. Lifting a sheet of thick cloth from a table, she walks outside and with a great "CRACK' shakes the dust free of the material. Ah the brilliant smell of spring and new life.

She lumber towards the lake. Certainly overdue for a quick wash.  

[Azana Brown]

Fastway

Azana waved to the manage as she strolled in, tapping her GMO badge to indicate her approach. "We spoke on the phone earlier about the strange robberies...what can you tell me about them?" She asked, setting her phone to record.

"Well," the manager began to answer, trailing off. "It's kind of embarrassing, really. The footage shows the dressed mannequin shopping like normal, going through a checkout line, and walking out. Same groceries each time, too. The card is expired, but it still swipes. The cashiers watch it happen, but don't stop it at all."

"How the hell does that work...?" Azana asked, quirking an eyebrow and tilting her head, puzzled by the discussion. Illusion would explain the mannequin...but not the card. Maybe they paired it with petty fraud?

"That's what you're here to find out, aren't you?" The manager barked, clearly exasperated by the lost revenue and fuss of dealing with this case. "They should come in this afternoon, if the recent pattern holds. Stick around and bust them or something."  

[Astra_Senpai]

Woods

It is somewhere in the woods that the mushi master had found themselves. It is somewhere under the sun heated soil that the mushishi has buried a good portion of both host and self. I had been some time since this had occurred, several seasons having passed in stoney, sleepy silence.

Pale eye snaps open, the once milky world green and teeming with new spirits to be studied. Heavy heart thuds and thumps back into motion, still lungs gasp deeply the first of many warming breaths of summer. Resting muscles give audible groan to a new found need for movement. Too many seasons have passed without knowing, too much time has escaped without monitoring.

A small vole scrambled away as branch threaded foot lifts from the earth, tearing insect riddled cloth free from the owner. A dusty exhale, a brief scanning of the area, and the lithe being begins the long walk back to the inn.  

[Gren_Eckener]

Garden

Adam hummed, pruning the ivy. He always did enjoy when the dog days tapered off; it was such an agreeable temperature to work in. Soon, he'd be hauling in the harvest, plucking carrots and potatoes, but for the time being, he reasoned, picking a pepper, fresh veggies were a treat.  

[Azana Brown]

Fastway

Azana had wandered the aisles for longer than she'd ever wish to linger in such a store. Her phone buzzed with a text, and she pulled it out, reading with a grin. Sol was checking in on her...a break from the monotony of the endless shelves and flashy packaging.

Have I ever told you how much I hate stakeo-- Her hand slipped, and she juggled her phone momentarily before getting a secure grip on it. She spun around, glaring at a woman pushing a cart. "Do you mind?" She asked, completely out of patience for this store. How could some people shop for hours on end?

"Oh!" The woman recoiled in surprise. "I'm so sorry! I must have been daydreaming...I really need to watch where I'm going!" She looked downward in embarrassed guilt at the situation.

"...it's fine," Azana sighed, finishing her text and sending it back. "I probably should keep an eye out myself. By the way...seen any suspicious folks lately?"

"Me? Oh, heavens, no!" She beamed happily. "Everything is just fine! I really must hurry though...I have a hungry family at home. Goodbye!" She waved, rolling her cart past and continuing onward.

Azana shrugged it off, continuing her wanderings through the store. Sometime this afternoon...so far, nothing. A mannequin would have to stand out, either physically, or whatever strange magic they were using...  

[Gren_Eckener]

Garden

The rattle of a cicada sounded nearby, getting Adam's attention. He was hoping for a new insect friend, but found instead a pair of dirt-coated feet.

"Hum?"  

[Azana Brown]

Fastway

Azana had spent far too long in the store by this time. All the packages looked the same, and she was pretty sure she'd be sending others to do the shopping for a few weeks. She stretched as she made her way for the front door, a little disappointed that they hadn't bothered to show. Were they scared off? Did they know something was amiss...?

"Oi!" The manager barked at her, glaring daggers as they beckoned her to their office. After taking a moment to brush off the offense that she had been called like a guilty employee, she followed, taking a seat as directed. "Are you really with those GMO folks?"

Azana blinked, taken aback at the question. "For the majority of my life, yes," she answered, puzzled and increasingly angry with this manager. Maybe they deserved to get robbed biweekly. "Why the sudden doubts?"

"Because you let them GO, you idiot!" The manager fumed in reply, pointing to a paused point in the security footage. There, plainly captured on film, was Azana engaging in a short conversation with the mannequin before walking on as if nothing had happened.

"Wh-what...?" Azana couldn't mistake the footage. They had slipped past...? Her phone was out...the timestamp...she pulled out her phone, checking her text messages in alarm. She sent one to Sol after the timestamp. That bubbly woman with a family to feed...was false?!

I...I couldn't tell. I didn't sense a thing...nothing seemed off...how?! Azana now noticed the manager staring her down, frustrated that another cart full of product was now out of the store, the lost revenue entirely theirs to bear. "This is clearly a tougher case than I originally imagined. I'm going to need to investigate this further. Whatever is going on here, I've never seen anything like it."

"Ugh...you're no better help than the Regulars and the GPD," the manager groaned. "But whatever, sure. Maybe you can figure it out before they ransack my whole store."

Azana left without another word, racking her brain to try and figure out what had taken place. All the while, she began writing a text:

Tech, it's Az. Got a tough case...need your expertise. Meet me at the Inn in fifteen.  

[Gren_Eckener]

Garden

"Who, ah...who're you?"

The pale lad, filthy grey hair hanging in sheaves about his face, made a rattling noise as he slipped from the tree. He'd noticed the gardener at work. He wanted a snack.

Cocking his head, Adam tried to reply, not managing well.  

[Gren_Eckener]

On the Way

Gren hummed softly to himself, taking a sip of water from his canteen as they hiked. He had to admit, it was nice to get out of the building: at times, he wondered if he took his role as Innkeeper a touch too seriously. With an inward smile, he was inclined to agree: if everyone else could take a vacation, then surely, so could he.

A week had passed since he and Violet had left the Inn's doorstep, or at least he was sure that it'd been about that long. Their supplies were well-stocked, kept fresh, and the weather had been agreeable for the season.

Don't know where we're going, but that suits me just fine all the same, he reasoned, stopping at a fork in the path.

"Violet? Left or right, you pick."  

[Azana Brown]

On the Way

Violet paused at the sound of her own name, having concentrated on the faint calling to the point of almost completely shutting her traveling companion out.

"Hm? Oh, sorry," she immediately apologized, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face. "Umm...left, I think..." She closed her eyes, hoping the lack of sight would help amplify the sound between her ears.

...come away...come away... She finally could hear it again, and she let it lead her steps along the left path of the fork. She was happy to have a companion, to be able to walk blindly without concerns of wandering into traffic while chasing a strange and somewhat terrifying dream.

As she came around the curve, the landscape seemed to shift in subtle ways. The flowers of the season seemed more vibrant, the greens greener than prior, and there was a scent in the air one couldn't quite place. Such subtle shifts were nothing new, but this one came with a stranger crossing their path.

Violet's eyes opened, and she gasped in spite of herself at the beauty of it all. If they weren't on an errand, she would have stopped and drawn it immediately.  

[Gren_Eckener]

On the Way

Gren blinked, looking about, brows raising as he took in the landscape with a slowly slacking jaw. Everything seemed just...moreso. The colour, the detail...why, he felt as if he could count every leaf on the trees, had he the time to spare.

"Oh wow."

It was then that he spotted the stranger. "Oh! Pardon us."  

[Azana Brown]

On the Way

The stranger paused from their walk, looking over to the pair. An initial air of suspicion crossed his gaze before it approached. A moment or two of closed distance and a light whiff of the air turned it into a passive disdain.

"And what if I don't...?" He challenged, arms folded. "What good does it do me to pardon you...?"

Violet was mildly taken aback at the brash stranger. While he was rude, he did seem to have a point. They had taken him away from his routine, interrupted his day, and for what...?

"We're just passing through, sir," she managed to eke out, hoping to avoid confrontation.

"Oh?" He leaned toward her, looking her up and down. "Passing through? People rarely do something like that so simply. You might wind up Lost..."