Your mother puts on a brave face in return, but you can feel her watching you as you leave, her eyes sad.

The rest of that day you prepare and rest and come morning you head out. Kirk has already been able to track your father, or at least determine which direction he's headed. It would seem he's gone north. Very north. Canada.

You take a train and already feel cramped again. At least Marcus keeps your spirits up! He's very likeable and so handsome it's distracting at times. Kirk, mostly keeps quiet, glaring in thought and keeping copious notes about something. You travel two days like this and that's when you realize that all throughout the journey thus far, a man has been watching you. He's in his forties, a bit rough looking, and somehow seems to always be around. In the dining car, glancing at you over his newspaper, even when you get out for rest stops, he never stays far away...

Finally, Jo was never one to be called indirect, she approached the man in his forties, immediately curious about his doings,

"Hello. I noticed you were looking for me. Or at least, looking at me." she said flatly, hand on her hip (which was as dangerous a look as anybody could see, if they knew women), "Was there something I could help you with?" she asked, that one, dangerous, eyebrow raised in question.




Sorry for delay, I didn't get a new post notification! I missed you!

He actually seems quite surprised that you confront him and for a humorous moment you can see him wracking his mind for some kind of excuse. Finally he comes up with one, which he reveals in such a strangled voice that you almost think it might be true. Sorry. I uh...think you're pretty. Sorry. He holds up his paper in front of his face quickly then, desperately trying to ignore you. Considering his tough features, you're surprised at how awkward he actually is. It's so incredibly odd, seeing this thug blush and stammer, that you aren't sure what to make of it. You also note, glancing down at his socks, that they are a ridiculous shade of scarlet, completely at odds with his brown suit, and, come to think of it, none of his clothes match. They are all rumpled and poorly laundered too, though you can tell they were nice once. What sort of man is this? Then, even more strange, you see at his table he seems to be drinking a glass of milk of all things, along with three pieces of cake.

"I apologize, but I'm not pretty sorry..." she teased with a little smirk, playing on his phrasing, "But I would be happy to make your acquaintance. Who might you be?" she asked, watching his eyes for signs of deceit,

"If you don't mind, may I ask a question?" if she gets the affirmation, she continues, "Your clothes... was it recent?" she asked, sensing a recent divorce, or something similar, like a life-altering event, but with her slipperiness in words, she knew how to phrase it to seem like she knew exactly what had happened, to open him up.

He laughs at your declaration of not being pretty, heartily disagreeing. Nah, you're beautiful! he declares. It's laughable how different his personality is from his intimidating face.

At your question though he pales, straightening in his seat and looking over at Marcus's direction of all people. Marcus, eyes closed and seemingly dozing, appears not to notice. Uh....r-recent? he licks his lips nervously. I mean...well yeah. But... he swallows hard. Do you...know who I am? Another worried glance towards Marcus.

ooc: Roll bluff! Ha! Of course bluff and diplomacy are the only rolls I'm sure you really don't have to worry about ;P

OOC - And yet... I rolled a natural 4. At least I'm consistent!

"I have no idea who you are." she said, shaking her head, glancing towards Marcus, "And I'm starting to guess that you don't wish to share with me." she said, raising an eyebrow.

Indeed a massive, relieved grin spreads across his face. He looks laughably pleased you don't know, such an odd combination for such an otherwise intimidating man. His face truly does not match his personality. Uh...no. I'd rather not. But...I'm from the men of letters! I can tell you that much! I was uh...sent to help watch you. That's right! I'm here to protect you! It's completely obvious he's lying, but you also don't sense hostility from him either. My name is uh....Jooooohn..... the fact that it takes him that long to come up with the moniker means it's obviously false. He's so inept, so bumbling that you aren't sure at all what to think. So far though, all you know is he's a liar and he's nervous of Marcus for some reason.

ooc: Ahahahaha! I totally take credit for that. I jinxed you :)

"Stand up, come walk with me." Jo said softly, smiling to put him at ease.

IF he agrees, and joins her, she hooks his arm and walks slowly towards Marcus, keeping up idle chatter. Once she reaches his side, she taps Marcus, and speaks,

"Marcus, dear... why is this man terrified of you? He says he's with the Men of Letters, and was sent to watch me?" she asked, curious but not wasting any time getting to the bottom of things.

At first, he seems happy to follow you, but, seeing you are going towards Marcus, he looks panicked. Somehow, he continues to follow though, perhaps knowing that escape is futile on a train.

Marcus, stirs at your touch, then looks up at the man with a frown, as you speak. I don't know your face. I know everyone's face at headquarters. It is an accusation, and not a kind one. The glances around, as though he'd like to run, but sees there really is nowhere to go.

Yeah, well I'm...secret! Victoria sent me! Marcus says nothing, just stares at him, face unreadable. Then, he stands. Baggage cart. This is not the places to discuss such things. He ushers you all to follow him then, and John does so reluctantly, clearly wracking his mind for some excuse that you'll believe. Soon you are in one of the baggage carts, the place devoid of other passengers. As soon as you're inside, John starts to babble. Look, I really am here from Victoria. I know all about her, ask me anything! Marcus ignores the question, instead shoving the poor man against the wall roughly. If you don't start coming up with some believable answers, I'm going to throw you off this train right now! Out with it! The sudden roughness in his voice startles you, and John's eyes are wide as saucers. To your surprise, the massive man cowers, arms raised to protect himself as he shrinks away. I'm sorry Marky! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Marcus stops, fist raised to strike him but paused mid-blow. Marky? He repeats in surprise. Then his brows furrow in anger. Will, that had better not be you! In response, the man gives a wince of apology. Uh...maybe? Marcus lets him go, letting out a growl of exasperation. Idiot! I should box your ears for this! I can't believe! He runs his hands through his dark hair, beyond annoyed. Finally, he turns to you with a sigh. Josephine, I'd like you to meet Will. My fourteen year old brother.

Exasperated, Josephine asked,

"Your fourteen year old brother was hitting on me?" she asked incredulously, "Should've seen that coming." she said, glaring at Marcus before teasingly sticking out her tongue at him with a grin,

"We throwing him off?" she asked in a mockingly serious tone, turning to glare at his little brother, to allow Marcus a little fun.

We should throw him off! Marcus agrees with a nod. Will looks terrified. I'm sorry MarkyI I only wanted to help! Please, let me help! You wouldn't put me off all on my own now, would you? A boy my age, in this big dangerous world? He is clearly playing innocent, but it looks laughable with his scarred, older form. Marcus rolls his eyes. Will you get out of that ridiculous disguise? I can't take you seriously. Nodding, Will does just that, and with a muttered word, he morphs into his true form, a gangly young thing with dark wavy hair and copper skin, just like his brother. But Marky, aren't you impressed? It took you years to master that spell! I can help! I know it! He turns to you then, eager and desperate. Pretty lady, please don't let my brother send me home! Can I stay? He'll let me if you ask him, I know it!

Rolling her eyes, Josephine shook her head at the pleading, and tilted her head back towards Marcus,

"No way, bud. Marcus hasn't ever steered me wrong, so I'm not going against his decision. You'd better work on him before you worry about me. The man knows what he's doing." she said resolutely, knowing that Marcus would appreciate the backup. Plus, it was his little brother: he should be allowed to make the call on his safety.

Will looks quite disappointed, and what's more, surprised. I really thought that would work. He blinks. Nevermind. Marky, you can't really expect me to go home alone on my own, do you? What if there's robbers or demons or...or...skinwalkers! Lily always warned me about those! I think this area's full of em too. You think I'm ready for all that on my own? At least if I go with you, you can keep an eye on me, right? Right? I won't even go with you on any hunts. I'll just stay in the hotel room. I promise!

Marcus listens to all this, sighing. Nice try boyo. As soon as we get to a town, I'm calling someone to pick you up. Til then, you're under my thumb, got it? Will looks like he wants to argue, but shakes his head with a sigh. Fine. Got it. Geez, thanks for the help lady, he adds to you drily. On his side already? Guess I shouldn't be surprised. All the women go crazy over Marcus. He's almost as bad as Ian. You're not his girl at least, right? he adds with a suggestive eyebrow.

Leaning in close, teasingly, Josephine remarked back,

"The only bit of crazy here, young man, is you thinking you could get away with this. Now: listen to your brother, and let us focus." she said, laughing softly as she pulled away, not bothering to answer his silly little question directly.

Turning back towards Marcus, she shrugged,

"Thought his behavior was strange... spotted it from across the train. Figured it was worth bringing to your attention. Had no idea the way it would go!" she laughed again.

Marcus nods back, still a bit blown away by the situation.That's an understatement! Will's always been a tagalong, but I never dreamt he'd go this far. We're orphans, see. I've practically raised him the last five years, and when I got involved in hunting, well, he found his way into it too. Against my wishes, of course, he sighs. Boy's actually got the potential to be better than me someday. Better even than Kirk, and he's the best. But, as you can see, he's still a child in a lot of ways. He's not ready.

You know I can still hear you, right? Will arches an eyebrow. Marcus rolls his eyes. Just get your disguise back on. Don't want anyone wondering what's going on if a strange boy just shows up. You've really done it now.

ooc: Go ahead and finish up conversation here, and let me know what you plan on doing the next day or so, and I'll move things along.

Josephine nodded, knowing it was healthy for the boy to try, but be stopped and lectured by Marcus.

Over the next day or so, she relaxed, stretching her legs whenever possible, and walking the cars comfortably, relaxing before the storm hit. She knew she had a heavy set of circumstances coming up, so she was preparing herself for it, hour by hour.

Eventually, she took a quick nap.

The train ride goes well enough. Kirk mostly ignores you all, seemingly lost in writing his notes and glaring in concentration. Will's arrival doesn't affect him much. He just sneers in annoyance when told of the situation, and proceeds to ignore everyone again. Well, no skin off your nose. He's not exactly worth your time anyway.

As the day progresses, you get to know Will better. It's odd, seeing him in his disguise, now that you know what he is. On one occasion he tries to chat up a pretty young lady but Marcus grabs him by the collar and yanks him back to your train car, lecturing him the whole way. It's endearing, to see Marcus being the responsible one, and you find yourself amused by the pair's bickering on more than one occasion.

The next two days pass this way as you press ever northward. You're well into Canada by now, though not much is really different in comparison to the states that you can see. At last you reach your stop. A small town called Oberton Point. By the time you unload and head to find a hotel, it is dark. Kirk doesn't even bother to wait for you. Just grabs his case and wordlessly walks ahead, so fast that it's difficult to keep up with him, but then again, that seems to be the point. Eventually you find yourself in a pleasant, albeit small, hotel with a room across from Will and Marcus. Everything is clean and quaint and so much better than that rattling train.

You're just thinking about finding some dinner, when you hear crying coming from down the hall. Should you investigate, you'll see it's coming from behind a closed door at the end of the hall.

ooc: Give me two general rolls please, and I'll add the modifiers myself depending on what is needed. Just let me know what you plan to do and I'll apply them as needed.

Hurrying her smaller steps to keep up with Kirk's larger ones, Josephine was pleasantly surprised to find herself in a decent looking hotel. Thinking about some food, Josephine was put on high alert when she heard crying, though she stopped herself.

Can't imagine a demon around every corner, Jo... she could imagine her father telling her.

Still, she moved towards the crying, knowing full well she had to investigate. Coincidences rarely occurred in her experience, so she was fully ready to pounce if an opportunity presented itself. Approaching the sounds quietly, she tried to act nonchalant, as if she were simply walking down a hallway, but she kept her senses peeled, ready just in case.





LOL typical for me:

16:41, Today: Josephine Hartley rolled 17 using 1d20.

16:41, Today: Josephine Hartley rolled 3 using 1d20.

As you get closer, the crying increases, the sounds turning to shrieks, and you find yourself frantically scrabbling for the door. It is locked, but it's also old and thin. You are able to slam your shoulder against it and break it open easier than you expected. You rush inside, expecting blood, murder, something awful anyway, from the way the person was carrying on. What you do see, however, startles you. It is a little girl. About six. She's sitting in the middle of the room, smiling at you.

Josephine froze, immediately recognizing that something wasn't right here, and she frowned, looking around the room to be safe,

"Are..." she paused nervously, realizing if the girl was smiling confidently, it could already be too late, "...who are you?" she demanded, knowing full well that was likely a demon inside of that little girl or something similar!



Rolling a random die to see if she senses anything, just in case you can use it!

21 on sense motive

The little girl's smile broadens, and she starts to giggle, a truly chilling sound. Her eyes penetrate yours, and you feel the room seem to freeze around you, the air growing icy, awful. Then, with startling speed, the smile drops, replaced by a shrill, horrific scream. It's so loud, so awful, that you clap your hands over your ears in pain. And then...she disappears.

ooc: You don't know what kind of ghost this is, but you strongly suspect it is one. Still, you've never seen a ghost act like this. So erratic, so unstable. And the fact that it's a child is...disconcerting.

Grimacing as she clasped her hands to her ears, Josephine ducked instinctively, but then the ghost-girl vanished, and she stood up. She wasn't sure just what the hell that was, but it was time to let Marcus know, and perhaps relocate if necessary.

Turning, she headed for Marcus' room immediately, not even in the mood to play around with this sort of stuff. She was realizing quickly how naive she was in the ways of ghosts and monsters, and she needed to up her training!

You find Marcus in his room, one that he shares with Will, who is grumbling at him while the handsome man lectures the boy about something. At least now the young man is in his natural form, the need for his adult disguise has passed.

As soon as you tell them about it, Will's face lights up with excitement. A ghost!? A real, live ghost? He bolts out the door towards the room you mentioned, Marcus snapping at him to come back. I've never actually seen one! Will calls back, as though that's explanation enough. He bursts into the room at a run, excited and breathless and looking around wildly. The room, is empty, however, and though he starts examining the walls with something close to glee, you see no trace of the girl, though you're not surprised. What does surprise you, is the voice from the doorway behind you three. Guests are not allowed in this room. Exit immediately! You turn back to see a harsh faced middle aged woman who looks far angrier than you would expect someone to be under such circumstances.

Jo shot an apologetic look at Marcus about involving his little brother in her haste, before following him off to the room she had just left.

Spinning rapidly, expecting the worst at the sound of the voice, Josephine was surprised.

"Is this room occupied?" she questioned cautiously, not revealing anymore than that. The woman seemed aware that this room was perhaps 'haunted' or something similar, so this might not be a targeted attack, but a persistent "here only" thing, which would be a relief.

It is not occupied, nor shall it be, thank you very much. She sniffs. You note she looks about slightly nervously, ushering you out of the room. It is very drafty. Completely unsuitable for guests. Now, forgive my abruptness. You simply took me by surprise. Her manner calms. Is there anything I can get for you? Some refreshment perhaps? Baths? All the while, her eyes dart back towards the room intermittently.