(IC) New Orleans by Night CtL

[Bennosuke]

The drunk kid on the ground begins to stammer, but his tongue can't seem to find any words to land on. Instead he scuttles back a few feet on his butt before his head slams hard against the corner of a table and gives off a girlish shriek. Sebastian commands him to pay, and the kid pulls out his wallet, clumsy fingers removing a handful of cash that escapes his grasp and flutters onto the pavement.

The kid oozes fear; it dribbles from his folds like the stench of liquor sweat and floats to Sebastian in a sharp cloud. The Glamour seeps into Sebastian, filling a cold empty hole that was clawed out in Arcadia and never seems to stay full.

No sooner has the money left his hands then the kid is up on his feet and running out of the restaurant. The rest of the restaurant stare at Sebastian, people still seeming to inch away from the Changeling.

It's then that Sebastian's phone pings.

It's Reggy, "Queue like you wouldn't believe. Donuts must be amazing. Can you meet us outside?"

Phuong is still standing and staring, her eyes wide with shock, her mouth agape to show her crooked teeth.

[EarthenRite]

With a last lingering glance to make sure he was gone, Sebastian shudders as he tries with all his might to drag every part of himself that he let spill into the room back inside. To close up like a clam was his fondest wish, and his eyes followed suit for a moment.

He turned to Phuong. He had been so many people in these last few minutes. So many versions of himself. The introverted Brit...an avatar of the Autumn...and now the shaken, stumbling mess his exposure was creating.

“I...I’m sorry. I’m sorry...I should go. I really should go.”

The words weren’t very loud or quiet, and he could barely maintain eye contact. He practically lunged towards his table and grabbed his things, leaving money with shaking hands and starting outside. Once he was out, he felt the wet on his cheeks and dried it hastily on a coat sleeve. His device made a cacophony of noise as he pulled it out, reading the message and looking up, spotting the others and moving towards them. He put up the mask that was no part of his changeling self. It had been with him since he was just a librarian lifetimes ago. Just another curmudgeon.

“I’m glad to see you are no longer undead.”

[Bennosuke]

Phuong does not move away as Sebastian approaches her to speak, but continues to stare at him like she is looking at some alien being. The poor Changeling quickly gathers his things, leaving money for his check and a generous tip, and rushing out of the shop as quickly as he can.

Something in the back of Sebastian's mind repeats over and over, "She didn't run away. Maybe she was afraid of me, but she didn't run away. I helped her, and she didn't abandon me.". But still, the tears come when Sebastian is finally free, warm and salty as they silently trickle down the Wizend's cheek.

Tom, Imere and Reggy were rushing over as Sebastian quickly dried his face. Tom was the first to speak, placing a giant hand on Sebastian's shoulders, "Are you okay? What happened." His hand is hard, heavy on Sebastian's shoulder, but Tom's face is soft and filled with humanity and concern.

(OOC: Sebastian gains a point of WP for defending his Touchstone. Updated in character sheet. I'm sorry we are so short of players, because I am really enjoying this!)

[Ladorak]

'You don't look so hot old boy' said Reggy, his voice was light and gay, sounding entirely unconcerned, but his narrowed eyes radiated worry.

[EarthenRite]

Sebastian rubbed his eyes a little bit and shook his head.

“I’m OK. I’ve had better days, but I’m OK. I went to see Arthur Pengrove. It...didn’t go well. He was very drunk and said he would only give me information if I killed him. I said I would...and...well, I kind of lied? Sort of...I guess he knew. He...scared me away. So, I came here to do some research. I think we need to find the remnants of that crew to learn more.”

Sebastian carefully detailed what he had learned, leaving out the part about Phuong and the young man.

“What about you? Did you learn anything?”

[Ladorak]

'Very mysterious stuff' said Reggy with a shrug, a sigh and a smile 'Your type of mystery I think Seb. Long ago a Motley formed to protect the Changlings of the city from Hobgoblin slavers. But it wasn't what it seemed, All Hallows Eve isn't what it seems, it's... what was it... "a quilt of deception and terror that exists to this day."
'The Motley was a Ice Queen who loved coin too much, it was her idea to pervert the intention of All Hallows Eve. There was also a Shadow who loved performing, a hammer and a dog that knew only to growl and smash... Oh, and a Garden, thought that bit made even less sense than the rest.
'It's important stuff no doubt, no leads though, so let's do your thing.'

[Bennosuke]

"Whose Arthur Pengrove?", Tom says with a shrug, finally removing his massive (and heavy) hand from Sebastian's shoulder.

[Ladorak]

Reggy shot a quizzical look up at Tom 'You're not thinking... Are you Tom?'

[Bennosuke]

The big guy shrugged and with a grin said, "It's been a long day, and New Orleans has a big Lost population. What am I missing?"

[EarthenRite]

“Arthur is, of course, a changeling like us though his affinity is for plants. I don’t think he will last long; he is in a great deal of misery. As for those...clues...you received, yes I think those are in my specialty. I’ll have to consider them.”

He takes out his notes again and makes detailed transcriptions of what Reggy said, making sure he had everything right.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Do any of the obscure clues strike any chords with me?

[Ladorak]

'Well...' said Reggy reluctantly 'I guess it wouldn't be so bad then.'

[EarthenRite]

“The logical course of action, then, would be to try one of two courses. We either start with the lower level members of the organization, or return to Arthur. Either one doesn’t matter, but Pengrove will expect me to carry through with our agreement, if he is willing to speak to us at all.”

Data and analysis had made Sebastian feel better. He was aware that he was doubling down on this “quest” but it was better than brooding, at least for now.

[Bennosuke]

Imere raises an eyebrow and says, "Well if Pengrove isn't long for this world, then perhaps we should start with him before the opportunity is lost." She grins and cracks her knuckles, "and perhaps there's some way I can help treat his medical needs," she says with a wink.

She looks back at the long line of tourists waiting to get into Cafe DuMonde and says, "Regardless though, it's getting hot out. Let's blow this popsicle joint."

[Ladorak]

Reggy grinned wickedly 'You definitely should treat him Imere. He wants to die after all.' He lets that barb hang in the air for a few seconds before he adds 'In all seriousness we should go see Pengrove again.'

[Bennosuke]

Imere winks again, this time directly at Reggy, but lets the slight jab go.

Sebastian leads the group back onto the Saint Charles trolley car, and it is hard not to be thankful for the vehicle's shade and fans. The car trundles across Canal street, bridging the gap from French Quarter, to CBD, back into the Garden district. Massive wooden Victorian houses crawl by as the car passes under willow shaded canopies, the air filled with the scent of lilies and crepe myrtles. Finally, the motley get off, and Sebastian leads the group back to the leaning and decrepit rot that is Pengrove's estate. Despite the midday heat, it was somehow much colder outside this house, and where the neighboring gardens were filled with blooming flowers and green grass, the massive yard of Pengrove's property was a tangle of dead shrubs and churned dirt. Boarded second floor windows looked down balefully at the Lost, the face of the house seeming to moan in a breeze isolated only to this section of the block.

Fortunately, Sebastian had left the iron gate door open, his hands still red and angry from the effort of opening the metal the first time. Otherwise, it was impossible to tell if anyone was home, as no light shone from the boarded windows.

[Ladorak]

Reggy hesitates at the threshold, right as he is about to step over the line into Pengrove's property. It is not easy to forget the numerous and mercurial rules of the Fae, not easy to forget the consequences of such things. The moment seemed as heavy as those gates 'You've been here before Seb, you show us in.'

[Bennosuke]

The overwhelming fear that had driven Sebastian out of this house just an hour or so before is now gone from Sebastian. Still, the Wizened can't help but suppress a shudder as he looked up at the boarded window eyes of the gloomy house, those eyes which seemed to stare back at Sebastian with a warning, "you are not welcome!"

[EarthenRite]

Sebastian frowns instinctively, and gutturally if such a thing were possible. Maybe it would be only possible for a Wizened.

Still...

He pressed in towards the house’s interior, leading the rest of the motley to where he had met with Pengrove before. He whispered as they walked.

“Is this...really a good idea, now that we are here?”

Inertia now was his only bravery, whatever strands had pervaded him in the Cafe had gone lax.

[Bennosuke]

There was a long pause, before Big Tom gave a loud grown as if something had snapped inside the massive Changeling. “Seriously,” he huffed as he pushed past Reggy and Sebastian, squeezing himself through the gate, careful not to touch the iron. His boots made loud thumps on the warped wooden steps that looked near collapsing under his weight. Tom was then across the porch, banging on the large wooden front door, howling to be let in. The massive house seemed to shudder and groan in response, though nobody came to open the door. Turning to look at the motley, Tom gave a shrug as if to say, "Should I just tear the door down?"

[Ladorak]

Reggy followed in Tom's wake, his ears burning with shame. In an effort to redeem himself it was he who volunteered to open the doors. He stepped forward and, without a word (A rarity) threw his shoulder into opening the doors.

[Bennosuke]

Reggy's shoulder hits the door, and rather than offer solid resistance or snap, the thing gives way with a sickening softness, caving in like wet toilet paper. Reggy goes head and shoulder first through the doorway, stumbling several steps into the large landing. The first thing that hits Reggy is the smell; like mildew and rotten wood and dirt that has been allowed to ferment in muddy puddles. The walls seem to warp uncomfortably, yielding to a weight they were never a match for, and layer after layer of wallpaper seems to be peeling, or even rotting with the warp.

Clawing their way through cracks in the floorboards are a number of small yellow and blue blossoms, these seeming to be the only plants with any vitality on the whole property. The smell of recently spent Glamour hangs heavy on the house, causing one's skin to buzz with the energy.

From deep within the house, a broken man's voice whimpers, "You again? Can't you just leave me alone?" The words are slurred and heavy, and something wet and cracked in Arthur Pengrove's voice makes it sound like he was recently crying.

[EarthenRite]

“I...brought others this time. They might be more...well...able to help. As it were.”

The entire building just made Sebastian feel sorrowful. He felt this particular avenue of the mystery needed solving, but there had to be a cost to this. Somewhere deep in.

[Bennosuke]

"Go away!" the man's voice echoes strangely in the dilapidated house, is voice almost sounding infantile. It sounded like the man was still in the kitchen to Sebastian, though based on the way sound seemed to contort, it was possible that he was somewhere else. The electric hum of Glamour was heavy in this place, so powerful... echoes of Arcadia... echoes of another life.

[Ladorak]

Reggie cleared his throat, dispelling doubt and fear as if this were any other sales pitch 'If we are not wanted here we will leave. But I come with a doctor on one side and a knight on the other. I come bearing treatment in one hand, and death in the other.
'Is there truly nothing you want from us?'

[Bennosuke]

Reggie's plea is met with a sudden and hysteric cackle, filled with mirth and madness. From the kitchen Pengrove hoots, "You come bearing death you say? You don't smell like death." There is the noise of scuffling on tile floor, and then a shriek followed by a loud thud. It sounds like the man fell while trying to get up. But then there is more scuffling, and the Changeling's voice starts drawing closer as he says, "You don't know how long I have waited for death. You know we age slower than most mortals, and disease does not affect us in the same way. But because of our great contract with the city, no Master nor Hunter has come to take me away. I am unwanted by theFreeholds of this city; useless and unloved. My very Court was destroyed, ripped out from between my hands... and still death does not come."

As he speaks, Arthur Pengrove shambles through a hallway entrance to appear before the Motley. His moldy green bathrobe, which sport several old stains are wet with what appears to be vomit down the front of his shirt. His eyes are glassy and unfocused, and it is unclear if he sees any of the Changelings in front of him. He is hunched and frail. His flesh is a webbed network of vines and dying blossoms that end in a crown upon his bald and bony head. Thorns protrude at odd angles from the man's arthritic finger joints, and one hand leans out against the wall to stabilize Arthur Pengrove who wavers unsteadily before the Motley.

[Ladorak]

'I smell like a booming bouquet of flowers' says Reggy with mock outrage 'From what we've been hearing that contract is anything but great, but is death really the only answer you can think of Pengrove? A mind needs not an able body to be useful, a man who has lost his Court may yet find a Motley to bind his wounds.
'I know what it is to feel of no use, but you could be of use to us, Arthur Pengrove. We would not forget you. We need to know about that contract, and the Ice Queen and the garden and all the rest.'

[EarthenRite]

Sebastian felt that Reggie’s methods were what was called for. He was silent and listened, sneaking off to the side while Reggie was talking and getting a chair to bring back and gently slipping it behind Pengrove. He helped to guide him down into it, at least to remain steady for a time.

“We won’t leave here without providing what you want. I am not an oathbreaker.”

He nearly whispered the words.

[Bennosuke]

The man's eyes suddenly focus on big Tom, a strange clarity gathering in those blue orbs. But it was as if he heard nothing either Sebastian or Reggie had said. Instead Pengrove stumbled towards Tom Malory, arms extended as if prepared to embrace the giant. "Carter!", he said the name with excitement, a mad sort of surprise and glee. White spittle was gathered at the corners of the man's lips, and his face moved with a certain asymmetry as his bony vine covered hands grabbed hold of the massive muscles of Tom's arms. Again, Pengrove said the name, "Carter, is it really you?" Tom looks to the others, a surprised and lost look on his face, neither moving to break nor accept Pengrove's embrace.

[Ladorak]

Reggie cleared his throat awkwardly 'Sir this is our friend Tom. He was a knight of the realm before he escaped Arcadia. Sad to say he recalls nothing before that. Who is Carter?'

[Bennosuke]

Reggie's words seem to confuse the elderly man further, his legs begin trembling and within just a few moments they give out. Pengrove collides on his rump with a hard thump, and cries out in sudden pain. Pathetically looking up from Tom to Reggie to Imere to Sebastian, he stammers before finding the ability to say, "Oh no! I am really losing it, aren't I? Where are we? You aren't Carter Batka?" He points a knobby finger, lined and dark like the bark of an oak at Big Tom as he asks this last one. He moans long and low, his voice wavering mournfully.