Cast: Leo Messina, Solace, Dafne Rios, Samantha Lancaster
Premise: Small summery here
The Azore is a tragically dilapidated ferry boat that was built in the coal steam engine days. With a big paddle at the back, huge, half-rusted gears almost absurdly grind against each other, moving the boat along. It has been converted by the locals as a fishing boat and ferry boat between Maracaibo and Cabimas. Used by unwitting tourists and those wanting the cheapest ride across the lake to the rich fishing grounds near Cabimas, it's practically empty as dusk starts to fall behind the trees, reflecting a hazy orange sun along the pristine waters of Lake Maracaibo.
Solace may favor a femme fatale look most of the time, but this is not one of them. Oh no - well aware of the travelling plans for the day, she has dressed herself in functional khakis, boots and a safari hat. To complete her adopted persona, the brunette has deliberately mussed up her hair and pulled it into a messy ponytail, put on thick glasses and foregone all makeup. Instead, she carries with her a knapsack and a thick notebook, which she presently scribbles on while she sits on the deck of the ferry boat, as if taking notes of all the jungle scenes she is seeing.
Samantha, alas, is NOT one to dress practically. She ENJOYS her stillettos, all her skirts are short enough for easy access to her guns, and she's used to moving in her jazz baby clothes. So she picks her way onto the deck, smoking a cigarette as she goes, in a little yellow dress and matching white pumps… She grins as she looks across things…"So… nice day on the river, hmm?" She calls out with a husky voiced laugh.
Dafne stands at the bow of the ship, dressed in a fashion which seems to suit both style and functionality. From the worn leather boots to aid in trekking to her hugging white blouse to in aid in appeal. She glances at the woman speaking and shrugs. "Same as any to me."
Leo is sitting on the deck, chomping on a cigar, guarding… of all things, his fishing gear. There's a soft grin on his face as the boat trudges through the waters, letting out puffs of smoke idly as he sits back in his seat - a bunch of crates of supplies and mail from Maracaibo to Cabimas. He helps unload them and gets a free ride to the sleepy fishing town on the other side of the lake. Leo squints over to Samantha as he asks, "Did you bring your boots? The fishing grounds are sorta swampy…" A pause. "We haven't reached the river yet, Sam. C'mere and enjoy the sunset on the lake with me…"
The Captain emerges from inside the ferry and raises his cap in greeting, "Ladies and… gentleman," He hesitates saying the latter to Leo, "We just got a distress call from a fishing dingy near Cabimas. It ran into the ground or something. Cabimas Docks have given directions for us to investigate and help them out. It'll only be a quick detour…" he explains with an apologetic look. He's an older British man who seems to have gone native, as he turns and says something to his navigator. The boat seems to strain itself as it starts to veer off course towards the lake shore. He proceeds to light a cigarette, looking out towards the forested banks of the lake.
Hearing the question, Solace turns and looks up at the blonde - and yes, she does notice the stilettos. "Uhm," She stutters, playing the part of a meek scientist, while pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Yes, quite." Thoughtfully, Solace points her pencil at the blonde's outrageous footwear. "Is this wise? The boat seems rather unsteady." She trails off as the only man on deck calls to Samantha, and promptly pipes down just in time to listen to the Captain's announcement.
Samantha smiles widely towards Leo, leaning a bit closer to him and wrapping her slender arm around his waist…"I don't need boots…I always get along in these shoes, this'll be no different!" She states with a warm confidence as she lingers at the side of the boat with him, looking over to the sunset as he indicates…and then to the captain. She lofts a brow and chuckles. "See, Leo? Adventure."
Dafne turns away after listening to the captain speak. She lets out a long yawn and tilts her head to the sky, "I hate boats…" she idly laments.
Leo frowns at the announcement as he checks his watch, "But I work tomorrow…" He states with disdain, "Gotta rain on a man's fishin' night…" He offers a quick peck on Samantha's arm as he says, "Yeah yeah. Adventure. I just wanted to fish…" He says with a smirk on his face.
The ship slowly begins to scan the coast, the Captain looking out with a pair of binoculars. The moon starts to show on the other side of the sky as trees cast long shadows along the gently undulating shoreline.
Dafne rolls (+ + - +) + alertness (Great +4) [Total: 6]
Once again, Solace pushes her glasses up, as she glances out along the coastline. She doesn't have the advantage of binoculars, and with the lights dimming across the sky, it's becoming almost impossible to even take notes. Carefully, she closes her notebook and files it into her knapsack.
Solace rolls (0 + 0 0) + alertness (Good +3) [Total: 4]
You paged Dafne with 'You see what looks to be the remnants of a small white boat in a far point of the shoreline. Distressed is a mild way of putting it - it looks like it crashed badly against the shore.'
You paged Solace with 'You think you see what is a whitish splotch along the darkening coast.'
Dafne suddenly leans forwards, anchoring herself to the bow with one hand she leans out as far as she can squinting at something in the distance. "Hey- I think I see something!" she calls out to the others, pointing over yonder with her other hand.
Leo looks up from his vantage point as Dafne seems to have found something. He leans over the ship railing to try and get a better look.
The captain turns to the passengers after spending some time looking for signs of the boat, "Where?" He asks, looking incredulous. He tries again to look through the binoculars.
Samantha rolls (- + - 0) + alertness (Mediocre 0) [Total: -1]
But wait…. what's that in the distance? Solace squints in the direction Dafne is pointing, carefully rising to her feet in an attempt to see what exactly is causing the disturbance. "The white thing?" She asks aloud, having caught sight of the strangely white splotch along the coast. "Is it glowing?"
Samantha is totally oblivious to anything going on, just leaning against Leo's arm for the moment and smoking deeply of her cigarette as she tries to look, and sees nothing, frowning…"I don't see it there. What are we talking about?"
"Glinting is more like it," replies Dafne, she turns towards the ship's captain. "I think that's them," she calls out gesturing at the boat, she glances back at the point and adds, "scratch that, it's definitely them."
Aventinus rolls (+ 0 - 0) + alertness (Good +3) [Total: 3]
Leo squints as he nods to both Dafne and Solace, "Yeah, I think I can see it… Doesn't look like much of a ship…" He casually remarks as a few fingers gently roll around Samantha's shoulder.
"I see them!" The captain shouts as he sends off an order for the ship to… sort of lazily list towards the dingy.
The Captain rubs his white beard as he looks over towards the dingy. As the ferry ship slowly nears the dingy, it's clear that it has seen hard times, lying crumpled against the sandy shore as if a model boat had been thrown there by an angry child. It's actually a little more substantial than a dingy, with its own sail and small motor. The captain frowns as a walk plank is lowered towards the shore, the captain and one of his men walking over to inspect it. Various fisherman's tools and ice boxes are strewn on the lake shore, and on the grimy boat hull, red streaks, as if blood.
Solace remains on the ferry boat, though as the captain and his man literally walk the plank, the faux-scientist privately wonders if she is, in fact, on the better boat. "Captain?" She calls out hesitantly, leaning slightly over the railing to see what's going on. "What do you see?"
Dafne leans against the side of the boat as she diverts her attention between examining the crashed boat and watching the Captain investigate. One arm idly reaches out a begins tracing circles in the water while the dark blonde woman asks the questions that need to be asked.
Samantha keeps close to Leo, frowning…"What… the hell happened, really?" She inquires as she stares over the bit of the thing, still not seeing many details. Maybe it's her overly large white sunglasses that she finally pushes back into her bobbed hair, better able to see the whole area now.
"Well, let's see…" Leo remarks as he kisses Samantha on the cheek and stands up, walking down the plank.
"Blood. Lots of it…" the Captain sort of mutters back as he slowly circles the wreckage of the ship. "Know there's been some sort of croc-o-dile or 'gator that the locals have mentioned, but they don't exist in these parts…" He scratches his head as the three men look around to investigate.
ooc Another round of 'roll alertness' please, and whatever skill you want to roll that may be relevant.
Samantha rolls (- 0 0 +) + alertness (Mediocre 0) [Total: 0]
Solace rolls (+ + - 0) + alertness (Good +3) [Total: 4]
You paged Samantha with 'You continue to see nothing. :('
Dafne rolls (0 - - -) + allertness (Mediocre 0) [Total: -3]
Dafne rolls (0 - - 0) + alertness (Great +4) [Total: 2]
You paged Dafne with 'From your vantage point on the ship, you see nothing other than the wreckage and a few streaks of red as indicated by the captain.'
You paged Solace with 'You see a thin line of red from the boat that seems to disappear into the jungle.'
Solace clasps a hand over her mouth at the mention of a whole lot of blood, and the insinuation that it's a result of a reptile feeding frenzy. Her disgust aside, Solace blinks as she catches sight of… something else. Leaning forward more, she peers down into the mucky river, her gaze following something in the water. "Look!" She points towards the nearby darkened jungle. "There is a trail of blood! Leading that way! There might be survivors!"
Dafne cautiously withdraws her hand from the water after noting the blood smeared on the side, she glances around the shore and water while resting a hand on her revolver. Her head snaps towards the dark blonde woman and then towards the jungle where she is pointing, "Why would they go deeper into the jungle? Wouldnt it have been easier for them to wait for help?"
Samantha frowns even deeper…"What in the bloody world are you ladies talking about? And if it's blood, isn't that a bit… dangerous?" Sam seems, for just a moment, nervous. She speaks a lot about adventure but as for actually going on one, she's never really been seen to do so yet.
Leo tosses his cigar stub into the water as he looks around the wreckage and up to where the blood trail is. He scratches his head as he says, "Well, do we go in and see if anyone's still alive?" Leo asks as he lets out a sigh. "Shit…" He mutters as he looks at the smears of blood.
"Up to you all. We could just high tail it back to town if everyone wants. Fuck the survivors… it's getting dark…" the Captain remarks with a shrug. A breeze blows through the area, making the entire landscape rustle. Not even the frogs are up as the last spokes of light fill the sky and the crew offers small lanterns for everyone.
"Uhm," Solace hesitates at Dafne's question, which seems rather logical, after all. She may be the meek scientist, but at the Captain's casual dismissal of the survivors, she straightens up and looks all righteous. "That's hardly the gentlemanly thing to do, sir! If there are survivors, we should attempt a rescue!" Careful now, Solace, no need to play the part too well.
Dafne ambles over the side of the boat and down the plank all the while pulling her weapon from its bed. "The mousy one is right, if there's a chance they're alive and just have no sense we should go after them."
Samantha frowns a bit more, but she breathes deeply and nods. "Alright… adventure, right?" She half smiles to Leo, trying to hide any tiny sort of worry before she heads towards the edge of the boat, still moving comfortably in her high heels even if the mud is on the horizon…
"Shouldn't the ladies stay on the boat?" Leo idly asks as he pats himself down to dig up another cigar, waving a match in front of it to light the cheap Dominican. He takes pause as Samantha walks down the plank, "Shouldn't you be wearing boots, young lady?" He offers a nod to Dafne as he looks up and seems to wait and see if Solace comes true to her word.
The captain lets out a sigh and shrugs, "Up to them. If they want to see if there are survivors, well, I guess that's the gentlemanly thing to do." Light goes out quick in the lake, the flickering of lanterns casting odd shadows between the trees.
Her bravado aside, Solace is clearly unarmed. She piddles for a moment on deck, waiting for those properly armed and ready for action to go first. "Not if we can help!" She adds to Leo, and only then does she collect up her knapsack and follow the others, stepping warily on to the plank, the boat platter and finally solid ground.
Dafne rolls (0 0 0 +) + alertness (Great +4) [Total: 5]
Solace rolls (- + - -) + Investigation (Great +4) [Total: 2]
You paged Samantha with 'You look down and you see that the bloody trail has no footprints - something has been dragged behind, wiping any prints away.'
You paged Solace with 'You notice that the fish on the icebox have been… for lack of better words, munched on. The teeth marks, however, are not indicative of any animal and certainly no reptile… they look almost as if a man had bitten into them.'
Samantha looks down, frowning a touch deeper as she looks at the soil…"Can't tell what made the trail…it seems it was dragging something, wiped all the footprints out." Sam seems determined to come along and is, surprisingly, light enough that her heels aren't sinking into the ground as she walks. Possibly she's just putting pressure on the balls of her feet.
You paged Dafne with 'The forest is dark and foreboding - the wreckage and everything about this place feels wrong. Your danger senses are tingling but it's pretty amorphous and you can't really point to any single thing or moment that seems to bother you. The lack of any animal or animal sound in what is a wild lake is also disconcerting.'
Dafne cautiously walks along the blood trail, her revolver at the ready. "Boy, ever wish you could eat your own words?" she remarks to anyone willing to listen.
Leo keeps Samantha tight as he leans over, "Keep close…" he whispers to Samantha as he takes out his shotgun.
The captain orders the crew to withdraw the plank and keep guard as he starts to follow the trail into the jungle. It's a sandy, loamy mud that makes odd sounds as it sinks and compresses, the lake making the usually dry forest of the lake sort of hot and humid.
Clutching her knapsack to her chest, Solace bends over to peer at the icebox on the dingy. Giving her glasses another push, she hesitantly reaches down to poke at one of the frozen fish inside. "Something has been… gnawing on the fish." Clearing her throat, she straightens up and turns towards the Captain. "Captain? Do the local fishermen eat their catch raw and frozen? Because I am quite certain some/ONE/ has been gnawing on the fish."
The captain stops in his tracks as he faces Solace, "'Scuse me, m'Lady?" He moves over towards where the fish are strewn on the shore, glancing back Leo and the rest of the passengers and walking back over. "Well no. I mean. No. They don't eat… Oh boy." He just sort of scratches his head, looking confused and overwhelmed as he slowly starts to lead the party into the forest.
Samantha keeps close to Leo, as instructed, and she herself draws both of them guns from her thigh holsters, just incase she might need them…"Shit…what… what are you all thinking?" She mutters quietly, trying to hide the fear in her voice and probably rather failing…
Dafne looks over at the captain, "Do you think they were attacked?" she asks, while keeping her weapon pointed into the jungle.
Solace stays rooted to her spot for a moment or two, privately pondering the Captain's uncertain response. "Yes. Well." She murmurs, but nonetheless turns to follow the rest of the party. Leo looks suitably burly and appropriately armed, so the mousy scientist allows him to step past before falling in line behind him. "Perhaps we should assume these poor fishermen had been waylaid by some unsavory locals." She adds, calling out from behind.
Leo holds Samantha close for a moment, offering a chuckle and whispering, "Hey, you wanted an adventure, right?" He is, nonetheless tense, frequently panning the scenery to see if he can see anything through the dark night and shadows. The full moon does nothing to illuminate the forest, except to cast an eerie sheen of light on the occasional leaf or treebark.
The captain lets out a deep breath and replies to Daphne, "I… I don't know." He pauses, "Well, likely. But no one lives out here. Not even natives. This is all swamp and unexplored jungle. A lot of them trees are old gro…" the captain suddenly trips, stumbling down to the ground, "What the?" he asks as he illuminates what looks to be a very old piece of military electronic equipment.
[OOC] Solace says, "Sorry, jumped the queue there. Put my pose after Leo's."
Samantha rolls (0 - - +) + investigation (Good +3) [Total: 2]
Samantha keeps close to Leo, though her hands are free… or, more so, her hands are remaining filled with her guns and ready to fire should something go wrong. She blinks over the equipment, confusion clouding her face quietly as she studies the thing…"What…int he world…is it?"
Dafne rolls (- + 0 +) + engineering (Good +3) [Total: 4]
Solace rolls (0 + + 0) + investigation (Great +4) [Total: 6]
You paged Dafne with 'You can identify it as a primitive radio of some kind used in the Great War, probably on the German side.'
You paged Solace with 'You recognize it as a primitive radio of some kind used in the Great War. You notice upon inspection that there is sound coming from the rudimentary transmitter akin to static.'
Dafne squats down next to the captain's obstacle, she brushes aside the sand and utters an intrigued 'hmm'. "It's a radio," she remarks, after further examination she adds, "it's German from what I can tell.."
Leo furrows his brow as he keeps watch over Samantha and observes Solace and Dafne investigate the radio. He blows smoke from his cigar as the dim light illuminates his face. "German? What's a German… thingamabober doing here?" Leo asks.
The Captain dusts himself off as he takes a better look at the ancient gadget, "Yeah. It's a pretty damn old thing. Hardly even a radio…" he mutters as he takes out a cigarette and lights it.
Solace steps past Samantha and Leo as Dafne points out the radio, crouching down to examine the equipment as well. While the other woman is checking the machine's origins and perhaps mechanics, Solace carefully presses her ear to the box. "Extraordinary!" She exclaims, pulling away to test one of the switches. "It is clearly Great War vintage, but it is still receiving. But how can this be? Where is the power coming from?"
You paged Samantha with 'You see, as you do a cursory look of the artifact, what looks to be a severed hand.'
Samantha goes just a bit pale at something, frowning…"D-does…anyone else see that…? Is that a hand?" She is still holding her guns, almost a bit too tightly, but she is looking more nervous than even before. Possibly she never has had 'adventure' experience, truly./
Dafne rolls (+ 0 0 -) + engineering (Good +3) [Total: 3]
You paged Dafne with 'It's a Tesla transmission. There's something in the jungle of unknown origin that seems to be keeping it powered decades after the batteries have corroded away.'
Dafne pops open a small hatch in the back and grimaces, "It's definitely not batteries," she says, just in time to miss Samantha's observation. "Only thing I could think of is a Tesla transmission but that means something here has to be powering it.."
Leo pokes at the hand, "That's definitely a hand…" He says as he gingerly picks it up to take a better look. As it reaches his face, the hand suddenly seems to grasp at Leo as Leo throws it down to the ground, "Motherfucker!" He growls as the hand sprawls again. He takes deep breaths, visibly shaken by it.
The Captain leans over and pokes it with a metal stick, the hand 'tensing' with each poke. "Huh. Lookit that. Like them frog legs and electricity at the world fair…" he remarks, "Judging by how fresh that hand looks, we must've missed them by less than an hour.
Samantha rolls (- 0 0 -) + investigation (Good +3) [Total: 1 Vs 2]
Dafne rolls (0 - - -) + alertness (Great +4) [Total: 1]
Solace rests her elbow on a raised knee while Dafne performs her engineering assessment of the radio. "This is most peculiar, to say the least…" She almost jumps at Leo's sudden outburst, turning her attention to the commotion over a…. what's this? A disembodied /hand/? "Oh dear." Solace gasps, almost losing her balance for a moment. Cautiously, she steps over to peer down at it, but no, she's not /touching/ that thing!
Aventinus rolls (+ - 0 +) + Alertness (Good +3) [Total: 4]
Samantha is totally oblivious, frowning as she looks down to the hand but she doesn't seem willing to get close enough to investigate it…"What… what would rip a hand off like that?" She asks nervously.
Dafne seems to be wrapped up in examining the radio, she puts her ear against the speaker and listens carefully.
Aventinus rolls (+ 0 - 0) + guns (Fair +2) [Total: 2]
The breeze picks up again, the leaves of the trees rustling and making all sorts of sounds as wood and leaves scrape against each other, then a crackling of twigs. Suddenly Leo takes his shotgun and shoots into the darkness, the bang echoing into the air and shooting… into a tree… as he cocks the shotgun and looks around as the breeze dies down. "Someone… or something's here…" He mutters softly.
The Captain says, "All right folks. I don't like the looks of this place. We should get the hell out now!" he exclaims under his breath as he looks over to Dafne, "Take that with you. We need to get going…"
Solace rolls (0 + + +) + alertness (Good +3) [Total: 6]
Dafne rolls (0 + 0 +) + alertness (Great +4) [Total: 6]
Samantha rolls (+ 0 + -) + alertness (Mediocre 0) [Total: 1]
The strong breeze seems to be a harbinger to come, as heavy drops of cold rain starts to fall upon the landscape. Lightning flashes in the distance, thunder roaring as a veritable thunderstorm kicks in. A sharp bolt of lightning illuminates the sky.
You paged Solace with 'With that flash of lightning, you notice on the trees, a scrap of fabric nailed to a tree indicating the royal arms of the German Empire dating back to the Great War. You also see eyes looking right at you - upon closer inspection, it's a grizzly body roped against the tree, its hands and feet missing, clearly dead but seeming alive as the wind and rain keeps it fluttering in the breeze.'
You paged Dafne with 'You notice a blade of grass that has a few bits of red in it. As you walk closer to the tall grass, you see a fresh torso in the grass, someone or something having gnawed and eaten through some of the flesh.'
You paged Samantha with 'With the bolt of lightning, you notice that what you thought had been vines and ivy are actually hanging skeletons of people… flesh veritably gnawed away from the burned bone.'
Upon hearing that loud bang of gunfire, Solace-the-Scientist ducks her head out of sheer survival instinct. "Yes, yes, I agree. That is likely the wisest course of…" She is cut off rather abruptly by the completely unexpected roar of thunder - yet it is not the thunder that shocked her into stunned silence, but something she evidently sees in the jungle, if only a momentarily glimpse provided by the lightning's illumination. She stumbles back, unable to take her eyes away from the ghastly sight, before letting out an appropriately feminine scream of terror.
Aventinus rolls (0 - - 0) + alertness (Good +3) [Total: 1]
Aventinus rolls (- - - 0) + guns (Fair +2) [Total: -1]
Samantha blinks slightly, turning her head…staring at the jungle faintly, but not entirely certain she's seeing what she's seeing. And when she's terrified, she doesn't scream. She just goes quiet. dead…. Dead quiet…
Dafne scoops up the radio and hugs it under one arm, she jumps slightly as Solace lets out her shriek. Dafne quickly hurries over to aid the woman, "What the ma-AAHHHH!" The young woman nearly tumbles over at the shocking and real image of a half eaten human torso.
Leo raises his lantern towards what Samantha sees as he notices that the ivy and vines that they had been trudging through and rustling against their shoulders have actually been stringed up skeletons, flesh gnawed from the bone. Leo starts spewing obscenities in Italian as he shouts through the roar of the storm, "C'mon! We need to get back to the boat!" He shoots without heed into the dark of the forest.
"Good God!" The Captain explaims as he sees the grizzly findings of Dafne and Solace, one of the fisherman roped against a tree with his limbs missing, the other nothing but a half-cannibalized torso. He barely keeps from vomiting, holding his mouth as he shivers in the rain.
ooc Please roll resolve, everyone.
Samantha rolls (+ - 0 0) + resolve (Mediocre 0) [Total: 0]
Solace rolls (+ + + +) + resolve (Fair +2) [Total: 6]
Dafne rolls (0 - 0 0) + resolve (Mediocre 0) [Total: -1]
Aventinus rolls (- - + -) + resolve (Great +4) [Total: 2]
Dafne rolls (- + 0 -) + resolve (Mediocre 0) [Total: -1]
A bit of Solace's true self breaks through her masquerade, as the woman quickly collects herself despite her apparent terror, rising to her feet and starting to retreat from the grisly scene. She hasn't taken two steps before noticing Dafne, who appears to be quite frozen with fear. Reaching out to grab the other woman's arm, Solace shakes Dafne vigorously. "Come! We must get out of here! Now!" If she can't shake Dafne out of it, she tries to drag her along.
Dafne's eyes seem locked on the grisly site as she maintains a death grip on the radio. The girl is definitely shaken by the sight and shows no sign of snapping out of it anytime soon, she is pale even for a fair skinned person.
Samantha swears deeply, shaking a moment, but then she seems to pull out of whatever almost trance she went into…"Yes… this… we gotta go, now!" She snaps, moving for the door, stopping as she realizes Dafne is froze. She frowns to Leo, "Help her!"
The storm is relentless as it lashes at our band of adventurers, rain practically horizontal and stinging against the skin as lighting and thunder crash on all sides of the forest.
Leo runs over to Dafne, "C'mon, gal! We need to go!" He tries to shake Dafne. "What!?" He asks Samantha, barely able to hear her through the rain as he just picks up Dafne on one shoulder like a caveman and starts to go with Solace and Samantha back towards the ship.
The Captain huffs and puffs as the old man chases after the group, shouting a stream of obscenities along the way.
Dafne rolls (0 + - +) + resolve (Mediocre 0) [Total: 1]
With radio-girl taken care of, Solace turns to flee ahead of cavemane Leo. She can only pray that with the rain doesn't make things too slippery that she'd lose her footing along the way. Falling in a dark, soaking jungle will be quite bad.
Bump. Bump. Bump. That seems to be Dafne's world right now as the man hauls her and the radio through the jungle, at least until one particularly intense bump smashes her face against the mans back dazing the girl but also snapping her out of her funk.
Samantha is dashing as fast as her high heels will let her and, strangely, it's pretty damn fast! Apparently, she's good at keeping on her feet in those little shoes.
Leo is running as fast as he humanly can carrying Dafne on his shoulder. Even though he feels her stir from her daze, on his shoulder and clutching that radio for dear life, Leo continues to run with Dafne behind Solace and Samantha.
*GRK!* is the only sound that is made… the Captain nowhere to be seen.
Solace rolls (0 - + +) + alertness (Good +3) [Total: 4]
Samantha rolls (- 0 0 +) + alertness (Mediocre 0) [Total: 0]
Dafne rolls (0 - - 0) + alertness (Great +4) [Total: 2]
You paged Solace with 'You see what looks to be a figure of a man dashing in the trees as a massive bolt of lightning flares up the skies.'
You paged Samantha with 'You see nothing.'
You paged Dafne with 'You see a moving shadow of sorts at the corner of your eye.'
Solace ducks her head again when another thunderclap cracks overhead, but she never falters in her steps as she dashes through the jungle. From the corner of her eyes she notices movement in the trees, and hurriedly shouts a warning to her fellow passengers. "Look out! There's one in the trees over there!"
"I see it!" cries Dafne as she props 'Remy', her Remington Arms revolver, against the radio in her other arm and snaps a shot at the figures.
Samantha is oblivious. She doesn't see it, isn't able to shoot it. Hell, she's probably good for little more than bait at this point….
There's a bloodcurling roar as Dafne seems to be able to nail one with her gun. Leo is less fortunate, hitting the trees like Samantha. "Where's the Captain?!" He shouts before shaking his head, "Go go go!" he shouts, trying to herd Samantha, Solace, and Dafne towards the ship.
Solace doesn't stop; it's impossible to tell if she is even aware the Captain is missing, or she simply does not care at this junction. As she is not even bothering to turn and fire, Solace is sure to be leading the retreat by now, but least now the boat is in sight.
Dafne taps Leo on the back. "Wait! But we can't just leave him there," she says, keeping a wide eye on the jungle behind them.
Leo pants as he stops and looks back at the jungle. "Goddammit, we need to get on the boat…" He barely pauses, panting as he spits on the ground, "Ok. You go back and I'll…" There's a bloodcurling scream from the near-distance, panicked terror in the sound as they chill to the bone. Leo cocks his shotgun and starts running towards the screams but they abruptly stop. "That answer your question?"
Dafne gazes into the jungle for a moment after the screams cease. "…Lets get out of here," she replies finally, starting to backpedal while she covers Leo until he catches up.
"The plank!" Leo shouts towards the boat as Solace, Samantha, and Dafne all arrive on the shore. The crew is already prepared to lower the plank, having heard the echo of guns and screams through the torrential rain.
"Where's the Captain?" the Navigator asks as he looks at the rain-soaked passengers of the ferry.
Samantha dashes onto the ship, breathless and terrified, her unfired guns in her hands. Apparently, as flashy as she is with wearing the guns, she isn't all that courageous when she's actually in the face of life or death stress….
Solace comes to a halt at the shore, waving urgently at the navigator for the plank. "Let us discuss it when we are safely on board, sir! Hurry, please!"
Leo runs up the plank and helps the crew pull the plank up. The torrential rain eases to a rain shower, pitter-pattering onto the murky lake. This time, the sounds of frogs and insects come alive with the rain. Lightning flashing in the distance, the very rocks of the forest seem to emit a strange silvery glow as the ferry starts to move away from the lake shore.
Samantha carefully slips one of her guns back into her holster, looking off the ship's bow, preparing to fire if she needs to, incase they were followed, even if she can hardly see through ANYTHING in this rain…
A good hour passes as the rain comes to a halt. The gas light glow of Cabimas visible as the the ferry finally starts to drift lazily towards the fishing town. Leo stands outside, a blanket draped on his form. The moon is miraculously out again, peeking out of the clouds as the crew and passengers solemnly float towards civilization. Solace is beneath, sleeping off this nightmare as
Leo keeps silent watch, another lit cigar in mouth.
Samantha is sitting on the deck now, strangely quiet. Things are always bad when Samantha gets quiet. She's put away all her guns, for the moment, her glasses lost somewhere in the dash back, blonde hair painted to her head and face with the rain…
Dafne sits at the bow where she stood earlier with her knees hugged to her chest. She at Leo then from Leo to Samantha, "So…" Dafne begins, breaking the silence and producing the radio they had found earlier, "how do we explain this?"
Leo turns and grips Samantha by the shoulders, resting his head against hers for a moment before he turns to Dafne, "I mean. We all… shit. We all saw whatever the hell was out there…" He says, shaking his head. He looks down at the radio and lets out a puff of smoke. His shotgun is left on a crate nearby as he says, "I… I don't know."
There's a loud thud from the back of the ferry, clearly startling Leo as he asks, "Did y'all hear that?"
Samantha jumps a moment, standing up again, her guns out once more in the split of a heartbeat. She knows how to use the things well, at least. "So…so… we don't go back there…end of story. We learned our lesson…pray for those people lost… and…. yeah…" But she heard it, and she's nto really thinking about anything but what is on the back of the boat now
Dafne's hand is like lightning drawing her Remy and aiming it towards the other end of the boat. "There's no way we can ignore that island…" replies Dafne, still half-ensconced by the conversation.
Leo lets out another plume of smoke, "Y'all hold still, okay? Prolly just a crate or something that fell down to the ground…" Cracking his knuckles, he gently raps his knuckles against the door, "Go warn the crew if something goes bad… prolly nothing though…" he ambles over to the back of ship.
Samantha's eyes go wide, "No! Leo, I'm not letting you go alone!" Sam states flatly, following after him as quick as she can, fast on her heels and with her guns. She's definitely not going to let him venture off to be killed without her.
Dafne glances around, suddenly alone at the bow of the ship. "Er- wait for me!" she calls as she runs to catch up to Leo and Sam's retreating backs.
Leo pauses, "C'mon ladies, just stay put? Nothing's going to happen…" he starts to say. Rising from behind one of the crates and Leo is a dark outline of a thin, wirey human, jagged knife gleaming in the light as it slowly moves to kill the oblivious Leo. It suddenly hisses and lunges forward, a mask of the Captain's skinned face bleeding and on whatever it is, illuminated by the dim gas lamps.
Dafne rolls (+ + 0 0) + guns (Great +4) [Total: 6]
Samantha rolls (+ 0 0 +) + guns (Great +4) [Total: 6]
The… whatever it was is nailed hard by Dafne and Samantha's hail of bullets, flying off of the ship and landing with a loud splash in the lake. Other than a trail of blood and despite efforts of the crew to recover a body, it's gone. Leo looks shocked and just sort of breaks out into a laugh, not knowing what else to do.
The Azore finally completes its bizarre and extended trip to Cabimas, coming a good 10 hrs late.
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