Beast: The Primordial ~ Nocturnes

[Mono Vertigo]

Etta separates from her Soul again. Which is unfortunate; flying would have been awfully convenient to avoid the magma.
"That's different", she comments, admiring the place, following Taylor before turning to watch her.

[Rater202]

It's oddly not vry warm.

The Dragon with Ruby scales and a crown of black horns that glow like coals leads Etta to a pile of warped and semi melted coins of every precious or semiprecious metal you can think of.

Welcome to my Heart, Etta. Don't steal the TV.

And then like that they were forced out(Back to Etta's?)

Sorry about that. Didn't know that would happen. It's my first time with someone else.

[Mono Vertigo]

It was a lot like being propelled by a giant catapult, all the way from one part of the Primordial Dream to another, even no actual movement was endured.
Merged again with her Soul, Etta blinks disorderly, holding her head between her wings.
She emerges from her stupor with a very toothy grin.
(The corners of her mouth being pulled each by a hand-tentacle, by the way, as if unable to move otherwise.)
"No wonder you're a Tyrant! This is glorious! This is awesome, as in, properly worthy of awe! Heeeeeeeeh... how come you can't keep it open like mine? Is it just your Heart?"

[Rater202]

Yeah. Like I said the other day, I haven't gotten around to renovating.

[Entelechy]

"Do you want me to take a gander for your body? All the ocean's in the shadow of the water, and there's nothing in shadow I can't see. Given enough time to look," There Erelim says with a wink. "Or I could take a walk through the cop shop. Raise a little hell and muck through their paperwork. See if I can find where your report ended up."

[Sith_Happens]

Spoiler: OOC

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Hope you don't mind if I mess with the in-character speaking order/timing a bit, Entelechy. You did kind of ninja me.

"I don't know the young man's name, but I know he was white, dark-haired, had this odd, rude habit of chewing on soda bottle caps. I had to force myself to not slap it out of his mouth and scold him for not taking care of his teeth right then and there. Raising kids twice over does that to you; my daughter-in-law needed to work too, so it fell to...sorry, I get a little sidetracked sometimes."

"I do know I died on, oh, the 17th of June, two days after I reported it in person to the station on 8th Street. I don't rightly recall how I died, but I do know I was in enough pain to know I was probably beaten, and that when I was quickened and realized I didn't have my body anymore, I was attached to a crab pot along with my old apartment. I'm guessing whoever got rid of me put at least some of my body out for fishes."

Rachel looks slightly confused for a few seconds before beginning to speak.

"That's impressive, you managed to give conflicting accounts of what happened to your body a minute apart without having any idea you were doing it. Eh, no matter, you'd be surprised the sorts of things that can happen to a ghost's memory and faculties. Matter of fact you're practically a savant compared to most of the ones I've met personally before now.

As far as the things you do remember, I think I'm nearly at a complete picture for now. All that's left is, did you give the police your name or any identifying or contact information, where were you and what were you doing when the killer struck, and what if anything you do remember about the killer. Height, build, features, voice, anything. From there I'll get ahold of my people and see if I can't get a list of suspects."

"Do you want me to take a gander for your body? All the ocean's in the shadow of the water, and there's nothing in shadow I can't see. Given enough time to look," There Erelim says with a wink. "Or I could take a walk through the cop shop. Raise a little hell and muck through their paperwork. See if I can find where your report ended up."

"Um, pretty sure you're going to have to get in the water to get to its shadow. Do you not still need to breathe while melded? If it's ever come up then I wasn't there. As for that other idea... Let's wait a bit on that. Last thing we need is to draw attention to ourselves this early in the game."

Spoiler: OOC

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I took the liberty of cutting and pasting some of what was originally in this post into a later post to make for a smoother dialogue. Hope that's okay.

[Entelechy]

"Um, pretty sure you're going to have to get in the water to get to its shadow. Do you not still need to breathe while melded? If it's ever come up then I wasn't there."

The Erelim laughs and shakes her head. "What a fantastic underestimation. You must think so little of me."

[Mono Vertigo]

"That's really something that should be fixed ASAP. Have you got a place in mind to add?"
Etta reopens the Pathway, back to where they came from in the real world.

Spoiler: OOC

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Not rolling this time; failure wouldn't add much.

[Rater202]

Not really. It's gotta be a good place, but it' also gotta be similar enough to what I've already got.

Mazes and hot places aren't too common around here.

I'd love to add a mountain, but a trip out to the rockies is a bit inconvenient right now.

[Sith_Happens]

Spoiler: OOC

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I cut and pasted part of my previous post into this one to smooth up the flow of dialogue. Hopefully that's an okay thing to do.

The Erelim laughs and shakes her head. "What a fantastic underestimation. You must think so little of me."

"I assume you mean the 'searching the ocean' part. If you say so. I just wasn't sure if maybe the surface of the water would interfere with... But never mind, that's not how light works so why would shadows be different... Except a table can break up a shadow given the right circumstances... GAH."

Rachel suddenly looks slightly pained.

"Once again, Arel, you are one of the very few people in this city capable of making my head hurt."

She turns back to Ladonna.

"...Actually, I suppose I should ask how much exactly needs doing here. I have my own interests in these sorts of cases, but it's pretty clear Father Grebert here is hoping to put you to rest and if you're here with him then you're probably after the same thing. Any inkling what exactly that will take? Do you just need to know whodunit, or are you stuck here until some sort of justice gets done? Does it matter who the rat at the station was or just the killer? It's okay if you don't know the answer, if every ghost knew what their unfinished business actually was there wouldn't be nearly as many of the suckers floating around at once."

[Leliel]

"...Actually, I suppose I should ask how much exactly needs doing here. I have my own interests in these sorts of cases, but it's pretty clear Father Grebert here is hoping to put you to rest and if you're here with him then you're probably after the same thing. Any inkling what exactly that will take? Do you just need to know whodunit, or are you stuck here until some sort of justice gets done? Does it matter who the rat at the station was or just the killer? It's okay if you don't know the answer, if every ghost knew what their unfinished business actually was there wouldn't be nearly as many of the suckers floating around at once."

"I honestly believe it's that she wants her family to know who it was."

"Far as I can tell. I made my peace with being old a long time ago. I may have a large blank spot between crawling out of that crab pot and death, but I do know my last thought was being upset my family would never knew what happened to me, or why."

"And I did give my real name; I wanted to come off as being more credible than the average confidential informant. I had nothing to gain or hide by that info."

[Sith_Happens]

"I honestly believe it's that she wants her family to know who it was."

"Far as I can tell. I made my peace with being old a long time ago. I may have a large blank spot between crawling out of that crab pot and death, but I do know my last thought was being upset my family would never knew what happened to me, or why."

"And I did give my real name; I wanted to come off as being more credible than the average confidential informant. I had nothing to gain or hide by that info."

[Rachel Hartley (as herself)]
[The docks, night]
[With Bruno, Erelim, and Ladonna]

"'Why' is the easy part, at least if the text I got five minutes ago is from who I think it is."

Rachel removes a phone from inside her jacket and begins to check her messages.

Spoiler: OOC

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Rachel contacted her Staff immediately after getting off the phone with Bruno and Erelim; collectively they can automatically achieve a single success on any Streetwise action that isn't contested, in this case to know what sort of criminal activity is currently dominant (or at least reputed to be dominant) at the docks.

"...Just as I thought, chances are what you saw was a Russian drug smuggling operation. Old news, really, except that they've recently started moving a lot more volume to keep up with demand. Hence why they went to the trouble of taking care of you rather than just trusting you to not follow up after your report gets 'lost;' you can't be too cautious when you're expanding your business."

Rachel sounds incredibly matter-of-fact while explaining this, as if the fact that she's discussing an actual person's untimely death is beside the point.

"Anyways, before you ask, my informants are already working on a list of the Russians' known and suspected enforcers and hit men for us to narrow down. That's going to take time, though, and I might end up needing to do some legwork myself even if only to verify it. In the meantime, whatever trail you and Father Grebert were hoping to pick up here at the docks would have long since gone cold.

Why don't you wander around on your own for a bit and see if you can sense anything? For all we know you've anchored to your killer and it's just a matter of getting close enough to him. Also I'd like to speak with Father Grebert in private. It's about... 'Nephilim' things I suppose is the best way to put it?"

Spoiler: OOC

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As long as she's back within the hour she won't bleed any essence, so there's nothing stopping her from complying.

[Leliel]

"I'll see what I can find."

With that, the impression of mental image of Ladonna vanishes, with a sense of someone having left.

For his part, Grebert seems to have been lost in thought, a bit.

"...Have you ever heard of the Book of Enoch?"

[Entelechy]

The Erelim's smiles at the mention of the Russians.

"Russian smugglers, eh? Do they get high on their own supply? Think they might like to dance themselves to death?"

At the preacher's question, she shakes her head, "Enoch? Noah's Grandpa? Sadly, I know my Bible, but there isn't a book of Enoch."

[Mono Vertigo]

"I see."
Etta hadn't thought about it a lot; the first Chamber she'd added was one with personal significance that turned out to resonate with the Heart already present, by chance.
"We should really meet the other Beasts in town. Watch out for each other, help expand our places. It must be awful, being the only one in a given location without any cousin. Is that even possible, being that lonely?"

[Leliel]

At the preacher's question, she shakes her head, "Enoch? Noah's Grandpa? Sadly, I know my Bible, but there isn't a book of Enoch."

"Not one accepted in general canon. Probably not one written by Enoch himself either, or even a single person-the five sections are believed to be five different stories. But I am most concerned with the first."

"The work 'Nephilim', besides being a term for a lineage of my fellows I haven't actually met yet, is technically part of the full Bible, but it's a single line in a much larger story, tales of monstrous heroes, uncapitalized, who strode the Earth openly in those days. The first section of Enoch tells of how they came to be-the sons and daughters of angels who fell from heaven's grace not out of pride, but love. The scholars I'm aware of called them monsters, and what apocrypha I can find calls them creatures of passion and hunger, combining divine power and eldritch form with a human mind and desires. Desires for wealth, for ruination of their enemies, for power, for food...do you follow the analogy?"

"And then there is Lilith, Adam's first wife, not born of his rib but of the Earth. And a lot more independent than Eve ever was, given how she left soon after to explore the world-and it is said, is a mother to monsters."

"They never said her children couldn't be adopted."

"There's more in my view of things, but I despise evangelizing to people who don't want to hear it-it simply results in the both of us angry and going nowhere. Wish to hear more than the summary?"

[Entelechy]

"I think I made my opinion on the Bible clear. Also, what does Apocryphal mean?" The Erelim says.

[Rater202]

"I see."
Etta hadn't thought about it a lot; the first Chamber she'd added was one with personal significance that turned out to resonate with the Heart already present, by chance.
"We should really meet the other Beasts in town. Watch out for each other, help expand our places. It must be awful, being the only one in a given location without any cousin. Is that even possible, being that lonely?"

I'm not sure.

[Leliel]

"I think I made my opinion on the Bible clear. Also, what does Apocryphal mean?" The Erelim says.

"Is that an actual question or more of your 'remove all your clothes to show me how earnest you are' things? And I respect your beliefs, whatever they are; religion's great sin is assuming that anything that thinks differently from dogma is evil. So I will not preach at you, if you are concerned."

[Entelechy]

"Not all of us went to school. I just got Bible verses from Mama and the Father till I Came Home to myself and ran off. Only reason I know how to read and what multiplication is is because when I was fourteen or so I spent my days in the shadows of a grade one class. So when I ask what a word means, its because I don't know." The Erelim says, sounding short of temper. Then, she brightens, "But if you're ready to show your sincere interest in being my friend, I've got a lot of suggestions about how you can."

[Sith_Happens]

Then, she brightens, "But if you're ready to show your sincere interest in being my friend, I've got a lot of suggestions about how you can."

"...I'm going to cut you off right there. As amusing at it might be to watch you and Father Grebert come to terms, I have some things I'd like to ask him before he gets distracted or compromised."

Rachel turns toward Bruno and adjusts her glasses.

"The main thing on my mind right now is, what exactly is your interest in ghosts? Judging by that very interesting Soul of yours I'm going to guess it isn't just a hobby."

[Leliel]

"The main thing on my mind right now is, what exactly is your interest in ghosts? Judging by that very interesting Soul of yours I'm going to guess it isn't just a hobby."

Grebert sighs, looking up at the sky.

"Redemption, I guess. I wanted it before my homecoming, my Soul decided the same thing."

"It is a long story, but I can give the summarized version; I joined the seminary because I was afraid of what my blood wanted to do. I always had the desire for more things, more knowledge-and whenever I felt someone was frustrating me, I wanted to lash out at that person, make them regret trying to stop me. So to get a handle on my inner demons, and to help others with their own, I became a priest."

"When I finally got sick of it, and told the judging angel of death to just get it over with, though, it told me it wasn't an angel, and it was trying to talk to me. So I listened. When I woke up, I no longer hated myself-but I felt like the other half of me was ashamed of something it, or maybe its ancestors, did. Some great good for the world that was squandered because of its sloth and inability to protect the lost. I suppose that was the story I found, the dereliction of duty from on high for transient lust-but the lost? Well, I'm helping one now, aren't I?"

"And Erelim: First, sorry, and you have my sympathies, petty though they might seem. Second, apocryphal means 'of doubtful veracity.' Er, that is to say, it exists, but actual authorities on the subject doubt how true it is-usually because they don't know the author. Hence, why the Book of Enoch is apocryphal, because nobody has any clue who wrote it."

[Entelechy]

"So, its toilet stall graffiti?" The Erelim asks, looking pensive and clearly trying to wrap her brain around the new definition.

[Leliel]

"In particularly obvious cases, yes. But it could just be the authorities are wrong or silenced on the matter."

[Sith_Happens]

[Rachel, with Erelim and Bruno]

Rachel stays silent for some time, stroking her chin and staring ponderously at the hooded figure looming over her newest associate. Grebert was definitely speaking of it honestly, but that only served to make his words sound even stranger to her.

"Forgive me if this sounds presumptuous, but would it be safe to say that you've, shall we say... interpreted your Soul's desires through the lens of your own beliefs? I'll admit I may be wrong, this is just a gut feeling after all, but no matter which way I come at the problem I simply can't imagine a Begotten being fundamentally driven by such things as shame or redemption. It seems entirely contrary to our nature as living nightmares. As such, if I might ask more specifically: at the base, instinctual level, what do you as a Beast get out of guiding the dead?"

[Beat.]

Suddenly she raises a finger.

"You mentioned a desire for knowledge?"

Spoiler: OOC

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To be clear, this and all subsequent criticisms/examinations of Grebert's Hunger are being levied purely in-character.

[Mono Vertigo]

I'm not sure.

"Speaking of being lonely, I've got something to do. Put up posters for my buddy, in case there's somebody who saw him. Do you mind if I put a couple in your mailbox? Maybe ask your vampiric friends? They might have seen things no one else did."
A short pause before speaking again. "It's kind of derisory, putting up posters asking 'have you seen this guy?' when you have access to other realms, but you've got to start somewhere, right?"

[Rater202]

Yeah. Go ahead. I'll ask around.

[Leliel]

[Rachel, with Erelim and Bruno]

Rachel stays silent for some time, stroking her chin and staring ponderously at the hooded figure looming over her newest associate. Grebert was definitely speaking of it honestly, but that only served to make his words sound even stranger to her.

"Forgive me if this sounds presumptuous, but would it be safe to say that you've, shall we say... interpreted your Soul's desires through the lens of your own beliefs? I'll admit I may be wrong, this is just a gut feeling after all, but no matter which way I come at the problem I simply can't imagine a Begotten being fundamentally driven by such things as shame or redemption. It seems entirely contrary to our nature as living nightmares. As such, if I might ask more specifically: at the base, instinctual level, what do you as a Beast get out of guiding the dead?"

[Beat.]

Suddenly she raises a finger.

"You mentioned a desire for knowledge?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

To be clear, this and all subsequent criticisms/examinations of Grebert's Hunger are being levied purely in-character.

"I'm not so arrogant to assume I'm not. Faith is merely superstition without questioning. And my Soul reacts more easily to the fact I-

He stops when she raises a finger.

"True. I feel more fulfilled knowing more secrets than I did before, and accumulating those does seem to satiate my Hunger."

[Sith_Happens]

"I'm not so arrogant to assume I'm not. Faith is merely superstition without questioning. And my Soul reacts more easily to the fact I-

He stops when she raises a finger.

"True. I feel more fulfilled knowing more secrets than I did before, and accumulating those does seem to satiate my Hunger."

Upon hearing this, Rachel looks incredibly satisfied with herself.

"Aha, now that I can make a lot more sense of. Matter of fact I know someone else quite similar, though whether you and he would get along is anyone's guess.

Now how does your Lair play into that, if you don't mind explaining? You mentioned something about temporary anchors, which is all kinds of interesting..."

[The Glyphstone]

Spoiler: OOC

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Unfortunately for Seth, his puns just gave him away.

Twang. The man behind the door still knows more than he's letting on. Which in the current context means he's on to her. Drat.

Twang. Saying one thing but meaning another.

Wait, what? The only parts of what he just said that could possibly apply to are...

But I haven't read anyone, which means the only way he could know that is if...

Well this is awkward.

A feeling of twisted amusement suddenly emanates from Valerie's Soul.

Spoiler: OOC

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Just to be clear, that bit right there is from Soul Communion, only Valerie herself can feel it.

In related news, I suddenly wonder if many Beasts develop anything roughly akin to split personality issues, what with their own souls literally having minds of their own...

Think this is funny, do you? How about I empty your belly right here and now, then we'll see which of us gets the last laugh.

...

Wait a minute... 'The last laugh...'

Spoiler: OOC

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Relevant rolls; both succeeded.

The little jerk is messing with me. Well now the joke's on him...

While normally Valerie would be inclined to cut to the chase upon realizing she's talking to Kin, she decides to make an exception in this case. Firstly, if he's known she's a Beast this whole time and still kept his cards close to his chest then there's no telling if he values his Family at all, at least not without some more probing. Secondly... Well, now that Valerie has seen through the last of her mystery hacker's tricks she can't help but wonder how long she can string him along before he realizes it's him who's being had...

"I understand your concern, it would be quite the pathetic fly to get caught in such a simple trap. I'm trying to track quite the elusive fly myself, hence why I'm here.

As for how I found you, there are forums for that sort of thing. I can't seem to recall your handle, but I believe most people know you as the 'Cheshire Cat?'"

Spoiler: OOC

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Wits + Subterfuge + [spending Willpower] vs. Wits + Empathy to see if Valerie maintained her poker face upon realizing that Seth is a Beast:

Valerie:

Initial: [roll0]
10-Again: [roll1]

Seth:

Initial: [roll2]
10-Again: [roll3]

EDIT: Holy crap, I just lost a 9 dice vs. 5 dice contest again (first time was versus Blaine).

...On the bright side, since my roll technically succeeded (just less so than yours) it's not that Valerie's poker face totally breaks, it's more like she momentarily twitches the slightest bit or shows a brief flash of realization or something, and Seth is just observant enough to notice it.

...Wait, he can't see her right now in the first place so the whole thing is moot.

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Seth's Wisdom:

Whole thing = withholding information

"Forums for that sort of thing" = misdirection

"...'Cheshire Cat'" = doesn't actually ping on the atavism I don't think, but I'm assuming she just tipped her hand by saying it

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Lastly, I just now realized what you did there naming your character "Seth."

Seth chuckles, half-humorously. "Close, my dear, very close. Yes, there are forums for that sort of thing, but I don't make a point of advertising, and for the people who do know of me, I'm simply 'The Cat'. And more importantly, they'd know I only take commissions electronically. You've played the game well, and I applaud you for it, but the name you chose for me tells me what you've come here for, or at least why. If you will swear that I will come to no harm as a direct result of opening my door to you, I will grant you guest-right in my home and we can have an honest talk, one Cousin to another."