1. The Supermarket

[tormsen]

Bill starts, stops moving towards the floral section and swings his gun in Christine's direction. "What? Who are you? Stay where you are." He looks nervously over to where Skeet is, but doesn't raise an alarm.

[tormsen]

Spoiler:

Both roll Notice checks, please.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4091395/]Notice roll (35% skill/60% Mind stat) talking to Bill (1d100=50)[/url] I'll answer him when I find out what I notice from this roll. I beat my Mind score but not my Notice skill level.

[Priest]

Notice roll for Mathew.

Spoiler:

1d100 → [68] = (68) http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4091663/
Notice; 15%
Mind Stat 70%

[tormsen]

Bill's clothes are non-descript (though obviously recognizable), and the only distinguishing feature other than the Obama mask is some kind of medallion hanging around his neck.

[Mr. Handy]

"My name is Christine," she says quietly, not wanting to reveal just yet that she works for the District Attorney's office. She uses every ounce of reason and charisma she can muster. "I know this isn't going like you thought it would. Nobody was supposed to get hurt, right? Or at least that's what Skeet assurred you. Things have really gotten out of hand. But you haven't hurt anyone yet, only Skeet has. He's fired at the police, which means they'll be out for blood - and they don't know the difference between the two of you. If you start shooting too, you'll either end up arrested or in a body bag. But you don't have to hurt anyone, and as long as you don't, there's still a real way out for you. Skeet's escape plan will never work. The cops will hunt you down. He didn't tell you things would turn out this way. What else didn't he tell you? Why did he slip out the back and leave you here to keep the police busy? If things get too hairy, he's not going to stick around waiting for you. He'll try to save his own skin and leave you holding the bag. There's only one way you can get out of this in one piece."

OOC,Since Persuasion is my obsessed skill, I'm flipping my roll from a 73 to a 37.

[tormsen]

"Oh God, Oh God..." Bill is starting to shake, "I shot at the cops coming through the exit, I'm going to be fucked for this, I..." He trails off, letting his gun fall to his side.

Suddenly, almost imperceptibly, the air around Bill warps and fluctuates like a heat shimmer. Something fast and dark whips around his head and shatters a flower pot in the floral section, accompanied by the sound of a gunshot from outside. Bill ducks into the aisle with you hurriedly and crouches in a defensive position.

"Look! They're going to kill me, man..."

[Mr. Handy]

"But you didn't hit them," Christine says quickly. Now that she's got him hooked, it's time to throw him a lifeline and reel him in. "I said there's one way out for you, and I meant it. If you drop your gun and surrender to the police, you can get out of this alive. I'll make sure they don't hurt you. I'm an Assistant District Attorney. Your life won't be completely ruined, either. If you'll plead guilty to armed robbery and aggravated assault - which is actually a lesser offense than armed robbery - we can work out a plea deal that means you won't spend too long in prison, especially if you agree to testify against Skeet. He ran out on you, so you don't owe him any loyalty."

[tormsen]

Now that Bill is close to you, you can see that the medallion around his neck is some kind of coin.

"Can...can you do that? But...Skeet's got friends on the inside..."

A loud voice suddenly sounds from a few aisles away, getting closer. "Yo, Bill, man, what the fuck? Skeet said you'd be guarding this side. We gotta bounce!"

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, we can do it," Christine assures Bill, keeping her voice low. "We can put you in witness protection. You'll be able to serve your time in a different prison, under a new identity. You can start over."

[tormsen]

A man comes around into the aisle with a shotgun. He is wearing a Bill Clinton mask and seems to start as he sees you talking with Bill.

"What the fuck, man? We got the cash, aren't we going? And who the fuck..."

Bill simpers, "This is all fucked up, Manning. The cops are all over us! We can't get out of this! Why the fuck was there a cop in the store?"

Clinton snarls, "Stick the the fucking plan, you shit, we need to..." Suddenly he stops talking, and aims his shotgun at Christine. "Wait a minute. I know you."

[Mr. Handy]

Christine holds absolutely still, trying to keep her fears in check. "I bet you say that to all the girls, President Clinton," she says, trying to lighten the mood.

[tormsen]

Manning gives a muffled snarl, then points a finger at Christine. "You're that district attorney! You put my brother away for 20 years!"

"THIS IS THE POLICE. COME OUT OF THE BUILDING WITH YOUR HANDS UP" bellows from outside. Through the front windows, you can see a good half-dozen police cars and several black vans are parked just outside. Manning swears and brandishes his gun towards the front window, while Bill looks at you helplessly.

[Priest]

OOC: How close am I to all this?

[tormsen]

OOC: Pretty close, I assumed you were standing not too far off. You're all at the end of the aisle, near the front of the store and a few meters away from the exit.

[Mr. Handy]

Christine had had a feeling Manning had recognized her in her capacity as an ADA. Now that he knows who she is, she realizes that there's a good chance he'll kill her unless he's stopped, and there's also a good chance he'll shoot at the police. Determined not to let either of those things happen, she takes out her mace while Manning is distracted and reaches up, spraying upwards at his face. Unfortunately, she reacts too quickly and her aim is a little off.

OOC,My Rage stimulus applies, so it's a 48. That's a weak success, as it's less than or equal to my Speed of 50.

[tormsen]

The spray of mace ends up mostly on the outside of Manning's mask, but what does get in through the eyeholes makes him bellow in shocked rage. He reels and twists, reaching up one hand to get the mask off his face when the shotgun in his other hand goes off, pointed directly at Bill's face.

The shotgun's roar dissolves into a loud pop, and you all feel yourself hit by seemingly harmless pellets. Bill drops his gun with a horrified look on his face, and begins to flee down the aisle. You can smell smoke and caramel, and the floor is littered with burnt popcorn. Manning is pulling the mask off his face.

Spoiler:

Unnatural checks from both of you, por favor.

[Mr. Handy]

Christine is shocked by the bizarre events, but more relieved than anything.

OOC,Can I act again now?

[tormsen]

Spoiler:

Sure, Manning is distracted and Bill has taken his action. Don't worry too much about the order of acting, better to get the flow natural and I can always fix it up if it gets strange. You can posted your actions whenever.

Also, you get a Hardened Point in Unnatural.

[Mr. Handy]

Christine runs in the same direction Bill went as fast as she can. Manning's gun may not be effective, but he's still a threat without weapons, so she wants to get clear of him too. She also can't risk anything happening to her star witness.