Night Fears log

Session Start: Mon Sep 12 02:46:49 2011
Session Ident: #NightFears2
[03:34] <MrCavern> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[03:36] <MrCavern> After a few moments of stunned silence, murmurs arise once again among the guests. How did that man of all people get chosen, that nobody compared to the other children present?
[03:37] <MrCavern> Beannighe curtsies deeply before the audience and moves back off the stage following the candidates, mingling among the guests once again, as much as someone who is a head taller than most can mingle.
[03:38] <MrCavern> She seems to be talking to the representatives of the Winter Court and the Black Court in turn, presumably arranging a date for a future, separate interview. Likely, she will come to talk to Sheng next.
[03:38] <Zan> "Of all the people to have a soft spot for clowns."
[03:39] <Malcolm> "It's not particularly surprising. A supernatural offering is worth more than even the most talented mortal."
[03:39] <MrCavern> Sheng nods pensively, talking animatedly to his wife in that odd dialect, briefly stopping to welcome the young girl back to the group.
[03:40] <MrCavern> Meanwhile, The clown seems to be milling about in the background, staring at the gift he just received with a slightly green face and apparently unclear on what to do.
[03:41] <MrCavern> It certainly doesn't help matters that all eyes seem to be on him.
[03:42] <MrCavern> Nodding to his wife, Sheng turns to Zan with a serious expression and mutters in English, "Boy, do you three have your own worldwalker?"
[03:42] <Malcolm> "Nevertheless, sometimes it is better to lose today so that you can win tomorrow." He frowns and looks around to see if there are any other representatives of the White Court here.
[03:43] <Malcolm> "Why do you ask?"
[03:43] <MrCavern> No other White Court vampires seem to be around.
[03:43] <Zan> He nods. "I believe my companions are capable of something like that."
[03:45] <Terry> Terry still looks slightly annoyed that he has to bring the small Jew back to his parents.
[03:46] <MrCavern> Sheng nods in turn. "Then... A favor, if you'd be so nice. Go talk to the young man who just won the book. Just talk to him. If the book is authentic, it should be noticable from close up. Afterwards, the Banshee will probably want to talk, so if you can cross over on your own, we can part ways here and get in touch later."
[03:50] <Malcolm> Malcolm nods. "We can come back to physical reality, yes. As for the guy..." Malcolm thinks over the situation.
[03:51] <Zan> "I talked to him earlier anyway, so sure."
[03:51] <Malcolm> Malcolm walks over to the other Malcolm. "How did you get picked, anyway?"
[03:53] <Zan> Zan follows, to witness the fateful meeting of Mals. "Who would have thought the banshee liked clowns? You have my sympathies."
[03:53] <MrCavern> Sheng nods. "Good. Luck be with you, boy." He shakes Zan's hand, then turns to smile at Beannighe as she comes to talk to the Jade Kings.
[03:55] <Zan> (before that, apparently) He shakes Sheng's hand in return. "Same to you, sir. I hope you can make the best of the situation, as it is." He then wanders off to the Mals.
[03:55] <MrCavern> The paler Mal looks up from his dazed contemplation of the book to look at the approaching other Mal and Zan. "Must've stepped on lady Luck's foot at some point. Man, women."
[03:55] <Zan> The half-dragon nods sagely. "Lady Luck is the worst mistress."
[04:02] <MrCavern> All three get a queasy feeling as they come closer to the book, a good indicator that the magic contained in the item is Bad News. Only Terry, however, notices something else. It doesn't seem all that big and mean of an aura, certainly not enough to have alerted everything within ten miles to its presence on its own. Maybe there was some kind of extraneous trigger.
[04:04] <Zan> Zan scowls a little. A headache-causing book. How annoying.
[04:04] <Malcolm> Mal raises an eyebrow. "So, did you literally lose a lottery or something? I mean, really, why did you get picked?"
[04:08] <MrCavern> The clown gives him a somewhat vexed expression and shrugs. "Punishment, I guess. You don't get beaten up by a janitor and keep your face that easily..."
[04:10] <Zan> "Reputation issues? Man, you get into all kinds of trouble."
[04:11] <MrCavern> "Don't I know it."
[04:11] <Zan> "Sorry, I didn't mean to rub it in."
[04:12] <MrCavern> Malmal shrugs again. "Eh, I'll live. I guess at least I did this right."
[04:15] <Terry> A thought occurs to Terry. He whispers to Zan. "Zan? I think someone may have used the book already."
[04:16] <Zan> "I'm guessing that's pretty high up there on the "bad news"-o-meter."
[04:16] <Malcolm> "I will not lie or pretend. You know we're interested in the book - everyone at the party is. What I'm wondering is whether you *want* to hand it over to the same fellows that sent you as an offering."
[04:18] <Zan> Zan decides to take a few steps away from the Mals and look around, making sure it isn't any less private than any other part of the room. Not any real privacy here, but he can at least see if there is anyone actively listening in. "What makes you think that?"
[04:18] <MrCavern> Malmal gives the first Mal a weird look at that, staying silent for a few seconds, then looks around. "Uh, could we not vaguely imply betrayal of family right where everyone's listening?"
[04:19] <Terry> "Well, look at it. It doesn't feel strong enough to alert everyone in the area. I think either someone used it or what we felt was something else."
[04:19] <Malcolm> "Feelings do not imply actions. I'm merely checking to see what is it that you want. Besides, as a ward of Beannighes, do you not think that she'd like to keep your conversations private or that you can request privacy if you so wish?"
[04:21] <Zan> "Hmm. True. So do you think it was used when we first felt it a few days ago, for that big "pulse" everyone and their grandmother could feel, or that it has had its "charge" used up since then? Do super books work like batteries or something?"
[04:23] <MrCavern> The clown still looks uncomfortable and casts looks about. "Maybe. But still, I'd rather not talk here with everyone watching. Some people also read lips, you know." His gaze settles on one man, Manuel Gomez, who's giving him a very unsubtle 'I'm gonna rip your guts out through your nose' look as he walks towards the exit with the listless boy in tow.
[04:23] <Terry> "This one is."
[04:24] <Terry> "Well. There's only one way to find out for sure."
[04:24] <Zan> "I...see. Must be quite some battery, then."
[04:25] <Malcolm> "I believe certain courses of action may be very profitable for you. If you wish to speak further on this issue, perhaps you could ask your newfound patron for a room where we may talk?"
[04:26] <Terry> So saying, Terry begins to walk resolutely towards the banshee.
[04:27] <MrCavern> He sighs. "Actually... if you have to, it's pretty loud outside, and I don't think she controls sound out there. Or in the mortal world, it'd be easy to find a private place."
[04:28] <MrCavern> Beannighe seems to be currently talking to Mr. Sheng, with her back turned to Terry.
[04:28] <Terry> Terry waits politely, then clears his throat when there seems to be a lull in the conversation.
[04:30] <Zan> Zan stays where he is, deciding to approach the Mals again since he doesn't have any suspicious whispering to do anymore.
[04:31] <MrCavern> Sheng and Beannighe seem to come to an agreement and look to the girl with the Jade Kings, who looks rather tired by now and nods hesitantly. Then, they bow to each other and Sheng turns to talk to his entourage again whilst Beannighe turns towards Terry and gives him what is probably a quizzical look under that veil.
[04:31] <Malcolm> "We can speak wherever it is that you feel comfortable. I assume you have a phone?"
[04:32] <Terry> "Pardon me ma'am, but I couldn't help but notice that the book feels less powerful than expected. We were wondering, especially Zan, what the book was used for before."
[04:32] <Terry> "In fact, Zan was the one who wanted me to ask you," he adds quickly.
[04:32] <Terry> "He's shy."
[04:34] <MrCavern> Beannighe chuckles softly, again that grating sound of a hundred birds in Terry's ears. "An interesting question, indeed. I wonder, what would the answer be worth to you, my boy?"
[04:35] <Terry> Terry thinks about that for a moment. Clearly he cannot offer another small Jew so soon after the last one.
[04:35] <MrCavern> He head twitches slightly to the side, casting a quick look at Zan talking to her newest foster child, before turning back to Terry.
[04:39] <Terry> Terry lowers his voice. "Information for information. I can tell you what your new ward is planning to do after he meets with Sawyer again later."
[04:39] <Malcolm> "I just want you to realize that the White Court is not the only place where you might find allies. You must also realize that if someone screws you over, there might be people willing to exact revenge on others."
[04:40] <Terry> He raises his voice again. "How would you like to know the secret to true happiness?" he says, a friendly smile on his face.
[04:49] <MrCavern> Suddenly, an explosion of grating sounds harrasses Terry's ears. Looking at Beannighe, it seems she is giggling like a young girl, holding a hand in front of where her mouth would be, her shoulders shaking. Every pair of eyes in the room turns towards Terry, it seems like everyone heard that last comment about true happiness.
[04:49] <MrCavern> The sound ceases and Beannighe seems to calm down, whispering to Terry with a smile still in her voice. "The deal is made then, young believer. Before it came into my possession, the book you seek was last used to reanimate the corpses of a fallen battalion in what you know as the Thirty Years' War."
[04:50] <Terry> Terry bows thankfully.
[04:51] <Terry> As he rises he pulls out a pamphlet and offers it to the banshee.
[04:51] <MrCavern> Beannighe curtsies in turn and whispers, "An informant will be sent to your domicile to collect the information in return." She takes the pamphlet with a courteous nod.
[04:52] <Terry> That done, Terry turns and rejoins Zan and Sawyer.
[04:56] <MrCavern> To Mal, the vampire Mal shrugs noncommitally. "Yeah, I guess."
[05:12] <MrCavern> In the background, Sheng and his wife are seen apparently bidding farewell to the little girl that came with them, who doesn't look so happy, but goes along as she is led from the ball room by Beannighe. The Jade Kings then leave the room themselves by a door other than the one they entered through.
[05:12] <MrCavern> Up on the balcony, the representatives of Monoc Securities are making ready to leave. The wizard that was sitting near them seems to have left already, and Manuel Gomez is nowhere to be seen. The attendants are thinning out.
[05:12] <MrCavern> Looking up from another bout of staring at the book with a green face, clown-Mal looks up and shrugs. "Well, I need to go back for now. I guess if you want to talk, we can do it on the way, assuming you guys want back to the mortal world too."
[05:14] <Malcolm> "It would be convenient, thank you."
[05:14] <Zan> "Sounds good to me."
[05:15] <MrCavern> "Alright." He casts about another nervous look and seems relieved to not see someone. "That Red from before gives off bad vibes."
[05:16] <MrCavern> "Let's go then. Where are you headed? I came in through Calvary cemetery."
[05:16] <Malcolm> "He's something of an annoying dick, yes. Am I correct when I remember that the White Court battles not via open warfare but through clever plots?"
[05:18] <MrCavern> Retrieving a while fedora from the doorguard, Malmal nods as he makes his way towards the main entrance. "Pretty much, yeah." He tucks the still-wrapped book under his tuxedo and grabs a tight hols of his hat before stepping outside, having to shout over the winds when he speaks again. "Why?"
[05:19] <Malcolm> "What are you supposed to do with the book?"
[05:20] <MrCavern> "Give it to the big boss in LA. Dunno what he wants it for."
[05:22] <Malcolm> "And when are you supposed to do that?
[05:23] <Zan> Zan follows along, not having much to say.
[05:24] <MrCavern> "Tomorrow at noon. Which is weird, boss isn't usually that lax with deadlines."
[05:25] <Zan> "How strange."
[05:29] <Malcolm> "Do you remember if the wording of your orders and do you know if there are any loopholes there we could exploit?"
[05:32] <MrCavern> "Uh. Boss just said, 'Beannighe has a book I want and is auctioning it off. Apply to get it, make yourself known, let them know the White Court is there. Bring the book to me at noon after the auction.'" Malmal isn't shouting quite as loudly anymore, now that they are getting close to the cross signaling the Way back to Calvary and the wind isn't quite so loud.
[05:35] <Malcolm> "Considering your current position, I'm assuming you aren't particularly powerful within the court?"
[05:35] <Zan> Zan adjusts his collar, because of the wind. "Hmm. Is this where we squabble over word choice or something? Because that seems common in this sort of situation."
[05:35] <MrCavern> Malmal gives Mal a certain look. "I feed by scaring children as a clown. Guess."
[05:36] <Malcolm> "You do realize that 'noon after the auction' does not specify a day? You could withhold the book based on wording alone here."
[05:37] <Zan> Zan nods to himself. "Word squabbling it is. Hmm. According to your recount, he also said 'bring,' not necessarily 'give.'"
[05:37] <Malcolm> "Is there anything in particular that the Court wants done in the area? If so, we could come up with some sort of a plan to make you look good, like someone to be respected and feared."
[05:38] <MrCavern> The clown seems to mull that over as they arrive at the correct marker. "I guess. But why would I want to keep the damn thing? It's gonna draw people wanting to kill me like flies to honey. And the boss can break my neck himself if he wants to."
[05:38] <Zan> "All very excellent points."
[05:38] <Malcolm> "Wouldn't that show utter weakness on his part? To devolve to a level of direct, physical violence?"
[05:41] <MrCavern> "True, I guess. Anyway, we're here. Hold on a second." Malmal extends the hand holding his hat in the air above the cross marking the Way for a few seconds, and the air seems to waver, forming a portal to the mortal world.
[05:43] <Zan> "Well, that's convenient."
[05:46] <Malcolm> "After you," he says ", so, you did not answer whether the Court needs anything done."
[05:46] <MrCavern> "Can't imagine many people being on the other side, so it's easy enough to continue talking there." With that, Malmal steps on through the portal first, but before his body is fully through, he yelps and is pulled forward suddenly, as if falling.
[05:50] <Zan> Zan reaches out and catches him in a blur of motion. He almost did it without thinking. Almost. He still thinks faster than he moves. "Woah there."
[05:51] <MrCavern> "Whoa!" Malmal yelps as he first seems to fall, then is abruptly catched by Zan. "Whoops. Guess I should look first. Did I make the portal too far up or something?"
[05:51] <Malcolm> Malcolm looks through the portal to see what is on the other sid.
[05:51] <Malcolm> *side.
[05:52] <Zan> Zan shrugs. He doesn't know much about reality-jumping. He looks over the clown's shoulder into the portal though.
[05:54] <MrCavern> Mist seems to have moved in on the other side, obscuring view beyond a few feet. Looking down, Mal can see that the White Court vampire did nothing wrong in creating his passage, it's right where it should be in relation to the ground - it's just there's a big, deep hole in the ground now where the grave in front of the Way used to be.
[05:54] <MrCavern> The second thing he notices is music. Some kind of orchestral music with a strong rhythm. Wagner?
[05:56] <Malcolm> "Monoc is on the other side."
[05:56] <MrCavern> "Hey, what's going on over there?" Malmal the clown tries to squeeze past Malcolm to get a better look at the scenery himself.
[05:56] <Malcolm> "Probably."
[05:57] <Malcolm> Malcolm catches his namesake. "Don't go looking out of the portal. I have no idea what they intend."
[05:58] <Zan> "Ambush the guy with the book and take it? Though I'd imagine Missus Banshee wouldn't like that."
[05:58] <Zan> "Miss Banshee? Whatever."
[05:59] <Malcolm> "Well, yes, I mean whether their plan involves us ending up with bullet holes."
[05:59] <MrCavern> At that moment, three figures move up behind the group of four, and a female voice calls, "Hey, what's the holdup?"
[06:02] <Malcolm> Malcolm whispers to the others. "Let's move away, while I have a business relationship with the gal on the other side, I'd rather not risk trying anything fancy. Let's just escape and try to find a different way."
[06:03] <Zan> "Any other convenient doorways around? Hopefully with less ominous opera music."
[06:05] <MrCavern> The woman at the front of the figures steps forward, revealing herself as Ms. Mist, as if Mal hadn't guessed that already. "Hey there, Sawyer. Are you going through or not?"
[06:08] <Malcolm> "Depends. Is there a minefield or a team of yours on the other side?"
[06:10] <MrCavern> Mist's eyebrows rise as she gives Mal a skeptical look. "Is it just me, or is your weird humor getting less funny by the day? C'mon, boys." More-or-less gently pushing the Mals aside, Mist moves to step through the portal, followed by her entourage of two... without looking first, of course.
[06:13] <Malcolm> "Let's get going," he carefully gets to the other side of the portal.
[06:14] <MrCavern> A surprised shout comes fromt he other side of the portal as Ms. Mist steps through, followed by another shout. "Sawyer!"
[06:15] <Zan> Zan coughs. "Watch your step, miss." He speaks up before they go through, deciding that trying to catch someone with bodyguards would probably be interpreted in a negative light. But apparently decisively too late.
[06:15] <Malcolm> Stepping out of the portal, Malcolm can't resist a grin, but he offers her a hand to help her get up.
[06:16] <Zan> Zan steps through the portal after the others.
[06:19] <MrCavern> On the other side, the Wagner music is still going strong. Mal is greeted by a small gun's barrel pointed straight at his face. "This had better not be your fault, Sawyer." Mal notes that she thankfully doesn't have her finger on the trigger, but he also notices that the hole seems to be deeper than he thought at first - Mist is standing upright in a hole some sixty feet deep, and big enough to have once contained a coffin.
[06:20] <Malcolm> "You say such romantic things."
[06:20] <MrCavern> *six feet
[06:21] <Malcolm> "But, of course, it is quite naturally my fault. I spent the last three weeks arranging this precise location and manipulating everyone at the party so that I could catch you in this, one, precise moment."
[06:22] <Zan> "Hence the opera, presumably."
[06:23] <Zan> "Seriously though, what is with the opera? Are cemeteries their usual performing location?"
[06:24] <MrCavern> "Sounds like you, alright." Packing the small gun away, Ms. Mist allows Mal and one of the Monoc employees with her to help haul her out of the hole, then looks around as Malmal steps through the portal last and closes it. "Opera...? Wagner, huh? Never liked that much. One of my superiors dragged me to the Ring once, but meh."
[06:24] <MrCavern> The two men with her seem to snicker at that.
[06:26] <Malcolm> "Ride of the Valkyries not to your taste?"
[06:27] <MrCavern> Mist shakes her head. "Always liked ABBA better."
[06:27] <MrCavern> Looking about, there seem to be many similar holes in the ground, all in front of gravestones, some still in place, most lying around. As the music picks up, they notice something even more worrying: Several dozens of humanoid shapes visible through the mist, lumbering towards the group.
[06:27] <Malcolm> "I'm sure they're a phenomenal piece of musical performance that will last through the ages."
[06:28] <Malcolm> Malcolm sighs. "Fucking necromancers. You know?"
[06:28] <Zan> "Opera zombies? That's a new one."
[06:30] <MrCavern> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------