2019-10-15 - Don't Split The Group

The shop is on fall/winter hours, which means the garden shop will be closing soon. Cy and Thoma are seeing to the final shutdown, and August is headed out to his car in a black leather jacket, over a rust red, knit Henley, dark gray, knit cap against the rain, denim jeans, and work boots. He stops just as he's about to get in his car, looks out over the road. He's already on high alert from the funeral for Gohl and its unexpected outcome, so instead of getting in his car and driving home (which would be sensible) he walks down to the road and starts to follow it, keeping his eyes peeled.

Dahlia had been more or less confined to Declan's house for the past month almost. The public excuse was that she was sick, recovering from something even before the strange flu hit. She was finally starting to feel better though, and also stir-crazy. She needed fresh air, and she needed a little alone time. She was certain that a walk wouldn't hurt her. She wa bundled up somewhat, in a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black jeans with a scarf wrapped around her neck. She has ear buds in, listening to music as she walks.

Since she already walks everywhere, Lyric was along too, but she is wearing a pair of black combat style boots that are shin high with faded jeans and a cut off football jersey that used to be the number 00. Over it, she has on a slicker bright yellow, with a hat to match. It just makes her look younger than she is. There's a wary look on her features though as if something is bothering her. Her steps slow instead of speed up. She whistles a tune to make it not feel so lonely.

Julia had to drive out of town in order to pick up some special ingredients, and it's on the way back into town that she has that funny feeling. It's intense enough to make her inclined to pull over to the side of the road. "I must be nuts." she says warily as she stretches her legs and steps out onto the side gravel.

Joey is pretty convinced he is the source of any unease in the area. If there are things like vibes and omens he might be soul blind to them entirely. What he's not immune to is knowing when shit is off. Maybe it's an aspect of predators and pack creatures passed on. Maybe it's that he always has this face and people look way too far into things. Whatever it is he is not the guy to answer those questions. He IS the guy to answer the question 'What is he going to do to remind Duarte when you borrow my fucking car don't leave it on fucking empty!' She today he's walking back. he can pick up his ride with Jaime tomorrow. On he plods, hands in his leather jacket taking respite in the sweet sent of rot and decay from leaves touching damp earth.

August walks hesitantly, noticing the others--two he recognizes, two he's not so sure he does, or at least he doesn't remember them well. He gives Julia an upnod, then spies the woman.

He stops dead in his tracks. "Ah...ma'am? Are you okay?" He doesn't get much more than twenty feet away. Something's wrong and he doesn't like it, oh no he does not.

Dahlia didn't really notice the uneasy feeling until she spotted the strange looking woman. Then it all kind of hit her like a truck. There was a touch of panic that fleeted over her but she drew in a breath to try and calm herself. Spotting the familiar face of Lyric, she gives the woman a little nod and then refocused on the Victorian-era looking woman. "Are you lost?" She adds to August's questioning, taking out an earbud but also keeping her distance.

Oh Lyric noticed it, she'd learned to heed those sort of warnings. When she notices the woman, she notices the others nearby and she realizes she recognizes every single one of them. Except the woman where the weird feeling was coming from. "Hi," she greets the others, but no way does she address the weird woman, but she does liste as others do.

Julia stares at the woman with the power of side-eye. "August," she says, her tone exceedingly wary, "The vibe I'm getting is so very La Llarona. You want to um, get in my car and we can just head on into town?"

Joey knows better than to roll up on a lady looking like she's wearing more than he looks like he should make in a year. Boots grind to a halt on grave looking over the gathered giving Lyric and Julia the nod. He pauses and wades over asking Julia "That like... that Wednesday Addams/Virgin Mary lookin gal?" He sort of follows a long even when he doesn't mean to enough to ask. August gets a heavy stare, but he asked some good questions and Lyric's not been eaten trying to had feed werewolves or anything so he's not saying a damn thing.

August winces at the woman's answer to his question, gives Julia a tight smile. "Ah...not sure we should...leave her here." Who's he kidding. He literally can't, he doesn't know how to do that sort of thing.

He flicks a glance at the others, linger on Joey for that look, turns his attention back to the woman. "Ma'am if you don't mind me asking--what day is it, last you remember?"

Dahlia looked to the group, somewhat concerned and totally uncertain of what to do in this situation. She remains quiet for now as well, just keeping an eye on the woman and hoping to whatever god may be out there that maybe this is just some elaborate prank. Even though she had the sinking feeling that it wasn't.

So the lady was lost. Maybe she stepped out of the veil. "Who are you looking for?" Lyric asks curiously. "I bet we look weird to you with our clothes huh?" A smile goes to Joey when he comes on over and she shrugs her shoulders, not sure what to make of her. But there was safety in numbers wasn't there? It's good they were all here.

"Sort of. She's the Crying Woman. She drowns children. There's also a version called The Woman In White, who stands by roadsides and gets people to give her lifts, and she kills them. Men, mostly." Julia ambles closer, just a few footsteps. "Where you trying to go, Miss?"

Joey arches an eyebrow as Julia explains La Larona. "Nice. Right. Don't let Duarte ask her out." His hands stay in his pockets for now but he gives Lyric's shoulder a nudge with his with a faint grin. Like Dahlia he lets August and Lyric ask the 80 questions as his punchy brain files that away for another moment.

"Woman in White?" August says to Julia, arching an eyebrow. "Uh, wow. Thanks for the warning there."

He blinks at what the woman says. "That sounds...familiar..." He looks askance at the others--he's not a local--to see if anything about that rings a bell. He decides against answering the question about what year. No need to shock her. "Don't worry about it. Cars, I mean. Did--do you live around here, near the forest?"

Dahlia just shrugged at August's look. Didn't sound familiar to her! "How many brothers do you have?' She asks gently. "How long have you been out in the forest?"

"I think you made a wrong turn somewhere around the Victorian ages then." Lyric inputs. "You're way, way in the future I guess. We have things that can fly now too."

Julia looks around. "You might be giving her too much information right now." The suggestion is made to Lyric. "You don't want her to freak out, okay?" She inches a bit closer once more. Enough people are pestering the lady with questions, for now she's inclined to just observe.

Joey gets the sum and finally speaks to teh woman in white, "Hey. Joe. Nice to meet you. If you can tell me your brother's names I'll see if there's a buggy or soemthin around and see if I can find them and bring them here. That work for ya?" Looking around he asks, Can someone stay with her tho?"

"Shit," August whispers, spurred out of his reluctance to approach the woman by that. He rushes to her side, takes her wrist to check her pulse and glances under her eyelids. His expression goes distant, and he winces, glances over his shoulder at everyone else. "She's...not aging right. Almost like it's slowed down, somehow."

Dahlia seems conflicted about everything going on right now. She watches August and then looks to the woman again. "...Can you tell how old she is?" Not even really believing she was asking such a question.

Lyric had been told she was giving too much information and she steps back. There's a flinch when she falls but she doesn't really know everything she can do, so she does nothing.

"Oh - " Julia puts out a restraining hand, and the velocity of Annabelle's fall slows, and she sort of gently crumples as opposed to her head slamming into the gravel.

Joey reaches down and scoops the woman up and looks to August. "Alright. Whoever she is she's alone and needs help. If we cave a car or something I'll take her as far." Because he didn't need dinner today. Still, wasn't the lady's fault. "She seems freaked out by right now so we got an old car at least?"

August makes a face at Dahlia's question, like he's trying to sort out if that's the case. Finally he sighs, shakes his head. "She's aging faster now." He glances up at Dahlia. "Might not be easy to tell her age for sure. I mean, if she was Over There...who knows what that means, long term."

He notices that the odd sensation is gone, licks his lips. He nods at Joey, gets up from the woman's side when he picks her up. "Ah, my car's not old, and I don't have easy access to one that is." He arches an eyebrow at Julia. "Feel like taking her to Addington?"

Dahlia, while extremely tempted, knows that she should not be getting tangled up in whatever weird shit is going on with this strange woman. "...Maybe her body is accelerating...to try and age her appropriately..." An idle thought, her gaze lingering on the woman for a moment longer. But then, when it seemed as if everyone was suitably distracted by figuring out what to do with her, she would walk off, right back the way she came. Nope. Not going to touch this whole thing with a 10-foot pole. Not anymore today at least.

Julia lets out a little sigh. "Yeah, sure. But I'm leaving your digits as the contact number." She beckons toward her car and declares, "If anybody else wants to come with me, I can only take one more. There's only so much room in my car and I've got trout in an ice chest in my trunk."

"We can't just take her and drop her off. Someone has to stay with her. I can." Because that would be scary waking up to technology and being old when you weren't before. If she wakes up.

"Fine, my phone number," August agrees. "I'll give you an extra chunk of elk or deer, depending on how lucky we get next weekend." He looks really unenthused about the idea of going to/near the hospital.

But then Lyric volunteers to stay with her! Lyric, you're amazing. "Okay. I'll leave my number with you too," August says, nodding. "In case you, or she, need anything."