| Lost and Found |
| Summary: | Log Summary |
| Date: | 2018-10-12 |
| Related: | http://coralsprings.wikidot.com/log:2018-10-11-flying-practice |
| NPCs: | None |
| Scene Runner: | None |
| Players: |
 .. .. |
Location
Coral Springs Courtyard
The path leads up the hill and into a large cobblestoned courtyard surrounded by four buildings. In the center of the courtyard is a greenspace, landscaped with flowers that spell out Coral Springs. In the center of the greenspace is a large statue, a memorial to the lives that were lost during the attack on the previous school. In the distance the tip of a lighthouse can ben seen. Between the buildings is a view of the ocean. It seems the school has been built on the tallest cliff of the island and has a lovely view of the open ocean to the southeast.
With the view between the buildings it almost seems like you can take to the skies and FLY. Maybe if you had wings, or some other way to FLY you could.
It is a fall night. The weather is cool and drizzling.
Scene
Shades is looking uncharistically concerned. He's pacing the coblestones, studying the ground with a frown of concentration, regularly shoving his sunglasses back up his nose with a smidge more force than is neccesary. He has his umbrella up and open, although the minor drizzle hardly seems to merit it, and occusionally dips down to look more closely at something on the ground or turn over a fallen leaf, before straightening back up.
Here comes that dog again. It seems the german shepherd with the oddly colored eyes is a normal sight here at the school. This time, instead of running around and barking, like he normally does, he is moving around slowly and sniffing the ground vigorously. He then looks up and sees the boy with the umbrella. The dog hesitates clearly remembing the events of the previous night.
Shades looks up at the dog, dejectedly for a moment, before something seems to occur to him. "Hey! Hey boy! Com're boy! Yeah, you're a pretty boy aren'cha? Aren'cha? Com're!" As he does so, he sits (half-falling) and starts to tug off one of his shoes.
Hearing the scary-shadow-flying guy calling him, Buddy-dog tilts his head to the side. There is a soft whimper as the dog tries to figure out what to do. He sniffs the air a few times and then starts to slowly walk towards the teen. He is clearly being cautious. The dog's eyes flick down towards the shoes as one of them is removed.
Shades takes a deep breath. He smells anxious, anxious and unhappy, with hints of anger and shame. Most of which he manages to keep off his face as Buddy starts to look at the shoe. "Hey pupper. Yeah, you're a good dog, right? Think you could find something that smells like this? Smells like the shoe? Think you could, hmm?"
The Buddy-dog sniffs the shoe for a bit and then looks back up at the boy. The hesitation and the look in the eyes gives a hint of an intelligence more than just simple canine intelligence here. After a bit, the dog nods his head as in answer to the question though to which question might be unclear.
"This is the dumbest…" Shades trails off, sniffing and rubbing at an eye. "Okay pupper. So, there's… there's a necklace around here, okay? And I- I think I lost it last night. You think you can find it? I swear, if you do, I'll get anything you want out of the cafeteria, alright?"
The dog's head tilts to the side for a bit and then to the other side. This movement causes his ears to flop around a bit. Finally, the dog's head straightens up. After a few seconds, the dog says, "Necklace smells like shoe?" The words are english though the accent is clearly canine.
Shades shrieks, falling straight backwards and briefly turning into a writhing mass of inky black mist and shadow, the umbrella and shoe falling to the ground. "YOU CAN TALK?!"
When Shades turns into mist and shadow, the dog's fur on his neck comes up and he starts to growl. After a few loud barks of warning, the dog nods his head a few time. Clearly the shadow thing is freaking the dog out again just like it did last night.
Shades resolidifies, staring at the barking dog. Keeping his voice as carefully controlled to soothing as possible, he says, "Uh- look, I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry, okay. I just, you startled me. But now the shadow's gone, okay? All gone, no more shadow."
The fur on the dog's neck starts to lay back down though the dog looks like he could go off at a moment's notice. Finally after a moment, the dog says, "Startled me." The dog then looks back at the shoe and once more at the teen. "Necklace? Where?"
Shades knuckles his forehead. "I don't know!" he says, the controled soothing tone breaking almost immediately. "I just- I have this necklace, okay, and it's like, super important, but it- I had it last night, I know I did, and I realized I hadn't put it on this morning and it's not where I usually put it and-" Deep breath, and a suppressed sniffle as Shades starts to get back to his feet. "I just… I need to find it, okay… uh… talking… dog?"
The dog barks a couple times as he listens. Once the barking is done, he says, "Buddy!" The name comes out the clearest of all the words that he has said so far. The dog walks in a quick circle and looks back at the shadow guy. Finally, he bark/asks, "Yours?"
"… Shades. Nice to… meet you… Buddy?" Shades' upsetness is fighting with his mix of confusion and and wonder at the seemingly talking, intelligent dog. "Uh. Hey, look, this is probably, like, a stupid question, but… are you a student? Here? Like, are you not actually a dog?"
The dog opens his mouth as though he is about to say something else, but then the mouth closes. The dog instead just starts panting for a moment and then barks. Finally the dog sits down and shakes. As he shakes, a ripple rolls across his body and leaves a small teenage boy sitting exactly like the dog was. "Easier to talk like this. Mouth works better for it. Talking as a doggy is hard. Whew." He shakes his head and finally stands up. "So, the answer is yes. I'm a student here, but I'm also a dog. And a cat. Oh, and a horse, a dolphin, a bird… a bunch of things. Some people think I'm a human who turns into animals, but I think I'm animals that turn into a human. Kinda of weird huh?"
Shades rubs a hand across his forehead. "No, I mean…" He gives a weak smile. "I mean, I'm a guy that turns into shadows, so… I dunno, weird is relative, I guess? Um. Hey, sorry for- like, startling you, just now. With the shadow-thing. I just- I really want to find that necklace, it means a lot, and- I mean, ya'know, dogs don't normally talk, and-" He blows out a breath. "Sorry, I guess."
Buddy shrugs and says in very excited tones. "It's not a problem. I tend to 'be' the animal that I am at the time. So if something would normally startle or anger that animal, it does me too. Sometimes it takes me some time to activate my brain over instincts." He then looks around and says, "So where where you when you became the shadowy thingy? Were you wearing the necklace when you became it?"
Shades picks up the umbrella, holding it kind of akimbo. "I mean- I think I was like- over here?" He walks back over to the greenspace in the middle. "This is where I started- I mean. So, last night, me and Jake were gonna practice flying, alright? And, when I fly, I turn into a shadow to do it. Cause I couldn't really lift like- me, otherwise." He's pacing around the landscape. "But- yeah, I guess- I mean, I guess I started like, here?" He stamps on the ground. "But I've already looked here!"
Buddy sounds quite excited when he says, "Oh, flying is fun. I learned to fly so I could get away from a girl who kept me as a pet. She had a birdy so I learned to be a birdy and got away." He sounds very pleased with himself. Finally, Buddy says, "Well, let's see what I can smell. A lot of animals have better senses than silly human bodies." Buddy jumps downwards towards the ground and ends up as the german shepherd again. He barks a few times clearly enjoying this form and then starts sniffing around.
<FS3> Buddy rolls Animal Senses: Success.
<OOC> Shades says, "The necklace is a silver, latched-closed locket."
<OOC> Shades says, "Sidenote. The locket has a very faint, old smell of blood."
"See, I'm afraid- I think that it might've… like, come off? While I was flying." Shades is pacing in widening circles from the spot he initially indincated. "I mean, that doesn't make any sense, but I don't know, there's not like- a lot of obvious rules with how turning into a shadow works, and- and I was just, I wasn't *thinking* about it, and maybe that's why? And it's just too freaking bright to see anything during the day, and I- it's hard to stay out long enough to actually try and search."
Dog's have good hearing, but their sense of smell is even better. As he sniffs, he keeps his ears tilted forward to help him focus even more. Finally, he barks and runs forward several feet. He suddenly barks again and runs around in a little circle before pointing his nose as a glint of metal in the grass just off the path.
Shades gives an extremely excited, happy yelp at the bark. "Did you- YES! OH MY GOD, BUDDY YOU ARE THE BEST!" He dashes over to scoop up the locket, tucking it into his pocket, and then drops the umbrella, trying to tackle the german shepard in a hug.
Buddy sniffs at the locket a few times as it is being picked up. He detects the smell of old blood and wonders at it. When Shades gets excited, Buddy barks excitedly too. "Bark…bark bark bark…bark!" He is a bit surprised at the hug but doesn't mind it. He wags his tail wildly. He lifts one paw up trying to hug back some.
Shades laughs for a minute, and then starts to straighten up, rubbing at Buddy's head- until he stops suddenly. "Uh. Is this alright? I mean, is this- like, do you- is it okay to-" He scratches at one of his ears, just under the arm of the glasses. "You present a lot of questions, ya'know?"
Buddy barks an odd sound that comes across almost like laughter. Finally he jumps up on his hind legs and ripples again back into a human. "Petting is fine. Treat animal me like you would an animal. Well, for the most part. It's still me, you know." He laughs again somehow finding that funny. "You would shake a man's hand right but you'd pet a doggy? So petting is great!"
Shades relaxes at that. "Good! Good- I just, dude, you're a life-saver. I owe you, like, major. If there's anything you ever need, just ask, okay?" He reaches down to pat his pocket, as if checking that the locket hasn't just evaporated. "Oh, and… I- my name's actually Corbin. I just go by Shades. Cause of the- ya'know, the shades. And all the shadow-stuff. I dunno, I think it's like, cooler."
Buddy blinks a bit as he tells him his name and his nickname. "Oh, I'm Buddy! I'm not good with names though. They seem strange to me. Nicknames work much better." He grins a bit and says, "I'm glad we found your locket. Did you cut yourself on it or something? It smells a bit bad."
Shades stiffens at the question, and then shakes his head. "No, I… it's…" He takes off the sunglasses to wipe at his eyes; when he does so, for a few brief moments you can see that his eyes are completely black. "I- um. Can you keep a secret?"
"Woah. Your eyes are darker than your sunglasses." Buddy doesn't sound bothered by that fact though. When asked if he can keep a secret, Buddy shrugs and says, "I don't know. I've never tried. How do you keep one?" He is completely serious with the question though.
Shades fumbles the glasses back into place. "Don't look!" he shouts at the comment about his eyes, glancing aside. "I- sorry, I'm just…" He pats the pocket again, and then gives Buddy a confused look. "I mean- ya'know, a secret? Like, something someone tells you, and then you can't tell anyone else?"
"oOohh," Buddy says as he starts to understand. He points a finger at him and says, "Gotcha. So you want to tell me something, and then I'm not supposed to tell anyone else. Right." He pauses for a second and asks, "Oh oh oh, is it like a game or something?" Even though Buddy is physically a teenager, in some ways, he is younger mentally.
Shades seems suddenly very conflicted, the question sparking anger in his voice. "No, it's not a game! I- it's serious! Secrets are serious!"
Buddy shrinks a bit as Shades yells. "Sorry, sorry, sorry. Don't be mad. I don't know!" Buddy looks like he could burst into tears at any moment. He is diffently very free and open with his emotions.
Shades brushes at his forehead, visible trying to get his frustration under control. "It's okay. I shouldn't've snapped like that. I just… I thought you were like, making fun of me or something."
Buddy shakes his head. "I spent a long time as animals. It's hard to remember sometimes what things were like before." He squeezes his eyes half shut and then shakes his head. "So, you want to tell me a secret. And I'm not supposed to tell someone else. Okay."
Shades nods, chewing on his lip a bit. "Okay, but- secret. That means you don't tell anyone, ever." He turns around, looking up at the night sky. "When- when I first got… ya'know, this." He holds up an arm, which begins to dissolve into shadow, before resolidifying. "I was like- cool! I'm a superhero! And, ya'know. Superheroes help people. So I went out to try and… and, ya'know, do that."
"And, anyways, I was dressed all in black, because, duh, and I was creeping around near a hotel that there'd been some, some mugging at. And I saw a guy holding a gun on a lady, forcing her into an alley." Shades starts laughing; not his happy, wild and carefree laugh. "So, I went shadow, and jumped to in between them. I- I think, I thought, I'd- I don't know, scare him off or something. Like- RAR! Go away!"
"And, well, he did get startled, and- and the gun went off. And- I just flickered into shadow again. It was- I didn't think about it!"
"And, and so that lady got shot."
Somewhere in that story, Shades started crying again; not sobbing, but tears nontheless rolling down his checks. "I tried to help her. I tried. But I didn't know what to do, and there was… there was a lot of blood."
As an animal, physical contact doesn't mean much. On top of that, Buddy doesn't really understand human issues like personal space. As Shades starts to cry, Buddy moves up to him and hugs him. "The necklace…." Buddy is silent for a moment and says, "That was her smell on it?"
Shades nods, shakily. "I… I snuck away, once the paramedics got there. Snuck home. And, and I had to wash her bl-blood off. But, I just… I didn't want to do- to let that happen again. I won't. And, so… I don't know, I saved some. Just a little, on a piece of paper that I tucked away, and picked up the locket the next day." He pats the pocket again, a little akwardly from the hug. "It's like… like a promise. That I would do better. Be better."
Buddy listens carefully for a moment and the lifts up his right hand. He brings up towards the face of Shades. He holds his hand there for a moment and then gives him a light thunk in the middle of his forehead. "You know you didn't kill her right? The bad guy with the gun did. So, just make sure you find out ways to help other people and then, I guess, its like you two helped each other. Tadah!"
Shades shrugs, a little helplessly. "I mean, I know that. But if I hadn't been there- that lady would still be alive. That guy was just an addict, not a killer, he wouldn't shot except that I scared him. I mean- I know I didn't kill her. I know. But I just can't help but think that, I don't know, I should've thought more. Thought about what would happen." He turns his head away and down, scrubbing at his eyes. "But, so… yeah. That's why I needed to find the locket."
"And now you have it. Buddy's lost and found service." Buddy gives an attempt at saluting but it ends up looking kind of silly. "I don't know what it is like. What you are going through. I do know that you can't change the past. But you can use the past to change the future. Have you thought of what you would do if you had to fight another baddy?"
Shades gives a weak smile. "Not exactly. I think about- what if I had blasted the gun away from the guy first. Or- maybe I could've, like, tried to pull some shadows over his head so he couldn't see. Something." He shrugs, readjusting the sunglasses. "I think about it a lot. And… thanks, again." A ghost of Shades' normal grin flickers across his face. "For finding the locket, and… you know, for listening."
Buddy puffs up his chest clearly proud that he helped. "Oh, hey, here is an idea. If you want to train sometimes, you can train with me. I can do all sorts of things as different animals. We can try fighting or flying or running or swimming or… hahaha .. a lot of stuff." He ends up laughing during his list.
Shades nods, taking a step back. "We should do that sometime," he replies, before he smacks his forehead. "Oh, wait, man! Can I get a picture?"
Buddy tilts his head and says, "Why do you keep hitting your head? Does it help knock something back into place? Does it hurt? Do you like it? Do you want someone else to knock you in the head sometimes?" Buddy then bounces on his toes. "A picture? Cool. Of what?"
Shades snerks at the question. "I dunno, just a habit from my Mom I guess. And a picture of you doofus." He reaches into the blazer and pulls out a smartphone.
"Oh." Buddy says a bit flatly. "Hey, I'm not a doofus." He grins and says, "Well, I don't really know because I don't know what one is. Maybe I can turn into one." It is hard to tell if he is joking or being serious at this point. "Sure. Which me do you want a picture with?"
Shades hesitates at the question. "Uh. I guess this you." He holds the phone out at arm's length, getting both Buddy and himself in the frame, before snapping the picture. The screen itself is *weird*, with the colors crazily inverted. After taking the picture, Shades evaluates it for a second, then grins, his earlier distress burning away like a fog in morning light. "Awesome, thanks."
Buddy gives him a thumbs up. "Welcome." Buddy then says, "Well, I'm going to go get something to eat. There is a great place nearby the beach. Some of the best worms ever. Yum!" Buddy starts to run off in that direction waving. "Night." He then jumps into the air and transform-ripples into a little yellow finch.
Shades waves are the rapidly vanishing Buddy. "See you around!"