Mafia The Third: The Seaside Town of Aifam Cove

[Kristykimmy]

(This was a collaboration between Ian Wolf-Park and myself)

Anna left the stables at the Stallion Inn, hoping Kylie and Beatrix would be okay. She didn't really have any feelings about the nun, but she was sure Beatrix wasn't mafia, and somehow it didn't seem likely to her that Kylie was. Of course, there always was the possibility she was, teenagers got into things like that, but Anna wanted to believe she was innocent.

She walked up Fork Street to make her way back to Main Street where Dr. Parker's clinic was located. She noticed there was once again a crowd at the edge of the guardrail, looking down at the beach. More drama on the beach, was it cursed now? She decided to see what had happened. She might be dead, but she wasn't about to fall behind on what was going on in town.

She edged her way into the crowd, careful not to touch anyone. She was still a little squeamish about the idea that she might simply be able to pass right through them. Most of the people didn't notice her, but a few let out gasps of horror.

“Let them be terrified,” she thought to herself. “They deserve it.”

Once she had made her way to the guardrail, she looked down. There were two bodies there, a woman who Anna didn't recognize at all and Travis Richem. Judging by the more severe wounds on the woman, particularly the wound on the throat, Anna was able to judge that she had been the victim of the mafia attack. That was Abominable Aifam's hallmark.

“Travis was mafia? Well, all things considered, I suppose that isn't surprising. Good for you, poor woman. At least you got to go down fighting,” Anna thought to herself. “If Travis' ghost shows up, now I really can make his afterlife miserable.”

Just then, the man who had been examining the bodies stood up and Anna realized it was the very person she was looking for, Dr. Parker. He walked back up the slope from the beach and immediately the townspeople started badgering him about what he had discovered.

"Whoever the woman is, whom for now I shall call her Jane Doe for now as her identity is currently unknown and out of respect, she was killed by the mafia,” Anna heard him say.

She waited until the crowd cleared out and then approached him. His back was turned to her. She thought about tapping him on the shoulder, but she wasn't sure if he'd feel anything but a chill from her frosty, spectral fingers, so instead she cleared her throat loud enough to hopefully get his attention.

Evan quickly paused when he heard someone behind him clear his/her throat. He was initially confused, but then he smiled to himself. He had heard rumours about ghosts haunting various cities and towns, but it wasn't exactly his territory to examine paranormal activity. It was the next couple of lines that nearly caused a heart attack despite the advanced warning from the ghost.

“Dr. Parker, if you can hear and see me, please don't be scared. I just wanted to tell you that I never did find Trixie, she wasn't anywhere in Aaron's house, so the poor thing is likely loose in the town.”

Despite knowing Anna for only a day, he still recognized her voice, so he slowly turned around to face her. Then he collapsed onto the ground upon seeing her.

"Miss Dywight, I'm... terribly... sorry... that I... caused... you... pain..." he said as he began to cry, unable to continue.

Anna was shocked by the unexpected reaction from Dr. Parker. She dropped down next to him, and reached out, but stopped just an inch short of his shoulder. Close enough to try to be comforting, but not enough to freeze the poor man with a ghostly touch.

“Caused me pain? You didn't- Are you blaming yourself for my murder?” Anna asked, flabbergasted. The only person in town who seemed to be feeling any guilt for her unprovoked and unjust death, and it was someone who hadn't been in the crowd, or seemed in any way to be related to that. However, he seemed genuinely heart-broken over it. For the first time since she'd woken up as a ghost, she felt the persistent anger that had been consuming her abate.

“I don't know why you're blaming yourself, unless it was because you let me go after Trixie, but it wasn't your fault, Doctor. People apparently were suspicious of me because I'd been helping Dakota the other day, the morgue worker, with the bodies of Mr. Stal, Khiran Chandler, and Lindsey Lukas. My being kind and concerned made them suspicious. I grew up in a place where everyone who lived there was considered like extended family, and even if you didn't know them, you were supposed to try to help if you could. Also, plenty of respect for the dead. I never considered that was my normal might seem incredibly suspicious here, especially under the circumstances. You didn't do anything to contribute to this. If they hadn't lynched me when they did, it probably would have happened later,” Anna explained.

She noticed a wound on his hand at that moment. “Is your hand all right?”

Evan wiped the tears away as he heard Anna's explanation before looking at his wound on his left hand.

"Oh, this? It's nothing serious, not unless you count punching a brick wall in frustration, unable to do anything as you watch your town crumble before you." He got up at that point.

"Anyways, thank you for the reassurance, Miss Dywight, and thank you for the update on Trixie." He turned around and was about to walk back, but stopped and turned around with a sly grin on his face.

"Well, at least you know Travis is dead. If you do see him around town, make his afterlife absolute hell that he'd wished he never started his so-called reality show here. You wouldn't believe how many times I had to rescue people from his delusions/harassment."

Anna couldn't help laughing, and it felt good. It surprised her a little. At least things could still feel good.

“Oh, believe me, Doctor, I fully intend to,” Anna reassured him.

SPOILER: Click to show

Anna heads off in search of Dr. Evan Parker to inform him about her futile hunt for Trixie. She finds the commotion on the beach and stops to see what is going on. She doesn't know who the woman is, but is glad to see Travis got what was coming to him.

She find Dr. Parker there and informs him about Trixie. Upon realizing Anna is back as a ghost, he breaks down crying and apologizing.

Anna assures him that her death wasn't his fault and he should stop blaming himself for it. Consoled, Dr. Parker leaves with Anna's promise that she will make Travis' afterlife awful should she encounter his ghost.

[♥ Azzie]

Callaina had been at the beach for a long time. She wasn't sure how long, really; trying to tell the time was not her strong suit at the best of times and, terrified as she was, she hadn't even been trying. She paused every now and then to make tiny snow sculptures, tiny intricate shapes like coral and boulders and icebergs, focusing on their tiny details. She was working on a little icy seal when she heard voices. Voices getting nearer.
She stood silently for a few moments, not wanting to make a fool of herself if it was just somebody coming for a walk. But they were getting closer and closer, and one of them sounded angry; without thinking, she launched herself toward the cliff.

It was a rocky cliff; Calla managed to squeeze herself against one of the rocks. Her heart had never pounded so hard in her life. And it was over so quickly; before she had the chance to process what was happening there was a scream, which effectively froze her to the spot. But it didn't stop her from hearing every word the mafia said as they left the two dead behind. And slowly her shock melted away, replaced by bright hot horror that threatened to overwhelm her completely. And then it did overwhelm her and she ran out of her hiding place, making a very strange sound that was neither screaming nor crying but something very similar to both. She saw the utility workers, startled from their post by her outburst, and stopped.

"They killed them... I don't know who.. The man had lost his mind.. Please stop them." She only managed to get that out before she broke down into hysterics again and ran off along the beach, out of sight, her crying growing fainter by the moment.

SPOILER: Click to show

Calla hides when she hears the mafia coming. She then freaks out, running off and startling the already very traumatized utility workers.

[/url]

[Tiger]

Siddhi Khaoti was dead.

Cheryl Roxanne Lewis stared sightlessly out the window of the news van. Siddhi Khaoti was dead – not only dead, but murdered. Did one of the Chill know about her bond with Khiran? Were they afraid Khiran had seen something when they’d found Mr. Stal’s body?

She had yet to find Khiran’s ghost again. There’d been no sign of them at the morgue, at least nothing her camera had picked up. What if Khiran hadn’t been at the morgue because of something Chill had done? If the Wafflenet book was to be believed, ghosts could be hurt. Or maybe captured – there were mentions of a ghostbusting gun.

Cheryl’s one hope was that Christopher, Ris, and Coena had taken her up on using the studio as shelter. Even if someone thought to look for the kids there, there were plenty of places to hide and she knew Pratchett had plenty of tricks tucked away in those old devices as well. Pratchett had not been thrilled when Cheryl shared this news, but the technician seemed to understand what was at stake.

The worrying made her sick – she had barely been able to get through her report on Siddhi’s murder. And now…

She’d been told what to expect, but her stomach turned at the sight on the rubble of Aaron Greenhand’s car. This fight had been especially gory – Travis Richem impaled through the heart with a shard of metal. Doctor Marie Robinson, throat cut and shot. So much blood…

As always, they pointed the camera away from the bodies.

“Aifam Cove, I’m at the scene of the second mafia attack. Investigators found another Ace card in the pocket of Doctor Marie Robinson, the scientist, leading us to believe this is another attack by Abominable Aifam.

‘Her murderer appears to have been Travis Richem. The man who believed he was on a reality television show.” She felt the hand holding her microphone shaking. “Richem was found on the scene with a bloodied knife – in her last moments, Doctor Robinson managed a valiant counterattack with a piece of scrap metal, leaving Richem dead as well.”

She wasn’t sorry Travis Richem was dead. He was an assaulter and an egotistical maniac and now revealed as a mafioso. His mafia had murdered Christopher – had his entire sordid speech about “Amy” just been a distraction? They had killed Khiran – had Travis been narrating to invisible cameras the entire time? And Doctor Robinson – what fake name and backstory had be given to the poor woman before trying to cut her throat? So much blood…

She was still supposed to be broadcasting. “Aifam Cove I beg you again to please not take the law into your own hands.” Morty Gunderson, I’m talking to you. “So far more innocent people have died than guilty – there’s no evidence that Jack Ryan Smith or Anna Dywight were guilty of anything – that’s two failures out of the three mob-riots. Think on that before you throw another innocent person off of a cliff.” Cheryl had to pause to collect herself.

“Aifam Cove, keep safe. Stand together. We will oust the mafia through investigation, not rampant acts of violence.”

SPOILER: Click to show

Cheryl worries that the mafia killed Siddhi because she knew something and that she and the kids might be in danger as well, before arriving at the site of Doctor Robinson and Travis Richems' bodies and doing a report, in which she reiterates that the town needs to stop throwing people off cliffs.

[PFA]

Once they had finished drying the papers, Professor Bardsley, the students (sans Cassidy) and some others took their findings to the town hall to present to the mayor. The professor knocked on the door, then waited for a response. It sounded like the mayor was talking to someone else, so they would likely have to wait until they were finished. The lights came back on while they were waiting, and Mr. Endicott left to drop some stuff off at his salon. In the meantime, they continued to wait.

And wait. It seemed whatever the mayor was up to, talking to them wasn't high on his list of priorities. While Professor Bardsley was perfectly content to wait for them to finish, the students started to get a little impatient, pondering ways to get the mayor's attention. As they were discussing it, however...

BANG!

One student jumped, her phone slipping out of her hands and clattering to the floor. "What was that?!"

"Was that a gunshot?!" Another student peered out the window, trying to determine where the sound had come from.

Professor Bardsley blinked in surprise. "It... might have been."

"I-it's the mafia again, isn't it?!" Shantelle whimpered. "Someone else is dead!"

"Please, try to remain calm," Professor Bardsley urged them, an authoritative note to his voice. "Whatever you do, stay inside. It's too dangerous to go out."

"B-but... what about Leo?" Shantelle asked, fiddling with her hair nervously. "He just went outside. What if he's hurt?"

"We can't take that chance," was his reply. "We don't want to risk anyone else getting hurt."

Shantelle relented, nodding mutely. Everyone waited in their seats nervously, hoping if it was just a fluke—maybe it wasn't a gunshot that they'd heard. However, that theory was disproved not too long later, when someone screamed.

"S-someone's in trouble!" Shantelle yelped. Despite the danger, she leapt out of her chair, hurrying out the building to see what was going on.

"Shantelle, wait!" one of her friends squeaked, hurrying after her friend—again, despite the danger.

"Don't go outside!" Professor Bardsley called after them, watching them hurry off. He immediately handed the stack of papers off to the nearest person before following them, hoping to catch up with them before either of them got hurt.

---

The scene at Siddhi Khaoti's house was awful. The mute painter had evidently fallen from a window, and been shot in the back by the Chill of the Night—made obvious by the chain of paper snowflakes decorating her body. Upon seeing it, Shantelle let out a shriek. Her friend Susie, who had followed her to the scene, just stood there in shock, eyes wide.

Before their shock could even wear off, Professor Bardsley had caught up with them. "Are you two alright?"

"I-it's the mafia!" Shantelle managed through panicked breaths. "Th-those Chill people killed someone else! It's horrible!"

Professor Bardsley frowned at this, trying to get a glimpse of the scene through the crowd. "Who was killed?"

"I-I don't know, I don't recognize her," Susie admitted, whipping out her phone to text someone.

"Susie!" Shantelle yelped. "Texting at a time like this?!"

"Dakota works at the morgue, right? They need to know about the murder!" Susie explained.

Before Susie could finish the text, however, the sound of another gunshot rang through the air, causing her to jump and almost drop her phone again. Shantelle shrieked, clinging to her friend in panic. Professor Bardsley, meanwhile, scowled, trying to determine where the sound had come from.

"That... didn't sound close by," Professor Bardsley pointed out, looking around with a thoughtful scowl. "It might have come from the beach...?"

"I-is someone else dead?" Susie spoke up nervously. "Maybe we should go find out."

"Wait! It's too dangerous!" Professor Bardsley insisted, but again, the two girls ran ahead, not listening to him. He groaned, and followed after them. This was going to be a long day.

...And then, before he knew what was happening, Leopold Endicott appeared, clinging to him and sobbing into his arms.

"Don't go there, another one... such... a waste! So... beautiful... I... I LOVED him!" the hairdresser blubbered. "I thought... I had finally found... the right one..."

"I... er..." Professor Bardsley stammered, feeling completely blindsided by this. What was he supposed to say? "I-if I may ask, who—"

Before he could get a response, however, Mr. Endicott broke away, and ran off to his salon in tears. Professor Bardsley just stood frozen in place, trying to process what had just happened. He just... how was he supposed to respond to that? Should he follow him? Should he leave him be?

After a while, he decided on the latter—Mr. Endicott had already left, and the girls were no longer within his line of sight. He shook his head, hurrying to catch up with the girls. He certainly didn't want to be responsible for letting them get hurt by the mafia, after all.

SPOILER: Click to show

While waiting to speak with the mayor, Professor Bardsley and the college kids (sans Cassidy) hear a gunshot. The professor urges the kids to stay put, but two of the girls run off when they hear someone scream, and he follows after them. They discover the scene of Siddhi's death and freak out! While doing that, they hear another gunshot, and the two girls go to see what's happening. Professor Bardsley follows after them, but is blindsided by a distraught Leo. After taking a moment to process what happened, he hurries to catch up with the girls.

[Diana]

“I’m not looking for a sidequest, I’m looking for the main quest,” Winston said irritably. “The life of my DS is at stake.”

But if the reward to the sidequest was electricity, or a holy power cell – then maybe this was what he was looking for? It didn’t look like anyone else here had any quest-vital information - nobody was highlighted in blue, and he didn't see any quest markers. And at least this NPC wasn’t that witch of an innkeeper. At this point, she’d moved on from ‘nuisance’ to ‘minor antagonist’.

“Very well, citizen,” he said in his best 'noble beneficiary' voice. “What is it that you would have your hero do?”

She… he? They? Winston puzzled over the NPC before him for a bit. There was something subtly off about their character model, something that made him uneasy. Was it a boy? Or was it a girl? It was a unique model, an unsettlingly androgynous one that fell into neither discernable category. You know who else had a unique character model? Dagoth Ur!

He was wary of this strange, non-binary character, but they threw his heroic intuition off guard when they finally – finally – recognized him as the PC he was. That made him a little more open towards their sidequest offer. They told him that they needed the bodies moved – that it was a matter of utmost importance, and that the fate of… like, y’know, was at stake. A rather menial task, but one he was well-versed in. And he might get a bit of Strength exp out of it.

Still, maybe if he taught them how to clean up their own messes, they might stop leaving dead bodies around. “Carrying bodies is easy!” he informed them. “You just walk up to them and press X. See?”

He grabbed the male corpse and nearly buckled under its weight. Out of surprise! He just – wasn’t expecting it to be so – gah, now they were all staring at him like he wasn’t the majestic and powerful hero he was. “He must be carrying a Ring of Burden,” he informed them between pants.

Stupid Aifam Cove, not having a handy ‘Dispose of Corpse’ option… But of course he was the only one who could do this task, for NPCs could not interact with world objects to the extent he could. His importance was a fate he would bear alone.

He struggled to heft the body onto one shoulder. “I wonder if he has any loot?”

SPOILER: Click to show

Winston graciously accepts a sidequest and instructs the nearby NPCs on the easy task of corpse removal - then fails to walk the talk.

[Draco]

Winston has Fled the Battle.

Afe floats there, a little confused, a small number appears next to him. Afe has just gained some exp.

"I'm rising!"

He chases after in the direction Winston ran off too. He stops suddenly and looks back. The life bar is still floating there crookedly. He slowly floats back to it. He pokes it. It falls to the ground with a clattering noise. Looking around, he reaches down and picks it up like a sword.

"Hehe...."

He floats off in search of his new friend.

---

Jack is still in the Mayor's office.

---

The Lil' Children that were in the Morgue are still in fact, in the Morgue. They begin to pop out of their hiding places one at a time and meet in the kitchen. Nodding to each other they begin to search for how to enter the actual morgue and get to the bodies within. After a few minutes of searching they see their target, however before opening one of them stop the others. He points a small blinking light from what appears to be a alarm. If opened, they would be in trouble...

Annoyed they start to run around the home. One of them goes to Dakota's room and begins to toss their clothes into the middle of the room. He makes a 'snowman' out of the clothes. When satisfied he leaves the room. The others have been sitting in around unsure what to do. So they do what anyone in their situation would do.

First the group raid the fridge. Then they toss something through the window and climb out running away from the Morgue, cursing the morgue for getting in their way yet again.

There is however one left in the Morgue, hiding somewhere, waiting, biding his time.

-

Elsewhere several more kids stand outside Siddhi's house. Staring at the body.

SPOILER: Click to show

Afe goes in search of Winston, holding his new found Life Bar.

Jack is doing Jack stuff.

The Lil' Kids are causing problems in the Morgue, making a 'snowman' and breaking out of the building. One remains inside hidden.

Meanwhile other kids stare at Siddhi.

[Ginz ❤]

"You have to go back, Linds."

"Do I have to, Enna? It’s so nice in here!”

Lindsey and Enna, both translucent and ethereal, were in a room that looked as if it was made out of cake itself. They were sitting next to each other on a fluffy pound cake sofa with marshmallow cushions. It was Lindsey’s idea of a wonderful afterlife.

Enna had been initially very happy to be reunited with her friend. Well, aside from the fact that she had to have died to get there with her. She wasn’t happy about that, but there was no way around it. However, after Lindsey confessed she had joined the mafia, Enna felt uneasy.

It took a lot of explaining and a lot of promises from Lindsey that she would have never hurt her, and in fact she was trying to protect those she loved, for Enna’s anger to start fading. But she still felt Lindsey needed to go back and right her wrongs. She had tried to reason with her friend for a long time now, but Lindsey wouldn’t listen.

"Aren't you sorry for what you did?” said Enna. “I thought you wanted to make things right. Isn't that what you told me?"

"No! I mean- yes, but I was doing what was right!” Lindsey said defensively. “I did it for you. And cake."

"Lindsey! I didn’t want anyone to die on my behalf, what were you thinking?!” said Enna, losing her temper for a moment. She took a deep breath to regain her composure. She had to stay on her friend’s good side to get to her. She tried a different approach. “Okay. So, if we’re both here, who is defending cake now?"

Lindsey pouted. "That won't work. I won’t go back. You can’t make me."

But Enna had one last secret weapon. "Don't you miss Nathan?"

Lindsey froze for a second, and then let out a groan. "No fair! You always know how to get me."

The truth was she really missed her brother. She hoped he was doing okay. She couldn’t wait to see him again.

***

The beach would be the perfect place to appear, Lindsey decided.

The beach was packed in the summer months, but no one went there during the winter. It was cold and extremely unappealing this time of the year. She would take her time to adjust to being a ghost down at the beach with no one to bother her before heading straight to Nathan’s Teashop. It was a perfect plan.

She didn’t expect a crowd, and she most certainly didn’t expect for it to be the scene of the latest murder. But she was there now, and there was nowhere to hide.

SPOILER: Click to show

After her death, Lindsey spends some time in the afterlife, but Enna finally convinces her to go back and make things right. She appears at the beach thinking it'll be deserted, and instead she finds herself in the middle of the crowd and the most recent murders.

[Liou]

Leopold, still sobbing, let out a choked squeal when a puny nerd arrived to carry his beloved in a so-not-romantic way.
He raised a hand, as if to tell Winston to wait, but only muffled meeps came out of his mouth. "T-take good care of my precious," he finally sobbed.

He listened to Cheryl's report, glad that people were reacting to the murders so quickly and efficiently, for once. (Hey, that was strange.)
When Cheryl mentioned that Travis had been Marie's murderer, he choked indignantly and sashayed up to the reporter in his high heeled boots.

"Now, sweetheart, I know the loss of Doctor Robinson is DUH-READFULLY TUH-RAGIC, and we're all getting emotional, but let's not be so quick to pin the blame before a full enquiry, OK? Especially when some of us aren't too... impartial." He flicked his bangs out of his face, posing next to Cheryl with one hand on his hip. "And even if he did it... those terrible mafia people probably lured him in with their promise of better Abdominals. He... he never realised that... his abdominals were already perfect!"
Leo burst into sobs again.

"And yes," he gasped, dabbing at his face with a handkerchief, "Travis may have believed that he was in a reality show. B-but we believed in HIM! The world will never know such thunderous thighs EVER AGAIN! And-and... when he said IN YOUR FACE... he really meant in your face! N-not... not that you would understand, TIFFANY!"

With that, he ran away, flailing his arms and attempting to wipe his eyes at the same time.
He did hear Cheryl mentioning an investigation, though, and remembered their little plan. He made his way back to Professor Bardsley, readjusting his black velvet hood.
"I'm so sorry, Leland! I just... I want to find these mafiosi and... break their hearts!"

SPOILER: Click to show

Leo does his things, tells Tiffany some things about Travis, wails, and runs back to Professor B.

[Sporty]

(Other characters used with permission)

Melanie followed the Professor and the others to the town hall, clutching the papers she had dried and cleaned close. The student who had given them to her had seemed rather shocked about something -- something more than the string of murders themselves, at least. Melanie's only guess was that it might have to do with the page that had mentioned Anna (she'd finally learned that this was the name of the lynched woman), as the other papers seemed practically intelligible. Had the student been involved in Anna's vigilante execution?

The wait for the mayor proved intolerable. Melanie didn't think she had ever seen the mayor, or even heard anything about him (or her? She honestly didn't know) from anyone other than his go-between assistant. At one point a student suggested that they force the door open, but Professor Bardsley insisted that the mayor must have some important work that he couldn't be distracted from.

People were dying, though. What could this guy possibly be doing that was more important than stopping the Mafias? Still, Melanie really didn't like the idea of fighting with her new allies, so she settled for waiting quietly and attempting to will the office door open with her gaze.

That was when the first gunshot sounded.

"Please, try to remain calm," Professor Bardsley said when the students began to panic. "Whatever you do, stay inside. It's too dangerous to go out."

Melanie stayed, clutching the papers tighter, biting back a growl. They're doing it again. And then there was a scream, and the professor had to hand his papers off to her so he could go after his terrified students, and then another gunshot --

"THAT'S IT!" Melanie shouted, leaping up. She shifted the stack of papers to one arm and pounded on the mayor's door with her other fist.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but this town is in the middle of a crisis and we have what may be the only lead in rooting out these Mafias," she snarled. "I really don't care what you're talking about in there; the only thing that could be more important is more concrete evidence involving these gangs and our information could only add to that. Let us in!"

The door still didn't open, though by this point she had practically expected that response. With a deep breath, she backed up, mustered all of her strength, and slammed hard into the door, finally throwing the blasted thing open.

SPOILER: Click to show

Melanie goes to the Town Hall with Bardsley and the others, wondering about Cassidy's sudden squeamishness around the papers. She becomes increasingly impatient during the long wait to see the mayor, and when the chaos surrounding the most recent murders erupts she decides she's so done with this and breaks down the mayor's door.

[Avery]

Before the death...

Part of Bea wanted to chase after Kylie, but she didn't. Instead, she took a deep breath as her daughter disappeared, her fingers poised over the cabinet. Kylie's words stung, and Bea knew that perhaps they ought to lead to her not having this drink now-- but really, all she could think about was getting that sweet liquor into her veins. She wiped away the tears that had begun to drip down her cheeks and poured herself a glass of wine.

As she sipped at it, someone else entered the kitchen. At first she thought it was Kylie, come back to finish their argument, but no. It was Hermia Smith, with Merry at her side. She stammered hesitant half-statements a few times before asking Bea if she was alright. Bea drained the rest of the wine and nodded her head.

"Yes, I'm-- fine, fine," she said. "I just... need to lay down, I think. Thanks for asking, Ms. Smith. Now, come on Merry. Let's... go take a nap, hm?"

**

A few minutes later, she'd passed out in her bed, Merry curled at her feet. She only awoke again when a crowd started stirring at the cliffside a few hours later. Again? Bea thought. She rubbed her temple and peered out the window, and her stomach pinched as she noticed people once more gazing down at the beach. Great. What had happened now?

Outside, she scanned the throng for anyone she knew-- and her heart swelled with relief when a familiar voiced called out: "Bea...? Beatrix?! Kylie?"

"Nathan!" she called back, waving at him. At the sight of her new favorite-person-ever (there was a new candidate every three minutes), Merry bounded over to his side and began to vigorously lick Nathan's hand. Bea chased after her and folded Nathan into a relieved hug. "I-- what's happened? Have you seen Kylie?"

SPOILER: Click to show

Bea guzzles wine and takes a nap. She awakens to the sound of a crowd on the cliff again, and walks out to find Nathan. She asks him if anyone has seen Kylie.

[Celestial]

(Everything with Kylie's character was discussed in advance.)

Before the death

Lucille kept hugging Kylie as she listened. She guessed what the problem with Bea could be, after all, she had to admit that she was part of it, what with keeping Bea's liquor supplies topped up. But she never realised how much pain that caused Kylie or that Bea would indulge so much to actually be a problem. Lucille never thought about the consequences, after all, the only illegal part of her operation was avoiding the taxes, and she always delivered good stuff, fine and uncut so that nobody would die but...well, there were always people to abused the priviledge. Business had to be business. She might talk with Bea later to not indulge so much when this was all over, but unless Kylie asked, she could not afford to stop selling Bea booze. Besides, most of it was drunk by the Inn's customers anyway.

In the meantime, she had to do something about the sobbing girl in her arms. Lucille looked around and her eyes settled on the horses. She smiled widely down at Kylie.

"Don't worry about it, I'll talk to your mother," she swept her hand across Kylie's cheek, drying her tears. "For now, let's take your mind off things? Why don't we got for a ride? I've ridden a few times but you must be quite the expert. I figure it's high time you taught me something."

***

Some time later, Lucille was starting to regret this. She had chosen a reddish horse, Rooibus, which by all accounts was the best one for her. Initially she had chosen the older horse, Chamomile, but Kylie had pointed out that she was too old and was unlikely to run, even if she was good for beginners. As inexperienced as she was, Lucille was not ready to be so limited. She liked running and she was not going to go on a horse more suited to children! She had her pride as a criminal after all. So she had picked the one that was slightly less safe but still best for beginners and has just been careful not to anger the horse.

Kylie, however, seemed to enjoy the ride. Lucille smiled widely as she watched her on her own horse. The girl almost became a different person when riding. The trouble with Bea seemed to fade as they rode together, alone except for the horses. With the sea beside them and the cliffs above them, despite the cold, it was blissfully romantic. While Lucille had always found romance sappy, with Kylie, she enjoyed it a lot more than she felt like she should. It did make the pain from the saddle worth it. She even began to forget the threat of mafia.

Until they spotted the crowd further along the beach. By now, Lucille knew that whenever there was a crowd, there was trouble. She urged Rooibus on to see who it was and rode ahead. The horse easily parted the crowd, letting Lucille see the bodies.

"SON OF A-" she cried out as she saw Travis's corpse being hoisted onto Winston's shoulder, a knife in hand. The bruises from where she had hit him were still fresh on his face. If she had not stopped him at the stable, if she had not been there...would it be Kylie there instead of Marie? Lying there, a mangled corpse? She gripped the reigns tigher as she tried to push the thought out of her head but it scared her. Lucille was genuinely scared.

"It's...it's fine, Bea," she said, riding up to the woman. It only took her a moment to realise that she had slipped up and called Bea by her first name but it was unlikely anybody was going to notice. "Kylie is with me. We went out riding. But this...this is...this is a travesty!"

For some reason, Lucille felt the urge to put on the sunglasses that were tucked away in her pocket, even though it was hardly sunny.

Yet, at the same time, she had saved Kylie. From the mafia, just as she had promised. Perhaps she should have wasted that bullet on Travis but she did not know before. At any rate, one less of those scumbags running around. It was just a shame about Dr. Robertson.

"Kylie," Lucille rode back up to her "It's Dr. Robertson...and Travis Richem. He was mafia," despite herself, Lucille gave the girl a warm smile. "I told you I would keep you safe and that's what I did," she reached over and planted a kiss on Kylie's lips while wrapping her arms around her before Rooibus pulled them apart. Lucille took that as a sign, though she still felt very happy that she had managed to mangle a mafioso's face up, even if she did not know at the time.

SPOILER: Click to show

Lucille thinks that she should talk with Bea about her alcohol problem, being Bea's main supplier and all, but doesn't want to stop selling it to her. She suggests she and Kylie go riding.

It is a very nice ride, very romantic, although Lucille is saddle-sore afterwards. They come across the crowd gathered around Travis and Marie and Lucille freaks out as she believes that Travis was going to kill Kylie before she interrupted him. She assured Bea that it's fne, calling her by her first name as she does, and makes the awful pun, before going back to Kylie and telling her that about the deaths. She feels very proud of making good on her promsie to protect Kylie and kisses her before Rooibus the horse pulls her away.

[Kristykimmy]

Now alone, Anna felt a little empty. She was dead, she had done the only thing she'd left undone in life, setting someone else to find poor Aaron's rabbit. She had also given release to Dr. Evan Parker's misplaced guilt. In the movies, usually that kind of thing left the ghost fulfilled and ready to move on or something, but in real life is seemed that all it did was leave her a little aimless.

“I suppose I might need to forgive the townspeople for throwing me off a cliff, if that's a requirement for this, if there are requirements for going to a ghost retirement home somewhere,” Anna said aloud. “I'm not really in the mood to do that quite yet. I wonder if everyone else moved on or something. Am I here alone?”

She turned around to go back to the beach. Maybe she would go for a swim. Now that she didn't have to breathe, it might be rather interesting to see what was on the ocean floor around the cove. It was then that she saw Lindsey standing on the beach.

The sight of another ghost, and one she had sort of considered a friend in life, made Anna forget all her other plans. She went running, calling Lindsey's name. She reached the beach before she remembered that Lindsey had been mafia, The Chill of the Night. Suddenly, she wasn't sure what to say. They had killed Mr. Stal. Every death after that had hardly been Lindsey's doing, but what about that one?

“Lindsey, I'm sorry they killed you in the way they did. No matter what you did, that wasn't right. But, I have to know before anything, did you have anything to do with any of the murders?”

SPOILER: Click to show

Anna contemplates what to do now that she's taken care of the business with Dr. Parker. She sees the ghost of Lindsey on the beach. Elated to see another ghost at last, she goes to greet her, then remembers Lindsey was mafia, and asks for the truth.

[PFA]

The scene of Siddhi's death was bad, but the one at the beach was worse. There were two bodies. And there was so much blood.

As Shantelle gasped for breath, and Susie texted Dakota about the murders, Professor Bardsley tried to get a better look at the bodies through the growing crowd. One of them looked to be a scientist, though he wasn't certain of her name. The other was... Travis Richem. That unfortunate man who took "all the world's a stage" to a ridiculous extreme. When it was revealed that the woman—Dr. Marie Robinson, according to the reporter—had been killed by the mafia, the rest was easy to piece together, but... thoroughly surprising. Travis Richem? The mafia?

Mr. Endicott, who had returned to the scene in what he presumably considered proper mourning attire, seemed quite distraught over Mr. Richem's death, shouting to the news camera about perfect abdominals and thunderous thighs. Once he was done with the theatrics, he again came up to Professor Bardsley again.

"I'm so sorry, Leland!" he said. "I just... I want to find these mafiosi and... break their hearts!"

Professor Bardsley was silent at first, not certain how to respond to this. While he understood that Mr. Endicott was looking for comfort, he was a little surprised that he kept looking for it from him. Not too many people called him by his given name, as well... was Mr. Endicott trying to form some sort of personal relationship with him? He knew the man as a hair stylist, a friendly acquaintance at best... but nonetheless, he knew he had to say something to console the poor man.

"Don't worry, Mr. Endicott," he decided on. "I assure you the ones responsible for this will be found, and—"

"Lindsey!"

Professor Bardsley froze on the spot. He recognized the voice as the voice of Anna Dywight, the antique shop owner. The one who, earlier that day, he'd watched be thrown off a cliff, falling to her demise. Her desperate screams echoed through his mind as he thought back to the moment. The woman begged the crowd to stop, insisting that she was innocent, but the townspeople weren't deterred.

That's what I was about to say, right? he reasoned to himself. That those responsible for this would be stopped... just like Ms. Dywight was? Th-that must be why I heard her voice...

But then it occurred to him. He'd heard her say a name: Lindsey. Lindsey Lukas.

When he looked up, to his surprise, the two women in question stood in the middle of the crowd, a slight translucence to their forms. Ms. Dywight appeared to be talking to Ms. Lukas, asking her about... the murders. Yes, of course, Ms. Lukas was proven to have been in the mafia. Again, the scene flashed through his mind—a woman, covered in cake batter, dragged out to the town square by the mob of townspeople. A warning was shouted out to the mafias, and her throat was slit for everyone to see.

He realized at that moment that he'd watched both of these women die. They were killed right before his eyes, and all he could do was stand on the sidelines and watch as it happened.

...No. He was not dealing with this. This was not real.

He cleared his throat weakly, trying and failing to regain his composure. Turning again to Mr. Endicott, he added, "The ones responsible will be stopped."

SPOILER: Click to show

Professor Bardsley are shocked by the double murder! Bardsley attempts to console Leo, but gets distracted when he notices the ghosts of Anna and Lindsey. He realizes that he'd watched both of them die, and desperately tries to ignore them.

[Diana]

Winston had barely taken a few steps before he was accosted by yet another hysterical NPC. Aifam Cove could be so uncreative at times.

"T-take good care of my precious," the man sobbed.

"Well, uh." Winston scratched his head with his free hand. "I kinda can't do that, dude. He ran out of HP before I got here. And I don't have any Revives."

Good thing, too - he hated bodyguard missions.

That's when he noticed what the NPC was wearing - a hooded black cloak! That could mean one of several things - he was a quest giver, a mysterious mentor figure, a wizard, or a cultist! He wasn't sitting in a shady tavern, so he could rule out the first. Winston made to chase after him, but the man was already far in the distance. Teleportation?

If it was one of the former options - well, he'd never figured out how to get Aifam's magic interface working. Maybe this would finally unlock it! And if it was one of the cultists, then it was time for his Silver Controller of +3 Bashiness to wreak vengeance.

He glanced at the floppy form on his shoulder. Aifam apparently had some sort of weird weight system - interacting with a world object was adding it to his carry weight, and he was over-encumbered. The mechanics in this place sucked. So did all the sidequests (when they even worked, jeez). And now this stupid body was getting in his way when something promising actually showed up.

Unless - well, sidequests were optional by nature, right? And it wasn't like he was failing it. He hadn't seen a timer - he could get back to this stupid task later. The NPCs never noticed.

He glanced at the body. Then at the rapidly receding figure in the distance. Then back to the body again.

He tossed the corpse aside. "Gotta go," he said quickly, and sped off.

He jinked around the crowd, ignoring his empty energy meter. He might lose hit points if he kept this up, but he'd already lost too much time. The cloaked figure was already close to Stalberry Road, plowing through the other characters with reckless abandon. He crashed into one man and stopped, apparently stunned, and Winston put on a final, desperate burst of speed to reach the target before he recovered. He crossed the beach in record time, but there was one last obstacle - the other NPC was blocking the way.

"Get out of my way, I'm chasing a mysterious wizard mentor cultist-"

Then he looked up.

"Whoa."

Winston stared at the NPC before him - or rather, the NPC's shiny, flowing head of hair. NPC hairstyles tended to blend into each other after time - there were only so many combinations after all. But this... this was different. Light brown locks shimmered in the faint ambient light, parting to the side with a nonchalant yet robust wave. It drifted slightly in the breeze - an animated model?

Wait a minute...

"You used mods, didn't you?" Winston accused. "I don't care if you have Apachii Sky Hair installed - you're still an NPC! You'll never match up to these manly locks!"

He stuck his head in the man’s face.

SPOILER: Click to show

Winston shelves the sidequest for more interesting pursuits, but is blocked by Professor Bardsley's unrealistically luscious head of hair.

[Lizzie]

Dakota looked at Winston thankfully, and took Marie's corpse by the arms. They set off with the gamer boy, until he threw Travis's body on the ground.

"Um, what do you think you'r-"

"Gotta go!"

"The sidequest must be completed for you to continue!" Dakota hurriedly yelled to his retreating back. But it was too late. Soon enough, Winston was across the beach, and Dakota was left to handle the bodies alone yet again.

Biting their lower lip, they slowly sunk down to grab an arm of Travis's. Man, that guy was heavy. Dakota wasn't sure they could do it alone. So, they did what any 20-something overworked morgue worker would do.

They let go of the bodies and flopped down in the sand. The sand flew up around them as the dead weight and then themself were brought down by gravity.

"I need a vacation, I'm tired of this mess!" Dakota wailed, "Why won't anyone help me?"

They began to draw names in the sand, names of people in the town who could possibly help them. The letters swirled and crossed together, and lines scratched out with all the missed possibilities.

KylieCherylMelanieLucilleChristop--- No! Christopher was dead.

"Christopher is dead," Dakota reaffirmed under their breath, "Dead. Dead dead dead. He's dead?"

Laying back in the cold sand and staring up at the steely gray sky, Dakota realized that they had never felt so alone.

SPOILER: Click to show

Dakota is abandoned by Winston, and is sorely disappointed. They begin to feel the full effects of Christopher's death several days earlier, and moan about how they had nobody to help them.