Inaba 4: A Light On A Distant Shore by Rose Redd

Somewhere in Dreamspace

Three days after the fight, and the death of Steven Hedgeworth, Carrie Running Elk has come looking for Rose but ends up finding Inaba who appears like an anthro-version of Rose right now. I hate when entities speak in esoteric riddles like that. Wait, just how did Inaba find Rose in Minnesota? That has bugged me since the 1st story. Fated to meet, drawn to those destined to be their host, eep.

Just how deep did this melding go?

Will the two eventually become one?

November 5th, 2007
St. Luke’s Hospital
Duluth, MN

Rose is awake and what is up with her arm? They had to amputate it because it was too wrecked to heal on its own so it could grow back correctly, I would freak out upon hearing that too. Poor Rose is going to need a lot of help to recover in every way possible. Inaba put her to sleep since she was freaking out, good idea, the shock is too much.

The next day…
Overlooking Duluth Harbor
Duluth, MN

The Aerial Lift Bridge is a wreck, and some drunk hurled a rock at Rose's head, blaming her for the whole mess instead of Steven Hedgeworth. Using a pebble to shatter his bottle he starts to come after her, but Caribou shows up to scare the guy off. Oof, Lia's mother having to arrest her daughter's girlfriend for beating up drunks, Rose needs to learn how to ignore the idiots.

Same Day
Office of the Headmistress
Whateley Academy

Carson looking over paperwork when Everheart shows up.

“Just had an interesting conversation with Sanguine. It appears that Pin Cushion is putting together a group, and tried to recruit her. Given her family’s past with the Richmond family, I’ll have security shadow UpBeat and Downtrodden.”

So glad Everheart is on the case. Ooo, the nutcase sister of Steven, Ashleigh. I would have constant security detail watching her. Evil Eye is Steven and Ashleigh's mother, good lord, I'm surprised they aren't worse.

November 7th, 2007
Duluth Superiors HQ
Duluth, MN

Lia watching Rose do one-armed push-ups to build back strength into her 'new' arm. And Rose is putting on a show for her girl. Rats, Transistor downstairs so no showering together. Poor Lia, she shouldn't have to be self-conscious over that. Hating her own looks and jealous of Rose, Inaba is right, give Lia some space for now. Lumberjack, a former member of the team and Caribou's boyfriend if he has a good explanation for why he disappeared for 2 years.

His sister, Tourmaline, has schizophrenia and Deidrick's, and can be dangerous, no wonder he went alone. Got in a fight with her and Rebecca has been transfered to ARC, try to help her, but most likely cold storage, ouch. Paul Bannion is an appropriate name for a size warper and exemplar. A small blue-gray ox named Babe made by a devisor, so cute. Ouch, Rose is completely unaware she is flirting, but Lia notices and knows she is unaware. Jealousy and envy due to what she lost upon manifesting.

Next morning…
November 8th, 2007
The bedroom of Lia Navarro

Lia ogles a sleeping Rose but is also bothered by Rose's figure, this doesn't bode well for the health of their relationship if she doesn't talk to Rose about it and work through these feelings. Fixing herself up and going outside to sit on the retaining wall, she watches the construction crews work on the Aerial Bridge. A blonde woman comes over to chat, her company is handling the cleanup. She knows Lia is a mutant, and blames all the death and destruction on Steven.

“I used to be a villain in my younger days, but now I’m just a business woman, wife, and mother.”

Cool. Lia, you aren't a monster just because of your appearance, nor does the outside make the inside worse, not unless you let it.

“Then we change what we can change. I need to go, but it’s been good talking to you. My name is Genna, here is my card. Call me whenever you need to talk.”

Interesting woman.

Genevieve Hedgeworth

CFO Hedgeworth Industries.

Steven's mother! She isn't as nice as she is acting here, with what she said to her husband about Rose in the previous story. I hope Lia tosses that card before she is manipulated, harmed, or worse.

Meanwhile,
The bedroom of Lia Navarro

Snuggling before they went to sleep, aww. Mrs. Navarro worried about Lia, Rose not knowing why Lia is upset at her. After breakfast, she heads back home and greets Carrie with a hug.

“Notice from the University. They have received a large donation from an ‘anonymous benefactor’, one which stipulates that a portion must be used to return the mansion to its original condition.”

Why do I feel that the Hedgworths are behind this? Forcing them to find a new place to stay, at least they have a little over 3 weeks to do it in. And no bet that Steven's father is throwing his money around again.

A Catalina plane, a nice small plane to fly in. Quick patrol and land at the airport, it is never just a quick patrol! Winter storms on one of the Great Lakes, yikes. Arrgh! A freighter floundering, taking on water, and in need of help so they go. Very brave to fly in those conditions, even with a heater to keep the wings from freezing over.

Captain Eugenia Austin, 23 souls aboard the ship, and the emergency craft is lost. Wetsuit and lifejacket on to send Rose down, this is a dire situation. Compressed rafts and that bracer is going to come in handy. 50-foot jump down, at least her feet and ankles are only sore for a while. Finding all the crew on the bridge, they get to work quickly as the situation worsens by the moment. First mate Scoville and 11 others on one of the rafts, an inflated dome protecting them as they drift away from the sinking ship.

Getting people onto the other raft, Rose and the captain are ready to board when the ship starts sinking faster and they have to cut the raft loose to save everyone. Rose leaps into the water holding the captain and swimming with all her might, but a wave causes them both to go under. This is a nightmare situation.

Interlude
Gallica Celtica, near Avaricum.
Gaul
113 B.C.

A young girl running barefoot, trying to escape a man who she was forced into marriage with 3 years ago. Both children she had with him were stillborn, and he blamed her. Running for her life after he stabbed her in the eye in a rage, she made it to the woods and waits for the inevitable. But is found by a mysterious man who took her to his mansion. The man saved her because he sensed something unique in her, a dormant power sleeping inside her.

She asks what craft he can awaken this power in her, and what is his price, smart girl.

Ah, good verily, thou doth have a brain in thy head. You ask pertinent questions. I have many enemies old and new throughout the world, and many yet to be born to these ages. I need a servant that can aid me in matters of import.” The man reached up and took off his cloak. His face was not that of a man, but he bore a resemblance to a ram, with long curled horns, and horizontally slitted eyes. “Nay, your eyes do not deceive. I am no man, rather I serve a power much greater. The method of thy repair would be magics, of course. And the cost merely your indentured servitude.”

I was not expecting that. Azazel! She has to be desperate to make such a pact with him.

Bonaparte, de Gaulle, Robespierre, Renoir, Monet were but a few names that shared her bed. Biding time, doing as her master instructed, she hid in the shadows manipulating history in her homeland.

This is the past and partial history of Evil Eye aka Genevieve Hedgeworth now, isn't it?

November 8th, 2007
Glensheen Manor
Duluth, MN.

Rose has recovered from the ordeal, but the captain slipped from her grasp and drowned, darn it! Everyone trying to help Rose feel better and understand it is a part of being a hero, whether you like it or not, but she wants to hear from Lia. But Isobel hasn't heard from Lia and couldn't get in contact with her, nor could Rose. This is very bad. Ouch, able to hear the pump implanted in her back and having to resist those urges, she goes into her dreamspace to see Inaba and just relax, falling asleep with Inaba in her lap.

November 9th, 2007
Navarro Residence
Duluth, MN

Lia sneaks back into the house at 3 am, boys she had seen, she means she had sex with them, doesn't she?

Lia didn’t mind the new experiences, but she was so very tired of having lost what she once craved.

Good grief, girl, you were on a one-way path to destruction before you manifested. Mom is awake and Lia has a lot of explaining to do. Met a new friend and lost track of time, good grief. Lia in shock and crying upon hearing what Rose went through, is grounded except for seeing Rose.

She settled in to bed, oblivious of the triangular mark that had appeared on her neck.

Shit, I'm guessing Genevieve arranged for her to meet those boys, a trap and she fell for it.

Later the same day,
Glensheen Mansion
Duluth, MN

Lia creeping up on her, with her girlfriend having rabbit ears how did she expect that to work?

“I’m sorry. It’s no excuse, but I met someone and we got to talking. She could relate to me, and understand what I was going through and the doubts that I have. Things that… I can’t share with you. Things that would hurt you to know. That would strain our relationship. …No, nothing bad about you. Things about me that I can’t talk to you about. I hope you understand.”

Lia, lying to Rose won't help in the long run.

Loving Rose, but resenting her because her abnormalities make her more attractive, this is complicated and messed up. Okay, that is something Rose needed to hear right now. I hope the advice sticks.

Meanwhile, across town.

Caribou meeting a woman who I believe is a real estate agent. Being shown an empty home and told about the neighborhood, Caribou wishes to look into its history more and do some investigating before making a decision.

Interlude 2: Electric Boogaloo
November 14th, 2007
Whateley Academy

Tiffany Cobb waving at her bestie, going to join her lunch. Ashleigh Hedgeworth has been buying her a lot of nice things, clothes, and fancy treats. Tiffany can turn into a rat and the Venus inc girls kicked her out because one girl screamed and blew out the windows, and expensive camera equipment. So of course she was easy to manipulate by Ashleigh, having her spy on the Richmond twins. UpBeat and Downtrodden can telepathically communicate with each other, and Ashleigh wishes to investigate them, and Dad told her to make things difficult for them.

November 15th, 2007
an Undisclosed location in Superior, WI

Genevieve performs risky magic, she has a sponsor giving her materials and resources.

She still remembered her loss to Carson and the U.S. Navy. Even with her magic and exemplar regeneration it had taken her over a decade to walk again.

Dang, they busted her up good. Three individuals with frightening power from one dorm, so Fey, Tennyo, and who else in the Poe dorm? Good idea to stay away from Whateley except for in your parental role. Using her own children as weapons to point at people and cause chaos, she is sick. A new project, no, what did she do to Lia?

November 18th, 2007
Leif Erikson Park
Duluth, MN

Rose watches the snow fall, half a foot over two days, whoa. Lia is that late for their meeting, she better be okay. And all calls go to voicemail, this is bad. Rose needs to see a counselor already, these feelings getting her down so easily, her mutation driving those kinds of urges she has to suppress.

Seriously? Another Interlude…
November 22nd, 2007
DARPA Research Facility
Arlington, VA

Nicholas Reilly in a dark room, a room that reinforced and secure with a body on a slab. Sylvia Burrows and her guide dog, and a man in a dark suit and tie. Deputy Director Wallace Tanner, and Lady Penumbra, but why are they here? The body is the remains of that cyborg B who Penumbra helped deal with. Cora Ramos, and it is just like what was done to Penumbra's sister, who is behind this?

“That’s what we were afraid of. Someone is taking anti-mutant radicals and turning them into weapons, and then dropping these sleeper agents back into the public.”

Shit, this is worse than I thought. Just the properties of the skin and hair alone make these cyborgs a threat.

“Sadly, we have no information on the party or parties behind this. All our attempts to back-trace the technology have hit dead-ends.”

Darn it, I was hoping they had at least one lead. At least we will get FBI records on anything related to this and aid, I hope they catch whoever is behind this soon.

That same day
Glensheen Mansion
Duluth, MN.

First Thanksgiving outside of a hospital and Rose dresses up to look good for Lia. Aww, having to move is rough after you have settled in. She did her make-up, Rose really wants to look good for Lia.

Across town.

She has had a couple of sessions with Genevieve already, no, Lia, this is a bad idea. Able to swallow food and drink normally once again, no, Genne is trying to change her BIT, this is going to end in tragedy if not stopped soon. Control over her mouth and tongues now, and appreciation for men has returned full force. She is being manipulated and Genne doesn't care what happens to her. Transformation to being a hot chica again, and how she sighed and shook her head when she thought of Rose, this is just cruel.

Interl…
“no!”
Int...
“Don’t do it!”
Interlude.
Whateley Academy
That same day.

Ashleigh is upset because her brother is dead, her mother is consorting with one of her adversaries, her dad went to see the twins at their boarding school, and she believes she is alone because nobody cares about her. The Richmond twins and Raptor hang out together, and Ashleigh needs reinforcements to deal with them, little nut needs to stop.

Back at Glensheen Mannor
Duluth, MN

Rose wishes to make this a wonderful Thanksgiving and is working hard. Lia is distracted by something on her phone, and Rose can't even give her a kiss on the cheek. Another session on the 28th, if only she would realize the mother of Steven wants revenge on Rose and will do so through her loved ones in any way she can. Annoyed by Rose leaning on her, it is part of the magic!

Breaking Rose's heart like that and her own mother having to text message Lia to give up her phone, is only to get worse. Paul Bannion, Babe, and Miguel Santino show up with drinks for everyone. Isobel has to comfort Rose and tell her Lia is acting out of character. After the chat with Rose, Isobel now wishes to chat with Lia.

Oh boy, just what did Lia say to Isobel to get such a reaction? Lia goes to apologize to Rose but lies about the reason why she has been acting that way toward her, ugh. In bed together, I hope Lia still likes Rose and isn't just acting.

The next morning.
Glensheen Manor
Duluth, MN

Oh, good lord. It is what I feared. Messing with her BIT using magic, every other person that has done that had it end in tragedy. Ear bitting as a show of affection, Lia doing that isn't of Rose, huh, I thought the bunny girl would do it as a show of affection, One Piece has lied to me! Revulsion to her own body, I understand how easily she was manipulated by Genevieve with the things she was promised.

November 24th, 2007
Whateley Academy

Ashleigh lurks in the tunnels with plans to manipulate a GSD student who is disenfranchised, full of rage and hate. Springbuck, poor boy has severe GSD. He doesn't want money, so she sleeps with him to get him to work for her. *facepalm*

Same day
The bedroom of Liabella Navarro
Duluth, MN

Lia looks over her Bookface account and sees all her old friends, and how they've changed since she last saw them. Kailey Duggan, who Lia considered a pathetic mousey little girl hooked up with Lia's ex-boyfriend and is expecting. Frustrated and thinking of how she would be attractive again and could get anyone she wants, she hasn't learned a thing.

November 28th, 2007
Glensheen Manor,
Duluth, MN

Rose is packed up and ready to move, though Carrie hasn't told her where yet it seems. What is in the 'do not open' box? Comes out of a shower to find Carrie left to run some errands leaving a note behind. Needs Rose's help on a case, to be a lookout for suspicious activity. Given a radio receiver, Caribou sneaks across the street and inside the house. Rose is called to join her inside, and Carrie, Paul, Miguel, Isobel, Babe, and another woman are standing there.

All this for a surprise birthday party, Carrie got Rose good. Judge Abigail Reinhardt and petition for adoption, hooray, she will be Carrie's daughter. All of them as witnesses and Isobel is a notary, they thought of everything. Bwahahaha, they got carrot cake, priceless. 15 and Lia isn't there, but Rose isn't letting this bring her down, good. Pizza, music, and dancing with Carrie and Paul dancing together, while Rose picked up Babe and danced with him in her arms.

Nice gifts from Isobel and Salvador. They don't know where Lia is, they need to ask her where she is going and who she is seeing, but she would just lie to them. A gift from Paul.

“That’s a belt made by a kid at Whateley, it has dimensional pockets in the pouches, so you can store a lot of things in it, like load-outs and supplies. Looking in the pouches, Rose found bandages, a tourniquet, some anti-septic spray, a small canteen, and a spool of para-cord.

He got her a Mobius belt, those cost a pretty penny due to the materials used. Nice warning about Whateley too, she needs to realize like any other school there are bullies of various sorts.

A custom laptop from Miguel, now that is thoughtful, sweet, and useful. *eyes bug out* Carrie got her that, that is a good enchanted weapon to have and easy to conceal. Inaba has a gift for her as well. Whoa, a summonable mallet that is durable and even if broken can be dismissed and will be whole when summoned again, that is an awesome gift. And the description of it is impressive.

At the same time
Across the bay in Superior, WI

Lia, how can you think this is safe in any way? Naked in the center of a pentagram, glyphs painted in blood on you and Mrs. Hedgeworth, this has dark ritual written all over it. Genevieve is using demon's blood, Lia, what have you gotten yourself into?

Arrived home exhausted and you didn't even remember that Rose's birthday was today. Lia, you screwed up royally in many ways.

The next morning.
The home of Carrie Running Elk and Rose Lindevall
Duluth, MN

Lia shows up and Rose's eyes are red from crying, oof. Rose is mad and very disappointed in Lia, eep. Rose tells Lia how she feels and that if something is bothering Lia to not leave her out, about time. Lia, not telling anyone about what Genevieve is doing to you with dark magic is the worst thing you can do right now. Rose says they need some time apart, Lia says she loves her, but Rose says she can't love her because she doesn't love herself. Rose almost has an episode, only a cold shower, the medication, and Inaba help her stave it off, this hurts to watch.

Oh crap, Lia has a lot of rage inside her and goes to a park, and in a fit of rage kills a squirrel with her hand-mouth tongue. She eats it! Crap, she is getting more murderous thoughts, this was Genevieve's plan all along. Lia gets home and Isobel isn't there, she sneaks inside.

Her anger and bitterness and remorse swirled in her like a storm. Volatile emotions ground against her very being. Something was wrong, but she didn’t care. The anger felt good. Intellectually, Lia was aware that she should be afraid. However, she welcomed the chaos.

I knew it, I knew this was one of the outcomes that Genevieve wanted to happen. Power over life and death, no, don't go down this path, Lia.

Meanwhile…
An undisclosed location in
Superior, WI

Genevieve is disgusting, sickening beyond belief to consider an innocent like Lia a pawn to use and throw away. Wanting all their enemies to fall, this whole family needs to be wiped out. She is cautious because of how well-connected Inaba is in the spiritual realm and doesn't want to draw the Monkey King's ire again. No doubt her goals would be met, I hope they all fail and someone at Whateley notices the magic on LIa and can reverse what you have done to her mind and spirit. She wants Lia to be at Whateley now, all part of her sick plans.

November 30th, 2007
Hawk Ridge Nature Center
Duluth, MN

Lia is out and in the snow, leaving early to avoid the confrontation with her mother. *eyes bug out* Since when can her head mouth's tongue do that? That poor bird never had a chance. And she isn't even shocked, someone please save Lia before it is too late.

I'm glad Rose recovered from the fight, despite having to lose an arm for it to grow back okay. Rose had a lot of good and bad things happen in this story, from her ups and downs in her relationship with Lia to saving a lot of people's lives, but losing the captain of the ship, to having to move out of the mansion, but having a new home and being adopted. I'm glad she is getting better control over her Diedrick's and hope to see her keep improving.

The Aerial Lift Bridge, that fight should have never happened, Steven was a monster who was raised by monsters. And now his own mother is using that tragedy to get work cleaning up the mess and used it to get close to Lia. The whole Bridgeworth family needs to be taken down.

It was hardest to see what Lia is going through, how she feels about her own body, and a monster like Genevieve using that to manipulate her and turn her into a catspaw, a weapon to use against her enemies. She is a basically innocent girl who was hit hard with GSD and a BIT that broke, she needs help, but instead, she gets this monster who seeks to use her and does not care if she lives or dies in the process. I hope Lia somehow survives all this, gets freed of Genevieve's influence and magic, and learns there are no quick fixes that aren't too good to be true.

Thank you for this story, and I hope to see more of Rose, Lia, and everyone else in the future.

Oh! Yay! Inaba (Spirit)'s awake / energetic enough to move and stuff!

"Just how deep did this melding go?"

Mmm. That we know there's some highly unethical mages about, messing with spirits and all... This bonding might have been an attack? Tie a spirit to a host that's about to die, and no matter the outcome, the spirit is weakened. Japan has GOO issues on its borders, weakening its protectors are something they'd want?

...

Knowing that you lost, and then regained an arm, just like *that*. Realizing just how inhuman your biology's become.

...

"Evil Eye is a powerful mage, and if half of what is rumored about her in the magic community is true"

New information! ... See above regarding "highly unethical mages" and suspicions.

...

"As she walked into the main room, Lia happened to catch her reflection in a monitor. She saw the viscous sludge that was her blood surging through the veins that ran along the surface of her face. Repulsed and disgusted, she curled up on the couch, her head buried as she hugged her knees."

Body issues on both sides of the couple!

...

"Carrie turned and hugged the man, and Rose could see that that perhaps the feelings weren’t entirely gone, at least on his part."

Couples meeting! Sorta!

...

"The worst part of it all for Lia was that she knew Rose was completely unaware of the flirting. She loved Rose, but deep down buried where she didn’t want to admit it, there was a simmering ember of jealousy and envy."

Hmm. Is Inaba (Spirit) able to pay attention to this? Or not?

...

> The woman looked at Lia. “I can see it on your face, you're worried… I know what you are. But you don’t have to be concerned. I’m a mutant too. And I am so sorry for all the loss and destruction that boy caused.”

> Smiling, the woman snapped her fingers and a little flash of blue flame briefly appeared. “I used to be a villain in my younger days, but now I’m just a business woman, wife, and mother.”

Blue is the color of the typical magic flame...

"The blonde woman"

Genevieve_Hedgeworth: "Blonde, shoulder-length hair"

OOoooh nononono. "She didn’t know why she was so bothered, but she was." Evil Eye's kids have psychic powers. Do we know if she does? Or if she's got psychic magic and stuff?

Well. I was right on the money. Unfortunately.

And how much of what kept Lumberjack away might've been caused by her? Putting Lumberjack back in Carrie's life, as a distraction?

...

"For Occult and Arcane discussion, place this card against a mirror, and say my name."

Spirit-related magic counts... And who does Lia know that has a spirit, along with healing and other features that Lia envies?

...

“I’m sure she just has something to work out. She’ll be back to normal soon enough.”

Yeah, no. Not betting on that at all.

...

Storm... Magical?

...

Edmund Fitzgerald - "Gordon Lightfoot, Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

...

" another helpful tool. It looked like a bracer, and fit snugly over her right arm. Attached to it were a multi-tool, high beam flashlight, knife, GPS and a tightly wound length of para-cord."

Helpful indeed! Great for adventuring! It's even got rope!

...

"Interlude
Gallica Celtica, near Avaricum."

Past Life Time?

...

"The girl did as bade, and after the demon placed his hand over her blinded and damaged eye. Dark smoke poured into the empty socket, and a black orb filled it."

Nevermind.

...

> Invariably she bore many children through the centuries, passing her unique genes throughout France, and later the rest of Europe. Occasionally some descendant would pop up to interfere in her plans, and she had to orchestrate a beheading, or in the case of a certain troublesome girl, a burning at the stake.


Is Rose one of her descendants? Hmm.

...

"Rose sat on the couch, tired. She had recovered from the ordeal physically, but knowing that the captain had slipped from her hands and drowned weighed heavily on her."

OOoooh......

...

"Looking around the mental dreamscape, she looked around, she spotted Inaba sitting by a lit fire. She nodded her head to the girl, and beckoned her to come sit with her. Nothing was said, but Rose understood. Picking up the little spirit, she set the bunny in her lap and stroked the soft fur, falling asleep as she did."

Yeah! Cuter coping mechanism!

...

"Lia slipped into the house quietly. It was almost three in the morning and her phone had been blowing up all day and evening. She was dreading the confrontation with her mother. To Lia it was worth it. She felt rejuvenated, refreshed. The boys she had seen once again stirred something in her, and it was not revulsion."

Yeeah. Evil Eye has, unfortunately for everyone else, planned well.

...

"She settled in to bed, oblivious of the triangular mark that had appeared on her neck."

Well, shit. She's in even less less control than she was before.

...

"Interlude 2: Electric Boogaloo"

Heh.

...

"Seriously? Another Interlude…"

Well... Is this relevant just because Raptor will become relevant? Evil Eye's resourceful, why not dabble into tech? I bet this is related to her plans.

...

"That same day"

Aww! Holiday!

...

"Across Town"

Oh no... Slow, Magical Transformation. Probably also means it's very thorough.

...

"Interl…
“no!”
Int...
“Don’t do it!”
Interlude"

Heeehe... And Ashleigh's plans not working out! Yeah!

...

And Thanksgiving party!

Unfortunately for everyone but Evil Eye, things aren't going well, her plans are being hidden, etc.

....

And back to Whateley, where Ashleigh uses her charms! She can be charming to those who don't know her, at least.

"After some heated back and forth, the negotiations were... concluded." Heh. Heated.

...

"November 28th, 2007"

AWwww! Birthday Surprise!

And adoption surprise too!

Aww, new person doesn't get ice cream!

...

And Lia's side!

"“Shit, was that today?” Lia sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Shaking her head sadly, he mother responded. “We reminded you several times this week.”"

Betting its memory magic!

...

"There can be some… less than honorable kids there that might try to pick fights with you."

Yea... He doesn't know the half of it!

...

"Rose shook her head. “You can’t love me, because you don’t love yourself. I think you should go.”

Wow! She managed to hit the nail on the head!

...

And now Lia's indulging in blood and sex... Which is much more concerning because magic's involved. Getting someone to supply blood and tantric energy to keep powering the demonic corruption-stuff that's affecting them?

...

And checking on the mastermind again.

"Still, caution was warranted. The Lindevall girl had a well-connected spirit" ... Okay, so Rose is probably not her descendant?

...

"Hawk Ridge Nature Center" - Nature Center? *Googles*

Eating birds, at what turns out to be a Bird Observatory... People gonna notice?

"[The tongues] obeyed her will now, without need for the control spells."

Who's gonna handle the control spells at Whateley?

Ah, from Inaba 3:

> Take them with you when you go to Whateley. There should be someone in the Mystic Arts department that can permanently bind a sleeping spell into them, so that you can permanently solve your hungry hand issue.”

Did Evil Eye plan for Mithril bracelets? I hella bet NOT! Really really hoping!