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Post by kilnarak on Oct 1, 2023 0:51:18 GMT -6
The first thing you're aware of is a buzzing hum. You blink and your vision focuses. You're standing in the entryway of a building, the automated doors sliding closed behind you with a soft click. There are other people around you, blinking and looking around, the same as you. In the distance you can hear people talking, but it's not close enough for you to hear the words. And you can still hear that buzzing - a quick look finds it's source, a speaker posted up on one of the walls crackling with static. After a few moments the static hisses sharply then switches to upbeat (if slightly garbled) pop music.
The walls are clean and white, the floor is greyish marbled linoleum tiles. You can see scuff-marks here and there from people's shoes, but the floor is mostly clean at least. There are windowed storefronts with sliding doors to your left and right, as well as a white door labeled "Staff Only" to your right. You can see people down the hall wandering in and out of stores, although there are only a few. Past them, at the end of the hall, there is a closed metal shutter with a poster reading "Under Renovation!" About midway between where you stand and the shutter there is a black triangular kiosk with what appear to be advertisements posted on it.
You're in a mall, although it seems fairly empty - it must not be very busy today. You don't remember why you came here - probably to buy something, maybe to meet with friends? You just got here so you shouldn't leave yet - besides the weather outside looks unpleastantly overcast, as if it might rain.
You are all wearing relatively light, casual clothing - the only one with real weight to their apparel is Sam who is wearing a motorcycle jacket and mirror-visored helmet. You also all have backpacks, and given the weight they all seem to already contain things. Moana's is especially heavy.
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Post by Salandis on Oct 1, 2023 1:06:33 GMT -6
[OOC: Moana, unsure of what’s happening, drifts to the kiosk while watching the doors for people she knows.]
Moana blinked, then pinched her nose. What was she doing in this place again? It had to have been something for Mal. She hefted the backpack, grimacing at the weight. It felt like she was toting around a bloody small car or something. Whatever she was getting, she must have it. Was she meeting someone?
Her eyes drifted over to the “Staff Only” door. Probably the only place that might have a locker, but this mall wasn’t one of the boss’s – or even underground. Probably she shouldn’t push her luck just yet. Was she meeting someone? Why would she come here for that?
She drifted forward into the mall, looking over the mall-standard linoleum floor and the range of stores. She wandered over to the black Kiosk, idly looking over the advertisements while also looking back at the door. If she was meeting someone, she’d know it when they came in, right?
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 1, 2023 2:14:16 GMT -6
The black kiosk is triangular in shape. Two sides show advertisements. The first ad shows a close up of a fluffy cat's face, set on a yellow background; it proclaims: "Growing Strong and Healthy! Minmo Cat Foods!" The second ad shows a delicious looking glass of iced cola on a red background; it proclaims: "Give in to the FLAVOR. Give in to the SENSATION. Give in to DREAD Cola." The third side of the kiosk shows a map of the first floor of the mall.
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Post by luscen on Oct 1, 2023 4:15:49 GMT -6
[OOC: CASMIR steps into the mall, pondering over what he came here for. Unsure of his memory, he goes to the kiosk to look at the map and try to remember what he came here for. One of the shop names catches his eye, then he notices and engages with MOANA.]
Casmir hefted his backpack, frowning at up at the speaker buzzing static. His brown leather hiking boots trod lightly across the floor as he moved towards the kiosk ahead of him, looking around at the stores lining the sides of the mall. It was quiet, not many people in here, today- not exactly helpful for him, as he preferred to blend in with the crowds and avoid notice, where possible. But, there wasn't much to be done about that, now.
Adjusting the collar of his brown leather jacket, Casmir's bare hand paussed as he thought about why he was here- the memory escaped him, and something about that wasn't sitting well with him. Was it to meet Sara? Sarkany didn't seem the type to want to mall crawl, and he doubted Sjira would have called him here, given the snafu over by Koji's cabin the other day.
Not helping matters was the fact the Hunter had trouble recalling when the last time he'd set foot in this place was. Where even was he? He looked up at the monolithic kiosk, trying to find some information that might help jog his memory.
'Dread cola?' he thought with a frown. Perhaps it was some new Halloween flavor in the food court? One of the names on the list stood out from the others: "dELiA's." What was with that font? It couldn't have been accidental, but why was it written out that way? The more he thought about this situation, the more uncomfortable he was getting.
The scarred man's eyes looked over to his side, spying a familiar woman standing next to him. It was the one from Malthiel's club. The taniwha.
"Seems like I wasn't the only one who had the idea to go rucksacking, today," he remarked, eying Moana up and down. "Your boss give you the day off? Or were you looking for a new dress to flaunt before work tonight?"
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 1, 2023 6:57:35 GMT -6
[OOC: Kail looks through his backpack, then approaches Casmir and Moana]
Kail glanced across the mall, his hand drifting to the strap of his backpack. Why was he here? He couldn’t remember the last time he’d stepped foot in a mall. He didn’t like the labyrinthine layout or claustrophobic feel of endless corridors, and almost turned to leave as the reason for his impromptu shopping-trip escaped him.
He paused when his eyes fell upon a familiar blonde figure, and it took conscious effort to stifle the snarl he felt building. His eyes raked over the measly crowd, but there was no one else in it he recognised.
As much as he would have liked to, he couldn’t exactly start a punch-up in the middle of a mall. Kail shrugged the backpack off his shoulder, rifling through the contents, and then decided if he couldn’t start a physical fight he’d opt for verbal abuse instead.
He sauntered over, pushing his hood off his face and his two braids over his shoulder. His pale eyes flicked over Moana’s face, but unless she revealed herself to be another Hunter, all his malice was reserved for Casmir.
“Shopping for a new endangered species to kill off?” He drawled, staring down the man. It really was a shame their paths had crossed in public and not a dark alleyway or the depths of the woods.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 1, 2023 13:16:44 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam is confused for a brief moment. He takes a few steps away from the group (man needs his space) and checks his pockets for things like his wallet, keys and phone, as well as anything that might give him an idea as to why he’s here. Will also check the backpack and wave hello to Sten.)
A mall? Samael looked around, feeling more than a little out of place in the weirdly liminal, soulless space. There were stores he didn’t recognize- not that that was much to go on- and surpringly few people. It was… better than he would have expected of a mall, peaceful, quiet, if a little off-putting. Why on earth would he be in a mall?
Around Samael were others, seemingly as confused as him and recognizing Stenson, he raised a gloved hand in a wave. The flourescent ceiling lights reflected off the mirrored visor of his motorcycle helmet as he nodded at his coworker. Then he took a few steps back, boots scuffing the floor as he put a little space between himself and the accidental group. Some had already begun talking amongst themselves- Samael hadn’t paid enough attention to catch the subject of their conversation. Regardless, he doubted it would be relevant to him. At least he didn’t want it to be.
Samael patted down his pockets, patting them down in search of the usual necessities; keys, phone, wallet, any note or item that could remind him why he would have come here in the first place. Afterwards, he turned his attention to the backpack, beginning to look though it for anything that might enlighten him. He tended not to set foot in places like this if he could help it, so why now? Every once in a while, his gaze drifted up and across the group or scanned the surroundings. Habit mostly. He felt incredibly out of place, as always. The feeling settled as a tension between his shoulders.
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Post by Salandis on Oct 2, 2023 1:09:53 GMT -6
[OOC: Moana arcs up at Casmir, then questions why they all have backpacks anyway?]
Moana barely had time to register some of the weirder names on the mall key – Beyond Beds? – when a familiar, unwanted voice intruded. She turned to find herself next to Casmir, the hotheaded rogue hunter currently under watch. Any professional meeting with him would be planned for somewhere darker, somewhere else with less… witnesses. Anything personal would probably be the same, with the same response. She stepped back with a curled lip, refraining from anything more violent. They were in a mall, after all, and it would be… unprofessional. She’d just have to keep to a calm response, that’s all. Suave.
“Shopping for a new endangered species to kill off?” another voice drawled, and suave… left for a bit. “Well, he’s not shopping for a new outfit,” she spat. “I don't see a store for butcher's supplies. The city won’t thank you for killing your monsters in here, hunter.” She grimaced. Well, it was truthful, if nothing else. “Just keep your claws sheathed, and I’ll do the same,” she said more mildly.
She turned to Kail and smiled crookedly. She looked rather different when they met last, fighting her to a standstill in a boxing ring. He wasn’t in the best odour with the boss either at the minute, but he’d be better company than Casmir. Her eyes drifted to the door where a guy walked in wearing a motorbike helmet – who even does that? – before looking back at Kail. “Why are we all in backpacks, anyway? Was there a sale on I forgot about?”
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 2, 2023 1:11:50 GMT -6
Inside his backpack, Kail's hands first fall on the leather sheathe of a hunting knife - at least it was something, if he got into a fight with the Hunter. Past that, there was a small tactical flashlight with a clip, and a pack of zip-ties. What had he been planning to do with those? The final item he finds, searching the bag, is a thin leather cord. Pulling it out reveals the cord is attached to an ornament carved from bone shaped roughly like a deer. There was nothing else in his bag, and definitely enough room for him to put a few more things in there should he feel the need to.
The stores in this section of the mall seemed to be all focused on clothing. The closest two on the left appeared to be a Mervyns and the G.A.P., and on the right JC Penney, the staff door, and then Pacific Sun with it's island-surf motifs. Looking at the map, Casimir would note that dELiA's appeared to be on the right, toward the end of the hall where the shutter was.
Sam does find his keys and wallet in his pockets, and his phone as well although checking it will find that he has no service at the moment. In his backpack he finds a small sturdy pouch containing a tiny plastic bottle of oil, a grease pencil, and a glass cutter. Also in his pack is a length of chain with a combination lock attached to one end. The code for the lock is taped on the back, printed in a bold easy-to-read font in a little slip of white paper. Further search does find him a note, folded and squished all the way at the bottom of his pack. Unfolding it reveals what appears to be a handwritten letter, but it doesn't appear to be in english or any other language that he knows. Letters are strung together in a way that form no words that he knows of.
It reads:
A few people meander into the stores near the shutter, not paying any attention to the group standing near the kiosk. The glass doors of the entry into the mall slide open again, then hiss closed without anyone coming in. A light rain has begun outside and the air has grown misty.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 2, 2023 4:14:02 GMT -6
Halloween 2023 [Stenson is lost in thought and has a moment of "oh great I got here and now I don't remember what I needed". He notices Sam waving, returns the wave, but keeps to himself out of respect for his coworker's own personal doings. He begins to move forward while searching the backpack for any shopping notes he might've left himself about what he was at the mall for. He isn't walking fast and may not make it to the first right turn before next round, perhaps up to stores 2 and 10 while he's digging through the bag.]
Stenson stood looking out into the mostly empty mall, one arm at his side and the other arm holding a strap of a backpack slung across his shoulder. He stared, grasping at some distant thought that had been strong a moment ago but suddenly escaped him the moment he'd entered this building. As an overhead buzz continued to hold his frozen thoughts, he at least began to acknowledge that these moments seemed to happen way too often. He'd be thinking about his strange recovery from the vampire's hold ever since her sudden disapearance, his ghouled-self having ruined a vast majority of his current life while his real-self struggled for months to claw its way back into control over the strange alien influence. And of course, thinking of Kit brought enormous bouts of guilt that he wasn't sure how to face....especially after everything that had happened since the vampire's influence, at work and overall world events.
It wasn't until the hiss of the speaker above broke through the static buzz and let out a very commercial sounding pop music tune that Stenson finally blinked away the absence in his mind. Ok, what was he doing? He shifted the strap of the backpack and looked around. He'd already seen the folks milling about the area in front of him. The crowd was thin, and he took in the rows of stores that stretched ahead of him. The mall, apparently, was on his to-do list but as he took a few sluggish steps forward, he struggled to remember exactly why he'd come to the mall for. Was he looking for something in particular? He wasn't a regular mall rat, and only rarely visited the Wathais mall for very specific things, rushed gift shopping, or while on duty. Today he was in plain casual attire, a long-sleeve shirt, comfortable khaki pants, and otherwise no other gear. He couldn't even be sure he'd ever been to this particular mall, but of course, he also very rarely cared about memorizing malls in Wathais, the stores, or anything else about them. To him they were mostly just another place that was not as necessary as most people made them out to be.
A waving hand caught his attention within his peripherals and Stenson paused to see a figure just inside the entrance nearby with a riding jacket and motorcycle helmet still on indoors. It was hard to tell if they were looking directly at him, but right away Stenson was sure that was his coworker Sameul, as he was known for wearing such attire indoors to hide his featureless nature. Also shopping perhaps? Stenson smiled, returning a nod and a wave to the Dullahan before turning his attention to his backpack, not intending to intrude on his coworker's own private reasons for being there. If Sam wanted to approach him, he certainly could.
Lately, he was having multiple moments of blanking out or too-often forgetting what he was doing or why he was doing it. However, he'd started a new habit to mitigate these moments at least until he mustered up the courage to ask for professional WDSA medical or psychiatric help. Before any trip out, he'd begun to bring sticky notes with him. They were usually quick shopping lists that way if he ever fell too far into his own divided thoughts or inner turmoil with the ghoulish influence still lurking weakly about in his mind, always searching for the vampire, he could at least recall what he was there for.
Stenson moved straight into the mall, keeping a slow even pace as he went and undid the zipper of the backpack to dig through for his note. He was mindful of any around him, noting a few familiar stores such as JC Penny and the GAP, and passed a busy map kiosk. They usually always had a crowd of mutually lost individuals, and seemed to be the same case today as well. So, rather than wait around for the group of people to disperse so he could have a turn to look at the mall map, Stenson figured it might be best to simply push onward and hope to spot something that might jog his memory as he went. Besides, the weather was already looking dreary outside, and he'd probably be here for a while until it cleared up. Might as well see if anything of interest caught his attention.
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 2, 2023 14:55:30 GMT -6
Sten wouldn't find any sticky notes in his pack, sadly, but he did find a spiral notebook with a ball-point pen stuck into the spiral binding. The pages were blank and empty, but perhaps it was something he could take down notes with? There was also another small black tactical flashlight in his pack, as well as a nice camera - one of Kit's? But it looked entirely new and unused. Really, everything in his pack looked fairly new and unused. There is one more item in the front pocket of his pack: a small, personal-defense taser.
As he reaches the group at the map, Sten would note that straight ahead where the main intersection of the mall should be was blocked by an "Under Renovation!" shutter. However there was an offshoot hall to his left which lead to more clothing stores, that appeared to turn again at the end - a path to access other stores despite the inconvenience of the shutter.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 2, 2023 17:48:14 GMT -6
[Stenson thinks he's got someone else's backpack from work perhaps. He heads to the left to try and get his errand done asap, whatever it was, so he could head back to work to return the backpack.]
As he walked, Stenson glanced ahead and stopped short as he noticed the entire main walkway was blocked off. Under renovation, apparently. Well, he hoped wherever it was he'd meant to go today wasn't that way. His hand struck what felt like a pad of paper with a pen and he pulled it out, but sighed as he saw it was completely empty. It didn't look like any notebook he'd ever used either. Something else bumped his hand as he returned the empty notebook, or was it two? He pulled both out and saw a tactical flashlight and brand new camera. A flash of Kit went through his mind but it was quickly pushed aside as he realized he might've grabbed the wrong backpack from work at some point. Who's pack was this?? He searched one more front pocket and pulled out a taser, which he quickly shoved back into the pouch with a stab of panic. He certainly hadn't meant to bring a weapon into a mall...
With the pack hanging by one arm, Stenson stared at it and then to his left where an unblocked section of the mall proceeded with more stores. With his mind made up, Stenson decided he would head that way and try to get whatever it was he needed, and make a pitstop at work on his way back home to return the backpack.
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Post by luscen on Oct 2, 2023 21:07:31 GMT -6
[OOC: CASMIR begins looking through his backpack, suddenly suspicious. He asks MOANA and KAIL what they came to the mall for, and where they were before coming here.]
Casmir's stare went stony when Kail approached him. For as much as he was Sjira's friend, the Hunter knew the Wendigo was every bit the mangy maneater his kind had a reputation for being; crass, remorseless, savage, and voracious. Kail, for his part, seemed to be lacking in the typical cunning his kind shared, perhaps due to his relative youth.
"Malls must really be dying with a corpse like you around," the Hunter replied flatly. To Moana he simply shrugged and turned his attention to the other two- a man in a biker's helmet, with an odd, stale smell about him, and a rather nerdy-looking human. After a moment, Casmir realized it was the agent he'd encountered when they recovered Marchelute and fought one of Atol's adjutants. He tried to recall any details about the man - Agent Stenson Jones, he recalled. The biker waved briefly at him, before checking himself and his backpack.
'Seems like everyone has a backpack. And some memory issues...'
"What did you come in here, for?" he asked Moana directly, dropping the false pleasantries. "What were you doing, before you came here?" He shucked his bag off and began rifling through it, looking to see what he - presumably - had packed for this trip. Something about the environment was raising the hairs on the back of his neck. The whole thing suddenly felt too surreal. Too uncanny. Despite his dislike of the thing, he turned to Kail. "And you? Why are you here? Where were you, before now?"
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 2, 2023 21:43:25 GMT -6
[Kail stashes the knife in his hoodie-pocket, asks Casmir and Moana about contents of their backpacks. Suggests they check out the staff area of the mall]
Kail visibly did a double-take when Moana snapped at the Hunter, eyes tracking over her features for a second time. He recognised that accent. They’d fought eachother in the ring years ago, back when he’d just moved to the city.
He returned her smile with a toothy one of his own, reaching out for a slap-handshake. The details of the fight had faded into obscurity, but he remembered she’d fought well. And she seemed to like Casmir as much as he did.
“Hey, it’s been a minute - Morningstar, yeah?”
Probably just her cage-fighting moniker, but at least he had something.
He shrugged, glancing across the mall again. Someone in a motorcycle helmet had entered, and a familiar WDSA agent. Kail swore internally, turning his face away as the gargoyle strolled past. So many people he knew, in a mall of all places. This wasn’t normal, and his suspicions only rose when Moana voiced her confusion.
He opened his mouth to reply, and then sent the Hunter a sideways stare when he spoke up.
“Dunno, can’t remember.” He shrugged, and slid the backpack to one arm so he could slip out the knife. “What’s in ya bags? I got this, a flashlight, zipties and some bone ornament thing in mine.”
He slipped the knife into the pocket of his hoodie, staring direct and unblinking at the Hunter rustling through his bag. He glanced back to the taniwha, waiting to see if she’d look through hers.
“I’d something’s off we should check out the staff area.”
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 2, 2023 23:05:17 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam begins to make for the exit, but upon hearing Kail, Moana and Casmir mention the staff area, he stops and decides to ask if they know the place.)
The search only left him more confused. He recognized none of these items and had no idea why he’d even need them. The note was especially cryptic, written in some language he had never seen, or perhaps a cipher. Was this a note he had left himself, and if so why and when? In general, his memory hazier than it had any right to be, his mind was not easy to tamper with, but here, he felt besides himself. That was unsettling enough in its own right. Carefully, he tucked away all the items, feeling that they might be important, but not really sure how. Deciding he’d had enough strangeness for one day, Samael began to make his way towards the exit. The light rain and mist wouldn’t be much of an issue, it might even be preferable to the stuffy, dry air of the mall.
As he passed the group of three, he caught bits and pieces of their conversation, including talk about going to the staff room and the feeling that something was off. Samael stopped in his tracks. “Do you know this place?”, he asked, unprompted, and turned to look at the three. Well, look at was an overstatement, considering that all they met was their own faces distorted by the mirrored visor.
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 3, 2023 0:36:28 GMT -6
The first thing Casimir's hands find in the bag is a gun. It isn't his. It looks like a fairly standard 9mm pistol. It is loaded, if he checks, with 12 rounds. He does not have any additional ammo. There is also a simple taser in his bag, the type you can buy along with bear mace for personal safety. Further down in the pack is a canister of red spray paint and a simple pendant necklace. For some reason, when his hand closes around the roughly carved ivory figure dangling from the cord, he feels... calmer? Still, none of the items are familiar, none of them are his, and that thought might override whatever small calm the pendant offers.
A quick check of the staff door finds that it doesn't budge - locked. There have to be other ways into the staff areas of the mall, however - other obvious doors like this, or perhaps through the back of one of the stores, into the areas where they restocked. Looking down the hallway that Sten has started down, there is what appears to be another staff door directly at the other end.
Behind Sam the door opens and holds open - he must be standing near enough to set off the sensor. Tendrils of mist swirl in the doorway, snaking in a short distance before they dissipate under the fluorescent lights.
The mist gives you a bad feeling. It's not dark out, but the mist that has rolled in with the rain is thick and it would be easy to get lost in on your way through the parking lot. Where did you even park your car, anyway? Or did you walk? Bike? Bus?
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