Chapter I - Sword and Shield

[TennyoCeres84]

Crystal pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I know it's frustrating, but it's likely that only Samoset would be able to reverse the curse. But I doubt he'll have a change in heart anytime soon, wherever he is..." she mused.

"I think keeping Zeb involved is both good for him and for us. Perhaps he can offer the occasional help, and we can keep a lookout on him and any suspicious activity involving the Bucks," Sophia added.

***

Aislinn smirked. "Duly noted. Are all Malks that way? I mean, it seems like most of their representatives seem to be from Europe. What about Malks in other parts of the world?" she asked.

[IamLEAM1983]

Owing to their relationship having already begun, Archie lightly pinched Crystal's elbow, giving her a fairly eloquent look. He needed to speak to her in private. As was typical of discreet little gestures he managed, nobody else seemed to notice it.

"I've been working on this," he whispered, loud enough for only her werewolf's ears to pick up, "with Arthur's help. Come and see me by the front yard."

Raising his voice, he affected an appropriate amount of chagrin. "Yes, it seems as though there is precious little for us to do in this regard..."

He then looked over his shoulder. "Would you be so kind as to excuse me for a moment? I've left in a hurry and have scarce been able to give myself five minutes with my pipe... Nevermind my lack of lungs or of a proper circulatory system, the need is rather pressing," he explained, adding an awkward smile. "As I've no wish to pollute this living room with my strong shag's fumes, I'll simply see myself outside, by the front yard."

Three's father seemed to sense an opportunity at play and plucked a cigar and a nib cutter from one of the kitchen's shelves. "Would you mind if I joined you? I'm more of an occasional Cuban type than one for English tobacco, but I don't really mind either way."

Archie affected light embarrassment. "Er, well - there is the matter of Crystal and I not having had some private time together since the end of the workday...
- Oh!" replied Gavin with an amused smile. "Um, okay! Be my guest - I mean, there's not much of a view out in front - but take all the time you need."

* * *

"Well, I based myself off of my own experiences, mind you," added Tanner. "Largely speaking, I suspect that their feline nature is universal. Individual details, however, are as much due to their local ethnicity as to their own personality. Gubbin is but one Malk, after all, not some sort of absolute example. Russian Malks tend to be a little more gruff in thier demeanor, French ones echo the Republic's sense of style, Gubbin's compatriots are like him in that they tend to be very British...

I haven't met American Malks yet, possibly due to the species' largely European background. Second or third-generation members of a recent litter, however, tend to be a bit more local in their attitude. I suspect the emergence of true-blue American Malks is only a matter of time."

He shrugged. "Chalk it up to their guarded nature, I suppose. Fairy hounds have been far more eager to blend in. It wasn't but a few decades following the establishment of the Colonies that Hounds born and bred in Vermont or New England were fairly common. That would also explain the way Hounds are often mistaken for weredogs, as this is essentially what they are. Men and women living hand in hand with the spirit of a slightly magnified common dog breed."

Three placed another steak on a plate. "Any Chihuhua Hounds around?
- Why, yes!" replied the dragon with an amused twinkle in his eye. "Yes, there are - typically around New Mexico, Nevada and Mexico proper. They produce men and woman of fairly short stature, of course, but of a fairly fierce and stubborn temper."

[TennyoCeres84]

Aislinn scoffed in amusement at the notion. "Huge dog in a tiny body, but perfectly fitting for a Fae Hound," she commented, chuckling. "I'm sure we're bound to see more of this, especially if any of our future cases are Fae-related."

***

Crystal casually blinked as a means of display of acknowledgement to the automaton and slipped over toward the front yard.

[IamLEAM1983]

Once outside, Archie started by fulfilling the professed reasons for his quick retreat - and he didn't need to fake what was natural and pleasant. He gave Crystal a tight hug and sighed happily as he did so. "Ah, that's better, hm?" he said. "I do have a few things to mention in regards to Samoset, Meris and the lot, but we'd best seat our alibis first..."

He kissed the crook of her neck, momentarily using his top hat to shield them from view, and then gently pulled her head closer with a slight pull on her chin. Another kiss was exchanged, followed with an "I love you" that managed to sound passionate and casual at once, and he then parted from her, looking as if he'd taken a long pull from a flask of water after a long walk in the desert. All the while beaming at her, he worked on his pipe and set about explaining why he'd wanted to step aside.

"I've set Arthur on the task of finding Samoset, should he still be alive," he explained, "and I've busied myself with my usual affair - old murders most foul that remained unresolved in the United Kingdom. I started with Hope's oldest British roots - the American Bucks - and worked my way back across the Atlantic, retracing creditors to the Dutch and English creditors of Hope's establishment. Nothing pops up for Nicholas Buck's financiers in the Netherlands, but the British reposession is retraceable to a number of moneyed interests across the British Isles. Some of which died fairly noteworthy deaths at the hands of odd mechanical devices, when a killer of uniformly feminine make was not glimpsed at by eyewitnesses.

One of these eyewitnesses had relatives in the Orcades, as it turns out, and claimed to recognize a selkie in the perpetrator... I'll show you the notes back home, but odds are the killer was smart enough to ride on the coattails of Jack the Ripper's then-current exactions. She was dismissed as a copycat killer, but it seems to me as though our friend had entirely different reasons for dispatching disparate members of the middle class."

He took a puff from his pipe. "What makes this notably strange is the fact that none of the victims saw their autopsy reports published. They were all examined by the same coroner, and our dear fellow committed suicide in 1916. Curiouser and curiouser - he committed suicide in Bedlam Asylum. As in, the one reliable examiner of the victims' bodies died insane.

I took you aside as I did not think that announcing this to Aislinn would be sound. Not yet, at the very least. She has already expressed interest in breaking into the Buck estate's tower to look at some closely-guarded documents, and she believes I am still unaware of her intentions."

He smirked. "It's amusing how often people forget that I am, after all, a spy. I listen to personal mutterings and remember computer screens I've only been given a glimpse at. Andrea thinks I've no idea she plans to buy me something for my birthday, for instance - and I fully intend to play the part of the oblivious guest..."

* * *

Three chuckled. "I'd have a hard time taking them seriously, honestly. Can you imagine a chihuahua trot up to you, maybe sounding like, I dunno, Cheech Freaking Marin, and going 'Ey, chica! I'm a Summer Knight, girl, you best take me seriously!"

[TennyoCeres84]

"Heh, yes, you're a snoop when it comes to some personal dealings. Hopefully, you won't ruin the surprise of her gift," Crystal teased, then becoming serious. "I wouldn't withhold that information from Aislinn for long. There should be a certain amount of trust with your coworkers. From a preliminary look at your notes, what can you assess about this Meris?" she inquired. "I remember Sophia telling me that Circe spoke of a woman that one of the perpetrators behind the attack was seeking out, so she's formidable if she's killed people and can make an impression."

***

Aislinn laughed. "Let's hope that we don't meet too many of them. The last thing we need is a pissed off Fae representative," she concluded, then feigning a dignified sniff. "We are technically knights ourselves."

[IamLEAM1983]

Archie tapped the hilt of his sword cane absently, allowing himself a few moments of silence to gather his thoughts. "As far as I have been able to ascertain, Meris of the Orcades has no official birth record, nor any death certificate - but she has certainly maintained quite the slew of illusory births and deaths, presumably in order to waylay enemies or potential pursuers. I've asked Uncle to coax a few file clerks at MI6 into sending a few scanned documents in my general direction.

Several female selkies fitting Meris' description were observed throughout Europe between 1796 and the late eighteen-hundreds, always in conjunction with some ill-fated pillar of the local community. Several Masonic lodges seemingly disbanded themselves overnight after one of their members fell for a particularly gifted roane of some description, and every salon from the Revolutionaries' planning reunions in France to Queen Victoria's fashionably spooky events had some stories to tell of a woman - sometimes a courtesan and sometimes a self-declared savvy dabbler or attaché to some dignitary. For instance, everything points to her having wanted to find out if the Compte de Saint-Germain was truly an immortal, or he was simply another one of these well-read and bored mundanes with a gift for prose and storytelling..."

He smirked. "He was one of the lucky few who didn't die or otherwise turn barmy. He did die a fraud, however. A modestly successful fraud who transcended his woes and who pioneered the concept of the adventure serial - but a fraud nonetheless. He didn't so much have a cult as what we would call fanboys, nowadays. Quirky, but harmless."

The Clank paused to take a puff. "On the American theater, there is mostly nothing but old wives' tales, the occasional odd story about some woman of the seas bringing ruin to otherwise unusually prosperous fishing hamlets around Massachusetts or New England, and nothing at all before 1912. I suspect the Great War forced her overseas, if her European sojourn had not simply come to an end by that time. The local police records show that Isaiah Arkham filed a complaint for harassment in the same period; and Isaiah happens to be one of the recent ancestors of our own Harrison Arkham... The described perpetrator fits Meris' description, which is even more perplexing when nearly all of the Arkham men are of hardy constitution and could conceivably defend themselves against a comparatively light opponent. Selkies tend not to be too heavy, if the Common or Harbour seal subspecies are considered - and they are the most common selkie breed in North America..."

He shrugged. "What do I make of this? That a woman who is lucky to weigh a hundred a thirty pounds while soaking wet is able to terrorize a solidly-built man with nothing but her sheer presence? The police reports make mention of bruises that would be consistent with a considerable amount of applied force - much more than someone of, say, Aislinn's build could produce. Does this refer to telekinetic powers, enhanced strength or some other similar ability? I haven't the foggiest."

Holden gestured vaguely with his pipe-holding hand. "For the sake of completeness, add the Lovecraft Senior incident implicating the same Arkham, a regular writer to the fan column of the Weird Tales Magazine with a local postal box address and who had oddly specific questions to ask of Lovecraft Junior - almost as if that someone wanted to make sure the writer wasn't conjuring his Deep Ones out of personal experience - as well as the fact that this peculiar fan only signed her letters as Mary, and one is given the impression that Meris of the Orcades wasn't simply a dedicated archmage, but also a highly specific serial killer or vigilante..."

The Clank seemed like he was finished, when he seemingly remembered something else. "There also seems to be some form of correlation between Meris' murders and those perpetrated by another terror of London's old Masonic lodges - the Toymaker, as it was called... The same pattern in chosen victims, but with a different delivery device. No face or description was ever given, but his exactions are marked by a number of elaborate devices found on the crime scenes."

He sniffed thoughtfully. "To put it mildly, while Meris enjoyed finding her marks and dealing with them face to face, her fellow conspirator shipped mechanical crucibles of a sort, puzzles that would invariably be intentionally impossible to solve and that would physically trap their victims and force them to try nonetheless... One is almost merciful in some cases, the other seemingly delighted in causing as much pain and suffering as possible to highly specific targets... Deserving ones, I should say, after investigation."

Another round of silence. "I know I should have brought the matter to Aislinn's attention, but I've seen how tempestuous she may be once dedicated to a task. She is right to seek to consult Zebediah's books, but for her to rush onwards without prior planning would be dangerous. I wished to speak to another seasoned investigator before delivering the news to her. Ergo, you and me on this porch, as we speak."

Holden then pouted. "That and, well... This is a barbecue, isn't it? I opted to keep things pleasant for the nonce."

* * *

"Shit," noted Three, "I'd completely forgotten about that! It just - It feels weird, is all. I figured the local Summer Lady would be hard to impress, but maybe she's a better judge of character I thought she'd be."

[TennyoCeres84]

"That is quite the assessment. She is charismatic, dangerous, and yet, compassionate. And her ally is similar in his MO. As for Aislinn, tell her soon and plan. It seems Meris could be working outside the law for reasons we are unaware of. You will likely have to do the same at times," Crystal observed.

***

"Even supernaturals have human qualities, the Countess included, " Aislinn noted with a shrug. "We must have made a good impression."

[IamLEAM1983]

"Upon seeing how thorough her assassinations and various attempts happen to be, I should say I understand her for wishing to stay off the proverbial grid," he explained. "As for my resorting to debatable means of investigation, well..."

He sidled a little closer, pretending to avoid her gaze and momentarily slapping a self-satisfied expression on himself. "I shan't be too much of a bad boy; don't worry."

That bit of faked snobbery turned teasing around the edges. "Unless you ask me to put some extra effort in, that is. I could add a few rounds of surreptitious cuddling, a few walks along the cliffs, a few rounds of pushing your dear daughter out the door for some time 'tween us adults... I excel in displays of caring lawlessness, as you well know."

* * *

"I'm sure you all managed admirably well," reassured the dragon. "Most Fae courts stick to pomp and circumstance on a surface level - only to dull the great deal of empathy and sensitivity that is simmering underneath. Otherwise, the Fair Folk wouldn't have an entire set of tales named after them."

[TennyoCeres84]

"Oh, my very own paramour. How scandalous," Crystal joked, chuckling. "All those activities sound very appealing. Just as long as you avoid a mask and a cloak, a caring bad boy doesn't sound all that bad."

***

Aislinn scoffed. "Yeah, well, I somehow don't even see Lady Eirean magically turning a vegetable into a fancy, horse-drawn carriage, Mr. Tanner," she said.

[IamLEAM1983]

"A mask and cloak, please!" replied Archie, rolling his eyes as if somewhat offended at that suggestion. "Darling, I've a few facial plates sets and six distinct abdominal bellows and pectoral plates. I could ask you the time, should I wish it, and you would be none the wiser!"

He then leaned in conspiratorially. "By the by, I've an arrangement that would mostly correspond to Andrea's employer... Should the darling dear need, say, a few days off, I can spirit the good sir out of the workplace for a forthnight or so and take his place, add a few notches on your daughter's professional belt... The same goes for one of her professors - the fat one with the squeaky knee hinges. A few hours in Neverland for him and straight aces for her."

Archie was obviously joking, but he was an accomplished actor - unofficially, that is - and had a way with disguises...

* * *

The dragon shook his head in amusement. "Oh, leave Disney and the conservative ninnies out of it; I'm of course referring to the real fairy tales! The dire ones, the grim ones, the hopeful ones and those with enough raunchy allusions to make an HBO executive blush in a sudden burst of moral panic! Those the Celts of old traded when trying to recant events that had marked the Fae courts of old, those that were lost when Alexandria fell!"

Three chuckled. "So Bippety Boppity Boo is bullshit?
- Completely and utterly!" confirmed the dragon, nodding his head for emphasis. "Changing a tuber into a ruddy carriage requires the kind of grasp over Matter I wouldn't put past Meris of the Orcades or one of the Void Weavers - but not a common archmage! Even our own Amazo hasn't cracked transmutation! Even I haven't!"

He shook his head, chuckling. "Changing a pumpkin into a carriage would only be the start, Aidan. Once that hurdle is crossed, what is there to stop anyone from turning manure into solid gold? What is there from keeping, say, Aldergard from turning his shed scales into chunks of orichalcum?
- Uh, yeah," replied Three, having given it some thought. "The economy goes bye-bye, all the world's currencies tank at the same time."