18:21 <tom> There aren't many lights on the outside of the Greybox. With the sun dipping lower to the horizon with each procession toward the solstice, the half-ruined building has grown increasingly wet and dreary along with the rest of the city. The little flurries of sleet never seem to stick, and long pools of water grow toward the drains along the pavement. 18:21 <tom> Bob is, of course, at his workshop. 18:22 <tom> Today he's got an old iron pan on an honest-to-god anvil. He's cut out the center, a big circle, and discarded the rest. 18:23 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's just getting off a shift on Reveille duty, stopping in before she goes home. She's going to make Sergio watch Quantum of Solace in a couple of hours. The buzzer buzzes. 18:23 <tom> Each strike of the hammer bends the wrought iron on the dowel; it's starting to assume something of a concave shape as he sets aside his hammer and wipes his brow. "Phew." 18:24 <tom> Bob throws off his gloves and makes for the bank of cameras, squinting as he hovers over the console. "Password?" he chuckles, before buzzing her in anyway. 18:25 <Crion> Aster is in his office (the little cubicled-off area where he answers e-mails and increases his on-site equipment base without ever having to use it). He has earplugs in. 18:26 <Crion> There's a literal smithy fifteen feet away. 18:26 <VoxPVoxD> Willie throws her bag on the conference table with a big, dramatic sigh. "I don't know how they keep it up. I mean I do, it's heroic doses of stimulants, but Christ." 18:26 <tom> "You know," he grimaces as she steps out of the rain. "We should probably do something in case there's like, shapeshifters." 18:26 <VoxPVoxD> "Robert? Are you becoming a badger lord?" 18:26 <Crion> He does, however, have a webcam perched on the wall to monitor the main room, so he knows when Willie walks in. He decides to leave her and Bob alone through at least the greetings. 18:27 <tom> "I'm more of a Wolverine." 18:27 <tom> 18:27 <tom> He has no idea what she's talking about, clearly. 18:28 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Just don't be old sad Johnny Cash Wolverine, mmm? Do me that kindness. What are you working on?" 18:28 <tom> "...Who's got stimulants now?" 18:28 <VoxPVoxD> She waves a hand. "Agostina just relieved me on Reveille duty." 18:29 <tom> "Oh, uh" Bob goes over to the anvil and takes up the iron cutout in his hands, now shaped something like a lens. "Just a peace of mind, here." 18:29 <tom> "Gonna see if shaped charges don't count as iron." 18:30 <VoxPVoxD> "You spend a lot of time worried about the unseelie folk. Is there that little confidence in the Tatterdam?" 18:30 <tom> He groans, stretches his arms around to cushion the small of his back. "It does double duty. I bet it'd work on Carl too." 18:31 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I suppose you're right... just like humans are approximately as vulnerable to fire as vampires are." 18:31 <tom> He looks sad. "We're planning on giving back the sword, yeah? Can we at least take a photo with it... put that up on the wall where I was gonna hang the sword.." 18:31 <tom> He frames a section of wall in his hands. "Right as you come in from the street." 18:32 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I won't object. Seems like a fun trophy. Like when men get really proud of a fish they caught." 18:32 <VoxPVoxD> "Just, you standing there, big thumbs up." 18:32 <tom> "Are you not proud?" 18:32 <tom> "That was badass." He raises his voice: "Hey Aster that was bad-ass, right?" 18:32 <VoxPVoxD> Primly: "I don't need anyone else to know how proud I am. My pride is just for me." 18:34 <tom> He looks at her almost pityingly. "We got a chievo." 18:34 <Crion> Aster steps out of the cubicle. "Did you say something about shaped charges." 18:34 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "And your Gamerscore should reflect that. You'll get no argument from me." 18:34 <Crion> "Good evening, Willie." 18:34 <VoxPVoxD> "Ah! Hello, Aaron." 18:34 <tom> "Yeah yeah I'm not gonna make 'em here. Just the penetrator." 18:35 <tom> He knocks on the bowl-shaped iron mass. 18:35 <Crion> Aster: "Well. So long as I don't accidentally become the penetratee." 18:35 <tom> "That's what- yeah." 18:36 <VoxPVoxD> Willie nods ruefully. 18:36 <VoxPVoxD> "Say, what's your favourite James Bond movie?" 18:36 <VoxPVoxD> A question for the room. 18:36 <tom> "I just wanted to give myself something with a little more kick in case we gotta scrap with someone built like an actual tank again." Bob thinks. "I mean it's Goldeneye, right? That's the good one." 18:37 <VoxPVoxD> "It's the good nineties one, certainly." 18:37 <tom> "Half of Crazy Ivan is just Boris." He grins: "I'm invincible!" 18:38 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "You're even working yourself up to being covered in frost!" 18:38 <Crion> Aster blinks. "From Russia With Love, most likely." 18:38 <Crion> Aster blinks. "From Russia With Love, most likely." 18:38 <Crion> "The new ones aren't bad." 18:38 <VoxPVoxD> "Ah, of course. A man who appreciates the classics." 18:39 <VoxPVoxD> "Sergio and I are going to see the new one on the weekend, so I'm making him watch all the other Craigs first." 18:39 <Crion> Aster: "A wise move, from what I've heard." 18:39 <Crion> "They're very linked." 18:39 <VoxPVoxD> "Unfortunately they're all worse than the first one, but they're still pretty good." 18:39 <Crion> Aster waggles his hand. 18:40 <tom> He looks down, chuckling. "I didn't like the one with- what was the one where they like drown the girl in oil? Shit's fucked up." 18:40 <Crion> Aster: "Quantum of Solace. I prefer it to Casino Royale." 18:40 <tom> "Uhh I mean they're fun, right." 18:40 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "That was the second one, the one we're watching tonight." 18:40 <Crion> "That death specifically is a reference to Goldfinger, I believe, where they do the same thing but with gold." 18:41 <tom> "Probably quicker." 18:41 <Crion> "The entire character is that sort of throwback. She's got a ridiculous name if I recall." 18:41 <VoxPVoxD> "Strawberry Fields." 18:41 <VoxPVoxD> "Beatles song!" 18:41 <tom> "British names are just like that." 18:41 <Crion> Aster: "Yes, that. Dresses like a stripper. Not like, in lingerie, but when she appears she's wearing this great huge ankles to collar brown trenchcoat in Bolivia." 18:42 <tom> "How's your boy holding up?" 18:42 <Crion> "Very ridiculous. Meant to evoke a mood." 18:42 <VoxPVoxD> "Anyway it's not bad but it's not got Eva Green or Mads Mikkelsen." 18:43 <Crion> Aster: "The brownface on the other Bond girl is out of fashion these days as well. Still, it has the opera scene, and it's what, 120 minutes? Shorter? Shortest one, I think." 18:44 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Sergio's... doing alright. There's a lot going on and I've been making him watch Succession and listen to me complain about work. In the circumstances he's doing very well! He is a survivor, is my Sergio." 18:45 <tom> "What's going on at work?" 18:45 <Crion> Aster will go pour himself a coffee. 18:45 <tom> Bob has made his way back to his workstation to replace the iron on its anvil and shut off the lights before drawing shut the safety screens. That's enough for now anyway. 18:46 <tom> He turns back to Willie: "Don't tell me the fang gang's trying to hastle you at work now." 18:46 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Well, a couple of years ago the Government totally shat the bed on the welfare system. My team's been put in charge of un-shitting it. Very complicated work, lots of technical expertise and complicated management problems. Also, everyone wants us to fail." 18:46 <VoxPVoxD> "Everyone but the sick and the poor, anyway." 18:47 <tom> hassle* 18:47 <Crion> Aster: "Sadly for them, they don't vote." 18:47 <VoxPVoxD> "No, it's all totally mundane evil, I'm afraid. An algorithm tried to deport my best coworker's father." 18:47 <tom> "It's all rigged anyway." 18:47 <VoxPVoxD> Ah, Americans. Trying to convince them the government can do things is like trying to get a fish to breathe air. 18:48 <tom> Bob sighs. "Ah, shit." 18:48 <tom> "Yeah I have no idea how to fight... that." 18:48 <Crion> Aster: "If the mages and the vampires wanted the poor to be taken care of, they'd be taken care of. Now, tax policy -- that they don't give a shit about." 18:49 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I'm thinking of putting it to my gamer friends. It's not unlike what you and Rolf were doing, yeah, but with immigration policy instead of trade." 18:49 <tom> "It's kinda weird they don't, isn't it?" Bob makes a face. "Wouldn't they benefit from having a healthier... pool?" 18:49 <VoxPVoxD> "They might be able to model something we can blow up." 18:49 <tom> "Ohh" he brightens instantly. 18:49 <Crion> Aster: "Now that...that would be worth seeing." 18:49 <Crion> "Perhaps doing." 18:51 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I'll bring you round! You can meet the lads. Do you have any gaming experience?" 18:51 <Crion> Aster: "Just tabletop war games in college." 18:52 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Oh, my brothers loved those. With the little resinous men and so forth. I imagine you were fighting, I don't know, American Civil War battles instead of Austerlitz." 18:52 <Crion> Aster, to Bob: "No. It's a numbers game. Think of it as sometimes you want the convenience of McDonald's, sometimes you want the family restaurant with 10/10 on Yelp, and sometimes you want the expensive steakhouse." 18:53 <tom> "Send my regards. I still have to clean up the farm." He goes to the coffee machine to grab a cup before returning to the table to sit, leaning the chair back on two legs. "Can't believe the government hasn't dropped by to tase the bejeesus outta me and take the scrap." 18:53 <Crion> "Except they're a welfare mother, college cheerleader, and state senator, respectively." 18:53 <Crion> "That's vampires." 18:54 <Crion> "As for mages, the Seers see the poor and sick as good policy, for their religious reasons. Keeps them less magical. They'd impoverish and sicken us all of if they could. The rebel mages are just spiritually and ideologically out to lunch." 18:54 <tom> "Yeah I guess.." he trails off. 18:54 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I wonder what the vampire equivalent of Uber Eats would be." 18:54 <Crion> "They no longer have material concerns. They have magic." 18:54 <VoxPVoxD> Her face falters a bit as she realises: "I suppose it'd be dating apps." 18:54 <Crion> Well, he wasn't going to say it. 18:54 <tom> Now that gets a full, hearty laugh. 18:56 <tom> "I guess we're pretty lucky Sergio doesn't suck." He does, but, shut up. 18:56 <VoxPVoxD> Abruptly: "How's your back?" 18:57 <tom> "oOoh," Bob stretches. "Hurts like fuck but I ain't paralyzed, so we're winning." 18:58 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "That's good. Hopefully it's more or less healed by the next time we all get grievously injured." 18:59 <tom> "Yeah. I thought Rolf would need more time to get back up to full power after getting all his bones ripped up but.." 18:59 <Crion> Obviously Sergio sucks. That's the basis of the entire-- Aster finishes pouring his coffee. 18:59 <tom> "He's still fast as hell." His smile breaks. 19:00 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "...how's Liam doing?" 19:00 <tom> Bob sighs. "Lust for blood sated, I think." 19:01 <tom> "One silver lining to the whole mess." 19:02 <tom> "I didn't see- what were you guys doing before we got Max Headroom'd by Cosmos." 19:03 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I just went on quite a long slide. It sort of looped back around to the sky, which is how I ended up in the water." 19:03 <VoxPVoxD> "It was fun!" 19:04 <tom> "Just don't have too much fun when you're over there, haha," Bob cradles the mug in both hands. "That's one'a the ways they get you I guess." 19:05 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I was very well-protected, by the King in Winter, his stalwart knight, and an able guide." 19:06 <tom> He sits up, adjusting his coat. "Don't thank me until we get back safe from somewhere outside the kiddie pool." 19:07 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I'll thank who I please, thank you very much." 19:07 <VoxPVoxD> "...how are you doing?" 19:08 <tom> "Could be worse. At least I didn't shoot anyone." 19:09 <tom> "I need to make Rolf some iron slugs. He was using conventional rounds so... there was a mess." 19:10 <VoxPVoxD> "Liam too," Willie points out. 19:10 <Crion> Aster: "Rolf would make a mess regardless." 19:10 <tom> "Yeah. Liam too," he nods. "Right." 19:11 <tom> "Over unpaid rent and a busted door. Christ." 19:11 <tom> "Shit just spirals outta control, huh." 19:12 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "That's not what it was over for Liam, was it? For either of them." 19:12 <Crion> Aster: "Not even slightly." 19:13 <Crion> "Well. Maybe Rolf stood on principle about the rent." 19:13 <Crion> "But he leapt off because the man was Irish." 19:13 <tom> "And the parmo." Hurk. 19:14 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Summer wanted Liam to kill Liam, didn't they?" 19:14 <Crion> "He has a place here as long as he's useful and in control." 19:14 <tom> Bob looks queasy, but it passes. "At least we didn't take any casualties. Another successful op, and we got good footage of the other side." 19:14 <Crion> "And only as such." 19:15 <tom> Bob: "I think so, but they didn't specify. And that's what matters to these guys." 19:15 <tom> "Any loophole is expected to be exploited." 19:15 <tom> "But yeah, he gets his wings and we got to go home. That's a win." 19:16 <tom> "...Doesn't feel like it much but that's what we got." 19:17 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Thinking about the seelie folk and their fetches, it feels like... every excuse anyone's ever had to commit murder all bundled up in one." 19:17 <VoxPVoxD> "Loss of property. Loss of pride." 19:17 <VoxPVoxD> "Infidelity." 19:17 <tom> The only record he ever existed will be the entry in that awful song machine. "It's like they pit 'em against each other for fun." 19:17 <tom> "Sick shit." 19:18 <VoxPVoxD> "You fight through whatever gets you out there in Faerie, you get home... and you're still not free. Every ounce of pressure bearing down on you to debase yourself, to destroy another, one final time." 19:18 <tom> He turns to Aster: "What about you, what'd you see when we went through?" 19:19 <Crion> Aster: "An interrogation room mixed with croquet." 19:19 <Crion> "Simply managed." 19:20 <tom> "Wow, I didn't know the Hedge could be boring." 19:20 <VoxPVoxD> Willie falls silent and listens. Her thoughts are elsewhere, with mirrors and teacups, in blind alleys with identification papers. 19:20 <tom> "Did you have to interrogate a goblin?" 19:20 <Crion> "The best encounters with the police are." 19:20 <Crion> "Oh, no, they thought they were interrogating me." 19:20 <tom> A wry smile. "How'd that go for them?" 19:20 <Crion> "I invoked my right against self-incrimination. I told them to charge me or release me." He shrugs. "They charged." 19:21 <tom> "Dusted." 19:21 <tom> "...Does that count as murder? I don't think they're..." 19:21 <tom> He shifts uncomfortably. 19:21 <Crion> "I learned something very important, however: the Hedge can be affected by the Talon module, but it doesn't access their underlying trauma. The Hedge doesn't have any." 19:21 <Crion> "What it does is it freezes the story." 19:22 <Crion> "The only thing that got hurt was me. I had noseplugs on me, thankfully." 19:22 <tom> "Handy." 19:23 <tom> "That's great news. It means we aren't just totally fucked." 19:24 <tom> "I don't think I can shoot my way out if I get stuck." 19:24 <Crion> Aster: "Well. I can't simply keep using the module forever." 19:24 <Crion> "So in that situation, you'd best use the time wisely." 19:25 <tom> "Yeah. I mean it seems straightforward enough... you just gotta figure out the key." 19:25 <tom> "Don't panic and go running off into the woods to get got." 19:26 <tom> He raps his knuckles on the table. "It's just freaky." 19:26 <tom> "Like this whole fucking thing just underlining reality like everywhere, all the time.." 19:27 <tom> "And I've been thinking, like, uh," Bob rubs his neck. 19:27 <tom> "It's not breaking the oath to say this, I don't think. There used to be a lot of.... problems, before the Tatterdam, right. You guys were at the ceremony, you know the deal, that's not outta line." 19:28 <tom> "And now there's less... and fewer people getting caught... means fewer people to uphold the ritual..." 19:28 <tom> "...You see where I'm goin' with this?" 19:30 <VoxPVoxD> Willie looks up after a silence. "They can send for people, can't they?" 19:31 <Crion> Aster: "I don't know if they can." 19:31 <tom> Bob shrugs. 19:31 <VoxPVoxD> "It's not as if Manchester is the only place with seelie fae." 19:31 <tom> "Anyway I'm sure it's fine." 19:31 <Crion> "But fae willing to swear the court oaths?" 19:31 <Crion> "That's the power." 19:31 <Crion> "The oaths." 19:31 <Crion> "It's not like mages, who can do as they please, and do." 19:32 <tom> "Anyway," Bob squeaks. "That's what I've been thinking about." 19:32 <tom> "So it's good we've got some training." 19:32 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "You don't think you could find someone who would take up that mantle, to protect so many people? Among a population largely forced from their own lives, who know full well what awaits them?" 19:32 <VoxPVoxD> "Still... I suppose it's not as if Lot saved Sodom." 19:33 <tom> "I'll ask about it the next time the Sadness Club meets." 19:34 <Crion> Aster: "Well. My interactions with the Lost have been less inspiring than the rest of this room's." 19:35 <tom> "The Bellfuckler, right. And the murders." 19:35 <tom> Bob leans back and rests his finger on his mouth thoughtfully. His eyes slide over to Willie- he's not wearing his visor. "It's not all sunshine and rainbows." 19:36 <VoxPVoxD> Willie doesn't meet his eyes. Coolly: "So I've heard." 19:37 <tom> "Well we don't have to worry about any of it until the next handover." 19:38 <tom> "...Until then we gotta keep our focus on the immediate problem," Bob exhales slowly. "We've got a dead pilot." Turns to Aster: "What, like you're not excited for a gen-u-ine alien autopsy?" 19:38 <Crion> Aster: "That will come sooner than you'd hope." 19:38 <Crion> Aster: "Eh." 19:39 <VoxPVoxD> Willie takes the opportunity to stand and stretch. "I'll leave you two to it. I've got to get home." 19:39 <Crion> "I don't think they're actually aliens per se." 19:39 <Crion> "Fair enough." 19:39 <VoxPVoxD> "Good night, Bob. Good night, Aaron." 19:39 <Crion> To Bob: "We should take care of that this weekend though. I'll drive down with the van and we can bring them back to Aster Biologics." 19:39 <Crion> "Good night, Willie." 19:39 <Crion> "Until then...I've got more business paperwork to fill out. And you've got that anvil." 19:40 <tom> "Bye Willie," he adds gently. To Aster: "Yeah well, that's why it's fun, right? I'll bet you they are from space. And you bet me they aren't, and let's look at the evidence." 19:43 <tom> He steeples his fingers. "Badawi got us the transcripts of the interrogation. Mr. Sang-thrax seemed to believe he was a part of a civilization.." 19:44 <Crion> Aster: "Well, he's wrong there. He's only part of a society."