Sneaking 101, Thursday

[suitably_heroic]

It was a decidedly sedate Atton who met them at the Danger Shop that Thursday, his mouth set in a thin line. The area they were in now appeared to be the overgrown remains of an old mall. The escalators were dead, and there were holes in the wall. Vegetation peeked out from most gaps; there were bricks and broken bottles strewn around here and there.

"Last week, we practiced with sight lines," Atton said. "This week, it's sound. When I activate the sim, creatures are gonna come out. They can't see, but they can hear really well. Now what I want you to do is to make it from this foyer here, to the Mexican food place up the stairs and all the way at the back. With a partner. The both of you have to make it there, or you'll be sent back to the foyer. Clear? Clear. Go."

He punched the button, then vanished behind a wall.

Comments

Traverse the Mall

[suitably_heroic]

The foyer is large. There's some bits of debris strewn around, including some throwable bottles and bricks. The dead escalator sits in the center, leading further up.

Upstairs, there are a series of ruined storefronts to the left and right, but there's a large T-shaped gap in the middle. Only some of the old barriers are intact-- be careful you don't fall off.

Two of the stores are so damaged you can't enter them.

There are four clickers below, and six roaming the upstairs. Their patterns are random, and they react to anything louder than sneaky footsteps, although the intensity of that reaction is based on how loud the noise is.

Good luck.

Re: Traverse the Mall

[boneyard_girl]

Up on the balls of her feet, just like the highwire girls, and Ada stretched out her long legs and took a step. And another. Quiet, careful, and taking her time, letting her breathing slow and her heart still, holding on to the image of deep black water at the edges of her mind. Dark and silent, like the water.

She'd spent her entire life sneaking around places she wasn't supposed to be. For once, she was gonna take the time to practice her art. Not just move as fast as she could to get what she needed.

Joy shot through her, and she pivoted on one food, waving at Face as she picked her way through the foyer, folding and unfolding on herself, finding spots with the least amount of debris or glass or anything that could give them away.

Re: Traverse the Mall

[gavegoodface]

Having a proper Lorrdian appreciation for the performing arts and people who knew how to use their bodies well, Face watched her as closely as he could while still paying attention to where he was stepping. Because he really didn't want to get up close and personal with those things.

Re: Traverse the Mall

[boneyard_girl]

That was what shoes were for, Face! Throwing them at things that got too personal too fast! Or throwing them in the opposite direction to distract things that might be too close for comfort. But definitely not for wearing.

Which, those things weren't near as neat up-close as they were far away, and Ada slowed her momentum to study the nearest one, then looked at Face and tilted her head towards it in an unspoken question. They could probably get by just fine, if they were careful, but it wasn't that far away.

Re: Traverse the Mall

[gavegoodface]

Face considered it (quickly), and bent down to silently pick up a handy chunk of brick. Best to save the shoes for when they really needed them.

He mimed throwing the rock in the direction that seemed most likely to draw the thing attention away from them, then looked to Ada for confirmation.

[And it would have been nice for this comment to actually have gone through the first time I posted it, LJ]

Re: Traverse the Mall

[boneyard_girl]

Ada nodded and crouched down. Yeah, it couldn't see her right now, but that didn't mean that the sim wouldn't change that once the students started getting proactive.

Paranoia was healthy and kept you in one piece. She gave him a thumbs-up and waited for the brick to go sailing.

[No worries, LJ sucked last night]

Re: Traverse the Mall

[gavegoodface]

Face threw the brick, also crouching down s it sailed through the air.

It landed with a clatter some distance away and the thing turned towards the sound, that clicking noise intensified as it started in that direction.