The Leering Dark (Lear Plot - Camp Investigation)

The night after the meeting had been fitful at best. Brianna couldn't even begin to bring herself to look at that tree...that damnable tree, but still the same that had saved countless lives with that barrier it had. The Norseling hadn't really thought much on the thing until it had become the center of attention so suddenly...the site of a murder. Still, it loomed in the distance, even from the site of the Norse Barracks -- or the Norse House, whichever one you'd call it.
It was a seemingly tiny thing, from the outside -- there'd been a need to get space, what with so many demigods suddenly appearing at the camp. The Norse House was slapped outside the stone formation they called "Zeus's Fist" and the Mess Hall... not in a circle like the local Greek's, but sitting alone beside the Egyptians. Brianna couldn't blame them for it; with so great of numbers rushing in all at once, it was no wonder the cabin had been so hastily put together. Besides...there was likely a reason to give the other pantheons their space, for which she could definitely see why. There was sure to be tension between them, given how...territorial gods could be, let alone their spawn. She couldn't count on her fingers how many of the Ares' campers she already wanted to punch in the face, for example.  At the very least, they didn't have to walk as far as the Egyptian kids, who were closer to the Long Island Sound and the beach than they were.

Even so, past the Big House, beyond the Volleyball Courts, Brianna could still see the very peak of Thalia's Pine, staring down over its ward in an empty, distrubingly serene manner. That overgrown sapling was the source of too much pain, for past and present. For as much as she didn't want to lay eyes on it, she knew tomorrow...or in this case, today given the time...she'd have to go there for more answers.
The Centaur -- Chiron, as he was called -- had requested most of the campers to keep well away from the massive seedling. There was hardly a need to ask; nobody so much as mentioned the place now save for in whispers and quiet conversations, and sentries were visibly seen avoiding it completely. Some of the Artemis and Apollo kids had even downright protested being posted there...though, Niall could hardly blame them. Demigods were close to one another. Brothers and sisters in arms. They all lived similar lives. They all held the same, deep burden.
So when one of their own was lain to waste on their own soil, it was natural for the group to become shattered. Broken. Distraught.

Clearly this was what this Lear wanted, Brianna thought to herself, as she lifted herself from her bunk. The night air was still crisp and cold. Quietly, she stepped over the wooden floor and onto the damp earth, still wet from the dew of the evening. The sun had yet to rise, though Niall preferred it that way...it was easier to go to and fro from where she was intending on going without so many people being around to spot her. Dimitri, Dominika, and Nestor may have gone off to some farm to have their own little adventure, but that was not about to stop her from aiding the deliverance of justice to this Lear. Something had to be left behind, anything at all, for them to go on...the daughter of Tyr only hoped the Greeks hadn't disturbed the surrounding area too much to rid of any evidence.

Speaking of Greeks...with Dimitri gone, Brianna knew she was going to have to befriend at least one another kid around here. She liked ol' Southboy, if not for the fact he was shy like she was...or, he *was* shy, when she'd last seen him...seemed he'd grown up a bit since then.
But, at the very least, she was going to need another set of eyes helping her out. Niall wasn't an idiot. She wasn't perfect, and she knew it. For all her years out on her own, even she messed up. She needed someone she could count on, someone experienced, to help her look around at this crime scene...someone who wouldn't get squeamish and could hold down their emotions for the time being.

There was time to be sad later. They could be sad, and joyful, when this Lear was put to justice.

And it was with extreme hesitation that she found herself rapping on the window pane of the Ares' Cabin.
"Oi. Oi! Evander! Ajax! Whatever the f*$% your name is! Why d'you got two bloody names for anyway? Whatever! I don't care! Get your arse outta bed!" She hissed, keeping her typically booming voice down to what most people would consider a dull roar.
As much as she loathed these Greek War Demigods, for as many of the snot-nosed brats as there were, and ample attitude to go around with it, Evander had appeared the only person in that meeting room whom she could actually tolerate, aside from Dimitri. Nestor had been the second, but he was now absent, sleeping in his cabin like the others before he was sent off tomorrow morning on their quest. Dominika was the third, but the hell if she was about to ask a Roman for help.

"Don't make me bust down the bloody wall, 'an don't think I won't either," she grumbled sourly.

Evander woke up to the sound of banging on his window. He rolled out of bed grunting and headed to the window, justing his boxers to make sure they were up all the way. He paused for a second and grabbed his sword from the base of his bed. He walked over to the window and opened it, letting the cool night air in to reveal the Norse kid Brianna. "Dude, it's the middle in the night. And I have a first name, middle name and last name. It's normal in the US. What do you want? You're going to wake everyone up."

Just as she was about to make another attempt at attacking the window with her knuckles, Evander's face (and torso) popped out from behind the glass pane, almost causing her to start knocking on his forehead. He was particularly quick. Interesting.
What else could he do?

But, as she thought, he was busy sleeping while there was a job to do. Niall was fully aware of how lackadaisical in nature the Greeks were, but time was not a friend to them. The longer they waited to check out the scene of the crime, the more likely they were going to miss out on important information. Time and Nature were only going to be so patient before they swept away evidence.
Muttering a few curses under her breath, and wondering what she'd just gotten herself into, Brianna glared back up in the dim moonlight back at Ajax, carrying her usual frown.
"I've got a last name too, smartarse, don't y'get cheeky with me. But for Hel's sake I can't make heads o' tails f'what yours were supposed t'be so I guessed. It's like your folks couldn't make up their minds." Crossing her arms, she snorted, grinning to herself. "An' didn't your mum teach ya not t'greet a lady without your trousers on? Not that there aren't much t'look at mind ya," the girl added, with what was the closest thing to a joke as she'd likely ever get.

"Of course it's the middle o' the night. I was waitin' for people to get off to bed b'fore I went off looking for things 'round the pine. That's where they found the dead lass, right? S'the first place I'm off t'look." Snorting with annoyance of trying to point out her obvious(?) plan, the Norseling put her hands on her hips, jutting her head in the direction of Thalia's Tree. "I aren't one for askin' for help, you got me? But even I know more eyes 'r better than one set o' mine. If y'know anybody else worth a bloody drachma who can help you n' I out, best point me in their direction so we can get started. I'll wait for you." With a slight pause, the demi rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she glanced back at the child of Ares. "Hurry up now lad, we don't have all night. An' try t'put some pants on, eh?"


=========================
We're more likely to find clues if there's more eyes to look for them, so don't be shy about jumping in!   ;3

((And I know this is drifting from my usual novel-sized posts. I'm just trying not to...intimidate...people...))

"My mum taught me if someone was banging on the window loud enough to wake the house and half of Hades to instantly check their identity and shoot center mass if they weren't kin-folk or crewmates." Evander groused as he headed back to his locker and grabbed pants, a shirt and boots. After thinking for a second, he also grabbed two more knives to keep on him.

Evander was careful to be quiet as he left the cabin, although he was surprised that the dead hadn't awoken, much more half his cabin. He finished strapping his sword belt on over his pants and stalked up to the crazy Norse lady. "Alright, why in Hades' left testicle are we doing this at night? It's be better to wait until morning. When, I don't know, there's light to see by."

To be honest, he had other suspicions about why the Norseling wanted to drag someone out in the middle of the night, but he wasn't inclined to mention them yet.

Brianna grinned from ear to ear, although it more likely looked like she was having stomach pains. Oh, he was a snappy one! He was definitely one of Ares' kids...he was already starting to piss her off, but at the same time...it was strangely refreshing. At least now there was someone around her that was just as blunt as she was.
"Oh ho ho!" She chortled. "Sassy one aren't ya? You Greeko war demis have mouths on ye, I gotta say! An' y'remembered your pants this time 'round I see. Good on you. Gold star for ya." Just as quick as her lips had curled up into a smile, they dropped back down into their usual form.
"Ye gods it's like your whole family's got cotton in their ears. Aren't a single one of you Ares lot a good listener, I swear on m' da's right hand. If you're curious, time's not a-waitin' on anyone boy-o. Th'longer we wait, the less likely we're t'find anythin' left on the ground. I'm already worried 'nough as it is that the dew doesn't rid of any sort of clues we could find at the Pine. The smallest thing could help out D'mitri an' the others a'fore they even leave this morning."

Propping herself off the post she'd been leaning on, Niall began trudging her way over towards the direction of the massive tree, jerking her head at Evander to follow him. She was making pains to be quiet as they walked through the circular area where the cabins were placed, but with her size and hefty weight, stealth was not exactly one of Brianna's strong points. She was about as subtle as a volcano in the middle of the arctic.
"Besides that, what d'you think folks'd say if they saw a pair o' campers snooping 'round a murder site on their lonesome? At night t'least there's fewer eyes t'be lookin' at us, aye? 'Sides that, what kind o' war god d'you Greekos have t'get offspring like yourself that's afraid o' the dark? Aren't nothin' a flashlight can't handle, Ajax, c'mon now. Evander. Whatever in Ymir's frozen beard your name is." With a quick pause, she shrugged. "Ah, mum would have my arse if she knew I hadn't introduced m'self like a proper lady 'an all. Brianna Niall. Daughter o' Tyr. Norse God o' War...an' Justice...an' Law. He's sort o' the Judge Dredd o' the Norse Gods."

Evander did not smile or offer a hand to Brianna after her introduction. Instead, his jaw was clenched so tight he felt like he might break teeth. "Listen, Brianna, I ain't afraid of the dark, or the Harpies you're going to draw to our a$$es by making as much noise as a the Snoopy balloon in a ticker tape parade! I am afraid of your bungling nonsense waiting until midnight because you don't want to be seen by no one, which makes about as much sense as a screen door on a submarine. And I swear to the Greek, Roman, and Norse pantheons, if you insult me again, I'm going to make you regret it." Evander hissed coldly, moving much more quietly than she did, despite going as fast through the area. His left hand rested on his sword hilt, partially to keep the blade from rattling, but also because he didn't trust the midnight crusader.

Snorting audibly, Niall spat at the dirt. She could practically *taste* the disdain off of Evander right now, but she hardly had damns left to give. The Norseling was more than aware her counterpart was hardly fond of her...it was bad enough with her attitude and mannerisms without them both being the children of conflicting war gods. Egos were inevitably bound to clash, no matter how pleasant they were to one another.
...Not that Ajax was being particularly pleasant.

"Harpies?" Brianna guffawed, shaking her head, "I aren't afraid o' none o' your bloody chickens, Greeko. Only thing I care for is gettin' some clues a'fore they leave in the morning. Now stop your bleedin' drama an' let's get on with this."

At that moment, her cerulean eyes caught glimpse of where Evander's hand lay, and a smirk worked her way onto her lips.
"Oh boy-o, you weren't thinkin' o' usin' that on me now would ye?" She shook her head, chuckling. "Are y'lookin for some manner o' fight then lad? I don't do much fer requests y'know, 'an y'don scare me neither, tough man. S'not t' say I can't fight ye either; I don't walk a step without m'own insurance." Motioning to the massive, hulking blade on her own back, Brianna leered at him.
"Baldr's teeth, we don't have time for jokes," she told him, practically growling out the words. "Are y'really gon't let yer own pride an' anger get a best o' what's proper? I've got a good set o' eyes that can find what's bad in a whole mess o' wrong. I didn't wake ye up 'cause I feel you're good company; I woke y'up t' help out D'mitri an' the others a'fore they leave, an' help out the lass who what got herself killed by that Lear. Either be bloody useful, 'r go back t'your wee lit'l nap."
Spitting at the ground again, she shrugged, wiping the residue on her sleeve.
"I don' care which y'pick. I can do this on m'own. I only came t'think you'd be somethin' o' help at the very least, an' not give lip. There's time for us bickerin' later. I rather take a fight off t'Lear than you anyhow. I don' have time for your attitude."

Pausing, she continued walking, making her way towards the arts and crafts building as she turned around, pointing a solitary finger at the Greek's direction.
"By th'bye, I'd appreciate the notion if y'didn go swearin' t'pantheons that don't belong t'you. Keep your swears t'yourself lad. Neither I nor that dead lass have time for 'em. I got one thing on m'mind if you're feelin' antsy, 'an that's finding some clues. T'might be a new concept, but I'm the daughter o' a Law n' Justice god. T'aint hard t'say that when somethin' like this happens 'round me, I get t'work on correctin' it all. I felt y'could be useful, but then again, I could just be hungry. Even I make mistakes. Here I were, hopin' you weren't another." She gave him a cold, hard look in the eyes. Icy. Serious. It was a gaze donned in not a threat, but a promise.
"You're not tellin' me you're another mistake o' mine, are y'lad? If you're not, then let's make ourselves o' some use and go lookin' about an' get this done."

Evander kept his eyes moving around and his ears sharp listening for harpies. He could head the Norse demigod talking constbatly, like she had to listen to herself speak in order to survive, but he wasn't paying attention. After several moments he stopped, then looked at Brianna. "I'm sorry. We're you saying something? I was trying to keep an ear out for those bloody chickens you aren't afraid of. While I don't fear them doing me any damage, Chrion gets mighty nasty if they catch you, and I would rather avoid detention."