[To Tal & Eli]
"Tal. I would never be offended." Chrissy stated, moving aside and farther up the hill. She brushes dirt and dark, sticky ash from her clothing.
"You and I have different experiences. We should be able to look in on each other without being offended. I don't have much camping experience. I mostly noticed how small it was - I don't think more than one could squeeze in there. I was also looking for human remains and didn't find any."
Tal squeezes inside the den and looks about. It is pitch black requiring her to use a flashlight. Chrissy has one in her hand if Tal needs to borrow one.
To Tal alone-
The burned tree is only the camoflague covering to a cave. The entrance to the den is a crawlspace about five feet in diameter. There are clumps of dirt, rock and drying plants among the dirt floor. Moving within leads to a rough, uneven cavern roughly seven feet tall in the center with the cieling that slopes to three feet in the corners. It seems only about seven feet wide - it would be a snug fit for such a massive creature.
The area seems to be composed of rock and dirt. The dirt is cold and damp beneath your hands. It smells greatly of earth and living things. There is no smell of decomposure. Some worms wiggle in the dirt by your knees, but aside from them the den is silent as a tomb. Flicking the light to the far corner of the cave reveals a small collection of rocks worn smooth on all sides, perhaps from a river. The San Diego river is some ways away - perhaps a twenty minute drive? You could look it up. You also spy some greenery - greenery that would be out of place in this drought resistant environment. The greenery are sprigs of small, springy branches. Low branches of a tree, perhaps from the San Diego park.
The creature had brought camoflague aids - or perhaps means of concealing a den - from some distance away.
[Int + Investigation
or
Wits + Survival roll for Tal. If she shares what only she sees within the cavern, those within earshot (Eli, Chrissy, Jose) may make a roll as well. Angelo, Olivia and Rory up at the death scene are too far away. ]
[To Angelo, Rory and Olivia]
Angelo has lapsed into silence for some time, fiddling with his gadgets. After checking his phone, he says something important has happened and that he has to go. The beast is clearly dead and the threat mitigated anyway, right?
Angelo exits scene
Birds and small creatures tweet and scaamper around Olivia and Rory, always at the periperhal vision as they go about thier little lives. If the Jungle Book has taught you anything is that those monkeys had seemed pretty silent when that beast struck. You get the sense that the wilderness has relaxed around you.
[To Tal, Eli, Olivia & Rory]
Chrissy checks her cell phone. It must have been silented as you have heard nothing, but her thumb moves rapidly in the text screen.
Chrissy raises her voice, nearly shouting her words to reach Rory & Olivia who were nearly out of sight up on the path.
"There's a new hunter in town." Chrissy stated, some surprise in her voice. "Michael. Jay said he was waiting for us at the hall for a bit before he went out. He seems prepared to get to work as Jay has lent him a knife and stake already."
Chrissy types a reply as she speaks.
"He's heading back there in a few minutes and wants to join with your cell."
The blonde speaks in her normal tone to Eli, Tal and Jose.
"Jay says there's something that has developed since last night. A witness to a crime that we conveyed to the hospital last night has woken up. He says that there's someone who killed his two friends and that he hasn't said so to the police. He doesn't think that they can handle it." Chrissy looks weary.
"I'm going to head home to my family tonight. I'm not getting involved in something that killed two people within Santee limits."
She clearly is stating that her Union cell of Jay, Ethan and herself are not getting involved in this new hunt.
"I'm heading back to the Union Hall," Chrissy continues. "- and I'll give any one a ride who wants one. Jay says he's given the details that he knows to Michael and suggest that you interview Rob - the witness. Should I tell Jay to call Michael back to the Hall?"
"Why aren't you getting involved?" Jose seems confused. Maybe disenchanted.
"I'm not twenty years old anymore, Jose." Chrissy says, smiling ruefully. "I have a kid who wants me home. I have a full day at the clinic waiting for me tomorrow. And I'm not alone here anymore." She looks to Eli and Tal.
Jose looks conflicted. "This hunt is wrapped up, isn't it?"
"I don't see a threat." Chrissy replied. "And there isn't enough time in the world for me to have motivation to run down 'maybes' that don't end up in someone getting killed if I don't. Someone could check out some books on the subject of animals forced out of their habitats, work with Dr. Ross on identifying this or something, but..." Chrissy shakes her head. "- this is done for me. I'm not telling Dr. Ross what we found. She doesn't need to be poking around up here."
Bean
Cayce
DownsideUp
Record
West
Composure + Subterfuge (2 Succ)
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