(Edna's) Meetings in the murk.

Jul 25th, 2013 04:57 PM

It had been a couple of nights since she’d come into town, and already there was the occasional whisper in hushed tones about the little woman that drove that little Honda, the girl with the wild eyes and the crazy vibe about her. Was she homeless? Did she get a check from SSI? How was she able to drive and who was the one that allowed her to get a goddamned license? For Rhesus it was nothing that she hadn’t heard before in other cities at one time or another; a prejudice like any other one. Every now and again, just on a lark, she turned her attentions to one of them to see what they would do, how they would react to the Other, an outcast that wouldn’t just sit there and take it but made it a point to initiate contact. Itnever ended well for the instigator.

Rhesus looked for signs and sigils and she found them easily enough; what was laughable graffiti scrawl for the mortals was a rope to safety when it came to the Lost, a code in which directions could be ascertained and hope could be more than an errant thought. All the same, she took her time in getting to the address, stopping at the 7-11 for a slurpee and a bag of Funyuns and then over to the local park just to get a feel for the area, to see who, if anybody, was lurking in the dark.

The boarding house itself looked unassuming, which Rhesus was grateful for. The last thing any of their kind wanted was to attract the wrong sort of attention, which the darkling thought about as she slipped out of her car. She had parked in the driveway as opposed to across the street, so in case things went sideways she merely had to hop over a railing and get the driver’s side open.

Once on the porch proper, she squinted at the sickly light that came from the overhead bulb. The door was in front of her, a heavy slab of wood.

**TheMalkCat** · Jul 27th, 2013 01:39 PM

The kiss of cool night air rustling through the trees did little to put Thao at ease as he went along the sidewalk with a scrawled message in hand. A strong breeze whipped around him, sending his blue tie flapping wildly out of place. The Wizened huffily straightened his tie with a jerk and allowed himself to reconsider his choice of attire: rather stiff business casual in the flavor of a red button up shirt and black-belted blue jeans. Maybe a li'l too formal? The tie's definitely cuttin' it. The address on the note had led him to this rather plain boarding house with a few leaning oaks and birches keeping shade by the front porch. A single dim light illuminated the wooden doorway. At the door stood a diminutive figure, their back turned to the Chirurgeon. He regarded them curiously. One of the Lost lookin' fer a home? Or just some poor sumbitch wantin' to stay the night? He walked along the cement path and stepped onto the porch with a quiet knock-knock of his brown Florsheim shoes on the porch floor.

He stood beside the figure and gave them a quick look-over. Under the paling porch light, Thao could clearly see a deep hue of blue coloring the entire length of an emaciated woman with brown, straight hanging hair. The inky blackness flling her eyes unnerved the Chirurgeon and gave him a sense of wrongness that only the Wyrd-touched could rouse. Yet despite his unease (and the social faux pas), he took a moment to put her face and form to memory. Had he seen her somewhere else? Had she ever seen him? Unlikely, of course, but it never hurt to be safe. The other Changeling reminded Thao of the Houston Lost, with its great host of ghouls and bogeymen haunting the empty one-way streets of Downtown at the witching hours of night, creeping and crawling through the back alleys that the sun forgot in its morning haste. He turned back to the door and stood their quietly for a time. Yep. Lost folk.

"So uh, you g-g-gonna knock?" He closed his mismatched eyes in exasperation and cursed his twitching tongue.

Jul 28th, 2013 01:27 PM

Jack had been only another nightly scout. Checking out different areas of Sacremnto, Her mind was still milling about the Warehouse she had been investigating. The Winter Archer however had made a habit of swinging past places of interest to the Freehold on her nights. Edna Boarding house, had long been lingering on her mind as a possible new home, like how it had become for so many after the dragon. But the stubborn hare was to attach to her fondness for solitude.

Than she heard them, the stopping of car, and than the approach of a second on foot. Pausing Jack waited a few houses down her eyes watching the two new changelings.

Don't think I know these two She frowned slightly in thought.

Deciding not to draw attention to her self just yet. The Winter Hare made her way forward in the shadows, and soft of foot. Listening to the new Wizened speak up about knocking. Jack couldn't help but smile softly in the dark there by the car.

"The Lady of the house might not be in"

Jack voice revealed her position as she stepped forward. The beast was wearing short jeans, a black tank-top and zip up hoodie which she left open. She had a fine layer of dust on her back, from earlier this evening.

Not sure if that's better or worse for you She mused. The new dread queen lived to her title, and Jack herself would rather not deal with the Witch so late at night.

However the present company of the thin man, and the unnerving dark blue girl was better than the Dread Queen...but that could change. Her large Lepus eyes glances from one to the other. She wanted to welcome them if the were new, but these days one had to be cautious.

"Lookin' for a place to stay?"

Jul 28th, 2013 03:01 PM

Rhesus turned to look at where the voice came from and she saw something that was close to a man, but not quite, just as she was close to a woman, but not quite. There was a moment of hesitation as she stood, regarding the man (we shall him such just for convenience sake) before she took a step towards him, and then another, and another, her eyes gazing up at his face, a clean face that was… tattooed?

“Perhaps and perhaps not… the eyes, I mean, and the ink that may or may not be there. You have heterochromia and it gives you an interesting look, much like the bones that make your fingers.” She reached for his hands, took them and looked at them as a child might look at a particularly interesting beetle in a garden. The matter of being another otherworldly type didn’t seem to matter to the young woman, if she was indeed young – time was a flexible thing in the hedge after all. “I haven’t forgotten your question about the door, by the way. I just moved it over to the left and started to regard you.”

The darkling didn’t look at the other one, the Leporidae, but Rhesus didn’t have to look at her to know that the Lost was there in the shadows, moving, being very quiet but not so quiet as to not be heard by her blue ears. “I was curious as to when you would show yourself but then I thought that maybe you like the bushes, and who am I to judge anybody who likes to hide and scurry from time to space to time? Now… now I will knock.” Rhesus nodded once, as if to put a period to the point, or maybe it was in thanks for the man allowing her to examine his hands, it was hard to tell. Regardless, the blue girl stopped her curious examination, went over to the door and gave it a good rapping with her knuckles and a foot, the foot coming last.

Then the blue girl took a seat on the porch and regarded the others, scratching the back of her head. The Leporidae seemed to know a bit about the area, or at least the house that they were at. “I am looking to make contact,” said Rhesus, “and I suppose… I suppose I have since I’m talking to you two. I wouldn’t mind a place to stay though, a nice dark room, nice and cool. I’m starting to fear the possibility of not getting into the place at all though, if the lady of the house isn’t around.”

**TheMalkCat** · Jul 28th, 2013 10:14 PM

The blue girl definitely wasn't all there. She walked towards Thao until she was a few uncomfortable inches from his face. Thao felt an odd scritching tickle the back of his eyes as the girl bored into him with that disquieting stare. “Perhaps and perhaps not… the eyes, I mean, and the ink that may or may not be there. You have heterochromia and it gives you an interesting look, much like the bones that make your fingers.” Then he found that the girl had his hands in hers. He froze.

1 Success (Resolve+Composure)

Relax. She's jus' lookin'. Yer fine. The Wizened let loose a slow breath and willed himself to untense as Bluey toyed with his fingers. He wasn't too big on personal space. What worried him was the child-like wonder with which she examined Thao's digits. It eerily similar to the way he had looked at Thao during those four long years. The memories of his claws wrapping round a wrist and bringing it under his unblinking eyes came unbidden, tinged with the scent of savory. “I haven’t forgotten your question about the door, by the way. I just moved it over to the left and started to regard you.” The Chirurgeon began to regret coming to the boarding house; he hadn't even crossed the doorstep and he was already in places he didn't want to be. Then, a voice called out from the darkness.

"The Lady of the house might not be in" Thao turned to see a bunny in a tank-top and jeans step out of the shadows. He blinked. To his dull surprise, she was still a bunny. Great. Havin' tea wit' th' Mad Hatter an' the Rabbit. Bunny glanced at the two Changelings on the porch with a pensive look. Lookin' for a place to stay? Beside him, Bluey finally let go of his hands to greet the newcomer. “I was curious as to when you would show yourself but then I thought that maybe you like the bushes, and who am I to judge anybody who likes to hide and scurry from time to space to time? Now… now I will knock.” Thao let his arms fall to his sides and wiped his palms against the back of blue jeans in an afterthought. Aside from a tightening of his jaw, the Wizened appeared to be unfazed. He silently thanked the bunny for her unwitting rescue while Bluey knocked on the door with foot and knuckle. Hell, she can't even knock normal.

Bluey took a seat and looked to Bunny and Thao. “I am looking to make contact, and I suppose… I suppose I have since I’m talking to you two. I wouldn’t mind a place to stay though, a nice dark room, nice and cool. I’m starting to fear the possibility of not getting into the place at all though, if the lady of the house isn’t around.” Thao felt an ounce of the unease lighten as Bluey explained herself. They were (sort-of) looking for the same thing. He decided to speak up, turning to Bunny. "Ah'm not lookin' fer a p-p-place. B-but Ah am tryin' to fin' the owner. Ah've seen some writin' on the streets. Lookin' to fin' a member of the Courts."

Jul 30th, 2013 07:04 AM

Jack, in an alley nearby, winced at the steel cuff which chafed at his wrist, the other cuff was secured to a tattered briefcase. he ajusted his grip on it and stepped out of the alley, the long sleve of his leather jacket covering the cuffs and stopped the heavy shoulder bag which contained almost all the rest of his worldly goods from grating on his neck. He spotted the three others milling about at the enterance of what he assumed what was the boarding house, he didn't approach, just leaned against the side of the alley and watched, occasionally broken by him taking a quick nip from his hip flask.

His eyes examined each in turn: Little rabbit, not going to be strong, but might be as quick as me. Darkling, god, what a mess, but don't underestimate. And a Wizened who may as well have a sign saying mark hung around his head. No, I refuse to belive that they're an ambush.

Being a beast of burden wasn't agreeing with him, so he walked over, but kept a hand in his pocket with his switchblade. "Is this place open? 'Cause this street dosen't look like a good place to spend the night"

Jul 30th, 2013 11:29 AM

Jack paused glancing between the two before her. She licked her lip slightly before taking a small breath.

"Don't go throwing words out like that to much" she glanced down the street incase. Her eyes scanning the area before she looked back at the Chirurgeon and darkling.

"Yeah I am part of the club." She glanced at the door.

Somoeone might answer...and this late I worry if we woke any one up The idea of Betony waking up to answer the door cause the hares skin to crawl.

Shaking off the idea with a small shutter.

"Someone might be in" She addressed to the darkling, she was about to speak when the third approached.

Out of instinsitc and reflext her foot slapped the ground twice.

WHAP WHAP

She stopped abrubtly.

Fucking foot!

Jul 30th, 2013 12:30 PM

“In theory it should be open, right? Since when does a shelter have business hours when it comes to those that wander? It makes no sense and it would make no cents when it comes to tax purposes. Perhaps there’s a note or a set of instructions to follow, or a sigil that has been overlooked in the haste for a sense of safety.” She looked around the porch for a moment, running midnight blue fingers through her hair again and again, as if she was combing it as best as she could.

She stood up slowly, regarding the newcomer for a moment, craning her neck a little. “I don’t know. I don’t think that the street would turn against us. It is better to be safe than sorry though.” She smiled then, being friendly, but the smile didn’t quite take when it came to the adjective of friendly and ended up somewhere between bizarre and moonstruck. Going to the door again, she knocked with knuckles and foot, both thrice, and then started to look around the porch… for what she knew not.

The foot thumping made Rhesus pause and turn her head at a cockeyed angle for a moment. She then looked at Jack for a second.

“You’ve long toes.”

And then she went back to searching about the porch.

Jul 30th, 2013 06:23 PM

Not willing to keep loitering around in the murk, Jack edged his way through the other three clustered around the door. He judged that if someone was going to come and open up they'd have done it long before he got here. He gently nudged the other darkling out of the way from around the door, and unlocked the handcuff around his wrist quickly, and just as rapidly secured it around his ankle. He started to push at the door at the top, working slowly downwards while looking around the frame to determine if there were any bolts or alarm contacts in the door.

"Just out of interest, anyone got a hairpin or something similar on them" He crouched down, examining the lock and judging it to be suitable for him to consider sleeping behind it, he knew it wouldn't keep out anyone with any talent, but someone like that wouldn't use the door at all, no, doors were for enthusiastic amateurs, and this was sufficent to give them pause about their choice of hobbies. As explination he said " Little benifit of a misspent youth, you pick up all sorts of things. Been clean since my little jaunt, but some things just stick with you, I guess. we don't seem to be getting attention, so lets wait.." He glances at his watch " a quater of an hour more and then I'll have a crack at the door, doubt we're going to get anyone to let us in any way that won't wake up the whole street or dosen't involve heaving half a brick through a window, don't know much about the landlady, but doubt she's going to be too happy 'bout either of those options"

**TheMalkCat** · Jul 31st, 2013 05:55 PM

Thao silently berated himself for not speaking in code. Bunny’s right, I shouldn’t ’ve let that slip. The “club’s” prolly layin’ low since the dragon. If Bunny was right and the Lady wasn't home, he hoped to leave some sort of message for her. He had gathered from a pair of Changelings he had encountered a few days ago that the proprietor of the Boarding House was the current leader of the Autumn Court. Thao had been planning to approach her regarding admission to the Freehold and perhaps even membership to her Court. Thao joined no court in Houston due to his keen lack of political-savvy; his reluctance to pick a side in the tense political intrigues painted the Chirurgeon as a black sheep among the other Lost, especially since he was one of the few Wizened tradesmen in a city filled with Darklings and Ogres. This time around, Thao wouldn't make the same mistake. He came to Sacramento for a fresh start and that meant carving out a place for himself in the Freehold.

"Is this place open? 'Cause this street dosen't look like a good place to spend the night"

Another voice called out from the nearby alleyways accompanied by the loud thumping of Bunny’s feet. A man stalked from the shadows with skin the color of liquid mercury, snatches of light from the porch bulb glancing off his remarkably unremarkable face. His faint profile blurred with as he walked over to the group. In one hand was a worn briefcase. Thao watched with no small measure of fascination as the smell of strong liquor dribbled from his eyes and mouth. Hell, is that thing drippin’ whiskey? The Wizened leaned slightly to look behind Liquorlips and saw the trail of droplets he had left in his wake.

In an instant, Bluey piped up in response to Liquorlips, getting up from the porch and looking for something or other that they group overlooked. Despite his lingering wariness of the odd-girl, Thao looked over at Bunny with his eyebrows raised. She’s right. Any id-d-dea iffen there’s some sort o’ secret knock t’ get in, uhh…? The Chirurgeon realized that no one had introduced themselves yet. He drummed his long fingers against his jeans for a few awkward seconds. Pardon, d-d-don’t think we introduced ‘rselves. Ah’m Thao. Thao Ngoc. Last name’s like “knock.” Drove t-to Sacramento from Texas a few m-m-months ago. How 'b-

“Just out of interest, anyone got a hairpin?” Thao turned around to see Liquorlips examine the door with a measured gaze. As man explained his intentions, a frown darkened at Thao’s brow. If he got caught breaking by the owner of the Boarding House, he severely doubted he’d be in any position to request for Court membership. Now hold on. F-from what I hear, the p-p-prop-p-pri-(fuckit) THE OWNER has got a lot of sway ‘round here. Member of the "club." He lowered his voice to a whisper. D-don’t think you’d ‘p-preciate p-p-pissin’ off the-uh-Club M-m-manager fer Fall. He glanced back at Bunny, so far the most reasonable and with a face that said Back me up here!

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2013-07-28 13:11:45		Jack Tarra rolls 7 to Sneaky sneaky (10 Again)		9, 8, 7, 2, 2, 4, 1		2 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2013-07-28 20:30:21		Thao rolls 5 to not freak out when creepy girls get grabby. (10 Again)		1, 1, 4, 8, 5		1 success

(Edna's) Meetings in the murk.

Members who have read this thread : 0

Similar Threads

Funderland (Loyalty Is,) Edna's Aftermath

Edna's in the A.M.

A Gathering at Edna's

Edna's Boarding House (Open)

Bumming around at Edna's