COMMENTARY
Note that in general, we're assuming that Lydia is telling the truth here. Its entirely possible she could be lying, or being incomplete
That said, lemme run down a couple things:
-Moving almost every term would mean that they change address every four months?
They're running from something or someone. Or there's some sort of compulsion that he's under. And they are wealthy enough to afford to move that frequently. Either way, Lydia isnt telling the whole story here.
-Foreigner who speaks five languages: English, French, Italian, Sicilian, Latin.
No Spanish or Portugese. That means she hasnt been in Latin America, so no obvious Red Court exposure. So they have been knocking around Europe, mostly.
And speaking 5x languages at 16 or less means either focused(and expensove) effort, or she has a gift.
Or Gift.
-He used to be really protective suggests he isnt as protective any longer.
Which means something has changed. And adolescence is when a lot of significant things for supernaturals happen, from sex for White Court vampires to magic awakening for wizards, to changelings beginning to come into their power.
-A man too protective to allow sleepovers doesnt change or get more liberal as the kid enters adolesence.
And not allowing girl sleepovers would suggest a reluctance to allow male sleepovers. The fact that he allowed Daniel to sleep over(and yes, he knew, if he's paying for security) means that he has probably taken a look at who Daniel is.
If you're throwing down thousands of dollars on bodyguards, you can afford hundreds on a PI.
-Bodyguards in the United States means they're rich.Obscenely rich. According to the first entry on Google:
- The average cost to hire a single, experienced armed guard with a military background is $60-$100 per hour.
- That makes the monthly cost for a one-guard security detail working in shifts at a range of $43,200/mo – $72,000/mo.
- Annually, that brings the annual total for 24/7 protection to between $518,400/year – $864,000/year.
- Short term contracts are usually a minimum of 6 hours or $360-$600 for a single, experienced agent. Clients must be vetted ahead of time.
- Temporary or part-time rates vary based on time required, but generally have higher hourly rates vs. long-term contracts.
A 24/7 security detail for one person will run you around half a mill just for one agent, and if you're serious about security you have at least 2 at a time. Dropping that much just on your daughters personal security speaks volumes both about the money you have and the perceived threat. Or that you have the connections to demand that someone give you bodyguards.
It also means there is someone, or a team of someones, following Lydia right now that we havent seen.
-The Darkhallow was October 31 last year.
November would suggest arriving shortly afterwards. Rules out being Kemmlerites, since they'd have all cleared out. It rules out being Denarian, since Michael would presumably have gotten a headsup if there had been Denarians in town that long.
Could still be organized crime.
-Big, multilingual library. So probably not the Mafia.
French, Italian, Sicilian, Latin, Old Welsh. No Spanish, no Portugese, no German, no Polish, no Russian, no Norse. The first four in isolation suggest an association with the Catholic church. All five suggests Fae ancestry or wizard ancestry; a lot of the White Council's early history is wrapped up in the Roman Empire and Celtic mythology.
Could also be Venatori; there's open alliances between the Venatori, the Church and the White Council, and a very hidden connection between the true Venatori and House Raith.
-The fact that she was allowed to participate in Nativity Plays suggests we're not dealing with vampire ancestry.
No Red Court, no White Court. Black Court dont do kids, besides maybe Drakul.
Nothing in the history profile suggests Jade Court either.
-The father has been urging self defense training but not mandating it.
Which suggests perception of a potential longterm threat, but not a shortterm one.
Thats an interesting datum, when combined with his recent reduced protectiveness.
-What kind of "investment banker" is wealthy enough to afford hundreds of thousands of dollars for bodyguards for their kid, has them so sheltered that they dont know how to use public transport, takes them to fancy cocktail parties but doesnt give them a videogame system or a cellphone in 2006?
A wizard.
An old, paranoid wizard with a distrust of modern technology, but who has had decades or centuries to benefit from compound interest and longterm investments.
With the mother out of the picture, I think Lydia's a wizard's child with a Sidhe coparent.
Whether its her father thats the wizard and her mother the Sidhe, or vice versa with Lydia as a baby wizard, I have no way of guessing from the evidence.
It sounds very much like how McCoy allegedly raised his daughter that made her rebel. And how DuMorne raised Dresden.
The history of moving around without an apparent permanent home base predates the beginning of the Vampire War, and suggests her dad is either running from something, or is under some sort of pressure to keep moving.
-Note that I said wizard.
Not White Council.
The last Summer Court Knight was a wizard but not a White Council member.
Oh and since we were talking about ways to hide guns from the cops. Ancient Sorcery provides
Most Fluid Blessing of the Water Dragon
This spell can only be cast within the Spirit World.
The sorcerer ventures to a shoreline, or the open sea,
or some other place of mighty waters, speaks the
long-forgotten name of the elemental dragon-ruler of
the seven seas, and calls the power of elemental water
to inhabit a mundane item.
System: Spend 5 Essence and make an extended
Intelligence + Occult roll against difficulty 8. Once the
player accumulates ten successes, the item is enchanted.
This spell enchants a perfectly mundane, non-magical
item with the power to transform according to its
owner's will. The object retains its material qualities,
mass and weight, but it can adjust its form to the bearer's
will. Clothing can re-tailor itself to specific needs.
A weapon can become an unobtrusive item of similar
size until needed later. Armor can fold itself up into
a compact cube for easy carriage. An item damaged
while it has been shapeshifted will retain that damage
in any form, until the item is repaired. Triggering this
transformation costs 1 Willpower.
You can just shapeshift your gun away, though you could not do this to a gun you put a demon into as it is not perfectly mundane.
Might be able to possess the weapon after enchanting it.
Still, we'd have to invest 10XP for the spell.
Doesnt make any sense at the moment, compared to simply building one.
Or spending 2-3XP for Arsenal 1.
Have you considered the material safety logistics of a Bathtub full of bleach?
Apparently it's an inhalation risk. We can handle it. Our family can't.
The wording of the charm says tainted or deadly water.
You know what is tainted or deadly water? Bathwater with bath soap in it. Bathwater with epsom salts in it. Bathwater with essential oils in it. Bathwater with shampoo and conditioner. Dishwater with dishsoap. There's a reason why all this stuff has to run through water purification plants before it gets discharged back into the environment.
Just have Molly run a normal bath with plenty of soap and bath oils and soak in it, instead of running a shower.
Should give her all the benefits.