[PrP] Bismark Memories

[Aurora]

She was trying to follow what she was hearing, but not much was making sense. Were the Choirs like Orders? Or was this something different altogether?

It was frustrating because she couldn’t really speak freely with so many Sleepers around.

“I’m sorry to hear he disappeared, aren’t you concerned what happened to him? Cause it worries me.” she asks, tapping her pen. “Is it not safe for only you and your friends? Or would I be in trouble if I ventured there?” she could deal with trouble, death was another matter. Was this below the basement? Or something else? She needed to find that out. “I do not believe I am in conflict with any of the Choirs, so would I be able to have an audience with those Below?” worth asking.

And did this have anything to do with her real reason for being here? She wasn’t sure, but there was something else going on here.

Ok, so old and hungry. More than likely some type of Spirit. Well, she assumes, cause it’s the only thing that made sense. Only one way to really know for sure, and she calls upon her magic once again. This time to allow to her analyze the Spirit or whatever she was talking to. Was it even human? Humans weren’t known for devouring their friends.

And whoa, wait a second here, eat them?! Who the fuck talks with their friends then eats them?! What they hell was she talking to?!

“Remembering is important because my life changed Paths. I started on one and was changed to another, and I want to know if my memories are real or fake.” Which was true. “This place, the building, is a big part of those memories. My function is different than it was in the past, where once was Luck and Fate is now Life.”

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-09-14 19:23:05		Faye rolls 5 to Analyze Spirit(Spirit+Gno) (10 Again)		1, 3, 3, 10, 1, 6		1 success

[Yumyumcrow]

Faye's spell goes off without a hitch. Her eyes itch and her ears tingle as her senses adjust. Not that she she's anything out of the ordinary. Twilight (for that is what she looks into) is a grey, dull, mirror of the buildings interior - but one where distances are short and everything falls into an obscuring mist. There is nothing there.

Which means her spirit is talking to her across the Gauntlet itself. In English. This spirit wants to talk.

"If you are not in conflict with Choirs, why should you not be able to make an audience? You must be powerful to be on the Other Side, so maybe they will talk to you. I like talking to you. We should talk more."

A pause.

"I don't know what you mean? You sound funny. Maybe you ate from the wrong Choir and its messed up your function. You'd best hunt some lesser gafflings. That will set you right, you know, reaffirm your place. Oh and you really should get back on the Right Side of the Gauntlet. You know, before the fade sets in and you dissolve. Nothing out There anyway."

Down below in the former lobby, now shopping precinct, the guard shifts in his booth. He sighs and looks at Tuesday as if for the first time.

"A guy came claiming to be from some government department turned up and on cue we got the lights flickering. But nothing showed up on my instrument panels. He sounded legit. I had to send him packing because he didn't have ID. And right now management is doing everything by the book... Because another shift let some people into the basement. Hucksters, hackers, thrill seekers or whatever. And they got into the basement because we didn't do our due diligence...."

He shrugged.

"Thing is, there is something about that basement that don't fit. And it isn't just the weird lights and the smell and the cold. That was where this group were heading... Anyway. It got me thinking. Then this guy turns up and we get flickering lights but no outages anywhere. I really am wondering if the electrics are as bad as... As some of the guys think. Something has to be done."

He sighed.

"I'm kinda hoping he'll call back and we can set that meeting."

He looked at Tuesday.

"Did I do the right thing. I've followed the book. But... Ah... What if he was the guy we needed? It was never like this before, you know. This was a pretty cushy job. Nothing ever happened. Its only been the last year or so. And I swear, its getting worse."

Meanwhile, Oculus has been using the stairs. His legs ache from the unrelenting concrete and his ears ring with the clatter of his foot falls. The middle floor is quiet and empty with an oppressive silence. Eerie stillness. The floor has been given over to apartments and if he hadn't heard about it being empty it would be totally unremarkable. There is nothing remarkable about it: it simply appears as a floor in which, so far, there are no occupants. As should be expected, all the apartments were locked securely.

Good thing he ducked back into the stairwell on his way to Level 2. Random fragments of conversation confirmed the occasional tug he felt from the radio signal, confirming that the Command Centre was most likely located there.

  

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-09-15 05:29:52		Someone rolls 8 to do something insignificant (10 Again)		1, 4, 7, 7, 4, 2, 8, 10, 2		2 successes

"Hey! Can you guys keep an eye out of a guy. (A vague description of Oculus follows). Must be a new renter or a guest. Yeah. He was on that middle floor. Must have got lost. If you see him, help him out. I'm talking to you, Cobb and Harry. Stop guarding the rich folks and finish your sweep of the floors. Damn! Lost him. Must be using the stairs. Wants his exercise for sure."

Down in the lobby, the round faced guard turns slightly to catch the latest burst of chatter and static.

[Tuesday]

Flickering lights and a rando with no ID?

The private dick. Awesome.

"Kay. So. Rules? There for a reason. So. You? Did good dude." leaning against his little guard booth. "But, that's...not. It's sounds not great. But, like you're in luck. I know a guy. Well. More then know him. Not like that. But like we work together. He's a PI....and it's not all cheating spouses....you know, those times when shit just gets weird? Yeah." Tuesday was banking on this guys instincts and that little spark of Destiny to have him believe. "Like I don't have cards. Normally I have a couple. But, my roommate washed my jeans last and I....didn't take them out - and she didn't check - like I lost more then just business cards. But whatever. You don't need to hear about that. But like. I could check it out. See if I should call in the crew and get like meters and stuff." Maybe he'd seen ghost hunter shows. Tuesday hopped he had. Or maybe he'd assume she meant meters for something else.

Tuesday clicks her tongue, "Might need to not have people around so we could work. Since...people....scare...." she leads, and arches her brow because ghosts. Sure. Ghosts. Not that ghost don't exist. But that was easier to not-say then something else.

  2 successes to lie like a pro!

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2017-09-18 16:27:07		Tuesday rolls 4 to Pants on Fire! (Manipulation 3 + Subterfuge 1) (10 Again)		5, 9, 9, 7		2 successes

[Aurora]

The itch and tingle were new, not uncomfortable, just new. This was the first time she had looked into Twilight, and it wasn’t as exciting as she hoped. Though she’s not really sure what she expected, but the grey and dull look wasn’t it.

The Gauntlet. Something else she knew nothing about, but knew she could try and peer across it if she wanted. But did she want to? Did she want to know just what this Spirit was? It was a pull between yes and hell no.

“Well, that’s quite simple. I don’t know where the Below is, nor do I know who to ask for. And it would be rude to just go poking around without knowing where and who I was looking for. I always try and make a good impression when I first meet others.” Even if she had no idea who she was asking to speak with. “Could you give me the location?”

There was a nod and smile, “I like talking with you as well, and would love to talk with you more.” The Spirit seemed harmless thus far. And friendly enough, though she had to remember this Spirit talked about eating its friends.

The right side of the Gauntlet? Which side did the Spirit think she was on?

“I very well could have eaten the wrong thing.” The word gaffling was scribbled down as well. It didn’t sound familiar to her, but maybe one of the others would recognize it. “Know any good hunting spots?” she asks, maybe the answer would clue her in on what they were. “I don’t want that to set in, but I feel like I have a lot left to do over here first.”

[Yumyumcrow]

Oculus moves quickly - much quicker than his 'pursuit' which is moving slowly down the building and inspecting each floor as it goes. The patrol from the basement is being redirected as well and in a much more professional manner. He still has time...

Time enough to slip onto the neglected floor. Time enough to find an apartment and attempt his magic. Time enough to hunt around for materials to jimmy the door (he finds plenty - some workers have left their working gear behind in a partially remodelled area of the floor). Time enough to find that one apartment is actually unlocked. Time enough to duck inside.

His second spell pulses into life, humming almost mechanically in his aura. Tense moments pass...

But nothing appears to heed his call.

Tuesday has more success with the security guard. A shudder of relief passes through him and he sighs. Before he can speak he is distracted by more bouts of conversation blaring from his radio.

"Well. Yeah. OK. Uhm. Look. Thanks. For the talk. I'm going to be talking to a guy about this. I was thinking of backing out... But not now. Things are little too weird, you know. Maybe this other guy can help. Said he was government inspector but he didn't have his ID on him and my bosses are anal now. I could talk to you after or something? You know, if this guy turns out to be shit."

He was back on his radio.

"Shit!" He breathed quietly, but not quiet enough that Tuesday did not overhear. "Another one? Maybe the owners will spare the money to fix some of those... doors and balconies." Was he muttering to himself? No. He gave Tuesday a casual-not casual look.

Meanwhile Fay continued her conversation with the spirit.

"The Warrens are below us. A realm of their own. I know things. I know that the humans call this realm the Basement. I am clever. I worked all that out from myself. The flesh is always talking talking talking. We are talking too!

"The Warrens are ruled by Silent Metal Vortex. They say that the Duke of the Warrens Choir was once called Humming Metal Vortex but that was before. Before? Before what? I don't know! But Silent Metal Vortex would be the one you must seek.

Here! Here is a good spot to hunt! Many motes are made here. Motes are good to eat. Eat them before they become gafflings too!"

[Tuesday]

Tuesday's listening because of course she is.

Might need to get Campy to Matter up government IDs for Dick.

But, at the guard's look, she raises her hands, and gives a shrug.

Then once the radio quiets, "Dude. I'm not the whatever that's trolling you. So." a pause, hands drop. "You want me to call in my friend, he could get the gear since, I'm sure he's still at home, and...yeah. We could take a look. Or I could give it a once over now. Don't wanna head down there without a clear go ahead. Since. Yeah."

Mostly because she can't just up and leave, and head to the basement now. Suspicious much?

[Aurora]

Her head nods, so it was the basement. Right under their feet, which was going to be her next stop. Well, after touching base with the others and trying to drag them with her.

Smiling with a giggle, “You certainly are very cleaver!” it seemed to make the Spirit proud, so why not enforce it? No harm in it, the Spirit had been very helpful. “And yes, we are talking, and I hope we talk more. Talking with you will give me a reason to visit here more often.” So long as it didn’t think it was going to eat her or anything. Cause that was not ok.

Silent Metal Vortex? Humming Metal Vortex? The names were scribbled down as well. “If one goes from Humming to Silent, then perhaps something happened. Rather it is something good or bad, no way of knowing yet. But thank you for the name, I shall seek them out, and can now properly address them. I hate talking with someone and not saying their name right or knowing their name.” was just rude.

Here? Maybe she was going to have to look across the Gaunlet. At least to see what these motes and gafflings are. Though does she really want to know? She wasn’t sure, but if she did, she wanted the others with her. Looking at or across the Gaunlet was something she had never done and didn’t know what to expect, so backup was a good thing.

“Again, thank you! You have been so helpful to me today, I cannot express my gratitude. But I do hope that when I come back, that we can talk more.” She needed to meetup with the others, share what she had learned, venture into the basement.

[Yumyumcrow]

The spirit buzzes happily, the sound fading into the background. Faye finds herself alone looking out over the lobby. Occulus appears to have vanished; Tuesday is speaking with a security guard in a booth at the far end of the ground floor.

Over at the booth, the guard is thinking. Finally, he makes a decision. "OK. Talk to your guy. Call this number, later. I can't get you in now but I later... Later I can swing things. We can work out a fee or something... uh... then."

His Destiny chimes, though only the Acanthus can hear it.

Oculus finds both reward and frustration in the (largely) empty apartment. It is partially completed with both builders and cleaners equipment stacked carefully in places. There is dust and grime, but more than enough trails to cover his passage - especially with a bit of creative work here and there. He finds a couple of poker chips, a collapsible table and some chairs stashed in an alcove: mute signs that the renovation crew (and perhaps the cleaning staff) use the space for their own amusement.

The Shaman recasts his spell after changing the parameters of his "beacon". Still... Nothing responds.

Not that he doesn't get the strangest feeling of being watched.