Monsterhearts:Nothing that Can't Be Cured

Saturday August 16th, 12:10 AM
Elsinore, Murdoc's Paranormal Private Investigation Agency
**Things have calmed down considerably in the last two hours. Odie has been speaking with Veronica, the Curator he called in from the museum, as she methodically examined the disgusting creature that attacked earlier. The two of them are speaking quietly, and much of what they're saying just seems to be observations about the zombie-like horror. Sylvia seems content with talking about whatever it is that Chris and Liam ask her, though her manner of speech is very professional, almost robotic. Shane is awake again, sitting on the chair of the sofa upright. Much of what Sylvia explained to Liam and Chris was repeated to him so that he'd understand what's happening, and the situation they're in. Though he hasn't said anything directly, he seems to have taken a lot of what she's said with a grain of salt.**

**Liam**: **He's still sitting in the same place, only having moved once to get up tog o to the bathroom. He's looking up at Sylvia, still holding the box tightly against his stomach.** So what else is real? **He looks to Odie and then back to Sylvia.** Odie said he was possessed by a demon. Demons are real?

**Chris**: **He's walking around the office, having been silent for some time now. He has a grave look on his face, and much of what's happened and been explained to him tonight is rolling through his mind as it weighs heavily on him. His lip has been cleaned and bandaged again, but his habit of biting at it is already wearing away at the small white slip.**

**Sylvia**: **She's standing near the couch, not having moved from her place in over an hour.** Not in a traditional sense of "real". Demons cannot fully exist in this world without considerable investment of power. They exist mostly by proxy of some*one*, or in rare cases some*thing*, that they manipulate. Demons require conduits, people they've made a pact with or have possessed, in order to influence humans directly. By that line of logic, Demons do not exist *here*, but they actively seek to influence our existence, for numerous reasons.

**Liam**: What about Angels then? They must be real if demons are. **He looks at her almost hopefully.**

**Sylvia**: I have seen the form and influence of several demons, never any angel. **She pauses for a moment in thought.** Perhaps they are just more subtle.

**Liam**: Vampires? Are they real?

**Sylvia**: Yes, though they are exceedingly rare. It's not like in fiction, few people survive the transformation.

**Liam**: ...Werewolves?

**Sylvia**: Yes.

**Liam**: Witches?

**Sylvia**: Moderately common, though most don't know what they are.

**Chris**: What about that Mexican goat sucker? **He notices a black bottle behind the folds of some of the plastic on the floor. He bends down and picks it up, it's the bottle of Jack Daniels they swiped from the bar in his house.**

**Sylvia**: I've never seen it personally, but there's mounting evidence that it likely exists.

**Shane**: Santa Claus? **He looks at Sylvia with a snide smirk, and she seems to be caught off guard.**

**Chris**: **He laughs slightly.**

**Veronica**: **She takes off her face guard and pulls down her surgeon's mask, turning to look at them.** While the typical modern folktale of Santa is whimsically inaccurate, Saint Nicholas of Myra was a famously pious man that lived in the fourth century. He was well-known as being a exceedingly generous to the poor, especially near the winter solstice, which coincides with modern-day Christmas. **She pulls her latex gloves off, which are soaked with blood, and tosses them into a small box.** Many people pilgrimage to the Bari Basilica every year and claim to see the ghost of St. Nicolas, who offers them gifts. **She takes off her lab coat, while Odie zips up the creature in an over-sized body bag. She looks at Shane after she throws her coat into the trash.** It's good that you're making jokes, it means that you're dealing with the situation.

**Shane**: Dealing with the situation? Lady, a five-hundred pound, three-headed meat zombie just did the most literal version of the monster mash I've ever seen, all over the office, and it was cut into pieces by the school pot-head with his ice-saber! **He crosses his hands over his head and leans back.** This entire night is insane.

**Odie**: Hey, there's guys at school that smokes *way* more pot than I do. I'm best friends with one of them. **He's struggling with the last stretch of the zipper.** ...Well I guess he graduated, so you might be right.

**Chris**: **While they're talking he walks over to his backpack and pulls some plastic cups out.** Well, who wants a drink? **He unscrews the top of the bottle and pours a small amount into the plastic cup.**

**Veronica**: ...I'll take one. **She walks up. She looks very tired and mentally drained, this latest attack merely being another straw on her back.** Multiple attacks over the entire last year, and we still know nothing about these things. It's actually possible that we know less *now* than we did before.

**Chris**: **He hands her the first cup and then pours another one.** So you guys have been dealing with these things for a while...

**Liam**: Over a year? **He watches her take the cup and he silently wonders if he should have a drink, though he's never has alcohol before.**

**Veronica**: Yes. The only thing we know is that someone linked to these. **She takes a sip from the cup and walks over to the table where Odie is still fumbling with the zipper on the large black body bag. She grabs a smaller clear bag off of the table and holds it up, a bloodied broken pendant inside, split down the middle, just like the one in the box Liam is still holding.** Pieces of junk. **She tosses it back to the table and takes another sip from the plastic cup, then sits against the table and looks down in quiet distress.**

**Shane**: All of this mystery theatre is well and good, but my biggest question is, *what the hell are we supposed to do*? **He sounds aggravated, like he's just supposed to accept what's happening around him and deal with it.**

**Veronica**: Nothing. **She shrugs.**

**Chris**: ...What? **He looks at her.** Isn't this the part where you tell us you're a secret monster hunter society and you want us to join up and help you fight or something?

**Veronica**: **She groans slightly.** Look, I just run a museum. I'm not a monster hunter, or a part of any secret society. We've been attacked just like you, we're just trying to figure out *why*. Which we haven't yet.

**Liam**: So you're just normal people? ...Other than... Odie.

**Veronica**: More or less, Odie included, we are. **She finishes off the cup.** So, as per your question. **She motions at Shane.** Do whatever you want. Live your life, change your life.

**Shane**: That's it? **It's hard to tell if he's annoyed now, he seems to just be going back to nervous and scared.** I'm supposed to go back to school and pretend I didn't see this?

**Liam**: **He looks at Shane.** From what she's saying, we don't have to pretend anything. I mean... Odie saw it with us, and Chris. We're all in this together... Right?

**Shane**: Yeah I... I guess we are. **He looks at Liam and smirks slightly, feeling a bit of comforting hope.**

**Chris**: Dunno. **He finishes of his cup of whiskey and pours a little more. He seems to be used to the taste and the burning sensation.**

**Liam**: **He looks worried suddenly and he turns to look at Chris.** What?!

**Chris**: I move here, go to school, get my ass kicked, go to the arcade, get my ass kicked, go stay a night with some friends, get attacked by something from House of the Dead. Right now I'm deciding if I should just move back to Louisville or not. **He starts biting his lower lip again out of nervous habit, and a small trickle of blood runs down his lip. He wipes it with his thumb, then takes another drink of the whiskey, the liquid burning his lip as he drinks.**

**Liam**: ...What? **He looks at Chris, feeling partially betrayed that he would just leave.**

**Chris**: **He sets down the bottle of Jack.** I'm going home. **He sighs and walks over to his jacket, picking it up and pulling out his keys as he walks towards the door.**

**Shane**: So you're gonna cut an run? **He looks at Chris, only slightly surprised, but at the same time be feels a little betrayed, like Liam.**

**Chris**: **He looks back at Shane.** Probably not... But I need a night to clear my head and think about this. If I stay here I'll just get drunk. **He smirks and walks out. After a moment he pokes his head back in through the doors.** There isn't another one of those things out here right?

**Odie**: **He looks from the body bag, which he's still struggling with.** I can walk you to your car if you want.

**Chris**: **He narrows his eyes at Odie and smirks, turning and leaving after a second. About half a minute later they hear his car start up and then drive off.**

**Veronica**: Well, we'd best be on our way as well. Odie, help us with moving the body? **She looks to him as Sylvia walks over, finally moving from her spot.**

**Odie**: Yeah. **He grabs one side of the operating table, and Sylvia grabs the other, the two of them push it out out the front door.**

**Veronica**: I realize that this is a lot to take in all at once, you might need some space, but you've been through this together, it's usually best to stay together, even if you just need to talk it out, Odie's been through this before... If you run into anything real dangerous, he and his friends are really good in a bad situation. **She tilts her head.** I'm also available during the day at the Temecula Historical Museum, if anything comes up, or if you just have questions. Feel free to swing by during the day.

**Liam**: Thanks, you and your friend have been really good at... Explaining things. **He's not really sure how to even feel right now.**

**Veronica**: **She nods to him.** Pleasure meeting the both of you, especially whoever brought the whiskey. **She smiles.** Haven't had american whiskey before, quite good.

**Liam**: That was Chris, uhh... The guy that... Left. **He looks to the side.**

**Veronica**: Well, give him my regards. **She waves slightly.** Until next we meet. **She turns and moves to walk out.**

**Liam**: Bye... **He sighs. Everything feels more strange now that people are leaving.**

**Shane**: So what do you think? About the Zombies... And vampires? **He slides off the arm of the Sofa and onto the couch.**

**Liam**: **He looks to Shane.** I don't know... At first, ya know, it was... But I think I've always known there was something out there like this... Or I expected it. **He looks down.** You probably think that sounds weird... Huh?

**Shane**: You seem to be taking it better than I am. **He lets out a long sigh and leans back against the couch.**

**Liam**: I... Don't know... **He squeezes the wooden box against his chest. He whispers quietly.** ...I'm actually really scared.

**Shane**: **He pats Liam on the back lightly.** Yeah... **He looks at where that thing died, the area still covered in clear plastic.** Me too...

**Odie**: **He walks back in after a moment.** So... **He puts his hands in his pockets.** How about that dog, huh?

**Shane**: **He sighs.** Maybe we should head out too.

**Odie**: Noo... Guys... C'mon. I've had worse sleep overs than this...

**Liam**: **He looks at Odie in horror.**

**Odie**: Joking... Joking! **He sighs.** But seriously, I've had way worse. **He looks at Shane and Liam.** This is gonna sound really lady-like, but, please don't leave me here alone?

**Shane**: Why, it's not like you need us... You cut that thing to pieces while Liam and Chris stood in the corner screaming.

**Liam**: Hey! **He looks at Shane and elbows him.**

**Shane**: **He laughs slightly.** ...So... I guess we can just try to sleep.

**Odie**: Well there's a bottle of whiskey, and half a bag of weed that can help with that... **He shrugs.** There's nothing that can't be cured with weed and alcohol. **He smiles innocently.**