rome ♔ watch your worlds fade to black

[behindcloseddoors]

♬ three in the morning - homestuck

WHO || Alanna, Kate, Bo, Rose [Closed]
WHAT || The Knights investigate a strange series of fires
WHERE || Rome, Italy
WHEN || Jan 15th, evening, almost 6pm [backdated]
HOW || Actionspam. Single thread, don't worry about maintaining tagging order.

The Knights arrive at the scene of the fire several hours after the fact.  It's clearly gutted the building, located in a commercial district of Rome.  Only one fire truck remains, along with several police cruisers and a van marked 'Arson Investigation Unit' in Italian.  The police team seems hard at work combing over the scene.

A small sign in Italian hangs half-legible over the door.  Though the fire is out, the building still smolders, even as water drips from the blackened timbers and stone.  

Comments

[behindcloseddoors]

[ make listen checks too ladies, while you're at it~ ]

[killmypatience]

[She nods with a smile, taking a step closer and trying to do her best to seem approachable to the boy. She clocks the guy in the suit and sees the way he glances to the employee door, but doesn't acknowledge it yet.]

Hi. We were hoping for a chance to speak with the owner?

[succubestie]

[lol Arden you read my mind, aka her next move.

Bo holds a finger up to tell Rose to give her a minute, and she moves to the door, waiting just outside the door and listening inside. (Listen 23)]

[littledhampir]

[Rose stops, confused a moment before catching onto what Bo was doing, impatience to be doing something probably not helping on the eavesdrop front but she still tries to hear the sounds of movement inside (Listen 17) while waiting for Bo to give the greenlight.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ the boy squirms a bit, but speaks in very good english. ] Mr. Russo's busy right now. Can you come back? [ a spot check of 20+ will notice that his eyes dart for a moment to the man in the aisle, who nods very, very slightly at his response ]

[trebond]

[ hahahaa spot 8, alanna doesn't even kind of notice. she glances over at the kid. ]

Now is better. Shouldn't take long.

[killmypatience]

[Kate picks up on the squirming, but she figures the way his eyes move is nerves more than anything else (spot 14). She puts on her friendliest smile, keeping her voice calm as she talks (bluff 20 total).]

We're hoping he can help us with some business. We'll be in and out, five minutes.

[behindcloseddoors]

L-like I said, he's busy meeting with someone already. You're gonna have to wait.

[behindcloseddoors]

[ voices drift out from the crack in the door, audible to both women, but they're speaking in italian. it seems to be two men, one of whom speaks in a calmly menacing demeanor as the other, an older man, protests, clearly intimidated and trying to offer excuses to placate the first. after a moment there's a crash, and they hear the old man wail, not from injury, but outraged dismay. ]

[trebond]

Then, wait we shall. [ alanna gives a bright smile, making herself comfortable in the store and starting to examine its wares. ]

[succubestie]

[Oh, well, this isn't going to take long for Bo to...completely break away from the plan. Hopefully Rose is ready for this.

At the sound of the old man's outcry, Bo...walks up to the door and...kicks it open.

Hey, if it's not locked, and anyone can hear this from the street, then she's not breaking in or doing anything wrong, right?]

Is there a problem here!?

[behindcloseddoors]

[ it sure looks like it. the old italian guy who must run the store is braced against a counter, knuckles white, staring in horror at a tough with a baseball bat who just smashed in a TV screen. watching all this with a calm, tough guy in charge demeanor is a handsome young man in a suit, smoking a cigarette like it ain't no thang. they all look up immediately, and the store owner looks even more frightened somehow, as if being caught in the midst of this is even worse than having it happen.

the man in the suit takes a drag and then flicks his cigarette at the old man's feet, before answering in english. ]

No problems at all. We were just concluding our business here. [ he snaps two fingers like he's calling a dog, and starts towards the door where bo is ]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ it only takes a listen check of 5+ to hear the sudden loud crashing noise in the backroom... and then bo shouting moments later. ]

[killmypatience]

[Yeah, Kate definitely hears that (listen 22), and her hand goes to her hip, almost as though she's reaching for her gun, but that's not where she has it holstered at the moment. She lets it fall, before glancing back to Alanna.]

You hear that?

[littledhampir]

[Admittedly... Rose was already thinking along the same lines as Bo, but she feels like it should somewhere be stated on record, that she was not in fact the one to go in guns blazing...

She just happily followed, appearing behind Bo's shoulder as the man approached, her head tilts to one side and she levels him with a glare, as if to say; Oh please. I dare you. [Intimidate; Nat MF 20. Because of course Rose would roll that now instead of when she's IDK, hitting somebody...]

Really? Maybe we can help then.

[behindcloseddoors]

[ the man in the suit stops dead in his tracks as rose glowers at him, staring back at her with slightly widened eyes, before shifting his shoulders uncomfortably. he reaches into his pocket and removes a fine italian leather wallet. ] What would you say that TV was worth, Louis?

[ louis, the squat man with the bat, looks surprised, and glances between its remains and his boss, saying: ] Uh... can't be more than 100.

[ james dean yanks out a bill and steps over to the grocer, keeping one eye very deliberately on rose as he slips it into the shaking man's breast pocket, and pats it. ] For your trouble.

[trebond]

[ with her listen check of 20 total, alanna definitely did. and she's regretting having left her sword in the car now. she doesn't wait for permission, but rushes past the employees towards the 'employees only' door so they can get to bo (dex 17 to dodge around employees). ]

[succubestie]

Now why don't you let the poor man walk away back into the store. Because he's not the one in trouble anymore.

[That would be you two shady motherfuckers. (Intimidate 24) Her eyes flash blue because, frankly, bully's piss her off.]

[killmypatience]

[Kate is right behind her, albeit not as smoothly (dexterity 8). She gets caught up behind a few people, but eventually she clears the crowd and is right on Alanna's six.]

[littledhampir]

Oh and uh - don't forget to give him something for his emotional distress while you're at it.

[Rose doesn't even know what that means exactly but she's recently discovered Judge Judy.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ james dean motions to the door that leads back into the main floor of the store, sullenly, and the short guy opens it with a scowl, allowing the confused grocer to glance nervously between them all and head back out that way. as the door swings closed behind him, dean sizes them up, not making another move to leave. ]

I'm sure there has to be some way we can resolve this to everyone's advantage, ladies.

[behindcloseddoors]

[ tall dark and skinny 'customer' over there, however, sticks a foot out casually to trip alanna as she hurries past him. with combat martial arts, he does not provoke an attack of opp. so his attack is a 23 vs her touch AC. he also got a nat 20 strength check, which will be opposed by a dex check from her (total str 22). so unless she probably gets a nat 20 dex check, alanna's about to eat some floor... ]

[trebond]

[ yeah, no. she tripped and is craaaaashing to the floor (dex crit fail) with a shout. ]

[succubestie]

Sure. You can stay right there and answer some questions for me like a good boy.

[She smiles, though it's anything but sweet, as she approaches him.]

And your buddy can kindly put that bat down.

[behindcloseddoors]

[ he stares at bo for a moment, trying to maintain a clear show of defiance, but then raises his chin at the other guy. ] Louis. You heard the lady. [ uncertainly, the little dude lowers the bat to the counter. ]