Evil Dead

Tirea:<You're taking this pretty well, aren't you?>

*Eve checks the message*

*Should he look back, he'll see a homeless man bolting for the nearest road. The clothing matches Senthose's earlier disguise.*
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We s#o*1d #3et. $ev#n #hi(ty in #h3 O1d 6r%st B&r. T@nlg#t.

T"Unfortunately, we need to move on."

L"Speaking of, I was thinking we should skip town after these 2 are let out of the hospital, but before they can have us declared insane. We could take a train to Bietigheim-Bissingen. We'll surely be followed, but at least we can make them come to us."

Th"But if we want to stop this, we need more information, & all of the leads we have so far are here in Pforzheim."
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*Nero pushes the door open, heading into the concrete hall lined with steel doors & hazard warnings. As they walk along, they hear someone coming down the stairs.*

Schreiber<What are you doing down here?>
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<Yeah, okay. You're kind of rambling now, Inspector.>

Astarte looked up at her and then back at Roatha for any sign of change.

Stefan saw him and yelped, tripping over himself to land on his hands and knees. He looked back again and called out.

"Yes sir, sorry sir, I am not feeling well. I'll make an appointment with my doctor and get back to you," Sidon waited for the response and ended the call, walking to the window to peer out at the street.

*Eve slowly rises to her feet, silent for a few moments before speaking*

<Everyone, I just received a strange email from someone wanting to meet with us tonight at 7:30 at the bar near campus.>

Azuma: "Odds of you all going to a seedy bar? High. And you think skipping town is going to remedy anything? The whole thing started out of town."

Kentaro: "None of you really plan on going to some bar just because a weird email said so, right?"

L"The point's not to escape, it's to take them out of their comfort zone & shake up their game. Plus getting locked up in a looney bin won't help us any."

*Thiera peers over her shoulder.*

Th"It's probably from Dr. Schreiber--uh, I say this because this code is very easy for a human to recognize, but since there's no real pattern to it, a computer would have much greater difficulty. The fact that Ira has erased evidence from our phones, coupled with the Shadow's reported reluctance to expend energy, suggests that Ira has some knowledge of invasive computer programs."

L"Okay, which bar?"

Th"Well, I don't know, I don't drink alcohol, nor do I recognize this word."

L"Oh for god's sake."

*Lilith strides over & squints.*

L"It's The Old Grist. There's usually a lot of people there & it's not far from campus. Not a convenient place to stalk or murder someone unseen. I think Thiera's right."
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*The receptionist watches him, but does not move to get up.*
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*Eventually, she emerges, followed closely by Vanessa. Roatha's just kind of standing there, staring at the ground.*

N"Looking for you, actually. Do you know a way to purge Ira from his hosts?"

Schreiber<Sure. If you'll just come with me to my office...?>

Astarte grabbed Roatha by the shoulder and tried to lead him in the appropriate direction without letting him get behind her.

Stefan scrambled towards the hospital doors.

Sidon made the appointment and found himself whiskey and a glass tumbler.

*Eve shrugs*

<If you say so. I've never been myself.>

Azuma: "Not entirely true. And that would also imply these things have a comfort zone."

Th"Which they do. Euryale, Mimiru, & Cameron were attacked when they entered the bathroom, away from prying eyes. Looking back, that creature has always appeared in remote places like that, or at night. We see the larger one even less--"

L"Because it's much more conspicuous & needs a lot more space, I get it. But the Shadow appears more-or-less anywhere."

Th"But seldom in crowds, & Ira gave us the answer for why--it would have to expend more energy that way. Meanwhile, what we know about Ira suggests that he has few abilities but to possess Roatha, and whatever knowledge he's gained throughout the years. Of course, they could always decide to throw caution to the wind, but for now, they have no reason to be in a hurry. We can use that."
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*The receptionist pointedly pretends not to notice him, sifting aimlessly through paperwork. She looks nervous.*
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*Upon reaching her office, Dr. Schreiber holds the door open for them.*

Astarte stepped behind Roatha and shoved him through the door with both hands before walking in herself.

Stefan entered the hospital and yelled at the atrociously irresponsible receptionist, "I think I'm having a heart attack!"
The intense sweat, breathing, wild eyes and hands pressed to his chest likely supported his suggestion.

Azuma: "You forget it's not just monsters on the prowl. Anyone in that bar could be there to take another swing at you."

Eve:<So the bar itself should be safe, but we will need to be careful getting there.>

Tirea:<What about us?>

Eve:<Don't worry, we won't lock you out of the loop.>

L"That reminds me, why haven't you been answering your phones?"
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*She frowns at him, clearly considering him a crazy person.*

<Can--can I get a nurse to do an examination, please?!>
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*Nero steps in, after which Vanessa & Dr. Schreiber enter, locking the door behind them.*

N"...What's going on?"

Dr. Schreiber<We don't want to be interrupted, obviously. We'll have to restrain Ira. There are some plastic ties in my desk drawer, if you wouldn't mind securing his arms & legs to my chair.>

Astarte lead him over to the chair and opened the desk drawer, "Sit down, Roatha."

Stefan waited to be attended, looking feverishly around the room.

Tirea:<Huh?>

*Roatha heads over & starts to sit down. He loses his balance & falls on the chair as his limbs abruptly jerk & his eyes go out of focus.*

Dr. Shcreiber<Shit! Do it now!>

*Vanessa runs forward, digging out her pepper spray. Roatha reaches up, grabbing at Astarte's throat as a grin spreads across his face. Nero just looks around in confusion.*
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*Nurse Leslie eventually emerges.*

Nurse<What seems to be the problem, here?>
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L"Your cell phones. We've tried calling them several times, but you haven't been answering."

"Nero! Tie him up!" Astarte yelled and grabbed Roatha's hand with both of her own and bent it back over the wrist to the point that it would break if it wasn't resisting.

"I'm having some attack!" Stefan cried.

Tirea:<We don't have them.>

Eve:<They must have been confiscated as "evidence.">

Azuma: "As was everyone else's that was at the church."

L"You're the only ones left."

T"It should be possible for us to get a couple of fairly cheap cell phones. Then at least you won't be cut off."

L"Just make sure that nobody steals them."
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*This is the point at which Astarte realizes that Roatha is much stronger than he should be, as he easily pushes back. Ramming his shoulder into her, he knocks her onto the desk & leans in to whisper in her ear.*

R"(We'll have to get to the good part in a minute, babe. Got stuff to do first.)"

*He raises his free arm to take the shot of pepper spray. While he's distracted, Nero runs around the desk to his other side.*
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<Please remain calm & come with me to the examination room. Do you need help walking there?>

Astarte lost all composure and with tears in her eyes found his ear with a dog-like bite and tried with terror-fueled determination to tear it off.

"Just lead the way," Stefan staggered towards her.

Tirea:<We'll try.>

Eve:<You know, we haven't heard anything from Nero and Astarte. They can't still be in the shower...>

L"If that's everything, we can come back later with the phones, just before we visit The Old Grist."

Th"They could just be ignoring us, but we really should check in."
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*She can't even reach his ear. Unsure of what to do, Nero grabs his arm, trying to pull him off. Ira largely ignores him, grinning smugly at Dr. Schreiber.*

R"Looks like we have ourselves a Mexican Standoff. Great as I am, I can't kill 3 people at once. 'Course, I only need to threaten to kill 1 of them to get you to back off--right?"
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*Once inside, she shuts the door.*

<Alright, let's check your breathing & heart rate. Lift up your shirt, please.*

Still desperate, Astarte yelled, "Do something! Break something!"

Stefan lifted his shirt.