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RPZip
Feb 6, 2009

WORDS IN THE HEART
CANNOT BE TAKEN
Jenny Hirsch FP: 2

Jenny jumps as Mitsuo's voice floats through the room, spinning around and raising her arm like a weapon before she processed what he said. "Uhm. Okay. Right. Don't react. Just... don't do that again. Please. And what do you mean? That guy seemed perfectly fine."

Investigation /-// +0 = -3. I don't know, is there even a room here? It's a mystery.

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mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

As the gentle web of shared memory magic settles over the audience, the story unfolds before their eyes. They see a young cowboy, stumbling out onto the street from a gambling house. He's clutching his chest, blood oozing between his fingers. He collapses in the dirt, unmoving. It jumps ahead to a line of pallbearers, teary eyed. A lovely young blonde woman in a black mourning dress drops a single red rose on the coffin before the burial. Two men with shovels bury the coffin, as a preacher stands at the head, reading from the good book. Then there's only the marker, alone and forlorn.

But J.R. isn't seeing things from the same perspective. J.R. is watching the memory from his own place in it. He stumbles out of the gambling house, shot in the back, collapsing. Rose, he knows her well. The coffin is cramped, tight, there's only darkness and the sound of dirt hitting the lid...

And as the song ends, and the memory releases its grip, J.R. recognizes Dylan Merle. The man who put a bullet in his back, 120 years ago.

--

A tiny blonde woman in a bright red dress, five feet in her heels, bursts into the green room, trailed by a furious Renee Hewitt. "Ruby! What on earth could have taken so long. Explain yourself."

Ruby sighs and grabs a bottle of water, plopping onto the leather sofa. "I couldn't help it, there was an entire yacht FULL of people who are about to... you know how distracting that is. In any case I'm ready whenever Merle is."

Ruby and Renee don't give Jenny a second glance, and no one notices Mitsuo who is still quite invisible. Renee throws up her hands and stalks back out of the room, presumably to inform Merle and the band that the special guest has finally arrived.

Piell
Sep 3, 2006

Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer


Young Orc
J.R. - FP: 2->3

For a moment, JR can't believe his eyes. That cowardly dog, here? Now!? But it didn't matter the other man had made it to here and to now - JR had a score to settle. He slams his drink down and shouts up to the stage, "You shoulda finished the job when you had the chance!" Before his words are barely out of his mouth, JR's gun is out and firing at Merle.

Lore +/// +2 = 3. Self-Compel on The Devil's Right Hand to shoot him down now. Guns -//- +5 = 3. Free tag from Feels Good makes its Guns +5, with a weapon: 3.

Chrome Gnome
Jan 21, 2009

yum tum yummy tum tay
Mitsuo - FP: 2

"Sorry. There is really no good way to say 'hello I am invisible and right next to you, do not freak out.' But as I said, I cannot explain exactly what makes me feel uneasy about the man. He just has an aura about him, some kind of negative energy." He frowns invisibly. (If an invisible man frowns in the forest...) "I am not one to say 'I have a bad feeling about this,' but..."

From the main room shots ring out. Mitsuo nearly jumps out of his suit. "drat! That has to be JR. Stupid cowboy! You should check out what is happening, I will keep an eye on the managers!"

Mitsuo will do his best to watch as many of Dennis, Renee, and the new girl as possible. If that leads anywhere near the main room he'll peek out and see what the hell JR is doing, and whether the others need support.

e: speelign


Chrome Gnome fucked around with this message at 20:14 on Apr 21, 2012

RPZip
Feb 6, 2009

WORDS IN THE HEART
CANNOT BE TAKEN
Jenny Hirsch FP: 2

Jenny runs into the hallway at the sound of the gunshot, heading towards the source of the sound - the main room. "Next time you get a bad feeling, try to keep it to yourself!"

Krysmphoenix
Jul 29, 2010
"Adult" Hugues Turner Fate Points: 2

Hugues could feel his eyes closing, being taken in by the song. There was something about this guy, his words had power. Magic? Possibly. After the song ended, he opened his eyes and started to find his center to start feeling for magic in the area, and the first thing he noticed was JR yelling followed by a gunshot.

Rather than react directly, Hugues took this moment to take a breath. JR just fired a gun in a crowded room. This wasn't good, and he needed a level head to figure out what just happened and why, all while dealing with the civilian mortals around.

(Discipline Maneuver to declare "Braced for the Incoming Shitstorm" on self.
Discipline: /-/+ +4 = 4.)

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Ruby's eyes suddenly go very dark. A small scared sound escapes her lips and she leaps off the couch and runs out of the room. The air suddenly feels hot and thick, hard to breathe. Magic, serious magic, has just been unleashed on Rattlesnake Jake's.

---

As the sound of the gunshot fades, everyone braces themselves for the incoming riot of screams and panic... But nothing like that happens. The audience is deathly still. Merle is still seated on his chair, blood leaking from the a bullet wound in his right arm. It slides over the smooth wood of the guitar and drips to the stage.

"I was wondering if that was you out there, Lytle." Merle says. Still no reaction from the audience. "Now before you kill me, and you have a right, there's another verse to that song you might be interested to hear."

He doesn't wait for JR to respond, or shoot him again. He doesn't bother with the guitar, and the band is just as eerily silent as the audience.

"As I walked back down to, the Streets of Laredo
The heart in my chest, was cold as the clay
The cowboy we'd buried was my sister's lover
She carried his child, that bright summer day..."


His voice trails off. Images of Rose, images he doesn't remember but Merle does, flash through J.R.'s head. At first, she's pregnant, but later there's a baby boy in her arms. His baby boy.

--

Ruby dashes onto the stage in a panic. "Stop! Don't shoot him!" She yells, throwing herself in front of Merle and holding her arms out. "Please, grandfather!" Her eyes whip back and forth through the audience until she finds J.R. still near the bar. She looks just like Rose. No, Rose was a good deal taller. But other than that...

Piell
Sep 3, 2006

Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer


Young Orc
J.R. - FP: 3

JR wonders where exactly he went crazy. Was it the White Court vampires? Or before that, in the dark cramped bits of the Nevernever? And now Merle was there, and apparently he had a son - or had had a son, anyway - and it was just too much to take in, and JR was either too drunk or not enough. Being that one was more difficult than the other, JR turned back to the bar and downed another shot before looking back up to the stage. "What?" he asks in a confused and broken voice, unable to put his whirling thoughts into any more coherent question then that.

Piell fucked around with this message at 10:00 on Apr 24, 2012

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Merle doesn't move. He's obviously concentrating hard on something, probably whatever spell's keeping everyone unconscious. But Ruby takes two steps off the low stage and walks up the center aisle to the bar. Once there she doesn't speak right away, taking her time and looking J.R. over with eager, hungry eyes. There's something not quite human about her. Her movements are just a little too graceful. Her eyes just a little too deep.

"It is you. I have waited many years to see you well, grandfather." She smiled, and it was as sincere as it was... feral in some way.
"I knew you weren't dead when we buried you, Lytle." Merle added from the stage. "Took care of your kin ever since that day. We watched that drat marker for decades, but you managed to sneak out without anyone noticing."
Ruby nodded without looking back. "It was that wretch, Boh, wasn't it?" The girl frowned, furious. "He wanted to keep you for himself."

Piell
Sep 3, 2006

Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer


Young Orc
J.R. - FP: 3

This changed things - or did it? If he knew that JR was still alive, why hadn't he just finished the job? "Yeah, Boh was there. And I ain't saying he's a friend, but he's always stuck to the deal. And if you weren't after killing me, what the hell were you doing, anyhow?" JR was starting to recover the shock and confusion, at least enough to get out questions. And besides, something was wrong with his "granddaughter", if she even was kin of his - she didn't seem quite human.

Lore /--/ +2 = 0 to tell what's up with Ruby

Piell fucked around with this message at 11:06 on Apr 24, 2012

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

"I never meant all this Lytle." Merle sighed, keeping the spell up was obviously taxing his strength and sweat broke out on his forehead. "That drat Wyldfae of yours was planning something dirty, calling in all his chips. Couldn't let it happen. I wanted to get you out of the way, on account of Rose. But then you up and... God Almighty, I don't even know what you did, but nobody on my side could figure out how to get you out of it without killing you outright. So we figured we'd wait it out. Then you get up and leave when no one was looking, and we've been trying to track you down ever since."

Piell
Sep 3, 2006

Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer


Young Orc
J.R. - FP: 3

"What the hell are you talking about? What was so bad that you had to gun me down from ambush rather than talk to me about it?" JR asks angrily. "You shoulda known I wouldn't do anything that'd hurt innocent folks on purpose."

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

"For all I knew you were in hock to the little bastard and couldn't refuse him." Merle growled.

"Uncle." Ruby said sharply, cutting Merle off. She looked at J.R. seriously. "Grandfather your honor is not in question here. But you had done too many things for the Wyldfae without asking the right questions. Even now..." She shakes her head, slowly, and J.R. recalls the graveyard delivery he'd just made for Bohpoli a couple days ago. "It uses you. There is great power here you do not yet fully understand." Her pale fingers brush over J.R's right hand.

Piell
Sep 3, 2006

Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer


Young Orc
J.R. - FP: 3

JR jerks his hand back. "So tell me, damnit! God knows that I've made mistakes - the difference between a man and a coward is that a man admits it and does what he can to fix it. So - what's Boh planning that you needed stopped so bad?"

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Merle gives a wheezy laugh. "I knew I couldn't take you in a straight fight Lytle, call me a coward if you want but I did what I had to." He makes a pained sound. "I can't hold it any longer, Ruby. You need to get him out of here."

Ruby nods. "The Wyldfae's goal is not clear, but he has done our family great evil. You and I are the last of our bloodline. After you were buried he took great-grandfather. And eventually all the rest." Her expression becomes very cold.

Merle slumps back in his chair, his eyes closed. The hot, close feel of magic in the air vanishes and people start making the gentle noises of those awakening from a deep sleep.

"Come with me!" Ruby grabs J.R. by the hand and throws up a veil, dragging him away from the bar, through the backstage entrance and out into the alley behind the building. Her grip is impossibly strong, and the veil would put most White Council wizards to shame. Once they're alone she stuffs a piece of paper into his hand. There's a phone number on it. "Hurry away, grandfather. We will see each other again. But now I must go give false witness." She grins. "Uncle will be forced to postpone his tour due to the injury, so perhaps we shall have an extended stay here."

And then the tiny woman in the red dress is gone, and J.R. is alone in the alley. Sirens sound in the distance, for at least the third time that day.

mistaya fucked around with this message at 13:26 on Apr 24, 2012

Piell
Sep 3, 2006

Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer


Young Orc
J.R. - FP: 3

Damnit, couldn't these people just come out and say something without dancing around it all day? JR was already dealing with one mystery, he didn't have time for another. If Boh really had done what they said, then that was something to deal with. On the other hand, they hadn't given him any reason to believe their version either. JR's confusion had turned to anger since the pair had left without offering explanations. Well, if they weren't going to tell him what was happening now, he'd need to rest up from the difficulties of the day and get ready for tonight, when he'd get answers from someone, if he had anything to say about it. It'd be nice to have backup, though. Hugues and Mitsuo were out of the question, now that he knew about the demons, and Jenny had seemed to fall apart after the fight at the souleater's place. He pulled out his phone and dialed Ada's home, leaving a message "Ada, it's JR. I need a favor from you, that may involve beefing a few hard cases. If you're up for it, gimme a call. Don't tell the others." His call made, JR quickly gets into a cab before the police arrive.

Piell fucked around with this message at 13:12 on Apr 24, 2012

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Meanwhile back inside the bar...

As people wake up from the enchanted sleep, panic hits. Their memories don't include the gunshot, anything after Merle's last song is a blank, but the singer is slumped back in his chair on stage in a pool of blood and that's enough to cause a lot of screaming. Cell phones aren't working at all, but someone manages to get a call to 911 from the landline behind the bar. The couple medical guys who are always on hand for this kind of event manage to get Dylan Merle offstage and stop the bleeding while the crowd is funneled out of the place by security without anyone else getting hurt.

People start slipping away who aren't interested in talking to the cops, and there's a general air of fear and shock. No one can remember the shooter at all, although they're sure he must have been by the bar. The security cameras are all fried too.

During the panic, Mitsuo loses track of his targets briefly. Dennis shows up on the curb outside looking even more confused and troubled than before, Ruby is busy talking to the cops, but Renee... There's no sign of her anywhere.

No sign at all.


To beat Merle's thaumaturgy sleep spell and have watched the show, defend with Disc, must beat a +5. Otherwise you got hit with "Deep Sleep" and are only waking up now.

mistaya fucked around with this message at 14:13 on Apr 24, 2012

Krysmphoenix
Jul 29, 2010
"Adult" Hugues Turner Fate Points: 2

(Discipline -+/- +4 = 3... +2 from tag on "Braced for Incoming Shitstorm" makes 5! Enough to tie.
Weayaya Discipline: /+/+ +1 = 3!! Good effort! But not good enough.)


Hugues stood up, shaking his head. Somehow he managed to resist the spell to fall asleep like the mortals around him, but he couldn't more or do anything about JR, Ruby or Dylan. But it sounded like the Wyldfae were involved with whatever the heck just happened; Hugues was going to need some better information.

"Weayaya, Weayaya!" He said, as he stepped closer to the stage where he was sure he saw a glimmer of something. Sure enough, there was the pixie was sleeping, at the bottom of the curtains hidden by the folds. He reached down and gently shook the pixie. "Wake up! Get on my shoulder, and throw a glamour up, we're leaving. Show's over. And while you're at it, tell me everything you know about this Wildfae called Bohpoly, and anything you happen to know about a human practitioner named Ruby that's in New Orleans right now."

Chrome Gnome
Jan 21, 2009

yum tum yummy tum tay
Mitsuo - FP: 2 -> 1

Still drowsy from the spell, Mitsuo casts about for his targets. Dennis and Ruby aren't hard to find but Renee seems to have disappeared. Well... Dennis was the most important one to track... and Ruby was right in the middle of things with JR and the musician. Still... I hate loose ends. With a quick wave of his hands Mitsuo reactivates his veil and begins the hunt for Renee, dodging concert-goers and cops as they arrive.

Investigation 0 --/+ = -1. I'll invoke "Sorcerous Troubleshooter" to make it +1.

Mental (x) ( ) ( ) ( )
(reset while everyone was napping)

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Weayaya yawns and blinks, and then squeaks as Hugues grabs him. "B-Bohpoli? Dunno what you'd call 'im, an old man o'the forest? Never met 'im, he eats my folk for breakkist, snick snack." The pixie looks scared.

By now Hugues is outside with all the other concert goers, standing on the sidewalk as the police ask questions. He looks back towards the entrance for a second as something small and grey ducks inside between a police officer's shoes.

The officer asking questions out on the street seems quite taken with Ruby. She tells him a nice detailed story about the shooter, who apparently looked nothing at all like J.R. and was actually a fat grey haired old woman in a red flannel coat.

"Ruby." Weayaya says, reverently. He stuffs himself under Hugues' collar, not trusting his own glamour. "Get outta here, boss. No good, that'n!" The little pixie huddes further. "A Death Singer, she is."


--

Renee had said she was on her way to talk to the band, so Mitsuo decided to check the little side stage where they played. It was empty, save for the chairs and music sheet stands, and at first Mitsuo was sure he'd hit a dead end. But something caught his eye. There was a lump, under the edge of the red curtain. It was a shoe. A grey pump, the same style as Renee had been wearing. Mitsuo looked around, but didn't see anything else, until he looked up.

Renee Hewitt’s body was hanging by the neck about ten feet off the ground on a stage rope, trapped between the red curtain and the cement wall. The fold of the heavy curtain had concealed it well. Mitsuo can’t see her face or if anything’s been taken from the body from this angle.

Transient People
Dec 22, 2011

"When a man thinketh on anything whatsoever, his next thought after is not altogether so casual as it seems to be. Not every thought to every thought succeeds indifferently."
- Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
Ada duSang - FP: 1 -> 0

Leaning against a corner with a bottle of whiskey in her hand and her eyes away from the singer and focused on the people gathered within the room, Ada couldn't have looked more like a sorry drunk even if she were trying to. And she had to admit that, after the events of the last few days, a couple strong drinks were something she was in a position to refuse. Taking a drink from the bottle here and there, Ada couldn't help but let herself be carried away by the music, letting the tensions and worries from the last few days fade into the background...

...Until JR's shot rang out, of course. Her eyes snapped back into focus as she took the scene in, and started cursing up a storm, inwardly. "What in the goddamn hell are you thinking, cowboy...", she murmured as she made her way through the stunned crowd, but froze as a girl came out from backstage, calling JR 'Grandfather', and begging him to spare the singer's life. As the scene unfolded, Ada silently watched and listened, hidden from the musicians and cowboy's eyes by the crowd. As JR and the girl disappeared and the crowd returned to normal, Ada squeaked out of the building, dragged by the tide of people wanting to get out. Once outside, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Of all the things I was expecting to see tonight...I can't believe it. I just can't believe it.". She didn't know which part was the strangest one: JR shooting at the singer for no apparent reason, the fact that said singer seemed to be a spellslinger, the possibility that JR had a granddaughter, or that he was in such deep trouble and hadn't told any of them. Shaking her head, she pushed the matter out of her mind. There'd be time to decide what bit of the night had been the most unbelievable later. Right now, they had something to take care of.

The girl's words had brought back memories for Ada, memories of her first meeting with JR. She'd first met him in the middle of the Louisiana swamps, after running into were-gators. And the swamps were plagued with wyldfae...couldn't be a coincidence. Approaching Hugues, Ada waited until he had finished spinning a yarn for the agent, then spoke up. "Think we're gonna have to pay the swamps a visit? See what's up with JR's friend for ourselves?" She asked.

Rolling Discipline to resist the maneuver...base result is +/-+, or +5, which is enough to tie, but I'm invoking Bloody Crazy and Bloody Minded for a further +2, for a total of +7. That should be more than enough to resist, so Ada wasn't affected by the sleep spell at all.

Krysmphoenix
Jul 29, 2010
"Adult" Hugues Turner Fate Points: 2

(Lore check roll lost, but Mistaya can vouch for me to ID what Weayaya means by Death Singer and whoa nelly.)

She's a Banshee? Hugues coughed in surprise, and took several looks at Ruby who was still talking to the cop. Her, a Banshee? But...JR's Granddaughter and...and... there must have been a Changeling or two in there somewhere. That was about the only explanation. "Right. Uhh...no talking to the granddaughter then."

Hugues turned back to the entrance, was something there? Then Ada stepped forward, about her concerns with JR. "Yeah...but I'd be wary about going behind JR's back with this. Especially with how angry he is at me already. But...I have been meaning to see if there are any Wyld elves down there willing to forge me a set of armor or something. Been feeling a bit squishy with my size compared to some of the stuff I've been fighting lately. If one happens to have the other happen..." He smiled, but looked past Ada at the doorway again. "I don't see Mitsuo and Jenny around. Let's head back inside. I'm getting this eerie feeling we're not done with the night yet."

Chrome Gnome
Jan 21, 2009

yum tum yummy tum tay
Mitsuo - FP: 1

Mitsuo walks up to check out the body. The others, Ruby and Dennis, are in this thing up to their necks. Whatever this thing is. Renee... well, now it's going to be hard to figure out what part she played, or if she was just a bar manager in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Investigation 0 -/++ = +1 to check out the body.

After a brief once-over on the hanging corpse, Mitsuo turns back to find the others. A few more sets of eyes ought to make things much clearer. He catches Hugues and Ada coming back into the club. Approaching, he speaks quietly into Hugues' ear.

"Hugues. Mitsuo. Found the body of one of the workers behind the band stage. Come and take a look."

Krysmphoenix
Jul 29, 2010
"Adult" Hugues Turner Fate Points: 2

"There you are." Hugues said, as he stepped closer to get a good look at what Mitsuo was working with. Oh pleasant, a dead body to deal with. That probably explained the Banshee. "Yeah, let's bring her down and see if I can get a closer look."

(Investigation for mundane stuff: +--/ +2 = 1...
Lore for magical stuff: -+/- +6 = 5...)

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

It doesn't take very long to get Ms. Hewitt down off the rope. The body isn't even cold yet. Examining her reveals the obvious. Her right ear is gone, sliced off by a straight edged weapon. Blood stains the side of her face and her hair, soaking through the shoulder of her grey suitcoat. There's less of it than you might expect, probably due to the rope cutting off circulation to her face. She clearly strangled, but there are no signs of a struggle. It's likely she never woke up from the sleep spell.

A glint of gold on her right wrist reveals a charm bracelet. There are nearly a dozen charms on it, but Hugues picks one out right away. It's the same silver medallion he found in Pamela Nazarene's car. St. Jude.


3 down, 1 to go. Things are starting to look dire for our heroes!
I'm done here, so it's time to finish up and head home. Refresh and a Minor Milestone. Pixie update after that, and then The Longest Day Ever is finally over.

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Krysm asked me to transcript the phone call so here ya go.

Warden Cole FP: 2

Cole wiped the sweat off his face with one sleeve and looked at the small industrial safe containing the box-artifact. That thing wasn't going anywhere. Andy's threshold was strong to begin with, by the time Cole was done working the place was more anti-demon than most cathedrals. And the wards on the safe would make Laura proud. Andy had just brought him some tea when the pin buzzed. Uh oh.

--

"Cole? Can you hear me? We're fine, but I have some really bad news, can't wait till morning." It was Hugues, with that strange older tone still.
"What happened?" Cole asked.
"They got the Ear. There was a distraction, and they got it off a woman here. She's wearing a bracelet with a St. Jude charm on it. Did Father James have something of St. Jude on him during the attack?"
"I don't know. Hold on." There was a pause as Cole repeated the question to Andy. "A little silver medallion? Andy says all the compact members have one."
"Yeah. After three attacks, I think it's safe to say the compact members are going to be the targets here. How big is the compact?"
"Andy says it isn't, at least not locally. Just him, his wife, and the older priest for the last few years. Father James was apprenticing under Father Lauden, he just joined recently. There was supposed to be backup coming in to town to support Andy, you got a name for the vic?"

"Hey, what was her name again?" Hugues asked Mitsuo.
"Renee... something. I can find out if it matters." Mitsuo said.

"Right now all we got is Renee, no last name."

"It's Hewitt. Yeah, that was his backup. Look, I'm going to tell Andy to keep anyone else in the compact the hell out of New Orleans until this is done with. That leaves only Andy, Father Lauden, and Father James. I think we can get James transferred to an out of state hospital."
"The last part is the Tongue that speaks only lies. If they can't get it from someone in the compact, they might try to take it from someone else with religious connections. I think it's to deceive the Heavens to bring upon the Wrath of God."
"I think you're right about them targetting compact members, which is why we're going to ask Lauden to stick around. If we stay on the defensive, we're going to lose this."
"Does Lauden often lie, sing or otherwise say fictional things?"
"Did James hit kids, or Pamela see suffering all around her? It's backwards, they've been picking people who behave exactly the opposite of that poem."
"Then..the ear hears only painful cries... Ah, I get it now. Alright, if we're going to be on the defensive, we need a plan, I think we need to meet up again, with the Compact as well. When's the best time to do that, and while I'm at it, when do you want me to help you with your..." Hugues took a long look at Mitsuo, "Warden issue? We need to act fast, so I'll just play hooky tomorrow."

"Well, they've been doing this pretty methodically. We had attacks on Friday and Saturday, nothing on Sunday, and now one on Monday. Let's call Sunday their day of rest and plan for the last attack tommorow. Andy doesn't make any sense as a target, so they've got to come for Lauden to complete the set. He's not stupid enough to invite them into church, at least, so we'll have a little time. Meet me at my office, the earlier the better."
"How's 9am sound?"
"Late. I was thinking more like 6."
Hugues grumbled a childish grumble that sounded completely out of place in his adult voice. "Alright. Works for me."
"Consider it punishment for skipping school. And tell Mitsuo to swing by too. I hear he knows a lot about traps and we're about to set a big one."
"I'll be sure to tell him. Hugues out."

--

He canceled the spell on the pin, but kept his gaze on Mitsuo. "What the hell did you do to his sword?"
Mitsuo shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. It was taken from him, I used it to free him from a spell, and when I handed it back- snap."
"Ugh...that'll have to do for now. Looks like I'll see you tomorrow then."

Chrome Gnome
Jan 21, 2009

yum tum yummy tum tay
Mitsuo - FP: 1 -> 0 -> 1

Mitsuo makes his way out into the alley before letting his veil drop. Adjusting his tie, he saunters out into the street and back to the Subaru. The engine takes five tries to fire correctly. Maybe it's the residue of the veil, or the sleep spell, or something. Regardless, he trucks across town and back to Forward Thinking. On the way, he has a thought. His first action after getting home is to pick up the phone.

Contacts 0 ///+ and "Troubleshooter" for +2 = +3 to call a guy.

"Yes, is Karol there? Mitsuo Tsukada. Okay... *pause* Karol, my friend. How did things go in Laredo? *pause* Huh... sorry to hear that. The Zetas are tough bastards, for sure. Listen, I need some equipment. *pause* Body armor. Nothing huge, good for extended wear, some protection against sharps. *pause* Okay. Tomorrow morning? Say six? Okay. See you then."

Mitsuo thumbs the phone's cradle down, then lets it pop back up. He dials in Ada's number. "Ada, Mitsuo here. I hate to prevail upon your good fortune but after the last couple of scrapes we have gotten into, I find myself wanting a bit of protection. A colleague of mine has some armor set aside, do you think you could help with the cost? Obviously I will owe you a favour or two. Call me when you can."

Replacing the phone, he gambles on Ada's good nature and takes a trip to the corner market where he overdraws his bank account at their ATM and three others nearby (drat that $400 limit). He returns to Forward Thinking with pockets stuffed with cash.

TransientPeople got a -/++ +4 = +5 Resources. Mitsuo gets "Ada's Generosity" aspect, Ada gets a free compel on Mitsuo at some point. Also, refresh.

After a long hot bath and a decent night's sleep (for once), he's up at 5:30 AM and greets Karol at the door at 6. Karol is a forty-something Polish-American man, balding but well-built. They exchange pleasantries and a couple of war stories. Karol just came back from Texas where he'd been supplying a PMC group working to keep the Mexican Zetas drug cartel out of the US. Sounds like it didn't go as well as they hoped. Regardless, money changes hands, Karol says goodbye, and Mitsuo spends the next ten minutes admiring how nicely his new black plate-carrier shows off his shoulders.

After a leisurely breakfast he sets out for Cole's office, with the plate-carrier and his father's swords under a blanket in the back seat.

Armor:1 and an additional +1 versus Guns.

Chrome Gnome fucked around with this message at 07:06 on Apr 26, 2012

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

PIXIES ASSEMBLE

"Oy. Grumpypants!" Nidawi knocks on the window, annoyed. There's an entire rainbow's worth of pixies out there and they're all hungry. This could get expensive.

Nidawi's report is pretty vague. After the marina, she didn't catch up with Cole until he stopped back at his office, which was quite late in the day. He looked pretty terrible and his sword was broken in two. He took off shortly after, taking a cab to Andy's home, and Nidawi couldn't follow inside. Then he went home and drank a whole pot of tea and passed out.

Weayaya didn't have anything new to add that he hadn't told Hugues already.

Chepi had spent her night watching Veronica "consult". After she described five different patrons of the nightclub Hugues stopped her. It wasn't important.

Makya's description of the strip club was one of those things you had to hear to believe. Unfortunately nothing happened besides lots of what you'd expect.

Hinto bobbed uncertainly while giving his report. He'd spent his day looking for White Court of the not-Raith variety and that took him to some of the seedier places in town. But he didn't see any vampires, and he was a bit discouraged.

Calfuray found a ghoul! A fat ghoul, living in a van under an overpass bridge down by the waterside like some kind of icky troll. She watched and watched, but he didn't do anything interesting or contact any members of the Black Court. But she's sure he will if she watches, he stinks like one.


And there you have it. I think you'll need to resource roll each day you want the pixies on the payroll, so don't just keep them all active for no reason.

mistaya fucked around with this message at 01:41 on Apr 26, 2012

Transient People
Dec 22, 2011

"When a man thinketh on anything whatsoever, his next thought after is not altogether so casual as it seems to be. Not every thought to every thought succeeds indifferently."
- Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
Ada duSang - FP: 0 -> 1

The trip back to the duSang estate was a somber one for Ada. The discovery of the body had been the perfect capper to an absolutely disastrous day, full of fighting, running around, and one grisly discovery after another. It might have been the whisky's influence, but by the time she'd made it back home, about the only thing Ada was up for was good night's sleep.

So of course, when Roy told her she had messages from JR and Mitsuo, she was only mildly surprised. The latter's message was, at least, rather innocuous. Mitsuo was clearly planning to get into trouble, but given the way every last supernatural nasty in New Orleans had been crawling out from under their rocks, that was par for the course.

JR's message was very similar, in some ways, and yet far more ominous. "So I guess what we saw back at the concert wasn't the end of it, huh. At least this time, I know people are gonna be shot, and if it's big enough to merit calling somebody up, it means it isn't something I can ignore. Guess that's a relief.". Sighing, Ada picked up the phone and made a pair of calls.


"Mitsuo, I got your message. I'll foot the bill, but try not to get killed once you're protected. Just because you can take a hit, doesn't mean it's a good idea to wander off asking for it.".

"JR, it's Ada. I've got your back. I'll pass by the hotel to pick you up tomorrow. You can tell me the details on the way."

The calls finished, Ada scurried off to get some sleep before everything went to hell tomorrow.

Piell
Sep 3, 2006

Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer


Young Orc
J.R. - FP: 3

Before heading to bed, JR made one final call. "Ruby - you say you got something to tell me, well alright. Meet me at noon tomorrow, at the place where I crawled out of the ground."

RPZip
Feb 6, 2009

WORDS IN THE HEART
CANNOT BE TAKEN
Jenny Hirsch FP: 2

Jenny comes to as someone pushes her out of the way in the rush to exit the theater, mind still in a haze and with the beginning of an absolutely awful headache. What the hell happened? Still holding her head against the pounding headache beginning to resonate in her skull, she staggers out to the car and goes to sit down in it. With the seat reclined all the way back and her eyes closed.

But totally not sleeping.

--------

It's much later, and Jenny is back at home. With Hughes explanation on the ride home, and remembering the demon in the church and on the boat... well, she's beginning to really think about what's happening. And it sucks.

Demons shouldn't be able to do this to good, honest people. Poor little Claire hadn't done anything to deserve what happened to her, and even as hardnosed as Andy had been he seemed like a genuinely good guy. Ever since she'd walked outside the Rising Sun and seen Pamela's corpse, her life had been like a terrible dream that she'd been trapped in. After Pamela came the demon in the church, almost killing the Father, then the nightmare in the basement with Steve and the attack on the boat... each time, she'd been reacting to the situation in front of her.

She just hadn't been prepared. It was time for that to come to an end.

Stupid work and school commitments. I got a 3 on my roll to resist the sleep spell, which isn't enough to beat it without Fate Point and since I wasn't around, it was much easier to not worry about it. Jenny was right by the stage when the spell hit and took it really poorly, apparently.

RPZip fucked around with this message at 06:43 on Apr 28, 2012

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Ruby laughed on the other end of the line. "I will be there, grandfather."

--

The next day at noon, Ruby was sitting on the old stump of a tree looking over J.R's empty grave. It was on a hill, high enough not to be drowned during the flood season even though most of the rest of the land in the area was marsh. She was dressed in a red silk shirt, with practical jeans and hiking boots. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a tight braid.

As J.R. and Ada approached, she tilted her head. "I thought you would come alone." she said. Her tone was curious, not angry. "Please introduce me to your friend, grandfather."


--

Warden Cole FP:2

Cole didn't really know what to do with himself. Usually he spent an hour warming up with sword practice in the morning before breakfast. He sipped his tea, staring at the broken blade. Well, if he was going to fix it, he should probably figure out what happened to it in the first place. He'd wait for Hugues and Mitsuo to cast the divination, but it would save time to prepare now, and maybe take his mind off last night's phone call to Commander Bellworth.

He sat down at his desk and pulled out a brass circle about 15 inches in diameter from a drawer, setting it on top of the desk. He set his orb on its wooden stand inside the circle and tapped it with a finger. The color inside shifted slightly, from an opaque dark blue to a clear sky blue. He set the broken shard of the blade inside the circle as well, it was just short enough to fit. There, all set.

He sat back and looked at the phone, anxious. New Orleans was in danger of getting wiped off the map sometime in the next few days. He needed help, so he'd called in asking for backup. Laura had listened to the whole story. Then she refused him.

"I believe you, Richter. It's the only reason I'm not pulling you out to help with this disaster in Georgia. Do what you can, there's no one to spare."
"Commander, we could lose the entire city, millions of people..."
"Richter. If Grand Cross goes nova, we could lose the entire Eastern Seaboard. There are metaphysical fires popping up across the globe. The council is stretched thinner than rice paper trying to contain them. New Orleans is your responsibility. You need to handle this yourself."
"What if I can't stop it, Commander?"
"You must. Use the resources you have."
"Yes sir."


And that was that. Cole tried not to think about what it would mean if the Grand Cross really did explode. It was an intersection of two* of the major North American leylines, smack dab in the middle of Georgia. If someone or something was messing with the Grand Cross, it would make Chernobyl look like a bad joke.

He looked at the clock, impatient. 5:30am. "I need some more tea." he said to himself, heading to the kitchen.

*The Eastern Coastal and the Trans-Canada Continental.

Krysmphoenix
Jul 29, 2010
Hugues Turner Fate Points: 2

mistaya posted:

PIXIES ASSEMBLE
-snip-
And there you have it. I think you'll need to resource roll each day you want the pixies on the payroll, so don't just keep them all active for no reason.
(Resources roll of +4. Dropping Weayaya and Makya. Keeping the rest at their current positions. Pixie Payroll updated.)

As soon as the pixies reported and the pizza boy arrived, Hugues took a long look at the bill. Ouch, that would start to seriously impact the money he had stored in the bank over the past few decades. He had to drop a few of the pixies, which was difficult with their begging, but he promised to let them know if he had an more jobs for them later on. It was enough for now.

Once all six were finally shooed out of his apartment, he went digging through his lab, pulling out the various tools and materials he had used for his sword. The hardest part of forging the his own Warden sword was using magic to hold energy to fight against magic, but not it's own. The best Hugues had managed was to get his sword to counteract against someone else's magic, and if he had to fix Cole's sword or make him a new one, Cole would have to do that part himself.

With one final yawn after double checking that the demon book was still in it's veil and cardboard box, Hugues placed a bag of various tools and materials on his coffee table, and went straight to bed.
(Resources Maneuver /+++ +3 = 6!!! for Quality Tools.)

After heavily resisting the urge to set his alarm clock on fire, Hugues took a quick shower, grabbed the bag from last night, and biked his way over to Cole's office. By the time he arrived, the exercise had made him awake enough to focus properly, although he still felt a partial craving for brains.

Piell
Sep 3, 2006

Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer


Young Orc
J.R. - FP: 3

"A friend, in case you ain't who and what you say you are - or maybe in case you are. Now, how 'bout you acknowledge the corn about you, "Merle", and what ol' Boh is really after?" JR asks plainly.

New scene means my minor consequence is healed.

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Warden Cole FP:2

"Come on in." Cole says to Hugues. Once he's inside Cole hands the broken hilt to Hugues for examination. "It snapped halfway up the blade, I'm going to guess it was just the stress from trying to parry a giant cat monster but I've got a divination set up to make sure." He gestures back to the circle on the desk. "You put a counterspell into your sword, right? Can I see it?"

Hugues looks a little worried but hands over his short sword.

Cole holds it up and looks down the blade. It's well made and has good balance. Light, too. The blade is undamaged for the most part, but it's clearly been used by someone who expects more from it than it can do. It has that recently cleaned look of a sword that's been in use.

The spell on it is similar to Luccio's work, as if made in imitation after decades of experience with one. It feels oddly familiar. Not just the spell, but the sword itself. He frowns at for a second, wondering why, then a sudden flash of realization hits him. He's seen one just like it, but larger, a few days ago. It's almost exactly like his father's. Not quite, but...

"This is good work. Have you seen a Warden sword up close before?" Cole asks, handing it back to him, hilt first.

Cole Lore's the not-quite sword, +//+ +5 = 7.
Gonna bring Mitsuo in after Hugues responds.


--

Ruby frowns and turns away from J.R. "Courtesy, sir, costs you nothing. I owe you no such explanation if you are to treat me as an enemy. For the blood between us, I will take no offense this once." She looks back at him, and her eyes are dark and dangerous. "Once and only."

Krysmphoenix
Jul 29, 2010
Hugues Turner Fate Points: 2

Careful Hugues, one wrong word and you'll just make yourself even more suspicious to this man. And that would ruin any shot at getting re-accepted by the White Council. Answer carefully...answer literally.

"Well, this obviously isn't the first time I've seen a sword. I saw you use yours against the zombies, and I'm pretty sure you used it at the church as well against the demon." Answer set, now stop him from following up on what he really meant by that.

(Lore +-+- +5 = 5.)
Cole's sword is plain and thin, much like the man himself. But there's something decidedly odd about the signs of wear and tear. Hugues would have expected that kind of damage on a broadsword, not a thin saber. It looks like a sword that's been wielded with a great deal of strength, and not a lot of finesse. And that... isn't very like Cole. Is it?

Hugues looked at the sword with a lot of curiosity. At first moment, he wanted to blame Mitsuo for that, but even this didn't feel very much like Mitsuo. "Anyone else use this sword recently?"

Piell
Sep 3, 2006

Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer


Young Orc
J.R. - FP: 3

"That might've come out a bit more tetchy than I'd wanted it to, buy when you show up with the man who nearly killed me and say you're my granddaughter. You can see how I'd be a mite skeptical, then?" JR says.

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

"And you put a bullet in that man, who has cared for me since before I could walk, and I did not respond in kind. That should count for something." She has her grandmother's glare, that's for certain. "It was not the meeting I would have chosen." she says, looking at the hole in the ground and the knocked over marker.

"I am Sidhe. I cannot lie. When I tell you plainly that you are my grandfather, father of my father, then it is so. I have no proof that is beyond doubt. My face could be a forgery, any token of the family could be stolen. You will either accept my word or you will not." She shrugged. "Uncle fears you. He fears you will not heed me, and that creature will once again use you as a pawn. He would have me kill you from a great distance, beyond the range of your guns. He is a coward. I am not."


--

Warden Cole FP:2

"Not my sword, Hugues." Cole said softly. He wasn't angry, but he wasn't falling for the obvious misdirection either. "I'm asking you for help, so I won't press. I just wish you could trust me." He let that hang in the air for a second, then answered the question. "Mitsuo used my sword to break a pretty powerful circle we were both trapped in. I was under heavy mental assault at the time. I don't think that in itself would be enough to break Captain Luccio's spellwork, unless it was damaged already." He stopped, thinking.

Have I used the sword's counterspell since...? Cole shook his head, no.

Mitsuo knocked on the door and Cole opened it. "Come in." he said, waving everyone over to his desk. "Okay. First thing's first, let's find out what broke the spell on the blade. Mitsuo, touch the brass ring with your right hand. This is a basic... well it's technically an interrogation spell." He smirks. "The orb will display your memory, whole and accurate, only from the time you picked up my sword to the time you handed it back to me. I need your stated permission before we begin."

Piell
Sep 3, 2006

Grey Worm's Ken doll-like groin throbbed with the anticipatory pleasure that only a slightly warm and moist piece of lemoncake could offer


Young Orc
J.R. - FP: 3

JR's hand clenches as he forces himself to refrain from reaching for his gun. His granddaughter, a Sidhe? He couldn't say he'd ever have thought of such a thing - but then again, he hadn't thought he had any children, either. "Alright then, granddaughter. What do you fear Boh will have me do, and what is he working towards, then?"

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Chrome Gnome
Jan 21, 2009

yum tum yummy tum tay
Mitsuo - FP: 1

Mitsuo's eyes narrow. What a greeting! He ponders for a moment, then steps forward. "So long as it is confined to the stated timeframe, I accept." He reaches out to pick up the ring.

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