New Arrival at the Bus Stop (Closed)

“Last stop, you lazy bum. Get off the bus.”

“Hrmnn… Hrnk!” Salem Bones struggled to part his eyelids as a rather hairy hand started to shove at him to jostle him awake. Even though it was a rude gesture on the driver’s part, Salem did actually appreciate the fact that he woke him up from his “slumber.” As with every time the horror novelist closed his eyes he was deep in the throws of a nightmare, one where he was surrounded by faces watching him from all angles and getting closer and closer with each step he took. Thankfully he didn't get to the end of that nightmare; he was most definitely not curious to see where it went. All those many, many eyes staring at him and-

“Mother of-!” Salem exclaimed, horrified to wake up to multiple eyes protruding from a single head. It was an Animalian, a term that he would soon grow to be fairly familiar with over the course of his stay in the city. This particular one seemed to have the strain of the Spider, complete with right eyes poking out of one head, two mandibles on the side, and multiple arms covered in fur, like a tarantula. The spider just snarled at him, muttering something about humans before… surprisingly turning away and leaving him be.

Was Salem dreaming? It had to be. His dreams were far too difficult to distinguish from reality after all. But he couldn’t risk it… not this time. He was looking for a hidden city of supernatural creatures, after all. Or maybe he just finally lost it at this point? Who could say? Regardless, he picked himself up and awkwardly made his way out of the empty bus, keeping an eye on the spider creature as he walked out.

The daylight burned his retinas. So accustomed was he to staying indoors at his apartment and generally away from people that the bright outdoors were an unwelcome sight. That, and the bright sunlight strongly contrasted the setting of his nightmares, making it feel like nature was rubbing his condition in his face. He did manage to adjust after a few minutes but before then he spent most of his time wondering awkwardly through the bus stop bumping into… “people.”

“Sorry… excuse me… pardon me…” Salem apologized, trying to weave through the crowd. In retrospect this was a stupid idea. Weren’t all the people monsters? He shouldn’t even be here, should he? But on the other hand he needed to blend in in any way he can, and being one of the crowd was the only reasonable way to do so. Most of the people here looked like humans, anyway, so hopefully he wouldn’t stick out too much. Maybe they were, for that matter? Apart from some that seemed to have changed features like animal ears or horns or something of that sort Salem couldn’t tell. Could they tell that he was?

Once Salem got out into the open he was thankful that he did have cell reception of some sort here, albeit in Roaming. Hopefully he didn’t have to use his phone too much during his stay, as he certainly didn’t want to subscribe to any plans here. Then again, he wasn’t sure he wanted to add any of these people to his phone, anyway; many of them were ignoring him, some downright avoiding him, but there were a few that did in fact seem to look at him for one reason or another, largely out of some perceived interest. These ones, Salem knew, would be the ones to avoid. “... I need to find a place to stay…” he whispered to himself as he thought aloud, a bad habit he made to keep his thoughts in check and to remind himself he was wide awake.

Orion strolled through the crowded streets of downtown Twin City, hands in the pockets of his trousers and a scowl on his face, his tail swishing as he made his way through the masses. He hated coming down this way more than anything else; crowded no matter what time of day it was. And it definitely made it easier for him to make a few quick bucks while he had nothing else to do.

His eyes scanned the street, looking for anything that stuck out- an easy target, or anyone that caught his eye in general and found a guy standing off by himself about a half a block up. 

Orion will smirk to himself; the guy looked nervous as all hell, like any passerby might turn and eat him at any second- and, who knows, they just might. 

Keeping his footsteps quiet and appearing seemingly out of nowhere at the man's side, he'll glance him over before speaking. "All right there, man? You look a bit lost."

“All right there, man?”

As Salem was walking, a voice rang out behind him. Even in the hustle and bustle of the city, he knew the voice was directed at him. His gut told him so, and he always trusted his gut. His gut was also telling him to run, but frankly he wasn't quite sure where. He stopped in his tracks, his heart beating in his ears as he tried to compose himself. The last thing he wanted right now was attention of any kind.

“You look a bit lost.”

He took a deep breath. He had to play it cool. He placed a hand at his side, almost as if adjusting his posture, but really he was checking for something. Good. His gun was still there, tucked under his shirt. Salem genuinely prayed he'd never have to fire the damn thing at another person but he wasn't discounting the possibility in a city filled with literal monsters. They sure acted like they were just normal city folk, but Salem wasn't willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Not yet.

Salem turned his head to the person approaching him before turning around half way. The side of him that was hiding the gun was turned away from him to give him room to draw it if the person tried to make some sort of move on him. He clearly looked nervous and out of place, but he tried to keep some modicum of decorum. “Uh… Yeah.” Salem said, pausing a bit as he turned. He was trying to come up with an excuse to seem as much as possible as a person of the town rather than an outsider. “Been a while since I've been here. Decided to come back and visit some old friends and family but for the life of me I can't remember where to find a hotel around here.” He said, forcing a smile, but with years of practice hopefully it did seem polite and genuine.

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Rolling Deception with Proficiency.

The member 'Salem' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Proficient' :

Orion will watch the man patting down what he could only assume was where he kept a weapon. Or perhaps he was just nervous, continuously checking to make sure his wallet was still where he left it. Was this guy for real? This city was going to eat him alive for a quick snack. 

"Hmm. Some old friends and family, yeah? What are there names? Do you know what part of town they are from?" He'll break eye contact and look the guy up and down with a brow raised. "Were you meant to meet them at a particular spot?"


He'll glance around the street, gaze down at his watch pointedly. "This isn't the type of town you'll want to be wandering aimlessly, let alone once the sun goes down. Though I'm sure you know the ins and outs, right? Sure its been a while, but it can't have been that long." 

The man seemed suspicious of Salem overall, but didn't seem to find anything off about what he said as an excuse. Guess maybe the excuse was feasible, although Salem probably gave off a pretty shifty aura around his person. Socialization wasn't in his nature. “Shy” wasn't the word he'd use but he certainly didn't come across as an expert on the subject of conversing with people.

“Hmm. Some old friends and family, yeah? What are there names? Do you know what part of town they are from? Were you meant to meet them at a particular spot?”

Ugh. He didn't prepare a lie this deep. Though frankly Salem wasn't sure if this guy was being helpful and inquisitive or prying and stalkerish. He was willing to bet the latter. Luckily whatever answer he gave it wasn't like he could go out to actually hurt his family since they weren't living here. “You probably never heard of them. We’re not the most social bunch.” That part technically wasn't a lie. None in his family were particularly social or notable for that matter. Frankly Salem broke the mold as being a horror writer with underground fame though he was still something of a recluse and this didn't have the largest list of friends out there. “Honestly I've been meaning to surprise them. That's why I wanted to find a hotel, not have them pressured to make room for me.”

The stranger first looked around the area before looking at his watch. This was where Salem started feeling things were getting a bit off. Especially when coupled with what he said next. “This isn't the type of town you'll want to be wandering aimlessly, let alone once the sun goes down. Though I'm sure you know the ins and outs, right? Sure it's been a while, but it can't have been that long.”

“Well, things seemed to have changed pretty quickly.” Salem responded quickly, reaching for a cigarette to calm his nerves. It didn't seem like a particularly “cool” gesture executed by Salem. Although hardly one that seemed scared and nervous, it did come across as one that he did almost instinctively, like out of necessity. In fact, he both put the cigarette between his lips and lit it with the same hand, keeping the other hand at his side almost as of forgetting it was there. Though in truth he kept both his gun and his wallet on that side and wanted to keep tabs on both. In truth, he was starting to feel stressed out. He hadn't been expecting to have a conversation with a very literal monster for this long. All he wanted was to find some place he can lie low and gather his thoughts to prepare to embark on his personal mission. “Listen, you're right, it's… getting late. I get if you don't know where to find a hotel but I really should get going and go look for one.” Salem was starting to feel a creeping sensation as the sun started to go down. He figured from the moment he got off the bus that the nightlife in this city would be the last thing he needed for his wellbeing, but the stranger’s words cemented that suspicion.

"Hm." It wasn't any of his business. Orion always found it amusing when someone unsuspecting happened upon his dear town, and this guy seemed like he would prove enough entertainment for one evening once the shadows of the city really started to unfold. 

Orion will watch as this guy pulls out his cigarettes and lights it nervously. He'll huff, pulling out a card from his own pocket; about the size of a business card. He'll hold it up for the man to see that at first glance it looks like a city grid, it could definitely be a map of Twin City. "I don't normally do favors for anybody, but you seem in a pinch. After all, this city has definitely changed quite a bit since you were here last." His tone will imply that he doesn't believe for a second that he's ever been to the city. "Its a map. There are places to stay all around. But if you'd rather not pay by the hour, you're in the wrong part of town." He'll shrug his shoulders then, and he won't elaborate on where a decent hotel is. 
He'll cross the distance between them and slip the card into the man's pocket where he assumes his wallet is, quick fingers grabbing whatever happens to be in that pocket in its place and quickly slipping the item up his sleeve. 

"Enjoy your stay in the city, man." He'll throw over his shoulder as he strolls back down the street, hands slipping back into his trouser pockets. 

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Proficient: Pickpocket

The member 'Orion Hale' has done the following action : Dices roll

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'Proficient' :

At first Salem was absolutely certain the animal-eared man pulled out a switchblade, but on closer inspection it appeared to be a business card of sorts, or something of that size. Did he plan to kill him by papercut? Honestly anything was possible at this point, but instead he seemed to approach him with the intent to hand it over.

“I don't normally do favors for anybody, but you seem in a pinch. After all, this city has definitely changed quite a bit since you were here last.”

The sarcasm in the man’s voice was palpable. Salem could have had English as his second language and still pick up on it with virtually no effort. Still, it was a better response than he anticipated. Maybe the guy understood that talking with strangers in a big city was something to be concerned about for Salem. Part of him almost felt bad, given that he appeared to be helpful, but a large part of him still suspected his intentions. “Its a map. There are places to stay all around. But if you'd rather not pay by the hour, you're in the wrong part of town.” As the man started to approach and made move to slip the card into his pocket, Salem instinctively grabbed the card for himself in an effort not to let the man near him. “Thanks.”

Not that it helped; despite him cutting him off before he could swipe his wallet, the man did use a free hand to swipe something from his possession without knowing. Once the man had bid adieu, Salem instinctively check his pockets to make sure nothing was stolen. Sure enough, the rat bastard did in fact steal something. “Hey, wait!” He said, turning back to look for the guy but he was gone.

But all that was missing from his person was his notebook with which he took notes on the nightmares he had for his next novel. A dream journal, as it were. No matter. Not only was it useless here but he could always buy another one and unfortunately had plenty more ideas where those came from. Of course that didn't change the fact that the son-of-a-bitch swiped his personal property. Bad first impressions of these monsters all around. He was just thankful that's all he lost. “Prick…” He muttered under his breath, taking a drag of the cigarette.

An interesting surprise would await the animalian upon investigating the notebook; one of the characters in his notes bore a striking similarity to Orion especially in regards to his behavior and life story. Some of the names were familiar as well, but many of them were either new or changed so it wasn't actually 1:1. In actuality this was most likely an uncanny coincidence, since as far as Salem knew he didn't have any clairvoyance as a result of his nightmares, but what a coincidence it was indeed.

"Hey, wait!" 

Orion will hear the other man call out to him, but he didn't even consider turning back. He slipped down an alley and made his way swiftly back uptown, cutting through slim passageways and busy streets to lose the man more easily. Not that he worried the guy would catch up with him. He was just a human, after all. 

Finally his feet took took him to a coffeeshop, where he ordered a caramel latte and, while waiting for his drink at the other side of the bar, pulled out his bounty. The dark haired man didn't seem to have a whole lot on him, but he was traveling. And, if Orion was lucky, his wallet would have some treats folded into it.

But upon pulling out what he thought was a wallet, Orion soon realized it wasn't that at all, but a small leather bound notebook. "What the fuck...." He'll whisper as he opens it, disappointment evident on his face. What worth was a notebook to him?

He read through a few pages, realizing the timid man he ran in to must have been a writer- at least, an aspiring one. He had some talent, Orion would admit. But as he continued on through the pages, his blood chilled. Was this a joke? He'll look up from the pages quickly and glance around, but theres nobody watching him for his reaction to some prank. He skimmed another page or so, growing pale as he read a story involving a character that resembled himself a little too much for comfort. Was he just imagining it? He must be. There's no way this could be real, even as he skimmed some of this character's childhood experiences, and he felt a slight pang as his own memories- the stories memories? - came flooding through his head.

"Ryan!" Orion will be jarred from his thoughts, blinking rapidly at the pages at the sudden voice. "Caramel latte for Ryan!" He'll scowl at that, snapping the notebook closed and slipping it back into his pocket before storming forward and grabbing the cup from the counter. "Thanks."

He'll allow himself a sip, grabbing a napkin for fear of his drink spilling onto his dark button-down, before slipping out the door and heading back towards his apartment uptown.