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renferretNick, Val, and Mouse discuss the mystery that is Naomi, a strange knife, and the upcoming meeting with Jacinta.
Tenement Building - Roof(#1899RJ)
A low stone lip surrounds the edge of the building's flat roof, about three feet high. Though the stone is stained and filthy, scattered with pigeon droppings and the occasional bit of litter, it does provide an excellent view of the surrounding neighborhood.
Perhaps unexpectedly, there's a small garden that stretches along one side of the building, shielded from the street by height and the rooftop's stone lip. In stark contrast to the neighborhood itself, it appears well-tended.
A narrow structure near the center has a door which leads back down into the building's stairwell.
Contents:
Val
Nicodemus
Obvious exits:
Stairwell
Nicodemus is standing facing Val at a conversation distance. He looks upwards as Val goes through the raven linguistics, seemingly savoring the words. Then his gaze falls back on Val and the young raven escort. "Bartok is definitely more efficient in English." He wags a gloved finger playfully at the raven perched on Val's shoulder, as if conducting a member of an orchestra, but makes sure to not wave it close enough to be threatening or instigate biting behaviors. "I did get your e-mail. It seemed a little rambly--or I might have been a little fog-headed and preoccupied this morning. You found a knife that you want me to take a look at and you figured out what Naomi is?"
Mouse is never quiet in her approach these days, especially when it comes to the roof. She can easily be heard, and easily recognized, just by the sheer length of time it takes her to drag herself up the stairs, and it's very clear the Walker elder is coming up.
Val shakes her head and runs a hand through her hair. "I was tired at the time," Val admits. "And maybe a little sloshed. So it's not all that surprising that I went rambly on you. Sorry." She turns her head to look over at the stairs. "Mouse got the less rambly version. She sounds like she is having some trouble. Give her a hand up, then I can go over what I learned with both of you?"
Nicodemus notices the noises in the stairwell a second after Val. He hustles over to get the door for her. "Mouse. Val's up here, if you need to chat with her." He then adds, "I've nearly got your inversion table finished, too. Oh, and Riley knows about me now," he adds, almost as an afterthought.
Mouse stops on the second to the last stair and blinks owlishly for a moment, as if digesting all of that. "Okay," she says, and then drags herself up the rest of the way. She's in glabro, but she shifts down just as soon as she passes the doorway.
"Hey Mouse," Val greets, as the Walker Elder makes it on to the roof. "You get the messages I sent in your direction?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
427 From: Val At: Mon Jul 15 20:56:17 2013 (Conn)
Fldr : 0 Status: Unread
To : Mouse
Cc : Naomi
Subject: Naomi Runner
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Text Message from Val:
Hey!
That 'possible problem' Naomi Hunter claims to be one of your people, M. But, one that can't do the change anymore. She also seems to have some info on the people who stabbed KL. But, she isn't talking at me much. You should give her a call at ###-####.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nicodemus loiters near Mouse in case she needs mobility assistance, letting the Walker elder and Val discuss the contents of the e-mail Val sent while he remains silent. Also? Some idiot seems to have left a Magic 8-ball over next to one of the rooftop planters.
Mouse gently rubs the bridge of her nose. "You were a little vague," she replies, giving the 8-ball a brief glance. "Naomi's one of mine in that she's Garou, or one of mine in that she's former Walker?"
Val hmms. "Depends on if you'd still consider her Garou or not. What she claims and Truth of Gaia backs this up. That and the fact that she strikes me as a terrible liar. She says that she used to be a Glass Walker Ragabash. Then, something screwed with her and she lost the ability to shift. Been playing at being 'human' ever since and been very close mouthed about what actually happened to her. She did say that she has kept one contact from her old life, but she's keeping that detail to herself as well."
Nicodemus finishes accompanying Mouse to where she's heading before he goes to collect the plastic toy abandoned on the ground. "Smells fishy," the paranoid mage claims. "Truth of Gaia isn't infallable, according to Salem; and some people," he says, naming no names nor providing any examples, "have means of wiggling around that particular gift." He looks to Mouse. "Could be a fishing expedition," he cautions.
"That sounds suspicious," Mouse says, without preamble, though she sounds more curious than angry. She nods at Nick's mention of Truth of Gaia not being infallible. "The most likely cause of that is a punishment rite, and Garou don't tend to use it without a good reason, let alone permanently. If the tribe let her go..." she doesn't finish her observation out loud, but her lips purse. "What do we know about her?"
The raven on Val's shoulder starts messing with her hair and the small woman lists a hand to shove the beak aside in a distracted manner. "Well, I said as much in the mail I sent Nick. Think I did, anyway. One way or another, I said I'd arrange for you to get in contact with her. Hence the phone number. Maybe she can give you something that can actually, you know, be followed up on. She was pushing real hard for the names of those in charge, including yours, which wasn't making me much of a happy camper. Not that I gave her anything."
"It does sound extremely suspicious," Nick says, nearly echoing Mouse's words. "We know she's military. Or at least claims to be so. Sniper. Nickname of 'Glitch.' Maybe--if her story checks out--that was her garou name?" The inflections in Nick's voice seem to indicate he thinks that is probably unlikely. "She's asked me about rates for hiring my PI firm to locate people here in St. Clair, and she's asked if we've ever found ourselves in situations where we've taken cases that resulted in us getting in over our heads." He shakes his head in a negative gesture. "She asks a lot of questions and gives almost nothing in return. Personally?" And here Nick pauses for a moment. "Personally? She seems like she might be a Hunter. Someone with just enough knowledge to be dangerous. Not... entirely a regular human, though. There's something slightly amiss about her aura. I can't put my finger on it." He looks from Mouse to Val and then back again. "I'd suggested earlier having someone Dreamwalk her. But apparently there's weren't many garou around at the time who could do that." He raises a gloved hand to scratch with a finger behind his right ear, the action signifying contemplation. "I might be able to do that. I don't want to, and I don't like the idea of it, but I suppose if I'm not overly invasive about it...." He lets that hang in the air, clearly uncertain about exercising that particular option.
"Hmnn," is Mouse's initial response. "Let me see what I can glean from her first. If she wants to play cloak and dagger, she's not the only one who can do that around here. But Val, I need someone to make sure that she doesn't know more than she's letting on. I need to know if there's even the slightest hint of the Tenement being compromised, so if you could make sure to let anyone she's aware of know that they're not to lead her back here in any fashion...?"
"She has shown some bits of knowledge that seems to show a broader base of than I would expect from a Hunter," Val says and fingers the chest feathers of the bird on her shoulder. "Not that this doesn't mean she isn't a well informed one. She flat out stated that she knew Jeremiah was Garou and had been punished for something with Voice of the Jackal. Garou I asked to do the Dreamwalking seems to have skipped town, so that is a bust. And Nick, if she is willing to give Mouse the name of this 'Garou-contact' from her old life over the phone, maybe we can actually do a proper check on her. If she isn't willing to do that much, well..." The small woman shrugs and her companion complains rather loudly about the movement in his seat, causing the small woman to wince. "Well, unfortunately, she managed to get involves in something that she wasn't supposed too and that's why I started chatting her up and trying to weasel some information out of her."
Nicodemus considers Val's words, nodding slightly. "She does seem to know an aweful lot about the garou. That could mean her story holds water, or it could mean she--or whoever taught her--is excellent at what they do." He shrugs at this point. "The contact might be a staged or coerced reference. But... I don't know." He looks to Mouse as if she might know the answer.
"We can find out," Mouse replies, with a calm confidence. "If there's one thing Glass Walkers are good at, it's networking. And if we can get a general idea of where exactly she lost her wolf, or where exactly her contact might be, that might very well get us the details of what happened to her, if it was a Garou punishment. Because if /Garou/ are good at anything, it's letting everyone know when you fucked up."
Val nods. "She is giving me crap-all, so I'm gonna back off for now. I was trying to talk her in to coming on a little side trip with me for about a day, but she hardly seemed keen on the idea. Going to be meeting up with about eight or nine different Corax in the near future. Thought that one of them might recognize her, if she is bad news. But, yea, she is an unknown. The run-down kinda goes like this," Val says, lifting up a finger. "One, she just happened to be standing next to me when Lin, that Gaian Kin, turns out to be a Gaian cub, and decided to shift and try to eat my face. She watched Charlene shift and get the new cub unconscious. Her first reaction when Lin flipped, was to grab the back of my shirt and try and drag me out of claw range. She did not suffer from Delirium and it was pretty clear that I didn't, either. She got this slightly panicked worried look on her face, then she dropped me like a hot potato and bolted out of the area. Unsurprisingly, I followed."
Mouse blinks slowly. "Yeah, but Val," she points out, "wouldn't that lead to her being able to recognize them? At the very least, she'd know you had that many Corax friends nearby. I'm not sure that's remotely--wait, hold on." The Walker elder abruptly interrupts herself. "/Lin/? Terminus Lin? In a wheelchair?"
Nicodemus simply exhales at Val's description as to what happened. He then thins his lips and adds no comments of his own, looking between Mouse and Val as they hash things out.
"Well, yea," Val says, sounding surprised that Mouse didn't know this already. "Didn't any of the other Garou let you know? Charlene hauled her butt over to Edgewood. I called up Steele as soon as I had a free minute and we worked out a coverup, since it happened in his park."
Mouse snorts loudly. "Of /course/ nobody let me know, why the hell would anyone let the Elder of the Glass Walkers know about a veil breach in a goddamned city park, you're talking crazy talk. Jesus tapdancing Christ on a fucking cracker." She takes a moment to let out a slightly heavier than usual breath. "Do you know what the Gaians are planning to do?"
The raven on Val's shoulder reacts to the snort by trying to mimic the sound and doing a passable job of it. Val simply smirks, not entirely able to hide her amusement. "Sorry. I'll make certain /I/ tell you next time. I figured that someone would let you in on what was happening and I was kinda busy with Naomi and helping Steele cone up with a decent cover story. Someone really does owe that man a proper thanyou for that, if you can manage something. And with the Corax I was gonna have look at her... These guys are hardly from close by," Val says, lips pursing. "They're from a few places. Some from a ways off. They're coming in for something specific, then they're off again. And well, ravens. We all look the same to a human. As for Lin, I have no idea what the Gaians plan."
Mouse shakes her head very slightly. "But as we've been discussing, she's likely not human. Coming in, as in here? St. Claire?"
Nicodemus keeps silent and listens to the two shifters discussing current events. Seems he's a little out of the loop as well.
"She hasn't shown any ability to pick out a shifter from a crowd, so I'm not particularly worried Mouse," Val says. "It's not like the intent was to have them hop up and introduce themselves. We're good at keeping ourselves hidden and safe Mouse. These aren't kids, but Corax who've been around for awhile. We know what we're doing. She'd only ever see me. Anyway. We're still talking. One or two might pass through here, but we're headed for Spokane."
Mouse's expression turns briefly irritable. "I wasn't saying you were incompetent, I was telling you to be careful. All we've got are theories and her word right now, and no real guarantee that she's as depowered as she says she is, or as on her own as it seems." She passes her hand over her face. "Spokane? Why Spokane?"
Nicodemus looks between the two shifters as if he might be at a tennis match. He stays silent though, apparently having little or nothing to contribute to the discussion at the moment.
Val sighs and runs a hand through her hair, then gives the raven on her shoulder a little shove, forcing the corvid to find a perch elsewhere. "Buzz off Bartok, you're getting heavy," she tells the bird. The bird lands on the edge of the roof, then starts to waddle towards Nicodemus and seems to be particularly interested in the Mage's shoes. "We'll be careful Mouse. You'll have to excuse me if I'm a little crabby. It's been a busy week. With Naomi, there are little things that make me think her story holds some water. That or she has one hell of a good teacher and is an amazing actress. Did mention that we'd come across a situation where a Garou had lost the ability to shift after getting stuck with a Magic knife. Was trying to get her to tell me what had happened to her, but she freaked when I mentioned the thing. Started demanding to know where the Knife was. She knows something. But again, she isn't talking to me. Maybe you'll have more successes with that. If no one has told you yet, Mouse. KL is back in town. She showed up with a knife in her spine and now, she can't shift anymore. She was hunting people who were stealing kids. I took a peek at the Knife and it has Spirit Magic in it. Along with a few other flavors, but I wasn't able to pick out what they were exactly. Trying to talk them in to letting me borrow it for a day or two, for 'further study.' Which basically translates in to handing it to you, Nick. As for Spokane, it's bird business. There are two Buzzards out that way. I have their names. We don't take kindly to Egg Thieves. There is another one in Seattle, but he's tightly tied to the local Spirals, older, and fairly powerful. Going after him would be very dangerous. So, one step at a time."
Mouse narrows one eye, but she doesn't interrupt Val until the Corax appears finished. "I heard something about a knife, but I haven't seen it yet. I think it's a long shot to think they might lend it to you though, Val." She looks toward Nicodemus now. "And lending it to Nick is probably a really really bad idea before we get this thing with Jacinta settled. The last thing this situation needs is her finding out Nick's having a look at something that could easily kill us, before she's had a chance to meet him."
Nicodemus eyes the raven and gives a gentle shooing motion with his foot when he deems it's gotten too close. "If that knife isn't a fetish, then it might be a talisman--sort of the warper's equivalence of a fetish. I doubt any of you would be able to use it, much like it's rare for warpers to be able to use fetishes. But if it is a talisman and it messed up this KL person?" Nick hesitates for effect here, "Letting me examine it might let me unmake whatever hexed KL. Assuming it's true magic." He nods, albiet begrudgingly, to Mouse. "Yeah, let's wait until after meeting Jacinta. I'd prefer to not look like I was a threat. That generally doesn't go over well with garou."
Val nods. "Right. Was honestly figuring that you'd be more likely to be allowed to study it Mouse, but thought that asking couldn't hurt. And yes, waiting is good. No sense in making things more complicated than they already are. Anyway. I'll warn the folks that seem to have attracted Naomi's attention and tell them to be careful. That includes me, Lefty, Jeremiah, and Charlene. Nick, you and Riley should keep an eye out for her as well, just because you're kinda linked to me." The raven hunkers down as the show comes close, then makes a grab at the footware.
Mouse nods a Nick. "Oh, I understand--and if it is a mage artifact, by all means, I know we aren't great at figuring them out already. I just...damage control, yeah?"
The raven gets a shoelace, pulls, and undoes the knot as it begins tugging. Nick uses his right hand to make a dismissive gesture at the bird and it suddenly ceases and backs off. Apparently that shoe was not as exciting as it initially looked. Nick looks to Mouse. "If I found a fetish that belonged to the garou, I'd give it to them. In fact, I've done so in the past. If it turns out to be a Mage artifact, I'd like to think it'd be given back to a Mage rather than kept or destroyed by the Garou. That would be a useful tool for defending against a Spiral." He hefts the 8-ball he's been holding in his left hand. "In case we get visitors from Seattle. Or the next time something ugly shows up on my doorstep with plans for a home invasion."
Val mmms, eyes going to the raven that has decided to occupy itself in one of the garden beds. "Well, you two can figure that out. That idea does make me kinda nervous Nick and I know you well. Anyway. I'll catch you two later. I still have some calls to make."
"It may not be my decision," Mouse points out. "Especially since KL is involved. But I'll do what I can." A flicker of curiosity crosses her features. "I wonder if it just prevents shifting, or if it actually forces you back to breed form. KL is homid, obviously." Val gets a nod from her, but that thoughtful look doesn't leave. "The next time that happens," she tells Nick, "If that happens, when it happens, you have a few uglies of your own as calvary. I know that seconds matter, this isn't me saying this thing, if it's a talisman, wouldn't save your life...it's just me saying we're here for you too."
Nicodemus makes a vague farewell gesture with his right hand, accompanied by a nod, towards Val. "Take care, Val. And thanks for telling Riley for me. I appreciate it--and still owe you two dinners." To Mouse he says, "Precisely why I temporarily relocated to the tenement earlier, and precisely why I relocated back again recently. There's less likelihood of someone trying to take a shot at me here--even if it's someone from the sept right here. I wouldn't be the first friendly warper the locals gutted."
"It makes my life easier," Val tells nick with a smile, before shifting in to feathers and taking off. She's joined by Bartok a moment later.
"Considering our lives, I wouldn't say it's /less/ likely," Mouse says, rather dry. Her tone and demeanor becomes serious. "Yes, well, but you /would/ be the first one I started a goddamned war over. You're my kin. No one harms you. And if they somehow manage it anyway, they won't live long enough to boast about it."
"And that door swings both ways," Nick assures you in return. Then he hesitates and couches his words. "Okay, I wouldn't kill them." He admits. "But I might make their lives miserable, put them at a disadvantage, or--say--quietly replace all the gunpowder in their silver bullets with inert soil when they're not looking." He adds, "And I'd prefer that wars not be fought over me. If Jacinta says I have to stay out of the woods, I'll put my place up for sale, watch over the Walkers in the city, and the rest of the locals can go sit and spin."
Mouse's mouth briefly twists up at that assurance. "Staying out of the woods is one thing, trying to kill you is another. I don't believe Jacinta would. She's not someone to break her word. But that doesn't mean I let anyone kill my tribe's kin, either."
"I don't think Jacinta's out to kill me either. Otherwise? She'd have probably just done it without ever talking to you. And if someone does give it a go?" Nick purses his lips, clearly not thrilled with the idea. "I'll see about incapacitating them, if at all possible, and then give you and Salem a call to come collect them." He hesitates a moment, then inquires, "Do you think Jacinta is lumping me in with the mage-shamans she mentioned were sometimes accepted within her tribe?"
Mouse shakes her head. "Not by much, if she is at all. You're not terribly Wendigo in...any definition of the word. But I think she is drawing a line between good mages and evil mages, or if you prefer, between mages that are actively or inactively harmful toward us and our goals, and mages that either mean us no harm or actively work to help us."
"Well," Nick says. "The local Glass Walkers have one working with them. The sept doesn't. Unless a Glass Walker is involved in, say, a risky ritual to re-awaken a dead caern or somesuch." He offers a brief wink. "We'll see how it goes with Jacinta." He then points out, "I strained relations between you and her. Anything I can do to maybe help patch those back up when she and I meet?"
Mouse responds with another negative. "No. And honestly, it wasn't you. It was always my decision. The best thing you can do now is to just be straightforward and honest with her."
Nicodemus raises his eyebrows slightly. "This'll be an interesting meeting, for sure." He takes a deep breath, then exhales slowly. "I think I'm going to turn in for the night, get up early, and finish assembling that inversion table for you. It should help to redirect the stresses you've got on your spinal fractures and--hopefully--give you a little more relief and mobility. Should be ready by lunch tomorrow."
Tenement Building - Roof(#1899RJ)
A low stone lip surrounds the edge of the building's flat roof, about three feet high. Though the stone is stained and filthy, scattered with pigeon droppings and the occasional bit of litter, it does provide an excellent view of the surrounding neighborhood.
Perhaps unexpectedly, there's a small garden that stretches along one side of the building, shielded from the street by height and the rooftop's stone lip. In stark contrast to the neighborhood itself, it appears well-tended.
A narrow structure near the center has a door which leads back down into the building's stairwell.
Contents:
Val
Nicodemus
Obvious exits:
Stairwell
Nicodemus is standing facing Val at a conversation distance. He looks upwards as Val goes through the raven linguistics, seemingly savoring the words. Then his gaze falls back on Val and the young raven escort. "Bartok is definitely more efficient in English." He wags a gloved finger playfully at the raven perched on Val's shoulder, as if conducting a member of an orchestra, but makes sure to not wave it close enough to be threatening or instigate biting behaviors. "I did get your e-mail. It seemed a little rambly--or I might have been a little fog-headed and preoccupied this morning. You found a knife that you want me to take a look at and you figured out what Naomi is?"
Mouse is never quiet in her approach these days, especially when it comes to the roof. She can easily be heard, and easily recognized, just by the sheer length of time it takes her to drag herself up the stairs, and it's very clear the Walker elder is coming up.
Val shakes her head and runs a hand through her hair. "I was tired at the time," Val admits. "And maybe a little sloshed. So it's not all that surprising that I went rambly on you. Sorry." She turns her head to look over at the stairs. "Mouse got the less rambly version. She sounds like she is having some trouble. Give her a hand up, then I can go over what I learned with both of you?"
Nicodemus notices the noises in the stairwell a second after Val. He hustles over to get the door for her. "Mouse. Val's up here, if you need to chat with her." He then adds, "I've nearly got your inversion table finished, too. Oh, and Riley knows about me now," he adds, almost as an afterthought.
Mouse stops on the second to the last stair and blinks owlishly for a moment, as if digesting all of that. "Okay," she says, and then drags herself up the rest of the way. She's in glabro, but she shifts down just as soon as she passes the doorway.
"Hey Mouse," Val greets, as the Walker Elder makes it on to the roof. "You get the messages I sent in your direction?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
427 From: Val At: Mon Jul 15 20:56:17 2013 (Conn)
Fldr : 0 Status: Unread
To : Mouse
Cc : Naomi
Subject: Naomi Runner
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Text Message from Val:
Hey!
That 'possible problem' Naomi Hunter claims to be one of your people, M. But, one that can't do the change anymore. She also seems to have some info on the people who stabbed KL. But, she isn't talking at me much. You should give her a call at ###-####.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nicodemus loiters near Mouse in case she needs mobility assistance, letting the Walker elder and Val discuss the contents of the e-mail Val sent while he remains silent. Also? Some idiot seems to have left a Magic 8-ball over next to one of the rooftop planters.
Mouse gently rubs the bridge of her nose. "You were a little vague," she replies, giving the 8-ball a brief glance. "Naomi's one of mine in that she's Garou, or one of mine in that she's former Walker?"
Val hmms. "Depends on if you'd still consider her Garou or not. What she claims and Truth of Gaia backs this up. That and the fact that she strikes me as a terrible liar. She says that she used to be a Glass Walker Ragabash. Then, something screwed with her and she lost the ability to shift. Been playing at being 'human' ever since and been very close mouthed about what actually happened to her. She did say that she has kept one contact from her old life, but she's keeping that detail to herself as well."
Nicodemus finishes accompanying Mouse to where she's heading before he goes to collect the plastic toy abandoned on the ground. "Smells fishy," the paranoid mage claims. "Truth of Gaia isn't infallable, according to Salem; and some people," he says, naming no names nor providing any examples, "have means of wiggling around that particular gift." He looks to Mouse. "Could be a fishing expedition," he cautions.
"That sounds suspicious," Mouse says, without preamble, though she sounds more curious than angry. She nods at Nick's mention of Truth of Gaia not being infallible. "The most likely cause of that is a punishment rite, and Garou don't tend to use it without a good reason, let alone permanently. If the tribe let her go..." she doesn't finish her observation out loud, but her lips purse. "What do we know about her?"
The raven on Val's shoulder starts messing with her hair and the small woman lists a hand to shove the beak aside in a distracted manner. "Well, I said as much in the mail I sent Nick. Think I did, anyway. One way or another, I said I'd arrange for you to get in contact with her. Hence the phone number. Maybe she can give you something that can actually, you know, be followed up on. She was pushing real hard for the names of those in charge, including yours, which wasn't making me much of a happy camper. Not that I gave her anything."
"It does sound extremely suspicious," Nick says, nearly echoing Mouse's words. "We know she's military. Or at least claims to be so. Sniper. Nickname of 'Glitch.' Maybe--if her story checks out--that was her garou name?" The inflections in Nick's voice seem to indicate he thinks that is probably unlikely. "She's asked me about rates for hiring my PI firm to locate people here in St. Clair, and she's asked if we've ever found ourselves in situations where we've taken cases that resulted in us getting in over our heads." He shakes his head in a negative gesture. "She asks a lot of questions and gives almost nothing in return. Personally?" And here Nick pauses for a moment. "Personally? She seems like she might be a Hunter. Someone with just enough knowledge to be dangerous. Not... entirely a regular human, though. There's something slightly amiss about her aura. I can't put my finger on it." He looks from Mouse to Val and then back again. "I'd suggested earlier having someone Dreamwalk her. But apparently there's weren't many garou around at the time who could do that." He raises a gloved hand to scratch with a finger behind his right ear, the action signifying contemplation. "I might be able to do that. I don't want to, and I don't like the idea of it, but I suppose if I'm not overly invasive about it...." He lets that hang in the air, clearly uncertain about exercising that particular option.
"Hmnn," is Mouse's initial response. "Let me see what I can glean from her first. If she wants to play cloak and dagger, she's not the only one who can do that around here. But Val, I need someone to make sure that she doesn't know more than she's letting on. I need to know if there's even the slightest hint of the Tenement being compromised, so if you could make sure to let anyone she's aware of know that they're not to lead her back here in any fashion...?"
"She has shown some bits of knowledge that seems to show a broader base of than I would expect from a Hunter," Val says and fingers the chest feathers of the bird on her shoulder. "Not that this doesn't mean she isn't a well informed one. She flat out stated that she knew Jeremiah was Garou and had been punished for something with Voice of the Jackal. Garou I asked to do the Dreamwalking seems to have skipped town, so that is a bust. And Nick, if she is willing to give Mouse the name of this 'Garou-contact' from her old life over the phone, maybe we can actually do a proper check on her. If she isn't willing to do that much, well..." The small woman shrugs and her companion complains rather loudly about the movement in his seat, causing the small woman to wince. "Well, unfortunately, she managed to get involves in something that she wasn't supposed too and that's why I started chatting her up and trying to weasel some information out of her."
Nicodemus considers Val's words, nodding slightly. "She does seem to know an aweful lot about the garou. That could mean her story holds water, or it could mean she--or whoever taught her--is excellent at what they do." He shrugs at this point. "The contact might be a staged or coerced reference. But... I don't know." He looks to Mouse as if she might know the answer.
"We can find out," Mouse replies, with a calm confidence. "If there's one thing Glass Walkers are good at, it's networking. And if we can get a general idea of where exactly she lost her wolf, or where exactly her contact might be, that might very well get us the details of what happened to her, if it was a Garou punishment. Because if /Garou/ are good at anything, it's letting everyone know when you fucked up."
Val nods. "She is giving me crap-all, so I'm gonna back off for now. I was trying to talk her in to coming on a little side trip with me for about a day, but she hardly seemed keen on the idea. Going to be meeting up with about eight or nine different Corax in the near future. Thought that one of them might recognize her, if she is bad news. But, yea, she is an unknown. The run-down kinda goes like this," Val says, lifting up a finger. "One, she just happened to be standing next to me when Lin, that Gaian Kin, turns out to be a Gaian cub, and decided to shift and try to eat my face. She watched Charlene shift and get the new cub unconscious. Her first reaction when Lin flipped, was to grab the back of my shirt and try and drag me out of claw range. She did not suffer from Delirium and it was pretty clear that I didn't, either. She got this slightly panicked worried look on her face, then she dropped me like a hot potato and bolted out of the area. Unsurprisingly, I followed."
Mouse blinks slowly. "Yeah, but Val," she points out, "wouldn't that lead to her being able to recognize them? At the very least, she'd know you had that many Corax friends nearby. I'm not sure that's remotely--wait, hold on." The Walker elder abruptly interrupts herself. "/Lin/? Terminus Lin? In a wheelchair?"
Nicodemus simply exhales at Val's description as to what happened. He then thins his lips and adds no comments of his own, looking between Mouse and Val as they hash things out.
"Well, yea," Val says, sounding surprised that Mouse didn't know this already. "Didn't any of the other Garou let you know? Charlene hauled her butt over to Edgewood. I called up Steele as soon as I had a free minute and we worked out a coverup, since it happened in his park."
Mouse snorts loudly. "Of /course/ nobody let me know, why the hell would anyone let the Elder of the Glass Walkers know about a veil breach in a goddamned city park, you're talking crazy talk. Jesus tapdancing Christ on a fucking cracker." She takes a moment to let out a slightly heavier than usual breath. "Do you know what the Gaians are planning to do?"
The raven on Val's shoulder reacts to the snort by trying to mimic the sound and doing a passable job of it. Val simply smirks, not entirely able to hide her amusement. "Sorry. I'll make certain /I/ tell you next time. I figured that someone would let you in on what was happening and I was kinda busy with Naomi and helping Steele cone up with a decent cover story. Someone really does owe that man a proper thanyou for that, if you can manage something. And with the Corax I was gonna have look at her... These guys are hardly from close by," Val says, lips pursing. "They're from a few places. Some from a ways off. They're coming in for something specific, then they're off again. And well, ravens. We all look the same to a human. As for Lin, I have no idea what the Gaians plan."
Mouse shakes her head very slightly. "But as we've been discussing, she's likely not human. Coming in, as in here? St. Claire?"
Nicodemus keeps silent and listens to the two shifters discussing current events. Seems he's a little out of the loop as well.
"She hasn't shown any ability to pick out a shifter from a crowd, so I'm not particularly worried Mouse," Val says. "It's not like the intent was to have them hop up and introduce themselves. We're good at keeping ourselves hidden and safe Mouse. These aren't kids, but Corax who've been around for awhile. We know what we're doing. She'd only ever see me. Anyway. We're still talking. One or two might pass through here, but we're headed for Spokane."
Mouse's expression turns briefly irritable. "I wasn't saying you were incompetent, I was telling you to be careful. All we've got are theories and her word right now, and no real guarantee that she's as depowered as she says she is, or as on her own as it seems." She passes her hand over her face. "Spokane? Why Spokane?"
Nicodemus looks between the two shifters as if he might be at a tennis match. He stays silent though, apparently having little or nothing to contribute to the discussion at the moment.
Val sighs and runs a hand through her hair, then gives the raven on her shoulder a little shove, forcing the corvid to find a perch elsewhere. "Buzz off Bartok, you're getting heavy," she tells the bird. The bird lands on the edge of the roof, then starts to waddle towards Nicodemus and seems to be particularly interested in the Mage's shoes. "We'll be careful Mouse. You'll have to excuse me if I'm a little crabby. It's been a busy week. With Naomi, there are little things that make me think her story holds some water. That or she has one hell of a good teacher and is an amazing actress. Did mention that we'd come across a situation where a Garou had lost the ability to shift after getting stuck with a Magic knife. Was trying to get her to tell me what had happened to her, but she freaked when I mentioned the thing. Started demanding to know where the Knife was. She knows something. But again, she isn't talking to me. Maybe you'll have more successes with that. If no one has told you yet, Mouse. KL is back in town. She showed up with a knife in her spine and now, she can't shift anymore. She was hunting people who were stealing kids. I took a peek at the Knife and it has Spirit Magic in it. Along with a few other flavors, but I wasn't able to pick out what they were exactly. Trying to talk them in to letting me borrow it for a day or two, for 'further study.' Which basically translates in to handing it to you, Nick. As for Spokane, it's bird business. There are two Buzzards out that way. I have their names. We don't take kindly to Egg Thieves. There is another one in Seattle, but he's tightly tied to the local Spirals, older, and fairly powerful. Going after him would be very dangerous. So, one step at a time."
Mouse narrows one eye, but she doesn't interrupt Val until the Corax appears finished. "I heard something about a knife, but I haven't seen it yet. I think it's a long shot to think they might lend it to you though, Val." She looks toward Nicodemus now. "And lending it to Nick is probably a really really bad idea before we get this thing with Jacinta settled. The last thing this situation needs is her finding out Nick's having a look at something that could easily kill us, before she's had a chance to meet him."
Nicodemus eyes the raven and gives a gentle shooing motion with his foot when he deems it's gotten too close. "If that knife isn't a fetish, then it might be a talisman--sort of the warper's equivalence of a fetish. I doubt any of you would be able to use it, much like it's rare for warpers to be able to use fetishes. But if it is a talisman and it messed up this KL person?" Nick hesitates for effect here, "Letting me examine it might let me unmake whatever hexed KL. Assuming it's true magic." He nods, albiet begrudgingly, to Mouse. "Yeah, let's wait until after meeting Jacinta. I'd prefer to not look like I was a threat. That generally doesn't go over well with garou."
Val nods. "Right. Was honestly figuring that you'd be more likely to be allowed to study it Mouse, but thought that asking couldn't hurt. And yes, waiting is good. No sense in making things more complicated than they already are. Anyway. I'll warn the folks that seem to have attracted Naomi's attention and tell them to be careful. That includes me, Lefty, Jeremiah, and Charlene. Nick, you and Riley should keep an eye out for her as well, just because you're kinda linked to me." The raven hunkers down as the show comes close, then makes a grab at the footware.
Mouse nods a Nick. "Oh, I understand--and if it is a mage artifact, by all means, I know we aren't great at figuring them out already. I just...damage control, yeah?"
The raven gets a shoelace, pulls, and undoes the knot as it begins tugging. Nick uses his right hand to make a dismissive gesture at the bird and it suddenly ceases and backs off. Apparently that shoe was not as exciting as it initially looked. Nick looks to Mouse. "If I found a fetish that belonged to the garou, I'd give it to them. In fact, I've done so in the past. If it turns out to be a Mage artifact, I'd like to think it'd be given back to a Mage rather than kept or destroyed by the Garou. That would be a useful tool for defending against a Spiral." He hefts the 8-ball he's been holding in his left hand. "In case we get visitors from Seattle. Or the next time something ugly shows up on my doorstep with plans for a home invasion."
Val mmms, eyes going to the raven that has decided to occupy itself in one of the garden beds. "Well, you two can figure that out. That idea does make me kinda nervous Nick and I know you well. Anyway. I'll catch you two later. I still have some calls to make."
"It may not be my decision," Mouse points out. "Especially since KL is involved. But I'll do what I can." A flicker of curiosity crosses her features. "I wonder if it just prevents shifting, or if it actually forces you back to breed form. KL is homid, obviously." Val gets a nod from her, but that thoughtful look doesn't leave. "The next time that happens," she tells Nick, "If that happens, when it happens, you have a few uglies of your own as calvary. I know that seconds matter, this isn't me saying this thing, if it's a talisman, wouldn't save your life...it's just me saying we're here for you too."
Nicodemus makes a vague farewell gesture with his right hand, accompanied by a nod, towards Val. "Take care, Val. And thanks for telling Riley for me. I appreciate it--and still owe you two dinners." To Mouse he says, "Precisely why I temporarily relocated to the tenement earlier, and precisely why I relocated back again recently. There's less likelihood of someone trying to take a shot at me here--even if it's someone from the sept right here. I wouldn't be the first friendly warper the locals gutted."
"It makes my life easier," Val tells nick with a smile, before shifting in to feathers and taking off. She's joined by Bartok a moment later.
"Considering our lives, I wouldn't say it's /less/ likely," Mouse says, rather dry. Her tone and demeanor becomes serious. "Yes, well, but you /would/ be the first one I started a goddamned war over. You're my kin. No one harms you. And if they somehow manage it anyway, they won't live long enough to boast about it."
"And that door swings both ways," Nick assures you in return. Then he hesitates and couches his words. "Okay, I wouldn't kill them." He admits. "But I might make their lives miserable, put them at a disadvantage, or--say--quietly replace all the gunpowder in their silver bullets with inert soil when they're not looking." He adds, "And I'd prefer that wars not be fought over me. If Jacinta says I have to stay out of the woods, I'll put my place up for sale, watch over the Walkers in the city, and the rest of the locals can go sit and spin."
Mouse's mouth briefly twists up at that assurance. "Staying out of the woods is one thing, trying to kill you is another. I don't believe Jacinta would. She's not someone to break her word. But that doesn't mean I let anyone kill my tribe's kin, either."
"I don't think Jacinta's out to kill me either. Otherwise? She'd have probably just done it without ever talking to you. And if someone does give it a go?" Nick purses his lips, clearly not thrilled with the idea. "I'll see about incapacitating them, if at all possible, and then give you and Salem a call to come collect them." He hesitates a moment, then inquires, "Do you think Jacinta is lumping me in with the mage-shamans she mentioned were sometimes accepted within her tribe?"
Mouse shakes her head. "Not by much, if she is at all. You're not terribly Wendigo in...any definition of the word. But I think she is drawing a line between good mages and evil mages, or if you prefer, between mages that are actively or inactively harmful toward us and our goals, and mages that either mean us no harm or actively work to help us."
"Well," Nick says. "The local Glass Walkers have one working with them. The sept doesn't. Unless a Glass Walker is involved in, say, a risky ritual to re-awaken a dead caern or somesuch." He offers a brief wink. "We'll see how it goes with Jacinta." He then points out, "I strained relations between you and her. Anything I can do to maybe help patch those back up when she and I meet?"
Mouse responds with another negative. "No. And honestly, it wasn't you. It was always my decision. The best thing you can do now is to just be straightforward and honest with her."
Nicodemus raises his eyebrows slightly. "This'll be an interesting meeting, for sure." He takes a deep breath, then exhales slowly. "I think I'm going to turn in for the night, get up early, and finish assembling that inversion table for you. It should help to redirect the stresses you've got on your spinal fractures and--hopefully--give you a little more relief and mobility. Should be ready by lunch tomorrow."
