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Mitsuo - FP: 1 -> 2 Self compel on "Cause for Alarm." Steve's in the wrong place at the wrong time, to Jenny's misfortune; Mitsuo sees way too much of his own history in the situation. Oh. Oh no. The shotgun... the sounds... the Duchess screaming about her possessions. Steve just got caught in the crossfire. Why the gently caress did he have to be down here? Why couldn't he have gotten on the first bus to Abu Dhabi after seeing the little showdown between Duchess and the cowboys earlier? There's bad luck and then there's just plain stupid. And why, oh, why did it have to be JENNY that took him out? The only vaguely compassionate, actually nice one of the team? She was just trying to help... just trying to... oh crap. crap crap craaaaaaaap By the sound of things, she's at most three minutes from breaking the First Law. Probably a whole lot less, depending on which way that shotgun was pointed. Dealing with that sort of guilt... Mitsuo doesn't know much about Jenny, but he's pretty sure this would devastate her. And then there's the Council's response. They tend not to even let First Lawbreakers get through the first sentence of their story before breaking out the silver swords. He's lived under the threat of Council "justice" for so long... Jenny doesn't deserve that. He won't let them make a criminal out of her. Injured or not, he's got to save Steve. Ignoring the remaining zombies, Mitsuo jams the swords back into their scabbards and hurls himself towards the doorway. He keeps as much cover as he can between himself and the Duchess. Steve's just inside, his blood tinging the water red all the way to the door. Mitsuo stretches out, braced against the wall, and hauls him up over one shoulder to keep his head above water. Pushing with both feet, he drags Steve into the corner, falling against the wall to keep them both semi-upright. Might +0, -1 supplemental action, /+++ = +2 to get Steve out of the water and into Zone 1 with Mitsuo. There's not much he can do from this position. The best he can hope for is to give the others an advantage. With a quick, twisting wave of his off hand Mitsuo makes Steve's shed blood glow, lighting the far room just enough to pick out the form of the Duchess against the darkness. He shouts at JR, then turns his head to the group in back, and his voice gets a bit more pained. "Take your shot! Jenny, get over here and help me!" That light was the supplemental. Chrome Gnome fucked around with this message at 01:21 on Mar 11, 2012 |
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Mar 11, 2012 01:15
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J.R. - FP: 3 JR barrels into the next room, brushing past Mitsuo and Steven as he does so. JR would just as soon put a bullet in his head, but Mitsuo seemed to have a problem with killin' things lately. JR grins as he spots the wounded Duchess. "You shoulda run while you had the chance, souleater!" JR fires the gun in his left hand, and the bullet lands just where JR wanted it to - right between her eyes. Move a zone as a supplemental action, Guns ++/+ +4 = 7 to attack. Tagging the three consequences, so its +13 total, with a blessed bullet that's weapon:3. pre:Defenses: Athletics (Dodge) +5, Armor:2 (1 use, then use mental stress to re-use) Applicable Aspects: The Last Gunfighter Ballad, The Devil's Right Hand, I Won't Back Down Applicable Stunts: Shoot 'Em Where It Hurts: +2 Weapon vs. targets with armor Physical: () () () () Mental: () () () Social: () () () Any Mild (-2) Consequence: (), Any Moderate (-4) Consequence: () Any Major (-6) Consequence: (), Any Extreme (-8) Consequence: () Piell fucked around with this message at 01:26 on Mar 11, 2012 |
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Mar 11, 2012 01:21
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I'm not even gonna bother doing the math on that one, vampy's dead. J.R.'s shot takes the wailing vampire in the head, and the bloody aluminum baseball bat that she's been drumming against the wall this entire time falls out of her limp hand and into the water with a light splash. The Duchess had been propped up against the wall in a seated position. The small hole in the front of her forehead is misleading, as she slumps to the side it becomes clear that there's nothing left of the back of her head. The vampire is dead. Back in the main room the zombies fall lifelessly back into the water, not making a sound. The magic that had been animating them died with the vampire, and they're just corpses again, no threat to anyone. Steven coughs and takes fast breaths in Mitsuo's arms. He is not waking up. The bullet wound is in his left thigh and Mituso is afraid that it hit an artery. Combat ends! And anyone who could have told you things is dead or dying... No more initiative, go as needed.
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Mar 11, 2012 01:41
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Ada duSang - FP: 2 Accepting the trigger on the compel I asked for a long, long time ago. Ada knows Steve, as she used to be one of the Shadows. "...gently caress." Ada muttered under her breath as Jenny's spell blasted the room and blood began to leak. This wasn't something she was expecting. The bloodsucker wasn't supposed to have a human drummer! As Mitsuo emerged from the room, carrying a young man, Ada froze. "Stevie?" She whispered, as she felt her knees wobble, as if they were ready to give up. She knew this boy. Years ago, he had been one of Rook's people...and then, one of *her* people. He'd been out of touch for quite a while, but she thought he'd moved on and found a nice place to live in. Someone to take care of him. Not a blood-sucking monster. For a moment, Ada felt ready to cry. She might have killed him by opening the way for Jenny to blast the room. She'd failed him. He was going to die, and it was all going to... "No. No, not a loving chance in hell!" She whispered, through gritted teeth. There was still time. There had to be. Striding toward Mitsuo, Ada gestured and spoke. "We can't stay here. You grab his arms and I'll hold his legs. We'll take him up to the ground floor and see what we can do there! C'mon, let's move!" Grabbing the boy's legs, Ada worked with Mitsuo to bring the boy up the stairs. Once outside the basement, the air caused Ada to shiver. It wasn't just the cold, but also a feeling of guilt...and helplessness. Healing wasn't her area of expertise. There wasn't much she could do to help Steve. There was only one thing. "Jen. You've got to help him. You can fix him!" She said, her voice low and quiet. "He can still make it if you give him a hand. Please." Ada wasn't the type to beg. She could curse, scream and shout until her body ceased functioning entirely. But beg? Never. But desperate times called for desperate measures. So Ada did the only thing she could: she begged Jenny for help. It's OK. Jen can fix it. She always comes through in the clutch. ...God. I hope she does it again this time.
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Mar 11, 2012 02:18
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Compel on Cole's trouble: "Death Cursed" to stay away from someone who's in danger of dying. Warden Cole (FP:2->3) Cole stands aside as the little group carries the wounded teenager up the stairs. This is a disaster, and it's his own drat fault. Again. He's the one who brought them all here, put them in danger. Jenny wasn't thinking in the last fight, just throwing power on instinct. But he let her come anyway. A Black Court vamp having hostages or thralls was something he should have expected and warned them about. He should follow them upstairs, but he stops with his hand on the railing. Polly's last words echo in his ears. Fail... No, the boy has a better chance if Cole isn't there. He needs to give Jenny time to undo her mistake. If the boy dies, he doesn't know what to do. It would be a clear violation of the First Law of Magic. But Jenny was acting under his authority, and the poor girl was in way over her head. He knows what Laura would do. But he's not Laura. Spirits, don't let it come to that.
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Mar 11, 2012 02:52
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Jenny Hirsch FP: 4->5 A... human in there? No... Jenny turns away from Ada and the boy cradled in her arms and promptly throws up. Once, twice, three times, until there's nothing left and she's just dry heaving. The taste is enough to snap her back in, a bit, but she avoids meeting Ada's gaze. Or Hughes'. "Okay. Okay. It'll be okay. I can... I can fix this. Can someone get me the me... medical kit. Please?" Self-compelling Don't Worry, I Can Fix It. I can't.  Scholarship --++ +4 = 4 to examine Steve.
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Mar 11, 2012 04:51
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Steven's leg looks terrible, the bullet went in and out at least but it's obviously hit an artery. Combined with the cold of the water he's gone into severe shock and won't last long enough for an ambulance to get there.
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Mar 11, 2012 05:05
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Hugues Turner Fate Points: 2 The moments after Hugues drew focus to the beat that kept the zombies going all seemed to blur together. Ada crushing down the door, and Jenny almost destroying what was inside. And right now it was hard to see if she already did destroy the body of that poor boy. And here she was vomiting, asking to fetch her medical kit. Hugues didn't really have much of a choice. If the boy died, he was partially to blame as her master. Of course, there was always the way to make sure he didn't die... He ran outside, pushing that thought out of her head. No...she couldn't do that. Not again. Hugues grabbed Jenny's bag with the medical kit in it, and rushed as fast as he could back to Jenny. Ohpleaseohpleaseohplease don't let this boy die. Because if he knocked on Death's door, Jenny would try to yank the boy back. And Hugues would know how to do it properly this time. Krysmphoenix fucked around with this message at 05:42 on Mar 11, 2012 |
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Mar 11, 2012 05:20
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Ada duSang - FP: 2 As she watched Jenny empty the contents of her stomach, Ada felt the urge to flip out. She wanted to yell, to scream, to grab Jenny and slap some sense into her. This wasn't helping Stevie, it was just waiting time, time he did not have. She really should... ...Ada took a deep breath. Going berserk wouldn't help Jenny any. It wouldn't help Stevie any. Jen was worried and still shocked by the events in the basement. What she needed was reassurance, not more pressure. Walking towards her, Ada put a light hand on her shoulder. "You'll fix it. Just like you always have." She said, trying to put as much confidence into her voice as she could. "Just calm down, Jen. You need to concentrate. Focus. Forget about what just happened and just do your best. You know, the same thing you always do." It was a herculean effort to keep the tension out of her voice, but Ada managed, barely. She squeezed Jenny's shoulder tightly, as if to lend her strength, and stepped back. It was all in her hands now.
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Mar 11, 2012 05:24
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Jenny Hirsch FP: 5->6 "Okay. Okay. I'll fix it." The boy... Steve, his name is Steve, was bleeding out from the shotgun pellet wound. He wasn't going to make it long enough for an ambulance to get here... and even if there was one right here, he wouldn't make it to the hospital. Oh god... No. Focus. Have to fix it. I can still fix it. She'd done this once before, with... with Donald, and his broken face popped into her mind like a vengeful spirit. She hadn't fixed it then. All she'd done is make it worse. No. Have to focus. Have to fix it. Concentrating on the boy, Jenny began to draw in her power. She'd done it once, on pure instinct, but she wasn't sure she could do it again... Self-compel on Healing the Sick, Healing the Dead and it's thaumaturgy time! Beginning a ritual to cast Soul Hold, with Hughes' help. Complexity is 8, and my starting Lore is 4.
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Mar 11, 2012 06:56
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Hugues Turner Fate Points: 2 --> 3 (Self-Comepling Protector of the Small to give Jenny a hand.) As Ada stepped back, Hugues stepped forward placing his own hand on her shoulder. "You're not alone in this." He said, looking at the boy. "You lack the theory. I'll guide you through this, but this is your doing." His voice was calm, although not gentle. He was frustrated and angry with her for being so reckless, he might as well channel it for good purposes. (Lore Maneuver to give Jenny a boost. Lore: /++- +5 = 6!. Also taking the mild Social consequence "Goddammit Jenny" to give her another +2 boost. With both tags she's at 8 for the Complexity.)
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Mar 11, 2012 07:23
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J.R. - FP: 3 JR looks confused. "Why the hell are you trying to save him!" He pauses, for a moment. Maybe it was the first time she'd killed a person. The first time was always the hardest. "Look, he'd drat sure not have shed a tear if he managed to kill us, and it ain't nobodies fault but his own if he didn't do a good enough job pickin' sides." JR does not know the Laws of Magic, hooray!
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Mar 11, 2012 15:31
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Mitsuo - FP: 2 "It is not him we are trying to save..." Mitsuo looks at Ada, then Jenny, and re-evaluates his statement. "He is not the priority. She is. The White Council-" Mitsuo's head drifts around again to spot Cole. Seeing that he's absent, Mitsuo relaxes a bit. "The Council regards killing via magic a capital crime. They will send a Warden as judge, jury, and executioner - or worse, force Cole to take that role." His voice gets much quieter. "There will be no trial, no leniency for mitigating circumstances. Just a violent fate which she does not deserve. But if she can heal him..." He turns back to the scene ahead, cheering on Jenny, satisfied with his own contribution, blissfully unaware of what they have planned.
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Mar 11, 2012 17:12
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Jenny Hirsch FP: 6->5 Jenny nods, accepting Hughes help but avoiding his eyes. This isn't right. She can still feel his angry gaze boring into her, but... All of this is your fault, Jenny. You caused this. She had. It was true. But no matter what she did, it was her fault. This was all her fault. So she had to fix it. The power thrummed through her as she brought it to bear, and the rush of it filled Jenny with greater confidence. Using her power this way wasn't a sin. It was right. It was just. Steve gasped as the power leaped into his body, breath coming in a tight whistle, but Jenny knew it was all right. It was all all right. He wouldn't leave them, now. Not until she was ready for him to leave. Gently, oh so gently, Jenny drew the scalpel from the first aid kit and began to work. Mechanically, it takes two rolls for me to get enough power to use the spell; Discipline //-+ +4 = 4 means I land the first, but only get -/+- +4 = 3 on the second. Spending a fate point to invoke Healing the Sick, Healing the Dead to cover my discipline and the spell goes off successfully.
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Mar 11, 2012 17:41
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For long moments it's touch-and-go. Jenny works quickly and manages to contain the bleeding, but the damage is already done. Steven's pulse slows, he's in severe hypovolemic shock and there's just nothing left for his heart to pump. His breaths come faster and faster, and he shivers in the wet clothing. One last choking gasp, and the boy lies still. But Jenny had prepared for that. Steven's eyes open wide in terror and his whole body jerks upwards like he's having a seizure. His soul is trapped like a firefly in a jar, and Jenny isn't letting it go anytime soon. Steven whimpers like a wounded animal, his dark eyes fixed on Jenny. Steven is officially dead at this point and needs CPR, at a difficulty of 4. He also needs an immediate blood transfusion or he's going to end up like Donald did. Calling in an ambulance would attract an awful lot of attention given what's in the store. You guys need to deal with this on your own.
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Mar 11, 2012 18:13
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Hugues Turner Fate Points: 3 --> 2 Hugues watched in silent terror at the magic he just helped Jenny use. This was the exact magic he had fought for decades to stop. Yet it was unavoidable, for the sake of the boy. "Get some blood in him. I'll get it moving." Hugues said, sitting besides the boy as he placed his hands on the the boy's chest, and started compressing. (Athletics to use CPR. Athletics: -/+- +4 = 3... Not good enough for the difficulty, so invoking Protector of the Small to get another +2 for 5 total.)
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Mar 12, 2012 03:51
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Ada duSang - FP: 2 Ada's movements in response to Hugues' orders were slow and mechanical. She didn't want Stevie to die, but what she was seeing...it was...wrong. There was something about it that sent shivers down her spine. As she drew a blood bag, Ada hesitated for a moment, looking at his twisting body, before making up her mind. She'd ask for Jenny's help. Once again, she was responsible for what happened to Steve, and they hadn't gone so far to just let him slip away. With a practiced slice, Ada let the blood flow once more, concentrating on it as it dribbled into the bag, changing it, willing it into something that Steve's body would accept. At the same time, she lifted the blood he'd lost and placed it within the bag, using it as a template for the transmuted donation. After a few instants, her work was done. Passing the bag to Jenny, Ada knelt down besides Steve, opposite of Hugues. Gently stroking his hair, she whispered: "Hold on, Stevie. It'll all be over soon...just hold on a little longer." Discipline roll to retrieve and modify enough blood to kickstart Steve's body once more. Base Discipline 4, And foxxbot's result is +//+, so we end up with a...+6! It's all on Jenny now.
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Mar 12, 2012 04:19
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Steven's heart restarts on the third set of chest compressions and he sucks in a lungful of air. His eyes roll back immediately and he falls unconscious again. A mercy, at this point. Jenny hooks up the field transfusion bag to the kid's arm and holds it up while it drips. Minutes go by. Steven's breathing slows to a normal rate, no longer the desperate panting of severe shock. His color starts to come back as well. He still needs to go to the hospital, but he should make it now. --- Warden Cole (FP:3) Cole looks the dead vampire over. The trauma to her body is so severe that it's impossible to see much about her. She might have been pretty once. She'd been maybe 30-35 years old when turned, there are lines on her face that could have been from smiling. Cole notices something shining on the vampire's chest. It's a locket. One of those cheap little gold plated heart shaped ones, the kind you put pictures in. A quick jerk snaps the chain, and the vampire's body falls face-forward into the water. Cole opens the locket and looks at the picture inside. Oh. That explains a lot. There is a sudden wash of cold energy, coming from upstairs. Cole looks up, open mouthed, and takes off towards the stairs at a dead run. He knows what black magic feels like. He shouldn't have left them alone, there might have been a trap or something worse upstairs still... Spirits could he screw this job up any worse!? Cole takes the stairs two at a time and bursts into the upstairs room. "Is everyone OK?" he yells, looking for the source of the cold, dark energy in a panic. But it's... gone. And everyone seems to be fine. Was he imagining it? Was it the death curse mucking up his senses? He takes a breath. Great, now they're all staring. At least the teenager is still alive. He doesn't even look that bad now, maybe it had looked worse than it was back in the basement. "How is he?" Cole asks, walking over to Jenny. Cole decides to do some corpse Investigation since he's down there. //+/ +4 = 5. mistaya fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Mar 12, 2012 |
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Mar 12, 2012 04:44
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Hugues Turner Fate Points: 2 Hugues let out a sigh of relief when the boy finally started calming down, and not in the dead type of calm. mistaya posted:Cole takes the stairs two at a time and bursts into the upstairs room. "Is everyone OK?" he yells, looking for the source of the cold, dark energy in a panic. Oh right, poo poo. Cole's still here. "Yeah, looks like he'll make it. You felt it too?" Hugues said, quickly trying to come up with a lie. He probably felt the wave of necromantic energy...so what to do? "I don't know what it was, but I think something might be trying to re-raise those zombies down there. It's not a pleasant thought, but we should probably burn the bodies so they don't rise up again. Had to do that back during the Second World War..." Oh right, he's supposed to be just a kid. Hugues coughed. "Or at least that's what Mitsuo was saying, right?" (Deceit to give Cole something more important to think about, like more zombies (or The Kid) Deceit: -+// +2 = 2. Meh. Anyway, Mitsuo's got the same Deceit and might get luckier.)
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Mar 13, 2012 02:14
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Jenny Hirsch FP: 5 As the power drains out of her and she releases the spell, Jenny feels the nausea and disgust come storming back. She felt like throwing up all over again, but there was nothing left. "He... he's going to be okay." Jenny's lips feel cracked and brittle as she tries to smile at Cole, although it only goes so far as a pained grimace. "He just needs bedrest and some recovery time. He'll... he'll recover. In time." The room is shaking, or maybe that's just her. "I... this was all... I didn't... I..." Her voice trails off. It's all too hard, too impossible to put into words. She can't face them anymore. Not after what she did. "I'm sorry." And with that, she's out of the room and into the street. It's not raining, but it should be. Home. Maybe everything would make sense at home. Jenny needs a little alone time after that. She'll be at her apartment trying to figure out what the gently caress.
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Mar 13, 2012 04:19
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J.R. - FP: 3 JR walks over to Cole. "Well, we got one souleater and their human, at least. There's supposed to be another one - Reginald, the on the ghoul mentioned. Ain't seen him myself but maybe we can look around here and see if we can find anything that'll show us where he's at." What the hell was Hughes, anyway? JR thought he was Jenny's apprentice but he was acting weird.
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Mar 13, 2012 06:39
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Krysmphoenix posted:Deceit: -+// +2 = 2. Cole defends! Empathy: +/-+ +1 = 2. Better check up on it. Warden Cole (FP:3) "No." Cole shakes his head. "I was down there, it came from up here. At least, I think it did..." Not one to take chances, Cole looks back downstairs but there's no dark energy there now. At least if the Kid felt it too he wasn't imagining things. That was a relief. He didn't have time to go crazy, there was too much work to do. The first order of business was getting that teenager some real medical attention. Jenny posted:"He's going to be okay... I'm sorry." Jenny runs out in tears. She might be terrible at keeping her head in a fight, but the girl is one hell of a field medic. He would have to talk to her later. This couldn't happen again. JR posted:"Maybe we can look around here and see if we can find anything that'll show us where he's at." "Honestly? I think the Kid's right. We should burn this place to the ground and be done with it. It's enough of an insult that we won't have to go looking for Reginald, he'll come to us. And by us I mean me." He shrugs and looks at Steven, thinking of the locket in his pocket. "I don't want the police to put together what happened here anyway. If you want to look around be quick. After we get him in the car I'm going to torch the building."
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Mar 13, 2012 09:16
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Ada duSang - FP: 2 Hearing Cole discuss the possibility of taunting the head vampire into coming out made Ada shake her head. Trying to be the hero wouldn't lead anywhere, though maybe the Warden had a plan. But before that... "Can't take the kid to the hospital." She said, trying to hide her connection to Stevie. "People will ask questions that we won't be able to answer, not without raising eyebroews. I know where we can drop him at. Someone gimme a hand here." She said, as she bent down besides Stevie, preparing to carry him to the car. He'd be OK...but now, someone else might not be. Ada made a mental note about checking up on Jenny as soon as Stevie was taken care of - she hadn't taken the...whatever the hell that had been, very well. The last thing she wanted was to trade the health of one person for another like that.
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Mar 13, 2012 10:53
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J.R. - FP: 3 "I'll take a quick look around then, before you go and light it up. If'n we can find something, might do to check it out before nightfall." JR puts his words into action as he quickly searches through the area. Investigation ++-+ = 2 Lore -/++ +4 = 5 Piell fucked around with this message at 21:11 on Mar 13, 2012 |
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Mar 13, 2012 20:41
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It seems like Jenny's force attack downstairs shook the whole building because one of the cheap foam ceiling tiles has fallen. J.R. spots the handle of a canvas bag hanging out of the hole and pulls it down. It's heavy. Inside the bag is an oval grey stone about the size of a tennis ball, maybe some kind of granite? It feels cool to the touch. There's also a piece of paper. The writing is in all caps, and messy like it was written in a hurry. GET TO CLOVIS RIGHT AWAY. (555) 315-9090 --- The stone is something J.R. used to see a lot back in his time. It's called an Anchorstone, and it's used to create a weak threshold in a place that normally couldn't support one. It's an old Earth magic trick that used to come in very handy when people were traveling by wagon or on horseback and living out of tents or just under the open stars. J.R. used to have one himself. Put the Anchorstone in the campfire circle and you could set up much stronger wards than you could with nothing to attach them to. It made traveling through unknown territory a lot safer. mistaya fucked around with this message at 21:21 on Mar 13, 2012 |
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Mar 13, 2012 20:54
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J.R. - FP: 3 JR brings the note out to the others, slipping the stone into his pocket as he goes. "Found an anchorstone, and a note saying to bring it to some fella named Clovis. Got a phone number with it, too. The ghoul mentioned something about Clovis, didn't he?"
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Mar 13, 2012 22:15
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Hugues Turner Fate Points: 2 (Contacts to know about Clovis. Contacts: +-/+ +1 = 2!) "Anchorstone, huh? Don't see many of those. I don't know about the ghoul, you did most of the talking wit---wait, Clovis?" Clovis wasn't someone Hugues had heard about in a long time, but he knew that this vampire had been around for a long time. And generally Black Courts that survived that long were deadly. Clovis had that kind of power. And this was precisely why Hugues hated dealing with Black Court vampires. They were either really weak and fresh, or ancient and deadly. This was most sincerely the latter. "Yeah, all the more reason to get out of here." He raised his his right hand in a fist, and looked around the building. "Where should I start? Arson's not my specialty."
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Mar 13, 2012 23:11
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Warden Cole (FP:3) Assuming we've loaded Steve into Mitsuo's car by now, since Jenny left. "Clovis is one of the older, nastier Black Court vampires. He was pretty infamous in Europe a hundred years ago or so. I should have the Warden File on him by tommorow if you want to drop by." Cole is pretty certain he want's J.R.'s gun on his side if he has to deal with any more vampires. Hugues posted:"Arson's not my specialty." You could have fooled me, Cole thinks. Well, setting monsters on fire isn't technically arson, but close enough. "Wait a sec Kid. Most of what we want gone is in a flooded basement. That takes a little more finesse than point and shoot." Cole walks down the stairs again, looking at the pipework in the basement ceiling and extending his wizard senses. Water, water, ahah. The gas line to the furnace. It was pretty much a given in a place as old as this one. It only takes a whispered word to freeze the pipe and a quick force blast shatters it. There's a light hissing sound as natural gas starts to leak out. "Everybody out the back." Cole orders after he gets back upstairs. He closes the basement door, trapping the gas. Once they're all clear he turns to Hugues. "All yours Kid." He sets himself to contain the explosion if needed but Reggie's is fairly isolated and there's no one about.
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Mar 14, 2012 02:53
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Hugues Turner Fate Points: 2 Hugues nodded in approval as Cole started the natural gas leak. The mortal police would be able to assume pretty much anything, except magic. Hugues stood at the top of the basement stairs, and raised his left hand, using the Shield Gauntlet to create a whirlwind right at the basement door. Then he raised his right arm, and sent a fire arrow straight into the basement. The fire built in pressure, consuming the gas from the leak. The flames grew and expanded, reaching throughout the room. It felt borders, stone blocking it's path outward, water blocking the flames downward, and a strange pocket of air blocking it up the stairs. Furiously, the fire gathered its strength and pushed through it, reaching upward into the building and to the open air above, shaking and shattering the building. Yet the time the flames spent pushing against the pocket of air, gave Hugues just enough time to casually walk away without looking back.
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Mar 14, 2012 23:29
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The explosion is small and contained, but it's still an explosion. The ground shakes under everyone's feet as Reggie's Inks and Copy implodes with a roar. The roof caves in and the windows shatter outwards. It shouldn't take long for the Fire Department to get there. Time to leave. --- Warden Cole (FP: 3) Cole holds a shield at the ready just in case but it's unneeded. Whatever the Kid did, it kept the blowout to a minimum. Before Ada and Mitsuo can leave with Steven he grabs her hand. "Here. I think this belongs to the boy." He drops the locket into her palm. "It might help, when he wakes up." Then he turns to Hugues. "Walk with me a minute? I think we need to talk." Compel on 10yrs old to have a private chat with the Warden. --- Taking out the local vampire nest has earned everyone a Significant Milestone! This gives you a skill point, which you can use to buy a new +1 or bump a skill up a tier. Remember you must still respect the ladder, so if you have 2 +3's you can't have 3 +4's. You also get one of the Minor Milestone benefits. Everyone's free to go do stuff at home (well Mitsuo and Ada need to get Stevie to Ada's, and I'm kidnapping Hugues. Mwahaha.) Oh, and Refresh + remove any Mild Consequences from the church/first Duchess fight. mistaya fucked around with this message at 00:59 on Mar 15, 2012 |
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Mar 15, 2012 00:43
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J.R. - FP: 3 "Ya know how to reach me, if you need me," JR says as he heads out. A few blocks away, he gets a cab and returns to his hotel room, where he begins to put his things in his suitcases. It was time to move to a new room - he'd already been here a while, and with what had been going on it would be best to make it harder to find him. Pick up the Weight of Reputation Stunt: You may use your Presence instead of Intimidation to scare someone, provided the target knows of you and your “rep.” Add Empathy at +1, and swap Intimidate and Presence."
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Mar 15, 2012 08:36
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Mitsuo - FP: 2 "Use my car, Ada," Mitsuo says as he heaves at Steve's shoulders. "It will not be the first time removing blood stains from the fabric. It comes up surprisingly easily with a bit of club soda." Normally he'd throw in a sardonic little grin - and a slightly creepy one at that - but the day's been far too long and he may be removing as much of his own blood from the upholstery as the kid's. Once they're packed into the vehicle, Mitsuo looks over his shoulder at the boy slumped across the back bench. He's in worse shape than was obvious before. A lot worse. That's one, two... and, well... call it two and a half rapidly-fatal wounds. Still, his breathing is ragged but steady. Lore +3 //++ = +5 which I assume is good enough to realize Steve's recovery wasn't wholly natural. Mitsuo narrows his eyes. As he turns the key, his gaze fixes on Ada. "Now that we're out from under the Warden's eye, why don't you tell me what our young friends have done here." Ooh, a chance for quality time with someone who isn't a cowboy! Here's hoping I have more free time this weekend for these shenanigans. e: Pushing Weapons to +4. Chrome Gnome fucked around with this message at 06:39 on Mar 16, 2012 |
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Mar 16, 2012 06:33
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Hugues Turner Fate Points: 2 --> 3 Warden Cole (FP: 3) (Hugues Compelled on 10 Year Old Body to have The Talk with Cole. Italics is Mistaya/Cole.) So. It had come to this. Although Hugues was hoping it could wait until after he got a chance to check on Jenny. "Alright, what's up?" "First off, you got a name?" Cole asks, leading them back out of the alley onto the main sidewalk. He can hear sirens heading for Reggie's now. "Hugues, didn't you..." He paused for a moment, and then chuckled. Huh. He had forgotten to properly introduce himself. "Sorry, it must have slipped my mind, and I never got a chance to introduce myself, what with ghouls, vampires, demons and the like. Welcome to New Orleans, by the way." Cole laughs once. "Thanks. Is it always like this or did I kick a hornet's nest by showing up?" "I think this attack probably didn't do you any favors. But as far as the ghouls and demons go...I can't imagine you had anything to do with it. Just wrong place at the wrong time." Hugues said, thinking for a moment. "Or rather, right place at the right time, when it comes to saving lives." Cole shrugs. "Vampires I can deal with. It's the other things I'm worried about." He pulls the quartz crystal off his neck and looks at it for a second before pocketing it. "I guess... I think I made a mistake, giving Jenny the badge. I want to make sure I didn't make two. You sure you're okay with this Kid- Hugues?" "Jenny...this was too much for her, she got scared. But she meant well. Probably need to talk to her sooner than later." But this conversation wasn't about Jenny, was it? "But what do you mean if I'm okay?" "You're what, 12 years old?" "10 and a half." Spirits, even worse. "You shouldn't be okay. You're too drat young to be okay with demons and zombies and... whatever else." He shook his head. This wasn't coming out right at all. "Trust me, if you were talking to any of my classmates, I'd be just as concerned as you are. But I'm fine." Hugues raised his right arm, and looked back to the distant sirens. "I can handle it. I've got this." Cole facepalms. "Somehow I don't think I'd be less worried if your classmates all had one of those. It's not the weapon, Hugues, it's knowing when to use it. Which you have, so far. But I don't really understand why." "Didn't you ever read Superman comics? It's not that complex. Beat up bad guys, save the world, stop monsters from gobbling up folks...the why is pretty simple." Cole frowns, starting to get frustrated. He's not sure if he's not coming across clearly or if Hugues is dodging the question. And once again the phrasing is all wrong. Folks? -He sounds like my grandpa, not my nephews.- "Kids don't just wake up one day, find a magic glove, and start barbecuing hellspawn. Jenny is what happens when they try. Who taught you to fight, Hugues? Where'd you get the gauntlet?" Hugues let out a sigh. The Warden was getting angry, and his questions more direct. "The Gauntlet I made myself. As for the magic..." (Deceit: +/+/ +2 = 4!!) "Mother taught me." (Empathy: -+++ +1 = 3!! +3 from MM makes 6!! Won by 2 shifts.) Cole raises an eyebrow, skeptical. That sounded rehearsed, but maybe Hugues had a reason for lying. "Can I talk to her? I should probably have asked permission before recruiting her son." (Deceit: //++ +2 = 4!! +2 by Invoking My Life for the White Council makes 6!! Empathy: --/- +1 = -2... +3 from MM makes 1... Lost by five shifts. Warning:  incoming.)"She's dead, she died when I was seven." Hugues let out a sad sigh. Part of him felt terrible for lying to Cole, but it had to be done. "I don't know much about my father, other than his name was Hugues as well and he was a Warden, and that he died when I was five. Mother wasn't a full-fledged wizard, she didn't quite have enough magical power to enter the White Council. Shortly after Father died, my mother saw a spark of magical power in me, and did whatever she could to temper it, so that when I grew up I could enter the White Council and become a Warden as well, to follow in my father's footsteps. "That said, it wasn't easy. Whenever I wasn't at school pretending to be a normal child, Mother did whatever she could to train me to be a proper wizard. At six, she was having me make my own magical tools, like the first generation of this gauntlet. I'm young and without much power, so I have to find ways to magnify it or draw on power from something else. She also taught me to use the sword, a lot like the one you carry around now, saying a Warden needs something to fall back on when magic won't work. The problem was, Mother wasn't a Wizard, so she had to pull strings from some shady sources to keep teaching me everything I know. She even made a few deals with demons, but because she wasn’t that powerful either, one broke free. She died protecting me. "And then, there I was. Alone. All I had was my mother's teachings, her books and tools. The White Council didn't even know I existed, being an illegitimate child of my Father, and they certainly wouldn't want to bother with me until I was older. I could have just given up everything and become an orphan, but then that would mean destroying everything my Mother had given up her life for. "So, I decided to keep her memory, and have been making it by on my own. I've stayed in school, mostly because legally I have to, but I've been brewing potions to age myself up to an adult when I need to be; that was a trick Mother tried to see if an older body would have more power, but the body was really mostly ectoplasm. But it worked to sign a lease on my apartment near the school so I can live on my own with my mother's belongings and not get noticed. "Of course, even if I am just trying to sit by and build up my own knowledge and power unnoticed by the world, I...well, I kind of have to get out there and fight and help these people when big stuff comes out of no where to gobble them up. Mother wanted me to be a Warden, and I want to as well, so before you came along, I've been acting like one. That's how I met these people, like how I met Jenny after some trolls tried to devour one of my classmates. I've fought against these things for a few years now and I know what I'm doing. And then you waltzed in with your deputy badges...it really wasn't a choice for me. I took the badge because it'd make me closer to being the Warden that Mother wanted me to be." Hugues stopped for a second and let out an exhausted sigh. This lie was taking more out of him than he thought. "Anyway, I hope that answers your question and probably about a hundred others you were going to ask." Cole doesn't say anything for a few minutes, trying to process it all. There's something rote about the little speech, but he's probably had to give it before. Cole can't have been the only person to question why a little kid was out fighting monsters. "You've been through a lot." he says, finally, shaking his head. He wonders what could have driven Hugues' mother to push training on him so young. Most people don't grow into their talent until puberty, you can teach theory before that but it isn't something a 5 or 6 year old is gong to understand. "If you're serious about Warden training in a few years I can probably pull some strings. 10 and a half is a little too young still, but with the losses from the war, sixteen is probably going to be the new standard." Cole frowns. "No faking it with a potion, though. In the meantime I can do some digging, maybe find something out about your father if you want." "Thank you, I appreciate the offer. But as for Father..." Hugues frowned, thinking how to get Cole to not research him. "You know? I think I'd rather not know what he was like, until I do become a Warden. In a few years, hopefully I'll have more power than I've got already. Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to start chucking baptismal fonts on my own power." He said with a chuckle, then slammed his hand into the other. "Oh! I just remembered. When we visited the prayer circle, I got sent to the daycare they've got--Don't laugh! Anyway, there's a girl there, Claire. Right now she's just playing with ponies, but I felt a spark of magic in her. The Council might want to find someone to teach her in a few years, but for now it's probably best if she doesn't go through what I went though..." Cole doesn't laugh, but he does smile. Daycare at noon, demons and zombies after lunch. "I'm heading over there next, I'll look into it. I got the impression that those women knew how to take care of their own though, I don't think the girl will need intervention." He sighs. "I think this murder case is a lot bigger than it looks right now. Whoever got the eye took it out onto open water, I couldn't track it past the docks. Dollars to donuts if I go looking for the priest's missing hand it leads to the same dead end. I've got police reports going back the last five years but going through it all takes time." Cole grins. "Hey... you can still use the computer without making it explode can't you? Want to do me a huge favor?" "What do you have in mind?" "I'm going to pull a few strings, see if I can get access to the NOPD database. It won't be pretty, but it will be a lot faster than trying to find similar cases by hand. You up for it?" "I'll be glad to help you out, Uncle Cole." And if not, Hugues could probably help get that access anyway. After all, firewalls just acted like wards. Only, with less fire. Oh geez. Well, he already has 3 nephews, what's one more? "Heh, don't start with the Uncles or I'll feel responsible for you and then I might have something to say about 10 and a half year olds living on their own and using potions to get away with it. This probably sounds patronizing as hell but if you ever need help, you can come to me." Cole looks at his watch. "And I'm about two hours late and smell like a sewer. Wonderful first impression I'm going to make on the religious community. You OK from here?" "It's a simple alibi that works. I'll have a talk with the school and add you to the list of people who can call me out of class, if you need me on a school day." Hugues nodded. "I can find my way back. I'll probably take a shower then check on Jenny." He extended a hand to shake Cole's. "'Till next time, don't get yourself killed." "And if you do, haunt someone else." Cole replies, automatically. Of course the kid would know the Warden wartime farewell. Cole isn't even surprised anymore. He shakes Hugues' hand firmly. The kid's aura is... strange. If he had to describe it he would say it was fragmented. The spark of untrained potential he would have expected in a preteen was missing. Hugues aura was maimed somehow, maybe by whatever his mother had done with that demon. Cole doesn't let any of his concern show and keeps a straight face. "Seriously though, be careful. We don't know if there were eyes on the copy shop. And... be gentle with Jenny, not all of us were raised to the life." Hmm...he could feel something a bit oily, probably the death curse, but Cole was weaker than he expected. But if they were recruiting new Wardens as early as sixteen now, and Cole had a desk job before, they were desperate. Maybe desperate to let a lawbreaker back in under the Doom of Damocles? "She takes so much looking after," Hugues said with a sigh and a healthy dose of sarcasm. "But I understand. Well, you better hurry up or they'll just get more upset with you." Hugues waved good bye and set on the path back to his apartment. (Holy poo poo wall of text. Anyway, TL;DR: Cole didn't kill Hugues. Also increasing Alertness by 1.) Krysmphoenix fucked around with this message at 06:44 on Mar 16, 2012 |
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Mar 16, 2012 06:38
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The first thing J.R. notices in his hotel room is that his ward is undisturbed. The second thing is the white card propped against it, marked with a crude tree drawn in black ink. He knows what that means. J.R. looks out his window, and sure enough there's a tree shaped exactly like the one in the drawing down next to the empty, closed pool. A pair of feral yellow eyes up in the branches catch the light. Looks like Bohpoli wants something.
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Mar 16, 2012 17:58
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J.R. - FP: 3 JR's expression changes to a half-grin as he sees the card. Bohpoli's jobs were always ... interesting. Not usually easy or safe, but definitely interesting. And 'sides, JR had been in apple pie order lately, and felt he could taken on whatever Boh could throw at him. JR took a quick look around to make sure nobody was watching, and headed out to the tree. "Got yerself a difficulty, then?" he calls up to the fae.
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Mar 16, 2012 18:09
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Compel on "That's one you owe me" to owe Bohpoli a favor. Bohpoli laughs softly. "Greetings to you too, old friend. I need a package delivered to a certain mausoleum in the cemetary up the way. Can't go myself, grounds are sanctified." A box wrapped in brown paper and string falls out of the tree into J.R.'s hands. It's about the size of a shoebox. A large copper key follows it, and he catches that as well. "Take this to the Beauregard family crypt. To find it, follow the stream and look for the dead cherry tree. It's near the back wall. Open the crypt and leave the box on the marker of the youngest child. Do not open it, or try to acertain it's contents. Thus do you pay your debt to me." The great eyes blink. "The box will be safe once locked inside the crypt, but before that, you may need to protect it. Tis why I chose you over others. Now go."
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Mar 16, 2012 18:48
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J.R. - FP: 3->4 JR's face blanched as he listened. A crypt? As in, a dark and probably underground place? Sometimes JR thought Bohpoli just did things to mess with him rather than for any useful reason. Still, a favor called in was a debt that had to be repaid. "Alright, then, I suppose. I can do this this." He takes the box from Bohpoli and leaves, before the fae can add more stipulations like having to watch over it in the crypt overnight or something even worse. JR returns to his hotel room and grabs a flashlight from his gear. Just a quick run in and out of the crypt. Not a problem. He'd be done before he knew it. If he hurried, he could probably even be done before nightfall. Piell fucked around with this message at 04:52 on Mar 17, 2012 |
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Mar 16, 2012 19:00
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Hotel is the dark red building. JR must cross 4 zones to reach the crypt. Zone borders are: 1 between 1-2, 5 between 2-3 unless using the gate, 3 between 3-4 unless using the bridge (river is the border.) Zones 1 and 2 are just an average street and I didn't feel like detailing them. The sun is setting when J.R. sets out, gear and box in hand. He barely gets as far as the street corner (Zone 1) before running into the opposition. "There it is! Get it!" A young woman's voice yells out. J.R. blinks as a bright light flashes in front of his eyes. Unknown Attacker attempts a manuever to place "Temporary Blindness" on J.R. --// +3 = 1... defend with Discipline. I'll give you the enemy stat blocks next round. I rolled JR a 0 on alertness for the ambush, not that it's going to matter with only 1 shift. *sigh* Init is: JR <-we are here UA 1 UA 2 mistaya fucked around with this message at 00:16 on Mar 17, 2012 |
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Mar 16, 2012 20:35
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Ada duSang - FP: 2 Upon being questioned by Mitsuo, Ada tensed up, subtly. The last few minutes had been extremely draining, and the last thing she wanted to do now was go through an interrogation. She had half a mind to tell Mitsuo to buzz off, but as she opened her mouth, she stopped and closed it again. Just shooting him down would only cause trouble - honesty was a better policy here, at least to a degree. "They...cured him." She started, thinking about what she was about to say carefull. "It's hard to explain, but they had to work fast. He was on the verge of death by the time we dragged him out of the basement, so they had to buy themselves some time." Looking back at Stevie, she shook her head. "Strange stuff. I couldn't have done it myself. Don't have the know-how for it, and I wasn't in the right frame of mind either." Taking advantage of that milestone to up Discipline by 1, to +4. Next milestone, I'll have to start bulking up the pyramid.
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Mar 16, 2012 22:37
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J.R. - FP: 4 Under attack by unknown enemies already, great. Well, if they wanted to attack him here, it was a good bet they had good cover. Best thing to do would be to change the location to one where he could have an advantage. JR sprints down the street, reaching the fence in a flash. He drops the box and the flashlight into his pockets, and makes his way up the fence. It would be nearly impassible for most, but JR isn't most people, and he drops down on the other side of the fence. Discipline ++-/ +2 = 3 to defend against the blinding is a success. Athletics ++-/ +5 = 6 to run down the street and over the fence.
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Mar 17, 2012 04:51
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