"What Lies Beneath" - Fatespinner's nWoD PbP

Game Master Fatespinner

"Either way I'd like a spare gun...or you carry two and hand me one if things go south...not like I got a permit. I'd just rather not be Mr. Knife in a Gunfight...especially since my knife is now in evidence."

"Either way I'd like a spare gun...or you carry two and hand me one if things go south...not like I got a permit. I'd just rather not be Mr. Knife in a Gunfight...especially since my knife is now in evidence."

"What is your preference? pistol or rifle?"

"I guess that would depend on the rifle..but for this situation...probably a pistol. At least that I can hide under my jacket. A rifle...not so much."

Stands around outside wondering how long it'll be before someone inside tells Officer Vasquez he's out here.

"Nothing voodoo or anything like that...this is more the sort of thing where you have a feeling you know is right...and then you see if proved right. Maybe you'd just call it instinct....but I have a really bad feeling about what happened there. I'm also not willing to rule out the possibility of supernatural creatures and spirits in our world...there so much variation in nature it wouldn't surprise me to see some that science hasn't quantified."

"Sounds more like having a heightened instinct, than spiritual whatever. But I am always willing to learn something new."

Anu nods to that...

"Each person takes it as they will...some think that the spirits whisper to them warnings, hints and signs. Others simply think its a heightened awareness of things and people around you on a subconscious level. Personally, I'm not too sure what all this mean other than sometimes I can just 'tell'."

Hearing that the trio from before have arrived, Garabina heads outside, telling Gabriel and Aido to come along with her. She approaches Hank at the wire.

"Back so soon. What can I do for you? Has your bleeding friend recovered enough to make a statement, perhaps?"

See's Jon and Anu arrive at the same time Officer Vasquez finally comes out to meet him. "We went to get Anu some food and fresh cloths and decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to come back and see if we could be of some kind of assistance."

Anu nods to that...

"Each person takes it as they will...some think that the spirits whisper to them warnings, hints and signs. Others simply think its a heightened awareness of things and people around you on a subconscious level. Personally, I'm not too sure what all this mean other than sometimes I can just 'tell'."

"Huh, interesting. Once we get back to the scene, I am sure the officer is going to want to talk to you again to take a statement, you ready for that?"

"As much as I'll ever be. Too much is still unexplainable."

Speaking to Hank "Well, the best way you can be of assistance is having your friend give us a statement. Unless, that is, you know what fuel flash burns at three thousand degrees..."

Pulls up to the scene tape as close as possible."Hey, Hank. Officer, is there anything else we can do to help out?"

Hank thinks a moment on the Officers question then says: "Natural gas could do it, depending on the mix in the pipelines. Mind if I take a look at the boiler room?"

Once Jon stops the car at the tape, Anu opens the door and gets out, glancing over towards the alleyway behind the museum.

To both Jon and Officer Vasquez he says...

"You know...I wonder if the shoes our lady-thief kicked off are still over in the alley. Officer? Was it sealed off? If it was, they should still be there."

Anu starts heading that way...

To Garabina, Anu says

"Is there any kind of meaningful evidence you could gather from a pair of shoes? She kicked them off near the other end of that alley."

He stops walking and turns back to her.

"You probably want to get my complete statement now right? Before we do though...something that might be important, the log book that people had to sign while going into the Museum? Did it survive the attack? If it did...this Dahlia woman might have signed it."

"As for my statement. I saw Ferrano arrive and greet the lady-thief as though he knew her. Thats how I initially knew her name. He called her Dahlia and asked, seeming to be joking, for her to not buy up the entire set of items for sale. They seemed like they'd done business or something before."

Anu pauses to look at the front of the Museum...

"I almost didn't go in at all, but something about Ferrano sent a chill down my spine. So I went in and signed the log before going into the auction. I wanted to slip into the back...and it so happened that Dahlia was sitting in back, so I sat just down from her and talked to her a bit about the items up for bid. We introduced ourselves, but didn't talk much.
Then she suddenly got up, like she'd forgotten something and said she had to use the restroom."

He walks towards the front of the Museum so he can show Officer Vasquez where things started going south.

"At that point I figured she was acting somewhat suspicious, so I got up and went to the lobby and sure enough, she was racing out of the Museum. I hurried and followed. She ran over this way and when I rounded the corner, she was gone. Into thin air."

for the ST Guy

"After she disappeared, I stopped right over there to have a smoke, then I see the van. It pulls up out in front of the Cafe and I could see people putting bandannas over their faces. Something was going down, thats for sure."

Anu points to where the van had pulled up and then points to where the gunmen got out and then where the driver barreled off to. He points to where he was as well, near the mouth of the alleyway.

"Before I could really do anything, these gunmen open fire on the Museum, I couldn't tell if they were aiming at anything or just firing randomly. Then the driver gets out and starts trading shots with Jon and Hank. So I ducked back in the alley and tried to make myself unworthy of notice. It worked. The driver ignored me. When he was suitably distracted I rushed him and took him out. Unfortunately, by that time the rest of the gunmen had moved into the Museum."

Anu walks over to where the attack happened and replays the action, describing it for Officer Vasquez. Then he turns and indicates the back door of the Museum and the alley.

"Just as Jon and Hank made it to my position, the back door of the Museum bangs open, and here comes Dahlia, carrying this big black gym bag. She recognizes me and takes off running. So I hop the fence and follow. Lady was seriously fast. Strangest thing, is that she seemed to be enjoying herself. She kept glancing back and smiling like the cat that caught the canary."

Anu then describes the chase, her kicking off her shoes and the subsequent seemingly impossible bursts of speed she put on and then the final dark alley. Anu's face pales slightly as he thinks about that smile she gave him during the chase.

"She turned that last corner only a few steps ahead of me...but when I turned it...she was completely gone...just that black tote sitting there by the trash bin. I looked around and couldn't see where she'd be hiding or how...so I stepped in to check the bag. The Bag was full of Museum pieces, I really couldn't make out much other than a dagger covered in green crud. Thats when she got me. Just came out of nowhere and out go the lights. Last thing I see is her blowing a kiss at me. Thats it. Nothing else until the paramedics woke me up."

She looks slightly amused at Hank's reply. "If a Natural Gas line had ignited here, none of us would be standing here chatting, so let's be thankful it wasn't that, eh?"

At Anu's remarks, she pulls him up. "Come on, it should have been cordoned off, but best you show us. Wouldn't want your fingerprints on evidence, after all. As for your question, there's lots we can potentially learn.." They walk together to the shoes as Anu gives his statement, jotting down the information.

Anu leads the policewoman to the alleyway and, sure enough, kicked off to one side is a pair of shoes. Prada black pumps, size 8. Easily $1000 shoes. Seems unusual that they'd be so casually discarded, considering their value.

She looks slightly amused at Hank's reply. "If a Natural Gas line had ignited here, none of us would be standing here chatting, so let's be thankful it wasn't that, eh?"

"It doesn't need to have been a gas line leak. Somehow, there could be a gas pocket beneath the museum and something ignited it. You asked a question about what could flash burn at 3000 degrees, so I gave my best guess." Hank shrugs and follows the group to the alley.

"Oh. Wait! We need to see the dagger!" Gabriel's tone went from shy to demanding. Definitely being socially awkward was just natural for him, it would seem. He noticed his fault a bit too late. "Eh... wait. What if the dagger he found is somewhat similar to the one found at the museum?"

"Ah, excellent." Garabina leans down to pick them up with her gloved hands, talking to Anu. "As for your question, well.. we know quite a few things now. Firstly, she's a size 8, so that helps with the physical description. Secondly, she can afford to throw away shoes that are really nice and expensive.. hmm." She quickly puts them next to her police boots, checking that they'd fit.

"Thirdly, given how unique Prada shoes are, I'm sure we can go to one of the local shops for Prada and ask to see who these shoes were sold to. Long shot, but we might gain something from it. That's all without any physical evidence either, which hopefully we'll get from them. Fingerprints, skin fragments.. heck, maybe even a bit of toenail."

She rises, carrying the shoes by the heel, and heads down to the street. Once there she sticks the shoes in an evidence bag, then heads over to Sergeant Matthews. "Sarge, we need to put out an APB for Julio Ferrano.. if you've not already done that. Also, we need to stick this guy.." Motioning to Anu. "..Down with a sketch artist. Seems he chased the woman, called Dahlia, who organised this whole thing."

"Gabe, you ever see a blade thousands of years old that wasn't a corroded hunk of green and brown metal? This thing could been knocked out last year nice as it looks."

I'm going to assume you're all out in the alleyway, and thus Anu can see the dagger.

Anu:

Everyone else:

Adrian sees the look on Anu's face and says, "Whoa! You alright there buddy?"

"That would be impossible! Are you suggesting it's new?" Gabriel's eyes glaze over as his mind looks for the possibilities, far away from the world. Forgetting he's in a conversation, he starts mumbling out loud, partly for himself, but with enough volume so he doesn't have to repeat himself.

"Otherwise... It would've had to be locked down in some kind of airtight space or something of the like to prevent it from rusting... Or... hrm..." his brow furrows a bit, as he ponders a less realistic way, "being passed down from generation to generation of people who tended to it. Impossible due to the amount of generations needed for it, the dagger would be famous all around the world."

"Also, the possibility-- are you all right?"

She rises, carrying the shoes by the heel, heading back to street. Once there she sticks the shoes in an evidence bag, then heads over to Sergeant Matthews. "Sarge, we need to put out an APB for Julio Ferrano.. if you've not already done that. Also, we need to stick this guy.." Motioning to Anu. "..Down with a sketch artist. Seems he chased the woman, called Dahlia, who organised this whole thing."

The sergeant nods. "We've already got a squad heading to Ferrano's place. I'll put in a call for a sketch artist when I file the report this evening. Get a number or an address from the guy so we can contact him to come down to the station and issue us a statement. We'll take the sketch then."

Sees Anu turn white."Anu, you recognize the dagger?"

Gazing at the dagger as he would a viper, Anu wipes the sweat from his brow. Shaking himself a bit.

"That doesn't look anything like the dagger I saw in the bag...thats different...what it that?!"

Anu looks around, sniffing the air...

"Does anyone else smell that...? Like something is burning? Its horrible..."

Hank grabs Anu by the collar of his shirt and smacks him a few times. "Quit your rambling and talk some sense!"

Yummy, yummy wrath!

Anu shakes his head after Hank's abrupt actions.

"I don't know what it is...there something wrong with it...like something is burning...like I am going to burn."

He hurried backs up from the dagger, dragging Hank if he has to.

Hank lets go as Anu pulls away and then turns to whoever has the dagger. "Put the dagger away so we can get Anu to make sense!"

"Is that a... hrm... an association-psychology thing? Does the dagger remind him of the burning?" Gabriel seems confused. "The way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised (but I would be really creeped out) if these s... uh... symbols had to do something with fire."

Growling in frustration, Anu glares around at everyone gaping at him.

"Argh! None of this makes sense! It can't! Freaking ghostly fire torching people in the Museum, that thing making me feel like I'm going to burn up next! Smelling burning flesh! None of you willing to listen or believe that strange things are happening...not to mention Dahlia droping down on me like a spider or something and sucking blood out of my freaking neck! This is the damned Twilight Zone, okay? Get it?!"

Throwing his hands up, Anu walks over to sit on the Museum steps, far away from the eerie dagger. Lighting up a smoke, he tries to ignore the looks he expects to be given for his rant.

Growling in frustration, Anu glares around at everyone gaping at him.

"Argh! None of this makes sense! It can't! Freaking ghostly fire torching people in the Museum, that thing making me feel like I'm going to burn up next! Smelling burning flesh! None of you willing to listen or believe that strange things are happening...not to mention Dahlia droping down on me like a spider or something and sucking blood out of my freaking neck! This is the damned Twilight Zone, okay? Get it?!"

Throwing his hands up, Anu walks over to sit on the Museum steps, far away from the eerie dagger. Lighting up a smoke, he tries to ignore the looks he expects to be given for his rant.

"Sucking blood out of your neck? Wha..? You didn't say that before!"

Glancing over at Jon Simon, Anu says

"As though you would have believed me? That woman, Dahlia...it was like some vampire movie or something. She came out of nowhere grabbed me from behind and bit me. I sorta lost it...then as I was drooping to the ground she smiles and blows me a kiss. With my blood on her lips...go ahead and call the damn whitecoats if you want, but I'll be long gone before they get here."

"Okay. So you got attacked by a hot female vampire, wearing $1000 shoes, who robbed a museum, after what we can guess are her goons, shot the place up and caused 'something'" Looks at Officer Vasquez then back at Anu. "to explode, killing most of the people in the museum. Does that about sum it up?"

Anu gives Hank a withering look. He sarcastically says,

"Gee...when you say it like that it sounds plausible! Yes. That is what happened. Believe it or not at this point..I've kinda stopped caring. Look, I know my track record tonight really hasn't been showing me to be a real stable guy...but why would I tell you this now and ruin my perfectly reasonable explanation from earlier?"

To ST Guy

Gabriel sighs. Reason was thrown out of the window hours ago. What else could he lose? "I'm not saying I believe you, but I can't rule out stuff yet. Well... not after all of these things happening."

He takes a pause to order the words inside his head right before speaking them out loud. "I should say, though, I am way more worried about this supposedly-vampire girl being able to get some abnormal fuel that burns things down hard and quick than being... you know... a vampire."

"There was something odd about that burst of flame too...I really can't explain it. Something tells me it has to do with that dagger though. Maybe I'm wrong."

Anu may sound somewhat hesitant, but the look he directs towards the dagger and his mannerisms suggest that he is quite sure about it.

"As for the woman...vampiress or not, it really doesn't matter. Either way, we still need to find her and find out what she was after, right?"

Anu glances over at Garabina as he says so.

Looks to Garabina as well,
"Officer, I believe we need to pool our resources to find this woman and track down these stolen objects before others are hurt by this crew of thieves or terrorists."

Casts Resurrection on the thread!

....There.

Thats much better.

Aha! I'd heard that you'd resurrected this from Ithuriel. I know Kiioro has basically disappeared and I haven't heard/seen anything from Uzzy in awhile. I'll give them until the end of the week to check in here or on the OOC thread. If I haven't seen them by the 10th, I'll NPC them and we'll move forward without them.

Mainly as I've been moving into University just lately!

As it'll get asked, I'd be more then able to post at least once a day, maybe more, but I don't yet have the internets at my house, just here at the University. Hopefully I'll get it soon.

Okay, Uzzy is apparently on-board and I've seen nothing from Kiioro, so I'll be working out a way to write Gabriel out of the picture in a suitably dramatic fashion. Everyone else has expressed their interest so.... GAME ON!

We'll just pick up exactly where we left off as though nothing happened. You guys were in the middle of a conversation, so by all means, please continue.

Stares at Garabina,
"Officer? What do you say to pooling our resources to find this woman so we can put an end to this?"

"Given how messed up this whole situation is, I've no objection to that.. just as long as you keep it quiet and between us. The chief would have my badge if he learned I was recruiting civvies for help."

Garabina sighs a little, then runs her hand through her short, cropped hair before continuing to speak.

"Now, if we can just sort out some way to contact each other when we have more information, that'd be great. I'm sure the CSI's can get some info from this mess, at the very least."

"Lets go ahead and exchange phone numbers, sound good?"

He looks back and forth between everyone.

"Or do we have somewhere we can start? I don't know about you guys, but I'm not sure how ready I am to just let this go. This whole thing was weird from the beginning. I could always ask around...but I'm not sure if the sort of people I know will have ever heard of anybody interesting in this."

We'll assume, with his utter lack of resources, that Anu has one of those pay-as-you-go cellphones that has certainly seen better days, but manages to work most of the time. (I reserve the right, however, to have it malfunction at precisely the WRONG time. >:D) The rest of you have the Resources Merit, so you have serviceable cellular phones and can exchange numbers accordingly. Where are we going from here?

Collects everyone's cell numbers. "Anu? Anything getting your attention now?" Waiting for an answer, make a couple of calls.