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* MECHANICS: RP assembling a team, as necessary, before heading towards the Lighthouse portal to request a portal to Survey Mission 3C. Once there, roll a 100-sided dice and match the roleplay to the results below, as well as any reactions. Players can continue rolling until any of the players roll a HALLOWEEN ENCOUNTER, in which case the BATTLE PHASE begins. See below for battle phase mechanics.
1- 20: You notice a lack of people in the streets even though it is nearly mid-noon their time. Several of them give you strange looks, wary.
21 - 40: You notice a strange, pungent smell, like something rotting, and as you look around, notice the influx of pests, from flies, to roaches to even what looks like dead locusts littered along the streets.
41 - 60: You notice that the signs, the neighbourhood stop signs and posts have all been painted and engraved with a strange symbol, a backwards arced spiral. They line up almost eerily against each other as far as you can see.
61 - 80: A hot gust of wind blows through the streets, tasting oddly of sand and rot.
81- 100: BOSS ENCOUNTER:
- You spot a ??? figure clothed in tattered rags, though your weapon can sense its unnatural scent of Fear. It is clutching a something in its arms, which you slowly realise is actually a piece of rotting human bone.
- BOSS MECHANICS: This boss has 75 HP. Every time you attack it (following the general battle rules), you TAKE 8 damage. Make sure to tally the boss's total HP (the damage you did to it) at the bottom of your post as well as your total HP and the damage you did that round. If the boss's HP hits 0, you have defeated it, and your team can now take the portal back.

A twenty-something blonde woman comes on screen, smiling pleasantly but not looking quite comfortable. Every so once in awhile, her eyes flicker to the the side and her smile becomes even more strained, as if something happening off screen is filling her with anxiety.

"Um...hi, my name's Clarice. And I...am the assistant for the Life Division."

A male voice asks, "And what is it that you do, exactly?'

"Thaaaaaat...really depends. I do a lot...of things. But today I...and a team of trainees, are going to go check out some activity in Colordao. Should be really educational. For the trainees. I'm pretty experienced. With this sort of thing. Not to say I'm not experienced with other things. I'm just not...overly experienced. With...some...things." She finished lamely, her smile almost painful.

"So what are you doing to prepare for this mission?"

Clarice relaxed a bit at the question, obviously feeling a little more confident, "Well, I've collected data on the area's recent weather patterns, each of the disturbances, local lore..." she held up a folder, "...and I forwarded the contents to each member of my team. It's a good idea to know your team's strengths and weaknesses, so the reports are pretty customized, like...some have more pictures...and smaller words." She stopped and stared blankly at the camera for several moments before abruptly continuing, "For the mission itself I um...I've checked out my runic supplies, lots of bandages are always good, and oh! Since we're going into a rural, but populated area, I'm dressed to blend in as a civilian..."

The camera pans out to show Clarice dressed in jeans and a pretty camisole, a denim jacket hangs over her chair in place of the traditional hunter coat. The camera zooms back in.

"...because it's a lot easier to go around in uniform in bigger cities that are used to people dressing like freaks and are you focusing in on my breasts?"

"Um...no."

"You're focusing in on my breasts."

"Well yes, but it's like a slow vertical pan. For you know...effect."

"Ok, Dwight, you need to-"

"Professor D."

"What?"

"I prefer to be called Professor D."

"I am not *beep!*ing calling you Professor *beep!*ing D."

"You can also call me Pro-Diddy. It's my street name."

The camera pans to a redhead sprawled in the interview chair, arm thrown over the back of it, one leg crossed over the other. She's too big for the chair, really, the way she's stretched out over it like some sort of large feline. A large, lazy feline.

Probably a fat house-cat.

She's looking at something off-screen, and appears nonplussed-- until she realizes that filming has started.

Obviously, she's used to being on camera, and used to being the center of attention-- she switches on like an automaton coming to life, turning to face the camera.

"I'm Clerise, and with Life division. That's with an E, not an A. She's got her BLEEPing BLEEP together, unlike me." The trainee turns her head to face the camera, grinning. There is no self-deprecation in it, just a quirked brow and a knowing grin.

A male replies to the intro with a soft chuckle, and there's some shuffling of papers off screen. "So....you were in a circus right?"

"Hah! That I was. Star acrobat for four years, joined when I was sixteen." She sat up straight, leaning over her knees, elbows braced on them as she started to tell her tale. Obviously, her attention was sufficiently grabbed. "I did a few other odds and ends, besides the trapeze acts. A little show make up-- er, for better or worse, there," she said with a laugh, waving a hand dismissively. "No one can really SEE your face way up high anyway, not properly. Uh. But...yeah. I was pretty BLEEP at it. Some tightrope walking, odds and ends around circus in general-- I even sold tickets once cos I was BLEEPing gimped when I sprained my ankle."

The camera pans out again as Clerise straightens up in her chair. She's dressed in a loose grey top with an open black vest over it, and loose fitting cargo shorts underneath. She bounces a knee in anticipation of the next question, obviously done talking.

"Are you really double jointed?" the male voice practically purrs at her-- and the redhead just snickers some in response. She stands, rolling her shoulders briefly. She holds her right hand palm up, her left hand coming around to hold the right side of it...and twists it so her palm is face down again, after rotating a full 360 degrees total.

Next, she stands straight, sticking her right leg out backwards, and reaches over her shoulder to grab the foot. She pulls it over her shoulder, where it sits comfortably. All the while she's giving the camera a smile.

She shakes out her limbs, cracking her neck audibly. "You asked about me being double jointed rather than my flexibility-- your BLEEPing loss, my friend." She flops back into the seat, cheeks slightly flushed from exertion.

"Wow," the male voice murmurs before clearing his throat a little. "Is it true what they say about clowns?"

She stares at him-- not the camera, him, and gives him...a blink. "I'm...what? What DO they say about clowns?"

"Oh...you know."

A pregnant pause.

"No, BLEEPhole, I don't, so what do you BLEEPing mean? Christ, don't be such a BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEPing BLEEP--" She looks venomous, eyes darkening, lip curled, nails digging into the arm of the chair.

Clerise does not like being confused.

This much is clear.

"NEXT QUESTION. Uh. So like...that love triangle thing, between you, Candace, and Sasha..."

The acrobat immediately purses her lips. "There is no Candace in that equation, if anything it'd be me, Sasha, and--C"

"Whatever. I maybe got a little pissy when Sasha wasn't giving me attention, what about it?" She crosses her arms, leaning back in a huff. "So I said some..choice words and-- whatever. I got slapped, Candace got slapped, we apologized and got BLEEPing shamed by every BLEEPing person on the missio-"

She cuts herself off, huffing. "Shut the BLEEP UP, Balthazar, okay? I'll tell them! Jesus H BLEEPing Christ!" The girl is obviously not talking at the other person in the room at at her camera, and is in fact staring up out of the corner of her eyes, as if she's trying to peek inside her own mind.

After a long suffering sigh, she wags a finger at the camera.

"HEY. BLEEPHOLES. Listen up, you whiny BLEEPing BLEEP. Don't be like me, okay? Keep your BLEEPing mouth shut when BLEEP gets to you. Okay? Okay."

Clerise eases up, and freezes in mid movement when she's asked--
"Would you like to see my minipets?"

She giggles, advancing upon her prey like a lioness on the prowl.

The male is heard shrieking briefly about how he was 'just kidding, oh my God!' -- and the recording cuts short.

Conclusion: She's a regular rollarcoaster, all right. The kids, these days. They say: That fish cray.

"So tell me about Petra."

Robert made a face, clearly thrown off by the question. "Uh. Why?"

"You guys are engaged, right?"

"*BLEEP* yeah we are." He wiggled his ringed finger proudly and grinned.

"So, she's an important part of your life. Tell the world about her."

Robert really had to pause before he opened his mouth. He wasn't going to get caught on tape saying something about Petra. He put on the silliest, most thoughtful face, complete with pursed lips, crunched up nose, and furrowed brow, until he finally shrugged and let out a sigh.

"She's perfect. What else is there to say?"

"You could be a little more specific."

"I could, but if I told you about her, maybe you fall in love with her. Then maybe I kill you." He cracked his knuckles.

"Point taken. So maybe tell us about Phoenix, then?" Dwight was reaching for new topics before the behemoth got too angry and destroyed all the equipment. He'd already threatened to do so twice.

"Phoenix?" The distraction was a success; Robert's face lit up in happiness. "Awww, Phoenix. Best group of mates I've ever had. I like being on a team." Robert smiled directly into the camera, with a warm, and genuine inflection in his voice. "Makes me feel whole. Makes me feel right again." His eyes flickered up above the camera. "You know?"

"Not really."

Robert was looking at Dwight when his face crunched up in genuine sadness. "That's a shame."

Next on screen was a dark-skinned woman...'s breasts. A very focused, clear shot of her cleavage. She didn't seem to realize at first, chatting calmly with the camera operator about how things would work until--

"..Excuse me." She leaned down and her face was finally seen, a look of irritation on her face as she pointed up. "My *BLEEP*ing face is up here *BLEEP*hole." Good start, Dwight. Good start. The camera was quickly refocused to the woman's face as she sighed and sat comfortably in her chair. One leg was crossed over the other and her hands were clasped around her knee. "Much better...that's not going to be in the video, is it? That'd be way unprofessional, dude." She was looking past the camera as she said this, sighing and shaking her head a moment later. She was quick to recover from her little outburst, smiling cheerfully and giving a little wave to the camera.

"Hello! I'm Candace Pennington, Intermediate Trainee of the Mist division."

"Very good, Candy--"

"Candace." She corrected with a strained smile.

"But you let Doctor H--"

"You're not the doctor, are you?" Her smile took on a quality that was a little too sweet, her hands tightening around her knee. "Questions, please." There was a sigh of disappointment.

"So what's your type?" Candace blinked, her smile fading into a look of genuine confusion. "You know...for like..dating." She frowned, raising a brow.

"What the *BLEEP* does that have to do with training?"

"It's important, I promise." Candace rolled her eyes.

"The answer is not you. Next, please~."

"Well I see you around the labs a lot.." She smiled again. It seemed this woman was trying to suppress the urge to ask him something quite rude.

"Well, I am a Mist trainee. I should familiarize myself with as many aspects of all the divisions as I can."

"I don't see you doing a lot of work here though just--"

"Next question."

You could almost hear the grin the interviewer was giving. "I heard that one look at your beauty defeated a Yeti on Aria's mission." Candace's smile fell, a small frown taking its place. She looked away, shifting in her seat and rubbing at the back of her neck. While she had been comfortable before she looked ready to bolt now.

"Uh that's...n-no it..I think one look at me pissed off the yeti more than anything..." She said quietly as if mumbling it mostly to herself. She didn't say anything else, looking completely away from the camera.

"...Uh..how about um...oh! I hear you used to be a cheerleader--"

Candace's attention immediately returned to the person behind the camera. "Who the *BLEEP* told you about that?"

"Not important. How about you demonstrate some stretches and stuff for us?"

"*BLEEP* you're a bigger perv than the *BLEEP*ing doctor. Maybe I'll show you later. Maybe."

"So do you have any aspirations?" Candace blinked.

"Like, now? As a hunter?" She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing back her bangs with a soft hum. "Maybe..yeah. I have a few, not any I'll voice on this just in case but for now I'd just like to finish training."

"Oh yeah? Do you think you're ready for that yet?"

There was a pause from Candace as she seemed to actually consider that question. She reached up to rub one of her earrings in what was probably a soothing motion for herself, showing a glint of diamond and amethyst. "Hmmm..probably not yet. I still have a lot to learn. I'm sure you've heard of what I did after Allan's mission the other day. Do you think that's someone who's ready to be named a full-fledged hunter?"

"Oh yeah. What was that all about anyway?" She frowned.

"Betting pool?"

"...Maybe."

Candace smiled pleasantly. "Now now, Dwight, if I tell you like this it'd be cheating. I don't cheat." There was a laugh.

"Aw, come on! Inquiring minds would like to know!"

"Nope, sorry! Maybe one day you'll find out, but it certainly won't be from me. Maybe whoever your mysterious information giver is, the one who told you I used to be a cheerleader." She shrugged.

"So what if you weren't a hunter, what would you be doing with your life?"

The blonde looked away from the camera and cleared her throat, "I don't know."

"What no hopes and dreams? College education?"

"No."

There was a long, uncomfortable pause until Clarice finally turned to look straight at the camera, face expressionless, "Next question."

41 - 60: You notice that the signs, the neighbourhood stop signs and posts have all been painted and engraved with a strange symbol, a backwards arced spiral. They line up almost eerily against each other as far as you can see.