The New Hunters.

[See my smile]

It's been nearly two weeks and the date for the meeting with your enigmatic letter sender and prospective Employer has arrived. After navigating through the still partially ruined streets of New Orleans you manage to find the Location indicated on the note. It is a squat grey, brick building with bars on all of the windows and a large surprisingly new satellite dish on the roof.

its heavy iron front door opens mindlessly and exposes a waiting room similar to a DMV but, with slightly more exposed metal and less seating. Two couches and three chairs are scattered around a squat table with several magazines laying on top of it. At the end of the room is another door with a sign that says "Employees only."

A small folding table with a coffee machine, assorted cheap pastries in , and a few peace of fresh fruit sit near the other door in a small alcove. It proudly displays a sign that says "Welcome Prospective Employees!"

And other than a small nearly dead fern in the far corner, the room is empty of life other than you.

@Floom @Lizard Knight @always_confused @Terran Imperium @Another Amoeba @MedievalParadox @Swarmingu @Ru_

 

[Another Amoeba]

Dr. Fey stepped into the room, taking a moment to inspect the its cast iron door and metal adornments but otherwise portraying no emotion save a passive curiosity. Wordlessly, he walked to a chair near the back of the room, considering, but ultimately rejecting, the prospect of cheap coffee and supermarket pastries.

After sitting down, he reached into his pocket and produced a small book, no larger than four inches by two and a half, and began paging through the introduction. "The Grimoire of Natural Magic" was emblazoned on the front in what Dr. Fey supposed was meant to be an imposing font. Suffice it to say, he did expect incisive commentary. Ghosts might be real, but so were spiritualist hacks.

 

[Ru_]

Speaking of spiritualist hacks, who was next to walk through the door but Spectralist Damien. He glanced about the room casually, clearly unimpressed. He grabbed a fruit at random and lay down on one of the couches. He reached over to pick up one of the magazines, and began paging through it.

Eventually, he felt the need to acknowledge the other man in the room. Without taking his eyes off of the magazine, he motioned towards Dr. Fey slightly with an arm, and spoke. "Greetings. I assume you're also here for the letter?" He continued to sound disinterested, but he was in fact quite curious about him - between the fancy pocket tome he was reading and the very fact of his presence here, something was certainly important about this elderly gentleman.

 

[always_confused]

Faridah Liang

Entering the room, I observe that two people are already present, an older scholarly looking gentleman and a young man dressed as eclectically as I am. "Good day. Here about the letter, I presume?" I greet the two and doff my bunny-eared top hat in greetings before grabbing a magazine and sitting on one of the couches.

 

[Swarmingu]

Brandon Nate Lewis

Brandon didn't know what to be expected in this situation but this... was underwhelming. Against his natural instinct he decided to follow the letter's instruction into this place, hoping he might find something useful. He imagined an undergound bunker, a secret facility, or an old mansion rather than this drab office looking building. In a way it was worse, if the sender was going out of his way to appear nothing out of ordinary then the chance of something sinister here increase exponentially.

Inside he found three other people were already waiting. Two men, one middle aged and one young, along with one young woman. Were they invited here too? Or were they some sort of plants, used to monitor him? Brandon didn't give them more attention beyond a single furtive glance before he settled on one of the further wall and started messing with his phone. Useful tactic to avoid unwanted communications.

 

[Another Amoeba]

The anthropologist found himself amidst a riot of costumes and color as a man and a woman walked into the room. The first reminded Dr. Fey of a student who'd tragically lost a grandmother every time an essay was due, while the second looked like she'd recently escaped a circus, or possibly a Lewis Carroll novel. They were followed moments later by a photojournalist who hated life and couldn't have been more obviously avoiding human contact if he tried.

He shifted around in his chair to better face the newcomers, closing his book and placing it, cover-down, against his lap. "Yes," he said in answer to their questions, "I presume I got the same letter as you, save for the name at the top. Dr. Eric Fey, by the way. Might I ask what brought you all here today? Aside from the letter, that is."

 

[Ru_]

Damien closed the magazine gently and sat up, feeling no need to monopolize the couch now that more people had arrived. A gruff, seemingly antisocial young man and a woman with a costume that put his to shame - this was turning into quite an eclectic band, and he was having serious doubts about whether it could be considered a competent one. This whole arrangement seemed increasingly dubious the more he saw of it, but he wasn't one to back out that easily.

"Damien Lutece, spiritual expert. I make my living aiding with the spectral nuisances common in modern life - given the opportunity to do so on a grander scale, how could I refuse?" Only a fool misses an opportunity to line his pockets, after all. And, as eclectic as the bunch around him was, he doubted they were all fools.

 

[MedievalParadox]

Jason Hale

---

As Jason stepped into the room he would take a look around at the people and the area itself. seeing nothing to lose he decided to introduce himself to the others as well, seeing as these would be the people who he'd be working with for this new job. "Uh hello, Did everyone else here get the letter?"

 

[always_confused]

Jason Hale

---

As Jason stepped into the room he would take a look around at the people and the area itself. seeing nothing to lose he decided to introduce himself to the others as well, seeing as these would be the people who he'd be working with for this new job. "Uh hello, Did everyone else here get the letter?"

Click to shrink...

"Indeed! I imagine we're all waiting on our hosts or the next member of our merry band!"

Damien closed the magazine gently and sat up, feeling no need to monopolize the couch now that more people had arrived. A gruff, seemingly antisocial young man and a woman with a costume that put his to shame - this was turning into quite an eclectic band, and he was having serious doubts about whether it could be considered a competent one. This whole arrangement seemed increasingly dubious the more he saw of it, but he wasn't one to back out that easily.

"Damien Lutece, spiritual expert. I make my living aiding with the spectral nuisances common in modern life - given the opportunity to do so on a grander scale, how could I refuse?" Only a fool misses an opportunity to line his pockets, after all. And, as eclectic as the bunch around him was, he doubted they were all fools.

Click to shrink...

"Faridah Liang, I've taken to hitting things with a hammer!" I go up to Damien and vigorously shake his hand in greeting. "Pleased to meet all of you."

 

[Swarmingu]

Brandon N. Lewis

Brandon glanced over his phone, watching the various people inside the room. The middle aged man and the younger man (named Damien) are making small inane talks while the girl (Farida? Brandon can't hear her name that well) are making talk with the newcomer man. It seemed that they had truly been invited here just like him but it would be safer to wait until the host finally appears before he talks to them.

Speaking of which their host is late.

 

[MedievalParadox]

"Indeed! I imagine we're all waiting on our hosts or the next member of our merry band!"



"Faridah Liang, I've taken to hitting things with a hammer!" I go up to Damien and vigorously shake his hand in greeting. "Pleased to meet all of you."

Click to shrink...

Jason Hale

---

"right well, My name is Jason, An animal hunter whose just been introduced to this new facet of the world, Nice to meet you all." He would get introductions out of the way quickly wondering just when their host would arrive.

 

[Floom]

Huang had to admit, dropping out of college to follow an incredibly sketchy letter after spending the last few months punching and or whacking what he thought were ghouls into the ground was an incredibly poor idea.

But here was here now, and he had to admit, this wasn't what he expected. This building certainly looked appropriately sketchy, and the weird people entering the place certainly fit the bill as well, at from what he could see across the street. And a quick glance around at the side streets didn't reveal anyone, or anything that he'd noticed...

He guessed that left only one way. Taking in a breathe, hoisting his duffel bag over his shoulders and his carrying case for his staff, Huang Fu crossed the street, and entered the squat building.

He wasn't sure what to expect when he'd entered. But it looked an awful lot like the DMV. Was this some sort of government thing?

Still, a brief glance around, and he already felt under dressed. He just came here in a hoodie, sweatpants, and a face/ski mask thing that hid the bottom half of his face. He thought it made him look kinda cool, and also kinda sketchy. But more importantly, it was relatively light, but still covered all of his skin.

Whereas everyone else...

That was another story.

Either way, he didn't think now was the time to mingle. So for now, Huang walked off to the side of the door to stand. His instincts told him this place was safe, but he'd rather be closer than further to the door if possible.

There was some light chatter about, but Huang opted to just listen in for the moment.

 

[Another Amoeba]

Damien closed the magazine gently and sat up, feeling no need to monopolize the couch now that more people had arrived. A gruff, seemingly antisocial young man and a woman with a costume that put his to shame - this was turning into quite an eclectic band, and he was having serious doubts about whether it could be considered a competent one. This whole arrangement seemed increasingly dubious the more he saw of it, but he wasn't one to back out that easily.

"Damien Lutece, spiritual expert. I make my living aiding with the spectral nuisances common in modern life - given the opportunity to do so on a grander scale, how could I refuse?" Only a fool misses an opportunity to line his pockets, after all. And, as eclectic as the bunch around him was, he doubted they were all fools.

Click to shrink...

"A spiritual expert?" the doctor asked, leaning forward and interlocking his fingers. "I'll have to chat with you, then. That is, I have good reason to interview anyone who walks though that iron door, but the chance to compare notes with a spiritual expert is not something I'd pass up for the world." Dr. Fey let the thought sit in the air for a moment.

"But tell me, before I get too invested," he said, abruptly scooping the Grimoire up from his lap and presenting it to Damien, "does this have any value? I'd hate to waste my time with a fantasy book when there's research to do."

 

[Ru_]

Damien raised an eyebrow as the eccentric woman shook his hand - "hitting things with a hammer" was rather an odd skillset to boast about, but he supposed it was as respectable as any. Whatever pays the bills.

He took note of the new arrivals, but the brunt of his focus was on the old man, Dr. Fey. He was a con artists worse nightmare - worse than a skeptic, someone who actually knows their stuff. A skeptic you can brush aside or overwhelm with parlor tricks, but if they know what they're talking about, you have to as well. And the way he emphasized spiritual expert put him on the defensive.

Luckily for Damien, he actually recognized this particular book. Approximately a third of it was useful original work, and the rest had all been plagiarized almost wholesale from an obscure occultist the author had assumed was unlikely to discover his theft. She did, and there had been a minor pop controversy about it - nothing to reach the national headlines, but it payed to keep abreast of such occurrences in his line of work.

"Well, Dr. Fey, much of it is genuine. I've used the odd technique from it myself, but I'm afraid I can't really credit the book with that. The original work that it is, ahem, 'based on' may be a better source for your work. The Grimoire owes much to The Philosopher's Geomancy."

 

[always_confused]

Hmm...seems like no one else is particularly enthused with the idea of introducing themselves. Ah well. I had hoped this would be a more social bunch.

I go back to the couch, sit back down and continue reading the magazine while chewing away on a piece of gum I had.

 

[Another Amoeba]

Damien raised an eyebrow as the eccentric woman shook his hand - "hitting things with a hammer" was rather an odd skillset to boast about, but he supposed it was as respectable as any. Whatever pays the bills.

He took note of the new arrivals, but the brunt of his focus was on the old man, Dr. Fey. He was a con artists worse nightmare - worse than a skeptic, someone who actually knows their stuff. A skeptic you can brush aside or overwhelm with parlor tricks, but if they know what they're talking about, you have to as well. And the way he emphasized spiritual expert put him on the defensive.

Luckily for Damien, he actually recognized this particular book. Approximately a third of it was useful original work, and the rest had all been plagiarized almost wholesale from an obscure occultist the author had assumed was unlikely to discover his theft. She did, and there had been a minor pop controversy about it - nothing to reach the national headlines, but it payed to keep abreast of such occurrences in his line of work.

"Well, Dr. Fey, much of it is genuine. I've used the odd technique from it myself, but I'm afraid I can't really credit the book with that. The original work that it is, ahem, 'based on' may be a better source for your work. The Grimoire owes much to The Philosopher's Geomancy."

Click to shrink...

Dr. Fey returned the book to his pocket. "Ah, plagiarism," he said with academic disdain. "My sincerest thanks for returning the precious hours I now won't spend on that book." The room was filling up quickly. It seemed to have acquired an outdoorsman and a vigilante martial artist over the span of their brief conversation.

Now seemed as good a time as any to start meeting the other respondents. If the letter was to be believed, everyone here had recently survived an encounter with the supernatural. Although Dr. Fey had the tact to avoid asking complete strangers to describe the time they nearly died for his satisfaction, he couldn't resist the desire to acquaint himself with potential colleagues."I couldn't help but notice your encounter with the," he frowned, "bunny-eared lady a moment ago. Mind introducing me?"

 

[Terran Imperium]

The next person to step into the room is rather peculiar and a bit strange in the way she carries herself if wearing all black with sunglasses to boot wasn't enough of an incentive. Her red hair stands out all the more in contrast to her outfit which makes all the more sense during the night. There is a slight bulge on the side of her hip which is quite hard to notice.

"Wow, so nice. We have a dancer that got fired from a circus(@always_confused), nice dress by the way I dig it. The 'I hate everything even myself and life' guy(@Swarmingu), mean mug 101. A pretty boy(@Ru_), the died white hair is not my thing though. My high school history professor's long lost brother(@Another Amoeba) and... Mao Zedong's offshoot son(@Floom). Did I miss anyone?" Sarah describes in a totally serious tone of voice her first impressions of those present.

"Oh my, I forgot my manners. Sarah Cameron, just a regular med student that received a shady letter and in a fit of stereotypical college student stupidity decided to check it out. Now I suppose we'll be going to some haunted mansion, explore it and get picked off one by one by some random cheap B-movie monster?" She flashes a smile, her eyes roam around the room to inspect it but the eye movement is hidden behind her sunglasses, which she is wearing in the middle of the night by the way. That's legit.

 

[MedievalParadox]

The next person to step into the room is rather peculiar and a bit strange in the way she carries herself if wearing all black with sunglasses to boot wasn't enough of an incentive. Her red hair stands out all the more in contrast to her outfit which makes all the more sense during the night. There is a slight bulge on the side of her hip which is quite hard to notice.

"Wow, so nice. We have a dancer that got fired from a circus(@always_confused), nice dress by the way I dig it. The 'I hate everything even myself and life' guy(@Swarmingu), mean mug 101. A pretty boy(@Ru_), the died white hair is not my thing though. My high school history professor's long lost brother(@Another Amoeba) and... Mao Zedong's offshoot son(@Floom). Did I miss anyone?" Sarah describes in a totally serious tone of voice her first impressions of those present.

"Oh my, I forgot my manners. Sarah Cameron, just a regular med student that received a shady letter and in a fit of stereotypical college student stupidity decided to check it out. Now I suppose we'll be going to some haunted mansion, explore it and get picked off one by one by some random cheap B-movie monster?" She flashes a smile, her eyes roam around the room to inspect it but the eye movement is hidden behind her sunglasses, which she is wearing in the middle of the night by the way. That's legit.

Click to shrink...

Jason Hale

---

"Well that's some quick wits and a sharp tongue you have there, but Judging from your personality, and state of dress I don't think your even prepared to hunt monsters let alone regular animals. How'd you get the letter?" Jason would react quickly to the newcomers tone of voice, not liking how it sounded, that and he didn't trust anyone stupid enough to wear sunglasses at night.

 

[Ru_]

Damien watched the altercation with slight bemusement - their prospective employer hadn't even arrived, and already the group was bickering amongst itself. It wasn't as if he hadn't expected some amount of dysfunctionality, but this was progressing at a rapid clip.

"Ah, of course. This lovely lady is Miss Faridah Liang. She's muscle, it seems - a decidedly necessary component to this team, if our mission is to have any hope of success. Faridah, this gentleman is Dr. Eric Fey, a researcher into matters metaphysical. It's a pleasure to make the acquaintance of both of you. Hopefully we can accomplish much with our collaboration." He raised his voice slightly on the mention of collaboration, enough so that the rest of the room could here. For now, the hostility was hardly a major point, but seeing as his survival would soon be reliant on their abilities, it was best to nip potential conflicts in the bud.

 

[Terran Imperium]

"Well that's some quick wits and a sharp tongue you have there, but Judging from your personality, and state of dress I don't think your even prepared to hunt monsters let alone regular animals. How'd you get the letter?" Jason would react quickly to the newcomers tone of voice, not liking how it sounded, that and he didn't trust anyone stupid enough to wear sunglasses at night.

Click to shrink...

Sarah grins, her eyes hidden behind the sunglasses could not be distinguised making it a bit hard to see where she is looking and even giving a sort of partial mask where one can't quite decipher her emotions. They say the eyes are the window to one's soul after all. If she was a guy, she'd be the kind to stare at cleavage all day and night but stil get away with it. Isn't it great?

"Oh you know. I was just making my hair, manicure and pedicure, the whole Barbie doll package, with the girls trying to look fabulous when a perverted ghost showed up which we verbally bashed and exorcised back to Big Daddy's pearly gates. The power of bitch queens." Sarah says dismissively like its nothing, she pops a gum into her mouth before crossing her arms behind her head.

"Ah, of course. This lovely lady is Miss Faridah Liang. She's muscle, it seems - a decidedly necessary component to this team, if our mission is to have any hope of success. Faridah, this gentleman is Dr. Eric Fey, a researcher into matters metaphysical. It's a pleasure to make the acquaintance of both of you. Hopefully we can accomplish much with our collaboration." He raised his voice slightly on the mention of collaboration, enough so that the rest of the room could here. For now, the hostility was hardly a major point, but seeing as his survival would soon be reliant on their abilities, it was best to nip potential conflicts in the bud.

Click to shrink...

"I see where this is going. She's part of the dream team category inside of the larger regular team, us. She's of the famous great kind. She's great, she's great looking, great personality, great legs, great... she's greatness." Sarah pops the word 'great' quickly and way too many times. She flashes another grin.

"Sure cooperation, collaboration, partnership, communion, teamwork, joint effort, fraternization, alliance, association... and I exhausted my vocabulary there. Sure great concept. Let's work on it." Sarah stands straight as if a soldier on attention in front of a superior officer rather than leaning on the wall like a lazy bitch. It seems like she finally will take things seriously this time. She coughs to clear our her voice...

"Right, let's talk about hanging out, painting our nails, try on the latest fashion clothes and talk about pretty boys or girls since we have guys in here too. Oh wait, Doc, you're not allowed, it'll be super weird to talk with you about pretty girls." Sarah fires off in a serious tone of voice their options on how to proceed with the concept of... cooperation.

 

[always_confused]

Damien watched the altercation with slight bemusement - their prospective employer hadn't even arrived, and already the group was bickering amongst itself. It wasn't as if he hadn't expected some amount of dysfunctionality, but this was progressing at a rapid clip.

"Ah, of course. This lovely lady is Miss Faridah Liang. She's muscle, it seems - a decidedly necessary component to this team, if our mission is to have any hope of success. Faridah, this gentleman is Dr. Eric Fey, a researcher into matters metaphysical. It's a pleasure to make the acquaintance of both of you. Hopefully we can accomplish much with our collaboration." He raised his voice slightly on the mention of collaboration, enough so that the rest of the room could here. For now, the hostility was hardly a major point, but seeing as his survival would soon be reliant on their abilities, it was best to nip potential conflicts in the bud.

Click to shrink...

"Pleased to meet you, Doc." I greet Eric with a firm handshake, one decidedly more 'serious' in nature than the one I gave Damien. "I suppose you'll be the font of wisdom for us, in more ways than one. Mr. Lettuce isn't entirely wrong about me being the muscle. My encounters with the paranormal have been all ones that can be dealt with sufficient muscle...I've been lucky enough to not have to face anything of the more non-corporeal kind. Even if this entire meeting turns out to be a crank call, I was actually hoping to learn more about the paranormal world from...well, from all of you." I reply with earnestly, perhaps even a bit naively but I've always enjoyed learning from others and if this allows me to do my self-appointed job better, well then...it is what it is.

 

[Floom]

The next person to step into the room is rather peculiar and a bit strange in the way she carries herself if wearing all black with sunglasses to boot wasn't enough of an incentive. Her red hair stands out all the more in contrast to her outfit which makes all the more sense during the night. There is a slight bulge on the side of her hip which is quite hard to notice.

"Wow, so nice. We have a dancer that got fired from a circus(@always_confused), nice dress by the way I dig it. The 'I hate everything even myself and life' guy(@Swarmingu), mean mug 101. A pretty boy(@Ru_), the died white hair is not my thing though. My high school history professor's long lost brother(@Another Amoeba) and... Mao Zedong's offshoot son(@Floom). Did I miss anyone?" Sarah describes in a totally serious tone of voice her first impressions of those present.

"Oh my, I forgot my manners. Sarah Cameron, just a regular med student that received a shady letter and in a fit of stereotypical college student stupidity decided to check it out. Now I suppose we'll be going to some haunted mansion, explore it and get picked off one by one by some random cheap B-movie monster?" She flashes a smile, her eyes roam around the room to inspect it but the eye movement is hidden behind her sunglasses, which she is wearing in the middle of the night by the way. That's legit.

Click to shrink...

Huang Fu

"Er uh... pretty sure that was racist lady. And the Chairman died like, 30 years ago."

Huang.... didn't like this person, he'd decided.

But he could understand that most people didn't like standing around in silence.

Still, it seems, on the surface, that everyone else in the room had received the same letter.

But with so many people speaking up at once, Huang's instincts kicked in once more, and he didn't particularly feel like making introductions.

Plus, he had a feeling it wouldn't matter for long. Someone had to organize this meeting, and either he'd need to run, need to punch something, or there would be time for introductions then.

Still, the gun, or what Huang presumed was a gun, holstered on her hip was a little concerning, but then again, a good chunk of the people here would have gotten stopped by the cops if they were loitering around.

Either way, it seemed like most of the people here seemed to know something about all the fishy stuff going around. More than Huang knew, anyway.

And it definitely looked like some of them were packing for a fight. Gathering that many people in one place...

Maybe Huang was paranoid, but it could either be a trap, or the beginning of some kind of club. But if that was the case, why here? And why wasn't there anyone else?

And who exactly knew about this stuff?

Huang was getting paranoid. Now wasn't the time to worry about that stuff. He just needed to keep his cool, and keep his eyes peeled.

 

[Terran Imperium]

"Er uh... pretty sure that was racist lady. And the Chairman died like, 30 years ago."

Click to shrink...

"Racist? Are you perchance from another race other than Homo-Sapiens?" Sarah pulls down slightly her sunglasses to look at the Chinese guy with narrowed eyes.

"But eh, you know. I appreciate you calling me lady. It flatters my ego. Please, keep calling me 'My Lady' and I'll dub you 'Passepartout'." Sarah pulls her lips into yet another one of her grins while chewing her gum. She decided then that making obscure references is her job from now on.

 

[Floom]

"Racist? Are you perchance from another race other than Homo-Sapiens?" Sarah pulls down slightly her sunglasses to look at the Chinese guy with narrowed eyes.

"But eh, you know. I appreciate you calling me lady. It flatters my ego. Please, keep calling me 'My Lady' and I'll dub you 'Passepartout'." Sarah stretches yet another one of her grins while chewing her gum. She decided then that making obscure references is her job from now on.

Click to shrink...

"Uh huh... pretty sure anything inflates your ego."

Huang muttered that last part, before falling silent again.

This situation didn't sit right with him still.

Why leave a bunch of people here, without anyone else?

And why wait? Were the organizers of this little... meeting, still waiting on someone? Or were they already here?

Huang once more eyed the wide variety of people in the room...

No, that seemed unlikely. Or at least, it'd be a pretty unnecessary ruse.

More than likely, there were still people to come.

Huang kept an eye on the door.

 

[Terran Imperium]

"Uh huh... pretty sure anything inflates your ego."

Click to shrink...

Sarah laughs loudly at that, she slaps the Chinese kid's shoulder in a friendly manner but perhaps a bit too strongly, she has greater strength than one might think as her figure are hidden by her clothes.

"That's so accurate!" Sarah exclaims, he made her day there. The still-unnamed Chinese kid had won a few points in her book there.

"Soooooooooooooooo. Not to be impolite or anything, you know." Sarah starts again. "But it'll be very cool if I knew your names. Otherwise, I'll keep calling you Doc, Circus-Reject, Pretty Boy, the newly dubbed Passpartout. Unless you prefer that!"