[ BTS ] Scenario One - IC

[Moraline]

[ BTS ] Scenario One - IC

Beyond The Supernatural

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Link:  [ BTS ] Scenario One - OOC

[Moraline]

Chapter 1 - The Night Terrors


How it begins...

There is a field of mist laying over the parking lot of your school.  The colors are all washed out and it's night but the lot is full of cars.  In the window of an upper floor classroom you spot a shadow that strikes a familiar chord.  It beckons in an ethereal cold voice.  "The time has come..."  It repeats a few times but fades into a whisper.  The essence of sleep fades...

You wake with wide frantic eyes, jolting upright in a shivering sweat and your breath billows out as ice cold mist.  The blackness of your room has a surreal feel for a moment.  You are sure you don't belong here and the urge to run away grips you.  All around is darkness and the heavy air of a warm humid summer night.  Off to the right of your bed the alarm clock reads 12:00.  Shadows dance around the room as you sit on the edge.  Did those shadows look like little people?  The thoughts of an addled mind it is safe to assume.  You need air so you move to open the bedroom window.  Looking to the ground below a creeping fog retreats down the street, slinking over cars and around the neighbors buildings.  It almost feels like it's running from you, shrinking... contracting.  It's a feeling you can't shake. 

This is going to be a long sleepless night and you've got school in the morning.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: Baker family house*
Tag: No one, open
At 2013-09-03 15:24:02, TheHangedMan (uid: 12227) rolls: 1d100 Result: 46


The Baker family were nice. A man and woman, married for a few years. They never could have children, so for them, taking in Al was something close enough to make them happy. Al, however, did not like the set up. He never liked the other families he was with, either, no matter how nice they were. Maybe he was just being a picky brat, though.

Even after all these years, he still had nightmares about some of the things that happened when he was still living with his biological parents. So for him, these new dreams were a reprieve of sorts. They were disturbing in their own way, but also elicited a sort of keen curiosity in him. Plus, he didn't wake up screaming from them, which his 'family' found to be a pleasant change.

Sleepless nights were not new to him. He managed to always find some inner wellspring of willpower to draw upon, though, to help him get through it. Even with how young he is, he was capable of a high degree of persistence that would likely serve him well in the years to come.

The half-imagined figment person in his room was not a new sensation, either. And in the back of his mind, he could hear his father's voice, cold and harsh, threatening, like a knife held to the throat. "Go the fuck back to sleep", he'd say, and he could hear his mother crying in the background. He didn't really breathe until he stared down the darkness, and realized that, no, his father was not there, haunting him. 

A little pin-prick, followed by a loud purring sound, drew his attention to the little ball of fluff that had previously been curled up right next to him, tiny paws and arms and legs wrapped around the human boy's own arm. The little boy kitten, named Mori, was probably six or seven months old. Al had been taking care of him for about three months now, having nursed him back to health when he found the furball whimpering and crying on the street.

He had instantly felt a sort of kinship with the cat. And now, the two were practically inseperable. Mori would follow him around, room to room, like a dog, unwilling to leave its saviors side. When Al went to school, the cat would hide in his room, or else perch in the windows, and watch, and wait, for his return.

The little ball of short, black fur, with a white, heart-shaped spot on his chest, was a comfort. He spent some time petting the kitten, while the kitten nuzzled back against him, and thrummed a song of happiness. Frisky and playful, no matter what time of day it was, Mori winds up trying to climb up on his chest, but instead ends up merely cradled in the boys arms.

"Meow! Mmm...meow!" Mori was hungry, and wanted to let Al know. Or, perhaps it was thirst. "Meow." The boy meowed back at the cat, finding nothing strange about the idea. Crawling out of bed, he would tiptoe through the house, keeping the kitten in his arms.  Mori was happy there, content to nuzzle, and purr up a storm, for he felt safe in Al's arms. 

Al figured he'd give Mori some dry food to snack on. He always had a bowl of it down, alongside a bowl of water, in the kitchen, but for whatever reason, Mori seemed to have a preference for being hand-fed. Al liked doing it, too. He'd get himself some crackers from the pantry, too; a salty snack might help him get back to sleep. If not, it'd give him the energy to play some games.

He frowned a bit, though, as he stared outside through the kitchen window. Usually, there were some crickets chirping.  At least, he thought that sound he always heard was crickets.  That seemed weird. Come to think of it, he didn't hear much else, either. It was way, way too quiet. All he could hear was the furry one's continued purr.

He set Mori down on the counter. Usually, his parents would get upset at him for doing that, but he wasn't planning for them to be awake or awoken. He'd get himself some saltines, and some dry food for the kitten; and while he fed himself, he also fed Mori, who enjoyed standing up on his hind legs to take the bit of food out of Al's hand, held above him.

[London]

Robert Long
Location: His bedroom followed by skateboarding at the old railroad.
Tag: Al

At 2013-09-03 18:19:21, London (uid: 4265) rolls: 1d100 Result: 87

Robert took several long deep breaths as he looked out the window. Watching the fog slip away he shook his head to try to clear the dream from his head. Moving to the nightstand he picked up the glass of water he always kept there. Taking a long drink his heart started to slow as he calmed down some. Looking at the clock again, he groaned as he thought about going back to sleep.

Getting out of bed, he quickly dressed in jeans and a t-shirt before grabbing his army jacket. Tucking his smart phone and tucking it into a pocket, he picked up his skateboard and backpack before moving to the bedroom door. Listening for any sound of his family being awake, he slipped out of his room he slowly made his way to the back door of the house.

Running through the damp grass of his backyard, Robert made his way down the road before jumping on his board and riding away. Trying to force the memory of the dream from his mind, he pulled out his headphones and started up the playlist on his smart phone. The steady clicking of the skateboard wheels echoed through the empty streets, all but drowned out the music in his ears. To wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice anything, he jumped the curb before crossing the street to get to the land owned by the railroad.

Skating passed a few old buildings, he road up one of the old ramps that lead to a deserted warehouse. He loved the way the old building still had so many things he could use to do tricks. After riding around for a while, he sat on the old loading dock before pulling out his smart phone. Looking at the time he groaned when he saw the time. Hoping he doesn’t wake anyone up, he sighed before calling Al. “He said he never sleep much... I hope he’s awake… I hate to wake people up…” he said to himself as he listened to the phone ring.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Jeong household
Tag: No one
Perception Roll: 75


Jin sat up in bed, feeling quite perturbed as she watched her breath come out of her mouth in what genuinely seemed like a cool mist, which clearly didn't make any sense. Dreams were just chemical reactions happening in her brain while she slept, even recurring ones (she'd done some research after the first few nights), so she wasn't particularly distressed about them, but she didn't see how it physically made any sense for her breath to be coming out like this. Maybe her science teacher could explain, Jin considered, promising herself that she'd go ask him the question tomorrow.

Or later today, rather, since she glanced over to her night table and saw that the digital display of her clock was reading 12:07 AM. The shirt that she'd been sleeping in was soaked with cold sweat, so she got up and pulled it up over her head before dropping it in her laundry basket. Jin knew the layout of her room by heart, of course, so she was able to do so without having to look. Once she did take a look around, however, she noticed that her room was much darker than usual. There was usually enough light creeping through even with her curtains shut to keep the room from being totally pitch black like it was right now. Maybe the street right nearest to her window had gone out or there was a power outage? No, not a power outage, that was stupid since her clock obviously worked.

Stepping to the window, Jin pulled the curtains open to investigate. The streetlight was definitely working just fine, and yet it seemed like the light wasn't making it all the way to her room for some reason. Outside, it was foggy and the fog was drifting away down the street, but she figured it was just the direction of the air current. Turning back around, Jin checked again to make sure that she wasn't just imagining the darkness, and sure enough it was still unnaturally dark.

Her head snapped to the side suddenly as she thought that she saw something move. One of the darker shadows perhaps? But from what though...? Everything seemed perfectly still. Her window was closed, so the curtains weren't being waved around by the breeze, and outside the air seemed relatively still, certainly not enough wind to make the branches of the tree right outside her room wave around. Then Jin thought she saw it again.

Stupid dreams, she thought to herself, blaming her fatigue for all the weird things that were happening, or more likely that she was imagining. It was the only logical explanation. She put on a clean shirt and carefully tiptoed out of her room, heading down the hall towards her parents' bathroom. The night seemed deathly quiet, but that was probably just her perception since she was trying to sneak around quietly without waking her parents.

After making sure that the door to their room was closed, Jin went into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet, retrieving a small bottle of prescription pills. They were sleeping pills that her mother had gotten prescribed. It said on the label that they were only for adults, but she doubted that it would make much difference whether she was fifteen or eighteen when taking one. She didn't want to risk waking her parents with the sound of the faucet, so she silently made her way downstairs to the kitchen instead to get a glass of water, taking the sleeping pill with it.

As she was standing there in the kitchen, Jin felt a sudden pang within her chest, urging her to get away, to go somewhere far from this place. It was like the latter part of her fight or flight instinct had just kicked in for no good, explicable reason, bringing on a rush of adrenaline with it. She set her glass of water down on the counter and put a hand over her chest as she closed her eyes and tried to calm down.

Go where, and how? With what money? And in the middle of the night so that I can get mugged or raped or murdered by some homeless person? No way. Shoot, I have to wake up in less than six hours. This pill better work.

[Ixy]

Maggie Foss
Location: Mags' room, Foss apartment, 3rd floor at Riverwalk Apartments
Tag: Jin

At 2013-09-03 18:20:15, Mags (uid: 768) rolls: 1d100 Result: 77

The sensation is like a seizure in her throat... her lungs are fighting to expel air that feels too cold to be from inside her, but her throat can't open to let it out.  Mags is rocking back and forth, a gasping fish-mouth and gaping eyes, clutching at her worn t-shirt, the edges of the worn-out mattress where it rests on the floor.  There's a staccato of orange light-- emanations of the streetlight outside, chopped up like an old film by the box fan in her window.  Finally she expels a gasp, like she's averted choking by spitting out the cold in her lungs, and she breathes the hot air in huge gulps that sound teasingly childlike to her, the sound of her own infantile terrors coming back to her in an invading swarm, still in her room like lingering cobwebs and trailing fingers of shadow.

She falls from the mattress, clattering a short stack of home-burned cds  into the wall as her arm flails defensively about, and she winds up sitting upright on the short-pile carpet.  She twists and clamors against the wall, where the cold heat register rattles in its bushing, and twists her face back and forth, darting her eyes about, trying to pick out the figures that, a moment before, she had felt with such certainty as to have given them faces and names, were they more than specters of some horrific dream.  That thought makes her wrap her arms over herself and breath rapidly, loudly, two soft gasping cries before she bites the noise off to silence and darts her gaze about, like wounded prey, to every corner of the room. 

It takes some time for her to calm down.  She works her fingers over the carpet, feeling the polyester threads like brush bristles, the knotty weave of the core fibers, grains of dirt in between.  Her bed looms before her like a monolithic slab, the amber light through the fan flickering, little threads of the bright outside glinting as the cardboard flutters where she's taped it to fill the gaps.  She's shivering, and where one hand nervously rubs her other arm, she can feel goosebumps like pebbles.  But the cold sensation is abating, and the fan blows sickly-warm air onto the indentation on her old mattress, still damp with cold sweat.  She looked over the spilled, silvery compact disks-- her jagged handwriting in dark felt pen calling out anthologies of Led Zeppelin juxtaposed with the Cure, alongside Morphine and Nirvana and Springsteen-- each like a lost scale from some great silver beast that had come, had spared her for the moment, and was not fully gone.

She rattles open the Gatorade bottle next to her bed, filled with tap-water, and takes a long pull.  Between forced swallows-- her throat still seems at a loss from having failed to scream-- her breath is loud through her nose, the panting still slowing when she lowers the bottle and screws the cap back on.  Finally confident that she's alone, Maggie stands slowly, wiping her forehead with one shoulder of her gray t-shirt as she steps closer to the window.  It's then she sees the fog in the periphery, like the residue of a deluge lingering in the fine creases of the city streets and alleys.

The glow of the fluorescent light across the street is a welcoming beacon where the 7-11 stares back obediently, patient and inanimate and comforting in its generic stoicism.  This makes her want a cigarette so badly she can't think straight.  She would have thought nothing of it, perhaps not even noticed, except that the white glow on the sidewalk flickers, winking out and on a few seconds, and she sees no one notice.  No motion at all from within, no tops of heads at the counter.  Nobody lingering on the corner, no creeping cars with thudding, hollow bass noises like heartbeats in the night.

She turns away from the window to check the time-- the red, digital numbers of her alarm clock bore into her, the twin zeroes at the end hovering like patient eyes.  She grabbed her jacket from where she piled it atop the milk crates in the corner, thrusting her hands into the pockets to find a half-crushed packet of cigarettes, the jumbled wires of her earphones, the small ring of keys she'd been entrusted with, including one to the apartment itself.  Throwing her arms into the huge sleeves, she leaves the jacket hanging wide and pulls her jeans over the faded athletic shorts.  She steps into the untied boots, still wearing the plain white socks she slept in.

Out into the short hallway, a single LED nightlight in her little brothers' room glows out from the partly-closed doorway.  She stands for a full minute, afraid of seeing what's beyond that door.  She leans forward, pressing her hand against the flat white door, and looks into the cluttered little room-- its bunk beds standing empty, the sheets and blankets still crumpled into the shapes of their sleep.  Maggie stares, then edges away, before checking the empty living room, then-- heedless of the noise of her heavy footsteps-- bursts through the door of her mother's room.

The full-sized bed is as empty as the empty beer bottles she topples, and she springs back from the noise, despite it being a familiar one.  Her mind races over the avenues that could have made this be... she knows that, when she returned from work an hour ago, cut before close for once, the room was loud with her mother's snores, a welcome respite from slurred cursing or obnoxious laughter and country music.  The starkness and emptiness of the apartment now is twice as oppressive.

She enters her mother's room, nudging aside dirty clothes, and finds what she's looking for-- her mother's cell phone, left on the nightstand, the battery half-charged, where it waits beside the ashtray and a crumpled half-pack of Newports.  It's the only phone in the house, and her mother left it right there, untouched, when she left.  With her two sons.

Her hand is shaking when she starts dialing.  She isn't sure who to call, and she doesn't consider it until she's already punched in ten numbers sequentially... the white digits stare up at her, and she doesn't recognize the number at first until she realizes it belongs to Jin.  Nice girl.  Kept me from failing Algebra last year... out of the goodness of her heart.  Maybe.  But why..?  To ask her to explain how formulas work, or something?

Over the keypad, her thumb hovers uncertainly, then presses firmly on the green 'send' light.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Jeong household
Tag: Maggie


Having just crawled back into her bed on the opposite dise that she'd been sleeping on earlier, since it was now damp with cold sweat, Jin stubbornly tried to fall asleep again, knowing that she wouldn't do her best in class or at soccer if she didn't get enough rest, and she hated under-performing. She'd have to wash her sheets, pillowcases and blanket later that evening when she got home from school, which was annoying since she'd just done that a few days ago (for the same reason), but it felt way too icky sleeping in a sweat-soaked bed.

She kept tossing and turning, unable to find a comfortable position, and worst of alls till feeling wide awake despite the sleeping pill that she'd taken. Jin wished that it would take effect sooner, every minute lost now would impact her day negatively.

Then, out of the blue, the ringtone of her Galaxy S4 starting playing, decimating the complete silence that had been reigning through the house since she'd awoken. Fearing that it would wake her parents, Jin jumped up and practically threw herself across the bed, stretching to reach the phone which was on the nightstand at the opposite side of the bed, the one which she normally slept on. They'd get all paranoid and nosy if they thought that she was getting calls in the middle of the night, especially her mother, and over the past year or two, Jin had really started to hate it when people meddled in her personal business, even her parents. Especially her parents.

She answered immediately just to make the ringtone stop, not quite having the presence of mind in the heat of the moment to just mute it instead. She did have time to notice that it was an unknown number, however, as she pressed the answer button on the touchscreen. Most likely a wrong number, nobody that she knew would be calling at this hour.

"Hello?" she answered, still just a tad bit nervous about getting a call at such an hour, even if she was still almost certain that it would turn out to be a wrong number.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: Baker family house*
Tag: Rob, open


After feeding himself several crackers, and his kitten a handful of dried food, he went to the fridge. He got himself a can of soda, took out the whole milk (Mori was picky and refused anything else), a small plate from the cabinet, and poured a bit of the milk out onto the plate. He let Mori lap it up on the counter, not caring too much about how his adoptive parents would be upset with him for it.

It was just as he was putting the cap on the milk jug that his phone went off. He nearly lost control of the jug, but managed to prevent spilling it. He quickly shoved it in the fridge, whilst cursing to himself "Shiiiiiiiit". His phone wasn't silenced, since he never really expected anybody to ever call in the night. With how quiet it was, he'd be shocked if there was a place in the small house where one couldn't currently hear the Neuroticfish ring-tone he had.

But, perhaps it was his good luck; he was able to quietly scamper his way back to his room, his movements lithe and sleek, much like a cats, and pick up his phone without hearing any signs that his 'parents' had awoke. That would be because, unknown to him, they were currently absent.

For Rob, it was...ring... ring... ring.... ri-"Hey, Robb. What's up?" Judging from how sharp Al sounded over the phone, it was clear that he had been up for a bit, himself.

[Ixy]

Maggie Foss
Location: Mags' room, Foss apartment, 3rd floor at Riverwalk Apartments
Tag: Jin

As the signal hangs quiet for a moment too long, Mags wonders quietly if she is capable of opening this conversation.  Jin's voice, a girlish digital 'hello', is like a flash of dawn... the only person she can hear, see, or even imagine being alive right now, and the only sound over the hum of the refrigerator motor down the hall. 

Even so... this is a far cry from asking the teacher for help in study hall-- a monumental task in itself.   "Um," Maggie starts, "Jin, right?"  She swallows, "I'm sorry, this is Maggie Foss, from school... I ah..." she starts to tear up in embarrassment, and her voice breaks slightly as she continues, "I had your number, from before.  Something... something's wrong here?"  Somehow this is a question, although there's no doubt about it.

"Everyone's gone."  She pulls the cord on her mother's window blinds and stares out into the streets, where the interstate sits like a dead snake, devoid of headlights for the first time Maggie's ever seen.  "I hoped maybe you weren't gone too."

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Jeong household
Tag: Maggie


Frowning slightly, Jin pulled her cellphone away from her ear to look at the screen, checking if the call had been disconnected after not hearing anything back for a short while, but then she heard a vaguely familiar voice and put the device back to her ear. With Maggie's voice being slightly distorted by the phone, Jin failed to quite place it until the other girl introduced herself.

Despite not being close - even saying that they were distant friends might have been a stretch - she and Maggie did end up seeing quite a lot of each other. Jin was pretty much a regular at The Fresh, and then they also shared running practice and several classes together, but apart from that they were nearly complete opposites and had never exchanged more than a few words.

Well, except for last year when Jin had helped Maggie out with algebra. it hadn't been solely out of the goodness of her heart - some of it was simply because she'd already progressed past the material being presented in class, so helping Maggie out represented a distraction and a new challenge. Getting perfect grades for herself had gotten trivial to the point where Jin barely got any satisfaction out of it anymore, but raising Maggie's grades had felt like an accomplishment. And then, yes, there was also the fact that she was just genuinely happy to help.

Contrary to what most people might think based on first (or second or third) impression due to her overachieving and direct nature, Jin wasn't a cold person. She was possibly even more sensitive and empathetic than most, she just happened to be rather introverted about it the same way that she was introverted about most of her feelings and emotions. Except maybe her anger, which Jin often had less-than-stellar control over.

She realized that something was wrong the moment that she picked up on Maggie's voice breaking, not that receiving a call from her in the middle of the night wasn't already a pretty solid hint. "It's fine, I wasn't even sleeping," Jin replied, trying to at least not make the other girl feel bad for calling. She might have been a little annoyed had she actually been asleep, but that wasn't the case.

"What do you mean everyone is gone?" Jin asked for clarification. That statement could have meant anything. Was it Maggie feeling lonely and overreacting because her family had gone on vacation without her, or was she literally saying that they'd just disappeared...or was she talking about something else entirely? Jin's redheaded classmate didn't really strike her as the type to lose her cool and get dramatic over nothing, however, so she was kind of expecting it to be something more on the serious side. "Can you explain exactly what's wrong?"

It was while she awaited an answer that Jin got to thinking how odd it was for somebody to call her out of the blue in fear that she might have been 'gone' just a few minutes after she'd gotten that unexplainable urge to just go far away. To make herself gone. She got out of bed and took a few steps, crossing an arm over her belly and propping up her elbow from her other arm that was holding the phone against it.

The last words that Maggie had spoken continued to echo through her head, and before Jin knew it, that intangible feeling of being small and alone had crept up on her. That feeling when you just know that you're alone in a big empty house without even having to confirm that nobody else is home.

[London]

Robert
Location:A dock at the old railroad
Tag:Al


Listening to the phone ring on the other end, Robert leaned back on his skateboard, his eyes looking up at the cover that hung over the dock. Somehow he felt stupid calling his classmate about a dream, but he couldn’t get the idea out of his head that Al might understand. Looking at one of the spots on the overhang he could almost make out shapes in the broken pieces of wood when Al answered the phone.

Surprised when Al answered the phone, it took him a second to get his voice to work. “Hey Al… Sorry for calling so late.” Sitting back up, he leaned on his knees as he thought of how to start talking about his dream. “I remembered that you said you didn’t sleep much so… Anyway… I’m out at the old railroad to clear a bad dream out of my head and just thought I would call.”

He was rambling and knew it. Robert hated when he did rambled. It was one of the reasons he didn’t talk much to people. He always thought it made him sound nervous or afraid of something. He was use to being alone and enjoyed his solitude most of the time. Even sitting on a deserted dock in the middle of the night hadn’t fazed him… But for some reason the dream had…

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: Baker family house
Tag: Rob, open

"Don't worry about it. I was awake anyways.  There'll be plenty of time to sleep when I'm dead." Rob might not be entirely surprised by that comment. Al has a grim sense of humor; his favorite form of humor, in fact, is gallows.  He typically avoids being too morbid, though.

"I know lots about bad dreams.  It's why I tell sleep to sod off."  He chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I actually woke up not too long ago from one. It's weird. Weird all around, too." He shrugged his shoulders, more out of an impulse or nervous tic than any sort of body language that would clearly be lost over the phone. "Want to share yours? Or you want some jokes?" Because hey, laughter fixes everything, right?

Al was a bit like Rob, it's probably why they got along. Al, too, was a solitary individual. He didn't particularly like to talk to people, either. But, right here, right now, he'd be glad for a bit of distraction, himself.

[London]

Robert Long
Location:A dock at the old railroad
Tag:Al, Open


Robert chuckled at his joke. He was one of the few people around that got Al’s humor, even though he didn’t much like it. “Yeah I know… Live fast, die young, and leave a good looking corpse,” he said in his normal reply to some of his friend’s jokes.

“You want to talk about weird dreams… I’ve been having this dream for the last week. It’s always the same. I’m in the school parking lot. It’s foggy and in one of the upstairs windows I can just make out someone but can’t make out who it is,” he said telling Al, not really giving him time to say anything, “It says something like “It’s time,” or “Times come” or something like that… I think some of the others from school were there but I’m not sure.” Taking a breath before continuing, “Anyway, when I woke up my room is really dark and cold. I don’t just mean cold I mean as in playing in snow all day cold… And I could have sworn I saw people moving around in the shadows…” Pausing again, he took a breath to calm his heart at the remembered dream. “So tell mister dream… What do you make of that one?”

[Ixy]

Maggie Foss
Location: Outside Foss apartment, 3rd floor at Riverwalk Apartments
Tag: Jin

Maggie's mouth works silently as she struggles for an explanation, but the gnawing fear persists, occupies her thoughts-- she can still feel the shadows looming in the room, and although she wants terribly to keep looking out the window, to find some trace of movement-- a plane, a car on the highway, anything-- she keeps feeling the glint of unseen eyes.  The memory of those shadows-- or perhaps an awareness of them, their looming, slinking presence, they are vague shadows, edging closer like the dark shapes of swimming predators in the deep sea.

She has to get out of the apartment.  "My... um, everyone.  Everyone on the road... my apartment..." she thinks she has to get her boots and coat, she gets chilly, even in the late summer nights, but she's already wearing them both.  I was already ready to go, she realizes, before I knew everyone was gone... "Jin, I don't know, really, how I thought to call you.  I just remembered your number... I have this weird, like, feeling that everybody's gone in town, but not everyone, not quite.  Like, somehow I knew you'd be there, that maybe you'd know what I mean..." 

The phone's low-battery alarm chirps three times in her ear, startling her so badly that she drops the flat black plastic shape to the floor where it bounces next to a broken toy bulldozer.  It clatters against the doorstop of her little brothers' room, and she can't help but stare at those empty beds, in disbelief.  She sees her own shape in the doorframe, reflected in the window opposite the room, and feels a twisting, cold knot tighten in her chest.  She fumbles clumsily with the phone and places it to her ear.  "I'm going to the school."  She doesn't explain any more, the futility muting her lips, the meaningless insensibility silencing her in shame.  "I'm going there now."

She drops the phone onto the hallway's faded, worn carpet and runs to the door, desperate to escape whatever lingers after her dream.  The sound of the electric light's buzz echoes in the summer night's breezeway, and her footsteps echo with the shudder of metal and thud of concrete as she descends the stairs to the street.  Without a car, it will be a long walk, but she is going.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: Baker family house
Tag: Rob, open


He is quiet on the other end. Almost too quiet; did the call disconnect? No, it's just, at some point during Rob's description of the dream, he kind of stopped breathing.  When Rob poses his question, asking the cat-lover what he thought of the dream, there was a huge exhale of air; a heaving sigh, all too audible. "That there is some serious freakin' shit going on." he was quiet for a moment, thinking; was his room cold? Yeah, maybe it was.  He actually hadn't paid that much attention to it, oddly enough!

"Same sort of dream.  Except in mine, I was wearing a flannel shirt, and my kitten was hitching a ride with me in the pocket." As an aside, during the cooler months, Al always wore flannel. Even when it was still a bit warm out. He loved the feel, the texture, of that particular type of cloth.

"Not sure about shadow people or anything..." He didn't want to talk about it, simply because of the association he had, "but, hey, is it really quiet where you are? Like, horror move, right before the killer appears, quiet? 'Cause the only noises I've heard around me is my own voice, your voice, and Mori's purring." And, well, the phone ringing... and that sound refrigerators make when you open them. But, he didn't want to get side-tracked into an actual list. That would be superfluous.

[London]

Robert Long
Location:On a dock at the old railroad, on the sidewalk passing Riverwalk Apartments
Tag: Al, Maggie, Open


Listening for Al to say something, Robert started to wonder if the call had been dropped. Looking at his phone, “Hey Al… You there…” he started before his friend finally spoke. Robert couldn’t help but agree with Al. It had been some freaky shit and it had been going on for a week…

Feeling a cold chill run down his spine, Robert sat up more on the dark dock. “You had the same dream…” he said slowly, wondering if it was the same for the others in his dream. Trying to remember who else was in the dream, he had recognized a few of the faces even if he didn’t know their names.

“Dude… I’m sitting on a empty dock at the old railroad… Don’t start talking about killers appearing…” he said standing up. Looking around he pulled his backpack back on as he got ready to leave. “Right now I can’t hear anything. The warehouse is to far from the road to hear anyone and this railroad hasn’t been used in years…” Looking into the darkened warehouse, “Listen Al… I’m going to ride around while we talk. You got me worried about some old bum now…”

Kicking off he rolled down the ramp of the dock, he leaned with his skateboard as he road away from the railroad. Getting back to the street, he jumped back onto sidewalk. Over the phone the steady clicking of the seams of the concrete could be heard as Robert road down the street. “Dude… I don’t see anyone around,” he told Al as he pushed his skateboard faster.

The steady clicking of his wheels echoed around Robert while he looked around. Pushing off again, “Al this is creepy man… I don’t see anyone around… I’ve never been out and not seen people in the area…” he said growing nervous as he passed Riverwalk Apartments.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: Baker family house
Tag: Rob, open


"Hey, don't worry. You got your skateboard, right? Whether it's a slasher or a zombie horde, you can outrun 'em with that, and your mad tricks, right?" He said, trying to be reassuring. "I'm the one trapped in a possibly-empty house and who can't run for shit."  He could walk for miles and miles through sheer perseverance and determination, through willpower and thick, muscular legs (the only real muscles on him); but running? He could only go for 30 feet in a dead sprint, if he was lucky, before he was gasping like a fish out of water.

"Nothing? Nobody? No night-lights on, no glowing tv sets?" He would frown deeply, and standing up, he would walk out of his room. He nearly ran right into a returning Mori,  but the kitten had quick reflexes, and nimbly avoided the boys foot. "Whoops, sorry, Mori." He could hear the clicking over the phone, and Rob just may hear the foot falls of Al; and, eventually, the creaking of a door opening.

"Fuck-nuggets." Woah, that comes from nowhere. Al usually doesn't swear. Words like 'fuck', to him, were like tactical nuclear weapons. You only used them when it was absolutely needed. And right now, the nice couple who were sheltering him and providing for his needs, were not in their bed. He went back to his room, putting on the speaker phone as he did so, and talking all the while. "My parents are gone. That's not like them. They don't ever slip out like thieves in the night."

He was quick to get himself dressed up. He had socks and boxers on, because that's what he always wore to bed. Soon, pants were on, and a shirt--flannel, despite the weather-- and all the while, Mori was sitting at the edge of his bed, now, half watching him, and half staring at the phone. "Where are you at, Rob? Maybe we should meet up."

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Jeong household
Tag: Maggie


The unsettling feeling crawling over Jin's flesh only grew worse the more that she listened to Maggie talk. "Wait, I don't think- " she realized that the call had been cut off before she could respond, which was highly annoying. Why would Maggie even bother calling at all if she was just going to hang up on her like that? And what the heck kind of stupid idea was it to go wandering to school of all placed at this time of night for no logical reason?

School...that's where Jin was in her dream, or dreams, rather. Another coincidence...she spent probably at least half of her time there, so it was only natural that she'd dream about it. That wasn't important, anyways. What was important was that Maggie was going to be going there by herself, and Jin somehow felt responsible because she knew about it. Internally, she debated whether she should do something. She had no good reason for wanting to leave the house, it could be dangerous, but then again there was still that feeling nagging at her, almost compelling her to do so.

What really tipped Jin over the edge, however, was imagining what she'd feel like if she just did nothing and went back to bed, and then tomorrow she heard that Maggie had gone missing or that something terrible had happened to her. How would she be able to live with herself? But what to do?. She thought about alerting the police, telling them that Maggie had tried to run away from home or something and that she knew where to find her, but that seemed extreme.

Gosh, why did she have to hang up...Jin complained to herself as she pulled on a pair of jeans. She left her room and prepared to sneak back downstairs, pausing once she got close to her parents' room. Should she risk checking? Something inside was telling her yes. It's silly, though, I know they're right there, and they're going to get upset that I was up this late and woke them and then I won't be able to go help Maggie. Having talked herself out of it, Jin made her way down the stairs gingerly, put her shoes on and then left through the sliding doors in the kitchen because the front door was heavy and impossible to close properly without making a very loud thud.

Getting to the school would have been much quicker if Jin could take her bike, but unfortunately it was stored in the garage, so there was no way of bringing it out without making a ton of noise. She'd have to walk, but it wasn't all that far at least, and she was pretty sure that Maggie lived even further away, so she'd most likely arrive first. Waiting wasn't really her cup of tea, but at least that way she could be sure that Maggue hadn't already come and gone and that she'd missed her.

Jin didn't see anyone out and about while she walked, but that was to be expected, since there typically weren't a whole bunch of pedestrians running around the suburbs at half past midnight on a weekday. She didn't really think anything of it, although it was a little bizarre how not a single house in the whole neighborhood seemed to have any lights on inside. Even this late, she still would have expected to see at least a couple here and there from some nightowls.

When she arrived at school, there was nobody there either, obviously. Growing impatient after a few minutes, Jin pulled her phone out of her pocket and tried calling back the number from which Maggie had called her, but she just got a message about that user being unable to answer the phone, like it had been turned off. Regretting that she hadn't thought to bring a cardigan or sweater or jacket, she rubbed her arms while pacing around in front of the school's main entrance, hoping that Maggie would show up soon and that nobody else would see her.

Come on, where are you...?

[London]

Robert Long
Location:On the street close to Riverwalk Apartment
Tag:Al, Maggie, Open


Robert had to chuckle when Al started talking about his skateboarding skill. “That’s true… And if nothing else I can always swing it like a weapon…” he said thinking of the one time he saw someone do just that. “You don’t have a bike or something… Man we need to get you some wheels. If this is some nightmare and we wake up I’ll buy you a bike…” he said.

“Lights… Sure but I don’t see any people. I don’t see any lights on in the houses I’m passing. Man this is some freaky shit….” Robert said rarely swearing himself. Hearing Al moving around, he found some comfort in knowing that he wasn’t the only one around. As long as he didn’t vanish, then he might be ok.

“What…” he chuckled when he heard him swear. He had never really heard his friend use words like that before. He couldn’t help but think how bad he was at it. “Your parents are gone… Mine would disappear in a heart beat. They’ve done it before… But I can’t see yours running off like that.

“I’m just passing Riverwalk Apartments. I’m heading to the school. That dream had to have something to do with all this. I can’t help but think we might be able to find some answers there…” he said pushing off once more. “I should be there in a few minutes.”

The steady clicking of his board echoed around the building as he pushing off again. Fighting down the eerie filling that kept trying to crawl into his mind, Robert wanted to have his music playing but didn’t want to hang up on the only person that he knew was still around.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: Baker family house
Tag: Rob, open

"Ahh, yeah, I know where you are. I walk that way to and from school, when the weather's nice." He nods his head, and buttons up his shirt.  "It'll probably take me a while longer to get there. My leisurely pace is half an hour on average, but I can power-walk and take that down to about 20. I'll meet you at the school, alright?" He was busy putting some things into his pants pockets; his wallet with a bit of cash in it, his student id, a few other things.  His PSP, in a special padded plastic-shelled carrying case, winds up in another pocket.  Mori winds up sitting in his shirt pocket; the kitten could just barely comfortably fit there, but seemed kind of thrilled, and his whiskers, jutting outward, were a good indicator hat he was feeling to go outside.

He grabbed an old paperback of Lord of the Flies, and stuck that into a back pocket.  His pan flute, in its soft faux-leather case, winds up being something he carried with him. He still needed to finish the book, and he'd never leave behind his flute. 

Some times, Al would take Mori out onto the front porch of the house.  Because of this, he did have a flea collar on around his neck, but generally, Mori did not get to go very far abroad. He did love sun-bathing on the porch, though. This would be the first time he was taking Mori away from the house. Why would he do that? It had little to do with some preconceived idea of fulfilling the dream, and how he had seen himself in it. Rather, it had to do with the fact that if his parents were missing, and something happened to him, he didn't want Mori to wind up dying of starvation or dehydration because nobody was around to get him more water, or food from the cabinets.

He picks up his phone and heads back to the kitchen. He'd grab a bottle of water from the fridge, and then, staring down at his cargo pants, gets an idea. Two more bottles of water, just in case. He just finds a way to shove them into the large pockets. It would be awkward, and he actually had to tie his belt a bit tighter to keep his pants from falling down due to weight, but he figured... well, what the hell. Better be prepared for... for what? He didn't know. Maybe he was just being silly. Maybe he'd turn out to be some damn fool. But he'd rather take a few things and not end up needing them, than end up needing them and not having them.

He'd also grab four granola bars, and stick them into the opposite cargo pocket. The whole time he is doing his prepping, he is on the phone, but not saying too much; still, Rob could probably hear the activity.  "Hey, do you want to stay on the line?" It would drain both of their batteries faster. Al would actually prefer to walk in quiet, since then  he could pay more attention to his surroundings, and be making less noise... but what if something happened? Plus, what if Rob was spooked, and really needed that lifeline right now? He didn't want to presume, but... possibilities, possibilities, so many possibilities.

He even gets a zip-lock plastic bag and fills it up with some dry food. He even finds a can of wet food to stick in a back pocket, because there is no way in hell he is going to risk Mori not having something to eat.

Feeling fairly well set, he'd head to the front door, and grab his set of keys from a little wooden hangar with brass hooks in it, that was to the right of the door, on the inside, but in his haste, did not think to check to see if either of his parents keys were there. He was much more busy trying to hold a phone, water bottle, his keys, and get his generic, black, Velcro sneakers on.

[London]

Robert Long
Location: Outside Riverwalk Apartment, followed by the high school.
Tag: Al, Maggie, Jeong Soo-Jin, Open


“Twenty minutes… Ok… Just get there when you can,” Robert said as he stopped for a moment. Looking around while he listened to Al pack up, he couldn’t help but wish he had more then his pads in his pack. He hadn’t expected to be running through an empty city. Now as he looked around he wished he had something to use as a weapon other then his skateboard.

When Al picked the phone back up, “No… We might need the batteries later… Just give me a call if anything happens,” he said getting ready to hang up, “I’ll meet you near the front door. I’ll be waiting outside… Bye…” he said giving him time to hang up before putting his phone away. Taking a deep breath, he pushed off again as he continued his way to the high school.

Dropping of the sidewalk, Robert stood on his board as he rolled down the street. Looking around as he went, he thought about all the times he had ridden past these very building only to see people all over the place. Going through the quiet city, he couldn’t help but think about Silent Hill… “Stop that,” he said to himself, “The last thing I need to do is think of some horror movie or game…” Kicking off again, he turned into the little parking lot of a convenient store. Kicking up the board, he grabbed the truck as he tried the door.

Sighing when the door opened, he walked in and started to grab nuts and cookies before grabbing a few water bottles. Walking back to the door, he stopped for a moment before pulling out twenty dollars. Tucking the money under the edge of the register, he quickly walked back out before jumping on his board. Kicking off again, he sped out of the parking lot, wanting to be far away from the empty store.

After a while of riding on the street, he jumped back on the sidewalk as he got to the school. Hearing the familiar clicking of the wheels on the sidewalk, he turned as he headed to the front of the school. Rolling up to the front door, he stopped short when he saw a shadow. “Hello… Who’s there,” he said, his voice shaking a little.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: In front of the high school
Tag: Robert


The sounds of small, hard plastic wheels scraping against the concrete cut through the eerily silent night and could be heard from quite a ways off, so Jin could hear somebody approaching well before they saw each other. Naturally, she assumed that it was Maggie, since who else would just randomly be out for a stroll on their skateboard in front of the school at this hour? She didn't really know for a fact that Maggie rode a skateboard, but she did seem like the type, Jin thought.

Needless to say, she was pretty surprised when it wasn't her redheaded classmate but instead someone else. A pang of fear and panic rushed through her as she gasped audibly and took a step back, instinctively grabbing her arms moer tightly as she kept them crossed over her chest. Jin had a better view of Robert than the other way around since he was standing closer to a street light, though, so she was able to recognize him shortly after being startled.

Jin really didn't know Robert at all, but she did recall seeing him at school on quite a few occasions - mostly because that military jacket that he always seemed to have on made him stand out. He was one grade below her, though, and if anything Jin tended to hang out with older kids, not younger ones, so that was as far as their relationship went.

"Umm...what are you doing here? Did Maggie call you too?" Jin questioned him, skipping right over the introductions.

[London]

Robert Long
Location:In front of the high school
Tag:Jeong


Kicking up his skateboard, he held it in his hand ready to swing it if he had to. Squinting as he tried to see who was standing in front of him. Wondering what he should do, he watched as the figure moved into the light. Sighing when he saw a girl, “You scared the hell out of me…” he said as she spoke. Looking at her, he got a confused look come over his face, “Maggie who? I’m here to meet Al.”

Taking a closer look at her, it took him a moment before he recognized her. Not only had he seen her on the soccer field, but he had also seen her in his dream. “You were in the dream…” he said without thinking. “Um… I… um… I mean I’m supposed to meet Al here. He’s on his way now but won’t be here for a while.”

“So stupid,” he told himself, “She’s going to think you are some wacko. This is why you don’t talk to people…” Swallowing, “I take it you are here to meet this Maggie...” Pulling out a bottle of water, he took a long drink, “Want some? I have another bottle.”

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: In front of the high school
Tag: Robert


Jin didn't bother letting Robert know that he'd also frightened her just as much as the other way around. She didn't really like showing weakness, so she avoided it when she could.

What are the chances of that? she wondered after Robert had clarified what he was doing there. Another weird coincidence, but perhaps it wasn't all that unlikely, two boys sneaking out to meet and do whatever it was that they did together.

It definitely got weirder though, and not just because of what Robert mentioned about his dream. Or rather, precisely because of that, but not for the most obvious reasons. The moment that he mentioned seeing her, Jin was hit by one of those vague flashbacks of her own dreams, where a specific scene suddenly comes back to you in perfect detail even though you could hardly remember it just moments before. She saw them all then: Maggie, this other kid whom she was speaking to now, and a second boy, which Jin somehow knew would turn out to be Al. She'd seen him around the school also, but she didn't know him any more than she knew Robert.

She was speechless and wide-eyed for a moment, but quickly turned her side to Robert so that he hopefully wouldn't notice the shock on her face. None of this made any sense. As for her dream, Jin wasn't really comfortable talking about it with this guy that she'd just barely met.

"No thanks," was Jin's knee-jerk reaction to Robert offering her a drink of water, which was silly because she was actually kind of thirsty from her walk.

"So what was your dream? What was I doing in it?" Jin questioned the boy further. She didn't want to talk about her own dream, but a mix of curiosity, disbelief and the desire to prove to herself that there was a logical explanation to all of this prompted her to keep pushing Robert for information.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: Baker family house (Departing immediately)/Streets
Tag: Open


With the flute in its case in his off hand, and a weary resolve, he opened the front door. He stepped outside onto the porch, Mori peering eagerly around the screened-in environment. This was so neat for the kitten! He never went outside at night! The constant purring he made, though quiet, was more felt than heard, and was a nice thing for Al. It felt oddly reassuring. He turned around, and locked the door. Then he took a few more steps towards the screen door, which held no lock, and opened that up. Six steps later, he's in the driveway, and walking down it towards the sidewalk.

Everything was quiet. Too damned quiet. And nowhere, did there seem to be anybody around. None whatsoever. Creepy, creepy, creepy... but he can't turn back and hide now.  The idea of this being Silent Hill crosses his mind. It had come to him independently of Rob's thought; Al played an awful lot of video games, even horror ones, although he much preferred strategy games and RPGs.

As he walked with the cased flute in one hand, and the water bottle in the other, he struggled--using his mouth-- to get the damn cap off. Once it was off, he left it off; he had actually intended to drop it out of his mouth and just litter, because that seemed like such a paltry thing compared to what was going on, but Mori snagged it out of the air with a paw, and held onto it; it looked like something fun to play with!

[London]

Robert Long
Location:In front of the high school
Tag: Jeong, Open


Somewhat taken back by her sharp reply, Robert shrugged before putting the cap back on the water and putting it in one of his many pockets. Trying to remember her name, he seemed to have a moment of clarity when he thought about her soccer games. Remembering that her jersey said her name was Soo-Jin and she was number 15 on the team, he started to wonder if the other girl had been this Maggie she had talked about. He remembered her in the dream. Thinking more about the dream he finally remembered why the other girl was so familiar. Having seen her at The Fresh, he wondered if it was the same girl. “I’m Robert… Just in case you want to yell at me,” he smiled, “You are on the soccer team right? I remember seeing you make a few goals at the last game.”

Surprised when she asked about his dream, Robert groaned before moving to sit on the bottom steps that lead to the front door. “That damn dream…Listen it wasn’t some creepy dream although it was a hell of a nightmare… As a matter of fact we were all here…” he said motioning to the school behind him. “The parking lot was full of cars, but it was night and really foggy. We were standing around… You, Al, another girl and myself… You were talking to the girl and Al when we all say someone in the one of the upstairs windows.” Spinning one of the wheels on his skateboard, “We all heard some creepy ass voice say “Time has come” or something…” Looking up at her, “I woke up right after that… But I think I would have rather stayed in the dream… When I woke up it was so cold in my room and I could have sworn…” he paused, “I could have sworn I saw people in my room.”

Realizing that his mouth went dry as he talked about the dream, he pulled the bottle back out to take a long drink before looking at her. “I jumped out of bed and opened my window so I could get some warm air… I saw fog being blown down the street… Well I left the house as soon as I saw that.”

Leaning back he looked at her, “So what was your dream about,” he asked, “You see Al and I had the same dream. And sense he answered the phone when I called him I would make a bet you had one too… It seems that everyone that was in the dream is still here and had the same dream…”

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: At Home
Tag: Soo Jin, Open


Neela leans into the humid night and looks at the retreating fog in confusion. She does not understand why it retreated so quickly once she looked at it; it was almost like a CGI effect. What was fog doing here in town when it was warm? Shaking her head Neela turns to look at her clock again and sighs. Briefly, she considers going to her mother Jill to ask for a sleeping pill just for tonight. However, she knew if she took it now she would be a zombie in the morning. Neela then walks over to her phone and considers calling Soo Jin since she was in her dream. Neela shivers at the thought of little shadow people watching her. What was this the Truman show?

Neela glanced around the room again feeling hyper alert--as though something really was watching her. She picks up her phone and texts Soo Jin.

<Soo Jin: Did you have a weird dream tonight? Did you see the fog? Sorry if this text wakes you but you should really have your phone on vibrate instead of sound: P>

Neela puts her phone down and sighs once again. Wiping sweat off her forehead Neela clears her throat. She feels almost like a block of ice melting in the sun. The urge to see the school for herself burns in her stomach suddenly, but Neela shakes her head at the thought. "It was only a dream," she tells herself. Neela goes to her closet and changes shirts since her other one was sweaty. She smoothes the soft fabric over her stomach, grins, and plops down on her bed, crossing her legs in a seated position. She grabs her phone off the nightstand then and looks to see if her friend Soo Jin replied yet.

[Moraline]

Chapter 2 - It's Just My Imagination...

A seed grew in the back of their minds and echoed in the distant halls of memory... Thoughts from some place just out of reach, "Where is my family?... Where... Where... I need to know." It stung with the pain of a broken heart as each word leaked out into their minds. "Was the emotion real?" It had a hollow ring to it but it flowed over each of them like a cold mist. The closer to reality it was, the more it would hurt. Like an unspoken truth when you knew in your heart that a relationship was ending. For some it would feel like fate to others it might feel like the end of all reason to go on... "But it's not real. Is it?"

Shadows cast off of the street lamps began to bend. Not in an overly perceivable way but subtly. The straight line of shadow cast off a trash can or pole nearby had a slight curve to it. Tips of shadows warped out and over the edges of their toes, or fingers.. maybe the edge of their hair. In winding paths the shadows moved like silent centipedes crawling, ...approaching with hair like miniscule legs...  "It's just my imagination..."

A barely audible soft ethereal voice whispered in the wind. "Quickly... To the school." The voice was like mint ice cream. Silky, smooth, and cool like the caress of a silk sheet. It held promises.



Robert Long(temp NPC)
Location:In front of the high school
Tag: Jeong, Open


Robert froze right before he was going to say something else. He looked off at the school building and pointed. "That looks like my sister." He was pointing to a window on the second floor that had a dim light in it. The dim light moved as if walking around somewhere inside the classroom. There was clearly no way to tell who it was from here.

Tentatively he took a step towards the school and into a shadow. He stood still, transfixed as he stared towards the classroom window. His body enveloped in the darkness.



A mist began to spill out around the buildings nearby. It slowly rolled along the roads. It was behind Al as he walked. It filled the hollow dip of a street about a block away from Jin and Robert. It filled up as if behind a wall on the street where Neela lived - the only clear direction was the one that lead towards the school. As Maggie walked the mist poured out behind her and from a nearby alley. It just caught the corner of her eye. That same cool soft ethereal voice said, "Run," to Ixy just as the mist hit an invisible barrier. It filled up behind the wall then spilled out over and around the vague shape of a woman.

It was around the same time that this was all happening when Jin would notice her parent's shadows in a first floor window. Mr and Mrs Jeong looked like they were opening up filing cabinets. It wasn't a clear view but when you know someone that well there is a way that people carry themselves and a way that they move. Those traits breed a familiarity to them so that even if they were fully masked, and cloaked you would still recognize them. So too, here in the shadows of a school window, Jin would spot her parents.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: Baker family house (Departing immediately)/Streets
Tag: Open


A slow frown formed over his face as thoughts came to his mind; from where? Himself, or from outside? He wasn't quite certain. But, the worry felt more like a full-force sucker-punch to the shoulder than anything else.  In the end, his own true worry was very little. As nice as his current foster family was, he had little worry or care for them; it had been months and months he was with them, but he was simply refusing to develop a true connection.

It was like that with past families, too. And as for his true parents, he couldn't be bothered to care about them. He wouldn't hurt himself like that.  All of the shit he's dealt with was their fault, anyway; possibly that wasn't true, but hate and hurt, especially when working together, can be blinding.

The imperative to get there to the school made sense, though. It made even more sense when he saw the mist acting in ways mist typically did not. Nope. Nooooope. No way in hell. Time to nope right the fuck out of dodge. He thought to himself as his pace quickened, from a power walk, into a full sprint. He was maybe five minutes away from the school before the acceleration.

Adrenaline would help carry him to the building itself, completely winded and exhausted, in two minutes. Long before then, though, Robert and Jin both were likely to hear the heavy thud-thud-thud-thud-ing of his feet hitting the ground. Possibly, they might even hear Mori protesting at the sudden change from brisk to fast, which the kitten found disconcerting.

[Ixy]

Maggie Foss
Location: Outside the high school, approaching the front entrance.
Tag: Jin, Al, Robert

Halfway to school-- a route that she has walked, and run, many times before-- Mags realizes that she is shaking. Should have brought Mom's phone, she thought, dead battery or not.  Scenarios and explanations run rampant in her sleep-starved, fear-addled mind, one after another in a progression from the unlikely to the ludicrous, but she is carrying her weight on the balls of her feet and, without exception, she is skirting the pool of light under every streetlight-- she's not stepping on cracks in the sidewalk, and she can hear a song in her mind despite trying, above all, to think clearly and be quiet.

Step on a crack.  Break your mother's back.  Step on a line, bend your father's spine.  At that, she slowed slightly, deliberately stepping on a crack in the sun-bleached asphalt on her way, bringing no sound of breaking bone-- only a pang of guilt and annoyance at the frivolity of the same guilt. 

It's then that she feels the creeping cold, like a someone left the walk-in freezer open at The Fresh, and the cold air is reaching her in faint waves.  She turns, studying it at first in a fixed stare at the first odd place-- from the alley between a shipping office and a deli closed for years.  She realizes that the fog is trying to reach her, and somehow that scares her so badly that she freezes.  Normally, when she freezes doesn't think straight, but this time her mind is clear.  So clear that she hears a voice... she thinks it's real, or maybe it is... and she listens, because that fog looks promising, like a cool shower n a Monday morning, and that scares her.  The woman's shape-- she stars, stares, mouths words that have no sound, and then hears that voice again.  Run

She flees... she's never truly fled something before, not like this-- she's had issues at school, she's raced in cross-country, but this time she is running a chase from something that wants to consume her, flight from an actual adversary.

When she reaches the school, she doesn't stop running.  Her boots are thudding at the pavement, and she's not the first one there.  She calls out, "Get inside!  She's almost here--" and though she doesn't know who "she" is, she is heading straight for the building, her long, pale legs stretching out like a sprinting gazelle's and her red hair streaming from under the low-riding black ballcap where the wing has blown her hood back from her face.

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Heading to School, Seeing the others, Running to the entrance
Tag: Soo Jin, Open


As Neela sat and waited for Soo Jin's response, something spoke to her from the shadows. Quickly Neela headed to her window to see the fog returning to her street. Eyes going wide she watched as the fog swirled and formed a pathway. The voice told her to go to the school. But why? There was still some time before school began. Neela felt something brush against her face, brushing some of her hair over her eyes and flinched, feeling like someone was in the room with her. Clearing her throat, Neela picked up her purse and slipped into her flats. Quietly she rushed down the stairs and out of the back door of her modest home. She ran around the side of the house and unlocked her bike. Without bothering to bring her lock with her, Neela pocketed her phone in her purse and slid it over her head and shoulder so it would not fall as she peddled through the fog's path and towards the school.

Legs pumping quickly, Neela made her way to the school campus, nearly forgetting that she wore nothing but her tee shirt, short shorts and flats. The wind was chilly against her skin, easily breaking through the thin fabric. She should have grabbed a sweater. Cursing Neela shook her head and stopped at the parking lot fifty feet away from a group of people. They were in her dream--she remembered their faces, but not all of their names. Neela put her feet back on the peddles of her bike and moved silently across the parking lot towards the other students.

Except they are running from her, or at least she thinks they are. That is when a sinking feeling of danger grips Neela by the shoulders, causing her to hit some kind of invisible fence. Neela shouts as she soars off her bike and too the ground. Protecting her face, Neela's arms hit the ground first, followed by her hips and the rest of her body. Skidding to a stop, Neela looks up fascinated that she only has a scrape and no broken bones, but danger itches at her feet. Struggling to stand, Neela runs towards the entrance of the school too, fear crushing her throat.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: In front of the high school
Tag: Robert, Neela, Maggie


"I didn't have any dream!" Jin replied curtly to Robert, perhaps too curtly - for some reason her reaction had been to immediately deny everything, as if that might somehow make this unexplainable situation less real. It can't be real...

Her phone chirped as she received a text and she instantly pulled it out to see what it was, using it as an excuse to further dodge Robert's question. She reread the short message from Neela at least six or seven times to make sure that she wasn't going insane or delusional. It couldn't be real, a bunch of different people couldn't just have the exact same dream at the exact same time!

Even as thoughts of denial continued swirling through Jin's mind, she felt the compulsion to look up and saw what seemed exactly like her parents' silhouettes in a window of the school. She'd recognized them immediately by their outlines and subtle mannerisms, even their postures.

They're right here...she thought, relieved at first that the whole thing about them possibly disappearing like the other kids' families was nonsense, but then the realization that this didn't make any sense started to sink in. With it also came an awful feeling of loss, like an empty void forming inside of her chest and expanding outwards until it had swallowed up her heart and her lungs. She couldn't breathe, and it felt as if her blood had stopped pumping through her veins and had gone cold.

By the time that Maggie arrived, shouting about something or other, Jin hardly even hear the girl as she stood there paralyzed, fixated by the sight of her parents in the window.

[Moraline]

The mist rolled up like smoke billowing from a burning building. It poured in from everywhere and surrounded the school and the group in front of the school but once there is hit another wall. The unseen wall was a few car lengths from the group... It seemed to boil at the edge, pressing inwards then spilling back like the clouds of a thunderstorm.


Robert Long(temp NPC)
Location:In front of the high school
Tag: Everyone


"It's my sister inside, I know it." Robert was fixed on the upper floor window of the school. It was then that the boiling mists caught his attention and he seemed to snap out of his daze. He looked around.

"Hey, Al... buddy you made it man. I didn't see you there. I think my sister is inside but I got no idea why the hell she'd be here." He took a moment to notice the girls and smiled. "I'm Robert." On any other day he might have been happy to be standing around in front of the school with a bunch of girls but right now he wanted to get in that building.

His eyes focused on the mists. "What's up with that," he pointed to the shimmering ghostly form of a woman.

The mists distorted around the shape of a woman. It was distorted, ethereal as if not really there. Her back was to them and she moved her hands.

A drumlike hard echo kick ♪ sound ♪ emanated from the mist as it boiled against the unseen barrier in front of the woman. She turned to look over her shoulder at the group and pointed to the building. She made no sound but turned back to the mists...

[Ixy]

Maggie leaps and twists around in surprise at the sound of Neela's crash, momentarily abandoning her rush for the door.  She thinks, for an irrational moment, that she should get help from within-- when she pulls at the door, her thin frame jolting as she thrashes and tugs at it, she hisses a soft curse in frustration, then at herself-- "Stupid, it's midnight..." She then sees the woman in the mists, and Mag's gaze is fixed on her.  "Who... who is that?"

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Outside the High School
Tag: Everyone


Neela sees that the figure in front of the doors is Maggie and then she sees Soo Jin with some other students near the sidewalk. Hearing the sound of drums, Neela turns and sees a figure in the mist, a woman who points to the building. Shivering, Neela brings her arms up around herself as she looks at the building in a gaze.

"I have no idea who that is," Neela replies to Maggie's question.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: School
Tag:  Everybody


He was out of breath. Gasping like a fish out of water, he just sort of waved to Rob, acknowledging the greeting. He needed to get his breathing under control--and slake the dryness of his mouth-- before he could really say much of anything. Thus, drinking from his water bottle occurs, as he stares around at the school.

Mori, however, seems more than willing to be vocal. "Mreow! Mr-mr-mrrrreow!" He says in what may very well be a cute, energetic greeting to the strange people. However, when Al moves on from the images in the windows above, and sees the mist lady, Mori's sound changes to a strange, chattering sound, as if he were agitated; or, perhaps, excited.

"Uhm... I don't think you'll get the door open... maybe we could smash that bike into the glass plating, and hope it breaks?" Vandalism was totally not Al's thing. However, desperate times calls for desperate measures. 

"I think we really should get inside, soon, though..." Worried. He was clearly worried, it was in his voice.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: In front of the high school
Tag: Everyone


Jin's eyes opened wide with shock when she finally turned around and saw the mist, as well as the shimmering form of a woman that it somehow seemed to be outlining. The loud drum-like thud made her flinch in surprise before glancing at the others, wondering if they heard it too, although deep down she already knew that they had. The woman...or thing was beckoning them into the school, adding to the unnatural siren's call that had been emanating from within.

After a few second of hesitation, Al's words finally snapped Jin out of her trance. Taking decisive action, like she so often did, she tried to grab the skateboard out of Robert's hands and use it to smash the nearest window, knowing the the doors would be chained and impossible to unlock even if they did break the glass on them.

[Moraline]

Robert Long(temp NPC)
Location:In front of the high school
Tag: Everyone


Robert saw that Neela wasn't dressed for the night chill. So with a swift gentlemanly motion he whipped off his long duster coat and handed it to her. "I'm good. You need it more then I do..." His words cut off when Jin grabbed his skateboard out of un-expecting hands. "Hey!"



Jin's swing would slam into the nearest window and crack the glass with a loud shattering sound. The effort made a lot of noise but that metal mesh embedded in the glass refused to give and only sprung back on the board in her hands with a violent reaction.

The skateboard went flying backwards out of her hands and landed on it's wheels. Then rolled off into the mist.

When it hit the mist the sound echoed again and a flash like that of a camera went off in all directions from the unseen barrier. The boiling fog spilled forth like water from a dam. It poured through fast and swallowed the figure of the woman. Her ethereal form dissipating. A low nearly inaudible word followed..."No!" It was the distant cry of desperation from her and this time the silky smooth voices source was clear. It had been her.

[Ixy]

Maggie Foss
Location: school door
Tags: none
"Holy shit-" Maggie cries out softly, and hearing the cry she actually feels a pang of desperate sorrow and pain.  Without looking, she puts her hand back to the door and, dreamlike, pulls the door wide.  She turns and screams aloud, "come on!" and runs inside.   At 2013-09-07 17:45:58, icsyhyat (uid: 768) rolls: 1d100 Result: 36

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Outside the High School
Tag: Everyone


Neela looks to the duster passed to her and takes it, "Thank you," she tells the boy before she hears glass shatter, shards falling to the ground only to reveal steel bars. No one was going to get inside the building soon unless some kind of miracle happened.

Neela watches as the skateboard flies backwards towards the mist only to roll away as if something invisible is riding it. "What the--" The door to the school was suddenly pushed open and Neela looked on as Maggie rushed everyone to go inside.

Neela did not wait for others to follow and rushed in after Maggie, careful due to the immense darkness as she walks inside. "I can't see a thing!"

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: Outside, going into the high school
Tag: Everyone


He whined a bit himself; the sound is actually kind of animal-like. This was his response to the sound of the odd woman. He wondered, briefly, if she was here to harm or help them.

Because he was busy staring at the woman in the mist, he doesn't see how it is that the door opens; just hears that it is, in fact, open. He will question this all later; if there is a later. For now, he moves inside, choosing to take up the rear of the group. "Lights, lights..." He takes out his phone, and clicks a few buttons on it to get the screen to come on. It's not a lot of light, but at least it was something, right? "You guys could do the same, too."

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: In front of the high school, going inside
Tag: Everyone


Jin grunted as she swung the skateboard at the window without restraint only to have it bounce away and out of her hands after shattering the glass, but not doing much to the metal mesh behind it. Her wrists were rattled a bit from the impact, but she didn't hurt herself.

She growled in frustration, but soon forgot about her lack of success as she noticed that the door had miraculously been opened somehow. The female cry coming from the fog sent a chill up Jin's spine and prompted her to follow the others inside of the building - she didn't want to remain out there by herself.

It was dark inside, and she had the same idea as Al, pulling her phone out and turning on the flashlight app. She pointed it ahead and tried to cover whichever side Al wasn't already lighting up.

"I don't understand what the heck is going on...what was that...that woman? And did you see that fog? That was totally impossible."

[Moraline]

(( OOC:  Please make sure you read the OOC post before posting:  <Click Here> ))




Chapter 3 - The Empty School

A glow spilled out across the polished floor of the school hall. The ripples in the shiny stone clearly visible. A bit of dust along the edge of the hallway lockers. The light was dim, only a few lockers visible and as the light spilled in from a building across the street.

The group took the first few tentative steps into the building. It's hallways empty and quiet without the rustling of backpacks, the clomps of sneakers, or the buzzing of school alarms and most pronounced was the complete lack of the buzz of hundreds of voices.

In the direction where Jin thought she had seen her family earlier, a distant sound of something scuffling about. The sound of a chair falling over... If the group approaches, as they get closer to it they'll hear the cry of a boy. It will be followed with the dull thuds of fist on skin and then a sharp cry as a pop crunching sounds of bone breaking under flesh.

Inside will be the sight two young teen boys fighting. One boy is getting beat pretty badly, The boy on the ground has sad brown eyes and a round face stained with tears. A slightly younger Al. The figure doing the beating looks up and dissolves into mist.

When the aggressor has vanished behind him can now be seen a short squat roughly two foot goblin like thing. It's hair oozes soaked in blood and in it's hands a wicked looking still blood soaked blade.  He hops up and down laughing with wild eyes. "Yes, Yes... Now to suck the marrow from his bones! Thank you, Thank you!" He makes a slurping sound from under his black scarf. The look in his eyes, one of complete madness.

Goblin-like Image

Robert Long(temp NPC)
Location:In front of the high school
Tag: Everyone

The shadows crawled up Roberts leg. He was the last in as he wanted to watch everyone's back. The cool tingle crawled up his spine and he shuddered or he thought he did. Tendrils of the mist and shadow curled around his body then squeezed down like razor sharp talons. It sunk into his clothes, his flesh then the mist overtook him and he was gone from the sight. His foot had never crossed the threshold of the buildings door...




In the instant that Robert was enveloped it was like he'd never been there. That feeling in a dream when you know someone else was with you. You could have sworn there was some else in the dream but suddenly you are alone, or in this case in a group. But Robert had never been there. His place in this was now just a gap of memory... "Robert was just here. I could have sworn Robert was with us? I guess not, that must have been someone else skateboard." The doubt overshadowing your memories of him.





Maggie Foss(temp NPC)
Location:In front of the high school
Tag: Everyone


Maggie barreled into the darkness, she totally had no idea how she got that door opened. Once inside she stood and blinked a few times. Eyes adjusting to the darkness.

It felt lonely in the building. No students, no teachers. It's hard to believe how creepy a school can be with no one present.

That's when she heard the noises. "Hey there's a kid in trouble." She didn't think, maybe it was instinct. Her heart was pounding but she pushed forward without waiting. All she could think was that someone was in trouble and when she got down the hall and looked into the classroom she was correct...

"Eww. What is that thing?" She said.

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Outside the High School
Tag: Everyone


Neela follows Al's suggestion and takes her phone out of her purse which surprisingly still around her body. She follows the rest of the students to a classroom where sounds of fighting and a creepy voice are heard. Neela shakes her head in shock at the noise and looks to the boy with the skateboard only to see he is not there. Maybe she dreamed he was here in her sleep. Confused, Neela hears the voice talks of sucking marrow and gasps.

"I think we should go the other way people." Neela was not about to look inside to see what the others were seeing. She was too chicken.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: School Hallway
Tag: Everyone
At 2013-09-07 19:05:17, TheHangedMan (uid: 12227) rolls: 1d100 Result: 67

"I don't like that sound..." This was said more to Mori than anyone else. The kitten responds with a whine; maybe it knew this whole thing was wrong. Or maybe it just picked up on its masters feelings. Regardless, though, the kitten remains in the pocket of the long-sleeved flannel shirt, wide eyes easily unbothered by the relative darkness.

As they drew closer and closer to the classroom, he would move with Maggie to take a look inside. Something at the back of his head felt kind of wrong; wasn't there another kid here? A guy? Maybe? He wasn't sure, and pretty soon, he didn't give a single fuck about who was or was not here, because what really mattered was the fact that It was here.

"Don't say his name." His words would come as a whispered hiss to the two girls. The moment he caught sight, and knew what it was, he backed away from the door, and traveled several feet off to the side. He kept his back pressed against a locker, eyes darting back and forth, trying to take in all of his surroundings without leaving any sort of gap. Maybe neither of the girls knew what was in there; maybe they were lucky. But maybe they'd know the name, and if they said it, he knew he would wish he was dead; but that the world wasn't a particularly nice place, and would not grant him that luxury.

Instead, while remaining firmly planted where he is, he put honest consideration into what his chances were outside, in the mist. Maybe he could run all the way home, and be safe there. Maybe he could keep on running, and get even further away from It. Or maybe he'd just wind up dying tired, cold, alone, and even more scared than he was now.

Despite having plenty of empty space around him, if they looked at Al, he would seem more like a caged animal than anything else. The panic and urge to run is clearly expressed without the need for words.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Inside the school
Tag: Everyone


Cautiously, Jin advanced through the deserted with the hallway, reflecting on how unfamiliar and spooky this place could become if you just took away the lights and all the people, even though it was probably the place that she knew second best after her own home.

The gross noises that she and the others heard from one of the classrooms made her scowl and hesitate to go any further, but curiosity and that omnipresent magnetism that had been attracting her towards the school - and now deeper into it - from the moment that she'd awoken from her dream prompted her to edge closer.

She barely had time to see what was going on over Maggie and Al's shoulders before the latter of the two darted to the side and out of the doorway. Jin's instincts caused her to follow suit, fearing some sort of danger. There was danger, she knew it just from the faction of a second that she'd gotten a glance of that thing. What the heck was it, and didn't it have a big knife or sword? With blood all over it?

She wanted to run and tell the others to follow, but she'd also seen somebody laying on the floor, injured. Leave him, run...just run...Jin tried to convince herself, but her conscience refused to abandon the fight, urging her to try to help somehow. The only trouble was that she had no idea how.

"What was that?" she hissed a whisper at the others who were standing right next to her, all of them with their backs against a row of lockers. "We have to do something..."

Jin scanned the hallway for anything that might be used as a weapon, doubtful that she'd find anything, but it was the only thing she could think of.

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Inside the High School
Tag: Everyone

"No we don't have to do anything Soo Jin. My momma always said you can't help others if you can't help yourself." Neela had the courage burning through her veins finally and stepped closer to Maggie, Al and Soo-Jin peering inside the room and seeing some short creature with a bloody sword. Neela gasped hard and choked, she took a step back and tripped over someone's foot, falling to the ground. "It's time to get the hell out of here!" She said loudly and felt like punching herself. That thing would have to know they were there now. Neela crawled backwards and grabbed at someone's leg, trying to get up in a hurry.

[Moraline]

(( Please read OOC first:  https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=184096.msg8868039#msg8868039 ))


Maggie Foss(temp NPC)
Location:In front of the high school
Tag: Everyone

Startled by the sight and seeing the goblin move towards her, she practically trips over Neela with her as she runs out and slams herself back by the lockers with her...




Gwyn ap Nudd would barrel towards the hallway, jumping up and down with a salivating lip smacking sound before lunging towards Jin.

Simultaneously out in the hall, With Neela and Maggie clinging to each other and trying to stand - Maggie's feet are pulled out from under her. Black tiny little hands drag her into the darkness without even a chance for a scream.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Inside the school
Tag: Everyone
Shield roll: 41


When Neela spoke up, Jin felt somewhat annoyed at the girl's willingness to just abandon a person in need but also simultaneously agreed with her. She felt conflicted on what to do, and in the end the creature made the choice for them, deciding to rush out of the classroom while the group was still debating (some of them tripping over each other as well).

Pushing herself away from the lockers, Jin took a step back and happened to be the closest one to the hideous little goblin-like monster. At first, she was certain that she was going to die gruesomely when the thing came rushing at her with its machete, but then something clicked inside of her. Not even in her head - it wasn't a conscious thing - just inside of her, somewhere.

She suddenly got the notion that her arm represented salvation and got into a stance straight out from one of the many history books that she'd read as a large, rectangular scutum shield materialized before her, the leather straps appearing around her thin arm. The shield felt extremely sturdy and real and yet weighed nothing despite being almost as tall as Jin herself - taller, in fact, when she knelt behind it on one knee to brace herself for the goblin's attack.

Too focused on what she was doing, which included not dying, she didn't even stop to think how any of this was possible. She just blocked the machete and at the same time shoved the monster back with her shield, pushing it away and causing it to stumble clumsily as it snarled and made other unpleasant noises.

Where just moments ago she'd felt frail and scared, Jin now felt strong and...still somewhat scared, but not as much as before she could make giant shields materialize out of thin air.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: School Hallway
Tag: Everyone
At 2013-09-07 20:41:51, TheHangedMan (uid: 12227) rolls: 1d100 Result: 45


He wasn't sure what the hell was going on. Now was a time for action, not contemplation, though. They can search for answers later; assuming Gwynn ap Nudd didn't kill them all.

He realized, even as the sword collided with a shield that moments before was not there, that reality itself seemed screwed up.  It kind of reminded him of a video game; several, in fact. Just as he was thinking of a particular scene from Mana Khemia in his head, a huge red gash opens up behind him, and he slips right inside it. There's no real thought going on here; just instantaneous action on his part.

It shuts itself closed the moment he's gone, and only a moment later, the gash seems to reappear; right behind the goblin. It deposits Al, with a ferociously hissing Mori, without incident, and disappears as quickly as it came into existence.

Though Al was dead average in matters of upper body strength, his system was flooded with adrenaline; that almost magical drug that the body produced in times of stress and crisis, which allowed it to do things it otherwise would not be capable of.  He reached out, and seized the goblin by its shoulders, pressing down with all of his weight. If he could, he would attempt to knock the creature down to the floor, and introduce its head to the tiles; repeatedly. If possible, he would slam that little fucker's head into the floor until that stupid, fat, ugly nose of his was smashed, broken and bleeding. 

It was time to stop taking abuse, and start showing the nightmare what it meant to suffer; what it meant to be a victim. That was what Al was thinking, at the moment, his fear converted into the sort of furious rage that might make that little asshole proud, in some obtuse and obscene way.

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Inside the High School
Tag: Everyone


At 2013-09-07 21:31:20, Neela Roland (uid: 45339) rolls: 1d100 Result: 62

Neela looked in horror when the goblin attacked Soo Jin. The strangest things started happening then. Soo Jin blocked the attack with a shield that appeared from nowhere and Al vanished only to reappear behind the goblin and grab it, and proceeding to beat the shit out of it. Neela grimaced and felt a sense of claustrophobia take place again as darkness began to creep up on everyone. It was as if the shadows were alive, waiting. Maggie disappeared into the darkness and Neela reached for her.

Then there was light. Light so bright that it heated the cold air of the hallway, piercing the shadows causing them to fade away. With clarity, Neela could see a cat with beady eyes and creepy crawling centipedes. Neela shields her eyes from the bright white light coming from what seems to be her hand. Her body tingling as though bugs were crawling all over her skin, Neela stares down the hallway corridor everything in plain sight now.

[Moraline]

(( Read OOC post first:  https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=184096.msg8868315#msg8868315))



"No! No! No!" The squat insane little Goblin shouts.

His little body holds the strength of a fit adult man.Her doesn't bend under Al's torrent of rage. His arm waggles free and sword slashes about in the air... There is a rip in the air. Then it's quickly followed by another. "You can't have them, Bitch!" his head whips around, long nose swinging about as wildly as his sword, the blood from his head smearing all over Al and spraying the room in his frantic struggles. "I'll kill you Bitch! He's mine! Mine! Mine!"

A cool ethereal feminine voice comes from behind Al. It's composure is complete, serene. "He will make his own decisions. Look at him, he's not afraid of you now." She was slender and poised, carrying herself with a regal confidence. The same woman as before but now tangible, present and very much here in the room. The last of her long blue dress spilling out from the spot where Al had come from only moments ago..

Ethereal Woman

The woman stands a step away and whispers to Al, "You can control him. Look into his eyes. Face him. Show him your strength."

The goblin hisses a guttural series of sounds as it struggles with Al.

Out of the tears in the air, it spills out mist. That same thick fog that rolls out like storm clouds or smoke from a burning building. Out of one comes a slender tall alien like monstrosity. It comes out of the hole in a burst. Long taloned toes shoot out first followed with it's slim golden carapace covered legs. Kicking it's way out, it leaps through the air landing almost silently on one of the school desks right next to Jin.

Standing about seven feet tall, even when crouched the thing towers of little Jin. The reflexes of the thing are lightning fast, it's fingers long razor like talons. Right now it's intent is to play with Jin and will strike at the shield for the pleasure of knocking her around and otherwise occupying her.

The Monster

... In the hall the darkness pushes back in against the light. The skittering of thousands of tiny feet across stone and metal approach Neela, the darkness pressing down with a palpable pressure with all of it's focus on the light that had come from her.

Then the darkness parts. His form is slender and athletic. Standing about six feet tall with black hair and a devilish grin spread across his face. Handsome beyond words, shaggy long black hair, red passionately dangerous eyes, even with the curled horns on his head he was undeniably god-like.

The Incubus

"Come with me, Neela." His hand beckoned to her. "Let's just leave this place. It'll be so much safer if you are not involved and I'm sure your friends will be alright anyways..." That voice was confident and there is no way he could be wrong about anything. It would beckon to Neela.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Inside the school
Tag: No one
Fight roll: 26


Rising back to her feet after having deflected the goblin's attack, Jin could see Al wrestling with it, but their struggle didn't leave much of an opening for her to intervene. Then something else was happening, a woman slowly fading into existence - kind of like the shield had, but not really. It was the mist-woman-silhouette-thing that they'd seen outside, Jin recognized her even though now she seemed very much more real, though an aura of etherealness certainly still surrounded her.

During the struggle, Jin had somehow ended up in a classroom, she wasn't sure which, and now it was filling up with mist, making it impossible to tell. As she tried to find the door, instead she saw some sort of portal opening nearby as a completely alien and intimidating being stepped into their world from what could only be described as another dimension. It looked hostile and dangerous and impossible, but then again none of this was possible.

Maybe it was just a dream within a dream or something like that, but Jin didn't want to test it by getting herself killed and then running the risk of being wrong. The alien creature got closer, jumping onto a desk like a predator before swiping at her with its long arm and razor sharp talon-like claws. The shield had served her well thus far, so she raised it again to protect herself, but this new threat was stronger than the goblin several times over.

It seemed to hardly be putting any effort behind its swipe and still the impact rattled Jin's entire arm painfully as she stumbled back and tripped over a chair, falling hard on her side. Just as suddenly as she'd found her courage earlier, a potent rush of fear and hopelessness overtook her now in the face of this new danger. She tried to run away, but her shield had gone from weightless to heavy, too heavy for her to even raise.  Whimpering in terror, she tugged at the leather straps futilely, too panicked to get them loose, but finally the idea of willing them off came to her and it worked.

Free from her burden, Jin glanced back nervously at the creature before crawling away from it hastily, praying to a god that she decided she didn't believe in that she could find the door through the mist and escape.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: School Hallway
Tag: Everyone
At 2013-09-07 22:10:26, TheHangedMan (uid: 12227) rolls: 1d100 Result: 6


Maybe it was the surrealness of this all. Maybe it was the fact that this whole thing ultimately started when he saw his nightmare, his personal problem, so directly trying to extinguish the life of someone who didn't deserve its attention. Maybe that's why he wasn't cowering now. Left to his own devices, on his own, this would probably be going in the exact opposite direction it was currently heading.

But, he manages to lock eyes with the goblin. He stares straight into them, eyes as unblinking as a cat that had caught sight of a squirrel. In fact, his own expression of barely-held-back anger and desire to destroy this thing adds to the fact that Al looks more like a predator preparing to end its preys existence, than anything else. The woman was right. He was in control now. "Go. A. Way." He tried to command Gwynn ad Nubb to leave, to go back to whatever dark hole constitutes its home.

He was half-tempted to catch a look at the owner of the voice that he had heard; but he also knew, or at least thought he knew, that if he broke his concentration for a moment--for that woman, or for the trials that the other students were going through-- he would lose this battle of wills.

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Inside the High School
Tag: Everyone

At 2013-09-07 22:18:40, Neela Roland (uid: 45339) rolls: 1d100 Result: 100
Neela looked at the incubus before her after the darkness parts. The demon looks at her eyes haunted a flash of red. His words are poison and he is made from hatred. Neela stands straight against his words. She would not cower before him. "Go away demon!" Neela lifts her hand again, and sends light at the demon causing him to shield his eyes as he blinded by light. As she does this, an eerie sound emits through the hall that sounds like wailing echoing from far off in the distance. The demon will have to go away or be shredded by the light.

[Moraline]

(( Please read OOC post first:  https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=184096.msg8868538#msg8868538 ))



What can only be described as "it" leapt like some sort of ninja grasshopper and landed right in front of Jin. No room to run away, no where to hide... The golden carapace gleamed in the dull light. An insectoid like armor fitted over something not of this world. No matter what Jin did, it would match her again and again. An undefeatable warrior.

As Al stared down the goblin, She spoke to him. Her words a quiet confidence. "Do you feel it inside you? Pull it out of you and use it on him. Take what he gave you and use it. You know what I speak of... He is fae, Al, and should not be here. This is your world. Banish him and seize his power." He could not see her but her lips curled into a cold smile. The banishment of Gwynn ad Nubb would please her very much.

In the hall...  The radiant light pours from Neela and the incubus recoils at it's sight. He has no choice and retreats back but the shadows push hard and he slips into them. The glow of his red eyes present.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Inside the school
Tag: No one
Fight roll: 81


A sharp yell escaped Jin's lips as she saw and felt the monster land right in front of her, blocking any possible escape. It probably could have killed or captured her, but apparently it wanted to toy with her for a while longer. She retreated as fast as she could, crawling backward until she bumped into the teacher's desk and was pretty much stuck between that and the creature.

As it became painfully obvious to Jin that she wasn't getting away, her only choice had to be to fight, even if she seemed impossibly outmatched. With a grunt that almost sounded like a feral growl, she pushed herself up to her feet and resummoned her shield with the same ease as riding her bicycle, like it just came naturally to her now that she knew how to do it.

Being cornered and sensing that this alien monster wouldn't stop pursuing her, Jin decided that she couldn't just defend herself, she also had to fight back, so she tried the same thing she'd done with the shield, only replacing it with a sword instead. Hopefully she'd suddenly know how to use it once it appeared just like she had with the shield, and then she'd wait for the creature to extend an arm again before deflecting the blow and striking back.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: School Hallway
Tag: The Mysterious Woman


There was an echo of joy--of Schadenfreude, really-- as he saw the terror of the one who had plagued him for so many, many years. The one thing he could neverr escape, the one thing that had been gnawing away at him every night for the past six years; it was standing before him, and now, it was the one who was learning what it was like to be afraid.  There is an extreme sort of catharsis in dominating that which had dominated him previously.

He knelt down on the ground. The goblin slinked away from him, grew smaller and smaller on the ground. Al continued to stare it down, every inch it took causing the boy to move two inches. He hovered over it, looming, pinning it down to the ground. The mask on his face created a visage that would inspire Lovecraftian madness in any sane and rational human. And before too many seconds had passed, the creature disappeared entirely. It was gone. As the woman said, it had no place outside like that.

Now, it was Al's turn to lock something away in the broom closet. A metaphorical broom closet, but still. However, his thoughts drift away, as does the mask, as something else suddenly dawns on his mind.

He would stand back up, and look at the woman. He could hear Jin fighting off in the distance, but had confidence in her ability to dominate whatever it was that had come after her. Just like he did, just like that other girl, whose name Al could not remember, did. He didn't want to go showboating or stealing anybodies thunder. And there was a nagging stream of questions flying around in his head.

His eyes went right up along the womans body, from her feet to her face; and once reaching there, he would try to look into her eyes. Not in a threatening manner; more in a curious manner. Mori, too, was watching her, front claws seeming to hold onto the flannel pocket that was the creatures current home. "Who are you?" He had about a dozen other questions for this stranger, but that seemed the best one to start with.

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Inside HS
Tagging: Soo-Jin and Al


Neela watches the demon’s eyes as they remain but his body fades away. It’s hatred that looms alone in the hallway with no tricks to hide it. But instead of completely vanishing the eyes flash towards her, vanishing inside her as though the hatred was a part of her. It was always there to begin with. But now she could feel something like power inside of her as the light illuminating the hallway.


Neela felt the presence of true suggestion inside of her now. She turned to look for Al and Soo Jin, seeing if they were OK. Would she see them again despite clearing the darkness away?

[Moraline]

(( Please read OOC first:  https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=184096.msg8870290#msg8870290 ))



The white haired woman smiled warmly at Al as he looked her in the eyes. It would be something that he'd probably regret. For a moment, like the heartbeat when he had passed from one place to the next she held his eyes with hers and saw into his soul - In some ways it was worse then a nightmare, in others it was wonderful. There was nothing that he could hide from her. She was so beautiful, it would be the most amazing thing ever to serve her. If it wasn't for the shadowy centipede like thing crawling up his leg he probably would have lost himself forever in that gaze.

That's when the burning sensation of it gnawing into his flesh got his attention...

Those tears in the air did not go away. The mist continued pouring in and filling the room with thick fog. It was acrid, thick, and to everyone it would feel like trying to suck air through a dirty wet cloth. More to it, something else was pouring out through those holes. They skittered, clicked, and cast dark little shadows in the fog.

Creepy crawly things tried to swarm over Al.

The fog rolled out into the hallway, filling it up, beginning to blot out the light from Neela. She was a lighthouse on the stormy shore. Although she couldn't push back the darkness or the fog, her light could be seen glowing from a distance, casting a familiar silhouette over her. It was warm and familiar. She could light the way in the dark.

Jin had her hands full dealing with the warrior insect thing! It studied her now, even bowed before her like it was sparring in some sort of Tae Kwon Do competition. It would give her a moment to ready herself then lunge, each time growing more aggressive and deadly. Jin though was getting exponentially better.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Inside the school
Tag: Neela
Fight roll: 50


Maybe she was going crazy - or even crazier, rather - but Jin could have sworn that the monster in front of her bowed as if they were having some sort of honorable duel or something. She didn't care, though, she was only thinking about slaying it and saving herself.

The sword materialized in her free hand just as the next attack came, and exactly according to plan she blocked with the shield before lashing out with a counterattack. Jin swung with more conviction than skill but still found her mark, slashing her foe across the arm and making it screech dreadfully as it attacked again, this time bringing both clawed hands down on Jin from above.

Already she felt empowered by a new knowledge and strength. Everything that she'd seen in movies, read in books or done through an avatar in a video game, she suddenly felt like she could do for real. Fluidly, her big shield melted into a smaller round buckler which she swung upwards, parrying the monster's deadly claws before using her momentum to also swing her sword up across its belly, slicing right through the shiny carapace. A dark green, almost black ooze starting bubbling out of the wound, but Jin didn't stop, not taking her victory for granted just yet.

Swinging her shield arm, she managed to toss the buckler like a disc right into the creature's face just like one of her old MMORPG characters had been able to do, sending it reeling back and dazing it for a moment. It was long enough for Jin to go in for the kill, her sword extending into a two-handed version even as she charged and swung it in a large horizontal arc with far more force than her small body should have been capable of.

With a barely audible crunch, the nightmarish thing fell into two halves on the floor before each piece started glowing a dark blue. They looked like they were being swallowed up by some sort of crystallized blue flames, which had to be the most beautiful and mesmerizing thing that Jin had ever seen, and then they...jumped at her. Or into her. She didn't really know what had occurred or how, but she now possessed an intrinsic knowledge about the thing that she'd just vanquished, and she also knew that she'd be able to make it appear and control it from now on. That could probably be useful if more impossible things that wanted to kill her appeared.

Just now she realized that she was panting heavily and that it was extremely difficult to breathe through the heavy fog. The only thing that Jin could really make out was a bright light somewhere off in the distance, so she hurried in that direction, calling out for the others. "Hello? Are any of you there? Neela...?"

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: School Hallway
Tag: The Mysterious Woman

Staring into her eyes was both horrifying and fascinating in its own way; and that initial feeling of fear was smoothed over by the strange sensation he felt. It kind of reminded him of that time he had a 'dead eye'--coffee with three shots of espresso--on an empty stomach.  This felt like an even bigger rush then that, and it made him want to linger around her for a lot longer, even if she wasn't answering his question.

Then, something went wrong. Something was harshing his mellow, as the stoners would say.  "Eh?" He stares downward, mind a bit groggy from the rush. However, it was exactly because of the lingering rush that he chooses to respond the way he does to the fact that there was currently some otherwordly monstrosity trying to eat him. "PANIC!" It's time to panic! He thought as he moved away from the woman, and slammed himself right into a row of lockers.

Now, why would he do that? Because the way he's slamming himself, he's attempting to squash the creepy crawly, and end its existence between.  Assuming he managed to solve that most immediate of threats, he would take the time to reassess the situation.

His expression was an odd mixture of frown and grin; it kind of resembled the rictus of a corpse. Because hey, he's high as a kite, and panicked, and shit, shit, shit, monsters and mist everywhere. However, something clicks in his head. He can feel something lingering inside himself. He would attempt to draw out that Goblin-esque murderer from within himself,  and send it off into the fray, to butcher and slaughter the creepy-crawlies.

Meanwhile, Al himself would be moving towards the gashes, and attempt to metaphorically 'stitch' them closed.

(Edit: Striked out a word that shouldn't have been there.)

[RainyHigh]

At 2013-09-09 22:49:32, Neela Roland (uid: 45339) rolls: 1d100 Result: 52

Neela Roland
Location: Inside HS
Tagging: Soo-Jin and Al


Neela did see Soo Jin and Al, and at that moment, she remembered Maggie and Robert. They really were here tonight and this was not a dream. It was real-totally freaking real. Neela looked through the dark fog on the corridor and shouted out to Soo Jin, "I hear you! Do you see me?" Neela walked towards Soo Jin's voice, or what she thought was her voice. She was going to find whatever was fighting her and order it to go back to where it came from. If it worked with the man from before maybe, it could work with their other monsters.

"Soo Jin! Maggie and Robert were taken! Al are you ok? Al?" Neela could not spot Al right away. Neela held her hand higher trying to cast her light farther. As she did, she marveled at what she saw--this was unreal. "Did we all get drugged or what?"

[Moraline]

Jin and Neela would meet up with one another in the darkness. Neela's light able to pierce it but only with a force of will could she make it pulse with radiant energy to hold the creepy crawlies from the shadows at bay. They seemed to fear her light and at times a low sizzling sound could be heard when they tried to press close.

Al was nearby, he slammed himself up against a row of lockers, squishing several of the crawlies that were on him. Those things had thick hard carapaces but still crunched in a very satisfactory yet revolting way. When Al attempted to summon his goblin aspect it would appear<Al, insert your own personal special effects>. The short two foot Goblin  not far from him but it seemed content to hop up and down on crawlies. It's long wicked looking blade thrashing about in the air loosely as he bounced <fully under Al's control.>

Al's attention turned to focus on the slashes where the fog spilled from. He was too focused to notice his friends approaching. With concentration fixed on the slash it would close before their eyes <Al, insert your own special effects.>

The three of them would be together again with the light of Neela holding the crawlies at bay. The circle of shadowy swarms all about them.

"Well, done." The ethereal woman spoke as she glided forth into the light. "Very well done indeed. I am so proud of you." She was poised and seemed very relaxed. Her long white hair spilled out and drifted in non-existent breezes, her thin blue dress hugging curves and trailing behind her. It was evident that the crawlies were skittering about in a wide path to avoid her as she moved.

If anyone tried to look her in the eyes, they would see an every changing pattern in them that beckoned to your very soul. In a moment she would see into your heart and you could feel all your inner most secrets being read like the pages of a diary. The presence of her gaze into your soul a euphoric intoxicating drug that had the power to linger for several minutes and make you crave it again. With a strong will and presence of mind you can however turn from her quickly and avoid getting to caught in the lovely gaze.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Inside the school
Tag: Neela, Al, mysterious woman


"No," Jin replied curtly to Neela's question, sounding as if she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She'd seen some terrifying things and feared for her family and friends, but on the other hand she also had to marvel at the impossible powers that she'd somehow acquired. Jin was quite sure that there was no rational way to them, but she did know how she felt while she was summoning her sword and slicing through that monster...and that was incredibly powerful and self-assured.

As her friend's light pierced through the mist, Jin saw Al as well as the critters attacking him and the woman from outside standing nearby, her dress floating as if it were hanging in some invisible body of water. Seeing that Al was busy closing some sort of portal or doorway, Jin instinctively waved her arm and sent a hail of large metal spikes into the ugly, overgrown insects that were scurrying towards him and the goblin, which was apparently on their side now. She understood perfectly, feeling that she could also summon her own monster to do her bidding if she wished it.

Jin's attention then turned to the woman. The woman's beauty and grace both seemed beyond words, but Jin quickly realized that there was something off about her gaze and diverted her eyes. The temptation to look lingered and continued to nag at her, but she forced herself not to, at least not directly into the woman's eyes.

"Can you tell us what's going on?" she asked firmly, getting straight to the point. "What is all this...how is any of it possible?"

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: School Hallway
Tag: The Mysterious Woman, Jin and Neela (mentioned)


One by one, the rips in reality he approached were closed. He pantomimed like he was a surgeon stitching  a deep cut closed; and as he 'drew' the 'stitches', each of the slashes would shrink in size until it was completely gone. Meanwhile, the now empty form of Gwynn ap Nudd would be merrily hacking away at the creepy crawlies, slaying them in absolute silence. His split in concentration meant he could not really focus on anything else, until he was done; he wasn't even fully aware of the help Jin had given him in her own attacks on the insectoid invaders.

Around the time the last of the slashes were closed, the goblin-warrior-thing would just... poof! Gone! Not there any more. And ocne those immediate threats were done with, he took the time to take stock of the situation. He sort of listlessly trailed his way back towards the woman, eventually being joined by Jin and Neela. For the moment, though, Al would take some time to sit down on the ground. Mori was still in his flannel pocket, looking rather unhappy. It was probably too much excitement for the poor fellow.

Al, in the end, wound up ripping off a section of his right shirt sleeve, and would soak it in water from one of the water bottles he had. Then, he'd slowly clean the various bites, cuts, scrapes, and other injuries he had gotten; and also, some of the more obvious bits of creepy-crawly-gore.  He remained fairly quiet. He didn't really say much to Neela or Jin. At first, one might think him just too distracted with tending to himself; but even after he'd done that, he stayed quiet.

His gaze would trail back towards the Mystery Woman. His eyes creeped their way back up her body, like he had before. He wanted to look in her eyes again; that brief rush, short-lived as it was, called out to him. Maybe if he stared long enough into Her eyes, he could forget the wounds that, unlike the bites, would take much, much longer to heal.  But, his eyes don't seem to make it to her face this time around. Instead, they get 'stuck' on her chest. Because let's face it, this is a very pretty woman, and Al is going through puberty. It's probably more surprising he ever made his way to her eyes the first time!

(Edited for typoes.)

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Inside HS
Tagging: Soo-Jin and Al


Neela finally reached Soo Jin and looked around in the darkness noticing that whenever her light touched the critters they would sizzle. Neela frowned and listened to Soo Jin's reply to her question, noting her anger and worry. Soo Jin was the first to notice Al and a woman who was very marvelous. Her hair floated in some strange fashion as if there was no gravity around her. Soo Jin was the first to ask the next question and Neela waited eagerly for answers.

However, just in case Soo Jin's question was not clear before, Neela asked one as well.

"What the fuck is going on at this school?"

[Moraline]

"I'm here to teach you," the woman said to them. "Everything will become clear in time. For now what you need to know is that this place is perilous as I'm sure you have figured out. We must get you out of here."

She looked them all over to see if any would lock eyes with her again a slight smile curling the corners of her lips as she did.

"You are not in your own world. As you now know, you are special. When that special part of you was being called forth it caused a.... Well, we'll call it a fluctuation in the realm between yours and mine. In loose terms it's known as the mistlands and it is as vast as your own. In some ways it's a reflection. However, there is a darkness that seeks to spill out into yours." She draws her hand back in a sweeping gesture to where Al had just closed the tears in reality.

"I've come to you because I am to be your ... Shall we call it, Fairy Godmother. Yes, I think that's a suitable title. Please just call me, Godmother. I shall endeavor to lead you out of here but on one condition. You keep these horrid creatures from spilling out into your world. Do we have a deal? And please, you must all agree or I simply am unable to help which means we might lose you to the darkness."

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Inside the school
Tag: Mysterious woman


Fairy Godmother? Jin thought to herself, somehow finding that even more absurd than all of the other unexplainable things that she'd just seen since waking up an hour or two ago. She crossed her arms over her chest, taking on a somewhat defensive posture.

"So you're saying that we don't really have a choice other than to listen to you, right? How do we know that you're telling the truth?" Jin questioned the woman. That feeling that she'd gotten when their gazes had crossed for but a fraction of a second still lingered in the back of her mind and made her weary about trusting the strange woman.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: School Hallway
Tag: Godmother, Jin, Neela (technically)


Okay. They went off to a mystical magical land because they're special, and this woman is their Fairy Grandmother. Honestly, he's seen worse plot lines than this in video games that supposedly had a good storyline; and to be fair, his quick generalization wasn't entirely fair.  He shrugged his shoulders, his gaze venturing away from her chest, and seeming like they'd make contact with her own eyes, but at the last minute he looks b ack down to the little kitten in his pocket. He slowly pet Mori on the forehead, feeling kind of bad he's been going through all this.

"Hey," he'd say to Jin, "She's done more good than harm so far. It's a shitty situation, but it's not her fault." Then his attention turned back to the woman. He avoids eye contact, but also avoids staring lewdly. Apparently, he was not too keen to get another 'high' from her. At least, not right now. " I'm up for it. That seems fair to me. Besides," he'd look back to Jin again, "Would you want any of your friends to wind up getting munched on by these creepy crawlies because they found a way out? As you can see from all the damned bites on me, they're not exactly benevolent." He sounded pretty damn confident. But of them all, there was one other besides Al who would know just how difficult it was for him to speak in such a way.

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Inside HS
Tagging: Soo-Jin and Al, Godmother


"Are we ... what?" Neela was at a loss. This whole situation was bizarre. The light from her hands began to fade and she looked on as the darkness crept closer to everyone. "I accept it, even if this is a dream, I accept it. We need to get out of here." Neela looked to the others, adrenaline pumping through her blood and then to the mysterious woman.  What did she mean by darkness creeping into their light? Was it more demons from this world that wanted them ... dead?

[Moraline]

Godmother turned to Jin, "You don't know that I'm telling the truth and you may go on your own if you wish. This is a trial for you all and today you will live or you will not. As for me, I am Fae. All of those things you see around you are Fae. This is the barrier of our world in flux with yours. They are colliding and bleeding into one another. Some of us will assist you and others will try to destroy you. Certainly you've read a fairy tail before. They are not just stories, not all true but not all stories."

"I am unable to interfere with your transition until you strike a deal with me. It is a law bound by blood so long ago it's origins are long forgotten. It was formed by a group in your world known as the Council of Venice. They are like you and able to at times make contact with my lands but they have better control then you do. Once you have returned to your homes they will make contact with you but until then you are in my realm. I can either help you or not but we must have a bargain struck and all must agree to it." Her face had returned to a state of unemotional composure and her posture remained almost regal in it's baring.

As Godmother spoke she reached out to caress the cheeks of both Neela and Al if they let her. Her gestures slow and non-threatening. Much like a mother reaching out to lovingly stroke the cheeks of her children. If they let her touch them there would be a refreshing tingling sensation trickling through their bodies. It's remnants giving them a small boost of energy like a refreshing cup of cool liquid on a hot summers day and at the same time it was somehow reassuring.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Inside the school
Tag: Al, Neela, Mysterious woman


Jin set her sights on Al and shot daggers (only proverbial ones, this time) at him with her eyes when he spoke up. "Sorry if I'm not stupid enough to believe anything I hear," she remarked sharply. "And what good did she do, anyways? She could have at least warned us instead of just standing outside in the fog and letting us walk into this mess blindly."

Then Neela voiced her own opinion, which to Jin sounded even more foolish than Al's, who'd at least attempted to back his up with some sort of argument even if it was a weak one. Jin liked Neela, they were pretty okay friends and got along well mostly. but right now she felt quite annoyed with her soccer teammate. What was even more frustrating was realizing that nothing that she could say would make the other two see reason and at least stop to think things through before accepting the mysterious woman's deal...not after she'd reached out and touched them.

She really didn't know what to do other than stand there speechless and feeling helpless, still very wary of committing to any sort of pact without any sort of assurance.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: School Hallway
Tag: Godmother, Jin, Neela (technically)

"Who says I believe?" He asked Jin, seemingly impervious to the way in which she stared at him. In truth, he was actually kind of worried by that look, but it's instinctual for him to not actually display outwardly what he's feeling inwardly. Showing weakness, from his experience, just lead to aggression against him.  "She helped me deal with Gwynn ap Nudd." He answered her question about what good had the 'Godmother' done.

Truth was, Al didn't fully trust their Godmother, either, but then again, he had a hard time trusting anyone.  He'd just accept things now, and if things went south, he'd rely on his cat-like wit to get out of the situation.

He felt her hand upon his face, and it was only because of the slow manner in which she moved that he didn't flinch away. When he felt another sort of rush from her, he became further conflicted. This felt good, and he's not used to feeling good. Part of him wonders if this is not some sort of trap; but mostly, he wanted to actually get closer, and stick around her longer. He felt safe around her. And that was a rare, rare thing to this particular child.

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Inside HS
Tagging: Soo Jin Al, Godmother


Neela listened to her classmates and their disbelief. To be honest, Neela did not believe any of this was true. This whole situation seemed like one strange nightmare. And she wanted out. This woman was offering it. What were they going to do? Stay here in the fae realm forever? Or get back to their home world where everything was closer to normal. Neela could have sworn she felt one of the giant centipedes brush by her foot and scooted closer to the group.

When their Godmother touched her face, Neela felt calmer--but once the connection broke nervousness sank right back into the bottom of her stomach, making her palms sweat.

[Moraline]

Godmother laughed lightly, the sound like the chime of delicate silver bells. She gave Jin a small wink. "Such a strong will you have. I'm sure that it is going to serve you well. Come along with me or don't. Even if you don't agree to the terms of my bargain I am still free to walk these lands and you are free to follow if it pleases you."

She strode off into the darkness. Well, to say strode would be too physically real a descriptor for such an ethereal woman and nothing was entirely real about her. It was more like a gentle unearthly glide with some minor hip sway and leg movement. Her hair and dress continuing to flutter in the unfelt currents of air.

Darkness parted around her. Her light now seemed brighter. She glowed radiantly as she flowed off into it. If they followed the things in the dark would part around them like they did for Neela's light. If they did not follow the darkness would soon close back in around them, it's presence returning with oppressive weight.

If they followed off into the darkness they would soon come to a crumbled hall where it opened up to the outside about a hundred feet to the roadside, a bit of rubble strewn about before them. If they followed her or not they would then hear her speak again, "You know it surprises me that you don't have more questions. Perhaps the next time we meet you will, yes?  ...Oh, Would you like to see what is happening inside your homes where you came from. Although I cannot cross there I can remove the veil so you might see." If anyone was at her side they might catch the corners of her lips curl with a delighted smile as she spoke, her composure and serene facade quickly returning.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Inside the school
Tag: Al, Mysterious woman


"Good for you," Jin snapped back at Al, growing increasingly annoyed with him and with the whole situation in general. "Was that before or after she let you walk into a bunch of things trying to kill you?"

Her lips pursed slightly and her frown deepened at the sound of the woman's laughter and her patronizing remarks. It make Jin not want to follow her just out of defiance now on top of not being sure if she could be trusted, which at first she did. As the light radiating from the woman distanced itself and Jin heard the slithering and scuttering all around her begin close in on her, however, she decided that perhaps it wasn't worth it...

Huffing silently to herself, she hurried after the others to catch up before following several paces behind until they made it back outside and stopped.

We might have more questions if you had better answers...Jin thought to herself, but for once kept her thoughts to herself. She was more concerned with making sure that her parents were okay at the moment. "Yes, show us."

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: School Hallway
Tag: Godmother, Jin, Neela (technically)


"Before." He commented almost immediately to her.  She might think maybe he missed the full impact of her comment, but in truth, he received it loud and clear; he simply chose to keep his thoughts to himself on this matter. However, his answer is with a sort of nonchalance, that made it seem as if he did not care. Was that part of his facade, too? Was that truth? Or was he just having a literal contact high, and this is how it made him become? It would be hard to say. probably the only one capable of ever knowing would be this fabled Godmother of theirs, if she managed to make eye contact with him again.

"Good luck dealing with the creepies." He'd say to Jin, in what would seem to be a genuine and sincere hope that she will be okay. Al, meanwhile, would go trailing off after the ghostly woman, following her much like a stray puppy might follow the first person to show him a bit of kindness. He was honestly not surprised, however, when he heard the other girl running to catch up with them.

"I have a question, actually. Why did you decide to make us feel buzzed?" He didn't ask how, but why. He would like to know how, but 'why' seemed more important at the moment.

When they eventually get to the spot where the Godmother stopped, he would stare around at their surroundings, slowly stroking the forehead of a now sleeping kitten, still contentedly resting in his shirt pocket. He bristled a bit when the Mysterious Woman offered to show them what was going on elsewhere... If he were a cat, one might expect his back to be arched, ears pressed flat to his head, and hissing with spit flying everywhere. Instead, he just has a surly tone to his voice. "I don't give a damn about any of them." As the Godmother--and perhaps a few other students-- knew, Al has had several homes in his life. He didn't care to see any of them.

Instead, he winds up finding a safe spot to just settle down on the ground. He takes a granola bar from one of his pockets, and unwraps it. Staring at it, he thought for a moment. "Anybody else hungry? I brought a few more. Got some water, too..." If anybody answered in the affirmative, he'd give them one. The bars he had were all 'oats and honey'. Once any requests were satisfied, he'd partake in his snack. Seemed like as good a time as any to take a break, after all, and he ahd the distinct feeling they might not get another chance to rest any time soon.

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Inside HS
Tagging: Everyone


Neela started to walk forward turning to glance at Soo Jin to make sure she was following their little parade into weirdo and was relieved to see Soo Jin following, albeit pissed off--but pissed off was better than trapped. Wasn't it? Neela looked at the hallway as it started to deteriorate and they made it to the roadside, bits of torn up things at their feet. The Godmother spoke again in her cryptic yet comforting expression asking each child if they wanted to see what was happening in their homes. Al said he did not give a damn about any of his families, but Neela thought different.

"You can see any part of the world?" Neela asked at the mention of seeing their families. Neela loved her mother and father, but she always wondered what happened to her birth parents that gave her up for adoption. Were they alive still? Were they healthy? Were they at peace with her being thousands of miles away from them? Neela would ask herself these questions every now and then too afraid to ask her adoptive parents about it. She loved her mother and father and didn't want to hurt their feelings. But she had to admit it was eating a hole through her stomach right now--the possibilities.

Neela swallowed hard and then heard Al ask everyone about their hunger. "I'm not really hungry, but that might be due to shock. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't eat."

[Moraline]

Godmother spoke in response to the voices around her. Her delicate hand raised one slender finger  to address Jin's concerns. "I was not here before. What you saw was my presence pressing into these mistlands. The darkness was exerting it's will to keep me out but I'll return to that in a moment. So it was, I that guided you to escape before the dark mists swallowed you as it did your friends."

Al said, "I have a question, actually. Why did you decide to make us feel buzzed?"

"You are referring to the side effects of my presence." Godmother smiled warmly at Al. "This form is merely an aspect of my being made to form here. The arcane energies used to manifest it and give it power creates a sort of vibration. When you look to long or interact directly with my being you will be drawn to it like a moth to a flame. My energy is like that of the sun when compared to a humans. It's also said by some that if you stare to long you may never turn away. I suspect your wills are too strong for that to happen to you, fear not."

Without realizing it the group had walked a few steps and were suddenly much further away. In front of Jin's home to be precise.  "Come here," She gestured for Jin to approach. "I can not take you there from here but I can clear away the veil. She waved her hand and the darkness cleared like the fog from a mirror. On the other side of the cleared view was a dark night but with the sounds of traffic in the background, street lights glowing brightly and Jin's home clearly displayed.  "Follow me," Godmother stepped to the home and the cleared view hovered in front of her as she moved. Then she stepped up and opened the door and entered. The dark emptiness of where they were now all around them but in front in that small cleared window that Godmother had created it all remained alive and brighter. She would lead them all through the home until they came to the hallway where Jin's bedroom would be.

"Steel yourself child." Godmother's tone was serious. "This will not be what you want to see."  She turned and the cleared view turned with her to show the hallway. In front of Jin's bedroom door her family all sat on their knees bowing before the closed door. On the door handle hung what looked like a twisted twig voodoo doll. More disturbing was a symbol painted on the door that glowed under a blacklight held in Jin's father's hand. It was crudely drawn with a circle, multipointed star of one continuous line and other squiggled symbols. Her mother beside the father was mumbling a quite chant.

Godmother spoke again, "Each one of your families are doing this at this very moment. They prey to the darkness to come take you and fold you into it's embrace. To give them strength and to let the darkness flood back into your world with you. I came to you to ensure that doesn't happen. When you finally make your bargain with me to agree to fight back this darkness and it's creatures and I send you home you will be able to see this for yourself."

Turning to Neela she said, "As you can see, I am only able to see through the veil. We must be at the location that you wish to view for this to occur."

"Al, it was you who allowed me to enter and be seen here with you. While all of your families are forcing you into the darkness it gives the darkness power - This is how you came to face your aspects made form. You defeated them and made that embodiment yours to wield. Al found his strength and stepped through the barrier into my realm then out again, creating a weak point that I could force myself fully through to join you. This is how we all come to stand here now.   ...And while we stand here talking your friends have been drawn further into the darkness and struggle to not get swallowed. If you are all done questioning what is before you, then we should continue so you might help them get home or else we lose them to darkness."

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: In front of her house (kind of?)
Tag: Al, Neela, Mysterious woman


Jin mostly ignored Al and Neela, keeping her eyes trained on the woman in blue, except for her eyes, and listening intently to what she had to say. Despite her earlier doubts and cautiousness, she did sort of feel like the woman was telling the truth, but then again maybe she only wanted to believe that because it was easier.

Regardless, she followed after the woman with hardly any hesitation, feeling increasingly concerned about the welfare of her parents after everything that she'd just heard. When Jin was warned that she wouldn't like what she saw, she didn't take it lightly, but still she thought that she was ready to see whatever it was...she was wrong.

Of course, she didn't know the exact details of what her parents were doing there in front of her door, but she could clearly discern that it was something very wrong. A sudden wave of smothering heat washed over her as a knot caught in her throat. She took half a step toward the window that "Godmother" had opened before hesitating and finally taking two steps back instead.

"Wh......What is that? What are they doing?!" Jin asked apprehensively, eyes widening and filling with tears. She quickly turned away from everyone else so that they wouldn't see, feeling absolutely torn between wanting to go back home to get an explanation from her parents and never wanting to see them again.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: School Hallway
Tag: Godmother, Jin (technically), Neela


He wondered to himself, if that meant that her true form, then, was not as she appeared. Part of him wondered at what it might be, then. Part of him decided not knowing might be better, though.  This whole thing is making him think of Lovecraft, one of his favorite horror writers.

He would offer Neela one of the granola bars, and a water bottle, because of her answer. But then, his attention went back to The Mysterious Woman, which, silly as he could b e, he decided sounded cooler than Godmother.  Originally, he wasn't even going to watch what was going on with Jin's family, but the warning caught his interest.

"So, so, wait. W-wait." The scene was actually enough to get Al's facade to crumble, and reveal his confusion, his fear... and that deep reservoir of hate and anger he had, which he tried to hide more than anything else. His voice was rich with the medley of emotions, blended together into a sort of cacophonous disharmony. "All of our families?"  His hands were balled up into fists.

A moment of quiet. Just one. "You said I could step through... can I pop back over to our world? You know, where they all are? Can I crash the party with the fear mask?" He wasn't sure if the girls had seen the fear mask, or if there was a more appropriate name, but that's what he's choosing to think of it as and call it.

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Inside HS
Tagging: Everyone


The Godmother took them to Soo Jin's home and brought us to her bedroom where her parents were chanting, performing a ritual for Soo Jin to be kept in the darkness. She was a sacrifice meant to make them stronger. Neela's stomach turned sour and tears crept from her eyelids and down her face as she watched Soo Jin's family turn ... to something horrible.

Al spoke up first, saying that he would like to go back to the human realm and put an end to their ritual, their lies. Oddly, Neela wanted to back him up. She was not one to attack people--she had never been in a fight where fist were thrown in her life.

"This is sick Godmother. Can't you stop them?" Neela asked loudly. Her thought then turned to Ms. and Mr. Roland eyes going wide.

"Did they plan to sacrifice us from the very start? For their sick demented wants?" Neela was becoming more agitated than sad now, anger searing its way down her throat. Neela wanted to see her birth parents; surely, they were not the same. Then the Godmother told her they have to be in the location to see across the veil. She had nowhere to begin to make that happen.

[Moraline]

The woman with white hair, the so called Fairy Godmother waved her hand again and closed the veil.

"Wh......What is that? What are they doing?!" Jin asked apprehensively, eyes widening and filling with tears.

Godmother said, "Steel yourself and be strong. They cannot break you if you don't allow them to." She turned to begin walking again. "They are casting a spell the same as all of your families are doing. They draw on the well of your energy to bring it out of you as bait for the dark. There they mean to twist your.... we'll say souls. The desire is to bring out your powers then let a demon fae merge with you to let darkness have your power."

She turned to Al and Neela as she glided along, hopefully with everyone following. "You are not strong enough to break into your own realm yet, it takes a circle of power to do that." 

"This is sick Godmother. Can't you stop them?" Neela asked loudly. "Did they plan to sacrifice us from the very start? For their sick demented wants?"

Godmother smiles and reached out to stroke Neela shoulder gently. It would give the girl a soothing cool tingly sensation if she did not move away from the touch. "As I said in the beginning. I can't interfere unless a bargain is reached between us. My terms are simple, agree to fight the dark wherever it is found. Then I will be able to send you all home." 

She would turn her head then move down the street. "We must be quick. Your other friends are in great peril now."   

The mournful call of a horn would sound. It's call distant and tugging at the strings of their hearts. It was more then sound it was emotion given volume. Godmother's chin would turn up and in the direction of it. She let out a sigh and without waiting for anyone she would move off that way swift enough that others would need to run to keep up.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: In front of her house (kind of?)
Tag: Al, Neela, Mysterious woman


"Send up back home to what?" Jin asked dejectedly. "You just said that our parents are trying to...to sacrifice us to demons." She could hardly even believe the words coming out of her own mouth, but after everything that she'd just seen tonight, it actually seemed possible, and in her heart she knew that it was true. She'd had enough bad dreams to be able to tell with certainty that this wasn't one of them, not even close.

Jin felt crushed. Her legs were heavy as if they were made of cement, but when the white haired woman began to move away after that sad, magnetic horn call, she felt compelled to follow. If the others were in danger, then Jin had to at least try to help them, and doing anything would be better than sitting around alone with her thoughts, replaying the scene that she'd just witnessed through the Godmother's 'window' over and over.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: School Hallway
Tag: Godmother, Jin, Neela

"Send us back to deal with them...and who the fuck knows. Take care of ourselves. I'm gonna just disappear. Any cat outside his first coat of fur can take care of himself." Though his voice started off as initially quite sharp, and a clear expression of his anger and frustration, that last sentence, that little witticism or whatever one wanted to call it, had a touch of humor. Partly, it was something he believed. Partly, he was trying to defuse his own ticking time bomb of rage with humor. Oddly enough, while one might accuse Al of being overconfident or outright arrogant, his apparent statement of being able to take care of himself seems to have come, not from arrogance or a misunderstanding as to the difficulties of such a task, but rather a quiet confidence.

Their Godmother, as she referred to herself, might have caught glimpses in his mind; times he had to figure out how to make his own dinner, and some times, even when he was really young, of having to try and take care of his birth mother,  because he wasn't the only one being beaten.  She might even have seen some of the books and articles he reads, thoughts he's had about 'disappearing' before.  That comment of his was not even half as off-handed as it may seem.

When the horn can be heard, he shudders a bit. Mori, the cute little black kitten, whines quietly, being disturbed as well.  Al, while giving the kitten what little comfort he could, with soft strokes behind the ears, would follow after the Mysterious Woman; and actually come to be by her side, a foot or so away from her. Quite suddenly, and without any fanfare whatsoever, that sword-wielding goblin-thing would just appear, walking right beside Al.

No, wait, it's not walking beside him. Or, not any more. The little critter is gaining speed, and moving ahead of them all.  Al, meanwhile, has this sort of far-off look in his eyes, as he's paying more attention to what Gwynn ap Nudd is seeing, his human body moving on something more akin to autopilot.

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Inside HS
Tagging: Everyone


The Godmother told all the children again that they would have to make a pact with her, a promise to stop all the evil fae creatures whenever they saw them. Now that Neela knew exactly what kind of crazy she was dealing with, she was not so gunho on accepting such a promise. It was too much responsibility for one kid to carry.

When the Godmother touched Neela's face, Neela did not pull away. She instantly felt a cool calmness wash over her causing her anxiousness to fade away. Neela sighed heavily, relaxed and looked at the Godmother strangely. The Godmother's magic was something special. The Godmother turned and began walking down the street away from the home of Soo Jin's family.

"We must be quick. Your other friends are in great peril now."

Neela's heart quickened at the warning and when the horn went off, she felt her stomach drop in fear. What would become of their classmates if they did not get to them in time? Picking up her pace, Neela followed the trio of magic wielders feeling her own demon inside of her. He was itching for a fight but Neela was not the sort. Neela was a peaceful person; she wanted what was best for everyone. She cooled the hatred with another calming breath following the others quietly.

[Moraline]

The little Goblin Fae Aspect formerly known as, Gwynn ap Nudd, no doubt was happily hopping along squashing insects. When Al would see through the Goblin's eyes things were clearer, brighter - much like viewing the world through polarized sun glasses. Only these glasses cut through the mist and dark.  The little Goblin would arrive at a chain link fence with a hole in it that led to a place most locals called the barrens. A derelict old train station with a couple crumbling buildings, a few old train cars, but mostly large open fields with abandoned tracks.

Godmother turned to Al and smiled as the little Goblin ran off into the distance. "My what big eyes you have," she whispered softly.  "Has he found it? You will need to slice a hole from there into the dark realms so we may crossover and find your friends."

She glided about the group as they made their way closer to it. Stopping near Neela she offered her a light hug and spoke softly, "There... there... You are in control now. Of it, of your life. Great things will come of your strength."

Then sliding along to Jin she offered her a hand, if the girl did not take it she would continue to walk along silently beside her until they arrived at the fence.



OOC:   ((Maggie and Robert rejoin the main group from over here(click).))

If Al wills it he can slice into the Dark's realm. The moment that he does, the sound of a roaring freight train will pour through along with a wash of extremely thick acrid (yet cold) mist.  Insectoids the size of small cats will pour through as well.

Neela can use her light orb to seer them and drive them skittering away into the darkness.

You'll begin to hear the voices of your friends as well in their. The voice of Maggie yelling for Robert to hang on and that help is on the way.

Jin can summon her Fae Aspect, her sword and shield and go kick some demonic insectoid ass for the group of you to slog your way through to the swirling vortex past the buildings and out in the field.

Godmother will stand back and usher the group through the opening into the Dark realm, she will hang back and observe as they approach.

Summary:
(Posting order doesn't matter this time = Whoever posts first, just make the assumption that the others are going to do their thing and make your way forward to the Vortex where Maggie and Al are inside of it.)

@Al - Cut a hole into the dark realm, use your goblin to hack and slash.

@ Jin - You and your Fae Aspect, kick some ass.

@ Neela - Use your light to hold the dark at bay and seer the things that get too close to the group. You can also use your Aspect to hack and slash or he too can hold up an orb of light.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: The Barrens
Tag: Godmother, Jin, Neela


This was neat. He was rather pleased with how he could do this.  He wondered if he'd be able to do this in the 'real' world; but, even if he could, he thought, he wouldn't, because that would just invite trouble. And he didn't like trouble.

When the goblin gets to the fence, Al actually wills it to try and hack through the physical barrier, with its sword. However, when he hears the Mysterious Woman, the goblin disappeared. "Like before?" He'd ask. As he drew closer to the barrens, he would stop for a moment, and bend down to the ground, as if looking at something. And then, his hand slowly traced its way up into the air, as if it were gliding against some invisible object; though there wasn't one there.

What was he doing? 'Drawing' an outline of a door. Afterwards, he pantomimes 'opening' the imaginary door; and this real sized 'door' actually turns into the very real 'hole' that would allow them to go into the Dark Realm. The burst of horrendous smelling, cold mist would come gushing out of the entry, along with the deafening roar of a train... and those god damned, miserable little creepy-crawlies. Though he felt an acute fear and desire to turn right around and run away, he manages to will himself to stay; to hang back, close to Neela. It was more out of a desire to not show his fear than anything else. Crazy as it was, he was afraid of people seeing that he was afraid.

Once through, he would summon the goblin Aspect again. He'd hang back, while using his little marionette to go on a killing spree with its sword, hacking and slicing, and even cackling on occasion.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: The dark realm
Tag: Al, Neela, Godmother


After the awful thing that she'd just seen, Jin felt very alone and lost all of a sudden, so for the first time she dropped her suspicious and defensive attitude and took Godmother's hand when it was offered. The sensation immediately gave her goosebumps and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up - in a good way. Strange, but good. It was like a gentle static coursing through her muscles and over her flesh, if only static could be frozen and refreshing, which made no sense, but then again neither did any of what was going on.

But they kept being rushed along from one thing to the next, so for the time being Jin had no choice but to accept this new, twisted reality for what it was until she could get better answer. She followed Godmother and the others to the fence, only letting go of the woman's hand once more of those insectoid creatures began spilling out of a portal that Al was creating. Jin hadn't had a problem dealing with them back at the school, so she didn't see why she would now. Luckily for her, she wasn't afraid of bugs. In fact, spiders had even been her favorite animal for a year or two when she was younger before being replaced by the slow loris.

This time when she summoned her sword and shield, they were more refined than before and better matched to her size. And then she summoned the Demon Aspect or whatever it was that she'd vanquished earlier, which was when things got tricky. It was like Jin suddenly had a second - no, two extra sets of eyes in her mind, which was disorienting to say the least. Her Aspect stood motionless beside her for the time that it took her to separate its vision from her own, but then it came to life when she finally willed it to.

The fog coming through the newly opened portal was noxious, but Jin managed to fight through it, breathing in through her mouth more than her nose as much as possible. Together with her aspect, she would cover either flank of the small group made up of Al, Neela and Godmother while they made their way through the portal and beyond, knocking away or slaying any creature that braved Neela's light and attempted to attack them.

"How many of these are there?" she asked Godmother after a short while, sweat already trickling down her brow from having repelled at least two dozen of the insectoids. "Infinite?"

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: Near the Portal
Tagging: Everyone


As Neela followed the others, she watched Al's goblin run ahead as if to survey their surroundings through the portal. Neela noticed Al hanging back, waiting for her and she smiled at him showing her thankfulness. Then ... the bugs returned. They were giant bugs, of course and Neela gasped when she saw Soo Jin summon her weapons with magic to hack and slice through the carnage that attacked them. Feeling she should do something to help the others and herself, Neela raised both her hands letting her power shine through her hands and onto the bug, creatures causing any that came close to her light to sizzle and fry. Neela made sure to keep up with the others and stay close as they crossed through the portal.

How many of these are there?

Soo Jin asked the Godmother. Neela thought that was an excellent question considering that the bugs never let up their attack. There were always two more for everyone that died.

[London]

Robert Long
Location:The Barrens
Tag:Everyone


“I’m ok…” he told Maggie, “The pain and fear has passed. He’s with me now. I think I can keep the vortex up a while longer… I just hope whatever answers your call for help gets here soon.” Angry from the pain and fear he had felt through the Elemental, he focused that anger into controlling the vortex, keeping it spinning and destroying the insects.

Watching as yet another of the insect was torn apart, Robert didn’t miss that it had made it a little closer before flying into pieces. Robert couldn’t help but hope that the help would be a little faster in coming. Listening as the sound of the train, he couldn’t help but think of the sound the elemental made when they first got there. As the vortex spun around them, “Maggie… Blow harder… I’m not sure how much longer I can keep it going…”

Swallowing as the vortex collapsed, the sound of the train falling away as the darkness moves closer to them, Robert heard Jin’s voice asking how many of the insects they had to go through. Standing up, Robert waved his arms as he yelled to the others, “Jin… Al… We’re here…” Seeing the insects moving closer to them and their fellow classmates, Robert felt a wave of energy wash over him as the Elemental became part of him.

Dirt on the ground around them started to spin as the wind once again started to blow. Moving closer to Maggie, “Don’t move yet…” he said softly as they wind picked up. The sound of the train started to build to a deafening roar as debris started to fly into the air around Maggie and Robert. Rising from the ground behind them, the funnel of a tornado started to form. Growing to the height of 9 foot, the funnel started to change into a humanoid figure. Swatting insect from behind them, the figure moved around the two teens before moved closer to the others, clearing a path while ripping the insects into pieces.

As the elemental moved through the insects, throwing the legs and bodies of the insects in all directions, Robert turned to look back toward the brook. “Maggie we have company…” he said pointing in the direction, “There’s someone on top of a boxcar… And a light of some kind in the brook…”

[Ixy]

Maggie Foss
Location: The dark realm, open field of the barrens
Tag: All

Maggie raises the horn to her lips before stopping, her eyes wide and staring, as the others arrive.  "They're here--" she stays close by Robert, her back against his now as he rises with the elemental and pushes back at the darkness.  Even in the eye of the rising storm, the wind is enough to fly about her red hair and flap the loose sleeves and collar of her over-sized, denim jacket.

When Robert points out the figure atop the box cars, she springs to life.  "That's her!  Has to be--"  She immediately stoops to the ground, long fingers patting gently along the ground as she gathers up *something* from the ground, several of them, cradling whatever it is as if it is delicate before hurriedly scooping them into her pockets.  "Can you push one more time, Robert?  Throw them back as far as you can--" she presses her cheek next to his so he can hear her.  "We HAVE to get to her, all of us.  It's the only way out!"

[Moraline]

Godmother glided quickly through the portal. "The dark is limitless," she said as the others around her fought against the Fae of the dark. Robert's great elemental vortex smashed a path close to them and with the help of the others they broke though the lines of insectoids trying to close back in.

Godmother said to Robert and Maggie, "Did you find the way out? Can you see the light? We must get you all there quickly."  She looked from side to side but was still a short distance from the pair and was unable to see the brook or it's light. Nor did she see the dark figure on top of the abandoned train car a short distance away.

There came a silence. All of the skittering and snicker snapping of insectoids halted. The mists backed up and seemed to clear a bit.

"Quickly, Al. Close the gate behind us!" Godmother spoke frantically.

The dark figure on the distant boxcar drifted off of it and began to slowly fly over to the group.

"Lights, we need light and you all must swear to fight the dark at every turn. Each of you, say the words - I swear." Godmother said. Then she turned to face the dark floating figure with her hands raised slightly in front of her.

[London]

Robert Long
Location:The Barrens
Tag:Everyone


“Maggie… I don’t think that’s help,” he said pointing toward the boxcar and the dark figure. “I can see the other’s over there. They are working their way toward us… I’m not sure who that is but I don’t like the looks of how calm it is with these bugs attacking us.”

Seeing the godmother for the first time, Robert was taken aback by her for a moment before answering her question. “There’s a light over by the brook… But someone else is over there too. It’s a dark figure…” he said before taking a deep breath, “And he’s flying this way…”

Moving the Elemental’s vortex between them and the flying figure, “If that blue light is the way out we should get going before these insects decide to continue their attack…” Keeping the Elemental’s eyes on the dark figure, “Maggie… Now might be a good time to try that thing you did at the school… You know the one that cleared the path for us…” he said more then a little scared.

Looking at godmother, “If it’ll get us out of here then fine I swear…”

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: The Barrens
Tag: Everybody


Paying full attention to everything around him was a bit of a rush. He chose to barely respond to the others, instead forcing himself to maintain focus with his own senses, and those of his Aspect. Controlling himself, and it, at the same time, resulted in a sort of jerky movement on Gwynn ap Nudd's part; its movements became crude and exaggerated, like a marionette being toyed with by a novice.

He tried to maintain its use while also doing his 'stitching' of the portal shut. Maybe he didn't need to go through the physical actions; maybe he could just will it shut. But he found the physical act itself as an excellent way to focus his power.  Maybe everybody was like that; or maybe it was a sort of learning curve, something he'd be able to ditch later on, once he had more practice in.

About halfway through his 'stitching', the goblin would disappear, as he realized it was not quite needed at the moment.  His work would then be finished much more quickly than it had been started. Afterwards, he'd turn his attention to their Godmother. "I swear."

His attention would turn towards the figure that seemed to be approaching them. Al got the impression said figure was likely not a good thing, based on how everybody seemed to be reacting. So, he tried something. He didn't move away from the group too much, just enough to make sure no one was incidentally looking at his face. He'd trail his left hand over his face, and when the appendage cleared it, he was wearing the Fear Mask again.

Everything felt fear, right? That's what he was hoping. He was hoping that, even at this distance, by focusing his gaze in on the figure, with the Fear Mask activated, he could send it fleeing; or at least delay its approach, make it hesitant.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: The dark realm
Tag: Everyone


Jin wouldn't have believed that things could get any more insane or chaotic, but she would have been wrong. First the portal, the bugs and the fog, but now added to that came the sounds of a horn, a train, and last but not least some sort of tornado coming towards them. In the eye of the tornado she could see the two people that had somehow been lifted from her memory earlier, but she could recall everything now. At least the vaguely humanoid shaped tornado seemed to be under their control, perhaps like Al's goblin or her own monster Aspect thing.

Godmother's panicked tone legitimately frightened Jin, however. Even when she'd been rushing them along earlier, the white haired woman had never sounded anywhere near as concerned as she did now, which told Jin that things were bad, probably worse than they appeared. And it most likely had something to do with that dark figure that was floating their way.

A large blade suddenly sprouted out of the side of her buckler as she spun around and slashed another leaping insect in half, using the shield as a second sword now whenever it wasn't needed for defense. Then Jin and her Aspect both pivoted back towards the Godmother in perfect synchronization. "I swear!" Jin shouted without any hesitation this time, her instincts of self-preservation telling her that it was the right move to make before she turned back to fend off the onslaught of creepy crawlies, her Aspect doing the same. 

[Ixy]

Maggie Foss
Location: The dark realm, open field of the barrens
Tag: All

Remembering the agony of Cern's moments on this plane, Maggie can't shake the chill of death-- the one certainty for a mere mortal, whatever gift or shared aspect Cern has given over to her-- is that there is certainly an end.  There was never an alternative... but Maggie feels that, what choice she makes now will carry through, in service to these beings that cheat death and reality to exist in these strange realms of dark and light.  Now, she must 'freely' swear to the only hope she has of survival in this realm... but is also the thing that brought her here?

The godmother's figure of light that looms over them, thrusting up her powers in their defense, like an angelic totem of all that is pure... the fae cradled in Maggie's pocket, strange and pure in their delicateness and simplistic devotion, adored this woman and rejoiced at her presence.  That kinship that she felt to Cern and to the little spirits with him-- it's like the woman is already in her blood, creeping her way into her life like the dawn-light over frozen fields, only now breaching the horizon though her light was known long before.

Yet, somehow, Maggie looks once more at the dark woman, bent only on consuming, on spreading... a cancer of twisting horrors that finds glee in torment.

Maggie, suddenly, hates them both with a certainty deep and violent, for yes, the gods are at play with their mortal toys, and Maggie- by fate or error- has become the lingering, bleeding mouse of two cruel and amused cats.  "Fine," she says, cold and steady in her stare at the godmother.  "I swear."

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location : The Barrens
Tagging : Everyone


Neela followed behind Soo Jin closely and jumped at the sound of the train. Heart rate racing, Neela listened to the Godmother's plea for them to move faster and swear their allegiance to fight the darkness. Neela responded by raising her hands in the air, and letting her light shine through the darkness as best as she could.

Neela shouted loudly almost in time with the other kids, "I swear!" Neela took a step backwards and fell over something on the ground. On her bottom, she looked up at the dark figure coming towards the group, immediately she raised one of her hands and shone her light directly at the figure, curious to see what it was. "I swear."

[Moraline]

The moment the last of them said the words, "I Swear," godmother's smile returned and her serene veneer took over. She was calm, in control and began to radiate energy that caused the insectoids crawling from the dark to suddenly shrivel up as if under the magnifying glasses.

A raspy sounding voice floated in the wind. It said something in an unintelligible language. Maggie would instinctively understand it though - her link to the Fae giving her a gift of communication. "I will have them all."

Godmother calmly walked over to the brook and the light in the water began to glow even brighter, the waters parted to reveal a shimmering set of steps that appeared to descend into blue sky. "There is a barrier between the mistlands and yours. If you cut here you can step through and you will find yourselves home again. This is your final step everyone... Leave now."



If Al would open the barrier then those stepping through would find themselves on the edge of the Barrens. The mist would be gone, the dawn was rising and off in the distance was the hum of city life. It was just them, no godmother, no dark figures, no insectoids, and nothing foreboding or menacing. Just the warmth of a fall morning.

Important OOC

Important OOC:

After you've made your next round of posts, send me a PM with how you personally see your arcane abilities working.
What sort of things you can see your character able to do currently as well as what you'd like to see them be able to do in the near future. Also if the spells have names, then give them names for me.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: The Barrens
Tag: Everybody


The Mask didn't seem to work at the moment. Oh well. He would 'put it away', and move back towards the group, once he heard Godmother speaking. Thatw as just as well; he'd prefer to get out of here, more than anything else.

With the intuitive understanding he's picked up along the way, it was easy enough for him to open the barrier.  he would linger behind, though, choosing to be the last of them to pass through; he was afraid of any of them being trapped and stuck behind, to face a fate likely worse than death. And, there was something else bothering him, too. He had an inkling of an idea, but his own darkness demanded more than an idea. "Birth parents, or adoptive ones?"

He wanted to know who it was that was trying to sacrifice him. The others, as far as he knew, only had their blood families; but Al's situation left enough room for doubt.  What he did next would depend on what she had to say, if she chose to speak. For, as much as Al would like an answer, he realizes his time here needs to be finite, and the moment the other kids had passed through, he'd go with them, whether he had an answer or not.

[London]

Robert Long
Location:The Mistland Barrens, followed by the real world Barrens
Tag:Everyone


Robert was surprised by the woman’s quick change of expression. Looking at her as she smiled and seemed calmer, he couldn’t help but wonder if she had pulled something. Watching her out of the corner of his eyes, he didn’t miss the effect she had on the insects or the angry voice from the thing coming at them. Wishing he understood what it had said, he tried to remember the sounds so he could look it up later. He had a feeling it would be impossible to figure out the language.

With the Elemental still roaring around them, the winds swirling as it hunted for insect to rip apart, “This will get us home,” he asked just as she told them where it would take them.

Looking at the girls, “Let me go first just in case some of these things got through…” Looking at Al, he patted him on the shoulder, “See you on the flip side bro.” Running through the portal, Robert jumped as he passed through. The moment Robert went through Al’s portal, the roar of the Elemental stopped, the wind dying to nothing as dirt and pieces of rubbished fell from the sky.

Blinking as he looked around, the sound and smell of their home filled his head. Not realizing how heart warming the sound of traffic was, he sighed before turning to look for the portal. “It’s all good,” he called out, “Come on guys… Get your asses out of there…” he said holding his breath as he waited for the others.

[Ixy]

Maggie Foss
Location: The dark realm, open field of the barrens
Tag: All

Maggie walks like the condemned, locking eyes briefly with Soo Jin, then Neela, then Al, before she follows Robert to through the portal.  She seems in a state of mild shock following everything she's seen, and she's holding gingerly to some small bundle in the pockets of her soot-stained, torn jacket.  Her pale skin is smudged and her red hair mussed and threaded with debris.  She wants to try to say something to them, but she can't.

Instead, she tugs her hood up and disappears into the portal behind Robert, and when they find themselves in the barrens again, she touches his back gently and stares, hopefully, at a place near the storm drains as if, only moments ago, she saw someone there.

"It's a long walk home," she says softly, waiting for the others to emerge safely before departing on the familiar trip to her family's apartment.

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: The dark realm
Tag: Everyone


Even though she realized that he probably meant well, Robert's comment about going first still rubbed Jin the wrong way - as if she needed him or anyone else to protect her. She had more important things to worry about than that at the moment, though. With a final glance back to the Godmother, Jin followed Robert through the portal leading back out into the real world, or at least what she considered to be the real world, her weapons fading away and her Aspect vanishing into a puff of black smoke.

The clean air and warmth of the sun against Jin's skin felt more pleasant than ever, but it seemed so irrelevant now that she barely even noticed. The only thoughts going through her head were of her parents and what they'd done. She knew that she could never go back home, as crushing as the thought was.

"Wait!" she called out suddenly and grabbed Maggie by the wrist. "You can't go back...didn't she tell you...?"

[Ixy]

Maggie Foss
Location: The dark realm, open field of the barrens
Tag: All

Maggie turns and looks at Soo-Jin.  "What..?" 

She turns on her heel, her fair eyes scrutinizing Soo-Jin, sensing that-- yes, Virginia, it CAN get worse.

"Oh shit, what now..?"

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location : The barrens/real world morning
Tagging : Everyone


Neela heard the voice as if spoken miles away and brought to her ear canal on a wave of wind. Neela looked at the Godmother. Neela felt unsure about what she just promised to the Godmother. However, she never received a full answer on whether it was her birth parents or adoptive parents that were trying to kill her. And she would never admit to anyone that she hoped it was her birth parents that wanted to sacrifice her.

To Neela the Roland's were a gift scent from heaven, but if that gift were taken from her--she would truly be abandoned twice. Neela looked to Al then, even though she was older than he was--older than all of her classmates--she felt that he was very wise.

"Godmother, is it my birthparents that want me dead?"

[Moraline]

Godmother didn't hear the words of protest or if she had she gave them no heed. She had already turned from the group walked away. In three steps she faded into a nothing more then twinkling motes of dust. The crazed insectoids and mists poured in on the remaining group members. They would have only moments to hop through into their own realm and close the gate behind them or be torn to shreds.

...

The other side was calm and thrummed with the buzz of a city waking up in the hours just before dawn. Warm fresh breezes blew over the grass and weeds of the barrens.

It was time now for them to return home and see what was waiting for them.

OOC

OOC:

You may post up to the point that you get to your homes - However, you choose to do that. I'll post what you see when  you arrive.

When not in the Mistlands, the group will find their abilities much harder to conjure up.
The spells/abilities will have less impact/force/effect.

Also each time you try to use a spell/ability or summon your Fae Aspect you will need to roll dice 1-100:

(1-60)     it works as intended,
(61-85)   it works but at half power or shatters on first use if an object,
(86-95)   it doesn't work at all,
(96-100) it seems to snap back like an invisible elastic band - The result feels like a kick to the chest causes an intense migraine that will last a minute or so. You will be unable to attempt any abilities/spells again for another 5 minutes while you recover.

Special Notes: 
The Fae Aspects physical forms can only be conjured when it's night. The sun has to be fully down.

Current Spells for Each Arcanist(more to come later)

Al

Fear Mask - a spell to create fear in others by projecting his inner most fears. It appears as a ghost like demon mask
Familiar - He will soon realize that he can possess his kitten and run around in it's body. 
Dimension Door (Mistlands jump) - He can use this to create a doorway to step from one location to the next but they must be two points within his line of site. Technically he passes through the Mistlands to do this but it's so brief that he barely feels the chill. He just goes in and comes out in the location that he chooses.  - It also allows him to seal some small cracks/rifts that might form between the realms. When in Mistlands if told where the weak points are he can also slice through from one realm to the next - This requires someone else to tell him where he can do it at.

Jin (Waiting on PM)

*will fill in once I receive the PM from Lithium*

Maggie

Force Push - Using a small amount of will she can create an invisible force like telekenisis to open a door or strong enough to knock down a person (it has about as much force as a charging NFL linebacker.) It can only be used to push on things.
Fae Connection (comes from Cern) - She can understand the Fae's spoken & Written languages, even sensing their emotions occasionally or sensing what they sense. Because of this she is bonded with a dozen tiny pixies.
Pixies (see above)
Ghosts/Spirits - The spirits and Fae are close kin. Both dwell in the Mistlands however sometimes spirits can drift into our realm. Maggie is able to see them and communicate with them in the moments that they are present. They will also be able to sense her as well. Spirits are both light and dark so be cautious.

Neela

 
Light - She can create a ball of light that glows with the light of the Fae (sun light). It is the natural deterrent of the dark, both acting as something to keep it at bay and burns the dark when it touches. The light can also be tossed like a little exploding tennis ball of light (a flash bang.)
Power of Suggestion(from the Incubus) - ("these are not the droids you are looking for"), while not true hypnosis it is able to give direction to another person's thoughts/emotions for a moment.

Robert

Shadow Form - Like a limited form of invisibility. Can only be done in a dark shadow and the shadow only covers what it is large enough to cover.
Elemental Wind - He can cause a strong gust of wind, strong enough to knock several people off of their feet.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: The Barrens, going home
Tag: Everybody
At 2013-09-26 14:28:12, TheHangedMan (uid: 12227) rolls: 1d100 Result: 52


"...Wait! Hey!" He would call out after their Godmother, but... damn. She was gone. And he sure as hell wasn't sticking around any longer. He comes out of the portal behind everyone else, and quickly works to seal it shut on the human world side of things. Afterwards, he teeter-totters a bit; as if he might collapse.  His hands are balled into fists that vibrate with tense energy, fingers practically digging into the palms of his hands.

"Damn, shit... fuck... hell..." He kicks at the ground, kicking up some dust, an impotent expression of his anger. "Mewww. Mrrr. Mreow!" Mori, the half-blind kitten, still resting in his pocket, seemed to be scared or perhaps concerned.  Al and the kitten had a strong connection with each other; though the kid didn't know just how strong it would become, given time. The kitten, young as it was, still knew, could sense the turmoil coming to a rapid boil inside Al.

"Well, I don't know what you guys want to do... but I have business to take care of. If anybody wants me, Rob has my number... but I'm gonna be turning my phone off, at least until I'm done. Seen one too many movies to risk someone giving me away." He kind of spoke, to the others, to all of them in general, but he was also kind of murmuring. He wasn't looking directly at anyone, but instead, off into the distance.

He stared out, as far as he could see away from the barrens, in the direction that would bring him closer to his home. All of a sudden, he just disappears, kitten and all. He mvoed maybe a hundred feet, and when he pops back out into the human world a single second later, he teeter-totters again. He didn't even feel or sense the Mistlands he traveled through, but there was still an odd feeling of queasiness that came from realizing what he just did. "Well... guess it wasn't a dream..." He murmured to himself, as he began to walk the rest of the way. It was better, he decided, he not do that too often. Besides, he needed the time to think about just what it was he was going to do.

[London]

Robert Long
Location:The Barrens
Tag:Everyone


Turning if/when Maggie starts to leave, Robert moved closer to her and Jin when Jin spoke to her. “What’s going on? Who was supposed to tell us what… This is the first time I’ve seen anyone but Maggie since everyone went into the school and I got dragged into the fog.” Standing in the light of the day, it was obvious that Robert is covered with cuts and scratches. His tattered t-shirt was covered in blood, not all of which was his own.

“First we all share a dream and then we get thrown into some Mistland place…” he said shaking his head, “I just want to know what is going on.”

Watching Al walk away, “Al, wait…” he stopped when he saw him vanish. Turning to look at the other, “What the hell is going on?” Taking a deep breath, “Listen… I live just a couple blocks from here… If everyone wants to go to my place we can us my brother’s car to get everyone home or wherever they want to go.”

“I think it might be a good idea if we all give each other or phone numbers,” he said moving to Neela. “Sorry…” he said as he (attempted) to reach into the pocket of the jacket Neela still wore. The one he had handed her back before they all went into the school. "I just need my phone... If this happens again I want to know I can try calling someone if I need to.”

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: The barrens
Tag: Everyone


Jin slowly let go of Maggie's wrist when she was sure that the other girl wasn't going to leave and positioned herself so that she was facing both Maggie and Robert. Apparently they weren't aware. She wasn't relishing the task of having to tell them about their families, but somebody obviously had to.

"Our parents were all trying to sacrifice us to demons, or the darkness or whatever...probably the same things that were trying to kill us back there," Jin said impassively, still shocked by the revelation herself. "That woman...the Godmother showed us. It's not safe at any of our houses."

Jin noticed Al leaving, but he was already too far gone and she wasn't about to go running after him. She could kind of tell that she wouldn't be able to talk him out of whatever he was going to do anyways.

[London]

Robert Long
Location:The Barrens
Tag:Everyone


Confused by Jin’s comment, “Hold on Jin… My parents barely know I’m alive… They wouldn’t put that much effort in doing anything when I’m involved. Hell no one in my family has spoken to me in nearly two months…” Running his hand through his hair to collect his thoughts, “Who is this Godmother… Is that the woman that who was on the other side?”

Looking between the girls, “Ok… Let’s say I believe this… That our parents tried to sacrifice us to that place… Where do you suggest we go? I have money so that’s not a problem… But I can’t walk around in bloody cloths... I’ll need to at least sneak in to get some cloths… But where do we go after that?”

[Ixy]

Maggie Foss
Location: The dark realm, open field of the barrens
Tag: All

She tugs at Robert's arm and glances over at the others.  "I'll go with you, help you out.  I'll swipe a jacket or something along the way." 

Mags cuts her eyes at the others, sniffs and lowers her head, then refocuses her eyes on Soo-Jin.  "Look... I'm not saying you're wrong, Jin," huddling her jean jacket closer around her, she looks out with her blue eyes cold and older than her years. "I just don't believe that my mother would do anything requiring her to do... anything.  But...it's just us that they want, right?  My little brothers-- they don't want them, do they?  They're normal kids, not... what we are, right?" 

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location: The real world (Morning)
Tagging : Everyone
At 2013-09-28 11:54:37, Neela Roland (uid: 45339) rolls: 1d100 Result: 29


The Godmother disappeared before she could answer Neela's question. Neela felt a tear run down her face before she leaped through the portal, just before Al was able to close it. She landed on the asphalt of the street that was more familiar to her than the barren lands. She stood and looked at her fellow classmates feeling strange. This was surreal, truly. Neela briefly thought this was dream but shook her head as she remembered the real pain she felt from crashing her bike.

Neela felt Rob reach into his jacket and take his phone she shook her head that she did not mind it. While the others were talking, Neela lifted her left hand willing herself to produce the same light she used in the mist lands, a small orb of light was conjured in her hand and Neela gasped at the result of the magic. Neela shook her hand and the light disappeared, she stuffed it in her pocket and looked at the group as they discussed where they would go now.

"I still don't know if my birth parents or my adoptive parents want me dead. I'm too afraid to discover if it is both of them." Neela looked to Ixy's blue eyes and nodded her head.

"I think I may go to Robert's as well, I can pick up some clothes along the way."

Neela decided that she did not want to know. She would write a letter for her adoptive parents telling them something about going to find her birth parents. She would tell them she was with friends so she was safe, and that she had money saved to get there. She hoped that they would not worry too long.

[Moraline]

Off in the distance the sounds of sirens grew louder. Nothing unusual in the city but they got louder and louder.

Suddenly a megaphone blared out with a loud squelching sound, a little crackle then a deep male voice.

"We have the area surrounded, put your hands above your heads and don't make any sudden moves. We just want to ask you a few questions..."

A few police officers with shotguns and pistols came out from around the side of one of the old boxcars, and few more came across the field from the warehouse area. If they looked around they would spot another couple officers not far off in the bushes. A long rifle barrel and the flash of as scope could be seen from one of the warehouse windows as well - quite possibly intentionally just to let them know that they were there. It was clearly a show of force but no one looked trigger happy.

"Just remain calm, and slowly get to your knees with your hands still on your heads..."

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: The barrens
Tag: Everyone


"Whoever you're living with now," Jin clarified for Robert and Neela, "...they have to be close to cast their spell or curse or whatever it is. She showed me my parents doing it." She did her best to remain strong and stoic, hiding the pain that she had to relive just by saying the words out loud.

Jin was just about to agree about going with the others even though she didn't think it was the best idea. She didn't want to waste time trying to talk them out of going back to one of their houses, and the most important part was probably that they stick together, but in the end they never even got the chance to move.

Gasping as the police announced their presence, Jin instinctively placed herself back to back with Robert so that they could better defend themselves, but it only took a couple of seconds for the realization that they were more or less helpless to sink in. Jin could feel it in her veins that the magic which she'd used in the other realm would be weaker here, and even if it wasn't, they'd all be full of bullets before successfully casting anything.

"Just do it and play innocent...you don't remember anything, you woke up this way," Jin cautioned the others before slowly getting down on her knees and putting her hands on top of her head as instructed.

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location : The real world (Morning)
Tagging : Everyone


Neela flinched when she heard the sirens blaring in the distance. She jumped at the voice telling her and her classmates to put their hands above their heads. Maybe they were wondering why a group of children broke into the school at night? Neela cursed at herself when she thought about cameras that might have recorded their faces and the break in.

Heart beating quickly, Neela bent down on her knees with her hands above her head as she saw the cops with weapons aimed at them. She did not know if the others would obey but she would ... for now.

[London]

Robert Long
Location:The Barrens
Tag:Everyone


Reaching over to hold Maggie’s hand when she tugged on his arm, Robert gave her a little squeeze as he listened to the others. He didn’t want to believe Jin, but somewhere deep down he had a feeling she wouldn’t lie about something like this. “This is just too weird…” he said nodding slowly, “But ok. I’ll just sneak in and get some cloths then we can find someplace to hideout until we figure out what’s going on. I wish Al hadn’t left so fast… Do any of you have someplace we can go?”

When Neela said she would go with him, Robert felt a little relieved that they wouldn’t be alone. “We should stay together…” he started when he heard the sirens. Pushing his back to Jin’s, he held Maggie’s hand in his own.

Giving a soft chuckle when Jin said to do as they were told, “Easy for you to say… You’re not covered with blood,” he said just loud enough for Maggie, Jin, and Neela to hear.

Giving Maggie’s hand a little squeeze, “Ok… Take it easy…” he said as he slowly got to his knees. Slowly holding his hands over his head, he whispered to the girls, “I hope playing dumb works… If they ask about the blood you don’t know anything…” he said ready to take the fall for something if he needed to.

[Moraline]

((I'm proxy'ing Ixy's character to keep this moving.  GM post will be below.))


Maggie Foss
Location: Barrens
Tag: All


Maggie had been clinging to Robert's hand and was a little reluctant to let go when the police arrived but did as she was told. She knelt down with hands on her head and went along with whatever was said.





The arrest of four teenagers in the barrens went smoothly. The police put down their guns as soon as they frisked the teenagers to ensure there was no concealed weapons. Then they put them all in separate squad cars and took them to the police station.

Once inside, they were all taken to separate rooms for questioning. Not a lot of questioning actually went on though. They were offered soda, people checked on them. Some people came in and asked them to state for the record their names, addresses, and the school they attended but no real probing questions. They also weren't willing to share a lot of information and any attempts to ask to speak to a lawyer would be laughed at and met with a "Don't worry, legal council will be here shortly to advise you of your rights."

This would go on for several hours until the sun started to rise...

At dawn they were all brought into a room that looked like a small meeting room with a table and chairs at it. Al was already in their waiting for them.

[London]

Robert Long
Location:Police station
Tag:Everyone, open


Wishing he could stay with the others, Robert went quietly but kept trying turning to see where the others were. Looking at the soda when it was brought to him, “I don’t drink soda’s…” he lied. As much as he wanted something to drink after the long night, he didn’t want a something as sweet as a soda.

Wondering who his legal council was, “I haven’t called a lawyer… Who’s coming?” Robert was wondering if he should call his father’s lawyer when someone took him to a conference room. Seeing Al, he moved into the room, “Dude… Are you alright?”

When he sees the others, Robert looks at each of them, “Are you ok?” When he sees Maggie, he moves closer to her, his protective nature kicking in.

Looking at one of the officers, “So is anyone going to tell us what is going on? Why were we arrested,” he asked getting mad at the way they were being treated.

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location : Police Station
Tagging : [OPEN] Everyone.


Neela and the rest of her classmates were arrested and taken to the local police station and kept in holding rooms for until sun up. Neela leaned on the table in front of her staring at her can of soda, tired. No matter what questions she asked, she went ignored. She felt ominous about what had happened. Her thoughts turned to the others and her stomach turned, feeling upset. As if she was sick, Neela stood and went to the corner of the room retching. Nothing came up.

Slamming her hand against the wall, Neela cursed and flinched when the door opened. She was guided to a large conference room next by a police officer. She looked at Al who was there already and her eyebrows furrowed. She was sure he had left before the police officers arrived at the scene. "Do you know what is going on Al?"

Neela looked over to Robert and Maggie and then to Soo Jin when she arrived. "Al how did they catch you? You were gone."

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Police station
Tag: Everyone


Jin answered the basic questions about herself when the officers asked her, knowing that it was all information which they surely already had anyways, and if not they could very easily get it. She would have played dumb if they asked her anything about the previous night, but they didn't. She also tried asking her own questions about what was going on, but after seeing how the officers were replying to her as if she was just a dumb little kid, she gave up on that too.

When they moved her to a different room, Jin just hoped that she wouldn't see her parents there waiting for her. Luckily it was just her friends, or at least she figured they were kind of friends after everything they'd been through together. Maybe not, she wasn't really sure, nor was she really sure that she cared.

"No, I'm sure just he just came for the free soda," Jin cut in sardonically after Neela's question. She obviously wasn't in the best of moods after being held in a room for several hours.

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: Police Station - Conference Room
Tag: Everybody


He was nervous the whole time he waited in the conference room. All of last night, all of the walking when they got back, being trapped in his mind with what felt like a hundred unanswered questions... they all took their toll on him. To say nothing of how tiring it was to maintain a state of heightened alert for as long as he did...

When the other kids catch up with him, he has dark rings under his bloodshot eyes.  He couldn't hide the tiredness any more. He could persevere through it, continue to remain awake and cognizant because he felt as if he had no choice in the matter; because he could pass out later. But, the difficulty is showing.

"It's a long story." He murmured, after a sigh. "I'm fine, Rob. Cats got nine lives, right? I've got seven left." He joked, but it came across in a sort of obtuse way. There was his gallows humor again... but if one knew Al, really knew him, they might want to question his choice of the number 'seven'. Tired as he was, he wouldn't just pick any old number.

"try to stay calm, though, alright?" he'd ask this of Rob, after his outburst. He couldn't blame them. If he'd been stuck in a cell for hours, gone through being handcuffed and all sorts of other things, like he's seen on shows like NCIS, he'd be damn angry, too. But, he knew that the day was just getting started, and it was going to be one of those long, hard days. There was wisdom in conserving ones energy for when it was needed.

He flicked a half empty can of Coca-Cola near him when he heard Jin's comment about free soda. "Fuel for the fire. At least it's something." He took a swig of it.

[Moraline]

((I'm proxy'ing Ixy's character to keep this moving.  GM post will be below.))


Maggie Foss
Location: Police Station - Conference Room
Tag: Everyone


Maggie was largely quiet. She took it all in and didn't talk about what happened with her in the holding rooms. She only glanced over at Robert when he hovered around. All the terrifying stuff then seen, it was a lot.  The Police had frisked her but didn't feel anything hard on her. She had checked her pocket, somewhere along the way the little pixies that she'd been caring for had slipped out. She knew they were out there, nearby she could feel it. She just didn't know where.




A man entered the room. He had on glasses with flipped up clip on sun shades, wore a Hawaiian styled shirt with bright colored flower patterns all over it and looked like a tourist.

He spoke, "Bonjour, I am inspector Renault from Par'ee." His thick french accent laced his words. "The cameras, they are out so we may speak freely here, oui. As Alber' may have told you or no," He gestured to Al. "I am representative from Council of Venice."

He paused to gave it a moment to sink it. At this point he was assuming they may no very little. "We 'ave never before seen so many young arcanists in the same area before. You should have began to have dreams, very vivid ones, Oui? Although those might have been terrifying. As you may or may not know this is because of your guardians."  He paused again.

"I am very sorry to say that your guardians and all of your families.... Well, all of your guardians were, how you say.. spies. Not good. The little ones, I'm afraid they are gone. Most probably they were spies too.  Oh, so much to tell you and so little time. I am so very sorry for all of this. We should have had much time with you before this. We only found out about you a couple days ago through our Fae contacts. They informed us of this event and we came as soon as we could....  Forgive me, I talk too much. Ask your questions and I will try to answer them. However, please keep in mind that we must be leaving soon. If we stay they will accuse you of the deaths of your families and put you in prison."

His face bore an expression of concern as he looked around at the young faces. Most had been cleaned up a bit, given water and wash clothes while waiting earlier but they still were unkempt, dirty, and all of them smelled of acrid smoke like that of a burning building.

[London]

Robert Long
Location:Police station
Tag:Everyone, open


Looking at Al when he made his joke, "Dude... Now's not the time with your morbid jokes..." Robert didn't miss the comment of seven lives left. "Where's your cat," he asked a little nervous. He knew that Al didn't go far without that kitten. 

Glaring at Al when he was told to stay calm, Robert nodded, taking a long breath before letting it out, "Yeah... You're right bud. Just way to much in to short a time."

"Dreams... Yeah you can say it started with dreams," Robert nearly yelled, "But tell me... Who ever the hell you are... Does this look like a dream," he said pulling up his shirt to show the cuts and scratches. "I don't know you mister so don't act like you are trying to be my friend. Just tell me what the hell happened."

Taking another long breath to stay calm, "What do you mean our parents were just spies? Where are our real parents if they were spies?" Shaking his head, "Great... I'll be arrested for killing people that hardly knew I was alive... Just perfect... So what's next?"

[Lithium]

Jeong Soo-Jin
Location: Police station
Tag: Everyone


Jin frowned incredulously when the man with the Hawaiian shirt walked into the room, looking absolutely ridiculous, but once he started explaining himself she actually felt relieved. Sort of, at least until he got to the part about them being accused of the murders of their entire families. The part about their families betraying them and wanting to sacrifice them to some sort of sinister dark power was still painful, but she already knew about that.

It was insanity that anyone could believe that a bunch of kids had all murdered their entire families at the same time, but then again, after everything that she'd seen over the past night, she had to imagine that it was possible for them to be framed.

At this point, Jin wasn't even interested in asking questions, she just wanted to leave the police station. They'd have time for questions later when they weren't in danger of being accused of multiple felonies and probably facing life in prison.

"Can we just get out of here and talk on the way to wherever? It can't be worse than here."

[RainyHigh]

Neela Roland
Location : Police Station
Tagging : [OPEN] Everyone.


Al had somewhat answered Neela's question and Soo Jin seemed to be mad at just about everyone that breathed. Neela nodded her head and took a seat across from Maggie. She sat up straight despite the tiredness hanging around her head and shoulders like lead weights. Her senses were heightened when a man with a French accent entered the room to tell them that he knew they had magical abilities, and that their "parents" were spies. Neela nodded her head at the man and then barred her teeth when she heard him tell each child that they would be accused of murdering their parents.

"So you mean to say the spies killed our guardians? And we are the ones to be accused of their murders?" Neela clenched her fists and looked at the man with venom in her eyes. This was much worse, the Rolands did not betray her, someone else did, but they were dead. Tears dripping down her face Neela's face blushed with anger. She shook her head trying to remain calm but she was going to explode soon.

"I want the hell out of here, this whole f*cked up place."

[TheHangedOne]

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: Police Station - Conference Room
Tag: Everybody


As if in response to Rob's question, the little half-blind kitten would let out a mewling noise, and pop its head out of a pocket. Not the flannel pocket, at some point, Mori was moved into one of his cargo pockets. The almost all black kitten would gaze around at everybody with its one good eye, one milky-white blind eye, and then seems to decide he likes hiding in the pocket better than anything else at the moment. "We're inseparable." Al concludes with a nod of his head.

"I have plenty of questions, but I think Neela and Jin have the right idea. I just want to get as far away from this place as I can." Al, of them all, still managed to seem pretty calm. Was that the facade? Was he just shocked and unable to be further surprised or otherwise impacted by what was happening around them? Or was he really that calm? Well, there was one being that could answer that question readily, but she was not around at the moment. Others would just have to make their assumptions.

He even goes so far as to stand up, and finish drinking down his can of soda. He steps away from his chair, and pushes it in. His gaze would fall onto the Frenchman, with an expressively expectant look.

[Moraline]

BTS moves to it's NEW home...

[ BTS ] Beyond The Supernatural - IC
[ BTS ] Beyond The Supernatural - OOC

[Moraline]

*Time rewind... The missing moments when Al ran off on his own and went home... *

Alfred "Al" Birche
Location: The Barrens, going home
Tag: Everybody
At 2013-09-26 14:28:12, TheHangedMan (uid: 12227) rolls: 1d100 Result: 52


"...Wait! Hey!" He would call out after their Godmother, but... damn. She was gone. And he sure as hell wasn't sticking around any longer. He comes out of the portal behind everyone else, and quickly works to seal it shut on the human world side of things. Afterwards, he teeter-totters a bit; as if he might collapse.  His hands are balled into fists that vibrate with tense energy, fingers practically digging into the palms of his hands.

"Damn, shit... fuck... hell..." He kicks at the ground, kicking up some dust, an impotent expression of his anger. "Mewww. Mrrr. Mreow!" Mori, the half-blind kitten, still resting in his pocket, seemed to be scared or perhaps concerned.  Al and the kitten had a strong connection with each other; though the kid didn't know just how strong it would become, given time. The kitten, young as it was, still knew, could sense the turmoil coming to a rapid boil inside Al.

"Well, I don't know what you guys want to do... but I have business to take care of. If anybody wants me, Rob has my number... but I'm gonna be turning my phone off, at least until I'm done. Seen one too many movies to risk someone giving me away." He kind of spoke, to the others, to all of them in general, but he was also kind of murmuring. He wasn't looking directly at anyone, but instead, off into the distance.

He stared out, as far as he could see away from the barrens, in the direction that would bring him closer to his home. All of a sudden, he just disappears, kitten and all. He mvoed maybe a hundred feet, and when he pops back out into the human world a single second later, he teeter-totters again. He didn't even feel or sense the Mistlands he traveled through, but there was still an odd feeling of queasiness that came from realizing what he just did. "Well... guess it wasn't a dream..." He murmured to himself, as he began to walk the rest of the way. It was better, he decided, he not do that too often. Besides, he needed the time to think about just what it was he was going to do.

It only took Al a few minutes to get home, cutting down quiet still dark morning alleys and back yards. When Al approached his home, he would notice the front door open a crack. All else looked the same, cars in the yard, the lawn could probably stand to be mowed again. Down the street several houses a car door clunked shut as someone started up their car, nothing unusual.

In his pocket the little kitten would begin to shake, at first it might seem like a tired little stretch but it continued. There was a soft mewling sound that Al would clearly feel as fear.

[TheHangedOne]

At 2013-09-28 11:28:22, TheHangedMan (uid: 12227) rolls: 1d100 Result: 36

He continued his walk in a sort of solemn silence, left hand hanging half-in, half-out, of his pants pocket, the right hand gently petting Mori along his forehead. In the end, he wasn't sure he could commit to any action just yet. His anger had cooled down during the walk home.

He frowned a bit as he looked around at how normal everything was, save for the door. He would look down at Mori, and give a little sigh. "It's gonna be okay. Don't worry." He hoped it would, at least.  He would actually not go through the front door, but instead walked around until he could see the window into his room. He would attempt to use Dimension Door again, to just pop right into his room, in a clear spot by the window. Maybe he could get his things, and get out, without being noticed.

[Moraline]

The window was partially veiled with Al's bedroom blind (or curtain) but all inside looked empty, just the way he left it. When he attempted to pass through his dimension door spell, it succeeded but instead of putting him into his room he simply came out the same way he came back in. Instinctively, he knew it worked perfectly. It just didn't put him where he had wanted to go.  Now his back was to the window and he was right where he started from..



OOC

Roll 1-100 random events!

1-25  You spot the flickering blue and red lights of a police car off the paint of the neighbors home. A police car was parked around back in their yard.
26-50  You see the flash of a uniformed officer ducking behind the neighbors garage. He had been moving closer to your position. You also spot the flickering blue and red lights.
51-75  You hear sirens approaching and realize that there is a couple sets from different directions and closing in on your street.
76-99  A police officer yells "Freeze, put your hands up on the wall where I can see them!" and he comes out from behind the neighbors garage.
100  Everything goes black and you drop unconscious.

[TheHangedOne]

At 2013-09-28 11:48:37, TheHangedMan (uid: 12227) rolls: 1d100 Result: 66
He frowned when it didn't seem to work the way he had wanted it to.  Was something goofing him up? or someone? And, even besides that point, he could now hear, in the distance, the sound of sirens. Police. That really didn't sit well with him.

While staying as cool and calm as he possibly could, he would leave from the house, choosing to forego trying to get his things. In his mind, those sirens spelled disaster for him. Maybe he was just being his usual, fearful self, and maybe he'd curse himself for it later on, but for the time being, he decided he had to get away.

So, he would try and get out of the neighborhood, by casually cutting through some other neighbors yards; choosing a path that did not involve fences getting in his way, dogs taking exception to his presence, and which would keep him as out of sight from the street as he could. This would not be the first time he's taken an indirect route; and while he wasn't planning to go to school, he was heading in the general direction he took to get there. It would give him plausible deniability, he figured. 

[Moraline]

Off in the distance there was a lot more sirens. Al probably had the right idea to get out of there. His route through other peoples yards and back paths was well out of the way. Unless you lived in the neighborhood most people wouldn't even know the paths were back there. He had little trouble getting to school.

As he rounded the corner though and got closer to the school he could hear the commotion then see the cars and trucks on the street. There in the parking lot were a couple of police vehicles and fire trucks. The school itself was on fire. From a couple blocks away, Al could see the school was fully engulfed in flames.

This had probably been the source of all the sirens in the neighborhood.

[TheHangedOne]

When he first caught sight of the flames in the distance, and listened to all the commotion--the sirens, and such-- around the place, the feeling of dread felt worse. It was as if he was already carrying a lead weight, and someone threw two more onto him. They ahd been in the school at the Mistlands; but at what point during their travels did they go from the 'human world', as he thought of it, to the 'mist world'? And did any of the things they do inside the school have an effect on the 'human world'?

He didn't know, and not having answers was frightening.  He briefly thought of texting or calling Rob; then he thought, it'd be better not to. He felt as if somehow, this would end up being blamed on them. He had no real good reason to think that; it sounded like the plot from a book or a video game. He knew that. And yet, it also made a strange sort of sense to him, because he very much feels like he's in a book, or a video game. It made sense, even though he felt like it shouldn't.

Confusion and indecision, and fear, and so many other things passed through his head. He would take out one of the granola bars he had brought with him, and munch on it as he continued to walk; away from the school. Now, he was heading off in the direction of the town library. And yet, still, he just conducts himself casually. He was under an immense amount of stress right now, but hiding it behind a mask of calmness was second nature.

And still, he would be doing his best to just stick to the more obscure streets. Keeping as out of sight as possible, without being suspiciously sneaky, seemed like a good strategy.

[Moraline]

Al would have no problem getting to the library. There were some police cars and fire trucks whizzing around but they clearly had something very big to worry about so paid no attention to the young man.

It was still very early and many hours before dawn or when the library would be open. There was a chain coffee store still open nearby if he wanted to wait or he could just camp out on the steps. He would probably realize all of this while on his way there.

That's when he'd notice a man wearing a Hawaiian styled shirt with bright colored flower patterns all over it. He looked like a tourist and definitely out of place.

The man spoke up and waved in Al's general direction, "Bonjour! Hola! Hello! Pardon moi, do you speak englais?"

[TheHangedOne]

A thought struck him, all of a sudden. Mori. Damn. Most places would not be happy to have a kitten in their premises. Maybe he could concoct a sob story to get an exception... or just hope that nobody noticed the little one in  the pocket of his flannel shirt.

Then, a second thought struck him, as he went to check the time on his phone.  His grasp of time was tenuous at best, and he'd probably be lost if not for the fact his phone kept track of the time for him.  He frowns a bit, noting that the library, like most places, wasn't likely to be open just yet. As he looked away from the phone, pocketing it, he would cast a glance around.

Bright colors. That's the first thing he focuses in on. There's no way in hell this guy is a local, he decides. Al also decides that he should be trusted as far as he could be thrown; and since Al had almost no upper body strength, that meant no trust. Nope. The only people he was going to trust from now on, were the other kids he had gone through that ordeal with.  Then again, perhaps later on, when the shock of revelations wears off, he'll be able to think more clearly, and realize that the whole world can't possibly be out after him.

"Hi. Yes, I do. What's up?" Al should probably be in drama class, with how at ease he seems to be.  The only thing that might seem suspicious is the way he seemed to be paying close attention to things around him, as well; not just the man in the shirt, but the general vicinity.

[Moraline]

The man spoke with an obviously thick French accent. "Oui, very good." He pulled out a card and offered it to Al. "Your friends, they have been taken into custody by the police. They will be questioned. I am inspector Renault from Paris. I have some questions of my own. This would be much easier if I had you all in one place, Oui?"

He didn't make attempts to get closer or anything and just stood with arm extended offering his card. "I cannot help your friends and you if do not come with me."

[TheHangedOne]

Al held his breath as the man in front of him offered a card. He did not take it, instead choosing to listen to him speak. When the Frenchman was done talking, Al let the trapped air out in a lengthy sigh. He took the card, and looked it over. He only spent a few seconds, just checking it out, before sticking it into his pocket.

The kid has a distant look in his eyes, as he processes this. He also was trying to recall something that their 'Godmother' had told them. "Have you ever been to Venice?" he'd ask, thinking that was subtle enough. He would also indicate, with hand gestures, for this Renault fellow to lead the way. Al would follow behind, keeping a foot or so of distance between them.

His instincts were to turn and run. Run, and hide, because that's how he solves almost everything in his life. But, he was more concerned about his friends, and what they were going through, then what might happen to him. Besides, he reassured himself. With his new powers, he could probably get out of any situation.

[Moraline]

OOC:

This is where Al stopped. The strange Frenchmen, Inspector Renault told him that he was actually a part of the Council of Venice and that he would reunite him with his friends shortly. He made good on that promise when he took him down to the police station, kept Al separated from them for a bit then put them all together in the meeting room.

BTS moves to it's NEW home...

[ BTS ] Beyond The Supernatural - IC
[ BTS ] Beyond The Supernatural - OOC