Closed RP On The Trail

[Crow]

There was still uncertainty in Sam’s mind as she parked the Beetle outside of Adelyn’s grandparent’s house. Adelyn had given her a call, insisting that she was better and was ready to help her. The gunshot in her foot had been bad. Sam was worried it wasn’t healed enough for her to be running around, especially at the places she planned to bring Adelyn. After all, they needed to go to the place where he had disappeared from.

Underneath her long sleeved turtleneck and her loose jeans, she was wearing the new suit that she’d been given. Purple and black and with a much more comfortable fit than her ten-year-old suit had been. It didn’t match her phoenix mask anymore, but Sam had plans for a new mask. This one would have feathers and would be even more beautiful than the last mask. For now, she had one of her two old black upper face masks on. The other was in her bag, alongside a short cape, both painted in the reflective paint that distorted cameras. Those were for Adelyn.

After all, she couldn’t run around as Phoe– as Crow– as whoever she was now, with a very easily recognizable teenage girl. The mask cut off on the bridge of the nose, so hopefully Adelyn’s senses wouldn’t be muddled by it. But for her own safety, Sam was going to insist on at least the mask.

She tugged on the ribbed collar of the new suit, then covered it as best she could with her shirt. Sam left the backpack in the car, on the passenger seat. Inside was the rest of her gear and the gear for Adelyn. She stepped out of the car and locked it, then headed up to the door. She patted her pocket to make sure the other gift for Adelyn was still there, and the slight bump told her it was. Sighing, she walked up to the door.

There was no reason for her to be so nervous. Except that the last time she was here, she had been sewing their granddaughter’s foot shut. So maybe nervous was okay. But her grandparents knew Sam only wanted what was best for Adelyn, that she believed in the girl. So maybe that was on her side.

Either way, she raised a hand and knocked on the front door.​

 

[Katpride]

The door swings open the moment Sam’s knuckles brush against it, and Adelyn comes rushing out, ducking under her still-outstretched arm and hopping down the front steps, her paws soft against the stone despite her hurry.

“Going now! Love you! Bye!” She calls over her shoulder, already racing for the car. There are grumbles from within the house, but she ignores them in favor of sliding over the hood of the car and ducking down on the other side. She pops back up a moment later, peeking over the expanse of metal to wave Sam over. Her smile is tinged with an eager sort of nervousness, and neither the hand nor the paw that come up to hold the edge of the hood are covered by her usual gloves.

Then Gramps appears in the doorway like an angry specter, puffed up with worry and indignation, and Adelyn ducks back down with a squeak. The old man sighs, heavy and put-upon, and assesses Sam with a measured look before crossing his arms over his chest.

“Ah-hem. Right.” Another sigh, and a glance at the car, Adelyn’s paw disappearing from sight as soon as he lays eyes on it. He somehow manages to convey rolling his eyes, though they remain as blank as ever. “You take care of her, ya hear? We owe ya for bringin’ her back, but don’t think we’ll forgive her getting hurt on your watch.”

“Grampaaaa…” Adelyn whines, and he shoots her a look so sharp it sends her ducking down again in a swirl of hair. Ooh, they are not happy with her.

“I do hope you find what yer lookin’ for,” he finishes, curt but not completely unkind. He puts a hand on the door and sends one last withering look in Adelyn’s general direction, then spares Sam a faint smile. “Good huntin’.”

The door starts to close, much more softly than it had opened, Gramps already turned to go back inside.

 

[Crow]

There was a moment of movement and Adelyn was past her and out the door, rushing for the car. But not before Sam saw what Adelyn had done. She breathed in sharp as she saw the panther nose in the middle of her friend’s face. It looked good on her, all things considered. But it meant that Adelyn had sacrificed more of her human self for this, to help her find Todd.

Todd was going to be so sad about that, but Sam found herself trying not to cry. It was a beautiful gesture, a beautiful change, a beautiful sacrifice. It hit her deep in the gut to know that Adelyn cared enough to help them like this. That was why she was watching Adelyn when her grandfather turned up at the door. She quickly whipped back around, turning her full attention to the older man.

“I’ll keep her safe. I promise. I won’t let her get hurt, sir.” She gave a nervous look, understanding what Adelyn has given up. From what Sam knew, Adelyn would always be this now. She wouldn’t ever be as human as she once was again. That was such a huge sacrifice. “Thank you. I mean, for the good hunting.”

She took a step back as the door started to close, heading back to the car to join Adelyn. She looked over her shoulder at the girl, her friend, and gave her a small smile. She waved to suggest the car was unlocked and she could get in.​

 

[Katpride]

Adelyn, hearing the door shut, cautiously peeks up over the hood of the car again. Her shoulders drop when she sees that it’s just Sam making her way back to the car, and she stands fully, a sheepish smile on her face. The wheels smell like rubber and road, and while she doesn’t mind getting so closely acquainted with them, exactly, she can’t say they’re her favorite smells ever. She’s glad to be out in the open air again, where the smells are more diffused.

Maybe she should’ve taken a little more time to figure out how her new nose works, before jumping into the search for Todd. But that would’ve meant talking to her grandparents, which would’ve meant talking to her parents (again), and she’s just not ready for that yet!

But she will be! … Eventually.

For now, she pulls lightly on the car door’s handle, tugging it open and propping it against her hip as she scoops up the backpack currently occupying her seat. She’s quick to bundle herself into the car, setting the backpack on her lap and letting the door fall mostly shut, kept open only by the light press of her hind paw.

She doesn’t open the backpack, although she’s itching to know what’s inside, but she does give it a very curious look as she waits for Sam to join her.

 

[Crow]

Sam took a few extra seconds than she needed, moved a little slower than she normally would have, to get to the car. And even then, she paused at the door. She had a deep apprehension about taking Adelyn where she was going to, but it was… necessary. She had a bag of his clothes in the trunk, but she knew that the crime scene where they had found his mask hadn’t been cleaned up by the city yet.

His blood was still there.

She knew it had been tainted chemically with bleach, but underneath that, the scent should have been the same. If she were right, that was. She also might be considering taking Adelyn to the crime scene for nothing. Maybe the scent on the clothes was enough. They were two weeks old, almost three at this point, and the scent had probably faded off them, but… it was worth a test shot.

She opened the door and slipped into the driver’s seat of the old Beetle. She stayed facing forward for a moment, then turned a tired smile onto Adelyn. As she had seen, the nose in the middle of the girl’s face was no longer human, but feline. It suited her, in a way, with her completely milky eyes. She took a breath and let it out slowly. She wasn’t sure what to say. Should she compliment the nose? Or not? Maybe she just didn’t address it. Adelyn knew she could see it. And she wasn’t about to scold her for it.

“Okay. I suppose we should get started immediately. The faster we do this, the faster we potentially find him. I have clothes that he wore the night before he disappeared. I don’t know if the scent is strong enough, but if it isn’t… I have somewhere I can take you. But if we go there, I’m going to ask that you wear one of my old masks. It will distort any camera footage, and keep them from being able to locate you.”

She reached back into the back seat, for the duffel with Todd’s clothes, then paused. She straightened back out. “If that sounds good to you. We’re doing this together, and I trust your judgment and want your input.”​

 

[Katpride]

Sam’s eyes keep drifting to Adelyn’s nose, and even though it’s clear that she’s trying not to stare, Adelyn shifts a little in her seat, uncomfortable with the attention.

She wonders, briefly, if it wouldn’t be better for her to wait and scrounge up some new boots and gloves after all, but almost as soon as she thinks about it, she felt a wave of stubborn pride wash over her, lending iron to her spine. She sat a little straighter, meeting Sam’s gaze squarely. There was something almost challenging in the motion, but she softens again when her friend starts to lay out the plan.

“Oh?” She hums when she mentions a place, her head tilting to the side in open curiosity. Then her nose wrinkles, the gesture turned foreign by the dark fur and shifted muscles beneath it, and she shakes her head in light negation. “Well, thank you, but no, I don’t want to wear a mask. I, um, I don’t think it would do much good anyway.”

Her front paw lifts from where it was resting on top of the backpack, and she curls and uncurls it by way of explanation. Then she lets it fall again, the curiosity back in her feline stare. “Who’s ‘them’, anyway?”

She knows all about the dangers of cameras. From what her parents told her, cameras are why Uncle Barclay couldn’t live near them for more than a couple months at a time, and a big part of why she couldn’t visit the town or talk to the locals. But she’s been living in the city for months now, walking around and talking to people and playing at normal, and cameras haven’t given her any more grief than anything else has, so she’s starting to think that maybe their stories were a little bit exaggerated. Besides, if she’s going to walk around with her panther parts uncovered then people are going to recognize her regardless of what else she hides, so what does it matter?

 

[Crow]

“Right. We haven’t talked about this much. I know you know I’m a vigilante. But that kind of puts me at odds with the police when I have to interact with them directly. The place I was going to possibly take you is… well, it’s the location I tracked him down to having disappeared from.” Sam sighed softly, grabbing the bag from the backseat. She pulled it forward and left it in her lap for a moment. “The mask would be to disguise you from any police cameras there. Since it’s technically a crime scene… there might be cameras.”

Sam shifted, her expression tight. She was uncomfortable with the idea of having to take Adelyn to where Todd had disappeared. It wasn’t something she wanted to do, but something that– if the clothes didn’t pan out– might be necessary. She hugged the bag to her chest, trying to find some sense of comfort in its weight. There was a terrible, gnawing hole inside of her chest, and it was forcing her to make difficult choices. Ones that could put others, like Adelyn, in danger. If she took Adelyn to the crime scene where Cryptid supposedly died, then she could be caught on camera. Even if it didn’t make the news that a small feline meta girl was running around with Phoenix– the police would still have her photo.

And that was dangerous.

“Masks are important for people like me. If I didn’t wear one, everyone would know it was me, and I’d get in a lot of trouble. It would also leave everyone I care about open to attacks. I don’t want that. It’s the reason I'm so careful. All my masks, even just the eye masks, are painted with a reflective paint that was developed to break facial recognition software. I understand if you don’t want to wear one; I just worry that if I take you to that spot, you might get caught up in all of this more than I’m dragging you in to begin with.”

Sam caught herself, cutting off her rambling explanation. She wasn’t sure how much Adelyn had figured out versus how much was obvious about what it was Sam did most nights. Either way, that was already more than she’d told anyone other than Todd in a long time about her vigilante habits.​

 

[Katpride]

Adelyn listens patiently, her expression sympathetic but unafraid. She knows that she should be afraid, at least a little bit, of where they might go and who might see them, but she can’t seem to muster up anything more than a twinge of unease, quickly smoothed over by an invisible paw. If she doesn’t want to hide anymore, she’s going to have to deal with being seen. That’s just the way it works. To shy away now would mean being untrue to herself, and that would be worse than anything else she could do.

When Sam is done, she tilts her head to the other side and shrugs her shoulders up in a tiny motion, eyes bright and clear and quietly confident as she says, “Then don’t take me there.”

It’s the simple answer, and even if it makes things a little harder she thinks she would feel better not having to go near too many cameras. Police or otherwise. She doesn’t want Sam to feel like she’s giving up, though, so she hurries to add, “We can go to his house or something first, somewhere he spent a lot of time. Somewhere that would smell like him. And then maybe we could walk around and see if anywhere smells like him that shouldn’t. We don’t have to go near the police camera place, unless that really is where he is. But it probably isn’t. You checked, right?”

Adelyn looks to her for confirmation, then nods, decisive. Her smile is small and sure, trying to radiate confidence for her worried friend. “We’ll find him, Sam. He can’t have fallen off the face of the Earth; he’s gotta be somewhere.”

 

[Crow]

“I checked. You’re right, we don’t have to go there unless we absolutely have to. It’s just the last place I know he was. I have some… ideas of where we can start. But we’ll swing by our— the apartments first.” Sam looked up at Adelyn and took in her confident smile. It was reassuring. It was reassuring that someone was confident they would find him. Once she had gotten over the fear that he had left her, Sam had acquired the fear that she would never be able to find him. She knew his vibrations, but that only helped if he was close.

She put the car into drive and took a deep breath. Her hands wrapped around the familiar steering wheel cover, with it’s multicolored threads. It was one of the few touches Alice had left on the car when she had died. Sam had more of Todd, more of his presence and things, but she’d be damned before she lost another soulmate. She and Adelyn would find him. Adelyn was taught how to track by Todd. He had told her he’d been working with their young friend. And if anyone was going to be able to hunt him down, it was her.

“Apartments. Let’s go.” The engine revved once, softly, as she pulled out onto the street and turned out of the idyllic suburb that Adelyn and her grandparents lived in. The drive to the apartments wasn’t very long, but it was made a bit longer by the traffic. Traffic that had Sam bouncing her right leg as she drove. Cars weren’t necessarily designed for left-handed people like herself. But she’d been taught by her mother, and her mother had learned to drive left handed specifically to teach her. As such, not only was Sam a good driver, she was a good driver who knew how to drive with her left foot.

It seemed such a strange thing to think about then. Thinking of when she had learned to drive, her mother laughing as she tried not to run stop signs and tried to break smoothly. Their little town had been the perfect place to learn to drive, and people had been so patient with her. None more than Amelia, her mother. She could see in her head, the woman who looked so much like her, so much so that Sam could have been mistaken for her now. She could see her laughing and smiling, her freckled face lighting up, her cloud of curls pulled back tight into a ponytail in a way Sam never quite learned to do.

Why? Why think of her mother now? Was it because she was afraid to lose anyone else? The way she had lost her family? The way she’d lost Alice?

Or was it that she wanted nothing more than to call her mom and cry?

She wanted her mother to reassure her that they would find Todd. She wanted her mother’s calm voice and gentle lilt to tell her she would be fine, that he was fine, that she would find him in time. That Adelyn was right. He hadn’t disappeared off the face of the Earth and they would find him.

She took a deep breath as they pulled up to the apartments. She couldn’t call her mom. She couldn’t do that now. Maybe when this was over, and Todd was back in her arms… but not now. For now, she would trust her friend. She would trust Adelyn to handle this. She believed in the girl, and she believed in her gifts. She parked the car in it’s usual spot and sighed, pushing her mass of curls back from her face. Then, she turned to her friend and gave her an attempt at a smile, one that came across as genuine, even though it was clearly tired and sad.

“Okay. Tell me what you need. I’ll support you on this. I have ideas of where to start when we leave, but I’m following you.”​