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: Hamilton, Fatima, other patrons of the Nite Owl
What: Hamilton and Fatima retreat to a local dive to discuss their evening in a less infernal environment.
Where: Nite Owl Waffle House
When: Sunday night (August 14), 4:30 a.m., 3.5 hours after mass ended.

[OOC: This scene is open to any who would be in a place like this at a time like this, though it starts with a segue from the midnight mass scene. All welcome, but keep in mind sunrise is ~1-2 hrs away!]

The day is sliding somehow past late hours and into early ones, but no one's told the patrons of the Nite Owl Waffle House. Scattered among the plentiful booths or sitting alone at the stools in front of the bar, they are truckers and nurses and prostitutes and cops, people with nothing in common except that each is at the bottom of his or her totem pole.

These are people to whom passes the kind of god-awful night shift that leaves them hollow-eyed and sitting in a booth among total strangers, cramming thick wheat waffles drenched in syrup down their throats and drinking black coffee to ward off the darkness a couple more hours.

A waitress floats between them every fifteen or twenty minutes, refilling coffee and taking orders with a laugh that's like dragging a steel chair across the linoleum. Sinatra is playing faintly over the sound system. In the back, Dmitri is flipping some pancakes and watching infomercials on a miniature set.

Despite being cleaned almost every day, the Nite Owl seems to itself emote the same kind of grimy depression that inhabits the drooping eyelids of its clientele. This place is an institution in Cape City, it's been in business over 50 years - not that that's anything for a city to be proud of.

[Please make sure to read this OOC post before tagging! Characters are free to have been in the church during any point of the description.]

Who: ALL
What: The Mekhet are burning down the Bishop's church, rescuing captured Mekhet
Where: Lancea Sanctum Church
When: Sunday night (August 14), 3 a.m., 2 hours after mass ended.

Mass had started exactly at midnight, as usual. Penthesilea's voice had carried her thoughts effortlessly, and tonight, she paid particular thanks to the Sheriff: Eran Anah. May his soul be saved, even though we are members of the damned, for his contributions to the covenant, and to God, have been endless.

As custom, after mass, many sanctified stayed in the church, repenting, or meeting to discuss covenant affairs.

At 3 a.m., an extremely uncomfortable heat surrounded the church, and within minutes, it was clear that the building was on fire. Three members of the Mekhet underground kicked open the doors, each individual carrying a container of gas and a lighter. If they were frightened for their lives, their faces did not show it.

By 3:15 a.m., the benches inside the church were ablaze, and no amount of smoke was setting off the sprinklers. Some kindred were in Rotschreck. Others fled. A few, including Penthesilea, had become blurs of their own, and were pursuing the three perpetrators who would commit this unspeakable evil against God.

---

When Damion found a trap door beneath the altar, he slowed down, adapted to the shadows and entered a cold, marble room. He hoped Valerie and Thomas would be able to buy him enough time. He placed his finger to his temple and activated his heightened sight. There was no one else down here -- wait. Oh my god. Then, he saw her. "Alice," he whispered. They weren't sure they'd fine anyone here, much less -- "Oh god Alice" -- a fellow Mekhet they thought had been already lost.

Rushing to her side, Damion nearly tripped over the chains that bound her ankles and wrists. Alice was suspended, near the back of the room, a stake in her heart. The room, even with his normal sense of smell, reeked of blood and dead beetles.

As he pulled out the stake, a bright light flood the room. The trap door had been opened, and Damion temporarily stood blind. Penthesilea's voice echoed through the walls. "Eran. Get them."

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.

To: Caroline Johnson, Excelsior Labs
From: Hamilton Lyme, Lyme's Finest Foods
Dated: [[One Week Ago]]


Hi Caroline!

My name is Hamilton Lyme and I own a little food and delicacy distribution company called Lyme's Finest Foods. We haven't yet had the pleasure to meet, but I was recommended to you by our mutual friends at the Free Council of Business as the person to contact in Cape City. According to them, you folks at Excelsior Labs are up to some pretty exciting research!

Lyme's Finest is opening a shop in Cape City this coming week, as well as purchasing farmland nearby for production and testing of some new lines of business for us. I'm planning to head down there soon myself, just to oversee the new farms and get some fresh air (hope that's alright!).

I wanted to check in with you and see if you were amenable to showing me around a bit, let me know if that sounds convenient. Hoping to not step on any tails or toes when I arrive.

Best Regards,
Hamilton Lyme

WHO Amy and OPEN
WHAT A little remnant of her old life. Amy returns to the car garage of a family friend, where she works to earn a little extra, off-the-record cash.
WHERE Random small but awesome car repair place called Gary's Repair Shop.
WHEN Any time, really. Could be she just shows up here randomly for the past week and the next two weeks.
WARNINGS None.

She wears grease-stained coveralls (the nametag reads REESE) and a white tank top. Worker's gloves fitted to her smaller hands that she strips off as she approaches the car that's just pulled into the lot.

She knocks on the window. "Hey," she says. "I'm Reese. What brings you to Gary's?"