The Halloween Party - Day 7: The Finale

[♥ Lulu]

Lulu was quite surprised by the Yurble's shady past, but sighed and decided Craig was probably right; they weren't going to find anything down here, she reckoned. She followed him and Kat back up the stairs into the ballroom.

"The thing I don't understand," she said, wandering over to the punchbowl and pouring herself a drink, "is why, in an old house like this, we didn't hear any of the doors open or close. It's just not right!"

She frowned, her brain trying to work out a logical answer to all of this, but failing horribly. Stuffing a handful of crisps into her mouth, she moved over to the fire place to watch the flames.

[Craig]

Craig watched Lulu walk toward the fire place and thought about what she had just said. "The thing I don't understand is why, in an old house like this, we didn't hear any of the doors open or close."

Filling himself a glass of punch, he turned to Kat. Her staff glowed purple, standing out along with her sparkly dress among the black and orange decorations. He also couldn't help but be reminded of the revolver that Lulu had tucked in her jacket. Everyone at this party seems to have a weapon, wand, or assorted magical item. I really should have come prepared.

He said aloud, "I think Lulu's right. Anybody moving that quickly would surely have been heard if they'd been running in and out of any doors." He paused and took a sip of punch. "Is there any other outlet in this room besides the doors themselves?"

Craig glanced around the room. The snack tables looked lonely in the large ballroom, still mostly covered in their sugary treats. The decorations only looked silly in light of the tense situation. The minutes had been ticking away since Ikkin had disappeared, just like the large grandfather clock at one end of the room near the fireplace, where Lulu was standing with her hands behind her back.

Craig placed his punch glass down abruptly, almost causing another spill.

"When all the guests--and Ikkin--were in the ballroom earlier... was the fireplace lit?" he asked.

Without waiting for an answer, he picked up the large bowl of punch.

Carrying it over to the hearth, he nodded at Lulu to move out of the way. Then, carefully, he tilted the container and let the punch spill out on the burning flames.

They hissed and sizzled as the fire went out.

Putting the bowl on the wooden floor, Craig bent down on his hands and knees, poking his head into the damp and dark fireplace. Craning his neck, he looked upward. "Kat, Lulu," he said, his voice echoing slightly. "Look at this."

[♥ Lulu]

"When all the guests--and Ikkin--were in the ballroom earlier... was the fireplace lit?"

Lulu thought back - no, there was definitely no fire when the lights went dead.

"I think Rider or somebody lit it a little while ago," she said, shaking her head.

She probably was in the basement when it was lit, since she didn't remember it being there when Kitty had run down there. She looked towards the basement door, waiting for the others to emerge from the murky doorway. The ballroom felt so big with only the three of them in there.

She smiled at the boy's resourcefulness as she slung the bowl of pink liquid into the fire. She did, however, remind herself to drink the rest of her punch slowly, since there was no more about. Upon invitation, Lulu knelt down next to him.

"What, what is it?"

She strained to look up into the chimney.

"Oh," she said, simply.

[Kat]

"Don't tell me; someone tried to burn something in the fireplace?" asked Kat, heading over to the fireplace. She glanced around and said, "Actually, it might be possible to get from one room to another noiselessly if this culprit were a mage. Or working with one."

[Ginz ❤]

With so many NTWFers going back upstairs, Ginz had lost some sense of confidence and protection. However, she didn't want to leave just yet. Kitty had gotten a reasonable head start while coming downstairs, and she still couldn't spot her in the darkness.

"Kitty?" she called. "Maybe we should head upstairs with the others..."

[Rider]

[glow=red,2,300]"The thing I don't understand is why, in an old house like this, we didn't hear any of the doors open or close. It's just not right!"

"The doors are in surprising condition for an old house, but it's true that we would have heard someone leaving in a hurry."

"Kat, Lulu, look at this."

"You think the culprit escaped up the chimney?" Rider asked. "I know little of magecraft. it's possible. But I'll have you know that I'm making you clean the wet wood out of the fireplace and start a new fire." She made a small sound of disgust. "Goosh should be doing this."[/glow]

[Kat]

Kat raised a hand. "I'll start the next fire. And I promise it won't be purple. Really, anything is possible if we're dealing with a mage."

[♥ Lulu]

"Hmph," Lulu huffed, getting up off her hands and knees to face Rider, "I think something like fire building should be left until after we've found Ikkin - and how else do you propose she disappeared? Unless, like Kat said, there was a mage involved."

She sighed, grabbing her glass off of the floor to take a swig, wishing it was something stronger. Why hadn't anyone bought any rum?

"Talking of Goosh," she mused, looking around the room, "where has he got to? He wasn't down there with us, was he? I'd think not, what with the article being shown around and all..."

[Nova]

Nova looked around, and with so many other NTWFers going back up, he decided to take flight and go right through the floor and into the upstairs. He told Ginz they should go back up beforehand though.

"I'll start the next fire. And I promise it won't be purple. Really, anything is possible if we're dealing with a mage."

"You start a non-purple fire? That's a laugh. If you fail, I can assist you, I am made of fire after all."

Taking a breather, Nova was thinking. Ikkin was missing, and now Goosh was missing. The host leave his own party? Strange. And that newspaper clipping? Even stranger. Goosh must have been doing some illegal activity.. wait a second, the clipping also said something about a Lupe. Could it be? No... Lupehunter?

"Where's Lupehunter?" he decided to say aloud. "The newspaper article said something about a Lupe with Goosh's illegal activity..." he hoped Lupehunter was just downstairs and had nothing to do with it, but really.. anyone could be a suspect. Even non-mages could have some mage powers no one else knew about.

Suddenly, he really hoped Ginz would come upstairs soon, at least he could trust her.

[Kat]

"You greatly underestimate me," said Kat with a smirk. "Making normal fire comes first before colored fire. "And Lupes...it could be Lupehunter, or even Nimras, our resident white Lupe. But why Nimras would be involved in something like this, I have absolutely no idea."

She sighed. "Though right now I can't detect any familiar auras besides ours."

[Ian Wolf-Park]

After searching futilely for Ikkin and Kitty, Lupehunter decided to head back up

Where's Lupehunter? The newspaper article said something about a Lupe with Goosh's illegal activity...

He groaned when he heard Nova say that so he quickly ran the stairs. Of course, he had seen the article, reading it over Craig's shoulder. Before long, he was back in the ballroom.

"Oy, Nova, I can't believe you're accusing me of doing illegal activity. For your information, I wasn't here two years ago when Goosh was arrested and found not guilty for that. And I transform into a grey wolf, not a Lupe."

[Rider]

[glow=red,2,300]((Lupehunter, think two years IC time, not two years real time. Lulu, the clip was upstairs.))

"They said two canines, so it might not have been a kitsune and a Lupe. I'd certainly never accuse Ikkin or Lupehunter... But there is soemthing fishy about the whole thing."

"I think something like fire building should be left until after we've found Ikkin"

"I'd like to think so too, but I'd like some non-magical, non-electrical light to see by should the power go out again, not to mention some heat in this ancient, drafty place. Thank you, Kat, which grings me to the question, why is Ginz dressed as you?"

It had clearly been a while since Rider had played Maple Story.

"where has he got to? He wasn't down there with us, was he? I'd think not, what with the article being shown around and all..."

"If he saw and heard us, he may not necessarily say anything. Just act natural when he comes back."[/glow]

[Celestial]

Celestial read the article that was passed to her. It was strange, she never thought of Goosh as somebody who would sell illegal weapons and even if he did, why on the splatterboard where most people were a weapon themselves. People however started filing out of the basement, forgetting Kitty. It was dangerous to leave her here in the dark.

Let me explore alone and look for her. I can see well in the dark and nobody will mind a Weewoo flying around. I might also find something of interest to you Overlord said to her as the fireball went out. He took off from her shoulder and hovered at the edge of her vision, a white ghost in the gloom.

Alright, just be careful and if anything happens, come back straight away Celestial said and stood there as he faded away into the darkness. Turning to Ginz, she smiled despite the sadness of the Weewoo's absense..

"Don't worry. If Kitty is down here Overlord will find her. Let's go back upstairs now" Celestial said with a touch of sadness in her voice. She hated being away from him but it was for the good of everyone here. She turned back towards the doorway and climbed out of the basement, grabbing herself a drink from the table next to the exit.

People were around the fireplace and Celestial decided to take a look, seeing if perhaps she could help.

"I'll start the next fire. And I promise it won't be purple. Really, anything is possible if we're dealing with a mage." Celestial heard Kat say. The Dragon Mage was probably too late to help with that by now and Kat would have plenty of help from Nova. She doubted she was needed here. Slowly sipping the drink, Celestial looked around the room. Goosh was indeed gone but Celestial was not keen to blame Ikkin's disappearance on him. It was strange though that he would take so much risk to kidnap somebody who she doubted had anything to do with the whole incident. Then again, she would have never thought Goosh would have been involved in any illegal arms.

"Rider, I don't believe that we should rule out anybody at this point. Illusion magic isn't too hard to come by so it is possible that somebody would have disguised themselves as a canine if they had the motive. I agree though, we should wait until Goosh comes back and perhaps watch him for any signs. If he is responsible, we must confront him as soon as we are sure.

If he isn't well...it is going to be a long night" Celestial spoke slowly, all while taking sips of her drink. Thankfully it wasn't strong or even alcoholic. Dragons did not react well to alcohol.

[Christos]

((Me wants to participate in this
What is it about, though? >.> Any clues anyone?!))

[Craig]

"You think the culprit escaped up the chimney? I know little of magecraft. It's possible. But I'll have you know that I'm making you clean the wet wood out of the fireplace and start a new fire."

Craig frowned at Rider's words and stood up. As Kat volunteered to start a fire, and Nova offered to help, he picked up the empty punch bowl from where he had placed it on the ballroom floor.

"I still think the chimney is as likely an option as any," he said quietly, "but with all this talk of mages and shapeshifers I suppose anything's possible."

Detective work wasn't really his thing; besides, they didn't have a single clue to go on. Ikkin was missing, with no sign or sound of disappearance and no trail left behind. Goosh had vanished as well, leaving doubts and questionable newspaper articles in his wake. With the party guests now milling around the ballroom, it looked like the investigation had reached a standstill.

"I guess I should refill this," Craig said, glancing down at the large bowl in his hands.

He left the group chatting in front of the fireplace, poking his head through several of the doorways that led out of the ballroom. "Kitchen... kitchen..." he muttered softly. "I wish this manor wasn't so huge. The kitchen could be anywhere, just like Ikkin and Goosh."