Mafia The Third: The Seaside Town of Aifam Cove

[Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)]

"Mrs. Fitzgibbon! It's a pleasure to see you here."

Alma turned around to find a pleasant surprise: a smile. She returned it, though her trials made it lopsided. It was, nonetheless, a smile. "It's nice to see you here, too! I was wondering if you could help me out. My...." she hesitated. "My mollies are getting lonely. Do you have any guppies?"

And then they brought in the Malamute.

Alma edged away, watching the two large dogs play and wreak havoc in the pet store. Fish were calm but dogs....dogs were unpredictable and she could never understand their complex language.

"I... I guess I could give her a home."

Mrs. Fitzgibbon brightened. Now that was a feeling she knew and loved. "Congrats on your new pet, Ms. Devon!" Then she remembered the circumstances surrounding the Merry dog. Her face lost its smile as if it were buffeted by a startlingly powerful wave. Well, she thought, looking down at her new guppy. Both of us have things to care for and protect.

Watching the dog roll over on her back, exposing her white fluffy belly, and the guppy swim in circles with its tail trailing like a wedding veil, Alma sighed. In times of trouble, it was often satisfying to take care of things. Pets were all she had at the moment.

Several moments before, she'd nearly broken down herself when Christopher phased through her lap and she'd tried to stroke his hair as he sobbed. It almost shattered her to see her efforts to help him cope had triggered something worse. Instinctively, she tried to soothe him, tracing the line of his hair as she did Lynna's on her bad days. She wasn't sure if he could feel her hand, or the tears she just couldn't stop herself from crying.

His phasing through her, oddly enough, was comforting in a strange way. When he leaned through her, it wasn't as though ice ran through her at those points. She'd read about that to her daughter's class for school once in a book about a magical boarding school. Why students who weren't fond of school wanted to read about school was beyond her, but that was beside the point. Christopher's essence was warm. Pure. In need of exactly what she'd wanted too: love.

And so she continued to sit there, humming absentminded tunes to try and soothe him, when he was abruptly called to go to either the cake shop or the tea shop. She rose, not wishing to interfere, but as she left, she felt the void in her only grow...as though she'd wanted to take him in.

Gazing at the happy little creature in a bag, Alma felt the void shrink a notch--and smiled--though it was lopsided from her worries.

It was, nonetheless, a smile.

[Liou]

Leopold had spied Professor Bardsley from a distance and stopped to offer him a ride. He was always curious to see how people reacted to bike rides, and the Professor seemed like one of the few reasonable people in town, so Leo was glad when Bardsley accepted.
"Good idea, Professor! Jennifer will be thrilled to carry you! I named her after a buddy's girlfriend, by the way." He lowered his voice: "She's handy if you need to make a quick getaway."

Once Bardsley had climbed on the seat, he added: "You should be wary, though. Imagine I was one of those crazy sickos going around. I'd have an easy time taking you wherever I want on this little speedster! But here, let's protect your precious thinking head, wouldn't want anything to happen." He pulled a second helmet out of the luggage box and fitted it onto the Professor's head. It was turquoise and sparkly and in Leo's opinion, it suited the Professor perfectly. He took advantage of the situation to stroke a strand of the Professor's hair, very gently. "So silkyyy!" he squeaked.
"Now hang on tight, sugar!" he called over the sound of the engine before speeding away.

Leo loved the sound and speed of his bike tearing through the quiet of Aifam Cove. Between their occasional bursts of madness and flailing, the residents could be so slow. They seemed to spend such an awful amount of time thinking about things, going over what had just happened, retracing their steps, and talking about what they would do next. He didn't expect anything more thrilling from such a small town, but it was a relief to get some action every now and then.

With superhuman effort, Leo resisted the urge to burst right into the town hall on his bike. Instead, he stopped neatly in front, like a good boy, and let the Professor climb down. He then removed his helmet in slow motion, a gesture he had practiced countless times so as to leave his hair perfectly neat. He flipped his bangs away from his face, patting them swiftly into place. Emo mood was only fun for a few hours at a time. He put on a pair of shades that he always kept in a pocket for emergency coolness.

Leo sashayed into the town hall and stood inside the tall double doors with his hands on his hips. "Yo! If anyone's in here, you better be watchin' the news, because a whole lot of fish is hitting the pan!" He motioned for the Professor to follow and strutted right to the Mayor's office, where he knocked on the door and tapped his foot impatiently. "Anyone still alive in here? We just saw an assistant get rushed by a mob, and his stuff needs to be checked out!" He looked at his shoes, pondering. "Mmm... how much force would it take to kick this door open," he muttered.

[Celestial]

Lucille smiled as Kylie stepped to her side, glad that she had the girl's trust. Trust in these times was very important and the more she could connect to Kylie, the better Lucille would feel. She seemed to be an innocent enough soul, one who despite all the carnage and terror that was unfolding around them, remained as calm as she could. She could admire that. Kylie might not be as steely as Lucille is but that was to be expected; she was young, innocent, perhaps even unaware of the full extent of Lucille's activities in the town. Right now, in these tough times, innocence is what Lucille really wanted.

Even her concern for her mother was admirable. Lucille wanted Bea away so that she and Kylie could be alone but she knew that Kylie would not leave her, for good reason. They both knew what would happen if Bea had too much to drink and in these times, she could quite easily drink herself to death, even without the supplies that were supposed to be delivered. When it came down to it, Lucille did not want that either. She felt a brief stab of irritation at how clingy Bea was but she was a loyal customer and a friend. If she could avoid something happening to her, that would be good.

However, Kylie soon found a solution: the stray dog that was wandering around, which Lucille recognised as belonging to the late Enna. The poor thing, it must have been so confused and lost, on the verge of panic...she smirked as she thought that Bea would make a good companion for it. And Kylie seemed to be on the same page. Perfect.

"Don't worry, Ms. Devon. Kylie is safe with me and I think that dog needs some love and attention. I will return shortly with cake and your daughter, safe and sound. We'll meet you at the Inn," she said. As Bea took the dog away, Lucille wrapped her hand around Kylie's and began leading her down the street towards the convent.

Most people had headed towards the main square, obviously wanting to be away from the cliffs where Jack Ryan had taken his forced tumble. There was almost nobody around as they walked together, hand in hand. Occassionally, Lucille glanced around to confirm that nobody was watching them before she rested her eyes back on Kylie, taking in her lovely profile.

She stopped just a short walk away from the convent before facing the girl and smiling widely at her.

"Kylie...I appreciate your trust. You're a sweet girl and I am sorry we had to meet in such interesting times. But I believe they were sent to test us. I am confident that I can get through them, or at least I'm not going to go down fighting but you...you're very young and you're very beautiful but you're no fighter," she placed a gentle hand on Kylie's shoulder and pulled her closer before planting a kiss on her lips. It was not much, just a small teasing kiss, but if she knew herself and Kylie, it would be enough for now. She drew back and stroked Kylie's cheek, again, just briefly, just enough to seal the deal.

"I'm going to protect you and if I cannot, I will avenge you," she told her gently. "You don't have to rely on just your mother anymore. Now...let's go get what we came here for," she said and headed into the convent.

[Sporty]

Melanie returned from the storage room with a pair of dog dishes and a bag of food, only to discover three new arrivals. She only knew one of the girls in passing, but she recognized Lindsey and Trixie right away.

A tiny, sad smile found its way to her face. It had been a long time since she'd last seen Lindsey at the Menagerie. After what her old boss had done to sweet little Pengy, Melanie was glad he'd decided to vanish from Aifam Cove.

At the moment, though, Marco was giving Lindsey suggestions for rabbit food. Melanie could only guess at why she had Trixie – had the rabbit gotten loose again? – but she seemed happy under the temporary care of the cake shop worker.

Melanie set the bowls down and scooped a generous helping of dog food into one (she'd already filled the other with water). Merry and Lacey both bounded over at the sound, but the shop owner held the Labrador back so that Merry could eat her fill.

"Bea, did I hear you right earlier? Did you say you wanted to adopt Merry?" Melanie beamed at the thought. "I'd be happy to give you a discount on supplies to start her off with. It only seems right, considering the circumstances."

In all the commotion regarding the orphaned malamute and the (lost?) rabbit, it seemed Alma had picked out a new fish. It was a lovely guppy, and Mrs. Fitzgibbon looked to be quite happy with her choice.

"Are you ready to make your purchase, Mrs. Fitzgibbon?" Melanie called out. "We'll be ready for you in..." – Merry had finished eating and drinking, and as the malamute bounded off in search of more belly rubs she remembered that Merry still needed a bath – "...Just a moment..." She still wasn't sure why the girl with Lindsey had come yet, either. My, the shop is busy this afternoon.

[Avery]

You might think that a sudden rash of violent deaths in a town would make its residents antisocial and withdrawn-- that people would hole up in their houses, doors dead-bolted, paranoia raging. But houses are so very lonely, so very drafty, and so very nerve-inducing. If, the townspeople realized, they were targeted whilst in their homes, then no one would hear them scream. Being alone might seem tempting, but really, the citizens of Aifam decided, solitude was danger.

By late afternoon, Father Niles had doled coats back out to the shivering townspeople, all the while imploring the crowd to confess if they knew who was responsible for the mafia murders, and to be ashamed of themselves for lobbing Jack Smith over that cliff, and for whoever stole the ashes and body to please return Enna's urn to the church... and drop Christopher's corpse to the morgue. And also to please, for the love of our Mother Weewoo, not do anything with Jack's body, which stay lay broken-necked on the beach.

"I beg of you," he said, "just let it be until the morgue can collect it."

With that, Father Niles uttered a short prayer and dismissed the residents of Aifam Cove from the church.

**

As dusk approached, Main Street skipped to life. The Burger Hut boasted a rare wait for a table, and the Sirensong Steakhouse's kitchen could hardly keep up with the demand. The movie theatre on Fawlton was at capacity, even though the films presently being shown on its two grainy screens were fairly terrible. It's not as if the townspeople forgot about the calamitous events of the past day and a half, but as the evening progressed without any further chaos, some folks couldn't help but let out sighs of relief. Maybe... maybe this whole thing would blow over soon. Jack's death would be the last; though he wasn't a mafia member, maybe the real members of Chill of the Night and Abominable Aifam would be disconcerted by his death and stop with the bloodshed. Knowing that next time, it could be one of them, instead, who went tumbling onto the rocks of Sirensong Beach.

Mr. Stal, however, did not ascribe to this line of thought. Instead, the stared furtively at his newly minted In Memorium wall, at the photos of poor dead Christopher and Enna. While the shops on Main Street were bustling, business at Mr. Stal's pub had not been very heavy today. Part of this, Mr. Stal figured, likely had to do with the pub's location: next to the church. Everyone wanted to be away from the church, because of the sudden terrible memories it held. Mr. Stal couldn't blame them.

When he heard the door whoosh open right around sunset, he wrested his eyes away from the photos of Christopher and Enna and scampered over to the bar. "Welcome!" he called to the shadowy figures now looming in the doorway. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out how many of them there were. Weird, how they were standing so close to each other, moving as if they were part of one, collective entity. Shoulder to shoulder, a breathing clump.

Mr. Stal's stomach did a little twist. Especially when the newcomers didn't respond to his greeting.

"Come in, out of the cold," he said to them.

"Sure thing," one replied.

A familiar voice. Mr. Stal knew he'd heard it before. But before he could even go about flipping through his mind to place the voice with a face, a loud bang reverberated through the pub. A terrible pain exploded in his chest. He clutched an automatic hand over the wound, but his fingertips had barely grazed it before he crumpled to the ground. And then-- as he lay there, choking in fractured half-breaths-- the figures stalked into the bar. He wanted to scream, but could force no sound. He could only watch, his vision darkening, as one of the figures stooped over him. Smiling.

And placed a paper snowflake-- white and crisp-- over the gunshot wound on Mr. Stal's chest. By the time Mr. Stal's heart beat for the last time a few moments later, the snowflake had turned red-black with blood.

**

He was found about thirty minutes later by one Khiran Chander. Whose heart had been heavy all day, and whose head had been filled with fog. Enna had been such a close friend, and Khiran was taking it harder than most others. They would have been content to wander the town infinitely, but finally the cold took its toll-- that, and a terrible thirst. But while the rest of the townspeople seemed to cope by breathing down each other's necks, Khiran wasn't in the mood for crowds. So Mr. Stal's pub seemed like a good place to stop for a drink: public, but quiet.

But Khiran hadn't made it two feet into the bar before the scent of blood hit them. "M-Mr. Stal?" they screeched... and then... they saw the spatter on the wall behind the bar. No.

Khiran hurried over, hoping to find Mr. Stal injured but alive. But... one look, and it was clear he was dead. Khiran screamed and stumbled back, then flung themselves back into the chilly night. Tears poured out of their eyes; they could barely breathe. First Enna, then Christopher-- then the mad mob with Jack and now--

"Khiran!" a voice called. "Are you alright?"

Khiran whirled their head and found Father Niles, stepping out of the church to lock it up for the night. Though not a religious person, Khiran sprinted over and just about collapsed into Father Niles's arms. "Father!" they screamed, almost unintelligibly. "It's... it's Mr. Stal. The mafias have killed Mr. Stal!"

Father Niles gasped and uttered a short prayer. Then, gently, he eased Khiran out of his hold, sitting them down on the front steps of the church. "Stay here," he said. "I-- I believe you are having a panic attack. Let me go find Dr. Stabstrike for you, so that she can help calm you, child."

"Don't leave me," Khiran moaned.

"I'll be back very soon, I promise. Shh, just breathe deeply, and I'll be back very soon."

With that, Father Niles set off to find the town physician, Dr. Lia Stabstrike. Khiran continued wheezing and sobbing; their heart felt like it would explode right out from their chest. Despite the cold, they felt hot, so very hot. Before they knew what they were doing, they'd peeled off their coat.

"Is that very smart?" a voice asked from the small cluster of trees that separated the church from Chet Street. The Sisters had planted them a few summers ago during some charity project or another, and though the trees were presently dead for winter-- their branches barren, their trunks grey-white-- the copse nonetheless served as quite the cloak, should someone wish to lurk unseen.

Khiran turned towards the voice. "I... I... who's there?" they sobbed.

The speaker stepped out from the trees, followed by several others. Towards Khiran on the steps.

"Your worst nightmare," they said.

**

When Father Niles returned no more than ten minutes later with Dr. Stabstrike in tow, he at first thought Khiran had fallen asleep. The way they were curled into a fetal position at the base of the church steps-- how their coat was draped over them, as if Khiran was using it as a blanket-- their stillness, their silence...

And then. Then he saw their throat. Slit clean across. And sticking out of the pocket of that coat... a playing card.

Abominable

Mr. Stal was an INNOCENT TOWNSPERSON.
Khiran Chander was an INNOCENT TOWNSPERSON.

SPOILER: Click to show

Side Request: Summaries have proven quite time-consuming but I thought of a seriously awesome way you guys could help on that front. If everyone put in spoiler tags at the end of each of their posts, a 1-3 sentence summary of that post, it would help me ENORMOUSLY. I could then just quickly grab the summaries and compile them-- and anyone skimming can simply read them instead of long posts. This isn't exactly required, but I'd really appreciate anyone who does it!

[Diana]

Winston swore as his fingers jabbed a L-R-Start-Select combo onto his DS’s screen, fingers half-numb in the chilly Aifam air.

It was a dismal time, and his mood was equally dark.

One thousand, five-hundred and eighty-six soft resets. Eighty-seven, now, if you counted the latest fail. One thousand, five-hundred and eighty-seven Yveltals, and not a single one of them was shiny. He’d even take awful IVs at this point. How was he going to face the next online league tournament without a complete shiny OU team?

Of course, there was always that Action Replay device from a couple of years back, when he had been less true of mind and stalwart of will…

No! He would not stoop to using a cheating device. He would not!

So steeped in his raging inner turmoil, Winston did not notice his spare stylus coming loose until it was too late and the little pointer clinked upon the icy cobbles.

The blasted thing spun on the ice, and Winston slipped after it, cursing and sliding as he chased the fleeing stylus, trying not to lose sight of it in the evening shadows. Where were those Boots of Gravity when he needed them?

He ended up past the end of Chet Street, and a little closer to his sidequest target – Everington Cakes Unlimited – when he finally reunited with his lost instrument of power. Across the street, the spires of the heretical church pierced the darkened sky, tall doors yawning in their bid to entrap the righteous followers of the Nine-

Well, they were shut, but where was the dramatic scene-building in that? But there was something… a form, misshapen and sprawled on the stone steps between pair of shadowy figures. A sacrifice to their heathen non-Elder gods? A poorly-wrapped Fed-Ex package?

Winston ventured forth to investigate, pulling his trenchcoat tighter around him in the evening chill (25% resistance to frost). Yep, he’d been right the first time. Dead body, ritualistic playing card, mad scientist and heathen priest chanting over the body. Definitely a sacrifice to the pagan ‘Woos.

He had been too late to save the poor NPC, but he could at least avenge his meaningless death to false gods! The sky was dark and grey - the perfect conditions for a climactic storm to break out.

"You monsters!" he cried, mounting the steps. One hand drifted to his side, closing around a cold, metallic hilt. "You killed... uh..." Winston had no idea who the prone figure curled up on the church steps actually was. "The dude! The dude that you just killed! You totally killed him. Uh, her. Them? Them. They are very, very dead at the moment."

With a flourish, he yanked his certified Hasbro Vader Force Action Extending Lightsaber from its belt hoop and slashed it horizontally, carving a path of blue light and intense sound effects through the night air. His trenchcoat flapped magnificently in the fierce breeze. "Have at thee!"

SPOILER: Click to show

Summary:

Winston lamented the dark times they were in - what kind of a world was it when a man couldn't catch a shiny pokemon after a thousand tries!? After chasing an escaped stylus down the street, he discovered Khiran's dead body on the steps of the church and bravely challenged the two enemy bosses present!

[Avery]

Melanie seemed quite relieved that Bea had decided to adopt Merry, and had insisted she take most of the dog supplies for free, but Bea knew it had to be at least a hundred dollars worth of merchandise and insisted on paying for most of it. Her arms were full with dog food and toys and other assorted canine accessories as she then started back towards the inn. She was grateful that Merry seemed content to follow her without the need for a leash, because Bea didn't presently have a spare hand; the dog loped a few feet ahead of her, panting and occasionally glancing back as if just to make sure that Bea was still around.

The inn was relatively quiet, with neither Kylie nor Lucille having arrived yet. Bea shouldered open the door and then padded towards her apartment in the back. Merry followed her, though Bea had to call out to the dog several times to stop her from attempting to sniff every speck of dust in sight. Once they were in the apartment, Merry promptly leapt onto Bea's sofa as if it was the most natural thing. Bea grimaced as she imagined all the dog hair that would soon be accumulating... then grimaced again once Merry got distracted, jumped off the couch, and left muddy paw prints in her wake.

It was then that Bea was reminded just how dirty the poor thing was. She sighed and called the dog into the bathroom, then ran the tap in the tub. She knew people shampoo probably wasn't the best for Merry, but it was better than nothing.

"Come on, girl," Bea said to Merry, pointing at the tub. "Get in."

Merry barked at her, as if to politely decline the request.

... and thus commenced a bathing session that was far more complicated than it should have been. Merry leapt in and out of the tub at will, and even once Bea leashed her up, the dog was so strong that it was nearly impossible to keep her contained. It took ages just to get her washed, and then there was the matter of getting her dried. Hours passed by as Bea clutched for dear life at Merry's leash and pointed a handheld blow dryer at the dog's plush, thick coat. The dog responded by occasionally nipping at the air stream and attempting to wrench Bea's shoulder out of the socket, wagging her tail excitedly the entire time.

If Kylie and Lucille came back to drop off the "cake", Bea didn't notice. After a while, she got tunnel vision, seeing only the soaking dog before her, the buzz of the hair dryer whirring in her ears. When dusk came, she'd only just finished and was running a hairbrush (note to self: buy a new hairbrush) through Merry's now clean coat.

"Well," she murmured, as she set the dryer down. "I suppose I have some cleaning to do tonight. But... for now, I guess I should probably take you outside, huh? To do your business or-- whatever dogs do."

But Bea hadn't made it five feet out of the inn before a clamor from Stalberry Road drew her attention. She squinted her eyes against the darkening sky to try and figure out what was going on... and was so distracted that she didn't noticed that she'd dropped Merry's leash until the dog, also curious, ran off towards the noise. Darnit.

"Merry!" Bea called, chasing after. Images of the dog disappearing into the night shot into her mind.

Fortunately, at the intersection of Stalberry and Chet, Merry stopped of her own accord. Bea, breathless, grabbed the dog's leash and scolded her. And then... turned towards what had attracted both her and Merry's attention in the first place. Father Niles, nearly screaming prayers, and Dr. Lia Stabstrike, leaning over a curled up body.

Instantly, fear pounced on Bea like a lion on its prey. Though she knew it was probably wrong, she shimmied around Stabstrike to get a better look at the corpse. Please, please, please. Not Kylie, not Kylie, not Kylie.

It wasn't Kylie. No it was... Khiran. Khiran Chander, who'd spoken this morning at Enna's funeral. And they'd most definitely not died of natural causes. As Bea stood there, trying to steady her breathing, more people appeared on the scene, also attracted by the noise. Soon, there was a sizable crowd forming around Khiran, Niles, and Stabstrike... and even worse, Niles grimly informed the onlookers that Khiran was not the only one who'd died tonight: Mr. Stal was dead, too, murdered in his own pub.

Merry whined and licked at Bea's hand, as if trying to comfort her, but all Bea could think was: Where are Kylie and Lucille? She needed to find her daughter and the nun... and soon.

SPOILER: Click to show

Bea attempts to bathe Merry because Merry is freakin' disgusting, yo. Gets invested in it and several hours pass... she then takes Merry outside, but Merry lopes off towards a commotion up on Stalberry Road. Bea chases after her and finds Father Niles and Dr. Stabstrike standing by Khiran's body; soon, a crowd forms.

[TJ Wagner]

Miko walked down the street, the sound of her footfalls rising and falling in the frosty air. She shivered even bundled in her warmest coat, scarves, and gloves and she couldn't help but wonder if this had been such a good idea. She remembered reading once that people tend to get so sick during the winter because they spend so much time in their too warm houses and that the outside temperatures are just too different, but she wasn't sure if she believed it. The true problem was people. It was always the people.

She shifted her arms slightly, but the plant and its container was heavy in her arms. When Barbra T. Manna first made a comment about the outdoors, Miko had disregarded it. After all, the cold could be deadly for any sort of greenery, but the plant had been politely insistent. Besides, this was the closest she had to a friend, and she always had trouble saying no. They had been quietly talking the best they could with Miko's chattering teeth as they rounded a corner.

A crowd had gathered and Miko froze in her tracks. She had no way to explain what she was doing out in these temperatures carrying a plant. Besides, what if anyone else heard the plant talk? Worse, what if no one else could hear it? She tried to back away slowly, but she realized that a few of the people had already noticed her.

Taking a deep breath she approached the group. "What's going on?" she asked quietly, but then she saw the body.

SPOILER: Click to show

Miko takes her talking plant for a walk when she sees the crowd gathering. She asks what is going on but then sees the body.

[Kristykimmy]

Anna got up, leaving the dog and returning to Lindsey who was talking with the shop boy about putting up a sign in the window. Lindsey purchased the rabbit food, thanking Marcus for the help in trying to locate Aaron.

“I don't think anyone will be coming in for cake today,” Anna said to Lindsey. “They probably expect it to be closed after the funeral. Maybe you should just take Trixie home and wait for a call from Aaron. I'm sure someone who knows you have her will run across him before long.”

She walked the girl to her home and then headed for her own home, back on Main Street. It was still early in the afternoon, so she wasn't scared to walk alone. She was a strong woman, her body toned from years of surfing. Even during the winter she kept in the best of shape so that when it warmed enough to surf again, she could be the first one in the waters.

She got home and decided not to open the shop. After the murder of Christopher, she just wasn't in the mood for sitting in the shop waiting for customers who weren't coming. If anyone needed her, there was a doorbell there.

She walked upstairs, shedding her coat. She turned on the TV in her bedroom to listen to the news while she slipped into more comfortable clothes. She was just pulling on her favorite heavy turtleneck sweater when she heard the news playing a recap of earlier news.

She whipped around, had they just said Jack Ryan Smith, the assistant mayor was dead? That was what they were saying, and that he had been lynched by the town people, blaming him for the murders. Anna sat on the edge of her bed, her head in her hands.

This wasn't supposed to be happening, not here. Anna had been drawn in by the beauty and stayed because of the safety. The town was beautiful, the people good. When had it changed, and how had she missed it happening? They were all turning into monsters. She looked up, out the window onto Main Street.

“How can so much have gone wrong in such a short time?” she said aloud, wishing someone could answer her.

She reached for the phone and called her parents. She hesitated when her father picked up. She decided not to tell him. It would only worry them, and she couldn't just leave. She'd built a life here, and she loved that life. If she could somehow ride this wave out, well, she had to take that chance. Instead, she just chatted with both her parents, making sure to end the call with telling them how much she loved them. If anything happened, she wanted their last memory of her to be her telling them that.

She looked out the window again when she put the phone down, she'd talked a long time. It was now dusky out. She decided she would go to Mr. Stal's restaurant. She wasn't in the mood to cook, and she wanted some company.

She grabbed her coat and pulled on her boots. She left the apartment and moved swiftly down Main Street, both to keep warm and to spend as little time alone as possible. As she reached the church, which was next door to And To Think I Saw It (on Stalberry Street), she noticed a crowd. She walked forward, noticing Bea and the dog there. Khiran was lying on the church steps, dead. Their throat was cut, just like Christopher and Enna's.

One of the people in the crowd informed her that Mr. Stal was also reportedly dead. Anna's heart flipped. Stal was one of the few people in town she saw regularly. She could cook, but she wasn't very fond of doing it, so she ate at least once a week there. Every now and then, she came in for a drink when she was in the mood. Mr. Stal always had good recommendations.

She ran from the church to the restaurant next door. She hurried in and stopped dead.The snowflake on his chest was different than usual, but she really didn't care. It didn't seem real that he could be dead too.

She walked forward, avoiding the blood and knelt down next to him. The nuns were all busy next door, she would pray for him.

SPOILER: Click to show

Anna walks Lindsey home after looking for Trixie's owner at the petstore. She finds out about the murder of Jack Smith, calls her parents, and then decides to go to Mr. Stal's for supper. She finds the scene at the church, learns Mr. Stal is also dead, and goes over there. Upon finding his body, she decides to pray for him.

[Selm]

The sharp pain that had consumed them in the last few moments before death echoed through their neck. Instinctively, they reached up to feel the wound, but their fingers could find nothing but air. Baffled, they scavenged around them trying to find their skin, before they caught sight of their corpse lying at their feet. It did not take long after that to process what had happened.

They crouched down to inspect the body. Like a beetle in the sun, they thought, recalling the lifeless curl of Enna's fingers. As their eyes grazed over the deep cut across their neck, they relived the memory of the weapon that had killed them. Although they no longer had a body with which to experience physical sensation, the motion of the slice loomed over them, permeated their psyche. It was a quick motion, fluid, almost graceful. There was an art to it, a sense of sculpture; their murderer, whoever they were, was certainly practiced. But it was not a passive act by any means. It was deliberate, savoured. The murderer had enjoyed it thoroughly.

The scene was bizarre. They were overpowered by a dissociation which grew stronger with each second more they spent watching the eerie stillness of their cold body, the only movement arising from the bitter wind blowing past their hair. It had the same air of abstract unnaturality as forcing a two-dimensional object into a fourth-dimensional world. It didn't make sense. It didn't click. It was a dream that only made sense after you'd woken up. But it didn't make sense even now, and Khiran knew they would never wake up.

They found themselves strangely unaffected by their surroundings. The wind passed right through them; there was nothing for it to brush against. They had no sense of temperature, no sense of weight. They were nothingness and they were walking through nothingness, and that was all there was. Although they certainly had a lot of adjusting to do, they didn't really... mind. For the first time in a long time, they felt content. Peaceful. They were no longer bound by the fetters of worldly emotional conflict. There was nothing to hold them back. They had risen above the human condition. They were ethereal, otherly. They had an eternity to explore and experience as they pleased, although perhaps not in the exact same way as they had spend their twenty-some years of life dreaming.

They wandered curiously to the entrance of the pub, wondering if perhaps they would now be able to see the ghost of Mr. Stal now that they had been turned spirit themselves. But they were greeted only by the same scene they had stumbled on not even an hour before, with Mr. Stal's blood splattered ungraciously on the pub wall, a paper snowflake soaking morbidly in the blood of his chest. They were gripped rather suddenly with an overwhelming sense of emptiness. They had been feeling disconnected from others for a while before their death, and there were often nights throughout their years where they lied awake wondering if they were supposed to be where they were. But they now had to face the reality of being truly alone, with a permanency and irreversibility they could not have comprehended while alive.

They began to meander aimlessly around the chairs and tables in the dark and the ghoulishness of the pub. They were lost. And there was none who could help.

SPOILER: Click to show

Khiran began to face the hardships of eternal afterlife and retreated to the pub to reflect on their life, craving companionship.

[Gelquie]

The past few hours felt like a blur to Kylie. A warm, fulfilling blur that Kylie didn't regret at all. But it wasn't until she and Lucille had come out of the chapel--a cake and a large bag in hand--that she had realized just how much time had passed. The sun was now setting over the town, shedding the last of its light over the snow, and glinting from something in the bag that Kylie was carrying. Though their hands were full and there were now a few people on the street, Kylie would still take the occasional moment to shoot warm glances at her companion.

It didn't take them long to reach the inn, since it was just down the road. Kylie worried for a moment about what her mother would say about taking so long, and what exactly Bea would say. When Kylie opened the door, however, she didn't immediately see her. She took a look around the inn before she heard a commotion in the washroom, and she peered in a crack in the door to see her mother, attempting to give the stray dog they found a bath.

After Kylie turned to her companion and quietly declared that her mother was busy, they went into the backrooms and set the cake down and put away the bottles within the bag. It was then that she realized with horror that she hadn't attended to the horses all day. And Salieri absolutely needed to have her nutritional supplement today! She quickly made her way over in the direction of the stables, and motioned for Lucille to follow.

"I need to take care of the horses," Kylie said to her. "You should come along; I want you to meet them."

It didn't take them long to reach the stables; it was connected to the inn, after all. It was mostly empty, as most of the horses were outside, but one of them--a black horse with a white vertical stripe down its face, and with a stripe of white down its otherwise black tail--was walking inside. Kylie grabbed something from one of the closed buckets before walking to the horse. She patted it on the head before feeding the horse a nutrient supplement.

"Lucille, this is Salieri," Kylie said proudly. "She's one of the older ones we have, and she's quite the professional. Kylie smiled as she rubbed Salieri's mane. "Why yes, I am talking about you. Sorry for not treating you earlier, it's just... Hey, don't look at me like that, I'm sorry. At least we've taken care of it now, right? C'mon, cheer up, girl."

The horse snorted.

"...Never said she had good manners," Kylie said sheepishly. "She's still friendly though, especially with strangers. I think she'll like y--"

Before Kylie could continue, she suddenly heard a shout outside.

"You monsters!" the voice cried, before shouting about the "dudes" being dead. No... Her? Them? They...

No, that couldn't be... They... They were just referring to what happened before, right, with the deaths today?

...Right?

...Kylie wanted to tell herself that yes, that's what happened, and that there wasn't any new deaths. But a sinking feeling in her stomach told her that this wasn't true. And besides, she was sure Winston was in the crowd by the cliffside this morning. He had to know about the deaths, at the very least... And so once again, Kylie froze in place.

_{"No, please, no..."} Kylie said quietly.

SPOILER: Click to show

Kylie and Lucille return from the chapel after getting some... things. They find Bea to be busy, so they drop off the stuff. Then Kylie leads Lucille to the stables so that she can take care of her horses. Kylie also introduces one of the horses--Salieri--to Lucille, in the best way she could. Through the not-very-insulated walls of the stables, she hears the commotion from down the road of another murder, and Kylie freezes in place.

[Draco]

Jack Ryan Smith woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across his head. Slowly and precisely he put on his shirt and tie, both ironed the night before. He found his way downstairs where he found his coat waiting for him. Putting that on his work outfit was complete. A very generic grey suit, white dress shirt, and today a grey tie. He adjusted his glasses and made his way outside, not a second to early or late...

He ignored the paper at his doorstep.... No, this time he didn't. It was a new paper, a envelope. A odd one, one he has never seen before, almost paranormal... Then it dawned on him, he died recently. Looking at his arms and hands he stared at his ghostly body. Well, there goes his routine for the day. This week was terrible, and not just because he died. Sighing he reaches down and picks up the envelope and opens it. Inside was a almost shining piece of paper, in fact it did shine, very brightly. Was this what people meant by The Light? Was he going towards it? No. It was the sun reflecting off all the metallic gold markings on the paper. Sun? It was evening. Looking up he see's a small ball of light over his head... When he finally adjusts, moving it out of the light, he glances over it and reads.

"So I heard that you died. Sorry. However I'm here to offer you a great job! Join us at the G-Host Club whe-"

He crumples the paper and throws it to the side. He had a job. And he was going to do it still, alive or dead.

He floats over to town hall, passing a snowman outside his house that oddly resembled him. Complete with his real glasses, now cracked. The small ball of light flickering off.

SPOILER: Click to show

Jack woke up to his normal routine (even though it was evening, not morning). Remembers he died. Got invited to the G-Host club. Goes back to work at Town Hall.

New Snowman appears resembling Jack.

[Liou]

Leopold had given up on the Mayor's office when Professor Bardsley advised him against kicking the door open. You couldn't say no to that man, really, but Leo was still disappointed enough to pout. They found some other employees of the town hall and told them as much as they could about the angry mob. Leo let the Professor speak, his voice sounded nice.
He then dragged, I mean invited Bardsley for a cup of tea, some chatter and fashion advice, and drove him home. "You can never be too careful. If at any time you feel like unsafe by yourself, feel free to drop by my place." He dropped by Lili's house to extend the same invitation.

Leo finally drove back to Stop. Glamour Time! and its colorful lights. His young helper had already opened and dealt with the first appointments. As the Aifam Covers felt more active today, Leo had enough customers to keep him busy. He completely lost track of time as he worked, focusing on bringing out the unique style and beauty of each person. He couldn't stop them from prattling, though. He got so much gossip from his little old ladies. The anxiety of the entire town could not be tuned out.

Once everyone was gone, Leo went around the entire salon and basement, checking all the windows and doors, the alarm, Jennifer's alarm and locks, and the lock on her gas tank, against siphoning. In his bright orange bedroom upstairs, lit up by the bulbs around his dressing table's mirror, he had gathered a few supplies. A few special hair spray bottles that went in his bedside cabinet, and two sleek hair dryers. He cocked one of them like a gun, then stored it under his pillow. The other one went into a holster that he strapped experimentally around himself. It would be convenient to wear under a jacket.

He considered going out for a drink, or checking on Lili in the house opposite, or just waiting for that evening's news report.

SPOILER: Click to show

(This is just a filler post.)
Leo drives Professor Bardsley home after not finding much at the town hall where they went in the previous round, then Leo makes sure his house is safe.

[Tiger]

Cheryl Roxanne Lewis wandered the church for almost an hour before glumly concluding that the place was empty of both Mister Greenhand and any ghosts. Or, possibly, her theory was wrong or handheld cameras didn’t work – but really, didn’t the former seem much more likely? She left the building, annoyed by her lack of progress. Some investigative reporter she was turning out to be - first the alcohol-smuggling operation she was sure Beatrix Devon, proprietor of the Stallion Inn, was heavily involved in came to a standstill – now this.

Cheryl checked the time on her phone, ignoring the three voicemails and six text messages from Pratchett. Was it really only two o’ clock? It seemed like so much more time had gone by…so much had happened…

The night reporter didn’t go live until ten o’clock. Much as she wanted to search the town with the little camera, Cheryl Roxanne Lewis had not become Aifam Cove’s top television reporter by neglecting her duty to the station. She’d done it by working hard – even when it meant sacrifices on her part. Also, it helped that there were only two television reporters in Aifam Cove. Assuming you didn’t count Travis, which, naturally, Cheryl Roxanne Lewis did not.

Mister Smith…I need to give his death a better report. She was ashamed of her sloppy work in the church. Yes, she’d been under stress, yes, it had been the third murder in less than forty-eight hours, but the people of Aifam Cove deserved better. Cheryl sighed and started tapping through to Pratchett’s number. In the pause between the ring and Pratchett’s answer, she heard the sea crashing against the cliffs that were Jack’s final resting place.

“I’m on my way back. If you could start assembling some footage of Mister Smith, some old interviews or his stand-in speeches for the mayor, I can get started on a voiceover piece.”

Cheryl was still in her rarely-used office that evening, quickly compiling material for a broadcast message on staying safe with dual mafia roaming the streets. It was very difficult because not a lot of material existed on the subject of genocidal mafias. Her attempts to find information on whatever had happened in Netwaffle and Wafflenet weren’t turning up much; apparently their press establishments were even more dead than Aifam’s.

A little after five, one of the three phones in the office rang. It only rang once; Cheryl was so rarely in her office that the tip-phones were programmed to skip through to Pratchett, who then sorted out the interesting stories and told Cheryl where they were (how Pratchett managed phones and the live feed was a question Cheryl somehow never remembered to ask when it could be answered). But then another phone rang. Then the third. Cheryl picked up the third phone before it transferred. “Aifam Cove Channel 24 News, do you have a tip for us?”

Within minutes, she and Albert were packing up and leaving the studio.

“Loyal viewers, we’re on the scene at “And to Think That I Saw It” on Stalberry Road – the petition to change the road to a street is still being processed by city hall…and given the mayoral assistant’s death, will probably remain there for a while.

“More importantly, we’ve received word that not one but both mafias have struck again. Doctor Stabstrike of her eponymous Family Medicine clinic has confirmed the deaths of both Khiran Chander, local student at Prettyboy College, and Mr. Stal, whose first name we never learned, and who owned the “And to Think That I Saw It” pub. Mx.¹ Chander was found with another card like the one found on Mister Dylans earlier this afternoon, suggesting the Abominable Aifam mafia were responsible for their death.

“Strangely, Father Niles, who is also on the scene, tells us that Mr. Stall was found with a bloody but likely once-white paper snowflake. If this is indeed the work of the Chill of Night mafia, then it would seem that this snowflake is their calling card.

Citizens are advised to avoid being caught alone, and if you do find yourself in solitude, to ensure all doors and windows are firmly locked. Additionally, Aifam Cove residents preparing for the Paper Snowflake Chain Competition next week are advised to cease and desist lest you fall under suspicion from potential violent vigilante mobs. Violent vigilante mobs are advised to calm the heck down, okay? Geez.

“…More on this story as it develops.”

Astute viewers might have noticed Cheryl Roxanne Lewis clasping something small and rectangular in her pocket tightly with the hand that wasn’t clutching her microphone.

------
¹ I’m given to understand this is a gender-neutral formal title used in some other countries – if I’m wrong on that lemme know, and if you know a better title, let me know that, also.

SPOILER: Click to show

Cheryl left the church after finding nothing and returned to the studio. She received a tip about the mafia victims and left to report on it. She then reported on it.

[PFA]

The trip to the town hall was fairly uneventful, all things considered. The mayor didn't wish to speak to them, so they relayed the information to whoever else was available. As for Mr. Smith's investigation notes, they were nowhere to be found. A shame, really. It could have been nice to get an idea who was behind these brutal murders.

After stopping by the teahouse for a cup of tea, Mr. Endicott gave the professor a ride home, offering the safety of his salon if so desired. Professor Bardsley was grateful for the offer, but politely refused, deciding he'd rather just stay home today. It had already been a long enough day as it was, and he really just wanted to relax for a while.

Hours later, Professor Bardsley found himself engrossed in his library of anthropology books. He had read them all before, some of them several times, but they offered an odd sense of comfort to him. Perhaps, he thought, there would be something useful in his studies to help him determine what was really going on here.

People had different ways of coping with stressful situations. Some would cry, wallowing in their sorrows. Some would try to take their minds off of it, try to stay cheerful in spite of everything. And sometimes, people would band together as one, working collectively for one purpose... just like what had happened to Mr. Smith earlier today.

Just like what the mafias had been doing.

He let out a sigh, closing the book he was reading and glancing up at the clock. Goodness, however did it get so late? It seemed he had been at this longer than he thought. Perhaps it was time for a break.

He put the book back on the shelf, thinking to check the news for any updates on the murders that had occurred today... only to find out that two more people had been murdered. Mr. Stal, the owner of the pub on Stalberry Road (Stalberry Street?), and Khiran Chander, one of the students from the college.

It seemed people were dying off at an alarming rate. How... troublesome.

---

"Man, Cassidy, that's just horrible," said one of Cassidy's college friends, taking a sip of her milkshake. They'd decided to stop by the Burger Hut that night, hoping to relax a bit after all that had happened. Especially poor Cassidy, who had seen the body firsthand. Barely, but still.

"I know, right? I mean, who would kill a blind kid at a funeral? It takes a special kind of evil to do something like that, I think." Cassidy nibbled at a french fry, not feeling terribly hungry after what had happened that morning, but figuring she should at least try to eat something. "I just feel like... I don't know. I wish we could do something about it. Find out who's responsible, and stop them."

"And how would we do that?" another friend asked, taking a bite of his burger.

"I don't know! I just hate knowing that these people are still out there." Cassidy was fidgeting in her seat by now, getting really worked up about the whole ordeal. "These people killed a poor blind kid, and they probably killed Enna too, and now who knows when they're going to strike again?"

As if on cue, Cheryl Roxanne Lewis appeared on the Burger Hut's TV, with another live report. There had been more murders. Mr. Stal, and Khiran Chander... they were both dead. And not just one mafia had struck this time, but both mafias.

"Khiran Chander? Don't we know them from school?" someone asked.

"Y-yeah, and Mr. Stal from the pub..." someone else muttered, horrified. That pub was always a great hangout place, to go and get drunk once finals were over. And now the owner was dead. And Khiran was dead, too.

Cassidy just stared at the screen glumly. With these two deaths, that meant there were five dead now, all within the span of two days. And four of them all happened in the same day, to boot. This whole thing was escalating at an alarming rate.

"If we do do something," Cassidy remarked, "we need to do it fast."

SPOILER: Click to show

After being taken back home, Professor Bardsley immersed himself in anthropology books, trying to make sense of the whole ordeal. Seeing that it had gotten late, he checked the news to see if there was any new information on the murders, just to find that two more had been killed. Cassidy and her college friends were eating at the burger joint, discussing what should be done about the situation, when they heard the same news.