New Haven 1 (Essence)

ⓘ WD New Haven -Active Player: Nonagon- March 2nd, 2007 Early Start Session 1/2
Saff|GM
It's an unexpectedly warm day in March, though you find it's a nice reprieve from the layers of snow that had been coming down in the area over the past few weeks. It seems like the northeast never got the "March is nearly spring" memo. It's been a few weeks since you spent every last bit of your money on that little vial, and... it's changed your life. By that... You're homeless. You don't have a dime to your name and you haven't spoken to your family in quite some time. You don't even know what happened to half of the people you used to be friends with. Shit. You traveled into Connecticut recently, hoping to find lower costs of living.... but instead you found just the same situation as New York, just without the prestige. You're standing on a streetcorner, somewhere in some town. Hamden, you think the person you hitchhiked with had called it. ||
Nonagon|Essence
Dominique runs her hand along her jawline, her teeth digging into the knuckle of her thumb absently, as she surveys the landscape. Nothing worth looking at. Powers were supposed to make your life easier, but she feels like she's treading water. She lost a lot in the process of getting powers, and they hadn't really gotten her anything. Parahuman pop stars weren't in *that* high demand, and-
It didn't matter. She would do something else. She pulls her hand away from her mouth, wiping the small bit of saliva off on her jeans. If she couldn't make herself a living legitimately...
Well, there were an awful lot of parahuman criminals. No particular reason she couldn't join their ranks. She walked, looking for a good, open source of natural earth for her power to work its magic on. She needed cash, at the very least, and there was no quicker way for someone with her abilities to get it besides stealing. ||
Saff|GM
You look around a bit. The woman who had taken pity on you and drove you up here dropped you by a McDonald's. There are a few other various shops, and a bank on the corner. (Though you know there's no way you'd be able to pull of a bank job by yourself.) It seems kind of quiet here.||
Nonagon|Essence
As she forlornly glances at the bank, Dominique comes to the conclusion that she doesn't need wealth so much as cash, at least at the moment. No money means no food. Begging is beneath her. Robbery? Not so much. If she uses her power, she can just rip the cash register right off the desk, taking the money for herself. All she needs is somewhere quiet with a good source of dirt, earth, stone, *something*.
Then she can switch into her Breaker state, and rip off the McDonald's. Or wherever else, if it's more convenient. ||
Saff|GM
There's a flowerbed near the McDonald's. A few of them, actually. It's not a large rock quarry, but it's something. Your stomach growls. When was the last time you even ate? A few cars pass by, but still no one seems to recognize you from your heyday as a pop star. ||
Nonagon|Essence
Fuck it. She's hungry now. Delayed gratification had never been a strong suit of hers. She stands by the most isolated flower bed, waiting for a moment without any nearby cars or people, before kneeling and touching it, the skin of her fingers touching the dirt as she wills her power to activate. ||
Saff|GM
It's a strange feeling, you still haven't quite gotten used to it yet, especially as you feel your body turn into a hardened mass of mud. There's not too terribly much, so you know you'll need to be fast. Thankfully it looks kind of slow inside of the restaurant.||
Nonagon|Essence
She strides forward, affecting confidence and poise, headed straight for the front door with nothing but purpose in her steps. As she shoves the door open, she affects an authoritative voice. "This is a robbery, nobody do anything stupid." She casts her gaze over the customers and employees, trying to see if anyone *will* do something stupid. ||
Saff|GM
The patrons are silent. A young child starts to cry, and the mother looks horrified as she tries to keep him quiet. The woman working the register, "Tammy" you think her nametag says. She looks frozen. I mean, it's not every day that a dirt-girl comes waltzing into the place announcing that she's... robbing it.
||
Nonagon|Essence
Dominique strides forward to the register, keeping up the air of confidence. "Give me the money in the register, and nobody has to get hurt," she growls out, leaning forward threateningly. ||
Saff|GM
"I..." Tammy sighs. It's quite clear that she's not sure what to do. She peers over at you, trying to see if you have any weapons... though you never know with capes. "Please don't hurt me. I have a kid." Tammy says, completely dejected, though she still is hesitant to open the register for you. Behind you, you hear some whispering from the other people inside. ||
Nonagon|Essence
Mmm. Can she not open the register? Some of them don't let the clerks open them except for an order, don't they? Well, even then... Dominique places one muddy hand on the register, both as a threatening gesture, and to test her current strength, letting her fingers curl inward on it, getting a feel for how strong this mud form is. ||
Saff|GM
You manage to make a small dent in the counter. You can tell that you're a decent bit stronger than your normal day to day life is. Not much, but enough. You could probably hurt someone decently well if you punched them. However, you're a bit distracted. Someone seems to be dialing someone on their phone, while the others plead for him not to do it. Tammy's eyes go wide, and she quickly types something into the register so that it opens.||
Nonagon|Essence
Taking a brief step away from the register, Dominique turns her gaze over the customers, looking for the person making the call. "Stop," she says. "It's only money. Not even yours. Is it worth your life?" ||
Saff|GM
The man freezes and turns off his phone. "Fucking cape scum." he mumbles, "Why don't you just get a real job like the rest of us!" Behind you, Tammy manages to get a few bills out, though you're not sure why they're so afraid. Sure, you're made of mud... but you have no weapons. They haven't even seen you punch anyone.||
Nonagon|Essence
"The best part about having powers is not having to justify anything you do to anyone," Dominique says, before turning back to Tammy. "Money, please. And fast." ||
→ Mishie has joined
Saff|GM
Tammy nods and hands over the money, but... something isn't right. Phone guy is walking towards you. Phone is gone, but he managed to pick up a mop from a bucket near the restroom entrance. You're a little nervous. You don't know if water would mess up your breaker form... but you don't know that it wouldn't either. You don't want to chance it, but there's only one exit.||
Nonagon|Essence
With an affected calm, Dominique steps towards the seating area, grabbing one of the chairs and readying herself to sweep it at the man if he comes in close. Her eyes meet his, watching him carefully. If he stops approaching, she'll take the attack to him. ||
Saff|GM
His eyes are locked on yours, though he doesn't seem to be backing down. You're made out of mud. It's obvious that he is underestimating you clearly. There are a few windows that look like they wouldn't be too hard to get out of if you had a running start, but he's studying you. "You're not getting out of here. The PRT is on their way." He has a shit eating grin on his face. So that's what the phone call was. Or maybe he's bluffing? Do you really want to take the chance?||
Nonagon|Essence
After briefly considering her options, Dominique simply hurls the chair as hard as she can at the man, then rushes past him. ||
Saff|GM
The man dodges the chair, but skids in the water pooled around his feet. That's what he gets for handling a sopping mop. Unfortunately, you slip as well, landing on your ass. Well, that's unfortunate. The floor is muddy beneath you, and the man is standing above you, the mop on the ground. As for negative effects, it doesn't seem like the water is melting you at all, not if you don't want it to.||
Nonagon|Essence
Dominique scrambles to her feet, making sure she's still got the cash, and runs for it. No need to fight this fuck when she can just run for it before the law gets here. ||
Saff|GM
You manage to get outside, but now you're a muddy woman with a bunch of cash. There seem to be some trees nearby where you can come out of your breaker form and still have some privacy, though you're not sure if anyone would see you go there in the first place. It's obvious though. You need to get the fuck out of dodge. You probably have enough money to get a taxi, or you could just hitchhike again. You haven't been murdered yet....||
Nonagon|Essence
Going out of Breaker form is risky. Still. No real choice. She dashes into the treeline, then reverts to normal. She stuffs the money into her pants pockets, takes a moment to collect herself, then walks out of the trees, doing her best impression of a meek little homeless girl, eyes on the ground, arms wrapped around herself, looking as pitiful as possible. She heads for a four way stop, hoping to hitch a ride there. ||
Saff|GM
You're not exactly sure how much cash you have, though you know it's a good amount. You'll probably be able to eat enough for a few days if you budget yourself right. Maybe you could even pick up another pair of clothes. Either way, you walk over to the intersection. A few cars pass by, then you're startled by a PRT van zooming past. There's no evidence that you were the one at the scene, unless they emptied your pockets. But, there's no reason to suspect you anyway. A few minutes later, a car stops at the stop sign and the driver rolls down his window. "Need a ride, kid?" He asks, a lit cigarette dangling from his lips.||
Nonagon|Essence
Dominique smiles, tentatively, barely bringing her eyes up to his. "Yes. Thanks." She steps up to the car, reaching for the handle on the passenger side door. ||
Saff|GM
He looks a little startled. He thought you would at least hesitate a little. But, he keeps quiet when you get in. The car smells like smoke, and the little pine tree air freshener hanging from the mirror isn't really doing anything to help it. The man looks to be in his late 30s, clean-shaven. "So, where you headed?" He asks, pulling through the intersection before someone honks at him. He doesn't seem like he's planning on doing anything funny; he's a lot more concerned with his cigarette than you.||
Nonagon|Essence
"Nowhere in particular," Dominique says, staring listlessly out the window. "Just... I don't know, somewhere else." She pauses, chewing her lip. "I don't suppose you know of any homeless shelters around here?" ||
Saff|GM
"I'm headed into New Haven. I can probably go a bit out of the way if you need it, but if you don't have anywhere else to go..." He flicks the butt out the window, then rolls it back up. The window sticks a bit, making an awful grinding noise on the way up. The man turns on the radio, leaving it low and in the background. It's one of your songs. Oh. "As for homeless shelters, I don't really know of any. Haven't had that problem myself. But they gotta have em, you know?" He pauses, putting his eyes back on the road. He's definitely the most talkative person you've ever hitchhiked with, that's for sure. "You don't have parents or anyone to go to?"||
Nonagon|Essence
Dominique grimaces. "Parents gave me shit for my career choices and then cut off all contact, friends dumped me when I lost my job, no fucking loyalty from anybody. All I have is me, now." She sighs into the window, a glower on her face. "I fucking hate people." A pause. "Uh, no offense," she says, giving the man a brief smile. ||
Saff|GM
"Career? Don't take this the wrong way, but you look too young for that." Your song fades away on the radio, the DJ saying something about wondering what you're doing now. If he only knew. You notice as you look out the window that it's starting to rain, and you silently hope that it doesn't start freezing and that you can actually find shelter for the night. "You don't have to answer. I'm not trying to pry or nothin." The man shrugs as he turns a corner. ||
Nonagon|Essence
"I ain't offended, but I'd rather not talk about my old job, if it's all the same. Just makes me pissed." Dominique's fingers run along the fabric of her jeans. "Could you change the station? I hate this song." ||
Saff|GM
He nods and flips to some generic classic rock station. "Not really my thing either. But some people like it, and that's good on them." He goes quiet for a little bit longer, and all you can hear is the sound of the rain drowning out anything from the radio. He pulls up to a building--what looks like city hall, then parks the car. "Don't know about any shelters..." He says, looking around the floor of the car, "but try to be safe. Not everyone will let a pretty girl like you go. Take care of yourself." He then hands you an umbrella. It looks a little old, but it's better than nothing.||
Nonagon|Essence
"Thanks," Dominique says, taking the umbrella. She pauses, almost considering paying him for it, but fuck that. She earned that money, and he gave the umbrella as a gift. If he'd wanted something for it beyond thanks, he would've asked. "God bless," she says, smiling, as she steps out into the rain, flicking open the umbrella. Money in pocket, umbrella in hand, things are looking better than they did this morning. ||
Saff|GM
The rain is heavy, and the once-warm day is fading into a cooler evening. The sun isn't quite down yet, but it will be soon. From where you are standing, you can see the PRT building looming above the city a few blocks over, and you can hear... Music? There's a bumping beat coming from what seems like underground.||
Nonagon|Essence
The PRT always seemed like a shit gig. All the babying and endless image consulting of being a pop singer with a much smaller paycheck and a much higher death rate. No point checking *them* out. With nothing better to do, she decides to trace the sound of the music. ||
Saff|GM
You're a little surprised to see what looks like strobing lights of different colors coming from... the sewer drain? Weird. The music is definitely coming from there, but the question is how to get down there. A car drives by you, splashing water at your feet. Gross. But, there has to be an entrance somewhere.||
Nonagon|Essence
Dominique considers the problem briefly, then comes to the obvious conclusion. She closes the umbrella, tucking it into her jeans and under her shirt, then activates her power again, this time using the rain as a focus. She'll just slide down through the storm drain and see what's going on. ||
Saff|GM
You make it through, your breaker form melding with the dirty sewage water in the drain. The lights are still flashing, though they seem to get brighter down the tunnel. The bass of the music is pulsing through the water, and now that you're closer you hear... cheering?||
Nonagon|Essence
Maintaining her current state, Essence rolls along the water, headed towards the source of the lights, curious what's going on but unwilling to reveal herself prematurely. ||
Saff|GM
Inside, you can see what looks to be a boxing ring. There's a fine layer of smoke in the room, a potent combo of tobacco and pot, but you can clearly see two people fighting. You can't make out much from your vantage point, as there are a lot of people down there and they're constantly moving either from dancing or from cheering.||
Nonagon|Essence
If it's an underground boxing ring, there's likely to be betting. Keeping low to the ground, Essence looks around for any kind of cash box or other sign of money. ||
Saff|GM
On your search, you clearly notice that the woman in the ring isn't just anyone. She has what looks like glittering boxing gloves on her hands... but they're not gloves. They're forcefields. You watch as she punches her opponent in the jaw. It looks painful, really painful actually. You're momentarily distracted by the fight, but you did notice that there's a man sitting at a table with a laptop and a cash box.||
Nonagon|Essence
Mmm. Could wait, find a quiet spot, refresh her Breaker state... or, she could do it now, while the woman is definitely distracted. She slides around behind the man, then splashes over him, hitting his laptop full force, hoping to distract him. ||
Saff|GM
"What the FUCK, man?" The man shouts, looking around for napkins to try to save his laptop. The lights and the music flicker, before both eventually go out. "Shit shit shit." The woman in the ring stops punching her opponent in the solar plexus long enough to turn around and hop over the edge of the ring. She's pissed. "The fuck's going on, MP3?" She asks, and the man shrugs. "Some fucker spilled something on my fuckin laptop!" He is very perturbed, and she looks like she's about to punt him into a different dimension.||
Nonagon|Essence
Excellent. While they're distracted, Essence tries to very quietly, very sneakily, steal the cash box and run away. ||
Saff|GM
You manage to get the box, and you manage to get a ways away with it while the woman and the man argue. However, soon the flashing lights come back. The music, however, is still off, and you're you're right in front of someone. They're wearing very strange glasses, in fact their entire outfit is strange. They notice the box floating on the water, and frown before picking it up. "Cass, MP3. Keep an eye on the shit, for christssake!" They shake the box and bring it back over to where the woman and the man are, and they all seem perturbed. You did not manage to score the money.||
Nonagon|Essence
Fuck. Shit. Piss. Ass. There's no way she can take on three parahumans. The weird outfit, 'Cass', and MP3 - they're almost certainly all capes. Well. No sense in being stupid. She slithers away, looking for a dark corner to revert to human in. She'll just watch and see what happens. ||
Saff|GM
The walls around you look like concrete, and the three capes look PISSED. The punchy one seems the angriest. "You're so worried about your damn computer that you can't be bothered to check on the box. That thing isn't going to float off by itself." You hear her say. Shit.||
Nonagon|Essence
No, this can't end well. No stone to use, suspicious capes, and her power doubtlessly winding down. Essence rolls away, trying to avoid light sources, but more importantly, to get out of sight of the room as quickly as (para)humanly possible. ||
Saff|GM
You feel yourself reverting, feeling... heavier. You're definitely not as swift at the moment, and before you know it you're back to your normal form. However, there are a ton of people in the room. No one really notices one more. You manage to slip out, following another group out of the room. You assume that it's an exit.||
Nonagon|Essence
Dominique keeps her head down, her eyes on the ground, trying to avoid drawing attention to herself. She just needs to get out of here before the capes notice her. ||
Saff|GM
You manage to get out undetected. The passageway leads to some stairs which leads to a door in some building near city hall. The rain seems to be letting up, but it's night time now.||
Nonagon|Essence
Dominique checks her hip to see if the umbrella's still there, then starts walking, looking for a place to eat. She hasn't had a bite for the entire day, and while all the excitement may have helped distract her from her appetite, she *does* need to eat, and she has the money. ||
Saff|GM
With a little looking, you manage to find a burger place within your price range. You don't want to spend too much and end up having to rob yet another McDonald's. You've checked. No one from the sewers followed you out. You're safe for the moment.||
Nonagon|Essence
Dominique orders a hefty meal, since it'll be her only one of the day, and counts out her money while she waits for her order. ||
Saff|GM
It looks like you made it out pretty well. After paying for your meal you're at $233.67. Pretty good for your first petty crime. The woman at the counter calls your number, 37. Some of the other patrons are staring at you. Maybe it's because they recognize you, or maybe it's because you're getting to a point where you very obviously look homeless. The counter woman gives you a small, though forced smile and hands you your food.||
Nonagon|Essence
Dominique takes her food, retreating to her table, and practically gorging herself on the burgers she ordered, barely taking the time to taste them, and intermittently slurping at her drink. When she's done, she leans back, bloated, but at least no longer hungry. ||
Saff|GM
From what you can see, it looks like the rain has stopped. More people are starting to fill in for dinner as they get off of work. Less people are staring now. At least you're full, and you have money. You also know that you probably accidentally made some enemies of whoever was down in the sewers.||
Nonagon|Essence
Well. They can only get her if they know who she is, which they don't, and hopefully won't ever figure out. Dominique cracks her neck, heads out, and starts looking for a homeless shelter, asking around. No sense wasting what little money she's stolen thus far on a motel. ||
Saff|GM
You find out that there are two within a 25 minute walk from where you are. It's dark out, but there are still enough puddles around that if you get into trouble you could probably get away quick enough without having to fight. ||
Nonagon|Essence
Nothing to do but walk. Dominique keeps her head down and her eyes open as she heads to the nearest shelter. ||
Saff|GM
It's pretty quiet, to be honest, for one of the most populated cities in the state. The March chill is starting to come back now, and since parts of your clothes are slightly damp from the rain, you're shivering a bit more than usual. You follow the directions the woman in the restaurant gave you, leading you to the shelter. You can still see the PRT building from the horizon, all lit up on the landscape, though it's getting smaller the farther away you walk.||
Nonagon|Essence
Dominique keeps walking to the shelter. It's a long walk, but hopefully there'll be a bed there to sleep on. She can figure out what to do next in the morning. ||
Saff|GM
You make it there, and thankfully they have beds available for the night. Good. It would have sucked to be turned away like this. Maybe, maybe the morning will be better. You may have blown all your money on superpowers, but you're in a new place now. Maybe you can find somewhere here to belong. You fall asleep quickly, just a little more hopeful than the night before. |||||||