Event - Material Goods

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Material Goods

➥ By Hook or By Crook

(cw: potential for violence, criminal activity, bombs/bomb threats, injury, incarceration, police brutality)

It's not difficult to identify the crates marked for Things of Beauty. They're colorful things, some might even say garish. Whoever chose them has a particular sort of taste, and it seems to be stuck somewhere in the 70s. They're stacked up on one of the docks, waiting to be loaded into delivery trucks by burly dock workers who look alternately annoyed by the hideous crates and disturbed by something about them. Anyone stopping to eavesdrop will hear one of them mention that he heard the crates murmuring. The concerns will be dismissed quickly as they move to load up the trucks, though.

The boat that's brought these over seems… confusingly small, like it's something local, rather than anything international. Getting onto the ship, itself, would be impossible during the day, and it seems to leave after having dropped off the boxes, heading out of port and off to places unknown. Anyone checking the ship's name–The Tarabroo–will quickly find it's not a ship that seems to be appropriately registered. The Tarabroo, as an internet search, does bring up some interesting information about a black hound with two snouts that oozes gasoline and breathes fire. It seems to be a legend associated with the Appalachian region.

There are, of course, many ways to disrupt the supply chain, and while stopping the actual boat that brought things isn't an option, there's slashing tires, incapacitating drivers, and attempting to shift or destroy cargo. However you try to stop things, best be careful not to get caught. There's security on the docks day and night, and they don't take kindly to intruders. You might find yourself boxed, tased, or otherwise incapacitated, if caught, and arrested by the police if a longshoreman doesn't decide to just punt you into the harbor for getting in their way. Enjoy the very icy swim.

Or maybe you're going the more… call in a bomb threat, or a gas leak, or otherwise cause a mess of paperwork route. It's not a simple task, either way. The people dealing with the bureaucracy at the docks seem to be uncannily well-organized and are quick to dismiss obvious lies. There might be more luck with bomb threats and gas leak notices at Things of Beauty, but after one or two, the police are going to catch wise to lies and start looking into exactly who has been making those calls.

For those who are caught, either in the act on the docks or making calls that tie up police resources, you'll find yourself chucked into the city jail for a night, maybe with someone else who was caught. The police seem to have varying degrees of what's considered appropriate use of force against those they catch, especially once they find out they're associated with ADI. You're horning in on their turf and making their lives difficult? How about they leave the lights glaring on you all night while playing some really annoying music and taking away any semblance of comfort? If you got arrested by a particularly angry officer, you might even end up with some bruises or a bloody nose for your trouble, before you're released.

➥ Comfortably Numb

(cw: body horror, injury (hands/arms), bleeding, mouths where there should not be mouths, supernatural drugging/apathy)

Despite best efforts, at least some of the product intended for Things of Beauty do actually make it there. Not many, but a small amount. ADI is tasking volunteers with the mission of acquiring whatever product has made it into the hands of the public… by whatever means necessary. (Which will likely amount to stealing.)

What is the product? Well, it appears to be… phone cases that have the approximate appearance and texture of flesh. Maybe even human flesh. With so much apparently persuasive marketing ahead of time for a product that will “change lives”, the fight to acquire one of these phone cases is intense and people are paying absurdly high prices for them. Those that aren’t able to buy the phone cases from the store itself can be seen offering even more money to those walking away with the precious goods.

Their efforts are all apparently in vain, though. Once someone has their hands on a phone case, they seem to be even more obsessed with it than they were with obtaining it. Any attempts to get them to relinquish the object–either legally or through less honest means–are rebuffed. They also appear to be very reluctant to let the cases physically leave their hands as well.

Even when the cases start growing mouths. Toothy mouths that are employed to bite at their hands. If people notice this disturbing occurrence, they don’t appear to care at all and continue to jealously guard their possession even as it makes a mess of their hands. Victims of these cases can be identified by the blood covering their hands, if they don’t happen to be holding on to the case.

Tracking down and retrieving all the cases will take a few weeks. It also poses a bit of a logistical challenge. Seeing the victims being utterly unaware or uncaring of their mangled hands doesn’t make any sense… until you physically come into contact with one of the cases. Then the reason becomes crystal clear (or will become crystal clear, in hindsight.) Touching them–even with gloved or otherwise protected hands–quickly begins to produce both an obsession with keeping possession of the object and an indifference to pain of all kinds, including emotional. Disposing of them becomes unthinkable, which poses something of a challenge for the mission characters have been given. However, if the cases are taken out of a person’s possession, both the numbing and possessive effects quickly wear off. They can then be destroyed or even just thrown away. Hopefully where no one else will be able to find them again.

➥ Feed Me, Kahlil

(cw: severe emotional distress, emotional blackmail, internalized victim blaming, kidnapping, injury (hands/arms))

Things are not beautiful at Things of Beauty. In the days leading up to the launch the proprietor, Kahlil Nassir, sporadically haunts the place with a wide-eyed, tearful look and bandaged hands he tries to hide under long sleeves, his presence peppering the place with outbursts at complaining customers and his own numb, blank-faced employees alike. Weirder than that, perhaps, is how often he isn't seen around his shop at the height of the new product launch and the days following. ADI's investigations department has been having trouble sniffing out just where he's been going; it appears that he hasn't gone home in at least half a week by the time they finally give up on subtlety.

On the morning of January 18th, Kahlil is hauled kicking and screaming into an interrogation room on floor B1 of ADI headquarters. It seems that a pair of native ADI investigators took it upon themselves to stake out Things of Beauty and caught him pulling into the alley behind the shop several hours before opening time. He was driving a car that wasn't his own and that investigators suspect might be stolen, and at the time they apprehended him they also confiscated several cardboard boxes full of more fleshy phone cases that had been in the car's trunk.

This rather heavy-handed approach has not been immediately fruitful. Kahlil is clearly terrified but has been refusing to answer questions. Tensions are high at ADI; not all staff believe that bringing him in was the correct move, and removing him from the situation doesn't seem likely to have completely cut off the supply chain or sales of the phone cases. He's here now, though, and information is needed. Anyone who thinks they can get him to talk will be allowed to try, though higher ups make it clear that torture is not permitted.

➥ The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary

(cw: body horror, uncanny valley, pregnancy imagery, loss of skin, implied animal death, implied human death, unsanitary conditions, self-doubt/body image issues)

The warehouse is virtually silent when people enter. No sounds of industrial machinery, no signs that anyone is there, just the low hum of electric lighting and a heater running. The entryway appears to be utterly unremarkable, and it's not until moving deeper in that people might begin to notice something off. It starts with a smell, the scent of rotten, putrid meat, and the deeper into the heart of the warehouse one travels, the more pronounced that scent grows. The walls, too, take on a moist, unpleasant sheen, turning from an industrial gray to something that looks almost… living, flesh-like. Touching the walls, people will find they feel warm and quiver slightly. It's like touching the inside of a mouth. The doorways, too, seem to be warped, appearing to be more like gullets than anything else. They squeeze inward whenever someone passes through, shrinking just a tiny bit more with each passage. If there are too many people going in, they may find it significantly harder than they expected to leave.

There's a sound in the air, carried faintly through vents, and growing louder as people move toward the center of the warehouse. It's a bleating sound, like there are animals being kept in this place. Finally entering into a large central room, the source of the sound becomes clear: This room is infested floor-to-ceiling with what at first appear to be plants with fuzzy white flowers. They're roughly the size of fists, and in the form of giant puffballs on thick, glistening green stalks. The bleating is louder in this room and seems to be coming from the flowers. Anyone checking closer will find that the flowers are actually malformed lambs, their stalks more like umbilical cords growing out of their stomachs, propping them up.

All around the room, there are scattered evidence of animals being fed to the lambs. Blood and bits of bone are visible in the field of flesh. For the keen-eyed, they might also spot what appears to be some blood-stained clothes and larger bones.

The lambs will nip at anyone reaching for them, and those who manage to pick one up without being bitten will be in for an unpleasant surprise. The lambs split open, once they're 'picked,' sloughing off their skins and transforming into… the phone flesh cases being sold at Things of Beauty. These 'freshly formed' phone cases seem to have a different effect than their packaged and shipped counterparts. Instead of biting, they whisper.

They whisper your deepest insecurity into your mind. They promise they can take that away if you just hold them, if you just feed them. Unfortunately, these early stage phone cases haven't developed a numbing effect, yet, and when they bite, it hurts, but maybe it's worth if for them to be able to take away the thing plaguing you most?

Those not waylaid by the cases will have a tricky time dealing with the plants themselves. They don't seem to respond to being burned with fires fizzling out on their uncomfortably moist bodies and within the warehouse that pulses almost like it's a living thing itself. There are other options, though. Poison maybe? Hacking them to pieces? Eating them? The warehouse has all of the standard safety equipment one might think of. How would you go about murdering a field of fleshy flowers that grows back at a disturbingly rapid pace? The lambs seem to be able to regrow from any part of a live plant.

➥ Mod Notes

• GENERAL - Players are welcome to play NPCs for themselves when they are needed in a thread. If you need more information on general behavior for these types of NPCs, please feel free to ask! In general, the information provided in the prompt should be sufficient and you're welcome to make up any details beyond that for your specific scene. Please remember that character deaths are permanent and plan accordingly!
  
  
• BY HOOK OR BY CROOK (15-16 January) - Information on the Tarabroo as a cryptid is sparse, but stories seem to tie its appearance to disasters involving mines, particularly anything where a collapse or explosion led to the release of a tailings pond. These ponds hold the poisonous cast offs generated during mining operations and are highly toxic. When they break and run downstream, it can poison a landscape for miles.
  
  Anyone attempting to look into the crates at the docks will get a sneak preview of the flesh phone cases, but not have time to really do much with them.
  
  In terms of the dock disruptions, players are encouraged to get creative! Not every officer will be abusive if your character ends up arrested, but some will be. Characters will be held overnight, then released with a fine ranging from $500-$2,000. No complaints to the police from those who are jailed will be taken seriously, but ADI will help to pay fines... provided you're working with them regularly.
  
  
• COMFORTABLY NUMB (16-31 January) - The effects of the phone cases are not instantaneous, but they do come on quickly enough that characters attempting to steal and dispose of them on their own will have serious difficulties in accomplishing the second part of the task. The phones can be dealt with in any way that destroys them except for the use of fire (thus neutralizing their effect) or brought into ADI for disposal. (Or they just can be thrown away, though that does run the risk of them being rediscovered and is not ADI’s preference.)
  
  
• FEED ME, KAHLIL (18 January) - Characters will have the opportunity to talk to Kahlil in this prompt. Please respond to the NPC Threads comment below for responses from him. Shortly after he's brought in, investigations reveal that the car he was driving belongs to Hakeem Williams, a retired bank teller who was reported missing last week. Legally-minded individuals might realize that a private investigations company like ADI "taking Kahlil into custody" constitutes kidnapping–Kahlil is certainly aware of that fact.
  
  
• THE VEGETABLE LAMB OF TARTARY (18-19 January) - While the vegetable lambs' whispering will mainly focus on body image insecurities, if your character does not have those, they will hear the lambs whispering about other insecurities that plague them. Fire is the only option that will not work to kill the lambs, and they're numerous enough that no one person will be able to wipe them all out, whatever method they're using. Once the lambs are killed, the walls of the factory will revert to normal walls. Until then, they will appear to be uncomfortably close to real flesh and will bleed if cut. The 'blood' that comes out will appear to be putrid, black, and corrosive.

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Comments

QUESTIONS

[apocalypsehowmods]

Please respond HERE!

NPC Interactions

[apocalypsehownpcs]

If you would like to interact with Kahlil in the "Feed Me, Kahlil" prompt, please post here!

[lesbeau]

[As much as Beau follows a moral code, this wouldn't be the first time she was responsible (directly or indirectly) for kidnapping someone. Whoever this guy is, he has to know something, and if he's being haunted by something maybe they can offer some kind of deal or protection to keep it at bay. Whatever the reason, the best thing Beau does is find the truth, and she's going to.

Which is why as soon as she gets clearence, she's sauntering in, pen behind her ear and notebook in hand.]

Hey. Kahlil, right? I know it's probably stupid to say this is a decently safe place to talk, but it's the best you've got right now, so I'd go with it if I were you.

[aelwyn_aberration]

[Aelwyn enters, a notebook and a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. She flashes him a small disarming smile as she sits across from him in the interogation room.]

Hello, Kahlil. My name is Ren. It's a pleasure to meet you. Do you know why you're here?

[Hopefully he wasn't getting sick of the good cop routine. Luckily, she's not planning on keeping it up for long.]

[henchgal]

Meredith shows up to the interrogation room with a file folder in hand. She quietly sets everything on the table, laying out a notepad and a couple of pens, the folder, and two glasses of water. There's a lot of show in making sure everything is just so, before her attention turns to Khalil.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Nassir. I'd like to ask you a few questions."

She has never done this before, but she thinks she may have a fresh angle on things.

[oldbookshop]

[ Aziraphale has to figure that, at the very least, he probably can't make things any worse by getting in here and trying his hand.

Although in his honest opinion, the fact that a "no torture" stipulation even had to be tacked on says some very unfortunate things about the quality of his new interdimensional colleagues. In general.

He knocks before he enters. This is purely because when he's not sure what else to do, he starts with manners. ]

Hello. My name is Aziraphale. I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you, but, well. Given the circumstances.

[ He makes a truncated "this whole situation" sort of gesture. ]

[inlieuofadad]

Gil eases his way into the room, closing the door softly behind him. He's watched--or at least seen the results of--the work of some of the others.

For a second, he studies Khalil with sympathy and a little sadness, before smoothing his expression into neutrality. The emotions are sincere. They're also carefully staged.

He pulls out the seat across from Khalil and sits down. "From what I hear you've been good-cop bad-copped all day. How're you holding up?"

Gil lifts both hands. "Not a good cop question. I genuinely want to know."

Re: NPC Interactions

[the_archivist]

[Jon finally steps into the room. It had been seeing Martin's bloodied hands that had done it. This man had been at least partially responsible for what had happened to Martin. And, well, he's never been particularly rational when it comes to that.

He's dressed normally, like a researcher. Neat but a little rumpled, and he's smiling when he sits down and places paper and pen onto the table. As gently s he can.]

Hello. I hope they've not been treating you too harshly. Concern for loved ones makes people... act rashly.

Bruno | OTA

[brunonono]

Comfortably Numb

This is...not nice, exactly, but the moment Bruno picks up the weird skin thing he knows he doesn't want to put it down again. The pain of being here without his family aside from Mirabel, his fears for Mirabel...it stops hurting. And somewhere deep down he knows that's not right, that it hurts for a reason and that he was supposed to do something with this thing after he stole it from someone leaving the shop, but...it can't hurt to just hold onto it for a while.

And so he quietly heads back toward the apartments, fleshy phone case in his bleeding hands, a worried rat on his shoulder nervously grooming his beard without getting any response.


Free Kahlil

All the anxiety returns like running headlong into a brick wall once the phone case has been pried from his hands and destroyed. He ends up in Medical first thing in the morning to have his wounds stitched, and emerges with hands so heavily bandaged that he can barely work a doorknob. The guilt is back, too; he should go back out there and help even though he doesn't know how, even though he's too scared--Hernando could do it. Hernando will have to do it. He'll just--

He'll just stare in horror as burly people push past him in the entryway, hauling along a man who kicks and screams and struggles all the way to the elevator. Breathing fast, Bruno looks at the people around him. They saw that, right?

Even when he later finds out who that was and why, it doesn't sit right with him. He's distracted at work (where they have him scanning IDs at the door of the canteen), staring at the elevator doors down the hall with a frown on his face. "Did you know they've got someone locked up downstairs?" he'll ask without making eye contact with the next person in line.

Comfortably Numb

[nonmagical]

Mirabel has been avoiding the phone cases ever since she saw them - they looked... creepy. And she didn't even really understand the appeal of them, but she was growled at by a man carrying one so...

She's just leaving the apartments when she notices Bruno coming back, she stops when she notices his hand bleeding.

"Tio, what's wrong? Your hand..."

Without thinking about the man who growled at her earlier, she reaches for his bleeding hand.

Free Kahlil

[musicdied]

"Hmm." It's not an interrogative so much as a slight noise of acknowledgment. Yelena's head cants slightly in thought as she holds out her ID, hand steady. There's a hint of gauze peeking out from beneath the hem of her sleeve. "The man who was responsible for putting the little monsters into people's hands. Yes, I know - word spreads fast here."

Meredith Idlewild - OC

[henchgal]

1. I Want a Girl With the Right Allocations [OPEN]
Meredith heard Stephen Strange's call for delays in delivery, and immediately started on the phones, weaving a web of red tape like a bureaucratic spider. She's calling in favors with contacts she's made outside ADI, but her greatest schemes are those involving Pure Fucking Bullshit. Like the fire code trick. Or other attempts to shut down the store.

Adult characters who Meredith trusts to play the role might receive a network text from her: Do you want to pretend to be a building inspector for me? or perhaps You can play the part of an exterminator, right?

2. With Fingernails That Shine Like Justice [CLOSED TO NEAL, CW: police violence, imprisonment, injury discussion]
Unfortunately, the scheme doesn't quite go as planned, and Meredith and Neal are caught while they're trying to pull off one of her schemes. The pair are thrown in a cell together, with the police definitely paying Meredith extra attention after realizing how many different schemes they'd had to react to had been hers.

One of them had already wrenched at her shoulder, the one that had been dislocated a couple months ago in her room. It didn't feel like it was completely out of the socket, but it was clicking when she tried to move it; definitely a bad sign.

And the cops seem to be coming back for another round. Meredith looks at Neal, grimacing. "I swear this has to be against the ADA..."

3. I Want a Girl With a Smooth Liquidation [OTA, CW: police violence, imprisonment, injury discussion]
With her one phone call from jail, Meredith hadn't called ADI admin or legal. Instead, she'd called Gil, and asked him to let her boys know where she was. She's expecting Malcolm or Gil to get with legal and get her out of here, but she didn't want to tell her roommates directly, especially Tim, after promising to try to be careful.

Well, at least she wasn't being hurt by the entities, right?

4. She Wants a Car That Will Get Her There [OTA, CW: possible discussion of kidnapping, disappearances]
In the office after the pickup of Khalil (and after she returns from police custody), Meredith's one of those who's doing paperwork on the whole incident--which is how she runs into the oddity of automobile registration. She looks up at whoever's nearby, frowning.

"There's something really weird here. The car Khalil was driving when we picked him up? It wasn't his."

2, obvs

[conning]

Neal gets to his feet, physically putting himself between Meredith and the approaching officers. They reach the bars and pause, eying him with a little more misgiving than they did Meredith. Neal smirks.

"Oh, come on. You think I'm scary? Got to admit, you intimidated me a little at first, until I realized how incompetent you all were and how much you try to hurt people to cover for it."

Mirabel | ota

[nonmagical]

[The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary]

[Mirabel had been trying to follow the news about the phone cases. Eventually she gets curious, as teens do, and while she hasn't been doing anything to stop the supply chain of phone cases, she still wants to know what's going on. She slips out in the evening, heading to the warehouse.

If no one manages to stop her, she's horrified when she finds the lambs. She bends down, and anyone can find her listening to their whispers. She can be found holding one, listening to it, and muttering back.]

No, you're wrong. They wouldn't do that.

[aelwyn_aberration]

[Aelwyn spots her cradling the lamb, muttering to herself, and she knows immediately that this is bad. Why does ADI keep allowing children to go on missions? She's not sure she even knows this girl, but before she knows it, she's grabbing her shoulder.]

It's not real. Put it down, let's get out of here.

beau | ota, will match format!

[lesbeau]

i. [hook or crook] sometimes the silence is fun / sometimes the words taste sweeter on the tip of my tongue

[This mission feels like it was made for her, as soon as she hears it. For as much as she's become a great spy, excellent negotiator, and smart as a whip, you can never really take the petty theft out of Beau. But being on the docks is giving her another sort of idea for gathering information that she hasn't done for quite a while.

What this means is if you come to the docks, you might see a... slightly familiar woman chatting up one of the dockworkers. Considering her usual look, it's surprising how absolutely feminine Beau can appear when her usual undercut is let down and she's tied her usual sashes as a skirt and a drape. Meet Tracy, everyone, who is laughing at something a dockworker has just said and is gently touching his face.]

Ohmygod, that is like, so interesting! And this stuff is like, brand new? You couldn't give me a little sneaky peaky?

[If you know Beau, this probably looks hilarious. If you don't, there seems to be someone trying to jones their way into something in one of those boxes. Do you help, laugh, or just watch? The choice is yours.]

ii. [feed me kahlil] they beat the bitter of war where nobody won

[For as much as Beau is doing her own investigations, she's also hanging close to the interrogation room, waiting on anyone to come in or out. Usually she'll give them a little nod on the way in, but when they leave, she'll draw attention her way.]

So. Get anything from him?

[You could just go off without answering her, of course- she's not blocking the hall or anything- but she does make sure to lock eyes with you, ensure she's well seen and not ignored.]

iii. [the vegetable lamb of tartary] we were just casualties / in this casual fight, given up so casually

Oh, come on.

[Beau's seen and been to some fucked up places, but this one is really racking high on the 'what the absolute fuck' scenario. She's looking at the lamb stalks, poking at one with her staff. After a few bleats, she finally decides to just straight-up whack one like a pinata to try and beat it off the wall.]

Does anybody else feel like this is just getting stupid? Or is it just me?

iv. [wildcard] sometimes there isn't the time or the energy

[Want another prompt? Hit me up at cancerously, discord cancerously#6043, or via PM and we can plot something out!]

i

[myfavoritemurder]

[Thanks for the distraction, Beau. While the staff is otherwise occupied, Callisto takes the opportunity to saunter past a row of delivery trucks, sticking her dagger into one of the back tires of every single one. Once that's done, she casually tucks the blade back into the pocket of her winter coat, pats down the side of her snow pants to make sure the outline of her sword isn't visible, and heads over.]

Oh, just give her what she wants.

[She says to the dock worker, wrinkling her nose.]

You two are making me sick.

martin | ota, will match format!

[lowficharm]

i. [hook or crook] distance, distance keeps you safe / and i don't wanna scare you away

[Martin isn't a very in-your-face sort of person when it comes to stealing or public disruption- he's absolutely more an 'arson' or 'quietly arrange some pieces until the dominos fall' kind of guy. But when fire isn't an option, he does know a thing or two about malicious compliance, and this is one of those days where he's using the fact that he looks sweet and harmless to his advantage.

To that end, his voice can be heard coming from nearby the trucks, where he looks plenty serene and the man he's talking to looks like his head is about to pop off. If you get closer, you'll probably hear their conversation.]

I'm so sorry, not to be a bother, truly--

No... it's fine, it's... I just can't find the paperwork--

Oh it's okay! I'm sure it's here, you just, y-you know, can't operate without valid insurance for every truck and should be able to provide those forms on request...

[The man he's speaking to only looks angrier. Might be worth it to step in and either help the conversation, encourage along the chaos, or stop someone from assaulting him. Your choice!]

ii. [comfortably numb] there's a lonliess you carry inside your heart / you gave it all to me to keep tearing you apart

[All things considered, Martin knows he's not above the influence of anything the Entities are going to put out- seeing as he got kidnapped in his first month and magically stuck in a sealskin, he knows logically that these things can and will hurt him if given the chance. But he runs his chances in holding the case, intending to inspect it but getting somehow... lost.

It's been a long time since Martin felt the comfort of not worrying, not feeling, getting to slip into the vice of stepping out of the spotlight. It's... nice. It's calming in a way he feels he'd forgotten, and why shouldn't he take this when he has it? It's his, after all, this thing, those emotions, that's who he is. And now this case is off the streets, which was his job, so... why does it matter where it goes?

He can be found anywhere within ADI, gripping the case in his hands and trying to make it back to his room at the housing block. People interacting may notice that he's somehow more distant than he's ever been, not just in feeling but in the experience of being nearby. You might even catch a stray puff of fog from his lips as he exhales, which would make sense if he was out in the cold- not so much inside in a building. But even as his hands start to bleed, the longer he has this thing the more he seems to slip away, stop making eye contact, and just try to get back to his room as quickly as possible.

Slapping it out of his hands is encouraged, all things considered. Someone should stop him, somehow, for the good of his minds and his soon-to-be-chewed hands.]

iii. [feed me kahlil] i'm looking out for you but i don't think you wanna be found... out

[Having been on the other end of a kidnapping, seeing someone being dragged in kicking, screaming, and almost crying is well... worrying, at best. Martin finds himself hovering around medical and nearby to the interrogation rooms, quietly listening, making small-talk with the guards there. His hands are wrapped up, making it obvious what he's been through, but it doesn't stop him from looking concerned any chance he gets.

Eventually, if you're close by, he'll lean over and pose a question.]

Do you think they're... going to let him out, after this? I don't know what anyone's even saying to him in there.

iv. [wildcard] so do what you do, what you do best / chase the only one you know couldn't care less

[Want another prompt? Hit me up at cancerously, discord cancerously#6043, or via PM and we can plot something out!]

iii

[musicdied]

[Yelena's here for medical, but once she's been shooed out with a fresh dressing on her arm and a small tube of antibiotics, she...lingers.

And why not? There are cases to retrieve from the general population still, but that's just a stopgap until the man locked away down the hall gives up the information they need to cut the things off at the source.

Her gaze flicks to Martin, eyes narrowing slightly as she gauges how to answer the question.]

No. I do not think he is walking out of here.

[The set of her mouth twists slightly. It's not really a smile.]

Too big a risk.

[canofmanji]

By Hook...

Manji thinks he can handle a disruption job just fine on his own. In fact, he'd consider himself an expert on disrupting things. Sneaking down to the docks he thinks it will be an easy thing to cut open boxes and dump them into the harbor. Unfortunately for the one armed man things have changed a lot since the 18th century which includes how things are shipped. Finding all these metal crates are not what he expected. "Huh... this might be a bit harder than I thought." Maybe he can just put his shoulder into this one crate and push really hard.

...or by Crook

"SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" Turns out stealth isn't exactly Manji's strong suit. Which is probably why he has a couple dock workers and the cops chasing after him, yelling at him to stop. Hopefully he's not running past your character trying to be sneaky or he just might be leading the cops right to you.

Comfortably Numb

"Come on you old bag!" That's probably not what you expected to hear out on the streets. Of course, seeing a man dressed in a kimono, covered in scars, using his only arm to snatch a phone cover from an older woman who was currently clinging onto the phone case for dear life while kicking at Manji in a repetitive manner wasn't something you expected either. He keeps his body turned to protect his manhood from the blows being rained on him. The old woman's hands seem to be bleeding as she screams for help to stop the thief trying to take her phone cover. "CAN'T YOU SEE YOU'RE BLEEDING?! I'm trying to help you!"

Comfortably Numb

This was like nothing Manji had ever seen before. He felt like he had a pretty firm stomach most of the time, but this? He stops before going down through another door. "How do we know we're not crawling down some thing's stomach? I'm not so sure we should keep going."

(OOC: Manji is immortal and has magical worms that can heal him. I have an opt out post if you'd like to use it to let me know your comfort levels. Or feel free to tell me no worms in the subject line and I'll make sure Manji doesn't get physically hurt during the thread!)

[nonmagical]

“What’s going on?!”

Mirabel steps in just as the woman tries kicking Manji. She knows the phone cases are weird but that’s not a reason to steal-

“Did you say bleeding??”

ᴊᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏᴡɴsᴇɴᴅ √ ᴏᴘᴇɴ

[stations]

doing time

( This is basically a huge misunderstanding.

Jack sits on a particularly uncomfortable metal bench in a holding cell, dried blood underneath his nose that they won't give him a wet-wipe for. The particularly sad thing about it is he didn't even get it from something awesome like a punch to the face. What happened went a little bit like this:

He made a few completely legitimate calls to the local police station to try and warn them about the coming danger. In hindsight, if you don't close the store, you're going to regret it, something bad might happen, might have sounded a lot like he personally was making a threat. Evidently it's just the most recent in a long line of annoying bomb threat-esque calls to the place, and it took them maybe half an hour to track him down and bring him in for questioning.

That... was even a little bit worse than the call. His immediate, stupid impulse had been to say, )

Look, if this is about the head— ( Judging by the officer's face, they had no idea about any heads, and were suddenly extremely suspicious, so he finished it with, ) —of... lettuce that I accidentally... stole... from the self check-out, I just- couldn't figure out how to do the... produce weigh-in thing so I rang it up as a banana-

( Suspicion turned into something like are you being a smartass or are you just incredibly dumb, followed by being hauled to his feet. The shakiness of his standing illicited a little impatience from the cop, who bit out an annoyed, "Walk, son. You've got two working legs, let's go." )

I don't, actually.

( It must have seemed like sarcasm, because the cop gave him an irritated shove bad-foot forward, his prosthetic leg came loose and slipped off, and he took a nose-dive into a coffee table.

"Oh, shit—!" Said the cop (officer Dan, Dan being his actual last name, the poor guy) as he watched Jack's leg fall off. The rest of the trip to the station was way more gentle and less eventful, and Officer Dan looked a little like he wanted to fall off the face of the earth.

One might catch him talking to himself as they're brought in to join him. It sounds a little bit like, Shut up, who asked you? Don't you have some puppies to torture or something? He'll totally pretend like he wasn't saying anything when his partner in waiting comes into view, and play it off with an awkward, overly nonchalant, )

...Heyyyyyy.

hakuna matata

( You wasted your life, Jack. All of it, for no reason. And guess what? You still have a ticking clock counting down. )

No, it turns out it's not actually fatal—

( Your mind still owns you. How long do you think you can get away with sleepwalking without hurting somebody? How many friends are you going to lose? How many only stick around because they feel sorry for you? For how pathetic you look? Sickly, skinny. Missing a finger. Missing a leg. Who could ever love somebody like that? Broken outside, broken inside. You don't even have a brain good enough to make up for it. )

I'm not actually looking for a relationship right now, so that's... not really hitting the way you probably want it to. I mean, that's still really mean of you, but I'm pretty okay with dying as a cat lady.

( Nobody likes you, Jack. You're a hobbling path of destruction and insanity. You're- wait, wait, what are you doing with that wood chipper? Wait a second, you little shit-

ZZZHHHGGGHHRRRRRR

Lamb paste covers the nearest wall. He looks on at his handiwork for a contemplative second, before declaring: )

Slimy, yet... satisfying.

wildcard

( Hit me with literally anything, I'll wing it with the best of 'em. Reach me at paingravy or #Em8430 if you need me! )

wildcard

[retisense]

[It takes two missed texts for the panic to set in.

It's not normal for Jack to ignore her texts, especially not when those texts contain cute pictures of Macaroni sleeping in one of the sweaters he'd bought with a stupid dad joke on it.

She spends about an hour pacing after the panic sets in, back and forth across the room, hating the feeling of helplessness that seems to soak into every pore of her body, setting the hairs on the back of her neck on end, makes her spine tingle. It brings her right back there, completely helpless, at the mercy of the ocean and the hunger and thirst, the tossing waves, the sharks, to slowly losing everyone she'd cared about, one by one. Her parents. The boy she'd loved, though not in the way he'd wanted her to.

There's only so much time she can stand being helpless, and then she's calling ADI medical and the hospital in town and then the police stations, and that's when she finds him. The relief is so intense she practically hangs up on the station without saying much of anything.

The next day she's waiting outside the station when he's released, leaning against the gate, arms crossed, expression neutral. When he comes out of the front doors of the station looking worse for the wear, she pushes away from it and walks up to him, frowning a little.]

You scared Macaroni shitless by disappearing, just so you know.

[the_archivist]

By Hook or by Crook
[The Tarabroo. An interesting name to be sure.

Jon isn't approaching the dock too closely, although gods, he can taste the fear from here, a reasonable way away with a pair of binoculars. He makes a note of the name of the boat, and any markings he can see, flags and the like.

This would all be so much easier if he could just go and ask, but there's a lot of dock workers and he probably can't compell all of them. He shouldn't be compelling anyone.]

This was so much easier at the Institute.

[Information acquired, he heads back to ADI to do some research into that boat, and can be found hunched over a laptop, stacks of books next to him.]


Feed Me, Kahlil
[He's pacing, not quite managing to get up to courage to go and ask if he can talk to the prisoner. He could get infomration! He knows that he could. It would be so easy.

But it might reveal who- what he is. It might put Martin at risk. Is he just... putting himself over the world? He could tell them so much, but he doesn't know for sure and they have no real reason to trust him.]

Get a grip. Just go and ask to speak to him. It's fine.


The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary
[Jon has been to many horrifying places and experienced... well, a whole world's worth of terror, and this is still pushing it.

As they walk further into the- well, supposedly a warehouse, he tries to rank it. Anything to keep his mind off the smell and the uncomfortable feeling that they're being swallowed. So, Flesh, with a definite hint of corruption. Better or worse than tunnels full of worms? Possibly better but that's because he's more used to this.]

Spiders are still worse.

[He says it quietly, more to himself.

The phone cases are... horrifying. He can hear them whispering. They promise such wonderful things. He's a monster, he's irredeemable. And all he has to do is let them feed and they can take that away. Even with the biting, the bleeding... that would be so good, except... except...

He knows that. It isn't new.]

I don't feed you. Why don't you tell me the truth?

[It's hissed at the thing that had bitten him, full of venom and he tries to rip it away, heedless of bleeding fingers.]

Feed Me, Kahlil

[aelwyn_aberration]

[Suddenly, Aelwyn, seemingly from out of nowhere steps into view. She cocks her head slightly at Jon, as friendly as can be. She has some very interesting suspicions about Martin and Jon, the smallest details that don't add up since Martin blabbed last month.

It could be nothing. Maybe Jon's unrelated. But Aelwyn wants to observe the subject closer anyway.]

Speak to whom? Don't tell me you're planning on asking someone out on a date, Mr Sims. What would Martin think?

wanda maximoff | ota

[carmesi]

A. COMFORTABLY NUMB

[wanda had meant it when she said she found it unnecessary to try and put a wedge on whatever was rolling out of the docks. she held on to the certainty that others would, in fact, make sure to do so—which is exactly why her efforts are better spent looking at whatever is being offered at things of beauty that caused such a stir.

phone cases. made of something that resembles flesh.

knowing this place, she is unwilling to take any chances. it’s unnerving enough to see what phone cases made it to the store selling quite quickly, and the people who were so lucky showing them off by way of mangled, bloody hands.

there is no way she is going to touch them with her bare hands.

which is why, after conjuring a small amount of red pulses from her fingers and onto the individual’s mind, wanda aims to magically manipulate them into stopping right where they are. the effect is neither permanent nor long-lasting, so she turns back to you.]

Hold them still. [she approaches the person, circling around them; a red glow in their eyes shows the reason for their immobilization.] It won’t last long, but I can try removing the phone case if I don’t split my focus in two spells.

B. LAMB OF TARTARY

[it’s not so much a question about where this place is, but what has actually become of the warehouse. wanda steps inside warily, quickly placing a hand to her mouth and nose, hoping that much will keep her safe from the smell.

whatever happened here is unnerving: from the blood and bone marring the open surfaces, to the bleating of hungry lambs, and the way the walls seem alive—and not in a good way.]

Be careful.

[should her companion move forward, wanda will place a hand on their arm, trying to reel them back. she doesn’t like the read she’s getting from this place. after a moment, however, (and perhaps feeling reassured by the company) she steps further inside, careful not to step on anything… putrid.

eventually, she stops, leans forward and down, magic surrounding a lamb that tries so hard to reach her fingers for a nip.

her voice is quiet, letting the stillness of the night pull the weight of her words for her.]

There’s nothing in them, just… hunger. Like with the crates and the phone cases.

[which is to make sense, if they’re all one and the same. the walls seem to tremble, like a breathing organism would, one that erupts with the desire to be fed, sated.

wanda looks up at you.]

We have to destroy them.

C. AFTERMATH: COMFORT

[somehow, they managed—that much is expected of them, at this point. though they may never truly be ahead of whatever next catastrophe befalls them, they are all very good at succeeding in their ‘missions’. the walls reverted back to normal, the aftermath a little too… vivid for wanda’s comfort.

she doesn’t grow sick easy, but she feels queasy and uncomfortable, like static under her skin and a horrid emptiness within. she sits by a crate, holding tight onto her coat, as if that would diminish the frozen-cold feeling making her shake uncontrollably.

it’s a similar feeling to that of the hunger she felt when she tried to get a read on the crates—on the phone cases—on the lambs. did she overdo it? everything feels like too much, and so she slouches onto herself, a hand tightly pressed to her forehead.]

b

[demonicmiracle]

[This isn't the ideal situation to find himself in, but there's only so much hanging back he could do before curiosity got the better of him, and fleshy phones don't seem as dangerous as the bugs last month did.

The warehouse is creepy, if not especially unusual. Hell can be like this, on bad days. It doesn't inspire the visceral horror that it might in regular humans.

On the other hand, the lambs are a new experience, and not one that he's finding he likes. Not being alone helps, and he's content to follow Wanda's advice about being careful, keeping a safe distance from the lambs. There's a prickling under his skin that he really does not like.

Learning that they're hungry isn't a surprise, if he thinks about.]

I'd love to know how we're expected t'do that. Afraid I left my can of gasoline and lighter at home.

['Fire' is usually the most effective option for destruction, especially since there's little else he can do.

He's starting to suspect that feeding an entity might be worth it, to be able to use his damn powers again.]

Bucky/Winter | OTA

[worthallthis]

I. Arrested - CW disassociation, blood

Winter was not particularly effective at the docks. He's good at sneaking around, good at not being seen, good at sabotage in general-- but he's usually given a specific goal, and when the goal is just "get creative to stop a shipment" he's a little out of his element.

He did get caught, actively trying to smash boxes inside the van before it pulled away, and his own training kicked (never be seen, never be caught) in when the police tried to arrest him. He laid two of them out and broke several more's bones before one of them got a taser to his chest and the electricity, after so long without maintenance, laid him out embarrassingly quickly.

Now he's in a jail cell, staring vacantly at nothing, waiting for ADI to pay his bail and let him out. His nose is bloodied and face bruised and one leg is injured from a bullet he didn't quite dodge in time, not up to his usual speed without the serum at full capacity. Thankfully he was pretty much completely out of it for the cursory medical treatment he was given, or he probably would have broken more bones. Or been even more beaten.


II. Comfortably Numb - CW a little light stabbing

Winter is, however, more effective at collecting the gross phone cases. He wears the lower half of his mask, but not his goggles, as he finds his bruised face and racoon eyes make him more intimidating. When scaring people by growling low in his throat and looming isn't enough to make them turn over their contraband, he resorts to hitting them. With a metal fist. Winter is not a subtle person.

There are a lot of concussed, bloody-handed people in alleyways in his wake. He does feel kind of bad about it, but it has to be done.

He does not ever actually touch the phone cases, because he's seen this sort of behavior before and he doesn't want to risk having anything affect his mind again. Instead, he stabs them. With a knife. Sometimes with the phone still attached. Then he scrapes the things off into a bag and carries the bag back to ADI to turn in.


III. Lambs

Really, Winter should not be on this particular mission. He's still healing from the stupid police taking him out. But it's a mission, and he never turns down missions. That's not allowed. Also, the ADI medical team doesn't know about the leg wound. It's fine.

Unfortunately, the field of fluffy animals is, for some completely confusing reason, the worst thing he's seen so far. At first he can't actually make himself do anything to them. They're-- they're sheep. They're little fluffy sheep. Baby sheep. And someone is growing them. Twisting them into something wrong and horrible and unlike how they're supposed to be--

He's frozen at the sight, for a long moment, trembling a little even with his hands still on his guns, until someone else shakes him out of it. Then he starts shooting, stabbing, and yanking at the stalks, rather than the sheep themselves. He can't shoot them. They're sheep. Baby sheep.

III

[musicdied]

Yelena notes his sudden stillness. Notes, too, the faint tremor that shakes him, incongruous against the mask and tactical gear. At odds with what lies before them - horrible, of a certainty, but no more so than the boars, than the burning man, than the swarms Ren had conjured.

"Winter," she says, not quit an interrogative. Her own hand curls at her side as she checks the impulse to reach out to him, to get his attention with a touch as she would have with one of her sister Widows. She knows better. That doesn't mean the impulse is never there.

Aelwyn Abernant | OTA

[aelwyn_aberration]

I. BY HOOK OR BY CROOK

A. HOOK (closed to Jeff)

[It's early in the morning when Jeff and Aelwyn set out, or rather, it's early in the morning when Aelwyn drags Jeff from his bed kicking and screaming to go commit some crime.

Aelwyn's got a toolbox in her hand, since while she knows she can mess things up with magic, and she'll resort to that if they run out of time, but for now she can do it the long way. When they arrive at the docks and the moving vans out front, Aelwyn nods.]

Alright, I should be able to work with this. Feel like keeping a lookout while I get to work?

II. CROOK (OTA)

[She's just about wrapped up with the last van, when she's about to go. It's not like they were the only people here, and she knows that some people got caught, but she managed to explain her way out of police custody with a sweet smile and some flirtatious batting of her eyelids.

But someone clearly isn't doing too well on that front. She could use the distraction to run, like she's done before. Meredith didn't hate her for it, so it was...

No, it was wrong. That was a betrayal. Fuck this. She's done letting horrible things happen.] I see that Gloucester's finest sent their best and... unfortunately brightest to go and harass randoms.

Can I help you, gentlemen? [Now her sweet smile turns mocking. She's running interference.]

II. COMFORTABLY NUMB

[She didn't start out intending on this. She's smarter than this, smarter than some parlour trick by a second rate illusionist, or these stupid animalistic gods who preside over their armies of short-sighted idiots.

But after she picked up the first one they found in their investigation, having had to wrangle it from some stark raving woman, it's just... she likes it. Likes how it feels to not feel at all. She's staring at it in her own hand, and there's some writing on her wrist saying "DESTROY IT" and she remembers writing it but...

She looks at her partner in this investigation.] Um... so... I'm going to hold onto this, I think.

III. FEED ME, KHALIL

[Aelwyn comes out of the interogation room about forty five minutes after she first entered, her notebook in hand. She feels a lot better than she should, considering the unscrupulous methods she used, but, well, she got the job done.

It's become quite a pattern for her, enacting horrors that she's suffered onto other people.] He's going to need someone to present themselves as a more reasonable authority if we want him to stick with us, but I think I made him realize it's safer to cooperate with us.

[And if your character is giving her a particularly judgy look after her performance, she has a look of her own to return.] What?

IV. LAMB OF TARTAY

[She's outside. There's blood on her clothes from all the lambs she shot but she can't really bring herself to care much. She's earned it. Everyone else is doing their finishing up and she's keeping a distance and smoking alone like a cool loner loser.

If she spots you, she'll nod in greeting.] They're not getting easier, are they?

comfortably numb;

[ratjesus]

[ He's glad Aelwyn's with him, truth be told. She's a good kid, a smart kid, and even if she's not from New York, she's got magic that works an awful lot like Gramercy's. So yeah, maybe he's glad because he's a little homesick, too. Whatever.

They're doing a decent job: Aelwyn's got brains and Kugrash is happy to work as a distraction and let her take the lead. It's kind of nice, it's kind of nostalgic, and it would be a lot cooler if it wasn't a dire situation. They've just finished flagging down an absolutely crazy old lady, and Kugrash is about to suggest they move onto the next one when the elf speaks.

Ah, shit. ]

Are you serious?

[ Ah, fuck. ]

Satoko Houjou | OTA!

[godsyndrome]

BY HOOK OR BY CROOK

[ Perhaps strangely, Satoko was actually a little excited when she first heard about the ADI's latest mission.

After all, the worst thing that could happen to her is getting arrested. It didn’t seem to be dangerous on the level of some of the other missions the ADI gives, and besides that – this was a perfect opportunity to try out some of her traps! It feels like it’s been far too long since she’s had the chance to use them.

…Or so she’d thought. But as it turns out, setting up traps in an unfamiliar area like this is actually pretty difficult. Still, sneaking in to slash the tires of the truck when nobody was looking was fun, and she caught a couple of workers off-guard earlier when they tripped over a carefully-placed wire that sent the boxes in their hands flying… Somehow, against all logic, she’s even managed to capture a few in what seems to be some kind of net-like contraption. Creating chaos like this is a familiar kind of feeling that makes her feel useful, powerful, and as she watches her traps go off from the sidelines, it’s difficult to suppress a haughty laugh or two from slipping out.

But of course, all fun comes to an end eventually. In the process of sneaking towards the trucks in a second attempt to get at the tires, Satoko startles as a very angry looking man clamps a hand on her shoulder and spins her around. Uh-oh. She doesn’t stand much of a chance of talking herself out of this, especially considering the knife she’s holding in one hand…

Even so, Satoko smiles awkwardly and speaks first nonetheless. ]

O-ohohoho! Whatever would seem to be the problem, officer?

[ It’s obvious she’s in trouble. If you’re watching, she could definitely use a hand… unless you’re more interested in seeing how things play out! ]

COMFORTABLY NUMB

[ There’s not much Satoko can do in the way of persuading people to hand the cases over. She’s a kid, after all, and no-one’s going to listen to her as long as they’re… caught up in these strange obsessions of theirs.

So she takes to stealing. She snatches a case away from an unsuspecting owner when they’re not paying attention, and runs before they can catch her. It actually goes pretty well, all things considered, and Satoko is rather pleased with herself as she walks with the case in hand, back to where the ADI can dispose of it.

But… for some reason, somewhere along the way, Satoko’s started having second thoughts. She doesn’t know why - but suddenly… she finds she wants to keep the case for herself. The fact that she can’t even identify a reason should be setting off alarm bells in her mind, but it’s just one case, isn’t it? What’s the harm? It’s difficult to remember the reasons why she’s supposed to be destroying it, and even moreso… it’s difficult to care.

It feels nice in her hands. Like it belongs there.

All of a sudden, sensing the presence of someone approaching, Satoko whirls around, hiding the case behind her back before she can even think about what she’s doing. And, well, now that she’s hidden it, she kind of has to keep it hidden, right? Otherwise, she’d just look suspicious… right? ]

Having any luck? [ She asks, a look of feigned innocence on her face. ] I’m having some difficulties myself…

WILDCARD

[ Feel free to throw anything at Satoko here! She’s not planning to go to the warehouse, having lost confidence from being influenced by the cases and feeling she’d be a hindrance, but she could probably be persuaded to go by others! ]

By Hook or By Crook

[aelwyn_aberration]

[Honestly, it's a bit of a delight to watch Satoko work. It's clear that she's quite brilliant, and Aelwyn's mean enough that watching these strangers just stumble into elaborate fantasy Home Alone style traps is frankly hilarious. and it's made Aelwyn's job considerably easier considering all the sabotage she's had to do this morning.

She was actually just about to suggest they leave soon, since she saw the police talking to one of the others a few cars away. And then the cops are approaching Satoko, and well.

She could use this as an opportunity to get away swiftly. They'll be considerably nicer to a child who was ostensibly manipulated into this than her.

It's a half-hearted thought at best, which really is a significant step for her, despite what anyone might think. She steps out from behind the car a tight lipped smile on her own face.]

Sakura, do you have my knife? [She holds out her hand, giving a chilly stare at the cop and the way he's handling Satoko. She figures Satoko's smart enough to play along with the fake name.] Is there a problem that's causing you to manhandle eleven year olds, officer?

Andrew Jaeger | OTA

[bloodalwaystells]

THE VEGETABLE LAMB OF TARTARY (18-19 January) - cw. Body horror, scars, torture, Flesh things, dead animals

It's funny how things always turn out to be just a little more horrible than the worst that Jaeger can think of. He expects to be prepared, and then something happens and he realizes he's really not. Not the way he wishes he was. Fleshy things that shouldn't be fleshy is bad enough, but stepping into the warehouse and the reek of dead things and butchery is a more than subtle hint that it's going to be bad.

He wasn't expecting growing things, moist and crying on their vines. It's not the worst thing he's ever seen, but it's more than bad enough to make his morning coffee seem like a very bad idea. The bitter taste of acid comes back on him, and for a few moments all he can do is look around in quiet horror. Is that a bloodstained dog collar on the ground in the mess? Probably, but it's not nearly as disturbing as the scraps of actual clothing, the ball-jointed bone that could be a human femur and the sour, rotting stench of old blood and meat.

Still, he steels himself. It's a monstrosity and he knows how to deal with those. In heavy boots, jacket, and gloves, armed with both pistol and hunting knife, (and magic that he can't use, of course), he thinks he's fairly prepared to deal with things with teeth, but as it turns out...maybe not.

Because those vicious little teeth cut right through the thick material covering his hands, slicing into pale flesh underneath. Cutting one off the vine to see if it dies is a logical test, but it leaves him with a problem. A wet, whispering problem that blesses him with stinging, burning pain in his hands like the kiss of a scalpel cut.

For a moment, he just stands there, dazed and uncertain as to what exactly he was doing. The pulsing thing looks small, almost fragile in his big hands, and he shifts his grip, looking at it with clear distress.

Jaeger looks around, eyes wide and stunned, before ducking his head. Trying to curl around the phone case and at the same time making himself smaller, as if that were really an option at his size.

And maybe at the same time to hide the slow tears that well at the corners of his eyes.

[mistersquirrels]

He's gotta be honest, man, all of this, is one of the worst things he's ever seen. Just the nastiness of everything in this place is pretty much taking the cake. He's gonna have to take about 50,000 showers to ever feel clean ever again.
Did you see those walls? He saw those walls. Blech. And those awful, poor lambs...

"Hey...hey, you okay?"

He's already dealt with these awful things, been there, got the t-shirt, cried a few thousand tears himself. He can only hope that the other man hasn't actually grabbed ahold of one of these things...

Eric Matthews | OTA

[mistersquirrels]

A. Comfortably Numb - cw: injuries and blood likely

[It's a successful mission, sort of. He's managed to find and wrangle a case to ADI, except now he's standing here in the middle of a hallway at ADI, looking at the gross case in his hands.

It's just...he feels better, a lot better than he has in a long time. And why should he give it to ADI? They were just gonna destroy it anyway. And he won't get a mangled hand because reasons. He tries to slip it into his pocket but it's too late, someone is already passing by. He coughs, trying to play it off.]

Don't tell anybody I kept one of these things, okay?

B. The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary - cw: self-image/body image issues

[The whimpering, whining sounds from Eric get worse the further they go one, as the place itself gets worse and worse.]

Aw man, do we really have to do this, like--y'know, we could get someone else--this is just really nasty, all of this is just nasty...

[And it just gets nastier. He's transfixed when he manages to get close to a freshly...grown phone case, and it whispers awful things to him. Things that he believes to be true, things that are always whispering in the back of his mind.

Stupid, you were always stupid and everyone knows it.

You could stand to lose a few more pounds.

Nobody likes you. Jack doesn't like you. That's why he left with Rachel. He ran across the planet just to get away from you.]

No, it's not...that's not true, it's not.

[It's almost broken, the way Eric protests at the things, he wipes his eyes furiously with a sleeve.]

A

[musicdied]

[Yelena studies him, assessing, eyes slightly narrowed as though she's considering.

Which she is, technically. She's just not considering his request. Any chance of entertaining that sort of bad idea went out the window months ago, and even if it hadn't she's seen the damage those things can do. Numbness doesn't stop blood loss, or spare delicate muscles and ligaments from permanent damage.]

You want to make a deal?

[She cocks her head, smile friendly as she sidles closer, like she's screening him from view.]

Jerry • open

[murderology]

a: bonnie's (backdated right before event)

[ So, this plan was pretty damn genius if he does say so himself. And he does. But it requires a lot of research! And experimentation! It can't just be an ordinary stink bomb the kids would throw into their friend's lockers. It has to be a top-tier, weapons-grade, stinkbomb! Minus the physical harm. He's making sure that the worst thing to happen will be some lost lunch.

So here he is, behind Bonnie's, having created an area that can only be described as a mad scientist's junkyard. He's standing amongst an assortment of crap, most of which smells horrible, with a clothespin on his nose.

As soon as anyone comes near enough, Jerry glances up and as seriously as one can with a pinched nose— ]

Hey, gimme your sock.

b: docks

'Kay, here's what we gotta do—

[ Maybe you decided to take part in this insane plan, but even if you didn't, just happening by Jerry is enough to get you roped into this mess. Listen, these kinds of plans are never fun to do alone. This kind of thing calls for a duo, or a trio, or a ragtag group of hooligans! Either way, just enough out of the line of sight stands Jerry
with something at his feet, covered in a bedsheet. He couldn't find a tarp. Just go with it.]

—one of us will have to cause a distraction while the other sneaks the goods onto the trucks, then sneaks back out. Simple and clean. Except for the distraction part, that's probably goin' to end up with one of us getting arrested. Now, normally I would volunteer to sneak the bombs on since I know exactly how to work them, seeing as I made them and all, but they're just stink bombs, so I can totally swing a kickass distraction. What do ya think?

[ Yes he will completely gloss over mentioning of a stink bomb even if you have no idea of what he was planning. Welcome to Jerrytown, population, this nutcase. ]

c: jail

[ So, this is pretty much how he expected things to go, which is why he's not too bothered by it. In fact, he probably looks a little too comfortable, leaning back on one of the uncomfortably cold, hard benches with his arms behind his head. ]

Just according to keikaku. [ Who is he even talking to. ]

d: warehouse

Welp, this is what we in the biz call a looney fuckarooni.

[ Jerry doesn't waste any time unsheathing the sword casually hanging off his shoulder, making it as dramatic a moment as possible, getting into a battle-ready stance and everything. His gaze is steely, his posture firm, then he presses a button on the hilt of his sword and...

...music starts to play. Eye of the tiger, specifically. Also, it's being sung by Jerry, coming out of the built-in speakers he made for his sword.

His voice is just a placeholder for now okay, it's totally cool otherwise!!]

e: wildcard

[ lemme know if you want to plot something else with Jerry, I'm totally up for it! you can PM me on his journal or hmu at nicknacked ]

c

[aelwyn_aberration]

[She rolls her head back, looking at him through bleary bruised eyes. She hasn't had a great time.]

Who the fuck is Keikaku?