T - Bee, Dark, Nako, Vyn

[Nathalia]

The streets are oddly empty and the night a bit chilly, especially for an August evening.
Phaedra was chivvying a suspicious Suha out of her book-shoppe as quickly as she could before the Bird became too suspicious of a certain Hummingbird's constant presence around the place and reported her to the Police.
A bit of chatter later and they'd both ended up going out for a drink or two, 9however comfortable or uncomfortable that may have ended up being) which led to their re-entry out here.
In the dark, deserted, rather chilly street.
Very different from the nice, humid one they came off of an hour or so ago.

If they turn to re-enter the bar, they'll find it quite empty and dark...looks as though no one's been in there in a week or two!
What's going on!?
An odd noise, a bit like dry leather being dragged up the street can be very faintly heard from every end of the street, and-
Strange...what's with all that thick mist?


~Nathalia

[Nathalia]

Delaney flopped out of a box on the side of the road, looking a bit worse for wear, her fur ruffled the wrong way and her body aching badly.
She remembers running from her siblings after someone fired off an airhorn behind them.
Maybe that was a bit rash...as she's definitely lost now.
And achy...like someone roughed her up badly. Ow.
Maybe these two ladies standing out in the middle of the street can help her?

~Nathalia

[Nako]

Oh, this was just an awful situation.

At least, that was what every fiber of her being was telling her as she tumbled out of the box. At first she thought it was the sudden contact with the ground that had caused her pain, but it was a very different kind of ache that her entire body felt. What had happened to her? Gingerly, she got to her feet, glancing around. Where was Keitha? Eryn? Neither was anywhere to be seen.

Voices? There was a sudden horror that made her think that it was perhaps her father, here to finish her off after the harsh words she'd had for him… but they did not sound familiar. Strangely, that was a relief from what she'd feared. Total strangers? Freaking great. Her father? It made her want to piss herself. "E-excuse me? I'm lost.. I think I was kidnapped. Can.. can you help me?"

[Bee]

Absolute rubbish, that's what this was. It was utter nonsense and she was not going to stand for it. First there was Shift flittering around in her business like the tireless nuisance she was, and then of course there was the other bird that decided to haunt her favorite book-shoppe and probably thought--Milton forbid!--that she and that woman were in cahoots. She had awkwardly suggested drinks to get them out of that place and perhaps assuage some of her paranoia, but after a couple hours of attempting to smear around that social lubricant, she was ready to be quits of the entire night.

But it seemed the night had other plans. Rubbish was in the very air. A cool mist blanketed the streets, an odd sound in its midst, like a stack of old leather-bound books being jostled. Phaedra pushed her glasses up her nose, huffed at the effrontery of this very stressful evening, prepared to say goonight to Suha, and deflated when she saw a young girl tumble out of a box.

She looked bedraggled. Her words were quite desperate. Phaedra had zero difficulty believing her plea, and activated her Altruist Mode.

"But of course," she said, hurrying over to the girl. She cast a glance at Suha over her shoulder. She was not sure what the Morganberry would do, but she hoped it was the Right Thing. "We shall take you to the police immediately."

She had a bevy of questions, partially about the relative danger level of whoever had snatched her, but she figured the girl's well-being came first.

"Are you hurt in any way?"

[Dark]

It had been quite a dull evening for Suha.

It had started in the bookshoppe, which was not in itself dull. But the rather questionable behavior of a certain female patron had drawn her attention some time back--the woman's demeanor positively screamed miscreant--and Suha had made note of the same woman several times when she called on the establishment. (It was rather a mystery, since it was otherwise a fine shoppe.)

She had been considering finally engaging the woman in conversation to see what information she might glean when the weak-sighted owner had waylaid her with a friendly, if slightly awkward, invitation for drinks. Since it would have been impolite to refuse she had accepted, and put the matter of the women aside for later.

The awkward conversation had very nearly done her in and she had made up for the wanting company by drinking more than she probably should. Which was perhaps why she wasn't overly concerned about the darkened street.

She stared at the little rag-a-muffin that had tumbled out of a box--a box--with a hint of distaste; she detested children. She watched Phaedra fuss with minimal care, her attention already wandering. She had no idea what Phaedra's pointed look was for; this was no concern of her own, certainly.

[Nako]

The police, oh suits, what a relief. Her tense muscles relaxed, but sadly it did little to ease the persistent bodily pain. "I hurt all over! I feel like someone beat me up real good, but I don't remember." What sort of awful, scandalous things could have happened while she was unconscious? A part of her wondered if it was a kindness that she didn't remember.

There was another person, a Morganberry. Delaney glimpsed their way only to see the most unconcerned, even disgusted look on her face. Oh, she didn't like that lady at all. Shrinking back, she opted to take shelter under the sugar glider's arm. "Please, whatever you do, don't take me back to the Court of Hearts. My father is a monster."

And that he truly was. The whole reason they were still in town was because Delaney had outright refused to go back to the courts. Her mother, in his anger had decided none of them would go. Oh, his sisters had been so cross with her. There had been some special event that Keitha had especially wanted to go to. Surely the girl seemed fit to never forgive her. But where were her sisters now? Had they suffered a worse fate than she? Oh, this was all her fault.

[Nathalia]

An odd sound seems to creep through the square...almost as though someone, very distantly, were moaning in pain...
Javaid may not have lost his senses, but he does seem to have lost his way.
This city twists and turns more than it ought to, and he's had little to no luck locating Conway.
Within the last half hour, a dense fog seemed to settle around him, and he found himself painfully unwilling to touch it, it felt wrong.
The little group before him, though they have yet to see him, are the first he's laid eyes on in an hour. That Esterberry might know what's going on.
Perhaps he ought to ask her?

~Nathalia

[Bee]

These were bad tidings indeed. Association with the Court of Hearts was all but shorthand for "dangerous" (whether in the benign or aggressive manner), and this little girl seemed particularly strung out. She let the child hide under her sheltering flaps of flying-flesh. She did not seem violently injured, for all that she was apparently aching. Perhaps some kind of extensive bruising covered by the fur? That she did not remember the event was also a possible sign of head trauma. She did not like to jump to conclusions, but it did not seem unreasonable to think that his girl's father would have been involved in this mess. How wretched, to think of a parent hurting his child. It was a small comfort to think that he was almost certainly at the Palace of Hearts.

"Don't fret," she said, patting the girl on the head. "We're taking you straight to the police." She gave one last glance at Suha, who did not seem particularly interested in helping. What a perfectly wretched woman. "With or without company. Please tell me if you remember anything, it could be a great help."

[Dark]

Suha resisted the urge to roll her eyes mightily--it was most unbecoming behavior--but did partake in a more exacerbated, pointed stare than she might have otherwise employed; she blamed the rosy flush of alcohol imbuing her limbs. And this was the reason she generally attempted to avoid the consumption of too much liquor at any given time: it had a tendency of loosening her tongue more than she might like. Tonight had been an exception, made out of desperation. (She really needed to acquire more refined acquaintances).

Well, she could certainly 'take a hint'; especially when Phaedra was so terribly obvious. "Why kind of citizen would I be if I did not aid those in need," Suha graciously intoned, "Of course I'll accompany you."

Children were such funny little creatures; the girl's father probably had denied her favorite snack, or some other trivial offense, to be labeled 'monster'. She was more than likely just spouting off for the attention.

[Nako]

Delaney did her best to stifle her incessant trembling, trying hard to recall what had happened. "I was with my sisters. They were awfully sore at me and we were arguing. And then this loud noise sounded off, like a siren or a horn. I ran away, and that is all I can remember. That really wasn't very helpful, but she honestly didn't remember getting caught, or even getting knocked out. It's like it all went fuzzy and there was no beginning or end to things.

She looked around, as if just noticing the fog. Her ears pinned back tightly against her head. On top of that, a ghostly figure was in the distance, tall with a sharp looking face and strange clothing. She gasped. "Who… who is that???" Her tone reached a strangled squeak before she shoved her face into the safety of Phaedra's built in blanket of a skinfold. Had it been a less terrifying moment, Delaney may have marveled at the uncommon creature's anatomy. For now though, it would merely be a very convenient hiding place.