[nWoD] Campus Vigilantes 2: Halloween

[savior indra]

"I mean, no offense but unless he has a sawed off shotgun or a 50. cal sniper, I'll be able to close distance to him for hand to hand combat. Considering both are highly illegal and extremely difficult and conceal, we should be alright. Three of you will have Kevlar too so that will help. If there is an untrained gunman there, they'll aim for the biggest thing possible. Your torso. Which; luckily, is where the kevlar is. If he is trained, then he will haven been trained to aim for center of mass, also torso. It's too hard to aim for a specific body part in a large mass of people." said Kale as he rejoined the conversation, casually cleaning his armor.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"Besides, call me paranoid, but I'm not so worried about a gunman; that's police work. I'm concerned about threats of a more supernatural bent. A ghost, perhaps, or something else like one. Something ritually summoned, perhaps, it wouldn't surprise me. That's a thing I am concerned about."

[Misaat]

" There's not really much we can do at this point other than aiding with police work. And as for the Ghost thing. Nothing so far points this towards any kind of supernatural activity. Just because we have dealt with this sort of stuff before doesnt mean there will always be something like that behind everything. "

Matthew states as he begins to carve a wooden knife out of a plank.

[Odentin]

Adam sighs and shakes his head, "Kale, when everyone starts running away from the shooter, it's going to be a lot harder to get close than if you had a clear run, which you probably won't have."

"This guy is threatening to bring a gun and shoot. Only three ways I can see that that'll happen: Either it's Jamie, Jamie is going to let someone past the metal detectors, or the guy is going to hide a gun in the hall beforehand."

"I think we should search the hall, see if a gun is hidden, and have someone watching Jamie outside, in case he is involved."

[SurlySeraph]

Semira rolls out of bed and quietly goes about searching the apartment for weapons, Nixon masks... anything suspicious. She also checks his inbox and browser history.

Spoiler

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Wits + Investigation pool is 5.

Also, in the morning she'll ask Zach about the security for the event, perhaps suggesting clamping down the library and having someone search for prepositioned weapons beforehand, and ask if he's managed to find out anything about IanFan.

[-Sentinel-]

(OOC: Moving on to the next morning, but don't let that stop your current conversation. As I said earlier, time is not all that important at the moment.)


Semira

Trump International Hotel and Tower
October 30


The condo was large and there were many places to search. Zach owned a lot of audio and video equipment, an impressive collection of music and DVDs, a bookshelf filled with nothing but adult magazines, a copious reserve of liquor, and possibly every sex toy in existence. He also had an elaborate pirate costume for the Halloween party, with plastic cutlass and flintlock pistol. Semira eventually found a gun in a bedroom drawer; a compact, small-caliber, low-capacity Glock pistol with only one clip.

Zach's Mac computer was protected by a password.

Semira had to wait until eleven in the morning for Zach to wake up. He seemed surprised when she decided to linger for some talk, but he just shrugged and called room service for breakfast. While eating, Semira told him her concerns about the library and the possibility of guns being hidden in advance.

"Hey, relax," said Zach lazily, pouring brandy in his coffee and offering her some. "The library will close early tomorrow night, and they've got alarms and stuff. As for hidden guns, you can trust Jamie to find them. He knows his sh!t, Jamie."

He shrugged. "No idea who IanFan is, but if they're planning something, they're doing it wrong. I mean, what kind of dumbass criminal announces the time and place of their crime?" A scowl appeared on his face. "Bet there's a lot of people who'll be afraid to come, though. I think IanFan just wants to fµck up my party. Maybe it's some dude who's planning his own and doesn't want the competition... My security measures are really just there to put people at ease. I'm not worried."

[SurlySeraph]

After returning to her dorm for a shower and jeans, Sem heads back to the RPG club. She lays her notebooks out on the floor as she talks, hoping to get plenty of studying done today so she doesn't have to do any tomorrow night. "Didn't find anything particularly worrying at Zach's. He does own a gun, but not much ammunition, and nothing else suspicious. And I don't remember him saying anything terribly worrying."

Frowning slightly and flipping through her notebook, she adds "Actually, I'm a bit worried about Jamie. Zach trusts him a lot, but Zach's Zach, and he'll be the only person armed there. I mean, I don't really buy into Wayne's 'blah blah self-defense good authority bad' stuff, but what better way to get a gun in than to be allowed to carry a gun in?"

Spoiler

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Can I assume I made a Composure + Empathy (motives) check to see if Zach seemed to have any untoward motivations related to the party?

[-Sentinel-]

Chapter 2

Maxwell University, Tyler Hall
October 31, 8:00 PM

By the time the Halloween party rolled around, the desecration of the monument had been largely forgotten. IanFan's Internet posts had caused more outrage than worry and done little to discourage party-goers. Zach Lewis was the big man on campus, and any party he threw was the big party on campus – the one all students concerned with their popularity made a point to attend. Most of the protests that the party was “too soon”, or that it should be cancelled just in case, went largely unheard. Even Michelle Warner planned to go, and as the unofficial voice of the survivors, her decision had a lot of weight. We need to move on, she wrote in the student newspaper that week. We can't let a two-year-dead madman keep the world from spinning.

It was a cool but clear night. Tyler Hall, the 120-year-old building of red brick near the woods, was lavishly decorated and illuminated for the occasion. A long line of costumed students waited to be granted access through the metal detector manned and watched by Jamie Price. Jamie's costume was sober; just a tuxedo, a bowtie and a “007” tag. Zach stood by his side in his pirate attire to greet everyone personally with a broad grin and a compliment on their costume. Excitement was palpable in the air as the students were allowed in one by one. The sound of Knife Party's Bonfire filtered from inside the ballroom of Tyler Hall, where the fun was already beginning.

Mark Edwards, the taciturn quarterback of the football team, would not be winning any originality contests in his football player “costume”. Wayne Borden was dressed as a Confederate soldier and proudly carried the Southern flag, but his authentic 19th-century revolver had to be confiscated at the entrance despite his protests that he had no bullets to go with it. Michelle Warner was absolutely stunning in her sexy Cleopatra costume and had even dyed her red hair black to fit her theme.

Ellen Dobson, school newspaper editor, was a vampiress. Thankfully, the still wan-looking Karen Turner, who had not even bothered with a costume unless you counted her usual biker's jacket, made no attempt to stake her and drink her vitae. Vishakha had opted for her traditional Sikh garb, that she usually eschewed to better blend into the crowd. Soong Ye-jun, a huge Trekkie, was wearing Spock's uniform, ears and eyebrows. His girlfriend Sara Crawford was in a Grim Reaper costume with a plastic scythe. The metal detector beeped like mad when she drove her electric wheelchair through it, but Jamie ignored it, as he could obviously not tell a paraplegic to get up and walk.

Allison Keating was dressed as Link from The Legend of Zelda, complete with nerf sword, a bow and a quiver. She spotted Adam and Leon and flashed them a grin, then passed through the metal detector without setting it off. Jamie stopped her all the same and picked one of the half dozen arrows from her quiver to see it up close. Its head was made of polystyrene.

Allison smiled. “See, if I shot that arrow down someone's throat, it could choke them to death,” she said with dripping sarcasm.

Jamie smiled back and returned the arrow to the quiver. “Okay, you're clear. Next.” His smile faded when he saw that Karen was next in line. “Oh, hi. What are you doing here?” he said coolly.

Karen arched an eyebrow. “Same as everyone. Partying.”

“Really? You look a bit unwell to be going to parties. I'd even say you have the same look in your eyes as a junkie who needs a dose. And believe me, I've seen plenty of those.”

“Is my well-being any of your concern?”

“I know your reputation, like anyone in the police department,” replied Jamie. “So I'll keep an eye on you. There'll be no trouble on my watch.”

Karen shrugged and passed through the metal detector. “See? No metal on me.”

Jamie snorted. It was widely known that Karen needed nothing but her bare hands to break every bone in someone's body. “Whatever. If anything happens, you're suspect number one.” He turned to the rest of the line. “Next.”

[Odentin]

Adam smiles at Allison and gets in line. His outfit consists of loose green leggings (hiding 6 wood-point arrows duct taped to his thighs), a loose green tunic (hiding a bulletproof vest), a pointy Robin Hood hat, and a quiver holding a few arrows with the target points removed (blunt, no tip). He carries his hunting bow at his side and wanders through the line towards the door.

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Leon follows Adam into line. Dressed as Dr. Franken Stein, he has made certain to apply his sutures to his body, coat, shirt, and pants exactly as Stein has them. His false glasses have a clear reflective coating on the front, allowing him to pull off the Scary Shiny Glasses look if he wants. Stein's trademark loose screw is affixed to his head. The screw has numerous metal parts and is sure to set off the metal detector, making it a perfect place to stash a folded knife, which is what Leon has done. He can even demonstrate where the metal pieces are (all affixed to the head of the screw, conveniently enough), meaning, he hopes, that the knife won't be noticed. He doesn't plan to need it, but if he does... Leon pats his breast pocket. Karen has already had her dose of Vitae for the day, so he doesn't expect her to need more. Still, he always keeps a vial handy.

As he advances with the line, he absentmindedly turns the loose screw, attempting to tighten it. It makes a satisfying series of clicks as he does so, just like in the anime. He also notices that the seam to access the otherwise hollow interior of the head of the screw is imperceptible under his fingers. This better work...

[Misaat]

Matthew approaches the others looking completely normal.

" Hey guys. Nice costumes! "

[SurlySeraph]

Sem follows, shivering a little in her hilariously ineffective camouflage tank top and skirt. Her face is slightly numb under the black, green, and tan greasepaint. "Hey Matt. Decided you'd rather pay for admission than come up with a costume?"

[Lycan 01]

Jonah, clad in eerie Plague Doctor attire (with a kevlar vest under the outfit) and carrying an old medical bag, slinks in. If searched at the entrance, the bag will be revealed to be carrying nothing - it's just for decorative purposes. (And stashing snacks!)

Once inside, Jonah will find a nice corner that doesn't have too many people in it, and idly lean against the wall listening to the music and watching the other partiers make fools of themselves.

[Misaat]

" What are you talking about? Im doctor Who! "

He responds

[ToySoldierCPlus]

"First of all, it's The Doctor, not Doctor Who. Second of all, no scarf? No replica sonic screwdriver?"

[Lycan 01]

"Must be a new Regeneration!" Jonah quips from his corner, though he may not be heard over the din of the party.

[McGonigle]

Jaime as a rule was punctual, even to events where no one really expected punctuality at all she had a tendency to turn up ion the dot. Even if she turned up, looking rushed and finishing a meal, or still writing on the clipboard. That she was joining the back of the line after the start of the event, slightly unusual and showed how little she actually wanted to be here.

She didn’t as a rule like parties, and she had been to more frat parties than she had wanted to in her entire life while she was working on the piece on campus security. Not to mention she found Halloween parties particularly aggravating mainly to do with the costumes. Glancing ahead in the line she noticed with amusement that Semira had went down the more traditional approach. Still she really should be here, even if the only enjoyment she was likely to get out of the night was explaining her costume choice. Her costume was a tan military uniform in the style worn by the female volunteers in WW1, it didn’t really fit right, but it looked reasonably realistic in comparison to most of the costumes. She had pretty much prepared her spiel on how important it was historically and its role in women’s suffrage.

If the evening went well she could expect , awkwardly standing around occasional conversations she could hardly hear, however she now longed for the party where all she had to worry about were over friendly frat boys. She knew how to deal with them, she didn’t know how to deal with walking onto the scene of a potential shooting. She took a deep breathe to calm herself as she waited in the queue, she just wanted the evening to be over, and she wasn’t even in the party yet.

[Misaat]

"First of all, it's The Doctor, not Doctor Who. Second of all, no scarf? No replica sonic screwdriver?"

" Would they believe im from the latest seasons? "

Matthew says smiling and shrugging

[savior indra]

Kale shuffles forward in the line his face masked by his costume. He had gotten a couple comments about how "authentic looking" his costume was already and he hadn't even entered the party. It was going to be a long night.

[-Sentinel-]

Jamie had Leon remove the screw before passing through the detector, but did not examine the screw itself – either routine had set in after the fiftieth student, or Leon looked too much like a geek to be considered dangerous. The biology student gave the requisite ten dollars to Zach, who put it with the others inside the small treasure chest he carried around as part of his pirate disguise.

Adam's competition bow looked perhaps a bit too modern to fit the rest of the Robin Hood disguise. Jamie showed some initial suspicion, but gave the headless arrows a cursory glance and decided to let him in. “Arrrr,” said Pirate Zach. “Come t' plunder me booty an' give it t' those scurvy poor, have ye?” His attention then turned to Matt. “An' what be you costumed as, matey? It be twenty pieces o' eight for wearin' these moth-eaten rags.” When Kale arrived in his ninja costume, Zach exclaimed: “Shiver me timbers, this be me sworn enemy! I'll be keepin' an eye on you, lad.”

His smile widened when Semira's turn came. “Now this be a dangerous lass, Jamie,” he warned. “You'll be wantin' t' do a strip search.” He grinned as if he thought himself very funny. Jamie's brow creased with annoyance; he was obviously growing tired with Zach's pirattitude. Semira passed through the detector without setting it off, as did the other members of the RPG Club before and after her.

The broad dance floor of Tyler Hall was basked in an orange light softened by fog from fog machines. The music was on, but the dancing had not started yet. On the right side of the room, as far from the nearest loudspeakers as possible (which was not very far), tables and chairs had been laid out to allow people to rest and talk. Free punch, chips and Halloween candy were available in various bowls. At a small bar near the stage, students of the Sigma Kappa Phi fraternity were selling shooters of vodka, rum and gin and cans of beer, for two dollars each. They had to deal with competition from grad students of the biochemistry department, who sold their traditional homebrewed beer that easily beat any Coors or Budweiser but cost six dollars a glass.

There were already over three hundred guests, but that was still less than one could expect, even given Maxwell's relatively small size. Perhaps some students were intimidated by IanFan's threats; the midterm frenzy of exams and essays was pretty much over by now and most students would have wanted to celebrate, but clearly some had chosen to do it elsewhere.

Zach stepped on the stage with Jamie, had the DJ turn off the music and grabbed a microphone. “Thank you for coming,” he said, dropping his pirate accent. “As you all know, we had to put some security measures in place. I apologize for that. Some parents and college staff actually called for heavy police presence, but we can't be having a real party with cops around, right? Anyway, I don't believe there'll be trouble. If there's anything wrong, Jamie here will handle it.”

He stepped aside to let Jamie talk. “Good evening, everyone,” said Jamie. “So yeah, as Zach said, we don't think anyone wanting to cause trouble would be announcing it, but it doesn't hurt to be careful. If you see anything suspicious, you report it to me, okay? I'm armed and I have police training. My job here is to keep an eye out, but for that, I'll need your collaboration. I was at the Halloween Massacre, and it's not something I want to see again. Not that I think there's any real risk, of course,” he added quickly. “But I'll show zero tolerance for any drunk students who think causing fake scares is hilarious. Thank you very much.”

Ellen cleared her throat. “You mean like coloring the water of the toilets red? Or was that all part of the Halloween theme?”

Everybody's attention turned to her. Some whispers arose. Jamie frowned. “Uh... what? Girls' restrooms? Must be someone's time of the month or something...”

“No it wasn't,” said Ellen. “It turned red when I flushed. The stuff must have been put in the tank.”

“Were the other toilets like that?” asked Jamie.

“I didn't check.”

“See, that's exactly the kind of thing I want you to tell me about,” said Jamie hurriedly, giving the mic back to Zach. “I'll go check this out. And whoever did this, it's not funny at all.” He strode off towards the restrooms. A few curious students followed him to have a look, trying to look casual.

“Um... thank you, Jamie,” said Zach, eager to change the subject before too many people followed Jamie out. “Allow me to introduce our DJ for the evening, Mike 2.0 – you might have heard of him.”

“Yo,” grinned Mike from his DJ table behind Zach, on the stage.

He was a handsome thirtysomething with light-brown skin, long black dreadlocks and a soul patch. He wore sunglasses, an immaculate white suit and enough ostentatious jewelry to pay back the national debt. Most regular party-goers of Maxwell University knew him at least by reputation; he was one of the most sought-after DJs in Chicago, and his hourly charge was in the three figures.

“So yeah, I'll be your DJ tonight,” said Mike 2.0. “I'm open to requests, if there's a particular song you'd like to hear. But let me start out with something that fits the Halloween theme...”

He pressed a few buttons here and there, and Deadmau5's Ghost N Stuff began to play.


OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Song suggested by Lycan.

I've been busy, so this update took longer than expected.

The map of Tyler Hall is here, if you need it.

[Odentin]

Adam tries to laugh off the modernness of his recurve by wondering aloud if he should have brought his compound hunting bow. He does smile and tip his hat to Zach's comment, however, and enters.

After Jamie heads off, he tries to look for one of the female members of the group, hoping SOMEONE is going to go have a look. Tanks? Most public toilets don't have tanks...

Once the music starts up again, he goes to the bathroom on his own and very slowly removes the tape (and a portion of hair) from his legs, gritting his teeth the whole time. I should NOT have used gaffers' tape. Ow.

Once he has them, he places the sharpened arrows into the quiver along with the blunted ones, leaving a small length difference to alert his touch to which to use in case of an emergency...

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Considering he's trying to be quiet about it, getting the arrows is going to take a while...

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Leon stands near the others as Zach, Jamie, and Ellen said their pieces. He tightens the screw absently as Ellen and Jamie talk about the toilets flushing red. "That's just lovely. I wonder if it's the same way in the boys' room." He turns and heads in that direction, and when he arrives flushes all the urinals and each unoccupied stall, noting which, if any turn red.

[SurlySeraph]

"I... huh. Sneaking in dye packets or something to put in the toilets sounds like more of a hassle than the entertainment value would be worth for, uh, anyone. I don't think the pre-party searches were very thorough..."

Sem stops working her way toward a short man wearing a green suit and a top hat made of dollar bills (an obvious person to ask to buy her a drink) and joins the small group following Jamie towards the bathroom, glancing around to see if she recognizes any of them.

[Lycan 01]

Jonah stays behind. As his friends go to check out the bathrooms, he hastily pulls out his phone and fires of a quick - and slightly paranoid - text message.

What if the toilets are a distraction?

In the back of his mind, he can't help but be amused. Talk about text messages you never expect to send...

[McGonigle]

Jaime would normally have started moving to the toilets as soon as it was mentioned. She even started moving before realising that Ellen probably had snapped a photo and she didn’t have a good quality camera on her. Which meant she was still standing awkwardly on the side of the room when she received Jonah’s text.

Point, if he’s there, whose watching the doors? She sent back as she started moving towards the doors, and couldn’t believe that they had missed that, smokers. The 2008 act had meant that it was illegal to smoke inside the hall, on the other hand she knew smoking was hardly uncommon.

She doubted the security measures were going to get any better as the evening went on, each check would get less stringent if the shooter had an accomplice, which was possible they could get the gun while smoking and then it might not be spotted. She paused as she approached the main doors, sending off another text, this time to the whole RPG group.

Do any of you guys actually smoke? I think that may be the hole in the security.

[Lycan 01]

Jonah fires back a quick text. Nope, don't smoke. Perhaps somebody should watch the door? The scholar gives a few furtive glances at the entrance, his worried features masked by his masque.

[-Sentinel-]

The small crowd Semira blended into included Ellen, Allison and Wayne, among others. Jamie showed a bit of annoyance when he saw he was being followed, but there was not much he could do about it. He flushed all the toilets in the women's restrooms, but only the one used by Ellen flushed red. He searched the garbage bin and found a small, empty pouch of powdered red dye.

"Did you see someone leave the restrooms just before you went in?" Jamie asked Ellen.

"There were lots of girls going in and out," replied Ellen. "Y'know, making sure their costume and makeup were alright before showing up on the dance floor... stuff like that. We were, like, six in front of the mirrors. Could have been anyone."

"So if it was crowded, it can't have been a guy, right? He'd have been noticed."

"Yeah." Ellen paused. "Unless... unless it was a guy in a costume. There was someone in a ghost costume while I was there... I guess anyone could have been wearing that."

"Right. Thanks, uh, vampire."

"Ellen."

"Yeah, thanks, Ellen."

Jamie had to flush the red toilet three more times to get the water completely clean. Then, a bunch of curious onlookers still in tow, he checked the men's room; Adam barely had time to put his last sharpened arrow in his quiver before Jamie entered. Leon was already flushing all the toilets and urinals, and none of them flushed red.

"Thanks, Frankenstein," said Jamie with an edge of irritation, "but leave that stuff to me, please, it's kind of my job." He turned to the students following him. "Move along. Nothing to see here."

They began to disperse, whispering among themselves.

---

1

Meanwhile, Jaime found the metal detector at the entrance manned by another frat student; a player of the football team, if Jaime was not mistaken, who wore a Fidel Castro costume and chewed on an unlit cigar. Much like Jamie Price, he wore a telephone headset, so if trouble came, he could call for help quickly. At least, in theory. In practice, he looked rather bored and not very attentive to his surroundings, as if he would much rather be at the party itself.

---

1

On the dance floor, Ghost N Stuff ended, soon to be replaced by Michael Jackson's 1987 classic Smooth Criminal. Michelle Warner, a determined light in her green eyes, made a beeline towards Kale and took him by the arm. With her black-dyed hair, her purple eyeliner and her elaborate red-and-gold Cleopatra costume that emphasized her long legs and willowy figure, she was easily among the most eye-catching girls in the room.

"Hey, Kale. I've decided to stop going to parties just out of habit and then stay alone because I miss Gavin. We both lost someone, but Gavin would want me to move on, and I'm sure Sophia would feel the same about you."

If Michelle's breath was any indication, she already had at least one beer in her. She did not look tipsy yet, but she definitely was in I-wanna-have-some-fun mode.

"So. You want to dance with me?"

[ToySoldierCPlus]

Leon tightens his screw some more as Jamie leaves. As the door swings shut behind him, he mutters, "Bite me; I'm not convinced you guys know what you're up against," under his breath. He exits the bathroom and rejoins the party, checking his phone and sending off a couple of quick responses.

To Jonah: Girls' toilets, only, it seems. I don't think Jamie appreciates my help. Distraction or not, it's done.

To Jaime: Never have, never will. That ****'s bad for you. What makes you think it's a security hole?

[Odentin]

Adam nudges Leon on the way out, nodding to his comment about Jamie's ignorance.

Once out in the party proper, Adam gets a drink of something non-alcoholic and seeks out Allison Keating. Adam still suspects that she may be or become involved somehow. If she's the shooter, or the shooter's first ("ironic") target, then he wants to be nearby.

Also, he may or may not have been harboring a crush on her for the better part of two years.

Once he finds her, he approaches with a slight smirk on his face, "Cross-dressing now, are we?"

[-Sentinel-]

Once he finds her, he approaches with a slight smirk on his face, "Cross-dressing now, are we?"

Allison smiled. "Well, Link is sort of androgynous, don't you think? My brother was the hardcore gamer, but I always had a major thing for Link. You wouldn't want to read the Legend of Zelda fanfics I wrote when I was fourteen."

She sipped her Diet Coke. "Nice costume. I should have guessed you'd find an excuse to show off your bow. Those aren't real arrows, I hope?"