Peridot

The Wolves of Red Lake (Completed)

Just to let you guys know I'll be without internet for the next couple of days. I can hopefully get some wi-fi here and there, but won't be able to make any promises right now. Hopefully I can get things sorted before my posts become impacted. I'll keep you posted though! :)

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

Nina van Essenhout

_{Location: The Mansion}

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Although simply nodding in Marygold's direction when she entered, Nina offered up a warmer than usual smile to Cassandra at her greeting, indicating the feeling was mutual. Although Nina never let personal feelings get in the way of work, it was unusually pleasant to be working with someone who actually liked her - and that she liked back. It certainly made putting up with Madam Stark easier, that was for sure.

However, as Guin spoke, Nina listened closely. The idea of a completely engineered virus made sense; it would narrow the chances of mutants getting infected tenfold, if not more. And of course, it gave a flair of theatrics to whole affair. If there was one thing Nina had discovered about Magneto while looking through old case files and news reports, was that he liked to do things in a dramatic and sensational manner. Inventing a virus from scratch to unleash it upon the worthless humans sounded just like a Bond Villain plot... she could even imagine him sat in a large leather chair, stroking a cat in a sinister manner.

"It can cause mutations in the genetic code..." By that, Nina could only guess it could cause cancer, but without knowing the carcinogenic properties of methyl iodide, she couldn't guess. "Unless Magneto is planning on using that to his advantage... why kill all the humans when you can turn them into more mutants?" She pondered silently to herself, frowning a bit as she thought. This wouldn't be a new plan, but simply a new method. For all the world knew, everyone could have the potential to become a mutant... it just took a certain something to make that happen. Such as a man (or rather, mutant) made virus.

"Getting to him before the virus is completed would be our best bet, though he'll like expect it." Nina agreed with the others, examining the list of chemicals quickly. While no expert in biochemics, she knew the properties of most of the chemicals on the list. "However, I don't think we should be taking the Maximoff boy with us." Looking back to Guinivere, Nina folded her arms across her chest. "He shouldn't be trusted so easily. After attacking your group with his sister - and severely injuring one of your friends - he suddenly decides to jump ship and help us out? It's only been a month since this happened. What's to stop him running back to Magneto and betraying us like he did him?" While looking at Guin as she said this, it wasn't Nina's aim to direct this distrust towards her. She simply knew of her... affiliations with Pietro in recent weeks. "And don't tell me that the Professor can trust him because of his mind-reading. Xavier isn't infallible, and minds can always lie."

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

@Morose

Will be posting tomorrow.

The Wolves of Red Lake (Completed)

James Tanner

_{Location: B&B ----> Cafe}

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James' morning began - as per usual - by being awoken by the rather wet, warm, and bad breath of his dog, Allie. She wasn't shy when it came to sharing her odours, especially if the goal was to get him up to put some food in her belly. And his own, but James was fairly sure that Allie didn't care whether he got his breakfast or not.

Pushing her snout gently away as he got up, James yawned and stretched a tad too vigorously, as he winced when his stitches pulled with the movement. While his assortment of claws and fang wounds were healing quite nicely, they still stung like a bugger, and likely would do until the stitches were removed. Still, that would be a few more days, and James had other things to prioritise first. Of course, breakfast. Well, Allie's breakfast, anyway.

"Alright Allie, calm it." The half-hearted order for the lolloping Great Dane to stop jumping over him did nothing; he'd like to think that it was just because it was stuttered through another yawn as he climbed out of bed and dug through his bag for dog food, but it was because when Allie was hungry, she loved ignoring him. Half the time she actually listened to commands like "sit" and "stay" was only to impress strangers. Show-off.

After his dog was fed (and her mess cleaned up), James threw on some clothes and set out for the day, Allie in tow on leash. He wasn't needed at the farm today, so he had a good chance to explore the town of Red Lake a bit more. Between hospital visits and organising various work permits, shelter and a job, he hadn't had all that much time to really look around. Although a small town, there was bound to be little oddities and places of interest that would take up his time. However, he'd certainly be avoiding the surrounding forests for a while... with that pack of wolves on the loose and everything. Or was it a pack? Surely a lone wolf couldn't be responsible for his wounds... and then of course that local girl going missing. Part of James wished he'd tracked down the wolf that had attacked him, just to see if he could have helped her. But he wasn't even entirely sure when she disappeared, or if he'd have even survived what had happened if he hadn't burnt rubber getting the hell out of there and to a hospital.

As James was musing all of this as he left the B&B, a loud conversation caught his attention behind one of the doors. At a guess, it was that couple who had been there for about half the time he had... beyond the PI and the FBI Agent, they seemed to be the only other guests at the hotel. Not being one to pry or eavesdrop, James didn't linger outside their door, but couldn't help but overhear on where they planned to go. The lake was an area he hadn't seen yet, but with it's closeness to the forests, he wasn't particularly eager to do so. Especially at night, which was when the couple seemed to indicate. Hoping they knew enough about the recent events to be wary of wild animals, James went on his way and left the bed and breakfast. While they supplied the latter of course, he fancied a slight change. Cafes and diners would surely give him better local cuisine than a cheap hotel.

Unfortunately, the breakfast was no different at the local cafe. The bacon was just as disappointing, and the eggs just as amazingly runny - but beggars couldn't be choosers, and James was too hungry to complain about american cuts of pork products at the moment. Paired with a steaming cup of coffee and toast, he leant back in the comfortable chair after demolishing half of his meal, taking in the rest of the people in the building. They seemed... normal. The atmosphere was a lot nicer than the quiet B&B, but James had expected something a little more. What exactly he wanted, he wasn't sure, but something compelling was telling him to stay in this town. And while he liked to brush over it, the attack from the wolf in the forest was involved in it.

"How about you, Allie? You alright here?" James asked her softly, and she gazed up at him for a moment before settling her head back on her paws at his feet. James knew it was pointless asking; not because she couldn't answer, but because he knew she was content as long as their was food in her belly.

The Wolves of Red Lake (Completed)

Post will probably be tomorrow now - had an unexpectedly busy few days.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

Nina van Essenhout

_{Location: The Mansion}

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In the past month, Nina had tried to avoid the school as much as she could. There was no real point hanging around there (Thought they had been gracious enough to give her a room; albeit shared, but she and Cassandra were on good terms) until she had a mission to take part in, and she didn't exactly relish the thought of being around Professor Xavier. Personal feelings about the kids in his school aside, Nina disliked having people be able to rummage around in her mind. Unfortunately, super-strength did nothing against warding off psychics. Unless threatening them counted, but that was hardly an option when it came to the X-Men. Especially when they were affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.H.I.E.L.D itself had been surprisingly accommodating for Nina - not only had she been treated with respect (Or rather, they hadn't treated her like some common criminal, which had been expected) but they also gave her more free reign that she had first assumed. For the first time in nearly a decade, she could walk the streets without fear of arrest. Although she still had to be vigilant when on the look out of Valkyrie agents, Nina felt some relief in being able to just grab a quiet drink in a bar that wasn't as seedy and shady as she'd grown accustomed to for the past few years of her life. It had been good, so far... but she expected that to end eventually. Particularly when it came to the first mission.

The stakes were high for this one; much higher than the previous mission that Nina hadn't been present for, and with the way that one had been messed up so much, she didn't have high hopes for the second. And with genocide on the line, that worried her more than a bit, regardless of whether she was part of the target group or not.

Car pulling up the long gravel driveway, Nina looked up at the manor building dubiously as it grew closer. The few times she'd visited she'd seen plenty of young kids, easily ranging between 10 and 20, all just going about their life and enjoying classes. Classes that they couldn't get anywhere else because of what they were. It was good, of Professor Xavier and the other teachers to be able to give this to the mutant children, who were either runaways, disowned, or simply just hiding the truth still from their parents. But Nina knew that they were all seen as soldiers in some way too... and that's what really bothered her about this place.

Even though having only been here a few times, Nina knew enough of where to go - the way to the lab's below ground was mostly hidden from the students, from what she could understand, but she, the X-Men, and the S.H.I.E.L.D agents were privy to this knowledge. Stepping out of her car, her stiletto heels crunched against the gravel before tapping onto the stone floors of the mansion. By the look of the old car outside, Nina could guess one particular S.H.I.E.L.D agent was already present. Wonderful.

"Good morning." Nina's polished tones were heard to the three in Beast's lab following the clipping of her heels on now metal floor. "Have there been any developments?"

The Wolves of Red Lake (Completed)

Will be making my post either tonight or tomorrow if I don't have time - also wanted to ask about character relations. Would James have any relations after only three weeks in town? Questioned by police, etc? I'm open to any suggestions people may have. :)

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

Will be posting tonight!

The Wolves of Red Lake (Completed)

James Tanner

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James "A.J" Tanner

"Yeah, I might be a bit thick, but at least I know how to treat people right."

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Character Summary

Name: Anarawd James Tanner
Aliases: A.J, but goes by his middle name most of the time. Very few people come to learn his actual first name.
Age: 21
Birthday: 9th September, 1986
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Red Lake Native: Nope.
Birth Place: Sheffield, England
Place of Residency: Red Lake Bed and Breakfast
Gender: Male
Education: Apprenticeship in mechanical engineering.
Occupation: Mechanic & Odd-Job Man
Languages: English and Welsh, but a bit rusty on the latter.

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Appearance

Height: 5’11”
Weight: 154 lbs
Body Type: Stocky; muscular, but not overly so.
Eye Color: Steely blue.
Hair Color: Dark blonde; cut short and styled somewhat messily.
Skin Tone: Pale.

Tattoos/Scars/Piercings: Old minor scars on his hands from various cuts, burns, etc. A more recent wound lies on the right side of his midriff, chest and back, consisting of several deep claws marks and bite marks. They still have stitches in, and have only been healing for about two and a half weeks.

Personal Style: Due to the amount of travelling, camping, hiking, and just generally roughing up he does, James goes for comfort and durability. Heavy-duty leather hiking boots and jeans are a given, with his top half either covered in a cheap t-shirt or vest when warm, or a plaid shirt and waterproof jacket. He has brought some nicer clothes by way of leather dress boots, dress trousers and smart shirt, but hasn’t had much occasion to wear them yet.

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Psychology

Adventurous*Stubborn*Diligent*Reckless

Sexuality: Bisexual
Relationship Status: Single

Personality: James is definitely the easy-going type; he doesn’t disagree with much, be it a blue-humoured joke, or a reckless activity. However, this is more for the reason that he’ll find some fun or entertainment in whatever has been put to him, rather than him being a doormat. If he is uncomfortable with something, he’ll make it known – it just doesn’t tend to happen often due to his open-mindedness. As such, he’s definitely a fun guy to be around, and has a tendency to encourage people to join in on potentially dangerous activities.

Despite this laid-back approach to life, James also has a very strong work ethic. His father made a point of saying “you don’t get anywhere in life if you don’t work for it” very often around the household when James was a child, and he took it to heart. Although not the brightest in school, he always worked as hard as he could… when sport and friends didn’t distract him, that is. Still, James can seem easily distracted by certain things, but if a job is put to him, he’ll finish it no matter what.

As for temperament, his easy-going nature applies here as well. He’s never been one for having much in the way of a temper, preferring instead to just laugh insults off. He never pulled his punches in a fight, but James rarely instigated them himself. However, he’s recently noticed that his temper has been flaring up a lot more than usual, at really small things that wouldn’t normally bother him. For a usually chilled out guy, James is starting to wonder if there’s something wrong with him. Some kind of PTSD from the wolf attack? He doesn’t know, but is considering talking to some kind of professional to see what the issue is. Knowing his luck, he probably contracted “Mad Wolf Disease” or something

Habits: Jiggles his legs when restless, zones out when bored, picks at fingernails, cracks the bones in his neck.

Hobbies: Playing the guitar, walking or playing with his dog, hiking, camping, swimming, playing card games, collecting a souvenir from every new place he visits.

Fears:

• Monkeys and Apes. While the small ones just freak him out a bit, the larger ones are real scary. Have you ever seen an angry gorilla charging towards you, and not shat your pants? No, thought not.
• Anaphylactic Shock. Thanks to his peanut allergy surfacing as a 9 year old, James has retained a fear of having another reaction to his allergy again. While most just come out in hives, his reaction involves light-headedness, nausea, anxiety, confusion, and of course, an increasing inability to breathe properly. The memory of his 9 year old self passing out as less and less air passed through his constricting airways is a permanent one in his mind, and one that won’t go away quickly.
• Getting Lost. A small, but noticeable, fear that has been around for as long as he could remember. Growing up in a bustling city meant that help was only seconds away, so being out in rural areas makes the likelihood of disappearing more likely. He keeps this fear at bay with his various maps, his compass, and his dog, but James still stays cautious and vigilant when out camping in the sticks. While fear remains, he still enjoys getting away from society. Wouldn’t be an adventure without fear, would it?

Likes:

• Meat; typically red meat, and the bloodier, the better.
• Dogs
• Long stretches of open road, blaring music with his windows down.
• Playing guitar
• Nature, particularly camping out in it.
• Most rock songs
• Comic Books
• Video Games

Dislikes:

• Peanuts – has an allergy to them, but also doesn’t like the taste. From what he can remember, anyway. His first reaction was at 9 years old, and he hasn’t tried them again since then… for obvious reasons.
• Most Primates – Lemurs and Lorises are pretty cute though.
• Those know-it-all dicks who patronise you when you don’t know something.
• Nationalism
• Places with no atmosphere; a bar can get pretty boring if there’s no atmosphere!
• Superstitions; James doesn’t believe in anything supernatural, including Gods, ghosts, and psychics. Seeing people who do believe in these things slightly irritate him, but he doesn’t change his behaviour towards them unless they start being preachy and pushy about it. That’s just rude.

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Skills

General Skills:

• Mechanics (Vehicles, specifically, but knows his way around most uncomplex machines.)
• Driving (Car – A bit of a speed freak, so has learnt to go fast in cars, and be able to handle that speed of driving; can provide a getaway pretty easily, regardless of your situation.)
• Driving (Motorcycle – took part in motorcycle races, is quite skilled in going fast on both steady and unwelcoming terrain.)
• Basic Survival (Foraging, building fires, setting up shelters… you know, the basic stuff you need to know for camping out in the wilderness.)
• Butchering (His Uncle was a butcher, and when teaching him how to shoot, also showed him the correct way of gutting, skinning and dressing various game animals.
• Guitar (Started playing since he was 11, and never gave it up since. He’s no Jimi Hendrix, but he’s pretty good.)

Combat Skills:

• Rifles (Taught by Uncle when he was a kid; the guy owned a farm in Wales, and always took his nieces and nephews hunting with him. When they got older, they learnt how to shoot too.)
• Basic hand-to-hand (From schoolyard scraps to brawls outside bars, James has been involved in more than enough fights to know how to throw a good punch.)
• Werewolf form (Does exactly what it says on the tin; he turns into Wolf. He hasn’t yet, and has no idea he will, but the next full moon will definitely bring with it a nasty surprise for him.)
• Hunting (Alongside shooting, James was also taught how to set snares and traps.)

What Do They Carry On Them:

• Clothing – Heavy-duty hiking boots, thermal socks, blue jeans, white t-shirt, plaid shirt, waterproof jacket, glasses when he can be bothered to wear them.
• Wallet – Debit Card, Driver’s Licence, Passport, $20, £5.70, Keys
• Phone
• Swiss Army Knife
• Compass
• Matches
• Backpack
• Two EpiPens
• Energy bars
• Various maps of Pennsylvania and surrounding states.
• Water canteen
• Hip flask (Filled with whiskey)

Possessions at Home:

• 1995 Dodge Ram, dark blue
• Triumph Scrambler
• Great Dane bitch named Allie
• Dog leash (Chain) Doggie toys, food & food bowl, bed.
• Laptop
• Spare clothes (Casual, smart, durable, etc.)
• Tent (Plus bedroll)
• Camera
• Maps, postcards, and souvenirs of U.S states he has already visited, both for himself, and gifts for friends and family back home. (22 states so far, including Pennsylvania.)
• Passport
• First Aid Kit – Including spare EpiPens, anti-histamines, painkillers, anti-biotics, sterile wipes, plasters, etc.
• Pack of cards

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History

Life Before Red Lake
Born to Welsh natives Bronwyn and Rhys Tanner, James came about between two older sisters (Gwen & Bethan) and a younger brother (Morgan) in Sheffield, in South Yorkshire – his parents had moved there due to job prospects before their children had been born, but this doesn’t mean they grew up without their Welsh heritage. While growing up, all four children learnt Welsh as their first language, but due to never using it other than at home or amongst themselves, their fluency faded somewhat as English became their more prominent tongue.

Growing up, it was clear that James wasn’t anything spectacular. With less than average grades in school, a passive interest in various sports, and a level of “pretty-good-but-not-exemplary” talent with the guitar and singing, James' future was looking particularly boring. As secondary school came around, he finally found a talent in mechanical work, but still, the idea of just being a car mechanic in the future wasn’t a fun for him. Ever since he was a kid, James had a sense of wanderlust about him; the only bright side of his future career prospects was that he could be a mechanic wherever he wanted to. Also, it was good, hard, and honest work – something his parents appreciated, and so could he, thanks to the work ethic they had instilled in him and his siblings since a young age.

Following secondary school, James was able to secure an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering despite his less than exemplary grades. Over the next four years, his talent in the vocation flourished, and he finished with a guaranteed job with a prominent company. However, after several years of school and then educational work, James wanted to go out and experience the world for himself. With four years worth of money saved up, he arranged a travel visa and various travel expenses in order to do a full on tour of America. 48 States in one year with his dog, his car, his motorbike and the open road. What could go wrong?

Life In Red Lake:
With his apprenticeship over and done with, and with more than enough money saved up, James was able to travel the states. Starting off in Florida (where he picked up his truck and motorbike from a cousin living there), he made his way through 22 states in the east before finally landing in Pennsylvania. After spending a few days in Philadelphia, he made his way out into more rural areas to get some camping in before moving onto his next state. After finding a nice forest spot near Red Lake, James set up camp, and looked forward to a nice quiet night beneath the stars and full moon.

Unfortunately, his night wasn’t nearly as quiet as he’d hoped. The howling woke him up first, and it was only when he heard Allie whimpering that he jumped out of his bed, knife in hand and ready to face what was outside. He hadn’t expected an attack by a wolf; a bear maybe, or a particularly brave coyote, but not a wolf. Not in the middle of summer when food was plentiful.

After a few minutes of fighting it off in the dark, it finally ran away yelping as Allie clamped her jaws down on it’s tail, the wolf distracted while chewing on James' side. Now running on adrenaline, James gathered up his things and hastily threw them into his truck bed, ushering in his pet Great Dane and speeding back onto the main road, heading to the closest hospital. The wounds weren’t particularly deep or life-threatening, but they stung like hell and would definitely need stitches.

After about an hour of wild – and likely well over the speed limit – driving, James made it to Red Lake’s medical clinic and sought out help. He was kept in overnight just as a precaution (and because it was around 4AM when he finally got there), and woke up the next afternoon sore, bloodied and bruised. But alive, and Allie was untouched as well, much to his relief. After sharing a few words with a Sheriff that had been called to see him, James was assured that an alert would be put out for wolves – but according to his Doctor, this wasn’t their first instance of a wolf attack in the town recently.

Upon being discharged, James booked a room in the local B&B and elected to stay in town for a bit longer, just to recuperate somewhat. His stitches would need removing by someone anyway, and it would save him tracking down another clinic or hospital in his next stop on his tour of America.

That was about 20 days ago now, and James hasn’t left yet. While his wounds are almost healed now, the recent events in Red Lake has piqued his curiosity to remain just a bit longer. Skipping town so soon after a brutal murder and a girl going missing seems suspicious, even for a visiting stranger… but there’s something else about the town that makes James want to stay. Something perplexing is abound, and he wants to find out what. So, after applying for a work visa, James got a temporary job at the Smith Farmstead as a mechanic and general handyman, just to make sure his funds don’t completely dry up while staying in this strange, but quaint, little town.

Thoughts On Riley Walker:
“I’d never met her before she went missing. Well… I might have, but I wouldn’t have known. Being new to a town, even when small, you tend to meet a lot of people. Whatever the case, it’s a shame she’s gone missing. I hope she turns up alive and well… unlike that mayor guy.”

Thoughts On The Murder:
“I’ve seen roadkill look cleaner. That… probably sounded a little harsh. I just never knew him, or his job, or reputation in the town, until he was found dead. It is worrying though – to have a murderer around town. Sounds a bit callous, but I hope whoever did it just had a grudge against him and isn’t planning on doing anything else. But with this Riley girl’s disappearance? Sounds too coincidental to me. Not to mention the writing that was left behind.”

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Additional Information

Theme Song: Work Song - Hozier
Deviances:
Werewolf; not that he knows it yet. Current symptoms include irritable temper, and the usual weaknesses (and strengths) a werewolf has.
Werewolf Form

Extra Information:
Felix Fenway – Farrow’s Gift
Favourite wolf is definitely Oz, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I agree to follow the rules for this RP and understand that if I do not follow the rules, the GM or Co-GM may kick me out of this roleplay.

The Wolves of Red Lake (Completed)

@Nallore

Made my edits! I'll admit, I had to skim over the rules a couple of times to pick up that sneaky extra bit, haha. XD