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moonjavas rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-6)
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Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2016 8:28 pm
"Tried it once," Thorne called back, "I didn't really get a good impression." He glanced up at Viv with a rumble of sound, deep in his throat, hauling himself up after her. To Rylan, he added, "The freedom of release from life?" There was a dry, sardonic note in his tone. He reached for another grip in the cliff face and swung higher up, grunting as he hauled himself further along.
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2016 10:13 am
"I'm with tall, dark, and Dorito," said Viv. "Seriously, what did they feed you two? Specimens." She paused, only for a moment, and the skinny shelf beneath her foot fractured, sending chips of the cliff face clattering down. With a hissed curse, Viv hauled herself back up and into… something. The divot that Imp had spotted? When Rylan and Thorne get there, there's no sign of her: only a gap wide enough for them to proceed single-file if they go sideways. The odd light Imp had seen glinting is burning steadily within.
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moonjavas rolled 1 6-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-6)
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2016 8:10 pm
"Is that what I am now? Tall, dark, and dorito?" Thorne retorted, laughter curling in his throat. "I guess I've been called worse." He snorted at the specimens comment though, rolling his eyes. "I ate my broccoli as a child. I was a good kid." He watched as Viv disappeared and hauled himself up after her, grunting from the exertion. Damn, what the hell was up there, exactly? But the handhold he'd been gripping gave out as he moved up, and Thorne cursed the entire way down. Something sharp went through his abdomen when he landed, but it was a rather graceful roll, all things considered. Standing with another swear, Thorne shook out his head, loosening the dirt and gravel collected from it and glanced up at Rylan. "Be careful closer to that place, it's ******** loose," he called, "I think I'm out though. Don't die, or your sad corpse might just rot in there."
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MoonRazor rolled 1 6-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-6)
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2016 7:57 am
The words "potatoes and straight vodka" where just about to roll off his tongue when Thorne slipped, and reflexes had him frantically reaching out with one hand to grab the man in vain. Rylan craned his head to watch Thorne, unmoving until he finally got up. " I was the one who was supposed to do that, not you," he said with a disbelieving shake of his head. "Are you alright?" And again, he felt something akin to the survivor's guilt he'd had to face when he'd first come back to Ashdown. Why others and not him? It didn't help him to realize that he was the one who'd dragged Thorne out here in the first place. "I... Stay put until we get back," he called down. "Don't do anything stupid, like... get mauled by a bear." And once he knew that Thorne would live, he hauled himself up after Viv and into the dark space.
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 9:56 pm
Viv is nowhere to be found as Rylan slides through the tight space between the rocks. The light grows brighter, brighter, and then… It’s a lantern, set down on top of a jacket. Old, brass, it’s hot to the touch from real flame. The coat is leather, old and well-loved, folded neatly. It’s cut for a man, but smells only of leather and the faint hint of rain. It should be musty, but it isn’t. One pocket is weighted down.
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 8:43 am
He sidestepped through the crack, feeling the weight of the rock pressing down around him. "Hey, Viv, what do you--" But she was gone. Or hiding, perhaps. It didn't matter. Rylan approached the old lamp and the surprisingly well-preserved jacket, watching the flame dance behind the glass. He lifted the lamp by its handle and carefully set it aside before picking up the jacket and eyeing it curiously, turning it front and back in search of any markings or labels that might tell him more. Then he reached into the pocket, searching for the objects inside.
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 10:53 am
There is a label inside the coat. It's a worn-out blue medical alert tag, blue star of life and its rod of asclepius worn nearly to illegibility. It says the wearer of the coat is DNR and undergoing chemotherapy, and gives a phone number to call for more information. The objects inside are a ring of keys and a ring on a long chain. There's another medical alert tag, this one punched metal like a dog tag. It gives the same information, but another tag gives an address, too, here in Ashdown: 18 Waite Vista. The ring is a red gemstone, dark garnet or ruby, set in tarnished silver and flanked by two diamonds, small, tasteful, old. Inside, there's an engraving, nearly worn away, that reads with my love, always, liam. The chain is of noticeably lower quality, silver gilt rubbing away to bronze and greening from age.
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 11:16 am
It was all old, all fading, giving him the impression that he'd stumbled into a cave from another decade. Rylan thumbed at the keys and passed a finger over the dark stone and the engraving inside. "18 Waite Vista," he read aloud, and thought he had an idea whereabouts that might be. Considering how faded and worn the coat was, part of him had to wonder if its wearer was still alive. There was, perhaps, a way to find out. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and typed in the number on the label. Then he stood and waited to see if it would ring.
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 2:41 pm
It rings. It rings three times, and then someone picks up. "Hello?" It's an old woman, her words heavily accented. Something East Asian. She continues: "Please, who is this?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 3:56 pm
He'd almost expected the number to be a dead end. The voice on the other end caught him by surprise, the shaky and careful words of an old woman. "Ma'am, my name is Cam Rylan," he said, looking down at the jacket. "I'm in... well, I found a leather jacket with this number on the inside - your husband, maybe? Or someone you know? And a ring." He traced a finger over the engraving again, well-loved and faint on the inside of the band. "With my love, always, Liam."
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 4:04 pm
The woman on the other end gasps, and she's quiet for a moment. "No," she says, and something clatters. "I... My husband, he is dead. Since 1966. If there is my phone number..." She blows her nose, then comes back to the line. "It would be Viv's. My daughter. I do not know about this ring. But there was a medical alert tag in her coat."
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 4:14 pm
"It's an old coat," he began. "A men's coat." And the year 1966 had him wondering if this had anything to do with that old ID Imp had plucked out of the water. At this point, Rylan wouldn't be surprised. "Viv," he added, looking around, wondering where she could have got to. "Well, she was... right here a minute ago."
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 4:17 pm
The line goes silent. And then she says, "This is a very cruel prank, Mr. Rylan. My daughter died in 1982."
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 4:24 pm
"I... No, it's not a..." Well. It was too late to backpedal on that one. "Ma'am, I apologize, I really do, for bringing the past back like this," he said finally. "Do you still live at 18 Waite Vista? I would... very much appreciate a chance to talk, show you this coat." Get some answers. Though part of him felt uneasy about it all, knowing it was causing the old woman grief. "You'll believe it when you see it. I think."
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2016 4:39 pm
"I do," says the woman. "And you may come. If you bring my daughter's coat to me."
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