[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/UY46axQ.png[/img][color=b18f71][h3]Blackthorn Investigation, Part One[/h3][/color]
[i][u][color=b18f71]January 1st, 8:00 PM.
Dark Alleys, New York City, Pricetown.
Interactions - None.
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Without the sun blanketing New York's sky, which had now given way for a layer of soothing darkness, Nello could breathe a sigh of relief. With his most 'heroic' hoodie in place, the boy had been carefully stalking the investigative steps of a case he was infatuated with. Progress had been made, surely, but nothing quite like this, where he actually saw one of the cultists, and managed to follow them to a hideout in the dark underbelly of New York's ghettos. It had all began several days prior, where Nello had dove into the disappearance of orphans, the less fortunate dredges of society which no government would waste resources in attempting to collect. It was an atrocity kept on the down-low, as one might say, where those no one would miss were taken into a shadowy corner where nightmares soon came to swallow them. A task far too small for the spectacular heroes flying across New York City's skyscrapers, where newspapers were quick to present their cameras for a good view of the costumed gestalts. Rather, the scenario afflicted those none would notice were gone, those no one would care were ripped from the fabric of New York's cityscape. This was where Nello found himself drawn to the scene. He was an obscure hero, to say the least. Indeed, he had heard his persona spoken of once, a single time, at the supermarket in Pricetown. Raven, they called him. It was a name finding its way to the boy's lips through a vast lack of creativity, but it rang true, nonetheless. Simple, yet efficient.  

Yes, the mention of Pricetown would perhaps bring light to another issue. These disappearances involved monsters, inhuman freaks as some would call them. This, of course, warranted yet another layer of indifference from leadership. However, Nello was even more so drawn to the circumstances, because these people were his kin. Nello was not going to blame humanity for this. Monsters, as the word did not bother him, needed to look after one another. This was a task for one of their own. Additionally, it was an atrocity carried out by none other than his kin, as well. Monster issues were required to be solved by monster involvement, Nello would reason.

[color=b18f71]"How are we going to get in there?"[/color] The young demonic teenager took a knee, his eyes staring down at the hyena he had been following, while making his way across shadowed rooftops. It was an old, decrepit building long since abandoned, that the hyena soon entered. Pausing for a moment, it turned to view the surroundings, deciding that none was following. The creature banged on the door twice, before a slot upon its shape was slid open, only moments before the path was no longer barred.

[color=b18f71][i]"Maybe there is a way in from up top?"[/i][/color] Nocturne offered, motioning to the adjacent building. It looked unused, forgotten, and derelict. This was, of course, the point. However, for Nello, the most pressing matter was how he was going to make his way into its rotting confines. 

[color=b18f71]"Yeah,"[/color] came a response from the teen. With graceful steps, Nello slid down the water shaft of the building he was on, and slipped down to the hard concrete below with a nearly weightless thud. The eight o'clock darkness masked his shape from others well enough, which allowed for some freedom of movement as the boy evened the distance between himself, and the faltering, adjacent building. With a quick step sending him up a short distance on an old, concrete wall, the boy's hand extended and grabbed onto a brick. His claws were perfect for climbing, and it would not be out of the question to compare his quick stride with a scene from the Assassin's Creed games, which Nello had incidentally played. His opinion on the entertainment media was somewhat mixed, one might add. As Nello reached the flat roof, he carefully peeked over the edge to make sure that no one was there. Of course not, if someone were, it would have destroyed their attempt at remaining incognito. 

Nello pulled himself onto the roof, his body flowing across its shape with haste as his feet quickly padded across the ground. [color=b18f71]"Perfect,"[/color] a grin made its way to the boy's lips. There was a small set of windows, long since coated by filth, on the roof. They undoubtedly lead to the attic, where Nello would continue this investigation. He attempted to pull one of them open, but was soon met by the realization that every window was locked. They had not been touched in years, to say the very least. If nothing else, they were likely rusted shut. [color=b18f71]"Noct',"[/color] the boy stated, his eyes meeting the demonic spirit. 

[color=b18f71][i]"You got it."[/i][/color] Without another word, Nocturne vanished from sight, a dark mist forming around Nello's hand before his sword, Calamity, manifested itself. He pried the tip of the blade between a space in the hinges, and gently tinkered with the obstruction before eventually, Nello managed to force it open. He did this with care, and silently so. It did not matter that the procedure required more time. He would rather not be spotted by any cultists within. Not yet. Slowly opening the window, Nello's crimson eyes viewed the darkness within. It was, indeed, as he had expected. An attic. Like the windows leading to its long since forgotten interior, no one had been there for countless years. With a deep breath, Nello allowed his sword to vanish in a similiar manner to how it had come into being. Moments later, he was met by Nocturne, once more. [color=b18f71][i]"Ready for this?"[/i][/color]

Though a pause struck at the young hero, he would manage to present an answer. [color=b18f71]"Yeah,"[/color] the teen nodded, a small frown making itself known on his features. [color=b18f71]"Let's go,"[/color] he finished, and slipped into the blackness.