Quileute Fall Festival Celebration

IC Time: October 31st, 2006
Location: Quileute Heights Meeting Area
Synopsis: The characters get together to celebrate Halloween in La Push, where the Quileute tribe is celebrating the end of autumn. A group of chaotic vampires — one dressed as wolf — intervene on the fun and ransack the supply store while trying to kidnap a human.
Submitted By: Staff


La Push - Quileute Heights: Meeting Area
Quileute Heights is not the only place the members of the reservation live; it is simply a prominent road in La Push where many historical tribal traditions have been kept up. The road loops in a large circle, along which are homes, stores, and small signs and artifacts of tribe history.

The meeting area is simply a large clearing where there are several picnic tables, benches, and a pavilion among well-manicured shrubs, flowerbeds, and trees. A small museum located in a skinny, flat building offers a brief explanation and history of Quileute culture. The population of La Push is even smaller than that of Forks, so it's not uncommon to see this area empty, especially in the rain. However, for special occasions and meet ups, this area offers a pleasant environment.

Quileute Heights Road loops around, and from here the store and residential areas are visible.

It's the Fall Festival and the area has been decorated with traditional totems and statues as well as banners hanging from the pavilion. There's pumpkins and squash on all the tables and around the shrubs, and the picnic tables have been laid out and covered in bright red, orange, and yellow table clothes. There's music blaring from speakers and the smell of baked goods in the air… it's all wonderfully festive and a bit overwhelming.

Contents:

Dahlia
Cordelia
Marshall
Jasper
Thomas
Lorelei
Emily

The festival has been in preparation for several hours, with busy older women setting the tables, children setting out the pumpkins, and the elders relaxing in lawn chairs under the pavilion, talking about old times and smoking pipes. However, it's now near dusk, and people are beginning to arrive wearing various costumes or formal, traditional tribal wear.
In an area established as the stage, although it's not raised off the ground, a traditional tribal dance begins with some of the middle school aged children as a trio of men beat on drums and use tambourines - the start of the festival. As people stream in, there's laughter and eating, but no means is the performance something everyone must stop and watch, although some have.
The food is laid out on two long tables, steaming and fresh. There's also several activities set up for the night, like doughnuts on a string and a bucket for bobbing for apples. The area is lit by a wild bonfire quite a ways from the tables. The fall air is crisp and a bit chilly.

One of the famed Pink Ladies from Grease is among the crowd - it looks a bit like Rizzo, perhaps. The woman wears a pair of sleek black sunglasses, and her hair, although it looks be usually quite long, has been pinned carefully into cropped curls all around her head. She wears tight blue jeans and black high heels. If one looked real close, they might be able to identify that it's actually Emily Young, but she's dressed up so much it's hard to recognize her. At the moment, she's not acting much like tough-as-nails Rizzo - she's gently placing her last pie on the dessert table. Sam - or her "Kenickie," perhaps - is nowhere to be seen, but an excited smile still curves her pink lips.

Tom didn't bother to don a costume of any kind for this party, though he is wearing his crimson Sooners jacket to keep out the cold air. At the moment, he's standing at the buffet, loading up a paper plate with food, and he appears ill at ease. Occasionally, he glances surreptitiously at the supply store.

Some people didn't fully dress up, one of them being Lorelei. She is sitting near the bonfire listioning to the ones around her talk while her mind wanders. As for her costume its just a pair of what look like cat ears on a head band, her hair is down to hide the band part. Someone did attempt to paint whiskers and the like on her face, but she quickly stopped that idea. Even though its cold out she merely has on a short sleeved tshirt, though a jacket is folded upon her lap, which isn't needed when one is near the fire.

Donny's quite the malicious looking fellow, indeed. His lips are pulled back into a monsterous grin, teeth bared and all. His eyes glow with a crazed sort of light, excited. All this is hidden by the costume he wears, resembling the wolfman. He keeps quiet for now, as he hides amongst the shadows inside the supply store. No human would ever have a chance of finding him; his clothing is pitch black and furry. The head of the costume does prove to be a bit of a hinderance, though his heightened senses allow him to smell and hear his way around, even if the mask covers his eyes a bit. Should a human come saundering in? Well, he'll either kill them or freeze. Without movement, he just looks like a realistic statue.

Ramona walks over from La Push - Quileute Heights: Supply Store.

Ramona has arrived.

Marshall did dress up, somewhat. In fact, he looks like a punk gang member, complete with cut up jeans, bandanas tied about his arms, and various other punk gear. He stands back a bit, looking around to see what all is going on.

Dahlia's put some effort into a costume, at least. Funds from her job taking photos at the highschools were put into buying a nice Jack Skellington outfit, albeit being the female version. Instead of tights, she wears a skirt of white, black, and gray gauze while her black shirt is torn over the shoulders and stomach, revealing a bit of her pale skin. Over her right eye is a pumpkin mask, like Jack's, only it's all smiley and happy! Overall, it suits her somehow, as Halloween suits the majority of the creatures around her.

She hides out in the darkness, for now. Luckily the smoke from the bonfire helps to cover everyone's scent nicely. She leans up against a tree, arms crossed as she watches the party with aware, and cautious eyes.

The supply store closed early today, and not only because of the festival. The Krinovs and a few roadies, both human and vampire, linger inside, crouched close to the floor, nary moving a muscle. It was a difficult process to get into the town. They couldn't be seen, heard, or most importantly, smelt, and so they came one by one, sneaking inside while the townsfolk were busy. As for their distinctive scent? The coven dons human clothing fresh from a thrift store, and each spent a fair amount of time disguising their scents by smothering on human lotions and perfumes. The result? A perfectly ghastly set of creatures prepared to celebrate Halloween camping out in the supply store. Ramona is crouched near the door, bored, but unmoving, unblinking, like wax.

Derek walks over from La Push - Quileute Heights: Residential Area.

Derek has arrived.

Derek walks down the street that leads to the Residential Area, he looks up at all the sight and sounds and smiles, he is wearing some tribal gear he borrowed from his dad when he was Derek's age and looks the part with paint and all. "I guess I better get ready for the show." He walks over to the stage and ands by it to wait for the other dances to appear.

The first dance ends, and scattered applause sounds, although many peoples' hands are full with plates of warm food. Most of the children are sitting on a shorter picnic table, giggling and fiddling with their costumes. Old Ephraim, one of the Quileute Elders, is slowly walking to the stage. It takes several moments, but he makes it. "Thanks for coming out tonight. This is the time we celebrate our heritage, our families, and our land…" His leathery skin crinkles as he smiles. "And you've all heard many of my speeches and stories, so I will leave it at that." Scattered applause sounds again, and it seems now it is time to eat.

Rizzo - or Emily, as most know her, grabs a plate and begins to stack it full of beans, corn, and a hot dog. She glances around, squinting through her dark glasses and spotting Tom getting food as well, along with Lore in the distance at the fire. "Hey, Tom. Did you try the bean salad?" she asks, grinning. Em's a bit distracted though with all the activity - every few moments she spots someone new. She waves to Derek, recognizing him in the traditional costume, and peers at the "punk," recognizing him as Marshall and giggling.

Thomas watches the festivities with interest for a while, but after a few minutes he begins to walk discreetly towards the supply store with plate in hand. Just duck in real quick, see what these people want, then enjoy the celebration for the rest of the night, that's his plan.

Lorelei mms faintly while lifting her head, gaze drifts towards the main area as she hears Ephraim talking. She stretches while standing up and slips her jacket on as she starts to wander towards where she last saw Emily. "Short speech for once." She murmurs faintly to herself.

Donny, the vampire wolfman, is starting to get anxious. He fidgets around, though all of his movements move naught a speck of dust. His red eyes shift around impatiently, until they hit Ramona, who's crouched across the room from him. If he actually had a real tail, it would be wagging right now. Because he can't speak- or at least he can't if he doesn't want to be spotted- he simply tilts his masked head to the side, knowing that Ramona will see such a questioning slant of his shaggy head. His impatience is replaced by more excitment, when his sensative ears pick up footfalls heading over to the supply store where they hide…

Even Marshall's mother is more into the festivities than he is. She is out and about, helping with the food tables and chatting away. Marshall himself looks over at the ones standing very still, then around at Donny a moment. He shrugs to himself, then turns finding a place to sit away from the party.

Dahlia's eyes zip back and forth around the area, so fast that it's hard for mere humans to see her irises. She had to keep tabs on everyone tonight. What other reason would she break the treaty for? The smoke from the fire works both ways, unfortunately, and she's forced to rely on her hearing and sight, as well as ther sixth sense. All these distractions make it hard for her to concentrate; too many worries and daydreams floating around for her to pick up. The shadow from the bushes that is Dahlia moves out from the darkness and into the crowd.

Very slowly, she tracks around the edges of the party area, looking for a particular person, in more ways than with one's eyes. She does, however, stop to enjoy the speech and dances that go on atop the stage, but for now she just lays low…

Ramona shifts, moving back so that Donny can be the one closest to the door. She knows everybody is staring her. Especially Lev, who seems especially fidgety. "He will come," she hisses, the sharp noise too quiet for human ears, but piercing to the vampires in vicinity. The footfalls make her smirk to herself, and she places a hand on Donny's shoulder. "It has to stay quiet," she reminds him in a whisper, excited. Virginia, standing behind Ramona, scowls at Ramona's bossiness, but does not say anything. They wait for a knock, a peek in the window…

Derek sighs and and turns to watch Thomas go to the supply store. "wonder where he's going" he blinks and waves to Emily before sneaks away from the stage and to the table grabing a plate for himself.

Before walking off, Tom smiles cheerfully to Emily and nods, holding up his plate. "I'm about to," he says. "Nice costume, by the way."

There are now about seventy-five people in the area, most of them eating. A hush has fallen over the crowd, but by no means is it silent - the complaints of children who dislike their food, the crackle of the fire, and the low murmur of adult conversation fills the air. For several more minutes it is this way, until people begin to get us to toss out their plates, and one of the female elders goes to the stage, tapping on the mic and making it squeal when she leans too close. "Oops. Ahh, the young men would like to present the traditional Quileute dance to the lands," she says in a voice that has turned raspy after years of smoking. With that, the young men start getting ready. Most are still eating and chatting though.

"Thanks," Emily responds to Tom, winking 'neath her shaded glasses. As he heads off, she thinks nothing of it. After all, there's too many people here to be distracted. She thinks of Sam for a moment, worries briefly, then looks for a place to sit. She spots Marshall again and heads over, trying to grab Lorelei on the way. "Hey, Lore. I'm going to go sit by Marshall, come and join!" She crosses the soft grass and then grins at Marshall. "You did dress up! Great costume. Are you a thug?"

Thomas pulls an object from his coat pocket; it's a small piece of paper. He glances down at it for a moment, before looking up at the supply store. He takes a deep breath, walks over to one of the shop windows, and peers in.

Lorelei catches sight of Marshall on her way towards where Emily is, an then hears Emily as she is grabbed and half pulled until she can catch up. "Alright alright.." She chuckles softly and offers a smile to Marshall as she takes a seat next to him. "Not bad for someone who wasn't going to dress up.." So much for her cat ears. Her gaze drifts off following after a few people, at the squeal from the mic she gives her head a faint shake. "So.. Its not all that bad now is it?" This questioned to Marshall as she looks back to him with a smile.

Donny looks just about ready to pop. Inside of his wolf costume, he's practically twitching with anxiousness. He fiddles silently with the mouth of the mask he wears to pass the long seconds, which has a rubber snout and everything, that can open as well. That'll definitely come in handy later… Though it's what he's peering through at the moment. Ramona gets one word in response, "Grrr." Well, it was a 'word' to him, and like the blonde vampiress, he speaks sharply so human ears cannot pick up his jesting.

It takes every ounce of willpower to NOT fling himself through the window and at Thomas' throat, when he spots the lad peeping inside. He begins twitching even more, as he waits. Ramona would give the call, when they were ready… And Sam would be too late. HEHEHEEHHEEHEHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Marshall glances between Emily and Lorelei and shrugs a bit. "Stuff I had in my closet." He looks up towards those dancing, then rubs the back of his neck. "Really not my thing..I guess."

As she trots along, she keeps her mind open, searching around for the presences she needs to find. That is, if they're here. Dahlia sure did hope they /weren't/ here. Unfortunately, Dahlia misses Thomas walking up to the Supply store entirely while she's regarding the festivities on stage. She doesn't linger close to the food buffet set out; can't eat it anyway.

She lifts up the pumpkin mask over her right eye, and scratching at the brow over top of it with mild irritation and paranoia. "On the least Holy of nights, I am restless." She hums to herself, sounding as if she were reciting song lyrics.

"He's COMING," Ramona calls out, barely able to keep her voice a whisper as she shoots a dagger-like glare at the roadies. Lev adds, "Lay down! He's looking in." The pale figures all lay. It's dark inside the room, so it would be hard to make out who is inside, but it may be obvious that things have been moved around the shop a bit. The shelves are all pushed up against the back wall.

Ramona nods to a roadie. "Okay. Open the door a crack. When he comes in, grab him and shut him up." It's clear she's taken the lead on their little Halloween "prank" here, but it's also obvious who is the real pack leader - the others seem annoyed to be following her orders. In fact, the roadie doesn't /do/ it, so she turns the knob herself, and opens it very slightly. Ramona glances at Donny. "As soon as he touches the knob, it's you."

Derek sighs and throws his plate in the trash mad he din't realy get nothing but a few bites but he walks back to the stage and climbs onto it and moves to his spot and waves to everbody he knows mostly Emily and Marshall then get's ready to dance for everbody.

The band players begin to play, signalling the beginning of the dance. Along with Derek are several of the boys on the reservation, notably Collin and Brady from the pack. The dance is a long and complicated one, and it's one of the best - many stop to watch.

"Hey, it'll be fun. At least the food's good," Emily says, trying to convince Marshall. She turns to watch, "Hey, they're starting." She gets a faraway look in her eye. Sam danced last year, and yet, he's not even here yet. She sideglances at Lorelei then says softly, "Everything okay? Can we enjoy ourselves yet?" She's half joking, but can't muster a smile. On the outskirts of the celebration, she notices someone dressed as Jack - she smiles, but she doesn't know who it is.

As Tom moves over to the door, it creaks open a tiny, tiny bit, and he frowns, glancing around a bit apprehensively. Shrugging, he explains it away in his mind as a badly balance door or the owner forgetting to close it properly. Before stepping in to - as far as he knows - meet his anonymous source, he reaches into his left coat pocket. There is a soft *click*. With that, he pushes the door open and steps inside.

Lorelei peers at Emily and chuckles faintly. "Ya.. ask me as if I know everything." So far its just fine isn't it? She's trying not to think of anything happing, because then it won't, right? Once the dance starts she looks over to it while leaning closer to Marshall. "Could be worse.. your mom could have gotten you some part up there." This she says with a playful tone to Marshall while grinning.

Sam walks over from La Push - East La Push Road.

Sam has arrived.

Holyshit, holyshit. THIS IS IT. Donny's skin is crawling. He must've taken SPEED or something, because all of this excitment is a bit too much for him to handle. The male vampire creeps along the floor, his flexible arms allowing him to move like a swift crab until he reaches the wall beside the door. To the others in the supply store with him, he probably looks like he's having a severe seizure at the moment, while insane and sharp giggles escape his lips. You'd swear that he had a mental retardation of some sort, if you didn't already know him beforehand…. AND OH MY GOD THERE'S TOM.

Oh, look, and there Tom /isn't/. As soon as the boy enters, Donny snatches him up and proceeds to bounce off the walls of the supply store, quite literally. His strong arms protect Thomas, however, from anything the vampire may cause to fall over and collapse, though Donny's feet are light. By some magical means, he is able to contain himself from screaming and howling with glee. He has a human!

Marshall makes a face at Lore, "Ugh..lets not give her that idea.." HE then runs his hand through his hair, looking about. He grunts slightly, seeing the door close to the supply store. "Right, I am gonna go get me some food." He says, ignoring the dancing as he moves around the crowd to the other building.

Derek starts to dance to tribal beat jumping up and down waving his arms as he does holling and making lots of noice as they dance around in a circle and back and forth giving everbody a good show, Derek is kinda having fun and it's people after all.

Ramona draws in a breath when Tom steps in, though unneccesarily. "Welcome," she says in low tones, though there's not really enough time to have a conversation - Donny grabs the human, and… Virginia cackles, bouncing along with Donny. Ramona looks pissed, and roadies seem confused, and finally Lev clears his throat. "Ahem. Let's all just calm down."

Ramona's grabbed a kerchief, and throws it at Donny, fearful that Thomas will start yelling. She peers at the boy. "Hi Thomas!" Her eyes glow sinisterly. "Sorry 'bout this, you play a good game of ball, but you'll probably taste much better."

Emily nods as Marshall heads off, then glances at Lore. "So everything is okay then?" She watches the dance, cheering at the right times for Derek and the others. She glances at her watch anxiously, and takes off her glasses.

Dahlia's head twitches to the side. It's faint, but she can hear little footfalls across the crowd, amongst all the other feet stomping. It's difficult for her, and confusing. Her eyebrows furrow as she struggles to hear. Hear the /right/ things, and not just normal sounds. Letting out a needless breath, she heads through the crowd, making sure to slip past everyone quickly enough so that they don't feel her cold skin. When she spots Emily and the others, she gives them a small nod, though she continues on swiftly.

Normally, she's not one for swearing. But tonight's the night where all Hell breaks loose, at least it does according to legends and such…. Her least favourite night of all. With reason, she's on edge as she heads over to the supply store. As of now, she is unable to detect anything of much concern…

As soon as he's grabbed, Tom lets out a little shout, more from surprise than fright. This is followed by a series of rather vulgar, rather loud profanities as he is bounced about the room. These persist until a rag is clamped over his mouth; even afterwards, in fact, although they are much more muffled. Tom appears more angry and surprised than scared at the moment, though upon seeing Ramona, and hearing what she says, the color drains out of his face, the expression in his eyes shifts to terror, and he begins struggling with newfound vigor. Muffled pleas can be heard from behind the rag.

Lorelei glances after Marshall before shrugging to Emily. "I guess so.. Haven't seen anything happen around here have you?" She shrugs some while leaning back, her gaze drifts from the dance then back to the people who are around. Her attention turns towards Dahlia as she wanders by, she can't tell who it is so she just offers a nod back. Lore lifts her head slightly and blinks while glancing to the side, shouting? Could have been from anyone around though.

Donny simmers down…. but not by much, and he ties the cloth that Ramona tosses hima round Thomas' mouth, doing so very happily. So happy, in fact, that it's scary. He takes Virginia's hand, one arms till around Tom, and holds it in his while he sways back and forth. His teeth chatter as she utters strings of cackles and crazy formations of words and sounds. Some of them aren't even in english.

He then returns to the task at hand, and fetches a rope to tie Tom's hands with. The vampire doesn't even walk! His struts are more like big bounding hops, and it doesn't take him long to find the material he needs. "Thomas, is it? Pleasure to meet you." He growls, while shaking his head back and forth, the rubber of the wolf's snout flopping slightly. For someone who's movements are so erratic and unpredictable, he speaks like a gentleman.

Kai has arrived.

In the woods, a giant black wolf breathes fast as he travels at lightning speed past the trees. He screetches to a halt at the edge of the woods, and wordlessly transforms, manages to slip clothing over his tall frame, and then jogs lightly toward the festival. "Hey, Em. Lore," He pauses to kiss his fiancee on the forehead before he excuses himself. "Hold on." He eyes Dahlia, studying her figure and then strides toward her purposefully. "Hello. You seem lost - can I help you?" He studies the woman with some suspicion. The way she was standing by herself, looking at all of them… The shouting gets his attention. It seemed distant, but still.

At least Marshall makes it closer to the door of the supply store, glancing in through a window as he slows his steps, the punk gang member frowning just slightly as he does, trying to see what is inside.

Urgh. Another distraction. Dahlia shakes her head as Sam approaches her, breaking her concentration. "Hello." she replies, trying to make her voice sound as normal, and unprovoked as possible. She visibly winces when she hears the screams, and huffs. "Something spooky this way comes." Is her response to Sam, as she looks urgently over to the Supply Store. "I believe you'd better round up your dogs." This Sam character was definitely a wolf; he stinks. She didn't want the alarms to be set off so that everyone in the area is sent screaming; she needed confirmation before /that/. So she speaks farily calmly, but her expression conveys the urgency of the situation.

Derek is still dancing so the music is drowning out the scream for him his jumps and shakes his butt some then jumps again soon the music stops and the dance is over, he waits for the claps to move off stance and see what's going on.

Ramona looks nervously to the window when Thomas shouts, and Lev begins to mobilize the roadies toward the door - the human roadies look afraid, and even sympathetic toward Thomas. Once he quiets, she smiles. "There ya go. Shhh." She paces excitedly. "Now look. You don't have to die right now." She does indulge in a deep breath, swaying at the smell of the adrenaline-filled blood. "But you do have to come with us. You are a very, very important part of the night. Besides," She smirks malaciously, "aren't you in some club that wants to find the truth about the supernatural?"

A few of the human roadies are forced out the back window by Lev, they need to get moving outta there, as the mission was accomplished… The Krinovs seem too distracted to notice Marshall approaching - he might be able to catch a glimpse of someone running off, or shadows inside.

Emily begins to pick up on the fact that's something's up. Sam's hurried kiss, Lorelei's lifted head, and Marshall walking away… she stands adruptly, and walks toward Derek. Nobody else seems to be telling her anything. "Hey. Nice job up there," she offers weakly. "Everything… okay?" She has wide eyes.

Thomas looks up at Donny with an expression of pure rage as he's tied up, tinged noticeably by fear. He attempts to get a knee loose to hit him in the groin as the ropes are looped around him, and continues to struggle even when the knots are secured. He's still screaming muffled pleas and imprecations, though they are unintelligable and much quieter than normal due to the gag. When Ramona addresses him, the look he gives her could melt metal. He's still not sure if this is a prank or if these people genuinely mean him harm, but either way, he's both as frightened and as enraged as he's even been in his brief life.

Travis has arrived.

Lorelei gaze drifts over to Sam and she offers him a smile before he turns to follow after Dhalia, she shrugs a moment and sighs slightly. About to say something to Emily until she too walks off. Now on her own she figures she'll go see what is going on. All night she's had problems catches scents because of all the smoke an other smells, though as she gets closers to Dahlia it does spark something in her mind. Hearing Dahlia's voice really catches her attention though an she smirks as she pauses next to Sam eyeing Dahlia thinly, though she soon glances towards the store and blinks as she catches sight of Marshall near it. Leaving Sam with Dahlia she starts walking towards the store.

Donny clucks his tongue several times as he watches Lev and the other push away the roadie humans. At Thomas' attempt to kick him, he giggles and scurries around the human man to avoid such an attack. "Silly Tom," He tsks. His head whips around, when he senses Marshall peering into the window of the supply store, and he grows tense. "Lev?" He asks, his eyes flickering over to his coven's leader eagerly, while his wolf paw from the costume takes Virginia's hand. the vampire's tongue lols from his mouth, though it's all covered by the wolf's mask he wears. A fresh batch of venom flushed into his mouth, and he rolls it around on his tongue. Quietly, he jitters over to the corner, where he can look up at Marshal from the shadows and remain completely still. "Do we get another one…?" He hisses excitedly, his form twitching again within the darkness. "there are others coming." He also warns, to the vampires inside the store.

Sam narrows his eyes at the mysterious woman. "Get the hell off of our land." No, there's no thanks to this lady who so kindly warned him about the impending danger. He's half angry he didn't realize it himself. He ignores the costumed bloodsucker, and walks swiftly toward the supply store. He can't start a scene that will panic all 75 people. "Marshall," his voice booms, and she shoots a glance toward Lorelei. "It's no good. We have to get the others." There's a bit of panic in his voice, but he sounds confident. Confident and pissed. "You go ahead, I'll grab them." He turns back toward the celebration, pasting on a smile.

Marshall sees the movement, but if he gives it any attention, it is debatable. He moves on to the door, opening it just a crack, then kicking it on so it bangs loudly as he moves past it and turns to grab at Donny in the corner. "Alright punk!" he says as he moves for the wolf costumed being.

Sam gets no response from Dahlia, she simply runs and jogs over to the supply store. No time to deal with moody wolves, otherwise she would've been polite as usual and actually conversed. The banging that Marshall causes gets another wince from her, and she picks up speed until she's reached the store. The blonde vampiress stands nearby, looking conflicted. "Ramona." She says out loud, knowing that the other vampires inside would be able to hear her. "Get out of here…" there's a pause, "Please." She adds, but this is no time to be polite, as she's already realized. She doesn't enter the establishment- not yet.

Ramona grins at Tom. "Wow. I didn't expect you to be so /mad/, Tom. You know, that anger could be put toward good use." She thinks for a moment, before Virginia glares at her, clearly not liking her ideas. Ramona inches toward the door, but suddenly hears her name called. She listens for a moment, then shakes her head. "I can't," she whispers, knowing she may not be heard. "This is our night."

But the human is fast approaching, and she must snap to attention. "Another one?" Ramona curses under her breath, eyeing the window, and then sensing the human toward the door, leaping toward him blindly. Who cares who it is? She attempts to put her hands over Marshall's mouth immediately, if she does manage to get him. It takes her a moment to recognize him, but when she does, she can hardly contain a squeal. "Lorelei's little buddy!"

Lev is in the corner, giving commands, still talking low. "Go, Donny! Get that human out of here. We need him."

Derek turns when he heard sam. "you better get out of here Emily, It sounds like troble." he growls and runs to were sam is to help if need be, he still wearing his Tribal stuff so it looks funny watching him run and get though the croud.

Walking into town, is a young asian male. He really isn't paying much attention to much around him, but then again who knows what he's paying attention to. His hands are in his pants pockets, the chain that runs from his front pocket to his back pocket flaps against his leg. As he walks, he notices a bit of a crowd near a store, his pace slows a bit and he seems to just blend in with the people who are walking about.

Travis was casually strolling around the area until the yelling and banging started. Now he tries to make his way to see what all the commotion is about as he eats a caramel apple he picked up from somewhere.

The elders sit in the pavilion again, ever wise, ever watching. "Oh, look. Some of the kids are going off toward the store," one points out with disinterest. A puff emits from another's pipe. "Every year, every year. Those kids and their darn hormones. Oh well." They exchange a chuckle. Old Ephraim looks a bit closer, noticing some of the pack, and frowns, but says nothing.

Thomas notes Donny's use of the word 'human' curiously; there's still a detached part of his mind taking in every little detail of his surroundings. The consensus among many of the people who know him is that he has the potential to be a good investigator if he ditches the paranormal crap, and the first half of that statement is quite true. However, there are a few things he'll need to change - his idiot curiousity, for one thing, along with his rather violent temper when he discovers that he's been lied to or mislead. This is quite evident in his violent struggles against his bindings - futile struggles, as he's not exactly well-muscled, but a sign of continued defiance nevertheless. He glances over as Marshall enters and is attacked, recognizing him immediately. It's at this point that a certainty begins to congeal in his mind that this is no prank.

Emily's curls have come undone. She doesn't quite look the Rizzo part anymore - she can hardly sit around waiting when she knows something is going on. When Derek dismisses her, she frowns. She'll just have to try and keep people calm and distracted. She announces the baking contest that's supposed to be going on….

Lorelei catches sight of movement within the store, which is not right to say the least. It doesn't take her long to see someone looks like there tied up. A faintly nod is offered to Sam as she turns to say something to Marshall.. Who just opens the door. Crap.. Is all she can think as she darts over to the door. "Marshall.." She calls out before hearing Dahlia, who gets a sudden glare, she knew who it was the whole time and only felt the need to say something when Sam caught her? Lore is in the door right after Ramona's whisper, which she bearly caught. She glares daggers at the vampire, a faint growl escaping her in the process. "Get away from him.." Ramona doesn't have to even be close to Marshall to get her mad at this point.

WHOOO. Fiesty human! Donny giggles gleefully as he skitters off to the side, easily avoiding Marshall's advance upon him. Virginia retreats entirely, and backs up beside Ramona. "Did you want to play, son?" The wolf man asks, while he crawls around the room, mimmicking an actual wolf. His hands come up, and he moves the flappy snout of the wolf mask so that it looks like the costume itself is talking.

Donny's head whips around when Lev addresses him, at attention. Clearly the way he follows his leader is unconditional and loyal. "Have fun." He says to Ramona and Marshall. With Godspeed, Donny snatches up Thomas again, bounces around the room, and crawls on the walls and out the door with the help of his nails. Into the night the two of them go, out the back door, and the male sends himself flying into the canopy to hide with Thomas. Setting the man down on a branch, he gives him a pat on the head. "Good Tom. But no cookie."

Sam is back in the crowd, quietly whispering to the pack members what is going on. He has to save face. He's calm, and even stops for small talk. Anything to make sure the people here stay safe. He does cast a few anxious glances back at the store. What the hell was going on? How could they not catch this? They were so damn caught up in that imaginery "new" pack. He brushes past Kai, not noticing him in his frenzied state of mind.

Marshall apparently isn't all that slow. Even though Donny does get away, and Ramona puts her hand over his mouth, he fairly calmly steps back into her. He does several things. His hands go to her arm, his mouth closing as he bites down on the offending hand, and he throws his weight, trying to toss her over him.

Dahlia's fists tighten, until her knuckles are even paler than her already pale white skin. "The wolves are coming. You're outnumbered…" She says, in response to Ramona inside of the store. She braces herself now, as she sees the two form jet out from the back door, though she does nothing about it. Her focus is on getting Ramona, and her coven, away from here before the wolves come and injure them. Besides, assaulting Donny to get to Thomas would only end up with Tom getting hurt, too.

"God has no hands to do good with, but our hands." Yeah, right. Like an exerpt from the Bible was going to convince Ramona at all. Dahlia figured it was worth a try, and she strokes the wooden cross around her neck. "If you don't come out, I'm coming in." She warns. When Lorelei jumps in, she hisses another warning. "Lorelei, please, it's not safe!" Finally, she just gives up, and barrels into the store, bringing in a large gust of cold October air with her, and she stands beside Lorelei with a hurt expression.

Ramona is bitten indeed, but Marshall will quickly discover that her skin, like all vampires', is as hard as granite. As for the throw, the vampiress remains firmly planted and rather calm, though she does make another lunge for the human after, this time going for his feet.

And then Lorelei's there. Of course. "I just knew you'd come! But it looks like we're in quite a situation here, my dear friend," she says theatrically, whether she has Marshall or not. Her eyes move over toward Dahlia, appearing faintly surprised. "You need to go. You're the one that will get hurt." She tries to make up for her apparent concern, "I mean, you goodie-goodies don't like fights," she mocks.

Lev and Virginia are still here, as are a few feeble looking roadies.

Derek is ready to chew bubblegum and kick butt… and he's all out of bubblegum, he starts walking to the store and get's ready to storm it on sam's mark.

Kai stops before Sam is able to knock into him. As Sam passes, his head quirks to the side, following where Sam was going. As Kai watched Sam, he smelled the scent. He then looked around slowly, he moved further into the crowd, and continued watching what was going on and who was all here. He made sure to keep out of others way and also to keep a subtle eye on Sam and where he goes. His movements are subtle and with that he seems to just fade into the night and the crowd.

Travis lets out a muffled grunt before he sticks out his tongue and touches it with his fingers. With a slight frown he looks at the trace of blood from his tongue on his fingertips as he says mutters to himself, "I bit my tongue."

"And the winning pie is… er, it's me, but Sue Clearwater wins second!" Emily blushes, distracted from the goings on around the party by her accomplishment for a moment. But she can't celebrate too long - her eyes meet with Sam's, and she understands the seriousness of the situation. She notices Travis walking by with a caramel apple. "You okay?" she murmurs, half-heartedly concerned as she spots the blood.

As he is carried off, Tom begins working his mouth furiously and with purpose, making frantic chewing motions and attempting to stick his tongue out. He pauses every few seconds to shake his head a bit, attempting to loosen the knot. By the time he is set down on a branch, he has nearly worked the gag out of his mouth enough to be able to speak. He carefully keeps his head turned away from the costumed creature that has kidnapped him so as not to reveal this.

Lorelei gaze snaps around at the room at the other movement, she catches sight of someone getting yanked out the back window.. Dammit, when did all this /happen/?! She hears Dahlia but doesn't care, no crap it isn't safe and she knew about it. A fiant growl is offered to Dahlia just as Marshall goes about trying to fight Ramona, she clentches a fist while moving forward. As Ramona speaks up she smirks thinly. "I'm not your friend.." She says with a mad tone, its taking all her will power not to change forms at the moment, specially with at least three vampires around her. With Ramona looking and talking to Dhalia she reaches out to try and get hold of Marshall's arm and pull him back towards the door somewhat.

Ooooh! There's no describing Donny's happiness with this entire situation! Though his grin is hidden, it's wide, and he pushes up the sides of the wolf mask so that it looks grinny, too! The vampire hops back and forth on the branches of the tree swiftly, remaining crouched like a canine the entire time. Occasionally, he pats Thomas on the head, just for good measure. And it probably annoyed the feeble little human, too.

And then it hits him… The scent of fresh blood pouring out from an open cut upon human skin… His body convulses as he has an inner confliction. Lev told him to stay with Thomas, but his stomach was screaming murder, for the unfortunate human who's blood has been spilt. No, Emily. Travis would most certainly NOT be okay, if Donny loses himself.

There is some saving grace in Lorelei, Ramona, and Dahlia's banter inside the store, as it keeps Donny distracted. Their bickering peeks his interest, and as he sits crouched beside Tom on the branch, he listens while cutting off the air flow to his lungs, that he doesn't need. "Don't make me push you off." He threatens idly over his shoulder, to Thomas. "I can hear your damn ruffling."

Sam had noticed a particular scent when bumping into someone a few steps back - but by now he's bumped into several people. He stops, lifting his head and closing his eyes for a moment. No way. This couldn't get any /worse/. His eyes scan the crowd, but he can't pull out that scent, the same one he had picked up a few days ago just outside of Forks… canine and familiar, but different. To the others by the store? He's too far away to give his word, but if they were looking toward him, he'd certainly nod and give his blessing. Whatever or whoever has in the store needed to be taken care of first, and Sam had to stay here and protect the Quileutes. If his pack needed him, he would come. But they were strong. He watches Collin and Brady, the youngest members, go to back up Lorelei and Derek.

Marshall growls lowly at Ramona as she grabs his feet. HE goes down, twisting back to punch at her, maiking it a bit harder for Lore to just pull him free. "I know you." his voice rough as he attacks the woman. His growling actually gets louder.

"Please…" Dahlia murmurs to Ramona, wincing as she watches Marshall get a mouthful of the other vampiress. "You can't just leave? You've already scared the humans enough with all of this…" Her glowing red eyes shift to Lorelei, to whom she also grimaces at apologizingly. None of them deserved the sort of beating they were going to give each other. Like a crack of lightning, Dahlia speeds into the fray. Using her superior strength over Ramona, she tries to slam the vampiress against the back wall, while Lorelei tries to handle Marshall.

Should she manage to get ahold of Ramona, she presses the top of her head against the wall beside Ramona's, while her arms pin Ramona's down. "Please ask your coven to leave…" She pleads, her face twisting more and more. "It's not worth everyone getting hurt."

Lev stands at the open window, his piercing eyes moving across the darkness to try and locate Donny. He finds the outline of him, and also catches a whiff of blood - the smallest drop - from somewhere nearby. The coven leader steadies himself, and then looks harder at Donny. "Stay," he says outloud, "the rewards we reap will be more."

Ramona hears Lev, but is too busy with her own set of problems. She's managed to grab Marshall's feet, and she holds fast, though his punches do hit her. She bends over, teeth glistening, meaning to bite Marshall's leg to stop him for squirming, but Dahlia is upon her. Ramona tries to dodge out of the way, but Dahlia catches her in an awkward hold, as her frame twists. "What the hell? Whose side are you on? Dahlia, they don't want your help, look at how they treated you!" she cries, appalled. "No. I won't call it off. I can't."

Lev narrows his eyes at Lia, "That would be my call. No."

Cordelia says, "I can try to recap. Inside the store are Lev, Virginia, and Ramona (vamps) + some random humans and roadies that aren't doing much. Marshall (human) barged in, and Lorelei (wolf) went to go save him. Dahlia (vamp) went in because she wants Ramona to stop."

Cordelia says, "Outside, Tom and Donny are in a tree. Emily, Travis, Sam, and Kai are hanging out around the festival still."

Moving through the crowd, but something more distant, came to Kai's ears. Sniffing the air slightly, he moved very quickly towards the store. His eyes focused more, he started moving more quickly now, moving from the festival and going along the back alleys of the town. Keeping to the shadows, he moves silently, moving towards the general store.

"Yeah, they are pretty good." Emily replies with a faint smile. The thinks Travis looks faintly familiar, but she doesn't say anything. Maybe she saw him around town or something. She shrugs to herself. "Are you enjoying the fest?" she asks Travis asbent-mindedly, needing something to keep her mind off what's happening at the store.

Donny is apparently quite distracted; he hasn't patted Tom on the head in several minutes, and he's staring silently towards the shop in the distance. Trying to be as quiet as it's possible for a struggling, tied-up man to be, Tom does a breathtakingly stupid thing - namely, he rolls off the branch without knowing how far off the ground he is. He hits the ground with a *thump*, gritting his teeth against the agony as he lands on his right ankle and feels it twist beneath him. Fighting the pain, and still tied hand and foot, he begins crawling awkwardly through the undergrowth in the general direction of the party - there are people there, and they might help him. He finally manages to spit out the gag, but stays quiet until he's further away from his kidnapper.

Lorelei gaze snaps towards the door once more and then to Marshall.. She can't be in both places at the same time. With Dahlia coming into the mix she's a bit caught off guard, she'll have to perhaps do the unthinkable and thank her later if it all works out. Her gaze turns to Lev as she hears that, and that's all that she needs. With Marshall free and Collin and Brady at her back she growls out. "Tell them to stop.. and tell your monkey to drop who ever he has.. Or else.." This said as she moves towards Levi. She catches she of the movement outside the back window and bites down on her lip slightly while her attention rests on Levi for his answer.

"Well, sod off, Lev. I know!" Donny snaps to his coven leader, while still hangin' about in the tree. Seems he's loyal, however he leaves room for a bit of joking insults as well. Stay he does, though he can't help but grow impatient again, and bounds from one side of the branch, to the other.

When Travis wipes his finger on his pants, Donny freezes again, pausing, before turning back to the human who's blood has been spilt. The vampire's nails dig into the bark of the tree, while his feet bounce slightly, remaining crouched. It takes all of his focus and concentration to stay. Just, Stay…. For a vampire like Donny, playing statue is the hardest task one could ask of him, and resisting a human's blood was a close second.

Hey, what the hell? The human… his eyes drift down and he winces when he hears the thud. In his anger, he bounces off the branches like a flying pinball, emitting loud snarling and growling sounds all the while. Lev may not have taken Lorelei's advice, but Virginia has! The other vampiress makes a run for it, and flees from the scene, fearing for her…. existence. "Virginia!" Donny calls after her, and then quickly follows suit…

Dahlia keeps her hold on Ramona strong, her muscles tensing as she struggles to keep her composure. Usually she's so calm… "Everyone's side. But I'm especially concerned about you." The humans came at a close second, however she wasn't about to admit that. It would simply anger Ramona more.

"I don't need their permission to help a friend. And you don't need Lev's permission to do the right thing." Her eyes shift over to Lev, and her mouth is pressed into a hard line. "I'm not letting you go. Even if you do get away with this for today, the Cullens will band together with the wolves and destroy your entire coven eventually. Look what happened to James; do you want to end up like him?" The same question is passed to Lev, this time with a threatening hiss. "Do you? The rest of your coven doesn't." Gee, speaking of coven, where the hell was hers? Being the neutral creatures they are, they have opted to remain at the Church, tending to another drama entirely.

Lev smirks at Donny, then looks back inside when the wolf girl talks. He rolls his eyes. "Please," he says in a thick Russian accent, brows raising. "I'm not listening to the likes of some mongrel." The vampiress, however, does get his attention, especially because she has Ramona underneath her. "Unhand her." He begins to look a little nervous, especially when the human roadies begin to run off, and Donny… where's Donny? He rushes to the window and leaps out, not running, but looking. "DONNY! The human!" he screams. He begins to look for the human himself, but isn't having much luck. So many smells…

Ramona stares coldly at Dahlia. "I don't care. Don't touch me." She has an idea. "I hate when you touch me. It disgusts me." She looks a bit… hopeful? Perhaps she'll get off.

As Kai moves closer to the store, he notices the scent get stronger. He shakes his head slightly, he closes his eyes for a moment and then he slows down. He looks around for a moment, taking in the area. He seen a few possible escape routes that people could go. Figuring it would be good not to let others see or smell him coming, he starts moving out in a more round about way, coming in towards the store from the east, he keeps sniffing getting the scent of a vampire nearby. He slows his decent in, his sharp eyes looking at trees nearby the store. He stops and keeps himself hidden.

Travis nods to Emily as he glances at his watch, "Well I need to head back to my place before I turn into a pumpkin or who knows what. You never know what will happen this time of year when the moon is out but at least it's not a full moon. Anyway, Enjoy you're evening ma'am." Travis wonders back through the crowd and eventually disappears.

Travis has left.

Thomas continues to crawl through the underbrush. Tears are welling in his eyes from the renewed pain that comes every time he is forced to put more weight on his injured ankle. After doing this for some time, he finally reaches the edge of the clearing. "Uhhhhh…a little help," he shouts to the assembled revelers as loud as he can, which isn't quite as loud as he might have been due to him being hoarse and exhausted, but should still be clearly audible.

A thick growl escapes Lorelei at the comment from Lev.. Mongrel? She thinks not.. One vampires runs off, and she then hears another fleeing outside. With Dhalia still dealing with Ramona she is quick to follow after Lev. Lore leaps out of the window a mere moment after Lev. "Your going to wish you never came here.." She hisses out as she quickly moves towards Lev, her hands balling into fists in the process. If he turns to fight or turns to leave either would please Lore at this point in time.

Dahlia lets out another hiss to Lev, letting the air pass through her teeth swiftly. "If you cared at all about Ramona, you'd call all of this off, and go back home." She says, still pinning Ramona to the wall. She's surprised that she hasn't broken the thing yet under all this pressure she's applying. When Lev hurls himself out the window, her lips curl up slightly, triumphantly. "You're definitely outnumbered, now." She whispers to Ramona.

When she hears Ramona's words, her head dips a bit, and she presses her forehead against Ramona's shoulder, as if the other vampiress' disgust physically hurt her. "I know you don't mean it." She murmurs, gritting her teeth, before shifting. "And you're coming with me." The next thing she does is strange… She moves so that Ramona's torso is slung over her shoulder like a sack of potatos, and wraps an arm around the vampiress' legs. Should she manage to control Ramona, she bolts through the door and into the forest, running.

Ramona has a knife. Dahlia has her, but she has a knife. She moves swiftly to grab it from her pocket. It's not much, but it's something. She presses it to Dahlia's throat while they are running. "Let. Me. Go." She'll use her teeth if she has to. Her eyes flash.

Lev snarls at Dahlia, hearing her comment. Out on the grass, he spots the human from afar, but becomes preoccupied with the wolf girl. "You want to fight me? After what Ramona did to you? She said she got you quite good. I hope it hurt. No, I know it hurt. Never felt pain like that, did you?" Lev laughs, manically. "That's okay. You will when we're done in this town. You will after we get your little friend that got away." He refers to Marshall. Despite the talk, the vampire is on the move - he turns around swiftly, and runs towards the woods. Guess they'll have to leave the human for now.

Guess they'll have to leave the human for now. Sure, it's a bit dangerous for their all-star reputation, but who in the world would believe someone claiming that a popular, well-loved band is really a bunch of vampires? Laughable. Lev continues off.

Dahlia skids to a complete stop, though now her and Ramona are a good mile off into the forest. "You won't." She murmurs, still holding Ramona tightly, protectively

Kai notices Lev look in the direction that Thomas went, though he made sure not to be seen. As Lev looks back to the store he hears the conversation with the wolf girl. More and more wolves, and more vamps. He closes his eyes supressing his feelings for now. He had more info to report back, but he waited. He didn't want the other wolf to fight alone. Kai waits in the shadows, his eyes able to pierce teh darkness of the night. If Lev attacked, he would be on the vampire in a heartbeat. He lies in wait.

Dahlia skids to a complete stop, though now her and Ramona are a good mile off into the forest. "You won't." She murmurs, still holding Ramona tightly, protectively. And while she stands there, Dahlia takes in a deep breath, tilting her head back against the cold metal of the knife. "You'll have to live with yourself for a very long time, if you do." She says, grimacing down to the muddy ground. The vampiress keeps an arm around Ramona, while the other hand moves to take off the pumpkin mask over her right eye. "That wouldn't be very fair, either. Think about it, Ramona." Both arms are around the taller vamp now, though she adjusts the body over her shoulders' position now so that Ramona's more comfortable, and NOT a sack of anything. "You don't have to be the bad guy all the time. Lev isn't here to see you do good."

Sam heads over to the scene, noticing figures running off in the distance. Collin kept a close watch and did update Sam a few times, so he knows everything is relatively safe now. As he approaches, he notices a small voice on the edge of the trees, and jogs over, concerned. "Hey, Lore, over here," he calls, bending over and peering at Thomas. "Are you alright? It's a miracle you escaped," he murmurs, more to himself. "Grab on, I got you, man," Sam straightens once trying to grab hold of Tom and help him up.

Emily follows Sam this time. Collin informed her that the danger was subsided, too. She hangs back though until she's sure everything is alright, then moves forward. "What happened?" she says aloud, inching forward. "Who —" she stops short, drawing in a breath. "Tom?!" She does not notice Kai at the moment.

Thomas looks up as Sam approaches. "I really appreciate it, dude," he says gratefully through gritted teeth, "but you think maybe you could untie me first?" Emily recieves a vaguely giddy smile. "Hey, Em," he says brightly, half-deleriously. "This is simultaneously the best and worst night of my life!"

Lorelei eyes narrow as she hears Lev and she takes a step forward. Yes it hurt like hell, heck she can still feel that pain at times. "I don't think you ever will.. We will find you.." This offered as Lev runs off. As for Marshall, she doesn't think they will get ahold of him, she'll make sure of that. She turns her head catches sight of Dahlia taking Ramona off and shakes her head while turning and making her way around the building and towards where Thomas is, it takes her a few moments to get over to where he and Sam are. Of all people for them to grab it had to be Thomas. "Oh geezs.. Tom are you alright?" She pauses a moment and glances back towards the forest, feeling someone watching her now that all the danger has mostly passed.

"I would." Ramona presses the tip into Dahlia's covered shoulder, not going to her neck, though. "We're in the middle of /nowhere/. I don't need a damn white knight." She figures Lia's grip might've loosen, so she bucks, kicking out her legs and aiming for the ground, not caring where she lands. As for her advice? "I don't ask /you/ to abandon your coven, I'm not leaving mine! And I do have a bone to pick with the Quileutes. I will see to it personally that Lorelei burns in the hell I will one day be in."

Thomas pages: On an empty lot back in the town, there sits a battered RV. A man stumbles back through the darkness towards it, opens the door, and slams it shut behind him. Lights come on inside. And, after a moment, a faint sound is heard. A series of sounds, rather. First, a thump, then a strange clattering. And, finally, very softly…Snick. Snick. Snick. Snick. Snick. A very final 'shuck-shuck' - the sound of the action of a pump shotgun being worked. Afterwards there is nothing but silence. The lights stay on until sunrise.

Kai watches as Lev and the others leave, he looks from his hiding place and watches Sam and the others for a moment. Seeing that the wolves of this town was ok, he turns and fades again into the darkness, no sign of him anywhere. Keeping within the shadows Kai leaves back the way he had come then into the forest. He needed to report back what he's witnessed, or little that he's seen. Seems they may be staying in Forks for a bit of time now.

"I'll do it," Emily says, coming forward and untying the ropes, as Sam supports Tom. "Best night of your life?" Emily gapes at Thomas. "Are you kidding? You almost… those things…" She's pretty much at a loss for words, at which point she just gapes again. "You need a cup of tea and a warm bed to sleep in, I think. C'mon, you can stay in La Push with Sam and I, if you'd like."

Sam nods to Thomas. "No problem." He's troubled, however, and looks in the distance, feeling suddenly like he was being watched. He shakes it off, then just continues to go along with Emily and help out the injured guy. He looks over at Lorelei. "I'm glad you're alright … you did good." He can't force a smile, but he does mean it.

….Oh now it's on. That last comment Ramona sputters ignites a raging fire inside of Dahlia, and she lets out a piercing, pained cry into the night, before slamming the vampiress into the ground. "YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HELL." She hisses into Ramona's face, after pinning her down again in the mud. The knife does graze against her stone cold, and hard skin, but she doesn't pay much attention to it.

"You're STUPID for thinking that you can win against the Quileutes. IT'S MORONIC. You're going to get yourself KILLED." She shaking, now, and visibly upset. "You did not leave your coven. Your coven left YOU. They all ran off, Ramona! If they honestly cared as much as I did, then they wouldn't have dragged you into this mess!" Her grip tightens even more on Ramona, though not enough to be too painful, just shocking.

Thomas smiles as he is untied and helped, very unsteadily, to his feet. The smile spreads into a grin, and the grin becomes hysterical, almost crazy laughter, his shoulders shaking violently. This is the kind of laughter people die from. Still laughing, he reaches into his coat pocket, pulling out the object that clicked in his pocket a scant few minutes ago, though it feels like an eternity. It's a black rectangle - an old-fashioned tape recorder. The red button labeled 'Record' is depressed; that's what made the clicking noise. The tape is still spinning, recording every sound. His laughter finally begins to fade after over a minute, and presently he falls silent, tears running down his face; he's staring at the ground. "I appreciate the offer," he says, softly, "and I may take you up on it, perhaps on a semi-permanent basis. But as it is, I need to go home. Have to think this over. Got a /lot/ of things to think over." He presses the 'Stop' button with his thumb, and begins to limp unsteadily away.

Ramona's surprise is clearly illustrated on her face, and not because she was tackled. "I am going to hell." She stares at Dahlia, a smirk rapidly curving her lips. "According to every religion I've ever heard of. I kill people. And so do you. Sick people are still alive. They could get better," she taunts. It's easier to taunt Dahlia then to face the fact that most of the coven /did/ leave her. "GET OFF. You're crazy as hell."

Lorelei says little as she listions to Emily and Thomas, she looks to Sam and smiles fiantly before nodding a moment. "Thanks.." She murmurs softly as she glances around trying to find Marshall. Her gaze turns back to Thomas as he starts to grin and then laugh.. She just watches him a few moments before looking to Emily then back to Thomas, looking confused. Once he pulls out the recorder she sighs and lifts a hand to rub at her eyes. "What a damn week to stop smoking.."

Emily peers at the recorder, a brow raised. She knows she'd never want to relive something like that. "Tom, I am so glad you are okay, but let me just say this: you are the craziest person I know." There's a smile on her lips, but worry is still evident in her eyes. "Need a ride home? Or did you park over here?"

Thomas stops for a moment, turning. "Actually," he says, "a ride would be just wonderful at the moment. I don't really think I'll make good time in my current condition," he says, gesturing down at his leg with the hand holding the recorder. With a slight smile, he says, "Some food would be appreciated as well. My plate is currently splattered across your supply store." The adrenaline is still keeping him relatively calm, but he's teetering on the edge of a very unpleasant precipice that drops deep into 'what the hell just happened?!' territory, and he's going to be a lot less cheerful once the rush dies down.

"You will be forgiven…" Dahlia murmurs to Ramona, more hugging her than restraining, though she still keeps Ramona from moving. "If you're sorry, you will be forgiven. Even the dirtiest coin can be cleaned and returned to the treasure chest…" More Bible exerpts. Seems she's got that book memorized. Her yelling quickly turns into a pleading sob, and she rests her head on Ramona's shoulder again. Not the best consolation, but who else did she have? Even in her old mental age, she still had the tendency to revert back to her emotional, teenage self. It's something that never dies in you, when you're stuck in a body like Dahlia's. "I know you're not a bad person… Please tell me you're sorry…" Religion is something else that never dies. She couldn't help but wish that everyone around her was promised to a better place, especially Ramona. "You need it most…"

Lorelei shakes her head and turns moving off to do what? Who knows.. Her gaze drifts over the area while she sits down near the fire once more and closes her eyes. She wants to sleep but gets the feeling none of the pack will be resting tonight, or the weekend.

"No," Ramona responds flatly to the pleading, shaking her head. "I'm not. I am what I am. No regrets," she says firmly. When Dahlia sobs, Ramona becomes uneasey, and manages to scoot away while Dahlia is emotionally distracted, along with a bit of strength — she does have some! "I'm not sorry for what I do. You shouldn't be either." She begins to walk away. "We'll have to get a new hiding spot. Damn it, I kind of liked my jacuzzi tub. I'll see you around."

"I'm sure there's some food left at the table, always is," Emily says. "We'll stop on the way there and grab some and then Sam'll drop you off." Sam nods, and takes Em's other arm. "You might want to go to the hospital tomorrow about that ankle," Sam notes.

Eventually, Thomas is deposited at the place where he currently lives. On an empty lot back in the town, there sits a battered RV. Tom stumbles back through the darkness towards it, opens the door, and slams it shut behind him. Lights come on inside. And, after a moment, a faint sound is heard. A series of sounds, rather. First, a thump, then a strange clattering. And, finally, very softly…Snick. Snick. Snick. Snick. Snick. A very final 'shuck-shuck' - the sound of the action of a pump shotgun being worked. Afterwards there is nothing but silence. The lights stay on until sunrise.

Dahlia's left alone in the mud, as Ramona walks off, and she doesn't respond to the other vampiress' goodbye. She struggles to get to her feet, but only manages to get into a crouch; she was just too upset. Her arms come around herself, hugging tightly with her head resting on her knees. Her costume's filthy now, and her entire body is covered in mud. Her red eyes watch Ramona for a long while, able to see the other woman until she's hundreds of meters away and the forest blocks her out. Her fingers grip tightly around the cross hanging around her neck, and she whispers to herself, a prayer:

"All-powerful and merciful God,
I commend to you, Ramona, your servant.
In your mercy and love,
blot out all the sins she has committed through human weakness.
In this world she has died: promise me that she will see the light and return…"

Perhaps such a prayer is wasted on Ramona, but Dahlia remains hopeful, even after Ramona's shown that she's the most hopeless out of all vampires she's seen before.

The night calms, and the minutes push past. Dahlia has yet to move, or stop reciting the same prayer over, and over again. It's not until morning that she stands and digs her feet out from the mud. She looks around the area of the forest she spent the night in fleetingly, and then disappears into the forest, running.

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