{Nexus} Good League of Good LXXVII: Earth Vampires DON'T Sparkle!

[Morty]

[Cabin 8]

Those two are quite unlike one another, when you think about it.
Sophie follows Shrike into her cabin.

[The Bushranger]

[Cabin 8]

Quite so.

"If you'll wait a sec, I should fetch some scrolls..."
Shrike motions to a couch, and ducks into the bedroom.
Likely to clean up a bit as well as grab the magical things she needs.

[Morty]

[Cabin 8]

Sophie sits down on the couch and looks around curiously while Shrike's absent.

[The Bushranger]

[Cabin 8]

It's a pretty modest cabin. Although the couch is very comfy. There's also a number of magical-looking things about, although likely non recognisable - aside from the sword hanging on the wall, that looks rather like a bastard sword that was broken and then honed down to short-sword size.

[Earl of Purple]

By The Lake

"I can't imagine what goblins would do underground. Do you really live there?" Myrim's homeworld has no subterranean goblins except possibly the Cliff Goblins.

Outside, Near The Garden

"Oddish?" Oddball says. I think he's just woken up from a pocket or bag or something of Jamie's. For somebody so concerned about Jamie's welfare, he sure sleeps alot.

[Morty]

[Cabin 8]

Sophie takes everything in but doesn't examine anything too closely. Her Second Sight doesn't reveal the nature of magic to her, just tells her if something is magical. She patiently waits for Shrike to get back.

[By The Lake]

Yeah! In tunnels and caves. I have my own room in our cave. It's very nice. Brinika nods vigorously.

[Earl of Purple]

By The Lake

"Don't you get claustrophobic?" Myrim's really curious; she's used to wide, open spaces or extremely roomy palaces, and hasn't spent much time anywhere which didn't fall into one of those two catagories.

[The Bushranger]

[Cabin 8]

Originally Posted by Morty

Sophie takes everything in but doesn't examine anything too closely. Her Second Sight doesn't reveal the nature of magic to her, just tells her if something is magical. She patiently waits for Shrike to get back.

The sword (which is indeed magic, but 'convential' vs. Essence) hangs there.
Shrike returns a few moments later, bearing a scroll.

[Morty]

[Cabin 8]

Sophie turns away from the sword back to Shrike.
Hello again? What's on that scroll? She peers at the piece of paper(or parchment) in Shrike's hands.

[The Bushranger]

[Cabin 8]

The scroll is written in Old Realm, a pictographic language, so it's likely gibberish to Sophie.
"I picked this up the last time I was in Creation," Shrike explains. "I think my...previous incarnation wrote it. It says it is for 'revealing things such as they truly are'."

[Morty]

[Cabin 8]

Sophie nods. The text is indeed gibberish to her, although it reminds her of something she read about on Hunter-Net once...
Hm. Alright then, use it. Let's see what it tells us. She's a little skeptical of it since, well, seeing things for what they truly are is the Hunter's raison d'etre and they know little of their origins.

[The Bushranger]

[Cabin 8]

Shrike nods, and takes a deep breath...
Then starts to speak, her words reverbirating with magical power. Her eyes almost seem to glow, as her caste mark shines brightly, and she recites the words of the scroll!

Spoiler

""

[Morty]

[Cabin 8]

And the scroll's magic reveals the truth. The results are, to say the least, interesting.
Sophie's true nature proves surprisingly elusive. Her supernatural powers seem purposefully hidden deep in her soul so that they're hard to detect unless she makes them manifest. The soul itself is still very much human, but touched by something greater... or maybe not greater, but simply different. Something from beyond reached out and awakened it, forging her virtues and convictions into a weapon to bear against the forces of darkness as well as opening her eyes to the terrible truth. Whatever it was, it left its mark and departed. Shrike might find this mark intensely familiar, however... it resonates with her own nature and power, or rather with its source.

[The Bushranger]

[Cabin 8]

Shrike stumbles back in surprise, as the ancient sorcery of the scroll revealed that which mortal eyes were not meant to see!
Thankfully, hers are not mortal; however, that doesn't stop the shock...
"By the Sun, Luna and all the Maidens," she whispers.
Then, louder:
"...I think I need a drink."

[Morty]

[Cabin 8]

Sophie blinks. It seems she sort of spaced out for a moment. She could have sworn she'd heard the Messengers for a while...
Why? What did you find out? She asks eagerly.

[The Bushranger]

[Cabin 8]

Shrike, as it happens, is already fishing a bottle of Celestial Rum out of a cabinet.
"...are you sure you truly want to know? And, for the record...I'm sorry..."

The Exalt looks genuinely shocked, disturbed, and a bit upset as well.

"...it seems that somehow, whatever made you what you are...I'm at least partially responsible."

[Morty]

[Cabin 8]

...
What? Sophie seems to be as shocked as Shrike is. How? You mean the Messengers were created by Exalted? Or are Exalted or... I don't know.
It doesn't help that she holds at least some resentment towards the Messengers for ruining her old life. Sure, someone had to take up the fight against monsters... but why her? Few Hunters haven't asked themselves this question. At least the "normal" hunters such as the Inquisition or Arcanum had a choice.

[The Bushranger]

[Cabin 8]

"The...power inside you. The marks of power upon it...it's my power. My Essence," Shrike explains, knocking back a shot of the curiously strong rum, then pouring two and offering one to Sophie.

[Morty]

[Cabin 8]

Sophie accepts the rum and downs it, clearly deep in her own thoughts. Wow. That's... well, it's a lot to take in. Theories about the Messengers back home ranged from God, to Martians and the awakened will of humanity. She pauses. I guess that explains why you saw an Exalt when looking at me. What it doesn't explain is how some of your power ended up on Earth.

[The Bushranger]

[Cabin 8]

"It seems strangeness follows me around. When I was Exalted, I had never been to Creation - it was unprecedented for an extrauniversal Exaltation to take place," Shrike observes, taking a deep gulp of her own rum. "I don't remember ever visiting in the old days, but...well, I don't remember everything. And it's entirely possible it hasn't even happend yet. Malfeas, for all I know learning this is what makes me do it!"

[VampireRot]

Originally Posted by Reinholdt

[Lakeside]

Reinholdt wakes with a yawn.

He glances at the sleeping Ermine and gives a small smile, then a slight frown, then heads off to try to find Tobias and work out the airship deal, leaving a little note.

[Lakeside]

Ermine eventually wakes up, blearily looking around with a few blinks for Reinholdt. Hm, not here. She gets up with a flick of her tail, and then curiously inspects the note he left.

[Reinholdt]

[Lakeside]

The note states that Reinholdt will be around GLoG looking for Tobias to tell him about the kidnapping airship plan.

[VampireRot]

[Lakeside]

<.<
>.>

Ermine, of course, can't read. She just sort of sits there for a moment. Then grabs the note in her mouth and wanders off to find someone who can read it.

[Reinholdt]

[Outside]

No person yet it seems, but she might note a large sabretooth tiger spotting her and settling into pouncing position while licking his lips.

[VampireRot]

[Outside]

Ermine is more attentive this time, so she notices the sabretooth. It helps that Mister Buttons is hardly in a good place to stalk her. The pirate reaches into her hat and gets out a flintlock pistol, which she holds in a threatening manner while not actually pointing it at the big cat.

"Okay ye mongrel, ye're jus' goin' ta pass along real smooth-like 'r dere's goin' ta be some big trouble."

[Reinholdt]

[Outside]

Mister Buttons tilts his head, confused. It's talking at him. And holding some weird thing he hasn't seen before. But it's food. Why is food talking? Food can't be talking! Then it isn't food. But that only applies to the big food. Right?

Mister Buttons is frozen with uncertainty!

[VampireRot]

[Outside]

"Oh, ye heard me. Get out'a 'ere afore I keel-haul ye."

Ermine scowls, and jumps a bit closer. She gestures angrily at the sabretooth with her gun.

[Reinholdt]

[Outside]

Mister Buttons twitches his whiskers and takes a step back. Never had talking food moved towards him before.

He finally gives a small growl before standing up straight and moving away a few feet to sit and lick his paw like Ermine was never there.

[Hyozo]

[outside]

If somebody is paying attention, they might notice a quiet noise. After a few repetitions they may be able to recognize it as a quiet voice, and once or twice more as a cry for help. Of course, by this point it is only a coule of moments before a small figure stumbles out of the woods surrounding the camp, cradling one arm in the other.

[VampireRot]

[Outside]

"Yeah. Ye better run."

Ermine jeers after Mister Buttons. She defeated the sabretooth! The ermine slips her gun back in her hat and turns around with swagger, then goes off to try to find someone who can read or Reinholdt himself.