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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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 Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 9:58 pm
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The woods outside of Ashdown but still technically in city limits were normally, nothing to write home about. There were a few nice places, some decent trails. The woods they connected to leading out of the city were much more rugged and less ventured, but they did not have what Marcus was looking for. At least, he'd never heard of them holding what he was looking for. Spooky things. Or more accurately, things to do with other Ashdown. Like ghosts.
Pretty much all irregular activity was tired to the city limits, and besides, there was a fence through most areas to designate city limits and federal land. And Marcus, being Marcus, avoided anything federal as much as he could. Never knew what was being tested out in the middle of nowhere or what and when drones would do a fly by. Nah, he'd play it safe in city limits.
Still, that left a decent area he would have to explore and wander far from roads and designated paths. Most of the trails this far out were created by the occasional vagrant but mostly wildlife. The one he took known to be a deer trail given how if you followed it to the road, it was pretty common to hear about someone hitting of of the poor things bi-monthly.
The part he was in wasn't too far from the roads, but it was still a distance. He had his camera, trail mix, water, gps, a lighter along with a swiss army knife he'd bought at a gas station and never used.
It was just before dusk and he was on a mission.
Find ghosts. According to local records there was an old cemetery out here somewhere, but finding it was a matter of luck. And checking his gps every few minutes.
wc: 300
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2016 6:07 pm
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The beep beep of the GPS unit was annoyingly loud when set against the backdrop of the woods themselves or the rain, (which he didn't mind so much as felt it was nature's way of presenting him with a challenge. Bring it on mother nature, he could handle it and even if he couldn't it gave him an excuse to call into work tomorrow. Not that he just disliked regional meetings or anything). When the beeps of the GPS and the gentle lull of rain falling on trees was brought to a sudden disturbance, Marcus tensed up, muscles tightening in reflex. Not just from fear of some government official come snooping, but because Marcus wasn't an idiot either. The crunch of a loud body could be any predator.
Or Big Foot. Probably not but in Ashdown who could say for sure anymore.
Turning to the sound, he was more taken aback than anything to not see an officer of the law or some animal, (if anything his mind reasoned it would probably be someone's livestock), but a girl.
She looked like she was fresh out of high school and possibly had an instagram account and had probably come out to take filter photos of the graveyard. Marcus wasn't sure if that was good, bad, or rather admirable to venture out in this weather.
"Both?" The answer was halfassed at best, but that didn't make it any less truthful.
"I'm trying to find the old graveyard that, according to city files, should be around here. However, the city is not very good at being location accurate."
He looked past her and seeing no one else, he took a cautious step back. they were still in Ashdown, but, you never could be sure. "What about you? Ghost hunting as well?" He might as well be open about his whole 'guy goes into the woods looking about as prepared for the rain as a cat'.
[wc:322]
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Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2016 6:48 pm
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"Yeah, you're in the right area. It's just past that thick a** buncha trees, hun." America, to be honest, was shitty at following other people's maps and great at getting lost. Which meant she had her own slow process of learning an area, but the results were the sort she liked best anyway. Finding hidden, out of the way places was a special kind of joy, afterall.
Eyebrows raised at the ghost hunting, America paused for a moment and answered honestly, "Looking for doors to the Other world." May as well, cause either he was in The Know or was just plain looney tunes.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2016 7:51 pm
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Now, taking advice from strange women in the woods was a typical storybook set up for 'how to end up dead, dying, or trapped in a magical place that would make you suffer or wait for your one true love to rescue you unless this was a Grimm fairy tale in which case it was just death no matter what or at least mild gore'. So when the woman told him to just go past a fairly large, densely packed wooded portion off the deer path, Marcus gave her the most incredulous look he could have mustered.
"Past the-" He looked back at her, then back to the previously mentioned trees and shrubbery, "-thick a** bunch of trees". Also did she call him hun? Wasn't she like, maybe 16 or something? Girls her age should not be talking like the old women from the knitting club. It ruined Marcus's expectations of teenagers as being anything other than a hot messes of hormones and bad decisions.
Not to mention, anyone looking to go to other Ashdown this far out was either bound to find it, or, end up finding it and ending up dead and written off. Neither all that great by one's self. Especially when young. Not that he had gone looking for doorways on his own before. He was no hypocrite, (he was in fact a walking hypocrite given he had said he was done hunting ghosts after his recent encounter with one but that didn't count because that night had ended very well, with a phone number and the chance of a second date).
"Well, I haven't run into any doorways out here before. But, hard to say. They tend to move more than they should." Marcus figured if she was honest he might as well be too. Even if she might have been a stranger in the woods.
"Marcus Lacroix. Any reason you're trying to get to the other side? Was told it's more unsafe than normal as of late due to what happened."
[wc:337]
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Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2016 10:07 pm
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"I'm good at doors, honey. Some just got the right feel and smell, get close and I know there's another world on the Other side." If America sounded a little cocky, that's pretty much because she was. The day she'd begun to be able to cross over intentionally, without being at some strange force's whim, was the day she began feeling more in control in regards to magic and herself.
Seeing the wrought iron fence peeking out from the dying masses of ivy that hid it. Tsking, she shook her head, "This rain is wreaking sweat hell over here. Are ghosts like people, then? Pushy how?"
She'd never much put any kind of stock in the afterlife. Leanne had never showed up to haunt her except as a perpetual empty space in their home and in Pa. In all honesty, the idea of her mom being happy in some heaven place after abandoning her family pissed America off.
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2016 11:10 pm
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There it was again. That 'Hun', or rather 'honey'. He was very sure he'd not gone south and- Maybe she'd moved here. Probably. It still was so odd to his ears to be called that by a younger person. It just made him feel older the more he thought about it.
Good at doors- Yet another thing Marcus wasn't sure how he felt about. One, that was terrible English, two, being good at finding doors to a place that seemed to regularly kill people wasn't exactly a skill he thought useful to have. Murder portals didn't always appeal to him.
"Well, that must be something then." He couldn't help the nervous crack in his word. "Not that it's a bad thing just... concerning. I don't trust the place much." Gloom? Sure. Jer and his companions? Also sure. But after meeting a few of the power players in the court Marcus held a healthy fear of just... going without planning for it.
Grunting as he stepped over a large fallen branch, Marcus gave the fence a firm push and when it didn't give much, he looked down the path. According to the old drawings and gps the gate was supposed to be here. Maybe he could just-
Two steps to another section of the fence and it fell back, rust having made it corroded beyond repair.
"Well, that's one way to find an entrance."
Stepping into the graveyard, it had a few bushed to navigate past, but otherwise it looked like any other highly unkept lot. Just with headstones and a few tombs.
"The ghost i met in Other Ashdown was... under duress. The court wasn't for her. The one here as attempting to aid me hook up with my date." A small blush raced up his ears.
"They pushed me into him and whistled as us when we kissed." It had worked though, so, not a bad ghost in the slightest.
[wc: 321]
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2016 11:03 pm
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He couldn't help but laugh a bit with her. In hindsight, it was a bit funny, that he was sure a ghost or something had helped him that day with Julian. Granted, they hadn't started out intending to go in such a direction but, neither really complained in the end. It had been... good. Plus Julian was a nice guy, even if their entire date had been based off of small jabs at each other in a coffee shop of all places.
Fond memories.
"Well, I still don't have a ring on my finger so as far as match making goes, any old time auntie would be ashamed of me. I'm sure you're would be more agast with me. I'm the older gentleman here after all."
Taking her hand, he gave it a firm handshake.
"Marcus Lacroix. Pleasure to meet you even if it's at a rather-" He looked around them noting that it was getting darker, and all the more ideal creepy setting for a haunted location.
"-well it's a place with character to be certain. You did mention doors though. Think you'll find one to the other side here." He stopped to think about his word choice.
"I mean Other Ashdown, not, other as in, you well. Um. You didn't come planning such a thing did you miss?"
[wc:220]
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2016 7:42 pm
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"They're dead," she answered, completely unapologetic. "If ghosts are real and they don't want me here, they can ********' say so."
After Marcus got done talking, the girl just stared at him for a long, long moment and then reached out to part his shoulder. "You're a bit of a babbler, aren't you, hun? And yeah, I can tell when a door will lead over, come across them fairly regular."
She couldn't tell if all that had been joking or serious, but she was leaning toward the latter. Fellow seemed earnest as all ******** class="quote">iStoleYurVamps
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iStoleYurVamps rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-6)
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iStoleYurVamps
iStoleYurVamps
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2016 9:10 pm
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She had a point there actually. They were dead so, why bother minding what they did to the remains? Well, he did mind but in a sort of simple decency sort of way. He'd rather not have his body or grave defiled or treated poorly. He'd be a very sad and disappointed ghost if he caught someone messing with what had formerly been his. Using it or not, he was fond of his body, he imagined he'd be fond of his corpse as well. Marcus had good memories as a physical being and-
Well the train of thought had gone a touch dark, and when the man realized this he stood a step back, blinking as his eyes had been staring blankly at a grave too worn out to read.
"Hm, oh sorry, just ruminating on what you said. The ghosts would say something. Or act up if inclined. Heaven knows they have their ways of making their wants known." And in terrifying people at parties.
Marcus smiled at he and gave a tiny wave of his hand. "I talk to fill the silence. Would you prefer I saw nothing and leave you to your own devices?" It wasn't spoken in a way intended to be dismissive but he knew it slightly was. Marcus was not entirely unaware that at times his presence was unwanted.
"If you don't want my company I can understand, however, I came with a goal, and I intend to see it's completion. That being said, see any doors? Might have better luck on the other side if this place is a bust." The wind decided to pick up and immediately Marcus spun around, looking for any signs of the other worldly.
"Maybe I should knock something over..." He muttered half way to himself, the other half towards America. She might as well be included on his plans if it had the potential to put her in harms way.
[wc: 323]
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