paris ♔ tried to save myself but myself keeps slipping away

[necessaryevil]

♬ Facade (reprise) - Jekyll & Hyde

WHO || Faith Lehane, Max Rast, Lissa Dragomir, Helen Magnus
WHAT || The Knights investigate a string of vampire attacks in France
WHERE ||Paris, France
WHEN || April 11th, 2015 [backdated].
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread.

One vampire attack is cause for worry enough, but when bodies are found with telltale puncture wounds and heavy loss of blood become a recurring nightmare across any city, alarm bells are raised.  Such is the case recently in Paris, where Wynn suspects that either a careless clan has moved in, or some lone vamps are stirring up trouble.  With the locations of the bodies marked out in the eight block radius where the deaths have been occurring, the team arrives in the late evening, staring at the rows of apartment blocks, small businesses, and pubs that comprise this section of town.

Comments

[msattentionspan]

What like some deeper meaning or something? [She shrugs.] I don't think I have beliefs that match to that sort of thing. I mean, I'm wandering the streets of a country where I don't speak the language, with a guy I just met. I trust myself.

[behindcloseddoors]

Belief in the self. The noblest kind there is, if you ask me. [ he nods at a set of steps that lead up into what might be an apartment building ]

[daredtobelieve]

[As the song ends and Helen comes to, she slowly stands and makes her way for the door. That's enough of that tbh. She tries to listen to the phone to see if she hears anything that gives her an indication of where Faith might be. Like idk train sounds or someone shouting an address. But barring anything obvious, she moves outside and looks for Max and Lissa. (Search 17)]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ ♬ does it - tricky (ft. francesca belamonte)

the alley behind the bar is dimly lit, brick buildings rising up high enough to block out more than just glimpses of the streets in the distance. a few dumpsters line the alley here and there but it's otherwise quiet and abandoned.

helen hasn't gone too far down, however, before she sees something that will send a chill right up her spine: a leg sticking out at an odd angle on the ground from an alcove cut into one of the buildings to the left ahead. a familiar looking leg, wearing max's jeans. ]

[daredtobelieve]

Dear god. [Helen mutters to herself before running towards the leg to confirm her horrifying suspicions.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ ♬ if you can't sleep - she & him

the scene is indeed horrific.

max lies limp and pale against the doors in the small nook, eyes rolled back in his head, clearly no signs of life remaining. two neat puncture wounds are visible in his neck.

lissa is worse. her neck has been ravaged, messily, and the blood that's made it to the ground here is most certainly hers.

she lies across max's knee, staring lifelessly aside, and the morbid tableau of dead lovers seems almost to have been arranged as such.

make a listen check, helen. ]

[daredtobelieve]

[Coming to a halt a few feet away from the pair of them, Helen's free hand reaches to cover her mouth, desperately trying to keep a shocked gasp or a sob from escaping. She was responsible for them, tried to keep them safe from Keijen's influence and yet...

She swallows hard and tries to remember how to breathe. The danger here is still very real. (listen 18)]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ very very real. so real, in fact, that it wraps a hand around her throat from behind abruptly, the woman approaching behind her entirely unheard (stealth 30). i assume a 29 grapple probably will beat her, but go for the opposed roll anyway. a female voice hisses beside her ear - the pale vampiress from inside the bar that they followed out here. ] Oh look.

Dessert.

[daredtobelieve]

[She got a respectable 20 total but... yeah no she can't beat that. Struggling in the vampire's grasp, the lets out a shout. So maybe Faith can hear that through the phone... just saying.]

Must it always be terrible food puns with you lot? [Sasses through the pain.]

[msattentionspan]

[Faith is already kinda wondering if this guy is more interested in getting into her pants instead of getting her to the scene of some underground vamp crowd.]

Hang on - is this one of those times where you pick up a girl at a bar and offer her some great amazing Paris experience and want to show her some etchings or some shit and then she gets up to your place and it's just you? 'Cause you're not that impressive.

[She's also gonna be keeping a listen out (listen 26 THANK GOD) for anything in the area ...or her pocket.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ her other hand clamps over helen's mouth as she twists her neck towards her more so that she can see her features clearly, and the irritation in her eyes. ] For last words, you really should have done better. [ and she's going to sink her fangs into her neck as she does 13 crushing damage from her grip, drinking 14 hp and draining 6 temporary Con, as well as a number of hit points equal to her lost modifier x her total number of levels.

faith hears a noise from the phone, but she doesn't know what it was exactly. the vampire opens the door and holds it for her as he smirks again. "The place is downstairs." ]

[msattentionspan]

[Faith gives the guy a skeptical look. At the very least she knows where this place is now. She can come back with Helen, Max, and Lissa. Shaking her head, she laughs, trying to play it off (bluff 23).]

Yeah... look maybe I'm sobering up a bit, but I think I'm gonna go.

[She's not sure what she heard from her phone, but she's not really gonna linger here to let that unknown sound get any less clear. She just turns and starts to head away from him.]

[daredtobelieve]

[Crying out as the arms around her tighten, she gasps when the life is drained away from her. She struggles in the vampire's grasp, trying desperately to break free (grapple 24).]

1/2

[behindcloseddoors]

[ the male vampire's hand darts out to grab faith's wrist (grapple 32, she can make an opposed grapple check which is d20 + base attack bonus + her strength modifier, and if she beats a 32, she can yank her hand away ] Maybe what you need is just another drink. I know I could use one.

[roux]

[ ♬ a handsome stranger called death - foe

the world starts to blur red, and helen's waning pulse begins pounding in her ears like the roaring ocean. she isn't strong enough to pull away, even giving it all she has, the supernatural power behind the woman's grip keeping her locked in place as she eagerly prepares to suck the last drops of life from helen magnus.

and then there's a whooshing noise, sudden and unexpected, and difficult to recognize through the haze of sound in her brain, but the scream that issues from the woman moments later is more easily identifiable. the fangs retract, the grip vanishes and the cold air rushes into helen's lungs once more, as the vampire slumps to the ground, a stake perfectly shot through her back, lodged in her heart.

behind her in the alley stands a dark-haired, goateed man in a dark trenchcoat, holding up a strange looking gun that looks old timey as shit.

the man watches the vampire fall lifeless to the floor, before turning his attention to helen, raising one eyebrow as he studies with dark, impenetrable eyes. ] ... Are you quite alright? [ his accent is slightly french, slightly english, but perfectly refined. ]

[msattentionspan]

[Ha ha. Faith is NOT HAVING THIS. No means no, vampire dude. She breaks free (grapple 34) and just books it away from the guy and back toward the bar.]

[daredtobelieve]

[For the last two hundred years, Helen Magnus has been something of a cheat. She manipulated the forces of life and death, lived several lifetimes, traveled to a new world entirely. But in this moment, she finds herself close enough to death to taste it. With a few tears brimming in her eyes, she soundlessly mouths a single word, a plea for forgiveness for so many things she cannot have a hope to voice.]

Ashley...

[A moment later, things are moving faster than she can hope to keep up with. She feels the jolt of the force of the stake striking it's target, hears the sound of the woman screaming in pain. The loss of the hold around her causes her to stumble forward, one knee striking the pavement with a crack as she catches her self with both hands. Her breath comes in hard pants, still very weak from the blood loss. She manages to look up at the man who speaks, needing to blink to clear her vision enough to see him clearly.]

I'm... [She's not, but that's likely quite evident.] Thank you.

[roux]

I imagine you must have someone looking out for you. Ms...? [ his forehead creases as the hand he extends to help her up shifts in action to gently tilt her cheek aside so that he can get a better look at her wound, concern making its way into his gaze. ] You're still bleeding out heavily. She left quite a mark. [ he nods to one of the nearby buildings. ] I've only recently rented a room nearby, having tracked them this far. I've the supplies there to get you patched up quickly. [ probably a good idea as helen takes another 2 points of bleed damage whoops. he moves to take her hand in his own gloved one and offer her a very supportive lift to her feet. (str 17) ] Perhaps a bit indecorous, but I don't think we've much time to hold ourselves overly accountable to manners. You're in a very bad way, madam, if I may say so.

[daredtobelieve]

[She doesn't fight against the way he tilts her face away, examining the vampire's handiwork. She knows enough about medicine and well.. vampires to know that he's right. She's bad off and need medical attention. The idea of leaving her fallen teammates sickens her, though. And Faith is still out there, still with that man she left the bar with.]

Magnus. [She starts, finally attempting to reply to him and not simply be lost in her own thoughts.] Helen Magnus.

[Cautiously, she wraps her hand around his and lets him lift her to her feet.]

I suppose if I can't trust the man who saved my life, who can I trust? [The poor attempt at a joke falls flat, mainly because she's still traumatized by dead knights and blood loss and worry. She searches the ground for her phone, because she probably dropped it in all of the commotion. But seeing the shattered screen in the glint of the streetlights, she can tell that it won't do her much good.]

Faith... my friend. She'll be looking for me. [Especially now that the call is definitely dead.]

[roux]

[ he nods once firmly, but seems much more concerned about her injuries right now, gesturing towards some doors a bit down the alley. ] I'll try and track her down for you then. After these wounds of yours are dressed. [ he glances back down once at max and lissa and grimaces. ] And deal with... all this. [ there's a hint of remorse in his voice, perhaps because while he'd been here in timely order to save helen, that clearly wasn't the case all around. still, as he helps her down the alley, he seems to remember that he hasn't introduced himself yet either. ] A pleasure, Ms. Magnus.

Lord Dashiell Amory Roux-Rivage. Dashiell will do.

[daredtobelieve]

[She has every intention of coming along for any tracking and dealing with that he does later this evening, knowing that Wynn would want to see his Knights returned home, even if they couldn't be revived. And she doubts Faith would easily trust the word of a mysterious stranger, given the circumstances. But there will be time for such insistence once she's less light headed.]

Dashiell. [She repeats the name, keeping close to him as they walk, one hand trying to apply pressure to her wound.] I'm lucky you arrived when you did. Another moment more and... [There have been moments in her life in which Helen has regretted her longevity, surely. But far more often, she knows that she has so much to live for. Ashley, Rose... The thought of leaving them is too troubling.]

[roux]

Let's avoid dwelling on what-might-have-beens. [ he gives her a small smile, before opening a door for her. she takes another 2 bleed damage, continuing to fade fast, as he ushers her into a dark foyer, where wooden floorboards creak. it's well decorated, at least, but feels riddled with antiques and a bit dusty. ] What's important is that you're still here.

[daredtobelieve]

[Oh no. She's down to like 7 hp. Better get to those bandages soon... Also for the sake of self preservation, I should roll a sense motive so she doesn't just walk into a vampire orgy or something. She got a 33 to try to avoid walking into a trap. Barring any red flags, she follows him inside, feeling herself sway a little as the blood drips past her fingers while she presses a hand to her wound.]

I've survived worse in my time.

[roux]

That does make an interesting statement about the life you must have led before now. [ he sounds wryly amused, and releases her gently where she can support herself on the wall, as he draws a set of old-looking keys from his pocket and slips one into one of the doors that lines the corridor. the gentleman is rather difficult to read, but that seems to have more to do with his air of casual reaction to slaughtering vampires than to any sinister motives. he pulls the door open with a creak and steps aside, gesturing her into the dark interior. ] Do watch your step. I haven't yet unpacked everything, and some of my trunks are scattered about.

[daredtobelieve]

[She refrains from making a comment abut her life before now, but there's a slight lift to the corners of her mouth- a poor attempt at a smile in the face of all the horror she's seen tonight. Her life could certainly be described as interesting. He's not wrong there. She steps into the room, not sure if she can trust her own instincts anymore. But with the rate that she's bleeding, she'd be dead if she ran, so there's at least a chance that he could be genuine in his desire to help her. The darkness and her dizziness do little to help her navigate the room. Her toe catches the corner of a trunk a few feet in and she stumbles (dex 8. it just isn't helen's day.)]