older_and_wiser: (not good)
Tamara Reed ([personal profile] older_and_wiser) wrote2014-12-06 12:12 am

caveat uxor

Tamara is beginning to be concerned.

There's a pattern here. She knows there is. But it's subtle, it's so subtle she thinks she might be imagining it. A flyer appears on the wall of the coffee shop, announcing that his band has a show there that week. There's so few details that she thinks she must be mistaken, someone else here must have decided to use that same band name, it wasn't that creative- but she goes back to look again the next day, just to see, and it's gone.

She finds a jelly doughnut left on the hood of her car while she's out shopping. They're Kevin's favorite, and she has to talk him out of eating it- they don't know where it came from, it can't be safe, just throw it out, see how someone's already cut it open? It's oozing red jelly out over the roof of the car.

Little things, one at a time. Spaced apart enough that she's never quite sure they're related to each other. A week before something new happens? Two? Once there's two incidents in three days, then nothing for almost a month. She could be imagining it.

...maybe.

She finds a stuffed dog in their front yard. It's very generic, one of those silly plush dogs you can get at any store for a few bucks, and it's arguably, plausibly, a dog toy. But the tag on the dog's collar says 'Tammy'. And it's been torn almost to shreds, viciously. And none of her neighbors have dogs.

Tamara calls the Watcher's Council. And then she calls Bella.
cross_and_bow: (l ~ business)

[personal profile] cross_and_bow 2014-12-23 09:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Bella and Soph are hanging out outside of the warehouse, their car parked down the street; Soph is casting something to refresh the spell on the sock and Bella's standing guard.
marrinikari: (Default)

[personal profile] marrinikari 2014-12-23 09:46 pm (UTC)(link)
The sock is returning to its compass-sock state.
keyed_up: (o ~ remember being loved)

[personal profile] keyed_up 2014-12-23 09:48 pm (UTC)(link)
"Not yet. Sock's waking up," says Soph. She puts it flat in the palm of her hand and waits for it to point its toes.
marrinikari: (Default)

[personal profile] marrinikari 2014-12-23 10:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Compass-sock eventually determines that it would like to be pointed thataways. Thataways is definitely inside the warehouse.
cross_and_bow: (Default)

[personal profile] cross_and_bow 2014-12-23 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
"Right, hunting for entrances is go."

Bella starts looking for ways in.
marrinikari: (Default)

[personal profile] marrinikari 2014-12-23 10:25 pm (UTC)(link)
There's a door around back. It has one of those lock-and-chain contraptions keeping the doors shut.
cross_and_bow: (l ~ business)

[personal profile] cross_and_bow 2014-12-23 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Bella's shell knife will make short work of the chain. She does her best to keep it quiet.
marrinikari: (Default)

[personal profile] marrinikari 2014-12-23 10:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Compass-sock feels quite strongly they should be investigating those stock rooms over there.
cross_and_bow: (k ~ suspicion)

[personal profile] cross_and_bow 2014-12-23 10:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Bella stalks towards them, shell in one hand, stake in the other - indoors she's probably not going to get the freedom of range she needs for the crossbow to be her best option.
keyed_up: (k ~ inching sideways)

[personal profile] keyed_up 2014-12-23 10:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Soph, at her shoulder, holding the sock and some herbs, follows.
marrinikari: (Default)

[personal profile] marrinikari 2014-12-26 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
It doesn't take them long to find the stock room in question. The door was locked, but that means very little to Slayer strength. Inside is a man, facing away from them but strongly resembling Tamara's picture of her ex as far as can be seen, talking quickly and angrily to Kevin. Kevin is sitting in a chair, a flimsy office style one clearly "borrowed" from the warehouse, and his leg is chained to the wall. He looks to have enough room to move around the room, but the door is definitely out of his reach.

"I don't understand why you won't-" the man hisses, and then turns around. It's definitely Charles, though his quick switch to vampface obscures his features somewhat. "You- what!" He says in Tamara's direction, ignoring the girls. "How did you find me so quickly?" He sounds deeply put out, and rather whiny. "Time to go, then." And he bolts for the door on the far side of the room.

Once he moves, Kevin gets a better view of them. "Mummy! Mummy help, let me out!"
cross_and_bow: (l ~ business)

[personal profile] cross_and_bow 2014-12-27 03:56 am (UTC)(link)
Bella chases Charles at a dead run.
keyed_up: (l ~ rude awakening)

[personal profile] keyed_up 2014-12-27 03:57 am (UTC)(link)
Soph dithers. "Bella will be back with her shell knife in a second," she tells Kevin, "and then she can get the chain off you -" And then she goes after her sister.
Edited 2014-12-27 03:57 (UTC)
marrinikari: (Default)

[personal profile] marrinikari 2014-12-28 08:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Charles clearly had this planned out as an escape route. The way out back is full of old boxes, shipping containers, and all sorts of junk strewn about; he clearly knows his way through it, but it would be easy to lose sight of him in the chaos.
marrinikari: (Default)

[personal profile] marrinikari 2014-12-28 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Kevin smiles at her sweetly. "It's okay, Mummy, you're here now."
marrinikari: (Default)

[personal profile] marrinikari 2014-12-28 09:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Kevin's grin widens. "Hi, Mummy!"









And his face changes.
marrinikari: (Default)

[personal profile] marrinikari 2014-12-28 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
With a laugh, Kevin lunges for her throat-
cross_and_bow: (l ~ business)

[personal profile] cross_and_bow 2014-12-28 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Meanwhile:

"Fan out," Bella calls to her sister, and they take different directions through the debris. Bella has no supernatural senses to guide her, but she was very close on his trail and she is very fast and nimble. If she's wrong about where she's going Soph still has a shot at setting the guy on fire once they get into more open ground and the line of sight is better.

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