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

[reallywicked]

[Breaking in? Okay Faye is more interested in this mission now. But the idea of evil auras is intriguing to her too. She doesn't know much about about magic, but that sure sounds magical. However, between Solace and Christos, she has a feeling Solace would be the bigger buzzkill.

Spoilers: They're both giant buzzkills. She raises a hand slightly.]

I'll help with the break in.

[quarrelsomecat]

[Crap. Tybalt takes that to mean he's going to have to talk to some people. Well, that's alright. Suburbia usually means stay at home moms. Those he can manage fairly decent conversations with. He's much better with women. Less of a need to challenge them. So he might be surprisingly sexist in his own way]

If you notice any dog doors, let me know. We could avoid a few smashed locks or windows.

[Sometimes it is useful to be a cat. In Tybalt's opinion 'sometimes' is a lot closer to always than it should be.]

How subtle are we being with our questions?

[sirsolace]

Naturally, we wish to avoid alerting anyone who might be behind the disappearances. But if you feel you're on the right trail, I wouldn't compromise the chance at information in order to avoid suspicion.

[reallywicked]

[Faye arches her eyebrow in surprise, because she was not expecting that answer from one of the stuffy Knights they stuck her with. She fusses with her nails and looks to Miles and Jaina.]

What about you two?

[cuivre]

I can do either. I'm more than happy to bust in some doors or charm the lovely neighborhood into tell me everything they know.

[As usual, Miles doesn't really care, so long as he's doing something.]

[flyingsolo]

I guess I'll help come ask around. What do you think, big guy, you and me?

[quarrelsomecat]

Right. Suspicion. [Could he be subtle? He could try to be subtle. It might work.]

And if you need help with scouting, I can check backyards and roofs without drawing notice. [He's never really been the reconnaissance sort, but no one will notice an extra stray in the neighborhood.]

Break-In

[everyredcent]

[ checking abandoned houses here \o/ ]

new threads down below on dis post!

[everyredcent]

We're decided then. Chamberlain, Tybalt, you'll accompany me. Solo, Cuivre, you'll gather intel. Solace, you're on your own. [ he doesn't sound abundantly pleased to be babysitting the most squires, either. still, he opens the door, and nods to Tybalt. ] Go see what you can locate in yards. You can look at the map and see which homes our victims lived in. [ he tosses it over to him ]

Questioning Locals

[flyingsolo]

[ as jaina and miles get out, she motions towards the playground with her shoulder ] All the families had kids, right?

[cuivre]

Yeah, young ones. All under the age of 10.

[He says it as he follows her gesture, getting her meaning.]

That's probably be the best place to start, then.

[flyingsolo]

Please tell me you're good with kids.

Re: Break-In

[quarrelsomecat]

Sir, I could get a better look around the backs of the houses if I shift.

[It just seems to make sense to Tybalt that the best way to get a good look around the houses without being too suspicious is to do so in a far less conspicuous form. Who would think twice about an extra stray patrolling the neighborhood?]

Unless there was a particular reason this would be a bad idea...

[Much as he would have preferred to just take off. He's just a squire and he technically should probably be listening to what the others have to say. Someday someone should get the feline a team building exercise. Or a class. For all the good it would do.]

[cuivre]

Sure. [He grins.] I'm good with almost anyone. Don't worry, I got this.

[reallywicked]

You may want to be careful. You know what they say... Curiosity killed the cat.

[She's really just being difficult right now because it's fun.]

[flyingsolo]

Well, that makes one of us. [ there's a little ginger haired eight year old trying to get on the swings, and two older boys are laughing derisively at him and kicking woodchips up whenever the mothers turn their heads, spraying him in the face with them. jaina frowns watching the spectacle, getting a strange look on her face. ]

[everyredcent]

Very well. [ he manages to cast tybalt a look that seems as if this talk of 'shifting' is entirely distasteful to him ] Try not to get stuck in any trees. [ tybalt can roll a search check \o\ ]

[quarrelsomecat]

Ha. Ha.

[Tybalt just gives Faye a look, but it seems like everyone is on with the cat jokes today. So rather than bristle up to start a fight, Tybalt shoves it to the back of his mind, giving Christos a nod before he makes his way out of plain sight to shift into a large Bengal cat.

It's really better for everyone if he does go off on his own, at this rate.

He takes off along a fence top to check the houses out from the backyards. (Search 14)]

[everyredcent]

[ it's easy enough to recognize the houses pointed out as those the victims lived in, and while at first they all seemed well sealed, tybalt would finally notice one of them with a small doggy door coming in from the backyard. ]

[quarrelsomecat]

[The only problem with doggy doors, is that they sometimes indicate the presence of dogs. Tybalt circled the top of the fence, keeping an eye on the door and watching the back of the house for a while before jumping down into the yard. He searched near the door, curious and searching for any unlikely clues he might pick out from the outside.

As stand-offish as Tybalt could be, he wasn't going to jump out of line and slip into the house without reporting back.

It would be an idiotic decision to go alone, and while he wasn't the best at teamwork, he was disciplined enough to avoid deviating from orders. Whether specific or implied.

At least he had managed to find something. However small.]

[cuivre]

A little help and a smile goes a long way.

[He says as he makes his way over to the small group, stepping between the boy by the swings and the two causing mischief, raising a brow at them.]

Don't you two have something better you could do with your time? Or do I need to tell her what you've been doing?

[He gestures with a jerk of his head toward Mom. (Intimidate...23)]

[flyingsolo]

[ the two kids exchange terrified looks, sizing up miles' intimidating frame, and deciding it's clearly time to am-scray. they jump off the swings and one of them jerks his thumb at the younger kid.

"We were just gonna let him have a turn." with that, he takes off running towards the slide. the other kid back-pedals, casting a nervous glance at his fleeing friend, and then pleads "Please don't tell my Mom, mister" and then follows.

the little ginger stares after them, but keeps a nervous distance from the swings, eyeing up the two of them. jaina gives miles an amused look, before pointing to the swing. ]

It's all yours, kid.

[everyredcent]

[ christos and faye will be waiting back here while he ignores every conversation she tries to start with him ok ok ]

[cuivre]

[Miles actually looks a little sheepish when it's over, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, and grinning between the kid and Jaina.]

Guess I went a tad overboard, huh?

[He nods to the kid then, taking a couple steps over toward the edge of the swingset, where he's out of the way but can still talk to him.]

Maybe they'll learn to wait their turn next time, right?

[flyingsolo]

[ the kid continues watching him for a second, but seems to take the question to mean it's safe to creep closer to the swing. he grabs hold of the chain, but doesn't sit.

"They'll probably just do it again when you're gone." It's said with the sullen, defeated tone of someone who accepts this kind of treatment as a fact of life and has long given up thinking there's anything to be done to change it. jaina arches an eyebrow at miles where the kid can't see, as if to say Way to be grateful. ]