Ghost Trips and Strange Dudes

[hazlogs]

It is currently 19:08 Pacific Time on Mon Jan 11 2016.

Currently in Saint Claire, it is a cloudy day. The temperature is 46 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the south at 10 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.13 and steady, and the relative humidity is 86 percent. The dewpoint is 42 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius.) For more detail, see: http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=98501

Currently the moon is in the waxing New (Ragabash) Moon phase (15% full).

Harbor Park -- Fountain

Situated in the center of a large, open meadow is a clustering of six trees, a flower bed, a few steel-and-wood benches set firmly into concrete, and a flagstone courtyard that is dominated by a large fountain.

The fountain is a wide circular pool of water some fifty feet across and about five feet deep in most places. The sculpture in the center is a mix of old and new, traditional and modern: eight concrete-and-stainless-steel slabs about six feet high are set in a rough Stonehenge-like circle around the center of the fountain. Water flows from their tops, cascading in bright mesmerizing sheets to the pool below. Rising above the steel circle is a large marble statue of the Water Bearer, an androgynous figure draped in robes of flowing water. It bears a large jug carved with various Greek symbols, from which pours a seething torrent of water into the pool at its feet.

Cars on the nearby street have an excellent view of the park as do any residents of the tall buildings which line the waterfront.

The murky waters of the Columbia River flow swiftly along the east side of the park. Bracketing the park to the west is First Street and the city of St. Claire. Recent construction work is creating an earthen berm several feet high all along the borders of the park in all directions.

It's not all that cold out, but it is rather blustery. Likely the reason behind Val's choice to wear a hat over her brightly coloured hair, a grey thing with large round eyes stitched on the front and wolf-ears on the top. A matching pair of thin grey gloves hold an older yellowed book in her hands, as she idly flips through it.

Nicodemus tools down the street on a small Harley Davidson motorcycle, because fuck the weather, and pulls into a parking slot alongside the park. He dismounts, ditches the helmet on a handlebar, and strolls into the park. Headed for the fountain, he nods in Val's direction. "Thought I'd give her a run to keep the parts lubricated. How're things?"

Salem likely wouldn't be caught dead in an animal-ear hat; his own beanie is plain black wool, pulled down low enough to cover his ears. He moves along one of the paths heading toward the fountain at a brisk walk, a blue and grey backpack hanging off his shoulders.

"Going alright," Val says, looking up from her book and smiling. "I gave Mouse a poke to see if she'd heard of that fellow you were talking to on the phone. Nada. Was just hoping that she'd have more solid info than I do," Val adds with a shrug. "Did try getting a picture of him, as he was in the Maxwell lobby at one point. But his image on the video wasn't as sharp I guess? As everyone else. Was kinda weird."

Nicodemus notices Salem and offers a nod in return. "Odd," he replies to Val, but offers no additional insights. "Things seemed to go well last night, huh?" he says to both of them. "Seemed like a decent exchange of information happening, and I like the idea of having an informal meet-up where that can happen on a regular basis."

Salem eyeballs Val's hat, but doesn't comment. "It /was/ productive," he agrees, though with obvious reservation.

"Hey, anything that gets people talking," Val says with a grin. "That doesn't happen nearly enough around here. Was impressed with Ghost speaking up. Didn't expect her to go and do that herself. Still no clue as to what to do exactly, but maybe that'll come in time. Speaking of Ghost, though, she gave quite the twitch when Dakota was talking about her dream and got to the part with the one guy running away from Last Days."

"I noticed that, too. I've been wondering about her parents, and maybe something had been passed along to her through one or both of her parents' blood." Nick seems to realize he's asking a question no one currently has an answer to. "We really do need to organize some kind of trip. Whoever does it? Mention I've got a Winnebago to travel in and operate out of. I'd like to quietly be riding shotgun on that trip, in case I can help spot something you folks can't."

Salem scratches his nose. "I'm starting to feel a little sorry for your Winnebago," he says, smiling crookedly.

"Trip where, exactly?" Val asks, tilting her head to one side and making the animal hat ears flop about.

"Olympia, I think, was what was mentioned earlier. I'm not one-hundred percent sure of that, though," Nick says to Val before offering a shrug to Salem. "It's no longer serving as where I live, so it's a great mobile field office. Besides," he adds with a quirky grin. "You guys have been pretty good about letting me know when to pull over to pee."

"We're well housetrained, yes," Salem replies dryly. "Or car-trained, as the case may be." He pushes his hands deep into his pockets and rocks back on his heels.

Val mms and rubs at the bridge of her nose. "Oh. Back to Ghost, incase either of you manage to talk to her before I do. Silvertip said a Uktena Spirit had given her a poke and there was something attached to her, leading elsewhere. That I could go and see if myself, if I cared to look. Not that she'd give me anything else and that much was grudging. She's worse than a cat sometimes," Val adds, sounding slightly exasperated.

Nick says, "SPeaking of cats, I was at the caern today, not wearing a cougary form, and gave Ghost a bit of a pep talk. She's much cheerier in the caern, and I have to wonder if it's the sudden discovery of a potent spiritual connection with the pace, the possible presence of the anti-Ooze still lingering in the area after the recent earthquake from back in November, or just... acceptance and being extended some priviledges." He adds, "I've never really taken a good, hard look at Ghost yet. Give me a yell sometime when she's at the Hub. I can pretend to have been in town and need a place to crash. Put me up in a guest room, close the door, and I can see about scrying her from the next room over without being noticed or disturbed while I'm doing so."

Salem nods to Nick. "Could be a little bit from each category. Though..." The young Philodox's mouth thins into a grimace of sympathy. "I remember the first time I stepped into a caern after I'd been Ronin for a few years, and the effect is... rather profound. You don't realize what you miss, when you're away that long. And Ghost, I gather, has never seen a caern before this one."

"It was very nice to finally go there," Val says, with a faintly lopsided smile and clearly agrees with the Walker.

Nicodemus smiles mildly, but pleasantly. "She was sort of overcome by it, I think, when she got there shortly after the moot. All the rolling about and stuff. I don't think I've ever seen her that happy." He adds, primarily for Salem's benefit, "I prodded her to ask about joining the sept, and I advised her to use her cooperation and assistance in helping to track down the connection between herself and the Ooze as her chiminage. I'm a little fuzzy on how chiminage works and what the going exchange rates are, but that seems like it ought to be enough--even for a metis."

Salem had started to smile a little, remembering Ghost's exuberence, but then his expression curdles. "If Thane agrees, though honestly she /is/ a Glass Walker, and back when we insisted on chiminage from everyone, tribal elders handled that if they were around. But then Jacinta decided that cliaths just had to pledge their loyalty, which is more than fair." He casts his eyes upward. "...I would like her to join," he says after a pause. "I kind of suspect that she won't, though. Call it a hunch."

"She's no Cliath," Val says absently, slightly distracted, having placed her bag in her lap. "Not as far as the spirits are concerned, anyway." Pulling out a pair of chocolate bars, she silently offers them to the Mage and Walker.

Nicodemus politely turns down Val's offer of chocolate before addressing Salem. "She's gotten a taste of what a caern is like to your kind, and she knows getting access to it full-time and without an escort is going to require that she join the sept. I suspect she might be a little more interested now than she has been in the past, if the pull is as strong as you say." With that he starts to head back towards the Harley, preparing to depart. "Time will tell. I need to finish running an errand, so I'll catch you two later. Good night."

Salem accepts Val's offer. "I hope so," he says in response to Nick. "Good night."

Val hands one of the chocolate bars to Salem, before unwrapping the second. "I'm gonna copy him and head off," Val says, as she slips her backpack into place. "Oh. You wouldn't have any contacts with the Walkers out in New York, would you?"

Nicodemus heads off and soon disappears with the thrum of the Harley's engine, headed north on other business.

Salem shakes his head. "Ask Mouse. She was more recently there, after all."

Val shakes her head. "Already did. Didn't have any info on the guy I was asking about. Was in New York before the riots, so people aren't talking about him too much right now. Not that he didn't cause enough of a dust up before that," she adds with a shrug.

Salem's brow furrows. "Which guy?" he asks, then hazards a guess anyway. "Zach Penn?"

Val's head bobs up and down. "Yea. You run into him? Nick is gonna chat with him. He seemed to be offering up some info on the riots. Was also willing to make vague half-joking threats about messing with the Glade," the Corax says and taps her foot. "If that is what it took to properly get Nick's attention. I kinda listened in on Zach's half of a phone convo with Nick," Val says with a shrug. "Seemed real surprised that Nick didn't know who he was. Guess he doesn't have the best rep with Mages or New York Garou. Anyway. Zachary ended up with a Bane riding him at some point and a Walker Pack in New York helped him give it the boot. Later, he helped out when I kin got snatched by some Mage group. Acted as a go between. All gets a bit muddled and rumour laced after that. But," Val adds. "Whatever actually happened he really pissed off the locals and probably would have been gutted had he stayed in New York."

Salem listens, brow furrowed, while chewing on a bite of chocolate. "So he's a mage. A mage with a history. Who's itching to fight Nick for... whatever reason." He shakes his head, his expression a little peeved, a little chagrinned, maybe a little disappointed. "And maybe some kind of... detection camoflague. Scent thought he was a kami. And he knew when I used Truth of Gaia on him."

Val rubs and the bridge of her nose and huffs out a breath. "Mages can do that. Not all of them, but enough can that you have to be careful using Tricks anywhere near them. And yea, he seemed rather like he was itching for a fight. Or at the very least, was being a bit of an ass on purpose. Nick said something to him at some point that /really/ pissed him off. Damned if I know what, exactly. But yea, I just happened to be here and he got a call near me and being the nosey shit that I am, I listened in a bit. Focused on him more when I heard him say 'Mr. Dalton,' then choked on my sandwich when he introduced himself. The guy was was all I heard about aged back, from this one bird I know out in the New York area. Not that I can blame him, it was interesting gossip. I mean, with the Fury Kin dabbling in Hedge Magic, various Garou trying to woo her. Some saying that Zach was sleeping with her. And then her getting snatched up, Zach coming out as a Mage to all and sundry, before helping get the Kin back. Then pissing people off and making kidnappy noises of his own before skipping town. As I said, all a muddle. No real way of knowing what really went on."

Salem grimaces, nose wrinkling. "Huzzah. Well, thank you. I'll keep that in mind if I see him again."

Val rubs at her eyes as if tired and looks thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe he knows some Spirit Magic, which he how he masked himself. Not certain. But if he knows any at all, he can look into the Umbra from this side. They're weird that way. They start out being able to see across, but actually crossing is hard for them. Buuuuut, if he can, he'll be able to see the Fetish on the other side. Nick has alarm bells in the area, but I'll keep an extra eye on it just incase. Anyway. Goodnight Salem. Give me a ring if you need anything."

Salem nods. "Will do. Be seeing you." He takes another bite from the chocolate bar, somewhat ruining the effect of the Prisoner quote.