Comparing Notes at the Pool Hall

**DaveJ** · Mar 14th, 2012 12:13 AM

Kite was familiar with Hard Time Billiards – it was the only pool hall he knew of that closed at 4 AM on weekends. There were many nights when, in a fit of insomnia, or immediately after waking up from a night terror, he would walk in and play a few games of pool, just to clear his head.

Tonight, he walked in a little earlier than would normally. It only recently had gotten dark, and though the place had started to get slightly crowded because of the dinner rush, Kite was luckily able to reserve a pool table – one that had a clear view of the entryway. Because of the quickly growing police presence at the Walgreens, Kite was unable to follow and catch up with Aegis. Now, all he could do was hope that Aegis remembered the directions he gave back in the parking lot…

“Well… at least I can work on my game while I wait…” he thought.

In a routine he had repeated often before, Kite ordered a beer while racking up the billiard balls. Taking only a moment to put chalk on his cue stick, he quickly placed the cue ball in the kitchen, and proceeded to break.

The responding sharp crack - the noise of the cue ball hitting its mark – would relax Kite on most nights. Tonight was different though; he had witnessed the death of an innocent woman at the hands of brutal monster - someone who had at least rudimentary knowledge of the Awakened. This undeniable fact had left him deeply troubled, and he hoped he could find some answers soon.

“C’mon Aegis,” he said to himself, eying the entryway expectantly, “…where are you…?”

Mar 14th, 2012 08:37 PM

Continued from Beginning the Hunt

As Aegis left the Walgreens, he was moving at a 90 degree angle from the building, making it seem as if he was trying to avoid the image in the front of the building. In reality he was getting to an angle where he could make a turn toward the rendezvous point, but still try and take a broad gaze over the field. As he passed by he could see the ambulance and medical personnel who'd taken over the body, he could also see the police who'd managed to detain the crowd for canvassing, while still putting up the crime scene tape. Aegis could see one of the police cruisers with a man inside, and he offered a little prayer, just a word of High Speech, Luck.

At that point, Aegis pulled his phone from his pocket and quickly looked up the pool hall that Kite had mentioned, and then tried to forge a path towards it. All told Aegis' detour took him about twenty minutes out of the way. By the time he'd arrived outside the pool hall he'd walked hard enough to get his heart rate elevated, and the little bit of exertion did help focus his mind from the fact that he'd just left the scene of a murder. At the threshold of the building Aegis let his mind wander inside for just a second. He could still feel his soul supporting the Pattern of the phantasm card he'd left behind. He really hoped that it was found and cataloged soon. The more time the Crime Scene guys had to look at it, the better it would be.

Inside, Aegis quickly scanned the room, looking for Kite or Gallows, hoping at least one of the other mages had arrived. Spotting the Libertine, he started looking for the most private space they could find to talk.

**DaveJ** · Mar 15th, 2012 07:38 PM

Upon seeing Aegis, Kite waved to the willworker, sighing in relief when he finally got close.

“Ok, so you did figure out the place I meant.” Kite took in a deep breath and started to relax. “In all the commotion, I was worried that you and the others might have gotten confused.”

Kite paused as he took a look at Aegis, noticing that his eyes darted to the people around him. It didn’t take long for Kite to figure out Aegis’s concern.

“C’mon,” he said while gathering all the billiard balls in a tray. He pointed at a lonely pool table nearly buried in the far corner of the establishment, some distance from the main crowd. “We’ll talk over there – it should be private enough.”

Kite looked a bit awkward as he started to carry everything – his cue, the tray of billiard balls, his cane, his beer… In the end, he gives up, deciding to make the move in two trips. Exerting some effort, he balances the tray while holding his cane, exhaling audibly once he places the balls on the new table.

“By the way, where is Alfar? Do you know what happened exactly?” While posed as a serious question, the inflection in Kite’s voice, combined with his unconfused visage, indicated that Kite had already surmised the answer to his own inquiry, long before he had decided to ask.

Mar 15th, 2012 09:21 PM

Aegis took what Kite couldn't fit in his hands, and helped carry the gear towards the booth that Kite indicated. He took a look, making sure there wasn't anyone sitting right around them, and put the items down conveniently within reach. "All I know, at the moment, is that the cop told Alfar they'd be going downtown to chat. He felt like Alfar wasn't being forthright, and to be honest we both know he wasn't. He was still in the car when I left the scene, but depending on how long it took the officer to get enough back-up that he could bring Alfar in, they're either still sitting there, or Alfar is in a small room with a big mirror right now." That was a situation that would need to be looked in on, and soon, unless he got ahold of them sooner.

"Do you have any contact information for him, or maybe," and here Aegis dropped his voice low, leaning in close, "or maybe a sympathetic connection and some skill in scrying??" The Arrow had no idea what Kite's skills were, but it, most likely, wouldn't hurt to ask.

**DaveJ** · Mar 16th, 2012 02:25 PM

“Sorry, that’s beyond my ability to do.” Kite answered Aegis’s quiet inquiry. “But I wouldn’t worry about Alfar. He’s the Thyrsus provost, so he has plenty of contacts he can call on.” Kite’s attitude is oddly casual as he talks about his fellow Thyrsus, all the while racking the billiard balls on the new table. It is as if he is completely devoid of interest in the subject.

With the new table set up, Kite starts applying chalk to his cue stick. “Grab one.” Kite suggests to Aegis, “We’ll talk as we play. Besides…” he continues, taking a moment to rub his temples, “…I find playing pool soothes me. It clears my head of distractions, and helps me focus.”

Kite suddenly stands straight as he suddenly remembers an important issue. “Oh, before we do anything, I have a quick question… and something to show you.” Kite takes a moment to fish out his phone. He fidgets with it, and opens a text message. He then shows the message to Aegis before putting the phone back in his inside jacket pocket.

“Now, you mentioned that there was more information you got from that Tarot card.” Kite mentions, now in a much lower voice. “Can you tell me what it is? And do you still have the card?”

The text message on Kite’s phone is from Gallows:

Mar 16th, 2012 02:54 PM

Aegis wasn't particularly in the mood to play pool, given what they were discussing, and as he read the text message, he asked Kite, "Wait, wait....first, who's Rosetta?" It seemed to him that the reason Gallows hadn't arrived was because of this Rosetta, and while being kidnapped is bad, it might give them sympathy to track this guy down if they're connected. As he asked Kite the question, Aegis grabbed the triangle and started racking the balls. They'd be less likely to stand out if they were conversing over a game of pool, and being less conspicuous at the moment was important, so as much as he wasn't in the mood, he feigned it.

**Matamune** · Mar 16th, 2012 03:41 PM

It takes Alfar a while to get a cab, get back to Walgreens and retrieve his car. Thankfully, Sacramento isn't a large enough city to have kilometer-long traffic jams. Before going to the Billiards he drinks a carton of milk and eats a bit of what he bought before.

This way at least some groceries won't go to waste. And I should really drop the habit of keeping myself that hydrated. It's not South Africa, not anymore.

After arriving at the place he spots Aegis and Kite after some walking around. Playing pool. At a pool table.

I can never tell what the man is thinking... Wouldn't it be better to just sit in the corner instead of standing in the middle of the fucking room? Still, no other people nearby to overhear us accidentally. Let's hope there are also none who want to do it on purpose.

And so he wipes off the look of incredulity off his face, approaches the two men and greets them in a friendly tone:

"Sorry, guys, I got held up." - after coming closer and being able to speak without being overheard his expression gets more serious and he nods slightly to Kite. - "Thank you for getting them out of that mess, Kite. It could get ugly without your help. I've settled my problem with the police. And where's Gallows? He had the most info as far as I remember. Aegis, did you get out of the situation fine?"

**DaveJ** · Mar 17th, 2012 01:33 PM

Kite’s initial response to Alfar’s arrival was one of almost extreme neutrality – for a brief moment, he didn’t even acknowledge the willworker’s existence. Then, slowly, he straightened his pose, turning towards Alfar in a deliberate, almost robotic manner. When he finally spoke, there was steel in his voice.

“Alfar, cut the act.”

Kite glared balefully at the offending willworker. “I'm curious about something.” he says in a quiet, dark tone. “I tried to save that poor woman, and when I couldn’t, I still managed to examine the markings that were left on her.” Kite’s lips quivered in anger, and it was clear that he was struggling to maintain control. “And afterwards, I discovered the trail in the parking lot, and took pictures of the trail and the tire impression. I also offered insight on other clues.”

Kite’s eyes did not break with Alfar’s as he continued to speak. “Gallows spent time talking with… a relevant party, and asking relevant questions. And Aegis spent the time finding and analyzing his area, discovering another concealed clue.”

If it were even possible, Kite’s frighteningly intense gaze became darker, his voice ever more firm, even as it remained quiet and calm. “Exactly what did you do? I mean, besides constantly attempting to convince everyone that you were in charge?” he asked, the inflection in his voice hinting that he already knew the answer to his own question. “How exactly did you assist everyone?”

**Matamune** · Mar 17th, 2012 11:08 PM

Alfar looks at Kite looking slightly abashed:

"Do you need an enemy, Kite? Then think about the motherfucker who did this. If you are still mad at me about the meeting, then get over it. The situation wouldn't have come into place without me, but it was mostly your fault for making everyone mad at you."

He takes a deep breath to calm down.

"I don't answer to you, Kite. And you shouldn't talk to me like that, I don't like it and I won't tolerate it. I was the first who got to that woman. She bled to death as I was examining her. I want to catch the one who did this, that's all that matters."

He sighs and adds in a tired voice:

"Why do you always need to answer to people in a way that gets them mad? It's not an act, I'm really thankful for what you did back there. Actions speak louder than words, and all that. I'm not an investigator, I'm a doctor and a warrior, and I just want to help. And I don't have a pathological desire for power or anything. It's just that it was an emergency situation. And no one volunteered, including you. Chaos doesn't end well. I don't care who leads now, and if anyone leads at all."

Having calmed down completely he looks at Kite with steel in his eyes:

"You are a reasonable man, Kite. At least you strike me this way. So get over your emotions and let's get this done. And I'm not debating anything with you until this is over. Honestly, I don't give a fuck what you think about me and we don't have time for this. I just want to get the monster who did this. And, I think, that from your point of view, a murderer on the loose should be a bigger problem than an incapable ally."

Mar 19th, 2012 09:55 PM

"Guys, I don't know what's going on, but now's really not the time. Let's try and focus on what we have and where we need to go from here." Everyone had friction with someone, and there were times to deal with those kinds of things, but this wasn't it. Not only had they discovered some important evidence in the case of a serial killer, but they now had what he thought would be a strong sympathetic connection and had evidence that he was touched by the Supernal.

Aegis lowered his voice to speak frankly, "We have a serial killer who's a Sleeper, with rudimentary knowledge of High Speech, and apparently a missing mage fitting the killer's MO." They needed to put together as much of a profile as they could with what they had. To answer the question that Kite had asked before Alfar arrived, Aegis said "In the spirit of open discussion, I do still have the trinket I picked up, but I'd really prefer to handle it as little as possible to preserve the quality of it. What I can tell you, is, as I just mentioned, this person is still asleep but definitely touched in some way. What did you guys see? The emphasis he used was subtle, but obvious for anyone who knew the significance of those terms.

Comparing Notes at the Pool Hall

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