[plot] United in fate, together in action, part I

[theearth]

Who: OPEN
When: 10pm on the 25th and all the way through the 26th. (This post mostly went up this early to provide the OOC thread and Eileen's contact, so don't stress about having to start logging things.)
Where: All over Las Vegas
What: The woman who offered the numbered a place to stay when visiting Vegas got kidnapped by the cultists, and Jovan told everyone about it. Now it is their turn to take action!
Warnings: Violence.

☑ An OOC thread for all your questions regarding what your character might know through their job, find when doing a certain thing, be able to figure out with their powers, etc.
☑ After Jovan's post went up sometime after 10:45, Eileen will be available through phone calls. She will be available through Petunia's landline (redirected to her own phone) and with some delay also call those numbered whom she knows to be in Vegas and whose numbers she might find in her mother's address book through her own mobile.
☑ All action that takes place between 10pm and 8am.
☑ All action that takes place between 8am and 2pm. (Will be opened up once a sufficient amount of things has happened/been agreed on to declare 12 hours passed and if the plot hasn't been resolved by then.)
☒ All action that takes place between 2pm and 8pm. (Will be opened up if the plot hasn't been resolved by then.)
☒ All action that takes place between 8pm and midnight. (Will be opened up if the plot hasn't been resolved by then.)

Comments

OOC

[theearth]

Please comment here with all questions that show up in the context of this log, especially:

>My character will do this/did this. What will they find?
>My character has these powers/abilities/this job/etc, what will they know/find?

For example:
> Bob looked into Petunia's mailbox. What will he find? Answer: There are bills and two wedding invitations.
> Arthur can talk to all swimming things and also silverfish. What can he learn? Answer: Starting at about 9am on the 26th, they will be something for him, unless the plot has resolved before that - please come back to us when that time slot opens up!
> My character is a member of the FBI or affiliated with them. Are there specifics for them? Answer: The FBI will, once/if they learn about the kidnapping, request all its numbered members in Vegas to participate in the rescue efforts, and to report back about the going-ons as closely as possible.
> Cecil is a mail carrier. Could he have learned anything through that? Answer: If he works in the area, he can have observed that there have been cultists kind of hovering around the house that Petunia lives in for a couple of days now. He could also have heard colleagues mention that. In addition, if he has ever run into her on the job, she'll have been a booming, friendly person who would have tipped him well.

[hotshots]

Well you handily covered one half of my questions there! So, Neil would indeed be turning right around to inform the FBI office he & Eugen have been assigned to check in with here of what's going on.

With the increased presence of the FBI, if asked would there have been any red flags around the area that could have indicated something was up of late?

The only thing relevant to his abilities, though: because he'd ask this too, is there any way for them to get him a gun of some sort? (He flew in, so obviously he came unarmed.)

[theearth]

The FBI noticed the cultist activities and their increase, but did not investigate them much, writing them off as harmless kooks - this will change after the 25th.

Neil would upon request receive a basic issue handgun, along with ammunition, provided that he can show that he can use it.

[testsonseashells]

do other cultists know anything? if forcibly interrogated, will they reveal it, or no?

[theearth]

Some do, most don't, so it's the luck of the draw.

Those that know something will under enough pressure (obviously there are individual difference between what constitutes as "enough pressure", but the reluctance to give up the information will be very high in a hostile atmosphere) tell the interrogator the following: The time is near, and thus it is of utmost importance that all factors that might compromise the pure nature of the children of the shell, that would taint them and make them not be true to themselves, be cleansed away. Tomorrow night, the largest obstacle in this regard, Petunia Bonbright, will be taken care of.

They do however not know a place, method, or even who is responsible for this "cleansing". If interrogated further, all that they will be able to say to that is that some brothers and sisters were supposed to receive information on the time and place, to aid with it, through word of mouth once everything had started to move.

Re: OOC

[buildyourworld]

My questions:
1. Eugen will definitely inform his assigned supervisor in Vegas about the murder and the involvement with Numbers. He'll pass any info he could get to FBI for sure. Since he's technically a pilot/R&D, what role will he play in this?

2. Similar to Neil, he's trained in handling firearms (by Neil & through echo regain). With the situation going crazy, he's going to try and request for one, especially if he's expected to participate in rescue efforts. Will he be issued any?

3. What sort of information can he gathers from talking to Jovan? He asked him whose number the SOS text came in with, will that number be from Petunia's or someone else's phone?

[theearth]

1. They might be used as "helicopters", that is, to circle over the area and search for signs, once there is enough light. Until that becomes an option, they will be told to run with the other reincarnates. If this order is issued is up to if you, the players, would rather have Neil and Eugen up in the air or down on the ground.

2. He'll be issued the same weapon as Neil, a basic issue hand gun.

3. The number will be from Petunia's mobile phone, which will after this point be out of commission. Jovan relayed the complete text message, so there's no more information to it.

[grannyfucker]

what would the police do if the text message was described to them?

Also, what if Jovan went to speak with Petunia's assistant at the hotel to ask about who Eileen or Davie are?

[theearth]

Is it Jovan who is doing it, and if so, can he explain properly whom it is from and why he of all people got it? If he can sound trustworthy and not on drugs/like he's pranking them, they'll send a police car to his place first to question him about the whole thing, and if it seems legit, start investigations (search Petunia's flat, check with her security company, search for her, etc). They will still include the reincarnates in that search (partly because Eileen will argue with the person in charge until they let them, partly because the reincarnates have enough fans in the police force, partly because they figure that there was a reason for Petunia to send the message to a reincarnate).

And if he went to speak with Petunia's assistant, he'd tell him that Eileen is Petunia's daughter (though he sees where the confusion would come from, since Petunia has more than one assistant and Eileen works in other areas of the company). He'd have no clue who Davie is supposed to be, he knows no friends of her that are called that and can't think of an employee or business contact that she'd call by that nickname, either - he actually thinks it unlikely that she'd call anyone by that name since it is such a "normal" nickname.

Re: OOC

[senseandcecilbility]

Yay, friendly people who give good tips are unforgettable. I'm going to have him work in her area because that sounds really fun.

Once he finds out she is missing through Jovan, he also might try to read some cultists' minds, which might lead to hilarity since physical touch is necessary given his current power levels. For the same reason, he can only read superficial thoughts. Would he be able to find out anything else? (I'm perfectly fine with him touching the wrong cultists and reading completely irrelevant lobster worshiping thoughts).

[theearth]

Cultist A, 17, male: Nothing of help. If the reincarnates are brought up with him, he'll have a mental fanboying moment. He's really hoping to get to meet some at one point, preferably one with magical combat powers. Petunia doesn't mean anything to him.

Cultist B, 40, male: Reincarnates are some kind of holy, elected beings. He's fairly fresh into the movement and isn't really a hundred percent on what the cultists really believe yet (but he met this really nice woman who is a cultist and told him to come, and he feels that this is the right thing to do and also she's really nice and he wants to talk to her more... His thoughts will run off into this direction from here on. Kids, don't join cults because you want into someone's pants).

Cultist C, 29, female: On addressing Petunia: You should eat organic to cleanse your body, and you should be true to yourself to cleanse your soul. It is also important to cleanse the whole society, because tainted elements will always corrupt others as well - if you put one bad piece of vegetable into a soup you can throw away the whole soup, after all. Petunia is such a rotten piece, and must be removed. This woman is really angry about Petunia, though it won't show up what exactly she has done to be considered a rotten potato.

Cultist D, 34, female: The people with the superpowers! They're the children of the shell, and must be protected! They are awesome! ...And some of them are young and could easily go astray, so they must be protected even more than the older ones. Did you see how young some of those were that showed up in the videos of the fight in Locke, or after that...

Cultist E, 53, male: His mind is full of excitement about the great sacrifice and cleansing of tomorrow night: That evil Irish witch who has done so much harm to those serving the shell will finally be taken care of. ...And then a couple of really gruesome fantasies about how she's going to die will follow. A good number of them are connected to water, but others are also among them. Someone is having fun with imagining all those things.

Other cultists will have no information at all or variations of the above in their heads.

Eileen's contact (Phone)

[merchants]

[There are two ways to get into contact with Eileen:
» Everyone who has Petunia's landline will be able to call her. That means on the one hand all characters that have ever stayed in Petunia's villas, and on the other hand all Vegas characters that Petunia would have known to be numbered - she would have tried to get into contact with all numbered people in Vegas, even if only by writing them an email or letter with her bussiness card and the mention that if they'd ever like to meet or if they ever should need her support with supernatural things, to simply contact her. You can of course also assume that another numbered person gave you one of their numbers.
» Eileen will, starting roughly half an hour after Jovan's post, call those numbered that she knows to currently be staying in Vegas, have some kind of useful power and whose number she could find in Petunia's address book.]

[Eileen will answer everyone's calls, though she will be as short as possible with every caller, no matter who they are, and might eventually stop answering/have her wife take over from her. Or she might be calling you. Either way, the conversation will start in the same way, her voice forcibly collected but still betraying tension and worry:]

Hello, this is Eileen Bonbright, Petunia's daughter.

phone;

[hotshots]

Daughter? Okay, that takes care of one question - name's Neil Dylandy. Short story, I was one of the robot pilots that fought the big snake back in March, and your Mom was putting us up.

I'm not gonna sugar coat this, 'cause any minute we waste is another one we could be looking for her, and we want to get her back safe. Do you know what's going on? Is there anything you could tell us?

phone;

[merchants]

Nice to meet you, Neil.

My wife says that she left our house around half past seven to drive home, so she should have arrived there... between eight and nine, depending on traffic.

[Her voice is terse, her words quick and precise. It's easier to concentrate on technicalities.] She didn't seem to be worried or tense, I'm told.

[grannyfucker]

He--hello. I, uh, received a text from your mom. She told me to call you--she said she was abducted by cultists about an hour ago.

Uhh...do you have any idea who Davie is supposed to be? Or what the "underground fountain" is?

[merchants]

So that was you. [Her voice is shaky, but forcibly collected, her words almost rude in their sharpness, but being short and focused is all that she can do to not break down. If her mother was abducted by cultists... They can only hope that there is still some time left, and that is what she'll have to do now.] Can I have your name?

...And no, I don't know either of those. Davie doesn't sound like a name that she'd usually give anyone, so I'd assume that she either has only heard about him or that she only met him when she was abducted and has no more informative name to give, and doesn't expect anyone to know him. The only thing that underground fountain brings to mind is some ...underground holy place?

[senseandcecilbility]

[Daughter?]

Madam, my deepest apologies. I'm so sorry. I know your mother. Not well, but...

[She was nice and gave him tips. He, on the other hand, has never been socially competent enough to say anything but "thank you".]

I fear Mrs. Bonbright is in grave danger. The cultists are planning a great sacrifice and cleansing tomorrow. I believe Mrs. Bonright is...

[He takes a deep breath.]

I'm not quite sure why, but they feel she is...corrupting the numbers. I believe you should tell the police.

[merchants]

[There is a long pause at the other end. She feared that it - but...]

How do you know that?

Phone

[buildyourworld]

Eileen Bonbright? My name is Eugen Lambert, currently staying in your mother's villa. [ Which certainly tells her he's a Numbered. ] I'm a robot pilot and FBI agent.

[ Introduction aside, he goes straight to the point. ] I'll cut to the chase. What can you tell me about your mother disappearance? Do you know of anyone who will want to harm her?

[merchants]

You're with the FBI?

[She hadn't been aware that the numbered and the FBI were connected. How tight is that connection...?]

I don't know of anyone - she's a fairly well-known person, so there might be someone, but I wouldn't know of anyone in particular.

My mother left our house some way out around 7:30pm, and she seemed to not be worried about anything out of the usual. She meant to go home, and it seems that she did and then went out with the dog, because he and his leash are gone as well.

10pm-8am

[theearth]

All characters, all locations, everything that happens between 10pm and 8am.

Places of note for this timeframe include:

Petunia's penthouse. Access is now granted, thanks to Jovan and Neil calling Eileen - you just have to either prove that you are numbered or be known by one of the numbered present. The penthouse is a bit eccentric and cluttered but orderly and clean, with a large patio with a pool on it and many flowers and two cats. Nothing seems amiss. Hacking into the security or calling the security service (Eileen will upon request do this and then hand over the phone) will reveal that Petunia left the house at 9:30 with her dog Luis, apparently for a walk. The reincarnates are free to snoop around the penthouse in search for hints, though! They just won't find anything. There are two cats (Bess and Margarethe) around.

The streets of Las Vegas There is the usual nighttime activity, including average amounts of cultists (that is, a good number, but not more than at a given night of the last week). Some people are still around, casinos and bars are open, and in the morning the first normal shops will start to open again. Everything as usual.


Sources of information that aren't included in the locations include but are not limited to:
The security company - can be called from the apartment.
Petunia's dog - must be found.

THE JOVAN APARTMENT SEARCH EXPRESS

[grannyfucker]

[Jovan thanks his lucky stars that he managed to assemble a group of people to go with him, because he would not feel safe going on his own to do this. Hell, he doesn't feel safe even now, as he stands with other network members in front of the front door, face partially by a scarf and a hoodie that are way too warm for this weather and brandishing his electric pimp cane in front of him as if it's actually a shield.

Of course, now no one seems to be making any move forward, so he takes the initiative and rings the doorbell.]

5:45am, sunrise

[theearth]

There are slightly more police officers out than normal, and they watch the cultists, but don't do anything. If approached, they will tell reincarnates that they're supposed to watch out for unusual cultist behaviour, but not more.

From the air it can be observed that the cultists are gathering in certain areas, then dissolving, gathering again - there seems to be some excitement, but at this point it is still unclear what those gatherings mean. If the locations are investigated, it becomes obvious that they're around entrances to the sewer system.

Unless someone went and found the dog before that, he will return to Petunia's place by himself around sunrise.

8am onwards

[theearth]

The sewers are dark, and smelly, the only light emanating from the lamps that are taped to the walls and lead their way. The way "to the fountain", they were told. "The place where the important event of the next night will happen."

They walk for a long time, but finally there are voices in the distance, and the air becomes fresher - a better ventilation and the oddly out of place clinical freshness of air refresher working together to overcome the inherent smell of their surroundings.

And soon after that, the group of numbered will step into a large opening: A cave full of cultists that sit and stand around, chatting amongst each other animatedly, containing some seating options, boxes, and in the very middle a large fountain in which a giant statue of a lobster thrones.

[italktofish]

Cultists? Cultists! He gets to fight cultists!

"HAVE AT THEE, VILLAINS!" Arthur brandishes his trident as he charges into that room in full-on superhero charge mode. Between the trident, his superhero uniform, and his general outrageous Arthurness, this is quite possibly going to be quite the surprise for the cultists. There is absolutely no hesitation on Arthur's part, nor attempt to talk to the cultists before hitting them upside the head with the trident.