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The forest was a bit of a relief, in all honesty. Nature had a calming effect, even if this other Ashdown was on the creepier side. The artist enjoyed the sound of the raindrops hitting her umbrella, and instinctively her hands tightened around the handle she was holding. "...I've always enjoyed nature," she commented, more to herself than anyone in particular, only to shrug her shoulders some. "Not surprising, really, how many artists are inspired by the natural world..."

It was as she said this that an object in the mud caught her eye. Curious, Asiya stepped closer and looked down at it. It was hard to tell what it was, currently, given that it was half-sunk in the ground. Well, this wouldn't do. She needed to see it better! Without even a second of hesitation, Asiya bent down and proceeded not only to touch the object, but try to lift it up so she could get a better look.

Mud made things so dirty; what was this strange object?

Well, there was something in the mud. If this were regular Ashdown Leila would have figured it was a booze bottle or a cigarette box or a used condom, but they were in Spooky Land so its true nature was ambiguous. She was intensely curious. After rummaging around the ground for a moment, she turned up a proper stick and used it to cautiously nudge the strange item.

"Oh no you bloody well don't.." Algie's hand shot out and he hooked his finger in Jeremiah's back belt loop. Him being mid-motion bobbed the author on his feet, bumping him against Jeremiah's back, but he didn't let go.

"For once let other people pick up shifty objects in the shadow realm.." He grumble-murmured to the other. "Or god help me I'll hook you with my umbrella and drag you around these woods."

He then stepped back a step, though his finger still hooked, "We can observe at a safe distance."

As Asiya lifts the object from the mud, helped along by Leila's prodding, its shape becomes a little clearer. It is vaguely oblong, probably a shoe of some kind...

She wipes the mud away from the side of the shoe. There, in black sharpie, is the legend HELIODORA: the last teen to go missing. However, the shoe is too... solid, to be just a shoe.

Asiya wipes a little more mud away, and that is when they realize:



There's still a foot inside the shoe.

"Ah, s**t."

That's all that came from Leila -- very little in the way of shock and horror, her tone was mostly that of disappointment that wouldn't have been unwarranted by someone who just dropped their ice cream. Here they were in mysterious magical land, and the ground was still coughing up dead bodies. Why did it have to be human flesh? Why couldn't it have been the Ark of the Covenant, or a poison ivy plant, or some kind of d***o? Nope. Dead body. Or part of one.

"Hey. Hey, people. I'm gonna take a closer look at this, okay? I do forensics and might be able to figure something out." She moved a bit closer to Asiya. "There might also be more... uh. More pieces nearby. So stay sharp. Detective Mercer, you in on this?"

She had no idea what she expected the object to be.

A trinket, perhaps. Something nice and shiney. Maybe a necklace that somebody dropped, or a treasure from a by-gone era. That would have been lovely to find within the mud. Images ran through her head when she picked up the object of what it could be, and her thoughts also ran to treasure hunts and quests. Oh -- what a romantic she was. A foolish, foolish young woman.

What the object was, in actuality, was nothing like that.

It was nothing like she had in mind, at all.

It was a shoe.

A shoe with a foot still in it.

"Ya Rab!" (OOC Note: "Oh, my Lord!")

Asiya reverted to her native Arabic when caught by surprise from the severed limb. The artist was thanking her lucky stars for Jeremiah's handkerchief. She had used that to partially pick up the item when it was still sunk in the ground, so the fine piece of cloth saved her from touching in directly. Regardless of that fact, it was still a severed limb, and she was still grossed out. Wordlessly and without really thinking, she tossed the object away from her, and in the direction of Jeremiah.

Oh, what she would give for a body of water to purify herself. She had literally touched death, and as a result, she shrunk back and tried to disappear in the throngs of people. Her face pale, she then gazed over at Chris and Ves, who had asked what it was.

"I-...you....you all saw it..." She then shivered and wrapped her arms around herself in a hug. She did not want to say what the object was out loud. Boy, was her head spinning now.

Jeremiah stumbled backwards when Algie yanked on his belt loop, feeling the other man bumping into his back.

"She did pick it up, Alg," he grumble-muttered back. When Algie kept walking backwards, the man ended up stumbling and having to reach around to steady himself. Which ended up landing his hand on Algie's arse. Thankfully his cheeks were already bruised otherwise someone might've caught sight of the faint blush that appeared.

His hand fell away slowly, as if it was nothing (because he had to act like it was nothing or else it would be something - it was) before he saw Asiya cleaning the object and realizing it was ...<********>. A weight settled uncomfortably in his stomach, Jeremiah frowning (not thinking about the fact that his hand, while it had fallen away from Algie's arse was not curled into the fabric of his vest above his waist). Leila was given a nod of assent, that this was a thing they could do.

This was work. This they could handle.

Except that the foot and handkerchief was being tossed his direction and he immediately let go of Algie to catch the foot. Thankfully his handkerchief was with it as well and he shifted so that he was holding it with that.

"Dr. Townhome, if you would have a look?" Blue-eyes glanced down at the foot before back up to her. "As much as I loathe to say this, be careful where you step everyone!" There might be more evidence.

He looked over to Asiya. "Take deep breaths. In through your mouth, out through your nose." That would help calm her and make sure that she got enough air while she was kind of acceptably flipped out.