- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
[x] At day.
The Lost Files (C:TL/Dresden Files) (CK2-ish)
- Thread starter The Laurent
- Start date
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Final tally please?
Arkatekt
Harbinger of Shitluck
No Partition
Vote Tally : The Lost Files (C:TL/Dresden Files) (CK2-ish) | Page 54 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.3.2
[X] Amberly Hanz: A professor of Anthropology who has been around the world, she, oddly enough, knows at least as much about her as Jason Wrangle, if only because she was Cora Graves' academic advisor in college.
[X] [College] Natasha Svarko: A linguistics professor, she doesn't know anything about Cora Graves' secrets, though is sometimes suspicious at the wide range of the woman's vocabulary. Notably, she has some contacts in foreign countries, which *could* be helpful.
[X] [GhostTime] During the night.
[X] [GhostSituation] Mutually agreed meeting at some specific place.
No. of Votes: 3
[X] At day.
No. of Votes: 2
[X] Amberly Hanz: A professor of Anthropology who has been around the world, she, oddly enough, knows at least as much about her as Jason Wrangle, if only because she was Cora Graves' academic advisor in college.
[X] Nathaniel Thorne: He's an odd one, an English professor who writes novels in his spare time and seems to know everyone. Eclectic in a way that marks him as different from the rest, and the fact that he teaches at an expensive private University is not all that surprising, in context.
[X] At day.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] Bernard Quinn: A history professor whose specialty is early modern history. This might be very useful, since a cursory reading is that something went very differently around the time of the Renaissance.
[X] Amberly Hanz: A professor of Anthropology who has been around the world, she, oddly enough, knows at least as much about her as Jason Wrangle, if only because she was Cora Graves' academic advisor in college.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] Amberly Hanz: A professor of Anthropology who has been around the world, she, oddly enough, knows at least as much about her as Jason Wrangle, if only because she was Cora Graves' academic advisor in college.
[X] Natasha Svarko: A linguistics professor, she doesn't know anything about Cora Graves' secrets, though is sometimes suspicious at the wide range of the woman's vocabulary. Notably, she has some contacts in foreign countries, which *could* be helpful.
[X] At day.
[X] Mutually agreed meeting at some specific place.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] Bernard Quinn: A history professor whose specialty is early modern history. This might be very useful, since a cursory reading is that something went very differently around the time of the Renaissance.
[X] [College] Amberly Hanz: A professor of Anthropology who has been around the world, she, oddly enough, knows at least as much about her as Jason Wrangle, if only because she was Cora Graves' academic advisor in college.
[X] At day.
[X] Mutually agreed meeting at some specific place.
No. of Votes: 1
Total No. of Voters: 9
##### NetTally 1.7.3.2
[X] Amberly Hanz: A professor of Anthropology who has been around the world, she, oddly enough, knows at least as much about her as Jason Wrangle, if only because she was Cora Graves' academic advisor in college.
[X] [College] Natasha Svarko: A linguistics professor, she doesn't know anything about Cora Graves' secrets, though is sometimes suspicious at the wide range of the woman's vocabulary. Notably, she has some contacts in foreign countries, which *could* be helpful.
[X] [GhostTime] During the night.
[X] [GhostSituation] Mutually agreed meeting at some specific place.
No. of Votes: 3
[X] At day.
No. of Votes: 2
[X] Amberly Hanz: A professor of Anthropology who has been around the world, she, oddly enough, knows at least as much about her as Jason Wrangle, if only because she was Cora Graves' academic advisor in college.
[X] Nathaniel Thorne: He's an odd one, an English professor who writes novels in his spare time and seems to know everyone. Eclectic in a way that marks him as different from the rest, and the fact that he teaches at an expensive private University is not all that surprising, in context.
[X] At day.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] Bernard Quinn: A history professor whose specialty is early modern history. This might be very useful, since a cursory reading is that something went very differently around the time of the Renaissance.
[X] Amberly Hanz: A professor of Anthropology who has been around the world, she, oddly enough, knows at least as much about her as Jason Wrangle, if only because she was Cora Graves' academic advisor in college.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] Amberly Hanz: A professor of Anthropology who has been around the world, she, oddly enough, knows at least as much about her as Jason Wrangle, if only because she was Cora Graves' academic advisor in college.
[X] Natasha Svarko: A linguistics professor, she doesn't know anything about Cora Graves' secrets, though is sometimes suspicious at the wide range of the woman's vocabulary. Notably, she has some contacts in foreign countries, which *could* be helpful.
[X] At day.
[X] Mutually agreed meeting at some specific place.
No. of Votes: 1
[X] Bernard Quinn: A history professor whose specialty is early modern history. This might be very useful, since a cursory reading is that something went very differently around the time of the Renaissance.
[X] [College] Amberly Hanz: A professor of Anthropology who has been around the world, she, oddly enough, knows at least as much about her as Jason Wrangle, if only because she was Cora Graves' academic advisor in college.
[X] At day.
[X] Mutually agreed meeting at some specific place.
No. of Votes: 1
Total No. of Voters: 9
By Line
Vote Tally : The Lost Files (C:TL/Dresden Files) (CK2-ish) | Page 54 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.3.2
Task: College
[X] [College] Amberly Hanz: A professor of Anthropology who has been around the world, she, oddly enough, knows at least as much about her as Jason Wrangle, if only because she was Cora Graves' academic advisor in college.
No. of Votes: 7
[X] [College] Natasha Svarko: A linguistics professor, she doesn't know anything about Cora Graves' secrets, though is sometimes suspicious at the wide range of the woman's vocabulary. Notably, she has some contacts in foreign countries, which *could* be helpful.
No. of Votes: 4
[X][College] Bernard Quinn: A history professor whose specialty is early modern history. This might be very useful, since a cursory reading is that something went very differently around the time of the Renaissance.
No. of Votes: 2
[X][College] Nathaniel Thorne: He's an odd one, an English professor who writes novels in his spare time and seems to know everyone. Eclectic in a way that marks him as different from the rest, and the fact that he teaches at an expensive private University is not all that surprising, in context.
No. of Votes: 1
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Task: GhostSituation
[X] [GhostSituation] Mutually agreed meeting at some specific place.
No. of Votes: 5
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Task: GhostTime
[X][GhostTime] At day.
No. of Votes: 5
[X] [GhostTime] During the night.
No. of Votes: 3
Total No. of Voters: 9
##### NetTally 1.7.3.2
Task: College
[X] [College] Amberly Hanz: A professor of Anthropology who has been around the world, she, oddly enough, knows at least as much about her as Jason Wrangle, if only because she was Cora Graves' academic advisor in college.
No. of Votes: 7
[X] [College] Natasha Svarko: A linguistics professor, she doesn't know anything about Cora Graves' secrets, though is sometimes suspicious at the wide range of the woman's vocabulary. Notably, she has some contacts in foreign countries, which *could* be helpful.
No. of Votes: 4
[X][College] Bernard Quinn: A history professor whose specialty is early modern history. This might be very useful, since a cursory reading is that something went very differently around the time of the Renaissance.
No. of Votes: 2
[X][College] Nathaniel Thorne: He's an odd one, an English professor who writes novels in his spare time and seems to know everyone. Eclectic in a way that marks him as different from the rest, and the fact that he teaches at an expensive private University is not all that surprising, in context.
No. of Votes: 1
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Task: GhostSituation
[X] [GhostSituation] Mutually agreed meeting at some specific place.
No. of Votes: 5
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Task: GhostTime
[X][GhostTime] At day.
No. of Votes: 5
[X] [GhostTime] During the night.
No. of Votes: 3
Total No. of Voters: 9
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I think most DF vamps are daywalkers. It's really just the black court that can't do that, and people already know we're not really that.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Red Court isn't (mostly). And it's the most numerous, by a pretty decent margin.
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Fair, but I really don't think we want to imitate red court either. Black court are dangerous but tend to be isolated, at least, Red court is dangerous, actively warring against tons of people, and would imply a really deep power base.
White or independent Other are better stories to spin, and the day thing isn't enough info that anyone will guess what we really are.
deadcrystal
Slaaneshi Cultist
- Location
- The Warp
Not sure anyone except that one White Court lady knows Cora isn't Black Court. Cora is very good at the Autumn thing of scaring people shitless and all the people in the new verse are walking on eggshells around her.
- Location
- Daybreak
Yeah, that's what I meant.
So, we're revealing our not being a Blampire to Lillian, and losing a secret, and a scare tactic, and other things like that.
Unless we gain the tactic of being some unknown entity...
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Update Thursday and Saturday.
- Location
- Daybreak
How many ppl... Everyone knows that 'cause Dracula... Right.
Lillian already tried the cross on Cora, so she knows it doesn't work. Seeing her Daywalk would possibly push Lillian's guess at Cora's age into Antediluvian, if she didn't guess that already...
Do we have a listing for all IC knowledge for all characters? If we did, then I'm a bit of a dummy... Heh.
Last edited:
Yep. Harry himself saw that. They are normally vulnerable, but vulnerabilities are flexible with enough magic
Girls Go to College, Part 2
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Girls go to College, Part 2
[X] Amberly Hanz: A professor of Anthropology who has been around the world, she, oddly enough, knows at least as much about her as Jason Wrangle, if only because she was Cora Graves' academic advisor in college.
[X] Nathaniel Thorne: He's an odd one, an English professor who writes novels in his spare time and seems to know everyone. Eclectic in a way that marks him as different from the rest, and the fact that he teaches at an expensive private University is not all that surprising, in context.
"You're not going to get an A," Nathaniel Thorne said to the empty air, his eyebrows raised in bushy annoyance, "If you try to play pranks like that on me. Let me guess, whoever it is, you're right behind me making faces."
Cora Graves doesn't make faces, but she was right behind him, and when he turned she waved.
"Ah, oh, Miss Graves, it is you," he said, and then he quirked a single eyebrow. They were very impressive eyebrows indeed, she thought a little absently. "You've been gone for some time, I believe. A business meeting?"
"Nothing like that, and nothing you'd believe."
"Oh, I can believe many things. For instance, I heard that you were seen the other day with Yvonne Gardiner. And that's not a good sign, for she and her family are characters out of some 18th century French novel."
"She struck me as being quite far from a Merteuile," Cora Graves said, thinking fast and dredging up literary references. It was the best way to impress him, she knew. Throw a word or two in his track and he'd get quite diverted.
"Oh, far from it I suppose. That would be her mother, Amelia. Though really, I shouldn't speak so of someone who finances so much of our little institution. And yet here you are," he said, with a shrug, "Back like a bad penny. You look like death warmed over, so it's good to know that nothing has changed."
"And how are your novels?" she asked, quirking a smile and sliding past to look at the grades. He loved to complain of his students and boast of his novels, and yet there was always something wrong with them, always some flaw to fix, and even at the end of a draft he'd frown over the sentences.
Dedicated, sure, but her interest in literature didn't extend far beyond a certain point, less from a lack of interest (though there was that) and more from a complete and utter lack of time. So she read his novels when he pressed her to, and went to the parties to celebrate them, but that wasn't the same as truly caring except for how it affected their friendship.
"Excellent, excellent, but I've hit a roadblock, and was perhaps hoping you could help," he said, "I've been having nightmares, rather bad ones, and more than that." He looked sly, "I've been curious about a rumor that's been mentioned of you, that your interest in certain things extends to voodoo or the like."
He looked at her and she smiled back, wondering at his curiosity. It wasn't that he wasn't curious, but the sharp edge to his words, the slight skepticism.
He'd believed her when she'd talked about her belief that a dream-catcher was a helpful aid to nightmares, and she'd of course helped him through them the last time he'd had them.
Perhaps that was why she thought she knew him so. She'd seen his dreams and nightmares laid bare, the creative processes churning up everything and nothing to try to create something. She'd seen that he had no idea, for all his savvy, of just what she was or what she would do. Let alone what she was capable of.
Yet now, he was suspicious. "You lost the dream catcher?"
"I believe I need a new one, could you promise me to get a new one?" he asked.
"Oh, of course," Cora Graves said, "I did have a few questions, however. I wanted to check up on how things were going, of course, but there was also a mutual friend of ours, the Dean of Students, who I've been wanting to look into."
Because there were several members of the university who were, in fact, Changelings. They had special needs, and in fact recieved student loans from the Freehold to help them advance. And so a web formed.
Cora had laid it all out once, and had been almost surprised by just how many people the Freehold ultimately relied upon to aid its members. A vast web, and at its center rested people like Cora.
"Oh, is that all? I wonder why," he chuckled, "But then you've always been mysterious indeed."
Something in his gaze said more than that. Something in the way he was looking made her wonder whether perhaps she should view his dreams a little more closely. It made her suspect that this was a different man.
Instinct supplied a few clues as she looked around the cluttered room. The novels and non-fiction all seemed to be a little more fantastic than the literary realism and experimental novels he'd preferred. There were signs even here, even in the daylight, through a mild headache, that she could see.
This was a changed man. And why wouldn't he be? This was a changed world. But it did mean she would have to be very careful around him. Thus far she had not seen any hints of real suspicion, but it was quite clear that the matter wouldn't be quite as simple.
For all she knew, this version of him wasn't even human, though if he wasn't, that would only open up more questions. It was best a matter to be brought up later.
Preferably only if she had to. Information was supposed to flow one way, not two ways, if it was at all possible.
*****
Amberly Hanz didn't know the details, but it was rather hard to miss the fact that while Amberly had slowly slid into middle-age with the same smoothness and care for details--and she was a woman whose rough edges existed to be sanded down and reshaped as needed--that had characterized the first half of her life, Cora Graves looked only somewhat older than when they'd first met.
Even that age was something of a function of looking less and less alive as the strength of her wyrd wrapped around her, comforted her in its power and yet disconcerted others, she knew.
"You really should go on to get a degree," Amberly Hanz said, "It always was your calling. I've been around the world, and yet for all of your interest…"
Cora Graves looked at her for a moment, taking in her blonde pixie-cut, her comfortable dress, and then said, "Is this what we're going to talk about?"
"The fact that people have disappeared and all of my published books have different details is rather hard to deal with, that is true," Amberly admitted with a shrug, as she paced up and down the classroom. "Cora, I don't know what's going on, and I know you are rather wrapped up in being mysterious, but I have more blackmail material than I could ever possibly need."
She was Cora's academic advisor, and while ambition had been a part of her life, as had mystery, since she'd gotten back from Arcadia, she'd been more open back then. She knew that Amberly Hanz would no more reveal it than she would use a slur, that woman who had experienced a dozen cultures and tried to understand everyone.
Cora Graves knew this, but her paranoia didn't, that moment of uncertainty that Amberly knew how to exploit. It was annoying, but she couldn't help but react.
"You wouldn't, you know," she said, "It seems that we've been...dislocated."
"Ah," Amberly said, and then she looked Cora up and down, "Dislocation. Can you tell me why I apparently received several death threats in Colombia twenty years ago according to reports? When as far as I know I've never been to Colombia?"
"Different world, different possibilities," Cora said, "Though most details seem to be the same."
Mrs. Hanz bit her lip, and for a moment Cora was able to see past any facade to the worry that laid buried underneath. But instead she sighed and said, "And you want my help navigating it."
"I want you to keep your eyes open," Cora said.
She stepped forward, her every step now a little more measured and said, "Would I believe it if I asked what's going on?"
"Probably not," Cora admitted.
"As I expected. By the way, you should come around sometime when there's not an issue to be had, I could use your help," she said.
"With what?"
"Grad students. Arrogant grad students," Amberly pointed out, "You could have even been one of them."
"I know, I know," Cora added.
*****
A/N: So here we go. The next update will be the meeting, when I can get around to it. I hope this was alright, if short.
[X] Amberly Hanz: A professor of Anthropology who has been around the world, she, oddly enough, knows at least as much about her as Jason Wrangle, if only because she was Cora Graves' academic advisor in college.
[X] Nathaniel Thorne: He's an odd one, an English professor who writes novels in his spare time and seems to know everyone. Eclectic in a way that marks him as different from the rest, and the fact that he teaches at an expensive private University is not all that surprising, in context.
"You're not going to get an A," Nathaniel Thorne said to the empty air, his eyebrows raised in bushy annoyance, "If you try to play pranks like that on me. Let me guess, whoever it is, you're right behind me making faces."
Cora Graves doesn't make faces, but she was right behind him, and when he turned she waved.
"Ah, oh, Miss Graves, it is you," he said, and then he quirked a single eyebrow. They were very impressive eyebrows indeed, she thought a little absently. "You've been gone for some time, I believe. A business meeting?"
"Nothing like that, and nothing you'd believe."
"Oh, I can believe many things. For instance, I heard that you were seen the other day with Yvonne Gardiner. And that's not a good sign, for she and her family are characters out of some 18th century French novel."
"She struck me as being quite far from a Merteuile," Cora Graves said, thinking fast and dredging up literary references. It was the best way to impress him, she knew. Throw a word or two in his track and he'd get quite diverted.
"Oh, far from it I suppose. That would be her mother, Amelia. Though really, I shouldn't speak so of someone who finances so much of our little institution. And yet here you are," he said, with a shrug, "Back like a bad penny. You look like death warmed over, so it's good to know that nothing has changed."
"And how are your novels?" she asked, quirking a smile and sliding past to look at the grades. He loved to complain of his students and boast of his novels, and yet there was always something wrong with them, always some flaw to fix, and even at the end of a draft he'd frown over the sentences.
Dedicated, sure, but her interest in literature didn't extend far beyond a certain point, less from a lack of interest (though there was that) and more from a complete and utter lack of time. So she read his novels when he pressed her to, and went to the parties to celebrate them, but that wasn't the same as truly caring except for how it affected their friendship.
"Excellent, excellent, but I've hit a roadblock, and was perhaps hoping you could help," he said, "I've been having nightmares, rather bad ones, and more than that." He looked sly, "I've been curious about a rumor that's been mentioned of you, that your interest in certain things extends to voodoo or the like."
He looked at her and she smiled back, wondering at his curiosity. It wasn't that he wasn't curious, but the sharp edge to his words, the slight skepticism.
He'd believed her when she'd talked about her belief that a dream-catcher was a helpful aid to nightmares, and she'd of course helped him through them the last time he'd had them.
Perhaps that was why she thought she knew him so. She'd seen his dreams and nightmares laid bare, the creative processes churning up everything and nothing to try to create something. She'd seen that he had no idea, for all his savvy, of just what she was or what she would do. Let alone what she was capable of.
Yet now, he was suspicious. "You lost the dream catcher?"
"I believe I need a new one, could you promise me to get a new one?" he asked.
"Oh, of course," Cora Graves said, "I did have a few questions, however. I wanted to check up on how things were going, of course, but there was also a mutual friend of ours, the Dean of Students, who I've been wanting to look into."
Because there were several members of the university who were, in fact, Changelings. They had special needs, and in fact recieved student loans from the Freehold to help them advance. And so a web formed.
Cora had laid it all out once, and had been almost surprised by just how many people the Freehold ultimately relied upon to aid its members. A vast web, and at its center rested people like Cora.
"Oh, is that all? I wonder why," he chuckled, "But then you've always been mysterious indeed."
Something in his gaze said more than that. Something in the way he was looking made her wonder whether perhaps she should view his dreams a little more closely. It made her suspect that this was a different man.
Instinct supplied a few clues as she looked around the cluttered room. The novels and non-fiction all seemed to be a little more fantastic than the literary realism and experimental novels he'd preferred. There were signs even here, even in the daylight, through a mild headache, that she could see.
This was a changed man. And why wouldn't he be? This was a changed world. But it did mean she would have to be very careful around him. Thus far she had not seen any hints of real suspicion, but it was quite clear that the matter wouldn't be quite as simple.
For all she knew, this version of him wasn't even human, though if he wasn't, that would only open up more questions. It was best a matter to be brought up later.
Preferably only if she had to. Information was supposed to flow one way, not two ways, if it was at all possible.
*****
Amberly Hanz didn't know the details, but it was rather hard to miss the fact that while Amberly had slowly slid into middle-age with the same smoothness and care for details--and she was a woman whose rough edges existed to be sanded down and reshaped as needed--that had characterized the first half of her life, Cora Graves looked only somewhat older than when they'd first met.
Even that age was something of a function of looking less and less alive as the strength of her wyrd wrapped around her, comforted her in its power and yet disconcerted others, she knew.
"You really should go on to get a degree," Amberly Hanz said, "It always was your calling. I've been around the world, and yet for all of your interest…"
Cora Graves looked at her for a moment, taking in her blonde pixie-cut, her comfortable dress, and then said, "Is this what we're going to talk about?"
"The fact that people have disappeared and all of my published books have different details is rather hard to deal with, that is true," Amberly admitted with a shrug, as she paced up and down the classroom. "Cora, I don't know what's going on, and I know you are rather wrapped up in being mysterious, but I have more blackmail material than I could ever possibly need."
She was Cora's academic advisor, and while ambition had been a part of her life, as had mystery, since she'd gotten back from Arcadia, she'd been more open back then. She knew that Amberly Hanz would no more reveal it than she would use a slur, that woman who had experienced a dozen cultures and tried to understand everyone.
Cora Graves knew this, but her paranoia didn't, that moment of uncertainty that Amberly knew how to exploit. It was annoying, but she couldn't help but react.
"You wouldn't, you know," she said, "It seems that we've been...dislocated."
"Ah," Amberly said, and then she looked Cora up and down, "Dislocation. Can you tell me why I apparently received several death threats in Colombia twenty years ago according to reports? When as far as I know I've never been to Colombia?"
"Different world, different possibilities," Cora said, "Though most details seem to be the same."
Mrs. Hanz bit her lip, and for a moment Cora was able to see past any facade to the worry that laid buried underneath. But instead she sighed and said, "And you want my help navigating it."
"I want you to keep your eyes open," Cora said.
She stepped forward, her every step now a little more measured and said, "Would I believe it if I asked what's going on?"
"Probably not," Cora admitted.
"As I expected. By the way, you should come around sometime when there's not an issue to be had, I could use your help," she said.
"With what?"
"Grad students. Arrogant grad students," Amberly pointed out, "You could have even been one of them."
"I know, I know," Cora added.
*****
Academic Socialize (Nathan): 4 successes
Perception: 0 successes
Intelligent analysis: 5 successes
Perception: 0 successes
Intelligent analysis: 5 successes
A/N: So here we go. The next update will be the meeting, when I can get around to it. I hope this was alright, if short.
- Location
- Daybreak
So, who got the 100? Amberly?
It would explain her notice of the changes?
And Amberly's unknown past has her mixed up with something in South America. Red Court? Or one of the other factions?
Nevermind, it's Nathan? Or are there rolls already done, for the next snippet as well?
Edit: And that's a yes.
It would explain her notice of the changes?
And Amberly's unknown past has her mixed up with something in South America. Red Court? Or one of the other factions?
Nevermind, it's Nathan? Or are there rolls already done, for the next snippet as well?
Edit: And that's a yes.
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Nope, you haven't seen the 100 yet. That's the next update, on Saturday.
You'll know who got the hundred, then.
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Ghost to Ghost, Part 2
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Ghost to Ghost, Part 2: Get me to the Church
They meet in a church, because of course they do. Or rather, Cora Graves was not at all surprised to find that Lillian really thought that a church in the middle of the day was the best time and place to meet. It was empty at this time of day, and she could imagine the train of logic, the thoughts and feelings without strong evidence that must have gone into this. Holy symbols perhaps harm vampires--and in fact that could be vital information--but even so, in a place like this, surely.
The thought continued, reached its end and then did the twist it always did. Threshold theory. Could it be that the church in some way had a barrier to it, was this a test? Or a trap? In fact, the very way that Lillian had insisted on the daytime, as if Cora Graves might object, told more and more about her plans. Cora Graves didn't like the sensation, it felt far too much like she was walking into a trap. So she brought Jacques and Jeanne, and she just hoped that Lillian would react the proper way.
Let every rule tumble down, let every logical impossibility face her, Cora thought. And then we'll see what Lillian has planned. She downed a cup of coffee, and felt it run down her throat. Through her. It was impossible to quite describe, but it was as if the coffee was something far more potent and far more ancient. Ambrosia, and the feeling of it was so powerful that her mortal frame was almost vibrating with the unease.
The closer she got to doom, she knew, the more it'd feel as if she was shaking apart, as if all of the energy in the world was pushing through her until there was nothing left. She hated this Contract, and yet there was something almost addictive about the knowledge.
She was walking into a trap. She knew it as she stepped into the small protestant church. Protestant, not Catholic, if that meant anything, and Cora Graves was not going to take anything for granted.
"Jacques," she said, "If anything happens, you have liberty." Liberty to murder, liberty to steal bodies. To do whatever it took to protect her.
"Jeanne...keep an eye out, and if you see anything or anyone out of the ordinary, take a picture of it," she told the other girl. Jeanne had saluted, unlike Jacques, who just stared at her for a dark moment, lost in whatever thoughts he had.
They would go last. It was a nice enough little church, she supposed, rows and rows of pews, a baptismal font, everything so predictable, so boring. So obvious. She wasn't King Stoneguts, she didn't go to churches when she didn't have another choice less from any sort of hatred but from an extreme feeling of apathy…
But now, right now, she felt it stronger than ever. She was vibrating, she was falling apart.
She hated that feeling, hated it when it wasn't her choice. Because sometimes a person wanted to fall apart, wanted to fall to pieces and pick them up afterwards, but less and less now than before.
Control.
So when she looked at Lillian, knowing that the girl had betrayed her, had something planned, innocently or not, it frustrated her. The girl? She was old enough, the short, plump girl, holding her cross close to her chest, standing there next to the pew as Cora stepped slowly, listening to what there was to hear in the room.
She knew how big the church was, and she timed it perfectly.
Everything was planned. Put pressure on the ambush, throw off the lines and beats of the play, and see where it went. No, not quite that. Decide where it went.
She had suspected Lillian could be an ally, but the churning in her gut told her the truth.
As did the gasp when Jeanne and Jacques came through the door after her.
"What," Lillian said, "By god…"
"Not interested in gods," Cora said, "What is it?" She looked at Lillian, and her face was so blank that a thousand emotions could be read onto it. Including what she knew Lillian would see. Certainty.
"Those...those ghosts, it's day?"
"They are bound to me," Cora said.
"I prefer to think of it like we're besties!" Jeanne said, skipping forward, "Good to see you again Ms. Lillian. Um, are you sleeping okay?"
"...what?" Lillian asked.
"Jeanne is just worried," Cora said, almost sweetly, "It seemed as if you have been having bad dreams. Very good job on putting to rest the ghosts from the latest outbreak of gang warfare, it really was quite well done."
Lillian's eyes widened.
Yes. You are being watched, Cora thought, amused. She smiled slightly and said, "I approve of what has happened so far.
There was a creak.
Cora tried to pinpoint where it had come from, because she was now guessing that there was someone unseen...watching. Waiting.
But she didn't need to. "Jacques, Jeanne. Aisle by aisle. Start towards the middle, that's where they are."
"Where...who is?" Lillian asked, shivering.
"Oh, dear. I thought we got along so well," Cora said, and she imagined how Mayor Booster might say it. "I was hoping we'd be allies, and yet I heard it, the slightest creak, but I knew this was a trap from the start."
Lillian shook her head, "It isn't, I'm just--"
"I agreed to meet you, not you and whoever it is that was hiding from me." Cora took a step forward, closing the distance. "This is bad form."
"Get away from her," a smooth, somewhat deep female voice said, and Cora turned briefly to see who it was. A young woman, her dark hair in a french braid, in her twenties. She was of about average height, though she had clear skin and hard, dark eyes, features sharpened it seemed to a point. Then there was the necklace, surprisingly gaudy, that she wore, and the large earrings...and her hands.
She wore gloves and bangles on top of that, and the gloves seemed leather, but...odd.
What was more easily discernible is that the way she was pointing her hands meant the gloves were a weapon of some kind.
"It's fine," Lillian said, "Don't--"
"Listen, just because I left my broomstick and pointy hat at home doesn't mean I'm not a genuine, certified Wizard," the woman said, rolling her eyes.
"And for the first time in recorded history, the fact that someone isn't a Black Court Vampire is actually a scary thing. I don't know what she is, but...yeah."
She was staring at Cora.
"She has gems for eyes and writing that scrawls across pale, dead skin," the woman said, shaking her head, "She's dangerous, whatever she is. Perhaps even something new. I went to the Nevernever the other day and happened to stumble through a rip into a part of it that I've never, never seen in my life."
She tilted her head, as if trying the pun out for a moment, and Lillian groaned.
The nevernever?
Cora filed it away as she did many things and said, "Jacques, if she starts a fight, slaughter her."
The woman bristled, glaring over at the ghost, who wiped his shirt as if saying 'Yes.' And then nodded, no doubt muttering in french under his breath.
"So, you brought someone in…?" Cora began.
"It was just. You were--" Lillian said, her voice a squeak.
Well, wasn't this a fine mess.
What does Cora do/say?
[] Write-in.
*****
A/N: So, here we go.
I wonder if you can guess who rolled a Natural 100?
They meet in a church, because of course they do. Or rather, Cora Graves was not at all surprised to find that Lillian really thought that a church in the middle of the day was the best time and place to meet. It was empty at this time of day, and she could imagine the train of logic, the thoughts and feelings without strong evidence that must have gone into this. Holy symbols perhaps harm vampires--and in fact that could be vital information--but even so, in a place like this, surely.
The thought continued, reached its end and then did the twist it always did. Threshold theory. Could it be that the church in some way had a barrier to it, was this a test? Or a trap? In fact, the very way that Lillian had insisted on the daytime, as if Cora Graves might object, told more and more about her plans. Cora Graves didn't like the sensation, it felt far too much like she was walking into a trap. So she brought Jacques and Jeanne, and she just hoped that Lillian would react the proper way.
Let every rule tumble down, let every logical impossibility face her, Cora thought. And then we'll see what Lillian has planned. She downed a cup of coffee, and felt it run down her throat. Through her. It was impossible to quite describe, but it was as if the coffee was something far more potent and far more ancient. Ambrosia, and the feeling of it was so powerful that her mortal frame was almost vibrating with the unease.
The closer she got to doom, she knew, the more it'd feel as if she was shaking apart, as if all of the energy in the world was pushing through her until there was nothing left. She hated this Contract, and yet there was something almost addictive about the knowledge.
She was walking into a trap. She knew it as she stepped into the small protestant church. Protestant, not Catholic, if that meant anything, and Cora Graves was not going to take anything for granted.
"Jacques," she said, "If anything happens, you have liberty." Liberty to murder, liberty to steal bodies. To do whatever it took to protect her.
"Jeanne...keep an eye out, and if you see anything or anyone out of the ordinary, take a picture of it," she told the other girl. Jeanne had saluted, unlike Jacques, who just stared at her for a dark moment, lost in whatever thoughts he had.
They would go last. It was a nice enough little church, she supposed, rows and rows of pews, a baptismal font, everything so predictable, so boring. So obvious. She wasn't King Stoneguts, she didn't go to churches when she didn't have another choice less from any sort of hatred but from an extreme feeling of apathy…
But now, right now, she felt it stronger than ever. She was vibrating, she was falling apart.
She hated that feeling, hated it when it wasn't her choice. Because sometimes a person wanted to fall apart, wanted to fall to pieces and pick them up afterwards, but less and less now than before.
Control.
So when she looked at Lillian, knowing that the girl had betrayed her, had something planned, innocently or not, it frustrated her. The girl? She was old enough, the short, plump girl, holding her cross close to her chest, standing there next to the pew as Cora stepped slowly, listening to what there was to hear in the room.
She knew how big the church was, and she timed it perfectly.
Everything was planned. Put pressure on the ambush, throw off the lines and beats of the play, and see where it went. No, not quite that. Decide where it went.
She had suspected Lillian could be an ally, but the churning in her gut told her the truth.
As did the gasp when Jeanne and Jacques came through the door after her.
"What," Lillian said, "By god…"
"Not interested in gods," Cora said, "What is it?" She looked at Lillian, and her face was so blank that a thousand emotions could be read onto it. Including what she knew Lillian would see. Certainty.
"Those...those ghosts, it's day?"
"They are bound to me," Cora said.
"I prefer to think of it like we're besties!" Jeanne said, skipping forward, "Good to see you again Ms. Lillian. Um, are you sleeping okay?"
"...what?" Lillian asked.
"Jeanne is just worried," Cora said, almost sweetly, "It seemed as if you have been having bad dreams. Very good job on putting to rest the ghosts from the latest outbreak of gang warfare, it really was quite well done."
Lillian's eyes widened.
Yes. You are being watched, Cora thought, amused. She smiled slightly and said, "I approve of what has happened so far.
There was a creak.
Cora tried to pinpoint where it had come from, because she was now guessing that there was someone unseen...watching. Waiting.
But she didn't need to. "Jacques, Jeanne. Aisle by aisle. Start towards the middle, that's where they are."
"Where...who is?" Lillian asked, shivering.
"Oh, dear. I thought we got along so well," Cora said, and she imagined how Mayor Booster might say it. "I was hoping we'd be allies, and yet I heard it, the slightest creak, but I knew this was a trap from the start."
Lillian shook her head, "It isn't, I'm just--"
"I agreed to meet you, not you and whoever it is that was hiding from me." Cora took a step forward, closing the distance. "This is bad form."
"Get away from her," a smooth, somewhat deep female voice said, and Cora turned briefly to see who it was. A young woman, her dark hair in a french braid, in her twenties. She was of about average height, though she had clear skin and hard, dark eyes, features sharpened it seemed to a point. Then there was the necklace, surprisingly gaudy, that she wore, and the large earrings...and her hands.
She wore gloves and bangles on top of that, and the gloves seemed leather, but...odd.
What was more easily discernible is that the way she was pointing her hands meant the gloves were a weapon of some kind.
"It's fine," Lillian said, "Don't--"
"Listen, just because I left my broomstick and pointy hat at home doesn't mean I'm not a genuine, certified Wizard," the woman said, rolling her eyes.
"And for the first time in recorded history, the fact that someone isn't a Black Court Vampire is actually a scary thing. I don't know what she is, but...yeah."
She was staring at Cora.
"She has gems for eyes and writing that scrawls across pale, dead skin," the woman said, shaking her head, "She's dangerous, whatever she is. Perhaps even something new. I went to the Nevernever the other day and happened to stumble through a rip into a part of it that I've never, never seen in my life."
She tilted her head, as if trying the pun out for a moment, and Lillian groaned.
The nevernever?
Cora filed it away as she did many things and said, "Jacques, if she starts a fight, slaughter her."
The woman bristled, glaring over at the ghost, who wiped his shirt as if saying 'Yes.' And then nodded, no doubt muttering in french under his breath.
"So, you brought someone in…?" Cora began.
"It was just. You were--" Lillian said, her voice a squeak.
Well, wasn't this a fine mess.
What does Cora do/say?
[] Write-in.
*****
Sense the Inevitable Doom: 6 successes
Perception: 2 successes
Intimidate: 9 successes
Socialize: 1 success
Perception: 2 successes
Intimidate: 9 successes
Socialize: 1 success
A/N: So, here we go.
I wonder if you can guess who rolled a Natural 100?
[X] Take a seat, and maintain a poker face
-[X] She is a wizard then? Warn her about the Hedge, if she could indeed access it. The thorns are not kind to souls, and those who call themselves the Wise do like to overestimate the scope of their protections and understanding.
-[X] Now, could Lillian complete her sentence this time?
Not very sure what's the objective, but it looks like she opened a Way into the Hedge?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Read an earlier update this turn about the Rips.
- Location
- somewhere over there.
- Pronouns
- They/It
Honestly glad to see Lillian did this. She seems interesting, and taking this sort of precaution is a good thing for your continued survival. Also, considering that wizard lady just found a new area in the Nevernever, this is probably the best chance we'll have to freak someone out by telling them we're a seasonal monarch. I mean, we shouldn't, obviously, but it could be hilarious.
Ah, yeah...we need to get that information out there too before more people get abducted by the True Fae and we wind up blamed.
Other than that I'm not very sure of the meeting objective from Lillian's side hmm...
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Take a seat, and maintain a poker face
-[X] She is a wizard then? Warn her about the Hedge, if she could indeed access it. The thorns are not kind to souls, and those who call themselves the Wise do like to overestimate the scope of their protections and understanding.
-[X] Now, could Lillian complete her sentence this time?
Pokerface 2: Poke harder.
And yeah our monarch status needs to get dropped to a Wizard at some point, just for their reaction. But hopefully later, once we're established as a power? If we do it now they might come down on us.
-[X] She is a wizard then? Warn her about the Hedge, if she could indeed access it. The thorns are not kind to souls, and those who call themselves the Wise do like to overestimate the scope of their protections and understanding.
-[X] Now, could Lillian complete her sentence this time?
Pokerface 2: Poke harder.
And yeah our monarch status needs to get dropped to a Wizard at some point, just for their reaction. But hopefully later, once we're established as a power? If we do it now they might come down on us.
lkmcclenahan
That which doesn't kill me, only makes me stranger
- Location
- UK
[X] Take a seat, and maintain a poker face
-[X] She is a wizard then? Warn her about the Hedge, if she could indeed access it. The thorns are not kind to souls, and those who call themselves the Wise do like to overestimate the scope of their protections and understanding.
-[X] Now, could Lillian complete her sentence this time?
-[X] She is a wizard then? Warn her about the Hedge, if she could indeed access it. The thorns are not kind to souls, and those who call themselves the Wise do like to overestimate the scope of their protections and understanding.
-[X] Now, could Lillian complete her sentence this time?