The Harvesters Scene One

[Seryna]

This thread happens after Sam & Jodie's phone call to Diane. They should conclude that thread before entering this one

Everyone just knows that the roads aren’t safe these days. Psycho killers stand along the edge of obscure routes, searching for prey as they thumb for a ride, while carjackers stalk the back roads in fake cruisers and stolen uniforms, more than willing to part honest folks from their vehicles. It’s a sick, convoluted tapestry, woven out of countless miles of asphalt; as dark, strange and twisted
as anything that happens among the labyrinthine alleys of any crumbling metropolis, or within the walled palatial estates of the
jaded rich.

Along certain stretches of road, people occasionally go missing. Often they’re the sorts whom no one misses: runaways and prostitutes, transients and criminals. Perhaps the monsters that infest the shadows take them, whether to drink their blood or to feed on their souls, or perhaps some alien consciousness seeping up out of the land itself desires them. Most of the time, though, it’s just mundane human evil that makes people disappear.

The morning after Micheal's BBQ: 9 A.M.

Preparations are needed to prepare to head to Temecula and meet with Diane. Diane's stated that she wants to arrive at the site about an hour before the buyer so that she can ensure everything is one the up and up. Diane has told you the night before that she'll be departing at 10 A.M. today. Yet a few moments ago, you receive a text that she's about an hour out from Temecula. She asks that you pick up some sunscreen for her - there doesn't appear to be any rest stops further down the road. She gives you the address in Temecula - 294 Woodpiper Way, a 'Hitcher's Post' motel.

Any Google earth or web visits reveal that 294 woodpiper Way is a small, isolated pocket. The latest Google earth image was from seven months ago and only shows a rundown motel from several yards away, the 'Hitcher's Post' sign in disrepair. There are no restaurants, shops or competing motels showing up in an internet search in a 40 mile radius.

What preparations do you make to depart and catch up with Diane?

Scene open to only Tal, Alistair and when their phone call thread concludes, Samael and Jodie
Cayce Cross

[Tal]

Tal had just sighed when she got the message. It was too much like the morning of the golem hunt. A buzz, a message, and then the clock started ticking. Thankfully Tal rose with the sun, or very nearly, and had packed shortly after she'd showered and eaten. Even if she hadn't, the years she'd spent in the military had ingrained the ability to pack quickly and completely deeply into her routines, but that didn't mean a shortened timeline was enjoyable, or comfortable. Stress was a plague that had no cure, but Tal did her best to cope. Quadruple checking helped. Her knife was riding in it's sheath on her belt, covered by a teal blouse. That was most important. Next came her backpack, full of a change of clothes, a monocular, unloaded browning and two clips, assorted fruit, energy bars, two water bottles, mini-first aid kit, and a smoothie. Well, she pulled the smoothie out. The rest stayed.

Next all that was left was to call Al, make sure he knew what was happening, and catch a ride.

Once they were at the meeting point Tal got out to stretch her right leg, wincing as the artificial knee fought against her muscles. A few hesitant extensions encouraged more mobility from the joint and then she walked over to join Al, sipping at her smoothy. Her eyes were hidden by wrap-around sunglasses that lacked a mirrored sheen. She'd had a similar pair when she was in the IDF. They'd protect her eyes against anything short of a bullet or a flashbang. Hurray technology.

"So. I could be wrong, but this seems like an odd place for an occult deal to take place. More like like the setting for an illegal exchange."

[Djinn]

Ready. It had sounded sorta... uncomfortable, really. It left her to tuck her gun away on her, safely, and even bring a couple things from work as a just-in-case. Seriously. The mom-mobile that pulled up was there for a reason, as far as she was concerned, but it struck her wrong to haul her motorcycle - what if they needed to transport supplies or something? Those were important things to consider!

The fashion concientious part of her battled with the practical part of her on attire, and while she skipped on the old granny look, she found something appropriately summery with a practical flare to it. Spotting the other two, she slipped from her vehicle and pushed her own gucci sunglasses into her hair and out of her face.

"Hey," she greeted absently, scratching at her cheek a little. "Sorry I'm late. The little guy hates it when auntie goes away, you know," she smiled a bit as she looked to the pair. "I know it's not exactly as fashionable as your car but..." Jodie's thumb jerked towards the van, "think this'd be a more comfortable carpooling option?" It was an offer, not a demand.

Space. The van definitely had that. She'd even removed the carseat before she'd packed. Thankfully her laptop had the capacity to allow her to work on theoreticals for work and there wasn't a show coming up... It wasn't as good as her desktop, but it'd work in a pinch to keep the boss off her back.

[Tal]

"The Hitcher's Post, I mean," Tal clarified when there was no response, then took another sip of her smoothy.

The arrival of Jodie pulled a smile onto her face. "Shalom, Jodie. Do you spend a lot of time with your sibling's family? I babysit for my cousins, sometimes. The young ones can be clingy, can't they?" Tal looked the van over, eyes lingering on the side of the vehicle. Yes, she liked the doors. Loved them. This was the sort of vehicle that would be useful in the hunt. Spacious, innocuous, and the sliding doors would allow her to use it like a mobile perch.

"Sure. I don't have that much stuff. Just a pack and myself. What do you think, Alistair? All ride in the caravan?"

[Djinn]

"My sister lives with me," she explained to Tal with a pleasant smile, "she and my little nephew - he's less than a year," she added to Alistair cheerily.

"But yeah, there's tons of room in the van, plus I have some things secured there that..." How did one state 'go boom' without inciting panic? "... might be better left fastened the way they are that I'd rather like to bring with. You know. Just in case," Jo added.

The answer? Don't say it goes boom.

"Where's everyone else? I mean, it's not just the three of us, right? When I spoke with Diane last night she suggested she was going to be joining us..." Unless she'd misunderstood? Which wasn't impossible. She wasn't unaware of the other man's look, even as she glanced absently to the car, not seeming particularly phased.

[Tal]

"Shalom, Sam. It's good to see you. And yes, is anyone else coming?" Tal asked, eyes briefly landing on the passenger seat immediately behind Sam. An edge of suppressed concern lingered at the edge of her question.