013. [action]

[foolreversed]

[It's been a long time since Adachi's gone out on a night stroll, searching for things he probably shouldn't be searching for.

Back home he would tread through the fog in his yellow rain coat, and look at almost every telephone pole in Inaba, waiting (hoping) for a dead body to appear, strewn out on the wires like a cut puppet.

Well tonight it wasn't foggy, and he wasn't really sure yet what he was looking for... but he had found a yellow rain coat like his old one in his closet, so there was that. Thanks, Castle.

He hadn't known the recent murder victim nor did he care. People died. He might not be the most experienced detective, but he'd been a cop for years before and while he might not have seen enough for his stomach to grow immune, he had definitely seen enough to no longer care for dead strangers. No, he was out here simply for a mystery. He was still a detective at heart and that kind of dangerous thrill still called out to him, especially when he happened to be bored shitless.

But it wasn't the murder that finally spurred him to go out tonight. That had sparked the interest yes, but it was the rumors he heard while out in the town today that made him decide that walking alone at night and searching for an abandoned barn was in any way POSSIBLY be a good idea.

Well. He found it.

The first thing he notices is the smell. Faint but... familiar. There was something about its foulness that he couldn't yet place his finger on it. Maybe his mind was intentionally blocking it out. Just the smell alone made him want to turn around... but that's for pussies. Carrying on.

Once inside he takes note of all the damage, looking around with his flashlight (and notices the smell getting worse, ugh). Something had definitely happened here. A fight? Shredded beams and crates everywhere... and holes in the ground...?

Finally though he comes across a cellar door and finally something in the back of his mind starts going off, freezing him up and telling him he needs to go. Get out of here. Going into the cellar is a bad idea, you won't like what you find there, don't do it.

But Adachi's never been very good at listening. Not even to himself.

He reaches for the cellar door...]



(ooc: evidence discovery post for Adachi and Yuan!)

Comments

[cloakand_danger]

[Yuan has been doing his own research in town. The rumors have led him here, to this farmhouse, and the smell of rot is strong. It's not the timbers that are rotting, either - that's got to be flesh.

It's probably futile to hope that it's just from farm animals, given the nature of their enemy.

He isn't expecting to see anyone else here, though, so when he enters the barn and sees Adachi, he calls out suspiciously.]

What do you think you're doing?

[foolreversed]

Holy shit! [Adachi exclaims in a voice that somehow still managed to be hushed before jumping and stumbling backwards right on his ass.

He scrambles back to his feet and looks behind him, instinctively reaching under his jacket for his gun- OH WAIT RIGHT HE DOESN'T HAVE ONE ANYMORE GODDAMNIT. Still he goes into defense anyway.]

N-Nothing! Ab-Absolutely nothing! A-A-And I'll keep doing nothing if you don't kill me, y-yeah!

[cloakand_danger]

[...Well, that's hardly threatening enough to be one of Riful's allies. Unless it's all an act, of course. Yuan eyes him skeptically.]

How did you find this place, then?

[foolreversed]

[oh god he's so fucked. Adachi's trying to pretend he's not shaking but.... yeah, he totally is.]

O-Oh, well you know... j-just rumors flying around town haha...

[cloakand_danger]

[Dude, he doesn't even have his sword out right now. This guy must be a city-bound civilian.]

...The same way I did, then. [His posture seems to ease.] Found anything of interest so far?

[foolreversed]

[well he doesn't know what kind of powers that crazy bitch and her group have okay!! He eases up as well though when he hears what Yuan says]

Wait so... you're not with that... Rif... whatever-her-name-is chick? [his shoulders slump and he hangs his head in relief] Thank goodness.

[he turns around though, straightening up and looking uneasily at the cellar door] Not much aside from all the destruction but...

[he shines his flashlight on it and taps it with his foot] There's this.

[cloakand_danger]

...Heh. No, I'm not one of Riful's allies. [But now that he thinks about it, the way he came in must have looked pretty bad. Not that Yuan didn't have equal reason to be suspicious.

The sight of the cellar door makes him frown again, though. Whatever they came here for, it must be down there, hidden out of easy view.]

Go ahead and open it up, then, unless you'd rather I went first.

[foolreversed]

N-No, I can do it... [especially now that there's someone else here at least.

Tucking his flashlight under his arm he bends down and grasps the door firmly with both hands and pulls it open...

Immediately upon opening though, more of that smell is released and Adachi covers his nose quickly]

Ngh...! [yes he knows this smell for sure, it's slowly starting to dawn on him exactly what it is. The smell of death and rotting meat... He feels his stomach begin to churn.]

[cloakand_danger]

[Yuan grimaces at the fresh wave of stench. No, he's not looking forward to seeing what's down there, but it's not as if he can turn back now. He holds out a hand, palm-up, and forms a ball of lightning over it so that he doesn't have to rely on Adachi's flashlight.]

...No sense in postponing the inevitable. Sure you don't want me to go first?

[foolreversed]

[whoa hey that lightning thing was pretty cool.

After thinking for a few seconds he shakes his head] No, it's fine. First to arrive on the scene and all.

[and with that, he straightens back up and starts to descend down the stairs, hands still protectively over mouth and nose]

[cloakand_danger]

[Yuan follows after him, the lightning ball bobbing above his hand as he moves and leaving a trail of sparks in its wake. The sight that meets their eyes would be horrific in broad daylight - in the darkness, with two pinpoint light sources, one of which bobs and flickers, it's something out of a screaming nightmare. Yuan stares in dismay at the bodies strung up along the walls, bloated and maimed, for a moment unsure if they're moving or not (Paradisa does like its zombies), and tries hard not to need to breathe. The smell is intolerable, and the sight only makes it worse.]

Ugh...

[foolreversed]

[Adachi meanwhile freezes completely when he sees what was hiding in the cellar. His muscles all tense, his eyes widen and for a moment it feels like time stops as everything- every single detail of the gruesome scene sinks in.

Adachi's stomach is doing more than just churning right now, and when time finally resumes he hastely clamps his hand harder over his mouth before quickly turning around and throwing himsef back at the stairs, hunching over them and grabbing a higher one for support as he begins to puke up all the acid in his stomach. He'd always had a weak stomach, but if it was one thing his superiors had drilled into his heads during his early days, it was to make sure to vomit away from the crime scene.]

[cloakand_danger]

[Yuan makes a sour face as Adachi throws up, stomach roiling in sympathy, but manages to keep his own meal down. He's not moving any closer to the bodies, either, though.]

Do you have your journal on you?

[foolreversed]

[when Adachi finishes (if only because there was nothing left in him at this point) he wipes his mouth carefully with his sleeve and nods]

Uh huh... O-One second...

[he rummages through his raincoat and jacket for it... at one point he builds up the courage to look back at the scene and shakily ask:]

Why... Why are they bloated like that? [he's got another bad feeling about that detail. He pulls his journal out right as the question leaves his mouth]

[cloakand_danger]

How should I know? Maybe that's how things rot when they're locked in a cellar and hung from the ceiling. Maybe it's something she did to them. I haven't exactly made studying corpses a hobby. [Don't mind him, he's grouchy and taking it out on you.]

We need to let everyone back at the castle know.

[foolreversed]

[ooooooooh Adachi hates it when people do that him... but at least he's used to it, even if he doesn't have his memories of a certain partner that used to do it to him all the time

He keeps all his retorts about how that's not how normal humans rot at all and holds his journal out] You tell them then.

[cloakand_danger]

I'll be glad to. [He takes the journal in his free hand, since Adachi has saved him the effort of digging it out, and continues holding his light source up.

A thought occurs to him just before he opens it to dictate the entry.] What's your name?

[foolreversed]

[he groans and rubs his face. Ugh it hasn't been that long of a night really but boy does it feel like one]

It's Adachi, but could you maybe not mention my name? I have my reasons.

[cloakand_danger]

Suit yourself. [Plenty of people have enemies for plenty of reasons. He dictates a quick entry into the journal.]

That should get their attention - let's go out into the fresh air to wait.

[foolreversed]

Thanks. [he's not sure he really cares for the tone of that last sentence of the entry but whatever]

...Okay. That sounds like a good idea. [YEAH GETTING OUT OF HERE ASAP UGHHHHH]

[cloakand_danger]

[Sorry, Yuan's a dick when he's stressed out.

He'll make his way (carefully) up the stairs and out of the barn, taking a deep breath once he's all the way outside. The smell of death still lingers out here, but compared to the cellar, the air might as well be perfumed.]

late tagging who's late tagging NOT ME HAHA............

[foolreversed]

[the fresh air comes as a relief to Adachi too, but still his stomach churns. There is something else the smell of death does to him besides make him remember the bodies and wanna puke. There is something else the smell reminds him of that isn't dead bodies. Someone.

Ugh, he pushes it out of his mind and tries to focus on what's important. The investigation. He might not be a detective anymore but god damn.]

Hey uh, could you um... tell me a bit about this Riful? ...Sorry, I've only been here a few months, so all of this is actually pretty new and shocking to me. [well it'd be shocking for anyone but...] But from the way everyone talks about her on the journals it sounds like she's been a problem in the past...

[cloakand_danger]

[Yuan has been doing his own research in town. The rumors have led him here, to this farmhouse, and the smell of rot is strong. It's not the timbers that are rotting, either - that's got to be flesh.

It's probably futile to hope that it's just from farm animals, given the nature of their enemy.

He isn't expecting to see anyone else here, though, so when he enters the barn and sees Adachi, he calls out suspiciously.]

What do you think you're doing?

[foolreversed]

Holy shit! [Adachi exclaims in a voice that somehow still managed to be hushed before jumping and stumbling backwards right on his ass.

He scrambles back to his feet and looks behind him, instinctively reaching under his jacket for his gun- OH WAIT RIGHT HE DOESN'T HAVE ONE ANYMORE GODDAMNIT. Still he goes into defense anyway.]

N-Nothing! Ab-Absolutely nothing! A-A-And I'll keep doing nothing if you don't kill me, y-yeah!

[cloakand_danger]

[...Well, that's hardly threatening enough to be one of Riful's allies. Unless it's all an act, of course. Yuan eyes him skeptically.]

How did you find this place, then?

[foolreversed]

[oh god he's so fucked. Adachi's trying to pretend he's not shaking but.... yeah, he totally is.]

O-Oh, well you know... j-just rumors flying around town haha...

[cloakand_danger]

[Dude, he doesn't even have his sword out right now. This guy must be a city-bound civilian.]

...The same way I did, then. [His posture seems to ease.] Found anything of interest so far?

[foolreversed]

[well he doesn't know what kind of powers that crazy bitch and her group have okay!! He eases up as well though when he hears what Yuan says]

Wait so... you're not with that... Rif... whatever-her-name-is chick? [his shoulders slump and he hangs his head in relief] Thank goodness.

[he turns around though, straightening up and looking uneasily at the cellar door] Not much aside from all the destruction but...

[he shines his flashlight on it and taps it with his foot] There's this.

[cloakand_danger]

...Heh. No, I'm not one of Riful's allies. [But now that he thinks about it, the way he came in must have looked pretty bad. Not that Yuan didn't have equal reason to be suspicious.

The sight of the cellar door makes him frown again, though. Whatever they came here for, it must be down there, hidden out of easy view.]

Go ahead and open it up, then, unless you'd rather I went first.

[foolreversed]

N-No, I can do it... [especially now that there's someone else here at least.

Tucking his flashlight under his arm he bends down and grasps the door firmly with both hands and pulls it open...

Immediately upon opening though, more of that smell is released and Adachi covers his nose quickly]

Ngh...! [yes he knows this smell for sure, it's slowly starting to dawn on him exactly what it is. The smell of death and rotting meat... He feels his stomach begin to churn.]

[cloakand_danger]

[Yuan grimaces at the fresh wave of stench. No, he's not looking forward to seeing what's down there, but it's not as if he can turn back now. He holds out a hand, palm-up, and forms a ball of lightning over it so that he doesn't have to rely on Adachi's flashlight.]

...No sense in postponing the inevitable. Sure you don't want me to go first?

[foolreversed]

[whoa hey that lightning thing was pretty cool.

After thinking for a few seconds he shakes his head] No, it's fine. First to arrive on the scene and all.

[and with that, he straightens back up and starts to descend down the stairs, hands still protectively over mouth and nose]

[cloakand_danger]

[Yuan follows after him, the lightning ball bobbing above his hand as he moves and leaving a trail of sparks in its wake. The sight that meets their eyes would be horrific in broad daylight - in the darkness, with two pinpoint light sources, one of which bobs and flickers, it's something out of a screaming nightmare. Yuan stares in dismay at the bodies strung up along the walls, bloated and maimed, for a moment unsure if they're moving or not (Paradisa does like its zombies), and tries hard not to need to breathe. The smell is intolerable, and the sight only makes it worse.]

Ugh...

[foolreversed]

[Adachi meanwhile freezes completely when he sees what was hiding in the cellar. His muscles all tense, his eyes widen and for a moment it feels like time stops as everything- every single detail of the gruesome scene sinks in.

Adachi's stomach is doing more than just churning right now, and when time finally resumes he hastely clamps his hand harder over his mouth before quickly turning around and throwing himsef back at the stairs, hunching over them and grabbing a higher one for support as he begins to puke up all the acid in his stomach. He'd always had a weak stomach, but if it was one thing his superiors had drilled into his heads during his early days, it was to make sure to vomit away from the crime scene.]

[cloakand_danger]

[Yuan makes a sour face as Adachi throws up, stomach roiling in sympathy, but manages to keep his own meal down. He's not moving any closer to the bodies, either, though.]

Do you have your journal on you?

[foolreversed]

[when Adachi finishes (if only because there was nothing left in him at this point) he wipes his mouth carefully with his sleeve and nods]

Uh huh... O-One second...

[he rummages through his raincoat and jacket for it... at one point he builds up the courage to look back at the scene and shakily ask:]

Why... Why are they bloated like that? [he's got another bad feeling about that detail. He pulls his journal out right as the question leaves his mouth]

[cloakand_danger]

How should I know? Maybe that's how things rot when they're locked in a cellar and hung from the ceiling. Maybe it's something she did to them. I haven't exactly made studying corpses a hobby. [Don't mind him, he's grouchy and taking it out on you.]

We need to let everyone back at the castle know.

[foolreversed]

[ooooooooh Adachi hates it when people do that him... but at least he's used to it, even if he doesn't have his memories of a certain partner that used to do it to him all the time

He keeps all his retorts about how that's not how normal humans rot at all and holds his journal out] You tell them then.

[cloakand_danger]

I'll be glad to. [He takes the journal in his free hand, since Adachi has saved him the effort of digging it out, and continues holding his light source up.

A thought occurs to him just before he opens it to dictate the entry.] What's your name?

[foolreversed]

[he groans and rubs his face. Ugh it hasn't been that long of a night really but boy does it feel like one]

It's Adachi, but could you maybe not mention my name? I have my reasons.

[cloakand_danger]

Suit yourself. [Plenty of people have enemies for plenty of reasons. He dictates a quick entry into the journal.]

That should get their attention - let's go out into the fresh air to wait.

[foolreversed]

Thanks. [he's not sure he really cares for the tone of that last sentence of the entry but whatever]

...Okay. That sounds like a good idea. [YEAH GETTING OUT OF HERE ASAP UGHHHHH]

[cloakand_danger]

[Sorry, Yuan's a dick when he's stressed out.

He'll make his way (carefully) up the stairs and out of the barn, taking a deep breath once he's all the way outside. The smell of death still lingers out here, but compared to the cellar, the air might as well be perfumed.]

late tagging who's late tagging NOT ME HAHA............

[foolreversed]

[the fresh air comes as a relief to Adachi too, but still his stomach churns. There is something else the smell of death does to him besides make him remember the bodies and wanna puke. There is something else the smell reminds him of that isn't dead bodies. Someone.

Ugh, he pushes it out of his mind and tries to focus on what's important. The investigation. He might not be a detective anymore but god damn.]

Hey uh, could you um... tell me a bit about this Riful? ...Sorry, I've only been here a few months, so all of this is actually pretty new and shocking to me. [well it'd be shocking for anyone but...] But from the way everyone talks about her on the journals it sounds like she's been a problem in the past...