CLOSED ♔ there is a seed inside of me | it keeps growing

[behindcloseddoors]

♬ Demon Seed - Nine Inch Nails

WHO || Violet, Jess Leighton, ?? [closed]
WHAT || Violet's new life has a turn for the incredibly dramatic
WHERE || San Francisco, CA
WHEN || Feb 14th, 2013 [backdated]
HOW || Actionspam

For some people, the transition from their home world to this strange new one is made easier than for others, by the simple addition of one thing: access to people who care about their plight and meet them with understanding, instead of suspicion and fear. Violet Fiore was lucky enough to be one such pilgrim, arriving in the big city of San Francisco, California, where plenty of locals could easily recognize the signs of disorientation common enough in Veil arrivals. She was directed to the Lethe Clinic, a cramped building with tiny rooms but many smiling faces eager to help the displaced.

Jess Leighton was one of the workers there - all volunteers, of course - who took a special interest in Violet's case. The blonde human was quick to recognize that there was something unique about Vi's situation. Unlike so many of their "Shadow World" tenants who needed to be taught everything from modern day lingo to how to operate electronics, it was obvious relatively shortly that she knew about a world much like this one. While Jess admitted it was unheard of as far as she knew, she didn't treat Violet any different for it, and offered her the same amenities they gave everybody else: a bed to sleep in, some basic clothes, information about the world, the city, and what was known about the Veil, and a promise to help her find work so she could get out there on her own.

There are a number of other residents here, of course, some human, but others more bizarre in appearance: elves, a dwarf, even a pair of halflings. Most disturbing, however, has been that one of the young human women has been ill ever since Violet arrived, and as Jess has informed her, the local hospitals won't take her, for fear she's nursing some kind of Shadowkind disease that their patient's immune systems wouldn't be able to combat.

Today, Jess is leaning against the door to the sick girl's room, looking in, sweat on her brow as she takes a break from running around all day for once. She notices Violet approaching and sighs, closing the door quietly so as not to wake the resting girl.

"She's not getting any better." She shakes her head in frustration. "It's been a week now. Garriss was supposed to get a cleric to come by and see her days ago. And now I can't even reach him. I don't know what to do anymore."

Comments

[behindcloseddoors]

[

Jess leans her head back against the door with a thump. ]

Could be, but we're short staffed as is. Valentine's Day. I'm the only volunteer on shift, between people having dinner with their sweethearts and the rest of them taking a night to go get their bitter drunk on. [ she cranes her head slightly to the side ] Unless... you're volunteering to make the run.

[graveflowers]

Um... [Had she been volunteering? Yes, probably. She hates sick things, she wants to help, it's ingrained in her nature to help people so this isn't any different from being home, she supposes.] Yeah.

[She huffs out a breath.] It's probably the most I can do, besides keeping you company or knocking her out with a poppy.

[behindcloseddoors]

[

Jess chews on her lip for a moment, before raising her chin and nodding. ] It's up to you, you know. If you feel comfortable going out there yet, I mean. But you would be the one least likely to attract much notice of all the residents here. I'm not sure some of our more obvious Shadowkind are ready to face it all quite yet. All those... cars and subways and things, that is.

There's a Shadow market with vendors who swap out every day, just a couple stops away. Probably our best chance to find a cleric on short notice, who'd be willing to make house calls.

[graveflowers]

Oh, no, I'm cool with outside. I might need some money for a subway pass though, or a cab, I don't think my old bus pass is going to fly here and I only got, like, two bucks. [She feels awkward, having to ask for money to do a favor, but while she could walk and be a-okay with it, a cab or train would be faster by far and when it came to being ill, isn't time of the essence?

She scratches at her arm, her tell-tale nervous habit. The getting out into the world doesn't bother her. The actively having to talk to people and having someone depend on that outcome is incredibly nerve-wracking though.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[

Jess gestures for her to follow her into the lobby, glancing in some of the rooms as they pass. ]

You'll also need something to pay the cleric with, in case they want some money up front. [ she pulls a key out of her pocket and unlocks a little drawer, digging out a thick pile of old looking bills: mostly dollars. she counts out a stack of them, and holds them out, with an insistent little shake. ]

It's alright: I trust you. I'm pretty good at ... reading people.

[graveflowers]

[Taking the money, Violet folds the stack in half and shoves it in her back pocket with little ceremony. At least one of them trusts her, she's still figuring out if she trusts herself -- the lack of decent memory is trying.

Especially since her first thought as Jess pulled out the key was "I could pick that". Holy inappropriate, Batman.]

Thanks. Do I need a map or just follow the yellow brick road?

[behindcloseddoors]

[

She yanks a piece of paper off a small canary yellow legal pad, and pulls a pen out of her pocket, biting off the cap and sketching a little map ]

Can't hurt to have one. Now if the cleric wants something other than cash, just, well... let him know we're good for it, alright? [ she hesitates, looking back in the direction of the sickroom, before digging in her pocket and holding something up. it's a single gold coin. ] Here. In case they don't believe you.

[graveflowers]

Is that... Is that Imperial gold? [She shakes her head almost before she finishes the question, that would be ridiculous. Imperial gold is from her world and the Legion had the lock on it. She doesn't even have any Imperial gold on her because her sword is MIA and she doesn't carry around ancient Roman change around with her quarters.

She holds out her hand for the coin. It seems to be a big deal, enough that if it doesn't work she figures they're going to be screwed. Violet's not again hog tying someone in daisy chains and dragging them back here to fix the girl but that seems...

Rude.] Never mind. I promise I'll find someone, Jess.

[behindcloseddoors]

[

She drops it in Vi's hand, with a look of contained curiosity. ]

Regular old gold, if that's what you mean. But it might be the currency they're used to.

[ she gives her an encouraging smile ] And I know you will. I'll hold down the fort, alright?

[graveflowers]

Got it, chief.

[Violet wonders if Jess knows how much she needed that smile. Especially since the main thought running through her mind is 'oh shit, if this girl is depending on me, she's going to die'.

She manages a smile back, quick and bright, and then she turns and lopes off without so much as a goodbye. Once outside, she tucks the coin in her pocket, glancing at the map before setting off in the direction it indicates.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ annnd roll a navigate skill check to see how well she does with following the map! (d20 + intelligence modifier + any ranks you put in navigate \o\ ) it's eerily quiet out here on the streets, particularly considering they're located inside the city. while cars drive past every once in awhile, the pedestrians seem to be few and farther between, hurrying as quickly as their legs can carry them to get to their destinations. ]

[graveflowers]

[The map is helpful. Pictures, yay! And it gets Violet to the subway and then it all goes downhill. Not only is she dyslexic, so all the subway signs tend to resemble Chinese, which she is the opposite of fluent in, but she has the directional fortitude of a cat in a paper bag. Read: none. (Nav check 4) And the stupid city is so empty she can't find anyone to help her, if she would ask, which she won't. She peers at the map again, frowning at the subway map on the wall of the station she is not supposed to be at.]

Fuck. Balls.

[Ugh, why did she say she would do this. That girl is going to die because she is a fucktard.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ not too far from where she stands, lies someone swaddled on a park bench, lying down and tossing and turning, making odd moaning sounds. they're wearing an old flannel shirt and covered in a tatty green blanket. a glimpse of their face shows that they look human, but their skin is a sickly gray color. another pedestrian walks past and notices them, suddenly walking much more quickly. ]

[graveflowers]

[Violet's making a face at the map when she notices the bum. She had noticed before but simply assumed bum. But homeless people are so common that most people don't bother to skirt around them anymore, just ignore. And she's screwed with knowing where she is, so... maybe if she gets actual directions, she and the cleric she's going to find can make a pit stop before returning to Jess.

She creeps over, not quite hurrying, but she doesn't have time to take her time.]

Uh... you okay, dude? Person? Hitherto unspecified species of bipedel humany looking thing?[She can't tell, okay?]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ he lets out another groan, and rolls his face in her direction. the gray on his face seems to be giving way to a strange scaly red, and its entire face seems to be bloated, as if the skin were expanding. indeed, his entire skin seems to be moving, bulging out here and there. his eyes seem to have sunken into his face, made smaller, and as he opens one to look wildly about, it's a slitted yellow. he rasps out two words: ] Help... me... [ and then gives a cry of pain that sounds less and less human as it continues, and he rolls off the bench, hitting the floor with a thump. ]

[graveflowers]

[Holy actual crap. Hitherto unspecified species of bipedel humany looking thing it is! She kind of wants to vomit. Without thinking, she draws her bow and strings an arrow so fast she hits herself in the face (Dex 17).]

Holy Voldemort.

[What the hell is wrong with this place.] Help how? [Can he even talk now? The vomiting course of action comes to mind again.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ he croaks out: ] Ki-- ki-- [ but that's all he can get before a tremendous ROAR issues from him as the blanket bursts into pieces around him, his body suddenly more than doubling in size, expanding and expanding into a red hulking beast with scary as fuck claws and spines everywhere. he slams into a wall, obviously disoriented, tearing at his face. ]

[graveflowers]

[Dear Today, kindly die in a fire. Sincerely, Violet 'Already Tired of this Shit' Fiore. PS: Hate you forever.

She's really hoping that it was a double LL at the end of that stutter, because she is not sucking face with ugly over here. Thank god for muscle memory though because even though she's seriously debating the pros and cons of combating him by blowing chunks all over him, her body takes over and she lets her arrow fly, nocking another as soon as the first leaves her fingers. (She rolled an attack of 22 and if that hits, the damage is 6.) Kill, yup. She'll try to do that for you, buddy.]

[herebemonsters]

[ fyi: a 19 or higher will hit! so her arrow definitely finds the mark, sticking in his side. he lets out a bewildered "HRNGH" and turns to look down at the arrow, following it back up to stare her down, and seeming to find his footing now. enraged, it rips the arrow out, and crushes it in its grasp. the arrow breaks in half... and then it lets out an appallingly loud croaking noise that echoes through the subway station at a painful volume. (vi must make a fortitude save of 16 or higher, or be stunned for one round!) ]

[graveflowers]

[Perfectly good arrow, ruined, jerk. But luckily Vi's fort. save of exactly 16 saves her from that deafening noise, but wow, she is going to have one hell of a headache tomorrow and it makes tears come to her eyes which are not good for shooting. But she does it anyway because her self-preservation skills hasn't got her to running away yet. (Attack 16, damage 8?) She's just clinging to the shred of hope that the Gremlin has an Achilles' heel she can repeatedly inflict violence upon. Once she finds it.]

[herebemonsters]

[ the arrow strikes again and this time he doesn't bother to yank it out, instead leaping towards her and swiping with its terrifying claws. it misses with one hand but the other rakes her across the back (dmg 4). she'll need to roll a fortitude save (dc 16) or... well nothing seems to happen. ON THE SURFACE. tell me anyways.

people are running and screaming now, trying to flee the subway at any cost. she'd hear several yelling things like: "THEY'RE HERE! THEY'RE IN THE SUBWAY!" ]

[graveflowers]

[(Fort save 12. Whoops.) This is the actual worst that she can remember, which isn't saying much, but is still the worst. Claws are the worst, always the worst. There are only so many scars on woman can have, you know.

The shouting reaches her dimly, like the echo is all she hears, but it's enough.]

Oh. They're here. As in plural. [Well that's just specta--] Oh crap, Jess.

[Jess all alone and human and defenseless and if there are huge demon beast monster gremlins here then... Violet fires off another haphazard arrow (attack 14, damage 3) and jumps back in case he wants to try tenderizing her before filleting (dex 22).]

[herebemonsters]

[ the monster whirls angrily as the arrow whaps into it at close range. it swipes at her again, but barely misses (atk 14) and lets out another ROAR in her direction. she's near the stairs, at least, and she can hear a train approaching on the tracks. ]

[graveflowers]

[Choice: take the stairs and possibly get mauled while running, probably fall OR enact, quite possibly, the stupidest thing in the entire world and use herself as bait.

Well, Violet isn't known for her good decisions. Screwing the stairs, she sprints for the train (dex nat 20), hoping it isn't early and that all her violent ADD imaginings are at least somewhat accurate. She might possibly die on this horrible executed completely spur of the moment plan, but she is taking this bitch with her.]

Come on, ugly, follow the tasty side dish! I had enchiladas for lunch, mmm, queso.

[She looses another arrow, hoping to keep him interested, even if it goes a little wide. (Attack 3) He is the bull and she is the matador and the train, hopefully, will be it's messy, bloody death.]

[herebemonsters]

[ well, it certainly seems to be taking the bait. it leaps towards her, landing on the very edge of the platform and reaches out a clawed hand to SNATCH THE ARROW out of the air where it goes whizzing by. it makes a fist and snaps that one too, giving her a drooling leer as it starts stalking closer. they're both precariously balanced near the ledge of the tracks... and that train sounds like it's only seconds away... ]