10:08 <banana> Aster's busy. Among other things, he's got to figure out how to source huge quantities of relatively pure bismuth. 10:09 <Crion> Without ending up arrested and/or deported. 10:09 <banana> Blackfin.. is not. She's almost complaining about the lack of business when they catch up that morning, as if relaxing for a while would be a sin. 10:10 <banana> Samantha: "Of course it's me who kept putting off these people, but now they've cancelled our meetings indefinitely... for today, all I've got is this form to fill in." 10:10 <Crion> He needs a local cutout to use as the shipping address and purchaser...an American doing it, even d/b/a a British company, would be problematic. 10:10 <Crion> "Unfortunate." He glances over at the form. How long will it keep her entertained? 10:11 <banana> "Did they have you do a 17-W? Preliminary schedule for monthly reporting on private uses of authorised modules?" 10:13 <banana> Rolf's mind may be on the footy, or it may not - the lads don't have a particularly big TV available to them today. He's got some gear to go through, maybe use some of it immediately. Conversation washes over him from club members who have more mundane concerns. 10:13 <banana> "...but he got Brexit done, you can't deny that. That's why they're going after him, probably." 10:14 <Crion> Did they? They probably did. That or something similar. 10:14 <banana> The exception to the general banality.. is Baz. Baz has finished a mid and is crushing the can politely - wouldn't want to litter in Steveo's living room - but he's keeping a watchingful eye on Rolf Hughes. Baz knows people, and may know something about recent events. 10:15 <hrolf> Rolf catches Baz's eye and puts down his lager, waving the man over. 10:16 <banana> Aster did have to fill out a similar report, which was impossible because they wanted him to estimate everything he'd be doing for the next year. It was essentially an exercise in politely answering only what he was absolutely legally required to state, with appropriate language about the uncertainty of events. 10:18 <Crion> Aster: "Oh, yes. It's...well, it's a formality, and not a fun one unless you turn it into a game. An exercise in being broad but shallow in your purview. I listed all the exculpatory reasons I might have to use Talon with the usual obfuscatory language about 'paraphenomenal fauna and flora' and the like." 10:20 <banana> Willie's alone, yet not. Sergio stayed over today, but he does have to sleep. The bedroom shutters are sealed and he lies unmoving, a handsome statue curled up a little on one side of her bed. 10:21 <banana> They talked about Draculas. Was the man himself real, or a convenient myth? What do his pupils have to offer today^H^H^Hnight? 10:21 <banana> Work isn't occupying much her attention today. Everyone's leaving for the holiday, and most of the department's lines of business are actually going well. 10:22 <VoxPVoxD> Statue sounds much better than corpse. Still, it is nice to just sit for a bit, in the stillness, with nothing particularly draining her. It's been a while since that was true. 10:23 <banana> Baz Smith makes a little grunting noise as he gets up, then drags his chair over to Rolf's and sits down in it again. "Ow's it going, Hughes? I heard some odd things.. and didn't-hear some odd things." 10:23 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's shown Sergio the information they got on her, showed him (as best she could) the things she's found herself able to do since undertaking this rousing of the blood... but he's got to feel it to believe it. She did, anyway. So we'll see how that meeting goes, when it goes. 10:24 <hrolf> Rolf wipes some beer off his lips and dries his hand on his shirt. "Yeah I'm alright mate. What've you 'eard then?" 10:25 <banana> Samantha: "Hmmm. Some of the cyborgs I'm meeting in January are basically flora. Was it Isis who had flowers grow wherever she walked?" 10:25 <banana> "One of them does that. An involuntary blooming." 10:25 <VoxPVoxD> Even Kaga's asleep. 10:26 <Crion> "Yes, back when we were still allowed to mention her. Obama tried gamely with ISIL but it simply didn't stick." He turns. "You could help me with my thing if you're bored. I need to acquire a large amount of bismuth without triggering a security services alert. The good news is, I don't think it's a restricted substance. The bad news is, it's still a heavy metal, and I'm sure even with 10:26 <Crion> the Human Office shutting down someone's still out there looking for weird transactions. Especially involving foreigners." 10:29 <VoxPVoxD> Last thing before Christmas is Reveille. She's not really part of the tactical conversation, because she's not a tactician. But it sounds like a plan is coming together. She's avoiding getting too plugged into the details until there's something finalised so she doesn't accidentally think in terms of a previous draft in a tense moment. 10:32 <banana> Baz hesitates. They only know each other through the club - obviously the bond of supporters is unbreakable, but he's not too sure of the details of Rolf's work history. "Our mutual friend.. the guy who likes haircuts. He was texting me that there'd been sort of... fallin' out." 10:32 <banana> "'E got cut off, though. I tried to call, and that was cut off too. Picks up fine, you hear a hello, then the line goes dead." 10:33 <banana> "So I sent him an e-mail... I get two words into typing and the thing clicks itself off!" 10:34 <banana> There is one thing keeping Willie occasional company throughout the day: a groupchat Sumi invited her to. 10:34 <VoxPVoxD> Ooh. 10:34 <Crion> If he can't figure out a way to do this himself, the easiest way would be to ask WASC for help -- probably through the business manager, Henry I. 10:34 <hrolf> Rolf quirks an eyebrow and looks at Baz with interest: "That so? Yeah, the lad went a bit nutso over 'is bird. Started burning bridges wif all sorts of people, includin my crew up in manky town." He frowns - the communication difficulties sound ominous. "You wanna try calling 'im again? Lemme see." 10:35 <VoxPVoxD> Nice to be in one of these rather than be fed chat logs where people are gossiping about you. Been a while. 10:36 <banana> Bob's got a small stash of extremely advanced gear at home now... and a slightly sad note from Mari. 'Sorry to leave so early B- the hospital's trying to terrorise us so that we quit the course now if we're not up for it. I'm getting a whirlwind tour of each department, at least, and all the guts you could want to look at.' 10:36 <banana> He also has an unusual duty to carry out: which of his changeling acquaintances might be best suited to warding off telepathic attacks? And/or most willing to help do it? 10:37 <banana> Baz: "Yeah, I think we should. Clear things up, like." He holds up his phablet. "Let's go into the other room, avoid bothering the boys, and I'll get us on speakerphone." 10:38 <hrolf> Rolf nods, and gets up to follow Baz. 10:39 <banana> Mari's in the groupchat too - but busy - along with Meg the doctor, and some others Willie doesn't really know yet. It's a way to idle by. But someone's going to have to get the team together to actually take action or it's going to be December 22. Maybe it should be her... again. 10:41 <banana> Samantha: "Sure, why not. I've got my research setup up at the office, but it's not far.. I'll message you how it's going, or feel free to come up if you haven't gone out." She gathers herself up, happy to be standing for some purpose. "Just one question... are we going to need to dispose of a ton of metal afterward?" 10:42 <tom> Bob takes the note off the fridge and thumbs it in his palm before returning to his task, prying open the V.D.S.B. lying half-assembled on the coffee table before him. Nobody really comes to mind... he hasn't exactly been quizzing the Tor for their powersets. 10:42 <tom> Seems rude, maybe a little invasive. 10:42 <Crion> Aster: "No. Not us, anyway. Bob might. But I'm sure he'll find a good use for any left over; it apparently is a key component in fire extinguishing chemicals." 10:42 <tom> The note, neatly folded, goes into the man's breast pocket. 10:43 <banana> He could abandon the idea and hope that Mary - Reveille - will be able to handle the whole thing herself. But it'd be nice to have a backup plan, and the Lost were the first ones who came to mind when it's about not having your mind taken over. 10:43 <banana> Vampires would probably be at the very end of the list. 10:45 <VoxPVoxD> Eeeeh, yeah it should. She's not going to be much use in the actual fight, got to pull her weight somehow. <are we prepared to finalise our action plan on the reservoir?> is what the public Huntr channel sees. 10:45 <Crion> Aster, who has presumably made some progress in the hours between his breakfast with Samantha and this text: <I am. Bismuth is currently being handled.> 10:46 <banana> Rolf and Baz end up in Steveo's kitchen, behind a high chair set up with a bib for his youngest. Baz says, quietly: "You've learned that Athletic is a mentallist, in more ways than one. It might be ok to ditch him as long as 'e doesn't care much about you.. otherwise 'e's might hold a grudge." 10:46 <banana> The phablet's ringing. Would Rolf know Chex's number - Benni's top lieutenant? That's the one on the screen, anyway. 10:47 <hrolf> Rolf leans down and tickles the babby's chin. "Coochy coo!" 10:47 <tom> Bob texts Sumi, then. She's the highest-up in the Hill he has regular communication with. <does paul got any psi-shields or> Followed up with: <once we get the bismuth we can talk about dispersal> in the main huntr channel. 10:48 <hrolf> Rolf: "Yeah tell me about it. Whole reason this nutter's on me back is because we were 'elpin his bloody bird in the first place-" he pauses athe ringing. He nods towards the phablet, as if to say: go ahead and answer it. 10:49 <banana> There's a baby monitor on the table, which laughs - the child's mother, upstairs, amused by Rolf's tickling. Baz turns it to mute and then hits Accept. 10:49 <banana> The voice that comes out of the speakerphone is talking very fast, trying to cram as many words as possible into a few short seconds. 10:50 <banana> Speakerphone: "Chexgibbonshereyouvegotthisnumbersoyouknowwhatsup, werehavingproblemssotheremightbea-" 10:50 <banana> The call goes dead. 10:51 <hrolf> Rolf looks at the phone, then at Baz, then back at the phone. "What the fahck?" 10:52 <banana> Baz: "...they don't make phones like they used to. It's all Korean shit, or some shit like that." 10:52 <banana> "Maybe another time, mate. Let me know if you're gonna talk to 'im, though. I've got interests." 10:53 <hrolf> Rolf shakes his head. "Didn't sound like technical difficulties mate. So you know all about the erm...mentalism and fings then?" 10:56 <banana> Sumi calls Bob rather than text back. "Ey. Joanna's made contracts with some, you know, relevant entities. Stillness of the mind, the priests of the death of all thought.. don't judge. You've got the right to call on the hill, just two questions:" 10:56 <banana> "One, how important is it? Two, how dangerous is it?" 10:57 <banana> The Winter changelings are much in demand today. 10:58 <banana> Sumi's on both Willie and Bob's phones - and Badawi's at the home for the elderly they run, doing surveillance and rehearsal. While Winter reigns, changelings are in and out of this place quite often, paying court to their King. 10:59 <banana> Starling himself is rarely available to talk, but he's supportive of the caroling concert. Is there anything in particular Badawi wants to learn or prepare to improve the chances it goes well, when they do the real thing in a couple of days? 10:59 <tom> Bob's voice is a bit hoarse. He starts to talk, coughs, clear his throat: "Yeahrk- Yeah. No I get it. There's what the wizards call a 'caleban' hiding out in a reservoir out in Gorton. We're trying to pop it before Christmas, so important. As for danger, I'd say extreme. It's okay if you guys wanna sit this one out, though. I get it." 11:00 <tom> "I can offer anyone willing to risk it a chunk of my payout. Compensation for services tended." 11:04 <banana> Sumi: "Clearing out dangerous monsters from the city is definitely something the Hill supports. Because of the danger, it'll have to be up to Joanna - but we'll pass it on right away." 11:05 <Quaker> Badawi gets Starling while he’s between sessions of holding court. “So…your friends get a boost from being around lots of positive emotion, correct? Might want to invite the rest of your Freehold, no? Free fairie power.” 11:05 <banana> A bit later, the first message Aster gets from Blackfin isn't very informative. <Did you know, when you look up 'illegal uses of bismuth' with a US VPN, all the results are K-POP?> 11:05 <tom> "Thanks, Sumi. 'Till later." 11:05 <tom> Bob hangs up and goes back to work on the device. 11:06 <banana> <Seems there's an idol by that name, with a drug scandal..> 11:10 <banana> Baz: "Mmm. Yeah, there's a bit of an 'idden side to the world, you know. Things not many know the wot of. You see a lot of dumb shit on Facebook about 5G and children in cupboards.. but where there's smoke, there's fire." 11:10 <banana> "Now, don't laugh more than you have to at this." 11:13 <hrolf> Rolf, tentatively: "I fink I know what you're talking about...if we're talking about the same fings 'ere. People getting lost in 'edges, but showing up the next day like nuffink 'appened. Bite marks and memory loss. Weirdos in trenchcoats ducking into a blind alley and vanishing into fin air, like. Is that what you mean?" 11:13 <banana> The King under the Hill rests in the pagoda between audiences and matters of state, beard pooling around his ankles. Badawi's suggestion seems to tickle him a bit. "Positive feelings.. it would be nice, wouldn't it? I'll pass invitations around the Spring quarter." 11:13 <banana> "How do you feel about the whole thing, Mrs. Badawi? You held your own at that meeting, but one of your colleagues thinks we're energy vampires." 11:15 <Quaker> “How do I feel about you taking emotion as fuel?” She shrugs. “I haven’t heard of anyone complaining that you take too much. It’s like getting mad at the bees for pollinating the flowers.” 11:15 <Quaker> “You don’t make people feel worse afterward, do you?” 11:16 <banana> Hatch: "It dampens the senses for a while, like a sugar comedown. I've always thought that what we take is more 'imagination' than feeling - the same inherent human creativity that would otherwise be expressed in dreams." 11:16 <Crion> It takes a deal with a local boutique make-up manufacturer -- Aster gets the in here through Samantha, thankfully -- and a rather large cash payment to the owner and proprietress that won't be showing up on tax forms, above and beyond what the bismuth itself costs. But he makes it happen, and on short notice, too. Where does Bob want it delivered? The farm? 11:16 <banana> "..be it a blessing or a curse, people do still dream. I look forward to the weekend." 11:17 <banana> Everything's coming together now. The metal, the equipment, the plans.. they need to be firmed up, though. The hunters are going to have to spend some time together going over everything and getting the details in place. 11:18 <banana> What does their setup look like at this point? What is the plan to destroy Epsilon Eridani, keeping the stars from browbeating Reveille into a career change? 11:18 <Quaker> “You have any requests, Your Majesty? Any artists you’d like to hear?” 11:18 <banana> Baz: "Yeah, yeah it is. ...me granddad's a fairy." 11:18 <Crion> That's a question for the military men and...the paramilitary woman. Rolf, Bob, and Badawi. Aster's just here to provide bismuth and his brain. 11:19 <hrolf> Rolf winces sympathetically. "Oh yeah? Get a few of em in the family once in a while...'ope your nan didn't take it too 'ard when she found out." 11:24 <banana> Baz: "He's not just gay, mate, he's also from Fairyland. It's a real place, although I hear you wouldn't want to visit." He shrugs. 11:24 <banana> "Best to keep this sort of thing from people who don't need to know, though. It takes up brain matter you we could profitably drown in beer." 11:24 <banana> Eventually, everyone's spending a lot of time in the greybox, bemusing Richard by attaching mirrors and generators to truck beds, going over throwing-spear plans... there are five of you and one of the Agent of Cosmos. But things could go wrong. 11:25 <hrolf> Rolf: "Oh. Christ. That's even worse mate....'ow much exposure 'ave you 'ad to fings of that sort, then" 11:25 <banana> It would be a good time to catch each other up on anything else that's been happening, share the knowledge around. Everyone already knows, of course, about the tower-strike incident - which the press is reporting as a spectacular but harmless thunderstorm. 11:26 <hrolf> Rolf looks at his watch. "Ah, shite. I 'ave to get a move on. We should talk about this another time, like." 11:26 <banana> Hatch Starling thinks, drumming his lined hands on his knees. Since meeting the old changeling, Agostina's noticed that his level of energy varies greatly - sometimes he strides around purposefully, others he's mostly sedentary. Not too different from unmagical elders. "I do appreciate the Outlaws." 11:27 <Crion> Aster manages the bismuth delivery to the farm while Bob and Willie manage...whatever they're doing in there. Frankly Aster is staying out of their way, especially the other American's. He'll be available once the planning starts, and he'll nod to the others as they arrive. 11:27 <Quaker> Badawi texts Amjad: <Meet me at the warehouse> 11:28 <banana> Baz: "Yep." He turns the baby monitor back on just as the child begins to yell. 11:28 <VoxPVoxD> Willie's making ponchos! It's grunt work, sewing machine and something like foil, but honestly that's nice. A job that doesn't require any thought and you can just take directions and turn them into results. She's got her earbuds in (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaEMdK1wnac) but low enough that someone getting her attention doesn't need to shout. 11:28 <Quaker> She’s literally never heard of the Outlaws. “Good taste. See you then.” 11:28 <hrolf> A little while later, Rolf hefts a mjolnir out of a locker at the greybox, and runs his hands up and down the weapon. He lets out a low whistle. "Niiice. Always wanted to get me grubby little 'ands on this fing. Office only let special ops 'ave it usually." 11:29 <Crion> Or the greybox. Wherever they're doing this thing. 11:30 <banana> Haldane's available to help build the specialised equipment you're going for.. as long as it doesn't require specialised skills. He can fetch and carry. "I've been reading about the agents Cosmos sends, in the wizard handbook." 11:31 <Crion> Aster: "Oh? Do tell." 11:31 <tom> Bob's in the workshop-turned armory, watching the pyrex window into the autoclave while radiant metal pools and melts into the pyramidal mold within. He's forging spearheads. There's a stack of ponchos on the conference table that appears to be stolen directly from the set of a seventies sci-fi show; dazzlingly reflective fabric that shimmers in the harsh fluorescent light of the greybox. 11:32 <hrolf> This piques Rolf's curiosity. "There's an 'andbook?" He grunts as he carries the mjolnir over to a table to dump it off. "Wossit say then?" 11:32 <VoxPVoxD> There's hoods in case it rains! 11:32 <banana> "They're the one thing the dragon-mages really believe is from outer space. It all pretty much lines up with what Bogdan Georgiou told you... but he did leave one thing out." 11:32 <tom> "Be careful with that," Bob mutters, not looking up as the Mjolnir clonks down on the table. 11:32 <tom> "It's set to High." 11:32 <banana> "Ah, here, Rolf." Richard hands over a copy of the dossier Badawi purchased from the Mysterium - 'Children of the Stars'. ...if he does get back in contact with Benni at some point, this is likely to come in handy. 11:33 <hrolf> Rolf nods. "There's a safety though, innit?" 11:34 <Quaker> Badawi has disseminated the results of the ‘research’ they did with the Mensans (jajaja) over Huntr by the time she arrives at the greybox with Amjad. The older man wordlessly climbs into the cabin of the truck to familiarize himself with things. 11:34 <hrolf> Rolf starts skimming through it - anything interesting? As he's reading, he says aloud: "Oh speaking of the mentalists - 'ad an interesting call wif one of Benni's lads. Well, not so much a call as a cry for 'elp. Seems they're in some deep cacky. Not making any per-sumptions, but if Epsilon whatsit got to em, we may 'ave to deal wif em down at the dam." 11:34 <tom> "Best safety's to keep the battery cord unplugged until you need it. The Mark I's resonance chamber is taken from a L.A.S.M. rocker launcher dating from the sixties. It's about as old as you are, and the safeties are rusty." 11:34 <tom> The autoclave dings. 11:35 <Quaker> She waves hello, and: “I’m going to let the Pentacle know the bounds of our AO, if that’s alright with everyone. That way, they can’t complain about not being notified ahead of time, and they can handle the crowd control if they feel like it’s a priority.” 11:35 <tom> He reaches in with a pair of tongs and extracts the glowing-hot mold, dipping the whole apparatus in a cooling bath with a hiss that dies as the mold gets a fair dunking. 11:35 <hrolf> Rolf looks up from the booklet at Haldane: "What did Bogdan leave out?" 11:36 <banana> You can melt bismuth in an oven, although it might not be very good for the oven. The quantity of ingots Aster's having delivered - silvery bricks with a rainbow sheen - will take quite a bit of forging, but maybe that's not what you want the rest of it for? It's brittle, easily broken into many small chunks. 11:36 <Crion> Aster: "Sounds...reasonable. As long as they don't interfere. Or if they do interfere, as long as they don't assume we owe them." 11:37 <banana> Haldane: "The 'agents' as a category include these Calebans and also Emanations, possibly-illusionary aliens of the sort Badawi encountered. But guiding and communicating with star-children isn't the only thing they do." 11:37 <hrolf> Rolf: "Oh? What else?" 11:37 <tom> Forging directly with a hammer would be a mistake. Bismuth is highly brittle and liable to shatter. It melts at a cool five-hundred-twenty fahrenheit. 11:37 <banana> "Supposedly, the calebans are also the ones who give star-children their powers in the first place. Either by doing something to kids' brains in the womb or, er... a sort of Gabriel scenario." 11:38 <banana> Who's Badawi calling at wizard HQ? 11:38 <hrolf> Rolf furrows his brows as he ensures the mjolnir isn't plugged in. "You mean like - if we waste this fing, Reveille might lose 'er mojo? Or Benni?" 11:39 <banana> Haldane: "Maybe! Or maybe it doesn't matter, since this is just a small piece of the actual star." 11:39 <Quaker> Octocat, just to pass on the message. She’s not going to badger him into doing something, she’ll just drop the information in his lap and let them figure it out. Rude? Yes, but they’re mages. 11:39 <banana> "Maybe if one of us was pregnant, we could get it to enchant the child." 11:40 <Crion> Aster frowns at that. 11:40 <tom> "Why'd you make it weird, man." 11:40 <tom> Bob sips coffee. 11:40 <hrolf> Rolf pats his belly. "I may look but I'm not plannin to get pregnant anytime soon haha." 11:40 <banana> Richard: "Bob... I learned it by watching you." 11:41 <banana> Octocat picks up. Speaking of phones, it looks like the lights under the black-and-white one are back on... 11:41 <banana> "Good afternoon, Ms. Scabuzzo! I was just thinking about getting in touch." 11:42 <Quaker> “Good to hear you survived the lightning strike, Octocat. Got some news for you. And Closure, who would probably be interested.” 11:42 <hrolf> Rolf: "So, anyway. What's the plan of action 'ere? 'ow're we going to lure this fing somewhere in the AO where I can waste it, eh?" 11:42 <banana> As the special-purpose gear comes together, what does it look like? How's the truck customised, and what are these weapons? 11:42 <tom> If Badawi was able to get a vehicle of her own, that's great. Otherwise the rig will be going on Bob's truck. 11:42 <banana> Octocat: "Great - we can trade. I see you're on a secure line today." 11:44 <tom> He's plodding over to the conference table with a plastic case containing a pair of pyramid-shaped metal objects that have a faint rainbow sheen. Already on the table next to the ponchos and Rolfie's mjolnir mk. I is what looks like a stripped-down Mjolnir, with much of the parts piled in a little plastic tray alongside. 11:45 <tom> Bob slots one of the shimmering metal pyramids onto a long rod, which goes into the muzzle of the launcher with a satisfying click. 11:45 <Quaker> “Uh huh. Kind of in a hurry.” 11:45 <banana> Willie's new groupchat is mostly filled with mundane things unrelated to the supernatural. Sumi introduced her as 'my girl W.W., a witch from actual hell', to which nobody seemed to object. 11:46 <tom> The electrical cables running along the inside of the Mjolnir's resonance chamber have been reconfigured, twisted, and coiled around the length of the interior, like a helix, creating what must be an extremely powerful electromagnet. 11:46 <hrolf> Rolf snaps his fingers. "Oooh, almost forgot." He walks back to the lockers and opens one up, picking a carton out. He walks around the room, distributing earmuffs to each of the strike team. "Might need these if the mjolnir goes off near you, like." 11:46 <tom> "Good idea, Hughes." 11:46 <VoxPVoxD> Willie responded with her most-used emojis, ❤️❤️❤️😈❤️❤️❤️ 11:47 <tom> He already has his own earpro. You only forget those around a Mjolnir once. 11:47 <banana> Octocat: "Here's my news, then, and I'll defer the questions I had about Jock James. Do you remember the spiked devices you brought us?" 11:47 <VoxPVoxD> Willie murmurs thanks to Rolf when he hands around the ear protection. She's just finishing the last poncho, which is hers. 11:48 <tom> The other bismuth head- it's actually quite hefty, a not-insignificant amount of metal went into its casting- goes onto the tip of a long javelin that Bob twirls and presents to Badawi with a slight smile. 11:49 <Quaker> Badawi: “I do. They wouldn’t have secretly been broadcasting a signal to call down some kind of electrical attack on them, sent by a fake businessman named Roth, who works for some kind of international A.I. conspiracy connected to occult rituals and the Cheiron Group, would they?” 11:50 <Quaker> Badawi takes the javelin and spins it around like a baton. Once she’s satisfied, she puts it under her arm and gives Bob a thumbs-up. 11:50 <banana> Octocat: "No, they only do that if you hook them on the intended targets - daemons and the beasts of Pandemonium." 11:50 <banana> "...who's this businessman Roth?" 11:50 <tom> "...Sorry I haven't started on the rest of the nightingale patches yet." 11:50 <Quaker> “Later. You hooked them on a demon?” 11:51 <banana> Octocat: "We determined that they're a trap designed to snare specific supernal entities, yes." 11:51 <Quaker> Badawi puts the phone into her neck for a moment. “It’s cool, man. No rush. Thanks for taking care of all our gear.” 11:51 <tom> Bob shrugs and takes a seat at the table to watch Willie finish stitching up the last arm of her poncho and apply the final reflective coating. 11:51 <tom> He kneads his brow thoughtfully and drinks coffee. 11:51 <banana> Richard comes over to Willie. "If it's lasers, remember eye protection as well. Are you going out there at night, or in the daytime?" 11:52 <Quaker> Back to the phone: “Alright. We can send you more on Roth after what we’re doing right now. Speaking of which-“ 11:53 <banana> Octocat: "...news that Closure can use. This is bad for my anxiety." 11:53 <Crion> ...Ponchos. Well, if they die, their corpses will make an interesting crime scene. 11:53 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "That... is a good question." 11:54 <VoxPVoxD> She looks expectantly at Aaron and Bob, who despite being quite far apart are both in Willie's Vision Cone. 11:54 <Quaker> “We’ve tracked the controller of all these alien attacks to Gorton Reservoir, and are going to go after it in person. We think we’ve got that part covered, but if Closure would like she can go ahead and seal off the area. I don’t know, cast a magic I-see-nothing spell or something on the trailer park and golf course next to it. And before you ask, no, it’s not interested in a peaceful resolution. I personally confirmed that it does not want 11:54 <Quaker> to talk, to me or you or anyone.” 11:54 <Crion> Aster: "Night time avoids golfers." 11:55 <tom> Bob reaches into his coat and pulls out a folder brimming with papers and pushes it across the table to Willie. "After the mission you should take a look at this." 11:55 <VoxPVoxD> "Later, you're saying, not now?" 11:55 <banana> Octocat: "That's a terrifying idea and I wish I could stop you. Vivi, and Closure, will be pleased to know about it in advance. That goes a long way." 11:55 <VoxPVoxD> Is the folder labeled at all? 11:55 <tom> He shrugs. "It's not critical to the mission." 11:56 <tom> Just Bob's chickenscratch in a sharpie- eldernotes 11:56 <VoxPVoxD> Aaah. 11:56 <banana> "We're still dealing with the aftermath of the trap-attack here here, but I'm hopeful there will be... something in place to reduce visibility. As long as you're not staging a dramatic open battle with fire and explosions, it should be fine." 11:56 <tom> "It's everything the Court has on Fortunato, Weaste, the rest." 11:56 <VoxPVoxD> Yes, Willie will file that away for later. 11:56 <tom> Bob nods, leans back in his chair. 11:56 <VoxPVoxD> She's not going to ask how he got it until she looks through it, which she will do later. 11:57 <Quaker> Badawi: “Good neighbors, yeah? Alright. I’ll text you the specifics of the area we’re going to be in, and give you a heads up an hour before we pull the trigger. Talk to you soon.” She hangs up and turns back to the rest of the cell. 11:57 <tom> He waits for Badawi to hang up: "You get a truck?" 11:57 <Quaker> “Alright, that’s fair warning for the wizards. As long as we don’t blow something up, we should be on their good side for this.” 11:57 <banana> Haldane, to Aster: "Sunglasses, earmuffs and ponchos at night will reduce your own visibility too... so be careful out there." 11:58 <banana> "Hmm. I wonder if this kind of information control stuff is what our.. present employer was claiming we could call upon him for." 11:58 <tom> Bob: "These are the most reflective vests I've ever seen. Visibility will be fine. 11:58 <banana> "But there's no evidence he's good for it." 11:58 <tom> " 11:58 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "It's worth exploring, at a less-mission-critical time. If we didn't have to reach out-of-House for media management, so much the better." 12:02 <Quaker> Badawi points to the big truck Amjad is currently sitting in. “Got a 2020 Ford F-150 Raptor. Should handle offroading at speed fine, sits up to six in the cab, plenty of room in the bed. We can torch it once we’re done.” 12:02 <banana> Richard: "Ideally so. That reminds me... should I contact our client to set up some pay arrangements that bypass Jack of Edgelords?" 12:02 <banana> "I can't easily replicate his laundering process, but perhaps we don't need it in this case." 12:03 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Let's not freeze him out unilaterally until we agree a collective position." 12:04 <banana> Richard sighs. "You're right. And maybe he's fine. I just..." 12:04 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "I get it. I do." 12:04 <VoxPVoxD> "And I'm with you. But... one fight at a time, yeah?" 12:05 <tom> "Good enough for me. Tell your guy to gun it in reverse if I smack on the hood of the cabin. 'Cus I'm gonna be standing in the bed and I don't wanna get vaporized by no laser beams." 12:05 <tom> He stands, grunting as he hefts the improvised launcher and its gleaming bismuth head over his shoulder to make his way to the truck. 12:07 <hrolf> Rolf repeats his question from earlier: "As I was saying, what's our plan 'ere'? 'ow do we get it out in a way that we can waste the fing?" 12:08 <banana> Haldane's got a map up on the briefing room wall, annotated with the route Badawi took last week. There isn't a single ring-road around the lake at the south end of the reservoir; there's the northwest bridge, a road *most* of the way down the southwest past the housing estate, and another access road for the golf course down most of its northeast side. 12:08 <banana> If you wanted to drive back and forth, with space to maneuver, the Kings Road causeway is your best bet.. but also the most open to curious drivers-by. 12:08 <tom> Bob returns with a welding tool and what looks to be a heavy-duty tripod mount for a studio camera. "She doesn't like electricity, and you've got a lightning gun." 12:09 <banana> And if shooting at the lake doesn't work... dumping bismuth en masse? Having Reveille lure? What's your preference? 12:09 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Eridani's goal is to speak to Reveille, and we're bringing Reveille to the reservoir. Drawing her out is not a problem." 12:09 <tom> He's visible through the bay doors as he climbs up onto the truckbed and begins spot-welding the tripod into place behind the cab. 12:09 <hrolf> Rolf: "This thing's got a few settings right? I can 'it it from range, or get in close for more jolting. What'd be better?" 12:10 <Quaker> Badawi: “Eridani is very sure of herself. She is obsessed with getting to Reveille. She won’t back out if we dangle her in front.” 12:10 <hrolf> Rolf: "Didn't Aster get something to dump in the water too?" 12:10 <Quaker> “The more electricity and bismuth we can put into her once we’ve gotten her out in the open, the better. So…closer?” 12:10 <banana> It's the 21st of December. If you're ready by tonight, it will obviate the question of the outdoor chess game... 12:11 <Quaker> Amjad gets out of the cab and goes over to Bob’s workshop, looking for something. 12:11 <VoxPVoxD> No one can deny that these are difficult times. 12:12 <hrolf> Rolf scratches his chin. "Hmm. Maybe. But this fing's noticeable. Should the heavy 'itters stay out of the fray till she's drawn out, then drive in wif the truck or something to blast at 'er?" 12:12 <Crion> Aster: "Yes, but let's try not to go too wild with that. It shouldn't be harmful -- might even be a decent digestive -- but we don't need someone in London asking why bismuth showed up in Gorton Reservoir days after an industrial shipment was delivered to a new buyer in town. The paper trail doesn't lead back to us, but..." 12:13 <tom> Amjad will hear the truckbed bounce as Bob hops off to follow him into the workshop/armory, welding mask in hand, looking... almost apologetic? "Sorry sir, this is... restricted access? You need something?" 12:14 <Quaker> Badawi points at the map. “It would be a good idea to split her attention once we’ve started. Two people with one Mjolnir firing at her from a distance while the truck goes at her with the rest would work. If she dodges the truck, she gets zapped. If she’s distracted by the cannon, she’s easier to hit from the truck.” 12:15 <banana> Richard: "That would let you make a quick getaway afterwards by collecting the gunners, which is important once the fight draws attention. Hmm." 12:15 <Quaker> Amjad holds up a brace of portable speakers that look like they’ve been salvaged from a garage sale, a lengthy aux cord, and some duct tape. “Could I please borrow these, if it’s not too much trouble?” 12:15 <banana> "Do we expect the monster's body to just.. splash? Maybe there won't be any evidence?" 12:15 <hrolf> Rolf: "Sounds good to me then. We use the causeway up there wif the truck ready to come in for wot's needed, yeah?" 12:16 <tom> Bob, sadly: "Man, I can just buy you some high-tier speakers... I mean, sure, go ahead." 12:16 <VoxPVoxD> "It's not a real body, is it? It's just a sort of projection." 12:16 <tom> "You don't need to borrow 'em, I'll get you something better for Christmas, okay?" 12:17 <Quaker> Badawi: “Yeah, I think so. It’s supposed to be a shade of the star itself. But if it does drop a corpse, we could just throw it in the truckbed and go.” 12:17 <banana> Richard: "The counterpoint to that would be that Ms. Morgan's elemental friend has real flesh." 12:17 <Quaker> Amjad frowns. “I don’t intend to use them in my personal life. But thank you.” As he passes: “I am upholding a tradition.” 12:17 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "So I've heard." 12:18 <tom> Bob: "...Yeah man, no problem." 12:18 <banana> Richard coughs. 12:18 <tom> He gets back to work on the cannon mount. 12:18 <banana> "No aspersions intended. She's a very considerate client." 12:18 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "But that just compels the question, what happens when Gordon moves on? Does *he* leave a body or does he dissolve into stellar winds?" 12:19 <VoxPVoxD> "We don't know that either, do we?" 12:19 <banana> Presumably he's not using the same definition of consideration as Badawi, and in fact he elaborates: "Stopping a threat like this is exactly the sort of thing.. you should be able to call in the authorities on a lake monster. The authorities have abandoned their posts. But we're here, and she's even willing to pay." 12:19 <tom> The welds, ugly linear bumps, aren't quite finished cooling back down from red-hot when Bob takes the tubular launcher and bolts it down onto the swivel on the tripod in the truckbed. 12:19 <Quaker> Badawi: “The Mensans had to focus their power to form the water into a shape. Maybe it’ll just collapse into a puddle once the animating consciousness is destroyed.” 12:20 <tom> It's even got the original Mjolnir Mark I optics. He squints through the grainy night-vision filter on the side of the barrel. 12:20 <hrolf> Rolf: "Well that's good innit? The private sector's always more efficient than waiting on bureaucratic bollocks. We get it done in the time the Office would 'ad to go through ten layers of paperwork." 12:21 <banana> Richard: "Paperwork imposed by a conspiracy trying to... starve the beast." 12:22 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "It would be nice to have a government department for this sort of thing. But having nothing is better than having a catspaw of evil wizards and evil vampires loaded for bear with full legal immunity." 12:24 <hrolf> Rolf: "That's the problem with government innit. Someone's always fahcking fings up. Best to let hentrepreneurs and the market do what they do best. Big Time Charlie's lad went to college, got a job explaining that sort of fing to me once. It's called price signals." 12:24 <Quaker> Badawi takes the map off the wall and puts it on the table. “Alright. Let’s go through it one more time. We pick up Reveille and Amjad drives. Aster in the cab. We drop Rolf, Willie, and some bags of bauxite, just in case, off on the bridge and then the truck circles back to cover in the green. We get Reveille to signal however she wants. If we need to, we can upend the sacks in the reservoir to add to getting her attention. Once Eridani pops 12:24 <Quaker> up, Rolf hits her with the grenade and then the Mjolnir, with Willie helping him as assistant. Amjad drives the truck with me and Bob in the back, firing, until we kill it. Then we grab any evidence and leave the AO.” 12:24 <Quaker> “That work for everyone?” 12:25 <tom> He's rubbing the grease and soot from his hands with a rag at the coffeemaker while he waits for a fresh mug to fill. "No complaints." 12:25 <VoxPVoxD> Willie thinks some more about the questions she and Richard asked and realises she knows the answer: "We want to make sure she's as close to or in the water as possible. Ideally the blow that discorporates her will knock her back in, because she's made of quite a lot of water under quite a lot of pressure." 12:26 <banana> Bob's got a message from Joanna Maybe - could he call her after tea? 6PM or later? 12:26 <VoxPVoxD> "And when she goes, all that pressure releases at once. Like if you shook the world's largest can of lemonade and then shot it with a tiny harpoon." 12:27 <Quaker> Badawi draws a circle around the reservoir and the golf course. “Alright. Let’s aim to keep her either right on shore or on the golf course. All that water flooding the green won’t hurt anybody.” 12:27 <VoxPVoxD> The ponchos, in retrospect, are doubly useful. 12:27 <Quaker> “But if she’s chasing Reveille around while she’s in the truck, we should be able to control where she’s headed.” 12:27 <tom> Joanna's phone dings. <👍> 12:27 <VoxPVoxD> The first five rows may get wet. 12:27 <banana> If only they were Raincoat Colony. 12:27 <Crion> Aster: "Sounds good." 12:29 <Quaker> Badawi checks her watch. “Alright. Bob, can you hook up the electric stuff in the bed? We can pick Reveille up after dusk. 9 PM sound good?” 12:30 <Quaker> Amjad appears next to Bob holding thick insulated gloves. “If you need help wiring, I’m quite a steady hand.” 12:30 <hrolf> Rolf: "Wired up a lot of fings in your day, yeah?" 12:31 <banana> A few hours to get ready, then. Fighting this thing... it might not be smart. But it's an invader from outer space, nobody else is going to protect the Earth, and you'll be the ones who get paid. 12:31 <tom> Bob goes over to check on a bank of car batteries in his workshop. 12:31 <banana> After a while, it's time for him to make a phone call. 12:31 <Quaker> “Avionics, car batteries, outlets and breakers, all sorts of things.” 12:32 <banana> He never had Joanna's number before formally joining Winter, and technically he still doesn't - most of the Winter Tor have a shared virtual line with extensions that go through some sort of anti-tracing mechanism. 12:32 <tom> "If you wanna help, sure." Bob hefts a battery and heads for the truckbed. "They tell me to ignore him," he mutters to Amjad. 12:32 <tom> He and Amjad wire up the launcher. Talk is light. Bob's not in the mood and Amjad's a professional. 12:32 <tom> He slips out to make a cool just before six. 12:33 <tom> call 12:33 <Quaker> Amjad has thoroughly taped the speakers to the front pillars of the cab, pointed forward and out. A thin wire spliced four ways leads into the console. He doesn’t say much beyond the necessary things while they put leads and clamps on things. 12:34 <banana> Joanna Maybe picks up on the third ring. There's the cosy crackle of a fireplace behind her, but her voice is like wires rubbing together. 12:34 <tom> Bob's stepped out for a smoke. His voice is apologetic: "Sorry to bug you, Joanna." 12:34 <banana> Maybe: "It's fine, Bob, you're us now. How have you been? How is Mari?" 12:36 <tom> "Normal and good, respectively." 12:37 <banana> Maybe: "How the hell did you pull off normal? Give the rest of us some tips." 12:37 <tom> "My normal is off-spec." 12:37 <banana> "I hear you need to protect your mind and the minds of your friends against alien invasion." 12:37 <Quaker> Badawi looks at Willie: “By the way. I’m going to be gone for a month or three after this job. I’ve got some family visiting town for the week, and after that I’ve got some business for them that can’t wait. It’s going to take me out of the country.” 12:37 <Quaker> “Want anything from Mexico?” 12:38 <tom> "That's the hope. We've got a psychic with us, a strong one, but if there's anything extra you can spare, my team asked me to put out feelers." 12:39 <tom> "If you wanna sit this out, nobody will hold it against you folks." 12:39 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Ooh, can you get some mezcal?" 12:40 <hrolf> Rolf, to Badawi: "I could use somefing. You know those canned chipotles they 'ave, in adobo sauce? I love those fings. Been 'ard to find lately, and expensive as fahck when you do." 12:40 <VoxPVoxD> "I'm away to Sicily with Sergio after the holiday. So do let me know if there's anything any of you'd like brought back." 12:40 <banana> Maybe: "No, I'll help you... here's the thing. If there's a fast-moving, dangerous battle and I'm there, I will freeze up.. snap in half.. get you all killed. I'm not a warrior. But even without being there, I can protect... two of you." 12:41 <banana> "You'll need to come up here to Bury. I can give one of you a talisman- and make one of you a promise that lets a harmless thing into her head jealously keeping out other would-be squatters." 12:41 <tom> His voice is sad: "Like I said, you don't need to put yourself at risk on our account. Even intervening at all could put you at risk, and I'm not going to ask you to do that." 12:41 <Quaker> Badawi: “Oh, really? Where in Sicily?” 12:41 <tom> But still: "Okay." 12:42 <tom> "I'll let the others know. I can compensate you with real-people money for your trouble. Sorry, I'm not magic." 12:43 <banana> Joanna: "Being magic's overrated, man." 12:43 <tom> Quietly: "Thank you, Joanna." 12:44 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "We're booked for a flight into Palermo, got a hotel, etcetera, but I want to explore! Taormina, Valle dei Templi, the Necropolis..." 12:44 <banana> You've got a few hours left - time for Bob and/or a couple of others to make the trip north and back. Everything else is lined up, and not to Epsilon Eridani's timetable. 12:44 <VoxPVoxD> "There's some family friends with places we can stay that'll be empty that close to Christmas too." 12:45 <banana> If you make it out the other side - Sicily and Mexico await. 12:45 <hrolf> Brighton's better'n both. 12:46 <VoxPVoxD> Not in December it isn't. 12:48 <Quaker> “Lovely. The Quattro Canti looks beautiful lit up at night. And it’s a bit morbid, but you can always make the trip out to Capaci, see where they blew up Falcone. Built a monument to him and everything.” She writes it down - Mezcal for Willie, peppers in sauce for Rolf.”