It was another round of outlandish lies and teasing-- but at least this time Mal knew what questions to ask to lead them to their laughing conclusion earlier. And he couldn't see the one that he'd gotten alone; maybe they'd gone home? He wished more of them could get through their heads that this was serious. Maybe if they all wore sober gray suits off the same rack and pretended to be faceless government drones?
Maybe he'd invest in a couple of government-style suits for the next time, because Mal was beginning to think there would always be a next time, no matter what. He wasn't sure if he was okay with that yet.
Beth gave it some time before she attempted again--just enough time to try washing her stockings and scrape the mud off her shoes. She found another group, this time of three, and attempted to strike up conversation. They were more openly hostile than the others, refusing to even indulge her questions and proceeding straight to the name calling.
One of them observed the mud still on her dress. Another teased her for her obvious discomfort in being in a rural setting; something about being snooty and an expletive that Beth was sure they did not repeat in front of their parents. When the last said something about women like her being the reason they took their first dates to the pool, Beth had to abscond.
She had forgotten how cruel teenagers could be, even when their parents weren't raising them to be entitled brats. She felt as keenly now as she had when she was that age, and wondered at their ability to bring her to tears again.
Character Name:Beth Almasy Brief description of character: A sweet but skittish beauty who's lived in the lap of luxury her whole life, Beth doesn't quite know what she's doing. She's always willing to support and cheer on her friends, mostly so she doesn't actually have to lift a finger.
Feeling a bit more confident from her last run-in, Sylvia continued to keep an eye out for the teenagers. She wandered some of the side-streets of the town and found another group of skateboarding ‘witches’. This time she decided to comment on their skill (which, to be fair, wasn’t wholly unfounded – she had never gotten the hang of balancing on a rolling board of wood beneath her feet). After a bit of chatter, she finally asked after their attire and new lifestyle choices.
Again, they seemed to get skittish. She was glad that she was finding some willing to talk, at least, though they weren’t willing to talk much. It was clear something was off overall, but they still failed to give details. So be it. She thanked them for what they did say, at least, and hoped that perhaps she would find a group more willing to talk soon – or would run into one of those she’d already talked to again, just when they were a bit more open to discussion.
[ 172; 745 total ]
Quote:
You must have said something to reach your mark. They look nervous and uncomfortable, some of their stiff, "who-gives-a-s**t" attitude melting to turn them back into a normal young person. They admit something's going on, but seem too afraid to tell you anything that can be much help. Maybe if you come back and find them again...
At this point, all future efforts in this roll gain a +1. If you roll in this range multiple times, you gain additional +1, with no limit on the top range of your bonus.
Character Name:Sylvia Owens Brief description of character: Sweet, optimistic, always trying to be helpful – even if it means bluntly telling you how stupid you’re being. Remains tentative about her new life as a Chosen, having never been a fighter…
Despite his success with the moly kids, the next teenager he saw was that first one, the one who had laughed. Zan wasn't used to being laughed at unless he had prompted it, and he turned around and walked off before the boy could do it again.
Quote:
You're able to get an in with these kids, and they're willing to talk to you. At first it seems to be going well but, slowly, you realize that they're bullshitting you. The things they tell you seem less and less true, and more outlandish. Eventually, they can't hold their pokerface any longer and burst into laughter.
6+1+1+2 = 10
thyPOPE rolled 1 20-sided dice:
5Total: 5 (1-20)
Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2016 12:59 pm
Still, though - Ernst wanted to know more about the flower. He pulled himself together and found someone to approach about it - another group of goth kids. He'd have preferred to ask the first one, who'd given him the flower in the first place, but he'd take this if he needed to. They should know something, right?
They pretended to, at first, but when they mentioned alien abductions Ernst just turned around. "Sorry, loves," he sang. "You're not the only ones who've played The Sims."
He tried again -- with the same result. Apparently whatever luck he'd had so far had deserted him; that or he was ringing some false note with the teens. They didn't always know what they were feeling or why they were feeling it, but Mal supposed it was possible, if they were used to getting lied to in town, that they had a better nose for it than usual.
At this point, Caleb's attempts to weasel out any information from the wiccan kids were met with immediate failure as they snubbed him without a single word of response. Frustrated, he headed back to camp feeling sullen.
Character Name:Caleb McCloud Brief description of character: Caleb is a strong and silent type, but when he does speak, he's probably being an a*****e. But he's got a hell of a jawline, so he's got that going for him at least.
This time, she got one of the boys alone. She always was better one-on-one. She did everything in her power--eyelash fluttering, hair fiddling, even a cute sniffle or two--to entice him to part with any information. This time, he relented, if only to nervously tell her that "something" was going on. He fled before she could press the issue. But it certainly heartened her and her search. Perhaps they needed a sympathetic ear to melt their hearts.
+1 to roll gained
Character Name:Beth Almasy Brief description of character: A sweet but skittish beauty who's lived in the lap of luxury her whole life, Beth doesn't quite know what she's doing. She's always willing to support and cheer on her friends, mostly so she doesn't actually have to lift a finger.
But his persistence paid off-- finally. He managed to get one alone, to corner them, while they got rid of the heavy black eyeliner. Mal eventually offered up his handkerchief to the kid, and listened to them as they spilled about Circe. The old manor, the way there, the bit of the map. He turned the map over and around in his fingers as he listened to the kid.
You've found a deserter in this one. They are done with the games, done with all this, in the bathroom wiping off their makeup with shaking fingers. They tell you she lives in an old manor out in the woods, and hand you a torn piece of a map -- the only way to find Circe's lair.
At this point, you can no longer participate in this thread, but you gain a bonus 5XP and a piece of the map! To claim your piece, please quote and be blue with your reply to the prompt in this thread!
He was in the restroom of some bar cooling off (he'd bought a bag of chips, but Ernst wasn't going to eat it even though it was ******** sealed). He just...he wanted a clear answer, was all. And it didn't look like he was going to get it. He could at least fix his hair, though. The muggy heat of the swamp was gluing and matting his carefully-maintained curls, and while he knew there was no real use being vain when he was out like this, he still wanted to keep his hair in some semblance of order.
And he'd been working on it - at least running cool water through his hair and trying to push it into some semblance of normality - when someone in pitch black clothes and very heavy eyeliner came stomping in. "You okay?" Ernst asked, when he wasn't even acknowledged. The guy had just gone straight to splashing water all over his face, and he took a few seconds to answer Ernst even after he'd clearly heard him, freezing up and looking Ernst up and down.
"You're not from around here," the guy said. "So you don't - you wouldn't understand."
"One of my friends - well, several of my friends - they came here to vacation a few weeks ago." Ernst was used to the story by now, but he kept it a bit more honest, this time. "I thought they could, you know, handle themselves." He tapped the shield slung over his back with a frown, watching as the boy before him eyed it with intrigue. "But they should've been back by now, and I - I haven't heard from them."
"Yeah," said the teen bleakly. "Yeah, sounds about right." He tossed a very stereotypical checkered chain wallet onto the floor in disgust. "Can you - can you hand me a paper towel? Look, I don't think..."
"I have this," Ernst said, holding the flower he'd received earlier up, and passing several paper towels over without comment. "Moly? I've heard it can...help. It's an antidote?" He still wasn't sure how - wear it? Make a tea out of it? And he wanted answers, but he wasn't sure how many he'd get here. But if it could be a cure for some of the Chosen still out there...yeah, he wanted it.
The moly seemed to have been met with recognition, at least. "You'll need a lot more than one flower. She's...she's powerful. Tricky. Hard to find." The kid wiped at his damn eyes. "I'm just - I'm just tired."
"I have a lot of friends," Ernst replied, slipping his flower back into his lapel. "And we're all, well, armed. We can help you."
The kid laughed, looking again at Ernst's shield and away again. "I don't - I don't know. Even if - even with that...I don't know. This isn't a good idea, dude. But...but it's your risk. She lives...in this manor, out in the woods." He took a breath. Picked the wallet up off the floor and began unzipping it. "I can't - I can't really tell you where it is. But I have this." He pulled a wrinkled piece of paper out - a piece of a map. Ernst reached for it. "Look - don't...be careful, man. Your shield looks cool, but she's got magic. Real magic."
"I know," said Ernst, serious. "Look - let me know if you need somewhere to hide out while you're waiting for this to blow over. My friends and I - we'll definitely figure something out." If they could find the more experienced Chosen, and not accidentally kill them while they were raging. They'd succeeded against that monster bird. Ernst didn't know if he felt the same confidence about this - well, he'd barely felt confident about that. But it wasn't like anyone in this town was going to be able to do anything. The Chosen kind of had to step up their game.
thypope
thyPOPE
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Smerdle rolled 1 20-sided dice:
4Total: 4 (1-20)
Smerdle
Scamp
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Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2016 7:40 pm
He had taken a stroll around the block, but even then, laughing kid remained where he'd been. Zan ducked back around the corner from which he'd came, prepared to walk some more.
Quote:
You're able to get an in with these kids, and they're willing to talk to you. At first it seems to be going well but, slowly, you realize that they're bullshitting you. The things they tell you seem less and less true, and more outlandish. Eventually, they can't hold their pokerface any longer and burst into laughter.
Beth should have known better. This time she could not find her friend among the group that she ran across later in the town. This time they ignored her altogether, though she did not like the look of some of the gazes their members gave her. She wisely and quickly decided that her safety was worth more than the information. She could try again later.
+1 to roll=2
Character Name:Beth Almasy Brief description of character: A sweet but skittish beauty who's lived in the lap of luxury her whole life, Beth doesn't quite know what she's doing. She's always willing to support and cheer on her friends, mostly so she doesn't actually have to lift a finger.
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