[Day 4, Late Afternoon] A Conversation About Freaky Stuff (Expecting)

[Calico Carter]

Calico had put in a call shortly after winning her bout, and now sat outside of a small cafe in a ratty t-shirt, rattier bluejeans, and her usual ratty sneakers, nursing a single glass of iced tea. Orlok was sitting on top of her head, sensing her nerves and therefore keeping a compound eye out for possible threats.

She wasn't sure what she could do for the kid, but apparently nobody else ever believed him about that freaky crap, and she was prepared to go at least that far.

After all, she'd seen it herself.

Maybe we can brainstorm, figure out someone who can provide some actual help...

[Milo Whitewood]

Spotting Calico from a distance Milo raised his hand in greeting. Diva was much more energetic as she ran over to sit beside the adult trainer (and her perching monster). The Warwolf looked as expectant as ever for attention and pets.

"Hey! Nice victory!" Milo calls out cheerfully as he arrived where Calico was sitting. "You're both going all the way."

[Calico Carter]

She chuckled a bit at that, and reached down to pat the warwolf on the head.

"After the tussle Desmond and Lucy gave us yesterday, it felt a bit anticlimactic, to be honest... but we still have to get through Fiadh and Riki to take the top spot. Still. Thanks for the vote of confidence."

[Milo Whitewood]

Once again the Warwolf aptly demonstrated why she was named Diva by pushing her head into Calico's hand and absorbing as much attention as she could.

"Those two huh?" Milo crossed his arms and made a irritated face, which was a rarity for the boy. "Be careful. It looks like that huge monster was going to eat that Magnox yesterday. Like, after it fainted, you know? And then this morning, its wrangler nearly shot me with her bow. She's actually crazy."

[Calico Carter]

"I've watched how Riki fights, and I have a couple of ideas, but so much will depend on the timing- did you see what he did to Mr. Wiggles in the first round? Still. After yesterday, I'm just relieved to even be in a position to lose."

She shook her head.

"And Fiadh... she's an odd one, all right, but I think she's lived with that maguana her entire life. So she sees the way he acts as generally pretty normal and appropriate. Which gives her trouble here."

[Milo Whitewood]

"I didn't see that one, but I heard that Mr. Wiggles was badly injured."

Milo took a seat as Diva continued her attention seeking. He set his backpack down by his chair.

"Odd one is an understatement. Maybe try dangerous. I wouldn't be surprised if someone was hurt by her. Or worse." He sighs and looks away. "People like her give wranglers a bad name and make people hate monsters."

[Calico Carter]

"Eh... to be fair, monsters can be dangerous too. No human was controlling the carnoids I helped deal with. Still."

She sighed.

"I wonder if it's a good look for this tournament if the inaugural champion is either someone accused of burning down a town through carelessness or someone accused of burning down caravans on purpose."

[Milo Whitewood]

Milo nodded as he waited to partially refute Calico's statement. Then she dropped a bombshell and it seemed unimportant.

"Um, what? I was going to say it's usually wild monsters that are dangerous, but what are you talking about?" He stops fawning on Diva to look at Calico seriously. "Wait, you're both accused of burning places?"

[Calico Carter]

"You would have been... about six or seven at the time. I was living in Greenbottle Bay, back in Amoria. The fire? Yeah, it apparently started in my dressing room."

She grimaced.

"Never mind that I was in the bath at the time, word was that I'd done something stupid and careless like leaving a curling iron plugged in or some damn thing. So. I get the blame for it. And Fiadh and Riki sure as hell match the description of some.... troublesome stories that make their way in from the desert."

[Mindshred]

Smoke begins to rise from the backpack at Milo's feet. At first it's just a faint wisp, but as the scent of burning flesh starts to fill the area, the smoke starts to darken to black. Muffled screams - and the crackling of fire - can be heard coming from within the backpack.

[Characters that notice the supernatural event become Frightened 2, and each round they remain in the area of the supernatural event, they become Frightened 2 at the end of their turn.]

[Calico Carter]

Well.

That was terrifying.

Calico got up from the table, taking a half-step back and spilling her tea while Orlok took to the air, his wings buzzing in agitation.

[Milo Whitewood]

"Whoa!" Milo went from listening to Calico's explanation to jumping up in alarm as he spotted smoke rising from his backpack. His immediate reaction is to duck down in fright to where he could breathe... until he realised it was this thing. Again. The screams gave it away. He was still startled of course, and the hair on the back of his neck was up once more, but he knew his backpack wasn't really on fire. He couldn't place the smell either, or he might have been even more freaked out.

Diva, for her part, noticed the flames and backed away from them with a low growl. She was highly alarmed and her energy cannon began to charge...

Milo looked Calico's way and held up a trembling hand. "It's not real." He took a deep breath and moved between his backpack and Diva. "No Diva!" The last thing he needed was his backpack being shredded by a giant icicle.

(Calico's frightened is reduced to 1. Milo's is reduced to 0)

[Calico Carter]

"Pretty sure that's supposed to be my line!"

She seemed calmer, even if Orlok was still plainly on edge.

"But, uh... yeah, Diva, maybe best you don't- Orlok! It hasn't got a mind to fry, knock if off!"

The saturnadus' wings fluttered rapidly, and he perched back on her head in clear agitation.

"So. Suppose we'd better... talk about this... thing. It's... actually kinda what I wanted to talk to you about in the first place..."

[Mindshred]

Some flames flickered from inside the backpack, but then they died down, and the smoke ceased to rise from inside it.

[Milo Whitewood]

Warily eyeing the now 'safe' backpack, Milo nodded a couple of times in agreement. "It seems to want that. It's never happened twice in front of someone else before. You must be special... the fire thing is new too." He didn't take his gaze off the backpack.

Diva sat down at the nice, far away spot she'd ended up.

[Calico Carter]

"That means it knows which buttons to push. That means it's conscious."

[Milo Whitewood]

"... Maybe." Milo shuddered in discomfort. "It hasn't hurt anyone so far. Just frightened people... and me. A lot." He took his seat again, picking up his backpack and checking the contents. "I usually try to ignore it."

[Calico Carter]

"Maybe if you figured out what it was- what it wanted- you could maybe get it to be a bit less aggressively unpleasant?"

[Milo Whitewood]

"I mean, yeah, that makes sense, but I don't know how to go about communicating with it."

He brushed his right hand over his left to ease his discomfort.

"It's been happening for years now. I hasn't asked me to do anything. Well, not exactly..."

[Calico Carter]

"Oh?"