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renferretA Walker trio assaults the vampire den, and Mouse learns she was right to be suspicious.
Apartment and Studio(#2790RJs)
A short entry foyer (with a coat closet) opens into a large, bright livingroom with very high ceilings. Windows cover the entirety of the opposite wall, stretching from the ceiling to about three feet from the floor. The lower windows, each pane about five feet high by three wide, open like doors with the assitance of cranks; the upper rank of windows do not open. The light wood flooring and white walls keep the whole space bright and airy. To the left, a bit of a corner lounging area holds bookshelves, mainly full of art books and nonfiction, with a few children's books filling one lower shelf.
The place is in upheaval, with canvases and finished works leaning against blank spaces on the walls.
In roughly the middle of the left-hand wall, an open archway leads to the bathroom and bedroom; it's merely an alcove with a door on either side. To the right, a half-height partition helps to define the kitchen and dining area; the plan is open, with only a bit of counter/bar to separate the kitchen from the rest of the room. The apartment's front door leads out onto the third-floor landing.
Contents:
Rina
Salem
Solsiva
Sky(#3100PJOcr)
Sky pages: (I gave this overview to the others, and then we wondered if we were gonna get a Mouse.) When the word of vampire activity first came, the rumors said four. The trouble in the tunnels was discovered soon enough, but it took a while to find the first leech. The garou tracked Mia down in an old diner, and ended her along with her friends. It was a kin who, quite accidentally, happened on the next, and brought the names of all three remaining vampires to the Glass Walkers. They tracked down Eliza in a warehouse, and despite the silver ammunition, destroyed her, too. Between what was discovered through the paperwork from the commercial enterprise, and what Rina and Veronica relayed, the Glass Walkers had the names of the final two, and an address for the estate of the one named Halix. Before the Garou could move on him, however, Rina had occasion to kill him, and between the kin and Mouse, the evidence was removed.
It's certain, though, that Halix had ghouls in his employ, and there may even be other vampires still residing in his home.
To (Solsiva, Mouse, Salem), Sky pages: And for the sake of drama, You'll be arriving at the house just before sunset. Maybe you had car trouble. (;
Solsiva waves.
The sun is still visible, clinging to the rooftops to the west. Yellow-orange light reflects off the windows, glaringly bright. Nothing seems amiss as they near the house, no sign that the owner has recently departed. The circular drive leading to the front entrance is quiet, and clear, and the stand of roses to the left are in bloom. Despite the wall that surrounds the property, it isn't difficult to approach unseen with a bit of care - trees and shrubs provide cover in a few choice spots. Though there is camera coverage, it's relatively easy to detect and avoid. The building itself is more than three stories, with dormers above the third floor and windows at each level. The third floor windows are larger than the rest, providing an expansive view of the rest of the city. Those on the second floor all seem to have shutters, or internal blinds drawn closed.
"Leeches," is Mouse's first, irritable mutter once she's got a decent glance at the building. "They've always got to go big and grand, don't they? 'Oooh, look at me, I'm a walking corpse but I've got a Swiss bank account.'"
Solsiva makes an agreeable noise and says, "Maybe we can redirect some of those funds. I always thought the tenement could use an indoor swimming pool."
Salem says nothing, only stares frowningly at the house, his good eye raking over it.
With closer inspection, there is clearly movement at the first floor of the house, and lights on to ward off the evening.
Mouse checks inside her coat, loosening her gun in its holster and slipping off the safety. "Well, I've brought the headsets, but I doubt they'll do us much good before we end up having to shift." She eyes the windows. "You're the expert, Jack. Split up to cover the exits? Or should we all stay close?"
Solsiva keeps watch on the movement, as she has nothing to add at the moment.
The grizzled Philodox's frown tightens as he stares at the house. If only looks alone could set it ablaze. "Not a lot of us, but fuck if any escape. I'd block the extra exits, if I could."
The movement within suggests two, perhaps three people, coming and going from the room directly to the left of the main entrance.
Mouse nods slightly. "Okay." She stuffs her hand into her left coat pocket, and produces the promised headsets. "They'll work for the start anyway. /Try/ not to break them too badly?" She offers a set each to the other two. "I'm going to see if I can't slip around the back and do exactly that." The Theurge slips one on for herself. "A place like this, I bet they've got an alarm."
Solsiva takes the offered headset and adjusts it to fit her head while muttering about the number of people she suspects moving about. "Which exit do I take?"
Salem accepts the proffered headset and slips it on.
It isn't exactly a thief's dream, but it is possible for Mouse to make her way toward the back remaining mostly out of sight.
Mouse points. "Stay with Jack, just for now, and keep an eye on those people at the front. We're going to want to try and keep track of just how many are in there." She wets her lips, takes a deep breath, and then starts forward, attempting to slink closer to the house using what cover's available. Most of her attention is on being quiet and looking for the cameras--she trusts Salem and Solsiva to watch the front windows.
Solsiva settles in a bit and keeps looking at the windows, trying to keep herself from watching Mouse's progress.
Salem watches the front windows, but every so often takes a sweep of the surrounding area as well.
Though from this distance, it's difficult to make out details, it becomes clear that there are three individuals, judging from height, build, and carriage.
Mouse finds two other cameras before she steps into their field of view. The first is easily avoidable, the second, less so, but she seems to have managed as she skirts close to the outer wall of the house. The landscaping in the back is exactly what one might expect, immaculate, and intricate. One of the nearer gardens is just now coming to life, full of night-blooming flowers beginning to wake.
Mouse whispers the general location of the cameras into the headset as she goes, more out of long-seeded habit than the thought that it'll necessarily be useful to the others. She pauses for a moment, just one, to glance over the flowers, before she continues easing her way along, looking for exits, more cameras, and any sign of a more elaborate security system.
Solsiva puts a hand to her left ear to press the headset in to listen. Otherwise she remains still and watchful.
Salem nods minutely.
There are two obvious exits into the gardens, one from what appears to be a kitchen, and the other from some sort of storm-door that appears to lead to a cellar. While there appears to still be movement in the front of the house (a slow pacing by one of the three figures), there is no sign of life in the rear.
Mouse reports this too, and then sets about scouring the place, looking for something to wedge the kitchen door, bar the storm-door, or, preferably, both. "How's it look out there?"
Solsiva reports the three are still there doing their thing, glancing at Salem as she does so.
Salem eyeballs the younger Philodox, perhaps critically, but doesn't add to her report.
The storm-door is easy enough, a sliding bar is built in for just that purpose. All it takes is a simple twist and the application of a stake from the garden, to keep it from being opened from within. The kitchen door is a trickier prospect, with no clear way to bar exit or keep it closed.
Mouse spends a few more seconds than she should making sure of this, and then she exhales heavily and touches the side of her headset. "...Alright, storm-door's as blocked as I can make it, but I can't do anything about the kitchen. It's still pretty dead back here." She pauses, makes a face, "Fucking /horrible pun/. Would you two like to go 'knock' on the front door?"
"Not that bad." Sol replies quietly as she preps her own holster and then heads off to get closer to the building.
Salem gets up from his crouch and moves after Sol, limping only slightly, his body language distinctly predatory. He, of course, carries no gun.
There is no sign from within that anyone notices their approach.
Mouse slips as quietly as she can back to the kitchen door, and ever so carefully tries the handle.
Sky pages: It's locked, but you can either break the window, or use Control Simple Machine to flip the deadbolt.
Long distance to Sky: Mouse is going with the handy gift. :D
Solsiva isn't exactly made for sneaking and stops in some good cover. She tilts her head for Salem to make the opening bid.
Salem narrows his eyes at Sol for a moment, then openly approaches the front door, limping visibly and with no attempt at stealth. Knock, knock -- quite literally.
The lock on the back door holds Mouse at bay for a second, but then turns with a nearly silent click as she makes use of her gift.
There's silence for a moment in response to the knock, but then movement, footsteps approaching, and an older gentleman opens the door. It isn't that he's particularly tall, but with the entrance one step above where Salem stands, the well dressed man is able to look down at Salem both figuratively and literally. "May I help you?" he says, with the tone of someone who would really rather be turning compost.
Mouse whispers into her headset, "Going in the back, taking this off now. Watch yourselves." She folds the headset up and shoves it back into her pocket, before pushing slowly through the door.
Solsiva adjusts her position, ready to follow up behind Salem from her cover.
Salem hardly lets the gentleman finish his question before launching himself into a full-body tackle, attempting to barrel both himself and the other into the house, with the other fellow as a convenient body shield.
The room Mouse enters is clearly a kitchen, and a large one, at that. It is amazingly clean, though it seems also to be used. It looks rather like something out of a magazine photo.
The man at the door is significantly stronger than he looks, than he should be, given his apparent age, given his build. It isn't that Salem merely bounces off, he does manage to push the older man back, and both of them clear the door before a pair of fists come down hard on the Glass Walker's back.
From the other room, two voices are raised in confusion and alarm, and by the time the older man hits Salem, two younger men appear in the doorway to the left.
Mouse slips her gun free and then hurries forward, pulling open drawers and looking for a fork or a toothpick while her ears strain to pick up the noises from the front of the house.
You paged Sky with 'Essentially something to jam in the lock, but she's not completely dedicated to this if she can't find something pretty fast.'.
Solsiva hustles after Salem into the house and flips the door closed behind her.
Salem, teeth bared, makes a grab for the older man's lapels as his body explodes upward into Crinos. Massive jaws snap at the man's head.
Mouse finds what she's looking for in the first drawer, and jams a fork into the lock. It isn't pretty, but it should hold, at least long enough to slow someone down.
The shift to crinos alone should be enough to bring terror to the man, but he doesn't react with panic. His attempt to dodge the bite is partially successful, and even what connects does less damage than it should. It does, however, draw blood, and the slightly metalic tang enters the air. The power of the fist that hits Salem's ribcage is another testament to the nature of this man.
The other two, a shorter black youth and a burly young man with black hair, are less quick to react, but while the dark haired one leaps in to join the fray, the youth heads in another direction entirely, running back through the house with significant speed.
Mouse turns back around at the sound of running, and hurries back to the other end of the kitchen. As much as she wants to dash out, she takes the time to look around first, gun at the ready.
Solsiva makes a quick decision and lunges for the dark haired guy and snaps into crinos once she's past Scar, trying to hold him tight and pin his arms.
Scar's jaws go into a blur of snapping and biting as the grizzled halfmoon attempts to get a grip on his victim's head and bite down. Maybe tear off, if possible.
Mouse spots the figure of the black youth as he speeds up the stairs, something familiar in that brief glimpse.
For Scar the frustration builds dangerously as he bites down on air and then snags just the edge of the man's ear through the white hair. He feels the power of the man's punch as it breaks through even crinos ribs. And then, satisfaction, as his teeth close down on the skull and he feels the bones crush beneath the power of his jaws. It isn't clear whether it's the snapping of the neck or the crushing of the skull that actually kills him, but at that point, it doesn't matter.
Solsiva manages to sneak past the other philodox, and her shift to crinos is enough to let her catch the man she's after. He, too, is stronger than he appears, however, and though her claws tear through his suede jacket and spill blood beneath, she doesn't manage to keep a hold.
Sky pages: Why yes, that would be the man Rina tackled in the alley the other night.
Mouse blinks once as that registers, and then she dashes forward as well, following the youth up the stairs. She's still making a token effort at being quiet, but mostly she's hoping his haste will muffle her own steps. Her gun's in her hand, but she's not aiming right now, just following.
On-Star snarls as she lashes out, trying to punch a clawed hand into the guy's body.
Scar lets the corpse fall to the floor and drops to all fours, melting into Hispo as he moves to assist On-Star; the scarred dire wolf goes low, bone-crushing jaws aiming for the man's legs.
Mouse isn't slow, but the man ahead of her is much, much faster. He's at the second floor and out of sight before she reaches the first landing.
On-Star's lunge is perfectly timed, though unfortunately, not for her benefit. Her claws strike only air as her target twists out of the way and lands a roundhouse kick directly at her kidney. It leave him open to the bite from behind, as Scar crushes the femur of the leg on which he stood.
Mouse finds this just as irritating as the first time, though /this/ time she refrains from a steady stream of under-the-breath insults. She keeps going up, as fast and as quietly as she can, though she does stop and bring her gun up just before the second landing before going much more slowly.
On-Star jerks to hunch over the blow as she lashes out again to swipe at his head.
Scar keeps his grip on the man's leg as he yanks his massive head to the side to knock him to the floor.
Only the nearby closing of a door informs Mouse that her target is somewhere on the second floor, rather than having fled further up the stairs. There are 6 doors visible, and though she can be fairly certain it wasn't one of the two to the left that just closed, it is much harder to tell which it is of the four that remain.
If the man were human, Salem's jaws crushing his femoral artery would have killed him by now. As it is, the scream he let out at the bite has now devolved into a string of curses that would make a sailor blush. He falls to the ground, but it doesn't keep him from aiming a kick at Salem's head with his free leg. Solsiva's claws strike just as the man falls, catching nothing more than a fistful of his hair.
Mouse keeps her gun pointed in front of her, holding it with both hands now, as she slides carefully along the wall. She tilts her head slightly toward the wall as well, trying to listen for any clue as to where her quarry might be.
The cliath is starting to get frustrated and swipes with an open hand towards the man's jaw.
Scar gives his head a savage shake, tearing more flesh, and then drops the man's leg. ~Finish him,~ he growls at On-Star, then turns and heads up the stairs to assist Mouse.
Mouse is able to eliminate the first of the doors as she makes her way carefully down the hall. Somewhere ahead, behind one of the middle two doors, there is movement.
In the foyer, Solsiva's claws finally strike their target, ripping through skin at his jaw, and throat just as Salem shakes the leg he holds. Between them, the dark haired ghoul falls still, his cursing silenced.
Mouse practically holds her breath as she advances. She stops in front of the first of the two middle doors, listening again.
On-Star wipes her bloody claws on the man's jacket before heading for the stairs, glancing upward before she starts to climb.
Scar moves swiftly up the steps, blood dripping from his muzzle, his nose and ears alert.
Mouse doesn't even have to reach the door before she's sure that the source of the sounds is there. There's a scuffling, as though someone stops short in an attempt to avoid running into someone else, and voices, too low to comprehend. The others are at the top of the stairs by the time Mouse is certain what she's listening to.
Mouse shifts her gun to one hand as she reaches out with the other, very, /very/ slowly trying to turn the knob. She strains her ears, trying to focus on the voices.
On-Star's ears are pricked forward as she shifts back to breed form and takes out her pistol.
Scar keeps the dire wolf shape.
Even as Mouse starts to turn the knob, she can feel it wrenched from her grip. The door opens and the black youth is there on the other side. In one hand he holds a fork, and in the other, a knife. At first glance even the knife doesn't appear to be dangerous. Not even a steak knife, the weapon he wields is nothing more menacing than a butter knife. As he lunges through the opening, however, it's clearly a much more dangerous item.
Rina: A.... silver letter opener?
Mouse leaps to an immediate conclusion, and fires, though she hardly has any time to take any specific aim.
Sky: (A silver butter knife. And fork.)
Solsiva holds her weapon, not wanting to hit Mouse and tries to reposition to get a clear shot.
Rina: How close are you guys to Mouse?
Sky: They're at the top of the stairs, so about 10'.
Sky: Give or take. 15' at the outside.
Sky: I take that back.
Scar, surprisingly fast for his size, charges in low, going for the youth's legs with silent intent.
Rina: uh oh.
Sky: My sense of distance is screwy, so I'm applying math. 10' from the stairs to the first door, another 10' and then across the hall to the next door. So closer to 20' total. That won't affect Scar's ability to charge. (;
Scar: bite bite
The door bursts open downstairs, and boots move at the speed of an inhuman sprinter. Taking the stairs three at a time, the newcomer reaches the top in short order and turns the corner without stopping.
Sky pages: Magic bullet or just a regular shot?
You paged Sky with 'Her gun has the roach clip, yeah.'.
Sky pages: Does she spend rage for each shot (and did she), or does it do hoopy things without?
You paged Sky with 'Nah. It's a gnosis to attune it to a gun (but that means nothing here since it's been attuned to that gun for ages). The bullets load super fast, and then it's a Rage once loaded to make them do agg damage.'.
You paged Sky with 'That is, one rage per full clip.'.
Sky pages: Ooh. Nifty!
Long distance to Sky: Mouse nods! There's a reason she luuuurves it.
The youth is surprisingly quick, and though Mouse's shot grazes his shoulder, his fork bites deep into her arm as he rushes past her. Scar's charge is likewise thwarted by the speed with which the young man moves. The hispo's teeth just barely grab denim, tearing the jeans as the man runs by.
Sky pages: 1 agg. (AUGH SILVER! AUGH! But it wasn't so bad, afterall.)
You paged Sky with 'Is it still in?'.
Sky pages: Nope. He's got it in his hand still.
Solsiva fires twice in quick succession as the man clears past Mouse.
All her care about not engaging in a swear-storm goes out the window. Mouse /snarls/, though she somehow manages to maintain her form. "You fucking, /fucking/--" She whirls, squeezing the trigger again, though her aim can only be described as 'at least bothers to make sure she's not pointing at Scar or Solsiva'.
Scar chases after the youth, jaws gaping, his good eye wide and round and intent.
"*Coward*," Rina snaps, as she turns the corner and sees the one running. She has a gun in one hand, and seems entirely heedless, running for the door at that same inhuman sprint, straight into the gunfire.
Mouse's next shot hits the wall, but the second bullet from Solsiva's gun hits him in the side as he runs, and he stumbles a step. It's just enough to let Scar close the distance as they pass Rina headed the other way. With all garou eyes focused on the fleeing man, another appears in the doorway of the room. His gaze finds Rina, just as she reaches him and he grins.
Mouse doesn't dare fire again. Hissing sharply, she turns, looking for the source of the other voice she heard.
Facing the way Sol is, when she glances up at Mouse her eyes shift over to the new unwelcome face. "Rina!" She yells as she starts to move after the unnaturally fast kin, though her actions seem tired and somewhat sluggish.
Scar's ears flick at the sound of Rina's name, her voice, but to his credit he isn't distracted from his current prey. He bites at the youth's legs, seeking to stop that running and bring him down.
Rina turns, wild-eyed, standing between the two Garou and their target. "Don't," she says in a low voice, as the gun comes up. The look on her face is stark, utterly unhinged.
Rina: Sorry, to clarify: her back is to Darius.
With the bullet slowing him, Scar is able to catch the fleeing ghoul. His jaws clamp down, catching him high on the leg and pulling him down. The youth struggles once, and then falls still, the cutlery still held in his outstretched hands.
In the doorway, the figure behind Rina smiles at the carnage, but his hand reaches for Rina's, and he whispers without looking at her. "When I tell you, run."
"Jesus /Christ/," Mouse says, in that same hiss. She gives a sort of jerky palm up motion toward Solsiva with the arm that was stabbed, though she doesn't lower her own gun. More than Rina, her gaze fixes on Darius, though she's glaring at the man's chin rather than his eyes. "Oh, you. If this is what I think it is, do you know what I'm going to do to you? Would you like it described in English, Spanish, Japanese, or Russian? How about jacketed hollow point? Because I am ever so /fucking tired/ of you shitheads /fucking with my people/."
Solsiva stops short, with her weapon hesitantly pointed towards the ground. Her hostility remains and she glances quickly from Mouse to Rina and Darius.
Scar turns away from the dead ghoul and slowly pads over to Mouse's side, gaping jaws all over blood. The mismatched eyes stare at Rina, their expression difficult to read.
Rina presses her lips together hard, and gives a tiny shake of her head. The gun is aimed at Mouse. "Don't do this," she says in a low voice. "Let him go. You don't have to--" She's almost shaking with tension.
One of the man's hands is hidden, but the other comes up to settle on Rina's shoulder, just at the curve of her neck. His smile changes subtly, as he looks out at the three garou. "Yes," he says, the power of his presence so clear, so compelling. "Just let us go. We'll be out of your way."
To (Scar, Mouse, Solsiva), Sky pages: It's sort of like persuasion, there's just something about him that is compelling. It's not dominate, though, so he's not controling your ability to think.
Mouse smiles very, very thinly, an expression so terribly faint that the rest of her face doesn't follow suit, the rest of it seems, once again, locked in that unreadable state. "You know I do," she says, and quite different from just a moment ago, now she's quiet, each word carefully chosen. "It's okay, Rina. ...There are three of us." And just like that, she goes from standing very still to lunging--not at Darius but at Rina, the gun falling from her fingers as she attempts to full body tackle the kin.
Long distance to Sky: Mouse burns willpower AND Rage for that. However much you think is necessary.
Solsiva doesn't appear to buy into the man's talk as her lips set in a grim line and she raises her weapon again. If Darius loses his human shield, she takes a shot, if not she holds her fire.
Scar's growl is low and soft when Darius speaks, a throaty rumble. But he doesn't move until Mouse does, going for the vampire like a rabid junkyard dog.
Mouse moves fast, faster than the kin can react. When the metis hits Rina, the pair go down, and in that instant several things happen at once. A single shot fires from Solsiva's gun, Salem leaps, and the vampire himself charges toward the stairs. The bullet slices through Darius's torso, but it doesn't slow him the way it did the ghoul, earlier. Scar's teeth manage to snag at his side as he runs past. For his troubles, the philodox feels the pain of the silver fork as it stabs deep into his shoulder.
Rina pages: So, um, how strong is Mouse? :)
You paged Rina with 'Not remotely. XD She's strength 1 in homid. She's likely to shift this round to help with that, but.'.
Another gunshot goes wild. Rina struggles to free herself from Mouse, breaking free after a moment and darting after the vampire.
Solsiva leaps into the path of the vampire, attempting to block him, and now Rina, from the stairs.
Scar snarls, but if the pain of the silver wound affects the great scarred beast, he doesn't show it. Rage burns hot in his good eye and fuels his legs as he goes after the vampire, intent to kill.
Mouse isn't having it. She twists--unwisely fast for her--bulking into glabro as she goes for a second full tackle, this time from behind.
Long distance to Sky: Mouse burns willpower again, and Rage for that shift.
With Solsiva in his path, the vampire charges full force. He lunges with the fork in his hand, stabbing it into her stomach as he barrels into her. The pair go down, with the vampire almost riding the philodox like a sled on the way down the stairs. Salem's charge puts him just behind and his teeth close around Darius's ankle. The kin is still moving with supernatural speed, and she evades Mouse's attempt to tackle her a second time, reaching the top of the stairs just behind the hispo.
Mouse swears--it's something ugly, and Spanish--but she's still chasing Rina with some seriously single-minded focus. This time it's a grab she's trying for--because knocking the kin down the stairs is not on her list of Good Elder Actions.
Long distance to Sky: Mouse burns more willpower!
Solsiva swears about blue butted baboons as she gets thunked down the stairs. Gaining a surge of energy she shifts to crinos in a heart beat, but doesn't attack, gritting her pointy teeth together in agony.
Scar tightens his jaws around the vampire's ankle in a beartrap-like vise and throws his weight backwards, attempting to slow their descent.
It's a cacophany of events with garou and vampire tumbling down the stairs, teeth and claws and guns and forks all flashing in different directions. Blood stains the carpet, the wood, and the walls. Rina's aim is knocked wide by Mouse's hand, and insted of hitting Salem full on, she simply grazes his hip. The glabro theurge has a good grip, now, not easily shaken off. The philodox ignores the pain and yanks hard on the vampire's ankle, hauling them both to a stop and doing serious damage to the limb at the same time. Darius shouts, for once without any sign of pleasure in it. "ISA!"
Mouse does another unwise thing as far as her back is concerned--she hauls backwards, /hard/, trying to put wall or floor or herself or /something/ between Rina's gun and the battling group below. "/Rina/," she breathes, right after he shouts. "It's /Jack/."
Long distance to Sky: Mouse willpowers!
Scar snarls and bites down harder on the limb, shaking his great head back and forth, growling steadily.
To (Rina, Mouse), Sky pages: In my head - Mouse has Rina's gun hand by the wrist.
Long distance to (Rina, Sky): Mouse nods.
Rina screams, wild-eyed, twisting wildly to get free of Mouse's grip, fighting like a banshee--and definitely as strong as the Glabro. Another shot goes wild, a product of the struggle more than intent. "DARIUS!" It's the ragged, desperate kind of scream that sounds as if it's actually damaging the voice.
The vampire struggles and twists, trying to turn, to fight against the garou. Despite the speed, Salem's jaws are tight, and he gets no more than another glancing blow with the fork before the philodox's teeth do their work, and the vampire falls, still, no longer even bleeding.
Mouse is breathing very raggedly at this point, but she's devoting her every last ounce of everything to try and keep Rina from breaking loose. Words are too much effort at this point.
Long distance to Sky: Mouse burns moaar.
Sky pages: Go Mouse!
From afar, Rina nods. I'm thinking Mouse is behind her, can get hold of the other arm.
Scar opens his jaws and lets the dead meat drop. For a few moments, he doesn't move, apart from turning his head to look at Mouse and Rina.
Another scream, wrenching and terrible, comes from Rina's throat. Then she sags in Mouse's grip, almost doubling over. "No," she chokes out. The .45 drops heavily to the floor and she stares wild-eyed at the corpse.
Mouse still can't muster up the extra effort to say anything, though she does try to keep Rina upright, and she's not quite confident enough in the situation being over, even with the gun dropped, to loosen her grip much.
Scar growls softly, then reverts back to human form, his expression dark. "I'll start the clean-up," he says, then turns to limp down the stairs.
"Jack," Rina whispers, the name almost without any sound at all. She jerks, then, with silent, tremendous sobs.
Mouse finally, after a minute or so of this, manages to find her voice again. "...I'm sorry, Rina." There's a very long pause after this. "I wasn't paying enough attention."
"Kill me," Rina whispers soundlessly. "You should--"
"No." Mouse's voice is rough, but firmer this time.
"I'm a traitor, a fucking traitor," she hisses. "Kill me. Please--"
"Did you tell them things?" Mouse asks. "Things you never, ever would have told? Are any of them still alive that know them?"
"No," she says hoarsely, her voice a raw scrape. "No. Oh, God. Kavi."
Mouse leans in a little, and whispers in Rina's ear. Her grip has eased now--more support, far less restraint.
You paged Rina with 'Then you did better than I did.'.
Another desperate sound escapes her. "I failed. I failed." Several gasping breaths follow, as if she can't assimilate oxygen. "Kavi," she chokes out. Tears are streaming down her cheeks. "Oh, God, I shot at Jack--"
"Rina," Mouse says quietly, but firmly again. "/I/ failed. You pulped this guy's buddy or whoever the hell that other one was. Now. Listen. Please. Look at me."
Rina's limp as a doll, letting herself be turned around, manipulated. Her eyes are wide, shining with tears, horrifyingly empty.
Mouse looks directly into Rina's eyes and says, her tone utter steel now, "You are not a traitor. You are /my/ kin. I'll challenge anyone who says otherwise, and God help /them/."
Utterly unhinged, she breathes with the shallow, uneven desperation of someone dying. "He's gone," she whispers, hardly seeming to believe it, the words making something stab through her again. "He's gone."
"Yes," Mouse says simply, and she can't, it's clear, bring herself to feel sorry about that, despite how much Rina is hurting. "How long was this happening, Rina? I need to know."
Sky: OOCly about a year. IC - Time has been a mutable thing, so whatever you feel is reasonable.
Rina's brow furrows, and she looks away, searching. "I don't know," she whispers. "I don't know. Forever. Halix--" She swallows. "It was after I met Halix. I think. After he gave me the first check. So, so I can find out."
Mouse asks, "There's no one else in this merry band?"
With difficulty, she looks back to Mouse. "I don't know anyone else," she whispers. "I-- I think it was only us left. We were going to run. Tonight. We--"
Mouse purses her lips. "If I walked down and kicked him in the head right now, that wouldn't help at all, would it?"
Rina closes her eyes, wincing. "I don't know." She ducks her head, hard. "Kavi. Jesus, I-- I made them *leave*, Mouse, so I could--"
Mouse murmurs, "Take it slow. Breathe."
"It's so empty," Rina whispers, her gaze lowered, unfocused. She is swaying a little on her feet.
"We could go sit in the car," Mouse offers. "...Because I think if you end up falling over, I'm going right with you."
"Okay," Rina whispers unsteadily. "Is Jack-- is Jack okay?" She closes her eyes for a moment, shuddering.
"Yeah," Mouse says, without actually having any idea of it. "He's good."
Rina actually ends up supporting her, most of the way out. She doesn't look at what remains of the vampire, keeping her face turned away. "Can you-- call Kavi, for me?" she asks hoarsely. "Just to-- tell them, they can come home."
Mouse is endlessly grateful for this, though she doesn't voice it. She does shift back to homid to make it easier. At Rina's request, she simply slides one hand into her pocket and produces her phone.
Apartment and Studio(#2790RJs)
A short entry foyer (with a coat closet) opens into a large, bright livingroom with very high ceilings. Windows cover the entirety of the opposite wall, stretching from the ceiling to about three feet from the floor. The lower windows, each pane about five feet high by three wide, open like doors with the assitance of cranks; the upper rank of windows do not open. The light wood flooring and white walls keep the whole space bright and airy. To the left, a bit of a corner lounging area holds bookshelves, mainly full of art books and nonfiction, with a few children's books filling one lower shelf.
The place is in upheaval, with canvases and finished works leaning against blank spaces on the walls.
In roughly the middle of the left-hand wall, an open archway leads to the bathroom and bedroom; it's merely an alcove with a door on either side. To the right, a half-height partition helps to define the kitchen and dining area; the plan is open, with only a bit of counter/bar to separate the kitchen from the rest of the room. The apartment's front door leads out onto the third-floor landing.
Contents:
Rina
Salem
Solsiva
Sky(#3100PJOcr)
Sky pages: (I gave this overview to the others, and then we wondered if we were gonna get a Mouse.) When the word of vampire activity first came, the rumors said four. The trouble in the tunnels was discovered soon enough, but it took a while to find the first leech. The garou tracked Mia down in an old diner, and ended her along with her friends. It was a kin who, quite accidentally, happened on the next, and brought the names of all three remaining vampires to the Glass Walkers. They tracked down Eliza in a warehouse, and despite the silver ammunition, destroyed her, too. Between what was discovered through the paperwork from the commercial enterprise, and what Rina and Veronica relayed, the Glass Walkers had the names of the final two, and an address for the estate of the one named Halix. Before the Garou could move on him, however, Rina had occasion to kill him, and between the kin and Mouse, the evidence was removed.
It's certain, though, that Halix had ghouls in his employ, and there may even be other vampires still residing in his home.
To (Solsiva, Mouse, Salem), Sky pages: And for the sake of drama, You'll be arriving at the house just before sunset. Maybe you had car trouble. (;
Solsiva waves.
The sun is still visible, clinging to the rooftops to the west. Yellow-orange light reflects off the windows, glaringly bright. Nothing seems amiss as they near the house, no sign that the owner has recently departed. The circular drive leading to the front entrance is quiet, and clear, and the stand of roses to the left are in bloom. Despite the wall that surrounds the property, it isn't difficult to approach unseen with a bit of care - trees and shrubs provide cover in a few choice spots. Though there is camera coverage, it's relatively easy to detect and avoid. The building itself is more than three stories, with dormers above the third floor and windows at each level. The third floor windows are larger than the rest, providing an expansive view of the rest of the city. Those on the second floor all seem to have shutters, or internal blinds drawn closed.
"Leeches," is Mouse's first, irritable mutter once she's got a decent glance at the building. "They've always got to go big and grand, don't they? 'Oooh, look at me, I'm a walking corpse but I've got a Swiss bank account.'"
Solsiva makes an agreeable noise and says, "Maybe we can redirect some of those funds. I always thought the tenement could use an indoor swimming pool."
Salem says nothing, only stares frowningly at the house, his good eye raking over it.
With closer inspection, there is clearly movement at the first floor of the house, and lights on to ward off the evening.
Mouse checks inside her coat, loosening her gun in its holster and slipping off the safety. "Well, I've brought the headsets, but I doubt they'll do us much good before we end up having to shift." She eyes the windows. "You're the expert, Jack. Split up to cover the exits? Or should we all stay close?"
Solsiva keeps watch on the movement, as she has nothing to add at the moment.
The grizzled Philodox's frown tightens as he stares at the house. If only looks alone could set it ablaze. "Not a lot of us, but fuck if any escape. I'd block the extra exits, if I could."
The movement within suggests two, perhaps three people, coming and going from the room directly to the left of the main entrance.
Mouse nods slightly. "Okay." She stuffs her hand into her left coat pocket, and produces the promised headsets. "They'll work for the start anyway. /Try/ not to break them too badly?" She offers a set each to the other two. "I'm going to see if I can't slip around the back and do exactly that." The Theurge slips one on for herself. "A place like this, I bet they've got an alarm."
Solsiva takes the offered headset and adjusts it to fit her head while muttering about the number of people she suspects moving about. "Which exit do I take?"
Salem accepts the proffered headset and slips it on.
It isn't exactly a thief's dream, but it is possible for Mouse to make her way toward the back remaining mostly out of sight.
Mouse points. "Stay with Jack, just for now, and keep an eye on those people at the front. We're going to want to try and keep track of just how many are in there." She wets her lips, takes a deep breath, and then starts forward, attempting to slink closer to the house using what cover's available. Most of her attention is on being quiet and looking for the cameras--she trusts Salem and Solsiva to watch the front windows.
Solsiva settles in a bit and keeps looking at the windows, trying to keep herself from watching Mouse's progress.
Salem watches the front windows, but every so often takes a sweep of the surrounding area as well.
Though from this distance, it's difficult to make out details, it becomes clear that there are three individuals, judging from height, build, and carriage.
Mouse finds two other cameras before she steps into their field of view. The first is easily avoidable, the second, less so, but she seems to have managed as she skirts close to the outer wall of the house. The landscaping in the back is exactly what one might expect, immaculate, and intricate. One of the nearer gardens is just now coming to life, full of night-blooming flowers beginning to wake.
Mouse whispers the general location of the cameras into the headset as she goes, more out of long-seeded habit than the thought that it'll necessarily be useful to the others. She pauses for a moment, just one, to glance over the flowers, before she continues easing her way along, looking for exits, more cameras, and any sign of a more elaborate security system.
Solsiva puts a hand to her left ear to press the headset in to listen. Otherwise she remains still and watchful.
Salem nods minutely.
There are two obvious exits into the gardens, one from what appears to be a kitchen, and the other from some sort of storm-door that appears to lead to a cellar. While there appears to still be movement in the front of the house (a slow pacing by one of the three figures), there is no sign of life in the rear.
Mouse reports this too, and then sets about scouring the place, looking for something to wedge the kitchen door, bar the storm-door, or, preferably, both. "How's it look out there?"
Solsiva reports the three are still there doing their thing, glancing at Salem as she does so.
Salem eyeballs the younger Philodox, perhaps critically, but doesn't add to her report.
The storm-door is easy enough, a sliding bar is built in for just that purpose. All it takes is a simple twist and the application of a stake from the garden, to keep it from being opened from within. The kitchen door is a trickier prospect, with no clear way to bar exit or keep it closed.
Mouse spends a few more seconds than she should making sure of this, and then she exhales heavily and touches the side of her headset. "...Alright, storm-door's as blocked as I can make it, but I can't do anything about the kitchen. It's still pretty dead back here." She pauses, makes a face, "Fucking /horrible pun/. Would you two like to go 'knock' on the front door?"
"Not that bad." Sol replies quietly as she preps her own holster and then heads off to get closer to the building.
Salem gets up from his crouch and moves after Sol, limping only slightly, his body language distinctly predatory. He, of course, carries no gun.
There is no sign from within that anyone notices their approach.
Mouse slips as quietly as she can back to the kitchen door, and ever so carefully tries the handle.
Sky pages: It's locked, but you can either break the window, or use Control Simple Machine to flip the deadbolt.
Long distance to Sky: Mouse is going with the handy gift. :D
Solsiva isn't exactly made for sneaking and stops in some good cover. She tilts her head for Salem to make the opening bid.
Salem narrows his eyes at Sol for a moment, then openly approaches the front door, limping visibly and with no attempt at stealth. Knock, knock -- quite literally.
The lock on the back door holds Mouse at bay for a second, but then turns with a nearly silent click as she makes use of her gift.
There's silence for a moment in response to the knock, but then movement, footsteps approaching, and an older gentleman opens the door. It isn't that he's particularly tall, but with the entrance one step above where Salem stands, the well dressed man is able to look down at Salem both figuratively and literally. "May I help you?" he says, with the tone of someone who would really rather be turning compost.
Mouse whispers into her headset, "Going in the back, taking this off now. Watch yourselves." She folds the headset up and shoves it back into her pocket, before pushing slowly through the door.
Solsiva adjusts her position, ready to follow up behind Salem from her cover.
Salem hardly lets the gentleman finish his question before launching himself into a full-body tackle, attempting to barrel both himself and the other into the house, with the other fellow as a convenient body shield.
The room Mouse enters is clearly a kitchen, and a large one, at that. It is amazingly clean, though it seems also to be used. It looks rather like something out of a magazine photo.
The man at the door is significantly stronger than he looks, than he should be, given his apparent age, given his build. It isn't that Salem merely bounces off, he does manage to push the older man back, and both of them clear the door before a pair of fists come down hard on the Glass Walker's back.
From the other room, two voices are raised in confusion and alarm, and by the time the older man hits Salem, two younger men appear in the doorway to the left.
Mouse slips her gun free and then hurries forward, pulling open drawers and looking for a fork or a toothpick while her ears strain to pick up the noises from the front of the house.
You paged Sky with 'Essentially something to jam in the lock, but she's not completely dedicated to this if she can't find something pretty fast.'.
Solsiva hustles after Salem into the house and flips the door closed behind her.
Salem, teeth bared, makes a grab for the older man's lapels as his body explodes upward into Crinos. Massive jaws snap at the man's head.
Mouse finds what she's looking for in the first drawer, and jams a fork into the lock. It isn't pretty, but it should hold, at least long enough to slow someone down.
The shift to crinos alone should be enough to bring terror to the man, but he doesn't react with panic. His attempt to dodge the bite is partially successful, and even what connects does less damage than it should. It does, however, draw blood, and the slightly metalic tang enters the air. The power of the fist that hits Salem's ribcage is another testament to the nature of this man.
The other two, a shorter black youth and a burly young man with black hair, are less quick to react, but while the dark haired one leaps in to join the fray, the youth heads in another direction entirely, running back through the house with significant speed.
Mouse turns back around at the sound of running, and hurries back to the other end of the kitchen. As much as she wants to dash out, she takes the time to look around first, gun at the ready.
Solsiva makes a quick decision and lunges for the dark haired guy and snaps into crinos once she's past Scar, trying to hold him tight and pin his arms.
Scar's jaws go into a blur of snapping and biting as the grizzled halfmoon attempts to get a grip on his victim's head and bite down. Maybe tear off, if possible.
Mouse spots the figure of the black youth as he speeds up the stairs, something familiar in that brief glimpse.
For Scar the frustration builds dangerously as he bites down on air and then snags just the edge of the man's ear through the white hair. He feels the power of the man's punch as it breaks through even crinos ribs. And then, satisfaction, as his teeth close down on the skull and he feels the bones crush beneath the power of his jaws. It isn't clear whether it's the snapping of the neck or the crushing of the skull that actually kills him, but at that point, it doesn't matter.
Solsiva manages to sneak past the other philodox, and her shift to crinos is enough to let her catch the man she's after. He, too, is stronger than he appears, however, and though her claws tear through his suede jacket and spill blood beneath, she doesn't manage to keep a hold.
Sky pages: Why yes, that would be the man Rina tackled in the alley the other night.
Mouse blinks once as that registers, and then she dashes forward as well, following the youth up the stairs. She's still making a token effort at being quiet, but mostly she's hoping his haste will muffle her own steps. Her gun's in her hand, but she's not aiming right now, just following.
On-Star snarls as she lashes out, trying to punch a clawed hand into the guy's body.
Scar lets the corpse fall to the floor and drops to all fours, melting into Hispo as he moves to assist On-Star; the scarred dire wolf goes low, bone-crushing jaws aiming for the man's legs.
Mouse isn't slow, but the man ahead of her is much, much faster. He's at the second floor and out of sight before she reaches the first landing.
On-Star's lunge is perfectly timed, though unfortunately, not for her benefit. Her claws strike only air as her target twists out of the way and lands a roundhouse kick directly at her kidney. It leave him open to the bite from behind, as Scar crushes the femur of the leg on which he stood.
Mouse finds this just as irritating as the first time, though /this/ time she refrains from a steady stream of under-the-breath insults. She keeps going up, as fast and as quietly as she can, though she does stop and bring her gun up just before the second landing before going much more slowly.
On-Star jerks to hunch over the blow as she lashes out again to swipe at his head.
Scar keeps his grip on the man's leg as he yanks his massive head to the side to knock him to the floor.
Only the nearby closing of a door informs Mouse that her target is somewhere on the second floor, rather than having fled further up the stairs. There are 6 doors visible, and though she can be fairly certain it wasn't one of the two to the left that just closed, it is much harder to tell which it is of the four that remain.
If the man were human, Salem's jaws crushing his femoral artery would have killed him by now. As it is, the scream he let out at the bite has now devolved into a string of curses that would make a sailor blush. He falls to the ground, but it doesn't keep him from aiming a kick at Salem's head with his free leg. Solsiva's claws strike just as the man falls, catching nothing more than a fistful of his hair.
Mouse keeps her gun pointed in front of her, holding it with both hands now, as she slides carefully along the wall. She tilts her head slightly toward the wall as well, trying to listen for any clue as to where her quarry might be.
The cliath is starting to get frustrated and swipes with an open hand towards the man's jaw.
Scar gives his head a savage shake, tearing more flesh, and then drops the man's leg. ~Finish him,~ he growls at On-Star, then turns and heads up the stairs to assist Mouse.
Mouse is able to eliminate the first of the doors as she makes her way carefully down the hall. Somewhere ahead, behind one of the middle two doors, there is movement.
In the foyer, Solsiva's claws finally strike their target, ripping through skin at his jaw, and throat just as Salem shakes the leg he holds. Between them, the dark haired ghoul falls still, his cursing silenced.
Mouse practically holds her breath as she advances. She stops in front of the first of the two middle doors, listening again.
On-Star wipes her bloody claws on the man's jacket before heading for the stairs, glancing upward before she starts to climb.
Scar moves swiftly up the steps, blood dripping from his muzzle, his nose and ears alert.
Mouse doesn't even have to reach the door before she's sure that the source of the sounds is there. There's a scuffling, as though someone stops short in an attempt to avoid running into someone else, and voices, too low to comprehend. The others are at the top of the stairs by the time Mouse is certain what she's listening to.
Mouse shifts her gun to one hand as she reaches out with the other, very, /very/ slowly trying to turn the knob. She strains her ears, trying to focus on the voices.
On-Star's ears are pricked forward as she shifts back to breed form and takes out her pistol.
Scar keeps the dire wolf shape.
Even as Mouse starts to turn the knob, she can feel it wrenched from her grip. The door opens and the black youth is there on the other side. In one hand he holds a fork, and in the other, a knife. At first glance even the knife doesn't appear to be dangerous. Not even a steak knife, the weapon he wields is nothing more menacing than a butter knife. As he lunges through the opening, however, it's clearly a much more dangerous item.
Mouse leaps to an immediate conclusion, and fires, though she hardly has any time to take any specific aim.
Solsiva holds her weapon, not wanting to hit Mouse and tries to reposition to get a clear shot.
Scar, surprisingly fast for his size, charges in low, going for the youth's legs with silent intent.
The door bursts open downstairs, and boots move at the speed of an inhuman sprinter. Taking the stairs three at a time, the newcomer reaches the top in short order and turns the corner without stopping.
Sky pages: Magic bullet or just a regular shot?
You paged Sky with 'Her gun has the roach clip, yeah.'.
Sky pages: Does she spend rage for each shot (and did she), or does it do hoopy things without?
You paged Sky with 'Nah. It's a gnosis to attune it to a gun (but that means nothing here since it's been attuned to that gun for ages). The bullets load super fast, and then it's a Rage once loaded to make them do agg damage.'.
You paged Sky with 'That is, one rage per full clip.'.
Sky pages: Ooh. Nifty!
Long distance to Sky: Mouse nods! There's a reason she luuuurves it.
The youth is surprisingly quick, and though Mouse's shot grazes his shoulder, his fork bites deep into her arm as he rushes past her. Scar's charge is likewise thwarted by the speed with which the young man moves. The hispo's teeth just barely grab denim, tearing the jeans as the man runs by.
Sky pages: 1 agg. (AUGH SILVER! AUGH! But it wasn't so bad, afterall.)
You paged Sky with 'Is it still in?'.
Sky pages: Nope. He's got it in his hand still.
Solsiva fires twice in quick succession as the man clears past Mouse.
All her care about not engaging in a swear-storm goes out the window. Mouse /snarls/, though she somehow manages to maintain her form. "You fucking, /fucking/--" She whirls, squeezing the trigger again, though her aim can only be described as 'at least bothers to make sure she's not pointing at Scar or Solsiva'.
Scar chases after the youth, jaws gaping, his good eye wide and round and intent.
"*Coward*," Rina snaps, as she turns the corner and sees the one running. She has a gun in one hand, and seems entirely heedless, running for the door at that same inhuman sprint, straight into the gunfire.
Mouse's next shot hits the wall, but the second bullet from Solsiva's gun hits him in the side as he runs, and he stumbles a step. It's just enough to let Scar close the distance as they pass Rina headed the other way. With all garou eyes focused on the fleeing man, another appears in the doorway of the room. His gaze finds Rina, just as she reaches him and he grins.
Mouse doesn't dare fire again. Hissing sharply, she turns, looking for the source of the other voice she heard.
Facing the way Sol is, when she glances up at Mouse her eyes shift over to the new unwelcome face. "Rina!" She yells as she starts to move after the unnaturally fast kin, though her actions seem tired and somewhat sluggish.
Scar's ears flick at the sound of Rina's name, her voice, but to his credit he isn't distracted from his current prey. He bites at the youth's legs, seeking to stop that running and bring him down.
Rina turns, wild-eyed, standing between the two Garou and their target. "Don't," she says in a low voice, as the gun comes up. The look on her face is stark, utterly unhinged.
With the bullet slowing him, Scar is able to catch the fleeing ghoul. His jaws clamp down, catching him high on the leg and pulling him down. The youth struggles once, and then falls still, the cutlery still held in his outstretched hands.
In the doorway, the figure behind Rina smiles at the carnage, but his hand reaches for Rina's, and he whispers without looking at her. "When I tell you, run."
"Jesus /Christ/," Mouse says, in that same hiss. She gives a sort of jerky palm up motion toward Solsiva with the arm that was stabbed, though she doesn't lower her own gun. More than Rina, her gaze fixes on Darius, though she's glaring at the man's chin rather than his eyes. "Oh, you. If this is what I think it is, do you know what I'm going to do to you? Would you like it described in English, Spanish, Japanese, or Russian? How about jacketed hollow point? Because I am ever so /fucking tired/ of you shitheads /fucking with my people/."
Solsiva stops short, with her weapon hesitantly pointed towards the ground. Her hostility remains and she glances quickly from Mouse to Rina and Darius.
Scar turns away from the dead ghoul and slowly pads over to Mouse's side, gaping jaws all over blood. The mismatched eyes stare at Rina, their expression difficult to read.
Rina presses her lips together hard, and gives a tiny shake of her head. The gun is aimed at Mouse. "Don't do this," she says in a low voice. "Let him go. You don't have to--" She's almost shaking with tension.
One of the man's hands is hidden, but the other comes up to settle on Rina's shoulder, just at the curve of her neck. His smile changes subtly, as he looks out at the three garou. "Yes," he says, the power of his presence so clear, so compelling. "Just let us go. We'll be out of your way."
To (Scar, Mouse, Solsiva), Sky pages: It's sort of like persuasion, there's just something about him that is compelling. It's not dominate, though, so he's not controling your ability to think.
Mouse smiles very, very thinly, an expression so terribly faint that the rest of her face doesn't follow suit, the rest of it seems, once again, locked in that unreadable state. "You know I do," she says, and quite different from just a moment ago, now she's quiet, each word carefully chosen. "It's okay, Rina. ...There are three of us." And just like that, she goes from standing very still to lunging--not at Darius but at Rina, the gun falling from her fingers as she attempts to full body tackle the kin.
Long distance to Sky: Mouse burns willpower AND Rage for that. However much you think is necessary.
Solsiva doesn't appear to buy into the man's talk as her lips set in a grim line and she raises her weapon again. If Darius loses his human shield, she takes a shot, if not she holds her fire.
Scar's growl is low and soft when Darius speaks, a throaty rumble. But he doesn't move until Mouse does, going for the vampire like a rabid junkyard dog.
Mouse moves fast, faster than the kin can react. When the metis hits Rina, the pair go down, and in that instant several things happen at once. A single shot fires from Solsiva's gun, Salem leaps, and the vampire himself charges toward the stairs. The bullet slices through Darius's torso, but it doesn't slow him the way it did the ghoul, earlier. Scar's teeth manage to snag at his side as he runs past. For his troubles, the philodox feels the pain of the silver fork as it stabs deep into his shoulder.
Rina pages: So, um, how strong is Mouse? :)
You paged Rina with 'Not remotely. XD She's strength 1 in homid. She's likely to shift this round to help with that, but.'.
Another gunshot goes wild. Rina struggles to free herself from Mouse, breaking free after a moment and darting after the vampire.
Solsiva leaps into the path of the vampire, attempting to block him, and now Rina, from the stairs.
Scar snarls, but if the pain of the silver wound affects the great scarred beast, he doesn't show it. Rage burns hot in his good eye and fuels his legs as he goes after the vampire, intent to kill.
Mouse isn't having it. She twists--unwisely fast for her--bulking into glabro as she goes for a second full tackle, this time from behind.
Long distance to Sky: Mouse burns willpower again, and Rage for that shift.
With Solsiva in his path, the vampire charges full force. He lunges with the fork in his hand, stabbing it into her stomach as he barrels into her. The pair go down, with the vampire almost riding the philodox like a sled on the way down the stairs. Salem's charge puts him just behind and his teeth close around Darius's ankle. The kin is still moving with supernatural speed, and she evades Mouse's attempt to tackle her a second time, reaching the top of the stairs just behind the hispo.
Mouse swears--it's something ugly, and Spanish--but she's still chasing Rina with some seriously single-minded focus. This time it's a grab she's trying for--because knocking the kin down the stairs is not on her list of Good Elder Actions.
Long distance to Sky: Mouse burns more willpower!
Solsiva swears about blue butted baboons as she gets thunked down the stairs. Gaining a surge of energy she shifts to crinos in a heart beat, but doesn't attack, gritting her pointy teeth together in agony.
Scar tightens his jaws around the vampire's ankle in a beartrap-like vise and throws his weight backwards, attempting to slow their descent.
It's a cacophany of events with garou and vampire tumbling down the stairs, teeth and claws and guns and forks all flashing in different directions. Blood stains the carpet, the wood, and the walls. Rina's aim is knocked wide by Mouse's hand, and insted of hitting Salem full on, she simply grazes his hip. The glabro theurge has a good grip, now, not easily shaken off. The philodox ignores the pain and yanks hard on the vampire's ankle, hauling them both to a stop and doing serious damage to the limb at the same time. Darius shouts, for once without any sign of pleasure in it. "ISA!"
Mouse does another unwise thing as far as her back is concerned--she hauls backwards, /hard/, trying to put wall or floor or herself or /something/ between Rina's gun and the battling group below. "/Rina/," she breathes, right after he shouts. "It's /Jack/."
Long distance to Sky: Mouse willpowers!
Scar snarls and bites down harder on the limb, shaking his great head back and forth, growling steadily.
To (Rina, Mouse), Sky pages: In my head - Mouse has Rina's gun hand by the wrist.
Long distance to (Rina, Sky): Mouse nods.
Rina screams, wild-eyed, twisting wildly to get free of Mouse's grip, fighting like a banshee--and definitely as strong as the Glabro. Another shot goes wild, a product of the struggle more than intent. "DARIUS!" It's the ragged, desperate kind of scream that sounds as if it's actually damaging the voice.
The vampire struggles and twists, trying to turn, to fight against the garou. Despite the speed, Salem's jaws are tight, and he gets no more than another glancing blow with the fork before the philodox's teeth do their work, and the vampire falls, still, no longer even bleeding.
Mouse is breathing very raggedly at this point, but she's devoting her every last ounce of everything to try and keep Rina from breaking loose. Words are too much effort at this point.
Long distance to Sky: Mouse burns moaar.
Sky pages: Go Mouse!
From afar, Rina nods. I'm thinking Mouse is behind her, can get hold of the other arm.
Scar opens his jaws and lets the dead meat drop. For a few moments, he doesn't move, apart from turning his head to look at Mouse and Rina.
Another scream, wrenching and terrible, comes from Rina's throat. Then she sags in Mouse's grip, almost doubling over. "No," she chokes out. The .45 drops heavily to the floor and she stares wild-eyed at the corpse.
Mouse still can't muster up the extra effort to say anything, though she does try to keep Rina upright, and she's not quite confident enough in the situation being over, even with the gun dropped, to loosen her grip much.
Scar growls softly, then reverts back to human form, his expression dark. "I'll start the clean-up," he says, then turns to limp down the stairs.
"Jack," Rina whispers, the name almost without any sound at all. She jerks, then, with silent, tremendous sobs.
Mouse finally, after a minute or so of this, manages to find her voice again. "...I'm sorry, Rina." There's a very long pause after this. "I wasn't paying enough attention."
"Kill me," Rina whispers soundlessly. "You should--"
"No." Mouse's voice is rough, but firmer this time.
"I'm a traitor, a fucking traitor," she hisses. "Kill me. Please--"
"Did you tell them things?" Mouse asks. "Things you never, ever would have told? Are any of them still alive that know them?"
"No," she says hoarsely, her voice a raw scrape. "No. Oh, God. Kavi."
Mouse leans in a little, and whispers in Rina's ear. Her grip has eased now--more support, far less restraint.
You paged Rina with 'Then you did better than I did.'.
Another desperate sound escapes her. "I failed. I failed." Several gasping breaths follow, as if she can't assimilate oxygen. "Kavi," she chokes out. Tears are streaming down her cheeks. "Oh, God, I shot at Jack--"
"Rina," Mouse says quietly, but firmly again. "/I/ failed. You pulped this guy's buddy or whoever the hell that other one was. Now. Listen. Please. Look at me."
Rina's limp as a doll, letting herself be turned around, manipulated. Her eyes are wide, shining with tears, horrifyingly empty.
Mouse looks directly into Rina's eyes and says, her tone utter steel now, "You are not a traitor. You are /my/ kin. I'll challenge anyone who says otherwise, and God help /them/."
Utterly unhinged, she breathes with the shallow, uneven desperation of someone dying. "He's gone," she whispers, hardly seeming to believe it, the words making something stab through her again. "He's gone."
"Yes," Mouse says simply, and she can't, it's clear, bring herself to feel sorry about that, despite how much Rina is hurting. "How long was this happening, Rina? I need to know."
Rina's brow furrows, and she looks away, searching. "I don't know," she whispers. "I don't know. Forever. Halix--" She swallows. "It was after I met Halix. I think. After he gave me the first check. So, so I can find out."
Mouse asks, "There's no one else in this merry band?"
With difficulty, she looks back to Mouse. "I don't know anyone else," she whispers. "I-- I think it was only us left. We were going to run. Tonight. We--"
Mouse purses her lips. "If I walked down and kicked him in the head right now, that wouldn't help at all, would it?"
Rina closes her eyes, wincing. "I don't know." She ducks her head, hard. "Kavi. Jesus, I-- I made them *leave*, Mouse, so I could--"
Mouse murmurs, "Take it slow. Breathe."
"It's so empty," Rina whispers, her gaze lowered, unfocused. She is swaying a little on her feet.
"We could go sit in the car," Mouse offers. "...Because I think if you end up falling over, I'm going right with you."
"Okay," Rina whispers unsteadily. "Is Jack-- is Jack okay?" She closes her eyes for a moment, shuddering.
"Yeah," Mouse says, without actually having any idea of it. "He's good."
Rina actually ends up supporting her, most of the way out. She doesn't look at what remains of the vampire, keeping her face turned away. "Can you-- call Kavi, for me?" she asks hoarsely. "Just to-- tell them, they can come home."
Mouse is endlessly grateful for this, though she doesn't voice it. She does shift back to homid to make it easier. At Rina's request, she simply slides one hand into her pocket and produces her phone.
