Evil Dead

Taiyo just kind of picks at whatever pizza was given to her.

"You could probably name anybody... uh, but maybe the priest and Steven?" Astarte pulled her hands closer to her chest, her terrified-but-optimistic expression brightening just a little.

Stefan's anxiety mounted in the silence and he ended up in the fetal position.

*Eve hangs up and takes some pizza, dabbing at the grease with her napkin*

<Maybe we should contact Dr. Schreiber before tonight.>

"No, dumbshit, who brought you to the forest in the first place?"

*He waits a moment, then abruptly backhands Astarte across the face with no change in expression. As with the other things he's done, it gives the distinct impression of being struck by 2 full grown men at the same time.*

"And wipe that stupid smirk off of your face! We're not friends, & your agony is only being postponed long enough for you to send a message!"
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L"I guess we can try, though who knows if she'll answer?"

*Thiera stands next to Taiyo, looking down at her with a frown.*

Th"Taiyo...you have to eat to keep up your strength...."

OOC: "Also, I'm sorry that my significant other killed yours."

Now knocked back onto her elbows, Astarte stuttered, "I-I don't know, Schreiber?"

Taiyo: "It doesn't matter."

Eve:<Very true, especially after her last messages.>

*She takes a bite of her pizza, then looks at Taiyo*

<You need to keep your strength up. We could get into a difficult situation at any time.>

Th"It DOES matter. Euryale told us to keep you safe. That request didn't come with an expiration date."

*Lilith nods slowly.*

L"She was a real woman of action. I always felt like I could rely on her. It's time to return the favor, so come along."

*She starts to head out with what's left of the food under her arm. Thiera looks at her.*

Th"What, now?"

L"We need to make sure Nero & Astarte are okay & I don't think it's a good idea to split up."
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*Roatha grins.*

R"Yeah. Classes like that, the professor requests the destination & the board approves it. When I saw that she'd be comin', of course I jumped at the chance to get to her. But the fact is, comin' here was still HER idea."

*He abruptly thrusts his fist forward, stopping just short of punching her to point in her face.*

R"YOU, kiddies, were the bait. Plan was to use you to watch our habits, probe us for weaknesses, & above all, keep Donnie Darko over there off of her ass."

*He nods towards the darkness where the Shadow is presumably lurking.*

"That... that fucking bitch," Astarte's fists clenched on the ground. "Do you think Vanessa knows about this?"

Stefan buzzed for a nurse.

*Eve packs up her stuff and follows Lilith*

<I...my feelings on her are complicated to say the least. However, she seems to be our best resource at the moment.>

Taiyo: "That never stopped us before."

L"Yeah, well, we had a lot more people back then. I guess you can try to contact Schreiber if you want."

*Lilith exits. Thiera stops at the door & looks to make sure Taiyo is following.*
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*Nurse Leslie eventually enters.*

<Yes? How may I help you?>
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*Ira scowls. He stands up & starts pacing around, gesticulating angrily at trees.*

R"I don't know, the bitch keeps gettin' rid of my bugs! But I do know she would betray you, if it'd help 'er."

*He turns to her, shrugging.*

R"Hell, you don't believe me, I can even get you the psych profiles on everyone in your group. Then you can see for yourself which one's a psychopath, which ones have a history of violence, or memory blocks--bit late on that last one, though."

"You don't have to, I believe that. Do you want me to kill them?" Astarte asked, getting back onto her knees. "I always hated Vanessa, and I don't give a shit about Schreiber."

"Could I have a pen and a sheet of paper, please?" Stefan asked. "For personal use."

*Eve jams her hands into her pockets, staring at the ground while she waits for Taiyo to catch up*

She is. Although their past numbers were pretty meaningless seeing how they could have easily disappeared without warning.

*She produces a note pad & pen from her pocket & passes them to him.*
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*On their way to the door, they spot Dr. Schreiber & Vanessa in a hallway leading off to the side. They make the "follow me" motion & enter a nearby room. That they could see, Vanessa was sporting a black eye while Schreiber had some cuts on her clothes & bruises to her arms.*
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R"You, kill them, yeah, okay. And who says it's just them? What about Rasheverek, who dangled a man out of a window for information? Or the Psyche Sisters, who said they'd attack anyone who came after me? You see, you can't trust anyone, not really. You people always get pissed at me, but in the end, you're all the same. If you COULD do what I do, you WOULD. In a heartbeat.>

"I believe that, I just hate you because you want to kill me," Astarte took a deep breath. "I could get one of them at least, if you gave me a gun. They might not suspect me. And it's not like I can kill you with a gun. You just come back."

Stefan accepted them with a thank you and waited awkwardly to be left alone.

*Eve's eye widen, and she hurries after Vanessa and Schreiber*

*The room contains a meeting table & a projector, both currently unused. Also in here is some asshole in a brown hoodie & sweat pants walking around & inspecting the various nooks & crannies.*

Schreiber<Nothing changed since we left?>

S"No."

L"Wait a minute, Senthose? Is that you?"

*Senthose turns, undoing the ties & pulling down the hood. His hair looks pretty matted & he's starting to grow stubble.*

S"Yeah. I switched disguises at a clothing drive & bumped into Schreiber on my way to see you."

*Schreiber locks the door behind them.*

Schreiber<Dr. Schreiber. Anyway, I was on my way here to fill you in on what happened when we ran into Nero & Astarte on the way to my office.>

V"Roatha was with them, so we were going to try to find a way to turn him back to normal, but while we were tying him up, he went nuts & attacked us!>

*Schreiber sighs & rolls her eyes.*

Schreiber<Yes, that is about the gist of what happened. The Shadow came & disappeared with Ira, Astarte, & Nero, whom I'm pretty sure is dead. I managed to shoot the black monster through the head, but I've no idea if it will stay dead--this is the 1st time that I've ever managed to critically wound it.>
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*She nods & tells him he's welcome before shuffling out of the door.*
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R"That doesn't mean I'm gonna give you one. Now get going before I change my mind."

*He heads towards the cabin.*

"Which direction is it to the road?" Astarte asked, standing up. "I can't do anything if I get lost."

Stefan wrote two notes and put them in his pockets, then used whatever facilities were available to freshen himself up a little.

Eve:<I see. We left Nero and Astarte at a hotel near the hospital while we visited Azuma and Tirea. We thought something might have happened but...>

*She pauses for a second*

<Roatha was with them?>

R"Figure it out."

*Roatha opens the cabin door, revealing a dark tunnel filled with pipes.*
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Schreiber<Yes.>

*Lilith starts feeling light headed, so she takes a seat. Senthose sits across from her as she puts her head in her hands. Thiera goes to sit next to her, hugging her.*

L"I shouldn't have left them alone...."

Th"Hey now, it's not your fault they didn't want to come with us...."

Schreiber<I am inclined to agree. They must have had ample opportunity to notify you before they reached my office, yet they chose not to.>

Astarte took a couple of steps away, then stopped to look back at the door.

Stefan moved a chair under whatever window was available and then opened it before walking back over to the door and peeking out.

Eve:<I did texted them at least once with no response. You didn't do anything wrong.>

*He sees an empty hallway & some people working behind the receptionist's desk.*
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L"That doesn't make it any better."

S"The important thing is what to do now. I've already proposed killing the priest. He is clearly protecting something on Ira's behalf."

*Thiera stares at him in disbelief.*

Th"You're talking about murdering a religious official. How can you suggest that so candidly?"

S"He's already tried to kill you all first."
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*Ira has already shut the door. She sees the darkness & the outline of 2 corpses.*