Jonathan Fitzgerald: Paranormal & Private Investigator - Anomalies & Adversities (a quest of playing the monster)

They arrive back at the Halloways' home on the outskirts of Vicksburg; a two-and-a-half story, square (possibly even 'boxy') house, as was typical of houses produced under the American Foursquare style at the time of it's construction. It was painted a yellowish off white color, and had a well kept, fenced-in backyard with unobstructed view of the sky, which just made it extra clear that they had arrived just as the sun finished completely vanishing over the horizon, but before it's light was completely gone. A few last embers of orange remained, burning their way defiantly across the sky. As they pull up, they can both smell meat cooking. Once more, as it was when they first got here, Sadie rushes up to greet the two of them. "Welcome back! How was the trip? Oh! I forgot to ask, do you like baked rabbit and rice?" Jon quickly tries to answer as best he can think too: "Rabbit and rice? You don't mean chicken and rice?"

He realizes immediately that was the incorrect response, but his grandaunt-in-law barrels ahead anyway; "Oh good heavens no! Haven't you seen any off those... I think they're called 'documentaries', that they're starting to make and show on the TV now? Well anyway it doesn't matter, we have and... I shudder to think about what they do to those poor things on those big 'farms'." She almost spits the last word and if that wasn't enough of a clue, her expression makes it plainly obvious she holds nothing but disgust and contempt for whatever it is she thinks they're doing. But that expression fades quickly, replaced by a seemingly permanently etched-on beaming expression that shows her unrelenting optimism better than words ever could. "Anyways, that's even more besides the point since Janus likes to know where his food 'came from', if you get it. If you do, you're better off than me, 40 years and I still don't-"

Apparently sensing a tangent that she's heard far too many times at family reunions, Jamie thankfully cuts her off with further explanation, "Janus is full of it, mostly. But he does love the outdoors, and he loves to hunt and trap. If it's rabbit, that's probably because that's what he caught himself. Fair warning kiddo; it doesn't have a... bad taste, per say, but it is a little different." Sadie purses her wrinkled lips slightly for just a moment, but is unable to hold the expression long. "Yes, you took the words right out of my mouth, Jamie... I'd best go make sure that fool hasn't destroyed the kitchen. Either of you coming with?" Jonathan shrugs. "I don't see why not. There's still a few minutes at the very least before I can do what I'd like to do." "You go ahead then, champ. I'm just going to head up to the guest bedroom and... finish unpacking." That caught him by surprise. "You're not done yet, mom?" "...You could say that." "Can I hel-" "Don't worry about it."

His mother's response left him no choice but to yet again shrug, this time in defeat, and continue into the kitchen with Sadie, were sure enough, Janus was making a total mess of things. "Janus! You don't put sugar in the mashed potatoes! And where's the bacon grease I told you to use with the string beans!?" "Dammit, I don't know what happened to it! It's gotta be around here somewhere!" "Uggh! And you ask why I never let you cook! Jon, dearie, could you look around the kitchen and find the bacon grease? Oh, and mind the bear traps my fool husband for some reason decided to keep in that cabinet. They're sharp!" It... took a while. But eventually, the four of them are all seated in the dining room and enjoying a rather starch-rich meal of baked rabbit and rice, mashed potatoes, and boiled string beans, with classic southern-style sweet ice tea on the side. In Jon's opinion, the rabbit's a touch... earthy, for lack of a better word. But otherwise, it's good food.

"Oh yeah... that's good. ...So uh, Mr. and Mrs. Halloway-" "Oh please, Jon. You've known us long enough, it's Janus and Sadie." "Right. Sorry. ...I meant to ask... do you mind if I set a little something up in your backyard?" Janus shares a glance with his wife, before chuckling somewhat nervously, yet nodding. "Sure thing Jonathan, just, uh... make sure you clean up afterwards, alright? It... is something you can clean up after, right?" "Of course!" Janus nods again. "Then it shouldn't be problem, go ahead, knock yourself out, after you're done eating, of course." "Thanks!" The rest of the meal passed in comfortable silence. After Jonathan had 'enough', he took both his and his mom's plates to the dishwasher in the kitchen and loaded them up, as civilized guests do. Once he returned, he opened his mouth, "Hey mom, would-" only to get silenced. "I like to help you set up the stuff for your stargazing routine?"

He hesitantly nodded, to which she only scoffed in response. But it was clear she only half meant it. "No, no I'd rather not. Like I told your dad, just cause I'm apparently a Gemini doesn't automatically make me some unfun overly logical robot, so there's proof it's... that this is all stupid right there." That, however, she did mean. The stiff atmosphere that followed that declaration was cut only when Janus loudly burped, before rubbing some green string been juice off of his fingers with a cloth napkin. "...Damn woman. Little, uh, little harsh, don't you think?" Jamie wheeled on him with murderous intent. "Janus." The older man suddenly shot up ram-rod straight.
"Shut the fuck up." She wasn't just shooting him a glare, she was practically hitting him with laser vision. "I'm going to my room, you don't talk to me for the rest of the night." "Y-Ye-Yes ma'am! Understood ma'am!" Janus suddenly looks like he's getting trauma flashbacks. "Oh, and son?" "...Yes mom? "...If you really need me, I'll be here for you, ok? You know that, right?" "Of course, mom." She nods to herself, then walks out of the kitchen and presumably upstairs to the guest bedroom. Sadie takes in the sights before her. "Well, you'd better get on with... whatever it is you're planning on doing dearie. I need to help Janus calm down."

With nothing but the bare minimum assurance of a safety net from mom, Jonathan quickly went to work. Thankfully and notably, the moon still wasn't out yet or perhaps rather it wasn't high up and bright yet, so he didn't notice it; though dusk had well and truly arrived, the sun gone completely from the horizon, laving the sky a purple and inky black expanse of endless void. He quickly spotted a clear patch of neatly packed down, bare dirt, silently thanking the lord that their garden had been harvested and cleared recently, then set to work with drawing a small, simple ritual circle with salt packets (totaling about 30 packets once he was done spreading the salt), placing a set of candles around the perimeter as he went. Then, finally, for the final touch, he placed a pair of incense sticks from his set off them in the middle, hauled the telescope over, and at long last, pulled out his box of matches and struck one, then lit the candles in the same sequence he placed them. Then, he lit the incense.
As he looks up to the sky, he sees it plainly... in the time it took him to get everything set up, the night sky had changed on him. Hanging directly overhead... the July Full Moon, also known as the Buck Moon by some because male deer regrow their antlers in July. Yeah, just stick to the facts. After all, it's just a big ball of rock. It's not like it's going to choke you TO- STOP! ...Calm down. Focus on facts. Jonathan looks, as calmly as he can manage, through the telescope he had hauled over, following the scented trail the incense formed in the air upwards to the night sky.
Eventually, he follows the trail of incense smoke right between Alpha and Beta Lepus, of the Lepus Constellation. He suddenly feels an itch on the back of his neck, as he realizes... he shouldn't be seeing this. Just like the Orion constellation directly North, Lepus is most clearly visible during the winter... it's July. Yet, the Lepus constellation is unseasonably clear and bright in the night sky. ...What could that mean?... Perhaps, it could be the fact that 17 Leporis, while not a part of the Lepus constellation borders, is still a part of the constellation... and as was showcased by photos taken in 2010, is a brilliant example of so-called 'vampire stars' or more properly Symbiotic Binary star systems, which- NO. One of... whatever you things are, was enough. And 2010? That's nine years in the future! That's... wait what's that? The trail of incense suddenly shifts without warning, now leading... directly to a familiar blood-red star.

Dad mentioned this one before he vanished. "Wormwood, I think, was what they call it. Something about it being a sign of the end times, or something? ...You know what, maybe the vampire theory wasn't wrong, but then, how are they related? ...Also, why am I thinking out loud?"

Still a little unsure what to make of the divination results, by the time the incense finishes burning down, it's gotten late. He heads back into the kitchen and (remembering Sadie's advice, being careful to avoid the bear traps) grabs a broom and dust pan. Now sufficiently equipped, he heads back out and cleans up, being extra careful to be thorough and make certain he doesn't miss anything. An old grandfather clock announces that the time has struck midnight as he comes back in to dump the leftovers from his, as his mom put it, 'stargazing routine', in the garbage. Afterwards, he returns both of his tools to the cabinet, and begins walking back through the house to the guest bedroom. He's surprised when he hears a voice of some kind, quickly tucking himself against the wall and listening in.

".....Timoril is not for everyone. Call your doctor if your anxiety symptoms worsen or if you experience depression, unusual change in behavior or thoughts of suicide. Anti-depressants like Timoril can cause or worsen these in children, teens, and young adults-" ...Oh. OH! Ok, now that makes sense. He carefully, quietly slipped into the room he heard the voice from and saw about what he expected to see; Janus passed out snoring on the couch under a bundle of blankets with the old CRT TV still on. Moving extra carefully, Jonathan moves over to the table between the couch and the table and picks up the remote. ...I forget where the power button is... and just like I remember it, all the labels have been rubbed off...

He shrugs and just starts pushing buttons. "If you're still struggling, talk to your-" One horrible staticky screeching sound later... An animated blue pill with mouth and eyes appears on screen next to a green number 11. "It's Alertec[Modafinil]! Stay alert, stay awake!" Damn it, nope. That's the channel up button, he always falls asleep watching ABC on channel 9. No clue why, it's boring as... oh. That's why. Well, if that's that, that most be channel down and I'm betting those two are volume... Then again... Suddenly remembering something, he flicks the down arrow button sitting opposite the one below the up arrow button he previously pressed. Sure enough, the TV turns off. ...What kind of remote is this!? ...Yep. They did it to me again. Never change guys, never change.

Suddenly, he hears a wooden squeaking sound coming from the entry hall. Thirteenth stair from the bottom! Someone's on the staircase! What he means by that is the thirteenth stair, counting from the bottom, has always been remarkably, obnoxiously squeaky for as long as he can remember. He quickly but quietly navigates his way through the darkness, out into the entry hallway, where sure enough, a figure has just come down the stairs. Not gone up, but come down? He slowly stalks up behind them as they fiddle with the front door. Then, he swiftly grabs them by the shoulder and spins them around preparing to- huh? Both he and the person he had grabbed change from tense to confused to relieved in the span of about five seconds as they each recognize the other; it's Jamie!

...Which also helps explain why she was only an inch away from planting an elbow into his gut. "Do not spook me like that", she furiously whispers. "Sor-" "Shh!" He of course lets go of her shoulder at this point, though not before lowering his voice and asking, "What are you doing anyway?" "Going somewhere." And before he could even think to ask, she continues, "No, I'm not going to tell you where. ...But, do you want to hop in the car? Was there anything you wanted to get done tonight?" "Where did that come from? "It's just a question."

So, do you? In essence, I'm asking if you'd like to skip to 6:00 A.M. for turn 3, or if you'd prefer handling turn 3 over the course of the night. Be advised, you only get 2 actions at Night, regardless of AP, and both actions would need to roll bravery saves due to Severe Selenophobia. Additionally, you take fatigue equal to 2 * the number of AP spent on actions during the night. I haven't explained fatigue yet, since it hasn't been relevant, but just know this will penalize and at high amounts potentially disadvantage your actions, and at extremely high levels (much higher than it would be for a typical human), begins reducing AP count. However, certain actions are easier at night, and others later (not now though) might only be possible under the cover of darkness.

[][Night]Yes
[][Night]No

Vote is open. Also, before I forget, Happy Halloween/All Hallow's Eve!

Part 4 to follow soon.

Jamie looked at him expectantly. "So, you coming or what?", she whispered. Jonathan finally nods. She almost seems a little surprised by that. "...I didn't actually expect you to agree. Well, where am I dropping you off?"

You are in the middle of an 'active' quest or investigation, and it is night You have no fatigue, which is presumably about to change. Thus, the turn shall represent 6 hours of time and you have 4 AP to spend however you see fit, however (in this turn's case, as previously explained) all ap spent costs 2 fatigue, and you have fixed limit of 2 actions regardless of AP amount. All actions/AP face Severe Selenophobia, if taking place outdoors or in a building with windows (i.e., most of them). You have one companion, however you have no idea what they're doing this turn, other than a guarantee that if you spend AP on something, they will not. Please vote by plan.

[]Examine an object, landmark, or location.
-[]The Witch's Grave (pick any 2)
--[]with experimental UV flashlight
--[]with Prototype PK/EMF Meter
--[]with iodized Salt
--[]with Gold Crucifix
--[]with holy water (needs 1 oz.)
-[]The rest of Glenwood Cemetery
--[]with experimental UV flashlight
--[]with Prototype PK/EMF Meter
--[]with iodized Salt
--[]with Gold Crucifix
--[]with holy water
-[](Write-in)

[]Investigate a landmark, location, organization, or POI (person of interest)
-[]The Witch's Grave
-[]The rest of Glenwood Cemetery
-[]B. S. Ricks Memorial Library
--[]The library itself [Until there is a reason to do so, waste of time]
--[]Go in looking for information on something
---[]Write-in (specify what) {Closed until Morning}
-[]Yazoo City Police Department {Counts as windowless}
--[]The physical building of the Police Department (HQ) [Until there is a reason to do so, waste of time]
--[]The organization [Your non-zero common sense tells you this is a horrible idea & a waste of time.]
--[]Go in looking for something or information on something
---[]Write-in (specify what)
-[]Triangle Cultural Center
--[]The location itself [Until there is a reason to do so, waste of time]
--[]Go in looking for information on something
---[]Write-in (specify what) {The center is closed til 8:00 tomorrow, and you don't have a good enough reason to go there outside of operating hours}
-[]22 YZ 557 (Lake George site, Holly Bluff site, or "The Mound Place") (2 ap needed due to hour plus round trip)
-[]Hibbett Sports, Yazoo City. {Closed until Morning}
-[]Jackson Memorial Hospital.
--[]Specify what info you're looking for. {First time you investigate, you'll get the run down on the building itself, as a bonus}
-[]Baptist Memorial Hospital.
--[]Specify what info you're looking for. {First time you investigate, you'll get the run down on the building itself, as a bonus}
-[]Bethel A.M.E. Church. {Not in operation until next Sunday (Day 3 of investigation)}
-[]The Oakes House. [Your non-zero common sense tells you that, assuming somebody still lives there, now would be a bad time to bother them. And even if that's not the case and it serves some other purpose, it's probably closed.] {Closed until morning}
-[](Write-in)

[]Infiltrate a landmark, location, organization. [Warning! This action is illegal, outside of special circumstances. In other words, don't get caught!]
-[]The Witch's Grave {Nothing new to learn}
-[]The rest of Glenwood Cemetery {Nothing new to learn}
-[]B. S. Ricks Memorial Library
-[]Yazoo City Police Department [You could try, but attempting to sneak into an active police station in the middle of the nightwatch... well, to say the least, your common sense tells you it would be a TERRIBLE idea]
-[]Triangle Cultural Center
-[]Hibbett Sports, Yazoo City.
-[]Bethel A.M.E. Church.
-[]The Oakes House.

[]Interview/Interrogate a person of interest [You have no POI's that you know the location of yet]
-[]Whoever, if anyone, gets turned up by a visit/infiltration of Hibbett Sports or either one of Jackson or Baptist Memorial Hospitals (must go to Hibbett Sports, Jackson Memorial Hospital, or Baptist Memorial Hospital; may be a wasted action if you don't get a POI)

[]Get the lay of the land (will provide a list of sometimes relevant, sometimes not landmarks and locations nearby)

[]Conduct divination (Skill check: Inland Empire, requires incense, candles, a source of fire (i.e. matches, lighter, firestriker and knife, flint and steel, etc.), and a sacrificial animal to perform Haruspicy, or it to be night time, to perform Astrology. {This must be performed with the final two AP of the turn, and face the Severe Selenophobia Disadvantage} {On 'cooldown'}

[]Write-in



{I meant to put this up yesterday (it's technically the 3rd​ already where I am), but oh well. Vote is already open, by the way! Also, a glimpse behind the curtain; if the WIL check against Severe Selenophobia for the divination had failed earlier, than there would have been no option to have this night turn.}

Ok, so, the vote shall remain open until tomorrow night... unless I get another vote, then (assuming said votes don't lead to a tie or some similar situation) I'll call it tonight. Given the only person who voted has admitted to just 'throwing out a basic investigation plan', I'd prefer if some other plan could be assembled and voted on.

But that's just a suggestion. Far be it from me to tell you all how to vote.

Well it's technically the day after it was supposed to happen. Oops. But it doesn't appear anyone else is going to present any other votes, so I'm closing it as probably the last thing I'm doing tonight.

Over the course of the next 10 or so seconds, Jonathan quickly ran through ideas in his head and came to a decision. "Can you drop me off at... ah... Jackson Memorial! You know, the hospital you pointed out." His mother froze for an almost imperceptibly brief moment, but shook whatever it was that had frozen off her with an impatient nod. "All right then. Come on then, let's go!", she said in the world's quietest yell. She proceeded to move with purpose to the car still parked out in the driveway, then hurriedly slid into the driver's seat. "What's the hold up? Get in!" Not wanting to further irritate her, he did as he was told. He then watched her as she uncharacteristically fumbled putting the keys in the ignition, dropping them on the floorboard. She seems... anxious. Really anxious. Mom... what on earth are you wrapped up in...?

The car ride to Jackson Memorial Hospital thankfully passes by uneventfully. Jonathan of course spends the whole trip with his eyes glued to the floorboards, trying not to look out the windows, so he has to be tapped on the shoulder once they arrive. "We're here. Alright Jon, listen. Try to not cause too much trouble, ok? I'll swing around to pick you back up after awhile, but if I'm not back by 6 or so... call Janus and Sadie. You remember the combo to the special safe, right?" For the first time since they left the house, he looks up from the floorboards and towards Jamie. "Yes mom, I'll try to avoid trouble. And of course I remember." She nods, seemingly more for her benefit then his. "Alright then. Then go ahead, get out!" He pops the door open and steps out into the night, faintly illuminated by the pale light of the full moon as well as the orange, yellow, and white lights of the city.

Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it, don't- He booked it, maybe a little quicker than strictly necessary, across the hospital parking lot and through the glass double doors into the main lobby. Said lobby featured the aforementioned door, a second glass double door in the 'backside' wall opposite the one he had come in from, a big glass window with what under other circumstances would be a beautiful view of the sky to the right on the same wall, and a single 'window' cut into the right hand wall adjacent to said actual window where a tired looking nurse was standing, looking down at some papers. The rest of the lobby was more reminiscent of a small medical practice than a large hospital; just two short rows of neatly organized chairs with an ungodly eyesore of a floral pattern, a separate pair of the same chairs and a single couch on the opposite wall from where the nurse was sitting. In total, ten chairs and couch.

"Top floor, headache! Get it now! *womanly sign* Introducing: Mucinex Sinus Max! It's triple action formula relieves-" Joy. Who actually likes the frickin' Mucinex commercials, anyway? Said commercial was playing on a wall mounted TV, currently hooked up in the back right-hand corner, directly opposite the doors on the back wall. It's only at this moment that Jonathan finally notices that he and the nurse seem to be the only ones in the lobby. Clearing his throat, he steps up to the 'window'... catching the awe-striking sight of the full moon hanging, to his (admittedly less than perfectly trustworthy) eyes, unusually low in the night sky.
.....no...No..NO.NONONONONONONONO He turned on his heel then plopped directly onto the ground, curling tightly into a little ball. HELP ME OH DEAR LORD WHY PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME IT BURNS CAN'T BREATHE SOMEONE PLEASE PLEASE WHY GOD THE DAMN MAN ON THE MOON WATCHING ME DIE- "Sir!?" SOMEONE ANYONE JUST PLEASE A meaty smack reverberates across the lobby as a gloved hand is brought sharply across an (unknown to either party) metal and synthetic skin face. The one the face belongs to registers the impact but, oddly, feels no pain. Please... just... help... me? Huh? Wh- Where am I? This isn't- This isn't home... Oh. Right.

A gruff voice that Jon, still recovering, struggles to place, states in a clear apologetic tone, "Sorry about that sir. But you appeared to be spiraling, and we needed to calm you down. Are you calm now? Are you with us?" Taking a moment to nod and rub his eyes, he sees that he's sitting on the tile floor of the hospital lobby. The voice is coming from a a middle-aged man in green scrubs squatted down low in front of him. Glancing around, he noticed another younger male figure in a white coat and a somewhat scared looking female figure also in green scrubs. Finally, he nods before answering, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine now. Sorry about that." The man grabs him and tries to help him to his feet, only for him to casually stand, picking the other man up with him in the process.

"Woah. ...Forget my own strength. Again, sorry for all the trouble Doctor...?" The man awkwardly releases him and carefully finds his footing. "Nurse Practitioner Martin, actually. And don't apologize to me, apologize to Estelle." He couldn't keep his confusion from showing on his face. "Who?"
It's at this point that the woman, who Jonathan now recognizes as the nurse who had been seated at the 'window' walks forward slightly and speaks up. "He means Estelle Blanchard. That'd be me." This lady seems genuinely scared of me. Why? Seemingly deciphering his question from his expression she continues, "You, ah... you kicked a chair while you where... you know." "I could gather, yes. But what does that-" The man in the white coat coughs, then speaks up; "What she was trying to say was: you kicked one off the lobby chairs... so hard that it was lifted off the floor and went soaring through the window straight at Nurse Blanchard. If her reactions were any slower, it would've slammed right into her. Probably would've been looking at a severe concussion, and that's the best case scenario." Oh dear goodness... "I... am so sorry ma'am. I..." "No. It's okay. No harm done, right?" She nodded at the man in the coat, who responded by rubbing his chin in thought.

"Well... no one got hurt. Nothing got broken. There was no one else around to see it. It's not the first time someone's broken down in the lobby..." Ok, I object to that characterization of it! ...I didn't 'break down'... "...I guess no harm, no foul. I do have one question for you though- actually, make that two. Why did you come in here tonight? And have you seen a psychologist, and if so, what did they say?" He'd spend the better part of a half of an hour explaining why he came here and the nature of his particular mental problems (at least, as he understood them then). The former of which ultimately wound up breaking down to the question: "Do you have any patients who are missing a foot?" To which the doctor rather tersely informed him: "No. And even if we did I would be obligated to not tell you, but putting that aside, right now? No." Once that was all wrapped up he sat down in the lobby with his eyes forcibly directed downwards, taking in slow steady breaths, and just... waited. For mom to come pick him up... or the clock to strike six.

{A.N.:I've never actually been to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Yes, like a lot of the locations that'll be depicted going forward (in this case, at least), and all but one of the locations featured (again, in this case) thus far, Jackson Memorial is a real place. However, there are (understandably) no photos of the inside of the place. So I based the depiction here on an unrelated doctor's office that looks someone similar exterior-wise that I actually HAVE been to. Also, while the location is real, the people are not.}