Sniffing Around [open!]

[Rissa O'Sullivan]

Rissa had to be crazy. Certifiably insane, in fact. Not many people came down Temple Bar anymore.... not since the shades had made it their home. And yet here she was. She was careful not to stare too long at the papery husks that littered the streets, or the piles of clothing dotting the sidewalk. Or sometimes in an alley, the car with its door open.

There was a reason for her madness though, one that was currently floating a hundred yards a head of her. An IFP. Inter-dimensional faerie pothole. She snorted at the thought. Whoever came up with the term was a genius, that's all she could say. For that's exactly what they seemed like. This one had been slowly moving across town for days, and Rissa was here to study the size, it's path, and basically anything else she could see.

Maybe the width of a couple buildings, bits of brick and rubble lay strewn around, showing a clear path of where it had come from. More than anything else, Rissa was curious. Why did some drift around, while others were stationary? Why was it that bits of Faerie were stuck here, instead of the other way around?

Out of the corner of her eye Rissa saw something move, and she froze. In her musings, she'd wandered to close to the shadows. Black shadowy creatures shifted impatiently maybe 20 feet away, eyeing her with what she knew had to be a hungry intelligence. Crap on toast, she knew better than to not pay attention! One of the shadows moved, whipping forward with incredible speed, only to flee back and emit a high-pitched keening that made Rissa's ears hurt when it reached the edge of the shadows. "Yeah, that's right! You're not gonna get me this time," she called out with a smirk. Score: sunlight 1, shades 0.

But not for long though. She needed to keep moving. She wasn't crazy enough to stay out here past dusk; nothing could save you then. Not even her skills as an assassin, or her water manipulation ability.

((I'm just going to leave this open-ended, hopefully it will give it a little more room to play around for whoever joins. ))

[Damien Callahan]

Damien held a kindled flame in his hand. Word came to him at the bar that his father was spotted near Temple Bar and he wanted to investigate these matters himself. Armed with only his hand and a small, probably fake rapier he had on display at the bar, he marched into the Temple Bar, the flame dancing gently on his fingertips. He could feel the heat light against his skin as the sun inched ever so close to the darkness, where nothing could help him then against the vicious beings that lived in the shadows.

The clothes were littered gently against the floor, victims of the darkness. He pitied them, fools who danced too close to the light. Nothing could be done or would be done for them. They were in God country now. He watched the sky and hoped that this little search of his would not be in vain. Cars were outlined in the streets like omens from some denizen of evil. It looked like the scene from a horror movie, only needing roving bands to fill the air with more hatred and evil.

His ears caught a noise though. It was a ‘keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen’ that he could not explain otherwise. It seemed a Shade had reached the light and hid for cover like the cowards they truly were. They were tricky little devils, but they could be fooled by the simple thought of dinner. Pitiable indeed was when the great and fearful predators of their land could be pushed away by something so easy as light. This made his flames even better. They made sure the Shades would continue to stay at bay in fear of catching fire in the cleansing light that made his burn.

He continued moving and saw a figure some meters ahead of him. It was feminine with dark hair that he noticed flowed away. Moving calmly, he let his voice ring in the still air. “Hello?” He asked calmly, letting his flames dissipate from his hand for this brief second as he interviewed this woman. There would be no need of fire with another person. “Do you have a second?” He asked, emotion lacking in his voice. He was neither scared nor pre-occupied. It was the best option he felt to deal with humanity outside of the bar. Humanity was trickier than the beasts that hid in the shadows. Humanity was far less predictable.

[Rissa O'Sullivan]

((Sorry for the wait! D: ))

If Rissa hadn't been focused on the shades in front of her, she would have heard the footsteps. She should have heard them anyway, but that was neither here nor there. As it was, the woman had no idea that there was someone walking up behind her. She was continuing to eye the shades for just a moment longer, to make sure they were safely stuck over there.

"Hello?"

Blinking in surprise, Rissa turned around. Huh, where did he come from? She really needed to be more alert sometimes, and she should know better. Hadn't her mother always told her to stay aware of her surroundings? What if it had been another assassin, for instance? Or otherwise someone with bad intentions? But good thing for her it wasn't - this guy seemed harmless enough. Or at least, somewhat harmless. She'd had a brief glimpse of fire dancing on his hands before he put it out.

Curiosity surged in her with his second question, if she had a minute. "Hey there," she said in reply. "I've got more than a minute, if need be. I just came out to investigate this bit of Faerie.... I'm rather curious about these things. Why they're around, why some of them float and some stay put..."

Realizing she was rambling a bit, Rissa shook her head. "Anyway, what's up?" Though she didn't ask, she wondered if this stranger had heard the shade just now. The keen had been loud enough to echo pretty decently. Speaking of, she glanced over at the shades for a moment. They were getting restless again, but they were still trapped by the light filtering down.

[Damien Callahan]

Damien arched an eyebrow at the girl. She was rambling. Was she scared or something? Oh well, it was probably due to their surroundings. She seemed to be investigating the potholes and had come here for just that. It made sense. Those things did just kind of pop out of nowhere fast. Her head though had turned to the shades hiding in the alleys, hiding from light. They were pitiful. Making a short spark, he shot it into the dark. It hit some clothing and lit a fire. The shades made another large ‘keeeeeeeeeen’ and scrambled away from the flames that almost hit them. They were running now, but it was still definitely not a safe place. “Sorry about that.” Damien replied absently.

“Now. Where was I?” Thinking about it, he nodded. “Oh right. Have you seen anyone come this way other than me?” He asked calmly, looking ahead of her before looking directly at her. “Also, this is a dangerous place. Sure you want to head out alone?” It was a fair question. They were in dangerous terrain and he didn’t know if she had the capabilities right now of fighting Shades. He wasn’t going to just let her run into the darkness without some back-up, and his flames provided it pretty well he thought.

“Cause I can join you in your search if you want to?” He replied, now making a straight flame from his hand. “I have this ability see to make some nice little fire effects. They don’t like light or fire and so, I think I can provide some support in your search.” Sure, he was putting his neck out there for someone he didn’t know but something the right thing was just that. It was the right thing to do.

[Rissa O'Sullivan]

Was she sure she wanted to go out alone? Rissa almost laughed, though she didn't to spare the poor man any hard feelings. The shades were the only thing here that was a deadly threat to her - those, she knew without a doubt there was nothing she could do about except keep at bay with light. Otherwise? Her handgun was in the purse hung over her left shoulder, along with the special knife that stalker fae had left her. As long as she didn't come across a group of anyone with bad intentions, she'd be fine.

But this stranger didn't know that. About to tell him she was okay alone, Rissa paused before saying anything. It wouldn't be so bad to have someone else along, especially someone who could create fire. Sunset was approaching, and she herself didn't have anything other than a pocket flashlight with her, since she hadn't planned on staying in the area past sundown.

"Thank you for the offer. I'm definitely not helpless, but I think the company would be nice. I hadn't planned on being out late enough that shades would be an issue, but you never know. And there are plenty of shadows for the buggers to hide in." She didn't bother to ask if he was prepared to be out here - he had a look about him, and the fact that he'd asked in the first place spoke volumes.

"Oh! As for your first question...." She frowned, thinking back. Anyone other than this guy... "Actually, there was another guy, about a half hour ago? I wasn't paying attention to the time, but judging by how much the sun has moved it was about a half hour ago. Passed by pretty quickly, heading down towards the docks on the river."

Whether that was his destination or not, she had no idea... Rissa just knew that was the general direction he'd taken. She honestly hadn't paid that much attention to the man. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you asking? Someone you're looking for?"

[Damien Callahan]

Damien smiled as she responded. “That’s fair.” He let out calmly as his eyes traced the shadows from far away. The sun was lowering and the darkness was coming soon. He wondered if she had any protection from the dark if things would have come out as such. “You never know.”

It was true. You didn’t. One minute, for all you knew you were okay, and the next you were devoured by a carnivorous shadow. It was hard to believe for a while, but this was the broken world they lived in now and who was he to debate the factuality of their dire situation?

When she talked of the other man, his eyes blinked. So he might have actually come through here. She didn’t really give a description, but a lead was a lead. Still, he didn’t want to just bum rush into the location. He needed a set and a plan and this girl provided that perfectly. “Yes, just meeting him about my pub. Nothing more.” He replied calmly. It was a lie he rehearsed various times in his head to the point he felt it was almost truthful. Half the time, he just met guys who he thought were his father and just asked if they wanted to help his pub. They would refuse but at least he wasn’t embarrassed.

“The docks would be my final destination.” He added with a small grin on his face. He wondered how the docks would be like at this time. The shadows may be everywhere the farther they went and it was certainly becoming much more dangerous to traverse. Taking a step to the right, he began his walk and the wait for her to follow. “So what’s your name?” Damien asked calmly, looking back to her. “Mine’s Damien. Damien Callahan.” He ask, the Cork in him influencing his accent greatly.

[Rissa O'Sullivan]

Specifically coming down here looking for a guy, but not knowing if they'd been here or where they were headed? Didn't exactly sound like a typical meeting, and why wouldn't he just try the person's home? But really, who was she to judge? As long as this guy wasn't a fae - and she didn't get the sense that he was anything other than a fae-blooded like her, mostly because he hadn't used song to create that fire - then it didn't matter. So she accepted his answer with an "Ah, I see," and left it at that.

Following the man's lead in starting to walk, Rissa kept her attention split between their conversation and their surroundings. "Well Damien, nice to meet you," she said with a small smile. "I'm Rissa O'Sullivan."

As they moved farther down the street, the faerie pothole caught her attention for a moment and she slowed down a bit. As she watched, a bird high above them flew past the boundary between the Faerie bit and reality. It didn't reappear out from the IFP that she could tell, and part of her wondered what happened to the bird. Were there shades in there too? Or could they not inhabit the broken bits of Faerie?

She really wanted to ask this guy, Damien, if he felt brave enough to venture into the IFP with her, but that was best left for another day at this point. There was no telling what there might be lurking, or how long it might take to find the border back to reality. The last time she'd attempted to go into one of these? She'd spent hours trying to find a way back out. And while time still flowed oddly inside the IFPs, she wasn't quite sure it was exactly how time flowed in Faerie. Yeah, definitely not a good idea right now.

Instead Rissa asked the other question that she'd been about to ask before she got sidetracked. "To be honest, I'm curious - I take it you own a bar?" That would explain the look he had that he could take care of himself - from her experience, you had to be pretty good at handling yourself to manage a bar. All of those drunk people.... Not that she frequented bars too often; if she really wanted a drink, she could get one for free at her uncle's pub. Pretty sweet, if you asked her.

[Damien Callahan]

Damien was incredibly glad that the girl left it at that. He didn’t want to deal with explaining his family to people at that time of day. It would probably take the while they did not have as they wandered through the dark. He wondered whether if she was a Fae or Fae-blooded as well, but didn’t really concentrate on that as much. He knew there were lighter Fae and that the situation between planes was not one that could be handled overnight, so he tried to avoid it at all costs. All his problems were personal and he liked to keep it like that. He would show compassion and sincerity, but he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty if it began to affect him personally. “Pleasure to meet ya Rissa.” Damien replied calmly to the girl, letting his smile give away his general interest in his fellow human and the silly names they had that bewildered so many a Fae.

The pothole was nearby and he could see it. A bird had just disappeared overhead into a new plane. He wondered what it would be like in there, but he decided that maybe he could wait on that. There would always be time later, and he was losing his interest at staring deep into it for too long.

When Rissa next opened her mouth, it actually kind of surprised him. How did she deduce that? Was she psychic? It was possible but he wasn’t going to dwell on it. That was her business, even if his mind felt just a little pryed into. “Umm, yeah I own a pub. What’s this source of curiosity? Want to check one?” Damien asked, arching an eyebrow and giving a light little smirk. “You know, before we got some Shades to deal with out here.” He loved making light out of dark situations, it made it just that less terrifying when one had to confront it head-on. It was just that little less unknown that made all the difference in the world.

[Rissa O'Sullivan]

((Oops. I ms-remembered your last post. D: I swear I remembered that he said he was looking for someone about his bar.... lol, that and maybe posting while sick isn't the best idea ever. My bad.. ^^; ))

“Umm, yeah I own a pub. What’s this source of curiosity? Want to check one?”

Rissa gave a small laugh, shaking her head. "No, not at all; I was just curious since you mentioned something about your pub. Figured that meant you owned one, but I wasn't positive." She hoped she hadn't pried into something she shouldn't have. His 'umm' was a bit... well, she wasn't sure.

Though... before the shades came out. It had a sobering effect on her, and at the same time a stray though flitted through her mind. If she ever got trapped in by shades, would she find herself being rescued by her stalker fae? Or if he was really truly gone, would she meet her demise by creatures that couldn't be stopped? It might not be so bad to have a backup, just in case.

But anyway, that was a can of worms she'd think about later. For now though.... Rissa frowned, glancing one last time at the bit of faerie. Today really hadn't been that productive after all, pity. This was the only chance she was going to get for a little while, too, what with having to start working on finding that dark fae, Olym.

Hm. Speaking of Olym... if Damien was a pub owner, he had to hear some pretty interesting stuff right? That was the whole reason her uncle owned one, it was a pretty slick way of gathering information without seeming to. She wondered if there was a way to ask if Damien had seen someone with Olym's description. Or at least, with Olym's glamour. Except... Rissa didn't have his picture with her, and she didn't remember what the fae looked like. So scratch that then, for now at least.

Realizing she just might have stopped for a moment while the gears were turning, she winced and turned her attention back to Damien. "Oops, sorry for the daydreaming there for a second. Anyway, it's too late now to look at that faerie pothole I'd say. Did you want company over to the docks?"

[Damien Callahan]

(XD Its okayyyy)


Damien laughed a little and shook his head gently. “Yeah I own one, don’t worry on it.” He replied to her calmly, continuing to shake his head in enjoyment of these turns of events. He found this all quite hilarious. Was she really that shaken? It was somewhat adorable in hindsight. Still, she seemed to stop for a moment. What was she thinking exactly? A curious eyebrow rose from Damien’s brow as he wondered what had just happened to the girl. For a moment she was asking questions and then she just stopped in mid-stride. Something was off. Still, it was no business of his to pry for long. He didn’t want to get too deep into the girls life.

Stretching, he shrugged. The darkness was coming down and the lighted path of the docks would probably be beneficial for the moment. Turning his head to her, he nodded politely. “Well, if that’s how you feel. Sure!” He replied jubilantly. He really didn’t want anyone to come with him but she seemed trustworthy enough, if just a little off. Then again, who was he to judge? They were all a little bit off these days. The world was shattering beneath them and for those reasons these thoughts and lonely times scared him. If only a little, they made him shudder. His father knew something and he knew it. He had to find out while he could and this was his opportunity. He couldn’t just leave the possibilities behind him and not see if he could scrounge anything from his quest.

“So do you know how far we are?” Damien asked kind of embarrassed. He was from Cork, not Dublin. He didn’t know everything and everywhere yet, so who could blame him? Plus who even went into this place? Hopefully she wouldn’t think of it and be a worthy guide ahead.

[Rissa O'Sullivan]

Well, at least it didn't seem like she was intruding, judging from the jovial way he replied. Though huh, how far were they exactly anyway? Judging from the street they were on.... let's see. It was something like what, a kilometer and a half or so from where they currently were, she'd say. Give or take a block, that was.... she couldn't remember exactly based on where they were at.

But that was close enough to give an estimation though. "We're somewhere about a 15-minute walk from the docks, if I remember correctly. A bit less than a couple kilometers or so. I'm not sure precisely, it's been a while since I've been down that far; most people try to stick away from these parts now."

When had been the last time she'd come down here anyway? All the way down to the docks that is. She generally stuck away from there; it was a hotspot for beasties from Faerie and those she had no wish to hunt down. She'd leave those to animal hunters, thank you very much - humans and fae were her prey.

Then she remembered. It probably hadn't been since that hit over a month ago. A contract on a human political who was in league with the dark fae. Poor guy had it coming, but he tried to make a run from the docks to an abandoned boat. Didn't quite work out for him in the end, though it didn't quite work out for her either....

Hopefully this time around she wouldn't have bad luck following her around. Her luck lately didn't seen too bad, as far as things went. "The quickest way would be to take a shortcut through the alleys, but that's not really a good idea with the shades. So we'll just follow this street til it dead-ends at the river, then the docks aren't too far from there."