Pilot

[Neopopulas]

Dareia Eleazar

"Whoa whoa!" She alost dived for the door, sticking her foot against the bottom of the door to stop it opening entirely "Hey, just a second we're uh.. there is a mess.."

 

 

[Rune Knight]

The door didn't click as it shut, but at least it was a sweet relief to know they had a few seconds.

"A mess?" The voice was muffled by two inches of wood now. "Maybe I can help. What kind of a mess?"

[Starsign]

Elain "Ellie" Llewellyn

Oh crap, why now?

Ellie quietly cursed the man's timing and the mess she dragged everyone into while scrambling to her feet. Okay, alright, check over what's wrong and quickly cover it.

Fortunately, her clothes looked fine and didn't look like something monstrous- Wait, why is blood dripping off her chin?

She licked around her mouth and absorbed the succulent tang of blood coated all over her face.

In reflex, Ellie rubbed the crimson-blooded liquid with the underside of her arm sleeve. Nope, that was a bad idea, seeing the stain whenever she raised her right arm and having to keep it bolted down to her side. Ellie stepped across the wood, grabbing her raincoat and tossing it around Faro. The hefty coat covered his blood as best as she could, lifting her coat's collar to try and hide the neck bite. All that remained was the blood on the wooden floor.

"We spilled some red paint!" Ellie insisted, blurting out what she could think of. "We were talking about repainting the room and we got careless." At least being careless was sort of honest. "Can you get us a bucket and sponge?"

[Neopopulas]

Dareia Eleazar

Dareia gave Ellie a look that screamed 'really?'

"Yes.. If you could just nip off and bring it back that'd be great..."

 

 

[Rune Knight]

Dareia had held him off for long enough: the door slammed open with the force of a professional linebacker, and in stepped… a fellow student.

He was a tall young man, muscular and lean, with a plain black tee to show it under a sturdy leather jacket. He had a shock of fiery ginger hair, with hazel blue eyes and a long scar reaching from the tip of his right cheekbone until it disappeared under his jaw. Khaki cargo pants and black combat boots completed his ensemble, and the club room lights glinted on a silver cross hanging from his neck.

His eyes swept across the room, taking everything in, before finally locking onto Dareia. His gaze was as placid as a lake, but at the same time ready for war, as if a storm were brewing overhead that would break at any moment to crash those quiet waters.

"Dareia. My name is Soren: we're in the same class."

He introduced himself as if he wasn't well-known, but who could mistake him for anyone else? After all, this was Soren: Soren Van-

"Helsing."

Memories played in the back of Ellie's mind: memories that weren't hers. The silhouette of a mansion on a stormy hill; the dreadful feeling of being watched by a shadow; and eyes - eyes in all kinds of shades of blue. The eyes of predators. The eyes of warriors. The eyes of hunters.

Back in the present, Soren was speaking.

"Mr. Andrews sent me: he says he's "disappointed that Ms. Eleazar would stoop to such trickery to play hooky"... and has thus assigned you detention."

As Soren looked back across the room, a realization began to make itself clear: after the stunt you'd pulled by leaving class, the scrutiny of the teachers would be on you, and with Soren's reputation for being very by-the-book on these things, he'd be obliged to keep an eye on you all for them.

You were trapped, in a sense, in the school. You were expected to stay the entire day, and there were eyes and ears all over that would do their best to make sure of just that.

"You're… Ellie, right?" Soren had turned to her by now, gentle concern on his face. "Weren't you... supposed to be grieving for your cat today?"

He glanced at the tiny spatter of blood that now stained the floor.

"If you were testing paint swatches, then where's the bucket? The brush?"

A few tense seconds passed, awkward silence filling the room.

Luckily, he decided to drop the matter.

"I'll go get those cleaning supplies, then." He turned to leave, but before he did, he looked pointedly at each of you. "Don't. Go. Anywhere."

And with that, he disappeared.

---

OOC

@Neopopulas, I'm initiating a Compel as mentioned in the Discord. For the details of the Compel, look there. Dareia's detention sentence is not a part of this Compel.

Everyone, this is what I meant by coming to a decision to transition to the next scene. How would you like to proceed? Does the idea of being "trapped" in the school and having to keep Ellie's secret a secret interest you? Or perhaps you'd rather try and avoid that by staging an escape, giving you time to figure out how everyone feels about this whole vampire thing? One involves tension, suspicion, deception and subterfuge, while the other is more of a free-form exploration - of the town, of the soul, etc.

There is no right or wrong answer: only how you guys want to see the story unfold. It's possible you may even have your own ideas for the themes and location of the rest of this game.

 

Edited February 15 by Rune Knight (see edit history)

[Starsign]

Elain "Ellie" Llewellyn

What was this feeling?

Fear?

Ellie felt cornered, hearing the door close like the cage trapping an animal. She'd seen Soren in the halls when he was considered the hottest thing at Eagleview. But she never paid attention to him; he was 'just' that rich guy who had, though in honesty, a cool-as-hell last name. Today, however, he gave off an imposing vibe. The memories evoked in Ellie's mind bore as deep into her soul as his gaze. She had been fearful before of what she'd done to Faro; Soren twisted her fear for others into fear for herself.

For a half-minute, she sat still, frozen in place. Her head slowly looked back to Faro and remembered his untreated wound. A wounded, sorrowful voice escaped her breath. "Let's get that patched up." Her lifeless movement stepped over to the corner of the room, opened a cupboard, and pulled out a small first aid kit.

"Dareia, can you give me a hand?" Ellie tried her best to clean the wound, yet the dark red liquid kept her heart racing. Blood was still too succulent to look at, like beautiful sweets laced with raspberries: too tantalizing without wanting a taste. In quiet agony, she looked away and hoped Dareia could finish the bandaging.

Ellie took a moment to rest afterward, able to look at Faro's bandages without getting another inhuman need to taste blood.

With a heavy breath, she moved to the relevant topic. "Soren's that Helsing kid, isn't he?" The word, Helsing sent a heavy thump in her chest. "I heard they were... like monster hunters or vampire hunters. You don't think that's-"

Her gaze looked back at the door outside, now ominous with its old wood texture hiding the three from the rest of the world, "That it's true, is it?"

[Rune Knight]

The next little while passed in an almost dreamlike way: Eclipse guided Ellie with his voice, and beyond that, there wouldn't be much time to talk about anything under the watchful eye of Soren.

"Ellie, you are the only one with even a modicum of first-aid training, and I'm afraid paws aren't made for healing. I can feel how you taste the sickly sweetness of his blood, but you need to push through it - he needs you to push through it."

With Soren gone for the moment, the cat made a spot for himself on a nearby table and directed Ellie with his eyes; even Ellie herself may still have been finding it hard to come to terms with the true intelligence he displayed now, after years and years of seeming like any other animal.

"Clean and bandage the wound as you would any other. Faro will need lots of liquids as soon as he can get them, as well as food rich in vitamins and minerals - fruits and vegetables are a good start."

Ellie may have found it a little amusing despite herself the way her cat said "vitamins". Whether she did or not, Eclipse looked now at the bloodstain on the hardwood floor.

"I don't suppose Soren will happen to bring any baking soda for us? Of course not: we'll have to do without, but there will be a little bit of a stain. Just make sure to dab instead of wipe - I repeat, dab the blood, do not wipe under any circumstances."

Ellie treated Faro, and soon enough, Soren returned with cleaning supplies. You did the best you could, but faint crimson blots would forever stain the floor as a reminder of what had happened today.

Meanwhile, Eclipse had disappeared again: this time inside of the closest backpack he could find owned by one of you. With a discreet message to Ellie, he made sure that the pack was unzipped a little so that he could breathe, peek out, and even escape if he had to.

Out in the halls, a few rays of sunlight broke through the clouds, early afternoon dancing on the shore far away. The sight was a beautiful one as always - but tinted with a sense of imprisonment within these walls.

"Don't fear the light, Ellie." Eclipse reassured her from the ether. "There's a lot that humans get wrong about us - and that's partially because we like it that way."

"Think more in terms of holy items: anything of God. Crosses, holy water, churches - you should never take another step into a church, if you value your life."

The thought was a sobering one, amplified even more by the quiet walk through the halls. With time to spare, it would be hard for anyone to ignore the implications of Eclipse's words.

"I know this can sound... distressing, out of context, but you're not a monster, Ellie: not unless you choose to be. For now, all I can say is that you are… burdened with the sins of your father."

"But that's something you'll have to reconcile with later."

The door to everyone's next class opened with a click!, and the familiar, welcome smell of paint and creativity met your senses. It just so happened that Ellie, Faro, Dareia and Soren were attending Art Class, and so they walked in.

Edited February 28 by Rune Knight (see edit history)

[Malkavian Grin]

---

Mercia "Mercy" Cannon | Refresh 3 | AspectsHigh Concept | Spoiled Princess of Paints

Trouble | Never Truly Been Challenged

Aspect III | Popular Girl Raised to Excel At Everything

Aspect IV | We Can Be Friends As Long As I Win

Aspect V | Only Rivaled by Elaine | SkillsGreat (+4) | {Artistry}

Good (+3) | {Impulse} {Fracas}

Fair (+2) | {Judgement} {Guile} {Vex}

Average (+1) | {Discipline} {Body} {Network} {Prestige} | StuntsRunner's Focus
You can use Impulse in place of Body rolls involved with endurance.

My Dad Bought Your Museum
When making Prestige rolls involved with paint or paintings, roll with Artistry instead.

A Real Rembrandt
When making Artistry rolls focused around oil paints, add +2. | ExtrasAnnelie Bauers

Superstitious, Vaguely Philosophical Moral Compass

Notorious Overthinker

+4 | {Judgement}
+3 | {Lore}
+2 | {Charm}
+1 | {Occult}

The Vizier

Without rolling, you can tell if another character is lying so long as the target’s Guile is equal to or lower than your Judgement. In the case of high Guile, you will know that you cannot tell, but will never receive a “false positive.”
Physical [1] [1] [1] | Mental [1] [1] [1] | Mild [none] Moderate [none] Severe [none]

---

The art room greeted the students coming into it with a mostly smooth mixture of sunlight and artificial neon lights. Mercy often found it to be the near-perfect time of day to paint because of the lighting. That was why when everyone else walked in they saw a busty blonde sitting at desk with an easel propped open beside it, mid-stroke on her next piece.

Beneath Mercy's and in fact every seat was a large yellow bee caricature like a cartoon character painted on the floor. Mrs. Honey had made them herself years ago along with a cute collection of silly bees painted on the bright white walls with dotted trails behind. They were headed to and from one corner of the art room that obviously got a lot of love and was where student art was hosted to be on display weekly--the Honeybee Hive. Today was the day a new student would have their work put on display for the following week. An empty placard held the signage "This week's bee is: !!"

Mercy sat at a desk beside what was considered the worst seat in class for that period because of a reflection of the sun from the floor would blind that student all period without intervention. Mercy found a sick delight in seeing freshmen struggle with it. Sitting behind her and to her left was Annelie and October because of course they'd be there as well. Life was funny like that.

"Ellie!" Mercy called with a wave. "Come sit next to me!" she said as she pointed at the terrible seat in the sunlight. Mercy, October, and Annelie all broke into exaggerated giggles. "Soooreeenn, you can come sit next to me," she added a moment later with pouty lips and an over-the-top cutesy voice. She hadn't been able to crack him yet, but that wouldn't stop her from trying.

[Rune Knight]

Soren gave Mercy a soft smile, but kept heading for his usual seat as always.

"Maybe next time, Mercy."

That's what he said every time.

Edited February 28 by Rune Knight (see edit history)

[Starsign]

Elain "Ellie" Llewellyn

The art room flashed over Ellie's face with its colorful mix of natural yellows and flashier blues, greens, and reds. The atmosphere dramatically different from the rest of the day, empowered by Mrs. Honey's endless optimism and cheerful demeanor. It was almost the thing Ellie needed to feel better after the several near-disasters today.

Almost, that was, except for Mercy's presence.

Ellie internally groaned, heading for her usual seat while giving Mercy a blank look.

"No."

That's what Ellie said to Mercy every time.

The now-vampiric high schooler passed by the first row of bright brown desks and chairs, glancing to her left and noticing the "Our Famed Bees" board: a collage of photographs pinned to an extraordinarily wide billboard. Mrs. Honey wanted students to take pictures early in the year, cut them out, and add them to the board like a scrapbook of memories. The cut-out photo of Ellie looked so joyful compared to today.

Absentmindedly, she sluggishly walked over and sat at her usual space, near the window, thankfully out of sunlight, with an empty seat next to her... and herself right behind Soren.

Her gut plummeted into the abyss of despair.

Immediately, Ellie drew her eyes away from Soren and at the painting easel, empty and waiting to come alive with color; the accompanied, strong smell of paint flowed through her nostrils. Yet, she glanced at the white material as if it looked back at her. What was she supposed to paint? The vampire's mind ventured deep back to Eclipse's words. She wasn't human anymore. She WAS human, but now... not, while still surrounded by them. She could never go to a holy place again, having to shy away from everyone on Sundays. And this was her father's fault? Is that what Eclipse meant? Her dad was a vampire too?

Maybe she should paint about that. A rage against her father, or buried under the darkness of night.

No, no, not today. Not after everything, and certainly not while Soren's in her sights.

She looked back to the blank canvas, grabbed her brush, and then painted what her emotions inspired: 

Fury, frustration: Her brush painted the bleached cover with warm colors. A red sun boiled over the dry gold skies, hovering over a brown, craggy earth. Bent trees with dying leaves dotted the ground, withering under the fiery anger that sought to extinguish itself and everything around it. Ellie dipped another brush in water and tapped several spots on the solar object. Translucent tears spill out, reaching and bleeding the ground below, radiating emotion at every drip of the crying sun.

All Ellie had left after was another dull stare, as if she'd burnt through all her tears and fears in one painting.

Edited March 4 by Starsign (see edit history)

[Rune Knight]

Just as Ellie was finishing her painting, she heard the rustle of clothes in another corner of the room, then the soft tap of footsteps approaching; the lightest wind brushed across her skin, bringing with it a perfume of lilacs and (actual) honey. Somehow, Ellie could tell without even looking who it was that sat on an empty desk beside her.

Annelie was pretty in a "girl next door" kind of way that tricked boys into thinking they had a chance with her, and she complimented it with outfits like the one she wore today: lavender shorts and a matching corset over a full-body black bodysuit, the pop of light purple contrasting with the dark, silky, stocking-like material. The ensemble was completed by blue-and-gold constellations painted on her nails and a myriad of jade, onyx, quartz and other stones on rings and necklaces.

She flipped her hair in a very deliberate way in Soren's direction, long brown locks flowing free. Then she greeted Ellie with her hazel green eyes.

"So I was lurking in another online group with "cryptic interests" just like ours, and the topic of witches came up: it was pretty interesting." Annelie began, launching into club talk without a second thought. "Right now, they're testing a theory that all religions are tricks played on us by aliens, so witchcraft and worshiping the Devil and all that is just playing with alien technology so advanced it seems like magic. I was thinking we could copy some of the tests they're-"

"Oh wow."

She did a double-take, just now noticing the piece Ellie had been working on.

"Are you… alright?" It was just like Annelie to instantly pick up on things like this; she glanced back at Ellie, genuine concern in her eyes.

Edited March 8 by Rune Knight (see edit history)

[Starsign]

Elain "Ellie" Llewellyn

The swelling honey perfume undermined the pastel-like atmosphere of the art room. Ellie gave a passing look to Annelie, giving her about all the attention a vampire under duress could muster. Annelie was the sort of person Ellie liked talking to when Mercy wasn't present when their respective interest in the occult flowed freely from mouth to ear.

But Ellie needed the distraction, and her eyes lifted from a dull look to piqued interest as Annelie kept speaking.

A particular line stood out: "Alien technology so advanced it seems like magic."

Was there some truth to that? Perhaps overly-advanced technology didn't just apply to witchcraft, but also to vampirism? Ellie's body could have nanites fueled by blood rather than food and water, able to communicate wirelessly with those from another body and thus letting Eclipse speak with her. And these nanites diminished her sense of feeling, becoming less reliant on human limits.

...

What a terrible theory. A supernatural explanation would at least be exciting.

But Ellie's search for answers was joined by Annelie's eyes, gathering the meanings and themes on the canvas. What should Ellie say? Her gut twisted in an anxious mess. In no way saying, "I'm a vampire," would go well. Neither could she lie and say it was about Eclipse.

"I'm... going through a lot," Ellie whispered, embarrassingly lowering her head. "I needed something to draw my thoughts on."

[Rune Knight]

Annelie glanced back at Mercy and October for a second; when she thought they weren't looking, she rested a hand briefly on Ellie's shoulder.

"I'm sure it'll be alright in the end." She whispered, meeting Ellie with a soft look. "Sometimes we don't realize it, but the worst times in our lives can be opportunities that we never knew we needed. Keep an eye out for silver linings: you might be surprised what you find."

But the moment passed as quickly as it had begun, Annelie's hand retreating as her body language shifted right back to her usual self.

She left to return to her seat, but not before glancing back at Ellie one last time; there was a curious look in her eyes, as if she was trying to find the last piece of a puzzle, but Ellie couldn't tell what the girl thought she might have seen in her.

[Rune Knight]

Meanwhile, a brush clattered onto a desk on the other side of the room, frustration clear in the sound.

"Damn it!"

Anybody who'd been watching October - Mercy's other friend - up until now would have found a strange sight: this girl with a sick black jacket, crop top to show off her abs and ripped jeans, toiling away delicately and with intense focus at a piece of art. Not that anyone would have pointed it out; indeed, no one took the opportunity to mock October, and for good reason.

She turned to look at Mercy, her long, waist-length, puffy dreads following the movement of her head, showing how the sides of her head were shaved and the dreads were swept to one side.

"Be honest."

If ever there was a loaded question, it was ready on October's lips, her husky, almost growly kind of voice a silent threat to most people.

"Can you even tell what this is meant to be?"

She turned the canvas to show Mercy, and it was… well it looked like an abstract painting. Psychedelic colors vomited all over the scene, with a group of darker blots - vague shapes in gray, sandy brown, a deep, dark purple and jet black - danced near the bottom, with black, arcane symbols emblazoned at the top.

October searched Mercy's eyes with her own intense amber irises, waiting for a reply.

[Malkavian Grin]

---

Mercia "Mercy" Cannon | Refresh 3 | AspectsHigh Concept | Spoiled Princess of Paints

Trouble | Never Truly Been Challenged

Aspect III | Popular Girl Raised to Excel At Everything

Aspect IV | We Can Be Friends As Long As I Win

Aspect V | Only Rivaled by Elaine | SkillsGreat (+4) | {Artistry}

Good (+3) | {Impulse} {Fracas}

Fair (+2) | {Judgement} {Guile} {Vex}

Average (+1) | {Discipline} {Body} {Network} {Prestige} | StuntsRunner's Focus
You can use Impulse in place of Body rolls involved with endurance.

My Dad Bought Your Museum
When making Prestige rolls involved with paint or paintings, roll with Artistry instead.

A Real Rembrandt
When making Artistry rolls focused around oil paints, add +2. | ExtrasAnnelie Bauers

Superstitious, Vaguely Philosophical Moral Compass

Notorious Overthinker

+4 | {Judgement}
+3 | {Lore}
+2 | {Charm}
+1 | {Occult}

The Vizier

Without rolling, you can tell if another character is lying so long as the target’s Guile is equal to or lower than your Judgement. In the case of high Guile, you will know that you cannot tell, but will never receive a “false positive.”
Physical [1] [1] [1] | Mental [1] [1] [1] | Mild [none] Moderate [none] Severe [none]

---

Pulling herself away from her own focus, Mercy glanced at October's painting. She paused and stared at it for a long moment, finally quirking an eyebrow. She wanted to be delicate with her friend, but within good measure.

"Uhm, well, I like the stroke technique and the blending. But I'm getting abstract vibes here. This is an emotion or something... wait."

Something strange tickled Mercy's brain. The runes. The people dancing. She didn't have normal friends, no, Mercy was granted powerful allies in their own right. Tools wielded with the right words. She'd learned long ago to not torment them for the oddities, but to lean into them for benefits.

Mercy narrowed her eyes as she asked with a lower volume, "Is this a ritual?" She only paused for a half-moment before a follow-up, "Is that us?" she pointed at the figures.