Merry Christmas DP. And thanks for the update.
COMMENTARY
"You know it's not something that is done very often, answering that many questions." Pauline shifts uncomfortably on her seat not-quite-looking at dad .
Going to point out that the woman is just barely stopping herself from chiding us about revealing personal secrets carelessly.
And essentially wondering why our father isnt stopping us. She is the third person to do this, after Harry and Bob.
It would be nice if we actually paid attention.
-Note when I said people keep their secrets?
Exhibit A: Ms Moskowitz here brought an invisible companion to this conversation, and she didnt mention it to anyone.
Its four feet tall, and material enough to block air currents, so its not just an immaterial spirit.
Its either an invisible construct of some sort. Or its some denizen of the NeverNever. Possibly shen. Possibly Fae.
DPoE didnt proc, so it isnt a CoD.
Makes a good argument for Hellscry Chakra and All Things Betray.
-The woman couldnt resist taking a jab at the White Council, even now.
"This is a world at war and it has been so long before the White Council noticed that vampires are indeed terrible." She laughs, sharp and hollow.
She really does feel bitter towards them.
I'm guessing she's lost people before, and the White Council's protection isnt as comprehensive as she would like.
Nevermind that there are good reasons there.
Wasnt that long ago that the Red Court had a local presence, but with Dresden wiping out Bianca's court, and winning that duel with Ortega, Chicago has been a lot safer on the street level than it was five years ago.
-Mrs Helen Beckitt.
People who have read the books starting from Storm Front will remember the name. And the implications.
Looks like we're getting involved in the events of White Night half a year or so early.
-Molly cant afford to stage a takeover. Not atm.
She has the stats to talk her way into control. But she'd be spreading herself a little thin to do so.
And frankly, her direct involvement is going to spook and scare off a bunch of the magical sensitives who would need the help and counselling.
What she can provide is logistics support and financing. Maybe advice.
Thats another 3-4 million trust we need to budget for to expand the Ordo Lebes into the Paranet.
Not as bad as it could have been, but more information than I'd preferred for us to share.
We really need to get better about this in the future though; information sharing is dangerous. The rule of thumb should be to share nothing unless it's necessary to meet some specific goal, you have some trust in the person you're sharing with, and a good idea of the risks if it gets out. Which is why the idea of agreeing to share something without knowing what would b
Its actually worse than it first appears. The people we just told all this to are, in order:
-Ms Pauline Moskowitz, a hedge mage who seems well meaning, but whose loyalties, and critically, debts, we dont know.
-An invisible companion (name unknown, type unknown, sapience unknown) who is loyal to Ms Moskowitz, but who owes us no loyalty, and will presumably prioritize its own safety and that of Ms Moskowitz over our information security if anyone should attempt to coerce it.
-From Ms Moskowitz to a bunch of hedge mages associated with Ms Moskowitz, who we dont know personally, who owe us no loyalties, whose debts are unknown, and who are in general explicitly weak enough that a supernatural predator can coerce them for information. Or simply take it from them.
To put their weakness in some context: The Ordo Lebes and others being targeted and murdered by a single White Court vampire was most of the inciting plot of White Night, the next mainline Dresden Files book. They didnt notice the Skavis was a Whampire when it literally joined their coven. To be fair, Elaine didnt either.
And last of all:
-Mrs Helen Beckitt.
Aka Miss Demeter. Manager of Executive Priority Health. Gentleman John Marcone's
mistress.
Yes, Helen Beckitt is a genuine and loyal member of the Ordo Lebes in canon. She's also an excon who went to jail because she was one of the patsies/financial backers of Victor Sells, the starter villain of the first Dresden book Storm Front. The other backer was her then-husband, who also went to jail, and died there.
When she got out of jail, Marcone hired her on as a
brothel madam health gym manager.
She is his mistress. She's also the mother of that child that got shot during a gangwar who Marcone is guilty about.
She doesnt know the child is alive and in a vegetative state in a nursing home.
You never actually know who you are talking to.
So in conclusion:
We literally just watched Kattrin Sigfriddsdottir try to EAT a death god for power, something with no real modern precedent.
Then we just went out and blithely announced that our power is designed for humans and is inheritable.
To a person/people who told us their group is too weak to fight off attack.
When this gets out, half the powerhungry practitioners out there are going to go look for more Exalted shards, and get themselves and other people in trouble. The other half are going to try to figure out how to pry this loose from us.
And it wont just be evil people doing this: see The Warrior short story.
There is a bloody good reason why the default regarding information sharing is: Shut The Fuck Up.
If you are not absolutely sure they have need to know, and can keep their own mouths shut? Shut the fuck up.
You will often risk more harm than good.
And you give other people concerns about your ability or willingness to keep their secrets when you cant keep yours.
Wizards dont give power point presentations about their powers or early training.
Mab doesnt talk about her affair with the first Merlin, or how she ended up Winter Queen. Harry does not advertise that he's been guarding Fidelacchius for the last two years.
Ebenezar McCoy hasnt actually told Dresden that he's his grandfather.
Harry hasnt told Ebenezar, his last teacher and the man who saved his life, that he has a halfbrother who's a Whampire.
Thomas hasnt told Harry that he's a Venator.
