(AwCon) Survivors

[Orphan]

Orphan takes a moment to wonder where he should go to have the best chance of running into Ankh, or Animus, or West, or Joshua, whichever was closer. Then calling upon Fate to show him meaning in apparent coincidence, he attempts to cast Synchronicity. The first time, he can't manage to grasp the threads of Fate, but he tries again, this time successfully, and thanks Fate that neither attempt called up the tendrils of the Abyss. He then turns on the radio, looking for some clue on whatever happened to be playing on the station to which it happened to be tuned.

Synchronicity

2009-12-24 07:24:39 Orphan rolls 6 to Synchronicity -1 (10 Again) 10, 8, 2, 8, 7, 2, 3 3 successes
2009-12-24 07:24:23 Orphan rolls 1 to Dox Again (10 Again, Chance) 5 failure
2009-12-24 07:23:57 Orphan rolls 7 to Synchronicity Improv (Fate 3 + Gnosis 4) (10 Again) 1, 5, 7, 2, 7, 1, 3 failure
2009-12-24 07:23:19 Orphan rolls 1 to Dox (10 Again, Chance) 8 failure

[West]

Orphan catches the end of an industrial song.

"...Don't place faith
Don't place faith
When I decide to live in the mind
the heart dies
mother superior in the sky
the heart dies
the heart dies

Don't place faith in human beings
human beings are unreliable things
don't place faith in human beings
human beings or butterfly wings."

Apparently they did the title and artist at the beginning of the song, because they go straight into a station identification after the song is over. Oddly, Orphan also feels slightly nauseated from his spellcasting efforts, and remembers a warning he once overheard about about looking over Lachesis' shoulder too often.

[Orphan]

"Place faith..." Orphan mutters to himself. "A church, maybe, or a temple of some sort."

He finds the general mood and some of the lyrics of the song a bit distressing, but puts that aside. "The important thing right now is to meet up with any of the others who are still alive."

He puts the car into drive and starts to drive in an expanding circle starting a couple blocks out from the wrecked FJ Cruiser, figuring that any survivors would probably be injured and might need to find cover in fairly short order. While driving, he looks for churches or other places of worship, or anything else that might trigger an "aha" sort of reaction based on the song snippet.

[Donan]

Beverly is clearly highly on edge and glances out of every window repeatedly, her breath shallow and panicky. After a few circles she grips Orphan's arm tightly, regardless of the risk of distracting him. "Orphan! What are you doing?! They'll see us, we just need to go!" Her voice is clearly approaching hysteria and she's beginning to tremble.

[Orphan]

"We need to keep moving, but if any of the others survived, they may need help, and I'm not going to abandon them if there's any other choice." Orphan speaks to Beverly calmly and makes sure to maintain a neutral, though quite firm, tone of voice.

[Donan]

Beverly opens her mouth, but then closes i9t and says nothing, simply slumping back in her seat, her face drawn and pale.

[West]

As Orphan drives, some streets look vaguely familiar, until he realizes that the Church of the Final Atonement is nearby.

[Orphan]

"Bingo," Orphan mutters. "Next stop, the Church."

[West]

After several more minutes of driving, Orphan pulls up to the abandoned church that once was the Sanctum of Sacramento's Doomsday Cultists.

[Orphan]

Orphan remembers the location from the postcognitive images West showed him and the other Arrows awhile back. A rather foreboding association, but Orphan had trusted Fate to lead him in the right direction for too long to start questioning it now.

"We're here," he tells Beverly. "You want to stay in the car in case it isn't safe in there, or come in with me? It might not even be the place," he adds.