An Eerie Encounter [Rapture/Invite]

A short time ago...
Hans made his way into the police department after checking in with the front desk. He had gotten a call from Barlowe about a case that he thought might be more up his alley than Barlowe's. Hans would have to first hear what it was before he'd know for sure, soon finding Barlowe at his desk which was less cluttered than the last time he had seen it. "You got here awfully fast," Barlowe remarked.

"I wanted to hear more about the case before I decide whether or not I can be of help," Hans replied truthfully, not mentioning that he was looking to find a way to end the supernatural winter but was trying to figure out how to go about that exactly. Barlowe offered him a seat and picked up a folder off his desk, handing it to Hans.

"Well, we just had someone come in recently about some missing peoples. Name's Liev Aleksandr. Was very... eccentric to put it politely, from my understanding. Guy apparently owns that old theatre, 'The Little Nightmare' I think it's called. Apparently he's also taken in some less fortunate people, some of which vanished only to come back later spouting some kind of weird religious propaganda. But others haven't come back he said in his statement. Everything else there are the names, descriptions and anything else he felt like adding about the ones still missing," Barlowe explained.

Hans went over the papers in the folder as he listened intently. "What kind of religious propaganda?" Hans asked curiously, finding it ironic that there was a place in this city called "Little Nightmare" that was trying to help some people, who were now vanishing. Was the owner up to something? Barlowe did say he was eccentric but he came to the police. If he was involved somehow, Hans didn't think he'd bring attention to it.

"It's in there somewhere I think. But the short version of it is that they all claim to have 'awakened' after meeting with 'The Eternal Mother.' Sounds like they all think they're some kind of prophets now or something," Barlowe replied taking a sip of coffee.

Hans arched an eyebrow at the title. Eternal either implied some kind of peace in whatever afterlife the speaker claimed, or eternal life. Could also be taken to mean undying or undead. The Mother part of it was alittle harder to wrap his head around. This again supported some kind of connection to life, and added the implication of a motherly caretaker toward followers. "What're your thoughts on it?" Hans asked Barlowe curiously.

"Sadly I haven't spent as much time on it as I'd like. In fact, it wasn't my case to begin with. But after he put the report in, and a quick investigation was done, they told him that we couldn't spare the men for a full on investigation. So it was kicked my way, but I've reopened my investigation on Three Oni and have been kind of busy. They've been very quiet since DOMA left, and I'm thinking they're either planning something big, or there's something else going on within their ranks," Barlowe replie sincerely.

"This does sound like something within my wheel house. I'll look into it for you," Hans said making some notes for later, Then he headed off to check out this "Little Nightmare."

The present...

Hans arrived at his destination. Hearing the name the first time and now being here, it again made him reflect on the irony. He was actually kind of curious what was actually done here in the name of theatrics. Not a very important detail for right now. Hans would make his way inside, looking around for Liev Aleksandr, or whoever closest met the description given in the report he had read.

A man with anatomically correct skeleton tattoos across his body stood to greet Hans, his usually calm nature betrayed by his nerves in accordance with the odd happenings of late. He only heard that the man would be coming around from Facade, as well as a description of what to look for: a man around six foot four inches, white hair, yellow eyes, youthful… yes, this seemed to be the one. How Facade knew Hans was coming was anyone’s guess. Dressed anachronistically in a pinstripe suit complete with matching top hat, the greeter, fondly called “Voodoo”, tipped his hat and gave a slight bow. “Glad to ‘ave you ‘ere, Mr. Morte,” he began, a cockney accent distinct by his lingo and speech. “The name’s Voodoo, at your service. The director is on the main stage with one of the… affected vagrants. Go through the door to your right an’ into the theatre. Jus’ waltz right on in an’ introduce yourself. He’s been waitin’ for someone like you to come along.” With that, Voodoo returned to his post. Towering at seven feet tall yet incredibly lanky, he made for an odd watchman. Still, Facade had hand-picked him for the position.

Deeper within the theatre’s walls sat Facade and Juuzou, two strange individuals made stranger under the circumstances. One, a rather tall and lean man while the other favored a more petite frame, although one could never tell under the large blanket covering them. Facade sat on his knees while putting his shoulders on the sitting Juuzou’s shoulders, their knees bent and pulled in tightly. No color adorned the younger one’s features, in fact an absence of pigment was prominent in their hair, skin, and widened eyes save for an intricate neon pattern on one side of their face that looked like broken glass. Juuzou rocked back and forth, murmuring something to themself as Facade looked on with deep concern in his golden irises. He had become friends with this individual, in fact they were the first to come to Le Théâtre de Petits Cauchemar, or “The Little Nightmare” as it was colloquially referred to. Usually a silent individual but for a few words spoken in Japanese, the youth now talked regularly in English and with a somewhat religious fervor. Something about “The Eternal Mother” as they referred to the mysterious entity. Not much could be discerned from their speech, but it was nonetheless disturbing. And that was saying something coming from a man as eccentric and old as Facade, who was a little disturbing himself, to be completely honest.


“Daré?” he asked the pale individual, using their native tongue as a way to establish a deeper connection. “Sore wa nani? Doko de Bono hanashi wo kitta no?” But no luck. Just, “The Eternal Mother,” again and again.

••••

Japanese translation: “Who?” “What is it? Where did you hear that from?”

""What on god's green earth is this visage?" Anselm quietly rasped in Hans' mind as Voodoo walked up to greet him. He barely paid that any mind as he blinked in surprise as he was addressed by his surname. He had just gotten here- did Barlowe call ahead. Confusion was no reason to not return the greeting though, and Hans half bowed. The tattoos instantly reminded him of Baron Samedi- but the cockney accent threw him off. "Um, sure- thank you very much," Hans said still getting over the oddness that he was expected. He did file away a mental note to come back here abit later.

Hans would follow the directions inside, taking in everything as he went by. He wasn't Batman or Barlowe, but he didn't see too much difference between what they did and what he did when trying to determine what kind of quarry he was tracking. He'd need to know more before he jumped to any conclusions. Hans would approach the pair and say, "Excuse me. Liev Aleksandr I presume? I'm Hansel Alexander Morte... you were expecting me apparently," Hans introduced himself out of habit, still settled on that Barlowe got back in touch with him to let him know to expect him. Otherwise there were more questions that needed answers...

Facade instinctively pulled Juuzou little closer as the new man approached while straightening his back to keep up appearances, but after he had introduced himself, he returned to his hunched position and patted the younger individual on their shoulders, reassuring them softly. “Mr. Morte,” Facade addressed the newcomer, not bothering to get up from his seating position. “I am, indeed, Liev Aleksandr, but please call me Facade. This is Juuzou. We’ve been expecting you, certainly. Please take a seat anywhere you’d like. You have our full cooperation." A third figure appeared from the wings carrying some herbal tea in a traditional Japanese cup, handing it to the albino before slinking back into the shadows. Juuzou absentmindedly took the cup but did not drink until Facade promoted them to. “Well, that’s an improvement,” the German actor sighed, genuinely pleased to see the frazzled thing sip the hot liquid, finally giving some respite to their seemingly endless ranting. He turned to the yellow-eyed man. “Juuzou is just one of the number of individuals coming back spouting about some ‘Eternal Mother.’ Disturbing stuff, I assure you. In all my years, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Hearing that title again, Hans mentally turned it over in his head to and make some guesses as to what, or who that would be. He was from a personal bias in the field, inclined to think it was some kind of entity that was either promising it's servants immortality, or was going to make them undead- which was technically the same thing but they could also simply be made into zombies. What- did he just say to call him Facade? Yes, many more questions that needed answers. But for now he wasn't here for that. "How many others have been affected? And I'm sure you've asked- but what do they remember before their encounter with this 'Eternal Mother'?" Hans asked Facade curiously.

Facade warranted investigation later. There was something more unusually different about him than most people he saw. In all of his years he's never seen something like this? That statement implied that there was a possibility for him to have, and it just never happened. Also, how old was he? Hans had fallen into a habit lately of getting far more questions than he had answers for. But again, it wasn't why he was here for now. Right now he needed to do alittle "detective" work to see if he could figure out if there was a pattern, or a selective process by which this entity was encountering these people. And that could shed some light on HOW it was encountering them, which may be a clue into what it was.

“Three others have been ‘affected,’ as you put it. Claymore, Gargoyle, and Jericho,” Facade answered, “plus Juuzou here. They’re all incredibly bright individuals, but now they’re rendered to a one-track mind. All have experiences extreme drowsiness. Two, both of whom have stayed exclusively here at Le Petits Cauchemar have given accounts of a state of sleep paralysis involving a looming figure conversing with them about this bizarre 'Eternal Mother.' The other two who went missing for a time felt an oppressive, painful, and almost smothering sensation, yet were able to still feel very cold. Images of dimly lit corridors and humanoid shapes that made inhuman sounds pervaded their minds. Then, as if going a complete one-eighty, they experienced warmth. A calm, if I understand correctly.” The actor paused, thinking for a bit. He seemed awfully pensive, drawing comfort only from the fact that Juuzou was actually drinking something. “You know, Mr. Morte. Upon reflection, I imagine at least one more will join their ranks. A young lass called Azura has gone missing, completely uncharacteristically. She would never leave her sister, Sakura, if in her right mind. The two are inexorably linked, you understand, never separated. We’re devastated, all of us. The staff, the boarders… it’s just a mess. Any help you can provide is paramount. I’d investigate myself, but I’m too busy trying to console and care for those already afflicted.” The man held a clear passion for his work, and moreover for the people involved. He felt a flame of anger for not being able to do more, and it was evident in his eyes. In his distress, he had not only turned to the police but a rather… volatile force. Come to think of it, said ‘force’ should be arriving any minute now. Always on time even after being summoned by her homeland of Japan, Iðunn Ymirsson-Ryuuzaki would be joining their ranks soon.

Hans listened to Facade intently, meanwhile briefly consulting Anselm. "Sense anything in the air?" Hans mentally asked him while Facade spoke. Hans could see ghosts, spirits and things of that nature just fine but his other senses were still not finely honed much more than that. His eyes were only the way they were because of his heritage anyway,

"It is as he says. Apprehension and fear are in the air. But that is by those here now," Anselm replied with a rasp. These were some interesting names to say the least. Hans was almost inclined to think that whatever this was had been targetting them for that. Other then their unique names, he didn't see a connection. It was more disturbing to hear that it was bold enough to come here with all of these people around. Sleep paralysis could be a few things, not incubi or succubi- those primarily came in through dreams. Could it be inducing lucid dreams and visiting them? This also meant that there was atleast TWO entities at work here. This "Eternal Mother," this dark figure which was clearly subservient to them, and other nameless humanoids.

Hans furrowed his brow and was giving this as much thought as he could. "The looming figure could be some abberant of the infamous 'shadow people' your mind tricks you into seeing, sleep paralysis was also associated with them but it was also associated with other nocturnal creatures of the night. They're not afraid to be around us, as this other entity has shown," Hans said thinking out loud more for Facade's benefit in knowing that he was putting this information to the grindstone. "You mentioned that Azure and Sakura are normally inseparable. Are the others like that? Actually- what can you tell me about the others? Other than some of them having unique names, all being here and in need of assistance, I can't think of something that links them all together and this 'Eternal Mother' figure," Hans asked curiously. He was hoping that maybe one of them did something they shouldn't have and angered a spirit, did some kind of occult ritual thinking it was a joke. But so far it was sounding like to him that this was just a very bad turn of luck, and whatever this "Eternal Mother" entity is was just taking advantage of their situation. But to what end? What did 'she' get out of it? That was the other piece missing, motive. Spirits usually lingered if they had unfinished business, a vendetta or something. But this... thing was trying to start a cult, and seemed to already have some servants.

“Their connection lies with their pasts. Filled with trauma and unwelcome disorder, Facade’s flock are marred with psychological distress and vulnerable souls. Whatever we’re dealing with, it’s choosing people who are laden with emotional baggage,” came a uniquely-accented voice from the back of the theatre, toward the entrance. In walked a rather short individual with a larger-than-life personality, fresh from the reaping fields of Japan’s otherworld. Her bright blue eyes contrasted with her jet black hair, while prominent cheekbones and sharp jawline created an attractive mix of feminine and masculine features. The individual wore a red-to-black ombre kimono, traditional black platform geta, and makeup that appeared to be a modern take on geisha makeup. Her piercings were numerous, at least thirty adorned her face and ears alone, and her tattoos were incredibly detailed and meticulous. Yes, the infamous Rapture had arrived at the behest of her uncanny colleague, Facade. She had already been briefed of the situation on her flight back to the states and had done some digging of her own. While she could not say for certain what this “Eternal Mother” was, she could be certain that the origin was supernatural. Just seeing Juuzou confirmed her suspicions; their aura had been tainted, gone from their usual pastel rainbow hue to an unbecoming, sickly brown. She personally knew all of the affected, having had a hand in restoring the theatre. Juuzou themselves had been a vagrant that wandered into her temple. A personal connection ran through them, raising the stakes a little higher.

Now, onto this “Hans” fellow. Or rather, the unseen companion that appeared rather attached to him. Interesting, to say the least. She didn’t get any particularly malevolent vibes, but this spirit clearly had a long, dark history. Rapture didn’t often come across individuals who were laden with an extra soul and seemed to be doing well, but now she could count at least one toward the tally. She studied them with mild interest before introducing herself. “Ryuuzaki. I assume you’re the other guy Facade asked to figure this shit out.” She shot a look at the actor. He hadn’t mentioned a second individual working the case, although she didn’t blame him; if he had, she might not have come.

Hans was having quite the day with unprecedented surprises, one after the other. "I'm Hansel Alexander Morte," he introduced himself on reflex. He returned the gaze with one of his own, acknowledging that her soul was giving off an odd vibe for lack of a better term. It briefly reminded him of The Biker's, in that there appeared to be more than one sharing the same body. "I've actually been trying to find you in my spare time. But that can wait," Hans added, smartly deciding not to mention anything to do with DOMA for the time being. Since this was the first time actually meeting her, she was... shorter than he had been expecting for some reason. And she fought against a giant skeleton? Anselm seemed to be... slightly more agitated than normal but seemed to remain quiet for now.

"So it sounds like it's opportunistic, whatever we're dealing with. And it seems to have creatures it sends out at night. May we look around, Facade? Maybe have a look where some of the victims slept when they were visited?" Hans asked to be polite. There were still too many things that it could be, but he was starting to rule out anything more corporeal. Vampires drank blood, for example- so anything akin to that seemed to be out of the question. Hans wanted to narrow down the list of suspects before putting forth a course of action that may not even work.

‘Trying to find me?’ The statement seemed loaded, something that would normally trigger further action, but now was not the time.  A second investigation into this fellow would have to wait. What Hans had to say about the entity seemed fair enough to her, but she wasn’t sure what looking around the premises would do. If the creature or whatever it was left any trace, Facade would have noticed already. He certainly was no slouch and had more experience than the two of them combined when it came to the abnormal, but to each their own.

“Most certainly,” the golden-eyed man replied, standing up. At the cue, the other individual who gave Juuzou the tea came and gathered them up, leading them to a more private location so Facade could have the floor entirely to himself. “Since these nightmares have become full-fledged, the affected take comfort in relocating to one of our bigger rooms so they can all be together. The rooms where they stayed have been left untouched, although I did my own investigations on the matter to no avail.”

So, Rapture’s hunch had been correct. Still, she decided she wouldn’t mind checking things out for herself. She wanted to speak to one of the ‘affected’ too, and found herself a little bereft when Juuzou left. “While you go check out the rooms, I’ll go speak to Juuzou as best I can in their state. Unless you object, Liev?”

Facade shook his head. “By all means, and best of luck.” The petite vigilante follow after the young ward. "As for you, Mr. Morte, please follow me. Gargoyle’s room is in the old sound booth, and is the closest space to us. All rooms are furnished similarly, with a single-sized bed, a dresser, a desk, and an extra chair. Each door locks on the inside with thumb-turn lock. Hallways are outfitted with cameras in order to ensure safety. So far, nothing unusual has appeared on the tapes, and there are no signs of tampering. It’s quite vexing, I tell you. Disturbing, to say the least.”

Hans didn't know Facade personally, and only had an inkling that there was more to him that met the eye. He just wanted to be thorough and knock off a few more potential suspects before preparing. Hans nodded to Rapture when she said she wanted to go talk to Juuzou further. He wasn't sure what more she'd be able to glean, as Facade seemed capable enough to speak to her in her own language. But to each their own. As Facade continued to explain the living arrangements, Hans closely looked around. There was defintely something specific he was looking for. "Yes, contrary to popular media, cameras aren't reliable in SEEING incorporeal entities if they don't want to be seen or lack the means to fully manifest. That extreme cold feeling? Could be a sign of something trying to use the heat to manifest, for example," Hans explained as he would focus his attention to Gargoyle's room. At most one of the cameras may have noticed something subtle that many people would miss or not think anything of. A glowing orb, an unusual dark spot, or even a door cracking open.

The problem with that was that this assumed this... thing followed such tropes. Given how it interacted with others, appearing and seemingly disappearing like his "Abberant Shadow" theory, Hans was reminded of the Shadow Ninjas he encountered while assisting DOMA. But this creature could speak- it remained to be seen if it was intelligently, or being used as a direct medium for this Eternal Mother. It also remained to be seen if this creature had actually materialized, or was reaching them through their subconscious as he began to closely examine around the bed. He mentally probed Anselm to see if there was anything that his still limited mortal senses couldn't pick up when he noted something. He had almost missed it because of the lighting and material of the flooring. It was a very slight discoloration, almost as if something had been standing right here. For some reason it was hard to make out the shape of it's feet, and once he spotted the difference he noted that there seemed to be small roughly rounded circles by it. You could've easily mistaken it for age of the floor, assuming Facade hadn't done any major renovations by completely replacing the floors. Could've also just been an old soda spill that had just soaked into it.

"So this discoloration here- if this thing did materialize, it looks like it did so here based on what you've told me. These other little specs... I'm not sure why they're here. It makes me think that the creature was wet? Either way, there's no tracks going near the door so if it did come in, it didn't materialize until it was right here," Hans explained to Facade. "And I don't see, or smell anything to indicate sulfer. So at the most, this late night entity is at most a spirit powerful to fully manifest itself and fully communicate with others. Based on the sleep paralysis, I want to assume it's mental. Maybe the simple act of it trying to speak causes the body to lock up, or is just a coincidence. I'm still not sure why it works for this Etneral Mother, or how. Hopefully Ryuuzaki will be able to answer that after her talk," Hans finished hopeful that he was right. If it was simply spirits, this was definitely in his wheel house and he knew how to go about 'ghost-proofing' a place to keep spirits from coming back. "I'm not sure why it would've darkened the floor like this though. Do you mind if I take a small piece of the floor? I can send it to someone who may be able to tell me more about it later," Hans asked, taking out a knife if Facade said yes and would cut up the larger piece of discoloration. Hopefully it wasn't so old that nothing would be found.

"That also reminds me- what can you tell me about the theatre itself? Was there anything strange about it when you bought it? Or has this all just been new?" Hans asked both because he was curious about it from the name, and he was again just being as thorough as possible. It'd be pointless to ghost-proof the place if either of these entities were already here in some form. Might keep them contained to whatever room they hid in but for the most part his aim was to remove them before they did any further harm.

Facade cursed himself for not noting the spot as, well, noteworthy beforehand, but a lot had been on his mind. That, and the place was extremely old, having been built in the eighteen-fifties as one of the oldest theaters in California. Did it have a history? Oh, yes.

“Le Théâtre de Petits Cauchemar is certifiably haunted,” Liev explained nonchalantly as if speaking about something as mundane as the weather. “There have been quite a few deaths, but accidental and intended over its many years. Gets its name for having specialized in penny dreadfuls –– sensationalized stories often dealing with the taboo and macabre –– and in its latter days, showing old arthouse horror films. The most recent death occurred in nineteen ninety five when one of the workers was impaled with a broken projector stand. Grisly stuff, but all malevolent accounts of supernatural activity were put to rest at Rapture’s hand when I asked her to do a cleansing of the place. All accounts, up until now that is,” he clarified. “A few peaceful resident ghosts reside here, however. They’re rather quiet but have been more so than usual ever since these strange goings-on started happening. Perhaps they could provide some illumination, should we be able to capture their attention. I’m sure having two supernaturally savvy specialists are giving them the spook. That, or this ‘Eternal Mother.’”

Meanwhile, Rapture attempted to communicate with Juuzou, but to no avail. The young individual, having drunk their tea, opted to crawl back into bed and go to sleep. They would be of no help to her, so she rejoined the group. But not before bumping into a wandering Gargoyle. The stone-skinned girl looked at the shorter girl blankly, looked as if to say something, but ended up holding her silence. Rapture helped her find a bed near Juuzou and made sure someone was watching over them. After that, the went back to Gargoyle’s room. “Find something?” she inquired as she walked into the space. “Cause I’ve got nothing. Juuzou fell asleep, and Gargoyle is being as quiet as ever.”

Hans listened intently, briefly having moments of internal dread upon hearing that the place was indeed haunted, feeling relieved again when told the place had already been cleansed- by Ryuuzaki as a matter of fact. From the description though, there wasn't anything to suggest some kind of cult-like desire. Hans blinked and briefly looked surprised when Facade mentioned that there were some peaceful spirits calling this place home now. They would be able to tell him more about the "shadow"person if he could convince them to do so. "Facade has just informed me that there's peaceful spirits here, who may be able to tell us more about the Shadow coming at night. Otherwise I've only found a distinct match to where it stood when it materialized. And the lack of sulfer rules out demons. So it sounds like for now that we can seek these spirits out to learn what they know, and prepare for the Shadow Stalker's return," Hans still hadn't jotted down a name for the "Shadow" just yet but like the alitteration of this one.

Facade pondered for a moment, thinking of the benevolent ghosts that resided at Little Nightmare. Of the three, Niji would be their best bet. The rather relaxed spirit of a teenage girl who smoked a poisonous strain of weed back in the nineteen-eighties still roamed the tech room, where she had interned as a theatre major and worked on the behind-the-scenes aspect of theatre. Those who had seen her spirit claimed that she always carried a pipe with her and still donned her rainbow-themed outfit and self-dyed hair. The german had met her once and held a nice conversation about irony, but only after he got her to open up after telling a joke. “We have our greatest chances with the resident ghost known as ‘Niji,’” Facade began. “She’s rather personable, but you can only get her to talk by making her laugh. No one can help you, and no one really understands her sense of humor, so it’s a bit volatile. Her most active place of dwelling is the room where all the technical equipment was stored –– spotlights, microphones, speakers, that sort of stuff. I can show you two the way if we’re done here.”


"Perhaps we can get a better result if we entice her. From my understanding, lighting up will do it. Don't happen to have any weed around here, do you Liev?" Rapture grinned.

A frown was returned. "Haaa," Facade droned. "Very funny. Unless..." he turned to Hans. Stranger things have happened, and he wasn't one to judge.

Hans listened as Facade described the most likely candidate for their questions. But it sounded like they'd still need some persuasion- her sense of humor? Good to know she was still in good spirits all things considered- Anselm mentally groaned at Hans having this thought. And he followed Facade's frown with a blank stare after Rapture more or less suggested they "light it up." "The substance itself may elicit an interaction if it had some kind of significance to the deceased- a trigger if you will. As for the actual 'lighting it up' part, I'm not sure that'd have any real effect outside of us. It's complicated," Hans replied, only briefly entertaining the thought. As far as Anselm had described what it was like to be a ghost- the more helpful parts seemed to indicate he didn't have much function of senses outside of sight and hearing. Touch was also apparently a very fickle sensation that came and went depending on how much effort Anselm tried to interact with solid objects.

"As I said, just having it may trigger some kind of interaction at the very least," Hans added.