3rd Howl | [Log/Action] [OPEN]

[professorwolf]

After school, Lyall hurries off campus rather more quickly than usual: he's meeting someone at the museum to discuss cybernetic eyes, for one thing. He's been looking forward to that for a while now. For another, someplace quieter and with fewer people will be more comfortable for his poor, still-overwhelmed nose. Plus, he does rather like the museum, especially the natural history section. That's where he's said he'll meet Chris, so that's where he's waiting for her, staring up at the one full dinosaur skeleton the little place has.

And on top of that, today he has a mission: catch one of those awful little black bugs. Towards that purpose, he has his pockets loaded with plastic bags, test tubes with stoppers, and even a small butterfly net to attempt to catch possessed animals with-- and of course, a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off his skin.

Once he and Chris have had their talk, his plan is to go out hunting. He'll be found anywhere around the city, stalking funny-looking birds and cats and testing the air for that tell-tale smell. He probably looks pretty silly doing it, too, but it's for science, dammit. He will put up with looking a little silly.

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[struckout]

For Kallie, whenever she was stressed or bored or simply needed some time to herself, running always helped. The exertion, familiar pattern of her feet on the ground... no matter how she was feeling, it always seemed to help put her thoughts in better order.

Of course, ever since the attack on her at the health center a few weeks previous, since that pink light had appeared in the sky and soon afterward she found herself connected to another dozen or so people with no credible explanation for how the system worked, she had a lot more attempting to crowd her mind than usual. She could only wish that it wasn't so close to the end of the semester, that she had time to run farther or longer to try and compensate. As such, however, she was forced to stick to her usual routes- across LCU's campus, through the nearby park...

And it was there that she finally got her first notable encounter with the weird animals the other number-receivers and the news had been talking about: a number of cats grouped together, and what must have been a squirrel or chipmunk or something in their midst. She couldn't tell with the smaller animal, because its face was warped- flattened like a human's except with the bestial features retained. Horrified and fascinated, she slowed to a stop, staring openly. One of the cats was standing upright, the others likewise twisted or showing alarmingly human features. Ears or eyes poked out discordantly from fur, or long bald toes on front paws that appeared to be stunted fingers. Kallie was disgusted as she bent at the waist to get a better look, frozen in place by the sheer absurdity of what was in front of her.

Unfortunately, her inaction towards actually seeming a threat to the creatures was quick to turn detrimental, and in a group the things were far more bold--

... Needless to say, all she could do was squeal in surprise as they rushed forward, backpedaling as at least two of them leaped at the poor girl.

[professorwolf]

The scent of the things had led Lyall to the park. He'd been following what he thought was a former cat; it smelled like a cat, but it also smelled like those tiny seed-creatures. The cry up ahead of him, half-shielded by foliage off the path, startled him and made him break into a jog towards it.

Just in time to see the squirrel-creature and one of the cat-creatures land on the brown-haired girl. He pushed up to a run, yelling and waving his arms in an attempt to scare them off. "Hey! Hey, shoo! Cut it out! Leave her alone!"

It wasn't all that threatening, but then, they weren't all that smart. Maybe it would work.

[struckout]

Kallie was just lucky enough that instinct prioritized shielding her face- as such, the creatures hit her arms and body instead, yowling as claws scrambled at the fabric of her light jacket and skin beneath. She was far too busy to worry about the sudden male shouting, because while the morphed animals' weight should have been insubstantial, she was already off-balanced; she stumbled as she twisted and cried out, trying to get away.

The cats that hadn't immediately attacked, however, were quick to notice the intrusion, hissing as hair was puffed out in alarmed attempts at intimidation themselves--

And then screamed as Kallie not just managed to throw the cat that had leaped on her off at them, but as a flash of purple illuminated him, a miniature bolt of lightning punctuated and completed by a sharp crash like a thunderclap. The air crackled with the charge even as the woman continued backing, stepping away again and again while she attempted to swipe the smaller animal off as well.

[professorwolf]

That was even less like what Lyall might have been expecting, and the scent of lightning-scorched air made him sneeze, which might have been a little more intimidating had the creatures been paying a lick of attention to him. He stopped short, waving at the invisible but overwhelming smell of burned fur, and peering through it at Kallie. She, at least, smelled fine, if frightened.

But as the animals scattered, he had the presence of mind to cry, "Catch one!" and dive after the nearest of the cats.

He wasn't the most agile of individuals, being a biology teacher and generally more sedentary than athletic, so he missed and scrambled after it.

[struckout]

Out of all the things she could be doing... catching one of the creatures was the least of what Kallie was concerned about, especially once she realized what she'd just done- with someone else around to see, even. A witness to the strange ability she'd picked up a couple of weeks previous.

Her hand finally caught the smaller animal, shoving it off and then quickly following up with a kick aimed in its direction, but aside from trying to get away from it and the others, the young woman did little else. Her gaze fixed on the man lunging for one of the animals who had just attacked her, but she may as well have used the Thunder spell on herself with how stunned she seemed to be at the moment.

[professorwolf]

In any other situation, Lyall would have felt enormously silly. Too silly to actually do what he was doing. He was no his hands and knees, trying to catch the bounding feline... thing... that was running on two legs instead of four, and thus was much more awkward. He finally pounced on it, catching it in both hands and against his stomach-- earning himself quite a few scratches, for that matter.

Because as soon as he caught it, it turned into a normal, panicked, squalling cat. A small cloud of little black puffs burst out of its mouth.

[struckout]

The animals were scattering, aside from the two captured or left half-living. Kallie circled the electrocuted cat warily... debating the desire to run now that she was free, before the man so currently occupied with trying to hold a rather angry cat could think to question her about what had just happened...

But then she really looked at him, realizing after a flash of confusion that she recognized his face and demeanor: her old biology teacher from high school, of all things. What was he doing here??

Her gaze shifted again, but this time when she found herself staring at the downed creature, she was far less eager to bend and get a better look. It was still alive, twitching sporadically as it clung to whatever control it had left... and disturbed, Kallie stepped away, closer towards the man instead.

"... Mr Lyall?"

She frowned, holding a hand to the opposite arm. To her chagrin, her jacket was ripped, and to her rising uneasiness, it seemed she was rather scraped up by the brief scuffle as well.

[professorwolf]

"Yes, yes-- a moment!" Lyall exclaimed, dropping the cat and clapping his hands around the cloud of little fly-sized things. He managed to capture several, but they immediately commenced with the biting.

Wincing, he said, "Hurry, please, in my jacket pocket there is a test tube with a stopper. Could you get it out for me?" He still hadn't registered who she was, but he'd get there. Once tiny alien fae things weren't biting his fingers.

[struckout]

She stared... but then complied, even if she didn't understand just what was going on or what he was trying to do. That said, it didn't help that her sense of personal space was unusually wide, and the idea of touching the clothing of a man who she once had as a teacher was one of the last things she wanted to do. It was with a very gingerly manner that she tilted her head and reached for a test tube, trying to retrieve it with as little contact as possible.

Once she had it, she could only assume he wanted it open as well, but the look on her face was questioning as she held it up between slim fingers.

[professorwolf]

Be grateful it wasn't in an inside pocket or the pocket of his pants, Kallie. He nodded hastily, wincing again, and held out his closed hands.

Once it was opened, he stuck the heel of his hands against the top, opened them just a crack, and the creatures, sensing an opening, streamed out. Some escaped, but two wound up inside. "Got you!" Lyall covered the top with his thumb, looking pleased with himself. "Finally!"

[struckout]

"What is that?" Kallie finally managed to ask, the revulsion in her expression lingering as she watched him trap the tiny beings inside the length of the test tube. She pulled away the instant she thought he had hold of the impromptu container, certain she felt at least one brush against her hand--

Suddenly, she turned sharply, whipping her face back towards the thunder-spelled cat. There too she noticed tiny black balls of puff skittering away in the wind, escaping from the unfortunate defeated animal... and then it happened again- that hollowness, the reverberating thud of a single heartbeat...

She braced herself in the instant that followed, but nothing else seemed to happen. Her thoughts remained free of arguing strangers, the environment free of any more demonstrations of odd powers. Was it a fluke? Just her imagination overreacting to stress...?

[professorwolf]

"I don't know what they're called, but they are the causes of those mutations in animals, and they seem drawn to us-- oh dear." The little things were obviously freaking out inside the test tube, smashing themselves violently against the walls. He patted himself for pockets with his free hand and yanked out a plastic baggy, stuffing the tube inside that and hastily zipping it up. Now at least the surface they were trapped in wasn't hard enough to injure them. Right?

He finally looked up at Kallie and blinked, at last registering her face and its familiarity. "Wait-- I know you. Aren't you one of my students?" Former students, probably, given he hadn't quite remembered a name yet.

[struckout]

Her mind remaining empty of any apparent effects, Kallie still frowned as she turned back, uneasy all the same.

"Us...?" she repeated quietly, noticing with unusual clarity that he'd cut off before exactly mentioning what us was referring to. She crossed her arms carefully, looking down at them as she wondered whether or not she was bleeding anywhere. She couldn't decide on what to focus on- between what had just happened, the furballs, the explanation... and noticing that her thoughts were jumping around erratically. Distantly, she pondered what it said about her that she was able to separate that idea from the rest so cleanly.

"A few years ago," she confirmed after a moment, but it was obvious from her distance and failure to further help him remember who she was that she was reluctant about it. There wasn't anything in her memory that would paint him as someone to be wary of, but... her mood the last few days had put her in a suspicious sort of state towards pretty much everything.

FINALLY OUT OF WORK JEEEZ

[reapsthewind]

Chris, for her part, has been uneasy about all this, and unsure of how to actually feel in the end. On the one hand, she's met new people. She might even have gotten a job out of all this. On the other... machine eyes? Notebooks that can upload text to some sort of darknet? What the hell was going on?

She wore a black leather jacket and dark sunglasses. She hadn't worn her contacts today, and she was afraid that people might see...

But why am I so afraid? Maybe they should be afraid of me, she mused. Somehow... despite all her trepidation, the eyes felt right.

oh hai oh hai :D

[professorwolf]

Lyall is easy to spot, and he looks up at her approach. He's not entirely certain it's her, but given the sunglasses inside the dimly lit building, he guesses it should be and lifts his hand in greeting anyway, just in case. Of course Bakura's math tutor is an attractive young woman. He feels particularly dorky, now.

"Chris?" I hope? "Randall Lyall."

:3

[reapsthewind]

"Hello, Mr. Lyall," she said, smiling a crooked smile. Despite her physical looks her, voice was, er... grating. High pitched and a bit raw, actually, not pleasant to listen to. She extended a hand for a handshake, but when she got a little closer, she dropped the smile.

"You have a quiet corner in mind?"

[professorwolf]

Oh good, he had the right person. He was a bit surprised by the voice, but he went with it. He gave her hand a shake, not entirely as firm as it could be but not weak, either. "No one ever comes over to the geology section, right to the left here. Apparently most of the world finds rocks boring."

He led the way that direction, already trying to gauge what he could from her scent. "Have there been any further changes, since I spoke with you on Tuesday, if you don't mind my asking?"

[reapsthewind]

"But rocks are great--"

Whatever. She shook her head at the next question.

"No, nothing yet. ... I'm almost disappointed, really."

[professorwolf]

"You actually want more changes like your first one?" Lyall asked dryly, but amiably enough. They ducked into the utterly deserted geology section, and Lyall drifted them over towards the part about soil composition, the most boring part of the exhibit for most. There, he asked, "May I see?"

((and what does she smell like? ^^ anything different from "normal human female"?))

[reapsthewind]

((Nothing different yet. Her second echo that she's getting from the kid's death will change things, but for now, just normal.))

"They could be useful, I dunno. It's... feeling special, for the first time in a long time. Y'know?"

She sighs. Even with that said, it's still... weird. She slowly takes off the glasses. And, yep -- while the whites look semi-normal, closer examination shows no veins in them. And the center... yeah. All mechanical, and somewhat alien looking, besides.

[professorwolf]

((closer up, if he's sniffing at the eyes themselves? (god I bet that will seem weird to her XD ) he's looking for component types and how complex the machinery is))

"Excuse me for this, but...." He leans closer for a good look, pulling out his glasses from the chest pocket on his shirt and putting them on for the best focus. "That is... remarkable. And it just spontaneously appeared, right?"

He gives another and more obvious sniff, once he's closer, trying to detect the smell of the metal and electronics inside those odd optics.

[reapsthewind]

[they'd smell weird. they're metal, but alien. I have no idea if he'd be able to tell by smell, but cybertronian parts actually work like living cells -- they're made up of much smaller parts moving in concert. there'd also be something like ozone, which is the energon they run on -- energy rendered temporarily as semi-stable liquid matter. it's their "blood," sorta. they're VERY complex, as complex as something in a living being would be, just inorganic.]

"... are you smelling my eyes?"

She gives him the most incredulous look in the universe. "And yes, after I got the number and this... heartbeat sound."

[professorwolf]

((perfect, thanks! :D most of that won't actually register with Lyall, since he won't know what any of it means, but it gives me something to go off of ^^ ))

"I did warn you I probably would," Lyall says, sounding both a little defensive and a little apologetic. "This new sense of smell ought to be used for something, after all."

He leans back again, rubbing at his nose with one hand and trying to sort out what he did get. "They don't smell like any metal I've ever come across. Not that I've come across that many, individually, but it's still... a brand new smell. And there's something-- something else there, but I don't even know how to describe it." He shakes his head, baffled. "Also unlike anything I've ever smelled."

[reapsthewind]

"Figures," she said, putting her sunglasses back on. "I've taken a good look at them; the construction isn't like anything I've ever encountered either. I mean... it feels familiar? But it's like nothing on Earth. Parts of it almost seem biological, even if they're clearly inorganic."

She sighed.

"This is weird."

[professorwolf]

"That it is. What have you discovered about it, precisely?" Lyall couldn't help but be curious. She might have taken a more sophisticated viewing, with at least a magnifying glass or something, than he could do with just his eyes and glasses. "You say it seems biological?" He suppose that made sense, given they were in her eyes, but it was still just so unexpected. "I will say, that is the strangest of the changes I've heard of so far."