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Post by Eve Vardell on Jun 17, 2008 13:14:47 GMT -5
[Note: This is a flashback thread. Everything that happens during the course of this thread occurred three years before the current time-line on the site]
Eve swirled her cup of steaming coffee around in its mug, frowning at the heat radiating off of it onto her hands. It was mid-July, and it was sweltering, even at 10:00 at night. Caffeine was the only thing that helped her survive these long, nocturnal nights, but maybe in the middle of the summer she should switch to iced mochas. What kind of idiots made coffee this hot in the middle of the summer, anyway?
After a moment Eve begrudgingly admitted to herself that it wasn't her beverage or its creator that she was so frustrated at. She had only been in Nebraska for a week so far, but she hadn't been expecting nearly such a devastating road-block when she'd first gotten off the bus. What had over the internet appeared to be a lead on finding another of her kind had turned out to be an angry pit-bull and a few children with overactive imaginations.
Somehow, when she'd started out on her mission, Eve had never expected finding another werewolf to be so difficult. After all, one had dove out and attacked her in the middle of her small, quiet hometown without her even looking for it. They shouldn't be that hard to track down.
Truth was, Eve was starting to wonder if her mission was a hopeless one. Even if she was sitting in this cafe right next to another werewolf, she would never know it unless it changed right in front of her (an impossibility, anyway, since the last full moon had ended less than a week before). Unless someone came out and told her what they were, they would seem just as normal as she did.
Releasing a frustrated sigh, Eve closed her eyes and rubbed at her temples with one hand. Giving up was simply not an option, but continuing on a fruitless search was no better...
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Post by Molly Rourke on Jun 19, 2008 12:17:38 GMT -5
When Molly had heard rumor that a college student was going through town asking questions about werewolves, she'd assumed that a new Hunter had entered her territory and gone out to meet her. She'd been surprised, to say the least, when all fingers had pointed this girl out as the one she was looking for.
The pale, tired face peering down into her coffee cup on the far side of the cafe was very young. Too young to be in college yet, no matter what her story was. She was porcelain pale, fragile looking, and though Molly knew very well not to be taken in by appearances, she couldn't help feel a pang of sympathy for this girl, alone in this unfamiliar town. Hell... she was just a kid.
And Molly had always possessed a soft spot for children.
So, acting less warily than she usually might have (she had only been observing the girl for a little over two hours, while she would normally have put in at least a day's surveillance first), Molly crossed the cafe and slid casually into the seat across from her. While the girl's eyes were still closed, rubbing away what appeared to be a headache, she decided to make her presence known.
"So, kid. I hear you've been asking about wolves."
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Post by Eve Vardell on Jun 23, 2008 18:11:21 GMT -5
"So, kid. I hear you've been asking about wolves."
Eve started when she heard the voice directly across the table from her. Her eyes shot open and her hands dropped from her temples, held out before her as though to ward off an attack.
The woman sitting across from her didn't seem overly threatening, though - maybe thirty years old, with long brown hair and a sweet face, almost motherly, except for a hard glint in her eyes that made her look older than she otherwise seemed. She was looking at Eve expectantly, and after her momentary panic faded she mustered up a response.
"Uh, yeah. Werewolves, actually, though. Not just wolves." When she started speaking her voice was soft, wavering, and unsure, but as she slipped into her role she became much more confident. "I'm here looking for small town sightings to add to a documentary on werewolf lore in the mid-West. Do you have any word of werewolf sightings you would like to share?"
She wasn't sure if she'd pulled it off - she was never all that sure until she'd seen someone's reaction. Eve was sixteen years old and she looked it, but most people could overlook that, assuming that she looked young for her age, or simply not caring because of the desire to get on or get away from a potential news story.
This woman would likely have nothing useful to offer, but there was always a small chance that she would. The only thing to do was hear her out.
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Post by Molly Rourke on Jul 1, 2008 12:09:31 GMT -5
It was a good cover, Molly had to give her that. Most people in a small, out of the way town like this would be too thrilled by the prospect of something as big as being on the great and powerful TV to even think to question it. Molly might not have questioned it either, except for the girl's obvious youth and a nervous flit to her eyes as she spun her story.
So then what was she doing here? Molly hated to think of anyone this young being a Hunter, but more than that, the girl didn't project any of the confidence of one who tracked down the evils of the supernatural world. Small and scrawny, with large, innocent eyes... Molly doubted that she'd be able to take on a poodle, much less a werewolf on a full moon night.
If this was some sort of revenge kick for her, all she was going to get herself was a place in the afterlife long before her time. She leaned in and caught the girl's eyes, holding them steadily, as she spoke in a hard, even whisper.
"Listen up, kid. If there were a werewolf in the area you wouldn't need to listen for covert whispers about sightings, alright? With the full moon less than a week ago there would be news all over the front page of every paper in three counties, of victims torn apart by a wild animal, the heart eaten out. And if there were a werewolf it sure as hell wouldn't sit around for an interview with you."
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Post by Eve Vardell on Jul 3, 2008 18:12:37 GMT -5
Eve was surprised by the intensity of the woman's response. The look in her eyes, the sound of her words... it seemed as though she really knew what she was talking about. Was it possible that after all these months she had finally hit a solid lead?
Eve tried not to let her hopes get too high. The woman could just be crazy. Last month in Kansas she had met a man who had thought he'd killed a rampaging werewolf, but had only murdered his neighbor's dog. He'd been sued for cruel treatment to animals... but it just showed how some people could absolutely believe what they were saying, and still be completely out of their minds.
Clearing her throat, she responded evenly.
"I had a run-in with a werewolf once before, and came out of it alright." Well, somewhat less than alright, but there was no need to get into that now. "And it sounds like you've encountered one too."
She was gambling, but the look in the woman's eyes... she couldn't get past that intense, haunted look.
"I can handle myself," she added softly. "What do you know?"
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Post by Molly Rourke on Jul 17, 2008 12:37:22 GMT -5
The girl knew what she was talking about. Whatever else was going on here, Molly was sure that she had at least glimpsed the supernatural. She had determination, but if she didn’t know exactly what she was doing, that drive would only hurt her more in the end. If Molly didn’t want this girl’s death on her conscience, she would either have to get her of this track ASAP or make sure she was armed enough to face the beast she was trying to follow.
“Kid, you might be a lot of things, but you aren’t werewolf ready. If you survived an encounter once then maybe you’re a little skilled. Mostly I think you’re just more lucky than you can imagine. Now if you want I’ll let you know what I do…” She paused, smirking. “Off the record. But it would be better for you to just leave well enough alone and head on home… as long as you’ve got any home to head back to.”
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Post by Eve Vardell on Aug 14, 2008 10:28:20 GMT -5
Eve felt her heart rate increase to a thrum so fast that she felt it would have to stop just to catch a breather any second. She tried to draw in a slow, calming breath casually, but was sure that she was still staring at the woman before as though she were a starved dog being offered a huge, juicy steak.
Answers... after all these months, could this woman really, truly, have answers?
Even if she did, it seemed as though she were reluctant to give them up.
"Look, Ma'am, if you have any information about wolves... any at all, it could be a huge help to me. And if you're worried about me getting in trouble then you should worry about what'll happen if I encounter one of these things and aren't ready for it." Her jaw tightened up for a second at the memory of that night... of the sheer strength in the werewolf as it grabbed her, the ease with which it thwarted her escape. The woman was right - it was due to little other than dumb luck that she wasn't dead... though sometimes she thought that would have been better.
Swallowing, she forced herself to continue, though her voice stayed low and had begun to tremble.
"With all due respect, this is my life, and no one but can understand all that I've been through, or why I've chosen this path. My life is gone... except for this. So you could help me - and I would welcome whatever help you would be willing to offer - or you could go and let me continue on as I've been going." She paused, sighed, and then felt a small smile pull at her lips despite herself. "Off the record."
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Post by Molly Rourke on Sept 20, 2008 13:16:48 GMT -5
Molly smirked - the kid definitely had guts, she’d give her that. There was no point in beating around the bush anymore. It was pretty clear that the girl knew what she was talking about and, if Molly were being honest with herself, she’d have to admit that she’d been planning on taking this kid under her wing from the second she’d walked in to this café.
There was something about her eyes when she spoke about the wolves – a protective fierceness. A desire to prove her worth. It reminded Molly of the look she had seen in her own eyes after her parents had been stolen, and again after Gavin and the kids. Whatever that wolf she’d encountered had done to this girl, it had hurt her badly.
Leaning back in her seat with an even gaze, Molly nodded.
“Alright, kid. First off, no calling me Ma’am. I’m not even thirty, no need to go making me feel sixty just yet. Second, there’s no way I’m just spitting out a bunch of info at you and then sending you on your merry way. You want to do this, we’re doing it right.” Then, before the kid could sigh or complain or object, she hurried on. Leaning forward, she grabbed a napkin from the dispenser at the side of the table, and drew out a pen from her jeans pocket. She scrawled out an address – of an empty house for sale down the road that rarely saw potential owners – and slid it toward the girl.
“Meet me here tomorrow morning, 10:00 sharp. And I’m not gonna wait around if you’re late.”
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Post by Eve Vardell on Sept 29, 2008 19:31:49 GMT -5
Eve stared down at the address, and then back up at the woman. Speaking in a public place to a stranger was one thing, but going to her house... But her wide-eyed shock didn't change the fact that she would be there at 9:50 the next morning, ready and waiting for answers. She'd risked far more than meeting alone with a stranger, after all, in the past few months. And right now, the results could be far more than she'd ever hoped. Maybe this was a test of some kind, to see how much she really wanted this information. If so, there was no way that Eve was going to fail. Meeting the woman's gaze, Eve swallowed and gave what she hoped would be seen as a steady nod. "I'll be there." --------- Continued in Hunting Werewolves 101
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