Veil of Smog, Chapter 1

[Xihirli]

L"Just how many servants do you have?" Leif asks Rufus, shaking his head with a chuckle.
"If you’re ever feeling burdened under the weight of too much money, let me know."

[Batcathat]

"Never quite enough of them to be useful, it seems like", Rufus replied with something close to a smile. "As for money, it is rarely a problem."

Carefully placing his back to the guests and lowering his voice, Rufus tapped his cane and a thick wad of bills – though closer inspection would reveal them to be genuine four-and-a-half-dollar bills, with Rufus and Jiminy depicted on either side. "One way or the other." With another tap, the money disappeared.

His favorite grand-daughter had once compared Rufus to a stage illusionist and sometimes he had to admit she might've had a point.

[Charybdis1618]

The one called Kris has stood up, and is now peering at an antique drafting desk. He just barely stops himself short of reaching for its power switch.

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: Invisible

Yume finds a safe place to go invisible and runs up the outside of the building to take a peak into the apartment.

[Esprit15]

Sarah meanwhile quietly sneaks in.

Spoiler

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Stealth: (1d20+10)[26]
Hide in Plain Sight

[Charybdis1618]

No one notices Sarah as she climbs the stairs. There is one person, possibly in an altered state, sleeping across the stairwell, but she's able to step over him easily enough. The door is locked. Yume, as you look through the window, you see that the small apartment is completely unoccupied.

[Esprit15]

Sarah sighs quietly as she steps over the unconscious man. Trying the door but finding it locked, she reaches for her Bobby pin, but remembers that it broke earlier at the hospital. “Hmmm, do you…” she mumbles toward the unconscious man as she checks his form for keys to the door. If he’s supposed to be here, he should have some to the room.

[Charybdis1618]

Sarah sighs quietly as she steps over the unconscious man. Trying the door but finding it locked, she reaches for her Bobby pin, but remembers that it broke earlier at the hospital. “Hmmm, do you…” she mumbles toward the unconscious man as she checks his form for keys to the door. If he’s supposed to be here, he should have some to the room.

His keys are in an outside pocket of his jacket. None of them fit the door.

[Esprit15]

Sarah places the keys back in his pocket. <Let’s find the others before messing with this even more. Last thing we need is one of us falling victim.> Sarah makes her way to Rufus’s building.

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

With noting interesting to see in the apartment Yume jumps down and meets back up with Sarah.

[Charybdis1618]

The two of you enter the shop, and see the electricians from the van inside. One is currently inspecting Rufus' wares. They both look over as the door opens.

"Your friends?" asks Martin.

[Esprit15]

“Yeah, or at least acquaintances. You all taking a break from the job across the street?” she asks, looking the men up and down.

[Charybdis1618]

"Waiting for the owner to go home so we can start. The work order said we needed to wait for him to turn off the light, and not to disturb him at all. We've been waiting. Mr. Walcraft here has generously offered us hospitality for a bit, while we wait."

They look the part of electricians. Both are wearing worn canvas overalls and long-sleeved button-up shirts, stained from years of use. One is clean-shaven, the other has a short-cropped wavy beard. Neither one shows any sign of recognizing you or Yume as out of the ordinary.

[Esprit15]

“What about your friend? Get so bored he fell asleep?”

[Charybdis1618]

"No, Mr. Rufus' coffee is far too good for that. We're happy to ... well, we're perfectly willing to go back to the van if you need the shop, though. What kind of an old man keeps these kinds of hours?"

[Esprit15]

“No, the passed out guy in the apartment,” she says, gesturing across the street.

[Charybdis1618]

"Don't know who that would be, but let's go take a look, then. Kris, get the radio from the van. We may need to report this, if something's gone wrong."

[Batcathat]

Rufus raised an eyebrow at the conversation, before turning towards Sarah and Yume. "Is that something that might require any... specialized attention?"

[Xihirli]

Leif stands up as well, looking curious.
It’s that Sandman again, I’m sure of it. And as I recall from the last time I "fought" it…
"We should all stay together. If he’s knocked out, someone might have attacked him."

[Esprit15]

“It may,” Sarah says as she heads toward the door.

[Charybdis1618]

Martin and Kris exchange an uneasy look, then shrug. They head for the door, and return to their van. Kris reaches through and grabs a small black radio. They wait for Sarah to take the lead back to where she found the person. Martin glances up at the still-lit window.

"If he was leaving and fell down the stairs or something, wouldn't he have turned the light off?"

[Esprit15]

“Dunno, the keys in his pocket didn’t open the door…” Sarah says absentmindedly as she takes out her bow and assembles it. “Whole thing smells weird.” As the group enters the building, Sarah knocks an arrow and takes point.

[Batcathat]

Rufus followed the others into the building, clutching his cane in one hand and the Lucky Loonie in the other, while trying to divide his attention between looking ahead of them through his glasses and keeping an eye on the workmen. He wasn't sure whether they were ignorant bystanders or somehow involved, but either could be trouble.

[Charybdis1618]

The unconscious person is still there, lying across the stairs, just as you left him. A thin river of drool has begun to roll down the stairs from his slack jaw.

[Esprit15]

“Yume, check him for injuries, anything else that may be wrong with him. Shroud, watch entrances, including anything in the ceiling. Rufus, assist Yume in any way she needs. Lief, keep the workers safe.” Sarah for her part does as she instructed Shroud to do, thoroughly over the course of a second scanning the ceiling for any means of entry before moving down the walls. She makes a point to still move at a normal rate, so as to not spook the workers.

[Charybdis1618]

“Yume, check him for injuries, anything else that may be wrong with him. Shroud, watch entrances, including anything in the ceiling. Rufus, assist Yume in any way she needs. Lief, keep the workers safe.” Sarah for her part does as she instructed Shroud to do, thoroughly over the course of a second scanning the ceiling for any means of entry before moving down the walls. She makes a point to still move at a normal rate, so as to not spook the workers.

Yume: Medicine check, please. You can gain whatever benefits Rufus' Assistance can offer.

Shroud: Perception, please.

Leif: Please briefly describe how you go about guarding them. They also glance at the ceiling and behind them. They're willing to follow your lead. Martin does take a moment to ask "Who are you people? Is that a bow?" Kris adds, mostly to himself, "That's one way around gun restrictions, I guess."

Rufus: Help as you wish. I'll adjudicate the rolls as necessary.

[Xihirli]

"Let's head inside and get to work," Leif suggests. "Get this done together. Everyone stay within my sight line."

Spoiler

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Gettin' them in and out as quick as possible, hoping that my background in carpentry will also let me safety inspect the stuff they're working on.

[Batcathat]

As much as he did not like being ordered around, Rufus admitted that perhaps miss Stillwater was a... tad more experienced than him in situations such as whatever this was. So he nodded and walked up to the person on the ground and leaned forward. He was no physician, but a scientific mind could go a long way – especially when accompanied by magical glasses.

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

Yume takes a look at the man.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Treatment: (1d20+2)[19]

[Charybdis1618]

Yume takes a look at the man.

He seems to be passed out drunk, from all physical signs. However, his breath smells nowhere near as strongly of alcohol as would be expected for his current condition. Rufus' x-ray vision confirms that his heart is still beating. His breathing is shallow, but his airways are clear.