Bon Temps, Louisiana, Thursday Evening Fandom Time
Merlotte's Bar and Grill was teeming with guests tonight. There was a redheaded woman bopping from table to table, paying only enough attention to the newcomers to give them an odd little look. (Merlotte's didn't see a lot of strangers.) There was a sandy-haired man behind the bar who also gave them a quick once-over, in a marginally less judgey way. And there was a beautiful man in fabulous makeup who was sashaying in and out of the kitchen periodically, giving whoops and cries to the waitresses' amusement.
Everyone else was pretty standard redneck. There were women in summer dresses with frizzy hair and men in jeans and cut-off shirts, clinging to their beers like life rafts. And importantly enough, all conversation -- vocal and mental -- was focused distinctly around the name 'Stackhouse.' Jason's arrest was one of the biggest things to happen to the town in some time.
Jono
Jono only found himself slightly distracted by the sashaying man in makeup as he made his way in to the building, trying to look slightly more at ease than he had ever really been able to manage. He had realized by some miracle that he was more likely to stick out like a sore thumb if he kept looking toward the doorway to make certain it was still there.
//At least,// he noted, keeping his voice very firmly directed toward his companion, //it isn't as though we'll have to try very hard to find somebody willing to discuss th'topic.//
Karla
Karla's attention had been snagged by the male behind the bar, but Jono's thought had her looking away and scurrying over to a seat in a booth. *What do you think the odds are that we'll be lucky enough to find the male thinking 'I have gotten away with it now, mu ha, mu ha ha ha'?* she sent with a hint of wry amusement. *This place feels odd and so does that male getting the drinks.* She didn't sound amused any longer. *I'd have to get closer, but I'm pretty sure he isn't human.*
Jono
Jono continued standing for a moment, and then turned and followed after Karla at a deliberately slower pace. He didn't tend to use his powers in a scope even remotely like this one, and so he needed a few moments to kind of linger along behind in order to really pick up much of anything at all.
It was sort of like a thick stew of... Well, hick, mostly.
//Getting closer is as simple as going to order a drink, luv.// Which, in retrospect, would be difficult if she wasn't old enough to do so. Wasn't the drinking age around here 21? Bugger, he wasn't old enough to buy alcohol, either. //Care to accompany me to th'bar to order something boring and nonalcoholic? I can't speak to people here without causing some sort of bloody riot, but if I wave my hands about a bit, we can at least pretend that you're translating sign language for me.//
It was cheating. Who cared?
Karla
Not Karla, that was for damn sure.
*Non-alcoholic?* Karla wrinkled her nose. *On the other hand, I don't think I want to try the quality of their vineyards anyway.*
"To the bar, then," she murmured aloud. *It feels ominous in here,* she sent as they picked their way through the crowd. *Like right before a storm. People are sad and scared...and gleeful, too. Deliciously scandalized by what's going on.*
She stopped dead in her tracks and whirled to glare at an aging male in some kind of khaki uniform. *And I don't like what they're thinking about Sookie.*
Jono
//They don't know that we don't like what they're thinking,// Jono pointed out, eyes firmly ahead of him, focused on the bar as he made his way there. //The less attention you draw to yerself because of some old, perverted bastard who can't keep his mind to himself, th'better.//
He reached to put a hand on her shoulder, and then nodded toward the bar.
//Non-alcoholic. Americans don't trust anybody under twenty-one with anything fun, luv. I'll pay. Least I can do if yer playing translator for th'mute burn victim.//
Karla
Karla set her jaw but continued moving. Jono was right; they had more important things to do than to teach everyone in this bar to keep their thoughts to themselves.
But maybe later...
Stepping up to the bar itself, Karl widened her eyes and tried to look as unassuming as possible. It helped that she looked younger than her sixteen years anyway. "Excuse me, sir?" she asked, trying to get the sandy-haired male's attention. "We'd like to order some sodas, please. Coke for myself and--" she glanced at Jono who signed gibberish at her "--a root beer for my cousin."
Congrats, Jono! You're upgraded to a relation!
Sam
Sam looked over the two kids carefully. There was something...off about them -- he could smell it -- but hey, he was hardly one to judge. He got their drinks, passing them over with a, "You two passin' through?"
Jono
Jono nodded, and then signed something that translated roughly to 'trumpet w spaghetti running monkey, two-thumbs-up, hey, Macarena!'
All the while praying that there were no actual deaf people anywhere remotely nearby. And reaching for the root beer that he couldn't actually drink.
//Tell him that we're on our way to a... wedding in...// He groped around for a moment for an American place name that seemed within reason. //Dallas. Maybe mention how we'd noticed how excited people seem, around here?//
Karla
"On our way to Dallas," Karla said obligingly, giving Sam a bright smile. "My sister's getting married."
She leaned forward a bit, ostensibly to take a sip of her Coke, but really to get a closer feel for just what was off about their bartender. "Wow. This place seems really...lively tonight. What's got everyone so excited?"
Through it she was projecting innocence like nobody's business.
Sam
"Town's seen a little bit more crime than usual," Sam said, just a little bit suspicious. But then, these were kids. "Y'all would do well to move on to Shreveport to rest for the night, maybe."
Jono
//Can't do it,// Jono said, glancing sidelong at Karla. //We've already got th'motel booked for the night, and they don't do refunds. At th'rate we're going, we'll have just enough money for gas.//
Not being able to just out and say this was such a pain in the behind.
Karla
"We can't," Karla said, shaking her head. "We've already booked our motel room for the night and I don't think they'll give us a refund!"
Woe! Tragedy and woe!
"At the rate we're going, we'll have just enough for gas," she said, after a moment of thought. Hopefully Sam would assume she'd been figuring out their financials. She'd actually been trying to place the slight feeling of familiarity in his psychic scent. The good news was, she had. The odd news was...well, odd.
*Jono? Why would this male's psychic scent remind me a lot about Jacob Black?*
Sam
Sam really, really didn't like the idea of two kids who couldn't be out of high school sticking around the area right now. "...stick together," he said carefully, already quietly deciding that if he was able, they'd end up with a collie following them to their hotel tonight. "It's dangerous out there these days. You especially," he added to Karla, "stick with your friend. We've had a few murders around these parts," which wasn't something he wanted to disclose, but it wasn't like they wouldn't see it all over any paper they picked up, "and the victims have been young women, with one exception."
Jono
Jono looked up from his root beer with a bit of a start, hoping that the reaction could be passed off as a realistic amount of surprise upon hearing about the murders he was already well aware of.
Really, it was more along the lines of a 'bloody hell, he does itch the same way Jacob does,' jolt, and he found himself regarding the man with wide eyes.
//Jacob... isn't quite normal,// Jono allowed in that same aside to Karla that he'd been using. //This bloke doesn't seem like yer average notion of 'human' either, now that you mention it.//
He furrowed his eyebrows, realizing that... well, he was going to have to do more than simply stare, and then he let one hand creep over to grasp protectively at Karla's elbow. See, he wasn't planning on leaving her on her own, even if he was fairly certain that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. //Odds are, if he's anything like Jacob, he'll be able to tell that we've been around vampires recently, ourselves.//
Karla
Well, Hell's fire, Mother Night and may the Darkness be merciful.
*If he asks, we'll say that one talked to us at our last stop? It's not like we got overly close to Bill while he was at the house. Hell's fire--you don't think he'll be able to tell that it's Bill will he? Sookie said she met him in this bar.*
Fortunately, 'uneasy' was exactly the right expression to be wearing when hearing about murders in town. "We'll stick together," Karla promised, trying to sound a little shaky. Thank the Darkness for all that acting practice at the Boards. "Is there...I don't want to pry...we're not in danger, are we?"
Sam
"Just be careful," Sam said, leaning a little on the bar. He wasn't entirely sure, but he caught a whiff of vampire around them. It wasn't as strong as -- whatever they were. They smelled a little how Sookie did -- not fae, not human, but something special. He suspected they could probably handle things themselves, but still. They were kids. "Don't talk to strangers more than you have to, don't spend too much time outside at night, keep to well-lit areas, and -- " He hesitated, and dropped his voice. "Stay away from vampires if you can. They're tied up in this, at least a little."
Jono
//Bloody hell,// Jono scoffed, turning his gaze back toward the more normal seeming patrons of the bar. Comparatively speaking, at least. They were mostly hicks, after all. //I am a well-lit area.//
He gave the situation a moment's thought, and then rummaged about in his pocket, pulling out his wallet and setting a five down on the bar.
//Doesn't sound like th'world's biggest fan of vampires really, does he?//
Karla
Karla had to try not to snicker into her Coke at Jono's comment. "You hungry?" she asked, turning to speak to Jono. "Let's order something here and then head straight back to the hotel. I don't want to get hungry later and have to leave the room."
*Sorry Jono,* she sent. *But we need more time here and he might look at us weird if we just hang out. I've got more cash if we need it.* She looked back at the table just inside the door. *Decent view of the room and a quick exit if we need it? And we can keep an eye on him, too. When he mentioned vampires, he got pretty angry.*
Jono
Jono shrugged, signing some more babble that didn't necessarily mean anything at all, and looked up at the menu.
//Something cheap, then,// he replied. //We've already established that we've barely got gas money, and it'd be one hell of a waste for me to order something that I'm just going to stare at. No appetite, you understand. All of this talk about murder, really.//
And then he pointed at the cheapest thing on the menu. And shrugged again.
//So far, he's th'most suspicious character we've seen in here.//
Karla
*He is,* Karla said, peeking over her menu towards Sam again. *But we should still listen in a bit more, too. I don't want to get wrapped up in him and then have someone else slip through our fingers.*
Though, really, it did add up. The local bartender had a chance to see everyone and learn the best gossip. He wasn't entirely human, which meant he has some kind of powers at his disposal and a dislike for vampires.
*What can you tell me about Jacob?* Karla asked. *I don't normally ask for secrets, but we need to know more about what that male might be capable of.*
Jono
Jono hesitated for a moment, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked down at the menu, and then shaking his head a bit.
//None of this goes beyond us,// he began with, //though I imagine you realize that goes without saying. I'm not certain if he's making any effort to hide it, or not. Mind you, with th'way he picks fights over th'state of that delicate nose of his...//
Get to the point, Jono.
//Jacob's a werewolf. A bloody massive one, when he's not running about looking like some sort of shirtless Hollywood superstar.// Ignore how bitter he sounded, there, Karla. He understood that now wasn't the time or place. //And he's got one hell of a temper either way you catch him, and a sense of smell to match.//
Karla
*On my Jewels and my honor as a Black Widow,* Karla said as Jono stressed the need for secrecy. *I won't repeat anything you tell me.*
She listened to him explain what Jacob was, as they headed over to the table she'd scouted, snorting a little bit at the 'Hollywood superstar' bit. *A sense of smell to match, hmm?* she sent. *I wonder--*
She paused to give the red-haired waitress their order: a large basket of fries, cheap enough to fit their story and shared between them so it would be less obvious that Jono wasn't eating. *Shall we see if his is as acute?*
Jono
//Well, he hasn't started griping about th'fact that I smell like a bleedin' sulphur mine,// Jono noted, //but that could just as easily be him covering something.//
He made himself comfortable, idly drumming his fingers against the tabletop. It was about the closest that he could get to hearing himself think.
//Have something in mind, did you?//
Karla
*I do...* Karla admitted, while aloud she kept up some inane prattling about relatives who didn't really exist. *But it's a little weird.*
She flicked at her thumbnail, changing it into a sharp point. *Blood. It has a very unique scent all it's own. And it's one of those things that is almost guaranteed to attract the attention of those who notice it.*
Jono
Jono had to give her props. Something like that certainly was a gutsy move in any place where there were vampires and other unidentified nasties that went bump in the night crawling around, especially while they were attempting to hunt down a murderer.
Still...
//Before you do anything of the sort, are you certain that it won't attract th'wrong kind of attention, too?//
Karla
"And then Mother told Auntie Emma that Cousin Dinah would never catch a husband that way. But Cousin Dinah overheard and then she said that Mother may know how to catch a husband, but she sure didn't know how to keep one..."
For once, watching daytime television had proven useful. Yay?
*He's the only one who seems to be something other than human here,* Karla sent, glancing around surreptitiously. *And I'll seal the wound with Craft before we leave. There are limits to my willingness to play bait.*
Jono
//Of course,// Jono sighed, relenting a little. //And I suppose it's got to be you, hm, if they're keeping a nose open for female victims, and all.//
Stupid logic.
//Then th'question is, how do you explain that blood away, should it actually manage to catch his attention?//
Karla
*If he doesn't come over here, neither of us have to say anything to him. If he does, I'll say I cut myself on something. You just sit there and give me long-suffering looks, like I'm the kind of female that hurts herself all the time.*
Morton had mastered those expressions, actually.
Without waiting for further argument, Karla slashed her newly-sharpened nail across the heel of her hand, bringing a line of bright red blood to the surface. It ran down her hand and wrist to pool onto a napkin. *I'll vanish that before I go,* she promised.
Sam
Sam caught the scent of blood in the air about thirty seconds later, the skin prickling up on the back of his neck as he looked around for where it might be. He left the bar, looking around to cover for the fact that he was actually following his nose, until he figured out the source and headed over. "Hey, you cut yourself! God, let me get you a band aid."
Jono
/Bingo.//
This said, of course, to Karla alone, all while looking ridiculously put-out by the fact that his 'cousin' was an absolute bloody klutz. And, of course, reaching for some more napkins to help mop up with.
Karla
She gave Jono a look from under her lashes, before glancing up at Sam.
"Oh gosh, oh gosh, I'm sorry!" Karla said, wide-eyed. "I cut myself on something--I do stuff like that all the time! Do you have a bandage or something?"
*If he heads in back, should we follow?* Karla asked.
Jono
Jono tapped his fingers on the tabletop some more, and then, looking up at Sam expectantly (for the bandage, of course), he shrugged.
//Depends on whether or not he's paying attention, I suppose. Maybe ask if you can go with. To clean up, of course. Yer bleedin' everywhere, Sunshine.//
Sam
"Yeah, I'll -- can I see the cut?" Sam asked, concerned. "There's a lot of blood. What'd you cut yourself on?"
Karla
Karla held her bleeding palm out to him, showing off her injury with a slight pout. "I think there was a jagged edge on the table or something," she said. "I should probably go clean this out or something. It could get infected."
Sam
"It could," Sam agreed, a tiny bit suspicious because he wasn't sure the table actually had any rough edges, but he wasn't sure how else she could've cut herself. "I have a first aid kit in the office, if you want to come back." The last thing he wanted, with vampires around, was a pretty young girl bleeding all over the place. It was like throwing blood in shark-infested waters.
Karla
*Do you want to come along openly?* Karla sent Jono. *Or would you prefer to follow us?*
Jono
Jono furrowed his eyebrows slightly, and then, after another moment of complete sign-language gibberish, he stood up.
//I'll be comin' with you,// he replied. //Not that I don't trust you to be able to take care of yerself, luv, but this man's been goin' on about murders and vampires already. What sort of cousin would I be if I left you to yer own devices?//
Karla
"He's coming along with us," Karla translated, holding her napkin to her freely bleeding hand. "He says he's prefer to keep an eye on me."
She sounded a bit apologetic, as if she felt guilty about Jono's suspicion.
Sam
Sam eyed Jono before shrugging his approval. "Can't be too careful these days. Come on -- you can wash it off in the bathroom and I'll get the first aid kit." He led the way back to a small hallway, gesturing to the bathroom before disappearing into a small office, leaving the door open.
Karla
Karla slid out from the booth and obediently followed, part of her very much amused at how Morton would react to the idea of 'Karla' and 'obedient' being linked together and the rest of her very deliberately not thinking about Morton's reaction if he knew what she was up to.
*How do we want to handle this?* she asked Jono. *Confront him in his office? I can put up shields to ensure know one hears or sees anything we do.*
Jono
Jono had seen Karla's shields at work before, and so he knew better than to question how effective they might be. His only other concern was that they'd be potentially trapping themselves in an office with someone who could very well be a werewolf or worse...
And he was a walking furnace. Right.
//This seems like it'll be our only opportunity, luv. We'd best not miss it,// he agreed.
Karla
Karla nodded once, following Sam into his office, making sure that Jono was how on her heels. As soon as they had entered, she erected multiple layers of shields between, weaving them along the warp and weft of the wood. It was done in a matter of breaths and then Karla looked up at Sam, her hand no longer bleeding as her flesh knitted back together before their eyes.
Sam
Sam turned around with the first aid kit, looking down at Karla's cut, and immediately tensed. He prepared to shift into something big if needed, and thankfully, he could do it in a matter of seconds, though there was the problem of his customers. "What are you?" he asked, dropping his voice as he looked from one to the other. "Who are you with?"
Jono
Jono allowed the beginnings of a humourless smile to pull at the corners of his eyes.
//We're here to investigate a murder, mate.//
Yes, that one was one that Sam could hear. And Jono made a point to project it so that it practically echoed.
Karla
Karla's uninjured hand hung down at her side, fingers curling slightly. She was loosely gripping a knife, covered in a sight shield to make it look like there was nothing there but empty air. "What are you?" she asked in turn. "You're not the simple human you pretend to be."
Sam
"I don't know anything about the murders beyond what I told you," Sam said, struggling to keep his voice low and steady, even as he stared at Jono, because that sure sounded like it was in his head. "Did -- did y'all know Dawn, or Maudette? Mrs. Stackhouse?" He paused, a thought occurring. "Wait -- are you like Sookie? Do you know her?" They were sort of like her, but he could tell there was a difference there. But he knew there had been telepathic contact just now, and she was the only one he'd ever encountered. "Or are you working for the vampires? And how can you tell I'm not human?" he added to Karla.
Karla
"We're not working for vampires," Karla said, offended. "But we are here to find out what the Hell is going on."
She carefully considered her next words, not wanting to give away any more information than she had to. "As for how I know...well, it's related to what I am. And that," she added, eyes narrowing, "is someone you really don't wish to trifle with."
Sam
"I can tell that," Sam said appraisingly, looking at both of them. "I'm a shifter, but I'd bet you already knew that. And I don't know a goddamn thing about the murders. Dawn was an employee of mine -- good girl, but she got around. Maudette was someone everyone felt sorry for, honestly. And Adele Stackhouse didn't do a thing in her life to warrant that, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were after her granddaughter. She's been hanging 'round that Bill Compton, and while I don't like vampires, I don't think any of those women deserved anything coming to them."
He leveled a look at them, sincere. "The victims were my friends, and this is my home. I'll help you if you need, but I don't know much more than what I've told you, 'cept -- I've been trying to track, based off what Dawn smelled like, but ain't done much good. Killer masked his scent somehow."
Jono
The worst part about all of this was that Jono found himself believing Sam, and here they'd gone cornering him in his office after leading him on for a good twenty minutes.
He cast a significant sort of look in Karla's direction, and then lifted his shoulders in a way that was intended to at least mimic a sigh.
//He's masked his scent? That means there was no smell to pick up on at all?// There was, in Jono's mind, a decided difference between a lack of trail to be followed and smell that simply wasn't there. //Or there was one, but it led to nowhere?//
Sam
"He wore gloves, something like that," Sam explained, clearly disappointed in his own efforts. "There wasn't much to go off of -- I could smell a couple men on her, but it wasn't distinct or recent enough to tell me who."
Karla
Karla could find no hint of untruth in him. Which was cause for a bit consternation, true. She vanished the knife and dropped all of the shields around the room, save for the aural shield. She still didn't think their conversation needed to be overheard.
"We're friends with Sookie," Karla said. "She asked us for help after her--afterwards." She was pretty sure he would know what she meant. "Is there anyone you can think of who would do such a thing? Anyone we can...pay closer attention."
Sam
Sam shook his head sadly. "I've been keepin' an eye on our local vampire, but he was out with Sookie when her grandmother was killed. And her brother -- I assume you know he's in lockup? Jason just ain't smart enough to plan something like this. Frankly, I've been looking at people who aren't regulars," he added, lifting an eyebrow at the pair of them.
Jono
//Oh, don't look at us like that,// Jono sighed, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. //I'd never even been here until Sookie asked me to come along.//
Although he could certainly see how people would get that 'not a regular' vibe from him, he supposed.
Sam
"Yeah, I believe you, if only 'cause of Sookie," Sam said. "But that's all I know. I'll track if you two need me to -- I've been doing it as a collie, but I can make it a bloodhound if necessary."
Karla
Karla also rolled her eyes at the implied accusation. "You should be able to tell that this is our first night in town. We smell fairly unique."
Burning tires and otherworldly witch. Not very common around these here parts.
Sam
"I'm well aware of that," Sam said dryly. "You don't smell like whoever was on Dawn. You're very distinct. But I wish I could help more."
Jono
Jono heaved a sigh that was entirely more psychic than physical, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck. Well, this was going beautifully.
//You know this town better than we do, mate. If you can point us in th'direction of any places where people are prone to lurk about if they want to sit low, we might be able to muddle it through from there.//
Sam
Sam gave a little nod towards the woods outside. "The swamp and woods. Those're pretty uninhabitable, unless you're determined. I've been tracking through there and someone has been out there. Just can't tell who."
Karla
"That might be a good place for is to search then," Karla said thoughtfully. "If I can come across his psychic scent, I'll recognize it the next time I see him."
And with her ability to walk on air and pass through things, neither she nor Jono would have a problem making their way through the terrain. "Can you tell us where the tracks are the thickest? If we make our way there, we'll be more likely to pick up something."
Sam
"I can show you," he offered. "Terry and Arlene pretty much have the bar handled, I think. I won't change, 'cause that's a little risky, but it's just right out there about twenty yards into the woods, going northwest. There's a tree with some scratches -- I marked it."
Karla
"Sure, that sounds--" Karla paused in mid-sentence, cocking her head to the side.
Has she heard--was that--?
<< HE'S HERE HE'S HERE AT MY HOUSE RUNNING IN THE WOODS HELP >>
Yes. Yes, she most certainly had heard. "Hell's fire, Mother Night and may the Darkness be fucking merciful," she said, already whirling towards the door. "Jono! Come on!"
She didn't bother explaining, as he'd likely heard it, too. Instead, she yelled over her shoulder to Sam, "You stay here! We'll call you if we need you!" Which they wouldn't, but it would serve to keep him out of their hair. And then there was no more time for yelling, because they were racing through the bar, ignoring the odd looks and shouts from the surprised patrons they barrelled past (and occasionally over).
Jono
Screaming. Screaming in his head, and Jono didn't have the presence of mind to do anything but react. Run. Run, and, once they were well outside and into the woods, reach to his face to tear his wrappings free.
That was the sort of scream that suggested very strongly that there was going to be a need for firepower.
[Continued from here and concurrent with the events at Fangtasia. Preplayed with the amazing furnaceface and the fabulous justwantsquiet! NFB, NFI, OOC welcome whooo!]
Everyone else was pretty standard redneck. There were women in summer dresses with frizzy hair and men in jeans and cut-off shirts, clinging to their beers like life rafts. And importantly enough, all conversation -- vocal and mental -- was focused distinctly around the name 'Stackhouse.' Jason's arrest was one of the biggest things to happen to the town in some time.
Jono
Jono only found himself slightly distracted by the sashaying man in makeup as he made his way in to the building, trying to look slightly more at ease than he had ever really been able to manage. He had realized by some miracle that he was more likely to stick out like a sore thumb if he kept looking toward the doorway to make certain it was still there.
//At least,// he noted, keeping his voice very firmly directed toward his companion, //it isn't as though we'll have to try very hard to find somebody willing to discuss th'topic.//
Karla
Karla's attention had been snagged by the male behind the bar, but Jono's thought had her looking away and scurrying over to a seat in a booth. *What do you think the odds are that we'll be lucky enough to find the male thinking 'I have gotten away with it now, mu ha, mu ha ha ha'?* she sent with a hint of wry amusement. *This place feels odd and so does that male getting the drinks.* She didn't sound amused any longer. *I'd have to get closer, but I'm pretty sure he isn't human.*
Jono
Jono continued standing for a moment, and then turned and followed after Karla at a deliberately slower pace. He didn't tend to use his powers in a scope even remotely like this one, and so he needed a few moments to kind of linger along behind in order to really pick up much of anything at all.
It was sort of like a thick stew of... Well, hick, mostly.
//Getting closer is as simple as going to order a drink, luv.// Which, in retrospect, would be difficult if she wasn't old enough to do so. Wasn't the drinking age around here 21? Bugger, he wasn't old enough to buy alcohol, either. //Care to accompany me to th'bar to order something boring and nonalcoholic? I can't speak to people here without causing some sort of bloody riot, but if I wave my hands about a bit, we can at least pretend that you're translating sign language for me.//
It was cheating. Who cared?
Karla
Not Karla, that was for damn sure.
*Non-alcoholic?* Karla wrinkled her nose. *On the other hand, I don't think I want to try the quality of their vineyards anyway.*
"To the bar, then," she murmured aloud. *It feels ominous in here,* she sent as they picked their way through the crowd. *Like right before a storm. People are sad and scared...and gleeful, too. Deliciously scandalized by what's going on.*
She stopped dead in her tracks and whirled to glare at an aging male in some kind of khaki uniform. *And I don't like what they're thinking about Sookie.*
Jono
//They don't know that we don't like what they're thinking,// Jono pointed out, eyes firmly ahead of him, focused on the bar as he made his way there. //The less attention you draw to yerself because of some old, perverted bastard who can't keep his mind to himself, th'better.//
He reached to put a hand on her shoulder, and then nodded toward the bar.
//Non-alcoholic. Americans don't trust anybody under twenty-one with anything fun, luv. I'll pay. Least I can do if yer playing translator for th'mute burn victim.//
Karla
Karla set her jaw but continued moving. Jono was right; they had more important things to do than to teach everyone in this bar to keep their thoughts to themselves.
But maybe later...
Stepping up to the bar itself, Karl widened her eyes and tried to look as unassuming as possible. It helped that she looked younger than her sixteen years anyway. "Excuse me, sir?" she asked, trying to get the sandy-haired male's attention. "We'd like to order some sodas, please. Coke for myself and--" she glanced at Jono who signed gibberish at her "--a root beer for my cousin."
Congrats, Jono! You're upgraded to a relation!
Sam
Sam looked over the two kids carefully. There was something...off about them -- he could smell it -- but hey, he was hardly one to judge. He got their drinks, passing them over with a, "You two passin' through?"
Jono
Jono nodded, and then signed something that translated roughly to 'trumpet w spaghetti running monkey, two-thumbs-up, hey, Macarena!'
All the while praying that there were no actual deaf people anywhere remotely nearby. And reaching for the root beer that he couldn't actually drink.
//Tell him that we're on our way to a... wedding in...// He groped around for a moment for an American place name that seemed within reason. //Dallas. Maybe mention how we'd noticed how excited people seem, around here?//
Karla
"On our way to Dallas," Karla said obligingly, giving Sam a bright smile. "My sister's getting married."
She leaned forward a bit, ostensibly to take a sip of her Coke, but really to get a closer feel for just what was off about their bartender. "Wow. This place seems really...lively tonight. What's got everyone so excited?"
Through it she was projecting innocence like nobody's business.
Sam
"Town's seen a little bit more crime than usual," Sam said, just a little bit suspicious. But then, these were kids. "Y'all would do well to move on to Shreveport to rest for the night, maybe."
Jono
//Can't do it,// Jono said, glancing sidelong at Karla. //We've already got th'motel booked for the night, and they don't do refunds. At th'rate we're going, we'll have just enough money for gas.//
Not being able to just out and say this was such a pain in the behind.
Karla
"We can't," Karla said, shaking her head. "We've already booked our motel room for the night and I don't think they'll give us a refund!"
Woe! Tragedy and woe!
"At the rate we're going, we'll have just enough for gas," she said, after a moment of thought. Hopefully Sam would assume she'd been figuring out their financials. She'd actually been trying to place the slight feeling of familiarity in his psychic scent. The good news was, she had. The odd news was...well, odd.
*Jono? Why would this male's psychic scent remind me a lot about Jacob Black?*
Sam
Sam really, really didn't like the idea of two kids who couldn't be out of high school sticking around the area right now. "...stick together," he said carefully, already quietly deciding that if he was able, they'd end up with a collie following them to their hotel tonight. "It's dangerous out there these days. You especially," he added to Karla, "stick with your friend. We've had a few murders around these parts," which wasn't something he wanted to disclose, but it wasn't like they wouldn't see it all over any paper they picked up, "and the victims have been young women, with one exception."
Jono
Jono looked up from his root beer with a bit of a start, hoping that the reaction could be passed off as a realistic amount of surprise upon hearing about the murders he was already well aware of.
Really, it was more along the lines of a 'bloody hell, he does itch the same way Jacob does,' jolt, and he found himself regarding the man with wide eyes.
//Jacob... isn't quite normal,// Jono allowed in that same aside to Karla that he'd been using. //This bloke doesn't seem like yer average notion of 'human' either, now that you mention it.//
He furrowed his eyebrows, realizing that... well, he was going to have to do more than simply stare, and then he let one hand creep over to grasp protectively at Karla's elbow. See, he wasn't planning on leaving her on her own, even if he was fairly certain that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. //Odds are, if he's anything like Jacob, he'll be able to tell that we've been around vampires recently, ourselves.//
Karla
Well, Hell's fire, Mother Night and may the Darkness be merciful.
*If he asks, we'll say that one talked to us at our last stop? It's not like we got overly close to Bill while he was at the house. Hell's fire--you don't think he'll be able to tell that it's Bill will he? Sookie said she met him in this bar.*
Fortunately, 'uneasy' was exactly the right expression to be wearing when hearing about murders in town. "We'll stick together," Karla promised, trying to sound a little shaky. Thank the Darkness for all that acting practice at the Boards. "Is there...I don't want to pry...we're not in danger, are we?"
Sam
"Just be careful," Sam said, leaning a little on the bar. He wasn't entirely sure, but he caught a whiff of vampire around them. It wasn't as strong as -- whatever they were. They smelled a little how Sookie did -- not fae, not human, but something special. He suspected they could probably handle things themselves, but still. They were kids. "Don't talk to strangers more than you have to, don't spend too much time outside at night, keep to well-lit areas, and -- " He hesitated, and dropped his voice. "Stay away from vampires if you can. They're tied up in this, at least a little."
Jono
//Bloody hell,// Jono scoffed, turning his gaze back toward the more normal seeming patrons of the bar. Comparatively speaking, at least. They were mostly hicks, after all. //I am a well-lit area.//
He gave the situation a moment's thought, and then rummaged about in his pocket, pulling out his wallet and setting a five down on the bar.
//Doesn't sound like th'world's biggest fan of vampires really, does he?//
Karla
Karla had to try not to snicker into her Coke at Jono's comment. "You hungry?" she asked, turning to speak to Jono. "Let's order something here and then head straight back to the hotel. I don't want to get hungry later and have to leave the room."
*Sorry Jono,* she sent. *But we need more time here and he might look at us weird if we just hang out. I've got more cash if we need it.* She looked back at the table just inside the door. *Decent view of the room and a quick exit if we need it? And we can keep an eye on him, too. When he mentioned vampires, he got pretty angry.*
Jono
Jono shrugged, signing some more babble that didn't necessarily mean anything at all, and looked up at the menu.
//Something cheap, then,// he replied. //We've already established that we've barely got gas money, and it'd be one hell of a waste for me to order something that I'm just going to stare at. No appetite, you understand. All of this talk about murder, really.//
And then he pointed at the cheapest thing on the menu. And shrugged again.
//So far, he's th'most suspicious character we've seen in here.//
Karla
*He is,* Karla said, peeking over her menu towards Sam again. *But we should still listen in a bit more, too. I don't want to get wrapped up in him and then have someone else slip through our fingers.*
Though, really, it did add up. The local bartender had a chance to see everyone and learn the best gossip. He wasn't entirely human, which meant he has some kind of powers at his disposal and a dislike for vampires.
*What can you tell me about Jacob?* Karla asked. *I don't normally ask for secrets, but we need to know more about what that male might be capable of.*
Jono
Jono hesitated for a moment, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked down at the menu, and then shaking his head a bit.
//None of this goes beyond us,// he began with, //though I imagine you realize that goes without saying. I'm not certain if he's making any effort to hide it, or not. Mind you, with th'way he picks fights over th'state of that delicate nose of his...//
Get to the point, Jono.
//Jacob's a werewolf. A bloody massive one, when he's not running about looking like some sort of shirtless Hollywood superstar.// Ignore how bitter he sounded, there, Karla. He understood that now wasn't the time or place. //And he's got one hell of a temper either way you catch him, and a sense of smell to match.//
Karla
*On my Jewels and my honor as a Black Widow,* Karla said as Jono stressed the need for secrecy. *I won't repeat anything you tell me.*
She listened to him explain what Jacob was, as they headed over to the table she'd scouted, snorting a little bit at the 'Hollywood superstar' bit. *A sense of smell to match, hmm?* she sent. *I wonder--*
She paused to give the red-haired waitress their order: a large basket of fries, cheap enough to fit their story and shared between them so it would be less obvious that Jono wasn't eating. *Shall we see if his is as acute?*
Jono
//Well, he hasn't started griping about th'fact that I smell like a bleedin' sulphur mine,// Jono noted, //but that could just as easily be him covering something.//
He made himself comfortable, idly drumming his fingers against the tabletop. It was about the closest that he could get to hearing himself think.
//Have something in mind, did you?//
Karla
*I do...* Karla admitted, while aloud she kept up some inane prattling about relatives who didn't really exist. *But it's a little weird.*
She flicked at her thumbnail, changing it into a sharp point. *Blood. It has a very unique scent all it's own. And it's one of those things that is almost guaranteed to attract the attention of those who notice it.*
Jono
Jono had to give her props. Something like that certainly was a gutsy move in any place where there were vampires and other unidentified nasties that went bump in the night crawling around, especially while they were attempting to hunt down a murderer.
Still...
//Before you do anything of the sort, are you certain that it won't attract th'wrong kind of attention, too?//
Karla
"And then Mother told Auntie Emma that Cousin Dinah would never catch a husband that way. But Cousin Dinah overheard and then she said that Mother may know how to catch a husband, but she sure didn't know how to keep one..."
For once, watching daytime television had proven useful. Yay?
*He's the only one who seems to be something other than human here,* Karla sent, glancing around surreptitiously. *And I'll seal the wound with Craft before we leave. There are limits to my willingness to play bait.*
Jono
//Of course,// Jono sighed, relenting a little. //And I suppose it's got to be you, hm, if they're keeping a nose open for female victims, and all.//
Stupid logic.
//Then th'question is, how do you explain that blood away, should it actually manage to catch his attention?//
Karla
*If he doesn't come over here, neither of us have to say anything to him. If he does, I'll say I cut myself on something. You just sit there and give me long-suffering looks, like I'm the kind of female that hurts herself all the time.*
Morton had mastered those expressions, actually.
Without waiting for further argument, Karla slashed her newly-sharpened nail across the heel of her hand, bringing a line of bright red blood to the surface. It ran down her hand and wrist to pool onto a napkin. *I'll vanish that before I go,* she promised.
Sam
Sam caught the scent of blood in the air about thirty seconds later, the skin prickling up on the back of his neck as he looked around for where it might be. He left the bar, looking around to cover for the fact that he was actually following his nose, until he figured out the source and headed over. "Hey, you cut yourself! God, let me get you a band aid."
Jono
/Bingo.//
This said, of course, to Karla alone, all while looking ridiculously put-out by the fact that his 'cousin' was an absolute bloody klutz. And, of course, reaching for some more napkins to help mop up with.
Karla
She gave Jono a look from under her lashes, before glancing up at Sam.
"Oh gosh, oh gosh, I'm sorry!" Karla said, wide-eyed. "I cut myself on something--I do stuff like that all the time! Do you have a bandage or something?"
*If he heads in back, should we follow?* Karla asked.
Jono
Jono tapped his fingers on the tabletop some more, and then, looking up at Sam expectantly (for the bandage, of course), he shrugged.
//Depends on whether or not he's paying attention, I suppose. Maybe ask if you can go with. To clean up, of course. Yer bleedin' everywhere, Sunshine.//
Sam
"Yeah, I'll -- can I see the cut?" Sam asked, concerned. "There's a lot of blood. What'd you cut yourself on?"
Karla
Karla held her bleeding palm out to him, showing off her injury with a slight pout. "I think there was a jagged edge on the table or something," she said. "I should probably go clean this out or something. It could get infected."
Sam
"It could," Sam agreed, a tiny bit suspicious because he wasn't sure the table actually had any rough edges, but he wasn't sure how else she could've cut herself. "I have a first aid kit in the office, if you want to come back." The last thing he wanted, with vampires around, was a pretty young girl bleeding all over the place. It was like throwing blood in shark-infested waters.
Karla
*Do you want to come along openly?* Karla sent Jono. *Or would you prefer to follow us?*
Jono
Jono furrowed his eyebrows slightly, and then, after another moment of complete sign-language gibberish, he stood up.
//I'll be comin' with you,// he replied. //Not that I don't trust you to be able to take care of yerself, luv, but this man's been goin' on about murders and vampires already. What sort of cousin would I be if I left you to yer own devices?//
Karla
"He's coming along with us," Karla translated, holding her napkin to her freely bleeding hand. "He says he's prefer to keep an eye on me."
She sounded a bit apologetic, as if she felt guilty about Jono's suspicion.
Sam
Sam eyed Jono before shrugging his approval. "Can't be too careful these days. Come on -- you can wash it off in the bathroom and I'll get the first aid kit." He led the way back to a small hallway, gesturing to the bathroom before disappearing into a small office, leaving the door open.
Karla
Karla slid out from the booth and obediently followed, part of her very much amused at how Morton would react to the idea of 'Karla' and 'obedient' being linked together and the rest of her very deliberately not thinking about Morton's reaction if he knew what she was up to.
*How do we want to handle this?* she asked Jono. *Confront him in his office? I can put up shields to ensure know one hears or sees anything we do.*
Jono
Jono had seen Karla's shields at work before, and so he knew better than to question how effective they might be. His only other concern was that they'd be potentially trapping themselves in an office with someone who could very well be a werewolf or worse...
And he was a walking furnace. Right.
//This seems like it'll be our only opportunity, luv. We'd best not miss it,// he agreed.
Karla
Karla nodded once, following Sam into his office, making sure that Jono was how on her heels. As soon as they had entered, she erected multiple layers of shields between, weaving them along the warp and weft of the wood. It was done in a matter of breaths and then Karla looked up at Sam, her hand no longer bleeding as her flesh knitted back together before their eyes.
Sam
Sam turned around with the first aid kit, looking down at Karla's cut, and immediately tensed. He prepared to shift into something big if needed, and thankfully, he could do it in a matter of seconds, though there was the problem of his customers. "What are you?" he asked, dropping his voice as he looked from one to the other. "Who are you with?"
Jono
Jono allowed the beginnings of a humourless smile to pull at the corners of his eyes.
//We're here to investigate a murder, mate.//
Yes, that one was one that Sam could hear. And Jono made a point to project it so that it practically echoed.
Karla
Karla's uninjured hand hung down at her side, fingers curling slightly. She was loosely gripping a knife, covered in a sight shield to make it look like there was nothing there but empty air. "What are you?" she asked in turn. "You're not the simple human you pretend to be."
Sam
"I don't know anything about the murders beyond what I told you," Sam said, struggling to keep his voice low and steady, even as he stared at Jono, because that sure sounded like it was in his head. "Did -- did y'all know Dawn, or Maudette? Mrs. Stackhouse?" He paused, a thought occurring. "Wait -- are you like Sookie? Do you know her?" They were sort of like her, but he could tell there was a difference there. But he knew there had been telepathic contact just now, and she was the only one he'd ever encountered. "Or are you working for the vampires? And how can you tell I'm not human?" he added to Karla.
Karla
"We're not working for vampires," Karla said, offended. "But we are here to find out what the Hell is going on."
She carefully considered her next words, not wanting to give away any more information than she had to. "As for how I know...well, it's related to what I am. And that," she added, eyes narrowing, "is someone you really don't wish to trifle with."
Sam
"I can tell that," Sam said appraisingly, looking at both of them. "I'm a shifter, but I'd bet you already knew that. And I don't know a goddamn thing about the murders. Dawn was an employee of mine -- good girl, but she got around. Maudette was someone everyone felt sorry for, honestly. And Adele Stackhouse didn't do a thing in her life to warrant that, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were after her granddaughter. She's been hanging 'round that Bill Compton, and while I don't like vampires, I don't think any of those women deserved anything coming to them."
He leveled a look at them, sincere. "The victims were my friends, and this is my home. I'll help you if you need, but I don't know much more than what I've told you, 'cept -- I've been trying to track, based off what Dawn smelled like, but ain't done much good. Killer masked his scent somehow."
Jono
The worst part about all of this was that Jono found himself believing Sam, and here they'd gone cornering him in his office after leading him on for a good twenty minutes.
He cast a significant sort of look in Karla's direction, and then lifted his shoulders in a way that was intended to at least mimic a sigh.
//He's masked his scent? That means there was no smell to pick up on at all?// There was, in Jono's mind, a decided difference between a lack of trail to be followed and smell that simply wasn't there. //Or there was one, but it led to nowhere?//
Sam
"He wore gloves, something like that," Sam explained, clearly disappointed in his own efforts. "There wasn't much to go off of -- I could smell a couple men on her, but it wasn't distinct or recent enough to tell me who."
Karla
Karla could find no hint of untruth in him. Which was cause for a bit consternation, true. She vanished the knife and dropped all of the shields around the room, save for the aural shield. She still didn't think their conversation needed to be overheard.
"We're friends with Sookie," Karla said. "She asked us for help after her--afterwards." She was pretty sure he would know what she meant. "Is there anyone you can think of who would do such a thing? Anyone we can...pay closer attention."
Sam
Sam shook his head sadly. "I've been keepin' an eye on our local vampire, but he was out with Sookie when her grandmother was killed. And her brother -- I assume you know he's in lockup? Jason just ain't smart enough to plan something like this. Frankly, I've been looking at people who aren't regulars," he added, lifting an eyebrow at the pair of them.
Jono
//Oh, don't look at us like that,// Jono sighed, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. //I'd never even been here until Sookie asked me to come along.//
Although he could certainly see how people would get that 'not a regular' vibe from him, he supposed.
Sam
"Yeah, I believe you, if only 'cause of Sookie," Sam said. "But that's all I know. I'll track if you two need me to -- I've been doing it as a collie, but I can make it a bloodhound if necessary."
Karla
Karla also rolled her eyes at the implied accusation. "You should be able to tell that this is our first night in town. We smell fairly unique."
Burning tires and otherworldly witch. Not very common around these here parts.
Sam
"I'm well aware of that," Sam said dryly. "You don't smell like whoever was on Dawn. You're very distinct. But I wish I could help more."
Jono
Jono heaved a sigh that was entirely more psychic than physical, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck. Well, this was going beautifully.
//You know this town better than we do, mate. If you can point us in th'direction of any places where people are prone to lurk about if they want to sit low, we might be able to muddle it through from there.//
Sam
Sam gave a little nod towards the woods outside. "The swamp and woods. Those're pretty uninhabitable, unless you're determined. I've been tracking through there and someone has been out there. Just can't tell who."
Karla
"That might be a good place for is to search then," Karla said thoughtfully. "If I can come across his psychic scent, I'll recognize it the next time I see him."
And with her ability to walk on air and pass through things, neither she nor Jono would have a problem making their way through the terrain. "Can you tell us where the tracks are the thickest? If we make our way there, we'll be more likely to pick up something."
Sam
"I can show you," he offered. "Terry and Arlene pretty much have the bar handled, I think. I won't change, 'cause that's a little risky, but it's just right out there about twenty yards into the woods, going northwest. There's a tree with some scratches -- I marked it."
Karla
"Sure, that sounds--" Karla paused in mid-sentence, cocking her head to the side.
Has she heard--was that--?
<< HE'S HERE HE'S HERE AT MY HOUSE RUNNING IN THE WOODS HELP >>
Yes. Yes, she most certainly had heard. "Hell's fire, Mother Night and may the Darkness be fucking merciful," she said, already whirling towards the door. "Jono! Come on!"
She didn't bother explaining, as he'd likely heard it, too. Instead, she yelled over her shoulder to Sam, "You stay here! We'll call you if we need you!" Which they wouldn't, but it would serve to keep him out of their hair. And then there was no more time for yelling, because they were racing through the bar, ignoring the odd looks and shouts from the surprised patrons they barrelled past (and occasionally over).
Jono
Screaming. Screaming in his head, and Jono didn't have the presence of mind to do anything but react. Run. Run, and, once they were well outside and into the woods, reach to his face to tear his wrappings free.
That was the sort of scream that suggested very strongly that there was going to be a need for firepower.
[Continued from here and concurrent with the events at Fangtasia. Preplayed with the amazing furnaceface and the fabulous justwantsquiet! NFB, NFI, OOC welcome whooo!]