17:42 <tom> Bob's pulling a late night again. 17:43 <tom> A cooled cup of coffee is slowly filling with metal shavings flying off the grinder on his bench, where he's bent over a metal spar with a pair of safety goggles in lieu of his visor. 17:44 <tom> The grinder spins down on its rack while Bob goes to grab a soldering iron. 17:45 <tom> He takes off his headset and ruffles his hair. Music's still pooling out the speakers as he hangs them on a peg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPI3b9iPSN0 17:46 <tom> He takes up the spar and unfurls the tarp covering what appears to be a torpedo-shaped object of styrofoam, fitting it onto the thing's belly; it's starting to look like a miniature aircraft. 17:47 <tom> No wings yet. There's spaces carved into the foam to fit electronics, various bits and bobs noted in sharpie marks. 17:47 <VoxPVoxD> It’s just Richard, Bob, and Willie in the Greybox. Richard’s off doing whatever Richard does when he’s out of sight. Willie’s annotating an interdepartmental memo for the team - texting Sergio intermittently while *he* works in his feudal slave pen video editing suite. The music yanks her head up, and sees Bob is Doing Something. There’s a slow grind as she rolls over to 17:47 <VoxPVoxD> Bob’s workstation by kicking off without standing up. 17:48 <tom> He's fucking around with a little plastic propeller on a motor. 17:48 <VoxPVoxD> “Is that one of those spooky trailer covers? This song is supposed to be a lot higher-energy.” 17:50 <tom> Bob doesn't quite start, but he does almost fumble the motor. He sets it down on the table. "I kinda like it. Chill mode version." 17:50 <tom> "What's up, Willie?" 17:51 <tom> He grabs the soldering iron off the bench and tests it on a thin piece of waste metal. 17:51 <VoxPVoxD> “It’s properly moody. Makes me picture you walking through a burning building in slow motion.” Her wheeled journey is complete. She hasn’t sat near Bob’s workstation like this since she had to hold the place down for Richard. ”What are you working on?” 17:52 <tom> He grins. "Yeah, that's the image I'm going for." He laughs: "I kamikaze'd SWEEPER right into the Hound's face. F's in chat, kids." 17:53 <tom> "I've been thinking... if I can set up my ODIN on the drone, we could have it orbit Seveneaves and see if Ruth makes an appearance." 17:53 <tom> "Last one was a commercial model. I think I'll go for a custom this time, yeah. Something with more payload." 17:53 <VoxPVoxD> Willie offers one of those British salutes to the new drone. ”That’s smart. What kind of load are you expecting it to pay?” 17:54 <tom> "Extra avgas should about do it. Can always swap out the expensive bits for some plasticine if things get kinetic." 17:55 <tom> "Nobody will ever expect us to have air support." 17:56 <VoxPVoxD> “Not the first time, anyway. Have you named her yet?” 17:57 <tom> Bob takes a seat at his table and swivels around to continue his work: "I think I'm gonna wait and see how long this one lasts before I risk any emotional investment." 17:57 <tom> "But if you have ideas..." 17:57 <tom> He's got a little baggie full of electronics; he slots wires and circuits into matching cuts in the foam fuselage. 18:00 <VoxPVoxD> Willie balances her chin in her hands and her elbows on her knees. She’s been here all day, hasn’t she? ”Cherub?” 18:00 <tom> That done, he takes a little jar of putty and dabs it over the exposed electronics until flush; the exterior now has a streamlined appearance. "Aw, like a cute little Cupid motherfucker?" 18:03 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”It was Cherubim that God placed east of Eden to guard the gate after Adam and Eve’s exile. They held a burning sword that pointed in all directions.” 18:03 <tom> The fuel tank goes in through the front, where the motor will sit. "You mean they pointed the sword in all directions, or it was just a big sphere." 18:04 <tom> "Honest I just think those guys were on drugs when they wrote that. DMT. Something." 18:05 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”The implication across translations is that the sword danced on its own, turning every which way.” 18:05 <tom> "Maybe it was aliens and we just have a caveman's description of a quadrotor." 18:05 <tom> "Cherub's a good name." 18:05 <VoxPVoxD> “They probably were on DMT, that’s how they got me to see demons the first time.” 18:06 <tom> "I thought those were elves." 18:06 <tom> "Huh." Bob turns back around to face her, scratching his chin. 18:06 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Elves are so much nicer.” 18:06 <VoxPVoxD> “Samhain taught me that.” 18:07 <tom> "Yeah I dunno I haven't met any shitty ones yet." 18:07 <tom> "Starting to worry about what that'll be like." 18:08 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”I met one who was sort of rude. But I think he was just suspicious of strangers.” 18:08 <tom> Bob wipes his hand on a rag and starts fiddling with the motor, occasionally glancing up as she speaks: "...They really just gave you drugs and threw you off the deep end?" 18:08 <VoxPVoxD> Willie lifts her eyes from the table to look at Bob. ”Isn’t that what they did to you?” 18:09 <tom> He snorts, looks away. "They gave me a machine gun, at least." 18:10 <tom> The engine comes together in his hands, and he slots it into the aircraft's nose. 18:10 <tom> "Guns work on most things. For everything else there's UEX." 18:12 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Well, for Il Terrore they took all the sharp objects out of the room, made sure you didn’t have any sharp zippers or metal buckles to cut yourself on. I had to trim my nails. Anything you saw or heard or felt or thought was fair game, but anything that drew your blood was a failure.” 18:12 <VoxPVoxD> “UEX?” 18:13 <tom> "Big booms," he adds after a moment. "Chri- almost got me again." 18:13 <tom> "That sounds tough." 18:13 <VoxPVoxD> “Yeah, but in a really cool way.” 18:13 <tom> "Is that just what happens if your family drops acid, or is there a whole ritual." 18:15 <tom> He's using zip ties to secure the drone's internals to the bolts in the foam. 18:16 <VoxPVoxD> Willie smiles. ”There is always a whole ritual. You have to fast for the whole day, because the brew can make you terribly nauseous. You have to center your mind with prayer or meditation or whatever works for you. Then they give you a tunic to wear and march you out of your cell at midnight for the ritual. Everyone’s in their own little room, but there are vents so you can hear the 18:16 <VoxPVoxD> rest of your class babbling or ranting or whatever.” 18:17 <tom> That gets a laugh: "Oh yeah, man. I don't want to meet a demon with puke on my shirt." 18:17 <tom> "How embarrassing." 18:17 <tom> "Cell?" 18:18 <tom> He raises an eyebrow, smug: "I'm starting to think your Satan Society might be a cult, ma'am." 18:18 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”I like to imagine the Lucifuge shows off photographs of the Terror to her friends, the way people’s mums will show off embarrassing baby pictures at the drop of a hat.” 18:18 <VoxPVoxD> “It’s a monastic thing. Monks have cells, you know?” 18:18 <tom> "Sure, sure... I guess the word's a bit of a trigger for me." 18:19 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”What do you think of us as?” 18:19 <tom> He kneads his fingers, eager to move on. "A unit." 18:20 <tom> "Everyone's got their skill, and as a group we can handle pretty much any weird shit they throw at us." 18:21 <tom> "Really the only thing we're lacking is any kind of dedicated support weapons- hence Cherub- and a dedicated field medic. I don't trust Aster's bedside manner, no ma'am." 18:22 <tom> "I was begging for morphine the whole ride to the spirit portal on Spooky Night and he just cold cocked me." 18:22 <VoxPVoxD> Willie grins. ”Well he’s not a doctor, is he? He’s an oppo. I’m sure he can do first aid in a pinch...” 18:23 <tom> "I know basic combat medicine. I do not want to have to be asked to do chest compressions on Rolf." 18:23 <tom> "Destroying shit is way so much easier than fixing it." 18:23 <VoxPVoxD> Sadly: ”Yeah...” 18:24 <tom> "It's chill though. The good thing's there's a lotta stuff that needs destroying." 18:24 <VoxPVoxD> “Was this always your job when you were in the Army? Were you an engineer?” 18:24 <tom> "They threw me into a maintenance company. Not an engineer, they get to drive half-tracks and shit." 18:25 <tom> He laughs at something. 18:25 <VoxPVoxD> “Mm?” 18:25 <tom> "Did you know for a while they were trying to use us to test this new small arms system, like the XM8 but with more goofy features." 18:26 <tom> "They had a setting where the weapon had an infrared heat sensor to directly patch into your ODIN, determine the ENE profile of your target. Wouldn't shoot if your target read as baseline human." 18:26 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Did it work?” 18:26 <VoxPVoxD> “Vampires can warm up if they want to.” 18:26 <tom> "Oh yeah, it worked great. That's how we found that one out, actually." 18:27 <tom> "I spent most of my time replacing those." 18:27 <tom> "They uh, you know, kept coming back broken." 18:27 <VoxPVoxD> Willie winces. 18:29 <VoxPVoxD> Changing the subject, Willie turns back to the drone. ”This is very pretty, though. Clean lines, simple.” 18:29 <tom> Bob reaches into his desk and withdraws a baggie of cables. "I do good work. That's why they kept me on despite being, you know." 18:30 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Do I?” 18:32 <tom> He turns over the drone; there's a deep cut into the bottom, exposing the inside. He starts connecting wires, soldering them, one by one: "Oh I don't wanna rehash anything. I feel bad enough about getting your boy Sergio in trouble." 18:32 <VoxPVoxD> Willie, dryly: ”He’s a big boy.” 18:32 <tom> "I don't know much about vincuckulum but he's in deep." 18:33 <tom> "You got a plan for that?" 18:33 <VoxPVoxD> Glances at her phone. No reply in a bit. Maybe Simpson’s turned him over to the Carthians for disemboweling after all. ”I’m working on it.” 18:34 <tom> "Well, if you need help..." 18:34 <VoxPVoxD> “If you can keep someone away from their regnant, the bond fades with time. Months and months of time, mind.” 18:35 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”I don’t want to say anything until I have firmer ideas. Anything I tell anyone could be a liability.” 18:35 <tom> "You think we can get Simpson to agree to put Serge' back on ice for a few months and just... let him go?" 18:35 <VoxPVoxD> “No.” 18:35 <tom> "Sure, sure." 18:35 <VoxPVoxD> “I don’t.” 18:36 <tom> He mimes a zipper over his lips. "...I've been waiting for a chance to really, just, humiliate a motherfucker. I mean you know how they get, with their Transylvania castles and their big speeches and throwing goblets." 18:36 <tom> "Not just Draculas, I mean. I hear some gnarly shit about unseelie." 18:37 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”I imagine that would be very cathartic. Going to town on a verifiable, undisputable monster.” 18:37 <VoxPVoxD> “I hope to meet one someday.” 18:37 <tom> "Yeah that's the problem of my life." 18:37 <tom> "I'm mostly seeing just a lot of sad people these days." 18:38 <tom> "I guess that's what I get for being in Winter, huh." 18:38 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Or in Manchester.” 18:38 <tom> He chuckles. "Is London really better?" 18:38 <VoxPVoxD> “In a lot of ways it is. In a few, it’s worse.” 18:39 <tom> "I bet their vampires are even more insufferable." 18:40 <VoxPVoxD> “Everything is so much more alive. Everyone is so much more alive. You can wander and find things you’ve never seen before in a neighbourhood you’ve lived in for years. But it’s so dense and expensive, and every job worth doing is so competitive... you never feel safe or comfortable. You’re always teetering.” 18:40 <VoxPVoxD> “I wouldn’t know. I wasn’t allowed to meet vampires when I was working in London.” 18:40 <tom> Bob is packing some kind of boxy radio into the drone's belly like a mechanical intestine. 18:40 <VoxPVoxD> “For me it was all blog posts, D-notices, conference calls, and the Fatberg.” 18:40 <tom> "...Fatberg?" 18:42 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”The one proper Hunt I got to go on between Milan and Manchester. Dev and Greta called in some chits.” 18:42 <tom> "How's your old unit thesenights?" 18:43 <VoxPVoxD> “People flush a lot of things you’re not supposed to put down the drain, right? Cooking oil down the kitchen sink, wet naps in the toilet, things like that. That stuff stays in the sewer system. Ordinarily it’s a public works problem, you get some big blokes and a winch and you just scrape it out.” 18:43 <VoxPVoxD> “But the one under Whitechapel was alive.” 18:44 <tom> "Ugh." 18:44 <tom> "Alive, how?" 18:44 <tom> "Like... wiggling?" He's disgusted. 18:44 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”It looked like... have you ever seen a really fat dog? Like the sort that just lays on its size and wheezes?” 18:45 <tom> "Oh noooo." 18:45 <VoxPVoxD> “It moved and breathed like that. But it was 250 metres long.” 18:45 <VoxPVoxD> “Made of sewage and nonbiodegradeables.” 18:45 <tom> "Is he okay?" 18:46 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”We’re not sure. We think whatever was at the centre of the mass got away. We heard a scream and didn’t find a body. But we couldn’t stay to investigate, between the smoke and the fumes.” 18:47 <VoxPVoxD> Willie ignores the ‘thesenights’ dig. ”As for my old mates, the 11/5 Report is still 11/5 Reporting. Emmentaler and the boys are still hard at work.” 18:48 <VoxPVoxD> “One of them texted me a few days ago. I haven’t responded yet. Sitting unread on my phone.” 18:48 <tom> "Mm. Fire's an efficient solution. You made sure to lock down the manhole covers first, yeah? Easy to cause a runaway inferno if you create a sewer-sized rocket stove." 18:48 <tom> "Why not? No chance your breakup's as bad as mine." 18:48 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Yeah. Dev’s an old hand at that kind of thing. Probably Aaron’s age.” 18:49 <VoxPVoxD> “...because they’d ask me what I’ve been up to.” 18:50 <tom> Ohhh it's another one of these. "I get it." 18:50 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Not that I think what I’m— what we’re doing is wrong. Any of it. If and when the time comes I will defend myself, my colleagues, my friends. From one another if need be.” 18:50 <VoxPVoxD> “But why hurry it along?” 18:51 <tom> He winces a little bit, bobs his head like he's debating something. "You know, if... here's an idea." 18:51 <VoxPVoxD> “Yeah?” 18:51 <tom> "Think of it like you're cultivating business contacts for the House, yeah? Take yourself out of that frame of mind..." 18:52 <tom> "You're reaching out to your former associates as a way to... you know... like advance the work. Instead of remembering the stuff that's hard." 18:52 <tom> "I'm sure we would have useful info to swap." 18:52 <VoxPVoxD> Willie looks glum. ”They’re my friends.” At least they used to be. ”I don’t want to network with them. I want to, you know, have them over for pizza. You’d really vibe with a couple of them.” 18:53 <VoxPVoxD> “Jim - that’s Emmentaler’s name - he uses words like ‘memechimp’ as well.” 18:53 <VoxPVoxD> “But he’s terribly sweet. When no one is looking.” 18:53 <tom> "Ha. Oh no, I'm worry we'd be like spiders in a cage, the biggest one just eats the smaller." 18:53 <tom> worried* 18:54 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Perhaps you’d be like spiders in a cage, and get swept off your feet by whatever dashing hero comes to your rescue.” 18:54 <tom> "Dashing? Huh, first time for everything." 18:54 <tom> He looks a little proud. 18:54 <tom> "...If they're your friends, why not just... I guess I'm the wrong person to ask about it. Say whatever's the go-word here." 18:55 <tom> "That's never been a problem for me, anyway." 18:55 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”None of them wanted me to leave. I don’t think they really understood why I needed to. Or perhaps it was like you right before Inchcape, and they understood even better than I wanted them to.” 18:56 <VoxPVoxD> “I said some things I’m not proud of.” 18:57 <tom> Bob leans back in his chair and crosses his arms, working his jaw while he strings something together: "Oh man, I say things I'm not proud of all the time. It's not even worth the paperwork." 18:58 <tom> "I'm sure it'll take the sting out for everyone if you just tell them what you just said." 18:58 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Yeah, I really admire that about you.” 18:58 <VoxPVoxD> “I’m not good at admitting fault.” 18:59 <VoxPVoxD> “You’re perhaps too good at it, but... there’s something I can learn from.” 19:00 <tom> "Oh wow, please, if there's anything you learn from me it better not be how I handle people." 19:00 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Why not? You’ve earned the esteem and loyalty of some of Manchester’s noblest people. I’ve got a vampire boyfriend, coworkers who hate him, and approximately two real friends.” 19:00 <tom> He's snickering as he turns back to solder another wire, before reaching into a desk drawer to pull out a battered controller. He flicks a switch and LEDs flicker on inside the drone's open belly. 19:01 <tom> "Keeping your circle small is fine. Easier to defend that way." 19:02 <tom> "I really hope you weren't planning on being a celebrity while fighting vampires. That's sorta the whole deal, yeah?" 19:03 <tom> "...You can get all the acclaim you need in the small circles. That's my hot ass take." 19:04 <VoxPVoxD> ”I’ve had more than enough celebrity to last me a good long while. I sued one of our biggest newspapers because they gave me too much. It’s not about fame, it’s just... like, it’s late, right? Mari’s likely asleep. But if you called her, she’d pick up the phone.” 19:05 <VoxPVoxD> “If I want to hear from Sergio or send him a rude text or whatever, and he’s asleep, his phone buzzes next to a corpse.” 19:05 <tom> "She's out with Sumi. Girls' night, y'know. I'm sure she's giving Mari all the juiciest of details." 19:05 <tom> He shrugs. "I miss phone calls all the time. Heavy sleeper. Not sure if it matters." 19:06 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”See, that’s the sort of thing I don’t have right now. I don’t have sufficient Girls for a Night.” 19:06 <VoxPVoxD> “I used to. I had so many friends in London. There was always someone to talk to, any time of the day or night.” 19:06 <VoxPVoxD> “Friends at work, friends socially, friends with the Network Zero boys...” 19:07 <tom> Bob smirks: "Sumi likes you just fine. I'm sure next time we have a big spooky tree party you'll be in thick." 19:07 <VoxPVoxD> “Ugh, I’m getting all Wintry.” 19:07 <VoxPVoxD> “You said you were going to build a flamethrower?” 19:07 <tom> "In fact, I think we need to invite you to board game night. You need it way more than Agatha." 19:08 <tom> "I'm thinking about it." 19:08 <VoxPVoxD> Willie makes a face. ”Oh, I’m terrible company on games night.” 19:08 <tom> "Building a flamethrower isn't one of those things you can just, you know, do on a whimsy." 19:08 <VoxPVoxD> “Not even you? The most whimsical weaponsmith in Greater Manchester?” 19:09 <tom> "Everyone's always asking, 'Where's the flamethrower, Bill?' And I just say, I dunno, where's the fire?" 19:09 <tom> "Pain in my ass." 19:09 <VoxPVoxD> “Do you need some blood?” 19:09 <tom> "Excuse me?" 19:09 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”If you need an accelerant or whatever.” 19:10 <VoxPVoxD> “I’ve seen it done.” 19:10 <tom> Bob, struck dumb: "Wait, so, it's not like a spell, you just..." 19:10 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”It’s mostly a spell. But there’s lots of ways to do magic, you know?” 19:11 <tom> "Listen, I know you are like, all-in on the vampire secrets but you should never let Cheiron know your blood is a rare accelerant." 19:11 <tom> "That could go very badly for all involved." 19:11 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”I bet they already know.” 19:11 <tom> "They better not." 19:11 <VoxPVoxD> Before she gets too depressive she tries to change the subject again. ”May I ask you something?” 19:11 <tom> Bob turns and spins up the propeller. The little engine lets out a shitty whine. Dials go up and down on a screen. 19:12 <tom> "Yeah? Of course." 19:13 <VoxPVoxD> “If you weren’t a soldier. If you had to give it up, or there was nothing left to fight... what would your dream job be? What would you like to do?” 19:14 <tom> That gets a laugh, slightly forced. "I'd be a good stay-at-home dad, I think." 19:14 <tom> "Raise a clutch of fucked up beautiful mutant spider babies." 19:15 <VoxPVoxD> Willie laughs. ”Oh, you’d be wonderful with kids, wouldn’t you?” 19:15 <tom> "...Whether my head gets bitten off permitting." 19:15 <VoxPVoxD> “That’s another thing for me to envy.” 19:16 <tom> "I'm kinda scared to find out, honestly. Mari's smart... I don't know if she even wants kids, I don't-" he rubs the back of his neck. But hey, at least she doesn't seem depressed. Ramp up the clowning dude, I guess. 19:17 <VoxPVoxD> “It’s hard,” Willie agrees. 19:17 <tom> "Way easier to blow stuff up than create, yeah." 19:17 <tom> "That's really all I'm good at in the professional sense. Other stuff's boring." 19:18 <VoxPVoxD> “You’re good at fixing things too.” 19:18 <tom> "Some of these things are supposed to be immortal, you know, unkillable. But that's bullshit ass doodoo." 19:18 <tom> "Pfft, I just spend a lot of time fucking around." 19:18 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”So do I? But I can’t fix anything.” 19:19 <tom> "Please, you're already halfway through fixing a Bonasera deluxe." 19:19 <VoxPVoxD> Willie falls silent. 19:20 <tom> Shit! Shit: "You've got it so much tougher than I do." 19:20 <VoxPVoxD> “No I don’t.” 19:20 <VoxPVoxD> “I’m just not as tough as the rest of you.” 19:20 <VoxPVoxD> “You said so yourself.” 19:21 <tom> "You should know by now not to trust a single thing I say." 19:21 <VoxPVoxD> “I’m still ‘pretty green’.” 19:21 <tom> He's wiping his hands on a rag, finishing up his work and turning off the batteries. 19:21 <tom> "That's not like, a bad thing." 19:22 <VoxPVoxD> “I’m not fixing him. He doesn’t need fixing. The problems he has are way, way beyond me. All I can do is make them worse.” 19:22 <VoxPVoxD> “But I can’t stop myself from... whatever.” 19:23 <tom> "Well, one, he's being made to drink his weird vampire dad's blood. That is a situation that needs fixing." 19:23 <tom> "Two, the fix: get him to stop drinking his weird vampire dad blood." 19:24 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”It’s not that easy. It’s addictive. I was in rehab for three months and it almost broke me. Sergio’d need four, five, six times that long, and he’d be completely isolated the entire time. Against his will.” 19:24 <tom> "Being green just means you aren't dead inside." 19:24 <VoxPVoxD> “You can’t treat someone you love like that. That’s Keeper behaviour.” 19:24 <tom> "There are other ways." 19:27 <tom> "What if we staked him?" 19:27 <tom> "Would the timer still tick down?" 19:27 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”They staked him for forty years.” 19:29 <VoxPVoxD> “Can you imagine? Going under for anaesthesia and then you wake up and it’s a new century. Everyone you knew and loved, everyone who knew and loved you, gone.” 19:29 <tom> Bob rubs the back of his neck. "I'm afraid I don't have any solutions that are, ah, a good look if Simpson wants to do any digging in my brain." 19:29 <VoxPVoxD> “It really is like what the seelie go through. But there’s no one waiting to take care of them on the other side.” 19:30 <tom> "Well shit, you're here." 19:31 <tom> "I could think of worse people to wake up to after forty years in an icebox." 19:32 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”The sadder I get, the nicer you are to me.” 19:32 <tom> "So stop being sad! Stop it!" He whines, quietly, trailing into a laugh as he's cleaning up the workspace. 19:33 <VoxPVoxD> “It’s sort of a perverse incentive.” 19:33 <VoxPVoxD> “You’re really good at being nice. You don’t give yourself enough credit for that.” 19:34 <tom> "I'll thank myself after we tie off this job and get paid. I've had enough fucking around in Vampire politics for a little while. I doubt Reveille's job will give us this much pain." 19:35 <VoxPVoxD> “It’ll be nice to get everyone else’s mind off it,” Willie agrees. 19:35 <VoxPVoxD> “So what’s it like?” 19:35 <tom> "Yeah, we're just all in a bit of a doomer mindset, because, augh, who wouldn't be after Agatha." 19:35 <tom> "What's what like?" 19:35 <VoxPVoxD> “Being a knight in King Starling’s court.” 19:36 <tom> "Oh, they just wanted me to do something I'd do anyway. Same old." 19:36 <tom> "I might get to fight some more elves if they somehow get through the Veil I guess." 19:37 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Now that’s the sort of thing you could go to town on.” 19:37 <VoxPVoxD> “Go through the walls.” 19:40 <tom> "Oh yeah, save that for the obstacle course. I gotta whip up some breaching charges." 19:41 <tom> "Obviously we're not going through doors like brainlets." 19:41 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”I’ve decided to change my theme song, by the way.” 19:41 <VoxPVoxD> “I’ll put an asterisk in the TrackCheck database.” 19:41 <VoxPVoxD> “I just need to pick a new one...” 19:42 <tom> "I made the app with Haldane, I can just add in an edit feature." 19:42 <VoxPVoxD> “That’s not sporting. Let the grubby little thing have its opinions.” 19:42 <tom> "I hope you dont mind if we keep the former readouts- could be useful. I've noticed mine changing, but only slightly." 19:42 <VoxPVoxD> “Yeah, mine changed too. I don’t know if you saw.” 19:42 <VoxPVoxD> “’Lives entwined can be divided’.” 19:43 <tom> "I didn't," Bob reaches into a little jar and grabs a twist-wrapped piece of bubblegum off his desk, pops it in, chews. 19:45 <VoxPVoxD> “I just want to know what it means. I want to know who’s writing them. Who picks the songs.” 19:45 <VoxPVoxD> “But I can’t. So I’m just going to tell him to fuck off instead.” 19:46 <VoxPVoxD> “He’s a man, I’ve decided. Derisory theme song assignment is a male trait.” 19:46 <tom> "It could just be an algorithm on a server somewhere." 19:46 <tom> "Oh absolutely." 19:46 <VoxPVoxD> “Someone had to write the algorithm.” 19:47 <tom> "Aliens?" 19:48 <tom> "No. I doubt they give a shit about our music." 19:48 <tom> "Can't really imagine why anyone else would, either." 19:48 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”They might. We sent up that gold record.” 19:49 <tom> "Oh God, I hope they never find us." 19:49 <tom> Bob sweeps himself up into a grand gesture, affecting a nebbish Grey: "You live like this?" 19:50 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Damned bitch,” 19:52 <VoxPVoxD> “I wonder if a vampire could feed off an alien.” 19:52 <tom> "Let's pray we never find out if they can turn one either." 19:52 <tom> "We got enough things to wild out about." 19:53 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”If you’re a vampire on a space station, and you’re in an orbit that keeps you permanently on the night side of the planet... do you get to stay up indefinitely? These are things I think about. Maybe Sergio and I can move to a space station.” 19:54 <tom> "What about the arctic?" Bob laughs. "You get the whole winter to yourselves." 19:55 <tom> "...Does the name Quintinshill.... Quintinshill?" 19:55 <tom> "Mean anything to you?" 19:56 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”I was thinking about that too. I have a friend up there, in Norway, where the Mandate used to be. The only pre-Manchester contact I’ve had besides a couple of calls from my brothers. She’d like Sergio very much, I think. He’s properly brought up.” 19:56 <VoxPVoxD> “Quintinshill is in Scotland. Do you mean the train accident?” 19:57 <VoxPVoxD> “A bunch of soldiers destined for Gallipoli died in a terrible crash.” 19:57 <tom> "...Do you need spooky pentagrams for it to count as a human sacrifice?" 19:58 <tom> "Shit, maybe you should go visit. I hear global warming's gonna open that whole area for oil. Your friend's got an eye on the future." 19:58 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Depends what you’re sacrificing it to. You’d need something really big to justify, what was it, 200 sacrifices?” 19:58 <VoxPVoxD> “I think that’s how many people died.” 19:59 <tom> "Two thirty." 19:59 <tom> "Met 'em." 19:59 <VoxPVoxD> “Oh wow.” 19:59 <VoxPVoxD> “Where?” 19:59 <tom> "We were just there." 19:59 <VoxPVoxD> “The Tatterdam?” 19:59 <tom> He nods. 20:00 <banana> Bob feels a presence in the air about him. Not ghosts; promises. Ideas. He's on the edge of giving up secrets that endanger, the kind that burn. 20:00 <banana> What exactly would violate his oath? Who gets to decide? 20:00 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”A sacrifice carefully made, a wound carelessly made.” 20:01 <banana> He doesn't remember explicitly promising not to tell. Does that matter? 20:01 <tom> "Oh I forgot to mention, I'm magic now, I guess?" 20:01 <tom> "I can actually feel it winding up to clock me if I say one more word." 20:02 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”I’m the astronaut floating behind you with a gun in this scenario.” 20:02 <VoxPVoxD> “But yeah, please don’t get yourself in trouble sharing secrets.” 20:02 <VoxPVoxD> “That is much worse than getting me in trouble.” 20:02 <tom> "I can also see through their masks. That's neat." 20:02 <VoxPVoxD> “Masks?” 20:03 <tom> "You know, like with Samhain but." 20:03 <tom> "All the time." 20:03 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Is this the way in which Mari is a spider?” 20:03 <tom> "It isn't a way, that's just, she's just-" 20:03 <tom> "It's a mask, you know?" 20:04 <VoxPVoxD> “Masks are part of us too.” 20:04 <tom> "You got me," He leans back, fingers on his lips, thinking. 20:04 <VoxPVoxD> “The thing we keep hidden away from others is not all that we are. The rest of it’s real as well.” 20:04 <VoxPVoxD> “Still... it feels so good to be seen.” 20:04 <VoxPVoxD> “With a loving eye, anyway.” 20:05 <tom> "I'm just mad that she's... it feels like she's a little ashamed." 20:05 <tom> "She really is so pretty. You have no idea." 20:05 <VoxPVoxD> “She’ll get used to it. I bet she’s worried about scaring you off, being too much.” 20:05 <VoxPVoxD> “So just... keep being there. Keep being tough.” 20:05 <VoxPVoxD> “Keep thinking she’s pretty.” 20:06 <tom> "Not a problem. Oh man, teeth like a cartoon shark." 20:06 <VoxPVoxD> “You really do just want someone to straight up murder you, don’t you?” 20:07 <tom> He laughs, looks away. Finds something to fiddle with; a controller of some fashion. 20:07 <tom> "Isn't that what they call it in french, haha." Haha. 20:08 <tom> "Anyway it's chill, she's pretty new to this too. Still don't... actually know.. what happened." 20:08 <tom> "Probably never will." 20:08 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Some things we spend our whole lives trying to understand. About ourselves, nevermind other people.” 20:09 <VoxPVoxD> “I was talking to my brother the other night.” 20:09 <tom> "...How'd it go?" 20:10 <VoxPVoxD> “He only made me cry a little. Not his best effort. Mostly he wanted to scare me. Remind me he could reach out and do that whenever he wanted.” 20:10 <VoxPVoxD> “Horrible prick. Awful. But it’s so comfortable, you know? You know exactly how it’s going to hurt.” 20:11 <tom> Bob looks at her glumly: "No?" 20:12 <tom> "I've kinda had it up to here with that shit." 20:12 <VoxPVoxD> “You’re doing better,” Willie observes. 20:13 <tom> "Thanks!" He beams: "I've had some help. Your omelette game is off the chain." 20:13 <tom> "...Was this the brother that liked to shoot birds, or the one that liked to dissect them." 20:13 <VoxPVoxD> Willie falls silent again. She’s looking up at Bob. 20:14 <VoxPVoxD> Finally: “Neither.” 20:14 <VoxPVoxD> “He was the one who put animals in my bed.” 20:14 <tom> He just shakes his head, laughs. "Wow, I really don't like your family." 20:15 <VoxPVoxD> “One time, we were on a ferry with one of Papa’s friends. Taking his horse to the Orkneys to stud.” 20:16 <VoxPVoxD> “This was just after I’d turned thirteen. I didn’t really understand the animal thing yet. But Charlie did. Charlie’s terribly clever. And he thought it’d be terribly clever to lure me to that end of the ferry, where I didn’t realise the horse was. Then lock the gate behind me.” 20:16 <VoxPVoxD> “Horse went ballistic. Kicking and thrashing. It’s in this container, corrugated iron, and you could see the dents pushing out from where it kicked.” 20:17 <tom> Bob's as still as an iced-over pond. 20:17 <VoxPVoxD> Eventually it broke out, stampeded around. If I hadn’t gotten under a cart he’d have trampled me.” 20:17 <VoxPVoxD> “Instead he ran around me in circles... and jumped.” 20:17 <VoxPVoxD> “Into the water.” 20:17 <VoxPVoxD> “I got to the railing just in time to see the water start to run red in the engine wake.” 20:17 <tom> "Hhhhhhhh," He inhales. 20:18 <tom> "Wow I really don't like your family, Willie." 20:19 <VoxPVoxD> Willie drags a finger over the corners of her eyes. ”So that’s a no on coming down to Stratfield Saye for Christmas, then?” 20:19 <VoxPVoxD> Clearly teasing. 20:19 <tom> "How'd you turn out okay?" 20:19 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”Nobody thinks I did.” 20:20 <VoxPVoxD> “Like, two people think I did, in the entire world. Two men. And one of them’s in love with me.” 20:20 <tom> "If 'everybody' includes your brothers I think you're fine discarding that judgment." 20:20 <tom> "You know, like, the trackcheck. Fuck 'em." 20:21 <VoxPVoxD> Willie: ”You know, the TrackCheck is such a Charlie thing to do.” 20:21 <VoxPVoxD> “Maybe it is him.” 20:21 <VoxPVoxD> “The prick.” 20:21 <tom> Bob reaches into a drawer. There's an unlabeled bottle of clear liquid, and a pair of glasses. 20:22 <tom> He pours them out, hands one over. "Fucking prick." 20:22 <VoxPVoxD> Willie sniffs. 20:22 <VoxPVoxD> What are we drinking? 20:23 <tom> It doesn't have much of a scent. Vodka, seems like. 20:24 <VoxPVoxD> “За здоровье!” Down in one go. 20:24 <tom> "To whatever that means," He downs his drink. 20:25 <tom> The bottle goes back in the drawer. "It's just for emergencies." 20:25 <VoxPVoxD> Willie looks up at Bob again. Her vision swims just a bit. She hasn’t eaten in several hours. ”Yeah.” 20:27 <VoxPVoxD> Deep breath. ”I should go home. I’ve got a meeting at 8 tomorrow with the other Deputies.” 20:28 <VoxPVoxD> “I feel better, thank you. Is that a seelie trick or are you just that good a friend?” 20:28 <tom> He nods, thinking: "I think those might be the same thing?" 20:28 <VoxPVoxD> “Then you really were magic all along.” 20:29 <VoxPVoxD> She stands. It feels like she stands too fast. She puts her arm on Bob’s shoulder to steady herself, and then she’s okay. ”Right. Right.” She squeezes Bob’s shoulder. ”Right.” 20:29 <VoxPVoxD> “Good night, Robert.” 20:29 <tom> He claps her on the shoulder, the brake fluid hitting his bloodstream. "Any more sucrose and you'll go into a coma, Mina." 20:29 <tom> "Take care." 20:30 <VoxPVoxD> She grins so wide when he calls her that. 20:30 <VoxPVoxD> She’s still smiling as she packs up her laptop and puts on her coat. She’s in the elevator in her building before it starts to hurt a little.