why is it you always get to sit in the shade

[blackstarred]

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[vampireboulevard]

[Bonnie's perception check isn't enough to wake her, but what does is something like an itch, like ants running under her skin and all of her witchy senses going off at once. Isaac doesn't seem to notice (6), sleeping soundly next to her when she wakes.

On the other hand, Ryan definitely wakes to the sound of a door being slammed in the hallway, and voices. He can't make out any words, even with the natural 20, but something is definitely happening in the hallway. Caroline is still a sleep, but she stirs somewhat when he wakes (10), giving a small grumble of surprise.]

[moralitypolice]

( It's a sensation she doesn't like, one she remembers having when she was a young, less practiced witch. It means there is something here, something is happening, and that something is magic. Her eyes shoot open as she pulls herself up, arm still under the pillow. )

Isaac.

[notwitty]

Hmm?

[He's easy enough to rouse, picking up to look at her and frowning when he realizes something's off.]

What's wrong?

[moralitypolice]

( She turns, her whole body turning with her under the covers. )

Old magic. I feel it. It woke me up.

[notwitty]

Old magic is never good.

[Old magic is always the kind of stuff that involves making sacrifices or bad things coming back that should have stayed dead.]

Can you tell what it wants?

[Can witches do that?]

[moralitypolice]

No, I just - I feel it. Like an itch.

( She leans over to turn the light on beside her, bringing her feed in so she can sit up.

She tries to concentrate, choosing to sense magic to get more of a clue. (12) )

[notwitty]

[She doesn't get much, but she does get the sense that it's not coming from the floor that they're on - instead, it seems to be coming from below them, deeper in the B&B.

Isaac gets to his feet and grabs some shoes. He has a feeling that they're going to need to be on the move.]

[moralitypolice]

It's below us. Some kind of ritual?

( She doesn't know. Opening her eyes again, she sees Isaac moving for his shoes. )

You're going to check it out?

[notwitty]

Well, this seems like the kind off situation where if we don't do something about the ritual, we become the ritual.

[Which, been there, done that, would rather not ever again.]

Either we leave immediately or we're going to fight something, so I'd like to have my shoes.

[And as he says that, ring ring Bonnie phone.]

[moralitypolice]

Put on your shoes.

( She doesn't want to become the ritual. She answers her phone on speaker. )

Caroline?

[vampireboulevard]

Ryan saw the owner of the inn checking out a guest super late and he says he smelled blood. We're going to check it out, but be careful.

[She keeps her voice low, just in case someone is out there and around still listening.]

Are you and Isaac okay?

[moralitypolice]

We're fine. Something powerful is going down. Tonight. I feel it in my skin, Caroline. And it's coming from one of the lower floors.

( Is there a basement? )

You follow the guest, we'll follow the magic.

[notwitty]

["Okay, be careful. They've for some kind of sound proofing going, so keep your phone on you."

And with that, Caroline will hang up, and Isaac peeks out the door (19), scanning the area, before turning back to Bonnie with a nod.]

Let's go.

[widenecked]

( Ryan lets Caroline try and sleep before pushing himself out of bed and over to the door. He gives a look back at Caroline before trying to stealthily crack the door open. (Nat 20) )

[vampireboulevard]

[At a room slightly angled down the hall from him is the frazzled, eccentric B&B owner and a large, oddly shaped man(?) carrying a large suitcase. There's something off about the way he moves, but Ryan can't see his face from where he's standing.

"Be careful with that! We don't want anything to break."

As the owner is reprimanding the bellhop(?), she spots that the Ryan's room is open (20), and jerks a little too suddenly in front to block the suitcase.

"So sorry, have we disturbed you? A guest needed help checking out early."

She's blocking the view of the suitcase now, but Ryan's vampire senses wouldn't miss the smell of blood.]

[widenecked]

( He cracks the door open wider, trying not to let too much light into the room and trying not to look like he was spying. Still, his eyes fall where the suitcase is being blocked from his view. But, if anyone can play it cool, it's Ryan Atwood (18) at keeping it cool. )

I heard the door slamming. You allow your guests to check out in the middle of the night?

[vampireboulevard]

["Not normally no, but poor dear had a terrible family emergency and needed to leave right away. We're putting her in a taxi to the airport right now." The woman looks at him pleadingly. "Please go back to bed. Everything'll be fine."]

[widenecked]

( Intending to not go back to bed, Ryan closes the door, but instead moves over to the table to put his shoes on. His every intention is to follow them and the smell of blood. )

[vampireboulevard]

[The door closing finally rouses Caroline (15), and she blinks over at him when she sees him getting his shoes on.]

What's going on?

[widenecked]

The inn owner is hiding something. I smelled blood.

( He finishes lacing up his shoes, jumping up. )

I'm going to follow them. Call Bonnie.

[vampireboulevard]

[Caroline nods, before getting out of bed and also putting on her shoes as she dials Bonnie's number. She can multitask, and this seems like the kind of problem where they use the buddy system.]

[widenecked]

( And Ryan is back in the hallway. He gets (11) to listen where the owner and Lurch went. )

[vampireboulevard]

[He doesn't hear them anywhere nearby, but given the fuzziness of how things sound, that doesn't necessarily guarantee that they're off the floor. But the room that they had been taking things out of is currently not being attended to.]

[widenecked]

( Ryan rolls a stealth check of (13) to slip inside the unattended room, hand searching for a switch to get the lights. )

[vampireboulevard]

[The switch is in the same place as it is in their room, right next to the door frame. As the light flicks on, the room looks ... normal. But Ryan can still smell the blood, as does Caroline when she catches up to him.]

Oh ... whoa. I see what you mean.