"Yeah, it's safe, all the vampires are dead.  Except me." a voice at the bottom of the stairs says.

"And me.  Not so safe after all huh?"said another voice from the same vicinity.

Annabelle, Merry, and Graham look to see two vampires at the bottom of the stairway. Not Turok-Hans, regular vampires, if there is such a thing.

And they are both coming closer.

OCC: Two vampires about to head up the stairway.  Graham is closest to them, followed  by Annabelle, then Merry.  To the combat thread for your three. Graham has initiative (pardon the pun) and gets to attack first. Mike and Daniel can't join the fight yet because they are outside and unaware of the vampires.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:34, Thu 07 Feb 2013.

Without blinking, Graham puts himself between the hostiles and the civilians. His right hand drops down toward a pocket on his thigh, palming the combat knife in there.  "How did you get in here?" he asks. "None of us invited you in."

Situating himself at the top of the stairs, he hopes to contain the vamps to a one person kill zone that should give the ladies behind him a chance to run.  Figuring he shouldn't count on Annabelle for help (Merry and her sword were still unknown quantities) he slashed at the first vampire and missed.  "We thought we needed an invite to come in too, guess whoever owns this house is dead huh?" the first vamp then said. Graham also tries parry attacks from both of the vamps and fails as the first vampire nails him with a punch to the jaw. The second one is blocked by his pal at the moment and a couple of stair steps behind.

"Honestly...they're just soul-less undead monsters; I've had lawyers who were far less reasonable.  But no one ever tries diplomacy, do they..."  Rolling her eyes, Merry followed behind Graham, and used him as a human shield before stepping out and underneath him in a slashing lunge towards the first vampire up the stairs' gut, slashing it open.  The creature howls in pain.  "Aaarrrggghhhhh!!!!  I'll kill you for that b****!!!!!!" he screams at Merry.

Annabelle springs into action at the sight of the vampires.  Literally springs, as she steps up over Graham's shoulder from her higher postion on the stairway.
"Have at this you soulless undead monsters..........wait a bloody minute, Merry how do know so much about vampires?!"  Annabelle shouts in mid leap.
as she clears Graham and mounts a flying tackle on the second vampire. The monster barely dodged out of the way as Annabelle sailed past him.  Deciding to go after the easy blood, he waits to see where Annbelle will land and leaves the other two to his partner.

Meanwhile outside, Daniel and Mike both hear the noise of a fight going on inside.

OCC: 9 point of damage to Graham (I added +2 for the multi attacker bonus, but still not enough).  He and Merry have vamp #1 coming at them, and he's focused on Merry. Annabelle won't be any help, she's too busy tumbling down the stairs and needs to roll to land just right. Second vamp slowly coming down the stairs, waiting for her to land and not coming at you two. Mike and Daniel can rush in and will be close enough to gang up on vamp #2 if they want.

Reeling more from the news that the Vamps had entered because the owner, Buffy, was dead rather than from the vamps blow, Graham rocked back for a second. Shaking himself, he tried to focus on the fight, lashing out at the vamp hoping to connect and just missing this time as the vampire barely manages to evade them.

"The same way I know about Warlocks, Demons, Slayers and the proper dress for a debutante ball my dear; experience!"  The look on Merry's face was a distinct 'how could you even ask such an obvious question?' expression.  She momentarily diverted her attention back to the vampire she was double-teaming with Graham and whipped her saber through a short, brutal arc, that widened the cut she'd already made in the vamp. The undead screamed in pain again and launched a kick a Merry that missed by a mile.  "I don't suppose you'd mind staking the bloody miscreant, would you?  I'm not nicking my sword on those cheap designer imposter clothes of his..." At this point the vampire began to back away in fear of Merry who was the must dangerous enemey he'd ever faced.


"Oh crumbs, this is going to hurt."Annabelle said, trying to perform like her watcher taught her when you take a fall, but already guessing she was unlikely to nail it just right.  She caught what Merry said on the way down.  Well, at least I won't have to spend twenty minutes explaining to her what a Slayer is"she thought as she tumbled not very gracefully down half a flight of stairs, finally landing at the bottom.

The second vampire slowly descended the stairs, looking at Annabelle lying helpless on the floor. He never makes it to her, because just then.......

Mike, on the other hand, sped through the door, and up behind vamp #2.
He launched two quick punches that both slammed into the creature with bonecrushing force, followed by an attempted stake through the heart. His reckless attack left him open...if his opponent can survive his ruthless triple assault.

Something smelled funny and not in just the metaphorical sense.  Rushing inside stake still drawn he'd happen upon the sight of vampire.  One who looked far less cavemanish than the last few they'd gone through.  Using Michael's flurry as an area of opportunity the young man would help out in the assault by crouching down and nailing a kick to sweep the vampire off his feet after Mike's first two punches landed.  Using the situation to follow up and try and stake him.  That was of course if Michael's stake didn't dust him first, which it then did just after Daniel's kick left the vampire on his back. Michael's stake impacted with a crunching as the creature exploded to dust.

Upstairs, the first vampire decided discrestion was the better part of valor and started heading down the stairs in a retreat.  And was just in time to see two bad ass looking guys dust his partner.  Vamp 1 stopped halfway down the stairs and held up his hands in surrender.  "Hold on now!  We can talk about this!!  Don't let the stake finger get itchy!!"

OCC: 6 points of damage to Annabelle for her less than graceful stair descent.  One wounded vampire left halfway down the stairs and surrounded by two of you on each side.

"Why should we spare you?  A minute ago you and Mr. Dusty over there were determined to kill all of us without a second thought,"  Graham replied while moving down the stairs toward the vamp.  He trades his combat knife for a wooden stake as he moves, then finally stakes the vampire in the heart while his back is turned. "Oh cr---" is all the undead creature gets out as he explodes to dust.

OCC: And this fight's over.  Good guys win.

With the death of the vampires, Graham let the weight of their words fully hit him, and he sank down to sit on the stairs.  Rubbing the bruise on his cheek, Graham tried to digest what it meant for the Slayer to be dead.  And couldn't help but come to the conclusion that somehow he had failed again.  That if he had been here a few days earlier Buffy might be alive and those super-vamps would be dead hostiles. "I was too late, again," he mutters to himself while dropping his head into the cradle of his hands.

Slowly, the combat veteran in him fought its way to the surface, bludgeoning the guilt and remorse to the side long enough for a thought to occur to him.  With rising dread, Graham looks up from his hands. "The Slayer is dead," he announces while looking at the failing light coming through the windows.  "We need to move quickly before more vampires come here."

"Slayer?  Does the Easter Bunny live here too?"  He heard the name before.  Who hadn't?  It was the big bad bogeyma-err woman demons and vampires told one another.  But there was no way she was real.  It was absurd.  Then again his own existence was a bit of a ridiculous concept.  "Seriously I've been to hole in the walls before.  But never to a live re-enactment of Mad Max what is going on in this town?  Fang Faces everywhere, some of them looking a bit like wild animals.  Even Cleveland isn't this messed up."

"The Slayer's real alright, or, well, she was. So is Angelus, Spike, and the rest. I have no idea who might've survived. If the Slayers here have been slain...new Slayers should've been called somewhere else. The Slayer line is set up to continue, no matter how many die. That won't help us right now, though."

That's all he can say.

"You call the Slayer a boogeyman?  There's only one (well, two as of late) in all the world!  You want nightmare material?  You'd be simply stunned at the things I've heard about the World Without Shrimp...". Merry chipped in as ever, only for once, she damn well knew the subject matter and didn't mind throwing her opinion around.

Annabelle slowly got to her feet, touching an aching spot on her hip, then her arm, then finally the side of her head.  Graham's words sink in, and she's quiet for a moment then finally: "Yes, there is a Slayer.  Her name was Buffy Summers and I met her here not too long ago.  This was her house and..................................if vampires can enter freely, that definitely proved she was dead.  When the Slayer dies, another is called, but God only knows where she is and if she's ready to assume her a calling."

Annabelle slowly walked past everyone and up the stairs, her eyes on the bathroom.  "Now let's see if I can find myself an ice pack."  She pauses and looks at Mike then Daniel.  "Thank you two for saving me.  Who are you anyway?  I thought at first you were with Merry, that one of you was her chauffuer, the other her massuese."

"Well her valiant steed over here counts as a chaffeur I guess.  And before I put my foot in my mouth over the masseuse comment I'll end the joke now.  Anyways, name's Daniel.  I'm just passing through town, heard rumors of trouble in the hellmouth round here.  Come to find a ghost town full up on vampires.  And well I guess us."  He shrugged for a moment before finding a wall to lean against.  "'Course if there really are so few people around, the local vamps are sure to get to starving eventually.  So I'm actually with the big guy on the whole finding a new place to have this conversation."  It wasn't hard to adapt to the reality that slayers were real.  Certainly not even the oddest fact of the day.

"Well, they are cute enough to be on staff, if daddy didn't insist on hiring all my retainers himself.  No, my noble steed Mike is some sort of vampire, half-demon or the like.  Far too put-together for a zombie...anyway, before we gossip about Daniel's chances at ever being my masseur, whatever are you doing here Annabelle?  And how do you know the Slayer?  I've heard dreadful things about her...I mean, that wardrobe...!". Merry walked over to Annabelle and unceremoniously turned her head from side to side.  It wasn't easy to say how, but everyone simply knew Merry was far more interested in the fashionability of Annabelle's injuries than actually treating them.

Annabelle glances down at the clothes she's wearing and looks embarassed.  "I know, I know.  We really must go shopping later.  As for how I know about the Slayer, it's because I'm a Slayer in training."

Annabelle pause to let that sink in before she continues.  "No that doesn't mean I'm destined to be called as the new Slayer.  But I could be one day, so I've been in training for the last few years to prepare for that day, that's why I left our school and seemingly disappeared.  I've been learning about vampires and other inhuman monsters.  And how to slay them."

Upon hearing that Mike was a vampire or something like it, Daniel's head turned for a moment and contemplated the information for a moment.  Coming to the quick conclusion that it wasn't something to harp over at the moment.  Come dinner time, maybe.  "I find most anything drops when it's head is severed.  Well unless this Buffy made a last minute stop at the realtor, I would say the verdict's already out on that."

You bloody, sodding cow!  How could you not tell me you're possibly in line to be a Slayer!  I'm so mad I could pay someone to spit for me!  Honestly!  I expected better from you..."  Merry shook her head in disappointment, muttering something undoubtably about the quality of people today.  The fact that Annabelle clearly knew nothing about Merry's occult knowledge wasn't the point here!

"And honestly, why is everyone so hung up on killing things?  I've met some lovely demons in my day.  Why, my grandfather even used to have the most polite vampire nanny you've ever met.  Heard he had to lay low after some nasty business in Whitechapel one summer in the late 19th century...no matter.  If the Slayer's dead, then we'd better hope she staved off this nasty bit of apocalypse first."

Annabelle's embarassment quickly turns to annoyance at Merry's revelations.  "You insufferable ninny!  You don't think telling me you had a more than passing knowledge of the occult might be worth bring up?!  What's next Mer, going to tell me your masseuse was actually a four armed demon.  Which admitedly would be useful, he could do you and your mum at once, but.................never mind!!!!"

Annabelle turns her attention to everyone else.  "I think it behooves us to find more secure quarters.  Such as a house that the owners have abandoned but are still alive, so we won't have to worry about vampires having free entry of the place.  Now let me just find a bloody icepack." she said, continuing on her path to the bathroom.

"That...would be a problem."

Because if the bad guys can't enter, he can't either. And nobody here can invite him.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:41, Wed 13 Feb 2013.

"Me?!. I'm descended from Aliester bloody Crowley, the Wickedest Man On Earth!  I thought it was taken for granted that we know it all!  If Aliester could hear this he'd roll over in his grave...if he wasn't bound in silver chains in a lead-lined coffin in a pocket dimension blessed by 3 popes and Mother Teresa........and I'll not have you make fun of Klaus!  A wonder with simultaneous shiatsu, he was..."

Merry shook her head, writing the topic off for now.  She turned to Michael with an arched eyebrow and a slightly predatory grin.  "don't tell me you've a case of morals!  They're far overrated in an emergency.  And while you're a wonderful steed and quite the fighter, we really must get you past this trespassing issue."

"Tresspassing tends to be a problem for me. It's only polite to be invited. In other news, somebody might want to find me a really think blanket shortly, or I'll have to go back underground."


Hinting at which one he is...not a half demon, indeed...but the  other option.

Annabelle spends several minutes in the bathroom performing basic first aid on herself from what she can find in the medicine cabinet.  She bandages up her arm and leg wounds, pops a couple of pain pills, then finds the ice pack she's looking for while listening to the conversation going on.

"So you're an ensouled vampire?" she says to Mike as she exits the bathroom on the way back down the stairs, her destination being the refrigerator so she can fill the ice pack.  "My watcher says you're a rare bird indeed.  Compared to a half demon which is relatively plentiful, you can't swing a dead cat across the English countryside without hitting a half demon.  But ensouled vampires have a population you can count on one hand."

Then she glances around at evveryone; "Anyone need some first aid while I'm at it?"






Annabelle Berkshire rolled 15 using 1d10+5. first aid on herself.

"Blame Angelus. Somehow whatever Willow DID to him when he was about to pull the sword out of...I forgot what he's called...got transfered to me. I was sired only an hour or two before. Spike knocked me out early in that fight...and I guess Buffy was so traumatized by what she had to do she forgot to stake me. So here I am. I never did get a chance to feed that night."

He kinda shrugs.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:22, Thu 14 Feb 2013.

"Well that's certainly new.  I'm good on the nursing, but I do have a suggestion.  If we have the run of the town right now, wouldn't it count for us to break in to whatever civil service building handles all the land ownership details and edit the information ourselves so someone is a home owner.  Not that I ever understood the logistics of vampiric trespassing.  That or pick up an old magic book and hope for the best on a protection spell in any old place."  After speaking Daniel would make his way into the kitchen using his nose to find something of the junk food variety right quick.

"We can go to my parents' house.  They are alive and well at my aunt's place in Los Angles.  And I have the key to the place.  We should gather up what supplies we can from here before we leave, in case the house gets raided after we leave," Graham says as he stands up.  "I saw some blankets in the living room," walking down the stairs and into the living room filled with rolled up pillows and sleeping bags.

Grabbing a thick blanket from a stack, he tosses it back towards Mike, then bends down to gather up several bags of hospital grade medical supplies and tries to grab anything else he can get into them.  "Annabelle, grab your stuff cuz we are heading out of here," he calls upstairs to the British girl.

And Mike wraps the blanket around himself. Good thing he's FAST, cause this will NOT be fun at all.

"I don't suppose any of you have a car? That's a long way to run in the sun."

In the kitchen, Daniel picks up the scent of plenty of junk food in the cupboards and the refrigerator is well stocked also.  As the living room indicated, someone was housing a lot of guests.  And they didnt' take the food with them.

Annabelle follows Daniel into the kitchen, gets some ice from the freezer, and fills the ice pack.  "That's an interesting idea actually.  If we changed the records of ownership for this house in one of our names and then that person invited the ensouled vampire in, would it work?"

Annabelle then steps into the living room responding to Graham.  "I came here with my jacket and backpack.  Couldn't find them earlier.  Didn't need my jacket when we stepped out, it's unusually warm for December."

Daniel shrugged.  To be honest he wasn't positive but it was worth a shot.  "Don't know but no harm in trying.  I mean last I checked only a resident can invite in.  So unless Graham's living with his parents, or the fact that he lived there once still counts."  Reaching for a bag of chips he'd walk back out before continuing.  "My car's parked at the school.  I need to get something bigger and made out of less wood out of the trunk come nightfall anyways."

"I talked to parents when I arrived back in town.  They said I should feel free to stay at their place for as long as I was in town. And that I should consider it mine, until all the weird stuff in Sunnydale had settled down. I would assume that would make me a resident," Graham said while bringing his stuffed bags out to the entry way. "We should probably have someone on lookout while we pack, just in case any more uninvited guests show up."

Turning to Merry, he suggests, "Since you know so much about the occult, perhaps you would be so kind as to go through the books around here and see if anything is worth taking with us.  Buffy's Watcher was a stuffed shirt, but did seem to have quite an impressive array of occult references for being a high school librarian."

Turning to the rest, "I suggest the rest of us grab what supplies we can from this location, before it becomes even more compromised."

"I can help with gathering books...carrying weight is easy enough. It's just the running in the sun part I'm not fond of."

And he goes looking for books...books NOT near any windows facing sunwards.

Annabelle raises her right hand, while holding the icepack to her head with her left hand.

"Mr. Giles had me bring a few rare books that he got from the Watcher's Council library before it was destroyed.  They have a lot of information on the First Evil.  We can't just leave them lying about for anyone to have."

Annabelle starts looking around for her things and the rare books she brought.

"Did you say Giles?  Don't tell me your Watcher was bloody Ripper!  One of my uncles used to know him in the 60's.  Oh the stories he'd tell...But anyway, let's do have a look at the books around here.  I can't abide leaving good grimoires where any hedge witch can go cursing others with them."

Merry walked off to join Mike in searching for anything occultishly significant, though she started with the books in the sunlight to give him a break.

Daniel instead would head for the door.  Not taking an active part in the search for books and pulling guard while his chips got his attention.  "Unless you guys want to go 'round carrying a library I'll go pick up my car when ready."  As fun as combing round for books on the first evil, not the most ominous sounding title, the fact that vamps had free access to run right round did signal at least some need for security.

Seeing everyone had fallen into and started their tasks, Graham nods to himself while moving back around the first floor packing up more medical and food supplies.  He rolls his eyes at the DnD books sitting on the dining table as he moves into the kitchen.

About a half an hour later, everyone had gathered up all they could find including the rare books Annabelle had brought regarding the First Evil.

Every occult book and first aid item down the last asprin bottle was packed including all the remaining food.  There is a shortage of weapons lying around, apparently Buffy and her team took them all.  The only weapons present are the ones each person brought with them.

Daniel continues to maintain guard, no vampires or any other intruder have shown up.

"If that's everything, we shoould probably head for that house. We'll know if the plan works by whether I can enter or not. And if Graham can then invite me in."

It's that simple.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:51, Mon 18 Feb 2013.

Annabelle slips on her jacket, then throws her bookbag over her shoulder, now containing the rare books she originally brought to Sunnydale.

She glances around at everyone else who seem to be armed one way or another.  "I don't suppose anyone has a spare wooden stake or other weapon they can loan me?  I seem to be the only unarmed person here."

"Here."  Daniel tosses the stake he was holding towards the slayer formerly in training.  He had confidence in his hands and feet.  Which admittedly wouldn't finish off a vampire as far as he knew.  "Alright, I'm going to go pull up in my car.  It's not exactly easy to sneak up on me, so I should be able to there and back without any issue."

While Daniel gets his car, Graham takes up a position by the door to take over the lookout position.  "Hopefully it doesn't take him long to get his car."

A while later, Daniel walks up to where he left his car and sees it just where he left it, with no signs of vandalism.

Mike isn't going to head towards the car till he must. Instead, he'll pack as many books as he can.

Daniel hits his steering wheel in frustration as putting the key in the ignition was met with the vehicle not responding in the slightest.  It was old and reliable, but that didn't change the fact that old still meant old so Daniel didn't think twice on why it wasn't responding.  "Geez, what a time for this thing to die."  Sighing he'd move to the rear of the vehicle to open the trunk, checking around for a weapon to carry around.

"Welp time for plan B, never stole a car in a town without cops before."  Daniel wasn't going to do anything as idiotic as run all over town looking for a new lift.  But he was fully capable of at least scouting the immediate area for something that ran on four wheels, even a school bus would do before having to report back with the sour news.

After finding a weapon in his trunk, it doesn't take Daniel to long to find that very school bus parked near the front entrance of the high school.

As he moves closer to it, his attention is diverted by a teenage girl who runs from the front entrance towards him.  "Oh thank God!!  We've got to get out of here!!  Do you have a car!!"she screams.   She's sweating quite a bit, her clothes are torn, and she looks very scared, but no major injuries that Daniel can see.

There was certainly more life in Sunnydale than what first appeared.  She looked like hell though that was to be expected.  "My car's dead.  But if you're willing to give it a few, I'll have a ride up and running."  Daniel pointed at the bus, the girl was scared and he was perfectly willing to help out.  However, that didn't change him having people waiting on him.

Summers House:

Annabelle sits on the couch, awaiting Daniel's return as she keeps a tight grip on the stake he gave her.

"Actually Merry, Mr. Giles wasn't my watcher.  My watcher was killed by the bringers.  Mr. Giles managed to find me before the bringers got to me and I came here to Sunnydale with him."

Merry joined Annabelle, sprawling languidly on a chair next to the couch.  She glanced at Annabelle as she sat, clenching her stake and shook her head.  "Just one more reason that I say evil never pays in the long run.  It's not a bloody end.  Wickedness, immorality, perhaps a tinge of diabolism (so long as no one's blaming my family for it)--those are profitable motives.  But evil for its own sake is so wasteful!  And do stop gripping that stake so tight dear; you'll only hurt your hand, and with out luck today, drive a splinter through it.  The key to self-defense is relaxation and preparation."  Merry reached forward, not taking the stake from Annabelle, but at least trying to loosen her grip a bit.

"Now, not that it's not a delight to see you alive and well, but how did you ever end up back here when it seems that the Slayer and her hapless friends seem to have met a bad end in the Hellmouth proper?"

From his position by the door where he keeps lookout on the street, Graham calls back, "How do you know what happened to Buffy and her group? Do you know something about their plan?"

"Well, the Slayer's obviously met her maker, what with our visitors here earl--Buffy?!  Really?--no matter.  The Slayer's clearly passed on, and we encountered at least one corpse near the Hellmouth.  And at a guess, I doubt it was tourist season.  Haven't the slightest clue if they're all dead or scattered to the wind otherwise."

At the high school:

The girl quickly follows Daniel's cue and boards the bus, waiting for him to get in and drive.

When Daniel climbs into the bus, he finds that it starts!!

Annabelle comprehends Merry's intent and loosens her grip on the stake and rests it on her lap.

"Well I woke up earlier today in a grave and had to dig myself out.  Either it was a very unfunny prank or else I guess they thought I was really dead, but was in fact just very comatose.  Let me start from the beginning: I arrived here in Sunnydale with Mr. Giles and two other Slayers in training, Molly and Kennedy. Molly was British like us, but her family didn't exactly travel in the same circles as ours, she......went to state school.Annabelle finishes, saying "public school" like she just stepped in something unpleasant.

"Then there was Kennedy, she was the most insufferable bloody git I've think I've ever met.  Always running her mouth like she knew everything about slaying, butting in where she wasn't wanted.  And may I add she was in her early twenties, since most Slayers are called in their teen years, she had almost certainly missed her turn.

Annabelle paused for a breath before continuing.  "I can't believe Kennedy was allowed to remain in the SIT league at her age coupled with her insolence.  If I were in charge of the Watcher's Council, I would have sacked her.  And no, I don't mean that as a figure of speech, I would have her put in a sack and unceremoniously tossed her out in the street."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:32, Tue 11 Nov 2014.

Merry shuddered in sympathy at the mention of public school, barely keeping a grimace off her face.  When Annabelle discussed Kennedy, she had to laugh.  "I love a good sacking!  Always good for a laugh!  Except when there are rocks in the sack...then it's a bit bloody depressing, isn't it?  I must say I'm glad you managed to escape the grave with body and soul intact.  You'd be simply dreadful conversation as a zombie or revenant!  Did the Slayer have any plans for the First Evil beyond 'charge with weapons'?"

Daniel unwrapped a cloth from around the weapon he had pulled from the trunk revealing a sword which he let sift comfortably at his side as the bus started.  The blade had seen better days, but it still got the job done when it came to the messier stuff.  Traditionally speaking a tomahawk would probably be more fitting, but he was never much for following what was appropriate.  "I'd say buckle up, but y'know transportation meant to carry around our youth isn't appropriate for having seat belts.  So err hold on."  Calling out to the girl he would begin to push down on the gas the Summers home in mind.

The bus takes off and Daniel speeds back to the Summers house.

In the living room:Before Annabelle can answer Merry, everyone hears a sound coming from the kitchen.  The sound of a knob turning and a door opening.

Someone's coming in through the back door.

Mike hears that quickly enough, and he's off down the stairs in a flash...he'll soon see who that might be,  and if it'll turn out to be a threat.

Mike is the first to enter the kitchen.  He sees four people in the kitchen. All four wear black robes with hoods, they have pale white flesh, and there are peculiar symbols where there eyes should be.

All four pulls out large curved knives.



To be continued.