Town Square

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Ula had been sitting, more liking hiding in the gazebo, since the funeral. She'd probably been one of the first to leave, but her leaving was more of a distressed sprinting. She wanted to be away from there, where the mayor lay dead in the ground. His mind was no longer thinking his kind thoughts, his lungs were no longer breathing so he could speak them, and his heart was no longer beating... no longer keeping him alive to care for the town, for his daughter. His daughter, Rimara. 'Oh, poor Rimara. I can't imagine what she must be going through right now. It must be horrible... I'll... I'll have to try to cheer her up. Try to make her smile. She has to celebrate the life he lived, not the ending of it. Right?'

Ula wasn't so sure anymore. Would she even be able to put on a smile to perform such a thing? Maybe it was too early anyway. "I'll let her mourn. I won't bug her then." She sniffed and wiped her cheeks, just in case she'd missed any of the salt traces. Even after nine years of living in fresh water, the salt from the sea hadn't left her system. When she cried above water, it would crystallize to form sparkling trails down her cheeks. Wiping them away had probably just made her cheeks sparkle.

Then she paused, hearing something... things being unpacked and a voice she recognized. 'Rosa,' she thought, and a small smile touched her lips at how the woman was as on time as ever. She got up from hiding and left the gazebo, resting her closed hands up on her heart as she quietly approached Rosa.

[color=teal]"Mrs. DeGari? Rosalynn? Would you like some help unpacking?" In an attempt to hide her sorrowful emotions she, as always when upset, looked to the plastic plates, cups, and utensils. Truthfully, she would have brought something but... she lived under the water, what food would she be able to make underwater? This was one reason she thought that, maybe, she could get a job somewhere and get a house some time. And the money she'd saved up from selling small things she'd found was... somewhere in a bush around her home.

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Ula could feel the healing energy working into her system, and she managed to meet Rosa's eyes as she smiled, "I'm doing better, thank you. But... try not to wear yourself out too much, kay? Your magic works wonders but we're no good without you. And speaking of which, how are you, Eric, and Arturo? Oh, and your sister and uncle?" She smiled again before turning away to start helping with the unpacking. Her thoughts wandered as she did this, though her ears were still open for replies and questions. 'Utensils.... Oo-ten-see-els, yule tent seals, you ten seals... Wierd words.' That's when she heard Mendzailla's name, and her main thoughts bounced to the topic of her sprite friend. But before she continued focusing on her scattered mind, she looked up and greeted Eric with a wave.

'I'll have to vsit Mendzailla later too. I should visit everyone, bring things they like or I think they might like. See if I can make their week a little better. No one should be upset for too long, it wouldn't be right. This place is usually so sunny and fun with our festivals hosted by... how many people? Eighteen? Thirty?' The young mermaid shrugged to herself, before snapping from her thoughts with a dazed blinking, pulled out by a question from Rosa.

Ula smiled and shrugged again, to Rosalynn this time, "Not really. I'll help with what I'm asked to do, dance a lot, participate in a few things, try not to freak out." She gave a small laugh, sounding almost sheepish as she knew what could happen if she saw some people doing certain things. She disliked when this happened, but in those moments didn't know what to do. "Try to stay out of trouble, of course, and not hurt too many people. What about your plans? Anything special?"

Then with a smile and a nod of greeting towards Arturo, Ula continued helping and sunk back into her thoughts. 'Special? Special's also a funny word. Wierd. What's weird? Art, people, etc., the word etcetera, age. Thinking of age, we have lots of different ages here, don't we?' She knew most of the "Mystic Grovian's" ages, or had learned them at some point wether through blunt questioning or piecing it together, and her wanderng mind began counting up the ages that came off the top of her head, 'Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, fourty-three, fourty-eight, fifty-two, ninety-seven, and... a hundred and twen-' Her concentration was suddenly saved again, but this time by somethin... odd. An unfamiliar voice had awaken her. It was a man, obviously, maybe middle-aged.

Finally, Ula turned to look behind her and found Rosalynn speaking with a man in a minivan, it was driven by a woman from what she could see but she couldn't tell if there was anyone else. She jogged, almost skipping, until she was next to Rosalynn. Though... it would probably be more considered behind her even as she leaned to wave to the newcomers. For the moment, all of her previous sorrows had been forgotten at the appearance of new faces. Ula even waved to the other windows, just in case there was someone else, "Hi! We're sorry for the inconvenience of it being closed. But the hotel is cozy and lots of people here cook really good food. I hope you enjoy your stay!" It would considered near impossible for others, but this was Ula Morgan, and she lost balance without the slightest of provokation. A gasp escaped her and she grabbed onto Rosa's arm for just a moment, squeaking out a quick "Sorry!" and trying to gently brush the sparkling salt from her tears off of Rosa's arm.

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Sleep had escaped Oscar. It had slipped away from him like a mist. No matter what he did, he couldn't grasp onto it. All he could do was stare at the ceiling, resting a hand on his chest. Everything had changed. Like a switch, the town was restarted. All the faces were the same but the center of it, the heart of it, was gone. The only thing left was the brain, him. Few people listened to sense. They were busy buzzing like mischievous bees, getting into trouble, falling in love, waging war, and making a mess. And then they were gone. With a heavy sigh, he thought of the Mayor. He was what you wanted in a man of authority. Everyone believed him to be good. They had trusted him. They had sought him for advice. He had vision. But what made him effective was that he listened. Oscar had lasted through too much of this town's muck. Its secrets, its underbelly, its history. He had been apart of it, helped shaped it and the late Mayor had allowed Oscar to help him continue to make it something worthwhile.

Hell, what did it matter? Maybe it was all bullshit? Everything turned to dust in the end... well, maybe not him. Finally he rolled out of bed. He could brood upright. He could brood in any position. Oscar decided to take his thoughts with him to the cemetery. Dawn had yet to breach. The night was a good cover. He nodded to the Mayor's gravestone. "What happened?" he thought out loud. "What the hell did you do?" He touched the top of the gravestone, tapping his fingers against the stone. He could almost feel the tears passing over the stone, the gentle caresses, the grievous farewells. But he didn't feel grief. It was something else entirely. Confusion.

Later that day, he dressed in black as expected. It was little effort. Most of his clothes were dark in color and layered in stern cynicism. He passed a few children on his way. They were playing in the grass, kicking a ball back and forth. Suddenly he felt a snap against his ankle. One of the children squinted at him. "Oy, ball here, old man!" Oscar turned to the boy slowly and suddenly the children were struck still, eyes wide. With a quick snap of his fingers, the ball deflated. "That's Mr. Fallo to you, kid. Your grandfather was just as bad," He was getting too old for this. He was getting too tired.

As he headed into the town square, he saw a familiar figure in the distance. A woman walking with another. It was Ramira. He stopped in his tracks. He hadn't been in the same room with her alone in a long time. It was intentional. She was a constant reminder of better days, of days that made him believe in impossible things. It was a thorn in his otherwise dark worldview. He quickly turned away, hoping she wouldn't notice. "Shit, shit, shit," he muttered. He hated people but he needed their cover.

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Ula tried to brush the remaining salt from her cheeks, but it just made it stay. To be honest she didn't mind it much, all it really did was make it look like she had sparkly powder on her cheeks. As she watched the window roll up, she couldn't help but almost laugh at a sudden thought. "You know, I've read a few horror books and seen a few movies. The ones with little villages towns being really nice to random strangers and inviting them to stay often... end with one or none of the visitors leaving." She shrugged, looking to the people that were near her, "I'm... gonna go see if I can hep with setting up anything. Seeya, Rosa." She smiled and gave an odd little gesture, almost like a shrug, but with a smile and start into a happy walk bck towardste tables. Before she got too far she turned to wave farewell to the newcomers, thogh she only just greeted them. [color=teal]"Enjoy!"

She then contnued on her way to the tables and... her smile faltered smewhat. Her sorrow had momentarily disappeared at the thouht of new people, but returnd wen she turned towards the event and remembered the meaning of it. Her step sobered and she avoided eye contact with those she pased. The hurt was still frsh inher,but Rosalynn's healing energy did work wonders. After this day was over, she was going to mosey on her way back home, maybe relax in a tree and end up falling asleep... maybe check the waters for trash or anything needing to be cleaned or purified.

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He just had to get somewhere, anywhere. As long as he was away from her. Already thoughts of her began plaguing his mind. The shape of her mouth, the curve of her jaw, the smell of her hair... He could almost hear her laugh. Despite himself, Oscar began to smile. It was already too late. He had tried to keep his distance after it ended. It was the right idea and he reminded himself that with every ache or pang of longing. She'd be happier with her own kind.

Oscar noticed Ula by the tables and decided to do something completely unprecedented. He would offer to help. He made his way over, eyes to the ground and grimacing. He took a cup in his hand and spun it carelessly in his hands. "Uh... Ula, is it? Can I help?" He nearly choked on the words. He was used to giving orders, not taking them. And as the cup fumbled out of his hand, he realized his domestic skills were equally lacking. Oscar snuck a glance at Rimara as she walked off. She was still irritatingly beautiful.

A low groan emanated from Oscar's throat. Indecisiveness irked him like nothing else. It was a lack of control, a wild element, an unpredictable rogue of a concept. "This is what we're going to do," he said with a wave of his hand. Oscar began spreading the cups out onto the table. "We pour at once otherwise we'll be here all day. But we fill them half full," he said, punctuating his last point. "This is important to remember," he pressed, looking her in the eye. His brow furrowed as his voice dropped to a stern tone.

Oscar knew it was a small concern. It didn't matter how the cups were filled. It didn't matter whether or not they were filled at all. People could figure out how to serve themselves. But with the death of the mayor, a man that he could almost admit was a friend, he felt directionless. Who would he lead? Who would he advise? Who would spend late nights arguing with him about street names and city sanctions? Who would debate with him on human-magic relations? Change didn't come easily to him. He needed a purpose and right now, it was cups.

"Once your done here, stack the cups and don't put too much ice in the bowl. We don't want to water it down," His point ended with a stern nod as he began toying with the cups and their positions. If he was going to do something, it would be perfect.

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Parking his car at the bar his mother owns, which wasn't far from the town square. He adjusted his hair, he cannot look out of order like he did this morning. No one should think that he can't control his urges. He finally got out of his car, and headed towards the town square. He noticed that although people were there it seemed a bit empty. Maybe it was all the negative energy, and their grief over the dead human body that was rotting in the cemetery. He didn't want to seem rude, but how does one pretend to like someone they never did.

He approached the square and decided to make way to the table with the drinks, he sure could use a drink right now. He's stressed out right now and some alcohol would loosen him up a bit. He walked in an elegant way, being alive for over ninety-seven years gave him reason to, he doesn't want to come off as some twenty year old who doesn't know what he's doing. Although he clearly looks like one, if you don't know him. Taking a cup he filled it with some whiskey and downed it in seconds, and then poured himself another full cup before moving away from the table and ascending the stairs of the gazebo that stood in the center of the square.

Finn wanted to observe, he saw Ula and Oscar pouring some drinks at one table, and Rosa with Arturo talking to some people, some humans, passing by the town. He saw Rimara from a distance, she looked like she wasn't ready to go to an event like this. He was right in his assumption when he saw her going away from the town square.

Another urge hit him, as he though about Rimara being the only human that lived in this hell hole. If only she wasn't so nice and innocent for him to hurt. He wished that more humans lived in this supernatural infested town. He looked over to the car that was still there, and saw a young guy's head pop into view. A beautiful young nerdy guy, who probably had sweet tasting blood. He shook at the thought that popped into his head. He mustn't think of blood right now, especially not human.

He groaned as he faced away from the car and mumbled, "Crap, Crap! Just what I needed a new HUMAN family stopping by. It'd be nice if they stayed for a while, but who knows how long I'll control myself with that sweet thing around." Finn knew how to take care of his urges, but if this family did stay for long he would have these urges more often. Then again, this town is lacking humans. Downing his second cup of whiskey he needed a distraction.

He left the gazebo, and was about to approach Ula, but it seemed as if she was too distressed, so he decided to leave her alone. Now he was left alone with Rosa and Arturo who were still hanging around the humans. He wondered how long he had to be present at this thing, before it was considered he officially attended the event.