Bargains and their Consequences

[Obscurejones]

Learning to Fiddle a Dirge: Dominique Parker's Prelude
It starts with music. Beautiful terrible music. It changes from night to night. Tchaikovsky, then Joseph Achron. Some nights it's the Butterfly Lovers' Concerto. Then Caroline's smile. Then the crash. A sudden starting stop, the crunch of broken glass and squeal of steel. The music swells and Dominque finds herself alone in bed. The cold sweat is almost like a new form of embrace. The only change is what sound greets her. Some nights the neighbor's cat will be yowling. Or the train passing by. Only tonight is eerily quiet. Except for singing. Coming from her living room.
"Beata Maria! You know I am a righteous man, of my virtue I am justly proud..."
Two voices singing softly, one a rich baritone, the other a slightly off key tenor.

[josienoms]

Dominique slowly gets out of bed, sure that she just left the tv on. Why else would Hellfire be playing? Though she didn't remember leaving it on a channel that would be playing the Hunchback of Notre Dame, either. She slips into her robe with her usual difficulty. Despite the years, her hands are still mangled and stiff.

She opens the door, and steps into the living room.

[Obscurejones]

Sitting on her couch with his feet up on her coffee table is a lawyer. That much is clear. It oozes off of him. She's seen enough of them to know. Always hanging around the symphony, trying to drape their new money in a thin veneer of culture. She can almost hear the last ambulance he chased. He's watching the Hunchback of Notre Dame on her flatscreen and doesn't bother to look up as she walks in. He simply raises a hand in a small wave.
"Hope you don't mind. I got a little bored waiting. Love this part. Second best villain song of all time after Turn off the Sun. Best of all time if you don't think that one is canonical."
He goes back to singing along, his voice flying nearly an octave above Frollo's.

[josienoms]

"Hope you don't mind,"

Her voice drips with sarcasm, a near perfect mocking imitation of his own.

"But could you kindly **** off? I don't want to wake up to random lawyers in my living room."

[Obscurejones]

"Aww, c'mon you seriously want to skip straight to brass tacks? I mean that's fine too, but it's kinda rude. Thought we might hang out. Watch some cartoons. I hear musicians have good weed."
There's a lightness to his tone in response. A loose patter. He seems perfectly happy to be here, and not the least put off by her brusque response.
"Fine."
Raising one hand he snaps his fingers. With no pomp or circumstance Dominque finds herself sitting across from him in a chair she didn't own a moment ago. It's nice enough, a wicker armchair. Something Caroline would have bought. The television quietly clicks off behind her. He waves a hand over the table and a stack of papers fill in behind the sweeping curve of the movement. He smiles and his teeth are perfect little white Chiclets, the teeth of a televangelist who will eventually be convicted of fraud. A thick pair of classic Ray-bans keep her from seeing if the smile reaches his eyes.
"I am here as a representative of Ophidian Industries. We've been following you for a little while and think we have something you want. And you have something we want that you don't seem to be using anymore."

[josienoms]

"WH-what?"n

She stares in disbelief, then sighs.

"I must still be dreaming."

She groggily rubs at her eyes, and is surprised to see she hasn't woken up. Her remaining fingers are stiff and unresponsive to her attempts to pinch herself.

"Apparently not."

Her voice becomes increasingly worried.

"What's your name? I've never heard of this company! What... what do you want from me?"

[Obscurejones]

"Modest Mussorgsky. I keep meaning to change it. Something with that much eurotrash on it just isn't going to make partner any time this century. But heck, it's the name they gave me."
The man in the black suit ends a hand to shake, but sheepishly pulls it back.
"Right. Cripple. Were you driving or was she? Or is that rude? Heh. Why am I pretending to care?"
His voice goes cold and the chill sticks in her bones, making damaged hands flare in pain.
"Who was behind the wheel the night you lost everything?"

[josienoms]

The pain flaring through her hands causes her to cry out briefly, before reducing her to a sobbing heap. In a tiny voice, she replies with a simple truth.

"I was."

[Obscurejones]

He snaps his fingers and the pain is gone. Completely. Not even the subtle aches and pains she's come to expect from her day to day life.
"And that's just the sort of thing we like to hear. Guilt. Pain. Suffering. I will be entirely honest with you, Mrs. Parker. I offer power on behalf of the things that don't exist. The things you don't believe in. But there's a trade off for that. If I offer the impossible, think what you could do with it? So I ask you Mrs. Parker. If you could have any power, any at all, what would you have? What twisted little hope still lives in you? You tell me. Honestly. And you give me your soul? And you can have it."

[josienoms]

"N-no! This can't be happening. You can't be real!"

She buries her head in her mangled hands, trying desperately, and futilely, to wake up.

[Obscurejones]

Never Say the Name of the Scottish Play: Hayley's Prelude
As you fall you can't help but think that everything was going really well right up until the end. The female lead in the school play. A performance that got rave reviews. Rumors around the campus that a talent scout from Hollywood had caught the last performance. Your star had risen so fast it caught the eye of the prince of the school. And he'd asked you out. A date to Lovers' Leap. He seemed so nice. Right up until he didn't anymore. And wouldn't stop. But you got him as you fled the car. Pretty sure a few of those scratches on his face are going to scar. Granted he threw you off the cliff once he chased you down. But everything up until then... Had been going so well.

And the last thing you see before everything goes black is the cold earth rushing up to meet you as the wind whistles in your ears.

And then black and silence.

And more black and silence.

Granted, no one knows what the afterlife is like, but you would have thought there was... Something.

So you open your eyes. And there's the ground. Floating a few feet in front of you. Or rather you're floating. A few feet away. Still facing your immenent demise. Maybe time really does slow as you near death?

"Christ on a tapdancing crutch. Can't very well negotiate if she's staring at the ground. No, I know it's poetic and... I realize she's... Just flip her!"

And there hanging in the air you start to turn. And sliding into view is... A stage manager? He's got the headset, clearly what he was yelling into. His shoes are covered in gaff tape, he's wearing a ratty black hoody and is carrying a black clipboard. The only part out of place is the slick looking pair of black ray-bans. As you turn to face him he gently waves and smiles, showing a mouth full of slightly crooked teeth. Obviously someone who would only be ever able to work behind the scenes.

"Got to say, right up until the fall you seemed destined for the limelight, kiddo."

[Obscurejones]

Dominique Parker's Prelude
His voice softens again as Dominique cringes and whimpers.
"...Sorry. Old habits die hard. Let's try this a little gentler. I'm not here to hurt you. Quite the opposite. And you have as much time as you need to make a decision."
Scooting back the couch just a little he gets up and heads for the tiny kitchenette. The fridge swings open, a little white light spilling into the room.
"You want a beer? Or anything heavier? Hell I could whip up some burgers if you like."

[josienoms]

It takes her a moment to regain her composure, and she wipes awkwardly at her nose and eyes once she does.

"So... what? Are you telling me I've been wrong my whole life? That all that God and the Devil nonsense was real all along? And if I sell my soul... I can have Caroline back?"

Her eyes shimmer with tears again.

[Obscurejones]

"Nope!"
Cracking open a beer he takes a long gulp. Burps quietly. Wipes his mouth on the back of his sleeve.
"I can't do anything substantive like that. Not how this works. I can only give you tools. And even then, no promises that you can use them correctly. I can offer you power, but I can't give you directions. As for those deeper, more junior philosophy class questions... How the hell should I know? I'm just a humble shyster."

[Kell_tamer]

Hayley blinked her eyes and looked at the man. Was this that talent scout? was what happened a dream? "Wh..who are you? What am I doing here? Why am I all sore and ..." She kinda trails off and eyes the man.

[Obscurejones]

"You're dying. Specifically you're about to come to the abrupt end of a long fall. You were a rising star, kiddo. Now you're a falling one. And in a moment, you'll be the resulting crater. But we paused it. Because you seem like you might be something special."
Reaching up he taps a shiny pin embedded in the fabric of his hoody, hanging over his heart. A twisted mask, one half comedy, the other tragedy.
"You were about to be something sad. Think... Death of a Salesman, Streetcar named Desire, Hamlet. But we're going to change things up. Now we're doing Faust."

[josienoms]

"Then exactly what "things I don't believe in" do you represent?"

She ponders over the rest of the information, and seems to understand. He can give her ways to get back the things she's lost, but the burden of doing the work, of reclaiming it... fell upon her.

[Kell_tamer]

"So, assuming I say no I become ... a pretty little stain... What becomes of my assailent? Justice i'd assume?" She mulls the idea not wanting to become just a stain. She worked hard. Just throw it away?
But faust... what's the catch? She'll have to fgure it out.

[Obscurejones]

Hayley's Prelude
"Not even a little bit. See, Brad's dad is rich. Rich enough to afford phone numbers that most people don't have access to. So tomorrow morning when he sees the marks on Brad's face he's going to call without even waiting to find out of what happened to you. And a within two days they're going to find your suicide note. How you came on to Brad. How you wouldn't take no for an answer. And how when he rejected you, you decided to end it all. Very sad. Poor little theater nerd couldn't handle being popular."
Leaning in conspiratorially he whispers an addendum behind his hand.
"And I'll let you in on a little prognostication. Brad? He does this again. A few times in college. Once when he's a junior partner at Daddy's firm. And he gets away with it. And in his old age? He won't even bother to remember your name. Sh*tty, right?"
Dominique Parker's Prelude
"You don't believe in hope. But that'd be a little too poetic. Even for me. Nah. You also don't believe in anything bigger then yourself. Or at least, you don't anymore. But you used to. The music. Her. What she meant to you. Am I right?"
He takes another pull on his beer and as he does the light catches his lapel pin. A little golden fiddle.

[josienoms]

"You... You're not wrong."

She looks down at her feet again.

"Is this the part where you challenge me to a fiddle contest? Because if that's the case, you'll win."

She looks back up with a grim smile.

[Obscurejones]

"Aww! You noticed!"
He grins again and taps the pin.
"At Ophidian Industries we pride ourselves on the personal touch. And no. No contest. You only have to sign. Well... We work out what you get. And what I take. And then you sign."
Rummaging around in your drawers he pulls out a cast iron pan.
"Sure you don't want that burger? I'm friggin' starving."

[josienoms]

"Oh, what the hell... I could eat."

[Obscurejones]

"Groovy."
He waves to the fridge and a tendril of light trickles from his fingers to pull out a package of ground beef. The light gently forms the patties, while the pan begins to hover and glow faintly from heat.
"So obviously we're going to fix your hands. But relying on them... It just feels clumsy. And you might get hurt again.. So how about we start with this power?"

[josienoms]

"What, Telekinesis? That... that would be useful, yes. What would I have to give up for it?"

[Kell_tamer]

So she was just going to be forgotten, money talks and work means nothing. "Alright, you have my ear, whats the catch of this bargain? What do i get and what do I give?"

[Obscurejones]

"Hmmm.... We'll throw that one in as a freebie. Or rather, it'll come with a sort of slow creeping madness. Kind to be determined by your other gifts. Now you're going to want to get after dead people, fair to say?"
The light tosses the meat onto the heat and the sizzle starts.

[josienoms]

"Yes. More than anything, that's what I want. Just to see her... to talk to her again..."

[Obscurejones]

Dominique Parker's Prelude
"...One sec."
Digging around in his pocket he pulls out an old dented flip phone. Popping it open he hits a single button and then tucks the phone between ear and shoulder. He chatters away as he finishes cooking the burgers, assembling buns and condiments with his hands as the energy tendrils focus on the meat.
"Hey it's... Yeah... Alright, so can we... You're sure? You know the rules. No offering if she can't... Alright. I'll clarify."
With a rather deft pop of his shoulder he manages to drop the phone back in his pockets without using his hands.
"I can offer you an underworld. I can't guarantee she's in it. And you're going to have to find it. But there is an underworld. And we can make you a necromancer. Sound good?"

Hayley's Prelude
Glancing down at his clipboard he flips between a few pages. Squints to make out the fine print.
"We were thinking vengeful ghost. Think Hamlet's dad with a dash of the Phantom of the Opera. And maybe a little Lady Macbeth flair. And in exchange we get your soul. And you're going to give up your mortal life. Hayley's going be dead and gone. Life will reject you. If you try to live as a mortal again you'll go slowly mad."

[Kell_tamer]

Hayley thinks about that a moment. "and ... i'm free to use it how I see fit? Even become the anti-hero?" She looks like shes strongly considering it. A bit of blood trickles down her face from where she hit her head. it drips upon her bony collar. "And I just disappear?"

[josienoms]

"If there's a chance... I'll take it."

Her eyes are set with resignation, but with a determination at the same time.

[Obscurejones]

Dominique Parker's Prelude
"Alright. That's going to come with some... Complications. If you screw up you're going to leave monsters in your wake. So we'll throw in a few ways to put down the restless dead. And redouble your old skill with music. Give you a fun Orpheus feel."
Plating the burgers he floats one over.
"In exchange you will be forgotten. You will slide from the minds of mortal man. And mortal woman. No lesbi-loopholes. And you will be driven by your plans. As your madness builds you will lock yourself into your destiny. Beer with that?"
Hayley's Prelude
"You'll die. But you'll still be solid. Physical. Vulnerable enough, I suppose. But yes. You get to choose how you use the power we give."
Glancing up the mountain he thinks for a moment.
"Tell you what. We'll throw in a few bonuses. Buy one today and get the name of the man who was going to make you disappear. And we'll throw in the ability to hate."

[josienoms]

"I'm already locked into a destiny I hate. Surely this can't be any worse."

She sighs.

"I'll take he beer too..."

[Kell_tamer]

"Well if thats the case, i need a new wardrobe..." She looks down at her torn pants and tank top. "Ghosts need to look dramatic and intimidating."

It's clear at this point she's going to say yes. If only to seek justice. Besides, these deals with the devil story always are interesting.

[Obscurejones]

Dominique Parker's Prelude
A luge of light forms from the kitchen to the table and he slides a beer down it.
"See, it's that sort of fatalism that just screams going to wind up with some collateral damage. Do me a favor? Don't remember my name when the time comes. And don't blame me when it happens."
Hayley's Prelude
"Ooooh! Wardrobe choices. Love where your head is at kiddo. What're you thinking? Modern, classic, creepy little japenese girl?"

[josienoms]

"Already forgotten."

She shrugs.

"I believe we have a deal."

[Kell_tamer]

"I do love the japanese horror, its quite subtle and about the environment moreso than the jump scares..." She taps her head and sees the blood on her hand. "it's gonna need red... Passion, impact! A BOLDNESS if you will. but... mute it a bit. The impact is always strongest after a buildup...."

[Obscurejones]

Dominique Parker's Prelude
"The paper's in front of you. The changes... They'll be done by morning. You'll wake up new."
Hayley's Prelude
"Crimson livery. I can dig it. How about Ellen Terry's Lady Macbeth in the color of old dried blood?"

[Kell_tamer]

"Don't know if people will get it.... may have to go a bit more modern, and of course recognizably me. Also not actually much of a fan of Macbeth, felt there were far better tales."

She looks in the reflection in the puddle beneath her. "He wanted me right? like felt he deserved me? Lets play that bit up. "

[josienoms]

Dominique takes the contract, and inhales deeply. She knows the consequences, she knows the dangers.

She signs it anyway.

[Obscurejones]

Dominque Parker's Prelude
The man in the black suit looks up with a mouthful of burger. Chews, swallows.
"I'd do the whole dramatic disappearance, you wake up in bed thing... But... Burger."
Hayley's Prelude
The stage manager tips his head to the side.
"What're you thinking?"

[josienoms]

"That's alright, I guess. I suppose I'm not in the mood for drama. I trust you can show yourself out?"

Without waiting for an answer, she takes her burger, eats it quickly, and goes to bed.

Selling your soul can be exhausting, after all.

[Kell_tamer]

The girl ponders a moment.

"No, I need to be able to change into different roles. I'm an actor, not a career ghost. This is my biggest role, can't be typecast now!"

She looks. "Will i be completely removed from mortality or do I have the ability to assume a new life?"

[Obscurejones]

Do You Want to be a Superhero?: Jared's Prelude

They wanted Ricky. That's what the one in the white shirt keeps saying to the one in with the baseball cap. That they grabbed the wrong kid. That they won't be able to get anything for this one and they ought to just... Well you don't know what they oughta because that's usually when the other one tells him to shut up. Sometimes he hits him too.

You've been driving for a few hours. They figured out that you're not Ricky after you'd already left the state. At least that's what the sign said. Now leaving Maryland.

The one in the white shirt keeps saying that they're not going to get paid. That they were supposed to grab the senator's kid not some brat friend of his.

They had a gun when they grabbed you. You don't know where it is now, but you saw a gun. It seemed small. For a gun. Not like on TV. But it looked... Cold. Small and cold and oily.

They're in the gas station right now. Before they got out the one in the cap said that if you leave the car he's going to kill your mom. He didn't blink when he said it. You don't think he ever blinks. The one in the white shirt seems nervous but the one in the cap just seems calm. He doesn't even seem angry. Just calm.

You can see them moving around in the store. Getting snacks. And then they stop. No movement. And as you look around you see that no one in the store is moving anymore. The seagull that's in the parking lot has stopped too. And the only movement you can see is the guy in the black t-shirt. He's walking up to the car and smiles at you. He's got a sad kind of smile.

"Hi Jared. My name's Ted. How would you like to be a superhero?"

[JonRG]

Jared presses a hand against the window, youthful brow furrowed. The hands on his Batman watch aren't moving either. "Are you a wizard?" comes out in an almost reverent whisper.

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Prelude
This gives Ted pause. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he ponders the question. As he shifts the light catches on a metal pin, lodged over his heart. It's a sun, hing and gleaming, with a snake wrapped around it. The snake's nibbling on its own tail.
"...Nah. I'm more like... You ever watch Green Lantern?"
Hayley's Prelude
"...Is it weird that you're asking more questions then most adults we deal with? Let me check."
Reaching up he thumbs the mic on his headset.
"You get all that? Alright... Well... Alrighty."
He drops his hand from the button and taps his foot on the ground as he waits.
"They're going to run and check. Anything else you need to know?"

[Kell_tamer]

Hayley thinks. "Just if you need my middle name or will just the initial do?" She reaches for the pen.

[Obscurejones]

Hayley's Prelude
The stage manager lets his sunglasses slip just for a moment, and in that split second you can see his smile reach yellow eyes the color of an old bruise, split up the middle by a snake's pupil. You can't help but imagine a forked tongue hiding behind his teeth.
"I'll let you in on a trick of the trade. At the end of the day? All we really need is for you to want it."
He snaps back and regains his composure as a faint chirping conversation starts to come over his headpiece. He passes information along seemingly as fast as he recieves it.
"You go mad if you try too hard to be mortal. If you deny the death in yourself. Having a kid. Being affected by something holy. Walking among the living without wrapping a little death around yourself. Although you can keep that one at bay by spending one day a week just soaking in death stuff. Y'know going to an all day Danzig concert or something. You can't use your old name, but a new one is fine. However any time you acknowledge your old name it make every other bit of crazy a bit worse. You go a month without killing anyone that'll hurtcha. Of course the opposite's usually true too. You spend a whole week wallowing in the imagery, that helps a little. Killing someone helps a little. Going to hell... Well, going to the land of the dead. Although I can't recommend that one too much. And once your crazy builds up enough it tends to... Vent. You'll go bonkers for a little while and then even back out."

[JonRG]

Jared nods fervently. Hopes that the episode he's missing records properly, and that Ricky'll watch it with him when he gets back.

If he gets back.

Green Lantern animated series is pretty rad. Hope you don't mind if I pretend it's still around. :smalltongue:

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Prelude
Ted smiles at the enthusiastic nodding.
"I'm more like a Guardian. I hand out the power and I set some of the rules, but I'm not the guy out there doing the work. In fact I'm not allowed to. Make sense?"

[JonRG]

"I guess, yeah."

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Prelude
Looking into the store Ted hooks a thumb towards the kidnappers.
"Those guys? Bad guys. One of them's just a little bad. The other one... Gives me shivers, Jared. I don't much like him. But I can't do anything about it. Breaks the rules. You know to the follow the rules, right kid?"
Peering through his dark sunglasses he studies the boy for a moment.
"I think you do. So we'll follow the rules. I need something Jared. Something to trade. You got anything in your pockets?"

[Kell_tamer]

"One last thing, does it care if I go after bad people? Like if I play a lady Dexter Morgan?"


At this point its clear she's agreeing, just filling in the small details.

[Obscurejones]

Hayley's Prelude
"...Promise me this doesn't end with you being a sad lumberjack."

[Kell_tamer]

"...I personally see nothing wrong with the most noble of professions."

She smirks.

[JonRG]

Jared nods and rummages through his pockets. Batman wallet. House keys. They got rid of his cell phone. And his backpack. Jerks. "Uh... I got the money Gramma sent me for my birthday. It's like, twenty bucks." His face falls as he looks up at the man in the t-shirt. "... That's not good enough, is it?"

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Prelude
"Not one of the things I can take I'm afraid. Can't go around handing out superpowers for money. Ain't... Well I mean, would you trust superpowers for money? It's more of a trade thing. So... Hmmmm... You got a wallet?"
Hayley's Prelude
"...I don't give diabolical ghost powers to lumberjacks. Not after the last time."

[Kell_tamer]

Hayley laughs, she was taking the whole being killed thing quite well all things considered. "Well I can assure you i have never lifted a chainsaw. Can't promise that wont come up in the future if I decide to play up a leatherface angle. She has her stand still outstretched for a pen.

[JonRG]

"Right here." Jared holds up his wallet to the window.

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Prelude
"Batman, huh? Solid enough choice. More of a marvel fan myself, but hey, different strokes."
Reaching through the glass Ted takes a gentle hold of the wallet and pulls it through. As it passes through the glass the contents of the wallet are sifted out, falling onto the seat beside Jared. Tucking it into his front pocket Ted pulls off his pin and holds it out through the glass.
"...This... It can help. But it can hurt. Y'know that right? It can save you today, but you've got to be careful."
Hayley's Prelude
Pulling loose the mask pin he tosses it to the floating the girl. The point on the back look particularly sharp.
"Think thematics. How do you sign a contract for a soul?"

[Kell_tamer]

Hayley grins. "Then let's ham it up shall we!?" With a quick gesture she slashes her own throat with the pin, as the life ebbs from her frame she flourishes a quick signature in the blood before collapsing into the water below.

No one could say she didn't have an eye for drama.

[Obscurejones]

Hayley's Prelude
As the last stray bits of light and life fade from Hayley's body she can just faintly hear the last words of the stage manager.
"Geezy petes, theater kids don't do thing by half do they?"

[JonRG]

With trembling fingers, Jared reaches out and takes the pin. It's cool to the touch. He pins it to his shirt. It feels... right, somehow. "So... how will this help?"

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Prelude
Ted opens his mouth to speak and coughs. He catches it in his hand but you can see a little red in-between his fingers. He glares at the blood for a moment and then reaches up to take off his sunglasses. As he does you see yellow eyes, cut in half by a vertical pupil.
"Superpowers. You can take as long as you like to decide what kind. Superstrength is easy. Some of the other stuff is hard. Heck you can do a Ben Ten thing if you want. All you've got to do is take the pin."

[JonRG]

Jared tilts his head. "You okay?"

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Prelude
Ted chuckles and a little more blood lands on the window and on his shirt.
"Nah. But I'll do alright I think."

[JonRG]

Jared nods, though he seems unsure. He fidgets in his seat while he thinks. "Weeeeeeeell... I'd wanna be super strong, and super fast, and fly or jump super high or something. I dunno. I haven't thought about this in, like, ages. Superpowers aren't yanno, real." Jared thinks of the wide-eyed man with the gun. "Say, do you know how to stop bullets? It... might come up, kinda soon." He scratches the back of his neck.

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Prelude
"Yeah I got something for that. Not sure about bullet proof but I can make you bullet less agitated. Wanna be able to break stuff?"
AS a little more blood stains Ted's teeth the gas station stutters behind him. There is a single strobe like second of motion.

[JonRG]

"Sure!" Jared's enthusiasm turns to fear when Ted's power stutters.

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Prelude
As the fear falls across Jared's face Ted look first confused then concerned. Glancing back at the gas station to double check he mutters under his breath in a language that makes Jared's ears burn just a little bit.
"Kid, I think I'm out of time. You're sure you're taking this deal?"

[JonRG]

Jared sets his jaw. Nods once. "I am."

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Prelude
"...You're a good kid, Jared. Try to stay one, alright?"
And with a slight smile and murky trick of the light, Ted is gone.

[Obscurejones]

In Brightest Day: Jared's Act One
The kidnappers are startled. The one in the white shirt starts to run out the door while the one in the cap stays to pay for their items. As he moves across the parking lots a weak scratchy voice hisses out of the air.
"Trunk."

[JonRG]

Jared hesitates. Then again... the kidnappers demanded he stay in the car. They didn't say anything about moving around in it. He reaches behind him for the strap that lowers the back seat. Quietly folds it down. For a thin boy, it's a simple matter to slide into the trunk and pull the seat shut behind him. Darkness. Now, all he had to do was wait for his chance to escape.

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Act One
In the thin sliver of light cast into the trunk, you see a few scant objects shining. A pair of fighter's gloves, seemingly woven of gold. A sleek leather jacket. A belt with a buckle made of the same symbol on his pin. And his very own superhero mask with shiny reflective lenses.

[JonRG]

"This... these aren't mine." The symbol on the belt catches his eye. He rubs the pin on his shirt. "Ted." Jared wraps the belt around his waist, dons the jacket, and slides the gloves on his hands. "Cool... Well, here it goes." Jared stares into the reflective eyes of the mask, then places it on his head. Waits to feel some change.

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Act One
As he wraps the belt around himself he feels a subtle shift in his feet, a solidity setting in, something hard edged and stony sprouting from the soles. When his fingers go out through the holes in the gloves his fingernails go black, growing just slightly, little black talons at the end of each finger. The Jacket brings on a bristly tensing in his hair, the few strands on his arms standing on end and the hair at the top of his head forming a rough mane. As the Mask slides over his eyes his tongue feels his canine's grow into short blunt tusks, barely still kept inside his mouth.

There's a rapping at the top of the trunk and a low growl from the man in the white shirt. You can hear the anger in his voice, but just beneath it is the quiet edge of fear. You could almost swear you can smell his sweat and feel his legs shaking just outside.
"Real cute kid. You've got about ten seconds to get in the goddamn car or your family's going to regret it."

[JonRG]

Jared's heart pounds in his chest. They were gonna hurt his parents! He had to-

No.

He stops. Lies down on his back.

In brightest day, in blackest night...

Puts one foot against the lid of the trunk. Then the other.

No evil shall escape my sight.

Jared tucks his knees tight to his chest.

Let those who worship evil's might...

Bad guy had just reached seven.

"Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"

Probably came out a bit muffled, but whatever. He drives his feet into the trunk lid as hard as he can, aimed at where he can hear the kidnapper's voice. The trunk fills with sunlight.

Okay, making this Strength + Athletics, because obviously. Full excellency because let's get dumb. Also, new font color for J-rad. Too many of my solars use DarkOrange. :smalltongue:

Strength+Athletics: [roll0]
Stunt: [roll1]

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Act One
Screech.

Whoosh.

Slap.

Crunch.

...Bleeding noise?

With a twist of his spine, Jared lands on his feet in the trunk of the now severely damaged car. At first the location of the thug threatening him isn't obvious. Then he sees the hood lying on the cement next to the car, and the thin trickle of blood coming out from under it. And sees the face shaped imprint in the metal. And hears the muted groan of one severely ruined day. Walking out of the store the second kidnapper frowns. Takes a piece of jerky from one of his bags. Takes a bite.
"Huh."

[Obscurejones]

Alas poor Hayley, I knew her well: Tragedy's Act One
The sun is pouring in through your window and it's starting to get annoying. The piercing light is going right through your eyelids, the heat boiling you in your own skin. You've already sweat through your sheets by the feel of it.

Only... This doesn't feel soft enough to be your bed. The little stones digging into your back would seem to say that you're outside. And in an instant as your eyes snap open and take in the noon day sun it all comes rushing back.

Brad Rockford killed you.

As you look around you see the shallow pool of brackish water that housed your corpse. And a few feet away... Is that a card table?

[Kell_tamer]

"eeuuugghhh"

She gets to her feet. She looks down at her torn and tattered clothing and sighs. She'll get new ones.

Stumbling around a bit she assesses her current state. Realizing she's.. alive, she finally addresses the elephant in the room. She walks over to the card table.

[Obscurejones]

Tragedy's Act One
The tragedy mask is beautiful. Porcelain, and as you turn it over in your hands you see the black iron backing behind the gleaming white. It calls to mind... Honestly you're a little reminded of your mother's ceramic covered cast iron cookware. But it's a beauty of a mask. The corners of the mouth seem to twitch and quiver as it catches the light.

The choker is a delight of woven silvery steel. Braided tentacles wrap and intertwine and grasp, drawing the eye to the object of their craven desires. You can feel the cold radiating from their grip, the throbbing black pearl that the scantest tips of the tentacles trap. As you peer into the pearl you can almost see another world reflected in its smooth depths.

Last and certainly least impressive is a plain yellow legal pad. The writing upon it is sparse and neat.

[Kell_tamer]

She sets the mask back down a moment and dons the choker. Why not? She loved getting presents from strange men!

It's never backfired... no sir!

She takes a moment to peer over the pad.

[Obscurejones]

Tragedy's Act One
In thin notes, the following:

William Shakespeare knows less then he lets on and is waiting in the Globe.
The voices are evil, but generally truthful.
The man who was going to make you disappear is named John Brockman.
You can still die. Try not to.

[Kell_tamer]

"Shakespeare? The Globe.... no it can't be... that's gotta be some kinda club... right?"

She sighs and picking up the pad and such makes her way from the shallow grave. She looks around her as she tries to make it to a main road. She looks over the pad for any other information it may have hidden in its notes.

[Obscurejones]

Planning to Play for Persephone: Dominque's Act One

There are no dreams. No images, no haunting music. There is light. Faint shining blue. It calms and soothes, the light coming in soft tones that seem to hum through your bones. You can feel it deep in your hair, like a bite of sushi with far too much wasabi. The light pours into you until none is left and it is forced to pour out again, shining through your eyes.

For the first time in a year, your alarm wakes you. There sitting on your nightstand, the fiddler's pin. Beside it a set of car keys, and a simple white notepad.

[Obscurejones]

Tragedy's Act One
As she stares at the notes there is a shooting pain that throbs out from her temples, settling into daggers behind her eyes. A soothing female voice rings in your ears.
"Thank you for choosing Ophidian Industries for your post mortal experience. We have been instructed to provide the following... Enjoy, and thank you again for your business."
The pain erupts into a series of images. You see Brad, speaking to his father. You see his father on the phone. You see his father's sigh of relief. And you see Brad in school. Chatting with the girl who was your understudy in the play. There's that same winning smile that he had for you just days before.

[josienoms]

Old habits die hard. When she wakes, she hits the clock with clumsy hands. But when she opens her eyes, she sees them... whole. The fingers flex at her command, the scars are gone. She gets dressed, and attaches the pin to her shirt. Her eyes fill with tears as she picks up the car keys. This can't be real. But apparently... it was. Her could be hers again.

She looks over the notepad, then heads out to find what she assumes is a new car. Something to replace the one she lost that night. Confidence and knowledge that she never knew before are in her mind. She'll never crash a car again.

[Obscurejones]

Dominque's Act One
The notepad's message is simple.
"Your landlady will forget you by noon. She liked you as a person but didn't care for the music. Thankfully your new bank manager is a fan. Your new debit card is in your glove box."
The car is gorgeous. A deep black... No. Midnight blue. The color of the sky just as the stars come out. Somewhere deep in the back of your mind you hear the dulcet tones of Ricardo Montalban. Rich. Corinthian. Leather.

[josienoms]

"Great."

She rolls her eyes as she tosses the note aside. She packs up what she needs, and abandons the rest. She runs her hand along the side of the car, appreciating the beauty and power of the machine. Luckily, the deal included a new place to live. She gets inside and starts the engine.

She had somewhere to be.

[Obscurejones]

Dominque's Act One
At first there seems to be something wrong with the car. When she turns the key... Nothing. But the moment her foot touches the accelerator the car glides into traffic, slipping between other cars like a series of stationary objects. For a few minutes she simply exults in the control. In the feeling of being back behind the wheel. The giddy feeling flees in a cold shock as she realizes her destination. Just silently as it began the drive comes to a stop at the wrought iron gates of the cemetery.

[josienoms]

"Oh no..."

Nearly against her will, she gets out of the car. The same familiar paths are laid out before her. She'd gone this way hundreds of times before, and could still do it with her eyes closed. She kneels at the grave, the wilting bouquet of roses from her last visit still sitting there.

"Caroline... I'm so sorry."

She takes a stick and draws a circle around the grave, then takes off the pin and pricks her finger.

"I can only hope this works."

A single drop of blood wells up on her fingertip. She silently begs to no one in particular, and allows the drop to fall onto the grave.

"Caroline Nicole Kilrain."

Clouds gather in the sky.

"Caroline Nicole Kilrain."

Lightning flashes overhead.

"Caroline Nicole Kilrain!"

She tosses back her head and screams her desperate hopes to the black sky.

[roll0]

[Obscurejones]

Dominque's Act One

There is a girl at the bottom of a cliff who could tell you the words that will not spring to mind. That life is a tale told by an idiot. That it is full of sound and fury. That it signifies nothing. It would seem that death is no different, regardless of the parlor tricks given to you by the man in the black suit.

There is lightening. There is thunder. But you see not sign of Caroline. You do not feel her touch. Not a glimmer of her voice.

You would rage it it wasn't so... Pointless. So exhausting. You are made new but for what purpose? What point is this new life without her?

As the last traces of hope flee... The final senses make their claim. A hint of perfume reaches out to caress the mind and it is as if she is there beside you. And beneath the scent a taste of pomegranates. This sparks a trace, your mind filling with knowledge that was never yours before.
Int + Occult if you please, miss.

[Kell_tamer]

Tragedy.. why did she know that was what she was called now? Whatever...

She sighed. Removing the stone from her choker she looked in it again. She saw another world through there, maybe she could find her way to it. She looked between it and the notepad for some semblance of instruction. She felt an intense energy in her. Intense but full of malice. She just had no god damned clue how to use it.

[josienoms]

Pomegranate. Why was that familiar?

[roll0]

[Obscurejones]

Tragedy's Act One
In the reflections of the pearl she sees smoke and shadows. Something subtle slips past her over her shoulder over and over again.
Perception and either Awareness or Investigation depending on stunt.
Dominque's Act One
As her mind makes connections, shades dance before her eyes. A young woman dancing in a field of flowers. A man lunging up from beneath the ground, carrying her away. The same young girl, with a banquet of food laid out before her. She sweeps the dishes aside, but grabs a scant few seeds. A calender, split into two periods, winter and summer.

[josienoms]

"Persephone..."

Is that to be the deal, then? Caroline can only come to the world of the living during certain months? If that's true, then it's better than nothing. And nothing could stop her from going into the world of the dead.

[Kell_tamer]

Tragedy blinks and takes a deep breath. She focuses on this She listens to the voices.

5 dice [roll0]

stunt if any [roll1]

[JonRG]

Jared hesitates. This wasn't how it went on TV. The bad guy didn't just stand there and eat beef jerky. It wouldn't be heroic to just punch somebody like that. "Hal Jordan of Earth, the Viceroy of Demrak VII claims that when we assigned you to these critical peace negotiations, you punched him in the face. Is this true?"

"Uh, no sir. I punched the viceroy in the stomach. Then I headbutted him in the face."

That settled it. If you were enough of a dirtbag, then it was totally okay to punch you. No matter what you were doing. Green Lantern said so, and when was he ever wrong? Jared kicks off the pavement. Winds his little fist back and slams it into the bad guy's face, er stomach. Less likely to hurt him too bad that way.

Attack!: [roll0]

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Act One
With surprising grace, the large fellow steps to the side, taking another bite of his beef jerky.
"You should relax kid. Take a step back. Wait. Maybe take a deep breath."
Tragedy's Act One
In the faint reflection of the pearl Tragedy sees herself plummeting over and over again. At the edge of the pool she landed in she sees a small monument of stone and iron.
[In Commemoration of the Death of Hayley.]
Dominque's Act One
As Dominque ponders the meaning of her vision her pin twists itself into a new configuration. A lyre attached to her clothes.

[josienoms]

"Goddammit, no... Orpheus."

She shrieks her pain and frustration at the sky. She sold her soul for a chance, and it didn't work. She hates herself for expecting anything less, and for being so stupid.

If anyone walked by the grave, they wouldn't notice her tears, masked by the rain that began to fall.

[Obscurejones]

Demon in a Bottle: Lucy Morgensten's Prelude
There is a smell that hangs in hospitals. It's not death. At least not directly. It's not the must of a fresh corpse. No, it's almost worse then that. It's an antiseptic sting. A faint burn that suffuses the nostrils. It clings to every surface. It sticks to your hands and clothes when you duck outside for a breath of fresh air. There's a little hint in the back of your head that lets you know that it's going to stick. It'll be faint and subtle but for weeks, months, you'll catch a whiff of it off your coat. Minding your own business, working on a case, and then right back here.

You might need to burn this coat to get rid of the smell.

It's almost a relief when someone sits next to you and his cologne breaks through the smell. The relief turns to disgust as his scent settles into the air. He smells like eggs that have been left sit out for too long. But even that scent is drowned out when a puff of sweet smoke glides over. Is he? Smoking? In a hospital? The hell?

"...You ever listen to Mitch Hedburg? Had a great joke about alcoholism. He said, Alcoholism is a disease. But it's the only disease you can get yelled at for. Dammit Otto you're an alcoholic! Dammit Otto, you have Lupus! One of those doesn't sound right."

[ChaosArchon]

Lucy coughs, she hated smoking, always did. The smoke always seemed to stick in her nostils long after whatever slowly dying fool who breathed had left. Nevertheless it would be nice to have someone to talk to, at this time of night it was a rare sight to see a nurse, let alone another person not working here.

She rubs her eyes and sniffs,"I'm sorry, do I know you Mr...."

[Obscurejones]

Lucy Morgensten's Prelude
The man sitting next to you reaches over to shake your hand. You can see that the edges of his black suit are tattered and torn. The dull brown stain at the edges of his white shirt look like old blood. His cuff links however, are immaculate, shiny, and new.
"Wilson. Bill Wilson. Pleasure to meet you, Lucy."

[ChaosArchon]

Lucy sighs but nevertheless, it pays to be polite. For all she knew he could be a detective with some new details on the case.

So she grabs Bill's hand and shakes it,"Lucy Morgenstern, but you seem to already know that so how can I help you Mr. Wilson?"

[Obscurejones]

Lucy Morgensten's Prelude
"To be brutally honest I don't think you can. I'm not sure anyone can. But I can help you. I can help you help your father. I can help you try to fix him."
He lets out another puff of smoke and you place the scent. Burning hemp.

[ChaosArchon]

Lucy raises an eyebrow but snorts derisively with a resigned look on her face,"I doubt that. I don't think there's a power in the world that can stop him from drinking... she sighs,"Hell if he would just learn to honor her in some way other than emptying enough bottles to start a bottle factory it would be a miracle."

[Kell_tamer]

Tragedy grumbles and continues making her way to a major street. She needed to figure out ... really when she was.

She made her way toward the road and threw her hand up to anyone driving by, just looking to get a ride back into the town.

[JonRG]

Jared steps back. Then drives forward again, little fist aimed at the bad guy's jaw. The sunburst on his forehead glows even brighter.

Three-quarters excellency. Yanno, ish.

Attack: [roll0]

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Act One
Taking another step back the kidnapper drops his bags to raise his hands, palms out.
"No need for all the violence. And if that-"
He nods to the pool of blood leaking out under the car's trunk.
"- is any indication, then even one of these is gonna lay me out. Might even kill me. So hows about we stop and talk for a moment?"
Tragedy's Act One
As her arm stretches out an aspect of Tragedy's change becomes readily apparent. Striking blue veins stand out highlighted against porcelain skin. The fluid pulses with an electric intensity, almost seeming to glow. The same gentle voice chimes in her ear.
"Ophidian Industries prides ourselves in being the industry leader in dynamic transformations, complete with power specific branding. Your branding keywords include: Deep Waters, Blood, Banshees, and Mirrors. We would suggest investigating the nearest reflective surface in order to advance to your Ophidian Brand shadow hideaway."
Lucy Morgensten's Prelude
"And it's a shame what it's doing to you. Or at least what it will do. Fun fact. ADA's have **** for power. Oh sure, you're in the trenches fighting the bad men. But you don't get to decide which bad men to go after. Can't marshal the troops, really. You need a politician for that. And no one's voting for someone with a drunk in their family tree. He ain't heavy only worked for Carter."

[Kell_tamer]

Tragedy looks at her veins and blinks...

"huh..."

She glances around for anything reflective before making her way back to her shallow water grave and looking in.

[JonRG]

Jared looks askance at the kidnapper. "Fine. Talk." He's glad for the mask, how it hides the angry tears welling in his eyes.

[ChaosArchon]

Lucy's eyebrow continues to be raised,"What it will do to me? Now how would you know that Mr. Wilson? How about you cut to the chase and ask me what you've came to ask because I doubt you're just here to commiserate with me on the state of my life."

[josienoms]

She'd find a way. It might take a while, but she would find a way to get her back. In the meantime, she wipes her eyes and stifles her tears. There was still work to do.

She gets into the car, her instincts, or perhaps Fate, guiding her to another place important to her past. To the place where she lost everything.

To the tree.

[Obscurejones]

Jared's Act One
He keeps his hands up, pointing to his co-conspirator when he comes up. You notice that he points using two fingers.
"...I know you want to hit me. I understand, for what it's worth. But if you and I go the full three rounds that guy you walloped is going to bleed out. I can get him to a hospital in time if I go now. You can still chalk up the win, and no one dies. Sound fair?"
Lucy Morgensten's Prelude
"...Hell above and heaven below, no one ever enjoys the patter these days. Fine. I can give you the tools to change your father. To put him on a new path. One that'll give you both power."

[JonRG]

Jared scuffs a sneaker against the pavement. Clenches his teeth. "Go," he snaps, stepping aside. "But I catch you anywhere near Ricky, and you won't walk away next time." With another flash of sunlight, Jared streaks off into the distance, searching for a secluded spot where he can wait for this frickin' sun glow to stop.

Deploying Lightning Speed. Zoom!

[ChaosArchon]

Lucy frowns a bit, power... power sounds nice, but it is never given. It always incurs a cost, one way or another. "Are you familiar with the works of Edward Abbey? He was an early twentieth century author who is known for saying that power is always dangerous, power attracts the worst and corrupts the best. So tell me Mr. Wilson, where's the danger? What do I have to give you for the power you claim to offer?"

[Obscurejones]

Lucy Morgensten's Prelude
"Oh, it'll absolutely make you go crazy eventually. Byproduct of selling your soul. But nothing's free. And if you're careful it won't spillover. You'll suffer. But you'll be given a chance to make the world better. To effect real change. Or, you can watch your dad's liver dissolve into a nice soup while you piss away your life sending black teenagers to jail because they had a joint that was more offensive then mine. Your call."
Jared's Act One
The man starts to reach for his pocket, but stops a few inches away.
"This is my phone. If I pull it out I need you to not... Murder me. Understood?"
Dominique Parker's Act One
People think of scars as being unique to their species. Granted a few cartoon lions have them, but humans have a fairly egocentric veiw of pain. But trees? Trees can scar. Great ugly knots of rent bark and twisted wood.

You remember this tree's scar. The great ugly tear that pulled her out of your life. But now it's gone. The tree is healthy and whole. As if it had regrown from a sapling. As if you had never killed her.

[josienoms]

Dominique gets out of the car, and walks to the tree. She runs her hand over the newly repaired bark, still in shock and disbelief that it wasn't how she remembered. Not that she wanted it to be the same, obviously. She wasn't quite sure what it meant, but she knew that things were sure to be different.

"I can give you an Underworld..."

The man in the black suit's words ring in her ear, and she instinctively knows what to do. She goes to the trunk of the car, and pulls out the big mirror that used to hang in her bedroom, the one she shared with Caroline. It's one of those big mirrors, the full length ones that show your whole body. She sets it at the base of the tree, and pricks her finger with the edge of a knife. Using the blood, she traces the outline of the mirror, then draws a doorknob on the right hand side. She pours Essence into the metaphorical doorway, making it real.

A soft shimmer of blue light radiates from her body as she steps into the land of the dead.

[ChaosArchon]

Lucy narrows her eyes,"What kind of crazy are we looking at? Paranoid-schizophrenia? Delusions of grandeur? Messiah Complex? Suicidal depression? Sociopathic tendencies? And is it caused by these powers flooding or depleting my body of various chemicals when I use them, or does merely having the powers mean I'll eventually go insane?"

[JonRG]

Jared nods.

[Obscurejones]

Lucy Morgensten's Prelude
Bill waves his fingers at you in a generically spooky sort of way, like an overly tired stage magician just trying to get through the last show of the night.
"It's magic. Try not to over think it, Luce."
Jay-Rad's Act One
Reaching into his pocket he pulls out the bulkiest phone you've ever seen. It's boxy and heavy, like the phones all the rich jerks have in those old comedies your dad likes to watch with you. And what sort of cellphone still has an antenae? He presses a button, seemingly without dialing. Still, you can hear the phone ringing faintly.
"Hello? I need an Ambulance at the 7th Street Park and Pay. My friend's been hit by a car and needs medical attention. Send an ambulance. His name's Jack. Jack Gold. I'd hurry if I were you. I don't think he'll be here long."
With another button press the phone shuts off.
"...We good?"
Tragedy's Act One
The still water shows a clear clean reflection. It stands in contrast to the shadowy world half seen in the reflection of your pearl. Why, it almost looks as though you could walk through it.
Dominque Parker's Act One
The world you step into is a faint copy of the one you leave behind. It seems cloaked in static, an old high frequency relic barely reaching the television of your perception, showing a black and white movie filmed in the area. The buildings nearest to the site of the crash are broken down and crumbling, seeming to stay standing merely through force of will. They almost seem to sway gently in an unfelt breeze.

The Tree however... That stands in sharp relief, a monolith, scarred and twisted. Here is the tree of your nightmares. The damaged broken twisted wreck that you created. It seems to burst forth with a vibrancy that the rest of this world lacks.

[josienoms]

The trip is disorienting. It's like a ringing in your ear that affects all the senses. Once it passes, Dominique takes a deep breath of cold, dead air. She wasn't sure what she hoped to find here. But there was a chance she could find some answers, and she'd do whatever it took to get them.

She starts walking around the tree, remembering all too well every scar, every shattered branch, every shard of glass embedded in the bark.

"Maybe... Maybe she's here."

Even before the words leave her lips, she doubts they're true.

[Kell_tamer]

Tragedy looks at the pool a moment and reaches her hand to it. She seems to be trying to will the other side to be there. As she does, a circle opens upon her brow, and drips sanguine fluid upon the image....

And suddenly, she falls through...

[ChaosArchon]

Lucy grins,"Alright we can revist that topic later, I'll agree but first I want you to, as best as you can, guarantee that no matter what happens to me that my dad won't be negatively effected by this deal. There will be no ironic twist of fate where my power accidently flares up and him seeing it gives him a heart attack, or a mugger will just happen to go on a spree and kill him while I'm using these powers to further my own plans. There will be none of that ok? He's not Uncle Ben, he's my dad and beyond the allure of power, I'm making this deal to save his life. Alright?"

[JonRG]

Jared stands there, arms crossed. "For now."

[Obscurejones]

Tragedy's Act One
You fall through into a world devoid of light. The sun shining overhead, so bright and clear is muted and grey. The colors of the world fall away. But the water is still beautiful. What was a murky pool full of silt becomes a crystalline blue shrine to your death. Before it is a small monument of brass, a marker that reads 'Here she died, here she dealt, here she was reborn.'
Lucy Morgensten's Prelude
He seems to think about it for a moment and then shakes his head.
"Nah. This isn't... I can't tell you what's going to happen. I can give you the power. I can give you advice. But I can't determine the future. Not in my purview."
Dominique Parker's Act One
As she comes around to the rear of the tree she finds a path. Made of shards of glass and bent rods of steel set in a wooden base, it leads down, seeming to fall away into the earth.
Jared's Act One
He nods, and slowly puts away the phone.
"So... Yep."
Roll me the perceptive suite of your choice. I'd suggest something social, but I'll accept non social.

[ChaosArchon]

Lucy sighs and dryly says,"Well here's hoping magical powers aren't like in the movies. So how does this all work, do I get a magic ring containing ten thousand demons who each grant one wish, a wand with some hair in it, or do I have to have to swear punishment in the name of the moon? And how do we seal the deal? Sign a contract, a hand shake, or a game of chess?"

[JonRG]

Jared peers intently at the man. That... that didn't seem like the stuff people said when they were asking for an ambulance on TV, and criminals were notoriously tricky. He looks around, scanning for a quick exit in case something is up.

Wits+Integrity: [roll0]
Stunt: [roll1]

[josienoms]

She follows the trail, going down and into the earth.

[Kell_tamer]

"... huh...." She steps about and takes a breath. "such melancholy..." She begins walking toward where the road was on the other side. Her eyes scanning around.

[Obscurejones]

Tragedy's Act One
As she walks a scent floats to her across the air. It's a cheap tang, a sharp and stale all at once. Old sweat, spilled beer, the faintest hint of meat that's been blackened by a careless cook. It's a shockingly robust mix of light disgust, like the ground after a cheap carnival has come through town.
Dominque Parker's Act One
As she descends into the earth the roots of the tree arc up, forming a gateway. Inscribed within the arch in melted fibreglass, a warning.
'You who enter will face three challenges.'
Beneath it, stapled to the wall of the arch is a crumpled sheet of yellow paper, seemingly torn from a legal pad.
"Death, doom, etc. No liability, not our fault, etc. Good luck, you'll need it, or not, who knows?"
Lucy Morgensten's Prelude
"Well, you're robustly curious, I'll give you that. No need for anything fancy. You sign a piece of paper, basic contract, and I take a piece of your soul and leave something interesting in its place."
Jay-Rad's Act One
The criminal is staying surprisingly calm. He seems cool and collected, nothing out of place. But faintly in the air Jared can hear a subtle humming thump repeating over and over again. Like something out of one of Ricky's dad's war movies. That one with the weird orchestra music... Helicopters! That's what those are!

[ChaosArchon]

Lucy thinks for a second and nods, grinning with hungry eyes,"So where do I sign?"

[Kell_tamer]

Tragedy moves toward the scent. Figures there someone can tell her something of whats going on. It felt like weeks since she saw anyone other than the man in the suit.

[JonRG]

Jared grits his teeth. Stupid! Bad guy wasn't trying to help his friend. He was calling for more bad guys. Time to go, then. But first, gotta say something badass... "Y-you're a jerk!"

Not great, but good enough. With that, he sprints away from the bad guy and the schwucka-schwucka-schwucka noises.

Time to go. Lightning Speed. Gotta go fast.

[josienoms]

"How Melodramatic."

She rolls her eyes and enters!