2020-04-24 - The Night Bird - Act 1, Scene 1

A call had gone out for extras for a party scene to take place at a small house that has been rented in Gray Harbor by the crew of The Night Bird, a film shooting on location in Seattle with some scenes to be shot out in Gray Harbor. There's a film crew set up inside the house for the interior shots, and some equipment rigged up outside in the back yard, lights shining down and lighting up the area as though it were daytime even though it's the middle of the evening.

For those who signed up as extras, they've been directed to hang out behind the house, and that when "Action" is called, to just pretend they're at a party. It's pretty simple. Drink the water from the red solo cups (sorry folks, no real alcohol), talk, at a low murmur, and be general background scenery. Piece of cake, right? For those who didn't answer the casting call and are just milling around watching from the street, and there are a few people who are, they are kept to the sidewalk and are asked to keep quiet during filming by the security on set, which consists of a handful of security personnel on the street and around the house.

Lyric was good at party scenes, only, real ones! This acting thing was new to her but she was certainly willing to give it a shot! Hanging behind the house as directed, she drinks an Evian water from the red solo cup, musing to whoever is near her in a low voice. "Evian is Naive backwards. Know why? Anyone is naive to spend that much on water." Obviously, it's something she's heard someone else say before. And she's repeated it a few times already before she laughs softly, looking like she's having a blast! She seems to fit in though. Her clothing was even the party girl type. For the backyard anyway. Good times.

Tyler is mostly here because he was curious how a movie even gets made. Upon arrival, he quickly realized just how out of his element this all is. He's dressed in a sleeveless, tight shiny shirt that clings to every curve of his muscles and a pair of tight black skinny jeans. He drinks the water, looking around awkwardly. At least twice, he's been told by someone on set to try harder to look like he's really at a party. Also, at least twice, he's told them he IS trying. At some point, he meandered over toward Lyric. He recognized here from around town, and he laughs a little at her bad joke. "Oh? Is Evian expensive?" he asks.

Stephanie is there partially out of curiosity but also on standby. She's a paramedic after all and she's using her work as an excuse to be hanging around, just in case there is some sort of emergency or something. She is standing around observing, watching, taking a look at all of those doing extra work. She's going to settle for just watching.

Kailey fits in to a young party crowd. Hair done up in pigtail braids she smirks and snorts at Lyric's repeated joke. There is a little eyeroll. "Right?" She is dressed in slightly baggy clothes, making her look plump rather than pregnant. She takes a sip from her cup and doesn't mind the water at least. "Why did the invisible man turn down the job?" She shoots back. "He couldn't see himself in the job." She answers after a pause. Letting the smirk turn into a grin. "Hopefully we start soon...think anything exciting will actually happen?"

Fortunately, how convincing the partygoers look is easy to adjust with a change of camera angle and cutting the more unfortunate portrayals out of the scene, right? The crew goes about their business as "Action" is called out and the "party" gets into swing. Inside the house, a pretty blonde girl suddenly starts to scream uncontrollably. It's all part of the filming. The partygoers outside were told the screaming would start, and they were to laugh it off at first, until things started to get out of control.

So the blonde starts screaming, and clawing at herself, as though something were under her skin trying to get out. At first, her screams start out purely theatrical, but the longer it goes on, the more hysterical they actually sound, until the looks of concern on the actors' faces that can be seen through the sliding glass doors that are open shift from confusion and mock horror to actual concern.

Stephanie looks to the direction of the screams, concerned. Her abilities kick in and her mind seems to scan for injury in the direction of the house. Being outside of the set though, she is limited in what she can do. She looks to find a security guard to ask, "Is everything okay in there? I'm a local paramedic, I can go check."

"I guess so, I'm not sure. I always buy Shur Fine." Or whatever the store brand is that's really inexpensive and from some tap in Dallas, Texas. She laughs a little at the joke, not paying much attention to the scream until it continues. This was Gray Harbor after all. She looks at the others warily then at the glass door.. "Should we check?"

Kailey glances up towards the screaming and gives a smirk and snort. Then shakes her head and rolls her eyes at Lyric. "Somebody has to bring the drama, right?" A pause as it goes on and one brow raises. Is that concern? "She's got a good set of lungs. I'll give her that." But something about it has Kailey turn around as that hysterical note enters. "Ummmm....that sounds really real Lyric...should we? Yeah, lets..." She glances from the woman up towards the actress and begins to head towards the ruckuss. Because curiousity is Kailey's other name.

Tyler lifts his brow a little. "Really? I thought she was supposed to scream...?" He looks at the others, then towards the direction the screaming came from. He sighs. "Yeah." He begins to move that direction with the others.

The security guard seems unaffected by the screaming going on within -- after all, there's supposed to be screaming, right? He says, "I'm sure someone will call for you if there's a need, ma'am."

It's about then that someone pokes a head out the door, a mousey looking aid who waves to Stephanie and says, "Can you come.. quick? We're not sure what's.. what's going on."

The cameras cut off and people are milling around, just staring now as the blonde writhes on the floor. There's nothing obviously wrong with her. She looks just fine save for the red raw marks down her arms where she claws with her perfectly manicured fingernails, leaving scratches in her skin. When anyone gets close to her, she shrieks, wide-eyed and unseeing and tries to scramble further away.

Some of the other actors have moved to the opposite of the room, to give her space. Some sigh and roll their eyes, with muttered comments about "method actors" and "we're going to be here all night at this rate".

When the others come in through the open sliding glass doors, they can see the tableau in front of them. The mousey PA comes back in through the front door after summoning Stephanie and says "Everyone stand back.. please.." She moves over toward the blonde and says "Starla.. Starla honey.. you're supposed to run out into the yard and into the woods.. what's going on? Are you okay?"

Starla does not answer.

She's got her equipment with her and Stephanie springs into action when she is called. She walks over to where the woman they are calling Starla is on the floor. She seems okay, except for the self-inflicted scratches. But then...something clicks as the paramedic senses something wrong. She immediately kneels down at the floor level to assess the situation or at least performing the motions of it while she scans her patient's mind mentally. "Shhhhhhh," she says soothingly. "Tell me what's wrong, sweetheart."

Tyler steps forward as Stephanie does. He makes sure she knows he's there. Being on the fire department, they've certainly worked calls together. Though she's the lead here as an EMT, he's ready to help her however he can.

Kailey heads up and into the room where Starla is writhing. And just as quickly presses herself back against the wall. Giving space and watching her worriedly. "This is bad," She says softly to Lyric, glancing at her and then back to the terrified actress.

Lyric doesn't really rock the mental stuff, but she knows Kailey, so she listens to her, giving a slight nod. "What is it? What's going on?" She doesn't press forward towards the woman, leaving room for the paramedic and Tyler, but she does look concerned. The solo cup in her hand is given a look. Was it really water? Sniffing it to make sure in the meantime.

The liquid in the solo cup doesn't smell like anything. It tasted like water. It's not likely that it was something else, but one never knows in Gray Harbor. The water did come out of sealed Evian bottles though, so it's not likely it was something else.

Actors and extras alike are being shooed from the room save for Stephanie and Tyler since they're with the EMT/FD, and for whatever reason, Kailey and Lyric, because perhaps the mousy woman is a little overwhelmed and assumes she's with the paramedic. People begin to file out, but Starla remains huddled against the wall, trying to back herself further and further into the corner, her eyes wild and rolling, the scratching beginning to draw blood as she keeps on clawing at her arms.

"Ah, I think I can help," Kailey says softly as more people leave. Taking a deep breath she closes her eyes. Deep and almost meditative breaths as she just focuses on that. On calm. Or knowing people are here. People who can help. And that sense is shared like a soothing blanket over the poor actress. And like a 50lb weighted blanket she collapses. "Huh...didn't expect that reaction," She says and tilts her head to the side as she idly begins to rub her arms.

Lyric does the same, rubs her arms which makes her entirely uncomfortable. There's a glance down to see if there were bugs or mites or something that was causing the itching. She moves over to stand by Kailey, "What is happening anyway?" Definitely curious at the words.

Tyler absently rubs his forearm, and then he pauses, looking down at what he's doing, brow furrowing a little. "Huh..." He looks at Stephanie. "What do you think?" he asks her, looking for a diagnoses. A little quieter, he notes to the other sparkly glimmerer, "She's not sick. It's something... else."

Stephanie says, "hmmm I don't actually know," Stephanie explains quietly, "What's terrifying her, it's something bad. But I don't know where it's coming from. It's nothing physically wrong with her. Something about this set maybe." She stands up from her kneeling position and looks for something that might have scared Starla in the house."

Starla simply slumps over as though once that calm suffuses her, she is utterly and completely exhausted. She just slumps into the corner and seems out of it, her eyes closing and her head lolling back against the wall. She bleeds from her arms but is no longer doing any harm to herself.

Ms. Mousey returns and asks, "What is going on? Is Starla okay? What happened?" This seems to be directed at Stephanie and Tyler.

Kailey's eyes narrow as she peers at Starla. Then around the room. It seems she is doing some kind of count because her head nods ever so slightly. Then her head slowly turns to look outside and past the security. A frown quickly forms, "Who is that outside, Ms. Mousey?" She asks, moving to the window to try and see what she feels.

SO ITCHY! Lyric starts clawing at her arms and squeaks when she notices movement. "It's like the MUMMY! Those things! Scarabs! Something is beneath my skin and CRAWLING! It gives her the heebie jeebies! "GET THEM OUT!" Lyric is about to tear down the house. Completely. Around everyone. For real.

Stephanie seems to be aware of something, outside in the woods, where she had heard Starla was supposed to be filming something. And then it clicks in her mind. "There's something in the woods. Do you guys want to check it out?"

Tyler furrows his brow, turning to look out the window. He narrows his eyes a bit to try and see what it is. Slowly, he rises to his feet. Then Lyric is shouting, and he lays his hands on her shoulders. "Hey. There's nothing there! You're okay! There's no bugs!"

Ms. Mousey, whose name is Maria, has no idea she is being talked to at first. Then she looks around and doesn't see anyone else answering so she says, "Outside? The Security company." She doesn't see the eyes. If they are eyes at all. What she does see is a freaking out Lyric and her own eyes go round. "Oh god, what's happening? Can you give her whatever you gave Starla?" She has no idea what they did to Starla but it seems to have worked.

"Oh! Shit! Lyric, nonoNONO! Hey, listen to me, it's in your head. Okay? I got you," And Kailey reaches out to grab at the woman's flailing hands. Eyes wide she begins to breathe slow and deep. "Come on, open up, I can block it out. Or help you too anyway," As things start to shake she looks around uneasily. "Lyric, come on...breathe with me. In with the good air, out with the bad."

R.A.W.R. Lyric is having none of it! Immediately next to the open glass door a blast of pure physical power leaves a gaping is that someone had seen the eyes out of. The crawling was making her crazy! An invasion of her body, someone was crawling there! "Help me!" The shout is sort of helpess sounding though.

Tyler spins around when Lyric powers at the door. He looks back at her, and he smirks, "Bang," he offers amused. He then makes his way out the door, moving toward whatever that is in the trees at a quick pace.

Stephanie looks out the window in the direction of the woods once more before following Tyler. At least someone believes her.

Tyler's fast as he sprints out the door and across the yard toward those reflective eyes. There's a moment where they wink out and back on again as though blinking, and then there's the sound of a rush of leaves and branches as whatever is there begins to move rapidly through the shadows. Rapidly, but not rapidly enough, because Tyler manages to get ahold of the edge of something and pulls it free. The cloth comes away in his hands, and then suddenly there's a sound like something going up in smoke and there's nothing there. Stephanie can barely keep up but she almost crashes into Tyler when they come to a stop. Whatever it was is gone. But Tyler has... something.. in his hand that's impossible to see in the dark. It's cloth. He knows that much. Inside, Kailey does her best to soothe Lyric, and Maria helps Starla to her feet and out of the house.

Kailey gives a little scream when Lyric blasts the glass door. Drawing closer to the panicked woman rather than away. Yeah, she may be using her as a shield for a second. But she still tries to maintain physical contact. To keep Lyric from tearing her skin apart. "LYRIC! Please don't hurt us? Let me help you," Kailey says and now she frowns. "Calm. Down," She says far more forcefully than she has ever spoken to the other woman before. "There's nothing there."

Lyric is gearing up with every intention on bringing down the house. Quite literally. Then she hears the voice of her friend and it calms her. Something calms her and she stops, cocking her head to the side as if allowing the voice some space inside. Just to see what it had to say or do. Finally, her hands still and she stops clawning. She doesn't fall to the floor or anything, but she does manage a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The wall is still stared at as if she's still contemplating bringing it down, but the fire and fear and crazy has settled and she loses the distant look in her eyes before turning them to Kailey. "Something was there. I saw it." The words are flat though. Maybe a hint uncertain.

Tyler takes a moment to catch his breath, looking close at the cloth in his hand, trying to see it out here in the darkness of the forest. "I almost had it," he says to himself, then shakes his head. Turning to head back, he almost runs into Stephanie. "I didn't get it. It just... It vanished. I was close. I got..." He furrows his brow, "...well, I'm not sure what I got. A piece of clothing? Tore of its sleeve maybe?" He adds, "It was a Dream thing. It just poofed."

Looking at Tyler and the cloth he's holding, she frowns. Stephanie says, "Do you think we should go back to the others? I swear it was here before..."

Kailey gives the walls a wary look and her breath is held till Lyric actually looks at her. Then it is released explosively and she nods, "Yeah. Something's around here. Let's get out," She says and nods towards the outside where Tyler has taken off towards. "I think he found something. Come on, out of the house is gonna be better i think." And she offers her an arm around the shoulder, looking worried. Out of the scary house and probably somewhere her friend can have a real drink.

When Tyler and Stephanie return to the house, Maria nervously asks them to leave, along with the others. The police arrive on the scene shortly after, along with the homeowners who are none to happy that their rental property now has a brand new window in one of the walls. There's a lot of milling about and commotion, but all four are able to depart without much incident.

The cloth that Tyler came away with, once he can see it in better light, looks like a scarf, long and gauzy and black and purple like shadow, but there doesn't appear to be anything particularly otherworldly about it. What he does with it is up to him, but it definitely came from what, or who, was in the woods watching them. The production for the night, however, is over.