“Mhmm, they might misinterpret it, though.” Not that Tammy had any idea what was going on, only that the ouroboros was the same as that from The Revival. Again, there was that dizzying feeling he’d felt talking to Damion, an inkling that he was standing at a threshold, about to take a step into a world he didn’t understand. “We can call them later.” Worrying about the legality of their actions could come later, when he wasn’t pacing a freezing alley in stiletto heels, taking photos of a dead fucking body. When Joan wasn’t trying to lick Poldark’s cold, corpse toes. “Baby, no – oh, Ash!” Instantly, Tammy perked up; if there was anyone they needed in this situation, it was a military agent. “Of course, I can call him.”
Tammy snapped one more picture of the words on Poldark’s chest before returning to Zoe; he felt bad leaving her in the lurch, hand returning to her arm by way of reassurance. “Are you sure you want to look?” He tried to check in with her, making sure she wasn’t going to faint or something: vaguely, he thought he should be less numbed to this kind of thing, but he couldn’t dredge up any deeper emotion than vague disgust. “Alright, um – tell me if it’s too much, okay? You’re not obligated to look.” Handing her his phone, Tammy took hers, flipping through the contacts until he reached Agent Ash, the name bringing a soft smile to his lips.
“Hey, Ash… yeah, I’m alright. We’re both alright, I guess, Zoe’s a bit shaken up…” He glanced back to the body to give him a better description. “It’s Poldark. Dead, for the record, and not cleanly. I think someone wants to send a message.” Muting the phone for a moment, he turned back to Zoe. “Ash is on his way. We just have to wait.”
When he gave the drunk lady his number out of worry for her safety that night when she insisted on going home alone, Ashton didn’t expect to get a text back days long later about a completely different thing altogether. Zoe being completely vague and ominous did not help with what he should be preparing, what he should bring, who he should prepare to call. In the end he safely tucked a handgun and a butterfly knife, just in case, he couldn’t see himself needing anything more should there be any threats.
He was already in the car when he received the call from Zoe, only for Tammy’s voice to ring through, “hey, just stay there and stay safe, I’m on my way. 3 minutes. Is it muse related?” His car was turning closer, their location dropped off in an alleyway, he’d parked slightly further out and jog the rest of the distance, scope out their surroundings. “Oh- so the real Poldark that pretended to be dead but wasn’t dead is now actually dead?” Ashton sighed, a light tone to his confusing words as the gas pedal was pressed. “Thanks for telling me, Zoe wouldn’t say anything, don’t touch the body, and make sure no one is watching you.” His instructions were to the point, counting down the seconds before his GPS finally inched towards the point.
Ashton got out of his car, immediately blues surveying the close vicinity, no one was around, which was good, concealing back his gun in his bomber jacket. “Hey, no one’s close by, we got some time,” he bent down the look at the body, completely unfazed by any of it, tone clinical, emotionless, quick to cover everything, “how did you guys find him, did you call the police, and do we know this is the real Poldark?” He put on some gloves, memorizing it’s position before starting to examine the body, “I may have to call it in.. depending on who did this,” to a trained eye, it feels really on the nose, “and I might know who.”
She was lucky she didn't catch the puppy dog she had thought was so cute try to lick the toes of a dead man; it probably would have been the last straw of the night, imagination running wild enough to taste the same blood and flesh against her tongue. Too prone to suggestion, but that seemed to be more apparent when she was with others. She didn't understand why, at least in the moment, not that it would do her any good now when all she could feel was the pit of her stomach.
"I can do it," she assured him and herself at once, reaching out for the phone as she took in a breath. She held it tight in her lungs, still nervous to have her eyes catch the screen. Her trembling had grown weaker, a sure sign of strength as she steeled herself up enough to glance. It took a few tries, darting away once or twice before knitting her brows to focus while Tammy spoke into the call. Another nod to acknowledge he was on his way while she inspected, zooming into the chest. "Dolus malus," words read aloud before she turned around, one step at a time, cautious as she faced the body in the flesh, no piece of glass to separate her this time. It felt like her soul flinched, inching closer to her new friend, and yet she didn't look away. Latin. Who spoke in Latin terms these days? You'd have to be part of something really old for that. The cult.
Ash's voice brought her out of her foggy thoughts, just enough clarity to gather together a few things, many that were just echoes of Laurie's words. "I think it's Sacra Moons," she blurted out to him, words tumbling over themselves as she stared at him, shock still mystifying her face before she blinked. "I uhm.. no," she finally backtracked, catching on in a belated moment what he had asked with a shake of her head. "I mean, I don't-I don't know if it's really really him, like DNA and all, but... It's him. It's too much for it not to be."
