To Archie
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Karl the Mad
- Posts: 1260
- Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2013 4:27 am
- Location: Oregon
To Archie
What was your final evaluation of Mary, following your joint efforts against Watatsumi? Was there anything about her performance that validated your choices, or perhaps areas you wish her to improve on for future operations? And if it isn't too much to ask as well, how did she come to your attention in the first place?
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IamLEAM1983
- Site Admin
- Posts: 3713
- Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 4:54 am
- Location: Quebec, Canada
As Archie
"To be fair, I was in quite a spate of good luck when I found miss Jameson's contact info. Hong Kong and Shanghai both contain a strong presence of former Colonial officers I had collaborated with in the olden days that had still seen Auld Lang Syne be sung across Kowloon's docks. Even Marianna herself could tell you that some vampires local to either city have simply been entertaining a bit of a love affair with China's culture. They might have been of British extract and they certainly had fangs to show for themselves, but their love for China's picturesque nature was greater than any illusions of power they could have entertained. The reverse was also true, in that I still knew aged natives who had grown friendly with the Colonial police and who did not actively resent their presence. Either way, I realized I had a convenient access point into Hong Kong's police force, and then spent a few evenings on the horn with one of her former captains.
I must confess, I did not immediately appreciate what I received via electronic parcel. Police reports showed her to have experienced post-traumatic shock and to have developed a slightly irrational hatred of those not doomed to decrepitude past their fiftieth year of life. As libertine a city as Hong Kong had become since my day, I can understand why. Feeding dens are largely left undisturbed and the so-called donors are gladly given blood transfusions and proper antibodies against the mutagenic effects of a properly administered bite - if they can reach a hospital or a clinic on time. To put it simply, Hong Kong has become the shining symbol for all that she loathes in immortals. Add her coping with the dregs of an exosuit addiction, and you do not have what I'd consider to be a pretty picture...
Her negative assets hinted at keenly developed skills I sought to use, but I saw Hope as a proper testing ground of sorts - a means for her to test her ability to recognize an innocent fledgeling or a slightly older undead whose only crime would be of holding a particularly soul-crushing form of employment. Away from her natural environment's offered distractions, she would see how most undead struggle through the days as we do, with no other concern than to see the bloody week through!
No recruit will ever score perfectly. I had, and still do entertain some reservations, towards Jim. No amount of good effort on his part will suffice in having me abandon the conscious awareness that his abilities are frightfully exploitable. Marianna showed me that her sense of justice was quite sharp, point in fact - perhaps too sharp in certain cases.
If I may be so bold, I would be quite eager to see her and Uncle collaborate on a case... She can go on quite the warpath when it suits her, and he reacts to evidence of abuse from one of his kind or mine with some kind of cold and efficient variant on indignation. She uses her blade, he uses legal procedure and, when this does not suffice - his fists. Yes, this would be quite fun to witness...
Provided that her sometimes expeditious approach is tempered with mine or Shamus', I do believe Marianna will be able to impart the remainder of our team with the notions in formation mechanics and exosuit use that neither Drake or Jenkins could pass along. The boys have seen shattered countries, jungles and deserts, whereas Mary's strength is in urban combat. With both combined, we shall find ourselves outfitted with operatives that will - hopefully - claim the lay of the land no matter the terrain or situation they find themselves in.
As for Watatsumi's secret smuggling and export wing, well - let us say his Wanderer has spent several weeks in traction and that Mary has been able to gain a speck of belated goodwill with her former Hong Kong superiors. The dragon's freighters attempted to flee across the Pacific, only to be intercepted by Hong Kong Port Authority speedboats.
Not that anyone official is likely to buy her story, much less mine - but I may now rest easy in the knowledge that the poor woman is no longer wracked with guilt. That seems to have lessened her guarded reactions towards the city's undead community as well, which I find to be a fact of an extremely pleasant nature.
Heavens know I would still prefer that she visit the Hall in jeans and tee-shirts or, dare I hope, suit pants, a blouse and a jacket - but alas, no field trip will ever fix someone's lacking fashion sense. Imposing a slightly rectangular frame on her curves would turn her into the spitting image of professionalism, I tell you - but nooo. Her posthuman tendencies must be embraced wholeheartedly!"
He sighs, steeples his fingers and listens to the Huntsman's Room's grandfather clock for a few moments.
Well. She does consider me to be old-fashioned, after all. I remain convinced she could borrow items from Frau Starr's wardrobe to spectacular effect, and thus prevent the eyes of some bystanders from wandering about."
I must confess, I did not immediately appreciate what I received via electronic parcel. Police reports showed her to have experienced post-traumatic shock and to have developed a slightly irrational hatred of those not doomed to decrepitude past their fiftieth year of life. As libertine a city as Hong Kong had become since my day, I can understand why. Feeding dens are largely left undisturbed and the so-called donors are gladly given blood transfusions and proper antibodies against the mutagenic effects of a properly administered bite - if they can reach a hospital or a clinic on time. To put it simply, Hong Kong has become the shining symbol for all that she loathes in immortals. Add her coping with the dregs of an exosuit addiction, and you do not have what I'd consider to be a pretty picture...
Her negative assets hinted at keenly developed skills I sought to use, but I saw Hope as a proper testing ground of sorts - a means for her to test her ability to recognize an innocent fledgeling or a slightly older undead whose only crime would be of holding a particularly soul-crushing form of employment. Away from her natural environment's offered distractions, she would see how most undead struggle through the days as we do, with no other concern than to see the bloody week through!
No recruit will ever score perfectly. I had, and still do entertain some reservations, towards Jim. No amount of good effort on his part will suffice in having me abandon the conscious awareness that his abilities are frightfully exploitable. Marianna showed me that her sense of justice was quite sharp, point in fact - perhaps too sharp in certain cases.
If I may be so bold, I would be quite eager to see her and Uncle collaborate on a case... She can go on quite the warpath when it suits her, and he reacts to evidence of abuse from one of his kind or mine with some kind of cold and efficient variant on indignation. She uses her blade, he uses legal procedure and, when this does not suffice - his fists. Yes, this would be quite fun to witness...
Provided that her sometimes expeditious approach is tempered with mine or Shamus', I do believe Marianna will be able to impart the remainder of our team with the notions in formation mechanics and exosuit use that neither Drake or Jenkins could pass along. The boys have seen shattered countries, jungles and deserts, whereas Mary's strength is in urban combat. With both combined, we shall find ourselves outfitted with operatives that will - hopefully - claim the lay of the land no matter the terrain or situation they find themselves in.
As for Watatsumi's secret smuggling and export wing, well - let us say his Wanderer has spent several weeks in traction and that Mary has been able to gain a speck of belated goodwill with her former Hong Kong superiors. The dragon's freighters attempted to flee across the Pacific, only to be intercepted by Hong Kong Port Authority speedboats.
Not that anyone official is likely to buy her story, much less mine - but I may now rest easy in the knowledge that the poor woman is no longer wracked with guilt. That seems to have lessened her guarded reactions towards the city's undead community as well, which I find to be a fact of an extremely pleasant nature.
Heavens know I would still prefer that she visit the Hall in jeans and tee-shirts or, dare I hope, suit pants, a blouse and a jacket - but alas, no field trip will ever fix someone's lacking fashion sense. Imposing a slightly rectangular frame on her curves would turn her into the spitting image of professionalism, I tell you - but nooo. Her posthuman tendencies must be embraced wholeheartedly!"
He sighs, steeples his fingers and listens to the Huntsman's Room's grandfather clock for a few moments.
Well. She does consider me to be old-fashioned, after all. I remain convinced she could borrow items from Frau Starr's wardrobe to spectacular effect, and thus prevent the eyes of some bystanders from wandering about."