20:55 <Crion> Well, it's not what you want. 20:56 <Crion> There's a mole in the Winter Court, and they managed to get...something...to attack you in the nearside Hedge outside of Camden Yards. That's bold. It also has been met with frosty silence from the King of Winter past your last communication with him via short-wave makeup mirror, and a general standdown order from Jackie Ordinary -- they don't want you to spook whoever this is. 20:57 <Crion> Obviously something's going to happen, eventually -- that's definitionally true -- but whatever it is, the regent doesn't want you kicking it off. At least, not just yet. 20:57 <Crion> Which means that, uneasily, you're back to having time to yourselves. 20:58 <VoxPVoxD> There's always work to be done. 20:59 <Crion> Stewart definitely has some of his own he could check in on with Gaunt Rose, though there are a couple leads on the Winter Court...thing...to explore. 20:59 <Crion> Maybe just the one. 21:00 <VoxPVoxD> What's good for the gander is good for the goose. What does the Book say about Gemma? 21:06 <Crion> The Book is...not unhelpful, but a bit threadbare, at least on the most important information. It's odd, you have to reload the page multiple times to even get it to display. Nevermind. Gemma Franklin was born in Maine to a broken home with two siblings, both brothers; she went to high school in Portland and then college in Boston. She was taken from there, it seems. It's unclear how she 21:06 <Crion> ended up down here in Baltimore, but to Stewart's recollection, she's never spoken about Maine or Boston, nor does she have a particularly memorable accent. There's almost nothing about her durance or her Keeper...except this. When The Bleakest House is mentioned, there's a hyperlink. This time it refuses to load altogether, but Stewart can still see the URL, or the conniving duplicate thereof. 21:06 <Crion> /The_High_House. 21:06 <VoxPVoxD> Mmm. That explains why Peter and Gemma fled together... 21:09 <trenchfoot> Time to herself, hmm. Nels has her fetch's daughter to look into, she has a group of kids to teach music to, and she's got an exam that she's probably prepared to take. Decisions, decisions - okay, her preferences are basically in that order, but she's not going to rush Lauren Ipsum on that first one and she hasn't exactly set a schedule for the second, and the third one... maybe someone else needs something?? Nerves. 21:09 <CBN> Tony's spent some time at the public library of late. Good thing it's winter, and the public library, where a guy spending 3 hours on-and-off, taking notes and watching youtube videos about the pros, cons, hows, and whys of rock salt in a shotgun, is just another library thing. But it wasn't all that helpful. And that's how he's back at the Wherehouse, again, sitting in the living room scowling at a broken-open shotgun and shells with 21:09 <CBN> the powder poured out. 21:11 <Crion> Thank god it's America, and an aging white guy researching gun shit is about the same as breathing. 21:12 <CBN> He showers regularly, is the most out-of-place part about what he was doing and where. And only mumbled to himself at a respectful, low volume. 21:18 <banana> Melanie doesn't find it uneasy to have time to herself. Dangerous, maybe, but easy. She likes doing work for the Court - has to help protect the people who've given her a new life - but spending all day reading and writing? That's easy. Dealing with people wouldn't be. 21:18 <banana> She does want to explore the Market outside a bit more, now that she's got used to the interactions and formulae involved in shopping. Both Lexington and Notgnixel. 21:19 <banana> Maybe the Earth-side ones have some good people-watching spots? 21:19 <Crion> As for Nels, Lauren isn't going to push the thing about her fetch's kids until she's ready...someone else might, though. Lauren was pretty clear that a fetch having viable offspring who then themselves reproduced -- that's what's necessary for a kid at UMBC right now -- was a pretty big deal. And the search was run through the Autumn Court. 21:21 <Crion> It occurs to Tony during his studies that it might be of more utility to examine the weapon itself than the ammunition -- specifically, see if he can't modify the barrel with some kind of token or magic. Normal ammunition goes in... 21:21 <Crion> ...that's probably a big investment, though. 21:23 <CBN> Hey, when all you've got is time. 21:25 <VoxPVoxD> Not really enough to go on. Stewart could keep trying to stalk Gemma, although it feels a bit weird... he hasn't heard from Rose lately, has he? 21:28 <trenchfoot> Well, she was morbidly curious if her fetch's daughter had a record of her death... if the Autumn Court wants to investigate, that's sort of on them, but they're likely to know more than she does at this point. Which is a weird thought, but so is being 100 years in the future, so what are you gonna do. 21:28 <Crion> He has not, though in fairness, she didn't say she was going to. 21:32 <banana> Eventually, Melanie steps in from the exterior entrance in a burst of elevator music and completely ignores the shotgun. "Tony!" 21:32 <Crion> What is Nels expecting from Lauren, if she does want to move forward? A name and an address? A meet-up? 21:32 <banana> "Tony I figured out what's in the book." 21:37 <CBN> Tony's staring down the barrel and scowling. He brightens upon receiving a distraction. "Oh sick! What's up?" Happily sets the shotgun aside. 21:37 <trenchfoot> For the kid? Name and maybe some kind of social media. Just to make sure they're doing okay. She's had time to think on it, and... probably meeting them wouldn't do anyone any good. Actually, one other thing: if she can, maybe a heads up if the court plans on doing anything? Because it's her fault this kid is even on their radar. 21:38 <banana> Melanie: "I don't think that's safe. Actually, that's a good leadin... listen to this:" 21:38 <banana> She turns to a particular page in the battered tome, glancing back down at Tony, and reads: 21:39 <Crion> Lauren can do that. 21:40 <banana> Public execution is a matter of public safety. While the power of the State to kill must be reserved for the most serious cases, the deterrence which is at the heart of jurisprudence cannot be achieved by imprisonment alone. There exist criminals to whom prison is a familiar if not welcome home, recidivists who if given the lighter penalties which are necessary in a fair system will abuse 21:40 <banana> their clemency again and again. The death penalty is 'unusual punishment', but not 'cruel'; it's the only escape for those felons who've opted out of meaningful participation in society and the only escape we have from their acts. 21:41 <banana> While reading, Melanie's carved brows shoot up - the text clearly isn't what she expected. 21:42 <CBN> Tony scratches his head. "So that's ah. Huh?" 21:42 <VoxPVoxD> What is the protocol for asking the willworkers for information, anyway? 21:42 <banana> Melanie: "It's a bit unclear, wouldn't you say? Two sides to the argument?" 21:44 <Crion> Poke your head out of the cubby where they've got the Book set up for you and ask, probably. Sommelier is the guy on duty in the Library right now. 21:45 <VoxPVoxD> Oh, whew, that's a relief. Stewart flags the man down. Maybe Sommelier will recognize him, maybe not, but trying to hide is doomed to fail and make things worse. 21:47 <CBN> Tony: "...did I give you a book that lets you argue with yourself about stuff?" 21:48 <CBN> Tony: "You're...wel...come?" 21:48 <Crion> Well, he does recognize Stewart -- Sommelier has been around sometimes when Stewart has come in, and has always been unfailingly polite, even if they haven't exactly spoken before. But if he knows Stewart was at The Brewer's Art that night, he hasn't let on. 21:48 <banana> Melanie: "No, not with myself. I think the death penalty is obviously necessary, though not for the reasons given here." 21:49 <VoxPVoxD> Good enough! "Excuse me, Sommelier, sir? I have a research problem and I was wondering if you could maybe point me in a better direction." 21:50 <banana> "The book explains how you feel about it, look-" She shows Tony a page with the chapter heading, Tony of the Winter Court: on Executions 21:50 <CBN> Tony: "I mean, there's a lot to think about. Like just think about who we've---oh what the fuck dude." 21:50 <banana> "I mean, it's not just you. Everyone's in there." 21:52 <Crion> The man looks up from a book written in...tally marks? He shuts it. He examines Stewart for a moment, pausing, then smiles and says, "Why certainly, Stewart. What can I do for you?" 21:53 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart explains that he encounted a creature in the Hedge which he'd never seen before and can find no reference to in the literature. He mentions its protean, shadowy nature... and the way it presented some kind of terrifying mashup to Hedge Busker's Tip. 21:53 <banana> Melanie: "Think about who we've what, put to death? Pretty much the same sort of people who get other criminal penalties, right.. the system's biased of course." 21:54 <CBN> Tony: "Dang. Well I'm happy you...like...it?" 21:55 <Crion> Sommelier frowns. "Can you draw it for me?" 21:55 <CBN> Tony: "Oh I know! Try another one! Ask it what I think about Terminator 2!" He is assuming it works like that. 21:56 <banana> Melanie: "I wonder if that works. Let me just find the index." 21:57 <banana> "There's nothing here.. no wait, it says see: five-star ratings.. then there's a kind of impenetrable passage in kant-ese. Transcendental ideals." 21:57 <banana> "I think this means you support it wholeheartedly and won't hear a word otherwise?" 21:57 <Crion> So what's Nels up to? Does she want to bother Lauren, see what DJ Fuck You is up to? Is she at the Wherehouse instead? 21:57 <banana> "..or that it's out of scope of the tome. Hard to tell!" 21:57 <CBN> Tony: "Okay well, it ruled. Super cool beans, really glad I watched it even though the first one was already a perfect movie." 21:58 <CBN> Tony:"Wait can you...can you ask it what IT thinks about stuff? I don't want to break your book though so maybe you shouldn't." 21:58 <banana> "Sequels are nice and safe, right." Melanie sets the book down- very carefully - and finds a table to lean against. "I appreciate knowing what you're going to get..." 21:59 <banana> "I wish I could but the Wyrd is damn cagey. It's clearly got opinions but does NOT make them clear. That would make it easier for people to follow the rules." 22:00 <Crion> He provides charcoal and paper for Stewart. 22:01 <banana> Melanie: "It's not crazy to feel like there's a mystical force controlling and directing our lives for its own sinister ends, right?" 22:01 <trenchfoot> She did say to Lauren last time that she should holler when she's got something, so if she hasn't been hollered at, it'd be rude to pester her. DJ Fuck You was surprisingly nice, and teaching was interesting -- she'd like to keep doing that, so figuring out the best way for her to keep that going is now top priority. Nels will grab her guitar and set out towards the NACC. And, hey, while she's there she can maybe, potentially, think 22:01 <trenchfoot> about setting a date for her GED. 22:01 <CBN> Tony: "Well, I'm glad you like it! I figured if I started with something you liked, then let marinate for awhile, it would be something you still liked, so, cool beans." 22:01 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart makes a dark, heavy circle, frowns, and turns the page and draws on the other side. The combination of the obverse side's circular stain and the weird geometry he draws on this side give... not an *accurate* picture, but an accurate *impression*. 22:01 <CBN> Tony: "You don't know how to make a shotgun magical, do you?" 22:02 <banana> Melanie: "Yeah, this is fascinating. I don't know if I like knowing this stuff exactly, but... it will be useful. Though I feel like reading from it tends to give you away too." 22:02 <banana> "I can, but it wears off. Do you want it to shoot fireballs?" 22:02 <Crion> ...And while Stewart draws, Sommelier removes a bottle of red Chilean wine from beneath the desk, a heavy malbec, and pours some into a small open flask. Atop that he attaches a tapered lid. Then he sips the wine to check that it is still good -- it is -- corks it, and removes a quill from the same compartment. 22:03 <Crion> He puts Stewart's drawing next to another blank sheet of paper, and dips his quill in his 'ink.' 22:04 <CBN> Tony thinks about that for a long second. "I think...I mean first I was just looking for a way to pack some dirt into shotgun shells so if we face that weird wind-lightning-thing again I have something more reliable than 'throwing dirt at it' as a way to uh, throw dirt on it. Cuz it hated that." 22:05 <CBN> Tony: "But all the guys with the Southern accents on the Youtube video site seem to think making rock salt shells makes them useless outside of arm's length, and they made some pretty convincing arguments with cardboard cutouts and demonstration shots..." 22:06 <CBN> Tony: "So I'm thinking, it's not how you throw the ball, it's how you plant your feet, right? The gun not the ammo." 22:07 <banana> Melanie: "You could probably swear an oath to the gun, get it to promise you earth and thunder. The only thing I'd be worried about is what a gun wants in return?" 22:07 <Crion> Sommelier stares at the thing Stewart has drawn with eyes open and staring, fingers dancing along it, while his other hand uses the wine-dipped quill to write: "GUR - FHA - VA - FUNQBJ" 22:08 <Crion> David Smitten's on the desk at the NACC, like he always is. There's a cop hanging around, but he's not being an aggressive shithead. At least not at the moment. When he sees Nels: "Yo!" 22:08 <Crion> That's Smitten, not the cop. 22:08 <banana> Melanie: "Maybe frame it in a flattering way. You could use the idea about.. you know the saying 'if you outlaw guns, only outlaws have guns'?" 22:09 <Crion> Sommelier opens his eyes, looks down, and frowns. "Oh." 22:09 <banana> "Could you.. make a deal a shotgun to flaunt its righteousness?" 22:09 <CBN> Tony: "Yeah I asked Steve about that, and I thought I misheard him at first, because he said it's like, fifteen or twenty oaths to get a weapon to do what it wants. I can't even think of 15 things to promise everyone I know, in my life." 22:11 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "What is it?" 22:11 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Hi, David." She gives a little wave. How careful does she have to be around this cop, namedropping wise? I'm not sure she got the name DJ Fuck You was using for the class. 22:11 <banana> Melanie: "How about taking a different tack. Instead of modifying a gun to fire earth, could you 'find' one that does what you want? In a directed dream, maybe?" 22:12 <Crion> Sommelier: "I expected...I don't know what I expected. I used Prime to divine a Name. Perhaps not a true Name, but a name. I expected, based on this picture, some sort of ancient magickal tongue." 22:12 <banana> "It'd be a project to set something like that up, curate the narrative, but it might be a different kind of price." 22:12 <Crion> "Not...ROT13." 22:12 <Crion> "'The Sun In Shadow.'" 22:13 <VoxPVoxD> Now Stewart frowns. 22:13 <VoxPVoxD> "Ever heard of that?" 22:13 <VoxPVoxD> "Either names being encrypted that way or that specific name." 22:13 <Crion> Sommelier: "Neither the normal nor the inverted. That might be important, of course: that it's ROT13, not ROT10 or what have you, with 26 characters. A perfect inversion." 22:14 <Crion> "But this feels...I don't know. Describe to me how it appeared before you again?" 22:14 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart explains the building storm, and the bolts of lightning circling the basepaths, and the way it seemed to pour into an impossible mold as a solid black orb. 22:15 <CBN> Tony: "Hmm. Yeah that could do it..." Now the wheels are turning. 22:16 <banana> Melanie: "If you expect something like this to exist, it probably does. It makes.. aesthetic sense, right? A blobby shadow thing spitting energy at us, a big gun that would blow a raggedy hole in it.. stop me if the imagery is at cross-purposes." 22:18 <Crion> Sommelier: "See...impossible geometry, thematic elements of the supernal, like the sun -- ESPECIALLY in the Hedge, overriding whatever normative and narrative barriers exist to prevent its manifestation there; forming as a symbol first and foremost, being powerful in symbolic form and powerless outside of it but most dangerous when going from unsymbolic to symbolic : all of this would say 22:18 <Crion> to me that you encountered an Ochemata, specifically of Prime, the will of that dread Exarch made manifest..." 22:18 <Crion> "...except that it was small, and weak, and cheap, and easily vanquished." 22:18 <Crion> "No offense to you and yours." 22:18 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "So like the fetch of an ochema?" 22:19 <Crion> Sommelier: "Perhaps. But I've known some quite capable fetches from your side." 22:19 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Yeah, although they're capable compared to *us*, not to *that*." 22:19 <Crion> Sommelier: "This is true." 22:20 <Crion> "Of course, this still substantially worries me." 22:20 <Crion> "The Sun in Shadow is one thing. What about Gur Fha Va Fha?" 22:21 <Crion> Nels is fine. The cop stays at his post at the door and though he gives her a second look, it's not a suspicious one. And he doesn't say anything. 22:22 <Crion> David nods back and leans over the counter. "So what's up?" 22:23 <trenchfoot> Then: "Is DJ in? I came by last week and helped out in one of his classes, and I was wondering if I could make that more of a regular thing." She politely omits the cuss word. 22:24 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Something very unusual is going on..." 22:24 <VoxPVoxD> "I need to know more." 22:24 <Crion> Sommelier smiles at that. "Well, here is a place to start: this could not likely have been done without the help of one who serves the Throne." 22:25 <Crion> The smile who grimaces. "One who lives in a Society." 22:25 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Like the Counselor?" 22:25 <Crion> *becomes 22:26 <Crion> "Counselor would be my first guess, yes." 22:26 <Crion> "At this point I need to inform Jesuit and get permission to further intervene." 22:26 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Okay, yeah, that makes sense. Thank you." 22:27 <Crion> He nods. "I will be in touch, through your...regent? I suppose the date of kingship has recently passed for this year." 22:27 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Out of season, I think he takes the title Steward. Thank you so much, you've been very helpful." 22:27 <Crion> David: "Yeah, he's in office hours right now, actually. Down the hall there, third door on the right. One right before Amelia's." 22:28 <Crion> Sommelier's smile fades even more. "Thank me when it is over. If it is, ever, over." 22:28 <Crion> Then, assuming Stewart makes to leave, he returns to the tally book. 22:28 <Crion> He reads them like braille. 22:28 <VoxPVoxD> Yeah, Stewart's done here. 22:29 <Crion> Fireman nods to him on his way out; other than that, it's a clear shot to the street and his car. 22:29 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart looks around for cops before getting in. 22:30 <Crion> He's clear. 22:31 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Thank you!" She starts to head off, before thinking -- "Um. Also, where do I go to apply to take the GED test? I'm just about ready, but..." 22:32 <VoxPVoxD> Home again, home again. Stewart makes a report to the Steward and Lord Sage through Ravens, ending on the note that he expects the Consilium to contact the Steward. 22:35 <Crion> Smitten smiles. "We can handle that here. They test per module four times a year or so, and if you fail you can't retest until January 1 of the next year, but I think you'll be good..." He'll get out some paperwork for her to fill out. "Don't fill in anything but the name you want on the results. We'll handle the rest." Which is to say, Santander and Ravens will launder it properly and 22:35 <Crion> securely. 22:35 <Crion> Back home, Lauren wants to know if he'll be around for dinner and Chup bothers him throughout the report writing process, due to Chup. 22:36 <VoxPVoxD> "As far as I know," says Stewart. 22:37 <dammitwho> Did you know you can draw whatever you want, and some fella in China will make a sticker out of it for you? The future is amazing. Maggie is carefully affixing a large sticker depicting a small cartoon version of her smiling head (with witch hat) atop the words AUNT MAGS' SLEEPYTIME JUICE to a mason jar filled with a dark purple liquid. A small speech bubble off to the side has her logo-self 22:37 <dammitwho> saying 'Just a shot will do ya!'. 22:37 <trenchfoot> Into the guitar case the paperwork goes. "I'll bring it back... soon. Thanks again!" Then it's off to see DJ Fuck You. 22:38 <trenchfoot> She'll knock at the door if it's closed, or the frame if it's open. Only polite. 22:40 <Crion> In that case, Lauren produces, at great effort, some tasty and very filling chicken and rice, and only spends like...half of the time in the kitchen screaming at it. 22:40 <VoxPVoxD> !!! 22:41 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart's delighted. 22:42 <Crion> So is she, once she's tasted it. Chup can have little a chicken. 22:43 <Crion> The door is slightly open...because the Gardiner of Spring is in DJ Fuck You's office, chatting with him about teaching schedules. "Nels!" She waves her into the room with a smile. 22:44 <Crion> How long has it been since Maggie touched base with Union? Presumably things have been going well? 22:45 <trenchfoot> Nels steps inside. "Hi! I'm not interrupting, am I?" 22:45 <dammitwho> It's been a little bit. The goblin fruits aren't quite ripe yet, so her contact with him has been mainly cheerful social calls. (Not actual calls, the young people seem to dislike that.) 22:46 <dammitwho> Hmm. Who would know what people in the Freehold have trouble sleeping? The Spring Queen, currently Gardener? Worth a try. 22:47 <Crion> Amelia: "You are not!" 22:47 <Crion> DJ: "Hi, Nels." 22:48 <Crion> DJ: "I wouldn't say we were talking about you, but...we were getting around to talking about you." 22:48 <Crion> Is Maggie also descending on the NACC? 22:48 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Only good things, I hope." 22:50 <Crion> Amelia: "Fuck was telling me about how well your session with the kids went." 22:50 <Crion> DJ raises a finger and opens his mouth and then shrugs. 22:51 <VoxPVoxD> While Stewart does the dishes, he asks: "Have you ever heard anything about wizards getting into the Hedge?" 22:51 <dammitwho> Yep. 22:51 <trenchfoot> She beams, completely ignoring how weird it is that Amelia calls him that. "That's actually why I'm here! I was wondering if there was a way to make that more of a regular thing?" 22:51 <Crion> Lauren: "Well, there's hedge-wizards, but I don't think that's the same thing?" 22:51 <Crion> DJ: "Yeah!" 22:52 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Yeah I mean like... so you remember the thing I told you about in the Camden Yards Hedge? Big weird shadow monster?" 22:53 <Crion> Amelia, with a bit of an indulgent smirk: "...DJ has gotten some offers on his professional side that might lead to him having to cut back once a week. Tuesdays -- can you do Tuesdays after school?" 22:53 <dammitwho> What's happening down there? 22:53 <Crion> Meanwhile, David Smitten looks up as Maggie walks in and smiles, and the cop actually steps away. 22:53 <Crion> "Heyy there, girl." 22:53 <Crion> Again, that's Smitten. 22:53 <Crion> Lauren: "Yeah?" 22:54 <Crion> Chup is trying to get more chicken, but Lauren has already sealed it away, then put it in the refridgerator (ancient tomb; impossible to open). 22:54 <dammitwho> "Oof-" She hefts the wooden box she carries in front of her. "Heya, Smitten! Is her nibs in?" 22:55 <Crion> Smitten: "Yeah, should be in her office. Nels just walked in literally three minutes ago; sent her the same way." 22:55 <dammitwho> "Oh, nice. Cheers." 22:55 <Crion> "Have a good one." 22:56 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Sure can! What kinda students are we talking here - I think you had me with the beginners that first time..." 22:56 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I talked to Sommelier about it and we came up with a name. 'The Sun in Shadow', but run through a ROT13 cipher. Gur Vha Ha Fun-Q-BJ. Anyway his best idea for what it was is a kind of, like, higher being that the cop willworkers commune with, but like a limited or fragile reflection of it." 22:57 <dammitwho> Maggie'll proceed through the NACC then. Is the door closed when she arrives at Amelia's office? 22:58 <trenchfoot> The door to DJ Fuck You's office is before Amelia's and has the door open! Nels didn't close it behind her. 22:58 <Crion> It is, but she'll pass the office right before it first, and see Nels, Amelia, and the DJ from the Sidereal in there already. 22:59 <Crion> Lauren laughs. "Fun Q Beejay? Sounds like a good time." 22:59 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Oop! Hey, Nels! I can wait if you all're busy...?" 22:59 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart snorts. 23:00 <Crion> She pauses. "Was he worried?" 23:00 <Crion> Amelia: "Eh. It's a small office, but get the hell in here." 23:00 <trenchfoot> Nels will step aside to make room. "Hi, Maggie!" 23:01 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Yeah, it seems like ochemata - that's what the beings are called - are like... high tier scary stuff." 23:01 <Crion> Meanwhile, how's Tony going about planning this shotgun of his? It'll need to be left in the Hedge for some time at least, even if it's not some time. 23:01 <Crion> Lauren: "You guys took care of it pretty easily, though. Even for a shadow or fetch Ochemata. Which says to me...he thinks it'll come back?" 23:02 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "We didn't actually see it die, it just sort of vanished..." 23:03 <dammitwho> Maggie will edge her way in, then, and carefully set the box down on the desk before sitting down. 23:04 <CBN> For Tony, the most important thing isn't exactly where he's going to leave it, but what's under that. Because that's the idea: Open a hole as deep as he can with his affinity for the soil, drop the thing in (unloaded, of course---he's not going to hand the Hedge a loaded gun, not literally at least), fill it up, and come back later to unearth it. 23:04 <CBN> So, finding somewhere that doesn't have some weird bullshit myconiculture society underneath it, or giant truffle-hunting landsharkpigs, is paramount. 23:05 <Crion> Sounds like a good thing to consult the Hobs about. Is Melanie going with him or is this a solo venture? 23:05 <Crion> DJ: "...Okay, so what's that?" 23:05 <banana> Melanie's happy to help if it's helpful. Actually, she's curious: 23:06 <CBN> Melanie's welcome to come. Probably won't even need to get her hands dirty! And maybe she can test the book on Steve (or very, very not do that). 23:06 <banana> "So why a talisman against the baseball shadow specifically? It just seemed like one of those things." She gestures vaguely. Hedge monster things. 23:07 <Crion> Does Tony want to wait until Steve's around again, or go out looking? 23:07 <CBN> Tony: "I mean, the hope isn't only for that baseball shadow thing, but honestly, I feel a lot more comfortable taking a shot at stuff over here, than stuff over in the, Steve says it's rude to call it the 'real world,' but, the one with normal humans in it and not briarhounds and Pigs." 23:07 <Crion> Not specifically for Steve necessarily, of course. 23:07 <CBN> He'll go out looking (not for trouble, but). 23:08 <CBN> Tony: "But I feel like I got lucky throwing dirt in that thing's face before, and I don't want to trust luck when planning will do." 23:08 <banana> Melanie: "I call it Earth, but that's a bit confusing with your earth." 23:09 <banana> "Yeah, maybe we have been lucky. It can't hurt to be ready for the next fight. I just.. don't like to spend a lot of mental space on this stuff, right? Because it feels like that's giving it power. Centering the unreal." 23:09 <CBN> Tony: "Go with soil for that one, I'm not out here hucking boulders." 23:10 <dammitwho> She pries open the lid, revealing a set of filled mason jars kept from breaking with wooden dividers and paper packing. "Well, I wanted to ask you all if you knew of anyone in the Freehold that was having trouble getting to sleep of late. Because..." She takes a jar out and places it on the desk, facing the logo towards the others. "Ta-daa! Aunt Mags' Sleepytime Juice!" 23:10 <banana> Melanie: "It's an element though! We're clearly doing elemental magic in the greco-roman fictional tradition." 23:10 <banana> "I say 'fictional' the same way as 'unreal' because like.. obviously it isn't magic magic, it's a story Arcadia tells. A ripoff." 23:11 <banana> "Also, are we lost." 23:14 <CBN> Tony looks around. He doesn't find shit on his own. But that's why he has friends! And, entirely separately, he knows hobs! 23:14 <Crion> Amelia: "...Maggie." 23:14 <Crion> "Are you trying to get us robotripping?" 23:14 <dammitwho> Agreeably: "I don't know what that is!" 23:14 <Crion> Amelia nods. "Fair enough." 23:14 <Crion> DJ nods. "Fuck yeah!" 23:15 <Crion> Amelia, to DJ: "You still have to drive. You can't have any now." 23:15 <Crion> To Maggie: "How's it work?" 23:15 <Crion> DJ: "What's it taste like?" 23:17 <Crion> Tony's search for some place to really dig down and take roots in the soil...doesn't really bear fruit. Mostly because this is the Baltimore Hedge. Digging's going to be hard, not just because this entire space mostly works laterally, not vertically -- there is no real 'underground' here in the same way there's no 'sky,' it's all liminal narrative space -- but because a lot of this shit is 23:17 <Crion> asphalt. 23:17 <trenchfoot> Words learned today: "robotripping." Not what it means just yet, but it's something to look up for later. 23:20 <dammitwho> Maggie: "It's a tincture of valerian root, chamomile and hops, plus liquid magnesium supplement, lavender oil (mostly for aroma), and a wee bit of melatonin. It uses the hops for flavor also, so it tastes kinda like one of those beers the kids seem to like." 23:20 <Crion> But he does run into a broom sweeping itself that, when asked, will stop and rustle that yes, it knows that there might be someone 'round these parts who will help him put down roots. Look for Widefeathers. That leads Tony to an owl sitting crosslegged atop a trashcan, unblinking; when Tony inquires as to the someone, the owl nods and turns its great eyes down the 'street,' where a squid in 23:20 <Crion> a cowboy hat is overseeing a craps game. 23:20 <dammitwho> Maggie: "It's an alcohol tincture, though, so a fair amount of it is Everclear." 23:21 <dammitwho> "That's why the lil' me on the logo says to just drink a little at a time." 23:21 <Crion> Ink Sink burbles a bit, but finally directs Tony to a bit of rolling green off the Druid Hill Hedge, where a large tree with an expansive face and a smile holds court. 23:22 <Crion> DJ: "...What's a fair amount here? Got a proof?" 23:22 <banana> Melanie trails after the hob.. trail, incredulously. He could've just said yes, we're lost. 23:22 <Crion> The tree's leaves are all red, but not like, blood red; bright and colorful. 23:23 <Crion> The bark is blood red! 23:23 <CBN> Tony greets everyone happily, even if a lesser man would've gotten frustrated at this run-around. But it's hobs; why would we walk two steps straight forward, when ten in a circle would do? 23:26 <dammitwho> Maggie does some quick math. "'bout 80 proof, I'd say." 23:27 <Crion> Amelia blinks. 23:27 <Crion> DJ: "Well fuck yeah." 23:27 <Crion> Amelia: "So...does it have a hangover?" 23:27 <trenchfoot> ...A fair amount of it is everclear and it's 80 proof? 23:28 <Crion> "Because that sounds like it has a hangover." 23:28 <dammitwho> Maggie: "Well, sure, if you drink the whole thing. Just a shot thirty minutes before bed, or a glass diluted with water." 23:29 <Crion> Lauren: "I'm sure you'll figure it out. And if not you have willworkers and Santander to help. And if that doesn't work, well, shit. I'll get Ahnold on the case." 23:29 <Crion> Once everything's cleaned up, she'll get back to tinkering, if there's somewhere else Stewart wants to be before bedtime. 23:30 <dammitwho> She frowns. "This is good feedback, though. Maybe I should put an instruction label on the back." 23:30 <Crion> Amelia's mouth is doing its best to stay serious, while DJ is openly cracking up. 23:30 <Crion> Amelia: "But seriously, I run a bar. You know what it mixes well with?" 23:31 <CBN> Tony offers a happy, wide wave to the big happy blood tree there. "Hello!" As he approaches. 23:31 <VoxPVoxD> What Stewart really wants is to hang out... but there's still so much work to do. 23:31 <dammitwho> "Eh?" 23:32 <Crion> Amelia: "As a cocktail." 23:32 <trenchfoot> They did stop prescribing alcohol before Nels' time... mostly. 23:35 <dammitwho> Maggie: "I feel like you think this is not a serious benefit to the community here." 23:35 <Crion> Big Red -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNBTwPA7R4Q There's something special 'bout people like us. 23:36 <Crion> The big red tree: "Howdy!" 23:36 <Crion> "Heard tell you were wandering bout these parts." 23:36 <CBN> Tony: "Yes sir! How's your day going?" 23:37 <Crion> Big Red: "Well! That's mighty polite of you to ask." His eyes swivel to Melanie. They're a bit too...wet? "Ma'am." 23:37 <Crion> "My day's going just fine, stranger. But tell me what I should call you, and let's become less so." 23:38 <CBN> Tony: "Tony's fine, sir. And you?" 23:39 <Crion> "Well, they call me Big Red. On account of the...well." He chuckles. 23:41 <CBN> Tony chuckles along with him, genuinely. "No reason I'm Tony, other than that's what people called me. That's Melanie." He thumbs back towards her. 23:41 <CBN> Tony clears his throat. "And to your point, we've been wandering around, because I'm trying to find a good place with some good dirt that goes deep, with nothing under it but more of the same." 23:42 <Crion> Trees shouldn't be able to nod, but this one does. It's weird. It's more like the face moves than the trunk. "Good place and good dirt, that's what we got here. Eventually it hits stone, and after that, it hits Hell. But we don't go down there." 23:43 <banana> Melanie: "......" 23:44 <CBN> Tony laughs a little at that. "Imagine we wouldn't, no sir." 23:44 <banana> "Not voluntarily." 23:44 <banana> Melanie: "Have you always been.. grown.. around here?" 23:44 <Crion> Amelia puts a hand on DJ's shoulder, and he stops laughing. "I'm sorry. I thank you for what you've done. But...when it comes to medicine, a lot of people have alcohol sensitivities. It's not an absolute good...or even a contingent one, medically. But we shouldn't have laughed." 23:45 <Crion> Cheerfully, to Melanie: "Have done, ma'am. Of course, that gate over there has sometimes led down other roads." 23:46 <banana> Melanie: "Okay." She turns away. It's too much like one of the scripts and she can't watch Tony playing along. 23:47 <Crion> Meanwhile, in Stewart's inbox -- on the hex box -- Santander has filed a notice that he's reviewed both your report and Gaunt Rose's. He thinks it'd be constructive for you to meet about the next step. In a conference room, or wherever you prefer. Gaunt is CC'd. She hasn't responded. 23:47 <Crion> Big Red watches her turn and purses his...lips?...before looking back at Tony. "So what can I do ya for?" 23:48 <dammitwho> She sighs. "Well... alright. Sorry to have taken up your time." 23:48 <VoxPVoxD> Does meeting here mean between the two of them or the three of them? And Stewart doesn't have a number or anything for Rose, right? Does she hang out in the chat channel? 23:48 <CBN> Tony: "Your permission for me to dig a hole, leave something here for awhile, then come collect it when it's ready to be collected, sir." 23:50 <Crion> Amelia: "Christ, Maggie! You don't need to apologize to us. I'm sure it's delicious. It's just...not a world where you can drink yourself to sleep on 40% alcohol anymore, that's all. Stick around!" 23:50 <trenchfoot> Nels: "It was weird to get used to. Probably for the best, though." About the alcohol thing, anyways. 23:51 <Crion> Big Red 'nods' again. "That can be done, with guarantees. But! Round here service requires a fee. We can negotiate..." 23:51 <dammitwho> Maggie: "The alcohol's just to get the active ingredients into the bloodstream!" 23:51 <Crion> He lays out his terms: debt or gilt, paid in the Coin of the Realm, commensurate to the power you desire. These are natural laws, not his, he protests. 23:52 <CBN> Tony: "I've got, where is it now..." He rummages around in his pockets, and produces a Coin of the Realm. "One of these, and my word as my bond." 23:52 <banana> Hearing the thing negotiate helps. It's one of *them*, a creature of promises and bindings. Not the same thing at all really. 23:52 <Crion> Gaunt Rose is not in chat. If he follows up with Santander, Santander will make it clear that he wants the two of you to meet constructively, and try to gently prod Rose into responding. 23:52 <Crion> She won't, of course. 23:53 <banana> Melanie turns back, 'casually', leaning on the gate with her arms outstretched. Does Tony need any extra Coin chipped in or is he good..? 23:54 <CBN> Tony seems...surprisingly okay with shouldering this burden. Like not even resigned to it. It's just another hit to take for the team and he's good at those. 23:54 <Crion> When Tony tosses it to him, one of Big Red's branches whips down and smacks it up in the air so that it lands in his mouth -- not to swallow it, but to bite the coin and test the metal. Satisfied, Big Red spits it out again and smacks it straight up in the air, up somewhere into his branches. It doesn't come back down. 23:57 <CBN> Tony nods. "Appreciate it. And if you can think of any favors you might want our help with, let me know." 23:58 <VoxPVoxD> What time is it when Stewart gets the email? 23:59 <Crion> Probably around 9:00 PM. Santander will e-mail outside of business hours, but he's an old guy. Likes to go to bed around 10. 23:59 <Crion> Big Red: "Ayup. Fair roads." 00:00 <Crion> DJ: "I don't...think that's how science works?" 00:00 <Crion> Amelia: "Hush." 00:01 <Crion> To Nels: "Job's yours if you want it. Tuesdays after school?" 00:01 <trenchfoot> Nels: "How advanced are the kids? All levels, or am I taking one specific group?" 00:02 <banana> Melanie: "I'm interested to see how you're pla- how you're burying it. Is surrounded-by-earth going to create the narrative you need?" 00:03 <banana> "It might work, or we could get a skeleton gun..." 00:03 <Crion> DJ: "Tuesday classes are almost like what you were at before, but flipped: first session is high school kids right after school, then grade school kids when they let out. Two one-hour sessions." 00:06 <CBN> Tony: "I was honestly just going to make space the way you move trees, dump the one I've got on me in there, and see what happens to it in the end." 00:07 <CBN> Tony: "Feels like overthinking Hedge stuff is just wasting time on something where logic's out to lunch already." 00:07 <Crion> Out to lunch, and getting paid. 00:08 <trenchfoot> Nels nods. "I can work with that." She's already making plans. "Do we know how many are signed up for each? Or is this easy come, easy go." 00:08 <banana> Melanie: "You're the one with the knack, so go for it.. I'm not looking for a scientific explanation, I just wish it made some sort of.. philosophical sense. A narrative throughline." 00:08 <Crion> DJ: "Class size is usually around 25 but we keep accomodations up to 40. Kids...kind of drift in and out. You know how family situations can get." 00:09 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart scratches his head... no, no it doesn't make sense to bother her now. Tomorrow. He'll leave his speakers on in case an e-mail notification comes through and spend the evening with Lauren. 00:09 <banana> "I guess it bugs me that these guys-" she's not gesturing at all this time. Can't quite face waving at a branch with another one. "go on about their sacrosanct rules and slavishly enacted scripts, but then they're totally inconsistent. It's all a sham." 00:09 <trenchfoot> She does. "Got it. When do I start?" 00:09 <CBN> Tony: "Oh! See that's perfect though. We already did the narrative part, the quest whatever, with finding a good spot to dump the thing first, right? Journey not the destination, or whatever? I skimmed some book about it at the library once, Golden whatever." 00:10 <CBN> Tony: "You know all rules and laws are fake, right? The only reason you don't just run out of bounds, past the bleachers, and come into the end zone and claim a dozen points is because everyone says so." 00:10 <banana> Melanie: "Path? Globe? State warriors?" 00:11 <CBN> Tony: "Bough?" He pronounces it "bow-guh" "Or maybe it was the Man With All The Faces..." 00:12 <Crion> At 10:15 PM, Stewart will receive an e-mail that is not from Santander, and is not CC'd. It reads: "conference room, midnight." It's from Gaunt Rose's e-mail address. 00:13 <Crion> DJ: "Two weeks would be good. Uh. Week after next." 00:13 <banana> Melanie: "Oh shit, Frazer. We're like.. devolving back into magic." 00:14 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart untangles from Lauren on the couch to check and reports back, "Gotta go in to the office at midnight." Then he settles back down. "So one more episode and then I gotta go. Are the video games this show is based on any good?" 00:14 <trenchfoot> She nods. "I'll be ready." Just enough time to psyche herself up, out, and back up again. 00:15 <CBN> While they're discussing the finer points of books Tony read like 5 pages of while waiting for a computer to open up, he quietly nudges open a deep, narrow hole in the soil, really a knife-stab in the dirt the dimensions of a shotgun on its side, and drops it in. Then scuffs a foot and it closes up with a quiet grumble of the shifting earth. "Yeah I didn't get to the good parts, if there were good parts. But it was on the 'read while 00:15 <CBN> you wait' cart by the computers." He is of course referring to the recirculation and shelving cart, but, who knows that kind of thing? 00:16 <Crion> Lauren, mumbling: "I like 3. 1 and 2 kinda...well, you can just play three." 00:17 <Crion> "Geralt's got cat eyes in it though. Shoulda kept them for the show..." 00:17 <Crion> Chup sits on the side of her head and turns to stare at Stewart. "Augh." 00:17 <VoxPVoxD> "Chup's got cat eyes, don't you, Chup?" he says as he levers him off of her. 00:17 <trenchfoot> That was a lot easier than she thought it would be. And she even got to run into Maggie while she was there! "So, um, thanks for giving me a shot at this, and for the GED thing... that's pretty much all I came here for, so I'll leave you to it?" 00:18 <Crion> "Hopefully the only thing he shares with Geralt." 00:18 <banana> Melanie: "Oh. I've read it for the religious anthropology.. the author's thesis is that wizards evolved into priests and then scientists. 'Pagan' traditions that became 'Christian' and so on. It seems.. obviously true on one level but also maybe missing the point.." 00:18 <banana> "It was famous, like The Origin of Species. Big drama because people, in the past, were dumb." 00:18 <Crion> Amelia: "Yeah, we'll get you signed up. You have e-mail that you actually check, or should I just have all that routed to the Court and have Smitten call you?" 00:20 <CBN> Tony, while patting the dirt with a hand, then standing and waving to Big Red as he and Melanie begin to walk away. "You wanna know the big secret, Melanie?" 00:20 <trenchfoot> Nels: "...I should probably get an e-mail address. Until then, the phone will have to do." 00:20 <VoxPVoxD> Now Stewart's basically buried under warm sleepy things. He doesn't want to go out... but he can't resist the urge to do so. So it's about an hour later that he dresses and makes his way to the office. 00:21 <Crion> The elevator is as cheerful as it usually is for him now -- which is to say, actually so -- and takes him up to a darkened 27th floor with only one set of lights on, way across the office. 00:21 <Crion> Gaunt Rose is slouched in what's usually Kingsley's chair, kicking her legs up. 00:21 <CBN> Tony, smiling, stating the most obvious thing in the world: "We're all dumb as heck! The important thing is that we try to act smarter." 00:21 <Crion> Black jeans and boots. 00:23 <VoxPVoxD> "Evening, Rose," says he, in a hoodie and sweatpants, like he jogged here (he absolutely did not). "How are you?" 00:23 <Crion> Rose: "Peachy." 00:25 <Crion> "So now that we've been ordered to make nice and plan together, I'd like to know how your little conversation with Sommellier went today!" 00:25 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart sits in Santander's usual chair. Weird angle on the room, but it's close enough to Rose that they can have an actual conversation. 00:26 <VoxPVoxD> At this, he blinks. "That wasn't related to this." 00:26 <Crion> Rose stares at him for a moment. Then: "And you're not going to tell me what it's about." 00:27 <trenchfoot> If there's nothing else, Nels will say her goodbyes and make her way back to the Wherehouse. Is Maggie coming with? Because Nels is interested in the medicine she was offering. 00:27 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I saw a thing in the Hedge that I couldn't schematize, so I asked him for help. How'd you know I talked to Sommelier?" 00:28 <dammitwho> Maggie's recovered, and will bid Amelia and DJ a cheery goodbye and head out with Nels unless they've got something more they wanna talk about. 00:28 <Crion> Rose: "I make sure to keep up my contacts. Fireman thinks we're all on the same team." 00:29 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Mostly we are." 00:29 <VoxPVoxD> "Do you know what an ochema is?" 00:29 <Crion> She smiles nastily. "God's in the gaps, and the devil's in the details." 00:30 <Crion> Rose: "No." 00:32 <trenchfoot> Back at the Wherehouse with Maggie: "So what all's in it again? I know they sorta fixated on the alcohol part, but..." 00:33 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Ochema is a Greek word meaning 'vehicle' or 'conveyance'. It's a word the willworkers use to describe avatars of their wizard gods, which he called 'Exarchs'. The thing we saw in the Hedge behaved, to him, like a weakened or contingent reflection of an ochema of 'Prime', which seems to be a kind of magic that governs, like, language and truth." 00:33 <Crion> Rose: "And did it just want to talk?" 00:34 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "No it tried pretty hard to kill us." 00:34 <VoxPVoxD> "It wasn't nearly as strong as you'd expect an avatar of the malign god of truth to be, though." 00:34 <Crion> Rose: "Sounds about right." 00:36 <VoxPVoxD> "I don't know what it *actually* is, and to some extent you'd expect a wizard to analogize it to a wizard thing, like a magic Rorschach or whatever, but that's what we were talking about. Its name was encrypted, but like... in ROT13, like it got its name on Usenet in 1991." 00:37 <dammitwho> "Oh! Well, like I said, essence of valerian, chamomile, and hops. Plus some magnesium to help even out the ol' melatonin production, some lavender oil, and a teensy bit of melatonin." 00:37 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart frowns at an errant thought, too subtle to crystallize into part of his internal monologue. 00:41 <trenchfoot> Nels: "So what's each part for? I know chamomile and hops... though mostly for tea and beer, respectively." 00:41 <trenchfoot> "They all just for relaxing?" 00:43 <Crion> Rose frowns. Well, it's more a sneer. "ROT13? Damn." 00:44 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Yeah, like it was bypassing a word filter." 00:44 <Crion> "Anyway, didn't ask you here to talk about how cool you are. Gotta deal with this guy." 00:45 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart rolls his eyes before he can catch himself. "Yeah. Have you learned anything new?" 00:47 <Crion> If anything, her grin widens at that. "He's somewhere in Canton right now. I'm not moving until we know more. And I'm not under any obligation to bring this to the Gang until we meet again on Sunday night. 00:47 <Crion> " 00:48 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Do we have any leads on the kind of place he might be thinking to hit next? Like we don't even know if he's planning these hits, or operating on some kind of intuition, or receiving orders..." 00:49 <VoxPVoxD> "Canton's not exactly Inner Harbor so it's not likely he just happened on Power Plant Live by accident." 00:50 <Crion> She shrugs. "You're not wrong. Might've just caught a party bus. I don't have whys or wherefores right now." 00:50 <dammitwho> Maggie: "The big three are all natural sedatives and calming agents. Magnesium helps with sleep-related brain chemistry, lavender is one of those whatsits... anxiolytics. And of course melatonin is your brain's sleepy-feeling chemical." 00:50 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Digging into his motivations could be useful both for predicting him and getting him to leave." 00:51 <VoxPVoxD> "What do you think the next move should be?" 00:51 <Crion> Rose: "That sounds like it requires a stakeout or an in-person contact." 00:51 <Crion> "Either of which would be my call here, though the Gang will get mad if we do the latter without consulting them." 00:52 <Crion> Rose: "Not sure either of us have time for a stakeout, though." 00:52 <Crion> "We do have lives." 00:52 <trenchfoot> Nels: "Have you tried it yourself?" That does all make sense... 00:52 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "I could spin one of us into him." 00:53 <VoxPVoxD> "Less waiting, but also less control over scenario." 00:53 <Crion> She raises an eyebrow. "I could gambit one of us into him." 00:54 <Crion> "...Wheel's probably more certain." 00:54 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart nods. "Also doesn't waste paper." 00:55 <Crion> She waves a hand. "Speech-to-text works just fine for the contract." 00:55 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "Even the loophole?" 00:56 <Crion> "No. Instead, I just go scare a motherfucker afterwards." 00:57 <Crion> She stands. "So, we're going in on this? Making contact?" 00:59 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart stands. "Yeah, I think that's the next logical step. Do you want to go alone, together, or send me? You're the one who's exposed politically so the risk is more yours than mine." 01:00 <Crion> Brusquely: "Together. Both because fuck if I'm letting you take all the credit...and because Lauren would kill me if some jumped up twink with a soul-sword cut you in half." 01:00 <VoxPVoxD> Stewart: "This'll be fun!" 01:01 <Crion> Rose: "Yeah. Fun! I'll e-mail you tomorrow." 01:01 <VoxPVoxD> "Cool. Good night." Stewart makes to leave. 01:02 <Crion> Rose nods and watches him go...taking out a deck of cards.