Ice Cream (RP)

Sep 15, 2025 10:26 pm

Persephone registers a note that Netflix and Chill is a slang term for sex, something she surely would have remembered normally, but this stupid sigil seems to be malfunctioning or something and now she is having trouble with metaphors and slang and her thoughts seem to be less structured than they usually are as if they were water running down stairs in a dreary London under blankets of clouds like old wool covers from before the war that smell like mothballs and grandma's house.

Persephone blinks, stunned by her momentary mental lapse. She looks over at Viv and regains her composure, saying, "Well, that's the joke, right? We're going to actually just chill and watch Netflix. And Circe is out this evening, probably with her friends from the coffee shop. There's an older guy who has developed an interest, I think; I'm not sure yet if it's mutual. Here..."

She gestures at the minimalist sofa, which, truth be told, isn't actually very comfortable to sit on, much less cuddle up for a movie night. Still, it will have to do, as Persephone searches for the remote to the large flatscreen on the wall opposite.

Max

Morphling Inactive for 20 days

Sep 15, 2025 11:43 pm

Ice Cream (RP)

Max looks Alara in the eye. "Cause you got me fuckin' scared for you dollface. You gonna tell me nothin's wrong? Gonna tell me you're fine after that song and dance about how tough things are? I'll take you at your word, but if you're in trouble and need a little help, I'm gonna require a little honesty here." She sits back and watches Alara, waiting for a reply. She'd like to think that they're friends, but that's the sort of thing that she likes to think about everyone who lives in her territory. Perhaps they're just acquaintances. No matter the truth of it, her desire to help is genuine. The thought of someone starving here, in this land she's marked for herself, feels completely unacceptable.

vagueGM Inactive for 29 days

Sep 16, 2025 3:53 am

Ice Cream (RP)

- Persephone -

"Yes. Because explaining the joke makes it funnier." Viv replies.

She does not look very comfortable with all you have shared. Possibly mentioning that the people you work for are evil is contraindicated for brokering a deal. Like with the metaphor-recognition difficulty, having this thing on may be leading you towards failure... and failure is not really an option if you want to get your powers back, let alone if you want to get into your Dark Patron's good books.

What do you do?

vagueGM Inactive for 29 days

Sep 16, 2025 3:55 am

Ice Cream (RP)

- Max -

"I didn't say nothings wrong." Alara bristles at your tone. "And I haven't eaten anyone. It wasn't me..." She is scared and your approach, while not intended that way, comes across a lot like an accusation for some reason.

"... have you?" She shoots back.

Why Alara would feel the need to deflect back on you is unclear, but the animal control van and the evidence tent hint that the police out there may be dealing with something that could be placed at a vampire's front-door... or a werewolf's. You have heard that Kenedi is starting to get tasked with... well shall we say 'cases of a weirder nature', even though she does not like to be 'out and about'.

Alara possibly assumes you know more than you do about the indecent, she may be able to smell that you came from over there recently.

What do you do?

Max

Morphling Inactive for 20 days

Sep 16, 2025 4:29 am

Ice Cream (RP)

"Only my usual diet of pigs and collection agents," quips Max, naming her two 'favorite' kinds of people. She's a fair hand at deflection herself. She's not smiling though; in fact, she puts a hand to her nose and closes her eyes. Alara has given her a great deal to unpack in very few words.

"Look, I didn't come here to accuse you of snacking on normies. Funnily enough, I didn't even bring up the subject, you did. Which tells me you have what I need. See, I just got back from a police cordon. Seemed like a major crime, noticed an animal control van which struck me as odd because I haven't heard of no tigers escaping the London Zoo. Kenedi was there but she stone walled me as usual, so I'm left with no fucking clue with what's going on. I came here because it was near your favorite haunts, so I thought you might have seen or heard something, since you can see and hear pretty well."

She sighs. "We both know I'm not the patient type. So, let's not keep dancing around the subject. What do you need? Is it blood? Are you hungry? Cause if that's what it is, I've got a couple ideas I'd like to try."

Emma

Delirium Inactive for 20 days

Sep 16, 2025 4:35 am

Ice Cream (RP)

"I’ll make the time!" she pretended not to notice her mother in law's tone of voice "I want to make the effort. For David" she hoped Evelynn would realize that goes for her too. "After all, you're not going to be here forever..."

oopsylon Inactive for 20 days

Sep 16, 2025 4:38 am

Ice Cream (RP)

Benji smiles. "You’re very welcome!" He stays and talks awhile longer, happy for the company, and when it seems like Circe’s getting tired, he hops to his feet. "I should probably let you to get some rest. I’ll be out most of the night, so you’ll have the place to yourself. I don’t have much in the way of food, I’m afraid, but there’s tea and instant coffee in the kitchen so feel free to help yourself."

vagueGM Inactive for 29 days

Sep 16, 2025 5:45 am

Ice Cream (RP)

- Max -

Alara is pretty sure you were actually the one to bring up the subject of eating, as the second thing you said to her [ref], but she can't be completely sure, the Hunger has been on her mind so she might have mentioned it inadvertently.

"I'm not complaining." She says pacifyingly, as though agreeing with the powers-that-be —often the safest way to keep one's head down— and treating you almost like you are one of the vampires enforcers, just in case. "But I would welcome any opportunity to feed if it were permitted."

"I had nothing to do with the body in the park." She reiterates. "Anyway: That was not a vampire. They are saying it was a big dog... or... or a tiger?" She does not sound convinced about this last part, but is willing to go along with your story if you want to it be a tiger, sure, why not a tiger?

What do you do?

vagueGM Inactive for 29 days

Sep 16, 2025 5:46 am

Ice Cream (RP)

- Emma -

The 'for David' part softens Evelyn's expression a bit, though thoughts of protecting the family secrets —recipes— are definitely still there... in case it does not work out...

"I am sure he is pretty sick of soup by now." She says offhandedly dismissing your plans to practice that dish. "Maybe you can show me what you have been making." This sounds like a competition.

What do you do?

Emma

Delirium Inactive for 20 days

Sep 16, 2025 6:07 am

Ice Cream (RP)

Emma's adventurous streak extended to the kitchen as well. She loved to experiment, and her mother-in-law gave her the perfect excuse to try something new. "Oh! I've been dying to try and make qabuli palaw'" she hoped she was pronouncing it right. It was yet another exotic dish she found online, which she thought might feature in one of her columns when she ran out of ideas of what to write about

"It's basically rice with lamb, with some raisins and carrots cooked together to make it sweeter. You want to try making it together for dinner?"

Emma

Delirium Inactive for 20 days

Sep 16, 2025 7:49 am

Ice Cream (RP)

Cooking with Evelynn was no fun. Her mother-in-law didn’t touch her wine, barely talked, and made no attempt to engage with her or make the experience enjoyable. She could only imagine how much colder she would be, and what else she would (wrongly) assume about her, once Charles tells her about all the cash in her purse.

The dish did turn out to be delicious though, the scent of the roast even coaxing David out of his room to join them at the table, but Evelynn still didn’t soften. If anything, Charles licking his fingers clean after dinner only served to irritate her.

Still, she was happy David’s appetite was returning. She cleared the table, did the dishes, and saw that the couch was properly made before withdrawing with David into their bedroom, pushing him on top of the mattress and pulling down his pajamas. She tugged her hair into an elastic band to keep it out of the way, then knelt beside him, focusing solely on making him feel good.

Only once he drifted into sleep, in the hush of the dark room, did she set her laptop on her knees and slid the flash drive into the port…

******

The Brick was a small neighborhood coffee shop, quieter than usual at this hour, thanks to the relentless rain. Most people preferred to stay in their warm apartments, and those on their way to work usually got a quick caffeine fix from a subway stall rather than battle the wind with their umbrellas.

Pushing open the door, she found a quiet table and began shedding her outer layers. She hung her trench coat by the door, draped her scarf neatly around a hanger, and set her wool hat alongside it

Feeling more comfortable in her jeans and loose wool blouse, she let her eyes wander, looking for any sign that Benji might have already arrived.

Max

Morphling Inactive for 20 days

Sep 16, 2025 3:30 pm

Ice Cream (RP)

Max shoves her duffel bag beside her on the couch, digs her cell phone out of her pocket, and scrolls through her contacts. Benji is near the top.

hey long time no see
wish it were better circumstances but ive got a friend in need
shes hungry
you got any of those capri suns i always see you squirting down your throat?
i think shes worse off than shes letting on

Persephone

Drgwen Inactive for 20 days

Sep 17, 2025 4:54 am

Ice Cream (RP)

-- Persephone --
Persephone looks at Viv and can see her discomfort on her face. According to Persephone's analysis, she has failed to connect with Viv in any meaningful way every time she'd tried tonight; indeed, she was in danger of irreparably destroying this relationship and absolutely failing her Patron. The rational thing to do, then, was to remove the sigil. Better to deal with the erratic emotions and have a chance of connecting with Viv, rather than ensuring failure without them.

She stands and says, "I need to have this, um, anti-anxiety implant removed. I want YOU, Viv. I want to be able to FEEL you. To Connect with you. And this 'treatment' is preventing it." She sighs and adds, "I need to pee. If you'll excuse me..."

She slips into the bathroom and closes the door behind herself. She sorts through a drawer and pulls out a microplaner, a shielded blade used to scrape the topmost layer of dry skin off the face. She squints at it, and then efficiently snaps off the safety guard. She turns to show her back to the mirror, and examines the sigil carefully. Almost like a puzzle, she follows the various lines and circles with her eyes, until she sees a way to carve a single gouge across the sigil that would break every line of the pattern. Hopefully, she thinks, this will disrupt the magic without her having to cut the whole thing off.

[ +- ] CW: Description of Self-Harm

By then, it has been a few minutes, and Viv becomes concerned. As she approaches the bathroom, she smells smoke and throws open the unlocked door. The smoke lingers in the air and the floor is a bloody mess. She begins to get a look of horror on her face, but then she sees Persephone standing at the far end of the bathroom, leaning against the wall, looking pale and sweaty.

Rolls

Let It Out (+Spirit) - (2d6+0)

(22) = 4

Persephone

Drgwen Inactive for 20 days

Sep 17, 2025 4:58 am

Ice Cream (RP)

-- Circe --

Circe yawns, but when Benji says he is going out, she perks up and asks, "Oh yeah? Where are you going? Like... a vampire party? Oooh, is there a vampire bar in town? And do you have, like, vampire groupies? Like 'fangbangers', from True Blood? Can I tag along? or would I be, like, in the way, or in danger, or something?"

She stops suddenly and adds, "Oh, but um, it's not my business, obviously. Sorry for being intrusive."

oopsylon Inactive for 20 days

Sep 17, 2025 5:58 am

Ice Cream (RP)

"Not at all," Benji waves off Circe’s apology. "But it’s nothing so exciting as any of that, I’m afraid! I’m going to go fetch my violin and then I’m going to spend some time brushing up on the works of George Frideric Handel and Avril Lavigne. I've promised a friend of mine that I would play a few pieces of theirs for him so I've got to practice."

vagueGM Inactive for 29 days

Sep 17, 2025 7:25 am

Ice Cream (RP)

- Max -

Alara tries, surreptitiously, to sneak a look at what you are texting about right after she dropped the hint that the attack looked to be from a large dog... or a wolf... (or a tiger, improbable as that is).

• Did you react at all?

What do you do?

vagueGM Inactive for 29 days

Sep 18, 2025 8:05 am

Ice Cream (RP)

- Benji -

When you arrive at Piccadilly Circus station, violin in hand, you hear music. Someone is squatting on your turf, they have taken the opportunity provided by your partial absences over the past few weeks and complete absence over the past few days to move in, this being a prime spot for busking.

They have not had the time to move a piano in yet, and must satisfy themself with a guitar and song.

• Who is it that trying to move in?
• Circe thinks she likes music. Did Circe accompany you?

What do you do?

oopsylon Inactive for 20 days

Sep 18, 2025 10:36 am

Ice Cream (RP)

Violin practice is nowhere near as interesting as the exciting vampire nightlife Circe had been imagining and it is getting rather late so it is not too difficult to persuade her to stay behind and get some sleep. On his way to the station, Benji receives Max’s text. He wrinkles his nose at her characterisation of his eating habits and responds:

Hello Max!
It’s good to hear from you! I’m sorry to hear that your friend hasn’t been doing well. If you meet me at my usual spot at Piccadilly, I think I have a few bags left I could give them.
Yours,
Benji

When he arrives at the station, he pauses as the faint sound of a guitar reaches his ears. There is a brief flicker of territorial jealousy in some dark corner of his undead heart, but he loves music and he loves when people make it, so he cannot remain upset for very long. Besides, he’s glad that everyone still had something to listen to in his absence. Curious about this newcomer and as yet uncertain how he wishes to deal with them, he continues into the ticket hall where he finds a young man (in his mid-twenties maybe) with long hair and a scraggly beard strumming on a guitar and singing Here Comes The Sun. Benji finds a spot to stand nearby and listen to the performance.

Max

Morphling Inactive for 20 days

Sep 18, 2025 3:40 pm

Ice Cream (RP)

Max doesn't do anything to shoo Alara away, she just concentrates on texting Benji, continuing to blow up his phone with short rapid-fire messages.

great thanks
i appreciate it im sure she does too
well head there now to meet u

She glances up at Alara with a smirk. "Ya get all that? We're going to meet a friend in Picadilly whose got some blood bags for you." She rises up from the couch and grabs up her duffel bag, strapping it across her bag. "What the hell's this bullshit about getting permission to feed anyway? I sure as hell don't recall telling you not to feed, and this is MY territory you're in. So, who was it?" The question is more of a command.

Last edited September 18, 2025 3:48 pm

vagueGM Inactive for 29 days

Sep 19, 2025 2:48 am

Ice Cream (RP)

- Emma -

- Still that night.

Elliot's backup drive contains lots of documents, he was an organised man. There may be some blackmail material in there, as well as some tidbits about the denizens of London that could be useful to you. His recent dealings seems to have been in real estate, it is complicated and boring stuff, and looks like months of work, possibly ramping up during the time of the rain.

The drive also has login details for his car's tracker, though it does not look like he has opened those papers.

If you use them to log into the website —good thing he did not enable two factor authentication— you will find that someone accessed the account right around the time he went missing. Presumably this was 'Teddy'. They were accessed a few more times in the days following the vanishing, but not since then.

On the night in question you can see Elliot's fancy car leaving the underground parking —it was tracked, even down there, right down to the exact parking spot— heading in a direction that would be congruent with Arundel, but, just as he is passing along Piccadilly, between Green- and Hyde Park, his signal vanishes... just gone.

David is asleep beside you, and Evelyn has made up the couch and is snoring in an undignified way. Charles is still out at the pub.

What do you do?

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