Log:The Pretty Lights: The Pond

The Pretty Lights: The Pond
"Oh. It's a dead body."
Participants Haruki, Green and ST	2017.07.09 Haruki and Green come across something ghastly on a walk in the park. First scene in the The Pretty Lights
Location Frog Haven Pond
It's a lovely Sunday night at Frog Haven Pond and there's a few large groups of people that are wondering around the main area of the park. It's one of those nights where people can't decide if the holiday was last weekend or this weekend, so people are sitting in chairs and lighting fireworks as well still. So much for a quiet night in the park. Luckily Green doesn't have to deal with anyone shouting Happy Brexit 1776 tonight! Is it a date? Isn't it a date. Well if Green says it is then who's Haruki to disagree, and what could be more romantic than a date at the park on a holiday weekend, where there's people bustling about. Still there will be fireworks and if they're particularly lucky no one will aim at them, and all things are good, aren't they? "I love fireworks!" Haruki declares, out of nowhere. And then he realises. "Oh... this isn't insensitive is it? With the war and stuff? Too soon?" There's a hint of a smile on his lips. It's a date! Or, well, not really. Green's not in a dress. But then, it could be she's aiming for 'impress the gay friend' and not 'make the straight man stare at my legs'. She's in black short-shorts, with tights beneath, a black tee with a tiger on it, and a gauzy cardigan over it. Warm enough for the weather, still quite chic. Granted, it is a little boho hippy, but what can you do? She keeps company with Franklyn. Green looks aside, and both her brows go up. There's a laugh. "Haruki, you are the most adorable man alive," she declares. "No, I'm not still 'harumph'ing over America freeing itself from British oppression a million years back. Then again, the current state of America helps make it easier to be happy for you all," she says, with a smirk. "Wait... were you born here? I seem to recall you were maybe not..." Haruki wishes he could make a t-shirt and shorts look as good as Green does. Unfortunately not, for all that's what he's wearing too. He'll never be a style icon the same way she is. "Almost. US Military base on Okinawa. So I've not really much of a dog in that race. Some people can get touchy though, you know. Tea, coffee, the great divide, football or soccer?" "Well, tea and soccer are better than coffee and football. That's hardly a matter of discussion," Green says, turning her nose up just so. Snooty Brits! "But that's just speaking factually. Though I'm not /too/ adamant about the coffee. Espresso is delightful," she decides. "Anyways... Okinawa. I thought I remembered something along those lines. Though I guess that does make you American, properly," she decides. There's a glance aside, as another firework pops. She wrinkles her nose. "Dislike the fireworks, for certain. They scare Lucy." Haruki smiles. "Not American enough around here, though. It's always, where're you from, and what are you?" He says that goodnaturedly enough though. "Lucy?" He looks up distracted by the fireworks and then smiles as there's a burst of colours. "I just like them. Glitter in the sky, bringing happiness and brightness to all. The looks of wonder, the gasps of delight, the something special and how excited people get over it." "I still get asked if I'm European, so..." Green just pauses there, and gives a little laugh, and a shake of her head. She turns to eye Haruki for a moment, then glances back off, towards the fireworks. "Lucy is my cat. He doesn't really... run and hide under the bed. But each pop, I can tell it troubles him. He's just too old for the running and hiding, I think," she says. "But I do enjoy a proper fireworks show." "Oh. Yeah the bunnies don't like it either. We play music for them though, and make sure they're all safe and tucked up," Haruki says. "It's nice out where we are though, far away from the fireworks and things. So is Lucy short for Lucifer then?" The later it gets, the more people trickle out. But it still feels like there's more than a few people in the area. Not that it's a bad thing. One never knows when they are going to need to call for help. "Oh, you know... I never did learn where you were," Mae says. "Where you stay, that is. Rather rudely insisted you come home with me, that one night, instead of letting you go home..." She muses for a moment. "So, where is it you stay?" she asks. A pause, then she continues, with a loving smile. "That's right. My Lucy. Hellish thing that he is..." Haruki keeps ambling through the park. "Oh. It's out at a farm my friend owns. She said we could crash there. I can give you the address if you want to drop by. And you weren't rude. You saved me. Helped me so much." He pauses to look at her. "I'm owe you for that, so if there's anything I can do." There's a hint of a smile. "So, if he's a hellcat, does that make you his familiar?" As the two of them walk, the wind picks up, Green might think it's her wind spirit friend coming back to ruffle her hair, but it's not. It's a gust of wind that brings with it a certain stench. One that most people never hope to smell. It's the lingering scent of death, rot and decay. Something is most certainly wrong. Or well, something was wrong. Now it's just wasting away. Game: Green has a 1-point "Tolerance For Biology" Merit. "That sounds about right... me his familiar. Him the... what would that make him. A warlock or something?" Green asks, with a smirk. She says that first, of course, to lessen the concerns about any debts owed. But she does address that next, with a warm smile. "Haruki, you do not owe me a thing. Just... do the same for me if, if I ever-..." And then the wind catches her hair, and she looks up. For meddlesome spirits. Only to get that second wave of rot. "Oh, blimey..." Haruki's small nose wrinkles at the smell, just assuming it's from the pond, he absently wafts a hand from his face trying to clear it away. But it'd be rude to say something. What if it's stomach problems... well it'd be rude. He nods at Green. "Yes. Like Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch." He nods. "Of course I would." He looks at her, questioningly. "If that's a dead body..." Green mutters to herself, as she turns. Surely, she's got an arm through Haruki's arm, or is holding hands, or something. So, yes, he gets pulled along. Towards the maybe dead body. Something might be wrong with this woman. "Rather loved that show... Sabrina..." Haruki goes along with Green, keeping up with her. "I hope it's not a dead body." He says. "It can't be. There's been people all over the park, and that smells fetid... like weeks. Unless it's in the pond." He's babbling a bit. Oh the adventures we'll go on. The two meander towards one of the ponds that has been roped off. Maybe they're going to fill it in, maybe not. But it's been off limits to the public. Under the light of the full moon as the two approach the smell goes stronger and then around the edge of the water is the outline of something floating right there. Maybe it's a blessing that they found it at night and not in the middle of the day. "Would not be the first dead body I've stumbled upon," Green says, with a thoughtful expression. "Admittedly, ODs are a lot more common than... rotting in the pond," she murmurs out. She pauses at the rope for just a moment, then looks aside. "Get out your mobile, yeah?" she asks. Then she draws away from Haruki, to dig out her own iPhone. "Just turn on the torch, see if we can't see..." and she clicks the flashlight on, shining it off at the pond. Haruki nods and pulls out his phone. He takes some pictures, he turns on the torch. "Shouldn't we be calling the cops?" The voice of reason says. Even as he takes a step closer. He looks around for a big stick or something. Probably a bad idea to poke at the lake though. Haruki is probably too distracted by seeing the bloated corpse that is before them. By the look of the body, it's been there at least a few days. Away from the main path it's easy to see why it might have been missed. It's a grisly looking sight though. Green sees more than Haruki does. Maybe it's because she's used to seeing corpses? Who knows. The chest of the man has been surgically splayed open, the ribs cracked professionally and it appears that there's no heart in his chest cavity. No that's fucking odd. Green can also make out some sort of brand that was burned in post mortem, the alchemical symbol for salt is what it is. Lights turn on and there it is. A body, floating in the water. Green scrunches up her nose, but it's likely the same look that she give a man who wanted to have an honest discussion with her about how 'Nickelback really is good, they just-...' Which is to say, she's made this face a few times, and it's really not at all proper for the situation before them. One should probably have more than a 'nickelback, really?' reaction to a corpse. But Green is an odd bird. She stares for a moment, and then without a word, she slips under the rope and starts forward, to the edge of the water, to get a better look. "Well... I believe he's dead, Haruki!" she calls back. Haruki's not used to dead bodies, or the stench, or... yeah he's trying to keep his cool but really all of this is kind of horrifying. He gags, but at least doesn't lose his last meal all over his shoes. And clearly they're not calling the police yet and he's not going to argue with Green's authority on this. "Wh... what happened?" As if she'd somehow know. "It's all fenced off. Be careful." "Oh, posh... It's just a rope, not a fence," Green says, as if that makes such a difference. Clearly it does, for her. She continues staring at the man for a long moment, before she looks back. "Well. It would seem his chest has been... cut open," she says. Don't need a medical degree for that. "And it looks a touch empty inside there, though... can't really see from this angle." And Haruki might pick up the vaguest notion that Green would otherwise know what a human body missing chest organs looks like. "Bloody gruesome," she surmises. "Organ thieves?" Haruki asks. He really would rather not look at the body, so he's looking around the vicinity instead. "We're tampering with a crime scene. What if they could get footprints or something? Even if it's been a few days. We should call the police. We were just out here, on a date, and we came across this dead body and... we didn't interfere or try to pull it ashore to check..." He's still not calling though. "Could be organ thieves..." Green muses. Nevermind that such thieves would likely aim lower on the body. She's too distracted - enamored...? - with the corpse to really think that far ahead. She stares for a few moments longer. "I am a journalist at the local paper. Rather certain it's my job to look around..." And then she, too, will snap a few pictures. "Anyways, we've not touched a thing. And I am surely not touching that body," she huffs. There's a pause, then she turns back. "Well. We can call the police, now." Haruki's not really looked much at the corpse to see what's cut open and what isn't. There's a corpse there. "Oh. Yeah you're a journalist. This is quite a scoop?" Focus on... yeah focus on those sorts of things. Normal things. Not the stinking bloated body that's missing organs in the lake. He starts to dial the police with trembling fingers. "Possibly. Obviously, a dead body is a news story, in a town like this. But... who knows if the police will let us run it," Green says, with a little sigh. Politics of journalism! She steps away from the corpse, under the rope, and back to Haruki's side. Haruki nods at Green as he waits for an answer on his phone. Hoping he gets a reception, hoping... hoping hoping. "This hasn't even been the worst date I've been on," he comments. The phone is answered by a pleasant sounding older woman after a few rings. Apparently the emergency line isn't used that much in Tamarack Falls? But Haruki can report the situation with little difficulty. "Well, if the corpse hasn't entirely ruined the mood, I can promise you'll get lucky at the end," Green says, with a winsome smile. "Which, I do imagine 'getting lucky', for you, is me driving you home and giving you a hug at the door," she adds, with a little laugh... And then she falls quiet, so he can actually report the incident. Frog pond park. Dead body. Pond. Haruki tries to keep calm enough to give the details. Police. He does smile and nod at what Green says. "So now we wait?" He looks around anxiously. What if the murderer is still lurking there. "Well, you could answer me on that offer... but... mostly, we stand here, and cuddle for warmth, as we wait for the police," Green says, with a faint sigh. "They'll want to question us, and if we leave the scene, it makes things harder for them and for us. No one likes the police showing up at their door, asking about dead bodies," she explains. This is all, of course, ever so natural for Green. The lady has to ask Haruki to repeat the dead body part. Then she types furiously at the keyboard. It's probably about ten minutes before the first flashing lights and the sound of a siren come screaming through the night. Soon enough, Haruki and Green are being approached by two officers. Haruki goes over and hugs Green. Cuddling for warmth sounds like a great idea. He's careful not to rumple her clothes too badly. And he is shaking a bit. Dead bodies is not in Haruki's repertoire. "I should... I should tell my brother. Only then he'd worry." He sighs. "And then the police might want to speak to him as well. And..." His words are just babbling mostly. "I dont' want to be in the paper." He waits for the police to approach. Green steps in closely to Haruki, and slips her arms about the man. She gives a quick kiss to his cheek, then lays her temple on his shoulder. Because these two? A match made in heaven. Height wise. "We'll call him when this is done, love," she whispers out, words warm and assuring. Then she just holds him, and waits, until the police arrive. Green pulls away from Haruki, but only just. She keeps an arm about his waist, holding him near. "Officers," she says. "I'm Amanda Green. This is Haruki-... Ahh. Huh. Forgive me, love, can't say I've caught your last name..." "Nakamura Haruki," Haruki says. He dips into his pockets and pulls out his ID in case the police want to see that. Again he's going to let Green take the lead again. The officers are both older gents. One of them looks to the pair that are by the pond and then to the body, a flashlight is shined in the direction and there's a widening of eyes before they look back to Green and Haruki, "You kids come on back towards the cars and we'll take your statements down there." one of them starts to lead them away from the pond and the scene. "I'd not look too closely, officer. Less you've a baggie to lose your lunch in..." Green offers up, sounding wholly relaxed and comfortable. "Dinner, I suppose, actually," she adds. Then there's a nod, and she keeps her arm about Haruki, ever protective, and makes her way for the car. "S'all right, love. This is just... well. You get to be with me for another hour at least. That's what you had in mind anyways, yeah?" Away from the dead body. Haruki's definitely relieved at that idea, but should they really be leaving the police officer alone. It seems like a bad idea. "We shouldn't split up." He says. "We should wait for the other officers to arrive. We can... wait?" He looks around. He smiles faintly at Green. "Yeah. Hadn't planned on it being with all this though." The other officer does rejoin the group, waiting for the CSI team and things. Haruki and Green are both questioned, but given they obviously didn't have anything to do with this horrific happening, they are allowed to go about their evening. Date nights are great, right?! Some two hours later, after the stateies are here to do their business (since there's no way Fort Brunsett PD can handle this on their own), Green slips out of the back seat of the cop car, and waits there for Haruki to follow. She offers him a hand. "Do please call if you hear anything," Green says. Then a pause. "And I will be reporting on this. Sorry, loves!" she adds. She's not sorry. But surely, they know who she is, and knew this would be coming. Her attention is back to Haruki. "Time to head home? Or would you like to go somewhere else?" she asks the man. "It's time for drink," Haruki says. "Do you dance? If you do then it's time for dancing too, I think. Although I might want to change and shower first. I can still smell it."