Murder Mystery RP

The year is 2051. You've received an unmarked envelope in the mail, inside of which is a small piece of paper with only the words "You Are Invited", a date and time, and a set of coordinates.

For some reason, you go, and find yourself at Papscanee Island Nature Preserve outside Albany, New York. Several others, holding the same invitation, are hesitating to head into the park itself. With renewed confidence from safety in numbers, you all continue on together to the exact coordinates on the invite. The GPS takes you to the edge of the Hudson River where you stumble upon a body and are given the responsibility of solving the murder.

Rules
Be respectful to other players.
Keep things PG-13.
Swearing, as falls into EV guidelines, is allowed.
No godmodding.
This RP is being co-run by Matteo (#64927). He may enforce rules as well.

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We'll start with everyone arriving to / standing outside the Preserve, not having decided whether or not to forge ahead. It's evening, and the sun is going down. The weather is early fall, a little lukewarm, and the trees haven't quite started to color their leaves.

Shane
The day was starting to fade as Shane drove silently to where the coordinates on his phone were leading him. His mind was absent from the road speeding past him as he thought about what he was doing, the letter he had received. It had been a week since he had gotten the invitation, leaving Quinn to his defenses as he traveled across the country, letting his curiosity lead him into the unknown. It was odd to be back in his home state, but the familiarity of its existence made him feel more peaceful, as if the racing thoughts and doubts in his mind hadn't been present at all. 
His phone dinged, a sound that made his heart jump a little. He looked at the message on the top of his screen, hope seeping into his chest but then quickly being shattered. It was only Rosie, and while on any given day that may have been cheering to him, he wanted it to be his sister who he had tried to contact. He sighed and took the next turn into the parking lot of the Preserve, stopping the rented car and getting out quickly, slamming the door shut. 

Mei
When she'd gotten the plain letter in the mail, her first thought was that it was from her father. She had, however, quickly ruled that out due to the lack of flair. And also the fact it'd been less than a year since she'd last seen him, and he tended to be quite sparse with his visits. She couldn't fault him. Being a Roman god meant Apollo was a very busy man. Though she wasn't sure the source of the invitation, she decided to make the drive over two hours north that day out of curiosity. There was still the possibility it was another of the gods, from some pantheon, or maybe it was just a scam. Regardless, she found herself driving down Staats Island Rd. as the sun was getting lower and lower in the sky. If she didn't have a directions app she may have missed the Preserve, though it did help that the car in front of her was turning as well. There was just a small dirt road that crunched under her car's wheels, the parking area just as unpaved, with a fence to block it off from the protected forest. Mei parked her car, warily looking around as she climbed out holding the simple invitation in her hand. Papscanee was technically closing, the light under the trees much darker than the waning light under the sky. There was only one other car there, the guy she'd followed in. She eyed the darkness under the canopy warily. Maybe this wasn't such a good decision. 

Last edited on 2022-04-29 at 21:01:00 by oswin

Outlaw
Smoke from her cigarette slid out the open window to dance with the last sunbeams as the sun started setting behind the trees. The rays glinted off her black truck as she cruised down the empty road, humming along to Long Drives by BoyWithUke. She was still buzzed from her binge the week and night before. But here she was, driving to some random coordinates cause of some random letter. Was it a death trap? Probably. Did she care? Nah. She didn't care one bit. The truck slowed as she spotted the turnoff, smoothly steering the big rig onto the apparent driveway. She squinted at the sign from behind her sun glasses as she passed it. "Papscanee Island Nature Preserve. Now that's a good place for murder if I heard one." She mumbled as she entered the parking area. She backed her truck into the back area, partly hidden by the shadows from the trees, and studied the two people already there. "Is that Shane??" She questioned suspiciously, placing her sunglasses on the dash and killing the engine before slowly stepping out, taking her keys, the letter, and a pack of cigarettes with her.

Avery
The bike steered itself awkwardly forward as the child atop of it texted distractedly. Her blonde hair blew back from her face, free of any helmet or safety devices that should have been used. Her clothes were dirty and rugged, the jeans she wore having holes in the knees and her hoodie splattered with mud and dust. Her face was no better; a dark bruise circled one of her green eyes and a few scrapes crossed her cheek. Regardless of the state she was in, she still continued to ride her bike recklessly, and as she turned into the parking area of the Preserve she stopped the device stupidly, nearly flying off as she dismounted and let the bike fall gracelessly to the ground. 

Shane
Shane had been too distracted to notice the other two cars that had driven in, instead leaning on his car and watching his phone as he chewed on his lip. One would assume he was unreachable in the mindset he was in, but the sound of a small crash caused him to look up and study the girl that had just entered on a bike. 

Last edited on 2022-04-29 at 21:22:39 by Matteo

Mei
She wasn't all too shocked to see a child tumble in on a bicycle, but she was disappointed. Mei reminded herself not to make too many assumptions; there was a possibility the kid wasn't here because of the mysterious invite but it was low. If the gods were involved, it fit their MO. For a moment she hesitated, debating whether to try and check on her and potentially come off as a creep or to leave her alone and potentially allow someone's child to wander off and get lost. With a sigh, Mei walked over to the pre-teen and smiled. "It's getting late to be out here by yourself, kiddo, are you okay?" 

Avery
Avery ignored the girl talking to her, keeping her eyes focused on what she was texting. After a few minutes, she shut off the phone, putting it in her back pocket and making eye contact with the stranger. "And you seem to be getting closer to your grave, lady. How old are you? Forty?" Whether or not it was a joke was completely lost in the child's tone, her eyes dull and emotionless to what she was saying. She didn't like when strangers cared about her or even noticed her, and it made her even more uncomfortable that someone was conversing with her.

Mei
Mei laughed. "I wish I was forty. Then I could retire*." She stepped back, giving the girl some space. "I was wondering if you got one of these, too." She held the invite out for Avery to see. The time on the card was drawing closer and closer as the minutes passed by, and when Mei had punched the coordinates into her phone earlier it'd told her she'd be going into the Preserve itself, rather than standing in the parking lot. If it was a summons, it was probably best not to be late, but the uncertainty of the situation made her uneasy.

* she's a professional dancer, forty makes sense as a retirement age in that career

Last edited on 2022-04-29 at 21:55:26 by oswin

Avery
Avery looked at the invitation, then eyed the girl. "No, guess I didn't." Before Mei could react, she took the invitation from her hand and started to read it, turning her back to the girl as she did so. 

Outlaw
She watched in dry amusement as the young kid came flying in and sent her bike flying. Watching the other lady go over to the girl and try to start conversation, she slowly tried to piece things together. Where the others here for the same reason as herself? She stayed in the shadows by her truck to watch them for a moment, taking another drag from her cigarette and blowing the smoke out her nose. 

Mei
"I hate kids," Mei grumbled to herself, reaching over Avery's head and snatching the paper back. "Nice talk. I've got to get going now, but you keep yourself safe from monsters. Human and otherwise." She turned and walked back to her car to slip a flashlight into her pocket. She also slung a quiver across her shoulder, a slender bow and Imperial Gold-tipped arrows nestled inside it. This time she locked her car doors when she closed them, knowing she would be leaving it unattended for an undetermined amount of time.

Shane
Shane watched the girl talking to the kid, then looked around quickly as he sensed a presence nearby that he hadn't felt in a decade. Is that...? Before he knew it, the girl and kid were done talking, and he looked over in time to see the girl sling a quiver across her shoulder. "Wait- that's- that's a quiver," he said quickly, the words coming out of his mouth as if he had no control over them. "You do archery?"

Avery
Avery watched the girl go, then started into the woods. 

Outlaw
She watched Shane and the lady for a moment, noting the quiver and bow. Her eyes caught the movement of the young girl, and she watched her head off into the woods with narrowed eyes. So. The invitation the lady had held was the same as hers, so she knew what that one was doing here. From that it was safe to assume the others where here for the same reasons. Suspicious. She felt for the guns tucked into their holsters and concealed by her loose hoodie, then straightened from her leaned position against her truck, touching the button on the truck handle to lock the doors.

Mei
She glanced to where the little girl had been standing, her brow furrowing at her absence. Okay, little kid goes into the woods late at night. Classic news story. Lovely. She jumped a little at the new voice, having almost forgotten the older guy standing in the parking lot. Mei shrugged in response, turning toward him. "Yeah, a bit. It's a side hobby." The bow had been a gift from her dad when he determined she was talented enough to receive it, but he'd encouraged her to take archery lessons one visit when she was small. Her mom had been more than happy to sponsor the endeavor. The memory of her mom's enthusiasm for her success was a happy one, but everything had been tinged bittersweet by her death. Mei tried not to let the sour taste of sorrow linger, moving her thoughts toward the boy, trying to get a read on him. 

Shane 
Shane nodded thoughtfully, glancing down at the ground. "Fun side hobby. My grandpa sent down the archery gene to me, so I guess we have that in common." He lifted his head and sighed as he glanced around his surroundings, finally noticing them. "And since we both have an invitation I guess we have that in common too."

Avery
Avery treaded through the woods, picking up a jog as she jumped over branches and stones that scattered the earth. She never lifted her head to see what was in front of her, only watching her phone as she followed where it was taking her. Before long, she came to a river. The smell of water filled her nostrils as she slowed down, looking around without any thoughts in her mind.