#˗ˏˋ ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ᶤᶤᶤ· ﹙ answered ﹚ ﹕ reader complaints.

[occultalist]

if   someone   said   they   were   a   fan   of   cleaning   ,   they   had   to   be   the   biggest   liar   on   the   fucking   planet.   either   that   ,   or   just   downright   insane.   when   marshall   signed   the   lease   for   this   new   place   ,   he   didn't   think   he   was   going   to   have   to   do   any   more   labor   than   just   moving   in   his   own   personal   belongings.   of   course   there   was   going   to   be   a   catch   when   he   was   paying   for   a   rather   decent   price   on   staying   here   ,   so   it   required   some   level   of   clean   up   &   he   is   less   enthused   about   the   idea , especially after moving in everything on his own.   thankfully   ,   @gunbash   had   agreed   to   come   over   &   help   him   with   his   cleaning   problems   ,   but   the   moment   his   friend   had   arrived   to   the   scene   ,   he   seemed   to   have   immediately   regretted   his   decision once he saw the state of everything.   ❝   sorry   ,   wish   i   could   ,   but   i'm   allergic   ,   ❞   he   says   with   a   frown   ,   his   voice   almost   cracking   ,   as   if   he   was   only   teasing.   even   if   it   was   just   a   tease   ,   marshall   was   far   too   tired   to   handle   it with his own usually sarcastic humor ,   so   rather   than   question   him   further   ,   he   takes   a nearby   duster   &   shoves   it   right   into   his   hand.

❝   allergic   to what   ,   manual   labor   ?   ❞   marshall   queries   with   an   arched   eyebrow.   ❝   weren't   you   in   the   army   ?   you're   supposed   to   be   a   tough   guy   or   whatever.   all   i'm   asking   you   to   do   is   help   me   dust   around   here   &   you're   already   here   so   ,   you   can   start   with   the   cobwebs   in   the   corners.   you're   tall   enough   to   reach   those   ,   right   ?   ❞   tall   enough   to   reach   ,   but   also   it   meant   that   marshall   didn't   have   to   deal   with   it   himself.   god   ,   did   he   hate   spiders   &   he   doesn't   want   to   make   a   big   spectacle   of   himself   if   one   happened   to   emerge   from   the   mess   webs.   ❝   i   promise   you   ,   i'll   make   this all   worth   your   while   when   you're   done.   pretty   sure   i   have   a   bunch   of   wine   i've   been   harboring   in   one   of   my   boxes   here.   you're   free   to   pick   one   to   take   home   to   you   &   mason   if   you   want.   i   think   that's   a   pretty   fair   deal   ,   right   ?   ❞ it's not like he has any money he can offer. the perks of being a journalist . . . you're always low on cash.

[occultalist]

the   streets   of   mausebrook   were   usually   known   for   their   cleanliness   &   pleasant   scenery   ,   but recently it's been thrown   into   chaos   over   the   last   week   ,   trees   &   poles   plastered   with   missing   pet   signs   ,   all   of   them   of   the feline variety.   its   not   uncommon   to   find   a   missing   pet   sign   or   two   when   living   in   any   town   or   city   ,   but   it's   been   growing   &   growing   in   numbers   ever   since   ,   all   to   the   point   that   the   town   is   considering   holding   a   town   council   over   the   matter   ,   which   is   as   close   to   them   admitting   something   is   wrong   that   marshall   has   ever   seen.   clearly   this   is   the   work   of   something   paranormal   ,   though   the   question   still   remains   if   the   said   culprit   was   either   a living creature , or a dead one of some kind.   he's   gathered   as   many   clues   &   flyers   as   he   could   in   order   to   try   &   figure   out   the   reason   for   this   sudden   epidemic   ,   but   he   finds   himself   drawing   a   blank   on   a   cause   ,   his   vast   knowledge   of   the   town   thanks   to   working   at   the   local   newspaper   doing   him   no   favors   at   this   time.   at   a   local   cafe   ,   he   buries   himself   in   all   the   flyers   trying   to   write   down   notes   &   wait   for   some   sort   of   inspiration   to   strike   ,   but   nothing   comes   to   mind   &   he's   admittedly at   his   wits   end.

he   doesn't   sense   her   ,   but   @claervoiant   appears   at   his   side   &   refills   his   cup   of   coffee   ,   his   focus   so fixed   on   his   own   work   before   him   , but   only   when   she   speaks   does   he   finally   shake   himself   out   of   his   trance.   ❝   you   sure   you   know   what   you're   doing   ?   ❞   this   waitress'   tone   isn't   at   all   accusatory or rude   as   marshall   would   expect   it   ,   but   much   softer   &   curious   ,   as   if   she   really   was   concerned   for   his   wellbeing.   clearing   his   throat   ,   he   doesn't   dare   make   eye   contact   with   her   as   he   attempts   to   clean   up   the   table   he   was   sitting   at   ,   hiding   the   missing   posters   of   the   cats   with   his   notebook.   it's   embarrassing   enough   that   he   looked   so incredibly   disheveled ,   &   there   was   no   way   he'd   be   able   to   explain   him   investigating   the   missing   cat   epidemic   that   was   definitely   connected   to   something   spooky   related.   he's   had   enough   of   people   staring   at   him   like   he's   crazy   today.   ❝   does   anyone   ever   know   what   they're   doing   one   hundred   percent   of   the   time   ?   ❞   he   tries   to   appear   charming   ,   but   it   fails   when   he   can't   garner   the   courage   to   look   at   her   ,   hiding   behind   his   coffee   mug   as   he   takes   a   sip   ,   a   smile   revealed   sitting   between   ruddy   cheeks   when   he   finally   sets   down.   ❝   just   working   on   a   personal   thing.   not   sure   what   you're   getting   at   ,   but   i'm   fine.   ❞   he   clears   his   throat.   ❝   well   .   .   .   as   fine   as   one   can   be   ,   anyway.   ❞

[occultalist]

˗ˏˋ      ᵖʳᵒˡᵒᵍᵘᵉ·      ﹙      tags      ﹚      ﹕      part   three.