[IC] The SCP Foundation - Chapter 1: Trick or Treat

[WindStruck]

King decides to check out the trash. while i deserve better then trash this will do for now. Silly humans throwing away good food.

King knocks the lid off the edge of the trash can expertly, as all cats are good at knocking things off ledges. However, there's hardly anything in the trash can. No fish bones, no junk mail, no rotting vegetables. Just a half a wispy bag in the bottom that doesn't seem very promising.

[Ameraaaaaa]

King knocks the lid off the edge of the trash can expertly, as all cats are good at knocking things off ledges. However, there's hardly anything in the trash can. No fish bones, no junk mail, no rotting vegetables. Just a half a wispy bag in the bottom that doesn't seem very promising.

I'm having the sinking feeling that nobody eats around here. king checks the bag.

[WindStruck]

I'm having the sinking feeling that nobody eats around here. king checks the bag.

King rifles around in the bag but only seems to find some old clothes.. old, patched up overalls, some ragged shirts and socks. No food, or at least, nothing edible, unless you're a moth!

He hears footsteps approaching...

[Ameraaaaaa]

King rifles around in the bag but only seems to find some old clothes.. old, patched up overalls, some ragged shirts and socks. No food, or at least, nothing edible, unless you're a moth!

He hears footsteps approaching...

King runs away from there. Nope! Don't want to be caught!

[hand ax ranger]

"Ah, well uh, I dun think the town's all good for sights and all, mister," one of them says.

Another smiles. "We'd be much obliged if there's anything we can do to help get you all on your way."

He gives a look of contemplation for a moment. "Hmmmmm.....Nah, none that I know of, though I hardly know what's wrong with the thing. Heh." He starts wandering towards the center of town. "You all should give this place more credit. I dig this peaceful town vibe."

He keeps his bag handy in case disaster stuck, both to keep it away from them if he needed to protect himself and the draw his blade out inf he really needed to defend himself. He scans all around acting merely like a nosy tourist of all things. A tourist that happened to be built like a grizzly bear.

[Plaids]

Dr. Kalispell Hagerty - SCP scientist
Guise: Kali Simmons - The loving mother

After consulting the pastor and the rest of the team occupying the church. The search begins.
King, King, where are you!? It isn't safe for you to be out alone.
Dr. Hagerty begins looking for footprints in the soil surrounding the church.

[JeenLeen]

With a shrug, 5404 follows the doctor and also looks around for tracks or any sign of mischief like... well, he's not sure exactly what he's looking for, but a dead mouse or food knocked over or something?

[Esprit15]

James joins in the search as well. That cat was going to be very disappointed in what its little stunt earned when they get back to the foundation.

[MrAbdiel]

Benjamin eyes Chris, but then gives him an encouraging nod.

"That's good pickin'. Put your back into it, and you'll get a commendation too."

[WindStruck]

That Darn Cat

King leaps and scrambles out of the trash can, just narrowly avoiding a broom that the old man tried to slam into him. He glares at King as the cat runs off, a tiny bit of blood trickling down his cheek.


In Blumber

It seems as everyone starts to search for King, it becomes evident to the villagers that the cat has gone missing as well. They say to Kuzmo, "Ah, dang, it seems you lost your cat? We'll help you look."

Dr. Hagerty can't make heads or tails of the ground; she isn't a skilled tracker of any sort, and King of course is a cat with very light steps.

Together with James, Daniel, and Thomas, the lot of you start to spread out looking for King.

James and Kuzmo are close enough in the right direction to hear a metallic clamor. Upon investigating, you find an old man with a broom replacing the lid on a trash can. There's some scratch marks on his face.


Adopt a Dieway

Chris looks over at Benjamin almost incredulously. "What??" He hesitates a moment before thrusting down at a plastic lid to a throw-away cup harder than necessary and sighs.

"I don't know.. This job doesn't seem nearly important enough to me."

He mutters something that is probably on everyone's mind. "Why drive us hours and hours just to pick up trash on the side of a highway in the middle of nowhere?"

[Ameraaaaaa]

King searches for the others. Since this town doesn't seem to eat may as well. He starts meowing loudly.

[JeenLeen]

5404 grimaces at seeing the scratch marks and asks, "Hey, I'm sorry. Was that our cat? Did you see which way it went?"

If he hears the meowing, he'll follow that sound, though after listening to see what sort of reply the likely-puppet makes.

[hand ax ranger]

Taking note of the clattering Kuzmo heads there and as soon as it's clear King was here he starts attempting to track him by scent and any trails left. He pays the old man little mind as he becomes focused in finding the cat.

As to why he felt the need? Well there was two answers. Something in his gut told him keeping an eye on the strange feline would be a good idea. He also took it it as it seemed to easiest thing to get on top of in absence of a better direction or idea.

[WindStruck]

5404 grimaces at seeing the scratch marks and asks, "Hey, I'm sorry. Was that our cat? Did you see which way it went?"

If he hears the meowing, he'll follow that sound, though after listening to see what sort of reply the likely-puppet makes.

The old man scowls and simply points the way between houses, back behind them, where there were fences and fields of crop. "Around thataway," he says, indicating a climb over a fence to the right. "I think you better keep your cat in its little cage."

King searches for the others. Since this town doesn't seem to eat may as well. He starts meowing loudly.

Meanwhile King is able to loop around behind houses and buildings, and it's a simple enough matter for him to work his way back to the main road and find the others who were searching for him. King runs right into Dr. Hagerty again. And Daniel. Because Daniel, apparently after not doing or saying much, usually happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Taking note of the clattering Kuzmo heads there and as soon as it's clear King was here he starts attempting to track him by scent and any trails left. He pays the old man little mind as he becomes focused in finding the cat.

As to why he felt the need? Well there was two answers. Something in his gut told him keeping an eye on the strange feline would be a good idea. He also took it it as it seemed to easiest thing to get on top of in absence of a better direction or idea.

Kuzmo can tell that King had ran under a gap in a fence to the right. Easy for a cat to squeeze through, but an ordinary human would have trouble getting over or under it.

[Plaids]

Dr. Kalispell Hagerty - SCP scientist
Guise: Kali Simmons - The loving mother

The townsfolk were quite helpful and accommodating not like what was anticipated. Could this be a honeyed trap or an anomalous entity genuinely being reasonable? Who knew at this point. Dr. Hagerty reconvenes with her squad after grabbing the cat carrier from their luggage.

[Metastachydium]

Perimeter. Yards away? Yards behind? The world goes dark in front of Cecily's eyes for a moment, albeit not for long enough to make her stumble. Okay, to stumble too much. Hank? she whispers to her fellow inmate with a shudder. What's this whole thing's supposed to be about? I mean, this is nowhere. she flicks a quick look backwards. And the guards are babbling about some "perimeter" and distances; I don't like this.

[Ameraaaaaa]

If king isn't in sight of any villagers he says "tried to grab a bite to eat. Couldn't find anything. It seems like these people don't eat. Also i noticed there was somethingstrange while one of these puppets were asleep. You know how beforethere was something deep down. When they were asleep there were just plain nothing. Nothing at all. I wouldn't be surprised if the town was animating these corpses. Anyways let's stay until the festival starts. That should provide more clues."

[Esprit15]

”That might be good… I have one idea first though. Do we want to check out the corn fields?”

[WindStruck]

In Blumber

The eclectic group of SCPs and SCP staff finally all meet up again, a tiny modicum of privacy granted as no other villagers seem to be within sight or earshot.

((Feel free to continue planning your next move?))


Adopt a Dieway

Hank looks at Cecily as she asks her questions, then up at the sky. "Huh. Reminds me of another question. What do you call the cross between an elephant and a rhino?"

After a long beat of silence he says, "Elephino." His deep, gravelly voice had just a hint of mirth to it, and yet his face still seemed so deadpan serious.

"I dun know what to tell you, Cecily," Hank says. "Ever since we've been in the custody of these jackasses things have been weird. It's never added up. Maybe the perimeter they mention is the corn fields up ahead. Could be someone's farm..."

Hank pokes his trash picker into the ground and leans on it briefly, in thought. "Honestly doesn't seem bad... Well, whatever happens, we'll face it together."

[Metastachydium]

The puzzled look on Cecily's face disappears with a snort as Hank delivers his punchline. Worst. Joke. Ever. she complains with a tired smile. The big fellow knows how to lighten the mood, that much is certain.

As Hank goes on, she lowers her head, contemplating the asphalt, only to raise it slowly as he finishes speaking, the smile back on, now wider, if still cautious. Briefly, the idea of a quick, grateful hug crosses her mind, but figuring that she'd rather not get shot over that, after some undecided tapping on the handle of her stick, she contents herself with awkwardly elbowing his lower arm. Damn right. she affirms with a nod, partly to just encourage herself. Thanks, man. He's probably right. It's just corn and weirdos being weirdos. Probably.

[Plaids]

In Blumber

The eclectic group of SCPs and SCP staff finally all meet up again, a tiny modicum of privacy granted as no other villagers seem to be within sight or earshot.

Dr. Kalispell Hagerty - SCP scientist
Guise: Kali Simmons - The loving mother


Dr. Hagerty huffs as frustration frays her patience and collected demeanor. She chides King, refraining from unleashing a full barrage of complaints to the cat who had returned with new insights.
We went scrambling around looking for you. I feared you had disappeared due to the interference from the town entity. But I'm glad you came by this new clue. Keep them coming and you might still earn your commendations.
I need you to provide feedback to HQ. Dr. Curtis is interested in your insights.

[Ameraaaaaa]

Dr. Kalispell Hagerty - SCP scientist
Guise: Kali Simmons - The loving mother


Dr. Hagerty huffs as frustration frays her patience and collected demeanor. She chides King, refraining from unleashing a full barrage of complaints to the cat who had returned with new insights.
We went scrambling around looking for you. I feared you had disappeared due to the interference from the town entity. But I'm glad you came by this new clue. Keep them coming and you might still earn your commendations.
I need you to provide feedback to HQ. Dr. Curtis is interested in your insights.

"whatever you say hippe lady. Mind passing me the communication device. Also i still haven't eaten in a while"

[Esprit15]

”We can grab you a snack from the car after your report.”

[Ameraaaaaa]

”We can grab you a snack from the car after your report.”

"deal! Man i can't wait to eat." Also we should probably check the corn fields.

[JeenLeen]

"I don't know if it means anything worthwhile, but I looked through that priest's desk. Looked largely unused, bookshelves dusted but I could tell no one has read them for a long time. He had some letters he wrote to a 'William' in his desk -- I took some pictures. Seemed mostly be trying to encourage whoever it is and offering condolences, from what I could skim.
Oh, and there was limited reception up there. I looked around from the high point to see if I could see anything odd, but nothin'."

[Esprit15]

James nods, looking through the photos. Does he see anything of note that the SCP might have missed?

[JeenLeen]

"Do we have the name of the girl who went missing, the one who had a boyfriend in town and vanished a recent Event? Or the name of the boyfriend? If one of them is William, or her dad or brother is William, maybe it's a connection? Uh, mom, maybe you could ask on radio when King reports?"

[hand ax ranger]

Kuzmo lingers in the background as everyone says their thing, having nothing to add seeing as not much has happened around him.

[Esprit15]

James leads the group to the corn fields to continue discussions and to allow King to report without being overheard.

[WindStruck]

James leads everyone (or most people, I guess) into the corn fields discreetly. It isn't exactly a graceful course of action, and Kuzmo's huge frame would have a difficult time squeezing through the corn without making obvious trails through it, but it's still a bit of privacy for now. You've bought yourself a bit more time to look over your evidence, and even briefly contact the SCP Foundation. Still, probably only a matter of time before the villagers really start wondering where you all went to again...

With Dr. Hagerty's phone, she starts a conversation with SCP Control, apparently still talking to Dr. Curtis on the other end. "Hello again, 'Kali' .. I hope you are in a secured location, and do you have King with you now?" The radio crackles, and the signal still seems weaker than normal.

Meanwhile, Thomas's discoveries certainly are interesting. Though he does have more questions than there are answers currently, it seems. James retrieves the phone from Thomas, and he has to unlock it to get at the pictures. They're not perfect, but each of the letters seem readable, the first one reads...

Spoiler: Letter

Show

Dear William,

I write to you today not to gloat, not as a servant of God, but
merely as a friend. Another year has passed, another year of
anguish and longing, and yet again, things remain the same. The
world continues to move on in ways beyond your ken, and yet you
linger in the past.

I understand how precious Lily is to you, how she is and was to
everyone. Your sacrifice and your devotion to her was great and
commendable, and yet, I cannot say with full faithfulness that
it was noble. Reliving the same days over and over is no way to
live at all. Such stagnation is not good for the mind, nor is it
for the soul. Even the most pristine of woods and strongest of
metals will rot and rust away in the briny cesspools of sorrow.

By now I think you have realized that the past cannot be undone.
Everything that has been shall be again, and everything that
will be has been. The past has been Written, as has the future,
from the moment all of Creation was conceived. You have
conducted yourself admirably, but it is time for this experiment
to come to an end.

Take heart knowing that you are not the first one to fall down
this path, nor will you be the last. No temptation has overtaken
you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He
will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when
you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can
endure it.

May you find peace,

Aidan O.