Larry bursts into the room, stammering. He points toward the door, "Th- th- the..."

His gaze falls on Kay's body, still and broken, her brain and blood splattered across the wall.

"Zombies..." he says in a weak voice. He can't tear his eyes away.

"It's Larry," Sam's face splits into a big grin when he sees Larry. "He doesn't look so good."

He looks at Rufus, still holding on tight to his arm, and says, "Do you think he knows where Kay went?"

"Hey Sammy? How do you feel about a good old fashioned zombie outbreak? Want to run with a Newid Blaidd a little sooner than we thought? I bet I can take out more than you." Rufus nudges Sam to get him interested in the competition.

Sam laughs shyly and grins, "Bet you can't..."

He accepts Rufus' hand up, but seems to have a sixth sense that allows him to look anywhere in the room except at Kay.

((OOC: GM, whenever you get back, is anybody actually working on cleaning up her body? Or is she still just laying there in her own gore? Alexander? Or the cops, don't they have cleanup crews for this sort of thing?))

((we few, we lucky few, we band of buggered))

Constantin catches Rufus' eye, when Larry bursts in warning of the goddamn walking dead, of all things. Actually, you know what? He's not even surprised anymore. Of course there's a zombie horde outside.

At least he knows what to do with that, thanks to a thousand and one video games and movies, which is more than he can say in regard to the little girl he's failing.

"Claire? I need you to try to calm down. I know this is difficult - I don't know what this is, and I can't know how difficult it is, but I would really like to try to help you through it, which means I need to make sure no one else attacks all of us, okay? Can you hide again, for me? I'm so sorry, but do you think you can do this? Let's both just try to make it through the night, what do you say?" He tries to get her to focus long enough to this herself, but if necessary he will blatantly pick her up and hide her with his own two hands.

Dammit no one else is going to die.


He then turns to stand with Rufus and Sam, tossing a grin at them and Borogris. "Well... here we go."

A beat.
"Anyone else kind of regretting wishing a zombie apocalypse would really happen, now?"

"I'm not. Let's do this." He grins at Constantin and starts for the door. "You coming Larry, or did you want to hold down the fort here?"

((Zombie Fighting Team))

Constantin laughs. "Of course you're not." He grins, a slow spreading show of teeth. "I'm not entirely certain I am, either," he admits, nudging Rufus' shoulder with his own.
"Do we have a plan, Alpha Squad Leader, or is it basically: tear zombies to shreds like we've all wanted to do since we watched, wide-eyed, our first Romero flick or put forefinger to xbox trigger?"

"Try to stay together but otherwise just tear into them." Rufus grins at the group behind them in the bar, "Anyone else?"

Larry finally tears his eyes from Kay's remains ((OOC: which, hopefully, someone is taking care of by now... please tell me you're not going to make the Summer Wolves do it themselves...)) to look at Sasha.

He points numbly and says, "They look like him." He stammers, "I mean, like he looks now, all black-eyed and silent. I think maybe whatever happened to him happened to them to."

He looks in the direction of Claire and asks in a small voice, "Why do they want to serve her?"

Cyrus raises an eyebrow as the "zombie uprising" is explained. He seems more intrigued than concerned.

"If they were actual zombies, we could do something about that," He mutters as he takes a sip of his beer. "Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if Harvester was all up for zombie-slaying. But...those don't look like zombies. Not if they're like Rasputin is now."

After a long pause of contemplation, Cyrus says, "...Don't they remind you a bit of the possessed? I'm sure you've seen them around--people just going about their normal eyes, but with black eyes and possessed by demons?" He moves to crouch over the mirror for a better look. "I'm just speculating, of course. But if they're possessed, then I can't really do anything productive about that. And the others might be making a mistake in fighting them."

He isn't sure what's worse; zombies, demons...or something he hasn't even considered yet.

RUSH:
All through Cyrus's explanation, Rush has been staring at him slack-jawed.

"Possess-- wait, WAIT." He stands up, just because it's easier to gesticulate that way. "Cyrus, if they're screwing themselves over by attacking the, uh, whatever the hells, we need to WARN them!" His gills start to flutter with agitation. "Look, I know that finding the other mage is important, I mean, I asked you to, but we can't let them die! Can't you make a portal back there? Would you even have to go along, or can I grab the kids or something while you work?"

((GM-- at your convenience, may I roll to try and find the nearest hedge gate?))

((Rolled - the nearest hedge gate is two blocks or so away, next to a bus station!))

((The cops are cleaning up bodies!!!))

((The vast majority of the waitvamps have vanished quietly back into the kitchens - including Alexander. Two are left, standing at the door to the bar.))

((this is an interaction between Adam and a gigantic horde of black-eyed strangers))

The black-eyed people walk right past Adam without even noticing him.

((Rufus Re: Larry's question about Claire))

"Well Larry, given that she's twelve, she's either Harry Potter, or they're total creeps."

((This message affects all players, particularly those in the bar))

A portal opens up in the middle of the bar floor - a portal through which you can see Rush and Cyrus standing in the middle of an empty apartment, beckoning at you.

Do you jump through? Or continue outside? LET ME KNOW BEFORE YOU MOVE!

Cyrus nods at Rush's request. "I can indeed make another portal, if you make sure people get through. Give me one second, and please don't let any cops or stuff in if you don't have to."

Cyrus shifts the mirror so it's propped upright against a wall, and then performs another Portal spell into the bar. This time, he doesn't go through it, but instead focuses on keeping it open.

((everyone's kind of in the same place for five minutes, so...))

"Larry, where's Adam?" Constantin asks, concerned. Disappearing into a strange portal isn't something he'd normally recommend, but, given the general atmosphere and clientele of this bar so far, he'll take any exit he can get, but, not to go all American marines on everyone, he'd rather not leave anyone behind.

[I Freaking Live. :'D]

Claire

Claire is currently huddled under the table Constantin firmly-but-well-meaningly pushed her towards, though she didn't notice the change of scenery, really; her knees are drawn tightly to her chest and she's been muttering to herself and rocking back and forth at varying speeds for the past several minutes.

When the portal opens her head snaps up just as it pops into existence. Her eyes widen to a would-be comical size if it weren't for having pupils dilated enough to almost block out all the blue. The result is a very thin blue ring which is, of course, rather jeebie-giving when stared at for too long.

The girl presses her back against the solid wall behind her, thunking her head on the bottom of the table in the effort to get away from it as she stares in breathless horror.

((Alert! Alert! We have a Harvester on board, and he's talking to Claire!))

Cyrus tilts his head, trying to get a better look at Claire through the portal. His eyes widen, and for a moment, all expression drains from his face. But quickly, it's replaced with...worry? Is that an honest-to-goodness emotion over there?!

"Get the others through," Harvester mutters to Rush, before bolting through the portal and over to the table. He pauses a moment when he reaches her, crouched in front of the table and ignoring everyone else.

"...You're scared, little one, are you not?" The corners of his mouth twitch, as if he's thinking of possibly attempting to smile. "Everything is fine. You are simply Awakening to magic. It is...perfectly natural."

As he speaks, Celine hops off his shoulder. The cat wanders to Claire and rubs her head against one of Claire's arms.

"We can explain what's going on. Tell us what you see." After a long pause, Harvester adds, "...Please."

[Interaction between: Cyrus (Harvester) and Claire.]

Claire

Her eyes slowly raise up from Cyrus' feet to his face. There's something...strange about him. In a hair's breadth of an instant, her stare takes on a slightly more lucid sheen; she noticed the red covering his shirt--more brown now than anything.

The small amount of awareness fades as her mouth tightens. Red, brown, red, brown, roses are red and autumn leaves are brown and both always die--blood. That's what it is. Blood, blood, gallons, out damn spot...

She blinks once, and locks eyes with Cyruster. Just...looking.

RUSH:
Rush also steps through the portal, though he freezes just as he steps on the barroom floor at the change in Cyrus's voice. Harvester...? He watches the mage kneel in front of Claire, trying to shake the eerie feeling off. Harvester wouldn't be so kind, it doesn't make sense...

"Larry? Sam?" He looks around for the wolf boys anxiously, feeling the presence of the police all to keenly. "We need to get out, there's too many things to fight-- where's Adam?"

So one of their friends is missing in a horde of zombies, and now the mad mage who went all Bateman on the bar is crouched in front of Claire going on about her being afraid?

Even Darth Vader doesn't have enough 'NO!' to cover this situation.

Constantin turns, trusting Rufus to have his back should the zombies choose to break in this very minute, casually vaulting the far-too-short table in a burst of worried energy (some cover that was, Constantin you absolute idiotul!).

"Making sure everyone gets to the portal?" He asks Cyrus, shifting to be able to step between him and the girl should that be necessary. "Good idea. Let's make sure no one gets left behind, or alone, this time," he agrees, or maybe warns.

((Harvester, Claire, and Constantin!))

Harvester doesn't move as Claire stares at him, though he doesn't realize why. Before he speaks again, he hears Constantin. Slowly, he turns to face the young vamp.

"Yes, that does seem to be Cyrus's plan. And for now, we agree with it."

Returning his attention to Claire, he adds, "This would likely not be the best place to explain things. Are you capable of standing up and walking through the portal, or do you require us to carry you out?"

[Interaction between: Cyrus (Harvester), Constantin, and Claire. C³]

Claire

Her mouth parts ever so slightly. She seems to be searching for words, or perhaps the right language, she looks so lost.

"We...can't leave, yet," she finally settles on, staring at the space between Cyruster and Constantin.

((Same peeps as last time))

Harvester raises an eyebrow at this. "Explain the reason we cannot leave. We understand if focusing on this world and the Watchtower simultaneously is too much at once...but we really should be getting out of here."

Perhaps Cyrus would be better at this whole "comfort and empathy" thing. Oh well, too late for that for now~

((Cool as a CuCumber))

"We're still missing Adam, why don't you go help find him? I'm certain Claire and I will be ready to leave by the time he's been secured. That way we waste as little time as possible."

The poor girl's had her father shot, strangers gutted in front of her, and is struggling with god-knows-what. He'll not have her interrogated too.

((Still the same trio. Still the same chaos.))

Harvester gives Constantin the most apathetic death glare in all of existence. "We must stay with her. She needs someone with her as she Awakens, or she will have no idea what is occurring, and no idea how to control her magic."

He sighs, waving the vampire away. "Besides, you have interacted with the werewolves more than we have, and have more of an idea as to their location. You would be better suited to searching than us."

Once more, Harvester returns his attention to Claire. "...My apologies for the interruption. Do you see a watchtower yet, by any chance...?"

[Interaction between: Cyrus (Harvester), Constantin, and Claire. C³]

Claire

Claire huffs in, surprisingly, frustration--a muted form, but frustration nonetheless. Her skull clonks back against the wall, hard.

"There is nothing or there would be nothing if this place that isn't a place had ever known something." Her eyes seem to be tracing invisible creatures around the room for a moment as she pauses. "Things made of nothing...are they things?"

No sooner has she enlightened us all with that introspective statement, she pitches forward, clutching her chest with a thin whisper of a cry--like the air to do so properly has been taken away.