--- interrupted, open

Jeremy wasn't sure why he had made this trip out to the Cherry Hill Temple. It wasn't really his kind of scene -- not that he really had a scene, unless one counted school. Jeremy had never been very religious growing up, and while he respected all the various religions out there, he never really went out of his way to seek inner peace, or to say any prayers for whatever was going on in his life. Even right now, as Jeremy studied some of the charms hanging on the eaves of buildings, Jeremy didn't know why he had come. It wasn't like the temple was any safer than any other place in the city; he had heard the rumors of some strange creatures lurking around, and of the girls that had been going missing from here. He had been discouraging Bianca from coming with her friends, and now here he was -- she'd probably find that a little hypocritical of him.

Of course, Jeremy had some amount of protection. He was capable of using powers -- powers he didn't understand, or know where they had come from. At the very least he could change into that outfit and use those powers to protect himself... which would require actually learning how they worked. What Jeremy really needed to do was practice. He would have to find a place to practice first, of course. One where people weren't likely to come across him and ask what the hell he was doing. Jeremy wasn't sure he would be able to answer that, and part of him didn't want to be put in the position where he had to. If he didn't understand what had happened to him, or why it had happened, why should he go out of his way to explain it to others? Even if he did get a hang of the whole transforming and powers deal, Jeremy wasn't keen to share that with anyone -- not even his brother. He couldn't really explain that; he just didn't think he could go around saying he could defeat monsters using magical powers... if that was even what he had. People would laugh, and... well... he hadn't heard of anyone else coming out to say they were able to use powers, and he knew he wasn't the only one...

Jeremy sighed and rubbed his forehead. Now he could remember why he had come up to the temple. He was looking for a little peace and quiet to try and collect his thoughts. He turned away from the dangling charms, taking in the small court yard. There seemed to be a few people around, but they all seemed to have a purpose, or looked as though they were regulars here. Jeremy felt like he stood out like a sore thumb, and he really didn't want to bring any attention to himself. He switched his bag from one arm to the other, wincing as he did so. He wasn't as sore as he had been the other day, but there were still a few remaining bumps and bruises on his body that he was recovering from. The walk here had worn him out, so it would probably be a good idea for Jeremy to find a place to sit and then... well, reflect. Hadn't that been why he had come? Shaking his head, Jeremy continued walking through the courtyard, breathing in relief when he spied a stone bench not far ahead of him. He quickened his pace and quickly took a seat, relaxing for a brief moment. It wasn't the softest place to sit, but just being able to rest his feet was enough for Jeremy.

He lowered his bag to the ground and moved to place his arms on his knees. If only there were more quiet places like this -- the park was usually crowded at this time of day, and seats were hard to come by without someone else plopping down beside him and chattering loudly on their phone. Jeremy didn't think anyone would be rude enough to do that here... But that thought was quickly interrupted by the sound of his phone. Jeremy's eyes widened. He had forgotten that he even had the damn thing on. He quickly reached down for his bag, pulling it into his lap, and then opening it to root around for the phone. He hoped no one would show up and demand he turn it off -- if only he could find the blasted thing first. Jeremy could feel himself losing his cool as he looked for the phone, but he finally found it, pulling it out, and pausing as he caught sight of the name on the phone. It was a student -- Adele -- and for a moment, Jeremy wondered if he should answer it. But he was saved from having to decide when a voice spoke up nearby, causing him to forget about the phone altogether. Half afraid it was someone scolding him for having the phone on at the temple, Jeremy glanced up sheepishly. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

words: 849   •   tag: open   •   credit: ♥

there have been strange things going on around cherry hill temple. people have been disappearing, and days later they have reappeared on another side of the city, quite dead. the police claim there is a serial killer loose, which has put the city further on edge given the recent monster sightings and other killings. the only thing the victims have in common is that they were last seen, or heard, going to the cherry hill temple. but what is it that is preying on these girls? it is a creature, a dark creature with a deep hunger. it is a black wolf, but larger than any normal wolves in the area. it is stealthy, pacing in the woods near the temple, watching people come and go -- when it has a chance, it attacks, dragging its victim away to feed, and then deposit the remains elsewhere. with lightning speed, sharp teeth, and a loud roar, the wolf cannot be killed with normal human weapons... and it's still looking for more food, staking the cherry hill temple as its territory.

set up & information

setting --- at the cherry hill temple, sometime in the afternoon.

needed --- this is a random encounter, so no awakening will occur. i would say anywhere between 2 - 4 characters should be involved. already awakened individuals are welcome.

notes --- to avoid confusion, there will be a posting order for all monster attacks, so please try to keep that unless there's a note by the monster account to skip someone. the monster will "attack" as soon as i feel the right amount of people (or even those needed for the thread) have already posted.

remember --- once the monster jumps in with the attack, the minimum word count drops to 100. at that point we'll start up the rolls (if you haven't already granted permission in regards to how monster attacks work, please do so here.), and you'll learn how the monster attack will affect your characters. anyone can be grabbed/injured by the monster, so be prepared for that just in case your character is the one grabbed/injured.

questions --- if you have any about monster attacks in general, then ask the miaface! account. if it's about this particular monster attack, please pm this account. thanks!

People had been going missing from the Cherry Hill Temple lately. Girls. Girls around her age. Lily had been hearing the whispers and rumors, but it wasn't until she saw the front page article at the newspaper stand on her way home from school. (She'd actually stayed the whole day today, for lack of anything better to do.) It was only fifty cents to buy a copy, and the picture on the front page had caught Lily's interest, so she tossed the coins on the counter and picked one up for herself. Despite being blurred, probably out of sensitivity towards younger readers, it was clear that the picture depicted a pretty gruesome sight, and the article accompanying the photo only supported that. It was the body of yet another girl, who had disappeared from Cherry Hill Temple only to be found on the other side of the city... dead. The story was enough to send a shiver down Lily's spine, and she didn't scare easily.

Of course, an article proclaiming that a serial killer was on the prowl and stalking the grounds of the temple would have been enough to keep most people (most sane people) away from the area entirely, but Lily wasn't most people. (Whether or not she was sane was another question entirely. One still hotly debated.) In fact, all it did was fire up the girl's curiosity--and yes, curiosity killed the cat (though satisfaction brought him back), but she wasn't a cat anyway, so what could possibly go wrong? Besides, Lily was confident that she'd be safe in the middle of the day like this, and even if whoever was kidnapping and killing these girls was lurking around the temple even now, she could get away if she had to. She was good at that. (Outrunning mall cops should be an Olympic sport.)

Not to mention, the bus stop was just up ahead, and while the stop at Cherry Hill Temple wasn't exactly on the way home, she knew the bus schedule pretty well, and if she went there now it should give her about a half hour window to do some poking around, in broad daylight. What could possibly go wrong in half an hour, even when Lily was involved? (Oh, what a loaded question that is.) In fact, the bus was just pulling up now, so without pausing to give it further thought (not that she had ever been successful at thinking herself out of ideas, rather than even deeper into them) she ran for it, making the door just as the driver was closing the doors. She hopped aboard quickly, giving him the necessary fare, and taking a seat towards the middle of the bus.

For the middle of the day, the bus was surprisingly empty, though Lily supposed that might have been because this was the only route that serviced the Cherry Hill Temple, and most people had probably been scared away from that place by all the kidnappings. Even the bus driver looked skeptical, as he pulled up to the stop at the bottom of Cherry Hill and glanced at her as she moved to disembark. "You sure this is where you want to be, Miss?" he asked as she began stepping down. "Yeah," she replied, shrugging like it was no big deal. "You'll make your next stop here at four-thirty, right?" His nod was all the confirmation she needed before hopping off and starting up the hill.

Lily began to wonder why she hadn't visited the temple more often. She wasn't a particularly spiritual person, but it was really quite beautiful up here, even if it was a bit too quiet for Lily's liking. But that was nothing that coming up here with a few of her friends couldn't fix, and if it weren't for the fact that all the kidnapped girls had been last seen here, it would be the perfect spot for a bond fire party. (She didn't stop to think that maybe the owner wouldn't take too kindly to she and her friends making a mess out of the grounds beyond the temple.)

The hill seemed fairly well deserted, and Lily was sure she was all alone up here (and there was maybe a little bit of fear nibbling at the base of her spine at the thought) until she heard the telltale sound of a phone buzzing somewhere nearby. When she turned, she caught sight of a man sitting there, who she must have missed since he had probably been sitting still. "You haven't happened to see anything strange around here today, have you?" she asked once she got within talking distance. He didn't seem to have heard her, though, because as the phone quieted he turned around and asked what she'd said.

"Oh, I was only asking if you'd seen anything strange going on here today. It's supposed to be where all those girls disappeared from, you know?" She looked around briefly, making sure that nothing was approaching from the treeline. (Ok, so maybe the thought of a serial killer stalking the place did worry her, at least a little.) "Hey, haven't we met before?" she asked, on getting a closer look at his face; she was good with faces, even if she didn't have names to match them with. "The grocery store, right? You wanted the milk."

"Strange?" Jeremy frowned at the question. He had heard about the rumors surrounding the temple, of course. Who hadn't? He wasn't even sure why he had come despite the rumors -- but then again, it was like walking through the park when the vampire creature had been wandering around. Jeremy saw no reason to keep away from it, especially when it didn't seem to matter where one went anymore. Monsters were simply springing up everywhere. That was very poor logic, and really bad reasoning for Jeremy to be at the temple as a result -- but hadn't he come to try and clear his head a bit? Refocus and stop worrying about everything else that was crammed up there trying to gain his undivided attention?

But back to the matter at hand. A redhead -- a rather familiar redhead -- was asking him if he had seen anything strange, and Jeremy wasn't entirely sure how to answer. At least not until after she went on about the disappearances. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting for a reply, but that hadn't been quite it. Why on earth would she be asking about the disappearances unless it was out of curiosity? She wasn't tearing up as though she were looking to seek vengeance on behalf of a friend, or even because she had lost a friend to the strange things going on at the temple... But at the same time, it seemed more than a little odd that she would even be asking about the disappearances in the first place. "I've heard about the rumors surrounding the place," he said after a moment. "I haven't exactly seen anything myself, but I haven't been here that long... Why are you asking about it?" He couldn't help but ask the obvious question. Jeremy had a feeling he knew why the girl was here, but part of him was hoping to be proven wrong.

It surprised him to hear that the girl actually remembered him, since for the most part Jeremy didn't consider himself a very memorable person unless it was with a student. They tended to remember him, though for their own reasons. But the girl wasn't a student of his. Perhaps she was simply good with people and faces. Nodding at her comment, he replied, "That's me, yes. How did your little... egg experiment go? I clearly remember you were picking some up that evening." Call it a bit of a cheap shot, but now that Jeremy was going back to that night, he was starting to fit the pieces together. The girl had been after eggs that night, and even then Jeremy had had some inkling that she wasn't one for doing what most would deem appropriate for her age. In some ways that was amusing, but in the case of the temple and the disappearances, Jeremy could only worry that she was going to cause trouble for herself.

"Given the news and warnings about the disappearances, you probably shouldn't have come here alone. And it's not just here, before you protest -- it's everywhere. The city has been undergoing some... strange things," stated Jeremy after another moment. "It would be safer to go with a friend rather than alone. Although I hope you're not here actively looking for the cause behind the disappearances. That's a little dangerous, don't you think?" He couldn't help it if the fatherly side of him came out in regard to this kind of thing. Jeremy couldn't help but imagine how worried he would be if Bianca was doing the same thing, and he hoped to god that she wouldn't let such an idea cross her mind.

words: 612   •   tag: lily, dark wolf   •   credit: ♥

post order & rolls

1. lily --- you rolled a five -- hero for a day! since you don't quite have your powers just yet, you'll be granted temporary powers to help defeat the monster. for today those temporary powers will be the ability to turn whatever you touch to stone. use them wisely, because i don't think you'll be getting help from your companion.

2. jeremy --- you rolled a six -- corrupted by chaos! oh dear, this is going to be bad, bad, bad. chaos has decided that you will be its newest puppet, which means from here on out you'll be doing its bidding, as well as making life miserable for all those around you. mia is asking whhhhy as she cries about this development.

Human scent awoke the wolf from its slumber. It had been resting for nightfall, but the sudden smell couldn't be ignored. Food was nearby, and the wolf would be foolish to let this opportunity pass it by. Perhaps it was more desperate after a few days without a decent meal; the humans were growing smarter, traveling in packs and staying away from the outdoors after twilight. As a result the wolf hadn't eaten much, and now it was almost ravenous with hunger. Ignoring the fact that the sun was still out, the wolf got up from its spot and made its way toward the temple. It didn't care how many people were there -- it only needed one human to feed upon.

Luck seemed on its side for a moment. The wolf spied two humans through the trees, and without thinking, stepped out into plain view. It bared its teeth, saliva dripping in anticipation of its next meal. Without giving a warning howl, the creature bounded forward, intent on attacking the weaker of the two -- the girl.

As soon as the "milk man" said the word "strange" in the form of a question, Lily promptly decided the man needed to get out more. Something that was probably true for the entire adult population and a good chunk of her peers as well. Geez, is there some kind of rule that you have to stop being cool and interesting in freaky stories after you become an adult? the teen wondered. The man added another comment which proved he hadn't been living under a rock by acknowledging the rumours but firmly cemented himself as a clueless stick in the mud by asking why she was interested. "Hey, the stories may be freaky but they're definitely cool. And being here...it's like being on the set of a movie. Or on the spot for breaking news. Wouldn't you want to be able to say 'I was there when something happened?'" In fact if things went according to plan she'd be sneaking onto the set of Mina Aino's music video that was apparently going to be shooting in town. She just needed to get some make up kits together to make it easy to blend in as an extra after she snuck through whatever security she came across.

At the lecturing tone, Lily groaned and rolled her eyes. "Come on mister, clearly you can see I'm not a kid. I can take care of myself." Honestly adults were so close-minded and over protective. They all talked about the crazy things they'd done as children and then insisted on denying the same opportunities to their own kids when they became parents. "It's still light out and the care taker's house is clearly within earshot. Plus I have these." she boasted, holding up a keychain with pepper spray and a whistle that emitted a very high pitch. "If it's a guy causing a ruckus he'll bolt and we'll know that those dog rumours are a load of bull." It was a great plan all the way around. Something cool and interesting would happen right in front of her, she'd know the truth of the rumours and could protect herself all in one go. It was brilliant.

Speaking of brilliant..."It went well actually. Took some time to actually master how to boil the eggs just right and poaching them. I must have screwed up soooooo many." She couldn't believe he remembered the egg thing. The yarn she just spun him wasn't even a complete lie - after egging the house of that idiot who'd pissed her off in English that day had been satisfying. Particularly the poached egg bombs. (She'd wanted to try it since watching Julie and Julia and had been surprised that it was a lot harder than the scene suggested. The inedible poached egg attempts got wrapped in plastic wrap, given a bit of coloured dye and made the most insane splatter patterns on the bay windows of the house.) She was about to go into more detail when a rustling sound came out of the bushes ahead of her, followed by a fast , dark shape. She instantly stopped chattering and peered around the man excitedly - this was it. However the smile was wiped off her face when she realized that the shape was a GIANT ASS WOLF...and it was heading straight for her.

With a scream of horror, Lily jumped back and had to scramble to get out of the way. She lost track of the man as the creature looked like it decided to make her into its next mean. To avoid that fate, Lily decided to climb one of the sacred trees to escape its reach. It was impious and the care taking priest would probably yell at her but this time being yelled at would be worth it. However as she tried to climb the tree something felt off - it wasn't the nice smelling and slightly scratchy pine bark she was feeling. Oh my god, the tree is a rock! Holy shit! The girls eyes got really big when she realized that the stone was spreading out from where her hands had grabbed branches. What the hell? I haven't drank or smoked anything today! Why am I seeing this? The pause in climbing cost her when the wolf came within a foot of her dangling leg, causing her to grab the stone branch more securely. Unfortunately it wasn't going to hold her weight long. "Oh my god! Mister Milk Man if you're there, call the f-ing Animal Control and tell them to bring a shotgun!" she screamed, feeling the stone branch start to creak.

A sudden snap sounded and Lily shrieked as she started to fall. Hands out forward, she hoped the fall wasn't going to hurt like hell. Or that if someone caught her, she didn't pull a King Midas.

Jeremy wasn't buying Lily's story for a second. Boiling eggs... there had been far too many to simply boil and be done with. But he couldn't come right out and say that. It wasn't his place to do a post-lecture -- not this long after the fact. And besides, even if he didn't believe her story about what she had done with the eggs, what could he even do? Chances were she had already done something with them. His brain told him she had likely egged a house... or a person. He didn't know which house or which person, and it was likely to stay that way. What was he going to do? Go around to all of the teachers and students at Crossroads High School and ask them if they had woken up to egg debris everywhere? And then what would he say afterward? Frustrating as it was, Jeremy would simply have to leave it as it was. He'd have to pretend to buy her story and move on.

And really, wasn't it better that way? He didn't have the time to get involved in something like this, nor did he want to. Staying blissfully unaware might be the best option. Hell, it was probably the only option.

He had enough to worry about with Lily seeming to be interested in the monsters roaming the city. Jeremy should have known that there would be some interest in those. Even if he didn't know Lily all that well it didn't surprise him. How many of the boys at Brennan's Academy were the same way? If he considered himself more of a leader he would go to the head of his school and ask that a meeting between their school, St. Teresa's, and Crossroads be held for teachers to discuss how to best protect the students. But Jeremy wasn't comfortable with putting that motion out there. Someone higher up really ought to be thinking about that kind of thing. And it wasn't like he had any ideas on how to protect the students. A monster was a monster, and what could a mere human do against a monster?

Granted, Jeremy might be able to do something about the monster due to his powers -- or whatever they were. But what? He had readily accepted them when they had appeared, but since then he hadn't really known what to do...

"I suppose pepper spray is better than nothing," agreed Jeremy after a moment. He wasn't sure how effective that would be against something twice the size of a human, but it would certainly be enough of a distraction to allow Lily to get away. Or attempt to, anyway. That didn't bear dwelling on, so Jeremy didn't. He would just hope that she wouldn't need to use it, and that the police would figure out the monster dilemma and how to put a stop to it.

But such thoughts were chased away only seconds later. Everything seemed to happen so quickly -- too quickly for Jeremy's brain to process it. Lily's face had changed quickly, a scream escaping her lips, and suddenly it was there -- a monster. The wolf monster he had been hearing rumors about for months, and seen less than a handful of times. Lily moved quickly, the monster chasing after her, and as it breezed by, Jeremy felt something happen inside him.

It was a subtle change, like a chill; it washed over his body, leaving him cold from head to toe. And then the chill was gone, and Jeremy found himself looking toward the tree that Lily had clambered up into, the wolf at the base of it. He had powers; he ought to use them to save her -- but the thought seemed like a distant one, and Jeremy didn't move an inch. He simply watched, listening to the redhead call him for help.

Call the animal control... logically that made sense. But Jeremy stood up, stuck his hands in his pockets, and eyed the tree for a minute more before turning around and walking away.

words: 679   •   tag: dark wolf, lily   •   credit: ♥

The wolf had moved quickly; it knew that in order to properly catch its prey it would have to be faster than lightning to catch the humans off-guard. And it had succeeded. The female human had spied it first, her eyes widening, the scream coming out in fear. That was how the dark wolf liked it. Fear made humans taste better. It made them slower and stupider. It made them easy targets.

In jumping after the girl, the wolf had largely ignored the other human. The male. He had instantly seen the girl as the easier target, but if she proved more elusive, he could always give chase after the male. The dark wolf didn't figure on the male not moving, not running, and not screaming. There was no fear emanating from him, and the dark wolf had no interest in pursuing that. A human without fear might be dangerous, and the dark wolf was not looking to put itself at risk today. It only wanted something to eat.

The fact that the girl had climbed into a tree meant very little to the dark wolf. He could jump and clamp his teeth around her leg or arm -- whichever limb was lowest to the ground. And he tried just that. He jumped once, then twice, snarling and foaming at the mouth. The girl was higher up than he had anticipated, though, and the dark wolf could only place his paws on the base of the tree, his hind legs holding him up like a human. He was determined to get her no matter what.

And then it happened. A branch broke and she fell -- straight for the wolf. He didn't shy away in fear. He opened his jaws as though he was intending to catch her... and that was the last real thought that crossed his mind before her hand connected with his head and turned him to stone.