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Old Feb 25th, 2024, 03:32 PM
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Session 3: MedStar hospital

A harrowing hospital visitThe morning after his match with the Buzzard, Andre wakes up, battered and bruised. He remains a Wolf, but somehow the aches and pains of his battles always seem worse when he is not in his Alpha form. All the same, he has business he must attend to. It calls him away from his turn in Anacostia, again. That turf has seemed strangely silent these last few days. To others, that might seem like a good thing. Its guardian knows better, but some repsonsibilites are too important to avoid.

Andre travels to the hospital. His mother, Becky, is being treated at the OOC: this is an actual current-day location, if you're the type who likes to look at these things on a map.MedStar facility, which is the biggest collection of medical facilities in the city. As his mom's condition lingered, and its mystery grew, she was moved around the city more than once. Here at MedStar, she has been moved more than once as well, as various specialists work to provide a diagnosis and treatment. When Andre checks in at the receptionist's desk, they ask him to please take a seat while they check in to make sure everything is ready for a visit. That wait is longer than usual, and a nurse checks in with Andre to tell him, "Just a few more minutes, while we double-check." Then he waits even longer yet, with no information.

Finally, a businesswoman - apparently a shift supervisor of some sort - appears and asks Andre to confirm details about his mother. The supervisor goes away. Another long wait. A long, long wait. She returns, and in hushed tones says to Andre, "Sir, I'm sorry, but we are not exactly sure where your mother is right now. We know her assigned room number. That room is vacated. She was not officially discharged. We are doing everything we can to locate your mother. Please wait here," she looks over at the passageway to the treatment wings. A security guard stands there, speaking into his shoulder-mounted walkie-talkie. He is looking directly at Andre. Andre knows that walking freely around the hostiptal is not allowed, and his presence is noted by security. "We will keep you up-to-date. I am very sorry for the confusion."

Andre waits. And waits and waits. He has plenty of time to contact others, to consult with them about how to manage the situation. Keeping Andre 'up to date' involves brief contact at 2 or 3 hours intervals with reassurances like 'we are working as hard as we can to resolve the situation.' Night falls. (and anyone he might have asked to come; see below)Andre had spent the entire day waiting for resolution, and none had come. More hours pass, and night deepens.

Then his phone rings, an unknown number. He picks it up. A snarling voice says "Hello 'Lupus.' Missing someone? I found her. Heh, heh. Yeah, I found her. She's up in the geriatric ward. Why don't you come and pay her a visit?" the phone hangs up without answering any questions or threats that Andre might reply with. When Andre reports at the receptionist's desk that his mother is in the geriatric ward, the receptionist (the third one since he's been there) is skeptical. With with a few clicks on her computer, she frowns and says "oh. Yes. She is. Why..." but she cuts off the question and hands Andre a pass to travel the halls as a visitor. He dashes off.

Following the directions on the celing through the maze-like corridors, Andre takes the elevator to the appropriate floors, the 6th. It is late at night, so the hallway lights are set to motion sensors. In two directions, the hallways are dark. As he steps forward, the hallway in front of him lights up 50 feet ahead. Following signs, he turns a corner. His mother's room should be the third on the left, and the hallway lights click on automatically just that far, as if guiding him to the right location. But through the darkness beyond, Andre can see the hallway ends in a door to a dim staircase a few hundred feet further on. Standing in the open doorway, red 'exit' sign lighting his face, is the bald Missionary, Vasili. He wears a white doctor's coat. A malicious grin is on his face. It appears that he has no intention of hanging around - he just wanted to see Andre's face before he left the scene.

An unexpected emergencyVictor's last night was disorienting, and the following day doesn't help him to get his mind in order. Early in the day, his ex, Maryanne, calls and says "your child has 6 different kind of vapes hidden away in her room. I found them. I don't know what any of them are. And she's not talking to me, because she's mad at me for 'going through her stuff.' So YOU are going to come over here and YOU are going to straighten out this mess." So Victor has a trying day, working with his daughter Abbie to figure out what the situation is, and calm everyone down.

It's a long trying day of that rewarding thing called 'parenting.' Eventually, he leaves and is on his own once more. Night falls. A few hours later, his phone rings with an unknown number. Not unusual in his line(s) of work. He picks up. "Hello?" a voice responds. For a moment, he thinks it might be Abbie. The voice is young, a girl's voice, with that uncertainty about voice-calls that kids-these-days have. But his phone would recognize hers. And the girl on the other line calls him "Mister, um, Victor?" Definitely not his child. Why is a young girl calling him?!?

"I don't know if you remember me. My name is Annie. Annie Hayes. We met when I was doing some, um, family research? Look, I don't have much time. Something is happening to me. I don't know what it is. But it's... it's not normal. I think I'M not normal. And you're a supernatural investigator or whatever right? I need help. I'm in the hospital. It's a psych ward or something. They're saying I DID something. But I don't remember anything." She pauses, and it's not clear to Victor if she's still on the line, or hearing anything he says. A few moments later she's back. She's whispering, and it sounds like she might be cupping her hand over the reciever. "My parents are going to freak out. They're not going to believe me. But SOMETHING is happening. If you don't come now then we won't be able to talk I'll say you're my caseworker I haven't told them who my parents are yet but I'll have to evantually and then they'll come and then I won't be able to find out what's going on but something is going on so you HAVE to come just come OK I'll be waiting for you" and then the sentence cuts off and the other side of the call is dead.

When Victor finally arrives at the hospital, the receptionists seem to be expecting him, and anyone he brings. He follows the hallways to the pediatric ward. Annie is sitting in a room alone. It's not a bedroom, it seems to be some sort of consultation space, with a few uncomfortable chairs, a few cheap side tables, and painfully bright fluorsecent lights overhead. Everything is glaring white or cheap powder blue. Hospital staffers come and go outside the room, and sometimes glance in the small window in the door. But the room appears designed for private unmonitored conversations.

OODMThe trick here is that it we have five active players, but I've only written two of you into the scene. So I'm going to need your help to integrate the others. Basically, I need the two characters to 'call in' the rest, one way or another. Those who are called in can fully interact - you have visitor's passes as well, and you are part of the scene, in the place where the GM post left off (unless you want to be somewhere else, I suppose). Thoughts are below, and see the OOC thread.

@jbear: I definitely want to hear how Andre reacts to that long terrible day of uncertainty. If he tries to enter the hospital during the day, he will be immediately physically resisted. And while he can certainly overpower a guard or two, doing anything supernatural or especially violent will immediately summon SWAT-level responses. So let's agree that's a bad idea . But Andre has a long time to summon support. So I'd like to hear: who would he call in a moment like this? Which PCs will appear at his side, and would he consult with any NPCs as he waits?

@Roekahs: You'll need to justify to the hospital receptionist WHY you're bringing extra people in (Annie suggested one, if you made any sense of what she's saying), but they are expecting multiple visitors for Annie, so given a halfway-plausible line, the PCs coming with you can gain access just like you.
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Old Feb 28th, 2024, 06:43 PM
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The Spectre
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Anne Charlotte Beall, the Spectre
Anne had been watching the girl that bore her name for many hours, though all notions of time were meaningless to the spirit. She had been watching intently, silently, desperately.

Watching didn’t necessarily mean comprehending, however. It certainly didn’t mean having the ability to act accordingly. On the contrary, the Spectre had the feeling that she was more powerless than ever to protect Annie from her fate.

Cassandra’s words had alarmed her. The involvement of the Fae Courts of both Night and Day had worried her. So much so in fact that she had left the Coliseum and crossed the ether to reach the girl’s house as soon as possible, hoping to prevent the Oracle’s prophecy from becoming true. She had tried to act as Annie’s guardian angel.

And she had failed.

Nothing she had attempted had been able to break the girl’s trance. Nothing she had done had been able to dim the unnatural lights that threatened to consume her. Not the Spectre’s whispers and screams, not her curses and pleas, not even the physical touch beyond the grave had been capable of restraining the girl.

The Spectre had tried to comprehend what was going on. She had tried to understand what was so special about that park. She had tried to spot the source of the light. But to no avail. Annie danced to the rhythm of a mysterious puppeteer and the scissors Anne was holding were too rusty to cut the strings controlling her.

All she could do was watch - and listen.

She listened to the girl call him, the scoundrel, the traitor, the blackmailer. She listened to Annie begging Victor for help. Since Anne could not help the girl herself, she didn’t object. She didn’t pry the phone out of her hands and smash it against the wall. Perhaps, Victor would come. Perhaps, he would know more than the Spectre did. Perhaps, he would even choose to help Annie.

If not, Anne was determined to share with him the agony she was currently experiencing. He too had children, didn’t he? He had seen him with the girl he called his Abbie. He had seen him with a toddler with exactly the same eyes. Victor changed when he was around these two, she knew. He became softer, lighter, happier. He became vulnerable, for he suddenly had much to lose and Anne would not hesitate taking. If he gave her cause to do so. If he let Annie down.

So she kept on watching and waiting. Waiting for Victor to appear. Waiting for Victor to offer a solution she couldn’t conceive. Waiting for the time when she would stop watching and start acting.



 


 
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Old Mar 1st, 2024, 03:26 PM
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Andre Adams"This is bs! I'm not paying any of my mum's bills if you can't even find her!" Andre storms back to his seat in the foyer. He sits. He wrings his hands. His leg shakes.

Back and forth, from the waiting room to the desk and back. The security guard's mean mug irritates Andre. A whole squad of security guards couldn't stop Andre if he wanted to break the rules. But he doesn't. He sits impatiently and waits.

In his boredom, he stares down at the cracked screen of his flip phone.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Text Message to VictorSup Vic. Weird sh*t @MedStar. They lost my ma. Seriously. Ben hours and thy stl cnt find her. Advice? What wd u do? --A


Send.

Back and forth. Andre taps his leg. He slumps. He shifts. He paces. There is a stiffness to his gait. His leg continues to trouble him. He returns to the cracked screen of his flip phone.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Text Message to FarhadHey Mr Farhad. Andre here. Sry about fight night. I was a dick and you didn't deserve my bad attitude. My leg stiff but getting better. I came to pay ma hospital bills @MedStar. Useless fkrs say they lost her. I'm not even jking. Like they can't find her. Anywhere. Is that normal? Knda freaked out. Been waiting for hrs. Any news bout next bout? (Im gonna do better)


Send.

Andre's eyes wander to the security guard. If that ghost was here she could walk right in and that chump wouldn't even know. I bet she could find my mum in two minutes...

Andre recalls the chaotic events of the locker room pre-fight. He remembers the listless face of the possessed Missionary. He looks at his phone and smiles to himself as he wonders something absurd. How do you call a ghost? I need a Ghostbusters phone.

He frowns. I never found out what the haps was with those weirdos. Hopefully, they got the message to leave me the eff alone.

Night falls and Andre starts to get nervous. There is only so long he can stay here. The Wolf will want out soon. And the Wolf won't take kindly to that security guard's mean mug.

OOCStopping there to allow the pre-contacts to occur before the call from Vasili and for clarification on the timeline and the time left until Andre's transformation.
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Old Mar 2nd, 2024, 11:12 PM
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An Evening’s Redress Yes indeed, Mrs. Callahan, do take care.

Farhad smiled as he held the door for the young woman.

She had purchased an antique Victorian spelter decorative anchor, an ugly thing, befitting such an ugly woman.

She had long blond hair pulled into a tight ponytail. She wore tight black pants, a white shirt, and a brown puffy vest, and strange fur boots. She had insisted on carrying her espresso all throughout the store and she never hung up that wretched phone, even while speaking to Fahrad. Fahrad had gleaned from the meager offered conversation that she was purchasing the item as a gift for her father who owned a boat at the marina. Though Fahrad would have to speak with Nazanin and Daniel about the finer details of this, as he had overheard her, while she was meandering through the store, refer to him as a ‘three-legged silver-fox,’ and Fahrad was concerned that something about him seemed foxly, and resented the reference to his cane. Admittedly Fahrad was fond of the old tails of Kitsune, but there was no way this young woman could have known that.

The bells on the door jingled as it closed behind the woman.

Fahrad breathed a sigh of relief. He preferred his elderly clientele. They still considered going to his store an event, an occasion – something to look forward to and to dress up for. Fahrad enjoyed the pageantry of it all.

Fahrad walked behind his counter and sipped at the espresso he had made himself. A guilty pleasure of the new world. He found the tea of his youth soothing, but there was something charming about the bitterness of this beverage.

You’ve got mail.

Fahrad rolled his eyes.

This cursed box.

Daniel had provided him with it – it was apparently vintage, which helped Fahrad take to the box, though thirty years old was still a newborn. Daniel had lamented about Fahrad’s lack of a ‘cellular phone’ but insisted that he could bridge that gap with the box.

Fahrad gripped the rodent and the screen clicked. Fahrad smirked when he looked at the image on the box – Daniel had put an image of himself, were all people of this era such megalomaniacs? Fahrad thought of his most recent interactions and thought perhaps that was unfair – beings from the past were just as egomaniacal, he supposed. He double clicked and opened America Online.

You’ve got mail.

Yes, you said that already.

Fahrad clicked the rodent a few times and brought up the new messages.

A Nigerian Prince? Fahrad would have to read that later, he enjoyed Nok artifacts.

Overdue taxes? Fahrad hadn’t paid taxes in decades he wasn’t about to start now.

Amazon? Is this one of those spams Daniel had warned him about? How could a forest email him.

Oh, here it is.


Quote:
Originally Posted by jbear View Post
Text Message to FarhadHey Mr Farhad. Andre here. Sry about fight night. I was a dick and you didn't deserve my bad attitude. My leg stiff but getting better. I came to pay ma hospital bills @MedStar. Useless fkrs say they lost her. I'm not even jking. Like they can't find her. Anywhere. Is that normal? Knda freaked out. Been waiting for hrs. Any news bout next bout? (Im gonna do better)
Daniel had set the device to collect phone messages for convenience.

Fahrad stared blankly at the screen.

Are these words?

Seemed the boy was in trouble, whatever the rest of the message was, and he was at the Medstar – that eyesore down the road.

Fahrad looked around and checked to make sure there weren’t any other customers. He checked one last time to make sure the money from his sale was in the account, +75,000 USD in one of his offshore accounts.

Excellent.

Fahrad collected jacket, hat, stun baton, and scarf, took his keys in his hand and made for the hospital.

OoC Wyn did you want to do the match scheduling behind the scenes?
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Old Mar 3rd, 2024, 11:44 AM
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Victor YoungA wave. The door. The car. The door. Slam.

Silence.

Victor lets his head fall back against the headrest. Then he lifts it and smacks it backward a bit harder. Maybe dislodge the bad taste.

Or knock himself out. Either would suffice at the moment.

It is just the way it is right now. Abbie is getting older which means the problems are getting bigger. He can't be – or isn't, but he quickly dislodged that train of thought – around for everything, so his job is to swoop in and deal with mostly all the bad stuff. It works ok, but it is a tough way to go about seeing her.

The conversation – because he really tried to keep these things a conversation – flashes back through his mind in fits and starts. “They aren't mine!” “You just swoop in and accuse me of everything” “I'm just holding them for a friend” “Well, you can't do anything anyway cuz you're never around”

Victor can't help but agree with it all. And that is part of the problem. They probably aren't hers. He knows her well enough that it would be a moderate surprise for her to have one, let alone six vapes. Somehow that is less than comforting. It is certainly possible that all her classmates are getting into some things real early, but all that investigative blood coursing through his veins is screaming older friends. Which then begs the question: why is she hanging out with older friends. Sure it could be the cool girls, but the obvious answer screeching out its warning is an older boy.

A sharp sound pulls Victor out of his own head. An unrecognized number. And a missed text from Andre. Still dislodging from the stupor he had entered, Victor answers the call without thinking. And immediately regrets it.

Annie Hayes? She had just been a tool once to try to leverage the blasted spectre's help. Which had pretty much exclusively backfired to this point. But now the girl is calling him? For help? The only response he can even manage is an unanswered "Um, why me?" just as the line goes dead.

All Victor wants to do is get out of here and go anywhere else that does not involve a teenage girl. Yet, his eyes are drawn back to the house. Had he even made a difference? What if he didn't? Could he make a difference in another teenage girl's life to make up for it? Hedge his bets? It is what he tends to do so well.

He picks his head up and slams it back again.

The jolt seems to shake something loose. Victor snatches his phone and pulls up the message. They can't find Andre's mother? Victor checks the timestamp. Hours ago. He completely left the mini-giant hanging.

Advice … Advice … come on man, there has to be some advice left in there But the vessel is depleted, the lake is dry, the … whatever other metaphors. Victor is too tapped to even come up with another metaphor. He slams his head back again before tapping out a quick response.
Quote:
Sorry bro. Had my own family sh** to deal with. I got another emergency? to deal with quick but at MedStar too. You still need help lemme know. I'll see what I can do.



A visit to the hospital. There aren't exactly great memories surrounding this place. To see a teenage girl. There are still very open wounds flitting around that particular interaction. Victor's palms are sweaty and his throat a bit dry as he passes through the revolving door, pressing the bar with his elbow.

It is a bit difficult at first to find where Annie Hayes is located. She had suggested perhaps the psych ward, which immediately threw up a few hurdles. The main lobby was not even remotely going to divulge any information, even so much as whether an Annie Hayes had been admitted. At least they directed him to the psych ward. It took a little bit of a conversation once he arrived on the floor, but Annie had also suggested he could present as her caseworker. She must have prepped them for that potential based on the nurse's sigh. It sounded an awful lot like equal parts relief and aggravation. Having spent most of the day with a teenage girl, Victor can empathize.

OOCI think I will leave it off there. I don't think this advances things, but there was a fair amount to respond to and don't want to cover too much ground.

 
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Old Mar 4th, 2024, 08:10 PM
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the knot tighteningFarhad, a professional (in his mind, at least) does not check his messages until after the business day is over. This is not likely to please Andre, who texted some hours before. But eventually he gets the message and heads over to meet his client, in the setting sun of the evening.

Later on, Anne hears a buzz at the nurse's station a few doors down from Annie's room (where Annie paces nervously). He comm system says "case worker here to see Hayes." He is approved for a visit by a bored nurse attendant.
OODMJust a small update from me, to set the scene for PC interaction and sync up your timelines. Farhad has time to consult with Andre before the events of my first post go down (and I'll just assume he hangs around for a bit). Anne, if she wanders far from Annie, could know this and interact with Andre and Farhad if Elanir prefers. Alternately, Anne is clearly warned of Victor's approach so she is able to find him before he reaches Annie.

Not a full update in part because you guys were leaving room to set up interactions (I approve!) and in part because Brassa is still not in place. But please feel free to make your next round of posts with each other, before we place you in front of the NPCs I've got queued up.
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Old Mar 6th, 2024, 08:28 PM
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Victor YoungVictor approaches the nursing station with only one thought on his mind. Please, do not point me down the hall to the left.

It has been years, but Victor was here once before. And not a kindness visit. That was a lesson learned way too early in life, and he hasn't thought about those crazed eyes in some time, but they come back to him now. One of the risks of running around late at night on the street and trusting the wrong person.

So the way the hallway to the left ends in double doors with the “Authorized Staff Only” signs plastered everywhere and the security guards stationed just before those doors is known all too well to Victor even though they aren't in sight yet. As soon as the bored nurse points to the room and it is NOT to the left, Victor lets out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. At least whatever this Annie Hayes had done it hadn't gotten her locked up behind those doors.

The first thing that has sort of gone right all day.

Victor hurries past the nurse to a room just off the main corridor. He knocks and calls "Annie? Annie Hayes?" before the door swings open and he is almost dragged into the room. At first Victor's defenses rise and he prepares for whatever crazy assault he was just lured into, but then he catches the fear in the eyes of the girl he hasn't seen in …

Huh. How long has it been?

Between the confusion of the lapse of time and the fear staring back at him, Victor's defenses fall almost as quickly as they were raised.

"How'd you get my number?"

Idiot. Real nice. It hadn't been exactly what he had meant to say, but it is what spills out in the moment. Victor takes a quick calming breath. Try again dufus.

"What I mean is. I don't know how I can help. Er...I mean, I will if I can, but I ain't what you think I am. What'd you do anyway?"

OOC

 
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Old Mar 7th, 2024, 06:14 PM
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The Spectre
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Anne Charlotte Beall, the Spectre
Anne turned slowly as her name was spoken out loud, looking at the young man entering the room.

No, not her name, she realized. The girl’s name. It had been a long, long time since anyone had called the Spectre “Annie”. People had been calling her a lot of things over the years, but never “Annie”. Lately, they didn’t call her anything at all.

Staying close to the girl she was attempting to protect, Anne listened silently to Victor’s awkward attempt at… an introduction? An offer for help?

"How’d you get my number?"

Did Victor have a unique number? Could he be contacted or even controlled if that number was discovered or recited? Anne had never seen such a thing happen. Perhaps he meant the address of his residence. There were so many houses in the City that numbering them made sense in a way. Anne had never lived in a house with a number before. All the places that had served as her residence, permanent or temporary, had names, not numbers. They were important. Just like her.

"What I mean is. I don’t know how I can help. Er…I mean, I will if I can, but I ain’t what you think I am. What’d you do anyway?"

Yes, Victor never was the one that others thought he was. He had many faces. Perhaps, one of them could be of use.

"Ask her about the park", the Spectre whispered in the Aware’s ear and witnessed with some satisfaction the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Ask her about the lights. What does she remember? What does she know?"

Cassandra would know. Cassandra would have told her, had not the damnable Fae Courts intervened. If Victor couldn’t help, Anne would seek out the Oracle instead.

please have a look beneath the OOC SpoilerbuttonShe would discover the Fae’s secrets. If she was good at anything, this was it.



 


 
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Old Mar 13th, 2024, 09:50 AM
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Andre AdamsAndre stares at his phone willing it to beep with an incoming text. When it finally arrives the response is not what he is hoping for. Victor is caught up with something at Medstar too. Well, maybe if he is around afterwards...

Sigh.

No response for Fahrad.

"I'm on my own," he mutters. "Maybe Mr. B has some advice?"

Andre flips open the phone and opens his contacts to find the Barber Shop owner's number.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Text to Mr BrownHey Mr B, Andre hre. I'm @MedStar. Nurses say they lost my mum. Nowhere in the system. Ben hours. I'm worried. Security got there eye on me. Advice? <3

Send.

Andre waits until the sky darkens. The ache in his bones as night falls tells him he doesn't have long before sitting here in the Waiting Room all polite like will become impossible. The phone rings. Andre answers without checking the number (unknown).

"Hey Mr B, thanks for--"

It's not Mr Brown calling with good advice.

The receptionist confirms the sinister voice on the phone's claim that his mother is in the geratric ward. What the hell is going on? He snarls.

The receptionist steps back. Andre apologises and takes the guest pass offered. He pulls down his top lip to cover the bulging fangs piercing his gums, growing over his regular teeth which loosen and will soon fall. He checks the map and sprints through the hospital maze, up stairs around corners until he finds the right place on the 6th Flooor.

Motion sensors light the dark corridors in creepy sequence. Andre buckles as his spine snaps and pops. Claws tear through his sensitive fingernail beds and he stifles a scream. He is on his knees unable to stand let alone walk when he sees Vasili in the doctor's coat, gleeful beneath the red exit sign at the end of the corridor.

Andre can do nothing to prevent Vasili's escape. The transformation overwhelms his senses, crushing his will beneath wave after wave of new agonies as his skeletal structue is torn apart from within and regrows as the Wolf wrestles for control of his body.

He wants to scream. He wants to howl, to threaten, to bite, maim and kill the smug Missionary. But more than that he wants to find his mum. And howling will bring security down on him. And security will call a S.W.A.T team...

All he can do is fight to remain as quiet as possible, swallow the pain, while he drags himself to a shadowy alcove beside a vending machine until he can walk again.


 
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Old Mar 17th, 2024, 02:20 PM
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The pediatric psychology wardVictor enters the over-bright over-white room that Annie is slouching around in, flipping some celebrity-fashion magazine that was left there a few years ago. He asks how Annie got his number. He imediately re-considers the question, perhaps encouraged by a slight eye-roll from the teen. The word "boomer" may have been part of her sigh as she sets aside the magazine and sits up.

Victor presses a few more relevant questions onto her, and then a chill goes down his spine as he realizes there is another presence in the room. Again, he finds himself in the presence of the specter Anne, who suggests a few more questions.

Anne saw the strange beams of light in the park. Annie's wanderings, and interaction with the light. That park is some sort of node, important to the Fae. There are a few such nodes in the city, where those lines of power cross. Few in the city outside of the Fae seem to be able to percieve or interact with those ley lines that criss-cross DC. But tonight, for a moment, they were quite visible.

Annie Hayes does not hear her relative's questions. She answers the questions put to her. "I'm telling the truth, I don't know!" she says, too loud, rising to her feet. Apparently this has been a theme of the questions she's faced that night. "One minute, I'm in my bedroom. The next, I'm on the ground in some park. It's like I was just teleported there. Or, I don't know, aliens took me and wiped my memories and left me when they were done with me."

She sits to try and calm herself, and give Victor the information that he might need. "That part is bad. I need to figure it out. It's sort of up your alley, right?" She looks at her hands, as a way to avoid eye conact. "But, like, I didn't FEEL bad. I don't. I just feel normal now. But when I, um, 'woke up,' if anything I felt good. Like I was... connected? Strong? Like the things around me were trying to...." she struggles for words to describe an ineffable feeling. "Pull me up or something. Share part of themselves, give it to me. I felt like I could have DONE things."

She looks up to Victor, and looks him square in the eye. It's perhaps a bit unsettling for a grown man to be in this situation. This girl is still a child. But she is striving for the realities of adulthood. The realiites of The Truth. "Is magic... I'm serious, you BETTER not laugh. Is magic real? Real magic, I mean. Really real."
The geriatric wardAndre makes it up to the geriatric ward. He moves quickly towards his mother's room. He meets eyes with Vasili at the far side of the hall. The bald man is smirking. As Andre advances, that smirk wavers for a moment. The batters and bruises from his last two encounters with Andre are still visible. But his knee is still wobbly in this form. And then CRACK. Andre's bones begin to stretch and seperate and densify. He falls over, in the middle of the empty floor.

A look of pure joy springs up on Vasili's face. He throws his head back and laughs. "Ha ha ha! Perfect! You let your nose grow, and then you hunt me down, yeah? I'm sure your mommy can wait. Send her my love when you finally bother to check in on her!" He slips into the stairwell, and his laughs echo among the steel and concrete. Quickly the laughs fade and he is gone.

Andre remains on the floor, in his long transformation. He can not manage a pursuit. He can barely manage to drag himself to an out-of-the way linen closet. All he can do is wait out the change. Even so, as he writhes, he does have the presence of mind to notice and wonder: why do no nurses come by and catch him in this gruesome act? Even on a nighttime shift in the geriatric ward, shouldn't there should be a steady bustle of nurses and orderlies coming and going? There are none that he can see or hear, as his wolf form emerges.
OOC@jbear: apologies again for missing your 'timing' question. Your solution is perfect as far as I'm concerned, so thanks for seizing the reins on that. I'm still leaving a little space for another PC or two to join you, but once Andre's transformation is complete (which can happen in the next post) he is free to either try to pursue Vasili (who will have many minutes of head start, of course, given your long transformation) or go to his mother - she is indeed in the room Andre was told.
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  #11  
Old Mar 18th, 2024, 08:34 PM
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Victor YoungOf course the accursed spectre is here.

It is a simple thought - and the chills that run down his spine are no less real for its simplicity - but there is an odd comfort to knowing the spectre is around at the moment. And helping, apparently. Anne's whisper drowns out the ramblings of the child for a brief moment, the weight of the words prying more heavily on Victor's attention than the volume at which they are emitted.

Yet, the young Annie does not cease long enough for Victor to get a word in edgewise. She is mostly rambling, trying desperately to get a handle on an experience that she clearly does not remember. And Victor has a small piece of the puzzle – a puzzle, he corrects himself – provided by the spectre who always seems to know more than she should. If only he could just …

Then, Annie's eyes have locked on to his and the chill that ran down his spine at the revelation of Anne's presence seems like it was but a tickle. Victor says nothing at first. He certainly has no inclination to laugh, so the girl's plea was superfluous.

For what feels like an eternity, Victor simply stands, staring back into the pleading gaze of the child – a creature who has made it to an age where she has been told that all the magic of the world is nothing more than childhood stories, only to be confronted by the very concept that she has been told to abandon in the name of 'adulthood'.

The words come slowly at first. Thoughts, concepts, possibilities that have never really been spoken aloud, at least not to another person.

"Magic ...I don't … know. I mean … probably. I think so. I think it gots to, but I don't know." Victor pauses, shaking his head. All the thoughts are jumbled. When he just thinks them, they seem so clear. So obvious. Trying to say them out loud, they all shift and dart and scurry out of his grasp. But there is something more concrete. A real example. And then the words spill out.

"What I mean is: you know Guardian Angels? How people believe in them and how theys not really real, but just made up, yet the magic of the belief still somehow manifests into good things sometimes? Well, they ain't so made up. And you ain't exactly got a Guardian Angel, but you do gots a Guardian Spirit. Like a real nasty, vengeful S.O.B. but she watches out for you. A lot. She here now, too. Bout ready to shove her ghostly hand up … er … she checkin' in on me. She ain't made up and she is watching over you. Old relative of yours and all that too. Crazy as a loon. Crazy about you. If that ain't magic, I don't know what is. And if that is happening, then real magic has to be real."

Victor pauses, finally realizing all the words that had just spilled out. He had meant well, but as far as he knows, I don't recall if this is actually true in Anne's backstory, but no matter what, I don't think Victor would know about itAnne had never revealed herself to her ward. Of course, he had used an example that – he now realizes – had seemed concrete, except that the girl can't see the spirit.

"Look, I know it sound a little crazy and a little made up, but she were here. I think she still is. Oh! She said to ask you about the lights. And … about the park!" Victor stares at Annie expectantly, like that request clears everything up.

OOC@Elanir - I put the decision before you: do you reveal yourself to calm Annie and back up Victor's play?


 
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  #12  
Old Mar 20th, 2024, 08:20 PM
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The Spectre
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Anne Charlotte Beall, the Spectre
Anne was no guardian angel. Her sad existence was no proof of miracles or magic. She wasn’t even sure she was capable of loving anyone. And yet, the Aware spoke truly. There was a connection to Annie, one not merely defined by blood that had stopped flowing centuries ago, flimsy, unreliable memories and all but forgotten promises to a long dead sister.

Annie was special. She was special to the world and she was special to the Spectre. In fact, she was the most special part of the Spectre’s world. The only part that had a certain value. The part where words like family and duty still had meaning.

Anne felt the weight of the girl’s gaze fall upon her. Her young, innocent eyes couldn’t see the Spectre, but they searched for her all the same. Two brilliant beacons calling to her, full of curiosity, reluctance, hope. Would Anne find acceptance in them, the Spectre wondered. Until now she hadn’t dared reveal herself to the girl. What would she have thought about the Medea of George Town, the woman who strangled her infant children? How could she have forgiven the crime the man who had known Anne best, the eternal love of her life, her Thomas, had failed to understand?

No!

Anne wouldn’t expose herself. She wouldn’t step into the light to be seen, to be judged and condemned. Her existence was one of formless shadows, of watching the lives of others, unable to experience them herself. All she could do was bring harm and misfortune to the living. Annie was better off without her.

She willed herself to fade away, too afraid to face the girl’s judgment, too cowardly to fight for the only thing she believed in, the only person she cared about. But she couldn’t. Something stopped her, an anchor around her neck.

Her long, delicate fingers, the same ones that Thomas used to kiss with a passion that was as unseemly as it was exhilarating, wrapped themselves around her locket, opening it. Two infants looked at her accusingly, plump faces, rosy cheeks, unruly tufts of hair. The French painter her husband had commissioned to paint their portrait miniatures had done an excellent job of hiding the truth. Only she could perceive it. Only she could see their faces twisting and becoming imp-like, their lips turning purple, their tiny bodies shaking as they screamed and cried and demanded everything from her. She hadn’t been able to be a mother for them and she couldn’t be one for Annie.

Or could she?

The girl waited, her eyes full of expectation, eager to meet her guardian spirit. Victor was to blame for this! He made promises he had absolutely no right to do. He dabbled in things he didn’t really understand. He…

Could he be offering her a way out of Anne’s miserable existence? Did she dare hope?

Slowly, ever so slowly, the veil was parted. An elegant gown appeared, simple and modest, perfectly suited for church and decorated only by a brooch resembling a bird taking flight. A bonnet framed a face that had it not been so gaunt and pale it might have been considered beautiful. Hands clothed in velvet gloves crossed over each other almost shyly. The Spectre didn’t speak, but neither did she leave. She stood there, next to Victor, silently giving credence to his words.

Annie was no longer alone. Anne was no longer alone. They were together in this. For better or for worse.



 


 
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  #13  
Old Mar 24th, 2024, 10:01 AM
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Andre, The WolfThe spasms of pain subside and the corridor outside the linen closet remains quiet. Too quiet. Ignoring Vasili's purile taunting, Andre remains firmly at the reigns of himself. The Wolf will have to wait to snap bones and gorge on soft flesh. All that matters is whether his mum is okay.

The closet door creaks open, a noise so slight it should go unnoticed in a busy hospital. But it is not busy, which is not right. Andre pads into the flickering garish light and pads towards the doorway where Vasili had emerged in doctor's robes. He passes the sign indicating he has arrived at the Geriatric ward and enters, sniffing out his mother's familiar scent.


 
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  #14  
Old Mar 24th, 2024, 02:01 PM
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MedStar Click.

Click.

Click.


The rhythmic sound of Fahrad’s cane hitting the concrete of the parking garage echoed in the night air.

Is there a minotaur somewhere in this concrete labyrinth.

That would be an interesting trick, could a concrete labyrinth house a creature like that? Perhaps Nazanin would have interesting thoughts on the matter.

Nazanin

Farhard furrowed his brow as he thought about the implications of what he had learned about the ransacking of her establishment. How could he turn this to his advantage without seeming petty. Perhaps it was best to reach out and tell the truth, she would find out eventually and if Daniel is correct about the implications, Fahrad may become caught in the web – and that would simply not do.

Fahrad slowly made his way through the garage trying to find a convenient way to access the hospital, unfortunately as visiting hours were coming to an end most of the doors were locked.

A locked door rarely stopped a dragon, but video cameras did.

Luckily the strange glimmer of serpentine reflection in the eye or a shadow possessing an aggravated and twitching shadow went undiscovered as the security guard watching the cameras enjoyed a post dinner snooze slumped over in his uncomfortable desk chair.

I grow weary of this.

Luckily an exhausted nurse walked past he confused and defenseless man with a cane and offered assistance in explaining the only entrance that was open at this time of night from the garage was on the base level, a pair of glass doors that slid open, and revealed a nurses station which stat unmanned.

It was convenient for gaining access to the hospital, but inconvenient for finding what he needed.

I suppose it doesn’t matter.

Fahrad was here to find Andre, and whether Andre liked it or not, it probably wouldn’t take long for the wily dragon to track him down – subtlety was not something Andre possessed, whether in human or wolfen form.

OoC Investigation failed.
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  #15  
Old Mar 26th, 2024, 09:38 AM
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The pediatric psychology wardAnnie does not look happy with Victor's initial half-assed response to her direct question. Her attitide does not improve when he shifts to a Hallmark Channel framing of the Shadows. Her confusion grows when he muddies that story, and then her jaw drops as Anne Beall manifests before her.

Annie places a hand over her mouth and take a few steps back. She points at Anne and looks between the apparition and Victor. The spectre's presence is undeniable, but Anne Hayes is not ready to accept what is happening. "But... she... what...." she takes a few more steps back and bumps into a chair. She sits instinctually, but then stands up as if shocked, and continues to back away in a different direction.

She swings her pointing finger to Victor. "You. You said. Last time we met. You said, that it was dangerous. To look into my family. You said that there was something coming after me. Devils or something. If that..." she swings her hand back to Anne "is my 'angel,' why wasn't she protecting me? Why was it too dangerous to keep looking, if I was being protected?" At this point, Annie seems to realize that all this pointing is rude. She puts her hand down, but also wants to regain some pre-teen inscouciance.

"Huh? Why?" she asks this defiantly of both of the adults (alive and dead) in the room. "I'm just a kid! What's out to get me, and why aren't you protecting me? I need to know what's happening, I need to know what's coming for me. There's... something... something is HAPPENING. To me. Something is..." she struggles again to communicate her real problem. She looks between her 'investigator' and her 'guardian'. "it's... growing. Something is growing. It's like, it's like it's INSIDE me. Magical. What is it? It's magical, inside me, like I was born with it. What's inside of me? What was I born with? Where do I come from? I need to know!"

The geriatric wardClack, clack... into the hospital Farhad goes. Re-routed through the labyrithine passages, he eventually makes it into the It's not clear to me that this is a 'place of power,' but the issue is moot, given the roll. I think an easy consequence of the fail is NOT bumping into Vasili as one of you goes in while the other tries to slip away.main building uneventfully. At the receptionist's desk, the woman behind the computer looks frazzled at another person looking for the lost-then-found Andrea, and so she waives Farhad through, glad that the patient is there to be visitted. Clack clack he goes from one elevator bay to another, then finally up to the geriatric ward, as instructed.

And there is the beast, just as Farhad had left him last night. But Andre (or is he Lupus now?) has more on his mind, and he enters a nearby room. Farhad follows. His mother gasps, seeing the hulking figure enter. But then she quickly exhales, recognizing her cursed son.

"Oh, those lights in the hallway are too bright, close the door, will you?" Andre's mother asks. She looks tired. In that sense, she looks worse than when Andre last saw her. But there is no obvious harm done to her. No injuries, nothing external to say what has happened. But she looks like the mom Andre has always known - being bedridden for so long will take a toll on anyone. As Farhad enters, he sees a woman in the prime of life. Perhaps on the far side of 'middle age,' but not by much. Were she not hospitalized, you'd expect her to be vital and active.

"I'm glad you made it!" she says once the door is closed. The room is very dim. One table lamp, at the far side of the room, is all that is lit. "It's been a busy day, moving here and there. My new doctor said it was time to start a new treatment, and that's always a hassle, isn't it? I guess the nurses up here were better trained to administer it, so I had to come up here. Ooof!" she says, pressing the back of her hand against her eyes. "It's giving me an awful headache though..." She needs a moment to lay back and recover herself.

In a few moments, she uncovers her eyes. She looks to Farhad quizzically. "A friend of yours, Dre? I'm Becky," she introduces herself, working hard to be polite in trying circumstances. She looks back to her son. "There's something... ABOUT him. Isn't there? Not like your other friends. He's almost shimmering, isn't he?" This is a shocking admission! Farhad indeed has a certain glamour about him, but mundane folks will never notice it. Even the more dimwitted folk of the shadows may not immediately notice his Presence.

"Anyways," she continues, "I'm hoping that this new treatment can finally get me out of here. The doctor said that we were getting access to a special new treament. Because we're CONNECTED, you know." Andre knows that this is a reference to his grandparents, her parents. They are old establishment folks in DC, well-connected politicos who have made many friends and even more enemies. "Anything to get me back on my feet, right?"
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