Grey Clues [MM]

[Storyteller]

Title: Grey Clues
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Characters: Mason, Ismael Skhaos

Mason must post first, outlining a story on the following theme (feel free to get creative):

Setting: A smoggy large office building
Backstory: The group ended up crossing paths as a result of some criminal undertaking (some or all characters).
Occurance: You come across a ghost who needs help.
Variable: Mason is naked for some reason.

Participants: 2
ARES: yes
Speed: slow
Chapter: no
Minimum Words Per Post: none
Maximum Words Per Post: none

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This thread was generated via the Roleplay Matchmaking System.

[Mason]

Mason was a bit uncertain about all those new rules about vampires and identification and such. In truth, she would have been all for it before she was turned. There were few Paladins more staunchly devote to their eradication then she was. Now...she had her concerns. But she was, in truth, still for it. In fact she carried it with her. If it weren't for that she couldn't be seen in mirrors though, you might assume she was quite human. She had a health complexion, and very human views. Truth be told, she still considered Vampirism a disease. And a threat. And as a result, she still hunted the troublemakers. If they killed humans, she would try and kill them in turn. She avoided biting off more then she could chew, but she still felt she had a job to do. Sometimes, she had to just go and fight other undeads. At least you could fetch a price for that sort of work.

She had thought she was onto someone, a person she barely glimpsed entered a smoggy office building that was several stories high and quite room. It felt...strange. She was armed, as was usual when hunting. But that didn't prevent her concern from building.
Wait. She was in the building already? Which floor had she managed to get to? This wasn't even near the entrance and the windows were looking above some of the other buildings. Did she just feel...a breeze. She reached for her gun and felt.

Skin. Bare skin. Her eyes widened and she let out a quiet shriek as she realized she was entirely naked. Her clothes were gone, her weapon was gone, she was just standing there unsure of what to do now looking for anything to cover up with. Crap. Cobwebs and old broken desks. Didn't even have drapes. What the heck? Was this fae? She'd never actually been attacked by them before, and they were supposed to only be in forests right? But this could totally be a fae shouldn't it.

Another glimpse. A figure rushed down the hall wearing her clothes. "Get back here you thief!" she shouted immediately trying to chase them down. Gone. "You have got to be kidding me."

[Ismael Skhaos]

Ismael had taken up the job of hunting zombies very seriously, and such anytime people yell about zombies he is normally someone on the scene in short order. So when he heard about an unknown figure in an old building looking to be zombie-like, he rushed over asking about which building and started running off in hops of taking it out before anyone gets hurt.

On arriving he found this large office building in a more polluted area of town, making it harder to see, but he did make out a figure from one of the windows and disappearing. Then hearing loud yelling form inside, when he heard the yelling he began running in as he tried following the yelling, unto which he came onto a woman. Being dark and obscured Ismael started coming closer saying, "Ma'am are you alright? I'm here...." as he sees she's completely naked in this building. After his pause and his eyes finished wandering he looks off to her left as he continues, "Here to help. I heard yelling and came right this way".

Ismael began to put his handgun into his belt line, then takes off his coat and tosses it to her, "Here". As he begins to say, "So is this a normal thing or is this just a special occasion?". He says this as he is rubbing the back of his head and chuckling slightly. He did find this situation extremely strange, yet funny.

He begins to look around in search of anyone else or anything, as an immediate idea pops into his head, what if this is like that spider thing?! Ismael is immediately defensive as he keeps his hand near his waist line preparing for anything.

Then a sound of a woman moaning and crying comes from higher up the building. "Alright this place is getting weird". As Ismael begins to look around further making sure a trap doesn't get him he starts noting where the stairs are and tells the woman, "Hey why are you here? If you're here for that then you can come, but I only have one gun". He says as he takes his gun back out and starts heading to the staircase. Knowing full well that the something could be happening here, but he needs to know. His instincts are telling him to go.

He is still extremely wary of the person who he's speaking to, but not trying to be threatening. He just doesn’t want to end up like that other guy. He did see some spiders here so he is very cautious but they didn't quite follow his direction. Maybe she is fine, but who knows, can't be too careful it with stuff like this. Especially with stuff like this.

[Mason]

Vanished. She gritted her teeth. She looked around a bit too busy looking in the wrong direction before turning and hearing the man talk to her "Whoah now." She held up a hand trying to stop him from coming any closer then just retracting it, turning so her back was facing him "Could you...not?" she asked after his pause. She was covered in tatooes, she enjoyed them, liked the art. But that didn't mean she had any desire to be discovered naked unexpectedly to someone she had not even seen before.

He commented being here to help, heh. Yeah. Clothes would be nice. He did manage to toss her his coat at least, she grabbed it quickly wrapping herself up in it quickly as best she could. Not really meant to be used as a full body covering but there wasn't much she could do about that right now. He made a joke about it, "I don't really find being naked in some random smoggy office building that funny." she grumbled, "So no, it is very much not a regular thing. This'd be a first."

"But uh...thanks." She decided to add. At the very least he'd actually done something. With no kind of drapery to help her out she'd been chasing that ghost for who knows how long. There was a bit of a silence. She had nothing to think of saying yet, trying to explain her situation? Ah yes, I'm a vampire, former paladin, who saw something suspicious and decided to investigate and SOMEHOW I ended up NAKED. Truly the best way to get someone to believe you.

Her eyes shot up as a woman cried and moaned. "Oh, weird so does not cut it." she muttered in response to what he said about it. He looked to the stairs before actually addressing the problem of why she was here. She could stay if they were for the same reason but he couldn't offer weapons. Well, that was unfortunate. Regarldess he started heading to the staircase gun out, "Saw someone suspicious. Came in....uh, I don't know what happened exactly. I lost my weapons somehow, ended up...well naked. Then you came in. I have absolutely no reasonable explanation." she answered trying to follow and tighten the coat a bit, "First I thought it was Fae...oh um."

Tactically, she shouldn't tell him right away. But Mason was a paladin. And she was for humans more then she was herself. And that meant that she had a very strong urge to inform him of just what she was. There was the risk he was a Siren who were supposed to hate vampires. But she'd rather admit that to a Siren and have to hightail it, then lie to a human. "Right...I'm a vampire. But I was a paladin first, vampire hunter and my morals haven't changed. Vampirism is a disease. I don't feed off people. Fae, uh, are prone to trying to kill us. I've never met one before. But, it hasn't killed me yet, so I don't know what it is. It did steal me freaking clothes though!" she explained.

She hung her head, "Uh, sorry. If that's a little scary or too much information. If I could turn back time and be human again I would be. But I can't. All I can do is pretend I am like what I was before."

[Ismael Skhaos]

Ismael paused for a moment as his face is dumbfounded. Vampires, Paladins, Fae What? Ismael immediately turned around and he says with the most confused face, "Wha?".

During this Ismael immediately starts decrypting what is being told to him:

Firstly, Fae? Is it that magical **** he's been seeing and hearing about? Like that **** in the forest? WAIT, is that why strange **** like that happens? Is the Fae responsible for the different creatures he sees? Or the zombies…Are they the ones who make the zombies?! That must be why they aren't an actual infective pandemic. Wait, what are the Fae, are they like a species? Or like a sentient plant? Many questions, too many really.

Secondly, SHE'S A VAMPIRE!? A VAMPIRE!? How could she be a vampire, she looks nothing like the vampire he saw before. She actually looks like a real person, with proper mental capacity and has not bitten into him. And she even seems to be sad about being a vampire…wait she was tuned to a vampire. Seemingly unwillingly. Does that mean it could happen to him? Wait has it already happened? No that was dumb he would have died because of the sunlight by now. Ismael has many more questions, he will have to ask them later. In a better time.

Then finally, a Paladin. As she said more like a Vampire hunter. She is not only a vampire but the hunter of vampires. First off how do you become a vampire hunter? Secondly is it like a secret cult or some ****? Will he now have to die because he knows, because he doesn't think he can takes down someone with that kind of credentials, especially with just a 9mm. Man I hope she doesn't just stab me in my back while I'm not looking. I hope she is on my team.

As finally his train of thoughts come back to the present he sees a slight figure bolt from a room to the nest stairwell across the floor, Ismael yelled out to it, "Stop!". As it kept going, as he says after, "Well ****, seems to be trying to head higher and higher". As he checks his gun is on safety and passes it back to Mason and his two spare magazines and says, "Here you take my gun and cover me, I do better in melee, and having someone behind me would be a great comfort" .

Ismael thought screw it, if he's here, he needs her help even if she could kill him, he has to trust her that she is an honest and good person. But before he turns back around to continue he says, "I have quite a few questions, but I'll wait until we get you your things back".

[Mason]

He turned around with a clearly confused face and response, she shut her eyes and sighed with a kind of pitying look, "Wow, wish I was still confused by stuff like that." she said rather quietly but enough for him to hear. Life was not easy for her. She had spent a long time as a paladin. At first out of fear, then on a path of destruction. She was pretty powerful as one too. Life now was just so much different.

Movement, Ismael yelled stop but as Mason turned they were clearly not intent on doing that and were gone barely before she saw them. At least they knew that whoever it was was going higher up. He handed her a gun, and magazines, even after knowing she was a vampire.

She probably wouldn't have trusted some random vampire with a gun. Or, anything. But he did. She checked the gun quickly, checking chamber and safety. She knew weapons pretty well, she had been at this for awhile afterall. "Thanks, if it gets to a big fight though." she commented with a smile, not a cocky, just a friendly one, "I think I might do a little better. No offense. I'm going to guess I'm more experienced though. Even if I have ZERO idea what this is."

He mentioned having questions but he'd ask AFER she was finally with her own stuff, "Be happy to answer them. After I have my clothes back. Appreciate the coat but uh...not a good long term." she listened carefully trying to see if she'd catch the sound of whatever it was again.

[Ismael Skhaos]

Ismael mentally takes a deep sigh of relief that she doesn't immediately pull the gun on him, good. She's a decent person and didn't even seem to have had even a bad bone when he passed her the gun. She even seemed to have been friendly towards him when he trusted her, and you know what it took a weight off of him because that happened.

As they continued he heard her talking about being better at fighting, "Yeah You're right I mostly boxed and hunt zombies, nothing on the level you probably hunted, yet I can still handle myself". He said with a smile and a thumbs up back towards her. Maybe giving her some comfort about not worrying about him, or to maybe to give himself confidence, who knows? All he knows is there is at least another person here and is running around with his companions weapons and clothing. Maybe he can figure more of this stuff out, life maybe it was the magic Fae creatures, who knows?

As they begin to head up higher and higher Ismael felt a chill run down his spine as they got closer and closer to the crying woman's wails. During this time Ismael knew that mental fortitude was extremely important as the screams can make people panic, and he doesn’t need that right now in the complete unknown. As they climbed they ran into their thief a few more times as they climbed. Yet one time they got close it seemed a chill ran down the spine of Ismael like someone just dropped the temperature by like 10 degrees. He was extremely confused as he whispers to himself, 'What the actual hell was that'. He looked around to check what was around them as he was afraid they were about to be attacked or something was wrong, yet he found nothing. He just started to take his steps with more caution. Trying to be sure they don't fall into some elaborate trap that gets them both trapped/killed.

As they made it to the floor below where the wailing is coming from Ismael looks back as he says in a tone only Mason would be able to hear, "Alright I think we'll find ourselves in a fight get ready". As he begins to climb the stairs as quietly as possible as he looks past the opening to find a small girl on the ground crying and the Thief standing over her. As now can be heard a soft and sweet melody in a strange language that he can't understand. As he leans back and gestures to what he saw and lets his companion slip by so she could see for herself as he says in a whisper to her, "So how do you wanna go about this?".

He asked as he had no idea what he should do and maybe his companion had an idea of what could be done here.

[Storyteller]

==========AUTOMATED RANDOM EVENTS SYSTEM==========

Ismael Skhaos notices the black spots, like ink, hanging inexplicably in the air.

[Mason]

She smiled in return as he explained, while perhaps he hadn't done as much as she had, he still knew how to defend himself and had at least had experience. They continued on. Glimpses still, but never any true sight of the target. Closer and closer to the wails. Mason didn't have much issue with the sound itself, it bothered her, but she'd heard worse most certainly. She also kept having to readjust the coat due to the act of climbing stairs unfortunately. But it was better then nothing.

Eventually, the air just seemed to grow suddenly cold, though it was harder for her body to notice. Since, she already was cold to the touch. He did mention it however, she shook her head uncertainly. She was looking for traps too but there was only much she could see from here. And stairs weren't exactly where you expected them. At least though he was being careful, she'd rather not something happen along the way.

At one point they got really close and Ismael looked back mentioning it was near time, she nodded, and held the gun in preparation, pointed down for now still, but ready to move when need be. Just a few more steps and they got a better understanding of what just was going on. After he looked she got her chance. Small girl crying, and there was the one with her clothes. She shook her head at it as it sung its strange melody before she came back down so they could speak. The language deal could be fae, she knew they had rituals so they had some kind of their own language. But, she really couldn't be sure. She never made use of the rituals.

She ran her tongue through her teeth as she looked down in thought and he mentioned problem of a plan. This was not something she usually had to deal with. She ran a hand across her forehead and groaned quietly, "Way I see it, we have two options. Aggressive, or negotiate. Honeslty, I like aggressive when it comes to this type of thing. But that doesn't make it the best choice here" she began, "We can either. A. I go out first shooting at it, trying to get its attention and force a surrender while you see what's up with the girl or try to sneak around. And we hope that whatever this is, it can't just...repeat what it did to me and leave us both naked." She held out her other hand, empty, open, and palm up, "Or we go political. We approach it ready to fight if we must. But try and talk it into explaining. If it's fae, I figure it shouldn't matter either way because they're presumably pretty much invincible. If not, and it's some kind of...something i just haven't seen yet. A ghost, or, something. Maybe we can convince it to, you know, give me back my clothes. Or see what it wants?"

Mason gave out a half grimace half smile, "It's kind of a tossup here. Either choice we make, we can't take back. On the other hand, there's now a little girl involved. And now there's no way I'm going to do nothing about this."

[Ismael Skhaos]

Ismael definitely saw that they were in a predicament. They had the mysterious thief right where they wanted, yet there was a complication. A small crying girl. Sure it was singing to her and seemed non-threatening, but Ismael wasn't sure about what was happening. All he knew they had to make a plan about how they will approach this situation sure a fight could *work*. Theoretically, fighting it is possible, but wouldn't a gun or fist just pass through a ghost? Also wouldn't fighting a Fae, the thing she just called invincible be a bad idea? Well their option seems to have been chosen for them the moment they started, "Diplomacy seems to be our best option. It seems to be really our only option as fighting either a spirt that is literally untouchable, or a Fae-thing that is as you say invincible. I think talking is our only real weapon here".

Ismael realizes something very important and says before they move on to anything else, "So who should talk to it? I don't know about you, but I know I don't know any of that moon speak they are saying over there". Ismael has never needed to deal with a spirit/Fae nor does he know if this a spirt or a Fae. He didn't even know of these things existing until like, 5 minute ago or so nor even had the idea of their existence enter his mind. Wait aren't Fae just fairies in stories, like Tinker bell and stuff? It was what he was told my his mother from her stories of mystical creatures and beings, but would the stories real line up 100%? Who knows, all Ismael knows is that what ever that thing is…not…"What the hell?".

Ismael starts inspecting his surroundings out of habit as he immediately started to see these strange looking ink like orbs start floating down past his line of sight and start phasing through the ground just passing through anything and everything he sees. He is slightly freaking out as he sees these orbs as he immediately places his back against his wall and tries to avoid them, yet they never seemed to try and go through him as long as he stayed still they fell, like slow moving rain drops they slowly passed through the ground as more began springing up. Then they started to become more plentiful in many different areas.

Now entering the line of sight of the others, as the Thief starts looking around and just continues to sing, now with more soothing tone as a small invisible ring seemed to surround them as no orbs spawned anywhere within this 10 foot radius. Ismael watches the small orbs just fall more as he is slightly scared as he says, "So is it just me. Or is there like these orb things?". Ismael might have finally lost it, Fae, vampires, paladins, ghosts, and magic? Man it sounds like he was sent to this new strange supernatural world where nothing makes sense. And hell by this point Ismael just might believe it as this doesn't feel like the world he knew anymore.