9th Howl [Action, Saturday morning, CLOSED]

[professorwolf]

They'd left the rented car behind a few minutes ago, and made what stealthy way they could towards the farm with the new fences and freshly painted sides. It had taken a little driving around to even catch the place in the distance, having only directions from the air to work with and roads that didn't always lead in the right direction.

But here they were, approaching at last. The grass was tall, and there were trees here and there for cover, and a road led right up to the place. Obviously, they weren't on that road. Lyall might have only been a biology teacher, but he wasn't stupid.

Or maybe he was stupid. Since he was here alone except for one of his students and a ferret, both of whom had refused to stay in the car. He'd wanted someone along with him for this little misadventure, if just to tell people if something had happened to them, but he probably shouldn't have let Banagher be the one to talk him into letting him come, and little Stella perched on his shoulder really wasn't much good for warnings, no matter how well-trained she was.

Comments

[seabeast]

The only way they would have been able to leave Stella in the car was if they locked her in the glove compartment, ok? She hadn't had a chance to see these "werewolves" that everyone else on the network kept talking about, and she was a tiny bit disappointed in that.

Oh yes, she had caught a glimpse of the network open on Lyall's computer once or twice. The little marks didn't make sense to her, but there were enough videos and audio posts to catch her up on the current situation. She knew how to get on the network herself, if only in a vague theoretical sense but there would be no point in making a post for obvious reasons. It also wouldn't do to leave evidence of her numbers everywhere in the house, on mirrors or on the kitchen counter, even if it seemed as though making numbers in the human world was a little different from what she was able to do. No, better to just stay out of the network. It would all be a one way street for now. She had to content herself with making do with occasional field trips like these.

She took a second to look back at the other young man, her posture implacable to any human eye (but not to magical newtype communication abilities how even). She was aware that he was a former student of Lyall's, but anything other than that was a mystery... This stance is definitely a question. Now, who are you and why are you with us?

[argents]

And Banagher, on the other hand, just doesn't know how to take no for an answer once he's got it in his mind to do something. Especially not when the network was buzzing with preparations for the 'hunt'—an event that was just as worrisome as it was impossible-sounding. But impossible is a word with a brand new meaning as of late, which is why Banagher's here at all, regardless of the fact that Casval himself asked him to keep his nose out of potential danger. To him, idling around wouldn't do anyone much good at this stage, and between sneaking around an empty farm and willingly picking up a gun (to fight werewolves), this seemed like the saner of his two options.

That is, until he feels something like a nudge. Not exactly physical, but not spoken aloud, either.

Who are you?

Tensing, Banagher glances around for a source. Not Lyall. Against his better judgment and before he's consciously aware of it, his quizzical look lands on Stella.

[professorwolf]

((and the word from on high is... they find nothing at this farm XD bad luck for us!))

As Stella on his shoulder shifted to twist around, Lyall absently put up a hand to pat her soothingly. "It's just Banagher," he murmured to her, keeping his voice down just in case. "A student of mine. --She seems to like it when I talk to her," he added for Banagher's benefit, taking another few cautious steps towards the fence, trying to peer through the thin screening foliage just before the ditch the fence was anchored in. It wasn't much, but it might keep them from being seen. "Very well-mannered creature, at least apparently when I'm not trying to leave her behind in the car."

[seabeast]

Stella fluffs up under his attention, then sniffs once and haughtily, maybe directly into Lyall's ear. Condescension is fine once in a while, especially when he's explaining her perfect manners to a newcomer, but it wears on her nerves! She isn't about to hoist anchor and bail on him, especially since he's basically free food and shelter, and she does appreciate his benevolence... It all just gets cloying after a while.

She does turn back again to size Banagher up... He does seem to be a young fellow, doesn't he? Certainly the kind of creature Lyall would leave behind, given the chance. She had to put up a fight just to get here, and a nonverbal one at that, but his arguments had been pretty persistent as well. She tilts her head to the side, perhaps approvingly. She liked a fighter, she knew that much about herself.

[argents]

"Even animals have their own wills," is what he decides on, somewhat vaguely. Even if he's pretty sure that shouldn't have extended to potentially-dangerous covert missions out in the middle of no where, but at this point he's hardly one to argue the point. They rallied together and they won together. In a sense.

To his credit, he's also trying very hard to focus on the task at hand, which was finding the route that made the grass crunch the least under his boots. Distraction has a decent grip though, especially when he's getting persistently needled with vague impressions that definitely weren't his own. Glancing away once he realizes how bizarre he must look, thinking in depth about a ferret, he tries to suppress it, gently force it out.

"What do you think we're supposed to be looking for out here, anyway?"

[professorwolf]

((Lyall is gonna be so embarrassed when he finds out she was sentient this whole time X3 ))


Giving a little wince at the rather noisy sniff, Lyall sneaks a finger up there to rub at his ear. "Yes, thank you, Stella, I know." Not what he ought to have known, of course, but he's trying, here.

He reaches the edge of the young trees and gently moves a branch aside to peer though. "Anything out of the ordinary. Anything that we might be able to use to find out more, given a decent internet search or something passed along to Office Kaburagi. Any sign that this isn't just a farm that got itself a new fence. With a lot of luck, we can find something that proves the invasion force or the funny-smelling police are connected here, but I'm not going to hope that far."

[seabeast]

[[ >) ]]

She moves aside to let his hand through, a little mollified. She was a little annoyed, he was a little annoyed, it all seemed perfectly fair to her. Animals may have their own wills, but as far as she could tell, she was the only one with any concept of give and take.

Her attention turns back to the professor as he mentions the name Kaburagi. What?? That enforcement fellow who was trying to curry their favor. Looking for clues was fine, and yes, she would help the best she could with that, but that wasn't enough to convince her that he could be trusted. She backs up a bit on his shoulder, her body doubling up on itself. Foolish man! Open your eyes. A creature doesn't have to smell like a non-human to be suspicious.

apologies for lateness, internet issues ,w,

[argents]

You can't live life distrusting everyone, though... ...is what Banagher's mind supplies him with, even though he bites back the urge to actually say it aloud. He glances either way again, brows furrowed, as if searching for something nearby. No origin for his response just waltzes up to him, predictably, and he moves forward to leverage it, squatting down near the low shrubbery to get a look at the farm beyond.

"Fences generally happen when you're trying to keep something out," he says, brushing some leaves away. Or to keep something in. "But this place almost looks abandoned, don't you think?"

Not exactly what comes to mind when he thinks about a super top secret invasion headquarters, that's for sure.