2018.09.28: Albany Heists Part2
| Albany Heists, Part 2 | |
|---|---|
| A group hired by Pax travels to Albany, New York to recover rare Occult books for a client. | |
| IC Date | Friday, September 29th, 2018 |
| IC Time | 2:00 am EST. |
| Players | Pax, Helen Shepherd, Aubrey, Estrella, Wesley |
| Location | Albany, New York |
| Spheres | Legio Umbris |
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Man, what a fight that was! As the gang speeds off, Sarah gets tied up on the back of the van with rope and duct tape so she can't fuck off anywhere else. Who knows though, maybe she'll wake up and starts headbutting people? Seems plausible... Anyway, the group makes for the drive to their last stop of the night, that house outside the city itself. It's not exactly hard to find, it's a sizeable gate with a 12 foot wall leading into the forest around it. Seeing past the gate, however, is a bit more difficult than that. For one, it's dark, and the road into the woods curves and turns so that the house itself isn't even visible from the road. On top of that, the gates are locked with a chain and padlock.
Estrella purses her lips and frowns, "Gate is totally mundane. The woods are... hard to see into, even with my, you know," She taps her temple, "Eyes." Estrella turns the newest collection to the van's library in her hands, "This thing is just... the same as the last. Normal, everyday materials. Nothing weird."
Wes eyes the book in Estrella's hands suspiciously.
Estrella blinks up at Wes, "What's up spooky? Got an itch you can't scratch with your shadow arms?"
"If the book was useless she would not risk life over it.", Helen says while shaking her head in disbelief that the thing was just useless paper and letters. Whiling steering the van off trail and hiding it behind some trees as she clicked the engine and headlights.
Aubrey pulls up Sarah's eyelids and stares in to her eyes in a look of concentration as she makes an attempt to view her memories of this place.
Estrella pbbbts, "I didn't say *useless.* Just mundane. Not enchanted, you know? Same as the last."
The memories of this place come readily to Aubrey's mind. Seems Sarah's a bit tired after that fight. In regards to this place, she get flashes of memories going down the road here to a fairly medeival styled house. She sees her sitting down and laughing with an older man over cups of tea in this large house down there. She sees getting lost in the forest surrounding the house relatively easily. And specifically, she sees the book she's looking for in the basement, stuck on a shelf with over fifty other books. He seems to like medeival heraldry, like shields, swords, suits of armor as decoration for this home.
Wes-Manifested would retort to Estrella, but then Aubrey is doing her Vulcan mind meld hoodoo so he looks in that direction instead.
Aubrey lets Sarah go and relates the information to the others. "The woods are dark and deep...yadda yadda." She then gets another cigarette since it won't kill her to smoke, them maybe but really it would be years in the future.
"I am sorry, Ella. I did not understand your words. I was worried we did that all for nothing.", she states while walking into the back of the van and patting Sarah down for a wallet or cellphone. Anything useful.
Estrella shrugs and waves her hand at Helen, "Oh no worries, Hel. You've been busy driving! I wasn't... very clear. Sorry."
"So. Smash and grab? Or what? Its been one nonstop gas after another." Wes is grouchy. Wes reaches over to adjust the throw on his flatlined body. Flatlined Wes looked cold.
Estrella says, “Yeah I guess smash and grab? That's worked okay so far I guess. We should stay together in the woods, though.”
"We got a few duffle bags. Pax said take all the books from the Library. I think we pay final respects to this one and each get ready for a stick up.", Helen says aiming the sword at Sarah's temple. "Kill her? She could come back for revenge?"
Estrella nods to Helen, "Yeah: carve her. Liability."
"Killing her doesn't mean she still wouldn't come back...just saying." She stretches and pops her back before looking at the night sky trying to judge how long before sunrise. "But we should be quick I don't tan in the light."
Wes looks to Aubrey with concern, then nods. "ok, so I gi us up a PMC unit to distract them while we get the loot. That work?"
Helen pierces the woman's skull. "I respect you. Good fight.", she whispers while digging the weapon in deep. - Maybe Wes could shoot her ghost or Aubrey enslave it. As the mercy killing takes place.
Aubrey grumbles to herself, "Bet he's fuckign English....They are just impossible to deal with when it comes to violence. Sure the Kray twins were good for a laugh but jesus regular nutters. He'll probley want to offer us tea and biscuts and try to get at the reason why we're there. Horribly polite and sympathetic..." She glares at Wesley as if somehow these new thoughts are all his fault.
Wes is checking in on his body. But then Aubrey's words draw his attention. "Being subtle hasn't really helped us. We should go in hard, get the stuff, get out."
Not much is known about this mark thus far. The driveway is long, and disappears into a heavily wooded area. The house itself has no real description, other than what was seen from Sarah's memories. A medeival styled home that would fit fairly well in the Harry Potter universe. Wood and stone and plaster, decorated with various shields, swords, and suits of armor. The book in question is in the basement, among a sizeable library that's really more decorations than books. The books, however, are apparently somewhat important. The forest itself plays tricks on those within it, based on what Aubrey and Estrella have seen of it from the outside. Regardless of all that, there's a locked iron gate at the front, and a twelve foot tall stone wall in their way.
Estrella blinks up at Wes, "What was subtle about the last two jobs again?" Estrella shakes her head, "But I agree. This place as 'keep out' written all over it. Let's just.... not do that. Can anyone pick the lock on the gate or am I up?"
"I can give it a try, believe it or not I had a very misspent youth. You learn alot in a Catholic girls school aside from a love of plaid and knee socks." Aubrey offers then lights up a cigarette. "Or we can just send Wes to ring the bell and announce us as Avon."
Estrella nods to Aubrey, "Fantastic. Lemme know how it goes. I can help if you need it."
Helen looks at her notebook and double checks the details. "Pax's notes state the book's are held in a basement library. And he wants -ALL- the books. So let's fight whoever outside the library so none of those books get damaged. It also says dispose of this one if necessary. If this woman -", pointing down at Sarah, "- fought so hard for one book. I don't know what a person might do to protect fifty?", Helen says while grabbing the bolt cutters from the van. "Let's just cut the lock on the gate. I don't think everyone wants to scale a tall foot wall in case we have to book it.", Helen rasps while lighting a cigarette. "Also everyone gets a duffle bag or a back pack. Let's not make one person carry this all. In case a fire or some other wacky shit happens tonight."
Wes mutters something about knee socks helping keep knees from getting too dirty before he realizes he said that aloud-ish. "Hnh. Duffle bag. In and out."
Aunrey thumbs up to the plan and picks up a couple bags since Wes is still play shadow man. "Should we just drive the van up the drive and avoid the woods all together? Though i'm not sure where the driveway leads." She look over at Wes the man with no body holding him back. "I swear to god you perve I am going to lock you in jar and store you in my basement." Clenching her cigarette between her teeth Aubrey leaves the rv.
The gate, as the group approaches, stands ominously tall. At least fifteen feet, it arches in the middle, giving it a very old asylum look. Fully open, it could likely support two cars side by side, although the road beyond itself likely couldn't for too fatr beyond. A large padlock has been placed on the gate itself, keeping it locked and likely indicating that the owner is either away, or has locked it up from the inside. Either way, the forest beyond stands eerily silent, the only sound that of the occasional chirping of a cricket or two beyond. The gravel path curves a little ways beyond, preventing viewing of the house beyond. Though the trees aren't exactly packed together, it seems difficult to see into the forest itself.
"Silent Hill. We need to find a bottle of Aglaophotis," offers Wes (un)helpfully. "It can dispel demonic forces and grant protection against such forces to those who use the item. Plus? it helps cure pink eye." Well, then. Someone's a Sad Clown indeed!
"Aubrey that is a great idea. But it might be noisy, let's cut the lock. I will go back to the van and put it in neutral. Let's push it up to the house slowly. Prep it for escape and then... Kill someone I never met before. I don't think they will just give us all the books. Also stealing fifty books could take awhile and then we could get caught while doing so. Maybe we create a distraction and just - kill them?", Helen asked. "We could chop off Sarah's head and threaten them with it. But Sarah wasn't even scared by me and I tried hard damn it.", Helen grunts while trying to cut the lock with the bolt cutters.
"Yeah... yeah that seems good. But how much you want to bet that this thing is electrifi--" Estrella freezes as Helen moves to cut the chain keeping the gate shut, hands suddenly out in front of her, eyes wide. She holds her breath.
Thankfully, the gate isn't electrified. The bolt cutters seem to have no real trouble cutting through them, the long lock falling to the ground with a thump as it's cut away. The gates creak, and no longer held together in that one spot, drift apart ever so slightly. They're heavy, but they're set very well on their hinges, and allow opening of them realtively easily when one goes to try it.
Estrella sighs in relief as the bolt clips free without so much as a crackle, then adjusts the dufflebag over her shoulder, "Alright then... You wanna take up the front and scout us out since you won't be doing any pushing, Spookster?"
Aubrey lends a hand in moving the stones to prop open the gates. "All we are missing is lightening in the background and creepy organ music wafting from the house."
Wes looks to Estrella, then offers a nod. "Sure, why not." A pause as he glances about. "Would it be more useful to manifest?" Wes slides along the ground, nearly invisible in his shadow form given the dark and shadows that linger from the poor lighting. Should he see anything of interest, he'll double back and report out to the group.
Helen gives a nod of thanks to Aubrey with helping block the gate open as she quick steps back to the van to put it in neutral. "Ella want to steer the van if Aubrey and I push the van? Just promise you won't crash it.", Helen asks while looking at the dead body of Wesley. "Next mission. I sleep you do everything.", grabbing a sharpie from earlier to add to the graffiti on his face. He already has plenty of phallic-like objects, so why not add in make up. As she starts doodling blush and lipstick with dramatic eyelashes.
Looks at the work and nods her head, "Nice, how about a smiley face right on his forehead." Apparently their contract was for physical harm or sexual molestation of his unconcious body. Moving to the back she takes up push postion and waits.
Estrella nods to Helen, a look of relief passing over her face, "Yeah, I can steer, as long as you keep the speed consistent I shouldn't have an issue." She drops the duffle bag into the back of the van and climbs in, over the man-graffiti and into the driver's seat.
Wes may feel a suble tugging in his senses as he scouts out the road that's assumed to go to the house in question. Almost like something is trying to draw him away from the road and into the gloom around him, even in his current state. But he manages to get past, and after a few more turns in the road and thicker forests all about, he comes out at the edge of a clearing, in the middle of which sits a large house matching the description given in Aubrey's words from Sarah's mind. A few lights are on, but as he watches there, one of them goes out. Then another, as though someone was walking through the house. The forest looms ominously over those about to begin pushing the van down the road. Wes frowns. If a shadow could frown. Then he makes his way back to the group. "Someone's in the house." Pause. "And mobile." Another pause. "I think we've been made. No cause for recklessness, but. We should just be prepared."
Helen steps out of the vehicle so Ella could steer it. "Let's park it just out of sight around the bend.", she says wile hunching over a bit and slowly pushing the car. Trying to be silent as they rolled it. "Anyone have any ideas or... ring the front door and say hello?"
Estrella leans out the drivers window and scrunches her nose, "Yeah... great. Goddamnit Pax." She shakes her head, "Alright so hopefully they're just going to bed? We didn't... miss any security cameras back there, did we? And I mean--" She purses her lips, watching the road between hushed words, "If the books are all in the basement, maybe we can go through a cellar door? Or a window?"
Aubrey frowns and looks around peering through the shroud at the layout in the shadowlands. More so curious as to what might or might not be in the neighborhood. "I leave those ideas to the living, you guys break easy."
"We shoulda just barreled through, smashed through the wall and then swarmed and looted." Is Wes's deadpan serious? Or in jest? "Anyway, we all need to go in right? 'cause we're looting the whole shebang? Take an extra duffle and I'll cross when we're ready to load up."
"Here is my idea. Wesley will go to the library and wait for me. I will wait for Aubrey and Ella to cause a distraction. Like ringing the doorbell. After it rings, I'll try and break into the library and deliver all the duffle bags. Wesley will load them up as fast as possible. I'll run upstairs and meet Aubrey and Ella by the door. We smack this loser.", Helen offers. "How does that sound?"
"Yeah... yeah I guess I can do some lying, sure." Estrella nods to Helen, voice a whisper, "I can't... fight, though. So I'll leave the smacking to you two."
Wes-Shadow nods. In two dimensions, however? A nod goes unseen. So he gives verbal confirmation as well. "Roger that. Its in the basement? Fucking hate basements. Serial killers always have basements."
The group pushes the van to the egde of that curve realitively easily. /Suspiciously/ easily with Aubrey pushing. Either way! The van is parked, and everyone is able to start the walk to the house. It takes about five solid minutes of walking, even at the higher pace they're probably taking. Aubrey doesn't have trouble resisting the urge, and Wes is already familiar with this test, however the urge to simply wander off into the forest is /strong/ for Helen and Estrella. Thankfully for them, they're able to shake that feeling off with some effort, and continue on their way. It's still there, of course, but the mission takes priority. The lights in the house are all off when the group arrives, the grounds here eerily silent, as people begin to realize that the sounds of crickets chirping fell off about two or three minutes ago, giving way to that stillness that might befall a forest when something unnatural is around. Either way, nothing particularly unusual can be seen of the house at this point.
Wes-Shadow grumbles. "The lights were on, now they're off." Pause. Someone's definitely home."
There is a raising of one of Aubrey's brows, "I have a basement." Does she? Maybe or shes just screwing with Wesley. "Let's hope they are tucked in to bed and take sleeping pills? Could we be that lucky?" There is a shrug as she doubts it house is probley full of Oompa Loompa's are something equally strange.
Helen gives Ella the crowbar. "In a fight you can either flee or fight. Just hit them as hard as you or run away. But this is for you. I warmed it up for you.", as Helen takes the sword and sheathes it for now to hold in her right hand. "Good luck.", she offers while stuffing all the empty duffle bags into a backpack and slinging it over her shoulder. "As always. Be smart and play things by ear."
"Alright-- Alright.. I mean most houses in this region have basements but--" Estrella shakes her head, "Forget it. Everyone get into positions? I wanna do some--" She blinks down at the crobar, then back to Helen with a twinkle in her eye, "Thanks! I mean... Thanks." She takes a deep breath and clutches the crowbar in her hands behind her and walks up to the door.
Wes-Shadow snaps back across the Shroud, going intangible so he won't have to bother with doors and suchm or worry about getting ambushed by the Red Dragon or Buffalo Bill or whichever Ted Bundy motherfucker type lives here. <<See you on the other side," he'll offer to those with deadsight as he phases through the door and begins the perilous trek to the basement. Unless something is really off, in which case he'll dpubleback to give people the heads up.
"If I knew I was going to get out of the van I would have brought a hand with me. Then again they only work on humans and doesn't see we've met to many of them tonight in homes." Aubrey watches Wes wink out the looks at the others, "Shall we knock?"
Estrella nods. "Yeah, let's knock. What's our story, though? That gate was... locked, remember? Are we lost in the woods?" She gestures down to her neo-Victorian gown, "Bc it really doesn't look like it. Any thoughts Aubrey?"
Helen unable to see or hear Wes. "Which way should I go?", asking the girls to point her the right way.
"Uhm..." Estrella looks around, "I dunno, Hel. Want me to do a quick pass around, the property to see if there are any basement windows before we go green on this thing?"
Wes finds a place much like Aubrey described. The house is quiet, a long red rug stretching down the entry hall, but nothing out of the ordinary in sight. Tabards hang on the walls in greens and reds and blues. The first floor seems to contain the sitting room, a den, a kitchen, a dining room, formal dining room, sunroom out back... Everything one might possibly need for a life of leisure. The second floor contains a variety of bedrooms, all of which are empty. In fact, Wes can't seem to find a single living soul in the house, even when he heads down into the basement. Estrella goes to scout out the house from the outside, where she's likely to notice near a back edge that there's a few thin windows, locked of course, that seem to be ventillation for the library down beneath. Not that it's easy to see that, however she can tell from the faint glow of magic within that her Prime sight can still see.
Estrella straightens out her tophat as she comes around the corner, and sighs, "Okay, so there are some locked windows in the back that make me think there's a basement down there, and there are wards or... *something* sparkly going on down there too, so I guess that's probably the place."
Aubrey is just quiet as she listens first to Wes and then the silence of the area. She's heard no sounds one associates with the night, just that eerie pull to play forest ranger. "Did the guy tell you anything about these people? It just seems odd, I am paranoid about my own books but these people make my house seem like a lending library."
Estrella shakes her head, "No. Couldn't even get us any details on what this person looked like. Could be very, very bad news-- but could also just be sneaky like me. Hopefully they ain't too bright and the books are just an attempt to overcompensate."
"I will wait by the windows and break in after it seems clear. Try to draw them out. Set the forest on fire if you have to.", Helen suggests while gripping her sword tightly. She was going to use the pommel of the sword to smash the glass window to the basement - as long as she could fit through it. Or that was the plan at least. "Let's get these silly DnD books for Pax."
Estrella says, “Seriously, though: What's our story? I'm pretty good at the short con, but its gotta be believable or they'll never buy it.”
Wes-Projected will wait until Helen arrives with the duffles to cross back over and begin looting the library. He was never good at waiting, though. So he'll take the time to focus his Awareness and Intuition in case Bad Things Are About To Happen.
Helen says, “The gate was broken into and we are trespassing. Plus the woods look very inviting. I get distracted by them. I don't think they will purchase any story you sell.”
Estrella sighs and nods at Helen. "You're right. Just gotta keep them confused, then. Okay... Aubrey? Let's go." She waits for Helen to vanish behind the house and then knocks on the door.
"Yeah I mean what can one say when three strange women show up at your door. Hi you won a free giveway from Hook up dot.com?" Aubrey shrugs and looks at the door, "After you ladies."
Helen says, “Or maybe say. Sarah sent you. They might know Sarah?”
Estrella knocks on the door, and the sound echoes throughout the house itself. There's no actual response, even after waiting for a moment ot two. If she tries again, the door would slowly creek open, revealing the darkened hallway beyond. No one's waiting there as the door opens, it seems to have either been loosely closed, or it opened on its own. Both possibilities are fairly eerie in themselves. The basement is empty, and nothing seems to happen as Helen breaks the window and slides in. It might take a little effort, the window isn't designed for people, but she's able to get inside with a few cuts in her clothing. The library itself sits still, no signs anyone has been here recently all that present. Two suits of armor flank the room, and various swords and shields are arranged decoratively on the walls. It wouldn't take long to find the book in question, but all of the books are going anyway, so it doesn't really matter. Just as the pair get ready to begin grabbing them, however, the faintest movement out of the corner of their eyes catches their sight. However, upon turning, nothing seems to be any different.
Aubrey watches the doors open and sees...nothing. No this isn't creepy at all, "I think we should take that as an invitation to step inside, ladies first." She motions for Estrella to go in first. "I got your back." Sure that might make the other a meat shield in certain circles but hey.
Wes's brow furrows, and lisp creases on the other side of the shroud. When Helen arrives, he taps into his negative energy to force himself across. What manifests this time isn't Wes, not exactly. he's covered in serpent scales, and they imperceptibly shimmer with a chameleonic haze, making it difficult to see him clearly as his coloration matches his surroundings (predator eat your heart out!). His eyes? They're snake's eyes, but likewise shimmery, two golden spirals slowly rotating aroudn the dark pupils.
Estrella glances back to Aubrey with an inquisitive tilt of her head, "I... You don't *really* think I'm stepping into that place when the door just opened like that, do you? You ever heard of a venus flytrap?"
Helen opens her backpack and pulls out the duffle bags, quickly tossing them to the floor. Her head turning to the movement out of the corner of her eye. "Hello?", she whispers. Seeing if anything were to respond to the question as she holds the sword by her side still sheathed.
"Well we didn't bring a dwarf to toss to make sure there aren't any traps. So one of us should step in.." There is a shrug from Aubrey and she scoots into the front. "If I burst in to flames for gods sake do not roast weenies over me."
Wes makes his way over and grabs duffles, then starts stuffing books into them like he were Val Kilmer in the scene from Heat when they're taking down the bank. Oh wait. That didn't go so well. "I'm here," says Wes. "I got a bad feeling about this."
Scaly chameleon Wes fills one duffle, then starts stuffing the second. "We're not alone," he mutters to Helen. "You better be handy with that steel."
The hallways before Estrella and Aubrey remains empty, even as Aubrey enters into it. Creepily so. As they tentatively advance into the home, it even seems to get quieter, until they get to an opening in the hall that leads off in four directions to the rest of the house. As they try to work out the exact direction, two of the suits of armor nearby shift, lifting the swords in front of them and stepping from their pedestals as they brandish them aggressively in their direction. Upon a look to the visors of them, they seem to lack eyes, and all that's visible there is the back of their helmets. In the basement, Helen and Wes begin to stuff books into bags, only to catch the source of that movement they saw earlier. As above, so below, as two suits if armor step dwon from their pedestals and brandish their swords in their direction as they begin to approach the duo with the clank clank sounds of armor moving.
Scaly chameleon Wes sighs and drops the duffle he was stuffing full of books and makes like Illyana Rasputin, manifesting his soulsword. Let's get ready to rumble. Awareness in the room will go off like a grenade as he burns a metric shitton of mojo tobring forth the deadliest, nastiest looking sword seen this side of the Shadowlands.
Helen says, “Wes lets focus the same one and flank it. The one on the right or left?”
Estrella peers inside, hesitantly leaning forward into the doorway as Aubrey enters and then-- Movement. Armor? Yeah: The witch takes a hurried step backwards, then spins on her toe and RUNS as fast as she can around the side of the house.
Wes grips his sword and shrugs, "Left I guess." He'll hug the wall so he doesn't get flanked himself.
Unfortunately for Aubrey, she's outnumbered. Estrella is off to ensure the delivery of the books makes it, and so she's left to fend for herself. But she's a strong woman, surely! She swings and manages a hit on one of her attackers. Even as she blocks one of the blades swung at her, and the other slices into her side, drawing blood mercilessly as the suits begin to prepare for another strike. They're literal suits of armor, after all. Why would they defend? In the basement, Wes gets a good hit in on the suit of armor attacking Helen, however Helen's blade glances off of the metal. The pair of them seem focused on each of them, however despite having a good swing each, their blows are shrugged off as they seems to have overcompensated somewhat.
Aubrey slam a hand in to the chest peice of one of the suits of armor. Then hisses as a blade slices thru her side. "Oh fuck this shit. When I get my hands on the head of the house i'm eating him."
Estrella books it around the side of the house, coming to a skidding stop and nearly buckling over. She catches herself, though, and then freezes for a moment like she doesn't actually believe she hasn't been followed-- But she hasn't been, not as far as she can tell, so she continues on back around to where Helen made her entrance and squats down. She leans against the back of the house to catch her breath and waits for the sounds of combat to stop.
Seeing as how he was unable to one-shot these motherfuckers, Wes steels himself for extended combat. Literally. Channeling willpower regains him some mojo, which then immediately gets channeled into mystical armor that forms around his body instantaneously, putting him on more equal footing with his opponents. Gone is the wisecracking burnout ex-cop, now replaced by a stone cold silent, armored, big ass soulsword wielding avatar of death (https://coh.spork.com/index.php?title=File:WesVitalityEmblem.jpg). Also? People's awareness goes off like a grenade as Wes burns another metric shitton of mojo to make it all happen.
Helen was caught off guard by the armored relics as she swings her sword at the suit of armor defensively. A nice solid square hit to its helmet visor. However, Helen forgot to take the sheathe off. So it didn't do much as the statue swings back at her, catching itself on her sheathe. A stalemate. Helen then pulls up her skull mask and begins to unsheathe the sword. "I'll play you bastard."
It's a bit of a long fight, but Aubrey manages to get one down upstairs at long last in whatever way she deems appropriate. The other doesn't seem to get the edge on her, allowing her a bit of a breather away from being stabbed. Downstairs, the fight continues. Despite two more solid hits on the suit attacking Helen, it's still going, trying with single-minded determination to kill the poor woman. It even stabs into the flesh of her stomach, leaving a wound as it prepares to go in for another attack. The other, on Wes', doesn't seem to be much of a threat to the armored man.
The Nazgul formerly known as Wes smites Helen's opponent, but still can't one shot the motherfucker. On the bright side? The armor golems aren't doing much if any damage to the ringwraith. From where his mouth should be comes a spectral growl to Helen. "I can take these two if you can slip away."
Aubrey is upset one can tell by the way her skin mottles and grows scaley. She grabs one of the suits and begins beating the other with it. "I'm coming to get you Potter." is yelled out in frustration. Someone will eventually pay for ruining her t-shirt. Maybe Potter or maybe Wesley it's a crap shoot as to who she gets her hands on first.
Helen is stabbed in the gut as she feels the cold weapon penetrate her torso. "Aye, you got me.", she coughs with some blood sprinkled in her teeth. "Ella get the fucking van! I need a medic kit. It's in the glove box or beneath the seat. Hurry!", she barks while in pain. "Aubrey... we need you down here! These fucks won't die."
"Wait-what? Fuck." Estrella does a double taking, her eyes going wide, breath quickening. "Okay Helen! Hold tight!!" She calls out into the basement, then steadies her feet beneath her and launches into another bout of sprinting back towards the van to retrieve the stuff. "Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck."
And the tide turns! The suits of armor are built for durability and lengthy fighting, but when they start to go down, they all seem to. Aubrey manages to egt the upper hand on her own attackers upstairs so she can go join the fray downstairs. That battered and beaten suit attacking Helen finally goes down from Helen's own blow, the thing seeming to just NOT die. The one attacking Wes doesn't manage to get a good hit in, but seems to be going in for another... It's about this time, however, that as Estrella is running by the house those within and without would notice quite clearly that the ceiling seems to spontaneously wreathe itself in flames almost as soon as the third suit goes down. It catches almost immediately, and while it's not traveling downward super quickly, it's trending that direction.
Estrella slows from her sprint to glance at the house as it catches fire, but doesn't take the time to think or do anything but act. She rushes for the van and the medic kit inside, still stringing every breath with beads of profanity.
"Aubrey you are the fastest. Save the rest of the books. I'll help. Wes... hold 'em off action hero.", Helen says with a bit of blood spilling from her mouth as she twists off the suit of armors head with her sword.
Nazgul Wes keeps banging away with his soulsword at the pesky armor golem. DIE! DIE DIE DIE!
The fight has gained a new urgency! Even as Wes continues to battle with the suit of armor, the flames begin to spread down the walls, the heat in the room increasing to heavily uncomfortable levels. Estrella meets no obstacles on her way to the van, nor to Aubrey and Helen meet any obstacles while gathering up the books, other than Aubrey's fear of the flames. She can manage it... For now.
Have you ever seen a vampire sweat? It's pink and smells of blood and is a good indicator shit is about to get real. Aubrey is stuffing books in to bags as fast as she can. Pax will just have to deal with the fact they are going to stink for a while. She keeps looking up which is as bad as being one a skscraper when your afraid of heights. More blood is burned as she grabs as many bags as she can manage and moves for the most convienant exit from the flames.
Nazgul Wes keeps banging away with his soulsword at the pesky armor golem. DIE! DIE DIE DIE!
Estrella nearly dives into the back of the van, scrambling around on her hands and knees. She lifts her gaze from the floor and startles with a shriek-- but it's just Wesley's kinda-corpse, so she takes a deep breath and continues her search. Glovebox? No dice. Under the seat? Ah yes: There it is. She grabs it, then hurls herself back out of the van with enough force that her top hat falls off and rolls about in the chalk glyph on the floor. And then she's back to running... towards... a burning house, and cursing Pax as she goes.
Stooping left and right, Helen drops her sword for a moment to exchange it for a duffle bag as the fire grows and more smoke bleeds into the room. Blood dripping down her leg and stomach as she starts piling books into a duffle bag as fast as she can. Coughing occasionally.
Perhaps its the burning building falling to pieces around him, or the scent of Helen's blood hanging in the air, or the sight of Aubrey's bravery in the fire ... whatever it is, the Nazgul focuses on bringing the fight to a quick, brutal end, sending the armor golem falling to the ground in so many pieces as he hacks away at it with his soulsword.
It actually looks like they're going to pull it off! Even as Wes finishes off that remaining suit of armor, the fire is closing in, threatening to cut off their exit. It's not quite there yet, but it's getting close! Aubrey can tell how close it is when she runs past it on her way out. Good call, vampire lady. At least humans can /try/ to jump through some flames.
Wes waits until everyone's safely out. It looks as if he's going to let the burning house collapse in around him. For all his wisecracking, those that knew him, knew he had a strong death-urge. Is this the end for our intrepid buy suicidal anti-hero?!
Alas, no. No it is not. Wes's dark fate will not come to him by flame, no. No, it will come to him by the sea. Or the sea of dreams and nightmares. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn. And since it doesn't come for him today, Wes ripcords back to his corpse, the armored sword wielding spectre vanishing as the flmaes lick closer. In the van/rv? His body sits up with a start and gasps for air. He looks like he's in rough shape. Death warmed over shape. But he's alive again. All markered up. "Where th' fuck's my whiskey. And I need a cigarette...," he croaks out.
Helen does a quick mental count to make sure they have all the books ...
Aubrey has finally stopped running and is now someone in the woods of Albany with a couple duffle bags of books. There is grumbling as she calls Wesley's cellphone and waits for an answer so she can get picked up. As she waits she looks around the country side for a snack. Never a hitch hicker or Serial killer trolling for a victim around when you need one.
Estrella comes to another sliding stop as she sees Aubrey run from the house. Her chest heaves as she catches her breath. "I--I---" She puts her palm on her knees, med kit dangling from her fingers. "Ah god... Fuck my life...Is Helen okay--" ... Okay, where did she go? "---Helen?! You okay?!" She groans and collapses down to brace herself on her knees with a swallow of dry air. "And did we get all the stuff? *And* does anyone *else* feel like strangling Pax when we get back?"
Pax sneezes somewhere in Prospect, then goes back to whatever ungodly thing he was doing at the time.
It only takes a moment to finish the exact mental count of the books as Helen slugs off towards the stairs as fast as she can. The two loaded duffle bags swaying as she holds the sword beneath her armpit. The skull bandana around her face as the teenager did her best to avoid burning debris and falling shit. She doesn't give a fuck about getting burnt or catching fire as she just tries to get out with the inventory as fast as possible.
Wes starts up the van and then heads off. Oh wait, I mean he goes to pick up the rest of the team, Right. That.
The flaming building is collapsing around her as Helen emerges from the smokey doorway last. "Aye, I ain't dead yet.", she says with a wink and a cough of blood as she limps away from the fire. Her neon shoes drenched in blood as she joins Ella and leans against her. "Give me a lift babe. I need a uber.", coughing up more smoke as Helen pats Ella in a hug. "We did it girl."
Estrella stands there for a moment, as though she's shocked to see Helen alive. That twinkle comes back to her eye and her lips peel off into a wide, warm smile. "Yeah! Of course Hel!" Anxiety peels away, and the horror of the burning building becomes a lovely sight to behold as she glances back, her shoulder under the hooligans to help her limp back to the vehicle as Wesley comes around to pick them up. "Yeah! We did, huh? You wanna choke Pax with me?"
Estrella sets Helen into the wheelchair and begins patching up her wounds.
So our unlikely team have completed their quest! At least they have a nice, comfortable hotel to go back to so they can sleep it off a bit before the trip back. The books could've simply been checked through airport luggage, he surely sent enough money for that, and then it's off back to Prospect. Naturally, Pax would want to meet people on the third floor of the Magic Box, because that's just how he do! Currently he's sitting in the living room in a bathrobe, his hair actually still wet and one of his feet pulled up while he clips his toenails and watches the third season of Tokyo Ghoul on the TV. His right hand has a large patch of pink, fresh skin on both sides, he's got bags under his eyes, and there's a reddish spot on his cheek that looks vaguely burned. Fun times!
It is with no lack of spring in her step that Estrella sets her bags into her room on the second floor and then proceeds up to the third. She sways and teeter up the stairs but, with the fluid grace of a drunken housecat, she manages to make it up while simultaineously huffing a rag so drenched in ether it is impossible not to get the scent stuck in one's nose. Without a hint of caution, she opens the door, waving the others up the stairs with her, doing her best to be a decent hostess despite her intoxication and the jaw-clenching thoughts she's having about the man in question.
Aubrey has healed the wound and eaten someone somewhere so she doesn't actually eat Wesley. But is the man in the chair expecting her? Maybe she will just hang at the back of the group and let Pax mistake her Wesley in drag. Hands in the back pockets of her jeans and a cigarette between her lips as she stays just far enough back to not risk the Ether going up.
Helen is mostly silent as she carries the books up the flight of stairs, step by step. Floor by floor. Pax needs an elevator. Yawning a bit as she hasn't slept the whole trip, if the teenager ever sleeps at all. -Thud- Thud- Thud- As Helen drops each heavy ass duffle bag and backpack in front of Pax. "Chores done...All the books.", she says tiredly while going to the kitchen to look for food to steal or eat.
Is it really stealing if you live here? Presumably not. Pax turns his gaze to the three as they emerge on his floor, his eyes a bit glassy as a slow, broad grin spreads across his features. "Heeeeeeyyyyy guuuyyyyyyysPax (talk)" he greets them all, a brief look being given to Aubrey, but then the man turns back to his nails as he continues to clip at them. "You must be Wes' girlfriend!" he declares in Aubrey's direction. "So lucky, so lucky..." Those duffle bags get a startle from Pax, his gaze shifting to them as he gives a light cheer. "Sweet! You guys went with the third one! I was hoping that little please would help the choice... How'd it go, guys?"
"Yeah," Estrella stumbles forward and twists to land on the couch next to Pax with a graceless flop. "We did what you..." She tilts her head and narrows her eyes as they swim over the appearance of her recent wounds, lingering on that spot on his cheek, "... wanted." She blinks, her expression phasing through concern and bemusement and finally to--- "WHAT?!" Anger. "You're not-- You didn't--- Did we only have to steal from *one* house full of magically empowered psychos? Is that really what you're saying?" Now, what was she thinking about? Oh yeah, strangulation.
Pax is given a long look, "No, I am not Wesley's girlfriend, I am at best his landlord." That seems for the moment to be the total of her conversation. She does though look amused as Estrella's voice gets louder. "Don't forget the magical suits of armor as well and oh...yeah.. The fucking burning basement."
Helen pulls out a beer from the fridge and twists off the cap in her hands. Imported or Domestic. It didn't matter as she plies the metal top off without much effort. Quickly she chugs the beer as her stomach wound bleeds a bit beneath the bandages. Lifting her shirt up so Pax could see, she points at the wound. "I need you to help with this later.", showing the wound to Pax. "I got shanked. Maybe make a special first aid kid for things like this, yeah?"
Pax stares at Estrella for a long moment, his eyebrow raising as his lips tremble in clear amusement. "...Dude, why would I want three copies of the SAME book?" he asks her, clearly trying to contain his laughter as he looks down to the bags and snorts. "Holy shit! You guys did all of it in a night! Fucking congratulations." he states, slapping his knee in amusement as he grins broadly at the bag. He looks back to Aubrey, bobbing his head a few times. "Landlord, got it. However you wanna describe your relationship!" he declares. A glance is given to Helen, and he smirks a bit more. "Sure man! I can help with that. I was lookin into makin some first aid stuff, but..."
Estrella blinks, unamused and stares at Pax, "Because maybe you're checking for indescrepencies? Or you're collecting the last three of a book in the world to have its secrets for yourself? Or maybe you're just gonna get freaky with two of them and savor the third? Lots of reasons, dude. Be specific next time." She returns her gaze to that wound, lips pursing as she lets her curiosity wash clean the impulse to immediately put her hands around the man's throat.
Aubrey again seems amused, "Well I just thought I would stop by to see the man with the love of books. I have to go find Wesley and give him my bill, I do hope you paid him enough so he can pay me. Ladies it's been a pleasure, maybe I will see you in the future." Estrella pages: Yeah she's kinda recognizing that burn mark as we speak.
Helen chuckles while watching Ella as she pulls down her own shirt over the wound and grabs another beer. She twists off the top and walks over to Ella. "Hey, drink this. It will help.", her sunglasses looking over Pax and Aubrey as Helen yawns. "I'm gonna crash. Need anything else or... laters?", she states with a another yawn. Not sure if she was still needed.
Pax gives a wave to Aubrey as she turns to leave. "Was nice meeting you! Make sure to extort extra for your having to come to the checkin instead of him!" he calls after her, and once she's out of the way, he turns towards the others and whispers softly, "I thought he was an intern..." There's a shrug, the Kin looking up at Helen and grinning as he stands and slips his arms around her to give her a hug. "Nah, go shift and heal up so you can get some rest. Looks like you did the Veil good." he informs her, releasing her after so she can go get some sleep as he flops back down on the couch and relaxes with a sigh. "Yea, I guess you have a point... Good thing you got all three of em then!"
Estrella turns her head to nod at Aubrey, "Yeah! Nice to meet you too!" And then immediately to Helen, "Oh, uhm-- I don't..." A flush of embarrassment rises in her cheeks, "I don't actually drink... if you can believe it. But I know this junkie," She cocks a thumb at Pax, "Has everything I need to relax, so... don't worry about me. Nice to see you in action, girly. You go crash. I'll see you in the morning." And then, back to the junkie in question. "Yeah, I tend not to open my fucking mouth without a point to make. I mean, you know... okay not nearly but you get the idea." She shakes her head and lets a smile slip over her lips, falling across the couch as Pax rises.
"So... what's with books?", Helen asks with a raised brow. "Will the Weeping Eye cultists come back to kill any of us? Because I killed a woman.", shrugging as Helen steps into the bathroom to take a quick shower and heal up. In a few minutes she was out in her bath robe. "Oh my god. Did I do it? They bought it yeah? See... I told you. I can play thief.", Helen says laying on the couch and sipping her second beer. Estrella falls asleep on the couch and whines miserably if anyone attempts to move her.
(No one knows, Helen! Find out next time, on <Show Name Here>!)
