San Francisco: Legacy [Episode One, Flowers in the Past]

[Major Kiaslu]

Timestamp: 17:54, April 26th, 2013
Location: Greyson Estate. Oakland, CA

http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/Croakamancer/3317208975_6ca7b9a4ba_z_zps2a9f8401.jpg

One more week of sin
One more week of sorrow
One more week in this old dump
and I'll be home tomorrow

It's one week before the end of term, and that week starts tomorrow. You're a varied bunch, and would normally be doing all kinds of different things on a day like this: hanging with friends downtown, heading into the city, slouching at home in-front of the T.V. watching Dirk Courage: Man of Action or even cramming for the one final test Mr. Sonnenburg is sure to spring on you tomorrow. (Finals are over, but some teachers don't stop pushing.)

Some of these things, you might still be able to do, but fate has thrown a complication into the mix.

It's a more busy time for adults too, it seems. As well as making ready for your holidays, they all still have work matters to attend to. Mr and Mrs Margrave have been called away urgently to a research site somewhere in Texas, whilst the Nakaharas had both been called up to a PTA meeting. Michael Torrence has a board meeting tonight, whilst unfortunately his wife Christine had already scheduled a charity writing workshop with some poor kids in the inner city area.

In short, everyone is busy tonight. And being concerned, conscientious, middle class parents, they needed someone to mind all of you, even if you feel too old for it now.

Rowella Greyson also has work to do, but has volunteered to play host to 'the gang' for the evening. Edgar, her son, was already spending the day with her and having some other young people with him just meant there'd be more for supper as far as she was concerned. Perhaps Ed might even be a bit more at ease that way, amidst a group of people he knew somewhat. For now, though, she's upstairs in her office, setting up details for a board meeting tomorrow, having earlier entrusted Edgar to greet the guests and show them into the living room.

Your arrivals are varied. Nat's parents have already departed, leaving her showing up alone and on foot. (thankfully, the Margrave house is not too far away) Mrs. Torrence dropped Linda at the door with a kiss on the cheek, and a wave to Edgar, but her husband couldn't make it to pick up Sebastian (a brief text message his only apology). Seb and Kaori ended up making the final part of the journey on the same bus, stepping off just a short walk down the street from Casa Greyson

You can hear birds chirping in the garden, and a faint sound coming from one of the upper windows: Adelaide's room. Edgar's sister is usually more active, dogging his footsteps, but Rowena explained earlier that she had homework to do, and Ms Greyson didn't want her daughter to get distracted from that. Still, the house is impressive to the point of palatial, the only adult is on the top floor, and the walls are well soundproofed. You have the place to yourselves for the evening, the only hindrance being one another.

Freeform time, guys and girls. Everyone chime in with your arrival, and talk amongst yourselves for a little bit. You all know each other somewhat, but how well is up to you. Sitch, it's your house, (well, one of them, kinda) so feel free to narrate what the interior looks like. Rowella planed for you guys to have fun, and probably gave you some spending money, though what you spent it on is up to you.

I'll be watching, and waiting. I might advance time once it seems we're done with freeform, but feel free to initiate any kinda action you want. The Greysons won't come down just yet, but they probably will later, and both can be talked with if you want.

[Bad Situation]

Edgar sits alone in his room, absentmindedly flipping through the pages of the novel in his hands, only half-reading the contrived nonsense spewing from the pages. "A poor investment..." he thinks as he flicks the book across the room and onto a pile of similarly discarded literature. Suppressing a sigh, he lazily reaches across his nightstand and lifts another book from a considerable stack by his nightstand and begins leafing through this one as well. Idly, he wonders how the others were settling in downstairs.

He had greeted them as requested but as soon as they were all accounted for he'd said his farewells and retreated upstairs to the confines of his thrice-locked bedroom. He didn't particularly hate any of them, but with Adelaide confined to her room for the time being he was determined to make the most of it. It was rare not seeing his younger half-sister nipping at his heels but he welcomed the reprieve, however brief. Besides, they came by often enough to know the layout of the building.

Returning from his thoughts, Edgar grumbles as he finds another fault in his chosen literature and hurls it across the room in his familiar fashion. But rather than reach for another book to occupy his time with, he stands and works the knots out of his neck with visible discomfort.

"Enough of that," he mutters to himself. He had left the others alone long enough, he imagined. They were probably rubbing their greasy hands all over his things. A courteous host attended to his guests to avoid such occurrences
and what was he, if not a courteous host.

"A bad one, most like..."

Ambling down the stairs in his weary, but dignified stride he turns his gaze over to the where he knows the others are located. Edgar is still wearing his Brighthaven uniform, looking every bit the refined gentleman he really isn't. Though his outfit is somewhat bedraggled from his bedroom reading, the loosened tie combined with his untucked shirt give him the appearance of a professional recently returned from a long day at work.

The school's blazer, is as always, miraculously wrinkle-free.

[LoP]

"Hey, prep school..." Nat called when Edgar walked into the room from where she sprawled, upside down, in an armchair. Her head lolled over the edge of the chair as she looked up at Edgar, twirling a strand of her fire red hair. She popped an earbud out - whatever she was listening to was loud.

"I'm staaaarving, what do you bore-zwah-zee eat around here, fish eggs and goose liver?" She mispronounced bourgeoisie sarcastically, of course, but with good humor - everything about her was sarcastic, including her ripped, shabby chic-afied school uniform outfit. It was a mockery of Edgar's own school style, with the mockery blasted to 11 - the smiley-face patched argyle skirt cut too short, the stockings replaced with fishnets, the button-up shirt replaced with a neon pink indie rock band T-shirt with a clip-on bowtie and her blazer's collar popped. She looked absolutely ridiculous, and she wore it proudly like armor.

"But seriously, can we order a pizza or something? I didn't have breakfast. Hey, Wonder Twins" - she said, throwing a languid arm at the Torrences - "pizza good with you? How about you, Chun Li?" this last bit tossed at Kaori. If she was trying not to be abrasive, she was failing, badly.

[Bad Situation]

Edgar descends with a disapproving frown visibly etched into his expression but otherwise keeps his thoughts to himself, propping his left hand against the fine oak railings to support his descent. At ground level he spares a glance at Natalie briefly imagining an audibly impaired Margrave but then thinks better of it, realizing that she would probably be even louder if she became deaf from her obnoxiously bad music. Instead he brings brings a finger up against his pursed lips and calmly says, "Quiet your voice and turn down your music. Mother and Adelaide are working at the moment. The house is quite large but they are not as well accustomed to your noise as I am. Though, I imagine it takes quite the tone to pierce that skull of yours."

Turning away without watching or even listening to her response, he moves into the kitchen and Natalie can hear him echoing from inside the refrigerator. "I do not like 'ordering' pizza." It wasn't so much the taste, but living with his father for so long taught him a thing or two about avoiding the excesses of life. Books notwithstanding of course. After retrieving a few choice ingredients, the cold storage unit slams shut with a dull magnetic thunk. "So rejoice. I will personally be preparing lunch."

[LoP]

Nat simply rolled her eyes. "Hail to thee, m'lord, thy peasant minions rejoice at thy generosity..." she called after Edgar loudly. "Can you personally prepare us pizza then? You can put all the fish eggs and goose liver on it you want. M'lord. Hail. Thee. Thy."

[Grim ranger]

Slouched on a couch with the hood of his black hoodie pulled up and his fingers busily tapping away at the screen of his touchscreen phone, Sebastian Torrence is escaping the apparent monotony of the evening the usual way: though the wonders of the internet.

Wearing his gold-tinted shades even inside and during evening, Seb certainly looks as eccentric as people describe him to be, with black pants and fingerless gloves completing his odd outlook. Being apparently already in world of his own as he uses the phone to keep in touch with his social circles around the internet, it takes words actually adressed to him and his sister to shake the young man out of his favourite pasttime... And causes him to look like someone just woke him up.

"Wha- oh, pizza. Yes, I suppose that would be good" he says in somewhat absent-minded tone, reclutantly placing his phone back to his pocket for a moment to keep up with the conversation. Although he is almost certified genius, Seb still enjoys the vice of fast food every now and then. "And I have told you before that we are not twins, she is two years my junior" he remarks to Nat in somewhat irritated manner.

Looking at Edgar as he tells that he will be making the evening's meal himself, Sebastian facepalms and barely resists groaning. "I am not quite sure if I should trust my gastrointestinal system to your cooking skills, Eddie. I could just order for all of us this time around: it might save some embarassing trips to bathroom, and I have that much left to waste for the week."

[Bad Situation]

Edgar quietly clicks his tongue and scoffs at derisively at their blatant disregard. Typical privileged brats. If nothing else, he was grateful that Harvey never bothered spoiling him. Though, it wasn't as if the man had the means of spoiling him in the first place. As he prepares the ingredients for a stir fry Edgar coolly responds to their mocking without skipping a beat, "Just because the two of have been spoiled by the excesses of your parents does not mean that I have to submit myself to the same fate. Some of us like being human beings over leeches, I hear." You could call it a temper but he had some pride in his cooking ability in spite of himself. It was after all, one of the few skills he still actively applied to his day to day life.

Dabbing the sweat off his brow with a hand towel he snaps back, "However, you are free to do as you please. Whether you go hungry or order an entire pizza for yourself is beyond my interest."

[Zerkai]

Despite sharing the bus ride with Sebastian, Kaori had said little-to-nothing on the ride to her place. She had thought more about the PTA meeting her parents were sent to, and if she had done anything wrong recently that would have caused any trouble. She put her worries aside for them moment when she had gotten off and arrived at the estate, adjusting her leather jacket, the inside pockets and what they were carrying made it a little uncomfortable on occasion.

Today she wore another one of her black shirts with a strange yellow symbol on it, by now the others would probably know enough to NOT ask about them unless they wanted to start her up about heroes. For a while thought she stood with her back against a wall, occasionally looking around, but almost afraid to touch anything, like the whole house was made of glass and she might ruin something.

She looked up at the stairs as Edgar came down, she didn't respond to Natalie's question, those kind of comments you learned to ignore, she remembered when people kept calling her brother Jackie Chan because he was asian and knew martial arts.

Instead she quietly walked into the kitchen a few minutes after Edgar had gotten started on the meal "I... would be grateful for the meal, thank you." She started, bowing her head. She rather enjoyed pizza, but when your host (Or child of the host) offered to cook food for you, it'd be rude to decline. Still, the girl couldn't help but think about whether Edgar was still a 'leech', as he was using his parents food to cook, wouldn't he need to hunt his own food and cook it over a flame to really be self-sufficient?

While she imagined a grizzled Edgar with a ridiculous beard and wearing bear-skins as he chased down a deer with a big stick, she continued to stand there with arms folded across her chest, head tilted up and to the left slightly while staring at nothing.

Today's symbol;
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/194/8/e/Kamen_Rider_Kuuga_Symbol_by_Alpha_Vector.jpg

[LoP]

If Nat rolled her eyes anymore they'd fall out of her head.

"And some of us like TALKING like human beings! 'Beyond your interest'?," Nat said, imitating Edgar's voice. " 'Spoiled by the excesses of our parents'? What book did you crib that from?"

She was rapidly getting bored with this needling, though, and rapidly getting hungrier. So she popped up onto her feet and followed Kaori into the kitchen, where she immediately jumped up to sit, legs dangling, on the island counter-top.

"So, anyway... whatcha makin'? Also," Nat said, looking at Kaori's t-shirt, her attention going everywhere at once. "Whats up with that?"

[Bad Situation]

Edgar lets the insult roll off him, already used to such needling from the other children at his school. "I apologize if you find fault in my manner of speech but might I remind you that I do not make anything of your style of dress. I am not so petty as to stoop to your level but I have held my tongue for as long as I have known you, so perhaps you would see to extending the same courtesy while we are under my mother's roof, hm?"

To her second question he answers very simply, "Chicken stir fry," and rolls his eyes while putting up a mental block. Kaori could be quite excessive when it came to answering these kinds of questions, as he regrettably found.

[Zerkai]

Kaori decided not to get involved with the altercation between the two teens, opting to keep quiet, at least until Natalie asked about her shirt "Oh... this?" She opened her jacket a bit, looking down at the symbol with a smile. "This is Kuuga."

"Kamen Rider Kuuga was the first of the Heisei Era Riders, marking the rebirth of Kamen Rider in 2000 after over ten years after Black RX. It has to be one of my favorites, and it surprised me how well-down it was, the police are actually useful and work at ways of stopping the monsters. The Grongi were also great, each of the stronger types of Grongi all have an MO to their killings, more complicated as it goes on." She started with a big grin.

"It deconstructs a lot of hokey super-hero cliches and tropes, and shows how hard it is when a Hero is reactionary. On average about a hundred people die before the hero can track the monster down."

[LoP]

Nat blinked. It had been a while since she'd hung out with Kaori.

After a pause, Nat said, "Sounds... cool. I guess. Sorry, I don't follow pokémon..."


Whenever any of my friends geeks out on something I don't understand, this is my standard response. They do the same to me. :smallcool:

[smuchmuch]

"Yeesh, it's not how you say it, it's what you say." Linda is standing in the kitchen door with her arm crossed. She's wearing jeans, a black top with some slightly abstract floral print on the left side and her hairs are kept back with a white hair band. It's a decent if simple look but it'd probably look better on a taller and older girl. And Linda is kinda of small even for her age.
So far she hasn't talked much except for introductions at the start and a few words to Sebastian because she was actually out of the rooms, looking around the house and taking a few snapshots with her phone. She'll probably be back to it soon enough.

"Are you always that 'charming' or did something entered your 'rectal orifice' and 'shed it's mortal coil' in there just for this evening ?" You can almost hear the airquotes in her voice.
She's generally a tad more subtle or playfully with her sarcasm (or at least she means too) and that's actually rather uncharacteristically confrontational of her but she's obviously looking a tad miffed here. She didn't really had fixed plans for the evening, maybe talk with friends, maybe taking some sights, but whichever would have been better than being stuck here and insulted.

"Sounding like a thesaurus doesn't make you any less rude. Hope you're a better cook than host or you should reeeaally consider that pizza." Actually it doesn't smell half as bad in the kitchen, but she's trying to make a point. She shrugs before entering the room and looking curiously around as if she was expecting a fancy mansion to have some extrordinary kitchen "Just sayin'. Why don't you like ordering food anyway ?" Linda finds that a tad curious, in her experience, most people try to shirk cooking duty when given the excuse.


Sorry for the lateness, had a bit of a first post block here. I apologise if my english is not the best.

"What crawled up you butt and died" meant in the 'why are being you such a jerk ?' sense of the expression not the 'you smell'.

Since Lop kind of have a point about my character and her being pretty close, I might be fiddling a bit with with Linda's personality in the first few posts

[Bad Situation]

"I apologize if you have become offended by my words. However, my vocabulary and speech have never been shields to my conduct and similarly, I have never alluded to such illusions. It was very much my intent to indict you with what I have come to recognize as displeasing attributes."

"And my issue with ordering food is the cost. There is simply no reason to order a meal when there is clearly enough time to prepare a more substantial meal, for almost half the cost. No reason, except perhaps the careless affluence that you all seem to take for granted."

I need to crash now. Tried to get a dialogue response up at least.

[Grim ranger]

Sighing somewhat to himself, Sebastian raises his hands in calming gesture. "Maybe we should all calm down somewhat? We will have to suffer each other's company for the evening, so let's not try to get all wrapped up in how much we despise one another. And to be honest, I think you can cook" he says to Edgar with a nod.

"I suppose I have grown bit more used to ordering stuff like that when there has not been as much chance for family dinners..." he muses before sighing and shaking his head. "Anyhow, how have you all been doing as of late? It's always good to catch up when we can."

[smuchmuch]

"Hey I'm not 'despising' anyone." If anything she's fascinated. She may have met Edgar once ot twice before, but it"s alway an education. It's like someone took a nerd but with books instead of her and with even less social manners.

During the evening, Edgar is occasionaly going to be bugged with a few questions about bis interest or friends.* Wich may end up on somethign along the lines of "... You ever heard of Asperger syndrom ? You may want to check it out" She readed about it on the net. possibly in one of those 'I wonder what flavor of crazy Seb is ?' search or out of her general if rather unguided interest in all things of the mind. Oh she's not trying to insult by the way, just curious, and helpfull."No particular reasons"
But he's not the only one, Nat definitively get some some questions too, including her... interesting fashion choices.

Otherwise Linda will spend most of her evening playing social buterfly (or possibly a social bogfly might feel a better metaphor, depending on how sociable you feel), but since the general ambiance doesn't seem too great, she'll probably end up looking around the house some more. Or possibly sugesting a movie.. but they'll probaly end up arguing about the movie to watch.

*

To which, am I wrong to assume most of the answers will be as curt as they will be laconicaly annoyed ?

[LoP]

Nat grinned at Linda's Aspergers remark. She pointed a finger at Linda - every one of her fingernails was painted a different solid matte color.

"You," she said, cocking her head playfully to the side. "I like you."

An affection that was as short-lived as Linda was short, once Linda begins (inveitably) asking Nat about her clothes.

[Bad Situation]

Edgar simply shrugs, "Or perhaps I dislike disrespectful people who insult me in my own home, while I prepare lunch for them. Perhaps I respond the way I do because I dislike them. Is it wise to repay insult in kind? Probably not, but it helps me sleep better at night knowing that some people are simply beyond my goodwill. But I suppose we will never truly know."

[Major Kiaslu]

Yeah, the kids weren't exactly the most unified or cohesive lot. That's kinda natural though, isn't it? I mean, what would you expect of a bunch of teenagers? All piss and hormones. Still, they were together when it happened. For better or worse. .

It's perhaps half an hour later, six thirty. The sun was slowly beginning to set as Edgar brought the food through into the dining room, cooked with meticulous precision. Adelaide was down by now, beaming at her brother and following close behind him as he walked into the dining room, bearing plates and cutlery for him. She always tried to help when it was Edgar, though at first she'd been a little put out that no one'd told her he was coming today

The six of you are soon seated, each in-front of a full plate of steaming hot food: meticulously prepared by your strange-talking host. Adelaide darts back to the kitchen, but soon returns with a couple of bottles of soda. "Mom bought a couple the last time I had friends round." Explanation given, the young girl tucks in merrily, happy both to be with others in general, and her brother in particular.

Edgar [roll0]
Adelaide [roll1]
Nat [roll2]
Sebastian [roll3]
Linda [roll4]
Kaori [roll5]

Results will be PMd. The rest of you, just relax. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tonight is.... well, we'll get to that shortly :smallamused:

[smuchmuch]

"Thanks." Linda smiles. while serving herself a glass. Edgar may be a jerk but Adelaide is cool. That's a tad hard to beleive.

"Uh ?" Linda stops her fork over her plate for ahalf a second "Did anyone heard like a thumping ?" She shruggs. Maybe she's just heard things ?
Nope again. Louder. Maybe there's some condtruction work Linda stands up and looks ouitside a window in the general direction of the disturbance before asking Edgar "does that happen often ?"

[Major Kiaslu]

Adelaide frowned, shaking her head. "I've had my window open all evening. I didn't hear anything before that." She glanced down to her plate and across to Edgar, before following Linda to the window, the thirteen year old's curiosity overcoming her guilt.

It's gotten dark slightly early tonight: it's night outside now, and the streetlight are lit. You can't even hear any cars close by. At first glance, sleepy suburban Oakland seem almost serene in the evening shadows, all the houses lit up, everyone getting ready for dinner..

Linda: [roll0]
Adelaide: [roll1]

Wish I rolled that well when a player

It took several seconds to spot it, but Adelaide pointed in the direction just as Linda's eyes were turning the same way. One of the lights in a distant house seemed strange, different to the others, flickering a little. Squinting, Linda could make out that it was multiple lights: seemingly all the ones in that far off house. Adelaid looked across to her new friend with a confused expression. "What is that?"

[Major Kiaslu]

Sebastian only
It's been quiet all night. Hell, you'd only heard the occasional vague comment from it for weeks. But as Linda walked across the room, that voice is in your ear, clear as day. The only reason you know The Other isn't standing beside you is because you know what its voice sounds like. Deep, but quiet: a old 'friend' whispering intently in your ear.

"You might want to leave. There's a late bus going from the local station in five minutes. Why not get Linda, and take her home? It's not like Mom and Dad would care"

[Grim ranger]

Sitting for a moment, Sebastian looks somewhat nervous for one reason or another, pouring himself a glass of soda and nodding in thanks to Adelaide... Right before pulling out his phone again and beginning to tap at it in furious pace, mumbling to himself.

For GM only:
"And why would I want to do that, exactly? You might not have noticed, but it is not like we have anything better to do this evening. And she is enjoying herself here" Sebastian answers mentally, even as he browzes through the internet for the local bus schedules. It is not like a voice in his head can know something about the real world he himself has not yet found out...right?

[Major Kiaslu]

Sebastian OnlySebastian used to picture The Other with a perpetual smirk, glorifing in every time it got him to react. "It's your choice. But you don't know these people, not really. You don't even like them. And you don't know what just happened, at least consciously."

Something was different. The unspoken taunting, the mockery by implication, That was in the words still, but there was something different. The smug, superior tone was a mask now, just like Seb's father used to do when his son dared to call him on something..

The voice was silent for a few seconds, as though it were thinking the matter through before continuing. "Perhaps you picked up on something without realizing it. Or perhaps I'm just more observant than you are. Same difference really, isn't it?"

[Grim ranger]

For GM only:
"I do not know how you can get any information about the world save through my eyes and ears, but... I suppose you do not feel like elaborating?" Sebastian thinks back, somewhat nervous now.

Looking at his sister for a moment, the teen genius places his phone back to his pocket, clearing his throat slightly. "Don't you think we should be going, sis? Last bus will be leaving in five, and I sure would not want to walk back" he says, knowing that their father nor their mother will likely show up to pick them up anytime soon. And although the school is child's play for him, same is not true for his sister.

[LoP]

Nat, scarfing down on chow and with one earbud planted firmly in place, blasting away, was mostly oblivious to what was going on until she saw people getting up and looking outside, and Sebastian wanting to hit the bus.

"What's up? Going so soon? But we were having such a loverly time!"

She gave a thumbs up to Edgar - the olive branch was extended. "Great food, bee tee dubs. Yummy. Even though this chicken would probably be even better on a pizza."...and the olive branch yanked back.

[smuchmuch]

"Nah, it's cool, Seb" Linda is too busy concentrating on the far away lights of mistery to notice any crazy mumbling. "Mom will pick us at eight, dad didn't ...? " Linda stops, think of it for a split secons then sighs. Why is she even phrasing this as an interrogation ? "Dad complelty forgot to tell you."
Besides you sure about the last bus ? It seems kind of early ?" At half past six, likely. (then again it's quite early for dinner and here they are)

"No idea." Linda answers Adelaide and tries to look harder "It's a bit far. You have any binoculars ?" She pauses and gives a little cough "I mean maybe it's a fire or somethinhg bad like that." Yes Linda, totaly concern, not undue curiosity."

[Bad Situation]

Edgar pats Adel on the head as she waddles through the kitchen, helping him with his chores. She could be annoying beyond belief at times but he knew she was never doing it on purpose which was more than he could really say about his oh-so gracious guests. At the table, Edgar is content to ignore the others entirely, speaking only to his sister if he does so at all. When she runs off to follow Linda, he gives her a silent warning look before nodding his head, and leaving the others to enter his own room. There was a pair of binoculars somewhere in storage.

When he finally plucks the pair from their drawer space he comes across Linda with his sister. Sneaking up on the pair, he deliberately pulls Adelaide down and takes her place, pressing the binoculars to his eyes. "Down, Adel. I am responsible for you while I am at home and you are only going to get into trouble if I let you around Linda for too long."

[Major Kiaslu]

Adelaide squirms a little as Edgar pushes her down, laughing at her brother's words. "Linda, help!"

Edgar
It takes you a little while to find the thing the other two were looking at, but you do so fairly quickly. Lights flickering in a far off house, a little fainter than electricity, and as you look closely, a faint grey outline of smoke rising upwards. It looks like Linda's guess was right. A house fire.

Sebastian Only
The voice is silent. If you didn't know better, you could've sworn it'd never been there at all.

[Zerkai]

Kaori had removed off her jacket as she enjoyed the meal Edgar had provided for them, it was a rather delicious dinner and she partook of some soda as well. The girl was oblivious to anything till she noticed some of the teens standing as well. "What is going on, what's everyone talking about? A fire?" She asked as she stood, looking at Edgar and Linda, seemingly worried.

[Bad Situation]

Humming darkly, Edgar sets down the binoculars and wordlessly returns to his room to throw on his jacket and scarf. When the door clicks shut he looks to his sister and tells her, "I think there may have been a fire down the street. While I am gone call the fire department and give them the address. I am going to investigate and see if they require our assistance." Housefires, as uncommon as they tended to be were somewhat common in the poor neighborhoods he called home. Usually it was a case of poor electrical wiring or bad gas lines. Typical for hastily constructed complexes in the bad part of town but here they were about as far from the slums as you could possibly get in Oakland. This made a house fire something of a curiosity, if you could appreciate the cruel humor.

Bracing himself for the chilly night air as he stands in before his front door he first turns and gives Adelaide a firm look, "Stay inside where it is safe. If mother makes inquiries of my whereabouts you may tell her that I have gone down the street. If she asks, that is."

[Grim ranger]

Shaking his head, Sebastian stands up and goes to grab his longcoat, looking at Edgar levelly. "I am coming with you. I would say I need to be there as well if someone needs help, and besides... this evening was somewhat on the dull side anyhow" he says before turning to look at his sister. "And in this, I am with Edgar: you stay inside as well, Linda. I pull stunts all the time, so mother will only have a mild panic attack for this, but she would never forgive me if I let you wander close to a burning building. So stay put, I will be back as soon as we have checked out the situation."

[Major Kiaslu]

Adel frowned, a little worried now at both the slightly serious nature of what'd happened as well as her now departing brother. "What address should I tell the firemen? It was too far off, I couldn't make out the street from there."

Humming to herself, trying to compare her vision to a mental map of the area, Adelaide spends a few seconds in thought before looking to Edgar once again "What was it... Radcliffe Drive?" At confirmation from her brother, the young girl ran deeper into the house, making a beeline for the nearest phone.

Just clarifying here, the fire was actually few streets away. The Greyson house is on a bit of a hill, so you had elevation on it, but with a lot of lit windows in the area, that made it a bit confusing. Still, as far as Edgar could tell, Adelaide either got it right, or close enough that the firemen could find it from there

LoP, was Nat paying attention to that? Or has she given up on everyone, and gone back to stuffing her face? (Promise, promise, promise, last time I'll check :smallwink: Just, she was looking up in her last post, and wondering what'd gotten to the others)

[smuchmuch]

"What ?! Ad. wait..." Linda is left hanging mid gesture as she was going to hand her cellphonebefore Adelaide run around. She rolls her eyes internaly.

The way Edgar treats Adelaide and she goes along with it, alway following him and meekly seek his aprooval at every ocasion, you'd think she was still a little kid. It's actualy kind of sad to watch and Linda feels she should make a stand but, no, it's to Ad to stand up for herself. But if Sebastian thinks he's going to boss her around the same way.. nuhuh, no dice.

"Oh common, Seb. We're thirteen. Not six" Linda tries to argue; reasonably and calmly for now but putting a clear accentuation on the ages as a reminder Seb is only two years older. "It's not like I'm going to go run into the building on fire."

[LoP]

Nat finally pulled the earbud out when she saw Edgar return with the binoculars, and listened quietly with a furrowed brow at the talk of a house fire. Which they all wanted to go check out.

"This is so totally stupid. But of course I'm coming too..."

She didn't say she welcomed the excitement - which she did - because there really could be people in danger, and it would seem like some totally twisted schadenfreude, but Nat had never seen a housefire. And being couped up in the chateau du Edgar had been making her antsy.

And all of that ran clear out of her head as soon as Edgar confirmed it was Radcliffe Drive. Nat leapt out of her chair, which went crashing behind her to the floor.

"My house is on Radcliffe! Holy crap, we gotta go now!"

[Zerkai]

Kaori muttered a curse under her breath when the others continued talking about the possible fire, standing up from her chair and taking her jacket. "I should have come on my bike." She said to herself as she pulled on her jacket. If someone was in trouble, she had to go investigate.

"I don't have a cellphone, so someone else needs to call." She said, Glancing at Nat when she heard her home was there as she left the kitchen, making a beeline for the door and opening it. Radcliffe Drive... she'd have to run.

[Major Kiaslu]

Timestamp: 18:47, April 26th, 2013
Location: 2971 Radcliffe Drive. Oakland, CA

The five teens sprinted through shadowy suburbia towards the distant smoke. It was strange: sundown seemed to have come a little early, but it was unmistakably night time now: dark as coffee and chill as iced tea. The streetlights gave you a line of illumination which made for a passible path, but one or two streets had motion triggered lighting systems, leading to the rather disconcerting experience of running into a darkened street only to have lights flash on as you run by

That did not help your night vision. At all.

The last road was the worst. They'd had a power cut today, something to do with the local construction works, and all the lights from both the street and the houses were completely off. All you had was the background illumination from the rest of the area and a few florescent cones in the middle of the road as you tried to get through that final patch of pitch blackness as quickly as you could, the cold bay wind seemingly trying to blow you back the way you came.

Finally, however, the five of you reach the end of the road, to turn onto the far better lit Radcliffe Drive. A nice area, if not quite as prestigous as the Hills, where the Greyson estate rested. It takes a few seconds for Edgar and Linda to identify the house they'd observed before, but soon enough the duo indicate the building, and you all move towards it, drawing close enough to smell the acrid smoke coming from the far window on the upper floor.

Congratulations. You're all just in time for the explosion.

A ground-shaking kraka-boom rocked out from the upper level, alongside a burst of bright flame flaring up against the darkened sky. The inferno was lapping at the roofing, at the walls and everything else, fanning out upon the wind, which only seemed to be growing stronger. The whole house was burning like dead-wood as the fire continued to expand, sizzling and crackling merrily in the night air as the whole edifice is consumed, bit by bit.


http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/Croakamancer/e804ce5d-4894-4a7a-84d6-46c67d7834cd_zps60b26ad4.jpg

Is it your imagination, or did you hear a scream from in there?

Nat
You were a bit unsure at first, but now you're here, you can breath at least a little sigh of relief. It's not your house on fire after all: yours is just over there, all the lights off, safe as anything..

No, it's your neighbors' house that is burning down.

The family's called the Whelans, they supposedly moved in when you were about four, and your parents know each other: you've been round to parties at one another houses once or twice. Mrs Whelan is a patrolwoman on the SFPD, Mr Whelan's a teacher at a stuck up private school called Brighthaven. Given that both of their jobs are fairly authoritarian, the couple are pretty relaxed 'off duty'; Nat can't recall them ever seriously getting mad at her, even in circumstances that'd have made her own parents cry blood.

The Whelans have one daughter, Dawn, who they spoil appallingly. You know Dawn a bit better than her parents, but not in a good way: she's a red-head, assistant leader of Cheer Squad, and a member of half a dozen sports teams outside of that. She's obnoxious, full of herself and pretty insufferable all in all.

She probably doesn't deserve to burn to death though. The explosion came from the parents' bedroom: Dawn's is next to it.

SebastianThe ringing of the explosion fading slowly from your ears, you hear the whisper of the Other again. It sounded irritated, annoyed at you, but still managed to seem slightly smug all the same. "You know, trains could work. Oakland used to be the major transport hub for San Francisco proper. You'd have to walk to the station, wait for the train, get another bus after that, but you could still do it. You could still go home. Or are you really going to do this? And drag your sister along?"

[smuchmuch]

I'll let a few people post their reaction before Linda points at the ladder or does anything relevant because I feel it'd make sense for the character to be dazzed for a couple of seconds at the spectacle. (huge fires are one hell of thing to behold up close. And even worst to be caught in, of course)

"Was that.." Linda start to ask in direction of Nat as they are running in diection of the place but can't bring herself to finish 'your house ?' as he realise she used 'was'. At least her parent wee away for the evening but that still must not be much of a consolation for loosing your home.

Linda stay locked in front of the roaring inferno. The warm colors and the movement of the flammes, it's .. awesome in a way, not in the sense that it's cool (pardon the pun) but in the sense that it begets terror and awe, and almost beautiffull and yet obviously deadly and terryfying even the depth of the soul. In one of those moment that make you think 'why the hell did I jsut do that' Linda just can't help herself to take out her cellphone and snap a picture

Oh god. Was that a scream she just heard ? That snapped her right out of it. "Is there anyone here ?" she tries to scream at the top of her lungs.

[Grim ranger]

For GM only:
"She will be safe" he thinks back with some anger, looking at the burning building. "And I am going to do something incredibly stupid now just because, damn me, it is the right thing to do. If you can provide any helpful tips on how to make it in and out with minimal injury, now would be the time."

Apparently frozen with indesicion for a split second before sighing heavily, Sebastian turns to the others. "Because I am the local crackpot, I will go there and look for anyone who has not possibly made it out. And before you say anything, sister, you are not coming along. Seriously this time" he says to Linda before looking at the rest. "I know it is somewhat crazy, but... will anyone come there with me?" he asks, looking at Edgar and Kaori in particular. "With some teamwork, no one might have to even die."

Yes, maybe this is really the proof of the fact that he is completely nuts. Or maybe it is his genius showing again. Or, the most scary option, it is little bit of both.

[Bad Situation]

Edgar glances at the the burning house and then to Sebastian as though he were crazy. "He may as well be..." But in spite of himself, he stops to consider Sebastian's suggestion. He knew it was vain and even selfish but the prospect of helping somebody out, to stand out in front of his peers as a 'hero' excited him greatly. It would show his mother and father at least, that he was different, no better than them. Breathing in sharply as a spark runs down his spine he smiles. It was either his brain telling him to get away or the thrill of the moment pressing against his nerves but either way he felt alive. A confident smirk plays at his lips as he tilts his head loftily. Staring at Edgar with the full intensity of his sharp, piercing gaze he crosses his arms. "...As such a...gracious host it would be remiss if I allowed you to enter on your own." He had intended on calling the fire department once they had reached the house but this? This was much better.

"He is insane to be sure but I suppose I am not one to speak..."

[Zerkai]

Kaori stopped to look at the explosion like everyone else was, staring up at the growing inferno with wide eyes. At the sound of the screams and the others talking she snapped out of it, turning to look at Sebastian as his question as he looked at her and Edgar.

She glanced at Edgar for only a moment before rushing towards the burning house, not saying a word as she tried to open the front door. Barring that, she'd reveal the nunchaku she had in her jacket and moved to one of the windows, attempting to break it open.

[smuchmuch]

"What ?! I'm not letting YOU go in there by yourself." Linda grabs Sebastian's sleeve, officaly snapped out of it "You are completly out of your mind !" It's not 'are you out of your mind ?' Nope, no question; panicked constatation.
She looks around to the others. At least Seb is known to be unsound so what's their excuse ? " Are you all complelty crazy ?! You don't even know if there's someone in there."

since our Gm is apparently waiting for LoP; small post in the meantime.

Sorry if Linda appears contradictory or a coward (really not the characterisation i want to give her; hell I though she'd be the reckless one; guess she'll end up the sensible one instead) but the eagerness with which everyone else is willing to step just like that into a freaking house on fire is kind of seriously jaring (even by risktaking teens standarts.)
(I mean it's not even a small fire, there was a huge explosion that took almost half the house here. )

Besides who the hell would let in good concience a loved one (particulary one who is known to have lapses in sanity) enters mortal danger without at least reacting ?

[Grim ranger]

"Yep, crazy as a loon! But I don't think we have time to debate on that now!" Sebastian says almost cheerfully, not even caring how insane he might seem to anyone else. "But sanity is overrated. So please call the fire department and stay outside, sister. I have something incredibly stupid, dangerous and generally unsound to do" he said before tugging his sleeve out of her grasp his mind racing as he quickly takes note of the ladder in their immediate surroundings and forms a plan. "Edgar, I could use your help with that ladder. It seems that Kaori already has the downstairs covered, so we are left with the bit more dangerous thing" he speaks quickly as he races to the garage to get the ladder, also looking around for any utility tools such as sledgehammers, axes or shovels, as well as any kind of cloth. If he is really going to enter a house fire, he better at least try to make whatever split-second preparations he can.

Going to get the ladder and prop it up against one of the upper windows, as well as trying to find something to smash windows and other obstacles out of the way with if necessary. Also searching for rags or other things that could possibly help against the smoke. Rolling Perception for that for good measure.

[roll0] (Perception)

[Major Kiaslu]

Kaori Kaori's twist of the handle seemingly made the door shift, but still it wouldn't open. Frowning, the teen backed up before charging a second time, applying a hard elbow strike to the door, and breaking the inner chain, sending the young woman sprawling straight into the smoke-filled house.

The fire had not quite spread to the downstairs landing just yet, but the smoke and heat were heavy. Coming from the chill of the night, Kaori felt like she was boiling. The acrid smoke bit at her eyes and started to fill her lungs. It's hard to make out too much of the layout, but soon enough, she's found the stairs. From the upper floor, she heard a thud and what sounded like someone sobbing, quietly.

Seb: No rags, not even oily ones. You have found nothing other than the ladder itself. You start to shift it towards the outside, and with a little assistance from the others, you'll have it in place against the burning upper window soon enough, stable, and ready to ascend

Kaori: OOC Fortitude save to function in the hot conditions. DC 15, failure will exhaust you, but you'll still be able to operate

[roll0] Well, a good perception roll to balance out Sebs! :)

[Zerkai]

For GM Only:

Kaori covered her mouth as she made her way through the smoke, coughing as she tried to squint and see through it all once she slammed the door open. As she approached the stairs, sweatnig in the heat, she blinked as she head a thud and the sound of quiet sobs.

"THERE'S SOMEBODY UP THERE!" She shouted back to the open door, hoping one of the other would hear her before she ascended the stairs, wiping sweat from her brow "It's alright! Me and my friends are gonna get you out of here! Where are you!?" She called out as she made her way to the second floor of the building.

"THERE's SOMBODY UP THERE!" Kaori's voice could be heard coming from the burning building.

[Grim ranger]

"Alright, I am on it!" Sebastian shouts to Kaori in return, setting up the ladder with little help from others. He curses to himself due to not having found anything worthwhile to help their efforts... But there is little he can do about that now. Emptying his pockets, he hands his stuff to Linda with a nod. "Hold onto those for a moment for me, little sister. Here goes nothing! Be ready to come and help me out Edgar... That is, if you are still up for this."

With that, he climbs the stairs and attempts to leap into the burning building.

[roll0] (Dodge)

[Bad Situation]

Edgar only smirks as he follows Sebastian into the building, reacting in much the same manner as they barrel through the smoke and collapsing structures.

Dodge: [roll0]

[Major Kiaslu]

The two boys on the outside manage to scale the side of the house fairly quickly, the ladder holding stable against the wall. It grows much hotter as you draw towards the top, the metal conducting the heat. You have to use your coats to try and protect your hands on the final few steps, and each touch feels impossibly hot, but at last you make it. A quick look at the window shows that whilst closed, the internal fastenings aren't in place. It's a little tough on the fingers, but Seb manages to work the window open.

And is probably surprised by a jet of flame that knocked the window open wide, bursting outwards straight at you.

Sebastian shifted to the side, evading the dangerous gout of fire, but the sudden movement has left you both a touch unsteady. The ladder feels unstable now, your weights off-center. It's starting to shake...

Little bit of science for you: new source of air made the flames flare towards it... and you. :) This is why Firemen usually go in on the ground floor when there's an option.

No damage, but you're looking a little precarious there. Might be an idea to double-time it into the room.

KaoriThe staircase seems odd, and it's getting hotter still as you walk upwards. The smoke is denser here, and you can hear the crackle of flames to one side. It looks like the fire's only in that corner of the house, but there's a lot of ash in the air, and it's getting harder to make anything out.

Still, you can hear the sobs still, faintly, somewhere behind you as you get up to the top of the staircase, in the opposite direction from the fire. That side of the house is all flame, and the ash is blowing from that direction. It's hard to look directly at it. Awareness check please. And you've got one round of action.

[Grim ranger]

Leaping from the ladder to the house as soon as he can, Sebastian mutters "I knew this was a crazy idea" to himself even as he crouches as low as he reasonably can to avoid the worst of the smoke, trying his best to shield his body with his longcoat as he looks through the upper floor for anyone still possibly caught in the fire.

[Bad Situation]

Edgar follows suit but doesn't bother to respond to Sebastian's statement. The less he had to open his mouth, the better. Instead he aids the other boy's search, lending his own eyes and insights to their mutual effort.

[smuchmuch]

Linda gives a little yelp of surprise as Seb are nearly roasted by a stream of flammes. But nontheless dispear intot he building.
Oh hell why did she cave in so easily ? because there's someone in there, right. But still what is she goign to say to everyone. "Yes i knew he was acting crazy but I let him go int here anyway." ? They are in way over their heads.
She looks anxiously at her cellphone. No alarm blarring in the horrizon, didn't they got Adelaide's message earlier or hers right now ? What is taking the firemen so long ?

She shout in the empty air "Seb, If you burn alive, I'll kill you !" God that was a stupid thing to say but it made her feel a tad better.

Not being able to stand the wait anymore, Linda grabs a garden hose from the garage and seek for an external tap (there's usaly one if there's a garden)
What to do ? Maybe she could target the ladder so it won't burn ? And uh make it slipery ?In doubt, she direct the stream in direction of the windows to the upper floor the boys dispeared in. (after they went in of course), first over the window sills and then inside the rooms. to make the fire spread slower ? Hopefully ?

Okay not a great post but finaly caught up, sorry it took me so long to post

It's probaly a stupid idea but I don't think it can make the situation much worse. (...I hope. I don't think it's likely there'd be anything in the upper room that could explose if suddenly doused at least)

I'm going to roll awareness/intelect (wichever applies best for you) for sommon sense here to know if it's an horrible idea or just a futile one and how to make the most of it [roll0] +3/2

Mostly I think of it as Linda trying to do something to feel less powerless at the situation. (hence all the interogation points)

[roll1] Perception to Search for the hose and the tap if necessary (I assume they'd be here because they feel like the kind of stuff you'd find by default in a house with a garden. if they aren't any, well that solves that)

[Zerkai]

GM;
Kaori coughed as she ascended the stairs and through the heat and smoke, thankful the fire was only in one part of the house as she reached the hallway. When she noticed the sobs she glanced behind her, turning around to turn her back on where the flames were coming from as she continued to shout and search for whoever was in there.

Perception check: [roll0]
Going to go down the hall in the direction of the sobs and check the room it's coming from, if Kaori can't tell which she checks the nearest door.