Deathknell Chronicles IC, Chapter 1: Eyes Open

[Thundercracker]

Erica

Too late tonight, save it for another day.

"Take me back downtown," she said.

Once there, she paid the taxi driver and took the bus back to her apartment. This was something that would have to be planned out in detail.

[daelrog]

Amy

"No. I only have guesses. None of them are pleasant." Well, Donovon certainly wasn't trying to win any competition of being comforting.

"C-come on, Evaz. We'll have to slee-" Mike eyes dart to the side. "-sleep it off."

Mike and Slick started moving to one of the closer rooms to sleep, neither one wanting to go back upstairs.

Erica

The taxi driver took her back as she requested, without a problem. She was back at her home, with perhaps another hour or two before sleep would take her over.

Spoiler

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Both of you are in position to end your nights if either of you choose.

[Thundercracker]

Erica

Erica cracked open the Portuguese books and tapes and started lesson one. No sense in wasting any time. She sat next to the phone in case anyone returned her phone calls.

[Strawberries]

Amy

But... she would like to say something else, to ask some other question, but it doesn't look like Donovon is going to answer them. She passes a hand through her hair. "Alright" she says again, more quietly.

"Uhm, Mike, I..." really need to speak to you she wants to finish, but she takes one look at his expression and changes her mind. Now is really not the time to put more stuff on Mike's plate. She shakes her head instead, and starts following Mike and Slick to the other room. She doesn't particularly want to be on her own either.

[daelrog]

Erica

Spoiler

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Earn two XP.

The next evening comes. She finds a message on her phone. It's from Byron.

"Erica, important meeting, Josef says he wants you in attendance, it's an exception. Not sure what he means by exception. Anyways, the meeting starts at midnight, be here by 11:30. See you then." The recording ends.

She still has some time to spare before then though.

Amy

Spoiler

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Earn four XP for finally getting to use Dementation.
You have a bigger time skip on your hand, going a couple weeks to catch up to everyone else. Suffice to say, Donovon DOES put two and two together the next evening after talking to the three of you individually, and the truth doesn't please her. In fact, it pleases no one.
Slick is now afraid of Amy
Flat Face is hostile because she hurt Slick
Donovon sees it as very troubling signs
Mike doesn't know what to do about it. He handles beign subject to it for a week fairly well though, considering.
She learns that Dementation is the discipline of Cassidy's clan, that kindred young like her aren't supposed to know that discipline unless they belong to that clan. She's told not to tell anyone else.

What else is Amy up to during that time?

[dancrilis]

Danielle

Be a fool, eh, it might not be poor advice, he likely handled himself with at least the foresight she was using to catch him, and so acting random might be the best option.

She had been trying to see the world as the hunter, but she had also been trying to maintain her old life a little ... and as Erica had proven she could be found easily, Amy had proved it first really she just hadn't learned.
So if he was stalking her to catch the bigger game, than she needed to drop off before the bigger game caught on.

"Ok last question" she had her answer on the blood already she thought, there was a long pause "I had a vision today, a few of them really. Walls dripping blood, figures in the fog, beings offering help" she would leave out that she had spoken to one "I just need to know if you have heard anything like that" it was blunt but she needed to know if she was mad.

[Thundercracker]

Erica

Erica looks up the name of a local church in the yellow pages, and calls the mental institution.

"Hi," she said, "I'm calling on behalf of St. Vincent's Catholic Church. I'm wondering if there are visiting hours for non-family members?"

[Strawberries]

Amy

Spoiler

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Rp-ing the following night as per pm conversation.

The first thing Amy notices when she wakes up is that she is not in her room. The second is that she's not alone there. It takes her a couple of confused seconds to remember. Nobody had gone back upstairs the evening before, they had all sort of silently agreed to stay together.

She slowly gets up, throwing a look at Mike and Slick to see if they are alright.

[daelrog]

Danielle

Jack did not flip a card. In fact, he set the cards down. "Sure. I've spoken to a Malkavian before. They see all sorts of things. Perhaps your sire's, sire's sire was one.

Once again, it was hard to read the face of a rotting face.

"Maybe you are just crazy without any curses. Sometimes we forget that men too have flaws." He started laughing as if it were a funny joke. To him, it was.

Erica

"This is Diane, how can I help you?" She listens to Erica's question. "Normally friends of our clients are permitted, but do require a family member fill out and sign a form. We can have one faxed to you if you like? Visiting hour normally go until 9pm, except in special cases when the client is under stress and a family member of friend can be of assistance."

Amy
Slick is already out of the room. Guess he's a little more in tune with his human side, or just naturally gets up earlier. Mike however, is still dozing. He seems all right, at least while asleep.

[Strawberries]

Amy

"Hey. Hey Slick" She says quietly. "How... Uhm... How are you feeling?". She throws a concerned look at Mike. This is ridiculous. I'm not watching over -Mike- as he sleeps. But it looks like that is exactly what she is going to do. After yesterday she is a bit concerned leaving him on his own

[Thundercracker]

Erica

"No, that's alright," she said, "thank you."

Erica hung up the phone and studied Portuguese for an hour, then called back.

"Hi," she said, "I'd like to speak with Diane?"

Assuming she gets to speak with her:

"Hi Diane," Erica said, "I got your name from an associate of mine. My mother's doctor is considering recommending she transfer to your institution, and I'd like to arrange a visit to see the facilities before we make any decision. The problem is, my days are packed so I can only visit after work. Is there something we could work out?"

[daelrog]

Amy

Slick looks over to Amy, a bit more nervous than usual. "I... find I guess. Uh... Donovon wanted to talk to me first. I'll... I'll catch you in a bit okay?"

He hurriedly went out of the room, leaving Amy with her sleeping sire. Amy can't shake the feeling that Slick was hiding something, not that it would be hard to get it out of him given a minute or two, but he was going to speak to Donovon first.

Mike, for his part, seemed to be sleeping rather peacefully, whether or not Amy appreciated it. It was unlikely he would be so carefree when he woke.

Erica

Spoiler

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Need a manipulation + performance out of Erica. She did call not too terribly long ago, and is trying to pretend she's not the same person as before, right?

"Ah, okay not a problem. Let's see..." Looked like Diane didn't have everything memorized. "All right, we always have one of our lead doctors in on Saturday, all hours. If not... looks like Tuesdays and Thursdays are generally the time they schedule these appointments. Could I have a name Miss..."

[Thundercracker]

Erica

"Wong," Erica said, "Jenny Wong. Saturday should be fine, say 9pm?"

Erica wrapped up making the appointment, then called Faruq. She'd need a fake ID by Saturday, and she figured he owed her for the quarter million dollars in drugs she'd given him.

Whether or not Erica can reach Faruq, she'll dress quickly, toss her planner into her handbag, and head out to W&K.

[Strawberries]

Amy

"Alright, Slick, er... take care." Amy hesitates, then perches on the edge of Mike's bed and waits for him to wake up. She knows, on a level, that it is irrational: Mike is perfectly safe, and he will wake up when he wakes up. But making sure he is safe makes her feel better.

[dancrilis]

Danielle

So I could be regular nuts she considered great.

Still the earlier advice had given her an idea which she would followup with, she needed to drop of the map until everything was dealt with.

"Thanks Jack, you have given me some ideas" she shrugged "I probably won't be around for a good while, I need to drop off the grid if I am going to match the Hunter and Desmund", she got up to leave "I will try to bring some blood next time".

[daelrog]

Erica

Spoiler

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Well, as I'm not sure Worlok is coming back we'll assume Faruq can get her the fake id before the next Saturday.

Erica arrived about a quarter after 11:00. Byron was already there. "Ah good, you're early, this makes it easier." He approached to give her a firm handshake. He led her off the side, to a service door. Without looking around he deliberately opened it, inside seemed to be a locker room. At the end of that locker room though were elevator doors, most likely separate from those in the lobby.

Amy
In another ten minutes Mike was up. "Ah man, hell of a nightmare." He paused for a moment, remembering that it wasn't just a dream. He looked up at his childe. "Oh, hey. So... any word from Donovon yet?"

His eyes jumped to the side, but he didn't say anything. Mike seemed to pale a little more, but he was handling whatever it was better, at least for the moment.

Danielle

Smiling Jack seemed to look at her intently. He took the cards and started sorting through them. He handpicked three of them and threw them onto the table. One was of a man with sword and shield, a second of an angel with broken wings, and third of a sword. "Take these. Returns them as you deal with your problems. And next time yes, do bring blood." Perhaps for the first time Danielle saw Jack truly smile as his face stretched out even further, making the creature even more ghastly.

[Strawberries]

Amy

Spoiler

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I'm going to assume Mike's in his natural face, isn't he? Amy is, at the very least.

Amy smiles a bit in relief to see that he is apparently alright. "Donovon is with Slick. They..." She stops abruptly as she sees Mike's expression change. "Oh, god, it hasn't stopped, has it?" She hugs him without even consciously thinking about it. Awkwardness be damned, this is as much for her benefit as it is for his. She rests her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes. "What the hell is it, Mike? Do you have any idea?"". She whispers.

[dancrilis]

Danielle

She looked at the cards for a few seconds, armed with sword and shield could be interpreted at protecting and arming herself, a broken angel could be about losing innocence, and a sword could be about being the weapon itself.
Or they could mean any number of other things, or nothing.

Was the meaning of them more to do with the viewer than the cards themselves. It likely depended on who you asked.

"Thanks Jack" she scooped them up "it will likely be animal blood".

Stopping at the door she turned "any final advice for me?".

[Thundercracker]

Erica

Erica followed Byron, heels clicking on the ground as she did so.

"Do you know what's going on?" she asked.

[daelrog]

Amy

Spoiler

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Yes, as he just woke up he hasn't had time to pretty himself up.

"No. I don't." He held her back. "It's not real. Whatever it is, I know it's not real."

Slick walked back at that moment. "Oh... uh... d-didn't know you two were having a moment. She uh... wants you next Mike. You..." Slick seemed about to ask if he was all right, but decided to walk out instead.

Danielle
Jack leaned back in his chair. "Three cards. Three problems. Good luck."

Erica
Byron gave her a look that said it wasn't a question he could answer. "Through the elevators. Press B4. I can't go with you."

Going into the elevator, Erica could see it went from B1 to B6.

[Strawberries]

Amy

"It's alright, Slick, we...." She trails off as Slick exits the room.

"Uhm, Mike, I really need to talk to you as well. About, you know, what happened yesterday. I mean, before... er, before all the rest." But that can probably wait after they have all spoken with Donovon. "I, er... I'll wait for you, okay?"

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Alright, so hypothetically, how difficult would it be to go down and eavesdrop?

[daelrog]

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Well, it depends on how perceptive you think Mike and/or Donovon are. It would be a stealth + wits roll.

"Sure thing, Evaz. After we finish with Donovon. He stood up, and started for the door. Amy noticed the back of his head suddenly become like a normal human being's as he walked out, leaving Amy all alone.

[dancrilis]

Danielle

She gave him a nod and exited, but what problems he saw and she saw might be different.

Getting on the bike, madness can't really be solved with thought so it wasn't something she would concern herself with until it was a problem yes ignore the visions and listen to them at the same time, that is perfectly sane she sarcastically berated herself.
So far they had not caused her problems.

But if Erica could find her, and her mother knew where she was and could be found easily than she wasn't safe in Amy's than at home. Going through her stuff there was nothing needed, she had clothes, there were no documents, rent was paid up for a good while, she could ditch it and go low profile.

She considered places she could hid out, she wanted clean enough, without getting bothered, or killed by the sun, which gave access to town, and enough space to collect and train.

Haunted houses would work unless they were actually haunted, warehouses could be reused she would need to keep track, cemeteries dangerous if she broke into a tomb and would lack space, burying herself in the ground same problem, hiding underwater need to worry about dampness and Gregor taking offense, basements of run down buildings etc, the ideas coming fast with there own problems.

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Rolling a series of rolls to see what might be the best options.

Intelligence + Occult: (5d10)[9][9][5][7][5](35)
To think about any 'safe' sites she might be able to claim that are avoided from being spooky, 100 year old abandoned mansion etc.

Intelligence + Streetwise: (5d10)[4][7][1][7][5](24)
To think about any 'safe' sites she might be able to claim, free of gangs traffic, old abandoned warehouses etc.

Intelligence + Survival: (4d10)[10][4][4][5](23)
General living it on the streets, forests, water etc.

Intelligence + Investigation: (5d10)[8][9][6][2][9](34)
For counter intelligence on how people might find her where she is and in association with where she is considering.

[Strawberries]

Amy

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Alright then, you know what? I will try. If I get caught, I will pretend I am just passing by. And there is always the possibility that Donovon WANTS her to hear it. Stealth + wits (6d10)[1][6][4][3][7][7](28).

Amy stays in the room for a minute more, then takes a decision. She can either stay there and keep feeling sorry for herself or she can do something about it. She slides off the bed and heads downstairs. Everyone is waiting for Donovon to figure it out, it seems. But there's nothing wrong with getting a bit of an head start.

[Thundercracker]

Erica

"Thanks Byron," Erica said. She gave him a faint plaintive look as the eleveator doors closed, then the steel box began descending.

[daelrog]

Amy

She snuck around moving downstairs. She could hear voices coming from one of the first floor rooms, moving by the door quiet as a mouse. She missed hearing what her sire said, but could hear Donovon's rasping voice. "This is not good. Be glad she is not a thin blood or Jean would have her staked for the sun."

"That's ridiculous! Come on, you really think she's a lunatic at heart?"

"Calm down neonate. She is not a thin blood, and she is too valuable. Still, she knows something she should not. It is a bad sign. There have been many bad signs. Isn't that right, Evaz?"

Danielle

Danielle considers her options. There are a few mansions that are not occupied at the moment, but they are closer to where the Prince's residence is at. There's the sewers, and also the area around Jack's place. Each of those would be adequately spooky.

As for supernatural protection, there is little to go on. With so many unknowns, and with vampires and ghosts running around, and some hunter that can put fear into the former, who is to say what is and is not possible? Perhaps some religious institution like a church or mosque?

Trying to survive on the streets seems like a poor idea. When the very sun itself means death, and Danielle still being an amateur at wilderness survival, there seems to many ways for a misstep, too many hazards to overcome.

As to how anyone could find her? Once again, there is little to go on until she learns more about the abilities of her pursuers.

Erica

The elevator takes twenty seconds to descend, opening up a dark, narrow hallway with a plain door on the other side. Walking to it, she can hear voices on the other side. Upon entering, she can see Josef sitting across the table from two men of Arabic descent. One appears to be a man in his mid-forties wearing a western suit. The other, a much younger, and quite attractive man is in more traditional wear.

Josef does not look at Erica when he speaks. "May I present to you my childe, Miss Erica Lee. Erica? This is Ahmad al-Assad, ancestor of Faruq, and the mastermind behind the former Prince's death."

[dancrilis]

Danielle

Her options weren't good, but the best of them was likely the sewer system, on the ride back to town she considered the second set of tunnels that were underground, when Vancouver established their underground train system Havensworth had followed suit to an extent - much of it was still overground but there were still miles that were not.

It would be empty at night and would be unknown to most people natives or new, and a returning visitor like the Jackal would not have any knowledge of them - she suspected that there was likely access to a few choice buildings also for construction and maintenance.

Yes if she could get in there she would be ok for a while at least.

Dropping into a shop she wanted to buy a pen, paper, letter and a stamp her mother needed to be put at some form of ease after all, a map of the stations would also be useful.

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Hope it is all right setting up a bit more of an underground in Havensworth, if not I can edit the above to be a wish on her part before she decides something else.

[Thundercracker]

Erica

Which one is it? The older one? No, must be the one wearing the traditional clothing. Screw it.

"How do you do," Erica said, looking somewhere between the two men.

Do I bow, do I curtsey? A little warning would have been nice, Josef.

She settled for polite half-bow, not quite a nod, not quite a bow, respectful, but not overly so.

What's he even doing here? That's right, he's working with Josef now, something in the Philippines. What do they want with me?

[Strawberries]

Amy

Busted. Dammit. That is slightly more serious than being caught eavesdropping out of the principal's office, though, and Amy discards immediately the idea of pretending that she wasn't listening in. Plus, she really wants to know what the hell Donovon is going on about.

She chooses to just walk in the room, looking squarely at both Mike and Donovon. "What do you mean, I know something that I'm not supposed to?" Amy is pretty sure that she doesn't know anything of the sort. NOT about what happened yesterday, at least.

[daelrog]

Danielle

Danielle was able to find everything she needed, all except for the map. It seemed like it was not readily available for just anyone looking for it.

Spoiler

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Going underground is fine, but Danielle will not have some handy dandy map with her if she does.

Erica

Ahmad gave her a nod in return, but the younger man seemed off put by her presence, by even being there by the looks of it.

"See? This is the quality I normally search for when I choose one to embrace."

Ahmad slowly reached over and clutched the glass of blood in front of him, drinking it at an equally leisurely pace. His voice was like rain, soft, but harsh. "Some trees must age longer before they bare fruit. Even a sickly looking tree may be of use with the proper care. You took that away from me."

Josef's smile took a predatory, antagonistic look that Erica had not seen before. "You are soft al-Assad. That is why you stay in Europe, far removed from your bloodthirsty kin. You compare the life of a petty, delusional child to an Elder. I would respect it more if I thought it was pride of your clan that made you believe so, but we both know that is not true."

Ahmad looked to Erica, motioning for her to sit. "Tell me, childe of Josef. What is your opinion of Faruq? Speak honest, I will know if you lie."

Amy

"You are dismissed. Go report what I have said to the Prince. In person."

Amy's sire gave her a look of consolation, before he disappeared from sight.

Donovon made a low rasping sound before she spoke. "Do you understand what happened last night yet? Do you understand that you are the one who hurt them?"