2016.11.27: The Wading Dead

The Wading Dead
The Gnawers investigate the mall's flooded basement.
IC Date	Sunday, November 27th, 2016 — Evening
Storyteller	Sid
Players	Dex/Soul-Man, Earl/Licks-the-Trash, Felix/Lets-Them-Eat-Cake, Jasen, Justin/Mouse Trap, and Sid/Dog Robber.
Location	The Dead Mall.
Plot	Dead Mall Discovery
Spheres	Shifter (Gaian Garou)

Jasen was totally down for a field trip today. Sure, he's a little insane and all, but just cause there's giant spiders climbing buildings in the distance and fuckin shaggoth roaming the streets unseen by the masses, you know, a guy still gets cabin fever. Sid has to drive, of course, so Jasen just hangs out in the back of the bus with Baron and avoids looking out the windows on the way. Till they're stopped at Mall Town USA where they can stop, meet with Felix, and go fishing with dynamite or something!

Felix is entirely down for fishing with dynamite, which is probably around reason #17 he should possibly not be the person who vet ideas for whether they qualify as 'good'. Regardless, he's had a couple arguably reasonable ones for this situation, and has a bag of water-related stuff -- goggles, a couple snorkels, some towels. Even water wings, currently uninflated. Because SOME people here can't swim. Apparently. When the others get to the mall, he's there using one of the planter edges like a balance beam, wandering backward along it.

Dynamite fishing is a semi-valid option for dealing with the problem. Meanwhile, Sid is helping Jasen out of the bus, because he may or may not want to climb out with his eyes closed. Either way, he gets an arm around him, once they're out, while the familiar spirit stays at his other side. "There's not too much stuff in here," he tells the kin. "Or, at least Baron said there wasn't, last time."

Jasen is trying SO HARD not to be a clingy little bitch, but he can't quite help himself, fear and blindness making him clutch at Sid till they're out of the open air of the city. "It's okay, I'll be okay. They can't see me, right? So I'll be okay." Mostly he's telling himself that, but he does his best to sound confident and reassuring. He drags Stuff with him, and says, "Don't worry guys, I'll make lunch while you guys do heroic things!"

"Awesome," Felix says by way of greeting, flashing the pair of them a grin, "I fuckin' love lunch. If you're makin' sammiches I hear that can be pretty heroic too. How y'all doin'?" He hops down off the planter and toward the others.

"Great!" Sid says about how they're doing, before he takes a moment to reconsider the answer, "I mean, besides the 'adjusting to the Sight' thing. But we're doing pretty good with that, too." He looks between the two, for several more moments, and offers, "Should I leave Baron with you?" to Jasen, the heroic lunch maker.

Jasen grins at Felix's optimism while cautiously opening up his eyes. "Oh, man, it's so *normal* in here..." he says to himself, just THRILLED with that! "I will make the *most* heroic sandwiches!" He considers Sid's question for a moment before saying, "You could if you think that'd be best, but I'd almost rather you took him with you guys so he can watch your back. I mean, I've got a wrench and a tupperware of cold potatoes, mu'fuckers best not mess with me. I can scream like *whoa*."

"That's true," Felix says, nodding to Jasen's scream ability, "...also I brought you water wings, which I reckon you won't need up here, but." He digs into the bag and pulls them out, offers them over. "Maybe he can kinda hang out in the stair area an' watch all the backs?" If Barron's visible to him currently, he looks toward the dog, as if to ask what he's got in mind.

"The wrench is really sharp, too!" Sid says, happily, because Jasen had tried to save him (back) using it. As for the water wings, he looks at them, before reaching for the things. "I'll blow them up if you want." Baron looks toward the employee's only door, and raises his ears, lowers his head. It clearly says, 'I'm ready for this shit.'

Jasen just... stares. And then siiiighs and nods at Sid taking the water wings, just going ahead and accepting that yes, yes those are probably needed. "Damn it, Felix." he says with a laugh. "But if I have to wear those, I get to make sammiches pool side and get entertained. Or up on one of those bridges or something. I don't wanna stay here and be bored!" he complains, and whips his wrench out of his pocket, "I got this shi-owcrap!" Unlucky people should not attempt to twirl wrenches on their finger, that's how you end up smacking yourself in the forehead with it.

Felix points a finger when Jasen manages to wrench himself. "A'ight, but that's the issue right there. We could leave you here without 'em an' somehow you'd end up down there not bein' able to swim anyway. How I dunno. But somehow." He shakes his head, and gives the pair of them a brief fond look. "Don't hit yourself with the sharp bit, neither. Sid, I got us some goggles an' snorkles an' shit too."

"Shit!" If there's a cooler with ice among the Stuff that Jasen had brought, Sid goes to get him some for his smacked face. He hasn't forgotten about the water wings, though, and goes to blow them up, after. "Okay! Uh, I'm gonna go in in Crinos," he tells Felix about snorkles.

Jasen is so god damned used to this that he starts to laugh while owing, developing a nice little triangle shaped bruise over one eyebrow. He puts the wrench DOWN and the water wings ON, because Felix is right. Without those, he really will somehow manage to teleport through the floor and drown in the god damned basement. Just... all of a sudden, probably. "Okay, I'll take your snorkel. Just in case." Fuck it, he gears up with Sid's, uh, gear. "You be careful, you don't regenerate in that skin." he cautions the metis fondly, and holds an ice bag to his head.

"Dedi--" Felix starts, then pauses, "I could dedicate you shit," he says, "if you want. I reckon I'll prolly go in Crinos too, 'cause if we gotta slice somethin' up, it's gonna go better with me pointy. Anyway, I kinda reckoned more the goggles'd be useful'n the snorkels, but y'know, they were there." He seems okay letting Sid handle the kin-icing, though he goes to take one of the water wings and help out there. "You want goggles too?" he offers Jasen, "Eye protection prolly can't hurt." Now he's probably jinxed it.

Sid hads the ridiculous water wings over to Jasen, when he's done blowing them up. He's panting a little bit. "You should wear some cool pair of goggles all the time. Like motorcycle goggles, or something," he suggests to the kin. Given his shirt, maybe he's got a thing for bikers. "Yeah. Dedicate them!" Jasen gets to be a 30 year old man in a pair of water wings. Sid gets to be a canid abomination in a pair of pool goggles and snorkle. "I regenerate all the time, actually. My birth form or not."

"Probably not the worst idea!" Jasen says to the offer, and is laughing again at the ridiculousness of this whole thing. Fuck you, curse! "You do? Well.. Fuck, that's amazing. Never mind!" Jasen says happily, and applies goggles. And snorkel. "If only we'd brought hardhats too." he says jokingly. "I humbly demand one of you kick Dex if he laughs at me when he gets here." He's only mostly joking. He is, of course, keen to watch some dedication ritual performance. Magic is so awesome!

Felix passes out water gear like party favours, which... well, they almost are, right now. He's got a bag with him, and already Jasen's wearing goggles, a snorkel, and a pair of water wings. While holding his massive wrench (not a euphemism) and an ice pack to his head, where said wrench as already hit him. Sid gets goggles and a snorkel, and Felix claims a set for himself as well. Baron has no doggles. As yet, anyway. "A'ight," Felix says, "one sec here..." He reaches into his pocket for his knife, and centers himself a little.

Sid gets serious for a moment, no matter how silly they look, and gives Jasen a glance, to signal him to get serious for a rite, too. Baron sits on his haunches, and, as a spirit, seems interested in what's about to happen. Hell, maybe he'll even help it work.

Jasen can be serious! He and his protective water apparatus move aside and out of the way, sitting his butt down on the edge of a planter to observe in fascinated silence. Well except for the part where he says, "Lemme know if you need anything, Fe. Pretty sure between the three of us, we've got whatever we need brought with us." There are some supplies, coolers and bags and the like, sitting nearby.

After parking his van out front and heading inside the mall, Justin finally catches up with the three as he lifts his hand. "Hey guys." He calls over as he looks curiously between the three. "You guys really sure you want to do this? Go into the water and all?" He sounds concerned, but he looks to be limbering up as he swings his arms side to side and rocking his shoulders back. Perhaps preparing for war?

"Hey!" Felix calls over to Justin, "...yeah, pretty sure. Hold on a couple minutes..." He looks a little silly in the water gear, and not particularly less so as he opens the pocketknife and moves closer to Sid. He reaches out for the Theurge's hand, and settles it into his own, palm upward. Then he opens his mouth and quietly sings, "Born a poor young country boy, Mother Nature's son," cutting Sid's finger with the knife when he gets to that part. There's warning, so at least it isn't a surprise. As he continues the song, he squeezes a bit more blood from the cut before it can heal itself right back up, enough to use it to draw a glyph on the side of the goggles with the tip of the knife, and then touch another drop to the snorkel. That done, he closes the knife and slips it away, pulling the tin that holds his cigarettes from his pocket. He holds it, focusing his attention on Sid and the items being dedicated, until he's nearly finished the (fairly short, it must be said) song. Then he opens it and, after the last refrain, swiftly lights one up, and blows some of the smoke across the newly dedicated items. He attempts to keep it from being directly in Sid's face, which is tricky with where they are, but at least the goggles should be protecting his eyes from any!

Sid doesn't seem to mind smoke blown on him. Nor getting his finger cut. The blood has to be milked out of it fairly quickly, though. The Metis heals fast. He's also paying keen attention to how the rite is worked, though he'll never be able to remember the song. Finally, he looks up, with the addition of newly dedicated snorkels, and waves at the newcomer. "Hey, Justin!"

Jasen looks over and raises a hand at the newly arrived Justin, looking back to the quick little ritual as it's finishing up. He's very interested in how it's done also, but he can't do it so he's not looking as though he's trying to learn it the way Sidney is. "I wish I was an artist, a werewolf in snorkel gear would be the best picture ever."

Giving Sid a smile, Justin lifts a hand up to him, then slips it into his pocket as he shifts his stance to one hip as he takes a look at the snorkling gear. "What rite are you guys working on?" He asks curiously ash he looks over to Felix and Sid, then gives a nudge to Jasen's shoulder.

"When Tiff taught me it," Felix tells Sid, "she said it don't exactly matter what you sing, or say, long's it's somethin' kinda set an' you can channel your feelin' of bein' connected to Gaia through it. She used that, but she knew a guy who was raised real religious who used the Lord's Prayer in Latin, for 'zample. Also you can use smoke from some other kinda plant if you want, like burnin' a branch, an' blow it on it from that, but for me it works better if the smoke's in me first." He puts out the cigarette while he says that, though he doesn't actually put it away. "Talisman Dedication," he answers Justin, and starts the rite again, this time on his own gear. It's slightly different, in that he sets the stuff on the planter edge and does the blood portion there, and only after that part puts them on. He uses the same cigarette again, and this time when he's done, seems inclined to continue smoking it. But that's probably not directly related to the rite.

"I'll draw it for you when we get home," Sid promises Jasen. There's no question of 'if' they get home. He's either an optimist, or he wants to look strong and confident for the kin. Then he quiets again, watching Felix a little more, and nodding to the advice. "I'll have to think of something that I connect with. I, uh, don't know the Lord's Prayer in Latin. I barely know it in English. Raised pagan, you know?" Justin gets a helpless look. "I've never actually learned that one. All the homids know the dedication rite, though."

Jasen grins at Sid and is, of course, completely fooled by the metis' confidence ruse! "You'll think something up, don't worry." he tells Sid when it comes to something it connects with.

"Oh, cool. I know that one also." Justin says as he looks over the swimming gear with a frown upon his face for a moment. "It's probably the best rite to know. It's super useful in so many situations. Whatcha looking to dedicate, Sid?"

The lupus born was in human form and was walking along, minding his own business. Seeing familiar faces however causes the homid to begin coming over, looking at the place with a curious gaze before looking to the others. "Any snacks?" He asks happily as he looks to the people present. "This place is our place right? A piece of land where we can spend time and help each other out right?"

<OOC> Sid says, "So, we're about to finish claiming the mall. The place isn't really 'ready' yet, as far as peaceful

Felix grins at Sid, and shrugs. "I dunno the Lord's Prayer in Latin either. Ain't raised pagan, but the church I went to as a kid stuck to English anyhow." He, Sid, and Jasen are all wearing swim goggles with snorkels; Jasen also has a pair of blow-up water wings on. The kin's got a massive wrench, too (still not a euphemism). Felix reaches into the bag by his foot and pulls out another goggle-and-snorkel set, which he offers Justinward. "Didn't know you were an artist," he says to Sid, before the unexpected presence of Earl gets his attention. He hasn't seen the guy in homid before, which probably doesn't help with dismissing the faint tension the arrival causes. Still, something about the speech patterns... he squints at the guy a moment before asking, "Earl? Yeah, it's ours, it just don't entirely know it yet."

"Yeah it's me Earl. I was told not to run around in breed form in the cities since I still look like a wolf." Earl says as he looks around and then nods. "Anything I can do to help out? I want to help." He says as he nods smiling as he looks to those present.

"Swim stuff, so I can use the snorkel in my birth form," Sid explains for Justin. Yes, that's definitely going to look...interesting. "Oh, uh, I'm not. I just doodle stuff. A little." Then a new person is arriving, and he looks at the stranger uncertainly, moving a bit closer to Jasen, hands going behind his back.

"Huh. That will be neat to see." Justin says to Sid with a grin. "Are you .. going down there by yourself?" He asks in a concerned tone as he looks back to the pair. "Because, I can go with you. I can swim good. You should have back up in case something is down there and tries to hook you."

"If you ever get a yen to learn it in Latin, I gotcha." Jasen offers with a grin. He still seems to think Sid's going to rock some amazing oil painting of majestic wolves in snorkels. When some random guy comes walking into the mall talking about 'ours' and what not, his first impulse is to stand up and heft his wrench, immediately blurting, "Who the fuck is this asshole?" It's nigh on impossible to look intimidating when you're wearing water wings, no matter how impressive your wrench is, it's just how it is. Felix's ID on who Earl is seems to settle him somewhat, but you know, Stranger Danger! "I'm guessing that's probably why he's offering you gear." Jasen says, gesturing to the stuff Felix is offering to Justin. "I'm going no where near anything, and will in fact be making lunch. This," he points at his own gear, "Is just so I don't randomly drown for no apparent reason. Cause I would."

There's a hint of a browlift at Justin's offer to join, though it fades into a quick grin at Jasen's gesture and guess. "See, this is why we pay him the big bucks," Felix informs the world at large, and continues to offer the gear Justinward. "We were each other's backup, but now you're here, come get your back involved too. An' =you=," he looks to Earl, "gotta introduce yourself to the others that ain't met you yet."

Earl nods. "I am Earl. also named Licks the Trash. Lupus born philodox cliath. Sorry if I worried people." He says apologetically before looking to the swimming gear. "I can swim good, help out with what needs to be done and I can perform rite of crash space and rite of cleansing." He says as he looks to those present.

Sid's eyes go wide, and he looks at Earl a moment, before suddenly spinning around, back to the New Guy. "Sidney. Rited Dog-Robber. Metis Theurge, first rank." His hand works as he talks, scratching at his neck? Doing something to his neck, but it's hard to see, turned around, and with the collar of his oversized coat in the way.

Giving Felix a grin as he takes the swim gear, Justin gives a nod of his head. "Awesome. Can't wait to jump in and get mauled by a mutant squid." He says as he peels out of his shirt to reveal his lanky frame with deep scarring over his fuzzy covered chest. Kicking out of his shoes, pulls his socks off, then steps into the feet flippers, followed by attaching the gear over his head so he can make sure it fits.

Jasen is quiet during these introductions, at least up until offering, "Jasen, Gnawer Kinfolk." Seriously, it's weird having such a short introduction! He puts his wrench at rest, though and settles his butt on the planter's edge in a relaxed pose again.

"An' Gnawer," Felix adds on the newcomer's behalf. Not that there was probably much doubt, but just to be sure... When Earl mentions the rites he knows, the Galliard looks to Sid. "Hey!" he says, as if he expects the Theurge to know why, and promptly looks mildly confused as to what the guy's doing. He looks back to Earl, then. "We're gonna go down to the basement an' see if there's any fomori in the water there. An' if there is, we're gonna kill 'em." A complicated and precise plan, but he's sure they can pull it off.

"Alright." The lupus born says as he nods to Felix and looks to the others. He looks to the others and nods. "I can fight also. My rite of passage had us attacking a burger place for monsters. The burgers didnt taste good." He says with a nod.

Sid turns back around, sans spiky collar. "Yeah, hey! I been meaning to learn that rite. Well, sort of. Jasen might never leave the house, if I make it more Crash Space-y relaxing, but we're about to get this big mall, so I guess it's okay?" He looks at Jasen, unsure. Maybe he was cool with becoming a weird abandoned mall hermit. "Anyway, um, my familiar's about to go glance down there again."

Justin peeks out from behind the goggles he just put in, giving them an adjustment here and there. "I'm ready to go whenever you guys are. Just say the word." He givesa stretch of his body, then leans back against a wall to wait.

Jasen chills in the atrium with the other Gnawers, who've been getting geared up with goggles, snorkels, shit like that. The kinfolk is also equipped with a pair of inflated water wings, which he makes look SUPER COOL, shaddup. Also a wrench, which may have something to do with the bruise over his eyebrow that he's holding a bag of ice to. "It's true, but I was promised multiple pillow forts, so I'll have to make myself move around here. Otherwise, all those poor pillow forts would go to waste!"

"An' that'd be a cryin' shame," Felix says, "Neglected pillow forts, fallin' to ruin for lack of love an' attention. Could bring a tear to your eye." He stretches, still fully clothed, including the goggles, with snorkel attached. Totally pulling if off though, yo. Next week's street fashion, I'm tellin' ya. "Need the door opened again, or is it still workin'?" he asks Sid, with a glance toward the basement door in question.

Earl goes to pick up the snorkels and goggles and simply gives a nod when told that pillow forts are falling apart. "I dont know anythihng about pillow forts but I am willing to help out." He says as he looks to the others.

"We brought the lights, right? Bring them over, please?" Sid asks, as he goes to test the door to make sure it is still open, after leaving his coat and collar on one of the planters. One away from Jasen, because he's mildly paranoid that the rat wizard might fall on the spikes somehow. The lock pick job has been untouched, he discovers, as he gets over there, and motions for the others, slowly pushing the door open. He's clearly all nerve endings right now.

Hurrying through the mall now Dex comes in at a jog leaning backward as he comes to a stop breathing heavily while he does. "Fuck. I hate running. Running in the worst." He says panting while he catches his breath his head shaking a couple times, "Two legs, stupid for running." He tells the other Gnawers the heel of his hand pressed into his side of the moment. He offers a grin to them before chiming out with, "I ain't miss it yet, right?" A chuckle rolling out from him.

Flopping a hand over his chest, Justin gives the scars over his flesh a scratching, then heads after Sid as his flippers slap against the ground with each step he takes. He rolls his shoulders up and down in a swivel to pop the joints loudly. He lifts a hand to Dex as he heads in, then focus on the door that opens.

Jasen makes himself useful by making sure Stuff People Need (like lights) are out of bags and able to be grabbed. "You guys be safe, and if you have some kinda, you know, catastrophe, just scream real loud and I'll distract the bad guys with my incredible fail skills." He grins as Dex arrive and says, "Nope! Right on time. Here, take these awesome swim things. I'll keep an eye on ya'lls stuff you want kept dry and um... Try not to burn down the mall on top of you."

"Yo, Dex!" Felix greets the Adren, giving him a grin, and proffers the bag, "You want goggles? I got a couple left." There's a couple other things still in there as well, and he answers Sid, "I got some of those glowsticks, an' a couple waterproof flashlights they had at Wallyworld." There are also a couple towels, taking up most of the remaining room in the bag. He lets Jasen unpack stuff, and when Dex has what he wants, Felix carries the towels over to the basement door. Lights, or at least some of them, go to Sid. Then he more or less follows Justin's example, stripping down to his shorts and leaving the rest in a fairly neat pile where the kinsman can, as offered, keep an eye on it. Not much scarring on his chest, just a long-healed cut under the tattoo on his abdomen, but man there's a lot of scar tissue criss-crossing under that phoenix on his back, if one looks at all closely. The clothes thing is apparently just for their extra safety from What Lurks Beneath, since he shifts up to Glabro on the way to the door, before even taking them off.

"I agree, running is better with four legs." Earl says to Dex and he nods to the man, smiling happily. He looks the man over as if expecting something and he just gives a nod. "So we go in there, kill the monster,and claim the place in the name of the bone gnawers." He says as he shifts to glabro. "Ready."

"Yeah, just in time!" Sid says, voice a little low. He gives Dex a bright salute. He gets one of the flashlights from Jasen, and agrees with Felix, "Yeah, I brought glow sticks, too." But he forgets all about that for a moment, because while Baron (a scruffy grey mutt of a dog) takes a few steps toward the stairs leading toward the sunken goldfish lair, Sid goes to Jasen, gets his noodle arms around the poor man, and licks his face good! Then it's into the darkness.

Things seem as they had been left by Felix and Sid. A flooded basement, storage areas and offices on either side of a main walkway, semi-mirroring the mall layout above it. In the water, illuminated by flashlights, fish can be seen. They look, of all things, like koi.

"Wallyworld. A time honored institute of getting cheap shit." Dex says with a sagelike nod to the matter. He grins and takes a pair of goggles before snagging some of the lighting stuff, "Thank ya, Felix." He offers with a broad grin. Looking toward the others he rolls his shoulders a couple times and he reaches into his pocket to pull out a pair of shades and they get deposited into the gym bag at his side, before he surges into Crinos which melds everything he has to himself. The lights much smaller in this form he keeps alight hold on the glowsticks that he'll crunch with just a squeeze before he moves to slip in through the door fitting the goggles he loosened as far as he could over his eyes, "This will hurt when they come off." Comes the growled voice of the large Garou as he looks around, hunkered down he still rather large but he seems to be more solid then towering.

Jasen returns a water winged hug to Sid, tight and enthusiastic, and just straight up licks the metis back. When in wolf-Rome, right? Grinning stupidly as all the great garou go heading off into the great soggy yonder, Jasen goes to start dicking around with bags and coolers, dragging them into a nice spot where he can start setting up for lunch. Totally not even eyeing the various pools of water, nope. Cause he's supposed to not drown!

"Sometimes even free," Felix says, with a grin to Dex. The facelicking gets a quiet snirk, and he stretches. "Catch you in a few, J. Stay safe," he tells the kin in a rather less moist temporary leavetaking, and as he steps through the door he shifts up to Crinos as well. The shorts disappear. The water gear just gets bigger to fit. Thanks, Gaia! He has a few of the glowsticks in one hand, and a currently rather tiny-looking flashlight in the other, casting the beam about.

Heading down into the darkness as well, Justin takes his glabro form as he bulks up into a beefier, taller state of muscle. Having secured a light as well, he turns it on to shine about the darkness, nose wrinkling. "I still don't know if it's a good idea that we go in there. Fighting in water is a lot more challenging than fighting on land."

Dog-Robber leaves his jacket, but takes the glowsticks that he'd brought. Baron, who'd gone first, and almost gets to the water, looks back at the Garou and shakes his head. His fur is on end, and then he vanishes from sight, altogether, crossing back through the Gauntlet to the spirit world. This leaves Sidney to warg, as he tries not to think about getting licked. "There's like no spirits down here. It's nearly vacant. It creeps me out." Then he's looking between Soul-Man and Justin, ready to act on whatever orders the ranking Gnawer gives.

The garou shifts to crinos with the others and moves with the others, claws sharpened and ready to be used. He looks about and sniffs the air. "Fish." He says as he swats at the fish and tries to shoo them away. <OOC> Earl throws his name in that

To (Earl, Justin, Lets-Them-Eat-Cake), Dog-Robber pages: You guys spot a shape in the water. It's not moving, and is about human sized, maybe twenty feet straight ahead of the stairs.

To (Earl, Justin, Lets-Them-Eat-Cake), Dog-Robber pages: It's not floating right on top, but it's not completely sunken, either.

Jasen's activities have nothing to do with anything, but I should probably mention his fetching of a metal drum from his bus and the subsequent filling of flammable stuff, which is sprayed down with lighter fluid while he has a beer in his water wings and goggles. See? Everything's going fine over here! He even manages to light this bitch on fire and NOT himself!

A low rumbling chuckle rolls out of Soul-Man before he gives a nod back toward Felix, "You got a point." He echoes out in the deep voice before moving toward the waters edge and peering down into the blackness of it and he speaks up again, "If we didn't want to keep the fish in there wouldn't be too hard to flush anything out." He growls with a frown pulling at his features. "You guys know of anything actually in there?" He asks curiously before looking back toward the others that scouted it out.

~Well, if there's somethin' livin' in here, ain't like just callin' it Neighbour's a shitload safer,~ Lets-Them-Eat-Cake says to Justin's remark, sweeping his beam across the water. It stops on a human-sized shape in the water, unmoving, about 20 feet ahead of the stairs. ~There's that,~ he says, leaning slightly to look at it, ~Definitely a Thing. S'pose it could be a dude that don't swim so well as he thought, but it ain't one of the fish, for sure.~

"I'd be more comfortable with a high ranking Uktena who can command the weather spirits to part the water like Moses or something so we can get a better look at what is going on in there." Justin says with a chuckle as he shines the light along the water, giving a pause as it seems he spies what Felix is looking at. "I don't mind going in there first."

The wolfborn looks to the human figure that seems to be in the water and goes to approach it, claws ready incase the thing happened to be something else. He raises his claws once close enough to the thing. "What is it?" He asks with a confused tone.

The Thing is pale, but it's hard to get a better look at it, with the fish. Dog-Robber is clearly happy to let the Full and Half Moon go first. He's panting and wagging, but from nerves and excitement, rather than happiness. When Earl gets to the Thing, yes. Clearly it is, or was, a human. A drowned corpse? Its flesh is pale like an eel, but it still doesn't move. Strangely, it doesn't seem bloated and black like a drowned corpse ought to be.

Soul-Man looks around a moment and he frowns before he grumbles to himself, <<I gotta learn to pull shit from the bag like this.>> He grumbles to himself before starting to look around, <<See if we can't find something to throw at it. Might show us if it's an issue to be addressed or look for something else.>> He offers before teh Galliard starts to poke around the storeage area looking for a chunk of something to throw at the floating figure in the water.

Lets-Them-Eat-Cake seems perfectly willing to go investigate it as well, though he doesn't protest Earl heading on down there first. He sweeps the water with his flashlight again, just to be sure he doesn't see any buddies for this (ex?)guy, or anything that doesn't appear to be koi. At the elder Galliard's instructions, he glances around, then at his hand, shrugs, cracks one of the glowsticks so it makes light, and throws that at the Thing. Won't sink it or anything, but bouncing it off him might get a reaction if he's not actually dead. And if not, hey, lighting the water's what those were for. Win-win, right?

Jasen is kinda glad he doesn't have to play Sinkers and Floaters with the basement gang down in the stank water. But he does play chef, and being as how he's not being driven completely mental by spirit life in here, he's able to have some fun with it and upgrades himself to Swedish Chef. "So, de beency bouncy burger, eh?" Jasen is totally fluent in Swedish Chef. "Shern de shern de herf! Sher de chicky en de farney hug!" Yes, he is playing with the food. And didn't wash his hands!

"I just don't think any of us should go into the water right now. Let's find a long pole or something, give it a poking if there is one around." Justin says as he passes the light about the basement left to right. "If I need to go in there, I'll shift to crinos and wade in. His ears give a perk upwards as he watches Earl, then looks to Dex as he is the highest in rank. His call, obviously.

The Thing doesn't move, even as the light stick hits him. Maybe it's not big enough to wake him up, given that he's swarmed by fish. It does illuminate him, though, a little. He's clothed, but the clothing is tattered, and the cheap leather of his shoes is starting to come apart.

Dog-Robber takes a step back up the stairs.

Earl taps the creature with his claws. With him being the closest, he looks to the creature as if expecting it to be something dangerous. He growls and gets a better footing so he can pick the corpse thing up out of the water. <<It smells like wet>>

<OOC> Soul-Man says, "How deep is the water?"

<OOC> Soul-Man says, "Specifically where the floater is. If it can be gauged."

<OOC> Dog-Robber says, "Now that the glow stick is sinking to the bottom, you think you could wade in there in Crinos without having to swim. The floater is a few feet down. He's not right at the top."

Soul-Man gestures toward the Lupus that is already wading through the water, <<Well seems he's curious about it.>> He tells Justin while the Philodox moves past him into the water and the Adren turns about stopping in his search to find something and moving with a bit more speed toward the water now that Earl is out there tapping on the floater, <<Obviously this one hasn't hunted before. Are you Cliath or Cub?>> He snaps toward the Philodox no longer believing that the figure has been on a hunt before. Looking back over to Cake he asks him, <<You see anything else in the water?>> They'll find out in a moment from Earl's screaming if the thing is a fomor.

Lets-Them-Eat-Cake lifts a brow at Earl's technique, but hey: can't claim that's not a straightforward way to see if the thing's likely to attack. ~Nope,~ he replies to Soul-Man, ~Nothin' else but fish, so far...~ He keeps an eye out for signs of that changing, and the other for whether the lupus is likely to need more claws in the mix than he can wield himself. If it turns out to just be corpse hauling, the 'dox is on his own.

"If that's a dead body, it should be way more bloated by now from being in the water. Bodies swell up and get all gross looking." Justin says as he frowns as Earl heads into the water. "He's a cliath." He grunts out a bit as he gives a flex of his fingers a fe times, then shifts up into the crinos form as he readies himself.

The corpse seems pretty chill. Justin's right, though. It's nearly immaculately preserved, in gross water, even though its clothes aren't. It's just very pale. Felix will remember the dead man upstairs, who was alert and talking, looked in worse shape than this figure does.

<<I am Cliath.>> The philodox says as he claws at the corpse and picks it up. <<Where do you want it>> He asks as he swishes his tail underwater, stirring the fish up as he looks to the other people. <<What do we do with dead humans?>>

<OOC> Soul-Man will drop a Sense Wyrm

<OOC> Dog-Robber says, "roll it"

<OOC> Jasen will drop trou.

<OOC> Dog-Robber says, "do it"

<OOC> Lets-Them-Eat-Cake will drop the beat.

<OOC> Dog-Robber says, "these are unexpected outcomes. but yeah, the place is reeking."

Soul-Man frowns for a moment and his hand comes up to rub over his lupine features before he tells Earl, <<Might as well take it out.>> He frowns and looks over the body and he lets his senses extend out sniffing at the air softly for a moment while he tries to pick up on any traces of the Wyrm left in the room and his hand comes up to cover his nose after a moment, <<Reeks of the wyrm in here. Careful that body might be playing opossum. We'll throw it out of the water.>> He says starting to wade into the water to help, especially if it pops to life he shouldn't just stand and watch it tear into Earl.

~Not just -lookin', generally~ Cake agrees with Justin, eyeing Mr. Well-Preserved. ~How's he smell? I mean, 'side from 'wet',~ he starts to ask, going quieter when Soul-Man seems to already be checking that out. ~Maybe don't throw it too close to Jasen, though...~ he suggests. If it's going to suddenly decide to wake up and get violent on someone... He gets out of Dex and Earl's way, and continues lighting up as much of the room as he can. ~Kinda inclined to go swimmin' an' see what I see,~ he says, with a glance to the Adren.

The wolfborn brings the corpse out of the water and drags it outside away from Jasen and sniffs the corpse. He then returns to the water and slaps at a few koi. <<Shame we cant keep the fish, they are fun to play with.>>

Dog-Robber tries to give the wolfborn enough room on the stairway, looking at the corpse with a low growl. ~No, not near Jasen,~ he says, protective, heading down further toward the water, and Soul-Man and Cake.

Jasen is up in the atrium creating a sweet victory feast for the mighty warriors, having a cigarette and a beer while getting some stuff heated up on a low heat, chopping other things up (carefully), and that kinda thing. Hobo feast type things, nothing too terribly fancy, but he learned actual Cooking, damn it, and he's gonna USE IT! "Oh, bitchin, guests!" he says jokingly as dead wet guys are brought up.

Soul-Man nods back toward toward Cake and tells him, <<Lets look in here deeper see if there is anything else around.>> He offers before he looks back up toward where the Lupus went and he asks those down there, <<What are the odds you think that he dumps that thing by Jasen and wanders off?>> Raising his voice he calls up there, <<MAKE SURE IT'S DEAD BEFORE YOU LEAVE IT UNATTENDED!>> That's the last thing they want and he looks further into the water, <<Keep close enough to get attention of another, but other then that, sounds like a good plan, Cake.>>

The wolfborn looks to the corpse and uses his claws to rip it's head off. When that action was done he moves back downstairs back with the fish. <<Where to now?>> He says as he sniffs the air and tries to shoo the fish away.

Maybe Justin should go up and keep an eye on things! For now, Cake gives Soul-Man a light salute-movement, then breaks the glowsticks he still had and tosses them to various points in the basement, aming to scatter their weird greenish light across as much of the space he can. ~Hopin' not so good as the odds you get the wrong pizza,~ he says, with a glance up the stairs, but when he's down to just the flashlight, he starts making his way into the water.

Jasen's voice follows Earl back down the stairs, all wailing and woeful, "I just waxed the floors!" This is not at all true, but whatever, if he's gonna play housewife, he may as well ham it up a little.

Dog-Robber follows Cake, with his own flashlight. Damn it. He's short. He tries to stand up as straight as he can, to not be too much under water, as he wades after. There are several areas to explore. The place is nearly as big as the first floor up above, nearly. The storage areas are all unchecked. ~Should we like sweep the parameter or something?~ He likely doesn't know what that even means, but it sounds smart and tactical. He only seems to care to wade out as far as the corpse was, without further direction. And only if Fe comes, too!

Soul-Man nods his head at the words from Cake and he move to start heading through the water tossing some of the glowsticks out further in the water lobbing them out so they can see more. He looks toward Cake and calls to him, <<Call out if you see anything other then fish... I'm going to be super pissed if these fish are evil and we're going through all this to try and save them.>> He says with a low chuckle before looking over the area further. <<Ya, we sweepin', buddy. Keep your eyes peeled.>>

Earl watches the goings on and begins to move about, not seeming to mind the water or the fish. He remains silent now as he is busy sniffing the area. <<Dont smell amiss.>> He says as he moves, turning to regard soul-man and do what the adren says.

~Some of these fish have scars,~ Dog-Robber realises, as he wades through the water. The first storage area, as they sweep, is empty, except for the leftovers of its better days. A particle board desk is soggy and no longer floating, and an old computer monitor is dead on the ground. Perhaps some fish are now living in it. The second and third as well. The fourth, another corpse. Several other corpses. They're preserved like the first one. Someone, um, better point them out to Soul-Man.

~Well, Jasen was sayin' it'd be pretty hard gettin' the water out anyhow, so we reckoned: lake! Part swimmin', part fishin', part sharks with <frickin' lasers> on their heads.~ Cake grins, all sharp crinos teeth, the expression odd yet familiar on the canid head. The look he gives Sid is more reassuring, and he continues further into the water. He's got goggles, and even a snorkel: he's ready to get right down in there and see what he can see. As soon as he ends up where it's deep enough swimming in crinos doesn't feel just silly, anyway. This probably actually means he ends up mostly wading for a while. Storage areas seem nice and boring, up to that fourth one. ~...hey, Soul-Man. We got more of those guys here,~ he calls back to the Adren, and eyes them a moment. ~Kinda wonderin' if they're somethin's meal leftovers. Like the animals the spider fomori an' the acid vomit guy had drained an' wrapped up upstairs.~

Jasen is not all that immune to being surprised. MOSTLY immune, just not completely. Standing around doing hobo chef stuff with a dead, decapitated body nearby, sure, that's unsettling maybe but it's not like he hasn't seen dead guys and wolf men and all kinds of shit. "...Are you.. Are you talking to me?" he asks towards said dead body, looking very unsure and kinda weirded the fuck out as he approaches cautiously, wrench now in hand. See, *that's* not normal.

Fish? What fish... Soul-Man looks around and he can't seem to find them... he finds the computer monitor though! With his foot! And almost ends up face planting into the water as he trips over it, <<FUCK!>> He yells before glowering down at the water for a moment and it's when he hears the words from Cake that he frowns and heads toward him him to look at it. <<You think these are the leftovers? Something ate and tossed them down in here? Should probably catch a fish or two as well and see what their deal is.>> He murmurs hwile his hand rubs the side of this muzzle.

The body just sits there, headless and sad.

Dog-Robber ACTUALLY MANAGES to scoop up a fish on his first try. It wriggles in his hands, and he goes to show it to the others. Scars. Bite scars, and strange, round sucker-like scars. Perhaps from the leech man slug thing? /These/ things were definitely being eaten from, but only a little. The bodies, when they're examined, too, seem to have wounds on them. Tiny little bite wounds, from two little fangs.

~Not necessarily tossed 'em down,~ Cake says, ~Might be it ate 'em down here, too.~ He sounds just faintly hopeful about this possibility. He glances around for scarred fish, an eyes the fish Dog-Robber catches, and those marks on the bodies as well, giving storage area four a closer look in case of signs of not-quite-deadness in the corpses or anything that might be causing them. Should no such thing appear, he moves on to Area Five, on the theory that if something's storing corpses, it's probably doing it somewhere convenient. You don't keep the fridge way down the street, after all. Not if you can avoid it. ~Are there water vampires? In movies they can't cross runnin' water sometimes, but even if that's real I reckon' this ain't really runnin'. An' bein' IN it ain't exactly crossin' it anyhow...~

<<Vampires? What are they?>> Earl asks as he moves along with the others. When Soul-man kicks the monitor and nearly trips, he moves to offer the adren some help before moving to the fish. <<So what are we lookinhg for? Human thing?>> He asks curiously as if not sure what he is supposed to find.

Jasen looks abruptly alarmed and whirls about, searching for Baron possibly and flapping his hands - wrench hand included - and says, "Help. Fuck. Help!" but in a non-yelling volume. His woofy companions are probably too far for calling out to, pools of water are pools for a reason and he can't just yell at water and expect anyone to hear him. Basement steps it is! "Baron?" He calls while moving down to the water's edge and calling, "Sidney? Someone? I heard a lady! ...Hello?" Fuck! Why didn't I pack a megaphone! Aside from not owning one!

Soul-Man looks over the bodies and he frowns a little while longer, his head tilting to the side before letting out a deep rumble and he offers, <<Check the fish for fangs at least. I want to make sure they weren't eating each other. Have cute little fishies that end up eating Jasen when he gets down here because THAT would be their target.>> He says with a shake of the head. Rubbing the side of his muzzle he looks toward Felix, <<Hey Cake, ya'll killed a spider chick, right? She have fangs like that for sucking out the juice center?>> He's still trying to piece it all together.

Dog-Robber lifts the fish. This one, at least, has no fangs. Just a normal koi mouth, made for eating koi pellets. Then he lets it go again. ~She bit me, but she didn't drain my blood.~

Baron comes immediately to Jasen's side, and they head to the stairs together. Of course, Baron, telepathic with his familiar (Sid is definitely the familiar, right?), alerts him. ~Jasen says he hears a lady. Shit, where is he?~ His instinct is to rush to the stairs.

~Dead folks that drink blood out of live ones,~ Cake answers Earl. ~I never actually saw the spider lady, so Dog-Robber's the one to ask 'bout the fang size, but she definitely did suck the juicy center outta shit. But, her collection of corpses upstairs was smaller shit -- cats, dogs. Rats.~ He's interrupted from this train of thought by Sid's remarks, and the faint sound of Jasen upstairs, and with another glance around to make sure the place hasn't suddenly appeared to have some kind of time pressure down HERE, starts back toward the stairs and the kin up them. ~You a'ight?~ he calls in a carrying tone, with the aid of at least a few years of trained projection. Good thing Jasen's picked up the language, huh?

Jasen hasn't ever had to pass messages via familiar before, but if Lassie can bark wildly and get people to understand, then so can he, damn it! "Tell Sid I heard a lady," he tells the dog spirit nervously while looking out over the dark, flooded basement. "I think she sees them and went after them and I think she might have minions or something. I dunno if she's a dead lady or a spirit lady or what." And just in case he's just talking to a dog spirit and not sending telepathic messages over to Sid, he jumps up to his feet again and yells, "HEY! There's a... there's a... There's a watery tart! Look the fuck out!"

<OOC> Lets-Them-Eat-Cake says, "Hm. And there were swords upstairs. Does this mean we get to be kings? :D"

<OOC> Dog-Robber says, "YES"

<OOC> Jasen says, "O.O!!!!!"

<OOC> Lets-Them-Eat-Cake says, "Hooray!"

<OOC> Dog-Robber says, "BUT YOU ALREADY WERE LIKE "FUCK THE LADY OF THE LAKE" SO NOT ANYMORE."

<OOC> Lets-Them-Eat-Cake says, "...aww."

<OOC> Dog-Robber says, "except Sid. he didn't say it, so he can be kind."

<OOC> Lets-Them-Eat-Cake says, "Man having principles is such a bummer."

<OOC> Dog-Robber says, "king"

<OOC> Jasen says, "hahahaha"

<OOC> Lets-Them-Eat-Cake has way more fun in the many matters in which he has absolutely none!

<<Watery tart? Is he fucking up the food up there?>> Soul-Man asks though he rolls his shoulders and his claws flare open a bit more. His eyes snap toward one of the bodies and a low bubbling growl thrums up out of the Galliard, <<Cake. I hope that was a fish that made the body twitch.>> He tells the other Galliard while watching it slowly backing through the water toward the entrance once more. His eyes tracking for movement while he drifts slowly backward making sure each food is soundly placed. Falling would be bad.

~He says she's a spirit,~ Dog-Robber says, hearing it over the telepathy, even if Jasen's not screaming it. ~Ghost or normal, he doesn't know! Baron can't see it, though.~ All of them can, however, hear about the watery tart, as the kin yells.

It's not the fish though. The twitching, well preserved corpse gets up, along with the rest of them. And there were more, further back, than their sweep had found. The Lady of the Lake's subjects.

~Watery...~ Cake turns to watch the lake again, and there they are: the wading dead. ~Well, shit,~ he says, tucking his flashlight into the side of his goggles and flexing his claws as he starts toward the nearest one (or ones) approaching, ~That ain't a fish.~ But at least it's not lobbing a scimitar at them. Yet. That's something!

Jasen is so worried! But I mean, what can he do that he hasn't already done? He yelled, he flapped, he got very very close to liquid death.. He turns around and rushes up the few steps to the main floor again, and assuming he's not attacked by headless zombie types, he turns things that are cooking over. Yes, totally realize this is a catastrophe in the works, friends and loved ones may be getting hurt, maybe even getting their brains eaten, but that's no reason why perfectly good food needs to burn and get ruined. After all, they might be badass werewolves having no problems what so ever, and then he'd feel bad about serving char burgers or something.

Soul-Man and Cake put down the WD 3 and 4, before they get a chance to strike. One is unfortunately disemboweled, the other's throat's slashed, leaving its head dangling half off, before they both crumple into the water. WD1 hits Dog-Robber, but with hardly any strength, and he returns fire, with a bite, mangling it.

Jasen, however, sees something, and WD2 is still standing.

Jasen does his quick back and forth, ensuring that he's not about to get drowned by that guy everyone was sure was dead, just like in a bad horror movie. He's still very cautious about the water and stays the hell out of it, looking into the basement. "That's her! Right there in the door! Git 'er! GIT 'ER! In the doorway!"

<OOC> Lets-Them-Eat-Cake says, "Can we see her, in said doorway or otherwise?"

<OOC> Dog-Robber says, "You see a corpse in the doorway. That is WD2."

<OOC> Jasen says, "Just be glad it's not WD40"

<OOC> Dog-Robber says, "WD40 is still incoming."

<OOC> Lets-Them-Eat-Cake says, "Slippery fella, that one."

<OOC> Jasen says, "We just can't *hear* it..."

Soul Man takes a few to gaze across the Gauntlet, but he sees the same as Baron had saw: not much of anything, really! Then Dog Robber and Felix carve the remaining WD2 up, with with a snap to the arm, ripping it off, and the Galliard with claws, rending it. It crumples into the water, with the other three.

The incoming shambling corpses, not tall enough to break the surface, stop in their tracks.

Jasen watches nervously, shifting from foot to foot and wondering if he'll die instantly if he just went for it, or if his sweet sweet water wings will keep him afloat. "HA! She's a dead chick! There, there!" Jasen bounces excitedly - I'm helpful!! - and points excitedly at the one he now declares to be full of dead lady (WD9) "Violet?" Jasen says, turning to look for his dead girlfriend, "I swear to god I will convince one of those kinmagi to make me motherfuckin immortal if you don't go down there and punch that dead bitch for me right now. Go! Go go go! I'm serious! I will never ever die!"

~These motherfuckers are gettin' back up!~ Cake exclaims, ever the poetically eloquent Galliard, ~Try takin' heads maybe, works in movies!~ And the experiment is put into effect, at least on his end.

Cake puts WD2 back in its place, which in this case, is on the floor, underwater, headless and still missing an arm. Dog Robber manages to put down WD5 with a savage bite, while Soul-Man takes out WD6 and 7 with his claws. Now, however, WD1, 3, 4, 9 and 10 are up and in striking distance.

Jasen keeps a hand on Baron and his wrench ready, just in case! "Get her! Get her! Get her!" he yells with his voice a bit too high from anxiety. Don't worry, he'll get a bit too high later and everything will be fiiiiine! But as far as progress reports go, he doesn't change his mind about who's 'it', so still number 9!

~Can we make bombs work good underwater? 'cause blowin' these fuckers all up sounds good,~ Cake says, ~How fuckin' many bodies are there an' how many times can she raise em back up an' just jump around?~ Apparently he doesn't think the answer is '2'. But... maybe it's three? Three's mystic shit, right? As long as the ones that were attacking him are out of commission, he glances to Jasen in case he's going to announce the next target. If the kin does, he's going for that one as directly as he can. Otherwise -- well, he just goes for the nearest thing still up and in range.

Soul-Man completely wrecks 9, while Sid moves up, to get into range of the now-dropped corpse. Cake does not manage to behead 3, the closest no-longer-wading dead, but he does cut its throat. It doesn't react to this. Fueled by rage, however, Soul-man keeps going, and manages to take out 10, as well, leaving Dog Robber without a target in range. But he's not complaining.

Jasen nigh on does the pee pee dance over here while watching the harrowing battle, trying to keep his eye on things and be helpful to the distant wolves while the dead rise and, er, slosh. He abruptly "WOOO!"'s at roughly the same time that all the minions of evil drop into the water go to back to being lifeless husks again. "That's mah girl!" He's not usually so proud of Violet and rarely calls any of you his girl where you're able to hear him do it. "She's down! Lady evaporated!" He calls, and thrusts his water winged arms into the air triumphantly, "I think the coast is clear!"

Dog-Robber is not -entirely- sure what happened. He only lingers a moment to make sure that the dropped corpses, that all go eerily down at once, do not get back up again. Then he bolts. Or, at least that's the IDEA. He's short, and can't really run on his tip toes through water, so he more like soggy doggy paddles as quickly as he can back toward Jasen's stairs, where Baron, too, is lingering.

~I dunno what the fuck she did, but go Violet!~ Cake exclaims, and prods at downed corpses with his rather pointy toe. When none of them appear inclined to move, he calls to Jasen and the retreating Sid, ~One minute, gonna poke around s'more,~ and goes to finish off the investigation of the basement, swimming if necessary. Possibly even if not. If nothing else, he's aiming for an inventory of those storage rooms and of how many corpses are lying around under here before he heads back to get the full story. And a burger. And a towel.

When the wading dead drop Soul-Man blinks a couple times and he looks back toward Jasen with a confused expression upon his features. <<Really? She did it?>> That seems to befuddle him more then the fact that they head to deal with a dead chick. His head shakes a couple times before he offers to Felix, <<Hey Cake, lets gather up these bodies out of the water and destroy 'em. It is gonna be a bitch.>> He offers with a nod of the head.

Jasen really really quickly runs up the stairs, rapidly does things with food to avoid waste, and then runs back down the steps again. "Yeah! Well, I mean *you* guys did all the heavy lifting," he calls back, apparently understanding his garou brethren just fine, "When you killed the dudes she was riding she'd come out kinda messed up, and when you get that last one she was pretty beat to shit and punch drunk, right. Then Vi comes running up behind her, grabs her by the shoulder to whirl her around, and then just slapped the mother fuckin *shit* out of her. Fuckin... *death* slap!" He clasps his hands up near his jaw and says with a grin, "It was just like high school again!" He clearly did not wear the pants in that relationship.

Dog-Robber pages: You find several more corpses. ten were fought, and there might be 17 total. You also find several large bags of koi pellets, sitting dry on one of the stair cases. there is also boxes and other junk.

You paged Dog-Robber with 'Koi pellets! That's interesting. Hmm. Any sign of anything that would make fangy marks in things?'

Dog-Robber pages: No. You actually think you were right about them being/having been food for the spider.

You paged Dog-Robber with 'That spider was busy.'

Dog-Robber pages: She was.

You paged Dog-Robber with '...and good, 'cause she doesn't need more killing. :D'

Sid listens to the tale, almost wide eyed. He has, indeed, made it back to the stairs by the time Jasen's done with the food, and just listens a moment. He's also shifted back down to homid for a moment, which is a strange sight: all the water that was in his fur suddenly falls to the floor, in a splash, nothing for it to hold onto. "Well, I guess Violet's the new Lady of the Lake. THANKS, VIOLET!" he says, flat out yelling those last words, because he has no idea how the Shroud works. Then he can't help it anymore, and gives Jasen similar treatment to his departure. But this time, he just lays one on him, instead of licking at his face, noodle arms around him tightly.

Lets-Them-Eat-Cake nods to Soul-Man, and stays around just about long enough to hear Jasen's version of things. And see that kiss, because what are friends for if not to wolf-whistle at such things while actually having wolf lips? After the trip further into the depths of the basement, he returns with further news. And relatedly, corpses. There are 17, it turns out, none showing any further inclination to reanimate, and he starts dragging them to stairs, out of the water. One set of stairs has several large bags of koi pellets, too, so we're set for fish food for a while! ~I'm pretty sure it WAS spider-lady eatin' these guys,~ he decides by the time he's near the others again, stacking a couple bodies on the stairs like very soggy firewood.

Jasen is lassoed by the noodle elemental named Sid and deals just fine with being smooched as well, "Oh my god you're so soggy!" he blurts, and stoops to just straight up pick the Metis up and carry him over his shoulder the few feet to the first floor. His dryness was ruined anyways, so what the hell. Also, he is not helping you people with bodies. It's unsanitary and he has food to tend to! Setting Sid down by the towels, he sheds protective gear off himself and starts making plates of all kinds of stuff for people to put in their faces. Victory feast!

Sid absolutely whines when he's literally carried off, over Jasen's shoulder. "In front of the guys?!" That's not embarrassing, at ALL.

A towel and some clothes, and Felix's off to eat approximately his weight in the things Jasen's been cooking. At least it's his homid weight.