(House Call) Door Knocking

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Paper. Wonderful, wonderful paper.

"Going to a window will mostly draw some more attention to us." Mhairi says, "If you don't want to try again with the stairs, you can take the hallway and make your way to the front room." Mhairi almost said living room, but stopped because she didn't know if there was a body in there.

Frowning, Mhairi's fell-flames turned back towards the stairs, and continued to make the precarious trek upward.

  2 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-07-13 10:27:29		Mhairi Ankaa rolls 5 to More Avoiding! (Dex 3 + Athletics 2) (10 Again)		6, 8, 3, 8, 4		2 successes

[Yumyumcrow]

Mhairi presses on, working her way past the Crimson Fairest as she withdraws away from the staircase and its free falling mass of cans, paper, junk, clothes and other oddments hoovered from the surrounding city. Fighting her way with a mixture of determination, raw ability and timing, she hauls herself to the landing.

At least the landing is relatively clear. So is the bathroom (even if it is thick with grime and neglect). Two bedrooms connect to the landing. A mass of bags hold open the door of the back bedroom, revealing the owner's shabby bed nest. That room is empty.

The front bedroom is also open. A purer, cleaner, light shines there. And from what the Elemental can see, the room is in much greater order: spic and span, encrusted with memorabillia. The poster advertising "The Cheshire Cats" is a perfect example of the psychedelic movement from the late 60s and early 70s.

The crumbled body laying in the doorway is not.

Two cats that were worrying at the body look up and hiss loudly.

[Yumyumcrow]

And something I forgot. For book keeping purposes and transparency...

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-07-15 19:31:33		Someone rolls 4 to Wits + Composure - distraction penalty (10 Again)		2, 1, 5, 2		failure

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Finally passed the harrowing stairs and faced with not just a suspicion, but a body....Mhairi didn't know what to do.

She swallows and tires not to breathe out of her nose.

Keeping to where she stood, not wanting to draw closer to the hissing cats - not knowing what they'd do, and not wanting them to bite or scratch her - living here who knows what sort of icky could get into a wound.

Fell-flames, peer and peep.

They were hear for a reason after all.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-07-16 11:18:35		Mhairi Ankaa rolls 5 to Perception (Wits 3 + Composure 2) (10 Again)		9, 7, 4, 5, 6		1 success

[Circe]

Unaware of Mhairi's morbid discovery above, Circe kept trying to find the locket on the first floor. She was finding plenty of garbage without a doubt. She had at least learned her lesson and sought the path of least resistance on the first floor when she could.

  Trash discovered

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-07-19 10:43:57		Circe rolls 6 to Perception (Wits + Comp) (10 Again)		1, 5, 7, 1, 2, 4		failure

[Thomas Land]

The cat darts away, leaving Thomas to his own devices. But soon after, the Mole-Man hears the commotion from the stairwell. Moving as quickly as he can without making undue noise himself, he reaches the bottom of the stairs in time to see Circe turning her way into the front room.

Beady eyes peer up the partially blocked stairwell. A clawed hand scratches at his Mole's chin. Finally, Thomas decides to try to follow the Autumn Queen to the second floor.

  failure

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-07-20 11:42:05		Thomas Land rolls 4 to Dex2 + Ath0 - 1 Unskilled (10 Again, WillPower)		7, 4, 7, 5		failure

He's no athlete, however. And, to no one's surprise (least of all his own), Thomas can't seem to make it over the mounds of trash blocking his way. Despite his best efforts

[Yumyumcrow]

Downstairs, Thomas Land vainly wades through the rubbish. He gets nowhere, unable to claw through or struggle over the thickening pile. At least the stairs are clear - if only he could get there!

Circe digs through the rubbish... And finds nothing of interest. Unless one is interested in old papers, plastic junk, water bottles, crushed cans... sealed bags of rubbish. It seems the owner was an avid collector of regular trash.

Upstairs and Mhairi moves this way and that to get a better view. The body is a bloodied mess now but despite the carnage she notes a golden gleam reflecting in the light. From under the pathetic corpse....

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Great.

It was there. Right where she knew and hoped it wouldn't be.

Backing away from the corpse and the cats, Mhairi heads to the stairs, not going down them, but to shout.

"Guys! It's up here!" a beat, "And so is she...."

Turning back to the macabre sight she waits for the others to make their way up here, knowing she's not going to be able to get the locket alone. She's not strong enough to lift that dead weight and snag the locket a the same time.

[Circe]

"Cazzo a me, Be up eventually," Circe shook her head and tried to go up the stairs, again. On the way up she picked up anything solid she could find that she could use to help brace her climb up. And to do it quietly.

She had no success with the attempt at stealth.

  2 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-07-23 21:51:14		Circe rolls 5 to Dex + Ath -1 Untrained + WP (10 Again, WillPower)		7, 9, 3, 9, 4		2 successes

failure

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-07-23 21:52:30		Circe rolls 4 to Dex + Stealth (10 Again)		4, 6, 5, 1		failure

[Yumyumcrow]

Circe once more attempts the climb, hauling herself through the rubbish now piled at the base of the stair. She stubs her toe and almost looses her footing - painfully! - but manages to ascend.

Circe takes 1B. Athletics, not Stealth, was needed to get up the stairs But we move forward!

The two Lost are on the landing. Across the way, the well maintained front room beckons. As does the corpse of Hulumere Wibble's unfortunate lost love.

The two cats are still hissing and hunkered down over the body.