Subway The Measurer alone knows where the soul must turn in the hereafter

[Max Kuryakin]

Standing outside in the cool evening air, Max checked his watch for the time. As late as it was, he didn't want to miss the upcoming train, no matter how hungry he was. The tantalising smells of the kebab truck that'd set up shop outside the nearest T-stop to his fire station was seductive, though, so he'd stopped to get a bite before heading home. It'd been a busy day, called in despite being off-duty to fill in for someone else, but he'd been sent home after the crush abated and now he could go back to his remaining day-off. What was left of it.

He cut a glance to the side, at the stairs leading down into the subway station, lit in dirty orange and marked clearly with the station name. He felt a little uneasy around Newton's T-stops. Not only because of his run in, but the subway had been the site of too many unpleasant call-ins when he'd been a full time paramedic. Almost always Newton stops, which had given him a firm superstition about the whole tunnel network.

In a burst of distracting noise, the food truck chef called his order and Max turned away from the gaping maw of the T-station entrance. Eagerly, he wrapped his hands around the kebab stuffed to the brim with everything they'd had on offer and stepped to the side. He ambled in the general direction of the entrance to the subway station, but he was distracted by his food.

Max lifted the big bundle of pita and filling and took a gigantic bite, his elbow brushing against someone as he lowered his arms. With a full mouth, he forced out an apologetic albeit muffled, “Sorry, excuse me,” as he turned to look at whoever he'd bumped, expression apologetic despite his puffed cheeks. He tried to chew and swallow all at once, the big bite of food going painfully down his throat.

[Mina Straus]

Riding the T had become something of a pastime for Mina after her encounter on the tracks, one she derived no joy from nor looked forward to. It was little more than an obligation, a service, and as someone who worked nothing other than the service industry, it smacked of the shift-work she’d come to associate with long hours and fickle reward.

At first, she’d been keen and expectant as she sat in the rocking carriage, anticipating the underworld to belly up against reality again and push. Weeks turned to months and time ate at her resolve until her memories of the Phlegethon were little more than that, just memories. Had she not her hitchhiker poisoning her mind with visions of Hades, and had she not known what she knew, maybe Mina could have written it off.

But here she was, like Orpheus, descending into the underworld. Only he had a clear mission. And tonight’s descent would be like any other; she’d ride the train until she fell asleep and Tisiphone would take her home, but only after a time, for there was much for her to do in the twilight.

Mina threaded briskly through the topside crowd towards the Newton T-stop. She did this to the bustling calls of a food truck and the tantalizing aroma of kebab meat and spices mingling with the smells of the city. She almost made it through unscathed, but misjudged a closing gap in the throng and brushed a little too close to some guy.

As he apologized and she made to the do the same, pulling her expression into something contrite, she caught a look at his chipmunk'd cheeks and startled in recognition. Eyes widening in surprise, her apology floundered to be replaced by a baffled oh of her lips. “Ah, hey—hi…” She stammered, greeting her boyfriend’s roommate.

[Max Kuryakin]

Eyes watering from his rushed swallow, Max recognised Mina the moment he turned and saw her face, eyes going wide in surprise. He didn't look happy, but that was more the chunk of food going down his esophagus than meeting Mina. He lifted a hand to his mouth, turning his head and coughing to clear his throat.

He could spot Mina's shock at the run-in, too, her expression shifting from apologetic to surprised, before she spoke a stammered greeting. By then, Max had cleared his throat and avoided choking, giving her a wry grin at how they'd run into each other. What were the odds? But he'd bumped into her before, and others. It was just life when you lived in the same city. Chance and luck.

“Hi, hey!” He cleared his throat into his hand again, before dropping it, cradling his kebab close. “Didn't expect to run into you. How're you doing?”

[Mina Straus]

Mina cast a speculative glance down the station stairs as Max recovered, clearing his throat. It felt rude to stare as he sputtered and coughed with tears in his eyes, and he didn’t seem on the verge of actually choking. She adjusted the tote on her shoulder and turned back when he spoke again, smiling at his statement; she hadn’t expected to run into him either.

“Fine, thanks!” Mina replied with customer service peppiness and dark bags beneath her eyes. She looked back down the entrance tunnel, this time expectant for the upcoming train, but figured she had a few more minutes still. “How’s everything with you?”

[Max Kuryakin]

The pep she was giving him was so different from the other two times they'd run into each other than he couldn't help but immediately think it as faked. The feigned politeness in the face of a sudden social situation, rather than any genuine enthusiasm. Of course, there wasn't anything wrong with that. They didn't really know each other.

And even brushing the tears from his eyes, Max didn't miss her repeated looks to the subway. In a hurry, then, just like he was. The next was in half an hour and he didn't want to sit around waiting for it.

“Good! Pretty good,” he returned, a less peppy than her. They were completing the unspoken social contract of never actually answering the question of how one was with too much honesty or detail, letting them slide over the social niceties and get on with it. “Heading down to the T, actually. You too, huh?”

He gestured to the stairwell with his kebab, bringing a hand up to wipe some sauce off the corner of his mouth as he turned his body to the stairwell. Knew it would be arriving any minute, maybe even early. And it might leave early, like a total bastard. He took a step, eyes still following Mina as they talked, but making it clear he was about to head down.

[Mina Straus]

Mina nodded with a hum of agreement, looking in his indicated direction. If she’d been quicker on her feet, maybe she would have readied an excuse and caught the next train. Mina pictured herself waiting in the tunnel, her entire schedule thrown off because of him. The thought soured in her mind, it was childish to delay her plans just to avoid an awkward silence. Besides, and for all she knew, they would head in different directions. This chance meeting changed little.

So, as Max took a tentative step towards the stairs all while looking her way, Mina nodded again, and followed. “Heading home?” She asked as they descended.

[Max Kuryakin]

As she moved to join him in walking, Max adopted a bit more of a natural gait, matching her pace even as he walked a little ahead. He nibbled at his kebab, but didn't repeat his big bite. He still had to carry on a conversation. Mina didn't disappoint, prompting him for his plans.

“Yep!” He confirmed, turning a smile to her as he licked some sauce off his lips. It was bright, but not over the top. He was trying to make an effort to not alienate Goki's girlfriend, figuring he'd be running into her more if the pair had upgraded to hanging out at their apartment. “Just got off work, bit of a relief to have a couple of days off now.”

The stairs descended a fair bit under the city streets, interrupted now and again by a landing, the natural light of outside changing for the fluorescents of the overhead lights. The smells changed too. Hot and stale air, creating a bit of a wind tunnel in the stairs leading down as it all rushed outside, calming only as they neared the bottom. The ozone of electricity from the tracks and the mingling scents of BO and perfume.

[Mina Straus]

As Max admitted to having a few days off, Mina hummed in agreement. She knew the relief well, and the shared feeling enamored a little sympathy for the man, her smile touched a little more genuine. If he was heading home, that meant they were travelling in the same direction. Not ideal, but there was little she could do about that now. Besides, maybe some time alone would do them good?

Mina narrowed her eyes at the hot breeze of stale air that swept down the tunnel with enough speed that she could hear it. BO, perfume, and ammonia wafted on the breeze. She wrinkled her nose, but didn’t complain.

They drew closer, and Mina was about to speak when the clattering of tracks echoed from the tunnel, stole her attention. She shot a look at Max, eyebrows raised in alarm, then started fast walking for the platform.

[Max Kuryakin]

As Max volunteered more about himself, Mina only hummed, but the twist of her smile seemed more genuine than it'd been before. Still, she didn't share any chit-chat of her own, and Max had taken another bite of his kebab finally, so his mouth was too full to tease anything out, even he if wanted to ask her about where she worked. Wasn't it at Lin's place? The silence went for a bit as they walked, nearing awkward, but Max was more or less immune to that.

He heard the indrawn breath as she prepared to speak, finally, but he'd been listening to the train trundling closer as they walked and now it was close enough that the humans around were starting to pick up the pace. When she shot a look at him, Max swallowed and grinned at her, not too worried even if he matched her fast walking pace.

“Eager to get home, huh?” he said, poking a little fun as they speed walked along. “You still, uh, still at the Honey & Ivy? I think I saw you there, once.” He'd started going relatively regularly a while ago, dropping by Lin's table when she wasn't busy. He knew El behind the bar pretty well, but not Mina. Goki hadn't said anything about her moving on, but sue him for trying to make conversation.

[Mina Straus]

Obviously, Max recognized she was unenthused at their chance encounter. He wouldn’t have mentioned her eagerness to get home and away from his company otherwise. He said it easily enough as well; a throw away comment. If she hadn’t been thinking the same thing, she would have missed it. And here she was trying to be polite, but the awkwardness between them remained. A hollow laugh tumbled from her open mouth, and she was about to utter some excuse when he changed the subject.

It took effort to not leer at his innocent comment through a stalkerish lens. She hadn’t known Max frequented the Honey & Ivy, and hadn’t seen him there before, but it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility when she considered it. Goki worked there as well, and they were roommates so… Mina backed away from the ledge. Still, he hadn’t thought to say hello. Goki really was the only common thread between them, and she had to try for him.

“Yeah. I’m still there.” She admitted, if a little uncertainly, and smiled again. “It’s better than my last place.” The car was on the platform with doors open. Mina trotted the last leg, making short work of the distance.

[Max Kuryakin]

As soon as he seemed to have gotten an actual smile out of her, it seemed to turn on its head. It wasn't a specific thing, but a kinda... vibe. Max wasn't born yesterday. He could pick up someone being uncomfortable, even if he couldn't guess what for without assuming a bunch. He preferred not to, so all he had was the feeling Mina wasn't totally comfortable talking to him. Knowing not to push it, he decided to leave her to her commute.

They still had to get on the train, though, so Max kept an easy jog and slipped in after Mina, as the doors slid shut just behind them. His kebab was safe, but he didn't take another bite as he looked at Mina with a smile, friendly and open, even knowing she wasn't comfortable around him.

“Yeah, Lin runs a tight ship. Excellent dumplings,” Max said, entirely truthful but winding up to leaving that subject behind. “Nice talkin' to ya, though, I'll leave you to it. Don't be a stranger if you see me around.”

Giving her an easy salute, he started left, eyes scanning for a good seat that wouldn't be near anyone, but the subway car was pretty empty. He still went a good distance down the subway car, not wanting crowd Mina if she was nervous around him. Finding a seat with an armrest, he slumped into it, biting into his kebab again. He chewed, idly examining the print on the wrapping, before sliding his eyes upwards to stare listlessly at the advertising. First rule of taking the T. Mind your fuckin' business.

[Mina Straus]

“Yeah,” Mina replied to both the dumplings and the tightness of Lin’s ship, surprised to hear her boss’ name. She hadn’t pegged him as a regular and didn’t know what to make of his comment, but what did she know?

Then, almost as quickly as they met above ground, Max was saying his goodbyes. Mina’s eyes widened and she made a soft noise of protest before he stood and went to find a seat. Torn in that moment between relief their awkward conversation was at an end and a new-founded anxiety that somehow she fucked up.

“Bye, then.” She uttered, unsure what else to say, then added. “See you around.” Because surely she would.

Mina sat as well, keeping to her side of the train with her neck craned over her phone. Alone, like she wanted, and very aware of the space Max put between them, Mina replayed their stunted conversation as she scrolled. Frustrated huffs and uneasy sighs under her breath punctuated her thoughts. The last thing she needed was him poisoning Goki against her.

This was all turning to shit, and she was watching it happen. Mina cast the odd glance down the car, not looking directly at Max, but watching him eat his wrap all the same. More than once she convinced herself against walking over and trying to strike up a conversation. It was too awkward. The practiced lines in her head swirled about an apologetic drain with accusatory splashes.

This was all his fault, after all. She would have happily sat through a stilted and polite conversation over this gulf. Both of them riding in the same car, in the same direction, and pretending not to know each other. It was pathetic. She couldn’t see a future where Max didn’t tell Goki about this.

Unless the Underworld opened to take them both. With a nasally and dismissive laugh, Mina grinned despite herself.

[Max Kuryakin]

A werewolf was well equipped to notice undue attention, more so when that werewolf was a veteran with an eye for detail. It helped that Max could hear her huffs and sighs. He would've pinned it on something on her phone if she didn't keep looking in his direction. Avoiding looking at him, but when he was the only guy sitting at his end of the subway car, it was obvious. Unless the guy leaning against the grab bar, clearly ready to hop off, was particularly interesting to her.

So what was it? He freely admitted that he didn't really know how to figure her out. She'd been shy–or nervous, maybe?–when he'd met her at the apartment, and she hadn't seemed interested in talking much. Today, too, he'd caught that with an additional undercurrent of her being uncomfortable. He'd disengaged, figuring he shouldn't impose, but with her trying hard to look-but-not, he wasn't so sure what was going on. Puzzling it over, the werewolf devoured his kebab, too hungry to not polish it off even as the subway car rattled to its next stop.

The subway car rolled into the next station, the man hanging off the grab bar waiting for the doors to barely open before he was hopping out. The others on the subway car followed, leaving the pair entirely alone, although separated by a few rows of seats and the doors.

The situation was more than a little funny, Max smiling around his mouthful right before he caught Mina laughing about something too. The same thing, maybe? He looked up, chewing his last mouthful of kebab, taking a moment to swallow, before acknowledging the elephant in the room, raising his voice enough for it to carry, but not so he was yelling.

“Well, this is a little awkward,” he joked, gesturing to the empty space around them, tacking on a light laugh at the end, as he watched for Mina's reaction, cocking his head like a curious dog.

[Mina Straus]

As if things couldn’t get worse, the other passengers in the car departed. It was as if they could feel the tension and escaped to the platform as quickly as they could. She swore one guy clipped the opening doors as he fled. Mina watched them depart, knowing that soon it would only be them left. She bit at a fingernail, awaiting the inevitable.

Mina couldn’t not smile at her dismal luck, and when Max piped up, the only thing she could do was laugh. It was a reedy sound from someone knowing the punchline all too well. An ironic smile followed, welcoming his gesture of the empty carriage. Again, she was in on the joke and accepted the surreal situation with as much sullen grace as she could muster.

“Yeah. You can say that.” She agreed, sharing his tone, and put away her phone. The time for scrolling had passed. It was time to be an adult. Mina pulled herself from her seat by the closest grab bar and crossed the distance. She slid into seats in front of Max and nestled with her back against the window, her long legs stretched across the adjoining seat. Contrite, she looked Max in the eye and asked, “can we start again?”

[Max Kuryakin]

Mina took his joke well, even laughing with him. As he balled up his food wrapper, she pulled herself up from her seat and crossed the space between them. She picked the seat opposite him, the two facing each other properly now, starkly contrasting to before. She met his eyes as he tucked the balled-up grease paper into his pocket. Her question had a wry grin settling on his face, looking down as he let out a chuckle as she requested a fresh slate for the both of them.

“Yeah, we can start again,” he said softly, looking back up to meet her eyes again. His mouth had curled just a little, just shy of a smirk. “Come here often?” He said it with humour, clearly not expecting an answer to his picking a rote question to lift the mood some more.

[Mina Straus]

Mina smiled courteously as Max agreed to move past this awkwardness. There’d been a panicked moment when she imagined him slapping aside her olive branch, and things only promised to worsen. Now that they had a fresh start, Mina exhaled her relief. On the heels of that, his quick question turned her exhalation into a startled murmur of laughter.

She met his grin but floundered to come up with a witty response. Instead, she continued to laugh and eventually lost steam, settling into her reprieve. “Thanks,” she said, dipping into self-reproach, “I didn’t like how things were going there.”

[Max Kuryakin]

Her continued laughter in response to his line was just what he'd been looking for, his near-smirk smoothing into a broader grin. It went crooked as she spoke, Max hearing the self-reproach and wondering what had been on her mind when they'd had their admittedly super awkward initial run-in. It was even tempting to ask, but that seemed like a sabotage of the tentative detente they'd settled on.

“I can't win 'em all,” Max said instead, taking on some of the metaphorical blame, but he couldn't help teasing her as he did. “What kind of horror stories has Goki been spreading about me? My charm's usually bulletproof.” That wasn't entirely true, but who needed facts when he could make a joke out of it.

[Mina Straus]

“Uhhh…” Mina pondered, her voice rising in question along with her eyes, skating towards the carriage’s ceiling. They had talked little about Max, or anyone else for that matter, and Mina’s curiosity hadn’t strayed too far beyond the immediate. Goki hadn’t been cagey about it either, and so Mina felt little worry to pry. Maybe if she’d asked a few more pointed questions about his roommate, then they wouldn’t have been in this situation to begin with.

Mina shouldered aside the growing recrimination and grinned, looking back to him. “Not many horror stories. I know he’s better at Mario Kart than you.” She chuckled, still feeling her way through the conversation, and wanting to keep it light.

[Max Kuryakin]

Max let out an indelicate snort, immediately indignant about Goki smearing his good name in a game he, in reality, didn't care about, but the simple fact that Goki cheated at it got his back up about it. The annoying thing was that Max couldn't prove or define how the guy cheated, but he felt that tickle of magic way too many times during a game for it to be pure skill.

“That asshole cheats,” Max said decisively, the insult softened by his smile and a huffed laugh. He felt a little ridiculous, getting annoyed at Goki bragging about being better than him in a game.

[Mina Straus]

Mina laughed as well, kept afloat by Max’s smile and huff of indignant laughter. She nodded and decided not to read into him calling Goki an asshole. While the comment may have had roots, it fell into the realm of trash talk she’d heard Goki use before. “I lose all the time as well.” She meant it to be a balm, but after the fact, she wondered if her comparison would be misinterpreted. She wasn’t much of a gamer and winning against her was little to brag about. Losing didn’t worry her, but she didn’t know about Max. Some people took that kind of thing too seriously.

She looked around the clattering railcar, wanting to change the subject, and was reminded of where they were and what had happened last time Goki and Max took the train. Mina looked back to Max with a thoughtful expression and considered asking him about the River Lethe. The question didn’t come however, she was hesitant to bring it up if her knowing would come as a surprise. She was probably being overly cautious anyway, not willing to do anything that could jeopardize this fresh start.

Instead, she settled for something boring but ultimately safe. “So… not driving around an ambulance anymore?”

[Max Kuryakin]

When Mina said she lost all the time, Max gestured with his hands, a humorous 'see? he cheats' without reiterating his claim. He knew he wasn't a serious player, anyway, and he knew that probably factored into Goki's string of wins. The same magical trick didn't work as well when it was them and their fists, after all. That little thought he kept to himself, since he didn't know how much Mina knew about... well, anything, Goki or otherwise.

Mario Kart wasn't the most engaging of topics, and talking about Goki would only get them so far, considering Max's relationship with his roommate was defined by rough-housing and exchanging friendly insults, so when Mina changed the subject Max easily latched onto it.

“Yeah, no more ambulances,” Max confirmed, smiling crookedly. He'd moved on to better pay and an arguably better schedule, even if the swing shift could be brutal in its way. “It's been a year or so with the fire department, but I'm still counted as the rookie.”

[Mina Straus]

Mina frowned, thoughtful, and a little surprised to hear Max was still considered a rookie after a year. She thought him a little old for the term, but could see a change in occupation somehow resetting the clock. She’d been lucky, or unfortunate enough, to stay stuck in the service industry for most her career. There she had her chops and while the dressing changed, a restaurant was a restaurant. Such a shift made her uneasy, especially when considering her rider. The thought of tackling a new profession whilst entertaining the Furie’s unreasonable demands made Mina all the more exhausted.

She smiled, setting aside her fatiguing thoughts. “Do you like what you’re doing with the fire department more than being a paramedic?” To her limited experience, there seemed more than a bit of overlap between the two.

[Max Kuryakin]

Mina seemed to have a lot on her mind, even just talking about Max's career shift. He wondered what was running through her mind, but hadn't she been like this the last time, too? Kind of caught up in her head, even as she talked to someone, like there was always something weighing her down. If he'd known her better, Max might've asked, but they'd barely recovered from the awkward run-in from earlier.

She was smiling, so Max felt better about leaving whatever bothered her untouched. “A lot of is the same work,” he admitted, smiling crookedly back at her. He'd been an attractive hire because he was already halfway there. “But I'm liking it so far. I'm still just a probie until I finish my Fire Science degree, but it's some interesting stuff. I'm aiming to get into fire investigation as well, so there are a lot more opportunities compared to before.”

[Mina Straus]

Mina nodded along as Max explained, aiming for her best active listening face. Though, she started to fade with the fire science degree and where Max saw himself in five years. Fire investigation sounded serious, like criminally serious. He wanted to be one of those guys in the lettered wind breaker who could tell the detectives it wasn’t just an accident, it was arson. Mina smirked to herself, imagining the scene, but her smile soon slipped. Now she was wearing the wind breaker and telling the detectives it was arson, only she didn’t need the fire science degree to know that.

She shook her head and dismissed the idea outright, wearing a small smile as she did. A job like that skirted too close to her other half and Mina felt like she strayed into the overlapping section of a Venn diagram describing her life. No, it was best to stay far away from that kind of thing. Looking back to Max, Mina offered him an apologetic grin. “Better you than me. All that sounds a little too intense,” she breathed a laugh, knowing paramedic rang many of the same bells. “But I’m happy this is working out for you. More opportunities are good.”

[Max Kuryakin]

Max could spot when someone was listening to be polite, rather than actual interest. Mina had the look, although she seemed to be aware of it if that apologetic grin was any indication. He only smirked a little, cocking his head at her, but let it be. Instead, he thanked her and decided to move them into something else, since she didn't have a secret fascination in fire science.

“Thanks. I like intense, works out for me,” he shared, knowing that he'd not known anything else since his early twenties. Would he even manage a career that didn't have these bursts of adrenaline and haste? “How about you? You said you like what you do now better than before?”

[Mina Straus]

Her nose wrinkled as he turned the question on her. “Waitress. Worked this burger joint downtown.” She replied without ceremony, happy to be done with the 1950s pantomime and the smell of grease in her hair. Mina still remembered not feeling clean even after a shower. The Honey and Ivy was a leg up compared to that. She smiled, letting some of her tiredness show through.

[Third on the Match]

A Three-headed Hound

DC
3

Intent
Inquisitive

Keywords
Necromancy, Null, Earth, Fire, Shielding, Astral Manipulation

Cinder
7d6

Strike
10d6

Luck
4

As the conversation goes on, the door at the end of the empty car opens. The open sliding door roars with rushing wind, the sound of the train running down the tracks coming to them unmuffled. From the shadows, a creature steps inside, a huge mastiff-sized black dog with three heads. One looks at Max, the other stares unblinkingly at Mina, and the last sniffs at the ground. The door closes behind it, leaving them in relative quiet.

There's no menace in his stance. In fact, his tail is low and slowly wagging with ease. The three-headed dog is searching and although he keeps an eye on Mina with one head, he dips the other two to the floor to start sniffing around.

To those familiar with the mythology, it may be obvious why the great dog is here. He is a sheepdog of souls, and he is here to retrieve his wayward charges. This may also indicate to the perceptive that there is something nearby.

At the moment, the three-headed dog is inquisitive. He is hunting for something, carefully proceeding down the train car. Not friendly (he is working right now), but he is not hostile. He is supernaturally intelligent and will fully understand human speech, although he cannot speak himself, at least not in any language the two mortals will understand.

That said, Tisiphone may have a chance at engaging with the Hound. With a successful social roll, she may learn that he is on the hunt for a cadre of murderous brides.

This is a social encounter. Please tag @Admin in #mod-request when this phase of the encounter is complete. If either PC has two failed rolls, then the encounter will turn hostile.

[Max Kuryakin]

Cinder Exceptional success

Max couldn't help being a little amused at how her nose wrinkled in distaste, but he understood it. He kept the smile, knowing she wasn't looking for sympathy, but he understood the sentiment. He'd worked at a pizza place in Dorchester during uni, a real greasy spot.

“Yeah, I can guess why you're happy to leave it behind,” Max remarked, still amused, but ready to commiserate. “I had a stint working at a pizza joint once, it was like-” he stopped abruptly, turning his head as the door slid open and admitted the... three-headed dog? He flicked a look at Mina, checking her reaction, before he looked back at the new arrival.

Most would recognise what kind of myth that kind of dog came from, and Max was no exception. While what'd happened on the subway months before was usually always on his mind when he was riding the subway, it came to the front of his mind now. Was it... related? Waters that made people all loopy, Cerberus... although this Cerberus was cuter than he expected. For a werewolf, it wasn't hard to figure out what the dog was doing, sniffing around, tracking something.

“Good doggie. Looking for something, huh?” Max murmured under his breath, glancing down the other end of the subway car and almost expecting... something.

Cerberus Luck 3/4

[Mina Straus]

Mina Cinder Tongues: Partial Failure
Mina Cinder vs Encounter: Exceptional Success

Max stopped talking mid-sentence and Mina turned to frown at him, curious to see why he paused. She heard the interjoining door open, but hadn’t thought anything of it until she caught Max’s look. Turning as well, Mina inhaled sharply and braced herself against the seat when she met one of the heads staring right at her. Like an amphora full of wine jostled so some of the rich red vintage spilt over the lip, Mina shuddered as cold recollection splashed her in the face. For a bitter heartbeat, she was no longer sitting on a train, but in the cavernous depths of the Underworld.

Imposing black gates barred the way deeper and she and Cerberus watched the pass. Though it wasn’t really Mina and it wasn’t really her memory, it felt as gauzy as any other. Recognition glittered in those black and soulful eyes and Mina knew the hound recognized her. Or more likely, saw the Furie through her pale disguise. Mina swallowed, anxious for what may happen next, and then Max spoke to the three-headed dog.

She snapped her head back to stare at him, then returned her uneasy gaze to the hound. “You can see him too.” She mumbled through clenched teeth, trying to be quiet, and incredulous to hear Max call Cerberus, the hound of Hades, a good doggie. What struck her a moment later was that Max was right; her trusty guard dog was hunting.

“Or someone.” Mina breathed aloud, putting the pieces together and completing Max’s thought. On any other day she could have just asked, but the words weren’t coming. The splattering of wine from the amphora had dried and left only a stain in her mind. Mina could read the outline and form the shape of it, but nothing more. Not knowing what else to say and grinning dumbly, she followed suit. “Find!” She encouraged with an inflection more fitting of a toy dog searching for treats.

The canine head that transfixed her snuffled a low bark, sonorous in the tight confines of the train car. And with that, Cerberus padded down the aisle, following the scent. Mina watched it pass and then turned to Max. “We need to get out of here.” She blurted, not thinking to how they would depart a moving train.

Cerberus Luck 2/4

[Max Kuryakin]

Cinder Exceptional success

Mina's words had Max's eyes swinging away from the empty end of the subway car to fix on her, eyebrows raised. Did she think it was a hallucination because she thought it couldn't be real? But she didn't say it like she was too shocked, so Max wondered... what? He didn't have much time to think it over as she added her two cents. A someone rather than something, which was pretty unsettling. What kind of person would the guard dog of the underworld go after?

She encouraged the search, her bright inflection at odds with the unease coiling in Max's stomach, but it wasn't as if there was anything else they could do. He'd done a little reading after his little memory lapse, and he supposed his earlier run-in with the hydra had helped him along. It left him endlessly relieved they'd gotten out of the mess, but now he really was dreading what the underworld dog was tracking if it brought him past them.

His eyes shifted from Mina to the three-headed dog, the heads looking around, but always with one hung low, nose to the ground. It padded past them, and Max's eyes followed, even as Mina spoke, echoing his thoughts. The problem was he didn't think they could. Max thought he could probably survive tossing himself off a moving subway car if he was desperate enough, but it'd hurt and he'd probably have to huddle down while he mended more than a few broken bones, helpless to whatever was down here. Mina? She didn't smell like a shifter, and he'd yet to see anything else stand up to the kind of injuries throwing themselves off promised.

“I think we missed our stop, if we wanted to avoid this,” Max murmured, remembering how the train car had stopped and remained in that half-drowned place until they'd turned it back themselves. A part of him didn't want to bail out, either. What if there were other people on this wacky ride?

Making his choice, Max hoisted himself up from his seat, glancing at Mina but moving to follow the three-headed dog. “Whatever you're looking for is probably bad news, isn't it, bud?” the werewolf murmured, phrased like a question, but falling short of being that uncertain about it. Max was more or less committing himself to helping the little dude out, whatever happened. He glanced back at Mina, quirking an eyebrow, a silent question.

Cerberus Luck 1/4

[Mina Straus]

Mina Cinder vs Encounter: Exceptional Success

Mina made a withering sound that bordered on a whine as Max dashed her idea of escape. What he didn't comprehend, couldn't grasp perhaps, was that fleeing was in his best interest. One did not simply meddle in the Underworld and come out unscathed. History—or myth—wherever you fell the subject, rang out with such consequences. Surely, they were better off throwing themselves to the tracks than follow the hound.

Even now, that didn’t sound like such a bad idea. If only she trusted Tisiphone to ease their passage and soften the landing, maybe then she would have said differently. But her lip curled in silent reproach; who was she kidding? Her passenger would ride shotgun as she cracked her skull on a tie or fell on the third rail. Then none of this would matter anymore.

Were she alone, the thought may have solidified into something actionable, but she couldn’t leave Max to the wolves. Being at his side increased his odds of getting through this in one piece. Hesitant, she met his raised eyebrow and silent question with a resigned sigh. Mina pushed herself to her feet and brought up the rear, giving Cerberus room to work. A seeking head kept her in the peripheral.

“This is a bad idea.” Mina cautioned.

Cerberus Luck 0/4

[Third on the Match]

A Cadre of Murderous Brides

DC
4 3

Intent
Murderous

Keywords
Water, Healing (Corrupted), Animal Handling, Empathy, Sound/Song

Cinder
8d6

Strike
8d6 7d6

Luck
4

On the heels of Mina's caution, the three-headed hound gruffs out a low, warning bark. All three pairs of eyes shift focus, snapping to the darkened windows of the car. Something scuttles across the window pane and disappears. Over the rattling of the train, there's the sound of melodious, but wicked laughter. Then, the lights begin to flicker and it grows cold, as cold as the grave.

The Danaïdes are not subtle. In the flickering florescent lights, a long knife blade slowly slips through the worn rubber seal on the side door. There is a figure, barely visible, on the other side. She gives the knife a twist and cranks the door open, replacing the knife with clammy fingers, the skin whorled and puckered with damp.

The creature lurches inside the car, a mad grin on her face. She bears a fired clay jar with so many holes in the belly that it is really more of a sieve, and a dagger. Four of her sisters follow her inside, equally as sodden, equally as mad.

The three-headed hound wastes no time. He lunges to attack the wayward spirits, quickly occupying three of them. They move to repel the Underworld's guardian with bludgeoning blows from their jars, their bloodied knives, and fell magic. With a naiad bloodline, their waters used to bring healing, but now one can spot old wounds opening on the hound's dark hide. The other two whirl on Max and Mina and their intent to kill is clear.

Thanks to the Cerberus' assistance, three of the five brides are occupied and their battle quickly moves to the other end of the car. The last two will engage Mina and Max and will fight to the death. They are insane, but not without their wits, and will prefer to use magic before their weaponry.

If the group is defeated, the Cerberus will gratefully retrieve these wayward souls and depart.

[Max Kuryakin]

Cinder Attunement Complete success
Encounter Cinder (Sound/Song) 5 passes vs. DC4, hit
Strike (Partial shift) 7 passes vs. DC3, hit

Max agreed with Mina's assessment of the whole situation. It was a bad idea, but he didn't think they had much of a choice. Was there any getting away on a moving subway car? The only comfort, however cold, was Mina's pre-existing knowledge of the supernatural. She wouldn't be shocked by whatever they might run into, although he didn't relish the risk of his own control slipping if it got hairy. He hadn't been forced to test how anyone who didn't already know about his lycanthropy reacted to a sudden shift. That was a layer of worry over the whole ordeal, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

There wasn't any time to check in with her about what might be waiting for them or his own issues. He'd have to hope she could handle it, or wouldn't lose her head at least. She'd run into some trouble, if a three headed dog hunting something didn't send her into a fright. The next few moments reminded Max of why he hated ghosts. They had a habit of suddenly appearing, flickering into existence like a bad signal, fading in an out for a few moments before they seemed to root onto the physical plane. Too sudden and too close for comfort. He'd picked them up just as the three headed dog did. The part of his brain that was all animal instinct bristled at being snuck up on, but human sense knew it could hardly be helped.

As things escalated quickly, Max felt unease roiling in his belly, listening to the sounds of the spirits. Scuttling and cackling, and generally being far too creepy for someone just trying to catch the T home. Even the lights were flickering, and Max felt a growl rumbling in his chest at the threat outside the subway car, still low and barely noticeable to those around him, but he could feel the subvocal vibration of it promising to tip over. As the creatures levered open the door, the three headed dog engaged first, delaying three of the ghoulish women, but two slipped past the hound of the underworld.

One burst forth right at Max, the clay jar and dagger being brandished in a way that promised a solid attempt at gutting him, shrieking as she came at him. The sound made him flinch back, pain bursting in his ears and blood starting to dribble, a bone deep ache settling over his limbs even as he brought his hands up to fend off the blade coming for his gut. The growing claws caught her wrist, digging in as he forced the blade away from him and curled his other hand into a fist, hiding the claws as best he could.

Max Luck 4/5
Encounter Luck 3/4

[Mina Straus]

Mina Cinder Complete Success
Encounter Strike 2 passes vs. DC3, Miss
Mina Strike 1 pass vs. DC3, Miss

Eyes wide, frantic and bloodshot, fixed on the cadre of sister brides forcing their way into the carriage. Cerberus lunged, fast as a thunder clap, savaging one of the interlopers. Two more of the daughters of Danaus became embroiled with the hound of Hades. The front of the train devolved into a frenzy of snarling maws and slick knives.

Mina gasped as a spike of adrenaline burnt away her sleepless night. Her stomach flopped and twisted in her gut. It left her queasy and her hands shook. One of the Danaides shot for Max, another weaved through the car’s aisle and made for her. She keened an anxious note and retreated to put distance between herself and the bride. Her heart beat a vicious tattoo against her ribs as the Danaide approached, bloodied steel in hand. It didn’t take an active imagination to see that slender dagger slipping the space between her ribs to find her heart.

For once, host and hitchhiker read from the same page. Black gates opened to her and truths, thought as myth and legend, rushed unabated into Mina’s mind. Such sudden knowing was a shock in and of itself. She shuddered as two worlds churned like fresh and salt water. A whimper went out and she backed away further, hands outstretched to ward off the murderous phantasm that played the knife in teasing slashes.

The rest of the carriage was a violent haze, something she could only register as dangerous. It blurred in bleary eyes to where action and reaction were but two sides of flipped coin, each face glinting in the carriage’s failing light until only one image could be seen.

Mina fumbled into a seat, climbing atop it. She put a pole between her and her attacker, and the next teasing slash meant to open her face careened off the metal, nicking the surface. Mina flinched all the same and stumbled over the seatback. A mess of gangly arms and legs flailed on the bench seating as she scrambled away.

The tote slid from her shoulder in the rush, reminding her it was there. Now Mina recalled why she brought it onto the subway to begin with. Vindictive glee warred with nervous hands as she withdrew a 26 oz canister of Morton table salt. Mina cried out and reared back, she threw the whole thing at the bride. Her aim was poor. Mina’s expression fell as the container sailed past the Danaide to smash against the wall opposite in a fountain of salt.

Max Luck 4/5
Mina Luck 4/4
Encounter Luck 3/4

[Max Kuryakin]

Strike (Detect magic) Exceptional success
Encounter Cinder (Empathy) 6 passes vs. DC4, hit
Cinder Attunement Complete success
Strike (Brawl) 10 passes vs. DC3, critical hit

Senses set on high alert in the fraught situation they were in, Max heard the keen from Mina, but didn't have any opportunity to try and help her as he held off the dagger of the shrilly shrieking shrew currently trying to gut him. There was a shiver of magic in the space of the subway carriage, almost pulling Max's attention away from wrestling the dagger away from the hag he was scuffling with, but no sound of pain came from Mina.

He didn't have any time to check, either with a glance or by sharpening his senses, as the creature lashed out with the hand he wasn't crushing in his clawed, enhanced grip. Sharp nails dragged across his face and he could feel blood welling along the scrapes even as they healed as soon as they'd been made. The whisper of magic from the strike told him that the intent hadn't been to draw blood, as a crushing fear descended on his mind. Max was used to fear, that clench in his gut before running straight into trouble. He had enough courage to push past it, but this was magically induced fear, overriding human logic and, unintentionally, tapping into that animal part of him he always contended with.

The fear turned wild, animalistic, bouncing out of the bounds of mere human fear into fierce animal fear that guaranteed he'd lash out. Gritting his teeth, feeling the ache that he hadn't figured out was a parasympathetic response to the threat of a shift or his body priming itself for a shift, Max felt another snarl building, but this time it tore loose, loud and dangerous, a fearful animal going on the defence. Or offence, in Max's case, as he'd always lashed out when afraid.

Max felt like he was relying on sheer force of will to keep his head through the rushing fear and urge to tear everything around him apart. It was the only thing keeping his body from tearing itself apart and the werewolf bursting out. It managed to spur him to action, though, finally wrenching the dagger out of her grip, the ugly thing clattering onto the floor of the subway car. Max swung his clawed hand back to lash out with a viciousness that embedded his clawed hand in what passed for the spectre's gut, but it tore all the same despite the lack of blood.

There was no blood, no physical sensation, only the uncomfortable feeling of a spirit firm enough to touch and damage, and hurt, as the shriek confirmed as he clenched his clawed hand and tore at what passed as the spectres physical shape. It shrieked again, rattling his teeth in his skull and making his ears ring, trying to swing at him with the strange clay jar, but the spectre seemed to lose her presence on their plane of existence as Max tore at the strings of her spectral body keeping her there.

Max Luck 3/5
Encounter Luck 1/4

[Mina Straus]

Encounter Cinder (Water): 8 passes vs. DC3, Hit
Mina Cinder (Illusion): 4 pass vs. DC3, Hit

The murderous bride launched over the seats, dagger searching for Mina as she made her graceless escape, tumbling away, bruising herself. There wasn’t time to focus on the pain that jarred her shins and elbows, only to get away. She crumpled to the floor. All while Mina avoided the Danaide’s blade, she pleaded for the parasitic thing latched to her soul to help. She could feel it watching, like the press of a migraine behind the eyes.

Danaus’ daughter paused her advance and hefted the clay-fired sieve jar to one shoulder. Knife hand propped to support the weight; she made to pour. No water came. Instead, Mina sputtered, unable to breathe.

Shocked, her eyes widened to meet the bride’s hateful glare. She croaked for air, but a spill of water came from her lips instead. Panic rising, Mina slapped at her mouth and throat to clear whatever blockage existed, but there was nothing to do. She heaved and coughed more water onto the carriage floor. The Danaide stooped astride Mina’s body and upended the jar to drown her in the cold waters of the Underworld.

Doubled over now, Mina tensed and spasmed to expel more liquid from her lungs. Beneath it all, she heard the canine snarl, loud and dangerous, only she knew it hadn’t been Cerberus; the three-headed hound was well known to her, and that was not their bark. Yet there was no other explanation she could fathom. Her eyes watered to blur her vision; either that or she was blacking out.

It was then a horned serpent cut a winding path through the water pooling upon the carriage floor. The viper hissed at the Danaide’s foot, and for the briefest of moments that was the loudest sound Mina heard. It echoed with a familiar and vengeful intent. Then the viper struck, fangs digging deep in the spirit’s ankle.

The Danaide shrieked, dropping the clay sieve to smash on the floor in a spray of painted terracotta. She jerked back her leg, clutching at the wound, and black venom traceries pulsed beneath the clammy skin. The viper vanished in the flurry. Furious and terrified, she caught Max’s eye, bared her teeth, and then lost hold of whatever held her to this plane.

Mina retched.

Max Luck 3/5
Mina Luck 3/4
Encounter Luck 0/4

[Third on the Match]

A Flooding Train Car

DC
2

Intent
Inevitable

Keywords
Water, Illusion

Cinder
0d6

Strike
7d6

Luck
4

While Mina and Max hold their own against the vicious brides, Cerberus is making gruesome work of his trio. One after the other, shrieking as they are defeated. The last is shaken like a rat one of the great dog's mouths, while he keeps a huge paw braced the other two, piled up like indignant sacks of potatoes.

Between Max and Mina refusing to be victims and the sight of the hound's triumph, the last two fall back, their aggression giving way to panic. The two women clasp hands and together, draw upon their fell magic in one last ditch effort to escape. Somehow, the temperature drops again, while the sieve-like pots begin gushing water, filling the car at a prodigious rate.

Cerberus will have none of that, though. Darting forward, his huge mouth closes around one and tears her away from her sister. The other shrieks, and then he tosses her across the cabin. With the quintet of evil spirits firmly defeated, the great hound gathers them up, laying the limp forms across his shoulders.

All the while, the train car is still filling with water. It reaches their ankles while the hound of the underworld sloshes around. Ironic, when the Danaïdes can't fill a bathtub to cleanse their own sins.

His head low with injury and exhaustion, the Cerberus glances around at the rising waters, before glancing over at Max and Mina. A low whine issues from his mouth, and he gives them an apologetic, hang-dog look before a shadow flits across the train car and he's gone with his quarry.

They are left with the apparent mess. As the train slides into the empty platform and the doors open, they hear the evil cackling as the freezing water starts to gush from the car and fill the platform. It's a true deluge now, spilling across the platform and down onto the tracks. The third rail starts to spark and the lights flicker.

There is nothing to do but run, escape the train station before it floods with them inside.

PC luck does not reset. This is an evasive encounter. It can only be countered with Cinder and when it is down to half Luck, Max and Mina may realize that it is an illusion. However, it is a very powerful illusion and electric or aquatic hazards and other such imagined dangers may still cause damage. They will not, however, become trapped and nobody else can see it, seeming to wade to certain doom.

When either the encounter or the PCs are defeated, please tag @admin in the #mod-request channel.