|
Post by Krakenbox on Feb 6, 2021 17:32:50 GMT -8
Agrippa pointed out the the faint outline of a...triangle...where the grass off the gravel path, which had grown anew with slightly thinner shoots. Walking around the faint pattern, they directed @kai 's attention towards the palm tree, where the bark had healed differently from the rest, indicating previous damage from impact or a scrape.
|
|
|
Post by Kai Rose on Feb 6, 2021 17:35:29 GMT -8
|
|
Linden
.
Presence (3) Steady
Posts: 325
|
Post by Linden on Feb 7, 2021 13:32:02 GMT -8
Inspired largely by Agrippa's description of the space as crawling in ghosts, Linden brought the vigilance of Summer up about them. Despite not knowing the true specifics, they had a general certainty that gates existed to be passed through, and they weren't about to be taken by surprise. Standing a little ways behind Kai, they scanned the area and squinted at the disturbed bark on the tree.
|
|
|
Post by Krakenbox on Feb 9, 2021 23:22:43 GMT -8
As Kai searches fruitlessly for a reflective surface, she notes that the center of the vague triangle had a subtle temperature dip, like a draft. Linden spots something subtler: a bird feeder, nestled just so in the foliage of the tree where the brass frame was a well-kept mirror. Whether this was a conscious placement for another Lost to have a hidden camera was either of their guess, but it would do. The Ogre offers a boost, but the athletic Wizened doesn't have an issue shimmying to retrieve it. It didn't matter if she took it down, as the original reflection angle would hold. Angling the feeder for Linden to see and hear as well, the Polychromatic named after an opportune moment asked about the last time the Gate was used, before today. From the high perspective of the treetop, there was a full picture of the scene... They both recognized Golden Boy, speaking to the man Kai knew personally as Fawkes. There was the muffled audio of a concert taking place beyond the veil of hedges and greenery, and the memory flooded back to both of them when Rowan mentioned something about the Sun Banisher being badly hurt at Mabon. The mannequin was usually the picture of impassivity, but by the way he kept shoulder checking and burning through cigarettes fast enough to make the average person puke, they didn't need Kai's empathy skills to note his fear.
Golden looked up from a compass, directing Fawkes to mark several points, before explaining the direction to walk before the other cut him off with a growl that he knew. The Fairest continued talking, which the Elemental obliged, if only to ease the tension of the situation.
"Should end on the last point, for Spirit. East for Air evocation-"
"Shouldn't it be the vernal equinox, then?"
"Naw, time of the year doesn't matter," Golden said with confidence, walking the pattern as he waved some sort of bundle.
"I thought Spirit was central."
"Depends on who you ask..." they both watched the smoke swirl to the center, meeting at the north point of the pentagram at different intervals as Fawkes walked backwards. "Do you see any-"
Fawkes yelped, grabbing Golden Boy by the collar of his hoodie as he broke the chain to charge away from the site. They were both faster than the average person, clearing the distance in a manner of seconds. The ground was like moldy putty, grass giving and caving towards the center. The colour drained from the area as the Elemental clawed the bark of the tree, unable to catch a proper anchor as his hand hung for a second. The earth churned, dragging them like a landslide, while ice spiked around them into useless glacial flows. The unearthly, screaming wind was deafening, blocking any dialogue that was being shouted at one another.
Fawkes hauled on an exposed pipe, joints locking in a vice as his head whipped to made sure the other Silent Arrow wasn't being dragged under. The exposed porcelain of his skin started bruising, dragging cuts in the rings of invisible hands hauled for leverage to keep from drowning. The Hunterheart's claws had desperately wrenched into crackling flesh, digging rivets as he was pulled from Fawkes' forearm to wrist, primal panic visible on his face. Their breath crystalized, skin turning blue as they called on Winter defenses from the an unseen cold.
Golden was lost as the mannequin's shoulder unhitched, the snap imagined from the violent movement before his grip on the kid went limp. There was a pulse that blew ripples across the surface, correcting reality with a force powerful enough to throw the Elemental against the tree like a rag doll-
The image faded back to the present, reflecting the sky and the Iron Spears' staring faces.
|
|
|
Post by Kai Rose on Feb 9, 2021 23:37:22 GMT -8
"Holyfuckingshit," Kai whispered as the boy was dragged through the unseen gate. They'd seen something like this before, and Golden Boy was deeply involved in some fucked up necromantic shit. Her mind raced with what to do, torn between talking to the kid, talking to Fawkes and talking to Solomon about this. The right answer was probably somewhere in the middle.
"Is this why Golden got dragged at Yule? Is he cursed because he went through this gate?"
Kai had no clue. Normally, in situations like this, you followed protocol and called a Gravewright. Thankfully, they had, but she wasn't going to ask Noir about this. Paid help didn't get free intel. Summer had their own nerds, and one of their nerds was connected closely to Golden.
"Might wanna keep what we just saw mum for now, Linden. Noir's charging a rate, and who knows what he'd do with this information. What he can tell us about the gate is enough for now. We can ask Cinder about it after. I bet she'd care about what's happening to Golden." The Sun's Tongue knew a lot, and she was a known member of the Dawncatcher motley with Golden. With her in, they might be able to get a better perspective of what these two were up to.
"Were there any other points in time you wanted to see?"
|
|
Linden
.
Presence (3) Steady
Posts: 325
|
Post by Linden on Feb 11, 2021 21:29:56 GMT -8
Linden could only shake their head at Kai's postulations about Golden; they really had no idea. They'd never even met the kid before he vanished in front of their eyes, and they'd spent very little time learning about spirits. But this seemed like a pretty compelling connection.
"Yeah, of course," they assured Kai, more than happy not to talk about whatever they had just seen.
"Is there any way for it to show us how the gate got here? Or does the how not matter as much as the what? I'm really looking forward to Noir's explanation, I haven't..." They gestured vaguely in the direction of the gate, clearly unsettled.
|
|
|
Post by Kai Rose on Feb 11, 2021 23:03:10 GMT -8
"I mean, if something happened on this side of the ghost realm, it might show something," she replied. She really didn't know if that was a thing in this circumstance. "I'm getting light on Glamour at this point, so... maybe let's hang tight on that. Going back in time a long way comes at a great cost, either in emotion or blood." It was the kind of power that could be fueled by her own life force, which really ought to say how important it was to begin with.
"Still. We've just seen something big. Either Golden and Fawkes opened it, or it was there before and they were fucking with it. Maybe it's related to what's going on with Martinez, maybe not, but Noir should be able to give us the gist."
|
|
Linden
.
Presence (3) Steady
Posts: 325
|
Post by Linden on Feb 12, 2021 15:03:39 GMT -8
At the mention of Kai getting light on glamour, Linden shook their head. Let alone the thing about the 'great cost.' "Totally, it can wait. Just wondered." Looking from Kai, to the mansion and back, there was a question in their eyes, followed by a nod back toward the building.
|
|
|
Post by Noir on Feb 14, 2021 0:16:51 GMT -8
As the two Changelings discuss their theories, the smell of clover wafts through the garden as a tall, lanky man strolls into the clearing. Humming to himself with clear, pleasant tones, he spun a deep maroon trilby on a finger as his attention flicked around the space. A low, impressed whistle cuts the tune short as he looked up and down; invisible to their eyes, but likely the Gate as the gold sigil in the center of his brow appeared to blink on its own. "Well isn't that something," he said to himself, replacing the hat. The ears of a jackal twitched as he listened for a moment, before turning turning to the Ogre and Wizened. "Good afternoon! I believe someone named Ivory requested my services in this investigation. Quite the haunting our Joyeux finds himself in." He didn't seem too concerned with the matter, following the frustrating pattern set by Chasseur himself. "It'll take a few days, but I am sure I can work something out with him. But your theory was that a ghost was learning the layout of the estate and torturing the shooter to madness, yes? I spoke with the man. Doesn't seem to be the case. Oh, but where I my manners... Noir, Archivist of the Verdant Crown," he gave a theatrical bow, more for humour than self-aggrandizing. The tension was thick, and he had the instinct to abate it. "I showed myself around a bit and followed the Summer influence along with the big, spooky entrance to the Twilight. May I ask what you know about the shooter's motivations, other than the fact that he is quite discombobulated and apologetic? Oh, and blaming a ghost." He gave an apologetic look, attempting some level of sympathy. There wasn't much to be shared when he was being investigated for attempted murder.
"I'll be straight forward and admit that think he's crazy, actually. I don't think the spirits here are going to accomplish much more than some intense nightmares and poltergeist harassment." He seemed quite pleased with himself — one and done. Easiest stack of favours he had pulled in a while. Why Ivory had expressed frustration in politics and a price was beyond him.
|
|
|
Post by Kai Rose on Feb 15, 2021 13:08:14 GMT -8
Kai's demeanour and colors did little to hide her true feelings about what she was dealing with. She was scared, feeling well out of her depth, but there were hints of interest and intrigue too. She turned to Noir as he gave greetings, raising a hand in a wave to the Gravewight. She kept quiet as the loquacious lawyer explained what they were dealing with: a haunting, a hell of a Gate, and her theory being wrong.
"Hello, Noir. Kai Rose. I appreciate your help." She stepped forward to offer the jackal a handshake and a forced smile. As she was being assessed, so too did she assess. If this was a haunting, and Spring was the source of it, Noir could also be a suspect. There weren't a lot of necromancers around. Motives were hers to find. If beneath his friendly exterior an enemy lurked, she needed to know.
"Yeah, that was my theory. A haunting, or crazy. But then I read his hate, and thought I recognized the signs of a haunting. Two and two usually makes four, but the textbook play is to call a pro." She shook her head. "He might be crazy, but someone put him into that state, Noir. I saw a woman in black, shoulder length black hair, a creepy fucking smile. He genuinely believes someone is stalking him, talking to his people, and hiding every time he thinks she's there. Our suspect wanted to know about Buck, and I believe he thinks he's telling the truth." She was a Polychromatic, after all. Knowing was her business. "Apparently, his sister knows about her? He told me a maid gave him what he thought was a silver bullet to fire, and then popped him forward in time. That Contract doesn't move you, so they knew where he'd be. That's the key point. That's a lot of magic, and a lot of information to have about Buck."
|
|
|
Post by Krakenbox on Feb 15, 2021 13:52:17 GMT -8
Noir seemed calm on the outside, but there were little movements here and there that indicated an undercurrent of caution and anxiety.
His comments on the haunting were earnest — the Spring occultist was confident that a wraith wasn't attached to Martinez to perpetually torture him into action, nor had any taint to indicate the involvement of Twilight. By his expertise, he is claiming the haunting is a separate issue from the assassination attempt.
Noir seems nervous about the wider implications of what political mess he might be stepping into. His oversharing was to have a public record of his contributions, where his motives are strictly on the books and a potential enemy couldn't wave his actions as anything but "neutrally banking social favours."
It seemed callous on the outside, but Noir knows his politics and chooses not to participate by having a very specific brand. Maybe forcing every interaction as a clean transaction was how the Beast protected himself from the unknown.
He doesn't want to invite trouble, and he's scared of who might be pulling the strings with this royal conflict.
"Maybe he just thinks it was a ghost," Noir offered, gesturing the to mansion, "Given the precedent of his work environment? The mundane often don't know what they're truly dealing with."
|
|
|
Post by Kai Rose on Feb 15, 2021 21:43:06 GMT -8
"I mean, with a bit of light-bending, we can appear out of nowhere," she mused with a nod of agreement. It made some sense that Noir was Super Concerned about being neutral. Two issues here, a haunting and a murder attempt. Three if you counted the gate. "In my studied opinion, this mansion's kind of a clusterfuck. Ghost problems, doom gates, assassination attempts..." She chuckled quietly, shaking her head as she began to lead them back toward the house. "How big of a haunting are we talking here? And do you think any of them could've seen anything on the night in question, or is the ghost angle a non-starter for solving the person behind Martinez?"
|
|
Linden
.
Presence (3) Steady
Posts: 325
|
Post by Linden on Feb 16, 2021 14:46:50 GMT -8
Linden was putting up a good front, face serious and largely neutral; unfortunately for them, their unease came out in little nervous gestures and the conspicuous stillness they held themself with. They were out of their depth, and trying to process quickly on limited information.
After introducing themself they listened to the exchange between Kai and Noir in silence, eyes flicking back and forth between the speakers and arms coming to rest across their chest. Swiftly information they thought had belonged in one place shuffled into another, and the picture was starting to look a little different.
"About the haunting: have you had a chance to speak with Agrippa yet? They'd want to pick your brain, and discuss what they saw." They gestured loosely back the way they'd come, where they believed the others to be. "Bit of a smooth move, making it look like ghosts are to blame. I'd imagine there aren't a lot of folks who could pull that off."
|
|
|
Post by Noir on Feb 18, 2021 21:24:11 GMT -8
"Hmm, probably a dozen or so. Very unusual from the norm," he explained, trying to give the Summer's more context. "It takes...well, a lot to create a unique haunting, and more so to give the ghost enough energy to manifest on our side to effect things."
On the topic of conversation, he winced, "They aren't great conversationalists," he explained, showing no sign of lying, but perhaps not explaining the full scope of how ghost psychology worked.
At Linden's mention, he looked towards the mansion, "Not yet. Shall we?"
|
|
|
Post by Kai Rose on Feb 20, 2021 17:17:10 GMT -8
Kai followed Noir into the mansion with a nod, satisfied with the service so far.
|
|