Where Do I Go From Here?

Izel Demirtaş / 31 years old Owner of Old Town Inn, home of the Hexmore occult town tour

[oldtownizel]

Name: Izel Demirtaş Age: 31 years old Species: Human Time in Hexmore: 20 years Occupation: Owner of Old Town Inn

Background | Stats | Wanted Connections

[steelknivesx]

who: Rory Mora & open

where: Hiking trail

Paranoia was starting to set in for Rory. After what she'd seen... after everything Tej had said. Ashed's attack. She was starting not to trust anyone, especially those inside her own coven. It was becoming clear something more was going on inside Hexmore.

Someone wanted people to think she was responsible for her aunt's disappearance. She'd walked along the trail for a few minutes, aware of someone behind her before turning on her heel. "Whoever you are and whatever you want... i am not in the mood today." She called out towards the trees.

[oldtownizel]

To be fair to Rory and her sudden reaction, Izel should have said something when she noticed the woman on the same trail. Instead, she ended up pursuing after Rory, just to make sure it actually was her. It was a slow realization of how unnerving and threatening that would seem to anyone, since the only thought on Izel's mind was that she didn't want to embarrass herself by calling out to the wrong person. So when Rory called out to her, frantic tone of voice, she raised up her hands defensively to show she came in peace.

"Hwy, whoa. It's just me. Sorry, I should have made myself known, I couldn't tell it was you right away." She explained, looking over Rory's facial expression with concern. "Are you doing ok? You seem a bit...jittery. Not that you don't have a right to be with how I kind of stalked you up here but...just want to make sure it isn't more than that."

[ashnadir]

Ashed gazed at Izel with no small amount of sympathy. He hated this sort of thing, admittedly. As much as he thought normal humans should know the truth, it was sights like this - of Izel, a reputable and helpful, normal human - being brought to her knees in fear and confusion. A worldview shaken and here she was, demanding he rationalize and explain it for her. It would be this moment where his father would've tried to charm his way out of this, or his mother would've just swallowed the blame and moved on with no regret.

But Ashed had little charm, and yet he couldn't brush things off as easily as mum. He felt for Izel, but he had no idea how to fix things for her.

Other than to tell her the truth.

First, Ashed went to the window, poking his head outside of it and looking around. The night was silent, and instinct alone told him that the room itself was no longer 'possessed' or haunted or whatever was going on. It wasn't a ghost, as ghosts lingered and rarely left their residence. This was something temporary. Something had been placed in this room. To torment him, or Izel?

He returned to Izel, and knelt on one knee to face her. "This wasn't me. Think about what happened, Izel. I couldn't possibly have caused all this damage in the space of a few seconds, not without some effort. And there's no one else here. It's just us. I've got nothing to gain from this."

In her state, she would call him a nutter and demand he leave now. If he tried to explain, Izel wouldn't believe him. Unless, of course... "Can you truly tell me that you've never encountered anything strange or inexplicable in Hexmore, before tonight? All your life here - nothing bizarre?"

A sigh, as Ashed looked around the room. "Please let me help straighten the room up before I check out. It's a shame; I really do like your Inn, and staying here."

[oldtownizel]

Izel didn't fully understand that pinning this on Ashed was irrational. He was the only one here, who else could have done it? Not that she could even formulate a thought on how he did it, but it had to be him. He lied about who he was and was sneaking around her inn, the easiest person to blame was him even if it didn't make sense.

"If this wasn't you and some...I don't know, elaborate scheme, some type of Punk'd reality show then..." What was it? He filled the silence from her trailing off to question whether she had experienced weird things here in town. Izel wanted to scoff and simply wave off such a strange and unnecessary question. As if he knew anything about the town she had spent more than half her life in. "Hexmore has always been a little strange. But it's a tourist town. We live off of things being a little off." She explained as if it was as simple as that. Because it should be as simple as that, a funny little town built off the occult town history that they so confidently and proudly showed off.

But there was at least one weird thing that she didn't admit to Ashed. Her brothers sudden desire to leave town without a trace. It could always chock up to a hidden disdain for his family and Hexmore as a whole, something he kept secret even from Izel, but ever since he "left" four years ago, there was always doubt. She kept silent though, because that weird wasn't the same type of weird as this.

"You don't have to do that." She weakly attempted to reassure as Ashed offered to help clean up. But it did remind her, in her frozen state of confusion that he had come here, under a fake name, with a curious reason and an interest in the town. "Why are you here, Ashed? Here in Hexmore."

[noctxrne]

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑: open​​​​ (@hexstarters) 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: hexmore general

❛ YOU WERE SO BRAVE, MY DARLING, ❜ Anastasia smoothed the girl's hair back, her tearstained cheeks finally drawn up in a smile as she followed her mother from the room. The smell of blood still hung in the air, a vestige of the chaos that had first befallen the exam room. Melanie's scrape had appeared worse than it really was, a mishap with the sharp end of a knife bringing her and her frantic mother into Anastasia's waiting room. Five stitches and she was as good as new.

As she threw away the soiled gauze, the coppery odor rested as little more than a dull ache in her throat. It was paired with something else, she noted then, a presence lingering in the doorway. ❛ It’s rude to linger. Especially, in doorways. ❜

[oldtownizel]

In Izel's opinion, a simple fainting spell at work wasn't anything that warranted a trip to the doctors office. But her family and even a couple employees at the inn were concerned so, here she was. It would be quick, in and out and then she could get back to work. She ignored the thought of when did she become such a workaholic, not wanting to unpack that now in the clinic waiting room.

Izel was patient enough, advised that the doctor was dealing with a child that needed stitches. Definitely not something to rush, but when she was advised to make her way into the doctors office to wait, she didn't expect to be a bother.

The lingering was unintentional but the sound of the doctors voice distracted her, left Izel standing in the doorway staring at her with the mother and daughter. "Sorry, sorry about that. I didn't mean to be rude. I'll uh-I'll wait for you in here." She replied sheepishly as she moved away to sit in the office. Why did she do that? The conversation wasn't particularly interesting, so what compelled her to suddenly freeze like that? Now she just hoped she wouldn't get scolded again when the doctor returned.

[ashnadir]

Ashed knew better than to invite Izel to go first, take the first risk. His heart was pounding with anticipation and his family's first Golden Rule: protect innocents first.

And with his parents both dead and no more Nadirs to rely on, what was the first thing Ashed did? Break that rule. He was a dickhead, just like one of his cousins used to say. Only his parents made him any good.

Because he didn't stop Izel. As if to try and teach her a lesson, he just let her side-step to the bed to inspect it. Ashed raised his hands. "I have no interest in pointless pranks, I assure you. This...this feels more serious, I was just trying - actually Izel, let me look under the -" Ashed suddenly rushed forward, his conscience overruling his pettiness. He didn't want Izel to get hurt, it would be so wrong to have her harmed by supernaturals whilst he just stood there and watched.

He rushed forward, but Izel had already lifted the bedskirt and duvet and....nothing. She saw nothing, and neither did Ashed. He gently moved Izel off to the side with an outstretched arm. "Stand back," he ordered, and crept onto his hands and knees, flashing his phone light under the bed.

Nothing.

Ashed looked up at Izel. "I -" he started, but was cut off by the same scratching noise, coming from inside the closed front closet. Ashed sat back on his heels, looking up at Izel. "Please, stay put. I'll look, yeah? I just - I just want you safe, alright? And by the way - yeah, I reckoned you'd be kicking me out, I'll check out immediately. Just...let me do this first, alright?"

Ashed approached the closet door, ready to fight. The moment he flung the door open, the room was thrown into darkness. The bed rattled, the dresser mirror cracked, and a scream rushed past Ashed, past Izel, and flung itself out the window, shattering the glass.

Once the lights turns back on, the whole room was in disarray, but they were alone. Th closet was empty. "Izel...are you alright?" What did he say here? Should he excuse this as tricks and bad wiring and old houses? Or...what would happen if he just told her the truth? Another Nadir Hunter rule: never tell the normies the truth. A rule that Ashed never understood, honestly.

"What d'you think just happened? Because...I've got my own ideas of what happened, but I'd rather hear yours."

[oldtownizel]

It was frustrating, it was unsettling, all of these oddities occuring around her just felt like she was being tested. Could she deal with vandals and petty pranksters and still run her business while nosey reviewers like Ashed ran amuck in her inn? Nothing like this had ever happened here, not once did she have to go any further than a simple warning and threat of being kicked out to stop some unruly guests. But this felt like it was going too far. Sometimes she could be a pushover it meant keeping a guest happy, but she wasn't going to let Ashed get away with this…whatever it was.

Izel didn't pick up on his change of tone, the switch from petty annoyance to concern was lost in the heat of her own frustrations on the situation. Whatever was going on was hard to explain. The scratching under the bed coming from nothing, only to soon be coming from the closet. No way an animal could have scurried so silently from under the bed, and slip into the closet unnoticed. "What's going-" she started, the only question in her mind right now being what is going on.

She didn't understand it, but now Ashed was taking the lead, telling her to stay back as she just watched from the bed side. What was he talking about wanting her safe? What the hell did he put in this closet that could jeoprodize her safety?

Suddenly, all the lights in the room went out, and everything was shaking like they were in the middle of an earthquake. Izel felt a pit in her stomach, this sudden wave of dread washing over her as a dark, burst of smoke breezed past her. She thought she heard shrieking her ears as it did but couldn't figure out where it could have come from. All of these sensations together brought Izel to her knees, eyes shut, arms wrapped over her head as protection. But everything ended quickly. The lights began to flicker back on and after a moment, Izel opened her eyes and timidly looked up and around at the state of the room. Broken glass, furniture askew and toppled over, and then Ashed, standing over her calm and collected for the most part.

"What did you do?" She asked, sounding almost horrified. How could he not be involved in this? "I have no idea what just happened so if you do, you better explain yourself right here and now. We don't get earthquakes around here but that sure felt like one. The scratching, the lights, the smoke…the screams. If this is a trick it's incredibly intricate and elaborate but for what? What's your problem? Why are you here?"

[pushthesky-away]

“No, we can’t have you crying your eyes out for months, regretting this once in a lifetime chance,” he deadpanned. “Plus, this is really the only choice. Coming along with me.” Tej smiled wide with a flash of teeth. “I could also use some ideas on how to spruce the place up. Make it really classy, hm?” An ego stroke for Izel was painless and perhaps a few decent ideas might come from it. Tej looked at her curiously. “Do you play an instrument?” She never mentioned, but then again their conversations usually revolved around an absent brother. “Or sing?”

Izel had a defense already built and ready to go. It did not take long to accept defeat. His grin faded somewhat when the topic of Hazel Mora’s disappearance came up. “Mhm.” Didn’t exactly lift the mood. The infernal Supreme the center of attention even after someone did the town a favor by making Hazel vanish. “Yeah, I get that,” he murmured quietly with a decision to let the subject trail off, just as he did. 

“I don’t think it’s boring,” Tej assured even as he lied: realistically, yeah. Seemed boring as fuck. To putter around a musty old inn, or guide the dusty old guests around town. Especially for someone who looked like that. A waste to be locked away in essentially a stuffy crypt in a town that had seen better days. “I think not talking about the inn sounds… well, we don’t have to deny its existence. Nothing so drastic. But perhaps five minutes without talking about it might do some good? I’ve been told I’m excellent at helping people get their mind off things.” 

Tej checked his phone and glanced around. The real estate agent ran late (rude). He motioned for Izel to follow along the side of the building. Another door was checked (locked) as well as a window (also locked). Then, his head tipped upwards at the zig zag of a fire escape. Tej jumped to grab the bottom rung of the ladder to pull down. Izel would still need a boost to reach, which meant the day was looking up. “Let’s see if any of those windows are unlocked.” 

Tej knew for certain the one was– he unlocked it himself during the first walk-through with the real estate agent. He held out a hand. “Come on, I’ll help you up.”

[oldtownizel]

The way Tej grinned at her, a wide and confident smile that was so effortless, how could one not follow along with him? It made Izel ponder for a moment, if Murat had the same thought when he was spending time with Tej before he left. She never knew for sure what their relationship was, Murat insisted they were friends but to trust Tej with such a huge secret that he didn't even tell his family, there had to be something more, right?

"I used to play the piano. Took lessons when I was younger but its nothing more than a party trick now. There's a couple songs I remember how to play but that's about it." She answered, not that she was ever expecting the music lessons to get her anywhere. It was a fun skill to have, something that kept her occupied until she eventually got tired of being cooped inside practicing songs over and over. Oh how the tides have shifted now. Just as Tej pointed out, her always being confined to her Inn more and more these days. Her younger self would be shaking her head at her for getting so boring.

Tej was nice enough to try and reassure her, though there was a part of her that didn't really believe he felt that way. "Yeah, it's okay, you can say it. Izel is getting boring in her old age. Forgetting how to have a little fun once in a while." She was playful about it, not bitter or resentful of the idea that her slowly losing her sense of adventure was a negative. "I think five minutes is manageable. And I don't doubt your ability to keep people… distracted."

He started looking around the building, not saying anything before his head tilted back slightly, up towards the fire escape. Her initial reaction was to object, but she could hear her 20 year old self in her mind telling her how much she would have loved the thrill. So instead of questioning the offer, Izel flashed a smile and went along with it. Taking his hand she let him help her up the fire escape, following him up to the windows for this studio space he was looking at.

"Is this the kind of stuff you'd drag my brother out to do?" A question that was seemingly innocent but with how much Izel had pestered Tej about Murat it would be easy enough to know that there was more to come. "Just a simple answer, yes or no is all I need. Have you talked to him lately? Has he told you what he's been up to, where's he's been?" She asked, not even waiting for him to try and change the subject up on her. It had been four years since her brother left and any piece of information that she hoped Tej would have would help keep her sane.

[steelknivesx]

@izel and Killian Caruso

Location: Around town

Killian had made some mistakes in his life. His marriage, his relationship with his brothers, with his father. In fact, there were very few people he hadn't alienated in name of pack business. He served the pack, the good of wolves. And in the end... that didn't always end up well for him. Actually, it left him sat on a porch with his dog as his best friend in the world.

He lifted his coffee to his lips and when he saw Izel he too and when she looked in his direction, there was no avoiding her anymore. He half smiled, standing to his feet. "Uh... hey. Long time no see." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I hope you're doing well." His words were robotic and awkward. But he hoped she didn't pick up on that.

[oldtownizel]

Izel didn't mean to stare off vacantly at Killian for as long as she did, long enough for him to notice and address her that is. She was feeling out of it, overcome by what she believed was a change in this town she thought she knew for the past twenty years. Her mind was simply racing with questions about what was really going on around here, the logical explanation for why things were so off, so…strange.

"Hey, yeah it's been a while." At least a while in terms of actually spending time together like when they...was 'dated' even the right word? Izel realized now that what they had wasn't exactly healthy. A warm body to help from feeling so alone. But even then he was always at arms length, just in case.

She had seen him around town, it was impossible not to in a town like this, but conversation was less common. "I'm doing good, sorry for spacing out like that, I didn't mean to make you feel like you had to talk to me. I've just been...thinking." Great, that wasn't vague at all. Izel gently shook her head, pausing for a moment, thinking about voicing her current concerns. "You ever feel like this place has been getting a little weird? Or I guess, weirder than normal?"

[oldtownizel]

closed for: @theimanidavis location: Pete's Bar

Izel was on edge with how strange things were seeming to get around town lately. She already understood from talking with Tej that throwing herself into her work wasn't a healthy alternative, but she felt more energized, more herself when it came to expanding and improving her business. It was an easy enough distraction. Maybe she could mix the two options though, going out and doing work, that would make both activities more enjoyable.

Perhaps having a business meeting of sorts in a bar was a bit unorthodox, but Imani didn't refuse to meet her here when she suggested it, so Izel considered that a good sign. This wasn't some excuse to get wasted and completely forget about their next plans as business coordinators, but a drink or two to take the edge off could help.

"So I've been thinking, the promotions have been going pretty well, but maybe we can put on a bigger event of some kind. Something more than just discounted theater tickets for booking a room. Something fun and entertaining to drum up excitement for both the inn and the theater."

[ashnadir]

Hearing Izel chastising him was almost calming in its normalcy. After all, he and his parents had been 'caught' by other innocent humans before, confusion and suspicion aroused. And for good reason, since the 'Hunter' job was as secretive as supernaturals themselves. An inexplicable and thankless occupation.

As Izel neatly pointed out all the holes in his story, Ashed gazed around the room, trying to find any traces or signifiers of supernatural (witch?) activity. This would be his only chance. He was probably going to be forced to check out and leave Old Town Inn, with Izel's patience completely worn out. He wished his father was here. His baba was the sweetest between the trio, more affable and kind than Ashed and ammi. He'd had a knack for calming people; Ashed had a knack for inciting them.

"Oh please. This Inn is quite intimate and I know all the other guests. I thought it might be..." The most easy fallback excuse. "...bored teenagers, playing some sort of prank on you. I'm sure you rank quite high in their list of pretty ladies to tease in this little town." Of course that still was no reason for Ashed to come here alone, but he just needed to stall for time at this point.

He looked behind the little breakfast nook, then under the writing desk. "Putting my little markings?" he scoffed. "Like a wolf, is that what you mean? I -"

As Ashed approached the bed, the duvet shivered, and somethin scraped underneath the bed skirts. A loud, sudden, scritching sound that jiggled the bed, then stopped. Ashed stared, then looked at Izel smugly. His tone wry when he motioned. "Go on. Aren't you going to check it out yourself, Ms Owner? It's probably just a rabid raccoon, yeah. Hope you got all your shots."

[oldtownizel]

Izel herself had been under the impression that there were teenagers messing around in here, either purposely trying to cause a ruckus or simply spoiled kids who had never been told no and thought they could act however they wanted in public spaces. But she didn't believe Ashed for one minute, he had no right to be snooping whether or not he thought he was being helpful like he claimed. "No offense, but with how weird you've been acting since you got here, I'm pretty sure your actions are anything but chivalrous."

Their back and forth was interrupted by the sound of something scraping under the bed and then suddenly shook the frame. He pointed towards the noise from under the bed and taunted her. Whatever that sound was, Izel didn't like the sound of it, and the way he tried to issue this challenge as the owner of this inn to see what it was, made it sound like he was incredibly aware of what it was. "What are you playing at here? Sneaking in here with vermin? Are you trying to sabotage my business or something?" Not that she had any idea why Ashed would want to do that. Unless he just enjoyed ruining peoples livelihoods, which could be entirely possible.

"If you brought in some rabid raccoon into my inn then you're gonna grab it yourself and take it with you to some other establishment that will take you. Because you are certainly not staying here anymore." Izel wasn't entirely sure what it was that was still clawing at her floorboards underneath the bed, but it was getting louder, like something desperate to get out. She found a spot to lift the bed cover up and not be in the way of this things direct line of freedom, expecting it to shoot out the moment it saw light. But when she lifted the duvet, nothing came sprinting out and the scratching slowly stopped.

Izel glanced up at Ashed as if he could explain but after a pause she bent down to check under the bed, prepared for a distressed cat or dog or a more exotic type of pet that he might have snuck in, only to find…nothing. Nothing? Her head shot up and looked around the room to see if it somehow scurried out and she missed it but her and Ashed were in this room alone. "What the hell is going on here?"

[ashnadir]

Ashed would have heard Izel chiming out 'housekeeping' easily, if it weren't for someone else whispering suddenly into his ear, right at the same time:

'leave now, Hunter scum'

He spun in the dark, torch flashing around - nothing. No sign of a person before him, but they could've retreated into the shadows. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible. Someone knew. Someone in Hexmore knew he was a Hunter/ Which meant...someone in this silly little town actually was supernatural!

His heart thumped so loudly, that by the time he heard the room door unlock, he only had time to rush towards the open window, before Izel flicked on the room's lights. He looked absolutely caught in the act; Ashed couldn't even imagine the ashen, stricken look on his face right now. Hopefully not foolish looking.

"Erm," Ashed said. Usually so quick with an answer, a fib, a way to smooth things over between Hunter and innocent human. The warning like ice water in his brain - why a warming? Why not just attack him?

"No! No of course it wasn't me! This place - it. It's right above my bloody room," Ashed spluttered. That didn't explain why he was inside the room, though. "The door was unlocked when I came in. I...I thought it was...I thought it was a prank." Lying to placate Izel felt wrong.

Ashed's voice more stern, more strong when he asked, "Are you sure this room isn't occupied, Izel?"

[oldtownizel]

Trying to flee the scene of the crime, if she was any later Ashed would have been out that window as if nothing ever happened. Izel was staring at him, mouth agape as she tried to process what she was seeing. She was already getting weird vibes from him, but she assumed he was just a bit of a creep who had no understanding of how to hit on women. But now here he was, causing disruptions and breaking into rooms, cause for all she knew, this wasn't the first one.

Even as he tried to claim it wasn't him, it was a hard sell given the position he was currently in. "Right, okay and instead of telling, I don't know, the owner, you decide to just waltz in after hearing too much noise above you?" It didn't make sense to her at all. If he was just an innocent bystander to whatever shenanigans, he would have reported what he heard instead of investigating himself. "And say that I believe that excuse. You heard noise from the room above yours and you went to take matters into your own hands and just enter cause the door was unlocked, you do realize that's just as bad, if not worse. This could have been someones private room you just burst into!"

But luckily nobody was staying here this time. Though Izel wasn't sure why he getting so serious about whether someone was actually staying here or not. It wasn't like she genuinely believed he wasn't the culprit in all of this. "I'm sure you already know that nobody is staying here. That's probably why you're sneaking around in here, taking things, putting your little markings around the place, using an empty room so it won't be traced back to you. Look, just tell me the truth of what you're doing around here and maybe I won't get the cops involved."

[ashnadir]

location: old town inn @oldtownizel

So much for a night in. Ashed wanted to get some reading done, from the book he'd managed to nab from the town Library. A book on the history of Hexmore, which seemed relevant. But naturally this was the one evening that the usually quiet Inn suddenly came to life. Or rather, it seemed the noise was centred to one location, right above Ashed.

He wasn't sure if Izel was here; and honestly after their awkward tour of the town (thorough, but just...not enjoyable? For either of them) he didn't want to engage with her. She'd probably just assume he was trying to hit on her again, badly.

So Ashed put his book away, equipped his hunting knife and torch, and trotted upstairs. That interminable scraping sound was definitely coming from Room 304, right above him. And the smell...like burning copper, acrid and irritating. The closer he got, it sounded accompanied by a gibbering sort of chant - done under the breath, furtive and quick.

A witch? Ashed's first thought, but as his dad always reminded him: reasonable explanation first! He needed hard evidence of supernatural activity. He could not kill innocent humans on conjecture alone.

Ashed used the window in the hallway to climb out of the Inn, scale the trellis outside, and jimmy Room 304's window open. He crept in - to utter silence. The gibbering - gone. The scraping - gone. Even the burning coppery smell, replaced by the inoffensive scent of Febreeze and Lysol cleaner.

"What in god's name..." he muttered.

[oldtownizel]

It felt as if the past few weeks things have been a little strange around the inn. Izel kept a pretty close eye on her darling business, so when things seemed to be going missing or be moved, when there seemed to be strange marks and symbols drawn in places she was positive there wasn't anything before, she was starting to get more and more miffed. Her immediate thought was it had to be some kids acting up. This place drew in many occult fans and witchy wannabe's who liked to cause some mischief so that had to be what was going on this time around too.

Keeping an eye out and listening carefully for any clues, she wanted to find out who the culprit was. So when she started hearing noises from a room on the third floor of course she was going to investigate! Izel didn't recall room 304 being occupied so she wondered how someone got inside in the first place.

Most of what she heard with her ear to the door was muffled. Someone, (or maybe even multiple people?), shuffling around inside, hushed voices she could barely make out, with the occasional sounds of banging or scratching.

It was when she could smell something burning where she felt she had to get involved. A gentle knock on the door with a polite introduction, "housekeeping!" to get the attention of whoever was on the other side. There was no answer, there was complete silence now, no matter how much she strained to listen. Well, she was going to get to the bottom of this then, taking her master key and unlocking the door to a surprising sight.

"Ashed? What are you doing here?" She asked, startled and upset to see him standing in this completely empty room that wasn't his. "Are you the one that's been making all this commotion?"

[pushthesky-away]

Izel teased. Tej responded in kind with a slow, wicked smile. "Nah, just been taking an extra coffee with me everywhere. Hoping one day I'd run into you. It's finally paid off." Tej achieved the point in extended life where blood was sustenance. For the most part. But sometimes, the curve of Izel's lips redirected his gaze to her neck, to her wonderfully slender wrist, and...

In the moment, he had to settle for a drink of coffee. About as exciting as ash in his mouth.

His attention snapped back to the nearby building. "It's a bit of both. I've outgrown my ratty old rehearsal space. And, well. I've got a bigger plan." Truthfully, Tej didn't often seek out company, but he played along. "Can't tell you what I'm investing in if you don't want to come along with me. What can I say, I want your opinion on it."

Perhaps there was another motive too. Another disappearance had to weigh on Izel's mind. Her brother's memory would bloom like mold on a leaky windowsill. Unfortunately, Tej needed to clean it up. Keep it at bay until more drastic measures were needed.

Of course, he'd wait for her to bring up the topic of her fuckwit brother. He gestured for Izel to follow across the square. "The real reason I came here... yeah, I do actually want to show you what I'm doing." A nod to the building, and he bumped playfully into her, arm to arm. "I wanted to see how you were doing too. Check in, make sure you're not locking yourself away in that stuffy old inn."

A thoughtful pause, brown eyes turned soft around the edges. "Or running those tours. And I can already hear you denying it too. So if I'm wrong, tell me how. Tell me three things you've done this week that haven't had anything to do with that damn inn."

[oldtownizel]

Izel couldn't help but smile at the somewhat ridiculous claim. Tej, as charming as ever, making it hard to refuse the extra drink he arrived with. It seemed so effortless for him, like no matter what her mood and attitude towards him was, she still felt compelled to soften up. It was a bit annoying, like a school girl with a crush, even though the main thing Izel wanted out of him was information.

"Alright, if you're gonna say it like that. I will admit that wanting my opinion on something like this is a bit of an ego boost. So I know I'll regret missing out on this if I say no." She told him, feeling a bit more prideful at the idea of her opinion being wanted. Izel had worked hard on the business that she ran, and while she wouldn't consider herself an expert by any means, it still was nice to hear that her opinion on the topic mattered to someone.

Though, even with the kind sentiment of her opinion holding some weight to him, Izel didn't expect his interest in how she had been doing and handling things. She didn't really think of them as being that close, but maybe she had been misinterpreting things this whole time. "That's–hey, that's totally unfair! I don't spend every second of every minute at the inn or doing tours." She still tried to defend herself but even she could see it wasn't working at all. "It's just been a little busy that's all…" letting out a sigh, she was forced to concede. "Alright, fine, I haven't really been doing much of anything these past few weeks. And it's a little hard to go out and enjoy yourself when there's so much talk about Hazel's disappearance going around."

Was she throwing herself into her work because of that? Maybe unintentionally so, perhaps that was something Tej was able to pick up on without Izel even realizing it herself. "Okay, I get it. I've been a boring workaholic for a little while. So I won't talk about the inn, it doesn't exist, how's that sound?"

[ashnadir]

"I've got a very keen eye." Ash took it as a compliment, and tapped the notes she'd already jotted down with his complaints. A hum as he listened to the summary of her lifestory - much more edited than her previous prattle. Was he taking up too much of her time? Did she have places to go and things to do that didn't include entertaining her guest?

She had a question and Ashed kindly answered that first. "Hexmore is a tourist town, yeah? Full of...magic and fairy-tale charm. I'm here to review it, as a whole. My experience here, and that. Bring more tourists in, hopefully. You should appreciate that, considering your business." And then, "What made your family move here from Turkey, anyway? Big on fairy tales, or just big on the hospitality industry?"

Ashed gave a light laugh that was meant to be amused and delightful, but fell short. And sounded more condescending. "Relax, Izel, I'm only having you on. Joking about. I suppose I'm not very good at, erm, being casual. My dad was the chatty one in my family." He took after his mum - more formal, somewhat humourless...Ashed was trying, at least.

But even Ashed could tell he was losing Izel. He might not be that good with people, but he could read simple body language; and her pleasant customer service facade was fading rapidly. Had he said something wrong? He was trying to be playful and flirty, talking about a 'solo-tour' laden with innuendo. Had he missed the mark on that? His experience in chatting people up was low, and Ashed only realized this the longer he Hunted solo.

"Ninety-five's fine," he quickly agreed, maybe a little too quickly. A tug on his collar, and an attempt at a smile. "I'm not proposing anything, it's merely a service," he said, which really only made it sound worse. He looked at the little plastic stand that contained an advert of the tour and tapped it. "Spooky tour - so it's at night? I can meet you back here tonight, then?"

[oldtownizel]

He answered her question and maybe if she wasn't already a bit weirded out by the guy, she might have happily played along with his point about seeing the magic of the town and the defensiveness of how she should be happy about that. But that sounded like work, unless it was a personal passion project of his to bring tourists in. "Oh, it is much appreciated that you're looking to review it and help us out. I thought you said you were here for personal reasons?" She tilted her head, looking confused, maybe a bit clueless but making sure not to lead him to a yes or no answer.

"My parents were looking for a different lifestyle. The whole American Dream, give your kids a better life kind of deal. We settled here cause the history of the town just seemed really fascinating. We didn't start off big on fairytales but it grew on us."

Izel wasn't sure how she was supposed to tell Ashed was joking. He seemed like the type to give a bribe, and now she wondered if this review gig of his resulted in a lot of bribes. She had no interest in bribing him, or accepting any bribe for whatever reason. "Maybe I'm just not good at picking up on that sort of thing." It was easier to put the blame on herself without completely meaning it. Perhaps they were both a little stiff, him because he wasn't very good with pleasantries and her because she couldn't recall ever meeting someone like him before.

He easily agreed to her price and Izel wondered if maybe she should have jacked the price up higher. No deliberation or bargaining, just an easy yes. "Ok...ninety five it is." She agreed, writing it down for herself so that she didn't forget. There shouldn't be any problem though, she could handle a simple solo tour, surely she was just misreading Ashed's intentions and the way he spoke. So she tried to relax, it was probably so obvious how weird she was acting. "Oh, yeah, sometimes it's at night, really fits the mood of the tour. So, yeah later tonight should be...perfect." Izel smiled, already making mental notes of how she was going to handle this, just in case this ended up as a worst case scenario.

[steelknivesx]

Alden smiled, watching the tour guide speak. He was fascinated by the way mortals thought, although that wasn't always the case the older he got, the more interested he became. Perhaps it was because the older he got the further away he grew from his own humanity. Perhaps, he needed to understand what it was that could still make him feel human. He raised a brow, leaning back on his chair, his arms behind his head. "Yes? And what have you uncovered personally?"

This time he leant forward. He knew much about the town, but most of what he knew came from his own personal experience. Or stories passed down from other vampires. But some of the thing Izel covered in her tours... he wondered how she had found the information. Her talent was unquestionable. And that was the second reason for his interest in the tour guide.

He smiled gently. Had he been testing her all along? Or simply playing games? He wasn't sure even he could tell. But he was intrigued by the woman, that he knew. "It's your career, you'd be a fool not to take it seriously." He pulled an old leather bound journal out of his book. He wasn't going to let her have full rein over the journal. But he was curious as to what she may think of it. He tapped his fingers over the dusty cover, before pushing it across the table to her. "It belonged to a friend." He explained. "Research of... sorts." Mariana had always been obsessed with the macabre and the mystical and that included many writings about Hexmore. "Take a look please, perhaps we can help eachother. I feel like i've been staring at these words for decades." He chuckled to himself.

[oldtownizel]

What had she uncovered? Not much honestly, everything she assumed was just that, assumption and speculation. Especially when he looked at her so innocently, it made it easier to believe that his intentions weren't negative. "Well I'm currently uncovering that maybe I jumped the gun a little bit here. Trust me when I say starting up this tour has had a few people here and there who liked to show up and make it into some kind of joke. Granted, most of them were bratty teenagers but, adults can be brats too."

Izel was curious about his own experience with this topic. Her own family didn't chose Hexmore because of the aesthetic and folklore of the town but it would make sense that it might be a factor for others. And it sounded like he did genuinely take an interest in the topic so perhaps that was what drew him here. She was going to ask about what brought him to Hexmore but before she could start, he suddenly pulled out an old, leather bound book. That definitely stopped her in her tracks and piqued her interest. Her jaw dropped slightly, looking a bit impressed as he slid the book over, even if she didn't know what it was yet, it must have been important and relevant if he was passing it to her.

"Okay, that's pretty cool. Your friend did their own research? Honestly, they've got style if they wrote notes in a book like this." She mused, a smile spreading across her face, excited to see what was inside. "I guess this friend of yours taught you everything you know? This book seems pretty hefty. And is this just like, general research or Hexmore specific?" Before opening it, she quickly flipped through the pages, wanting to see how much of this journal was actually filled out, it would definitely take time for her to get through it in detail. A pause, as she took a moment to think, before asking, "who's your friend? Are they from here? Maybe I know them."

[ashnadir]

"Well, it could do with some improvements," Ashed concurred, wrongly assuming that Izel's mention of her efforts was an open invitation to critique. It was why his mum had laughingly told him to use 'critic' as his fake job when passing through small towns. He looked around with a haughty air. "I could give you five suggestions right now just looking around here, if I'm honest."

The inevitable friendly question that had little substance, so Ashed answered smoothly, "I've traveled all over, but I was born in London. Have you ever been to England?"

A small huff of teasing surprise. "And you seem perfectly positioned to be the best gossipmonger in town, given your job. What a shame you've got integrity, love." Still joking (but not really) he asked, "What's your opinion on bribes, then? Or we could call it 'tips', if you like."

Ashed took his passport back, tucking it into his pocket. Ashed did indeed look put out when Izel mentioned a group tour; the idea of tagging along with a group seemed tedious...but on the other hand it was more impersonal. He didn't want to get to know Izel herself, after all. He looked around him, but the lobby only had himself and Izel. No other guests to be seen yet.

It seemed his silence prompted Izel to make him an compromise, to which Ashed gaze fell back onto her, his brow raised, his dark eyes piercing. "You would do that for me, Izel? A...special tour?"

[oldtownizel]

Her genuine smile thinned into something more forced with his sudden need to not lift her spirits too high. She supposed it came with the job, always keeping an eye on what could use improvement. "I'd rather we skip talking shop for now. Though I don't doubt you've got a keen eye." Izel wasn't going to be rude, add another improvement to his list.

"Never been to London, unfortunately. I lived in Turkey when I was younger though. A lovely town by the coast. What brought you out this way?" Simple small talk, much more preferable than his nitpicking. Maybe if she brought up enough friendly talking points he wouldn't focus so much on critiquing.

Ashed seemed surprised at her stance on gossip and she simply shrugged at his remark. Maybe her job was good for gossip but the knowledge that it was hardly ever correct information made it easier to avoid. "I wouldn't consider having integrity a shame. I pride myself on providing accurate information, otherwise who would trust my judgement if I was spreading misinformation all the time?" When he asked her thoughts on bribes, she raised her eyebrow curiously. "Are you asking because you're planning on bribing me? I'm all for tips but bribes sound a little more nefarious."

Izel felt that her offer of a solo tour was helpful and considerate of a customers needs, but the way his eyes bore into her made her regret the offer immediately. He didn't seem like a bad person, but now there was something about the way he said special tour that made her uncomfortable. "If you're willing to pay the extra that is. It would be a completely normal tour, same one everyone gets. Normally I charge forty per person, so I'd say if you want to take the tour by yourself then maybe it would cost...ninety five?" she suggested, a little flustered by his piercing stare, not even sure where that number fell in the realm of fair pricing.

[steelknivesx]

Rory smiled, feeling the sudden wave of awkwardness. At least when she had been reading the cards, she could concentrate on the reading. Suddenly, she felt very exposed. Like she could spill her deepest darkest secrets at any moments. And she knew she couldn't do that. She couldn't put Izel at risk.

She smiled, shrugging. "Guess they're having a good day. But then i think having a peek into the other side means they have the upperhand." She shuffled the cards in her hands, winking playfully. "Tarot?" She shook her head, taking a sip of her coffee. "God no. I am honestly so bad at Tarot. But i work over at moon's corner. So i guess you could call it my field." She tilted her head. "It's nice to see you though... i don't know if i've said that yet."

[oldtownizel]

Izel wasn't all that familiar with how tarot cards worked and what any of them meant. For someone who was fascinated in stories surrounding the occult she never did get her hands on a tarot deck or research any information on how they worked. But it seemed like that was something that Rory at least had the opportunity to dip her toes into while she was away. An interesting pastime for someone forced to go to some fancy boarding school, but she supposed some things never changed.

"Hey, you gave me a pretty good reading, so from where I'm sitting you're doing alright. Unless everything you said was complete bullshit, but I wouldn't know one way or the other." Izel told her, trying to at least boost her confidence. "I'm surprised you went the tourist attraction route though. I assumed you would have went into something more...lucrative." Not that she could talk, her entire thing was also attracting tourists, but she wasn't the one with a big fancy school under her belt.

"It's nice to see you too." And Izel meant it, even if part of her still felt a bit scorned. "I'm glad you're back, even though I'm sure things aren't exactly the best right now. How are you doing, by the way? Is there...any news about what happened to your aunt?"

[pushthesky-away]

Somewhere in the centre of Hexmore With Izel @oldtownizel He checked the time on his phone before it slipped back into a pocket. Tej was already in position to be seen by Izel as soon as her walking tour ended: in the shade of a tree and with the old clocktower to serve as a backdrop. Right in her eye line and no way to miss him. Three... two... one. Timed within seconds, and the small group she led slowly dispersed. A nod, a lift of the coffee he'd brought Izel was enough to call her over.

"Thought we might cross paths here." Thought, planned, same difference. "So I brought something." The coffee was handed over. "I'm waiting for a real estate agent to arrive. I've been looking for a new space to give lessons. They're going to show me something in that building over there..." A gesture not far away, one of the older buildings near the square. "Wanna peek through the window with me?"

[oldtownizel]

The moment Izel reached the end of the tour, it was impossible to miss Tej not too far off from her and the group. There was a brief moment where her eyes met his, before she looked away to give her final thanks and goodbyes to everyone who took the tour. As they all went their separate ways, Izel looked back in his direction, as he offered up a coffee cup. Normally she didn't mind coming across Tej in her day to day activities, it would give her an excuse to try and get updates on Murat and what he might be up to (even though it wasn't often Tej gave her any helpful information on her brother). But this was around the time four years ago Murat seemed to have just up and left Hexmore, and with Tej being the person who spoke with him last, Izel wasn't sure she was up for his games today.

"Been keeping track of my tour route have you." She teased dryly as she walked over anyway, arms crossed over her chest until she reached out to take the coffee from him. She took a sip, raising an eyebrow curiously as he explained his reasons for hanging around here. "Business must be booming if you're looking for a new space. Or is your current spot falling apart?"

She couldn't help but make small talk, in a place like this it was easy to chit chat with everyone, so even if she wasn't really in the mood, she was still interested in something as mundane as house viewing. "Peeking in windows sounds like more of a one person job to me. You must really want some company if you came around with a bribe."