Summerwood (Monsterhearts 2)

Game Master neonblues

"Just makes sure you'll stand out. And we're sorta invited, so that's just a good thing. Also you don't have to climb any fences, which in that dress is a mixed thing."

JJ looks down at his jeans and plain t-shirt with a nervous voice. "Am I underdressed? I-I don't want to look dumb..."

"Well I could loan you a dress if you're worried, but you're a little tall for it to be modest."

"Just act like you know exactly what you're doing. By the end of the night I plan to have everyone asking if they're overdressed," says Ashton. "So where do you go to score gummy bears, anyways? Underground candy store? Back alley of the Candy Kingdom?"

Jess grins at the banter. "Let us gooo. Whether or not they realize it, the party hasn't actually started yet. But it will once we get there."

"Oooh that's a good idea, I'll have to check the Candy Kingdom later. But usually I just go to Cal's house."

"Alright, everybody pile in my car. Next stop, Cal's house!"

Deirdre's car is a gray Toyota Corolla. Nothing fancy, but it's safe and reliable. Once everybody's inside, she starts the engine and drives off, following Hayden's directions.

Cal's place is a small, slightly run-down house in a somewhat seedier area of town. An old bicycle lies on the front lawn. The light next to the front door is turned off.

"Oh, no, this doesn't shout "dealer" at all. Nope." Jess murmurs as they approach the house.

"Kind of makes me feel like I'm back home," says Ashton with a grin. "I wonder if anybody is using that bicycle? I could use a bicycle."

Hayden's eyes go serious as she responds to Ashton, "If he offers, you're welcome to it, but behave. We're invited, kind of, or we're going to be, so we have to respect his Hospitality."

Suiting action to words, she walks up to the front porch and gives the door a rapid rendition of 'shave and a haircut'

"Cal? It's Hayden? Now a good time?"

"I just want to say: I have done nothing wrong, ever, in my life. And why would I want to now, when there are gummy bears on the line?"

As soon as you knock, a cacophony of loud barking erupts behind the door. A deep, gruff voice bellows something you can't fully hear. The door opens, and a heavily tattooed man in his late 30s wrestles two huge, barking Dobermans away from the door. "King! Reggie! Get outta here!" The dogs scamper away, and Cal glares at the lot of you. "What do you kids want?"

JJ's eyes widen. He flinches at the dogs' barking, and waits to see where this will go..

Hayden rushes up to give Cal a big wet smacker on the cheek before bending down to rough up the dogs behind their ears.

"Cal! Is that any way to greet new friends? Shame on you. And King, Reggie, you know I always come bearing scritches. Why awe you being sow bawky?" She said the last in an exaggeratedly babyish voice

"But seriously, I'm just here to pay you back that twenty I owe you," she fished Deirdre's now thoroughly crumpled $20 out of a pocket barely big enough to hold it.

"See, so now that we're square, we're friends again, right?

"So I was telling my other friends here about your special gummy bears, and they were just so excited that I had to bring 'em down to see if you had some you could spare. We're going to a party, see, and we need to make sure we make a good impression, and nothing makes a good impression like Cal's Special Gummies, right?"

She stood all at angles, hip cocked, head leaned away from her shoulders as she peeked up at him through the fringe of her hair with big eyes.

"You're going to help us, right Cal?"
Turn On: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (3, 5) + 2 = 10 String and a something

Deirdre admires Hayden's fearless demeanor as she asks for Cal's goodies. She stays quiet for now, waiting to see the man's reaction. But how could anybody say no to that face?

Hayden gets a string and a promise!

At first, Cal is visibly annoyed by Hayden's familiarity, but softens after she hands over the money. He gives her a bemused half-smile. "Ah, sh*t. Come on in. I'll hook you up." He steps aside to let you in.

Cal's unkempt living room is covered in colorful posters and bizarre knick-knacks. The two Dobermans fidget in a corner impatiently.

"Hold tight, I'll be right back with your goodies. Promise." He heads towards the kitchen.

"Nice place," Deirdre says sarcastically. She curiously inspects the knickknacks, trying to resist the urge to touch them.

Hayden grins and rolls her eyes, "Don't worry, Dee, the party's not here."

Calling over her shoulder she adds, "Thanks Cal! You're the best!
"I was thinking three baggies of red, two green and one of the special!"

Jess grins at Deirdre. "Right? Decorated in high-school stoner, and smells like eau de bong." She giggles, then holds a hand out for the dogs to sniff before trying to pet them.

"Nobody said anything about good boys being here!" says Ashton, following after Jess and offering his hand to the dogs as well.

"Umm, careful, there.." JJ watches Jess and Ashton with the dogs. He keeps his distance, unnerved by the large canines.

JJ turns to Hayden, "So, what's the special, exactly?" He tries to be quiet, but his voice cracks as he asks, showing his uncertainty.

"That's where he gets creative. Always a hallucinogen though. One time I thought it was a shrinking potion, but, well..."

Cal returns with several baggies. He smiles at the dogs (who are jumping playfully and seem to be paying extra attention to Ashton). "They don't normally like visitors."

He hands over the gummies. "So. Where you kids off to tonight?"

Hayden gives an elaborate shrug, "By the end of the night, who knows? But we thought it'd be worth swinging by the Dennison party. Why? Something else happening?"

Cal's expression dims a bit. "Hmm. No, not that I can think of." He seems about to say something, then hesitates. "...You kids be careful out there."

"I just really have a way with dogs. Especially ones that are such good boys!" says Ashton, who continues to play with Reggie and King. He glances up at Cal when he starts to say something, a quizzical look in his eye. "There something going on we should know about?"

"Alright! Let's go crash a party!" Deirdre cheers as the group piles back into her car. She drives towards the Dennison house.

Cal shakes his head and waves his hand in a dismissive manner. "Nah. Dennison place just gives me the creeps. All rich people got old, nasty secrets." He nods curtly. "Take care now."

"Okay, I feel like we need to pregame a little before we get to the party. And I kind of want to know what the special gummy bears do," says Ashton on the drive back before they get to the Dennison house.

"And JJ--I think you have to be our guinea pig. You need to loosen up before we get to the party. Don't want to have you standing in a corner not talking to anyone," he says, looking over at his roommate; as he does he cracks a crooked smile, the kind of smile that was made to turn heads and break hearts, the kind of smile that is oh-so-hard to say no to. "C'mon. It'll be fun."

Turn On: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (6, 3) + 1 = 10

JJ's eyes pop wider than a nocturnal mammal, as he hears himself designated the guinea pig. "Oh- okay.." he replies, hopeless in the hands of his charismatic roommate.

He steels himself, a (faux) look of determination filling his eye. "All right, gummy me." He says to Hayden.

"Hey, I'll have one, too!" Deirdre says, not wanting JJ to show her up in front of Hayden.

"Okay, one for JJ, one for Dee, some for later, more for me!"

"Open wide!" She waits for JJ and Deirdre to do so, then respectful as a priest with a communion wafer, she presses a gummy to each of their tongues, a thrill running through her as the Dreams that lived within them began to quicken.

Gaze into the Abyss: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (4, 6) + 1 = 11 What Dreams May Come?

Just to be clear, is this a supernatural Fae thing Hayden is attempting, tapping into JJ and Deirdre's "dreams"?

Gaze into the Abyss seems like something that can go magic or mundane, but weird trippy dream-reading seemed like it would be in Hayden's wheelhouse :)
Or she could just be cold-reading them to figure out how they're likely to be suggested...

"Hook me up with a red, would ya?' says Ashton. "Like I said: gotta pregame before the rich people alcohol."

"Sure thing" She started to pull out a gummy bear, when a thought struck her, and she gave Deirdre a quick pat on the thigh. "Hey Dee, you'd better start driving. We don't have forever til that starts to kick in." She was less reverential with the red. After all, it wasn't like it was a special-gummy. So when she put it in Ashton's mouth it was fine that she had to part his lips with her fingers first. Fine by her at least...

Ashton lets Hayden's finger linger on his lips for a moment before he pulls away from her with a wink and starts to chew the gummy bear. "Cal's got some good booze, I've got to admit."

Deirdre resists the sudden urge to close her lips around Hayden's finger when she puts the gummy bear on her tongue. The girl chews the candy thoughtfully and swallows.

"Right, let's keep it moving," she says as she resumes driving.

You arrive outside of the Dennison family's "East Coast estate" a short while later. It's an enormous French Normandy style mansion surrounded by elaborate shrubbery and an imposing fence. Several cars are parked outside, and a bored-looking security guard sits near the gate entrance.

Jaime is standing near her own car as you approach. She sees you and waves, smiling. With her is a girl you don't recognize with glasses and a pageboy cut; she doesn't look up from her phone.

Hayden: You feel yourself establish a sort of psychic link with JJ and Deirdre as the hallucinogenic gummies slowly work their magic. Once the effects are more noticeable, you'll be able to, in effect, see what they're seeing (albeit from a more lucid, observational perspective). You'll also take 1 forward on any one check that involves their hallucinations in some way.

"Is that your friend, Jess? I thought you guys were going together?

"Her other friend has really nice hair by the way."

"I'll bet I could've jumped the fence. Don't know about the rest of you, though," says Ashton, squinting in the general direction of the gate.

"Sup. I'm Ashton," he says with a wink and a nod in the direction of Jaime and her friend.

"Yeah, yeah, we don't all have big muscly arms." She sticks out her tongue and gives Deirdre a knowing wink. "And some of us aren't really dressed for climbing anyways."

"Hey, I'll have you know that my thighs and calves would have played a part as well," says Ashton.

"The arms are a big help though," he says, rolling up one of his sleeves and giving his arm a good flex. "Go ahead. Give it a feel."

Fairly positive a Turn On roll happened somewhere in there :-p

Rather than give a squeeze, Hayden just jumps Ashton, wrapping her arms around his bicep and hanging off him like a kid on the monkey bars, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Hmm... I don't know. Maybe I would be good enough at climbing with the right incentive."

JJ looks on, silently, but with a mild jealous look in his eye. Anyone who looks at him closely would notice his pupils being dilated.

Hayden gon' get hit by that Evil Eye

Deirdre giggles at the antics of Ashton and Hayden. "I could have big muscles like that too if I wanted to. Just seems like a lot of effort, though, y'know?"

She smiles at the other girls but waits for Jess to make introductions.

Jaime greets you all warmly. "Hey, everyone! I'm Jaime. Nice to meet you. And nice to see you again." She gives Jess a subtle but suggestive look, then seems to remember the girl next to her. "Oh, this is my friend Nina. She's actually why I'm here; she knows Gavin way better than I do. Nina, this is... everyone."

Nina glances up from her phone with vague disinterest. "Hey."