nevada ♔ tie your own rope

[everyredcent]

WHO || Faye, Tybalt, Miles, Jaina, Solace, and Christos
WHAT || The Knights investigate the neighborhood where the disappearances have been occurring
WHERE || Nevada
WHEN || April 17th [backdated]
HOW || Actionspam

There's nothing sinister whatsoever about Oak Street, as Christos steers the rented van onto the street and parks against a curb. Well watered and neatly trimmed lawns frame cheerful suburban houses, a paper boy rides past on a bike, a couple strolls by hand in hand eating dripping ice cream cones. Down the block, children are visible hooting and whooping as they swing from monkey bars on a small playground while mothers wait on benches and chat politely, happy to soak up the sun and get off their feet for a moment.

Christos frowns heavily through the window, as if the sight of all this contentedness is more unwelcome than an army of invading monsters would have been.

Solace speaks up first, from his place in the front passenger seat. "It may be prudent to split our group to cover more ground. At least one of the homes should be re-examined, and we ought to ask some of the locals for their take on the situation." He unbuckles his belt. "I mean to investigate the area for evil auras."

Christos nods, turning off the engine. "The sun will be down in an hour. I'll scout around the houses for access points. No point in breaking in before then."

Comments

[cuivre]

Who said anything about waiting?

[He smirks and gestures down the road, and then starts walking to the house the kid indicated for them.]

[flyingsolo]

[ she trails after him as they head up the road towards the old victorian house. it's set a little ways farther back from the road than the other homes on the street, and from a distance, they can see a couple children on the porch tossing a red ball back and forth. as miles and jaina reach the picket fence, however, the children both look up at the exact same moment and stop playing, fixing the knights with strange, cold stares. ]

Hey, you kids -- [ but jaina hardly gets a word out before they turn and retreat inside the house, as the sun sinks beyond the roof. jaina frowns as she gives the house a once-over. ] What a dump. [ craning her neck to the side, she gestures at the driveway. ] No vehicles.

[cuivre]

Well, the kid did say no adults.

[Of course they'd arrive as it's getting dark. Seriously, the sun must know when to set for perfect creepy settings.

His eyes take a quick scan of the oustide of the house as they approach (spot 20 total) before he glances at Jaina as they get close.]

Wanna try the front door first?

[flyingsolo]

Might as well. They've already seen us coming. [ one of the strangest things miles would notice is that there are no lights on - no movement within, no anything, other than strangely wafting curtains in the upstairs windows. .__. creepy. a few toys are scattered in the lawn, as well as bicycles, all older models. ]

[cuivre]

[His eyes linger on those curtains before he nods and heads up to the front door, knocking several times on the door.]

[flyingsolo]

[ noooo answer. and no one is surprised. jaina moves to try to peek in the windows, but looks back at miles shaking her head ] I can't see anything in there.

[cuivre]

[He only briefly hesitates for he just reaches for the doorknob to turn it. Maybe it's unlocked?]

[flyingsolo]

[ and the door creaks open beneath his grasp, very eerily revealing the interior of the house, which seems oddly still, as if long deserted. they stand in an entrance hall decorated in antiques. a staircase disappears up to the second floor, and the hall branches off in three different places. ]

I'm gonna go ahead and suggest we don't split up.

[cuivre]

Right there with you.

[Because in horror movies, that's how everyone gets murdered. And this feels like something straight out of one.

He heads left first, assuming Jaina will follow him.]

[flyingsolo]

[ that she does, moving quietly (move silently 17) and looking around as they do so. ] Is it just me or does it look like nobody lives here? [ it doesn't take a high spot check to see what she means. here in the parlor they're passing through, cobwebs line the corners and a heavy layer of dust coats everything. there are no signs of life, no toys, no modern magazines or bills lying about. ]

[cuivre]

[He's not exactly thundering around either (move silently 14), but anyone listening hard enough will probably hear him...or them talking.]

But we saw those kids outside, right? They must be here somewhere.

[He doesn't stick around to examine anything too closely, and keeps moving through the room instead, heading into the next.]

[flyingsolo]

[ as he starts to head that way, a tiny figure appears in the doorway: a young boy, who looks no older than nine, wearing a baseball jersey and cap, staring up at him with strangely hostile eyes.

"Grown ups," he says, filling the word with quite a bit of derision. "You don't belong here." ]

[cuivre]

[Miles pauses, giving the kid a once over.]

Hey kid, we're not here to cause trouble, promise. We just want to know how you're all holding up.

[Bluff 10]

[flyingsolo]

[ he doesn't answer, just stares coldly at them... and they would feel a sudden encroaching presence. as they turn around, they'd find that other children are emerging from other doors, just as young, and just as full of chilling staring.

jaina turns around in a circle slowly. ]

Alright, play time's over. Where are your parents? [ but there's still no response... just more children emerging behind them. ]

[cuivre]

[Miles shifts closer to her, if only so that they can attempt a bit of a back-to-back maneuver as the kids start to surround them.]

Don't worry, we're not going to tell on you or anything. We just want to know what's going on around here.

[flyingsolo]

[ the sun outside is sinking below the horizon, and through the windows, the light is fading entirely. and it's as this happens, that a change appears inside the house as well: a change that affects all of the children surrounding them.

the flesh begins to retreat from their faces, revealing half of a bare skull, the eye on that half of their face sinking into itself, leaving only a horrible burning socket. when they open their mouths in hideous smiles, their teeth are sharp, needle-like. a putrid, rotten smell fills the air (fort save 5+ not to barf)

jaina steps even closer to miles, her hand bumping his arm, as she stares in horror, the children beginning to slowly advance. ] ... I think I'm getting a pretty good picture of what's going on here.

[cuivre]

No wonder there's not adults. Hard to grow up when you're already dead.

[He says it in a weird sort of amazed and yet grossed out way. Of all the things he'd thought he'd see, this was the last thing on the list.

The scent hits him thought, and he's covering his mouth with a hand, gagging in the back of his throat (fort save 8), and as her hand bumps into his arm, he reaches for it.]

So, what'll it be? A fight or a hasty retreat?

[flyingsolo]

[ she gives his hand a quick squeeze, but her other one is already reaching for the Excalibur at her belt, which she quick draws and swings around in a threatening arc, that doesn't seem to scare the skull children whatsoever. ] Maybe a little bit of column A and B. [ she fires off a shot, but maybe it's the fact that half of their ghastly appearance is still that of a regular child that makes it hard for her to actually shoot them, because the bullet strikes the wall behind the baseball cap wearing kid. ]

[cuivre]

[He squeezes back before he rolls his shoulders back and cracks his neck and his knuckles as she's drawing her gun.

He's not sure how he feels about hitting kids, but they're not kids anymore really, right?

He sure as hell hopes so.

He goes for one standing in between them and the exit, swiping at his chest. If it's a bit of both columns, then they still need a path. (atk 21, dmg 9)]

[flyingsolo]

[ his fist smacks into the half-skeletal chest of the creature, who staggers away, but then hisses at him: clearly still alright. alright enough to leap at him, clawing with its bony fingers (attack 21, dmg 5, and attack 15, dmg 1.) it proceeds to clamp its teeth onto miles' leg (nat 20, dmg 2).

worst of all, when raked by its claws, he feels suddenly drained. a fort save of 12+ will stave off the effect... otherwise he loses one negative level. he can make another fortitude save 12+ to avoid having his energy drained by its bite, otherwise it sucks away 3 points of Constitution. o____o

another of the children leaps at jaina, who cries out after miles is assaulted, and she manages to deftly maneuver away from its claws and teeth... but as she heads towards him, another child grabs her leg and sinks its fangs into her there (nat 20 .__. but she does make the save vs. drain) she puts her gun to the top of its skull and blasts it, but the bullet largely careens off (dmg 5), and it doesn't release her. ]

[cuivre]

[Well good thing for lucky rolls, because with fort saves of 15 and 20 (not nat), he's just fucking creeped out.

It's pretty clear now that they just need to get the hell out of here.]

Jaina!

[His hand grabs for the 'kid' that's attached to him, his hand wrapping around it's neck and throwing it off of him and hopefully into the nearby wall (atk 15, dmg 9).]

[flyingsolo]

[ the kids aren't alright - the offspring

the child crumples, but then lifts it head, unleashing a horrible hissing noise at miles, apparently still good to good. the skeletal figure clinging to jaina tries desperately to bite at her again but she's fighting against it too hard for it to find any purchase. a third near the door leaps at miles, but its claws swipe through the air uselessly (atk 6). jaina shouts angrily at miles, as if afraid he's going to dawdle while she tries to catch up: ] Don't you kriffing wait on me. Go! [ she fires another shot at the thing's skull that's holding her, and tiny pieces go flying off (dmg 11), but it still hangs on for dear life ]

[cuivre]

[He debates on running, doing what she tells him to, to go along with whoever throws an order at him, but his nat 20 will save tells him to go with his gut, and he grits his teeth as he moves toward her instead of away, swiping at the disgusting creature, and dragging it off of her (atk 21, dmg 9)]

I'm not leaving without you.

[flyingsolo]

[ his powerful grip is enough to snuff the un-life out of the creature finally, but the one from near the door follows him, leaping towards miles with claws extended - and careens into another of them which was trying to do the same (crit fail...) they fall into a gnashing, clawing pile, as jaina shoots miles a look that manages to walk the line between grateful and chastising. ] Not so good with directions, are you? [ but she grabs him by the elbow and makes a break for the door ] Try this one on: let's go!

[cuivre]

[Whoa, totally lucky.

Somehow, Miles still manages a half smile.]

Usually I am. This seemed a little more important.

[Then he's racing after her as she pulls on his elbow. He certainly doesn't need to be asked twice.]