bewitchinghaze | [Circle of Sirens] Missing

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circle of sirens

[Circle of Sirens] Missing

To say it had been a long day would be an understatement. Val has been hard at work in the back rooms of Avant Garden preparing spelled plants by the dozen all day. By the time she closes up for the day and finishes tidying, it's well past eight in the evening. Stretching out the kinks in her back, she gives a soft sigh as she hauls her phone out of her pocket and sends her sister a quick text:

[txt] Long ass day, unnie. Sales low again. On the way home now though. Chinese for dinner? xo

Finally satisfied that everything's in order, Val steps out and locks up. Turning around, she tuts at the fog that seems to have rolled into town despite the chill. Its thick as pea soup but she's never really needed her sight to make her way home anyway, not with the mixture of her sister's magic and her plants calling to her. But... Something seems odd. A soft melody slowly winds its way through the air and into her ears and something about it makes her want to hear more. To get closer.

Val steps into the fog, which, by all means, should be cold and clammy but somehow feels warm and soothing, and blinks in mild surprise as it seems to part to reveal a beautiful garden. Its absolutely gorgeous, full of plants she could never dream of working with and...

"Val! Over here!"

She turns her head as Grant's voice beckons her and she spots him, sitting on the porch of her cottage, waving her over. She bounds over happily and feels his arms wrap around her and his lips press against her own. "Welcome home," he murmurs with a grin that momentarily stuns her. "Riley's inside making dinner. She said to remind you to wash up before you go in."

It feels like her heart's going to burst, she's so happy right now. This is everything she could ever want and she's more than content to live like this forever. But then it starts to fade. Slowly, at first, she gets glimpses of a cave and her head feels... fuzzy, to say the least. Then the vision disintegrates faster and its all she can do not to yell at it to stay. Then it's gone and she's standing in a cave, blinking around at the walls as her mind wraps around her loss.

"Fuck."

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[txt] Just finishing up at Watersong. Chinese sounds amazing. I'll be home by the time you get there! Be safe!

After she passes her orders to the bartender sent in to relieve her, Riley takes her share of the tips, stuffing them into her bag before she says goodbye to Lara and the other employees at the concert. By the time she sets out for home, the sky has gone dark and Riley instinctively casts a small protective bubble around herself. Nothing seems too out of place until she opens the door to the cottage and drops her keys and purse on a side table, calling out for Val. She gets no answer, which isn't too concerning. Val sometimes gets caught up with her plants after a long day of work. But after Riley checks the entire cottage and the garden, she tugs her phone back out of her purse and texts her sister again.

[txt] Hey, I'm home now. Where are you?
[txt2] Val, did you get stuck at the shop?
[txt3] Val, are you okay??
[txt4] Soo-Yun, I swear to god if you're fine and just not answering!
[txt5] CALL ME, NOW.

Hours pass by with zero texts back from Val and Riley's officially at her wits' end. She's called over ten times, called the shop's phone, and texted everyone she knows, asking if anyone has seen her sister.

Riley's even desperate enough to get the equipment out for a scrying for her sister, but it tires her out quickly and comes up with nothing. She throws on her coat and scarf quickly before running out the cottage door and all the way to Avant Garden where she scours the place for Val. She can see Val's prepped the place for closing and must have left like she texted. So where is she?

Finally desperate and not knowing what else to do, Riley finds herself at SCPD. Grant isn't at his desk or answering his phone. The Jungs have an innate distrust for police after being fined for years. So she asks the night-clerk if she can see James Thorton, but apparently the jerk actually went out for the night. Riley somehow manages to finagle James' cell number from the clerk and tugs out her phone, quickly sending him a text.

[txt] James? It's Riley Jung. I really need your help right now.

Riley's txt message arrives just as James is tossing his keys aside on his kitchen counter. He barely even has time to pull a beer out of the fridge when his phone begins to vibrate like crazy. At this time of night, he automatically assumes it's work or one of his siblings. He grabs the phone and sees an unknown number on screen. He reads the text message with raised eyebrows.

Riley Jung? How did she even get his cell phone number? He quickly types back a message and hits send.

Where are you?

She's now away from the police station. The clerk kept asking her too many questions and making her too anxious to even think. Finally she just told him that she needed a drink and when he left to fetch her a glass of water, she slipped out the front doors. She needs the police's help, needs someone who can do something to know that her sister is missing, but she also knows the rule about missing persons.

Riley's pacing around her sister's shop in the freezing cold, looking for any signs of a struggle, when her phone buzzes in her hand and she lets out a sigh of relief that it's James.

[txt] I'm outside of Avant Garden.

After hitting send, she pulls her phone to her ear again, calling Val for what has to be the hundredth time. "Please, please, please pick up," she begs, barely above a whisper.

He has no idea what type of emergency Riley Jung could be in the middle of but he messages her back to give him a few minutes. That he is on the way. Quickly as he can, he changes into a pair of tennis shoes and jeans. He's off duty so there's no reason to find his uniform, but he does grab his gun, badge, and work bag.

About ten minutes later, he arrives out front of Avant Garden and sees Riley sitting on the curb outside the building. He is a cop and has done enough of these that he immediately sees she's upset.

"What happened?" He asks going over to her. "Are you hurt?"

She's lost in thought, desperate thoughts, trying to convince herself that Val is safe and okay. But she can't be because she knows Riley and she'd never make her worry like this if she could help it. Hearing the footsteps before he speaks, she looks up to see James Thornton. Riley gets to her feet and wipes a hand over her face.

"My sister is missing. She never came home. I can't find her and she's missed all my texts and calls." And before he can give her the "how long has it been?" line, she goes on. "It's been over four hours since she texted me and said she was on her way home."

Missing.

That is never a word someone in James' profession wants to hear. Sometimes these things do turn out to be a false alarm, but it's not like Siren Cove doesn't have it's history of weird things happening. He would take any case seriously, but this is also the Jungs. He is almost glad he got the phone call tonight instead of him since it is about Valeria. He scrubs a hand over his face and then sighs.

"Okay---" He gestures for her to move off the sidewalk. "Why don't we just go inside? You can tell me everything," he says in a calm voice, the type they teach them to use in heightened emotional situations.

Edited 2014-11-14 04:52 (UTC)

Riley nods, only now realizing she's freezing out here. She digs the key to Avant Garden from her bag and lets them in, flipping on the lights before she closes the door behind them. Leading James to the back room of the shop where Val does her books, Riley turns around and hands him her phone.

"She texted me just after 8pm. I was at Watersong, bartending for the concert," she begins, busying herself by setting a kettle of water on the small kitchenette stove. "Val asked if I wanted Chinese for dinner and that she was heading home. It's just about a ten minute walk, another ten if she stopped by the Chinese place we go to." Riley knows she's babbling and she's boiling water for...what, exactly? She just knows she has to keep busy or all the magic bubbling inside of her may burst out.

"I went to the Chinese restaurant. Val never called in our order. Everything here is normal, left exactly how she closes up for the night. It's like she walked out and just...vanished." Riley sets her hands on the counter, taking a calming breath before she looks at James. "In my family only the oldest daughter gets the powers. Val was special and she somehow had them too. Our magic is deeply rooted together and I...I can't feel her, if that makes sense. Something is blocking her from me."

He follows her over to the door, watching closely as she opens the door. He's been through a missing person report before...and through enough emergency situations. He knows a person that's barely hanging on, and he senses the tension coming off Riley in waves. He wonders if he needs to call for back-up. She wouldn't be so upset if this wasn't serious.

But he waits for her to explain. He even takes out a small notepad and pencil to write down what she tells him, jotting everything down. Except the last part. He looks up at her with an eyebrow raised. He doesn't know if, special magical connection is....proof.

He is taking this seriously, but he needs more. "Do you think she is with Grant? Did you call him?" James knows she probably did, but he needs to ask. "Do you know if she saw him today?"

Edited 2014-11-15 03:35 (UTC)

Riley watches him jot things down and she's not even surprised when he doesn't write the bit about the magic. She's not surprised, but she still thinks it's stupid that the police and law don't recognize anything magical as "evidence." The connection between the girls is most likely stronger than anything most of the department can even imagine. But she's always had a love for science. The logical side of Riley knows why magic isn't proof. But she's emotional and on edge, so that slight stings a little more than it should.

"I tried calling him. He didn't answer. Val would tell me if she was going to see him though. Even if her phone died, she'd find a way to contact me. She doesn't make me worry because she knows how anxious I get." She shakes her head. "Not unless he went to the shop to see her. Val's been working there round the clock."

James pulls out his own phone, after he hears her answer. He doesn't want to just guess whether Grant has seen Valeria. But he doesn't want to alert any more people than necessary, not when Riley's sister has only been gone a few hours. He simply texts Grant with a message asking for him to call him back. "Let's just see if he calls back," James says, tucking his phone back in his jacket. He makes a few more notes on his notepad then puts the pad back in the pocket of his jeans.

"Uh, can I look look around?" He knows he won't be able to stop her from worrying, but he still says, "There's nothing that jumps out to me. Nothing's broken. No struggle. I don't think she was hurt. Okay?" he says, patting her on the arm. He doesn't even see signs of anyone else being here.... "So one step at a time. We figure out if she's just gone on a really long detour. Or if she's actually..." he hesitates for half a beat. "...missing."

Riley takes a deep breath and lets it out, keeping an eye on the jacket pocket where James stuffs his phone. She's almost willing Grant to call back immediately, saying he kidnapped her sister or something. She'll kill him.

"Yeah," she nods, waving an arm at the general direction of the shop. He's right...the shop looks normal, she can even trace her sister's steps with her typical closing routine, there wasn't a struggle, at least here. Wherever Val went, it seems she went willingly.

"Um, just don't touch anything in jars or beakers? Magic and potions can be very dangerous if you don't handle them correctly." The last thing she needs is to carry James Thornton's lifeless body to the hospital.

James nods his head, looking at few of those dangerous jars sitting out on the table in front of them. "Yeah, I'll be careful," he says. Everything about this was already weird. People usually know their family well, and Riley especially seems to know her sisters habits. Where she would go, what she would do. She says it isn't like her not to call, and she's probably right.

Something must have happened to make her change course between here and her house. Something changed her track, and James decides maybe he needs to be looking outside. "I'm going to take a look outside. Around the building," he says, heading back out into the cold air.

Riley finds herself following James outside. As much as she doesn't really know him, she doesn't want to be alone right now. Especially in Val's shop. She tugs her coat closed and keeps a distance from him, not wanting to hover or be too annoying right now. He's looking for her sister and she's willing to give him the space he needs to work.

"Se--" Riley snaps her mouth closed. She was about to ask him if he sees anything, but she shouldn't nag. Instead she bounces a little in place, trying to keep warm.

Eventually James hangs up with Grant and he turns back to Riley. "Grant has not seen your sister all day," he tells her, not wanting to lie to her. He has a feeling Riley would know if he wasn't giving her all the information anyway.

That's when he admits, "I don't see anything out of place out here either."

She's not really surprised by that answers, but Riley's shoulders still fall. She was hoping. "I see."

Riley looks around. "So now what?"

James hangs up the phone with Grant. He figures it will be a good thing when he gets here since he knows Riley. It is probably going to be a long night.

"Before we can get the full support of the station, we'll have to wait. I understand the circumstances, but she hasn't been missing long enough. I want you to continue to making phone calls to anyone you can think of that might have seen her," James says. "Grant is on his way."

Riley nods. She understands the law and it's not going to change just because her sister is the one missing this time. "I can do that."

Pulling out her phone, Riley turns and starts going through her contacts.

Grant's been at a fancy dinner party with his mom all night. He's felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, but he did promise his mom that she had his full attention tonight, especially with how important this dinner is for their family's investments. The dinner finished up not long ago and Grant finally walks into his condo, stripping himself of his bowtie and fancy dinner shoes when he hears his phone buzz again. He checks the message and sees it's from James. Grant immediately hits the call button.

"Hey sunshine, what's with the late-night booty call?"

James is outside doing a walk around the perimeter of Avant Garden. He had fetched his flashlight front his car, and he's shining it on the ground, checking for footprints. Blood. Anything. But there's nothing out of place here either. His cellphone buzzes in his jacket and he retrieves it, relieved to see that it's Grant.

"How many times----" James pinches the bridge of his nose. Not worth it. Especially when he thinks he's about to deliver some bad news. "Listen, is Valeria Jung with you? Or have you seen her today?"

Grant's smug smile is immediately replaced by a sinking feeling in his chest. If James is calling him at this hour and asking about Val...

"No, I haven't. I've been at a dinner party with my mom all night. Didn't even text with her today. James, what's up?"

James knows Riley is standing right behind him, and there's no need to upset her. He knows his friend will be upset too, since it's his, well, his very close friend. But Grant is also a cop. James thinks he can handle it.

"I need you to come to Avant Garden. We're just trying to...figure out where she went. Her sister is worried because she hasn't checked in. She was supposed to head home," he says.

Grant's already shrugged his coat back on as James talks. As soon as he mentioned that Val was missing, he flipped into cop mode.

"I'm on my way," he says, clipping his gun into his holster and his badge onto his jacket. "Do you need me to do anything before I head over?"

"I was off-duty when she called me, so I'm in my car. I dunno. Maybe we should go ahead and phone in the report? We're at about---" James checks is watch. "About four hours. That's usually not long enough. She was walking from Avant Garden to her house. Like, I said. She never made it."

Grant slides into his car, immediately switching the phone to bluetooth as he starts it up. "I'll call it in. File the report so as soon as the clock hits, we can start a proper search. I'm gonna run the route she usually takes. See if I can find anything."

"Good," James says, when Grant starts getting on the move. He is going to need back-up here. He doesn't know why, but he just has a bad feeling about what's happened. "I'll be here waiting. Be careful." Who knows what had happened, and in this town, it could be more than....well....it could be anything.

"I'll be over in ten. Just stay with Riley." Grant's not blind. He knows how close the girls are and as strong and stable as Riley may come across, that's highly dependent on her sister being happy and safe. Both of which are up in the air right now. He's witnessed Val's blow-ups, he doesn't want to see one of Riley's, to be honest.

He drives along the path Val typically takes home, stopping at the places she usually stops and trying to completely ignore that weird feeling in his chest. It's a feeling he rarely gets and usually only concerns his mom, Alex, and that one time that James went missing with the Coombs girl. Fuck. He cares.

When his ten minutes are up, Grant hits the steering wheel and curses as he presses the button to roll up the window. After a quick text to Alex, just to make sure she's safe and accounted for, he arrives at Avant Garden. Grant climbs out of his car, zipping up his coat as he appears at James' side.

"Nothing. I called the captain and reported it. Alex is at home." He adds the last bit because he knows the thought crossed James' mind. "What's it look like?"

Edited 2014-11-18 01:50 (UTC)

James is waiting out front by his car when Grant arrives, arms crossed over his chest. He had checked all the exits and windows on the outside of the building, and at the moment, he's just trying to piece something together. He isn't getting very far. Grant comes up to him, looking eager.

He shakes his head, shrugging. "Honestly? I have no clue," he says, but he is happy to hear that Alex is safe. That's one relieve off his mind, and he suddenly wants to call all his siblings. "If it's a kidnapping, there's absolutely no sign of a second person..."

"Riley?"

She curses because she promised to call when in front of the door, so she fires off a quick text "Hi, it's Louise, calling."

There have been stories about other people missing, and Louise is checking everyone in her phone book now. Lara - for starters - was missing her assistant, which made it easier for Lou to catch Corry's hysteria about her best friend being gone.

"Riley!"

Edited 2014-11-16 15:28 (UTC)

Riley's focused all her attention on making the best hot cocoa of her life when she hears her phone go off. Seeing it's a message from Lou, she drops the spoon into the pot on the stove and rushes to the door. As soon as it's open and Lou is inside, Riley latches onto her.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

"We- oah!"

Louise barely manages to stay upright, but octopus-wraps herself around the younger woman and walks them inside. "I'm here, I'm here. It might not do jack-" This she has to say, because she can't stand feeling useless but knows that false hope is always even worse - "but I'm here. Riley, breathing is starting to become a challenge, please loosen your arms around my neck a little."

Edited 2014-11-16 15:46 (UTC)

"I'd apologize, but I kinda selfishly needed that." This is probably the first time she's smiled since she realized Val's disappearance and she really appreciates it right now. Riley loosens her grip, releasing Lou from her death-hug.

"I got the cocoa all ready," she says, locking up the door and uttering a quick protective spell into it. "And the Middletons know you're here?"

"That's okay. And I wasn't complaining, I just wish there would be a happier reason. Christmases, or we- or other happy things."

She frowns at herself, because why the hell would she have weddings on her mind. Is she really turning into every spinster cliché made ever?

"The Middletons know I'm here. I told Grant what you told me, and called James to get through to the police office by two different routes. Checked if Lara is okay and she -"

Louise bites her lip. "Also has someone missing. Let's get that hot chocolate near us first."

Riley tilts her head when Lou quickly switches gears, because she could have sworn the woman was going to say "weddings." But she's too distracted to be her usual observant self, so she quickly forgets it.

"Thank you, Lou. Whatever we can do to push the police on this." Leading Lou into the kitchen, she gestures for their friend to take a seat at the table, situated pretty close to the stove given their small kitchen. She busies herself with pouring the warm milk into two mugs. "Another one? It's not Lara, right?" she asks, turning to look at Lou with worry.

"Oh God, no. I love you and I love your sister, but do you think I would be here if Lara would be missing? She's my sister and I would be digging through the entirety of Siren Cove to make sure that she returns and the one that did it to her, ends up in Lady Justitia's arms."

That could be viewed as a little rude. "Not that I wouldn't do the same for Val or any of the other people I love. Lara just makes me forget about myself and my necessary sanity." She waits until Riley's done pouring hot liquid.
"It's Les Parker that's gone."

She has to smile at that. "I'm pretty sure the whole town would get out their pitchforks if anything happened to Lara. I'm glad she's safe though."

That news hits Riley and almost knocks the wind out of her. She rests her hands on the kitchen counter to steady herself. What the hell is going on...

"Les?" She turns to look at Lou and sees the sincerity in her eyes. Biting her lip, she turns back to add the chocolate into the mugs. "Do they know where he was?"

It so incredibly hurts to see people like this and - in a fleeting second - Louise is glad that she's on this side of the story. Because she isn't sure who would be shocked about her disappearance.

It's a horrible thought, and she forces it out of her mind. "I didn't hear anything about that yet, Corrine is on it, and her father, and probably everyone else in her contacts list right now, because you know how she is when it comes to alerting and activating crowds."

She gets up from her chair and walks over to Riley for another hug. "These two are going to end up together and form a fearsome Pickle Plant Power team, don't you worry. We just have to find them before they take over the world."

Riley accepts the hug gratefully before she passes Lou a cup of her amazing hot chocolate. The thought brings a smile to her face and she chuckles. "You're right. Val's experimenting with every pickle flavour and Les is in absolute heaven."

Sipping from her own cup, she turns and leans against the kitchen counter. "I probably shouldn't try another searching spell for another few hours, but I'd like to do one for Les. Without Val, my magic isn't as strong. Maybe I'll try to rest and try again? Does that sound alright?" She looks to Lou, more for someone else's permission to say it's OK for Riley to rest, because her own guilt will keep her awake.

"They probably appreciate that we're not finding them right away", she plays along. "Les wants at least five more pickle flavors out of her before she's allowed to go home. Maybe he's been possessed by pickles."

It's a thin line, talking about possession, both for herself as for witches. "You didn't rest at all ever since discovering her gone? Riley."

Louise steers her out of the kitchen, into the living room. "If you think you'll sleep too long on the bed, take the couch. But no-one's going to prosper in any way from a sleep-deprived Jung. Understand me?"

Riley let's herself be lead into the living room and drops down on the couch, suddenly feeling very heavy. She has to smile at Lou's fussing though, because she sounds just like Riley when she mother hens Val.

"Okay okay, I understand. I don't think I can really say no to an Abasi anyway," she says with a teasing tone. "Just...maybe a nap."

"Don't get cheeky with me." She takes the chance to ignore the entire situation for a second with both hands. "There's just one Abasi you have to say yes to right now, think about where you'd be if you have the six of us to answer to."

Louise takes a pillow from the nearest chair and puts it under Riley's head. "Thirty minutes? I'll wake you, don't you worry."

She laughs at that, happy to have something else distract her head for the moment. "That's true. I'm very grateful the whole clan isn't here." Riley nods at Lou's suggestion. "Thirty minutes, nothing longer, okay?" She closes her eyes for just a second and suddenly Riley falls into a deep sleep, the worry and exhaustion of the day finally catching up to her.

"No longer", she repeats her promise, pushing a stray lock out of the younger woman's face.

If Louise is honest, she could do with some family support now. Someone she can be the smallest with.

After 31 minutes she gently wakes Riley. "Time's passed, sweetheart."

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[Circle of Sirens] Missing

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