Session 3 of Pine Falls

[19:55:01] <@Khayin> The recent visit with Miss Peach left the lot of you with more questions than answers and your visit to the edge of the park yielded an interesting discovery and a chance encounter. It is still early in the afternoon, yet the day is dim from the heavy overcast and a grayish ambient light is diffused through the thick fog that blankets the town.
[19:55:38] <Fu> And how long before Fu has class?
[19:56:05] <@Khayin> Fu has a little bit of time before class, and Mala is aware that the people in the arboretum occasionally expect her to perform certain activities, but Drake answers to no one but himself in regards to employment.
[19:56:20] <Fu> Lucky bastard.
[19:56:33] <@Khayin> (Says Fu. XD)
[19:56:58] <Fu> "I have class soon..." Fu looks at his cell phone. "We should get back and meet up after I have chem."
[19:57:05] <DrakeNero> "Where?"
[19:58:31] <Fu> "... Food court?"
[19:58:47] <@Khayin> (Also, did you guys want me to re-state the clues and info you'd learned so far or would that be unnecessary?)
[19:59:00] <DrakeNero> (I'll need a clue every so often)
[19:59:08] * Fu looks embarrassed. "I tend to need to eat regularly or else I end up having problems. ^_^;" (It would be nice)
[19:59:45] <Mala> Mala nods. "That gets me sometimes. It's easier to just use your roots." This is a profound statement. Mmmhmmm.
[19:59:57] <DrakeNero> "Whatever."
[20:00:40] <Fu> "Mala, I was a painting." He balances on one foot, and removes a shoe and sock to show a bare and pale human foot.
[20:02:17] <Mala> "I didn't say you should use /your/ roots. I know you don't have any." >___>
[20:02:17] <@Khayin> (Driving back to the school, then)
[20:02:20] <Mala> "Words are weird."
[20:02:36] <@Khayin> (Should have put a question mark at the end of that)
[20:02:39] * Fu gets his sock and shoe back on. "Yes, yes they are."
[20:02:40] <DrakeNero> Oh my god, I'm stuck in a car with serious weirdos.
[20:02:49] <@Khayin> XD
[20:02:59] <Fu> No, I figured we were talking as we walked back to the car.
[20:03:05] <DrakeNero> Drake looks out the window.
[20:03:17] * Fu gets into the car and once everyone is set, gets going.
[20:03:29] <Fu> "Then there's Cantonese."
[20:04:17] <Mala> "What about knees? o.o" Mala is confused by talk of body parts. D:
[20:04:44] <@Khayin> The drive back to the school is uneventful as before, though you are all starting to wonder if the town looks so strange for a reason or if your fractured minds are simply coloring your perceptions again.
[20:04:45] <Fu> "No, no, it's a language."
[20:05:01] <Fu> "We are speaking English right now. I am learning Cantonese."
[20:05:29] <Fu> "I thought it would be a good idea, since I work in a Chinese restaurant."
[20:05:40] <@Khayin> Along the way, you contemplate the events of the day thus far, compiling all the information in an effort to deduce some sort of meaning.
[20:05:56] <@Khayin> A girl in the park and a poisoned apple with no seeds.
[20:06:02] <DrakeNero> 'Is it a Chinese place actually owned by real Chinese people?"
[20:06:17] <Fu> "Yes, actually."
[20:06:55] <@Khayin> Paranoid old librarians speaking of incidents supposedly happening in town.
[20:06:58] <Mala> "....wow. There's other kinds of words..? o.o" Mala is more than a little surprised.
[20:07:33] <Fu> "Yes, yes there are."
[20:08:07] <Fu> "Rui-en means auspicious charity in a dialect of Chinese. It sounds like ruin."
[20:08:19] <Fu> "Fu means luck."
[20:08:22] <@Khayin> Something about a girl on Herman Street and a mauling outside Pritchett's place.
[20:09:13] <Fu> "Which place at the food court should we meet up at?"
[20:09:46] <@Khayin> Then Miss Peach spoke of odd things, supposedly things to come, though it could have all been non-sense.
[20:09:51] <@Khayin> Likely it was a little of both.
[20:10:47] <@Khayin> "Something red downwind from the orchard a while ago..." she had said.
[20:11:10] <DrakeNero> "...where is the Pritchett place?"
[20:11:15] <@Khayin> "Then... I saw some hair tangled in a hedge row..." she said later.
[20:11:20] <Fu> (Would Fu know?)
[20:11:26] <Fu> (And what color was Skip's hair?)
[20:12:25] <@Khayin> (Intelligence + Composure to remember anything about a possible Pritchett's place)
[20:12:31] <@Khayin> (And she had brown hair)
[20:12:45] <Fu> !roll_ww 6 8 10
[20:12:46] <The_Lady> Fu invokes the Lady...
[20:12:46] <The_Lady> 2, 4, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 10
[20:12:46] <The_Lady> rolled 6d10. Got 3 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[20:12:49] <DrakeNero> !roll_ww 4 8 10
[20:12:50] <The_Lady> DrakeNero invokes the Lady...
[20:12:50] <The_Lady> 4, 5, 5, 6
[20:12:50] <The_Lady> rolled 4d10. Got 0 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[20:13:08] <Mala> !roll_ww 5 8 10
[20:13:09] <The_Lady> Mala invokes the Lady...
[20:13:09] <The_Lady> 4, 4, 5, 5, 6
[20:13:09] <The_Lady> rolled 5d10. Got 0 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[20:13:15] <Mala> ( ~clueless~)
[20:13:20] <DrakeNero> (*is too*)
[20:13:46] <Fu> (*is a total fucking NERD*)
[20:14:06] <@Khayin> Fu has to think hard, but he seems to recall the name "Pritchett" from somewhere... likely a map of the town.
[20:14:12] <@Khayin> Or, more specifically, the outerlying areas.
[20:14:21] <Fu> Near any of the Outcast Lost?
[20:14:48] <@Khayin> The town itself is not terribly large and the road leading away from Pine Falls is surrounded entirely by private properties.
[20:15:05] <@Khayin> Pritchett, you think, was the name attached to one of the territories south of the university.
[20:15:24] * Fu grins broadly at the thought.
[20:15:52] <Fu> "It's south of the university." He says the direction with a note of pride to his voice.
[20:16:17] <@Khayin> To your knowledge, however, there are no outcast near there.
[20:17:49] <@Khayin> As Fu points behind him, the car approaches the university grounds and you all note that two police cruisers are parked in the middle of the roundabout just in front of the school.
[20:18:00] <Fu> "... Oh boy."
[20:18:11] <@Khayin> There seem to be slightly fewer students about than usual.
[20:18:23] * Fu keeps trying (carefully) for the parking lot.
[20:18:26] <Fu> driving.
[20:18:52] <DrakeNero> "Is this Pritchett place....downwind of the orchard?"
[20:19:25] <DrakeNero> "I know you said south of the university, but is that in teh same direction?"
[20:19:31] <@Khayin> (It is)
[20:19:44] <Fu> "... Yes, it is."
[20:20:02] <DrakeNero> "Blood is red.
[20:20:32] <Mala> >.>
[20:20:32] * Fu parks so everyone can get out easily. "So are cherries and apples... Just... we need to make sure we don't get nailed for terpassing, I think."
[20:20:39] <@Khayin> You followed Miss Peach's clue, but the only thing you found was, in fact, yellow.
[20:20:45] <@Khayin> A piece of police tape.
[20:21:01] <DrakeNero> "I'm just saying."
[20:21:23] <Fu> "I think we should visit."
[20:21:38] <DrakeNero> "Fair enough."
[20:21:39] <Fu> "Gold 'hair' is the caution tape..."
[20:21:53] <Mala> "Oh... o.o "
[20:22:24] <@Khayin> Mala remembers the trees there, also. They seemed more menacing than most trees. More animated, too.
[20:22:31] <Mala> :<
[20:22:33] <@Khayin> No one else seemed to notice, however.
[20:24:14] * Fu gets out of the car, sighing as he adjusts his glasses.
[20:24:18] <@Khayin> (Intelligence + Politics)
[20:24:45] <DrakeNero> (for?)
[20:24:50] <DrakeNero> (all of us?)
[20:25:12] <Fu> (Why hello thar, -3 unskilled penalty. I am at a chance die. :D)
[20:25:21] <@Khayin> (Anyone who wants to try. :D)
[20:25:21] <Fu> !roll_ww 1 8 10
[20:25:21] <Mala> (likewise)
[20:25:22] <The_Lady> Fu invokes the Lady...
[20:25:22] <The_Lady> 4
[20:25:22] <The_Lady> rolled 1d10. Got 0 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[20:25:29] <Mala> !roll_ww 1 10 10
[20:25:30] <The_Lady> Mala invokes the Lady...
[20:25:30] <The_Lady> 8
[20:25:30] <The_Lady> rolled 1d10. Got 0 Successes against a TN of 10, rerolling on 10 or better
[20:25:53] <DrakeNero> !roll_ww 5 8 10
[20:25:54] <The_Lady> DrakeNero invokes the Lady...
[20:25:54] <The_Lady> 1, 3, 3, 6, 9, 10
[20:25:54] <The_Lady> rolled 5d10. Got 2 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[20:25:59] <DrakeNero> !roll_ww 1 8 10
[20:26:00] <The_Lady> DrakeNero invokes the Lady...
[20:26:00] <The_Lady> 1
[20:26:00] <The_Lady> rolled 1d10. Got 0 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[20:26:06] <DrakeNero> (2)
[20:26:24] <@Khayin> (No Dramatic Failures yet XD)
[20:26:51] <Fu> (Just you WAIT)
[20:27:23] <@Khayin> The police were involved in something there, that is obvious. It would not be out of the question to search through reports and documents for any information regarding an incident near or in the Pritchett property
[20:27:42] <@Khayin> At the very least, Drake knows how to employ such channels.
[20:28:00] * Fu goes to the trunk to grab his backpack as well.
[20:28:30] <Fu> "These are interesting times. And I'm still wondering where in the food court we should meet up."
[20:28:58] <@Khayin> (Private area? Well-known area? Highly visible area?)
[20:29:22] <Mala> "Which one is the food court again? o.o "
[20:29:53] <DrakeNero> "I have a house, you know."
[20:30:27] <Fu> "Yes, but most people don't invite others at the first meeting."
[20:30:37] <Mala> "why not? o.o "
[20:30:49] * Fu slings the heavy looking thing over his shoulder. "People like their privacy."
[20:31:09] * Mala headtilts.
[20:31:55] <Fu> "I could give you a lecture on the way to Drake's house," He glances at the other Fairest, "if you want that. But I have two hours of chemistry to sit though first."
[20:32:10] <DrakeNero> "If I'm offering."
[20:32:15] <DrakeNero> "It's not imposing, is it.
[20:32:51] <Fu> "No, it isn't. It is your choice. We could just meet up at the library again, or go get something to eat some place else."
[20:33:07] <Fu> "If you have a kitchen, I could also cook up something too."
[20:33:16] <DrakeNero> "You seemed concerned about privacy, so I'm offering my home."
[20:33:26] <DrakeNero> "...don't think you can stay there, though."
[20:33:36] <Fu> "Of course not."
[20:34:14] <Fu> "As odd as it sounds, I rather like the dorms. The drama there is rather helpful."
[20:34:51] <Fu> "If you give me the directions, I could meet you there."
[20:35:19] <DrakeNero> he scribbles a few succinct directions down on a piece of paper
[20:35:58] <Fu> "Thank you."
[20:36:39] <Fu> "I'll see you after two hours or so."
[20:36:43] <DrakeNero> "See you."
[20:36:55] <DrakeNero> He strolls back towards the lot with his own vehicle.
[20:37:12] <Fu> "Mala, should we meet back here to go to his house?"
[20:37:18] <Mala> "Oh. Okay. :D "
[20:38:11] <Fu> "See you in about two hours and about five minutes." He waves goodbye and heads to class after locking the doors.
[20:39:00] <Mala> "Okay~" Mala wanders off to find some nice loose dirt to stick her feet in.
[20:39:05] <Mala> And maybe some birds to chat with.
[20:39:06] <@Khayin> With the group split up once again for a couple brief hours, Fu is preoccupied with a lecture on chemistry that would give most people headaches. What are Mala and Drake up to in the meantime?
[20:39:48] <DrakeNero> Drake has work to do.
[20:40:18] <Mala> (the birds may know something about what happened, but Mala won't have thought to ask them X3 )
[20:40:27] <@Khayin> (XD)
[20:41:27] <@Khayin> Is Mala sticking around the gardens or returning to the arboretum?
[20:41:46] <Mala> Probably gardens. ^^
[20:41:59] <Mala> If there's nice dirt there. It's nice to get out and about.
[20:42:45] <@Khayin> Indeed. Roll Wits + Composure, please.
[20:43:00] <Mala> !roll_ww 5 8 10
[20:43:01] <The_Lady> Mala invokes the Lady...
[20:43:01] <The_Lady> 1, 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 10
[20:43:01] <The_Lady> rolled 5d10. Got 2 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[20:44:42] <@Khayin> While enjoying the feeling of soil about your toes, you notice another girl staring at you from the other side of the gardens. She appears to have been smelling the roses.
[20:45:28] <Mala> Mala waves. ^.^
[20:45:55] <@Khayin> After an apprehensive moment, the girl waves back with a smile.
[20:47:11] <@Khayin> Drake on the other hand, quickly goes to work on the university's accounts. He has learned that the layers of anonymity separating donors from the school make it difficult to tell for sure who is funding the university so well, but the documents have always been ordered and the numbers always added up so there was little reason to dig very deep.
[20:47:51] <@Khayin> Mr. Castor, though, is unique in that he is apparently the rare individual to have donated using his real name... supposedly.
[20:48:35] <DrakeNero> He writes down this name for future reference. At the moment he doesn't seem to have a need to contact him.
[20:48:36] <@Khayin> Not only that, but he made his donation not by check but cash deposit.
[20:48:56] <DrakeNero> Now *that's* interesting
[20:50:00] <@Khayin> Currency type was not noted. It was done at the local Pine Falls City Bank, however.
[20:50:36] <@Khayin> Again -- interesting, but nothing that requires you to put your hands in it...
[20:51:53] <@Khayin> The pretty blond girl that waved to Mala pauses a moment before walking around to the other side of the garden and sitting on a bench near her. "I take it you have a green thumb as well?" she asks after a moment.
[20:51:55] <DrakeNero> Maybe he'll just do follow-up at some point to make sure there's no fraud or that the money wasn't laundered.
[20:52:14] <@Khayin> (*Nod* Just let me know whenever you want to make that effort)
[20:53:02] <Mala> "Well, not really thumbs. Sometimes up here. But mostly it stays red." She points around her head and wiggles her roots in the dirt.
[20:53:07] <DrakeNero> Probably another in-game day, since there are other things to be done tonight and that might take awyle.
[20:53:29] <DrakeNero> awhile
[20:53:38] <@Khayin> (Gotcha)
[20:55:34] <Fu> Fu is being a perfect geek and is listening to the lecture, though he keeps an eye out for anyone interesting... or just struggling.
[20:55:38] <@Khayin> The girl chuckles a bit. "You talk like my parents. They were always big hippies." She holds out her hand in the way Mala has noticed other people do in greeting, supposedly. "I'm Patricia. I'm a freshman, so if it sounds like I'm a little short on friends, it's because I am."
[20:56:41] <@Khayin> The lecture is mostly dry, though there is always something to learn. The numbers are constant, however, and science leaves little room for chance.
[20:56:52] <@Khayin> (Fu, roll Clarity, please)
[20:57:11] <Fu> (As a Fairest, -1 dice, yes?)
[20:57:32] <DrakeNero> *yeah)
[20:57:37] <Fu> !roll_ww 6 8 10
[20:57:38] <The_Lady> Fu invokes the Lady...
[20:57:38] <The_Lady> 1, 4, 6, 6, 7, 8
[20:57:38] <The_Lady> rolled 6d10. Got 1 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[20:59:19] * Mala headtilts and holds out her hand too. "I'm Mala." Mala'd say something about being kind of tall, but she's pretty sure this is one of those metaphor things again.
[20:59:36] <@Khayin> Occasionally, your mind drifts a bit and the unknown quantities start to become glaring holes to your perception, but you've gotten better at keeping them under control. Few things are worse than strange luck when making chemical compounds.
[21:00:48] <Fu> Fu actually jabs himself in the other hand with his pencil when his vision begins to get ink-lines to them, the pain pushing him back to reality.
[21:01:05] <@Khayin> Patricia shakes Mala's outstretched hand and smiles. She looks like she's about to say something else, but a beeping noise prompts her to look at the device on her wrist and she reconsiders. "Well, it looks like I picked a pretty dumb time to try and get chatty. I need to get to class, but I hope I'll see you around, Mala!"
[21:01:39] <Mala> "Oh. Okay! ^^" Mala waves.
[21:02:50] <@Khayin> The girl gives a friendly wave before rushing off and almost disappearing into the mist, leaving Mala to her comfortable soil.
[21:03:12] <Mala> (I AM THOU, AND THOU ART I. Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Patricia arcana.)
[21:03:35] <Mala> ( <3 S-Links)
[21:03:36] <@Khayin> (O_O)
[21:03:53] <Mala> ( *is the only person here who plays Persona 3 I guess* >.> )
[21:04:03] <@Khayin> (*Points to Astra*)
[21:04:16] <@Khayin> (It's sitting on my shelf, still XD)
[21:04:51] <@Khayin> Fu makes it through the class without incident, though it was good he came as few of the other students seemed familiar enough with the material to explain it to him had he been absent.
[21:05:27] <Fu> (I have played it, I just had to clean my room a moment ago)
[21:05:48] <DrakeNero> (I haven't :x)
[21:06:06] <Fu> Fu is relieved and gets going to his car, stopping to get much needed water and to check on his phone to figure out where he can get food on route to Drake's house.
[21:06:46] <@Khayin> Fortunately, the gardens are within view of the parking lot, and Fu spies Mala happily wading in the dirt.
[21:07:02] <Mala> ^.^
[21:07:43] <Fu> "... Figures... " Fu gets to his car, gets his stuff into the trunk, locks the trunk and heads to Mala. No sense in yelling.
[21:08:05] <Mala> "Oh. Hey!" Mala waves. ^.^
[21:08:49] <Fu> "Ready to go?" ^_^
[21:09:03] <Fu> "And you got your pick of fast food, if you want."
[21:09:24] <Mala> "Okay. :D" Mala stands up and shakes off her roots. "Fast food, huh? o.o"
[21:10:27] <Fu> "Mhm. Drive through, the main stay of most college students' diet."
[21:11:25] <Fu> "McDonald's, Jack in the Box, Burger King, and hm. I know there's one more..."
[21:11:54] <@Khayin> As the two drive toward mid-town, Drake burns through his work with his usual meticulousness. (Intelligence + Politics, please, Drake)
[21:12:11] <Fu> (She gets to pick. :p He is paying)
[21:12:22] <DrakeNero> !roll_ww 5 8 10
[21:12:23] <The_Lady> DrakeNero invokes the Lady...
[21:12:23] <The_Lady> 3, 6, 8, 8, 9
[21:12:23] <The_Lady> rolled 5d10. Got 3 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[21:12:39] <Fu> "Jack and Mickey D's has salads."
[21:13:29] <Mala> "Uhm. Okay. o.o I don't think I've ever had fast food. >.> "
[21:13:54] <Fu> "All the better to try now."
[21:14:06] <Mala> "Okay. o.o "
[21:14:17] <Fu> "I'll even get you a milkshake if you want. ^_^ "
[21:14:35] <Mala> "Shake milk? "
[21:14:39] <@Khayin> Simple. As always -- almost too simple. You've no doubt that the dean was not lying when he said that he employs only the best, but it's hard to see why he would need much help, really. A lot of the work is already done in the very tidy organization.
[21:14:42] <Fu> "Not exactly."
[21:15:08] <Fu> "It's a cold drink that uses a milk product, and comes in different flavors."
[21:15:12] <DrakeNero> Hmmmm.
[21:15:28] <Mala> "whoa. o.o"
[21:15:38] <Fu> "We'll go to Jack-in-the-Box, they actually use real ice cream."
[21:15:41] <@Khayin> It does not appear that there is any money laundering effort going on. It just seems to be a very elaborate conspiracy of anonymity.
[21:16:09] <DrakeNero> How... oh I need a new word
[21:16:11] <DrakeNero> ...
[21:16:13] <DrakeNero> ...
[21:16:14] <DrakeNero> fuck it
[21:16:16] <DrakeNero> interesting
[21:16:20] <Fu> Unusual?
[21:16:20] <@Khayin> :D
[21:16:23] <Mala> ( X3 )
[21:16:32] <Fu> ( :3 )
[21:16:32] <@Khayin> Inconceivable!
[21:16:34] <DrakeNero> (that's Drake's internal monologue, there, not me)
[21:16:50] <@Khayin> (Ah. Got it. XD)
[21:17:47] <Fu> (What does Mala get?)
[21:17:56] <@Khayin> After paying the local Jack-in-the-Box a visit, Mala and Fu head the rest of the way to Drake's home, greasy food in-hand.
[21:17:58] <Mala> (Milkshake!)
[21:18:25] <Fu> Fu gets egg rolls, and a salad. And yes, a milkshake for himself.
[21:18:38] <Mala> "That guy who made the milkshake for me wasn't a jack-in-the-box though. o.o"
[21:19:13] <Fu> "No, no, 'Jack' is a symbol, a mascot."
[21:19:21] <@Khayin> The neighborhood is rather upscale and you have to pass a security checkpoint where the guard eyed you suspiciously before waving you in to the gated community.
[21:19:35] <@Khayin> (You may describe your abode if you wish)
[21:19:37] <Mala> "...oh. I thought, because, y'know, I'm a tree, and you're a painting..."
[21:19:56] <Fu> "He represents the company-" He smiles brightly at the guard, "Correction, I /was/ a painting."
[21:20:01] * Mala plays with her straw. Squeakysqueak.
[21:20:19] <Mala> "Oh. Okay. o.o I might still be a tree. >_>; "
[21:20:19] <Fu> "Granted, I still can doze off against a wall pretty fast, but I am a living person again."
[21:20:43] <Fu> "You are a person too." He keeps smiling as he drives, looking for the house.
[21:20:56] <Mala> "Everyone keeps saying that, but I'm not so sure. ._. "
[21:21:48] <Fu> "How long have you been out?"
[21:21:57] <Fu> "Well, walking about, I should say."
[21:22:23] <Mala> "Uhm. I dunno. It hasn't been winter yet, anyway."
[21:23:03] <Fu> "Has it changed seasons at all since you have been out?"
[21:23:20] <Mala> "Uhm. It's getting a little cooler now. >.> "
[21:23:44] <Fu> "So... not too long, I think..."
[21:23:45] <@Khayin> It doesn't take terribly long before you find the place and feel a bit bad about making the street seem a little unsightly for having your car parked in it.
[21:23:49] <Mala> "I'm pretty new at the whole people thing, I think. ._. "
[21:23:54] <Fu> "It's okay."
[21:24:13] <Fu> "It took me a few months to get used to looking in the mirror after coming back." >_>
[21:24:56] <@Khayin> (Knocking? Ringing doorbell?)
[21:25:07] <Mala> "I don't have a mirror. But the greenhouse has glass in it..."
[21:25:10] * Fu gets out of the car and opens the door as well for Mala, with a bag in hand before going for the door.
[21:25:26] * Mala is still playing with her straw. >.>
[21:25:41] <Fu> "... you know, you can drink the milkshake."
[21:25:55] <Fu> Oh please GOD don't make him give sucking lessons.
[21:26:00] <Mala> "I am! I just like this noise it makes. ^.^ "
[21:26:12] * Fu chuckles.
[21:26:34] <Fu> He rings the doorbell and eats an egg roll.
[21:27:21] <@Khayin> And Drake becomes suddenly aware of people on his property.
[21:28:17] <DrakeNero> He answers the door.
[21:28:41] * Mala waves ^.^
[21:29:02] <DrakeNero> and then ushers the other two into his living room: which has a beautiful, extended black leather couch an enormous plasma TV, one of each lastest console gaming system and two racks of DVDs that stretch from floor to ceiling.
[21:29:15] <Fu> O_o
[21:29:27] <DrakeNero> Everything is *spotless*
[21:29:35] <Fu> Fu may have some money, but he is still a college student.
[21:29:45] <Mala> >.>
[21:29:46] <Mala> <.<
[21:29:48] <Fu> "Sorry, I needed food."
[21:29:54] <DrakeNero> "It's fine."
[21:30:03] <Mala> "I got a milkshake." >.>
[21:30:06] <DrakeNero> "Do you two drink?"
[21:30:15] <Fu> "I'm technically underage."
[21:30:24] <Mala> "I thought everyone did. >.> "
[21:30:27] <DrakeNero> "Wine? Beer?"
[21:30:40] <Fu> "And I get drunk far too fast. You /don't want me drunk./"
[21:31:01] <DrakeNero> "Can I tempt you with just one? It's a dark Belgian. On the sweet side."
[21:31:13] * Fu carefully sits down, finishing the other egg roll.
[21:31:21] <Fu> (What roll to resist temptation?)
[21:31:37] <@Khayin> (Resolve + Composure)
[21:31:47] <Fu> !roll_ww 5 8 10
[21:31:48] <The_Lady> Fu invokes the Lady...
[21:31:48] <The_Lady> 1, 2, 4, 5, 9
[21:31:48] <The_Lady> rolled 5d10. Got 1 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[21:31:55] * Fu shakes his head.
[21:32:12] <Fu> "Trust me. I'll be taking too many risks if I do. And I'm the one driving Mala back."
[21:32:35] <DrakeNero> "Ah, well, I'd rather not impair your driving."
[21:32:40] <DrakeNero> He does pour one for himself.
[21:32:40] * Fu looks mildly wistful though.
[21:32:46] <Mala> "I guess I'll have some." *slurp* o.o
[21:33:05] <DrakeNero> "Can you hold your liquor?" He laughs a little.
[21:33:14] <Mala> "I dunno. >.> "
[21:33:16] <DrakeNero> "Why don't you two share one?"
[21:33:21] <@Khayin> (Stamina + Composure :P)
[21:33:26] <DrakeNero> "It's a Belgian, so it's stronger than normal."
[21:33:32] <Mala> (Haha, Mala has 3 of each X3 )
[21:33:35] <DrakeNero> (God I love Belgian beer. XD)
[21:33:42] <@Khayin> (It shows! XD)
[21:34:12] <Fu> !roll_ww 5 8 10 (Doing this again because well, it's a reasonable idea)
[21:34:13] <The_Lady> Fu invokes the Lady...
[21:34:13] <The_Lady> 3, 5, 5, 5, 6
[21:34:13] <The_Lady> rolled 5d10. Got 0 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[21:34:17] <DrakeNero> (It's also *expensive*)
[21:34:22] <DrakeNero> (which is mostly why Drake is all about it)
[21:34:28] <Mala> (hehe)
[21:34:31] <Fu> "... Ah, fuck it, I might as well share ONE drink..."
[21:34:33] <Mala> (oh Drake <3 )
[21:34:39] <@Khayin> The tree sways.
[21:34:54] <DrakeNero> "Well then."
[21:35:06] <DrakeNero> He gets out two small glasses and splits a beer evenly between them.
[21:35:22] <@Khayin> (Same to Fu)
[21:35:24] * Fu begins working on his salad, balancing it very carefully on his lap to makes sure he doesn't leave a mark on the couch.
[21:35:39] <Fu> !roll_ww 4 8 10
[21:35:40] <The_Lady> Fu invokes the Lady...
[21:35:40] <The_Lady> 2, 3, 4, 8, 10
[21:35:40] <The_Lady> rolled 4d10. Got 2 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[21:35:42] <DrakeNero> (I'm actually thinking of a specific beer: Delerium's Nocturnum. Which is dark and incredibly delicious. It's also 9% alcohol, while most beers are 4 or 5)
[21:35:48] <Fu> (Wooooow)
[21:35:52] <DrakeNero> (Also $110 a case.)
[21:36:00] <@Khayin> (Jesus Christ O_o)
[21:36:05] <Fu> (Fu actually /held/ his booze. AND MY GOD)
[21:36:10] <Mala> Mala pokes it. "It's foamy. o.o" *gulpgulpgulp* "Whoa. @.@ "
[21:36:17] <@Khayin> XD
[21:36:32] <DrakeNero> ($11 a bottle at the local place that serves it)
[21:36:36] <DrakeNero> (but MY GOD IS IT AWESOME)
[21:36:45] <@Khayin> Fu, surprisingly, is okay. Boy, is his head, fuzzy, though. Good thing his senses are not impaired.
[21:36:53] * Fu sighs with a hint of relief, holding the glass casually. "I guess I have missed this."
[21:38:00] <Fu> "I was Taken after I was legal, so I did get a taste before, but since I am pretty much paper now..." He eats more salad to help soak the beer.
[21:38:31] <DrakeNero> "it's delicious." but what he really means is 'its expensive'
[21:39:22] <Mala> "It's neat. @.@" Mala works on her milkshake again now that she's chugged her beer.
[21:40:17] <Fu> "It is pretty good. Now, should we get to business?"
[21:42:19] <DrakeNero> "Indeed."
[21:42:28] <DrakeNero> (I should shower...in the next 15 minutes or so)
[21:42:46] <@Khayin> (Okey doke. I will speed this up a bit)
[21:43:21] <@Khayin> Going over the clues you've discovered thus far, a few things instantly cropped up as simple points of research.
[21:43:33] <@Khayin> First, the areas mentioned in secrecy by the librarians.
[21:43:49] <@Khayin> Namely, Herman Street and the Pritchett territory.
[21:44:31] <Fu> (Any gossip that Fu knows about Herman Street?)
[21:44:41] <@Khayin> A glance at a map of Pine Falls confirmed that there was indeed a Herman street -- just a couple neighborhoods east of Drake's community, in fact, right at the edge of midtown area.
[21:45:58] <@Khayin> It isn't a terribly large street, but leads into Lincoln Avenue, which forms sort of the border past which you are in the outskirts.
[21:46:24] <@Khayin> In the outskirts are the older, more traditional (and sometimes crustier) homesteads.
[21:46:47] <Fu> Any outcastes? :p
[21:46:55] <@Khayin> None that Fu knows of.
[21:47:04] <@Khayin> Apart from Miss Peach, I mean
[21:47:58] <Fu> Ah.
[21:48:11] <@Khayin> The Pritchett territory took a few more minutes to confirm, but it turns out it was indeed the territory whose gate you'd visited earlier.
[21:51:14] <@Khayin> Was Drake researching the police activity, BTW?
[21:51:22] <DrakeNero> Yes, yes I think he will
[21:51:22] <@Khayin> Or Fu, I guess - Computers, and all
[21:51:40] <Fu> Fu would be willing to, if it's suggested.
[21:52:01] <Fu> If there is a computer, he'd be looking at it and trying his hardest not to ask technical questions.
[21:52:07] <@Khayin> Heh heh
[21:52:17] <@Khayin> (Intelligence + Politics)
[21:52:31] <DrakeNero> There is, and it's totally some kind of unnecessarily pimped out Alienware PC.
[21:52:33] <@Khayin> Or Computer
[21:52:42] <DrakeNero> (we'll go politics)
[21:53:08] <@Khayin> ("Unnecessarily pimped-out." I like that term)
[21:53:50] <@Khayin> Okey doke. Int + Pol for the wint
[21:53:58] <@Khayin> Win.
[21:54:01] <DrakeNero> !roll 5 8 10
[21:54:02] <The_Lady> DrakeNero invokes the Lady...
[21:54:02] <The_Lady> Please use standard dice syntax when invoking this command (ex. '!roll 4d6')
[21:54:06] <DrakeNero> woop
[21:54:11] <DrakeNero> !roll_ww 5 8 10
[21:54:12] <The_Lady> DrakeNero invokes the Lady...
[21:54:12] <The_Lady> 1, 1, 3, 3, 8, 10, 10, 10
[21:54:12] <The_Lady> rolled 5d10. Got 4 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[21:54:17] <DrakeNero> holy CRAP
[21:54:20] <@Khayin> Oh, nice
[21:54:22] <DrakeNero> !roll_ww 3 8 10
[21:54:22] <The_Lady> DrakeNero invokes the Lady...
[21:54:22] <The_Lady> 6, 8, 8
[21:54:22] <The_Lady> rolled 3d10. Got 2 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[21:54:29] <DrakeNero> 6!
[21:54:41] <DrakeNero> the computer has a Razer optical mouse and a 28 inch flatscreen monitor.
[21:54:44] <@Khayin> Doesn't it already re-roll tens for you?
[21:54:46] <Mala> o.o
[21:54:47] <Fu> O_o
[21:54:48] <DrakeNero> No.
[21:55:07] <Fu> ... Yes it does. I see more than five numbers there.
[21:55:27] <DrakeNero> Oh. okay then
[21:55:38] <@Khayin> Well, either way -- four is still pretty damn good.
[21:56:19] <Fu> "That... is a bit much..." He coughs as he finishes his glass of beer.
[21:56:26] <@Khayin> It takes a bit to scan through the police records, but you're familiar enough with the legal process that you can maneuver your way into the less-than-public info.
[21:56:30] <@Khayin> There.
[21:56:36] <@Khayin> Murders.
[21:57:20] <DrakeNero> How about that.
[21:57:29] <Fu> "Any luck?"
[21:57:45] <@Khayin> One a month and a half ago on the edge of the Pritchett property. A young girl named Anna Farley. Mauled by a large animal which was never found.
[21:57:56] * Mala leans over Fu's shoulder and watches. o.o
[21:58:07] <@Khayin> There are pictures. It is quite a ghastly scene.
[21:58:11] <Fu> (Does he say any of this, and are we allowed to look over Drake's shoulder)
[21:58:16] <@Khayin> (Wits + Composure)
[21:58:34] <Fu> !roll_ww 6 8 10
[21:58:35] <The_Lady> Fu invokes the Lady...
[21:58:35] <The_Lady> 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8
[21:58:35] <The_Lady> rolled 6d10. Got 1 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[21:58:40] <DrakeNero> He'll call attention to it
[21:58:58] <Fu> "Urk." Charity virtue and weak stomach saved by poker face.
[21:59:09] <Mala> !roll_ww 5 8 10
[21:59:09] <The_Lady> Mala invokes the Lady...
[21:59:09] <The_Lady> 1, 4, 7, 8, 9
[21:59:09] <The_Lady> rolled 5d10. Got 2 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[21:59:25] <Mala> "ick. o.o"
[21:59:40] <@Khayin> Drake also? This is for examining the photos.
[22:00:06] <DrakeNero> Oh! Sorry
[22:00:15] <DrakeNero> !roll_ww 4 8 10
[22:00:15] <The_Lady> DrakeNero invokes the Lady...
[22:00:15] <The_Lady> 4, 6, 7, 8
[22:00:15] <The_Lady> rolled 4d10. Got 1 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[22:00:41] <@Khayin> "... something red..." she had said.
[22:00:45] <@Khayin> There is blood, indeed.
[22:01:07] <@Khayin> But you notice the girl's coat is a bright crimson as well.
[22:01:33] <Fu> "..."
[22:02:01] <Fu> "... I... A poisoned apple." He holds up a finger.
[22:02:07] <Fu> "A red coat."
[22:02:09] <Fu> "Beasts..."
[22:02:16] <Fu> He groans.
[22:02:25] <DrakeNero> "Damn you, Brothers Grimm."
[22:02:29] <Fu> "No oatmeal for me until this is over."
[22:02:41] <DrakeNero> "Porridge. It was porridge."
[22:02:55] <Fu> "That doesn't look like a red riding hood, now does it?"
[22:03:15] <Fu> "Close doesn't just count in horseshoes and Summer contracts."
[22:03:58] <DrakeNero> (Okay, I need a shower)
[22:04:00] * Mala ....doesn't get it. >_>
[22:04:01] <DrakeNero> (back in a few)
[22:04:07] DrakeNero is now known as DrakeShower.
[22:04:15] <Fu> "Fairy tales, Mala."
[22:04:24] <@Khayin> The police looked over everything they could, but could not find any reason to suspect foul-play. It was chalked up as a wild animal attack and Mr. Pritchett was told to make sure no one ventured onto his property again.
[22:04:57] <Fu> "A poisoned apple was a key part of the fairy tale Snow White. I'll get a book of some of the most popular ones from the library if you want."
[22:05:00] <Mala> "...fairies have tails? o_O " Mala does not see how this has anything to do with the matter at hand.
[22:05:09] <Mala> "Uhm. Okay. o.o"
[22:05:41] <@Khayin> There was another murder two weeks later. A girl again -- this time in a house on Herman Street.
[22:06:10] <Fu> "Different sort of tale. A t-a-l-e is a story."
[22:06:19] <@Khayin> The police had no reason to suspect it was related to the previous one, but a closer inspection of the details leads you to understand something they likely did not.
[22:06:35] <Fu> Like?
[22:08:37] <@Khayin> The victim was one Marcy Davenport. She was killed when her neck was crushed under the weight of a window.
[22:08:55] <@Khayin> The accompanying photos showed her body hanging lifeless inside the room.
[22:09:21] <@Khayin> And her head hanging outside, her long, blond hair draping down into the bushes below and tangled into the thorny hedge.
[22:09:34] <Fu> "..."
[22:09:42] <Fu> Mauled by a bear?
[22:09:46] <Fu> And how do the girls *look*?
[22:10:05] <@Khayin> (Intelligence + Academics)
[22:10:16] <Fu> (Willpower, used)
[22:10:30] <Mala> !roll_ww 3 8 10
[22:10:31] <The_Lady> Mala invokes the Lady...
[22:10:31] <The_Lady> 1, 5, 5
[22:10:31] <The_Lady> rolled 3d10. Got 0 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[22:10:48] <Fu> !roll_ww 8 8 10
[22:10:49] <The_Lady> Fu invokes the Lady...
[22:10:49] <The_Lady> 1, 2, 2, 2, 4, 6, 6, 6
[22:10:49] <The_Lady> rolled 8d10. Got 0 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[22:10:55] <Fu> (WHAT THE FUCK)
[22:11:05] <@Khayin> (Ouch)
[22:11:34] <@Khayin> (Drake can roll that when Seras gets back)
[22:11:41] <Fu> (Yeah)
[22:11:54] <@Khayin> The girls in both photos appeared... well, horrified.
[22:12:22] <@Khayin> The poisoned girl from this morning was face down in the grass, however, so you did not really see her expression.
[22:12:49] <@Khayin> Understanding cyanide, though, you can guess what it might have looked like.
[22:13:54] <Fu> Oh, did the other girls have cyanide poisoning?
[22:14:16] <@Khayin> Not that you can see.
[22:14:27] <@Khayin> (I meant in that case, alone)
[22:20:12] * Fu begins studying the pictures, clearing his head of anything fae like. Just mundane, common characteristics.
[22:21:43] DrakeShower is now known as DrakeNero.
[22:21:59] <DrakeNero> !roll_ww 5 8 10
[22:22:00] <The_Lady> DrakeNero invokes the Lady...
[22:22:00] <The_Lady> 6, 6, 7, 8, 8
[22:22:00] <The_Lady> rolled 5d10. Got 2 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[22:22:12] <@Khayin> (That was the Academics roll?)
[22:22:51] <DrakeNero> (Yes)
[22:23:38] <@Khayin> Long hair dangling out a window. If you're thinking faerie tales, this is clearly a reference to Rapunzel.
[22:24:19] <@Khayin> And golden hair tangled in the hedge -- just like Miss Peach said.
[22:26:08] <@Khayin> That one was a month ago.
[22:27:19] <@Khayin> (Wits + Composure to detect and common features in the girls or the photos between cases)
[22:27:26] <Mala> !roll_ww 5 8 10
[22:27:28] <The_Lady> Mala invokes the Lady...
[22:27:28] <The_Lady> 1, 2, 2, 4, 9, 10
[22:27:28] <The_Lady> rolled 5d10. Got 2 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[22:27:44] <Fu> !roll_ww 6 8 10
[22:27:45] <The_Lady> Fu invokes the Lady...
[22:27:45] <The_Lady> 2, 5, 5, 6, 8, 8
[22:27:45] <The_Lady> rolled 6d10. Got 2 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[22:27:53] <DrakeNero> !roll_ww 4 8 10
[22:27:54] <The_Lady> DrakeNero invokes the Lady...
[22:27:54] <The_Lady> 1, 5, 6, 9, 10
[22:27:54] <The_Lady> rolled 4d10. Got 2 Successes against a TN of 8, rerolling on 10 or better
[22:29:12] <@Khayin> Drake and Fu noticed the same symbol on the first girl's jacket was present on a wall-hanging in the second girl's room.
[22:29:25] <Fu> What is it?
[22:29:27] <@Khayin> The symbol for Spencer University.
[22:29:43] <Fu> "..."
[22:30:00] <DrakeNero> "Hmmm."
[22:30:02] <DrakeNero> "That's no good."
[22:30:06] * Fu says a few words in very fervent Cantonese.
[22:30:18] <@Khayin> Mala noticed something else. The grass looked particularly dead in certain patches in both of those photos.
[22:30:22] <@Khayin> Unnaturally so.
[22:30:25] <Fu> By his tone of voice, they are pretty foul.
[22:30:31] <Mala> "That grass isn't doing very well. o.o"
[22:31:11] <DrakeNero> "That's not all."
[22:31:19] <@Khayin> They dead spots seem to cut into the grassy area and the lawn like a strange path.
[22:33:01] <@Khayin> (It's getting late, so I'll wrap up with a little tidbit)
[22:33:21] <@Khayin> Miss Peach mentioned all three of these murders in a roundabout fashion.
[22:33:52] <@Khayin> "This season, I think it's best to stock up on meat. I think there will be plenty before the winter comes..." she also had said. Suddenly, that takes on another meaning.
[22:34:22] <Fu> "I am going to have to get something really nice for Miss Peach tomorrow."
[22:34:27] <@Khayin> But she said something else, as well...
[22:34:37] <@Khayin> "If the apple is done, then I think we'll see blood on the thorns by the time it gets dark before dinner..."
[22:34:57] <@Khayin> That was the only thing she said that pertained to an event that had not happened yet.
[22:35:16] <Fu> "..."
[22:35:46] <DrakeNero> "..."
[22:35:56] <Fu> "God damn fucking interesting times."
[22:36:18] <DrakeNero> "Couldn't have put that better myself."
[22:36:27] <Mala> o.o