CLOSED ♔ hell won't tolerate hymns

[flyingsolo]

WHO || Jaina, Lydia, Astrid, Adam, Mars
WHAT || The Knights investigate several ritualistic murders
WHERE || Los Angeles, California
WHEN || April 8th, 2015
HOW || Actionspam

A string of ritualistic killings has the LAPD calling the Knights in, as there are suspected ties to magic or Shadowkind. Two new bodies have been found recently, and the murder scene is a back alley in a nightclub called the Alchemy Room. It's located in a rough part of town, known for its clubs, bars, and extravagant nightlife. The lights of a patrol car illuminate a gruesome tableau. Among the garbage that litters the alley lies the body of a young man in a trenchcoat, covered in body. Hanging from a fire escape some 10 feet above him is the body another young man, dressed in the latest fashion and dripping blood from the ears and mouth. His legs are caught in the bars of the fire escape, and his face is twisted with shock. How he could have ended up in that position is a mystery. An empty autoloader pistol lies beneath his outstretched hands. A single officer is waiting for them when they arrive, and she tips her hat to them, pushing herself off the car where she's leaning.

"Seen a lot of things in my day, but this..." She shakes her head and clucks her tongue. Jaina's eyes narrow in the darkness as she looks past her at the scene.

"What made the police think this was connected to the other murders?" she asks.

"Its a tentative link, I won't lie to you about that," the officer admits. "All the other bodies were missing at least their hands, and these are both in one piece. But there's some kind of knife on one of the bodies." She nods towards the one on the ground. "We haven't touched it yet, just in case. To be honest, we've heard plenty of stories about what touching magical artifacts can do to a person. But it's covered in markings, definitely some kind of ritual thing."

Comments

old county morgue

[flyingsolo]

[ the old morgue is a decaying and decrepit building, and it's clear why it's being phased out for a new facility. though small, the ancient structure is imposing, like others of its era. but there's something sad about the old facade, and decay and despair seem to pervade the very stones of the building.

a small sign above the button by the door reads "Press for Service". there is a video camera mounted above the doorway. jaina glances at the others. ] Should we see if anyone's home, or try to sneak in?

[pathology]

[astrid claps her hands together like the ridiculous dodo bird she is.] Sneak in! Sneak in!

[ex_psionic439]

[If only she got this excited about blowjobs. Adam looks at Astrid for a long second like, gurrrl, before looking back toward Jaina.]

It seems kind of stupid to announce we're coming in if this sick fucker is jerking it to sliced up dead people in there.

[What she said without all the handflapping basically. Shut up his logic makes perfect sense. Plus this shit should be closed for business, son.]

[immuno]

Depending on what's in there, I don't think we needed you to preview that imagery for us.

[ Puke. ]

I've been studying minor magic. I can give us the cover of darkness to hide us from the cameras and prying eyes, but it'll be just as hard for most of you to see in.

[ At least she's polite enough to ask. ]

[ex_psionic439]

[Adam looks hella skeptical in response to Lydia's suggestion that she turn out the lights for literally errybody.]

I don't know that I like the idea of being potentially blinded. Especially if there are more handsies or whatever other body parts crawling around in there.

[Like most of us couldn't even fucking aim right even when that shit was clear as day is the unspoken statement here.]

Unless you think mind-linking again like we did at the airport could off-set that somehow. Assuming you're still able to see and don't mind relaying to the rest of us.

[Look he has no other ideas and he doesn't want to just shoot her down without offering something okay.]

[immuno]

It's just a darkness spell. [ She shrugs. ] If your mind-link could let you use my senses, it should be fine.

[ It's weird. She's acknowledging her weirdness out loud. But in a world like this, it's less weird, so she's just trying not to think too hard about the fact that something is obviously changing in her just like she's trying aggressively hard not to think about the scream that just came out of her. Banshee stuff. She needs to call Stiles. ]

[flyingsolo]

You can see in the dark? [ she looks over at lydia with a raised eyebrow ] It would still be harder than using our own senses... We'd be aiming at something we could only see through your eyes, not our own.

[ hesitation and then: ] I'd be fine, but that's because I can ... sense them.

[immuno]

[ And so comes the defensive shrug of affirmation. I'M NOT WEIRD, YOU'RE WEIRD. ]

I'll only do it if you want me to. I just figured it might help us sneak in.

[pathology]

[she wrinkles her nose.] I don't like the not being able to see part ... but it's supposed to make your other senses heightened to make up for it. It's like, science.

[ex_psionic439]

[Slow blink.]

[immuno]

[ mirroring adam tbh. ]

You do know that's not instantaneous, right?

[pathology]

I was trying to be optimistic about a shitty situation, geez.

[flyingsolo]

Can you focus the darkness somewhere instead of having it follow us? Like using it just to obscure the cameras?

[immuno]

I can try, but it's not a small area. Last time I tried this spell, it filled an entire room.

[ 20-ft. radius spells, man. ]

[flyingsolo]

What if you tried focusing it beyond the room? Would it work even through the wall?

[immuno]

[ apologetically, ] It doesn't work like that.

[ex_psionic439]

[Well that was a complete waste of time.]

Why don't we just cut the power if the cameras are an issue. You guys know magic and shit, right?

Boom. Instant darkness spell. Plus, we'll all still be able to see.

[flyingsolo]

They probably already have us on camera already at this point. But fine, let's try the spell.

[immuno]

[ Snide look at Adam like see Jaina thinks we might as well go for it. Don't be a dick. She slips up to the wall, pressing a hand to it and casting darkness. It spans out like a thick black haze 20-ft. from the wall on either side, also darkening the inside ?? She hopes. So that whoever's in there doesn't get a glimpse. ]

[flyingsolo]

[ with a 27 disable device, jaina pops the lock on the door b/c jedi don't need to see shit to get shit done. ] Careful. There's stairs. [ and she starts down them inside, holding onto the railing ]

[immuno]

[ Lydia follows, holding out a hand for anyone who needs to take it so she can guide them through the dark. It's jarring, even now, to realize that she can see unaided. It never used to be like that. ]

[flyingsolo]

[ they head down into a long hallway, that only has one door headed off from it. lydia could read that it says 'forensics room'. ]

[ex_psionic439]

[Adam doesn't want to trip all over himself so he will heal the world with Lydia and hold hands on the way down. I guess he will offer up a hand to whoever is behind him so they can all navigate this darkness shit together but he will sho nuff be keeping himself on high alert in the meantime.

Which means activating Detect Hostile Intent for the next forty minutes because he wants to know if something is trying to murder him especially if he isn't going to be able to see it coming.]

[pathology]

[astrid gets to hold his hand was a lucky gf. she's just so excited to be here ... in the darkness. ]

[flyingsolo]

[ adam does, in fact, sense hostile intent on the other side of that wall. dun dun dun~ ]