Veil of Smog, Chapter 1

[Charybdis1618]

Shroud finds the lead first. She walks past a newsstand, laden with tabloids and gossip magazines, and a shiver runs down her spine. Some instinct drew her eye to a tabloid bearing a crude photo edit of a shadow on a bedroom ceiling, paired with a photo of a man in a straitjacket. The headline blares "SANDMAN TURNED EVIL?"

The article is mostly hyperbole and speculation, of course, but does have a basis in fact. A cursory investigation reveals that the man in question, one Jeremy Villareal, has indeed been checked into a nearby hospital for observation following what was officially termed a psychotic break. He claimed something invaded his mind during his sleep and started eating his mind. He claimed that his neighbors were also being afflicted.

[Xihirli]

"Wait, is Sandman supposed to be good?" Leif asks as he opens the copy sent to him.
"At least neutral."
"I think I’ll check this out…" Leif texts the others to meet him at the hospital.
I doubt he’ll want to talk to strangers. Are any of you good at getting into places you’re not supposed to be?
He sends it into the group chat, that he of course ruined by not having an iphone, and resolves to head there right after work.

[Esprit15]

Sarah comes home from work to a blinking light on the phone’s receiver, and after listening, heads to the hospital.

A dream eating monster? That could be… well, a lot of things. A mo or baku would make sense - after all, if a kitsune were here, why should other eastern beings be absent? A mer was also a distinct possibility. She begins making a mental list of what details to ask about in order to narrow down the type of being or effect involved.

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

Sandman? It takes a while on the internet for Yume to sort out the correct contextual meaning of the name.
There are plenty of beings from her homeland, evil kitsune being one of the most well known, that can take over somebodies body. However, this appear to be something else entirely.
She heads out to join the others.

[Batcathat]

Regardless of the situation, Rufus Walcraft believed wholeheartedly in reading up before jumping in, so after seeing the article, Rufus started going through his library for any usable information while Jiminy did the same on the internet – even using a keyboard almost as wide as he was tall, the homunculus was significantly faster on a computer than the alchemist.

"Have you seen these remote controlled cars? They look just like real ones and..."

"Focus, Jiminy", Rufus interrupted from the library.

[MechaAce]

The Shroud

Having come up with a lead (even if not the one she'd expected, after forwarding it to the rest of the group, the Shroud starts checking on Mr. Villareal's neighborhood for police reports and hospital admissions.

[Charybdis1618]

The reports are haphazard, but after some legwork and a few minor bribes, the pattern becomes apparent. Several residents of the apartment complex reported home invations or robberies at various points over the course of the last two months. In all but one of the instances, the police had found no evidence of a break-in. Two other residents had reported to hospitals citing nocturnal headaches and insomnia. One other had had a brief stint in the same hospital as Mr. Villareal, claiming a stroke.

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

Yume arrives at the meeting location, she doesn't have any information to contribute at the moment, but she has an idea on what she could to do next.

[Batcathat]

Rufus stepped out of a taxi, cane in one hand and doctor's bag slash homunculus house in the other. Walking towards the hospital's main entrance, he looked around for the others. Although he didn't like admitting it, he felt quite out of his wheelhouse.

"Let me out, I'm getting seasick in here", Jiminy said from the inside of the gently swinging bag.

"While I'm sure a lot of the doctors here would be delighted at the chance of dissecting you, I do not think we shall give them that pleasure today. Also, you are physically incapable of getting seasick."

[Charybdis1618]

As you gather beneath a nearby tree to debrief, any of you with some sort of supernatural sense feel a chill run up your spine. Those without feel nothing.

[Esprit15]

“Do we want to send a couple of us in an official capacity, while some more of us go sneaking around?”

[Xihirli]

"I’ll volunteer in the sneaky part, too autistic to lie," Leif said.
He stares up at the building.
"If I knew which window was his I bet I could climb it."

[Batcathat]

Rufus nodded at Leif's comment. "Yes, playing to our strengths seems prudent. I am too old and too... voluminous to sneak, but I have been told I seem like a very honest person."

[Esprit15]

"I’ll volunteer in the sneaky part, too autistic to lie," Leif said.
He stares up at the building.
"If I knew which window was his I bet I could climb it."

"I can probably find it and wave you in," Sarah offers.

[MechaAce]

"I can probably find it and wave you in," Sarah offers.

"Something's not right here, that's for certain" the Shroud says, standing in the shadows. "We could send a drone to look through the window first..."

[Esprit15]

The plainly dressed woman looks to the shadowy member of the group. “Send a drone if you want. But there’s people working there right now, so I’m going to assume whatever there is isn’t actively harming people right now.” Thinking some more though, she shakes her head. “Actually, I think just being normal is the best bet first. What if Rufus and I go in. I work for the city, he’s an expert in the obscure. We ask if we can speak to Jeremy, just ask a few questions. Worst that happens, they say no. We’re not asking them to disclose any PID or violate HIPAA, just allow us to speak to a patient.

“Meanwhile, Shroud can do recon, Yume can sneak more effectively than I can since she actually turns invisible rather than just moves quickly. If Shroud finds something strange, she and Lief can investigate that.”

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

"If it attacks sleeping people, then we might not find much in the day."
She pulls two slips of special paper that are about the size of bookmarks from her large sleeves. Focusing her ki the ink moves around on the paper forming a stylized cyclopean eye on each slip.
Yume places one on her forehead where it mystically stays in place. She offers the other. "If you wear this on your head you can see what is real and unseen."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

She can maintain one for herself and one for somebody else.
* Sight Tag
- Counters Concealment/Invisibility (Vision)
- Counters Illusion (Vision)
- Magical Awareness (Vision)
- Counters Concealment/Invisibility (Vision), Affects Others Only
- Counters Illusion (Vision), Affects Others Only
- Magical Awareness (Vision), Affects Others Only

[Charybdis1618]

As Yume's tag activates, she suddenly feels the same creeping unease that Shroud described a moment ago. As she looks around, however, she cannot see anything amiss, nor anything magically active about besides her companions and Rufus's bag.

[Batcathat]

Rufus nodded as Sarah spoke. "That sounds like the beginnings of a plan, at least."

He held up his cane to the coat he was wearing, quickly transforming it into a white coat radiating a sense of vague authority. It could be that of a doctor or perhaps a scientist of some sort. Even if he had to resort to playing himself, it had a sense of gravitas the usual wardrobe of a wealthy antique dealer lacked. Rufus liked keeping his options open. "Shall we get started?"

[Esprit15]

Sarah nods, leading the antique dealer in. “Stay safe you all. Remember: Running is always an option if things get dangerous.”

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

Yume is surprised at what she was able to pick up with the tag so suddenly.
"Perhaps we will find something now."
As none of the others appear eager to use her other Talisman she slips it back into her sleeve in case it is needed later.
She checks for observers, steps out of her sandals, and with a small wave of her arm vanishes from sight.

[Xihirli]

Leif nods and starts walking away from the building, trying to find a good distance from which to circle and case the place without looking like he was doing that.

Spoiler

Show

Checking out the exterior of the building. Is there a fire escape? How many stories? Multiple exits, that sort of thing.

[Charybdis1618]

[Pictures and the internet have stopped being helpful, so I'm invoking artistic license as of this moment.]

The brownstone edifice is six stories tall, with a pointed tower rising another two stories above the building proper. Fire escapes crawl up the protruding wings like black kudzu. Besides the main entrance and the emergency entrance, there seem to be a few side doors around the building. Other freestanding buildings in similar styles dot the grounds, around which tree-lined sidewalks wind between patches of lawn.

The doors open to reveal a reception office as busy as any metropolitan hospital. There are about ten patients in line at each of the five reception windows. None of the people here are magically active.

[Esprit15]

Sarah rolls her eyes and waits in one of the lines.

[Charybdis1618]

After half an hour of standing in line, listening to various people complain about their various problems with various degrees of irritation, you finally reach the window. The receptionist has their face almost entirely hidden by a large floppy hat.

"Are you a returning patient?"

[Esprit15]

“No. Sarah Stillwater. I work for the city. This is Rufus, a consultant of ours. We were just hoping to do some follow up on a news story regarding a Mr. Vilareal, if he is willing to speak to us.” The woman’s tone is starkly different from how most of the group has seen her - the formality of a subordinate in a grander system combined with a hint of the eagerness of a journalist following up on a scoop.

[Charybdis1618]

"Right. Villareal ... yes, he's taken part in a sleep study on the psych department's orders. I'll let the sleep clinic know that they're getting a visitor. Talk to their receptionist to arrange a meeting. Anything else?"

[Esprit15]

Sarah looks to Rufus if he has anything to add, gives a “Thank you,” and heads toward the sleep clinic.

[Xihirli]

Twenty minutes pass and no windows open up, so Leif decides to get up to the fire escape, getting ready to go into whichever floor is indicated.

[Batcathat]

Rufus merely nodded towards the receptionist. Silence was rarely his first choice, but with how many unknowns there were about the situation, it seemed wise to play it close. He even made sure to actually use the cane to walk – a man who needs help to walk isn't much of a threat, the same can't be said about a man who just happens to carry a very big stick.