[Changeling] A Gathering of Mists IC

[Anarion]

Stephanie has to move about half a block over to find a person. Given her speed and ease of movement in the evening, this does not take her long. The person she does find appears to be somewhat drunk and wearing a heavy overcoat against the cold. He's walking East towards City Hall.

"Eh, whazzat girl? The date. It's May 2012. Ain't you been watching the news? They're havin the Bridge 75th anniversary in two days. Been darn near everywhere, I even use the flyers for sleepin sometimes. Wha's a pretty blond like you doin out at this hour anyway?"

[Anarion]

[double post because the forum is doing that thing where you can't see my other post.]

[Thanqol]

"Oh gee," Stephanie said. Her brain started doing the arithmetic to see how long it had been since her rent expired.

Something occurred to her. "Wait, you can't see the -" she waved her hand rapidly in front of him, fingers discorporating into a hazy blur of mist. No shouting or flinching or accusations of being a witch?

... Cool!

"I mean to say, I'm out looking for a coat or something because my friend had a date, see, but he was a boffin-jerk, and he was rude to her all night. You know, the kind of guy who's always talking about himself and his work and says it in terms that mean like you should understand what he's saying and praise him for it but in reality he's totally up himself?"

Stephanie took a breath, clearly exasperated, "And then, would you believe it, he goes and spills wine on her nice new dress and doesn't even notice it so she storms out, and I go with her, but she can't exactly walk home like she is and she didn't think to grab her coat on the way out. And I don't exactly have any pockets in this thing -" she flicked her coat, and immediately found three or four pockets "- Oh wow, good to know! Anyway, I forgot my purse and don't have any money with me, so I'm basically looking for someone who'll loan me a coat or tell me where to find one or something."

Stephanie gave the bright smile of someone who's world was a place where this was possible.

"I couldn't really pay you, if you were to offer yours, with anything other than thanks, but I could promise that it'd be really good karma and I'd give money to the next person who asked for it."

[Offer for a simple Pledge;
Tasks:
- Endeavour (Lesser) -1: Gives me his coat
- Endeavour (Lesser) -1: Gives money to the next person who asks
Boon:
- Blessing (Lesser) +1: Mortal gets resources 2 or +1 resources
Duration:
- 1 Week +1

Manipulation+Persuasion roll to talk him into it? Bonuses or penalties?]

[Raz_Fox]

Marchande winces in shame as Rose takes out her frustration on the nearest tree. They'd just escaped, they're lost and scared, she shouldn't have barked, what was she thinking. She was thinking that they were doomed to be freaks and monsters forever, that was what she was thinking. But she had to convince them that they could do something, anything, rather than going back.

"We might not have to let them find us," she says to Rose, slowly, not quite believing herself. "Charlotte almost looks human, she could... find us accommodations. We could hide. Get a job working from home, maybe. I mean, if you wanted to stay with us. We could... it might be safer if we worked together. You're strong, capable of getting us places no one else could. Charlotte is, well, you saw what she did for Stephanie. I'd feel safer if we worked together. And Stephanie, well, she's..." Gone. No. Not again, Marchande, why weren't you looking after her. "Shoot shoot shoot."

Marchande rushed towards the street, for a moment forgetting her fear of being seen - and there she was! Running down the foggy street after a man on his walk! That girl of shadows and wisps and her cloak- aaaaaargh! What was she thinking? She was going to get them all...

He turns, she can see from her vantage point. He speaks to her, normally. She waves her hand in front of his face. They talk more. He doesn't run away. Marchande's jaw sags open, and she simply stares at the two figures, far off in the mist.

...he was obviously drunk. Or on some illegal substance. That must be it. Her tail twitches, agitatedly, and she looks back at Charlotte and Rose. "I think she's trying to get directions," she says, in a voice that says the joke isn't very funny, but if she doesn't say it like a joke she'll start screaming in sheer panic and stress and confusion.

She turned back, then, and whispered to the shadowy figure of Stephanie, half a street away. She said, under her breath, something she remembered from the crackle of the fireplace in the Master's house, and wrapped it into the words, "Good luck."

And something exploded behind her eyes, something unfamiliar and wonderful all at once. It tasted like the fire of the Market, and it made her grin, and she knew- knew- that Stephanie would get out of that conversation for the better.

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Activating Favored Fate, giving Stephanie a +4 bonus to her next roll. Marchande is now at 4/10 Glamour.

[Anarion]

The man looks gruff and resistant.

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Manipulation+Persuasion will do. That's the only coat that guy owns and its cold out, plus your claim sounds like you're going to take his coat and never come back. So -3 penalty. You've got+4 from Marchande's favored fate. Net +1 overall. Roll is contested and the fellow got 1 success.

[Thanqol]

The man looks gruff and resistant.

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Manipulation+Persuasion will do. That's the only coat that guy owns and its cold out, plus your claim sounds like you're going to take his coat and never come back. So -3 penalty. You've got+4 from Marchande's favored fate. Net +1 overall. Roll is contested and the fellow got 1 success.

[Manipulation+Persuasion = 6, Striking Looks and situational +2, 8:
1 - 1 - 10 - 1 - 8 - 6 - 1 - 10
2 - 7
= 3 successes]

Stephanie maintained a wide-eyed gaze.

[Anarion]

"Well, alright I'spose. Can't let a cutie like you freeze. Sure hope I don't freeze neither, and get some'othat Kaaarma" *slurring the word.*

He takes off his coat and hands it to Stephanie. He seems to stiffen for just an instant. Stephanie also feels stiff, as though small chains of gossamer have wrapped themselves around her soul. However, the feeling passes as soon as it appears, and you know the pledge has been sealed.

The man looks to Stephanie. "If'n there's nothin else cutie, I'll be goin."

[Thanqol]

"Hey,"

Stephanie reached out to catch the man's hand. She looked him in the eye seriously.

"I was lying just now. It was worse than what I said. I wouldn't ask that of you if I didn't know someone who needed it even worse than you did. But I didn't know if I could trust you.

"Just... thanks. You did a really good thing. I mean it."

She kissed him on the cheek, a chill whisper, and was back, down, and away into the shadows - gone.

In a heartbeat, she was back with the others. Her expression was stilled, motions subdued. She gave the coat wordlessly to Rose.

[Anarion]

The man walks away down the rest of the block. And if you didn't know better and it wasn't so dark, you'd swear he did a little skip at the end of the block.

[PhoeKun]

Rose is silent while Charlotte and Marchande take turns trying to placate her and coax her into working with them. As if she could just walk away. Like the idea of being alone and free didn't send paralyzing waves of fear down her spine. Like it wouldn't unmake her on the spot to leave a trio of hopeless, helpless lost and broken children to the darkness and the streets.

She laughs bitterly; Stephanie is gone. With a shake of her head, she walks to the end of the street, to where Marchande is standing, and gently lays a hand on the other woman's shoulder. They watch, together. Marche nervously cracks a joke, Kalina is implacable. Impossible things are happening. Stephanie comes back and hands a coat over without a sound.

Rose stares at the garment, transfixed. She lifts it in one hand, and stares at Stephanie for what feels like an hour with an unreadable expression. Finally, slowly, gingerly, she takes the coat and slips it on, wrapping herself in her first garment in a lifetime. It's cramped and uncomfortable. She has to tuck her wings tightly against her back just to make it even sort of kind of fit. She makes a mental note to get a new blade for herself and make some alterations. But even despite all that, it's... beautiful.

Rose drops to one knee, lowering her head like a knight swearing fealty to her Lady.

"...Shall we go and check on the condition of," she chokes on these last words for a moment, "of your home?"

[SiuiS]

Charlotte watches the slow unfolding scene and tries to put together the pieces. Sunny yellow Stephanie shines through but the amorphous shadow monster does not? Even drunk something should have been a clear alert to the man...

And then Rose and Marchande, watching after Stephanie like concerned parents. Charlotte wrinkles her brow, lines of creamy moonlight marring the pale gold-yellow as Marchande mastered her panic and fear, a cloud of white static visibly reducing around her.

And then the coat. Charlotte knew well the work of hands, and handing. Coins trading hands... More than recompense there was a magic there, a sign of deals made and sealed. Was this some token of fealty? surely, as Kalina kneels and a gilded purple flows around her... That was new. Devotion? Fealty? She wasn't sure if fealty was even an emotion. Charlotte sets her jaw witha sternness that resembles a slight pout more than anything. Her back itched, tingled.

"We should move swiftly, mademoiselles, so we can find this place and rest." Charlotte closes the distance between herself and the others, poised and dignified. And if there is a huskiness to her voice well, who could blame her? The night and the journey have been long and harrowing.

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Charlotte is keeping a lid on her developing irritation. I'm invoking Stillness, and her Stealth specialty for the initial expression change. She would have mastered herself to a degree before stepping forward, so any Empathic actions would at this point rely on contesting her Composure, non?

[Anarion]

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Charlotte is keeping a lid on her developing irritation. I'm invoking Stillness, and her Stealth specialty for the initial expression change. She would have mastered herself to a degree before stepping forward, so any Empathic actions would at this point rely on contesting her Composure, non?

The wind picks up a bit as you all shift outside the shelter of the opera house and it does indeed feel like its getting colder.

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Regarding your question SiuiS, empathic actions for others to read Charlotte would use her composure. If Charlotte tries to get a read on someone else, that might still use something like wits, and trying to alter someone else's emotional state would probably use manipulation.

[Thanqol]

Stephanie was hesitant when Rose kneeled for just a moment, then quickly contextualised it. She's a knight, that's something that knights do.

It was a paper thin justification that would fall apart if looked at for more than a second, but it let her continue acting like everything was normal for now.

"Yes. Uh, yeah - we should go. You're welcome," she said, and quickly started walking.

[SiuiS]

Charlotte steps forward into the gloom, first tugging lightly on Marchande's hand, then brushing Kalina's shoulder as she follows in Stephanie's wake.

[Anarion]

The streets are relatively quiet. A few cars do pass by, their lights reflecting off the fog and seeming to almost rise off the ground.

After a few blocks, you reach Market street. This is much wider and somewhat better lit. It looks to be about 4 cars wide, plus a center divider. There te several people on the street, some homeless trying to sleep, others walking quickly to their destinations, and some taxi cabs drive by every couple moments.

[Thanqol]

Stephanie saw no reason to slow, stop or change bearing. She continued in a home-ish direction, trying not to think about the fact that her rent was five years overdue.

[PhoeKun]

As she had once before, Kalina took up the position of rearguard, keeping the others in front of her where she could see them all on their way to Stephanie's (more than likely former) home. Any port in a storm, as they say.

But while their fearless leader saw no reason to stop or slow, Rose saw plenty. Some were sleeping, others were just walking about. But most all of them made eye contact. She pauses and staggers every so often to gawk at the sheer normalcy of it all. What does it mean?

Her heartbeats quicken and she struggles to keep her breath. Why? Why why why why why why whywhywhywhy why?! No. Stop it. If she could survive There, she can do this. A brave warrior of justice does not have a panic attack in the streets of San Francisco. She simply doesn't. One breath. Two.

She has to run to catch up again.

[Anarion]

You walk a couple more blocks and find yourselves passing underneath a freeway. Those with a bit of local geography or politics would know that this is highway 101, which connects with Federal Interstate 80 just a few blocks away, essentially being a transportation artery that runs unbroken from Mexico to Alaska.

spoiler for Charlotte and Stephanie

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As you step beneath the overpass, you two notice a shape all in black separate itself from the wall. There is a glint of moonlight on what looks like a blade, and it begins moving towards you quickly.

[Thanqol]

"Woah-woah-woah-woah," Stephanie said, raising her arms and walking back, blocking the others and herding them out of the shadow and into the light. She then stepped forwards and stood extremely still.

Her body began to discorporate into mist rapidly. Within seconds she was little more than a vague silhouette, surrounded by smoke and mist. "Good evening?" she said in a sing-song voice.

[Defensive stance, Stephanie's defence is now 8]

[Anarion]

The man comes towards you. On closer inspection, he appears to be a heavyset person of either Latino or Southeast Asian origin. It's hard to tell in the evening. He keeps advancing towards the four of you and demands "Shut up! Just shut up and give me all your money." He brandishes the knife he's holding, which does appear quite sharp.

[SiuiS]

GRARGH PHONE Y U SO MEAN THAT POST WAS PERFECTLY WRITTEN RARGH!
Charlotte watches enrapt as a small moon begins to dance free of the mural, unshackled from its canvas. It is not until the moon shouts, the moon swears, that she sees the man behind the moon, sees the moon itself for what it is - a sharp, sharp knife.

Charlotte blinks.

This, this she understands! Trolls wait under bridges. Trolls demand payment for passage. Trolls are also sometimes clever, and greedy. A greedy one would certainly devour someone and then take the money, if it could. There needed to be agreement. Payment, not charity. Charity buys nothing...

She steps forward, projecting. "Money for safety." already whispery, her voice seems to come from out of the fog. "We pay for safe passage, or the moon will drink of you instead, non?"

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attempt at pledge.
Task forbiddance (-1; don't hurt us), boon blessing (+2; 2 dots wealth (prepaid card in wallet)), Sanction curse (-2; fumble badly), Duration day (-1)
Charlotte fully intends to pay using Discreet Conjuration which may be a violation of the pledge if the man doesn't use it immediately. C'est la vie.

[PhoeKun]

It takes almost all of Kalina's willpower not to pounce on the would-be assailant and snap his neck right then and there. It would be swift and simple. Brutal. A proper price for such a wicked, foolish plan. But... no. No. This is a man, not a fell drake or twisted golem or... well, best not to get caught up in memories. He is human, and he shouldn't --

What's this? What is Charlotte doing? Negotiation? Her muscles tense. It won't work. It can't work. There's no money to hand over, and the instant he figures that out, the lot of them are in danger. Her eyes narrow and lock onto the knife. Is this what passes for a blade now?

Quietly, Kalina shifts her gaze to the area around her, trying to find a stick, a leftover piece of rebar from a construction project, a piece of a bench... something to be her sword against his.

[Raz_Fox]

It couldn't be right.

Marchande walks down the streets, never managing to catch up to Stephanie, never managing to match Rose's speed. Her hands are anxious, her gaze nervous, as she walks along a real San Francisco street for the first time in too long. She adjusts her collar- the collar of her suit- and shakes phantom wrinkles out of the sleeves, stiffening and getting ready to run whenever a homeless man, a woman striding confidently down the sidewalk, a taxi driver on his route, happen to glance at her and her motley band of sisters.

Why aren't they screaming? Why don't they run? There is a dog walking like them, a shining angel behind her, a girl of shadows before her. And what does she receive? Polite nods, incurious glances, a man in a thick jacket with a cardboard sign asking her if she'd take pity on a guy down on his luck. This isn't right. This can't be right. The thought nags at the back of her head - did they escape at all? Will they be dragged back off in the night, when they finally realize that no one is real, that this San Francisco is a trap for them? No, she rejects it, again and again - she has to be home. She has to be free. If it's a trap she'd rather die than go back.

And if it's real, if they can't see the monsters in front of them, what do they see? Does she look like she used to, to them? Or do their eyes slide over her? Can they really see her, or do they simply see the suit, and know that she had a normal human face because all people have normal human faces? Is there some kind of comic book convention in town, and everyone thinks they're in costume?

It troubles her, nags at her, makes it so that every step is simply because she is moving, because she has to keep walking, and so it is that she runs right into the back of Stephanie when she suddenly stops and backs up. Marchande is tall, Stephanie is not; she nearly goes right over Stephanie's shoulders and has to push herself back, confused and disoriented.

That's when she sees the knife, and she freezes up. A mugger was someone she had heard of, and been warned about, but never actually seen. What were you supposed to do... do what they say, don't fight back, contact the cops immediately afterwards? But they didn't have any money, and... would he try to take her suit? Would he hurt them if they were unable to produce money? Could they make a run for it?

Charlotte steps forward, promising money - what money, Marchande wants to scream at her. What money? They have none! There's none to be had! She takes a step back, growling under her breath - some part of her still sees an intruder, someone who is to be chased and bitten for the Master, but it's controlled by the human, who simply wants to get away. Run. Drag them along if she has to.

[Anarion]

The man seems a bit confused at Charlotte's words. He's obviously not very smart and when she starts talking about the moon drinking, he blinks vacantly.

Kalina, for her part, notices that there are several wooden boards strewn around the area, preumably from furniture or materials that either fell or the road or were thrown away here.

[PhoeKun]

Rose steps forward and to the side, calm-as-you-like, keeping one eye on the would-be mugger as she goes. She stops over top one of the boards she spotted, and turns her head to look at him fully.

"You chose your prey poorly; there is nothing for you here." She bends down and picks up a piece of wood, and hefts it over her shoulder. Her voice is powerful and icy.

"You have twenty seconds to remove yourself from my sight. After that, I'll start removing your teeth." She stretches her neck, letting it pop and crack.

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Does this call for an Intimidation roll? I feel like it might.

[Anarion]

The man seems hesitant. He fingers his knife repeatedly, almost compulsively, and his eyes seem glazed and not entirely focused. He might be on some sort of narcotic.

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I'm sure Thanqol will have further commentary, but rather than do this with penalties, I'm going to say that you should make an intimidate roll with a dice pool of presence+intimidate+1 (for the board) contested by the mugger's resolve+composure+1 (for his knife). The mugger achieved two successes on his roll and we'll re-roll a tie.

[Anarion]

The mugger appears intimidated. He looks over Kalina's strong physique, at the board she's holding, back to his own knife, then takes a step back. And then another. He's still brandishing the blade, but looks quite shaky.

[PhoeKun]

Fear. Advantage. Kalina sees her assailant faltering and presses her advantage. She strides toward him with wide, even steps.

"Nineteen. Eighteen. Seventeen. Drop the knife."

She takes a second to adjust the board in her grip, swinging it through the air with a dull 'whoosh'.

"Sixteen. Fifteen. Fourteen. Thirteen." Another couple of steps forward. She'll be on top of him soon. "Knife on the ground. Twelve. Eleven. Ten."

She brandishes her board like a duelist's rapier, prodding him in the chest with it.

"Run, little rabbit. Run."

[Anarion]

When Kalina actually touches the man, he loses it completely. He shrieks, spins around and begins sprinting away from the motley. Back under the freeway, through the darkness, briefly illuminated beneath a streetlight, and then gone around a corner and into the mist. You do note that he never did drop the knife though.

[Thanqol]

"Well, that was easy," Stephanie said chirpily, emerging from the mist about four yards to the left of her silhouette. Her plan had been to dodge the knife until the man slipped up or got tired.

That would have been really boring. The knife wasn't even on fire or anything.

"Keep going?" She proffered brightly.