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[SUP][SUB][H2]Salem, Massachusetts[right][color=black]【Eight Days until [color=darkblue]Full Moon[/color]】[/color][/right][/H2][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][sup][color=silver]October 1st, 12:00am | The Docks [/color][/sup][/INDENT][/url]


[INDENT][INDENT]Loud rain pattered against the wood of the docks as the clattering bells and clinks of rocking boats echoed throughout the air. Rolling thunder reverberated in the thick, black clouds and the fast winds whistled with ruinous intent over Salem, Massachusetts. Mother nature is loud and ferocious on this night and boatmen are up late attempting to secure their goods and equipment. This stormy night offered a ghostly hand to the already eerie city-town, but the aura of Salem had suddenly dropped as a dark, fearful presence emerged—from an origin unknown, but easily assumed to be the storm itself—causing an underlying, sinister wickedness to soar with the strong gale.

[color=darkgray]"God damn, I need to be in bed already! How bad is this storm supposed to be!?"[/color] A burly man shouts in frustration, using ropes and chains to tie down crates.

[color=gray]"Channel 7 news fuckin' sucks! Those fuckin' idiots said it wasn't supposed to rain for another week!"[/color] An older man replied in a paralleled anger, struggling to keep his balance from the wet floor and the strong gusts. They stood close to each other, but even shouting was difficult to hear over the volume of the storm.

[color=darkgray]"Hey, past me some more rope, will ya!"[/color]

Thunder roared and lit up the dock to reveal the chaos the storm created—boxes in shambles, broken dock boards, and random clutter lying about.

[color=darkgray]"Yo boss! I need rope, damn it!"[/color] He turned, [color=darkgray]"Boss, I-"[/color]

Thunder roared and lit up the dock once more, but the silhouette of a tall man with a long coat and a wide-brim hat stood motionless in the midst of the storm, the bright light framing his tall, broad body.

[color=darkgray]"Who the hell are you?"[/color]

One more flicker of light, and a grimace could be seen beneath the shadow of the hat. Sharp fangs shimmered between cracked lips, a strong hand lifting as fast as the lightning strikes the earth, revealing bloodied talons and a jumble of tattoos along the back of his hand. Yet only so much could be perceived in one rapid movement before death struck and it is a shame this is the last memory the burly man would take with him.

With that, the boatman's screams rang harmoniously with the loud thunder, carried by the merciless wind.
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[SUP][SUB][H3]Salem, Massachusetts[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][sup][color=silver]October 1st, 12:00pm | Ambrosia's Mansion - Washington Park | N/A[/color][/sup][/INDENT][/url]


[INDENT][INDENT]The afternoon was quite opposite of the night. The temperature was a comfortable, fall chill, the sun beaming through the sky to help relieve some of the darkness that unfolded from the night. The colorful leaves rustled together and the sound of the fountain in the courtyard could be heard, filling the silence Ambrosia has come to embrace in her mornings. Ambrosia stood within a shaded patio that opened out into an exquisite garden of flowers and shrubs with a trail that lead to a beautiful gazebo. Red roses dominated the greenery, her eyes hopping from one rose bulb to the next as she became lost in her thoughts.

[color=gray]“Miss? I do believe it’s time to go,”[/color] a middle-aged gentleman’s voice broke her trance.

Ambrosia looked up slowly, her eyes meeting the horizon where the garden would turn into dense forestry. She took a breath in.

[color=gray]“Are you all right, Miss?”[/color] her trusted butler questioned her in concern.

She paused before turning to him with a gentle smile, [color=darkred]“Yes. My apologies, Leo. I was just thinking, that’s all.”[/color]

Ambrosia began to move closer, but halted as he spoke again, [color=gray]“It troubles you, doesn’t it,”[/color] Leo paused, [color=gray]“The change in the air.”[/color]

[color=darkred]“So you feel it, too?”[/color]

He nodded, [color=gray]“I do.”[/color]

Ambrosia took another deep breath, taking a moment longer to enjoy the scenery before grabbing her handbag, [color=darkred]“Let’s be off, then.”[/color]

With that, they followed the path in the courtyard that lead around the old, but renovated, mansion to a private, stone driveway that encircled a much larger fountain with an array of decorations beside it. Leo opened the door of a black SUV with tinted windows to let Ambrosia in, closing it softly once he was sure she was inside. The gesture has become so normal for the both of them that it could be considered second-nature. He made his way to the driver's seat and began to head for Washington Park, where Ambrosia’s plan will take place.

[color=gray]“Are you nervous, Miss?”[/color] Leo asked, his eyes fixated on the road.

Ambrosia collected her thoughts before coming up with an appropriate response, [color=darkred]“I feel so many things right now, I can’t tell if that’s even one of them,” [/color] she began, taking another moment, [color=darkred]“But I’ll just consider nervousness to be among the emotions that trouble me, yes. You and I both know that this is for the better, and maybe coming out of the dark will relieve me.”[/color]

[color=gray]“You’re absolutely right, Miss,”[/color] Leo nodded, [color=gray]“But I worry that this past night has brought upon something more than just speculation.”[/color]

[color=darkred]“As much as I wish to disagree with you, I can’t. Time is only ticking now,”[/color] Ambrosia sighed.

[color=gray]“They found the man mutilated and the other missing,”[/color] Leo spoke coldly and bluntly, but Ambrosia hadn’t flinched since she knew the details already, [color=gray]“The man was missing parts of his organs and his bones, perhaps this is just a witch’s doing?”[/color]

Ambrosia shook her head in disagreement, ignoring his attempt to help uplift the situation, [color=darkred]“I spoke with Astrid. She believes it’s something otherworldly and powerful. The visions she sees aren’t like any she’s ever witnessed and they carry with them a darkness that doesn’t compare to any witch or warlock. Believe me, I wish to not lower my guard to the others either, but I believe they could have fragmented answers of their own. Let’s hope at least some of them show up to this damned festival.”[/color]

[color=gray]“I know it pains you to see her that way. I know it must be hard for her to even sleep at night,”[/color] Leo replied, trying to comfort her at the very least.

[color=darkred]“Astrid is brave,”[/color] Ambrosia spoke confidently and surely, [color=darkred]“She’ll come out of this stronger than she thinks.”[/color]

Leo decided not to comment on the underlying doubt Ambrosia had, fearing that if her confidence were shaken, she would let her uncertainty scare her. So the rest of the drive was silent until they made it to Washington Park. As usual, he opened the door to let her out. Stepping out, one black, pointed heel at a time, and she was welcomed into the craze of the growing festival. She threw her long brown hair over one shoulder and flattened the wrinkles of her mid-length, conforming black dress. 

Taking Leo’s arm, they made their way down to the festivities, becoming distracted every now and then by the various shops and booths that lined the streets. And for a moment, they would both fit in to the crowd, though Ambrosia’s dark presence was sure to scare the majority of the people she came across, causing them to become intimidated or evasive. Thanks to the black magic that taints her, she doesn’t have to worry too much about human interaction due to the eerie presence she involuntarily conjures. On the contrary, she is well-known within Salem because of her known wealth, her presence recognizable by many.

The park was so lively. Children played together, businesses were having a huge success with the abundance of patrons, and even the bars had a huge crowd of day-drinkers. The docks in the distance had some events that caused an attraction of people, boats lining the waterfront to create a beautiful vista for the town to admire. The foliage around and beyond added beautiful hues of orange, yellow, and red, dressing the town in gorgeous fall colors.

They moved to a nearby bench, underneath the shade of trees. Ambrosia fiddled with the ring that guarded her from the sunlight, taking in the last few moments of enjoyment she had. 

[color=darkred]“I believe it’s time,”[/color] Ambrosia declared, pulling out a small notepad and a pen. [color=darkred]“Can you sense anybody?”[/color]

[color=gray]"I didn't want to mention this before, but,"[/color] Leo paused, his eyes trekking across the horizon of people and trees, [color=gray]"I sense supernatural activity everywhere."[/color]

Ambrosia looked up in shock, placing a hand on his cheek comfortingly, [color=darkred]"Are you all right, Leo? If things seem amiss, we can turn back now, just tell me."[/color]

Leo shook his head, smiling as he backed his head away from the coolness of her touch, [color=gray]"I appreciate your concern, but I should manage. It's just strange, is all, that everywhere I look I can see something in the air. Corruption, if you will. No matter, though, I can still sense high activity. They're here and it's now we begin."[/color]

A hesitant nod followed by Ambrosia, clicking her pen open, [color=darkred]"Alright then! Who's first?"[/color]
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