Trails Faded and New
8th of September 2006 A.D.
You empty the glass of water, but your mouth still tastes like you swallowed something foul. Sarah Greene, noticing the look on your face, pauses, several expressions crossing her face before settling on concern. "Is everything alright?"
"No" is your blunt reply. "Ms Greene," you say, fumbling out your phone, no longer accustomed to needing to use the keypad. "I need to make a call." briefly you consider walking into the next room so that she will not hear the thing's name, but that is liable to activate every single suspicious bone in the agent's body. She did not get to where she is by being trusting of random strangers.
"Harry, does the word Naagloshii mean something to you?"
"What?" From the tone of sudden panic in his voice you guess it is.
"It's not in the room with me or anything. I just figured out what killed Detective Greene in June. The White Court... that is someone within the White Court seems to be tangled up in the whole thing."
Harry is not deterred: "Where are you?"
You give the address, though without going into anymore details. Sarah Greene deserves to hear how her husband died directly not in an overheard conversation. Turning back to her you square your shoulders and start. It's hard... there is not being glib, no magic combination of words that would make this easier. Maybe if you had a weeks or months of talking to her you could help, but you are neither a psychologist nor a priest, you are just the bearer of ill news to one already grieving.
"He died here... and he was killed by a monster that can just
do that, kill with impunity under a magical glamor?"
"Shapechanger yes, old and dark and cruel, pure evil..."
That is not entirely true, mistress, Usum interjects.
If it were pure evil it would have no need to be performative about its cruelty, it would have no reason to try to break others into being more like itself.
Not helping, you shoot back.
"The Naagloshii will not die if you shoot it, wouldn't even notice I'm afraid and the kinds of wards that could keep something like that out..." You consider the guardian you had raised for Helen Bekit. "Even if we could make something like that they would be blazingly obvious. The good news such as it is and what there is of it, is that it could of killed you but did not, it might even have left, its task done."
Though I doubt we're that lucky, you think recalling the dark rumors the Leinth had mentioned "I hate so say this but..."
"You think I should run?" Seeing your startled expression Agent Greene laughs, it is not a pleasant sound. "Dealing with situations like this is my job Ms Carpenter, even if it is dealing with people who
will die when shot."
"Run or not break cover, if you could find some way to get out of the city without seeming suspicious that would be ideal. Out of sight out of mind works with beings which are naturally inclined to dismiss mortals and anything that could
command a Naagloshii will have had a long time indeed to grow prideful."
"No," she says instantly. "Running would be the first sign any predator will look for that I am no longer useful, not to mention it will just make it easier to arrange an 'accident'." Reasonable enough on the face of it, but the steely look in her eyes makes it clear that's not really why she's staying. Running would be admitting defeat, it wold be giving up on getting justice for her murdered husband .
You can respect that.
"Tea?" She asks after a long, uneasy silence. "I would offer coffee, but I've been trying to kick the habit."
So that is how Harry finds you, sipping green tea beside a window, making awkward small-talk with a woman whose life you just saved, not that you can admit it given what else you had done. He paces up and down the yard, eyes looking beyond the off white fence and wilting flowers. The ethereal trail is old, the marks of darkness faded, it had not been around here since, not that the fact stops Harry from trying to persuade Agent Greene to move, but he does not have any arguments you did not and she's not budging an inch.
Part of you wonders if you could draw the Naagloshii to you, the fire on your sword burned hot enough to cripple even deathless things and if that did not kill it well... you doubt it could do much more harm if it were buried in a hundred pieces under five feet of concrete. Wisely you do not bring up the fact to Harry on the way back, instead explaining your meeting with Leinth and Isabela and how you had resolved it.
"I still have the files if you want them, just deleting stuff off a computer possessed by one of Clippy's friends does not actually get rid of it beyond recall. Do you want it?"
He looks at you funny. "What for?"
To be honest you must be returning a look of equal incomprehension. "Leverage? A bargaining chip with enemies the White Cout or the Raiths in particular? The prestige of being the one who break the story on a scandal this size? Though I guess we could keep it to use against Madrigal Raith in the context of the White Court given that he is mixed up with this whole Thule Society Naagloshii thing."
Harry just shakes his head and mutters something about swimming with the sharks.
Well duh, that is why you make a shark-tooth knife to defend yourself.
***
11th of September 2006 A.D.
Over the next three days you stick close to Harry in case he makes any breakthroughs on the case, making quick progress on understanding the foundations of alchemy from Bob in particular the way the subsets of the broader Law of Sympathy relate to the transformative power of water, as both creative and destructive force. There is a reason why potions and elixirs figure so prominently in alchemical works.
Essence and Temporary Willpower Restored to full -> 12/12 and 9/9
"Wait a second if we are talking about he creative/destructive cycle in the context of the Sign of the Lotus Flower as being foudnational doesn't that mean that all potions are in a sense alive, short lived constructs made for purpose, invested with magic as living things are invested with
souls?"
"That is one way to look at it..." Bob sounds excited and worried at the same time, scarecited if you will.
Alchemy Progress: 15+24/25 -> -1 XP to cost of Alchemy Path; Can buy Alchemy path; 14/25 Progress to next level of discount
Meanwhile your first dive into authorship is also going great, arcane fundamentals flowing seamlessly into matters of Akuma culture, soul-lore and even the ancient corrupted tests that give rise to the Jade Court. It occurs to you that anyone who actually read this book wold have a far easier time navigating the hurdles and slipping through the grasp of the Yama Kings to rise again in fel unlife, perhaps easy enough that they would have some control of of their po soul from the first night.
Big Book of Yomi Wan Progress: 9+14/20 = 21/23 -> Complete
2 Essence Lost -> Now at 10/12 (Excellencies)
"Here you go Harry," you set the book in front of him on the coffee table with a satisfying thump. "This thing should be really useful to anyone who has dealings with the Yama Kings, you should be able to trade it for something nice. You
are going to trade it aren't you?"
He starts, thumping his knee against the table.
"What? Did Lasciel say something?" you guess.
You can tell he'd like to brush it off and that he knows he won't manage it. "She said exactly the same thing you did, in sync."
You think about that for a moment, shrug. "If even the devil can quote scripture it follows that even he can give good advice when he's trying to get you to let your guard down. If evil people only ever told you things that would hurt you, they would be a lot easier to guard against."
What do you do next?
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OOC: I actually rolled the alchemy first on this one, then I realized there would be some social rolls needed to close things off with Greene and then I rolled the nightmare rolls for the nights between. Good thing you did not fail any of those or I would have had to do a major rewrite. 
Preferably one of the Dine', though it is not a matter of open discussion among the tribes, even today.
