Make It Disappear
| Make It Disappear | |
|---|---|
Don't try anything, blood-sucker. | |
| Players |
Cleaning up a mess sometimes requires a bit of help from the experts. |
It's late night in Auburn Gresham and it means that anyone out and about is to be warily regarded, least if they're in an alley. The rhytmic thudding from a nearby club, laughter from drunk people, buzzing of neon signs, it's all background music to a grim scene in an alley. Arnaud is muttering to himself as he drags his feet down towards the other end of the alley, towards somewhere where it is very dark and very quiet. He's carrying a bundle of something odd, clothes wrapped around something. For sensitive noses it smells strange, traces of human blood and rotten flesh, mingled with the scents of many insects. "It wasn't a person. I didn't do that, it wasn't wrong," Arnaud says, then he pauses and puts a hand to the side of his head and closes his eyes as if in pain. Somewhere, in the dark, unnoticed places, is another monster. The Nosferatu has been on the hunt tonight. Somewhere in those quiet places, a vampire feeds, unseen and unnoticed, wrapped in shadows that hide her from the mind and all the senses. It's painful and quick for the human, leaving them drained and dizzy, slumped over in the alleyway and left. Discarded, but still alive. Faith remains invisible, luxuriating in that feeling of a successful hunt. Stolen life bubbles up within her and there are moments just afterwards where it almost feels like she isn't a walking dead thing. The scent of blood is noted, and could easily be mistaken for her own recent feeding, but mixed with that sickly sweet odor of decay, it does get her attention. She tracks it down, finding somewhat of a familiar face. So it is that Faith kind of just steps out of the shadow, in the dark. One moment she wasn't there, and the next ... she simply is as her Obfuscation is dismissed. She's a decent distance away, regarding Arnaud from behind her shades, able to see perfectly in the dark even with the glasses on. "What did you do, Mister Arnaud?" Her voice is soft, curious. Professional. Her gaze shifts to that strange bundle, as if she could divine its nature through the clothes wrapped around it. Oblivious to the lurking and invisible presence of a vampire, because no matter how good his senses are, Arnaud is distracted and he can't see invisible people. "Mon dieu, tu m'as fait peur!" he says after the initial shock of her presence has stopped his heart beating too wildly, glaring at her like anyone would when being caught in an alley carrying a suspicious bundle. At least, if being caught by someone, she's a better option than many others. Still, he makes an effort to hide the bundle behind himself and his eyes shift about. "It wasn't a /person/. It wasn't. It's fine, it's all good. I didn't eat someone." Faith lips quick into a smile. It's something amused, something that seems to really just enjoy another's discomfort. She's not as pale as she was the other night; and not because she's actively pretending to life. This soon after her feeding just gives her a bit of colour to her features. She can hear his heart beat, and her head tilts a little. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she says. It's only sort of a lie. She lifts her hands, palms showing, a non-threatening gesture. "I ... don't actually care if you ate someone or not, Arnaud. Well, unless it was someone I knew. But it sounds like it wasn't. Do you need any assistance?" Right. Arnaud remembers that she is indeed not too concerned about eating people, and he relaxes nominally. There's something broken in his eyes, the tell-tale signs of someone feeling guilty over something. He has wits enough to glance up and down the alley now, as if Faith's appearance dragged him partly out of that dark hole he dug himself into for awhile. "This," he says and steps closer while holding the bundle up, "was a human once. Something had taken over his skin and pretend to be him. I have never fought something like that before, and it freaked even me out - and I've seen some shit. I need to get rid of this or there will be way too many questions asked in this area. I was thinking of opening a--" He pauses, because telling her he was considering opening a portal to the Hedge and throw it in there might not be wise. "... grate and throw it in." When closer, it's clear he fought something, even if there's not a lot of blood. The front of his shirt has blood stains, but also the smear of many dead insects. His face isn't clean either. It seems to be the theme when these two meet. "I've never fought something like that either," Faith confesses with a hint of curiosity. For her part, she's in a very good mood, her spirits lifted, and she steps forward, staring at the bundle once more. "Did you see it take him over, or was this something that had been hiding for a long time?" Comes her question, as she looks from it and back up to him. "A grate." She echoes, clearly not believing that's where he was going with that. "Well, then, also, what sort of remains are we dealing with?" "So you don't know either?" Arnaud says, lowering his voice now that they are talking face to face. He's wrapped the skin inside the clothing to hide it, but he opens it slightly to show her and even he makes a disgusting face and looks away like someone pondering if he should throw up or not. "Long time, I think. Anyway, it's the skin and the clothes and a bunch of dead bugs. Not a person anymore. I--" He's swallowing hard. "I shouldn't have eaten...it. It scared her." He slaps his own face hard, trying to shake out of this state. "Probably for the best." Faith is very curious, leaning in close to look at what is revealed. All sorts of academic questions rise within her. She's even reaching out to touch it, naturally not even remotely bothered by the site before her. "It's just a human skin? No bones or muscle or fat or organs or ... ?" She trails off because she catches that last line, looking up and staring at Arnaud. "Who saw you, Arnaud?" This one is even more important to her! "No bones, muscle or fat, just... bugs," Arnaud murmurs and then wraps it all up tightly again. This is fine. Carrying human skin, talking to a vampire in an alley. Just another thursday. He takes a deep breath and calms down, but her query has him alert and razor-sharp focused. "A... friend. I'll handle it. She won't talk," he says with a narrowing of eyes, as if daring Faith to question his judgement. The vampire might be infuriating to try and stare down, with the mirror shades and all. Her colour has faded, the moments of euphoria dying away and returning her to the corpse she is, less animate. Less active. "Alright." She doesn't actually question his judgement though. It seems to have snapped him to attention, and that's good enough for her. "Handle it however you feel is appropriate. If you need help then I will help." Gesturing back at the bundle, she inclines her head. "Can you explain more? Who else was around, how this came to be. Just bugs inside a person?" A pause, and she says with a strange sort of intensity, "Spiders?" Arnaud's moment of focus is receding quickly. He hits the brick wall in the alley with a fist suddenly, lowering his head. "I made a friend and then I did that. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She got really scared." Whatever state he is in comes and goes a bit, but least he's not so far gone he forgot the important parts, like hiding the proof. "It was just me, my friend, and this - junkie. Earlier he had tried to buy drugs from me, but I don't sell drugs, so I sent him off. Then he just appeared before us and uh, we started fighting. We were in the alley so don't think we were seen by anyone else." He frowns, thinking. "Didn't notice any spiders." "I've heard of spider creatures that can climb inside people and puppet them." Faith says quietly after listening to Arnaud's story. "So not spiders? I don't suppose you know what kind of bugs? Actually ..." she pauses, considering. "Do you know Solomon Jessup?" It's a bit of a tangent! "He's one of your lot, I think." Arnaud wraps the bundle up better by tying the worn jacket this monster wore around it, sealing some of the smells better. If anyone looked they wouldn't necessarily notice anything too strange by now. "I've seen someone turn into a giant spider, web them and then suck their blood out," he counters haughtily, as if he doesn't want to be seen as less knowledgeable here. Which he clearly is, but he's one of the weird Lost so who knows what he's thinking? "Or... wait. Was that a dream? Or a faded memory?" He stares into thin air for a moment, crazy-eyed. "Solomon Jessup - I think I heard the name. Why, do you think he'd understand this?" Faith glances at Arnaud proper. "It's not a competition, Arnaud. You've probably seen more than I have." She assures at that haughty tone, inclining her head. "Do you want my help or not? You don't seem to be at your best at the moment, but you'll need to stop hiding things from me if you want my assistance. As for Professor Jessup, he's a forensic entomologist, so he might be able to help. I don't know if he knows about supernatural bug creatures, but the more information we can provide the better your chances of getting answers." "Half the problem is that I'm not sure that what I remember is real or not, so anything I say I've seen, take it with a grain of salt," Arnaud tells her with sudden dark humor, his lips even quirking into a semblance of a smile. "I'm telling you the truth of what happened. Never thought I'd fight something like this, didn't even know it existed. But, if there's one, there's bound to be more," he says and rubs his jaw thoughtfully. "I can bring this to him then. You know where he can be found? And uh..." He looks awkwardly at her. "I don't think we were witnessed but if there was someone, that needs handled. I'm not quite in the state to move around people at the moment. If there was someone, chances are there's already rumours floating around on the street." "Well there is at least one person, as you said." Faith points out, circling back around to that matter. "And as I said, I'm willing to help you resolve that in whatever you you would prefer. I can make all of this," she gestures to the remains, "literally disappear for you, if you like. And bring it to Solomon some night in the future. Though, I have to admit, it sounds like a lot not that's out loud. Perhaps you could see a Coin my way?" She smiles a thin smile. Vampires. "If not, then I think you can find Professor Solomon Jessup at the University of Chicago somewhat regularly. He knows me." Arnaud groans and looks up at the sky. He should've expected this when he asked for help. Still - it'd save him a lot of hassle, so he looks down at the bundle, and then shoves it at her, before he reaches for something in an inner pocket of his leather jacket. A coin is brought out and handed over as well. "One coin, you make anything of this go away, but I'll handle the friend that was with me. I can meet with Solomon if he wants to talk to me about this. I'm likely to go find him anyway, but you can give him my number if you want." Faith accepts the coin quickly, and it vanishes into her pocket. Now, she's all professionalism. "Very well. I'm not going to hurt your friend, you know. And if she's scared of you, maybe you need the help." There's a bit of a frown there for a moment before she reaches out for the bundle. She picks it up, and then: it turns out she wasn't kidding. It literally seems to disappear. Even the smell is gone completely, as all the senses are fooled by her powers. "We can speak to Professor Jessup together, if you like. I think, however, you maybe need to just rest for a bit, and forget about this for some hours, hmm?" "Right, because you and I would make a great team comforting a girl who just watched her friend eating someone," Arnaud says with a voice filled with humorous sarcasm. Then he considers it tiredly, running a hand through his hair. He sniffs the air and looks at her, blinking slowly. "Where did it-- You know, never mind," he says and decides not to ask her questions, or she might ask for one more coin. "Listen - I'm not feeling bad for killing that thing. It's cause-- I... She said I was a friend. Then I went and showed her that. So... uh." He squints. "I literally have no idea what to say. I'll figure it out." "Hmm. You're right, comforting her wouldn't be my goal. But that is neither here nor there." She shifts then, Faith nodding to look about as she prepares to leave, and perhaps case the neighborhood to see what was seen and not seen, heard and not heard. Cleaning up the Masquerade is important, and she will focus on that. "I do understand, Mister Arnaud. Sometimes we are all more monstrous than we mean to be, and it can be hard to face that reality within yourself. I do hope you are able to find a happy resolution to all this. I really do." She sounds doubtful. But the hope is genuine. "I will take care of things here. Have a good evening, such as you can." Arnaud points a finger at her. "I will handle it. Don't try anything, blood-sucker." The latter is said more like a nick-name than any attempt to insult her, as if he's accepting her for what she is and doesn't mind at all. "One day I'll get that coin back, you'd need a favor from me." He takes a few steps backwards, and puts two fingers to his forehead in a small salute. "Have a good evening. Try not to eat anyone." He grins toothily at his own joke, then turns and disappears down the alley and disappears out onto the main street. | |