semi-closed (The Ellwood Forest) Missing Persons Report

[Beedis 182]

He rolled his eyes in response to her teasing "Alright fine you win, at least you aren't trying to sabotage me anymore." he remarked with a cackle. "But I'll warn you now. As soon as this is all over I'm splitting. You're my kind of lady Marlo but you know me. I'm a busy man and I can't have you tying me down." he added. "And I don't see why you're complaining when I haven't even shot you yet." he remarked. He knew the punch was coming so he was ready for the it. He braced himself for the impact gritting his teeth as the punch connected. He didn't flinch but the hit stung like hell regardless. "Aww, that one hardly hurt. You're not going soft on me now are you Marlo?" he accused with a cackle.

As per request Marlo began to explain how she got her nickname. While a simple misunderstanding wasn't the grand origin story he was hoping for he was still entertained. The degree of success Marlo enjoyed with her violent problem solving never ceased to amaze him. "I'm surprised Marlo, Ducking a fight isn't your style." he remarked with a cackle. "And don't kid yourself Blondie. I wouldn't be caught dead with your friends. Rolling with a bunch of twitchy maniacs would be a bad look for me." he said. "And besides what would The Black Heart think if they found out one of their squires was associating himself with a bunch of lowlifes!" he continued as seriously as he could manage.

It wouldn't be long until the two ran into another dilapidated sign marking the road. Delgue held his arm out stopping Marlo as he took a moment to examine the marker. "Seems we are about a mile out from one of our options. You want to lead the way? I feel like you know better than I do what we are walking into here." he explained. 

Edited April 19, 2016 by Beedis

[Outsane 418]

"It's not as fun when you're expecting it," Marlo quipped back. "Consider this one a teaser with the main event about to come." She laughed. Even though she knew it, the fact of him stating they'd split seemed to hang a heavy cloud over her head. Marlo wouldn't let it show, however. It was inevitable they'd split and she was prepared for that day, but to think about it made her sad. She wanted them to be together a while longer. Not forever; god no! But his presence was refreshing and she enjoyed it more than she liked to admit.

As he insulted her friends, however, she reacted fast. Marlo clenched her left fist and pivoted on her heel to deliver a punch to his gut. Not enough to knock him out, but enough to knock him breathless if he didn't attempt to stop it. "Those twitchy low-lifes would be the most loyal bunch of assholes you'd ever get the privilege of being mugged by." She snorted. Insult her all you want, but when you go after her friends, she comes a-swinging.

Marlo willingly took the lead, guiding them along the winding pathway. She fixed her hat carefully and ensured her hair was hidden. The town itself was not large, so when strangers entered it, the sight aroused interest and attention. "We should make this quick," she stated flatly while making her way through. Not much changed since the 8 years of her being away, so finding the shops was relatively easy, and even easier was finding the building which sold the clothing and fabrics. It was the general store, owned by a seedy-looking man who was as wide as he was tall. Marlo walked in and leaned over the counter instantly, smiling to the man. "Hello, good sir. Perhaps you could help us out, today." She said to him pleasantly.

"Of course I can help," he replied back rather quickly, a smile on his face as well. "I own all the finest wares you can find in this town. Anything you want, I can sell to you." The store looked incredibly lacking in what he said was the "finest wares". He knew how to sugar coat his goods, but hopefully he could deliver what they needed. Marlo looked to Delgue who held all their supplies and jerked her head, signalling him to do his work.

[Beedis 182]

Delgue knew what he was getting into when he insulted Marlo's friends. As she threw the punch this time he managed to catch it before it could make much of an impact. A wicked smirk crawled across his features "Oh Marlo sometimes you make it too easy to push your buttons." he joked.

Marlo gladly accepted his offer taking the lead for the last mile or so they had left to walk. He wasn't quite sure why she liked that disguise so much, it wasn't like her. Sure she would attract unwanted attention but that was never a problem for her. She could handle anybody in a fight and he knew she loved fighting. Following another brief stint of walking they arrived at their destination. It wasn't anything special, it looked like all the other backwoods hamlets he had visited thus far. "Of course, just let me do most of the talking and we will get the information we need in no time." he responded. It didn't take his partner long to find them a store that dealt with fabrics. Upon entering they were greeted with an odd odor and a cluttered mess. As his partner approached the counter he stood back scanning over the store and its wares.

It wasn't until Marlo jerked her head at him that he actually approached the counter. As he reached the clerk he produced the fabric in question. "We are searching for our friend who went missing. This piece of fabric is our only clue and we have been trying to find who sold him the clothing it originally belong to." he explained. The man's expression shifted as Delgue placed the fabric on the counter; it was clear he recognized it. "Ah yes that fabric is my hand crafted signature. But I am having trouble remembering the sale perhaps you could help jog my memory?" the man asked. Delgue grumbled before digging in his bag for some coin and tossing it onto the counter. Despite the real coin he had just made he still decided to use the counterfeit coin. A rat like this didn't deserve the money. The man looked at the currency and sighed "That helps but my memory is still a bit foggy." he explained. Delgue rolled his eyes before fishing for even more coin and tossing it onto the counter. After this the man looked satisfied "Ah it just came to me. Your friend passed through town rather quickly. He bought some clothing from me and then split. I was told he left through the woods behind the village. Something was off about him if you ask me." the shopkeeper explained. "Now if that is all. Good luck and thank your for your patronage." he said with a smug grin as he began collecting the money Delgue had left on the counter.

With the information they needed there was no reason for them to stick around. "I can't believe we found somebody so helpful." he remarked sarcastically to Marlo before they left the store. "Well seems like we got lucky for once." he said. "Of course he could have been lying or trying to lead us directly into a trap but for now I feel like we should follow the lead he gave us. Worst case scenario we run into a bunch of thieves and we have to try the next village on our list." he stated. "What do you think?" he asked. 

Edited June 5, 2016 by Beedis

[Outsane 418]

Marlo graciously let Delgue do all the talking. She trusted he'd ask the questions she'd ask since at least now he knew why she was so invested in this. As the business owner began subtly hinting for money, the thought crossed Marlo's mind to simply threaten the man, but people responded better with money anyways, and she knew Delgue had enough to pay off a small gang. The glint of the coin and the discretely different carving into it told Marlo that he, yet again, was giving fake money. This, she had no problem with. The man was crooked, but money talked and it always told the truth. They had a lead, finally. Her instincts told her they were on the right track. They'd find Kirin, she was sure of it.

"I trust the information," Marlo answered. She stared straight ahead as they walked with a smile on her face. "I see no reason to doubt him. Most people around here can have their loyalties bought quite easily. They're not all that bright, though. Not bright enough to check if the coin is true or not." She went on to explain, smirking. It was so easy to make counterfeit coins these days and with all the crime running around, one would think that people would be more prudent in checking authenticity. Although, no one would really expect a member of the Black Hearts to swindle them out of anything.

They continued on, Marlo picked up her pace somewhat and had to constantly slow down in order to keep Delgue close by. This was the first real lead in a while. While it was a stretch to go on, it was a lead nonetheless. "Gods above, could you walk any slower?" Marlo asked with an irritated tone. She was joking... for the most part. Although if Delgue picked up the pace she certainly wouldn't complain.

[Beedis 182]

"Alright, I'm still skeptical but if you think we can trust him then I'll follow your lead." he responded as they began walking towards the rear end of the village. "I hope you're right. His type must have problems with fake coin all the time." he responded. "Still I wasn't about to give up the payday I got from turning you into your mom." he joked with a cackle. "I need that money to pamper myself once this is all over." he added. "All the Drinks and Girls I can buy as soon as I get home. Maybe I'll even get a bonus for solving this mystery." he continued.

They made their way out of the village and back into the surrounding woods. Soon Marlo began speeding ahead of him. She was anxious, this much was obvious and he could feel it from where he was standing but that wasn't going to stop him from being petty. "Remember I'm the one in charge here Marlo; and your stalwart leader has to conserve his energy." he replied sarcastically while keeping his pace. "And remember what I told you Marlo. We aren't after some thieves or your problematic mother this time. Calm down and remember to use that thick skull of yours." he ordered the sarcastic edge now absent from his tone.

Suddenly Delgue closed the distance to Marlo grabbing her by the back of her clothing before pulling her down beside him behind a nearby tree. "Be quiet!." he commanded before peering around the trunk of the tree and into the small clearing a ways ahead of them. He could make out the silhouette of a figure awkwardly slumped down against a tree. For a minute he watched in silence. The figure didn't  seem to move, in fact the figure didn't even appear to breathe. "I think they're dead." he whispered. "Damn. It seems whoever was after us picked our trail back up. They should know by now that a corpse isn't going to scare us away...if that even is a corpse." he continued. "If anything they helped lead us straight to them." he added. "I can't see anybody nearby but still, we shouldn't get anywhere near the body. It seems like a trap to me." he explained. "We should go as far around it as we can." he suggested.

Edited June 14, 2016 by Beedis