Roleplaying as Casey Stone from Ilvermorny

April 18th 2025
Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics

Casey wasn't hoping for much. After Bronks being "extremely useful", Grice giving him nothing at all and Harvey Clippin's cousin giving him the cold shoulder, Casey wasn't counting on Fauna Trooperstown's mother to give him any help. He got lucky in getting some of the medical evidence sent by the family of Dennis Walls. Those were... Fun... To explain to Casey's parents, how and why a 13 year old was in possession of black and white photos with injury detail in them. But it didn't take much longer for Casey's parents to catch on that their son was doing what the adults should've been doing this whole time. His father was sceptical. His mother now tended to bite her lip a lot in recent days.

However, Casey pressed on. Ever since getting in contact with the Walls family, Trooperstown's mother reached out to him, aware of what he had been up to. Now standing outside of the coffee house three streets away from his house, Casey glanced down at the letter he received a couple days prior:

Casey Stone,

My name is Faye Trooperstown. It's come to my attention that you have been consulting with the families of certain individuals over an incident that happened in 2023. I'm right in assuming that it's the incident involving my now deceased daughter that you've been trying to uncover, no?

Patrick Walls has spoken to me that it was he that provided you with medical documents pertaining to his deceased son, Dennis, which he had been in original receipt of after the alleged accident that occurred in the same year. I'm eager to meet with you to discuss this further, as well as some of my own knowledge on the matter.

I see this matter is near and dear to you as it concerns your older brother. Should you choose to meet with me, our conversation will remain confidential but I say with all strict kindness that you tread carefully with the information I'm willing to provide you, should you accept it. It's not something than an audience of your ears should listen, however I'm concerned about you taking anything further in your hands before you eventually get hurt.

I can meet with you on the 18th outside Marren's and make it worth your while.

Regards,
Faye Trooperstown.

The most convincing, if not promising. Then again, that was just the letter. A bunch of words that didn't mean anything other than that they were written down. Casey had every itch to feel she would bounce out at the last second like others did. Yet that was immediately displaced when he heard his name called from a few feet away.

"Casey Stone?"

Casey turned his head towards the voice to then see an older looking woman approach him, with faint streaks of white in her blonde hair and dressed in a simple blue spring dress. She offered him a smile, to which Casey responded with a nod.

"Mrs Trooperstown, I'm assuming?"

"Faye is fine".

"Alright..."

"Do you drink tea?"

"I guess so...?"

"Shall we?"

Casey watched her step inside the coffee house before he caught up with her from behind. She ordered two cups and handed one to Casey before leading them back outside to sit on the wall near the building. They were quiet, with Faye sipping at her tea gently while Casey stared deep into the contents of his.

"So..." Faye suddenly said, making Casey jerk awake.

"Right. You're uh... You're Fauna's mom".

Faye nodded. "Yes. At least, for a while I was".

Casey saw the distant hurt in her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry for your loss".

Faye waved a soft hand. "I've heard it all before, though I appreciate it nonetheless... But I suppose you want to cut to the chase, yes?"

Casey's expression solidified into intrigue. "What do you know about what happened to Fauna?"

Faye kept him in suspense with a slow sip of her tea. After what felt like several long minutes of silence, she finally spoke up again.

"I know that she got caught in an animal attack. According to Bronks".

Casey caught on to the unwilling acceptance in her tone and nodded. "What else?"

"That not all of her was recovered from the aftermath..."

Casey swallowed. "What do you mean?" he asked tentatively.

"I mean as I said," Faye replied quickly, showing no sign of sugar-coating. "There were... Parts missing when she was found. The others were like that, but Fauna got the worst of it I think... Bite marks and scratches were nothin' compared to the rest of her, not when she was... Well..."

Casey bit the inside of his mouth. "Bronks said it was a bear attack".

Faye shook her head, a bitter laugh accompanying the gesture. "It would hafta been a bear from Hell to do what came upon my daughter. But I do believe that there was a little more than foul play at work, to put it lightly".

Casey's eyebrows raised ever so slightly. Now he was really interested. And he wanted to hear more. "Bronks and Grice survived. And I think Luciel and Nick did too. A friend of mine found Luciel's Dalnuis journal just a few months ago. Surely it would've been thrown out or lost during the incident, right? I think he's alive... And my brother too".

A slow smile stretched across Faye's face and she nodded agreeably. "You took the words out of my mouth. And the best part? I've got a little lead that might just prove it. It sounds like a stretch... But hear me out".

_{Word Count: 948}

To Be Continued...

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

Roleplaying as Casey Stone from Ilvermorny

April 18th 2025
Speech: Bold #257379
Thoughts: Bold Italics

Casey watched Faye down the last of her tea and tossing the cup in a bin behind her before digging into a satchel she had hanging low down her side. After rummaging around some, she lifted out a slightly worn but still readable collection of papers. She flicked through a few until she lifted out a folded brown document, seemingly much larger than the rest of what she held in her hands.

A muttered curse fell out of Faye when she tried and failed to juggle the papers to put the rest back into her bag. She suddenly threw the brown parchment into Casey's chest, prompting him to jump and catch it whilst balancing his tea between his thighs.

"Hold that a second," Faye commanded as she wrestled with her bag. "Flippin' bag is snagged--"

"Uh--"

Casey managed to shove the parchment under his arm briefly to shift his tea onto the wall beside him. When Faye got organised, she held her hand out and gestured to the parchment.

Once he handed it back, Casey scooted closer to Faye as she unfolded the parchment, revealing the surface contents of an elaborately designed map. She stretched it out for Casey to see once she placed it under their noses.

"The Great Smoky Mountains. That's what you're lookin' at here," Faye said. She lifted a finger and circled a corner of the map. "This part here? That's where Fauna and the group were trailing..." Her finger then rested on another section further down. "That's where they were found."

Casey nodded while she talked. "Everyone told me it happened in a mountain range but no one ever said it where it was...

"Tennessee," Faye said instantly. "You're only ever going to find these mountains along the Tennessee and North Carolina border. A bit of a journey but if your broom is fast enough, you'll make it there in about a day."

Casey's brows straightened. "You been there before?"

"To investigate the crime scene of my daughter, yes."

"Right..."

"The entire mountain was searched top to bottom for signs of any instigators, but no one found a thing. Whoever or whatever did it fled the scene. Go figures really, what with all this ground to play and hide in. But that's not the only thing about these mountains..." Faye lifted her finger once again, this time dragging it carefully to the other side of the drawn mountain range before setting it down. "About a week or so after the incident, back when I was doing my own little nosy of the place, I started hearing some rumours circling the mountain villages... And they all seem to point towards this little range here."

Faye moved her finger once again, this time away from the Tennessee area and crossing into North Carolina. She circled another area of the map with a knowing smile.

"Black Mountain," Faye said. "About an hour's ride from the Smoky Mountains so long as you're not on foot".

"Okay but..." Casey's forehead wrinkled. "What's so special about it?"

Faye began drawing a line with her finger up and down the region she pointed to on the map. "A lot of the rumours I started hearing about pointed to this area here". Faye indicated to a highlighted trail on the map. "Story goes that a mysterious stranger hobbled their way to the mountain face. At night, locals swore they heard agonising shouts, followed by the sounds of trees snapping. Lord knows what the deal is with all that".

Casey's eyebrow bent upwards. "Alright... And what about this freako am I supposed to be getting from here?"

Faye leaned into him, her smile playing in hope. "I think someone related to our case is the mystery figure haunting the Black Mountain. Though I don't know for sure who... Or what".

Casey's eyes widened.

"Think about it," Faye resumed. "The erratic behaviour the rumours detail sound hysterical enough to cause harm to our loved ones. The mountain stays silent save for the nights when echoes of a traumatised soul's voice travels down the valleys like a man fighting back against an unseen force. Whether it's a mad man with a crazed animal or the other way around, I can't say for sure, but something funky is going on in those mountains..."

Casey's attention faded from the map in front of him, his eyes drifting away to look at nothing as he fell into deep thought. Faye pitched quite the argument. He would dare say that she was the most valuable source he ever had at his disposal. Yet because of how much hope there was behind her explanation and findings, it all seemed too good to be true.

"Why are you tellin' me all this? Helpin' me... If I'm not meant to be involved in all this like everyone else says, how come you're doin' all this for me?"

Faye's face stiffened. "Don't get me wrong boy, this isn't anything a young teen like yourself should be concerned with. Not at all. Boys your age should be going to the mall or dealing with hormones and stuff, not obsessing over missing and deceased figures. Yet, when I look at you... I see the love you have for your brother. That's the same love I have for my dear Fauna. And despite all my own research into this case, there's nothing left for me to find. I've searched those mountains and whatever is haunting them has made it clear they don't want to be found. Not by the locals and certainly not by me. Trust me, I've tried... Unless I find it, the road has ended for me. But you still have a chance. Fauna is dead... But Nick might still be alive, even if the odds are miniscule. That's more than enough reason for you to keep the trail warm".

Faye gently pulled him in until the top of his head was resting under her chin. "I'm exhausted from feeling like I failed as a parent to protect my daughter from an untimely death, child... I want closure. The others want closure. I'm willing to bet that even the dead want closure too. We're all at the end of our ropes, Casey... All except you".

Casey watched as her eyes teared up. Reflexively, he pushed himself closer to her for him to wrap her torso into a hug. They both held each other. They felt each other's pain. Their fatigue. Their anger. Their grief.

"I just want to know if he's alive... And if I can at least get a name--"

"Then that's good enough for all of us," Faye affirmed. "This case must be closed one way or another... In order to finally let them sleep".

Faye handed the map to Casey before she slid off the wall, patting herself off.

"Keep that map," she said. "Hopefully it's enough to help you".

"It is," Casey nodded strongly. "And I promise your efforts won't have been wasted".

Faye bowed. "Good... Well... Good luck".

Casey quickly grabbed her arm when she turned to walk away. "Faye, wait".

"Hm?"

"Just... Thank you. For everything".

Faye smiled half heartedly before finally disappearing down the street, leaving Casey standing by the wall.

He looked at the map she gave her, his eyes lingering on the circled mountains. His eyes were steeped in determination.

Black Mountain...

_{Word Count: 1227}

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