halloween.

[loneliness] [Ground Rules:

1. IC posts: 10 minutes or less. Declares and rolls: 3 minutes or less unless you are waiting on me to answer a question. I'm not a hardass on this, but if it's holding up the scene I'll start imposing auto-fails.
2. Speaking of questions: ask me in the chat. Do not IM me. If I don't answer immediately, just keep yelling my name. If you absolutely cannot wait, send me a PM.
3. There is no posting order, but post once for every post I make unless I tell you otherwise.
4. PM me now if you have any Uncrossable Lines and/or Exploitable Flaws.
5. Keep track of your own health and tempers.
6. Your characters are, for reasons I can't begin to fathom, at the famous -- and supposedly quite haunted -- Red Lion Pub. It's one of their busiest nights. Tables are crowded, waitstaff's rushing, and the food is borderline illegally unhealthy. No matter: they have beer, and beer is always good for you.
7. GO!]

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] Erin was impatient.

Impatience, like most other moods the girl possessed sat well on her face and turned it rather comically expressive. She had dark hair, and it was cut in a sort of pixie-ish manner that added to the air of sweetness about her. Her eyes were green, and they crinkled when she laughed and when that happened, a deep set of dimples appeared in either cheek.

All in all, Erin was sort of girl you imagined taking home to meet your folks, the sort who'd play basketball with you and get grass stains all over her clothes. There was a frankness about her manner that was both refreshing and endearing. She didn't look frightening -- despite the fact that this was meant to be a haunted pub and people around her were dressed up, well, some of them, others she thought might actually look the way they did normally, which was possibly the most frightening aspect of the place -- she held a mug of beer between her hands and sat waiting for a bowl of fries while people bustled by.

She was meant to be meeting a potential new contact here, but he was a no-show so far, and the girl was beginning to feel irritation sliding over her face, replacing the curiosity she had felt at first.

Whatever, she figured with a shrug and set about finishing off her drink.

[Face of Death] It's her first major holiday outside of Las Vegas, and it's weird. It's weird being out without Bryan, without the guys. It's weird not needing to check in with Mom and Dad to let them know their little monster is safe.

Joey is not out in costume like so many others are. At least, she's not intentionally dressed up. Her t-shirt is black and reads Self-Rescuing Princess in blue, a gold circlet above the text. There are black arm warmers pulled up past her elbows. Jeans and plain old sneakers complete the outfit. She looks her age, like a punk

She's sitting with Charlie in a booth near the back, drinking Mountain Dew from a straw while they wait for their food to arrive. They were out walking the streets, patrolling Lake View when Joey saw the Red Lion Pub. She's heard that it's haunted. Even though it's full of people, even though she's had her fill of ghosts this week, she couldn't help herself. She tugged Charlie's sleeve and dragged him inside after her.

[Face of Death] [dlp]

[Face of Death] It's her first major holiday outside of Las Vegas, and it's weird. It's weird being out without Bryan, without the guys. It's weird not needing to check in with Mom and Dad to let them know their little monster is safe.

Joey is not out in costume like so many others are. At least, she's not intentionally dressed up. Her t-shirt is black and reads Self-Rescuing Princess in blue, a gold circlet above the text. There are black arm warmers pulled up past her elbows. Jeans and plain old sneakers complete the outfit. She looks her age, like a punk

She's sitting alone in a booth near the back, drinking Mountain Dew from a straw while she waits for her food to arrive. She was out walking the streets, patrolling Lake View when she saw the Red Lion Pub. She's heard that it's haunted. Even though it's full of people, even though she's had her fill of ghosts this week, she couldn't help herself. She went inside to see what she might see. Or at least get a burger and fries in her stomach.

[Beth Clemensen] This is a terrible place for a date.

It's noisy, it's crowded, it's hot, and the guy Tara set the new kindergarten teacher in room 104 up with is more interested in staring at the mounted television set broadcasting the World Series. The Phillies are ahead by one. It's something of a travesty, and what's worse is that Beth is spending more time thinking about the fact that all of the Halloween decorations are going to need to be taken down and swapped out with Thanksgiving fare before the kids get to school Monday morning. She likes decorating far more than she likes watching her date watch baseball.

So she decorates in her head, and drinks her beer.

It's hard to tell what sort of scene the thirty-something parked at one of the two-top tables with the brunet in the rugby shirt is into. She's wearing black motorcycle boots and boot-cut dark-wash jeans and a long-sleeved black scoop-neck shirt, orange pumpkin earrings dangling from small ears and no other jewelry to be found. Her hair is down and wavy, highlights occasionally winking amongst the auburn, and she isn't wearing make-up. Truth be told, she doesn't need make-up. Slung over the back of her chair is a black leather jacket. Somewhere under the table is a motorcycle helmet.

Supposedly this place is haunted. Supposedly a lot of places in Chicago are haunted. Beth has to imagine rumors like that are reasons why this place is so crowded on Halloween. She spends more time placing turkey cut-outs on the walls of her classroom than she does imagining the hauntedness or not-so-hauntedness of the establishment.

And the Phillies are up by two.

[loneliness] One moment, Erin is sitting alone drinking her beer, waiting for her contact. She turns to look down the bar, and when her head comes back around, there's a new person sitting beside her. Her fries are there as well, a basket of hot pub chips sending steam upward. Her beer has been refilled. The man beside her is tall, broad-shouldered, but leanly athletic. His blonde hair is too long, and strands hang in his face. He's dressed in clothes that make him look like his fashion sense is stuck in the 90s, but he's attractive, with light green eyes and a lazy smile. He reaches into her basket and takes one of her fries, smiling.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long," he says. His voice is low. Somehow she hears it anyway, as though the rest of the room is muted somewhat by comparison.

Not that Erin will notice, but around the same time, a young man -- too young for her by far, looking barely old enough to buy his own booze -- catches Beth's eye from across the room. He's standing near the door, wearing loose cargoes and a t-shirt. His fingernails are dirty but there's a smirking appeal. He's got a body under those clothes that suggests he spends a lot of time at the gym, and he's got an attitude that suggests he likes showing it off. His hair is too long, too. He's got dark circles under his eyes. He's drinking a beer, and when he manages to get her eye, he winks at her.

Normally that would be it. He's young, and cocky, and if he kept staring it would be creepy. But something about him just seems... comforting. Like he gets that she's bored. Like he gets that her mind is elsewhere. Like he knows she drives a motorcycle and is telling her, with that wink, that there's absolutely nothing wrong with ditching her date when she's being ignored.

The kid drinks his beer. He doesn't look like he's with friends.

And then someone hops into Joey's booth, breathless and windtossed. Her hair is long, dark, but her eyes are so much so that her pupils are nearly indistinguishable from her irises. She's of indeterminate ethnicity up close, with full lips and delicate features, but almost willowy in her thinness. She pulls a cap off her head and then looks straight at Joey. She laughs. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were -- nevermind. Do you mind if I share your table? It's so crowded in here," she says, running off at the mouth like any girl her age might.

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] It's cold outside, but not yet frigid. Still, Alexander comes from Miami, and by his books, 45 is unholy. When he comes in his shoulders are scrunched up under his motorcycle jacket. He waits until the door's shut before he even starts taking off his helmet.

This is a pub. There's no greeter. He looks for an open seat, which is in short supply tonight. So when he sees Joey, who he recognizes vaguely as Sinclair's roommate and sometime partaker of the fun and games his XBox offers up, he heads for her table.

"Hey, Joey. Scoot over." He doesn't ask if she minds. And, oh look: she has a friend. Alex looks at the girl with open and undisguised interest. "Who's this?"

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] It's the clothes she notices first.

For whatever reason they strike her as strange. Or maybe it's just that he's nothing like she imagined he would be on the phone. Even his voice sounds different here, though he's speaking softly so she isn't certain about that. At least, not yet, anyway. But he's polite and he's sexy and she's hoping he's going to give her some intel about a new company that might be starting up in the city with less than reputable people behind it.

So she smiles, and her dimples appear.

Suddenly she's adorable, and you want to sit beside her and chat her up, find out her likes and dislikes, stare into lovely eyes that are almost a match for his, actually.

"A little longer than I'd usually wait but you're lucky," the accent says she's from Boston, but it's a little muted as if she's traveled, or tried hard to lose it. Erin picks up a fry and bites the end of it off. "They have good beer."

[Joey Oliver] Dark blonde brows hop up above widened dark brown eyes. A young stranger has plopped herself down in across from Joey without so much as a 'How do you do.' Joey's rage is not overpowering. It's hardly significant when compared to most of the other wolves in the city. It's still enough, usually, to keep the weak at heart at bay. Which is kind of an inconvenience when you're a friendly, outgoing teen starved for friendship.

The girl doesn't look like she minds sharing a booth with a monster. "Uh. Sure. S'long as you pay for your own shit."

And then Alex is bearing down on their table. Telling her to scoot over when she's already shoving her faux leather bomber jacket--lined with a purple hoody--against the wall to make room for the Glass Walker. They've never really talked, but she knows who he is. He's the owner of the Xbox and the ass that performs drum solos during the day sometimes.

"Dunno. She's just sharin' 'cause it's so fuckin' packed. You think it's true this place is haunted?" She asks while Alex gets settled. And then Joey remembers her manners. "Joey," she says, jerking her thumb toward her sternum.

[Beth Clemensen] It wouldn't take much for someone at another table to catch Beth's attention. It's wandering. She isn't interested in the baseball game that her date is so raptly staring at, and as she sets aside decorating the classroom for a few moments, she lets her eyes drift around the inside of the pub. There are bodies everywhere, the temperature inside ratcheted up from so many people eating and drinking and breathing together in such a small space, and it's by some show of the universe's sense of humor that she catches the eye of a young scrubby-looking man standing over by the door.

The thing about the male species is that as far as women like Beth go, until she gets to be about fifty years old, no man her age is going to be considered emotionally on-par with her. The poor bastards have a late start as it is, are considered to be two years lagging behind females developmentally, and though thirty is about the time when most people of both sexes start to slow down, to Beth, there really isn't any difference between a twenty-two year old man and a thirty-two-year-old.

Nothing beyond superficial differences, anyway.

She sits watching the cocky young man for just long enough for something like interest to be registered in her eyes, and then she cuts a glance back to her date. Her gaze cools.

"Hey," she says, loud enough to be heard from several feet away and no further.

He doesn't react. With a sigh, Beth drapes her jacket over her arm, scoops up her motorcycle helmet, and grabs her beer. Standing up, she pushes the chair in with a rattling cry of metal legs against the floor, and turns to walk towards the door.

[loneliness] [Perception + Alertness checks, diff 8]

[Joey Oliver] [percept + alert]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 3, 5, 8, 9, 10 (Success x 3 at target 8)

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [Perception + Alertness]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 3, 7, 9 (Success x 1 at target 8)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 4, 9, 10 (Success x 2 at target 8)

[crow] ((wardrobe change))

[Beth Clemensen] [Alertness+Perception]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 4, 6, 10 (Success x 1 at target 8)

[John Thornton] ((Perception + Alertness, diff = 8

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 2, 2, 8, 9 (Success x 1 at target 8)

[loneliness] The pub is getting quieter all around them, as though the Phillies being ahead is subduing the general mood. The realities that the individual Kinfolk are encountering seem to be narrowing to the people they've met, or see, strange as they may be and sudden as their attention is. Maybe it's the full moon, maybe it's the holiday, but it doesn't necessarily seem to matter: the blonde man with Erin, the kid watching Beth, and the young woman sitting with Joey and Alex all seem to radiate a warmth and receptiveness that is utterly compelling.

The dark-eyed girl smiles at Alex gently. She's a nice girl. She's a good girl. Her lips are pale pink. She has faint freckles on her slender wrists. She has a long, fairskinned neck, moves gracefully. "My name's Terry," she says, specifically to him, and grins at Joey. "Of course! I was going to meet my friend Michaela but I don't see her. And I don't know. I hear it is, but I don't believe in ghosts or anything like that." She laughs. It sounds like bells.

The blonde man reaches over and takes Erin's beer. "You mind?" he asks, but he doesn't wait. He takes a drink, sets the glass down, and pushes it back to her. "So what brings you here?"

The kid by the door grins as Beth gets up and heads over. He puts his beer on top of a shelf and starts to walk towards her, too, meeting her halfway. He's eager. He's young. Of course he's eager. "Hey," he says. He's also eloquent.

Wherever John is sitting, or standing, there's a light touch on his arm. "Excuse me," says a low, feminine voice. The room begins to get quieter, it seems, despite the crowd. If he turns to look, there's a woman with thick, long blonde hair and green eyes smiling at him. "I couldn't help but notice you from my table. Would you like to share a drink?"

[loneliness] The room isn't actually getting quieter. Out of the corner of his eye he can see that a table in the corner just let out a cheer in response to the game on the screen, but the sound is dim and faraway to his ears at best. The girl sitting across from him just let her foot touch his under the table.
to Alexander Madoc Vaughn

[Beth Clemensen] It's cold enough that most sane people--and quite a few not-so-sane people--are venturing out of doors with long sleeves and winter jackets in place for their treks down the street or across town, yet this young man is wearing a thin t-shirt and nothing else to keep him warm. He'd left his beer sitting on a shelf by the door, so it's entirely possible that he'd left his jacket at a table or with a friend, or in his car, or somewhere else entirely.

She's not worried about it. She's got another concern.

Tipping her head back to look the younger man in the eye, Beth adjusts the fall of her jacket over her forearm and rests her helmet against her thigh. The beer remains untouched. There's amusement in her tone as she speaks.

"Tell me you aren't following baseball."

[John Thornton] John's brow raises curiously, as the hazel gaze turns to the blond woman with green eyes at his arm. A moment, two perhaps, as the words register for the detective.

He'd been sitting at a quiet corner of the bar, well on the end and away from the hustle and bustle of drinkers and drunks on the Halloween night. He'd wanted time to think, time to be alone and sort some things out. Time to figure out what his next move would be...

Still, it seemed strange he'd been caught so unaware, so thoroughly ignorant of the blond woman's approach.

The hazel eyes meet hers, darkened sockets seeming ever more prevalent by the day as the brief stint of sleep in the Weaver paralysis vat gave way to the habits of the perpetual insomniac.

His mouth widens in the wan not-a-smile that so frequents his visage of late as he answers.

"I could be talked into it... Though I may not be the best company tonight.

I have a lot on my mind."

[loneliness] "I don't even know what baseball is," says the young man, his brow furrowing with affected confusion. He flashes a cheeky grin to follow and offers her his hand after wiping his hand on his pants -- presumably to get the condensation from the beer off his palm. "Eric."

[loneliness] John's new friend just smiles slowly. "Well. All the better to sit have a drink with someone new, huh? Come on," she says, extending her hand in offer, "we'll take your mind off things for a little while."

[Joey Oliver] The room is getting quieter, or seems to be. But it's not, or shouldn't be. It's too crowded to be so quiet. There are too many people, there's a ball game up on the TV and people are watching, cheering.

Her eyes roam the room while the slim dark haired Terry makes eyes at Alex. She sees familiar people here and there. John, chatting up a gorgeous blonde woman, good for him. Beth, with a motorcycle helmet in hand, awesome! And she's headed toward some hot young thing. Joey watches him set his beer down on a shelf, and then--

Oh. Oh that's just weird.

"Outta the way," she says, and slides out of the booth before Alex can sit down, after all.

She crosses the room to stand beside Beth. They've met once, in an aquarium, some time ago. Joey had been meaning to check in on the kinswoman. Get to know her, that sort of thing.

So it will be some surprise to the woman when Joey sidles up beside her, hooks her arm over the shorter woman's shoulders and beams at the young man.

"Oh, I can tell ya all about baseball. Heya, Beth."

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] He asks, but he doesn't wait. If he were one of her friends, like Zepher, she wouldn't mind in the slightest that he filches french fries from her basket or takes a sip of her beer -- but this was supposed to be business. Well, sort of. It was what she had in mind when she came here, but maybe professional business types didn't order beer and wait in supposedly haunted pubs, either.

What did she know?

Erin watched him set her beer back down, and something about it causes the girl's eyebrows to knit together briefly, she looks at the glass for a minute and then as if testing some theory puts one hand around it, leaving smears on it. Green eyes focus on him, and she cocks her head to one side. "What do you mean? I was waiting here for you."

She says with a little laugh.

[loneliness] "Wait, what?" says the blonde man to the black-haired girl, blinking at her. He stares for a moment, then laughs. "Oh, shit, you really were waiting for someone?" His grin turns somewhat sheepish. "I was... just flirting. I'm sorry, should I get out of here?"

He moves as though to leave her alone, but doesn't take his eyes off hers.

[Beth Clemensen] His claim to not know what baseball is coerces a quiet, unobtrusive laugh from Beth's throat, and when it's clear he's preparing his hand for a shake, she juggles the objects in her hand to free up her right: her left hand and wrist go through the face of her visor to hook the helmet over her forearm, and she slips the handle of her mug into her fingers, leaving her right hand free.

Before she can grip his hand, though, there's a lean arm around her shoulders and a gorgeous blonde at her side. The schoolteacher looks over, eyebrows raised in bemusement. Her right arm remains at her side.

"Hi, Joey," she replies, eyes flicking back to the coatless young man. "Do you know Eric?"

[John Thornton] "Who is... we, specifically?"

John's brow raises curiously again, as the hazel eyes focus more steadily upon the woman. The gaze turned clinical, that of a scientist observing an experiment, or perhaps examining something curious...

Hazel eyes meet the blond's gaze full on... As though he were viewing her very soul through them...

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] "Hey -- " Alex protests, nudged out of the way as Joey takes off. Whatever, her loss. He slides into Joey's spot, rather blatantly extending his feet under the table. "So. Terry." Alexander has some surprising measure of charisma; downside is, he thinks he has more than he does. His grin is all surety, more than he deserves to have. "What's Michaela look like? I'll help you look."

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] They blink at one another for a minute.
Then they exchange stares.

It's all very deep, this exchange.

Erin can feel a blush heating up her cheeks when he tells her he was just flirting, because, well. You know. It's nice to know someone thinks you're cute, even if they're striking that something isn't quite right here chord with you. "No, wait." She says before she realizes, and turns on her stool as if preparing to jump and stop him leaving.

"I was bored of waiting anyway. Stay and ... flirt some more." She grins, pushing aside the momentary weirdness she'd felt a minute ago. "Help me pass the time."

[Joey Oliver] Joey tilts her head at the young man in the t-shirt and no coat. It's entirely possible that he's left it at a table somewhere, but in a place this packed it's unlikely that anyone will just get up and roam around. Unless they're assholes. This kid doesn't look like an asshole, however. Eric, as he's been introduced, looks pleasant, attractive. Nice and unassuming.

The arm around Beth's shoulders is not so much that of a comrade or a friend as it is protective. Almost possessive. Joey's smile is kind and friendly, and genuinely so. She's not good at lying. So she cannot hide the hint of suspicion in her warm, dark eyes.

"Nope. Nice to meet ya, Eric. Say." She tips her head back slightly and narrows her eyes. "Didn't you have a drink?" Her eyes move to the empty shelf where she saw him set a glass not so very long ago.

[loneliness] At first, the young man Beth is talking to looks irritable at the cock-blocking from Joey. His frown is brief, though, and passes. He gives Joey a nod as she introduces herself, then glances back at the shelf where he left his beer. "Son of a bitch," he says in frustration, seeing it gone. He sighs and turns back to Beth, and his annoyance passes. "My own fault. You get what you get!" he says, as though waiting for something to follow that phrase.

The blond man with Erin smiles broadly and sits back down. "I'm Graham," he says, offering his hand. "Careful here," he says, as they shake. Or whatever. "I hear there's a ghost that likes to lock women in the bathroom." He laughs.

John's blonde laughs. "You and I, silly," she says, her hand still open to him. There's something comforting about her. Gentle. As peaceful as sleep, and not the kind of sleep spent in a weaver vat. The kind that lasts, and lasts, and when you wake you feel like you've opened your eyes to a world entirely renewed by your own rest.

Terry blinks as Joey leaves, then laughs it off and leans forward on the table, biting her lower lip for a second. "It's all right. She'll find me if she needs me. It's not like we came here to leave together," she says, and laughs again.

[Joey Oliver] The young man looks for his beer, finds it gone, makes an odd comment about getting what you get. He thinks someone took it, or is trying to make the two women think it was taken. By another patron or staff or someone. Because glasses of beer don't just vanish into the ether.

Joey's laugh is somewhat forced. "Yeah, true that, man. True. That. Well, it was nice to meet ya, Eric." She starts to tug Beth back, intending to lead her away. Another cockblocking may be in order for the night. "Beth, c'mere. There's someone I think you should meet. Family."

[Beth Clemensen] Eric's beer grows little beer legs and walks off from where he left it, and as his annoyance waxes and wanes, the shorter female gives a sympathetic, closed-lipped smile before looking back over at the Fenrir at her side. On her side, is more like it. She's not holding onto her shoulders like she's feeling chummy or gregarious. She's holding onto her shoulders the way her brothers used to, the way the last Eric in her life used to.

There's a tug on her shoulders, and the kinswoman stands up straighter, her musculature tensing but her feet willing stepping away and moving with Joey. A Rotagar's instincts are sharper and clearer than a human's. Maybe she's reading something in this young man that Beth, in her boredom and desire to get away from her baseball fanatic date, had missed.

Maybe she's got an ulterior motive. Beth doesn't ask.

"Oh?" She glances back at Eric one more time, then presses: "Who?"

[John Thornton] Whatever it was John was looking for in those green eyes, his expression makes no indication either way as to whether or not he found what he was looking for. That said, the clinical nature of the stare recedes to the background, the hazel eyes becoming less intense, more relaxed... Though no less vigilantly dynamic as a result.

The dark encircled hazel eyes began their wanderings yet again, drinking in the surroundings as though dying of thirst.

"Lead the way."

With that, John turns back to grab his trench coat, before moving to stand from the bar stool he currently occupied.

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] Graham offers his hand and Erin shakes it willingly, almost happily you might say. Like she's relieved that he decided to stay a while longer, and pleased that he's friendly, and attractive and seems to find her worthwhile enough to chat up. The girl is still working her way through her basket of french fries, but stops and laughs when Graham warns her to beware of a ghost that locks women in the bathroom.

She's got a sweet laugh, it's gregarious.

"I'm not afraid of ghosts," she tips her head slightly. "But that seems mean of the ghost. I wonder why it does it?" She seems genuinely fascinated, and searches out the toilet in question.

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] "Yeah?" Alexander pulls his eyes away just long enough to flag down a waitress. "So why did you come here?" He smirks. "Trick or treating?"

[loneliness] [Perception + Alertness checks, diff 7]

[Beth Clemensen] [Alertness+Perception]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 4, 9, 9 (Success x 2 at target 7)

[Joey Oliver] [percept + alert]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 1, 1, 2, 7 (Failure at target 7)

[John Thornton] ((Perception + Alertness, diff = 7

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 4, 5, 10, 10 (Success x 2 at target 7)

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [Per + Alert]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 4, 8, 10 (Success x 2 at target 7)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 5, 6, 6, 8 (Success x 1 at target 7)

[loneliness] Is it just Alex, or has the crowd gotten thinner while Terry's been running her toes up his calf?

Oh, who cares. Waitress doesn't see him.
to Alexander Madoc Vaughn

[loneliness] Eric frowns as the two women walk away from him. The last time Beth sees him, he's turning around and walking away, shaking his head. Looks like he's going towards the door.

Michaela gives a small, sad smile when she drops her hand because John doesn't take it. She leads him to a booth in the back, glancing at Alex and Terry as she passes. Terry glances up and smiles before turning back to Alex.

"Something like that," she says, grinning playfully. She's young. Her flirtation is obvious, and yet outrageously confident, as though the last thing she's afraid of is rejection. "So which am I getting?"

Graham grips her hand for a moment, something intense flashing in his eyes at the contact, and then he exhales, laughing with her. "I honestly don't know. A friend of mine got locked in there last year, though. She said it was pretty scary for awhile, til we found her."

[Joey Oliver] As she leads the older kinswoman away, Joey can't help but wonder if maybe this was a mean thing to do. Eric, himself, doesn't seem like a bad man. He seemed pretty nice, in fact. Charming. So what if his beer vanished into thin air. Maybe it just...

Joey can't finish the thought. She cannot comprehend how the beer vanishing would not still be in some way connected to the last person to hold it. So she keeps her arm around Beth's shoulders, and she leads her toward the older gentleman removing himself from a bench and gathering up his things.

"This guy," she says, loud enough for John to hear her. "Heya, John." She nods her head to the beautiful blonde woman, and she feels a pang of remorse for the man who is the closest thing to actual family Joey has in the city so far. He deserves to go home with a smokin' hot blonde. And here comes Joey, dragging along a lovely school teacher. On another night she might have an ulterior motive in bringing these two pure bred kin together. Tonight, however, there's just some freaky shit going on in this supposedly haunted pub, and it would make Joey feel a whole lot better if her kin were centrally located.

Alex can fend for himself, right? Joey knows he took down Marrick. She's heard the stories about his barroom brawls. For Sinclair's sake, and by virtue of him being kinfolk, the Rotagar will try to keep an eye out for him.

John is following the blonde to a booth in the back, past Alex and Terry. Joey calls out to him again. "Hey, John!" If he hears her, if he turns to look, she crooks a finger, beckoning him over.

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] It's weird.

She hadn't exactly noticed that the crowd in the pub seemed less than a few minutes ago, but she had. But it was as if she was hypnotized by Graham and couldn't quite focus on it or something. Now she's definitely paying a little closer attention to that fact, and so it takes a second for her realize that her palm is stinging from the contact with Graham.

She looks at him oddly, still smiling, though it's not quite as brilliant as before.

"Why, what did she say happened to her before you found her?" Erin's green eyes widened theatrically and she feigned horror. Something weird was going on, and she wanted to know what it was. She could pretend to be the dumb girl at the bar being picked up a little longer.

She even lowered her voice so it came out breathy. "Was it a bad ghost?"

[John Thornton] John, for his part, starts to follow Michaela, stopping as Joey yells his name.

"Please excuse me for a moment... I see someone I should speak to..."

That said, John changes course, and walks up to Joey and a woman who seemed familiar. After a few moments, recognition dawns upon him.

The woman he'd given directions in Chinatown, not so terribly long ago.

He nods to the pair...

"Hello Joey..."

Then, John turns to Beth for a moment.

"Did you find the train station?"

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] Alexander leans back in his side of the booth, studying the smile, the confidence, the poise, the posture. His eyes flick down for a moment, as though he could see her foot finding its way up his calf through the table. Then he looks back at the girl.

Who's cute. Not the hottest girl ever, he thinks -- and you can bet somewhere in Alexander fucking Vaughn's head, he has all the women he's slept with sorted out, Excel-spreadsheet-style, by age, hotness, bra size, etc. This one falls somewhere above average, but not anywhere near the top.

Still. Good enough, right?

"Listen," he says: outrageous confidence, indeed, "let's just save us both some time. Wanna get outta here? The crowd sucks tonight anyway."

[Beth Clemensen] Joey's voice carries far enough to grab the attention of the detective who helped her several weeks ago, on a cold night when she'd had a bit too much plum wine and couldn't figure out which way was north. A younger woman might have been embarrassed to be in public with someone so loud, but Beth just waits for the Rotagar to collect her Kin. Her suspicions are starting to raise themselves up, and there's an expression of vague concern on her face as John steps away from a youthful blonde and comes to join them.

Did she find the train station.

"You know, I did, finally, thank you," Beth says, managing a grin. Her right hand slides itself into the hip pocket of her jeans as they come to a rest, her left arm still responsible for three separate objects, and a frown furrows her thin brows as a thought occurs to her. "Are they closing? It looks like people are leaving."

[loneliness] [Perception + Alertness checks, diff 6]

[Joey Oliver] [percept + alert]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 4, 4, 7, 9, 9 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [Per + Alert]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 4, 9, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[John Thornton] ((Perception + Alertness, diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 4, 6, 8, 8, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[Beth Clemensen] [Alertness+Perception]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 4, 8, 8 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 5, 8, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] "I guess you could try finding out for yourself," Graham says to Erin slyly. "It is Halloween, after all." He leans in closer. "She said it was dark," he whispers, "and cold." His eyes are less pale now, less diffuse. He seems more real now, his voice clearer, than anything else in the room. "She said hands kept grabbing her. She said she screamed, and no one heard her."

Michaela, like Eric, looks disappointed at first, then just walks away when she's left behind. Joey, John, and Beth have a Fenrir powwow in the middle of the pub. They've all noticed by now that there's almost no one left in the pub. Just bartenders, waitstaff, a few tables full of people. It's quiet now, and the television screens are dark. Colors are more muted. Music is dim, and crackling, as though coming from far away. They aren't closing. But they can't see Michaela or Eric anywhere.

They can see Erin and Graham, though. And they can all clearly see that Terry over there has taken her foot out of her shoe and is running one stockinged foot up Alex's leg under the table.

Terry and Graham, at least, are focused on Alex and Erin. Terry, for her part, grins back at Alex. "Actually," she says, "if you're in such a hurry, let's just go to the bathroom, alright? Girls never go in there; it's haunted." She takes her foot away and puts it back in her shoe, sliding out of the booth to stand up. "C'mon."

[loneliness] The windows of the pub are fogged over as though ice cold. He can't see Chicago outside anymore even if he looks. The pub is nearly empty, and Terry doesn't just have incredibly dark eyes; her irises are as black as her pupils. She exudes lust as soon as she removes her foot from him, hunger tinged with overwhelming sexuality.
to Alexander Madoc Vaughn

[John Thornton] "Joey... We need to get everyone out of here.

Now."

Wordlessly, John draws the pistol at his ribs, knowing full well it likely would not help. Nonetheless, it made him feel better, just being armed when confronted by such things made a man feel better.

He approaches Alex's table, having recognized the man from the incident at the shopping area where the shootout took place. As he does so, he points the gun at Terry, though his words are for Alex.

"You... Get out.

Now."

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] "Well, I don't know." Erin noticed he moved in closer, and she focused on his eyes as they changed color, grew darker until they were almost black before she finished her thought, forcing her heart back out of her throat and pooling all her energy toward staying calm. She wasn't the sort of girl to be easily frightened, and she sure as hell wasn't gonna start being so now.

Just because it was Halloween.
And the Pub was suddenly empty.
And she couldn't see the city out of the windows anymore, because they were all fogged up.

She lowered her eyelashes, as if overcome by shyness, but the look she cast him from beneath them was beguiling, full of promise. Erin was a good liar, and she was putting all her energy into one right now. "Will you come with me and hold my Oh my God, what is he doing?" The attention of the girl was ripped from Graham as a man suddenly crossed the room and lifted a gun.

[Joey Oliver] They've met before. While the kin carry on a conversation, Joey looks around the room.

It's emptying out. Or seems to be. Beth comments that they might be closing down, and they might be. Not all pubs are open until 3am. Some are family style, whatever that means for a pub, and close at a decent time. She looks to the front and sees...is it really that cold out? For a girl born in the desert, lows in the 40s are completely normal. For January. For the middle of the night in January, in fact. Joey's been out in the middle of the night in January in the Mojave. She's never seen windows frost over before.

Her gaze moves to the Fianna at the bar, at the handsome man leaning in to flirt with her in a low voice. Joey frowns. And she turns to John, opens her mouth, and closes it again.

Apparently he's noticed something out of place, as well. She meets his eyes, and gives a nod of wordless understanding. Her arm still around her kinswoman, she steers her back toward the entrace, stopping by the pair at the bar. She glances over to where John is holding a gun to Terry, and she calls, "Hey, can you grab my coat while you're over there?"

She turns a bright, beaming smile of sunshine on the unknown Fianna woman. "Hey. Come with me." Joey grabs the woman by the arm and tugs, intending to pull the two women outside.

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] Finally -- and rather belatedly -- Alex feels the faintest niggle of alarm. It's her eyes. It's her suddenly not-so-wholesome lust. And the bottom line is, while Alexander has no problem being the predator, the way he's hardwired makes him not quite comfortable being prey.

Maybe it's confidence. Maybe it's lack thereof.

At any case, Alexander hesitates, looking at the girl's hand. "Y'know," he starts to say, and then --

-- well, then John just has to step up and be the hero.
(Again.)

"What the fuck," Alexander barks, instantly irritated. No, beyond irritated. Pissed off; aghast. Jumping out of his seat and straight-arming John and his goddamn gun back. "What the hell is wrong with you? Put the fucking gun away."

[Beth Clemensen] John pulls a gun out of his holster, and while Beth seems to stiffen slightly with the appearance of the weapon, it's more the dawning of realization of just how bad the situation is than the weapon holding some sort of novelty for her. Before she can speak, the Rotagar is steering her towards the door. This time, the older woman steps out from underneath Joey's arm and walks of her own volition, setting her beer down on the nearest table and pulling herself into her jacket.

Another woman is intercepted, a pretty dark-haired stranger who Joey obviously knows, and Beth transfers her motorcycle helmet into her left hand as they move towards the door.

"We're going," she tells Joey, a firmness in her voice taking the place of a command. She pointedly looks at the junction where Joey's hand meets Erin's arm, then looks back at Joey.

[loneliness] Everyone in the room vanishes. The five of them are alone.

[John Thornton] "Sometimes I hate being right..."

John backs away as Alex pushes him back, both brows raising curiously as Terry disappears before his very eyes.

The hazel eyed gaze moves to Alex again.

"We should leave. Now."

His free hand grabs Joey's coat, and he begins making his way toward the door, keeping his back to Joey and the other kin...

Keeping his eyes on the room without.

[Joey Oliver] Everyone but Joey and the kinfolk vanish into thin air. They're alone. Joey releases her grip on the Fianna woman's arm and steps back.

John grabs her coat and starts making his way for the exit. Joey stays where she is, intending to act as rearguard for the escaping kin in case they're attacked.

If they're allowed to leave, that is. It's Halloween night, they're alone in a pub that just had it's staff and patrons disappear. Joey feels a thrill travel up her spine that has nothing to do with fear, or worry, or concern for the kinfolk.

They need to get out, immediately. That doesn't change the fact that this is fuckin' cool.

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] Alexander's mouth is literally open in shock. "What the fuck." He's not moving; he's just staring. It's hard to react to everyone in the room vanishing. Now he's wondering, his mind flinging back over the dimly perceived events of the last ten minutes. The crowd was thinning. Were people actually leaving? Did he actually see the door opening, patrons walking out?

Or were they just... vanishing?

"What," he repeats, "the fuck."

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] "What --" Joey grabs Erin's elbow and tugs her to her feet, and she's in the middle of grabbing her jacket from the bar and casting Graham a vaguely apologetic smile when he, well, vanishes.

"What the hell," the brunette complains loudly, to conceal her rising unease. Great, just great. She had to pick the one haunted pub in the city that actually was haunted. As she was propelled toward the door, she took to speaking to the thin air angrily.

"You're not going to put me a toilet and lock me in, Casper!"

[Beth Clemensen] The bruiser in the booth doesn't move, and the brunette is hollering about not being locked in a toilet. Tightening her grip on her helmet, Beth starts to move. Quickly.

"Come on," she says, beckoning for Alex to move his ass.

[John Thornton] ((Init + 6))
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 9

[Beth Clemensen] [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 7

[Joey Oliver] [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 8

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [+5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] 7
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 6 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] Terry [+8]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 3 (Failure at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] Graham [+6]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] Michaela [+8]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 6 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Init Order:

Eric
Joey
John
Graham
Michaela
Beth
Alex
Terry
Erin]

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [Headed for the door!]

[loneliness] Terry
[1a: Embody
1b: Grapple Alex
Reflexive: "Stay with me."]

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (reflexive: going WTF.
1a. resist grapple!
b. run for the goddamn door)

[Beth Clemensen] [Action: Run for the door!]

[loneliness] Michaela
[1a: Embody
1b: Disarm John
Reflexive: "Stay. It's alright. Stay."]

[loneliness] Graham
[1a: Embody
1b: Grapple Erin
Reflexive: "Shh. Just stay."]

[John Thornton] ((Reflexive: Safety off

Base: Head for the door; watch for trouble))

[Joey Oliver] [1WP activate RP
1a: Block Graham
1b: Block Michaela]

[loneliness] Eric
[1a: Embody behind Joey
1b: Punch Joey (rear)
Reflexive: "She wanted to stay."]

[loneliness] Eric
[1a: Embody. Stamina -2]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 5, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric
[1b: Punch Joey. Dex + Brawl -3 (split), -2 diff (rear)]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 5, 5, 6 (Success x 4 at target 4) [WP]

[loneliness] [Damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 5, 5, 8, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [SOAK]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 7, 8, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[loneliness] Graham
[1a: Embody. Stamina -2 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 1, 10 (Failure at target 6)

[loneliness] Graham
[1b: Embody, dammit! Stamina -3 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 6 (Success x 2 at target 6) [WP]

[loneliness] Michaela
[1a: Embody. Stamina -2 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 9, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] The blonde who introduced herself to John as Michaela appears in front of him, in front of his firearm, as full and real and warm as she was before. She grabs him by both wrists and --

-- they both vanish.

[Joey Oliver] [1a: punch Graham!: dex + brawl -2]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 5, 8, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [damage: str + 1]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 5, 9, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] Graham [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 4, 5, 8, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [1b: Again!: dex + brawl -3 + WP]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 2, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6) [WP]

[Joey Oliver] [damage: str +0]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 4, 5, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] Graham [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 4, 5, 7, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] Terry
[1a: Embody. Stamina -2 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 2 (Success x 1 at target 6) [WP]

[loneliness] Terry
[1b. Grapple Alex. Str + Brawl -3 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 4, 5, 8 (Failure at target 6)

[loneliness] One after the other, Beth, Alex, and Erin make it to the door, escaping the hands that grasp at them from midair. Beth is the first one to grab the handle, pull the tab down with her thumb, and yank. It's not too hot to touch. It's not too cold to touch. It doesn't open into a vast and dark alternate dimension. It just. Won't. Open. The harder she works at the door, though, the more Alex or Erin try to help her -- if, of course, they indeed do -- the more the rest of the pub seems to fade. People and glasses and plates have already faded. A chair vanishes as Beth pulls on the door, but it still won't open.

[loneliness] [Init Order:

Eric
Joey
Graham
Michaela
Beth
Alex
Terry
Erin]

[loneliness] Terry
[1a: Close on Alex
1b: Embody just a lil' more]

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (a. grab a chair and throw it at the window!
b. grab a chair and throw it at terry!)

[Beth Clemensen] [Reflexive: "Leave the door alone!" Beat. "Where's John!"
Action: Get Michaela's attention.]

[loneliness] Michaela
[1a: Embody the fuck out of herself.
1b: O hai, Beth. Grapple.]

[loneliness] Graham
[1a: Close on Erin
1b: Grapple]

[Joey Oliver] [1R snapshift to Hispo (bye bye shirt and arm warmers!)
split: bite/bite Graham
Rage: Bite Eric]

[loneliness] Eric
[Reflexive: Laugh at Joey, disembody.
1a: Close on Beth
1b: Embody]

[loneliness] Eric
[1b: Stamina -3 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 3 (Success x 1 at target 6) [WP]

[Joey Oliver] [1a: bite Graham: dex + brawl -2]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 4, 7, 7, 9, 10 (Success x 4 at target 5)

[Joey Oliver] [damage: str + 2 + 3]
Dice Rolled:[ 11 d10 ] 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[loneliness] Graham [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 8, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [1b: bite Graham: dex + brawl -3]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 (Success x 3 at target 5)

[Joey Oliver] [damage: str + 2 + 2]
Dice Rolled:[ 10 d10 ] 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8, 9, 9, 9, 9 (Success x 8 at target 6)

[loneliness] Graham [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 2, 3, 7 (Failure at target 6)

[loneliness] As Joey shifts suddenly into hispo and gnashes her jaws at the fully embodied ghost in front of her, she opens his throat -- but there's no blood. Just a cold puff of air in her face and the sight of him vanishing.

The chair that disappeared earlier comes back into view. The entire room gets colder, the door harder to so much as jiggle, their surroundings that much more solid.

[loneliness] Michaela
[1a: Embody. Stamina -2 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 2, 6 (Success x 2 at target 6) [WP]

[loneliness] Michaela
[1b: Grapple Beth. Str + Brawl -3 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] As ghosts appear, disappear, disperse, and grab at mortals with hungry intensity, their eyes black and soulless, Alex grabs at the nearest chair. Apparently he didn't notice that when they pulled at the door, a chair vanished. Or that when Graham 'died', the furniture became that much more real. Or maybe he just doesn't understand the connection. How could he?

This doesn't happen every day.

In any case, he grabs the nearest chair, starts to hurl it towards the window -- and it vanishes before it reaches the glass. Or rather: it hits the wall. And is absorbed into it, thus vanishing, but doing absolutely nothing to the window. Behind him now, he can hear the spectral chime of churchbells accompanying Terry's voice:

"Don't go. Don't go. Don't go."

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (Yell at the big monster wolf thing to stop killing them!

b. changed to: smash a chair and see what happens?)

[loneliness] So Alex, often considered as destructive as his furrier cousins, stomps his foot a few times on a nearby chair. It breaks like a normal chair, the splintered pieces scattered on the floor. Nothing changes, otherwise.

[loneliness] Terry
[1b. Embody MOAR! Stamina -3 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 2 (Success x 1 at target 6) [WP]

[loneliness] [Round Three! Init Order:

Eric
Joey
Michaela
Beth
Alex
Terry
Erin]

[loneliness] Erin [Holding action]

[loneliness] Terry
[1: Grapple Alex]

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (a. resist grapple
b. try to break glass with (this might hurt.) fist!)

[Beth Clemensen] [Reflexive: "Where did you take him?"
Action: The ST's Suggestion! Head Butt Time!]

[loneliness] Michaela
[1: You headbutt me? I headbutt YOU, madam!]

[Joey Oliver] [Give us a kiss!
bite/bite Michaela]

[loneliness] Eric
[1a: Embody
1b: Punch Joey]

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [Erin: "What do you guys want with us?"

Fast Talk the Ghosts!]

[loneliness] Eric
[1a: Embodyin'. Stamina -2 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 1, 8 (Failure at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric
[1b. Punching Joey anyway. Dex + Brawl - 3 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 3, 3, 6, 9, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6) [WP]

[loneliness] [Damage]7
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [SOAK]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 3, 3, 3, 6, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [1a: bite Michaela: dex + brawl -2]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 10 (Success x 2 at target 5)

[Joey Oliver] [damage: str + 2 + 1]
Dice Rolled:[ 9 d10 ] 1, 1, 3, 3, 4, 4, 8, 9, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] Michaela [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 5, 5, 6, 7, 9 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [1b: bite Michaela: dex + brawl -3]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 4, 4, 8, 9, 10 (Success x 3 at target 5)

[Joey Oliver] [damage: str + 2 + 3]
Dice Rolled:[ 11 d10 ] 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 6 at target 6)

[loneliness] Michaela [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 5, 6, 10, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] Michaela
[Reflexive: Let Beth go
1: Punching Joey. Dex + Brawl -2 (OW), +1 diff for changing action]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 8, 10 (Success x 5 at target 7) [WP]

[loneliness] [Damage][L]
Dice Rolled:[ 9 d10 ] 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 6, 8, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [SOAK]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 2, 4, 4, 5, 8 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Beth Clemensen] [Changing Action: Brawl+Dexterity: Head Butt!]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 3, 4, 6 (Success x 1 at target 7) [WP]

[Beth Clemensen] [Damage: Strength +1 (head butt) +0] [B]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 5, 9 (Failure at target 6)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (str+dex+brawl-1!)
Dice Rolled:[ 10 d10 ] 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 9, 9 (Failure at target 6)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn]
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 6 at target 6)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (soak!)
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 1, 10 (Failure at target 6)

[loneliness] [Alex takes 6L. Next!]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 7, 7, 8, 10, 10 (Success x 5 at target 6)

[loneliness] [... I have no idea why there was a roll there. But it was a good one!]

[loneliness] Terry
[1a: Oh I'm still grappling you. Str + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 1, 1, 1, 3, 4, 4, 9, 9 (Failure at target 6)

[loneliness] [Or not.]

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [Manipulation 3 + Subterfuge 4: Fast Talk the Ghost Types

"You guise should totally listen to me and stop attacking us."]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 8, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[loneliness] Terry
[WP -2]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 5, 7, 7, 8 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[loneliness] Michaela
[WP -2]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 4, 4, 4, 7, 8 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric
[WP -2]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 5, 5, 8 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [int + enigmas]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 2, 5, 5, 6, 7 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Beth Clemensen] [Enigmas+Intelligence]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 5, 6, 8 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] They are alone in a pub one moment, running for the door the next, and then their newest friends are appearing again, one by one. The young man chatting up Beth appears suddenly behind Joey and punches her in the back of the head, but his knuckles graze off of her, brushing her hair aside. He looks pale, half-formed, the edges indistinct. Near Erin, the blonde man who called himself Graham flickers into similarly disembodied existence, then shudders, then solidifies fully. In an instant, Michaela -- tall, statuesque, and blonde -- appears in midair, grabs John, and...

...then they're gone. John and the woman. John and his gun. They just vanish.

The Kin and the lone werewolf don't have the time to react much though. Joey swings at Graham in front of her, but he just laughs as she slaps at his clothes. Meanwhile, Beth, Erin, and Alex all get to the door as Terry grasps feebly at the Glass Walker. They try the door but can't get out, can't even do more than nudge the door a bit, making bits of the rest of the room's furniture flicker in response. Everything is connected, a lesson they all see played out more fully when Joey shifts suddenly into hispo and lunges at Graham, rips him open --

-- and a chair appears. The room seems to be more brightly colored, the cold more pervasive, and the other ghosts that much stronger.

Eric vanishes in front of Joey as she begins to shapeshift, appearing a few moments later over by Beth. Michaela returns, strong and whole, but without John Thornton in her grasp. She grabs onto Beth with shockingly powerful, shockingly cold arms as Alex throws a chair that seems absorbed by the wall, as though they were both made of water and one simply flowed into the other. He tries smashing a chair then, but it just breaks apart, neither vanishing nor fading. It is as real as it ever was, just in more pieces. Terry is creeping up on him, getting more and more solid with each step.

The pale Eric takes a deep breath and the edges of his form get more discernable, his blackened eyes gleaming. He swings at the hispo that dwarfs him as much as a horse would. It'd hard to tell if he feels any fear at all. Probably not. Joey, having sped from the booths towards the door, snaps her jaws at Michaela and manages to tear through her. Michael appears to feel it, but is more angry than anything else. She whips around and lashes out at the Fenrir, but other than a gale of cold air across Joey's muzzle, it does nothing.

Just like Beth's headbutt to the taller blonde. Her forehead just glances off of Michael's jaw.

Maybe it's the distraction of Terry's hands pawing at him, chilly and damp, as Alex tries to punch through one frosted window. Maybe it's the fact that this place is not entirely real, maybe it's the fact that it is getting so goddamn cold in her, so goddamn claustrophobic with the doors not opening and the chairs failing to break the window... but he decides the best course of action is to ball up his fist and punch the front window.

The glass doesn't break. The glass doesn't shatter and bloody him. A shockwave of ice-cold power rushes up his arm, straight to his heart, with as much force and speed as he put into the punch itself. For a moment, he can't breathe. It's like he's drowning under ice. His body panics, his skin frosts over, and his right arm snaps as though the bone itself were a frosted branch. He might scream. He might fall. If he looks, he might see bone jutting out through the skin of his forearm.

Terry's hands slide over his chest, onto his throat, but don't grip.

And then Erin opens her mouth. She yells for attention, and the ghosts do indeed look at her as she prattles on quickly about how they'll stay, just stop grabbing at them. Michaela, who has already released Beth and failed to injure Joey, tips her head to the side and starts to walk towards Erin. Terry stays near Alex but starts stroking his hair. It is not comforting. Eric actually holds up his hands in a 'truce' gesture...to the hispo-formed Garou.

"Why?" whispers Michaela. Joey, Erin, Beth and Alex's breath steams in this room. Hers does not. "You asked Graham to stay. But wouldn't stay with him. He was going to stay with Terry. She was going to stay with Eric. He was coming with me. Why should we let you go?"

Her liquid-black eyes show nothing, no flash of anger, no emotion. Her voice snaps into a shriek, though. "WHY?!"

[loneliness] [Status:

Eric: fully embodied, OK
Terry: fully embodied, OK
Michaela: fully embodied, 4A

Alex: 6L, right arm useless, stunned
Beth: OK
Erin: OK
Joey: OK
John: MIA]

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] Alexander, in fact, does scream. Not like a girl, or in rage, or -- like anything human at all. It's a primitive, nonverbal howl of pain and horror that only escalates as Terry runs her hands over him.

He drops, stunned, quite useless now, half-sitting on the pub floor. Terry strokes his hair. He flinches groggily away from her, and if anyone's listening he's muttering rather incoherently about a

closed system

and, of all things, thermodynamics. Also: "We need to get out." Also: empty threats and all -- that he wants to kill that screaming bitch.

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] Erin licks her lips nervously when Michaela begins to walk toward her but keeps her body as straight and unaffected as possible. She's been in worse situations than this, she has to re-assure herself, and she managed to talk her way out of them. This isn't a fun scenario she's gotten herself tangled up with and she's a little grossed out at what happened to the guy on the floor over there, but she's holding up -- so far.

The girl with the pixie-cut hair keeps her green eyes fixed on the girl as she asks why they should let them go. Erin knows what her father would do in her shoes -- but she's neither as powerful or as resistant to injury as her Full Moon parent, so she settles for more diversion.

Erin McKinnon verbal maneuvering 101: if you don't know the answer to a question, ask a question in return.

"Why do you want us to stay with you? I mean, why don't you just leave this place? Why hang around a pub? The beer can't be that good."

[Joey Oliver] There is the pop and snap of joints realigning, of a form growing smaller. Soon, the huge iron grey and white wolf is gone, replaced by a half-naked teenaged girl. They can all see them, the raking claw marks that mar Joey's otherwise perfect, well muscled abdomen. Where most of her kind are built for war, this Rotagar is compact, athletic.

She glances behind her at the cluster of kinfolk, at the man sitting on the floor with the splinter of white protruding from his arm. She turns back to face shrieking ghost, tips her head to the side.

"I'll stay with you. If you let them go," she jerks her thumb over her shoulder, "I'll stay." Maybe she's just trying to allow the others to get out, to safety. Maybe she hopes to be taken to wherever John is.

[Beth Clemensen] They need to get out.

Beth is breathing rapidly, not out of exertion but out of fear made into visible steam with each exhalation. They're trapped, whatever energy they expend trying to escape only doubling back to hold them in place or even hurt them. That shriek makes her shore up her shoulders and tighten her jaws rather than flinch. It's an act. Even the descendants of heroes and warriors fear for their lives in situations they've never encountered before.

She turns her head toward the muttering kinsman, her brow pinching when he speaks of a closed system, and when Joey shifts back into her birth form, when she speaks, Beth turns and moves towards the fallen kinsman, apparently to tend to his wound.

"Don't talk," she says.

[loneliness] The only one of them who really captures and maintains Michaela's attention is Joey, at the offer to stay for the sake of the others. She tips her head to the side.

"But you're just one," she says. "And we all know you don't really want to stay." Her brow furrows with rage, and she lunges.

[loneliness] [Re-init!]

[loneliness] Michaela [+8]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 5

[loneliness] Terry [+8]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1

[loneliness] Eric [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 6

[Joey Oliver] [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 7

[Beth Clemensen] [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 3

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] +2 ;_;
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 4 (Failure at target 6)

[loneliness] Erin [+5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 10

[loneliness] [Init Order:

Erin
Joey
Michaela
Eric
Beth
Terry
Alex]

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (probably just trying to go upstairs to see wtf!)

[loneliness] Terry
[Reflexive: "Mine!"
1: Punch Beth]

[Beth Clemensen] [Action: Stabilize Alex. Spending WP for to not botch!]

[loneliness] Eric
[Reflexive: "Fine, then. I'll keep you."
1: Grapple Joey]

[loneliness] Michaela
[1: Less talking from the Bostonian, thx. Punch Erin.]

[Joey Oliver] [reflexive: "No, seriously. I'll totally go with you guys, but you gotta stop hurtin' these people."
regular: block for Beth]

[loneliness] Erin [Dodge Michaela]

[loneliness] [Delete declare]

[loneliness] Michaela
[Dex + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 9 d10 ] 4, 7, 7, 7, 7, 8, 9, 9, 9 (Success x 8 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 12 d10 ] 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6, 8 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] Erin [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 3, 5 (Failure at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric
[Grapple: Str + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 7, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Beth Clemensen] [Action: Medicine+Intelligence: please to be not bleeding out!]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 4, 8, 8 (Success x 3 at target 6) [WP]

[loneliness] Terry
[Dex + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 3, 5, 5, 6, 7, 7, 9, 10 (Success x 5 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 2, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 9, 10 (Success x 5 at target 6)

[Beth Clemensen] [Shit!]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 1, 2 (Botch x 1 at target 6)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (alex is changing actions to kicking terry and yelling at her to let him the fuck out of here!)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (-5 for wound penalties. dex/brawl vs diff 8 (+1 for changing actions); +WP to prevent botchery!)
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 4, 4 (Failure at target 8) [WP]

[loneliness] [RE-INIT]

[Joey Oliver] [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 4

[loneliness] Michaela [+8]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1

[Beth Clemensen] [+5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 6

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [+5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] 2
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 7 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [RESIST!]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 3, 3, 6, 7, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 2 (Failure at target 6)

[loneliness] Terry [+8]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1

[loneliness] [Damage Tally:

Michaela: 4A
Eric: OK
Terry: OK

Alex: 6L
Beth: 5L
Erin: 2L
Joey: OK]

[loneliness] [Init Order:

Joey
Beth
Michaela
Terry
Eric
Alex
Erin]

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [Erin: "You have to let us go! We're innocent and DIZ IZ WRONG."

Fast Talk again, since it seemed to work last time.]

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (Yell at Erin to STFU. Kick Terry again.)

[loneliness] Eric
[Punch Joey]

[loneliness] Terry
[Reflexive: "What are you DOING?"
1: Backhand Alex]

[loneliness] Michaela
[Punch Erin again]

[Beth Clemensen] [Stunned!]

[Joey Oliver] [shift back to Hispo, spending WP 'cause zomg O_O]

[Joey Oliver] [stam +WP]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 5, 5, 10 (Success x 2 at target 7) [WP]

[loneliness] Michaela
[Punching Erin: Dex + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 9 d10 ] 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Damage][L]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 3, 3, 5, 7, 8 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Delete Damage unless Dodge fails]

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] (Stop pummeling me! Dodge!)
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 7, 8 (Success x 2 at target 7)

[loneliness] Terry
[BAM!]
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 1, 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Damage][L]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 1, 4, 6, 7, 8 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (GLASS WALKERS DON'T FAIL.)
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 2, 3, 8 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric
[Dex + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 1, 4, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Damage][L]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [SOAK: stam + 2 (glabro)]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 6, 7, 7, 9, 9 (Success x 5 at target 6)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (kick!)
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 3, 7, 9 (Success x 3 at target 7) [WP]

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (damage +2!)
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 5, 5, 6, 7, 9, 9 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[loneliness] Terry [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 4, 5, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] Michaela [+8]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 6

[Joey Oliver] [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 5

[loneliness] Terry [+8]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 10

[loneliness] Eric [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 9

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [+4 -1 injury]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1

[Beth Clemensen] [+5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 8

[loneliness] Alex [+2]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 9

[loneliness] [Init Order:

Terry
Eric
Michaela
Beth
Joey
Alex
Erin]

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [Punch Michaela]

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (kick her ass again!)

[Joey Oliver] [Punch Michaela]

[Beth Clemensen] [Action: Clinch Terry. Spending WP to ignore wound penalties.]

[loneliness] Michaela
[1a: Punch Joey]

[loneliness] Eric
[Punch Joey]

[loneliness] Terry
[Reflexive: "No!"
1: Punch Joey]

[loneliness] Terry
[Dex + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 10, 10 (Success x 6 at target 6) [WP]

[loneliness] [Damage][L]
Dice Rolled:[ 9 d10 ] 2, 4, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8, 9, 9 (Success x 7 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [SOAK]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 4, 5, 7, 9, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric
[Dex + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 6 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Damage][L]
Dice Rolled:[ 9 d10 ] 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 8, 8 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [SOAK!]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 4, 4, 7, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] Michaela
[Dex + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 9 d10 ] 1, 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7, 8, 9 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Damage][L]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 7, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [SOAK]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 4, 5, 7, 8 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Beth Clemensen] [Action: Brawl+Dexterity: Clinch! WP spent to ignore wound penalties, -2 diff (rear).]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 2, 9, 10 (Success x 2 at target 4)

[Joey Oliver] [Punch: dex + brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [damage: str + 2]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 2, 2, 4, 4, 8, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] Michaela [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 3, 3, 7, 8 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] Alex [Kick!]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 2, 9 (Success x 1 at target 7) [WP]

[loneliness] [Damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 6, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Diff on kick was actually 2, makes no difference. Dammit.]

[loneliness] Terry [Soak!]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 6, 7, 7 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [Punch Michaela! Spending WP to ignore injury, -2 Diff (rear)]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 5, 8 (Success x 3 at target 4) [WP]

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] (Damage)
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 2, 8, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] Michaela [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 5, 5, 9, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] It doesn't do much good to talk to the ghosts, in the end. Reason with them, or their hunger, their desperation, their seething emptiness. Michaela lunges for Erin and strikes her hard across the jaw so fast the Fianna kinswoman has no time to do anything but reel as a vicious black bruise blossoms of her jaw, knocking a tooth loose and sending blood spurting down her throat. This hurts worse than any punch she's ever received, moreso because the pain vibrates its way down to the core of her being, cold and relentless.

Eric grabs Joey and pins her arms at her sides, and the Fenrir struggles against him, finally breaking his hold on her while Beth gets Alex's bleeding under control with her jacket. For now. Even she can tell that he's got maybe half an hour, tops, before he starts bleeding out again, before his arm is irreparably damaged. She's about to tell him that when Terry shrieks at her and hits her so hard across the face that her jaw dislocates and the world, briefly, goes black. The next memory Beth has is looking at her own vomit on the pub floor, wondering how it got there.

Alex's foot flies out but doesn't even skim the side of the young ghost who was playing footsie with him earlier, who rises to her feet and stares at him with those endless black eyes.

Joey assumes a greater form, larger and stronger, while Michaela punches at Erin again, her fist moving through air as the Bostonian ducks neatly out of the way, remembering how badly it hurt the last time she let Michaela hit her. Terry flails at Alex but just grasps at his clothes, while Eric responds to Joey breaking his hold and shifting by completely failing to lay a hand on her. Alex lifts his leg again and stomps, hard, into Terry's kneecap.

That sort of kick wouldn't normally make a living person scream like that. It wouldn't make that snapping noise. It wasn't strong enough to make her leg look wobbly. It hurt her more than it would hurt someone alive, just as they are hurting the kinfolk -- and Joey -- more with punches than a mortal could. And the next thing anyone knows, Joey is pulling back to hit Michaela, and the ghosts get there first.

They surround the Rotagar, Terry screaming for her to stop, and rain down blows on her head, leaving her covered in black bruises and the knowledge that something is terribly, terribly wrong inside her body. Her Gift manifests suddenly as a cold numbness spreading throughout her senses, removing pain, removing everything but the awareness that those around her cannot Rage back from death as she can, as well as the knowledge that even her claws and teeth don't seem to hurt them any more than fists and feet.

Beth grabs Terry from behind as though to pull her off, but doesn't drag her away. She begins applying pressure to the thin ghost, as vicious as any of her tribe's cousins. Joey swipes air in front of Michaela's face, taps her nose. Alex puts all the force he can into kicking Terry again as his arm throbs but his shoe glances off of her pants. Erin punches Michaela in the spine and the blonde just shrugs it off. They are running out of time.

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] 2+
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 4 (Failure at target 6)

[Beth Clemensen] [+5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 7

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [+4]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 8

[Joey Oliver] [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 2

[loneliness] Michaela [+8]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 2

[loneliness] Terry [+8]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 7

[loneliness] Eric [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 9

[loneliness] [Damage Tally:

Alex: 6L
Joey: 6L
Beth: 5L
Michaela: 4L
Terry: 3L
Erin: 2L
Eric: OK

Init Order:

Eric
Terry
Beth
Erin
Michaela
Joey
Alex]

[Joey Oliver] [REGEN]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 2, 6, 7, 10 (Failure at target 8)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (let's just KEEP KICKING TERRY.)

[Joey Oliver] [MT Alex, spending WP]

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (sorry, actually -- let's kick michaela.)

[loneliness] Michaela
[Punch Joey]

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [Eric needs some damage -- let's punch him! +WP]

[Beth Clemensen] [Action: Fuck clinching, kick Michaela!]

[loneliness] Terry
[Punch Joey]

[loneliness] Eric
[Hit Erin first!]

[loneliness] Eric
[Dex + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9 (Success x 5 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 2, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 9, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] (Soak?)
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 3, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] Terry
[Dex + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 3, 3, 4, 4, 6, 6, 9, 9 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 8 (Failure at target 6)

[Beth Clemensen] [Action: Brawl+Dexterity: Kick! -2 pool (wound penalty).]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 7 (Success x 1 at target 7)

[Beth Clemensen] [Damage: Strength +1 (kick) +0] [B]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 3, 5 (Botch x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] Michaela
[Dex + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 9 d10 ] 1, 1, 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 4, 4, 7, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [SOAK]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 6, 7, 7, 8, 10 (Success x 5 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [MT Alex: int + med + WP]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6) [WP]

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (kick! BURN WP LIKE CANDY!)
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 3, 3, 3, 7, 7, 10 (Success x 3 at target 7) [WP] Re-rolls: 1

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (damage +2)
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 3, 6, 9, 9, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (oops, one more)
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 5 (Failure at target 6)

[loneliness] Michaela [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 3, 3, 3, 9 (Failure at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric, sensing the tiny Fianna coming at him, backhands her across the face so hard she drops for a moment, dizzy from the blow. Her ears are bleeding. Her vision is swimming. Has she ever been beaten nearly to death before?

This is what that feels like. It's so cold.

Terry, meanwhile, flails her arms as soon as Beth lets her go, lashing out at Joey and just batting at her hair instead. Beth, forcing herself past a goddamn concussion to fight, kicks at Michaela's instep, but just scrapes her shoe instead. Michaela is, however, distracted enought that her punch on Joey's face doesn't hurt the Fenrir.

Joey, seeing her chance, reaches through the tangle of bodies and grabs a hold of Alex's right wrist. A flood of warmth that reminds him, suddenly, of lying out on the beach in Miami when the sun's setting and his body is pleasantly sore, achingly tired, while his spirit feels all the more renewed from a day well spent. A fight won. A girl fucked. He hears, briefly, the sound of waves. He feels, momentarily, sunlight. He remembers, for just a second before it's gone again to the mists of early development, the sensation of being held against a warm body, his feet pressed against a pair of identical feet, and someone's lips on his forehead.

And when he looks down, his bone is back in his body, and though there's stil a massive gash there, the amount of pain he's in is so drastically lessened that it's startling to find himself still in a ghostly version of the Red Lion Pub, far away from his twin, his mother, the feeling of impending death.

He doesn't need that arm to kick Michaela, but the lack of pain lets him jump, lets his leg come around with more force, sends the front of his leg into the back of her skull, which snaps forward suddenly and sickeningly. She falls amidst the tangle of Kin and Garou to the floor and does not vanish, as Graham did, but ...

...starts to bleed from the wounds that Joey inflicted earlier. Bright, hot red blood. Terry and Eric scream, and shudder, and grow paler.

As they were, for awhile, before their attacks really started to hurt.

[Joey Oliver] [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 3

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] +5!
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1 (Botch x 1 at target 6)

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [+3]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 7

[loneliness] Terry [+6]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 10

[loneliness] Eric [+5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 8

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (I'ma just declare now cuz, yeah, I'M DEAD LAST.

a. headbutt terry in the FACE.
b. kick.

now i go get ice cream.)

[loneliness] [Init Order:

Terry
Eric
Joey
Erin
Alex]

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [Declare! Kick Eric! Spending another WP to ignore wound penalties + WP]

[Joey Oliver] [Punch/punch Eric!]

[loneliness] Eric
[Slap at Erin! ENH!]

[loneliness] Terry
[Punch Joey]

[loneliness] Terry
[Dex + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 5, 8, 8, 8, 8, 9 (Success x 5 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Damage][B]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 1, 5, 5, 7, 10, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [SOAK]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric
[Dex + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 2, 3, 9, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] (Soak?)
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 2, 7 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [1a: Punch Eric: dex + brawl - 2]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 4, 5, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [damage: str + 0]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 1, 3, 6, 7 (Failure at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [1b: Punch Eric: dex + brawl -3]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 10, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [damage: str + 0]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 3, 6, 6, 8 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 5, 7 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] (Kick Eric! (spending WP to ignore wound penalties) + WP)
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 2, 2 (Success x 1 at target 6) [WP]

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] (Damage, ugh, Erin.)
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 4, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 7, 8 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (-2)
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 5, 5, 6, 7 (Success x 1 at target 7)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (damage!)
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 6, 7, 9, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[loneliness] Terry [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 1, 8 (Failure at target 6)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] -3! SPEND MOAR WP YAYZ!
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 4, 4, 8 (Success x 2 at target 7) [WP]

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] damage +1
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 2, 4, 7, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 6, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] When the 'death' of Michaela leaves her solid and bleeding on the ground, Terry and Eric are noticably weakened. So much so that Erin notices and hauls herself up even as Beth, exhausted from pushing past her concussion, sinks to the floor near Michaela and just tries not to vomit again, or black out again. Someone is going to have to take her to the hospital... or a healer.

Terry sobs like a gasp, like a churchbell, and slaps at Joey uselessly, while Eric laughs and pummels his hard fist into Erin's face. She does not seem to care. Something about the Fianna is so cheered by the sight of them weakened that even though his punch hurts, she kicks at him. It doesn't help much, seeing as she's not that strong, but she's up and fighting.

And so is Joey, heavily wounded and in her near-human form, trying to stop Eric from hurting the Kin and yet grasping at him as ineffectually as Terry grasped at Alex earlier. They still don't know where John is. She can remember the feel of Graham dissipating in her jaws, the way they all got stronger, but at least he was gone, no longer hurting them. Her palm is still tingling from healing Alex, the first time she's ever felt that rush of Gaia's power moving through her with a maternal roar of guardianship.

For the briefest moment, she felt what it would be like to be a mom. So what if in this case, Alex was the kid? So what if a second later, that 'child', who is older and bigger than her and kind of a douchebag, is headbutting the girl that came to sit with her tonight, snapping her neck so hard that

she vanishes

and Eric laughs, growing stronger. No more solid, no more distinct, but he flexes his fists as though he knows he's more powerful again. The laugh is one of desperation. Beth is down and they're all wounded, but they are closing in on him.

And now he's alone.

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] If Alex were a better man, he might stop to ask why, what, how, and if they would get John Thornton back by killing -- ending -- Eric.

But Alex isn't. He's just angry at this point. So he goes and does what he does best.

(a: kicking!
b: moar!)

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] [Kick Eric again!]

[Joey Oliver] [Grapple Eric]

[loneliness] Eric
[Punch Alex]

[loneliness] Eric
[Dex + Brawl]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 2, 3, 5, 7, 7, 8, 9 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[loneliness] [Damage][B]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (soak!)
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 2, 6, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [Grapple!]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 5 at target 6)

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] (Kick Eric! +WP (ignoring wound penalties) )
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 1, 9 (Success x 1 at target 5) [WP]

[Erin McKinnon-Jones] (Damage)
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 2, 4 (Failure at target 6)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (-2,-2!)
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 1, 1, 8 (Failure at target 7)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (-2,-3!)
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 4, 7, 9 (Success x 2 at target 7)

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] (damage +1)
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 6, 6, 8, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 6, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Joey Oliver] [RAGE RAR: shift to Hispo
RAR: BITE HIS HEAD: dex + brawl, diff +2 (called shot)]
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 2, 4, 6, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (Success x 5 at target 7) [WP]

[Joey Oliver] [damage: str + 2 + 2 + 4]
Dice Rolled:[ 14 d10 ] 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 8, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[loneliness] Eric [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 3, 3, 6 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[loneliness] Though when Michaela died the other ghosts got weaker, Terry's death only re-strengthens Eric, as Graham's death early only strengthened them all. He is still faded, barely visible, but he takes their attacks without seeming to feel it, over and over, until the very end. Joey, infuriated by how the night has gone, the disappearance of John, the damage done to Beth, the fact that Kin outside her own tribe are wounded and she can do so little to help them, lets out a final roar and snap-shifts back to the form that she was in when she destroyed Graham.

Eric is gone a second later, and then the room shudders. It trembles, and the very frost on the windows seems to gasp as it disperses. When Graham died, energy flowed back into the environment, but there are no frameworks of personality left, no emotional scaffolds on which that energy can hang. Everything begins to move back into Michaela, who was...

...always different. From the beginning. And the beginning was so, so long ago.

Things change all around them. The frost on the windows is first, the emptiness of the place next. Chairs and tables and plates and glasses and then food begin to reappear. They were never gone, merely covered over. Michaela lasts, and lasts, even as people begin to show up. Real people, real bartenders and blind dates and costumed jackasses. Michaela begins to get dimmer and dimmer, until there is nothing but an oddly shaped reddish stain on the floorboards that may or may not have been there when they walked in.

They have no idea if they've changed anything permanently, or merely staved it off for a little longer. What they all notice, vividly, is how little they hurt. Their wounds are not gone, but... changed. Alex's arm is throbbing, his jaw is bruised, but it's pain that will fade in a matter of hours for him. There is no gash in his arm, no sign of the breakage. Just heavy, deep, ugly bruising not unlike what they saw flickering over Terry's arms before the ghosts attacked.

Beth and Erin, dizzy from concussion, begin to feel more clear-headed. They are still unstable, in serious pain, but Beth's jaw is no longer dislocated and the pervasive cold feeling is gone. For Erin's part, she's bruised all over but, like all Kinfolk, she'll heal faster than any human being can dream of. The same is true of Joey, only for her, the agony is gone by the time they are back in the real world. She's had time, watching things begin to appear, to change into a more appropriate shape. She's still half-naked and her torn clothes are nowhere to be found, but by the time that happens, all of her wounds are gone. They were gone before she even thought to shift out of hispo.

"Hey," says a patron to the bartender, "my girlfriend just found some guy passed out on the bathroom floor. Should we maybe call the cops or something?"

[Joey Oliver] The world is changing, reappearing, solidifying around them. Joey shifts back into her human skin, which is being shown off in abundance. Her shirt burst apart when she shifted the first time. She looks around for her jacket, shrugs into it quickly, zipping up the purple hooded sweatshirt and adjusting the faux leather bomber jacket over top.

She looks over the kinfolk, checking their injuries, which a moment ago had been grievous. Now? Not so much. They'll be better in no time, be able to get themselves home for sleep, for hot baths, for heavy doses of alcohol.

Someone says they found some guy passed out on the bathroom floor. Joey's head whips around, and then she's running for the bathroom.

[loneliness] People blink at Joey in her bra, shrug it off, decide it's a costume they don't 'get'. Halloween is good for Garou sometimes. The bartender looks at her when she takes off and raises an eyebrow at the patron. "I think he's got friends here tonight," says he, and shrugs it off.

[Alexander Madoc Vaughn] Joey goes dashing for the bathrooms.

Alexander? He's pissed off, rattled, and still wondering what the fuck, what the fuck when the world slowly returns to normal. The pub's full of people. Real people. Dressed in costumes. Amongst them, Joey's half-naked bloody self doesn't seem so remarkable. Some of them are dressed as ghosts. A couple of them look at Alex and say things like

Whoa, awesome costume, man.
and
How'd you get the bruises to look so real? Dude, it even looks swollen.

which only makes him snap Fuck off. He doesn't really wait to see if the others are all right. He picks his motorcycle helmet off, moving stiffly, and heads out the goddamn door. Fuck Halloween. He was going home.

[loneliness] [Erin goes home, Alex goes home, Joey drags John somewhere, Beth gets up and goes "BZZT! I'M LEAVIN'!" and drives her motorcycle home. And then they hug.]

a first time for everything.

[struggle] [Ground Rules:

1. IC posts: 10 minutes or less. Declares and rolls: 3 minutes or less unless you are waiting on me to answer a question. I'll be more lenient on this tonight, but if it's holding up the scene I'll start imposing auto-fails.
2. Speaking of questions: ask me in the chat. Do not IM me. If I don't answer immediately, just keep yelling my name. If you absolutely cannot wait, send me a PM.
3. There is no posting order, but post once for every post I make unless I tell you otherwise.
4. PM me now if you have any Uncrossable Lines and/or Exploitable Flaws.
5. Keep track of your own health and tempers.
6. Your characters are somewhere in Bronzeville, on a street with the usual dive bars, barely-making-ends-meet cafes, pawn shops, and fast food places.
7. GO!]

[Alexander] (Overconfident, Intolerance: being made to feel inferior/slighted)
to struggle

[Wendy Berber] *The church street hauntings were pretty legendary in Chicago's occult circles. Coming up on Halloween it seemed like she was getting more and more questions at the bookstore about books on the topic, but very few of the sources she'd found were very comprehensive. It was to that end Wendy Berber sparked on an idea. And so here she was, having lost track of time while in discussion with an older resident of bronzeville who apparently was involved in the first indecent of poltergeist activity at 1408 Church street. Spindly legs carry her down the sidewalk, wrapped tight in an old tweed coat. Woolen collar scratchy against her face as she reviews the notes she'd made, book satchel clunking at her skinny hip.*

[Drew Roscoe] Drew should have learned her lesson about coming to Bronzeville by now. One night she's getting leered at prospectively by a small herd of men on a corner, saved only by the grace of the fact that she stumbled on in to Joe and Thomas's territory. Another night, her truck breaks down and she has to wait in the cab with the doors locked for a tow truck. Hell, just two nights ago she was tranquilized by a Bad Guy and Joe nearly di died, only to come back to life hobbling around like some determined beast from hell. Were Joe not there...? Well, she didn't want to think about where she would be right now.

And yet!

And yet Drew Roscoe is meandering up the street in a somewhat more populated part of Bronzeville than where Joe's territory lies, where there are people, bars and McDonald's chains lining the street. It felt dusty here, despite the drizzle of rain, and all the glowing neon signs hanging in window fronts seemed dimmed compared to how they would be in Chinatown or along the Mile.

She's dressed in her work clothes, a pair of black slacks, a dark crimson dress blouse that was untucked so the tails fell out over the waistband of her pants, with an emerald vest buttoned snugly overtop. She had a wad of black fabric curled in her left fist and tucked against her hip, and her flat-bottomed non-slip work shoes thudded a mute rhythm on the sidewalk as she walked. She was holding her cellphone in front of her, eyes down on the screen, not paying as much mind to where she was going as she should.

Text messages were getting everyone killed these days.

[Alexander] Alexander is coming out of a greasy spoon named Sloppy Jo's, which is not-so-coincidentally across the way from an adult bookstore named Sloppy Blo's. There are copyright-infringement/defamation lawsuits in litigation between the two parties. The Glass Walker kinsman, wiping his mouth on a napkin that he balls up and tosses in the gutter, doesn't really give a damn. He looks both ways. He crosses the street toward the porn shop.

[Maija] Near said porn shop, there's a corner store, and it's from here that Maija steps to the street. A single bag in hand, and the other is occupied in pulling the hood of her sweatshirt up over her hair, tugged low to cover her face more from habit than anything else. Her stay in Chicago has been without her past finding her, and she relaxes, slowly, just a little bit more with each passing week.

Never fully relaxed, of course, as that would be stupid. Especially in Bronzeville. A glance along the street, and she turns toward a path that will eventually lead her home - and also leads her right past that porn shop.

[struggle] Chicago is one of the most haunted cities in America, or so it's said. Supposedly even Harpo Studios is haunted, but Oprah won't answer questions about it. One could make a rather logical leap to say that the people of Chicago are, themselves, also some of the most haunted in the continental United States.

Both of these statements are, of course, completely ignoring Louisiana and its citizens. When you get right down to brass tacks, they know a thing or two about being haunted.

This street is not known for being haunted. It's not known for anything. The people here are forgetful because they can't be bothered to be otherwise, not when they have to face trauma on a nightly basis -- or at least it seems like a nightly basis. There's Fenrir staking territory around here, but they're outside of those borders right now. There's plenty of things to do along this strip of street, but not a whole lot of people filling those places. They're poor, they're tired, and it's goddamn cold out tonight. Wet. Nasty.

Kind of like the shit Alex is looking for at Sloppy Blo's, at least in two out of three categories. But we digress.

Wendy and Drew have several yards to go before they run into each other. Alex and Maija, less. But it's not Alex or Maija or Wendy, kin to citified Garou, that get stopped by the woman in the red naugahyde jacket sitting on a bus stop bench. She could've been pretty, once. Her hair is damp and bedraggled, dyed pink and red in places, and she's shivering constantly.

"Miss," she says, without the rising, questioning inflection so many people append to every word out of their mouths these days. "Miss," she says again, whether Drew turns around or not. "Hey, hey Miss."

[Drew Roscoe] Cell phones are some of the rudest items on the planet, if you ask Drew and most people older than fifty years. People were too invested in their own lives and the conversations transpiring over the little hand-held communication devices that they blatantly ignored those around them. Workers in retail were downright ignored, offered no thanks or farewells or smiles, just shoved money and then walked away from. Comments were ignored, questions or otherwise from strangers on the street. Even when texting, people would pretend to be so caught up in what they were doing that comments like 'miss, hey miss' were bypassed entirely.

Drew, however, wasn't one of those types of people. Someone was calling for her attention, so she paused, looked up from her phone, then over her shoulder to the woman with bits of pink and red streaked throughout her hair. Drew blinked once, then closed the phone and tucked it into the hip pocket of her slacks.

"Yeah?," she asked simply, turning to face the woman entirely. Probably asking for some spare change, but it wasn't nice to assume and ignore.

[Wendy Berber] *Someone speaks up ahead of her, and Wendy Berber looks up from her notes, flipping the cover closed and struggling to tuck the notepad into her satchel while looking towards the source. Owlish eyes blink, magnified by coke bottle spectacles as she recognizes Drew with a pang of regret. Last time she'd seen the kin-girl, Drew had shaken off the GW kin's attempts at sympathy and charged out of the woods in tears. Some woman with bright hair was soliciting Drew's attention, likely looking for a hand out. Wendy's long legs eat up less and less distance as she approaches, nerd clearing her throat and raising a hand in shy Hello, to be ignored or acknowledged as Drew saw fit.*

[Maija] She's not unaware of her surroundings. In fact, most times she's almost hyper aware, and it's not always the good thing that one might think. For now, though, this awareness brings Alex into her line of sight, and farther down, the instantly recognizable figure of Wendy - someone she might even call a friend.

She tucks her free hand into the 'roo pocket of her Hoodie, glances at the shop that Alex is headed toward, and then backdown the street. His vices are none of her business.

She doesn't recognize Drew until she turns to talk to some red n pink haired lady, and there's a slight tightening at the corner of her lips, a brief flash of something in her eyes, a tightening of the muscle along her jaw. Then it's gone, as fast as it arrived.

[struggle] Alex goes into the porn shop without so much as a glance at the three women who share his sometimes unfortunate relationship to the Garou. The woman talking to Drew actually gets off the bench and walks closer, perhaps three or four paces, ignoring Wendy and Maija as well, even when the stork-legged one clears her throat.

"Hey..." she says, softer, as though in an attempt to be cajoling, "hey... you maybe... you maybe wanna..."

She reaches into her pocket, digging out a large roll of cash, each bill neatly pressed and tightly bound by a rubber band.

"I'll give you three hundred dollars if you show me your pussy," she says, hazel eyes bloodshot. She blinks several times, and takes another couple of steps forward.

[Drew Roscoe] Wendy came over, and Drew glanced to the woman, looked at her for a few seconds to try and recall why the girl was familiar, then placed the face and build. The girl that had been knocked out cold when they'd both been attacked by the men determined to abduct/kill/godknowswhat in the park perhaps a month ago. And she'd been at the Bonfire, but she barely recalled that detail. Irrelevant, too, the bonfire was pretty much put behind her. All it did was confirm that she was One of Them or One of Her.

The woman stands up and walks forward, but Drew doesn't recoil. She just keeps her eyes on the lady, chin tipping up little by little the closer she gets so that she can keep looking into her face. The large wad of cash comes out, as does the illicit offer.

More than anything, Drew looked caught off-guard, but hardly offended. She blinked her surprise out with a few bats of mascara-lengthened lashes, and then burst out with laughter, the sound loud, surprised, and pleasant to hear.

"Hahahahah! Oh, man. No... That's funny, but no."

[Wendy Berber] *A further glance about her surroundings gets Maija a nervouse nod of her head, and a shy smile, before Wendy's whip thin frame twitches like she's been exposed to a low grade electric charge. What?! What did that woman just ask? Her mouth falls open and snaps shut as Drew starts laughing.*

Wh-whoa.

[Wendy Berber]

[Wendy Berber] {damn tag}

[Maija] There's a brief smile for Wendy - considerably more than most folks get from her, just before Drew's laughter, and Wendy's shock registers. She doesn't quicken her steps, she'll get there soon enough. Slow and steady wins the race, as they say.

Her hand is wrapped around something in her pocket, through habit more than anything else. Fingers tighten around the straps of her canvas grocery bag, than relax again. Just another night in the neighborhood, right?

[crow] ((Anybody mind if I watch?))

[struggle] "Hey," snaps the woman at Wendy, whipping her head around. She sounds and looks displeased, but only comes out with: "Hey."

She looks at Drew once more, pocketing the cash, and keeping her hand in there. She cocks her head to the side. "Hey. That was like...rude, y'know? Laughing like that? You're supposed to be scared. Fuck. I fucking hate the ones like you. You don't even know what you're up against, y'know?"

She looks exasperated, like she genuinely wants Drew's agreement. "I mean... y'know?"

Then, shrill: "JEFFY. JEFFY C'MERE SHE DIDN'T TAKE IT."

A tall, broad, barrel-chested man with long blonde dreadlocks peeks out from a nearby alleyway. His mouth is agape, his eyes wide and paranoid, his fly undone. "Wha?" He spots Drew, then. And runs towards her. The woman takes her hand out of her pocket. This time she's holding a switchblade, the blade approximately five inches long and flicking out with a twist of the junkie's wrist.

[struggle] [No problem!]

[struggle] [Inits! You can write a short IC post with your declare.]

[struggle] Jeffy [+5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 3

[struggle] Trixie [+6]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1

[Drew Roscoe] [Init + 5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 8

[Maija] [Jeffy, Heffy commer, she didn't TAKE IT

"Shit." She drops the grocery bag right there, and takes off at a run to close the last distance between her and Wendy - pulling her own blade from the pocket of her sweatshirt as she does so. Well. One of them, anyway.

(+7)
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 2

[Wendy Berber] *Wendy's eyes snap wide and the nerd makes a loud sharp noise of terror, hands diving in her book satchel to draw her little snub-nosed pistol with a shakey hand.* Hey st-stop!

[init+5}
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 6
to Alexander, crow, Drew Roscoe, Maija

[Wendy Berber] *Wendy's eyes snap wide and the nerd makes a loud sharp noise of terror, hands diving in her book satchel to draw her little snub-nosed pistol with a shakey hand.* Hey st-stop!

[init+5}

[ahem. re-doing out here! *headdesk*]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 5

[struggle] [Init Order:

Drew
Wendy
Maija
Jeffy
Trixie]

[struggle] Trixie
[1a. Stab Drew
1b. Stab again]

[struggle] Jeffy
[Reflexive: "No! Trixie's my FRIEND!"
1a. Smash Wendy's pistol-holding hand
1b. Punch Wendy]

[Maija] [Reflexive: "get OFFA her, asswipe!" Cuz Wendy's HER friend.

1a - stab Jeffy
1b - punch Jeffy]

[Wendy Berber] ["EEK!"
1.Shoot Jeffy.]

[struggle] [A belated Ground Rule: I do not require you to put WP expenditures for auto-suxx in your declares. You may add it on as you like. The earlier rule remains: keep track of your own tempers! I trust you guys not to use WP more than once in a turn without me policing it, so don't abuse it. Not that you would. *L*]

[Drew Roscoe] [1a. Draw gun
1b. Dodge]

[Wendy Berber] [dex/fire]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 4, 8, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Wendy Berber] [damage = 1sux +4]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 5, 10, 10, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[struggle] Jeffy Soak
Why yes, Virginia, we DO soak lethal.
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 4, 5, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Maija] 1a: stabbity! +wp!
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 3, 5, 8, 8, 8 (Success x 5 at target 4) [WP]

[Maija]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[struggle] Jeffy Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 7, 8, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Maija] 1b - punchin too, ya bastard!
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 4, 6, 8, 8, 8 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[Maija] damage - DONT PWINK DAMMIT.
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 6, 6, 6, 8, 10 (Success x 5 at target 6)

[struggle] Jeffy Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 3, 4, 4 (Failure at target 6)

[struggle] Jeffy
[1a: Changing action to draw hammer]
[1b: Hit Wendy with hammer. Dex + Melee, -3 (split), -5 (health)]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 5 (Success x 1 at target 6) [WP]

[struggle] [Damage: Str + 2 + Suxx -1]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 4, 4, 6, 8, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Wendy Berber] [soak!]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 3, 4 (Failure at target 6)

[struggle] Trixie
[1a: Stab! Dex + Melee -2 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 5, 5, 6 (Success x 3 at target 4)

[Drew Roscoe] [Dexterity + Dodge, -3 split]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 2, 3 (Success x 1 at target 6) [WP]

[struggle] [Damage. Str + Suxx -1]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 5, 5 (Botch x 1 at target 6)

[struggle] Trixie
[1b. Stabbin' again! Dex + Melee -3 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 4, 4, 7 (Success x 4 at target 4) [WP]

[struggle] [Damage][L]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 3, 7, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[Drew Roscoe] [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 4, 6 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[struggle] [John, post in and add your init to the end. We're re-Initing due to damage taken and dealt out! Go!]

[Wendy Berber] [new init +5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 8

[John Thornton] The night was cool, in spite of the fact that the wind had died down to the merest draw of breath interspersed with the faintest of sighs. Overhead, the sky was dark, the thickening moon overshadowed by a thick cloud bank that shone garish colors with the pollution of light from the never slumbering Windy City below.

It was from just such an environment that a man stepped, entering the shopping area, with hopes of finding his errant informant. Mickey was a bad man, who luckily enough, was more afraid of being shanked in prison than he was of his employers. Or perhaps, who was greedy enough to overlook all the little pieces his bosses would cut him into if they discovered he was on the take from the C.P.D.

Hazel eyes scan the night, recognizing persons both familiar and not... Understanding the scene almost instantly.

A hand moves to his left ribs, black trench coat flaring as he increases his pace. As his hand reappears, a wicked looking .45 caliber pistol comes along for the ride. Wordlessly, his left hand claps to the butt of the pistol grip, and he begins taking aim at his targets...

((Init + 6))
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1

[Maija] [init! +7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 5

[struggle] Jeffy [+1]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 5

[struggle] Trixie [+6]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 2

[Alexander] +7!
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 6 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Drew Roscoe] [Init +5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1

[Alexander] Not too long later, Alexander strolls out of Sloppy Blo's. He has an opaque black bag in his hand, and his head is down, and he's riffling around inside it to make sure all his smut is in there and ...

the scuffle across the street draws his attention.

"Holy shit," Alex says. It's not shock, or fear. It's something closer to glee. He sounds a little outraged, too. "You fuckers left me out?"

The bag o' smut hits the ground, spills skin mags all over the sidewalk. The wet, dirty sidewalk. Someone's gonna have to buy him replacements later. Alexander's hands go to his pockets, come up with the sort of cheap, spiked brass knuckles they sell in Chinatown for $3/ea, and he goes tearing across the street to join the fun.

[struggle] [Init Order:

Alex
Maija
Trixie
John
Wendy (N/A unless healed)
Jeffy (N/A)
Drew (N/A unless healed)

Damage Tally:

Drew: 3L, Stunned
Wendy: 2B, Stunned
Jeffy: 1L, 5B, Stunned
Everyone Else: OK

Scene Rundown:
Drew, Maija, and Wendy are standing near a bus stop bench with Trixie and Jeffy. Drew is bleeding profusely from a stab wound to the front of her torso. Trixie is holding a 5" switchblade covered in Drew's blood. Jeffy is holding a hammer but looks dazed, as does Wendy, who is holding a firearm that's recently been discharged. Maija has a knife out as well, and Drew is holding a firearm that she has not yet fired.]

[Drew Roscoe] [Be stunned, that's about it.]

[John Thornton] ((Reflexive: Approach Jeffy (point blank range)... Safety off...

Base: Split Action [Shoot Jeffy/ Shoot Trixie] ))

[John Thornton] ((Re-declare:

Reflexive: Safety off...

Base: Split Action [Shoot Trixie/ Shoot Trixie]

[struggle] Trixie
[Reflexive: "Keegan!" she shrieks shrilly, blood trickling down her wrist. "Keegan the goddamn four-eyes hit Jeffy! KEEEGAAAN!"
1a. Stab Drew!
1b. Stab her again!]

[Maija] Declare! Let's do it again, sam.

Reflexive "Alex - get'im!" Jeffy, apparently.

1. Stab Trixie BIG TIME. [WP]

[Alexander] a. run!
b. flying kick at jeffy! (modified body tackle?)
c. stomp his head into the asphalt. shout obscenities gleefully.

[Alexander] -4, dex/brawl kick, +1 diff.
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 4, 4, 7 (Failure at target 8)

[Alexander] c. well fine then. HEADBUTT INSTEAD.
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 3, 6 (Botch x 1 at target 8)

[struggle] Jeffy [The damage his head does to Alex's. Stamina + Botch]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 3, 6, 9, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Alexander] (ow.)
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 3, 4, 7 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Maija] (STABITY da bitch!)
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 (Success x 3 at target 4) [WP]

[Maija] Damage! 2+2=4 cuz we can count! DON'T PWINK GODDAMMIT!
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 5, 6, 9, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[struggle] Trixie Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 5, 5, 6 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[struggle] Trixie
[1a: Stab! Dex + Melee -2 (split), -1(health)]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 2, 5, 8, 9, 10 (Success x 4 at target 4)

[struggle] [Damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[struggle] [Delete last 2 rolls.]

[Drew Roscoe] [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 1, 9 (Failure at target 6)

[struggle] Trixie
[1a: Stab! Dex + Melee -2(split), -1(health)]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 3, 8, 8 (Success x 2 at target 4)

[struggle] [Damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 4, 5, 6 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Drew Roscoe] [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 4, 4 (Failure at target 6)

[struggle] Trixie
[1b: Stab again! Dex + Melee -3 (split), -1(health)]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 4, 9 (Success x 3 at target 4) [WP]

[struggle] [Damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 8, 8, 9 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[John Thornton] ((Split 1/2: Trix are for kids. [Shooting Trixie]

Dex + Firearms - Split (2), diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 5, 6, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[John Thornton] ((Split 1/2: Bang... [Damage]

Base Damage (5) + extra suxx(1), diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 4, 4, 6, 8, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[struggle] Trixie Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 2, 4, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[John Thornton] ((Split 2/2: Shades of Bruce Campbell [shoot Trixie]

Dex + Firearms - Split(3), diff = 6 [wp spent]

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 3, 4, 6 (Success x 2 at target 6) [WP]

[John Thornton] ((Split 2/2: And THIS is my BOOMSTICK! (damage)

Base Damage (5) + Extra Suxx(1), diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[struggle] Trixie Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 3, 6 (Failure at target 6)

[struggle] There are downsides, perils, shadows to being a purebred kin of heroes. There are unfortunate side effects to being young, and pretty, and charming. Alex is safe from what is being done to Drew: his tribe long ago lost that connection to their ancestors that gives pure breed. Plus, attractive as he might be, fit as he might be, he's an asshole. A violent asshole, at that. Wendy has no trace of breeding in her veins. She's unpleasant to look at for the vast majority of people and Garou, too tall and too thin and too swallowed by her own clothes. She's highly intelligent, learned in several areas, but not exactly the best breeding stock out there. Maija's tribe, too: if they have any breeding left it's buried under years of eating fast food and living in the cities. She, too, is too skinny and too surly to take much notice of.

Drew, though. Ah, Drew. Pretty. Just curvy enough. Strong blood. And now here comes John, just the same. Not hard to look at, good stock, and better yet, of a bloodline that would shudder at being tainted. Which only makes it better.

Knives and guns come out, threats and shrieks are issued, and the stork is the first one to move. She shoots the big man with his fly undone, nicking his arm. He looks down, displeased, only to have a knife tug at his shirt, ripping it. He looks down at Maija in consternation, and then her tiny, hard fist barrels into his jaw, hitting him so hard that he reels back from it. It's comic, like David and Goliath redone with a tiny hoodie-wearing girl and a dreadlocked white man. He responds by pulling out a hammer and hitting Wendy straight in the chest with it, just barely hard enough to make her as dizzy as he is. What a pair they make. What a pair.

And then someone's knife hits home. Trixie thrusts the switchblade into Drew's torso with a terrified yet delighted shriek, and blood rushes out of the darkhaired friend of Fenrir warriors. Drew doubles over, going pale, and sways. She barely remains standing.

Just about then, the Knights In Shining Armor show up. And one of them drops his porn -- he's just that chivalrous -- and puts on his brass knuckles, and takes a flying leap to attack the big man, Jeffy. He slips, falls short, manages not to lose his balance. Since that didn't work out, he tries headbutting the giant...whose head is apparently so hard to Alex's forehead is red from the impact and Jeffy looks no worse than he did before. Maija seems to be the hero, though. She goes after Trixie now, leaving Jeffy to the apparently inept Glass Walker, stabbing the woman in the arm, deep enough to make Trixie flail.

Trixie is not to be dissuaded, however. She cries for help and shoves the knife into Drew again and again, laughing the whole time, bouncing up and down a little. Blood trickles down Drew's legs, down her stomach. She drops her cellphone, her apron. She crumples to the ground. Blood pools, fills the cracks in the sidewalk. Her skin is paling rapidly.

From down the street, a bullet flies towards the knife-wielding woman twice in quick succession. Trixie screams when the bullets hit home, one in her thigh and one in her shoulder. She looks down the street at John and her eyes light up.

"KEEEGAAAN!" she screams. "WE GOT ANOTHER ONE!"

She sounds... happy.

[struggle] Jeffy [+1]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 2

[John Thornton] ((Init + 6))
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 6

[Drew Roscoe] [Init +5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 4

[struggle] Trixie [+4]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 10

[Maija] (Intis +7!)
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 7

[Wendy Berber] [init+5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1

[struggle] Keegan [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 10

[Alexander] +7!
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 4 (Failure at target 6)

[struggle] [Init Order:

Keegan
Maija
Trixie
John
Alex
Drew (N/A unless healed)
Wendy
Jeffy

Damage Tally:
Trixie: 5L
Alex: 1B
Drew: 7L
Wendy: 2B
Jeffy: 1L, 5B]

[struggle] Jeffy
[Reflexive: "That HURT."
1. Hit Maija with hammer]

[Wendy Berber] [Shoot Jeffy]

[Alexander] [pissed off! reflexive: more cursing.
a. take his goddamn hammer (disarm)
b. put the claw end in his face]

[John Thornton] ((Base: Split action [Shoot Trixie, Shoot Trixie] ))

[struggle] Trixie
[1a: Dodge
1b: Stab Maija]

[struggle] [ACK. Delete declare.]

[struggle] Trixie
[1a. Draw 9mm
1b. Three-round burst on John]

[Maija] [Stabbity Trixie - TWICE. DIE BITCH.

1a stab (-2)
1b stab AGAIN (-3) (wp)]

[struggle] Keegan

[1a. Emerge from truck parked down the street. LIKE A BOSS.
1b. Fire shotgun at Maija]

[struggle] Keegan [1b. Fire. Dex + Firearms -3 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[struggle] [Damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 9 d10 ] 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Maija] SOOOOOOOAK THAT SHIT GNAWER GIRL!
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 1, 4 (Botch x 1 at target 6)

[Maija] (...ouch, mofo. FINE. STABITY TRIXIE!

dex+melee=5-2-1= HEY I ONLY NEED TWO! STABITY!)
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 3, 10 (Success x 1 at target 4)

[Maija] TOLD YA. Damage - DON'T PWINK.

str=2
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 1, 4 (Botch x 1 at target 6)

[Maija] harumph. Fine.

1 aughta do it. 1b!
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 4 (Success x 1 at target 4)

[Maija] ROLL that beautiful bean footage...
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 9, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[struggle] Trixie Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 2, 4, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[struggle] Trixie
[1a. Draaaw, pardner!
1b. 3RB on John: Dex + Firearms -3 (split), -5 (health)]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 3 (Success x 1 at target 7) [WP]

[struggle] [Damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 2, 7, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[John Thornton] ((Soak

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 2, 8 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[John Thornton] ((Split (1/2): No, make no mistake, sir... It's not revenge he's after. It's the Reckonin'. [Shoot Trixie]

Dex + Firearms - Split(2), diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 2, 9, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[John Thornton] ((Split (1/2): They're bugs, Wyatt. Ain't no dealin' with bugs. [damage]

Base Damage (5) + Extra Suxx (1), diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 2, 3, 3, 5, 7 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[struggle] Trixie Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 5, 9, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[John Thornton] ((Split (2/2): Shoot Trixie

Dex + Firearms - Split (3), diff = 6 [wp spent]

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 2, 6, 7 (Success x 3 at target 6) [WP]

[John Thornton] ((Split (2/2): Damage

Base Damage(5) + Extra Suxx(2), diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 3, 4, 6, 6, 10, 10, 10 (Success x 5 at target 6)

[struggle] Trixie Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 2, 6, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Alexander] Disarm! -2 dice, +1 diff.

WP! cuz kahseeno's being a meanie!
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 (Success x 3 at target 7) [WP]

[Alexander] (whoops, brass knuckles do not count as a melee weapon. diff 8, but same result.)

[Alexander] (going on to damage!)
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Alexander] (um. just punching, since did not disarm. +1 diff for changing actions, -3 dice from dex/brawl pool.)
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 3, 3, 4, 8 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[struggle] Jeffy Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 3, 3, 3 (Failure at target 6)

[Alexander] (annnd damage on that.)
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 5, 8, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[struggle] Jeffy Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 2, 3, 9 (Failure at target 6)

[Wendy Berber] [Shoot Keegan, as Alex has jeffy handled +1 dif, -1 dice for wounds (wp)]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 9, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6) [WP]

[Wendy Berber] [Rollin damage. 4 +2sux]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 9 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[struggle] Keegan Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 2, 8, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[struggle] Jeffy Incapacitated

[John Thornton] ((Init + 6))
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 7

[Maija] +7-1= 6
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 10

[struggle] Keegan [+6]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 3

[Wendy Berber] [init +4(-1 wounds)]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 6

[struggle] Leslie [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 8

[Alexander] +7!
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 3 (Failure at target 6)

[struggle] [Init Order:

Maija
Leslie
John
Alex
Wendy
Keegan
Jeffy (N/A)
Drew (N/A unless healed)

Damage Tally:

Maija: 2L
Alex: 1B
Wendy: 2B
Keegan: 2L
Jeffy: 4L, 3B (Incap)
Drew: 7L (Incap)
Trixie: Dead]

[struggle] Keegan
[Fire on Maija]

[Wendy Berber] [shoot Keegan]

[Alexander] (i want alex to:

a. takes the gun. AND the goddamn hammer. snark at jeffy.
b. run at Keegan while shooting. (movement, +1 diff)
c. hammerclaw to face!)

[Alexander] (a. take gun
b. take hammer, and snark.
c. run and shoot!)

[John Thornton] ((Base: Split(2) [Shoot Keegan/ Shoot Keegan] ))

[struggle] Leslie
[1a. Emerge from truck, close distance
1b. Elbow Alex in the face
1c. Headbutt]

[Maija] Jeffie falls with Alex still hitting him. Trixie falls, Dead. Drew's out and bleeding. It only takes a quick look around...

Reflexive: "Wendy, help Drew! John, ANOTHER ONE!"

1a - stab Jeffie. Die asshole.
1b. again, if it don't work. If it does - close distance with Leslie.

[Maija] Die, JeffY
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 4, 9 (Success x 3 at target 4) [WP]

[Maija] DIE.
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 7, 9, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[struggle] Jeffy Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 4, 10, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Maija] I. Said. DIE.
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 10 (Success x 1 at target 4)

[Maija] REALLY THIS TIME.
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 9, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[struggle] Jeffy Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 2, 2, 2 (Botch x 1 at target 6)

[struggle] Leslie
[1b. Elbow to face! Dex + Brawl -4 (split), +2 (targeted shot)]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 4, 5, 6 (Botch x 1 at target 8)

[struggle] [Leslie collides with Alex, reels back, loses 3rd split, and gains 1 Rage]

[John Thornton] ((Split 1/2: Shoot Keegan

Dex + Firearms - Split (2), diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 9, 9, 9 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[John Thornton] ((Split 1/2: Damage

Base (5) + Extra Suxx (2), diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 9 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[struggle] Keegan Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 4, 5, 5 (Failure at target 6)

[John Thornton] ((Split 2/2: Shoot Keegan

Dex + Firearms - Split(3), diff = 6 [wp spent]

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 4, 4, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6) [WP]

[John Thornton] ((Split 2/2: Damage

Base (5) + Extra Suxx (1), diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[struggle] Keegan Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 1, 4 (Botch x 2 at target 6)

[Alexander] (a. grab!hammer
b. grab!gun
c. changing action: shove gun under leslie's chin, pull trigger. +1 diff changing, -2 diff point blank; -5 dice. lawl. shit. i forgot how small my dice pool was for this! +WP!)
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1 (Failure at target 5) [WP]

[Wendy Berber] [change action - move to stabalize Drew as per Maija's request +1 dif, -1 dice WP]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 3, 3, 3 (Success x 1 at target 7) [WP]

[struggle] They are not alone with two strung out idiots anymore. That really should have been enough to get Drew compliant enough -- wounded enough -- to drag her to the truck. But nooo. Her friends had to help. That must explain why the tall man with the pretty but unpretty face and the long fingers and long hair looks so irritated when he gets out of the pickup truck down the street, kicks the door closed, and levels his shotgun at the miniscule Gnawer that just stabbed Trixie.

He fires, and Maija takes what she gave out, only hers comes with the smell of gunpowder and the pain of impact. After that, very little happens. Maija's knifing arm is weaker now, and she can barely hurt Trixie when she defiantly goes after her again. Trixie drops her knife, pulls out a nine millimeter, and fires on John, to no effect. He's too far for her. Apparently she's now too far for him, or he's too distracted, because they don't manage to hurt each other.

And then John shoots again. And the bullet hits Trixie square in the chest. She crumples, flopping over on top of Drew, who doesn't notice. Drew is unconscious. Her blood is starting to drip into the rain gutter. Not by droplets. By a steady, if thin, stream. Alex isn't even paying attention as he tries to use his brass knuckles to take the hammer from Jeffy, which doesn't work so well. He slices the spikes across Jeffy's wrist, though, then punches him, creating several tiny holes in the big man's jaw. The big man falls, but he's still breathing.

Barely.

Wendy doesn't seem to be paying attention to Drew, either. But then again, no one can right now. There are people with knives and guns coming at them, intent on hurting them. Wendy fires at the man with the shotgun, hits him, and he flinches hard, one shoulder rearing back as blood spurts from it. He snarls something that doesn't quite sound like English, and the truck's door opens again.

Maija goes over to Jeffy and stabs him in the chest. Her knife isn't long enough to reach very far, but it doesn't need to be, as hurt as he is. A second later she and Alex are standing over the prone, enormous form of the moron himself. He is beaten and bloodied and breathless. He, just like his little friend with the nail enamel, just got killed on the street. At least he didn't land on anyone.

Someone is running at them out of the pickup truck, small and lithe. The baggy-clothed figure leaps up and tries to plow an elbow into Alex's face but just collides with him, reeling back several steps in shock. A pulse of hair-raising fury snaps across the air, a feeling that none of them may even recognize with their own adrenaline pumping and hearts pounding. It's also hard to notice under the smell.

Sweet. Fruity. And rotting.

John, having felled Trixie and not knowing what they're facing out of the truck now, turns his firearm on the man with the shotgun instead. Two shots does it. The shot gun falls just as Jeffy's hammer and Trixie's knife and gun did. The Kinfolk have three dead bodies that look entirely human to deal with now. Possibly a fourth, because none of them know yet if Drew is dead or alive at this point.

Alex picks up two weapons. Delightedly. And the latter he puts against the short teenager's chin, only to have the teen twist away. The shot goes skyward instead, quite possibly damaging the teen's ears but nothing else. Hell. Could damage Alex's, too. He'll live. Unfortunately, so will Leslie.

Wendy is the first person to know that Drew is not quite dead. Drew's pulse is weak. Drew's breathing is present but irregular and shallow. She is alive, but barely, and won't be for very long. Left like this her lifespan is measured in minutes, not hours. Wendy pushes past Trixie's limp arm and starts applying pressure, starts pushing Trixie off, and extends those minutes. Buys a few more for Drew. But it won't last. If she takes her hands off of the Fenrir girl, her life will likely be over before this battle over.

Especially when they consider the fact that Leslie over there is looking at Alex with livid, dark eyes, shoulders moving with heaving, furious breaths. Especially when they see the rippling, sickening beginning of a Change right before their eyes. It isn't the rapid snap of an experienced Garou changing shape. It takes a little bit of time. But it won't take long enough. The next sound they hear is a shrieking, undulating roar as the teenager reacts to the loss of the three others by unfurling into a gaunt crinos with oozing green eyes and matted black and tan fur shot through with gray.

[John Thornton] ((Init + 6))
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 4

[Maija] (....shit. This aughta be fun... INITS! +7-1=+6)
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 3

[Alexander] 7
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Wendy Berber] [+4]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 7

[struggle] Leslie [+7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 3

[struggle] [Init Order:

Alex
Wendy
Leslie
John
Maija

Damage Tally:

John: OK
Leslie: OK
Alex: 1B
Wendy: 2B
Maija: 2L
Drew: 7L, currently stable
Keegan: Dead
Jeffy: Dead
Trixie: Dead]

[Maija] "FUCK." Maija slides her hand into her back pocket and flips a card to Wendy. "Call her - tell her it's me and gimme your gun."

1a - toss card/takes gun
1b - fires on Leslie [wp]

[John Thornton] ((Base: Split [Shoot Leslie/ Shoot Leslie] ))

[Wendy Berber] *Wendy's spindly form is couched over top of Drew, tearing lining out of her coat and tourniquetting wounds. Too busy for a card though she hands Maija the light pistol, frantic.*

[continue to work on drew~]

[struggle] Leslie
[1a. Shift to crinos
1b. Claw Maija
R1. Close on John]

[Alexander] (sorry about the delay, folks.

a. shoot again
b. whack with claw end of hammer)

[Alexander] (-2 dice, -2 diff)
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 3, 4, 9, 10 (Success x 3 at target 4) Re-rolls: 1

[Alexander] (damage +2)
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 5, 6, 7, 7, 9 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[struggle] Leslie Soak, still in homid
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 8, 8, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Alexander] b. whack! -3
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 4, 5, 8 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Alexander] (damage, str+2L)
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 2, 4, 5, 5 (Botch x 1 at target 6)

[struggle] Leslie
[1a. Shift: Primal Urge + Stamina]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 4, 5, 9, 9, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6) [WP]

[struggle] [*headdesk* DLR]

[Wendy Berber] [stabilizing DREW continues. DO BETTER. (-1dice) WP4 outta 5]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 4, 5, 8 (Success x 2 at target 6) [WP]

[struggle] Leslie
[1a. Shift, dammit -2]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 4, 10, 10, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6) [WP]

[struggle] Leslie
[1b. Claw Maija: Dex + Brawl -3 (split)]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 6, 6, 7, 8, 8 (Success x 5 at target 6)

[struggle] [Damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 12 d10 ] 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9, 10 (Success x 5 at target 6)

[John Thornton] ((Split (1/2): Shoot Leslie

Dex + Firearms - Split(2), diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 2, 6, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[John Thornton] ((Split (1/2): Damage

Base (5), diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 7, 7, 8, 9, 9 (Success x 5 at target 6)

[struggle] Leslie Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 2, 2, 3, 7, 8 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[John Thornton] ((Split (2/2): Shoot Leslie

Dex + Firearms - Split(3), diff = 6 [wp spent]

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 6, 7, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6) [WP]

[John Thornton] ((Split (2/2): Damage

Base (5) + Extra Suxx (3), diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 8 d10 ] 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[struggle] Leslie Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 2, 8, 8, 9, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[struggle] Leslie [+6]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 5

[John Thornton] ((Init + 6))
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 10

[Wendy Berber] [init +4]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 8

[Alexander] 7
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1 (Botch x 1 at target 6)

[struggle] [Init Order:

John
Wendy
Leslie
Alex

Damage Tally:
3 Dead Bodies
2 Kin at Incap
A couple points of bashing
And a partridge in a pear tree]

[Alexander] (a. shoot! from behind!
b. more!
c. and more!)

[struggle] Leslie
[1a. Dodge
1b. Claw John
R1. Claw John]

[Wendy Berber] [Pick up Drews gun, (no dice for split)]

[John Thornton] The clip falls from the bottom of John's gun as the slide pulls back, the weapon empty and smoking. Hazel eyes narrow as the detective stares down the creature of nightmares before him, his hand moving even as he watches to withdraw the next clip from his belt.

Slamming it home, John draws back the slide, and begins unloading anew on the monstrosity that is Leslie.

A simple cheshire smile resting upon his lips... A pregnant smile... One that all but dripped with unspoken knowledge.

A smile unseen for some time upon the detective's typical deadpan expression.

((Reflexive: Reload Clip, prep weapon to fire (-2 attack dice)

Base: Split [Shoot Leslie, Shoot Leslie] ))

[John Thornton] ((Split (1/2): Shoot Leslie

Dex + Firearms - Split(2) - Reload(2), diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 1, 7 (Failure at target 6)

[John Thornton] ((Split (2/2): Shoot Leslie

Dex + Firearms - Split(3), diff = 6 [wp spent]

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 2, 4, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6) [WP]

[John Thornton] ((Split (2/2): Damage

Base (5) + Extra Suxx (1), diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 3, 3, 6, 7, 7, 9 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[struggle] Leslie Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[struggle] [Delete Soak and Damage]

[struggle] Leslie
[1a. Dex + Dodge -2]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 3, 3, 5, 5, 8, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[struggle] [...and DLR, too. Oy. I can do math.]

[struggle] Leslie
[1a. Dex + Dodge -2 (split) -2 (health)]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 3, 3, 8 (Failure at target 6)

[struggle] [To clarify: John shoots Leslie for 2 suxx, Leslie fails to Dodge, John does 4L, Leslie soaks 1]

[Alexander] (KILL IT!
-3!)
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 3, 4, 5, 10 (Success x 3 at target 4) Re-rolls: 1

[Alexander] (4+2 3 then.)
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 2, 3, 6, 6, 7, 7, 8 (Success x 5 at target 6)

[struggle] Leslie Soak
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[struggle] Leslie
But she was going to have my babies! We were going to be so happy together! THEN YOU KILLED ALL MY FRIENDS AND SHOT ME. YOU GUYS ARE ASSHOLES.
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 2, 2 (Success x 1 at target 8) [WP]

[struggle] [Combat over! Recap coming!]

[struggle] They are now dealing with a Black Spiral Dancer cub. An angry, ambiguous, fast as hell cub who seems to elude any attempt they make at injury. Alex shoots and the bullet may as well be absorbed. Alex lashes out with the claw end of a hammer and it's shrugged off. And then Leslie unfurls into crinos, bypasses the Walker entirely, and tears into the female that hurt Jeffy so badly, that stabbed Trixie over and over, that is closer than the bastard that killed both Trixie and Keegan.

Maija goes down before she can take Wendy's gun. Her blood mingles with Drew's on the pavement. Her skin begins to pale, just like Drew's. Wendy has two felled acquaintances to tend to now, and she can only focus on one.

And then John spends his last bullets to blow a hole in Leslie's chest. It will regenerate. They all know this. He reaches for another clip and slams it home, fires again...and misses entirely. Maybe he swears. Maybe he just focuses. Maybe he laughs...maybe he just grins. This time when he shoots Leslie, the beast of war hits the asphalt. This time when Alex follows to shoot it again, Leslie's enormous head bounces on the pavement from the impact.

Dark eyes open. Leslie begins to stir, to try and roll over. Slumps again.

Wendy is reaching for Drew's firearm when it happens. Maija and Drew are bleeding. John and Alex are standing at angles, firearms pointed at the body on the ground. They don't share a look. They don't nod or speak. They unload bullets into the crinos, stopping only when it becomes

inevitably

the shape of a mangled, bulletridden teenager again, loose clothes torn, multicolored hair matted with blood, form limp and motionless.

[John Thornton] John for his part just stares at the corpse of Leslie for some time after it's over. The Cheshire smile upon his face dies a slow, almost painful death... His brows furrowing, his mouth becoming a thin line of anger.

With a tight lipped snarl, he speaks while standing over the body...

"Bad dog."

Then, the loud .45 caliber is heard time and again, until the slide draws back again, the chamber open... Every last round expended into the body of Leslie.

It is only then, after all the rounds are gone, that John turns and begins to tend to the fallen. His expression a sober deadpan, untelling... Unfeeling... Numb...

He carries the still smoking pistol to Maija first, and sets it on the ground beside him to cool...

A piece of paper rests near Maija's fallen form; hazel eyes are drawn to it like a compass needle to magnetic North. Taking it in hand, he recognizes it as the card Maija had given Wendy to call...

Wordlessly, he begins doing what he can to stop Maija's bleeding, to stabilize her...

It's only after he's done what he can that he takes a cell phone from his pocket and begins dialing the number on the card.

((Stabilizing Maija

Int + Medicine, diff = 6

Hail Kahseeno))
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 7, 7, 8 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Wendy Berber] MAIJA! *Drew's gun clatters to the ground, and Wendy's crawling the short distance over to Maija, thrashing to get out of her dam coat. Spindly limbs fly this way and that as she stoops her too skinny frame over the gnawer kin, and starts applying pressure to wounds with a whimper.* Maija.. ..

*John hands her a card, takes over and the blood covered glasswalker kin fumbles slippery handed for her phone, leaving John to it only reluctantly as she makes the call.*

Um hello? Maija told me to c-c-call. Um. we n-n--need help? Um.. c-c-c-orner of.. uh.. Garret avenue and um.. Cl-cl-clemenstine.. um.. B-BB-B-bron-bronzeville?

[Alexander] Actually, Alexander doesn't pull the trigger over and over. He shoots twice more after the thing goes down, and when it starts to slip back into its birth form, he stops.

Thornton doesn't. Thornton calls it a bad dog, which makes Alexander's eyes snap to him suddenly, dark and unreadable. Then he just watches as Thornton unloads his clip, flesh bursting open and mangling more with every hit.

When it's over Alex's ears are ringing. Everything sounds distant, muffled, filtered through cotton and fog, the way it does after a long night playing drums for some half-crap band at some half-crap venue or other. His trigger finger aches, though he hadn't pulled it nearly so many times as John had. He's never shot for such a prolonged time before. Alex is a fighter, this is undeniable, but he's not actually much of a killer.

And he's never, ever seen one of them die before. He's heard of it, sure. But he's never seen it happen; never seen that last dreadful shift back to homid.

He doesn't really have a smartassed comment. He just stares at the mangled Dancer ... cub.

A moment later he tosses the gun down. He'll want the shotgun later, but right now, he doesn't want to hold the empty, hot piece of metal anymore. By then John has moved on to staunch Maija's bleeding while Wendy continues to work on Drew. Alexander looks at them for a moment.

Then he says, "We're going to have to do something about all the bodies."

[John Thornton] "Hello... I'm in Bronzeville, in a shopping area at ((please insert appropriate address here)). We ran into trouble; Maija is hurt. She needs medical assistance immediately. Before she went unconscious, she gave me a card with this number on it...

We have two people down, one with knife wounds, the other with more significant lacerations. I also have multiple bodies to deal with.

Any assistance you can provide would be appreciated... Is your expertise medical or cleanup?"

His voice was level, belying the furor he'd felt mere moments before, the one of but a few times he'd let his emotions best his reserve of late. Now, it seemed John had withdrawn into himself; the deadpan was as unreadable as ever... The eyes as vigilant as always...

His voice held tightly in check.

[Wendy Berber] [Good enough. I misread John's post. Wendy will continue to tend Drew, seeing as John has Maija + call wrapped up.]

[John Thornton] ((Folks, I'm pretty much wore out. I gotta git to bed. Can we assume that whichever answer Murray gives, John does what he can to help with the other, and what not?

Basically, put him on auto-pilot for the remainder of this scene?

I hate to run off like this, but I gotta be up again in 2.5 hours.))

[struggle] [No problem, Mandrake! Thanks for playing!]

[Drew Roscoe] Well this certainly wasn't how the night was planned to go. Drew was supposed to meet up with a couple of friends, chat with them and hang out for an hour tops before she went home and to bed. It had been a long afternoon and evening at work, several things had gone wrong involving dropped plates, incredibly rude customers, and a roaster ceasing to function, making for outrageous wait times for customers to get their plates. Drew wanted to relax, to smile and mean it.

...And instead she got this.

Some woman mugging her because she didn't yank off her pants, take the money, and be happy with that. She had enough time to grab her gun from where she'd wrapped it up in her apron, to register that people were running to try and help, that the woman had screamed for someone named Jeffy and his fly had been undone when he stepped out of the alley... But then a knife plunged into her stomach in a vicious strike and stayed there. Drew didn't manage to step far enough out of the way, and she was left staring down with wide, shocked eyes at the blood that wet her shirt, blending with the crimson that the fabric already boasted but appearing so bright on the woman's fingers and wrist.

She registered laughter, yelling, gunshots, and two more harsh rips of pain before the world span and she had collapsed in Bronzeville for the second time this week, gun clattering to the ground and apron fluttering down to join it. Her belly hit pavement and bled a steady thin stream into the crease of the sidewalk where it would travel to the curb, well, and spill into the gutter. And it would. not. stop.

Trixie fell dead atop Drew, and she did nothing but continue to bleed and grow pale. Wendy dropped to help, pressed her hands against the wounds through the sopping wet fabric of her shirt and vest, but there was only so much that could do. It would help, but only for the moment.

Real medical aid was a necessity.

[John Thornton] ((John has his car, it's a sedan, so he has room for a couple, but I suspect Maija and Drew will need to remain lying down. *ponder* John could call for an ambulance, but that takes them back to the hospital; I don't think he can smooth over "drop us off at this other place that isn't a hospital."

Anywho, I gotta go. Please let me know how things end up.

Thanks for the rp folks; I had a blast))

[Wendy Berber] [can they be moved? - answer comes "no"]

[telephone] ((What's the time frame for how far away this would be from Maija's?))
to Alexander, Drew Roscoe, Maija, struggle, Wendy Berber

[Maija] (I'll let Kai say for sure - but she usually walk to the store, and just outside of Joe/Thomas's territory as stated, so few blocks? So not TOO far? )
to Alexander, cricket, Drew Roscoe, John Thornton, struggle, telephone, Wendy Berber

[Wendy Berber] [Getting very tired over here. could just skip ahead to Ambulances, or whatever is happenin? Any objections?]

[Drew Roscoe] [None here.]

[struggle] [Let's say 10-15 minutes.]
to Alexander, Drew Roscoe, Maija, telephone, Wendy Berber

[struggle] [If you need to go we can NPC Wendy just like John.]

[struggle] [Basically if you need to go, go! Sleep >>> RP!]

[telephone] ((10-15, they would still be stablilized? Skip ahead then?))
to Alexander, Drew Roscoe, Maija, struggle, Wendy Berber

[Maija] (works for me!)
to Alexander, Drew Roscoe, struggle, telephone, Wendy Berber

[struggle] [I don't know what we're skipping ahead TO. If ambulances, you have a very short amount of time to deal with 4 dead bodies. If someone's coming, that's another matter.]
to Alexander, Drew Roscoe, Maija, telephone, Wendy Berber

[struggle] [*puts this here, too*i'm gonna go ahead and log out, guys, and let you handle the aftermath. i think by now most everyone is pretty used to the cleanup routine! *L*
thank you guys so much for playing, i was really glad to get to ST tonight :] ]

[Alexander] (thanks everyone for the RP, and thanks V for the STing! gonna bow out too. i think alexander would help deal with bodies (probably with JT?), but stay out of the halp-the-wounded type stuff.)