Last Christmas

Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. The low-income borough of Lambeth has been largely taken over by London's mutant population and is now known as Mutant Town.

Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Mon Dec 04, 2017 9:42 pm

Will stood outside the charred remains of a house in Chelsea. By now, of course, all the looky-loos and emergency responders had long since gone, leaving some yellow caution tape, a drizzly day, and a man alone in his thoughts.

Usually, around Christmas time, Will would be at home. Home, indeed, was the watchword for Christmas. Whether that "home" was his parents' cabin back in upstate New York, his life with Sara and Robin in their apartment, time spent with Sam and Nailah and (when she could be bothered) Aria during what he jokingly called the 'interregnum', days with Onyx and Simon -- or, best of all, everyone, all at once. Family. That's who you spent Christmas with. Family.

This Christmas, of course, was different. For the first time -- well, the first time he had been conscious of it, at least -- there was no one. Sam and Tereza were gone, off to the Emerald Isles. And even then, it wasn't yet the same, and likely would never be the same. That's the nasty part of time -- it moves on. Not a problem for most people, but, well, when you're technically 13.82 billion years old (next February) and from an alternate dimension, these things sort of come up.

Which brings us back to the rain and the road and the man and the house in Chelsea.

Now, you see, Will had promised Sam they'd play things her way when it came to the Miriam Situation, and he did feel a little guilty about being here anyway. However, he rationalized, Sam didn't know Miriam. Not like he did. Sam didn't know what she was capable of, if given the right push -- or the wrong push, as the case may be. No one on Earth -- either Earth, for that matter -- was more familiar with what could happen than he was. And he would make damn sure that no on else could be that familiar yet again.

When he was honest with himself, he was still sore that he had been left behind on the vampire chase, because of his personal history with them, as well. His first kill had been a vampire; it had taken him down the path that inevitably led him to become the man he was today. And that one he had done on his own, as his own person with his own ideals, and not as the Champion. That had haunted him for...well, for years, to be honest. Maybe that, on some subconscious, trans-dimensional level, was why Sam hadn't gotten him for this mission; knowing how the last time he had faced off against these creatures of the night had affected him. Well, he'd just have to prove his mettle yet again. And if doing so brought him face to face with Melpomene...excuse me, Miriam...once again, so be it.


Will crossed the road and slipped into the alley between buildings. To any passive observer, they would have seen a green-haired boy go in, and a bloodhound come out the other end of the alley. And it didn't take long before the hound picked up, through the ashes and smoke, the familiar scent of trouble.

Assuming he could avoid the all-too-avid and presumptuous dogcatchers, he would eventually arrive at the Sheridan hotel where, shifting back to spandex and uniforms, he went in and strode to the front desk.

"Uh, hiya."
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Will Stanton
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High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Mon Dec 04, 2017 9:53 pm

Striding into the place wearing his X-Men uniform turns a few heads to say the least. It's quite possible he would have drawn less attention just walking in as the bloodhound. The middle-aged woman at the reception does not look particularly amused either when he walks up to the desk. "Yes?" she asks in an almost haughty tone. "Can I help you?" she asks and there's an unspoken 'find your way to the exit' floating in her voice.
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Mon Dec 04, 2017 9:55 pm

"Yes, I'm looking for a friend of mine I believe to be here. Miriam Bell. Would you be so kind as to let me know which room she's staying in?"
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Will Stanton
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High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Tue Dec 05, 2017 1:19 am

"Hrm, are you quite certain you have the right hotel? I'm not sure if our clientele has many friends who dress as... colorful as you do, Mister...?"
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Tue Dec 05, 2017 1:41 am

"Stanton. Will Stanton. Are you explicitly telling me Miriam Bell is not staying in your establishment?"
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Will Stanton
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High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Tue Dec 05, 2017 5:23 am

"I'm not telling you anything at all, Mr. Stanton, except maybe kindly ask you to leave. Your attire is a little... individualistic for our establishment."
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Tue Dec 05, 2017 7:11 am

"I must have missed the sign that said black-tie only when I walked through your, you know, publicly open front doors."

Will looked at the receptionist, trying to spot anything unusual in her actions.
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Will Stanton
Student
 
High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Tue Dec 05, 2017 5:06 pm

She seems rather haughty, but not excessively so. Will has experience with telepaths and people that Melpomene has bend to her will and this woman seems to be disdainful of Will under her own volition. The fact that his uniform fairly obviously outs him as a mutant seems to be a big part of it, although she seems like the kind of person who would look down on somebody simply for the green hair.

"And I am asking you polite to leave through those very doors. We have a reputation to uphold here at the Sheridan, I'm sure you understand."
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Wed Dec 06, 2017 10:36 am

"I'm sure you do, and I'm sure you're not disobeying any active laws or statutes, and certainly not the Equality Act of 2010. I'll make sure I let people know all about the reputation you are upholding," Will nodded, beginning to head off in the other direction. "I'm sure your supervisor will be very pleased to hear it."

Will continued on his way out -- the comment was more to put a little fear in the woman than to actually get anything out of her. Some people would have stood there and tried to cause a scene, but why bother? Will had better ways to spend his time.

When he left the hotel, he casually walked along it, and down the sidestreet. There must be a service entrance or a back door or something he could use.
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Will Stanton
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High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Wed Dec 06, 2017 11:12 pm

The woman just vaguely scoffs at Will's back.

There certainly is a back entrance. Several, really. It's also relatively busy for an alley. In the back of the hotel there are a number of service doors, even a small loading dock where people are unloading a truck full of what seems to be carts full of cleaned and pressed laundry. One door seems to lead to the kitchen, judging by the people wearing white standing nearby, smoking cigarettes. Plenty of people, but with the general bustle nobody seems to be paying any particular attention to Will right now.
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Fri Dec 08, 2017 10:37 am

Ducking past the truck, the green-haired interloper was replaced by a boring, ordinary brown-haired man wearing white.

He took a quick peak at the two options given to him, trying to decide if either was particularly less watched than the others.
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Will Stanton
Student
 
High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Fri Dec 08, 2017 4:57 pm

No one seems to be particularly on the look-out, but the kitchen personnel seems to be a bit more alert simply because they're on break instead of working right now.
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Fri Dec 08, 2017 6:59 pm

Well, then, easy case sorted.

Will walked into the truck, grabbed one of the laundered carts, and starting wheeling it inside, following the guy directly ahead of him.
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Will Stanton
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High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Fri Dec 08, 2017 8:58 pm

Nobody really pays him any mind as he wheels the laundry inside and the guy ahead of him doesn't turn around. Here in the back the hotel looks much less glamorous. Still clean, but not nearly as nice. The guy ahead of him makes his way towards an elevator and swipes his employee ID card over a panel to open it.
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Fri Dec 08, 2017 9:30 pm

"Would you mind holding that? Hands a little full here," Will called after him.
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High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:31 pm

"Hmm? Yeah, sure." the guy says, looking at Will a bit curiously as he holds his hand across the elevator door. "You new?"
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Mon Dec 11, 2017 7:06 pm

"Hrm? Oh, no, new to this shift, that's all. Used to work nights down in housekeeping, but hey, finally got my sleep schedule aligned with the rest of the universe," Will joked.
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Will Stanton
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High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Mon Dec 11, 2017 7:10 pm

"No kidding, man. Welcome back to the rest of the world." the man chuckles as he pushes the button for the basement.
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Mon Dec 11, 2017 7:11 pm

"You're telling me," Will laughed, glancing to see, well, just what it was he and this guy were pushing around, anyway -- and trying to figure out where they were going.
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Will Stanton
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High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Mon Dec 11, 2017 7:42 pm

Looks like the carts are full of pressed bedsheets and the like. When the elevator door opens Will can see a fairly nondescript corridor, presumably leading to where the hotel keeps it's stock of clean laundry for housekeeping to pick it up.
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Mon Dec 11, 2017 8:22 pm

Perhaps a little bit cliche, but Miriam wouldn't do her own laundry if she had anything approaching a choice. Let's see what we can find down here Will thought to himself, intentionally pushing his cart a different way than the other guy.
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Will Stanton
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High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Tue Dec 12, 2017 4:34 pm

"Hey, buddy. The clean sheets go over here." the other guy shouts after him, but doesn't seem too invested in stopping Will.
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Tue Dec 12, 2017 7:21 pm

Will looked around quickly. He needed something to go up to Miriam's room. He could do sheets, sure, but how would he know which one was Miriam's? That would require him to actually do housekeeping which, no thank you! There were more efficient ways to get things done. Like finding something that would definitely go up to Miriam's room, no ifs ands or buts. Laundry was a logical choice, though he had some other tricks up his sleeve if this failed out. Worst case scenario, yeah, sure, he could go snooping around in everyone's room, but this hotel looked big and tiresome tp go through.
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Will Stanton
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High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Tue Dec 12, 2017 8:31 pm

He does manage to find what appears to be racks of guest clothing. Unfortunately the garment bags are only labelled with room numbers and pretty much everything here is pretty fancy. But Will is pretty familiar with Miriam's style as well as her size and manages to find a bag full of what he's at least fairly certain should be Miriam's dress. Probably.
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:24 pm

If Will had time, he'd investigate this closer -- trying to see if he could narrow everything down precisely, figuring out an ideal path to Miriam's room and, y'know, figuring out if the clothes were clean or dirty. But with company down here already, Will didn't have the time to go poking around. Leaving his cart of sheets to roll into the wall, he quickly made a small incision in the garment bag and squeezed himself in, oozing through the gap and secreting himself inside.
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Will Stanton
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High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Wed Dec 13, 2017 3:25 am

For a while nothing happens and Will's just surrounded y the smell of professionally cleaned and ironed clothes. Eventually somebody notices the cart of sheets and there's some muffled complaints about the new guy already slacking off somewhere. Then more nothing happens for a little bit before somebody with a luggage trolley comes in and starts going through the racks, pulling out chunks of them and hanging them on the trolley, including the one Will is squatting in. A small jerk and the trolley starts moving, first horizontally, then vertically, then backwards out of the elevator, sinking ever so slightly when the wheels transfer onto carpet. Little by little the garment bags disappear from the trolley until it's Will's turn. He hears a door open and he's lifted up and carried inside, hung on the inside of the door before it closes again with a soft click.
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Wed Dec 13, 2017 4:21 am

A younger, more impulsive Will would have jumped out immediately. But instead, Will sat, and listened. If Miriam was in here, he had to be ready for first strike. If not...
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Will Stanton
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High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Wed Dec 13, 2017 4:33 pm

He hears... nothing. If he's bothering with eyes he can vaguely see the short hallway opening up into a large room. The light is very dim, the curtains apparently drawn. There's two doors he can make out, both of them closed. If somebody was moving around at all he would probably hear it.
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Wed Dec 13, 2017 8:45 pm

Will made a second slit at the bottom of the garment bag, and slipped out to the ground, reforming into something more human as he did so.

Stealthy moving around (and not going back to full size yet), he slunk in the general direction of the curtains, scouting the area (and looking for confirmation that, yes, this was Miriam's room).
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Will Stanton
Student
 
High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Wed Dec 13, 2017 8:56 pm

There's not a lot of stuff in the room, but he does spot a suitcase full of clothes he can remember Miriam wearing as well as a couple personal belongings tucked away next to them. The bed seems to be missing most of it's pillows and has been stripped of it's blankets, but he can't seem to spot them anywhere around the room.
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Wed Dec 13, 2017 8:58 pm

"Hrm. Alright...

...Bed stripped of blankets, windows covered. If I was a vampyr, I'm trying to avoid the sun. She's either hanging upside in the closet because she's watched too many Tim Burton films, or..."

Growing up in size and mass and preparing for a confrontation, Will began to slip, as quietly as he could, towards where he assumed the bathroom was.
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Will Stanton
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High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Wed Dec 13, 2017 9:04 pm

It's not too hard to figure out which door leads to the bathroom, but when he tries to open it he quickly finds it locked from the inside.
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Wed Dec 13, 2017 9:11 pm

And Bingo was his name-o.

Will shrunk down again, sliding himself between the gap between the door and the floor below. A quieter strategy than thudding his shoulder into the door, albeit one that left him more vulnerable.
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Will Stanton
Student
 
High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Wed Dec 13, 2017 11:24 pm

Trying to squeeze through the gap he encounters another obstacle, although one that is relatively easily dislodged. It seems someone has placed a rolled up towel against the bottom of the door. Inside he can hear... nothing at all and it's pretty dark inside aside from what little light is making it through the gap between door and floor. From the tiles he's standing on he can figure that this is in fact the bathroom and across the room he can make out some kind of bulging mass in the bathtub.
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Wed Dec 13, 2017 11:40 pm

"Relatively easy' is, of course, a relative term, but Will was able to slide it far enough out of the way to squeeze through. Very few hotels are built shifter-proof!

Will turned up his nose at the bathroom floor -- don't get too close, kids -- but at least it seemed like his hunch was right. He carefully, slowly crept his way towards the tub, his hands growing tiny suction cups to help him scale the slick porcelain side.
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Will Stanton
Student
 
High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Narrator » Thu Dec 14, 2017 12:35 am

Will slowly scales the bathtub cliff until he reaches what can only be described as a mountain of covers and bedsheets and pillows that seems to fill the tub.
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Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Thu Dec 14, 2017 12:54 am

Never stab before identifying your targets.

Will grew so he could potentially defend himself -- and reached in to pull back the covers!
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Will Stanton
Student
 
High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Miriam Bell » Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:15 am

Actually pulling on the covers seems to rouse Miriam, who bolts upright and pushes Will back before she even really realizes who it is. All she knows is somebody just roused her from her protective cocoon.
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Miriam Bell
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High Concept: Sorrowful Telepath
Aspect: Powerful Enemies
Aspect: Structural Shadow

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Will Stanton » Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:41 am

Will, not expecting immediate retribution, staggered back from Miriam's Zombie Situp. Slamming into the door behind him, he tried to recover quickly. Rather than just lunging right at her, he was playing this one a bit more cautiously.
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Will Stanton
Student
 
High Concept: Pillsbury Clayboy
Aspect: Needs to be Useful/Used
Aspect: Out of Place, Out of Time
Aspect: Unique Worldview
Aspect: Big Ball of Trauma
Aspect: Open-Hearted

Re: Last Christmas

Postby Miriam Bell » Thu Dec 14, 2017 5:28 am

Miriam doesn't even bother with words. Somebody intruded where she'd barricaded herself from the sun and her mind spears right into Will's to get the answers she wants. And it's hard to miss the murderous intent.

"Don't move a muscle." she whispers intensely, the command worming into Will's skull.
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Miriam Bell
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High Concept: Sorrowful Telepath
Aspect: Powerful Enemies
Aspect: Structural Shadow

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