13:41 <banana> One problem with vampires is they're nocturnal. 13:42 <banana> They're also cagey. Aaron Aster was up late and he didn't get much out of it. The fact that these people* will talk to him without attempting to erase his memory or drink his blood is good, very good, but it's not yet enough to create a clientele. 13:43 <Crion> Well. The nocturnal thing has always been quite useful, to be honest. Checks some boxes. So many cases where the lead agent wanted to go 'vampire,' easily and correctly shunted off to mortal copycats just by checking local dusk against time of death. 13:44 <Crion> Still. Unsettling, the idea of open lines of communication with them. Even if it is necessary. 13:45 <Crion> Before one creates a clientele, of course, one must oneself get off the menu. 13:49 <banana> So far he's managed to create the right impression - some combination of utility and defendedness that has them avoiding threats. Or seductions. But was he being taken seriously? 13:49 <banana> Most recently they palmed him off on these 'deputies' (deputy what? they won't say) named Clive and Suzie, seemingly-young party people types who deflected questions about their "Wise and Solemn Court" with mortal politics. They think "Jezza" was completely fucked over and "Keith" is on the verge of losing everything. Even if it wasn't Aster's thing at all, he can hope that he's come across 13:49 <banana> as friendly by humouring them. 13:49 <Crion> Vampires, the sociable ones at least, the powerbrokers, are as easy to find as their laziest blood junkie. That doesn't actually mean you should go out looking for one, though. Not unless you have a very good idea of what might happen. 13:50 <banana> By the time he made it back to the River Irwell the hotel was backed by pre-dawn light: https://limits.thomascastiglione.com/media/lowry.png 13:51 <banana> What's his plan for the next day? There are other things to be done than getting through to these creatures, other business model elements to take care of... 13:52 <Crion> Well, there's paperwork to be filed. He has the proper visa and will for the next few years before renewal comes up; he has the business bank account, the proper scheme, but he's going to need a Brit accountant to get the tax paperwork right. There's just no way around that. 13:53 <banana> Americans may have perfected it, but the British invented tax evasion. The details are highly specific. 13:53 <Crion> Then there's licensure and insurance. And lab accreditation -- he'll need to be able to operate as a regular postal forensic and testing lab just for the cover and the licensing, not to mention extra work when times are hard. 13:53 <banana> The hotel internet is pretty good - maybe time to work from home for a few hours? 13:54 <Crion> Indeed. 13:54 <Crion> He'll leave a few messages for promising accountants first, either with their machines or their secretaries if they're fancy. 13:59 <banana> It's past noon outside and sunlight leaks in to complement the hotel lamps. As Aaron works, reading and formulating messages, new thoughts begin to creep in around the edges. 13:59 <Crion> ... 13:59 <Crion> ...Hrm. 14:01 <banana> The former agent has the impression he's just read a message with a sidebar, a margin note directed toward him, but in fact the paragraphs of text are mundanely formatted. The content of that extra text.. it's becoming clearer as the light goes caustic, twisting around the edges. 14:02 <Crion> Academically fascinating. Is the attack coming through the computer? Through the window? Does it not require line-of-sight or residual sympathy? He ripped the webcam out of this thing a long time ago. But in his active brain, this is something to be dealt with. 14:04 <Crion> First things first: he has a timelock safe, a very small thing, installed in the room. A smaller version of the sort your fast food place will warn they have in the back for the cash, in case you were thinking of robbing it. Inside it, there's a box. Inside that box, there's a gun. He locks the safe for five hours. 14:04 <Crion> Well, 'installed' in the room. He shoved it under the bed. 14:05 <Crion> He'll not be blowing his own brains out with the Glock this afternoon. If they want him they'll work for it. 14:06 <Crion> It's always faintly ridiculous to speak out loud to Forces Unknown. He avoids doing it whenever possible. 14:06 <Crion> He closes the laptop, picks up a book. Travel guide to Manchester. Begins flipping through it. Anymore margin calls? 14:10 <banana> Aster is something of an expert in forcing unilateral mental contact. The nature of this thing, attack or otherwise, is proximate - they can't be too far away, maybe in the same building. 14:10 <banana> (It's a very large building, though) 14:10 <Crion> No line of sight. He can't very well go door-to-door. Leaving the building is being flushed into the open -- noon at least is a fine time of day for it. Crowds. No vampires. 14:10 <banana> Words are forming in his mind. There's noise, too, but it doesn't match the impression of language - more like a carrier signal. 14:11 <banana> < Good morning / afternoon. Is this Aaron Aster on the line? > 14:11 <Crion> ... 14:11 <Crion> < Yes. > 14:12 <Crion> He opens the door slightly, peeks down the hall. 14:13 <banana> There's nobody outside. Cleaning has been through at some point and left a couple of cards on the handles of neighbouring rooms, the little plastic hooks that warn you the sheets have been changed so you don't get embarassed. 14:15 <Crion> They wouldn't have knocked on his door anyway. Aster is one of the world's most obvious employers of the do not disturb tag. 14:15 <banana> < Apologies for the intrusion / activation. It seems to me you need work / conquest as much as the city needs you, and I'm a man who satiates needs. > 14:16 <Crion> First person pronoun. There's a start. 14:16 <Crion> < Who am I conversing with? > 14:16 <banana> < You can call me Sourjack / Jack of Edges > 14:17 <Crion> < How do you know me? > 14:19 <banana> < Your name's on a list on the Metropolitan Police website in London. Seconded personnel / shitkickers temporarily receiving sworn officer status under section 5 subsection 23 paragraph b of the Act. > 14:19 <banana> < In general I know anyone that's useful to know. I'm calling you in part to demonstrate that capability. > 14:20 <Crion> < It is noted. > 14:20 <Crion> < Direct mind contact makes a first impression. Not a calming one. > 14:22 <Crion> He steps out into the hall, easing the door shut behind him, beginning to stalk the corridors. Thankfully he's done...things like this enough that he's not mouthing the words along with the mental projection, like some freshman. 14:23 <Crion> Is 'Sourjack' nearby? They might not have to be, if they're what they say they are. They might be using a relay of some kind. He's feeling for feedback. 14:23 <banana> Sourjack: < It's a pitch / straitjacket. What I can do to you I can do for you and that's my plan. I'm offering work, a role to make your own. > 14:23 <Crion> < Came to Manchester to start a business. Not work a wage. > 14:23 <banana> Just as Aster reaches the center of the hallway, where the elevators are: < Take the lift / key here and head down to the first floor, you'll find my agent in the business center. > 14:24 <Crion> And Aaron Aster, genius planner and three-steps-ahead contingency man, has locked his gun in a safe for the next five hours. 14:25 <banana> Sourjack: < She has details which will appeal to you. Money, freedom, good work to do, much I can't communicate through this medium / mechanism. > 14:25 <Crion> Nettled, he steps into the elevator and presses the 1 button, rather than the G button. 14:25 <Crion> < We shall see. > 14:27 <banana> Sourjack's mental voice is muffled in the elevator, fading in and out. The background static grows. Is it a radio transmission? < ... understand this to be provocation / demonstration .. credibly keep you safe .. the woman in red. > 14:29 <Crion> The man who steps out of the elevator has close-cropped hair, almost shaved, not quite hiding his encroaching baldness but making it more presentable. He is in crisp slacks, reliable but not expensive black shoes, a button down blue shirt and a red tie. He is not, perhaps somewhat curiously, wearing a blazer or jacket of any sort -- the person watching him might make the connection to the 14:29 <Crion> missing piece of apparel from the outfit: a lab coat. 14:30 <Crion> The eyes behind his glasses are narrowed; his face is drawn tight. 14:30 <Crion> One does not simply get psychically summoned to the business center. 14:31 <Crion> He won't reply further to the fading 'Sourjack;' it seems this meeting of the minds is in someone else's hands now. 14:32 <banana> There's a gym, some facilities then the mostly empty business center. It's arranged as a rotunda, with desks in cubicle-like segments around a printer and coffee setup. Makes people feel at home. 14:33 <Crion> Certain people, certainly. 14:33 <Crion> Is he truly looking for a literal lady in red? 14:33 <banana> Other than the woman in red, the only one here is a student-looking kid slumped over a laptop. Huge headphones, possibly asleep. 14:33 <Crion> Christ. 14:34 <VoxPVoxD> She stands out, not just for the sundae-cherry-red suit she's wearing or the tight, slightly retro style of her hair. But she's at another desk, flicking through the contents of a manila folder, when Aster walks in. She looks up, sees him, makes meaningful eye contact and smiles brightly. 14:36 <VoxPVoxD> Does he approach or hesitate? Does he seem cagey? 14:36 <Crion> Aster is going to walk into the rotunda, sit as far away as possible from the 'sleeping' 'student,' and then make eye contact with the woman. If he's really going to do this, and frankly he's already decided he is because he hit the first floor call button instead of the emergency stairs, he's going to do this with that 'lad' in full view. 14:36 <Crion> She can come over here. 14:39 <Crion> She is a beauty. She is also either a college student or just past. This is going to be very embarrassing, moreso for her than him, if that's where 'Sourjack' thinks his leverage point is. 14:40 <VoxPVoxD> She looks at him, then over at the dozing boy who just came in to be close to the router. Alright, then. She was warned about this. And he hasn't got any crystals on him, so... she packs up, waits for a cleaner to push his cart past the entryway, and then makes her way over to the desk. "Good afternoon," she says quietly. 14:41 <Crion> He doesn't smile. "Yes. You have me at a disadvantage." 14:41 <Crion> "Comprehensively so." 14:44 <VoxPVoxD> Her new smile is small, taut, and sympathetic. Second cousin to a grimace. "Yes, I do apologize. This is not how I would have chosen to arrange to meet you. My name is Willie Wellesley. Do you prefer Mr. Aster?" 14:45 <banana> The voice in Aster's head had already gone silent, but he suddenly notices light at the edges of things go from blurred to sharp. The entrance he'd just passed through has a door in it, one he didn't even notice opening or closing. A whole range of things at the limits of observation are back to normal, and Sourjack is gone. 14:47 <Crion> It's not a sigh; more a brusque exhalation. "Just Aster will do, Wellesley. Given the...phonecall that's just hung up, I'm guessing you're not his relay." 14:50 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Do call me Willie. Yes, he can be abrupt, and dramatic, and I have the sense that you don't care for either. Allow me to be direct: I was asked to convey you to a secure location so that we can discuss the job offer he is making in depth, and with discretion. And yet, were I in your position, no thought could be further from mind." 14:51 <VoxPVoxD> She falls silent here, allowing what she's said to percolate a bit, as if this were a problem for them to work through together. 14:52 <Crion> With a stare that's drifting by degrees to a glare: "Yes. When you say it out loud like that, the idea that I would leave here to go anywhere with you sight unseen does sound rather stupid." 14:53 <Crion> "I would ask if your employer has heard of a phone but I imagine I've already gotten my answer." 14:54 <banana> There's no indication that the kid is or isn't listening to you. Whatever's on their screen holds the dull-eyed gaze. 14:55 <Crion> The glare hits the kid for a moment, then refocuses. It doesn't soften, exactly. It cools. 14:55 <VoxPVoxD> Willie, to her credit, does not wilt under Aster's heavy gaze. But here her brow furrows. "How did he contact you?" 14:55 <Crion> Aster: "In my mind." 14:55 <Crion> He holds her gaze, assessing her reaction. 15:00 <VoxPVoxD> Willie opens her mouth to speak. When it closes after a half-second's silence it settles into a severe little frown. "I apologize again. That is an inexcusable invasion." 15:01 <Crion> Aster: "No, it's not. But it is a demonstration of power." He pauses. "How far away is this secure location. I am not getting into a car with you or whatever chaperones you may have -- but I'm amenable to walking." 15:02 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Well, then I'm glad I wore flats today. Do you need a moment to get a coat?" 15:03 <banana> The weather is certainly cooling down. A brisk walk won't kill you, but winter is going to be something when it comes. 15:04 <Crion> Aster: "No. Weather's pleasant." It would take much more than a brisk September day to get him back up to that room and leaving this one to her own devices. 15:04 <Crion> He'll stand and head for the stairs, not so impolite that he won't pause for Wellesley to collect her things. 15:05 <Crion> When outside, presumably out of the range of whatever 'Sourjack' was broadcasting from, or perhaps the man (hypothetical) himself -- he'll start in with the real questions. "What's your angle in this?" 15:06 <banana> Central Manchester is bustling. It's lunchtime for a lot of office workers, and there's retail everywhere around here; you can take alleys and side paths enough to have relative privacy, or just rely on the anonymity of crowds. 15:07 <VoxPVoxD> "Right." Willie closes the folder up — all those notes for naught, but better overprepared than underprepared — and tucks it into a nicer leather folder with the seal of HM Civil Service. This goes under her arm as she meets Aster at the stairs and joins him ultimately on the street. "The same as yours, assuming you say yes. I was the first contacted, and I was enlisted in part to 15:07 <VoxPVoxD> reach out to the others. Ideally the team will comprise six - five specialists and one administrator." 15:07 <Crion> They came out the freight door -- Aster figured out where that was his first night here, and the staff aren't willing to stop a man glaring like that and, presumably, someone as put together as Wellesley -- so if there's someone waiting for them at the front door they'll at least have to move. 15:08 <Crion> Aster: "I take it I have met the administrator, in his own inimitable way." 15:08 <banana> Aster and Willie pass from Greengate to Deansgate and plunge through the city, past pubs and offices and fashion and travel agents. They come to an actual Dunkin' Donuts, and for a moment it's like Aster's home - except that there aren't enough carparks anywhere. 15:09 <Crion> Dunkin' Donuts is Boston. Wawa is home. 15:09 <Crion> Perhaps Sheetz. 15:09 <Crion> ...But, close. 15:10 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "In fact, no. The man you spoke to intends to take a very hands-off approach. Which, I have tried to tell him, is belied by his flair for inadvertent drama." 15:10 <Crion> Aster: "What does he intend this team to do?" 15:13 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Contract work. Problem solving. Mediating disputes between various stakeholders who flinch at the sight of stakes." 15:14 <banana> The demolished lot containing your safehouse is in a not-so-bustling part of town. There are a lot of boarded up shops here, metal shutters that went down in March or January and never came back up. Some of the rot predates coronavirus, and in general it's the thing you write to the Council about, complaining of urban blight. 15:14 <Crion> Aster: "You're being evasive and I can't tell if that's affect, nerves, or genuine lack of knowledge. What does he intend this team to do." 15:16 <VoxPVoxD> Willie stops at the boundary of the lot, where a sealed gate with a keypad protects nothing from no-one. "We were still near enough to a place where someone might overhear us. He's putting a team together to hunt on behalf of, rather than against, the night-city." 15:17 <Crion> Aster: "We hunt monsters for monsters." 15:17 <Crion> "...What's the pay?" 15:19 <Crion> He doesn't like this 'safehouse.' Part of that is that he doesn't like any safehouse that someone else picks for him. Part of that is pure irrationality. He was going to have to hang his shingle somewhere in public where people could find him -- that's at least as dangerous as bedding down here a couple nights a week. 15:20 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "That is the intention, yes." Here she effortlessly flips the folder open. "Our base rate, split seven ways, will be one million pound sterling. It can be managed into your accounts more gently if the lump sums prove too worrisome. As to our ultimate income, that depends on how many leads our employer can secure, which depends on how well we do." 15:21 <Crion> He takes a deep breath. "Just over 140,000 pounds per clearance. That's what I'm hearing." 15:22 <VoxPVoxD> She taps a code into the keypad, making no effort to secure it from Aster. The gate's lock releases and it slides open gently after a spurt of sudden movement, like it was being held shut by force and slightly-ajar is its resting state. "Roughly two hundred thousand dollars American, at the current rate. This way, please." 15:23 <Crion> He'll follow, more amenably now, with less glaring. 15:23 <Crion> Still suspicion, though. He'd term it 'caution.' 15:24 <VoxPVoxD> "Mind the doorway. I'm sure you've guessed it's supernaturally disguised." 15:24 <Crion> "Six other shares after Jack. I take it you're one." 15:24 <VoxPVoxD> What do they see as they walk in? 15:25 <banana> There's nothing on the other side, just a doorframe in a facade, but on the other side of nothing is a maintenance space. There's this walkway only a few feet in length, leading to the interior door - and a hundred thousand cables filling the space on either side. 15:25 <Crion> Aster makes a mental note. Pocket spaces. He's read about those. 15:25 <banana> Bare wires, spare wires, humming wires, buzzing wires, twisted pairs and glass tubes of electrified liquid. There are photonic cables and cables marked CLASSIFIED BY ORDER 1911. 15:25 <Crion> Do more reading. 15:25 <banana> It's cramped for two. 15:26 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Our employer, or at least his space, has something of a CAT5 idiom." 15:26 <Crion> Aster: "Remarkable." 15:26 <VoxPVoxD> "He identified himself simply as Jack?" 15:27 <banana> And remarkably protective. Willie's been assured by now that no legal or supernatural authority can enter this place without both the code and specific action from someone on the inside. 15:27 <banana> It should be a good space to store things, no matter how dangerous, as well as to hide when necessary - and, like now, to talk without fear of observation. 15:28 <Crion> "No. He provided options. 'Jack' was what they shared." He stands as far from her as he can in the space, once he's realized how enclosed it is. No need to encroach. "Sourjack. Jack of the Edges." 15:29 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "He introduced himself to me as Sourjack. He offered Greyjack as an alternative, and pointed out that obviously neither is his name. I think of him as Applejack, because he likes to possess my phone. I don't have your skills." 15:29 <Crion> Aster nods. "You would be redundant if you did. You possess others." 15:30 <VoxPVoxD> A small smile. "Here we are." 15:30 <banana> The interior door has a simple Chubb, for which you've keys to cut. Beyond is a half-finished space, with interior partitions cordoning off some meager furniture - to be fair, it's quite difficult to get the stuff in here, and only a limited number of people can work inside. 15:30 <banana> One of that limited number is present. 15:33 <dammitwho> Across the perfectly-cubic space, a man in his mid-twenties in an acceptable suit and tie is carefully adjusting a very large and detailed map of Manchester that he's evidently affixing to the wall. Thin, with short dark hair, and humming quietly to himself. 15:34 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Ah! Now this is our administrator." 15:34 <VoxPVoxD> Does she know his name? 15:35 <Crion> Aster keeps an eye on him, but looks about the space. Is there any chance of fitting a decent lab in here, or is he going to have to do most of his work off-site? 15:37 <banana> You've got about 250 square metres to work with. 15:37 <dammitwho> "Gah!" He yelps and turns around. Black framed glasses and a vaguely pleasant face confirm it: this man is a Nerd. "Oh! It's you. You must be Ms. Wellesly and Mr. Aster." 15:38 <Crion> He'd have to commandeer a fourth of it or so. 15:38 <dammitwho> He vaguely brushes at his jacket. "My name's Richard Haldane, former D of H. I'm the custodian, administrator, furnisher, what have you." 15:39 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Do call me Willie, Mr. Haldane." 15:40 <VoxPVoxD> "I see you've stuck right in." 15:40 <Crion> Aster: "Aster. Formerly Vanguard Serial Crimes Unit, now...self-employed. Yes, there is some workspace here. Hmm." 15:41 <dammitwho> "Oh! Yes. Well. Anyway, welcome to the Safehouse. I've used the discretionaries to purchase some furniture and office supplies - chairs, conference desk, filing cabinets, coffee maker, bookshelves, that sort of thing." 15:41 <VoxPVoxD> Interesting pseudonym. She'd half expected the man himself, but this fellow's about 140 years and half as many kilos the Viscount's junior. 15:42 <VoxPVoxD> 'Died a bachelor', the histories say. We all know what that means: gay as the setting sun. 15:43 <dammitwho> "Beyond that, you can set the space up however you like, as long as you don't interfere with the cabling. Just let me know what you need and I'll get it ordered and installed." 15:43 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "The budget is run through you entirely?" 15:44 <Crion> This already feels more organized than the last few years at VASCU did. Part of that is concerning...but a larger part of that is comforting. Frankly, he's too old for start-up culture, and he's very, very used to working for mysterious paymasters with their own agendas. 15:45 <dammitwho> Richard nods. "That's right. Our employer takes two shares, one for himself and one for logistics and upkeep, administrated by me." 15:45 <Crion> Half to himself: "The angel's share, and the devil's." 15:46 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "The foremost and the hindmost." 15:46 <Crion> "I mean. Yes. That's an acceptable split, given the infrastructure here." 15:46 <Crion> "I'm going to have to know about the rest of the team before I commit to anything." 15:47 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Yes, I thought you might. I have my own briefing notes here that you can look at if you like, or you can ask me questions if that's more natural." 15:49 <VoxPVoxD> She is privately grateful Richard called her Miss Wellesley. She doesn't want to deal with all that, particularly in front of an American. 15:52 <VoxPVoxD> She continues: "In brief, we have a demolition and ballistics specialist who's retired from the US Army already signed on. We're still waiting to make contact with two others: one a fellow victim of cuts at the Human Office, a very... well-schooled combat veteran. And the rare get: a world-class burglar who specializes in arcane acquisitions." 15:53 <Crion> To Willie: "You haven't asked me about myself, which says to me you know I was a criminal justice and biology double major at Temple University, joined the Philadelphia Police Department out of school as a lab technician and got my MLS" --that's a master's degree in medical laboratory science-- "five years later, at which point I was recruited by the Vanguard Serial Crimes Unit, then 15:53 <Crion> a federal agency headquartered in Philadelphia. I spent eight years at VASCU until it was rolled up into the FBI, then three years at Quantico teaching investigative methodology before being headhunted by VASCU, now a private organization, where I worked as senior investigative sciences manager until 2018." 15:54 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Right you are. I thought about asking anyway, but you didn't seem keen to brag about your credentials." 15:54 <banana> She didn't know about Temple University or the PPD. Sourjack described the rest, which is on those very briefing notes. 15:55 <Crion> "At which point I was part of a private-public partnership exchange program between VASCU and Scotland Yard, where I worked until June of this year thanks to the pandemic and...a dissatisfaction with the public sector." 15:55 <banana> In general they focus on current status - Willie's own dossier, which she was emailed even though she IS Willie, only goes back to her New York internship. 15:56 <VoxPVoxD> That was a fun year. 15:57 <Crion> "I only mention all of this because you've been politely evasive, Wells-- Willie, about what you bring to the table. And if you're the one Sourjack trusts to onboard this team, you're the one I'm interested in first." 16:01 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Well, I read at Cambridge, then I trained in Milan, and came back to England to work in the Civil Service. In my spare time I was a research assistant and press liaison for a Westminster gossip blog, The 5/11 Report." 16:01 <VoxPVoxD> "My career took me to Manchester, evidently into the waiting arms of our Polyjack." 16:02 <banana> Richard's map has a few points of interest already, though this conversation is more important. He's got Beetham Tower on there, which the Human Office has long marked as a no-go zone without being clear on exactly who/what inhabits it, and the Lads Club over in Salford - where Waistcoat Colony are known to perform. 16:02 <Crion> Dryly: "You're a properly-educated civil service bureaucrat. That's your story and you're sticking to it." 16:05 <VoxPVoxD> Deep breath. "Yes. History at Cambridge, Abramelin and The Nine Gates in Milan. With the Lucifuge." 16:08 <Crion> He smiles slightly. "That's a name with some pull when it comes to our work. And it means you can take care of yourself, which was my main concern. Messy, the few times they beat us to a collar." 16:09 <Crion> Aster likes Wellsley enough not to let on that he knows about the blood, especially not in front of the 'administrator.' 16:09 <banana> All that soot to clean up. 16:10 <VoxPVoxD> Smiling grimly: "Dreadfully untidy work." 16:10 <Crion> Aster walks over to where, presumably, the files on the others are sitting. 16:10 <VoxPVoxD> They're on a folding table next to a foil tray of warm croissants. 16:10 <Crion> "Are you sure this man is just former United States Army?" He notes the name. "William. Almost certainly Bill." 16:11 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "By way of their equivalent of the Human Office. I believe the codename is VALKYRIE?" 16:11 <VoxPVoxD> "He goes by 'Bob', in fact." 16:11 <banana> There are five of them, as Willie said. His own openly states that he has "imbued mental abilities" - and Agostina Badawi is said to possess "Goscinny's magic potion". 16:12 <banana> Haldane doesn't have a file and it's not clear he would ever hurt a fly. 16:12 <dammitwho> You could just ask him, anyway. Rude. 16:12 <VoxPVoxD> In fact: "What about you, Mr. Haldane? I wasn't briefed about you." 16:13 <banana> Rolf Hughes is supposedly skilled in every inelegant weapon known to man. Hopefully that'll make up for his age. 16:14 <Crion> For the first time, Aster's austere affect breaks in a look of incredulity. "Bob?" 16:14 <VoxPVoxD> Willie nods gravely. "Like the proverbial uncle." 16:15 <Crion> "Well, if he's TF:V, they'll be looking for him. So there's that to consider. But he's also probably pretty good." 16:15 <VoxPVoxD> "Mr. Hughes also comes highly recommended, particularly since the amnesty." 16:18 <dammitwho> "Not much to tell, really. Master of Electrical Engineering at Imperial College, London with a year at UC Berkeley in America, worked IT at the Human Office for a few years." He grunts, moving a photocopier into place. "No especial supernatural talent to speak of," He lies. "I gather our employer had wanted someone to keep an eye on this place for a while. Moderately violated the Official 16:18 <dammitwho> Secrets Act when swiping a few files from the Human Office on my way out the door, and here I am." 16:18 <Crion> Aster: "Yes. Is he professional enough to work with Ms. Badawi? Her skillset is more valuable, bluntly, and we can't have him bottling her in the middle of a briefing because he's been listening to too much hollering about the Muslims." 16:19 <Crion> "Well, I guess we'll find out." 16:19 <Crion> He glances up at Richard. "California, huh? Must have been a good time, with that accent." 16:20 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Oh, let me help you with that." She's not going to stand there and watch that poor nerd move office equipment by himself. 16:20 <Crion> Aster is. He's earning over 140,000 pounds per job to move that equipment. 16:21 <Crion> He's realized, by this point, that as much as he's pretending to mull things over still...he is going to be in. 16:21 <VoxPVoxD> Imperial College, eh? I guess if you're a tradesman anyway... 16:21 <Crion> You simply can't turn down money like this. Especially if you're still allowed to run your other business on the side. 16:21 <VoxPVoxD> At least it wasn't the LSE. 16:22 <Crion> He taps Bob and Rolfe's files. "One last thing, before I'm in. These two." 16:22 <Crion> "They have to get vaccinated." 16:22 <dammitwho> No, you're earning 140,000 pounds per job. Richard's salary is a portion of the share set aside for upkeep and logistics. 16:23 <Crion> Aster's well aware of how accounting works. Portions can get pretty big. 16:23 <VoxPVoxD> After getting the copier hooked up: "I'm sure Mr. Goreman already is. Mr. Hughes... I'll see to it." 16:25 <VoxPVoxD> To Richard: "What's the wi-fi password?" 16:25 <Crion> Aster: "Feel free to send him my way if he has any questions. Assuming he signs on." 16:27 <Crion> He pauses. "Oh. And Sourjack finds people for jobs, does he? Let him know I have one more condition, given I've surely missed all the callbacks I was expecting from this morning: he needs to find me a local accountant and services agent. Shouldn't be hard at all." 16:27 <VoxPVoxD> Willie gestures at the black-and-white phone on the wall. "He can be reached through that." 16:29 <dammitwho> "Oh, right. Hold on." Richard grabs a small whiteboard from a stack of as-yet-unplaced office supplies and scribbles on it for a moment, before hanging it on a temporary divider. It now reads: WI-FI PASSWORD FPe8RI[izU{Hy&2[QJg@ 16:30 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Ah. A pet name?" 16:31 <dammitwho> "If a password is easy for a human to remember, it's easier for a computer to guess." He responds firmly. 16:32 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "What's office policy on KeePass? 2FA?" 16:33 <Crion> Aster would have thought they'd be fully local in here anyway as security best practices. But then, the place is made of cabling. Perhaps there's more to it. 16:37 <dammitwho> "Please use a password manager on any device you intend to connect to the safehouse's systems. I can't in good conscience mandate security keys - too much of an occult risk on the outside, I'm told. It's all a bit of a balancing act in here." 16:37 <dammitwho> "I think you'll be pleased by the speeds we get, though." 16:38 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Smashing." 16:39 <Crion> Aster: "I'll be in touch about what furniture I require. We won't be setting up anything too extravagant in here. Not anything that could explode." 16:41 <Crion> Aster: "At this point I'm going to step out, go back to the hotel, sort some things...and then head to my storage unit. And from there, I'll head back here." 16:43 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Did you get the keycode?" 16:44 <Crion> Aster: "It'd be a pretty poor showing if I've been doing this for 20 years and I didn't." 16:45 <Crion> He'll show himself out. 16:45 <VoxPVoxD> Once Willie's alone with Richard: "So just how demonic are you, exactly?" 16:48 <dammitwho> "Beg pardon?" 16:49 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "It only pokes out a bit when you're interfacing with... all that. But I can feel it. The blood sings." 16:49 <VoxPVoxD> "Just the faintest smell of sulphur." 16:52 <dammitwho> "Oh. Hmm." He makes similarly thoughtful noises for a moment, and eventually says: "You may know a bit more about it than I, then, though as far as I know I'm nothing to do with the sort of thing the Lucifuge does. It's just... machines and I seem to understand one another." 16:53 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Interesting. Do you know Jan and Nige? The Alpha Strikes?" 16:53 <VoxPVoxD> "Do you game?" 16:57 <dammitwho> Of course he does. "Oh, yes. But not... competitively, you know." 16:57 <dammitwho> "The names don't ring a bell. Are they from around here?" 16:59 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Yes! Quite close by, in fact. Renting out a rowhouse, put a sign up." 16:59 <VoxPVoxD> "Do you have Steam?" 17:05 <dammitwho> "Yes! Drennan120." 17:06 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: "Morant95! I've got to go in to the office; let's see who adds who first, shall we? Ta."