blackgale | No Candy Mountain ⇒ w/ hardcoresenior

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No Candy Mountain ⇒ w/ 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.]

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[The farmer shrieks and falls to his side. Sandy immediately runs to him, grab him by the shirt and deliver a punch to his face- just enough to knock him out although she could have punched harder if she wanted to.]

Got 'im!

[ Charlie whirls on the unicorn, another knife already in his hand ]

As for you... I think you have some explaining to do.

[Sandy was going to advance on the unicorn, but Leona stops her]

Sandy, I'll take the gun. That guy needs to get to a hospital. I got Charlie with me, it'll be fine.

[The farmer needs care of course- a good look at him and it's easy to tell that he's malnourished dirty due to being controlled for a period of time.

The unicorn has equally black eyes and it's tired itself out from all the kicking and it's only looking at the three humans in what could only be described as disgust]

[ His first reaction is to ask Leona if she's serious, but one look at the poor man changes his mind.

Leona trusts him. He has to take care of her, and he will.

He tosses Sandy her phone back ]

We'll be in touch.

[Sandy was also about to argue, but she also looks at the poor man and nods.]

I'll come back for you two after I get him to the truck. Make that talk quick or else I'll come back and shoot that horse myself.

[She takes out the knife and wraps her jacket around his knee and then carries him to her truck.]

[ Charlie retrieves his knife, keeping an eye on the unicorn as he does ]

So. Are you going to talk or what?

[She's got the shotgun now and taking a deep breath as she turns to face the unicorn. It may be wounded, but it could still kick them if it wanted to.

At first there's nothing, but then there's a voice that both of them should hear in their heads]

Nothing... tell you... nothing...!

Shit. Keep your focus Charlie, it might try the Jedi mind trick again.

[ He nods a little- if there's one thing he has, it's focus. If there's another thing he has, it's a lot of knives. He brandishes the bloodied one ]

New plan. You start talking, or I stick you with a knife for every thing you don't tell me.

Doesn't... matter anymore... [The life in its eyes is flickering and it snorts in resignation]

... [Leona is still at a distance, but she kneels down and sets her shotgun down and when she speaks, it's much gentler and kinder]

We just want to know if there's any others like you around. And why do you eat people?? Why virgins specifically??

[There's something like surprise in its eyes. The voice of the unicorn never sounded that sinister to begin with, maybe a bit pathetic as if the creature hadn't been cared for in a long time]

Separated... desperate...

Desperate...? Separated... [She looks up at Charlie]

Do unicorns usually live somewhere else or are wizards not familiar with them either?

Don't look at me. I figured if it wanted to eat you that it was evil.

[ he frowns, cleaning his bloodied knife off in the grass. ]

Unicorns are hard to come by- there's not much fact out there. Mostly fiction.

It can't be that simple... [To the unicorn]

You said you were separated? Is there a herd of you? [The unicorn breathes heavily before it answers]

Never... tell.

Separated... me and others... captured...

Couldn't eat... ate... each other... me left...

... Jesus. We found the last survivor of the unicorn equivalent of the Donner Party.

[She gives him a look which says she's not up for snark right now, not when there's a dying creature in front of her. She moves in closer, if not cautiously and the unicorn continues to speak although its words are pained.

Like it might as well give up on the life it was clinging to and explain itself.]

Meat... could only taste meat. Gave me strength. Females best... animals ran out and through the eyes of the human man saw... you... alone... following.

Warm...

Yeah. That didn't turn out well.

... I'm sorry it had to come to this, but I didn't want to be eaten. And I'm sorry I can't do anything to help now. [To Charlie]

I'm guessing from what it's saying, we can conclude it ate meat since whatever unicorns usually have, we don't have it on our side.

... Okay. So the question is... what do unicorns eat, and can we get it?

Too late... won't tell... don't want others... to be found... only home...

Look don't die on us like this. We... we wanna help. I wanna help especially.

What about your horn? Doesn't it have like healing powers like they talk about in myths? Can you... fix yourself?

Heal others... purifies... not self.

Alone... so alone.

[Wow this... is turning out to be rather depressing. And against her better judgment she's right next to the unicorn and putting a palm on it's neck as if trying to comfort it.]

We're sorry.

I... Leona, look, I know this guy- he's a detective, and a wizard like me. He knows a healer. I might be able to call in a favor.

You can? [She looks up hopefully if a bit doubtfully]

But can he get here in time? It's fading fast.

[The unicorn is strangely calmed down because of Leona's presence]

Kind... only ones... kind...

Shhhh. [She quickly takes off her jacket to stop the bleeding] If we help you, you can't eat people anymore.

It's the only option we've got.

[ He pulls out his phone, dialing quickly. ] Detective Randall? It's Charlie.

... Well... I... it's a bit complicated. [ The rest trails off as he wanders away to finish his phone call ]

[The unicorn has calmed down a lot and the bleeding has stopped at least, but that means unicorn blood all over her jacket ick.

Leona yawns a bit, but she does keep stroking the unicorn's mane.]

Maybe if we can fix you up, you'll have enough strength to go back to where you came from.

... Especially since I'm sure Sandy won't let me keep you.

[ Charlie comes wandering back, tucking his phone into his pocket. ]

Looks like we've got a healer on the way. I just hope they make it in time.

[She nods and stays silent for a few minutes.

And then she laughs brushing one hand through her hair]

This is... definitely not how I thought I'd spend my weekends when I first started high school.

Funny how things go, isn't it?

If I didn't get that stupid phone of mine, I'd probably would have been hanging with the wrong crowd.

I used to smoke you know. Thought it made me cool. Stopped because it made running after the supernatural and solving problems kinda difficult. And Sandy was nagging me about it too.

[ Charlie gives a little laugh, shoving his hands in his pockets. ]

So now you're just running with the wrong crowd of supernatural creatures instead of the wrong crowd of people.

If you think about it, either way I would have gotten into trouble.

No Candy Mountain ⇒ w/ hardcoresenior

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