andres ♔ you're gonna catch a cold | from the ice inside your soul

[unhappily]

♬ jar of hearts - christina perri

WHO || Emma, Snow, Regina, Wynn. [closed]
WHAT || Wynn asks some of his Knights to investigate a strange matter on Andres Isle.
WHERE || Andres
WHEN || At the same time as this log ; mid-October
HOW || Actionspam

[ A few weeks into October, Wynn sends a message back to the castle asking Snow and Regina to make their way to the Isle, saying he has a small matter that bears investigation.  When they arrive at the castle, they're ushered by Woodhouse to a small parlor where he's waiting...  And moments later, their other mission partner arrives. :D ]

Comments

[uncurse]

Rumpelstiltskin.

[ She hangs back from the house a minute, turning towards the both of them and tucking her thumbs through her side belt loops, hands on her hips. ]

Belle said it caught him off guard, that he was claiming he didn't even realize he knew a spell like that. I've never seen anything like the damage it left, and the people who saw it, that I asked about it later? They described it the same way Wynn described this house fire.

[unhappily]

That name. Rumpel...stilkskin. [ lmao no. but her eyes narrow as she stops to stare at emma. ] Someone asked me if I knew him. Who is he?

[unlost]

He goes by Mr. Gold around here. Rumpelstilskin is like...an alias.

[This is the worst.]

For example, I'm known as both Snow White and Mary Margaret. I answer to both, though each one is more relevant to a different point in my life. [She looks at Emma.] I was under the impression he didn't remember Rumpelstilskin.

[unhappily]

Mr. Gold? [ well she seems to know that name. ] He claimed to remember me, at least. Although he looked at me as though I'd lost my mind when I suggested you went by Snow White.

What's going on?

[uncurse]

Apparently, he remembers enough to scorch the earth. No one really knows what Gold remembers but Gold. You can't believe a word that comes out of his mouth. The only thing you can be sure of with him is that his angles have angles.

[ She shakes her head. ]

If he's telling you he remembers something about you, it's because he wants something from you. [ Which means Emma is officially wary. ] Whatever it is, I can promise you, it won't be good for anyone but him.

[unlost]

[Snow looks...incredibly unsure about this.]

We can't jump to any conclusions. There are lots of different fire spells, right? Just because the outcome is similar doesn't mean that it has the same source.

[To Emma:]

Mr. Gold has been with the knights a long time now without any trouble, yes? We should give him the benefit of the doubt.

[unhappily]

[ regina does not like any of the words coming out of emma's mouth over there. PEOPLE DONT USE HER. SHE USES THEM. ] It sounds like we might at least need to have a chat with Mr. Gold after all is said and done here.

Come on. Let's see what this slimeball has to say.

[unlost]

That seems like a solid plan.

[So proud of her squire, yay.

Time to track down the poor guy unfortunate enough to get turned into a pile of gak.]

[uncurse]

[ yeah, yeah, you two are intolerable. emma is sir jumps to conclusions a lot. but she'll roll with it.

knock knock, motherfucker. ]

[unhappily]

[ a nervous voice from within utters: "C-come in." and regina does the honors of pushing the door open and stepping past emma as if she's in charge here. it's a small shack like most in the shadow village, with probably all of four rooms, sparsely furnished. the voice seems to have come from the kitchen. ] Hello? [ regina's lips curl up in disgust at the impoverished state of things and she quickly pulls her hand off the door handle and rubs her fingers together as if to remove a layer of filth from them. ]

[unlost]

[Snow moves in behind Regina and her daughter, taking a look around the place before she begins to look for the source of the voice.]

We're here to look into the source of the spell that was used on you.

[Her voice is concerned, but light and friendly.]

Can we talk for a minute?

[unhappily]

It seems they've got bigger problems. [ stepping into the entryway of the kitchen, they'd see what must be the man in question, probably in his forties, balding, not entirely human, maybe part gnome, shuffling his hands together as a sage looking elf examines a body on the kitchen table.

it's not hard to see that it's not moving, and pale as death.

the gnomish man turns to them, frowning, almost rambling. "It's... it's got to be the same thing. It did this." ]

[uncurse]

Hey, whoa—

[ Emma barrels in towards the body, coming to stop beside it at the table, hands off but definitely hovering. ]

Has it been like this since the spell wore off? [ Looking back at Regina and Snow, she adds, ] We've got clerics at the castle, we need to get one of them down here. Now.

[unhappily]

[ the grave elf looks up at emma, frowning deeply. "I am a cleric. I've already begun an examination."

regina scoffs a bit, and adds: ] I think she meant someone who's likely to have some degree of qualifications. [ not some country bumpkin poor person cleric wtf.

either way the gnomish guy shakes his head. "The spell was cast on me, miss, this-- we found Gregor this way, we did. Just now." ]

[unlost]

Where is it you found him?

[If this was all done by the same individual, it was clear that they were getting more and more dangerous. If this had happened recently, it might be easier to pick up the culprit's trail.]

[uncurse]

[ Wow, that's not what Emma meant at all, but thanks, Regina. She tilts her head in the Evil Queen's direction, biting her tongue, and then turns to look at the hapless gnome. ]

Did either of you see who it was? Even the smallest detail could help.

[unhappily]

[ the gnome's hands shake but he gestures out the window.

"I found him down by the river. I thought I saw someone watching, but I... I think they headed up the path into the woods."

regina, in the meantime, looks less interested in that and more in the body, which she takes a step towards, watching with fascination. ]

What happened to him?

[ the elf looks uncomfortable, but after glancing at the window and back says grimly:

"By all appearances, something... removed his heart. There's no wound, it simply-- is gone." ]

[unlost]

[Well, that's fucking disturbing. Snow looks a little ill over here, actually.]

I had no idea something like that was even possible.

[She looks to Regina, who looks a little to excitable over a dead body, and to Emma.]

If they went towards the woods, then that's where we should look, before they get too far.

[uncurse]

Let's go.

[ And then out the door she goes. It's a little uncanny: she's seen it all before. Rumpelstiltskin's hellfire, Cora's heart-ripping. It's like every fairytale character she's ever dealt with is coming back to bite her in the ass at once. ]

[unhappily]

Oh for the love of-- [ DO THESE LOOK LIKE SHOES TO RUN IN. w/e fine, she heads off after her as well. ]

[unlost]

[This is why Snow wears boots on missions, okay. Don't worry, Regina, you'll learn.

As they head off, she starts looking for anything they can follow that might serve as a trail, so that she can try and track whoever might be on the run (Spot 20 total, Survival/Track 25)]

[uncurse]

[ Whooooo woods party. Spot 18, listen 25. ]

[unhappily]

[ jesus you guys. regina got a nat 20 spot too?? so basically best trackers ever. they head off into the woods, and abruptly stop when they see a figure on the ground a bit away from the trail, a small girl who is crying quietly to herself, and writhing around. one of her arms looks as if it's been withered up, and she's clutching it in horror, bawling. as regina takes a step towards her, emma hears movement off through the trees in the distance. regina notices it as well, and looks up that way, hesitating. she's probably more likely to trip if she goes running through the forest, and hell if she's the best choice to help a little girl in pain. ] Swan! Stop him!

[uncurse]

[ Emma whips her head around towards the source of the rustling. It's Regina's shout, though, that jerks her out of her surprise and into action. She pulls the gun from her holster as she begins to bolt through the trees, chasing down the mysterious figure (dex 15). ]

Hey! Stop right there! Hands up!

[unlost]

[Snow wants nothing more than to go after her daughter, but she also knows she has a duty to fulfill, and Emma is an adult. Not just that, but a knight, and there's a small girl that, as much as she'd like to eventually think otherwise, is probably not best left in Regina's care.]

We need to get her some help.

[She kneels down beside the girl, trying to see if there's anything she can do to ease her suffering (treat injury 19)]