Issue 1 Downtime

((open thread))

Murphy could be found sitting on a log in the woods. Her older sister's fire could be seen in the distance, some ways away.

She whistles quietly to herself as whittled a piece of wood with a small knife.

"You know it's weird being in the woods at night, right?" Brigid asks as she approaches.

"Is it?" Murphy asks.

"I'm kind of an authority on it," she smirks, sitting down on the same log.

"What's up?"

Murphy looks up. She looks tired, "I've been having bad dreams."

"Figured being awake was better, huh?"

"Is this about that weird note you wrote your sister?"

"Note?" Murphy asks. "What note?"

"Some weird Norse stuff about the wolf that eats the moon."

"Oh, that wasn't me," Murphy says, waving her hand, "That was Haag."

"Weird, she said it was from you. Didn't look like your handwriting, unless you took up calligraphy."

"So that's... another student here?"

"Not exactly. She's just a friend. But only I can see and hear her," Murphy says. "I think she's shy."

"...I didn't think you had any powers like that," she says, quirking a brow.

Murphy is quiet for a moment. She seems focused on whittling.

Finally she speaks up again, "Haag says that people don't understand my powers."

"...well I guess that's what we're all here for."

"She also says that my sister will hurt a lot of people tonight," Murphy says. She holds up the carving. It's a small, simply done wolf.

"We've got people on it though."

"Do you want to talk about your dreams?"

"In my dreams, a wolf eats the moon," Murphy says. "It's dark. And it's coming after me next."

"...okay, so it kind of is tied to the Haag stuff."

Murphy nods. "She's helping me. We have a plan to stop my sister. Before she can hurt Theresa, or you, or me, or anyone."

"Look, if she... if she really does flip out, I can help. I've dealt with worse."

There's a howl coming from where Murphy and Theresa are.

Brigid shivers.

"...your sister's got some pipes on her."

After the howl, Steph dropped down from a tree, looking rather feral herself, her eyes yellow and fangs pronounced. "Girls," she growled, "you should really, really not be here now. Your sister has...limited control of her impulses right now."

"Yeah, she's pretty much off her nut," Murphy agrees. She grabs a duffel bag from behind the log. "Don't worry. I was just gonna get out of here."

"Steph come on, I can help with this."

Steph seemed to give Brigid some consideration. "Then we can escort Miss Murphy back to her room and keep her safe along the way together."

"What? Nah. You don't want to do that," Murphy says. "Go help out your friend. I'll be fine."

She is a terrible liar.

Steph glared at her. It was more intimidating with wolf eyes.

"Okay, but I'm coming back with you. She's my friend, too."

"You don't have time," Murphy says. Her smile is gone and her eyes are a blank, dull grey. "The child of Hati Hróðvitnisson is hungry. Your friend will not be able to contain it for long."

Before she had time to argue with Brigid, mini-Murphy started speaking strange languages and Steph looked a bit lost.

"The fuck are you talking about?"

"She's tuned into... some sort of Norse stuff. Has to do with her powers."

"What it means is that Murphy and Theresa need our help now."

Steph growled. "I. Hate. Magic."

Murphy laughs. It's a strange, creaking sound. The laugh of an old woman coming from the body of a young girl.

"Something has changed. Her hunger is building bit by bit. The more she eats, the stronger she gets and the emptier she becomes," Murphy says. "It's an old curse."

"You can try attacking her, but violence is just more meat for her now," Murphy says. "Of course. There is one way to stop her."

She opens the duffel bag and dumps the contents on the ground. A bow and several arrows. Each tipped with a shining, silver arrowhead.

Brigid's eyes widen at what Murphy reveals, then she frowns deeply.

"To hell with that," she says, starting towards where she heard the howl.

"I don't take kindly to things possessing my students. Who the hell are you and where is Jean-Louise?"

Murphy picks up an arrow, "Right here."

"You should be careful with Jean-Louise, my dear. She walks in the space between worlds. She becomes more or less real at a whim," Murphy says. "Undefended. Unguarded. A sweet lamb in a den of wolves. So to speak."

"There are things less kind then ol' Haag that could slip inside her."

Brigid breaks into a run as she feels the wind pick up, jumping over fallen logs and ducking tree branches.

"Thanks for the tip. Now get the hell out of her before I get one of the most powerful psychics in the world to shred you to ribbons." Steph growled

"So impatient. Children today," Murphy says with a heavy sigh. She shrugs and closes her eyes.

When she opens them, they're back to being the right color. Murphy quickly grabs the bow and a handful of arrows off the ground.