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

[immuno]

[ Lydia is pushing herself as far back into the corner under the table as possible with the shears held in front of her because this is EVEN MORE TRAUMATIZING THAN WAKING UP NEXT TO A PILE OF DEAD BODIES. ]

[ Because y'all just killed like an 80-year-old man. His ribs make a loud snapping noise at Sydney's second kick, and the bone crunches straight through into his heart, dropping him in a second. Literally murdered him. Good job. ]

[ Lydia lets out a scream. ]

[littledhampir]

[As the old man drops, Rose spares only a brief moment for his crumpled corpse before her head snaps around to the screaming Lydia, a perplexed look on her face, like everything that just happened is perfectly normal and WTF is even wrong with you, you've seen dead bodies before!]

So much for getting out of here unnoticed...

[superswank]

[ syd is less pleased with this turn of events, but mostly because she wanted to question him. instead, she contents herself with leaning down to search him (search 11), as she says: ] We might not be out of the woods yet. [ she glances back at lydia, brow furrowed in concern ] He was ready to kill us. He might have help who's just as willing.

[immuno]

Yeah, and now we have a body to hide!

[ She throws the shears forward, voice sharpening. ]

And absolutely no evidence that he was actually the one you were looking for.

[littledhampir]

He admitted it! [No Rose that's not evidence, her gaze moving from Sydney and the body to the exit.]

I vote we get going before the help comes to see what's keeping him. [Trying to hear if there's any more movement up above (Listen 28).]

[superswank]

Hiding the body isn't exactly one of our concerns. [ wynn always covers that shit up pretty well, ngl ] We need to search this place. The evidence we need might be upstairs.

[immuno]

You want to hang around? [ how is this real. ] What if he has friends who come looking for him?

[littledhampir]

Then you stand behind us and while we deal with it. [So matter of fact like this must be Tuesday or something.] Though... maybe grab those shears again just to be safe.

[The most comforting Rose.]

[superswank]

[ syd hesitates at least, looking back at lydia, before saying to rose: ] She's a civilian. Maybe we should get her out and then come back with the others. [ she lets the rest go unspoken - not only that lydia is clearly uncomfortable here and was freaked out by the combat that might rear its head again at any moment, but that she also might end up getting herself or someone else hurt since she's not trained like they are to deal with it. it's safer for her to get her to safety first. ]

[immuno]

Oh no. You are not sending me back to Officer Incompetent, and you obviously need supervision to make sure no one else gets murdered in the course of this little family outing of yours.

[ she grabs the shears and gets to her feet, stubborn as hell. ]

[littledhampir]

[Welp. Rose's Wisdom check was 10 so who knows if this is smart or not. She lifts her shoulder in a shrug.]

Stay close to me and try and keep the blood curdling screams to a minimum. [To Sydney.] If we get her out of here first they'll have time to destroy evidence.

[superswank]

Fine. But let's make this quick. [ she takes the lead towards the steps, heading up the steps quietly and gesturing for them to wait a sec at the bottom (move silently 29). she listens at the door at the top (listen 9), before pushing the door open slowly and glancing out (hide 20; spot 19) ]

[immuno]

[ Lydia stays behind Rose, and makes no such effort to remain quiet while going up the stairs. She's in high heel.s It wouldn't happen anyway.

Luckily, Sydney doesn't see anyone out the door! And it sounds like the coast is clear too. ]

[superswank]

[ she gestures for them to come as she sneaks out, drawing her gun as she moves cautiously through the house(??), examining their surroundings and checking around corners with the weapon to make sure no one is there. ]

[immuno]

[ the house (yes!) is empty. a large, two-story farmhouse, the floorplan runs more or less in a circle between a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen, all accessible through open doorways in the walls that separate them. in the kitchen, chili is bubbling over on the stove, and the dining room table is set for four. ]

[littledhampir]

[Oh they have weapons! Rose falls in behind Sydney, pulling her stake free just in case and doesn't hide her surprise when she gets a look at the house.]

We're in suburbia?! [Look she was totally expecting the house out of House of 1000 Corpses or something.] Who the hell are these people?!

[superswank]

[ no, Arden is dumb and didn't think about them taking their weapons probably but tifa was gonna have them find them anyway so THEY DO NOW. ] Sometimes the scariest people are the ones who look like everyone else on the surface.

We can expect three more... although it looks like they might have ran for it - or still be on their way.

[immuno]

[ lydia gives rose a look like oh is this your first murder basement you sweet summer child. ]

Still on their way.

[ nat 20 investigate ??? lydia steps forward to look at the stove, grabbing an oven mitt to pull the lid off the chili pot and turn the stove down. no one needs the fire department right now, ok. ]

This was still cooking.

[ She glances up at the ceiling as if to silently question if maybe some are up there. ]

[littledhampir]

[Rose mutters something that sounds an awful lot like Humans as she shakes her head, gripping her stake a little tighter.]

Chili for dinner and torturing people to wash it down... [Her gaze follows Lydia's and Rose goes silent, trying to hear any movement above. (Listen 27.)]

[superswank]

[ syd heads towards the stairs, i'm gonna be lazy and just keep her move silently from before until tifa tells me to reroll. she slowly starts creeping up that way, gun up. ]

[immuno]

[ the best part of this moment is that

this is the moment you need to reroll it.

upstairs, rose can hear the creaking of floorboards—but it doesn't sound like walking. it's sort of shifting around in the same space upstairs? hmmm.

lydia moves after sydney, at least attempting to be quiet this time. we're just not sure what she thinks she's going to be able to do to help but here she is.

and by "help" i mean her move silently check was 8. dem high heels. ]

[littledhampir]

[Rose motions above again, trying to suggest that y e p. There's something up there and her move silently of 19 might have been okay but ya know. Lydia's heels so it probably doesn't matter.]

[superswank]

[ she got a 21 this time, and she turns around to put out a hand as if to say STOP MOVING to lydia. 8| gurrrl. ]

[immuno]

Oh no. I am not staying downstairs in the creepy murder house alone.

[ You can't MAKE HER. But she stops at least and is speaking in a stage whisper. ]

[littledhampir]

[Rose just offers up a pointed look at Lydia's shoes. She's bringing up the rear folks so she's going to follow Sydney's lead on this one.]