The Summer Job(MH2 IC thread)

[Snacs]

The Summer Job

Link to the OOC thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?534388-The-Summer-Job-(-Monster-Hearts-2)-OOC)

The BuyMart hunched in its parking lot like an elephant at the zoo, all grey concrete and purple signage penned in by cheap metal fencing. The parking lot was about half full of the usual soccer-mom vans, cheap econo-boxes, and fading, mud-splattered pickups. The air was muggy and still, humid with mid-August's grip. The sun was starting to set, and the worst of the after-dinner rush had fled.

Luckily the BuyMart's AC was working, churning deep, bee-hive buzzing just underneath the bland music on the PA system. Frank Kreecher was over in electronics, helping Mary Chin and Thomas Frederickson build a display of air-conditioners. Well, Frank was building the display. Thomas was pretending to work while complaining about customers and trying to flirt awkwardly with Mary.

Victoria, meanwhile, was stuck at the cash registers up front with Georgia, who was, horrifyingly, of all things, having to sell cigarettes and a box of wine to her own Mother. "Can't you get that boss o' yours to bend the rules and let you bring this **** home for me? Not like his people ain't gettin' away with it anyway." She was saying, just a bit too loudly for comfort. Which left Alfred Hemmings giving Victoria a cocky grin as he and a couple of his podunk friends set down a couple six-packs with a thunk and the rattle of glass next to her.

"'Sup Vicki, hook us up? That kill-joy Kreecher's over by electronics, and I won't kiss and tell."he waggled his pierced eyebrows suggestively, which had his flunkies snickering like jackals. One of them kept watch, lounging casually against the cart-rail behind him-And he'd already popped open one of the beers. He gave Jacob stocking shelves in the nearest aisle a broad, challenging grin, as if daring him to say or start something.

[Ezeze]

"Doesn't matter what we think the rules should be" was Georgia's cool response.

"These cash registers know we aren't 18 yet, and won't let us sell booze."

That was a lie. Technically it was illegal in this state for someone under 18 to sell alcohol, but the cash registers couldn't tell who was manning them and weren't smart enough to do anything about it if they could. Neither Alice nor Alfred needed to know that, though, as long as Victoria and Jake kept their mouths shut.

Either way, Georgia leaned over and flipped the 'help needed' switch next to her register - the one that set the big number '8' to blinking, letting the manager know she needed assistance. "I'm going to need to call a manager."

[roll0]
[roll1]

Edit: Mom loses a string on me.
Alfred doesn't have a string on me, so I'll gain one on him instead. He gets to give me a condition.


Strings
Jake I
Mary II
Alfred I

Conditions

Experience
0

[Raine_Sage]

Jake had been hoping the summer job would be a relatively uneventful stretch of time but every time Alfred came in with his gang it got his back up something terrible. He was just trying to do his job here and concentrate on the shelves when he heard the telltale hiss of a bottle opening and he looked over to see one of Al's cronies just sitting there with the biggest **** eating grin on his face and Jake could feel a flush coming to his face because frankly the absolute nerve....

"Hey now gettin a bit ahead of yourself aren't you? It don't really matter how good the fake ID is when everyone in the county knows you're still in highschool." he remarked in an almost conversational tone. "I mean, your choice obviously, but I wouldn't."

[Mr. E]

Mary leans in to pick up another box of dubious quality electricals. That man is trying her patience, to say the least. She shuffles around Frank, so that Thomas is on the other side of the manager. 'That should slow him down a little. At least, it better do, or I'm going to 'accidentally' drop one of these boxes on his toes.' she thinks, her embarrassment slowly turning towards anger.

Smiling slightly unnaturally, she drops the box on top of the display. The sooner Mary can get back away from Thomas, the better she'll feel.

Roll to shut someone down (Thomas): [roll0]

[spinningdice]

Victoria's eyes linger a little too long on Alfred, until Georgia speaks up and calls for assistance, before she finally shrugs non-commitedly "Management's already on it's way, out of my hands, as my colleague says, I'm not even allowed to scan it.".
Her gaze moves to Jacob as he intercedes, but she quickly looks away. That one was already too close, don't give him any more encouragement.


Victoria's heart isn't really in shutting down Alfred right now, she's bored and getting hungry, seems like getting on his good side might lead somewhere a little less boring, but she's also conscious she's in public at the moment

[Snacs]

Alfred doesn't have a string on me, so I'll gain one on him instead. He gets to give me a condition.
Gain the 'Buzzkill' condition.



Normally I'd have you roll to shut him down, but I'm gonna call for the sake of simplicity's sake(and having to avoid waiting for a secondary roll) that Ezeze's shut down of Alfred was enough to get the cronies attention anyway.


"Woah, total Buzzkill. Come on girl, I know BuyMart ain't that caring about who buys what." He looked pissed, glaring at Georgia, though his eyes flicked towards the blinking light now on top of her register. He cursed under his breath, but recovered, giving Victoria a rakish, leering grin.

"Well, too bad about the stiff ruining our fun. Always good seeing you Vicki."he reached out blindly and slapped his follower upside the head, causing him to spill his beer over his arm. "Come on folks, we'll have to take our business elsewhere." He tried to act cool, but he was moving already, glancing warily back towards electronics. His friend shook his arm to get the suds off it, stuck the beer(still open and dripping) into its cardboard package on the belt, and hustled after the rest of the pack with a guilty look back at Jacob.

"Really, my own daughter can't bend the rules a little."Alice grumbled, though it was lower and chastened now. She rested a slim hip on the register counter and watched Alfred and his cronies clamber up into his pickup through the broad glass sliding doors. It ripped to life and the rest of his crew in the bed whooped and hollered as it peeled out with a squeal, fat tires narrowly dodging a sedan.

Frank set one of the air conditioners down on the display with a small sigh. "Keep going guys, looks like I'm needed up front."He gave Mary a small smile and headed up the aisle in long, easy strides.

"Alfred again?"He asked Jake on his way, seeing the boys expression. "You can stop there for now, go help Mary and tom with the displays." He shook his head but moved on, stepping up besides Georgia with every hint of professionalism.

"Ms. Stewart"

"Hello Frank." Alice glanced between her daughter and her daughter's boss, but she was mostly subdued as Frank swiped her through, saying little but glaring at her daughter ineffectually.

"Grab something for dinner on your way home Georgia"She shot over her shoulder.

And then there was a lull, a small, blissfully long stretch of no customers yet at the registers for Victoria and Georgia. Which was good, since beer had dripped across the belt of Victoria's register.

---------------

If Thomas gave any sign of noticing Mary's discomfort, he didn't show it. And once Alfred left, it wasn't long before he was trying to stand nice and close. His hand rested on mary's shoulder as he leaned over, an excuse to breath in against her hair while he put the next box up on the display. Gross.

"You know Mary, I got a new sound system using the employee discount. We could watch some B-movies after work..."He leaned closer, trying to look casual by resting an elbow on one of the boxes, missing it on the first try and almost tripping into her.


[roll0]

[spinningdice]

Victoria stares at the sprayed beer, eventually sighing, leaning over to Georgia "Georgia, do you mind grabbing some towels, I've just done my nails this morning." she favours Georgia with a slight smile and looks at her with those eyes.

[Ezeze]

Georgia made a 'tch' sound by sucking a bit of air between her teeth, managing to imply that something like that was beneath her.

"Just drop it to the side. One of the boys on night shift can clean it up later." She says nothing else for a second, then adds "-oh wait, actually" She leaves her own register to stand next to Victoria. Then she reaches around her, practically pressing flush against her for a moment, to grab the already opened beer from the case. Before Victoria can stop her Georgia puts the beer can to her lips and takes a long gulp, nearly draining it.

"They were going to have to throw it out anyway" she smirks.

[roll0]


I'm of the opinion that this should resolve her "Buzzkill" condition. Yea or nea?
Strings
Jake I
Mary II
Alfred I

Conditions
Buzzkill

Experience
0

[Raine_Sage]

"Thank you sir." Jake finished shelving one last bottle before setting aside the empty crate and heading to the back to help Mary. Though honestly Thomas wasn't a much better trade for Alfred all things considered, especially since by the time Jake got back there he could already see the creep drooling over an obviously uncomfortable Mary which bothered Jake on several levels.

"Hey Tom leave some room for Jesus why don't you?" Jake called out in a deceptively good natured tone, playfully echoing back the words of many a beleagured chaperone that had been directed at him on more than one occasion. "How's the poor girl supposed to get any work done if you're breathin down her neck?"

Of course what he really wants to do is deck the guy right in his creepy face, but that's a good way to get very very fired. Instead he glances over at Mary. "Just tell him to quit it, won't kill the guy to hear no every once in a while."

[Mr. E]

Thomas's hand touches her shoulder and Mary pretends to stumble, as if surprised by this sudden intrusion to her privacy. Stepping backwards, she slams the heel of her sneakers down on Thomas's toes. There's a satisfying visceral nature to foot stamping, and it could still be construed as an unfortunate accident. 'What I'd really like is a way to 'accidentally' kick him in the nuts, but I think that might be a bit hard to pass off as a mistake.'

Stepping away from Thomas, she turns to face him. There's no way she's letting him get behind her again. She listens to Jake's comments, then goes to pick up another box of electricals. 'I know he's trying to help, but I wish he'd not try and tell me how to handle my problems. Still, better overly helpful, than complete prat, I suppose.'

Still trying to shut Thomas down.

[roll0]

I give him a condition, but he gives me one in return.

[spinningdice]

Victoria licks her lips as Georgia leans over her, it would be so easy to bite her from this position and then breathes a sigh of relief as she walks back away.

"I doubt anyone would notice if you just took the full case, they'll likely end up in the trash sooner or later."

[Ezeze]

Yeah, sure. Georgia reaches around Victoria once again to grab the 6-pack (5-pack?). With ease born of practice she drops it into a grocery bag, then she picks up that back and drops it into a second bad, effectively hiding the contents. She grabs the handles of that bag and brings it back with her to her own register and hides it near her feet so that she can take it with her when shift ends.

[Raine_Sage]

Jake can't help grinning as Mary comes down on Thomas' foot and he backs off. That's definitely one way to do it. He goes over and hefts one of the air conditioning units up with relative ease and starts helping with the display, reaching up to handle the taller bits that Mary might not be able to reach easily in the meantime.

"You missed Al and his gang makin a mess up front again. I'm not sure how he hasn't been banned from the store yet. I guess Frank's just a patient guy, but I swear half the time they just come in to hassle the employees." he says conversationally, glancing over at Mary to see if she's willing to pick up the thread of conversation. "Can't remember the last time I saw 'em actually buy anythin."

[spinningdice]

"You know Georgia, perhaps if you're not in too much of a rush to get home to mommy, we could find somewhere to drink those, assuming we survive this shift. Victoria smiles in a way that is inviting and predatory in equal measure. "Just for a little girl talk you know, my room-mate is so very boring."

Not really my type, and her heartbeat is off, but maybe...


Save my string for now, and 'simply' try and turn her on [roll0]

[Ezeze]

Holy crap, Georgia. Don't mess this up.

Georgia grinned.

Sure. Sounds cool.

Nailed it!

[Snacs]

Thomas glares at Jake over Mary's head-which contorts into one of brief, shocked pain when the girl steps back. He yelps, hopping slightly in place.

"Bit--I mean, ow, hey, where'd you learn to dance?"He tries to recover smoothly, though it only comes out with a dripping-creepy edge to the words as a fake smile plasters across his face. He rolls his eyes at Jacob, completely unaffected by the teen's admonishment.

"Whatever Jake. Why don't you just go and lift something heavy instead of talking? You know, play to your strengths." He makes a shoo'ing motion with one hand at the taller boy, giving Mary a look that say 'some guys, am I right?' without getting the irony.


Gain the 'Hard to Get' condition. Give him a condition.



Thomas gains a string on you. Give him a condition please.

[spinningdice]

Victoria turns back to her till, evidently considering the conversation over. She peers over towards the sudden yelp that comes from the back of store, though can't see anything much from where she is.

[Mr. E]

'He still thinks I want to flirt with him? How much more obvious can I make it. And Jake just talks and talks and talks and talks. All these words, and people and stuff. Why won't they leave me alone? At least the library, for all its flaws, is nice and quiet.' Mary grabs another box and dumps it on top of the display. Time to change tactics. If I can't dissuade him, maybe I can just leave.'

She steps back, looks up at the display as if measuring it, then turns to Jake. "This," she says, just loud enough to be heard, "is big enough." Turning on her heel, Mary stalk-shuffles away. Leaving electricals, she heads in the direction of the checkouts.

I'll leave Thomas with the condition "angry embarrassment." Trying to bring the group back together, to avoid the pairing off issue discussed earlier.

[Raine_Sage]

"I ah, yeah probably?" Jake just watches her shuffle off looking confused and a little hurt. Did he say something wrong? Of course it's always a little hard to tell with Mary but cold, short, and curt is usually a pretty reliable indicator of annoyance. Unlike Tom (who is failing not to look smug at Jake getting shut down just as hard) he can take a hint though. He just turns back to the display, nudges a few things into place to make sure it won't fall over, and gives it a once over. Yeah this is probably good enough.

Halfheartedly he checks his watch, but his shift is nowhere close to over. This feels like it's going to be a long day, might a well get back to those sodas. The registers look more or less deserted, not many people out today, but at least Georgia and Victoria look like they're getting along alright.

[Mr. E]

Mary has a nasty suspicion that she’s going to feel bad about Jake later. It probably wasn’t fair to take out her anger on him. Even if he is loud and opinionated and forever trying to get me to do stuff, that was a bit mean. Still, I’m not going to deal with it now. Why do that, if I can put it off till the last possible second? Wandering back to the checkout area, she looks round, then goes to grab a mop and bucket. Humming to herself, Mary mops back and forth around the checkouts and the aisles.

A new train of thought occurs to her as she lets her mind wander. Why does Jake care, anyway? I mean, he let me slide by, as everyone else does, and then he suddenly started to take an interest in me. It’s kinda creepy, although he’s got nothing on Thomas. I suppose I could do a little checking, if I want.

People, emotions, actions. They leave scars on the world. Places where people fought, or cried, or laughed together have a residue of what once was. Most of the time, it’s barely visible, just dust in the breeze. Big events, or repeated emotions, those I can sense. Hear voices, see things out of the corner of my eye. Even bigger events leave scars that even ordinary people can feel. A coldness or a feeling of fear, inexplicable by any scientific reasoning. And the biggest scars? Well, I have a feeling the biggest scars might be me…

Mary looks both ways, then peers through the gaps in the metal shelving at Jake. Looking at him, she closes her eyes, extending her mind outward. Finding the tangled mess of emotions that makes up a teenager, she traces his scars back, looking for a link or connection. To any person who is surreptitiously watching, Mary’s body goes rigid. A cold breeze blows down the corridor, and condensation forms on the metal shelving. Water drips from her hands and hair, splashing on the ground.

Y'know, its an interesting dramatic challenge, trying to play a loner character who shuns social interaction, in such a way as to provoke the social interaction at the core of monsterhearts. "If all else fails, do creepy stuff" seems like a fair bet though.

Rolling to gaze into the abyss: Question: why is Jake suddenly interested in Mary?

[roll0]

[spinningdice]

Victoria looks up as Mary and Jacob return, both looking uncomfortable, Victoria wonders momentarily if they'd been doing... something together, but no - that's not it. Probably just a run-in with the creep back there.

She resumes staring at the clock, trying to will it to move faster.

[Raine_Sage]

Jake finds the shelf he left more or less finished, but with Frank nowhere in sight. Honestly that man needs to wear a bell, he's so easy to lose track of. He runs down a mental checklist of what else he was supposed to do today. He knows there was a seasonal summer display that needs setting up but that's definitely not going to take the remaining four hours of his shift to do. He decides to just take a breather for a moment and approaches Victoria and Georgia at the registers.

"Hey so how long are y'all in for anyway?" he asks conversationally, with that cute crooked grin of his. "I guess I should've expected this place'd be pretty slow on a weekday but man if I'm not runnin out of things to do."

[Ezeze]

Georgia had been trying to stay cool - which in this case meant diligently, resolutely paying no attention whatsoever to Victoria. This was a difficult task when they were the only two people at the front of the store, and she was so focused on it that she practically jumped when Jake spoke to them.

She did her best to pretend it hadn't happened, answering Jake's question conversationally;

"I'm working 'till 11, when night shift comes in."

"If the only options are boredom or dealing with useless people, I'd prefer to be bored all night."

She didn't bother to elaborate on whether 'useless people' referred to Alfred, her mother, or both.

[spinningdice]

Victoria nods "Same here, on both counts." Victoria tries to hide it, but she's uncomfortable looking Jake in the face and she instead stares at his chest for a moment, before thinking that may be worse and staring off over his shoulder somewhere. God what's wrong with me, if I had enough blood left I'd be blushing at him, I don't blush or pander - they do my bidding. she thinks... doesn't make it easier though. "Anything going on tonight?". The time between ticks of the clock seem to stretch out interminably.

[Raine_Sage]

"Heh looks like we're all stuck with the same hours then. Though I guess it beats the graveyard shift, if this place is quiet now I bet it's dead at night." He grins and leans against one of the empty conveyor belts. The pastel uniforms are dorky as hell but for a moment the cheap thin fabric seems to highlight his physique as it's stretched tighter over his chest. "That said I don't really have plans for tonight either. Why do you ask? Got somethin fun in mind?"

Since I sense the potential for shenanigans I'm going to roll to Turn Victoria On (georgia can react too but this is definitely mostly aimed at the vampire)

[roll0]

[Ezeze]

Victoria and I were going to have a girls' night Georgia interjects.

[roll0]

Strings
Jake I
Mary II
Alfred I

Conditions
Buzzkill

Experience
1/5

[spinningdice]

"Um, well I was planning on having a girly night with Georgia... but I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Victoria either doesn't notice Georgia's protests or ignores them... she does seem awfully distracted.

Wait, this was supposed to be an opportunity to get someone alone to feed, not a party... Why didn't I just say no!


This could qualify as shutting Georgia down [roll0]

[Raine_Sage]

"Really? I'd hate to invite myself along. We can always pick another day, it ain't like I'm goin anywhere. Besides I dunno how well I'd pull off nail polish...." Jake trails off as he feels the uncanny sensation that he's being watched by someone. And glancing back he see's Mary looking at him intently but something seems...wrong. The light feels distorted, like he's looking at her from underwater. Her complexion pallid, lips blue, eyes milky and sightless but boring into him all the same. Cold dread settles in the pit of his stomach like he's never felt before as the hair on the back of his neck stands on end.

And then he blinks and it's like nothing changed. The store looks normal, and Mary is gone. He can catch the faint scent of...pond water? But that feels like a reach and the more he tries to hone in on it the faster it fades. He brings a hand up to head head like he's checking his temperature. What was that? "You know on second thought I ain't sure I'm feelin so hot."

[Mr. E]

Mary traces the patterns back, looking for the link she's after. Well, there's certainly something wrong here. This mind - its weird. The emotions are all twisted, off-balance. Like there's something else in his head. And, oh - hang on. Oh crap... As she pries, Mary feels distortions, ripples in the pattern. Using her mortal eyes, she looks out and sees Jake staring at her. Panicking, she goes invisible. The girl steps through the nearest shelving unit then re-materialises out of sight. There is a loud clatter as her mop falls to the floor on the other side.

How the hell did he do that? He shouldn't be able to tell when I'm checking his life trail. What is he? Disturbed, Mary walks back past, picking up her mop and bucket. Acting casual isn't really her speciality, but she does her best. Taking a round-about route, she comes back round to mop around the check-outs. She's not going to try life trails after that, but she keeps a close watch on Jake from the corner of an eye.

[Snacs]

Oh boy you failed a Gaze roll doing something spoopy at work! Time for ¡¡HAPPENINGS!!



Mary's hand fades through the mop as she goes to pick it up, the world fading out of sight, and she tumbles through the nearest shelf-into water. Thick, warm water. Like blood. Her breath rushes out, and her lungs burn as they fill witht he cloying liquid-When was the last time she'd found it hard to breath? Light burns against her eyes, pressing up into her skull even through her eyelids, through her mouth and nose. She was full of the blinding silver radiance. The Light made a Sound, like a million trumpets. As if someone had struck a billion gongs all at once. Her hands find the surface- a surface at least. Cold air, sucking her up fast enough the blood/water freezes across her eyes, her nose, her mouth.

She splats against something hard and cool and(most importantly) thankfully solid and still.

"Mary? Are you alright?" Two strong hands grasp her shoulders and she's upright, lifted light as a sack of marshmallows and set leaning between two steel beams just under her arms. The bright light is now just the pallid incandescent burn of a flood light just above her. Frank Kreecher is studying her with a worried expression. The BuyMart is behind her, and her large, dark Boss is carefully brushing gravel and dirt off her shirt while his other hand keeps her upright. She's soaking wet and colder than she's ever been before, shivering.



It's fine for now, but Gaze doesn't have any mechanics that let you know when someone's Gazing at you from the Abyss. I'll roll with it because you got such a high number and Mary botched her roll-but next time wait for me to give you what you get :P



The world fades, vanishing rapidly into the distance. Jake is standing by the old Paddleboat dock at the Lake. There's a single, solid K-Thunk of something falling into the lake. Looking down, there's a body floating facedown in the water, ringed in the reflection of the moon. It's slight and female, though the face is hidden by the lake water. There's the spark of a match, and the wet squeak of rubber.

Walter Frank steps up besides Jacob, ignoring or not seeing the teen. he is dressed in a fisherman's rubber overalls, and he touches the match to the cup of a pipe, causing it to glow like a star as he takes a disgruntled puff.

"Well, T'ain't good fer me now." He sighs, and ambles slowly out of sight as the scene wavers, growing foggy and see-through. Soon Jacob is alone with the floating corpse. There's a gasp, and something breaks free from the body in the water.

Mary looks up-not at Jacob, but through him. At the moon still and serene above.

"W-what?" She whispers.


....Jacob spaces out for a half second, the incandescent lighting above suddenly harsh but warm. Georgia and Victoria are still talking. A customer bumps him- slapping down a thick beef chuck and a small box of wooden kebab skewers on Victoria's belt. Charles Hitchcock stares at Victoria unblinkingly for a moment, hunched slightly over the counter-top. He is dressed in a wrinkled black coat, stout boots and black wool gloves despite the August Heat.

"Paying with Cash, if you please."He states in a soft, somber voice that carries without undue volume. He waits, patiently, then begins to pay her one bill at a time. He watches her, carefully, while he counts. He finally pulls out a handful of change. He reaches out, grasping Victoria's hand and pressing the money into her palm. Almost immediately he lets go.

There's a faint pressure in her palm from the first few coins, then a burning sensation that runs up her forearm. It hurts, shocking her deadened nerves like an icepick in a root canal. The last time she'd felt that cold burn was accidentally picking up a piece of silverware. One of the coins, dead center in her palm is thicker than a normal coin, and heavy enough to outweigh the other coins. It sports Ben Franklin's head and is stamped '1950'.



Mark one Harm. Hitchcock gains a string on you. roll to Keep Your Cool in front of everyone.

[spinningdice]

Keep your Cool [roll0] Damn, ice cold.


Victoria doesn't flinch, though doesn't hold onto the money for long either, swiftly depositing it in the register. Looking Charles directly in the eyes she asks "Anything else I can help you with, sir?", careful to keep her palm tucked away, in case it does show any marks.

[Mr. E]

"I'm f-fine. Just got up too quickly. It's so hot outside." The temperature outside should have no impact her fainting inside, and the whole lie is a bit unbelievable, but Mary needs an explanation and she's not thinking clearly. Staggering slightly, she leans to one side. It's cold and it's hot and she feels the bile rise in her stomach as her mind reels and the sky seems to go from water to air, over and over and over.

"Oh god, I'm going to throw up!" Clamping a hand over her mouth, she makes a dead sprint for the bathroom. Those manning the checkouts will see an apparition of a running Mary, hurrying in the direction of the loos. A small rational part of her mind raises the objection that, as she's a ghost and doesn't eat, she doesn't have anything to throw up, and then goes back to hiding under the bed with its eyes shut.

[Ezeze]

Georgia shrugs. She isn't going to insist that Jake come if he is making mouth noises about backing out, but she doesn't want to come off as thirsty, either.

She settles on whatever you want to do, Jake.

Then doubles down on the 'I don't care' by whipping out her phone to check social media.


Question: What is going on out in the real world tonight?
[roll0]

[spinningdice]

A few minutes after Charles leaves (unless he's doing anything else), Victoria starts to get to her feet "Back in five." and heads towards the toilets.

Assuming Mary's has gone into a cubicle, Victoria looks at the mirror, before groaning and rolling her eyes at her distinct non-presence in it and inspects the damage to her hand.

[Raine_Sage]

Jake watches somewhat dazedly as Mary (or he thinks that was Mary anyway) bolts past to the bathroom, followed shortly by Victoria. He snaps out of it a little when he hears Georgia respond to him. "Huh? Oh um yeah. Might just go to the Marquee or somethin, you know, the usual..." he says though his mind is clearly elsewhere. But they're both alone right now, he might as well ask... "Hey uh, you notice anythin....odd 'bout Mary lately?"

[Ezeze]

Georgia looks up from her phone.

"You mean, odder than usual?" She studies Jake for a moment, debating how much to tell him. On one hand, it's a juicy secret and what is the point of having a juicy secret if you never tell? On the other hand, he might think she is crazy - or worse, take her completely seriously, dig deeper and find her juicy secret.

She reaches her decision quickly; don't tell him anything until she's got an idea how he'll react, and that requires asking more questions.

"Yeah, a little bit. I pay attention sometimes" - implying that she knows something will keep his interest - "why do you care?" - and that will shift the focus back to him. Hopefully.

[Raine_Sage]

"I dunno I just..." Jake doesn't quite know how to articulate what's off about Mary, how do you explain that someone doesn't have a scent when normal people wouldn't even notice that in the first place? "It's like a feelin I guess? Like she's barely even there. And I mean I've been tryin to be friendly when I see her because she just looks kind've nervous and alone most of the time, but I think I upset her somehow." He looks fairly put out by this thought too. The idea that in trying to be nice he might have inadvertently come across like Alfred or Thomas is deeply distasteful to him.

[Ezeze]

So I think that Jake should have rolled "hot" there, for reasons..... [roll0]

Georgia rolls one shoulder in a half-shrug. Sometimes people are so damaged they don't know what to do when someone is friendly.

[Raine_Sage]

Well hey I'll certainly take the experience. Now I'm curious about what a success there would have meant tho.

Somehow Jake feels like Georgia is speaking from experience there. "Well I mean, I'm no stranger to bein the weird outsider either. You of all people know that. And I know I certainly 'preciated you putting up with me durin it even if you were just there cause your mom dragged you along." He gives her an easygoing smile, referencing the failed and sputtering attempts between their respective parents to try and find common ground. "I'm sure you had things you'd rather be doin at the time. I guess I just kind of wanted to pay that forward you know?"

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair nervously. He can't get the image of mary, cold and dead in the lake, out of his head. Was that something that happened? Something going to happen? Is he just going nuts? Is this a werewolf thing, where you start seeing dead people? "I dunno do you think I should try and apologize or somethin? Would that be weird?" Regardless of how Mary feels about him though he feels like a trip to the library might be in order at some point, if nothing else looking up 'dead girl found in quiet lake' should yield results if there's anything to find about it.

[Ezeze]

Oh I think it would be very weird

[roll0]

Georgia turns her entire body towards Jake, regarding him coolly. She idly twirls a strand of hair in her off hand and lets her eyes rake over the man in front of her.

.... But I also think 'weird' suits you.

[roll1]

(ooc: Because mixed signals are fun, that's why!)

Edit: Since Jake doesn't have any strings on Georgia, she is going to go ahead and take one on him. Jake gets to give her a condition in return. Then I'll take xp from failing the "turn on" roll.

Strings
Jake II
Mary II
Alfred I

Conditions
Buzzkill
Tease

Experience
2/5

[Raine_Sage]

Georgia gets the Condition: Tease

She can see Jake flush a little, but it's hard to tell if he's embarrassed by the comment or pleased. "Heh well if you say so then weird it is."

[Snacs]

Frank doesn't try to stop her as she rushes into the bathroom. As she thought it's pretty hard for a ghost to throw up(Though she can eat if she really wants too-how does that even work?), but her ghost-body really tried. Dry-heaving for a couple minutes was just as unpleasant as actually throwing up.

Her Boss is. however, standing nearby when she comes out.

"Everything alright Mary?"



Social media is abuzz. After all it's Friday Night!. Alfred's having a party out by the lake, but like, Jessica decided tonight that a bonfire set up by her preppy jock-friends at the Lake was like, the thing to do. You'd think there'd be fights but apparently Jessica totally took the high road on this one and the two groups are sharing pictures of a couple big bonfires and just how bright the moon looks like tonight.

And that's what pulls at Georgia's attention the most. Simple, fuzzy pictures of legs stretched out on grass, with the moon hanging fat and heavy over the lake. It wasn't quite full yet, but something about the missing sliver of moon felt...wrong. Like something was hiding in every Imgur link, peering at her behind a dumb snapchat filter. Her skull pulses with her slow hearbeat, a dull throb just behind her ear where she'd struck it. When she'd lost a sliver of herself in a stupid slip that left her crumpled into her own bathtub. Something had blocked the bathroom light the way the moon's solid disk was cut. Something hovering nearby. Something in the bathroom with her.



Charles watches Victoria for a long moment, then actually harrumphs. "No, thank you kindly."He ropes his purchases and leaves.

[Ezeze]

Georgia doesn't comment on Jake's last remark, instead letting it hang in the air for a moment while she flips through a few more of the pictures on her phone. When she looks up again she holds up the phone to show him what she was looking at - a picture of a half dozen other high schoolers at a bonfire with a lake in the background.

If you wanted to make it up to Mary, maybe all four of us she includes Victoria, obviously could head out to this party when we get out? It's not a girls' night, and it's not a trip up to the Marquee, but I'm sure it'll be...

She pauses and flashes one of her rare smiles, sure signs that she's about to make an awful joke

Weird

(OOC: Spending my new string on Jake to tempt him to do what I want; help Georgia get Victoria and Mary to come out to the lake.)

Strings
Jake II
Mary II
Alfred I

Conditions
Buzzkill
Tease

Experience
2/5

[Mr. E]

That sucked. Mary pokes her head out of the cubicle, then sees Victoria. She really can't be bothered to deal with another person, so she goes invisible, then heads towards the door. About to go out it, she turns and sees the burn mark on Victoria's hand. It's round and a nasty bright red.

Mary, this is a bad idea. Mary, she probably wants to be alone. Mary, I'm sure she knows how to deal with burns and just isn't for some reason. Mary, you'll just offend her in some obscure way, or it'll be really awkward. Inwardly berating herself for her stupidity, she circles round till she's back in one of the cubicles, becomes visible and walks out. Coming up behind Victoria she leans over her shoulder (occasionally being tall has its perks). Dropping the plug in one of the sinks, she turns on the tap. "Cool your hand in the water."

I like Ezeze's idea for where to put stats.

Mary:
Experience = 2

Conditions;
Hard to Get
Traumatised

[Raine_Sage]

Jake glances at the phone curiously. He's really not sure about any party he knows Alfred is going to be at, he's not sure big group gatherings would be Mary's thing, and he's definitely not sure about mixing all of that with an almost full moon looming over head. But Georgia just made a corny joke and smiled at him and he really can't say no to that.

"Sounds like a plan. Count me in." he replies, grinning enthusiastically.

Waiting on Mary and Victoria to finish up in the bathroom before replying further. Don't want to get too far ahead.

[spinningdice]

Victoria moves out of line of sight of the mirrors as she hears the cubicle door open, moving to hide her burn apparantly a little too late.
"It's nothing really, so what's got you all riled up? Something going on with you and Jake?"


Does this count as tending my wounds? Not that I really need the assistance with only 1 harm

Also trying to keep Mary distracted, I imagine if it's anything like most bathrooms, a glance in the wrong direction and she's going to see Victoria's lack of reflection...

[Mr. E]

In response to Victoria's question, Mary shakes her head, the faintest curl of rueful smile on her face. So that's what it looks like, she thinks. Turning her mind back to Victoria's burn, she turns off the tap.

The basin half full of water. Mary dips a finger in, then shudders as the water seems to turn to blood under her hand. Whipping her hand out of the liquid, she shakes her head slightly, attempting to drive the visionary after-shock out of mind. Looking back, the water in the basin is just that, so Mary grabs Victoria by the wrist of her burnt hand. With her other hand, she goes to roll up the other girls sleeve. "It'll scar if you don't soak it."

Y'know, there's something I'm missing here. Something dead obvious. It's right in front of me, but I can't see it.

Just for clarity, the water didn't actually turn to blood. Mary's just messed up in the head.
Apparently also not good at spotting the really obvious either.

Conditions:
Traumatised
Hard to Get

Experience = 2

[spinningdice]

I wouldn't worry about me too much, it looks worse than it is, and despite my delicate looking skin - I don't scar easily. Victoria leans back into Mary slightly, letting her roll up her sleeve and bathe her hand. They're alone, she could feed so easily, she almost extends her fangs... but she doesn't feel the blood call to her. Why?
Was there some connection between them somehow, making her not want to harm her? Seems unlikely she barely knew her.
Was there something wrong with her blood - wait, she's not dying or something is she?
There was so much she didn't know about what she herself was, so frustrating...

Realising seconds have passed with her leaning back against Mary she pushes her away and pulls the plug from the sink, "We'd better get back"


Going to go against everyone else and not gaze into the abyss. a) she sucks at it, b) it'll be more interesting to reserve for actual research or use it as a "side effect" of feeding for Victoria I think, and c) it's getting a little overplayed this scene I think (not a complaint btw)

[Mr. E]

There's something satisfying about doing a job slowly and properly. Mary gently bathes Victoria's hand in water, adjusting herself to let the other girl lean more comfortably on her. She's sufficiently engrossed in her task as to not think how awkward this would look, should someone else walk in, until at least thirty seconds have passed. Stepping away from Victoria as the water drains out of the sink, Mary (feeling equal parts embarrassed and pleasantly happy) nods at Victoria and heads out the door.

Seeing her boss outside, she tries a mildly successful smile. "Now? Yes. Maybe lunch disagreed." She picks up her mop and bucket and heads in the direction of the checkouts.

So, I failed my rolls using her good stat. Maybe I'll do better using her worst stat.

Rolling (subconsciously and by accident) to Turn Someone On: [roll0]

And that'll be a no.:smallsmile:

STATS:

Experience: 2/5

Conditions;
Traumatised,
Hard to Get.

Can I clear hard to get for trying to turn Victoria on?

[spinningdice]

As she returns to her position on the checkout Victoria's eyes flick betweeen Georgia and Jake, "So, what have you been saying about me?" her smirk indicates she's joking, but also gives the sense she can't think that they'd be talking about anything more interesting (is there anything more interesting?).

[Ezeze]

Georgia drags her eyes off of Jake maybe a little more slowly than Victoria would have liked.

We were saying you should come to this party at the lake with us when we're all done with this shift. She holds out that same phone, with that same photo, towards Victoria.

You should come too, Mary she adds, almost like an afterthought.

[Raine_Sage]

"Yeah it looks like it's gonna be fun. Alf and Jessica even managed to call a truce for it, though frankly I'd go just to see who's gonna cause a ruckus first." He gives Mary and Victoria a smile that suggests the potential for all kinds of teenage mischief. "Maybe it'll even be us, who knows?" He does pause though to give Mary a kind of concerned look, but he already saw Frank trying to check on her and he's not going to pile on with that.

In the spirit of living up to agreeing to help rope these two in lets go for a double whammy. Two Rolls to Turn On coming up.
Mary: [roll0]
Victoria: [roll1]

If mary is reluctant (as I suspect she'll be) I will probably also spend a string to tempt her, but I'll wait for the reply before I do that.

[spinningdice]

"A party now is it," Victoria shrugs, "Sure, why not."

[Mr. E]

A party down by the lake. Mary, that's a bad idea. You don't need a hand bringing up bad memories. And anyway, you'll just sit in the corner all night. But, I feel bad about Jake, and now he's asking me. Turning him down again would be mean. If I go along, maybe I've payed him off?

Still arguing amongst herself, Mary mumbles in reply. It's her best all purpose mumble, that can mean "yes," "no," "maybe," and one unusual time "look out for the chicken." Despite all this non-committed-ness she still finds herself following them down to the lake after the shift ends.

This is a bad idea...

[Snacs]

This is a bad idea...

Mary's thoughts haunt her once they reach the Lake. It takes a long walk through the dark-not that any of them have much to fear, at least from the physical. They can hear the party before they see it through the trees. Then the glow of the fires- This was a party. A couple dozen teens, scattered in clumps around two stout bonfires. The groups aren't quite as segregated as one would guess-Alfred's biker-and-skinhead-chic types chatting up with preppy cheerleaders and jocks in varsity jackets. A few people are dancing near the flames, holding bottles and cans which have already formed in tiny piles around the lakeside. Someone had set up a chunky bluetooth speaker, which was belting out(in alternating waves) new-age Pop music and whining Rock whenever someone bothered to put their playlist up.

Jessica had taken up position on one side of the party, surrounded by some of her clique while lounging on a folding beach chair. Alfred was much the same, though he'd taken the high ground on one of the large boulders that hugged the lakeside, leftovers from some ancient glacier. His piercings and the spikes and various chains and bits of metal in his clothes glowed in the firelight, giving him a devilish appearance from above. His voice carried, sharp and high in sharp, laughing barks.

The Lake itself was a flat surface, dark as pitch except for the moon reflected in it. The lake was so still(except when some teen tossed a beer or rock in) it almost looked like you could walk out to the moon and feel the silver under one's feet.

Alfred notices you as you approach and raises a dark bottle in your direction with a flirtatious grin. He doesn't pretend he's not checking you out at all. Maybe it's just the weird night, maybe it's the way he looks in the firelight. Maybe it's just the blood, calling from so many young men and women having fun, and the itch of the burn in your palm, but it's extremely hard not to smile back.


This was a really bad idea. Back in the 80s you at least knew a few of the more popular songs-not that you ever like, danced. Well, except with your cousin at your Aunt's third wedding. That doesn't count though. And like, the way people were dancing. Being a ghost doesn't make you a prude but if you'd had a beating heart it'd be pounding in your chest.

The Lake behind everyone stretched out like a carpet, its dark, unrippled surface devouring the bonfire light. No one was swimming yet-and probably wouldn't until people got drunk and stupid enough to dare eachother in. The lake was always chilly at night, except you knew. You knew that for you it'd be as warm as a blanket by a fire. As warm as your old heartbeat.

Even standing right next to the fire it was hard not to feel chilled to the bone.



This might have been a mistake. You can feel the moon tonight, this close to the Lake. It's not enough that you're going to lose it(you think)-but everything seems sharper. You can smell the acrid tang of beer, see the sweat on the teens dancing by the lake. Your skin prickles with the late August breeze. Alfred is lounging on a rock nearby like some primeval king and that...bugs you, even though it shouldn't. Your mom always taught you to never pick fights-but tonight feels like Fight Club. Best be on your toes and try to stay calm.

You catch Alfred eyeing Victoria next to you like a dog eyeing a bone.



Jessica notices you arrive, and definitely notices you're next to Jake. Her nose scrunches in a way most other people would find adorable, except she's giving you the Evil Eye something fierce. It doesn't bother you though, and after a while she glances away first. The back of your skull throbs dull in the background, and it's not helped by seeing Alfred noticing Victoria next to you. Could the boy be any less subtle?



You can call it tending to your wounds if you want, and Mary helped you so you can heal 2(kinda pointless since you only have 1 but still, congrats :P)- just remember you can only heal once per 'session'. I leave it up to you.

Alfred has a string on you for turning you on.

[Raine_Sage]

The moment he stepped out under the moonlight Jake knew that this was probably not his brightest decision ever. His skin feels too small for his body, and he wants so badly to just... stretch out until it fits better. It's like having a muscle that's constantly threatening to cramp. He wants to revel, he wants to chase and hunt and wipe that smug grin off of alfred's face. He inhales maybe a little too sharply, a little too noticeably but the grin he gives Alfred is downright feral. And everything about the way he holds himself is a challenge. He won't start a fight but he'll damn well finish one, and there's no manager around to intervene.

Still he manages to gather the wherewithal force himself to untense, this is a party and he doesn't want to be the guy who ruins it by bringing down the mood. Even if his instincts are still subconsciously bristling at Alfred to back the hell off. "Well damn they didn't skimp on anythin did they?"

[Ezeze]

As she is leaving her shift Georgia leans down and just grabs the cases of beer that Alfred attempted to buy earlier.

She was already clocked out, but still in uniform. She steadied herself and did her best to look official, then simply walked out with them.

(OOC: Rolling to Keep Cool, scared of being noticed stealing two 6-packs of beer [roll0])

[Ezeze]

(OOC: So Georgia doesn't completely just spill her spaghetti. The GM gets to tell me how this is going to leave Georgia vulnerable, but she really doesn't give a damn. I'm going to mark 1 experience from Satiety, because stealing alcohol from your place of work definitely counts as a "Thrill.")

Strings
Jake I
Mary II
Alfred I

Conditions
Buzzkill
Tease

Experience
3/5

Georgia finds herself with a conundrum which, in retrospect, she probably should have expected. Would it be better to ruin Jessica's night, or Alfred's?

Well, she is already showing up to the party with the dozen (minus one) cans of booze that she stopped Alfred from buying earlier. It's probably time to thumb her nose at Jessica.

She drops the beer at the most convenient spot, then walks to stand at Jake's side again. She rests a hand on his arm in a very intimate fashion, and drops her chin so that she is looking up at him through her eyelashes. Thank you. For helping get everyone here. she puuurs. The light of the nearby bonfire reflects off her dark eyes.

[roll0]

[spinningdice]

Victoria tears away her gaze and looks over towards Geogia and Jake... Seems those two are occupied, not much chance of getting either of those alone., o.."Well, see you around, I'm going to circulate.".

Victoria stalks her way over to Alfred's group, in a round about fashion, don't want to appear to eager.


Stay wounded for now, prefer the idea of actually being hungry for the party...
Victoria (https://docs.google.com/document/d/19dbh_2-f7iG4U0TrvIr7i-7GyM_I56XZ48MqRQhBVsA/edit?usp=sharing)

[Raine_Sage]

Jake's attention is suddenly turned away from the rest of the partygoers (and from Alfred specifically) as Georgia does her best to be very very distracting. And right now he's happy to let himself be distracted, making a noncommittal noise of acknowledgement at Victoria as she heads off into the gathering. He swallows hard before before actually responding. "Well I'm a man of my word. Besides the more the merrier right?"

He's not sure if honing in on Georgia is much better than the over-stimulation of the party goers though. Because right now his brain is sifting through a litany of too much information, he can smell the shampoo she used this morning, the detergent on her clothes, and he holds eye contact like he can't look away. It feels voyeuristic somehow, to know all these things without her even telling him. Inappropriate. He just clears his throat nervously and glances back over at the dancers. "What do you say, wanna go join the fun over there?"


Jake will pick the 'offer them something he thinks she wants' option, namely to go dance together.

[Mr. E]

Mary ducks in close to the fire, and huddle nearby. Why did I think this was a good idea? More to the point, why is it so flipping cold? She takes a seat well away from everyone else, tries to ignore the two teens kissing in the corner, and leans back against a tree. Sitting in the shadows, Mary tries to watch Jake as closely as possible. There's still something wrong with him. Something off. Maybe he'll let his guard down at the party, and I'll get to see what he's really made of.


Experience: 3/5

Conditions:
Traumatised.

I've assumed I can clear Hard to Get for a. cuddling with Victoria, and b. going to this party.

[Ezeze]

To this? Georgia quips. The hand formerly on Jake's arm gestures in the direction of the speakers by the fire, currently blaring a top-20s pop song. She manages to convey haughty superiority over the music and over Jake for thinking that she'd dance to it.

[roll0]

No, thank you she continues, as if that wasn't clear from her tone. She slides her right foot back half a step, taking her from intimately close to a comfortable distance for conversation. It also gives her a better position from which to visibly admire Jake's shoulders But I might come find you when people start skinny-dipping. You like swimming, right?

[roll1]

(OOC: Jake, please take the condition thirsty (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Thirsty) :smallwink: Georgia then also tags that condition with her 'turn on' roll, but it doesn't make a difference)



Strings
Jake II
Mary II
Alfred I

Conditions
Buzzkill
Tease

Experience
3/5

[spinningdice]

Victoria approaches Alfred's group, but holds back, shooting him a look to ensure she's got his attention Come to me my precious.... She won't beg and pander to him, regardless of how he makes her feel, and of course, she doesn't want him in his group. She needs him alone.


Turn Alfred On [roll0]

[Raine_Sage]

Jake is so flustered right now and he just kind of stammers out a maybe because honestly dunking himself in cold water seems like an appropriate course of action. "I ah, yeah sure? I mean what else is summer for..."

Oh lord what has he gotten himself into. Georgia is honestly hard to read at the best of times but it feels like tonight she's going out of her way to send him mixed signals and he hasn't the foggiest idea why. He was always under the impression that she'd just be kind of bored by a guy like him anyway. 'Ok come on Jake get a hold of yourself, there's definitely one way to tell for sure if she's interested or not and that's to just bite the bullet and actually make a move.'

"If you'd like to do anythin else in the meantime though I'm game," he manages a playful grin after a brief recovery before leaning in close and conspiratorially so that she can feel his warm breath on her ear as he murmurs, "and you know you don't gotta pick on me so much? I already think you're pretty great."

To quote a famous bunny 'I hope you realize this means war.' Jake grants Georgia the condition 'Admired' for this latest shutdown success and I'll be taking advantage of the 'tease' condition I put on her last time for this roll.

Turn them On

[roll0]

Also georgia's hot game has been on point tonight like damn.

[Ezeze]

(ooc: Jake can go ahead and take a string on Georgia)

One thing stood out to Georgia while her mind spun to calculate the perfect retort; she had taken a step backwards, and Jake had taken a step forward.

His step had been larger than hers, even, so that now they were closer than before. Not only that, but unless she was mistaken, he had just propositioned her.

Jake she whispered back, matching his volume If I ever stop picking on you, assume I've been replaced by a pod person.


She raises her voice. I'm not here to entertain you, Jake she says, just loudly enough to be overheard. Go bug someone else for a while

[roll0]

When she continues it's at a whisper once more, still audible since she hasn't moved from where she stood practically pressed against Jake's chest I'm going to go get a drink, so that I've got plausible deniability for whatever weird things I get on top of later.

[roll1]

I was tempted to use my successful 'Cold' roll to take away the string I'd just granted... But I think I want Jake to have that :smallwink:
Instead, I'm going to "Carry 1 forward."

I rolled +/-0 on Hot because I was tagging Jake's Thirsty condition. Then I add in the 1 carried forward and it increases the result to 10, so I get a string from Jake and he chooses one of the "Turn Someone On" reactions.

Strings
Jake III
Mary II
Alfred I

Conditions
Buzzkill
Tease
Adored

Experience
3/5

[Raine_Sage]

"Mm suit yourself, you know where to find me when you're ready to be 'bothered' again." He's grinning ear to ear though and he leans in just a little (there's not much distance to close at this point) to press a kiss to her forehead. There's something so affectionate and sincere about the gesture even though it happens so quickly you'd blink and miss it. And he steps back again before Georgia can really say anything back, giving her one last mischievous look before heading over to the shore to join in with the dancing.

He feels energized frankly, the moon is bright, he may or may not be having a thing with Georgia but right now he's just as happy to enjoy the back and forth. It's doing something for that urge to chase at the very least, he supposes a metaphorical pursuit can be just as satisfying as literally running down a deer. And speaking of which he catches sight of Mary sitting alone by the bonfire and frankly he'd be a bit of a **** inviting her and just letting her sit by herself the whole night.

"Hey Mary, you don't dance do you? Georgia's too cool for it apparently." he asks, tone light and playful but still just loud enough for Georgia to hear.

Tagging 'Adored' this time for turning Georgia on [roll0] And I'm going to spend one of my strings on Mary to see if I can tempt her to dance in the meantime. For the reaction he's still offering himself. Looks like turning on is a no-go unfortunately

Experience: 5/5
Harm: 0
Conditions: Thirsty
Strings: Victoria - III, Mary - I Georgia - I

[Ezeze]

Georgia goes still when Jake kisses her forehead. By the grace of whatever god still gave a damn about her she did not blush, or squeak, or grin. She just stood still, looking forward, until he was out of arms length.

Then she checks out his butt while he isn't watching.


Once she is done admiring Jake's posterior she does exactly what she said she would and grabs a beer. One of the ones she brought, if there isn't anything better - but whatever is better if there is something. It doesn't really matter. Either way, she takes it and wanders over to where Jessica is holding court, to say "hi" and see if the hornets in the nest want to play today.

[Mr. E]

Mary's still huddled in a shady spot near the fire when Jake moves towards her. She's watched him do a his 'prince-charming' thing with Georgia. If I knew how to say it, I'd warn her not to trust boys with strange thought patterns, but somehow I don't think that'd end well. Is he coming over here now?

Doing her best to stop shivering, Mary tries her best to act normal. Cracking the faintest suggestion of a smile, she attempts to sound happy to be here and not at all lonely.

"I don't dance." A longish pause follows, till Mary remembers that its polite to thank him for asking. "Thanks, though."

Mary's going to refuse Jake's tempting and instead roll to keep her cool. She's afraid of spilling the beans that she's acting oddly. If she succeeds, she wants to know why Jake is interested in her (as always).

Roll to keep her cool: [roll0]

STATS:

Experience: 3/5

Conditions:
Traumatised.

[Raine_Sage]

Here, with his senses sharpened to a razor's edge, Mary's complete absence from them was even more noticeable than it was in the relatively bland setting of buy mart where even Victoria's perfume would occasionally get lost among the various soap, detergent, and food smells and it was easy to write off as Mary just not having a particularly strong presence. But no there's just... nothing. Even as she smiles at him he still remembers what he saw when their eyes met...

"Alright well, if you need anythin just holler ok?" he replies, giving her a gentle smile back before continuing on he way to join the dancers. Is she really...dead then? No, that's stupid. Ghost's don't...

He pauses mid thought because a while ago he would have thought the same thing about werewolves but here he is. And he wonders if that's why he's not more afraid than he really ought to be, after all he's already a monster. What's a ghost compared to that honestly? He wishes there was a way to just ask without sounding like a crazy person. Oh hey Mary yeah just wondering did you drown in the lake? That'd go over well.

[Snacs]

There isn't much better than the beer you brought(Like most teen parties the desire was quantity not quality)- being dead(sort of?You know it's true but how true is up for debate) makes it a lot harder to feel a buzz even halfway through the first bottle.

Jessica continues to give you a glance every once in a while(And a lot more when she notices you talking to Jacob)-but she's in her element. Fake-laughing and lounging in her chair while her toadies stretch out or cluster nearby. At your approach though, she finally deigns to actually notice and gives you a sweeping look that says 'Wow, like, really? That's what you went with?"

She makes a remark to one of her friends, causing a low titter of giggles-though she pouts at how little it phases you.

"Hey Georgia-what's our resident doom-n-gloom punk rocker doing out on a Friday night?" The group laughs around her and she waits patiently, knowing how to to work her audience. "Not that I mind, looks like someone remembered this party was B.Y.O.B." She shoots a dismissive glance at Alfred across the party.

And then she does something completely unexpected.

She smiles at you.

And it's suddenly very, very hard to think about all those times the blonde had been such a Harpy and a lot easier to notice the way she crosses her legs one over the other in front of you, bare from just under the tiny sarong she was wearing over a bathing suit all the way to her feet. She takes a sip from her own beer and her lips glisten from it, picked out by the light of the bonfire.

"You know Georgia, I heard you like, totally snubbed Alfred tonight. That's like, pretty cool right?" Her group nod their heads and agree in a ragged murmur of approval.



Alfred gives her a grin that's just impish enough to still be boyish but as dangerous as a stiletto. He lurches upright on the rock and tosses his beer down to one of his flunkies, and says something down to them Victoria is too far away to hear- though by the hoots and loud laughter it was something crude in nature.

He hops down, disappearing from view until he slips around a couple dancing clueless tot he rest of the world next to Victoria, his hand hot as the coin had been where it grips her own in a forward, possessive grip. Victoria is strong now, but there's something about the grinning teen that tells her he could meet her push comes to shove.

"Well hot damn- finally got tired of the Boy Scout and the Stiff?" By daylight Alfred looked the part of a two-bit punk. But in the bright moonlight and the glow of bonfires his teeth were bone-white, the tongue flesh and bright-pink and red like blood. He stepped in close, following her, but also making her move if she wanted to keep herself aloof.

The Night was her playground these days, but Alfred wore it like the moon does her carpet of stars. Oh yes he was dangerous, like a Big Dog in a small room and for Victoria that was definitely a weakness she'd fell prey to before wasn't it?

"My truck's back behind the woods there...Fancy a drive someplace private?"



Jake's been acting weird all night- Like, not stalker weird, but not innocent either. No one paid attention to her. Well, not the way Jake was. It wasn't like Thomas paid attention to her. It was a mix of confusion and pity and just a tiny bit of fear.

In short, Jacob looked like he'd seen a ghost. Queue laugh track.



The moon was high, the bonfires roared with heat, and everything seemed tinted a rosy color. A year ago, he might not have fit so well into a group of partying teens- Now though he had girls looking at him in a way he wasn't at all unhappy with, and his blood was pumping in his chest. It was the most natural thing in the world to dance under the Moon. Above it was so close to being full and he was hungry in a way he wasn't sure how to sate...

Well, maybe he did. It had something to do with the way Georgia had looked at him. The way his new instincts said anything I want can be mine if I just take it.



You kept your cool stealing the beer, but beware hidden consequences... You didn't really ask a question(which is how the rulebook phrases what Keep Your Cool lets you do when you attempt the action), so I'm going to say you steal the beer without incident...for now :amused: Also yes, mark experience.

Choose a reaction(or give her a string) for Jessica Turning you On


Yeah, I'll give you some cuddle friendly time with Victoria clears Hard to Get


Damn that Turn on roll though. Gain a string on Alf, and he's definitely trying to give himself to you. He replies in kind though, so either choose one of the options or give him a string. If you accept/give yourself to him we'll fade to black shortly :P

[Ezeze]

(OOC: I'll 'promise her something I think she wants' - that I believe her side of her conflict with Alfred)

Alfred is a creep and a loser.

(OOC: Spending my string on Alfred to give him the condition "creepy.")

I think you'd know that as well as anyone, after those bull**** rumors he spread. She found somewhere comfortable to sit and lazily propped her feet up on the lap of whatever not-obviously-attended guy was convenient. She mimicked Jessica's regal attitude, that too-good-for-you air, without taking her eyes off of her. Georgia was a free agent, flouting the social convention that kept Jessica's world spinning.

[roll0]
[roll1]

I saw some of the pics on snapchat. Figured it was either going to be the party of the year or the fight of the decade. Either way I wanted to be here.

You might want to be careful with the beer, by the way. That s*** is, like, all carbs.

[roll2]

(Edit OOC: Since she doesn't have any strings on me, I'm going to use my success to take a string on Jessica)


Strings
Jake III
Mary II
Jessica I

Conditions
Buzzkill
Tease
Adored

Experience
0/5

[spinningdice]

Victoria realises she's getting out of her depth, but is no longer sure how to back out... "There's time for that later, but I do have some reputation to keep. A dance first?"


A promise for later, she'd rather see if she can make him... more pliable, or at least temper his heat first

[Mr. E]

Mary feels just a little bit sorry for Jake, as he turns to go. Confused and out of your depth is an emotion she has a great familiarity with. For just a second, a genuine smile, not a fake one, or one carefully devised as a defence against the world, flicks over her features. It makes her look younger, and just a little bit sad. Then she leans back against the tree, and the deep shadows hide her eyes once again. Mary looks round the party, checking out where the rest of the staff are lurking. Seeing Georgia making herself at home with Jessica, and Jake basically just in front of her, she zeroes in on Victoria. She's talking to Alfred, but doesn't look completely comfortable. The boy's got right up into her grill, and Mary winces in sympathy. Gross...

Getting up, she steps behind a tree and turns invisible. Ghosting round, Mary comes close enough to watch the two and over hear their conversation. If Alfred gets carried away, I'll pull her out.
In the meantime, there's something I'm missing about Victoria. I should of seen it in the bathrooms, but I still can't think what it is.

Experience: 3/5

Conditions:
Traumatised.

[Raine_Sage]

He had no trouble finding a partner to dance with. Heck he had no trouble finding several. Not lacking for good company, and not caring that he didn't even know most of them. Wrapped up in touching and being touched and leaning in close and the sort of proprietary affection that told him this was all his due as he laughed and flirted freely with anyone who came up to him.

And then he looked over and saw Georgia with her feet propped up on another guy's lap and he wanted to snarl because what was he doing, that was his...

'No, no no no, not yours. You barely even got a maybe. Calm the hell down.'

Reason of course did not do much to quash the desire to go over there and do something regrettable. He took a deep breath, thanked his current partner for the dance, and took a step back. Ugh his skin was starting to itch. Not good. Casting about his gaze falls to the smooth glassy black water of the lake. Doing his best to ignore the reflection of the moon sitting like a bright mockery on its surface he contemplates the shoreline.

It's not exactly a cold shower, but that water is never anything less than frigid at the best of times even in August. He's getting too worked up, he needed to reset things somehow.

Waiting on DM to tell me how this would leave me vulnerable before deciding whether or not to actually jump in the lake.

[Snacs]

Alfred laughs, low and husky, and his hands shift to her hips-Not...entirely pushy, but enough to paint the black-and-red world around them with heat. A moment later and he's swaying next to her-dancing, if you can call it that.

"You mean something like this? Come on Vicki, The moon's up, and ain't nobody gonna say a word about what Alfred does unless he okays it." He leans close and like magic the music changes to something slow and heavy, like a heartbeat. Like the steady thump of Alfred's bright blood pumping underneath his skin...



Jessica sighs at the light insult, and then tips her head back and bolts the entire rest of her bottle. Her throat moves in a delicate, suggestive motion as she swallows every drop, before tossing the glass into the sand by the fire, face flushed and giving Georgia that smile again. Her followers laugh and clap and cheer as the blond sits up, leaning forward so she's face to face with Georgia. And just like that, her little crowd starts to disperse. Couples pair off, toadies turn and wander off towards the bonfires or shift out of the way. They're all still watching, in one way or another-but somehow they've all gotten the hint.

"Listen up, I like, totally get you. String a boy along." She speaks low, and glances sidelong at Jake staring at them. "I think your boyfriend's getting all hot under the collar, by the way." The music is low and heavy now, pumping out like a giant heartbeat. Her hand rests on Georgia's thigh.

Oh.



Well that's an interesting development isn't it?

Either way, in answer- You know from experience during the day that the lake is cold- so it'll definitely cool parts of you down in a way that they really need to be. Then again, it also means you'd be soaking wet, cold, and watching Alfred flirt with Victoria. There's also Mary, still looking lost and forlorn and frustratingly escaping your senses again and again until you have to look to find her



Well you're dancing, though it's definitely the kind a chaperone would be shoving teens out of the way to stop, but Alfred just got a String on you and has turned the heat up to 11. What's it gonna be Victoria? Take the easy way out for a Bite and Blood filled night or manage to scrape the willpower together she didn't have that got her undead in the first place? :D



Jessica now has a string on you, and she's not just fishing for a sympathetic ear about Alfred.

Welp.



It's very cold tonight. Even though you can see teens stripping out of coats and heavier clothing in the august humidity the blazing bonfire inches from your feet might as well be one of those LED candles. All light and no substance. Which is a perfect descriptor of you isn't it?

The world is going black and white. You haven't vanished-not yet at least, but you're freezing up, and you can see the lake through the other teens laughing on the other side of the bonfire.

The paddle boat building is there, on the other side. Crouched like some gangly beast on the wrong side of the moon reflected in the water. You see a small, red glow along the wooden jetty. A cigarette light. The Fire hisses at your feet as water streams from your soggy sneakers against it.

[spinningdice]

Victoria lets the mask slip, she presses herself against Alfred, close enough to feel the blood pumping through his veins, she bites his neck, barely able to resist extending her fangs and bleeding him in public. "Fine, lets go somewhere quieter" she almost pants, knowing full well that what she's doing is wrong and dangerous, but what the hell, she's damned anyway.

[Ezeze]

Okay, everyone scattering when Jessica wanted them to? That was weird. It was also kind of hot.

Then Jessica was close, and Georgia had not expected that at all. And she was enjoying how close Jessica was, which was even more of a surprise. But she was so close, and everyone was watching, and when she followed Jessica's glance she was right; Jake had noticed.

Adrenaline hit her system. Her heart beat faster, more so even than when she stole that beer, and she felt something that she felt so, so, preciously, frustratingly rarely these days. She felt alive. She wanted more of that feeling. She leaned forward, stretching her silhouette against the bright light of the bonfire at her back, and kissed Jessica lightly.

In response to Jessica's successful Turn On I am 'giving myself to her' - in that I am kissing her. Georgia has no intent of 'fading to black' right there on the beach.

I consider this "pursuing a Hunger" and am taking +1, then marking 1 experience for Satiety. I am also giving Jessica and Jake one string each on Georgia because she is acting so Unashamedly.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Edit: Poor Jake! Georgia's really gotten into his head.

Jessica gets to decide how she is reacting to being turned on.

Georgia gets another string on Jake, and he gets to choose a second reaction.

Georgia is going to carry one forward for successfully shutting Jake down,
getting +1 to her next roll.


Strings
Jake IIII
Mary II
Jessica I

Conditions
Buzzkill
Tease
Adored

Experience
1/5

[Raine_Sage]

He was still contemplating the lake when he saw Georgia kiss Jessica. You could practically see the gears in his head grinding to a halt as he tries to re calibrate on the fly. Jealousy, desire, and he saw her look at him again. Catch his eye right before leaning in like she was daring him to do something about it.

Any tenuous grasp on his self control is gone right out the window as he abandons thoughts of cold water in favor of going right over there to the two of them, waiting for them to part before sliding in next to Georgia. Hip to hip as he wraps an arm possessively around her waist.

"Oh come on now Jess that ain't even remotely fair. I turn my back for one minute and you're already tryin' to lure her off." He grins like the edge of a knife, sharp and dangerous.

Shut Jessica Down: [roll0]

"Of course you..." he leans in close to Georgia, voice low and she can swear she hears the hint of a growl in there. "You're playin just as dirty aren't you? How's a fella suppose to enjoy the party when you keep turnin his head like that?"

Turn Georgia On: [roll1] (tagging tease)

Sorry Victoria it was really really close about who he'd go and interrupt but then Georgia has to go and be all provocative again. On the plus side I get a string on her. On the downside Jake is still very bad at shutting people down. On the other upside I get to mark experience. Yay!

Strings
Georgia III
Mary I
Victoria III

Conditions
Thirsty

Experience
1/5

[Ezeze]

Oh god what is happening

Georgia does not have an answer for Jake. Georgia probably couldn't have told you what the question was.

(ooc: For Jake's successful Turn on Attempt, Georgia is going to get embarrassed and act awkward)

[Mr. E]

Mary practically snarls when Alfred starts getting 'close' to Victoria, probably freaking out any nearby teenagers. She doges behind a tree, goes visible again, and steps out. She stops for a moment, shivery and indecisive (what is it with this weather?) then heads in the direction of Alfred and Victoria. The other girl doesn't seem to mind his attentions, but Alfred has a reputation, and it's not a nice one either (the fact that Mary knows this says a lot, really).

A large part of her tells Mary that this is none of your business, but she's committed now. She focuses on keeping solid while she steps up to one side of the two. Shooting Alfred a look which cleary says Get away from her, you creep. she opens her mouth and says:
"Victoria." There is a pause while she scrambles for a plausible reason. "You promised me a - a dance."

Did I just say that. Tell me I wasn't so dumb as to suggest that, of all things. Oh god...

Rolling to Shut Alfred Down. I'll tag his condition (creepy) from earlier, as well.

[roll0]

Take that, Alfred (I didn't even have to stomp on someone's feet)! I'm going to gain a string on him, for future use.

STATS:

Conditions:
Traumatised.

Experience: 3/5

Strings:
Two on Victoria.
One (now) on Alfred.

[spinningdice]

Victoria breaks away from Alfred and struggles to focus on Mary, her mind buzzing. What? she blinks in confusion for a moment before regaining her composure, she puts her hand on Afred's chest in an affectionate gesture that nontheless prevents him moving closer again without moving it first. "I can't break a promise now can I sweetie, I'll be back for you soon enough."

Assuming no moves are made to stop her

Victoria pulls Mary out a little ways to dance, her normally reserved, almost bored attitude cast aside as she pulls her in close, pressing against her with unexpected fervour. "Your concern is touching, but I know what I'm doing... Or are you just jealous?" Victoria's words drip with a strangely enticing venom.


Victoria is obviously rather hot and bothered, as well as more than a little confused, but she's trying to reassert some power of someone...
Presuming Mary's shutting down of Arthur precludes the need for me to do anything there...
Turning Mary On [roll0]

[Snacs]

Alfred stiffens, and gives Mary a shocked, startled look of fury-though it dies a moment later. He takes a deep breath and gives Victoria another feral grin.

"Hey, who am I to steal a dance? The offer's open whenever you...want that ride Victoria." He backs off-not down, and heads off back towards his group. he gestures, broadly and with dramatic flair, causing the assembled punks to hoot, holler, and break into drunken laughter as they absorb him without a thought.

Unlike Alfred, Mary is like being dunked in cold ice. The girl radiates it like a Mary-shaped minifridge. Even her bare neck isn't enticing. And wasn't Victoria just so hungry after being teased so?

As for Mary, Victoria is uh, very present isn't she? This dance was not at all like dancing with her cousin at a wedding, and Victoria wasn't trying to hide her mood about it either!




Jessica's lips taste like cheap craft beer and something fruit-y, probably her lip balm. Her perfume fills Georgia's head like a fog, and there's the faint pressure of the other girls tongue at her lips before Jake arrives.

"Oh! Well here's your boyfriend now Georgia. My he's a good Boy isn't he?"She makes no effort to pull further away, instead letting her hand rest on Georgia's thigh and lean in closer to chat with Jacob too. Her voice drops, as if sharing a secret with Georgia, though Jake can hear every word. "You know, I always thought you went for the boy scout types. Feels good to be right"She teased, leaning back suddenly, and kicking her legs out-letting them rest right across both of their laps as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"And I didn't lure anyone off, she came here all on her lonesome, didn't you Georgia?"



Jessica turns on both Jake and Georgia, taking a string on Georgia and making her react, but fails to shut down Jake. Jacob gets to choose whether to give Jessica a string or react. Jessica will choose to give Georgia a string.






Alfred will lose his 'Creepy' condition.

[spinningdice]

Why doesn't she tempt me, what's wrong with her, or me?, the irony of wondering why she doesn't want to bite someone and taste their blood is not quite lost on Victoria.
Increasingly frustrated Victoria nips Mary's neck with her teeth, not enough to break the skin, just trying to get herself in the mood a little.

[Raine_Sage]

Ordinarily Jake would be so very very flustered and would maybe need to go lay down for a bit somewhere quiet to regroup. However 'Jake' wasn't actually the one driving right now. Well he was but he wasn't. It's complicated.

"So are you implyin I'm not your type then?" Jake just grins at Jessica playfully. "Aw I'm hurt."

He turns his attention back to Georgia, leaning in brazenly to press a kiss against her jaw. "But I guess I can't fault Georgia for it, if you wanted to kiss me I'd probably let you too. But I think Georgia's got right of first refusal in my case."

Turn Jessica On: [roll0]
Turn Georgia On: [roll1]
Reaction: Give Jessica something he thinks she wants - Compliments

He is going to be so mortified when he wakes up in the morning that's all I gotta say about this.

Strings
Georgia IIII
Mary I
Victoria III

Conditions
Thirsty

Experience
1/5

[Mr. E]

"Alfred," foot forward, foot back, "has," take another step and stumble, "a very," nearly fall, just manage to stay upright "bad," regain balance, then stand on Victoria's toes, "reputation." Mary stumbles around the dance floor, squinting in concentration. It's quite hard enough to dance already, without trying to keep all her extremities from phasing out of reality.

In fact, Mary's distracted enough that she does not respond to Victoria's bite, except by reaching up to slap vaguely in the general direction. Her ironclad focus on dancing is either adorkable, or just plain dorky, depending on where you stand.

Mary tries valiantly to impress Victoria (without success, I imagine).

I roll to Turn Someone On: [roll0]

STATS:

Conditions:
Traumatised.

Experience: 3/5

Strings:
Victoria: II
Alfred: I

[spinningdice]

"And you think I'm little miss sunshine and rainbows?" Victoria stops her nuzzling and looks Mary in the eyes, something cold and dark reflected in them "I thought I girl like you would love to see me taken down a peg. Isn't that what you nerds get off on?"

Victoria doesn't know how to act towards someone trying to help her, so she's falling back on old ways. No-one can betray you if push everyone away.


Mary can have a string on me, aside from vaguely promising to be careful I can't see the other options working out.
Shut her down [roll0]

[Mr. E]

"I think," Mary pauses, searching for the right way to express what she's thinking. She's not so much dancing as shuffling in place, clearly deeply in thought. She looks down at her feet, back up at Victoria, then back at her feet. Finally, she opens her mouth, speaking quietly but with determination. "I think that you shouldn't try so hard to not care about others. It doesn't suit you." To soften her statement, she smiles awkwardly in the general direction of Victoria's sneakers.

I'm going to spend my new found string on Victoria to inflict the condition "Guilty",
'cause I'm just that mean. Also, that's a new record for length of Mary sentence. Don't expect her to make it a habit.

STATS:

Conditions:
Traumatised.

Experience: 3/5

Strings:
Alfred: I
Victoria: II

[Ezeze]

(OOC: For both Jessica and Jake, Georgia is going to be embarrassed and act awkward.)

... I... What? Both of you... Um... She shakes her head to clear it of the hormone-induced fog which had been clouding her thinking. Jessica's toadies were acting weird, but that was nothing compared to how weird Jake was acting. This wasn't him, but she wasn't sure what it was - she hadn't seen him touch a bottle of beer.

No.

She simply pushes Jessica's legs off of her lap

[roll0]

and disengages from Jake. She stands and brushes dirt off the back of her jeans, then looks from Jake to Jessica and back.

Why are you wasting my time with this weird competitive bull? Just whip your d***s out and measure them already!

[roll1]
[roll2]

She flipped them both the bird, one with each hand, and went to leave the party.

[roll3]

(OOC: Both Jake and Jessica lose a string on Georgia, they both give her a condition, then she "gets away to safety (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTc3zcnIZOw)"


Strings
Jake IIII
Mary II
Jessica I

Conditions
Buzzkill
Tease
Adored
Ice Queen

Experience
2/5

[Raine_Sage]

Well it wasn't a bucket of cold water but it might as well be. Jake blinked in confusion as Georgia abruptly shoved both of them off and... S*** what was he doing? Why was he doing this?

"Georgia wait I..." but by the time he had the wherewithal to try and say something she was already gone, he'd lost track of her in the woods. And he could probably chase her, absolutely knew he could, and part of him really really wanted to. But it would be wrong, and he ****ed up. He really really ****ed up and he deserved this and no matter how much something in the back of his head was baying for a hunt he was not going to give it the satisfaction.

"I...s*** I'm sorry Jess. I dunno what got into me I should... I should just go."

He gets up just as hurriedly. He shouldn't be out here anymore. He shouldn't have come in the first place.

Escape: [roll0]

Jake gets away cleanly too, I'm also going to ask if I can clear the thirsty condition considering. For Georgia I'm going to grant the condition 'Ice Queen' for that truely epic shutdown

[spinningdice]

Victoria tries to laugh off Mary's words with bravado, but they do cut. She really does have nobody, and it's mostly her fault... Whatever, no use crying over it.

"Thanks for the dance." Victoria whispers and she breaks off, wandering the party for a while, alone with her thoughts despite the crowd.

Eventually, she finds her way back to Alfred, and approaches him, once the party has started to thin. "I made a promise, so I'm back, if you still want some alone time?"

...

As soon as she gets him away from the public eye, Victoria will throw herself at him, disguising her hunger as passion long enough to throw off any lingering suspicion before sinking her teeth deeply into him, drinking her fill.

[Snacs]

Jessica pouts but doesn't seem that bothered by Georgia's accusations, though she arches an eyebrow.

"I like, don't think that'd be a fair competition at all."

Left with Jacob for a moment she gives him a breezy smile.

"Like whatever Boy Scout. Have a nice one."She waggles her fingers and smiles as she stretches back out on her chair. Her attendants slowly filter back in, and before Jake is even out of view she's already surrounded again, laughing as if nothing happened.


Mary is left alone, next to the Bonfire, but it's not quite as cold as it was a minute ago. Sure, Victoria had bailed on her after a dance, but she'd done something, maybe.


Up to you if you want to do anything else at the party.

[Raine_Sage]

It was a crummy last half of the night. He slipped in quietly, kicked off his shoes, and tunneled under his blankets like he wanted to just block everything else out right now. Between the natural restlessness that came with this time of the month, and replaying the party over and over again on loop in his head, he got next to no sleep.

The little he did get was fitful and when he woke up in the morning he felt distinctly sobered even though he hadn't touched a beer. Laying there with pale morning light filtering in through the window he knew he wasn't going to be able to wait until their shift later that day to say something.

And so it was that an hour or so later after a shower and a quick jaunt down to pick up his apology he knocked on the door to Georgia's trailer. Box of glazed doughnut holes in hand, and a box of coffee on the off chance she was feeling like she needed the caffeine.

[Ezeze]

Georgia didn't get much sleep on Friday night.

This wasn't unusual. She didn't get much sleep on most nights. Being dead, even for only a few hours, had made the prospect of laying still for a long stretch of time unappealing.

That was a good thing for Jake. It meant that Georgia, not her mother (who was still snoring in the master bedroom), twitched apart the white lace curtains covering the glass portion of their front door and saw him standing on her porch.

It crossed her mind, just for a moment, that she could leave him out there. She wondered how long he would wait. Ultimately, though, Georgia decided that finding out wouldn't be worth not getting to talk to him. She opened the door, then moved to stand in the frame.

Georgia had not been expecting visitors, so she wasn't dressed for them. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt that dropped to just above her knees. She was probably also wearing shorts underneath them, but if she was they were covered entirely beneath the fabric of her shirt. Her legs were bare and her hair was mussed.

[roll0]

As soon as she saw Jake she raised her index finger to her lips in a 'shhh' gesture.

My mom is still asleep.


Strings
Jake IIII
Mary II
Jessica I

Conditions
Buzzkill
Tease
Adored
Ice Queen

Experience
3/5

[Raine_Sage]

Jake nods and holds up the box of doughnut holes and the carton of black coffee like a peace offering, with a decidedly guilty puppydog look about him, standing there in jeans and a t-shirt with his hair sort of loosely tied back.

"Listen I.. I was bein such an ass last night. And I honestly wish I had some kind've explanation but I don't. There's no excuse for how I was behavin and if you don't want to deal with me for a while I get it but..." he keeps his voice low while he talks. "Well I just wanted to say I was sorry. And I brought you some breakfast if you want it."

Jake looks simultaneously like he fully expects Georgia to tell him to **** off, and intensely hopeful that she won't.

[Ezeze]

Georgia seems to consider the apology for just a second. Then she stuffs her feet into the tennis shoes she'd left by the door last night. In the process her shirt rides up and Jake gets confirmation that, yes, she was wearing shorts under it.

Where do you go when you need a moment alone, Jake? she asks, in the middle of tying her hair back. Where is the best, most peaceful place you know? You should show me.

(OOC: Spending a string on Jake, tempting him to take Georgia somewhere 'interesting.')

Strings
Jake III
Mary II
Jessica I

Conditions
Buzzkill
Tease
Adored
Ice Queen

Experience
3/5

[Raine_Sage]

"I ah..." He's a little taken aback by the question, but he recovers quickly. "There's a... well it ain't quite a meadow per say but there's kind've a a grassy patch out in the woods 'bout a quarter mile from the lake that's pretty nice. There's some rocks and a big old fallen tree in it."

He watches as she starts getting her shoes on. "Do you wanna go right now? I mean, sure I don't have anywhere else to be til later."

His stomach feels faintly fluttery and he's not sure if it's because he's looking forward to spending time somewhere quiet and peaceful with Georgia or if he's just kind of afraid she wants to lay into him somewhere she won't wake up her mother. The truth, as with most things, is probably somewhere in the middle.

Strings
Georgia III
Mary I
Victoria III

Conditions - None

Experience
2/5

[Ezeze]

Good she grins at Jake, answering just his last question. I've got nothing planned 'till my shift tonight. Let's go.

She grabs her house keys, closes and locks the door behind her, and reaches out to take the doughnut holes from Jake. I'll just, uh, hold onto these while we're walking.

[Raine_Sage]

He can't help smiling at that. "I got them for you, by all means."

He leads her off, out of the trailer park and down onto one of the trails leading out to the lake. At one point along the trail he takes a sharp right off the meandering pathway and out into the trees, pausing every once in a while to make sure Georgia doesn't get lost or out of his field of vision. He navigates the terrain with an almost practiced sort of ease, and from the purposeful way he moves it's easy to tell he has indeed come out here more than once.

The clearing isn't very large, when the reach it Georgia can see it's maybe the size of a cul-de-sac in a nice neighborhood. There's an old dead pine, cracked at the base from what was probably lightning if the jagged blackened splinters are anything to go by. Though clearly here long enough for the wood to be soft with the beginnings of decay.

It lay caught on a rocky outcropping, forming a sort of natural overhang which Jake settles down under. The air feels still here, cool and quiet out of the sun though there's still the faint hum of cicadas in the background and the occasional rustle in the treetops overhead. It smells like earth and old leaves.

[Ezeze]

To her everlasting credit, Georiga only eats three of the little pastries on the walk up, leaving more than half of them still in the box. She has just swallowed the third when they pass through the break in the trees.

Oh my god, how did I know it would look exactly like this? she teases. You are such a nerd!

[roll0]

But after that she is quiet again, and without even the benefit of having doughnut in her mouth. She just... admires the clearing. It's quiet. It suddenly feels like it'd be wrong to disturb it more than she already has

Georgia hadn't really planned this far ahead, so she follows Jake's lead and sits down next to him under the overhang. Right next to him, actually. close enough that their legs touched from hip to knee, without a break. She sets the box she was carrying on her other leg, balancing it there.

[roll1]

She doesn't speak a few moments longer, then remarks; I'm teasing you, Jake. Do you know what that means? She bites into her lower lip, barely suppressing a giggle at the joke she hasn't told yet.

... It means I'm not a pod person.

Carried 1 forward from my Hold Steady roll in the OOC thread.

Of the successful Shut Down roll - Georgia is giving Jake the condition "Predictable."
Strings
Jake III
Mary II
Jessica I

Conditions
Buzzkill
Tease
Adored
Ice Queen

Experience
4/5

[Raine_Sage]

Jake leans over casually to steal a doughnut hole and pops it into his mouth. He's smiling though.

"You ain't a pod person but you're such a goof sometimes you know that? Draggin me all the way out here just for breakfast."

Shut Georgia Down: [roll0]

He leans against her a little, not over bearing. Not like how he was last night. But calm, tranquil. He felt so... normal. And it felt odd for Jake to think that feeling normal was basically a a luxury these days.

"You're my favorite goof though."

Strings
Georgia - III
Mary - I
Victoria - III

Conditions
Predictable

Experience
3/5

[Ezeze]

As if! This was your idea, Archer!

I should have known. You're still just trying to get in my pants.

[roll0]

(OOC: go ahead and take "thirsty" back, and Jake gets to put a condition on Georgia)

[Raine_Sage]

"Now hang on you're the one who asked me to show it to you in the first place. You started gettin your shoes on before I even had time to say anythin." He pokes her playfully in the side. "And besides I'm most certainly not just tryin to get into your pants."

Shut Georgia Down: [roll0]

"I mean I'd at least take you to dinner first, if there were anywhere worth goin to 'round here." He sighs and lays back, hitting the cushion of pine needles and old leaves with a soft 'whump.' "That's definitely one've the worst things 'bout this place. Got nowhere to take a date." He smiles up at her. "Maybe once I finally get a car. I've been saving up."

Well dang he actually pulled it off. I guess he took real exception with being accused of being thirsty. He still gets the condition though. Georgia gets the condition Loner since they're off by themselves. And for that ten Jake will take one forward.

Strings
Georgia - III
Mary - I
Victoria - III

Conditions
Predictable
Thirsty

Experience
3/5

[Ezeze]

Georgia was blushing. Jake wanted to date her.

She had been really mean to him. She had pushed him away and teased him. He was lamenting that he couldn't take her out to dinner.

She was quiet for a moment, letting the cicadas clear the air from her outburst. She was a little ashamed of it. Sure, Jake had been really 'forward' last night, but even at the time she had realized it was out of character for him. He was a good guy. Sweet. He'd wait until she was ready to apologize for it, then probably forgive her without a second thought. While she wasn't ready to apologize just yet, she did want to do something to reassure Jake that she wasn't mad.

When Jake laid back he had increased the distance between them. To fix that Georgia leaned over him, until she was practically (but not quite) laying on his chest. She licked her lips nervously

... This seems like a pretty good place to take a date.

[roll0]

Strings
Jake III
Mary II
Jessica I

Conditions
Buzzkill
Tease
Adored
Ice Queen
Loner

Experience
0/5

[Raine_Sage]

"Why Georgia are you askin me out?" He teases, grinning back up at her. "Cause I'd be happy to take you."

He did some mental math in his head. It was close to a full moon, but they were working most evenings weren't they? He could pull off an afternoon date probably without it seeming too strange. "How 'bout sunday afternoon? We could pick up somethin for lunch. Maybe bring somethin to dance to."

Ugh wait **** they were working most evenings, he'd be fine getting to work but how was he supposed to leave without bursting into fur in the parking lot? Maybe he could get Frank to move him around a bit? He'd have to ask. Right now though he should focus on the girl in front of him and he just takes her hand to kiss it. "How's that sound?"

Turn Georgia On: [roll0] )tagging adored.

And spending a string to tempt her to accept.

Strings
Georgia - II
Mary - I
Victoria - III

Conditions
Predictable

Experience
3/5

[Ezeze]

Georgia snerks at Jake.

I mean, yeah, it would be nice to do lunch with you

But you know what would be a really sweet date? She leans the rest of the way over Jake. She is short enough that she can't come face to face without straight up laying on top of him - but Georgia is not going to be discouraged this late in the game. She straddles his leg to bring her up to eye level. Showing up at my place with coffee and doughnuts, taking me for a short hike to a secluded spot, then kissing me.

[roll0]

Georgia accepts Jake's string.

Then she turns around and gives him a new one with Unashamed (+3 to Turn On roll), also tagging "Thirsty."

[Raine_Sage]

Oh.

Oh!

Jake leans up and kisses her, soft sweet and gentle just like everything else about him. And he can't help but think this is so much better than the kind of false bravado brought on at night. This feels warm and peaceful and... perfect.

OOC: Jake is Giving Himself to Her obvs, in the kissing sense if nothing else. I'll forgo rolling hot since that seems like a bit of a forgone conclusion at this point. Is there anything else you'd like to do with Georgia for the moment or can we assume a 'they keep being cute together for a little while' style fade to black (unless Georgia is looking to also segway this into an outdoor hookup which would probably require spending a string to tempt him into but would be doable at this point). Otherwise his next destination would be the library.

[Ezeze]

After Georgia died everything was muted. Flavors were less intense, colors less saturated, the simple things in life were less enjoyable. Her heart rate slowed down.

That was why she did stupid s***. That was why she liked to put herself into danger. The momentary burst of adrenaline made her heart beat again, made her feel alive. Now she hated to be still. She hated to be quiet. It scared her, made her worry that her heart would just stop altogether. She slept as little as possible, making up for it with caffeine and sugar, until that was nearly all she ate. It wasn't a healthy diet, but what was that going to do - kill her?

She felt better on the edge of a blade than anywhere else, but Jake didn't know that.

After their kiss the two lay together in the clearing for a bit longer, the breakfast he had brought mostly forgotten, watching clouds drift across the sky. They didn't talk. It was enough for both of them to be near each other for a little while. Jake got to relish this opportunity to feel normal, until the ground started to feel too hard and cold and he turned to ask Georgia if she was ready to head out.

There was no way he could know how significant it was that she was curled up at his side, eyes closed, fast asleep.

[Raine_Sage]

He didn't wake her right away, instead taking a moment to just... admire how peaceful she looked. Georgia was always so driven. So intent on moving forward, just constantly going. When was the last time he saw her look this relaxed?

He reached over to brush a strand of hair out of her face, giving it another fifteen minutes before his leg started threatening to cramp on him if he didn't get up off the ground eventually. Gently he roused her back awake. "Hey there, think we should probably head back before they start puttin our faces on milk cartons."

He kisses her again before sitting up with a groan as stiff muscles complained about being forced to move again. He walked her back to her trailer, told her he had a few errands to run before work, and that he would see her later. He was grinning like a 100 watt bulb as he left. Today was the best day, absolutely nothing was going to ruin this.

Of course a short bike ride later the run down Library was certainly threatening to bring down the mood a little. Ugh this place always gave him the creeps.

[Ezeze]

Georgia is still a little drowsy when Jake kisses her. It's nice.

She's a little sleepy, and surprisingly at peace, for the walk back to her trailer. Jake was really cute smiling like that. He walked her to her porch, she told him she would see him at work, then opened her front door - to her mother sitting in the living room with her own cup of coffee.

[Snacs]

The library squatted on a low hill, a boring box of concrete with tall, slatted windows. It looked like a tomb, or a coffin.

Inside was a little better, though not by much. Entering through the front doors at the center of the building revealed a broad, square desk of ancient dark wood. Behind it Charles Hitchcock is, with great determination and focus, finger-pecking his way through some arcane librarian endeavor on a computer that was probably older than Jake. His eyes flick up over the short, half-moon reading glasses he perched on a sallow nose, and he gave the boy a glare of distrust, but little else in the way of molestation.

In an effort to modernize, the library had set up just shy of a half dozen computers in a hap-hazard way opposite the Front Desk. Unfortunately that modernization had probably been in the amazing far-flung year of 1993, the thick CRTs hulking over slender wooden desks.

Surprisingly, almost all of them are occupied. One by what is clearly one of Alfred's punk-rock cronies, with a towering stack of textbooks next to him. The rest were mostly older folks typing up resumes or little kids you didn't know. There was one free back near a window, probably because the glare would be annoying.

Beyond the computers were the stacks of books, CDs, and DvDs/VHS tapes(did anyone even have VCR players anymore?) the library seemed to think would be most desired. Thomas Frederickson is there, patiently trotting behind his Aunt holding an oversized beach-bag being stuffed full of hardcover novels. Neither have seen Jake yet. Thumbing through some of the bestsellers is Maddy Frank, who gives you a bright, cheery smile and a tiny wave. Beyond the thinner entry racks lay the large bookcases of the library proper, though the tall shelves and dim sunlight make it hard to see who else is there.

It takes twenty minutes to realize the computer was slower than the phone in his pocket, though it was amusing to notice someone had bookmarked a list of science fiction blogs, forums, and discussion groups on the browser.

When asked for help, Charles Hitchcock quietly points out the way towards the back of the Library. His voice is somber, slightly bored.

"Your friend was here a few days ago. If I recall correctly she spent a few hours in the microfiche archives." Luckily someone had helpfully stuck up laminated sheets explaining how Microfiche works- and judging by the dust(or rather, the lack of it on certain containers) it was a little easier for jake to know where to start... Two hours later you find what you're looking for.

SUMMER 82 - TEEN FOUND DROWNED IN LAKE
-16 year old Mary Chin, of Quiet Meadows, has been found and pronounced dead after a six-hour search. The teen was discovered at Quiet Lake and pronounced dead shortly after.
Sheriff Thompson tried to allay fears amid panic-stricken townsfolk, stating 'Look, I know that movie, whatchamacallit, Mazes and Monsters? is out this summer but that ain't no excuse for these kinds of accusations. There's no need to be rustling this poor girl's parents and friends over some dumb books'

Sheriff Thompson is speaking of Dungeons and Dragons, a new craze among teens that has some parents and church members claiming it is a recruiting tool for Satanists and cultists. The Chin family refused to comment.'




"That was Miriam's boy wasn't it?"She whistled, slowly. "Hit the jackpot on that boy scout."She leaned forward in her seat, peering through the window at Jake's retreating figure with a low 'Mmm-mmm!'. Her coffee swayed closer to Georgia, and the thick, cloying stink of what was probably either cheap whiskey or jet fuel wafted out. She chuckled, rooting around in her robe for her pack of cigarettes.

[Ezeze]

Ew! Georgia gagged.

Ew! God, mom! He is my age! She scrunched her nose, mostly at her mom making wildly inappropriate comments, a little at the smell wafting off her coffee.

[roll0]

(OOC: Mom gets the condition "gross.")

Strings
Jake IIII
Mary II
Jessica I

Conditions
Buzzkill
Tease
Adored
Ice Queen
Loner

Experience
1/5

[Snacs]

"So? I was your age when I first started partying. Seems like a bit of a Momma's boy though."

She waited a moment, then guffawed through her cigarette at Georgia's disgusted reaction, reducing it to a choking, chuffling laugh.

"Well, you invite him over any time. Definitely filled out last time I saw him at Miriam's"

[Ezeze]

Georgia gagged again, and left her mother in the living room to go take a shower and get dressed in day clothes.

She had a few hours before work yet, so she spends some time practicing her bass playing unless something more interesting pops up.

[Raine_Sage]

Jake stared at the screen for a long time. As if the words would say something different the longer he looked at them. But no there it was, Mary Chin not only dead but dead for a fairly long time at that. The Article didn't mention Walter Frank anywhere though which was odd, Jake would have expected him to have reported the body if he'd been the one to find her.

Back to Mary though of course it made a weird kind of internal sense that if Werewolves were a real thing than ghosts would be a real thing too. That of course made him wonder about just how many other things there were out there that he didn't even know about yet. Were vampires real? Witches? The possibilities made his head spin a little so he stopped trying to think about it too closely.

[Mr. E]

After her dance with Victoria, Mary heads out, stopping only to look disapprovingly at Alfred (or rather, the lack of him among his cronies). She suspects that her efforts to persuade Victoria to avoid him have been rather futile. Still, there's something 'off' with her. When I get home, I'll have a bit of a peek, since that worked so well last time...

Arriving at the library, she phases through a side wall, and settles down in her usual spot. Sitting crosslegged on the librarians desk, she tugs a strand of Victoria's hair which had settled on her T-shirt, out. Mary holds it out in front of her, and concentrates.

---------------------

The night eventually ends, and so Mary retreats to a corner while Charles Hitchcock opens up. For a while she watches people drift in, till she grows bored of it, and wanders off. Grabbing a cup of coffee from the libraries break-room (despite only having one staff member, it still has a lunch-room big enough for six). She wanders towards the records room, one hand clutching her coffee mug, the other Lost Stars. If anybody bothered to look, they'd see the items floating unsupported in space, but nobody ever does. The record room is the quietest place in the library, which is saying a lot, really. However, today someone else is occupying it, and it's Jake, of all people. She circles round to stand behind him, and see what he is reading.

The sound of a hardback book being dropped echoes loudly in the silent room. If Jake turns round, he will see the mug (emblazoned with "You're the World's Greatest Librarian") float at head level away from him.

Rolling to Gaze into the Abyss on Mary here (how come me and Jake seem to do this at the exact same time?): [roll0]

Question: what is off about Victoria?

EDIT: Mary really shouldn't try gazing, should she.

STATS:

Conditions:
Traumatised

Experience: 3/5

Strings:
Victoria: II
Alfred: I
Jake: I

[Raine_Sage]

Jake is just thinking he should ask Charles which one of his friends was in here before he was when there's a sudden clatter behind him and he turns around only to nearly collide with a floating mug of coffee. He is really glad Georgia isn't here to see him because the Yelp of surprise he lets out is really kind of undignified as he tries to scramble out of the way and ends up tripping over the chair he was just sitting in.

Looking up from his position on the floor, heart pounding, he asks cautiously "Mary?"

'Please please let this be the ghost I actually know and not some completely random other ghost who just happens to be reading over my shoulder.' He's not sure how this whole ghost thing works but he's pretty sure the lingering spirits of the restless dead dislike being called by the wrong name about as much as anyone else.

[Mr. E]

There is long silence, a thin curl of steam rising from the cup of coffee. The temperature in the room seems to drop. A patina of condensation forms on surfaces, the ring expanding outward from the approximate position of Mary. There is a shimmer in the air, like the surface of a pond. A blue-green quality is apparent in the light, as the ceiling mounted neon bulbs flicker asthmatically.

The shimmer moves forward till it's almost on top of Jake then bends over. This close, the temperature is nearly zero. Water drips from the bench, and sinks into the already soaked carpet. Jake's T-shirt feels like he's been swimming in it. There is still no sound, like he's already underwater. Then, from a long way away, distorted, but still recognisably Mary's, comes the sound of a voice.

"How dare you.

The coffee cup flies forward, whipping towards Jake's head. Whether Mary was aiming for him, or just working out some frustration is unclear, although that doesn't really have any impact on the likely risk to his person.

Mary is not happy.:smallwink: I took some fairly broad liberties with the amount a ghost can influence their environment here, I hope nobody minds. I also assumed that my failed gaze into the abyss roll won't impact heavily on my interaction with Jake. If I'm wrong, I do apologise.

Mary rolls to Lash Out Physically: [roll0]

I hope I don't succeed, otherwise this could be messy.

EDIT: STATS

Experience: 5/5 (level up, yay!)

Conditions:
Traumatised.

Strings:
Jake: I
Victoria: II
Alfred: I

[Raine_Sage]

"Ah s***!" Jake manages to avoid being pegged by the coffee cup as it whips past his head, shattering against the wall. "Mary look wait I can explain! I already knew kind've, I just had to be sure."

He doesn't know if it's actually a little hard to breath right now or if he's just psyching himself out. Either way this is definitely topping his list of 'most terrifying things' he's ever experienced. "Can we talk 'bout this?"

[Mr. E]

Drown it. Hold it under water till it's breathing subsides and the bubbles of its soul rise to the surface. Tear it. Destroy it. Make it feel your pain. Make it feel...

The shimmer is absolutely, inhumanly still. Water drips from the ceiling, creating the tiniest of ripples on the puddle that has formed around it. The almost human outline extends something close to an arm. Reality distorts around it, a finger of absolute cold. It reaches out, towards Jake's neck.

Strangle it. Suffocate it. Make it hurt. Make it scream. Make it - Jake?

The arm stops, then retreats slowly. The shimmer stands for a very long time. Seconds pass, then minutes. Suddenly it seems to crumple slightly. The faintest sound of sobbing can be heard, intruding on the stillness. Drops of water fall from the ceiling, splashing sadly into the metre-wide puddle.

Still think Mary's adorable?

[Raine_Sage]

He stood completely frozen. He should run. He should do something. But all he could manage was to look on as the ghostly hand reached for his throat, he could feel the cold radiating from it. So close, so....

And then it stopped, and after several tense minutes it drew back and he could hear... crying? Oh damn, oh **** wait no please don't cry.

"Mary? Mary I'm so sorry." He keeps his voice low, trying his best to be soothing. "I really am I didn't mean to upset you. It's gonna be alright I promise, I'm sorry I promise I can explain."

He should be running right now but he can't just... leave her here when she's obviously so upset.

She's scarydorable.

[Mr. E]

The shimmer seems to contract slightly, forming a clear outline of Mary. Her sobbing is wet and ugly sounding, like heavy rain in the morning. Streams of water run from the place where there should be eye-sockets, as the puddle laps at Jake's sneakers.

She seems to be listening as Jake starts to speak. For a moment the temperature rises to something more normal for the inside of this mouldering building, and the water retreats slightly. Then he says the magic words. "It's gonna be alright."

The Mary-shimmer raises its head and stares at him with an empty face. "I am a ghost." There is a subtle change in the orientation of the body, and then the temperature falls suddenly. The condensation on the ceiling falls as a sudden indoor shower, obscuring Mary's outline. "THERE IS NO FINE!" The sound is both pathetic and terrifying, halfway between an animal howl and a sob.

Bad choice of words, Jake.:smalltongue: Promising the girl who lost her family that 'everything is going to be okay' was probably never going to end well.

In any case, I'm rolling to shut Jake down with that brand new +3 in cold.

[roll0]

I shouldn't say things like that, should I?

STATS:

Conditions:
Traumatised.

Experience: 1/5

Strings:
Jake: I
Victoria: II
Alfred: I

[Raine_Sage]

"Y-you're right. I'm s-sorry. T-that was a stupid thing to s-say..." He's visibly shivering now, teeth chattering as he gradually moves closer to her. "B-but please Mary you're gonna f-flood the whole b-buildin at this rate. I'm here, y-you're hurtin and I know I c-can't help but I c-can listen if you want?"

He pauses, surveying the now thoroughly water damaged room. "Maybe outside?"

Jake is going to spend his last string on Mary to Tempt Her to come outside and talk it out.

Strings
Georgia - III
Victoria - III

Conditions
Predictable
Thirsty

Experience
3/5

[Mr. E]

"The building? Oh, right." There is a brief pause, and then the water begins to run away. Exactly where it goes to is unclear, as it seems to melt into the walls, or just simply vanish. The temperature rises to a more reasonable level, although still a little colder than normal. The only signs of the previous occurrences are the mangled files on the desk, which are waterlogged beyond repair, and a puddle surrounding the dropped book.

Contracting, the shimmer takes on tone and colour, then slowly comes into focus. Mary stands in the centre of the room, her face tear-stained. She glares at Jake from behind glasses that sit askew, and a single drop of water hangs from her jawbone.

"Alright."

Mary gains an experience for accepting Jake's tempting.

STATS:

Experience: 2/5

Conditions:
Traumatised.

Strings:
Jake: I
Victoria: II
Alfred: I

[Raine_Sage]

Jake of course just looks like he jumped in the lake, wet t-shirt clinging to his chest and mostly translucent as he wrings some of his hair out.

Turn Mary On: [roll0]

"Ok so, lets see..." he peers out the door and then moves down through the library hoping no one will see him trailing water down the hall before he can get clear of the building. Of course Mary doesn't exactly have that problem, she gets to be seen when she feels like it.

Run Away: [roll1]

Well Jake would win a wet t-shirt contest but he definitely looks very conspicuous right now. He does not quite make a stealthy exit.

[Mr. E]

"Meet you out front."

Mary nods at him, then brusquely turns away. She phases out through the rear wall, then circles round. Coming up to the front steps of the library, she turns solid and sits down. Leaning against a pillar she straightens her glasses and takes an opportunity to breathe the fresh air. The emotions begin to settle as she thinks happier thoughts and waits.

Jake can have a string back, as I can't see any other reaction really working. In return,
Mary tries to shut Jake down: [roll0]

He can have the condition 'slightly terrified.' Not that I blame him in the slightest. :smallbiggrin:

[Raine_Sage]

Jake can feel Charles Hitchcock watching him as he leaves but he makes it to the front door without anyone stopping him and meets Mary out front.

"Alright look I want to apologize again cause I wasn't... trying to be creepy or stalk you or anythin it's just... well last night before we all left for the party I saw something. I turned 'round and you were lookin at me but it was like.. like I was seein you underwater. Like it was in that room just a little while ago. And then suddenly it's like I wasn't in the store anymore. I was by the lake shore, I saw you floatin in the water with Mr. Frank standin over on the dock."

"And I know, I know this sounds completely insane. And I thought it was too! I mean here I am seein these things and well I... I had to check. To make sure I wasn't losin my marbles. And I couldn't just ask you because what if I was wrong?" He looks so contrite. "But it was wrong to invade your privacy like that."

[Mr. E]

Mary takes her glasses off to rub her eyes, then puts them back again. A light rain starts to fall, but both of them are soaked, so it doesn't really matter.

"It's okay."

She pauses, looking out at the sky, which has clouded over while Jake was inside the library. It is the colour of sadness and silence. The grass droops under the drops, and the trees seem to weep.

"I shouldn't have reacted so..." Mary gestures vaguely out at the grubby park. Her glasses are covered with water, so she takes them back off again, wipes them on her shirt (achieving nothing), then puts them back on. There is a long silence.

"Sometimes I forget." She rubs her forehead, hoping to dislodge the right words from some corner of her brain. "What human is like - I forget."

There's a truly terrible Bladerunner joke coming in the next few posts, for which I apologise in advance. But, after all, I did say Mary was a nerd.

Also, dramatic weather change.:smallsmile:

@Raine Sage: You owe me a condition from my shut someone down roll in my last post.

STATS:

Experience: 2/5

Conditions:
Traumatised.

Strings:
Jake: I
Victoria: II
Alfred: I

[Raine_Sage]

"I'm sorry, I can't imagine what that's like." he replies softly, going over to stand next to her. "I mean...."

He pauses like he's rolling the words around in his mouth deciding if he should say them or not. But he knows her secret it only feels fair to tell her something in return. "I'm not exactly all... normal either. Not in the exact same way you are but, well I know it's not easy. At the store too I was just kind've buggin you wasn't I? I'm sorry for that too. You just... looked like you could use a friend is all."

Another Pause. "Ah, but Charles said that someone else took out those records before me. I think... I think I'm not the only person who knows 'bout you either."



Whoops so he does. Mary can have the condition Lonely

Strings
Georgia - III
Victoria - III
Mary - I

Conditions
Predictable
Thirsty
Slightly Terrified

Experience
3/5

[Mr. E]

Mary looks off over the drowning park, remembering. A man in a rain-jacket sloshes past.

"I won't remember you."

The statement hangs, calm and cold. "I can't remember you. There's not enough space in my mind. It'll fill up, and then I'll forget." She looks at Jake, tucking a solitary hair back behind her glasses. "Don't try and be my friend. That'll only make forgetting hurt more."

Leaning forward Mary re-ties a lace on her sodden sneakers.

"They say all these moments will be lost in time. Like tears in the rain." She chuckles to herself. "But I can't die."

She stops, back against the post, as water runs down the lenses of her glasses and puddles on the concrete flagstones. Stretching slightly, she draws herself more upright as her brain changes gears.

"Wait, Someone else?"

As references go, that's a fairly cliche one, but what can you do?

Also, I guess that's another Shut Someone Down: [roll0]
Poor Jake, keeps getting snubbed by a nerd (I also seem to have offended the dark gods of the forum dice roller again:smallamused:).

I presume I can clear Traumatised from that, Snacs?

STATS:

Experience: 4/5

Conditions: Lonely

Strings:
Jake: I
Victoria: II
Alfred: I

[Raine_Sage]

The reference unfortunately goes right over Jake's head, but the weight of her words still sink in like the cold from the rain sinks into his skin. "Well I don't think I could help thinkin of you as a friend regardless, but I understand. I won't ah, I won't bother you none if you really don't want me to."

He pauses as she asks about what he'd just said. "Yeah Mr. Hitchcock said one've my friends looked at those records a couple've days ago. Assumin he meant one've you three it's a fifty fifty shot between Georgia and Victoria. I was gonna ask him 'bout that after I got done with them myself but ah, well considerin what we just did to those files I ain't keen on talkin to him just now."

[Mr. E]

"I'll have a look."

There's something oddly sinister in the way she says this, like a dark promise. Mary gets up stiffly and rolls her shoulders. She stands on the edge of the library steps, looking at him oddly. Looking down at her watch, she nods to herself.

"You'd best be going." She closes her eyes for a few seconds, concentrating. For a moment she grows dim and misty, and Jake watches the rain fall through her, leaving her bone dry. Nodding to herself, Mary watches him go. "Don't tell anyone."

If Jake turns around as he departs, he sees her standing alone on the steps of the library. The rain pours down without touching her, splattering on the ground. She watches him go, cold and empty.

While that was a happy scene...

Time to bring the group back together, I reckon. Everybody happy to skip to the next shift when we're all rostered on?

[spinningdice]

Victoria turned up for work early, probably for the first time ever. Her body definitely had a buzz to it today, like she'd injected caffeine directly into her bloodstream, there was no-where to go in the meantime and she'd rather not stay in the trailer and listen to...whatever Willy was doing in her room, so may as well go to work...

Sunlight didn't cause her to burn, like the movies, but it made her skin crawl where it touched, so she arrived wrapped up, long sleeves, hood, silk scarf, sunglasses. She went to go change into her uniform, keeping the scarf today.


I was guessing no-one would have any objections, do feel free to rewind if someone still has unfinished business

[Ezeze]

Georgia is not about to show up to work one second before she needs to clock in. The mood she was in that day was irrelevant; work is boring. But if it wasn't boring they wouldn't need to pay her to do it, so she doesn't complain too much.

[Raine_Sage]

Jake shows up to work sometime in between Victoria and Georgia. He had time to change into dry clothing before coming in, but his hair is still a little damp; and the high powered air conditioning of the big box chain didn't do anything to help with the lingering feeling of cold. His mind is clearly buzzing as he gives Victoria a sort of distracted hello as he goes to get his uniform on.

What did Mary mean when she said she'd look into it? Had he gotten one of them in trouble? Was this going to be 'scary ghost activity' Buymart edition? Would she even come in to work after that or would she take a sick day?

And ugh speaking of supernatural stuff working nights was going to become a pain really soon. Not so bad while he was indoors where the moonlight couldn't reach him (and thank god for the general lack of windows in this place), but coming and going was another story entirely. Would he have to find someone to cover his shifts?

I'm good with it, though if Mary's cleared traumatized we should both mark experience so doing that. On another note Jake's conditions are kind of hilarious when you read them side by side.

Strings
Georgia - III
Victoria - III
Mary - I

Conditions
Predictable
Thirsty
Slightly Terrified

Experience
4/5

[spinningdice]

Victoria frowns slightly at Jake's dismissive hello, whatever happened between him and Georgia last night was last night, surely she should get a bit of attention at least. She bites her lip, she needs to play it softly with this one...
She waits for him to get changed, after briefly considering just pushing her way in there to catch him off-guard, "Something happen last night? You seem off and it seemed like it was going so well for you?"

[Raine_Sage]

"Huh?" He glances up, clearly not having expected her to ask him anything about that. "Oh ah, well I guess I'm just not usually a big party person. And I put my foot right in my mouth so I left early. I'm fine now though." And the dopy grin he gets on his face suggests it's more than fine as the memory of earlier that morning drives off whatever cobwebs were still hanging around from the previous night.

"What about you? I thought I saw you goin off with Alfred. Did you uh, have a good night?" It's clear Jake is trying to be polite, but some mild disapproval creeps in because ugh Alfred. Victoria is her own woman of course and she can flirt with whoever she wants but seriously. Alfred.

[spinningdice]

Victoria shrugs in a non-committal manner. "It was alright, I managed to get by without my white knight to save me this time.", she smiles up at him biting her lip slightly. "But perhaps I should stay with my chaperone's next time...".


Victoria has in her head that Jake likes to be protective, so she's making an attempt to appear vulnerable, though it's not something that comes naturally to her...

[Raine_Sage]

She would be absolutely right, feel free to make a Turn Him On roll if you like XD

Jake can't help going a little pink because Victoria looking up at him through her lashes like that is giving him an emotion. However the way Victoria worded that also makes it sound like Alfred may have pushed a boundary with her and that obviously doesn't sit well with Jake. "I guess I just thought you didn't need me breathin down your neck all night. Why, was he misbehavin?"

[spinningdice]

"Oh perhaps I got a little out of my comfort zone, but I can't say he's entirely to blame." her voice soft Victoria steps a little closer, her fingers nervously toying with her scarf.


Cue Georgia?
Hmmm already have Predictable, so... Protective? Sounds kind of dull and redundant. how about 'Gallant'

[Ezeze]

Cue Georgia?
Sure, if you want to be interrupted :smallwink:


The clock where Buymart workers check in and out is in the break room at the back of the store.

At the moment Jake and Victoria were standing in the break room chatting just a few feet in front of that check in clock.

Georgia could go around the two.

Georgia does not do that.

Instead, she takes the most direct possible route to the clock - between them, pushing them apart in the process.

[roll0] (using 'blank canvas' with Georiga's 'buzzkill' condition)

She takes the opportunity to practically plaster her body against Jake. It only lasts an instant, and could possibly have been an accident, but then she flashes him a smile over her shoulder that says 'I know exactly what I just did.'

[roll1] (using 'blank canvas' with Georiga's 'tease' condition and also tagging Jake's 'thirsty' condition).

She doesn't even murmur an 'excuse me,' just goes and clocks in.

(ooc: Victoria has a string on Georgia, right? Lose it.

Jake gets to choose how to react.)

Strings
Jake IIII
Mary II
Jessica I

Conditions
Adored
Ice Queen
Loner

Experience
1/5

[Raine_Sage]

Jake brightens the moment he sees Georgia, it's like someone flipped a lightswitch when he was already looking pretty content to begin with. And he goes over and kisses her on the cheek while she's clocking in like he doesn't even care who sees it.

Turn Her On: [roll0]

"Well hello there yourself."

Welp that was a success. Taking a string then. Wasn't sure if that was shutting Victoria down too but I opted not to roll it. Since he's largely oblivious to the fact that Victoria is flirting on purpose, and not intentionally trying to discourage anything.

Strings
Georgia - IIII
Victoria - III
Mary - I

Conditions
Predictable
Thirsty
Slightly Terrified

Experience
4/5

Edit: Blanked on Georgia's turn on roll. She can have a string because Like with Victoria can't think of a more appropriate reaction.

[Ezeze]

Georgia tries to play it off like she's indifferent to Jake's kiss. It doesn't work. She smiles.

You know she comments, looking at the clock in front of her. I think Jessica was trying to tease you last night when she called you my boyfriend.

She finally turns to look at Jake, unable to suppress her grin but still attempting. I don't think it was a suggestion.

(ooc: This isn't Georgia shutting Jake down or turning him on! Surprisingly enough, this is her 'giving him what she thinks he wants' - she thinks he wants the boyfriend label.)

Strings
Jake IIIII
Mary II
Jessica I

Conditions
Adored
Ice Queen
Loner

Experience
1/5

[Raine_Sage]

It's very apparent Jake is going to be walking on air for the rest of his shift baring some sort of catastrophe. He just grins back. "Too bad I think you're stuck with me at this rate."

[spinningdice]

Victoria curls her lip into a scowl at Georgia, for just a split second as she interrupts her moment. "Oh, when Jake said he left early I thought you'd fallen out?" she rolls her eyes.
"Well, once more to the grind I guess." she heads over towards the checkouts until someone tells her what else to do.

[Ezeze]

He left early 'cause he was being a total ass, Georgia agrees with Victoria, then joins her up at the registers to relieve the previous shift.

[roll0]

(OOC: Jake gets the condition "whipped." )

[spinningdice]

Victoria pulls Georgia in close and whispers in her ear "Such a nice ass though", then looks Jake over and with a laugh.

"Hey, have either of you heard from Mary?"

[Mr. E]

At some point Mary drifts in. She clocks on, though nobody else saw it, and wanders off to clean. Mop and bucket in hand, Mary splashes down the aisles. Head down, she seems to slide from out of the edges of watching eyes.

On the corner of Victoria's desk a mug has appeared. It's from Buymart's sparsely provisioned break-room, with writing on the side demanding that the user vote De Wilbur (although nobody could tell you De Wilbur was). In the bottom of the mug is a note. On one side, in remarkably tidy and elegant cursive, is a message.

"You were out late last night." On the other is a question. "Need a coffee?"

If she has a careful look around, she can probably see Mary watching her carefully, with an expression somewhere between hope and regret on her features.

Mary's fairly certain that Victoria ought to be hung-over, even if she isn't. Therefore,
the only appropriate response is to offer her a wake up coffee. Of course this is Mary, so doing things the easy way would be too hard. :smallwink:

I'll roll to Turn Someone On. Against her better judgement, and even if she knows she can't possibly hold onto her forever, Mary is trying to win Victoria's heart through sheer adorkable-ness.

[roll0]

It seems that she might be safe from any self-inflicted pain, one way or another.

STATS:

Experience: 5/5

Conditions:
Lonely.

Strings:
Jake: I
Victoria: II
Alfred: I

[Raine_Sage]

"Heh that's fair."

Jake follows along though he pauses when he hears Victoria ask about Mary. "Oh I ran into her at the library earlier today. She..." he looks kind of sheepish here even though he's trying hard not to. "She wasn't havin a great day, but I think she'll be in? She didn't say she wouldn't."

He doesn't mention that he may or may not have contributed to that bad day but hopefully it's all water under the bridge by now. Poor choice of metaphor aside.

Strings
Georgia - IIII
Victoria - III
Mary - I

Conditions
Predictable
Thirsty
Slightly Terrified
Whipped

Experience
4/5

[Ezeze]

Georgia doesn't respond to Victoria's comment. The question about Mary is asked and answered. She goes up to the registers to slog through another day at work.

[spinningdice]

Victoria stared at the mug when she noticed it. When did she...? she looks over at Mary, and around at the buymart. Screw it, I've screwed up relations with everyone else around here. she picks up the mug and walks over to Mary, "You joining me?" waving the mug vaguely in the direction of the break room.

Whatever she answers, Victoria heads to the break room.

[Snacs]

Miriam Archer can be seen pushing a cart around and checking things off from a list. Seeing Jake, she waves and smiles proudly at her son.

Georgia's working the registers, and Miriam is starting to make her way towards them...


Not even Mary's half-present air can protect her from determined customers asking her for help with the most inconsequential of things. The normalcy of it is surprisingly soothing.

Maddy Frank is holding court with a half-dozen older women and men, directing them around the store to fill three carts full for the Farm. Her husband, Walter, is stalking the aisles at a languid pace, his large fishing boots squeaking wetly on the recently-mopped linoleum.

It's that faint squeak that fills Mary's ears with the sound of splashing water. The man's shadow drifts over Mary, and his pale eyes don't seem to see her there, trying her best to avoid customers after the last twenty-four hours. And Mary remembers the way he looks at her as if she isn't there, though not it's context.



At the registers, it's closing in on the pre-dinner rush. Soccer-moms and families doing the after-work shopping. Bored teens picking up candy bars and snacks to sneak into movie theaters. Piles of food, clothing, toys, camping gear, all sorts flow across the registers during the press.

At least you can check out Jake while he stacks shelves down the aisle matching your register. At least when some frustrated customer isn't complaining how slow you're bagging



Frank Kreecher walks into the break-room, stooping to fit under the door frame. He nods politely to Victoria, his dark, bare head glistening in the cheap halogen lighting.

"Morning Victoria. Never took you for a De Wilbur kind of girl." He quips, gesturing at her mug. He fills his own from the rickety coffee-maker, and rests his bulk against the counter top to sip at it slowly. He rolls up one perfectly pressed sleeve to check his watch while he does, and eyes Victoria with a casual 'should you really be in the break room this long?' sort of look good managers can pull off.

Willy Parks is at the customer service desk, purchasing packs of cigarettes while they're on sale. Thomas is hovering nearby, eyeing up her legs in short-shorts and trying his best not to work by pretending to stack a shelf of VR headsets.

[Raine_Sage]

Jake smiles and waves back to his mother as she passes. He hums along to the catchy top 40s station that's always playing over the store speakers. He helpfully directs customers to the items they're looking for whenever they stop to ask him a question and his sunny demeanor always seems to rub off a little as they leave.

It's a good evening, a quiet evening, one where he can focus on doing his job and doing it well. The rhythmic meditative quality of lifting and placing freeing up his brain to think about other things. Like how he has a girlfriend. He grins to himself every time he thinks it.

And, even though he knows he probably shouldn't, he still keeps an eye out for Mary. She's trying hard not to be seen, and he does his best not to be obvious about it, but he feels a little better catching a glimpse out of the corner of his eye. She's alright. They're all ok. Everyone's safe.

When he gets a free moment he heads to the break room where he can double check the shift schedules hanging on the wall there. Georgia distracted him this morning but he really does need to see what shift he's working when the full moon rolls around.

[Ezeze]

Georgia puts exactly as much effort into her job as is needed to avoid getting in trouble and not a smidge more.

Despite herself she likes Mr Kreecher, at least a little bit. If someone asked her about him while she was in a good mood she might describe him as the only adult in her life who didn't make her skin crawl. If someone asked her about him while she was in a bad mood her response would probably be some variant of "f*** off and die," but that wasn't Mr Kreecher's fault.

So she doesn't go out of her way to make her boss's life more difficult - at least, not when there isn't anything in it for her - but the job is still boring. If she didn't need the money to get her band started....

[spinningdice]

Victoria nods politely at Frank, "I um, didn't get much sleep last night." oh god that was lame, pull it together.
After a small sip and deeply breathing in the scent of the coffee she heads back out front. She wondered why coffee still woke her up, when her metabolism barely functioned anymore, not that she really needed it today anyway.

As she heads back to the checkouts she glares at Thomas "Little less obvious please, that's my housemate your ogling." in a voice just loud enough for Willy to hear too.

As she takes a seat she vaguely hears Jake greet his mother, Mother... I wonder if she'll taste the same, perhaps just a taste... the thought illicits some mixed feelings, she's older... old enough to be her own mother... but there's nothing inherently sexual about feeding... why should that matter?

[Mr. E]

Mary has a suspicion that there are some things she ought not to delve too deeply into, especially not at the store. Still, there's something unpleasantly familiar about Walter, like the taste of vomit in her mouth. She leans down and concentrates on washing the floor. Well, I know who's going on the list...

Hoping to join Victoria in the break-room, she heads in that direction, but seeing Frank enter it, she decides that that would be a bad idea. Changing direction, Mary comes round the corner to get a good view of Georgia, and starts to swab down the area near the check-outs. Without making eye-contact or, she hopes, drawing attention to herself, she lets her mind's eye extend. What have you been up too, Georgia dear?

Y'know, Mary spends a lot of time gazing into the abyss. Still, she lacks other options for definitively determining which of the two it was (she can't see Charles being able to tell Georgia and Victoria apart).

Gaze into the Abyss: [roll0]

Question: Do you know that I am dead?

STATS:

Experience: 0/5

Conditions:
Lonely

Strings:
Jake: I
Victoria: II
Alfred: I

[Snacs]

Too much fun yesterday for sure- the shift schedule has Jake working until seven on Sunday. That's cutting it close with how full the moons been the last few nights. Maybe, maybe Jake'd get lucky and get out before sundown-but that's a bad thing to leave to chance.



Thomas straightens, and you can hear his pathetic excuses filtering from the counter-top.

Miriam slips into Georgia's lane, which puts her facing away from Victoria. Her hair's pulled up in a loose ponytail, leaving a length of her neck bare to her shirt's collar. She's smiling and chatting with Georgia happily.


So I just realized something someone from a different country wouldn't know - There's no chairs to sit at the registers in American stores(except Aldis really) Gotta stand all shift :P


It's been a rough two days. First there was the party, and all the crap that happened with that.

And now someone knows you're dead. Two someone knows your dead. And that reminds you that you're dead. You can see it, when you look. The shimmer of a connection between you and Georgia that you've seen between yourself and Jake. A tiny glimmer of 'This person knows'. It hurts-to know you're dead and that you can't even pretend otherwise anymore.

Walter is still in the same aisle, and the squeak of his boots fills your ears. A shadow in a barnyard. The clatter of dice. Laughter. And then the cold, cold rush of water in the back of your throat.



Answer: Yes
Trigger your Darkest Self



Miriam Archer approaches your register, smiling small and gentle and just a tiny bit knowing.

"Hello Georgia dear. How have you been?" Her items get placed in neat, orderly stacks from heavy to light-making it easier to bag on Georgia's end.

She leans in and with about as little subtlety as her son, giggles and asks, "...Did you like the donuts?"

[Ezeze]

Georgia is generally pleasant to Miriam while she scans her items and bags her purchases, taking care not to pack any one bag too heavy.

They were nice she answers with a smile. It was a safe, noncommittal response; it would be silly for Georgia to pretend she doesn't know what Miriam is talking about, but that didn't mean she had to give away anything she didn't already know.

[Raine_Sage]

Jake frowned a little. 7 was cutting it awfully close. It wouldn't necessarily be dark by then but he knew from trial and error that it didn't have to be dark for the moon to be out. It just had to be riding high during the day. Still maybe he didn't need the whole shift swapped, maybe he could ask to beg off an hour or two early?

Jake wrestles with deciding whether or not to try and ask Frank in advance, or if he should just try feigning illness the day of. Both were risky, if he asked today and Frank said no then it would be suspicious if he tried to play sick tomorrow. However Jake is also well aware that he is terrible at lying and if he tries to play sick then there is a non-zero chance it just won't be convincing.

After grappling with his conscience for a moment he opts to try just asking. Frank is a good boss, and he deserves something approaching honesty or at least a heads up. He tracks down his manager shortly after. "Hey Mr. Kreecher. I'm real sorry 'bout the short notice but I wanted to ask if I could come in and leave an hour or two early tomorrow? My uh, my mom wanted to take a short trip into town to see my Gran but we'd be leavin awful late at seven. I know I should've said somethin sooner but it slipped my mind til she reminded me this mornin."

This had the benefit of not being a total lie. Jake's mom had indeed made plans to go into town then next day. However what Jake didn't mention was that he'd already begged off that trip due to work. Still he looks nervous, and he hopes it just looks like the normal kind of 'needs to ask their boss a question' nervous.

[spinningdice]

While Victoria considers leaning back and trying to soak in Miriams aura, she decides she can't really do that without provoking too much attention... Surely she would have noticed by now if her blood would be the same as Jake's, or Alfreds?
She spies her barely touched coffee sat next to the cash register... with an accidental looking flick she knocks the container into the checkout aisle behind her, ensuring to get at least a little on Miriam.

"Oh shi... I'm sorry Mrs Archer, let me get that." grabbing the rolls of paper towels she tries to clean up Jake's mom.... Nothing, no buzz from being up close. nothing (well not quite nothing, she can still feel the blood pumping, she's not Mary).
"Mary, we need a cleanup here! Umm, Mrs Archer I am sooo sorry, I can loan you my shirt or something. It won't be a problem to wear my uniform home."


Maybe playing up the near addiction a little too much?
Also no seats/stools, your retail staff have it harder than ours. Doesn't really matter much either way, but I'll try not reference sitting down too much! Coffee's probably not supposed to be at the checkout either... but Victoria likely overlooked that rule.

[Mr. E]

Mary materialises from some corner with a mop and bucket, and begins cleaning up the portion of the mess not on to Mrs Archer. There's a slowness in her movements that suggests her mind is busy elsewhere. In some corner of her brain, a plan begins to take shape.

I need to stay away from Walter, at least for now. I'm not vomiting in the toilets if I can help it. But Jake mentioned him, earlier. She absently drums her fingers on the mop handle. I think I need to visit the farm. Of course, I also need to have a little chat with Georgia. Maybe I can persuade her to join me?

She finishes cleaning up and shuffles off to change the water in her bucket.

Yes, that would be quite efficient. Killing two birds with one stone, as they say.

*Sinister music plays*

Mary's trying very hard to avoid making another scene, like she did last time she was in the store. Hence why she's not trying to stare into the abyss at Walter. Or, at least, not yet.

[Snacs]

Miriam smiles in a sweet, innocent way that also tells Georgia she's totally in on the 'secret', in that embarrassing way adults can.

Well, we'll just have to have you over for board game ni-!" She stiffens with a loud yelp, jumping forward and almost head-butting Georgia.

"Oh, um, that's quite alright dear, accidents happen." She winces, since the coffee had been hot-but clearly doesn't want to make too big of a scene.

"Georgia, would you mind watching my things for a bit?" Miriam eyes her son's new girlfriend mildly for confirmation before letting Victoria lead her off towards the breakroom.


Frank is still sipping coffee in the break room when Jake finds him, though he's moved from the counter-top to the break room table, making small, precise notes in a cheap spiral notebook, with a stack of print-outs and receipts pinned to a clipboard next to it. His tall frame makes the tiny plastic chair he perches in look childish as he shifts, head tilting and eyes focusing on the younger man.

"Oh? Well if you can find someone to cover that last hour or so I don't mi-"He starts to say, when Jake's Mom and Victoria walk in through the open doorway.


It's not too hard for Victoria to convince Miriam to follow her to the break room. Frank stands up from his seat at one of the break tables.

"Ms. Archer? Is everything alright Victoria?"


The coffee swirls easily into Mary's cheap company-issue mop, staining the clear water with each heavy splut into the bucket. Georgia is left to watch the ghost girl work, even as Maddy Frank trundles up with a cart loaded almost to her own chin.

"Ah hello there Mary, fight any good goblins this weekend?"She titters good-naturedly as the ghost shuffles off, and thumps the heavy cart into the aisle. As she starts unloading the carts three of her friends(probably farmhands) line up behind her with equally heavy carts-all for Georgia to work on.

[spinningdice]

Victoria leads Miriam into the back, "Yes, I'm just a klutz today, had a bit of a spillage, I'm just going to help Mrs. Archer clean up." she looks sheepishly at Jake and Frank, she hadn't realised Jake would be back here. "No-one was hurt, just a little messy."

[Ezeze]

Fantastic, three huge carts while she was the only one on register. This was going to mean 20 minutes of Maddy Frank getting to chirp at her and her unable to do anything but smile and nod.

Georgia put aside Miriam's purchases as quickly and carefully as she could, then turned her attention to helping Maddy Frank's crew. Whatever else was going on with Mary, Victoria or Jake, she wasn't going to be any help. She was busy working.

[Raine_Sage]

Jake freezes, **** this has the potential to go very badly if he doesn't handle this right.

"Aw gee Victoria I'll help Mom out, I know you must be pretty slammed out there and I'd hate to think of Georgia all alone at the register." he offers, grabbing a roll of paper towels off the break room counter as he talks. He needs to get his mom out of the same room as Mr. Kreecher before either one of them has a chance to say something that would tip the other off.

Roll to Escape: [roll0]

"We should go to the bathrooms actually, I bet it won't stain if you get some soapy water on it before it sets." He is however glad that at least Georgia isn't around to hear him sound like a housewife.

Oof not quite, well good effort Jake

Strings
Georgia - IIII
Victoria - III
Mary - I

Conditions
Predictable
Thirsty
Slightly Terrified
Whipped

Experience
5/5

[Mr. E]

Mary's halfway to the backroom to empty her bucket, when she fully parses what Maddy just said. What? No wait, seriously what?

Did she just- but why? They know, but they casually let that slip. How does Walter fit in? She shivers at the memory of the memory of the water. Mary refills her bucket with fresh water, and heads back in the direction of the checkouts.

Appearing next to the checkouts, she puts down her bucket. The first step is to win her trust. Finding one of the unattended counters, she starts on one of the farm-hands trolleys.

[spinningdice]

"God Jake, way to ruin your bad-boy image. Believe it or not I know how to clean clothes, and besides I was going to loan her my clothes so she doesn't have to go home all wet." she continues to talk to Mrs Archer. "you do seem in good shape Mrs Archer, my shirt might a be a litte tight across the chest, but should otherwise fit okay." She moves across to her locker (?) and pulls out her clothes.


Shut Jake Down [roll0] (doesn't seem strictly necessary, as he failed his roll, but talking about how attractive his mom is should shut anyone down...)

[Raine_Sage]

Jake looks like he was going to respond to this somehow but honestly there are just too many layers to that comment that he's not keen on touching with a ten foot pole.

"Right well uh... I'll go help out on the registers then til you finish up here." he finishes, somewhat lamely. "I'll see you when I get home Mom."

He doesn't like leaving them all alone but the anxiety at this point is better than trying to course correct any more than he already has. If they talk they talk, there's not much he can do about that without looking suspiciously desperate.

When he gets out to the front he sees that Mary seems to have taken up the slack, but honestly there's still a line forming. It's just that time of day. He hops on the register next to Georgia and waves the next cart in line over.

-retail war flashbacks- Also Victoria can have the condition Spiteful for that :P

[spinningdice]

Victoria winces a little inside at Jake's look, though maintains an outward look of indifference. He doesn't trust me with his mother, what does he think I'm going to do? she suppresses giggles Does he think I'm some kind of monster?
She takes Miriam to the bathrooms and does her best to get her cleaned up, striking up conversation as she does so. "You know Mrs Archer, you've done well raising Jake, he's a real all-around good guy from what I've seen. Kind of wish I'd beaten Georgia to him, but she's probably better for him than I would be. I kind of self-destruct relationships."
She holds up her clothes, "I'm sorry it's not your usual style, but it saves you going home in wet clothes" she looks her up and down "And I think they'd look good on you, maybe turn some heads?" Victoria stands a little too close to her and her hand lingers a little too long on her arm...


Ouch - Spiteful. Probably not inappropriate, but I'm wounded here. ;-)
That said, Victoria's caught between earnestness and bitchiness here, and not quite sure where she wants to go. She doesn't really want to hurt anyone involved, but she also wants to take back some control.
Turn on Miriam [roll0]

[Snacs]

Miriam seems nonplussed at all the fuss being taken of her, though she also helps shoo Jake out of the breakroom with Victoria.

"Don't worry about me Jake, go help your girlfriend out!"She chuckles and lets Victoria bustle her into the restrooms. She struggles out of her plain shirt and swaps it with Victoria's far more flashy one, nonplussed at Victoria being in sight while she does. She laughs again, a high, warm sound.

"Really! I'd think you're trying to butter me up for something Victoria, but thank you. I do know how to make em. "She smiles vaguely in the direction of where her Son had went. "It's nice to know he's so popular though!" She shakes easily out of Victoria's hand and winks conspiratorially, though she frowns at Victoria's description of her relationships. "That's just silly, you're so young I bet you don't even know what a Real relationship is!"She teases lightly.

"I guess if an old marm like me can still turn some heads that's something to be happy about right?"

She steps out of the restroom, to Frank Kreecher standing pretty close to the door and looking concerned. He clears his throat.
"Uh, Ms. Archer, I must say I'm very sorry we've inconvenienced you so- I want to assure you that I'll be letting Jake off early tomorrow to go visit his grandmother with you, as Victoria will be taking his hours tomorrow." He glanced at Victoria-well, getting an extra two hours or so wasn't that bad a punishment right?

"I can also fill out an accident report if you'd like." Miriam's put on a straight face, though she shakes her head at that.

"Of course not Mr. Kreecher, there's no harm some detergent won't fix."She pats him on the chest lightly, though she frowns as she walks out...

Miriam looks confused for a moment-hadn't Jacob begged off of that trip?


Gain condition 'puerile' while getting Shut Down by Miriam :p





The carts rattle and bang against the laminated counter-tops, setting Georgia's belt rumbling in its infinite, useless spin. Maddy-predictably, starts to chatter the moment she starts dumping product on to the belt. How was her Mom doing? Had she heard the latest rumors and gossip about how someone had called the police to that awful young man Sal's house again? Really the area was going down hill lately-and there were rumors teens had been out drinking by the lake last night!

Her farmhands, on the other hand, eyed Jake and Mary blankly, speaking in short, terse answers when spoken too, but otherwise shuffling items on to the belts and looking a mix of bored and barely-present.

The squeak of Walter's boots on the linoleum cuts under Maddy's babble, approaching with a plastic bag in one hand purchased from the sporting good's section.

[Ezeze]

Georgia makes the appropriate, polite, noncommittal noises in response to Maddy's questions. Her mom was doing fine. She hadn't heard that Sal's has been raided again, was that recently?

Then she mentioned that teens had been drinking at the lake.

That explains why Alfred Hemmings was in here yesterday trying to buy beer. Mr Kreecher didn't let him, of course. That would be illegal. I'm not sure why he thought we'd sell it to him.

She very specifically used Al's full name, just to make sure she knew who she was talking about. He could use more of Maddy's attention, she was sure.

[spinningdice]

"As long as I'm getting paid for it, Mr Kreecher. Unless you need me for anything else I'd better get back to work." Victoria smiles pleasantly hiding her inner annoyance.
Returning to the main shop floor she shoots Jake a smirk "You guys handling everything out here? I can go stack if you've got it all under control."

[Raine_Sage]

"Yeah more or less." Jake smiles, though it's still a kind of uneasy looking smile. "You didn't get in trouble with the boss did you? He looked kind've miffed when I left."

Ugh this is the worst feeling, he can't remember the last time he was this anxious about anything. Though to be fair he can't remember the last time he had to lie like that to someone. Dishonesty didn't come naturally and it always made him feel a little ill. While he's not sure it was an "admirable" quality, he would admit to being a little envious of Victoria and Georgia's ability to breezily deflect without needing to psych themselves up beforehand.

He glances over curiously as Walter approaches the checkout, looking for a distraction.

[spinningdice]

"Trouble, me? I'm too pretty to be in trouble" Victoria flutters her eyelashes at Jake in a sarcastic manner. "but I am covering you while you escape... where exactly was it you were going?"

Can one flutter one's eyelashes sarcastically? It works in my head.

[Mr. E]

Mary finishes up with the farm-hand she is serving and is about to sign off and hand the till back to Victoria when she notices Walter approach. She looks at him, waying up the possibilities. A little intelligence gathering never hurt anyone.

Raising one hand, Mary waves him over.

Mary's finding it difficult to get a window to talk to Georgia without Jake listening in.
Something drastic may have to be tried, if he keeps hanging around...

[Raine_Sage]

His heart sinks. So Frank had said something to his mom. Or at least in front of his mom. Great.

"To my grandma's, sorry you got put through the trouble of pickin up my shift though. If you ever need to beg off I'll try'n return the favor."

He wants to ask her about the library but not with Mary so close by. Maybe he could get the two of them alone?

"If you want I'll go help you set up once I hop off here?"

[spinningdice]

Victoria sighs, "Don't worry about it, take advantage all you like, I do kinda owe you already." she quietens her voice a little, in case anyone's listening "Feel free to talk to me, I'll try and keep the snark down to minimal levels."

[Raine_Sage]

Jake pauses for a moment, there's something unspoken there and he can't help but wonder if she knows somehow. He's been as careful as you can be when your affliction isn't particularly subtle, but it's not unlikely she might have seen something some night.

He responds just as softly. "Thanks I...I appreciate that." He smiles, a little more at ease now, before returning his attention to the checkout. He'll focus on getting people through quickly, and then see if he can't get a moment with Victoria in private.

[spinningdice]

Victoria will find something to do that she can break off from, seems Jake wants a chat, and she wouldn't mind it herself. Though she tries to keep an eye out for Frank too, he has a weird habit of sneaking up on her... somehow.

[Snacs]

Maddy hums thoughtfully and digests that information with all the joy of a mother hen plucking a worm from the dirt. The torrent of small-talk laps around Georgia's comment without really abating, though her eyes have lit up and her discussion shifts more to how sometimes they catch teens trying to drink on the farm, even going so far as to throw shade on one of the farmhands as a reformed example(to which the farmhand angling his cart through Mary's register barely responds).

"Oh yes, I know young Alfred. And his father Lem. Poor thing, what happened to his Mother. It's hard raising a son without a Mother's influence."She chatters on, even as her card slices its way through the card-reader like a knife through butter, one sharp, quick motion.

Nearby, Walter waves his bag in Mary's direction. "No need to worry about me Miss, 've got m'receipt already."He waves a crumpled piece of paper near Mary's face by way of explanation, tossing the bag into the upper part of the farmhand's cart. The top of it opens slightly, revealing among a bunch of fishing tackle a clear plastic tub of bait(wriggling worms-gross), and a box of shrink-wrapped shotgun shells.

Miriam approaches Georgia as Maddy's total rings up and her receipt starts to rack itself outward. The two chat for a short moment(at least, a short moment for Maddy), as Miriam steps up and finishes her own purchases before angling around halfway between Victoria and Jake, cart pointed towards the doors.

"Jacob? Mr. Kreecher and I just spoke, and he was very nice to tell me he was letting you off early to come visit Gran tomorrow. Come straight home after work okay?" Uh oh.


Gain the Condition 'dishonest'

[Ezeze]

Georgia assists both Miriam and Maddy with a retail smile, which is like a regular smile but mandatory.

[Raine_Sage]

Ouch I can feel the parental disapproval through my screen

Jake mumbles a distinctly embarrassed "yes'm" and waits until she's out the door before adding an "Oh **** me" and putting his head in his hands. He is in so much trouble when he gets home and he's fresh out of excuses.

[Ezeze]

Huh? Georgia asks, eloquently. She hasn't followed any of the drama between Jake and his mom, but Jake's not one to curse at work.

[Raine_Sage]

"It's nothin I'm just an idiot." he sighs as he closes out the register he was working on. "And probably gettin an earful when I get home."

[Ezeze]

Oooh, Jake-y getting in trou-bleee Georgia teases, breaking the word 'trouble' into its two disparate syllabus and drawing out the 'e.'

With Miriam and Maddy gone, the front is momentarily free of customers.

Wha'd you do?

[spinningdice]

Victoria hovers nearby, obviously listening, though she doubts anything interesting is going to be said in such a public area.

[Raine_Sage]

"I uh..." he hesitates. Aside from Frank's ability to sneak up on him like nobody's business, he's not sure what he'd tell Georgia either when she inevitably asks what he wanted the extra two hours for. "I'll tell you after we get off. I just don't want to deal with it right now."

He smiles at her but it's the thin smile of a person who's not actually looking forward to the end of their shift anymore. "Besides I told Victoria I'd help with a display so I should go do that thing." he hops off the register and gives her a playful salute before heading down the aisles.

[spinningdice]

Victoria walks with Jake out of the way a little "So, little red riding hood wants to talk? Something wrong with Grandma?" Victoria smiles slightly as they get out of earshot. "I hope you don't blame me for whatever's going on with you and your mom, or whatever. And you could just ask me, or Georgia, probably even Mary if you needed cover." Victoria's face is concerned, despite her hunger and her bored love of playing with people, she likes Jake.

[Raine_Sage]

Sincerity from Victoria was a rare treat and he didn't know why but the idea that she'd be willing to help, even though functionally there was really nothing she could do, made him feel a little better.

"I don't blame you for anythin, it was just bad timin and bad luck. Honestly I should've waited til she was out've the store before I asked for the time off." They head into the back of the store, to the storage part of the building where Jake begins loading up beanbag chairs onto a dolly to replenish the bins in Home Goods with. Here polished tile gives way to drab grey concrete, surrounded by high metal shelves loaded with all of the stock waiting to be put out front. They were relatively alone, though he could still here the faint murmur of activity in the store proper.

"I appreciate it though. Really. Don't worry 'bout me worst that happens is I get grounded or somethin. It's not the end of the world." saying it out loud like that made it feel more real to him, it helped in a small way. "So uh, you been to the Library lately? Mr. Hitchcock mentioned one've you'd been by when I was there this afternoon." he segues casually into the thing he was actually curious about.

[spinningdice]

"The library, what would I be doing there? I would not have you down as someone who hangs around in places like that. Does it contain your secret history and all the mysteries of Jake? Maybe I should pay a visit."

[Raine_Sage]

Alright not Victoria then (he can't imagine she'd lie about something so innocuous). So that meant Georgia probably. He just needed to figure out how to warn her about Mary.

"And what mysteries would those be hm?" he asks teasingly "My taste in pulpy detective novels? You don't have to do much diggin to find out what that is."

[spinningdice]

"Oh, I'm sure you have more to hide than that. No one's as nice as you really. Do you secretly eat babies?" Victoria laughs, but also watches his reaction, the red-riding hood reference either went over his head or he's a better actor than she thought, so maybe not a werewolf then, but he was something... maybe she should go the library, see if she could find out what else is out there... but urgh, where would she even begin looking? It's not like the local library had a "real monsters" section.

A dark thought crosses her, I could get him to bleed, just a little, when I feed I sometimes get flashes of what my victims are feeling, and I bet he tastes so sweet... No, bad friend.

[Mr. E]

Mary logs off the system as the last customer leaves, then grabs her mop and bucket. Returning to sweep the floor, she looks round furtively. Jake and Victoria have vanished together, causing a stab of jealousy on Mary's part, which she fights down.

Focus Mary. If they're both gone, then that just leaves you and Georgia. Go do what you need to, and you can spy on the others later.

Pausing, Mary realises that she has no clue what to say that would lure Georgia out to the farm. What does Georgia like? I mean, what is Georgia's last name? I don't know anything about her. She impatiently drums her fingers on the mop handle, aware that Jake and Victoria could return at any moment. Eventually she scribbles something - anything on a scrappy bit of paper.


A note appears on Georgia's desk. This one, unlike the one given to Victoria, is rather crumpled, and the handwriting not so elegant. On one side it has a simple message:

Meet me at the well, tonight?

Under this is a crudely drawn symbol of one of the ghosts from Pac-man.

Just like Mary, I couldn't think of a good plausible reason for her to try and use on Georgia,
so she's just gone for the simple approach.

I've assumed the well on the Frank's farm is known well enough (no pun intended) to be "the well".

[Ezeze]

It takes longer than Mary thought it would for Georgia to notice the little scrap of paper.

She's busy, it seems, drumming her fingers on her counter, sighing wistfully at the clock and occasionally bouncing on the balls of her feet.

When she finally does notice it she uncrumples it and peruses it lazily.

It's not immediately obvious that the note is for her, but who else but Mary would draw a stylized little ghost instead of just, you know, signing her name? And if Mary left the note at this register then she meant it for Georgia.

It was roundabout, way less direct than just asking to hang out, but strangely enough that made it more appealing. Meeting a ghost, in the middle of an abandoned farm, late at night?

Sounded like fun, and what was the worst thing Mary could do to Georgia?

Kill her?

Hah.

Strings
Jake IIIII
Mary II
Jessica I

Conditions
Adored
Ice Queen
Loner

Experience
2/5

[Raine_Sage]

Jake just gives her a lazy grin. "Aw shucks you really think I'm that nice? Alright well you got me, once a month I turn into a terrible wolfbeast and go runnin around the forest by the lake." his tone is light and joking, and there's no indication he's serious. He's presented it as 'haha that's too crazy to be anything but sarcasm' but he's still watching her face maybe a little too intently.

Because that reference hadn't gone over his head, and neither had her earlier indication that she might know what he'd requested that time off for. And if she did already know something, and she hadn't run screaming... well that was definitely worth knowing for sure on his end too.

[spinningdice]

Victoria's head snaps to Jake a little quicker than intended... still she managed to not choke. He's joking, or double-bluffing?. She smiles at him "Well, that's something I'd like to see one day," she suddenly gasps dramatically "Does Georgia know?"

She looks around, looks like the trolley's full.

[Raine_Sage]

He sees her look, and there's a brief moment of shared understanding, but he doesn't comment. Just smiles and winks.
"Make for a hell of a party trick," he said getting behind the trolly and pushing it out to the front. "And course not who wants a wolf for a boyfriend, honestly Victoria." he grins playfully before the two of them get back to work.

-------------

Once the shift is over he changes back into his regular shirt and goes to see if he can't catch Georgia before they both leave.

[spinningdice]

Victoria finds the time to approach Mary (assuming she lets herself be found), "Hey Mary, want to hang out a while? Don't know what you like to do, but has to be better than sitting in my trailer right?"

[Ezeze]

Georgia passes the rest of her shift in abject boredom. Time can't move fast enough. When it's finally time to leave she drops off her register like it's on fire and heads to the break room to clock out.

She didn't expect to walk in on Jake changing his shirt, but she wasn't going to complain either.

Running home? Georgia asks to announce her presence. One the door is closed behind her she strips off the itchy purple Buymart over-shirt and slings it over her shoulder, then crosses to the clock to check out.

[Raine_Sage]

"Runnin seems like a strong word for it. I was tryin to get off early tomorrow while my mom was out've the house and she caught news and now I'm lucky if I'm grounded." he sighs. "So hey I heard somethin interestin. Cause Mr. Hitchcock mentioned you'd been there a couple days ago lookin at the same files I was."

"The ones about Mary?" he adds cautiously, looking over at her like he's trying to gauge her reaction.

[Ezeze]

Grounded for taking time off work? Georgia furrows her brow in confusion.

Hitchcock? That name takes her a little while longer to place. Then recognition shows on her face clear as day. Oh! The Librarian!

It's only after saying that when she realizes she may have been better off playing dumb.

Whatever. She might as well cop to it now.

Yeah, I made a copy of an old news article from... she searches her memory for a moment ... 1982?

[Mr. E]

Mary is sufficiently startled by Victoria's invitation that she just stares at her, stunned. Oh-my-god-oh-my-god-oh-my-god-the pretty girl wants to hang out with me without me asking first. 'And on the one time in my bustling social calendar that I'm double booked...

Mary, she's still looking at you. Now she's looking a bit worried. Quick, words, right order, now! She turns to Victoria and tries an excited grin, which really just reinforces the impression that she's having a seizure. "Yes! Yes. But parents - I have to - can't."

There is a noticeable pause. "But noodles?" Another pause. "After shift?"

There is a slow sinking sensation as Mary realises that none of those words connected to each other in a meaningful way. Still, as long as she doesn't spend too much time at the noodle shop (and as long as the noodle ship is still in business since the 1980's), she should still have time to "discuss matters" with Georgia.

Should...

Yes the noodle shop is Mary's idea of a romantic restaurant on which to take her sorta date.
:smallbiggrin:

[Raine_Sage]

"No I'm grounded cause I lied to Mr. Kreecher 'bout why I wanted the time and now she knows." he sighs. "And speakin of knowin things if you knew that thing then you're more composed then even I was givin you credit for. But uh, Mary might've caught me lookin at them and to say she's unhappy is kind've an understatement."

Honestly how do you know your co-worker is a literal ghost and not let on even a little? Like Georgia has a great poker face but that's an a whole nother level. But he's also hopeful because well if this didn't phase her well maybe certain.. other things wouldn't phase her either.

[spinningdice]

"Noodles? Um Sure. I don't really eat out, but why not." Damn, I was hoping she'd keep me out of trouble.. "See you after shift.... I kinda lost my clothes so I'll have to go in Uniform, unless you want to call by my place first?"

[Ezeze]

Georgia tilts her head to the side quizzically. It hadn't even occurred to her that not freaking out about Mary's mere presence was a praiseworthy feat.

She holds up the note from Mary - the one she signed with a doodle of a ghost - between her fingers.

Is that why she wants to see me in an abandoned field?

[Mr. E]

Mary has a feeling she's not thinking clearly, even by her muddled standards. She knows that getting close to anyone is a bad idea, heck she told Jake that this morning, but Victoria is standing like right in front of her, and talking seriously about the not-quite-date they're going on, and why are hormones still a thing for ghosts?

Returning to reality, she tries valiantly to form her thoughts into a semblance of order. "You have pretty eyes."

No. Bad Mary. Other set of thoughts.

"Let's go by your place."

Mary's had a long and stressful day, and it's starting to tell.

Rolling to Turn Someone On:

[roll0]

But apparently Victoria still finds adorkable attractive, so the more stressed, the better.

STATS:

Conditions:
Lonely

Experience: 1/5

Strings:
Victoria: II
Alfred: I
Jake: I

[Raine_Sage]

Jake groans. "Yeah that'd probably by why. Look Georgia you're not seriously considerin goin are you?"

Meeting an upset ghost in the middle of a field at night by an old well was not really anything a sensible person should do. It's the sort of thing that would have you yelling at your screen in a horror movie. "Look when I said she was upset I mean I thought she was gonna drown me in the middle of a library, it was... **** Georgia it was basically exactly everything you'd expect an angry ghost to be don't do that to yourself."

[Ezeze]

Georgia smirks and makes a dismissive little noise in her throat.

Of course I'm going. Have you met me?

[roll0]

(ooc: Jake can lose a string on Georgia. Maybe he is in over his head? :smalltongue:)

[Raine_Sage]

"I have met you and that's what's got me worried."

He goes over and takes her hand, looking her steadfastly in the eye. "I dunno what I'd do if you wound up at the bottom of a well. I can't stop you goin but can you at least promise me you'll be careful?" he gives her that cute crooked grin and reaches up to play with a strand of her hair affectionately. "Besides I've only been your boyfriend for a day and I'm hopin for a longer go at it than that."

Roll to turn Georgia On: [roll0] (tagging adored)

He doesn't care if he has to sneak out of his room to do it and he doesn't know if he could even do anything about a ghost anyway but he definitely doesn't intend on letting her go out there by herself. But she doesn't need to know that and he doesn't need to show up as a human regardless.

And Jake gains the string right back :P he knows exactly what he's gotten into with her.

Strings
Georgia - IIII
Victoria - III
Mary - I

Conditions
Predictable
Thirsty
Slightly Terrified
Whipped
Dishonest

Experience
0/5

[Ezeze]

Georgia blushes.

Oh my god that's not fair why can I still blush?

Wait, what? He admits he can't stop me from going? He's not trying to control me? That's gotta be a trap, right?

.... Right?

But he's so cute. She manages to nod her head in agreement. Yeah, okay. I promise I'll be careful.

That's when Georgia realizes that she has been staring at Jake for just a few seconds too long. Time to go back on the defensive.
Go be grounded, or whatever. The statement lacked the barbs she's normally able to put into her words. She was finding it difficult to be mean, he was just so earnest. I'll see you tomorrow.

[Raine_Sage]

"Yeah I'll see you tomorrow." he smiles fondly and leans down to give her a gentle kiss goodbye before he finishes clocking out and heads home. The sooner he gets the confrontation with his mom out of the way the sooner he can scramble out a window and book it to the farm.

[Ezeze]

Georgia had no such obligation to check in with her mother. She stowed her work shirt in her locker and went directly to the well - Mary hadn't specified a time, and by the end of shift it was after sunset anyway.

She had to walk there, though. She had no option to float there, or to run on four legs. So she might still be arriving to the party late.

[spinningdice]

Victoria leads Mary back to her glamourous home, Willy, you in?! she calls quietly, the lights are off, so she's probably out... or asleep. She considers inviting Mary into her room, but remembers she has some marks she'd rather not have to explain right now. "Take a seat, there may be beers in the fridge if you like?" Sure Willy's beers but I can pay her back, right? Victoria seems somewhat out of sorts, Why did I bring her here, I don't bring anyone here?.

She heads into her room and strips out of her uniform, looking through her wardrobe, not quite oblivious to the fact that the contents of her wardrobe were probably the most valuable thing in the place, most of her clothes and jewellery were from when she had access to her parent's pockets...

[Mr. E]

Mary takes a seat, then almost immediately gets up and goes hunting for a glass of water. It takes a while, but she eventually finds one, and fills it up at the tap. Leaning against the bench-top, Mary drinks slowly, admiring the view of the neighbouring trailer and the burnt scrub from last year's fire. The action of doing something mundane is calming, which is something she really, really, really needs right now. Eventually she washes out the glass, dries it on a tea-towel, and puts it back away.

Sitting back down on the couch, she sticks her hand on her lap and tries not to be too obviously gawking at the inside of Victoria's trailer. A small part of her has always assumed that the other girl should live in a fairytale castle, so this is slightly different from what she imagined.

[Ezeze]

Georgia works her way up the hill at Nighthawk farm to the well, the only sounds her breathing and a few muffled curses when she nearly trips over a divot in the ground.

The sun has already set by the time she gets there; working second shift will do that, even in the middle of Summer when the days are longest.

Thankfully she'd had the entire climb for her eyes to adjust so she wasn't completely blind. Just mostly blind.

[spinningdice]

Victoria emerges from her room dressed in a soft turtleneck black dress that fits snugly around her form, "So will I do?" Victoria does a little taa-daa motion as she walks back in and shoots Mary a smile. "Did you find something to drink, I don't keep much in - I don't spend much time here."


Victoria is rather off-balance, she's not sure why she even brought Mary here, or what she's doing with Mary. And that unsettles her.
Also I need to stop adding so many comma's to sentances, I know I overuse them.

[Snacs]

Jacob's Mom is in the kitchen when he gets home-though unlike a few years ago the 'kitchen' is a counter-top separating the living room from the kitchen. She gives him a look but goes on stirring a large pot of pasta, her hair tugged back into a no-nonsense bun.

"Hey! How was work? Why don't you come set the table?" The words were the same, but there was a weary, strained tone to them that made the guilt even worse. Though the worst part was the lack of anything else until dinner was sitting and steaming quietly between them. Behind Jake he could feel the moon shining through a small window, as sharp as a razor even in the bright, fuzzy light of the ceiling lights.

Miriam breaks the silence first.

"Look, Jacob. I know things have been...rough. Lately. The last few years. And I don't...."She reaches out suddenly and grips his hand. The sharp motion is almost enough to leave Jacob sporting claws with the Moon so full behind him. Her eyes are watery, gently shaking with every blink like the surface of the lake. The harried-but-chipper mask she's worn for Jake for almost 3 years falls away briefly.

"I'm sorry that you've had to go through that..through this while you're in school-before you've even really become an adult. It's not fair to you. But please, please don't lie to me like that again. I don't expect you to tell me what's gotten into you lately, but I'm not stupid, I know when you sneak out and when you lie to me, and I don't like it." She frowns, and lets his hand go suddenly, brushing at her eyes before forcing a smile.

"I don't mind that you want to go play with your friends, or hell even sneak out with a girlfriend-I know it's embarrassing to tell that to your Mom but....it scares me when you just disappear in the middle of the night Jacob."




The sun setting behind her, and its last glimmers got her to the Farm, though it took until she reached the hill for night to really fall. By the time she reached its summit the moon was rising, huge and pale and made jagged by the dark treeline that surrounded the Farm. The pale light swept across the hill, soaking Georgia in its light and letting her see a little more clearly. There were lights on across the Farm, here and there. The most were clustered in the bedroom windows of the ranch house, though there were a few at the front of the stables and some of the outer buildings, though the well was far from any of them. Closest was a large barn, dilapidated and abandoned, if the sagging roof and sad windows said anything.

The Well itself wasn't very much, a dangerously low ring of heavy brick made grey and black by the dark. Two thick metal divots on either side had once held a wooden arch and cover, though it hadn't had such for decades at least, judging by the dirt and crud that had collected in the empty spaces. There were a few pennies, wet and glistening across the bricks- as if the well had vomited up whatever wishes some hopeful supplicant had offered. Not a single one was heads-up, at least as far as Georgia could see.

It was cool tonight, with the wind sweeping in from the Lake.

There was a Blorp from the well, and a small sound like a child's sniffle.

[Ezeze]

... What the f***?

What was that?

Mary? Georgia asks aloud, looking around. She tries to peer down the well, but it's too dark.

She pulls out her phone instead and flicks through her apps until she finds one that will let her use the 'flash' like a nightlight. She turns it on and shines it down the well.

[Raine_Sage]

He feels like his stomach drops to the bottom of his shoes. She knows, he thought he'd been so careful about sneaking out but she's known he was doing it the whole time and she never said anything. He feels like mud. He never told her because he didn't want to pile on. Hey mom your husband's dead and we had to move to the middle of nowhere behind a buymart and oh guess what your son's a monster!

"Mom I...I'm so sorry. I never wanted to worry you. It's not anythin bad I promise." He's well aware the words ring hollow while he's still neglecting to tell her why he's done it. "I just..."

He can't do it. He can't keep lying to her face like this. Not when she knows that's all he's doing. He takes a deep shaky breath. This has been a year coming, and honestly if he can't trust his own mother who can he trust really? "Do you remember last year? When we went out to visit Uncle Amos in Arizona, and they took me out campin that night in the desert? But they had to rush me back with my arm all messed up?"

The scars are still vivid on his skin, jagged and raised, making it clear the flesh was torn and twisted before it was treated. "And they told you I got attacked by a coyote or somethin, but it ran off when he got a good crack at it with a shotgun?" He feels like he's going to throw up and he hasn't even touched his food yet. But there's no turning back now. "I...I don't think it was a coyote, and ever since then I've been...different. Not... not normal. But I never wanted that to be your problem, you had so much already and I..." he has to take a moment to compose himself. "Maybe it'd be easier if I just showed you."

[Snacs]

"Amos? Yes I remember, I was scared witless when Amos called me. But what does that have to do with anything?" She gives a small laugh." What?! Are you howling at the moon or something? You can just tell me you're sneaking out with your girlfriend Jacob, I won't even mind if you tell me that you were...you know...smoking things or um, other things. As long as you use protection of course!"She says awkwardly.



The phone's dim flash only bounces about twenty feet down the Well. A dozen small, empty white eyes stare back at Georgia, and there's a hiss like a hive of wasps kicked over. Slick forms, slim and smooth like children, are tangled up in a pile as they scramble upwards with the wet smacks of bare flesh on stone. Their mouths open and shut randomly, and water spills from them in wet heaves.

Across the farm a door slams, and a truck's exhaust kicks as it roars to life. The forms vanish, splashing back into the well like paper dropped into a puddle. A pick-up pulls out from the ranch house and heads towards the hill. And Georgia is standing smack dab next to the well. To her right one of the deserted barn doors swings open with a tortured creak in the wind, the only cover in reach before the truck arrives.

[Raine_Sage]

He flushes with embarrassment in spite of himself. He should tell her. He should really really tell her.

He can't tell her.

He exhales. "You're right, I'm sorry. I...I promised I'd meet up with Georgia tomorrow night and I wanted the house to myself and I figured if you were gonna be out for awhile anyway I'd..." he feels like scum lying like this. "I'm not smokin anythin though I wanna be clear on that."

It's one thing for his mom to think he's having wild flings with the neighborhood girls, but it's another thing entirely to have her thinking he's doing something illegal. Though while he's clearing the air he might as well try and inject at least a little more honesty in here.

"But I promise it's not even that all the time. I mean, I ain't even been seein Georgia that long. I guess the truth is... sometimes I just really need to get out of the house. It's just... even with the two of us this place is so small Mom and I get stir crazy and I just have to GO somewhere that ain't here. Around the lake sometimes, or out by the farm, just somewhere I can get some fresh air. I'm sorry I never said anythin. I just didn't want you to worry 'bout me."

[Ezeze]

Georgia freezes in fear, her brain unable to process whatever that was.

She looks up at the truck, the light on her phone still on, plainly visible in the darkness even from a distance.

Something in her tells her to run, to hide, but she can't. She doesn't move at all as the truck gets closer. Never before had she encountered something scarier than death.

Moves: The Hunger (Thrills), Satiety, Short Rest for the Wicked, Unashamed, A Blank Canvas

Strings
Jake IIIII
Mary II
Jessica I

Conditions
Adored
Ice Queen
Loner

Experience
3/5

[Mr. E]

Mary's reaction to Victoria in a slinky dress is gratifyingly gaping.

"You look -" She pauses to find the correct word. "-fabulous."

She gets up off the couch, bending over slightly to avoid the low ceiling of the trailer. Suddenly feeling under-dressed in her Pink Floyd Tee and jeans, she attempts to reclaim her shattered sense of dignity. Mary walks to the door of the trailer.

"Noodles now?"

Unless Victoria has other plans, I think we are now off to get those noodles.

[Snacs]

Miriam smiles, a small, awkward and strained smile that's heavier than any curse.

"I understand Jake, god do I understand. But please-no more slipping out without telling me okay? I promise I won't get mad I just...I couldn't take losing you."

The truck is moving with haste, fat oversized tires spinning through lush soil as it barrels down towards her. Behind her the well burbles and giggles like a group of schoolchildren playing a prank. The truck revs as it fishtails to take the hill at a curve, slicing around to cut off any escape route to the forest. The doors kick open, but the lights are too bright to see anything but their shadows.

One of the two raises a long rifle and fires it into Georgia's chest without a word. The back of her knees hit the low brick wall of the well, and the laughter in the well grows sharp and jarring even as her other senses dull. She flips into the well, hitting once, twice, three times against the stone until she hits the water. Her ankle twists, her wrist shatters, and her head clips a clump of moss-covered stone where a brick had dislodged slightly. Always in the same spot as before. Her body goes numb, a puppet with strings cut.

The well does not have much water in it, and she bobs up to the surface after a short dip that brushes her against a bottom slimy and irregular with shapes. Above, the moon looks down at her. Small hands and whispers tug at her clothing, her arms, her hair. Pulling her slowly, inexorably downwards feet-first. Wet smiles and dead, empty eyes stare at her from the gaps in the brick walls of the well, excited.

Two figures lean over the edge of the well, turning the moon into a jack-O-Lantern grin just for Georgia.

"I ain't tellin' Maddy about this, you is." The words filter down the wall, bouncing off the walls. The water has gone warm as blood around Georgia. Everything starts to fade, and the smiles turn to frowns, the eyes surprised and upset as she dies. again...

A Goose honks, loud and brash. Water splashes, the light thunk of wood bumping up against wood.

"Y'alright little lady?" Strong, coarse hands grip Georgia by her shoulders, heft her from the water, and her lungs suck in air. Air that is freezing and crisp with the scent of morning. Lem Hemmings helps her stretch out on to the old wooden pier, the rough wood as grounding as a slap to the face. The older man is dressed the same as she's ever seen him- a fading brown coat right out of the 70s, fur-trimmed. Stout pants, and thick leather boots. She can see a backpack, neon orange, propped up by the old pedal-boat shed with a rifle stacked next to it.

[Raine_Sage]

Jake gets up and goes to hug her tightly. If nothing else to reassure her that he's warm and solid and still very much alive. "Are you kiddin? I'm not goin anywhere."

He hesitates a moment. "Then ah, is it ok if I go for a walk tonight then? I understand if it's a no but..." he pulls back lingering hopefully. As anxious as he was about this he's yet more anxious about Georgia and Mary.

[spinningdice]

"Yeah, no sense in hanging around here."


Onwards to food, which neither one of us needs to consume, but won't tell the other that, presumably.

[Ezeze]

Georgia doesn't gasp, but she does take a few deep experimental breaths. It's cold because it's morning, and because she has just been pulled out of the lake, but it's still summer - the air doesn't stab at her lungs like it would have in the winter. Silver linings.

In order of importance, first her right hand goes to her chest. She ensures that she is wearing clothing of some sort, and that she doesn't have a hole in her torso where the rifle hit her. Getting shot had hurt. More, even, than dying. More than dying either time. Those farm hands hadn't been firing warning shots.

Then she glances around blearily and pats at any pockets she has for her phone. It had been in her hand when she had fallen into the well so it might be gone forever. Even if she could find it, it probably wasn't proof against being submerged in a well, or being submerged in a lake, or being handled by whatever the hell those things were that drowned her. Did her weird power work on electronics? It would be a blessing if it did, but she didn't figure that she would be that lucky.

Finally (though 'finally' might be too strong a word, since this process took two to three seconds maximum) she looked up at Lem. "What day is it?" she asks. It would be better to know now, rather than later, how much time she had lost. Her mother may not have noticed if she was gone for a night - it wasn't totally unusual for her to get home after she had gone to bed, and be awake and out the door before she got up in the morning. If she had blacked out for a full day and a half, though, work would have missed her. Or Jake. If she had missed more than that... Well, no need to get ahead of herself.

[Snacs]

Miriam sighs, but gives her son a wry smile.

"Fine, but bring your phone and keep it on, promise?"

---

By the time Jake reached the Farm it was in a coat of moon-dappled fur and with eyes that saw the night clear as day. He'd heard the gunshot a moment after he had changed, coming from the Farm.

Now he could see the well, stuck out in the middle of a flat, fenced-in field where a few dozen sheep bleated quietly to themselves. To his left was the old barn, slightly titled from disrepair. The stink of gunpowder(remembered from that august night) and a faint scent of fresh blood came from a small hill next to the barn. The lights were on down at the farm house, and there was a truck idling in the driveway.



Mary could still remember where the Noodle Shop was, at least. Ridge Spring, on the outskirts closest to the trailer park. A fifteen minute walk in the cooling evening air with the Moon starting to rise behind them slowly faded from empty trees to sparse houses and buildings.

The streetlights were sparse, though neither Mary nor Victoria had much trouble in the dark. Everything looked more seedy than it had thirty years ago. Mary could finally see the building though, rubbing elbows with an old car detailing shop that shared a wall with it. The two undead girls could see through the windows a few cars draped in drop-cloth and dust. The noodle place's windows had been blacked out. A lurid, bright-pink neon sign blinked to life as Mary led Victoria up to the doors.

Stilettos


Confidently, and without thinking about it, Mary had led Victoria right up to the doors of a strip club.


Her clothing is still there-sans a few more rips and tears in her jeans and a small but noticeable hole right over her heart. Her phone was missing- she could easily remember the sharp pain in her wrist when it had impacted the side of the well.

Lem had retreated to his backpack, unhooking a thick, hefty thermos from it and working over the lid.
"Sunday morning. Y're a lucky one little Lady, caught you on the hook like a trout 'fore I even noticed you were down there. Trying out for Polar Bear or Houdini or som'thin?"He gestured at a fishing pole propped by a small camp chair at the end of the pier. by way of explanation as he returned. The thermos's cup was blissfully warm, scalding black coffee in it bitter but strong. His coat followed, draping over her shoulders carefully.

[spinningdice]

"ooh Mary, I got your hints that you like girls - I really didn't need it lighting up in Neon." Victoria valiantly tries to suppress a fit of giggles. She finally straigtens herself up and leans in close to Mary "Since we're here now, shall we go take a look inside? I'm not really hungry anyway."


Turn Mary On [roll0]

[Raine_Sage]

Despite the inconvenience Jake really loved full moons. Everything was sharper, clearer, more alive under the moonlight. He felt powerful and in control and free. Nothing could stop him, he could clear long distances in a third of the time it would take him to walk it as a human. The woods were his playground, where he could run and chase and hunt.

But right now even the rush of being a wolf couldn't curb the anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach as he raced toward the farm at full speed. Please don't let her be hurt, oh please oh please oh please...

The scent of fresh blood made him snarl, because there was only one person it could belong to. Mary didn't bleed. She had to be here somewhere right? Maybe she was still ok. **** he was so worried about ghosts he hadn't even thought of the farmers. But what kind of pyscho just shoots someone with no warning??

He sniffs the air, trying to find his way through the stink of gunpowder to Georgia's scent. She had to be ok. She had to.

Rolling Gaze Into the Abyss: [roll0]
Question: Where is Georgia

[Snacs]

It only takes a few minutes of sniffing around the hill to find a clue- Georgia's phone.It had fallen down the hill into a divot about halfway down. Luckily he had changed, enhanced senses picking up the faint glow of the phone's flashlight, which was still on. The screen was cracked just underneath the surface, but it turned on to the lock screen without complaint.

What made it worse was the blood streaked across the screen. Still warm. Dread grips Jacob suddenly. There is a surety, even without any evidence but a bloody phone. Georgia Died Here. Something about the scent of the blood, the faint trace of gunpowder. Mingling with the cold air coming from the Lake.[/B]

[Raine_Sage]

'No... this isn't happening this isn't...'

So many feelings hit him at once that it was like being run over by a freight train. Loss, anger, guilt, agonizing and sharp like a knife twisting in his gut. He should never have let her come alone. He should have followed sooner. He should have been there for her. He could have stopped this. And now she was dead.

The word echoed around in his head, filling all available thought. She was dead. She was dead....

He threw his head back and howled. Mournful and ragged and furious, because someone needed to pay for this and he was going to ****ing make them. He was dimly aware of the red haze obscuring his vision, but when he finally lowered his head again something inside of him shifted. And his attention turned towards the lights on in the farm house.

Jake will wait for a moment to see if anyone comes out to investigate but if they don't he'll head over there. That being said rolling Heightened Senses to explore his options.
[roll0]
Sweet 3 questions and another forward. What poses the biggest threat to him, what is their secret weakness, and what is the best way in (if they stay inside) or best escape route (if they come outside)

[Mr. E]

"****"

I just said that out loud, didn't I? Double **** with bells on... Mary feels a little off-balance. There's something wrong with this street, and a greyness is pulsing at the edges of her eyes, like static on a TV screen. The whole scene glitches and she's standing in front of the noodle shop again. The man behind the counter waves to her, smiling, and it's not Victoria next to her, it's her first crush. The girl's hair is blonde, not black, and she turns and grins at Mary, her tie-dyed shirt ludicrously over-sized. She starts to say something, and then the scene dissolves into static, and it's Victoria who finishes the sentence.

It takes Mary a few seconds to get her bearings and decade right, and a few seconds to work out exactly what Victoria says. When she does work it out, she blushes a nasty shade of pink, which should really be impossible, but there you go.

"Samantha - no sorry Victoria. Sorry. But, uh, this wasn't - I wasn't - can we..."

Mary trails off into silence, abundantly aware of how far this 'sort of date' has departed from the ideal image in her head.

Not what I originally had in mind, but this seems like a fun catastrophe to explore,
and what better way to make it more embarrassing than accidentally mentioning an ex-girlfriend (she wasn't actually, if you're wondering, Mary just watched her from a distance).

For my reaction I'm picking (in case you hadn't worked it out) get embarrassed and act awkward.

I'll also attempt to turn someone on with the power of adorkable (as Mary usually does).

[roll0]

[spinningdice]

Samantha? Having managed to calm herself down a little, Victoria files away that information for later. No need to spook the girl further.
"How about we just walk to your parents, it's a nice night, and I like being alone with you." Your the only one I don't have to battle thoughts with feeding around... let me pretend to be human for a while she adds silently.


Victoria is trying to give into what you want, and she thinks you want to be away from here... however she still thinks you have to be back to see your parents soon...

[Mr. E]

Mary takes a few deep breaths. Reality seems to have settled in its proper order, and Victoria is not suggesting they go inside a strip club anymore. She makes a show of checking her watch, a pointless exercise since it has been stopped since 1982, and then looks up at the stars which are beginning to peek out overhead.

"I've got a little bit longer." Looking down the street, she fishes for a feasible reason not to head to her parents. "Head towards the farm? It's prettier than home."

She hesitantly reaches for Victoria's hand, hoping that nothing will go wrong this time.

This way she can a fair chunk off her travel time to the well, and there's absolutely no risk of anything going horribly wrong. None at all...

I've presumed that Victoria's trailer is roughly on route to the farm.

[spinningdice]

Victoria takes Mary's hand I don't feel the blood thrumming in her veins when I touch her? Does she even have a pulse?. She looks over in the direction of the farm. "Sure, I'm in no hurry." She starts walking "So I guess it's been a while since you've been down here, that place doesn't look like it's served noodles in a while"


I don't think Victoria knows where Mary even lives (or if she lives with her parents) she's just assuming it's walking distance somewhere.

Also if we're holding stuff up we can move on, Victoria's not going to press Mary much and will just make small-talk - she senses Mary's had enough pushing for now... unless of course Mary wants to drop any more bombshells? Just need the sweet kiss goodbye to play out.

[Snacs]

In the distance a few more howls echo back in sympathy, out among the trees and hills. A few more lights blink on at the farmhouse, and two figures step out on to the porch, then head out cautiously towards the stables, each carrying large flashlights in one hand and a rifle in the other. They sweep the beams back and forth and move slowly, cautiously. You can hear the occasional chirp of a walkie-talkie or a push-to-talk cell phone.

Trigger your Darkest Self, though I assume you already went that way anyway

1. Biggest threat- Currently in the farm house-which smells wrong, though the wind's going the wrong way so you're not sure why it smells that way.
2. Secret Weakness- The two farmhands are just human-so being ripped apart and eaten by a werewolf is a pretty glaring weakness.
3. Escape Route- Jake could easily get away right now, since they're taking their time and seem really unhappy to be out, in the night, investigating a loud scary howl :P







I've presumed that Victoria's trailer is roughly on route to the farm

The road that goes to the Farm is the same as the trailer park(you turn off for the trailer park almost immediately, the rest of the road branches off to various homes and the Farm, the Lake, etc.




I don't think Victoria knows where Mary even lives (or if she lives with her parents) she's just assuming it's walking distance somewhere.

Also if we're holding stuff up we can move on, Victoria's not going to press Mary much and will just make small-talk - she senses Mary's had enough pushing for now... unless of course Mary wants to drop any more bombshells? Just need the sweet kiss goodbye to play out.


You're not, don't worry about rushing anything :P. Victoria has no idea where Mary lives-since Mary currently is haunting the library lol.

[Ezeze]

I'd make a bad polar bear Georgia retorts. I think seals are adorable. Couldn't eat 'em.

Jokes aside she accepts the coat with a Thank you. Further conversation has to wait a moment while she takes a sip. The coffee was bitter, but it was warm.

I should probably get home. Before my mom starts worrying. I've already been out all night. She doesn't make eye contact with Lem. Instead she studies her hands, the thermos, the dock, the fishing pole, the rifle...

Was she acting weird? She was definitely acting weird. How do normal people act after a near-death experience? Should she be crying or something? But if she did that he might start asking questions. Totally rational questions that a human being should ask in this situation like "how did you get down there?" and "are you okay?" and "Should I call a paramedic?" Then after he asked those questions she'd need to give answers, and those might lead to more questions and the answers to those would be even weirder.

So maybe no crying just this second.

No crying, no matter how she felt about those cold hands dragging her downwards into the well...

... Why did Lem need a gun to go fishing?

[spinningdice]

After a meandering walk back towards the trailer park talking of nothing much Victoria stops, "Well, I guess I'll be on my way. Thanks for tonight, it may not have gone as you'd hoped - but it was nice." she pulls Mary towards her and into a kiss. Then her ears prick up as she hears a howl over from the farm and she breaks away. "Did you hear that?" she looks towards Mary to see her reaction.


Turn Mary On [roll0]
Victoria wants to go sprinting up there to see what's going on, but she's not sure she wants Mary to know she's going to be running up there (or that she can sprint flat-out for a good distance without having to catch her breath).

[Raine_Sage]

Jake growls low in the back of this throat at the sight of the two figures, and more importantly at the sight of the rifles. He doubts he'll be able to down both of them before at least one of them gets a shot in but right now taking a bullet feels like a fair trade for avenging a murder.

It's laughably easy to get in close before they even see him, he's large but he knows how to move to avoid making a sound, and they're blind in the dark, relying on what they manage to catch in the beam of their flashlights. He comes up around behind one and lunges, fangs bared.

Lash Out: [roll0] (using one of the forwards)

He feels them sink in until they hit bone, hot blood filling his mouth as the farmer's screaming fills the air. It feels fantastic, and he digs in harder, shaking his head back and forth, dragging his prey like a ragdoll through the grass. However he doesn't want the other one getting away either. It doesn't matter who pulled the trigger at this point, he just wants them to know why that was a very bad idea.

Turning he goes for the other one hoping to catch him before he can get away.

[Snacs]

The first farmhand twitches and gurgles under your teeth, feet kicking uselessly as Jacob drags him out of the view of his companions flashlight. His blood is coppery-hot under your tongue and teeth.

Light blinds you briefly as his companion manages to pin you in the beam, and a shot cracks out, painfully loud since it's so close.. Pain flares along your left hip, the other farmhand grunting as she braces the gun against her hip to fire blindly without dropping the hefty torch. She stumbles back from the recoil, dropping the gun.

The wound burns white-hot, but it won't slow Jacob down. Yet. He strikes, and she goes down into the dirt, her hands beating at him uselessly as your claws and teeth rip into her. The gunshot has drawn shots and the roar of engines-even through the haze of red the inner beast prevails-survival over revenge. Two humans armed with guns and unaware is one thing-a dozen+ rifles is another.

Normally you'd mark two damage, but your armor reduces it to one. Mark One damage.


The howl floats on the air for a long minute, then is answered by softer, more distant howls. A moment later iit's followed by the loud Crack of a gun going off.


"Always was partial to penguins m'self. Cute l'il buggers." He grunts to himself, chewing on something-tobacco?-no, it didn't smell like it- casually and letting her take her time and warm up a bit.

"Y'er probably in a bit of shock. Cold Water'll do it I s'pose. Lake always been damn cold, e'en in summer." He leaves her to finish the coffee without another word, his boots loud and sharp in the crisp morning air.

He breaks down his fishing pole and chair, carefully and meticulously storing each piece either in or hooked to his pack.

By the time her stomach was comfortably full of coffee he was slinging the pack over his shoulder, the rifle over the other. He stumped back to Georgia and eyeballed her carefully, taking the plastic thermos-top and screwing it back in.

He stroked his beard thoughtfully, the small scratching sound louder than it normally would be. Some of the geese nearby honked and grumbled as they slid placidly along the Lake's surface.

"Right. 'll walk y'back jus' in case. I can carry you if'n you need me to."

[Ezeze]

Georgia felt a surge of gratitude towards Lem, more for what he wasn't doing than what he was. He was sweet. It was a shame his son wasn't more like him.

Oh, um, I can walk. Thank you, though. She finishes talking, then adds ... again as an after thought.

She had no objections with him walking her home. She was anxious to go, though; if she got home before her mother was awake her second death might just go as unnoticed as the first.

Well, Lem knew something had happened. But he didn't know specifics. And wasn't prying. So she didn't count him.

[Mr. E]

When Victoria kisses her, Mary responds eloquently with a noise rather like a small animal being stepped on. She's still reeling slightly as Victoria steps away, a 'caught in the headlights' expression on her face and her glasses all askew. She starts to stutter something, then is saved from further embarrassment by the howl that cuts through the clear night air.

Mary listens, head cocked on one side, then hears the gunshot.

Georgia! Oh god, I forgot.

Her head swivels in the direction of the well, then towards Victoria, then back in the direction of the well. She stands undecided for a second, then turns to the other girl again.

"Please stay here. Please, please..."

Giveing Victoria a look which is both pathetic and earnest in equal measure, she turns and starts to run in the direction of the gun-shot. Travelling with what seems like ridiculous speed for an unfit teenager, Mary sprints on, looking around for evidence of what happened. Indeed, if Victoria looks closely, she'll see that her feet don't quite touch the ground.

Let it be unrelated, let it be unrelated, let it be unrelated...

Mary's going to feel super-bad about all this. She intended to scare Georgia, not have her murdered by a trigger happy farmer/wolf thingy.

She's probably going to be processing the kiss for several days. Expect post-kiss awkwardness in spades (from Mary's 1982 perspective, the upper-class white girl is so far out of reach as to be on a different planet).

[Raine_Sage]

He snarls in frustration, but much like the wolf that tore into him the thought of being filled with holes is less appealing than staying to fight. He turns loping off into the forest and vanishing into the woods.

Going to go ahead and clear the 'predictable' condition since I doubt anyone, least of all Jake, expected him to more or less eviscerate two innocent people. He's gonna be so ****ed up when he comes back to himself.

Strings
Georgia - IIII
Victoria - III
Mary - I

Conditions
Thirsty
Slightly Terrified
Whipped
Dishonest

Experience
0/5

Harm - 1

[spinningdice]

Victoria lets Mary go, She knows something about all this, watching Mary run for the barest of moments, before remembering herself Taking orders now are you Victoria?, before speeding after, her dark clothes and hair blending into the darkness as she moves. Be nice if I could turn into a bat she sighs, guess that one's just a legend.


Trying to move quickly, but quietly, but most quickly...

[Snacs]

The easiest way out is back the way he came- Jacob hops easily over the Well at the top of the small hill next to the Barn, cradling Georgia's blood-slicked phone close to his chest.


Lem chews thoughtfully a moment, then shrugs and starts walking without further ado. He doesn't rush, or fuss over her all that much either-preferring to silently stride nearby with an occasional glance to make sure she's keeping up.

"I'd drive y', but I don' like t' waste the gas to go fishin'."He explains mildly as they circle round the lake. The morning sun peeks above the treeline, sending slivers of fog still hanging around the lake scurrying into the trees.

It takes about twenty minutes to get back to the trailer park, and Lem stops just on the outskirts.

"This far as 'm gonna go. Get y'rself inside and full'a somethin' warm now y' hear?"

It's only when Georgia's gingerly peeling her still-damp outfit off, tucked into a fold in one of her wet socks that she found it. A faded yellow piece of plastic, shaped like a pyramid. It was water-worn, smoothed like a pebble left in a lake and slightly lopsided. There were very faint grooves on the faces of the pyramid, though what they were was too hard to make out.


The woods fly by under her feet, but fear and shock leave her swimming through molasses. There's a scream up ahead- high pitched and awful. Memories of a similar scream-Samantha? But why would she scream like that? wobble in and out of focus.

Nighthawk Farm explodes into view, spread out below her. She's near a sheep-pen, the animals bleating in fear and huddled up at the far end of the paddock. Someone had dropped an oversized flashlight nearby, and it shone across the blood-soaked sight before her. For a moment, a hulking figure towers in the light, a brief vision of moon-silver fur and muscle and teeth and Blood towering over a blonde figure sprawled lifelessly in the dirt. It sniffs the air before loping off away from Mary and into the night, leaving its prey behind.

A truck roars to life nearby, its lights lancing out, bathing the Well where it sits in an empty patch of dirt far off next to the Farmhouse. Shouts and calls are already approaching, though it'd be at least a minute or two until they got to Mary.


"Stai, Domnisoara de noapte, it is dangerous to be going that way."

The voice is rich, and thick like heavy cream. It speaks slowly, with a somber tone that echos in her ears.

And whether Victoria wants to or not her legs arrest themselves, locking into place. Ahead, Mary's slight form vanishes among the trees, though Victoria finds she cannot advance any further, her body stubbornly deciding it wanted to stand right there and go no further.

Just above her head a large bat is hanging upside down from a branch, its eyes glittering in the moonlight. It eyes her as it gathers its wings like a cape.

[Ezeze]

Yeah, um, I hope you catch something a little more traditional. Preferably a fish. Georgia exchanges one more half-hearted joke with Lem before she heads to her own trailer.

Thanks be to god above her house key is still in her pocket, and her mother isn't awake yet! The loss of her phone was upsetting, but if that was the worst thing that came from last night's outing she would count herself lucky.

She heads directly to her room. The first thing she does is flip open her lap top. It's a cheap, old thing from nearly a decade ago, but the speakers she has plugged in to either side of it are exceptional (and cost nearly as much as the computer had). She hits 'shuffle all' on her mp3 collection, and a little bit of Rufus Wainwright (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR0DKOGco_o) starts playing. She couldn't have picked better herself. She leaves it running.

Georgia sets the volume as high as she feels she can on a Sunday morning without getting noise complaints from the neighbors. Only then does she start stripping out of her wet clothes.

She had been in a lake. She probably needed a shower, but the thought of being alone in that tile prison made her chest tighten so it would wait until later. Her socks are the last thing to come off, and that's when she discovers the little piece of plastic.

Was it plastic? It was hard to tell. She had never seen it before. She was pretty sure it wasn't hers.

She leaves the music playing and crawls into bed naked and damp. She'd have to wash the sheets later, but that was a problem for later. For the moment she lay still under just about every blanket she owns, part listening to the music and part studying the little triangle, but mostly just emotionally processing the events from last night.

[roll0]

[Raine_Sage]

Going to skip ahead to morning since I doubt Jake is going to remember much more of what he does tonight if anything.If there's anything else to be done lemme know and I'll edit it in.

The rest of the night is a blur, he doesn't remember things so much as feelings. Like getting dragged under the surface by a tidal wave of raw emotion until he's too tired to stay above water any longer.

When he comes to he's back in his room, though he couldn't say how he got there. From the look of it though he probably came in through his bedroom window since the screen is popped out and resting against his bedroom wall. The window is still open, sans screen, and a bird is sitting on the sil looking in curiously at him. It flutters away as he sits up with a groan.

The movement triggers a sharp pain in his thigh, and memories of last night come flooding back. Georgia dead, the two farm hands, getting shot, screaming...

He gets up, staggering to the bathroom where he's immediately and violently ill. Heaving even when his stomach is out of things to throw up. He can still taste the blood in his mouth. Eventually the dry heaving turns into anguished sobbing, wracked with guilt and loss in equal measure. Not once since he's been bitten has he ever lost control like that. It was so easy to think of being a werewolf like you might think of a medical condition. Inconvenient but manageable if you were careful with it.

This was the first time he'd had to really confront the fact that he was dangerous, but more than that, that he was capable of doing something so horrible. He hadn't even known their names. He could still see vividly the look of sheer terror on her face when he'd... he'd...

He heaved again fruitlessly. The gunshot wound throbbed angrily, caked with dry blood. And now she was gone too, that was really just the cherry on top of everything wasn't it? She was dead and he was a murderer and he didn't know how to see a way forward from this. He really was a monster.

Eventually cold numbness washed over him as shock settled in. Fishing out a pair of tweezers and a washcloth he cleaned off the bullet wound as best he could. He could see the bullet itself, lodged surprisingly close to the surface, likely owing to the fact she'd shot him while he was still a wolf. He rolled the washcloth up and bit down as he pulled it loose, dropping it in the sink before stripping off his clothing and running the shower.

This part of the routine at least felt familiar, wash off, bundle up the dirty clothing in a towel, bandage any scrapes he'd acquired. It wasn't the first time he'd managed to injure himself while running around as a wolf, but it was the first time a bullet had been involved.

[spinningdice]

Well, f**K. Not just a legend then.. Victoria tries to relax her body, hoping it will untighten and let her move. Keep cool, don't show him you care.

What have you done to me? she questions, calm forced into voice. "You can let me go, I'll talk with you."

[Snacs]

The bullet pings against the inside of the sink, rolling around a few times before coming to a stop. The wound burns, throbbing with a dull pain. It stops itself at the drain catch, burnished to a shiny silver under the running water.

There's a knock on his door.

"Jake are you alright? I'm making Breakfast if you want it?"Miriam's voice is warm, tinged with that motherly sense of I don't want to bother you but I'm concerned and fragile with worry.


The bat continues to stare at her. It shifts in it's perch, stretching out it's feet and twitching its large ears at her words.

Her legs loosen, though she finds herself unable to advance or retreat, as if she'd been placed in an invisible box. At least she could pace or sit if she wanted to.

The voice speaks again, warm and somber in her head, though the bat's mouth doesn't move.

"Nu, of that we are disagreed. If I let you go you will probably run. The young are headstrong in this way. Rushing, always Rushing." The bat's head titled and its mouth opened, viewing her with what seems to be amusement and laughter.

"Especially a Domnisoara with an Afemeiat of a Sire." The bat twitches an ear, dismissively.


If Lem found her joke funny he doesn't show any indication of it, just folding his damp jacket over an arm and nodding gruffly before departing.

When she gets home, her Mother is still asleep, judging by the snoring from her end of the trailer- The box of wine and a few cans scattered across the living room let Georgia know she could probably practice bass right now and her mom wouldn't wake up. It's easy enough to slip into bed and turn the speakers up.

Her speakers quiet for a moment, before jumping to the next track. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_3yDImIQYU) Between her fingers, the tiny plastic pyramid spins lightly. The garish color and age of the plastic- Mary pops up in her head, a half-remembered thought about something she'd seen on one of Mary's t-shirts. Or something she'd mentioned the few times Georgia had noticed the girl talking. The faded pyramid's color was definitely something retro, maybe she'd know what it was?

[Ezeze]

Mary Georgia thinks.

Did she know what was in the well? Did she set me up to die? She'll be disappointed. I'm too stupid to die when I'm supposed to.

She can't summon the energy to be properly mad at Mary, though. She may make an effort at it later, but for the moment she just set the little triangle on her night stand. It wasn't important right now.


..........

.... F***! She has work today.

She could call out, but what would she say? Sorry boss, I died yesterday night and am feeling a little run down? No, she'd have to go in, and just, like, complain that Mary had stood her up or something.

Would Jake ask? He might. He had been worried about her yesterday. He'd made her promise that she would be careful.

Well, to be fair, I was careful! 'Careful' isn't really good against a rifle shot to the chest.

... Wait, had it been Mary that invited her out? She'd assumed that, but the note had just been signed with a little picture of a ghost. Maybe she needed to reevaluate that assumption?

Okay. Being mad at Mary is on hold. I can always come back to it later.