Pulp 010 Sandy interstitial

[2:23 PM] Raconteur: Following the pre-gathering gathering, with its appetizers and informal chatting, the various members of the Aeon Society gathered at the table for dinner, during which they had what can loosely be described as a "meeting." It's up to each of you in turn whether you were there for it or whether you went off to do your own things.

[2:25 PM] Sandy: will be there, I think.

[2:25 PM] Raconteur: Most of the meeting involved Alan saying something and then five or six different conversations erupting at once about what he just said--somewhat of a frustrating method, given that you basically have a room of 30 people with very strong personalities who all have their own opinions.

[2:27 PM] Raconteur: The guy in the pith helmet, Sir Bram Farthingale, argues that they should fight the Thule more directly, and pretty much everyone else shuts this idea down. Tika, the fae princess, seems to be asleep in her chair; Mort is wandering around the corners of the room looking at the floor, mostly, followed by his nurse, Nellie. One man is taking notes and asking penetrating questions occasionally; this is probably Nick Norton, the nurse's brother, given their family resemblance.

[2:28 PM] Raconteur: Half the group is bored, half the group wants to argue. It's super productive.

[2:28 PM] Raconteur: Even Alan gets irritated and shouty several times during this process.

[2:30 PM] Raconteur: Eventually the consensus seems to be to send one team to try to find the Fang, and another team to try to secure the Hellmouth, which is likely located on one of several points where leylines converge to create a nexus of magical energy.

[2:30 PM] Raconteur: At this point, about 20 people try to volunteer for one team or the other, and some of them, for both.

[2:32 PM] Raconteur: Alan, being the one with the gavel, shouts them all down and states that he's going to choose the teams, and anyone who volunteers will be able to help SOMEHOW. This appeases most of them, though he does get into a shouting match with Sir Bram, who seems to have some sort of beef with Alan going back decades.

[2:33 PM] Sandy: is quiet for most of this.

[2:35 PM] Raconteur: Alan reminds everyone that they have to decode the message before they can do ANYTHING thanks, and they're all welcome to stay for dessert, and they have full access to the estate if they want as well. Then he adjourns the official meeting for people to finish their dinners and just chat.

[2:35 PM] Raconteur: Many of these chats are ALSO arguments.

[2:36 PM] Raconteur: Sandy can definitely read Alan throughout most of this; he's managed to keep his temper for the most part during this discussion but he's pretty damn irritated. When the the meeting part is over he leaves the table.

[2:37 PM] Sandy: will follow him.

[2:37 PM] Sandy: ((Unless I shouldn't.))

[2:37 PM] Raconteur: Nope, you can definitely do that. He's heading for the gym.

[2:38 PM] Sandy: "If you go for the punching bag, just picture Sir Bram's face on it."

[2:38 PM] Raconteur: Alan: It would not be the first time. Let me guess, you want to go too.

[2:39 PM] Sandy: "Not sure, actually.  I feel like I'd be completely lost on the Hellmouth mission, except maybe to get them from A to B.  And we don't know enough about where the Fang is.  Next clue for it could be here, far as we know."

[2:41 PM] Raconteur: Alan: Unlikely. It's more likely to be in the middle of an Egyptian desert, or in a decrepit Romanian castle, or the exact center of Siberia.

[2:41 PM] Sandy: "Or the depths of the Congo."

[2:42 PM] Sandy: "Just saying, we're still flying blind.  Don't know what I'd be a good fit for."

[2:42 PM] Raconteur: Alan: I liked the Congo, before the Belgians came in.

[2:42 PM] Sandy: "You met King Leopold?"

[2:43 PM] Raconteur: Alan: I've met a lot of people. but yes, I did once.

[2:44 PM] Sandy: "...can we trust what the Nazi gave us?"

[2:45 PM] Raconteur: Alan: Of course not. And I'm surprised you didn't volunteer.

[2:45 PM] Raconteur: Alan: Either way, I'm putting you in charge of the group going after the Fang.

[2:45 PM] Sandy: "...you're not taking that yourself?"

[2:47 PM] Raconteur: Alan: No. I'll be busy coordinating the defensive effort against the Thule elsewhere.

[2:47 PM] Sandy: "Fair.  Then I have requirements.  Ke and August need to be on the team.  Likely Joseph too, if he's not better served in the library."(edited)

[2:48 PM] Sandy: "Also, Paris can't be on the team...or Inari."

[2:49 PM] Raconteur: Alan: Paris stays with me. And you need to have some experienced people with you.

[2:49 PM] Raconteur: Alan: What's the problem with Inari?

[2:50 PM] Sandy: "You and her have a close connection and you can use her to keep tabs on me."

[2:51 PM] Raconteur: Alan: Oh, do we? And if you think I could use Inari in any way whatsoever, you really don't know her very well. Then again it's been years since you've seen her.

[2:51 PM] Sandy: "I don't remember ever seeing her."

[2:52 PM] Raconteur: Alan: You wouldn't, she was a brunette at the time. Also, you were 12.

[2:54 PM] Sandy: "...ok, she can come but I am still in charge."

[2:54 PM] Sandy: "...and I want first pic of transport."

[2:55 PM] Raconteur: Alan: I already said you were in charge. And I don't know if she'll agree to go, or if she'd be the best person to choose. We'll know more once we get that parchment decoded.

[2:55 PM] Sandy: "...you're being...very reasonable."

[2:56 PM] Raconteur: Alan: I'm always reasonable. Now go away, I need to change so I can punch something until I don't need to punch something anymore.

[2:57 PM] Sandy: "...ok."

[2:57 PM] Sandy: will go to the Library.

[2:58 PM] Raconteur: Roll Awareness. 7 and higher is a success.

[2:59 PM] Sandy: ((Ok, just need to open Roll20))

[3:00 PM] Sandy: ((0. I only get one die in Awareness. ))(edited)

[3:01 PM] Raconteur: Joseph and Nemo are both in there, Joseph thoroughly absorbed in a book and Nemo searching through the shelves.

[3:01 PM] Sandy: "How's it going?"

[3:02 PM] Raconteur: Nemo: No new information. We'll let you know when we find something.

[3:02 PM] Sandy: "Understood."

[3:02 PM] Sandy: "Sounds good."

[3:03 PM] Sandy: will go.

[3:03 PM] Sandy: ((Not sure I have much else to do without Canto and Caleb right now. Unless you had more planned.))

[3:03 PM] Raconteur: I did!

[3:04 PM] Raconteur: Sandy can spend the rest of the evening however she likes, but eventually probably goes to bed. Roll me another Awareness.

[3:04 PM] Sandy: ((0 successes. Sandy's not likely to spot anything. :)))

[3:05 PM] Raconteur: She is not! She wakes up, though she's not sure why.

[3:06 PM] Raconteur: Someone is holding a candle or similar source of light and sitting at her desk.

[3:06 PM] Sandy: tries to move carefully, to not be seen and catch up with them.

[3:07 PM] Raconteur: Roll Stealth!

[3:07 PM] Sandy: ((1 success))

[3:07 PM] Sandy: will also grab her gun from under her pillow, if possible.

[3:09 PM] Raconteur: You successfully sneak up on the person, with the gun, and are within arm's reach when you recognize the disorderly hair, the slouch and the profile as being Mort. He seems to be looking at an old-fashioned silver pocketwatch.

[3:10 PM] Sandy: "...Mort?"

[3:11 PM] Raconteur: Mort: Oh, you are here. You weren't, and now you are.

[3:11 PM] Sandy: "...how long have you been here?"

[3:12 PM] Raconteur: Mort: Am I here? I suppose I am. More than nineteen years. Is that right?

[3:12 PM] Sandy: "I mean in my room, Mort."

[3:13 PM] Sandy: "...where's your nurse?"

[3:14 PM] Raconteur: Mort: She's sleeping. She sleeps at night. I don't want to bother her, she gets so sad sometimes in her sleep.

[3:14 PM] Sandy: keeps her distance, remembering his power.

[3:14 PM] Sandy: "...do you not sleep?"

[3:15 PM] Raconteur: Mort: I don't always remember how.

[3:16 PM] Raconteur: Mort: You don't have to be afraid of me, you know. I'm not... I know how it works now.

[3:16 PM] Sandy: "...ok...what do you mean I wasn't here?"

[3:17 PM] Raconteur: Mort: You were here, and then you weren't here. Sleeping. People aren't here when they sleep, even when they are.

[3:17 PM] Sandy: "...is something wrong, Mort?"

[3:18 PM] Raconteur: Mort: It's stopped. I could make it go again, but it wants to be fixed, not just going. You can fix it, can't you?

[3:19 PM] Sandy: "...the watch?  ...yeah, I think so."

[3:19 PM] Sandy: "You need it fixed right now?"

[3:21 PM] Raconteur: Mort: I don't need it fixed at all. It just wants to be fixed. I thought if I came in here I'd know how to fix it, but it didn't work. I didn't mean to wake you up, I'm very sorry about that. You were happy there.

[3:22 PM] Sandy: "It's ok, Mort.  I'll just fix it and go back to bed."

[3:22 PM] Raconteur: Sandy notices that he's wearing street clothes, which is a bit odd, but also, a pair of gloves.

[3:23 PM] Raconteur: Mort: Good. It'll be right that way.

[3:23 PM] Raconteur: He picks up the pocketwatch and holds it out to Sandy.

[3:23 PM] Sandy: takes it and looks it over. Listens to it. All she'd know how to do.

[3:23 PM] Raconteur: It's definitely dead.

[3:24 PM] Raconteur: She does have the tools in her desk to open it up, but she'll need a place to put it down and start taking it apart--the desk would probably do if Mort wasn't still sitting there.

[3:25 PM] Sandy: "May I have my desk back?"

[3:25 PM] Raconteur: He stands up and shuffles out of the way.

[3:25 PM] Raconteur: Mort: I can help, sometimes.

[3:26 PM] Sandy: sits and takes a look. "You said you thought you could do it by just being here.  Is that part of your inspiration or whatever you call it?"

[3:28 PM] Sandy: "Talent absorption?"

[3:28 PM] Raconteur: Mort: Sometimes things leak out of people's heads.

[3:29 PM] Sandy: "...when we sleep or whenever?"

[3:29 PM] Raconteur: Mort: When you sleep, or if you go places.

[3:31 PM] Raconteur: Mort: Anytime you leave you behind.

[3:31 PM] Sandy: "Anytime I leave me.  So like...places of importance to people?"

[3:33 PM] Raconteur: Mort: No, your ... you. You stay here, in bed, and you go somewhere else. You were building a glider so that you could fly to work.

[3:34 PM] Sandy: blushes slightly. "I was.  So you read dreams, too?"

[3:34 PM] Raconteur: Mort: Yes.

[3:35 PM] Raconteur: The pocketwatch is a bit tricky to open, but you manage all right. Roll Engineering to see if you can diagnose and fix it.

[3:35 PM] Sandy: ((5 successes. ))

[3:37 PM] Raconteur: One of the little pieces inside had come out of alignment, likely when the watch was struck. Sandy cleans the errant piece, which should make it less likely to slip again, as well as the relevant mechanism, and puts the little pocketwatch back together again easily. It starts ticking over as soon as she winds it.

[3:38 PM] Raconteur: Mort: I want to help.

[3:38 PM] Sandy: "Help with what?  Watch is all fixed now."

[3:39 PM] Raconteur: Mort: I want to help find the key.

[3:40 PM] Sandy: "...the Fang?"

[3:41 PM] Raconteur: Mort: Yes.

[3:41 PM] Sandy: "...it'll be very dangerous."

[3:43 PM] Raconteur: Mort nods. "Yes."

[3:43 PM] Sandy: "It will likely take a long time.  And you will likely be asked to push yourself to do things you don't want to or just feel you can't do."

[3:44 PM] Raconteur: Mort nods.

[3:45 PM] Sandy: "...you sure you got your powers under control?"

[3:46 PM] Raconteur: Mort: I won't stop anyone.

[3:46 PM] Sandy: "Ok.  I'll talk to Alan in the morning."

[3:46 PM] Sandy: tosses Mort his watch.

[3:47 PM] Raconteur: He takes it and smiles. "Thank you. It's happy now. Fixed, not just going."

[3:47 PM] Sandy: "...can you look at something for me?"

[3:48 PM] Raconteur: He nods.

[3:49 PM] Sandy: will walk him out to the garage where she's keeping her motorcycle. The special one.

[3:50 PM] Raconteur: He smiles a little bit, tentatively.

[3:50 PM] Sandy: "...I can tell it wants something.  I just can't tell what.  Do you hear it?"

[3:51 PM] Raconteur: He nods. "It tells you. Most things don't."

[3:52 PM] Sandy: "...yeah.  Can you tell what it wants?"

[3:53 PM] Raconteur: He walks around the motorcycle slowly, looking at it.

[3:57 PM] Raconteur: Mort: ... many things. Armor. Speed. Wings. Silence. To hide. Love.

[3:57 PM] Raconteur: Mort looks at Sandy. "It wants love."

[3:58 PM] Sandy: smiles and nods. "Ok, noted.  Thanks.  ...if you can, try to sleep."

[3:59 PM] Raconteur: He nods, and sits down on the ground, leaning up against the wall, and at least as far as you can tell, falls asleep instantly.

[3:59 PM] Sandy: "...ok then."

[4:00 PM] Sandy: goes back to dream of gliders.

[4:00 PM] Raconteur: And there we stop.