pembrokeshire ♔ the day has come where i have died

[immuno]

WHO || Lydia Martin, Alaric Saltzman, Helen Magnus, Rose Hathaway, Sydney Bristow
WHAT || A couple of knights take a short trip west to investigate reports of Shadowkind deaths.
WHERE || Police Station, Pembrokeshire, Wales
WHEN || May 20th
HOW || Actionspam

The briefing was simple and direct: a string of disappearing Shadowkind centered around a small farming town in Wales. The Karthur Institute wasn't called in until the local authorities got reports of incessant, blood-curdling screams coming from a barn just past the edge of town. They found a girl curled in the corner there, screaming her lungs out, shaking, and looking like she'd been running around the forest alone for days.

They also found the five bodies of their missing townspeople in the barn.

They tell the knights (and thus, Wynn tells them) that the girl is in police custody, but they don't tell them that she's pinned in a cell. They've fed her and given her a coat by now, but the deputy is quick to alert Helen, Rose, Sydney, and Alaric as they arrive of the bad news.

"She hasn't shut up since we put her in there." He glances back over his shoulder, toward the lock-up. "Not screamin', just wanting to know who they were." He looks back at the knights, grim. "Don't think she's got any idea how she got out there. I don't have it in me to tell her I don't either; wherever she's rom, it inn't Pembrokeshire."

Comments

[daredtobelieve]

They're doing the best with what they have. [Helen says gently, not really excusing the local LEOs so much as trying not to continue bashing them.] Granted- our best is better. [What? They're out of earshot now...]

Between the five of us, I'm sure we can make quick work of finding anything worth finding at the scene.

[Yes, Helen just counted Lydia as part of the group. In for a penny, in for a pound. And maybe she has a feeling about this one...]

[immuno]

[ yeah lydia's here to correct that misconception. she holds up a silencing finger. ]

There are four of you.

[ with helen's 22 navigate and sydney's hella drive check, they get to the barn with no trouble. they travel down mostly dirt roads through green fields and into a slightly wooded area. they pull to a stop a few yards from the barn and lydia tenses, swallowing thickly as her eyes rivet out the front passenger window at the opening of the barn. there's police tape uselessly stretched across the middle of the opened double barn doors. a+, LEO. ]

[superswank]

[ syd monitors lydia's reaction in the rearview mirror, then leans to look past helen at the view. ]

Did you think you were staying in the car? [ the tone is encouraging as she undoes her belt and opens the door to get out. ]

[littledhampir]

[Rose too slips out, poking her head back in the car to address Lydia.]

Unless you'd rather stay in the car while the people with weapons are inside?

[Yeah that was really Rose's own version of encouraging it just sounded very... Rose-like.]

[immuno]

[ you motherfuckers need to work on your bedside manner. lydia casts a shifty glance between them, looking rather like a deer in headlights, and then shoves her way out of the vehicle sourly. ]

I don't know where you people came from, but just because I don't want to sit in the car and wind up picked off like some horror movie doesn't mean I'm part of your little Scooby gang. Got it?

[ she slams the car door shut, walking unevenly across the sod around the barn in her high heels, occasionally sinking in. she pulls her green wool coat more tightly around her, at odds with the weather for this season, in a defensive gesture as she heads for the barn door.

she doesn't know what she's a part of—she obviously isn't going home when this is over. she just ... hasn't figured out the rest, and frankly, she doesn't want to think about it. ]

[daredtobelieve]

[Helen has great bedside manner, thanks. That's why she wanted to make you feel ~part of the group~ but now she's focused on the scene. Business mode.]

Duly noted, dear. But please bear in mind that the police released you into our custody. There's nothing that says we can't simply take you back.

[She wouldn't. And she does feel bad for Lydia and what she's gone through, but this is some tough love. Plus, she's getting the impression that the girl doesn't respond well to sympathy and coddling anyway.

She's just a few steps behind Lydia, giving the interior of the barn a sweeping gaze (spot nat 20).]

[immuno]

[ the interior of the barn is as one might expect from a building 20-year condemned. the support beams, interior walls, and stalls are all rotted out. the wood appears sodden, and a quick glance upward tells helen that the roof caved in many years ago and was never replaced. a number of the single-pane window have broken, either courtesy of trees slamming into them during a storm or rocks or wayward toys being flung through. towards the southern wall, opposite the barn doors, stalls are split off by half-walls and swinging wooden doors.

the acrid stench of death floods the sinuses of those who brave the one-room structure. it's so pungent that lydia stops at the door when her gag reflex causes her to choke. she covers her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket and turns away, leaning against the barn doors (make a fort save~). helen has better luck, though she can feel bile rising in her throat as she steps further inside.

matted, squashed piles of hay stand in two diagonal corners of the main space of the barn, one behind a rusted out riding lawnmower. by the workbench on the east wall, helen notices a series of empty beer cans with holes stabbed into the side of them. some are strewn across the workbench, some are stuffed in a plastic grocery bag slung over a half-open drawer as a makeshift trash bag. (search checks if you want to examine the drawers or the trash bag.)

lydia speaks up from behind her, pointing at the corner just inside to the right of the doors, at the haystack against the west wall. ]

That's where they were.

[ the soil and sod is colored darker in a wide, eight-foot circle that sees some overlap with the haystack. blood has seeped its way deep into the earth there. as helen looks over, she notices a single keyring with two round silver keys on it lost just barely under the surface of the hay. the round, white keychain has Casey's scrawled across it in blue script with a sharpie. (wisdom or navigate checks to try and recall/identify what "casey's" might be referring to.) ]

[daredtobelieve]

[Despite being able to stand the stench, it doesn't make it a pleasant experience. She covers her mouth and nose with the back of her hand, pressing further into the barn to take a closer look. At Lydia's direction, she steps over and crouches, reaching out to pick up the keychain she's spotted.

If there was ever proof that they aren't here for standard police work? This might be a tip off. She looks over the logo, recalling back what she's seen as they've driven through town (navigate 25).]

[immuno]

[ success!

helen can remember passing a casey's grocery on their way out of town, just west of the police station. ]

[ex_ric243]

[Alaric soldiers through the assault on his sense of smell and moves further into the barn just behind Helen (fortitude 20 total).

While Helen moves off in one direction, Ric notices the workbench and moves over toward the east wall so he can begin looking through the drawers (spot 18, search 23).]

[daredtobelieve]

Looks like that sign from the grocery store awhile back. Might be worth a stop. [She looks to Sydney for agreement before glancing over to where Ric is.]

Got something?

[immuno]

[ aside from the usual workshop tools—beer cans, wd-40, duct tape, and oil rags—ric finds some heavily aged photographs taken outside of the barn, back when it wasn’t a hot mess. there are kids playing on a tire swing on a tree outside. some are from inside the barn, with kids climbing in the rafters. they look around 10.

there’s a woman in many of the photos, early 40s, and a man that appears to be her husband is only in the older, more weathered photographs. the children are younger with him—6 or 7. ]

[ex_ric243]

[Alaric takes his time looking through these while Helen is putting two and two together regarding the name on that keychain she just uncovered.]

Just some old photographs.

[He hands said pictures to Helen once she's taken position beside him. He then turns his attention up toward the rafters overhead as though to confirm that yep, this was the same barn in the images.]

Might be the family that owned this property before it was seized by the state.

[immuno]

Wait.

[ lydia steps forward, but cringes in the face of the stench of the barn and backs up. on second thought, you come here. ]

Did you say family? Bring those over here.

[daredtobelieve]

[Helen is happy to oblige, carrying the pictures Ric has handed her and the keychain out with her, assuming Ric will follow because dear god that barn is rank.]

Recognize anyone?

[immuno]

No.

[ she shakes her head, staring at the images. after a moment, she looks up at helen. ]

It just … seems weird. I mean, usually things go to the state when, like, some lonely old person dies, but these people had family. I wonder what happened to them.

[daredtobelieve]

A fair point. Perhaps someone at the store will be able to fill in the gaps for us. [She glances at the others.] Shall we?

[superswank]

[ SYD HAS BEEN HERE THIS WHOLE TIME i am the best at this whee

she nods, pulling out the keys ]

Bring the pictures. [ EVERYONE IN THE VAN. she's just gonna take 10 on a drive check b/c this is not a race, people. she got a 21 navigate check so she apparently had mentally marked where that store was so she could get some hoho's on the way back through (unsure) ]

[immuno]

Ugh.

[ as they pull to a stop, they come up on a storefront that reads casey's in faded red letters. it's sandwiched between two other store spaces squeezed into the same building, so there is no side alley. the glass door has a hanging sign turned to read 'open.' lydia's expression contorts with disdain at the sight out the car window, and she doesn't immediately move to appreciate the sight from any closer.

the store itself is tiny, and lacks any indications of upkeep. the one thousand square foot space is crammed with narrow shelves. paint peels off the shelves and walls just as it peels off the exterior. a tall, burly man stands behind the counter in a wrinkled white uniform shirt with the store logo over the pocket. ]

[daredtobelieve]

[Taking a look at the building, Helen turns back to her teammates.]

Any suggestions on how we handle this? It's possible that a couple of lost women on the road could coax a few more answers than a true investigation. [She's lookin at you, Syd. And Rose for back up/additional pretty young lady factor.]

[superswank]

[ syd nods, and immediately adjusts the mirror as she pulls out a tube of lipstick, undoes a few buttons, and pulls her hair out of its holder to make it much less severe and more tousled (28 disguise). ] C'mon. [ she doesn't wait to see who's coming with, just pushes open the door with a put-out sigh, looking around. she looks around the store with wide eyes before they settle on the man, who she affixes with a surprised smile. ] Oh, thank heavens, I never thought we were going to see civilization again! [ she makes her way over to the counter, pulling off her sunglasses. ] Do you think maybe you could help me? We're from America [ she flashes him an apologetic smile like ~of course~ we're tourists can't you tell ] and we came here to try to track down our ancestors from Wales. [ she pulls out the pictures and slides them across the counter ] But someone lost our baggage in the airport, including all the papers we had with names written down. Luckily, I had these in my purse and still had the town name in my search history. We figured with these little towns, everybody knows everybody, so maybe you could help us? [ jesus that was a nat 20 bluff. whoever came in with syd would think she was an entirely different person than had just been in the car, a slightly flighty, flirtatious tourist, airheaded enough to not remember these people's names ever after flying across the world to find them. ]

[ex_ric243]

[And Ric will be hanging back because no disguise check on Earth could make him a believable woman. Pointless tag is pointless but serves as proof of life ok.]

[immuno]

[ Lydia looks at Ric like yoooo wish I could have a penis rn. But she begrudgingly climbs out and heads inside. WHO ELSE IS GOING WITH SYDNEY AND LYDIA INSIDE. I assume Helen, but what about Rose. Does Ric get much needed alone time in the car to recuperate from all the estrogen. ]

[daredtobelieve]

[no Helen is staying in the car and letting the younger gals do their thing.]

[ex_ric243]

[Yes, Helen and Ric will watch the car. No hanky-panky to be had here.

You all run along now and gather that information. This was a tag.]