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Owl: *bounces to the end of the branch...and swoops to another place a little way down, following after Darnell.*

*mist starts to roll in, slowly creeping down the street*

Owl: *lets out a screech and dives at Darnell now, chasing him back inside*

Darnell: */jumps/ at the sudden SCREECH behind him, spins to look - half-registers the mist rolling into town, but mostly he's focused on the sparrow-sized owl /swooping/ at him!* Ah! W-wha-!? Crazy bird! *it's tiny, but it still has /sharp/ talons and beak, so he'll dart the rest of the way to the building the group's holing up in for the night, will try to close the door before the owl can get in after him*

Owl: *he'll be slightly ornery and will use just enough wind to give just enough resistance to the door to allow it to swoop in before Darnell gets it closed. He'll go perch away from the men.*

*The soldiers are on their feet and ready to fight when Darnell /leaps/ into the room, only to see a small owl swoop in before he can close the door.*

Lopen: *laughs* Don't scare us like that, Master Detective, we thought there was trouble.

Shen: What'd you do to upset that little guy?

Teft: *frowning at the owl, unsettled rather than glad it's "just" a bird*

Darnell: */exasperated/ now at the thing slipping in after all* What the-!? */huffs/, then looks at the others* Sorry, Lopen. And I have no idea. I think it might be sick or something. Crazy thing fell off a tree branch - or another one, I don't know how common these owls are here - but it fell off a branch for no reason, so I put it back on. Then I'm heading back here and the crazy thing comes /swooping/ at me out of nowhere, /screeching/ at me! And yes, I know it's tiny, but I also know how sharp raptor talons are. *still...yes, he's made a fool of himself in front of the soldiers, which upsets him but...what's done is done*

Teft: You shouldn't discount owls. Where I'm from, they're said to be able to see spirits. Maybe it was protecting you from something, Master Detective. *shrugs and turns to sit* Or maybe it's just a silly superstition from a small village. Either way, I'd not mind having an owl watch over us while we sleep.

Darnell: ................ *looks at the owl, frowning as he studies its behavior /now/* Maybe... *soft huff, slings his satchel back on, and reaches for a lantern* I'm heading back out. Maybe there's something different at night than during the day. *doesn't know if he really thinks so or not, but...he's missing /something/, he /has/ to be*

Owl: *lets out a screech and will dive down between Darnell and the door, swooping back and forth.*

Teft: *will jump up and catch Darnell, drawing him back* ...I think he doesn’t want you out there, Master Detective.

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Darnell: ......how am I supposed to learn what's happened to the citizens of this town if I don't go out and investigate? *asking Teft, asking the bird, asking whoever can give him some blasted answers*

Teft: *doesn’t know what to tell him. Darnell is the king’s master detective, he can’t tell the young man to not do his job...*
Owl: *distressed. He’s landed on the door handle and... makes the most frightening decision of his life.* You can’t go out there.

Darnell: *hadn't been looking at the owl at the moment - /flinches/, spinning toward the voice* Who's there!? *and...looks at the owl...!???*

*the soldiers are /gaping/ uncertain how to react.*
Lopen: ...That’s not natural.
Owl: *fluffs a bit.* It’s perfectly natural, thank you.

Darnell: *gasps!* My dad told about something like this, a long time ago. About special, intelligent, talking animals hiding among regular animals. In...Inmio..ree... *trying to remmeber the name for them*

Owl: *perks a bit.* Inriomai.
Shen: I’ve heard stories... I never imagined they could be true...

Darnell: ....Inriomai. That was it. What are you doing here? What's going on in this town? Where /is/ everyone?

Owl: *looks extremely sad.* I don’t know for sure, but I know the mist is part if this. People touched by it went into a trance and just...left. I followed, but I couldn’t get to where they went. I worry for them.

Darnell: *frowning* Why couldn’t you get to where they went? Where did they go? What blocked you?

Owl: The mist did. It’s... like it’s alive. After seeing what it did to everyone here, even the animals, I didn’t dare let it touch me too.

Darnell: *frowns, thinking . . . moves to a window to look out, vaguely remembers seeing that a fog or mist had started to roll into town, he’d mostly been focused on the tiny screech bearing down on him*

Owl: ...I didn’t mean to scare you, I just wanted to get you inside before it reached you...

Darnel: *looks at him…nods* Thank you. A-and, uh . . . I’m sorry for the insults, calling you crazy and saying you might be sick. I thought maybe you were . . . maybe rabid or something, with the falling of the branch and then attac-…seeming to attack me out of nowhere. *a beat* Or was the owl on the branch someone else?

Owl: *fluffs, making an embarrassed little sound.* N-no, that was me. I ah...just stepped wrong. *omg, how mortifying.*

Darnell: I see. Well, as long as you’re all right. *turns to look out the window, trying to make out what he can see of the mist or anything else*

*The mist is slowly miving across the ground. It seems like ordinary mist...*
Owl: ...There are spirits in that fog... it’s not normal...

Darnell: What makes you say that? *not doubting, just information-seeking, still looking out the window, trying to make out /anything/ he might be able*

Owl: ...I can see them. *looks at Darnell.* Why did you come here? *curious*
*Unfortunately, there’s not much Darnell can see. Though...the fog does seem to be moving a bit strangely...*

Darnell: *a bit distracted as he’s trying to determine what it is that’s strange about how the fog’s moving, can’t quite put a finger on it* Because I was tasked with investigating the disappearances here. *and…then it kind of hits him, and he turns back into the room* I’m sorry. I guess introductions are in order. My name is Darnell. Detective Darnell Barrett, Master Detective in service to His Majesty, King Sidon. This is Teft, Lopen, and Shen. They’re guardsmen in service to the king as well.

Owl: I’m Alem. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. *to Darnell* I’ll do all I can to help you solve this case.
*The men give soft greetings still a bit amazed at a talking owl.*

Darnell: *is too if he stops to think about it, but…he’s focused on the case* Pleased to meet you too, Alem. And thank you. *turns to look back out the window* How long does the mist last? When does it usually turn up? I’ve seen evidence of it claiming people in the middle of the day…

Alem: I’ve not noticed a pattern for arrival, but it does seem drawn to life. When it first showed up it was dusk, many families just settling for dinner. With the air nice out people had their doors open to cool their homes. It just came in.

Darnell: Something has to be summoning it. How long does it linger before receding again?

Alem: It depends. If it reaches what it came after it retreats pretry quickly, if not it tends to linger about an hour. I’ve mever seen it come twice in a day-night cycle, though.

Darnell: ………..me being out there, I drew it this time… *low, to himself, just…putting puzzle pieces together* It didn’t get me, so it’ll linger about an hour, then give up and retreat. *huffs as the path he was on proves unviable* And if I try to follow it back to its source, it’ll just sense me again and reverse direction back at me. *leans on the window frame, running a hand through his hair in frustration*

Alem: It won’t come after you again if you follow, but it does stop you from going into where it comes from. It’s a cave a little outside of the town. I’ll show you when the mist retreats.
Teft: Perhaps we shohld test things, Master Detective? Alem said the mist put people in a trace, he didn’t say it took them or hurt them. Perhaps if one of us were tied with a line we could see if there is any way to block the effects? And we’d be bound so we should be safe. *right?*

Darnell: ………….. *turns to look at Teft…at all of them – that thought had crossed his mind too…* For the past week and a half, I’ve been being visited by the ghost – or at least by /some/ manifestation - Jasnah Kholin. I’ve never been able to make out wounds on her, but as far as I can tell, she’s /dead/. For all we know, whatever is behind the mist is just getting its victims to come to it, for convenience, before doing whatever it’s doing to them. Possibly even killing them. *looks the three men over* I won’t risk you lives like that. There has to be another way.

Lopen: *stands.* Sir, our jobs are to risk our lives to protect people, or save them. If risking one of us would give you needed answers then do so. If we can figure out if the mist affects someone by touch or smell or if it can harm someone, and if it may give you important and needed information, then that is what we are here for.

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