Regroup (RP)

Jul 25, 2025 2:31 pm

- Benji -

"Of course." Alasdair says, looking sad that you want to leave, but also glad that you are not going to exhaust their supply with your topsider excesses. "You are not a prisoner." He hadn't actually answered that question yet.

"Scrabble can wait." He says, not immediately jumping at the prospect of your coming back, possibly for fear of your bringing demons into his house again.

When you ask about composers he pulls a face: "Anything but Bach." He says with distaste. "Maybe some Handle, or Bowie, or Smashing Pumpkins... or Avril Lavigne?" This last sounds a lot like a guilty pleasure he admits in an undertone.

What do you do?

Emma

Delirium Inactive for 1 months

Jul 25, 2025 3:12 pm

Regroup (RP)

Emma hesitated for a moment. She recalled the conversation she had with Lucy, and it didn't look like Teddy was there voluntarily. Else, why wouldn't they put him on the phone? It didn't look like they had his best interests at heart, but maybe she got it all wrong. Maybe the callous, power-hungry Elliot was the odd one out among the vampires, rather than kindly Benji, and all vampires were actually benevolent, compassionate gentlemen who looked out for one another.

Right.

"I might be able to get in touch with Lucy and see if they’d let me to talk to Teddy, if they think it would be useful." she was getting herself into trouble again. She was already thinking who exactly she could use to protect her if she were ever to meet with Lucy in person.

"As for the sacrifices... I saw plenty of animal carcasses around the area. I don't think it has been souls he has been feeding it, but maybe this sacrifice was special in some way. I really can't tell. What I do know is that Chaudry was afraid of the hound [ref]. I doubt the creature is fully under his command."

Persephone

Drgwen Inactive for 1 months

Jul 26, 2025 5:35 am

Regroup (RP)

When Persephone arrives, she smiles at Viviana warmly. She always preferred dating women, truth be told, even though she usually ended up with men. Given that the majority of people are hetero, it stands to reason that a bi girl would find more partners from the opposite sex than the same, but the lack of available, interested femmes was still a source of some frustration for Persephone. Men are easy, she once said; women are hard.

When the baristas call out to her, she gets somewhat confused. Were they at the party yesterday? A thought suddenly occurs to her: Oh, did they see me naked‽‽

Trying to set aside her anxiety about such things, she approaches the bar, skipping the line, and says, "Hi gang! Good to see you. Um, I'll have a quad ristretto espresso over ice, with a splash of oat milk, my dear." She smiles again and turns to head over to Viviana while they get to work on her drink.

"Oh hi, Viviana! Lovely to run into you here. How are you doing? Get up to anything this weekend?"

vagueGM

Jul 26, 2025 9:10 am

Regroup (RP)

- Emma -

"It sure would be great to get some hints as to what Nicholas' part in all this is." Federico says, not volunteering that Nicholas is unpredictable and dangerous —he already told you that of all vampires— but possibly letting slip that he is not a known —or knowable— factor. If only Benji were still around and you could talk to him, he might both know more and be more willing to share what he knows about this faction.

"Well, that is a good thing, at least." Federico says when you imply that there were only animal bodies and no actual 'human sacrifice'. "It would be bad if he found a way to bypass the guardian and gained access to..." He cuts off his sentence, almost as though someone signaled for him to shut up. "... whatever is beyond." He concludes in an unconvincing obfuscation.

"Best if Nicholas, and Lucy, don't know you are working with us." Federico says, quickly changing the subject back to safer territory.

• Do you share with them that someone was sacrificed? If so, what do you tell them about how she is still walking around afterwards?

What do you do?

vagueGM

Jul 26, 2025 9:11 am

Regroup (RP)

- Persephone -

"And always good to see you." The till-girl says, possibly suggesting that she has already seen much of you, but not confirming it. They look impressed by your order.

"Oh, hi..." Viviana says, she was trying to appear casual, like she was just there and happened to run into you, but is slightly discombobulated by your doing the same. "Um... uh... nothing much." She says about the weekend, possibly spent fixating over this mornings activities.

"You do anything interesting?" She ask.

• Does her question about your weekend trigger anything in you?

What do you do?

Emma

Delirium Inactive for 1 months

Jul 26, 2025 11:10 am

Regroup (RP)

'Working for us' wasn’t exactly the phrasing she was hoping for, but it was close enough.
"I’ll talk to Lucy. And Nicholas, when I get the chance. I’ll let you know what I find out."

It wasn’t lost on her that they were sending her in, rather than themselves. If something went wrong, she would be the one paying the price, and they wouldn't lose any sleep over it. She was expendable, and it would be wise of her to keep that in mind.

She shifted back to the subject of Chaudry and the sacrifices. At least she finally gotten something useful out of Federico; that Chaudry was trying to open some kind of portal. And if they thought it would be bad if he succeeded... then it had to be really bad.

"Right. You know, I probably should have mentioned that Chaudry did end up sacrificing someone. He was trying to use me, but that didn’t work out for him. So instead he sacrificed one of my - ’ she paused, just for a second. She was about to say 'friend', but quickly corrected herself " - associates."

oopsylon Inactive for 1 months

Jul 26, 2025 1:24 pm

Regroup (RP)

Benji musters a smile. "Handel and Lavigne. Got it. Until next we meet then." He begins to bow, then feels a twinge of pain in his broken ribs and thinks better of it. He waves goodbye to Alasdair instead and then turns around and begins walking in the direction he thinks the rats and Alasdair’s soldiers ran. Presumably they were headed back to the surface, after all…

Persephone

Drgwen Inactive for 1 months

Jul 26, 2025 9:33 pm

Regroup (RP)

Persephone sips her coffee and smiles at Viviana, saying, "Ugh, that sounds so nice... I wish I could have had a relaxing weekend. I had a... uh... a work event. A dinner, hobnobbing, and generally having to deal with disgusting old men." Her smile fades a bit and she looks away for a moment as the image of ...that recurs in her mind's eye yet again.

She shoves it down and shrugs, adding, "What can I say? There's a reason why I prefer not to date men. Many reasons, actually."

vagueGM

Jul 27, 2025 7:37 am

Regroup (RP)

- Emma -

"OK, thanks. Let us know." Federico says, not sounding like he is taking the Lucy/Teddy situation too seriously, but maybe they will change their tune if you can produce actual, actionable, intel.

However, there is a long silence after you drop the bombshell (not the 'blonde' kind) about the sacrifice. "This would be ... Persephone?" Federico asks, reading the name from somewhere. He is trying to sound casual, but with a hint of panic in his voice. "We are sorry for your loss. Let us know about that tracker..."

It sounds like he is about to hang up and dismiss your conversation, this last bit has them worried, and has spurred them into action. Maybe they intend to do something about Chaudry?

What do you do?

vagueGM

Jul 27, 2025 7:40 am

Regroup (RP)

- Benji -

At least you don't find rat remains on your route out, but the signs of the chase also disappear after not too long, the rats having darted off into small side-tunnels and the vampires having headed round to try coral them. The chances of your finding them —if they are even still down here— is low, and you soon find yourself in tunnels you know, though they are not your own.

You smell the smell of humans... food... and your Hunger rears up again, the pain and hardship driving it on. You must feed! Now! There is someone, alone down that tunnel over there! Your Hunger guides you to them. If you don't feed from them you might be forced to feed in a more public place, unless you can hold onto your humanity long enough to make it all the way across town to where you might still have a source of blood.

What do you do?

OOC:

The fiction is up to you, but if you choose not to feed from the lone, isolated person down here, you may need to Keep Your Cool [ref] to resist, and it will be worse on a Miss. On a 7-9 you could make it past this one victim, but may need to roll again when you are faced with the smorgasbord of people on the street or the station.

vagueGM

Jul 27, 2025 7:42 am

Regroup (RP)

- Persephone -

Rather than calling out your name for you to fetch, the girl brings you your drink, places it on the table and gives you a shy smile over her shoulder as she walks away.

"Aren't you supposed to pay for that?" Viviana asks, and in your cutting the queue and the procedure you seem to have skipped that step. She gives the serving girl —and the swish of her hips— a slight glare, possibly judging you for the age-gap, or possible jealous? Men are easier, this jealousy would make a perfect extra incentive for a guy to pursue you harder, but you can't tell what Viviana is thinking.

"I didn't even know 'not dating men' was an option." She say, trying to make a joke of it, but also intrigued by the discovery that there are other options —aside from (in?)voluntary celibacy.

What do you do?

Emma

Delirium Inactive for 1 months

Jul 27, 2025 7:53 am

Regroup (RP)

"Wait!!" She tried to cut in before he would hang up the call. She didn't acknowledge his condolence, because the truth was that she didn't feel much of anything after learning Persephone hadn't made it back. And right now, if she was being honest with herself, part of her almost wished that she hadn't.

She focused on the one thing that really mattered to her.

Getting answers

"At least tell me what Chaudry is doing. What’s he trying to reach? What’s on the other side of this… barrier?" she sounded much more insistent, then pleading now "Come on. You have to give me something. Quid pro quo, right?"

oopsylon Inactive for 1 months

Jul 27, 2025 8:23 am

Regroup (RP)

OOC:

I think it makes sense to put this to a keep your cool roll. Benji obviously doesn’t want to attack some random person, especially when he knows he has a stash of blood in his Haven if he can just make it there, but I’m fine with either outcome.

Benji freezes at the smell of prey, held in place, for the moment, by the old moth-eaten tatters of his humanity. He imagines a snarling rottweiler straining against a leash made of string. ...Is he the dog in that metaphor or is it the Hunger? Does it make a difference? It’s harder than usual to think of the Hunger as separate from himself – a feeling, a longing, that can be ignored or over-ruled. The longer he spends down here, the more he feels like he is the Hunger, and the more ‘Benji’ feels like a story he tells himself—a performance. ‘Benji’ wouldn’t hurt anyone, not if he didn’t have to, but he would. He already has. Moments ago, in Alasdairs lair, and many, many times before that.

Rolls

Keep Your Cool (+Spirit) - (2d6-1)

(11) - 1 = 1

vagueGM

Jul 27, 2025 12:38 pm

Regroup (RP)

- Emma -

"You really don't want to know." Federico says, a bit patronisingly. "Not if you want to be able to still sleep at night. Leave that to us, and focus on where you can make a difference?"

At least he hasn't hung up yet, even though he has important things to deal with.

What do you do?

Emma

Delirium Inactive for 1 months

Jul 27, 2025 1:10 pm

Regroup (RP)

"If I cared about sleeping well at night, I wouldn’t had anything interesting to tell you, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we?" she tried to make light of it, before pleading with him again: "Please. I'm a big girl. I can take it. Just tell me what's trying to do"

Persephone

Drgwen Inactive for 1 months

Jul 27, 2025 5:01 pm

Regroup (RP)

Persephone smiles uncomfortably at the barista and then looks at Viviana apologetically. She replies, "Do you remember my younger sister, Circe? She had a party this weekend--at my condo, when I was away on my work trip--and she invited some of the baristas. So now, apparently, I get some perks for being the popular girl's sister?" She shrugs, embarrassed, as she recalls her accidental nudity at the party, which she does not mention!

Persephone then nods in understanding at Viviana's words, replying, "What you are describing is called 'compulsory heterosexuality', or 'comp het'. Here, let me send you a link. This is a pdf called 'the lesbian masterdoc,' and it perfectly describes the phenomenon. This document is famed online; celebrity sapphics like Renée Rapp and Kehlani cite it as what helped them realize they are lesbians. Seriously, it is SO helpful!"

Persephone leans forward, getting animated and excited to discuss something she cares deeply about, saying, "So, comp het as a concept was identified first by Adrienne Rich in 1980, right? She pointed out that, in our patriarchal society, the assumption is that everyone is hetero. And we internalize that, leaving a huge burden of proof on the side of 'am I a lesbian' that does not apply to 'am I hetero'. If we balance the two, we can ask, 'well, what evidence do I have that I *want* to date men? Do I feel like I am fulfilling an obligation when I date men, rather a desire? Do I merely tolerate men and fantasize about women? Then I am likely a lesbian! Get it?"

OOC:

BTW the lesbian masterdoc is a real thing!

oopsylon Inactive for 1 months

Jul 28, 2025 1:23 am

Regroup (RP)

The metaphorical string snaps.

The next thing Benji knows he has a tall, heavyset man in a hardhat and a fluorescent vest pinned against the wall of the tunnel. He sees a flash of terror in the man’s eyes and hears a scream from somewhere else— another worker? a witness?— as he sinks his fangs into the man’s neck.

Rolls

Eternal Hunger - (2d6+1)

(64) + 1 = 11

vagueGM

Jul 28, 2025 2:30 pm

Regroup (RP)

- Emma -

"Take over the world, my dear." Federico says. "With demons, obviously. We don't need to go into more details about what might or might not be in there, but, needless to say, there is a reason it was guarded, and if he has bypassed that guardian, it may destabilise the city and we, none of us, want another war. This is not the place for an ... amateur to be poking around in, this is a place for delicate negotiations..."

There is probably more to this, and you get the idea he may not know exactly what is 'in there', but that he is convinced it is bad.

You keep getting the sense that there are 'rules' at play, unspoken rules that have been in place for centuries, and those who actually wield power are constantly curtailed by these rules. As an outsider you may be able to sidestep some of the protocols with a wide-eyed 'just a pretty face' excuse, and you get the feeling Federico is deliberately not telling you things to preserve this innocence... possibly in the hope you can help him with this problem... if only you knew what you could do.

What do you do?

vagueGM

Jul 28, 2025 2:32 pm

Regroup (RP)

- Persephone -

Viviana gives you a sceptical look, she does not really remember your sister —her attention was pretty firmly elsewhere— and it seems there is more to it, but she does not argue.

"Wait! No!" She objects, almost swatting your phone from your hand. "Not to my phone!" She is clearly scared people will see it and judge her, think she is a lesbian or something... Indeed, when you finish your lecture —to an enraptured audience of one— she shifts a little uncomfortably at the 'Then I am likely a lesbian' conclusion.

"That's a very interesting theory." She says, clearly showing the effectiveness of the internalised patriarchal assumption. "What were those names again?" She asks, by way of conversation, but clearly planning to listen carefully and memorise them to look up later. She is wishing she had recorded the conversation, but why would she, and now she does not want to appear too eager, possibly still thinking she is flying under the radar.

What do you do?

Emma

Delirium Inactive for 1 months

Jul 28, 2025 3:25 pm

Regroup (RP)

"That does sound bad" she agreed, though she couldn't help sounding a little skeptical. She found it hard to believe that a simple sacrificial ritual could let Chaudry take over the world. Surely there had to be more to it, otherwise some other lunatic would have tried it ages ago.

The Emma of only last night would have been annoyed at being patronizingly called an ‘amateur.’ She might have snapped at him, just like she confronted the Administrator, or lashed out at Persephone. But she made a quiet promise to herself last night to try and keep her tongue, and ego, in check. Being combative didn’t always serve her goals. Sometimes, it was smarter to be agreeable, not out of kindness or humility, but because she had more to gain.

"All right. I’ll help you find Eliot, like you asked. If we do it fast enough, maybe we can keep the city from destabilizing any further." She was at least glad that he recognized Eliot's absence and all the infighting that followed didn't serve anyone - except maybe the one who ended up on top. And even then, provided he doesn’t end up ruling an ash-heap. And who knows, maybe finding Eliot would allow her to find out who kidnapped him to begin with, and who's behind this entire war Fredrico has been alluding to.

"And if there’s anything else you think I could do… anything at all, don’t hesitate to call." She deliberately kept her voice light this time, purposely flirty "Maybe sometime, if we’re not all dead or enslaved by demons from hell, we could even meet for coffee."

Preview

Post Preview

Rolls

Rolls

You do not have permission to post in this thread.