Encounterlogs
Autumns Odd Encounter Sr Sara 240530
In an unusual and harrowing experience, Autumn finds herself abducted and locked away in a mysterious cabin nestled deep within a forest that teeters between realms. Her evening, which began with a simple quest for a masquerade mask, abruptly turns into a fight for freedom after she wakes up in an unfamiliar, dimly lit room, hands bound behind her back. Despite her precarious situation, Autumn's resilience shines through as she deftly navigates her escape. With the help of her familiar, Ifrit, a fiery salamander with abilities that prove crucial, she manages to free herself from her bindings. The story reaches its climax as Autumn, despite her lack of conventional weapons, uses her wits and the bond with her familiar to outmaneuver her captors. Her escape into the misty woods, while pursued by a mysterious woman with a grudge, encapsulates her courage and determination. Autumn's survival, relying on her quick thinking and preternatural allies, underscores a tale of triumph against dark forces.
Meanwhile, Sara's story unfolds on a seemingly ordinary night in Haven as she encounters a desperate man, driven mad by his need for acceptance from someone named Damian. The man's frantic theft of a watch from a local store thrusts Sara into action, revealing her compassionate yet firm approach to handling crises. Her attempt to confront and understand the thief's motives illustrates her natural inclination to aid those in distress, even when confusion clouds their judgment. Aided by Meridith, Sara navigates the challenges of calming the troubled man, ultimately deciding to let him keep the watch as a means to secure his perceived love from Damian. This decision reflects Sara's acknowledgment of the complexities surrounding personal demons and the influence of unseen forces, a common thread in the lives of Haven's residents. Their evening ends with a philosophical acceptance of their limitations in changing the course of the troubled man's fate, symbolic of their broader struggle against the enigmatic and often malevolent undertones of their world.
(Autumn's odd encounter(SRSara):SRSara)
[Wed May 29 2024]
In the wood between worlds
The interior of the building is draped lavishly in clothing of all sorts
and rotary racks pepper the bulk of the available space like multicolored
trees. The walls here are obscured with wood paneling from which hangs can
be attached to display individual items and the floor is likewise hardwood.
The floor plan of the interior of the thrift shop channels customers through
this central location from which the rest of the store can be accessed. The
area is marked with a prominent lamp post doubling as a street sign. The
two paths leading out from it are marked in delicate gold as Witch's Castle
to the north and Cair Paravel to the south. The sections are stocked
primarily with outerwear and formal wear respectively with a transition in
the center. The color scheme changes dark to warm as it transitions to the
south, but is done in whites and silvers to the west.
It is after dusk, about 77F(25C) degrees, There is a waning crescent moon.
(Your target is abducted in their sleep, waking up alone in a locked room. They need to either escape or draw attention to them so their allies can come and provide assistance.
)
Just after dusk, Autumn awakens in a one room cabin, tucked away far in the woods between realms. How she has ended up there is a mystery indeed, though perhaps the bigger mystery is how she will manage to find her way back home.
Standing before the shelves between racks, Autumn is browsing for masks to go with her new dress that she holds in a hidden bag. Her gaze wandering to seek a black feline-like one, her attention is then pulled away with the sound of her buzzing phone but the next moment goes black. After a long while, she finds herself in unknown territory and scans around the area with pursed lips.
If Autumn thought of reaching for her phone, she finds another challenge in store, as somehow only her hands are bound behind her, though whoever tied the knots did so rather messily. The cabin, if it can be called such, is definitely not inviting- and gives a sense that whoever has brought her here may indeed end up coming back if she cannot find a way out.
Autumn puffs her cheeks upon noticing that she can't move her wrists. Glancing behind her, she starts struggling to try to free her hands while she moves her feet to see if they are bound as well.
Autumn finds her feet to be free, with only minor injuries from being flung haphazardly into the room- clearly tossed without a care. As she ponders her restraints, strange noises can be heard from outside the cabin. A crunch of a branch? A low growl? It's too far away to tell, but at any time, she knows they could come across the cabin. In its run down state, it wouldn't be too difficult for any creature of the woods to come barging in.
There is a grimace on Autumn's face as she looks at the direction of the growl. Lifting her feet, she attempts to lift herself up to stand while she continues to struggle against her restraints. "Come on..." she mutters to herself.
From outside come voices, slightly muffled, but still able to be heard. "Oi, the girl! You never keep them out long enough!" says a deep male voice. "We should go back, make sure she's still...sleeping." Silence follows before a shrill female voice answers, "Nonsense! I know what I am doing. There is no way she's getting out of there. Just concentrate on the task at hand." The doorknob rattles unsettlingly, and whoever may be turning it decides against it, the voices trailing off into the distance. Autumn realizes she must get out of this place, before it becomes too late. Nothing about the conversation she could hear was friendly, and in fact, every word seemed to drip with ill intent.
Falling silent until the voices are gone, Autumn tugs her nound wrists before she lets out a quiet breath. "Ifrit, please come to my aid," she speaks in a hushed voice, looking across the room as if waiting for a poof of black smoke. Smoke that would lead to the arrival of her fiery salamander familiar.
A cold breeze floats through the room, despite no windows being within the cabin. The slab of metal on the table slides slightly, and then the breeze is gone. Autumn's phone buzzes within her pocket suddenly once, and then the room falls completely and eerily silent.
Autumn lets out a sigh as she glances down at her buzzing phone. "It'll show up soon," she assures herself while she glances at the slab. Getting up, unless she's tied to something, she walks towards where the slab is and moves her wrists to try cutting the rope with the metal, if she's able to.
Though the metal is dull, it does make some slow progress on Autumn's bonds. There's a loud cracking noise in the forest outside, and then a very slight plume of black smoke edges into the room, curling near Autumn's feet in a perfect coil.
Upon noticing the familiar smoke, Autumn grins before she whispers, "Please help me be free so we can get out of here?" As she expects her familiar's hiss in response, she continues to saw her bindings with the slab.
Autumn receives a soft hiss in reply, and almost to her surprise, the bindings holding her wrists break, leaving her free- a small victory. The voices are still outside, though their words cannot be made out, and she suddenly realizes the grave consequences she could face should she be caught escaping from the room, and even more so if they realize she has a familiar.
Although she has no armor or weapons other than a knife, Autumn glances at her hand bracelet which is also a nightmare charm. Holding on to her familiar, she attempts to flee into the nightmare. "Let's hope they don't have ward here."
Finding no mirrors, windows, and the cabin to most definitely to have ward as a safeguard, Autumn is forced to find a more traditional way out. She finds the cabin has one door, with a rather strange lock. Upon closer examination, the lock appears that a claw would fit, rather than a key. The question remains in her mind- what happens when that door opens?
"Can you break the lock?" Autumn asks Ifrit as she turns to the locked door. The salamander hisses in reply and it hovers with fiery wings towards the lock.
The lock on the door is rather large, as though whoever masterminded this capture really wanted to prevent escape. Obvious that traditional keys won't work, the claw shaped indentation hints that there may be multiple ways to get it off the door. "Not yet! I told you, she'll be the perfect leverage...when it's time," the man's voice comes from outside again, followed by a sigh. Footsteps crunch off once again, and Autumn could swear she hears something being bludgeoned not far from the cabin.
Pursing her lips as she hears the voice, Autumn has her familiar picklock the door with its claw. Slowly pulling out and unfolding her knife, she takes a step back and readies herself while she pulls out her phone to check what caused it to buzz a while ago.
Autumn strangely finds a text from an unknown number on her phone. All the text reads is "Get out.". Her familiar's claw works wonders on the lock, and it gently clicks, allowing its removal from the door. Now the choice becomes whether she opens that door and runs, or tries to get away with more stealth.
With the raise of her brow as she reads the message, Autumn puts her phone back in her pocket and turns to quietly open the door. With Ifrit beside her, she scans the other side of the door and slowly comes out of the room.
As she walks out the door, Autumn finds herself in the forest, though not too far from the road. Strange noises are everywhere. She spots a worn footpath to the north, and it's barely visible through the mists, which come to her ankles.
Autumn turns to walk where the footpath is, keeping to the path while she glances at the dark misty forest around them. The noises causes her to tense up and tighten her grip on the handle of her blade. "Don't stray from path," she murmurs quietly, her gaze focused for any sign of road.
As Autumn begins to move towards the road, she hears a woman shriek behind her, "NO!". If she were to turn, she would find the woman to be taller than average, clad all in black. Her face is masked, but her eyes are a brilliant shade of grey- hard to forget. She reaches a hand out, and moves as if to persue Autumn, before her eyes find Autumn's familiar. She hesitates a moment, and flings a blade haphazardly at the pair, which lands in the dirt a bit too close for comfort. "This will not be the last time you see me," the woman cautions, "And the next time, you won't be escaping." She narrows her eyes as Autumn reaches the road, then turns back into the darkness of the woods, disappearing.
Opening her mouth as if ready to snap back, Autumn then shuts her mouth without a word while she walks down the road back to town. "Ifrit, return," she speaks once she sees the town lights, and with another poof of smoke signaling the salamander's departure, she puts her knife away.
As Autumn returns to the safety of the road, she is left to wonder who the man and woman were, and what they wanted with her. Will they return for her, and will she be so lucky next time?
(Your target and their allies encounter the former thrall of a vampire who has been discarded by their previous owner, likely mind controlled into complete devotion the thrall wants nothing more than to return. It is up to the characters to either help them return, or stop them from doing so.
)
Sara steps out of the jewelry store, having finished her shopping. She leans against her bike a moment, checking her phone and returning text messages.
There is a slight warm breeze in the air, hinting of the summer to come even in the night of Haven, cooling down further as the night goes on, as the streets seem empty for the most part except for the random person or group making their way from closing business, with a passing car or two... It's a typical night, well... typical as Haven is for a town. However, it seems this might not be quite so for Sara for in a few moments someone comes bursting out of the jewelry store with the sound of a loud 'thud!' yelling coming from the building as this unknown person dashes away, their hand clutching something that shines from a street light before running towards an alleyway. A poor employee came running to the door and turning the wrong direction yelling. "Shit-Shit-Shit am so going to get fired!" The middle-aged man says seemingly not seeing where they went.
Sara glances up, blinking at the sudden noise. "It's okay," she says to the employee gently. "I'll see if I can catch up with them." She has no idea why she offers this, but it seems like the right thing to do- jobs are hard to come by these days. Next thing she knows, she's swiftly running down an alleyway after the unknown person. "Hey, stop!" she calls. "I just want to talk to you!" She musters all the strength she can to attempt to catch up to them.
The hero of the hour Sara chases after this unknown person, a possible thief perhaps... whatever the reason it seems that this unknown picked quite the terrible alleyway to run into as they hit a dead end thus allowing Sara the allowance to catch up to this person. Not that they are not running, she can get a better look at them they seem to be dressed in a heavy-looking coat, the light from the town lighthouse casting a light passing for a few seconds giving Sara a better look of them before it goes dark.
It seems to be a man in their late twenties with brown eyes and black hair his face looking quite tired, with dark bags under his eyes crouching slightly as if out of breath already even in that short run, in his hand seems to be a watch one of a rose gold with diamonds running along the clock. "Get back!" He yells those brown eyes wide and a bit crazed.
Sara lifts an eyebrow, and waves a hand dismissively. "Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you," she says with a sigh. "You can't just run about taking things. The shop owners need to make their living and all." She squints at the man carefully. "Were you needing money?" she asks, "Or maybe food, a place to rest? You're looking rather tired." She doesn't seem at all afraid of the man, just perplexed and a bit concerned.
Perhaps Meridith heard the commotion of someone running out of the jewelry store and running to the ally or somehow was made aware through some other means.. but they are here now in the alleyway, one with a dead end, which with another passing of the light from the town lighthouse shows a man late twenties with brown eyes, with red streaks in his whites, and with a mess of black hair falling down his face, quite tired looking face with dark bags under those crazed eyes. In his hand is a watch of rose gold with diamonds running along the clock. "Shut up-Shut up-Shut up!" The brown-haired man is yelling, seemingly not quite being reasonable as he yells at Sara as he places his hands over his head. "Get out of may way!" He then yells and runs forth and barges past Sara attempting to get out of the ally as the sound of sirens seems audible now, far off in the distance.
Meridith is waiting by the alleyway, away from Sara, having shadowed her. Was she followed? Or is it just a little bit of fortune here that brought her beside her? Well, at any rate, right now, she doesn't interfere, letting Sara take the lead.
Sara glances at Meridith and murmurs, "Bad decision," to the man as he pushes past her. She plucks at him by the back of his shirt. "Listen here," she says, her tone more stern. "We can do this two ways. I can help you with whatever is...wrong with you here," she pauses, looking the man over carefully, "and we can return the property to the store. Or...," her voice trails off, a frown on her lips.
Meridith flicks a hand forward, aiding Sara's efforts with a gentle bit of telekinesis.
There is a shout as the man is yanked by the back of his shirt almost tripping but that seems to not be the case as he floats up into the air by the powers of Meridith with his eyes wide... well wider than they are already as he babbles. "You don't understand, I /need/ it or they won't love me anymore!" The black-haired man starts to babble about something as if not even acknowledging the words spoken by Sara as he shakes around helplessly in the air. "They will love me now." He says bringing the watch to his chest.
Meridith where
Meridith strides gently over towards Sara. "I see..." She lets out a soft if irritable exhale and places a hand gently on Sara's shoulder. "He's broken, not really much sense in our spending time, are you concerned for the robbery? I can go pay. Otherwise..." She gives the man a contemptible look. "We shouldn't waste our time."
Sara heaves a sigh. "Alright," she murmurs. She reaches a hand up, firmly gripping the man's chin, and locks her eyes with his. "Calm down," she says, holding his gaze, and reaching her hand up for the watch. "Who wants this?" To Meridith she says, "Agreed, though the last thing we need is another crazy one wandering about. I'd rather he calm down," she notes.
Meridith nods to Sara. It seems clear she has no personal stake, but is happy to aid Sara with it if she wants.
Meridith adds a firm and commanding. "Answer her questions," a voice layered with hypnotic suggestion and psychic pressure.
With his face turned by Sara he opens his mouth once again to speak. "I ne-" Before going silent to listen to what she has to say under the trance, his eyes gliding towards Meridith when they too add their will towards before then blinking a bit softly and relaxing slightly in there, should Meridith still be using the ability. "Damian..." He answers in almost a dreamy tone with glazed eyes as he smiles to himself.
Meridith nods gently in Sara's direction, hands set in her pockets
Sara loosens her grip, with a satisfied smile. "Excellent, she says, not taking her eyes off the man. "So, here's what is going to happen. You'll return to Damian, with that watch. We will take care of it for you with the shop, and then we'll not see you around here again." Inching her face closer, she smiles unsettlingly. "Are we clear?" she asks, tone bright and sweet despite the circumstances."
Should Sara be using her power hypnotism or not, the man is just bobbing his head up and down quite happily with a large smile on his face, with the worn look and dark bags under those eyes paint an odd combination. "Ok deal, I have to give him the watch." SRVincent agrees as he clutches it protectively close and if allowed by Meridith he starts to move towards the exit of the alleyway.
Should Sara be using her power hypnotism or not, the man is just bobbing his head up and down quite happily with a large smile on his face, with the worn look and dark bags under those eyes paint an odd combination. "Ok deal, I have to give him the watch." the man agrees as he clutches it protectively close and if allowed by Meridith he starts to move towards the exit of the alleyway.
Meridith reaches out and pats his shoulder. "Stay out of trouble, avoid vampires," She warns the man.
Sara nods carefully. "Indeed, and out of alleys" she adds, watching as the man moves towards the exit of the alleyway.
"I suppose we should go take care of that watch," Sara tells Meridith with a sigh.
Meridith says "I dunno, it looks nice, why don't you keep it?"
Meridith shrugs indifferently.
The man nods his head, is he listening perhaps or perhaps not as he moves with purpose away, brown eyes scanning around as he moves out the alleyway towards a destination, should Sara and Meridith follow him, or not is up to them, with the noise of blaring sirens can be heard coming from the direction of the jewelry store.
Sara grins Meridith. "He kept it," she nods.
Decides not to persue the man. "If he's caught now, it's up to him," Sara says with a shake of her head.
Meridith nods gently, watching him depart with her hands in her pockets. "Monsters like that one that made him are who get me. Take care of your..." She sighs gently, offering Sara her arm.
links arms with Meridith, heading back down the alley the way she came, back towards her bike. "He'll learn," Sara says somewhat stubbornly.
With the two deciding to not peruse the quite obsessive-sounding man this is where it ends who knows what will happen now, will the jewelry store employee be fired? Who is the Damian? Why does he seem half mad? Perhaps they will catch on the news something about this development but for now, it's just a normal night in the town known as Haven. Just a normal town as far as any average person knows.
Meridith leads Sara off into the night, arm in arm. The troubles of Haven are ever present, but the two enjoy their time together.
Meanwhile, Sara's story unfolds on a seemingly ordinary night in Haven as she encounters a desperate man, driven mad by his need for acceptance from someone named Damian. The man's frantic theft of a watch from a local store thrusts Sara into action, revealing her compassionate yet firm approach to handling crises. Her attempt to confront and understand the thief's motives illustrates her natural inclination to aid those in distress, even when confusion clouds their judgment. Aided by Meridith, Sara navigates the challenges of calming the troubled man, ultimately deciding to let him keep the watch as a means to secure his perceived love from Damian. This decision reflects Sara's acknowledgment of the complexities surrounding personal demons and the influence of unseen forces, a common thread in the lives of Haven's residents. Their evening ends with a philosophical acceptance of their limitations in changing the course of the troubled man's fate, symbolic of their broader struggle against the enigmatic and often malevolent undertones of their world.
(Autumn's odd encounter(SRSara):SRSara)
[Wed May 29 2024]
In the wood between worlds
The interior of the building is draped lavishly in clothing of all sorts
and rotary racks pepper the bulk of the available space like multicolored
trees. The walls here are obscured with wood paneling from which hangs can
be attached to display individual items and the floor is likewise hardwood.
The floor plan of the interior of the thrift shop channels customers through
this central location from which the rest of the store can be accessed. The
area is marked with a prominent lamp post doubling as a street sign. The
two paths leading out from it are marked in delicate gold as Witch's Castle
to the north and Cair Paravel to the south. The sections are stocked
primarily with outerwear and formal wear respectively with a transition in
the center. The color scheme changes dark to warm as it transitions to the
south, but is done in whites and silvers to the west.
It is after dusk, about 77F(25C) degrees, There is a waning crescent moon.
(Your target is abducted in their sleep, waking up alone in a locked room. They need to either escape or draw attention to them so their allies can come and provide assistance.
)
Just after dusk, Autumn awakens in a one room cabin, tucked away far in the woods between realms. How she has ended up there is a mystery indeed, though perhaps the bigger mystery is how she will manage to find her way back home.
Standing before the shelves between racks, Autumn is browsing for masks to go with her new dress that she holds in a hidden bag. Her gaze wandering to seek a black feline-like one, her attention is then pulled away with the sound of her buzzing phone but the next moment goes black. After a long while, she finds herself in unknown territory and scans around the area with pursed lips.
If Autumn thought of reaching for her phone, she finds another challenge in store, as somehow only her hands are bound behind her, though whoever tied the knots did so rather messily. The cabin, if it can be called such, is definitely not inviting- and gives a sense that whoever has brought her here may indeed end up coming back if she cannot find a way out.
Autumn puffs her cheeks upon noticing that she can't move her wrists. Glancing behind her, she starts struggling to try to free her hands while she moves her feet to see if they are bound as well.
Autumn finds her feet to be free, with only minor injuries from being flung haphazardly into the room- clearly tossed without a care. As she ponders her restraints, strange noises can be heard from outside the cabin. A crunch of a branch? A low growl? It's too far away to tell, but at any time, she knows they could come across the cabin. In its run down state, it wouldn't be too difficult for any creature of the woods to come barging in.
There is a grimace on Autumn's face as she looks at the direction of the growl. Lifting her feet, she attempts to lift herself up to stand while she continues to struggle against her restraints. "Come on..." she mutters to herself.
From outside come voices, slightly muffled, but still able to be heard. "Oi, the girl! You never keep them out long enough!" says a deep male voice. "We should go back, make sure she's still...sleeping." Silence follows before a shrill female voice answers, "Nonsense! I know what I am doing. There is no way she's getting out of there. Just concentrate on the task at hand." The doorknob rattles unsettlingly, and whoever may be turning it decides against it, the voices trailing off into the distance. Autumn realizes she must get out of this place, before it becomes too late. Nothing about the conversation she could hear was friendly, and in fact, every word seemed to drip with ill intent.
Falling silent until the voices are gone, Autumn tugs her nound wrists before she lets out a quiet breath. "Ifrit, please come to my aid," she speaks in a hushed voice, looking across the room as if waiting for a poof of black smoke. Smoke that would lead to the arrival of her fiery salamander familiar.
A cold breeze floats through the room, despite no windows being within the cabin. The slab of metal on the table slides slightly, and then the breeze is gone. Autumn's phone buzzes within her pocket suddenly once, and then the room falls completely and eerily silent.
Autumn lets out a sigh as she glances down at her buzzing phone. "It'll show up soon," she assures herself while she glances at the slab. Getting up, unless she's tied to something, she walks towards where the slab is and moves her wrists to try cutting the rope with the metal, if she's able to.
Though the metal is dull, it does make some slow progress on Autumn's bonds. There's a loud cracking noise in the forest outside, and then a very slight plume of black smoke edges into the room, curling near Autumn's feet in a perfect coil.
Upon noticing the familiar smoke, Autumn grins before she whispers, "Please help me be free so we can get out of here?" As she expects her familiar's hiss in response, she continues to saw her bindings with the slab.
Autumn receives a soft hiss in reply, and almost to her surprise, the bindings holding her wrists break, leaving her free- a small victory. The voices are still outside, though their words cannot be made out, and she suddenly realizes the grave consequences she could face should she be caught escaping from the room, and even more so if they realize she has a familiar.
Although she has no armor or weapons other than a knife, Autumn glances at her hand bracelet which is also a nightmare charm. Holding on to her familiar, she attempts to flee into the nightmare. "Let's hope they don't have ward here."
Finding no mirrors, windows, and the cabin to most definitely to have ward as a safeguard, Autumn is forced to find a more traditional way out. She finds the cabin has one door, with a rather strange lock. Upon closer examination, the lock appears that a claw would fit, rather than a key. The question remains in her mind- what happens when that door opens?
"Can you break the lock?" Autumn asks Ifrit as she turns to the locked door. The salamander hisses in reply and it hovers with fiery wings towards the lock.
The lock on the door is rather large, as though whoever masterminded this capture really wanted to prevent escape. Obvious that traditional keys won't work, the claw shaped indentation hints that there may be multiple ways to get it off the door. "Not yet! I told you, she'll be the perfect leverage...when it's time," the man's voice comes from outside again, followed by a sigh. Footsteps crunch off once again, and Autumn could swear she hears something being bludgeoned not far from the cabin.
Pursing her lips as she hears the voice, Autumn has her familiar picklock the door with its claw. Slowly pulling out and unfolding her knife, she takes a step back and readies herself while she pulls out her phone to check what caused it to buzz a while ago.
Autumn strangely finds a text from an unknown number on her phone. All the text reads is "Get out.". Her familiar's claw works wonders on the lock, and it gently clicks, allowing its removal from the door. Now the choice becomes whether she opens that door and runs, or tries to get away with more stealth.
With the raise of her brow as she reads the message, Autumn puts her phone back in her pocket and turns to quietly open the door. With Ifrit beside her, she scans the other side of the door and slowly comes out of the room.
As she walks out the door, Autumn finds herself in the forest, though not too far from the road. Strange noises are everywhere. She spots a worn footpath to the north, and it's barely visible through the mists, which come to her ankles.
Autumn turns to walk where the footpath is, keeping to the path while she glances at the dark misty forest around them. The noises causes her to tense up and tighten her grip on the handle of her blade. "Don't stray from path," she murmurs quietly, her gaze focused for any sign of road.
As Autumn begins to move towards the road, she hears a woman shriek behind her, "NO!". If she were to turn, she would find the woman to be taller than average, clad all in black. Her face is masked, but her eyes are a brilliant shade of grey- hard to forget. She reaches a hand out, and moves as if to persue Autumn, before her eyes find Autumn's familiar. She hesitates a moment, and flings a blade haphazardly at the pair, which lands in the dirt a bit too close for comfort. "This will not be the last time you see me," the woman cautions, "And the next time, you won't be escaping." She narrows her eyes as Autumn reaches the road, then turns back into the darkness of the woods, disappearing.
Opening her mouth as if ready to snap back, Autumn then shuts her mouth without a word while she walks down the road back to town. "Ifrit, return," she speaks once she sees the town lights, and with another poof of smoke signaling the salamander's departure, she puts her knife away.
As Autumn returns to the safety of the road, she is left to wonder who the man and woman were, and what they wanted with her. Will they return for her, and will she be so lucky next time?
(Your target and their allies encounter the former thrall of a vampire who has been discarded by their previous owner, likely mind controlled into complete devotion the thrall wants nothing more than to return. It is up to the characters to either help them return, or stop them from doing so.
)
Sara steps out of the jewelry store, having finished her shopping. She leans against her bike a moment, checking her phone and returning text messages.
There is a slight warm breeze in the air, hinting of the summer to come even in the night of Haven, cooling down further as the night goes on, as the streets seem empty for the most part except for the random person or group making their way from closing business, with a passing car or two... It's a typical night, well... typical as Haven is for a town. However, it seems this might not be quite so for Sara for in a few moments someone comes bursting out of the jewelry store with the sound of a loud 'thud!' yelling coming from the building as this unknown person dashes away, their hand clutching something that shines from a street light before running towards an alleyway. A poor employee came running to the door and turning the wrong direction yelling. "Shit-Shit-Shit am so going to get fired!" The middle-aged man says seemingly not seeing where they went.
Sara glances up, blinking at the sudden noise. "It's okay," she says to the employee gently. "I'll see if I can catch up with them." She has no idea why she offers this, but it seems like the right thing to do- jobs are hard to come by these days. Next thing she knows, she's swiftly running down an alleyway after the unknown person. "Hey, stop!" she calls. "I just want to talk to you!" She musters all the strength she can to attempt to catch up to them.
The hero of the hour Sara chases after this unknown person, a possible thief perhaps... whatever the reason it seems that this unknown picked quite the terrible alleyway to run into as they hit a dead end thus allowing Sara the allowance to catch up to this person. Not that they are not running, she can get a better look at them they seem to be dressed in a heavy-looking coat, the light from the town lighthouse casting a light passing for a few seconds giving Sara a better look of them before it goes dark.
It seems to be a man in their late twenties with brown eyes and black hair his face looking quite tired, with dark bags under his eyes crouching slightly as if out of breath already even in that short run, in his hand seems to be a watch one of a rose gold with diamonds running along the clock. "Get back!" He yells those brown eyes wide and a bit crazed.
Sara lifts an eyebrow, and waves a hand dismissively. "Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you," she says with a sigh. "You can't just run about taking things. The shop owners need to make their living and all." She squints at the man carefully. "Were you needing money?" she asks, "Or maybe food, a place to rest? You're looking rather tired." She doesn't seem at all afraid of the man, just perplexed and a bit concerned.
Perhaps Meridith heard the commotion of someone running out of the jewelry store and running to the ally or somehow was made aware through some other means.. but they are here now in the alleyway, one with a dead end, which with another passing of the light from the town lighthouse shows a man late twenties with brown eyes, with red streaks in his whites, and with a mess of black hair falling down his face, quite tired looking face with dark bags under those crazed eyes. In his hand is a watch of rose gold with diamonds running along the clock. "Shut up-Shut up-Shut up!" The brown-haired man is yelling, seemingly not quite being reasonable as he yells at Sara as he places his hands over his head. "Get out of may way!" He then yells and runs forth and barges past Sara attempting to get out of the ally as the sound of sirens seems audible now, far off in the distance.
Meridith is waiting by the alleyway, away from Sara, having shadowed her. Was she followed? Or is it just a little bit of fortune here that brought her beside her? Well, at any rate, right now, she doesn't interfere, letting Sara take the lead.
Sara glances at Meridith and murmurs, "Bad decision," to the man as he pushes past her. She plucks at him by the back of his shirt. "Listen here," she says, her tone more stern. "We can do this two ways. I can help you with whatever is...wrong with you here," she pauses, looking the man over carefully, "and we can return the property to the store. Or...," her voice trails off, a frown on her lips.
Meridith flicks a hand forward, aiding Sara's efforts with a gentle bit of telekinesis.
There is a shout as the man is yanked by the back of his shirt almost tripping but that seems to not be the case as he floats up into the air by the powers of Meridith with his eyes wide... well wider than they are already as he babbles. "You don't understand, I /need/ it or they won't love me anymore!" The black-haired man starts to babble about something as if not even acknowledging the words spoken by Sara as he shakes around helplessly in the air. "They will love me now." He says bringing the watch to his chest.
Meridith where
Meridith strides gently over towards Sara. "I see..." She lets out a soft if irritable exhale and places a hand gently on Sara's shoulder. "He's broken, not really much sense in our spending time, are you concerned for the robbery? I can go pay. Otherwise..." She gives the man a contemptible look. "We shouldn't waste our time."
Sara heaves a sigh. "Alright," she murmurs. She reaches a hand up, firmly gripping the man's chin, and locks her eyes with his. "Calm down," she says, holding his gaze, and reaching her hand up for the watch. "Who wants this?" To Meridith she says, "Agreed, though the last thing we need is another crazy one wandering about. I'd rather he calm down," she notes.
Meridith nods to Sara. It seems clear she has no personal stake, but is happy to aid Sara with it if she wants.
Meridith adds a firm and commanding. "Answer her questions," a voice layered with hypnotic suggestion and psychic pressure.
With his face turned by Sara he opens his mouth once again to speak. "I ne-" Before going silent to listen to what she has to say under the trance, his eyes gliding towards Meridith when they too add their will towards before then blinking a bit softly and relaxing slightly in there, should Meridith still be using the ability. "Damian..." He answers in almost a dreamy tone with glazed eyes as he smiles to himself.
Meridith nods gently in Sara's direction, hands set in her pockets
Sara loosens her grip, with a satisfied smile. "Excellent, she says, not taking her eyes off the man. "So, here's what is going to happen. You'll return to Damian, with that watch. We will take care of it for you with the shop, and then we'll not see you around here again." Inching her face closer, she smiles unsettlingly. "Are we clear?" she asks, tone bright and sweet despite the circumstances."
Should Sara be using her power hypnotism or not, the man is just bobbing his head up and down quite happily with a large smile on his face, with the worn look and dark bags under those eyes paint an odd combination. "Ok deal, I have to give him the watch." SRVincent agrees as he clutches it protectively close and if allowed by Meridith he starts to move towards the exit of the alleyway.
Should Sara be using her power hypnotism or not, the man is just bobbing his head up and down quite happily with a large smile on his face, with the worn look and dark bags under those eyes paint an odd combination. "Ok deal, I have to give him the watch." the man agrees as he clutches it protectively close and if allowed by Meridith he starts to move towards the exit of the alleyway.
Meridith reaches out and pats his shoulder. "Stay out of trouble, avoid vampires," She warns the man.
Sara nods carefully. "Indeed, and out of alleys" she adds, watching as the man moves towards the exit of the alleyway.
"I suppose we should go take care of that watch," Sara tells Meridith with a sigh.
Meridith says "I dunno, it looks nice, why don't you keep it?"
Meridith shrugs indifferently.
The man nods his head, is he listening perhaps or perhaps not as he moves with purpose away, brown eyes scanning around as he moves out the alleyway towards a destination, should Sara and Meridith follow him, or not is up to them, with the noise of blaring sirens can be heard coming from the direction of the jewelry store.
Sara grins Meridith. "He kept it," she nods.
Decides not to persue the man. "If he's caught now, it's up to him," Sara says with a shake of her head.
Meridith nods gently, watching him depart with her hands in her pockets. "Monsters like that one that made him are who get me. Take care of your..." She sighs gently, offering Sara her arm.
links arms with Meridith, heading back down the alley the way she came, back towards her bike. "He'll learn," Sara says somewhat stubbornly.
With the two deciding to not peruse the quite obsessive-sounding man this is where it ends who knows what will happen now, will the jewelry store employee be fired? Who is the Damian? Why does he seem half mad? Perhaps they will catch on the news something about this development but for now, it's just a normal night in the town known as Haven. Just a normal town as far as any average person knows.
Meridith leads Sara off into the night, arm in arm. The troubles of Haven are ever present, but the two enjoy their time together.