that someone's lookin' out for us, that someone loves us

[slavophile]

( After searching the hunters' phone, decoding barely cryptic cypher, and triangulating what he realizes are coordinates, he brings everyone together. Timing is crucial.

The summer solstice is that evening.

Isaac, Bonnie, Gloria, Mia, Danny, the twins, and Hope are in William's room. )

It's the Astronomical Clock.

( "The abstract art?" Lizzie asks, remembering her meet-whatever with Danny in front of that very landmark.

Hope, Josie and Danny found the same. With the twins' begrudging acceptance of Jo's informative text (and not much more scolding, maybe it's coming), the plan comes together. With the summer equinox being about the incoming nourishment after action, then this is the local yearly ritual. )

Witches will be there in droves. In plain clothes, but there to reaffirm and grow their power. That is the hunters' target. What I don't know, is if this is a blunt assault. I downloaded schematics. This looks on the outside like an act of terrorism.

( So. Bomb. )

Every hunter we find is low on the totem pole. The higher ranked hunters run the ops. There will be civilians and civilian hunters. Low-ranked boy and Girl Scouts. It's dangerous.

( Which is why their answers are few and far between and why Cooper's double agent act only gets him so far. )

What do you think?

Comments

[blackstarred]

[To William:]

We're going radio silent. Text only until I tell you otherwise.

[Then, she's going to reach for her collapsible baton, glancing to Hope.]

Can you handle yourself without magic?

[They don't want it to be too obvious who they're dealing with, at least not right now.]

[havethings]

( "Copy. Be careful." But, he will nose his way into any secure traffic cameras and crazy views to see if he can get eyes on their situation. )

Not something you have to worry about, Mia.

( The way Mia asks, Hope doesn't do the same into what she can take or do. Fine, then.

It is only a few minutes later, as Hope concentrates on keeping themselves invisible until she can't, everyone can roll initiative, with Hope and Mia at a sneak attack advantage. They know the hunters are coming.

Hope's been itching for a fight, if she's honest, ever since she realized the students were sidelined in favor of a peaceful graduation. While on her best behavior, she's always had her killer instinct, even with parents who are alive. (19)

The window washer (13), and the voyeur (12) arrive, window washer from the door to the roof, the voyeur from the fire escape.

Hope's first action is to roll a saving throw to keep the spell going, and she botches it royally (1) as she recognizes the window washer. And Mia should, too. They confronted him in the hotel room. Twice.

And he recognizes her. )

You should be worse for the wear.

( She runs forward, to land a punch, but it's impulse and not skill (1). She does not make the best first impression in front of Mia. But, something or someone is reviving hunters.

Restoring their memories? )

Uh, Mia, he should not remember us.

[blackstarred]

[Welp. That's not good. Mia glances between the two of them for a moment, before turning towards the opposing hunter. She lands a swing with her baton, trying to catch him under the knees to slam him to the ground.]

Both of them, or just the one?

[There were other hunter interventions when she wasn't around.]

[havethings]

( Hope's opponent dodges Hope's punch and tries to land one of his own, (16). Hope arches under it.

The voyeur meets Mia's baton with his photographer, and the baton sweeps it out of his hands and over the side of the building. The faint crash is heard below.

"My grandmother got me that!"

He tries to grapple, and throw Mia down by the shoulders (20) and being in such close proximity and taking such personal offense to his own defensive action, means he throws her back - but further onto the roof, not over the edge. )

I only recognize the one. ( Hope brings her foot up to kick him back. Though it barely connects, the window washer does stumble backwards a few steps. ) Sorry, your friend's not so memorable.

[blackstarred]

[As much as she is a Slayer, she's still on the small side, and only has so much weight to keep her steady (8). She flies backwards, her back hitting the ground and she rolls to try and come back up to her feet. One foot scrapes as she finally brings herself to a stop, and she feels air beneath it for a moment, but she is her father's daughter.

She doesn't get thrown off roofs that easily.

She grits her teeth, before pushing up and charging back at him again, this time not holding back and throwing a full Slayer punch towards her hunter in question (16).]

Guess you should have thought of that before you picked a fight with it.

[havethings]

( That punch connects, sending him down to the ground, hurting. Between her force and the charge, she's going to leave a nasty bruise. )

Any chance you can give us any insight?

( The hunter does not, now and probably never, want to answer her, and instead tries crouching down and sweeping a leg under Hope's, but she easily hops.

The lost photographer tries to grab at the baton in Mia's hand, to yank her back down. (16)

And Hope sends a punch crashing down to her hunter, critically knocking him out (20). He's unconscious. )

[blackstarred]

[The baton slips from Mia's grip and she does stumble, just managing to get her hands under her before she hits the ground (3). She shifts her weight just enough to try and bounce back up again, swinging a leg up to connect with his face to keep the other hunter down (15).]

I don't think information is what we have to worry about from them right now.

[havethings]

( Hunter 2 is KO'd, Mortal Kombat-style. )

Couldn't have hurt to try.

( "Hands," someone says from behind them, the third hunter now in the doorway, gun drawn. )

[blackstarred]

[Mia does as asked, both her hands coming up to show that she doesn't currently have weapons in them. She will slowly start to turn around, because they deserve to face their attacker, don't they?

She glances to Hope, then to the hunter in question, wanting to see how things play out.]

They started it. We just finished it.

[havethings]

We don't have time for this. Ad somnum.

( And down he goes, the gun crashing to the ground with him, and the door closing with a thud. )

Now that we have a moment to ourselves. How long do you think we have before the hunters know we've taken out their lookouts.

[blackstarred]

Not long. I'm willing to bet that they gave notice as soon as they saw us.

[She glances over the top of the roof again, scanning the exterior of the clock.]

We need to get in the clock tower. Can you make us invisible again until we get in the door?

[She then taps her earpiece to get her brother's attention.]

We're back. The hunters are down, but the rest are going to notice soon. We're going to try and get in the tower to find the bomb.

[havethings]

( "Cooper's trying to slip into the ranks. They might sideline him," William admits, using Cooper's name with his sister, only. Opening the entire channel, he tells the group:

"Mia and Hope took out three lookouts which means the hunters might move up their time table or close in their ranks," he says, before returning to the private channel. )

Yeah, I can keep us invisible as long as we need.

( Barring they don't enter into any combat. )

We should go now, my friends can handle it. Let's defuse a bomb.

[blackstarred]

Let's do it.

[And once they're invisible, they will slide down to the ground and make their way to the back door. Mia still can't read Czech, but she'll check to make sure it isn't locked, and if it is, she'll attempt to pick the lock (6). And if she can't pick the lock, she'll break the lock (15).

She'll try and do it quietly though.]

[havethings]

( Picking the lock does nothing, but the lock breaks in her hand. Nobody notices as the door opens and closes with a small creek and they enter into a back staircase that goes upwards, downwards, as well as a door on this floor leading to who knows where. )

[blackstarred]

[Mia glances both up and down, then to the door ahead, and she tips her chin towards the door first.]

Let's clear this floor, then head down then up?

[havethings]

( They have nothing to go on but their instincts and Hope agrees, following Mia onto the main floor. A hallway is beyond them, with rooms on each side. Offices, bathrooms, and a set of double doors at the end of the hallway. )

[blackstarred]

[The search is quick and perfunctory. She knows what she's looking for, and if she doesn't find it, she moves on. They don't have the time to be super thorough (18). She does try to avoid any of the staff if they can help it.]

[havethings]

( She's incredibly thorough, as is Hope, (18), but both notice something about the architecture and the layout of this building. Where they've been going, and where they end up, how after moving back in from the ladies' bathroom, they are back in the first office they searched. )

[blackstarred]

[Mia stops, and reaches out for Hope's arm.]

Is it just me or are you getting deja vu?

[havethings]

( She picks up the placard on the desk, advertising the same museum docent they've seen - if she's honest, three times-now. )

Like every office looks the same?

[blackstarred]

[Mia pauses before raising a hand.]

Can you do a counterspell? Like in D&D?

[Do not ask how she knows D&D, her mom was a nerd and so is her brother.]

[havethings]

Not exactly.

( ...She should meet Landon. When Hope tries to concentrate and close her eyes (2), the amount and substantiality of the magic blocks her completely. )

And not actually. This is premeditated. We're trapped inside. Someone wanted us to be.

[blackstarred]

[Mia tips her head to the side. Okay then. Two can play at that game.]

Do you think it's an illusion, or something more solid than that?

[Hope is the magic expert but she's worked along side witches before. There are levels to a spell like this.]

[havethings]

It's both. We are going in circles, and we're not all in the same room imagining we're not. But, this is powerful, Mia. They're altering our perception of reality. Maybe even our reality. My guess? They don't want us, or anyone else to find that bomb. We have to.

( They're not taking chances. )

[blackstarred]

[Mia nods considering carefully, before tipping her head to the side.]

If it's about what we can perceive, maybe we need to stop perceiving it.

[Mia, what does that even mean.

She pulls shifts and reaches into her bag, and pulls out laser distance tracker. Because if she's going to judge a distance, might as well be accurate.]

How far away do you think that wall is?