No Candy Mountain ⇒ w/ hardcoresenior

[hardcoresenior]

[There is a reason why you don't let granddaughters sneak around old meat factories only to have her call you frantically on her phone about being stuck in the back of a truck with some crazy man. Said crazy man has had a weird aura around his eyes. Obviously, this would make sixty-two year old grandmother, Sandy Lenora Viers hideously furious.

Thankfully, Leona had sent her two texts- one with the address of the farm she's in and two another address leading to a bookshop...]

look for the wizard

tell him its me and ask 4 help pls hurry i dont like this place!!

im okay but get help theres something in the barn i think it eats people

[Sandy does not have time to mess around, but despite her granddaughter's penchant for getting in trouble with the supernatural, she also had a penchant for getting the right kind of help from them. And lord knows, Sandy's going to get this wizard to help save her baby girl or heaven help us.

So here, have a sharp-eyed and surprisingly not that wizened elderly slamming the door open to the magical book shop.

She doesn't look like she wants to joke right now.]

Comments

[animated]

[ That scares the crap out of Charlie, and the small smattering of high school kids hanging out reading comics. One of them actually blurts "WHAT THE FUCK" when she comes barging in.

Despite the initial surprise, Charlie is surprisingly calm ]

Is there a problem?

[hardcoresenior]

[There had been a time long ago where Sandy would just snap to get the point across. After some adult experience and getting into several more recent incidents with Leona, she learned to at least attempt to keep things on the down low. The woman advances towards Charlie taking a deep breath and giving no heed to the high school kids. She does say everything in a rushed whisper.]

My granddaughter's been kidnapped. She sent me a message saying you know her and that you can help.

[animated]

[ What? He's never seen this woman in his--

Granddaughter. Leona kept mentioning her grandmother.

Shit.

He glances over the woman's shoulder, and his tone is deathly serious. Enough so that it startles the already startled kids. ]

Shop's closed. Everyone out.

[ One of them opens their mouth to protest, but Charlie cuts them off. ] Now.

[ So they file out. Charlie closes and locks the door behind them and turns to Sandy ]

All right. What's happened?

[hardcoresenior]

[There is a surprised look that quickly gets replaced with one of approval. Thank the lord that competence still existed in this world even in the world of magical weirdness. No time for that praise though so she cuts to the chase]

Kidnapped, like I said. Her phone caught wind of a man who had been acting strangely and we tracked him to an old meat factory. The thing is that I told her we ought to leave him alone, but she wouldn't listen and went to investigate herself when my back was turned.

[She takes out her phone and shows Charlie the last two messages from Leona.]

I know where she is, but I can't afford to wait.

[animated]

I told her to come to me when she had a good mystery. Not when her life was in danger!

[ Still he moves behind the counter, giving Sandy a curt "wait here" as he vanishes into the back room.

He emerges a moment later, pulling on a coat. He nods to her ] Did you drive?

[hardcoresenior]

I got my own truck. It'll take us about an hour and a half to get to the address she sent me.

[And heading over to the door]

An hour if I decide to break traffic laws.

[animated]

[ Charlie follows, waving the door unlocked to let her pass, and locking it behind them again. ]

Just a fair warning, my skill-set doesn't extend to getting out of traffic tickets.

[ ONWARD TO DARING RESCUE?? ]

[hardcoresenior]

[She rolls her eyes]

You'd be a miracle worker then, not a wizard. And last time I checked, magic didn't mean solving all of life's problems.

[DAMN STRAIGHT. As they get to her truck there's some long packaged bundles in the trunk.... hm...]

[animated]

That's a rare thing to hear.

[ he eyes those bundles ] ... Dare I ask--?

[hardcoresenior]

Into the truck bucko.

[Already hopping in and turning on the engine]

[animated]

... Yes'm.

[ h-hops in ]

[hardcoresenior]

[And off they go! The first ten minutes or so is dreary silence, but at a stop light, she holds up her phone to Charlie]

First thing's first, you can call me Sandy. Second, if you would be so kind, be a dear and keep an eye out for any texts or calls.

[animated]

[ He takes the phone, something like an appreciative smirk tugging at his lips. ] I'm Charlie.

Sorry we had to meet like this.

[hardcoresenior]

Don't be. Stuff like this has been happening a lot this past year. Well, not so much kidnapping as it is just trouble in general.

[animated]

Mm.

I don't suppose you have any other info on this man or the thing he's taking Leona to? Anything at all might help.

[hardcoresenior]

From what I could tell, he just looked like a farmer. And according to some people I asked he was coming to town less and less for the supplies he usually picked up.

[animated]

You said Leona's phone picked up something wrong with his eyes, right?

[hardcoresenior]

Right. You saw how it catches the blue glow around things that aren't normal right? We don't know if it's his eyes specifically though.

[animated]

Could be some kind of possession. Eyes are windows to the soul, as they say.

[hardcoresenior]

Could be, but then we could usually find the outline of a ghost attached to a person. Probably something long distance?

[animated]

I would bet almost anything that it's the thing in the barn- whatever it may be- that's got him.

[hardcoresenior]

God dammit! [As she mutters this under her breath, the phone pings- a new text]

What's it say?

[lots of chicken bones and prk

oh ew theres a whole cow in here flies ewewewewewew]

[animated]

[ He reads the text back to her, frowning a bit ]

Okay clearly something in there is eating all the other things in there.

What I want to know is... why let her keep her phone? It this creature just stupid or overconfident?

[hardcoresenior]

Probably doesn't know what a phone is. And if it's been trying to get food then of course it's too stupid to think a phone is that much of a problem.

It's probably saving her for later as well.

[animated]

I guess we come up with a plan, then. Unless you're the type to run in, proverbial guns blazing.