Author Topic: Matters of Grave Importance - Chapter Three (Read 103170 times)

Darkflame · « **Reply #125 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Common Room - 11:11 pm - Alice

"Excellent questions. However, I am unsure as to whether you will like the answers that I give you." Her hand swept past her head again, this time a semblence of annoyance to the motion.

"Either way... I suppose I cannot fault curiosity. I suffer from the same fault. I suppose thats part of your answers there. Curiosity drives me in most occasions. In fact it is quite a heavy drive for me at the moment. I do want to see your reactions to my answers. After all, you have admitted to being not exactly human, which is another of my interests. That being said,the answer to your first question is this: that my presence has a tendency to cause negative reactions in humans. They don't trust me, they fear me, and often it grows to an instinctual hate."

Maxx · « **Reply #126 on:** »

Department 7 HQ - 11:12 pm - Heinrich

"Interesting," Heinrich said, nodding. "Would you say that was a response to your nature or would it be a response to personality? It's a difficult question, I realize. I'm essentially asking you if you think you are obnoxious enough to warrant people growing to despise you."

It was a multifaceted question. He wanted to see her reaction to the question itself, as well as what her response would be.

Darkflame · « **Reply #127 on:** »

Department 7 HQ - 11:12 pm - Alice

Alice grew still, a vaguely surprised look on her face. "What an intriguing question. I had not thought of that possibility. " She chewed her lip for a moment. "I... don't know. Honestly I have never been around humans for long enough to give you a solid answer. "

Maxx · « **Reply #128 on:** »

Department 7 HQ - 11:13 pm - Heinrich

"So you aren't human?" Heinrich chuckled. "So few of us are." Technically the only 'real' humans in the entire department were the cleaning staff and Heinrich was still checking employment records to make sure. Still, it was a question he needed to ask. "Do you have any special feeding requirements or other special needs that we need to concern ourselves with?"

Trellin · « **Reply #129 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Common Room - 11:13 pm - Samuel

Samuel listened quietly to the exchange while observing how the girl reacted to, and answered, the questions. He had a few questions of his own to ask but they could wait and there was always the possibility that they would be answered in due course so he didn't mind.

Darkflame · « **Reply #130 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Common Room - 11:13 pm - Alice

"Human? No.. but you already suspected that. I merely confirmed it. I didn't see any reason not to, really. As far as feeding myself, I am not picky, although I do try to eat only what is generally considered edible if I have an audience." She said, thinking over his question carefully. She couldnt think of anything very "special" about the way she conducted herself.

Maxx · « **Reply #131 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Common Room - 11:14 pm - Heinrich

"You can eat the inedible?" Heinrich rubbed his chin. "Could you give me an example? I mean, are you able to eat things outside the realm of what we consider food or are you referring to eating food outside what would normally be considered an edible condition?"

Trellin · « **Reply #132 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Common Room - 11:14 pm - Samuel

Samuel stirred himself, "Perhaps an easier way to answer it might be to phrase it as, 'What do you normally like to eat?', after all, we're trying to see she's comfortable, not test the limits of her GI tract", He said. Besides, he thought the answer should prove informative.

Maxx · « **Reply #133 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Common Room - 11:14 pm - Heinrich

"An excellent point, Mr Kerne," Heinrich said. "It would help to know your preferences."

Maxx · « **Reply #134 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Common Room - 01:30 am - Heinrich

The conversation, because it could hardly be called an interrogation, went on for over two hours. In the end, they'd learned many things about Alice. Alice, in turn, had learned that Department 7 was the unit responsible for bumping back, when anything went bump in the night. She'd seen Nicky walk into the common room looking nothing less than filthy and smelling of fresh earth. He grabbed a cookie out of a basket, nodded to Sam and Heinrich, gave Alice a small wave and left again.

It was a few minutes later that someone stuck there head in and told Heinrich that Michael was ready to do the examination on the carbuncle.

Trellin · « **Reply #135 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Common Room - 01:30 am - Samuel

He gave a nod and slight smile as Nicky walked through common room. He'd check in with him later to see what, if anything, he found out about...crap, what was his name? Florida? and if he'd found anything in the grave since he'd clearly been poking around it.

He was curious what the whole carbuncle thing was about and wondered what the autopsy would have to say other than the obvious.

Darkflame · « **Reply #136 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Common Room - 01:30 am - Alice

Alice practically squirmed with excitement. She had thouroughly enjoyed the conversation up til that point, and that was a cherry on top of the cake so to say. Honestly this was the longest she had ever actually conversed with anyone, even her own "mother". After all, the girl absolutely despised the woman.. if that was a usable term in the case.

"Fantastic!" she declared, blue eyes sparkling. "Oh what a wonderful night this has turned out to be!"

Maxx · « **Reply #137 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 01:30 am - Michael

There was a stainless steel table that was far more used to human shaped, if not truly human, patients in the centre of the room. It was covered with a white sheet. Another white sheet covered an indistinct lump that occupied the middle of the table.

A second table held a number of books, each one open to a specific page. Michael had been doing his homework before beginning the examination.

"This isn't my field of expertise, Mr Faust," the ghoulish Nosferatu said as the three of them entered the room. "I'm a folklorist but I'm used to dealing with books, rather than actual creatures."

"I'm sure you'll do fine, Michael," the director said. "Perhaps you can bring us up to speed on what you have discovered so far."

"I won't bore you with numbers on its size and weight. The creature bears a superficial resemblance to a badger in shape but is significantly larger than a wolverine which is the largest member of that family. I'd put it at a rough equivalent to a bear cub although much more densely muscled. I'm glad it's dead. It would be one hell of a thing to have to fight."

Darkflame · « **Reply #138 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 01:30 am - Alice

"It was a hell of a thing to fight." Alice said, brushing at her skirt with an annoyed look. She moved closer to the examination table.

Maxx · « **Reply #139 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 01:31 am - Michael

"You look none the worse for wear," Michael said. "It's teeth aren't exactly fangs. My guess would be it fights with claws primarily. Given the amount of dirt caked on them, it's a digger. They eyes are fairly large, which suggest that it is nocturnal or at least subterranean but that is a guess. There is a pronounced lump on the top of the skull that looks like an outgrowth of the skull. It's too small to call a horn. According to legend, carbuncles carried gemstones on their foreheads. There is a slight reddish colour to it but it is not any kind of stone."

The Nosferatu looked at Heinrich and Samuel. "Shall I turn the examination over to our guest, since she is to be taking custody of the beast? I wouldn't want to cut something she wanted to keep intact."

Darkflame · « **Reply #140 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 01:31 am - Alice

"You don't have to worry about that. You seem to be just a curious as I am, so I would be happy to work together if thats allright with you. As for your observation of my state of well being, for the most part you are correct. I was able to subdue it well enough, but thats not to say that I took no damage in the altercation." She smiled. "If you wish, I will show you, but I must warn you, it is a bit disturbing to see."

Maxx · « **Reply #141 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 01:32 am - Michael

Michael paused. "We have medical staff if you have an injury," he said carefully. The young woman had no obvious wounds, so likely they were hidden by her rather Lolitaesque clothing.

She's a living version of Babadora....

Darkflame · « **Reply #142 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 01:32 am - Alice

"Quite unnecessary." she says with a bemused smile as she lifts the hem of her skirt to show the injury that until then had only been hinted at by the tear in her skirt. It was relatively minor, just a gash above her knee, likely from the creatures claws. It didn't appear to have bled. "I managed to avoid the worst. But I can tell you it hurt."

Maxx · « **Reply #143 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 01:33 am - Michael

"Indeed it must have," Michael said. "How rude of him to ruin your skirt."

The vampire looked down at the dead creature lying on the stainless steel table. "I'm not certain as to the value of any of the internal organs. After all, until this evening I would have considered this to be a creature of folklore. I am aware of the irony of that statement being made by a vampire. I'm an expert on rare books, their construction and historical value rather than their contents and I can say without fear of contradiction that I don't recall ever coming across a recipe, spell or formula that calls for spleen of carbuncle."

Darkflame · « **Reply #144 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 01:34 am - Alice

She dropped her skirt, laughing. "all the more reason to study it, don't you think? I definately want to explore the contents of its stomache. I do wonder what they eat, don't you?" She lifted the things gums to examine the teeth herself. "a graveyard is such an odd place to find something like this..." She murmered softly.

Maxx · « **Reply #145 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 01:35 am - Michael

The dry chuckle that came from the ghoulish vampire would have sent chills up most spines. "You find the oddest things in graveyards," he said.

With a stainless steel probe, he pushed back the flesh around the carbuncles mouth. "Its teeth suggest an omnivore. Being a digger it probably eats just about anything it encounters. Roots. Rabbits. Various insects. To find out for certain, you are correct. We'll need to open it up. I use it rather than he or she because I can't see any external genitalia and I'm not about to shave its ass to find out. I'm not that curious."

He picked up a scalpel and began slowly and carefully opening the belly of the beast.

Darkflame · « **Reply #146 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 01:35 am - Alice

Alice giggled, apparently unbothered by the creepy factor of the situation. In fact, she seemed disturbingly excited as she watched him work to allow them access to the insides of the strange beast.

"No need to shave it. We'll simply dig around inside it. That will tell us much better how they reproduce anyways."

Maxx · « **Reply #147 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 01:36 am - Michael

"Assuming it has something that resembles either testicles and a penis or ovaries and a uterus," Michael said. "I'm completely unfamiliar with what an egg layer's interior looks like, not that I think it's related to a platypus or an echidna."

He chuckled again. "This reminds me of high school biology class. I had to dissect a dead cat. I will always remember that a cat has a muscle that has no equivalent in a human. It's called the xiphihumeralis." With growing confidence, he opened up the creatures abdomen.

"Houston, we have achieved intestines."

Darkflame · « **Reply #148 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 01:36 am - Alice

"High school.... " she echoed thoughtfully. "perhaps sometime you can tell me about that experience." She said, peering into the cavity to inspect the intestines. "well... that means we should be able to access the stomache and see what it eats."

Maxx · « **Reply #149 on:** »

Department 7 HQ, Medical Room - 01:37 am - Michael

"Unlike most, I loved high school," Michael said as he started following the intestines towards the head, looking for the creatures stomach. "I was the proverbial silver tongued devil. Attractive and charming, I was the downfall of quite a number of young ladies. In retrospect, I was nothing short of predatory. If I'd received as many beatings as I deserved, it is quite likely I would have learned the concept of consequence far earlier and would not be the person you see before you."

With a stainless steel probe he poked at the carbuncle's stomach. "Not a lot of fatty deposits and a fairly small stomach, all things considered. It's a grazer not a gorger. Could I have a tray? I'm going to remove it before I open it."