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>>33867901
***
The downpour doesn't let up as you drive back into town, the driving rain slamming into your windshield as you go. It's only around three or so in the afternoon, but the sun's completely blacked out by the thick storm clouds. Navigating the maze that is Vanity City is made no easier by the weather; there's hardly any other cars out on the roads, but the storm clouds and the closeness of Vanity City's towering buildings combine to make it as dark as the dead of night. Streetlights...don't turn on, they must be on some sort of time-delay. Which is great, just great.

The tempurature dropped with the weather, too, and between that and your earlier soaking you're shivering even with the heater in your car going at full blast.

The dark and miserable surroundings make you think of the crime statistics for Vanity City; It comes in about average for most major markers of violent crime. Murders like these ones are pretty far out of the ordinary...but, it also comes in at nine times the national average for suicides and missing persons. In the cramped alleyways that litter the city, people often just...disappear. And that's only counting the ones that actually get reported.

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>>33867912
When you show back up at the task force's office, Eva is staring at a computer screen while John is talking to some monstrously tall albino woman. Her white hair is somewhat messy and she's got a pair of thick glasses, behind which are a pair of unnervingly pink eyes. Her skin makes it look like she doesn't get out much...no, albino, that can't be a good guide. Still, she's wearing a labcoat with all sorts of random things poking out of its overstuffed pockets-you're pretty sure you see a bit of a...sextant? One of those old timey navigational tools. She's wearing some kind of occult symbol on a pendant around her neck, which is probably important, but not really something you know a lot about just yet. There's a lot of room for weapons in that coat, but it's not like you can make anything specific out at this distance.

"John, look...I know you don't want to think about it, but with the Clayborn killing-" She notices you standing in the doorway, and smiles.

"A-ah! if it isn't the new girl...H-hey, did you really have to stop by a wet t-shirt contest? That's pretty unprofessional..." she says to your miserably cold and wet self.

>Ignore
>grumble
>joke back
>request towel
>ask about what you walked in on
>ask about who the albino weirdo is
>share results of talking to Annabelle
>tell albino weirdo off
>write-in

Previous thread
>http://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/33798170

Twitter
>https://twitter.com/SciencezamQM

>>33867944
>grumble
>request towel
>share results of talking to Annabelle

>>33868041
I'll second this.

>>33867944
>grumble
>ask about who the albino weirdo is
>share results of talking to Annabelle
Not what we need right now, lady.

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>>33868041
Thirding this.

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>>33868041
>>33868054
>>33868419
"Oh, shut up," you tell the no-pigment weirdo. "I got caught out in the rain out by the psych hospital. Any chance we've got a towel lying around?"
"Ah, sure." John says, "Kazuki should have one in his room. It's the one with all the warning signs. You glance back at the room in question-earlier, you took the cautious route and decided any room with that many warning signs was not a room you wanted to go in. But apparently they're just decorations?

"Oh, just knock first. If he's working with some of the meme weapons you don't want to go barging in on him."

Oh, no, apparently they are not. Great.

"Ooooooooor," starts the woman, "I could take our new mage here on an ~adventure~ through the astral plane to the same towel, and she wouldn't have to talk with that piece of shit ugly nerd." The way she talks makes you think the word "adventure" should be in shimmering rainbow lights, or something.

"...I don't know what that means, but it sounds like a lot of hassle to go through for a towel." you reply.
"Yeah, but it'd be an ~adventure~"

"...Right, whoever you are. Well, anyways, I met with that hoover-era cannibal for you...she said she'd help us out, but she wants access to the autopsy reports from the killings, more privileges, and, uh...live animals to eat. She says that the killer might have just been hungry, though."
"Mmm." John nods. "Figured it'd be something like that...well, I'll see what I can work out with the director. As long as she doesn't bite another orderly's face off, we can probably work something out."

The albino woman looks between you and John, doing her best crying puppy impression. The effect is completely destroyed by her standing a head taller than you and a little bit taller than John.

"But...adventure?"

>Accept adventure
>go to aquire towel from nerd
>ask about woman
>ask about nerd
>write in

>>33868606
>Accept adventure
...adventure you say?

>>33868606
>ask about woman
>what do you mean 'adventure'? it sounds like that towel isn't all that safe to get either way

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>>33868606
> ask about woman
>>Accept adventure

> OFW this goes completely off the rails

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>>33868606
"What ma....oh, me. I have no idea how to do magic, I've only just been told it's real with no offer of proof. And you are?"

[X] Write in.

>>33868606
>Accept adventure
>ask about woman

>>33868606
>ask about nerd
>Accept adventure
I assume we get to know woman during adventure, so.

>>33868757
>>33868713
>>33868686
>>33868653

"...Sure, if it makes you happy." The woman smiles broadly and squeals slightly at your acceptance. "But, like, I'm not really a mage...I don't know magic...I haven't even really seen any..."

"What?!" The woman makes a shocked gasp, covering her mouth as she does so. "You...John, you didn't give her the demonstration?! How could you!"

He shrugs. "I'm not one for showing off. But, Aina, if you want-"
"This cannot stand! I, Aina Bradshaw, Grade Three Applied Metaphysician, will just have to go show our cute young recruit the beauties of the secret world myself! Oh, our journey across the astral plane will be long, and arduous, but we shall grow as people on the epic quest, and perhaps even find true love!"

John turns to you while Aina is in the midst of her melodramatics. "Just so you know, distances are slightly compacted in the astral plane, so it's about 500 feet between the gateway we keep in the basement and Kazuki's bathroom."

"Right..." You watch as Aina goes into a monologue on the nature of the crystal spheres and the beauty of the Summerland, or something. "...What's with this Kazuki guy, anyways? Xavier warned me about him, and Eva said he was a pervert..."

"Oh, he's just your standard computer nerd type. Tech genius, can't handle people, that sort of thing. The worst he'd do is be weird and smelly at you." John stops for a second. "Though, he might try to tell you about his 'girlfriend'...never did get that, she's some kind of japanese cartoon or something." "Uh...huh."

Aina finishes up her soliloquy, and runs over and grabs your hand. "Come on! Let's go!"

>Come quietly
>voice some objections
>back out and go deal with the nerd instead
>threaten to destroy her if she takes you on a stupidly long journey
>write in

>>33869092
>Come quietly

>>33869092
>Ask if these are authentic adventures, or the off-brand kind.

>>33869092
>Come quietly

>>33869092
>Come quietly.
>...So you think I'm cute.

>>33869213
seconding

>>33869092
>Follow
>"Will this adventure take a lot of time?"

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>>33869141
>>33869151
>>33869189
>>33869213

You come along with the woman, as she leads you around the corner at the back of the office. "Are these authentic adventures, or the off-brand kind?"
"Only the bestest adventures ever!" comes her cheery reply, as she leads you into the fire exit. There's the exit out to the street, sure-but there's also stairs going further down, further than the building is supposed to go.

"Uh...Huh. And this...won't take too much time, will it? I mean, there's the whole killer"
"Awwww, don't be a spoilsport! We'll just go where we go, and see how long it takes us."

More stairs. The basement really is deep down...

"So...you think I'm cute?"

****
Up above, in the office, Eva looks over at John. "You know what she's going to do, right?"
"Yeah, well, I gotta haze the newcomer somehow. And it'll keep Aina off your back, for a while."

****
"All cold and dripping wet like that...how could I not take pity on such a poor thing like you." You reach the bottom of the basement, and Aina opens the door for you. There's a library here, full of row upon row of dusty old tomes. Aina vanishes behind a desk, and starts rummaging around. "Now, where did I leave these...Aha! Here we go. Close your eyes, and hold out your hands.

"Is that really necess-"
"Yes."
Sighing, you do as she asks. There is a weight in your hands, and the feeling of something around your neck, followed by a latching noise. "There we go! The Bradshaw Industries Astral Navigational Assistant is ready! You can open your eyes now."

When you open your eyes, you note that it's a sheathed knife in your hands, like the kind a soldier would use-but, a bit more worrying is the collar she's put around your neck, and is now holding the leash to.

"Let's go!" Aina says.

>Ask about knife
>worriedly ask about collar
>ask about collar deadpan
>angrily ask about collar
>just fucking give up
>[write in]

>>33869580
>worriedly ask about collar
I usually need to go on at LEAST two dates before these are allowed into play you know...

>>33869580
>just fucking give up until this becomes the wrong kind of weird
>if it ever comes to that, fucking run

>>33869580
>Ask about knife
>Ask about collar in bewildered manner
These adventures are sure strange.

>>33869580
>Ask about knife
>ask about collar deadpan

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>>33869633
>>33869641
>>33869848


"...Why did you put a collar on me?"
"It's a highly advanced piece of thaumaturgical equipment that will aid in our travels!"
"Why do you even have this collar? Oh god, it's got little jewels on it."
"Since you're not a fully awakened mage just yet, you can't enter or exit the astral plane freely. If we get separated, you'll slowly drift off course and be lost for all eternity."
"This is one of those fetish ones, isn't it? For like BDSM stuff?"
"Of course, we could just hold hands the whole trip, but this way is much more reliable."

Seeing that Aina is not really getting your point as she leads you by the collar through the sub-basement, you give up and switch topics. "Well...what's the knife for?"
She smiles back at you, her teeth flashing. "For killing, of course."
"That's not an-"
"Fine, geez. It's an electrum-plated orihalcum athame in the style of green beret knives. It aids in spellcasting, and is enchanted to kill or banish most things if you stab them with it. Standard issue for all us Reality Police. Got it?" You nod slowly, and put the knife and its sheath inside your (still damp...) jacket.

Soon you reach your destination, a room with elaborate magical symbols painted on the ground. Aina leads you into the center of the area, standing next to you. She draws her own knife and chants something, and you can feel a sense of power in the room as she does so. The symbols on the floor light up, and a bit of mist starts to fade into existence around you. The symbols dim, the feeling of power passes, and she finishes her chant.

"Well, welcome to the Astral Plane."

>continue asking about collar
>ask about the astral plane
>set off (with Aina) to find towel)
>ask about ritual
>ask if it's like astral projection
>write in

>>33870211
>ask about the astral plane
>so yeah... all this for a towel. i'm not that stupid, what's all this actually for?

>>33870211
>ask about the astral plane
>set off (with Aina) to find towel)

>>33870211
>continue asking about collar
>ask about the astral plane
>set off (with Aina) to find towel)
Let's go sightseeing

>>33870355
Seconding

>>33870211
Backing >>33870266

Family requesting help installing window shades, next post will be a little bit late.

>>33870653
Ah, alright.

"...Which is where, exactly?" you ask as Aina opens the door into the basement hallway. The mist is thicker here, and swirls about you as she leads you through the basement. You can still see well enough, though.

"Ah, that's a good question. Truth be told, we don't really know. But it's got some properties that are useful to us...and, occasionally, very dangerous."

As you reach the stairwell, you notice that the stairs have changed; before they were just plain old ordinary stairs, now they're rectangular bars of glass jutting out the wall at regular intervals. No railing, and that mist's everywhere...

"The Astral Plane is an apparently infinite three dimensional space coterminous to all currently known planes-The Nightland, the Summerland, the land of Fire and Iron, so on and so forth. It's a sort of supernatural highway; if you know how to navigate it, it can let you walk from New York to LA in a few hours. Less, if you're really good." The climb up the stairs is a bit harrowing and awkward with the collar, but it passes safely enough. As you look up, though, you notice that the stairwell seems to continue upwards infinitely, and there's a skylight far above, with a blood-red moon in the sky. It casts a dim red glow down the stairwell.

"...The collar seems kind of like overkill. I mean, as long as I stay in sight..."
"The Bradshaw Industries Astral Plane Navigational Assistant is a time-tested tool for astral plane safety! And besides, when a mage brings passengers into the Astral plane, they need to remain in contact. It just makes things simplier than having to hold your hand the whole way."

"Still seems excessive..." "Well, ah...John told me to stop using it on Eva..."

>cont.

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>>33871755
The upstairs office is...empty. Eva and John aren't there. The lights are off, and when you go to flick them on, it doesn't work. The red moonlight streaming in through the windows mixes with the mist to create a dim red cloud that fils the area. Kazuki's door stands in front of you, plastered in warning signs like it was before-but now, they seem older and decayed.

"Hell of a detour to get a towel..."
"Eh, this way you get to see the Astral Plane early on into your career. It's a permanent high-mana zone, so your chances of awakening are a lot higher here than they are elsewhere. Oh! And we girls get some private time, without having to talk to that smelly nerd."

>Yo what
>ask about why everything's so weird
>ask about other planes
>continue pressing the issue of the collar
>make a silent hill reference
>write in

>>33871783
>ask about why everything's so weird
>make a silent hill reference
What better way to distance ourselves from the smelly nerd than a nerdy reference?

>>33871783
>Yo what
>ask about other planes
Exposit at me, strange lady.

>>33871783
>ask about other planes
>make a silent hill reference
>awakening? do i learn magic or something? cause i remember john telling me i'm not likely to do so

>>33871783
>ask about other planes
>continue pressing the issue of the collar

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Aina reaches for the door, but you stop her. "Hey..."
"Yes?" she replies, tilting her head slightly.
"If we open this door...pyramid head isn't going to come out and rip our skin off, is he?"
"...What?"
"You know, from Silent Hill. With the fog and the dead wife and the spooky air raid sirens."
"Oh!" She looks around. "Oh, I guess it is like that movie..."

A heavy sense of disappointment fills your chest, but you do not show it. Sighing, you open the door, and enter the Astral Plane duplicate of Kazuki's room.

It's messy; wrecked computers and electronic equipment lie strewn about the place. Faded, torn, and rotting posters of some blonde little girl plaster the walls. As you pick your way across the ruin, you try conversation again.

"...So, why's this place so weird?"
"Aaaah, nobody really knows! But it is. Though, it's not just a reflection of our earth; the further reaches carry influences from other realms."
"Yeah, you mentioned those..."
"Oh, well, simply put, earth isn't the only universe out there. There are dark, depressing ones, like the barren nightlands; there are bright, happy ones, like the Summerland; then there are the just plain lethal ones, like the Obsidian Mirrorscape. Earth's the only one with a human population of any decent size, though. And it's the safest."

Aina leads you through a door at the far end of Kazuki's room, into a massive server room...or that must be what it is in the normal world, because here it's just a mess of circuit boards and rusting wiring on the ground. There's a stair at the back of the server room, which leads down into a small little living space; there's a cramped kitchen and bathroom down there, and you head for the towels in the bathroom straightaway. They, of course, have the weird little girl on them.

>cont.

>>33872688
Decent taste in waifu I guess. Unless he has multiple waifus, in which case he a shit.

>>33872688
As you start drying yourself off, a thought occurs to you. "Wait...isn't Eva, like, sixteen? And you put a collar on her?"
Aina smiles sheepishly.
"Eheheheheh...she's a big girl, you know...and it was for safety..."

You give her the most stonefaced, deadpan stare you can.

"Right...And awakening?"
"Oh, that's what we call it when a mage realizes the supernatural nature of the universe in their soul. It's not really well understood, but different people need different triggers-mine was meditation and research, John's was close combat..."

>Get on outta there
>ask about astral plane dangers
>ask about blonde girl
>ask about John
>write in

>>33872746
>ask about astral plane dangers
>ask about blonde girl
>ask about John
Got a lotta questions.

>>33872746
>ask about astral plane dangers
>ask about John
>ask about blonde girl

>>33872746
>ask further about magic and its applications
>ask about astral plane dangers
>okay, how about that towel? i might not need it anymore though cause of all the time we took in the astral scenic route

>>33872746
>ask about astral plane dangers
>ask about blonde girl
Wonder how a trigger feels.

hey yo
what's the point of announcing the thread on the twitter if you're not gonna link it?

>>33872746
Backing >>33872918

>>33873122
I assume people can search for it in the catalog?

Though, noted; I'll fix that for next time. Same thing with the prior thread and twitter links.

"So...who's this blonde girl?" you ask, wholly unprepared for the vitriol of Aina's response.

"Oh my god! It's Kazuki's 'girlfriend', some stupid anime girl. He keeps porno of her, it's fucking disgusting. But somehow that gets a pass, while I just dress up Eva in some cute clothes-and she doesn't even object!-and everyone throws this whole huuuuuge hissy fit and it's 'that's sexual harrassment' and 'you're a terrible person Aina' and 'do this again and I'm sending you to human resources'. God, I hate it."

You remember that Xavier warned you about Aina, in addition to Kazuki...and that, right now, the crazy woman holding your leash is the only one who can get you back to normal earth.

That's a comforting thought.

As you head through the red fog covering the building, you ask Aina a bit more about the whole..nature of the universe, as it were.

She rambles on about things, but it's not too hard to get what's going on. Apparently the Astral Plane is open to all sorts of beasties, and they're more than happy to attack or prey on lost humans. On top of that, anything not being "observed" by a sentient being or actively reinforced exists in a hazy, uncertain state-objects can, and will move on their own.

"So that's why I invented the Bradshaw industries astral plane navigational assistan-" she reaches the main office, and stops dead in her tracks. That weight on your heart, from the psychiatric hospital-it's back, with a vengeance.

Out in front, just beyond the threshold, a small red fox sits, its tail swishing gently back and forth. Aina lets go of the collar and draws her knife, holding it in her right hand with the palm of her left against the butt of the handle. Sweat drips down the side of her face, and you can see her pupils dilate. The fox walks forward and places a paw against some kind of invisible wall; there are red ripples in the air, like it was touching some sort of force field. It steps back, turns, and leaves.

>cont.

>>33873883
Cute. Can we pet the fox?

>>33873883
Uh...still around, OP?

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>>33873883
The moment passes; she calms down, but is still sweating when she takes your leash in her hand again. "Let's go. The inner barrier held, but...that, that thing just walked through the outer one, without setting off my alarms. I'll have to double down on security..."

As you walk back towards the basement, there's an uneasy silence between you two. You eventually try to break it.
"So...what's with John?"
"Combat mage, flame powers. He's cleared for wetwork."
"So, like..."
"He and the werewolves have some history. Their boss's sister was his girlfriend, until..."
"Until..."
"Until a demon god ate her soul."

Aina is quiet, as you head back down the stairwell. It has changed slightly; the glass staircase has moved from the walls of the stairwell to being a single tight spiral staircase in the center.

"...God, he's so fucking stupid. Just because of some furry girl..." She sighs, as you reach the bottom. "Go over the autopsy reports from the prior murders. You can get those to the wendigo girl, if you want. The second one, clayborn-we found cainid toothmarks on his bones. Like he was attacked by a wolf..."

"...John...might let his past get in the way here. Don't tell him I said this, but...you and Xavier might have to make some moves, where he won't."

Aina repeats the ritual in the basement, and the fog and towel fade away from existence; you return to Earth, and she unhooks your collar.

"Thanks for playing with me for a while, at least."

>Prepare to go read autopsy reports
>look into meeting vampires
>ask more about werewolves
>Check up on John
>check up on Kazuki
>Check up on Eva
>write in

>>33874166
Yep! I just...took longer than planned.

>>33874275
Also, shit, it's canid, not cainid. Curse you english!

>>33874275
>ask more about werewolves
>Prepare to go read autopsy reports
>Check up on Eva

>>33874275
>Prepare to go read autopsy reports
>look into meeting vampires
>ask more about werewolves
>check up on Kazuki
Let's meet the nerd and be disgusted.

>>33874275
>ask more about werewolves
>Prepare to go read autopsy reports
>Check up on Eva

>>33874275
>look into meeting vampires
>ask more about werewolves
>Check up on Eva
"Hey, no problem, at least I know who to go to if I need to borrow sex toys."
Maybe don't actually say that, cause who borrows sex toys?

>Eva, the autopsy reports, and werewolves all get the most mentions, so I'mma go with those.

"...Aina." She turns to notice you at your words. "I'm new to all of this, but...what's with the werewolves? What are they...like?"

"Well..." She puts a hand to her chin, thinking. "They're big on survivalism, living out in the wild, that sort of thing. We used to have some ties with them, thanks to John, but the old guard never liked us...and, well, there was this whole mess in Arizona-I think it made it into the papers as a chemical plant explosion-they took a lot of losses, mostly among the ones who liked us. So they're real antagonistic, now."
"So they won't be a help..."
"Yeah...And, more than that, you'll want to bring Eva along. She can hold her own in a fight. 'Course, there's twenty of them, and only about ten of us at the best of times...Sorry, I gotta go short up those barriers. We can talk later, or something."

You give Aina a slight wave, and head on upstairs to the main office. She's...an odd one, to say the least. At least she seems capable of being serious. She didn't mention that she was a combat mage, so she probably can't shoot fireballs or anything...That astral plane stuff could be useful for getting around town faster, if you didn't have to constantly deal with her weird rapey albino tendencies.

Upstairs, you find the autopsy reports spread out on one of the open tables.

>Elizabeth Douglass, age 29
>A independently wealthy young woman, her autopsy was made more difficult by the advanced decomposition of her body.
>As best as can be pieced together, she was drugged, bound, gagged, regained consciousness, and was then vivisected.
>a private person, her body wasn't found until almost a week after her death, when her cleaning lady came in and found her.
>Most of her organs had been surgically removed and stored in the fridge and freezer; some where missing.
>Her body was found second, but she was the first killed.

>>33874909
Hmmm, interesting.

>>33874909
>Jacob Clayborn
>A middle-aged insurance salesman, he was found strangled and with his viscera devoured in one of Vanity City's many alleyways.
>Bruises on his neck are consistent with a necklace...
>Human and canine teeth marks found on his ribs.

Factoring the Mitch Sawyer killing, it seems that the bodies found so far have all been cases where-for one reason or another-the killer was forced to abandon their work early, or just got unlucky. Thinking on it, it's possible that if the maid hadn't arrived, Elizabeth Douglass's body would never have been found...and in this city, that'd be good enough to kill any investigation right there.

Satisfied in your preliminary conclusions, you walk over to Eva.
"Hey, Eva, how's it go-" you notice that she has the security footage frozen on a single frame; Mitch Sawyer stands next to a blonde woman in a shoulderless dress. Her face is hidden from the camera, but she is there.

"Found her." Eva says.

>write-in

>>33875024
Interesting. Possible to tell anything about her from the photo? Maybe if her clothes are expensive or not, any notable jewelry or markings, that kinda thing. Ask Eva about that stuff too.

Also the Douglass and Clayborn murders seem to have a pretty different MO. Former seems almost studiously dissected, while the latter gives off more a crime of passion (so to speak, as in, the murderer got off on it in some way). Might be down to the difference in genders?

>>33875024
>Congratulate her on finding the lead.
>Ask what she can find from the photo
Oh boy oh boy.

>>33875024
By the way, can we get basic visual descriptions of the victims (hair color, etc)? Do we even need that?

>>33875024
>>33875091
I gotta head off, hope it picks up a little!

>>33875024
>>33875091
"Great job, Eva!" You give the girl a pat on the shoulder, which she seems to shy away from. "Go over all the footage with her in it. I want to know everything you can tell me about her!"
"Yes, sir." Eva nods, and sets to work while you look for a connection between the victims.

"Find something?" Xavier calls, from a table decorated with a few comic-book figurines.
"Yeah, Eva just got a picture of our prime suspect. Now, let's see..."

You start looking over the autopsy reports more in-depth, while Eva examines the footage with the suspect.

Mitch Sawyer is a fairly attractive man, built like a fridge, with short curly brown hair and bright, innocent blue eyes. Jacob Clayborn, meanwhile, has the look of a predator to him; his black hair is slicked back aggressively, and all the pictures of him are in some pricey suit.

Elizabeth, the sole female victim...Short hair, dyed purple. A habit of wearing skirt suits, it seems...Unlike the others, she didn't have a day job. And Jacob worked at a downtown office building, while Elizabeth...lived in a downtown penthouse apartment. Mitch would have been visiting a bar, so...

Nodding your head slightly, you start to piece it together.
"Her MO is wildly different for these killings...it's possible that she kills men for pleasure, and women to feed. There was that care taken to preserve the organs, and remove them with a minimum of mess...but with Elizabeth conscious throughout, she's definitely a sadist. Eva! Give me something more to go on."

Eva doesn't look up from the minute or so section of security footage that she's been watching. "Her hair is really long...uh, I don't know clothes well..."
"Don't worry. That's a nice dress, but it's not real expensive." Xavier fills in for her.
"No jewelry..." Eva continues. "She, uh, clings to him a lot...and she leans on him a lot...She's around your age."

You scribble your notes from this down on a stray notebook. It's something, alright.
>cont.

>>33875766

She seems to hunt downtown, and live out on the edge of town, if that bus pass is anything to go by. All of the victims so far were killed in the evening, and there's those canine teeth to go by...There's not enough to ID her. Not yet.

But it's beginning to form a picture...

>Ask about who'd be 'in the know' for the downtown supernatural shit
>ask about who'd be in the know for edge of town shit
>get ready to explore downtown
>get ready to explore outskirts
>get ready to visit annabelle again

Ladies and gentlemen, the game is afoot.

>>33875881
>Ask about who'd be 'in the know' for the downtown supernatural shit
>get ready to explore outskirts
A pretty good picture so far really, though I imagine it's going to be harder to find leads from here.

>>33875881
>Ask about who'd be 'in the know' for the downtown supernatural shit
>ask about who'd be in the know for edge of town shit
Plan what to do after knowing these.

>>33875881
>Ask about who'd be 'in the know' for the downtown supernatural shit
>get ready to explore downtown

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>>33876082
>>33876077
>>33875967
You feel your pulse quicken a bit. It'll fade, soon, but you've been around this feeling before. The thrill, the rush of progress...It's like you're a fox out hunting, and you've just managed to catch the scent of a juicy rabbit.

"Xavier! Who'd be most knowledgeable about downtown supernatural stuff?"
He starts a bit, surprised by your sudden energy.
"Uh, that'd probably be Ms. Delacroix, the vampire...she's more or less got a stranglehold on the prostitution business in town. Pillow talk, you know, and she has to keep an eye on her income streams, so...Hey, you know, it's getting late, she'd probably just be getting up around now."
"What about the outskirts? Like, say, by the Worth Street station?"
"That'd be the werewolves, under Moses. Hey, but if you wanna go there-"
"I can kill them," Eva says.

>ADVENTURE: VAMPIRE
>ADVENTURE: WEREWOLF

>Also choose your partner: socially inept combat monster girl or The Black Guy who actually knows shit about the town

(I'll probably be ending just after this next choice for the night.)

>>33876490
>ADVENTURE: VAMPIRE
>socially inept combat monster girl
Cos you don't out-social a vampire anyway.

>>33876490
>ADVENTURE: VAMPIRE

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>>33876633
>>33876701

You get Xavier to give you some directions, then you and Eva hop in your car and zip on off into the night streets. You drum your fingers incessantly on the steering wheel as you go, excited for what's to come. The potential this has to be your big break doesn't really figure in your head; no, what matters now is...the chase.

Orange streetlights blur together as you drive. Eva sits quietly in the passenger's seat, as you head towards another piece of the puzzle. It's a little bit warped...but, moments like this are the moments that make you love your job. It's not when the killer is caught and convicted, that's usually the work of some other agents. But the sense of solving the puzzles of the world, of piecing together the mysteries, of tracking someone forward through time, that's what you love.

The hunt is on.

>>33877061
Anyways, that's going to be it for tonight. Feel free to leave a comment, guys. I'll try to run it again in a few days.