Con Spells Cloaked
Supreme Aug:Pre+3 Man+2 dur 12hrs;Skill Mastery Socialize+2 Persuasion+4 dur 12 hrs
Phoenyx takes one of the headband torches with a nod. "You travel prepared," she says, approvingly. It was a strange thing to carry around, but given the circumstances, how could she criticize?
The Arrow starts looking around the room for any clues as to why the house was feeling strange. Maybe her Supernal sight would pick something up.
3 successes
"Yo, do you have a big ass maglite in there? Morgan half-whispered to Star. "I wanna hit this place up like a cop from the 80s."
She'd take whatever flashlight he offered, of course. Still, she'd feel a little bit more comfortable if she had a big ass piece of metal that she could throw at some asshole if she had to.
And, after she got the flashlight, she was ready to search this place.
"You take the lead, Backpack Man. I'll be the second pair of eyes".
3 successesWill be secondary actor if Star wants to take lead in investigation (since Phoenyx already rolled)
Anima moves through the house, at first keeping pace with Kaze and then gently moving - cautiously - into the kitchen and dining area.
He checks the grocery bag, carefully looming over it so he can peek inside: mouldering groceries and food that has been left unattended for too long is what he finds. He estimates the food has been sitting there for about a week - maybe two at a push.
The Shaman also notes that the kitchen sink has some dishes, plates, and cups sitting in it, waiting to be washed. There is a thin film of dust and crumbs on the table and the floor more generally suggesting that the occupants have not kept up a cleaning regimen. Oddly the unattended food has not attracted any flies or other insects.
Upstairs Morgan receives the flashlight. The tool is obviously overkill, but also warranted as the natural light is poor, blocked by the curtains thickened by dirt, grime, and a layer of dried mucous.
The bedroom is messy: a student's bedroom with a rumpled bed and some clothes piled on the floor. A bookshelf is filled with book and there are more books - chunky textbooks - on the floor. A dressing table has makeup and other paraphernalia.
Fragments of wood from the ceiling litter the floor. Casting her light upward, Morgan would reveal several holes in the ceiling, rimmed by what appears to be more dried mucous.
The door is closed and... blocked or sealed ... from the other side. This is more than a little odd given the door is designed to swing inward, into the bedroom. Dust thickens the dried strands of mucous that has seeped - and then partially set - in the gaps between the door and the door-frame.
Hope I did not cut anyone off by posting here. It was the right place to add some narrative
Kaze quietly eases the front door shut behind them and moves through the house, looking for stairs up to where it sounds like the others are. He keeps a look out for anything dangerous or odd, and keeps an eye on Anima.
"Well... why would anyone travel unprepared ?"
That's a legit question, yo. Like leaving your car doors open while driving or the house without shoes on. And if someone is already packing up a 'Go' bag (because everyone should have one), why not pack up a 'To Go' bag?
"And, yeah, I've got a bigass Maglite."
...Which apparently Morgan isn't getting. Nope. She can have the head strap light that came in a two pack from Home Depot for $4, but a skull crushing Maglite is a bit more serious than he's willing to get with her. This bigass Maglite is taken.
...Taken and shone around. He's careful, keeping it trained on the floor and using the peripheral throw of light rather than full beam when needed.
"So clearly," he waggles the beam at their new Door™, "This is super gross."
Lean in, it's whispering time.
"Let's tell the guys downstairs about it. I'm sure one of them will charge right through."
The Shaman's curiosity increases exponentially at his discovery. Reaching into the bag of food stuffs he pulls out items, check the Best Buy date and the date of manufacture. He then opens the fridge, looking for milk and checking to see if the electricity is still working.
"I'm trying to rule out strange phenomena or simple disappearance. We are getting more and more evidence of strange phenomena."
Phoenyx arches an eyebrow, with a half-smile. "I don't know." It was a valid point, but still weird to travel casually with a bad of flashlights. Either Star was already planning on coming here or he needed a buck of flashlights for something else. Still, didn't matter now.
She follows the light her fellow Obrimos casts around. The mucus is awful and strange, making the Arrow wrinkle her nose in disgust. "Yep," she agrees. "I'll let them know."
She pulls out her phone and texts Kaze : It's us upstairs. We've got something. Need a hand with the door.
Morgan stared down at the headlamp that Star handed her. AFTER he already claimed the maglite for himself. Nevermind that he owned the flashlight, she'd called dibs goddammit.
Her mouth twisted into a scowl as she tested the elasticity of the light's headband and then looked back to Star.
"Query: what would you do if I turned this into a plus sized rubber band and snapped you on the ass with it? Ya know, since we have to wait for those jabronis anyways."
The stairs form part of the small hallway leading from the front door to the kitchen / dining area at the back of the house. The stairs rise, narrow and horribly austere with a white banister and ugly carpet. Kaze doesn't find anything immediately out of the ordinary but there are rather a lot of wood fragments on the stairs, and at the top of the stairs the wall has patches of a dried glue-like substance.
The place is in need of a serious clean...
Anima disappears from view, deeper into the kitchen extension at the back of the house. The Shaman checks the electricity supply (the house is still connected) and examines the fridge. He finds the fridge lightly stocked: food is starting spoil (pizza leftovers and a salad mix in a bowl); the milk has definitely gone off. The use by date roughly matches with what he found in the grocery bag - they would have been new supplies.
Kaze gets a text from Phoenyx. Assuming he moves up the stairs he finds a landing with three rooms leading off it: a bedroom at the front; a bedroom at the back; and a tiny toilet / bathroom. There is also an attic access point - a trap door yawns open with a set of steps leading up into the space.
More woody debris litters the floor. And there are more holes punched through the ceiling.
Access is available to the front bedroom and the bathroom.
There is more and more dried mucous caking the walls and ceiling: a thickly layered patina like glue layered upon glue, attracting dirt and dust. The way to the back bedroom is blocked by a human sized caccoon; ichor with the consistency of treacle oozes from it and pools on the floor.
Kaze keeps tabs on Anima. Then his phone vibrates, gets the text from Phoenyx.
Moving quietly up to stand by Anima, Kaze says in a moderate tone, “This floor seems clear. The others are upstairs. They need us to check out a door from our side. Are you good to go now?”
If Anima agrees, Kaze leads the way, cautiously up the stairs. When he spots the caccoon, Kaze says, “Whoa.”
He looks for a way to pass by the caccoon without getting near it or turning his back on it, and texts Phoenyx.
On the second floor coming to you. We got a human sized caccoon here, blocking the way.