The Other Half

**Malcolm Green** · Mar 14th, 2016 04:18 AM

"Hum. Yeah. Well... Someone is trying real hard to keep something or someone out. Real hard, yeah." The mountain did not move to touch either the baubles or the tell-tale smudge. He simply moved from window to window, checking each out with a grunt.

"Anything like this over by that wall. The false one, yeah. By the stove?" His question came as a surprise, given he was moving through the centre of the room at the time, staring down the passage to the front door, with his finger in his ear like he was having a scratch.

"'Cause. Yeah. I think the problem is with that wall."

He turned around and almost glared at the wall.

**Nathan Griffin** · Mar 14th, 2016 06:39 PM

While the others looked around, Nathan dedicated himself to wordlessly taking everything out of the oven: the porridge, the milk, and even the ant-covered... honey? Whatever. He put it all on the stove, in clear view of the others.

"Something is rotten," he said, sniffing and grimacing again. "I could swear something's been here. Some kind of... animal. And if I didn't know better, I'd swear someone's been feeding it."

He was about to hit the wall when he remembered Frances was still somewhere around. He was beginning to wonder if she had been honest with them. But why call them then? He shook his head, confused, and looked back to the wall.

"Wish we could just knock it down. I doubt she'd let us."

**InvertedMonkey** · Mar 14th, 2016 09:33 PM

Having drawn a different conclusion than Green, albeit made with information less complete, Ramona shrugs, "Seems more like she's been dabbling in every superstitious charm, ward, and blessing she's ever heard of. From the old, traditional, folk-lore-y junk to the new-age crystal shit. But yeah, definitely getting the 'keep out' vibe."

She glances at Nathan, not sure how he's so certain that there are animals involved, then glances at the wall. "Well... I don't know a ton about carpentry, but it's a space for an oven, right? Gotta have power, pipes, stuff like that. Which means you have to be able to access that area, for maintenance. Maybe there's a crawl space? Or you can get at it through the basement?"

**Malcolm Green** · Mar 17th, 2016 03:50 AM

"Huh? Feeding something?" Surprise rang in his voice as he returned to the wall. "I'd have thought something... um... darker... was going on. Yeah - there's blood over there. Blood to seal a ward, fix a ritual, whatever. Whoever set that knew exactly what they were doing."

His voice dipped as quiet as he could make it. Looking between his companions.

"We could ask Frances, I suppose."

Mar 18th, 2016 11:43 PM

As they spoke, Nathan's heightened smell continued to pick up the scent of damp fur, growing stronger the longer the cupboard door stood open.

"Don't call Frances."

The wall spoke, in a soft, reedy voice. Or had it been the cupboard? Shuffling and scratching followed the hesitant words, the sound of things in the cupboard being moved around.

**Malcolm Green** · Mar 19th, 2016 05:49 PM

The mountain moved.

First to the cupboard and the stove. Then to his knees. With heavy movements he inspected the cupboard, then the stove, then the cupboard again. Such was his curiosity that he forgot certain autonomic functions - his gemstone eyes remained wide open under his heavy brows.

"Anyone got a light?" A thick fingered hand cast about vainly. "Check my bag. Might have one in there."

There was no haste in his voice, nor fear or curiosity. He could have been talking about the weather.

**Nathan Griffin** · Mar 19th, 2016 06:51 PM

"Something darker?" he raised an eyebrow. "Like what? I'm thinking my imagination isn't twisted enough to follow," he knelt down in front of the wall and sniffed even louder. "We could..."

Before he could finish the voice spoke up. The Hunterheart raised his head, somehow bringing to mind a canine trying to identify a sound.

"Let me guess. We found a pipe to the Mushroom Kingdom. Dibs on the princess," he went to Green's bag and rummaged through it. If he found a light he would hand it to the Mountain.

**InvertedMonkey** · Mar 20th, 2016 11:38 PM

Before Nathan's through, Ramona's produced a flash-light, found easily in her own pack, and pressed the handle into Malcolm's palm. The tiny voice had surprised her. Drawing the gun had been a strong thought, but she'd decided not to, so far. "... Hello?" Ramona asks the walls, feeling ridiculous.

**Malcolm Green** · Mar 21st, 2016 03:24 AM

Green accepted Ramona's flashlight, flipped it on, and made to peer into the confines of the cupboard. When Nathan appeared at his shoulder with the other light, the big Elemental grunted and shuffled around as best he could.

"Hold it... There. Yeah. Nah - bit to the left. I'll hold this here, see. We can get more light in this way. Hey... Ramona. Uh stand here. Yeah. What can you see."

Green was just too big, so he shuffled about giving the others a better view.

Mar 22nd, 2016 01:50 AM

Inside the cupboard, dry ingredients had been pushed aside to form a path that lead to the back, where something that looked remarkably like a small, crude door stood open. Beyond it, darkness that ostensibly lead to the inside of the odd wall. After a moment something stirred behind the flour sack and a small hairy face appeared, peeking around it. Eyes narrowed against the light, it shuffled forward, looking for all the world like a tiny, stooped man with drooping features and a full-body beard. Only his nose, ears and hands were hairless, delicate fingers raised to block out some of the glare.

"Is Frances there?" The hob moved a little closer, hesitant. "She isn't... I'm not supposed to... I heard you talking and there was g-glamour on the air, so I thought, I thought maybe..." Hunching forward, his eyes glimmered wetly and his soft, hollow voice dropped to nearly inaudibility. "Are you here to help?"

The Other Half

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