(Gray Hoods)Caffeine High

[Seraphina]

She coughed on the coffee she just drank, “I’m not about to give some random guy Glamour, no thanks.” A shake of her head. “I have enough to do already and babysitting an Ensorcelled.” Not this Nix, no thank you.

A questioning look to Circe, “Can Glamour be tracked to the original source?” she really had no idea. “I think the best thing we can do is play along. Act like we don’t know about the Glamour, see if we can work this from two angles. But one thing, I think we should check out this address before just showing up. If we are the targets, this could be a trap, and I’d rather not walk in blindly.” Nope.

What Sonnie said made her pause and think. “You know, it very well could be. Maybe whatever is taking the body parts is an experiment, one her Keeper had set into motion, and she’s either trying to keep it alive, or kill it.” A shrug, “Might as well consider all options here.” Not take anything off the table yet.

“We could, but it’s going to be long and boring. Unless we want to like, actually move stuff into the unit. So, do we think their friend is really missing? Or is it just part of their story, tug at the heart strings type of thing.”

[Saber Sloth]

Sonnie wracks her brain but her thoughts of now and the now-threats dissipate thoughts of then-and whatever then-and-dealt-withs were trying to pour through.

Is there anything you want to roll? Or just want to finish the scene with this discussion and decide on what to do next?

[Circe]

Circe wasn't happy. Things were getting complicated. She was a very simple, thuggish Summer at heart. Shoot the Keeper, shoot the Privateer, shoot the monster, that was how it should be. Not complicated. Coffee helps. She has coffee, she drinks it.


What were they talking about? A Lost or Hob? Couldn't be a Fetch maker. Ann was dead. "That thing looked the same ta the mundies as to us, so it ain't a Fetch maker, that is a plus."


Then sighs as Sonja doesn't have a way to keep the magical successes coming. That'd be too easy. Seraphina questions instead of suggests, so nope. They need more lore masters. Circe looks to Seraphina with a shake in the negative, "Well, I can't. I pissed of Ann so much that if it was easy, she'd have done it. Fanculo. Who wants ta play life on easy mode? I'd have gotten a M60 if I wanted ta do that."


Wait, what about the Keeper and Lost? "Wait, do we have the number fer this stich crazy 'ling? We ask and she bolts, she's the maker."


As for checking the apartment before visiting, "Hacking again? Don't know how much it'll do, it ain't a Deus Ex Machina fer the apartment. Doubt he had online security cameras like...like," she slowly palms her face, "Hell, if we're gonna observe the unit, maybe I should hack their cameras and record, or get a live feed. Or we buy a commericial spy cam." Circe digs out her phone and does a quick search, "Rig with extra juice and local WiFiiiiii," and blinks a couple of times. "Or, wear a jumpsuit and a security firm logo on the back, and hook up a battery security camera that is good for 4 months between charges. Eighty bucks."


She had to remember the changes in batteries. No longer were they only good for a camera for a few hours, that was 40 years ago. But then again, it has been 100 years and a blender still can't be found at a Dollar Store.


Circe considers the options of them being a trap. "The Hoodies got fucked up," that much was entirely true. "That is fer sure, and not something most folks would fake. And they don't seem that competent or subtle." More like angry strikers ready to brawl. Which makes their other name make more sense with that mentality. Circe droops her ears. "But that could mean they're just good at acting. And the missing dude, was he the one that was a dick? Poor choice fer sympathy." Circe may have been mixing him up with another Hoodie. "Maybe they're fucking with us. But the bear that sees the trap is never caught."


She wasn't sure what that meant, but the Russians she bought ammo from liked it, so it must be a badass Yoda thing.

But hacking gave her even more work after bribing the mundies! Maybe she'd just mail order some mail shirts and have Seraphina stich it into the lining of a trench coat.

Circe could go home and try hacking the security cameras of the cold storage place. Or reprogramming a Wifi security camera if someone rush buys it. Secure server online might not be the best choice, but she could probably reroute the data.

[Sonnie Wu]

When Circe talked about hacking stuff, Sonnie's brain glazed over. The Beast was not proficient in technology. Her limit was using her smartphone properly, and it took her a few weeks to figure that out, at first. So, she just nodded along without whatever the blue elf was talking about, as if she understood.

"Well, if it spares us having to sit on a street corner staring at the warehouse all day, so much the better, right?"

Sera's questions were what had her thinking. Could Glamour be tracked back to the source? Sonnie thought about that.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-10-01 11:01:33	Sonnie Wu rolls 4 to Tracking Glamour? Int 2 + Occult 2	8, 10, 6, 5	2 successes

And could the Darkling from the haunted house responsible? It didn't feel like it. Besides, this stuff with the Union was happening before she ever left the mansion. Except... time shenanigans. If Sonnie and Sera had two sets of memories, one inside and one outside, did the fetch maker also?

"I dunno where Hope is. She kinda vanished when we escaped the haunted house. I think she... returned to her old life? I got no idea. All we got left is a photo."

[Seraphina]

“I didn’t get a number for her when we left. She could still be in the haunted house, or she could have finally moved on.” A shrug, “So no, no way to contact her. But also, she appeared to only be working with humans, I don’t remember seeing any animal parts in her creations. Seemed to be all human. Though she could be branching out.” Another shrug, she just didn’t know. Nor did she know how to find her.

“It just seems odd to me that they’ve been all secretive up until now. Maybe I’m just paranoid and overthinking it,” being married to a Dread Lord will do that, “but I just don’t want to blindly walk into the address. Am I being too paranoid?” looking to the others.

Thinking over what Circe said and drinking her coffee, “Or they got in over their heads and know they can’t get out.” Maybe.

“I think there are a lot of things better then staring at a warehouse all day.” But if they had to, so be it.

“The picture doesn’t give us much to go off, I’m not even sure if I could find her in the Skein. I mean, maybe, and I’d be willing to try. If I’m being honest though, I’m tired of searching it, but I’d still give it a go to make sure we were safe and had answers.” Did she really want to? No, not really. But, if duty called, she’d answer it.

[Circe]

So not another lead, but a potential problem then was the conclusion? This Dawn might react to Frankenstein as oi, no competition bitch! Well, Circe would be fine with somebody else solving their problem for her. And really? Seraphina questions that? She smirks at Seraphina, " Ya know what folks say. It only paranoia if They aren't at ta get ya. And They are always out ta get us. But I think the Hoodies have tried everything and are desperate."


"Really starting ta wish we had the numbers ta delegate stuff," she moans in annoyance. And drains her coffee, "Technology replaces, but wallet starts crying. Tempted to start buiding MurderBots. I'll settle for an automated camera," because then she just had to mess with the software a little to send teh data to a Dark Web server instead of a legal one.


Seraphina gets no sympathy for the hard work. Circe was doing the tech and forging, so misery loves company. Wait, what was Sonja doing? "If we want ta be sneaky with the camera installation," she sends an unpleasant smile towards Sonja Wu, "You might be a great choice Sonja. Traceurs climb everywhere anyway. Place it high and looking down, or straight across from the entrance? That is the question along with rush order," she waggles her smart phone.

Because if they can get it next morning, great! If not, well, "Somebody will hafta stake it out if we can't get a rush. I'm hacking, Sera is voodooing, sooooo~ that leaves," she gleefully looks at Sonja Wu.

[Saber Sloth]

Sonnie thinks, and thinks, thinking and...realizes something. Dream Poison could be tracked, and that was sorta kinda maybe like Glamour, right? And there's remnants and traces that the Lost can find and figure out about, and she knew that They could hunt and track the Lost giving gifts and clauses to their Loyal, so there had to be Contracts out there that could do it - and, if they didn't have the right Clauses, there was always Kenning. It might be slow going, and lead them in a wrong direction but it would lead them somewhere. A Somewhere that might be interesting.

If Sera or Sonnie want you can do an Int + Occult to get a better sense on what happened to Hope

[Sonnie Wu]

I'm gonna have a headache from all these deep thoughts.

"Well," she said out loud, "Dream Poison can be tracked, right? If so, then Glamour should be traceable, too. Yeah?" The Beast gave a shrug, "Heck, the Dream contract lets us find stuff in the Hedge. There's gotta be something to sniff a Glamour trail. I can always trying Kenning again, but it'd be slow and that takes a lot out of me. Maybe if we worked together? You guys can Ken, right?" Sonnie, of course, just assumed the Fairest could still effectively sort fantasy and reality.

She tilted her head at Circe, smirking, "What? You mean I get to plant spy cameras? Sounds like fun!"

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-10-03 18:57:37	Sonnie rolls 4 to What happened to Hope? Int 2 + Occult 2	7, 7, 7, 8	1 success

[Seraphina]

She supposed Circe had a point; they could be desperate. And yet, “If they’re desperate, why are they not being completely honest about the whole thing?” embarrassed? Maybe.

“So we want me to search in the Skein? I wasn’t sure we actually decided what we were doing yet.” Like, still talking it out.

A look to Sonnie, and a slow nod, “Yes, it can be tracked, I’ve done it a handful of times.” Never on her own though. But she could it, totally.

There was a slight grimace at the question, “No, I can’t use it anymore. I’ve done some things.” And lets leave it at that. “But I’m willing to help anyway I can. Now, I haven’t dived too far into the Dream Contracts, I always relied on Rhodes. But I can learn or I can try something else.” She relied on Rhodes too much and had ignored her own studies.

3 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-10-03 21:34:19	Seraphina rolls 6 to Hope?(Int+Occult) (10 Again)	3, 9, 2, 10, 4, 4, 9	3 successes

[Circe]

"Paranoia," is her answer to Sera's doubts on the mortals' honesty. "They took a picture of one of them having ripped a tooth from something they killed. We are not allies ta them. Not yet, and maybe never, they've no reason ta trust us. So why would they?"


What the hell does Circe even know about this Dream tracking stuff? And Kenning? Could it be combined as Sonja suggested? "Yes I Ken, though usually fer making trouble not finding things."

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-10-06 20:32:14	Circe rolls 5 to Int + occult (10 Again)	6, 6, 8, 9, 7	2 successes

She left the occult skills of her own to crafting mostly. As for the spy camera thing, "Yes, you do Sonja. I'm gonna make an express order. Hafta use the dark fer a clean one, but doable. Or an all nighter scrubbing a fresh."



"If ya don't want to search the Skein and have a better option, I'd say go for it Sera," she assures Seraphina, "It seems a long shot. As fer tracking, well, uuh? Fuck!" Circe shakes her head as she realizes there is an option. Outsourcing. "We could always try hiring an expert. Build up some resources, go ta the market, and try ta hire a seer or fae detective. Or regular one. That is the worst option, legal paper trail and all, but an option."


"It wasn't dream poison in the Hoodie was it Sonnie?" That was a concern if it was.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2023-10-06 20:32:14	Circe rolls 5 to Int + occult (10 Again)	6, 6, 8, 9, 7	2 successes

She left the occult skills of her own to crafting mostly. As for the spy camera thing, "Yes, you do Sonja. I'm gonna make an express order. Hafta use the dark fer a clean one, but doable."