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Oh, thank god. Kim was panting, her breath short, still looking frantically around her as if an enemy was going to leap out of the shadows any time soon.
"Erin? It's Kim. I'm... I'm at Balboa Park. I am wounded. I was... I was attacked. I just fought off a goddamn werewolf." She felt ridiculous saying that. "I'm bleeding and I don't have a car and I'm out of power and exhausted and... I need help. Please. Can you come? Help me? Call the others? I just... I don't know. I feel all dizzy and..."
She realized she wasn't even letting her answer, and fell quiet.
Oh, thank god. Kim was panting, her breath short, still looking frantically around her as if an enemy was going to leap out of the shadows any time soon.
"Erin? It's Kim. I'm... I'm at Balboa Park. I am wounded. I was... I was attacked. I just fought off a goddamn werewolf." She felt ridiculous saying that. "I'm bleeding and I don't have a car and I'm out of power and exhausted and... I need help. Please. Can you come? Help me? Call the others? I just... I don't know. I feel all dizzy and..."
She realized she wasn't even letting her answer, and fell quiet.
On the other side of phone, Erin blanched. "Do...Do you want me to call you an ambulance? A cab? I'll pay for the cab, but he'll ask questions if you're injured I'll call everyone I..." She forced herself to take a deep breath.
"No! No ambulance. My parents must not know or I'll be grounded forever. And probably put in counseling or something. The wound isn't too awful; bring something that can cover it. A huge coat or something like that. A cab will be fne. Can you do that for me? Please? I'm... I'm very sorry."
"No! No ambulance. My parents must not know or I'll be grounded forever. And probably put in counseling or something. The wound isn't too awful; bring something that can cover it. A huge coat or something like that. A cab will be fine. Can you do that for me? Please? I'm... I'm very sorry."
"Don't be. You're alive, that's what matters. I'm coming. Make...Make sure you're somewhere well-lit."
A quick online check later, she dialed the number of the cab company, asking them to pick her up a few blocks away from home. Putting her coat on, she went outside to rendezvous with the taxi and direct it toward Kim's location.
She waited in the cold, still throwing glances over her shoulder, but to hear someone's voice had reassured her.
Voices were such an important thing. Perhaps she might not have felt so bad, if her opponent had talked, shown some kind of humanity, of recognition of her status as a human being, rather than acting like a beast and treating her like a piece of meat.
Another shiver went down her spine.
When she saw the cab arriving, she relaxed slightly, and had to catch herself to avoid falling down.
She did not dare going to the cab directly, though. She stayed slightly in the distance, waiting for Erin to come to her. She waved a hand timidly, as a greeting and a call.
She waited in the cold, still throwing glances over her shoulder, but to hear someone's voice had reassured her.
Voices were such an important thing. Perhaps she might not have felt so bad, if her opponent had talked, shown some kind of humanity, of recognition of her status as a human being, rather than acting like a beast and treating her like a piece of meat.
Another shiver went down her spine.
When she saw the cab arriving, she relaxed slightly, and had to catch herself to avoid falling down.
She did not dare going to the cab directly, though. She stayed slightly in the distance, waiting for Erin to come to her. She waved a hand timidly, as a greeting and a call.
Erin ran out, taking off her coat and handing it to her. "KIM? Are...Are you OK?" She had spent the entire cab ride fervently hoping nothing happened before she got there...
"Hi," she said, trying her best to put on a reassuring smile and failing rather pathetically. "I... I'm okay. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have made you come here..." She took the coat and put it on tighter, hiding her wound. "I... It's just a cut. I should have just taken a cab myself, but I was scared and alone and... When I called I was in the woods and there was someone chasing me and there were wolves and..."
She took a deep breath, trying to calm down - and failing again, her hands trembling, her voice shaky.
"There are people fighting in the parks. Werewolves, I think. And one of them ambushed me, and I chased him off, but I had to spend all my power and I'm exhausted and he was still coming and..."
Suddenly she fell apart and started crying, falling upon Erin as if she could barely stand. "And I thought I was going to die and all I could think was that I always knew it would end like this and that I was a Champion and that it was a good way to go but I don't want to die and I'm scared and..."
At this point, her sobbing made her words incomprehensible, though she was still trying to talk - though she was barely making sense anyway. Her hands grasped Erin's coat, her staff fallen on the ground, her head on her chest, her tears flowing freely.
Princess or not, Erin did not consider herself an expert on giving comfort to the hurting.
So she went with the best she could think of.
Without a word, she hugged Kim, holding her tight.
A few moments passed, and her crying faded. She hugged Erin back, and for a minute she stayed here, silent, taking comfort in the presence of someone who could understand and share her fears. It was not merely tonight; it was all the nights she'd thought she was the only Princess in the whole city, and she'd taken in all the doubts and all the uncertainty and all the fear and never let it disturb her, containing it tightly in a small box inside her mind - and now it was breaking out and overflowing. She felt so weak.
Finally she stepped back, letting Erin go, and wiped her teary face.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go all sobby on you. I'm... I'm a Champion, right? I can handle a fight. I'll be all right." This time, she managed to smile.
"I hope I didn't interrupt you in something important. I didn't know what to do or what to call..."
"Kim...You have nothing to apologize for. You just had the sort of night no-one should ever, ever have." Erin paused. "And yeah, as Champions I guess it's our job to make sure no-one has them...but, c'mon. We're still human. If it'd been me back there...I don't think I'd look very dignified right now either," she smiled weakly.
"And don't worry about interrupting...I was talking to Shirley, but nothing that couldn't wait a little. You needed this more," she said as she took Kim's head, motioning with her head toward the cab.
"...thank you."
Holding the coat tight to her chest, she went into the car. As soon as she hit the seat, exhaustion washed over her, and it was all she could do not to fall asleep.
"I don't know if I should go home," she whispered. "I need to wrap that wound and make it so my parents won't notice anything. Perhaps I could go to the warehouse? But it's already so late..."
"I don't know," Erin whispered truthfully. "I'll help you either way - I know basic first aid - but I don't know your parents, so I can't really give you much advice there." And is it really a good idea for us to keep these things secret from our parents? Then again, if you want to let them know, then the night you nearly get mauled by a werewolf probably isn't it the right time.
She was sure of one thing: there was a raison why she was here: that's because someone invited her! She therefore took the direction of the dance floor, looking through the whole people there to find someone she knows.
Spoiler
Dance: no successes >< except if I can add invocation while untransformed, therefore i'm adding fueco (+2 to roll).
"Sure, call anytime. And I hope I'll have some more info the next time we meet, so that we have something to talk about. Though even if not, a friendly chatter is always an option, right?"
Once Erin left and Shirley was left to herself the spindly looking servant that had been lingering behind waddled up to the remaining Noble, asking in a painfully overstated posh accent, “Is there anything I can do for you?” He rocked side to side on his long legs as he considered. “Would you like to spend time in the library? Perhaps you would like refreshments. They aren’t real substance to you of course,” His laugher was a chaste ‘oh-ho-ho‘ at this. “But you won’t tell the difference. Except that I told you.” He paused. “Maybe you’d like to meet our other visitors?”
Kim and Erin
The cab driver had nothing much to say, the man a rather surly looking individual who simply accepted the money. The car moves along at a slow pace, in order to accommodate any directional changes.
Spoiler
((Where you guys head off to is up to you. If you want to try and cover up your wounds and sneak into your house that’d be…either Composure+Subterfuge or Manipulation+Subterfuge and Dexterity+Stealth.
Also the OOC thread seems ok to me. Not sure what would cause that.))
Quote:
Originally Posted by silphael
Sola:
Spoiler
So now, it's time to party? Let's party!
She was sure of one thing: there was a raison why she was here: that's because someone invited her! She therefore took the direction of the dance floor, looking through the whole people there to find someone she knows.
Spoiler
Dance: no successes >< except if I can add invocation while untransformed, therefore i'm adding fueco (+2 to roll).
The inside of the building was awash in blue and purple lights, a few couches and tables scattered around. There was a wide area for actual dancing, a bar, and a stage that was presently filled by a DJ very involved in the tables in front of him.
No immediate faces popped out to Sola on her first inspection, the whole place in more or less constant movement. However, though she might not have spotted them, her group of friends waved her over to their small circle near the bar soon enough. There were around five of them, mostly seniors, all of whom Sola’d hung out with before.
“Isn’t this place great?” One of them, a girl named Patricia, asked. “You should have gotten here earlier! Some big shot guy just came through here with, like, some entourage. He bought everyone drinks, and he invited Mary and I to go hang out in their VIP area or whatever. Mary already left!” Various greetings were passed around, room made for Sola in the meantime.
"Oh, thank you, that would be very nice!", Shirley replies politely, "I'm rather new here, and don't really know anyone yet..."
The thin man lead Shirley off through the gardens of the Academy shortly after, taking a few shortcuts before stepping into one of the many spacious wings of the building. This one was decorated with hanging tapestries in blues and whites, with the walls devoted to not only bookshelves, but a large amount of gears and clockwork parts.
There was also someone in the middle of the room, seated at a small table. It was a girl who looks a little older than Shirley, dressed in sleek looking armor. She was studying a fairly heavy looking book laid out on the table, but her eyes turned up when her visitor arrived.
"I'll do it myself, then. Thank you," Kim said one last time. "You are... You are a good friend, Erin. I'm glad you came. I'm gonna be better."
She would be, once she'd managed to bandage those claw marks and sneak up in her room... If she managed to do it.
She said good-bye to Erin as the taxi dropped her a street or so away from her house, and took a deep breath, preparing herself for the final trial of the day.
"I'll do it myself, then. Thank you," Kim said one last time. "You are... You are a good friend, Erin. I'm glad you came. I'm gonna be better."
She would be, once she'd managed to bandage those claw marks and sneak up in her room... If she managed to do it.
She said good-bye to Erin as the taxi dropped her a street or so away from her house, and took a deep breath, preparing herself for the final trial of the day.
"Don't hesitate to call me if you need help, or if you just need to talk. Don't think of it as bothering me, odds are I'll need you to return the favor in the near future," Erin said, waiting a few minutes in front of Kim's house to make sure everything was fine.
The thin man lead Shirley off through the gardens of the Academy shortly after, taking a few shortcuts before stepping into one of the many spacious wings of the building. This one was decorated with hanging tapestries in blues and whites, with the walls devoted to not only bookshelves, but a large amount of gears and clockwork parts.
There was also someone in the middle of the room, seated at a small table. It was a girl who looks a little older than Shirley, dressed in sleek looking armor. She was studying a fairly heavy looking book laid out on the table, but her eyes turned up when her visitor arrived.
"Hello. And you are?"
"Hello", Shirley replies, "Name's Shirley. I'm... fairly new at this thing, and haven't got around to making myself a fancy callsign yet, so, just Shirley. I'm a Seeker - and you... a Champion, right? Well, that's not a great feat of deduction, to be honest..."
"I'll do it myself, then. Thank you," Kim said one last time. "You are... You are a good friend, Erin. I'm glad you came. I'm gonna be better."
She would be, once she'd managed to bandage those claw marks and sneak up in her room... If she managed to do it.
She said good-bye to Erin as the taxi dropped her a street or so away from her house, and took a deep breath, preparing herself for the final trial of the day.
Kim’s attempts to sneak back into her house did not work quite as well as she thought. Everything was going fine, until she bumped into a chair and sent it clattering to the ground. Her parents were out in short order, and ready to reprimand before they spotted the wounds she was trying to cover up
“Oh my god,” Her mother gasped, “What happened to you? What have you been out doing?”
Quote:
Originally Posted by sun_tzu
Erin
Spoiler
"Don't hesitate to call me if you need help, or if you just need to talk. Don't think of it as bothering me, odds are I'll need you to return the favor in the near future," Erin said, waiting a few minutes in front of Kim's house to make sure everything was fine.
Erin had a dream.
In it she and a party of explorers were climbing a mountain somewhere far away, a craggy mess of rock and half-worn stone passages. As they ascended the mount in the dark of night they came to the ruins of a monastery and passed under the great arch of the ruined building, entering the courtyard, lone torches illuminating broken stone frozen ground.
They can see the stairs of the building encircling it, leading to three separate archways. Set above each is a symbol. The first, a sun. The second, a moon. The third is a combination of both, a globe with one side throwing off light at the other smooth and dark.
Nobody was speaking, but it felt like the message comes across clear enough: Where to?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamieth
Spoiler
"Hello", Shirley replies, "Name's Shirley. I'm... fairly new at this thing, and haven't got around to making myself a fancy callsign yet, so, just Shirley. I'm a Seeker - and you... a Champion, right? Well, that's not a great feat of deduction, to be honest..."
“Hello, just Shirley. I’m just Megan. That’s right.” The girl offered a small smile, looking down at her book for a second more. She seems to realize her company might want to talk more shortly, and she asks, “You can come and sit.”
Beside the book was what appeared to be a stuffed animal, a ratty looking miniature zebra with a pattern of black and white stars across it. A warbly voice echoed from it:
“Hello Spaceboy, you’re sleepy now.
Your silhouette is so stationary.”
Megan smiled. “Don’t worry about a name. You’ll think of something. They’re kind of stupid anyway, right? It’s like you’re in a comic book or something.”
Storyteller
“Hello, just Shirley. I’m just Megan. That’s right.” The girl offered a small smile, looking down at her book for a second more. She seems to realize her company might want to talk more shortly, and she asks, “You can come and sit.”
Beside the book was what appeared to be a stuffed animal, a ratty looking miniature zebra with a pattern of black and white stars across it. A warbly voice echoed from it:
“Hello Spaceboy, you’re sleepy now.
Your silhouette is so stationary.”
Megan smiled. “Don’t worry about a name. You’ll think of something. They’re kind of stupid anyway, right? It’s like you’re in a comic book or something.”
Well, they ARE kinda silly, I guess", Shirley returns a smile, "But, on the other hand - we were given such a perfect disguises specifically so our job as Nobles won't interfere with our lives, and blowing them up by using our real names would be... even more silly, I suppose. Besides, I guess these names can actually be quite cool... I have a friend - she's a Champion of Diamonds, like you - and she calls herself a Soul of Reason... that's... kinda cool, I guess."
"Oh, great! Yes, we may go now, I guess, I don't feel like dancing here tonight. Where is it?"
She turns her head around.
"Over this way!" The others in the group said their goodbyes before Sola was lead along through the crowds.
There was a problem, however, once they reached the back. Two men in employee uniforms guarded the door to the back rooms, and though they seemed to have no problem with the other girl, they moved to stop Sola.
"I'm sorry," One of them offered gruffly, "Only invited guests."
Spoiler
Now you can make some sort of social roll! You can add Striking Looks to it, per usual.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamieth
Spoiler
Well, they ARE kinda silly, I guess", Shirley returns a smile, "But, on the other hand - we were given such a perfect disguises specifically so our job as Nobles won't interfere with our lives, and blowing them up by using our real names would be... even more silly, I suppose. Besides, I guess these names can actually be quite cool... I have a friend - she's a Champion of Diamonds, like you - and she calls herself a Soul of Reason... that's... kinda cool, I guess."
"I guess." The other girl seemed rather ambivalent about it. "I have people call me GERTY, if I need to." She patted the doll next to her. "This is Ziggy Stardust." She paused, before continuing, "How are you doing? It's hard work, right? But you don't look too bad. Not that I could tell, you might be in a hospital bed for all I know. You're not, are you?" She seemed suddenly concerned.
Shirley
"Oh, no", Shirley smiles, "It is quite exhausting, sure, but I haven't come to any real danger yet. Well, there were some zombies appearing in our school, but my friends blasted them in no time at all..." as she speaks, her mind tries to process something it finds quite unprocessable. Megan? GERTY? How in the name of? "So", she adds after a short pause, "Ziggy, is it? Please forgive my ignorance - as I said, I'm rather new here - but... what kind of creature he is?"
"Oh, no", Shirley smiles, "It is quite exhausting, sure, but I haven't come to any real danger yet. Well, there were some zombies appearing in our school, but my friends blasted them in no time at all..." as she speaks, her mind tries to process something it finds quite unprocessable. Megan? GERTY? How in the name of? "So", she adds after a short pause, "Ziggy, is it? Please forgive my ignorance - as I said, I'm rather new here - but... what kind of creature he is?"
“Zombies? Well, I’m glad you have friend to help you take care of them” Megan smiled, seeming to pick up on the confusion. “GERTY. Like the robot. I’m studying to be a mechanical engineer.” She pointed at the doll after. “He’s my Shikigami. That’s a dream creature that you put into a doll, or something. He had an actual shape once, but I think he likes this one now.”
The warbly voice of the zebra chimed in:
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time.
“Zombies? Well, I’m glad you have friend to help you take care of them” Megan smiled, seeming to pick up on the confusion. “GERTY. Like the robot. I’m studying to be a mechanical engineer.” She pointed at the doll after. “He’s my Shikigami. That’s a dream creature that you put into a doll, or something. He had an actual shape once, but I think he likes this one now.”
The warbly voice of the zebra chimed in:
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time.
Megan seemed to understand this perfectly.
Shirley
"Ah, I see... that makes sense, I guess", Shirley responds a bit unsuredly. Wait, I didn't ask that aloud, did I? Can it be that you're reading my thoughts? she tried to phrase addressing the other girl, even in her mind, just in case the hypothesis proves true. "So... the way you said it, does this mean you're fighting all alone? I mean, apart from Ziggy?
"But, but... the other guy said I had to come! His explanations seemed so much fun, you can't make me stay here after what he said... you know, about his own private room..."
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