Circle W Ranch, 4:17am Easter Saturday

Round the front:

William slinks warily from the carriage house and along the front of the building, rapped by hail but favoured by the shadows cast by the still-burning bunkhouse across the yard. Hank joins him, cautiously, some strange dog trotting at his side.

There's a steam wagon nearby, though it's been pulled over on its side by a soaked and near-hysterical draught mule hitched to the shortened traces. In front of the porch, a horse is standing with an unnatural stillness whilst a weird mound of fluttering shadow writhes at its feet.

---

Round the back:

Jake watches the rider carefully approach the thing on the ground, then dismount and crouch over it.

William looks at Hank, then jerks his head to the right. He waits for Hank to nod, in agreement and lets the boy take a wide berth to the the direction Pierce indicated before he proceeds.
Standard flanking manuever. The boy had remembered his lessons.

Pierce rested his left hand on one of his makeshift stake, then slowly strides forward, trying to keep an eye on his surroundings while trying to make out who - or what- is crouching there.


20:57, Today: William Pierce rolled 6,9 using d6+4,d6+4, rerolling max with rolls of 2,5. Super-Notice.

Jake pondered what to do, the others probably didn't know about this vampire, and he would have a tough time warning them. His eyes semi-accustomed to the dark looked about for something of use.

OOC: Are any cows still around?

Hank swings out wide, his quadrapaedal companion pausing a moment, tensing, then vanishing in a blur of motion. William catches sight of her off down near the bunkhouse, then again across the yard at the near corner of the feed shed, head low, sniffing.

Neither the mass nor the horse react to William's approach: as he comes a little nearer, he can see crowlets occasionally breaking off the frenzy, fluttering up or hopping about, giving the vampire just enough time to half-heal before the little beaks set in again. There are a few on the horse, too; William notices the beast's eyeballs are missing, and strips of meat have been torn off around the mutilated sockets and muzzle. The animal stands without reaction.

It doesn't smell alive. The crowlets call and cackle to each other over the hail: they seem to be having a great time as their quarry makes inhuman sounds and tries to rise, allowed partway before the crowlets pile up, pushing him back to the mud.

[[They weren't going too fast - if he chased after 'em now, he could probably find a cow.]]

The vampire turns the lump over, then heaves it up over his saddlebow.

Jake frowned, the cattle wouldn't be of much help as far as they were from him. He tried to recall what he can about vampires.

OOC: Literally have zero ideas about what Jake could do that would be helpful, not insane nor suicidal.
10:58, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 2,5 using d4,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,5. Know: Occult - Vampires.

[[Aw, but "insane and suicidal" is what Jake does best! I mean, he got here by deciding to bail out of an upstairs window into a stampeding herd of cattle...you can roll Notice -2 for me if you like, though.]]

The cowboy checks his burden is on there properly and mounts up. As the dead man turns his overly-compliant steed's head to the northeast Jake racks his brains for all he's learned about them so far.

The dullard ones at the church had had the flesh burned off their bones but hadn't died until stabbed with wooden splinters...yet that smart, clawed one that attacked the priest didn't crumble when stabbed in the very heart, just froze up, still unnaturally alive when that thing from outside space (Jake finds his memory of the crawler in darkness is already hazy, as though his mind is trying to erase the sight in self-defense) burnt-froze and tore the meat off him...he'd succumbed to the flamethrower, though.

Shooting didn't seem to work on any of them, even boosted by Jake's 'friends' on the Other Side, though one of William's shots had seemed to do damage - damage the female at the top of the stairs didn't seem to be expecting, either. As far as he remembered, though, Evans' holy hand grenades seemed to work on a combination of quasi-sunlight and the inclusion of priest-blessed ingredients: perhaps Pierce had had his gun blessed. Maybe praying at them would help? The older Dust Adder in the house was almost certainly alive due to singing hymns, he'd seen that in the vision.

The folk in the house had been putting garlic around, apparently to keep the vampires away, and the clank had been wittering about onions...plus the alpha female had been clearly uncomfortable when she stole the bucket of pee; perhaps their heightened predatory senses couldn't cope with extreme scents? The jiang shi had stayed well away from that stuff, but it seemed to be a different sort of vampire altogether, so the cowboy out here probably wouldn't react much to cooked rice.

Jake did recall something else about vampires and rice, though. Dimly-recalled memories stir, of a European neighbour's stories...yes, they'd scatter rice or seeds in front yards when the night drew in, because the vampires would be compelled to count such things. If he had a number of similar small objects, the creature might be distracted with a need to pick them up...


[[In summary, Jake has seen different things affect different vampires, and can surmise there are different types, but he knows wood, blessed things, and strong scent/light are likely to affect all of them to some degree.]]

OOC:
13:56, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 13,3 using d10-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of (10+5)15,5. Notice (-2 GM).

"¡Hay un otro!"

The shout draws Jake's attention to the distant corner of the house and the scarce-visible bulk of the feed shed beyond. Then the lightning flashes, and shows him for an indelible instant something that looks like someone skinned a coyote, stuck it full of barbs and shards of rock, and hacked its limbs into proportions slightly more child-like than canid. That was what spoke.

Jake's blood crawls in its veins. He knows of only one creature like that, the descriptions always vague: rural legend, an omen of death. It's el chupacabras.

[[Just...have a white chip and free occult knowledge without rollage, because that wasn't intended to be a trap. Then give me a Guts roll @ -5 + Grit.]]

---

""¡Hay un otro!"" Jaquinta reports to the men round the front from over by the feed shed. Her huge eyes briefly shine bright as candles, catching the glare of a flash of lightning.

Goat sucker ... horrible name for a horrible thing Jake thought as his blood turned cold for an instant. Pretty sure old Doc Lucas had one of those on his dissection table, or was it just a goat? The thought came and went as he looked about for somewhere or something of use. "Vampires and goat suckers, next we'll have a bigfoot and a jackalope roaming about,"he muttered.

OOC:
15:13, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 8,1 using d10-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 9,2. Spirit (-5 Fear, +4 Grit).

The rider starts, swings his mount's head about, and kicks his heels to the beast's sides: suddenly the cowboy is pounding straight for Jake's shrubbery at full tilt.

"¡Voy lo atrapar!" the chupe barks, and becomes a blur of speed and spraying mud, hideously fast. It's heading this way, too.

[[Jake has plenty of twigs and dead leaves ready to hand, plus a decent-sized rock and some snail shells which may or may not be occupied. The beastie said "I'll catch it/him!", and - as a note - can't be aimed at whilst running due to being so fast as to be almost invisible. The horse is a nice target, though. Alternately, Jake could lie flat and hope they miss him...think fast!]]

"Oh like hell..." Jake said as he leveled his dragoon on the creature. More red and blue lightning erupted into the darkness.

OOC: Spell then moving to cover!
14:33, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 7,5 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,5. Spellcasting Bolt (3d6).
14:35, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 13 using 3d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,1,(6+2)8. Bolt Damage.

PP: 8/10

There's a chorused shout and yelp of surprise from the cowboy and chupacabra.

[[Were you shooting the horse-beast, or in Jackie's general direction?]]

OOC: GREAT question
15:04, Today: Jake Lawrence got the result "Ask again later" on the magic 8-ball. Should I should the chupacabra?
15:05, Today: Jake Lawrence got the result "Yes" on the magic 8-ball. It might be later now.
Magic 8-ball has spoken! The chupacabra is getting shot

[[Still a hit, since 'general direction' is general (-2) in Dim light or not, and the stats I've got don't list her as Small...that's 1 Wound shaken for Jaquinta. You may now picture Tezcatlcoatl making a smug face.

Jackie, soakin' time!
Jaquinta, rolled 12,11 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (10+2)12,(6+5)11. soaking! Soaked with raisins.]]

Jake's lightning clips the goatsucker, causing it to stumble sideways and be thrown rolling into the mud by its own momentum.

"¡AY!"

The vampire carries on, crashing through the foliage with a vague pistol-whip at where Jake was; his horse is through the shrubbery with barely a second's decceleration, soon on relatively open ground and charging.

Jake has just enough time to note that the thing over the cowboy's saddle looked like a body and that the rider seemed to be being chased by the abomination. Then suddenly the air is knocked out of him by a ballistic chupacabra to the chest.

"¡¿Qué coño, cabeza de mierda?!" it snarls, and closes its jaws around Jake's throat like a steel trap.


[[She is now one pissed-off chupe and decides to go bite the idiot shooting at her. Unfortunately for Jake, he's now within her Pace and she's a melee fighter with no Dark/Dim penalties...

Jaquinta rolled 10,9 using d10+2,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 8,(6+1)7. bite! Hit, raise.
Jaquinta rolled 11,3 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+3)11,3. *NOM*. Base damage.
Jaquinta, rolled 4 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4. raise die.

-> 18 damage, which is 3 wounds Shaken for Jake.

Meanwhile, the vampire high-tails it out of there. D'you want to keep this as a narrative fight, or go into combat?]]

Letting out a yelp of pain, Jake pushed at the critter who was attempting to eat him and which was allowing the vampire to get away


OOC: Okay ... so am I missing something? Should Jake recognize this chupacabra?

Burn a white to ATTEMPT to soak some of that
16:14, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 2,8 using 1d6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+2)8. Soak.
That's good for 2 out of 3 ... hello wound penalties how I've missed you!

Jake really has little to no stake in the current goings on but he should probably try to stop the vampire.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:23, Fri 12 Dec 2014.

The pair overbalance, crashing through the foliage. Its vicelike grip loosened, the creature scrambles and shifts its weight to pin Jake down, leaning against his pushing hands. Its huge dark eyes meet Jake's and its lips curl back in a snarl, bloodstained teeth inches from his face.

*hhhhRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrr...*

[[You may have a free Smarts roll -2 to see. For her part, Jackie only realised he wasn't another vampire when she jumped on him, but he did shoot at her...she'd have savaged him worse (woo Improved Frenzy!) if he hadn't been mortal, though.]]

OOC:
16:36, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 1,0 using d10-3,d6-3, rerolling max with rolls of 4,3. Smarts (-2 GM, -1 WP).
Jake knows nothing ... as usual

The vast eyes narrow, briefly aflame with the reflection of lightning overhead. Seeing Jake's not immediately about to do anything but bleed and pant for breath, the creature dips its head, wrests the gun from Jake's hand and throws it off into the dark bushes with a sharp toss of the head.

The hoofbeats Jake can feel though the twig litter are swiftly getting more distant.

[[You could always ask her, too...Tez was influencing Jake to see them as coming at him together rather than one chasing the other, coincidentally in his direction, so it's only 60-70% Jake's fault.

Jaquinta disarms him whilst he's lying there Shaken, but isn't sure about letting him up yet.]]

William takes a few more steps closer, stake in his hand. Instinctively, he waits for a second for the crows to give him an opening, then plunges the stake down, hard, into the dead thing's heart.

He drives the piece of wood in deep, twisting it, and carefully looks what happens. Family - or hired help?

"One down. One to go." He nods to the crows. "Obliged. Do you know where I can find the last one?"


10:33, Today: William Pierce rolled 5,14 using d8-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 7,(6+6+4)16. Fighting, wild, to the heart.

10:34, Today: William Pierce rolled 3,7,7 (total 17) using d10,d4,d6+2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,(4+3)7,5. Stake damage, +wild, raise.

The crowlets pile themselves into a near-pyramid on the distinctly-dead cowboy and bustle amongst themselves for a moment. A spokescrowlet is chosen and nudged to the top. Tiny glowing red eyes look up at William.

"Are you a cowboy?" it asks.

William barks out a laughter. It's a good feeling, surprisingly so, but after being killed, hanged, turned into a monster, shot at, stabbed, insulted,... the crows make him laugh.
He shakes his head, still smiling.
"No, I'm not. I am just someone who hunts and kills monsters."

Jake looked at the THING currently atop him and shook his head. "If you think I need that for what I do ... you're a fool." He turned over his non-bloodied hand and three ghostly cards appeared but then vanished into nothing.

OOC: Unshake
09:26, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 1,7 using d10-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+2)8. Unshake (-1WP). Yes!

09:27, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 3,-1 using d10-3,d6-3, rerolling max with rolls of 6,2. Spellcasting Bolt (3x2d6 -1wp, -2MAP). ... fail!

"Si quieres, puedo tomar tus manos," the goatsucker snarls back, shifting a bit to put most of its weight on Jake's arms, though one clawed back paw scrapes uncomfortably close to where Jake would rather not be stood on. Its breath smells of old blood and hunger. "'Vaya con Dios', dices, pero creo que tu vas con el Diablo...si quieres un poco del Infierno, es aquí."


[[Was that off PP? I think failed spells still count. *kicks internet until it works*

Jackie tries to Intimidate Jake rather than chewing his face off, in case O'Rourke would disapprove:
Jaquinta rolled 9,4 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+3)9,4. scary chupe?

That's a 9 to beat, Jake.]]

There's a bit of inter-crow speculation. "Is he a cowboy?" the topmost one asks. A small stream of crowlets hop out to 'point' at Hank, then flutter back.

The rational part of Jake's brain reminded him that things nearby with pointy teeth should be dealt with before things far way with pointy teeth.  Color drains from his face as his life's blood continued to leave him and pool on the ground. A shiver ran through out his person, fear or cold ... he wasn't sure which.

OOC: it was for pure casting ... which means no spell .. meant to be a 3d6 bolt just typed it in wrong.
08:49, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 7,4 using d10-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 8,5. Spirit.
08:49, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1. Blue Chip. 7 + 1 = 8 < 9 ... hello wasted blue chip!
White chip to reroll the whole thing
08:52, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 4,7,1 using d10-1,d6-1,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,(6+2)8,1. Spirit + Blue Chip. ... so 7+1 = 8 ... again  ... ugh!

Enjoy your +2 goat sucker!

The chupe gives a low growl, then lunges: once more Jake's throat is in the creature's grip.

...yet it doesn't break the skin. The flash of relief is short-lived, however, as Jake realises he can't breathe.


[[Jaquinta rolled 20,8 using d10+4,d6+4, rerolling max with rolls of (10+6)16,4. grapple-bite.

20 to beat to resist the chokehold...if Jake fails, he gets a Vigour roll at -4 as per the Hanging rules, failure of which'll put him out for 1d6+1 minutes.

Took me a while to work out how to do this without Jake winding up KO'd under a bush for hours or carrying Fatigue levels: Jackie only needs him x_x for a few minutes.]]

The gunslinger considers this. "He's... with me", he finally answers.
"Ain't that right, Hank?"

Jake saw stars ... then black.

OOC:
16:05, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 2,4 using d8-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5. Agility (-1 WP). fail...
16:07, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled -1,-1 using d6-5,d6-5, rerolling max with rolls of 4,4. Vigor (-1 WP, -4 Hanging). fail again
16:08, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 9 using 1d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of (6+2)8. KO time. Maximium KO!  la chupacabra wins!

"Ever an' always, Billy," Hank throws in, warily coming a bit closer though still alert, Hardin's gun in hand. "What's with you and the Marshal in there?"

"Okay! We won't eat him, then," the spokescrowlet responds. There's a bit more discussion. "We're going to look for the one that made a strange face and went 'round the back. D'you want to come?"

Once the gringo fool went limp and unresisting Jaquinta waited a couple of seconds, feeling the man's pulse slow and struggle under her tongue, then let go.

Her mouth was watering enough for strings of drool to stretch between her teeth and his freshly-bruised skin, but she resists the temptation, licking over his wound only enough to clean and encourage it to close. Probably pointless to leave him to freeze after all that effort not to kill him, she reflects, and circles about to put his hat on his middle and nose down under his skull to take a good grip of his collar. With a grunt and a heave, the chupacabra starts dragging Jake over towards the open end doors of the carriage house.

[[I'll let you know when Jake's up and at 'em again.]]

"Yes, if you'll allow us to join you in your hunt."

William leaves the stake in the dead vampire, then pulls another one from his belt, leaving one to spare.

"The marshal and I have our differences. But right now, we're focused on dealing with the situation at hand. Then we'll see what's happens next."

"Looks a pretty fancy place for a nowhere town like Blackthorn," Hank observes. "Reckon there's old money there. Prob'ly dirty money, too."

"Rightright," the birdie rasps. "Going! Do looking!" The mass of crowlets throw themselves at William in a blur of soggy little bodies, catching onto his shirt and belt and sleeves, swinging round to settle in a fluttering mass on his back.

Hank startles away from the rush of birds. "What the-?"

He's interrupted by a cawed chant of three, upon the end of which William shoots into the air.

"Hey! Hey, wait up!" Hank yells, suddenly dropping further and further down and away on the spinning ground.

[[The birdies rolled 5 using 1d8, rerolling max with rolls of 5. awaaay! Gimmie a Notice roll to see how well that looking goes, the William.]]

13:47, Today: William Pierce rolled 5,13 using d6+4,d6+4, rerolling max with rolls of 1,(6+3)9. Super-Notice!

Surprised, William grits his teeth, but stops moving after a few protests from the birds. He tries to relax as good as he can, scanning the ground with his glowing eyes...

Peering through the stinging sheets of hail as he circles into the sky, William can clearly see the chupacabra dragging a man's body towards the open end of the carriage house.

There are a lot of slow-moving dark shapes around - the cows, he realises, just beginning to shake off whatever influence had caused them to leave and starting to re-form herds. A quarter-mile distant towards the creek that scores town- and seaward from the low hills, he sees a rider clutching something pale. The figure flickers through the scrub.

"D'ya see cowboys?" asks something on his head.

Being so high up, William can also note a pattern of dented shrubbery heading more directly for those rocky hills. It's like the track of a serpent through grass, only on a huge scale. Glancing back towards Blackthorn as they circle, Pierce spots a lone, very dark figure wandering the scrub. It's horribly thin, and some once-human part of him isn't keen to look at it. For a moment, as a flash of lightning brightens the Blackthorn road, he thinks there might be an old roadworker leaning on his shovel grinning up at him, but by the time William's blinked the afterimages away there's definitely nothing there but potholes.

Hank follows as best he can from the ground, though the ranch house roof is clearly getting in his way and he can't really see what's going on.

Having previously discovered Bitter Waters sleeping on the floor in the carriage house, but also previously banned from touching him to move him to where there are sheets/see if he needs fixing, Alouette patters out and stands over the man. Then drops a piece of still-smouldering charcoal on the man's middle, in case the problem is that he's out of fuel.


[[ Alouette rolled 3 using 1d6. just checking. Jake is not on fire.

Give me a normal Vigour roll to see if being slightly toasty wakes Jake up, though.]]

The huckster woke with a start, his hand going in front of his face in a protective manner. He then felt the hot coal on his abdomen which he quickly tried to remove without burning himself. "Wha huh?!"


OOC:
09:17, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 3,4 using d6-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 4,5. Vigor (-1 WP).
This message was last edited by the player at 15:09, Wed 14 Jan 2015.

"Howdy Bitter Waters!" the clank chirps, noting that providing fuel is Helpful. "...why were you sleeping on the ground?"

"Don't really know Clank. Though I imagine that the floor is where people slept before the bed was devised," Jake said with a slight eye roll.

Jake took a moment to see if he could put the still live coal somewhere it wouldn't burn down the house. Once that is done he look back to the Clank and said , "Last thing I recall was being run at by a chupacabra and a vampire cowboy."

"Angel-" Alouette corrects cheerfully. It watches Jake scuff the coal out of the carriage doors with curiousity.

"What is 'chupacabra'?" it asks when he comes back, then: "Where did they go?"

It ticks for a moment. "Did they bite you?"

"Jake." Jake corrected back with a lack of cheer.

"Chupacabra is Spanish for goat sucker. It sort of looks like someone skinned a coyote then stuck it full of barbs ... not terribly pretty.

No clue where they went from in here," he shrugged

"The Chupacabra yes, the vampire no."

"Howdy!" Alouette responds.

"Like the Pointy Dog Lady who wasn't a leprechaun? She said she was going to help Names William Pierce and Names William Pierce's Differently Alive Friend whoop the ass of a vampire...she shouldn't bite mortals, though; self will tell her that biting mortals is a sin and self is not required to protect her." There's a pause after this is established: the clank wanders up to the doors, cranes a bit, then comes back to pester Jake.

"Where is the priest?" it asks.

"I see dead people", Pierce replies.
When he spots Jake and Alouette, he adds: "There, take me to them."

"Don't know ... upstairs maybe. Probably where everyone else is ... so go find others and they'll likely know" Jake said with a shrug.

"Okay," the clank chirps, then is distracted by a blot against the clouds rapidly approaching the open end doors.

Jake sees lots and lots of little black-beaky birds decending to funnel in upon them. Stranger yet, in their midst rides a pale man...

"Howdy, Names William Pierce!" Alouette chirps as the crows let go.

[[Jake, William, Agility please.]]

OOC: As requested
16:02, Today: Jake Lawrence rolled 6,2 using d8-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 7,3. Agility (-1 WP).

22:45, Today: William Pierce rolled 2,7 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+1)7. agility.

William shouts in alarm, then focuses on bringing his feet under him and falls to the muddy floor, hard. He lands on his feet,then falls forward, but catches his fall with his hands.

With his fangs bared, he looks up at the clank.

The clank misses both the snarling and Jake's narrow escape from being taken out by a ballistic vampire. "Howdy Tiny Crows!" it chirps at the birdies, who clearly want nothing to do with it, starling-flocking away in a chorus of disdain and alarm when it steps closer.

Instants later an extra hail-patter on the carriage house roof suggests the lot of them are listening in from above. The clank just tilts its shiny metal head for a bit, rosary tapping against the side, then looks down at William.

"Do you know where the priest and/or Dog Lady went?" it asks him. "Bitter Waters was sleeping on the floor but he didn't know why but self gave him fuel and he woke up...why were you in the sky? Do you have crow friends now too?"

Jake's instinct was to pull his gun which he attempted to do but since said pistol was now sitting outside rusting under a bush ... Jake simply slapped his empty holster. The huckster took the lack of attention to leave the clank and vampire to their own devices. His eyes land on the door to the kitchen which was where he headed.

The clank seems more interested in Pierce's decent from the heavens for the time being, though Jake should probably move fast if he doesn't want the damn thing following him with its eternal curiousity.

[[That'd be the bit of the And The Crows... thread Adrian's in, if William doesn't call you back for anything.]]

"Lawrence! Get back, you fool. There's one vampire left... if we don't find and end him, he might spawn another family."
Pierce growls after Bitter Waters.
He rises from the ground and answers Alouette: "Something took the priest as well as the nun. Not sure what and where, but I'm pretty sure it's all related to what's caused the whole town going to Hell. Once the last of the bloodsuckers is a pile of ash, I'll go after what took the priest."

The clank ticks for a bit.

"Where is Called Charging Bear?"

Jake glanced back at Pierce, "From the look of things, there are at least two more." The huckster smiled and kept walking. Though he kept an eye out for any firearm or weapon that might be about.

The clank looks at Pierce, trying to determine if he's doing anything mysterious. "Are you spawning, Names William Pierce?" it asks.

William shakes his head.
"You know I don't. Besides, I haven't fed on the blood of humans. The way I understand it, that's kinda necessary. Have you seen the other vampires?"

"Self has seen many other vampires," the clank states, possibly wondering at the question since Names William Pierce has seen other vampires too.

William sighs. "I meant, like, recently... Oh, nevermind."
He'll probably say: "Of course! you!" the gunslinger thought.

He peered into the darkness. One had been done in by the crows. The other one... and then there was the question what that Lawrence fellow had meant with "two". Like, two more or two including the crow victim?
He had half a mind of slapping "Bitter Waters" in his face.

Pierce slowly turned, nodding in Hanks direction as the boy turned around the corner, seemingly out of breath. He either truly doesn't know or he's faking it.
He still wasn't sure how he felt about someone from his past catching up to him. Who else was out there, following him all the way to this godforsaken piece of shit town?

He looked for the crows, to see if he could determine a vampire's location from where they were gathering.

11:26, Today: William Pierce rolled 6,7 using d6+4,d6+4, rerolling max with rolls of 2,3. Super Notice! Vampires, come out where ever you are!

The clank does point at William, but doesn't get as far as talking before being told to forget it.

Hank slows, seeing Pierce is in no danger, and looks around. "Where'd the chupe go?"

The crowlets are on the carriage house roof, mostly huddled in the shelter of the house. Small groups occasionally rise up into the buffeting wind to watch something going on far off then flutter back to chatter commentary to their fellows.

William notes that something very large headed for the hills, and that a shod horse started running a little later than the cattle trample, but otherwise any tracks are much-confused and collapsing fast as mud slides onto mud. The hail seems to be passing over, and the thunder less frequent, though the clouds out seaward suggest another soaking before dawn. Puddles are beginning to form on the saturated ground.