Cape City: A World of Darkness Roleplaying Game

WHO: Ariel and Hamilton
WHAT: Another attempt at awakening
WHERE: Ariel's house, street
WHEN: Some August morning.

She had experienced the scene so many times that it felt unreal. Parts of the dream unraveled like the opening of a game, and Ariel was in control of the wimpy girl, who looked just like herself. Dark storm clouds loomed overhead. A stone tower stood hauntingly in the distance. A little girl, maybe six or seven, stood guarding the tower doors. Her eyes were pinned on Ariel, and her arm, which must have the strength of a god, was never down by her side, but always outstretched towards Ariel and beckoning her.

Ariel looked down at the small dirt path destined to lead her to the tower, and she sat. Wrapping her hands around her knees, she rocked back and forth. Ariel felt empty. After a minute, she pushed the ground with her hands until her back was towards the tower, and resumed rocking. The entire world was silent except for a brief crash of thunder. It came every three minutes, exactly. Ariel had counted.

1. 2. 3. ... 998. 999. 1000.

Ariel's eyes shot open. She didn't move, or scream.

When the breeze through her window felt icy to her skin, Ariel realized she was covered in sweat. Sliding out of bed, she pulled the covers back over the mattress perfectly, and stepped into the shower. Rinse, lather, repeat. She looked at the clock. It was still 5 a.m.

"I need a walk," she said out loud, to no one.

Stepping out of the house, Ariel headed down the street. The dream had gone as it always had, and like clockwork, when Ariel finally counted to 1000, she woke up. But today, she still felt empty. The next five minutes she tried walking in silence, which meant trying not to think any thoughts, and staring at her feet. She didn't notice when slowly, the houses in her suburban neighborhood began to disappear, and were replaced by nothing but a cold, black darkness.

WHO Caroline, Hamilton, Amy and a surprise
WHAT Caroline gets a series of unexpected visits.
WHERE Excelsior Labs, lobby.
WHEN Uh... right now. Whenever that is.
WARNINGS None.

Caroline is busy in the downstairs labs when the building's wards inform her that there is an approaching vehicle containing an Awakened magic user—well, that, or someone using a lot of Forces to move very fast, but considering that she expects Mr. Lyme to show up in the near future, probably in a car, as she's heard he's a Shaman and not a Theurge. And—ah, accompanied by her young friend. How interesting.

She turns to the young woman in charge of the lab. "Pardon me. I need to go take care of something. Carry on." Stripping off her goggles and lab coat as she walks—normally she's uninterested in safety regulations, but it's less of a precaution and more preventing an inevitability in that lab, and she doesn't have time to have her DNA resequenced this week.

"April," she says to the receptionist. Just in case her visitor turns out not to be so friendly: "I'm not expecting a guest, but I seem to have one arriving. Would you mind setting up to make sure they're comfortable?"

The woman nods. "Yes ma'am, Ms. Johnson." A series of key presses, some whirring noises, the gentle click of a safety being unlatched, and a jug of lemonade run over from the breakroom by one of the summer interns later, Caroline thinks preparations are satisfactory.

And just in time. Her guest is about to arrive.