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Toby "Feed him a line about needing flood plain data corroboration, we've got problems." Toby sighs heavily "We've found Megan, Connie, enough to know she's dead. The scene's mostly washed away but she was arranged. There's a sculpture, cougar legs taxidermied together. This is some sort of ritual poo poo, someone set this up for us to find and trapped the area for us." "Hart's gone into some sort of catatonic state and we're three hours out from where we came in. Something is deeply hosed in this town and you're our only lifeline." Toby looks around him. "We've got to find our way to shelter of some kind before night falls. If the wildlife doesn't get us the bear traps will. We'll look for landmarks, see if we can get a bead on where we are." "Watch your back, Connie. I don't think one guy could have done all this in a day's time. Either we've got multiple perps, or the call was a recording to lure us here, or both." Toby stares at the mess of stitched limbs. "We are deep in some Wicker Man territory here." Basic Chunnel fucked around with this message at 06:16 on Apr 10, 2014 |
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Apr 10, 2014 06:11
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Connie "Jesus Christ." Connie said but didn't broadcast, looking out the window at the rain. It was getting worse. If Toby was spooked enough to start making up conspiracy theories the scene must be pretty ugly. "Don't get paranoid on me, Shaw. Melanie Scott was the one who brought us out here and if someone did murder her than its on us to figure out who it was and get them locked up. Now slap some sense into that local and get back to the truck so you can wait out the storm. Drag him if you have to. There's not much you can do about the scene with the rain as it is, so bag and tag what you can." She thought for a few seconds. "Stay safe, Toby. That's the important thing for now. But I have to tell the Sheriff you found her or it'll look mighty suspicious and we're going to need him on our side. It'll come out by the end of the day anyway. Did Hart seem like he knew where she was found or were you boys just lucky?"
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Apr 10, 2014 07:44
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Toby Toby closes his eyes, pinches the bridge of his nose and exhales. "You're right, you're absolutely right. We've got to head back to the truck. It's gonna be hard if we can't get Hart back into this, the rain will have washed our trail away." Toby looks back at Hart. "John's secured the scene as best he can." "Hart said this was area was Megan's usual backwoods haunt. We found a tent and her backpack, along with the... sculpture. I'm telling you, Bellworth, this was set up for us to find. While you're out there, see if you can dig anything up that's significant about cougars or... cougar worship, folk tales, something. Trust me, there's something important about them to our perp." Toby makes toward Hart, making sure to retrace his steps. "There's also some sort of spiral pattern of rocks that's been arranged around the campsite, I don't know if that's significant. If you don't hear from us in two hours, best organize a search party." Basic Chunnel fucked around with this message at 08:06 on Apr 10, 2014 |
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Apr 10, 2014 08:01
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bump
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Apr 11, 2014 04:40
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Toby Toby will check on Hart to see if he needs medical attention or anything of that nature. Maybe there are smelling salts in the survival kit? Highly doubtful.
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Apr 11, 2014 08:30
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Connie "Will do, Toby. Stay in touch. Over." Connie sighed and headed back into the office, half-soaked from being out in the storm for a minute. Being the bearer of bad news wasn't something she enjoyed. "Sheriff, Megan was just found at a campsite in the woods. She's..." Words failed her for a second. There just wasn't any way to say it that wasn't terrible. "She's dead, Jim. I'm sorry." Try Empathy again, I want to see if he's sincere in whatever his reaction is. I'll tell him about the scene after the initial shock wears off.
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Apr 11, 2014 08:47
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 Johnathan sees everyone's concern and begins to rise, trying to hide his tears. He pulls out a GPS and marks the spot, just in case. His eyes cross Toby. "Can we at least take what's left of her?" ~~Meanwhile~~  "This is...troubling...was John there? Did he have to see her?" He takes a moment and dials three numbers on his phone. "Doc, am I on speaker? No? Good. The state police found Megan in the woods, she's dead. Considering the condition of Mrs. Hart I'd like to give it some time and let John make the call on how to tell her. Lets tell Hazel to call off the kids so they don't find Megan." He seems authentically upset, though not as surprised as you would have assumed. Then again he does know her personally so he might have suspected something anyways. He doesn't seem too resistant in general to questioning though, and you get the impression he wouldn't mind as long as it's respectful.
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Apr 11, 2014 15:15
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bump
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Apr 12, 2014 02:41
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Toby "Yes, of course. John will see to it, I'll carry the... other thing. We need to get back to town and regroup with the sheriff and Connie. Can you get us back to the truck before nightfall?"
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Apr 12, 2014 11:11
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John John carefully finished taking his photos, then wrapped the remains in his poncho and started walking carefully back, keeping a wary eye out for the iron jaws that still littered the ground. As respectfully as he could, he approached the big hunter. "We'll take good care of her, and we'll find who did this, but the Doc'll need to take a look at her, if that's ok? We need to find the sick son of a bitch who did this!
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Apr 12, 2014 11:32
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"Yeah, we'll be back around 2 or so. I want to get back, and see Meryl." John begins packing up what is needed and loads everyone in the truck. The ride back is quiet outside of the flooding rain. You get stuck a few times in the mud but John quickly corrects it. ~~ 2:13:03 ~~ You arrive back at the Sheriff's Office and Court. Sheriff Jim greets you as best he can, he's been getting people inside so they don't see what's about to come out of the truck. Johnathan looks at him with disdain and in an unnervingly calm tone says: "This happened on your watch"
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Apr 12, 2014 14:44
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The sheriff very clearly wants this kept quiet at the moment.
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Apr 12, 2014 19:47
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Toby Toby puts a hand on Hart's shoulder, lightly. "Easy, Mr. Hart, our killer's not caught yet. You should see to Meryl before anyone else does." Persuade check to prevent an altercation, if needed. If successful, will huddle with John and Connie to plan out how we break this publicly. Basic Chunnel fucked around with this message at 20:23 on Apr 12, 2014 |
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Apr 12, 2014 20:20
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Mr. Hart walks out of the County office and goes towards the medical center. The Sheriff gets up and brushes himself off a bit, looking outside which is almost pitch black. These clouds are almost as aggressive as the rain. Lightning strikes. "Don't mind John obviously, he knows what's important and he'll come around. Well, this flooding is going to continue for a few hours, you might want to ask Norah at the Inn about a place to sleep. We don't exactly have rental rooms here but she has a spare or two she sometimes lets people use if they get a bit too drunk." He grabs another cup of coffee and points his cup down the hall. "Down there are the town records if you need them. Let me know how I can help you."
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Apr 12, 2014 23:39
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Connie Connie headed for the record room. "I don't know about you boys, but I'm not tired yet." she said. "Let's have a look at what you found. We need to catalogue the remains before they can be given to the family. And I want a full description of the scene, every detail. I've got the report sheet right here. Let's do this by the book."
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Apr 13, 2014 07:58
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The records room is stuffed to the ceiling with box after box of barely cataloged stacks of information. There is a single light in the room. It is two stories, one on the main floor, and an anemic staircase that leads to a room in the basement filled just the same. You are tired, you were briefed last night and have not slept since. -1 to all rolls until you get some sleep and eat, unless you have iron will, which will just offset it for now. mugrim fucked around with this message at 13:32 on Apr 13, 2014 |
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Apr 13, 2014 13:26
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John John took one look at the piles of seemingly random junk that littered the records building. He'd had a nap in the car, but there wasn't enough coffee in the world to get through this tonight. "Guys, how about we call this in to HQ before we start? Maybe they have some useful info, or they can send some extra manpower, or get some kind of missionary out here to teach these guys the glory of digitising their poo poo? Whatever we do, though, there's no way we'll get a proper look at these files on no sleep, even if we make it a quarter way through we'll end up missing something."
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Apr 13, 2014 23:49
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I just wanted a private spot to get Connie caught up with the cougar wreath and stuff, not to go through the files yet.
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Apr 14, 2014 00:06
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lets assume that happens mistaya, in the records room.
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Apr 14, 2014 03:39
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Toby After having brought Connie up to speed, Toby rubs his eyes. "Yeah, we'll relay what we've got to Lexington, maybe there's something to this cougar thing they can track down for us." he shakes his head "Like a bad campfire tale out there." "We should sleep, for a few hours at least... Something about the sheriff is off but I've half the mind to ask him to keep tabs on Hart. That man's not going to sleep for awhile, were I a betting man I'd put money on him hauling off on his own as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Man's got a mind to kill somebody and it might not end up being our guy."
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Apr 14, 2014 03:53
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Bump
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Apr 16, 2014 00:25
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Toby "If no one has objections I'll go work on finding us a place to sleep that's not the truck." I'll go talk to Norah, however that works.
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Apr 16, 2014 00:40
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Connie Connie spent some time looking over the cougar-paw wreath but she'd never seen anything like it before. It was... really odd. She didn't have the stomach to look at a poor girl's severed head right before bed, so she left that bag closed. "Right. Let's get the remains to the medical examiner... I guess that'd be the town doctor. He's next door. Then we can eat something and sleep." Someone has to put that in a fridge overnight, anyway. You can just assume we did that and then head to Norah's Mugrim, unless there's something to talk to the Doc about.
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Apr 16, 2014 01:15
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John "I'll take it, if you'd prefer? John said, noting Connie's squeamishness. "It might be worth asking the sheriff to put a deputy or some one on to watch it though, some one did this and they might not be too thrilled with us bringing it back to their front yard."
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Apr 16, 2014 15:44
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Jim points you towards a large beautiful wooden building across the street. You approach a tall mahogany door and open it, noticing it's intense weight. Inside is a balcony facing a large open room, wood floor to ceiling. A thick sturdy bar is being cleaned by an attractive woman with a clean bun of red hair held together with pins. "Jim told me you all needed a place and something to eat, I have a cooker full of pork and bean stew, anyone interested? Sorry I've been running all over and I've lost what few manners I have, the name is Norah." She reaches out for a handshake and points to the cooker on a stove and some bowls next to it. "I'll be billing the state, don't worry about money. It's rare we have need for anyone from out of town to need a room and my spares are the closest you'll find around here. Eat up if you're hungry." She continues to clean and seems like she's trying to work out all her anxieties onto the bar. "What can I help you with?" Connie Only You notice the bar has a great selection of liquors, but there seems to be a great abundance of a brand called "Deep Mountain Whiskey".
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Apr 17, 2014 06:21
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Toby Toby shakes Norah's hand. "Pleased to meet you Norah. I'm afraid I'm just about beat, I need to sleep ASAP, but thanks for the offer." He notices her visible stress. "You work here all by yourself? Anything we can help you with?" I'll roll empathy to see if I can't pin down whether Norah is just stressed or is afraid of something.
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Apr 17, 2014 07:39
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Connie Connie shakes Norah's hand and introduces herself, then helps herself to a bowl of beans. They're pretty decent, for what they are. She points at the bottles of whiskey on the shelf. "If this is on the State's dime, how about a sample of the local flavor?" She smiles as she sets the fork down. "And one for yourself, you look like you need it."
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Apr 17, 2014 11:39
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She opens a bottle and takes an uncomfortable amount of gulps of the whiskey straight, and then hands you the bottle. "The rest is yours" The bottle says "Deep Mountain Whiskey", with artwork of a lone building beside a mountain. The label is plain and does not look standard at all. If smelled or ingested, it is the best you have ever had. Eating and resting is required to get rid of the -1. You don't have to eat the Pork and Beans specifically, but you'll need to make sure you eat something. What you eat matters however, and refusing to eat the pork and beans could be seen as disrespectful, but then again it's not like you plan on sticking around here and building a home so you may not care. Toby Norah is definitely stressed and afraid, however both of those things probably make sense to you. Assuming she's been made aware of what's happened, someone in her town is a hosed up killer, and the investigators are sleeping in the same building she does.
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Apr 18, 2014 15:19
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Toby Toby smelled the pork and beans and felt his stomach quiver, but despite what he'd said to Connie, he was still deeply disturbed by what he'd seen in the woods outside town, and still unable to shake the feeling that Megan's remains were practically gift-wrapped for them to find: the totem-and-head arrangement, the meticulously arranged campsite, everything. He was fairly certain that whoever killed Megan wanted her to be found in that state, but Toby found himself wrestling with his instincts over whether they had been meant to find it specifically. Not the troopers individually, that was crazy, but... Toby felt his mind continually circling around the image of the first bear trap that Hart had sprung on their way out to the campsite, and the circumstances of the case thus far. The barely-there nature of the town in state records, the untraceable phone call, the campsite and the body. It was a trail of breadcrumbs leading to a cold case made suddenly, irresistibly hot. We took the bait. Toby couldn't figure why, or even how, but he felt deep in his bones that they'd been led to Tokacha. He just didn't know whether the jaws had snapped on them yet, and if they had, how hard it would be to get free of them. Regardless, they couldn't turn back empty-handed on a hunch, and the possibility remained that they could catch their man in all this. But Toby felt that the only trustworthy person he'd met in Tokacha had been Hart, and he was likely a liability now. Don't take any charity here. He knew it was crazy, and he knew that by all appearances, he was jumping at shadows. But he couldn't ignore his gut, not now. He wished he'd packed canned food. "Norah, before I can even think of eating anything... we spent a long time hiking today and, well, I haven't pushed my body that hard in a long time. Is there a drug store or general store around here? I don't trust my stomach to kick back at me after I feed it." He pats his stomach gingerly. Gonna lie to poor Norah, see if there's not a place around that will have canned or dried food. If there isn't, he'll excuse himself and say he'll feel stronger in the morning, and dig into a half-ration from his survival kit, enough to nourish him for the night.
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Apr 19, 2014 03:14
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"Yeah, Roger runs 'Gerry's General' across the street." Norah walk over and pour herself a bowl of pork and beans, grabbing a roll with it and she begins chowing down. "There's a courtesy cabinet in the bathroom with over the counter meds. If you need anything better than that you have to talk to Roger, he pretty much supplies the whole town." She's perfectly aware of what you're doing and she can tell, but she's far too polite to call you out on it. However you can feel the disapproval lapping over you. It's 3:30 outside and almost pitch black, the rain clouds are are darker and thicker as you look outside a large window above the door. They seem to move in different directions as if they're fighting against each other, and from within you see light spread and crack as thunder rolls over you.
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Apr 19, 2014 05:59
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Toby "Wonderful." Toby smiles and winks as he turns to run across the street as rapidly as possible. I'll leave and roll athletics if necessary, need to stay out of the elements as much as possible.
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Apr 19, 2014 06:06
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Toby exits and goes across the street to Gerry's General. Inside he finds a man with stature that would put Mr. Hart's to shame. Perfectly fit with broad shoulders and strong legs a man with an apron and name pin 'Roger' throws a burlap bag of rice into a corner. He must be at least 6'9 with a surprising amount of muscle on his elongated limbs. As you look around there's a large variety of items, most at about 50% more than you would normally find. "Hello there sir, how can I help you?"
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Apr 19, 2014 06:39
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Toby "Good afternoon. I'm looking for some dry and canned goods. My partners and I are settling in across the street and we're anticipating some long days cooped up indoors. Couldn't hurt to stock up a bit." "Fine store you've got here. I imagine people must make big grocery runs rather than frequent little ones." Toby surveys the stocked shelves. "When I was a kid I had an uncle out in the Rockies. He'd only make the trip into town to stock his pantry once every two months or so. Better'n going week to week, case you got snowed in." "Oh, and if you've any indigestion medicine, I'd be grateful."
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Apr 19, 2014 06:52
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Connie Connie takes the bottle and gives the label a once over, then shrugs and tosses it back- but only once. "That is some fine whiskey." She says appreciatively. She sets it back on the counter with a sigh. "But we've got work in the morning so that'll have to be all for now. Hold onto it for us? When this is all over we'll celebrate properly." Connie notices Norah's non-reaction when Toby runs across the street instead of eating. Didn't she just tell him not to get all paranoid? "Don't mind him, ma'am. Bit of a city slicker sometimes, but he's not a bad guy." She sets her (cleaned) plate down and pushes the bottle towards John in case he wants a hit, then she stretches. "I'm going to hit the sack. Don't stay up too late, John." Heading to the bedroom. Connie will sleep in a T-shirt and sweatpants unless I had to declare what kind of jammies she had in the other thread. Playerchat: Connie doesn't mind being the litmus test in case they're drugging our food or the whiskey is cursed or something.
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Apr 19, 2014 08:57
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John Never saying no to good whiskey, John took an appreciative pull. "I'll try, sweet dreams partner!" And with that, John sat down to his food, waiting for the third member of their party to return x
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Apr 19, 2014 16:33
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Toby "A lot of people here live downtown and will walk here every day. Much of our food here is actually from the surrounding area, all those farms you see down there. I have some imports if you're interested." He is more than excited to bill the state for any food you have. If you want to be 100% certain it's not local food, you can just buy some Chef Boyardee/Dinty Moore. You did see a lot of farms in the valley as you were driving away. ~meanwhile~ Connie downs some of the whiskey and realizes that it is really really good. Arguably the best that she has ever had. She is stunned by it's quality. Time goes by and she does not feel a thing other than the slight buzz she expected from an all too anxious gulp. She gets ready for bed, and notices that the sat phone on her does not have a signal. From what you know this is highly unlikely, even in severe weather there is some kind of signal even if weak. Outside she sees clouds have expanded more, and move in indefinable ways. Johnathan Hart walks into the bar, sits down, and gets a drink. He looks at John. "Tomorrow, we're going to talk. Jim and I know how bad this is and we want to help. Right now though, I don't really give a poo poo about anything other than this." You did see two payphones in the city, and you're pretty sure Norah has one. mugrim fucked around with this message at 18:46 on Apr 19, 2014 |
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Apr 19, 2014 16:36
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Phone bump
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Apr 20, 2014 02:24
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Toby Toby will buy a few days' worth of provisions (if they've got sandwiches and dried fruit he'll get some of those) and head back to the hotel room.
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Apr 20, 2014 06:08
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Toby buys a bag and fills it with dried apricots, Pecans, ham salad sandwiches, and a peanut butter and jelly kit for the future. He makes his way to Norah's bar where he spots Toby sitting next to a Johnathan who is half a bottle deep in whiskey.
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Apr 21, 2014 02:25
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Toby Toby walks over to John and Hart, bag in tow. "I'm gonna catch a few hours of sleep at least, I'll need to be sharp tomorrow. Anything happens during the night, you call our sat phone. John, Mr. Hart." Toby will write his satellite phone info on a napkin and give it to Hart, if possible. He'll then try and use his phone and if that doesn't work, he'll track Connie down.
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Apr 21, 2014 05:29
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