Pleasantdale RPG

[People have been keeping busy - and don't forget, even while the GM is out at painting classes, we're still here and playing at the same date every week, and sometimes more if folk are available.]

Supply and Demand - People discuss what they truly need versus what they want as things begin to get worse. At Chow's shop.

Civil Charity - Janie's employer holds a charity ball to help support the Civil Defense Organization. Warning: Contains skits.

Too Many Secrets - People meet up at Vito's to share pie and drinks... and eventually to talk about dark secrets perhaps best left unsaid.

Where: Pleasantdale Players
When: Three days after the Founder's Day incident
Who: Katie, OT Quentin, Joseph

Katherine was reasonably hopeful that she'd be able to catch 'Captain Mystery' at the theater in his off hours. While most blushing schoolgirls had need of 'Captain Mystery' for reasons of the flesh, her interest in finding him, or that nice man Joseph she'd met at Founder's Day, was much less carnal and much more pragmatic. She needed someone who could identify a clever ruse or act from a display of honesty, and if anyone would know about putting on masks and hiding your true intentions, it would have to be an actor.

She and Chester were still angry at each other, and as such she came alone; considering what he'd said and done after she brought up the idea of investigating the hospital, she wasn't interested in being on the receiving end of his anger if she presented another idea in front of him that upstaged his need to feel clever. Besides, it was nice to dress up and feel pretty and not think about how bad things were right now.

Now, where to find them...

Who: Katie, calling students and prospective chaperones for a field trip (including Nica and Vito, Janie and Lynn, Georgio, Rex, Maxine, Chow, Meredith, Gloria, and anyone else who comes up)
When: Two days after Founder's Day
Where: Katie's Home, eventually Chow's store and Pleasantdale Valley Hospital

Katherine was in a foul mood, truth be told, as she carefully applied her makeup in the mirror. It had been one of their worse arguments to date, possibly the worst ever, and with all that was going on at the moment, just giving in and letting Chester have his way - with his opinions and with her - hadn't been on the table this time around. For once, neither of them had gotten a pleasant night's sleep.

Chester had stormed out to go busy himself with 'important civil defense matters' - which Katie presumed translated to 'wandering around with a pistol in his pocket feeling like a big strong man and berating others about their lack of preparedness' - while she was left to 'clean up the mess she caused'. Appearances were important, after all. He'd brought one of his display suitcases with him - perhaps he also planned on making a few sales while he was out.

She already had a plan of attack in mind for the day - mind you, one she'd mostly conceived on the spur of the moment as an impulse, but she'd had time to think about things while walking Elena home, and the wheels were turning in her head even as she masked her unhappiness under concealer and lipstick. There were people injured during the attack at Founder's Hall, and with all the evidence her friends had gathered and what they more or less assumed from what they'd seen, whatever had diseased those townspeople who were doing the biting was likely to spread to the bitten. If they were still being treated, then perhaps her more scientifically inclined friends could learn more, and at least everyone in their little shelter group would be 'in the know' as to what was transpiring.

The group had sounded eager enough to go along with her idea regarding how to get a decent-sized group of people into a usually well-contained area -- organize students to work on a report for their classes about the harm caused by the attack at Founder's Hall. Her bridge club could be in charge of submitting the report, or at least aspects of it, to the local newspapers; those they trusted could be brought along as 'chaperones' to excuse the presence of people who don't normally belong in a hospital. All that was left was to round up students and their 'chaperones' and to organize a little field trip. If only Chester had thought of the whole idea as anything more than a pretty little mouth wasted on talk.

She studied her composure in the mirror, and smiled. Nothing to be seen here, move along. Just an American housewife keeping people out of trouble. She practiced until the sides of her lips matched up evenly, until they looked genuine. Then she put away the makeup, gave the mirror another practiced smile, and headed for the phone to start making calls. First, round up students and chaperones. Second, visit the hospital and start digging for information.

Who: PCs surviving the Founder's Field Massacre
When: After the Founder's Day celebration came to an abrupt end
Where: Founder's Hall

"... where -is- the mayor?" Chester inquired, looking around with a slight air of concern. Between what had just happened and what Mr. Marchese had just told him and the realization that their town's state of civil defense readiness was definitely not equipped to handle this, Chester felt that something had to be done, and although it pained him to admit it, perhaps Katie had been right about wanting to start preparations. Now there were neighbors with trunks full of shotguns and Communists charging out of the woodwork and stories of government cleanups and Soviet shootings, and apparently more than one person was willing to vouch for what had originally sounded like a crazy excuse to take a holiday.

Well, sir, Chester Wilson wasn't about to stand for it. He spotted the Mayor through one of Founder Hall's windows, and strode for the building. If the neighborhood was going to hell and the Communists were on the doorstep, by God, he was going to do something.

He just wasn't entirely sure what, really.

For now, though, that something was 'speak to the Mayor.'

"Mayor Tuttleford! Mayor Tuttleford -- we've cleared out those damn Commie freaks," he called as he headed in. "What are we going to do to protect the town?"