I see Josephine as a bit more like "Dean" of all people, in the ways of super straightforward "Nope, we don't go through people's stuff unless necessary" so she wouldn't go through the letter. I hope that makes sense! Like "old fashioned manners".

Shaking her head at the day's events, Josephine looked at the box and shook her head again, and set it back down.

"Wouldn't be right." she said softly, mostly to herself.

Knowing she should search for Constance, she started poking around the city, searching for intel.



23 on the gather intel roll

ooc: How classy of you! ;)

It takes a bit of doing, but you manage to glean an address for the woman. She apparently lives about ten miles from town. She appears to be Henry's daughter and from what you gather, they've been estranged for years. Apparently issues regarding his wife/Constance's mother caused the rift, though no one knows exactly why.

The rest of that night you rest, and long into the morning. Should you wish though the next day, you can travel to her house, Marcus accompanying you. Lily and Castiel are still asleep. They've been so weakened throughout all of this, that it will take some doing to regain their former strength. Lily especially has been through much and you worry about what experiments were done on her.

Should you choose to go to Constance's house you'll find a small little farmhouse with a white picket fence and four children running around the yard. Henry's grandchildren no doubt. It is a sobering thought to realize he'll never see them again. A woman in her thirties sits on the porch, shucking corn. She looks up at you in surprise. Can I help you? she calls.

Approaching with a soft smile, Josephine held out a hand in greeting,

"Hello, I'm Jo, and I've come to speak with you about something a bit..." she glanced sideways at the children, "Distressing." she hinted, not wanting the children to see their mother react the way she was assuming she was going to.

Assuming she had the kids leave (or not), Josephine jumped into the thick of it,

"Henry has passed away. I know you two haven't spoken in some time, but I thought it would be right for you to know. He was a good man, at least to those he was around, and I thought it would only be right to let you know he went peacefully, and that we're going to miss him." she said, interspersing those words into her conversation with the woman.

She listens in shock, slowly registering what you've said. W-What? He...died? But how!? In his sleep? Who are you? How did you know him? she looks completely stunned.

ooc: Awww! How classy of you to lie to her so nicely! ;)

Nodding solemnly, Josephine placed a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder, responding softly,

"Henry was a hard-working man, and all of his friends always knew that. He mostly kept to himself, but what it looked like was natural causes in his sleep. Perhaps something in the men in his family, or something similar." she said, keeping it generalized, so she wouldn't ask too many questions,

"The important thing is that he died peacefully, which is the most any of us could hope for. He just told me that if anything had ever happened to him, to make sure you knew, and you were alright." she said, trying to soften the blow by making it seem like he'd cared.


OOC: Haha, thanks I try to be a classy liar :P
29 on the bluff roll

Peacefully? My father? That doesn't sound like him. she shakes her head drily. It's more than that bastard deserves. No. No, no, I told myself I wasn't going to let him do this to me again, she mutters, shaking her head. It's clear she has conflicted feelings towards the man and though she's obviously sad she has a great deal of animosity too. Look. I'm sorry to startle you but...well you have to know my father and I were not on good terms. Growing up he drank. A lot. He got sober later but by then well...I just didn't have it in me to forgive him. And then he started going crazy! Completely crazy! He kept saying demons were real and all kinds of rubbish like that. I couldn't take it anymore! But...peacefully you say? You probably knew him better than I, was he...happy? I haven't spoken to him in years! Did he live well? In spite of her anger there is a trace of desperate hope in her eyes.

Smiling sadly, Josephine nodded, and put on a show,

"He lived happily, and died a happier man than most." she said softly, grasping her hand, "He'd found a group of men who struggled with the same troubles he did, like the drinking and other things, and he found himself with their support." all technically true, just explained differently,

"He passed comfortably." she said softly, hoping this woman was satisfied with that, and not looking for money or something.

She looks bewildered but at last nods gratefully. I'm happy to hear that. I never knew how to forgive him myself, but I am glad he found some form of peace. You were very kind to tell me of all this. she smiles gratefully.

She's a liar. The voice from behind you startles you both, and Constance's surprise immediately turns to irritation. You turn to see one of the children, a girl of about five, looking at you blankly, face innocent. Melanie! Enough! This woman is our guest! Melanie is unaffected by the scolding. But she's lying mama. Grandpa had a tree branch stuck in his middle. I can see it. He hung there a long time, squirming like a worm on a hook.

Smiling understandingly at her loss, Josephine turned towards the little girl, and shook her head,

"I wish I had better news, and I'm sorry that your daughter seems unable to cope with the news, but I do come bearing the truth." she said, keeping her head on the woman.

She then handed her the letter, and sorrowfully took her leave.

Constance is shocked by her daughter's words, and gives her hand a little slap, reprimanding her. You'll have to forgive Anne! She's taking to telling such wild tales lately! At this the girl argues that they are most definitely not tales and an argument ensues. It does make you shiver, how accurate she is. Clearly the girl has some sort of gift. No matter her father's death, Constance has ties to hunting whether she likes it or not.

ooc; Ok, any plans before the storyline continues? Planning, scheming, shopping? ;P
What does Jo hope to do next? She has a lot of balls in the air. Her mother is back in New York, still tainted, you have Lily who's been messed with too, and of course her father somewhere on the loose. What does she want to do next?

OOC Chase her mother WITH Lily. She cares about Lily/Mom the most, and would want to keep them close in some futile hope of keeping them both safe!

She has confidence that her father will find her himself, so she'll chase her mother with Lily.

With Marcus on the mend, he's able to transport you all back to headquarters in New York. It's handy now that you don't have to take the time to track anyone, he can get you places with great speed. Castiel is especially grateful for this and he is taken to rest by Victoria, who does the best she can for him.

Meanwhile, Lily is questioned and, now that things have calmed down, she takes over control of her body once more, her angelic half going dormant again. She remembers nothing. Just injections of black blood and then waking up here. Needless to say it's not very useful, but it sounds a great deal like what they did to your mother. When Lily walks across a demon trap though, she passes it with ease. Does this mean they were successful with whatever it was they were doing? Or was it something else entirely?

Your mother, has been a very patient woman in the meantime. She's been poked and prodded, questioned endlessly and then prodded again. The man in charge of this process is named Benjamin Kirk, a severe looking fellow in his early fifties with white blond hair and a face made of granite. You immediately don't like him but he clearly has great skill judging by the way everyone seems to respect him. He begins the process with Lily too, experimenting and such, but she takes it far worse than your mother, slapping him when he tries to feel her body for abnormalities and swearing him out endlessly whenever he wants to poke and prod. It's only Victoria's pleading that gets her to cooperate at all. After days of this, Kirk frowns. From what I can tell, the demon blood is dormant for now. I imagine it can be activated though, otherwise why put it in? We know they've been using children's souls for their armies, and now they are recruiting actual human foot soldiers, whether they want to be or not. They're making an army. There's no telling if any of them could actually resist the call once it's been sounded. He sounds grim. Hearing this, your mother looks terrified. Maybe, maybe it would be better then to be rid of me. I won't be a tool for the dark like my husband.

ooc: By the way, you probably don't know about the children's souls thing right? So I imagine it would sound less than great to Jo.

"Children's souls?!" Josephine questioned, sounding absolutely sick at the idea, "I thought... like somehow, they were immune, or left out or something?" she questioned hopefully, really bothered by that fact.

Waving her mother's concerns away, Jo was NOT about to lose her too,

"Quiet, mother." she lectured sternly, "You are not becoming a quitter now. Absolutely not how a Hartley acts and you know it!" she said, lecturing her mother with the exact words her mother had said to her multiple times in the past, "We just need to figure out how to remove the effects... whether that means getting your blood cleaned, or an angel like Castiel to work on it, or something else entirely. We're not losing you for no reason." she said resolutely.

ooc: Hahahahahaha! I don't know why her reaction is so funny to me!

IC: If it makes you feel better Josephine, no child has died as yet. It would seem they are left in a sleeping state, no one is able to rouse them and amazingly they don't appear to need sustenance. Their souls are being collected though, to power the enemy. We currently have several members throughout the country, rescuing them and returning the souls to their rightful place. But yes, it is disturbing the lengths the enemy will go to. she shakes her head.

Meanwhile, your mother gives you a sad smile at your words. Alright, alright. I'll stick around a while longer. But if they somehow activate me, if they turn me into a weapon, I need you to promise me you'll kill me. I just...I can't let that happen, she shakes her head. Lily nods gravely at this. The same goes for me. I don't want to lose control either. Of course, I should probably be asking Marcus to do it. You couldn't shoot the side of a mountain three feet away from it, she grins, lending much needed mirth to the situation.

Kirk listens to all this without emotion. Well if you want any chance of reversing this, I'll need more time. Actually, since your father is the one who did this, my best chance would be to question him. I have ways of doing it. But I need him here first and I'm not going out to get him. My work is in New York. If you really care about your mother you should bring your father in. Alive if possible but I can work around that if needed. he sniffs.

Josephine didn't like the news about the children, but it wasn't that bad with this new intel. Shaking it off, she focused on the other three,

"Well, they're not going to turn either of you into weapons, so we'll plan on that instead." she said, shaking her head, "Nobody here is allowed to die, unless I say so!" she said resolutely.

"I'm the worst person, quite literally, in the world to catch my father. These two aren't great for the job either, since he'll know how to 'activate' them. We need a different plan Kirk." she said flatly, shaking her head.

Kirk looks annoyed at your blatant disagreement. You get the feeling he's not used to women questioning him. He seems to be one of the more unpleasant people you've had the misfortune to work with. A moment later his next statement confirms this hunch.

Well, you seem to be inept and the other two are liabilities. In my book they should be kept under lock and key until I can neutralize them. If you're so poor at fetching your father, perhaps you'd best stay here too, let more important folk take on the task. I'm sure there's something around here they can find for a spirited young woman. Wrapping bandages perhaps? Entertaining the hunters? he says the word hunters with a sneer, clearly thinking them beneath him too.

Nodding with a smile, Josephine agreed,

"Ok, perfect! I'll let Marcus know that you'll be heading the trip to chase down my father, while I manage to hold down your operation here. Thank you so much for being the brave soul that you are, it really helps poor ol' girls like myself." she said, trapping him with his own words.

She knew the type, though... the man was angry, probably judgemental because women had never given him the time of day. Walking suddenly super close to him, breathing softly, she looked at his lips, subtly, and back up to his eyes, her own wet... the air suddenly very intense and intimate as she whispered,

"Or I can help you... show you things you've never seen... Teach you about the hunt... the things you've always been afraid of." she said, although with her honeyed whispered tone, it sounded like heaven pouring from her lips, "I mean... I can tell you're not half as bad as the other guys say you are... not as weak... not as indecisive. You could really make this operation go smoothly if you were in charge of it, right?" she asked, gently fiddling with his collar just a bit, subtly manipulating him to her cause...



OOC: Mwahaha, I finally found my one area of strength! Bring it on, old-fashioned, creepy man with looking down on girls syndrome! I'll make you my puppet!

ooc: Hahahaha!

Kirk looks at you in surprise, though annoyance flashes across his features. As you play with his collar he looks like he wants to pull away, glaring at you but...he doesn't. He's the curmudgeony type, a man used to power, to getting his way. A man who takes nothing off of anyone. But clearly he must find you attractive, even grudgingly. Why else would he hesitate? After a moment, he does take a step back, face still stony and cold, but he's quieter than he was before. Yes. You may have a subtle pull on him, but it is there. So. You expect me to lead this catastrophe do you? And you think you want to come along is that right? He is clever, perhaps even seeing through your charade, but not enough to not be affected by it. I can see that I'm going to have to do everything myself. I always do. he shakes his head. Fine. But from here on out, what I say goes. If you want to come, and what's more if you want to live, you'll obey ME. I'm the only one here who actually knows what he's doing. And I'd appreciate it if you kept your hands to yourself young lady, he adds with a raised brow at you. Yes. He's not so easily manipulated as most men it seems, but then you must have done something right or he wouldn't be coming along. And I'll have you know, the last person who mistook me for weak, died. Painfully. Remember that. he sniffs.

Holding her hands up, palms out, with an obedient look on her face, Josephine nodded,

"Oh, of course, Sir!" she said, just sinking that hook a little bit deeper... the hint of power... control... she baited the hook like a professional fisher,

"I wouldn't make the mistake of taking you for weak, sir. I promise you that much." she reiterated, explaining her 'position' in no uncertain terms.

Pausing, just long enough to not make it obvious, she finally asked,

"So how can I best help you prepare for this arduous journey, Kirk?" she asked softly, at least fulfilling the role of 'obedient' for now...

Sucker...

He arches a brow but seems accepting of your sincerity after a moment. I don't need your help other than to prepare yourself. You wouldn't know what to bring anyway. Just keep Marcus in check. He's an arrogant fool and he doesn't know nearly so much as he thinks he does. We leave tomorrow. Be ready. With that he leaves, a scowling Lily looking after him. She turns to you with an urgent expression. I don't like this. He's worse than you think him. He's sexist, pompous and he can be...dangerous. There is no one stronger than he in the arts of the arcane. Don't try to toy with him Jo. If you get on his bad side, he can do things to you you wouldn't dream of. He's too powerful. Most of us hate him but he's such an asset...If it were up to me though we'd have shot him years ago. I want to go with you. I know I'm a danger with this tainted blood but...I just want to make sure you're safe!

Nodding her acceptance of his words, Josephine bowed her head in respect,

"Thank you sir. I will do my best with Marcus."

When she turned to Lily, and the man had left the room, she shrugged,

"Of course I want you along, but what if you can't control yourself? Do you want to be the one that kills me?" she asked her, bringing her hand to the side of Lily's face gently stroking her, "I want you there too, but I don't know if its whats best for YOU. I will get him to do what we need, and I will come back, safe and strong. I promise."

Jo was lying, of course... had no idea what lay in store for her, but she knew Lily needed to stay here for her safety, and so somebody could figure out how to help her.

Lily pales at mention of killing you and she give a slow nod. You're right. Of course you're right. I'll stay. But...you have to be careful! I know you're talented at manipulation but use caution. That man is immune to anything requiring a heart. He's cold as ice Jo. And so, so powerful. Don't you cross him. Whatever happens. Don't. Do you understand? You are stunned to see a flash of fear in her green eyes. Lily has never been afraid of anything that you could see. It definitely makes you hesitate. She continues. I'm glad Marcus is going with you. You can trust him, he's as good of a man as Ian. He's not so strong as Kirk but he can keep you safe. Watch each other's backs. It's not so much that I think Kirk is evil, it's just that he's used to getting his way. If he doesn't get it then he can be...dangerous.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:13, Tue 08 Oct 2019.

Leaning in conspiratorially, Josephine whispered,

"Him mentioning those who cross him dying is a sign that he's already falling for it." Josephine grinned, her impetuous troublemaking already showing its face, "But I'll be careful, I promise you that. I'm not trying to play him anyways... I just need his help, and I feel like this is the only way to get it. I'm not here to cross anybody, Lily, you know that. I'm here for the best for everyone." she nodded, hearing about Marcus. She knew that, and was glad he was coming as well to keep her balanced. She needed that.


OOC: Haha, perfect! I am glad to hear she'll be coming back to me soon! I already miss her!

Lily seems satisfied, wrapping you in a tight hug and telling you to be safe and stick with Marcus. After your goodbyes are through, you're left with your mother, who smiles warmly, though sadness is deep in her eyes. Well Jo. Looks like I'm gonna be stuck here a while. I hate leaving the bar so long, she sighs and shakes her head. It's killing me actually. Ah well. I'll pick back up when this is all over. She pauses then, her half smile disappearing as she tucks your hair behind your ear. Sweetie...what you're about to do...I need you to know. Your father is still in there, somewhere. You're going to want to try to get him back, I know you but...honey it's not going to work. I tried and tried, even thought I got through to him but his demon is too strong. When it comes down to it, because it eventually will, you're going to have to let him go. He knows that. He understands. He may be technically alive but, he died a long time ago. Can you do it, if it comes to it? Can you be strong enough to let him die again?

Placing her hand on her mother's shoulder, Jo leaned in closely at her words, thinking with a furrowed brow for a long, hard moment. Eventually, she nodded her head, a determined look in her eyes,

"Mama, I wouldn't be a Hartley if I couldn't handle hard choices. I don't intend on losin' both my ma and my pa in the same lifetime, so if you could: focus on getting yourself right, so we can get through this together, you hear me?" she asked, and although her tone was mockingly tough, she was clearly very shaken by the idea. Still, if there was one thing Jo was good at, it was putting on a good face when needed.

"I don't know how I'll do it, mama, but I'll find a way. Us Hartley women always have to, because the men are so gall-darned useless." she smiled, trying to lighten the mood a bit, patting her mother one last time,

"I'll be fine. Make me some of those cookies for when I come back, alright?" she asked with a smile, taking off and following Marcus out of there, barely containing her emotion.