Who said anything about being missing in action?

[secondcity_npc]

Characters: NPCs and you!
Time: Wednesday, after sunset
Location: Oriental Theatre (Ford Center for the Performing Arts), ANYWHERE ELSE YOU WANT Jump into one of the later threads if you want a vamp attack!
Content: Remember those missing people? Maybe you can find them!
Format: Whichever you prefer
Warnings: Vampires.

Comments

[secondcity_npc]

"Some shitty pizza guy I am if I'm lost," the man answered wetly. A thin line of red dripped from the corner of his mouth as he pulled a pizza out of the bag. "It's 24 West Randolph."

He shoved the pizza at Chauvelin, the smell of hot bread and melted cheese rising. "You the guy who ordered the pie?"

Threadjacked by a nun 8D

[fightanddefend]

Finding evidence of the Order in this Chicago had proven to be completely useless. The location of the Chicago branch would have been on the other side of the fog as it was, which made this entire day a frustrating waste. Rosette had given up and started to head back to the hotel, passing by a theater that was lit up - why? - and a couple people standing outside, one that looked like he belonged on that stage and the other carrying - oh man that smelled like food. Talk about an instant distraction.

She made her way over to the two men, slowing a bit as she took in the details. Her surprise at the fact that people evidently delivered pizza around here - if that wasn't just the bee's knees - slowly gave way to suspicion. Why was there red dripping on the pizza guy's face, and what was it?

She came close enough to hear the conversation and be noticed, inched just a bit closer because that pizza smelled really good, and stopped, waiting to see just how this would play out.

[tinybutfierce]

Karrin was driving her burrowed car, on her way back to the hotel. She'd decided to actual go get some groceries since she was tired of eating out which had resulted in her taking the car instead of walking. She'd mostly gotten junk food but there were some simple things too like bread, mac 'n cheese, ramen, and other such 'easy fixings.' Sure she could cook, but she had other concerns in a town that wasn't her home.

She slowed the car down as she turned on to the road with the theater. Odd, she hadn't expected it to be showing anything tonight. Granted, if other businesses were still working she figured the theater had to live by their motto 'the show must go on.' She couldn't imagine sitting still in a theater in a place like this though.

Karrin shook her head and slowly drove the car closer. She was a little surprised to see that the show was set outside or at least that was what she thought given the guy in the cloak talking to, of all things, a pizza-man. Of course, she also noticed Rosette. She'd met the nun briefly when they'd first arrived. Karrin pulled the car over near Rosette and rolled down the window, "Need a ride?" She glanced at the cape-man and pizza-man. Something was weird about the both of them.

[agentphones]

Unlike many other people, who happened to find the area by pure happenstance, Spin had taken note of the lights from a distance and gotten a little excited. The theater, man! What wasn't to look forward to about that? What were they playing tonight? Hopefully a musical. He should call J and let him know if it was something good, and Presley knew that they were really in the need of a good night of relaxation.

As he neared, caught up in the excitement of finding the place, he caught sight of a pair of familiar faces nearby: Miss Murphy speaking with Miss Rosette from a car window. Good to see they were both doing well--not that Spin really had any doubt that Miss Murphy would do any less. He didn't want to bother their conversation with any pointless banter, though, and he moved on, past the delicious scent of pizza by the two men...

Spin's pace suddenly slowed, to a stop, and he looked back at the pair. He... couldn't be sure, maybe he was just missing it in the overall melody of the scene, but it felt like something there was... missing. The agent swallowed, and put on a light smile, approaching. "Wow, those must be some tasty pies, with that smell comin' through the skies. Whoever ordered's got a real surprise comin' their way, I'd surmise." He raised an eyebrow at the delivery guy. "Took a sample yourself, I guess? Some sauce right here, made a little mess." He pointed to his mouth to show.

Playing nonchalant was pretty hard, Spin was finding, but he nudged the other fellow in the side, a friendly nudge. The two of them were dressed nice enough, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine they were on the way to a show, right? "Though, man, got no time to be impressed, the show's about to progress! Come on, I hear this show's a real success."

[123_geese]

Chauvelin glanced at the nearest street sign, then back at the man with annoyance. Still, it was the delivery man's tone which set off Chauvelin, not his apparent lack of pathfinding skills. How dare a serving boy talk to him in that tone? He backed away from the red bag that was interfering with what little personal space he could find for himself in the crowd.

"I suggest you adjust your tone," he hissed, "this isn't--"

And then there was Spin. The little Frenchman was suddenly an inch off balance, confused, and (as was par for the course) angry. He shot Spin a flustered, annoyed glare. "I am not here for the show," he said in as even a tone as he could manage.

[secondcity_npc]

The pizza guy began looking a little anxious as a crowd gathered around. "So, not yours, eh Frenchy?" He offered the box to Rosette as he scrubbed discreetly at the dribble of red. Anyone with a particularly developed sense of smell might notice the familiar telltale tang of blood. "You ordered the pie, miss?"

Then to Spin. "Your pie?"

[fightanddefend]

Rosette glanced back as Murphy drove up - she still couldn't get over how incredible the cars looked here. "Maybe." She nodded towards the pizza guy. "Does he seem a little...I dunno, off to you?" Of course, she made that assessment in front of a guy wh looked old-timey even to her and someone who had started speaking in rhyme, but neither of them really made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up like the pizza guy did.

Of course, having said that, she jumped when he offered her the pizza. "I- no."

[tinybutfierce]

This was starting to look a little ridiculous. Karrin put the car in park and looked over at the pizza guy talking to Spin and the guy in the opera cape. Huh. Karrin looked back at Rosette and was about the answer when the pizza guy came close to Rosette to ask about the pizza. She noticed him scrubbing at the trail of red on his face but unfortunately all she could smell off of him was the tell-tale smell of cheese and warm bread. Still, Rosette was right, there was something...off-putting about him.

"I might have to agree on your assessment there." She wondered if getting out of the car would be wise. The pizza man was looking a little anxious about the attention from Spin and Opera Coat. Karrin sighed and got out of the car but continued standing beside it, using the door as a sort of barrier between herself and the others, also unbeknown to the others present she was carrying a gun concealed in her jacket. "What address are you looking for? I don't think anyone ordered a pie to eat during a show, they don't usually allow food inside."

[agentphones]

Despite the Frenchman's clear irritation, Spin kept his smile cordial, though it was growing a bit more forced as the delivery boy's silence spooked him further. "'Scuse me, sir, for assuming, I guessed based on your fine grooming, but surely you should be resuming whatever it is you were doing?" He just really wanted to clear out the area.

When the guy turned the pizza on him, Spin's smile grew even stiffer, and he took a reflexive step back. "You sure you didn't... mishear the address or something, sir? This is a little bit uptown for Delivery, after all."

[123_geese]

At Murphy's arrival, Chauvelin turned, leaving his back to the pizza guy.

"Is everyone in this town so keen on interfering with eachother's business?" He asked to no one in particular.

Then, to Spin: "Indeed! That does seem to be the best course of action. And I am glad you seem to have more sense than this fool of a serving boy," he gestured to Pizza Guy.

[secondcity_npc]

"Address I've got is 24 West Randolph," the pizza guy said in response to Spin. He eyed Murphy and Rosette with something like nervousness but shrugged and held up the box. "Some practical joker must've called for an order. Happens all the time."

But when Chauvelin turned away from him, the pizza guy made his move, flinging the box of still hot pizza at Spin as he grabbed Chauvelin, putting the Frenchman between himself and Murphy and Rosette. Up close and without the distracting scent of pizza, the pizza delivery guy smelled like grave rot, dry and long dead. "Now you, Frenchy, smell delicious," the vampire hissed, blood dribbling out of the corner of his mouth again.

[fightanddefend]

Of course. Of course the thing would grab the old-timey guy. Of course he'd block their shot. Why the hell was Rosette even surprised at this sort of thing anymore?

"Damn it!" She opened the foremost pouch on her holster, pulled out a small glass vial filled with clear liquid, uncorked it, and threw it in a high arc at the creature holding the Frenchman hostage. "Hey ugly! Catch!"

From what she knew, most demons and other generally nasty creatures weren't too fond of holy water.

[tinybutfierce]

"You're in my town, everyone's business is my business," Karrin retorted to the guy in the opera cloak. Well, okay, so that wasn't completely true given that she was no longer on the police force, but HE didn't need to know that.

And before Karrin could do much else, the pizza guy made his move. A vampire pizza guy, Karrin wondered what Harry would have to say about that. She cursed under her breath though as the vampire made it clear that he wasn't going to give Karrin or Rosette a clear shot. Did he know they had guns or was he just taking a precaution. Rosette was a step ahead though, having a vial of holy water on her. Not that Karrin realized what it was at first, but the girl was wearing a nun's habit so...that had to be it right. She looked down at the younger girl, "Got a cross on you too?"

[agentphones]

Okay seriously it should not be this hard to pick up on the hint to leave very quickly and now look where we were, Spin had cheese and tomato sauce on his pantleg and the Frenchman was being held up by the empty-sounding not-really-deliveryboy. Spin had to wonder why a dead thing would even bother pretending to be a deliveryboy, but judging by circumstances, it seemed that this ruse wasn't exactly a failure, so...

Not that Spin was planning to let it be a success, either.

The dead guy hadn't really thought it through if he thought throwing pizzas at someone with good reflexes would keep his rear safe. It looked like Rosette was throwing something at the guy--things that nuns did to haunted stuff was usually reliable--so all Spin needed to do was keep the stinky, silent spectre from getting out of the way, right? Right!

Clearly, truly, the best method was to try grappling the dead guy from behind. If nothing else, it would distract him from hurting the French guy any further?

[123_geese]

Meanwhile, the afore-mentioned unlucky French guy was wriggling and making very undignified noises. For Chauvelin, dead things were fine. Dead things that insisted on moving about (and grabbing him) were right out. Considering the first person he'd met in the city was an eight foot tall walking skeleton, his reaction to walking, rotting corpse was less severe than it might have been otherwise.

Still, having his face so very, very near the thing's drooling mouth and decayed breath was unpleasant, to say the least.

There was movement from a little ways off -- one of the women was throwing something. Chauvelin hoped the action would make the fiend's grip relax just a little, he only needed an inch or so to reach the pistol tucked into the rear of his belt.

[secondcity_npc]

The holy water sizzled on the vampire's skin and it screamed, jerking away from Chauvelin in reflex, avoiding any more of the liquid that had splashed on the Frenchman. "This is our city, you fools," it hissed, backing into Spin. The vampire grinned again and grabbed for Spin, teeth still bared and ready to sink into the man's throat. "Our city, and you're just food for the taking."