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#Post#: 716--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Lamplight Date: January 21, 2014, 11:55 am
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Lamplight raises an eyebrow when Insidious declines to tell them
his name, something that Ruby would undoubtedly appreciate.
Still, it's not the first time she'd met somepony who didn't
want their name to be known, and she's sure he has his reasons.
So she just nods and turns to lead them in the direction she'd
sensed her lantern in.
the walk is fairly uneventful, the fog never letting up for a
moment and making the scenery all but impossible to see. She
could almost believe they'd somehow left the city, been
transported to some strange, empty place save for the occasional
lamppost shining through the mist or building that needs to be
gone around. Soon enough a new light appears ahead of them, one
not set in the ordered pattern of the street lights. The orange
mare gives a pulse of her horn, the light before them responding
in kind, and she picks up the pace a little, eager to be back
home now. As they grow closer the building the light is attached
to looms out of the fog. It's not a particularly large or fancy
place, as inns go, though it's significantly larger than the
surrounding houses. Only a few details are visible through the
mist, the most obvious being the carved wooden sign declaring
the building's name, and the large, odd lantern hanging from a
short chain below it. It's a simple enough thing, a rectangular
lantern made of unadorned black metal. Behind the glass the
flame within swirls without any candle or other fuel source to
sustain it, simply hanging in the empty space on it's own.
Lamplight turns back to her two companions, giving them both a
grin and as she takes out the key to unlock the door.
#Post#: 736--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Ruby Fortuna Date: January 22, 2014, 1:33 pm
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Ruby follows after Lamplight without question, keeping her eyes
forward and trying not to look in the fog anymore. There was an
unwelcoming presence that felt incredibly alien to her, yet all
too familiar, like she was supposed to know of it in the back of
her mind. That, coupled with the fact that it seemed to be
following her did not help matters in regards to her ever
increasing discomfort and paranoia. Luckily, there was no
detours on their journey back to the Guiding Light where
Lamplight had offered Ruby a room, with the very light that hung
from the sign acting as a guide. How quaint. Ruby stopped just
behind Lamplight, trying as hard as she could to ignore the fact
that the new stallion refused to give his name in return. If he
wanted to be like that, she could just continue to not trust
him, it was that simple.
The faded magenta unicorn watched as Lamplight unlocked the
door, with Pharasma shifting ever so slightly on her back to
look behind them. Ruby wanted to be inside now; even if it was
still the witching hour, there was no point in enjoying it if
there was a presence out there that felt as though it was coming
after her. Perhaps sleep was the best thing for her right now.
She gave one last glance behind her, squinting into the fog to
see if there was something that Pharasma had seen. She could see
a figure in the fog, dark and short, probably just as if not a
little taller than Ruby's short stature. They were too deep in
the fog to tell what colour this pony was, what with it being
washed out by the heavy and dreary grey, but Ruby could see that
this figure was looking directly at her, and smiling. Not a
particularly nice smile either, but rather a smug and confident
smirk, like this pony knew something that Ruby didn't. That was
terrifying.
As soon as Ruby looked this mare in the eye, the smirk widened
into a grin, and Ruby could feel a sharp pain stab into the back
of her mind, and she closed her eyes and winced. It was much
like a sudden, sharp migraine digging its festering talons into
her conscience, the pain so intense that she could hear her own
heartbeat, and it was quickening. Pharasma let out a low,
rolling hiss in warning, and in the back of her mind, she could
hear, "... focussssss..." No sooner had this warning hiss been
sounded, the figure disappeared once more into the fog without a
trace, the entire process lasting for only a few seconds. Her
mind was still reeling with pain, and now a sort of
disorientation, a light-headedness that was usually accompanied
with mana starvation or over exertion in spellcasting.
Accompanying that, her flank, particularly where her cutie mark
was, felt as though it was on fire.
Doing her best to shake off the feeling, she asked, "Did you see
that...? I thought I saw... nevermind..." she shook her head,
wincing as the beginnings of a headache began to apply pressure
to her forehead. She wasn't about to ask silly questions of her
present company, or draw attention to any decaying of her
current state, though she could not help but question why she
saw what looked to be a pony similar to her own mother in the
fog. It was probably best to think about this with a clear head,
and right now, her mana starvation was going to make for a rough
night if she didn't eat something, "I... don't suppose your
kitchen is still open, is it...? I'm kinda... starving." She
then glanced back to the stallion, looking a little weaker but
at the same time, her mark was still tingling, which was
somewhat disconcerting, seeing as this stallion seemed to take
quite an interest in her, "So you say you were on holidays. What
is it that you do that warrants such a vacation?"
#Post#: 831--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Insidious Penumbra Date: January 27, 2014, 8:41 pm
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Insidious stayed close behind the pair of them as they moved
through Ponyville's foggy streets, his suspicion of Ruby slowly
fading, and replaced by a mild concern about the fog that
surrounded them, and its possible origins. Of course, it was
probably entirely natural, but even still, the ability of fog to
conceal and hide things had never sat well with the dark green
stallion, who had dealt with more than his fair share of
terrible, fog-shrouded threats, and knew well that something
innocent could always be hiding something far, Far darker.
Shaking his head, Insidious refocused on the inn before them,
whistling appreciatively at the fine wooden sign, and the
magical flame that flickered and burnt without fuel, within the
black lantern that confined it. The green stallion was certainly
impressed, but he still didn't bother to waste the breath to
comment that the Guiding Light was aptly named.
Turning to see how Ruby was getting on, the green stallion
paused and frowned, seeing her stare out into the fog at
something he himself couldn't see, her eyes closed and face
screwed up in a grimace of pain. Penumbra frowned in concern at
this, moving to stand beside Ruby, his dark eyes scanning the
fog briefly in search of whatever had disturbed her, before
finding their way to her face, and searching her eyes as if
checking she was unharmed.
"I didn't see much, Miss Ruby.. Did you? Are you alright?" He
questioned, a hint of concern in his voice at the pain he had
seen in her expression, and now the hint of weakness she was
showing. His eyes and tone actually carried a hint of concern
for her health, rather than the suspicion that he had treated
her with before, as he scanned the fog worriedly, leaning to
whisper a word or two of caution to his bird, which flapped away
into the fog as if on patrol.
"My work? It's a little hard to explain, but I guess you could
call it paranormal investigations. It's a bit of a.. stressful
job, sometimes, so that's why I've decided to take a break, for
a while." Penumbra replied to her questions, almost swiftly, as
if the reasons for his vacation didn't matter so much, in the
face of what the faded magenta mare had experienced moments ago,
which he was clearly trying to figure out, if his continued
scanning of the fog, and occasional concerned glances at her,
were any indication.
#Post#: 863--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Lamplight Date: January 28, 2014, 1:11 pm
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Lamplight swings the door open to the darkened main room of the
inn and turns back to the other two. She frowns when she sees
the pair much closer together than they had been, with Ruby
apparently in pain. She steps forward herself in concern,
putting a hoof on Ruby's shoulder. "Are you okay? What
happened?" She asks, turning her eyes to briefly gaze into the
thick fog. Nothing seemed to be there, though. Still, it would
probably be best to get her inside and at least to a booth so
she could lay down if she needed it, though she seems to have
recovered somewhat already. "I'm sure I can whip something up."
She says, her smile returning as she turns to walk inside. "Come
on in." She leads the two of them inside, her horn glowing
briefly as a pair of lanterns materializes above the bar.
"Anything in particular you'd like?" She asks the younger mare,
before turning her attention to Insidious. "Would you like
anything too?"
#Post#: 927--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Ruby Fortuna Date: January 30, 2014, 1:24 am
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Her bid to avoid drawing attention to her current state was
either poorly acted out or just so plainly obvious that the both
of them could see past any attempt at a ruse. Really, either one
could of work. Her mana starvation left her weak and in no
condition to act, or to even refuse any sort of help offered to
her. Still breathing a little raggedly, she watched as the raven
flew off into the thick of the fog, wondering just how wise it
was to do that. If there was something in the fog that could do
this to Ruby just by looking at her, then a raven might not do
too well by itself. Oh well, it's his raven. She plodded into
the tavern shortly after, a little relieved to be out of the fog
as she walked over to the bar counter, sitting herself on a bar
stool.
"Some creature..." she replied through her gasping breath, "...
in the fog. It looked me in the eye, and I felt... weaker, like
I cast too many spells, then it disappeared." She lay her head
down on the bar counter, the throbbing in her head starting to
desist into a dull pressure as she looked up at Lamplight,
"Anything that is quick and easy to make is fine with me, I'm
not picky. I also don't have too much money either..." her
thoughts wandered to the little bitpurse that she had, and how
that money was supposed to support her for the next day's supply
of food before deciding to look back at the stallion, asking
dryly, "So paranormal investigation... please tell me you aren't
one of those showy 'ghost hunters' or 'psychics' who go to
'haunted' places to 'communicate' with spirits." Her sarcastic
accentuating on those certain words made it very clear how she
really felt about the matter.
"But you probably aren't..." she continued, staying quiet for a
little bit after that as she tried to deduce what this creature
could have been. Was it a changeling trying to feed off her?
Unlikely, there were no 'loving' feelings about that exchange.
Was it something trying to charm her? Probably not; again, the
feeling of exhaustion would not be here, and she would be more
absent-minded if that were the case. She turned to this
'paranormal investigator'; perhaps he could share some insight,
"What do you think, mister professional? Creature in the fog,
draining innocent ponies of their energy...?"
#Post#: 1101--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Insidious Penumbra Date: February 6, 2014, 3:58 am
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After sending off his raven, Penumbra entered the Guiding Light
by Ruby's side, concerned brown eyes still glancing between her,
and the thick fog that surrounded the town, as he wondered what
exactly had happened to her. It seemed she was exhausted, or had
been exhausted by something.. Perhaps something had drained her
magic, or just her energy..
Settling by the bar, he waved off Lamplight's offer with a
polite smile, before turning to Ruby again, chuckling a little
at her dry tone and blatant dislike of phony mystics.
"Heh, not likely." Was the dark eyed stallion's only response to
her sardonic words, his own dismissive tone making it clear that
he had no love for those types either.
Her follow up questions caused him to pause in thought, before
he slipped the bulky backpack off his back, and placed it down
beside him, beginning to rifle through it as if looking for
something.
"Honestly, I'm not immediately sure what it was. Maybe an
especially strong and bitter ghost, or some other angry spirit?
If we couldn't see it, maybe it has some kind of beef with you
specifically.. You get a good look at it?" Penumbra asked, as he
continued searching his bags, a serious frown on his face.
#Post#: 1129--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Lamplight Date: February 7, 2014, 9:04 am
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Lamplight furrows her brow slightly, her eyes finding the
nearest window, though the combined darkness and fog made it
impossible to see anything out there. Something had been out
there in the fog? What could it have been, if it drained Ruby
from a distance, without either her or Insidious knowing?
Lamplight doesn't know, but she's only had a few experiences
with the paranormal. Figuring the other two would be able better
at this than her, she turns and walks into the kitchen. She'd
prefer not to bother firing up the stove at the moment, the late
hour and her growing fatigue making doing any actual cooking
seem like too much work. A salad should be fine. Easy to make;
quick.
#Post#: 1199--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Ruby Fortuna Date: February 10, 2014, 8:57 pm
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Ruby shook her head before folding her front legs on the
counter, resting her head upon them as she closed her eyes, the
beating drum in her skull still causing her quite a large amount
of pain. What did that thing in the fog look like? It had a coat
of very similar colour to hers, and a mane that could
practically match her own as well, but she knew that that thing
in the fog wasn't her, since she was her after all. The only
other mare that she knew looked like that would have to be
somepony in her family, possibly her mother since she hadn't
seen her since moving in with her new foster parents, but things
could have changed since then, heck, she might not even be alive
for all she knew. Still...
The image of that cruelly smiling face looking her directly in
the eye, those copper eyes staring at her from behind crimson
bangs. Something so terrifying in that wicked smile, and the
thing it belonged to just hiding within the fog... Ruby lifted
her head, her eyes a little red and bleary from clenching them
shut so hard and looked to her saddlebag, levitating a book onto
the counter. Setting it down with a heavy thud, she unwound the
bit of twine that held the book shut, brushing her hoof across
the mark on the cover--a mark similar to the one on her flank--
before flipping open the book. As her eyes began to scan the
different pages, flipping through them at a rapid pace, she
levitated her tarot cards from their deck case and began
shuffling them idly, as a way to help her concentrate as she
leafed through all of the cards.
"I did get a look at it. It looked like me, and it was smiling,"
she said quickly as she continued to leaf through both the cards
and the book, her stomach growling quietly as Lamplight walked
into the kitchen, "I think it could be a mimic, perhaps a
changeling, maybe a doppelganger, some sort of glamour spell
from a powerful spellcaster to protect their identity, be it
vampire, wizard, magus, demon, celestial being, druid, or witch.
A spiteful sprite could also be the case, but as far as I know,
I have done nothing wrong, nor upset any."
#Post#: 1222--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Insidious Penumbra Date: February 11, 2014, 8:38 am
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Insidious looked on interestedly as Ruby dug out an old tome and
began to flip through it, the book was clearly a bestiary or
book of the macabre, if the mark on the front was any
indication, and although he wondered at its origin, he didn't
comment. The presence of tarot cards was similarly interesting,
but since he wasn't skilled or knowledgeable in any form of
divination, he continued to hold his tongue, until she herself
described her experience with the entity.
"So, if it looked like you, then it's clearly not a ghost, not
unless you have a dead twin. As for mimics, well.. I don't know
of any changelings that can hurt at a distance, and
doppelgangers, in my experience, are more likely to slip a knife
in your back when you're alone, than work any subtle magic on
you. A glamour could be the case, yeah, but I wouldn't have
thought there would be many witches, or even magic users that
powerful, in a peaceful little town like this. In any case, I've
sent Nev out to take a look, he should be back soon, and we can
see if he found anything of interest." The dark robed stallion
commented, frowning thoughtfully, his tone of thoughtful
concentration making it clear that he was putting some thought
into this issue, despite the fact he was supposed to be on
vacation.
#Post#: 1289--------------------------------------------------
Re: After Hours
By: Ruby Fortuna Date: February 13, 2014, 11:54 pm
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Ruby rolled her eyes before continuing to peruse her tome,
scanning each and every single line meticulously as she said
off-handedly, "Sure, if your bird can find a powerful magical
being that can apparently weaken ponies with one horrible look,
then yeah, sure, I will trust the word of a bird--a raven no
less." She didn't necessarily use a sarcastic tone in her voice,
but the meaning behind it definitely was. Why trust a thing
whose only concern is its next meal? Or better yet, why trust an
animal? Well, if he was certain it was going to work, she was
not going to stop the thing from proving her wrong; it wasn't
like she was getting anywhere with her rapid research anyway. So
much of this she had committed to memory, simply because it all
interested her so much, yet nothing she could remember about
what she saw.
Maybe that was the encounter she so sought after? An encounter
with an actual witch? No thinking about that now though, her
headache flared up again, and she pushed her book out of the way
to rest her head on the edge of the counter, looking down at her
lap where her python's head happened to be resting. Where was he
anyway? His head was on her lap, and he was coiled around her...
left foreleg, yes, and she can still feel it, so that's good.
The python just sat there, doing what it usually did, though
Ruby wasn't so sure about it now. It was the first one to seem
to sense the foreign presence and warn her about it, but she
wouldn't have guessed a snake to be so attune to their
environment. Perhaps their sense of smell is just that good.
As she contemplated this, she continued to shuffle her cards as
she awaited for the return of the raven and the arrival of food.
Her practiced pace never broke, and the light flitting filled
the air as the subtle scent of the sprig of mint came from the
deck box. Idly, almost out of nowhere, she said flatly in a
hoarse whisper, sounding as though her words were the result of
several cards rustling against each other, "You still have yet
to mention your name. Why are you so reluctant to allow me to
call you by name?"
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