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Post by The Sidhe on Oct 13, 2014 19:22:42 GMT -5
The day was bright despite how unfriendly the weather appeared. The glare of the sun hidden behind the clouds rendered them a startling pale shade of grey to hang in a blanket overhead. In the distance lingered darker forms, the color of the angry open water of an ocean drawing nearer with the threat of rain. Wind blew at a steady pace, not necessarily violent but certainly enough to be annoying, bending the wispier trees and cruelly tossing the browned grass of Store Mosse. The national park was a pain to get to. For one there were several entrances and for another none sported easy parking. But one in particular was closest to the attacks, so that would be the one the team would be headed to. It was a bit of a walk, requiring a trek along the road past ankle-high grass and a few of skeletal trees and mires not too far off. Along the roadside past a small farmhouse and would at least be a dreary looking wooden sign. Of course it was in Swedish, but the name Store Mosse was clear and of the four arrows, only one pointed obviously ahead in the direction they needed to go. The cold was mild until it got caught up in the wind. Combined, there was bite to it, though not severe. Not yet, anyway. The appearance of the path was abrupt. There was an opening by the side of the road, the sick looking grass and short tufts of marsh moss. Damp earth made up a small place of entry, a broad but simple sign to the right position at an angle. Again, it was in Swedish, but it also still bore the name Store Mosse. Behind a sheet of tough glass was a map showing the area of the marsh, a little blue dot marking where the team would be. If they kept to the path, it would take them in one straight line to the other side. There was a rest area surprisingly far in. The path was marked in plain white, twisting a little and curving around at times to avoid things they would have to see to know. A turn off to the right was marked in green to the right shortly after the entrance. There was another rest area marked and two paths that split from it: one splitting up and joining the white path at the further rest area colored in pink and the other keeping on in green. Several smaller paths were marked as well, winding all over the marsh with various places marked. A visitor’s center here, a rentable cabin there. It didn’t seem very inviting, though. Their way in was a path consisting of a series of two wooden planks laid side by side and elevated above the march by wooden joints. It hovered only a foot above the shallow water and mushy moss hiding the peat beneath. They joined unevenly, but at least they didn’t look slippery. Hopefully the weather would hold and they would stay that way for on either side were vast expanses of nothing but bog. Pale brown grass that rustled in the wind broken up by yellow-green moss clinging to a sad excuse for earth. Shallows popped up and ran unseen underground to reappear elsewhere, wound through microscopic canals to keep the water moving. Thin, brittle trees lines grew in clusters both near and far from the path. The team had their entrance and handful of paths. Now all they had to do was choose the right one.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2014 20:13:52 GMT -5
What was it they were supposed to be doing here?
Espen and Noelle had taken their first mission. Espen had gotten to pick it, but he didn’t know which one to pick so he picked one of the first ones he saw. It was located in Sweden, which was nice. Espen had never been to Sweden, but he had been given Swedish chocolate once upon a time when his parents had vacationed there. It was good. Maybe he and Noelle should go somewhere to get some chocolate afterwards.
But the fact it was located in Sweden was pretty much all Espen recalled about the mission. All of the other little details had been wiped from his memory. Because of this, Espen followed behind Noelle like a little puppy. Maybe she didn’t know where she was going either, but Espen didn’t care. They could get lost together. That might be fun.
The sun was kinda blinding Espen right now too. It was just a glare, but that was something Espen was not used to. It was generally always really cloudy at home. When the sun did glare like this he’d kinda just stay inside. The weather was also a tad on the nippy side, at least more than it would be in Shibusen. Espen didn’t mind very much, but Noelle might have.
Right now the two traversed a path. There was a map that was useless because Espen had no idea where they were supposed to go. There were also signs in Swedish. Espen had been reading them, understanding most of the key words, and quickly realized the information on them was equally worthless.
Espen did notice something that’d actually be useful, though. A visitor centre! Yes, he and Noelle should probably go there. Even if they only spoke Swedish Espen could talk to them decently enough. Yes, yes. They should go there. Espen stopped. There were a lot of different paths to go down, actually. Perhaps Noelle would not want to waste time?
”So, where do you want to go?” Espen asked his partner in a rather chipper voice. He was pretty excited about this whole thing, actually. ”I think going to the visitor’s info thingy would be a good idea.”
There was a pause before Espen talked again. Ah, that was right! He had almost forgotten that Noelle did not know how many languages he spoke. He best reassure her that it’d be fine if they were to go there. ”Oh! And it’ll be okay if they only speak Swedish. I can speak a bit...” A bit was a bit of an understatement. Espen could speak it well enough to hold a conversation, even if his grammar and slang sucked.
”Or we could just go on ahead...” Those words were nothing more than a murmur. Espen was being indecisive. He was letting everything up to Noelle. Which made sense, right? After all, she was the meister. Meisters were supposed to be the boss and the star and all that nonsense. So, Noelle would make the decisions.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2014 22:11:40 GMT -5
Noelle never actually dreamed that she'd ever leave the country, because let's be honest she had never even left her home state before this whole Meister business started. And while she was thinking on that, she never really pictured herself being a Meister either. In fact, she hadn't really known much about that at all before just very recently. But now here she was, in Sweden with a person who could transform into a weapon and was calling her partner. It was kind of a big deal, really. She wanted to see everything, and in her excitement she found herself taking the lead in this situation.
But she needed to remember why they were here. (And that was easy to do; she had memorized the mission report.) This wasn't a vacation, this was a very important mission. People were going missing, and she and Espen needed to find the source of trouble. It didn't really sound too hard, and though she rightly should have been she wasn't nervous. Just excited, and a little cold.
She hadn't really planned on the weather. It was bright, but not hot. She had meant to look up the weather and dress appropriately for it, but she had gotten rid of most of her winter clothes when her family moved south. She wasn't even sure it got cold in Death City, though that could be worried about on another day. What really mattered that she wasn't prepared for this; it wasn't terribly cold or anything, especially not when the wind wasn't blowing. But she had dressed lightly, like she always did, and felt a little shiver crawl up her entire body whenever the wind picked up. But she was a big girl, and could handle it. Besides, it was much better than being hot anyway. She was just thanking her lucky stars she didn't end up in the Amazon or something.
Espen's voice came from behind her, and she stopped in her venturing to look back at him. The visitor center had been suggested, though she didn't think it was a very good idea at all. For one thing, it looked sketchy as hell. For another, they didn't really need to go to the visiting center. They had all the information they really needed, but she supposed that they could at least figure out where the disappearances were taking place, so that they could save a little time in mindlessly searching. Besides, if he thought it was a good idea then she could at least give it some more consideration. And it wasn't like she was afraid of the building, anyway. It wasn't like the monster was hiding there.
Though the bit about speaking Swedish was really interesting, though she didn't think they'd need it because most tourist attractions had help in many languages. Or she assumed they did, anyway, but she wouldn't know since she had never actually done anything touristy before. "That's pretty cool...where'd you learn Swedish?" Learning languages was pretty classy in it's own right--she wanted to learn another language, though she didn't think Swedish would be the one she chose. Still, it only strengthened the idea that Espen was some really high class person.
Her body was wracked with a particularly violent shiver, and she instinctively reached up to rub her bare arms. This was going to get annoying real fast, she noted with a tiny scowl. Next time she'd be sure to look into the weather before the mission. "Ah...I thought it would be warmer...wish I'd brought a sweater..." She wasn't really talking to anyone, just commenting mildly to herself to defend the shiver.
She made herself focus again after that, looking around and pondering over her options. She really wanted to just keep moving on, but Espen was probably right about checking the visitor center out. In the end, she just gave a tiny shrug and decided to go with what he wanted. "Let's check the visitor center out...looks kind of sketchy, but at least we can ask what trail to investigate." She gave him a smile, before starting to make her way toward the building. She paused and waited for him, making sure not to start walking until he was by her side again. She didn't want to have to lead him around; they were partners, so they could walk together at least.
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Post by The Sidhe on Oct 23, 2014 14:40:52 GMT -5
The main path is was.
With the nearest visitor’s center marked on the map as being a little ways into the marsh the team would at least not have to venture too far in yet. The narrow wooden path led the way into the cloud-covered bog straight on for a good enough ways. Though the walkway appeared as though it would be dangerous to tread upon given the width insisted they walk single file, it was sturdy. It didn’t creak or sag at all. It only echoed their footsteps in hollow thuds to stand out starkly against the overall silent marsh.
Little could be heard that was alive around them. Were the weather and their reason for being there have been better; it may have been peaceful rather than eerie. Birds taking flight would bring the beating of wings at times as they darted across the sky. The sound of the water moving with small insects and amphibians provided a closer paranoia with the small pools beneath and around them along with the sound of the bog itself simply making the water bubble through escaping gas. Thankfully the smell was nothing terrible. Old, earthy, but not anything that would make one crinkle their nose.
The path didn’t turn so much as it vaguely curved past a wispy cluster of trees. Moss shifted into proper grass, though it appeared lumpy and unstable. Thicker trees with more green on them and more height began cropping up and leading towards a part of the bog that looked more lively that the flat reaches that seemed to go on forever. A little more walking and a sharp turn would reveal the visitor’s center behind a thin wall of trees, encased by them and a little unnerving n and of itself.
The structure was built out of dark wood, small and square windows lining the sides. It was set up on stilts and a platform that lay quite suddenly next to the path, a slightly larger opening of space giving room to stand on outside the door. It was closed, understandable given the climate. The anled roof has moss growing all over it, and a small chimney spoke of a fireplace within. Aside from the small, tree-filled enclave it seemed to be hidden in, the area was surprisingly free of obstructions.
Outside the door were two young women dressed for the weather and the walk, heavy boots and windbreaker jackets. Tall, blonde, and appearing a little concerned, they spoke to a young man who appeared to work there given how he was dressed a little nicer. He was taller still, brown hair a little windblown and with a softness in his blue eyes while still managing to look very confident in what he was saying, the gentleness in his smile making clear he was trying to comfort them even if the team may not entirely understand.
<<It’s only the north most paths people are missing from, the ones nearest to the rest area right in the middle of the maps. East and West shouldn’t be a problem, just be sure to stick together. The only people missing are reported to have been alone.>>
The girls exchanged glances and the one with her hair in a tight ponytail nodded. <<If you’re sure, then I guess we’ll be alright,>> she said before turning and nodding for her friend to follow her, <<We can just circle back and head East.>>
Being in agreement, they both made their departure and the young man waved after them before turning himself and beginning to head back inside. He halted as he opened the door, noticing the team’s approach. <<Hello there,>> he said in greeting before looking a little confused, <<A little under-dressed for the weather, aren’t you? We have extra coats in here if you like.>>
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2014 17:06:11 GMT -5
When Noelle had asked Espen where he had learned Swedish, he hesitated a bit before answering. He was trying to recall if he had told her or not already. But he must not have. Oh well. ”I learned a lot of languages back at home!” He spoke, cheerily like always. ”After all, I had a lot of spare time on my hands.”
There was a moment or two of silence before there was the sound of the two talking to each other again. That was broken when Noelle talked about how cold she was. Espen was not too cold. It was a bit chilly, but he was used to worse. Sweden was right near Norway, so it’s climate was familiar to Espen. At least there wasn’t snow on the ground.
Espen was wearing long sleeves under his light jacket, like he always did. Noelle wore no sleeves at all, so he was certain she’d be better suited to be wearing the jacket than him. Besides, she was going to be doing most of the work here. Just as Espen was about to take off his jacket to give to Noelle, he realized that it was much colder than he thought. Gah. This wouldn’t do!
Then Espen had an idea. A fantastic, wonderful idea that was probably one of the smartest ideas he had had in a while. ”Here!” He exclaimed, wrapping the coat partially around himself and partially around Noelle.
Erm, actually that wasn’t working too well. Agh. Espen could just endure the cold... Noelle was from America, no? That was much warmer than Norway. Espen decided to move away from Noelle, leaving her with a coat much too big for her hung around her shoulders. He then stepped forward on to the narrow path so Noelle couldn’t give it back even if she wanted to. ”Let’s be off, then!”
The visitor’s centre wasn’t too far away, thankfully. Espen had tuned out most of his surroundings, as he tried to think about how he would go about talking in Swedish. It had been a while since he spoke it, so he had forgotten a bunch of words. As he tried to recall them, he heard someone speaking the exact words he was thinking of.
Turning his head up to see what was happening, as his eyes had drifted downwards as he thought, Espen laid eyes on three people. Two girls, one man. The man looked to work there, judging by how he was dressed. He managed to hear most of the conversation and understand it, but unfortunately he did not know the directions in Swedish. But he did pick up that people from the rest areas were going missing. And they had been alone at that. That sounds like an easy place to catch people. Huh. Crafty kishin.
When the man addressed him, Espen replied as best he could. <”Oh, yes that’d be lovely!” He replied. Coats would be nice. Then he could take his own coat back from Noelle. As thin as it was it would be more than enough for him.
Knowing that Noelle probably had no clue what was going on, Espen attempted to take her hand then lead her into the visitor center.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2014 19:45:11 GMT -5
As much as Noelle really wanted to learn a language, she couldn't really see herself doing it in her free time. Most of her free time was spent reading, or trying to do so anyway, or hanging out with Hannah. And recently, she had even taken to exploring town. Maybe she should consider actually doing something productive with her spare time, not that she had much of it left anyway. She could learn a language. Or piano! That sounded fun. She wondered if she'd be any good at piano. She wasn't very musical, but she was pretty sure that hard work could get her about as far as talent could.
She had kind of zoned out a little, which wasn't a good thing to do on a mission, so Espen suddenly speaking up again surprised her a little bit, and just when she had turned her head to see what he wanted he had gotten far too close to her. Her entire body stiffened, and she fought the urge to push him away. She had to remind herself that this wasn't Aiden, and that Espen was largely ignorant when it came to her feelings about her bubble. So she could forgive the kind gesture, one that was surely supposed to keep her warm, but if he didn't move away from her she would surely make a run for it.
In her tiny little bout of panic, she hadn't actually noticed that the contact was a little awkward. Espen must have picked up on it, though, because he was the one to move away. He left his coat behind, though, which Noelle thought to be rather odd. "Espen..." She hadn't asked for this. She didn't need him coddling her like that; she could stand a little cold. Besides, now he would be cold and what good would that do?
...it was really warm, though. She slowly began to pull the article into a more secure position, slipping her arms through the larger sleeves. Just this once, she could allow it. After all, she had said she wished she had a sweater. While it wasn't a request for his, she'd accept the kindness this time.
Funny, how much she let him get away with. Well, he was her partner after all.
She still acted a little grumpy as she followed him onto the wooden path, though. She reserved that right, at least.
They didn't go too far before they found the visitor center, hiding behind the trees. The sight of it made her a little uneasy at first, though as they got closer a trio of people was found and she found her confidence coming back. She had every intention of walking up to the man who appeared to be in charge and figure out where she needed to investigate, but that goal withered away as he spoke to them in a language she didn't understand. (She assumed Swedish.) It seemed Espen would be the one to shine here, as he actually knew the language and had made a response. That left her feeling a little awkward, though. It was uncomfortable, not knowing what was going on.
As though reading her mind, and she was actually starting to wonder if partners could do that, Espen had reached out for her hand. She let him take it, going a little farther and grabbing his sleeve with her other hand. "What are we doing?" she asked, quietly so the Swedish man wouldn't hear.
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Post by The Sidhe on Nov 16, 2014 15:08:30 GMT -5
The young man gave them a warm smile and held the door open for the team, beckoning them inside. <<Please come in, then.>> A beat passed and he seemed to remember something and bowed his head a little. <<Oh, and I’m Oskar! Welcome to the Store Mosse Information Center.>> There, that was better. He was at work after all, which had become suddenly easier with the disappearances. Not a lot of people wanted a guide to lead them around the marshes with people going missing and blood smears showing up at rest areas and pathways. On the one hand he had more free time. On the other hand, Oskar wished the cause was more reasonable. Getting time off from what were certainly murders of some sort was hardly relaxing.
Inside of the visitor’s center was a brightly lit space that matched the warmth filling the room. It was a stark contrast from outside but usually a welcome one. The moment the team stepped inside the chill would be beaten back and replaced by a more pleasant temperature. The inside was as wooden as the outside. The walls were rough but not enough to warrant potential splinters. The floors, on the other hand, were polished until they gleamed, reflecting the light from the fixtures in the slanted ceiling further around the room.
On the walls old and new photos of people who had explored the bog and helped to set it up as a national park to preserve it. There were older maps and explanations of events that had since passed. There was a divider in the middle of the truthfully small building and on the opposite side was a section devoted to even older history. Artifacts found in the peat from long ago, and several panels and a few photographs of the Bocksten Man: a bog mummy found in the 1880’s when a portion of the bog had been drained to gather the peat.
Oskar led the team a slight ways inside. Not far from the door and to the right was a coat rack that held various sizes and purposes. Some were more akin to windbreakers, others resembled coats suitable for snow. All were insulated, to fend off against the cold weather. Beside them was a small hanging lattice with hooks that held shoes used for walking on the peat itself without sinking, usually saved for guided tours but for now they hung idly until the disappearances stopped.
He gestured towards them with a smile. <<There they are. Pick whichever ones suit you, but please do return them before leaving Store Mosse.>> Aside from Oskar and the team, there were few other people lingering within the visitor’s center. There was another, older man who was dressed as though he worked there was well. He was over near the photos of the Bocksten Man speaking to a woman and two teenaged boys that were likely her sons. Oskar gave them a glance out of habit to see if they needed him but turned his attention back on the team seeing that they didn’t. <<What brings you two to Store Mosse?” he asked lightly. They seemed a little young to be on their own in his opinion, but who was he to judge?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2014 19:47:50 GMT -5
It had completely slipped Espen’s mind to actually tell his partner what was going on instead of just expecting her to blindly follow him. Ah, oh well. That problem was easily solved. ”He was going to get us coats.” Espen replied, not bothering to lower his voice like Noelle had. Either the guy would not understand him and simply assume he was translating - like he was - or he actually spoke english which would make both Espen and Noelle’s life a heck of a lot easier. While Espen could actually understand Swedish unlike his partner he spoke English much, much better. The man had probably caught on to him not being extremely familiar with the language by now.
Soon the two had entered the visitor center. The man introduced himself as Oskar in a formal manner, which was good because formality was much easier for Espen to translate than slang. <”Espen Vivian Losnedahl the Second, if you please.”> He said, making a similar bow. Introducing himself formally was second nature, but Espen also had company so best introduce her too. <”And my companion here is Noelle.”> What was her last name, again? She had never referred to herself by it, so Espen didn’t really remember.
It was nice that the visitor center was warm, but Espen had expected no less. This place was supposed to be welcoming to visitors. Best make a good impression, right? There were also photos everywhere. Less expected than the warmth, but not at all surprising. Espen didn’t travel much so he hadn’t really been to a place like this before. Though he had been to smaller restaurants which had a similar amount of pictures.
Oskar led the team to the coats. Lots and lots of coats. There’d have to be one that fit Noelle here, so Espen attempted to gently take his own coat back from her, now letting go of her hand. Yep, he wouldn’t need any other coat... Y’know, probably being in weapon form for the remainder of the trip. <”Of course.”> He replied to Oskar, though not looking at him as he was focused on prying his coat away from Noelle. That might actually prove to be a problem, though. It might get ruined during the fighting. Oh well. He’d just do a good job at protecting his meister. Worst case scenario he could always pay for it.
Though Espen did turn his head to Oskar when he asked what they were doing there. Hmmm... Had he not said that? Whoops. Espen was somewhat under the assumption this guy would know, but he assumed he and Noelle might have also looked like everyday tourists. <”Oh. We’re from Shibusen.”> He replied, simply. The guy would hopefully understand that. Unfortunately Espen wasn’t quite sure who the employer was.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2014 23:41:32 GMT -5
The inside of the Welcome Center was warm and bright, contradicting it's really sketchy outside. Noelle had been a little on edge, going in, but she relaxed considerably once she actually got inside. She had never been to a national park before, but she imagined that this building was similar to any other welcome center out there. It was kind of cute, really, and since she couldn't understand much of the conversation (except the introductions, because that was obvious) she paid special mind to the room. She took particular note of the photograph of the mummy, and determined that she would Google more about this place once she got home. She even observed the other group in the building for a bit, pretending as though she knew what they were talking about.
She was just in the middle of imagining scenarios for the slightly shorter boy across the parlor when Espen started grabbing for the coat. She had been too lost in thought to really notice that he had let go of her hand, so all she really registered was that somebody was trying to grab her. Every muscle in her body tensed as she resisted the urge to retaliate, keeping in mind that she was in proper company and throwing a fit was not lady-like. She did subtly step away from Espen, slowly ripping herself from his grasp. They'd have a talk about personal space later, because he didn't need to just touch her willy-nilly.
It was easy enough to guess what he wanted, though, and she slipped the jacket from her shoulders and ignored the pang in her chest that longed for the warmth to return. She held it out to him and quickly turned away to leaf through her coat options in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. She didn't put much thought into it, grabbing a red wind-breaker that looked her size. Upon putting it on, however, she realized she probably should have checked the tag because it was a little big. But since it was probably only one or two sizes bigger, she opted to keep it on rather than exchanging it.
"Thank you, Mister Oskar," she mumbled, though she had said it without thinking much about the possible language barrier. At the very least, thank you was pretty widely known.
Noelle did wish she was the one who knew Swedish, though. Mostly because that would have been awesome, but also because she wanted to hurry up and ask Mister Oskar to point them in the direction of the disappearances. Admittedly, that could have been what they were talking about. But Mister Oskar didn't look like someone who was discussing the disappearances of his customers.
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Post by The Sidhe on Feb 19, 2015 2:04:49 GMT -5
Rather lengthy introductions, or at least for the first. Espen Vivian Losnedahl the Second? Oskar had never heard the name before, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out he was likely talking to someone far higher up on the social ladder than he’d ever be. The shorter address thrown towards his friend was quite the contrast. Espen and Noelle. Oskar smiled warmly at both of them. <<It’s good to meet you both.>>
The two still seemed a bit out of place. Ill-prepared for the weather and much younger visitors than they usually got, save for the unwilling tagalongs accompanying parents or school trips. Watching as Noelle returned the jacket that apparently had belonged to Espen, Oskar attempted to figure out why they would even be interested in such a place. The girl had seemed interested in the pictures, but the other not so much. But waiting for answers was interrupted by thanks that made Oskar inwardly kick himself for his carelessness. That was why Noelle had been so quiet. She’d had no idea what he was saying.
“You’re welcome, and my apologies. I didn’t think to wonder if both of you spoke Swedish.” Thankfully the marshes were visited by many from all over the world, though not to a dramatic extent. Just enough that knowing more than one language was preferable if associating with it. At least with that another issue had been addressed. He knew now he should probably speak English and now the girl had a proper coat. As to why they were visiting Store Mosse, he got that soon enough. The two were from Shibusen.
Ah.
That’s why.
Oskar tried not to let his demeanor change too much, but ignoring the sudden weight on his shoulders was difficult. Sighing softly, his expression was a mix of relief and something sadder. “I see. My supervisor told us we might be getting a visit from a team.” He managed to keep a small smile on his face with great effort. “I’m glad you’re here, but I’m afraid there’s little in the way I can give you as far as information goes.” Blue eyes drifted to one of the windows and to the cold image beyond the glass. “If you want proper directions to where they’ve found signs of the missing visitors, then I know that for certain considering we’ve been advising people not to go that way.”
Oskar glanced back to the team and nodded towards the right, nearer to where they’d come in. On the wall was a nicer version of the map they’d seen at the edge of the bog where they’d first entered the paths, blown up to be better read and with far more detail. Straying towards it, Oskar began by pointing to their current location. “So far you’re right here, just off the main path. If you head back out onto the walkway you were on and follow it. It should curve all the way back around to the right and merge back onto a wider walkway. Once you reach that, take a left.” Oskar slowly moved the finger he was pointing with up and slightly to the left, following the long white line representing where the team needed to go before pausing at the start of a curve.
“Here things may get tricky. There are a lot of dry bushes, reeds, and tree clusters that can make it difficult to see. It lasts until about here, right before the rest area, and…” He paused for a moment, avoiding the words and the chill he knew would accompany them. “That’s where they’ve found all the bloodstains and drag marks. Just blood, no bodies.” He drew back his hand and crossed his arms as though the temperature in the room had dropped. “Follow that path and you should reach it in maybe fifteen minutes, twenty tops.” Looking from one to the other, Espen to Noelle and back again, he dared to ask, “I don’t know much. Nobody does, but if you have any questions I’ll try to answer them if I can.”
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2015 22:29:37 GMT -5
Oh. The guy spoke english. Well, Espen felt awfully silly now. His Swedish was bad. Well, not bad, but not great either. He’d prefer to speak in one of the languages he excelled in. No matter, it wasn’t a big deal. Surely the guy felt silly too, talking in a language poor Noelle didn’t speak period. No matter, at least she had decided to speak up when she did.
The expression Oskar changed to after Shibusen was mentioned was a bit... disconcerting. It wasn’t too bad, but then again Espen was quite sure that - as someone who worked with people frequently - it was easy for him to show his discontent. The maids were always just fantastic at doing that. Hell, Espen hadn’t known they even felt negative emotions until Annikah was having a particularly bad day.
Alright, good. They were expected. Espen would have been upset if they had ended up in the wrong place somehow. It would not only be a waste of time, but the time that they would spend trying to get the hell out of dodge would be time the kishin spent gaining power and killing people. Not really a good situation.
Not much information, huh? Shame. Hard to build strategies with not much information... Not a big deal, as honestly Espen hadn’t had his hopes up for much information anyway. If so, he would have probably been told a team had already gotten seriously injured trying to take it down. That was the only way he could see that they’d actually have a lot of information on a kishin.
Directions would do well enough. Provided Espen could remember them well enough of course, heh. He could barely see what the heck it was Oskar was pointing to. A map, but he couldn’t make out any details. He really should consider getting some glasses sometime soon. Hopefully Noelle would keep track.
No bodies? That was awfully creepy. Espen wasn’t quite content with thinking about what happened to those bodies, and his face definitely showed it. He also wasn’t happy about the idea of Noelle having to fight in a bog. Not only was that definitely unpleasant sounding, it would slow her movements down significantly. He wasn’t sure if she was quick in the first place.
Asking Oskar questions seemed silly to Espen. He didn’t know anything, so to expect him to answer questions was... hopeful. Being hopeful wasn’t a bad thing, far from it, but there were better times for that. ”I don’t.” He said, simply, then turned to Noelle. ”But, what about you, Noelle? You are the one doing the fighting.”
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2015 22:11:26 GMT -5
Finally, she was acknowledged. And in English, no less! She was quite pleased at the prospect of actually understanding the flow of conversation now, and it showed visibly in her entire aura. She stepped closer to the other two, now fully engaged in what was going on and confident now that she could get the answers she was looking for. Thankfully, she didn’t have to ask any of her questions because Oskar jumped right into the explanation. The first half of the conversation, the bit about her and her partner coming from Shibusen, must have happened while she was lost in translation. But she already knew all of that, so it was almost better that she was coming in on the important part.
An explanation of where the attacks were occurring was all the information she needed, and she followed every trail Oskar’s finger led her in, memorizing the directions he was giving and trying to form a map in her mind. She was quite good with directions, so she had very little fear of getting lost—not in this first part, anyway.
Finally, a destination was identified. Noelle was able to mentally lock onto it in her mind’s map and gave a curt nod to show she understood all that was said.
No bodies was a good thing. That meant that there was a slight possibility that someone might still be alive. She didn’t know much about what was behind all of this, unless it was the phantom unicorn the mission report mentioned. Oskar didn’t seem to know much either, but that didn’t bother her.
Espen had no questions, though he did take a moment to remind her that she would be doing a lot of the dirty work. Not that she minded; she knew what she was getting into long before they started this mission.
She glanced at the map once more, in a last attempt to further press it into her memory, before turning with a smile back to Oskar. “I don’t have any questions,” she replied. None that he could answer, anyway. “We just needed somewhere to start. Thank you for all your help. ” She paused again, raking her brain one last time for any more questions. Her eyes lit up, widening a little as she thought of something. “Is there anything else we should know about the park in general?” If it could be helped, she’d rather not destroy anything or accidentally step on some endangered plant. Or maybe there was some hidden murder decades ago and now the ghost is back and haunting the park.
…well, that seemed a little unlikely. But maybe Oskar would have something interesting to tell them that might come in handy later.
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Post by The Sidhe on Apr 26, 2015 16:42:49 GMT -5
The lack of new questions was hardly surprising to Oskar since he had, after all, voiced how he really had little in the way of information for them. Unless they were looking o a lecture on the park’s history or mummy, in which case he was full of knowledge. But he doubted they had the time, and he certainly didn’t want to take up what time they had to find whatever horror was prowling the bogs. Part of him hoped it was just some unlikely predator that had moved into Store Mosse, maybe a pack of wolves or even a bear. But neither of those lived in the marshes. The most dangerous threat in terms of mammals to the team would be the slim chance of running into a badger or an aggressive male elk or deer, and it wasn’t the season for the last two to be terribly dangerous. It had to be something worse to leave that much red smeared across the wooden walkways.
Noelle drew Oskar’s attention back to the present with her question. There was a great deal they could know about Store Mosse, but Oskar again kept to information that would actually help the team. It only took him a moment to think of a few things. “The first and more important thing that comes to mind is that you stay on the walkways,” he advised gently. “It’s bad for the local plant life, but more importantly this is a peat bog. Everything here from the walkways to the information centers to the cabins are built specifically so they don’t sink. Off of the walkways the ground is incredibly soft and uneven. The peat literally sinks under your weight, and in places it’s possible to drop straight through it.” Oskar gave both Meister and Weapon a look not dissimilar to a babysitter laying down ground rules to a couple of young children. “If you fall in, it’s incredibly difficult to get out, and thrashing around only makes you sink faster.”
Oskar turned to the side and pointed at the white, odd looking shoes hanging on the lattice beside where the coats were. They looking almost like snow shoes but instead they looked to be things to be strapped on to whatever shoes the user was already wearing. “If you like, you can each borrow a pair of those. They’re shoes designed specifically to make walking the bogs easier. They’ll help you keep your balance, but if you hit a particularly soft spot in the peat they’ll only keep you up if you move fast. You can still sink otherwise.”
Looking back to the team, Oskar moved on to the next topic if only to make sure to mention it. “There’s nothing in the wildlife that should hurt you. It isn’t breeding season, so the deer and elk should leave you alone. The foxes don’t generally care about visitors and the badgers tend to stay away from here and further out in the wooded areas. None of the insects here are deadly either. Other than whatever is out there taking people, you should be safe.” Oskar crossed his arms again to fend off the chill he felt speaking about it. “But please be careful, no matter what you find.”
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2015 19:38:12 GMT -5
Noelle didn’t seem to have any questions either. Espen wasn’t particularly surprised by that. She didn’t strike him as the kind of person to worry about things too much. She didn’t seem reckless either, of course. Espen actually wasn’t quite sure what Noelle’s fighting style would be like. Hopefully it wouldn’t get her injured or anything. Well, if she did, would his partial weapon form be able to hold off a kishin? Probably not. Espen wasn’t a good battler on his own...
Well, no sense worrying about possibilities that may never ever happen.
Oh, but Noelle did seem to have a question. Well, kinda. She just wanted to see if there was anything else they should know. Well, that was a bit odd. Surely the guy had already said everything he needed to. He had talked a lot so far. A looot.
In fact, Espen had only now realized how bored he was getting by all this talking. At least he didn’t have a headache, but ... Blah. Hopefully not all missions would consist of this many words.
Espen didn’t pay complete attention to what Oskar went on to say. He didn’t really liked what he said either. Stick to the path? In a combat situation... especially with a close range weapon... And, it seemed like it worked like quicksand. Really big problem, that was. Noelle would have to be extra careful. However, that had been a concern already, so it wasn’t very surprising.
But, oh! It seemed as though there was a kind of shoe that would stop them from falling into the bog. Why, that was just splendid! Kinda like snowshoes, he supposed. That thing people used to wear but had since gone out of style. In fact, REALLY like snowshoes. They looked like they strapped on. Ugh, those might be hard to fight in. But then again it was better than being dragged into the bog... Espen figured it’d be best for him to grab some too, even though he wouldn’t be doing the fighting. Just in case.
Other than that, nothing else the man said interesting Espen. It was more boring stuff. Animals and all that. He didn’t want to hear that. In fact, if the kishin was crafty it might already be on to their whereabouts. In such a case, it’d be best to get to it as quickly as possible so it couldn’t plan or something. Sure, this kishin seemed to be more animalistic than anything but you never know...
”Very well then, let’s pick out some shoes then get going!” Espen said, trying to seem energetic. Yes, if he was then Noelle would surely be less worried. Or just more annoyed. That was better than panicky though. Noelle didn’t seem to be panicked yet, but perhaps she was good at hiding her emotions or something.
Espen wasn’t quite sure if they’d fit all kinds of shoes, but he assumed they would. He’d try them on outside, because they weren’t for indoors. But then again.... he should probably remain in weapon form just in case the kishin got the jump on then. Oh wait. That might tire out Noelle. Hm. For now he supposed he’d just follow her no matter where she decided to go. Noelle probably knew better than him.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2015 23:15:55 GMT -5
Don't sink. Easy enough. Except not, because fighting wasn't an easy or delicate thing that would allow her to stay on the walkways. She wouldn't leave this place clean, that was for sure. But it was nice to know that wriggling about would only make things worse. She stored it away in her memory, because it was likely that she'd end up falling in at least once before the mission was over.
Oh, and there were shoes as well. She followed Oskar with her eyes, zeroing in on the shoes. They looked a little awkward, like they would be hard to walk in, but Oskar insisted that they made traversing the bogs much easier. She wasn't terribly excited about wearing them, because they weren't really cute or anything of the sort. And though she was advised to move quickly in them, she didn't see how she would be able to do that. Maybe it was one of those things that one just gets used to? Surely that was it. But she had her doubts.
After one more note about how they should have no problems with the animals, aside from the particular creature they were looking for, it seemed that Oskar was finished briefing them. Espen was ready to go, it seemed, so they would be taking their leave after grabbing a pair of shoes. "Thank you so much for all your help, Mister Oskar." She took a deep breath, then smiled. "I promise we'll take care of this problem for you. See you later!"
With that she grabbed a pair of shoes and marched her way outside again. She wanted to hurry up and find this thing; once she saw it, a few of her questions could be answered and she wouldn't have to worry about where it was and be anxious about it hopping out at her. The scariest part of any situation like this was the suspense. Once the monster revealed itself, it was a lot less scary.
That's what she was thinking, anyway. But she didn't really have experience in this category.
"Okay, let's go look for a unicorn," she announced, grinning over at Espen. She wondered if he would be walking with her or if he would transform, but she didn't really feel comfortable asking. She figured he'd just do whatever he wanted to do.
"Follow walkway...take a left..." she muttered mostly to herself, looking around to grasp her bearings. Then she took a moment to slip into the bog shoes provided for her, as though she had forgotten about them until this moment. Then she focused on the objective again, and started to walk forward -- a bit awkwardly, but she was still moving forward at least.
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