Patrolling the West

[Daniel Leto]

Daniel had had scenes of death described to him many times over. Sometimes it was in a quiet hospital with the slowing beep of a heart monitor. Other times it was on a battlefield looking at a pair of legs several feet away and not knowing if they were yours or someone else’s. He had a sense of déjà vu that this scene could have been described to him before as well. Attacked, blood on dirty white walls, being dragged… away.

However, there was a difference between words and sight. The scene, his imagination of how it must have looked before, thinking how it must have been for the victim, and a sickening sense of familiarity all combined and settled down into the pit of his stomach.

He took a moment to breathe but the feeling stayed like rotten flesh and blood refusing to be vomited back up his throat. Then Ngoc called after him and Daniel turned.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Daniel said in a calm voice. He ducked back under the threshold between the living changelings and the scene of death “See. Easy. No need to shout.” Ngoc was going to draw more attention calling out than Daniel crossing the line

He let Ramona speak but still mostly addressed the stitched wizened. “Look, I know it’s scary but this,” he indicated the bloody hallway “Happened some time ago. Whatever made that handprint is not here. The police have probably taken most evidence already. We’ll have a hard time figuring out what happened from this side of the tape. We will have to cross over. There’s someone on the other side that answer our questions.

“I’m not asking you come either.” He glanced at Green for a moment “Any of you. I, however, have my own… duty here. But I’m also not asking you to go in blind.”

Daniel had wanted to wait till they were more out of sight before invoking the grave but the contract might help lessen the group’s fears. He took the borrowed knife and pricked the point on his finger. He held out to return the knife as a small drop blood formed.

“If you want to go to the other side of the tape I can grant you sight to see spirits for a short time. Just a bit of blood,” he explained demonstrating on his forehead by pressing the bead of blood on his brow. He wiped the blood off with the back of his other hand. He squeezed his finger so another drop swelled up and waited patiently to hear what would be said next.

[Malcolm Green]

"Uh. Yeah." Green could not help but raise a hand to his nose. "This... um... changes things..." He was torn between wanting to stay and wanting to know. Something was definitely going on - what with the tainted stain of the Wyrd, hand prints, and requests for help. He was an Archer - the eyes and ears of his Court.

Duty was maddening.

Outwardly, he nodded to the scorch marks. "Thats a hand print of some kind. Don't know about much else. Gah! Smell! What you looking for, anyway?" Green asked, his voice rumbling quietly. He risked a glance over his shoulder, as if he suspected pursuit. Then his eyes drifted back to the hand print.

[Morgan Bellanar]

Well, this was worrisome. The smell alone was setting the Beast on edge as she was constantly looking around, especially over her shoulder. Scent was a strong memory trigger, and she really didn't like WHY she'd had a blood-scent memory. She was plentifully unnerved.

Still, she didn't want to abandon the others. "D-d-don't like smell-stench no-nope, blood-bad. Remind-no-nope it-not here. Rrrather not be near smells. Uh, n-not keen on bleed either, no-nope. Fine with not seeing spooks, heh, got the spices to fights 'em. I will go-in if-if want but much danger-cops-there is too. Or-or can keep watch for cops, heh..." She got thoughtful about that. Going by both horror and Scooby logic, standing watch, alone, would end badly.

"Uh-unless standing watch alone, heh, t-then coming along less scary-dangerous. Seen-the-movies." The Beast was making no attempt to hide how spooked she was. But she was earnest about continuing to help.

[TheMalkCat]

The Wizened caught the sound of talking from further down the hall and he immediately tensed at the noise. He kept his voice low yet urgent.

"Ssshit, someone's c-coming! Hide!"

Thao will look for a good place to hide and nestle himself there unless someone suggests that they all take some other form of action.

  2 Successes To Stealth

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-05-03 02:43:36		Thao Dinh Ngoc rolls 6 to hide (Wits+Stealth) (10 Again)		9, 4, 6, 7, 8, 1		2 successes

[Morgan Bellanar]

At Thao's warning she quietly blurted, "H-hide-or-fast-talk, Imma-hide."

  Shadows Hide Me

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-05-03 19:42:41		Morgan Bellanar rolls 6 to Shadow Patch Contract (10 Again)		9, 4, 5, 8, 8, 3		3 successes

The Beast then stepped back away from the light, her Contract activating correctly. The shadows seem to welcome her, flowing over her form and obscuring her from sight.

  5 Suxx

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-05-03 19:45:02		Morgan Bellanar rolls 11 to Dex + Stealth +3 (10 Again)		3, 8, 3, 10, 5, 2, 5, 9, 4, 10, 2, 6, 8		5 successes

The raccoon keeps her eyes peeled. Hopefully whoever comes won't be a problem. And if all else fails, a hand reached into her pocket for her spare bicycle key. She could play the "stupid delivery girl" and claim to be looking for her bike's lock key. That was why she had gotten a spare.

[Malcolm Green]

Green glowered.

Its not like a giant can simply skip into a patch of shadow and disappear. And given the size of the hallway there wasn't many places to go anyway.

So he decided not to play the game. He thrust his large hands deep into his pockets and turned his irate glare on the door of the sealed apartment, as if it was personally insulting him. It was personally insulting him! The whole patrol had gotten out of hand; spiralled off onto some unknown tangent - and worst of all he (they!) had been seen.

Frankly it made him want to jack the whole thing in. Katie whoever had Ramona to look after her needs. The Daniel guy had shown he could sense deathly energies - kind of useful. But right now he needed to be introduced... oh wait thats being done as we speak!

Grumbling wordlessly, he tried to channel his anger into some creative subterfuge: yeah, he could do that! Come to catch up with an old friend and found their digs... well... sealed of. Big shock. What happened. Unhappy face.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-05-05 04:52:43		Green uses subterfuge! rolls 6 to Manipulation + Subterfuge (10 Again, WillPower)		8, 1, 7, 1, 7, 5		1 success

[Daniel Leto]

Daniel suppressed a sigh and began applying pressure to his cut. Didn’t Thao realize that staying out of sight was of sight was only one way to hide? Looking like you belonged; confidence; calm. Those went a long way toward going unnoticed too. Not that staying hidden from prying eyes didn’t have it place and wasn’t a useful skill. However, they were five and two those were fairly large people in a hallway.
Daniel saw that Green hadn’t made a move to hide. Not really surprising considering there were no trees to conceal his lumberjack’s frame. Daniel probably could have still had time to get both Ramona and himself into the room beyond the tape but he didn’t want to abandon the mountain man to whatever fate a pair of women might have in store for him. Instead he prepared to add any additional details Green might need for coming up with a story on the fly.

Teamwork

I’m not sure how teamwork is handled exactly. If I should have declared this before Green's post, I’m sorry and the rolls can be ignored.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-05-05 20:25:11		Daniel Leto rolls 5 to Man 3+Subterfuge 2 (10 Again)		8, 1, 5, 6, 8		2 successes

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-05-05 20:32:05		Daniel Leto rolls 2 to Teamwork bonus dice (10 Again)		1, 6		failure

[TheMalkCat]

As soon as the two voices disappear from earshot, Thao exited his improvised hiding spot. His face wrinkled in a decidedly confused frown. He leaned to the side to get a better look around the corner of the hallway from where he stood. "They j-just...walked by?"

"Lucky break Ah guess." He followed behind Ramona after she unlocks the door to the room, holding it open for everyone else to enter.He motioned for everyone to get into the room while the coast was clear.