(IC) HtV STL by Night

[Bennosuke]

Frank is able to replicate the maneuver with surprising accuracy. Though the motion is unfamiliar, he is able to hook the tongs of the weapon around the dummy's contorted arms, and with a twist wrenches the BOB to the ground. Bill gives three slow claps of pleased approval.

Jen and Frank's discussion is interrupted by Bill, who steps forward to say, "That's assuming the Wytch even has a brainstem. It may look like a human, but I'm not convinced it has the anatomy of one." He grins, a sick pleased grin and adds, "Honestly, if anything, I'd go for its crotch."

[Thundercracker]

Frank is able to replicate the maneuver with surprising accuracy. Though the motion is unfamiliar, he is able to hook the tongs of the weapon around the dummy's contorted arms, and with a twist wrenches the BOB to the ground. Bill gives three slow claps of pleased approval.

Jen and Frank's discussion is interrupted by Bill, who steps forward to say, "That's assuming the Wytch even has a brainstem. It may look like a human, but I'm not convinced it has the anatomy of one." He grins, a sick pleased grin and adds, "Honestly, if anything, I'd go for its crotch."

Jen Gibbs

“Uh. I can’t tell if you’re joking,” Jen said.

[Bennosuke]

Bill's grin sours slightly. "I'm not," he says flatly in his deep gravely voice, "The Natives talked about how how the Wytch would come to men in their dreams and try to mate with them. There's definitely a trend in the lore I've found regarding her... barrenness. If I had a crack at it, I'd go for the womb."

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

That seemed insane, but given they were working with something out of a horror movie she was going to go with it.

“Okay, crotch it is,” Jen said, “so uhhh, what’s next?”

[Bennosuke]

The serious expression remains plastered on Bill's face. For a moment he shrugs as if he is not certain how to reply, then he says, "Well... I suppose that's as much as we can offer for ya now. I guess you two go back to your lives. I expect you'll deal with The Wytch whether you want to or not. But I'd like ya to keep us all in the loop as things progress. We can come down to where you two are if you need back up. You said you live in Saint Louis, right?"

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“Okay then,” Jen said, “thanks for sharing what you could.”

She held up the dream catcher.

“I just hang this over my bed?” she asked.

[Bennosuke]

"Yer welcome," Bill says hurriedly. He nods his head in reply to the question and adds, "Yep, that's where ya want it to be." He holds one hand up, as if her were hoisting a dream catcher over his head. The others chuckle at this for a quick moment, but they silence quickly when Bill steps forward, offering a gnarled meaty hand to shake. "Welcome to the Brotherhood," he says, grinning so wide you can see that some of his back teeth are green with a mossy substance.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“Thanks for reaching out, I know you didn’t have to,” Jen said as she shook his hand.

“I’ll be in touch, let you know if I hear or see anything,” she added.

[Bennosuke]

"Sounds good," Bill says, his grip overly firm, and somewhat clammy. The inside of his hand like sandpaper, just like his voice. He offers the same to Frank.

[Daishain]

Frank gives a simple nod of thanks, shakes the man's hand, and turns to leave. Once back to the truck and away from prying ears he turns to Jen, "Well that didn't do as much as I'd hoped to convince me I'm not in a hospital with a massive brain tumor..."

He shakes his head, "Leaving that nihilistic possibility aside, I don't think they'll make trustworthy allies, and I certainly don't think its a good idea to join their ranks. I suggest we use them and move on. Maybe we can find better allies somewhere. If one group of supernatural secret organizations turns out to actually be real, maybe there are others?"

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“Yeah, there must be,” Jen said, “he talked about native Americans a lot, maybe some of them would know something?”

[Bennosuke]

The others simply wave, or offer a curt goodbye as Jen and Frank exit the church and move quickly back to their car.

(OOC: Can't tell if you two are still discussing or want things moved on? I assume the two want to discuss/plan more, but please let me know either here or in Discord)

[Daishain]

"Worth a shot, how about we find out what specific tribe was involved here and see if we can't get in touch with some of their elders." He sighs and puts his head down on the steering wheel, "I was hoping they had a sure way to at least put that thing back in the forest in a hurry. I'm not going to be able to see my daughters again until this is over, can't put them in danger, and now it seems like that's going to be a long time."

[Thundercracker]

[b]Jen Gibbs[/B

Jen nodded.

“I still think we can kill it,” Jen said, “I mean, it bled when I shot it. Sooner we take care of it, the sooner we can go back to normal.”

She had no idea what to say about Frank’s kids, so she kept quiet about that.

[Bennosuke]

As part Jen's contracting job, she had purchased and picked up a large amount of wood from a group of Osage Native American farmers who lived on a reservation outside of Saint Louis. She didn't know any of them well, but it might be a place to start.

(OOC: I am going to be very careful here, as I don't know very much about the Osage and don't want to turn a marginalized group into a group of stereotypes.)

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

"So, they seemed to suggest the native americans knew a lot about this Wytch, and I did some work for some a while back," Jen said, "Maybe we could start there, see if anyone there knows anything."

[Daishain]

Frank nods, "Sounds like a good place to start to me." He gives the cheap trinkets they were given a dismissive flick, "And if dream catchers actually do anything at all, I'd be willing to bet the real thing is a lot more effective"

[Bennosuke]

Rather than drive home, Jen and Frank decide to drive out to Little Hope Farm, run by an Osage Nation family that Jen has worked with before, the Tallchiefs. The farm is located just outside of Saint Louis proper, in a town called Jefferson, though the farm is really out in the middle of nowhere.

Frank leads his truck off of the freeway and onto a well used but still bumpy dirt road, following Jen's directions. After about a half mile they pass under a sign for Little Hope Farm, marked with the seal of the Osage Nation, a yellow circle holding an arrowhead, a feather tassel, and a long smoking pipe. The road starts to pass a fenced in pasture, where a herd of sheep are lazily grazing. Frank is forced to keep the truck at a crawl given the uneven path, but the sheep barely seem to notice as the truck rolls by.

By now it's already early afternoon, and a hazy baking humidity has settled. Continuing down the path, Frank and Jen pass a small corn field before the road opens up to a small dirt lot boarded by a small cottage and what is likely a flimsy looking stable. A young woman, maybe just past her 18th birthday sits on the porch of the cottage, holding a baby to her chest. She has dark skin and darker hair, and she watches the truck pull up with a cool hardness in her eyes. Jen has never seen this woman before, but maybe she knew where Chance Tallchief or his brother Pat were.

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

Jen got out of the truck and waved to the young woman as she approached.

“Good afternoon,” she said, “sorry to roll up unannounced, but would you happen to know if Chance Tallchief or Pat are around?”

[Daishain]

Frank steps out, but stays back for now, letting Jen handle the introductions

[Bennosuke]

The woman's hardened expression stays lined on her face. "Perhaps," she says flatly, almost cautiously "and may I ask who you are and what you are doing on our farm?" She doesn't make a move to get up from her seat, neither approaching the two, nor trying to get away. You can see that she is seated in a rocking chair, and instead begins tilting the chair with her legs. The seat groans and creaks with the movement.

[Thundercracker]

The woman's hardened expression stays lined on her face. "Perhaps," she says flatly, almost cautiously "and may I ask who you are and what you are doing on our farm?" She doesn't make a move to get up from her seat, neither approaching the two, nor trying to get away. You can see that she is seated in a rocking chair, and instead begins tilting the chair with her legs. The seat groans and creaks with the movement.

Jen Gibbs

“I did some work here last month, and now somethings happened and I was hoping I could get their advice,” Jen replied.

Spoiler

Show

presence + persuasion: (3d10)[2][6][3](11)
10 again: (3d10)[7][1][6](14)

[Bennosuke]

The hard look only grows deeper, the lines in her brow and by her eyes furrowing. "I'm sorry," she says between gritted teeth, "but I don't think they are here right now. I think you should go." You can see her shoulders stiffen, and for just a moment, her eyes dart back to a field behind the rickety looking stable, as if she was checking to see if anyone were there.

[Thundercracker]

The hard look only grows deeper, the lines in her brow and by her eyes furrowing. "I'm sorry," she says between gritted teeth, "but I don't think they are here right now. I think you should go." You can see her shoulders stiffen, and for just a moment, her eyes dart back to a field behind the rickety looking stable, as if she was checking to see if anyone were there.

Jen Gibbs

“Alright, we’ll get out of your way,” Jen said.

She ignored the girl and started walking towards the field.

[Bennosuke]

The moment that Jen starts walking towards the field rather than the car, the young woman shoots out of her chair, arms still cradling her baby. "What do you think you are doing?" she yells, her dark lips pulling up into a snarl. Though she makes no move for it, you can now see the small black handgun resting on the seat of the rocking chair. Standing stiff as a flagpole she adds, "This is private property! You can't just go walking through it."

(OOC: Upon thinking about this, it would stand to reason that Jen would have some proof of having worked with the Tallchiefs, whether it's an old email she can pull up on her phone, or even likely the contact information for one of someone that she had been communicating with)

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“I’m in a life or death situation, so shoot me, help me, or stay out of it,” Jen replied without breaking stride. She turned her back on the young mother and kept going.

[Bennosuke]

The woman's mask of anger falters at the statement, and her free hand opens and closes reflexively, as if considering reaching for the gun.

(OOC: Want to give me a Presence + Persuasion roll here)

[Bennosuke]

For a moment the woman just stands there, her body literally shivering, contempt growing across her face. "Fine," she growls suddenly, "they're just as likely to shoot you as I am." Then the baby begins to cry, and she shoots the two a look that says, "look at what you've done"!

Jen and Frank continue heading for the field, and the woman begins busying herself with quieting the child. They walk out towards a field of corn, fenced in by wood posts and chicken wire, where they catch the sound of a hammer and men dutifully working. Following the sound, they find the elder Chance Tallchief and his son Pat, nailing some of the fence wire back to a tired looking post. Pat, maybe in his late twenties, holds the wire up while his father works. Chance could be anywhere from his early forties to late sixties, his long hair gone almost a bleached white. Both men are wearing casual American work clothing, and Pat could just as easily be mistaken for an Italian American with a buzzcut as a Native American.

Chance looks up from his work, neither surprise nor distrust on his expressionless face. Possibly recognizing Jen he says, "I got nothing for you Mam. What are you doing here?"

[Thundercracker]

Jen Gibbs

“Not here for work,” Jen said, “I was hoping you could help us with something, or maybe point us in the direction of someone who can.”

“We uhh, inadvertently, let something out of the woods at Lytchwood park,” Jen said, “does that ring any bells?”

[Bennosuke]

Neither man says anything as Jen speaks. And her statement about Lytchwood only draws blank, slightly confused stares. After a moment the younger Tallchief replies with a flat, "Should it?"