Pulp 010

March 5, 2021

[7:20 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: I honestly don't remember that much of that part of the evening. ... morning.

[7:21 PM] Sandy: "Which was it?"

[7:21 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: Well, given that it's about 4 p.m. at the moment? Probably morning.

[7:21 PM] Sandy: "...it's 4pm?"

[7:22 PM] August: I saw him wandering out on the grounds.

[7:22 PM] Ke: It was close to dawn by the time we finished

[7:22 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: It was evening last night when we left here to go to the house, and ... yes, exactly.

[7:23 PM] Raconteur: Jack: Challenged a tree to a duel.

[7:23 PM] Sandy: "...then why did I make breakfast?"

[7:23 PM] August: Is that what he was doing? I just saw him through a window. Didn't have the energy to engage.

[7:23 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: Because we'd just gotten up and I for one like my coffee.

[7:23 PM] Sandy: "...did he beat the tree?"

[7:24 PM] Raconteur: Jack: Called the tree a coward and moved on.

[7:24 PM] Sandy: "...should we find him or...?"

[7:24 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: ... he is a grown man, for what it's worth.

[7:25 PM] Sandy: "...fair enough."

[7:25 PM] Sandy: "....I kinda wish he'd actually dueled the tree.  Curious how that would've gone."

[7:25 PM] Sandy: sips some coffee herself.

[7:26 PM] Raconteur: The door-bell rings. Sandy is aware that one of the household staff will get it.

[7:26 PM] Sandy: is

[7:27 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: A visitor at this time of day? Too early for supper, too late for business.

[7:27 PM] Ke: has anything been normal in the past 24 hours?

[7:28 PM] Sandy: "People come for Alan a lot, anyway.  Different offers or deals or what not."

[7:29 PM] Raconteur: Paris, the butler, pops into the kitchen where you're all gathered. He's a shortish, very square man of around 40 or so, heavily built, with a nose that's obviously been broken at least once, dark hair and a more or less permanent 5 o'clock shadow, despite his best efforts to get rid of it.

[7:30 PM] Sandy: "Hey, Perry."

[7:30 PM] Sandy: "Miss me?"

[7:31 PM] Raconteur: Paris: We all have. Apart from light dusting, we have kept your things as they were.

[7:31 PM] Raconteur: Paris: I am afraid you have a visitor, Miss Sandra. She claims to be one of Mr. Swan's ... friends.

[7:32 PM] Sandy: "...ok...interesting."

[7:32 PM] Sandy: goes to see who it is.

[7:32 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: ... If you don't mind, I'll go with you. Might as well meet everyone.

[7:33 PM] Sandy: "Yeah, all of you should come."

[7:33 PM] August: shrugs.

[7:33 PM] Ke: Yeah why not

[7:35 PM] Raconteur: You all follow Paris down a hallway and into the vestibule...

[7:35 PM] Raconteur: Sandy: which is a bit odd--most of the time guests would be escorted into a sitting room near the door.

[7:37 PM] Raconteur: ... where you see a woman facing away from you, toward the door. As her back is to you, all you can see at first is a very daring backless, slinky, white evening gown (which is NOT appropriate to wear to a visit or anything but a formal gathering) and a profusion of unfashionably long, curly red-auburn hair.

[7:38 PM] Sandy: ".......I don't think we're hosting a party tonight, ma'am.  Maybe you got the date wrong?"

[7:41 PM] Raconteur: She turns around when Sandy speaks--she's almost painfully beautiful, with perfect skin, delicate features and very green eyes. The dress is pretty low-cut for the time, and clearly very expensive, and her accessories include a green-jeweled headband with what you suspect are real emeralds and an equally real foxfur stole around her shoulders.

[7:41 PM] Raconteur: Lady: Oh, you must be Miss Sandra! I'm so glad to finally meet you. Where's Alan gotten to?

[7:41 PM] Sandy: "Driving."

[7:42 PM] Sandy: "And I go by Sandy, thank you."

[7:42 PM] Raconteur: Lady: But that's impossible! Am I really that early?

[7:43 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: I should think you were always just on time no matter when you arrive, personally.

[7:43 PM] Sandy: "...I am sorry, who are you?"

[7:44 PM] Raconteur: Lady: I'm Inari, of course. Don't you recognize me?

[7:45 PM] Sandy: "....We've literally never met before.  Nor has Alan ever mentioned you."

[7:46 PM] Sandy: "...Paris, is there a...side room or somewhere we could all talk?"

[7:46 PM] Raconteur: Paris: The sitting room will do.

[7:47 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Lovely! Bring a decanter of brandy if you will, Paris, please. It's such a long drive all the way out here, I can't imagine why he doesn't get a house in town like an ordinary person.

[7:47 PM] Raconteur: Inari: I can't think why Alan didn't mention me.

[7:48 PM] Raconteur: She heads for the sitting room, apparently knowing exactly where it is.

[7:48 PM] Sandy: will whisper to Paris when we get a chance "Keep an eye on any silverware on the way to or in the sitting room."

[7:48 PM] Raconteur: Joseph follows her.

[7:48 PM] Sandy: follows as well

[7:48 PM] Raconteur: Paris nods, going last.

[7:50 PM] Raconteur: Inari immediately sits on a couch when she reaches the sitting room, checks for an ash tray and lights a cigarette in a long holder. "He certainly mentioned you to me. Quite a list of accomplishments, as I recall. Do tell me who your friends are?"

[7:50 PM] Sandy: "...mind if I ask you some questions?"

[7:52 PM] Raconteur: Inari: I have a distinct feeling you don't believe me. Here, I've a letter from Alan in my reticule.

[7:53 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: I'm Joseph Blackwell; this is Qiaolian Ke and August Valley.

[7:53 PM] Ke: nice to make your acquaintance

[7:53 PM] Sandy: reads the letter

[7:54 PM] Raconteur: She opens her tiny purse and takes out a little wad of paper and gives it to Sandy.

[7:54 PM] August: waves.

[7:55 PM] Sandy: "So you know, Joseph has a talent for..."reading" people, Ke's a deadly weapon in and of herself and August is a crack shot so...if this is a trick...you've picked a dangerous place to try and pull it."

[7:57 PM] Raconteur: Inari laughs. "I'd've picked the worst place imaginable! In an hour the whole Society's going to be here, I can't even imagine all the ways I'd be in trouble. ... it's a fun thought, though..."

[7:58 PM] Sandy: "...you're with the society?"

[7:59 PM] Ke: how many people is that?

[7:59 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Obviously! Alan really hasn't mentioned me?

[7:59 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: ... wait, they're all going to be here in an hour?

[8:00 PM] Ke: That is rather sudden, some notice would have been nice

[8:00 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Well not all of them. Clearly. We all have our own lives, you know. Things to do. And the West Coast branch is a bit... well, they're still in contact but they're just a bit self-involved, don't you find?

[8:01 PM] Raconteur: Inari: That's Alan all over, isn't it? Calling a meeting at the last minute like this. What's it all about, anyway?

[8:01 PM] Sandy: "........I think......um......I think maybe it's about us."

[8:01 PM] Raconteur: Inari: You? Is it?

[8:02 PM] Ke: I mean we didnt even know there was a meeting

[8:02 PM] Raconteur: She stands up, puffing on the cigarette holder, and walks around the rest of you in a circle, slowly.

[8:03 PM] Sandy: "......Ke, August, Joseph...what's changed in the last 24 hours that would justify a large meeting of the society?"

[8:04 PM] Ke: the almost abduction to another planet of a bunch of people by nazis last night.(edited)

[8:04 PM] Raconteur: Roll Awareness for me. Anything 7 and higher is a success.

[8:05 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: That was unpleasant.

[8:05 PM] Sandy: ((Goose egg from me.))

[8:05 PM] Ke: ((1 success))

[8:05 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Nazis?

[8:05 PM] Sandy: "Nazi cultists."

[8:06 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Oh, the Thule society.

[8:06 PM] Raconteur: The doorbell rings again, and Paris goes to get it.

[8:06 PM] August: ((1 success))

[8:07 PM] Raconteur: Inari sits back down on the couch. It's odd, but even sitting up straight, she almost seems to be reclining.

[8:08 PM] Sandy: "...likely that's the subject here.  All of us were at the site at the time.  There was an attempt to take all...I don't know if there's a word for it.  Those...altered by Planet X?"

[8:08 PM] Raconteur: Inari: There are a lot of words for it. I like "Inspired," but everyone's a bit different, aren't they?

[8:09 PM] Ke: indeed

[8:09 PM] Sandy: "...you do know Alan."

[8:09 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Of course I do. I can't imagine why he's run off for his own meeting.

[8:14 PM] Raconteur: Paris ushers another person into the room--a man leaning heavily on a silver walking stick, moving slowly due to a severe limp. He's of average height, but rather densely built, seems to have the bronzed complexion of a middle-easterner, with straight black hair and dark eyes. He has a pattern of faded scars on the same side of his face as his cane, and is also wearing an eyepatch and formal eveningwear. It's altogether a rather sinister appearance, but his expression is mild and his remaining eye is a soft greyish color.

[8:15 PM] Sandy: "...Aeon Society?"

[8:17 PM] Raconteur: He nods, a bit stiffly, and limps over to a chair. Before he sits, though, he nods politely. "Holly Forrester. I don't believe we've met."

[8:17 PM] Raconteur: Inari: I'm Inari, of course. I've heard of you.

[8:18 PM] Sandy: "Nope.  Sandy Swan."

[8:18 PM] Sandy: "...guys, we're about to be severely underdressed."

[8:18 PM] Raconteur: Forrester's complexion blotches a bit; he seems to be trying to blush, but the scarred side of his face doesn't seem to get the memo.

[8:19 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: ... I think I shall just go up and change. ... and perhaps I'll check on Miss Crafter while I'm in the general vicinity.

[8:19 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: All good, I hope.

[8:20 PM] Raconteur: Inari: All dangerous, you mean.

[8:20 PM] Sandy: "August, we can lend you a tux.  Plenty of them in all sizes.  Ke, if you want, I can offer you some outfits as well."

[8:20 PM] August: Is there a dress code?

[8:20 PM] Raconteur: Inari laughs.

[8:20 PM] Ke: There appears to be one

[8:20 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Oh dear no.

[8:21 PM] August: Is wearing what I"m wearing worse than wearing a borrowed tux?

[8:21 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Jack will wear a heap of animal skins, as usual, Ahti will mostly wear gin, and Katie and Quinn might be entirely nude.

[8:22 PM] Sandy: "You knew to expect Ahti?"

[8:22 PM] Raconteur: Inari: I think you look perfectly charming as you are, Mr. Valley.

[8:22 PM] Ke: They did say he was part of the society last night

[8:22 PM] Ke: Or associated with them

[8:23 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: It's the free food.

[8:23 PM] August: blushes, but maintains.

[8:23 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: ... I'll be back.

[8:23 PM] Sandy: "...ok...so...we don't have to do anything, I guess."

[8:23 PM] Raconteur: Joseph scarpers upstairs to change.

[8:24 PM] Sandy: hands the note back to Inari. "This is yours, by the way."

[8:24 PM] August: August:  So how many are showing?

[8:24 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: They're a very mixed group.

[8:24 PM] Raconteur: Inari takes it and puts it back into her little purse. "Thank you. I've kept everything Alan's ever written to me. Everything."

[8:25 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: It depends. If it's a general meeting it could be quite a few.

[8:25 PM] Ke: It’s good to keep documentation

[8:26 PM] Raconteur: Paris coughs tactfully. "We were preparing for 30 in the large kitchen. I do hope there won't be more."

[8:26 PM] Sandy: "Thanks, Paris."

[8:26 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Men can be so fickle, don't you think?

[8:27 PM] Sandy: "Paris, any chance Alan said where he was going?"

[8:27 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: Some of them don't... really eat food.

[8:27 PM] Raconteur: Paris: Not a word, Miss Sandra.

[8:27 PM] Raconteur: Paris can't help but sound a tiny bit put-upon there.

[8:29 PM] Sandy: "Right...naturally."

[8:29 PM] Raconteur: The bell rings again.

[8:29 PM] Raconteur: Paris goes to answer it!

[8:30 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: This is awkward, isn't it.

[8:30 PM] Sandy: "...Ke...when we see Alan again...any chance you could just...punch him."

[8:30 PM] Raconteur: Inari laughs again. She's got a very musical laugh.

[8:30 PM] August: Extremely.

[8:31 PM] August: I would offer something to drink but I think Ahti finished it.

[8:31 PM] Ke: I could consider it this is all rather unexpected

[8:31 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Oh, but there's brandy here, if you want it.

[8:31 PM] Sandy: "No, I should've expected...something like this."

[8:32 PM] Raconteur: She pours a snifter of brandy and hands it to Forrester, who carefully sets his cane aside to take it. She pours another and offers it to August.

[8:34 PM] Raconteur: This time Paris offers two people into the room--both men, one a very tall, large man almost as big as Wild Jack, and the other of a more normal size.

[8:34 PM] Raconteur: The bigger of the two immediately says, "Where's Alan? Is it safe here?"

[8:35 PM] Raconteur: Inari: He's late to his own party! Well, he isn't late yet, but he isn't here, either.

[8:35 PM] Raconteur: Smaller man: I wasn't sure I could find the right place, so we gave ourselves a bit too much time.

[8:36 PM] Sandy: "Whatever it means, it's safe get comfortable."

[8:36 PM] Sandy: goes and pours herself some brandy.

[8:37 PM] Raconteur: Big guy: Oh thank god.

[8:38 PM] August: sniffs it and  drinks it down.

[8:39 PM] Raconteur: There's an odd shimmer in the air in front of the two men, and their appearances change. The bigger man gets even bigger, but also turns a dark red and clearly has a big set of horns and a pair of batlike wings, as well as, very incongruously, a pair of very ordinary human blue eyes. The smaller of the two newcomers doesn't change much, but his eyes are glowing, with black sclera and red pupils.

[8:39 PM] August: So.

[8:40 PM] Raconteur: Demonic-looking guy: I'm Rafael Blackburn, by the way. We just moved here, we were part of Howard's bunch out on the West Coast before. But we got the invitation, so I thought we'd turn up.

[8:41 PM] Ke: Howard?

[8:42 PM] Raconteur: The demon is wearing a scruffy-looking brown suit, a bit out of style and ragged around the edges; the red-eyed man just has a pair of pants, a dress shirt and a pale blue sweatervest.

[8:43 PM] Raconteur: Blackburn: Oh yeah, Howard Hughes runs the show out there! He's a lot more normal than you'd think. Bit of a thing about germs, though.

[8:43 PM] Sandy: "...we should probably specify, the three of us only got initiated last night...we didn't know...any of this until right now."

[8:44 PM] Sandy: tries the brandy.

[8:44 PM] August: This is a lot, yeah.

[8:44 PM] Sandy: "Like...can we get a primer or something?"

[8:45 PM] Ke: I think we kind of got one last night ,things don't seem that organized

[8:45 PM] Raconteur: Blackburn: Oh, wow, neat!

[8:46 PM] Raconteur: Blackburn: Welcome to the Aeon Society, in that case. Uh, don't worry about me, I'm totally harmless. Well, mostly harmless.

[8:46 PM] Sandy: "If you're not, we can handle you."

[8:46 PM] Ke: no one is totally harmless

[8:47 PM] Raconteur: Blackburn: This is Marius Talon.

[8:47 PM] Raconteur: Talon waves.

[8:47 PM] Raconteur: Blackburn: He's a demon. But um, not in a bad way! At all. Really.

[8:47 PM] Raconteur: Inari laughs again.

[8:47 PM] Raconteur: Forrester sideeyes both of the new guys.

[8:48 PM] Raconteur: Blackburn: What do you want to know?

[8:48 PM] Raconteur: Paris brings in a tray of appetizers and then goes to answer the door again.

[8:49 PM] Raconteur: Blackburn: Oh wow, that looks good, what is that a spinach puff?

[8:49 PM] Raconteur: He takes one of the little plates and nabs some of the little snacklets.

[8:50 PM] Raconteur: Talon, morosely: That one's got raisins in it. I can tell.

[8:50 PM] August: sniffs. "Wow, it does."

[8:50 PM] Sandy: "What's our resource pool, or...roughly.  We know about the library, I assume some level of advanced science works, clearly some arcane resources.  ...who has access to what and how?"

[8:51 PM] Raconteur: The big man alights carefully on a chair that looks much too small for him, folding his wings over the back of it delicately, and then tosses a whole spinach puff into his mouth. Marius Talon goes and sits on the other end of the couch from Inara.(edited)

[8:51 PM] Raconteur: Blackburn: Oh hey, good questions! I have no idea.

[8:52 PM] Raconteur: Talon: We just got here ourselves.

[8:52 PM] Ke: How was it run on the west coast?(edited)

[8:53 PM] Raconteur: Blackburn: Oh, tight ship, very tight ship. Hughes is a professional, everything is catalogued and organized and you need permission to do a lot of things.

[8:53 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: We're a lot less organized, I'm afraid.

[8:53 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Thank goodness!

[8:55 PM] Raconteur: Paris brings another person in--it's another man. Unlike the others, though, he's pretty normal looking, apart from the fact that he's got hair the same color as his immaculate white suit. He's very good-looking, too, with pale skin and very light eyes.

[8:55 PM] Raconteur: Inari: I can't stand all those rules and nonsense.

[8:55 PM] Raconteur: The new guy looks around. "I thought I was early."

[8:56 PM] Ke: People have been showing up for a while

[8:56 PM] Sandy: ((How big is this study?))

[8:56 PM] Raconteur: Not that big. It's already beginning to get a bit crowded.

[8:56 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Casper! I wasn't sure you'd come. I thought you hated this sort of thing.

[8:57 PM] Sandy: "Paris, maybe we should move things to Ballroom A?"

[8:57 PM] Raconteur: Paris: Yes, I'll see to it, miss.

[8:57 PM] Raconteur: The bell rings again, and he shakes his head and goes.

[8:57 PM] Raconteur: Inari: It's this way, isn't it?

[8:57 PM] Sandy: "Yeah, I'll show you guys."

[8:58 PM] Raconteur: Inari: No need, I know the way!

[8:58 PM] August: .... ballroom 'A'?

[8:58 PM] Ke: How many ballrooms are there?

[8:58 PM] Raconteur: She heads off in that direction, and the crowd follows her.

[8:58 PM] August: That implies more than one. And so many that numbers become unfeasible.

[8:58 PM] Sandy: "No, letters just sound better than numbers."

[8:58 PM] Raconteur: Forrester and the new guy (Casper?) last.

8:59 PM] Raconteur: Casper: Where's Nemo?

[8:59 PM] Sandy: "...but there are more ballrooms."

[8:59 PM] Sandy: "Nemo's around.  She'll be here eventually.  Wild Jack and Ahti too, I expect."

[9:00 PM] Sandy: "....so...out of curiosity...how many of you have been here before tonight?"

[9:00 PM] Raconteur: Casper shakes his head. "Jack'll stay outside. He hates crowds."

[9:00 PM] Raconteur: Inari, Forrester and Casper all indicate that they have been.

[9:01 PM] Raconteur: You make it into the ballroom, which has been set with a whole sideboard of appetizers. It's impressive, especially considering there's only supposed to be 30 people.

[9:01 PM] Raconteur: Blackburn beelines for it, with Talon tailing behind him.

[9:02 PM] Raconteur: Casper: Casper Quentin, by the way. Nemo's an old friend of mine, it's her fault I'm here at all, really.

[9:03 PM] Sandy: "Sandy Swan.  I'm hosting, apparently."

[9:03 PM] Raconteur: A cluster of several more people enter the ballroom--a woman in a slinky black dress wearing a domino mask, another woman fully decked out in lab gear, and another man in a suit.

[9:04 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: That's the Domino Lady, sort of a ... crimefighter, I suppose you could say. The woman with the lab coat on is Lillian Lane;  she's our chemist.

[9:05 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: Good to meet you, Miss Swan. I think I've read about you.

[9:06 PM] Sandy: "Yeah, apparently everyone has.  ...well, former sidekick's gotta expect that, I guess."

[9:06 PM] Sandy: "...this brandy's good."

[9:06 PM] Sandy: grabs some spinach puffs.

[9:07 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: Strong, though.

[9:07 PM] Raconteur: He's turned up wearing a very good tuxedo, although it's already attained that rumpled look that everything he wears does, somehow.

[9:08 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: ... Joseph Blackwell. Of all the people to run into at one of these.

[9:08 PM] August: Eh. Not that strong.

[9:08 PM] Sandy: "...you know each other?"

[9:08 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: Cas! You're here! ... and you didn't tell me about this? I ought to sock you in the nose.

[9:09 PM] Raconteur: Joseph hugs Quentin.

[9:09 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: They make you swear. Also, you'd never sit through a whole meeting.

[9:09 PM] Ke: You don’t seem to like these meetings much

[9:10 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: What are you doing here? Are you psychic, or magic, or do you just hit people very hard?

[9:10 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: Well, they are meetings, love. Not much to like.

[9:11 PM] Raconteur: Quentin extricates himself from Joseph. "Yes, I do know this incorrigible troublemaker. And I'm not psychic, and I don't need to hit people."

[9:12 PM] Ke: So magic then?

[9:13 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: I have a gift. Here.

[9:13 PM] Raconteur: He holds out a hand to Sandy, gesturing vaguely at her glass.

[9:13 PM] Raconteur: (Which is probably empty by this point.)

[9:14 PM] Sandy: hands him the glass.

[9:14 PM] Sandy: ((It definitely is))

[9:14 PM] Raconteur: He takes it, holds his hand over it for a moment, and several cubes of ice form in it.

[9:15 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: A human ice machine? Very handy at parties.

[9:15 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: Heat subtraction.

[9:16 PM] Sandy: "So, you don't make the ice, you remove the heat from the air in the desired shape."

[9:17 PM] Sandy: "The latent moisture in the air freezes and becomes solid."

[9:17 PM] Raconteur: Another cluster of people come in--this one's a bit unusual. One is a very short, delicate-looking woman with brown skin, semi-transparent clothes, golden hair and a golden crown of leaves. She's followed by two other short people with spears, and what looks from far away like a normal-sized human painted green and then covered in plants and flowers.

[9:17 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: Exactly.

[9:17 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: That's useful. ... that might have come in useful at school, you know.

[9:18 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: Did you want us to get expelled?

[9:18 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: ... possibly too useful, yes.

[9:18 PM] Sandy: "Is that your "inspiration" as they call it or can anyone learn that?  Or is it something else?"

[9:19 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: You might be able to learn it, but not the way I can do it. I have fae blood.

[9:20 PM] Sandy: "Ahhhhhhhh...interesting."

[9:20 PM] Sandy: "....so are we gonna mention the woman streaking in my ballroom or...?"

[9:21 PM] Raconteur: Inari: I did warn you.

[9:21 PM] Ke: she did

[9:21 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: That's Kate Kirby. She's a ... well, how much Arthurian myth have you read?

[9:22 PM] Sandy: "A fair amount."

[9:22 PM] Ke: none

[9:22 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: Or do you mean Princess Tika?

[9:23 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: The plant woman is Kate Kirby, she's a sort of green man.

[9:23 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: Tika is fae royalty in exile.

[9:23 PM] Raconteur: Quentin makes a face.

[9:23 PM] Sandy: "Not friends?"

[9:24 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: She considers me a subject.

[9:24 PM] Ke: exile from where?

[9:24 PM] Raconteur: A very young man in pajamas turns up, followed by a young woman in a nurse's uniform who stays close to him.

[9:25 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: The Fair Isles. Faerie. The Otherworld. Whatever you want to call it.

[9:26 PM] Raconteur: The guy in pajamas has untidy dark hair and a sort of anxious expression; the nurse is a pretty brunette who is watching him like a hawk.

[9:27 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: That's a sad case. Nellie Norton's the nurse; her brother Nick Norton... isn't here yet, she's mainly here to keep an eye on her patient anyway. Nick's a reporter.

[9:27 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: It doesn't always come out well for the Inspired.

[9:28 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: Some gifts are better not to have.

[9:28 PM] Sandy: "What's the patient's story?"

[9:28 PM] Raconteur: He lights another cigarette.

[9:29 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: No one's sure. Complete amnesia, but he...

[9:29 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: He can kill with a touch.

[9:29 PM] Sandy: "...fuck."

[9:29 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: ... that's awful.

[9:30 PM] Ke: And no control over it ?

[9:30 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: He has better control now, but before they worked it out, it was... bad.

[9:30 PM] Ke: I can imagine

[9:31 PM] Sandy: frowns

[9:31 PM] Raconteur: Another big person steps in, wearing something like a toga over what appears to be their own fur.

[9:32 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: Alan wanted to take him in, but decided it wasn't safe enough to have a kid like that in his house, not with another kid's life at stake.

[9:33 PM] Sandy: "...how long has he been a kid?"

[9:33 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: Quinn Carver, yeti. Yes, they're real.

[9:33 PM] Ke: Jack mentioned yetis last night

[9:34 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: Well, let me see, there was a lot of discussion about what to do with him at the time. He was about nine years old when he was found, he's probably around 19 now. Ten whole years.

[9:35 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: Somebody called him Mort, and the name stuck.

[9:36 PM] Sandy: "........"

[9:37 PM] Raconteur: A black man with a shaved head and warm brown eyes, wearing faded blue coveralls turns up, and behind him, another very ethereal looking pale woman, this one wearing a diaphanous white gown, with long dark hair loose behind her and no shoes.

[9:38 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: Blake Chandler, archaeologist. And the woman is Sofia. She's a bit... touched.

[9:38 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: She's a vampire.

[9:38 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Only literally, darling. Only literally.

[9:38 PM] Sandy: "...this is a lot of people."

[9:39 PM] Ke: Alan was busy inviting people I guess

[9:39 PM] Raconteur: There are more, too. A fellow with a pith helmet and monocle, who has buttonholed some other unfortunate guest, and a woman wearing what looks like crab carapaces all over herself, a couple more guys in boring suits.

[9:40 PM] August: When was the meeting called?

[9:40 PM] Raconteur: The guy with the pith helmet has an absurd number of guns on his person.

[9:40 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: Yesterday. That's why there aren't many of us here.

[9:40 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: I'm starting to rethink my decision to come.

[9:41 PM] Ke: This isn’t many?

[9:41 PM] Raconteur: Finally, Alan himself turns up.

[9:41 PM] Raconteur: He did take the time to change before he came down, apparently, as he's got formal gear on himself. Some of the people in the crowd wave to him, too.

[9:42 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: Oh, there's Nemo.

[9:42 PM] Sandy: goes for Alan.

[9:42 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: You know her too?

[9:42 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: Not as well as I'd like.

[9:43 PM] Raconteur: Alan heads for Sandy too, as it happens.

[9:43 PM] Sandy: "So, when were you going to warn me?"

[9:43 PM] Raconteur: Alan: About what?

[9:43 PM] Raconteur: Alan: I had to go and take care of some things personally. It looks like you had it all under control.

[9:44 PM] Raconteur: (Nemo, for what it's worth, is wearing her ordinary clothes, plus a long cardigan with pockets.)

[9:44 PM] Ke: Quite the group of people

[9:45 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: Some of them might be only shaped like people.

[9:45 PM] Sandy: "And at least all of them got an invite to the party.  They didn't just wake up with it in their house."

[9:45 PM] Raconteur: His lone eye drifts over to Talon, who is standing next to Blackburn, who is declaiming something to another party guest.

[9:46 PM] Raconteur: Alan: I thought you said you didn't want me to control what you do. Paris had it well in hand.

[9:47 PM] Sandy: "....why did I think it would be different?  It wasn't going to be different."

[9:47 PM] Sandy: goes to get appetizers.

[9:48 PM] Raconteur: Alan: You wanted to join.

[9:48 PM] Raconteur: Alan: There's a reason for the last-minute meeting.

[9:49 PM] Sandy: "Why didn't you just tell me?  Leave a message with Paris?  With me?"

[9:50 PM] Sandy: "You didn't tell me who any of these people were, but several of them apparently know me.  You wrote letters to them about me.  You just leave without warning, knowing this would happen and left us here to twist in the wind."

[9:51 PM] Raconteur: Alan: We've been through this. I couldn't tell you until you were eligible to join. And what letters?

[9:52 PM] Raconteur: The doors burst open, loud enough that most conversations go quiet, and a woman with iron-gray hair, plenty of muscles and a pair of old flight goggles pushed up on her forehead steps in, dragging another person behind her. The second person is also a woman, much younger (probably early 30s or late 20s) with straight blonde hair in a perfectly-shaped bob, wearing a plain brown skirt suit.

[9:53 PM] Sandy: "....what the hell?"

[9:53 PM] Raconteur: The older woman half-drags the blonde into the middle of the room and then pushes her onto the ground.

[9:54 PM] Raconteur: Older woman: Look what the cat dragged in! ... well, I'm not a cat, but I've gotten her all the same!

[9:55 PM] August: Are we sure she's not a cat? In this crowd that wouldn't be strange.

[9:55 PM] Ke: It wouldn’t

[9:56 PM] Sandy: "I'm not a cat is definitely what a cat would say."

[9:56 PM] Raconteur: Alan rubs his forehead. "Eleanor, I asked you to watch her, not to bring her here."

[9:56 PM] Raconteur: Eleanor: Well, I'm not going to leave a Thule spy wandering around my airfield, Alan. If you want her, you can keep her.

[9:57 PM] Raconteur: There are murmurs from around the crowd.

[9:57 PM] Raconteur: The blonde woman clambers to her feet, slowly. Her hands are tied together in front of her.

[9:58 PM] Sandy: "....this was the personal matter?"

[9:58 PM] Raconteur: Alan: This isn't personal, no.

[9:58 PM] Raconteur: Eleanor: Well, what are you going to do with her?

[9:59 PM] August: Thule spy?

[9:59 PM] Raconteur: The prisoner, it might be noted, is also gagged.

[9:59 PM] Raconteur: Eleanor: Yes. I questioned her myself. She admitted it.

[10:01 PM] Ke: Maybe she could speak for herself?

[10:01 PM] Sandy: will move to ungag her

[10:01 PM] Ke: will follow Sandy

[10:02 PM] Raconteur: The woman doesn't make any moves when Sandy ungags her, but clears her throat. "Ah, good. I see you are all here, including Mr. Alan Swan. Excellent."

[10:02 PM] Raconteur: She has a very thick German accent.

[10:02 PM] Sandy: "Who are you?"

[10:03 PM] Raconteur: Woman: You may call me Ilse. I am indeed a member of the Thule Society.

[10:04 PM] Raconteur: There's another murmur from around the room, and you can hear a few guns get cocked and a few little shimmery balls of light appear above certain people's hands. Casper's looks like a snowglobe without a globe.

[10:06 PM] Sandy: "...and you're confessing this now why?"

[10:07 PM] Raconteur: Woman: Because I am not a spy. I have come here deliberately, to warn you.

[10:08 PM] Ke: Why would a Thule agent want to warn this group of anything?

[10:10 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: There are other groups involved in this. Information has surfaced, recently, about a certain item. A very dangerous item.

[10:10 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Ooh, is it shiny? A gem of some kind, perhaps?

[10:11 PM] Sandy: "...Joseph...can you...check her for deception?"

[10:11 PM] Raconteur: Joseph nods, and concentrates.

[10:13 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: It has many names, but the most common is the Fang of the Fallen. Aeon and Thule are not friends, this is true, but we would prefer you found the Fang over the Order of Moirai or the Church of Celestial Enlightenment.

[10:14 PM] Raconteur: Alan: The Cult of Celestial Enlightenment, you mean.

[10:14 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: Whatever you wish to call them, they are quite mad, and they wish to destroy the world. The Fang would allow them to do so.

[10:15 PM] Raconteur: Joseph, quietly: She's telling the truth.

[10:16 PM] Sandy: "What is this Fang?"

[10:18 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: It is a dagger, or rather it looks like a dagger, made of black glass-like material in a twisted shape. What it really is, is a key. The Church of Celestial Enlightenment hopes to use the key to open a portal to hell and usher in a new age for all mankind--an age of torment and destruction.

[10:18 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: As to what the Moirai want, you would know that better than I; their society was birthed from yours, after all. Your... prodigal child.

[10:19 PM] Raconteur: Alan: They left years ago, before most of the people here were even born.

[10:20 PM] Sandy: "......ok, let's keep things focused on this century."

[10:20 PM] Sandy: "...what do you have to offer us?"

[10:21 PM] Raconteur: The rope around Ilse's hands falls off them, and she holds them out in front of her; a reddish shimmer appears above them and then a scroll materializes.

[10:22 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: I have this. It is only a copy, but it is as like the original as I could make it.

[10:22 PM] Sandy: goes to take it, keeping her eyes locked on Ilse's.

[10:22 PM] Raconteur: Ilse has very blue eyes. She lets Sandy take the scroll.

[10:23 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: The Thule will also be looking for the Fang.

[10:24 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: I have heard the Skyliners are also interested; should they attain the object, they will sell it to the highest bidder.

[10:25 PM] Ke: Seems odd that you would involve another group when so many are already involved

[10:25 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: Does it? But if you find the Fang, you will not use it; you will store it away and perhaps some day the Thule will retrieve it from you.

[10:26 PM] Sandy: "Or we'll destroy it."

[10:26 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: If the Celestial Enlightenment finds it, the world will come to an end. If the Moirai find it, they will attempt to use it to control the earth.

[10:26 PM] Ke: And if the Thule find it?

[10:26 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: The corsairs would sell it, likely to one of those groups, and that would have the same effect.

[10:27 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: That remains under discussion.

[10:27 PM] Sandy: "I bet."

[10:27 PM] Sandy: "...why should we trust you?"

[10:28 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: Because your pet mesmerist has been fumbling all around my mind, and he will tell you I speak the truth.

[10:28 PM] Raconteur: Joseph reddens.

[10:29 PM] Ke: Have the Thule ever done this before?

[10:29 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: But of course, it is up to you. Hunt the Fang or do not hunt the Fang, but it remains a threat to both of us. And so do the Celestial Enlightenment, the Moirai and the Skyliners.

[10:30 PM] Raconteur: Alan, tightly: No.

[10:30 PM] Sandy: looks at Alan.

[10:31 PM] Raconteur: He's very tense.

[10:31 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: Perhaps you would feel better to know that the others do not know I am here, yes?

[10:32 PM] August: What's the society's policy on dangerous prisoners?

[10:33 PM] Raconteur: Alan: Generally, we don't keep them.

[10:34 PM] Raconteur: Ilse: You are all so welcoming, so civilized. Very well, if I am not welcome, I will leave.

[10:34 PM] Raconteur: There's a deafening noise like a thunderclap and a flash of white light, and Ilse vanishes.

[10:34 PM] Sandy: pulls a gun on her.

[10:34 PM] Sandy: "...shit!"

[10:35 PM] Ke: That could have gone better

[10:36 PM] Raconteur: Eleanor waves her arms around, checking to make sure Ilse didn't just go invisible, but there's nothing there.

[10:36 PM] Raconteur: Nemo: ... that's powerful magic.

[10:37 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: ... she was telling the truth, for whatever that's worth. Even that the others didn't know she was here. Though she was hiding something.

[10:37 PM] Ke: Not surprising

[10:37 PM] Ke: What’s on the scroll ?

[10:38 PM] Sandy: unfurls it.

[10:39 PM] Raconteur: It's a bunch of unintelligible symbols.

[10:39 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Well. At least she's gone, she didn't seem like fun. Alan, it's so good to see you again.

[10:40 PM] Raconteur: Alan peers at the scroll, and then gets distracted when Inari hugs him.

[10:41 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: ... some of those symbols seem familiar, but I'm not sure...

[10:42 PM] Raconteur: Nemo: It might be magical.

[10:42 PM] Sandy: "I'd assume so."

[10:42 PM] Sandy: "...what about the ghost couple at the house...would they know them?"

[10:44 PM] Raconteur: Alan: Possible. This might take a bit of time to work out.

[10:44 PM] Raconteur: He detaches himself from Inari, who smiles with her very red lips.

[10:45 PM] Ke: Maybe there are records of this artifact in the library?

[10:46 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: Right-o, that seems like something I should check on, doesn't it.

[10:47 PM] Raconteur: Nemo: You'll need my help.

[10:47 PM] Ke: It does seem in your wheelhouse

[10:47 PM] Sandy: "Yeah, you two should get on that."

[10:48 PM] Raconteur: Nemo: Also, hello, Cas.

[10:48 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: Hello, Nemo. Any near-world-ending magical cataclysms recently?

[10:48 PM] Sandy: "...Forrester?  You seem to know about these magics.  We should talk to you about heightening security against such spells here at Swan Lake."

[10:49 PM] Raconteur: Nemo: Caused or averted?

[10:49 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: Either.

[10:49 PM] Raconteur: Forrester: I'm not a mage, I'm afraid. I'm a detective.

[10:49 PM] Raconteur: Nemo: Four.

[10:49 PM] Sandy: "Oh...sorry.  Made assumptions."

[10:50 PM] Sandy: "...well, I assume arcanists are at this party."

[10:50 PM] Raconteur: Quentin: Oh, good.

[10:50 PM] Raconteur: Nemo: I am.

[10:51 PM] Raconteur: Quentin sighs a plume of smoke. "She is the best."

[10:51 PM] Raconteur: Nemo: Correct.

[10:51 PM] Raconteur: Alan: There's plenty of security as it is, but it's all aimed at stopping people from getting in, not leaving.

[10:52 PM] August: And they don't do much to keep people from coming through the front door, I assume.

[10:53 PM] Raconteur: Alan: Definitely not.

[10:54 PM] Raconteur: Joseph: Well. Come on, Miss Crafter.

[10:54 PM] Sandy: "....you don't see how these are...issues?"

[10:54 PM] Raconteur: Alan: They are, but I also don't want to stop casters from using magic here. If I do they won't come.

[10:54 PM] Raconteur: Inari: Some of us wouldn't be able to come if you did.

[10:55 PM] Raconteur: Joseph offers Nemo his arm, she takes it, and they head out.

[10:56 PM] Sandy: "...I think I'm partied out.  You guys have fun."

[11:01 PM] Sandy: will start to head out, but stop and check in with the chemist.

[11:03 PM] Raconteur: Lillian Lane! She's wearing informal clothes under her lab coat, and her hair in a rather pretty if a bit frizzy braid. She's probably around 25, and might well be of some non-white ethnic group, judging by the tan.

[11:03 PM] Sandy: "Hi, I'm Sandy Swan.  Casper spoke highly of you."

[11:04 PM] Raconteur: Lillian: Oh, the ice mage? He's all right. English as they come, though, I keep wondering if he's going to ask me for the formula for perfect tea.

[11:05 PM] Raconteur: She grins.

[11:05 PM] Sandy: "What is the formula for a perfect tea?"

[11:05 PM] Sandy: "That sounds lovely."

[11:05 PM] Raconteur: Lillian: Oh, that's easy. Have someone else make it!

[11:05 PM] Sandy: "Ah!  Good formula."

[11:05 PM] Sandy: smiles.

[11:05 PM] Sandy: "What are you working on these days?"

[11:07 PM] Raconteur: Lillian: All kinds of things! Finding a better truth serum. Developing a good instant substitute for coffee. Antidotes for poison gases too.

[11:09 PM] Sandy: "Oh, that's interesting.  I am attempting to create a bike capable of tighter manipulation at high speeds."

[11:10 PM] Raconteur: Lillian: Wow, that sounds keen. What kind of bike? A motorcycle or a bicycle kind of bike?

[11:11 PM] Sandy: "Motorcycle.  It started as a Norton, but by now it's become a series of different bikes I've managed to fit together.

[11:13 PM] Raconteur: Lillian: I don't know a thing about motorcycles, but it sounds like a helluva project, hahah!

NEW

[11:13 PM] Raconteur: She has kind of a nasal voice, but not to the extent where it would become annoying.

[11:14 PM] Sandy: "Yeah, well...I'm not up on my chemical engineering so...well, it was nice to meet you."

[11:16 PM] Raconteur: Lillian: Glad to meet you too! Let me know if I can do anything to help!

[11:16 PM] Sandy: "...actually, maybe."

[11:18 PM] Sandy: "...I acquired a sleeping gas from a Thule agent a while back.  If you had my sample, could you manipulate it some?  I have ideas for it, but I'd need to be able to alter the delivery method for quicker use."

[11:18 PM] Raconteur: Lillian: Oh, possibly, it depends on what it is.

[11:19 PM] Sandy: "...I'll make sure to get you my sample before you go.  Any analysis you could give might help."

[11:20 PM] Raconteur: Lillian: I'll do my best. What kinds of things do you want to do with it?

[11:21 PM] Sandy: "I was hoping I could maybe keep it in small packets to make them into throwable smoke bombs.  Failing that, I wanted to be able to connect a canister to the bike so I could use it on the road."

[11:23 PM] Raconteur: Lillian: Oh, that's smart. Hmm, I'll see what I can do. Thanks!

[11:25 PM] Sandy: "Thank you."

[11:25 PM] Sandy: smiles

[11:26 PM] Raconteur: She does too, and then waves and heads back to the food.

Message #pulp-game