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

[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.]

[druidisms]

[ gpoy. while they walk, gus detaches the quarterstaff mellie had strapped to her back on her little harness. just on case. he keeps his eyes and ears open. (listen 28, spot 19)

oh and mellie's on the prowl too. (listen 12, spot 21) she also sniffs around, nose wiggling. (scent tracking 15) ]

[ex_psionic439]

[Oh, I guess Adam can make Listen and Spot checks too (nat 20, 22 total and 19 respectively). But let's be real this is just here to serve as a bump. He sees that quarterstaff, Friar Tuck.]

Wait, were we supposed to bring a weapon? [Nevermind that his fucking brain is a weapon. He would feel better with a gun right now just saying.]

[watcherjunior]

[ RING RING. RING RING. RING. RING. Sorry to interrupt any important junk, but Dawn is calling with info hot from the depths of her memory. ]

[druidisms]

[ YAY! ]

Spill it, kid. [ he did not bother to check who it is. everyone is now a kid. :) ]

[watcherjunior]

[ There's a momentary urge to refute being called 'kid' but as she's probably legit the youngest in the group, she can't argue.

also, more important things. ]

Erica, our survivor, saw panther-like creatures with tentacles. So, we're likely dealing with a displacer beast. Hopefully just a and not some.

[druidisms]

[ he listens patiently while she explains. he knows what she is talking about, unfortunately. (knowledge: arcane lore 24)

hahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahah hahahahahahaha ha. ]

You're fucking kidding. Like that little fucker Sven keeps in the woods as his own personal pokémon? [ longest suffering sigh. she probably doesn't even know sven. gus gives no fucks. ] For fuck's sake, Sven. [ /blames everything on sven. this is the last time he shares his woodland drug supply with that bitch. (naw, not really. he needs his dumb hippie friends.)

he turns to the other two men, silently sizing them up. they're all going to die. wynn hates him. he clearly did something very wrong and this is punishment and wynn hates him. le sigh. ]

There's more than one.

[watcherjunior]

Personal pokémon? Okay, I've seen a drawing of one of these and, why on earth would you?

[ She doesn't know Sven. But she has an urge to smack him. ]

No, see, you're supposed to tell me it's just one, and it's tiny, and we're totally going to kick its furry ass.

[druidisms]

Sven is a special soul. [ his voice is the verbal equivalent to a kanyeshrug. ] There's probably half a dozen, including their much larger leader.

[ and because adam and dimitri can't hear dawn's side of the convo he adds: ] Displacer beasts. [ :D yay!

no. ] Anything else the girl said?

[watcherjunior]

Half a dozen, ugh.

[ Not good news. Nope. ]

She just kept asking about someone named Jim? When we got in, she was out of it, telling him to run. And kept asking if he's okay.

[ She's just going to assume poor Jim is Cat Chow. ]

[ex_psionic439]

[And not even Adam's kickass intelligence score could keep him from bombing that knowledge check. He's drawing a blank because he studies up on psionics, not magic and monsters and shit. He doesn't even wait for Gus to get off the phone--]

Displacer beast? What the fuck is that?

[druidisms]

It's a puma with tentacles that have catching hooks on them, like squids. Their displacement illusion, hence the name, makes them hard to fight since they're not actually where they seem to be. Their superpower is basically being six inches to the left. [ more like feet, but wtfever. ] It's a tentacle cat.

[ but back to dawn. ] One of the beasts might be Jim since these fucking incompetent tools cocked up the entire spell.

[watcherjunior]

Oh, totally fantastic. And by that I mean dammit.