Re: Chapter VII - Healing Pains
Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2022 1:45 am
Miranda's video did contain a silver lining: Anjali wasn't alone. Coach had gone with her, frequently seen gesturing for the girl to stay a few steps back as the pair did their best to follow along with the pod of five besuited men. The young woman zoomed in on the group, keeping her voice as light as possible while still being audible out on the street.
"See it? See their Flesh Masks moving?
- Yep, I see it..." answered Silas in the sort of drawl he kept for moments that deserved caution. "You know what to look for, right? 'Cause I'm not seeing any obvious signs of Thralls around here, and I've got my head on a swivel...
- Travers' didn't have the usual cues," replied Anjali, "they were more subtle. The Loyalists aren't above poaching from the rebel cells, so who knows?"
The view cut to a parking lot that was near to where the first few moments had been shot, in a spot Miranda would recognize as being near the campus. It was a small distribution warehouse, typically used by the local supermarkets to stock produce and canned goods for a day or two before they'd see store shelves. Several days out of the week saw the place being effectively abandoned, safe for the easily-circumventable CCTV feed near the entrance and loading bays, and that the door had no external handle. It was more accessible than your usual cult hideout, and would look more to Aspasia like the sort of place you'd temporarily stake out to plan moves later down the line. Coach was seen stopping Anjali again.
"This is as far as we go, kiddo - neither of us are taking these guys on alone.
- I've been recording in spurts," the girl was heard replying, "we've already cased the place. We should get a little closer, try and establish numbers before-"
Silas didn't approve, but kept his voice down. "If one of these shellfish-looking idiots gets to me, Angie, you'll have bullets and Hellfire raining down your way - is that what you want? I've got a family to answer to. I agreed to take you this far, but we are not double-teaming these freaks, understand? If you did manage to reach Bagley, then they've already got a plan in the works. The Choosing's tomorrow, now is not the time to try and Harry Dresden a gaggle of megalomaniacs who lost their power source!"
Anjali looked a little shaken. "I- I know, I just thought-"
The lich sighed. "You did good to ask me to come with, kid; but they're here for Nereus. If your Dad and his friends leave town and scramble their trail in time, they'll gain days - maybe even weeks. More if there's some sort of way to really snuff out a Squid's trail without killing them. They'll make it work, I don't doubt that for a second."
Once this had passed, Nereus gave Charles a look that combined sympathy with a bit of unease after the slap, and then expounded on his concerns with Hanako. "That could work, but what kind of Veil could seriously make someone like me pass for a Malk? If you're arguing for some kind of wide-band alteration spell, I'm not sure I'll end up as the most physically agile member of your kin you'll have seen before, if you know what I mean."
Three pursed his lips together. "We've got options. I'll get in touch with Thorn, see if our old contacts still work, and then we'll see if there's ways of bypassing the Wilds, or of maybe making the crossing easier on us."
That said, Aidan shouldered his way past a few people in the group and headed for the open-plan offices. Vernon opted to respond to his daughter at that point, ponderously munching on a baby carrot as he did. "I've no Changeling of my own - not yet, at least - and the Choosing isn't set to be especially political, given the current circumstances."
Eirean seemed a bit more torn. "There's the baby, our need to look after our own Courts, and I'm obviously not thrilled about the prospect of leaving Alex alone so soon after transplanting her, but I also know Court relations are particularly fragile, following the War. After Gutierrez, I wouldn't be surprised if someone else made a move during the event - you apparently already discussed some concerns regarding Asian visitors."
Carrie nodded. "I'm going off of Angel Time, but yeah. They're worried about old bloodlines manifesting, now that Hell disturbed several warrens for old vampires that were formerly in Torpor. Asia, Russia, Indonesia - there's a ton of old faults that were reopened, old caves that were exposed. There's also some archeologists that are a little too eager for Gabriel's sake - they would've found indications that some Hyperborean tombs are still intact. If even one of the old Warlocks survived, even the Quetzalcoatl will've bargained for more than they can chew."
Melmoth grimaced. "That was all a little before my time, actually. How bad are we talking?"
Silva shrugged. "I'm not sure. What springs to mind is Robert E. Howard sendoffs, that window of time where most of the world was made up of roving bands of hunter-gatherers with only a handful of permanent settlements, Ural being one of them.
- So, Thulsa Doom, snake cults, Conan the Barbarian crap?
- Most sociologists don't like to admit it," the former commander continued, "but the world's always had magic. Or, well, almost always. Once the dragons seeded the world with it, the cat was out of the bag. We've had power-hungry practitioners since before the written word existed, and people wielding stone spears and bronze swords against them for almost as long."
Dejected silence followed for a few seconds, until Bucky landed an appropriate growl of "Crom..." A few peals of relieved laughter followed.
"Squids first, anyone who stirs up shit at the Choosing second, Gutierrez third, and whatever's brewing under the permafrost fourth," summarized Lucky, loud enough to be heard by everyone. "No reason to get all worked up trying to balance four plates at once - especially that last one. I've seen Ordo Dracul company execs work off of couldas and wouldas, and when you get that deep into potentials, you don't get shit done, punto."
In the meantime, Archie addressed Alex in slightly hushed tones. "You would be welcome to join us, of course, but I have no idea how comfortable you are with being separate from your Tree for prolonged periods of time. If this should be a problem, I hope your father has told you of Frosthall, which is in the exact same location as this mansion, if only one realm apart. The Gate was moved as part of our renovations - there is a panel of waiscoting on the second floor, on the right-hand wall, a few feet away from Bagley's office. It has no handle, but its magnetic latch catches and releases upon pressure. If you haven't reached the proper mindset, odds are you will find yourself staring at a door-shaped patch of drywall..."
Vernon offered Archie a reassuring smile. "Not to worry, Alastriona knows all there is to know about House Christmas. I made sure that it would snow over our little house in the Vanguard's Cradle at least once a year, and found ways of having gifts flown in from the space station."
He lightly gripped his daughter's hand. "Simply open this door while thinking of how happy Eirean and I were every December, and the way to my home should open effortlessly. If either of us aren't there, odds were local affairs are keeping us in our respective offices. You'll have to excuse your mother; she does have a hotel to tend to, after all. You can ask Mayhew for a ride, should you need to; he'll be delighted to meet you. He is one of the Wyldfae, a horse from our native lands."
Eirean smirked at that. "He's more likely to offer you a ride than to be your ride, though. The way he says it, it's hard to go back once you've gone for prehensile hands. I think I've been a bit of a bad influence, too - he's found ways of using some of our Crown tithes to build up something of a collection..."
Catching this, Tom quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "Hot-rodder, crotch rocket fan, or...?"
Eirean's eyes twinkled. "Vernon thinks automotive innovation stopped at his dark-blue Citroën, but Mayhew thought I needed a chariot worthy of my influential stature in the court... A few Oaths later, he'd spun up financing for a 2027 Aston-Martin DB9. Forest green, of course."
Scoffing, the Winter Lord rolled his eyes. "Balderdash, darling - everyone knows Mayhew's the one who appreciates precisely-machined engine couplings, you're just in it for the leather seats and the LCD window panels."
"See it? See their Flesh Masks moving?
- Yep, I see it..." answered Silas in the sort of drawl he kept for moments that deserved caution. "You know what to look for, right? 'Cause I'm not seeing any obvious signs of Thralls around here, and I've got my head on a swivel...
- Travers' didn't have the usual cues," replied Anjali, "they were more subtle. The Loyalists aren't above poaching from the rebel cells, so who knows?"
The view cut to a parking lot that was near to where the first few moments had been shot, in a spot Miranda would recognize as being near the campus. It was a small distribution warehouse, typically used by the local supermarkets to stock produce and canned goods for a day or two before they'd see store shelves. Several days out of the week saw the place being effectively abandoned, safe for the easily-circumventable CCTV feed near the entrance and loading bays, and that the door had no external handle. It was more accessible than your usual cult hideout, and would look more to Aspasia like the sort of place you'd temporarily stake out to plan moves later down the line. Coach was seen stopping Anjali again.
"This is as far as we go, kiddo - neither of us are taking these guys on alone.
- I've been recording in spurts," the girl was heard replying, "we've already cased the place. We should get a little closer, try and establish numbers before-"
Silas didn't approve, but kept his voice down. "If one of these shellfish-looking idiots gets to me, Angie, you'll have bullets and Hellfire raining down your way - is that what you want? I've got a family to answer to. I agreed to take you this far, but we are not double-teaming these freaks, understand? If you did manage to reach Bagley, then they've already got a plan in the works. The Choosing's tomorrow, now is not the time to try and Harry Dresden a gaggle of megalomaniacs who lost their power source!"
Anjali looked a little shaken. "I- I know, I just thought-"
The lich sighed. "You did good to ask me to come with, kid; but they're here for Nereus. If your Dad and his friends leave town and scramble their trail in time, they'll gain days - maybe even weeks. More if there's some sort of way to really snuff out a Squid's trail without killing them. They'll make it work, I don't doubt that for a second."
Once this had passed, Nereus gave Charles a look that combined sympathy with a bit of unease after the slap, and then expounded on his concerns with Hanako. "That could work, but what kind of Veil could seriously make someone like me pass for a Malk? If you're arguing for some kind of wide-band alteration spell, I'm not sure I'll end up as the most physically agile member of your kin you'll have seen before, if you know what I mean."
Three pursed his lips together. "We've got options. I'll get in touch with Thorn, see if our old contacts still work, and then we'll see if there's ways of bypassing the Wilds, or of maybe making the crossing easier on us."
That said, Aidan shouldered his way past a few people in the group and headed for the open-plan offices. Vernon opted to respond to his daughter at that point, ponderously munching on a baby carrot as he did. "I've no Changeling of my own - not yet, at least - and the Choosing isn't set to be especially political, given the current circumstances."
Eirean seemed a bit more torn. "There's the baby, our need to look after our own Courts, and I'm obviously not thrilled about the prospect of leaving Alex alone so soon after transplanting her, but I also know Court relations are particularly fragile, following the War. After Gutierrez, I wouldn't be surprised if someone else made a move during the event - you apparently already discussed some concerns regarding Asian visitors."
Carrie nodded. "I'm going off of Angel Time, but yeah. They're worried about old bloodlines manifesting, now that Hell disturbed several warrens for old vampires that were formerly in Torpor. Asia, Russia, Indonesia - there's a ton of old faults that were reopened, old caves that were exposed. There's also some archeologists that are a little too eager for Gabriel's sake - they would've found indications that some Hyperborean tombs are still intact. If even one of the old Warlocks survived, even the Quetzalcoatl will've bargained for more than they can chew."
Melmoth grimaced. "That was all a little before my time, actually. How bad are we talking?"
Silva shrugged. "I'm not sure. What springs to mind is Robert E. Howard sendoffs, that window of time where most of the world was made up of roving bands of hunter-gatherers with only a handful of permanent settlements, Ural being one of them.
- So, Thulsa Doom, snake cults, Conan the Barbarian crap?
- Most sociologists don't like to admit it," the former commander continued, "but the world's always had magic. Or, well, almost always. Once the dragons seeded the world with it, the cat was out of the bag. We've had power-hungry practitioners since before the written word existed, and people wielding stone spears and bronze swords against them for almost as long."
Dejected silence followed for a few seconds, until Bucky landed an appropriate growl of "Crom..." A few peals of relieved laughter followed.
"Squids first, anyone who stirs up shit at the Choosing second, Gutierrez third, and whatever's brewing under the permafrost fourth," summarized Lucky, loud enough to be heard by everyone. "No reason to get all worked up trying to balance four plates at once - especially that last one. I've seen Ordo Dracul company execs work off of couldas and wouldas, and when you get that deep into potentials, you don't get shit done, punto."
In the meantime, Archie addressed Alex in slightly hushed tones. "You would be welcome to join us, of course, but I have no idea how comfortable you are with being separate from your Tree for prolonged periods of time. If this should be a problem, I hope your father has told you of Frosthall, which is in the exact same location as this mansion, if only one realm apart. The Gate was moved as part of our renovations - there is a panel of waiscoting on the second floor, on the right-hand wall, a few feet away from Bagley's office. It has no handle, but its magnetic latch catches and releases upon pressure. If you haven't reached the proper mindset, odds are you will find yourself staring at a door-shaped patch of drywall..."
Vernon offered Archie a reassuring smile. "Not to worry, Alastriona knows all there is to know about House Christmas. I made sure that it would snow over our little house in the Vanguard's Cradle at least once a year, and found ways of having gifts flown in from the space station."
He lightly gripped his daughter's hand. "Simply open this door while thinking of how happy Eirean and I were every December, and the way to my home should open effortlessly. If either of us aren't there, odds were local affairs are keeping us in our respective offices. You'll have to excuse your mother; she does have a hotel to tend to, after all. You can ask Mayhew for a ride, should you need to; he'll be delighted to meet you. He is one of the Wyldfae, a horse from our native lands."
Eirean smirked at that. "He's more likely to offer you a ride than to be your ride, though. The way he says it, it's hard to go back once you've gone for prehensile hands. I think I've been a bit of a bad influence, too - he's found ways of using some of our Crown tithes to build up something of a collection..."
Catching this, Tom quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "Hot-rodder, crotch rocket fan, or...?"
Eirean's eyes twinkled. "Vernon thinks automotive innovation stopped at his dark-blue Citroën, but Mayhew thought I needed a chariot worthy of my influential stature in the court... A few Oaths later, he'd spun up financing for a 2027 Aston-Martin DB9. Forest green, of course."
Scoffing, the Winter Lord rolled his eyes. "Balderdash, darling - everyone knows Mayhew's the one who appreciates precisely-machined engine couplings, you're just in it for the leather seats and the LCD window panels."