2019-06-21 - A Dark & Stormy Night at Addington House

It’s raining. Hannah can’t go out in that downpour, she’d wash into a gutter and drown. And so she’s lingered, waiting for a break in the downpour that never arrives, taking a tour she wasn’t really planning on taking but there was a coupon, and now the power’s out. “Drat,” comes the voice of the short young woman in the sudden darkness.

August was just trying to find someone to talk to about the tree problem they're about to have (because that fir is maybe an hour from coming down, tops, from the feel of it--he noticed it driving in to deal with the tree blocking a driveway around the other side of the hill, couldn't help but pull over on his way back). He wound up turned around trying to find the docent who was leading a tour, and now, he's in a room, with a tour group, and it's pitch black. It's a metaphor for his whole life.

Into the darkness, he asks, "You've tested it recently, right? Made sure it still runs okay?"

Lucinda is here because of the Freaky Shit <TM> that is rumored to go down hereabouts. Of course she is. Plus, who can resist a buy 2, get 1 coupon for a haunted house? Come on, people. So when she heard about the storm, got her hands on the coupon, the first thing she did was get Lex on board (bribery? booze? both?). And then: wheelman Ruiz. Did Ruiz try to talk some sense into his roomies about going out on a stormy night to attend a creaky old museum? Probably. Did they, in turn, con, cajole, and/or harass him into going anyway? Of course they did.

There's a chuckle from a petite blonde when the lights go out. Luce frowns as someone asks about the emergency lights. "Why would you ask that." Of course they work... right? Standing in the dark with a bunch of strangers is way more twitch-making than standing in the dark alone in a haunted house. She slides her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket.

Ruiz and Lex are reasonably nearby, of course. Luce bumps into one of them in the dark.

"You're standing on my fucking foot." Ruiz's voice, which sounds a little pained. Thus, one presumes, the (un)necessary f-bomb. Then, a moment later, "Why did I let you talk me into this?" Where are those lights? Why couldn't he be at home with some good food and an episode of game of thrones queued up? Questions for the ages, truly.

"This does not seem like the best idea." Julia suggests to Hannah. "I mean, I get a girl's night out, but there was no need to be so...um, unique." And then things go haywire, and holds up her hands in a hapless kanyeshrug as if to say, See what I mean?

“I was tired of waiting in the gift shop for the rain to stop,” Hannah says, sort of feeling around for Julia in the dark. Is there even a gift shop? Maybe a gift shelf? She gets Jane instead...or Jane gets her. “Whoa, okay, it’s OOF.” No way is she able to bear the full weight of the unconscious docent, but at least she can help slide her to the floor without incurring injury. “okay, no one step on...this person.” Luckily(?) the storm lantern provides some light.

Lex is a silver-haired shadow between the larger Ruiz and the over-easer Lucinda. The tattooist in dressed in black jeans, tank, and a blank leather trench that more-or-less keeps the rain from her clothing. Her arms are currently folded, pierced 'brows furrowed, and a light green glare tipping toward where Lucinda's head is most likely to be the sudden darkness. "Yeah. So. This is how this town starts."

Tone wry, August says, "Because I've lived in this part of the country my whole life, and if I had a dollar for every time someone didn't maintain their generator--" He stops talking the second the light from the lantern kicks in, wary. Well, that's not the generator. And then Jane's collapsing. "Jesus."

There's enough light to move without colliding with anyone, so he moves over to her, crouching down to see if she's alright. He's in his usual 'rough weather' work gear--denim jeans, work boots, heavy plaid flannel, rain shell.

Luce mutters something under her breath and accidentally elbows Ruiz as she's stepping off of his precious foot. "Why'd you say it like that?" She hisses this lowly in the dark. "It's not like you can't take..." she trails off when Docent Jane's panic attack in the dark leaves them without a guide to elucidate the situation. The thump in the rising light brings her head around to note Jane on the floor. Was this in the brochure she read online?

"Huh." That's all she says about that, and then her attention goes to the lantern. "Looks like you were right," she says to August's voice.

Luce is in a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, white top, cropped leather moto jacket in dark brown, unzipped. Her hair's kind of a long tousled mess, but it's totally on purpose.

"Hannah?" Julia calls out uncertainly, putting her hands out. At the sound of the noise, she pauses. "Oh. That's uh...is anyone else besides the tour supposed to be here?" Hannah?" she calls again, the fuller question perhaps rhetorical. She stands stock still, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the lack of light.

Luce's elbow to his ribs elicits a grunt from the nonplussed cop, but little else. He too falls silent then, but it isn't due to Jane's little panic attack - which August seems to have a handle on. Or not. No, something else entirely has gotten his attention. This would be a great time to have brought his SR1911 with him, but alas. He moves away from the group a short distance, and prowls closer to the door to have a closer listen. Sure enough, "I think we're locked in. Whoever it is, they went back down the stairs." Which is fucking weird, right?

Hannah crouches next to Jane and looks to August for help with this particular situation since he’s, well, there. “Should we slap her?” Her medical knowledge is limited to what she’s seen on TV. “I’m over here, Julia.”

"Means we live in the fucking heart of the fucking X-Files, and you just got us tickets into the Goddamn /fucking/ episode about haunted houses..." Lex is muttering her reply to... something, and she's not bothering to lower her voice as politely as whoever prompted the R-rated reply. "Ruiz, stay the fuck here. If there's one Goddamn thing you're good for, s'your /bigger/ than us..." Well.

Julia starts to make her way very carefully over to the sound of Hannh's voice, moving very gingerly to avoid bumping into anything or anyone too hard. Almost there, but she pauses then, peering at something in the darkness. "There's a thing." she says perfectly calmly. "Pretty sure there's a thing. I think. Say something, Hannah. Although if she doesn't stop screaming, I might go slap her."

Some people say weird/terrifying/ominous, but Luce simply has her hands in her pockets. Neither the lantern lighting itself nor the door locking ping her nope button. She turns to look toward Ruiz, and then back to Lex as the tattooed one mentions the x-files in response to a whispered question she made earlier. "Little tense, Lex." She takes the opportunity to poke around at some nearby cabinets, drawers, or whatever there may be to fiddle with while the docent's out for the count. Never let it be said that Lucinda Lapin lets an opportunity sail by, no matter the creep factor involved.

"Doubt it'll help, she's out cold. Let's get her into recovery position." August pauses, glances at Hannah. "If you don't know what that is it's fine, I can do it." And he proceeds to do so, turning Jane on her side and positioning her head so it's supporting on her shoulder.

And the second he stands up, he shudders, jerks his head back, staring at himself, then Ruiz. "Do you see those?" He feels at his face, carefully, to see if he can touch them.

“She’s not screaming, Julia, she’s unconscious now...wait...” Hannah frowns, though it’s doubtful anyone can see it. “No, definitely unconscious. But dreaming. Bad dreams. There’s a thing?” Her tone is even, almost conversational, and picking up on August’s intentions, helps with moving Jane. And does not slap her. As people start to react to strange happenings in the room she says on a weary sigh, “There’s a thing.”

Ruiz stills as whatever-the-fuck-it-is starts creeping over his boots and swimming up his leg like dry ice gone horribly wrong. The confusion lasts only a moment, and then he pulls away from the door and backpedals a couple of steps. A glance is shot August's way at the question. And he seems transfixed, for some reason, by whatever's happening to the botanist. "Si." That would be a yes. He glances back at his hands in time to see the same fog seeping from his fingers, and then when he breathes, it sifts from his mouth and nose. "Que carajo.."

Fiddling about, Luce grunts her disappointment when so many cabinets are empty. Museums, you know? Always putting the good stuff behind glass or in the safe. She runs her hands across the angles here and there, then tiptoes on those bright yellow vintage heels she wears, reaching up and along one of the cabinet shelves. She can't see it, but her pale fingers slip by, hopefully not into any spiders, and she pauses as her fingertips encounter something. There's a little rattle of metal against wood, and she takes something tiny down before she closes the cabinet.

Quietly, Lucinda makes her way to the door to see if the key fits. "You ok over there?" This is asked of, likely, Ruiz and August, as the two seem to be sharing some kind of moment. She still doesn't speak Spanish, but there's a tone she hears in that utterance. Still, she's busy over here, so doesn't look over at the menfolk in the low light. "Lex, you good?"

"Little tense, my ass," Lex is hissing back to Lucinda, though her irritation doesn't seem /wholly/ directed toward her new roommate. There's a glance toward Ruiz as the man freezes, and a sighed, "Fuck," when he starts rattling off in Spanish. "Yeah, we gonna die." Always the cheerful one of the bunch!

Lex draws a hissed sigh inward, and then finally moves away from her position by the door, starting toward the seemingly-frozen Ruiz. "Okay, c'mon... throw yourself at the door or something."

Out of seemingly nowhere, a dresser begins to tremble as if it's experiencing an earthquake tremor. And all of a sudden, the large piece of furniture slides swiftly across the room, aiming to slam Ruiz into the wall and pin him there.

Lucinda inserts the key into the lock, just in time to be grabbed by something. She yows! "Hey," Luce swats at her arm, upper arm, shoulder, "Get off, asshole! That stings." She calls, "Lex, key! Key in the door!" She stumbles backwards, her hands going up to protect her throat, and bangs hard into a piece of what's probably antique furniture. A momentary loss of cool has her using spirit to lash out against the icy hand, slashing for it to try, try to get it off of her, or cut it in half. Whatever works. No touching.

All the cool kids are assaulting/being assaulted by furniture these days.

"Oh, for th-- /shit/!" Lex has time to get out a bit more vulgarity before there's a choked sound from the tattooist. Eyes wide, both hands are raised to her throat, clawing at something that seems to be stifling her breath. And that breathing thing's important, yo. Enough so that she remains blissfully oblivious of the Poltergeist fu that just rammed Ruiz against the wall. So much for breaking down the door...

A snarl issues suddenly from Ruiz's direction. Shock boils over into anger; freeze into fight, and the bulky cop suddenly throws himself against the wall like he's attempting to dislodge something from his person. And if it was a human assailant, there's a good bet it would have a few broken ribs right now at the very least. Unfortunately, it isn't, and all it gets him is a dresser slamming into him with a skreeeek of feet against the floor and a grunt as it pins him against the wall. His hands claw at his throat as he tries to push the piece of furniture off him, blunt nails leaving red streaks against his skin.

Seeing Ruiz move from the door is enough to convince August it's a good idea, so he does it as well. There's a tremor in his step. "No," he says, breath coming short. "Not okay. Whatever these are, they're cold. Really, fucking, cold." He winces at something, struggling to breathe--startles at the sight of the flying dresser.

Dontcha think? Julia's attention turns to the door. Throwing stuff might just block the door, and staying in her defensive posture, she focuses on trying to turn the key...with her brain. Trying to stay away from those nasty hands.

Blissfully ignorant Hannah murmurs, “Something is fucking with us, but not her,” meaning Jane, just before almost everyone else in the room, and some of the objects, starts reacting to things she can neither see nor feel. She hops to her feet as all hell starts breaking loose.

There's a good chance a lot of people feel this way around Luce, particularly when she's allowed to speak. Her head snaps to the side when she's slapped, and she falls halfway over the furniture she's thumped up against. "Aw, hell. Rude, you shit." Lucinda's having a minor episode with thin air in the eyes of some, but ghostly grabby hands in the eyes of others. Anybody else having flashbacks to that one dungeon level of Legend of Zelda?

Lex's own hands still scrabbling at her throat, her nails leaving far more significant marks than Ruiz's blunted ones, her struggles have her turning enough to see the furniture decide to tackle Ruiz. Her jaw sets a bit tighter than it was -- if possible -- and the youth is whipping out with Physical to shove the dresser away from Ruiz. Not far, but... far enough.

A string of vile Spanish cursing as she straightens up, looking around the room. "Hannah!" she calls out in worry, and her gaze goes back to the door. Trying to destroy by throwing things at it? Not the best idea. But the doorknob...

Within a moment, the key abruptly spits out of the lock onto the floor, and the doorknob shudders, turns...and clicks into the open position before popping out out of the hole it was set in. Door is unlocked1

August is fighting to breathe, shivering against a cold that makes no sense--but he squints as Lex does that. He does the same, trying to follow the path of her shove with Physical and do the same to help with getting that dresser off Ruiz even as he treads close to passing out.

Ruiz slumps to the floor as the dresser finally budges a few inches, releasing it from its vise grip. His breathing is still spiky and shallow, hands still trying to rip away whatever is constricting his throat. His dark eyes alight on Lucinda just long enough to see her get bitchslapped by a disembodied ice hand, which barely even registers at this point. And then just as suddenly as it began, he's freed from the grip of whatever-it-is as the dresser slides away and the icy hands dissipate. Rolling onto his hands and knees for a moment, he takes a couple of deep lungfuls of air, then tries to assess the situation.

Lucinda's vitriol is cut off with a hurk as the ghostly hands tighten. She falls across a table and claws at the hand at her throat, quite close to passing out. Her legs kick, one bright yellow mary jane pump flying off of her foot as she tips toward the edge of the desk and starts to go over.

This is where the dying part comes in. Having thrown the misguided dresser off of Ruiz, Lex's attention is... less, Lex's attention is fading. The black-clad woman is dropping to her knees as her balance grows questionable, and if visible in what little light the lamp provides, anyone not currently being choked themselves would see her eyes beginning to glaze. Oh, pretty stars.

“I’m here, I’m okay,” Hannah calls to Julia, and then lo, the door is unlocked. “Lets get out of here. Can someone get Jane?” That’s a really good question, considering how many people are being choked out by hands she can’t see. She then hesitates briefly, then picks up the creepy-ass lamp.

"Do something about that thing!" Julia has no idea what, but you know she's just taking this step by step, okay? Hunching her body forward, she rushes the doorway like an offensive tackle.

When those fingers finally loosen -- disappear? -- Lex is drawing a choked breath inward, rolling onto her side as her efforts at.. well, breathing, have her fighting back a coughing fit. It takes her a moment to regain enough thought process to look back at the rest of them, some flailing and others confused, and bark a hoarse, "Get into the dark! .. put out the fucking lantern!" Says... a voice from the dark.

"Get out?" August gasps, "We can't even--breathe." He staggers to the wall, trying to use it to stay standing, but starts to slide to the floor. He hears Lex, though, and, not thinking too clearly, reaches out with Physical to knock it out of Hannah's hand.

Ruiz looks from one face to the next in the chaos, trying to get a sense for whether anyone is hurt, or-- oh, and there's Lucinda bent over a table, having the life seemingly choked out of her. He doesn't have the faintest clue what to do about the icy hands of doom, but he can push to his feet and try to slide his arms around her to keep her from pitching over and onto the floor. Something is murmured in her ear as he moves in close.

Right as Luce starts to go over she's caught by her roomie, Ruiz. If she heard Lex command someone put out the light, or what Ruiz says to her, it's unclear. She can't respond or breathe, and the fight's almost gone out of her. She jerks once, but luckily doesn't have the strength to kick the next set of hands that find their way onto her body. But she does have panic on her side, and one last ditch attempt to escape going out. Which she takes. Unfortunately, Ruiz is holding onto her when she does it.

“Julia, what thing?” Hannah calls anxiously, the tone of someone who wants to do something but can’t for the life of her figure out what. The lantern is suddenly wrenched in her fingers, and she closes them on it to keep it within her grasp. “Turn off the lantern?” She throws the question to the room.

"/Turn off the lantern!/" Lex is screaming now, apparently in response to Hannah's inquisition. Because /now's/ the time for question. There's another lash of Physical from the silver-haired tattooist, and suddenly that lantern flips off. If Hannah isn't going to do it, Lex will do it for her.

Julia ends her bum rush for the doorway abruptly. She can't leave Hannah behind. Turning to face her, she says, "I don't know, but we need to get out of here!" She holds out her hand. Whatever Hannah decides, Julia is ready to take her hand and try to get the hell out of Dodge.

August falls to his knees, gasping, as he finally gets to draw in a breath. He kneels there, dizzy from nearly passing out, in the dark. "Do not turn that fucking lamp back on," he says, voice hoarse. The lights come on, and he slowly climbs to his feet. "Where..." He looks around. "Where'd the other two go?" He looks from Lex to Hannah to Julia. (Not Jane, she was out the whole time, what would she know.)

Lucinda leaves behind one vintage Mary Jane pump, 3 inch heel, bright canary yellow.

Ruiz never really saw that coming. Really, he didn't. There's possibly some mangled Spanish invective the moment the veil swallows them whole, but it's cut short and he's simply.. gone.

"Shit," Lex is snarling as the flash of lightening reveals the... less-than-ideal outcome. The disembodied ice hands may be gone, but so is two-thirds of the rent. "Where the /hell/ are Luce and Ruiz?" Stuck firmly on this side of reality, all she can do is stare wide-eyed and unseeing around the emptying room. She's returned to her feet, but she still has a hand on the bedpost.

"I don't know," Hannah says grimly, "But there was something not right about that man." She's vague, yes, perhaps deliberately.

Hannah sets the snuffed lantern down on the nearest surface, carefully but quickly, and sidles away from it. “You fainted. We’re missing two from our group. Are there any other exits in this room?” This is addressed to Jane.

"You mean the part where a dresser attacked him and he was getting choked like the rest of us?" August asks, scowling at Julia. He rubs a hand at his throat, makes a face. His gaze moves to the lantern. He asks Jane, "That just part of the ambience, or is it," he gestures around them, "a museum artifact?"

There's enough light now for Lex to see what's come of the situation, and as August puts voice to what she would otherwise be shouting, her eyes are narrowing on the tut-tuting Jane. Quite suddenly, the lantern that the previously-unconscious woman had been rearranging is /flinging/ itself at her. Well, those who can... see those sorts of things... may say /Lex/ is flinging at her, but... no picture, no proof?