After Arundel (RP)

Benji wilts, upset at being yelled at and saddened that he seems to have let down his friend. He had no idea she was having such a hard time. He supposes it has been a while since he last saw her… He can sometimes forget that his mortal friends think about time differently than he does.

He brightens somewhat at Emma’s suggestion. "That sounds nice! Let’s do that."

- Emma and Benji -

Miriam was the one pushing for going out, but, now that that has become a reality it looks more like she just did not want you coming in and seeing more of her flat. The very thought of actually leaving her home seems to petrify her. The garbage stacked up as close to outside as can be while still staying inside is a hint that she has not stepped foot out her door in weeks.

With your support she steels herself. Rather than a coat, she tries —halfheartedly— to shield her action with her body as she reaches into the drawer and slips what is clearly a large pistol into her waistband, beneath her shirt.

She squares her shoulders, but almost chickens out on the doorstep. It takes a little gentle encouragement on your part —she really needs this outing— to get her over the threshold. All the way across the street —the McDonald's is right there— she is like a cat, coiled to spring away at the least provocation.

Maybe she forgot about the cold and the rain, but maybe she wants to feel the world again. She flannel shirt does little to protect her, but she shows no reaction. Though, when she turns her face upwards to check for threats from above, she does linger a bit, letting the rain fall on her.

Do you head straight into the shelter of the 'restaurant', or do you encourage Miriam to walk further in the world?

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Nah. I'm not hungry." Miriam says, after jumping slightly at your touch.

She peers down the road intently. "Is there someone over there. Watching us?" She ask, her hand going to her gun. It is hard to tell, what with the rain and the dark. But there might be a figure leaning against the wall, under an awning, a block away, and two people in a parked car near where you parked.

What do you do?

Benji turns to look. "Oh. Probably. I think they’re here for me though, not you... I can go ask them, if you like, to make sure."

- Benji -

"You brought trouble to my door, Benji? How could you." Miriam sounds hurt that you, one of the very few people she trusts, would do such a thing, but she also sounds possibly a little titillated.

"Do you want me to ask them?" She suggests, her hand still on her gun.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Why?" Miriam responds, ignoring your movement and seemingly oblivious to the cold. "If they are threatening my Benji I can take them. I am not scared." Having something to confront seems to have galvanised her nerve. Getting her out of the house was clearly a good idea, but her emotions have rapidly swung in a new direction, her pent up frustration bubbling out in possibly-unproductive ways.

What do you do?

"That’s really not necessary," Benji hastily intervenes, placing himself between Miriam and the shadowy figure as he tries to steer her toward the McDonalds as well. "They’re not threatening me and they’re not trouble. They’ve just been watching me because Lizabeth found something weird down by the river. I’m sure they’ll lose interest in a few days when they realise I don’t know anything about it."

- Benji and Emma -

"They're threatening Lizabeth!?" Miriam exclaims, not backing down. "I'll have their guts for garters! Not that I need more garters."

Surely you have not been affected, but her actions here seem in line with a trend you may have noticed: Since the rain, people appear much more likely to act on their impulses, fears, and desires. While cooped up in her flat, Miriam was exhibiting borderline agoraphobia —Benji knows she has always been cautious, reasonable, given her past, but never paranoid— but now that she is faced with a thread she is almost hyper-aggressive, spoiling for a fight and the consequences be damned.

None of that matters, right now. Right now Miriam is likely to cause problems for herself. Gunplay in the streets —especially against polite people like Joe— will bring the law, and Miriam has had trouble with the law in the past.

What do you do?

Benji suppresses a growl of frustration. "No, they’re not threatening Lizabeth either. Don’t you think I would have done something about it, if they were? Let’s go get your coffee, okay? And stop it with the gun. You’re scaring Emma."

- Benji -

"What? You're sure?" Miriam says, sounding a little deflated but not wanting to doubt that you would have taken the appropriate actions if you felt your friends were at risk. So far these watchers' actions have been to watch, but you can not be completely convinced that they would not harm Lizabeth —or anyone else— if she got in the way of their goals.

It is the 'scaring Emma' part that gets through to Miriam for some reason. Her being there provided a lever for getting the situation (more) 'under control'. "Sorry." Miriam says with a suitable profanity, forcefully shoving the half-drawn pistol back under her wet shirt. She glares at the watchers, and you can tell she is barely controlling herself enough to not shout invectives at them as she is lead into the McDonald's.

In the state she is in, Miriam probably won't be much help to Emma. This has become a personal matter and you can tell that Emma is feeling out of place and is keen to leave. (You can easily get yourself home (or wherever you chose to go this time of night), and don't need her car.) Another caring face, and another perspective might help, though.

What do you do?

Benji hangs back with Emma while Miriam approaches the counter to order her coffee. "I think I can take care of things from here, if you want to go home," he says, quietly. "I don’t think Miriam will be much help with your vampire problem right now anyway… Sorry about that, by the way. I didn’t know she would be…" He trails off. "Well, in any case, if there’s anything I can do to help — with the vampire, or with anything else— just let me know."

- Emma -

Maybe Miriam has good reasons for getting out of the game —she is not as young as she once was, and you can tell, through the wet shirt, that she has scars on her body as well as on her soul— but shutting herself away from the world is destroying her.

Your words drag her back to memories of what she used to be, when she used to matter. Miriam growls, deep down in her throat, her frustration palpable, but she sits, dumping sugar into her coffee. She did not bring coffee for Benji —she knows he can not comfortably drink it— or for you —the McD is empty, so you can help yourself in no time.

"I don't know what you think I can do." She says. "There is no 'self-defence class' that will help you against vampires. They are not muggers, they are monsters! —Present company excluded.— You stay away from them or you 'nuke them from orbit'. Find where the monster lives and firebomb the place while it sleeps." (She is not in the habit of burning down buildings to get the vampires, but a proper 'staking' requires more expertise and planning than she figures you have access to.)

You know there may be political solutions to this, if Elliot were around you could try that route, but she does not seem to consider that... and anyway, he is not around. As Benji said, though, if you had brought Sarah to him, that would be considered 'poaching' and would open its own can of worms; maybe Elliot would have had the same problems? Keeping it within Mortalis frees you of most of that complication.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Lots of people get bitten." Miriam says hopelessly. "I could not kill all the vampires. Not even close. In the end I tried to focus on the ones who killed people," she looks disgusted with herself at this compromise, but Sarah was in reasonably good health, whoever was feeding on her was taking care to not do physical harm.

The problem is that Sarah does not appear to have consented (as Lizabeth does, or as you did), or even to remember that it really happened, and this is taking a psychological toll on her.

"Unless this Sarah invites him in, he can't come into her home." She reminds you, but you know it is too late for that with her and her roommate's place. (• Did you know that they can't come in uninvited? Or is this news to you?)

"What do you want from me? I'm retired." She says angrily. "I have told you your options: Flee, fight, or get fed upon. If you're going to fight, do it in broad daylight." Not much chance of 'broad daylight', but there is not much Miriam can do about the weather.

• What do you actually want Miriam to do?

What do you do?