Thadeus pulls into the driveway and eases out, taking in the wrecked living room through the front windows.
Inside, Marla kneels by a shattered frame, stacking debris into neat piles while Elias tapes a loosened board back to the wall.
Elizabeth stands near the couch, arms folded, watching the cleanup with a guarded stillness that softens when she sees Thadeus.
Thadeus Jovanović
The place is quieter than the diner, but not by much.
Thadeus sets his sword aside and steps in, and the three of them pause long enough to listen.
Thadeus Jovanović
Marcus kept saying he wanted the story, not the fight. I think he is in over his head, not running it.
Elias
That is almost worse. If City Pulse is feeding him bad leads, they might be steering all of this.
Marla Brewer
Festival agitators, the break-in, the reporter, it feels linked. Not proof, just a pattern.
Elizabeth Bathory
And Marcus did not feel like the hand on the knife. He felt like the one holding the flashlight.
Elias straightens, rubbing dust from his palms, while Marla looks up from the broken frame with a thoughtful frown.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure Thadeus's house
“Thadeus helps Marla and Elias clean up the remaining debris. Within the next hour, the house is patched up, good as new. Thadeus takes a quick walk around the house to assess any further damage, and everything looks secure. Thadeus sits down next to Elizabeth on the first dark blue couch in the living room, next to Elizabeth, while Marla and Elias sit across from them on the other dark blue couch, a short oak table between the four of them. Thadeus brings up the conversation with Marcus at the diner again, including the details about the police arresting what Thadeus explained was a zombie, and the fact the zombie bit one of the officers. The rest of the party look at Thadeus with worry.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
An hour later, the living room looks stitched back together. Thadeus finishes the last sweep, then checks the front windows, the hallway, and the rear lock without finding anything else out of place.
He returns to the couch cluster, and the room settles into a wary calm. Marla sinks back with a tired exhale, Elias folds his hands, and Elizabeth turns toward Thadeus with quiet attention.
Thadeus Jovanović
The diner wasn’t just a confrontation. The police did arrest something, and it bit one of them before it went down.
Marla Brewer
Her expression tightens, eyes flicking to Thadeus like she is replaying every word for hidden meaning.
Elias
If that is true, then this is bigger than one reporter sniffing around. That sounds like a real outbreak.
Elizabeth Bathory
Then the house is not a rumor anymore. It is a target, and we need to treat it like one.
No one interrupts. The four of them sit with the implication, the oak table between them suddenly feeling like a planning board instead of furniture.
Quest Complete
Secure Thadeus's house
New Gift: Home Security Specialist
Director's note
Have the head of a pale faced, white eyed zombie appear in the living room window, but have the party unaware of its presence
“Thadeus looks to get feedback from the group, "After speaking more with Marcus, I think he could be a valuable ally for us to better understand what happened at the music festival." Elizabeth appears offended by the suggestion. Marla and Elias also appear to be skeptical. Thadeus presses on, "I understand your hesitation, but seeing his reaction to seeing the chaos at the diner, I know he'd help us if we asked." Elizabeth interrupts, "You know what Marcus was trying to dig up. How can you be so quick to trust him?" Thadeus looks to Elizabeth and smiles warmly, "Because I was quick to trust you. People are worth trusting." Elizabeth becomes flushed, trying to compose herself. Marla sees Elizabeth's reaction, and smirks, holding in a giggle.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Thadeus’s words hang over the table, and the room quiets into something more thoughtful than tense. Marla studies his face, Elias shifts his hands apart, and Elizabeth’s shoulders loosen by a fraction as the idea lands.
Marla Brewer
He was scared at the diner. Scared people do not always tell the truth, but they do tell something.
Elias
I still do not like trusting a reporter, but if he saw enough to blink first, that counts for something.
Elizabeth Bathory
You are asking us to gamble on decency from a man who came here digging for monsters.
Thadeus Jovanović
I am asking us to judge him by what he does now, not only by what he came here to chase.
Elizabeth looks at him for a long beat, then exhales through her nose. The offense in her face softens into reluctant thought, and Marla catches it.
Marla Brewer
Oh, wow. That worked better than I expected.
Elizabeth Bathory
If he helps, he earns caution. If he lies, we stop wasting time on him. Fair?
The window behind the couch holds a pale, face-shaped blur for a moment, then nothing as the others keep their attention on the table. The room remains still, but the question of Marcus has finally become a plan.