That mannequin was easy to miss, so I am hoping if we get a lot of eyes on these that someone will notice something else.
Can you get me a list of the people who work here? I'd like to be able to rule them out, if possible.
When the footage comes through, she will also forward a copy of that on to Valda.
This spatial disturbance set Ross on edge as much as it rankled Zaoth.
"This is strange. All of it."
At the same time, something tries the door to the room.
[ooc]Or, if you'd like to check what's behind door number one then give me a DC 20 Perception check, and open below.
Median continues to try to figure out what is strange about the security camera images.
(fail)
She hears someone trying the door.
Who is there?
Jennifer moves around to where she hears the door open, ready to punch a dude.
Joseph follows Jennifer, staging himself on the other side of the door.
Nurai caught the swinging low little door with her leather boot. Resting the ball of the thick sole on the top of the door, she peered through the glass as her shadows peeked through the door.
"Have you come out for the fun?" Nurai said cheerfully.
Salim starts digging around in his pockets.
"Now where was that blasted thing..." he mutters.
"Aha! Found it!" he cries, producing a small vial of liquid, which he quickly downs, then races off in pursuit after his allies.
Figuring that Salim might be doing something useful, Jennifer keeps her guard up and waits for him to see or not see something.
Surprised by the voice, Median stops focusing on the live security cameras and turns towards the door. She recasts Detect Thoughts and focuses on the other side of the door, trying to discern if there is a mind there, and if so, seeing if she can get additional information.
She uses telepathy to broadcast to whoever spoke as well
<Are you lost, or is your mother lost? How can I help?>
Nurai was curious at the hesitancy she felt. Very different to the last beings she'd dealt with in the Twilight.
Of course, reading others was tricky - more so when mostly invisible. She motioned for her shadows to pull back a bit, before she said, "Something you'd like to show us?"
Solomon follows behind Jennifer and Joseph, still probing with his mind. "I'm not sure what it is. Or is there another?" The whole situation is a bit confusing. Over all, Solomon much prefers things he can see with his eyes open.
Taking a moment to focus intensely, Solomon channels his psychic energy in a sort of deep echo, looking for things that may be unseen even to his third eye.
"Who are you?"
Solomon's spell tells him much the same thing. There's something there, but if anything it has the opposite of density. Which as a concept is a little head ache inducing.
The mental image his question received was...confusion, for the most part.
That was an interesting question. Giving names to someone unknown had it's risks and in this case, Nurai was unsure it would really answer the question.
In her mind, she visualized the rips she had seen so far in different parts of the museum. "We know these must be repaired."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
[ood]Midian - Oddly enough, no. The door shouldn't be thick enough to block it, but you aren't picking up anything through it. Either something is blocking that ability or there's nothing to read.[/ooc]
After a moment, another mental projection appeared, showing something passing through the portals with pure joy and a feeling or freedom, followed by a sudden, shocking stop.
Nurai considered the images she had been sent.
"Seems we have a dimension jumper...one that was very happy until recently. she said to Ross. Most of the creatures that naturally did this, to Nurai's less than stellar knowledge on this, wouldn't be marking so many tears like this in one place. Maybe if they could resolve what such a creature would likely be and what could stop it, things would resolve nicely.
Unsure if the creature was still reading her mind, she tried to picture different dimensions - other places on Earth, in the Shadow Lands, in the Twilight, in the Synod as unlikely as it was with the protection they had there but natural beasts had ways around such things - to see if anything caught the creature's attention enough to talk or come out.
She uses telepathy to speak to the person outside the door again.
She sends a feeling of agreement, and then inquisitiveness.
She repeats <How can I help?>
(She does not open the door.)
Zaoth writes in Ross's head as the dimension jumper reveals itself. It was competition.
Come on Z, tell me what you know about this thing?
"This is strange... I've made contact, somehow, but I don't understand what is happening. Has anything been taken?" Solomon asks without opening his eyes. He thinks a response to to the voice in his head, <"Yes, they must. Where are they coming from?">
He's tempted to try to touch the... emptiness, but he's not sure of what would happen. There's no reason to what's going on now.
"Has anyone heard from the others?"
Jennifer tries to answer Solomon's question and generally see if there's any change to the things in the room that she can see.
Joseph, sadly, is a bit out of his depth on this one. It's so much easier when they have a corporeal body to punch! The big guy will follow Jennifer and Solomon's lead.
For now.
But which branch was reality outside of this place, and how long before the people in the other branch were trapped? Well...that was a question.
The creature seemed to recognize most of the places Nurai showed it, but none seemed to have any special attachment to the thing.
Both Nurai and Ross heard, Yes, they must. Where are they coming from? projected from somewhere. Ross understands enough to suspect it's one of your fellows in another splinter.
On the plus side, while it lacked reality, Jennifer did suspect it had some kind of form. It was affecting the world, albeit it only in the sense that dust motes moved around it.
Median pulls out her sniper rifle case and assembles the rifle with practiced efficiency, hoping that they weren't going to have a run-in with something that was going to try to destroy them because it was lost.
Now armed, she moves between the door and the curator.
Not sure why her communication is failing, she tries again. Mentally *and* with her voice, she says
What are you looking for? Are you going to destroy this place and us to find whatever it is, or are you going to calm down and let us help you?
If you stop trying to knock down the door, I will happily let you in, knowing that you have some wisdom and self-control. Otherwise, your break in will be met with deadly force.
Jennifer considers slipping on her clawed gauntlets, but there's no way she can touch the creature non-threateningly with those things on. So, with her bare hand, she cautiously reaches out to where she thinks Solomon is indicating and tries to touch... something.
In whatever corner of her soul the being was bound within Syar'ammag stirred, a pulse of interest at the strange thing before them.
"Listen. For all we know we just encountered a spirit", Joe stated, putting his hands on his hips in frustration. "I'm gonna look if anything more corporeal happened elsewhere. See you two later." The big guy turns to leave.
"Get back here," Jennifer grunts in frustration as the not-exactly-invisible thing tries to evade her grasp. She reaches out to grab a limb.
Median cautiously opens the door.
More, though, the thing within her soul no longer had any boundaries holding it in place...Jennifer grabbed Syar'ammag through pure instinct, ignoring the pain it caused. She could hold the thing where it was.
Or she could let it go.
Joe cautiously, and with respect, slowly walks up to the painting.
"Good evening, miss. A break-in at the museum happened not too long ago. I'm assisting with security. Are you alright?"
Median allows the creature to touch her. She experiences a flash of images, but she still doesn't understand what the creature is trying to tell her, or what it is after.
Across the planes, to places you've only heard rumours mortal kind can venture. But it lost something and now it's searching in desperation, lost and confused in a world that doesn't mesh with its senses.
She responds to the creature both verbally and telepathically, in an attempt to communicate.
I'm sorry. I get images of the places that you have been and that you are missing something, but I have zero idea about what it is that you are missing, so I don't know how to help you.
"Well, I'm glad you are alright and undamaged", Joe said, thumbing through his electronic lock app on his phone. "I may be back to get a statement."
The big guy opens the electronic door and goes to check Small Article Store Room B.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
At a loss for anything else to do, Salim leaves to find something more...comprehensible.
"Ah! Of course. To the cup!" he cries, and goes back to re-investigate the weird haunted chalice.
This time instead of wasting energy, he just picks it up and looks inside.
"Hello?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Jennifer felt the barriers around her, and within her, break. As she touched the thing she could see Nurai and Ross on the other side of it, distant yet easy to touch.
More, though, the thing within her soul no longer had any boundaries holding it in place...Jennifer grabbed Syar'ammag through pure instinct, ignoring the pain it caused. She could hold the thing where it was.Or she could let it go.
Even in her mind (or wherever she was), Jennifer had two hands. One was holding on to the demon inside her, and the other was still reaching for the whatever that was (but not really) in the museum. The demon had been a part of her for so long, that the idea of being without it was almost scary. But this is what she wanted, wasn't it? To finally be free of its trespass of her mind and body?
"IS thIs WHaT yOu wANt, hUMaN? WE boTh KnoW It'S nOT," Syar'ammag asked, as if it knew her thoughts.
Yes. Yes, it's what she wanted. To be free, and to stop doing horrible things. To have her will be her own again.
She did not want to let go! She did not want to return to the meek, powerless woman she used to be! She could not--
But it was too late. In a brief moment of weakness, of doubt, she let go. And the demon had left her. Once again she was nothing.
"Get back here," Jennifer grunts in frustration as the not-exactly-invisible thing tries to evade her grasp. She reaches out to grab a limb.
Nearly immediately after reaching out for the thing, Jennifer screams in rage. In frustration. In loss. She drops to her hands and knees.
Joseph spots a figure behind the door moments before the attacker leaps out. Tall, but gangly, there black clothing, cloth mask and pack do not hint at much good, but the tasers snapping in there hands suggest even less in the way of good intentions.
Despite the ambush, Jospeh got the jump on his electrifying attacker.
Median follows, still carrying her weapon.
Curator, I am being led somewhere. You might want to stay and watch on the monitor. I prefer not to endanger you by bringing you along.
For the second time tonight, Joe lamented on his gear being out in his truck. Luckily for him, the big man always had his fists.
Ross mutters softly, "Oh no..."
With very little warning, his eyes roll back into his head and his mouth contorts into a painfully wide grin as his head jerks towards Nurai.
His natural voice still speaks, but is almost drowned out by a raspy, atonal, utterly inhuman one, [i]"Nurai. It is good to finally make your acquaintance in the flesh! Zaoth, at your service."
His gaze jerks back to the bat creature, "Care to help me defeat this beast?"
As the tall grey being showed up, Nurai glanced over with little concern. She was used to dangerous grey people. She nodded in acknowledgement of Zaoth.
Her shadows weren't nearly as relaxed. They hummed eagerly as they rose up their summoner, shifting from flat into a humanoid shape with large clawed hands and feet.
"We will, if it comes to that. Nurai spoke, the shadows hummed with tones of displeasure and concern. Nurai continued, her attention on the newly appeared creature. They did not not seem the type to want her preferred friendly routine, which was a shame, but needs must a change in tactics, "You look strong enough to us. Interdimensional havoc is wrecking this place and we will not allow this to continue. Care to test yourself with us in getting it dealt with?
Midian is sure she can hear someone muttering around the corner.
Still, the stunguns in his hands crackled and flash forward.
The just visible creature move away from the demon, and it turns its head back. "Oh no, little one. I have uses for such as you."
The just visible creature move away from the demon, and it turns its head back. "Oh no, little one. I have uses for such as you."
Salim isn't sure what to make of the cup's response, but it seems like a good sign.
He'll take it to the nearest place he can hear activity happening and see what happens.
The shadows hum had tones of confusion, amusement, and annoyance.
Watching the grey creature go for something incorporeal, Nurai spoke, "Will your plans with them entertain you, too?"