Scene #5020: Wills and Contracts 2

Owner	Pose
Ainsley	Being a necromancer in a world where the practice has only been regulated and made a legal skill to practice for the past couple decades means that a lot of the prejudices from before this have not yet faded away. Which is why the Paladins have been called in to respond to a problem that the local authorities don't know how to deal with. Everyone is led into a morgue, were the technician in charge can be found. What the Paladins find might be unnerving. What stands there in the middle of the room is an apparition. The ghost-like entity has a vaguely humanoid shape, with two black holes in the shape where its eyes would be and a shape that could be a mouth in a very clear and almost cartoonish frown. ( :( ) It appears like the morgue technician is made of a kind of fog, and can't seem to interact with anything. In fact, it is trying to pick up a tool from its autopsy tray when the party arrives with no success. "You have to help me. This has gotten way out of hand," says the apparition, a woman by the sound of her ghostly voice, "Someone has stolen my vessel while I was meditating and the police can't find where it is. I can feel it's still in town but I can't call it back to me." An officer standing nearby, a greying half-elf in a sheriff hat, holds up a hand urgingly. "As you can see," the gruff-sounding sheriff begins, "Our technician here is a Lich. She can't actually touch the physical world without a shell to use as a proxy, otherwise she's stuck near where her phylactery is." He points to a lantern-like object sitting in the middle of the room in a protective case. It looks like a fairly ordinary gas-powered camping lantern decorated in a lot of runes. The fire inside of it dances very slowly and casts no light on its surroundings. "So, uh... here's a map... I've circled where I think the shell ended up, but your guess is as good as mine as to where it ended up." He holds out a map. "A local has been vandalizing the morgue walls outside--" They would've seen signs of the walls being repainted and redone, and more than a few other details freshly repaired "--but they've been usin' magic to mask themselves. We can't have this going on for much longer or we're gonna have to transfer her to a safer town." He frowns at the group, and there is a gentle sob from the lich woman, her ghostly hands covering her ghostly face. "Her family lives here. That's a very last resort. Please, whatever you can contribute..." He shrugs and frowns helplessly. The map has a graveyard, a local chapel and a community center circled. The last one has a note that says 'Anti-necromancy protests organized here,' while the other two don't have notes associated with them. It's a fairly small town with well-maintained roads so it'd be trivial to drive to any of the locations.
Crash	There's something about this town, for Crash, that makes things feel strange. Maybe it was the fact that the necromancer was the victim? Who knows. After being led through the area, and being introduced to the lich, the machine actually frowns. Life is life, no matter the state, and this 'woman' didn't deserve to be biased against. That was a feeling that Crash knew far, far too well. "Alright," she states first, turning from the ghostly creature to the map. "If there's one thing I can't stand it's biases when there's no need for it. That being said," she stabs a finger at the map, at the graveyard since she doesn't have any qualms about such a place, "If we need to start somewhere, I'll be happy to start here with anyone else that wants to come along." She glances up at the 'ghost'. "We'll help you, right?" everyone else is given a long look. They are paladins after all, she's not alone in this idea, right?
Rebecca Chambers	Necromancy legalized. That's a headline that would make Rebecca Chambers freak out like it's nobody's business, with all of her years of fighting the undead, among other things that are creepy and gross. Then again, these aren't virally infected humans turning into cannibalistic creatures, but she figures that her expertise with the undead might be helpful here. Despite the difference in how they're 'made,' sometimes zombies have similar characteristics. When she enters the morgue, she literally does a double-take at the sight in there. It's a ghost or something, and it doesn't look happy, but at least it's not hostile. So Rebecca listens intently to what she's talking about, and then she takes notice of the sheriff. His gruff attitude makes Rebecca scowl a little, but when he's finished speaking, she speaks up. "We'll find this 'shell' she needs," Rebecca replies, her scowl not disappearing. "It doesn't matter what's been happening here or why, we're going to figure out what's going on!"
Maya	Maya is twitching sometimes visably given necormacy on her own world. She will heave she will behave she has a job to do and she pause as they enter the mogute and just has to pause there for a moment the hairs stand on the back of her neck but she listens the spirit is asking for help. She also gets how they are using thier power so she should be able to keep old urges under control here for the moment. "Is there anything else you could tell us if anyone might have more than just an issue with your abilities and a personal issue with your self?" MAya also looks to Crash for a moment nodding. "We will do what we can to help."
Seras Victoria	This mission has immediately skyrocketed to 'weirdest things that Seras has ever gotten involved in' with the Paladins. Of course, 'things she has been involved in' can be counted on two hands, so that's not saying a lot. But... she's an agent of Hellsing. She should be -destroying- undead with few questions asked... right? Because 99 percent of them are awful... right? Thoughts like these have made it hard for her to keep a stoic and professional expression through the explanation. That there is an entire community of peaceful, lawful Undead and -they- are the victims of prejudice and paranoia... is a hard nut to swallow. Ironic, coming from a vampire. Childishly wide-eyed from sheer amazement, she can't help but nod firmly at Crash's words and give a determined look to their Necromancer contact. It's not right that a woman should be crying like this. No matter what they are. It's not long before Seras has her spirit back! The night breeze drifting by wafts through her, the soft moonlight above illuminates a soft but hopeful smile she's showing... and glints off tiny fangs. "Alright... this is a weird one, but we WILL find who's behind this and return her... body." She is one RESOLUTE vampire.
Ainsley	"U-uh... I don't really get out a lot," the Lich tells everyone, her arms crossing over her featureless chest. She makes an apologetic smile, the expression hard to maintain and creating some odd distortions in her smile. "I know it's weird to be like ... this," she says, holding her hands out at her sides, "I have a legal obligation to make my spiritual state and skillset known to the public, to avoid the... problems that used to come from necromancers that worked in secret." The sheriff chimes in, "The last technician we had didn't tell anyone and tried to raise a non-violent undead army, apparently disgruntled by how necromancers are treated, go figure," as if this was just something that happens sometimes. "It's hard to make friends in a town where everyone thinks I'm out to drink their life force. Even the nice ones don't like hanging out with me," she explains. The sheriff sighs tiredly and rubs the back of his neck. Clearly it bothers him but there's not much he can do about that. He speaks up after that, "We have a few suspects," he says, walking over to pick up a few files. He hands them toward Seras. It seems there are three suspects. A halfling (a kind of animal-person in this world) on a ranch raising drakes that has openly opposed legitimizing necromancy, the local human minister known for his fiery speeches about the natural or unnatural and a mother in the residential area that has been organizing the protests. Seems there's no shortage of prejudice here.
Crash	"Being from a world where the government itself looks down on me for what I am, I understand, miss. Believe me, I'm going to do everything I can to find your body and get it back to you. That being said," she turns to the other paladins, "I'm headed for the graveyard. Those that want to, can come along. Those that don't, please feel free to look into either someplace or someone. Just because she looks different or has different skills doesn't make her any less of a person than the rest of us, or anyone in this world." Smile. "Lets do what we came to do." That said, the fox-like machine makes to head for the graveyard to see what can be found, alone or with assistance.
Rebecca Chambers	"We're going to take care of everything, so don't worry!" Rebecca says, this time more reassuringly and gentle than when she was speaking to that gruff sheriff. "We've come here to help, and we're going to make sure that you get the help you need!" A gentle smile forms on her face. "So just take it easy. We'll be back soon!" After that, she looks to Crash and says, "I'll go with you. I've got a feeling there might be something there. Call it an instinct." She takes out her flashlight and checks to make sure the battery is fully charged before heading out. As they head for the graveyard, Rebecca narrows her eyes a little, feeling like she might have spoken a little too soon about instincts and things like that, but she's hoping that she is just overworrying again.
Maya	Maya's got a lot to think over here but for now they need to move onward if ther's not much more to think. She nods for a moment at the Lich. "Very well then thank for what you could though." She's going to get an idea for a moment. "A non violent undead army? That's ... certainly different." Which is saying something given Maya served the Union for over a decade and has over half a dozen halloween watches under her belt. "The question is do any of them have a history of criminal action or violence? I think I'd be best to see what I can find while I leave the suspects to others."
Seras Victoria	Seras, of course, announces the suspects quietly to the other Paladins with her after being handed the file. "Let's check the Graveyard first. Then we'll investigate the suspects. Do remember, innocent unless proven guilty. No accusations without evidence!"
Ainsley	The sheriff indicates the files. The minister hasn't done anything illegal, but the protest organizer and the ranch owner have both been arrested for similar crimes. The ranch owner is the one responsible for the last necromancer in town losing their cool, and he's on probation for the harassment charges. The protest organizer is a suspect because of her proximity to the morgue just before the body was stolen and for her anti-necromancer agenda. The minister is suspected due to the prevalence of the 'kill it with fire' mentality of his particular sect, and he is always the one the most eager to kill rogue undead in town, to the point people have looked at him for the disappearance of a number of undead in town. Undead disappearances are usually attributed to their attachments to the mortal plane vanishing over time, but some of cases looked really suspicious.
Ainsley	Getting to the graveyard is simple enough. It's an old graveyard, with a number of fairly obvious magical wards to keep unruly ghosts from leaving the premises. Unlike graveyards of typical Earths or even the undead-filled one Seras is from, the ghosts, zombies and more just seem to /live/ here. There are a number of houses, mausoleums and the like in the back of the graveyard. There's a ghost -- similar in appearance to the Lich woman, but apparently child-sized -- seated on a gravestone nearby as they arrive. He waves at them in a friendly manner, his ghostly form glowing oddly in the moonlight. He swings his legs and looks around distractedly after that, apparently just hanging out. A vampire woman can be seen drinking from a canteen down the road, and chatting with a ghoul. There's another lich here in the graveyard, but he has his phylactery hanging from his shell's neck, and he seems to be the groundskeeper. He approaches the group and wonders, "How can I help you folks?" His eyes glow the same way the ghostly bodies do, but he seems human besides that. Apparently a shell is indistinguishable from a living body.
Crash	Once in the graveyard, Crash offers a wave to those that greet her. It's interesting to see such a place where those of the undead persuation are just 'living' out their extended lives. The small ghost is given a wave by the fox-machine before she turns to greet the groundskeeper when she's addressed. "Evening, sir. I'm Crash from the Paladins and we're looking into the theft of the technician's body from over yonder," Crash explains, motioning toward where they came from. "I'm just trying to get an idea of what the area is like. If you have any information, or any strange occurances that have happened recently, it'd be helpful." r
Rebecca Chambers	Unlike Crash, Rebecca feels quite out of place in a graveyard, so she doesn't really greet anyone in any way. Instead, she simply focuses on her investigation, using her flashlight to sweep the general area. That is, until she spots that ghost at which point she lowers her flashlight and renders a formal military salute. "Rebecca Chambers, I'm with her." She gestures to Crash. "As she explained, we're investigating this theft, and we came here to investigate."
Seras Victoria	"Uuuuuuhhhhhhhmmmmmmm...." The closer and closer that Seras gets to this graveyard, the less sure of what she's doing the police girl becomes. She's reduced to just stupidly gawking, mouth open and teeth showing oddly... until she clams up a few moments later to answer, "We're with the Paladins, on a theft case for... a stolen body..." even saying it lamely after Crash has, Seras' face makes that pure look of disbelief. "..." There's ghosts hanging around. Ghosts! She awkwardly waves back at the kid ghost, feeling immensely depressed at the sight.
Maya	Maya will end up getting to the graveyard and will be looking ove the child ghost for a moment. She wwave slightly but looks at them for a moment and she seems so many unead and well she fells like the odd one out in having a pulse. She takes a deep breath before she starts to look around now as she tkes in the various undead but they are nost hostile. She gesturs to the badge carved into her chest guard and notes "Maya, I'm with the Paladin's Curse Breaker's division we're attemping to get a better idea of the area given the are andin regards with a case."
Ainsley	The ghost child giggles at Seras' discomfort and smiles evilly, his smile looking toothy like a cheshire cat. It's not the most sinister thing, it IS a child ghost, but it's probably unnerving. The Groundskeeper fiddles with his phylactery and thinks, frowning at the word 'Paladins,' but apparently comfortable with them besides that. "Strange, strange..." He waves for them to follow him. "One of the graves looks a little weird," he tells them, as he leads them to a spot. He points at it. "It's warded. The others here can't see it, but I can smell the magic on it. Fresh spellwork. Sometimes you get people here performing blessings to keep their loved one's asleep, though, so it might be nothing." He conjures a few shovels with a wave of his hand and hands the tools to the group. "You'll have to dig it up. I can't touch it." He seems very OK with digging up a grave for the sake of an investigation. Seras might have issues here. The grave gives off a 'if you touch this you will combust' level of blessing, so she might have to focus on a different task. The gravestone seems to be blank. Most of them are, actually, at least at a glance. A few are marked properly.
Crash	It seems a little forward for the groundskeeper to just offer up shovels to everyone, but when a clue is provided, and you don't have any help to do the hard labor, its up to you to do it! "Ah, thank you," Crash offers in a candid tone before glancing at the other two with a smirk. "Whoever hits 'paydirt' first I'll buy dinner when we're all done," she says, trying to provide a little incentive for her co-workers. Once she does, the fox drives the shovel into the ground, steps onto it, tosses the dirt, and repeats. "Unless I hit first, of course.."
Rebecca Chambers	Frowning a little, Rebecca shrugs after a moment. "Well, I guess it can't be helped," She says as she gets a handle on her shovel. "Let's see what we can come up with, shall we?" She says as she moves to a nearby grave that seems a little unusual to her (although she's not keen on finding things like this.) "Here goes nothing," She comments as she begins to dig up the grave, silently hoping that there's nothing waiting to be resurrected there... or for that matter, someone who's unhappy about disturbing their eternal slumber.
Seras Victoria	"You're kidding, right? Someone came and just... did a burial. In a graveyard full of the undead. And nobody saw it? ... How does that work?" Seras gives the groundskeeper a long and bewildered face. She's none too pleased by the idea of digging up graves for any reason... but... "... If it's one of these... 'radicals'... they might have just tried to bury the body... a graveyard like this would make sense. So..." Seras approaches the grave tentatively and rather thoughtlessly, but the moment she steps near it the wards kick up and -- "KYEEEEK!" Sparks and golden-white lightning sizzle along Seras' arm that's nearest it, leaving light scorch marks. She tumbles over backwards and SWOOPS OVER BEHIND REBECCA CHAMBERS. "R-right... why don't... you do this... wards... I forgot about those."