2062/The Beast Within

The Beast Within
Date of Scene:	19 August 2017
Location:	Paris
Synopsis:	In the underground tunnels, the hunt is on for Alexia who has gone feral.
Cast of Characters:	Tendril, Moonstar, Boom-Boom, Black Rose

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Tendril has posed:
    It's been about 14 hours since the ill-fated wedding and the arrival of the wounded X-types to a local hospital in Paris, where they were split into separate rooms to be treated. Generally, this has gone fairly normal (Xavier has REALLY good medical insurance, for some reason).

    One of the exceptions, however, is when one of the more badly wounded students suddenly freaked out and fled the room, doing some injury to the orderlies who tried to stop her, while her roommate begged her not to run. Said roommate, since she had a spike through her leg, was promptly sedated so she could go after her, then the spike was removed and her leg wrapped, then she was given a blood transfusion and an IV to help her recover what she'd lost.

    Dani has just arrived at the hospital, coming to check in on her friends. At the front desk, she found she had a waiting request for a Dr. Clousseau to be contacted when she arrived, which the nurse on duty promptly does, then tells her in heavily accented English that an orderly will take her to where he is, and that "her friend" is already getting ready to enter the catacombs. Which is probably news to Dani as the orderly leads her to an elevator and downwards, as the doors open on the bottom floor.

    Tabitha has been brought down via wheelchair and provided with a crutch and a large box of food, over the reservations of Dr. Clousseau, who has accompanied her downstairs along with a nurse named Jean and another orderly who brought the food. They're at a usually barred door that's been busted open by force, really ripped open, that seems to lead into a darker passageway beyond, from which there's a faint wiff of distant stagnant water among other scents. More worrisome is the long blood trail and larger bloodstain right in front of the door, and the bloody handprints where whoever it was braced to rip the door open.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani rises to her feet once Tabitha gets wheeled out, wearing casual clothes as she's left the dress back at the room. She looks upset stil, but seems to have things under control since the disaster of the wedding. At least for herself. She looks at Boomer, "How's the ankle?" The girl sounds pretty worried, though she might still be stinging a bit from the whole wedding fiasco.

Boom-Boom has posed:
    Tabitha looks rough - in a hospital gown with a patched up leg and a bandage peeking out of the right shoulder of the garment as the fabric slips down her arm. She pulls herself up with the ade of a crutch and accepts the bag of food. "Been better, Dani. Been better." Possibly the girl has been drugged recently. She has a fresh IV port in her left arm, too.

    "I think she's in there. Be careful, though. She's... Lexi's gone feral after she got hurt. That's what this is for." and she hefts the bag for Dani to see. "I figure if we find her, the food might draw her out and maybe she'll be more herself and I can..." and she sniffles. "I jus' hope she's really okay in there."

    With that, Tabby moves to squeeze past the bloody door and after the lexi.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani nods, "Well, depending on how feral she is, I might be able to reach her." She hrms, looking concerned. "I think she'll be okay, but I don't think I've ever seen her like this." She makes a note to herself, more training sessions... and probably talking to her roomie a bit more, since this is just weird. Something from the Mojoworld affecting her?

Boom-Boom has posed:
    "Oh, there's a flashlight out there too. Couldn't carry everything." Tabby says. "Hellooo? Lex?" she calls, hobbling carefully on her crutch into the tunnel. "I jus' hope she's not too hurt, Dani. I hope we can get through to her." She manges a weak smile at the other girl. "She saved my life."

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana finally catches up with everyone, she'd called, of course, and let Dani know that she was running late to the wedding, something about car trouble with the car she'd rented for all of them to drive around after the wedding was over. And when she'd -finally- shown up ... nobody was there? Yana had been both worried, and disgruntled. And, finally, Yana had found out about the hospital. And, had been show the way to where Dani and Tabitha were, as she catches up. "Glad you both are alright. You can tell me about it, later. I heard Lex is in trouble?"

Tendril has posed:
    You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike. This is old construction...you're definitely inside the old catacombs the city is known for, that used to (and still do) store the remains of generations of medieval French folk, complete with the vaguely creepy 'artistic' gothic reconstructions of some of the fragmentary bones. This area seems to have been cleaned out, leaving empty, dusty alcoves and occasional bone fragments, though there's a faintly musty smell that mixes with the distant stagnant water smell.

    Luckily (?!) there IS a trail...a line of blood that runs along the floor and an occasional partial hand print on the wall where Lexi seems to have paused to support herself. Dr. Clousseau said back back at the door that he thought she'd pulled out the spike there, thus the large blood pool, but that he didn't think she'd lost enough blood for it to be a mortal wound. Though he admitted he had no idea what her capabilities were when it comes to healing.

    Indeed, the blood does lessen as you go on, to where you're getting drops and occasionally smeared partial footprints as she moves, possibly from the blood she already lost dripping down to her foot.

    After a few twists and turns, you smell a coppery scent up ahead before you find the remains of her dress, which has been ripped free of her and left in a blood sodden pile. There some rats currently chewing on it, who hiss a bit at you as you approach, but flee ino the wall.

Boom-Boom has posed:
    Boomski doesn't seem that alright, actually. She's in a hospital gown, her right shin bandaged heavily front and back, hobbling on a crutch. Girl might have just woken up, too. She has a handled bag that might emit a faint scent of meat and vegetables. There's another bandage higher up on her right shoulder that sometimes becomes visible as she moves.

    "Yeah." Boomer nods. "She's hurt and feral and... it's my fault. If she gets lost down there and... I don't know how I'll find her again, Dani!" and there's a little panic in her voice, her eyes widening. This is not the flippant Boom-Boom everyone sees. This is a scared teenage girl with a hurt leg in a catacomb under a Parisian hospital. She gnaws at her lip as they all move down the tunnel, folowing the trail. "There's... oh, God. Her dress!"

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani shakes her head, "No one's fault, Boomer. We need to stay focused." She winces a bit at the dress, then looks back and forth, "We'll need to keep following the trail, unless we can lure her to come to us..." She glances over at Yana, then Boomer, "Just be careful."

Black Rose has posed:
    Curiously, Yana doesn't wince at the dress. But, having recognized it as the one Alexia showed her before the wedding, as well as the other two girls confirming it, she nods. "It shows we're on the right path," she says, with a rather reasonable head on her shoulders. Then again, she wasn't transported to another reality as they were. She adds, "We won't be able to lure her. Not if what they told me is accurate. She's in flight mode. Like I said, you can tell me what happened afterwards. I'll take us all to a nice restaraunt. The works, yeah? After."
    She looks over towards Tabitha and nods, "Glad she did." Save her life, Yana means.

Tendril has posed:
    Up ahead the tunnel starts to widen, then opens out in a larger room to your west, maybe twenty meters across. It's bisected by a newer looking waterway, that looks like it might be a storm sewer runoff...or at least, the water doesn't smell terrible enough to be part of a sewer.

    There's a rusting metal bridge across it, and and a few doors leading off from here....one on the side you're on, three on the opposite side. The one on your side is a newer looking construction that's been built through the existing ancient tunnel works, with a modern door set in it. Maybe a maintenance room? Opposite, there's one to the north where the stagnant water smell is coming from, a southern one that looks drier but dark, and a third which looks like part of the tunnel wall that's collapsed into a more natural looking area beyond. The blood trail seems to taper off here...apparently she's not bleeding enough to keep refresing it anymore, which is good...and bad, as it isn't immediately clear which way is the right way to go.

Boom-Boom has posed:
    Tabby nods to Yana. "Thanks." she sighs. "Thank you both for helpin'. I was gonna go down here by myself, 'cause I didn't want anyone else to get hurt if..." but she doesn't finsh her thought. She has a bag in her other hand. "There's some food in here, from the caf. I was hopin' that would help her, maybe if she ate it'd calm her down some. Enough to get through to her, somehow. I dunno. It was all I could think of."

"I was hopin' for some candy bars, but they gave me stupid delicious French fod intead." Tab says. "I could use a candy bar myself right now."

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani frowns, "Never split the party." She says that more to herself, then looks at the other two, "Well, she might be acting feral, but it isn't... I can't quite pick her up with my empathy. But that was a bit of a stretch that I could anyway." She never really tried before, and Rahne was pretty unique, Russian weresharks in the lake aside.

Black Rose has posed:
    "No," agrees Yana, "We're not splitting up." She takes a long, hard look at each way, before she says, "I don't like the feel of the middle way," which is the construction site, "And, I don't like the smell in the northern tunnel. We'll go south." She points, towards the natural tunnel, the more natural looking one. "We'll follow it for a bit, and we can always turn back if we need."
    She looks to Tabitha, as if making sure the other girl is capable of keeping up, before she treads forwards. "She'll find a spot she deems safe, and stay there. She won't go too far."

Boom-Boom has posed:
    Tabitha nods, she's soldiering on, tapping along on a good leg and the crutch. She's been looking more pale as the trail goes on, probably some of it from pain as the drugs she was being given begin to wear off. "I'm sure she's fine." she says, smiling grimly.

    "Be alright." she whispers. "Please God, let her be alright. I'll do anything." she prays under her breath as she goes.

Tendril has posed:
    You continue across the bridge, the latticed metal clanging softly as you walk across it, then turn south. You definitely need the light here, as the older tunnel is dark...and a bit creepy, as you start coming across bodies. Or parts of bodies. For example, the archway you're approaching, which has several skulls set in alcoves facing towards you down the tunnel, with old corpses that are nothing but fragments of bone and old rotting cloth to either side.

    And then there's the 'new' bodies. There's been a minor rat massacre here, from the look of it, with perhaps twenty or so rats having been torns to pieces, bones scattered all over the place. It's hard to tell how many, as none of the bodies are intact, and most of the bones have been broken open from their marrow, or are just missing. There's quite a bit of blood spattered around the area though, and it's much fresher than the blood you've been following.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani winces, "Well... that did refresh the trail." She looks at Tabby with concern, then moves to follow the new path that seems far fresher. I mean, to Dani it makes sense. But then again, she's also besties with Rahne, so someone in tune with their feral side doesn't weird her out quite so much.

Boom-Boom has posed:
    Tabby pauses at the new blood, then notes the bodies. "Sh... she's eatin' rats? Oh, baby..." but she's not disgusted, rather her exclamation is one of pity. "Foxy!" she shouts. "Alexia!"

    "D... do you all think she might be nearby? Maybe the scent of the food will draw her out?" and she hefts the bag again. "Go a little further and open the pan?" she asks.

Black Rose has posed:
    "They got in her way," agrees Yana, stepping through the mess as efficiently as she can while avoiding as much of the mess as she can at the same time. But, she's seen far too much as a Bratva Princess to have a few viciously slaughtered rats bother her. She pauses, in her steps, wincing some at the shout behind her and how it echoes. She then turns back, looking to Tabitha, and says, reasonably, quietly "I get you're worried about her. But if you keep shouting, you're going to scare her further." Her eyes flicker away from Tabitha, to Dani, meaningfully.
    "We need to find her. And, calm her down," she says, looking back to Tabitha. "Food won't help, right now. It will definitely help after."

Tendril has posed:
    The shout echoes down the tight corridors, bouncing around off the stone walls, before fading, as Yana quietly makes her suggestion, leaving Dani closest to the door and facing that way when there's an answering sound.

    A low, hissing growl from deeper down the tunnel...a pair of glowing golden eyes open, reflecting the light of the flashlight and shifting into the darkness farther down the tunnel.

Boom-Boom has posed:
    "Who put you in charge?" Tabitha growls at Yana, a touch of the old Boomer raising her ugly head. "I..." and she stops. "Did anyone else hear that?" and she points at the eyes. "There..." she whispers.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani blinks, "Lexi... hey, Lexi? It's us. Dani, and Tabby, and Yana. Come on out. It's okay. It's over." She moves towards the tunnel slightly, as she moves down towards those glowing golden eyes, waving to Tabitha and Yana to let her take the lead.

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana just looks at Tabitha. Just. Looks at her. She shakes her head, dismissing Tabitha, then, entirely without saying a single word and moving past her to stand behind Dani. She tells the Cheyenne-Valkryie, "Put your hands out, palms facing outwards. Lower your height. Approach her as if you were approaching an injured doe, whom you wish to heal," she advises, low, her voice steady. But she doesn't try to discount Dani's desire to take the lead, knowing Dani's empathic nature.

Tendril has posed:
    Those eyes continues to look back down you, the slow growling hiss coming again. A warning sound as the eyes rise up a bit, like the person they belong to is straightening up more as the the leading two girls get a bit closer to the archway. There's a faint whispering hiss of the walls being brushed. But at the moment, Lexi hasn't fled deeper into the tunnel. There might not be another way out that way, then again.

Boom-Boom has posed:
    Tabitha's breath catches in her throat, a body-wracking sob escapes before she can stop it. "There she is." she whispers harshly, collecting herself a little. "We... we have food for you." Tab calls as soothingly as she can muster. Though behind the other two, she goes down to her knees and clumsily unpacks the bag she was carrying. Inside is a foil pan covered in foil. She rips the top off, getting some of the gravy inside on her hands and the thin fabric of the hospital gown. She pushes it forward, towards Lexi, though that would mean it is still behind Dani and Yana. The aroma is of cooked meat and vegetables. This being France even this simple fare is likely delicious.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani smiles, "Come on Lexi... we have some food here. We're not going to hurt you. You've got to be hungry, right?" She beckons a bit, stepping to the side a bit so there's a clear path between Lexi and the food.

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana says nothing, knowing too many voices, too much sensory overload will further spook Alexia. So, she simply watches.

Tendril has posed:
    The eyes lower a bit, then tilts up slightly, before they creepy a little bit closer, then pausing as she sniffs the air again. The tendrils become visible at first...three longer ones sprouting from her back, pressing against the walls to move her along with an alien grace, though there's a much shorter fourth one where the tip looks a bit swollen and...flattened.

    She's wearing nothing but her underclothes, which have seen better days, certainly, and her mauve skin is covered in dirt and dust. Her hair hangs loose around her head, having come free from her braids, curling slowly back and forth, giving her a wild, witchy look.

Boom-Boom has posed:
    "Foxy..." Tabitha whines. "...please." and she adjusts - struggling to sit on the catacomb floor rather than be on her knees. She grunts in pain with the effort, but she makes it after a moment. "I'm right here." is her whisper.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani looks a little... surprised at the look. She's never seen Lexi quite like this, and yet, well, she's used to handling feral animals, so she's not too freaked out. At least, she knows better than the show fear, gesturing to Lexi, "Come on, it's alright."

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana watches Lexi, assessing. Then, she takes her own advice. She lowers her body stance, so that she is lower than Alexia's height by a few noticeable inches. And, arms at her sides, held slightly outward, palms facing Alexia and fingers together, Yana moves foward, past Dani. One step at a time, cautiously. Unthreateningly. As she nears Alexia, she lowers herself further, and, she extends one hand out, to the feral-minded mutant. The hand remains poised, held in the air for a tendril to investigate, or, for Alexia to take. To sniff. Whatever the girl will do with it.
    Yana's blue eyes are on Alexia's own, unwavering. Waiting.

Tendril has posed:
    As you all lower yourself down, it does seem to make Lexi a bit less wary of you. Her eyes even start to show a vague recognition as she creeps forard. As she does, it's obvious why she's using her tendrils to move...there's a puckered puncture wound on the front and back of her abdomen on the left side, that still glistens faintly with fluid, her usual grace slightly off. Moreover...she looks thinner. Like the softness of her has diminished over the past day.

    As Yana steps closer, she draws up short, watching her as her eyes slit a bit, a faint growl escaping her, before she cautiously approaches, then sniffs the hand. Her gold eyes never leave Yana's as she does, before she leans back on her haunches, her eyes flicking to Dani, then to Tabitha, her nostrils flaring as she sniffs the air again, before her eyes flick to the bag of food, a hungry look entering her eyes, before her top to tendrils curl out rapidly to snatch at the food as she backs off a bit, then rips it open before falling on it like a starving...well, animal.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani moves around to the other side of Lexi, subtly cutting off her roommate's escape route as she allows Tabitha to take the lead here. After all, Dani is just a roomie, she's not a girlfriend, but by the same token... want to make sure that Lexi doesn't go anywhere.

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana lets Alexia pass her, and looks over to Dani, "She needs to get out of here, as soon as possible. The longer she stays - like that, the longer it'll take for her self to surface. I'll go make some room arrangements for her. And some food. So it's all ready when you both get back." She gives Dani's arm a squeeze, then moves past Alexia and Tabitha, pausing, then whatever she was going to say isn't said and she moves onwards, back the way they came.

Boom-Boom has posed:
    Tabitha barely looks up as Yana stalks past. There's the barest hint of turning as the other woman pauses, but Tab's eyes are still on the feral girl. "Oh, Lexi." she mutters. She jumps at the mauve creature devouring the food and she shudders.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani looks over at Tabitha, "It's okay Lexi... we're friends. You remember us? Friends?" She says that to Lexi, moving cautiously closer, hands open and to her sides so she doesn't look like a threat.

Tendril has posed:
    There's no immediate reaction to Dani moving behind her, her tendrils resting lightly against the floor as Lexi focuses on devouring calories as quickly as she can. Luckily, they deliberately didn't go for anything with bones in it, because she'd be in danger of choking herself otherwise, as the meat and veggies and bread rapidly disappear down her gullet with little time for chewing. Soft hungry growls and lips smacking are most of the noise she's making, though her eyes flick up to Tabitha, watching her, then when she finally realizes Dani moved behind her, she side walks on her hands and knees, letting out a little growl at her too, moving to where she can keep an eye on both of them.

    Finally, she polishes off the food, licking at the container with a little disappointed whining noise, her stomach bulging slightly, before she licks her lips and leans back on her haunches again, sniffing the air as she looks between the two of you, then cautiously starts prowling forward towards Tabitha, staying lower to the ground, until she can get close enough to cautiously sniff at her.

    She's still wearing the pendant, the little silvery fox leaping over a golden moon flashing lightly in the available light.

Moonstar has posed:
    Dani looks between Tabitha and Lexi, and says, "I'm going to go... get some more food. I'm sure we can get some there." She smiles a little, "Tabitha, are you going to be okay?" She looks a bit worried, but overall she's happy they found Lexi, and it looks like Lexi might be slowly coming around.

Boom-Boom has posed:
    Tabitha holds out her hands, palms up, like Yana suggested, her legs splayed out on the cavern floor. She's calm. Another shuddering breath. "Lexi." she manages. "It's me. Tabby. And Dani. We've come to take you home. Don't you want to go home with us?" she asks, soothingly as she can manage. "Please?" and quiet tears roll down her face. "Look!" she says, maybe a little too loudly. She pulls down the shoulder of her gown and tears off the banadage there. It reveals a heart, an inked heart of purple swirls on a pink background. It's still a little red and puffy, being new, but she sticks her shoulder out to present it anyway.

Tendril has posed:
    Lexi jerks back slightly at the ripping of the bandage, then cocks her head a bit, before she leans forward to sniff quietly at the tattoo too, her eyes flicking to Dani as she stands, then makes a faint almost chirping sound. She doesn't seem like she's going to run, though her eyes are still..not entirely Lexi yet.

    But if the two girls are careful, they can use more food to lure her back with them to a hotel room. Though getting her inside as she is might be...challenging. :)