[Day: Teusday, October 2. Time: 9:00 p.m.] [You are all at the British Museum with the intent of stopping the curse of an African mask. With you are two security guards, named Sponch and Jean. You're currently located in "The Great Court" on that map that was so handily provided.] [Aight? Aight. Session Start] (I need to go and get a piece of cake.) [Meanwhile in a foreign country somewhere in South America some despot removed several people from office. But that's not important.] [Herman is being quiet. His mind is on cake.] * Alys looks around, smiling. "Wow. Haven't been here in years." ( Mmmm, cake and despots. ) * Ashley glances around disdainfully. "Mmmph. History." * Khalil looks around, shaking his hands slightly downward in his robe. "Museums are a most gratifying experience indeed." * Togo looks at Lukas. "You've got the map. Lead the way." [One of the guards nods. "Yeah. Lotta old stuff here."] I used to try and sneak onto the roof. Someone always caught me, though. I'm not very sneaky. Come to think of it, I don't know if you can even get to the roof from inside. * Lukas is carrying a doll in his backpack. She looks doll-like. He, however, does not! He frowns and thumbs at the guards. "They know the way too." He hooks his hand, pointing around the central area. "But we have to go around to get there." * Khalil eyes Alys and side-glances at the guards pointedly, suggesting that discussing breakins around security might *not* be the best of plans... [Guard #2 responds to Alys: "There is a door on the fifth floor. Of course, it's closed off to civilians."] "And yes, we do keep it under watch." (Are the guards leading?) * Alys understands Khalil and pretends she doesn't. ...Right. Off-limits. Of course it is. (Or are they standing around like dorks?) * Togo starts walking in the direction Lukas pointed. "Let's get moving, then." [They're following more than leading.] * Lukas snerks and, since the guards aren't leading, goes the way he pointed to Togo. Which is the way Togo's going! So convenient. * Khalil follows the leader rather than leading the follower. [And there was much rejoicing. Although technically there wasn't any rejoicing at all.] * Herman just walks along! His mind was on cake. Cake is tasty. He also has a pipe, but wait! He already had it last session. And the one before that, too. * Togo falls back with the group, and doesn't so much lead as go with where the group is flowing. He's still near the front, though. * Alys sort of ambles along, looking around. * Ashley follows along idly, looking at exhibits with a sad head shake. [You walk all the way around the court, coming up by the book shop on the north side. The guards gesture to the exhibit hall directly across from the bookshop. "There's stairs down to the African exhibit there."] * Khalil takes a glance at Ashley. "I take it you are not a big fan of historical artificery?" * Togo nods, and heads for the stairs, glancing back at the guards. "You might want to stay here, if you want to make sure you're not exposed to the gas any more than you've already been." * Ashley speaks without looking at Khalil. "At the risk of being painfully cliche, it's all been done, you know?" I guess you would know. Well...yes. That is why it is history, you realize [They nod. "Okay, but make sure nothing gets damaged down there."] * Lukas nods idly along with the directions, but doesn't rush forward to keep up with Togo. Gotcha. *heads for the stairs* * Ashley shoots a glance towards Herman, then responds to Khalil. "Yes, I do quite realize. * Herman ambles along. This is not quite the time for such a discussion. * Khalil follows to the stairs. * Lukas follows near/at the tail end of el group. * Ashley shrugs and walks along. * Alys goes to the stairs and carefully walks down them, two at a time, behind Togo. [You head down the stairs, to where there is a long room. To the left and right are two more rooms, and scattered about are displays of pottery, tools, and all sorts of artifacts. And on the wall in the center is the mask: a big red and black oval thing, with big empty eye sockets and a big, toothy grin. It doesn't seem to be doing anything weird.] * Togo waits until the group is a bit down the stairs, out of earshot of the guards, before saying, as if to remind himself, "Okay, no collateral damage... so no automatic weapons or grenades." * Herman walks a bit into the room and looks around. * Khalil glances at the back of Togo as if he grew a third head. What an odd thing to say. ...hmm. *turns to Alys* Have a paper ward you could throw at it? Yup. * Alys pulls out one of her stronger wards and tosses it at the creepy looking mask. Good. Heavier wards might damage the mask, and the forces of darkness have nothing on angry museum lawyers. [The mask glows a bit, and the ward stops an inch in front of it, falling to the ground.] Well, that worked exceedingly well. * Lukas is in the back, watching. When the mask glows he mutters to himself. (scrolls up. ... oh there it is) * Herman looks at the mask and clucks his tongue. ...Not fair! Actually...I do not believe the ward actually touched it. Why'd it have to be a fucking museum. Oh well. ... hmm. Don't think I've seen that happen before. * Togo shrugs, and turns to Lukas. "Whacha muttering about, Volt?" * Khalil just watches the mask with interest from a distance. * Lukas blinks and glances to Togo. "Just don't like it. Computers not magic blah blah and stuff. Voodoo isn't my area of expertise." Beat. "So what next?" * Herman switches the pipe to his left hand, then reaches into his jacket and pulls out a wooden cross. "The thing's possessed. Can't tell how many spirits, though. And there's plenty of magic to go with it, but if you couldn't see *that*, you're fucking blind." I'm gonna try to exorcise it. Ah. Dunno. Anyone know what... nevermind. * Lukas looks over to Herman and says, "... okay, that next." * Ashley takes a few goodly steps back. Go to it, good man. (Oops, accidentally exorcised Ashley. WITH THE PIPE.) ( A common mistake! ) (>_<) * Khalil nods and starts slipping off his outer robe. "Let us hope it does not come to more than just a mask." [Something begins to gather in front of the mask. It looks like... straw?] (*hums 'Striptease'*) (>.>) ... am I going blind, or is something coming together in front of the mask? ( Herman, roll init! ) Yup. Cover me if it gets angry. 2d8+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8+7) and gets 15. * Lukas is stunningly silent. Maybe at Togo's stupidity. [Herman, Mask] [Go Herman] * Togo pulls out his shotgun, and chambers a round with a loud KA-CHAK. "Covered." * Alys watches Herman carefully, having never seen an exorcism before. * Ashley wiggles his fingers a little. * Khalil glances at Togo. "You are planning to shoot...a historical artifact...without even knowing what or why it is possessed..." Not the mask. Anything that pops outta the mask. * Khalil sighs and tosses his robe aside, curling his tail around his leg and stretching his arms back and forth. "Is this common in this line of work?" * Herman keeps his eyes on the mask and starts to trace a pentagram in the air, chanting in something that sounds like a combination of an ancient, guttural language and Latin. A white, glowing pentagram also appears around the mask as he traces. [And yes, he's fully dressed under the robe, you pervs.] * Herman holds the cross upright and says a final word in Latin. Seems he settled on a language after all! 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8-3) and gets 12. (But the dice? They hate.) (We know. But it's more fun to joke about the stripper animal.) (Wow, so much hate) * Togo headtilts at Khalil. "Not all Americans shoot first, second, and third, then maybe ask questions." (It's my first exorcism, Dicey! Bitch.) [Herman's pentagram sort of shimmers out of existence before it comes together.] * Alys talks to Khalil without looking away from Herman. "Sometimes. It's good to have an variety of talents, if you stick to this kind of job." [Meanwhile, the straw in front of the mask gathers into a little figure- shape.] [Herman!] My dad could do exorcisms. * Herman scowls and gives it another try! This time, the language is angrier and more insistant. He retraces the pentagram, it reforming around the mask. 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8-3) and gets 5. For example, I might have to shoot that little thing that's floating in front of the mask. *pauses* Though the shotgun might be a bit of overkill. * Lukas says in a loud mutter, for sarcasm purposes, "Might?" Yes. Better over than under. * Khalil pulls back into a defensive position, ready to interpose himself between Herman and the figure as needed. [Herman does it better this time, and the thingamabob is surrounded by a white light. But it must not be exorcised yet, because Alys' ward floats up off the floor and wraps itself around the straw doll.] [Go again!] * Herman doesn't look pleased at that, but he keeps his chanting, this time sticking solely to Latin and holding the cross towards the mask. 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8-3) and gets 4. [The mask vibrates a little. But the whatzit must be hanging on pretty hard.] [A needle flies out from behind the mask and jabs the little doll.] 2d8+1 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2d8+1) and gets 12. * Ashley looks rather nonplussed with all this. [Go again Herman!] * Alys screams, part surprise and part pain, and grabs her chest. * Herman doesn't look towards Alys' screaming. He doesn't even blink. His gaze is completely on the mask, and he keeps it up, his voice growing louder. 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8-3) and gets 3. * Khalil turns his head towards Alys, then shakes his head. "Voodoo." He withdraws his whip. * Lukas looks less nonplussed. Although perhaps not fully plussed. The scream draws his attention for a second, then he looks back to the doll and mutters, "C'mon, get it soon, Herman..." me mutters, "Oh, this is great." (/me) * Togo mutters. "So much for shotgunning the doll." [The mask stops vibrating, and the doll falls to the floor.] * Ashley peers at the doll, curiously. Did we kill it? Yeah, please don't. 2d8+1 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2d8+1) and gets 11. Kill is a rather subjective term. Neutralize it. * Khalil glances at Alys, scanning her. "Are you quite alright?" * Herman falls silent, lowering the cross. He watches the mask for a moment, then turns to look at Alys. * Alys yelps and jumps to her right, holding her left arm. Maybe? The weird pains aren't exactly normal. *to Herman* Still sensing anything around the mask? * Alys glares at the mask, still rubbing her left arm. * Lukas smiles faintly for a second, but maintains hanging back. He's still mainly looking at the mask. It is a curse, I suspect. * Khalil keeps one eye on the mask and doll, whip still out. The spirit's gone, but the doll's still got her. * Herman walks over to the doll and mask, looking them over. Pick it up? Can we just take the ward off? Would that work? Unless the ward now represents, say, the skin on your torso. Ew. Okay, scratch that. (Good question. Is there an occult roll or something we can make to find out?) * Alys looks very worried. ( Mmmmm.... Average of cultural arts (African tribes... or something along those lines) and Occult (magic) ) * Khalil glances at Togo oddly. "...you are certainly a very cheerful person to be around.." 2d8-1 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-1) and gets 9. 2d8-1 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Khalil (2d8-1) and gets 4. 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8-2) and gets 8. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2d8) and gets 13. * Togo shrugs at Khalil, and grins slightly. "I'm working on it." * Ashley cheerfully looks at the doll. "Well, you could just wear it around your neck." Yeah, like *that* always works. Gee, thanks. Lock it in a safe. With airholes. Just in case. Actually, I believe taking the item of belonging away should break the curse. That is how it normally works with these things. * Herman looks at Khalil. "You sure?" Fairly. Note the "normally" though. If this is an unusual curse... * Khalil shrugs. "We could start it slowly and see if any pain is felt." I'd rather do it, if no one else minds. That way I can blame myself if my skin peels off. Unless anyone has a better idea. Hey, if you wanna peel it off, go right ahead. ( Don't mind me. I'm the doll. <.< ) (That my job!) ( Well, if your skin peels off, I can make a shirt outta it! ... ... note to self. Sense of humor needs more work. ) ( Two dolls enter? ) It is your skin. It is your choice. (Two dolls enter. One doll leaves.) * Alys walks over to the doll, bends down, and without touching any other part of it, slightly sticks a nail under the edge of the ward. * Lukas shakes his head slightly but doesn't go anywhere otherwise. (Fingernail I hope) * Herman takes a couple of steps back. He doesn't put the cross away and just watches Alys and the doll. (Bring it!) * Alys doesn't feel anything, and slowly starts peeling the ward off. [The ward comes off with no harm.] * Alys pokes the doll's leg, just to be sure that everything's okay. [Consider it poked.] * Ashley yawns. "If that's the extent of this job, we're making easy money." Don't jinx it, man. * Alys jumps happily. "Yes! We beat it! Without painful exfoliation!" * Khalil lets out a deep breath. "There." * Khalil just...watches Alys. Weird girl. Or Herman beat it. Thank you, pipe guy! * Lukas looks over to Alys and says, "... yes. Yes he did." (One person in the group knows Herman's name. *points at Lukas* You know, not counting the inanimate doll.) (She never counts.) * Togo unchambers the round from his shotgun and puts it back in his trenchcoat. "Small favors." ( Herman's wearing a nametag. ) (I can count to lots of numbers. I'm incredible math after all. ;p) * Herman nods to Alys. "No problem. Been a while since I tried an exorcism, actually... huh." He crouches and gets a better look at the mask. * Lukas looks to the mask too. "So... we just leave it here, now?" * Segev has quit IRC (Read error: Connection reset by peer ) * Ashley is peering intently at one of the other exhibits. [If the mask could say "Oooga Booga!", you bet it would.] We still do not know the why nor the how. Are we bein' paid to know the why or the how? [Ashley sees old stuff.] No. But I am curious irregardless. * Herman picks up the mask and puts it back on the stand thing. * Alys pockets the used ward, just in case. Or... Are we? It's old. Old shit picks up spirits and magic like dust. Why'n how tend to be the things that keep you alive in the long run. Or it could just be random. I...do not explain things by the random. ( Togo: Dispenser of sage advice. ) ( And Pez. ) (I'd rather have the Pez.) (CANDY!) Wouldn't it be cool if someone did? Just random advice, all day long. Brush your teeth twice a day. Do not poke the Kryptonite. Stuff like that. * Lukas rolls his eyes. "That's what the internet is for." * Herman snickers. * Lukas then looks to Herman. "It's clean, we're done, etcetera?" * Herman puts his cross away now and picks up the doll. * Khalil walks up near Herman and inspects the mask. [It's made of straw!] (MAGICAL straw.) (The mask is made of straw?) ( Bendy straws? ) Yup. We're good. * Ashley turns back from scrutinizing an inscription. "The internet is hardly a font of knowledge. A good place for juicy rumors, though." (Swirly Straws) * Herman tosses the doll to Alys. "Catch." * Alys catches, delighting in the fact that it doesn't hurt to do so. ( Ashley's just in it for the pr0n. ) (Or the fact that she doesn't feel flung through the air when he throws it.) * Herman grins. "It's just a straw doll now. I figure someone like you might want to keep it." * Alys nods happily. "I'll keep it in my room and hang it from the ceiling fan." * Khalil pokes the mask and lets out a breath, reading the plaque on the exhibit. Sure, just don't do it by the neck. Y'know, just in case. [The plaque blatantly says "Please do not touch the mask."] Right. Good point. If I start spinning in circles in the air, please go to my room and turn off the fan. We'd have to know where your room is. Um. Wonderland Bookstore, second storey. Feel free to visit. * Khalil looks for any explanation on the exhibit. ["African Witch Doctor's mask. c.1440"] Well, that was fun. * Herman heads for the stairs! Up! * Ashley waits for someone to follow Herman first. (I have no idea why Ashley dislikes me so much.) * Lukas chuckles, then does a half-hearted sloppy salute before following Herman up while saying, "Since that's all, I'm gonna head back. Maybe take a better look at Miranda's place." Hmm. Almost 600 years. (Yes you do.) Hey, yeah. That could be fun. (No I don't!) (Liar.) (Okay, yes. I'm a liar.) If our job here is done... * Alys pockets the doll and clips her chains, then turns to Togo. "Anything else to do, or are we all just going back?" * Khalil goes to gather his robe. * Lukas nods. "Yeah." A faint smile. ."If people are gonna keep calling me to not actually do anything with computers, least I can do is learn to like hanging out at local places." * Herman laughs. "Think of it this way: free money." * Lukas stops walking for a half-second, then continues. "Could be freeer." ( If the world went my way, I'd get paid to sleep.) ( Leaving? ) We're all gonna be earning our stipends eventually. Count on it. (At least I kept from saying anything about wasting my valuable time.) * Ashley follows towards the end, looking around as he goes. He seems slightly green. (That's Kaede's job) * Khalil slips on his robe. "Relax, dear Togo. Let us revel in our small victory." * Khalil heads up the stairs. * Togo heads up the stairs. "Working on that, too." [Up the stairs you head! You get back to the floor, where you are greeted by the guards. Or rather, their bodies. They're lying on the floor, looking very shocked and very, um, dead.] * Alys follows at the end of the group. Oh, well this is exceedingly pleasant. Eeeew. ... Oh, you've got to be kidding me. ...Think they'll become zombies? Something tells me that we are not quite as done here as we thought. * Herman stares. He looks mildly ill. (Any idea about cause of death?) ( Gimme hearing checks at +4 ) * Togo pulls out the shotgun again. 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-2) and gets 9. 2d8+4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2d8+4) and gets 14. ( And med (diagnostics), -2 bonus ) 2d8+2 2d8+2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8+2) and gets 14. * Dicesuke throws the bones for Khalil (2d8+2) and gets 16. 2d8+4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8+4) and gets 10. 2d8+4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8+4) and gets 12. (2d8-3) 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8-2) and gets 8. 2d8+4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ashley (2d8+4) and gets 12. 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8-3) and gets 8. (woo Ashley sees only pretty!) 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8-3) and gets 4. * Alys unclips her chains again, looking slightly sick, and trying to hide it. 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ashley (2d8-2) and gets 7. 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-2) and gets 2. 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2d8-2) and gets 8. 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Khalil (2d8-2) and gets 5. * Lukas reaches into a pouch of his backpackchel and pulls out a not-very- immpressive gun. "God, what the hell." He looks to the bodies for a second, then shakes his head. [The cause of death is pretty easy to pick out for most of you: One has a snapped neck. The other has two bullet wounds in his chest. Very unsupernatural deaths. Unless the mask was packin' a gun.] Thieves? Bloody stupid ones. * Herman just keeps looking mildly ill. Possible. * Lukas mutters, looking around, "Well, we opened the door for them. As much fun as dead bodies are can we, uh, not be here now?" * Khalil looks for a trail of blood. [There's no trail. Just sort of a puddle.] * Alys carefully doesn't look at the bodies. * Togo looks around. Any open doors or anything else that would indicate which way whoever did this went? [Not in a museum. There are no doors ^^;] Well, let's go. [As a reminder, you're at the north side of the Great Court, near the book shop.] * Herman snaps out of it. "Go where?" And just leave the culprits to whatever? Sure. * Khalil glances at Ashley, then at the rest. "And you all are of this opinion?" I'm stayin'. * Lukas frowns, still holding his gun, and says, "We can call the cops, but... what, are we normal vigilantes now too?" Uh... I'm not really- I guess we can call the cops. But- I'll... I'll do what.... * Herman looks around. Can't be a coincidence that we were sent here on the night this happens. If they are after the mask, there might be a more sinister motive afoot. What, now you believe in destiny? * Alys looks at the bodies, swallows, and looks away. "I'll do what everyone else wants to do." * Khalil sighs and takes off his robes again. "Is anybody a skilled tracker?" * Lukas mutters, "Coincidences happen all the time." He starts walking away from the bodies, around to the front. He's clearly _trying_ to be cautious. * Ashley waves his hand. "Why bother?" No one is asking you to follow. No. I just don't believe in coincidences. And anyone who doesn't wanna stay can leave. * Herman looks at the bodies again, then looks away. "Okay, I'm no cop or whatever, but I'm staying. Not like I'll be any good, but what the hell." We're just getting started in all of this, and ain't nowhere near earned enough trust from you all to demand you stay. * Ashley shrugs. "You've got my number." He struts towards the exit, waving behind him. "Seeya." I shall ask again. Is anyone skilled at tracking this sort of thing? * Togo turns to Lukas. "This place has gotta have security cameras. Can you tap into 'em, or do we need to get you to the monitoring room?" (I'm already gone around to the front, kiddo.) * Alys breathes deeply. "I can do this. I can do this. I'm staying." * Khalil finally has his robe off. Tail away. "I can try something. But it requires a certain...commitment." * Herman eyes Khalil warily. "What?" * Khalil looks back at Herman. "On my part. This is a dusty museum, yes?" Uh, I think they clean it better than that. * Khalil sighs. "I feared as much." He digs through the pockets of his robe and pulls out a couple of packets from the restaurant. If you'll excuse me... 2d8-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8-4) and gets 6. * Khalil heads off into another room. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8) and gets 7. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8) and gets 12. [To the, uh, north, we'll say.] * Togo frowns. "Already left. Ah well." You can't call him? Can we... do you think we could get away? From the... bodies? Please? * Herman shrugs and walks away. From the bodies. But still in this room, for those curious. Don't wanna yell, and don't have his phone number. Just e-mail. Oh. What'd you wanna ask him? About the cameras? * Alys looks around, sees that Khalil walked elsewhere, and quickly follows. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8) and gets 13. 2d8-6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Khalil (2d8-6) and gets 3. 2d8+2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Khalil (2d8+2) and gets 13. * Togo forehead slaps, pulls out his phone, and calls Lukas/Volt. * Togo keeps an eye on the others as he waits for Lukas to pick up... * Herman doesn't do anything suspicious! He just stands there and tries not to look directly at the bodies. 'Question. If you were still here, could you tap into the security camera feeds without being in the monitering room?' * Khalil 's voice calls from up north. It sounds a bit gruffer than before, but still like him. "I believe I have picked up something." * Herman looks that way. He walks closer. "Yeah?" * Togo walks towards Khalil. * Alys , who was having trouble finding Khalil after he walked out of sight, walks toward the voice. * Khalil nods. "The west side of the court. Should I follow?" 'Okay, we're heading for the west side of the court. Khalil found a trail or something. Meet up with us? And can you get into the camera feed?' I guess so. * Togo nods at Khalil. * Togo also gestures for him to lead on! * Khalil sounds like he takes a deep breath, then walks out, crouched down low. He's shirtless now...although it really doesn't matter. Black and brown feathers all along his torso, and a pair of giant wings out of his back. From the top he looks like a birdman. The bit that sticks out under his jeans look like rear lion's paws. * Khalil 's also sniffing as he goes along. 'Damn. Was hoping you could do it remotely. Do you feel comfortable finding the room by yourself? If not, forget it... don't want to put you at unnecessary risk.' * Herman blinks a couple of times, then says, "Yup. Griffin." * Alys gaze softens a bit as she looks at Khalil. "Wow." * Khalil follows his nose. Wherever it goes! He tries not to act like he hears the comments. 'Okay, good. I'm gonna keep this line open, in case you hit trouble. Lemme know when you find the room.' * Togo sticks an earpiece into his ear, connects it to the phone, and puts the phone into his pocket. "Volt is gonna find the security monitoring room, see if he can get us a visual on what's going on." ( Oh, geez. Now I'm imagining a mad killer who's really an angry mutant toucan. ) * Khalil follows it to the west end of the court and sniffs, trying to pick up a stronger trail. Great. Hope he doesn't run into the killer on the way there. (You and me both.) The powder smell follows this path. Unless there is more than one group of killers... If he hits trouble, we'll go running. In the meantime... [Khalil leads you to a room on the west side of the Great Court: room #4 on the map. Egyptian sculpture is on display here.] * Khalil peers around the room. Yes he can stand on two legs. He points his talon towards the north end. "That way." * Khalil starts to move in that direction. * Togo heads thataway, scanning back'n forth for movement. * Herman nods. He follows along, scanning the area with pipe securely in his right hand. (....I imagined Herman using the pipe like a spyglass to scan the area.) * Alys follows in the back of the group, glancing around. (That's what I'm doing! No, wait.) (XD) (Arr.) ( Gimme awareness checks! ) 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8) and gets 13. 2d8-6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-6) and gets -3. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2d8) and gets 6. 2d8-6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Khalil (2d8-6) and gets -2. [There's an empty display case in the middle of this room.] * Togo looks around. Any other ways outta here besides the way we just came in? [Yes. There are stairs at the far northern end of the room, an entrence to the Near East exhibit directly across from the Great Court entrence (which you came through) and an archway to the far south (also leads to the Near East exhibit).] * Khalil listens and smells for a further trail. 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8-2) and gets 6. * Khalil turns his gaze towards the stairs and just keeps walking, crouched down as low as his wings let him. * Togo walks up to the empty case, and feels around the plaque for the braille translation of what's in it. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8) and gets 8. * Herman keeps up with Khalil. * Alys stays near Togo, waiting for him to continue. [There is, sadly, no brail translation available.] ( Because a blind person wouldn't be able to see the thing anyhow :P ) * Togo mutters. "Alys, can you tell what was in the case?" * Alys looks for a description of what was in the case. ( No British version of the Americans With Disabilities Act, then. =P ) The Rosetta Stone. (Rei wants to kill someone now.) That's what it says, anyway. ... well fuck. Is that bad? What is the Rosetta Stone? Pretty valuable. You guys comin'? * Togo goes to catch up with Khalil. Excuse me..."What is the Rosetta Stone?" Did she just say that? * Alys walks after him quickly. "Hey, come on! Is it bad?" ... Egyptian area. Guy's movin' fast, heading for the roof, Volt says. Move! ...roof? Fifth floor! That simplifies things. You continue. I shall find another way. * Khalil deviates from the stairs and starts heading towards the Great Court instead. Okay. *nods back at Alys* Good idea. We'll head the guy off there. * Herman runs up the stairs, then. Or the way up. Yes! Up! Up is good. * Togo gets to running up the stairs! [You go up the stairs. There's two sets of rooms here that run parallel along the length of the museum. The south set has Middle East displays, while the North is more Egyptian stuff.] * Alys darts after them. 'We're heading for the fifth floor to cut him off, Volt. Keep us up to date on where the guy's going.' * Togo runs to the North, then. * Herman follows! Run! * Alys stays close to them, trying to keep a look out while running, just in case. [You get to a room that's practically nothing but stairs: Two go up (one to level 4, one to level 5) and one goes down.] 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8) and gets 14. * Alys goes up! To level 5! And BEYOND! ...Or not. 'Okay, do your best.' * Herman dashes up that flight, too. * Togo follows Alys up. "Guy's moving really fast, Lukas says. Keep up the pace." [On the fifth floor you find a door to the roof. The door is open and definitely not as locked as it ought to be.] ( Gimme hearing checks ) 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2d8) and gets 4. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8) and gets 12. 2d8-6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8-6) and gets 6. 2d8-6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-6) and gets 3. 2d8-6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Khalil (2d8-6) and gets -1. [Alys and Togo hear a helicopter.] ( Khalil hears what color it is. ) (Sounds like... butter purple.) (Giiiiiika.) * Herman rushes out onto the roof! Because the door's open, so he can. * Alys runs out onto the roof and looks at wherever the helicopter is that she heard. * Khalil lands on the roof from outside and peers to see if anyone's about. Other than people he should know. * Togo keeps running! And gets out his machine gun, putting away the shotgun. Chopper! Bastard's trying to get away. (Anyone boarded the chopper yet?) [You get out onto the roof! At the far side is a green helicopter; it's not quite military, but it's close to it. Even seems to have some weaponry. There's also four figures present: Two are in the chopper, and you can't really make them out. ] [The other two are women. One is a wavy-haired blond in a yellow and black full-body suit. She looks rather distressed. The other has shoulder- length dark hair that curls a bit at the tips. She's wearing dark slacks, a halter top with straps in the form of an X across her chest, and an unbuttoned red trenchcoat. That one looks either angry or frustrated. Or both. It's hard to tell.] ( Gimme init rolls! ) 2d8+14 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8+14) and gets 26. 2d8+14 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Khalil (2d8+14) and gets 23. 2d8+13 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2d8+13) and gets 27. 2d8+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Herman (2d8+7) and gets 9, a CRITICAL SUCCESS!!! "That was close. One cycle later and you'd have fit nicely into a sandwich." (Woo hoo, crit suc- oh, wait.) ( *snickers* ) ( Although we're not... WAY TO GO HERMAN! XD ... we're not necessarily fighting just yet. ) (Thanks. XD) (Ha. Critical slow.) (*snickers*) [Dark-Haired woman, Alys, Togo, Pilot, Khalil, The other person, Blond woman, Herman] (*pokes Togo* While I realize you've been a little in stasis, don't forget about my /msg! ;_;) [The dark-haired woman looks your way and sighs, then gestures at the pilot. The blond looks freaked out as the chopper starts to take off, but the dark-haired woman apparently scares her even more, because she shouts something at her to get her to shut up. But you don't hear it because the chopper's too loud.] [Alys!] (Not even the uberhearing people? :P) ( You hear a VERY FREAKIN' LOUD chopper. ) (Yay!) * Alys seems very unsure of what to do when fighting live humans, and looks to the others for some kind of guide. (Holding action.) [Togo!] (So she follows the example of the guy who pulled out the machine gun.) * Togo sees the chopper taking off, stows the machine gun, and pulls out a FREAKING ROCKET LAUNCHER. He points it at the chopper, gestures at the pilot to land the chopper again, and, for effect, shouts as loud as he can "LAND THAT CHOPPER OR LOSE IT!" [Hold action] * Herman stares at Togo. "Holy shit." [The pilot takes to the air anyhow, the missle bays on the chopper opening. Now that it's possible to hear, the dark-haired woman shouts, "I wouldn't do that if I were you! Unless you don't mind destroying a few precious artifacts!" Her accent sounds Swiss.] ["Not to mention," she adds, "A few tons of explosives levelling this block of the city."] [Meanwhile, Khalil's turn!] * Khalil stares at the man with the rocket launcher and the less subtle approach. He eyes Togo warily and flaps in midair. "Well, since you are putting it that way..." Getting into the crossfire now probably wouldn't be a good idea. [Hold action.] [Go ahead Togo.] * Togo stows the rocket launcher and pulls out an assault rifle that looks an awful like the G36C pictured at http://world.guns.ru/assault/as14-e.htm. "Pilot called my bluff. I'm impressed. Now you're both under arrest for murder and grand larceny." [End turn] ( You have the right to remain dead. Anything you say... won't amount to much. You have the right to a mortician... ) "Oh. Well okay, we'll just submit peacefully and let you take us in." That'd be the smart choice. [The blond stares at the dark-haired woman. "Rachel!" Said woman glares at her. "I'm kidding. Really, Elizabeth, for someone who showed such promise to screw up as badly as you have tonight is utterly disgraceful."] [Herman!] (Do the women have any... er... weapons on them?) ( The blond has a pistol at her side and a knife in her boot. The dark- haired one doesn't seem to have any. ) Well, fuck. * Herman sighs and brings up his pipe. He starts muttering something in an old, guttural tongue, and the air around him seems to almost charge, but nothing much happens. [Rachel folds her arms and tilts her head up, so as to give the impression that she's looking down at you. "Who are you, anyway?"] ( Rachel being the dark-haired one. ) Heavily armed concerned citizens. * Khalil keeps watching the helicopter for sudden moves. [She smiles. "Well, I'll tell you what. This little outing was botched badly by this foolish whelp," She gestures at the blond. "Nobody was supposed to die, but she screwed it all up. So I'll make you a deal: Since it's her fault, you can arrest her."] *whisper* 'Gotcha. Bit busy up here.' [The blond stares at her in disbelief. "Rachel!" The dark-haired woman glares coldly at her. "If you can't perform properly you're of no use to us, Elizabeth. If you want to redeem yourself, here's your chance. Survive this confrontation."] Or option 2: Elizabeth sits out the fight because Rachel just offered to betray her. We beat Rachel up. Elizabeth gets the slap on the wrist. [Rachel smiles. "Good luck with that."] * Togo looks over at the blonde. "Well? Willing to take bullets for someone who just offered you up, or are you gonna play this smart?" [Elizabeth stares at Togo for a minute, then pulls out her gun. "Don't make me use this." She's probably trying to be intimidating, but it's not working.] [Rachel snickers. "Of course, there's really only one option for Elizabeth."] I'm not. Tell you what I'm gonna do. When we finish with this nice conversation and get with the violence, I'm gonna focus on Rachel there. My friends are too. You don't attack us, we won't attack you." * Herman keep the pipe towards the women, still muttering under his breath. [Elizabeth clicks off the safety of her gun. Incidentally, there's a silencer on it.] [Rachel shrugs. "This could still end peacefully, you know."] * Togo spares one last glance at Elizabeth. "Seriously. Don't." *pauses* "Please." *turns to Rachel* "If it involves you walking away from two murders? Not a chance." [Rachel holds up her hands. "Hey, I didn't kill anybody!" She pauses for a sec, then adds, "Recently."] Accessory. Same difference. * Togo scowls. "Three seconds. On your knees, hands on your head. There won't be a four." [Rachel shrugs. "Well, just because I haven't recently doesn't mean I won't now."] * Togo opens fire on Rachel with his assault rifle, keeping his fire away from the blonde. ( Back to init! ) 2d8+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8+7) and gets 21. 2d8+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8+7) and gets 14. [New order is Rachel, Alys, Togo, Khalil, Lukas, Ten, Blond, Herman.] ( Rachel and Alys are assumed to be holding action until after Togo's turn] ) [And Lukas and Ten show up. Yay!] 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-3) and gets 6. * Lukas has Ten in his backpack, has the gun out, and doesn't seem in any big hurry as he peeks out to see what the hell is going on. ( Made by 3. Important because this is an autofire weapon! ) ( Togo has... many auto-fire weapons ) ( Only 1, actually. ) ( Many with spreading. ) [Rachel dashes to the left, avoiding most of the shots, but one of them grazes her shoulder. She grimaces and glares at Togo. "You're going to pay for that." She puts her palms together and a ball of white light gathers between them. She fires it like an honest-to-God Hadoken at him. Except there's like a skull or something inside. Woo.] 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Togo (2d8-3) and gets 0. [Togo avoids the ball of light. It continues onward, blowing a super- big hole in a billboard on top of the building across the street.] [Alys!] * Alys is shaking a bit, but runs forward regardless and swings her weights at Rachel. 2 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Alys (2 2d8-2) and gets 8 6. [Alys clocks her twice. Ouch!] [Khalil's turn] ( By the way, the helicopter's leaving. ) ( That actually goes before Khalil's turn ) [Lukas's turn] * Lukas brings his pistol in-line with Rachel and takes a quiet shot. Because dart guns are quiet. If the dice go our way, she might fall unconscious! 2d8-3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Lukas (2d8-3) and gets 0. [Rachel is hit by the dart. She glowers. "Enough of this. You're on your own, Beth." She turns into sparkles, which dissipate into the air.] [Ten!] * Ten does nothing! She's inanimate like that. What the... [Elizabeth!] ( Ten eats Nin- wait, no, that's Seven. Sorry. ) [Elizabeth stares at the spot Rachel was at. Then she drops her gun. "No..."] * Lukas 's eyes brighten when she's hit, but then she disappears and he mutters, "Fuck." ( I'm gonna assume combat's over. Unless Herman wants to bash her with a pipe. ) * Togo moves slowly towards Elizabeth, and kicks the gun away. "It's over. Please come peacefully." [Elizabeth grabs Togo's coat! "No! You have to help me! Before she- Aaagh!" She reels back, clutching her head.] (HEAD SPLODEY XD) Shit! *stows his gun; lowers Elizabeth down to the ground* * Lukas steps out of the doorway, gun in hand, and stares at Lizzy's spazzing. "Uh... yeah." [Elizabeth screams for a good full minute, then faids to a whimper.] * Togo pulls what Lukas might recognize as a nano-medpack out of his jacket, and applies it. "C'mon... don't die, kid." * Alys looks like she wants to do something, but can't think of anything. She's stopped shaking, but she's a bit pale. * Lukas eventually covers his ears to drown it out, but winces anyway. [Elizabeth blinks a few times and sits up. She doesn't SEEM injured.] * Herman runs over. He has enough sense to pick up the gun. And he eyes Elizabeth. Elizabeth? You okay? [She blinks at Togo. "Who's Elizabeth?" Then she blinks again. "Who are you?" And then she looks down at herself! "Who am I?!"] ... dammit. [Session End!]