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 Hot -1 | Cold 2 | Volatile 1 | Dark -1 Harm 0/4 | Experience 0/5 | Conditions: Location: Ruby's House Ruby's home is a big old house in an old neighborhood, one of the few Victorian mansion-style homes in Green Bay. And although it's in good repair, a deadness clings to it--the ceilings are too high, the furnishings too stately, and the rooms too numerous for a mother who's always working and a daughter who would rather be somewhere else. Six months after moving in, the long dining table and Oriental rugs still bear up dusty cardboard boxes that haven't been unpacked. After a brief stop in the stone-cold kitchen to make popcorn, the atmosphere livens when Ruby invites Sophie into a cozy basement den lined with old movie posters. Ruby picked up on Sophie's lack of enthusiasm for Jodorowsky. That's just as well; Ruby wants to chat, so she'll watch that one later, in the wide-eyed silence with which she takes in really good film for the first time. Still, her fingers brush over The Lady Vanishes and Flesh for Frankenstein before she thinks better of it in a horrified second. Ghostbusters? Everyone loves...no! Jesus, Ruby, what are you thinking? Stupid, stupid. She settles on Time Bandits. "This one's a trip. My aunt got it for me. I don't think she realized what it was. Please do not make me eat all that popcorn by myself," she says as she steps behind a folding screen to pull on some jeans that were already lying around. "Oh, leave the door open so we'll hear the bell when Coppelia arrives." She rejoins Sophie on the couch wrapped in a throw blanket. "Hey, by the way, what's going on with you and Jenny?"
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Nov 25, 2014 20:32
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 Hot -1 | Cold 1 | Volatile -1 | Dark 2 Harm 0/4 | Experience 0/5 | Conditions: Location: Ruby's Place "Oh, you know how she is..." she says, wondering briefly if this perspective of her might be closer to the truth than what she remembers thinking about Jenny. "You have to fit the mold of what she deems appropriate and if you don't then you're dead to her. We used to hang out since middle school but I guess that doesn't really mean anything to her." she goes on, tentatively grabbing a small handful of popcorn and putting a single kernel in her mouth almost as if she's afraid it'll bite her. She chews carefully and looks very relieved when it turns out to just taste like popcorn, popping the remaining handful in her mouth. "It's kinda hard to keep up with her and when I didn't that was that, I guess. She probably thinks I let her down or betrayed her." She's left her ratty coat upstairs but her school uniform doesn't look much better and neither does the hoodie she's pulled on to replace the uniform's jacket. "It's not like I didn't try but ever since..." she stops herself as she realizes what she was about to say. "...then she's just been awful to me when she doesn't just pretend I don't exist. I just don't know what I'm doing wrong." she recovers, but it's plainly obvious that she skipped over something there. "And it's not just her. It's almost everyone. It just sucks more 'cause I thought she at least cared a little bit, you know? And she's got Madison playing along too and it's just... it just..." she throws her hands up in frustration and ends up grabbing and hugging one of the pillows on the couch and clutching it her chest. "It just sucks, even if she is a bitch."
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Nov 25, 2014 22:07
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Cafeteria - Lunchtime The bell rings and Tony clears his throat. "Sister needs to speak with you about your behavior," he says. His eyes dart down to Adrianna's chest, then back up to her eyes. "You need to go to class. She will send for you again." Sean and Tony leave her with her book and a taste of victory. Adrianna knows that Tony, at least, can be swayed. She dashes off to class. It sounded like you're trying to Shut Someone Down, so went ahead and rolled for you: Shut Someone Down: 2d6+2 14. You gain a String on Tony or Sean (your choice, unless you want them to have a condition but this sounds like a String sort of situation). Go ahead and narrate through the rest of your day. If you'd like to attend the evening festivities, you may! Prefect's Room - Tomorrow Morning Coppelia watches from the corner of the Vice-Principal's office, a room she has never seen. Sister Clarence, a tiny shriveled husk of a woman, sits behind her desk. A young man sits across from the nun. From the profile, it's difficult to tell who it - oh God, it's Lou Dyer! Coppelia has never known him to be in this kind of trouble - as if she knew what this kind of trouble was. These items have been carefully placed on the desk: a stand-up crucifix, a large white bowl engraved with golden crosses around the rim (full of water), a transformer box, an iron rod, and a wooden stake. The transformer is plugged into the wall and a plastic cuff that has been secured to Lou's arm. Lou's right hand is in the water. Sweat is dripping from his face and arms; every several seconds a muscle twitches in a manner that isn't entirely natural. Behind him are Tony Meloni and Sean Hennessey. Sister Clarence's voice sounds like a record that has been played far too much. "Lying about a sin doubles that sin," she says. "Tell us about Coppelia, Mr. Dyer. We will not punish you if you are truthful." It's quite clear from her tone that this isn't the first time she's asked the question. "I...I don't know anything about her," stammers Lou. "She said she needed a driver's license. I, uh, I made her one. I make joke licenses for people. It's, uh, it's a laugh." "Hilarious, yes. Are you interested in Ms. Barnes? Have you noticed anything about her that is different?" "Interested? No!" Lou gulps. "I mean, she's smart, but really weird. She looks sick. I think her family is really poor, they live in that awful old house and stuff." "Remove the cuff, Mr. Meloni," she says. Sister Clarence leans forward, folding her hands and locking eyes with Lou. "Coppelia is very sick," she explains, "and she needs to see a doctor. We think we may be able to help her with that. Would you be willing to help us?" Lou nods so emphatically that his head might fly off. "Of course!" "Good." Sister Clarence leans back. "Mr. Hennessey will show you out."
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Nov 25, 2014 23:25
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Location: Ruby's House Ruby feels her heart sinking down into her stomach. What happened to Sophie and Ruby is part of the reason they're friends--at first, Ruby followed Sophie around to try to figure out what happened to both of them, but as time goes by, the less she likes thinking about...that...and the more she wants to focus on Sophie as another weird girl she can actually talk to. Now it's clear that Sophie knows what happened to her, even if she doesn't know everything. But Ruby knows, too, and she hasn't told Sophie, and isn't that the same thing as lying? She just wants to help Sophie, and she needs an angle on Jenny, and can't those two things be the same? Can't she ever do the right thing and the needful thing at the same time? The dishonesty feels like an icicle falling down from the ceiling in between them, and Ruby shakes off the sensation by wiggling closer, awkwardly in her polyester human burrito costume. "Hey, it's not...there are a lot of people I don't talk to anymore, either. If I don't think about missing them, I find I really don't." Oh God, that idea probably doesn't appeal to Sophie. "You know, when I first came here, I tried to get in with Jenny's crowd, and it just...didn't work. It really didn't work. And for a while I was left just...totally, totally broken. But I came back. And I don't know if I'm better off, exactly, in terms of my advantages...but I know I don't want to be like them. And it's not like you have to be friends with them or with nobody at all." A beat. "And it's not like Jenny and Clare don't have problems. Like, have you noticed that they just complain about everything? I think it's because they're scared. They have this safe little world, some of the time, and they think anything outside is about to grow teeth and bite them." Ruby manages to free one hand from the blanket and place it on Sophie's shoulder in between handfuls of popcorn. "I think if I could just talk to Jenny alone, without her little sidekicks egging her on, we could communicate like actual human beings. At least call a ceasefire or something. Can you help me out with that? You know where everybody goes."
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Nov 26, 2014 00:03
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 Location: My Room I pace and throw myself around the room. Uncle Jim's been back from work for about an hour now and I can hear him blarin' ESPN like he's fuckin' deaf. Of course its my fault he does it. He tried to be all 'surrogate parent' for a while. He got all bent out of shape about all the drumming and the chantin', me stayin' up late and grades 'til he realized he couldn't win. So now he just cranks up the TV and tries to ignore me. Suits me really, he stays out of my way and I stay out of his. gently caress it, I think, I can't just sit around here. I grab a bottle of rum, a hoodie and a thick jacket out of the closet. I uncap the rum, watching how the light plays through the brown liquor. I take a couple of swigs and cap it again, feeling a rush of heat all the way down to my gut. I walk down the stairs swingin' my bag over my shoulder and Uncle Jim barely looks up from the TV. "Where you going?" He says, taking a pull out of a can. "I'm just goin' to the gas station, I need a coke," I say, careful to not get close enough that he smells the liquor on me. He turns his full attention back to ESPN, "Alright, don't freeze, kid." I step out into the dark cold and I realize pretty quick that a walk right now was not my best decision, but the rum's singin' its happy little song and so I keep on, dodgin' ice on the sidewalk. Gas station's only about a quarter mile's walk, and about halfway through I start feelin' alright. What do those bitches know anyhow? Not a goddamn thing. By the time I get to the station, I'm walkin' a little taller. The lights are on, its warm and my brain's just a little fuzzy. Now why didn't I do this earlier? Hot =0, Cold +1, Volatile -1, Dark +1 Harm=0/5 | XP=1/5 | Conditions:
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Nov 26, 2014 00:39
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Hot -1 | Cold 1 | Volatile -1 | Dark 2 Harm 1/4 | Experience 1/5 | Conditions: Location: Ruby's Place "Is that what you want? To get to them through me?" she asks, noticing that something is off but attributing it to the wrong thing. "They already leave me alone, what more could I want, right? I can just go ahead and move on, it's that simple." Suddenly she wonders just how much Ruby knows. Enough to not question her explanation for what happened between her and Jenny. What if she already knows and just wanted to change the topic. What if it's her fault somehow? What if she wanted to drive a wedge between her and Jenny? She still doesn't know what happened or who that figure she saw before everything went dark was. She only knows that afterwards Ruby started giving her those strange looks. As if she knew something... Blaming Ruby through Unresolved Trauma 2d6+2: 8 [2d6=5, 1] Ruby gains the condition Blamed and let's say Sophie suffers 1 Harm, as well as marking experience for using Dark. "Y-you just want to use me to get to them!" she suddenly bursts out, shrugging off Ruby's hand and stumbling back, falling over the armrest of the couch and landing on her back. There's really no way for her to have seriously hurt herself but despite that there's an inexplicable patch of bright red spreading in the middle of the chest of her hoodie.
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Nov 26, 2014 01:31
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 Hot -1 | Cold 2 | Volatile -1 | Dark 1 Harm 0/4 | Experience 0/5 | Conditions: Location: Cafeteria "Of course. Wouldn't want to disappoint her - would we, Tony?" The rest of the school day proves as disappointing as lunch was, except without the diversion of a fight. When the bell rings, I don't want to go home. My house isn't that far, but I'd rather not consign myself to my room and an early night just yet. I stop off at the coffee shop to kill some time before grabbing dinner out. The prospects for decent dining in around here don't differ much from the school. Is everyone hibernating? I miss Manhattan so much. As I take out my pack to smoke after dinner, I realize it's my last one. Better head to the gas station - my Dyer-brand ID should be sufficient, if the clerk even bothers to ask for it. He hasn't yet. Maybe I'll push my luck and get some beer. After a quick, wordless entrance into my house to change into something that isn't an obvious high-school uniform, I walk out our back door and head back out. Taking the string on Tony Not sure how she'd end up at movie night, so I figured what the hell, let's have her run into Carmine.
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Nov 26, 2014 03:20
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Location: Ruby's House "Jesus Christ, Sophie, you seriously think I want something from them? You think I want to be one of them?" She's cut short as Sophie tumbles over the couch. "Oh, for gently caress's sake, come here..." she says, reaching down over the edge and taking Sophie by the arm. "I just want to help okay?" she says as she pulls Sophie up with ease. "You're already the only one I can talk to without, without thinking that you're going to start laughing at me as soon as I walk away!" She had thought Sophie's pratfall would break the tension, but it's back, and worse than ever. Everything from her belly up through her throat feels as taut and dry as catgut strings, and her almost-sobs have her sucking in her lower lip and biting it, quite by accident. Stupid, stupid, she thinks. Why don't you keep your stupid worthless mouth shut? Why are you so selfish? What's wrong with you? She's going to hate you now. You deserve it and it was going to happen sooner or later. Ruby smells the blood before she can see it. She loses the strength of will to look Sophie in the eye, and that's when her gaze comes to rest on the spreading stain coming through her hoodie. "poo poo, Sophie. I'm sorry." I think a stinging recrimination and the sight of fresh blood counts as a chance to feed. Hold Steady: 9 Although I'd gladly take the Condition, I can't think of a question to ask here since everything depends on Sophie's reactions. So Ruby keeps her cool in spite of it all. Ruby drops Sophie on the couch and scrambles backward with a guttural snarl that can't be human. Perhaps a lion roaring or diesel engine igniting, but not a girl. She hopes Sophie can't see Ruby licking her blood from her fingers, but lit from behind by a lamp, the frantic motions of her fingers cast long spidery shadows against the far wall that would thrill Ruby if she saw them on film. But this isn't a movie; it's her own hosed up life. "I had...a bad experience, Sophie. Like...they took me apart and put me back together wrong." She folds her arms across her abdomen. "I'm just trying to hold it together." Halloween Jack fucked around with this message at 04:07 on Nov 26, 2014 |
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Nov 26, 2014 03:28
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 Locker Room Not for the first time, I'm grateful Mom taught me how to assemble a proper "go bag". Sure, it takes up a few precious inches in my locker, but right now it gives me the chance to clean up without having to go to the school nurse (like I'm sure Mike is doing). I have a basic first aid kit in there. Maybe more important right now, I have a clean shirt. It may be wrinkled and smell a little stale, but I'll have something to put on once I clean up. I skip out on History and head to the locker room with the go bag. There's a handicapped stall in this locker room that actually has a working sink in it, though not a working toilet. Between that and the broken door lock it doesn't see much use. Right now it's a place to fix myself up without anyone else getting into my poo poo. I'm soaking the shirt to keep the blood from setting while I dab on the Vaseline. All in all, I should be fine before too long. Even though it hurt like hell at the time, it's not a serious wound and I've always healed fast. Healing the harm, per "you have time to rest and tend to your wounds". The condition remains, of course. Perhaps some students come in while Alex is cleaning up and start talking about the fight? I imagine things could get spiced up for drama awfully fast. If that doesn't happen, I don't have much else for Alex to do until the evening. pre:Hot: 1 | Cold: -1 | Volatile: 1 | Dark: 0 Harm 0/4 | Experience 1/5 | Conditions: unstable
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Nov 26, 2014 04:25
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 Location - Coppelia's house Coppelia's body jerks as she comes back to herself. The visions have never been that lucid before, and it takes her a moment to realise she's in her house, not the prefect's room at St Wendy's. How long has she been standing there? A glance at the clock on the monitor floods her with relief--she still has time to get to Ruby's. She reaches forward to turn off her webcam, and sees a single line of text repeating itself on the screen, scrolling up as one of her cam clients spams the chat. I KNOW WHO YOU ARE She closes the browser and the words disappear. It doesn't mean anything; the room is always full of creeps. But as she puts her things away she can still feel the dead lens of the webcam trained on her back. *** Location - Ruby's house Coppelia's rust-holed VW rattles around the corner, skidding a little in the slush, Coppelia slamming through the gears. It crawls to a stop outside Ruby's house and sits there, quietly lowering the property value of the whole block. The door squeals as it opens and Coppelia emerges, still wearing her school uniform but with a ratty parka over it (for appearances), hood lined with fake fur. She slams the driver's side door twice to make it stick, and looks over the hood of the car at Ruby's house. It's about the same vintage as the one Coppelia lives in, but someone decided this one was worth preserving. A few tasteful strings of Christmas lights decorate the eaves. To anyone else it would be the epitome of suburban sterility, but to Coppelia it seems to blaze with light and warmth. She takes a moment to gather herself, then takes a deep breath--it doesn't steam in the air--and strides with her jerky gait up to Ruby's front door. She knocks on the door with her bare fist five times, evenly spaced as metronome strokes. Clipperton fucked around with this message at 04:38 on Nov 26, 2014 |
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Nov 26, 2014 04:31
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Location: Quik-Stop I'm only swayin' a little lookin' at all the candy in the place. Who ever knew there were so many ways to make sugar into food? I sure as poo poo didn't. I got my coke and I'm drinkin' it slow, but really I don't wanna leave just yet. I can almost feel a pull from my backpack, like some spirit's got somethin' to say, but I'm just ignoring that for now. Its cold as hell outside and there's nothin' out there but snow and goin' back home. I hear a ding and I glance up over the bright shelf of sugar. Now I never expected to see Adrianna here. Hell I don't think I'd ever seen her outside school or the library. She's a different one and I like that. My fuzzy head starts crankin' gears and I wander up to the counter as she buys a pack of smokes. "See now I woulda thought that would be bad for the books, smokin' like that."
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Nov 26, 2014 04:35
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Hot -1 | Cold 1 | Volatile -1 | Dark 2 Harm 1/4 | Experience 1/5 | Conditions: Location: Ruby's Place Sophie is briefly startled by Ruby's strange reaction but she sees that look in her eyes again and then catches the blood on Ruby's hands before the girl hunches over and snarls. She looks like she's scared out of her mind and finally looks down at herself and the patch of fresh blood. She hadn't even noticed but now that she's aware of it the pain seems to hit her like a blow to the chest and the feeling echoes through her mind with strange familiarity of a buried memory. "Did you do this? Is that what's wrong with you? Is that what you're trying to hold together?" she whimpers, not understanding how literal Ruby is being. "W-was that you I saw that night?" she asks, sliding off the couch, torn between wanting answers and just bolting out the door, her hand pressed against her chest. It seems to have stopped bleeding for the most part but the occasional drop still falls to the floor.
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Nov 26, 2014 04:45
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Hot -1 | Cold 2 | Volatile -1 | Dark 1 Harm 0/4 | Experience 1/5 | Conditions: Location: Cafeteria Ah, Carmine. One of the only people who seems to truly understand what a living hell this place is. "It depends. I've got this copy of Rime of the Ancient Mariner that I picked up in a shop in Boston - yellowed, delicate pages, and it's always smelled like pipe smoke. Gives it character. Can't buy that in a Barnes and Noble. Remind me to show it to you sometime." He's sure to be doing -something- interesting. Though, at the moment, he's content to stare at the candy bars. Let's change that, shall we? As I scoot a little closer... is that rum? "Besides, there are plenty of things I do that don't involve my books, for better or worse. For instance, showering with them would be a bad idea, I would think." Turn Someone On: 2d6-1 4. Oh well, at least I mark XP.
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Nov 26, 2014 06:55
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Location - Ruby's house The door doesn't open. Coppelia hesitates, then knocks again, another five times. She hears a soft thump followed by raised voices, somewhere inside the house. Finally, blithely unaware that it's not the done thing, she tries the door handle and finds it unlocked. She pads through the house, looking curiously around at the high-ceilinged rooms and tasteful holiday decorations. The voices seem to be coming from the basement. She descends the stairs with jerky steps, ducking her head to look under the basement ceiling. She sees Ruby and Sophie confronting each other and the blood soaking Sophie's chest. Her eyes go wide and she freezes, making an audible squeak.
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Nov 26, 2014 17:05
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Herb's Gas N Go There is a moment of awkwardness as Adrianna dumps what may be the worst line in the history of book-related seduction (and that's something). Before it can really set in, Carmine and Adrianna turn their heads and notice that there's a cop in this place - that he's staring right at them. If they were from Green Bay, they might know that it's Deputy Hofstadt. They might know that he's the sort of guy who had entirely too much fun in high school and hasn't since, so he's dedicated himself to keeping teenagers in line at any cost. It might be useful information, if Adrianna or Carmine knew. But they don't. All they can see is a tall, middle-aged man in a uniform. Deputy Hofstadt swaggers over and looks down at Carmine. "So, what are you two children up to on this fine winter evening? Yeah, you been drinking? I smell it on your breath, young man. You two are coming with me." There's another ding at the door. Alex walks in, cash in hand, ready to fill up the Beast before it gets too cold out. The cashier, however, seems to be rather distracted by the quickly escalating scene in the candy aisle.
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Nov 26, 2014 18:45
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Hot -1 | Cold 2 | Volatile 1 | Dark -1 Harm 0/4 | Experience 1/5 | Conditions: Blamed Location: Ruby's House "No. No no no. Sophie, I didn't hurt you. I would never do that. I mean, the man who hurt you, hurt me. Look," she says, approaching Sophie as she pulls up the bottom of her sweater, revealing most of the wide, inverted "Y" shaped scarring from whatever the surgery did to her liver and heart. "I don't know why it happened any more than you do. I didn't want to tell you because I'was afraid you'd go..." her throat clamps tight and chokes off the end of the sentence, and she only regains her voice through a sad fit of gulping and coughing, struggling to regain her composure. "I'll show you the proof, if you really want to. After we go out tonight." A sudden squeak draws her gaze to the right with an unnatural jerk. "Coppelia. Hello. Coppelia." If Carmine could see her eyes now, he'd jump out of his skin. "We were just changing. Before we go out." Ruby pulls her sweater up and off, giving her a split-second to wipe her tears away with the inside of it...and a split-second later she remembers her scars. She almost falls flat on her face as she stumbles past Sophie and behind the folding screen. Halloween Jack fucked around with this message at 21:24 on Nov 26, 2014 |
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Nov 26, 2014 20:14
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Hot -1 | Cold 1 | Volatile -1 | Dark 2 Harm 1/4 | Experience 1/5 | Conditions: Location: Ruby's Place Sophie has a hard time finding the right words. Nothing makes any sense but at the same time what Ruby is saying rings true. Someone did hurt her, but it's all a blur. And Ruby does know about it. Does she just remember more? Then why did she never tell her? Go where? She still clutches her chest, the pain slowly subsiding to a dull pulsing ache. And somebody did hurt Ruby. Badly. She swallows hard, fighting down the clump in her throat when she thinks about those scars. Pity wells up inside her for the girl like an empty pit in her stomach when she sees the tears and something stirs inside her. She wants to know the truth so she can forgive Ruby and... Coppelia's squeak interrupts her train of thought and she turns around in surprise. "Oh! H-hi!" she manages.
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Nov 26, 2014 21:11
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Hot -1 | Cold 2 | Volatile -1 | Dark 1 Harm 0/4 | Experience 1/5 | Conditions: Location: Gas Station Oh dear. That's not good - and why am I being taken in? I uselessly push the pack of cigarettes down further in my pocket, as though if I pressed a little more, they'd just disappear. Thankfully I opted not to get the beer... Oh well, there's always Mother's White Zinfandel. "Officer... Hofstadt, is it? We both know that it's just going to be a whole bunch of paperwork for you to do. Why don't you just let me make sure that he gets home okay? You know what - I'll call us a cab." I hold up my new phone and wiggle it a little, to punctuate the fact that I can both call the cab, and afford it. I hate to sound condescending, but waiting around for some deputy to get told to give Carmine a slap on the wrist while I'm punished for no real reason sounds awfully pedestrian. Shut Someone Down: 2d6+2 9 I'll give him "obstructive" (or something, I can't think of anything more punchy/succinct right now) and await a condition in return. I'll write the flashback thing at some point tonight or tomorrow.
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Nov 26, 2014 22:10
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Location - Ruby's basement Coppelia sees Ruby's scars and flinches a little; besides the illustrations in her home's ancient medical encyclopedia and seeing her maker's body, she doesn't have much experience of living flesh and how it gets torn and broken. Without realising she's doing it, she holds her hand to her heart, where the keyhole lies under her dress. "Are you all right?" she says to Sophie, indicating the bloodstain on her chest. She doesn't acknowledge the other girls' greetings, or acknowledge that she's just walked right in the front door without being invited. "Do you need first aid? I learned first aid. I mean, we all did, I guess. In class. I..." Her voice trails off and she looks curiously at the screen behind which Ruby ducked. "What were you guys doing?" she blurts suddenly and tactlessly.
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Nov 27, 2014 00:10
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Hot -1 | Cold 1 | Volatile -1 | Dark 2 Harm 1/4 | Experience 1/5 | Conditions: Location: Ruby's Place "W-watching a movie?" she says, but it ends up almost sounding like a question. "I'm fine, it's just... juice. Tomato juice. It's fine. I'm fine." she says, almost trying to convince herself more than Coppelia. She should probably check on herself but after what Ruby has just told her and the scars she saw on her she's too scared of what she might find under her clothes right now. The room is pretty chilly, but Coppelia probably doesn't notice that or the fact that it's rapidly getting warmer with Sophie nervously trying to safe face and distracting herself in the process. "You... you're earlier than I thought." she babbles.
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Nov 27, 2014 00:33
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Hot -1 | Cold 2 | Volatile 1 | Dark -1 Harm 0/4 | Experience 1/5 | Conditions: Blamed Location: Ruby's House Ruby runs up the stairs as fast as she can while the other two girls are talking, eliciting alternating thumps and squeaks from the old timbers of the house. She returns in seconds with clothing over both shoulders. "Hey Coppelia, have some popcorn and we'll be right with you." She opens the door to the half-bath and calls to Sophie, holding up a black blouse and blue sweater. "Come on, I'll help you clean up. I have another coat you can wear."
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Nov 27, 2014 05:58
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Hot -1 | Cold 1 | Volatile -1 | Dark 2 Harm 1/4 | Experience 1/5 | Conditions: Location: Ruby's Place "It's alright..." Sophie protests walking over anyway because... why exactly? She's not really sure but before she can put too much thought into it her feet have already carried her into the half-bath. "I can just put my coat over it, really..." she says nervously, not wanting to chance a look at the source of the blood. The fact that it'd involve taking off her hoodie and blouse while in relatively cramped quarters with Ruby has certainly nothing to do with it at all. Maybe she can just keep her blouse on and put on the sweater and avoid all of that. But in the process of wriggling out of it she manages to pull her school uniform's blouse up over her head along with it. Rolling Hot to accidentally turn Ruby on 2d6-1: 4 [2d6=3, 2] and failing spectacularly. Whatever awkwardness might have been there is quickly overshadowed by the big, fist-sized bruise on Sophie's chest. It doesn't look like the skin is broken but instead blood seems to have just oozed out through the bruise as if it had been forced out from within somehow. What didn't get soaked up by her clothes has begun to dry and congeal on her bruised skin.
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Nov 27, 2014 06:42
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Location - Ruby's basement Alone in the basement, Coppelia fidgets. The "tomato juice" lie put her instantly on the defensive. In her experience, when anyone lies to her like that, they're usually setting her up for something. Since Ruby suggested it, she scoops up a handful of popcorn, then stands there looking at it, not knowing what else to do. She's unsure of her footing here; she knows there's more to the situation than Ruby and Sophie's words, but she just can't read it. Others seem to bridge the distance between each other with such ease, but the gap between Coppelia and humanity is a yawning chasm. She can hear Ruby and Sophie's low voices through the half-bath's door; yet another conversation Coppelia's on the outside of. She hears a crackle and looks down to see she's clenched her fist around the popcorn and crushed it into greasy dust. She lets it trickle through her fingers back into the bowl and wipes her hand on her dress, leaving a mark. Knowing she should just wait, knowing she's being awkward and annoying but unable to resist asserting her existence somehow, she raises her voice to carry through the half-bath's door. "Guys, we should leave soon. They'll be judging the Christmas lights and we'll miss it!"
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Nov 27, 2014 16:40
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Hot =0 | Cold +1 | Volatile -1 | Dark +1 Harm=0/5 | XP=1/5 | Conditions: Location: Herb's Gas-n-Go My blood runs icy, but I do my damnedest not to show it. I've had a couple run-ins with the cops back home, but I've managed to keep my nose pretty clean up here. That's all I fuckin' need is some dick cop gettin' into my business. I don't much like bein' called a child neither. But word's ain't comin' out. I got excuses flyin' through my head, Oh Daddy drinks and he threw a glass at me. Uncle Jim made a rum cake and I just just had to have two pieces. I'm just a poor little victim of circumstance. Adrianna's saying somethin', but it all sounds like the adults on Peanuts, nothin' but wahwah-wah-wah. The only thing comin' through and ringin' like a bell is that pull from the gris-gris. I know the man in the red top hat is standin' right behind the cop, just out of sight, grinnin' like a cat. All I've got is a heart beatin' like a tom-tom, a belly full of rum and a head full of gunpowder. All the ingredients are there. I hear a ding at the door and words start bubblin' out of me, I'm tastin' that old swamp mud in the back of my throat, I'm hearin' bugs and snakes slitherin' and crawlin' out my ears. It feels like a release, like gettin' off. The Loa's ridin' me now and ain't nobody stoppin' them. Hex the cop: 2d6+1= 11 That fucker's dealing with my illusions now. How it manifests is up to you!
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Nov 27, 2014 16:56
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Hot -1 | Cold 2 | Volatile 1 | Dark -1 Harm 0/4 | Experience 1/5 | Conditions: Blamed Location: Ruby's House "There's no judging, Coppelia," Ruby replies as she daubs Sophie's chest with a damp cloth. "Just us." Ruby doesn't understand how she's even bleeding, but it's not like she hadn't thought about it. She rarely saw Sophie eat. Lucky her. But was she flesh and blood? She had an answer to that question, now, even if she didn't know all the ins and outs. The bruise looks ugly and painful--she never expected to be in this situation with Sophie, but at the moment she just feels sorry for both of them. Even then, it's better than thinking of Sophie as food. Ruby can't hide how disgusting she is anymore, and there are few barriers left to cross. She buttons up the black blouse and pulls the fresh sweater down over her head, smoothing out the wrinkles over the shoulders. "We'll go see the lights," she says, "then I'll show you." She whispers "And then, you can kill me, if you, if you must." She doesn't give her a chance to respond before she walks out of the bathroom. "Okay, we're ready. Sorry for the holdup," she continues as she dons her old jacket. She pulls the other bundle from the top of the screen, and it's her new Christmas coat--deep purple, with a fur-lined collar. She holds it up for Sophie to put her arms in.
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Nov 27, 2014 20:28
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Hot -1 | Cold 1 | Volatile -1 | Dark 2 Harm 1/4 | Experience 1/5 | Conditions: Location: Ruby's Place Sophie is too stunned by Ruby's words to protest being offered the new coat. In a way it's comforting even though she knows it'll get ruined somehow sooner rather than later. But then again, maybe it won't because it's still Ruby's. It's a comforting thought that makes her wrap herself up in the slightly too large coat. Her face looks kind of tiny and lost within in the frame of the collar but she seems like she's calming down. "Did you want to go and see the official light contest? We can go there instead if you want." she turns to Coppelia, glad there's someone else to focus on so she doesn't have to dwell on Ruby's last words to her.
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Nov 27, 2014 21:30
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Location - Ruby's house Coppelia still isn't entirely sure what's going on between Sophie and Ruby; she knows she's being pushy, and wonders if she's pushing them away, or putting strain on this fragile whatever-it-is (not friendship, not yet) that's developed between them since lunch in the cafeteria. Then a fresh wave of excitement thrills through her at the prospect of the lights. While Sophie and Ruby are not new to Christmas, this is Coppelia's first holiday season, and she's naively and almost unbearably excited. When Sophie and Ruby reach the front door Coppelia is halfway down the drive, a giant smile on her face, shifting impatiently from foot to foot. "Let's go! I'll drive you guys, we can take my car!" she says, pointing to the piece-of-poo poo and probably highly unsafe Bug parked along the kerb.
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Nov 27, 2014 22:15
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Hot -1 | Cold 2 | Volatile 1 | Dark -1 Harm 0/4 | Experience 2/5 | Conditions: Blamed Location: Ruby's House Ruby waits for Sophie to put her other arm in the coat--that gives her the excuse to pull herself against Sophie's back while she smooths the fabric over her shoulders. She gently lifts the fur hood over the shorter girl's head before sliding her arms back down to Sophie's arms, squeezing them. What is she even doing? She doesn't know. Everything is terrifying but the coat is warm and soft and, come to think of it, so is Sophie. No longer aware if Coppelia is still watching, she allows herself to exhale with a inaudible shudder that only Sophie can feel--not as keenly as she can feel the corded muscles of a panther. She lets go of Sophie and steps past her, patting her elbow. "Come on," she says with a smile, perhaps a little forced. "It'll be fun." Roll to turn Sophie on: 2 I should warn you guys that after three PbtA campaigns, I'm pretty sure Orokos is sentient and hates me personally.
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Nov 28, 2014 10:16
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Hot -1 | Cold 1 | Volatile -1 | Dark 2 Harm 1/4 | Experience 1/5 | Conditions: Location: Ruby's Place Sophie shudders a little when she feels Ruby's muscles tense. It'd be easily passed off as just the cold air coming in through the door where Coppelia is anxiously waiting for them if it wasn't for the fact that the weather never seemed to bother her before. "Yeah, it'll be great. I call shotgun." she says as she hurries after them to Coppelia's car. "Are you sure this is going to get us there?" she asks a little dubiously when she climbs into the passenger seat of the rust-bucket.
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Nov 28, 2014 19:57
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Location: Herb's Gas-n-Go I leave the $17.25 on the counter for when the clerk manages to remember he's running a business and wander on down the aisle towards Officer Krupke and my two schoolmates. I don't know Carmine too well, but I'm definitely surprised to see Adrianna in any sort of trouble; she seems like the sort of person who'd manage to float above it all. Something's off. I don't know if it's a smell in the air or what, but something is making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. So I stop a few feet away, try on a "aw shucks" smile, and ask "Hey, what's the matter?"
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Nov 28, 2014 20:35
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Hot -1 | Cold 2 | Volatile 1 | Dark -1 Harm 0/4 | Experience 2/5 | Conditions: Blamed Location: Ruby's House "Sophie. This is a Beetle. It is like the greatest and most reliable car ever made," she says as she squeezes behind Sophie and into the backseat. Before her rear end has a chance to hit the back of the seat, she's already clinging to the backs of Coppelia and Sophie's seats and poking her head between them. "This is awesome. How'd you even get one of these?"
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Nov 28, 2014 22:08
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Location - Ruby's house/Christmas lights! Coppelia beams. "I found it at my house! It was in pretty bad shape but I managed to--" The rest of her words are lost in the racket of the engine starting up, roaring as Coppelia slams through the gears, coaxing a suprising amount of speed out of the car. The car has the absolute minimum of stuff needed to keep it running; the headlights work, the brake lights work, and that's about it for non essential stuff. There's no radio, no heater (it's freezing inside, although Coppelia doesn't seem to notice). Exposed wiring hangs beneath the dash. There are holes in the upholstery, and a rather large hole in the floor of the passenger-side footwell; Sophie can see the surface of the road blurring past between her feet. As the Bug turns a corner the tires skid on the slushy road. Coppelia lets out a high-pitched giggle as she yanks on the wheel to bring it around, throwing Ruby and Sophie against their respective doors. Finally the car coasts to a stop opposite the Gas'n'Go. This area of town has the most Christmas-light-crazy homeowners, and there's a small park a block over where they announce the results of the judging. Small knots of people are wandering about, moving from one illuminated house to the next, taking pictures and cradling Starbucks cups in their hands for warmth. Coppelia is already struggling out of the car. She slams the door hard and beckons to the other girls. "Come on!" Turning Ruby On with hair raising car ride: 2d6-1 6. So close! Taking XP for rolling +Hot. pre:Hot -1 Cold -1 Volatile +2 Dark +1 Harm 0 XP 3 Conditions: Dead Meat Clipperton fucked around with this message at 00:31 on Nov 29, 2014 |
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Nov 28, 2014 22:53
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Hot -1 | Cold 1 | Volatile -1 | Dark 2 Harm 1/4 | Experience 1/5 | Conditions: Location: Ruby's Place Sophie spends most of the car ride with her legs pulled up onto the seat, staring at the hole in the floor with a terrified look on her face as if worries it'll get bigger and swallow her if she takes her eyes off of it. Thanks to the car being already cold it probably goes unnoticed that Sophie is giving off a slight chill herself. Once the car stops she's just as eager as Coppelia to get out, immediately looking relieved that she's on relatively solid ground, rubbing her arms through the coat to warm herself up. It's less the weather and more the emotional turmoil of the last couple hours, but she's not really aware of that distinction herself. She hurries after Coppelia, slaloming around the small groups of people.
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Nov 28, 2014 23:15
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Hot -1 | Cold 2 | Volatile 1 | Dark -1 Harm 0/4 | Experience 2/5 | Conditions: Blamed Location: Herb's Gas'n'Go "Wait, you restored this thing yourself? Where do you even learn how to do that? My dad can't change his own oil. Of course, neither can I." Ruby remembers to slide back and strap herself in a moment too late, and the sharp turn in the slush sends her head into the window with a sickening thud. She just puts her hand up in front of her face for a moment, making sure that her vision isn't blurred, and pops back into place. She's more concerned that her lack of head trauma will seem out of place. "Do you have a stereo yet? I have a CD player from my last car. The guy who owned it before was a ricer. The stereo lasted longer than the car did. I think it's in a box in the dining room if you want it." When the car comes to a stop she wriggles out of the backseat after Sophie. "Why are we in a hurry?" She fishes in her coat for gas money; it would be rude not to offer. "Sophie, were you serious about that Christmas light contest? I didn't even know that was a thing."
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Nov 29, 2014 03:38
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Hot -1 | Cold 1 | Volatile -1 | Dark 2 Harm 1/4 | Experience 2/5 | Conditions: Location: Herb's Gas'n'Go "Yeah! They do it every year. Some of the neighbors on our block do it but they just pile up as many lights as they can. I don't think they've ever won. These are much nicer." she says as they wander along the parade of brightly decorated houses. Sophie seems almost enthralled when in reality her eyes wander to the houses where most of the light is coming from the windows, casting bright rectangles onto the snow along with the occasional silhouette of the people inside. She's still walking along but she seems distracted, letting Coppelia drag her along when she falls behind a bit. She tries but she can't keep her mind from wandering to what Ruby said. 'And then, you can kill me, if you, if you must...' Gazing into the Abyss. 2d6+2: 8 [2d6=3, 3] Let's go with confusing and alarming visions for backstory musings. The windows and lights blur together as Sophie walks, reminiscent of a patch of white surrounded by dark, indistinct shapes that feels strangely familiar. The feeling of 'home' that the warm windows seem to project feel like they echo through this, a feeling of 'belonging' somewhere that stabs at her heart. Or maybe it's just the bruise she's feeling. Her heart seems to beat once and she feels as if something slammed into her head, making her see stars dancing in front of her as her hands grasp the coat of a figure towering over her. Another heartbeat changes the scene and blends into the bump of a car that throws her into a low ceiling in the dark of a trunk that smells of sharp chemicals and a sticky, coppery smell of... Another beat, this one smashing into her chest, shearing through skin and bones and then... nothing for what feels like forever. Then a weak twitch in her chest that pulls her from the dark and she sees herself in what seems like a dirty, blurry mirror obscuring her features. Her hand reaches out to touch the mirror but something is wrong, her fingers seem different yet familiar and the mirror's surface is cold and rough as the fingers brush over it. And the she's suddenly on the sidewalk on all fours, gasping for air, surrounded by a chill that feels cold even compared to the open air.
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Nov 29, 2014 06:04
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Herb's Gas N Go I've several hard moves saved up so poo poo is going to drive right past 'real' and into 'holy gently caress' territory. Let's do this. Something...changes around Officer Hofstadt. From the perspective of anyone who isn't Carmine or the deputy, it's like the cop is surrounded by a shimmering layer of the lightest purple smoke. Adrianna and Alex have just a moment to wonder what is going on before everything goes to poo poo. It turns out inducing hallucinations in an already paranoid, aggressive man with a firearm may not be the best choice. At first it looks like the aging pig might have a handle on things, relatively. He draws his nightstick and slowly backs away, eyeing everyone in the store as if they're about to charge him. If you've never seen a cop be afraid, it's quite an unsettling sight. Hofstadt knocks over the Hostess stand. In a fluid, practiced motion he swings around, draws his pistol, and begins to light the gently caress out of the pastry aisle and the ready-bake pizza display behind it. People scream and run for the door. Hofstadt turns and fires in their direction, punching a hole in the glass storefront and winging a bystander in the leg. Blessedly, he runs out of bullets before he loses his desire to attack anything in sight. The deputy picks up his nightstick and proceeds to chase the throng into the parking lot. Outside the store, the girls hear gunshots followed by screams. They see a dozen people run out of the Gas N Go, followed by an apparently psychotic police officer. One of the bystanders jumps into his lifted Ford Ranger and rocks over the curb and into the street, where he loses control. Coppelia watches in horror as the Ranger plays cue ball to her Bug's solids, nailing it into the opposite ditch on the angle. There is blood all over the Ranger's windshield, which is the only thing the girls seem to notice when it slides to a stop on its side in front of them. In the parking lot, Hofstadt is slaying the dragon that is his police cruiser with a nightstick and Mag-Lite.
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Nov 29, 2014 22:08
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Hot -1 | Cold 2 | Volatile 1 | Dark -1 Harm 0/4 | Experience 2/5 | Conditions: Blamed Location: Herb's Gas'n'Go "Sophie? Sophie? Hey, are you okay?" Ruby tries to be comforting, but, truth to tell, is not that worried. The hardest part of being friends with Sophie had always been Ruby's assumption that the girl was almost too delicate to touch. Yet even after mopping up her blood, the girls' recent outpouring of honesty, such as it was, had planted the notion that Sophie couldn't really be hurt. That dull sheen breaks wide open along with the front door of the gas station, accompanied by screams and the thunderclap of gunshots. Ruby picks Sophie up off the ground by her waist, and deposits her behind the vending machine station. "Stay here." When she looks again, Officer Donut is sparring with his own police car. She shouldn't. They should just go. Maybe. But she can smell the blood through the screams, and suddenly it feels like her whole torso has just hollowed out inside. Except her muscles, tense and ready around a hollow hungry core. Piggy wiggy doesn't even see Ruby coming when she tackles him to the ground. In the hunt she is pragmatic if nothing else, and presses his face against the asphalt so he can't see her face--he only gets a view of the underside of his police car as she slowly rakes her fingernails down his cheek. She tastes a meaty, fruity, velvet waterfall down her throat, filling her stomach again, and gently caress, this is just like the time she stole a bottle of wine and drank it all in Willistown Park... Ruby considers cracking his skull with a punch until she gets a better idea. Dessert should be more amusing than filling; even she can see the merit in that. She rises, and as the cop crawls away, Ruby puts her hands under the carriage of the police car and gently lifts it onto him. He'll be walking away under his own power, with not much besides cuts and bruised ribs, but not just yet. Lash out physically: 8 He can deal 1 Harm if he wants to. Going kill-crazy would totally ruin my night out.
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Nov 29, 2014 22:46
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Hot -1 | Cold 1 | Volatile -1 | Dark 2 Harm 1/4 | Experience 2/5 | Conditions: Location: Herb's Gas'n'Go "I'm alright..." she mumbles as Ruby lifts her up. How strong -is- she anyway? She shakes her head to clear it. Too many questions and instead of getting answers all she seems to manage to do is to play the victim. By the time her head clears completely Ruby is gone and peering around the corner Sophie spots her lifting up the police cruiser. This must all be some kind of bad dream. Off to the side she sees the halfway overturned Ford and the blood on the inside of the windshield. Did Ruby flip that car too? She looks over to Coppelia and grabs the girls hand, pulling her away from the carnage unfolding in front of the gas station and towards the toppled Ford. Her first impulse was just to get away from the carnage unfolding in front of the gas station but once she put some distance between herself and the police cruiser she stops and nervously glances over to the Ford Ranger. "He... he probably needs help." she tells Coppelia. "Come on, help me get him out of the car."
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Nov 29, 2014 23:09
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I alluded to it earlier with the go-bag mention, but Alex's mom is an EMS. Maybe she's on duty tonight, maybe not. Alex would still have the go-bag in The Beast, but there's certainly not enough in there to deal with gunshot trauma. 'A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it!' Agent K said that, and right now it looks like he was right. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Ruby tangling with Hofstadt (and how the gently caress does she think that's a good idea). Note to self, check on her later. Just about everyone else has either taken to their heels or stands rooted in shock. A dozen feet away, an older guy is lying on the ground with blood pouring from his leg. There, I can help with that. "You," I say, pointing to one of the frozen people, a woman with her smartphone in hand. "Call 911, tell them there's a gunshot victim at Harb's Gas-n-Go. Stay on the line until they tell you to hang up." I point to another bystander, a guy about my age. "You, go find me some scarves. Two or three long ones. There might be some inside. Some blankets too if you can find any." I take my own scarf from around my neck and wrap it tightly around the wounded guy's leg. If I can slow down the blood loss he has a decent chance of surviving. After I wrap the wound as best I can, I'll elevate the leg and use the blankets to keep him from losing too much body heat. Shock is a hell of a thing. Rolling for Manipulate a NPC; I want these two people to not panic and do what I say. Also, marking experience for rolling Hot. Manipulate NPC: 2d6+1 8 pre:Hot: 1 | Cold: -1 | Volatile: 1 | Dark: 0 Harm 0/4 | Experience 2/5 | Conditions: unstable inklesspen fucked around with this message at 23:17 on Nov 29, 2014 |
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Nov 29, 2014 23:09
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 21:31 |
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Hot =0 | Cold +1 | Volatile -1 | Dark +1 Harm=0/5 | XP=1/5 | Conditions: Location: Herb's Gas-N-Go Gettin' rode by a spirit is a strange thing. Its calmer than you'd think. I don't black out really, but its like being behind your eyes. Like those times when you've been up for a day and a half straight and the world just don't look right. Like you're movin' but you're not twitchin' a muscle. I'm hearin' my mouth talkin' and I'm seein' snakes climbin' up out of the ground, big'uns. That dumb bastard's eyes are gettin' wide as plates and he's backin' his way up. The snakes are slitherin' their way around everything, over everyone, each one of 'em wearin' a painted human skull on their face. The cop knocks over the rack of pastries and the man in the red top hat smiles wide, pushing at a spot on the cop's head. The guy goes fuckin' berserk. The spirit inside my head laughs and I drop to my knees as the first shot rings out. My heartbeat comes back and I gasp for breath. Spirits never did take to usin' lungs again. I heard another gunshot and grabbed for Adrianna's knees, haulin' her to the floor just like Granny told me when the Feds would come by her place. My mind's racin', all that fuzzy feeling from the rum gone. The spirit must have had herself a little drink. I hear the crashing outside and all I've got in my head is poo poo poo poo poo poo poo poo. I sit up and see Alex takin' care of the guy who got shot. Nobody knows it was me, right? Its not my fault, right? It was the spirit inside me. Right? Jesus Christ. I hope my description of what I saw was ok, if not, I can give a different account.
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Nov 30, 2014 00:17
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