Prof. Ye Bellz heard his name and “magnum opus” mentioned, but he hesitated to speak up. It seems that while this enthusiastic youth, James (@Leira), had read his book, he did not yet recognize that the author was in his presence. Ye had long dealt with unwanted attention from obsessive fanboys/girls fascinated by his “true” stories about werewolves, vampires, and the like. The entire Twilight Saga, especially at the peak of its popularity, led to an especially brutal time of suffering its overzealous fans. Luckily, the over-flattering and completely unrealistic author photo on the book jacket prevented Ye from being easily recognized, except by the most devoted followers. For now, Ye was happy to enjoy a bit of anonymity in this crowd.
The reality of Ye’s expertise in the subject of cryptozoology and the paranormal was that it was all an elaborate ruse, with stories concocted from half-truths and legend, and supposed evidence often distorted or fabricated entirely. It all began with a drunken bar bet several decades ago, where he took the challenge to take up research and ultimately defend a thesis revolving around the Loch Ness Monster, which somehow launched a “research” career that went more successfully than he could have ever imagined. It snowballed into further “research” and publications, which over the years leaned more and more heavily toward creative writing and stretching the truth, rather than any semblance of actual scientific inquiry. Despite the overwhelming rejection by the scientific community, exemplified by the occasional scathing editorial response characterizing his work with harsh and incendiary language such as “we respectfully find [the work] to be without firm basis in factual events and lacking in scientific rigor”, the general public loved it and happily gobbled it all up. Hence, this established popular success that somehow landed him a professorship. Of course, it was understandable why, given his knack for ensuring the flow of “grant” money, albeit not from the traditional funding sources, but rather unconventional ones like Hollywood studios and advertising agencies looking to cash in on the vampire/werewolf craze.
Now, seemingly in spite of his own disbelief in the paranormal stories that he peddled upon the gullible masses, Ye found himself facing the very threats that earlier he would have privately dismissed, all the while still selling such fables to the media-consuming public. He had come here since he had heard the rumors, which were made quite compelling through multiple accounts. Unlike past “field work”, which were often thinly veiled expeditions in debauchery, while paid for by the funding agencies, this time, Ye was finally facing the real thing, and it filled him with a sense of dread and trepidation unlike anything he remotely experienced before.
Surprised that Marlon (@Gia) had managed to tear his attention away from chasing tail, in order to actually comment on the state of the dire situation, Ye turned to him to address his supposition.
—Marlon, what makes you believe that Hazel (@Haze_with_a_Z) is a witch? Further, such a magic user could be vitally useful to our efforts in overcoming the soulsnatchers, and seeking to publicly reveal their identity might harm our cause.
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