eleventh slay ❊ ⊰ joint video/text ⊱ ❊ can't even shout, can't even cry

[stakes]

[ The feed opens up as video, to begin with. Of course, neither Buffy nor Giles can actually speak. The whole city is affected by this. But, luckily for the city, this is something these two Sunnydale natives have seen, dealt with, and destroyed before. Buffy already has an incredibly impatient and exasperated sort of worry written all over her face, lines therefrom aging her far beyond what her actual age is.

Giles is focused, all business-- he’s fumbling with a pen and paper, frowning, eyes away from the camera. When he looks up, he’s scrawled a message with a poorly-drawn monster very seriously drawn in beside it.

THESE MONSTERS ARE CALLED THE GENTLEMEN

Buffy’s shoulders rise and fall similar to a sigh, and she taps Giles on the shoulder before yoinking the pen away from him and scribbling something else.

AND THEY WANT TO MAKE YOU VERY, VERY DEAD

She’s not sorry for interrupting though she expects she’ll be scolded for it later.

Giles just watches as she writes, impatient behind the glasses, and takes up his paper again: THEY NEED SEVEN HEARTS -- complete with little Valentine’s-cute hearts jotted below the words, to make it really clear.

THEY COME AT NIGHT -- Giles taps these words for emphasis, raising his eyebrows at the camera like he’s trying to hold someone’s attention. This is a warning: nightfall isn’t safe. If his words didn’t make it obvious enough, the emphatic gestures Buffy makes in the background, like pretending to knock on a door, then opening it, then making an ‘x’ over her chest followed by what appears to be the ripping out of her own heart, ought to help.

Giles taps his throat, now, as he holds up the next line: A HUMAN SCREAM CAN KILL THEM Buffy snatches the paper away and scribbles ONLY in front of "a human scream".


THEY STEAL VOICES -- Giles is drawing again, another wonky Gentleman-doodle with a small cube in its hands -- AND LOCK THEM IN A BOX

Buffy, again, impatiently takes the paper and scritches a doodle of a wooden box that looks like what an older music box casing might look like. Or a jewelry box. It’s small, rectangular, and simple. Something not indicative of evil.

FIND IT AND DESTROY IT

Buffy makes a fist and smashes it into the flat of her other palm. Then she takes the paper and pen again and scrawls one last message.]

DO NOT ANSWER THE DOOR FOR ANYONE
DO NOT GO OUT AFTER DARK
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FIGHT THEM
ONLY LOOK FOR THE BOX IN THE DAYTIME
AND STAY ALIVE.

[ Then the feed ends. ]

Comments

[text]

[yourhatred]

The information is appreciated.

They would not keep these boxes with them?

[text]

[stakes]

no. last time it was just one box in a building's tower attic. there's no telling where this time.

text;

[tigers]

Well, that ain't very gentlemanly behaviour at all, now is it?

text;

[stakes]

your observation skills are spectacular.

[Text]

[bonnypiperlad]

why cant we fight them? have you tried it before, then?

[Text]

[stakes]

too many at once. these monsters are from my world. fighting them doesn't do anything. the only way they can die is from a human scream.

Text

[fredless]

[Fred chews on the inner corners of her mouth as the information comes across, bit by bit. There's more than just a factual air here, more than just pages from one of Wesley's books]

This happened to you before?

Text

[stakes]

in the place i'm from. no idea it could be brought here. especially since i've already killed them.

[text]

[unnaturallygreen]

Thank you. You've dealt with them before, I take it.

[text] crying elphie yes

[stakes]

bingo

text;

[discrepant]

[Welp. It was interesting to take into account over the thought of demons only appearing on night is exactly the same way his own demons do their hunting back in his world. He could not help realize that his theory over demons attacking and killing was now confirmed.]

Thank you very much for the warning and information. I will do my utmost to help as best as I am able to.

Do you and your acquaintance have any plans on searching for these boxes? Is there truly no other way to harm the Gentleman other than destroying the box? How many of them are there currently? [Why, yes, he will ask all the questions. He has a few more after the first patch are answered.]

video/text;

[watchher]

[ Giles isn't sure about acquaintance, but questions, he can handle. He actually abandons the keyboard for this, flicking the video back on. He writes much faster than he types. ]

We should devise a plan to to cover ground quickly. There were seven when we encountered them previously, hunting as a group. They can be defeated only by a live human voice, no other method.

text;

[torchwoodteaboy]

And if one were to run into one of these Gentlemen, then...?

text;

[watchher]

I would recommend getting away very quickly.

text;

[likethetragedy]

Annoying. [Her first instinct is go out in the night and slaughter them. Elektra is not about to be the idiot who gets killed because she can't follow simple instructions.]

Thanks for the information. I'll look.

text;

[stakes]

just don't get yourself killed.

text; private;

[swedge]

so we destroy the box and they'll disappear?

[ guess who is getting mega restless, buffy, and doesn't live being told to stay inside. :| for her own good or no. ]

text; private;

[stakes]

smash the box and scream. it blows their heads up.

Perma-Text;

[faceofbeau]

Interesting way of doing things. Doesn't seem like it'd be a very effective way of going about it, though. Do you know what they need these seven hearts for? Very specific number, that.

Perma-Text;

[stakes]

there are seven of them. one for each. not really sure what they use them for. never really felt too keen on finding out.

[Video and Text]

[morethanadream]

[Okay, guys, that artist's rendition is bad. And while it's nice that he's no longer the only one who doesn't talk, the silence that's overtaken the city is deeply unsettling.

Sandy waves at the camera so that he can grab attention, then flips open his sketchpad. Due to the dire nature of the situation, he's willing to use text.]

Describe them to me with as much detail as you can. I will draw one and you can add that to your warning.

[After all, people will likely go outside at night regardless. They need to know what to run away from.]

[Text]

[stakes]

don't really have time to go into massive detail when we need to find and destroy the box. creepily pale with even creepier wide smiles. in suits. float. weird straight jacket wearing minions.

[muto]

How do we scream without voices?

And how does the box look like?

[stakes]

[ Buffy gestures emphatically to her drawing of the box. Which is literally just a square. Because she's bad at drawing. She heaves an exasperated sigh. ]

smash the box and you get your voice back. scream. rinse and repeat if necessary.

box is small, brown. sometimes with glass. looks like a music box or a jewellery box more or less

text;

[sopeculiar]

What happens if they get the seven hearts they're after?

text;

[watchher]

We don't know. They were stopped before it reached that point, last time.

[Text]

[pmsgargoyle]

What will they do with the hearts? And what will happen when they have seven?

Will they kill those who are not human, as well?

[text]

[watchher]

I've no idea. To my knowledge, the aftermath has never been observed. One can imagine it to be unpleasant.

I'm not certain. There are beings present here which weren't, at home.

[Text]

[foodshortage]

I take it they're from your world.

[ It's like those shadows again. ]

[Text]

[stakes]

peachy isn't it

[allbloodyhail]

Well, what are we waiting for? Let's load up the bat mobile and do this.

[stakes]

i need to do crowd control more than anything this time around

[Text]

[2cool4guardian]

on it
anything can destroy the boxes?
not magical defenses?

[Text]

[stakes]

i recommend something hammer-like

Text cause duh

[alternia_strength]

D --> You are certain a human scream is required for destruction
D --> A shameful means of destroying such a creature

lolol

[stakes]

well we haven't really tried any other creature's screams so we're assuming it's human. i think just a scream will do. they can't deal with voices.

they're monsters, who cares how we destroy them?

text.

[flightofdeath]

[Seven is the most magically powerful number, something he recognizes off of the bat, and here were monsters brought from another world and planted right into this one... How was it that they were allowed to exist within this reality just as they are, with the abilities that they have, while the travelers were not? Voldemort will be having words with the next god he sees, as this new information gives rise to his anger at the injustice of being made to play victim to "fairy tale" monsters.]

I will search Baldr's district.

text. cr that i have always needed!!!!!

[stakes]

just be sure to arm yourself.

text

[airborn]

[She doesn't like using the text function at all, hence the scowl that greets the Buffy crew when they see her message.]

Where do they hide the boxes? Why are they called the gentlemen they're not very nice.

[Circling the "why" for emphasis.]

video/text

[watchher]

[ Giles doesn't like it either, really. So here he is in video, writing on his notepad and holding it up. ]

We don't have many specifics. Somewhere that won't draw attention, and where all seven of them can gather.

I honestly don't know. It doesn't seem terribly fitting.

text. boy sure hope these communicators don't have names tagged to messages <.<

[faithful_servant]

Fairytales. I would pretend to be surprised but I don't think I can act that well.

I'm not sure how magic works in this dimension, but would it be possible to create a barrier around the residential buildings? Perhaps even some form of alarm?

text. they do wesry enjoy

[allbloodyhail]

Locked doors work just as well. We plan to have these guys fried by lunchtime, yeah? So get on the bus.

[bestestfurrend]

:33 < so its a supurr impurrtant mission to find the box!!
:33 < okay!
:33 < we can do it!!

[watchher]

[ oh god what terrible things are being done to the English language Giles doesn't understand ]

If you join the search, do not under any circumstances go alone. The situation will become very dangerous when we find it.

[hunteresse]

any particular way you need to destroy it?

and how do you supposed to scream? Just make the motions?

[watchher]

Just smash it as you would any other wooden box, I believe. Any heavy object should do. Our voices will return the moment it's destroyed.

text

[verybigpheasants]

well

i suppose things were looking a tad too relaxed for a while there.

text

[allbloodyhail]

you could almost map this place out on a calendar.

[justonetouch]

if you don't answer the door, they can't come in then?

[allbloodyhail]

they are called gentleman, luv.