Horror Stories By Candlelight PV Cottage Chaos Cabin

February 12th 2025
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
@Scout Fu-Hai - @Ava Winchect - @Colin McCoire - @Jun Mayumi Mochizuki - @Meyra Lancaster - Cursa McCoire - Casey Stone

Emily had been looking forward to her bed after an excitable first day. She was almost certain she would fall asleep before her head would even hit the pillow later that evening when the cabin crew finally decided to turn in for the night. After a goodnight hug with Scout, Casey and the rest, she snuggled into bed. Her prediction was proven true, falling asleep almost instantly as soon as she was under the duvet, snoozing with her face comfortably smooshed into the pillow.

However, it wouldn't last the whole night when a small but noticeable shuffle of a footstep snuck into her ear an hour or so into the night. One eye peeking open, she could see that Casey's bed was empty.

Waking up slowly, Emily slid out from her own bed, her hair messy from how she had been sleeping and slipped on her fluffy socks. Brushing down her nightie, she followed the faint glimmer of candlelight into the other room, where she spotted Casey hunched over at the table.

Casey turned round as if he was expecting her to follow him. Emily rubbed her eyes.
"Everything okay?"

"Sorta. Couldn't sleep. You?"

She shrugged. "I could hear you creeping around. What's wrong?"

She went over and sat with him while Casey gestured to the documents. She read through them quickly while he kept talking. Small sentences and words jumped out at her as she read them.

"These are transcripts from the families, aren't they?" she asked quietly.

"The families' statements are on that one to your left. Just about when and where they went missing. The location and dates all check out with the Reserve expedition Bronks told me about. But it's the actual incident itself that doesn't add up..."

"Can I see?"

Casey hesitated, promoting Emily to ask again. "If you're looking for a second opinion, then let me see..."

"You won't like what's on here," she heard Casey respond quietly.

Emily remained patient but determined. "I won't scream."

Casey finally relented and Emily took more of the documents on his end of the table off his hands. She read over the injury reports. "Deep scratch marks". "Broken skin". Dead within minutes of contact". Sure enough as Casey could guess, Emily herself felt uneasy and frowned. The screen shots of the injuries weren't much better. Worse in fact. Though they were replicated in black and white, Emily could still tell what was flesh and what was blood. And what used to be everything else. Her own blood ran cold before she shook it off, composing herself slightly.

"A bear, you say?"

"I don't believe that for a minute," Casey countered fast. "Even if it was a bear, the injuries detailed here don't match any normal bear attack".

Emily thought for a second. "I suppose so... You're not wrong. Going by the pictures, they're thinner and... Numerous." She swallowed. "A bear's would be thicker..."

She went through every page one final time before leaning back into her seat, sighing softly.

"It's entirely possible an animal did do this, but I must say... I think you're right about it not being a bear. Whatever Bronks told you... He didn't tell you the truth."

_{Word Count: 540}

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

february 12th, 2025		wednesday
wc: 550ish		dhampir | terrible presence
interacting with: @Emily Shephard		mentioning: @Colin McCoire & @Ava Winchect passively

How late was it? Eyes burning up at the wooded ceiling, Scout sighed quietly. It was just too quiet, even with the sound of birds chirping and wind blowing outside of the faux cabin, it was too quiet. There was always some comfort with the ever-present general shuffling in the air at home and at Hogwarts; it was comforting knowing there were people close by. Even at summer camp, the tents were magic but still thin enough that Scout could hear when people walked by the entrance.

She liked the comfort in knowing she wasn't entirely alone, but this cabin was silent. There were quiet breaths of the others in the cabin she could hear, but it just wasn't enough. Every time she turned on the bunk bed she'd wince at the sound it'd make, the creaking just loud enough to break over the bubble she had grown. It also didn't help that no matter where she looked, she could always see something. Her eyes adjusted too well in the dark, so she couldn't just relax her eyes. There was something to focus on, always. The sleeve of Colin's shirt, or the back of Ava's head, light brown hair sprawling over her pillow. Scout couldn't just stop being for a moment, something would bring her back to reality.

When Casey had gotten up, she watched with her head half-buried in the pillow. Too tired to get up and follow him but too awake to ignore it and sleep, she huffed. It was only when Emily had gotten up to follow him as well did she finally find herself shoving her blanket off to get up.

This sucked, the floor was cold and Scout wasn't the kind of person to wear socks to bed. Her pajama shirt (some old shirt from her dad) had been tugged in every which way, and it took a solid ten seconds to get the collar unraveled from around her neck. Once her clothes had been properly smoothed, she tiptoed to the living room to find her buddy and Casey.

"Good morning." Scout murmured. On the bright side of being able to see in the dark, she didn't ever bump into things at night- well, not more than she usually did, at least. "Those are some nasty gashes." She comments, a thought crossing her mind. Obviously she could never cause such a scar but it didn't stop her from nervously glancing at her claw-like nails. "It's about your brother, right? I don't know much about bears but... sorry, let me look at those injuries."

Scout had never been particularly squeamish- as a kid she would always help her family prepare meat, starting with the animals. It was gross, sure, but there were more things to be grossed out by.

She pursed her lips, finger resting on each image, before she looked at Casey. "Maybe it wasn't a bear, but another normal animal? Could it have been a magic animal that did it? There are like dragons, and vampires, and werewolves, and stuff, right?" Even whispering the v-word made Scout feel uneasy. She felt like she was always teetering close to the edge of telling Casey the truth.

But she didn't think a vampire could do that... not that she had much experience, of course. She was just a dhampir.

im ngl i forgot if scout knows about caseys brother or not but i figured its just passive info between them now.... if NOT lmk and i'll omit that part abt nick

Roleplaying as Casey Stone from Ilvermorny

February 12th 2025
Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics
@Scout Fu-Hai

Casey nearly jumped when he heard Scout behind him, but relaxed when he realised it was her. "Hey there. Come join the party..."

He and Emily shifted across the sofa for Scout to sit with them. "I nabbed these a while ago. Remember Nick? Well, all this stuff just might be connected to him."

He leaned to the side where he could allow Scout to stretch over and take a look at each document set out before the trio. He saw Emily still reading over the statements while Scout decided to get curious over the photographic evidence.

"Are you sure you're okay with..." Casey trailed off. He didn't see the point in finishing his sentence when Scout willingly got a closer look at the pictures, seemingly unperturbed by the content. Not that the evidence itself was anything horrifying. Just a little... Eck.

"I knew you were tough, but that's kinda impressive that you're not even blinkin' an eye at those photos," Casey commented impressively. He quirked a small smile at Scout. "Nothin' scares you, eh?"

Scout voiced her opinion, which echoed the other two, along with something Casey hadn't considered before.

"Could it have been a magic animal that did it? There are like dragons, and vampires, and werewolves, and stuff, right?"

Casey's expression hardened. He thought about it passively - extremely so, almost like a spark - but he thought little of it until now. Repeating Scout's thought in his head, deep down he knew he didn't want to accept it, even if it was true. "I hope not. I mean-- I ain't got anything against werewolves or vampires and stuff, but that whole... Process. Like, turnin' and stuff... I wouldn't want that for anyone. Not even my worst enemy."

Casey would rather Nick have died instead of living through the pain of going through stuff like that. He wouldn't be able to take it. That was more the issue than suddenly having a vampiric or lycanthropic brother, which itself was a conflicting notion. Casey didn't see those kind of folks as monsters, but Nick had always been human. For that to suddenly change - hypothetically - would be jarring.

Casey shook his head. "We're all in agreement it ain't a bear. But I ain't hopin' it's anything magical. I don't think I could accept that..."

_{Word Count: 368}

Stats: Stamina: 8 | Strength: 7 | Evasion: 7 | Wisdom: 6 | Arc Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Fearless |Poison Resistance

Voices.

Murmurs in the dark of the night. Soft but intense. Colin dreamed. The voices were those of the trees. Something was stalking the woodlands. A predatory creature. Blood covered its claws and its mouth. Cries of pain were stifled as death overcame life. It was the Tree that was stalking the forest. Its bark was covered with blood. Its woody laughter echoed faintly in the air. Branches and twigs grasped at a struggling form! Colin ran towards it, the full moon illuminating the path. The smell of bloods mingled. Wraiths fled before his charge. The scent of one girl's blood was fixed in his mind. Colin transformed back into boy shape and attacked the wicked Tree! The struggling form was nearly consumed!

"EMMI! Colin cried out.

Colin's eyes opened. He was sprawled out in the top bunk. The bedroom was dark, the only light filtering in through the high windows was starlight. It wasn't yet the full moon. He wondered what Liam was up to. Then he remembered Liam wasn't here. Twas Cursa with him this time. Colin smirked. He wondered what Cursa was up to. Was he dreaming something wild too?

Voices.

Just because the voices were in your dreams doesn't mean they aren't real.

Murmurs in the dark of the night. Soft but intense. Colin listened. He could hear Emily and Casey and Scout talking about something. He leaned over the edge of his bunk. Cursa's eyes were open. "You awake lad?" he whispered. Cursa touched one finger to his lips. Colin listened. There was talk of attacks! He slipped over the edge and his bare feet softly landed on the stone floor. Cursa was up too. Both boys listened at the edge of the doorway.

Cursa nodded towards the group out in the living room. "Stone has been on about something for a while. He's always looking over parchments. Something bad happened, but I don't know what." The listened some more, but it was clear that standing here in their boxers eavesdropping wasn't going to get either of them any closer to understanding the mystery!

Colin shrugged. "Why don't we go find out?"

The pair slipped out of the bedroom and headed towards the small circle of candle light which illuminated the faces of Emily, Scout and Casey. Colin was impressed. There were parchments scattered all over the table and pictures too. The three of them were clearly engaged in some kind of earnest discussion, and Colin wanted in!

@Emily Shephard | @Scout Fu-Hai | @Ava Winchect | @Jun Mayumi Mochizuki | @Meyra Lancaster | Casey Stone

ILVERMORNY RULES!!! Cursa McCoire Horned Serpent Stats: Sta: 7 | Eva: 10 | Str: 0 | Wis: 10 | Arc: 10 | Acc: 13 Abilities: TBD Trunk: Right Here!

The night was dark and Cursa was awoken by soft sounds. His eyes fluttered open. He was sprawled across the lower bunk. Colin was surely zonked in the top bunk. He could see the dim outline of one of his cousin's feet and arms sticking over the edge of the bed. It was the voices that interested him most. Stone. And two of the Hogwarts girls.

He'd often wondered what it was Stone was up to. Even back at school he seemed really intent on some ---secret. Occasional words were all Cursa could make out until Colin's face and torso appeared over the edge of the bunk. He deduced that Colin had probably heard the voices too and would be every bit as interested in what was going on out in the living room as he himself was. Cursa smiled as Colin hopped out of his bunk.

They snuck over towards the open doorway. The boys listened carefully, wondered what they others were talking about. He nodded towards the group beyond. "Stone has been on about something for a while. He's always looking over parchments. Something bad happened, but I don't know what. Me, I think it's highly suspicious!"

Colin nodded, clearly interested. "Why don't we go find out?" he asked.

Cursa smiled. "Let's!"

Silently the pair stole into the living room and settled on chairs next to the others. Cursa noticed that Colin could never just sit down in a chair. He had to climb up on the thing like a dog before crouching down. Again, like a dog. Sometimes Colin would just remain crouching. Sometimes he was able to slither into something approaching a seated position. Cursa shook his head.

The talk was about magical creatures. Cursa scanned the images they were poring over. They weren't pretty pictures. They reminded him of Castor and Pollux from last fall. He noted that Colin appeared very interested in them. The Hogwarts girl, Scout, brought up magical creatures.

"I hope not. I mean-- I ain't got anything against werewolves or vampires and stuff, but that whole... Process. Like, turnin' and stuff... I wouldn't want that for anyone. Not even my worst enemy," Casey replied. It was all Cursa could do to keep from turning to observe Colin. He did glance towards his cousin. He didn't care much for wereowlves and similar himself. But --- well ---

Colin stared at the pictures. His green eyes were intently focused. Cursa turned towards Casey. He had no idea the boy was carrying around this kind of secret! "I---Casey. I'm sorry. Wh---Who was that?" He pointed to the picture of the --- mauled --- person. "What happened?"

Cursa was expecting some kind of ordinary shenannigans. But not what looked like someone being eaten by a magical creature! The only thing Cursa was sure about, just from seeing the pictures here: "Yeah. That's no bear. We get loads of those near home. That ain't it."

@Emily Shephard | @Scout Fu-Hai | @Ava Winchect | @Jun Mayumi Mochizuki | @Meyra Lancaster | Casey Stone

Werewolves: put a chain on em!

It was proving difficult for the young Lancaster to fall asleep. She had spent the last hour staring at the bed frame above, tossing and turning in her bed, staring at the huge window in front of her, trying to make out the movement of some nocturnal animal or something that would help her calm down through the shadows of the night. The sky above was an immensity of pitch black dotted with starlight and the girl wished more than ever that this wasn't just an illusion, but actually the reality beyond that glass frame. It would be nice to be outside for a while and feel all that wild nature surrounding you...

After a while, she decided to completely abandon the idea that she could sleep just by closing her eyes and forcing her brain to think about beautiful things and lullabies. It was clear that her agitated mind was not willing to give her a break. Too many new things happened in one day. The adrenaline from the trip was still very present, along with all those new experiences and sensations that she had the opportunity to enjoy. Not to mention that she found the place…strange. The bed wasn't her bed, the pillow wasn't her pillow, and the room didn’t sounded or smelled familiar. And the worst part was knowing that she was sharing this whole new space with people who, for the most part, were complete strangers too. All of this made her feel anxious and unable to shake off the sentiment of discomfort.

So she gave up, when she began to feel guilty, thinking that all her restlessness might end up causing her to wake the others. It was better to leave the shared room and go somewhere else in the cozy cabin to try to find comfort and the so wanted peace of mind. Meyra, holding her pillow and blanket against her chest and with soft, careful steps, left the bedroom and exchanged her bunk for one of the sofas near the corner of the room, laying down on it and covering herself completely with the blanket over her head.

It wasn't long after that she began to hear footsteps that also left the bedroom behind and reached out towards the living room. But she already felt so tired that she lazily remained on the sofa, not making her presence known to whoever was approaching. She started to hear the voices, however, when another person joined at the long wooden table. Meyra didn't want to feel like an unwanted spy, but she couldn't help but listen in on their conversation.

"The families' statements are on that one to your left. Just about when and where they went missing. The location and dates all check out with the Reserve expedition Bronks told me about. But it's the actual incident itself that doesn't add up..." She heard. Was it Casey's voice? She wasn't sure...she was not close enough to any of the boys to recognise their whispers and low tone of voice. But that wasn't Colin's voice she was sure of that at least.

"If you're looking for a second opinion, then let me see..." This time it was a female voice, but she couldn't put a face to its owner, not even a guess.

Meyra suppressed a groan, rubbing her watery eyes with her head still covered by the blanket, and yawning for so long she thought she would end up dislocating her jaw. It was useless to try to fall asleep, now it was definitely impossible!

Turning around and getting out from under the blanket, Meyra calmly got up from the sofa, still with one eye half open and the other closed. The arrival of another person made her stop in her tracks, especially when the first thing she heard from Scout was a "Good morning." Was it morning already? Merlin, she hadn't slept at all during last night! "It's about your brother, right? I don't know much about bears but... sorry, let me look at those injuries." Fu-Hai continued, and this last sentence made the young Gryffindor finally open her eyes, surprised, starting to feel a little worried about Casey and increasingly curious about what the others were talking about after all.

"Maybe it wasn't a bear, but another normal animal? Could it have been a magic animal that did it? There are like dragons, and vampires, and werewolves, and stuff, right?" "Werewolves?" Meyra thought, narrowing her eyes at the gathering group. Her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides in a reflexive gesture of nervousness. A flash of a bloodied image, sharp yellow teeth, and an amber gaze filled with menace and terror crossed her mind before Meyra could control her thoughts and bring her attention back to reality.

"I hope not. I mean-- I ain't got anything against werewolves or vampires and stuff, but that whole... Process. Like, turnin' and stuff... I wouldn't want that for anyone. Not even my worst enemy." This time it was Casey who spoke, and Meyra knew that, because she was looking at him, to be able to see his reaction after Scout's words. Her heart suddenly felt tight in her chest, and she curled up into a hug, head down and clasping her arms with her hands. "Yeah, nobody wants that for the people they love the most." She thought as she briefly glanced at the room where Jun still rested, and gave a sigh that was not enough to ease her aching heart, nothing would be enough to free her heart from that grip of guilt.

But her green eyes didn't find Jun's silhouette, instead, she found herself looking at the McCoire duo who decided to also join the group in the living room. "Honestly, didn't they have pajamas?" She thought, her mood changing drastically upon seeing the two boys with their disheveled hair and carefree attitude. Crossing her arms with a feeling of strong disapproval, Meyra finally walked the last few steps that took her to the table. Colin had perched himself on one of the chairs, blocking her from looking at the files spread out on the table, so she had to peer over his shoulder.

What she saw made her stomach churn and her heart feel like it dropped to the ground. It was almost impossible to recognize who or what was in that portrait, the image seemed so familiar to her that she thought she could not continue breathing. "What's that?" She asked in a weak voice. But before she could hear a response, the young girl gave a small jump back, mimicking Colin's reaction. A "Yeeep!" escaped his lips and he turned around after sitting properly in the chair, narrowing his green eyes at her. Meyra rolled her eyes dismissively, before looking at him with one eyebrow raised, "You are very easy to scare." She accused him, a hint of a smirk hovering on her lips.

But her amusement was very short-lived, for as soon as she looked back at the files on the table and then at Casey her expression became solemn again, "I'm sorry Casey." She said, her throat becoming too dry for her to say anything else.

Note: Colin gave me permission to godmood his character.
@Scout Fu-Hai - @Ava Winchect - @Colin McCoire - @Jun Mayumi Mochizuki - @Emily Shephard

February 12th 2025
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
@Scout Fu-Hai - @Ava Winchect - @Colin McCoire - @Jun Mayumi Mochizuki - @Meyra Lancaster - Cursa McCoire - Casey Stone

Emily finally sat the statements back down on the table, turning back to Casey and Scout. She could understand where he was coming from. To know something - or someone - you love change drastically is quite a feat to accept. To wake up one morning and find out someone is no longer who they were can be a hard pill to swallow. In some cases, one might never find peace with it. If Emily had completely withered away when she accrued that mark on her finger, would Scout despair over her friend who was no longer herself? Would Casey? Would anyone not care either way? Even though Casey's circumstance was something she knew she couldn't speak for, she knew a taste of what such a feeling was like at the end of the day.

She bumped Casey's shoulder encouragingly. "Bear or not, we'll find him. So long as you keep holding on to that faith in your gut, then there's a chance we'll find him. You just wait and see...!"

"EMMI!"

Emily felt her soul leave her body as her body jerked out of shock. It was a beat before she realised what the hay that was before she jumped off the sofa and back towards the bedroom. The speed of her exit had the documents she was holding blow across the table, her hair and nightie bouncing as she hurried back to the other room.

"Colin?! I'm here!" She rounded the corner by the door and she spotted him, hair dishevelled and Cursa with him.

"You almost gave us all a heart attack, Colin! Are you alright?" she asked concernedly. She searched his face for distress with soft eyes. He didn't seem too worse for wear. Just knackered like the rest of them. False alarm, she figured.

She bowed her head a little. "Did we wake you? Sorry... We were just talking about... Um..." Emily turned back around towards Casey for an answer. Instead, she saw him beckon the lot of them to come sit with him and Scout.

"S'alright. They ain't doin' any harm."

Emily followed behind the McCoire lads as they took a spot on the chair with Emily reclaiming her spot beside Casey.

"I---Casey. I'm sorry. Wh---Who was that?" Cursa had asked as he peered over the photos.

Emily gave the lads a sickly look before Casey answered. "A taste of what's been the bane of my existence for nearly the last two frickin' years."

"What Casey means is..." Emily added, with a nicer tone and minus the sass. "He's been looking into something personal. His... Um..." she searched Casey's expression. "Am I even allowed to say it...?" she whispered to him.

Casey nodded and Emily turned back to the McCoires. "He's trying to find his brother."

_{Word Count: 450}

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

Roleplaying as Casey Stone from Ilvermorny

February 12th 2025
Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics
@Scout Fu-Hai - @Ava Winchect - @Colin McCoire - @Jun Mayumi Mochizuki - @Meyra Lancaster - Cursa McCoire - Emily Shephard

Casey groaned the longer he stared blankly at the evidence in front of him. It felt like he had everything, but not enough to really get a sense of what the hell happened two years ago. He wasn't stumped for the truth. He had Emily and Scout helping him after all. However, with the pieces he was given, not all of it seemed to connect, or maybe that was just his tired brain checking out on him.

A scream from next door had Casey curse out of shock, the hair on the back of his neck standing up straight. He knew that this trip to France would get him killed sooner or later! Hogsmeade all over again... Until he saw Emily hop off the sofa and zoom where the noise came from. A moment later she reappeared with both Colin and Cursa, and Casey sighed with a small eye roll.

"I shoulda known... It's always a McCoire that's behind it..." he grumbled. Nevertheless, he invited everyone to sit down. Emily and Scout already know. A few more friendly faces wouldn't hurt. In other words, Casey's past the point where he stopped caring about who found out. But if Emily trusted them, then he did. Out of anyone, her judgement was always proven the best.

Cursa was already getting nosy with the photos. "I---Casey. I'm sorry. Wh---Who was that?"

"A taste of what's been the bane of my existence for nearly the last two frickin' years." Casey responded flatly. Emily brusquely intervened to keep the conversation - and by extent, Casey's temper - calm and composed. As well as settle Casey into what he would have to admit to everyone else in the room what they didn't know. What was laid out before everyone wasn't going to be an easy topic to explain. Nor was it pleasant in the slightest by itself.

"What you're lookin' at is evidence from an incident a few years ago," he began. "You've got reports, names, statements and so on over here... Those photos are of one of a few people that died. I don't know them personally, only that my brother was with them.

He pulled across the Dalnuis report. "It ain't the most detailed report... Lazy slobs... But from what I know, my brother was on a trip with his mates. Where, I don't know. For what exactly, I don't know. But it was that trip where three people died, two went missing, and two survived."

His face darkened. "My brother's one of the missin' ones... He's been missin' for two years and I'm the only one left who's willin' to break their back in findin' him. Adults won't help. No leads, they say. And I'll admit, this stuff here ain't the most fleshed out crime board in the world... But it's still better than nothin'. It's somethin' at least to go on so I can find him."

He was briefly interrupted when Colin "yeeped!" after getting spooked by Meyra's sudden presence. Emily giggled. Casey smirked. He considered it karma for nearly sending him into shock with his earlier outburst... Or maybe he really did scare easily as Meyra claimed. He winked at Meyra for the clever scare.

"Hmph... Anyway..." Casey continued, his tone serious as he brought the conversation back on track. "It seems most of us are in unanimous agreement that it ain't a bear that did this... And I don't wanna jump to conclusions about any magical creatures just yet. But I know somethin' did this... Somethin' attacked them, which killed these people and I'm willin' to bet are behind my big bro's vanishing act..."

He leaned back tiredly. "I just frickin' wish I knew what though. But hey! Now you know. So, anyone want a prize for takin' all that in?"

And of course he finished with a flourish of sass.

_{Word Count: 600}

Stats: Stamina: 8 | Strength: 7 | Evasion: 7 | Wisdom: 6 | Arc Power: 6 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Fearless |Poison Resistance

february 12th, 2025		wednesday
wc: 450ish		dhampir | terrible presence
interacting with: everyone		mentioning: zyair~~

Casey's compliment didn't go unnoticed. Nothing scares you, oh, if only he knew! Just the subject at hand was making Scout feel queasy. She hated the topic, taking great notice at Casey's hesitance for his brother being nonhuman. For a few months she had toyed with the idea of telling Casey about what she really was, but that fantasy was ripped from her hands the second she saw his face.

Yeah, who would want to deal with being a vampire or werewolf?

Definitely not Scout.

She sees both Colin and Cursa sneak in, and then Meyra later. It was a little comforting, expanding their group of mystery-solvers and secret-seekers, though Scout couldn't help but think of something Zyair had said all the way back in October, "There are plenty of secrets to be discovered and shared, but I don't think we need to reveal all of our cards just yet, right?" In all honesty, she wasn't sure what he had meant by that. 'Our' cards... did he also have something he was hiding?

Scout definitely couldn't blame him, it felt like everyone in their little group had a secret or three they kept on the down low. But the idea of being so comfortable with someone that her secrets would become their secrets... wouldn't that be a nice dream? Maybe one day her and Emily would get there. Wait- did Emily even really have secrets? Huh...

Now that Scout was really thinking about the whole scenario, Casey seemed really turned off from the such an idea- "I hope not. I mean-- I ain't got anything against werewolves or vampires and stuff, but that whole... Process. Like, turnin' and stuff... I wouldn't want that for anyone. Not even my worst enemy." Her mouth opened and she asked the question before she could even register it in her mind, "Would you still be looking for your brother like this if he weren't human anymore?" She cringed at herself, realizing the harshness of the question. "Sorry, that sounds horrible, doesn't it?" She shook her head, of course Casey would still be looking for his brother- how could she even ask that?

Maybe she was just too tired for critical thinking, yeah that was it.

"Sorry, I'm tired and this case is just so weird," she mumbles idly, voice barely an inch above audible, "I mean, didn't you say that two survived? Surely one of them could remember something?" Scout asks, tilting her head. She couldn't imagine being in an event where someone looked like the mess of remains and just... not being able to remember any details. That'd be awfully frustrating.

@Emily Shephard @Colin McCoire @Meyra Lancaster