My Mystery Senses are Tingling

[just1c3w1tch]

WHO: Terezi Pyrope, Constance Peixes
TONE: Somewhat tense probably? Drama
RATING: PG-13 for TZ's possible mouth
WHEN: forward-dated to the 27th, night
WHERE: the location of the summer camp
WHAT: TZ and Constance both independently decide the camp incident warrants further investigation... and run into each other.
STATUS: Ongoing

The ministry was investigating the incident at the camp. They were likely to discover the cause eventually--but would they reveal their findings? Terezi doubted it. The students of Hogwarts were the injured parties, and they deserved to know exactly what had happened. She would conduct her own investigation and ensure the truth got out.

The sun had set by the time Terezi got to her destination. That or it was cloudy--she couldn't feel the warmth of the sun anymore. She was going to guess night though, based on how much time it had taken her to get here. It had taken some wandering around after reaching the nearby town to find the camp, but she was pretty sure this was it. She had started feeling irritable ever since she got in this area. Maybe she was just getting sick of wandering around blindly, but she doubted it. She knew what she was like when she was on a case and it wasn't like this. Something else was happening.

She tried throwing dice first, but results were inconclusive. So she got out her diving rods and started wandering around the area, forcing her unusual impatience to the side.

Comments

[quasistellar]

One could learn a lot about magic from the positions of the stars around a place. Constance Peixes wasn't an expert on astronomy for nothing. She had been charting around the coordinates of the campsite since that incident happened. She had noticed an anomaly or two, but she decided she needed to check things out for herself.

She explained to her daughters where she was going and why they couldn't follow - she wasn't going to put them at risk, after what had happened to Vriska Serket. Constance's mother had a list of who to contact if she didn't return that night, though the professor reassured her mother that wasn't likely to happen.

Once that was set, she packed up her instruments, then Apparated just shy of the coordinates of the campsite. She took out her telescope, looking up - now that was odd. The sky didn't look like what she'd been charting, and she was sure her charts were accurate. She started to put it away, when a sound caught her ear. Was that an animal? No. Definitely human. Footsteps?

Constance whirled around, facing the direction of the sound. "Who's there?"

[just1c3w1tch]

Suddenly everything went quiet. After a pause, there came an authoritative (but obviously young), "Identify yourself!" The voice came from a particularly dark area; if Constance has particularly good night vision, she might have made out a tiny figure.

Terezi pulled out and opened her journal. Hopefully, if this was some sort of ministry guard and they obliviated her, the voice entry would clue her in that something was up.

[quasistellar]

Constance pulled out her wand, lighting the tip with a quick Lumos spell, and walking towards the voice. "Professor Constance Peixes, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

It didn't take her long to see the tiny figure in the distance. "And you appear to be a child, either lost in these woods or here on purpose. Either way, you should be getting on home. There's something dangerous happening here, and I don't want you to get hurt."

[just1c3w1tch]

"...Ah. You're the one still with the ministry." Not surprising.

"Aw, you're worried~. I'm touched. I'm also not going anywhere. This is an official investigation, and I'm not leaving until I'm satisfied, so kindly refrain from interfering." Terezi clutched her journal under her arm, keeping it open and recording, and resumed wandering with her rods. She kept an ear out for Constance's footsteps, trying to keep some modicum of distance between the two of them.

[quasistellar]

"I have a working relationship with the Department of Magical Astronomy, not the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, young lady. I am also investigating this area, primarily because there are some abnormalities between the star charts I've plotted and the way they look here on the ground."

Constance puts a hand on her hip, following directly behind. "While I appreciate that you're worried about your classmates and curious about what happened here, several professors from Hogwarts - Professor Donoghue, Professor Coulson, and now myself - have been investigating the matter, as well as several Aurors. Between the lot of us, we'll figure out what's happened here. But frankly, it's too dangerous for any more students to be here. One student has already lost an eye, and we don't want any others getting injured."

[just1c3w1tch]

"Hm." She paused momentarily as her rods moved slightly--but then the rods straightened out again. She gave an aggravated sigh and continued in another direction (still heading away from Constance, though).

"Yeah, I heard about all that. And I have my own reasons for this secondary investigation." She wasn't about to explain herself to Constance. Terezi didn't feel she could trust anyone with ministry ties in this matter.

[quasistellar]

"And I am not going to stand by and watch you getting hurt going about investigating the matter, young lady. I understand that you must be worried about what happened. Anyone would be. But I think it would be much better - "

Her voice was starting to get louder, even if she didn't realize it -

"If you went home right this minute!"

For that moment, Constance looked and sounded every bit the intimidating witch she was: a gust of wind picked up, blowing her robes and hair every-which-way, and a clap of thunder sounded at her last word.

[just1c3w1tch]

Terezi couldn't see the visual effects, but she could certainly hear the others. She froze--just sort of seized up for a moment. Her expression grew a little darker, and then quietly: "I think it would be much better if you shut the fuck up."

Never let it be said Pyropes had any common sense in the face of a threat.

Then Terezi shook her head in an attempt to clear it. Well, in a way she was gathering data for her research later, at least? If she made it out of here in one piece. "We're clearly being affected by the hex. It is in both of our best interests to stop agitating each other and get our work here done as quickly as possible." By the end of that she found she was speaking through gritted teeth.

[quasistellar]

"Don't you use that kind of language with me, young lady."

Constance wasn't actively casting any magic to make her look even more threatening than she might normally be, but her voice was practically a growl.

"The fact that there is a hex like this is exactly why you should not be here. This isn't a game. It would be in your best interest to leave before things get worse."

She shook her head. If she had to, she'd pick Terezi up and Apparate out with her, leaving her in a safe place in Diagon Alley. She just hoped the girl came to her senses and left before that had to happen.