the dreams in the witch house
October Hart
Doctor

Age: 38 | Height: 5'8" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
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#1
if we ever stop talking, sing me a song
Limbs the size of skyscrapers blot out a bloody sun. Debris and ash rain down from the sky. The smell of dead and charred bodies is almost hard to distinguish it has become so prevalent. The sounds of screams is abruptly ended by the sudden meeting of her body against the concrete.

//

Nurses in pristine white and corridors of pale green. Small suns that turn off and on and the pinch of needles. The smell of antiseptic has replaced the blood in a room that's just a few degrees too cool to be comfortable. Faded denim colour eyes accompany a voice that says things like, Keep her alive and I'll take care of it.

//

Waking with a start, Tobi sits up gasping for air and reaching instinctively at her throat for...for what? There's nothing there, save for a necklace she's worn since she was a child. The room she rents in the city has filled with a sickly sort of light that reveals little about what time of day it might be, though the clock reads...That's odd. An envelope has been placed in front of the clock face with her name written on it in looping cursive. Glancing around her room as if expecting suddenly to find someone else--but seeing only a rocking chair covered on clothes and a small vanity--Tobi frowns as she reaches out for the note, tearing into it quickly.

October Hart
Job Placement: Secretary
Location: 3rd floor, Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters, Jay St, Brooklyn, NY
Position: 2 week trial basis
Salary: $5/week + fringe benefits
Start Date: February 14, 1926


It's only after reading the note several times that Tobi realizes that today is February 14, and not only that, she's going to be late.
October
Finn Rosencrantz


Age: 36 | Height: 6’0 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
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#2
finn
it always feels more quiet in the dark
Sometimes, the bell in the Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters still goes off. Nobody really knows why. There are stories, of course, but aren't there always? Regardless, at times in the dead of night, it screams through the stone archways and down the corridors, until he feels it jumping along every one of his nerve endings, chasing the sleep from his bones.

Only, when he awakens with a start in the small room adjacent to his office on the 3rd floor, it always transpires that the bell hasn't made a sound after all. Not even when he goes to check it. Not even when he stands for what feels like hours, just to make sure.

The bell has not gone off tonight, but Finn still hasn't slept. It means he is already awake (and has been for some time) when the mail arrives. There's coffee brewing in the pot, and he will almost swat it off the countertop as stormy eyes scan the note that has made it in with the letters.

A secretary?

Finn doesn't require a secretary.

No, this can't be right.

With his necktie around his shoulders, his braces loose at his sides and his shirt untucked, he rushes out and into his office, which is all dim light and tall, skinny shadows and wall cabinets. But there's no secretary to be found.

Finn is neither early nor late, given that this is his office and his business, and yet he still expected someone to be here.
it always feels so stark
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
October Hart
Doctor

Age: 38 | Height: 5'8" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: N/A - Strg: 14 - Dext: 16 - Endr: 13 - Luck: 0 - Int:
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#3
if we ever stop talking, sing me a song
Opening her closet door, for a moment the pastel dresses and perfectly colour-coordinated shoes seem foreign and impractical as they stare at her from the dark. It's only as her hand reaches out automatically to select a cheerful yellow a-line number with lace applique, that everything feels like it should. Dressing quickly—bra, panties, slip, stockings, dress, shoes—Tobi pulls her hair back into a long ponytail before fanning her lashes with mascara and applying a bit of blush to her cheeks. Not too much of course; her dress was perhaps two fingers shorter than was strictly modest, and so she could do without lipstick. Grabbing a piece of toast on her way out and murmuring a quick apology to Mrs. Jours who owned the building, Tobi is off.

The building is easy to find but as there's no one tending the elevator Tobi opts for the stairs. Despite the length of her heels she makes quick work of it and arrives into a bland and uninviting corridor hardly out of breath. Still, she takes a moment to settle herself—smoothing down her dress and making sure her hair was just so—before straightening her chin and knocking assertively on door 302.
October
Finn Rosencrantz


Age: 36 | Height: 6’0 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
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#4
finn
it always feels more quiet in the dark
In the time it has taken for the knock to arrive on the door of 302, Finn has at least finished dressing himself, and he's watching the sickly light grow a touch brighter from the window, though it doesn't seem to make a difference to the shadows that stretch up the wall. With a cigarette between his fingers and a frown that could darken even the brightest doorway, he certainly cuts an imposing figure, especially for a man who isn't particularly imposing.

And the facade breaks completely when the knock does come. Stubbing out the cigarette and softly exhaling the smoke, he moves through thick silence to let his new secretary into his office. "Good morning, miss," he greets, stepping aside for her to enter. He doesn't look at her, not quite. "Your desk is set up by the window. I trust you will find everything suitable for you."

The desk is, indeed, set up by the window where he'd been smoking. And it doesn't look as if it has ever been used, honestly. Finn doesn't need a secretary, as he has said.
it always feels so stark
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
October Hart
Doctor

Age: 38 | Height: 5'8" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: N/A - Strg: 14 - Dext: 16 - Endr: 13 - Luck: 0 - Int:
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#5
if we ever stop talking, sing me a song
It's strange, not to expect anything and yet to be surprised just the same. The bowed head of curls and knotted whorls of morning sunlight and cigarette smoke have the hairs on the back of Tobi's neck standing up as her fight or flight instinct is triggered. "I'm the girl from the agency." She explains, sliding past him. He was some sort of Dick, she had gleaned that much from the door downstairs, which she supposed explained...explained what?

"Wonderful." Marching to her desk and eyeing the ashtray with a frown she tried to keep to herself, Tobi ran a hand across the keys of the typewriter before turning back to her...her, boss, she supposed. Right? "It's Mr. Rosencrantz? Am I saying that right?"
October
Finn Rosencrantz


Age: 36 | Height: 6’0 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
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#6
finn
it always feels more quiet in the dark
"Yes, I understand," Finn murmurs, because who else would she be? Clicking the door shut behind her and turning to face the office that suddenly doesn't feel anything like his space, he clears his throat and remains lingering against the doorway whilst she goes to investigate the desk. "That's correct, yes," he says, where someone else might have interjected with a call me Finn or a sir is fine. He's Mr. Rosencrantz, and probably will be forever now.

"The... files are over there." He nods across at the wall. "They are locked, but there is a set of keys in your desk drawer. I have a case, so I will... not be here." And you will be goes unsaid. "Is there anything else you require?"
it always feels so stark
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
October Hart
Doctor

Age: 38 | Height: 5'8" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: N/A - Strg: 14 - Dext: 16 - Endr: 13 - Luck: 0 - Int:
Played by: Odd Offline
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Posts: 1,169 | Total: 16,193
MP: 3059
#7
if we ever stop talking, sing me a song
Tobi glances towards the cabinet that Finn has indicated and nods. "Can I get you anything before you leave Mr. Rosencrantz? A cup of coffee maybe?" She offers before realizing that she doesn't see a coffee pot. Covering this blunder with a smile she turns back to the typewriter. For a moment it looks like the keys are in the wrong order, but just as she focuses on them they rearrange themselves back into the correct order. No, that wasn't right. They always were that way; clearly, she wasn't fully awake yet.

"Uhm—" Despite the fact that yes, there was quite a lot that Tobi thought she needed, she shakes her head and offers Finna as polite and professional a smile as she could manage before sitting down in front of the typewriter. If he was leaving, at least that would give her a chance to get the lay of the land a bit without worrying about his wandering eyes or having to politely field questions of whether or not she'd found a man, or what a girl like her, was doing in the secretarial pool. "No thank you Mr. Rosencrantz. I'll be just fine here on my own."
October
Finn Rosencrantz


Age: 36 | Height: 6’0 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
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#8
finn
it always feels more quiet in the dark
"I'm quite alright, miss," Finn murmurs, suddenly aware of the fact that he hasn't asked her name and he doesn't plan to. It's more of an oversight, admittedly, than a slight, but he's still of the opinion that he does not need a secretary. And no - there is no coffee pot. There is very little of anything, in fact. Should Finn require anything, he usually goes into the adjoining apartment. Because it's usually only him in the office.

Because he does not need a secretary.

"Alright. I will see you in a couple of hours, then," he murmurs, grabbing his coat and hat and donning both, checking for keys, cigarettes, wallet and notepad. And then he's simply away, clicking the door behind him and leaving his new addition in relative silence.

And Finn does return in a couple of hours, it's true. Only when he steps back in through the doors of the fire headquarters at midmorning, the sky is black. And there's a truly terrible storm, even though it's barely mid-February. Stepping into the office, soaked to the bone and with a very jagged cut on his face as if from a talon (or a fingernail?), he seems puzzled that there's company.

"Ah. You are still here."
it always feels so stark
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
October Hart
Doctor

Age: 38 | Height: 5'8" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: N/A - Strg: 14 - Dext: 16 - Endr: 13 - Luck: 0 - Int:
Played by: Odd Offline
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Posts: 1,169 | Total: 16,193
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#9
if we ever stop talking, sing me a song
Staring at the door and feeling a strange sinking feeling in her stomach—the sort one might experience at the very top of a rollercoaster or when deciding to turn down a dark alley—Tobi realizes she's been holding her breath. Only when Tobi confirms that Finn is indeed gone (she watches him recede down the street through a window that's hard to see through and yet not dirty at all), does she turn and begin to snoop orient herself.

Thinking that perhaps she was here to replace a secretary given how perfectly ordered everything was, Tobi finds herself slumping down in front of the typewriter again with absolutely nothing to do. The phone rang only once during the hours Finn was away; Tobi re-wrote the message she had taken to ensure her cursive was perfect, before placing it exactly center on his desk (she checked with a ruler).

Standing abruptly as he enters, Tobi hurries towards the door to take his jacket and hat. "It's really raining cats and dogs out there, huh?"
October
Finn Rosencrantz


Age: 36 | Height: 6’0 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
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#10
finn
it always feels more quiet in the dark
For a second Finn wants to clutch his wet clothes to himself, as if wondering what she wants with them, before he remembers that this is what secretaries are for. Apparently. "Cats, especially," he remarks, touching his fingers to the cut on his face that's dribbling blood before surrendering his coat and hat to her arms. Beneath, his suit jacket is also wet, but Finn takes care of that, hanging it on the back of his chair. His curls are damp and he's left in his waistcoat and shirtsleeves, taking a moment to look at the note on his desk.

And then another moment. And a third.

"Miss, where did you get this?" he asks quietly, picking up the message and turnign to her. "I don't have an office telephone." There is one in his apartment (which really should be in his office, admittedly), but that door is locked.

Regardless, the message is intriguing - a series of numbers, like a latitude and longitude, and a name Finn can't pronounce, and yet he knows exactly where it belongs. Indeed, he's walking towards the cabinet before he stops himself, swallowing hard.

"Would you get me Mr. Johnson's file, please?" He gestures. It's her job or something, right?
it always feels so stark
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
October Hart
Doctor

Age: 38 | Height: 5'8" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: N/A - Strg: 14 - Dext: 16 - Endr: 13 - Luck: 0 - Int:
Played by: Odd Offline
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#11
if we ever stop talking, sing me a song
Transfixed by the cut for longer than she should have been, Tobi chuckles to herself as she shakes her head, hanging up his wet things as best she can so that they'll dry. "I guess that rain owes you an apawlogy." She titters, before glancing over her shoulder. Slowly her smile melts into a frown that tries to look cheerful just the same. "Why...I wrote it." Tobi answers, thinking he must have been kidding but wanting to err on the side of politeness just in case. "Then what do you call that, huh?" Nodding her head towards the sleek black telephone on the corner of her desk.

Delighted to be of service, Tobi grabs the keys and immediately goes to the correct filing cabinet (which probably gives away that she'd been in them already). Pulling out the file she holds it out for Finn, before reaching into her pocket for a cotton cloth. It was the sort of thing she carried in case she needed to fix a wound her makeup. "Here Mr. Rosencrantz. For your cheek. Sure looks like it stings."
October
Finn Rosencrantz


Age: 36 | Height: 6’0 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 6 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 21 - Endr: 25 - Luck: 12 - Int:
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#12
finn
it always feels more quiet in the dark
"A what?" Finn clearly believes she's said a real word, one that he's never heard before, and if the way his expression remains quietly perplexed doesn't alert her to his lack of understanding, very little will. Luckily the matter of the telephone refocuses his attention, and he tilts his head at her desk. It certainly looks like his telephone... had he moved it in preparation for a secretary? That seems logical.

"My apologies, I must have... oh, yes. The file." Giving a quiet thanks, he accepts said file and sinks down to sit at his desk, even if the bottom of his pants and his shoes are still wet. "Mr. Johnson is a curious sort of man," he says quietly, almost to himself - almost. "He has been calling me on the telephone once per week for as long as I can remember, with various sets of coordinates, and different names. I have no idea what they mean, but he pays me to keep them in a file for him."

And sure enough, there is an entire list of numbers and names when Finn opens the manila folder, written in his own hand. "Thank you for taking his message." Glancing up, he blinks at the offered cloth. "For my cheek?"

Accepting it, he dabs at his cheek where, sure enough, the cut is still there. "How clumsy of me," he murmurs, keeping the cloth pressed there as he glances back up. "I don't believe I caught your name."
it always feels so stark
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
October Hart
Doctor

Age: 38 | Height: 5'8" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: N/A - Strg: 14 - Dext: 16 - Endr: 13 - Luck: 0 - Int:
Played by: Odd Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,169 | Total: 16,193
MP: 3059
#13
if we ever stop talking, sing me a song
'You know. An a-paw-logy. Cause of the cats and claws?' This guy sure put the special in special detective, Tobi thought to herself, though not unkindly.

Not quite sure what to make of Finn anymore, Tobi just raises her eyebrows and nods politely, like a mother might do with a babbling toddler. "I see. Well, the line was awfully fuzzy. Lucky that the numbers played over and over on a loop or I'm not sure I would have got them the first time." Tobi remarks with a shrug.

Rather than turning the cotton a cheerful red, where the blood pushes through it almost looks black. Frowning at the dark smudge between Finn's fingers, Tobi has to hmmm? herself back into the moment. "Oh! That's because I didn't toss it to you." She replies brightly. "It's October Hart." And because he would ask, they all did, she adds: "Miss October Hart."
October
Finn Rosencrantz


Age: 36 | Height: 6’0 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 6 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 21 - Endr: 25 - Luck: 12 - Int:
Played by: Honey Offline
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#14
finn
it always feels more quiet in the dark
"I don't follow. It's raining water," Finn says after filing away the note, glancing up and gesturing to the window, where it's actually all blue skies and chilly February winds. "The storm must have blown over," he remarks casually. The black ink(?) that streaks his cheek is all on the cloth now, and so he folds it neatly and hands it back to the secretary. "I don't think I need this any more, thank you."

"I appreciate your decision not to throw anything in my office space, Miss Hart," he says dryly, handing the file back without looking at her and reaching instead for his notepad, which has stayed remarkably dry. "Would you fetch the Miller file? Oh - I suppose you had better have this, too. Which agency sent you again?"

As he speaks, Finn reaches into his drawer and removes a smart black binder - an address book as well as a planner for all of his appointments. "I believe it's up to date for the next month, but any new additions are up to you. I like to keep my Wednesday afternoons free, if possible."
it always feels so stark
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!


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