[Day: Thursday, Oct. 11th. Time: 8:00 p.m.] [After finally getting your bodies back, you took yesterday off for some much needed rest. Yay! But now it's back to work again. Boo. Everyone gathers at the office. Yay!] [Session Start!] * Ashley is there, lounging in a chair. Apparently he liked the suit idea, as today he's in a stunningly white three-piece, with an emerald green tie and a white fedora. His hair is back in a ponytail, and he's idly twirling a pencil through his fingers. * Lukas is back, and not so damn short this time around! Riding clothes and leathers, heavy heavy stuff. That's Lukas. * Alys walks in while reading a book with Japanese on the front and, without ever looking up, walks in and sits down on top of the desk while mouthing words. Her hair is up in a bun that is apparently held together by the three pencils stuck in it. * Ten, speaking of riding, is currently sitting on Lukas's shoulder. Today's outfit is a relatively simple affair in orange and white satin with white feathered wings. * Herman walks on in. He's in his body again! We can all be very grateful. His hair's spiked back to its normal... spikiness, and he's wearing the studded leather, has his pipe, and all. Ah, good old Herman. * Lukas nods to the H-man in acknowledgement. * Alys mutters, "Nomima... crap, that's wrong. They should write in English." She looks up for a moment and smiles at Herman. "Hey, Pipe Guy. Having fun being a guy again?" * Herman smiles back. "Yeah. Never really got what people saw in breasts anyway." * Herman grabs a chair and turns it around before he has a seat, per usual. * Ashley flips the pencil in the air. "They're bouncy, cushion-like, and oh-so- soft. Memory foam be damned, there's no better sleep." [There's a sharp loud steady knocking from the window.] * Lukas snickers to himself and rolls his neck slightly. * Ten snifs. * Alys glances to the window before going back to her book. * Ashley catches the pencil and looks around. "Oughtn't we...? Answer the knocking at the window? Who knocks at a window? You just spend the past few days trotting around as someone else, and you're questioning alternative modes of ingress? People who lost their keys! * Ashley gets up and opens the damn thing. "For shame, hot stuff." * Griff_Khalil ruffles his feathers and peeks his beak in, sighing. "Thank you. I had forgotten the inopportune moments in which this happens. I was afraid that I would have to screech." * Alys looks up immediately. "We have hot stuff other than you? Who are you talking to?" * Griff_Khalil then peers over at Alys. Who else knocks on a second story window? * Herman looks up at the griffon. "You gonna need a place to change or... whatever?" * Alys waves at Khalil before reading some more. Reading is obviously more important than answering the silly noisy window. * Ashley beams at Alys. "Well, Lukas, of course." He rubs his chin. "Or James the Second. Or Louis the Fourteenth... or May, Queen of Scots. She was ever a fox. But sadly, I think they're dead now." It does not work like that, I am afraid. * Griff_Khalil tries to make his way inside, bumping his wing against the window and letting out a sqwak of protest before adjusting to squeeze through the window. * Lukas shakes his head slightly at Khalil's squeezin' before looking over at Herman. "So is the other group of idiots still around?" * Herman shakes his head at Lukas' question. "They left for Ireland earlier today." * Griff_Khalil takes a banana peel from off his arm and chucks it out the open window, then ruffles his feathers again when he has room. "Next time, I hate to ask for your help but I may need an escort, Ashley." * Ashley looks bemused. "Of the dinner party or the security persuasion?" * Lukas says with a tone of relief, "Thank a god." Of the "make me look normal when I look like a winged monster" persuasion. I doubt they would care much for me wandering through the cafe like this. Thus, the window. * Ashley sticks out his lip exaggeratedly. "Aw shucks, as they say in the Carolinas." * Herman looks at Lukas. "Problem?" [The phone rings!] * Lukas eyes the phone and then walks over. "Not a fan of the all of them." He chuckles. "And it's gotta be easier for you, eh?" He picks up the phone. "Yeah?" ... yeah. * Herman stretches and leans forward against the back of his chair, waiting. ... sure. Thanks Penny. * Lukas lets the phone away from his ear and stares at it. "How... helpful." Did she suggest a new bar? * Griff_Khalil looks over at Lukas, still dusting himself off. [The phone rings again!] * Lukas says, "No, just called to say... that she wants to call again." * Lukas picks up the phone AGAIN. "Yeah?" Bloody marvelous. Is it some kind of telemarketer performance art? This is stellar! It could be the next big thing! God, I hope not. Hey, any annoying performance art to be done here will be done by me. I claim it. Goodbye, Grandson Of Naked Cowboy and Silver Mime Man, your days on bohemian street corners are no more! The age of true technological art is upon us! Goodbye a -what- now? * Lukas rubs his forehead, looking exasperated. "... how about where? Where is good." * Lukas rolls his eyes. "Can I talk to the other person?" * Lukas mutters under his voice, "Thank you again." * Ashley waves his hand, and a small man in cowboy boots and a Stetson hat, clad only in tighty-whities and clutching a guitar, appears on Khalil's shoulder. "Latest of a long line of street performers. Marvelous in his day, simply fab, but the idea's gone very stale." Yes, hello. Where did this actually happen? * Griff_Khalil doesn't even look. "I do not see how that could have ever been a decent idea." * Lukas blinks, then. "Oh, yeah. He musta been crushed." * Herman snickers at Khalil's shoulder. Crushed by boulders? Anvils? It sure beat the endless hordes of street ruffians and painted men who could stand very still for about fifteen minutes that flourished at the turn of the century. Odd. I could not imagine why that went out of style. * Lukas chuckles. "Was thinking the bouncer, but that's certainly possible too." Slight smirk. "Thanks for not being Penny." * Herman blinks. "Penny?" * Ashley does a passable version of The Robot. "Bloody marvelous, but they got quite upset if you stand next to them and never move for a whole day." Rather takes the shine off, you know? Let me suppose that you did this sort of act... Auberon's foreskin, no. * Griff_Khalil stares at Ashley. ... well, once, but only on a bet. And to piss off a rather portly one down on Times Square. * Lukas says, "I'll stop by and let you know what happens if Togo doesn't. Bye." Beat. "Well, sure we are. He's the person the money filters through." Then he hangs up and looks to Herman. "Probably one of Togo's succubi friends. Looks like our eyeless leader got kidnapped by our favorite girl gang." And what use do you have for making a bet when you can conjure your own currency? * Ten nods. "We're gonna go traveling 'gain!" Can't use that for around the town. Far too easy to slip and use the same face twice at the same place.... oh, bollocks. Oh, great. Did they tell you where? ...wonderfu--wait a moment, succubi friends? * Lukas nods at Herman. "After some coaxing. It was outside the Dancing Fiend." Why'd they need coa- whatever. That all we got? * Alys puts the book down on the desk and hops off. "Right! Let's go to... what's the Dancing Fiend? Ooh, are we clubbing?" Look, I don't know. Loan the girl a few brain cellls next time we go there. * Griff_Khalil looks at Alys strangely. Yeah, we're clubbing. C'mon. * Lukas walks away from the phone. "He was apparently going to meet a woman, and she's still there. And Penny knows the Covenant's from Ireland. Anyway." Yay! Ashley, can you illusion me some clubbing clothes? * Lukas looks to Herman. "Are we poofing over or driving?" * Herman sighs. "Better take the fast way." He goes to the door and starts tracing runes on it, murmuring under his breath. * Ashley rubs his chin. "A moment, love." He murmurs to himself, then nods, and waves his hands. Alys' hair is now precisely six different neon colors, done up in actual helixes that stick straight out of her head. She's in a tight pleather bustier with a short leather jacket over it, and a ragged pair of blue jean shorts over fishnet stockings, capped off with lace-up plaid leather boots. * Griff_Khalil clears his throat. "Or flying." * Ashley gestures. "You like?" * Alys beams. "Cool! If you could make it so I can still see my chains, it'd be perfect!" ... just laying down the slutbomb on her, huh? This is Ashley we are talking about. A fae can imagine what he likes, thank YOU. * Herman finishes and the runes glow green, then shift to white. He turns the knob and opens the door, familiar, bright white light streaming through. * Alys sticks her tongue out at Lukas. "It's awesome looking." * Ashley twiddles his fingers and the chains become visible. Thank you! * Ten looks at Alys. "It is!" * Griff_Khalil turns and stares at Ten, as if just noticing she's there. * Herman waves for people to... go in! * Lukas rolls his eyes. "The difference between you and Ten, Alys, is that Ten doesn't have to worry about horny guys groping her." He then strides straight through the disco door. * Ashley points to Alys and Ten, and looks at Lukas as he walks towards the portal. "At least some people have good taste." * Ten giggles. * Alys walks through the door, now that she is appropriately garbed, and ignores all snide comments. * Griff_Khalil looks about and shrugs, walking through the door. * Herman goes in last, shutting the door after himself. They end up at his apartment! Like they haven't been here before. * Herman turns around and starts casting the same spell again. * Ashley looks down at his suit. "Could use a few touches..." * Ashley blinks, and the suit is suddenly more tightly cut, the tie is a fractal pattern (now emerald green and cerulean blue), the jacket is sequined, and the pants are pinstriped green. His hair becomes a curly blue, and he pulls a white top hat out of nowhere, and places it on his head at a jaunty angle. "Appearances, my dears, are everything." He beams at Alys and Ten. * Alys nods cheerfully. * Griff_Khalil stares at Ashley. "That is far from the truth." ( For those listening to RFM, it's Constantinople again :P ) * Ten giggles again. It is every bit the truth. Why else would you want me to cloak you in illusions when walking down the street? * Herman finally finishes, uttering that last guttural syllable, and opens the shifting door again. Through the portal with all of you! * Lukas rolls his eyes. "You appear like something out of a late night sci-fi flick." * Griff_Khalil lets out a low snarl in irritation. "That is a different situation entirely. And it would not change the fact that I could fly nor the fact that I am truly adorned with feathers. * Lukas heads through before Fractal Man! If you couldn't tell, how could you be sure? * Ashley grins, and walks through. Nobody's gonna mind! They've got a retired succubus working there and everything! * Alys follows through. * Griff_Khalil stomps through the portal. Herman's lucky he has enough sense not to let his claws scrape up his carpet. ... Man, what got to him? * Herman enters last again. [You arrive in the Dancing Fiend! The Dancing Fiend is, for those of you who haven't read that first mini, a pretty average bar and club in one of the unpleasant parts of town. Average, except for the fact that it's the local hangout for supernaturals and associated people.] [Three of the dark corners are taken up by solitary people: angsty bishonen or people hidden by dark cloaks. But the fourth dark corner is open if you want it.] * Ashley looks around. "... truly fab, for what it's going for." [Tonight's music is best described as techno jazz.] Spiffy! * Lukas looks around for a second! Possibly in an attempt to identify certain talky people. * Griff_Khalil looks about, having temporarily forgotten the argument a moment before. "The decor is rather interesting. I suppose it would not be much of a troble to stay here. And their musical selection is interesting." * Ten sits on Lukas and doesn't look around, or much of anything else. * Ashley starts sliding around and complimenting people on their outfits. * Alys goes up to the bar for coffee. [Lukas, who's been there before, recognizes several: Finora, the busty bar owning-vegepire, is ... well, at the bar. She's polishing drinking glasses with a rag, as that's about all bartenders seem to do.] * Herman closes the door behind himself and looks around. "... Okay, I didn't think this far ahead." [Then there's Belladonna, the succubus waitress, and Elizabeth, the more normal looking other waitress, who is incidentally also the Covenant member from the time at the museum, whom you all recognize except Ashley.] * Alys sits down at the bar. "'Scuse me, but do you have coffee?" * Griff_Khalil blinks as he glances over at Elizabeth and points. "She seems familiar..." [Finora is also talking to a teenage girl, who's dressed in pink robes and has a bow with a little skull on top of her head.] That's my job, I guess. * Lukas walks over to Finora too (Alys beat him to it!) [The bartender...ess? Bartendress? Whatever. She nods to Alys and produces a mug of coffee magically from beneath the bar (actually there's a coffee machine under it, but you never know.] * Alys drinks it reverently. "Mmmmm." * Lukas speaks up to the woman. "Wouldn't happen to have had someone kidnapped right out front, would you?" [Near the teen in the pink robes is a cute little black cat. Well.... mostly black. Bits of flesh are furless, or, in the case of the left hind leg and an area near the ribs, gone entirely, with only bone showing. One of it's eyes unusually large and green-and-yellow and bloodshot, too. But otherwise, it's so cute!] [It laps up something that's too red to be milk.] [The kid perks up at Lukas. "Hey, you're that guy on the phone." She waves, even though she's only about a foot away. "Hi! I'm Penny!"] * Alys goes over to the cat and looks at it cautiously. She tries petting it. [The cat lets itself be pet, mewing softly. And by mewing, I mean it says, "Braaaaaaaaiiiiiiiinssssss..."] * Herman hears Penny's name and walks over there. * Griff_Khalil walks up to the bar, glances at Penny, then glances at the bartender. "Do you happen to have anything in the way of "smoothies"? * Alys grins and continues petting it. * Ashley swoops over to a particularly luscious looking something, cooing about her shoes. (ZOMBIE CAT.) * Lukas stands there for a second, then waves slightly. "Uh. Hey. Came to look for information. Information is good to help find people. Point me at information." [The bartender, meanwhile, turns at Lukas. "You're that guy who was with Togo, yeah? He was just kidnapped." She snaps her fingers, "Just like that, before we could do anything."] * Alys looks at the girl. "Is this cat yours? Is it a he or a she? It's awesome!" * Lukas glances to bartender. "Which way did they go? Or did they just disappear?" * Herman opens his mouth, then shuts it as Lukas talks first. [Penny grins. "Thanks! His name is Harvey. Nobody ever said he was awesome before."] Is he a zombie cat? [Finora shrugs. "They drove off. No idea where they could be now."] [Penny nodnods. "Uh huh! My first creation. Well, that lasted longer then eight and a half minutes."] That's amazing! I always wanted to meet a zombie! I'm Alys, by the way. Make, model, glowing hubcaps? * Griff_Khalil peers over at Alys, then ignores her and turns back to the bar. ["And I'm Penny. Wanna be friends? You can help me take over the world!"] Sounds like fun, sure! D'you think you could make me a zombie cat too? Harvey's so neat. ["Black, and I couldn't tell. It was gone by the time I got outside. The only one who would've gotten a decent look is Al, and he has a bit of a speech impediment, if you know what I mean."] * Lukas grabs Alys by the rainbow-hair, lightly. "Uncle Lukas says no taking over the world." Then back to the woman. "Time, at least?" Awww. [Penny nods. "Sure! I'll have one ready by the next full moon, if I can find a good corpse by then." ] Any reason they would take him? Other than the obvious, I mean. [Finora shrugs. "About twenty minutes ago, I'd guess."] Okay, thanks. D'you have a phone number or something? I'm gonna buy a mobile phone soon. * Ashley slides back to Herman. "Bloody nothing out of this bunch. Hope hot stuff's faring better." [Penny shakes her head. "No, but I've got carrier pigeons!"] * Herman shrugs and looks back at Ashley. "'S all we got, though." Good enough! And a damn shame it is. [Penny tilts her head. "Hmm... That reminds me, that other lady was pretty upset."] * Griff_Khalil turns towards Penny and speaks up. "Other lady?" "Yeah, the one that was looking for him." Which one might that be, perchance? ["I dunno! She didn't leave her name. Oh, but she did leave a number." Penny produces a scrap of paper with a number.] ... That's kinda backwards. * Griff_Khalil starts to reach for the paper, and then stops. "Perhaps someone else who will not punch a hole through the paper should take it." * Alys takes the number. ["Welllll, she didn't wanna call in the first place. She only did because the old man told her to." She jerks a thumb back at an old man sitting alone at a table with his drink.] * Lukas smirks to himself. "In the world where nothing makes sense, take what you get." He nods outward. "We've got to get connection. You all, uh, have fun in here and tell me how it goes, huh?" He walks outsideward, taking Ten with him. Does this mystery woman have a description? * Ten gets taken outside. ["Kinda? She was pretty, and had black hair and wore a business suit. Oh, she had fangs too."] [Penny giggles. "She thought you were gonna go rescue Togo, but she left in a huff when you hung up on her before she could tell you where to go."] * Griff_Khalil blinks. "Who did what now?" * Alys looks like she can't tell whether she wants to laugh or not. ["Yeah, she complained about it a lot. Said she knew where they were taking him and you hung up before she had a chance to speak. I thought it was funny."] [She giggles again.] Odd. I do not remember that. * Griff_Khalil looks at the others for confirmation. It was probably Lukas. He answered the phone, right? I believe so, but did he actually hang up or no? [Meanwhile, the bartenderess gets involved in a conversation with an angsty bishonen warlock.] * Herman shrugs. So...we need to find where she went. This may sound odd, but...did she touch anything? Or perhaps leave anything behind... [Penny nods. "Yeah, that piece of paper she wrote her number on."] * Alys holds it out to Khalil. * Griff_Khalil holds out his hand to Alys. "May I see it for a moment?" Here you go. * Griff_Khalil takes the paper, looks at it for a moment, then puts it up to his nostrils, taking a big whiff. 2d8-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Griff_Khalil (2d8-4) and gets a natural 11 for a result of 7. * Herman sighs. "Look, can I have that paper?" * Griff_Khalil glances at Herman for a moment. "It seems that everyone wishes to be a tracker. But if you believe it will be quicker." He glances at Penny when he hands it over. "You have been handling this a lot, I take it." ["Well, yeah."] * Herman just takes it and pulls out his phone, dialing the number. * Alys pets Harvey absentmindedly while watching everyone else. * Herman puts the phone to his ear. "Hi. You called us about Togo." Yeah, so... you know where he is? * Herman walks a bit away from the group to carry this conversation. (SHARKS WIN! XD) * Griff_Khalil blinks slightly. "Oh..." Great. You wanna tell us? * Ashley slinks back to the group. "We really ought to go out more often." He's beaming./ * Lukas walks back in the door, shrugging slightly. When he gets back to the group he says with a tone of annoyance, "Did we go back to the medieval age when I wasn't looking?" * Griff_Khalil watches Herman for a little while, then turns to Ashley. "Excuse me?" * Ashley holds up a list of phone numbers, grinning. Hmm? * Alys blinks in surprise at Ashley's list. "Whoa. That quickly?" Clothes make the man. I told you. * Griff_Khalil ignores Ashley and turns to Lukas. "What do you mean?" I found a zombie cat and a... necromancer? Is that the right word? We're friends now! [Penny nodnods in assent.] * Herman blinks. "... Okay. How'd you know this? And do we need to be ready for anything special?" I mean that there's never a camera within two square clicks when you need one. (Actualy she's a Nekomancer, the spell only worked because it was a cat.) Camera for what? You didn't build one into Ten? Ah. That reminds me. Did you happen to hang up on anyone on the phone? * Herman is silent for a moment. "Guess you can't tell me who he is?" Uh, who Goranov is. You can finish what you were saying. * Lukas rolls his eyes at Alys' comment, then, "Yes. After having to pull teeth to get someone to say where they were, I got sick of it. Why?" * Herman frowns a little, and then he says, "I guess not. So which associate is it?" * Herman ahs and loses the frown. "Okay. Anything else you can tell us?" * Griff_Khalil thumbs over at Lukas. "Because Herman is on the phone with someone who was about to give that same information." Who apparently is rather upset that you hung up. * Lukas frowns. "They can be upset when they learn to tell you the important information inside of 10 words." Gotcha. When'll they get there with Togo? Yes, but the fact that we did not get the information at all... * Lukas eyes Khalil and says sarcastically, "Someone got kidnapped, but I won't tell you immediately where they were kidnapped from or where they were taken despite knowing both." Yeah. Right. ... Look, I'm just saying this in case we get there first. You said he *will* be there. Patience is still a virtue... * Herman sighs. "Fine." He scratches at the back of his neck with the hand not holding the pipe. "Thanks for the tip." * Griff_Khalil eyes Ashley out of the corner of his eye as he speaks to Lukas. "No matter how annoying they may be." Yup. Thanks again. * Herman hangs up and tucks his phone away. He turns to the others. "Church of St. Peter. Anyone know where it is?" * Ashley either magnanimously does nothing, or is far too busy entering numbers into his cell phone, one or the other. Unfortunately he got in a car. Which makes him harder to track. * Lukas glances to Ten then back to Herman. "I'm sure we can find it." Great. Let's go do that. You guys're parked outside of the office? Yep. * Ashley looks up from his phone. "I walked." * Herman walks to the door to the restroom. He starts tracing his runes and muttering, and before long, they glow. He pushes it open and there's the portal, as always. (Watch me fast forward so we get there sooner.) I always walk. No car. It's like Alex doesn't trust me with one, or something. [For convenience, you get back to the office!] (Hooray!) (HOORAY.) * Herman is at the office! "Okay, someone look up where the church is?" And who can drive? I never bother. * Lukas is back at the office! He heads downstairs. "We'll get the position on the way." * Ashley follows! He'll wind up in a car somehow. * Griff_Khalil shrugs. "Me neither. I shall follow along the way." He makes his way out the window. It's just so much easier to avoid people. * Herman shrugs to himself. He tags along, sure. ... Get the feeling I'm taking the bus, so get that position soon. There's more than one of them, I think. Wouldn't do to be easy. * Alys follows people downstairs. "I want to learn how to resurrect cats." I don't want you to learn how to resurrect cats. Why not? 2d8-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8-4) and gets a natural 10 for a result of 6. * Lukas says idly, "If the van's still around we can all pile in that." Beat. "As much as I don't really like that van." 'Cause you'd just go around resurrecting every bloody cat you came across. Ooh, I didn't think of that. I could have an army of undead cats! It would be great! (Do we have the van?) (Because if not, Herman's coming with me and we're going to port the other two to us when we find it.) (And if you were to answer the question, we could easily get through the Surch for the Church.) [I avoid that question by ending the session! HAHA!]