[attr="class","scared69"]

[attr="class","bigscare69reescroll"]

[break][break]

New first order of operations- investigate Yvgeny again. Dahlia had seen lots of television and movies and knew she needed to be discreet here, so she'd have to go about her day like any other. The horror fan made a point to stay hidden, not doing further rounds around the town and doing her best to keep her cheek hidden. She would wait until nightfall and spring her trap then. It was just a matter of re-reading over her notes, making sure she understood the crime. The only question was why. To someone less naive there were likely a myriad of reasons to guess at, but Dahlia was still fumbling over the big pink glaring issue. It had also been weird for her to be in a stressful situation and not have a nightmare, but instead a fairly uneventful dream. "Except there was that blood, and something else? What was it?"

[break][break]

She spent a lot of time pondering but night soon fell in the cold little town, and Dahlia left her host house to stake out Yvgeny's place. It was a struggle staying awake, but she managed, and around one am something strange happened. A scream, a yell from inside the home; Yvgeny's voice. Either he was a good actor or the newest victim. Dahlia hadn't been able to see every corner of the home and was well aware there was at least one window unaccounted for in her line of sight, and rushed from the roof she'd clambered onto and likely been seen from. Had she been made and was now being tricked? Time would tell.

[break][break]

Rounding the corner of the home, she saw the open window. The flash of pink was most noticeable as it exited the home, moving as if in recording of too few frames. It was birdlike, but even in the gloom seemed made of something shiny, almost plastic. No, it *was* plastic. The dream came rushing back, there at the very end in that garden supply store, underneath the harsh halogen lights...

[break][break]

"A lawn flamingo?!" It turned on it's one stationary leg and began hopping toward Dahlia at an intense speed, it's leg a black and white; those were Dahlia's socks underneath a new stolen pair of boots. She screamed and prepared the first thing her hands could grab- the notebook she had been using to keep track of the crime- and hurled it at the oncoming mobile decoration, spiking the thing away and onto it's side. It ceased to move. Dahlia inched closer. The flamingo did not move. She moved closer still, nearly able to reach down and grab it. The thing was still. Deactivated, or maybe just playing dead.

[break][break]

Dahlia waited the whole night like that, having grabbed a flashlight and training it on the laminate burglar, but it never stood back up, never even shook or wobbled or moved. As the sun rose Dahlia was able to more clearly see that the flamingo's eyebrows were frozen at a raised angle, giving it a cartoonish and angry visage. She retrieved her stockings and gave Yvgeny his shoes back, and after two more days of investigation was finally able to find a nest in the city nearby with everyone's belongings. The flamingo itself stayed inert, but Dahlia kept it sealed in a locked safe in her inventory, just in case. Sometimes when she dons her shoes for the day ahead, she feels she can almost hear the slightest of scratching, talon against metal. But that couldn't be, right?

[attr="class","scare69"]

[attr="class","scared69"]

[attr="class","bigscare69reescroll"]

[break][break]

"First order is, um..." Dahlia was nervous here, doing a mission alone and with these people's hopes and podiatric health at stake. On top of some of the looks she got from townsfolk, it didn't seem like her fidgety demeanor had instilled much confidence. Regardless of that though the woman was determined to solve this mystery, and so re-checked her handy note pad. All that was written was the contents of the letter and a list that just said "Talk to person without mark." So, first order was- "Talk to Mark the Unmarked." She made her way with directions to the unmarked's house.

[break][break]

"Hi there, my name's Yvgeny." Okay, Yvgeny the Unmarked. Dahlia scribbled out something on her notepad but continued. "Alright Yvgeny, could you uh, tell me what you know?" The amateur ghost-hunter had only ever done this sort of thing as a passing hobby, and had never been the face of the group. She would have to channel her best force of personality and get the answers she needed. Thankfully Yvgeny was easy-going and forthcoming, and pretty succinctly explained he'd come back from a salvage job the same night this all started. Damn, one suspect down. Maybe (definitely) Dahlia was gullible, but he had seemed pretty honest, and had even gone as far as to show her the interior of his home, his drawers, his reflective safety-light collection. No stolen socks, hose, or stockings. Of course he could be hiding them somewhere, but what was Dahlia supposed to do, storm in and ransack the place?

[break][break]

No, this would take more tact. She continued talking to other folks, asking about their experiences with the marks on their faces, the kinds of things taken, but the only connecting factors were that it happened at night, everyone says they had a weird dream they can't remember, and they all woke up with weird cuts on their faces.

[break][break]

It just wasn't enough to go on. Dahlia wandered the village, taking notes as best she could, but she was stumped. It didn't really sound like a scary mystery, just a mundane and rather skilled thief. With night closing in she was offered a room to stay in a guest room, and while sleeping in a strange village was the stuff of horror movie nightmares, Dahlia wanted to trust in the kind heart of people just trying to get by in apocalypse. Plus she didn't really have anything to steal, as it was all tucked away in her inventory. Save for her fluffy socks...

[attr="class","scare69"]

[attr="class","scared69"]

[attr="class","bigscare69reescroll"]

[break][break]

She shifted weight from foot to foot while looking to Umeko for support, and had been heartily met in every which way. Ume's newest form seemed something ominous and breathtaking each, a fearsome woman to behold with a glorious aura of danger. Even the way the wind whipped at her hair and hair only was majestic- Dahlia's sat entirely still save for being matted by the rain. Ume was... impressive, among many other things. Dahlia was entranced. Almost as much as enamored, she also felt emboldened, though still terrified of being attacked by a deranged couple and potentially taking a grave-marker to the head. One wrong move here could spell not just the end of an exhilarating but wonderful date, but the end of her life a la blunt trauma.

[break][break]

She felt the warmth before she noticed what was going on, and in spite of her newfound (and surely temporary) newfound heroic spirit, Dahlia make a quiet sound in her throat, like a scared rabbit taking in a breath for far too long. She grasped back at Umeko's hand looked deep into her eyes, almost with tears of joy. Mostly with leftover tears of terror mixed with rain, though. Taking wedges in her other hand, she thought for just a moment "am I to wear these?" Her feet were rather cold and her hose probably ruined by the rain, but no, the intention here was clear. "Yes, darling! By our love I can do anything!" She sounded equal parts nervous and triumphant, somehow.

[break][break]

Folding one heel under her arm and reeling back with her non-dominant hand, she took another swing- or throw, rather. It flung true, aim on point and hurtling towards Wife's murderous face, but Wife was a skilled combatant in her own right. She deflected the flying footwear with a deft swing of her tombstone, but Dahlia had more ammo. She was gifted two shots from her lover, not one. Dahlia reloaded and re-aimed, but switched up avenue of attack, sliding the sandal which was too large for her halfway onto her foot and making as if to put it on. The bait worked- Wife charged with tombstone held high, ready to deliver a concussion or worse. Dahlia let loose, flinging her leg forward and sending the wedge straight into the woman's face, right to the chin. Wife went down like a sack of expensive and fancily dressed potatoes, and Dahlia couldn't resist doing a little arm pump in victory.

[break][break]

"Dearest, we should go on first dates more often." Dahlia had almost forgotten herself, so wrapped up in her own personal victory that she'd forgotten about Husband, and was looking longingly to her tall partner before a grunt brought her back to reality. "Oh, gosh, oops!" She'd maybe gotten a little too into the role.

[attr="class","scare69"]

[attr="class","scared69"]

[attr="class","bigscare69reescroll"]

[break][break]

Dahlia was impressed with Umeko's follow-up, although was feeling terrified of her own brash reaction of violence. She would be overthinking whether or not those two had actually been combatants for the mission or just rude people, and likely thinking about it for weeks to come. Something assuaged some of her fears however as a little blue box popped up with a counter, noting '3/5' on it. Simple enough, then. Apparently Earth-chan didn't like bullies either, but did appreciate physical accosting. Dahlia slipped back into her nervous posture but some of the tears had subsided- she still held her put-upon grin but it had lessened in intensity somewhat as the situation calmed a bit.

[break][break]

"Er, tesoruccia?..." Dahlia, a treasure? "Um-" She turned to face Umeko now, eyes going a little more wide yet blinking as rain drops bombarded her lashes. Her socks squelched a little as Dahlia fidgeted and shifted in place, feeling embarrassed but determined to keep up the date atmosphere. Should she press this moment, face-to-face and arm-attached-to-arm under the melodic patter of weeping cloud? What were you supposed to do when the scene was set as it were? In a movie this is where the love interests might share a longing look, or go as far as to-

[break][break]

"Hey, my wife and I saw you two from across the patio, and we just wanted to come over and say we fucking hate your vibe." Dahlia startled slightly and brought both hands to her chest, accidentally pulling Ume's slightly and giving it a little bit of slack in the same moment. She would have to be more careful. Turning to see two people in the rain sharing an umbrella- why did they have an umbrella for a previously sunny day? Maybe a little older than Dahlia, perhaps 40s, the man and woman were far too well dressed for this little establishment. "You think you can show up to our favorite café and upstage us? You'd better prepare for a rousing bout of fisticuffs!" "Lover, I don't think-" "No, we're killing them! Nobody gets to be cute and fight off weirdos on their dates, that's our thing! Plus they ruined our date by making it rain somehow!" "Alright darling, as you wish." Husband still held the umbrella but pulled the handle to withdraw a hidden blade, while Wife materialized a tombstone from her inventory and held it overhead with relative ease.

[break][break]

"They're crazy!" Dahlia froze in fear. This had absolutely not been on her checklist of expected events. There were supposed to be system-generated monsters or something, not a couple of serial killers. How were they even supposed to do 'fisticuffs' when the married pair was fully using weapons?

[break][break]

"Uh, Umeko?..." She looked to her date again, but the romantic mood felt fleeting, so Dahlia did her best to bolster it, regardless of their need to prepare for a life-or-death battle of the couples. "M-m-mi amor?" Her face said desperation but her words spoke affection- and also desperation. She was out of shoes to throw and Dahlia didn't even know what Louis Vuitton's were.

[attr="class","scare69"]

[attr="class","scared69"]

[attr="class","bigscare69reescroll"]

[break][break]

"She's going to think I'm stupid.." Dahlia's internal monologue was alive with anxiety. She'd mixed up yet another piece on top of forgetting how the lance even moved. It was a nightmare of a game. This was the third round her gracious teacher had tried to impart some knowledge in and it simply was not sinking in for Dahlia. Not that the woman played a lot of games to begin with, maybe the occasional horror video game that she would have to turn off before finishing because it was just too scary. Usually she'd get back around to watching someone else play it, but that often proved challenging too.

[break][break]

Another bad move saw Umeko sinking further down. Seven games in and Dahlia was still grappling with what each piece did and even just the names. It didn't help that the longer this went on, the more hopeless she felt, the more she felt on the verge of tears. "She definitely thinks I'm stupid." An eighth game sealed her fate, or at least she assumed so by Ume's face being hidden against the table. Had she gone to sleep, or was it abject despair at the inability of Dahlia. Dahlia stared at the pieces, feeling lost inside. She idly took a sip of the nearby drink and realized it was Ume's, not her own. She set it down and was thankful Umeko hadn't been looking- Dahlia resolved to take this mistake to her grave.

[break][break]

A happening distracted from their individual predicaments in the form of a vehicle and someone standing atop it. Dahlia jumped slightly as Ume packed up the board but dutifully followed with a light confirming "Okay.", staying as close as possible to not get lost in the shuffle of the crowd. It helped to have a beacon of height to stick near. They neared the front of the crowd and had a better view of the spectacle, a truck clearly cared for filled with an varied assortment of things- apparently for taking? Dahlia assumed none of this was for her, but felt intrigued at the idea of a concert. Of course concerts could also be scary; she was put in mind of a video where someone got elbowed and nearly killed in 'The Pit'. Dahlia did like music though. The anxious gal would make a point to stick close to her travel companion, and the thought of doing so brought a small respite from the fear of being trampled in a crowd.

[break][break]

[attr="class","scare69"]

[attr="class","scared69"]

[attr="class","bigscare69reescroll"]

[break][break]

"O-o-okay." It was hard to even speak to agree to Ume's simple command. It was so cold and the storm was occluding so much of the noise, Dahlia had to speak at least three times as loud as she usually mumbled just to be vaguely heard. More than either the storm or her chattering teeth though was the fear, the pure terror Dahlia was grappling with all this time. She'd seen plenty of movies and had to hide under the covers, been afraid to walk down a street even in broad daylight, worried about airplanes and being in the waiting room of a doctor- or worse, a dentist. But the horrors of post Earth-chan's earth were becoming all too real, too fast. Dahlia found her eyes darting every which way, afraid to so much as blink but unable to stop herself from doing so as the tiniest snow flurried about. Tree branches were swaying with the wind, and the shadows seemed to move. She moved the flashlight around as quickly as she could to cover as much of the darkness as possible, but it worsened her peripheral. Then she felt Ume's hand.

[break][break]

It was so damned quiet when it moved. Dahlia was already on alert from the warning and what might have been worry from the usually level-headed Ume, but more worrying was the blood of her companion that Dahlia noticed as she panned herself and the flashlight around to check on what Ume had been warning of. Of course, most worrying was where the blood came from, or more specifically the bodily weapon, spiked protrusion from where the creature's hoof and forearm should have been. It loomed over the two, taller than even the tall shogi player. Dahlia felt her body locking up, her eyes freezing in that wide-eyed look of terror she was so known for. It stung to hold eyes so wide in the middle of a blizzard, which only brought more tears. She'd let go of Ume's hand and felt herself moving before she'd actually willed it, jumping backwards a step and throwing her flashlight as hard as she could.

[break][break]

The monster was gone at about the same time as the improvised weapon left her hand, the beam of light arcing over and disappearing into the snow beyond. Dahlia was almost the most terrified she'd ever been but she dug deep, squinting now and glancing around for their assailant before sighing and trying to steady her trembling hands. She continued to cry but moved regardless and pulled the present she'd collected earlier. Tearing it apart was a simple task but she made a point to keep the tinsel tie in tact and pulled off one of her many layers. "Oh no oh no-" Dahlia gave up talking to herself and stripped off another layer, one of two turtlenecks she had donned earlier and wrapped it around Ume's new wound; Dahlia had taken a harrowing first aid course in college and at least knew to apply pressure and staunch bleeding. "I'm sorry!" It was almost certainly agonizing. She tied the sleeves as best she could, as quickly as she could. They were in too many ways exposed out here, and she needed Umeko to not bleed out across the snow as much for either of their sake. Dahlia finished her rush job with an extra knot of tinsel.

[break][break]

"What do we do?!" She was growing delirious and found herself screaming- last night's sleep had been sparse and fraught with a night terror involving a depiction of Krampus. Probably due in part to having watched a film the day before about, well, Krampus. Dahlia was keeping eyes on her injured companion but shifting around constantly, trying to keep eyes on the perimeter, anxiously awaiting another attack.

[attr="class","scare69"]