Log:The Wailing House: Part One

The Wailing House: Part One
"The house is silent."
Participants Poppy, Logan, Byron, Tristan, Grey, ST	2017.08.21 The Autumn Court and Goodwillers go in search of a local house.
Location Forest of Vermont
The sun is slowly sinking in the Vermont sky and the Autumns and Autumn Goodwillers have followed the path up the the property known locally as the 'Wailing House'. It's off towards the lower mountain range and seems to have a lot of back history like most old houses that are set creepily against the backdrop of the surrounding forest. People claim it's haunted. What the local Autumns and their friends are here for is to see if that's true and if it is, they can use it to their advantage. Because Autumn is coming. Autumn is coming, and preparations are to be made, and Tristan is very much, an Autumn. And so he arrives at the house at the appointed time that the group had agreed to gather along with Grey. He is dressed not in his usual neatly pressed grey suit, but clothing a little better suited for climbing around in an abandoned building -- jeans, a pair of black boots, and a long-sleeved grey shirt. A flashlight for poking about in the dark and a pair of gloves are attached to his belt, though neither are employed for the time being. He walks alongside Grey and says to him, "Think less Freddy and Jason and more.. unique individual horrors, back to the basics.. whispers, enclosed spaces, evocative scents and sounds, creepy, eerie.." The sun may be sinking in the sky, but that's the perfect time for someone new to town to go poking around a placed called the 'Wailing House,' particularly in light of the fact that rumor has it there may be others about on such an evening. It seems Poppy isn't particularly enamored of practical - although t-shirt and jeans aren't a bad start - but those heels...well. Hopefully she has a flashlight, at least, or isn't too attached to them. Byron probably agreed to meet folks up here at a set time, since he doesn't precisely fit well in cars at this point. So that means as the sun is sinking, the gargoyle is trudging his way onto the property to catch up with whoever else has already made it here, one hand caught on the backpack strap that hangs over his shoulder, "If I was smart I would have sat down and taken notes first. Hopefully someone else is smarter than I am?" Logan arrives alone, having parked his white Tesla aways away and chosen to walk. The Golden Boy has wrapped the shadow of his mien around himself, the light acting as a mere corona around the edges -- quite eclipse-like! And he, too, is fully dressed for exploration in hiking pants and boots, a sweat-wicking blue t-shirt, an LA Dodgers baseball cap, and a small backpack. He heads right up to the rest of the group, offering a big, dimpled smile to the others. "Evening, everyone. Tristan." The latter gets a grin, and his eyes move over the Darkling to Grey beside him. "Sounds familiar." Grey observes with a quick grin for Tristan before he falls silent as they approach the group, and the house, at the assigned meeting time. Much like Tristan he's opted for clothes suited for the touring of rickety old houses, boots with steel toes, gloves, a shirt that could have been thrown out in last week's trash from somewhere, and then a cowboy hat that he has tugged down in such a way that it causes his eyes to be in perpetual shadows. He gives Logan a nod when he greets Tristan, but there doesn't seem to be any flash of recognition for anyone present at the moment. There's a group of bats that flit way above them in the sky. The larger one making dives towards the tree tops as the sun continues to sink. The house sits empty and silent for the moment. It almost seems like it's waiting on something. Or someone. There's a glance up at the bats as they wing overhead and reflexively Tristan looks to see if Uvall is among them. Harrow, the enormous raven, makes a slow circle around the property in the distance, sharp eyes on the look-out. Tristan returns the grin from Grey with a small one of his own and a dip of his head. When he sees Logan, he lifts a hand in greeting and says, "Logan, Grey, Grey, Logan." Then he notices the others gathering as well and says a quiet "Evening," to everyone, studying Poppy for a moment, the only unfamiliar face. "Notes are for taking after the exploration," he says to Byron with a small smile. Byron shifts for a moment as he glances around the group, rubbing at the well-worn sweats that cling to his arms and legs, and bobs his head in slight acknowledgement of Tristan's comment about taking notes later. A second look is shot up at the congregating bats, then back down to the other faces present. He takes a few steps towards the front door and stops, shooting a questioning look at Tristan, then Logan, and on to each of the others. Lifting a hand, he nods at the door, "We can go see what's home, then?" Yes, the gargoyle just wants to go push the front door open. No subtlety. Apparently not the least bit self conscious about knowing literally no one gathering outside of the rather imposing house, Poppy raises a hand in a lazily cheerful greeting, closing off the distance between herself and the loose grouping of people. "Hello," she says; it's a general statement, although given Tristan's moment of study, she directs a pleasantly curious look at him before falling silent again, although Byron's question is met with a quick grin. "Good to meet you, Grey," Logan says, looking very much like he'd like to offer a hand to shake, but -- he does not. This isn't a social occasion, is it? "Hi," he chirps to Poppy as he moves towards the house as well. "A new face? You picked the perfect time for group activities." He laughs, because /he/ thinks it's funny, even if he doesn't expect anyone else to. Grey reaches a hand up to tip his hat to Logan, "Pleased to meet you, too." He responds, but then his attention turns towards the house, and then he glances at the other two, giving them both a nod of greeting as well before he starts to move in the direction of the house, "Shall we knock on the front door, then?" It's meant, honestly, to be a joke. The big bat circles down until it's close to Byron's head and lands there for a minute. Wings splayed out on either side of the man's head. There's a squeak before it toddles a few inches and then takes off flying again. The way is clear to the front of the old house. The stairs up show signs of wearing down though. Probably many visits from teenagers wanting to spook their friends or themselves. The front door leads down a darkening hallway as the sun is setting. For those that are going to start to head in, they see a few shadows cast against the door. Maybe there's some kids messing around in there? Grey's Keen senses can tell him that there aren't any footsteps that accompany the shadows inside. So it might be something playing a trick. Tristan wanders on up to the house and takes a look around. He doesn't notice the shadows on the door, but that's perhaps because he's preoccupied by the large raven that comes to sit on his shoulder for a moment. The two exchange a few quiet words and then the large bird takes off again, launching himself into the air to find a place to perch on the roof. Tristan climbs the steps up onto the porch and tries to take a bit of a peek in through the windows to see what might be inside. Byron stops and frowns for a moment when he gets perched on, giving the bat a more familiar look before it takes off again. Clearing his throat, the gargoyle starts forward again with the group, tucking his wings in closer when they reach the patio and front door. He slows to a stop there to glance around at the windows, then some of the others, then blinks and turns his attention back to the front door, "I was pretty sure the information I DID see said that no one actually lives here, right? If there's a Joe Bob with a 12 gauge on the other side of this door, that's going to be unpleasant." "It was either this or another night at the damn bar and while I don't hate the place, there's more to this town than four walls and fuckton of alcohol," the siren says cheerfully to Logan, the harmonics of her voice at odds with the content of her words. The bat landing on Byron's head is given a blink; perhaps it is out of politeness that Poppy doesn't say anything, instead focusing further inside the building, stepping carefully given the worn wood of the building. "Only for the person that goes first," she replies absently to Byron. How dark is it in here? Well, it doesn't much matter, because you guys have a human flashlight with you in the form of Logan. He raises his palm and light seems to shine out of it, illuminating the path exactly like a flashlight. Bright One magic. "Guess we'll find out," Logan tells Byron, though he seems thoroughly unconcerned. And he has to laugh a little at the siren's wild words. "It's always time for adventure," he points out, and could very well mean that. The arrival of the flying creatures causes a momentary brief look, but then Grey's attention shifts towards the house, and what it might hold. There's a slight frown, "Weird shadows..." It's an almost innocuous remark, maybe? The house has been forgotten by the banks and the previous owners have been dead for awhile. It's one of the hidden gems of the surrounding countryside. The murky windows show huge rooms, mostly empty except for some covered furniture that looks like ghosts ready to pounce. Those that pass the threshold and venture into the house will see that the place is enormous and voices echo given the cavern like quality. And the sun sinks lower... Tristan follows the others inside, leaving his flashlight off since Logan is glowing enough to keep things lit in their immediate area. He heads on inside after taking a look through the windows. Glancing over to Grey he cnsiders the man's words and then looks about for shadows other than their own as he makes his way into one of the large front rooms and towardone of the pieces of furniture, tugging a bit at the covering on it to reveal what might lie beneath. Whenever the front door does finally get pushed open, Byron ducks his head and his wings a bit to fit through the doorway, heavy footfalls thumping to slowly announce right where he is without having to even look. Some of the shifting shadows causes him to stop in the entry way and register what are moving because THEY are, and what might be Something Else, but after a few moments' study, apparently is content that its just them, "I think the dust mice have eaten everything." Poppy slips in behind Byron and hums a little, testing the echoing acoustics of the room as she picks her way across the wooden floorboards. Tristan's exploration of the furniture is met with particular interest as he tugs at one of the dust sheets. "Skeletons of furniture?" she suggests. Logan shines his "flashlight" in Tristan's direction, moving over to help him with that dust sheet, if need be. "It's really like something out of a Hardy Boys mystery," he comments idly, once more amusing himself. Then again, he tends to be a little more chipper than your average Autumn. Or Autumn affiliate. Grey's been quiet after the shadows comment, following the others. He's not doing much, other than watching. With a single-minded focus on looking around them as they move into the house itself, something about those shadows seem to have unsettled him enough that he's slipped easily into semi-hyper-vigilant mode. The dust particles billow up into the dying rays of sunlight as Tristan pulls the sheets from the items. Underneath one if a large wooden cabinet that is closed up. One of the handles fall off though, clattering against the wooden floor. It echoes through the house and off the walls. Then there's the sound of a sound that echoes down the stairs, but Tristan didn't cause that...