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renferretPlans are laid to take out a vampire. For once, they largely survive contact with the enemy.
Lefty made a call to Mouse, asking her to come over to Fidelity's apartment. While waiting for the walker to arrive, the Gnawer goes over some scanned copies of old blue prints she got from the library. A cup of coffee sits ignored at the end of the table, growing cold.
Mouse takes the predictable amount of time to arrive, not too long, but not too short. Soon enough there's a knock at the door. The Walker has a cigarette in her mouth, though as she waits, she's in the process of putting it out.
Lefty looks up when the knock on the door is heard. She shuffles the pile of papers a bit and then heads to unlock and open the door. It swings wide, and the Gnawer offers her usual, Cheshire-like grin. "Hey, come on in. Come on in."
Jack is, actually, with Mouse. Getting Recruited is what happens when one is spending a Saturday being mostly useless. And, he greets Lefty with a drawled, "Yo," as the door swings open.
Mouse waves a hand at the Gnawer. "Look at this, call one Walker, get one for free." She does step inside, glancing briefly over the apartment before looking to Lefty.
Lefty waves them both in. The Gnawer offers coffee, but she doesn't actually go fetch any. Instead, she immediately goes back to her papers. "Hey Jack, good to see you," she says, though it's offered fairly absently, like her mind is elsewhere. "I've been following our friend."
Jack gives a nod to Lefty as he steps on in, hands stuffed in the pockets of his leather jacket.
"Yeah?" Mouse ambles toward the coffee, apparently perfectly willing to serve herself.
Lefty shuffles the papers more until she finds the one she wants. "Yeah. Ok, so, I figured out that our girl doesn't have a lair in any of the places we found, so far. Mostly they're just access points to the tunnels, for her. That, and a private place to have a "party"." The Gnawer makes quote signs with her one good hand. She looks from Mouse to Jack and back again, thoughtful. "Jack know what we've been up to?"
"Not anythin' past th'basics," Jack proves, a brow arching upwards.
Mouse jerks her chin to what Jack says. "So, she's a rabbit."
Lefty doubletakes at what Mouse says, confused for a moment before flashing that special grin. "Yeah. Exactly." the Gnawer points at the paper she has unfolded on the top of the stack. "These I got at the library. They're the sewer maps. Modern sewer maps. None of the old tunnels are on here, but I've drawn in a few that, I think, are where they'd be in relation to the sewers and service tunnels. But that place is a maze down there. It's easy to get lost and confused, and I know for sure I haven't found everything. There's tons of dead ends, cave ins and blocked tunnels."
Jack leans over a bit to take a glance at the maps, but otherwise seems content to listen to the explanation without interjection just yet.
Mouse meanders back over, newly filled coffee mug in hand. The maps are eyed thoughtfully, and she takes a few sips before saying anything. "Fun." Her tone indicates she thinks this is anything but.
Lefty pulls a different sheet of paper over the one thye were looking at. This one appears to be a street level map of the city. Several locations are circled in red pen. "So far, these are all the points I've seen her use. We've got the diner, which we knew about. The print shop. The club. Andt then, over here..." The Gnawer points at another location. "Up at the dockks and the marina. An empty lot, here." Taking a moment to stare at the map, thoughtfully, the Gnawer then looks back up at the Walkers. "That's pretty much what I've gotten so far. I've only observed two ghouls, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have more."
"So she could be anywhere," the philodox muses, dryly. "Any've the places she's been seen at more often?"
Lefty tilts her head, glancing over the street map once more. With a vague shrug, she points at the diner. "Well, she likes to use this place as her party shack, like I said before. But to be honesty, she's all over the place. Maybe...almost like she doesn't /like/ to be predictable, or stay in one place too long. All I can say is, she spends her nights hunting and clubbing all over these places, and then--as far as I can tell--she spends her days underground. But I haven't found where."
Mouse brushes her chin with the back of one hand and lowers her coffee mug. "So our best chance of getting her right now is to trap her in one of these spots, and cut off tunnel access. But we can't really predict when she'll be at any of them."
Lefty rubs at the back of her neck, her lips curling in a small smile. "Well, that's nit exactly true. *I* can find her, anytime I want to." The Gnawer's sly smile widens to a grin. "I just havent found her down in the maze, yet, because I don't know who or what else will be there waiting. I've just been, you know, gathering information. When the time's ready, and we have enough people...hell, I'll take you right to her."
Both brows raise at that, but Jack definitely seems a bit impressed. "A'ight, cool. Though yea, Mouse's probably right, be better t'catch her above ground where it ain't her home turf. But if you can track her, hell, could y'track her t'one've her hangouts instead've down there?"
Lefty nods easily. "Sure."
Mouse's mouth quirks. "And this is why I love competent Ragabashes. Alright, well, you have us, obviously. Anything supplies-wise?"
Lefty shrugs at that, shaking her head. "That's not really my forte. Whatever you think would be best to take hr down. And whatever else you think would be good to have, just in case. Like the boy scouts say, 'always be prepared'." the Gnawer thinks about for a moment, though, and then adds, "I guess mostly we just need bodies. And to pick where we want the ambush. Then, be ready to move at a moment's notice. And when I track her heading there, we spring?"
Jack leans over and takes a look at the map again. "Someplace that's got th'lowest chance've people. Empty lot, th'docks." A brow is arched up over toward Mouse questioningly, and then shrugs a shoulder. "How big've a punch does this chick pack?"
Mouse nods at Jack. "Probably the lot, depending on how often she goes there. We can't wait around three months for her to pop in."
Lefty adds, "Most of these places she owns, or leases, so they're not really public. Which means any one of them would be good, as long as she doesn't smell us coming. As far her abilities...I can't speak to the physical, but I do know she can mess with your mind."
Jack grunts, apparently less enthusiastic with that than if he'd been told she was the Hulk. "A'ight. In that case, probably th'most frequent one."
Lefty drops her hand down to point at the diner. "Here, then. I think that's the best place." The Gnawer's finger points to the diner.
Mouse taps her coffee cup. "We'll be ready then. Soon as you give us the call."
-----
This old diner shows the signs of wear and tear of the decades it's seen. Most of the windows are boarded over, and those that aren't are cracked and covered in paint. There are two obvious entrances, the boarded over front door - which has not so obviously been adjusted for use, and the locked side door that boarders on an alley. Inside, Lefty has been able to see the skeletal remains of the restaurant that was - the counter still exists, and most of the booths, though the cushions have been scavanged or destroyed. A few stools still remain at the counter, most in better shape than the booths. The ragabash has not been able to scout the kitchen, but it's clear that is where the entrance to the tunnels exists.
Earlier in the evening, the Gnawer put a call out to the Walkers to be ready to go at a moment's notice. Then, she began searching for the vampire. Her nose brought her to Mia easily enough, and when the vampire emerged for her evening's fun, the Gnawer was waiting for her. She follows, and when she thinks Mia's heading for the diner, that call goes out. Using her cell, she dials Salem and lets him know to get there and in position for the ambush before the guest of honor arrives.
Salem arrives in good time -- excellent time, in fact. The battered Philodox moves into his appointed place, signalling Lefty once he's there.
Mouse is only a few moments behind Salem in her arrival, and like the philodox, she too settles and gets ready.
The wait isn't terribly long. Mouse has just settled in when a group of young teenagers approach the diner. It could be any gang, or group of adolescents, except that the central one, a girl of maybe fifteen or so, has the rapt attention of all of the others.
They slow as they approach, and the central figure stops. She tips her head to the side and giggles, titters, and points at one of the nearby boys. The other two young men grab his arms and hold him still, and one of the two other girls comes up before him. He doesn't appear frightened, at least not outwardly so, but he watches the approaching girl with wide eyes.
Sky: (So - 6 teenagers, 3 boys, 3 girls, including the girl who is presumably Mia.)
Lefty remains out sight of the gaggle of adolescents that approach the diner, allowing her gift to keep her apprised of their direction. Once they get close, the Gnawer hides in the shadows and waits to see if they go inside. the ragabash is oddly tense.
Salem crouches within the shadows of a booth, silent and unmoving. He has not a Ragabash's gifts, but his own decades of experience at stealth and ambush.
Mouse lets her eyes hood, and calls on a gift to expand other senses, though nothing outward about her changes.
You paged Sky with 'Ears to more sensitive microphones or some such. She just wants to hear what's going on outside. x.o'.
Outside, the captive boy watches helplessly as the girl who approaches... kisses him. The other two girls head for the front door, and the two boys doing the holding release their prisoner to his fate, following after the girls, instead. Mouse's suddenly acute hearing picks up the rapid thumping of heartbeats as the group sneaks in through the false boarding. One, two, three... five hearts beat - the final two a bit more quickly than the rest.
Mouse turns her hand to where Salem can see it, and briefly holds up five fingers.
Lefty waits for what seems like an eternity, but is in fact less than a full minute. She makes sure no one else is around before slipping free of the shadows and crossing the ground quickly to the same entrance as the six teenagers just used. she slips in behind them, as silently as she can.
Salem's mouth compresses. He nods to Mouse.
The group is not entirely stealthy, being young and in the midst of adventure, so despite their own care not to be seen, they don't seem to notice when Lefty slips in behind them.
Once inside, the one who must be Mia hops up on top of the counter and holds her hands to the sky. "Isn't it great?" she shouts at her companions. "We have so much to do!" The others mill, looking fron one to another in anticipation.
Mouse winces faintly at the shout. She remains right where she is, however.
Salem shifts his gaze over to Lefty.
Jack's arrival was close to Mouse's, and now he's hidden away as well, most his weight off his bad leg, which doesn't feel too great when having to stay still for extended periods. When they finally come in, though, his attention shifts over thataway.
Lefty, once inside, immediately takes to her glabro form. The Gnawer's infamous smile becomes less charming and slightly more sinister in that guise. "Mind if I join the party?" she says, as she emerges.
The girl standing on the counter doesn't even blink twice. "The more the merrier!" she answers with a grin, and waves Lefty in. The others are less even keeled about the intrusion, with reactions ranging from surprise to anger. One of the boys, more angered than alarmed, climbs up on a stool to stand near Mia.
Mouse eases just a little farther onto her toes. Her eyes open further, and her gaze goes from the teenagers to the kitchen door.
Salem's upper lip lifts away from his teeth. He watches Lefty, still, with a few quick glances, now and again, at Mia. Quick and sidelong.
Jack shifts his weight, too, grumpily and with a slight grimace. Just watching to see what happens, for now.
Lefty's Cheshire grin falters, and the Gnawer takes a step back, fumbling and bumping into the wall slightly. Mouse, if she still has her extra senses up, can tell the Gnawer's heart rate has just jumped significantly. She's flushed, and her eyes dart around in almost a panic. She presses back further against the wall, but manages to stutter out the words, "Oh yeah? Well. Good. Cuz I brought friends." She nods, offering the signal the Walkers are waiting for.
The boy on the stool makes a leap for Lefty, as Mia turns to scan the rest of the room. The rest haven't yet managed a coherent reaction, though surprise has mellowed to confusion, and the anger of the others seems to be growing.
Mouse drops her gift at the same time she shifts--not to crinos, to lupus, as she springs with full intent of dashing to the kitchen door and preventing that escape route. It's also useful in not getting in the way of her heavier hitting tribemates.
Salem stiffens monentarily, then bares his teeth in anger and launches himself upward, boiling over into Crinos form and toward the girl.
Jack's brows furrow and his jaw tightens, and he seems almost -too- eager to finally get the signal and be able to snap into crinos and go for the girl as well.
Lefty remains pressed against the wall. The emergence of the two Jacks brings an expression of relief to the ragabash's face, but it's short lived. As the boy jumps in to attack her, instincts kick in and she shifts again--this time to crinos. Her one good arm strikes out at the same time, hoping to slash the boy from ear to groin. Ferret emphasizes her point with a fear-laden but angry roar.
One of the girls faints dead away at the sight of Salem's shift. She drops to the floor with a faint moan on the way, and not another sound except the thud of her head on the floor when she hits. She had been one of those surprised, or confused, and she'd been the one doing the kissing in the moments before the group entered the diner. The kissee drops to the floor as well, but he doesn't faint. Instead, he tries to crawl under one of the remaining tables.
The boy and the ragabash meet with a resounding crash as the force of the impact shoves them both back against the wall. Lefty's claws do significant damage, tearing flesh right down to the bone, but the boy doesn't stop. His fists pummel the Gnawer without mercy, striking again and again, as though possessed of rage.
Salem takes flight and his claws manage to take a chunk out of Mia's shoulder. She screams, but it's a scream of joy rather than anger, and it ends in a laugh. She takes a step back, just enough to put her out of reach of the other Glass Walker philodox, and her gaze turns hard on the first. "Naughty!"
The two kids that remain, apparently unfazed by all of this, turn as one to grab for Jack.
First-Strike skids to a halt and plants her back to the door. Judging that, for this exact second, she's the one garnering the least attention, she allows herself to shift again--glabro this time, rather than homid. She remains hunkered against the door as she retrieves her gun from its under-the-coat holster and flicks the safety off.
Lefty focuses completely on her target, taking out her frustration and fear on him. Her claws sink into flesh, and she actually tries to draw him closer so her teeth can sink into his throat. The gnawer tries to rip it out.
You paged Sky with 'And it's her special gun, natch. :)'.
As the two boys turn for him, Fallout turns on them; the crinos has teeth fully bared, though not a sound is uttered. The set of claws he sends towards one of the boy's face is unapologetically brutal.
Scar answers Mia with a snarl that drips hate. He feints left, then strikes to the right, aiming claws at her head.
Lefty takes enough pummeling to make her weak on her feet, before the boy who charged her finally falls. The ragabash with the boy's throat in her teeth, probably isn't far behind him.
When Mouse shifts, one of the two kids attacking Jack turns for an apparently easier target. She grins, like her patron above, and reaches out with curved fingers as she lunges toward Mouse.
This was probably a good move on her part, as the boy left behind loses half his face to Jack's claws. Like the other boy, he doesn't slow with the injury, but keeps right on, fists and feet striking as hard as he can. One well aimed kick hits Jack's battlescarred leg.
Mia continues her dance with Salem on the countertop, apparently seeing the feint for what it is. She taps him on the head, almost playfully, and grins at the monster as she dodges his second strike.
Mouse grins too, very faintly, not at all pleasantly, as she adjusts her aim to the lunging girl and fires.
Blood and gore drip from Ferret's maw. Even as a particularly thick strand stretches and finally plummets to the floor, so does she. She hits with a weak thud and soft grunt. For the moment, she's content to push back against the wall and simply try to breath.
That kick is enough to take that leg out from under him, and though it hurts like hell, Fallout's reaction a ragefilled and really, really pissed. This time, the crinos uses his weight to try to take the boy down to the ground entirely and rip into him there.
Scar's good eye goes wide and round with fury -- and then he checks, jerking back with another low growl, forcing back the berserker bloodlust.
The shot from Mouse's gun is almost lost amidst the backdrop of rage. The bullet hits the girl square in the center of her forehead and she drops like a stone, inches before she reaches the Theurge.
Fallout takes the boy down, and though the struggle continues, it's clear that the crinos has the upper hand as the boy weakens with every punch.
Then all that is left is Mia where she faces the enraged Scar. She pirouettes away from him, laughing as her companions die, one by one. "Do you think the king of Persia knows there are wolves in Ecbatana?"
Mouse shifts her aim again, steadies it, peers down the sight at the remaining, and most dangerous target. If she gets a clear shot, she'll fire, but she's leery of hitting Scar.
Ferret continues to sit, and pant. She kicks the dead body of the boy away, as if it were a deadly snake that might bite.
Scar answers with a whirlwind of absolute fury, claws and teeth moving faster than the eye, all the more deadly for the fact that he is not, for a wonder, gripped by frenzy.
With the blur that is Salem, Mouse can't get a clear shot. She doesn't need to, though, because Scar's claws and teeth do all the damage necessary to take Mia down. She doesn't seem to notice what's happening, at first, still laughing at the scene around her. By the time she tries to fight back, it's too late. Claws tear through flesh, and though it bleeds very little, it also fails to knit back together. When they finally tear through her neck and she falls to the counter, to the floor, the laughter finally ceases.
Fallout gouges his claws into the boy's chest and /rips/ outward with far more aggravation and rage than is needed. Crack. He's panting hard, and looks pissed, irritable, and grouchy. He starts to jump up to help Salem, but he does so just as the woman falls, so he pulls up short.
When everything else stops, the garou can make out the soft whimper of the boy under the table.
~Filth,~ Scar snarls at the vampire's remains. Then his ears perk at the sound of the whimper and he growls again, irritably.
Ferret finally manages to push herself to her feet. It's accompanied by another grunt. She surveys the carnage, and that's when she spies the two remaining kids--one unconscious on the floor, and the other, the source of the whimper. She looks from him to Salem, Jack and Mouse, nonverbally asking what they should do with those two.
Fallout looks over toward the sound of the whimper, and, despite the rage, he somehow manages to look suddenly very, very tired. He doesn't answer verbally, but the look he gives is quite clear to his opinion - sort of a 'well, what else /can/ you do'.
Mouse lowers her gun. She too glances toward the sound of the whimper, and her jaw tightens.
The girl on the floor doesn't seem likely to wake, soon. Under the table, the boy moves his leg, whether starting to emerge, or just trying to push himself closer to the wall isn't clear.
Scar grunts. ~I'll do it,~ he says, in tones of grim resignation. He limps toward the table, shifting down to glabro as he goes.
Ferret grimaces, but she also looks eternally grateful the gruff, old philodox offered.
Fallout glances over toward Salem, then to the girl on the floor. One ear flicks back, and, without saying a word, he heads over that way, gait stiff and heavy, leg more sore than usual, and posture nigh-unreadable, apparently just wanting to get this all over with.
Neither of the remaining teens is able to struggle, and they go down quickly, without a fight, without a sound. The scent of these two is different than the rest, lacking the faint odor of death and decay of even the other living members of the group.
Salem's expression is bitter, the corners of his mouth twisted downward.
Ferret shifts back to her birth form when the deeds are done. Her grimace remains, however. "Thanks, guys," she says.
Mouse tucks her gun away. Her expression is still thin and tense. "No problem, Lefty. Anyone need any patching?"
Lefty shakes her head, shrugging off what injurries she has. For the most part she seems to have recovered from the battering the boy did. "I'm good. What should we do about the mess?" she gestures at the bodies and blood.
Salem surveys the damage with a cold, sour eye. "Fire," he rasps, after a moment. "Cleanse it in fire."
Mouse considers as she glances back to the kitchen door. "Yeah. What about those tunnels, though?"
Fallout shifts back down to homid once all is done, grumbling a few irritable curses as he limps back to the others. He still seems quite edgy and cranky, though he manages to recognize this enough to shut up for the most part, though, and just gives Mouse, "'m fine," and acknowledges Salem with, "Yea, that," with a hike of a thumb towards the other philodox.
Lefty sets about the grim task without speaking further. In fact, the Gnawer is unusually silent while she works.
Salem looks toward the kitchen door, mismatched eyes narrow. "Collapse in the entrance. Or, if you want to be fancy, set some booby-traps."
Mouse straightens up. "Let's do both, after we're done here. Should discourage anything else nasty from settling in for a bit."
Jack leans against the side of a booth briefly, taking the weight off his bad leg for a moment. "Might want t'hold off a few on th'traps," he grunts. "Until they got this place investigated, b'cause y'know they will after th'fire. Don't want anyone else sticking a foot in somethin' if they find the tunnel, collapsed or not."
Salem cocks an eye at the other Jack. "Of course." He shrinks down into homid, looking bitter and tired, and goes to fetch this satchel from where it's been hidden nearby.
Lefty made a call to Mouse, asking her to come over to Fidelity's apartment. While waiting for the walker to arrive, the Gnawer goes over some scanned copies of old blue prints she got from the library. A cup of coffee sits ignored at the end of the table, growing cold.
Mouse takes the predictable amount of time to arrive, not too long, but not too short. Soon enough there's a knock at the door. The Walker has a cigarette in her mouth, though as she waits, she's in the process of putting it out.
Lefty looks up when the knock on the door is heard. She shuffles the pile of papers a bit and then heads to unlock and open the door. It swings wide, and the Gnawer offers her usual, Cheshire-like grin. "Hey, come on in. Come on in."
Jack is, actually, with Mouse. Getting Recruited is what happens when one is spending a Saturday being mostly useless. And, he greets Lefty with a drawled, "Yo," as the door swings open.
Mouse waves a hand at the Gnawer. "Look at this, call one Walker, get one for free." She does step inside, glancing briefly over the apartment before looking to Lefty.
Lefty waves them both in. The Gnawer offers coffee, but she doesn't actually go fetch any. Instead, she immediately goes back to her papers. "Hey Jack, good to see you," she says, though it's offered fairly absently, like her mind is elsewhere. "I've been following our friend."
Jack gives a nod to Lefty as he steps on in, hands stuffed in the pockets of his leather jacket.
"Yeah?" Mouse ambles toward the coffee, apparently perfectly willing to serve herself.
Lefty shuffles the papers more until she finds the one she wants. "Yeah. Ok, so, I figured out that our girl doesn't have a lair in any of the places we found, so far. Mostly they're just access points to the tunnels, for her. That, and a private place to have a "party"." The Gnawer makes quote signs with her one good hand. She looks from Mouse to Jack and back again, thoughtful. "Jack know what we've been up to?"
"Not anythin' past th'basics," Jack proves, a brow arching upwards.
Mouse jerks her chin to what Jack says. "So, she's a rabbit."
Lefty doubletakes at what Mouse says, confused for a moment before flashing that special grin. "Yeah. Exactly." the Gnawer points at the paper she has unfolded on the top of the stack. "These I got at the library. They're the sewer maps. Modern sewer maps. None of the old tunnels are on here, but I've drawn in a few that, I think, are where they'd be in relation to the sewers and service tunnels. But that place is a maze down there. It's easy to get lost and confused, and I know for sure I haven't found everything. There's tons of dead ends, cave ins and blocked tunnels."
Jack leans over a bit to take a glance at the maps, but otherwise seems content to listen to the explanation without interjection just yet.
Mouse meanders back over, newly filled coffee mug in hand. The maps are eyed thoughtfully, and she takes a few sips before saying anything. "Fun." Her tone indicates she thinks this is anything but.
Lefty pulls a different sheet of paper over the one thye were looking at. This one appears to be a street level map of the city. Several locations are circled in red pen. "So far, these are all the points I've seen her use. We've got the diner, which we knew about. The print shop. The club. Andt then, over here..." The Gnawer points at another location. "Up at the dockks and the marina. An empty lot, here." Taking a moment to stare at the map, thoughtfully, the Gnawer then looks back up at the Walkers. "That's pretty much what I've gotten so far. I've only observed two ghouls, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have more."
"So she could be anywhere," the philodox muses, dryly. "Any've the places she's been seen at more often?"
Lefty tilts her head, glancing over the street map once more. With a vague shrug, she points at the diner. "Well, she likes to use this place as her party shack, like I said before. But to be honesty, she's all over the place. Maybe...almost like she doesn't /like/ to be predictable, or stay in one place too long. All I can say is, she spends her nights hunting and clubbing all over these places, and then--as far as I can tell--she spends her days underground. But I haven't found where."
Mouse brushes her chin with the back of one hand and lowers her coffee mug. "So our best chance of getting her right now is to trap her in one of these spots, and cut off tunnel access. But we can't really predict when she'll be at any of them."
Lefty rubs at the back of her neck, her lips curling in a small smile. "Well, that's nit exactly true. *I* can find her, anytime I want to." The Gnawer's sly smile widens to a grin. "I just havent found her down in the maze, yet, because I don't know who or what else will be there waiting. I've just been, you know, gathering information. When the time's ready, and we have enough people...hell, I'll take you right to her."
Both brows raise at that, but Jack definitely seems a bit impressed. "A'ight, cool. Though yea, Mouse's probably right, be better t'catch her above ground where it ain't her home turf. But if you can track her, hell, could y'track her t'one've her hangouts instead've down there?"
Lefty nods easily. "Sure."
Mouse's mouth quirks. "And this is why I love competent Ragabashes. Alright, well, you have us, obviously. Anything supplies-wise?"
Lefty shrugs at that, shaking her head. "That's not really my forte. Whatever you think would be best to take hr down. And whatever else you think would be good to have, just in case. Like the boy scouts say, 'always be prepared'." the Gnawer thinks about for a moment, though, and then adds, "I guess mostly we just need bodies. And to pick where we want the ambush. Then, be ready to move at a moment's notice. And when I track her heading there, we spring?"
Jack leans over and takes a look at the map again. "Someplace that's got th'lowest chance've people. Empty lot, th'docks." A brow is arched up over toward Mouse questioningly, and then shrugs a shoulder. "How big've a punch does this chick pack?"
Mouse nods at Jack. "Probably the lot, depending on how often she goes there. We can't wait around three months for her to pop in."
Lefty adds, "Most of these places she owns, or leases, so they're not really public. Which means any one of them would be good, as long as she doesn't smell us coming. As far her abilities...I can't speak to the physical, but I do know she can mess with your mind."
Jack grunts, apparently less enthusiastic with that than if he'd been told she was the Hulk. "A'ight. In that case, probably th'most frequent one."
Lefty drops her hand down to point at the diner. "Here, then. I think that's the best place." The Gnawer's finger points to the diner.
Mouse taps her coffee cup. "We'll be ready then. Soon as you give us the call."
-----
This old diner shows the signs of wear and tear of the decades it's seen. Most of the windows are boarded over, and those that aren't are cracked and covered in paint. There are two obvious entrances, the boarded over front door - which has not so obviously been adjusted for use, and the locked side door that boarders on an alley. Inside, Lefty has been able to see the skeletal remains of the restaurant that was - the counter still exists, and most of the booths, though the cushions have been scavanged or destroyed. A few stools still remain at the counter, most in better shape than the booths. The ragabash has not been able to scout the kitchen, but it's clear that is where the entrance to the tunnels exists.
Earlier in the evening, the Gnawer put a call out to the Walkers to be ready to go at a moment's notice. Then, she began searching for the vampire. Her nose brought her to Mia easily enough, and when the vampire emerged for her evening's fun, the Gnawer was waiting for her. She follows, and when she thinks Mia's heading for the diner, that call goes out. Using her cell, she dials Salem and lets him know to get there and in position for the ambush before the guest of honor arrives.
Salem arrives in good time -- excellent time, in fact. The battered Philodox moves into his appointed place, signalling Lefty once he's there.
Mouse is only a few moments behind Salem in her arrival, and like the philodox, she too settles and gets ready.
The wait isn't terribly long. Mouse has just settled in when a group of young teenagers approach the diner. It could be any gang, or group of adolescents, except that the central one, a girl of maybe fifteen or so, has the rapt attention of all of the others.
They slow as they approach, and the central figure stops. She tips her head to the side and giggles, titters, and points at one of the nearby boys. The other two young men grab his arms and hold him still, and one of the two other girls comes up before him. He doesn't appear frightened, at least not outwardly so, but he watches the approaching girl with wide eyes.
Lefty remains out sight of the gaggle of adolescents that approach the diner, allowing her gift to keep her apprised of their direction. Once they get close, the Gnawer hides in the shadows and waits to see if they go inside. the ragabash is oddly tense.
Salem crouches within the shadows of a booth, silent and unmoving. He has not a Ragabash's gifts, but his own decades of experience at stealth and ambush.
Mouse lets her eyes hood, and calls on a gift to expand other senses, though nothing outward about her changes.
You paged Sky with 'Ears to more sensitive microphones or some such. She just wants to hear what's going on outside. x.o'.
Outside, the captive boy watches helplessly as the girl who approaches... kisses him. The other two girls head for the front door, and the two boys doing the holding release their prisoner to his fate, following after the girls, instead. Mouse's suddenly acute hearing picks up the rapid thumping of heartbeats as the group sneaks in through the false boarding. One, two, three... five hearts beat - the final two a bit more quickly than the rest.
Mouse turns her hand to where Salem can see it, and briefly holds up five fingers.
Lefty waits for what seems like an eternity, but is in fact less than a full minute. She makes sure no one else is around before slipping free of the shadows and crossing the ground quickly to the same entrance as the six teenagers just used. she slips in behind them, as silently as she can.
Salem's mouth compresses. He nods to Mouse.
The group is not entirely stealthy, being young and in the midst of adventure, so despite their own care not to be seen, they don't seem to notice when Lefty slips in behind them.
Once inside, the one who must be Mia hops up on top of the counter and holds her hands to the sky. "Isn't it great?" she shouts at her companions. "We have so much to do!" The others mill, looking fron one to another in anticipation.
Mouse winces faintly at the shout. She remains right where she is, however.
Salem shifts his gaze over to Lefty.
Jack's arrival was close to Mouse's, and now he's hidden away as well, most his weight off his bad leg, which doesn't feel too great when having to stay still for extended periods. When they finally come in, though, his attention shifts over thataway.
Lefty, once inside, immediately takes to her glabro form. The Gnawer's infamous smile becomes less charming and slightly more sinister in that guise. "Mind if I join the party?" she says, as she emerges.
The girl standing on the counter doesn't even blink twice. "The more the merrier!" she answers with a grin, and waves Lefty in. The others are less even keeled about the intrusion, with reactions ranging from surprise to anger. One of the boys, more angered than alarmed, climbs up on a stool to stand near Mia.
Mouse eases just a little farther onto her toes. Her eyes open further, and her gaze goes from the teenagers to the kitchen door.
Salem's upper lip lifts away from his teeth. He watches Lefty, still, with a few quick glances, now and again, at Mia. Quick and sidelong.
Jack shifts his weight, too, grumpily and with a slight grimace. Just watching to see what happens, for now.
Lefty's Cheshire grin falters, and the Gnawer takes a step back, fumbling and bumping into the wall slightly. Mouse, if she still has her extra senses up, can tell the Gnawer's heart rate has just jumped significantly. She's flushed, and her eyes dart around in almost a panic. She presses back further against the wall, but manages to stutter out the words, "Oh yeah? Well. Good. Cuz I brought friends." She nods, offering the signal the Walkers are waiting for.
The boy on the stool makes a leap for Lefty, as Mia turns to scan the rest of the room. The rest haven't yet managed a coherent reaction, though surprise has mellowed to confusion, and the anger of the others seems to be growing.
Mouse drops her gift at the same time she shifts--not to crinos, to lupus, as she springs with full intent of dashing to the kitchen door and preventing that escape route. It's also useful in not getting in the way of her heavier hitting tribemates.
Salem stiffens monentarily, then bares his teeth in anger and launches himself upward, boiling over into Crinos form and toward the girl.
Jack's brows furrow and his jaw tightens, and he seems almost -too- eager to finally get the signal and be able to snap into crinos and go for the girl as well.
Lefty remains pressed against the wall. The emergence of the two Jacks brings an expression of relief to the ragabash's face, but it's short lived. As the boy jumps in to attack her, instincts kick in and she shifts again--this time to crinos. Her one good arm strikes out at the same time, hoping to slash the boy from ear to groin. Ferret emphasizes her point with a fear-laden but angry roar.
One of the girls faints dead away at the sight of Salem's shift. She drops to the floor with a faint moan on the way, and not another sound except the thud of her head on the floor when she hits. She had been one of those surprised, or confused, and she'd been the one doing the kissing in the moments before the group entered the diner. The kissee drops to the floor as well, but he doesn't faint. Instead, he tries to crawl under one of the remaining tables.
The boy and the ragabash meet with a resounding crash as the force of the impact shoves them both back against the wall. Lefty's claws do significant damage, tearing flesh right down to the bone, but the boy doesn't stop. His fists pummel the Gnawer without mercy, striking again and again, as though possessed of rage.
Salem takes flight and his claws manage to take a chunk out of Mia's shoulder. She screams, but it's a scream of joy rather than anger, and it ends in a laugh. She takes a step back, just enough to put her out of reach of the other Glass Walker philodox, and her gaze turns hard on the first. "Naughty!"
The two kids that remain, apparently unfazed by all of this, turn as one to grab for Jack.
First-Strike skids to a halt and plants her back to the door. Judging that, for this exact second, she's the one garnering the least attention, she allows herself to shift again--glabro this time, rather than homid. She remains hunkered against the door as she retrieves her gun from its under-the-coat holster and flicks the safety off.
Lefty focuses completely on her target, taking out her frustration and fear on him. Her claws sink into flesh, and she actually tries to draw him closer so her teeth can sink into his throat. The gnawer tries to rip it out.
You paged Sky with 'And it's her special gun, natch. :)'.
As the two boys turn for him, Fallout turns on them; the crinos has teeth fully bared, though not a sound is uttered. The set of claws he sends towards one of the boy's face is unapologetically brutal.
Scar answers Mia with a snarl that drips hate. He feints left, then strikes to the right, aiming claws at her head.
Lefty takes enough pummeling to make her weak on her feet, before the boy who charged her finally falls. The ragabash with the boy's throat in her teeth, probably isn't far behind him.
When Mouse shifts, one of the two kids attacking Jack turns for an apparently easier target. She grins, like her patron above, and reaches out with curved fingers as she lunges toward Mouse.
This was probably a good move on her part, as the boy left behind loses half his face to Jack's claws. Like the other boy, he doesn't slow with the injury, but keeps right on, fists and feet striking as hard as he can. One well aimed kick hits Jack's battlescarred leg.
Mia continues her dance with Salem on the countertop, apparently seeing the feint for what it is. She taps him on the head, almost playfully, and grins at the monster as she dodges his second strike.
Mouse grins too, very faintly, not at all pleasantly, as she adjusts her aim to the lunging girl and fires.
Blood and gore drip from Ferret's maw. Even as a particularly thick strand stretches and finally plummets to the floor, so does she. She hits with a weak thud and soft grunt. For the moment, she's content to push back against the wall and simply try to breath.
That kick is enough to take that leg out from under him, and though it hurts like hell, Fallout's reaction a ragefilled and really, really pissed. This time, the crinos uses his weight to try to take the boy down to the ground entirely and rip into him there.
Scar's good eye goes wide and round with fury -- and then he checks, jerking back with another low growl, forcing back the berserker bloodlust.
The shot from Mouse's gun is almost lost amidst the backdrop of rage. The bullet hits the girl square in the center of her forehead and she drops like a stone, inches before she reaches the Theurge.
Fallout takes the boy down, and though the struggle continues, it's clear that the crinos has the upper hand as the boy weakens with every punch.
Then all that is left is Mia where she faces the enraged Scar. She pirouettes away from him, laughing as her companions die, one by one. "Do you think the king of Persia knows there are wolves in Ecbatana?"
Mouse shifts her aim again, steadies it, peers down the sight at the remaining, and most dangerous target. If she gets a clear shot, she'll fire, but she's leery of hitting Scar.
Ferret continues to sit, and pant. She kicks the dead body of the boy away, as if it were a deadly snake that might bite.
Scar answers with a whirlwind of absolute fury, claws and teeth moving faster than the eye, all the more deadly for the fact that he is not, for a wonder, gripped by frenzy.
With the blur that is Salem, Mouse can't get a clear shot. She doesn't need to, though, because Scar's claws and teeth do all the damage necessary to take Mia down. She doesn't seem to notice what's happening, at first, still laughing at the scene around her. By the time she tries to fight back, it's too late. Claws tear through flesh, and though it bleeds very little, it also fails to knit back together. When they finally tear through her neck and she falls to the counter, to the floor, the laughter finally ceases.
Fallout gouges his claws into the boy's chest and /rips/ outward with far more aggravation and rage than is needed. Crack. He's panting hard, and looks pissed, irritable, and grouchy. He starts to jump up to help Salem, but he does so just as the woman falls, so he pulls up short.
When everything else stops, the garou can make out the soft whimper of the boy under the table.
~Filth,~ Scar snarls at the vampire's remains. Then his ears perk at the sound of the whimper and he growls again, irritably.
Ferret finally manages to push herself to her feet. It's accompanied by another grunt. She surveys the carnage, and that's when she spies the two remaining kids--one unconscious on the floor, and the other, the source of the whimper. She looks from him to Salem, Jack and Mouse, nonverbally asking what they should do with those two.
Fallout looks over toward the sound of the whimper, and, despite the rage, he somehow manages to look suddenly very, very tired. He doesn't answer verbally, but the look he gives is quite clear to his opinion - sort of a 'well, what else /can/ you do'.
Mouse lowers her gun. She too glances toward the sound of the whimper, and her jaw tightens.
The girl on the floor doesn't seem likely to wake, soon. Under the table, the boy moves his leg, whether starting to emerge, or just trying to push himself closer to the wall isn't clear.
Scar grunts. ~I'll do it,~ he says, in tones of grim resignation. He limps toward the table, shifting down to glabro as he goes.
Ferret grimaces, but she also looks eternally grateful the gruff, old philodox offered.
Fallout glances over toward Salem, then to the girl on the floor. One ear flicks back, and, without saying a word, he heads over that way, gait stiff and heavy, leg more sore than usual, and posture nigh-unreadable, apparently just wanting to get this all over with.
Neither of the remaining teens is able to struggle, and they go down quickly, without a fight, without a sound. The scent of these two is different than the rest, lacking the faint odor of death and decay of even the other living members of the group.
Salem's expression is bitter, the corners of his mouth twisted downward.
Ferret shifts back to her birth form when the deeds are done. Her grimace remains, however. "Thanks, guys," she says.
Mouse tucks her gun away. Her expression is still thin and tense. "No problem, Lefty. Anyone need any patching?"
Lefty shakes her head, shrugging off what injurries she has. For the most part she seems to have recovered from the battering the boy did. "I'm good. What should we do about the mess?" she gestures at the bodies and blood.
Salem surveys the damage with a cold, sour eye. "Fire," he rasps, after a moment. "Cleanse it in fire."
Mouse considers as she glances back to the kitchen door. "Yeah. What about those tunnels, though?"
Fallout shifts back down to homid once all is done, grumbling a few irritable curses as he limps back to the others. He still seems quite edgy and cranky, though he manages to recognize this enough to shut up for the most part, though, and just gives Mouse, "'m fine," and acknowledges Salem with, "Yea, that," with a hike of a thumb towards the other philodox.
Lefty sets about the grim task without speaking further. In fact, the Gnawer is unusually silent while she works.
Salem looks toward the kitchen door, mismatched eyes narrow. "Collapse in the entrance. Or, if you want to be fancy, set some booby-traps."
Mouse straightens up. "Let's do both, after we're done here. Should discourage anything else nasty from settling in for a bit."
Jack leans against the side of a booth briefly, taking the weight off his bad leg for a moment. "Might want t'hold off a few on th'traps," he grunts. "Until they got this place investigated, b'cause y'know they will after th'fire. Don't want anyone else sticking a foot in somethin' if they find the tunnel, collapsed or not."
Salem cocks an eye at the other Jack. "Of course." He shrinks down into homid, looking bitter and tired, and goes to fetch this satchel from where it's been hidden nearby.
