Chapter One: Under Pressure

Chris: You barely manage to keep your cool and fight the urge to get your fix. (you made it by 1. wow.) You are too distracted what you saw and by the issue with LIsa on top of this to pick up on what Momma was trying to convey to you. You head directly to your office and collapse into your chair. You know your stash is near by, but you ignore the urge simmering under your skin. The events that happened with the strange man at table 13 play over and over in your mind. You can't shake the image of his eyes staring into you. Suddenly you realize that almost an hour has past and you've just been sitting there. Lisa hasn't come up at all.

Momma: Lacy warms up to you as you spend some time together. She still doesn't say much, but she does respond and interact with you. You feel certain that you've won her over and conveyed that you are there to take care of her. As the evening progresses, you manage to weasel a few details out of Lacy. She comes from somewhere in Oklahoma. She has a background in dance, but not as a stripper. She's never been involved in the skin industry in any way. She actually starts to sway with the music a bit as you talk. You can tell she's got the moves necessary to do the job. Presently, she's wearing jeans and a sweat shirt, but you can see a few necessary curves hidden underneath. She seems to absorb all the advice you give her, nodding along with you as you talk. She definitely pales when you talk frankly about the nastier aspects of the job. You notice that when you mention Renaldo, she looks puzzled, as if she's never heard the name before. Eventually, Lacy starts to ask you a few questions about the facts of the job, the "how to" of stripping. It's obvious to you that she's asking from a practical standpoint. She's clearly uncomfortable by this lifestyle, but she looks to be preparing herself to jump in. You point out a few good moves from the girls that you're watching on the floor. The one thing you pick up on as you talk and demonstrate is Lacy muttering under her breath about being "chosen".

Chris: The floor is looking good. It's almost 9 PM and things are starting to pick up. People are roaming the looking for entertainment and the Howlin' Hussy welcomes all. The bar is packed and the servers are running ragged carrying trays full of drinks and snacks. The main stage is in full swing. The regulars who always sit around the stage are relaxed and enjoying themselves, waiting for their favorite girls to perform. The newer guys are on their feet, howling and drooling and waving their money in the air, trying to get attention. You see girls giving lap dances at some of the smaller tables and a few of them working together on a group of business men at the back booths. Your bouncers are keeping an eye on things, so nothing should get out of hand. In the hall outside your office, you hear girls walking back and forth, chattering away as usual about the happenings in the club. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. When you exit your office and walk towards Momma's, you happen to run into Carla. She's been a waitress for a few years and is slowly transitioning to a dancer. In fact, she has just come from doing a number on stage and is flush with sweat and excitement. She's wearing a loosely tied silk robe. She has scraps of leather and lace clutched in one hand, and a stack of bills in the other. You ask her about Lisa. "Oh, Lis' left about half an hour ago. Said she was feeling the flu coming on. She mostly looked upset, though. You two having a fight again?"

Momma: Brenda takes Lacy down to the dressing rooms and gets to work. When Vinnie answers the phone, he sounds annoyed, like you're interrupting him. He snaps at you with a completely different tone from when he called you a few hours ago. "Is there a problem with Lacy? I trust that your extensive experience can manage anything that develops. I need Lacy on stage now. She dances before midnight.

Roll Perception.

"I'm really sorry to bother you, Vinnie. Lacy will be on by midnight and she'll be a star. You always want to know if your dancers are on the drugs. Lacy kept ranting on about the being the “Chosen One” and I didn’t know if I should be concerned. "


Ok, look, I'm sorry.  The truth is there was this weird guy in here and he really freaked me out.  Lisa went home sick, Brenda is on the rag and can't dance, and they are playing that damn song, "Let's get Physical" for the hundredth time.  We'll be fine."

Momma solemnly hangs up the phone and lights a Salem Spirit to sooth her nerves. Vinnie would never fire her; he’d be lost without Momma D. Still, that was the least of her worries. Think, Momma, think.

Momma opens her desk and takes out two pieces of paper, an envelope and pen. Momma holds her cigarette in her mouth and starts to pen a sign on the first sheet of paper. In large scrawling letters that take up the entire sheet, Momma pens, ‘Do NOT in any manner disturb until 10pm. – Momma D.’ That gives her more than enough time to think. The girls respect her enough to listen; now Shaw, he may not listen so well. Momma writes Shaw a note of his own on the second piece of paper. ‘Christopher, it is of the utmost importance that you do not disturb me until 10pm. I’ve seen the man at table 13. I need time to place him and to process the strange events of the evening. We need to talk before Lacy goes on. There is evil in the air tonight, I am sure you feel it too. –D.’

Momma looks over the note and nods her head approvingly. She seals the note in the envelope and writes SHAW in capital letters on it. Momma finishes her cigarette before retrieving her roll of tape from her desk. Momma hangs her ‘do not disturb’ sign to the outside of her door and tapes the sealed note to Shaw next to it. She looks at the door; there is no missing the sign or the note. Momma closes the door and locks it behind her. She pulls down the blind over her door and the one way mirror, and then dims the lights. She walks over to her desk and takes a drink of her wine while unplugging the phone receiver. This is it Momma. She sits in her chair and closes her eyes. Momma’s breathing begins to slow as she starts to mediate on all she’s seen tonight.

Momma: You calm yourself, pushing away all the stress and worry of the evening. In the past, you have been able to focus your mental powers and gain insight on specific problems and situations. You don't really know how or why this works, but it does. You think about the Hussy, Lacy, and the strange things you saw earlier. After what feels like half an hour, you open your eyes. You are still in your office. It seems like nothing has happened and your meditation has failed. You stand and walk to the door. As soon as you open it, though, you are suddenly no longer in the club...or anywhere on earth. You are standing on a roadway made of glowing dust. It is not solid, you can see through it, but you are standing on something solid. You are surrounded by blackness that is pinpointed by millions of stars. The road stretches out through the stars and stops at a doorway. The door is standing open, but you cannot see through it or what exists beyond it. You suddenly get the feeling that a presence is near you, like someone is standing too close to you. You turn and look, but there is no one there. The feeling does not go away. You see swirling mists of green, yellow, and red moving through the stars. You hear a very familiar voice "the door stands open and anyone can move through it from either direction. And many are attempting to do so." You snap your eyes open and are back in your office. You're panting and breathing heavily. Your heart is pounding in your chest. You feel light-headed and nauseous.

ROLL SANITY

Chris: You look at table 6 but you cannot make out anything specific happening. You get distracted by looking at the happenings at the next table. And then the next table. And then the next table. The chaos of the club overwhelms you. The music floods your ears, the lights practically blind you. You are battered by bodies moving past you. You are dazed and disoriented. You try to look for Momma and Lacy. But as you look through the rest of the club, everything you see makes no sense. Your vision is full of colliding images that don't have any form and that you cannot comprehend. You feel lost. But your eyes lock on the employees only door and you start to push your way through the shapeless crowd. You are locked on this door and you feel like it's your only way out of the chaos. A few of the shapeless masses approach you and you hear voices speak to you, but it's like you're underwater. You cannot comprehend anything. You finally reach the door and you know what you need to do.

Make a Will save.

Momma: You take 2 points of sanity damage. You're not sure about the voice, but it might be the same as the strange man from earlier in the club.