[hr][center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/nn5VWsV.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/XRra6ku.png[/img] [b][code]The Gay Grove.[/code][/b][/center][hr] The clash was epic... one abstraction going up against [i]another[/i] one. Madison was pushing up against Mariah as she was, again, saying some crazy shit in Spanish. Madison didn't fuckin' know, however right when she was putting more pressure on Mariah's barrier, she activated some crazy shit. Madison was launched away from Mariah with a blast of orange and yellow light and she ended up yelling as she flew backward. Heh... if Madison wasn't impressed before, she was impressed now... [quote=Kara][color=brown]”What is this? What’s happening?”[/color][/quote] Mads whipped her head around and saw that Vashti got the fuckin' flag from Kara and was running back towards their end. Jesus [i]Christ[/i], Madison shook her head as she realized that Kara got finessed by somebody who doesn't even got an abstraction. That was kind of humiliating... but also pretty funny now that Madison thought about it. Fortunately, Madison was better than that. She quickly flew towards Vashti with the Jaws activated and charged her... and once she got close she performed a flying tackle assisted by the Jaws. While Vashti got over on Kara, she would [i]definitely[/i] not be able to perform the same bullshit on Madison. [hr][center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/m7zZQBg.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/TqpHQos.png[/img] [img]https://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjY2LmJjYTgyZi5VR1Z1Ym5rZ1RHRjNjMjl1LjAA/fake-boss.regular.png[/img] [b][code]The Forgiven Compound.[/code][/b][hr][hider=Timesplitters 1- Docks][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FtwISEQPNU[/youtube][/hider][/center][hr] Out in the middle of the woods... there was a massive mansion that acted as the base of operations for The Forgiven religious movement. Usually, it was a nice little place with other children that been "Forgiven" playing out in the massive yard. However, to Kimberly Walton and Penny Lawson, there was [i]something[/i] wrong here. Very, very, wrong here. She swallowed her throat as she walked up to the building with the perfect plan in mind... one that took some convincing to get Penny on board, but still a great one nonetheless. "... Hey, it'll wash off just fine, Penny," Kimberly tried to reassure Penny as she walked up to the gates of the place. The sounds of the creeky shopping cart that Rowan was pushing almost announced their arrival. "Cheer up." [color=goldenrod]"Consider this method acting,"[/color] grumbled Penny as she shot Kimberly a glare from underneath her sun hat. Kimberly had suggested that they disguise themselves as homeless people to trick the Forgiven into opening their doors for them. At the time, Penny didn't realize that Kimberly thought homeless people looked like ol' timey prospectors coming straight outta the coal mine. She had also made the error of believing that Kimberly was going to use makeup to make them look the part. Not dirt. Not on her sundress. Not on her face. [color=goldenrod]"I'm a down-on-her-luck transient woman who, after listening to a friend's [i]stupid[/i] idea has found herself in a world of misfortune and in need of some spiritual guidance,"[/color] said Penny bitterly. [color=goldenrod]"And her friend better be right about this shit washing off just fine. I just bought this outfit."[/color] Penny quieted her complaining as they got closer to the gate. The clothes were already ruined, but there was no point in wasting the disguise. "I'll get you a new one," [i]I got that famous YouTuber money.[/i] Kimberly rolled her eyes as she was about to say the second half but she didn't know who was around nor who was listening- "Hi there." Kimberly jumped when she heard a child's voice suddenly at the gate. She whipped her head around and saw a little blonde-haired Caucasian girl wearing a white dress and sandals. She looked at Kimberly and the gate through the gaps in the gate... and Kimberly realized that [i]this[/i] wasn't the welcoming party that she was expecting. "Oh, um, hi." "Why are you here?" The little girl answered. "Are you... looking for help?" She tilted her head a bit. Penny looked at Kimberly and Rowan before stepping forward to take the lead. She wasn't much of an actor, her largest role in life being a tree in a school play back in second grade, but seeking out the Forgiven had been her idea. She lowered her head and hunched her shoulders in an attempt to appear downtrodden. Penny approached the girl and met her gaze. [color=goldenrod]"I heard we could find shelter around here for the night,"[/color] said Penny, affecting an embarrassingly bad Southern accent. She sucked in her lips and tried to keep a straight face, hoping that the girl would just assume her poor attempt to maintain character was the nervous tick of an addict. Penny scratched at her neck. She should've let Kimberly take the lead. [color=goldenrod]"We don't need much and will be outta the way by morning. Just don't wanna be caught out after dark with that psycho on the loose."[/color] The little girl was quiet for a few seconds. "... We're having a prayer session tonight where we place offerings to Mother... do you agree to attend? To see something beautiful?" [color=goldenrod]"Um,"[/color] Penny glanced with uncertainty at Kimberly and then looked back at the girl. She had seen enough horror movies to know that [i]Mother[/i] was rarely a good thing. Ideally, they'd be out of this place by tonight once they found out more about Annabelle—although, Saul might be the one leading the prayer session. It could be there best chance to meet. She tucked her hands behind her back and smiled. [color=goldenrod]"I don't reckon you'd want someone like me there, but sure."[/color] Again the child was standing quietly and Kimberly was trying her best to hold in the sweat. However, the child opened the gate and looked at the three as she said, "... We'll help you get cleaned up," "Thank you so much!" Kimberly said in her normal, non-fake, accent with a wide appreciative smile as she walked past the child.. but the little girl leads them up the stairs as she opened the front doors to the mansion. Kimberly looked around as she saw people all over the place... cleaning, moving clothes, and other stuff around. The place looked... spotless, perfect even. Kimberly looked around as she made a note. "... Oh, hello there," A man said as he walked up, "I'm Dean Farrow, the person in charge of this branch, and you three are?" "... Wendy Lucker." Kimberly just said a name out of nowhere (except it felt oddly familiar to her)... and she looked to her side and that little girl was gone without a trace. "... Frank," Rowan answered. [color=goldenrod]"And I'm Stacey,"[/color] said Penny, going for the whole one name thing like she was Cher. The Southern twang she had forced beforehand had all but just vanished. "Oh, Wendy, Frank, Stacey, it is a pleasure to meet you, I take you're here to get cleaned up? Maybe a place to stay?" "Yes, we [i]can't[/i] stay out there with that maniac out on the loose," Kimberly said a lot more convincingly than she thought Penny would say (That was the [i]last[/i] time she lets Penny do the talking). Dean nodded his head as he softly answered, "I understand." He looked at two women that were carrying clothes as he said, "Girls... we have three guests. Please prepare a room, some clothes, and some toiletries for them." "Yes, Mr. Farrow," One of the women, an older caucasian woman probably in her fifties nodded her head as she walked over. She grabbed Penny by the hand, who tensed but managed to restrain herself from pulling free, as she said. "Yes, all of you, please come with us." They were about to leave when Dean spoke again. "However, we have separate quarters for the men... in which I will prepare a room for you." Dean gestured for Rowan to come along with him as he grimaced for a moment as he looked at Kimberly. But, she nodded her head as the two went their separate ways... for the time being. As they were walking down the hall, Kimberly realized how well this was going. She had to try hard to suppress her smile, but eventually, they made it to one of the rooms. It was a smallish room... with two beds. It had everything you'd expect in a bedroom, a dresser, a bathroom, and a nightstand. "What size clothes do you two wear if you don't mind us asking?" [color=goldenrod]"Like a four or six,"[/color] said Penny, slipping away from the older woman's grasp so she could go scrub her face in the sink. She wasn't aware if cult dresses came in standardized dress sizes. It seemed odd to her how quickly they had been taken in, but certainly, a proper orientation was to follow after they cleaned up. The basin filled with hot water as Penny glanced up at the ceiling for any signs of cameras or mics. "Four," Kimberly just spat out an answer as she just wanted to get rid of them as fast as possible. Smiling, the member of the Forgiven said, "We'll be right back, just sit tight. Everything will be better." As the two women left Kimberly couldn't help but let out a small sigh. Thank God it seemed to work so far. Kimberly looked over at Penny and gave her a nod as she pulled her camera out of her satchel... along with her cellphone. Kimberly had an idea in mind, but it wasn't one that she was fully confident in. She quickly shot out a text message to Rowan: [b][code]Rowan, take a picture of your room and head towards the foyer.[/code][/b] Kimberly hit send, and before she could take a picture of the room she got a reply from Rowan... [b][code]Will do. Stay safe.[/code][/b] Rowan replied with a picture of his room. Nodding her head Kimberly took a picture of her room. Then she turned to Penny as she put the camera away. "Alright, we're going to go meet Rowan in the Foyer... then we're going to go find Saul or something useful here." Kimberly spoke as she dug through her bag and pulled out her pistol. She checked how many rounds were in it and saw that it was fully loaded. "Let's just hope they don't get too suspicious." Kimberly put the weapon in her waistband for easier access. She was hoping that she didn't have to use it but the Forgiven were capable of anything at this point. However, Kimberly faced the bed and quickly yanked the sheets and blankets off of it. She handed the blanket to Penny as she folded her blanket into a square. Kimberly said, "Here, take this so they don't get suspicious." [color=goldenrod]"Yeah, they definitely won't be able to tell the difference between this and spooky cult garbs,"[/color] said Penny dryly before realizing that Kimberly had intended for it to look like they had stolen the bedding. She folded the blanket up and tucked it between her bag's strap and her body. Penny eyed Kimberly's pistol, hoping that the girl wouldn't have to use it. Cultist or not, Penny didn't want anybody to start blasting. Surely, Kimberly had trigger discipline. Still, they were lucky that their items weren't confiscated, although Penny's sack of miscellaneous crap wouldn't be as alarming as a damn handgun...even if it were just as dangerous. Penny shifted the bag on her shoulder. Opening the door, Kimberly made sure to get the hell out of there as fast as possible. Maybe if they left fast enough maybe those two women would think that they got the rooms mixed up. However, Kimberly moved through the halls as fast as possible and thankfully she was eagle-eyed enough to tell their way back to the foyer... ... And they were met by Rowan. "Did you give him the slip?" "Yeah, not for long," Rowan said, "But we gotta be fast because they're gonna catch on." "Yeah," Kimberly said, "I know." "I asked some people where's Saul's office is, though," Rowan said as he looked up at the ceiling. "... It's right above us." [color=goldenrod]"Well, what are we waiting for?"[/color] asked Penny. color=goldenrod]"Let's go."[/color] [hr] Luther Saul was enjoying some alone time in his office and as per usual... he was filling a whiskey glass with some expensive whiskey. He sighed as he took a seat and leaned back in his chair and downed it in less than a few seconds. However, the door opened, and Saul raised an eyebrow since he usually made it [i]explicitly clear[/i] that nobody's allowed to disturb him. Two homeless miscreants walked in and Saul tilted his head as he asked, "... Can I help you?" [color=goldenrod]"Unlikely,"[/color] said Penny, recognizing Saul from his television interview. She rolled a quarter between her right hand as she stepped towards the center of the room, admiring the framed pictures of the narcissist sitting behind the desk. She noticed the phone on his desk and then glanced at the glass double doors behind the man that led out to a private balcony that looked empty. It seemed the only way in for the rest of the Forgiven was the door Rowan was guarding, which meant that Kimberly and she had Saul all to themselves. Fortunately for him, they had come intending to play nice for now. Kimberly was fixated on Annabelle, and it would behoove them to make Luther think that they were on his side. Penny cocked her head up, looked down at Saul, and said, [color=goldenrod]"The better question is could we help you?" "I am not going to try and lie to someone as smart and as clever as you, Mr. Saul. You'd just see through it anyway,"[/color] said, Penny. She paced as she spoke, running her fingers over the various knick-knacks and books lining the shelves of the room. [color=goldenrod]"Your security detail here is a joke. All it took was a little dirt on our faces and a half-baked lie and we were whisked inside. Which, normally, openness should be expected of a church...except when that church is being haunted by a monster." "That's where our help comes in, Mr. Saul,"[/color] said Penny, grabbing a snow globe off of the shelf. The sigil at her between her collarbones glowed as the globe floated out of her hand, whipped around her body, and set itself gently back on the shelf. [color=golden]"My acquaintance and I have been hunting after this little thorn in your side for a few weeks now. Now, we're willing to offer our services to take care of Annabelle Heart for you. Quickly and quietly, before the media starts putting together the one common thread between all of the deaths." "Would you like to hear more, or should I show myself out?"[/color] asked Penny, folding her arms as she took her spot back in front of Saul's desk. During her little speech, Saul seemed very... unimpressed. He merely poured himself another glass of whiskey because he was gonna need it. Saul merely stared at her as he pulled open the desk and answered with a simple. "... I don't have a clue of who you are, or what you are talking about. Please remove yourselves from the premises at once." The confident smile on Penny's face tightened as the corner of her eyes wrinkled in annoyance. It wasn't the response she was looking for, but probably the one she should've been anticipating. She glanced at the drawer. She didn't know what was in it, but she knew he'd be making a damn big fuck up if he reached inside. Her sigil glowed as she took a step forward, her vision focusing on Saul's hands. [color=goldenrod]"You're making a horrible mistake, Saul,"[/color] growled Penny. [color=goldenrod]"I'm not treating you like you're an idiot so you can at least show me the same respect. A good dozen of your people were violently murdered a little over a week ago. Several dozen, maybe hundreds even, have been getting shredded from here to South Carolina. At this rate, you'll all be dead in a mon—" Saul quickly pulled out the contents of the drawer: a revolver, and damn near slammed it onto the desk. He looked at Penny as he said, "Allow me to repeat myself since you don't seem to understand: I don't know you, I don't who you are, and I don't know what you're talking about. And at this point, I can hardly care... Remove yourselves from my premises." He narrowed his eyes at Penny. "... At once." [color=goldenrod]"What are you gonna do?"[/color] scoffed Penny, her vision pulsing as she glared at the barrel of the gun. [color=goldenrod]"Shoot me?"[/color] "If you keep tempting me," Saul hissed, "I will. Each second you spend not leaving is making the decision easier." Kimberly, from watching this encounter knew [i]one[/i] thing. This was the [i]last time she lets Penny do the talking.[/i] Her eyes widened when the gun entered the fray and Kimberly just knew that this could go nowhere good. Either Saul shoots one of them or Saul gets hurt and it's on them. If they had Rowan here this would have been a little different. This could have gone better, yeah, but Kimberly knew when it was time to just... cut and run because there was no way she could see them coming out on top. She grabbed onto Penny's arm to pull her away as she said, "Penny, no, let's go!" Penny didn't budge. Her eyes burned holes into Saul as he continued to train the gun at her. She could see every muscle tighten on his face, every twitch of his trigger finger, even the path of the bead of sweat that had begun to form on his brow before it even started to let gravity take it. This motherfucker started a cult, sacrificed some girl's friends and broke her mind to the point that she'd willingly become a monster, and then dared to deny his responsibility. Not just that, he also denied that anything was even happening while all the while the people who are desperate enough to follow an asshole like him are being torn to ribbons. Was it even a question if this asshole was responsible for the world ending? Even if he wasn't, was it even a question whether he deserved what was coming his way? She should let him shoot her. She'd put that bullet right back through his fucking head. It wouldn't be the first time she'd taken a life. If someone had to do it, best to be here anyway. She felt Kimberly's fingers bite into her arm. She gritted her teeth, her face turned ugly as it reflected the disgusting creature pointing a gun at her. Penny would be doing the world a favor. Fuck that, she'd be saving the world. Unless... [color=goldenrod]"[i]Fine,[/i]" said Penny, seething, as she put her hands up. "GET OUT OF HERE!" Saul shouted as he waved the pistol around and Kimberly winced. She didn't waste a second in pulling Penny out of the room before this got ugly. Saul sighed as the door closed and the two were gone... he made sure to press the button on his phone as he said. "I want a full sweep of the building, there were two trespassers. Two girls of similar heights, one blonde-haired, one brown with glasses and a satchel. If found please remove or..." Saul looked up to see that little girl that approached Kimberly and Penny at the gates. She looked at Saul with a dead look in her eyes as she said. "... You did well." The words were hardly out of the girl's mouth as the snowglobe launched itself from the shelf and shattered in the corner nearest the exit. A few moments later and it was followed by a barrage of books, pictures, and any other of the oddities Penny had touched. All of it dented against the wall with a loud thud like they had been fired out of a machine gun and then crashed to the ground. By the time the dust had settled, Saul's office was trashed with tiny smatterings of shattered glass all over the floor and who knows how many irreplaceable artifacts destroyed. Saul had the final word, but Penny had the last fuck you. [hr] The trio regrouped far away from the Forgiven Compound as Kimberly shook her head. Part of her was a bit pissed off at Penny but Saul... Saul was a bastard to his very core, Kimberly could feel it. So she understood why Penny was so forceful, but they still needed some discretion there. [color=goldenrod]"What a goddamn asshole! What a fucking prick!"[/color] barked Penny, gritting a cigarette between her teeth and struggling with the lighter. "Next time, let me do the talking," said Kimberly. Penny shot her a look but took half of the cigarette down in one drag instead of turning her anger on Kimberly. While trashing Saul's office gave her a brief bit of petty pleasure, Penny was deeply upset by how poorly everything had gone. She was pissed at Saul for being such a stubborn jackass, but she was angrier at herself for making the situation worse. Penny should've played it differently. She should've been smarter. Maybe they should've acted like they wanted to join and slow roll it. She screwed up her face, killed her cigarette, and went for another. "Not that it mattered," Rowan said to the two, "Saul knew exactly what she was talking about... He probably figured that you two pieced together the whole picture and stayed hush-hush about it." Rowan shrugged as he looked between the two girls. "I don't know about you two, but I wouldn't want to admit my cult does human sacrifices." "True, true, and true..." Kimberly trailed off, "I know one thing; there goes our only easy shot to getting at him, but I doubt he was going to give us anything useful willingly." [color=goldenrod]"So now what?"[/color] asked Penny, trying to keep herself from shouting. [color=goldenrod]"We just wait for Annabelle to attack again and kill more fucking people because that dipshit can't accept responsibility? God!"[/color] Penny kicked the ground, sending a spray of dirt against a tree. She pointed a finger at Kimberly. [color=goldenrod]"You should've taken a picture of his room. That way the next time we fight Annabelle you could've just teleported her in there and let that asshole Saul lie in the bed he made!"[/color] Kimberly sighed as she reached into her satchel and pulled out a photograph of Saul's room. "While you were keeping him distracted..." Kimberly trailed off. "... I did, but...." She didn't want to sound like a snob when she said that's not how her abstraction works but Penny was emotional. This was a backdoor into the Forgiven Compound in case they needed it. "... Saul's up to something like he has something up his sleeve that we don't know about," Rowan said as he crossed his arms. "I kind of get the feeling this is apart of his game." "And I get the feeling we'll lose regardless of who wins," Kimberly shook her head. "Either way, I doubted we were going to get anything useful from Saul regardless... however, we have to keep looking for a way to stop Annabelle. I know there's [i]something[/i] we can do, or if we can find somebody." [i]That doesn't involve accepting power from the Hound.[/i] [color=goldenrod]"Fuck that! Neither of them are winning. I'm certain of that,"[/color] said Penny quickly, lifting her shoe to smear out her cigarette on the heel. She'd see to it that Saul got what was coming for him...once she was certain that wouldn't ruin everything for which she fought. [color=goldenrod]"So, any guess on what to do next? My idea was a freaking bust. Shouldn't have even suggested it."[/color] Kimberly rubbed her chin as she thought about it. "I'm going to... do some digging online. Some research... there's a Coven of witches that formed by talking online. We could maybe find someone who can cure Annabelle." [color=goldenrod]"Sure. It couldn't go worse than this,"[/color] said Penny.