(IC) HtV STL by Night

[Bennosuke]

It is clear that the either the bartender can't hear Jen, or is trying to ignore her. He actually turns away and starts walking down towards the other end of the bar, engrossed in drying a glass coup with a dishtowel.

Toad face turns from his friend to Jen, placing a rough yet uncomfortably moist hand on her wrist. He has slicked back silver hair, and a gold chain around his neck that is very visible thanks to a button-down that has one too many buttons undone. He gives Jen a yellow toothed grin and when he speaks Jen can taste the cigar ash on his breath, "I'm sure the bouncer checked when she came in. What's it to you dear? I don't think you need to worry about a girl like her," He indicates Not-Lydia with a wave of his cigar, and his smile broadens. He adds, "You are much much prettier than she is."

The Wytch stops her approach, tilting her head forward and sideways like a dog confused by its owner's last command.

Spoiler: OOC

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@Daishain: Do you want to stop here? I think TC's scene should be wrapping up soon. My next scene will include both characters... so I suppose otherwise I can start that scene as well and just run both simultaneously.

[Bennosuke]

Spoiler: @TC

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Please don't forget that we are going to finish your other scene simultaneously

It was late in the afternoon on their third (and final) trip to the warehouse. Frank and Jen had been back once before, when they had finished cleaning, and built a number of makeshift shrapnel grenades. In the interim, the two had managed to get their hands on decently maintained M16, which they would be bringing up to Spanish Lake today.

Today had been Frank's last day of parenting responsibilities. He had dropped the girls off at school and Clarissa and Neil would be picking them up (maybe already had). It was still early summer (the girls only had a few more weeks of school left), so despite the hour, it was still quiet bright out as the two exited the freeway into the barren town of Spanish Lake. Driving together, the two pass empty strip malls, tightly packed trailer parks, and a number of rundown industrial buildings on their way to the paper mill.

But even from fifty yards away the two catch sight of the lone cop car parked within the lot. The swinging gates, which had previously been held together by a padlock and chain (till Frank took his bolt cutter to it), were left open. From this distance, there was no cop in sight. Maybe he was inside the warehouse; and if so, there could be big problems if he found their (somewhat hidden) stash of explosives.

[Thundercracker]

It is clear that the either the bartender can't hear Jen, or is trying to ignore her. He actually turns away and starts walking down towards the other end of the bar, engrossed in drying a glass coup with a dishtowel.

Toad face turns from his friend to Jen, placing a rough yet uncomfortably moist hand on her wrist. He has slicked back silver hair, and a gold chain around his neck that is very visible thanks to a button-down that has one too many buttons undone. He gives Jen a yellow toothed grin and when he speaks Jen can taste the cigar ash on his breath, "I'm sure the bouncer checked when she came in. What's it to you dear? I don't think you need to worry about a girl like her," He indicates Not-Lydia with a wave of his cigar, and his smile broadens. He adds, "You are much much prettier than she is."

The Wytch stops her approach, tilting her head forward and sideways like a dog confused by its owner's last command.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

@Daishain: Do you want to stop here? I think TC's scene should be wrapping up soon. My next scene will include both characters... so I suppose otherwise I can start that scene as well and just run both simultaneously.

"Yeah but she's actually in to you, she can't stop staring, look," Jen replied to toad-face. She started backing up to put toad-face between her and the Wytch.

At the warehouse

"Oh... crap," Jen said as she spotted the cop car, "should we talk to him or wait for him to leave?"

[Daishain]

Frank frowns, "Crap is right, and nah, lets just keep moving. We talk to them, and at minimum we get connected to a break in, let alone whatever they'll assume if they find the thermite."

"On the plus side even if they do find that stuff, they might not know its something significant, I mean it just looks like red dust. I really really hope this doesn't mean we have to scrap our plans here."

[Bennosuke]

Toad face looks from Jen, to the strange girl, then back again. His stained grin widens, and right before stuffing his cigar between his teeth his grasp tightens to give Jen a momentary and moist squeeze. "Sure," he says, pausing to puff at the cigar, making sure to blow the smoke away from Jen, "but that's too bad for her. See, she ain't the one I'm interested in." He raises a bushy eye brow, as if it were necessary to get across his implication. He continues to grin his sleazy grin at Jen, seeming completely disinterested in The Wytch.

Across the hall, The Wytch again tilts its head to the side as if contemplating the scene. But its dull black eyes never stray from Jen.

Checking down by the entrance, still no sign of Caitlyn returning.

************************************************** **********

(OOC: In the other scene, do the two want to at least find a place to watch or anything, or are you just fleeing, and if so, what is the plan?)

[Thundercracker]

Jen

Bar:
“Oh? What is it you want with me?” Jen asked, while staring at the Wytch.

[Bennosuke]

Despite Jen's distracted attention, the man smiles to himself, pleased by how things are turning. "Well," he says with the cigar clenched between his teeth, "I suppose to get to know you. Would it be too forward to start with an introduction. This is my friend Bill, and I'm Scott." If Jen takes a moment to look, Bill offers Jen an equally hungry smile. He has thinning sand colored hair that looks like it was once held in a military buzz, and a pudgy rectangular face. He's got way too much jewelry on, but looks like he might be sweating rivers under the multiple layers of turtleneck, and three piece suit.

The Wytch lifts a hand to point at Jen, still grinning, head still loping to one side.

[Bennosuke]

(OOC: Again TC don't forget the other scene)

Seeing the parked cop car, Jen and Frank decide to split and come back later. By the time they return, the sun is just starting to set, turning the sky a fiery orange, and washing the pavement in shadow and blues. The cop car is empty, and there is no sing of the police.

However, as the two pull up, they can see that a new chain and padlock has been placed on the front gate.

[Daishain]

Frank drives straight on past the warehouse at first, urging Anna to watch carefully for any observers, then if there's no sign of any watchers of any sort, pulls around again and in.

"Chances are they'd still be investigating if they had any hint of what we were up to. They probably thought some hoodlums just broke in to have some fun or something. At least I hope that's the case. Looks like someone noticed the cut gate chain and called it in."

Spoiler: OOC

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My original intent was to cut the fence itself in an out of the way corner rather than the chain/lock on the gate. More time consuming, but also easier to hide. Didn't contest it back then, but I'll push for it now.

[Thundercracker]

Despite Jen's distracted attention, the man smiles to himself, pleased by how things are turning. "Well," he says with the cigar clenched between his teeth, "I suppose to get to know you. Would it be too forward to start with an introduction. This is my friend Bill, and I'm Scott." If Jen takes a moment to look, Bill offers Jen an equally hungry smile. He has thinning sand colored hair that looks like it was once held in a military buzz, and a pudgy rectangular face. He's got way too much jewelry on, but looks like he might be sweating rivers under the multiple layers of turtleneck, and three piece suit.

The Wytch lifts a hand to point at Jen, still grinning, head still loping to one side.

"Oh yeah, nice to meet you, I'm Jen," Jen said, still staring at the Wytch. Jen smiled on reflex as she replied to the men.

She mentally urged Caitlyn to hurry up, as she looked for any sign of injury where she'd shot the thing a few nights ago.
"So what do you guys do?" Jen asked.

[Bennosuke]

Doing a lap around the warehouse grounds, you can see that yellow police tape has been placed up over back door that Frank had pried open with a crow bar. But otherwise there are no signs of police or any form of additional security.

************************************************** ***

The two still don't seem to notice, or care about Jen's distraction. Scott the toad face continues his yellow toothed grin and says, "Pleasure to meet you Jen." His hand finds her wrist again and gives it a squeeze. He replies, "We're both corporate. Work for Purina, you know, the dog food company." He says this proudly. Purina was a national if not international pet food brand, and so it was reasonable to assume he and Bill were as rich as they were presenting themselves to be.

Down the hallway entrance, there is a commotion, and Jen can just barely see Caitlyn leading a bouncer into the club.

[Daishain]

Frank sighs, puts gloves on, and if he can, enters the door without disturbing the tape. "All right, lets see if they messed with anything."

[Bennosuke]

Frank finds a part of the chain-link away from the chained entrance and takes the wire cutters to them. Moments later he and Jen are marching across the lot to the back doors that have been fenced with yellow police tape. It is fortunately possible to pull the tape aside and step through without ripping anything. The back doors screech familiarly as Frank and Jen push them open.

Inside, it looks like most everything has been left relatively undisturbed. Some of the barriers left to create the firing zone have been moved around, but most importantly the hand bombs appear to have been left undisturbed in their hiding place.

[Daishain]

Frank looks around and gives a sigh of relief, "All right, looks like they figured it was just some hooligans messing around. Any objections to just not touching this for now and coming in a little earlier than planned to fix it all on the big night? Might reduce the odds of someone realizing we came back that way."

[Thundercracker]

Doing a lap around the warehouse grounds, you can see that yellow police tape has been placed up over back door that Frank had pried open with a crow bar. But otherwise there are no signs of police or any form of additional security.

************************************************** ***

The two still don't seem to notice, or care about Jen's distraction. Scott the toad face continues his yellow toothed grin and says, "Pleasure to meet you Jen." His hand finds her wrist again and gives it a squeeze. He replies, "We're both corporate. Work for Purina, you know, the dog food company." He says this proudly. Purina was a national if not international pet food brand, and so it was reasonable to assume he and Bill were as rich as they were presenting themselves to be.

Down the hallway entrance, there is a commotion, and Jen can just barely see Caitlyn leading a bouncer into the club.

"Dog food... really?" Jen said. She felt kind of grossed out and didn't bother to hide it on her face. She kept staring at the Wytch though while she waited for Caitlyn to arrive.


Warehouse:
"Yeah ok... but how are we going to get it in here?" Jen asked, "it doesn't seem to follow us directly, just kind of... pops up and vanishes again."

[Bennosuke]

(OOC: This was not how I had intended this to go... but, well this should be interesting.)

"Dog food... really?" Jen said. She felt kind of grossed out and didn't bother to hide it on her face. She kept staring at the Wytch though while she waited for Caitlyn to arrive.

The man chuckles, though there is an annoyance in the act. "Well it's not like I make the food," he explains, "As I'm I said before, we're corporate; business managers, you know?" He studies Jen, trying to make sure she understands his status.

But before Jen can reply, Caitlyn comes marching down the hall, followed by the oversized bouncer who had let them in. The Wytch turns, or actually its head turns, swiveling on its neck 180 degrees like an owl's. When it turns back, it's eyes are round and glowing orange, like too moons, and Jen has immediate flashbacks to being back in the woods. It opens up its maw and lets out a low moan-like noise, almost like a long "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO", but somehow strangled and wrong sounding. Jen can't tell fi the noise is being made through an inhale or an exhale.

And then Not-Lydia throws both arms up and charges at Jen!

Spoiler: OOC

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Let's have an initiative here please. Rolling for The Wytch (1d10)[4](4) +4

[Thundercracker]

Bar:

“Whoa!” Jen said.

If there Wytch is between her and Caitlyn, Jen puts the men between her and the Wytch. “Look out!” she said.

If the Wytch is not between her and Caitlyn, Jen takes off running for her friend and the bouncer, intending to grab Caitlyn’s hand and lead her out of the club.

[Daishain]

Frank sighs, "I know. Its kinda weak. best I can figure is we make ourselves tempting targets long enough and she'll take it. She's got to... right?" The man's voice trails off weakly. "If that doesn't work, then I have no idea what else to do."

[Bennosuke]

Bar:

“Whoa!” Jen said.

If there Wytch is between her and Caitlyn, Jen puts the men between her and the Wytch. “Look out!” she said.

If the Wytch is not between her and Caitlyn, Jen takes off running for her friend and the bouncer, intending to grab Caitlyn’s hand and lead her out of the club.

(OOC: Going to kinda handwave this a little and help wrap it up).

Jen has plenty of space to move when Not-Lydia begins rushing towards her. Rushing out of her chair, she moves to the other side of the two men, half-pushing Scott in front of her. The toad faced man gives a rather un-masculine shriek at the sudden situation he finds himself in, as his stool wobbles out in front of him and he falls into the arms of The Wytch.

Lydia's dead orange go wide with rage as it struggles to unhand and get around the trembling man. The two tussle and struggle, though both appear to be trying to escape the other. And by the time the Wytch has thrown Scott to the ground, the bouncer has finished crossing the room.

But the second he touches the supposed young girl, he recoils. It's unclear which happens first, but the same time the bouncer draws back with a revulsed look on his face, The Wytch opens up its mouth, jaw dropping like a puppet's, and lets out an animal noise, again shrieking "NO". Then the world seems to lose its shape, and the lights strobe on and off, and the room is filled with the sound of glass shattering and tables turning over. Someone screams "Earthquake!", and screams can be heard throughout the room.

When the world comes to, Jen finds herself on the ground, along with most everyone else in the room. Tables have been thrown over. The bouncer is rubbing his forehead and Scott lies near Jen, huddled in the fetal position and whimpering. Though Jen can't see her, somewhere Caitlyn is crying.

************************************************** *****

(OOC: Main scene, can I get either or both of you to roll Int + Occult)

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“Caitlyn!” Jen said as she looked around for her friend, “where are you?”

She had to get her and get out of here.

[Bennosuke]

Caitlyn's sobbing stops for a second and her voice comes from down the hall, "Jenn?" As Jenn struggles to her feet she can see her friend collapsed on the floor about fifteen feet away by the entrance. The room is a complete mess and almost everyone is either still on the ground or struggling to their feet. The patrons all appear for the most part confused, though the word "earthquake" keeps getting passed around.

[Bennosuke]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Both characters are taking a dramatic failure, and are therefore taking a beat. Both character boxes updated. This should be... very interesting

Side note @TC: I guess still waiting for you to reply to my post right above this in Jenn's personal scene?

It doesn't take too long for Jenn and Frank to get the warehouse re-set up. Then the uncomfortable subject comes up as to how to truly lure the Wytch into their trap. (OOC: Unless you feel strongly otherwise) Jenn updates her friend on everything that happened at the bar with the Wytch showing up wearing Lydia's skin. They discuss everything they have learned about this monster and its behaviors, concluding that it must be nocturnal and seems to be drawn to the two of them. Without many other ideas, the two agree that the best thing they can do is hunker down at the warehouse, trying to stay up all night, and sleeping during the day.

With four days before Frank becomes responsible for the girls again, the two begin a long week of exhausting and ultimately boring waiting around. Frustration and anxieties rise as night after night, the Wytch does not show. Fortunately and yet somehow not surprisingly, the police never return. It gets harder, and harder, and harder to stay awake every night, as neither individual is able to get much rest during the day, and the sleep deficit begins to accrue.

It is at the very end of the very last night of their vigil, just as the sun is beginning to rise, that neither Frank nor Jen can stay awake any longer. With lids heavy and heads nodding, the warehouse around them begins to change. Concrete floors become slowly flooded with dirt and earth covered in unfortunately familiar milk-white mushrooms and thousands of vermin skeletons. The open killing zone of the warehouse slowly becomes filled with a forest of wicked bent and gnarled trees, each one festooned with evil looking poppets. Jenn and Frank awaken back on the impossible island, deep within the heart of Lytchwood forest, and somewhere in the dark is the Wytch's animal shrieking voice, "Hello? Hellooooo? Won't you help me?"

[Thundercracker]

Caitlyn's sobbing stops for a second and her voice comes from down the hall, "Jenn?" As Jenn struggles to her feet she can see her friend collapsed on the floor about fifteen feet away by the entrance. The room is a complete mess and almost everyone is either still on the ground or struggling to their feet. The patrons all appear for the most part confused, though the word "earthquake" keeps getting passed around.

Jen forced herself up, to stumble to her friend.
“We’ve got to go, get up,” Jen said as she tugged on Caitlyn’s arm. If she can’t stand, Jen will drag her from under her arms, backwards out the exit of the club. She didn’t see the Wytch anywhere, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t stop looking for her.

[Bennosuke]

Jenn struggles to her feet, her legs like jelly under her. Stumbling over to Caitlyn, she begins to pull her friend up. There is a smear of dark red blood in her dyed blonde hair, disappearing into her roots from a shallow gash over her right brow. "What... happened?" she asked, a hand reflexively going up to the wound on her head.

(OOC: Don't forget the other part of this thread)

[Thundercracker]

Jenn struggles to her feet, her legs like jelly under her. Stumbling over to Caitlyn, she begins to pull her friend up. There is a smear of dark red blood in her dyed blonde hair, disappearing into her roots from a shallow gash over her right brow. "What... happened?" she asked, a hand reflexively going up to the wound on her head.

(OOC: Don't forget the other part of this thread)

"Earthquake I think, the building doesn't look stable," Jen said, "we have to go, come on!"
Jen half helps, half carries Caitlyn to her feet and pulls / drags her towards the exit.

Warehouse:
Jen checked to see whether she had her weapon with her.
"We're back on that island," she said, "it might be some kind of trick, but I'm pretty sure that thing is in here somewhere. Let's go find it."
She tries to discern where the sound is coming from.

[Bennosuke]

Caitlyn looks slightly confused at the mention of an earthquake, pausing her sobs for a moment, but says nothing further. She allows herself to be dragged out of the club.

(OOC: Happy to end this scene here, unless there is something more you want out of it)

************************************************** *****************************

Jenn is perhaps not surprised to find that their brace of weapons is not on them. In fact, both Jenn and Frank are in the same clothes they had been wearing on their camping trip... only this time, neither of them have any shoes. There is a certain dreamlike logic to this, as the two stand in this unreal forest, their voices the only sound of noise in an otherwise dead silence.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“Oh man…” Jen said as she looked around, “I… think we might be in over our heads.”

She looked around for a rock or something she could use as a weapon.

[Bennosuke]

It is not hard to find a few baseball-sized rocks around the forest floor; though impossibly, these are all slick with some sort of mold. The disease comes off on Jenn's hand red like the color of a berry jam, but slick like oil. Simply touching the rocks makes something knot up inside Jenn's abdomen.

[Thundercracker]

It is not hard to find a few baseball-sized rocks around the forest floor; though impossibly, these are all slick with some sort of mold. The disease comes off on Jenn's hand red like the color of a berry jam, but slick like oil. Simply touching the rocks makes something knot up inside Jenn's abdomen.

"Eww, gross," Jen said. She tried to scrape the mold off on the bark of a nearby tree.

[Daishain]

Frank looks around with disgust, "****ing great, so much for dealing with her on our own terms. Any ideas?"