19:05 <banana> It's the part of the night where people are giving toasts. The word is spreading that there's going to be some kind of ceremony up at the high table in a while - this is a good time to get in one last dance, toilet run or buffet visit before attention gets focused. 19:05 <banana> Midnight's not upon you yet, though. This is a long party, potentially gruelling by the end - that might be part of the point. 19:05 <tom> The man waited in a rainy field for eighteen hours on principle. This has umbrella heaters and beer. He can cope. 19:07 <tom> He's still a little unsteady- the ODIN is (muted, owned) bleating something about a blood toxin using its Theranos add-on. 19:08 <banana> Right now most people are still pretty active. Bob's really got to find Mari... but he's distracted, again: it's that dead guy. The scar-faced man with jagged black hair... he's standing by a firepit which has gone out, politely turning away attempts by the hosts to relight it, chatting to DeathWish and other changelings Bob doesn't know. 19:08 <banana> From the edge of the dance floor, Lettie Barrowsmith watches her presumed sire. She's bundled up heavily against the cold, but still managing to move with the beat. 19:09 <tom> Can it, ODIN. We've got important work to do. First thing's first, he'll hit both the ENE-S Hemophages with the Trackcheck. 19:09 <banana> Every time Bob's seen the small delegate from the Carthian Council she's somewhere near a big tough guy acting as her muscle. It's unclear whether that's the case on this occasion. 19:09 <banana> A lesser man than Bob would have to hold up his phone and take photos of the party with the flash on like a douchebag. 19:12 <tom> I'm not about that life. He quietly scans the two and at least waits to get a bit more information before formulating his plan of attack. He already knows Cvlt. Not really well, but well enough. If they're on speaking terms the guy can't be so awful, can he? Unless Cvlt's a piece of shit, which is not out of the realm of possibility, really. 19:13 <tom> The wolf-masked man nurses a beer with deliberature caution. He's riding the wave, now. 19:14 <tom> Deliberate* 19:15 <tom> While he waits, he tabs through to his music and puts something on his earpiece, muting whatever Rolf is broadcasting on an open channel about grooming gangs. 19:17 <banana> Lettie's song comes through first. It's taking a while to record the other guy's for some reason. Perhaps the mysterious assholes behind the gadget picked a longer piece for him? 19:18 <tom> Or maybe he's aware what's happening and any second now a storm of screaming crows is about to descend from above and rip him to shreds? 19:18 <banana> Letitia Barrowsmith - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HSO9YtEAyA - "Fade in for an artificial drop. She's been more consistent than history claims." 19:20 <tom> Hmmmmm. Bob makes his way through the crowd of cool weirdos toward her. He can get H.S.G.'s track when it comes in... if ever. The question is, will she recognize him in the hypperreal wolf getup and suit outrageously bereft of high caliber weaponry? 19:21 <banana> The undead woman the TrackCheck's claiming to summarise has turned her attention away from the other vampire and is now dancing in something like a conga line with a pair of laughing changelings. They can only keep it up for a minute before falling apart in giggles as the song changes - the one the band's playing, not Bob's. 19:21 <banana> I don't know, will she? 19:21 <banana> !wod 8 perception 19:21 <trurl> banana rolls 8 dice (10-again): [Success: 2] 19:21 <trurl> [2 5 2 10->5 3 6 10->2 6] 19:22 <tom> What's her costume? If any. 19:23 <banana> Lettie turns away from the chaos when Bob's barely in her peripheral vision, waving. The bundle of clothing she seemed to be wearing reveals itself as something like layered fur skins, a indiscernable mammal melange that's all connected at her neck. Her mask's turned to whiskers to complement the otter/cat/numbatskin look. 19:23 <banana> "Hello, Mr. Bob. Your people did a good job, not hurting any of the children." 19:25 <tom> "Ms. Barrowsmith," The wolf bows its head just so. "The look on Barrigan's face if we just went in blasting would'a been something to see though, wow." 19:26 <banana> Letitia: "Sour as the one he really had for a different reason." 19:26 <banana> "You lot have something going on, don't you? An edge." 19:27 <tom> "...I don't wanna give you the impression we're all like Aaron, yeah. He's just an East-Coaster. You know the type." 19:27 <banana> She waves a hand dismissively. "I'm an old lady. I can't keep up with all the prestige classes of American." 19:29 <tom> The wolf chuckles. "We have a few tricks up our sleeve. I'm not merely dumb and large, but also insane as well." 19:29 <banana> (Physically, Lettie's not yet middle-aged, but you have no reason to doubt that her real age is less than Fairly Old.) 19:29 <tom> "Get a few more beers in me and I'll be on all night about how I can 'fix' Ms. Cutsworth." 19:29 <banana> Lettie: "Cut it out, kid. You sound like some teen on a forum claiming to be both a devil... and an angel." 19:30 <banana> "Neither of us can possibly be as nuts as our hosts." 19:30 <tom> "Not the first time, ma'am." 19:30 <tom> "I am the host, after midnight." 19:30 <tom> "...Wanna dance?" The wolf grins. 19:30 <banana> Her eyebrows raise and her whiskers twitch. "Should I be offering condolences..?" 19:30 <banana> "Let's do it." 19:31 <tom> "It's not weird for a predator to dance with prey, is it?" He brushes the whiskers. 19:31 <tom> "Well, if it wasn't it is now." 19:33 <banana> Letitia's hand snaps up to grab Bob's wrist, centimetres from her face. Her grip is like being held in one of his workbench's vises. 19:33 <tom> His heart flutters. 19:33 <banana> She lowers his hand back to his side, not painfully but firmly, whiskers untouched. "I don't think it's weird." 19:35 <banana> They dance; it's pretty coordinated, though there seems to be some disagreement about who is predator and who is prey. 19:36 <banana> Nobody stops to clap, but you certainly fit in on the floor. 19:36 <tom> This time, he takes the lead, or at least tries to, for a time. He's still barely worth a damn, but this many beers deep and past the threshold of emotional exhaustion, who could care? He loosens up. "This job has a way of messing up your preconceptions." 19:38 <tom> "No condolences are necessary. These people saved my life." 19:39 <banana> Letitia: "It seems pretty wild, yeah. I don't know what you're doing to dig into our dirty laundry as well as get in with Underhill, the stone people and goodness knows what else. How's your moral flexibility?" 19:39 <banana> "I don't mean any offence. Just curious!" 19:40 <tom> "Ethics is just a trick to get people to do fucked up shit, ma'am." 19:41 <banana> Letitia: "I can't agree with you there, young man. There are people here tonight with great power; if it weren't for their great responsibility, Manchester would not be a very nice place to live." 19:41 <banana> "We'd live down to the stereotypes, anyway." 19:41 <tom> "The problem was & is the fucked up part. Tryin' to keep it level..." he concentrates on dancing. He tries to keep the elder vampire- no, the other one- in his peripheral vision. 19:42 <banana> Lettie follows his gaze. "Surely you don't know Urash." 19:42 <banana> The visor pings. 19:42 <banana> Urash - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPCcEHao8Nw - "For diegetic use only. When he comes for you it will be with war-drummers." 19:43 <tom> What, like a fucking orc? "I've heard of him. Does he do it nordic-style, via hanging, or does he like the theatrical beating-heart cutting?" 19:43 <tom> "Don't tell me- he likes doing the fucking blood eagle." 19:44 <banana> Barrowsmith: "What on Earth are you talking about?" 19:44 <tom> "Sacrifice. You know," 19:45 <banana> She cocks her head, mask-nose twitching. It's nearly human; her own was pretty small already, but it's become slightly beadier. "I'm trying to figure it out. 'Of which stick has he got the wrong end?'" 19:45 <banana> "What are your sources, Mr. Bob?" 19:46 <tom> Bob: "I can tell you my name, rank, and serial number, ma'am. But I'd be happy to learn the dude isn't cutting out people's hearts or whatever. I'd have to say as a human I think it's understandable that's my position on... it." 19:47 <tom> He pulls her in closer as they dance. "Don't get me wrong." 19:47 <tom> "I've met De La Warr." 19:47 <tom> "I prefer you guys." 19:48 <banana> Lettie lets him do it this time. "I'm not a fan of the Grand Warlock. However, we knew each other well at one time, and while I can't say he'd have no reason to cut out a human heart, I don't recall it ever occurring." 19:48 <banana> Her face is expressive and this feels a bit like a two-way interrogation. Bob has a feeling his dance partner is updating her journal. 19:48 <tom> "Aw, don't say that, I'm tryin' ta flex on him..." 19:49 <tom> "What's the point if he's a decent dude?" 19:50 <banana> Lettie: "He's not. He's blunt, crude and a misogynist who survives in a matriarchal cult through intimidation and rules-lawyering." 19:50 <banana> "What did the Invictus tell you about sacrifices? 19:50 <tom> "Okay, cool," He throws his back into it. "Not much, my source is low level." And here. Jesus, Bob. 19:51 <tom> "More than ever thesenights I'm okay with being corrected, though." 19:52 <banana> Letitia hums sympathetically. "It happens. Less often to me, of course." 19:52 <banana> "Can I point something out? You've obviously got a pretty well-trellised grapevine throughout the Underground." 19:52 <tom> "I'm fine with letting the smart ladies do the thinking. I'm basically a janitor. I just take out the trash." Finger guns. 19:53 <tom> "That's the power of being nice to people. I'm pissed I didn't figure this out years ago." 19:54 <banana> Barrowsmith: "Yes, you seem... nice. And active. That means people are going to try and exploit you." 19:55 <banana> "For example: ancient monsters feeding you propaganda. Information control, pointing the foreign soldier at their enemies by playing on his sympathies." 19:56 <tom> "You're not ancient." 19:56 <tom> He giggles like a teenager. 19:56 <banana> "Hahahahaha!" 19:56 <banana> Lettie: "Okay, you got me there. But seriously. The people you've met on the other side of the river - they're even worse than I am. A lot worse, actually." 19:57 <tom> "No argument from me, lady. Holy shit. My Baron's got a fucking broadsword." And now she knows where you live. 19:57 <banana> "You don't have a Baron. Nobody has one of those anymore, and if someone tells you otherwise, report it to the Court. We will ensure this." 19:58 <tom> He twirls her. "I'm not about to start another vampire war, ma'am. We're trying to uh, you know, reduce the amount of dudes gettin' thrown through windows." 19:58 <tom> "Preferably me included." 19:59 <banana> "Why defenestrate what you can decapitate?" 19:59 <tom> "...But you gotta know like, to us... what difference does it really make? You guys still gotta eat." 19:59 <tom> "Is it better if you guys aren't, like, fucking miserable all the time? Probably." 19:59 <tom> "But we're still meat at the end of the day." 19:59 <banana> Lettie: "Yes, you're right. These interdictions and prohibitions... they only matter to you if we can make 'em stick." 20:00 <tom> "Apparently decapitation was tried once already and didn't take. I prefer f- other means." 20:00 <tom> "I'm getting better at not immediately making you guys charge me talking about the banes, you know, I promise." 20:01 <banana> "Well thank you. That's courteous as well as pragmatic." 20:01 <banana> "Hmmmm." 20:02 <tom> He's got her couched in his shoulder for another twirl: "Hm?" 20:02 <banana> Letitia: "I was going to ask how you'd do with specific actionable threats. The problem is, you've got a point." 20:02 <banana> "What is my goal here. To stop you talking to the old blood-nobles? So they don't trick you into thinking weird shit?" 20:03 <tom> "All my thinking is weird shit." 20:03 <tom> "I'm in the Winter Hill, baby!" It's not that kind of baby, more like, eyyy. 20:04 <banana> "How could it not be? You're faced with, have for some reason chosen to face all this midnight nonsense without the ability to really understand it. Naturally you're going to be adrift on a sea of manipulations and vicissitudes." 20:05 <banana> "I suppose our role is simply to endure the possibility of someone havin' a wrong idea. Propaganda that doesn't lead to action isn't worth the activation cost." 20:07 <tom> "Oh yeah, you've got that right. Let me spit out some facts: Every year, six hundred million dollars appropriated for army contracts involved in maintaining the Old River Control and other canalworks across the American Southwest goes missing. Three major tech start-ups folded in their early phases last year after refusing to publish results on their feasibility study, and were assumed to be 20:07 <tom> fraudulent. And in the last two years, at least three dozen men and women in the armed forces have had their cause of death listed as a 'training accident' with their bodies unrecoverable, lost at sea or in inland rivers." 20:08 <tom> "Every year our budget goes up, and the number of civilian fatalities to known Extra-Normal Entities goes up. We think it's a reporting issue, not necessarily an actual spike. We haven't made a dent in the numbers for over forty years. Why is that, we wonder?" 20:09 <tom> "Maybe we aren't supposed to." 20:11 <banana> Letitia nods and smiles. Something's going wrong with her face, though. Not a failure to control her expression - it's external. The flies that swarm the firepits and dying buffet are beginning to congregate about you, rapidly forming a carpet on her cheekbones. 20:12 <tom> "You can take the soldier out of the mission, but you can't take the mission outta the soldier. ADAMSKI's fucking comp'd, and.. oh hey you've got a fly on your fuh-" 20:12 <tom> He'll try to swat them away if she doesn't grab him again. Not that he's opposed. 20:13 <banana> Bob passes his hand through the mess of flies - which are gone entirely, but his fingers are worms, massive pulsating maggots. 20:13 <tom> Good news, Bob. The haters are mad. Bad news: 20:14 <banana> "You aren't, you can't, and you never will." 20:17 <tom> He closes his eyes, then, tries to blot it out. The visor is going apeshit over something unimportant, so he ignores it. Still, the man shakes in his shoes, stalling out in mid-movement. If Letitia can sense his heartbeat, it's now going very fast. 20:18 <tom> "Oh wow," he gasps after a second, ragged: "You are very scary miss." 20:18 <banana> Closing his eyes helps Bob a little. His hand still feels ok, and when he opens them up again it's back to normal. Letitia is a little further back now, still dancing languidly; inbetween the two of them is something like barbed wire, crawling with flies again. Nobody else seems to be able to see it. 20:19 <tom> When he opens his eyes, are the hallucinations still there? 20:20 <tom> Then he'll dance on his side of the flywall. "Aw, I'm sorry..." 20:21 <banana> Letitia: "Let's hope that sorry is the worst of it." Her movements flicker with buzzing black clouds now. Again, nobody else comments... but the other dancers are staying away from the clouds and from the coils of ridden wire, on an otherwise packed stretch of turf. 20:22 <banana> "Have a nice night, Mr. Bob." 20:23 <tom> "You as well, Letitia." 20:24 <tom> He snaps a photo of the flies through his visor, to see if they show up. 20:24 <tom> Wow. She's so fucking scary. She's wonderful. 20:25 <banana> It seems so - but when he checks the photos the next day, they're gone.