Jack couldn't stop thinking of her, the petite young woman he had met. It had been a few days since they had last talked. He enjoyed her company, brief though their talk had been. Not having to talk about scaring and horror had been refreshing for him, after having to endure it for days and months on end from everyone he had met. Truly he loved doing it, but a break every now and then was necessary for him to keep things new and fresh. Coming into the human world has certainly given him that break he needed. Even though maybe he has gotten tied up into something that is more than he bargained for.

Maybe I should go see how she is doing...

His mind set, he heads to her house, hoping to either hear from her himself or possibly find another letter waiting for him. He waits for a moment after giving it a quick yet quiet knock, and seeing that the window isn't opening and her face is not waiting to greet him with its usual smile, he begins to become more worried. Did something happen to her? Worry gnawing at his chest, he throws caution to the wind and heads to the window itself in order to climb it. It only takes him a short time to get on the sill itself, his long, yet small limbs easily letting him perch on it while he attempts to open it using the same method he had on their locked door a few nights previous.

It opens easily, and he notices a letter that had been lodged in the space only a few moments prior begin to flutter away. Carefully plucking it out of the air, he decides to wait before reading it, wanting to make sure if she is home. If not, then he can take a look at it and see what it says. He peers around the room, hoping against hope he finds her there either studying or doing something to occupy her time.

She's not there; the room hasn't been touched in a day or so, dust settling among the books and papers on the desk. Nothing indicates that she has been here recently. He looks at the folder letter, despair flooding through him as he decides to take an actual look at it. He feels his marrow chill in his bones as he reads the letter.

My friend,

I'm sorry, but I must keep this brief. My parents have arranged that I stay with Rowland at his estate in Zamonder for a week, and we are leaving almost immediately after I write this letter. They do not know of it, or you. I hope this finds you well. I wish I could see you again, but now I most certainly cannot. Talking with you was refreshing, and I am eager to do so again. Hopefully Rowland is not too dastardly to try anything while my parents are with me. Yet I feel he has schemes planned to get me alone with him. I am worried. I wish you were here with me, for both your companionship and ability to keep him away. Once this horrible nightmare is over, I do hope to speak to you soon. I must be leaving now.

Yours,

Emeline

He was concerned. Heck, he was worried, almost pacing back and forth as he ran over the information in his skull. She would be staying with her abusive fiancé, at his home, for a whole week!? That was a horrible idea, even with her parents present there; and not the good kind of horrible, either! Jack had only watched them interact once, and it was all he needed to see to know that she was in danger. But what could he do!?

The letter gave no clue as to where she was headed, aside from the vague name of the town. Even if she had specified it down to the street name, he only knew a vague amount of what lay beyond the small village. Most of his nightly reconnaissance was to study the general layout of the town, and look for sustenance when he was able. Of course, he had also been studying humans and their behavior to maybe find some kind of inspiration for his frights and horrors for All Hallows Eve. Jack couldn't forget that; it was the main reason he had come here.

Though now...that reason seemed quite hollow to him.

His new friend certainly had taken up some of his time here. He didn't mind; he couldn't just leave her alone after seeing what she has gone through. He was on a time limit, but he could afford the delay. Honestly, part of him was glad for the 'distraction'—as awful as it was to describe this whole fiasco as such. Focusing too hard on his ideas for scares had given him a sort of artists block.

Still, this seemed much more pressing than any other thing he had going at the moment. Something akin to panic started to bubble up in him then, as he read the letter again, phalanges starting to shake horribly. Think, think! What could he do to help, if anything at all!?

It's not like he could ask for a horse and simply ride off to find her! No one else knew of his existence here, aside from her, and maybe her fiancé had a sneaking suspicion. And he'd rather not bring more trouble upon her by showing his face. If he did nothing however, surely something awful was going to happen to his new friend. As that was what she was, a friend; someone he could talk to about mundane things and confide in.

Oh poor Emeline! If I could only do something for you…

Jack silently laments, his hand clutching against his suit jacket, his phantom heart feeling heavy in his rib cage. But what could he do? Wait for someone to hopefully drive by that was headed in that direction? Honestly, that was the only sensible idea that he could think of. But who knew if someone would arrive at all? Or when? What if no opportunity like that decided to show itself?

He could at least go and try to look for a carriage or something that was passing through that area. Find some kind of information or hint, possibly. Slim though it was. Well, it was certainly better than standing here, worrying and doing nothing! Carefully stuffing the letter in his pocket, he easily left the room through the window he had entered, closing it shut as if he had never been there.

Now where to look? He had a few ideas, but nothing too concrete. There were the local town gossips, who might be more hit or miss. Maybe some of the working men at the taverns might also know something, drunk and willing to spill any info they might have. One didn't sound any better than the other, so he crept into town, being careful as always until he decided on where to go.

He hid nearby the local gossiping hole, close to one of the nearby inns. Hopefully one of the busy body women who passed through here would say something that got him on the right track. Or he could just be wasting his time. If that was the case, then he might try the tavern next. Best to wait it out and see...

Nothing. He found nothing. Just boring chit chat and pleasantries. Three hours of waiting and hiding, and for what!? He was getting frustrated, and impatient. Which was unlike him; but this wasn't a normal situation. Someone's well being was on the line. He couldn't help getting panicked and more concerned as the hours went on. Who knows what could be happening while he was stuck here?

Calm down. It isn't any good to get so worked up. I need to focus; Emeline is depending on me.

He chides himself silently, exhaling through his nasal bones. He just had to be patient. As if something had heard his lament, one of the women finally spoke up about something other than banalities.

"Yes, those two merchants had bought through most of our stock and the neighbors! They seem to be heading up to that noble's estate; from what I was able to hear from them while they were stocking up, it seems he's got something planned!"

His nonexistent ears perked up at the mention of a noble. Maybe he was being too hopeful, thinking it was that horrible bastard. But he felt his phantom heart leap up in his throat at the next woman's words.

"Oh, is that so? You mean, Rowland Keogh, the one that Keatings girl has been engaged to for months now? Are they getting ready to finally tie the knot?"

It felt like he had been doused with freezing cold water then. If this was true, and not just the gossip of hopeful housewives, then it meant bad news. Very bad news. He tried to will himself to stop shaking, steady his breathing so he could hear what exactly was said next. Anything to dispute this awful rumor.

"I don't know, but I do hope so. A wedding would be nice to break up this monotony! If it is to happen, surely the town crier would have said something by now!"

Ah, yes. That one human who was always shouting things in the middle of town. Not that he was a reliable source of information, most of his tripe being gossip and hearsay. Jack had learned that early on.

Now if one of these two could maybe spill where those merchants were currently residing before heading out he could sneak aboard. Most likely, they were resting in one of the nearby inns. Which is simple enough to check; the only problem would be which carriage was the merchants'? It's unlikely they would be the only businessmen there looking to get goods in the small village, after all!

"Maybe we should go see? Ask if they know anything about the wedding, if there even is one?"

"Oh, dear, you are excited, aren't you!? It's only a rumor; don't take it too seriously! Last I saw them they were at the Honeyholde Inn. But enough about the Keatings girl, what about—"

Having discerned their location, he ignored the rest of what the women were blathering about, the topic having been shifted to trivial things once again now that the rumor mill had been exhausted. The Honeyholde Inn, hmm?

Thankfully that was barely a trek for him, even skulking through the shadows as he was. He came upon a large building fairly quickly, with the sign bearing the inn's name right out front. The lights were on in the windows, despite it being dark outside and he could hear people cajoling and talking animatedly. Picking through the random chatter with his excellent hearing, he easily finds the merchants sitting at a table near one for the windows. The clink of gold and jewelry when they move makes it easy to distinguish them from other patrons in the crowd, even if they hadn't been discussing their latest business venture for all to hear.

"For such a small village, they do have some quality goods. No wonder the Keogh family helps keep them afloat!"

"Haha, yes indeed! They are such good customers; I bet we can make a killing even having bought out as much as we did!"

He waits for a few moments, listening to them eat and drink, hoping for them to eventually get to the good part. It takes a while, and their voices start to slur when they start talking again, but he can make out most of their words.

"Yep. Ol' Rowland is gonna pay us good for these! Whatever banquet he's holding is a big one for him to need all these foodstuffs!"

"Aye. Make sure you get them packed properly now! Don't need 'em tumbling around in the carriage on the way there."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, everything is tied securely to the wagon up front; the one with the green cloth."

There we go. It had taken a while, but he had found it! Thankfully he could see colors and shapes in the dark as well as nighttime, so it was no problem for him to find said carriage holding the goods. It was modestly sized; certainly bigger than most of the wagons held here and well made. Taking a peek, it was filled with boxes and bags of all shapes and sizes. With what exactly, he had no real idea, though he could smell foodstuffs like meat and fruits.

He quickly slipped in between the boxes and sacks full of goods. Easily enough with his skills; they'd have no idea he was even there! It was a bit uncomfortable, but the drive would only be a few hours at best. He could stomach it, if it meant seeing his friend again. He had to, in order to help her out of this situation.

Not much he could do now aside from wait, and maybe plan. Once he saw the size of the estate and its layout, he could figure out how to get in. Even with guards, who were simply human, he could sneak past them easily. Still, getting her out was going to be an interesting challenge. Well, he could figure all that out once he got there. For now, he would just hide out and wait...