new orleans ♔ need a fix cuz i'm going down | down to the abyss

[romanticidal]

♬ Season of the Witch - Dr. John

WHO || Rafael, Buffy, Spike, Des, The Mind Master, Olean Gilbert, anyone guarding Olean in the car... (including Gar) [closed]
WHAT || The Knights go to investigate Chad Becksworth's mysterious 'advisor' in her bayou home
WHERE || The Lousiana Bayou, outside New Orleans
WHEN || Thurs, Oct 18th, evening
HOW || Actionspam, don't sweat tag order! Keep it a rollin'.

Crammed inside a big white van, Olean rides up front, directing the driver outside the city of New Orleans, and in the direction of the stretches of swampland for which Louisiana is famous. He has them turn down a side dirt road, which leads them far off any highway or main street, and seems to go on without passing anything remotely similar to civilization for at least sixteen minutes of the drive.

The closer they get, the more he begins to sweat profusely, wiping his face repeatedly with a handkerchief, until he can't find a spot on it that isn't drenched. Finally, he tells them to pull over, waving his hand at the side of the road, and the vehicle pulls to a stop.

"T-this was about where we w-went in," he says. "But I can't tell you anymore, because it was only the once, and there wasn't a real path and ... and... I wasn't exactly paying attention to how to get back there anytime soon. Or ever."

Rafael cranes his neck to look out the back window, but then just pops the back doors of the van open and hops out.

"We'll find it," he says, a determined look in his eye. He nods a bit up the road, at what looks like a dilapidated shack that could be straight out of Cabin in the Woods. In front of it stands a sign that's fallen over, with "FREE TOURS" in white paint that dried dripping half down the wood. There's a light on inside, glowing through one of the windows. "And it looks like someone knows of a path."

Comments

2/3 i lied

[romanticidal]

[ raf steps up next to buffy, one hand on the gun at his right holster. ] Because he will not so much as meet with any of us. Which we have heard is due to your influence.

For a man who works in managing recording artists, it seems strange that he should show so little interest in hiring any.

[mindmaster]

Chad is looking for a certain type of artist, and you don't fit the bill. He isn't going to waste his precious time meeting with the rest of the rabble looking for stardom. [ her eyes glint knowingly ] Or whatever else you seek.

[ also do spot checks yo ]

[nothingsodivine]

[spot check 5. you tried des.]

Why bother associating with that kind of rabble when he's got plenty of the worse kind in his pocket.

[mindmaster]

[ her expression changes to one of faux defeat, as she lifts her eyebrows and shrugs her shoulders ] How silly of me. I forgot you have it all figured out. That must be very nice for you.

[ and then she drops it, looking back to des ] -- Except if you did, you wouldn't be here. [ she rests her chin on the back of her right hand just barely ] And I'm afraid this is a dead. End. [ she punctuates both words slowly and purposefully ] I'm just a lowly adviser. Chad's old enough to make his own decisions.

[bigbad]

[Spot check 12. At least he's looking more carefully than Des...

Spike steps forward a little.]

Lowly advisors don't have secret lairs as nice as this one, pet. Though I have to say, I'm not impressed. Shouldn't the great and predictable Mind Master have a little more than crocodiles up her sleeves? [He shifts his face, fangs dropping out (intimidation 29).] How about telling us what sort of evil you lot are trying to stir up before I get tetchy?

[mindmaster]

[ she turns her head slowly towards spike, crooking her head like a curious dog as she examines his face, the smile gone, but a strange eagerness in her eyes ] Or you'll do what: drain me dry? [ slowly, she draws her tongue along her top lip. ] It's a date.

[bigbad]

[He tilts his head because definitely not the response he expected.] How about you tell us what we want to know first?

[mindmaster]

I'm afraid I can't do that. [ she dangles a smile at him once more ] Your loss.

[slay]

[ buffy's been distracted looking around - spot 17 - but she'll weigh in now. ]

Then, how about you advise Chad to give us a little consideration. Personally, I'd prefer chatting with the man himself than his pawns, and if I have to watch you try too hard much longer, I might actually puke. [ SHE IS IN NO WAY CATTY AND DEFENSIVE BECAUSE SHE WAS MAKING EYES AT SPIKE. FTR. ]

[bigbad]

[Is that... jealousy? Or wistful thinking? Spike glances back at Buffy for a moment, fangs slipping away, and decides to up the flirting. This is clearly the place and time for that, right? Right.

He smirks at her.] Also yours. Sure we can't work something out?

1/2

[mindmaster]

[ well, spike, you can always roll a charisma check to flirt with her. if you think that's a ... good... idea.

either way, she just looks amused as she follows buffy's gaze towards the rising gate on the far wall, which no one else had noticed.

♬ Ceremonious Play - Last Exile ]

Another time, perhaps.

[extremist]

[ a figure is advancing out of the darkness behind the grate, which lowers again as he walks down the narrow ledge along the side of the interior canal. as he steps out of the shadows, he becomes visible: a man, of middle height and confident posture, dark haired, dressed exactly as on the left here, with a dramatic black cape and a cane. he's yanking on gloves, the cane tucked under his arm as he enters the chamber, and hasn't seemed to notice any of them yet, as he walks briskly towards the throne, speaking apparently to her as he does so. ]

Decker's finally finished stalling, which means we can actually move forward, although-- [ and noowww he sees them, coming to an abrupt stop some forty feet behind them. he looks for a long moment at rafael before turning his gaze to the others, and his expression shifts to one of extreme bewilderment. ] What the devil?

[nothingsodivine]

[Des whirls at the sound of a new voice and looks from the guy to the Mind Master and then back to the guy again. Then he breaks into a wide grin.] Hey, look at you. You're late, pal. You almost missed the cake.

1/2

[romanticidal]

[ rafael turns in place as well, as the man glares somberly at des' carefree grin. ]

Chad?

[extremist]

[ the man's eyes immediately dart to rafael at the name, and his eyes narrow a tiny bit, but he doesn't address any of them, looking back up at the mind master again. with bitter sarcasm, he asks: ]

Having some friends over for dinner, are you?

[slay]

Oh, it's not her fault. [ buffy's tone is mocking - patronizing, even. ] We were gonna call ahead; we just couldn't resist the chance to come out and get a look for ourselves at what you've been up to these days. I mean, we were gonna bring your brother, but turns out it's been a while since he or, well, anybody else at Nova's seen you, Chad. Where's the love?

[extremist]

[ he looks to buffy, and there's a momentary pause, as if he's debating whether this is even worth his time to say. ] It would seem you've mistaken me for someone else.

[ he points at them with the tip of his cane, and tells the mind master: ] Handle them. [ and with that, he spins tightly on his heel and stalks in the direction of the double doors, even though the grate he'd come from earlier begins rising again, as if to allow him re-entrance.

the mind master says nothing, but her lips curl up into a pleased and sinister smirk. ]

[nothingsodivine]

[Des has only one thing to say to that.]

Well, that sounds ominous.

[bigbad]

[Yeah, that's gonna happen. Spike glances from Chad (or Chad's mysterious long lost twin?) up to the Mind Master.] Sorry, love. Think we'll have to put off that date.

[Then he crosses the room and grabs maybe-Chad's shoulder.]

We're not done, mate.

[extremist]

[ ♬ Wild Honey Pie - Beatles

except spike never makes it more than a couple steps, and the man's about fifty feet away by now. it was a nice thought.

a horrible keening pain cuts through his brain abruptly when he tries to follow him. it feels as if a machete's been buried into his skull. or that his brains are alive and trying to drill a hole out through the inside. it's momentarily crippling, and he requires a fortitude save of 15 or higher to keep it from knocking him clear unconscious from the blinding pain. (35 dmg) ]

[bigbad]

[He screams and drops to his knees, though he doesn't pass out (fortitude 17).] Bloody hell!

[That date is so off.]

[slay]

Spike! [ buffy drops to crouch beside him, hand reaching out to rest on his back to help him stay somewhat upright. she looks up, distressed. oh yeah. they're way over their heads. ] So, I guess fair fight's out of the question. [ her lips tighten into a thin, grim line. she searches for some way to regain the upper hand, assessing the situation (listen 11, spot 25). ] Think I preferred his brother.

[romanticidal]

[ ♬ beauty of the beast - nightwish

spike's the first to hear the distant echoing splashing noise echoing up from the grate. all of them, however, see the sudden pair of glinting yellow eyes that appear in its depths, low to the ground. there's a soft hissing noise like air escaping from a tire, that grows louder as well, as the thing comes into view, slithering its way through the canal.

it's when it rears up, twice as tall as any of them, that it becomes clear exactly what they're looking at.

it's top half is that of a scarred, naked human woman: the only thing alien about her is her unnatural reptilian eyes. her hair hangs wet and black like she's the girl from the ring. from below her belly button down, however, she has the tail of a gigantic anaconda, sickening green and black.

the most disturbing part of all, however, is that there's no smooth transition between the two. instead, big ugly black stitches like some kind of human centipede nightmare are visible all around, and it doesn't look like a clean job either.

quick as lightning, it suddenly strikes forward with its back half, picking rafael up right around the midsection, pinning his arms to his side (wow, he CAN crit fail). he groans and his guns slip from his hands, clattering to the ground. ]

[bigbad]

[Spike doesn't much care for Rafael, but he's not about to let his teammate die. Even if his teammate is way too pretty and close with Buffy. He staggers up and steps in, stomping on the thing's tail (atk 18, dmg 7).]

[nothingsodivine]

[WOW GOOD THING DES NEVER PUT HIS GUN AWAY. He whirls on the thing and aims at the beast's chest. (atk 15, dmg 11)]

I always knew the music industry was full of reptiles, but this is getting ridiculous.