[log] Monster Mash [semi-open]

[rubikscomplex]

Characters: Clayton, Enoch, Dio, House, Miranda, Clem, and Quark
Location P10 - BUILDING 110
Date: Day 041, evening
Summary: Gas Station slumber party! Following a monster attack.
Warnings: Will add as necessary, but general House disclaimer for insensitivity.

[The evening is drawing in around them as Miranda and House make their way toward the gas station. It's a somewhat familiar road to tread, at least, and there's the promise of his meds at the end of it... also people to distract the irritating woman walking with him from his company.

Epps should be good for that. He seems like the sort.

There's a sudden hiss from somewhere behind them, when they're still a good distance from the building. House glances back, then does a double-take when he sees a four-legged shadow monster pounding across the snow after them. That... what is that? It doesn't look like a robot. It doesn't look anything but absolutely real.]

Six o'clock!

[The words are snapped out as House turns, gauging the thing's speed. It's moving too fast for him to reach the gas station in time, which means improvising.]

Comments

Monster Fight/Flight!

[rubikscomplex]

[He already knows physical attacks don't work, and actually letting it get close enough to take a swing seems like a poor idea. He fumbles in his pockets for something, anything, and comes up with the clicker he'd taken from the vet. If there are other robotic animals, could this be... well, it's the ugliest robot dog in existence, but he doesn't have many options.]

Stop! [House's voice rises, the commanding tone he uses when telling people they're idiots.] Sit! Stay! [Rather than helping, this only seems to draw the monster's attention.]

[cloneprincess]

[ Miranda's hands move to form the mnemonics that would normally amplify her biotic Warp to rip the monster apart.

Because Norfinbury is terrible, it has no effect on the monster, but it does envelope her body in pulsing purple light until it becomes obvious that the monster is not responding to either her powers or... whatever it is that House is attempting to do. ]

Not working! Move!

[dr_unconscious]

[They only just settled in. He's got his closest friends here, a couple of more-or-less upbeat children, no one's died of hypothermia or in danger of loosing any limbs to frostbite, they have food and a preliminary look around says there might be more food to find...it's looking like it's going to be a peaceful night, for once.]

[And then there's a commotion outside.]

[Clayton's pace quickens as he gets close enough to the door to hear shouting, and as he's barreling his way out, his voice is already joining them.]

What in the Sam Hill is-- [Oh. Clayton answers his own question as he's met with a skittering shadow monster--previously going for the clicking House and glowing Miranda, but as soon as he barges out the door, it clearly switches tracks. Clayton tenses up and is already sidestepping from the entrance, trying to lead it away.]

[His voice is remarkably level.] --Ahh, time t' move, yeah... [Clayton turns his attention to Miranda and House, though his eyes stay locked, tracking the monster's movements.] Clearin' out, y'all two better get inside while there's room!

[rubikscomplex]

[Holy hell, Clayton really does sound like Chase when he was imitating some CDC bozo to get that mother to agree to treatment. That's the first thought that flashes through House's mind. The second is that his companion apparently glows. The third, close on the heels of the other two, is that Clayton has the beacon app activated and the monster is turning for him.

House can't exactly sprint these days, but he makes a bid for it on instinct... and promptly has his leg collapse on him as his cane skids across the hard-packed snow.

He'd swear - loudly - but would rather not draw the creature's attention back to them. House does his best to drag himself up with his cane, teeth gritted. It's not even the pain that's bothering him here. It's absolute frustration that he's putting himself and at least two other people in danger because he can't just pick up and run like he should be able to. He snaps at Miranda in the event she might be lingering:]

Go! Get inside.

Post Fight/Flight Mingle

[rubikscomplex]

[The gas station itself is small and relatively cramped with so many people inside of it, but there's a bathroom, there's food to steal from the shelves, and there's a lot of yelling at each other to do. Or just chatting. If one might be so inclined. Probably that last one would be happier for everyone.

The night is young, though. And there's a monster scrabbling at the door.]

((OOC: This section is party-style. Post a top-level and tag around.))

[cloneprincess]

[ Miranda spends the first ten minutes after they get the door closed standing guard. That was a close call, way too close, and her own instincts had tripped her up badly enough that she could've gotten herself, House, and everyone here killed. More importantly; she's just blown her cover wide open with a stunningly useless display of biotics she didn't even know she was still capable of.

Anyone attempting to approach her about that is going to have to start the conversation themselves. She's too busy murderfacing at the universe right now. ]

[warriorscribe]

[Enoch's first instinct once everyone's inside is to lean against the door, himself, barring the monster from entry, with the dead weight of all that muscle, even if some of it's gone to keep his body going at this point.

In an attempt to calm his nerves, he broaches the subject, himself, so long as he's not the only one at the door. Convenience store doors being clear, it's that much more unnerving to him, to see the beast as well.]

So...was that some sort of aura?

[cloneprincess]

[ Miranda's eyes remain trained on the door and what she can see of the monster around Enoch's body for now, but she makes a faint noise of agreement before taking a long, deep breath and elaborating: ]

In the broadest sense. It was an automatic manifestation of my biotics - a type of... I suppose you might call them psychic abilities. The abilities themselves are still absent.

[ Though she'll be testing that thoroughly later. ]

[dr_unconscious]

[That intense murderfacing turns any of Clayton's thoughts of a smooth approach right off. This is a bit of a disappointment for him; he'd be embarrassed to admit how much he was looking forward to getting to meet Miranda personally, even knowing that they'd be in a fairly exposed building with a reasonably-sized group that included several children and House, but even that strikes a funny chord in his bleeding heart. Something about taking her aside from a long journey and melting her with subtle sweet nothings and hints and promises of more private meetings feels especially romantic to him.]

[He may have been daydreaming about this a lot on the trip here.]

[Anyway, it's obviously not going to work out the way he planned it. Clayton does a bit of wandering around the place first before he comes up with a more appropriate, subdued approach, in the hopes that he won't stress her out more than she already is. It's a slow, careful amble, hands behind his back, eyes wide and brow creased in both curiosity and empathetic concern.]

Ma'am.

[One step at a time, Epps.]

[cloneprincess]

[ If it helps, 'Jane's' expression does immediately smooth into something more personable as he approaches. She looks less dangerous by degrees as her focus shifts minutely. The animal seems contained, for now, and the people inside are mainly unknowns beyond her reconnaissance activities (read: network spying). Time to get to work.

The way he approaches - like someone trying not to spook an animal, or maybe just trying to avoid a biotic beatdown - is noted and filed away; an interesting life is not something she's picked up from him, but maybe she was wrong about that. It's sensible, anyway.

She manages a weak smile, though she's unsure if it's real or acting. ]

Doctor Epps, I presume?

[rubikscomplex]

[Contrary to his network presence, House is relatively quiet once everyone is inside. He finds a corner, he sits with his back to the wall where he can see anyone and everyone approaching, and he tries to work out what the hell just happened. What that was. He takes a couple of Vicodin to help with calming down, some of the last he has with him from his initial bottle.

Gears turn in his head - Miranda somehow lighting up like a Christmas tree, shadows that looked real... had he been dosed with something in that last round of injections? Or in the houses they'd been visiting? It's the only thing that would make sense for that level of hallucination. But everyone else had seen it. He hasn't checked that they saw the exact same thing, of course, but they'd seen something. If it-

Someone approaches, and he shifts immediately, smirking up at them, shoving down the mounting panic and confusion as he has been for days now.]

So, do most of these little shindigs end with Thing 1 out there clawing at the doors?

[warriorscribe]

[That is easily one of the most confusing sentences he's ever heard here, but at least he knows what he's saying.

The smirk is met with a little smile with hints of wistfulness to it, strangely enough, but whatever is causing it, Enoch doesn't elaborate.]

I'm afraid so. It will go away by morning, if it's anything like what Clayton and I encountered before.

[rubikscomplex]

Oh, goodie.

[He does not actually sound thrilled by this prospect.]

You must be Epps' boyfriend. So what exactly did the little spider who gave him a shot do? What was being healed?

[Why, yes. It's interrogation time, Enoch.]

[averytinyparticle]

[Quark stops when House speaks. He's had the urge to talk to people ever since the doors shut, but because of the overpowering tension in the room he's kept his mouth shut. He'd contented himself to pacing slowly around, keeping his feet and his mind occupied so he wouldn't annoy anyone. He's glad for the invitation to start a conversation.]

No. I mean, I haven't really had any of those shadow things come after me before. Maybe it was attracted to your winning personality?

[Because this is definitely the perfect time for lighthearted banter. Maybe it has to do with the fact that Quark wasn't knee-deep in the action outside, but he doesn't seem particularly phased about the whole thing.]

[rubikscomplex]

[House's brows shoot up, surprised that the brat actually has the audacity. He snorts, though, recognizing Quark's voice.]

Things keep happening when I meet up with groups. I'm starting to think all of you people are cursed, really. So, how's being not possessed by an 80-year-old woman working out for you lately, Shelley?

[dr_unconscious]

[This would normally be the part where Clayton helps guard the door. It's only appropriate; the monster will come after him if it gets inside, and maybe if it finds him first, the others will have time to escape (into what is debatable, since it's rapidly approaching lockdown anyways, but he tries not to think about that). He'd never really considered how powerful the Beacon's attraction was until now. Part of him wonders if there isn't a set distance on it--if that one followed him all the way from the caves, if he brought it here, along with the others that have shown up around him and Enoch in their travels. It's doubly appropriate, then, that he set up guard and make up for his mistakes.]

[On the other hand, he's exhausted from running and nauseous as hell, so after a few minutes of awkward recovery and bouts of dry heaving, he leaves the guarding to the more capable members of the group. He decides at first that this is fine because it allows him time to search for food, but a thorough sweep and a sad, moldy bagel later tells him that such hopes were for naught.]

[Oh well--there's always fussing over people. Clayton waits until the high of the escape lifts and everyone's nerves have apparently settled before he starts his rounds. One after the other, he deliberately diverts from his otherwise casual walk through the small gas station isles to flag people down.]

Hey! Doin' alright?

[rubikscomplex]

[House has his novel - The Boat to Redemption by Su Tong in the original Mandarin - out by this point and is eating the last of his rations when Clayton makes the rounds. He has his reading glasses on and glances up over them at the other man with an expression that clearly says 'really?']

Never better, pardner. [He mocks back in Clayton's accent before continuing in his own.] I'd be better if I knew where my meds were. We came for the monsters, but we'll stay for the meds. [And the monsters. The monsters are very persuasive in terms of keeping him here at the moment.]

[warriorscribe]

[Enoch sits against the doors, keeping the monster out while he waits for the click of the latch. He's got the dried red streak of a nosebleed he never cleaned up running over his mouth and chin, but is otherwise well.

He looks up at Clayton with a slight smile for his friend and nods.]

I'll feel better once these doors have locked. How are Quark and Clem?

[Of course his thoughts are on the children first.]

[averytinyparticle]

Oh! Yeah! I'm okay!

[The nearly cheerful greeting from Clayton actually startles Quark to a degree. He didn't miss the clear illness and exhaustion that the poor man had been battling after his run-in with the monster. Or, rather, with the outrunning.]

How about you? Do you need anything? I don't really have any food, but I have plenty of water if it'll help make you feel better.

[warriorscribe]

[Once curfew starts and the doors lock, Enoch leaves the monster behind and goes deeper into the aisles trying to get away from it. It takes him some time to get comfortable, and he spends time sitting with either the children, Clayton, or Dio, depending on who is together or not. Regardless, if he's sitting with someone for the first time that night, it starts the same:]

How are you doing?

[Like Clayton, he is a worrier.]

[averytinyparticle]

I'm okay.

[Quark looks up when Enoch sits down with him and pulls his backpack up between his knees.]

How about you? You guys did all the work when you saw that monster...

[He'd more or less stayed inside. He would have liked to help, but there really hadn't been anything he could do, and since Enoch and Clayton and Dio had sprung into action so quickly, it had seemed better to simply not get in the way.

Opening his backpack, Quark pulls out a full bottle of water and offers it to Enoch.]

Thirsty? I found water and refilled everything just the other day, so I have plenty to share.

[neverbitten]

[Clementine is kind of put out that her hammer idea didn't go over well, and is now full of the knowledge that the thing outside can't have its brain bashed in like other monsters she knows. Apparently the only option is to run and hide, and suddenly this place actually seems worse than home. Though at least she has friends here, most of which are alive.

She can be found near the windows or even by the door, not sleeping really at all, and holding her hammer up as though expecting an attack, even though she knows now that unless someone in this building suddenly decides to turn on everyone, it's probably useless. She'll look up at anyone who approaches, attempting a smile. Once or twice she'll check her backpack, but she now has no food left so it doesn't lift her spirits much.]

[dr_unconscious]

[Clem looks stressed. This is a reasonable, but still unacceptable reaction to the situation they just came out of, so far as Clayton is concerned. He feels like that hammer is a bad influence. The hammer does not make problems go away, Clem. Please put it away.]

[As he figures such an argument won't go over well with her, Clayton instead tires a more gentle approach. She's one of the first he comes to after searching the gas station, right after the more impressionable Quark on his list of "children I should worry about." Clem's at least more independent-minded. This does not stop Clayton from treating her delicately.]

Hey, Clem. [Her smile is returned with an equally tired one, which Clayton takes as an invitation to sit down next to her along the wall.] Keepin' the windows safe?

[warriorscribe]

[Enoch returns the smile, more successful, and crouches beside her, his tablet the only light he has to see by.]

Having trouble sleeping?

[He is, too, but that's nothing new to him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he worries that, maybe, just maybe, this time the monster won't go away before dawn. That if they leave the door unblocked it will come in and kill them all in their sleep.]

[rubikscomplex]

[She probably shouldn't smile. House is looking down at her with a rather stern expression.]

So, you usually run out to fight off monsters with a hammer, or is Epps just playing your daddy right now?