|
|
Post by vincentbelmont on Jan 31, 2011 15:42:38 GMT -5
He was almost home.
Vincent sat in a tiny roadside diner in northern Indiana, sipping at a cup of mediocre coffee and skimming a local paper. Something he’d learned from all the hunters that he’d met and spoken with was that often times you could find a lead to a case right in the paper. They weren’t always front page, and sometimes you had to dig around for bit to find them, but a good hunter was able to pick out the supernatural crimes from the normal ones. And, it was a skill that Vincent was trying very hard to pick up for himself.
What he’d found in this particular newspaper alarmed him, honestly. Crops failing, cattle taking ill and dying, freak electrical storms… These things sounded like demonic omens. And, from what he’d learned, it would take a particularly powerful demon to have caused them. He was no hunter, but Vincent wondered if he should use what he’d learned from all the hunters he’d met with to try and track this demon down, and maybe to try and exorcise it as well…
Flicking his eyes up from the paper, he spied the only other customer in the place, a young man who—like him—was reading the very same paper with an expression of concern on his face. Vincent wondered if perhaps he was a hunter. He certainly looked the type, and as he got up and went to the bar to request a refill of his coffee, the priest noticed that he moved with a grace and confidence that usually was shown by someone well trained and very certain of their own abilities.
Taking his chances, Vincent got up and walked across the diner, gesturing to the empty seat across from the young man.
“Mind if I have a seat?”
((TAG Aric, or Meph!))
|
|
|
|
Post by aricsummers on Feb 1, 2011 1:37:58 GMT -5
Aric finished his cheese burger and took a sip of his coke. It was his first time being in Indiana, and so far he kind of liked the place. It was pretty nice, nice land, friendly people, and good food. As he finished chewing his last bite of burger, he looked down at a local newspaper that had stories of what seemed like different omens. He continued reading, seeing if maybe he could find a clue that could help getting him started on this new found hunt. He looked up, noticing a man sitting across the diner, reading the same paper. He didn’t look like a hunter, but then again, some hunters didn’t really portray themselves as such. Aric looked back down to his paper and continued to read.
He would grab a fry here and there, not taking his eyes from the articles, except for when the waitress came by and asked him if he wanted a refill on coke. He looked up and nodded with a slight smile and she poured him a new glass of coke. ”Thanks” He said. The waitress nodded and headed back to the kitchen. As Aric reached for another fry, he had realized that he had devoured the whole meal. A feeling of slight sadness flowed over him, but he soon found himself reading the paper once more, as if he was never phased by his empty plate.
Aric heard footsteps approaching his table, but it wasn’t those of the waitress, it was definitely male. He looked up, seeing the man as he sat down, joining Aric. Aric nodded politely and motioned his hand to the empty chair ”By all means.” He said before taking a drink of his coke. ”How can I help you, sir?” |
|
|
|
Post by vincentbelmont on Feb 3, 2011 18:44:14 GMT -5
Vincent smiled politely and sat down.
When the waitress came by and asked if he'd like a cup of coffee, Vincent nodded and thanked her, but didn't speak until after she'd finally left. Sipping at the fresh cup of coffee, the priest took another look at his copy of the paper, which he'd brought over with him. His eyes scanned the same articles again, and again he found his mind coming to the same conclusion: the unexplained phenomena that had been reported all around town were eerily consistent with demonic omens.
With the waitress now gone, and his mind apparently made up, Vincent took a final sip of his coffee and spoke.
"So," he began, setting his cup down and staring across the table at the young man. "Strange weather we've been having around here, huh? And all the cattle deaths, and the other weird things that have been going on?" Shaking his head, Vincent sighed, gesturing toward the paper. "What's the world coming to?"
Falling silent again, Vincent shot the man a meaningful glance before taking another drink of his coffee, sighing in satisfaction. He'd been in a lot of these roadside dives in the past few months during his journey, and that meant that he'd sampled no small amount of coffee along the way, most of it foul and tasting like mud. This was certainly a nice change of pace, and the priest marked the place in his mind, so that he could return here in the future if he was ever passing through.
"Yes sir," Vincent finally said, breaking the silence. "Seems like there's definitely something strange going on here, don't you think?"
|
|
|
|
Post by aricsummers on Feb 4, 2011 1:36:43 GMT -5
Aric looked up and smiled politely to the waitress as she came by. His eyes soon turned to the man that sat down in front of him as he began to speak about the omens that had been cited in the news paper. He took a sip of his coffee I’m Aric… and you are?” Trying to get away from the direction the conversation was going. Aric didn’t like that the signs were published so much… People would start thinking something was wrong, and that made his job a bit harder because everyone wanted to figure out the problem themselves.
That was a good way to get you killed… Go and stick your nose in places they shouldn’t be. Especially when those places had demons and ghosts. Most people that tried dealing with the supernatural without any training usually end up getting themselves killed. Then there were those people that knew what they were doing, but get killed due to a flaw in a plan. Luckily, Aric hadn’t had any flaws… Not yet, and he planned to keep it that way.
Looks back up to the man and sighs deeply ”Alright… So you obviously came over here for a reason. He looks to the newspaper ”I would hope that you know what we are dealing with here? Otherwise I don’t think you would have come over here. Am I right?” He asked the man.
|
|
|
|
Post by mephistopheles on Feb 5, 2011 6:24:10 GMT -5
Within moments, a new waitress arrived to check on Aric, and also took notice of the newcomer. As she stood behind Vincent, remaining more visible to Aric. "Sorry, Melissa got an important call, I'm Anna Stackhouse, I'll be takin'' over for ya." She said with a slight southern dialect. Dressed in an outfit and hairstyle that gave her the look of a resident to this area, apron around her waist, the brunette gave Aric a charming, almost flirty smile and glanced back at Vincent as well. "Hope everythin's good." She said in a friendly tone. "Will ya be orderin' anything tonight as well, sir?" She asked Vincent as she raised up her notepad. Mephistopheles had indeed been hanging around the area, posing as a waitress and luring people into deals and arrangements at this lovely little hangout. Given she was far prettier then any of the other waitresses at the diner; most of the middle-aged or average in look at best, deals came easy, as did tips. She'd only been here a few weeks and already her tips were twice the size of anyone else's there. She recognized Vincent on the spot, having sensed him there from the start. Getting Melissa to leave early had been a synch, she was having a rough day outside work and offering to cover now was like offering candy to a baby. Why the priest was here was beyond the demon's guess, but it did provide amusement after that little nightmare. OUTFIT |
|
|
|
Post by vincentbelmont on Feb 7, 2011 13:28:41 GMT -5
Vincent was about to reply to Aric when the waitress approached, and his blood ran cold.
He had to do a double take, for surely his eyes were deceiving him... This couldn't be the same person that he'd encountered so many months ago in his dreams, the same demon that had come to tempt him, and to break his faith. He narrowed his eyes and swallowed hard, trying to really, truly remember the face of Mephistopheles' host.
The truth was, though, that as more and more time passed since their meeting, Vincent found that his memory of that dream grew hazier and hazier. He remembered the conversation, of course, and the vision he'd been shown of Hell. He even remembered the illusion of his church, abandoned and in ruins. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that the face of the young woman became more and more indistinct and harder to remember.
In fact, there had been a couple more times that Mephistopheles had appeared to him, always in his dreams. And every time that it happened, it seemed to Vincent that he didn't even see the face of the young woman any more; rather, he saw the demon's face, his true face. And it filled the priest with terror.
"Uhhh..." he stammered, unable to find any words as the waitress smiled warmly at him. No, it couldn't be... Could it?
Remaining speechless, Vincent simply sat there and stared, content to let Aric do the talking as he tried to wrap his mind around what exactly he was seeing.
If anything.
|
|
|
|
Post by aricsummers on Feb 9, 2011 1:48:25 GMT -5
Aric was looking at Vincent when he watched as a very attractive waitress came to their table. His eyes widened a bit and he gave a welcoming, flirty smile in return. ”Well, Anna, I’m not trying to sound rude, but um” Pauses a moment and whispers ”I’m pretty glad you got to take over for her. I do hope everything is okay with her? He said in a concerning voice. Aric couldn’t say that he didn’t care, but the waitress’ home life didn’t really peak his interests… Although, the new waitress standing in front of him did.
Aric looked at Vincent with a blank stare. Shakes his head and chuckles a bit before looking up at Meph ”He must be in shock from looking at someone so beautiful He smiles and sighs a bit Can you just bring him a burger and some fries? And maybe a bib for the drool Aric laughed lightly and smiled to the waitress. ”Can I also get a shake please?”
Aric looked at Vincent a bit confused. He normally never saw people look at someone or something, like that unless they were freaked out. Once the waitress had gone, Aric snapped in front of Vincent’s face, trying to get him back to reality Hey, yo… Buddy! You ok?’ Aric snaps a couple more times, attempting to get him to speak. Aric couldn’t shout his name because he hadn’t learned it yet.
|
|
|
|
Post by mephistopheles on Feb 14, 2011 7:32:42 GMT -5
Meph gave a shrug. "She didn't really say, but I guess it was pretty urgent." She answered. "Hope everything'll turn out alright for 'er."
Meph gave a smile and brushed back her hair as the younger man complimented her. "It's all okay, I've been gettin' that a lot since I started." She said with a laugh, and wrote down their orders. "Sure thing, And just 'cuz you're cuter then the average guest I'll bring 'em out as fast as I can. It's a promise.." Giving a cross-my-heart gesture, the demon turned and left them, weaving through the tables and checking on any that were also on her shift.
The priest's expressions were not lost on the demon. While Meph had not directly interacted with him lately, no doubt the lasting impression gave him nightmares regardless that focused around her. That look of shock had been absolutely priceless, and what the demon had in store for later that had been carefully laid out since coming was sure to do a hell of a lot more. After the rounds were done, the demon disappeared into the kitchen.
|
|
|
|
Post by vincentbelmont on Feb 15, 2011 12:01:08 GMT -5
Vincent watched the young woman disappear into the kitchen before returning his attention to Aric.
"I... It seems like I know that woman," he stammered, an expression of total confusion on his face. "I mean... I don't know for sure, but she seems very familiar, that's all." Lowering his voice even more, the priest added conspiratorially, "We should be careful around her, just in case."
That said, Vincent let his eyes roam over the newspaper again, and the apparent demonic omens. Could this woman have something to do with them? Was it possible that she actually was the demon Mephistopheles? It seemed more than likely, but he had no hard proof, and he wouldn't make a move without being certain. It could only make things worse if he did.
Still, that didn't mean that he couldn't be careful.
"So, Aric," Vincent said, finally speaking again but keeping his voice very quiet, barely above a whisper. "These strange occurances sound like they could be demonic omens, don't you think?"
|
|
|
|
Post by aricsummers on Feb 19, 2011 2:14:35 GMT -5
Aric smiled as he listened to her speak ”Sounds good to me… Thanks.” He said in response to her saying she would bring the food out quickly. Aric looked back to Vincent for a moment and nodded ”You should always be careful in this line of work… Never know what could be lurking around.” He said, looking to the waitress as she went back to the kitchen. ”So you think you’ve met this girl before? Like maybe you saw her in a dream or something?” He asked. The true hunter was coming out in Aric, subconsciously asked questions to get down to the core.
Aric took a drink and his eyes gazed up from his cup to Vincent before his head followed. His eyes glanced down at the paper for a moment before looking back up ”First off, if we are going to talk about this stuff… I need some information. Starting with your name. Not to sound like an ass, but I need to know a name to call you by” Smirks a bit. Aric’s strong suit was never being subtle when it came to working. He knew how to play his cards, but he was also to the point.
After getting Vincent’s name (jumping ahead a bit), Aric nodded and looked down at his own paper. ”Yeah, that’s exactly what they are. The hard part now, is finding the damn thing that is causing them. Now, do you have any kind of lead on anything? Or are you trying to ‘hire’ me for a job?” Aric wasn’t used to being hired for a job, but it happened on occasion. And usually, his ‘boss’ was someone who knew nothing of the supernatural, but had done some research. Mostly, they couldn’t handle it themselves, or they were too afraid, so they would give Aric, or some other hunter a call to take care of it.
|
|
