21:09 <Crion> November lumbers on. It's the third week now -- but don't worry, Stewart, this November is five months and backloaded. There's still time. It's only been two weeks since Halloween. 21:11 <Crion> The motley has no official responsibilities at the moment, though they do have a number of individual goals and directives. There seems to be something of an organizational hangover after one of the big parties; the King of Autumn hasn't sent out any Freehold-wide directives since the morning of the first of the month, when he tersely assured everyone everything was fine, in the vaguest 21:11 <Crion> possible terms. 21:12 <Crion> So, anyone can be up to anything, really, in the bounds of good sense or promise. 21:16 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart's spending as much time with Lauren as he can... which isn't nearly enough to fill the gaps in his time and attention. Even streaming's basically dead this late in a league. He's playing random games and every one makes him think about something he could be doing or feels he should be doing instead... it's not great. Too many chances to be alone, and when he's alone there's so 21:16 <VoxPVoxD> little reason not to drink. 21:19 <trenchfoot> Nels is trying to look through online records of Foulkes to track down relatives; she hasn't asked anyone else, yet, because. Well. It's family. And not the Motley family, her-not-her family, which is upsetting to consider and confront. 21:19 <VoxPVoxD> The politically correct spelling these days is Foulx. 21:19 <trenchfoot> >:I 21:20 <banana> Melanie Lucas has many concerns, some justified. 21:20 <Crion> Lauren has been as much of a presence in Stewart's life as he's willing to allow, given the circumstances. She hasn't framed it as moving in...but if he allows it, she'll basically have moved in. And the Canterbury/Jameson rotation will be back outside when they're at Stewart's place, though this time not because of Nels. 21:21 <trenchfoot> Their presence is appreciated anyway. The initial panic is gone, but. Well. Guardians are nice to have, even if they aren't your guardians. 21:21 <VoxPVoxD> He'd be ecstatic to have her around that much and the broader implications for their relationship wouldn't really register against everything else on his mind.............. but what about Chup? 21:21 <banana> For example, she needs to get better at dealing with retail or find a way to order printer paper online. Also: to work out everyone's exact schedules for being away or awake so that they aren't bothered by the noise of printing reams of thesis crap. 21:22 <Crion> Chup will join, if Stewart is amenable. Though he'll stay at Stewart's place, not come with them into the Wherehouse. 21:22 <Crion> Probably not wise. 21:23 <VoxPVoxD> It'll be a good trial run for Stewart getting a cat of his own, which is one of those things he wants to do but feels like he's in too much danger to justify. 21:23 <banana> Something else that worries Melanie: what happened to Gemma Franklin? She was being plunged head-first into freehold society and looked to be dealing with it by Not Going Out; Melanie's been there, and took much longer to recover, and.. it's not just Peter's keeper. 21:24 <dammitwho> Maggie is hefting blocks with question marks on them into and out of a train, at the best of little mushroom men! 21:24 <Crion> Langford List actually runs an office supply business on the side as part of the foundation's diverse small business portfolio, so he can probably help Melanie on the first bit. 21:25 <banana> Summer's not great at keeping up with people either, but Melanie thinks the Winter Court's even worse at it. So at some point after meeting John-a-dreams, she'll get some contact details out of Tony and see what's up. 21:25 <Crion> As for Gemma...Melanie can probably set something up, but she'll have to reach out to Winter. 21:27 <dammitwho> At some point, she's doing that. For the rest of the time she's... what? Who's around the Wherehouse and looks like they could use a hand? 21:30 <Crion> Sadly for Nels...computers suck. The internet sucks. This is all a trash morass. Even when she tries to move off of it to solid brick-and-mortar libraries, the volumes she's looking for are misfiled or nonexistant or she just can't find them. Public works are in a sad, sad state in the city of Baltimore. 21:31 <Crion> Tony's given Melanie a contact in Winter: Spring. Yes, that's her name. She's Winter's shooter. It's just a phone number. 21:31 <trenchfoot> How come whoever magicked up the internet didn't make it so that it knew what you were looking for and just gave it? Someone should do that. 21:32 <trenchfoot> Somewhere, a monkey's paw curls. 21:34 <trenchfoot> A few hours and some extremely uncouth language later, Nels is marching down the hallway to knock on Stewart's door. She did the old inhale-count-exhale-count trick to not sound angry and everything. 21:34 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart does spend a lot of time at the Belvedere, though he spends more time trying to coax the machine to be more stable than actually using the program. 21:34 <dammitwho> "Melanie!" Maggie booms cheerfully. "What's up?" 21:38 <VoxPVoxD> He wants to try to find out what Proctor's answered to before the Mistress got him. 21:38 <VoxPVoxD> He's also home, though, when Nels comes knocking. "Hey! What's up?" He steps back to let her in. 21:39 <VoxPVoxD> "Are you hungry? I just reheated some pizza." 21:40 <trenchfoot> Nels is - well, she's not the judge, but she feels more nervous than usual as she steps inside. "No, no, I'm - on a mission? Kind of? And when I was searching I couldn't find anything." Then she plops herself down on the nearest convenient couch or chair or what have you. 21:40 <trenchfoot> "I'm looking for my family." 21:41 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart closes the door and stands at it for a moment, looking at her. 21:41 <VoxPVoxD> "How can I help?" 21:42 <Crion> The entry is...scant. In fact, the first entry is fully unreadable -- the words, including the article title, are either unintelligible, blurred (it's not the monitor), or occasionally, Wingdings. But there's a link to click to the Proctor's page directly, which straightforwardly lays out his history as a slaver and abuser, in the past tense, and notes his death. It notes he was born in 21:42 <Crion> Scotland, lived in Baton Rouge a time -- killed most of the Freehold there, apparently -- and then was driven east to Florida then north up the coast. There is, however, a link to related topics at the bottom... 21:43 <Crion> To the Sign of the Pig and Ram. 21:43 <Crion> Well. 21:43 <Crion> "The Sign of the Pig and Ram." 21:43 <Crion> Clicking through brings Stewart back to that first article, but now the blurred out parts are legible. 21:46 <trenchfoot> Nels: "They go to UMBC. But I - they put so much garbage online...!" She looks, really looks at Stewart. "I can't find them. Her. She's a Foulke, still, probably, but..." A frustrated grunt. "I want to, I don't know! Talk to her, find out more about the family, maybe stare awkwardly from across the room." 21:46 <Crion> In Eygyptian mythology, Set took the form of a pig and blinded Horus before disappearing. A thief. Set is a god of chaos, and the pig a symbol of sacrifice. The god Khnum created men on his pottery wheel. He is a god of strength and birth, with the ram as his sigil. Together they are...quite clearly not actually Egyptian. Whatever is going on here is aesthetic. It's like a British reading 21:46 <Crion> of hieroglyphics. These gods don't go together like this, most likely. 21:46 <Crion> Perfect for one of the Keepers, especially in America. 21:46 <trenchfoot> "Probably not that last one." 21:46 <Crion> There's another link at the bottom of the page, to another related topic: The Son of Bastet. 21:46 <Crion> But that link's red. 21:46 <VoxPVoxD> Shit! 21:47 <Crion> No further information there. The article hasn't been built...yet. 21:47 <VoxPVoxD> This will have to do. 21:49 <VoxPVoxD> In the present: "...okay. So you don't have her name, right?" 21:49 <trenchfoot> Miserably: "No." 21:49 <trenchfoot> "Just some articles about how the great-granddaughter of Nels Foulke is going there. Here. Whatever." 21:52 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "That's okay. We can come at it from another angle. How comfortable are you with like, researching your fetch?" 21:52 <trenchfoot> Nels: "...Comfortable enough to do it." 21:55 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Then we'll just find her Sunpaper obituary. That will name her children and any grandchildren born at the time. And then we can look *them* up... we'll just work our way down." 21:56 <VoxPVoxD> "It's only a two generation hop so unless your fetch's entire family is afraid of computers they'll be on there. It's honestly terrifying how much information there is about people online and how easy it is to get at." 21:56 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Okay! Okay." They're just names. Except for the one in college. Oh god. "I'd expect they're only afraid of four-way stops." 21:56 <banana> Melanie looks up without otherwise moving, turning her head slowly toward Maggie like she was the sun or something. She's leaning on a wall, clutching a phone, and looking only mildly miserable. 21:56 <banana> "Well I was just.. phone calls. That's the only way Winter communicates, and it's hard enough when you can actually see people." 21:57 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart asks Nels a couple more questions while he quickly eats his pizza, then washes his hands and leads her into his office. There's a second office chair in there now. 21:57 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Oh? Anything worrying?" 21:58 <Crion> Lauren can be out of the apartment if Stewart wishes, but Chup is probably ambling about, staring Nels down. 21:58 <trenchfoot> She plops herself down in the second chair, crossing her legs immediately and tapping her foot nervously. 21:58 <banana> Melanie: "I've got to talk to this woman Spring - Spring of Winter - all Tony said is that she's a killer, literally. Like she's really good at killing people." 21:59 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart has no wish to get rid of Lauren. Whether she's here or not, he leaves the office door open for Chup. 21:59 <Crion> Then the next question is, ah, where can she set up her rig? 22:00 <Crion> The main room has the right power outlets if some furniture gets moved around. 22:00 <Crion> Otherwise it's the bedroom. 22:00 <trenchfoot> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 22:00 <Crion> You don't want both in the office because that puts them on the same circuit, and that's two high-end machines with add-ons. 22:00 <VoxPVoxD> Anywhere she wants. The office's plenty big enough to support a second desk. Stewart would prefer, but not insist, she not bring a lot of electronics into the bedroom. So the living room's fine. 22:01 <dammitwho> Maggie: "That is... pretty worrying, yeah. How come?" 22:01 <VoxPVoxD> If she's still in the process of setting stuff up the couch might be askew or have a bunch of stuff on it. 22:01 <Crion> Living room it is. She only spends time on it for work right now; the clan has agreed to stop gaming until the Huntsman is dealt with because the werewolves' unsecure connections could be used by the Sky Mother. 22:02 <banana> Melanie sets the phone down on a countertop and pokes at it. "She's their public contact basically. I want to check in on Gemma and these guys have decided that what she needs is social isolation to start.." 22:02 <banana> "Hey. Maggie." 22:02 <Crion> Lauren will greet Nels when she arrives and then swivel back to her work, which is fucking around with router settings half a city away. Occasionally she has to call over to get Smitten to reset it. 22:02 <banana> "Would you mind.. helping? Like if I put this on speakerphone." 22:02 <Crion> She is also containing Chup, for the moment. 22:03 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Sure, I guess. I don't know that I'll be any better at talking to those Winter fellas, but I'll give you the ol' moral support." 22:03 <VoxPVoxD> Chup cannot be contained. Chup is boundless. 22:04 <trenchfoot> Nels smiles apologetically for borrowing her boyfriend and infringing upon their space, but... there aren't many other places she could go for this. 22:04 <Crion> He flumps in agreement. 22:05 <banana> Melanie: "Yes please. I just don't want to fuck up and have someone be all, You are a security threat. Winter begins today." 22:06 <banana> She'll dial, or tap, or scratch. 22:06 <Crion> The line will ring three times, then pick up. To silence. 22:07 <banana> Melanie: "..." 22:08 <Crion> Unless Maggie says something, the line goes dead after seven seconds. 22:09 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Hello! Is this Spring?" 22:09 <VoxPVoxD> What's Lauren's tolerance for background noise? Stewart'd probably have music going if he was here with Nels alone, but, Lauren is also working and on the phone. 22:10 <Crion> There's a soft click as a handset is set down aside the reciever, instead of on it. Sounds like you're on speaker. "Yeah. You don't sound like the wood, or the nerd, or the gee-tar. So you're the fire." 22:10 <Crion> "Maggie?" 22:11 <banana> Melanie: "Oh, you've traced our number or something. That's cool." 22:11 <Crion> If Stewart closes the office door it'll be fine. 22:11 <Crion> She won't even give a dirty look at him doing that with another young woman, 22:12 <VoxPVoxD> ...nah, he'd rather be able to hear Lauren. Plus it gets real stuffy in here with the door shut. 22:12 <Crion> Well then don't like, start playing music. 22:12 <VoxPVoxD> He won't. 22:12 <Crion> Other than that, all good. 22:12 <dammitwho> Pleasantly: "Yes, that's right. Also that was Melanie just now." 22:12 <VoxPVoxD> So it's in comparative silence that Stewart begins a genealogical survey starting with the late, fake Helen "Nels" Foulke. 22:12 <Crion> Spring: "No, Melanie, I just keep careful track of who has this number." 22:13 <Crion> "But for the record you can't trace calls from where you are." 22:13 <Crion> Spring: "Well. So. What's up." 22:13 <banana> ..well, it would've been cool, if they could do that. "Oh, I- I see. Hello." 22:13 <Crion> "Hi." 22:14 <dammitwho> Winter folk, or at least this one, probably get straight to the point, and probably appreciate their interlocutors doing the same. "Well, we were hoping to get in contact with young Gemma, or at the least learn how she's doing." 22:14 <trenchfoot> Nels watches the screen with interest and next-to-no commentary. Does humming count as commentary? Maybe it's actually none. 22:14 <dammitwho> "Concerned freeholders, and all." 22:14 <Crion> "She's doing fine." 22:14 <Crion> "...You want a meet, don't you." 22:14 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "The library's been working to get all this stuff searchable online, so-- ah, here we go." 22:14 <banana> Melanie: "Yes please, if that's okay." 22:15 <Crion> Spring: "I'm gonna put you on hold. There won't be music. Don't hang up." 22:15 <Crion> The line is muted, but is still open. 22:15 <dammitwho> To Melanie: "I think this is going well!" 22:15 <banana> Melanie mutes it on their end, too. "Yeah. If it's not okay, I'll ask why." 22:16 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "So like... what are you going to tell her?" 22:16 <banana> "Do you want to meet up with her too?" 22:17 <dammitwho> Maggie nods. "Might as well." 22:18 <Crion> The other end comes off of mute. "Why?" It's not Spring's voice; it's Gemma's. 22:18 <trenchfoot> Nels: "I - oh, gosh. Ohhhhhh gosh. I um. The plan was to, I guess, try and study? With her?" This is the least sure she's ever sounded. "And then maybe ask about the family?" 22:19 <trenchfoot> "I don't. It feels like I shouldn't go around telling people I barely know what happened to me. And showing up and saying, 'hi, it's me, your great-grandma' sounds like a bad idea." 22:19 <dammitwho> Maggie will raise her eyebrows at Melanie. Does she have an answer ready? 22:21 <banana> "Hey! Gemma. I-" Hmm. Having some sort of four-way conversation is actually incredibly embarassing. "It was good to run into you on the weekend so I wanted to.. check in. And see if you're, like, how things are going so far." 22:22 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "But getting so close without really being able to connect is like watching them through glass. Not to mention the, like, the ethics of it." 22:22 <VoxPVoxD> "You wonder if they'll ever be ready for the truth. You wonder if you'll ever be ready for the truth." 22:22 <VoxPVoxD> "Sometimes you wonder whether you really want to know." 22:22 <Crion> "Oh." She's almost audibly blinking on the other end. To someone else, likely Spring: "Is it okay if...? Okay." Back to Melanie: "Yeah. Yeah, okay. You want to grab coffee or something? I dunno if you like. Drink coffee." 22:25 <trenchfoot> Nels slumps. "I just. I want to know what the other Nels was like. And I want to know that my family's okay. And I-- I know I want to know, but..." 22:25 <trenchfoot> "My" family. Nels wasn't even dating when she vanished. 22:25 <banana> :) "I would like to do that! Coffee yes, but honestly I don't know how." 22:26 <Crion> From off-phone: "She's a tree, Gemma." 22:26 <Crion> Gemma, away from the phone: "She is not a tree." 22:27 <Crion> Back on phone. "Yeah, that's good. There's a place in Charles Village..." She gives an address. 22:27 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Yeah, no, I get it. I totally get it." 22:27 <VoxPVoxD> "You can't help but think about the life you didn't get to have." 22:28 <trenchfoot> Nels: "And I can't even talk about it to people I knew, because they're all dead. It's just me and what we left behind." 22:28 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart envies that. 22:29 <dammitwho> Maggie, approvingly: "That sounds nice." 22:29 <trenchfoot> Again with the 'we'. 22:29 <VoxPVoxD> He doesn't say so out loud, obviously. 22:30 <Crion> Gemma sets a time, and then Spring cuts in. "Cool. Just so you know, there will be Winter presence on the ground. Just so you're not surprised. See ya there." 22:30 <Crion> Line goes dead. 22:30 <banana> Melanie: "Yeah you too Maggie right?"She's about to go on confusedly, but Spring interjects. 22:30 <VoxPVoxD> The website's gotten kind of laggy, so there's long loading screens between searches that let Stewart lean back in his chair and look around at the ceiling, the other monitors, and Nels. "How's your studying coming, anyway? Do you... do you like need a study partner, or is it more that you want one?" 22:31 <banana> "Ahh. I guess it's probably good that they're doing this kind of.. chaperoning" 22:32 <trenchfoot> Nels: "More the latter, I think I'm doing well... but it might go faster with a partner. I've been putting it off, I guess." 22:33 <trenchfoot> "Took a backseat to all of our nutso stuff... and then, well. Why not try and find a relative." 22:38 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Yeah. It's good. It's a good project, lets you flex different skills, learn stuff you'd never learn otherwise. It's just, you know, the most complicated thing imaginable." 22:42 <VoxPVoxD> Man this site is taking f o r e v e r. "So, listen to any good music lately?" 22:45 <dammitwho> "Welp. Better get my coat!" 22:47 <banana> Melanie: "Do you think having winter bodyguards around will make everyone in the coffee shop chilly?" 22:49 <Crion> The coffee shop is a little local affair near the Johns Hopkins campus. There's a Ledo's Pizza nearby, if you want Maryland-style pizza. Such as it is. 22:53 <Crion> Standing on the door is the Winter Court also-ran Cider Stitch, who Maggie will recognize from murdering some cops. He'll grin when you approach. 22:53 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Be chilly anyhow, won't it?" 22:56 <banana> Melanie will chatter happily on the way - we can take one car, right? Might as well slow down global warming. "It's nice that she's doing okay, right? Like for herself and also it means we've done something good, mostly just by being around. There was something at the club.. like she was taking well to all the weirdos around here, such as you and me, but also had a qualia of risk, like 22:56 <banana> I wanted to 'protect' her or something." 22:58 <dammitwho> Maggie nods agreeably, letting Melanie talk. 23:00 <banana> She doesn't know Cider Stitch, though... 23:02 <Crion> Cider Stitch: "Hey, Mags. I can call you Mags, right? Gem and Spring are in the last booth." He nods at Melanie. 23:03 <banana> Okay no there's a protocol for this. An etiquette. Someone who's a literal nodding acquaintance, allied but unknown, friendly but not a friend... she can do this. Melanie says: "Sup." 23:04 <Crion> He grins. "Not much. You?" 23:04 <VoxPVoxD> After he's sent Nels on his way, he'll head out. "I'm going down by Lexington and the goblin market, want anything?" he asks Lauren as he gets his coat on. 23:05 <Crion> "Yeah," she says. "To come with. Lemme get into jeans." 23:05 <Crion> She has been in the apartment all day, and did just get off the phone. 23:05 <Crion> After hours on the phone. 23:05 <dammitwho> "Hiya, Cider! Good to see ya. Ope, let me squeeze by here," Maggie will give him a nod in passing. 23:05 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart's a little relieved he's not the only one feeling stir crazy. 23:07 <banana> Ah fuck. People can respond to that? "Staying alive basically." She'll escape through the gap Maggie's created. Guess we're meeting 'Spring' today as well... 23:08 <Crion> Cider Stitch's face gets serious for a sec and he nods, holding the door open for both of them. 23:09 <Crion> The shop is semi-full, but Gemma and Spring are mostly alone in the back corner. 23:09 <Crion> Gemma's in a smart black jacket and black jeans, while Spring is in baggy pants and a hoodie. 23:09 <Crion> One's easier to conceal a gun under than the other. 23:11 <Crion> Gemma will wave the two of them over, while Spring will just stare. 23:12 <Crion> Meanwhile, Cider Stich moves inside the coffee shop behind them and takes up a position to cover all the sightlines that Spring can't, from a chair near the register. 23:13 <Crion> Meanwhile, Stewart and Lauren will reach Notgnixel Market without incident. 23:13 <banana> Hey, that's a good look. In theory Melanie would like to get back into fashion some time, but there's the issue of materials and shapes.. anyway. What she's thinking is: Winter is keenly aware that the Mistress is taking an interest in the world, which is good. Or there's been some other threat to Gemma, which is bad. Or they're completely paranoid, which is in line with the propaganda 23:13 <banana> she's been fed from her own people. 23:14 <VoxPVoxD> It's only a ten minute drive from the apartment to the market. Now, as Stewart recalls, there's some trick to getting in? 23:14 <banana> "Hiii. This is Maggie, you must be.. Spring.." 23:14 <Crion> You need a Coin of the Realm...or outstanding debt. 23:14 <Crion> Stewart is covered. 23:15 <VoxPVoxD> ...nice. 23:16 <Crion> Or a season pass, which Lauren has. 23:16 <Crion> But the guard opens the door and lets the two of you through with neither muss nor fuss. 23:17 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "So, as I recall, Melanie went to the WOE section... I'm looking for a mean cat." 23:17 <Crion> Lauren: "Meaner than Chup?" 23:17 <Crion> Spring: "Yyyyyeah." 23:17 <Crion> Gemma: "Hey Melanie! Hi Maggie!" 23:18 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Chup's not mean. He's just... imperious." 23:19 <Crion> Lauren: "No, that's still mean. It's only cute because he can't do anything about you picking him up and cuddling him." 23:19 <Crion> "Like. Think if he was 300 pounds." 23:19 <banana> Melanie: "Have you been out to cafes like this yet? I've basically got to the point where it's like, a comforting affordance instead of an alien negotiation ritual." 23:20 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Now I'm thinking about it. I'm going to be thinking about it all day, at least." 23:20 <Crion> Gemma laughs. "I didn't spend too much time over there, thankfully. I actually WORKED at one of these places before I got grabbed." 23:20 <Crion> Lauren nods firmly. 23:21 <Crion> So Stewart's looking for the Son of Bastet? 23:21 <VoxPVoxD> That's the plan. If something bizarre happens to sidetrack it, well, Stewart's not that hard to sidetrack. 23:24 <banana> Melanie: "Retail.. that's a good preview of fairy hell, yeah. I think I worked part time at.. an American Apparel once? It's a bit mixed up with other memories." Specifically: shoplifting. 23:25 <Crion> He's...harder to find than he was when Melanie found him. That's odd. Instead of being on the main thoroughfare, he's well off the beaten track, down a vendor alley and then two or three more turns. He's still sitting in a booth labeled Seven Devils, though, with seven statues behind him, just like Melanie would have told Stewart to look for. 23:25 <dammitwho> Maggie: "How do, Gemma?" 23:25 <dammitwho> Maggie: "How do, Gemma?" 23:25 <Crion> He has a guest too, though. 23:25 <VoxPVoxD> Seven statues of what? 23:26 <Crion> A tall cat in a sharp suit. Like, a literal cat. Well, mostly a man, but a cat head. 23:26 <banana> The way Melanie put it was actually 'here's what to stay away from'. Figureheads of egyptian gods, a sign of someone you don't want to deal with. But Stewart knows what he's doing. 23:26 <banana> Right? 23:27 <Crion> Hard to tell, but they look like Eygptian...gods, maybe? The whole booth seems themed that way. 23:27 <VoxPVoxD> Is the business cat a customer or a coworker. Or rather, is Stewart interrupting anything if he gets close? 23:28 <Crion> Gemma, smiling slightly, cupping a medium hot chocolate: "I'm good. How've you been? Both of you." 23:28 <Crion> The two cats -- the proprietor seated in the lotus position on a pillow, the business cat leaning against a fake stone pillar -- seem engaged in a low, mrowling conversation. 23:29 <dammitwho> "Uff. I tell ya, I don't know how you Winter sorts manage. I'm freezing my behindus off and it's still November." 23:29 <Crion> Two-Step: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZjAantupsA No romance, no romance, no romance for me, mama -- come on baby, tell me what's the word. 23:30 <Crion> The Son of Bastet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHDE_P4mAzA I'll deliver Hell to your doorstep, dressed in rich façade. Then I'll burn you to the ground, like an angry god. 23:32 <VoxPVoxD> Okay, yeah, Stewart gets Melanie's aversion now. 23:32 <banana> Melanie: "We're keeping busy though actually. Like jogging through the hedge helps keep warm even it's throwing wolves at you.." 23:32 <Crion> The tall, be-suited cat notices the pair of them first, looking from Lauren to Stewart then back to Lauren, winking at her, flipping a coin to the Son of Bastet and withdrawing. 23:33 <banana> She clarifies. "Doing some work to help track down the, you know, robot monster who turned up last week." 23:33 <Crion> Spring, listlessly, to Maggie: "I wear layers." 23:33 <Crion> Gemma's eyes widen. "Wolves?" 23:34 <Crion> She of course got to see the robot monster live. 23:34 <Crion> Son of Bastet looks up and grins as the two Lost approach. 23:34 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart sucks in a breath and steps forward. 23:35 <banana> Melanie: "Oh, they're actually piles of garbage and nettle. It's like.. the edges of Arcadia know they ought to be an enchanted forest, but what it's got to work with is city and crappy underbrush." 23:36 <banana> "At some point if you need to know about that stuff Jackie Ordinary is the expert. From.. Spring I think?" She can't help glancing at the other one. Looks like she needs the coffee more than anyone. 23:36 <Crion> Gemma nods, while Spring says: "This is why the fact there's no gun control in this country owns." 23:36 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Are you Son of Bastet?" 23:37 <Crion> "Roll in there with a jungle-clipoed AR knockoff, three deep. God bless." 23:37 <Crion> Son of Bastet: "I'm." 23:38 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "You deal in weapons." 23:38 <Crion> Son of Bastet's smile widens. "No." 23:38 <Crion> "I deal in promises." 23:39 <Crion> "...Promises of weapons." 23:40 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart inclines his head, an acknowledgement of the correction. "I've come to bargain. The weapon I seek is the truth." 23:40 <banana> Somehow it makes sense that this is Tony's contact. "Yeah, if that's what you have to do. Um, I should point out that most of us don't end up having to combat wolves, or anthing else.. they're just out there is all!" 23:41 <Crion> Son of Bastet slumps. "Is that all? Does the truth have to come in the form of your target's dead lover, or...?" 23:42 <Crion> That last question is kind of hopeful. 23:43 <Crion> Spring: "Everything's just out there when you head into the Hedge." 23:43 <Crion> Spring: "I try not to do it, personally." 23:43 <Crion> Gemma: "So...what's up?" 23:43 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Something is coming. Not soon, but, maybe not long. The Sign of the Pig and Ram." 23:44 <Crion> The Son of Bastet straightens all the way up. 23:44 <Crion> "...You've seen the Sign?" 23:45 <banana> "Diegetically speaking? In the real world, I'm writing stuff, grad school work. Maggie you were looking for something right, a memory token?" 23:46 <Crion> Gemma blinks at that. Spring sort of looks away. 23:47 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I've seen signs of the Sign. Its slavers. Their corpses. New-made enemies, still living, drawing it here." 23:47 <Crion> "A token? Wait, I know what that is. Something you leave in the Hedge for awhile. Right Spring? It gets magic." 23:47 <Crion> Spring, bored: "Yup. It gets magic." 23:47 <Crion> Son of Bastet stands: "Who." 23:48 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Not a token, an Icon. S'different." 23:48 <banana> It looks like Gemma wasn't taken too deep. Social reintegration might be easy for her, with her problems being more practical ones, dangers of the fae (hence Winter's protection?). Melanie thought she'd be jealous of that, but encountering someone with shallower scars.. she's just grateful to whatever fate stayed its hand. 23:49 <dammitwho> "Tokens are the thing you said, Icons are, uh..." Maggie scratches the back of her neck. "Bits of people's memory that came off." 23:49 <Crion> Spring frowns and leans forward. "You're on after Icons?" 23:50 <Crion> This is the first time she's seemed interested in the conversation, really. 23:50 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Who who?" 23:51 <dammitwho> Maggie nods. 23:52 <Crion> Son of Bastet: "Which slavers. They take names. They are roles. The Haruspix. The Parson. The Proctor--" 23:52 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "The Proctor." 23:52 <Crion> "And he is dead?" 23:52 <VoxPVoxD> "Badly so." 23:53 <Crion> Spring: "My boss got his Icon back awhile ago. You'll want to be careful, and load for bear. The Hedge likes to make you work for it." 23:53 <Crion> "We had to shoot our way out." She leans back. "Like I said: jungle clips." 23:54 <VoxPVoxD> How's Lauren taking this? Is she still there or did she break off to browse? 23:54 <dammitwho> "Yeah, I expected it'd be a bit of a slog. Anything valuable has a freakin'... dragon or whatever guarding it. Story logic." 23:55 <Crion> Lauren's still there with her arms crossed and her lips pressed together. 23:55 <Crion> Spring nods. "Here's the good and the bad thing, though, at least from when we went in." 23:55 <banana> Memories lost to the Thorns.. it's an intriguing idea but not, Melanie thinks, personally applicable. Wasn't much left to lose at that point. 23:55 <Crion> "Trap doesn't spring until after you get it." 23:55 <Crion> She shrugs. "Maybe it'll be different for you." 23:57 <Crion> Gemma, to Melanie: "What have you guys been up to since...you know." 23:57 <Crion> "Besides killing Terminators or whatever." 23:58 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Setting up a still. Gonna try and make Hedge booze." 23:58 <Crion> Spring: "Oh fuck yes." 23:58 <Crion> Gemma: "Nice." 00:00 <banana> Melanie: "Well, you met Nels again back at the club. She's learning stuff to catch up with the world, she's got years and years to cover but makes it through on grit and cute.. Tony, the guy in dirt, he's been teaching hobgoblins to dance. And fetch beers. They only drink most of them so it works out well." 00:01 <Crion> Son of Bastet: "Good. That means two more are out there. And they will be coming here." 00:01 <Crion> His sphinx grin widens. "That's excellent." 00:01 <banana> "And if you remember Stewart, he's kind of our leader, he's apprenticed to a wizard. It's not a good idea but that's fine." 00:01 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Excellent for who?" 00:02 <Crion> Slightly mocking: "Those who seek the truth, of course. Or weapons." 00:02 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "What can you offer me?" 00:03 <Crion> "The power of seven fake gods. Seven sins. Seven devils." He points up. "It's on the sign." 00:05 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "And what do you seek in return? Coin of the Realm?" 00:07 <Crion> Son of Bastet: "I am forced, by the laws of the market, to charge a price. So yes. That or debt. But if you hunt the Sign, you will have my imprimatur." 00:07 <Crion> He pauses. "Your kind aren't the only ones who they hurt." 00:07 <Crion> Gemma: "Nels, she's--" 00:07 <Crion> Spring: "The one who fucked the cook, yeah?" 00:07 <Crion> Gemma: "SPRING!" 00:08 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Then I think we can do business." 00:08 <Crion> She shrugs. "I'm not judging. He's good for an older guy. Just maybe don't do The Kitchen in the kitchen." 00:08 <banana> Melanie: "Ehh. I'm sure they had a really nice time but please don't use that as your point of reference." 00:09 <Crion> Spring: "Sure." 00:09 <Crion> Spring: "How's your shitty goose." 00:10 <banana> "Nels is a coper, a student, a decent shot, a great person and like... the best singer in the world basically. 00:10 <banana> Also she doesn't know things in a vaguely adorable way. 00:10 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Sleeping it off." 00:11 <Crion> Spring: "Yeah. Everyone's special. I'm gonna use the shitter." She stands and signals to Cider Stitch, who moves up as she heads back. 00:11 <Crion> Gemma: "...So, that's Spring, I guess." 00:13 <banana> Melanie: "I mean, she's right." 00:13 <Crion> Son of Bastet gestures for Stewart and Lauren to sit. Lauren will follow Stewart's lead. "We can. I sell steel forged by Wyrd and transmuted into deed, and I sell it specifically. For the Parson. For the Haruspix. For the Sign. For the Proctor, but there is no Proctor anymore. At least for the time being." 00:13 <banana> "Everyone is, and that's also just normal, so..." 00:14 <Crion> Son of Bastet: "Buyer beware: my weapons target one at a time. You cannot use what you buy for the Parson on the Haruspix, for the Haruspix on the Parson, or for either on the Sign." 00:14 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart will sit. This creature's lost most of its edge for Stewart, terrifying song aside. There's something unavoidably humanizing about seeing someone afraid. "Who do you think will come first?" 00:14 <Crion> Gemma sighs. "Yeah. It's been...weird. Being back. Being part of a secret society now." 00:15 <Crion> Son of Bastet: "The Parson works Europe. The Haruspix, Asia and Africa. Trods say the Parson. But that is merely conjecture." 00:16 <Crion> Gemma: "How have you guys been dealing with your bosses? The Spring lady seems...scarier than I thought." 00:18 <banana> Melanie rests her chin on her hands - without elbows per se this is a slightly creaky maneuver. "It's super weird. The thing is, you seem to be handling it really well." 00:18 <banana> "I wanted to check because like, at the point you're at I was spending ten hours a day sleeping and most of the rest arguing with university faculty." 00:18 <Crion> Gemma's smile falters. "I was gone three days." 00:18 <Crion> "I mean." 00:18 <Crion> "I wasn't." 00:18 <Crion> "I was in there months." 00:18 <Crion> "But..." 00:19 <banana> Melanie: "It's not a competition." 00:19 <Crion> She stops suddenly. 00:21 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I don't have the talent or the temperament of a killer. I need something that will work in my hands, that I won't flinch to use. If you can give me a way to stop the Parson, or render him helpless for the judgment of others, that would be most effective." 00:21 <VoxPVoxD> "We are what we will not become," he adds helpfully. 00:22 <Crion> Son of Bastet sort of stares at Stewart stupefied, then leans back. "Something that won't kill them." 00:22 <Crion> "That's...a taller order." 00:23 <Crion> He steeples his fingers. "So what do you normally do, when you fight?" 00:23 <banana> Melanie saw the cider guy's signal. Not something to talk about right now. "My bosses in the secret society are a bat-man and a walking nuclear reactor. They're cool as hell and really conventionally attractive. They don't know what to do with me, but it's the kind of secret society where you can mostly just live a normal life and keep up a basic level of contact." 00:24 <Crion> Gemma smiles. "Yeah, the boss is cool. Though, you know, it's weird being able to see his new face. My mom's kinda concerned I'm out of the house so much now but I just told her and dad I got a new job." 00:26 <banana> "Do you want to actually do that, get back to mostly the real world? Epicurean rather than Platonic piety?" 00:26 <Crion> "I mean yeah, I--the what?" 00:26 <dammitwho> Maggie shakes her head and raises her hands a little, like 'yeah, I don't know what she means either'. 00:27 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I can leave and send back someone more fitting. There are heroes among us. I'm just not one of them. I don't fight. When a fight happens around me, my heuristic runs as follows: One, keep people I love from getting hurt. Two, avoid getting hurt. Three, get whatever's trying to hurt me to try to hurt itself or each other." 00:27 <Crion> Son of Bastet sighs. "Is one of them the tree woman?" 00:28 <banana> Melanie: "It's the good life question. Whether it's best to live for normal, safe pleasures - hedonism in the original sense, not the way we take it now where the nuance is excess." 00:28 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart blinks. "One of who?" 00:28 <Crion> Son of Bastet: "The heroes among you." 00:28 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart relaxes. 00:28 <VoxPVoxD> "Yes." 00:28 <banana> "Or, Plato's view through his mouthpiece Socrates, who said that the ideal is 'virtue' in a supernatural sense, essentially unreachable but that the best way to be was to be as.. much as possible. As involved, as deed-doing." 00:29 <Crion> He nods. "I thought it was odd two of you wandered across me in such short shrift. She sought a weapon, but had no real target. You seek targets, but wish for no weapon. I assume you work together fantastically." 00:29 <Crion> The Son does not sound sarcastic. 00:29 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart smiles faintly. "I'd like to think so." 00:29 <Crion> Gemma: "Oh. Yeah." 00:30 <banana> Melanie sips the pumpkin spice latte she ordered. Again, no idea how this works biologically, but she can definitely feel the impact of caffeine on her pace of speech. 00:30 <Crion> "I mean I'm just at the community college." 00:31 <Crion> Son of Bastet: "You may return with her if you desire. But I think it might fulfill your ambitions better to wield this...justice...yourself." 00:31 <Crion> "You seek a trap." 00:31 <Crion> "Preferably one the Parson springs by his own words and deeds." 00:31 <Crion> "Not a mere tripwire." 00:32 <banana> "I'm sorry, that wasn't meant to be weird elitist stuff. I don't.." does Gemma seem trustworthy? Doesn't matter. She's nice, and Maggie knows all this stuff, and there's no point hiding how weird you are if it isolates you further. 00:32 <banana> "I don't know all the social cues yet. I've been learning everything but I started with books, and it turns out this is not how people work." 00:32 <Crion> Spring returns from the bathroom. Cider Spring grimaces and nods, and will wait a minute or two before taking a different seat with better coverage. 00:33 <Crion> Gemma: "Oh, you're fine. I just, barely know what Plato is." 00:33 <Crion> Spring, deadpan: "Don't eat it." 00:33 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "That makes sense." Trap builds are exceptional boss killers. 00:33 <banana> Melanie sighs, or at least rustles. "I bet there's a much better way to express this stuff than intellectualising modes of virtue, I just don't know what it is." 00:34 <Crion> Son of Bastet: "Here is your main problem, then: You have faced the Proctor, yes?" 00:34 <Crion> "You know these creatures travel in packs." 00:34 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart nods. 00:34 <Crion> "Whatever trap we devise will work on the Parson. And only the Parson." 00:34 <Crion> "No matter how effective." 00:34 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I travel in packs too." 00:35 <Crion> Spring: "Most people just smoke weed. Maybe not something you're into anymore." 00:36 <banana> Actually she's been planning to try some of the stuff Maggie's growing. "No idea." 00:36 <Crion> Son of Bastet nods. "That's good. So. Your trap. No lethality, I assume. Immobilization? Entombment? Full-spectrum sensory deprivation? What are your themes? Your outcomes?" 00:36 <Crion> Spring: "Fair enough." 00:37 <banana> Melanie deliberately waited until Spring was back before asking Gemma this; she's not quite sure if.. "Have you got your own phone?" 00:37 <Crion> Gemma sort of glances over at Spring. "Not right now." 00:37 <Crion> Spring, laconically: "We're getting something with the right firmware set up." 00:37 <Crion> "Give it a few days." 00:38 <banana> To Maggie: "Let's write down our numbers. I've got a pen here somewhere." 00:38 <banana> To Spring: "So you guys do tech stuff as well?" 00:38 <Crion> Gemma brightens up. "Sure!" 00:39 <Crion> Spring grins. "If you're asking if we rely on your sweet Autumn child's girlfriend for our opsec, the answer is no. We keep that in house." 00:40 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart doesn't look at Lauren or the Son. His eyes rest on the impassive, ever-watching gods in the back. 00:43 <banana> Seriously: “It would be a problem if there was only one specialist. From what Lauren says there are networked dangers, ghosts in the machine.” She specifically used that phrase, for some reason. 00:44 <banana> “Though the Street says it doesn’t matter and computers are fake?” 00:44 <Crion> Spring: "Well. That's good to hear." 00:44 <Crion> Spring's grin widens. "Well. I'd never say anything bad about another court's monarch." 00:45 <Crion> "But Langford's cool." 00:46 <VoxPVoxD> If Stewart had all the power of the Wyrd... he imagines. His eyes drift closed as he speaks. His affect is flat. "Let them think their oaths have sloughed off. Let them see themselves for just a moment as an oathbreaker, a traitor to traitors and a monster among monsters. Deny them the safety of their master, the comfort of their allies. Let it all wash away. Let that fear paralyze him." 00:46 <VoxPVoxD> "Break their will by setting them free." 00:46 <Crion> Lauren blinks. 00:46 <Crion> The Son of Bastet's smile grows so wide his teeth part. 00:47 <Crion> "Yes. Yes. I think we can work with that." 00:49 <Crion> The negotiation goes on for a bit, then the Son hands Stewart a marker and bids him return in a week and a day. Leaving the market is a simple affair, and though Lauren was a bit muted upon leaving the stall, she's back to her normal self by the time they hit the street. Back to the apartment or out to dinner in the Inner Harbor? 00:50 <dammitwho> Maggie will scribble her own number down as well. 00:50 <banana> Spring's opinion on the lords of Summer.. isn't really something Melanie cares about. "Oh hey, if you're at community college do you have a major? Are you still studying the same stuff as before?" 00:50 <Crion> Gemma writes hers down too, but promises to text her from her new phone when she gets it, in case it changes. 00:51 <Crion> Gemma: "Yeah! I'm trying to get the credits to transfer over to UMBC's engineering program." 00:53 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart stays subdued for longer. He's not really dressed to eat out at any place he'd want to take Lauren so his idea is to grab crab cake sandwiches or something from the real Lexington Market on the way home. What does Lauren think? 00:53 <banana> Something that hadn't occurred to Melanie before occurs to her now. Gemma was gone for only days, on Earth; she's living with her parents, maintaining her education... and yet, the faeries are set in their ways. She must have had a fetch. 00:53 <Crion> Sounds good to her. She'll get an extra bit of crabcake on the side for Chup. 00:54 <VoxPVoxD> Once they're home: "I get why Melanie doesn't like that guy." 00:54 <Crion> Lauren: "Why's that?" 00:55 <banana> "Th- that's cool, if you end up there I'll show you around. Although, like, the engineering department is a strange and foreign place - they came to parties but mostly to drink." 00:56 <Crion> Gemma, eagerly: "That'd be great!" 00:56 <Crion> Spring, checking her phone. "Think it's time to go." 00:57 <VoxPVoxD> Unwrapping the food on the table. "He's dangerous. Full of hate, and he trades in it. If I hadn't gotten to see him afraid I'd probably have walked." 00:57 <Crion> Spring: "We've all exchanged numbers like true best pals. Gemma will be back online in a couple days." 00:57 <banana> Honestly, it's the unattainable ideal Stewart described. Stepping back into your old life.. as if it wasn't occupied. 00:57 <Crion> "Cider, prep the door." 00:58 <Crion> The redheaded dude heads to the register, pays for his coffee, and slips back out front. 00:58 <banana> Melanie leans back and looks at Spring speculatively. "It's a good thing you guys are around. I can tell you're used to protecting people." 00:58 <Crion> Lauren: "Being dangerous is what keeps him alive, I guess." 00:58 <Crion> Spring stares back. Flatly: "No I'm not." 00:59 <Crion> She steps out of the booth. "Let's go, Gemma." 00:59 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Sorry you didn't get to do much more than stretch your legs." 00:59 <Crion> The neophyte says some quick goodbyes and follows. 01:00 <Crion> Lauren: "It's fine. I got to see two really weird cats." To Chup in her lap: "Weirder than you." 01:00 <banana> Hmm. To Maggie: "Hmmmm." 01:02 <dammitwho> "Golly." 01:02 <Crion> Lauren: "...I wouldn't be so hard on that cat guy, though. The stuff he was thinking about doing...well..." 01:02 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "What do you mean?" 01:02 <banana> Melanie: "There's always weird stuff in the background." 01:03 <dammitwho> "Or in the foreground!" 01:04 <Crion> She sighs. "It was quick, at least. It was probably clean. And yeah, it came from hate." Lauren looks him straight in the eye. "Is that better than breaking them with fear?" 01:04 <banana> Melanie: "Gemma's so young." 01:06 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Hard to gauge, really..." 01:06 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart meets Lauren's eyes in silence for a moment. 01:06 <banana> Melanie: "Yeah. What do you hope to remember?" 01:08 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "...I don't know. I don't know what's better." 01:08 <dammitwho> Mildly: "If I could remember that, I wouldn't need the Icon!" 01:08 <dammitwho> "Seriously though, I came out with nothing. Not a name, family, home..." She looks down at her hands clasped on the table. 01:08 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "He asked me what my themes were." 01:09 <Crion> Lauren nods and scritches Chup. "Yeah. And I don't have a problem with you indulging him on that. He respected it." 01:09 <banana> Melanie: "There could be people waiting. I get why it's important." 01:09 <Crion> "And I don't have a problem with you using his fear." 01:10 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart sits and rubs his eyes tiredly. "Ah, shit. I don't even know if I was telling him the truth." 01:10 <VoxPVoxD> "Like... what are my themes? That's not something someone just, decides. It's something that gets read into them." 01:10 <dammitwho> Maggie: "I have to guess at when I was born based on stuff like 'do I know what phones are'. I don't know what I cared about at all..." 01:10 <Crion> "I just...worry, when you do that, and then say something like: you'd have walked away from him, except he was afraid." 01:10 <Crion> "Those things together." 01:10 <Crion> "I've seen Scarecrows." 01:11 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I meant that seeing him vulnerable made it easier to trust him." 01:11 <dammitwho> "I have to keep moving, pushing forward, finding things to do like that business distilling goblin fruits, because there's nothing else otherwise." 01:11 <Crion> Lauren: "I know." 01:11 <VoxPVoxD> He folds his arms, looking at the food he's suddenly less interested in. 01:11 <dammitwho> Maggie: "I bet there's more'n a few old ladies in this country that just sit alone, day in and day out, because everything that mattered to them vanished or died." 01:12 <Crion> "I just...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. You dealt with him well." 01:12 <banana> Melanie: "But most of them aren't incredibly tough and curious and cool." 01:14 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart looks like he wants to say something himself, but is resisting. His tongue pushes out against his lower lip from within. He doesn't look upset, exactly. But deeply preoccupied and pensive. 01:15 <Crion> Chup will mrowl and hop up, and Lauren will box the remainder of her sandwich and head to bed. 01:15 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart stays up a while longer, thinking, before he joins her. 01:16 <Crion> When he does, she curls into him and sighs. Chup snurts, and waddles from the room. 01:18 <banana> Melanie: "Have you tried one of these? They only have them from November to whenever, it's like.. eggnog without the egg or the nog. But coffee." 01:18 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Ooh, one of them pumpkin things? Yeah, I had some. They're pretty good, huh?!" 01:19 <banana> Melanie: "I don't know if there's actual pumpkin in it. What does that taste like?" 01:24 <dammitwho> Maggie: "We can get some pumpkin pie on the way back."