[nWoD] Campus Vigilantes 3: Finals Month

Odentin · 10-24-2012, 10:32 AM

OOC Thread

Maxwell College, RPG Club Room
Monday After Thanksgiving

It is the first Monday following the Thanksgiving break. The weather is cool, crisp, standard for this time of year. This morning, students returned from Thanksgiving break, milling about the campus and trying to shake off any lingering effects of the break, in preparation for their upcoming finals. The RPG Club members are no exception, returning to their duties, or having never left.

After the Halloween Party, Adam distanced himself from the others for obvious reasons. An exception was made, of course, with he and Leon moving into a house on the edge of campus before the break, and the club turning the basement into a safehouse. He doesn't frequent the RPG room much at the moment. The others, though, still congregate before class, to share news or just lament the oncoming classes.

This morning, however, one news story takes preference over all others, appearing on the lips of almost every Maxwell student who hears it. On Saturday night, just before midnight, a patient escaped from the Dangerous Patients wing of the local Mental Hospital. His whereabouts are still unknown, though the police are still searching, and no one seems to know how he was able to escape at all. What makes this such big news, however, is that the patient is a former student at Maxwell College, one whose name is all too familiar to the RPG Club.

Jamie Price.

savior indra · 10-24-2012, 01:48 PM

Kale turned off the flatscreen in his apartment as he sighed and rubbed his eyes. This was turning into one heck of a mess. He got up and walked towards his refrigerator, pouring himself a glass of Glenlivet Scotch Whiskey, before walking towards his window. He looked up into the sky before taking a sip.

He closed his eyes before setting the whiskey aside as he turned to lean against the window before sliding down to the floor, his head in his hands. He had hoped to put this behind him. He wanted to stop, get on with his life, try to actually live, but of course, nothing would be that easy. He hadn't even gone out on patrol in weeks. He pulled out his phone before finding Michelle's number and dialing it.

"Michelle? It's me. Could... could you come over? I don't think I can be alone right now..." said Kale in hoarse voice.

Odentin · 10-24-2012, 02:26 PM

Michelle answers, sounding rushed with her greeting. Her voice turns apologetic as she replies, "Kale, I can't. I'm already at school, and my first class starts in 20 minutes. I'll come over this afternoon, okay?"

savior indra · 10-24-2012, 03:07 PM

"S'okay... I... I'll see you then" said Kale weakly before disconnecting the phone. He looked around his apartment, It was bare, sparely decorated. Hell, not even the TV belonged to him, it came with renting the place.

Nothing personal of Kale's was even in the kitchen or living room. He had come to Chicago with a backpack, a suitcase and a duffle bag. He could be packed and read to leave the city for good in less than 15 minutes.

At one point he would have been proud, loved the efficiency and discipline in being able to just up and leave in a hurry if necessary, in case he was tracked. Now, he just hated himself for growing so disconnected with the world.

He picked up his glass and swirled the contents around in a dark vortex, gazing into the depths before gulping it down in a single swig. It was good thing he was only taking 12 credit hours this semester and didn't have class until tomorrow. He walked to his bedroom; and without bothering to take off any of his clothes, collapsed onto the bed, letting himself drift away into blissful oblivion, rather than letting his mind be consumed by the ennui of everyday life.

ToySoldierCPlus · 10-24-2012, 03:09 PM

Leon lounge sin his usual spot in the club room. His first class isn't for another hour, so he's got some time to spare. Flipping through the newspaper he picked up on the way to campus, he reads over the headlines, and stops when he sees the article about Price. "Well, that's lovely. This is going to be our problem, I can tell." He holds the newspaper up, article facing outward. "Anybody else hear about this?"

SurlySeraph · 10-24-2012, 04:47 PM

"Yep." Semira's sitting on the floor, alternately twirling and chewing on a pencil. "I haven't had a chance to talk to any of my friends who work at the psych ward yet, but I'm surprised - they're pretty competent."

She flips listlessly through a chapter of her Historical Psych textbook, trying to find margin notes other than "is Blumhagen impt? probably" and "said we have to memorize all the culture-bound syndromes. bullsh!t."

"Kinda glad I spent the weekend with Zach. Though I guess Price wouldn't have any way to know about the house yet. Well, any natural way... you didn't hear anything weird yesterday or Saturday night, did you?"

-Sentinel- · 10-24-2012, 04:59 PM

Balanced precariously on two legs of his chair, Tony looked up from his Motor Trend issue.

"Oh, that? Yeah, saw it," he said with disgust. "They had him for, what, three weeks? Unfµckingbelievable. 'Course, he used to be a cop, he must know the tricks to get away and stay hidden."

For a law student, the Latino had never had much love for authority figures of any sort. The recent revelation that a cop was now suspected of the Halloween Massacre only strengthened his belief that psychos were drawn to the power of the uniform and badge.

ToySoldierCPlus · 10-24-2012, 05:43 PM

Leon folded the paper and tossed it onto the table. "I'd like to say it's not that easy, but I can't without lying."

McGonigle · 10-24-2012, 07:17 PM

"Yeah, heard about it in a text from Ellen earlier." Jaime commented looking up from the text she was reading. She didn't bring up the fact that Ellen had pretty much only texted her to call dibs on the angle she was thinking off.

"Whether he's our problem, really depends if he decides to come back, we could mobilise, just to find he's headed out of state, somewhere he's less well known. It seems like the sensible course of action, not that the pig struck me as sensible." Jaime was so hoping that he had left town, the prospect that she could encounter Jamie again was really playing on her mind. To the point that she had been reading the same page for 15 minutes the information not really sinking in.

ToySoldierCPlus · 10-24-2012, 07:57 PM

"Eh. I'd like for him to move on, but I'm not optimistic about it. Like I said, this is going to be our problem, one way or another. Either Price's escape will be our only problem, and we can fix it quickly, preferably without much, if any, bloodshed, or, more likely, this is only a small part of a bigger problem, that will still fall into our laps." He leans back and closes his eyes. "Just you wait."

SurlySeraph · 10-24-2012, 08:09 PM

Sem nods at Leon. "Yeah. I'll visit the hospital after classes today. Maybe there's a weakness other patients might get out by. Or maybe there's not, and something worse is going on here. I could probably get someone else in to look around, too. Jamie, maybe you?"

Misaat · 10-24-2012, 09:16 PM

Matthew's sitting in his little shop in the corner of the room. Leaning over the table he speaks to the to other as he dismantles an old CPU.

" We should probably check with some of Jamie's old friends too... To see if he came into contact with any of them... or check out the place of the Haloween Party... They say Criminals always return to the scene of the crime... "

-Sentinel- · 10-24-2012, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misaat

"They say Criminals always return to the scene of the crime... "

Tony snorted cynically. "Who says that? And what are we going to do about it, set up a twenty-four/seven vigil in Tyler Hall?"

He plunged himself once more in the Motor Trend article about the Subaru Impreza WRX STi. "Not sure that's our problem. I deal with supernatural threats 'cause they're an abomination against God and the cops aren't even aware of them. But here, what can we do that the police aren't already doing? Price must have lots of competent people on his trail as we speak."

Tony was a rather new addition to the RPG Club and had not been on many hunts for now. His focus was markedly different from his friends': mundane threats, like rapists and street gangs, were none of his concern. He only hunted the supernatural. His comrades had wisely never told him that their ally Karen Turner was a ghoul and therefore, by his point of view, a blasphemous supernatural monster.

ToySoldierCPlus · 10-25-2012, 08:16 AM

"You'd be surprised how this gets going. Something goes wrong, and it falls into our laps to fix it, because we're the only competent ones around. It's not a good system, but it's the way things happen here."

SurlySeraph · 10-25-2012, 10:41 AM

"Yep. And don't forget, we still have no idea how he got out. Maybe he made a deal with one of the workers... maybe he made a deal with something else. We can't rule out the supernatural until we've got some evidence."

Misaat · 10-25-2012, 11:07 AM

" And technically it was our fault that he got caught in the first place... i fear he may target one of us as soon as he gets the police off his trail... We need to be very carefull when we go out at night... well even more so than usual..."

McGonigle · 10-25-2012, 11:08 AM

"Yeah, sure it will make sure I take a break from studying." She commented to Semira, before addressing Tony's complaint.

"I'm not sure if we have a real choice in the matter, most of the students resonsible for putting him in the asylum are in this room. If he comes seeking revenge, it's very rapidly going to become our problem"

-Sentinel- · 10-25-2012, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SurlySeraph

"We can't rule out the supernatural until we've got some evidence."

Tony chuckled. "You know you've been hunting for too long when you become sort of a reverse skeptic and assume there's something supernatural going on until all irrational options have been ruled out."

His smile vanished when Matthew spoke. "Oh, right. The revenge thing. That could become our problem. You guys' problem, that is, but what's your problem is also mine. Are the cops aware of your roles in getting Price arrested? 'Cause if not, we're on our own if he comes for us."

ToySoldierCPlus · 10-25-2012, 09:12 PM

Leon thinks for a minute. "I don't... think so, but I can't be sure. Adam they know about, no question. As for the rest of us... I doubt it. We've got a contact on the inside, but I'm not sure how much he'll be able to do for us. Not that it really matters. Price is a wanted man. He comes after us, we've got at least three laws that say we can detain him by any means necessary, possibly including lethal force. I think, anyway. That's how it works out East."

Odentin · 10-25-2012, 09:22 PM

The discussion goes on until classes begin, and the club members filter off to their respective classes. The day goes by slowly, professors giving lectures, students sleeping through them. Ellen seems to gloat about calling dibs on the Price story, and assigns Jaime to investigate the noise complaints that have been happening around Maxwell for the past 2 weeks, instead.

Students continue to murmur about Jamie's escape, the rumors getting more and more outrageous as the hours pass. Near 6pm, he apparently took down 42 guards on the way out while wearing a straight jacket, then disappeared into thin air when they finally cornered him. Amidst it all, Leon receives a text from Adam, Won't be home until late tonight.

Spoiler

As her final class ends, Semira remembers her thought about visiting the hospital where Price escaped...

Kale:

Spoiler

Michelle comes by after her final class, as promised. Concern is written all over her face as she enters the apartment, "Are you ok? You sounded panicked earlier..."

Spoiler

SurlySeraph · 10-25-2012, 09:28 PM

Sem shrugs. "The cops should know I disarmed him, I said so when Jaime interviewed me. If they care enough and have the manpower to send someone to watch me, great. As long as it's not someone who thinks Price is innocent, or is corrupt, or is just a creep... honestly, I think I'd be more worried with a cop trailing me all day than without."

EDIT:
Sem visits the hospital, Jaime in tow, and asks a postdoc friend of hers if she can check out the cell Price was in. She also asks staff members about Price's behavior leading up the incident, if there was anyone on the inside he talked with a lot, and if he'd written or drawn anything.

savior indra · 10-25-2012, 11:28 PM

"Thanks for coming over Michelle." said Kale as he turned to face her, wiping the sweat off his brow with a towel. He had cleared away the kitchen table and chairs to make room for him to practice Kung Fu, even if he hadn't been on the Vigil for weeks, it was still ingrained in him to keep up his training.

"Sorry about the mess. Do you want anything to drink?" asked Kale as he pulled up a chair for her to sit in while he opened the refrigerator. "I've got water, tea, scotch, some juice..."

After getting Michelle a drink (if she asks for one), Kale pulls up another chair beside her. He stares off into space his hands clasped tightly together before he started to speak.

"I don't know what I'm doing with my life Michelle. I for the last three years I was running away from the pain by just being emotionally detached from everyone around me, but you know what happened on Halloween. I don't know what to do..." muttered Kale trailing off before he rubbed his eyes.

"And on top of all this Jamie f**king Price escapes. Before I would've tracked him down and killed without a second thought. Now, I'm not sure. I don't know what to do..."

-Sentinel- · 10-25-2012, 11:48 PM

Tony spent his law classes in his usual bored daze. He wondered why he even came; he already had textbooks explaining everything his teachers droned about. Oh, right - attendance was mandatory, and you were not allowed to sit exams if you missed more than X classes. Wasn't that stupid?

To pass the time, he tried to imagine that he was Jamie Price. What would he do and where would he go after escaping a mental hospital? He would not stay in Illinois, that's for sure. He would probably try to get his hands on a weapon, a car and some cash, and then leave the country.

What kind of man was Price, anyway? Supposedly he was in no mental state to be put on trial, but perhaps there was already a lawyer examining his case for when he became apt to face a judge; some lawyers were always looking for the most infamous clients. As soon as his last class was over, Tony made a phone call to a postgrad acquaintance in case he knew a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy who had read Price's file.

Spoiler

Misaat · 10-26-2012, 03:23 PM

Matthew spent most of his classes dozing off (Except for Math) He woke up from a terrible dream in Computer History ... Jamie Price was chasing him around with a Machete Friday the 13th style across campus. Matt awoke right before the blade touched his skull... A Cold sweat was running down his neck as he thought... " I was the one who led him to the bathroom... what if he comes after me... thinking it was i who set him up...?"

ToySoldierCPlus · 10-26-2012, 03:42 PM

Leon went through his classes as he usually did: copying down the notes on the board, paying one ear's worth of attention to what his professors were saying, and spending the rest of his time surfing the internet. After his classes were finished, he returned to the RPG room, waiting for his friends to get back.

Odentin · 10-26-2012, 07:16 PM

Semira: None of her contacts can get access to the cell, by police orders, but she does find out that it's impossible to open the cell doors from within. Only guards and medical staff can enter, using magnetic key badges, and each entry is recorded by the security system with the time and Emplyee Number of the person who opened it. The system shows the entry, but no one seems to know whose key was used to open the door...

As for his behavior, he'd been generally quiet, though when questioned, he would ramble about ghosts and revenge. The only ones who ever talked with him were the medical and mental health personnel.

Kale: Michelle takes some juice, sitting and listening to Kale rant with a concerned frown on her face. She sneers at the mention of Halloween, but reaches out and places her hand on Kale's back, resting it comfortingly, "It's not your problem anymore, Kale. They'll catch him. Just...just don't stress out about it. It's hard changing your outlook, but it is possible. And I'm here to help..."

Tony: Either no one jumped on the chance to prosecute/defend Price, or Tony simply can't find them. It was only the past few days that he was even deemed well enough to face trial, so not much had been done with his case, yet.

SurlySeraph · 10-27-2012, 12:38 PM

Sem looks around the entrance to the cell and tries to figure out how he could have gotten out.

Spoiler

-Sentinel- · 10-27-2012, 11:11 PM

Well. Wasn't expecting much, I guess, thought Tony after his calls taught him nothing. There was little else he could do. Going too far out of his way to find Price would only bring unwanted attention from the police, who no doubt wanted to bring down the psycho as quickly and discreetly as possible to keep the ex-cop from making them look bad once more. Unless Price showed his face on campus and/or turned out to be a werewolf or something, this was none of Tony's business.

He went back to the RPG Club room, collapsed into a chair and opened a thick law book to get his homework out of the way as quickly as possible.

"'Sup?" he asked Leon. "Think you should survive the exams?"

ToySoldierCPlus · 10-28-2012, 09:00 AM

Leon nods as Tony enters the room. "They're still about a month off, but I should. How about you?"

savior indra · 10-28-2012, 09:43 AM

"I know changing my outlook is possible but I'm still not sure if I want to... I was making a difference on the streets Michelle. I was making them safer, I was improving people's lives!" said Kale passionately as he tried to explain the confusion tearing at his heart.