(Loyalty Is,) Faces on Posters

[Saber Sloth]

Flinching away from the flowers and leaves, the oppressive spine freezing chill, and summer heat. The women settles into a chair, "Sure, um. Yes. Coffee?" Not letting go of the pages, she brings them up to the table.

"Yes," she nods. Spindly fingers tracing the handsome face inked over the white page, or rather the faded ink and off white, stained pages. Starting at the almost threat of the Dread Lords words. "Aha, Autumns. I-I don't give out my word easily," She admits, looking at them with her over-large unblinking eyes. "You understand. The Wyrd is fickle, capricious. I...have been burned before." she tells them. Looking and looking and looking. "If you a Pledgecrafter, then perhaps. If we iron out something, but if not..." she shrugs, yellow teeth, worry her lip, as a thumb moving over the inked tufts of brown hair.

[Circe]

"I've no skill with simple pledges, none should be made by me with haste. Nor do I feel it a desperate need. As for coffee that is a thing often needed. A moment and I'll return with coffee," Circe places the laptop on her chair and goes to retrieve some coffee from a Keurig next door. They should probably have chosen that room for the meeting instead, even if more cramped. Because coffee was great.

Just ask Seattle which had caffeinated their water supply from coffee waste.

[Seraphina]

She shook her head with a smirk at the thumbs up from Circe. Obviously one of their biggest fans it seemed.

Nodding, “I think coffee is a wonderful idea Circe.” Then again, she was always game for coffee. But it was also a nice ice breaker, something neutral.

Smiling with a shake of her head, “No worries.” He had a life outside of their relationship, and she understood that. Now him behind the door was cute, though she’d never say that out loud with others around.

As he talks about offering a Pledge, the Nix nods, “I have no issues with that.” Pledges were vital to their world.

Listening to the woman, she nods once again, “That it is, as fickle as can be.” It could give, and it could take. And when it took, you never forgot it. But smiling once again, “He is very skilled with crafting Pledges.” One of the only ones she’d seen craft them. “But perhaps while that is being decided, and the coffee is being gathered, we could learn your name. Or who you’d like to be referred to.” Some were iffy with names, and she understood that.

“Not a despite need, no. But it is something that puts mind at ease and makes working together a bit easier.” A shrug.

From past experience, she knew Abraham understood the importance of Pledges. Though she wasn’t aware of how highly he appeared to think of Rhodes. So there was no argument from her, she simply nodded her head in agreement with him.

But would his next words, a little persuasive, make their guest open up?

[Rhodes]

Rhodes gives the woman a slow nod. "I understand, and your caution is to your credit. We do not know you, nor you us. I am, as it happens, a crafter of pledges, but or course, why take our word?" he gestures to Abraham with an open palm, a smile tugging at his lips. The obvious flattery was obvious, but Fairest ego rarely cared for such trivial distinctions."It may seem overly cautious, Blueberry, but I would be far happier knowing I am not being lead into a machination of the Gentry, wouldn't you?" he replies to Circe diplomatically. "However... I realise not everyone is as willing to tussle with the Wyrd as myself." He pauses, the wind twisting gently around him again. "A middle ground, perhaps. Tell us your tale, my dear. I, for one, am willing to permit the benefit of doubt.... for now." The words hang sinisterly in the air, though the smile that accompanies them remains jarringly charming. Mediation was always so easy.

Outnumbering her four to one with a knight, an gunslinger, maths and assassin? The Dread Lord liked those odds any day.

"I believe we were having coffee?" he asks brightly, changing pace with breakneck speed.

[Saber Sloth]

Alarmed, the Wizened hisses out, "I am not working for the Others!" her head shakes, "No, I'm not. If that's the pledge you want from me, sure. That I can do. But....I don't want to be caught up in something that'll...." her mouth opens, and closes. Something in her face says that had she eyelids, she might be blinking. "I've been burned before." she repeats, fingers releasing and clasping the pages.

"Coffee." she repeats. "My husband's missing." Looking down at the pages. "This is him." A handsome man, mid thirties, brown hair, and muddy brown eyes. "He was on a business trip to...here. Sacramento. I've gone to the police...they say that he ran away with his secretary. She's missing too." she pulls another page from the pile, a younger women, with golden hair, and soft ocean coloured eyes.
"He checked in to his motel, but never made it to the meeting. Secretary too....I.." she shakes her head. "I know, what it looks like, but....they're not the only ones missing." pushing the stack of missing posters closer to the other Lost. "I'm afraid that....you know. But, no one's been replaced. I don't...I didn't find any Fetches....or, anything, but I'm just me. Just one."

There's a moment, "I need help." she says again.

[Circe]

Circe returns and distributes the coffee balanced in her arms well enough to do a waitress proud, "There you are friends," before settling in with the laptop and her own cup of allegedly French Roast. In the spirit of solidarity she doesn't call Abraham out on the pledge thing, nor mention the last time that demand exploded things. Though she does look at him with her right eyebrow and ear quirked up.

Then Rhodes speaks and gives her a very bland nickname. Which makes her frown in distaste, "I understand the principle my friend, though I do not like the blueberry label much. Smurfette was perfectly acceptable," professional tone yes but it seems Circe couldn't rein in her horrid humor.

They talk and Circe drinks the coffee. She winces and the woman manages to get some, obvious, sympathy points from Circe on the burnt by pledges ploy. "Neither do I engage such Faustian pledges on principle milady," the elfin Lost tries to reassure her. Circe observed the photographs, put her coffee down, and started typing to check the story. In theory she could even hack the police cameras for facial checks but she lacked both the software for the checks and a fast enough connection to risk the hack.

"Lack of Fetches doesn't mean fey are not involved, though it could be other things. Cultists or mundane criminals, there are quite a few dangers in the shadows aside from Them," was Circe's rather dark assessment. Somebody else could suggest the man did cheat and flee on her, the elf was taking care of the darker aspects. Cement shoes weren't a thing anymore, not thorough enough. Circe wasn't going to mention the cryptids yet. "I do not like the idea of predators, mundy or fey, hunting people in our city," the words had a lot of steel behind them.

Circe does a quick public search of the names, just in case there is a simple pattern. Doubtful as the woman would have found it already but worth a shot.

  Public Search

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-08-22 20:54:36		Circe rolls 2 to Computers -5 poor parameters (10 Again)		2, 4		failure

She got about what was expected from Yahoo search. Circe could get more after getting the actual details from the woman. Circe nods her head towards Abraham, "Paladin asks good questions," she could give aliases too, "Motel and business details could help me find a digital trail."

[Seraphina]

Sounded like the Pledge was being put on the back burner for now. While just starting with the Pledge would be easier, she keeps quiet, no sense in pushing it right now.

Burned before by the Wyrd. She’d been there, when her Motely fell apart. It hurt, and it sucked. So she understood the woman’s apprehension.

Looking at the flyer, she takes in the face. Business trip. Oh, and a secretary? The other page was looked at, the girl was pretty. An eyebrow was raised, of course she knew what it looked like.

“How many others are missing?” she asks, looking at the stack. “Were they all missing from the same location? And this is probably a bit personal, but did your husband know what you are?” it might be connected, it might now. They didn’t know yet.

Then Abraham was asking some important questions, and she takes out her notebook, jotting down a few things. Curious of what the answers would be.

Coffee! A grateful smile was offered to the Summer, “Thank you!” gently blowing into the cup, she takes a sip.

Urgh! She was going to have to look into installing some better coffee makers in this place.

“Speaking of digital trails, have his credit cards or anything been used? Perhaps a cell phone still used?” cause those could be traced. She thinks.

[Rhodes]

The barb produces the response desired. Still, the Dread Lord watches the Wizened for any hint of deception.

  1 success

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-08-23 17:26:20		Rhodes rolls 8 to Watch for lies: Wits+Emp+Spec (10 Again)		1, 2, 5, 9, 2, 3, 3, 2		1 success

He carefully commits the pictures to memory and lets others do the interrogation for for now. No need to overwhelm the por soul. He slips alongside Circe and takes a coffee, smiling. "I'll try to give you a more original name, Circe darling. I haven't had me coffee yet, after all." The winds twist between them. Her points were certainly possible, but no need to hammer home the dour end of what might have befallen the husband.

He sips the tar-like coffee, wincing. Truly living with Sera had spoiled him to a higher class of palette.

Many questions, a broad range. But one thing, an obvious one, yet to be revealed.

"I do not mean to overwhelm you with yet more questions," Rhodes says, gently but clearly in a pause, "but what is your husband's name, or if he is one of us, a name we might call him? In fact, names for as many of the missing as you have would be truly helpful."