when the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake [open]

[titansno]

Who: Rachel and any and all guests and trick-or-treaters
What: HALLOWEEN PARTY
Where: Rachel's brownstone
When: Starting in the evening on Thursday, October 31.
Warnings: Halloween things. Power flareups. Drinking. Probably people misbehaving.

Rachel has been finishing up preparation all day. With the current condition of the city, it hasn't been easy to get everything, but it's done! Outside, the brownstone has jack-o'-lanterns glowing on the steps and stoop to welcome guests and visitors to the door.

Fake cobweb is stretched above the door and the atmosphere is right. Inside, music is playing, decorations are set, there are games to play, there are tables of food and drinks and a large bowl of Halloween candy by the door. The fun even extends to the backyard!

On the second floor, there's a room with a flatscreen TV and a big couch playing classic monster movies. Finally, there's a wet bar that she's trusting the adults to keep the kids out of.

The invitation is out, so all there is to do is wait.

[ooc: subthreads up! go forth!]

Comments

WUH OH (later in the night)

[savethenpcs]

[ Unusual noises on a night like this are - usually - nothing to worry about, especially if there's already the presence of a spooky mix already on any stereos in the vicinity. Doors creaking, chains rattling, wolves howling....

The strange, squeaky chattering out beyond the bounds of the backyard, however, is quite different than anything already heard so far. High-pitched and agitated, it's actually not unlike an animal in pain, scrabbling and rustling right outside the row of houses' backyards' outer wall.

... And then the fence starts to bend, slat by slat the wood beginning to twist as if what was once solid is gradually being transfigured into snakes instead- sluggish at first, but then more agitated as the seconds tick by.

The animal-like noises increase in volume, the sound of claws against a malleable surface. Something is trying to get through to where any partygoers might still be congregating.

OOC: For people who would stick around after some others might have started heading home and/or willing to face off something pretty formidable here! Splitting up into groups is encouraged. Note that anyone interacting with the trouble here is eligible for a plot Echo! ]

Ez, Luci, and perhaps a few others

[indy_wannabe]

Ez and Luci were running late and were about to head out. However, with the transmutations occuring right there, he held his hand up in front of Luci, fumbling for his amulet.

"Back! There's something out there!"

[ladyofluminosity]

Slipping her shoes back on, she quickly waves goodbye to the people she met at the party before nearly running into his outstretched arm. She stops in place, color draining from her face. Not now, not here...

[part_time_overlord]

A wave of nervous fear spread through the rather large party, and Sam drank it in. With a sudden mental wrench, a door opened in his mind and the power that had been building up for weeks was free to be used.

Sam stepped up, standing next to Ez. "Whatever it is, I have this feeling I can give it a run for its money."

ruh-roh

[nekromanteia]

Oh, my. Would you look at that?

[Sounding vastly underwhelmed, Jade adjusted his glasses and looked to the fence. Now that didn't seem a very normal thing, did it.]

I don't suppose anyone else cared to notice the encroaching possible calamity, did they? [His right arm had gone rigid almost subconsciously; Jade sincerely hoped he could call the damned thing at will under pressure just in case. Despite his tone, he had a sinking feeling this was going to be Not Good.]

How thematically appropriate.

[stavros]

*In comes... the small high school girl in the snow queen costume that looked like ten flavours of tacky mall goth. Tessa scratches her side uncomfortably -- stupid cheap polyester costume -- and drags over the overstuffed backpack she insisted upon bringing with her.*

Even the fence is attacking us?

[blastiaobsessieanonymous]

W-well, what do we do? Can't let it just try to kill us!

... Where's a baseball bat or something?!

[reapsthewind]

She'd actually been having some fun at the party -- she couldn't walk anymore, sure, but her arms were still working well enough to move her wheelchair around... well, slowly. She still needed some help.

But no. No. Being attacked here? Now? The worst part was how helpless she felt.

"God damn it, no!" she shouted, anger and frustrating warring with pure terror.

[hollowleg]

Shiro's had a bit too much to drink by the end of the night... well, lots. A lesser man would probably be dead of alcohol poisoning. But Shiro's improved metabolism kept him mostly just buzzed. It was kind of irritating. But when the sounds start, he sobers up immediately. He turns to Chris. He snarls. Why hasn't he just started carrying his damn sword?!

"We gotta get you inside. Now. I think I'm gonna sprint back home and get my sword... it won't take too long. Shit."

[soulsborderline]

Monsters. Of course there were more monsters. There was also a...n acquaintance (could you be friends with lecturers?) in a wheelchair stuck nearby. Without really thinking about it, Asuka moved between Chris and whatever horrible thing that was probably going to maim everybody.

"Don't bother, idiot," she said to Shiro. "You smell like a bar."

Rachel, Brooke, and others who'd care to join

[titansno]

[as the party begins to slow down, Rachel makes her way outside to light a cigarette while talking to Brooke.

only to see that happening at her back fence. snakes. meaning...]

Shit! Not now, not here...

[not in her own damn home. darkness shrouds a group of stones arranged in the yard, and Rachel raises her hand, lifting them off the ground. it wasn't much, but it was something...]

[somesayinfire]

[everything's fun and games until Rachel swears, and that draws Brooke's attention to the far more eminent threat.]

Are you kidding me?

[she lifts her left hand and, with her newfound powers, yanks a couple of smaller stones out of one of Rachel's meticulously landscaped pieces of lawn decor. she'll have to apologize later. they're barely out of her control, flying towards the fence, before she's picking up a couple more and doing the whole thing over again. she doesn't know whether her plan is to barricade or injure the enemy, whatever it is, but this is better than standing around half-drunk not doing anything.]

[gogoghostpowers]

[Danny had noticed the growing commotion and stepped outside to take a look. He was just a few steps behind Rachel and Brooke when he realized something was seriously wrong.]

What...what is that?

[counterclock]

[Avery stepped outside, a little bit late, with a drink in her hand and her nose predictably buried in her phone. She's texting with a practised thumb and sipping on something so sweet she can't taste the alcohol in it, when she hears-- squirrels?

Wait, are squirrels out this late?

She lifts her head just in time to see a slat from the fence she's leaning against come to fucking life, twisting and warping alongside her, and with a mighty, fearful shriek of terror, Avery flings herself away from the source of the twisting, staring in horror as it spreads to the other slats of wood. Looking around and fumbling her hands together (her cellphone instinctively disappeared into her pocket; the drink was unfortunately dropped) while trying to figure out what to fucking do, she mumbles,] I'm really hoping this is just some goddamn excellent special effects, [to whoever is around to listen.]

[comparative_insanity]

[Fay had slipped out a little bit earlier to smoke because Youou Disapproved of the cigarettes, and anyway they made him cough, so he'd thought it better to just get the smoking over with before they went home. When he hears someone scream he doesn't have time to think properly, but seems to move instinctively - and just a bit too fast - to her side. Completely unbeknownst to him, his nails also elongate into several inches long claws, his eyes going yellow and reflecting light oddly in the faint light.]

Ain't sure there's be special effects outside the party. I think maybe we should back away a bit further now.

[counterclock]

Y-yeah.

[Shit. Shit shit shit.

If this were a movie, Avery would magically know what to do. She'd turn out to be a magic ninja with skills that allow her to just cope with this somehow, and put away the horror long enough to take command and save the day. If she was the main character of a story, this is what would happen. She wouldn't freak out at the dude with knives for fingers suddenly talking to her in a vaguely familiar voice, or the merrily writhing fence snakes.

The magic ninja might be closer to the truth than she realizes, but unfortunately this is reality and in reality Avery is a girl who despite having secondhand exposure to some pretty brutal stuff has been otherwise sheltered from most of it.

Getting attacked by a giant chicken doesn't really compare to what's happening right now.

Avery locks up, staring between the fence and the dude--seriously, what is with his hands--and is only barely able to obey his suggestion to back further away, and most of that is just evasive instinct at work.

Quick, Avery. Say something smart!] What--

What the fuck is up with your hands, dude? [Well. She tried, anyway.]

[stagnantair]

[What... is that? Gavin had somehow not managed to completely scare off Avery by this point, what with their awkward Pokemon talk, and had just come back outside for a moment with another drink when he hears the same noise... and sees the ..."creature," whatever it is, come to life.]

Doubt it. It's like those... what, those stone snake things?

[Instinctively, Gavin wants to stand and fight.]

[counterclock]

Stone snake what the fucks? Those were an urban legend, right? I mean the youtube videos were so obviously faked, I could do that in Windows Movie Maker, that's how shitt-- oh fuck.

[The last thing Avery wants to do is stay around her at all. Running sounds much better at the moment.]

TOUHOUS PILE IN!

[paradiseshrinemaiden]

Reimu had actually been having fun at the party, surprisingly. But things were winding down, so she'd just been about to about to call it quits and go home when the trouble started. "The hell?"

The Shrine Maiden turns towards the source of the noise. "What's that noise?"

[faith_powered]

Firm, bold steps echoed behind Reimu as Kanako stepped forward. "It sounds troubling. Look there! Something is coming!"

[ursoreckless]

[he wasn't dressed for this sort of thing. shou muttered under his breath, taking a few moments to kick off the heels and tie up the trailing ends of his kimono so he wouldn't trip on it if he had to run. running was about all he probably could do, though a moment or two of reflection had him grab a broom in case he did need to hit something. he also kept an eye on his date in the bugman disguise. if there was trouble, he was so going to jump on him and get the hell out of dodge before he got killed.]

Great. Why didn't I think of coming as cannon fodder yakuza?

open

[wonk]

[Roxy had ditched the pumpkin head when the sound had started. She's been having (relatively) sober fun at the party, partly because of the glow of pride she feels whenever someone appreciated one of her pumpkins, and then the sounds begin and her good mood disappears with a speed that light would be jealous of.

Roxy Kurosawa is an intelligent girl, but not a cautious one. While most other teenagers would move away from a disturbance like this, she moves carefully towards it, hoping to investigate.

Oh man, if Octavia could see her now. She can see the fence warping, and hear the sound of claws, but not much beyond that.]

open

[hawaiianheir]

I don't think that's such a good idea.

[He had worked his way outside to cool off - who knew a labcoat could be so stifling? - And had managed to avoid most of the party's slightly more dialed down insanity. Of course, that came with the price of running into... whatever it was that currently started to warp the fence and tear at the shadows beyond. And here was this chick trying to move in closer to investigate?

Ugh. He really wished he could keep his mouth shut sometimes. What did he care? Of course, the clenched fist and the desperate desire to grab something, -anything- to defend them with was a little higher on his list than trying to play it cool. Damn it.]

[counterclock]

[Oh, hi there.

This is a terrified girl backing into you because YOU'RE MOVING THE WRONG DIRECTION, ROXY. Avery is very sanely backing away in terror, and you should probably be doing the same, except that isn't what happens because Avery is not looking where she's going and is assuming nobody else would be stupid enough to create traffic going towards the horrifically warping fence and its hidden eldritch horror.]

open

[umbrael]

Yeah okay and while everyone else does their heroic stuff, Doyle here is just going to stare for a few seconds, his eyes growing wider as the fence comes down and the-- holy jesus fucking christ what the hell is that?!

He stares some more, frozen as he tries to process exactly what he's seeing, and that's before the other network weirdos start jumping in to take care of it. Complete deer in headlights. Maybe some thoughts about how far the back door is and how quickly he could reach it.

When the others start using their superpowers or whatever -- you know what? That stuns Doyle a little less. One part because it's going a little too quick for him to follow and get freaked out by, and another because they're being thrown at the big, scary monster, and he's willing to overlook that if it means stopping said monster from eating him or the other partygoers.

In fact, it kind of snaps Doyle out of it a little - enough that he starts looking around for an escape route. He's not too far from the back doors - maybe he (and anyone else looking to take cover) could make it there before the fight does?