ph_logs | [OPEN] You always dreamed that there'd more to life than all the lies

[OPEN] You always dreamed that there'd more to life than all the lies

Who: CT (

liesdontfindyou) & you!
What: Catch-All for CT; work, investigation, and just hanging out
When: July
Where: Various places, in headers
Warnings: Cult discussion, death discussion, etc.

1. A place you'd find where you weren't all alone [around town, O&I]

CT is back to work immediately after her return to life. To sit idle would only invite her to dwell on it and that's not something she wants to do at all. Not that routine patrol shifts do much to occupy her mind, but just the act of working helps her to focus her mind on things besides cults and sacrifices and experiences thereof.

She's relatively easy to find around town whilst out on patrol, whether because you just want a chat or because you're having some kind of issue that she might be able to help with.

Most days, after she's done with work, she stops by the O&I for a drink and a meal that she doesn't have to make herself. That and maybe the bustle of real living people is good for her in controlled doses. She's generally sitting alone, with plenty of space to join her if asked, or may occasionally have to ask if a seat is free herself.

2. But now you look around at what you've learned and face the truth [library, enforcers office, other]

When she's not working on actual assigned duties, CT's still working on her own investigative angles. Following some initial discussions with other attendees of the cult gathering, she has multiple little bits and pieces she plans to follow-up on with or without help. These include: verifying the reported deaths of each cult member via official records at the office; cross referencing missing persons reports to see if it's possible to find out who they replaced in the past; searching through old newspapers and photos and the like among library records to narrow down the year it took place; and so on.

Those who attended the cult gathering may find themselves invited or sought out for further discussion or to help her with what she's doing. Other Enforcers may also find her seeking them out for discussion or to get properly acquainted for the sake of future endeavours.

3. That you may never find a home [northwest hollow residental]

Even in CT's downtime, it's hard to say she's relaxing. Pieces of her old routine adapt well enough to the town and that old routine was built around keeping herself as busy as possible during long days travelling or holed up in bases. So, for example, she can be found going on a daily jog to keep herself fit, weaving through the streets of Northwest Hollow on a route she figured out for herself.

Around her home at 517 Meadowlark Lane, she can also be heard or seen practising knife throwing with a makeshift target attached to a tree in her yard. Her gate is cracked open, because she prefers the easy exit and is very aware of her surroundings—anyone who peeks in will soon find her looking back at them, holding a throwing knife between her fingers. "You can watch. Promise I'm only aiming at the tree."

Sometimes she's even sat on the porch, appreciating once again living under real sunlight whilst she reads through a book checked out from the library—all, invariably, some kind of non-fiction about the town or world as a whole. Research.

4. Wildcard

Hit me or find me in the discord to plot. Happy to write custom starters and the like.

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"Not a wizard and no magical experience at all before here. My world doesn't have any. We actually rarely even use paper records of any kind anymore."

Which has made doing her own research a rather novel experience, and sometimes frustrating. Finding data could be a challenge even with technology, but at least she had a search function...

"What exactly are you hoping to find?"

"Do you record everything? That seems more tedious to search through." But in his opinion it's at least better than places that only have oral history, which by its nature is ever changing.

"I'm hoping to ask more questions of our new acquaintances. And seeing as how they're all likely dead, that will pose some complications." His tone is even like this is a totally normal thing to say.

"We use digital records. Computers. Technology. I can click few buttons and find almost anything I need in seconds. Or, I could."

God she misses her computers. She'll adapt, but she still misses it.

It does take her a moment to realise what Imbros actually said, at which point— "Wait. Are you— you're not thinking of trying to bring one of them back are you? Just to ask questions?"

Ohhhh she did not expect Cerrit talking to her about how questioning the dead requires a warrant to actually become relevant information...

Computer is a word he vaguely knows but can't place, some flotsam of the nebulous Elder Brain information that's getting harder and harder to recall as time passes. But rather than admit that he moves on to her query.

"Yes, of course." Said as if that's the most obvious thing in the world. "Why not learn directly from the source?"

She's very close to rattling off some official sounding warning that such a thing would most certainly require a warrant, before the reality of how much of a cop that would make her sound hits her and she really can't bring herself to do it.

"Because there's all sorts of risks to reviving a dangerous cultist even for a short time? Why do you think they'd even answer any questions you had to ask?"

Rules don't apply to him anyway.

"They were very forthcoming previously, why would now be any different? I could find out how successful the ritual was, their next moves, what precisely they did to Linette, how they all died. I'd consider that incredibly useful information towards undoing what they did."

CT narrows her eyes and scrubs a hand over her face. Okay, this is the argument she's having right now, apparently. Why not. "They were forthcoming before because they had every reason to believe we'd never take that information outside that house. Why would one of them be inclined to answer now, when we're trying to undo what they were apparently trying to do?"

"Because I can be very persuasive. And barring that I could just eat him and find out everything anyway. A win-win for me no matter what."

Maybe a little torture, maybe a snack, he's up for either.

She's ready to make some comment about him sounding far too sure of himself, but then— "—eat him?"

"Well, obviously."

He gestures to himself as if that makes his point clearer somehow.

"You have no idea what I am do you?" His exasperated sigh has a hint of a whistle as air is pushed over hundreds of teeth.

CT shakes her head. "None at all. My universe is mostly populated by humans and alien species that look very little like you." Beat. "Though they do have a fondness for purple."

"Purple is one of the better colors to be." Said haughtily. Some mindflayers are pink or green which is far inferior for reasons that only Imbros can justify.

"I'm an Illithid. Consuming thoughts is what we do, so should I eat him, I'd have access to all his memories. Colloquially we're called mind flayers."

If only his adventuring party back home could see him now, volunteering the mind flayer naming instead of being irritated when it's used. He's come so far.

"Well. That sounds accurately descriptive." Leave it to people to come up with the most on-the-nose colloquialisms. Just ask humanity what they call the Sangheili—split lip, hinge-head, squid head...

Who needs subtlety.

"...you keep saying 'him'. You've got someone specific in mind."

"Ingmar. He seems to be a critical part of the ceremony considering he was in the central area. And perhaps even being the vessel for Nyarlathotep, if thats what all the black tentacles were. I think he'd be most useful."

And other reasons probably, but that's his current justification.

"The one with all the tattoos. He did seem... important, to whatever they were doing." Beat. "Didn't you two arrive late?"

"Ritual sigils, I think they were important to the ceremony. Maybe to use as a beacon to their god - I'm not exactly sure."

He huffs as his tentacles curl in annoyance, "Barely late, we were there with more than enough time for him to serve his part of the ritual."

Edited 2024-07-25 03:51 (UTC)

"I'm not exactly criticizing how much you did or didn't miss of the ritual itself." More wondering what the hell they were doing before arriving, though she's getting the feeling she doesn't actually want to know. "Anyway. He certainly seemed to be used to channel... something. Which I don't think makes reviving him less of a liability. But I guess I can't argue eating him wouldn't get rid of the problem."

Nor can she deny the information would be handy if he gets it, so she's hoping he doesn't figure out how so that she doesn't have to cross that bridge when it comes around.

He gestures airily, "Gathering information, or somesuch."

Somesuch indeed.

"Additionally if he did channel a god in his body I assume the experience is probably horrifying to a human so he might not want to relive that a second time. That makes him more amenable to being helpful. Though I haven't eaten since I've arrived here... A difficult choice - assuming I can figure out how to revive him in the first place. I'd probably need his body and I don't even know where the house were were in is on the island. I haven't seen anything matching that architecture."

"We were in the Larkin estate that's long since burned down. And as far as I could tell none of their deaths but his could be traced back to the building anyway, so I doubt you'd have much luck even if you dug through the ruins."

Hard to say if this is meant to be further discouragement or just helpful information.

"That will make teleporting into it difficult." Said dryly, so much for that plan.

"What caused the fire?"

"Arson. They even arrested a guy for it."

"And where are they now?"

"Prison. Very much alive, but not someone you can just stroll up and talk to."

Of course, Cerrit and Alex will, though she's not aware of that at this point.

"Of course you can. Why wouldn't you be able to?"

Honestly it's like no one else wants to teleport anymore.

"I'm not sure it much matters if they were coerced or paid to do so, but I suppose it will add something to the air of intrigue. I still think my plan is the better one but, to each their own."

Completely flat: "I would strongly advise against trying to break into the prison. We've clearly already got enough plans with dubious methods to go around."

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mindflayed - 2024-08-17 17:48 (UTC) - Expand

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liesdontfindyou - 2024-08-18 16:00 (UTC) - Expand

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