Morgan chuckled amusedly, going back to reading her chapter. "Who'd shoplift books? Oh...little goth girls, stealing witchcraft books so they can learn how to "summon demons" or other such nonsense, I'm sure. If it's worth paying for, it's worth stealing to someone."

And there she was happy to sit and read, and would happily stay until close. No, it wasn't that she was afraid of being alone, she promised that to herself. Certainly she wasn't afraid of going home and perhaps encountering the strange woman that had come to visit her before. Certainly not.

She'd just go home and prove that to herself...-after- she finished this chapter. And maybe the next. And maybe the next...

"Oh God don't joke please, so far it's been mostly college kids..." She faded off, not wanting to think of either goth kids stealing books or the possibility it was who she thought it was. However, the scrap of paper in her pocket said otherwise...I just got to keep it together...finish the shift...go the this address and we'll be good! Audra knew she was oversimplifying her predicament, but what else could she do? Taking one last look around the immediate area she returned to the back to finish inventory.

The rest of the day passed without event. A few customers came in to browse, but otherwise it was quiet. Audra spent most of the day in the back of the store, doing inventory and other menial tasks as she hid from whatever darkness seemed to lurk past the entryway of the shop. However, the scrap of paper in her pocket tugged at her imagination. Would she see Sanaii again? Would her questions about the dream world and Morgan be answered? She was both fearful and grateful when closing time rolled around.

"it's time..." She said to herself, grabbing her jacket and purse from the backroom. She made sure as she emerged from the back to look around for any lingering customers before leaving for the night. I wonder if Morgan is still here... Audra walked to where she had left the girl, calling out from around the stack. "Are you still there? If you are...it's closing time I gotta lock up."

Morgan looked up from her book--she was on to the third one by now and going strong, but nonetheless she got up and took all of them to the counter so she could pay. "Yeah...let me just give you some money for these... They're really good...hopefully I'll finish them before bed and dream something different tonight..."

The other woman seemed quite apprehensive still, or certainly at least nervous, though. She smiled gently. "...Do...you want to get a cup of coffee or something once this place is shut down?"

Audra slid behind the register and began ringing up Morgan's order. She was happy to see how many books the young woman had picked out, and surprised to see how mellow she'd become. Perhaps Morgan was merely as freaked out as she was?
"Books are always good fodder for dreams...though sometimes all the ideas mush together and well...that is just odd." She bagged up Morgan's selection in a canvas tote and slid them across the register. "That'll be 48.99."

Audra was slightly taken aback when Morgan asked her for a cup of coffee. She really did want to take her up on the offer and get to know her better but, the slip of paper in her pocket weighed heavily on her mind. Questions needed to be answered not only for her sake, but for Morgan's as well. "I'd love to, unfortunately I have some prior business I need to take care of this evening. Some other time perhaps?"

Morgan nodded quietly, paying with a debit card and thinking nothing of how much she was spending. Sure, she was by no means rich enough that she could have whatever she pleased whenever she pleased, but she was good at her job and kept the commissions rolling in, easily enough to afford splashing out on books for herself.

"Yeah, no worries. I'll come in again. Actually..." She fished out a pen from her handbag and waited for the receipt, which she turned over and wrote her name and phone number on the back of. "Give me a call some time when you're not busy. Anyone who reads -half- as much as I do is going to be interesting conversation, so I'd love to get coffee with you some time. My treat."

She took her books and headed out, though the moment the door closed she started mentally berating herself. Just what did she think was going on here? This wasn't a movie where everyone turned out to be friends. This was reality, and it seemed that now that she'd gotten herself over being spooked she was instead over-compensating to the realms of touchy feely fluff. Ah well, she supposed. That receipt would no doubt hit the bin soon enough, and that would be the end of that.

Audra fiddled with the card machine, sliding the debit card through the slot and praying it would work. Sighing with relief when it accepted the card and spit out the receipt. She was then very surprised to see Morgan write her name and number on the back of it. "Oh, Ok! Yeah normally I'm not terribly busy, it would be fun to talk to a fellow literature lover, and there are plenty of coffee shops around!"

As Morgan walked out of the shop Audra stared at the paper in her hand. Was this REALLY the Morgan who had been so dour in the dream world? She seemed to be in such denial at that time...perhaps on some level she really did believe? Either way, what mattered now was finding the location written on the scrap of paper in her pocket, finding Sanaii and getting some answers. Then she would get coffee with Morgan and hopefully sort all this out. "That's what I'm going to do!" She said with conviction, turning the register off and heading towards the light switch.

She flicked the Open sign off, and turned off the store lights, being sure to leave the lights in the back room on. Her boss was seemingly convinced if the store was completely dark it would somehow attract burglars. With that, Audra left locking the door behind her. Pulling the scrap from her pocket she took a good look at the address. It sounds familiar...if anything I know which street this is on... She zipped up her coat and began to walk in the direction of the address.

Audra, as you leave the store, you notice the stars, or more rather, the lack thereof, and recall reading something in the paper about a storm that was supposed to start tonight. Whether this hurries you on your way to the location or not is up to you, but either way you arrive at your destination fully intact and thankfully dry. However, there's an ominous rumbling overhead that says how quickly that might change if you don't get inside soon.

You recognize the place now to be that lovely little library/pastry shoppe (Sweet Delights?) that Sanaii took you to the other night and while you are reminiscing, you also remember that the way she knocked seemed deliberate. Was there a password? As you think on it, you seem to recall, two? Maybe? A feeling in your gut tells you that's right. If you give a glance, you'll notice that neither Sanaii, nor any other mysterious white-haired girl seem to be here yet. The hour is late, and the dark door looms before you, while heavy thunderclouds loom overhead. You better make your choice, or the storm will make it for you.

((Audra roll Perception: 8 1 6 9
Reroll Tens: None
Successes: 1 (The 1 Cancels out the Highest Success)

Result: Audra vaguely remembers the details.))

Morgan, should you choose to return home with your purchases, you will find that a note has been tucked neatly into the doorjamb of your apartment. So neatly, in fact, that you could almost swear you had done it yourself. From the inside. The fact may unnerve you, but an overwhelming sense of curiosity seizes you as you stare at it. Whether you open it or not is up to you, but you are awfully curious as to what it says. Especially when you open the door and the bit of paper falls, a sealed envelope falling out of it.

Morgan did indeed head straight for home, carrying her books with her as though they were some sort of illicit treasure or tome of secret knowledge and Lovecraftian infamy. But no matter what fantastical details her mind might want to add in, she knew that none of it was -actually- real. There were no things to go bump in the night that could not be explained by science. After all, gods and devils and demons and monsters were only invented by human minds that didn't have science and rational thought to fill in the gaps. And mankind -needed- gods and demons of /causality/ in order to make sense of a world that would not yet discover algorithms for randomisation for another few thousand years.

Modern man would do better to just grow up and leave the superstition behind and let fantasy be a -fantasy- and nothing more. There was nothing wrong with dreams, there was nothing wrong with fiction...but -believing- in it was a sign of pathology.

So why did she feel like she was once again living in a story or perhaps even an M. Knight Shyamalan movie as she stared down at the paper and envelope..?

No doubt left by one of her neighbours, perhaps the fastidious one from down the hall, known for being freakishly obsessed with tidiness and precision, even when such things didn't matter (apparently her door mat needed to be /precisely/ three quarters of an inch away from the door). But she couldn't help an unshakeable feeling that this was...somehow /important/. She retrieved it from the floor and retreated to her sofa, settling down to look it over.

Even if it was a vindictive and passive aggressive little note about turning the bin lids to a proper ninety degree angle...it was bound to be entertaining.

Morgan, the piece of paper in your hand is remarkably white. It almost hurts your eyes to look at it, like when you first step out into a bright winter morning and all the world is covered in a reflective white powder that dazzles and blinds you all at once. The envelope is made of a thicker kind of paper (Your mind suggests "parchment", unbidden) and seems to be containing something. And that something moves with a shifting sound when the envelope tilts. A grainy sound, like sand. Upon opening the letter, you find that the script is elegant, but sharp. Almost aggressive. But the words read simply, in a deep green ink, "You have questions. If you want answers, you know what to do." And as your eyes go over the words, you realize that you do know what to do. What would any heroine do with a handful of sand, plagued by confusing and disturbingly realistic dreams? The envelope seems to weigh heavier in your grip as you sit there. If you do open it, you find, quite unsurprisingly, a copious amount of sand. That same strange, sparkling sand that you got blown into your face (Did that really happen?) the other night.

That didn't happen. And this wasn't happening, either. It seemed she'd fallen asleep on the bus on the way home, and was now back in a dream, or so her stranglehold on reality begged her to believe. But...if that was true then this might as well have been true, she decided, rendering her sense of reality's insistence to be counter-productive. If this was a /dream/, then -anything- was possible, and she might as well have a bit of fun with it.

The last time she'd had a dream like this, it had freaked her out quite badly because she -wasn't- sure whether or not it was a dream. But her crushing sense of reality had won over this time, and that meant she could be a lot -more- free. She took the envelope to the kitchen and carefully shook out a small amount of the sand into a tiny bowl she used for putting herbs in while cooking--always keep reserves of any magical potions, powders, et cetera, after all. She thought carefully about this.

This was -her- dream and she had a shocking amount of lucidity in it, so...she was going to do this right. She went to the closet and got out her rucksack, opening it up wide so she could pack things into it. She put a large bottle of water in, several more empty bottles, her roll of kitchen twine, a pair of scissors, a couple of notebooks, her spare (charged) mobile phone battery, the box of table salt from her kitchen, a mirror, a bottle of lighter gas, and two disposable cameras. Then she emptied out her handbag and packed it with an empty bottle, a small bottle of water, a notebook, several pencils and pens, her mobile phone, two gas click lighters, and... Well the last bit she needed to put together separately before tucking it in.

She took out an accordion file coupon organiser and two sheets of paper. Into the paper, she poured her 'reserve' of sand and carefully folded it up to make a storage packet. This she titled simply with the Roman numeral I, as she didn't have any more information on it. She tucked the packet into the first slot in the coupon organiser, then put that into her handbag. Suitably 'equipped' for her journey and wearing her handbag and rucksack, she picked up the letter and envelope she'd found tucked into her door, poured the sand onto her hand, and blew it upwards into the air. Then, face upturned, she walked into the shower of quickly falling sand.

Audra zipped her coat up, and looked up, checking the sky for weather. The sky was dark, no stars broke through the cloud cover. Crap...it's supposed to rain tonight. I better hurry. Not wanting to spend another evening soaking wet, she hurried on her way.

With the address in one hand, she made her way through town. The low rumble of thunder in the distance spurred her on. She was relieved when the piece of paper finally matched an address on the side of a building thank god...

Audra recognized the building as the sweet shop Sanaii had taken her to the other night. "I knew it." she mumbled as she huddled under the awning. She remembered that Sanaii had knocked on the door, like a secret code but, what was it? "Shave and a haircut? no...It was much more simple than that...two?" The thunder rumbled, much closer than before. The storm was racing towards her, she had to try.

Raising her hand to the door, Audra made two sharp knocks on the large wooden door and waited.

Morgan, the sand falls lightly onto your face and settles on the floor around you. It glitters like a full moon encircling your feet. Surprisingly (or not) it has a scent that you didn't notice before (Perhaps because you were too busy choking on a lung full of the stuff last time). You can't quite place what it smells like, but it is undeniably relaxing. Maybe lavender? Standing quite still, the seconds tick away. Minutes. You are sure it didn't take this long last time. As your impatience grows, something crosses your mind, like that tiny voice of reason that tells you that this is all just a dream.
'Try inhaling it.'
You do distinctly remember that the last time (Last dream?), the sand was blown into your face and, failing at holding your breath beforehand, you inhaled a lot of it. The effects were instantaneous after that. It's a good thing you kept some reserves.

((Morgan roll Perception: 6 9 7 4
Reroll Tens: None
Successes: 3

Result: Morgan distinctly remembers something important.))

Audra, your knock seems to reverberate through the air around you, like a heavy bell ringing in some distant clock tower. Through the peephole you catch a glance of hazel before the door opens soundlessly, admitting you just as the first raindrops hit the pavement behind you.

Holding the door is the same doorman from last night, who is wearing an expression of the very slightest confusion. Nevertheless, his warm smile returns and he holds out his hand.

"May I take your coat, madam?"

It was strange; a simple knock on a door seemed to echo out around Audra, as though she'd hit a pipe on a light post. I didn't hit the door that hard did I? she thought, feeling a little embarrassed. She was surprised when the door in front of her eased open silently. She tried not to let it show as she ducked inside, barely beating the rain.

Audra looked up to see the same doorman from the previous night. At least I'm in the right spot... she thought as he looked at her. Holding out his hand, he asked for her coat. "Oh...yes please." She carefully removed the still dry jacket and gently handed it to him. "Um...sorry about the coat last time..."

He smiled warmly again, showing his perfect teeth.
"It is no trouble at all, madam. I was more concerned that you got dried properly so you would not catch cold. But please, I will not keep you from your evening."
He bowed deeply and disappeared behind a door (You didn't notice that the first time!) which he seemed to have been standing in front of the whole time. Maybe that's where they kept the coats.

The hallway was softly lit, just as before, and the fragrant scents of freshly baked pastries fill your nostrils, bidding your senses to relax and enjoy the evening. Before you, so many doors! At least seven, on each side. Which one led to the room you were in last time? Oh dear. You can almost feel the minutes tick on as you stare. How long had your "mystery guest" been kept waiting? Well, at least this would allow you a little exploration of this strange place. Hopefully she wouldn't be too upset. Best not to dally.

((Audra roll Perception: 10 2 1 3
Reroll Tens: 1 cancels out the 10
Successes: None

Result: Audra can't seem to remember which door to choose.

Morgan roll Intelligence: 7 2 10
Reroll Tens: 3
Successes: 2

Result: Morgan observes that her floor is pretty immaculate, but there's always a chance of fine dust particles mixing with the sand (As any good housekeeper knows, dust has a way of getting in). She deduces that the chances of ill effects from inhaling them would be slim to none.))

The time passes by and Morgan just waits for it. Finally, she sighs, remembering just how much of it she'd breathed in. Fortunately, her trusty hand brush and dustpan was just inside the utility cupboard, and she had done this over laminate floor. A quick glance over everything told her that her home was indeed as clean as she liked to keep it, so she swept up the sand and carefully tipped it onto the letter that had come with it. She got herself situated again--bags over her shoulders, letter full of sand in her hands... Time to do this. Some fiddly, fiddly little dream she was having. Wincing a bit at the thought of breathing in dust, she put her face to the letter, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

Audra smiled as the doorman took her coat and disappeared behind a door she'd been too distracted to notice before. So that's where the coats go... she thought absentmindedly before staring down the hallway of doors. "oh crap."

She couldn't remember for the life of her which door she'd gone through with Sanaii the night before! What do I do? Was it that one? Or that one? Left...no I think we turned right...oh...crap! Audra thought about knocking on the coat room door and asking the doorman, but how dumb would that sound? No...she would figure it out on her own. She slowly started walking down the hallway, pausing before each door a moment uncertain of how to figure it out. Suddenly, the motto of a certain talking cartoon toucan selling fruity cereal came to her. "Follow your nose..."

(roll to see if Audra can find the door using scent please!)

Morgan, the sensation seems a little different now that you're purposefully inhaling the stuff. Before it had been like moving through water, the way everything was distorted. Okay, so not a little different. Very different. Painfully different.

This is like fire. Everything seems to burn and peel away: the wallpaper, the furniture, the floor. Your vision blurs and you almost have to shut your eyes against the heat; it's making them sting and water. The room is on fire, the air is on fire, even you are on fire. The dust feels like it's burning a path into your lungs, making you double over, coughing on what feels like hot ash. Burning you from the inside out. Your whole body feels feverish, weak. Blistering pain sears across your skin, followed by chills that leave you in a cold sweat. Your eyes can barely stay open. Your mind is racing. It's worse than trying to sleep on a hot summer day when your temperature is skyrocketing and you can't quite get any good rest to feel better. The type of sleep that brings strange dreams, pumped out by your half-cooked brain.

The seconds tick on. Your thoughts seem to be coming slow now, grinding to an almost halt, half-finished, as if they are burning up on impact. The fire has blackened everything; even the air seems black. It's pressing against your eyes, and soon you can't even see your own hand in front of you. Your heartbeat is thudding in your ears; the only sound. It serves as your clock. It ticks away the seconds in the black. What do you do? Do you wait it out? Do you try to move?

The pain seems to be leaving. The heat too, replaced by a chill that envelopes you entire body. You feel half frozen, and you realize you are naked. The fire burned away everything, even your clothes. You're disoriented, on the floor. Is it a floor? You can't even see darkened shapes. Dare you move? Where are you even? And how long is this darkness going to keep you blinded?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Audra, you realize how very ridiculous you must look, sniffing as you pass each of the many doors. You seem to be even more aware of the time passing as you do so, as if a clock were ticking loudly in your brain. You can a good noseful of each door, but it all smells like baked goods to you; none seem to elude to which room you went in last night. So much for that bird's advice. Maybe he was sniffing more than cereal.

Just as you pass the last door, one behind you opens and closes so quietly you are sure you wouldn't have noticed it if it weren't so very silent in here (sniffing noises aside). If you turn, you are in time to see a woman in a long, black coat (Why didn't the doorman take her coat, you can't help but wonder) moving towards you. She seems to have appeared from the door closest to your left. (So the last door on the right, if you are just entering the building.) A hood is pulled over her head, obscuring her face pretty effectively and you are struck by how eerie it all looks as she closes the distance between you two. Seeing as how she came out of the door right next to you, it doesn't take more than a second. Well, she is about Sanaii's height, but you can't see anything distinguishing besides that and the obvious femininity of this particular specimen (Um, boobs) that could identify her. Rather, you get the feeling that that's the entire point.

((Audra roll Perception(Smell): 4 1 6 2
Reroll Tens: None
Successes: None (The 1 cancels out Successes)

Result: Audra cannot seem to discern which door to go through by scent.

Audra roll Perception: 9 8 7 1
Reroll Tens: None
Successes: 2 (The 1 cancels out the Highest Success)

Result: Audra notices someone open and close a door behind her and reacts in time to see which one.

Jessica roll Dexterity: 0 5
Reroll Tens: 4
Successes: 1

Result: Jessica moves quickly, closing the distance between herself and Audra.

Audra roll Wits: 2 8 9
Reroll Tens: None
Successes: 2

Result: Audra avoids being surprised and can act within the round.))

This is the first possible "combat" round. Congrats, Audra! Now obviously, fighting might not be her first instinct, so if you don't feel it's in character, then don't engage. And remember, no using Player Knowledge. You might know what Jessica is trying to do, but your character does not, so remember to play that.

Let me tell you how this is going to work now, if we do engage in combat. First, we roll for Initiative. Initiative is Dexterity + Wits (Added, not rolled separately). Whoever gets the highest number of successes goes first. Then, that person will state what they are attempting to do and make an appropriate roll. This is a rundown of an example of rolls:

For instance, if Audra were to try and swing at Jessica to punch her, she would:

1. Make a Dexterity roll to see if she could move fast enough to hit her. Jessica would, in turn, roll to see if she could dodge. Highest number of success rolls wins. If Audra were to win, she would succeed in hitting Jessica.

Then she would:

2. Roll Strength + the number of successful rolls > than Jessica that she had, minus one. (For instance, if Audra rolled Dex and got 4 Successes and Jessica only got 2, then Audra would add 1 dice to her pool for her Strength roll, because she beat her opponent by 2. You only need to beat your opponent by one die, and any extras go to your Strength roll to determine Damage inflicted.)

Jessica would roll Stamina to see how much she could Soak up. So, for example:

Audra rolls 3 dice (Strength plus 1 because of the extra success against Jessica's Dexterity roll) and gets: 5 7 0, rerolling the 0 and getting a 8. That's 3 Successes.
Jessica rolls 3 dice for her Stamina and gets: 0 2 6, rerolling the 0 and getting a 1. The 1 doesn't count against her because it was a reroll. She gets 2 Successes. She soaks two points of damage, sustaining one point for what she couldn't soak.

You can only do so much in one "turn" so try to keep that in mind when you write out what you are attempting to do (For instance, trying to punch her would take up one turn. You have to allow time for people to react). Whether you succeed or not is down to the rolls, so remember that as you write. Nothing is determined until the rolls are made. I will not be making Initiative rolls until you decide whether or not she's going to talk, flee, or fight. If you choose to either flee or fight, then you need to say so before you do it, because that will take an Initiative roll to see who goes first. Any questions, be sure to ask in the OOC Thread. I will explain Health and how it is determined/works if a fight ensues. For now, please, tell me how your character is reacting to this.

Water and fire down, earth and air to go. But since when were nightmares so painful? Morgan coughed and coughed and coughed, bending over double (or is that drawing her knees to her chest?) as she coughed. What sort of dream was this? Oh, she knew. How painfully did she know. This dream was a simple explanation and allegory of why all of her books failed. The fantastical, magical, or even simply -fun-.....wasn't for her.

She laid still on the ground...when had she laid down? She shivered a little bit, not sure what to even think. All those careful plans...all come to naught. Or would they be elsewhere? Would they be nearby? Surely even in her dream they wouldn't leave her to fend through everything /naked/... Or was this one of those dreams where she'd finally get her vision back and she'd see that she was at work naked?

Sighing softly, Morgan pushed herself to her feet. There was nothing to fear here, after all, and anyone that saw her...er...attributes...was only a part of her mind anyway. Time to press ever onward!

It was no use, the delicious, drool inducing scent of baked goods was too ever-present in the hallway. There was no way to tell which door was the one. "Stupid toucan..." Audra muttered under her breath as she passed the last door in the hall.

She stared at the end of the hallway, trying to think of another way to figure out which door to choose when she heard a soft click behind her. someone's coming out! Audra spun around, hoping her suspicions were right and someone, a customer perhaps was leaving.

Who the hell is that? The woman who came out of the door LOOKED like Sanaii but it was impossible to tell with her hood up like that. Why the hell didn't the doorman take her coat? Audra thought. Audra felt her pulse increase as the woman began walking towards her. It was just like last night in the apartment...maybe it hadn't been Sanaii after all, maybe it had been this woman! "Not again..." She muttered.

Audra looked around a moment, hoping to find a way around the situation. Why not try a door? She reached for the closest doorknob and gave it a turn.

(roll for initiative and to see if the door is locked or not please!)

Morgan, your bare feet slap against the ground. Your senses tell you stone, but you can't tell what kind. It's cold and smooth, but you feel smaller stones and pieces of rock underfoot. The place echoes your movement back to you, so you must be in an enclosure, and not a terribly big one at that. Those seem to be the only sounds though. No wind, no shuffling, not even a whisper of a breath other than your own. It's all very disconcerting and the longer you stand there, the more you feel like you should move. But without your sight to help you, the danger of the situation seems doubled, and that silence is not helping the growing sense of foreboding creeping through your brain. Do you stay put and hope for your vision problem to clear up, or do you dare move blindly forward?

((Morgan roll Perception: 6 4 9 3
Reroll Tens: None
Successes: 2

Result: Morgan gathers a fair amount of knowledge of her surroundings based off her still functioning senses.))

Audra, fear has paralyzed you for a split second too long; the cloaked woman seems to be making her move before you.

If there was distance between you before (There really wasn't), there isn't now. Her right hand is going for her pocket while the left reaches out towards you. And she is still taking steps towards you. If you don't back up, you'll be (uncomfortably) close enough to taste her breath (Which might not be such a bad thing if it were Sanaii; something tells you that she would have wonderful smelling breath). She's blocking your way to the doors; you would have to push her back to get to them. Do you try to move her back and make a break for one of the mystery doors? Do you wait and see what she's going to do? Do you try to stop her from pulling out whatever it is that she's grabbing from her pocket, or perhaps deflect her left from touching you? You have precious few seconds to react, better make it fast.

((Audra roll Initiative(Dex+Wits): 2 2 3 6 1
Reroll Tens: None
Successes: None (The 1 cancels Successes)

Jessica roll Initiative(Dex+Wits): 2 5 0 5
Reroll Tens: 1
Successes: 1

Result: Jessica has won Initiative.))

Just remember dove, respond with what you are attempting to do, not what you are doing. The rolls will determine success or failure. And keep in mind how much time you have. Each round lasts about five seconds, so as to allow everyone a chance to react. I will make the rolls you request for your (Attempted) actions after you have posted.

Morgan reached her hands out as far as she could, and then began a slow, circular sweep with her hands and arms, while lowering herself back down to her hands and knees as well. Once on the ground, she began to feel around for any loose rocks that she might have a weapon of at least -some- sort. Either way, she was going to start crawling forwards after a check around the area. Movement was good, right? After all, if anything was in here with her, no doubt it had had even longer to adjust itself to the darkness, and she could swear she could hear her breath and even heartbeat echoing through the small area. Though that could have just been her mind playing fear-induced tricks on her.

The woman was too quick, she was on Audra in a matter of seconds was she even human? As the mystery woman reached into her coat Audra felt a wave of deja vu it was almost the same as last night. "Not again..." she muttered. There was no choice, she'd have to try to get past the girl and get to safety. She wasn't going back without answers.

Audra lunged at the mysterious girl in black and tried to shove her out of the way.

(Roll for initiative and strength)

Morgan, you move forward, inch by inch on your knees, your hands sweeping wide in front of you over the ground. Your fingers brush over a sizable piece of stone. It's mostly smooth in your hand, but for one jagged end that could be used as an improvised stake or rough blade of some sort. Either way, you're sure with enough force it could pierce flesh. A slight feeling of calm spreads through you with the weapon in your hand. You feel at least a tiny bit of control over the situation.

Behind you, you hear a strange, fizzling noise, like a lighter being lit. The sound echoes around you in the small confinement of wherever you are, and it strikes you momentarily as very odd, in such a place. With the rough ground beneath your bare skin and the cold air in your lungs, you assumed you were somewhere in the wild. More likely a beast of some sort would be the first you'd hear, rather than a lighter. Regardless, as the thoughts pass through your head, light does indeed blossom behind you, illuminating your surroundings. Much too well to be a single flame, in fact. Just in front of you, you are faced with a rough stone wall. Your mind immediately recognizes it as a cave wall, and your shadow startles you for just a moment. It dances and contorts strangely, like that shadow in your dream, seeping in through the window. But there is no muffled sound. The crackling behind you is very crisp, very present, and you can feel warmth on your bare skin.

Do you turn to face the disturbance and source of light, or do you continue to watch your shadow dance on the cave wall? Do you search for a way out? Do you stay still? There is a feeling in your stomach that pinches and twists, not quite manifested. Whatever is in the cave with you, whether is could or not before, it can definitely see you now. What will you do?

I will explain the following rolls so you can both understand how the battle system works a little bit more, and perhaps this will make the process easier as we go along.

First, we have to understand the situation. Because Jessica won Initiative at the start of the round, she will be making her move first. Her attempted action right now is to grab a hold of Audra while simultaneously pulling something out of her pocket. Movement actions don't cost unless they are moving extended distances, and since their distance is so close anyways, it doesn't take away from the time she has for action. She will roll Dexterity against Audra's roll to see if she can grab her. Because she is so close, the Difficulty Check (Which is usually 6) will be lower, because the action is easier than usual. Likewise, the DC for Audra's counter roll will be higher for the same reasons because she is defending. The result of her action will be the end of the turn for her.

Next will be Audra's turn, which will consist of a Strength roll as she attempts to push the woman back. Again, the DC for this will be lower than the standard 6 because she is so close and therefore can put more power into the push since there is no distance to cover between them. Again, the DC will be higher for Jessica due to defense against it is more difficult based on their proximity. This is how distance can affect rolls. How successful she is depends on how she rolls against Jessica's Stamina roll, since she is rolling to hold her ground (Or, if she is successful on her first roll, hold onto Audra). The result of her action will be the end of the turn for her, and thus will end the round. Initiative will be rolled again to see who reacts first to these actions, and a new round will start.

The woman's left hand touches your shoulder as her right pulls out a handful of something. In the heat of the moment, you can't quite tell what it is.

You push against her, but the shock of her touch seems to drain the strength from your arms and she hardly moves. Or maybe she's just that strong. Either way, you do manage to keep her from grabbing a hold of you. You are both in a stalemate, having hardly moved, but you know it will only take precious seconds for that to change.

She seems to be surprised by your reaction and isn't moving to act again as quickly as before. This is your chance to take the advantage. What will you do? She's still standing in the way of the doors, and she's pulled something from her coat. It could be a weapon. You need to act fast. Do you try to push her away again? Do you call for help? Do you move to defend yourself? The clock is ticking.

((Jessica roll Dexterity(DC 5): 1 7
Reroll Tens: None
Successes: None (The 1 cancels out Successes)

Audra roll Dexterity(DC 7): 6 3
Reroll Tens: None
Successes: None

Result: Stalemate. Jessica cannot get a grip on Audra, and Audra cannot dodge the woman's attempt to grab her.

Jessica roll Stamina(DC 7): 5 5 7
Reroll Tens: None
Successes: 1

Audra roll Strength(DC 5): 1 6
Reroll Tens: None
Successes: None (The 1 cancels out Successes)

Result: Audra cannot push past the woman. Jessica withstands the push and holds her ground.

Jessica roll Initiative(Dex+Wits): 1 5 4 5
Reroll Tens: None
Successes: None (Botch)

Audra roll Initiative(Dex+Wits): 10 9 10 10 2
Reroll Tens: 2 4 3
Successes: 4

Result: Audra has won Initiative and gets to take two actions. Jessica does not get to take an action this round.))

This round had some unique situations in it. Let me explain a bit more about them.

The first rolls resulted in a tie, which can have a number of results. Because the action involved was to grab someone and neither had successes in their roll, the action was nullified, or compromised. For this instance, I took the results of all rolls into account before writing the full result of it. Because nobody succeeded with the rolls for grabbing, I relied on the rolls for the push to help explain the situation. Audra was not successful in pushing Jessica away, but she didn't botch either, so the result was her pushing against Jessica just enough to jar her grasp on Audra, making her impossible to hold while still holding her ground. There will be compromises on this that result in stalemate and will require some creative wiggling around to make it work, so bear with me.

The second unique situation was the presence of a botch. I don't know if I've explained botches yet, but essentially they are a failure. When you don't roll successes, that usually just means you did not succeed and the situation remains neutral. Roll a botch, however (Which is when you roll no successes, and one or more 1's) and that means whatever you were attempting backfires. The magnitude of failure depends on how many 1's your roll. Since it was an Initiative roll which was botched, it's a bit tricky to write out, but since Audra rolled so fantastically with hers, it means she gets to take two actions. Sometimes when you roll really well (Or if your opponents roll really poorly), I will give you special bonuses. How this works now is that Audra will get to make an action, which Jessica will still be allowed to react to (For instance, if Audra tries to push her again, she will be allowed to make a Stamina roll against it), but she will not be able to make an action of her own this round. This gives Audra a great advantage, but to make the most of it, she still needs to be successful in her rolls. Also, keep in mind that using PK is still forbidden, so as you decide what to do, remember that Audra does not know that Jessica is unable to act. Don't abuse your advantage and just react as she would normally.

The setup for the next round will be: Bippy posts her attempts for an action. I post with Jessica's chance for reaction and the result of the first action. Then Bippy posts again with her second action (Which should allow for her to react to the result of her first action. For instance, if you choose to push her again and it fails, your second action will take this new knowledge into account as you take another action). Then I post again with the reaction of Jessica and the result of the second action, as well as the Initiative rolls for the third round, if there is one. The battle rounds will go until one overpowers the other or until disengagement.

Morgan moves quickly when she hears the lighter light. She intends to hold the rock tight--whatever else, hold the rock tight--and spin around as well as come to her feet to face whomever is back there; if she manages to pull herself up without tripping over her own feet, she will be in a decent stance and have the rock ready in case the person behind her is bad news.

{Dexterity roll, please?}