Door in the Dark (Inactive)

Game Master Anon A Mouse

"Hi there, guys. I kinda had a flame vision about it," Rani said slowly, her food-starved brain finally getting enough nutritional value in it to click that the man she'd see in the vision was Oscar. "Werewolf would match. Lots of blood and forestry. Why would they take a kid, though?" There were better things to eat, and the more...human...reasons to take a young child were chilling.

Is Oscar with Alfie or is he observing us from afar?

“Alfie! There you are! We were waiting for you. Where were you?”

Everyone seems ok with the idea of trying to get more info from the construction site, so I’m leading us there. Hope that’s fine!

He then takes the initiative and walks towards the construction site. “I helped the sheriff’s son a while ago, during the divorce, so he trusts me. I miiiight be able to get some info from him. Or someone might sneak around while we’re talking…?”

When they get to the construction site, Ahmad greets the sheriff. “Hey, there, buddy. What happened here?” When the man is about to give a reticent answer, Ahmad interrupts him and speaks in a more hushed tone. “I know, I know, it’s none of my business, but you know people are going to come to me. I mean, it already started. Mama, Ms. Campbell, everyone’s talking about this and they're all worried sick. If I know what’s happening I can make sure no one’s panicking or spreading rumours.”

manipulate someone: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (5, 1) + 2 = 8

Ahmad headed over to the construction site, immediately recognizing the logo. Well, that wasn't that surprising. After all, the same company involved in his father's freak accident was the only construction company in town. But still, seeing it surrounded by law enforcement as it was conjured an almost eerie sense of déjà vu of that horrible day decades ago. He could almost see a then-Lieutenant Davis walking up with a somber look on his face. Unfortunately, the now-Sheriff Vincent Davis did not seem to be around today, indicating that this wasn't currently being considered high priority enough to warrant his personal attention*. Or if his granddaughter really was missing, perhaps he was just pre-occupied.

*In my mind, a Sheriff is more administrative rather than likely to go out and do fieldwork. He probably leaves most investigation work to his lieutenants. I'm also going to retcon your comment to helping the Sheriff's daughter, Sarah Campbell AKA "Ms. Campbell" through a divorce.

The majority of the law enforcement that could be seen from outside the site seemed to be deputies on guard duty, though beyond them, Ahmad could see a lieutenant or two moving around as they went about their investigation.

@Ahmad: Would you like to approach Deputy Jessie Golding or call out to Lieutenant Christina Provost? Who you pick will influence what they know and what their motivations are and therefore my response to your roll. And while we're at it, what's the name of the construction company and why do you hold them at least partially responsible for your father's death?

As a more meta note, the reason why I didn't mention the information about the Sheriff and his daughter earlier is because I didn't think it was likely either Alfie or Ahmad would have known. It's not a secret, but it's also not the sort of thing that would have been likely to come up casually.

Is Oscar with Alfie or is he observing us from afar?

With.

Oscar stands brooding over Alfie's shoulder, his hands in his pockets as he dubiously watches Ahmad, Rani, and even Taryn. So long as nobody tries to leave him behind, he'll let the actions continue towards the construction site. As they walk, he considers how the various clues (the missing girl, the found body, the rumors of a werewolf, an actual werewolf) all seem to be converging. His mind works to...

Shar: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (1, 6) + 2 = 9 <--So, I'm holding 1.

Would you like to approach Deputy Jessie Golding or call out to Lieutenant Christina Provost? Who you pick will influence what they know and what their motivations are and therefore my response to your roll.

Do we know much about either person? Was Jessie Golding the person Taryn had her run in with?

DM Puppet Master wrote:

Would you like to approach Deputy Jessie Golding or call out to Lieutenant Christina Provost? Who you pick will influence what they know and what their motivations are and therefore my response to your roll.

Do we know much about either person? Was Jessie Golding the person Taryn had her run in with?

That was Deputy Orwell, who you could seek out, but Taryn hasn't actually mentioned her run-in with the law to any of you. He would not have been near the entrance, which is where I assume you all are and where there's currently a crowd of onlookers. And do any of you have a reason to be familiar with individual law enforcement officers? Which, to be clear, isn't a no. It's a "if you want something, you'll have to give me something." Though depending on what you come up with, I might redirect to a different NPC deputy/lieutenant.

Another option that I didn't mention is that instead of talking to the people at the construction site, you can specifically seek out the Sheriff, who's probably in his office. He will once again have his own motives and information. The Manipulate roll is going to apply to whichever law enforcement officer Ahmad chooses to talk to first.

That's fair. I was thinking that those of us who are local might know something of the local police, but not necessarily because of any personal connections. It also makes sense that none of them stand out any more than the others. I was just trying to help decide between the two mentioned NPCs.

The intention behind the choice when I proposed it was more about law enforcement level than specifically the people. The deputies are currently serving as crowd control/guards while the lieutenants on site are the ones investigating/in charge of the crime scene. Their information/motivations are based around those roles. There's also nothing currently stopping you from talking to both, either one after the other or with different people talking to each person in parallel. It's just a question of who I'm using that Manipulate roll on.

Between disappointed and relieved at not seeing the Sheriff, Ahmad scratched his left cheek. “Well, I guess they don’t think it’s very important? Might be easier to get them to talk if the Sheriff is not here.”

Seems to me that people doing the investigation might have more important information, if the others are just doing crowd control?

Upon seeing Lieutenant Provost, he smiled and waved before walking up to her. It was a bit of a guess, as, differently from the Sheriff, they knew each other only very superficially, in the typical way people from small towns tend to at least be aware of each other’s existence. “Hi there, Lieutenant. Not sure you remember me, Ahmad Elmohtar, counsellor at the High School? Fatima’s son?” He shakes her hand vigorously and then speaks in a more hushed tone. “I know, it’s none of my business, but what happened here? I have some parents already coming to me worried sick, what with poor Alice* and now this. If I know what’s happening I can make sure no one’s panicking or spreading rumours. People are already speaking about deaths and whatnot.”

* Assuming Alice is the little girl’s name. If not, Ahmad would use the correct name.

Lt. Christina Provost looked up from where she was writing notes in a small pad when Ahmad hailed her. As Deputy Golding prevented Ahmad from moving closer into the construction site, she walked over, giving Ahmad what was meant to be a friendly smile that came off a bit grim as she tipped her wide-brimmed hat in greeting. "Morning! Or, err, I guess 'Afternoon' at this point."

She listened to what Ahmad, wincing slightly at hearing that rumors are already flying. She clears her throat, speaking up so everybody in the gathered crowd can hear. "Citizens of Sioux Falls, there is no cause to be alarmed. Alice isn't missing; she's simply with her father. As for the incident here, it was just a wild animal attack. That's nothing new, you all know that wolves sometimes come into town. It's nothing to be alarmed by."

When Ahmad tried to get further information out of the officer, Lt. Provost shook her head, firmly repeating her statement as her eyes flicked warily about the gathered crowd.

@Ahmad: If you want Christina to say anything more than that, you're going to have to ask her to talk in private, just you and her, where there's not a chance of being overheard and therefore exacerbating the rumors.

"Then where's her father? And are you saying it was wolves, or it could be wolves?" Oscar mumbles without making eye contact with anyone. But he said it loud enough for the lieutenant to hear.

Ahmad waited in place for the lieutenant to speak to the crowd, and, once she was done, he commented. “Must be tough, huh? You look like you need a break, why don’t we go to that coffeeshop over there, grab a cup for you and the deputies? A bit of fresh air, away from the intense stare of…” he looks at the crowd… “half the town? Sheesh…Anyway, my treat as a counsellor who knows when someone needs to take five.”

Alfie recedes so as not to be a liability to Ahmad's socializing attempts, but makes a note to seek the monster as soon as he has some time in a quiet place.

Rani was mildly relieved that the officer seemed to believe the child was safe. Or at least claimed the child was safe. It would be unreasonably stupid to lie, after all - if the child was missing it would look terrible for the police - but Rani tried to see if there was any sign she might know something more.

Read a Bad Situation: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 1) = 4 - Yay, XP!

Taryn circles wide, not wanting another run in with the cops if she could help it, but from what she was overhearing, it sounded like there were strange conflicting stories going on here. They needed more information.

Not sure what'll be needed to get close enough for a good sniff

I'll hold off on doing anything related to Rani's roll; unless I missed something, it was not a correct usage of Read a Bad Situation, meaning it wasn't a valid miss/no XP and no consequences.

Lt. Provost lips pressed into a thin line at Oscar's comments and how they were then immediately picked up by other members of the crowd. She attempted to settle them down. "People, people, please. I'm afraid I can't give out any more details until we're ready to give a formal press release later today."

Quite clearly eager to escape the crowd trying to surge around her, she was more than willing to go along with the idea of picking up coffee for the other officers on scene. She makes meaningful eye contact with Deputy Golding, who along with the other deputies in the area, manage to run interference enough to give her and Ahmad a clean getaway. Golding can be heard yelling after her, "Black with two sugars please!"

Setting a somewhat brisk pace, Lt. Provost headed in the direction Ahmad had indicated. She flashed him a grateful smile. "You're right Mr. Elmohtar; I think a coffee break is exactly what I need right about now. Though I'm afraid I can't possibly let you pay for it. I know educators don't make nearly enough money to cover it. Though I'd be more than happy to accept your help carrying everything. I doubt I'd be able to manage by myself."

Someone other than Ahmad, please tell us the name of the coffee shop and what the inside looks like.

@Ahmad: Not sure if the coffee shop was meant to lead into something else, but it wouldn't qualify as "talking in private." Between the other coffeeshop patrons and the baristas, talking in there stands a very good chance of being overheard.

@Taryn: If you want to get a good sniff, you have a few options that come to mind:
- Get into the construction site/close to the crime scene
- Wait until this general area is less crowded and therefore has fewer overlapping/distracting other smells
- Try to hone in on a specific kind of scent, as opposed to the previous two options where if you wanted, you could be vague and see what information I decided to throw at you.

Ahmad laughs. “Ouch. You got that right. Still, I am happy to help.” He signals to the rest of the group he’ll be right back and then accompanies the lieutenant.

He looks inside the coffeeshop and shakes his head. “Not a good place to get away from a crowd, that’s for sure. Let’s just grab the drinks and walk a bit, what do you say?” He orders the same drink Christina does and then leads her to a playground — eerily empty ever since the rumour about Alice’s disappearance got out and parents became paranoid. For a moment, he only sips the coffee, giving the lieutenant a chance to enjoy the quiet.

“Tough day, huh?” He says after some time.

Someone other than Ahmad, please tell us the name of the coffee shop and what the inside looks like.

The coffee shop is named Birdhouse Coffee, because on the same site, an eccentric artist/long-time resident named John Dolan Poole turned an abandoned house into a giant birdhouse. The art installation stuck around for three years before the land was sold and then bought by a company that tore the old building down to build a modern storefront to serve as a coffee house with leased office space on the second floor. The only remnants of the giant birdhouse is a framed photo of the installation behind the bar, nearly indistinguishable from for-sale pieces by local artists also hanging on the walls throughout the shop.

Taryn whispers fiercely at her companions as the deputies begin to be drawn off.

"Alfie, I need a distraction to get a better look, okay?"

At Taryn's command, Alfie tries to get the attention of the officers "Excuse me, pardon me, may I have a word with you all?" he begins, as loudly and long-windedly as possible. "Would you please explain your methodology in coming to these conclusions, regarding the wolf attack? And how confident are you that this is the case, and not, say, a werewolf? The public has a right to know, after all. Having the facts out in the open would be the best way to quash any rumors, wouldn't it?"

I'm not sure if/what I should roll for this. Alfie would be happy to get some answers, but he's doing it mostly as a distraction so he isn't expecting any.

The moment Ahmad and Lt. Provost walked into Birdhouse Coffee, all the patrons became completely silent. It was the sort of reaction that made it incredibly obvious that just moments before, they had all been talking about the two. Or at the very least the lieutenant. That and the way everybody was clustered near the windows on one half of the building made it very clear that a very sizable chunk of the current clientele was there pretty much solely for the purpose of watching and gossiping about the happenings at the construction site.

The awkward silence was cut by a young brunette girl behind the counter smiling warmly at the two newcomers. "Welcome! What can I get y'all?"

Clearly her throat somewhat uncomfortably, Lt. Provost walked up to the counter. "Err, yes, thanks you..." She paused to look at the barista's name tag. "Beverly. I'd like 7 coffees? To go." She proceeded to rattle off the different orders.

Beverly looked amused as she took it all down. "Expecting a long night there, Officer?" Her grin clearly indicated she was teasing. "That'll be $20.88." At Provost's confused look, she leaned forward, throwing her a wink and she conspiratorially whispered. "I gave you a bit of a discount."

"Oh, for the..." Provost vaguely indicated the room.

Beverly's grin only widened. "Or something. What can I get, sir?" She pivoted, addressing Ahmad.

She takes his order and then Provost and Ahmad have to spend an awkward several minutes making small talk while attempting to pretend that they weren't the center of attention for everybody else in the room. Luckily for the duo, Beverly was quite proficient at her job and had their drinks out without too long of a wait. Provost places the cups in cardboard carrying containers, handing one to Ahmad to carry as she tips her hat to the barista before briskly walking away from the prying eyes of the rest of café.

"Y'all come back anytime!"

Clearly wanting a bit of a break that was actually a break, Provost readily agreed to the detour to a playground adjacent to the construction site. Due to the nearby police presence, parents had opted to steer their children clear of the place. After all, children had an uncanny tendency to get themselves where they didn't belong, and with who knew what horrific sight inside the fence, it was best to steer clear.

Provost took a moment to take a deep draft of her own coffee, looking pleasantly surprised at the result. "Mmmm, this is pretty good. Y'know, I'd never been in there before 'cause I figured the art was kind of tacky, but I may need to make more detours there in the future."

When Ahmad mentioned a tough day, she gave a dry laugh. "It's always tough when you lose one of your own." She then immediately winced, hurriedly taking another deep sip of her coffee.

*****

Deputy Golding outright laughed at Alfie's questions, nudging the officer next to him. "Werewolves? Sounds like gramdpa's been watching too many monster movies."

The other deputy smirked, but the look was quickly wiped away as the rest of the crowd began demanding their own answers.

"What's this about a missing a missing girl?"
"Yeah, how is she connected to this crime scene?"
"Oh god, did a little girl get mauled? Is she ok?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Why would wolves come this far into town?"
"I heard it was a serial killer. What are you doing to catch him?"
"How do you intend to keep us safe?"

@Alfie: This sounds like a Help Out roll (since I assume Taryn wants the distraction to help her sneak in). Though I would say either wait to roll until after Taryn does or place your roll behind a spoiler; Help Out only confers a +1, so it only makes sense to roll it if Taryn gets either a 6 or 9.

Watching Taryn, Alfie, the police, and the crowd, Oscar tries to surreptitiously move away from them all and position himself to move into the crime scene should it become a good idea to do so.

If Taryn, doesn't make her roll to sneak in (I guess Act Under Pressure?), Oscar may try and sneak in himself. It depends on how Taryn's attempt plays out. If Taryn does sneak in, it's less likely Oscar will try. But we'll see.

Ahmad’s training kicked in as he heard that one slip up. His voice took a gentler, respectful tone. “I’m so sorry. Nothing I can say will make it better, but in my experience it does help to talk about it.” He looked around, making absolutely sure no one’s nearby. “We seem to be in a safe spot. You don’t have to, though. At least not to me.”

As he spoke, his mind kept reviewing the positions of the planets. Was that why there had been so much activity in the 8th and 4th cusps when the recent charts were interpreted according to the Regiomontanus house system? What else did he miss?

manipulate someone: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (2, 6) + 2 = 10 not sure if another roll is needed, but this is more delicate territory.

@Oscar: Yup, sneaking in would be Act Under Pressure.

@Ahmad: I don't think another Manipulate roll is necessary since she's willing to talk to you, so let's turn that into an Investigate role. With a +1 Sharp, you get a 9 and get to ask one question from this list for her to open up to you about:
- What happened here?
- What sort of creature is it?
- What can it do?
- What can hurt it?
- Where did it go?
- What was it going to do?
- What is being concealed here?

I want Christina to open up about the first question, what happened here. Seems like the most natural thing and not sure if she'd actually know stuff like what creature it is or how to hurt it.

Lt. Provost pinched the bridge of her nose. "I guess... I mean, you are a professionally licensed counselor, so doctor-patient confidentiality and all that. Just make sure not to tell Sheriff Davis we talked; he doesn't subscribe to this 'touchy-feely b*@@!!~*'." She took a deep breath, opting to stare off into the distance rather than look directly at Ahmad.

"It was Deputy Michelson. He was killed in an animal attack last night." She paused, uncertainty flickering across her face. Almost to herself she added, "It was an animal attack. It had to be. Right?" She rubbed her temples. "It's just...I've never seen an animal do anything that brutal, y'know? The guy was pretty much torn to shreds. Jesus, we had to carry him out in pieces. That's no a thing people do. But the wildlife normally doesn't come this far into town...." She shook her head and squared her shoulders. "We should know more after Dr. Gates has a chance to look over the remains. But for now," She turned to look Ahmad in the eye, voice firm. "It was a wild animal attack. No more. Nothing to be worried about."

She reached out and retrieved the other tray of coffee from the counselor, giving him a bright but rather forced smile. "Thanks for the coffee break. And the not-talk. I better start handing these out to the rest of the force before it gets cold. Nothing worse than a cold cup o' Joe." With that, she moved back towards the construction site, taking a slightly longer route so she could circle round and hand coffee out to the various guards first.

Watching as Ahmad took the police officer to get more information, Rani stayed and hung back, trying to see if Oscar and Alfie's approach would bear more direct fruit. She had no idea what the two were doing, but it seemed to be doing something. Winding up the crowd, mostly, but it was certainly something. She considered adding to the chaos with her magic, but that seemed...bad.

Ahmad listened carefully to Lt. Provost, giving her all the time she needed to say things and not trying to pry out more information than what she’s willing to give. Once she was finished he nodded. “Of course, the Sheriff won’t hear a word about this. If the townspeople come to me I’ll say it was a wild animal attack as far as I know. But, being honest here, I’m not sure they will bite it, or at least not for long. Here’s my number, if you need me — I’ll be walking around the woods later today, but I can usually get enough signal there.”

When he returned to the building site, he joined Rani and frowned at the crowd. “What’s going on here? Anyway, it seems it really was a wild animal attack. They’re super weirded out about how far the thing came into town. I asked her about our idea of going out for a walk in the woods and she was all worried, said we should at least bring a gun.” His emphasis on “weird” was a clear indication to Rani and the others he was now pretty sure this was not a regular animal, or even an animal.

Watching Taryn, Alfie, the police, and the crowd, Oscar tries to surreptitiously move away from them all and position himself to move into the crime scene should it become a good idea to do so.

If Taryn, doesn't make her roll to sneak in (I guess Act Under Pressure?), Oscar may try and sneak in himself. It depends on how Taryn's attempt plays out. If Taryn does sneak in, it's less likely Oscar will try. But we'll see.

Taryn hasn't posted since Saturday. (I hope everything is all right.) And Ahmad's thread has come back around to the rest of the group. Would it be inappropriate if I went ahead and rolled for Oscar to try and sneak in?

When Alfie speaks, Taryn moves. She ghosts past the tape, breaking into a near-silent run to take her over to where the scent of blood was strongest.

Act Under Pressure: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 5) = 11

I probably don't have long, but I don't need to waste my time with fingerprints and gathering evidence. I don't need to prove what happened to anyone else.

With the deputies at the entrance preoccupied with the growing unrest of the crowd, Taryn was able to slip in unnoticed. Once inside the fenced area, it was pretty obvious where the actual crime scene was, both by the smell of blood and by the lab techs just finishing up collecting samples in that area while Lt. Provost's partner talked with one of them. Assuming the deputies would keep the lookie-loos out, their attention was all very much focused on the scene at hand rather than looking for intruders, making it easy enough for her to crouch down next to a cement mixer and survey the scene.

It appeared the attack took place next to a large wall made of straw bales waiting to be added to bind the concrete for the building. Though the body was no longer there, liberal amounts of blood splatter marred the otherwise clean, yellow texture of the straw in one area. At the base of the wall was a dark stain, most likely where more blood had seeped into the dirt ground.

Investigate: 2d6 - 1 ⇒ (1, 5) - 1 = 5

She didn't smell a wolf. It could have been that it was done while not in a werewolf's true form, it could have just been something else...

Damn chemicals. They hadn't gone spraying them around, but whatever lab tech had been through here still reeked of them, and the stench of it was caught in her nose...

Not sure if there'll be more to the miss

One lab tech fairly reeked of cologne. Another must have gone on a cleaning spree just before coming here. And someone nearby seemed to be actively smoking a cigarette, the breeze blowing the smoke right across that area of the constructon site. All the scents muddled together with the coppery tang of blood and blocked her senses, making it impossible to smell anything more subtle at the scene. The red-headed detective, Lt. Provost, returned, handing out styrofoam coffee cups to those still on scene, adding yet another scent to the mix as she started talking to the other lieutenant on the scene.

@Taryn: Mark XP. Miss has been noted. No obvious other consequences. For now.

What are other people doing while Taryn lurks inside the construction site?

Not exactly sure what anyone else was up to, but unwilling to sit and do nothing, Rani simply listened to the rumours and accusations floating through the crowd. Nine out of ten would be utter fabrication or silly to the point of being useless, but number ten...well, it would have some basis in reality that might be useful.

Standing (hopefully) unnoticed apart from the crowd, Oscar notes that Taryn managed to slip inside the crime scene. Not wanting to take the same risk, he instead decides to look for clues outside of the taped off area. This attacker had to approach and also leave at some point, right?

Oscar thinks back to the limited magics he knows. He's usually successful at adapting them slightly to get the specific effect he wants, so he tries to do just that to allow his eyes to detect footprints from anything supernatural that crosses the police tape. He begins to circle the area.

Use Magic: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (6, 1) + 2 = 9 <-- Imperfect.
Effect: Do one thing that is beyond human limitations.
Glitch: It has a problematic side effect.

Alfie looks around for a safe place where he can leave his body while he gets a head-start on tracking down the monster.

Is there anywhere nearby where I can use Tune In safely?

Fine. She couldn't go subtle, she'd go broad. There were all kinds of powerful scents here she recognized. Maybe they were masking the familiar ones she was looking for. Maybe she was looking so hard for what she was afraid to find that she was ignoring what was really there.

Her wolf was pacing. If the pack wasn't here it wanted to leave. The spilled blood made it hungry too. She reached up and twisted the bar that ran through the cartilage of her ear, hard, until her wolf whimpered back into the shadows. She needed to focus...

Clear her mind...

Let what was there really speak to her...

Super Snoot/Sensitive: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (4, 4) + 3 = 11

Around her, the crowd seemed to be working itself into a bit of a frenzy.
"Why are wild animals coming this far into town?"
"If one girl's already been eaten, we need to close all the schools!"
"Why are you lurking around here? We need to arm every able-bodied man and hunt down the beast that did this!"
"Excuse me, every able-bodied person you sexist a!~++*!!"
"What's the Sheriff doing to make sure we stay safe?"
"Told you we should have voted for someone else!"

The two deputies out front were starting to look like they were in over their heads as they tried somewhat unsuccessfully to calm the people down.

***

Just for future reference, this is probably borderline in terms of what I want to be encompassed in "beyond human limitations," but I'll go with it for now.
Oscar's gaze became unfocused as he stared at the tracks in the ground. His brain slowly started to shift under the power of his spell, unconscious impulses coming to the front of his mind and becoming conscious. The world around him started to fade from his awareness as tracks in the ground started to glow. Most of them his brain categorized as white but there seemed to be at least two sets that were a bright vibrant purple. Purple and white in a vast sea of darkness. With a start, Oscar suddenly realized that while he could easily pick out all the tracks around him, that was all he could see. The rest of the world had faded to an endless, black void. He could still feel the ground beneath his feet and hear the voices of the nearby crowd, so clearly they were still there. He was just unable to see them.

***

Alfie looked around for a place where he could take a moment for an out-of-body experience. A couple of options jumped out to him. One was an out-of-the-way alley. It seemed mostly deserted, meaning he was unlikely to be interrupted. However, privacy for him also meant privacy for any supernatural creature he happened to get the unwanted attention of. Another option was Birdhouse Coffee down the street. There were enough people there he could be assured someone would at least see it if he were attacked, but he was more likely to be disturbed by concerned patrons worried about the passed out old man.

***

The scents were still too strong. Too chaotic. Especially when Taryn had forgotten two important things. The first was that the wolf was an entity all to itself; she could not beckon it forward with one hand even as she attempted to send it away with another. The second was that she was a pack leader, an alpha, and such did not go whimpering quietly into the darkness. As she let down her guard enough to try to breathe in the scents of her surroundings, her wolf lunged forward with a primal growl, thrashing and struggling against the chains that bound her. Her pupils dilated before contracting to pinpricks as her nails grew out into claws before shrinking back again, her wolf desperate to break free. To change. To hunt. She had been fed table scraps for far too long. And now she had been brought here, to where another had hunted and feasted itself until satiated, and she was still being denied? It was unacceptable! How could such a lesser being be allowed to roam free and do as it wished when she was still bound?

Her wolf raged for a few minutes longer, her body fighting to transform despite the magics wrapping around her. Finally, it stopped, pacing warily around its cage. Today was not the day it would break free. But it couldn't be caged for forever.

Understood.

Oscar is taken aback by the sudden shift in his perception. He obviously can't follow any particular set of tracks like this, especially if he inadvertently crossed the police tape into the crime scene. Allowing himself to only move around a few feet in any direction, he does what he can to look at the tracks he can see that are glowing purple, and gleaning what information he could that way.

How many sets of purple tracks are there?
What direction do they come into the area?
What direction do they leave the area?
Do they linger in any other place other than where he thinks the body is?

Seeing that the officers seemed to have no idea on how to handle the crowd, Ahmad massaged the bridge of his nose. “Rani, I’ll be right back. I don’t want this to get ugly.”

He walked at a brisk pace to the centre of the discussion and clapped his hands to get people’s attention.

“Everyone, we’re all worried. Hell, you all know how much reason I have to be worried, considering that company’s involved again and mom lives around the corner. But the officers are just following orders and doing their job and, for real, we’re not helping.” He shrugged. “You folks try and work with angry people yelling at you…I’m pretty sure it will take a lot longer to get things done. I want, I need answers as much as you because I’m worried about the kids and I’m worried about my family, so let’s just leave them alone for a bit, make sure our loved ones are safe and then see what comes out of this whole thing.”

manipulate someone (?): 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (1, 6) + 2 = 9 again not sure if this is the adequate skill/if a roll is warranted

Well...crap. This was ending up looking it was going to to be a mob. A mob wouldn't be any use to anyone. Directing a mob was almost impossible, and they were much more likely to get into a fight with the cops - which would just mean fewer cops helping. She nodded as Ahmad moved forward to try and get folks calmed down.

"Hi," Rani added as she raised her voice in support of Ahmad. "I'm not from around here, as my accent probably tells you, but I think I've seen one or two of you around. But I think we would all like answers. I know I'm a bit of a stranger, but I know I would, since Ahmad is a friend, and the police are the best way to do that. They have the people who are trained to do the job. They have the tools, the materials. If we all keep them busy here, they can't be out there getting answers."

It was only partially true, of course. She had no idea how competent the local police were, or if they were utterly corrupt. She'd seen all the stuff on the telly about problems with the police in the States, and even some of the stuff back home in England. But Rani believed that for most crimes, the police was the best solution. And the rest needed to be left for hunters. Anything short of a Zombie Invasion should be left alone by the tone.

Would that be a Help Someone roll or my own Manipulate People?

Alfie is used to doing his plane touring alone, so he didn't mind privacy. He heads to the alley and looks around for a place to sit. And then he leaves his body.

He pieces together what information he has of the murder to try to find the murder site. A murdered girl, a werewolf, and policemen willingly trying to ignore the facts, all in soul form. The policemen were the easiest to locate, since he had just seen them. From them he could search for the girl - he makes a note of who she is, since he would definitely like to speak with her later. Then he passes her by to look for the monster.

While observing the monster, Alfie has an eerie feeling that it is beginning to stare back at him. He offers a quick, frantic mental prayer to whichever deity or force might be listening, and the feeling subsides. He stares at the soul until he gets his fill of information from it.

Tune In: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (1, 1) + 2 = 4 I'll use a luck point to make it a 12

• Where is the creature right now?
• Who is it going to attack next?
• Who does it regard as the biggest threat?

Oscar looked around the area noting that there seemed to two sets of tracks, one set larger than the other. Both go into the construction site through where he could remember the taped off entrance was but neither seeming to come out from there. The smaller set of tracks seemed to, presumably, circle the entire construction site, entering the area back from the south, in the direction Oscar had himself entered while it's unclear where the second set came from.

@Oscar: If you would like to roll Investigate on the tracks, you can.

Holding off on responding to other things until I know if Rani wants to roll anything and what criteria Alfie is using to determine who to tune in to.

The larger set of tracks go in, but don't come back out? And what was going on with those smaller tracks? Something unusual is going on here. Well, more unusual than is apparent, anyway.

Investigate a Mystery: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (2, 3) + 2 = 7

Where did it go? The 'it' here is for anything that left purple tracks. If that's too broad, then it should just apply to whatever left the larger tracks.

Help Out: 2d6 ⇒ (5, 6) = 11

As easily as they had been riled up, first by Lt. Provost's proclamation and then by Alfie's assertions that they had a right to know what was going on, the crowd started to calm once more. Some people started to nod along to Ahmad's and Rani's words of wisdom. Several started to wander off, now bored of waiting around for answers. A few seemed disgruntled but accepted the explanation that they'd have to wait for more details.

With the crowd no longer at their throats, the two deputies on guard duty were visibly relieved. Deputy Golding gave a solemn nod to Ahmad and Rani for their efforts.

"Wait, but weren't they the ones who-"

Golding cut Deputy Mitchells off with a severe look. She pursed her lips and went back to keeping an eye out for people trying to ruin their crime scene.

***

From his astral form, Alfie focused on the set of law enforcement, willing them to lead him to the werewolf that had taken or possibly killed young Alice. But as hard as he looked, all he heard was static. Perhaps with more investigation he would know where to focus his attention. After all, the psychic connection he was trying to tune into had a much broader spectrum of frequencies than your typical radio.

***

Meanwhile, semi-blind Oscar ignored the nearby commotion of the crowd. Instead he focused on the glowing set of tracks. The one thing he could see. Hesitantly he moved forward until he could feel the plastic covering the chain-link fence surrounding the build site. Using that as his guide, he slowly made his way around entirely. If he couldn't go in and the tracks didn't come out of the entrance, then surely they must exit at some other location, right?

The deputies on guard duty, apparently only interested in keeping people from climbing over the fence, didn't bother him on his careful trek around. It appeared that he had been correct in guessing that the smaller set of tracks had circled around the site from some distance before approaching from the east and then withdrawing without entering. He was also able to find where the larger set initially approached from: the northwest. Finally, he came to the western side of the site. Here he found the only set of tracks that seemed to come out of the area. Whomever they belonged to seemed to have climbed the fence from the inside, jumped down, and taken off west, in the direction of the forest. Upon finishing his circuit and finding no other signs of exit, the only conclusion he could come to for the smaller set of tracks was that whomever they belonged to was still in the construction area somewhere.

Taryn felt Oscar's blindness itching along her gums as she crept up on him from behind. His weakness practically radiated off of him like the heat from a fire, calling out to her to pick him off while his herd had left him behind.

"It was feeding." She didn't announce herself before she spoke, contenting herself with the thrill of surprise that ran through him. It wasn't enough, but it was still more satisfying than the soup in her belly.

"I don't know what it was. But nothing eats just one human and is satisfied for long. Either its been hunting something else, or it will hunt again, soon."

“That worked…better than I expected. Thanks for the help, Rani!” Ahmad said as he reciprocated the deputy’s nod. “So, where’s everyone run off to? I think we need to talk about, you know, stuff.”

"Not a problem." Rani shook her head. "I think they snuck through to look at the crime scene, and maybe caused the distraction we calmed down? They didn't really fill me in."

Taryn felt Oscar's blindness itching along her gums as she crept up on him from behind. His weakness practically radiated off of him like the heat from a fire, calling out to her to pick him off while his herd had left him behind.

"It was feeding." She didn't announce herself before she spoke, contenting herself with the thrill of surprise that ran through him. It wasn't enough, but it was still more satisfying than the soup in her belly.

"I don't know what it was. But nothing eats just one human and is satisfied for long. Either its been hunting something else, or it will hunt again, soon."

When all one can see is glowing tracks on the ground, the sudden appearance of a new set approaching shouldn't come as a surprise. However, Taryn somehow managed to sneak up on Oscar all the same. He tried not to react to her sudden appearance, but he doesn't quite manage it before he's able to dismiss his spell and see who it is.

"It's you.

"Hi."

After a moment, he processed what she had said. "Maybe so. But something probably lured the victim here. They came here twice, but didn't enter until the second time. Maybe that same thing led the attacker here."