Looks good Way...this wouldn't happen to be the one you alluded to some time back would it...? *Hrm hrm*

I'm in^^

Name: Reban Fahl
Age: 35
Spiecies: Giraffe
Appearence: Brown eyes, and a shock of brown wavy hair on his head, just beginning to show the slightest hints of grey. Usually wears a blue tracksuit with red and green patches, the top worn open over a blue T-shirt. Also wears white trainers.

Name: Kamimile Fahl
Age: 27
Spiecies: Cheetah
Appearence: Vivid green eyes, blonde, shoulder length hair, tied back with a green headband. Quite small for her age, but very pretty. She wears a tracksuit with the same designs as Reban's, but the main color is purple, and the other colors are yellow and pink. Purple T-shirt, and also wears white trainers.

History: The age difference between Reban and Kami may be large, but it didn't bother them, as they were both pretty much convinced that neither of them would find a partner anyway. Kami is bitterly shy, and finds it very tough talking to straingers, and Reban is completely blind!

They first met when Kami got a job at the home that Reban was staying in. They liked each other from the moment they met...she liked how, since Reban was blind, he was unassuming and not overbearing, rather quiet, and he liked her because unlike the other carers in the home, she took time to get to know him, rather than just treating him as an object. Love blossomed, and they got married, and this vacation is their honeymoon.

With Reban's impairment they can't go skiing or snowboarding etc, but they are still enjoying themselves. The previous day they rented a snow cat and went riding around the mountain passes on it, enjoying (for Kami) the view, the feel of the wind on their faces, and each other's company.

This morning, Kami has brought Reban down to the lobby, sitting him at one of the tables, and has run back upstairs to get her purse and other personal items.

Looks good, Wraith. Very good! And yeah, this be the one. I wrote several versions in the same day, and this is the style I decided upon.

EDIT:

Rather than make a new post, I'll just add this here...

This RP is really dependant on other roleplayers besides myself. I mean, I would love to RP with just Wraith, but...that's not what I intended this for.

So! I will post the IC intro, to give a clearer idea of what this will be like, and wait a couple more days for more joiners!

Whatever happens, hey, I tried.

IC:

Beep! Beep! Beep! Be-Smash!

Despite Joe's best effort, the alarm clock did not shatter into a thousand pieces, but it did shut up, which was all he wanted. Sighing, he rolled out of bed, stretched, yawned, and found his clothes. In a few moments, he was dressed and ready to head out!

On his way downstairs, he passed somebody, a cheetah girl. He nodded to her, but avoided eye contact. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, he stared dumbfounded for a moment at all the people who were awake! This was the earliest he had ever woken up, and it seemed like everyone else was already up and ready to hit the slopes again!

Old Man Hobble spoke to him. "Howdy-doo and good morning!"

"Uh, morning."

"I'm guessing you woke up early to get a head start on today, right?"

"You could say that."

Hobble folded his arms. "Pity. A blizzard came through here last night. We're buried in snow! I'm afraid no one's going anywhere."

If Joe had thought his jaw had dropped earlier, it really did this time! "What?" Hobble gestured to a window. Joe went over and pulled open the blinds for a moment. Nothing but white. Pure, solid white! He let the blinds close, and took a step back. "Oh...my..."

Hobble leaned back in his chair, and gestured to a nearby closet. "It happens sometimes. Yessir, nothing we can do but wait it out. You look like the type who likes board games. Open that closet and pull out Chess or something."

As Joe headed over to the closet, his mind was spinning. Was he the last one to know? Matthew and Marcie was sitting next to each other at one of the tables, talking quietly. Carlos was leaning back in his chair next to a small table in the corner, acting like he didn't care. Hobble was, as always, behind the registration counter. And there were a couple others at another table that he didn't recognize. They all seemed to be fine with the situation, acting calmer than a stone! What was wrong with him, then?

As he opened the closet door, his eyes widened in shock as something huge fell on him! He screamed, his voice cracking, as it forced him to the ground! He closed his eyes in horror, flailing wildly! He threw the thing off him, and slid back away from it on the floor, when he noticed a big red stain on his shirt! Looking up at the thing, everyone reacted with shock at seeing what had fallen on him: the body of Yulei the mouse, a knife sticking out of her back, blood still wet!

Joe stared on for a moment longer, utterly horrified and disgusted! A sick churning filled his stomach...he made a mad dash for the bathroom, and made it just in time, mercifully closing the door before he let loose his cookies!

Old Man Hobble reacted by getting out of his relaxed pose, eyes opening wide, and a couple of muttered words on his lips! He grabbed his crutches, and rapidly stood up!

Marcie screamed, and Matthew wrapped his arms around her!

Carlos almost fell back in his chair!

(OOC: Hope this does take off Way...it's true that some work and some don't. This looks and sounds like a really cool story though^^ Come on all, join up! lol)

IC:

Reban jumped at the commotion around him, spilling his hot chocolate and scalding his hands! In his world of blackness he couldn't see the body, the blood.

He had no idea what was going on! He turned his long neck, stying to work out the diraction of the commotion.

"E...excuse me..." he stammered quietly to anyone in the area, "...wh...what's going on?"

Upstairs, his wife heard the scream, jumping herself! She quickly grabbed her purse and other items and headed back towards the stairs, nearly being bowled over at the top of them by a charging Joe! She watched him run off down the landing, then quickly ran down the stairs to see what had happened...

(OOC: Looks good Way! Hope this seems alright. ^^

Name: Iris Tabby
Age: 30
Species: Silver tabby/Lynx mix
Appearence: A tall tabby cat with silver fur and a light build, slightly muscular in the arms and chest. Has a tuft of black fur sprouting from the tips of both ears, courtesy of his lynx heritage. Iris usually wears some nice-looking black cargo pants and a long-sleeved white turtle-neck with one blue and one orange stripe criss-crossing at the chest. He has a blonde hair and green eyes and always has his trademark khaki-colored jacket on.

Name: Ruby Tabby
Age: 29
Species: Red-fox/Raccoon mix
Appearence: A little shorter than her husband, Ruby always wears her purple hair in a long braid reaching down to her waist. She has startlingly silver eyes and reddish fur, her muzzle white, tipped with black. Her ears also have black tips and her white-tipped tail is similar to her muzzle coloring. Ruby wears a black turtle-neck, the neck colored blue, and has a blue vest to go with it. Usually she wears a matching set of black pants with blue stripes and black fingerless gloves.

Ruby and Iris grew up together as best friends and first started dating later on in high school. They continued dating all through college and got married after Ruby received her diploma in teaching. Recently Iris had graduated from medical school, and as a gift Ruby decided to take them both skiing, which was also one of Iris' favorite activities.

Day before yesterday the couple went skiiing in the morning, and later on rented two snow-mobiles and took a nice joy-ride down the slopes. Yesterday Ruby and Iris did some sight-seeing in the nearest town and went tubing after lunch. Right now Iris is at the table nearest Reban, waiting while Ruby goes to get them some coffee.)

IC:

Iris had been calmly reading his book, waiting for his wife to arrive with their morning coffee, when he heard Joe's startled scream. He nearly ripped the page he was reading upon seeing the mouse's lifeless body, fresh blood staining Joe's shirt. As the squirrel bolted past the others and into the bathroom, Iris heard his wife's startled gasp and turned around just in time to catch her in his arms.

Ruby allowed her husband to take the steaming cups of coffee from her shaking hands and place them on the table. Cautiously she glanced back at Yulei's body before quickly shutting her eyes. For a few minutes Iris was silent, trying to calm her down, knowing that she was just startled. Upon hearing Reban's hushed question, the tabby cat shook his head.

"Someone...someone's been murdered, near as I can tell," Iris replied, feeling Ruby relax a little.

Indeed she was just startled by the body and the blood, but she was beginning to calm herself. After all, it wasn't every day something like this happened...!

Name: James Adams
Age: 17
Species: Fox
Appearance: James wears standard black trousers, and wears a thick white jacket filled with blue stripes along the sleeves and has a zip up the front, which is normally always done to the top. He has dark brown fur and is of standard average size. He has a very long, thick bushy tail.
History: Taking a gap year between studies, James is travelling across the world and simply experiencing life as it is. Hes been taking some small part time jobs along the way but in the lodge, hes staying purely as a guest. James is an incredibly lazy person though, and as such normally doesnt keep some of these jobs for very long as hes hardly ever on time. It makes his parents also wonder what hope he has when he starts his next level of education

James had been asleep during all this time. The gathering of people down stairs had gone unnoticed, as had the subsequent finding of the murdered Ms. Yulei. Even the resultant screams were not enough to wake him up. Instead, he rolled in his bed once more, his snores becoming louder and louder. He held onto his pillow and continued on with his surprising dreams that continued to carry on from one night to the next.

Super James

His smile grew at that. He rolled once more, and then, suddenly, fell completely out of bed and crashed onto the ground, creating a loud rumble and shaking. This was finally enough to waken the exceptionally lazy fox. But even then, it was a slow awakening. He wasnt immediately jolted to attention, but rather, he had to fight his way to maintain being awake...

His next objective was to actually get changed, and then go and crap a nice cup of cocoa.

"M...murdered?!?" exclaimed the blind giraffe, fear obvious in his voice. "Who?"

At this point Kammi reached the bottom of the stairs and let out a loud scream of her own on seeing the body! Reban recognised her voice and stood up, keeping one hand on the table to keep his orientation. "Kam? Kam is that you?"

"Oh Reban!" She rushed to his arms, burying her face in his shoulder as tears flooded her eyes."Oh it...it's horrible!"

Reban put an arm round her shoulders, his other hand touching her face to read her expression. His eyes were staring blankly across the room. "It...it's okay...at...at least you're okay..." he muttered. Slowly they sat down at the table again, Kammi still burying her face in his shoulder.

"Reban...sometimes I...envy you." she murmured, trying to banish the sight of the body from her mind. It was an image that would be with her for a long time!

Reban stroked her hair gently, trying to give her a sence of calm that he didn't even feel himself! As he did so he turned his head in the general direction of Hobble, his long giraffe neck bending with the motion. "Who was it?" he asked hesitantly. They had met in passing most of the other residents of the lodge, and he hoped to goodness it wasn't one of the children!

Iris, though he had studied many bodies and the like, was still disturbed by the current situation. As he stood there, cradling his wife in his arms, he was at a loss for words. From where he was standing, Iris knew that the body was not one of a child. Gently he sat himself and Ruby down at the table so they were not facing the unnerving sight and handed her one of the cups. Hands still shaking visibly, Ruby raised the cup to her mouth and took a small sip.

"Shh..it's alright honey, just drink some more coffee, it'll be OK." Iris said in a reassuring tone whilst drawing her close.

"Oh Iris, it's just...just terrible! I've never seen such a...." Ruby then promptly buried her face in her husband's chest, muffled words stil drifting out every now and then.

The tabby cat bit his lip and craned his neck to see the giraffe stroking the head of a younger looking woman, presumably his wife. Iris could tell Kammi was just as upset as Ruby, and so quietly said, "A young woman, a mouse."

James took slow, cautious steps down the stairs towards the ground floor, his eyes still blurry from his tired state, each desperate step an attempt at making sure he didnt actually slip and simply fool other. This seemed to take almost an eternity, but eventually, he had reached the end.

He yawned loudly as he walked forwards, stretching slightly as well, walking towards the main lounge type area. He walked slowly in, and although almost everyone inside it were filled with shocked and despaired expressions, saddened feelings, James was all but pretty much oblivious to this.

Hey, Old Man Hobble! James called out, stopping in the middle of the room, yawning and stretching again. Could I have a cup of cocoa?

Everyone turned to look at James with utter disbelief. Jamess eyes blinked rapidly and soon things began to come into clearer focus, and he saw the gaze of many others upon him.

what? he asked, still having not seen the body.

(OOC: Heh heh...the RP Guild was near dead, and Wraith had vanished, so everything I was involved in had ground to a halt. As such, I decided it would be safe to leave it alone for a while. Imagine my surprise when I come back, more than a week later, and find out that Wraith came back a week ago. Speaking of which, I found that it's almost impossible for me to get online during holiday. Apologies, all, for my absence, and this is looking great!)

Old Man Hobble began to hobble forward. He cast a glance at James. "Have some respect, lad...there's been a murder."

In an instant of realization, Marcie realized that if there had been a murder, there must be a murderer! She gasped, "the children!"

Marcie dashed from the chair, around the body, and up the stairs! Hobble snapped a finger and pointed to Matthew, bellowing, "don't let her go alone!"

Matthew nodded, and took off after her. Hobble stopped near the body, removed his jacket, and covered her face and upper body with it. "...her name was Yulei." Looking at Carlos, he said gently, "come here, lad, I need some help moving the body."

As Carlos moved over, unsure but willing, Missy's voice called from the kitchen. "Breakfast is ready, Hobble! What's going on out there?"

Hobble called back, "stay in the kitchen, girl, and keep the food warm. Our guests will come for it when they're ready."

Upstairs, as Marcie opened the door to their room, she let out an audible sigh of relief. They were all there, breathing gently in their sleep. Matthew stepped up gently next to her, and wrapped his arms around her again. He whispered softly, "let's let them sleep."

Joe was slowly recovering, but by the way he felt, he didn't dare leave the bathroom.

Hobble and Carlos carefully carried the body of Yulei to a the back rooms, the ones that belonged to the staff.

Reban's mind was working as he held Kammi tightly. Since he had not had the shock of seeing the body, his mind was able to get into a calm, collected state much quicker than some. Now, his thoughts worried him.

"Kam." he murmured quietly, dipping his head towards her. "Kam, I need you to tell me something...something difficult..."

Kammi was stifling sobs, but she raised her head and looked up at him. "Yes?"

"How fresh was the blood? How new was the body?"

The sheetah caught her breath and swallowed hard. Gingerly she glanced over her shoulder at the spot where the poor mouse had lay, and sighed slightly when she saw the body had already been taken away. "I...I don't know." she stammered, turning back to Reban. "Qu...quite new...as...as new as last night or this morning!"

Reban blinked his unseeing eyes and raised his head, the silence around everyone in the room somehow profound. "And because of the snowstorm, nobody has left the lodge since yesterday..." he muttered in a quiet, thoughtful voice.

Kammi, who had rested her forehead against his shoulder, froze suddenly as the realisation dawned on her! The others in the room also blinked in shock, and exchanged looks among themselves warily...

Iris' face paled for an instant as he looked at the blood that had dripped onto the carpet. Ruby tensed and gripped her husband's arm tightly, resisting the urge to look around at the others in he lobby. In their shock, they hadn't yet thought about the whereabouts of Yulei's murderer...now that it had been brought to their attention, Iris realized that everyone was still in danger!

"Iris, he's right! We're not...not safe!" Ruby whispered, echoing his exact thoughts. He held his wife tightly.

"I know Ruby...I know. We'll just have to be careful, that's all...."

More quietly than before, Ruby said, "Iris, we don't know who did it...everyone's a suspect! It could be anyone in this room!"

At this the young couple stopped talking, Ruby lifting her head slowly, both looking warily around the lobby. It seemed everyone was having the same suspicions, for some people had begun looking over their shoulders nervously....

As people began to lay weary, concerned and suspicious glances and gestures towards one another in an eerie, awkward silence, a loud and obscenely disrespectful noise broke it all. An loud, instant attention grabbing yawn coming from one, Mr. James Adams. The young kit had, apparently, still not fully woke up yet. Perhaps it was the news that someone had died, it was too unbelievable, and so must have been a dream?

He was wrong, of cautious, and started becoming a bit more self-aware as several shot angered glances towards him. James raised up one of his hands and his gesture and expression together both easily gave off the image of an apology. A silent one however, as he really didnt know what to say to these people. He figured it would probably be best to just be silent.

He then understood exactly what everyone was all looking around for with such suspicious glances. Okay, so the murder was true. It wasnt a dream. But then who was the murderer, he wondered?

James eyes suddenly went wide open as he realized something. He looked around him quickly, and with almost quite a worry, as he started to try his best in backing away, out of the lounge without much attention drawn to him. Constantly, his eyes shifted from person to person, until, at last, he made it at the entrance to the lounge, and then moved on to go down the corridor. Continual, slow movements back, creeping, until finally, he turned around and sprinted down the corridor. He came at a sudden stop in front of the toilet, and tried to open it, instead finding his entrance barred closed.

No! he mentally shouted.

Is anyone in there? he called out with hesitation.

Reban stroked Kammi's hair gently, his voice sounding supprisingly calm despite the tense situation. "We have to keep calm." he was murmuring to her. "We have to stay focused."

Kammi was visably shaking, but she nodded and bit her lip, trying to get control of her emotions. As she did so, Reban leaned over the table towards where Iris and Ruby were sat, his eyes staring down at the table they were sat at.

"Mister...Tabby, I believe?" he continued in a quiet tone. "I suggest we and the other men have a private meeting with Mister Hobble to discuss the situation. It would seem we have to work together to ensure our safety."

Iris nodded slightly, thinking. "Yeah, maybe." he muttered.

"I also suggest that nobody is left alone. everyone must be in a group of two or larger." finished the giraffe, his prescense of mind in the situation quite incredible! "We must speak to Mister Hobble. May I ask your assistance while our wives remain with each other?"

Still queasy, Joe heard the voice at the door. He thought he probably had control now, and so he opened the door and stepped past James. "Not anymore, sorry for the trouble." He bowed apologetically, not really thinking about the big wet bloodstain on his shirt.

Downstairs, Hobble entered the main room again, while Carlos deftly jumped over the counter to get into the kitchen, heart set on food. Hobble eyed the group, and shook his head. "I'm truly sorry for all this. I haven't seen anything like this for years...we need to have a meeting, plan our next move. We're not safe."

Upstairs, Marcie went downstairs, while Matthew wandered over to try to see if he could do anything for Joe.

In the kitchen, Carlos meandered over to Missy, who was standing near the stove. "What's for breakfast?" He asked with all the coolness he could manage.

Missy grabbed a plate and began stacking things onto it. "Have a look, and point at what you want."

Carlos was amazed at the wide variety of things she had prepared for breakfast! He decided on some waffles, bacon, and eggs, with orange juice for a drink. She handed him the plate and glass, putting the silverware tucked inside a napkin in his pant pocket. He thanked her, and meandered his way back out of the kitchen, heading for his little lonely table.

Kammi watched him wide-eyed as he sat himself down, laying the plate in front of him casually. "How can you eat at a time like this???" she asked incredulously, swallowing to aleviate the feeling of nausea in her own stomach.

Carlos had a big smirk on his face, as he took a big bite. He chewed it up carefully (mercifully, mouth closed), and swallowed before replying. "You're an adult, and you're trying to tell me you don't watch movies? Come on, this is nothing!"

His lack of conscious was astounding!

In the meantime, Marcie had stopped at the bottom of the stairs to lean against the wall, watching Kam as she moved over to Ruby, while Reban and Iris left them to join Hobble in the nearby staff room.

Hobble said, "I agree with your point, that we shouldn't split anyone up. Anyone is a suspect, even me. Just so everyone is aware, I put the body in an empty crate in the back room, to keep it out of the way. From what I could see, the death was quick, and any scream she might have tried was muffled. Violently. How else could everyone sleep through it? The knife was one from the kitchen, so that removes one possible clue."

James quickly rushed into the toilet room and eagerly closed and locked the door behind him. He quickly unzipped his trousers and sat himself down on it, finally feeling sweet relief...!

'What a time to be having diarrhoea...' James whimpered to himself in his own thoughts.

However, it was also during this time that his mind fully caught up to the events as they had played up to. A murder. Right, it no longer seemed like a dream, and the full impact had caught up to him. He hadn't seen the body, and to his recollection, didn't no of who it was, so that lessened the shock and impact of it somewhat. Huh.

He needed to get out and grab some fresh air, get his mind and thoughts together and clearly think things through. Doing so through the waft of a smell from his rectum was hardly the most pleasent and easiest way of doing so. He gripped the sides of his head and pressed against his temples hard.

No. It wasn't a simple death, at least he didn't think so. Didn't one of them say it was a murder? In which case, who was the murderer? How did whoever was killed die? Ugh... what was he doing last night? He couldn't even remember that... but why?

'...I need some fresh air.' James thought once more to himself.

"IT may be an idea first of all to contact the outside world." murmured Reban in his calm, quiet voice. "Do you have a ohone line or some other way of contacting someone down the mountains?"

============================================================

"That's different!" retorted Kammi, her face wrinkled with disgust. She turned away from Carlos, moving over to Ruby and sitting down delicately. "You okay?" she asked quietly.

(OOC: Note that I edited Marcie's last action, to fit in a little better. If you read the previous action, then what you're about to read won't make as much sense)

After some deliberation, Joe and Matthew searched Joe's room. Finding no one hiding and no more bodies (the paranoia of Marcie's reaction had gotten to Matthew), Joe casually changed his shirt, grabbing instead a Tee. Before he actually put it on, he used a spare towel to try to get the rest of the wet blood off of him, while Matthew put his blood-stained shirt in a plastic bag. "Hey, Joe, is there a second bathroom to this place? We need to try to clean your shirt before it dries."

Joe finished rubbing his fur off, and picked up the T-shirt. "I don't really know. I didn't do a whole lot of exploring yesterday."

"Hmm...let's go have a look around, then."

As they left the room, Joe added, "I would imagine there's one in the Staff section."

"We'll ask to use that one last."

Downstairs, Marcie glanced around. She didn't feel comfortable butting into Kammi's and Ruby's conversation uninvited. Watching Carlos would be a mistake; now that she was in less shock, her stomach was uneasy. Her eyes landed upon the blood stain on the carpet. She had to do something, so she walked to the counter and found a roll of paper towels and some cleaning spray beneath it. It would occupy her. She went down on all fours, using the tools to clean the stain as much as possible.

Hobble glanced about. There was a phone near the counter, and also one back here in the staff section. "Yeah, we have a few ways. Blizzards give too much interference for the radio, but we do have a phone connection. But what good will it do us? Nobody can reach us until the storm clears, and even then it could take some time."

Missy had finished the cooking, and was now getting bored just keeping the food warm. She grabbed a plate for herself, and watched it to make sure it was okay while she ate. Hobble had told her to stay in there, so she would, but she didn't know why. "What is going on out there?"

Ruby took a breath, placing a hand to her head, and looked at Kammi with a shaky smile. "I'll be fine, thank you. I just...never seen anything like this!"

Kammi nodded. Ruby went on, feeling the need to try and take a stab at some decent conversation...wait, take a stab? The red-furred vixen bit her lip and resisted the urge to shiver in discomfort at her choice of words.

"I'm Ruby...that was my husband, Iris. This was supposed to be a little gift to him...a vacation, in a way. Iris just graduated medical school, and my boss allowed me to take this week off. We only expected some skiing, snow, and a good time.....nothing like this!" A wry smile flickered across her muzzle, but disappeared quickly.

Meanwhile, Iris nodded as Hobble spoke. His tail waved back and forth as he put his finger to his chin in thought. After a moment the tabby said, "True. It wouldn't do us much good as it is...but what would it hurt to alert the authorites anyhow? I know that would reassure a lot of guests, especially the women."

(OOC: Sorry...busy week.)

"I hate the cold...and why I choose to come here is still a mystery to my own mind." a vibrant red-furred fox sighed in her little corner of existence in the cottage. Maybe it was to get away of the havoc of life, family in constant conflict.... friends dying or running.... and herself, was always caught in the middle of a emotional disaster. Her name, it was a blur but she had to keep emotionally stable. Rebecca, Rebecca Leone. It had to be to retreat from life; that's why she was here. She drank from the canteen she had in her hands.

"Hmmm..." she said in mutter.

She seemed oblivious to what was going on in truth...

(OOC: Thought I'd join, a simple intro post describing my char instead of a standard profile... heh.)

"I don't think anyone expected this!" replied Kammi, shaking her head and smiling slightly. The thought struck her that maybe someone had...maybe the killer had expected this...

She shook her head, trying to banish the thought. "Kammile Fahl." she continued to Ruby, offering her hand. "Call me Kammi." Ruby shook her hand amiably. They had said hello to each other once or twice before, but not had chance to speak much.

"Your husband is the blind man?" Ruby asked, and then immeadeately wondered how that sounded! Kammi didn't seem peturbed though.

"Yeah, Reban. We met when I was a carer at his home, and we decided we liked each other..." Her voice trailed off and she smiled whistfully.

"I can't imagine how scary this must be for him, without being able to see too!"

"Actually he's taking it well. I think in this case his blindness is a blessing rather than a curse...he can't the bo...anything, so doesn't get as worried about it." She smiled slightly again. "Plus he's always had a very level head. He isn't one to get scared easily."

============================================================

The subject of the women's conversation was nodding slowly. "Yes, it would be for the best. It would also help for when the storm was over...everyone on the ground would be up here immediately...as soon as they can."

Hobble nodded "You're right there. I'll see to it then."

"Also it may be good to consider the facts of the event." Reban continued. "The killing was early this morning...surely the killer would have been able to see the large snowfall and know he would not be able to escape? That would mean that it's apparently someone who isn't used to this climate, as Hobble is. They didn't think to check, or didn't notice."

"Unless they wanted to be found." muttered Iris, a straingely hollow note in his voice.

Reban's head turned towards him, his eyes staring blankly at the fox's chest. "True, there's that possibillity. He knew he wouldn't be able to escape, but did it anyway. If that's the case, it would seem that the situation becomes far more dangerous..."

(OOC: Welcome aboard, Mike!)

Hobble sighed. He did not like the sound of that last part. And at his little cabin, too... "Before I make the call, I want to say something. Reban, you're blind, so I don't think you could be the killer, even if you wanted to. This makes you the most important person here. Even with my leg gone, I'm still a suspect, and no one else here should be free of suspicion. What I'm saying is, I'll trust you and your judgement. Now, Iris, take him to the counter and go over the registry. It'll give you the names of everyone here, and might have some valuable information in it. Now, I'll see what I can do."

As Iris and Reban headed for the door, Hobble picked up the phone and brought it to his ear. He hesitated a moment, because there was no dialtone. In a snap-judgement, he decided to try to ease their minds by pretending the phone worked. Looking over the emergency phone number list, he found the one he wanted and dialed it in. He began to talk as they left. "Hello, Emergency Center...?"

Carlos seemed oblivious to all around him as he ate his breakfast with zeal.

Joe and Matthew wandered down the hall, checking each of the doors as they went. "Bedroom...bedroom...bedroom...ah-ha! Here we go!" Matthew exclaimed as he reached the last door.

They entered, and found that this was a bathroom, but of a different sort. Unlike the one near the top of the stairs, which had just a toilet and sink, this one had a bath/shower. It also had a sink, but no toilet. "Interesting..." Joe muttered as they checked around.

Joe pulled back the shower curtain, and pulled in his breath sharply at what he saw: A body, mutilated beyond recognition, was sticking in the wall by a broom handle! He stumbled back in shock, but when he blinked and looked again, it was gone! Matthew looked at him, concern on his face. "Joe, what's wrong?"

No body, no blood. An illusion? It must have been a trick played by his mind. "Err...just surprised at how clean this bathtub is!"

Matthew walked over. "Hey, it does look like it'll work for cleaning your shirt. Could you go look in the cabinet for some cleaning fluids or something while I start the water going? We need it hot to clean it right."

"Um, okay."

***

In the Fox room, the closet creaked open...and the kids were still sleeping...

(OOC: This is a note that I think will be integral to this RP: I don't want to be the only one spreading clues or strange circumstances. Feel free to add your own hints, or clues to the identity of our villain. Just like in real life, there are many false clues, so don't be afraid to get creative! I mean, more creative than you already are ^^;

Ideas include: noises from other rooms, parts of overheard conversations, personal items from one individual in suspicious places...anything will do nicely)

(EDIT OOC: Adding a little bit more, hopefully to make it easier to post.)

EDIT IC:

Iris read over the registry. The first page was full of names and arrival dates. Nothing unusual at all. But when he flipped the page to read the last couple of names, there was something that did not fit in at all. Scrawled chaotically, in big, bold letters, and written in what appeared to be still-moist blood, was the information:

Guest Name: ME!

Written next to the name was an arrival time - early this morning! Iris flipped the page again, and checked the handwriting of all the residents. There was no match. This was either somebody's sick idea of a joke, or...

Such an inconvenience, was James bowls. At the most inopportune time came such a feeling and result. How ironically typical.

After a moment of time, when James was comfortable with his system to try and continue the day (and after much expended toilet paper), he stepped out of the toilet and walked wearily towards the lounge room again. During the moment of time he had spent in the toilet, he had managed to gain a sense of time to truly consider the implications and that someone amongst this hotel could be a murderer, endangering everyones lives. He had to get out.

He walked towards the exit door, quickly shuffling by everyone before they could react, aiming to reach for the door handle and pull it open.

H-hey! called out a voice from behind James, startling him and freezing him from the spot. Who was it? The murderer?

James didnt turn around to see who the voice belonged to, he was frozen on the spot. But the voice continued, finally informing James what many of the rest of the people inside the room already knew; that the blizzard outside had ended up completely barring their exit. That they were stuck in here for the foreseeable future. With a murderer!

James slowly and hesitatingly sat down upon a chair beside a table, his legs quivering. He had no idea what to do

"Then it would seem our fears were correct." muttered Reban quietlyleaning back on a nearby table and sighing slightly.

Iris looked down at the book again, eyeing the blood writing that he had just told Reban about in apprehension. "This...this is unbelieveable!"

"One of those things that you always think will never happen to you." muttered Reban, nodding slowly. "And yet...it has to happen to someone..."

He stood up off the table and turned to face Iris, slightly off with his aim due to his lack of sight. "I believe we must start trying to unravel this mistery, but first, before we do, might I be so bold as to request a favour of you sir?"

(OOC: As of DEC 14/15 2005, I will be unable to make regular visits here, for an undetermined (and probably large) length of time. As such, my involvement in this RP must stop. I apologize for any inconveniences this may cause, but I have no choice in this matter.

This is a very promising RP, and the way I designed it, I really don't have to be involved. My characters are simple NPCs. I don't want my leaving to stop it. Please, keep going.

To reveal a little bit here, I never decided who the killer was. It could be anyone. I was going to let the flow of the RP and the steady 'elimination' determine the candidates.

The 'supernatural' events may continue, or they may stop. They were probably just a very talented madman's antics...but there is still somebody with the intent of killing everyone else.)

(OOC: Downer Way ; ; Hope you get back soon bud.

As to the RP, I'd be up for continuing it if everyone else is...what's the general consensus?)

OOC: Heh, very interesting way about it, Way. From your posts, you wrote it so well that I did suspect everybody, but to find out you didn't actually determine it to be anyone was rather good.

Still, it will be a shame to see you and good luck for the time duration that you are gone. Hope to see you soon.

As for continuing this RP... eh, I'm impartial. If everyone else wants to continue I'm game, but I'm not really bothered.

(OOC: Still in and willing to post. I've just been extremely busy, that's all. Sorry this is so short)

IC:

Iris looked toward Reban, his green eyes shadowed with worry and aprehension. The cat's skin had crawled and his fur had stood on end upon seeing the blood writing. But as calmly as he could, Iris said, "Sure thing. What is it?"

"My wife, Kammi." replied Reban evenly. "What happens to me in this situation is inconsequential, but she must survive at all cost...unfortunately due to my condition I'm unable to protect her as you can Ruby..."

Iris nodded slowly as his mind jumped ahead of the giraffe's words, without thinking that Reban couldn't see the action.

"All I ask is that you keep an eye out for her," Reban continued, "a simple thing, but something I can't do. If it came to the crunch, could I send her with you and rely on you to take care of her? I know it's asking a lot..."

Reban went quiet, and Iris thought for a moment. "You're taking a risk." he muttered after a short pause. "For all you know I could be the killer here."

Reban nodded. "I'd already considered that, which is why I intend to ask several individuals...if any of them were the murderer, only one of them could possibly be. If it is not you, though, might I be able to ask that of you?"

(OOC: Back. I apologize for the absence, but I'm not the only one holidays have affected, it seems. So, I want to keep this going, see if we can't catch it on fire! Anyone out there still willing?)

IC: Marcie Fox finished cleaning the blood out of the carpet. It had been fresh enough that it hadn't been difficult. Now, she stood up and looked around, refamiliarizing herself with the room.

Carlos was still eating breakfast, and his enthusiasm and previos behavior kept her away from him.

Reban and Iris were talking quietly near the counter. She felt she hadn't ought to bother them.

Kammi and Ruby were at a table, and she felt like that was a place she should go, them also being wives to their husbands who were also here. Still, she hesitated and continued to look around.

Her gaze passed over a painting of a hunt, and stopped at a table in the corner. An individual she didn't recognize was there, a red-furred fox, one who looked both lonely and lost. While Marcie didn't know it, this was Rebecca Leone. Marcie nodded in her mind, and walked over to the table, and asked gently, "do you mind if I sit here?"

(OOC: Here's hoping Mike is still around, along with the rest of the crew.)

...I'm still in if everyone else is^^)

(OOC: I will post this afternoon, my time)

(OOC: Terribly sorry...but I'm going to have to pull out. Been a bit busy and all, so I'm sorry if I've caused any problems.)