Debrief for the Road
12th of January 2007 A.D.
Tempted as you might be to question and to prod, you are also all too aware that your reserves are not endless, Lash's already running on empty Harry probably should not be using evocation this close to a bunch of tourists having a good time. As for Lydia, if it were just Cobbler she had to deal with your money would be on her, alas 'the dead are many'. So you turn to the others and shake you head, mouthing: 'not worth it' to the relief of Mayeda.
"You know he's just going to eat someone," Harry says unhappily putting away his blasting rod.
"Eventually, but not here and I'm hoping not before we can catch up with him again," you nod towards your pocket, in particular the watertight bag you are keeping Clippy in. "I have that conversation recorded for later."
With one last look over your shoulder you look, into the thing wearing dead skin, as deep and black as hell is wide, yet textured with the imprints of humanity, things nameless and forgotten, memories raw and bleeding-red all mixed together. Where that all consuming spite against life touches an all too human malice an axis of purpose it made and spins and spins... It, he, it's hard to tell, wants something with a jealous greed and darker purpose both, as though something is driving him on.
Lost 2 Essence -> Now at 7/15 (Helscry Chakra+Excelency)
Given the gravity of the situation and the caliber of the conversation in the cards you decide to rent a car, a seven year old Dodge Intrepid that Tiffany calls 'try-hard' and you just call 'boring'. It is strange to be in a car that is just a car after all the time you spent with Black Rider and the Beige Wagon, the ever-present hum of familiar minds all around, but now is not the time to reminisce. "So why was the super-zombie so interested in you?" you ask Mayeda, swinging a friendly arm over his shoulder. As long as he is truthful it's going to remain friendly, the unspoken message goes.
"You're... the girl from Chicago aren't you, you have a Chicago sort of accent? He talked about you, Cobbler I mean, said your rise was a sign, the poisoned sun. He's obsessed with this old Egyptian stuff." Noticing Lash's pale eyebrow arched in askance he gives a self-depreciating shrug: "I know, I know Ishtar, Innana, sacred rites between the sheets, but I don't go all in on the mysteries of ancient dread thing. He... he seemed to believe all of it:
Lo, and the sun will rise red as Blood over the Land of the dead and the soul of the Earth shall be riven... that sort of shit. At least I think he did, no reason to make all that up just for me once he had me in his clutches."
"His clutches to do what exactly?" you prompt even as a shudder goes own your spine at the words, gaze meeting Lydia's over his head. 'Did that resound as much to you as it does to me?'
A nod from her as Mayeda keeps talking: "He wanted me to get him an invitation to the temple, there's this woman, I call her Lavender 'Legs' 'cause..." It's possible your gaze drifted to something a bit sterner than intended because he quickly swallows his words. "She has a thing for my kind, you know she
likes being fed on. Takes all kinds right?"
"Did you
get him the invitation?" Harry asks sharply from the driver's seat, now more detective than wizard, or perhaps more Warden than either.
"Yeah last night, but their boss-man was in the house, high sun pope or what have you, withered like an old prune, still wears tweed, you know the type right? Cobbler didn't want to mess with him, I get the feeling he just wants to do a smash and grab on something out there at the preserve. Something to do with the sun maybe, he's obsessed with it, you should see where he... sleeps, hibernates? Not sure what the proper name for that is."
"Lies hollow," Lydia offers. "Vampires of his sort are grave robbers really, thieves one and all who make off with the bodies and minds of the dead so when they are 'as dead ' it it more like nature reasserting itself for a while."
"Like you said little lady," Mayeda tosses Lydia the kind sleazy smile that has your leg itch to kick him. "He 'lies hollow' in a room with all this Egyptian sun worship paraphernalia like it's his Beanie Baby collection or something. I asked him about them at one point and he socked me so hard it dislocated by jaw and then he said 'You would not understand the deeper mysteries of this world, worm. Just be content that when final dusk descends upon this land I might decide to take you with me for later, or break your neck to give you a clean death.'"
"Final Dusk Descends?" Tiffany repeats. "That's how he put it?"
Mayeda shrugs helplessly: "I got the sense that it was end of the world Rapture bullshit, you know like Jesus coming back, but it's vampire Jesus come to turn all you lot into blood bags for the good little shamblers. Anyway I didn't ask him anything more about that again. Can only heal a broken jaw so many times."
Truth be told you would be a lot more offended at how he had chosen to put it if it weren't for two things, knowing Sandra is about and what she serves and knowing what the demon that sleeps under Vegas guards.
"Did it sound like something he was trying to bring this about?" Harry asks after a moment. "Did he have a plan for what he would do with the thing from the temple once he had it."
"
No..." Mayeda sounds as uncertain as you had ever heard him. "It sounded like something that would happen without his meddling. If anything it was more like a
deadline to ol' Cobbler's heist. Like he needed to get the thing before something happen to the city. I'll be honest ever since the Reds went incommunicado we've been having all sorts of loons wander in, I didn't pay much attention to his brand of crazy, I was too busy trying to stay alive."
What do you do?
[] The Pallbearers of Ra Desdencing to have a public phone number, warn them that they have a Black Court vampire trying to steal one of their holy relics
[] Get back to Arlene and question her about all this stuff and about Sandra
[] Write in
OOC: Well here you go, everything Mayeda knows