kansas ♔ you have too much fun breaking all the rules

[cigam]

WHO || Gus, Zatanna, Adam, Dawn, Dimitri [closed]
WHAT || The Knights investigate a multiple homicide that seems linked to ritualistic magic use, in backwater Kansas
WHERE || Black Bottom Ridge, Kansas
WHEN || April 8th [backdated]
HOW || Actionspam or prose

Know what's even worse than Kansas? Kansas after a long winter that just won't die. Everything is creepy and flat and the grass is struggle-bussing its way back to life, and the trees are still skeletal, which just lends an eerie semblance to everything as they drive by. Drive by with a U-Haul attached to the back of her their rented vehicle, because they're bringing a fucking bear along. Luckily Gus was able to coax her into this arrangement, but man, I would not to be the one to draw the short straw opening the doors to that trailer when they arrive.

It only took a single stop at a crappy diner for Zatanna to get someone to spill the whereabouts of the survivor of the night they're looking into: she's being kept at a hospital in the nearest actual city. Zee drops off Adam, Dimitri, and Gus near the crime scene, and takes Dawn with her to go see what they can learn from the girl (after telling Gus to behave).

 

Comments

[behindcloseddoors]

[ There's more to be seen upon closer inspection, beyond the obvious summoning set-up. Between the scattered footprints that indicate frantic attempts to get away are large paw prints, indicating sharp, dangerous claws, and pads that seem like they could belong to a large cat. there are definitely more than one such beast, which are approximately the size of a large puma. one looks substantially larger than the others.

while it's hard to figure out exactly how many such creatures were here, dimitri definitely notices something strange: the 'cats' don't have four paw prints each - they have six.

there are several of these creatures that left the barn, heading out towards the forest line, and also one set of human footprints that look smaller than the police officer's, also leaving the scene. ]

[likeagod]

{He relays this information to the others, pointing out locations as he goes.]

Dealing with several of these creatures will complicate things.

[In different ways depending on if they stick together as a pack or not.]

It looks like our survivor may be a child, or at least someone younger than our officer.

[ex_psionic439]

This just turned into some Children of the Corn shit.

[Coming up behind Dimitri so he can get a better look at what the hell he was talking about.]

Seriously, if those tracks lead into a cornfield then fuck that.

[druidisms]

[ gus rubs his forehead like fuck this shit. dimitri and adam both make fine points, but he's leaning more toward adam's at the moment. he's not a dumbass, he knows better than to run into anything where they vegetation is taller than grass. THIS IS NOT THE FIELD OF DREAMS, IF THEY BUILD IT ONLY DEATH WILL COME.

swear to fucking god, if he has to turn into a jaguar to get into a bitchy cat fight with these animals, he's going to lodge a formal complaint. with life. ]

Calm your tits, Professor X, I'm gay and a minority, I'm gonna be the first one to die in any horror movie scenario. You and Fabio the Intimidating will be fine.

[ he also got a nat 20 on survival (24 total), who says only bitches get shit done?, and he crouches down next a particular set of prints, peering at them a moment before he casts detect animal. he is gonna find some woodland creatures and have a god damn chat is what he is going to do. get the deets on these creatures.

you know, once he uses his disney princess powers to find an animal to talk to. ]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ and gus sure detects a ... squirrel not far outside. aw yeah. ]

[druidisms]

[ A SQUIRREL.

sob. sigh, w/e he casts speak with animals and, looking the fool, gazes in the direction of his disney princess boo. ] 's up, my squirrelly comrade.

[ talking to a squirrel. that he can't even see yet. /crying. BUT HE SOUNDS HELLA CHILL (handle animal 27) so let's be best friends fluffy. ]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ the fluffy little fucker comes bounding out of the woods towards him b/c omg bffs hi. like all squirrels he's hyper as fuck. ]

[druidisms]

[ the squirrel is dug. he crouches down and holds his hand out so fluffernutter can climb up his arm. ] There were some... creatures around here, few days back. You wouldn't happen to have seen them, would you?

[ oh you know what's in his pocket???? sunflower seeds. (mellie is gon' be pissed he's giving them away.) but he's willing to use it as bribery. ]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ the squirrel gets radically distracted from answering after he sniffs the air while sitting on gus' shoulder and then smells dem seeds. he moves down to grab a bunch out and stuff them in his mouth like it's a marathon before he remembers that he was just asked a question. but he doesn't remember what it was, because FOOD. ]

[ex_psionic439]

[Adam is taking this special Disney princess moment all in with the gleam of judgment in his eyes. He won't interrupt Gus' communing with the fucking wildlife, but he sure will lean over to whisper to Dimitri in the meantime.]

Is that even sanitary?

[druidisms]

[ do you want a squirrel to the face, adam? gus' listen check is 25, he heard that. but regardless, once fluffy is fed, gus asks the question again. you're killing him, smalls. ]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ the squirrel is a little confused but then seems to remember seeing something and the sheer act of remembering causes him to chitter in frantic fear and then go bury his face in gus' pocket, shaking.

also eating.

stress eating. ]

[likeagod]

[Dimitri has literally...nothing to say. Because talking to squirrels? What the hell is this even?

Learn something new every day I guess. o.O]

[druidisms]

[ no.

he pulls the squirrel out of his pocket by the scruff of his neck. ] Listen, you little fucker, answer the qu-- [ sigh, he doesn't want to use another spell on this little punk, so he tries again. gentler this time. ] Details. Give me details and I will give you the entire bag.

[ bribery works too. ]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ wow that was the right thing to say. it starts chittering excitedly about seeing some giant 'fur beasts' with big teeth and 'too many arms' in the woods. he has no fucking idea what they were doing b/c that shit was terrifying and he hid in the knot of a tree until they were gone. he does indicate that one was much bigger than the others - maybe a pack leader. ]

[druidisms]

Okay, Clarence, have at. [ he sets the squirrel back in his pocket. they're just going to bros now. is he really called clarence? who the fuck knows. ] So my CI says the same thing: giant six-legged beasts, one of them bigger than the others. We're going to have to track them and disable on our own.

[ a beat before he whistles into the woods. ] Mellie'll protect you, Adam.

[ex_psionic439]

[Because that was reassuring. It was just as likely that the bear would maul him to death ok.]

You mean you can't just galvanize your woodland friends to go on the offensive like Scuttle and his pals? [Yeah, that would be a The Little Mermaid reference (knowledge, pop culture 22). You're welcome.]

[druidisms]

[ THATS WHAT YOU GET FOR CALLING HER BUBBLES. ]

Once we find them I can.

[ex_psionic439]

[Wow excuse u that shit was good enough for MJ.]

Really? Sweet. [And just like that he's sold on this plan.]

[likeagod]

I should be able to track them.

[Tracking, you say? Oh look, Dimitri has the Track feat.

So he's going to start doing that, and by looking at the chart, I'm going to guess that a 17 survival check is enough unless the ground is super fucking hard here, which I think we already established it wasn't. Feel free to assault me with angry words, miss GM, if I'm incorrect.]

It appears they went off this way. The sooner we go after them, the easier it will be to keep tabs on where they went. If it rains, things will get much harder.

[druidisms]

[ as dimitri starts tracking, mellie trundles up with what she really wants to be a purr of hey look at me, but sound.... just like a bear roaring. ffs mellie. can you not? gus dead eyes at her because it's cute how she wants to be comforting but she sucks at it. ]

Dimitri, you take the lead. Mellie and I will take up -- [ not going to set himself up for the "in the rear" joke. ] -- after Adam. Pay attention. I don't know if I'm in good enough to mood to save anyone's dumb asses. [ that last part is more for adam than dimitri, but w/e he is the knight in charge he gets to say shit like this. lan would be so proud. ]

[ex_psionic439]

[What happened to "Mellie will protect you"??? Whatever, Adam ain't dumb and is too busy focusing on sensing anyone in the area who tries to come incorrect to comment on Gus' preference for the rear. Go go gadget radar (detect hostile intent). For the next forty minutes, anyone or anything with half a brain within thirty feet looking to harm a bitch won't be a wolf in sheep's clothing they'll just be will be a fucking wolf--he'll see 'em coming.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ INTO THE WOODS THEY FUCKING GO AW YEAH ]

[likeagod]

[lalala off to grandmother's house or something idefk.

dimitri will just quietly pay attention to the tracks, giving them his full attention and hoping the other two keep the chit chat to a minimum so they might be able to actually...sneak up on these things. (survival 23)]

[ex_psionic439]

[No problem there. Adam is keeping his mouth shut and his mind open. He doesn't want to die ok.]