A Night in Lonesome October (IC)

[Thelonius]

It is September, 30 in the Amsterdam. The skies are cloudy and a warm wind blows gently. The weather is unusually warm for this time of year and streets are full of people. Among them are the supernatural creatures, hiding in the dark alleys and in plain sight. For four people in the city, this day is the beginning of their story.


Maartin van Rijn: A New Client

The water in the glass tasted as candy, sprinkled with sugar and dipped in jam. The faeries weren't satisfied with turning any liquid in Maartin's house sweet. Now they followed him to the restaurants as well. The wrath of the Summer Court, after he tricked them in the nuclear plant incident, proved to be annoying, rather than dangerous.

The meeting with a potential client was in a small cafe, in the accorded neutral ground near the Rembrandtplein square. Maartin van Rijn passed Cafe de Jaren on his way and spotted an entourage of Red Court Vamps with their Duke, absolutely failing at being inconspicuous. They've been frequenting the area recently, which unnerved the local informants. Some even changed locations of their meetings, rather than risk getting in the middle of White Council-Red Court War. The word was out, Señora Adelia Valdez of the White Court was arranging a high profile party this night, to relive tensions. All the power players were going to be there, a good opportunity to gather information, if one could get an invitation.

The man, who contacted Maartin, was tall, middle aged in the process of losing his hair and had piercing blue eyes. It was an unusually warm day for the end of September, but even so the client was dressed very lightly in a short-sleeved shirt and sandals. He had rough hands, strong handshake and spoke with an accent, Maarten couldn't quite place.

Good day, friend. My name is Jon Steel. I've asked around and your name came up as a reliable man in this city. When I head of your nature, well I knew you were the right person for the job. Perhaps I should explain why. You see just, before that, I've been reading an amusing news story about the ravens in Japan. It appears the clever birds have been making their nests out of fibre optic cables of the city electrical system. When the humans began to destroy the nests, to chase the birds off, the ravens adopted an interesting tactic. They started to make fake nests and a lot of them. In the end they've emerged the winner. Quite interesting, eh?

I'd like to hire you for a similar operation. Can you organize about two dozen of fake occult spots in the city? I'll supply the materials and funds. You'll find locations, where one would normally hide an occult laboratory, acquire them and arrange the delivery of materials. I'd like to have some fake nests, to hide a true one. Do you think you can help me with that?

Jon Steel smiled, awating for Maarten's respons and downed his drink, a full glass of tequila.


Brent Blackwell: The Hunter and the Prey

The White Council didn't have much info on Fausto Manzano. The file greatly emphasized his combat abilities, love for military and modern weapons and strong leadership, instilling a discipline and teamwork among the usually disorganized red court vampires. In the photo attached to the file Fausto Manzano was posing in front of a smouldering village, dressed in a military uniform and holding a RPG, grinning with unabashed satisfaction.

He was now sitting in a Cafe de Jaren, near the Rembrandtplein square, looking irritated and a bit ridiculous in his ill-fitted, mismatched civilian clothes. The mood of the Duke was clearly sour, as he snapped at the waiter and Brent could almost see him slashing the young man's throat, but holding back at the last second. It would have been troublesome for the Red Court, if thier chief representative in the area failed to restrain himself. The cafes in the district were an accorded neutral ground and a meeting place of various informants. Additionally, there were supposedly hidden observers of the Landsknechts, some local mercenary group in the know. They were rumored to deal harshly with anyone causing trouble on their turf.

The cafe was filled with Manzano's thugs, the personal guard he brought to the Amsterdam. None of them seemed to speak either Dutch or English and their clothes didn't fit them as well. They were really standing out. The regular cafe customers sensed danger, even if they didn't realize the supernatural nature of this group and Brent observed several people to hurriedly pay their checks and leave. It was smart of them. The Red Court was causing trouble, ever since Manzano has arrived. It even registered with the regular population, as several of the Duke exploits made to the news, that attributed the spike in violent crimes to the immigrants problem.

Earlier this day Brent received an invitation from the White Court for a midnight party at the estate of Señora Adelia Valdez. Somehow the White Vampires knew of his arrival to the Amsterdam and his purpose. He was warned not to cause trouble by something like an assassination of the prominent Red Court Duke. Yet now they were inviting him to the most important social event in the area.


Leeroy Vonsprut: The Three Letters

The morning mail check brought trouble on Leeroy Vonspurt. There were three letters in the mailbox, each spelling trouble for his so far easy and uncomplicated existance.

The first letter was tied by a red band, triangle shaped and sealed by a signet with an intricate design of something resembling a cockatrice. The contents were hand written entirely in Latin. Only an ancient White Council Wizard would have bothered with something as elaborate as this, in the age of mobiles phones.

My Dear Colleague in Art,

I'm writing to ask for a small favour, that may end up saving a lot of trouble for you, the White Council and the World. I maintain an archive of various regularly occurring magical phenomenon and monitor any potential situation, that may arise, due to reasons long buried in the centuries past.

I ask you to perform several tests of the NeverNever and flow of energy in Amsterdam and forward the results back to me. The details of the tests are included in my letter. I may contact you again, depending on the results.

Yours sincerely,
Esteemed Wizard of the White Council
Albert Toss.

The date on the letter was the second of August, senders address in Edinburg. Leeroy found it on the bottom of his post box yesterday. There were faint traces of magic on the envelope, perhaps a protective charm. The spells that were supposed to test for something in Amsterdam were written on a separate sheet of paper, with a couple of diagrams and handwriting different from the one in the main letter.

Another letter that Leeroy found was from Senora Adelia Valdez, the White Court Lady of the Amsterdam. She cordially invited him for a midnight party, form of dress official. There were a lot of fears that the Red Court was going to turn the Amsterdam into a battlefield, especially since the arrival of Red Court Duke Manzano. It appeared the White Court was going to finally deal with the rising tensions and make its position know.

The third letter was actually a damp scrap of paper with Leeroy's address badly scribbled on it. The rest of the paper was badly damaged by the water, so only two words could be made out: Prisoner and Court.


Tobias Walker: A Chance Meeting

Tobias could see a goblin on the roof opposite of his bedroom window. He was chewing on a pigeon caught earlier, while three more pigeon corpses were arranged in front of him. Another goblin lifted himself up on the roof and the two faeries started to discuss something. After a few minutes the pigeon hunter gave the newcomer a slash across the eye, after he tried to take one of the dead birds for himself. That sent the other goblin quickly scurrying off the roof.

When Tobias opened the door of the apartment, he startled a girl, who was looking intently at the door. Tobias felt a tug of the soulgaze as their eyes accidently met, but she quickly looked away, breaking off her own soulgaze. The girl was in her early twenties and wore faded jeans, a grey hooded sweatshirt and black lipstick. She carried a cheap woman's purse and Tobias could have sworn something has moved inside it.

The girl spoke quickly, barely taking breaths between her words. This is Vonsprut's handiwork. I guess you can't make them on your own, since he won't be doing extra work, if somebody else can do it for him. Am I right? But why is Vonsprut helping you at all? Oh, I'm sorry. I forget all about manner, when I want to find out something interesting. I'm Mila McAllister. Maybe that good for nothing White Council ''Wizard'' mentioned me. I look out for the small time practitioners in the Amsterdam. Heard a new face was in town and rushed here to see, if I can get some real help. Something dark is brewing in my city, so I'll be real grateful for any help I can find.

As Mila stopped talking, Tobias heard a muffled squeek coming out her purse.

[goblinpaladin]

'A New Client'

"Fire optic cables? Even the ravens of Japan are technophiles, it seems. What a strange and wondrous world in which we are living. I wonder if that British person who does the documentaries would do one on these ravens- David something." Maarten swirled the water in his glass before draining it. He made a face at the sweetness.

"What sort of 'spots' did you have in mind?"

[Bango Shank]

Chance Meeting

Instrument case in hand, Tobias made sure the door was locked behind him as soon as the young woman in front of him stopped talking long enough to breath. Assured in the security (able to feel the slight hum of the wards popping into place), Tobias turned his attention back on the woman at the doorstep.

"Easy easy. Low-key alright? I'd rather not announce my presence to the world on the doorstep of a couple of neutrals who have been nothing but nice to me." His amber eyes traced the top of the building across the street. Either the goons he had seen earlier had vacated the roof or it wasn't a good enough angle on the ground to see the pigeon eaters.

"Alright," He started to walk down the street, throwing his arm through the sleeve of his big white coat as they walked. "What is this trouble you're talking about? Given some of the local color around here I wouldn't be surprised, but you're going to have be a bit more specific."

[Thelonius]

A New Client

Jon Steel tugged his beard as he considered Maarten's question. Any dark and hidden place would do. Do you have any occult expertise? I can provide some basic information on the types of places a magic laboratory would usually be located. It's truly a numbers game, as long as at least half of the locations work their misdirection, the plan would be a success. And perhaps I'd be interested in information on the city warlocks. My adversary might seek their services to locate the true location, so I need to account for such eventuality.

A Chance Meeting

The girl fell silent for a moment, clearly embarrassed. I'm sorry, she continued speaking slower and quieter. The problem are the Draculs. That's our nickname for them, but I think Vonspurt called them the Black Court. They've always been around practitioners, all polite and never stirring any trouble. Of course it made me twice suspicious of them, so I've started to dig things up. And I've found that they are actually practising magic. I didn't even think vampires could do that, thought only we people were that special, quite a disappointment. They are planning to do something big, something that will require a lot of magical mojo. I've practically heard one of them to admit, that they are following my friends to use them as fuel for whatever they are planning.


A flock of pigeons flew into the air from a nearby roof. That was a second time it happened. Tobias saw a lot of inhuman beings, since arriving to the Amsterdam, quite a lot of them faeries, but it was the first time he has encountered goblins.


Of course the White Council won't lift a finger, unless I find some evidence. So I'm going to try and get some. Mila slowed her steps. Don't misunderstand, I'm not asking you to help me take on the Black Court. That's too big for someone you just met. But if I disappear, I'd like as many people as possible to start asking questions. Can you at least be my insurance?

[goblinpaladin]

Maarten gestured for a waitress; on her arrival he gave her a cheerful smile and asked for the blackest, bitterest coffee they could make. Turning back to Steel, he nodded.

"So it's false laboratories you're after? I think I can put together the sort of thing you're after- I know some people." He ran his fingers over his untidy beard and pursed his lips. "I wouldn't call the practitioners I know warlocks, given their affiliations. What sort of person is your opponent? I'll be happy to tip off the magicians I know, for an additional fee."

"As it is, I imagine that I will retain their services myself to assist in your matter."

[Bango Shank]

Tobias walked a step or two ahead of Mila as she slowed, but at her words he stopped and turned to face her.

"If you're right about all this then I think you'll need all the help you can, whether we just met or not." He smiled lightly at her, though his eyes traced the tops of the roofs across the street momentarily. He generally had nothing against most fey beings, as they tended to keep to their own while in the mortal world, but it was always unsettling to have them so close to people he knew and protected.

"I'll ask around and see what I can get on my own, but if you need me I'll be there." Tobias knew that part of what made humanity strong enough to face off against the things that go bump in the night was their resolve and strength in numbers. This was even more important for practitioners, who knew of the dangers and were often targets themselves. He wasn't raised to leave a fellow caster (a word his parents hated him using) out on their own, and he certainly wasn't going to start now. "In the mean time you be careful alright?"

[ninja_penguin]

The Hunter and the Prey

Outwardly, Brent was continuing to enjoy his randomly selected drink of the day and casually glancing about as if nothing was his concern in the cafe while other people nervously hurried in and out.

He casually flicked his glance over to the Duke and his bodyguards. The man was generally arrogant. Obnoxiously so; supremely arrogant marks kept to their habits so often is was easy to land an ambush and take them out. Manzano had an air or irrationality that kept him moving enough that was making it hard to figure out a good approach vector.

And then add in the local sexy soul sucker inviting him to a midnight party, and it'd had caused Brent to back up and reassess faster than the time in Montreal when he'd rounded a corner and found himself painted with three laser sights.

Outwardly, Brent shifted in his chair and switched sections of the newspaper, but inwardly he was drumming his fingers in frustration. A pity that he just couldn't, say, wire explosives into the bottom of the Duke's car, and detonate it at a location public enough to put the suspicion on the local mafia.

Ah, I do so miss Italy.

[Thelonius]

A New Client

Jon hesitated, clearly thinking over the Maarten's offer. He nodded slowly and spoke with growing enthusiasm.

That's a very good suggestion. My enemy is somebody very dangerous. He goes by the name Jack and usually doesn't use a pseudonym. A rather big and intimidating man, has a dog companion, that is more than a simple dog. I'd expect for corpses to start to appear after his arrival, not that somebody would notice in this large city. He usually goes after the women. My own information is unfortunately limited, but if you were to warn the locals about him, it would be most helpful. I hope you would omit mentioning me, I'd rather not have this man track me through you.

I take it you are ready to accept this job? The time is of the essence, I'd like you to begin as soon as possible.

A Chance Meeting

The streets were filling with people hurrying to get to their jobs. Whatever the power of the supernatural beings, they were few compared to the great mass of humanity. Monsters may have ruled in dark alleys and manipulated things behind the closed doors, but here in the open they feared simple mortal men and exposure to the light.

Mila brightened up, when Tobias agreed to help her. I'll be careful. You know, there is going to be a big meeting between the Amsterdam's among the powers that be tonight. I doubt they'll send me an invitation, I'm just a young, idealistic sorceress without any real power behind me. But you may get in, since you've got some ties to the White Council. The White Court won't miss a chance to get some hooks into you. If you come with Vonspurt, they'll probably let you join the party. So you'll be able to keep me in the loop, if something happens there.

Mila stopped at intersection and smiled at Tobias. I'll be going then. All the bigshots busy at the tonight's party, it's a chance I can't miss. I hope to see you soon.

The Hunter and The Prey

Duke Manzano snarled. His mood apparently just shifted from irritated to outright angry. He waved a hand to get the attention of the waiter and gave a silent signal to his bodyguards. The drinks on his table were untouched. The waiter hurried to his table, no doubt hoping to speed up the departure of the troublesome client.

[Bango Shank]

The idea of attending anything beyond coffee and a casual hello with the other major practitioner in the area was not something Tobias looked forward to. Despite Vonspurt being a fully recognized member of the White Council, the man rubbed Tobias the wrong way. He used fairly harmless trappings of magic in order to keep himself in business, and while that may have been acceptable to a certain degree in worse situations, it wasn't acceptable how much enjoyment he seemed to get out of it. Vonspurt had been the one to set up the wards on the house Tobias was staying in, something the older wizard seemed to enjoy mentioning when the opportunity arose. Tobias didn't enjoy the man, but if it meant getting a better grasp on the situation brewing in the area then he was sure he could put up with the elder wizard for at least a little while.

Tobias sighed and realized his options were limited. "Alright, I'll talk with Mr. Vonspurt about the party." As he waved goodbye to her Tobias realized something pretty obvious. He had just agreed to go to a full formal White Court Vampire function in the company of another magical practitioner...

Turning and heading back to the house to search for Vonspurt's number, Tobias shook his head rather miserably. Oh yeah... nothing will go wrong there.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell, The Hunter and the Prey

Brent glanced up as the Duke's mood changed, eying how the situation was going. Keeping an eye on the Duke, he casually reached inside of his jacket, retrieving his cigar case from inside, and idly rapped it in on the table.

[goblinpaladin]

Maarten nodded, a considering frown on his face. "I think I can manage what you are looking for. Certainly I will not reveal your name to anyone: all of my clients and friends operate under the strictest of confidentiality." He took a sip from his new coffee- despite the best efforts of the barista, it was still sickly sweet.

"Your opponent sounds a most unusual man. You say he is striking at women? For a further fee, I could keep my ears pressed to the cold concrete floor that is the White Court, hear if any of their workers are vanishing mysteriously? As well, of course, as more mundane means- but the Court tends to be very cross when others interfere in their feeding grounds."

I'd prefer to keep 'fees' and 'money' and all that rather vague. I have no idea what sort of fees I oughta be asking for, and I bet you don't either. :P

[enderrocksonall]

The Three Letters

Leeroy couldn't help but chuckle at the first letter a bit. "Looks like my business can look forward to a small uptick this quarter! After all, I'll need an excuse to be poking around all parts of the city! A small hexing spell in the area won't throw off the results too much. The long delivery time of the letter bothered him a bit, as did the different handwriting in the spell diagrams, but he never worried about the small stuff. The guy probably wrote the letter and then left his apprentice to research and diagram the spells. The poor guy must have a complete dunderhead for an apprentice if it took him nearly a month to research it!

The second letter produced a much more sober wizard than the first had. A White Court meeting at midnight probably meant that they were inviting some Red Court vampires to attend. An invitation from the White Court to welcome the visiting Red Duke. I kind of wish that cowboy Dresden were around. He's the one who deals with this kind of thing. I probably wouldn't even have to go to this thing if it weren't for him starting the bloody war!

The final letter was more annoying than informative.
Prisoner Court? Prisoner of what court? Summer Court? Winter Court? White Court? I doubt the Red or Black Courts even keep prisoners, or give them anything to send a letter with. And why would this "prisoner" send ME the letter. Send it to a Warden, you moron!

Leeroy's mental tirade against the sender of the final letter continued as he began gathering what he would need to do the requested tests. He threw together his tool belt with his Flashlight on it, and threw some blue sidewalk chalk, a spool of white thread, and a tube full of iron shavings into the pockets of the tool belt in addition to the regular tools that he used in his daily business. Grabbing his backpack, he tossed in a map and a blank pad of paper and some colored markers. He'd be using those to take notes on what he found with the test spells.

Then he settled down in his lab to start researching the particular Ley lines that passed through the city. He would start his tests along those lines, after the midnight party with the White Court. At least the White Court knows how to throw a party. I can look forward to some HAWTNESS later tonight!

[Thelonius]

The Hunter and the Prey

The Duke paid his bill and rose from the table. He entourage filed in a line behind him. A couple of them wore large rucksacks and Brent suddenly had a gut feeling that they were filled with weapons.

It looked like the Duke's breakfast was finished and he would return to the house, that served as Red Court's base in the Amsterdam. His bodyguards looked around alert, as if expecting an attack and followed their master.

A New Client

You are adding up quite a bill master spy, I hope you will deliver excellent results. Warn this White Court. It would be a good distraction. Jon Steel wrote a number on a napkin and passed it to Maarten. The negotiations for the price of services began and the end number was quite satisfactory. Steel looked like a man, who didn't spend money lightly, but he needed Maarten's services. He also apparently disliked banks. The advance was paid in cash, stored in a briefcase and the rest of payment was going to be delivered in the similar manner.The necessary supplies will arrive at the airport tomorrow. Jon Steel handed Maarten the papers to receive the goods. Contact me, if you need any additional information or you receive news of the men I've described to you.

[goblinpaladin]

"Oh, excellent. Paper trails are such a nuisance, and I don't speak enough French to navigate the Swiss bureaucracy." Maarten slipped the slice of paper into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

"A pleasure doing business- please allow me to pay your tab," he added with a hawkish smile.

[Thelonius]

Three Letters

After several hours of work, Leeroy Vonspurt sketched an approximate map of the city's lay lines. Being the city resident and visiting every corner of it, during his mundane job, he already had some sense about the lay lines locations. They mostly flowed along the water canals and the river Amstel, that ends in the city centre. There were also several places with a strong connection to NeverNever. Performing the Albert Toss's measuring spell in any of those locations should be the easiest way to obtain the data:

The Museum of Anna Frank. It could be a dangerous place, since the place is sometimes visited by powerful faerie, that feed on fear.

Portuguesse Synagogue located near the Waterlooplein, an old Jewish quarter. It's a pretty safe location, since it is the holy ground and there are several rabbi in Amsterdam, who are in the know and strive to protect people from monsters.

A rose garden in the Vondelpark. It connects to the Summer Court part of the NeverNever.

The IJ bay, the main waterfront of the Amsterdam. The connection to the NeverNever there has become more unpredictable, after part of the river Amstel, that used to flow into the sea, was filled in.

There could be more locations, but Leeroy would need to spend more time searching for them.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

As the Duke and his company pack up, Brent quickly finishes up with his paper and packs his cigar case back up as well. Intentionally moving away from the front entrance and getting the attention of one of the servers. "Bathroom? In back, yes?"

[Thelonius]

Yes, you need to go down the stairs and its the door to the left. The waiter glanced at the leaving procession. ''Come again. Usually its much more relaxed here.''

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

"Fantastic." Brent said, moving away to the back, heading right past the bathroom and out whatever employee section there was, hustling at a light job to try and get a view of the Duke's entourage before they drove off.

[Bango Shank]

With his plans now shelved for the time being, Tobias returned to the house in order to dig out an old number he'd rather not call. Along the way he kept his eyes glancing towards the rooftops. Something definitely was going on in this city, that much was clear. While he wasn't certain what or who was responsible, it was clear that it wouldn't end well for the mortals involved (which was everyone that got in the way).

Inside the house the old couple were sleeping upstairs (poor folks spent most of their time that way). Tobias moved to the phone, an ancient thing that actually had a working rotary dial on it rather than a key pad. From his coat he dug out his black contact book, the pages overflowing with scrawled handwriting (not all of it his) and various little notes and pieces of scratch paper. Somewhere in the mess he found the business card for a particular plumbers service. Staring at the card, Tobias snorted. White Council Wizard. Honestly.

Tobias hurried up and dialed the number. Hopefully he could explain the situation, get an invite, and do the rest on his own.

[Thelonius]

A Chance Meeting

On his way back Tobias noticed the goblins again. They were on the other side of the canal, scrambling on top of the roofs, keeping ahead of a man walking on the street below. Their target was a tall man, wearing a wide-brimmed hat. A large, black dog was following him on a long leash. The man was striding purposefully in the direction, where Mila left to. In a few seconds he and his supernatural escort disappeared behind the same corner, Mila turned just a few minutes ago.


The Hunter and the Prey

Brent moved to the corner of the cafe and before getting a view of the Duke, spotted another person there, nervously observing the Red Court procession. A young looking man with short black hair and dressed rather conservatively. He was clutching a book in his right hand, while his left hand was hidden in a pcket. The man spotted Brent as well, but he his eyes didn't linger on the monster hunter, turning to the Duke again.

The Red Court was getting in two cars. The majority of the bodyguards were getting into a large windowless van. The Duke himself got into a large black SUV. Apparently Manzano didn't share the Amsterdam's love for eco-friendly bicycles.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

Brent wandered up next to the younger man, silently watching the Duke's procession without saying anything. If anything, the Duke would probably stand out like a sore thumb when Brent needed to catch up with him later. The carbombing option still seemed to be on the table as well.

"Bat watching?" Brent said suddenly to the man beside him in a conversational tone.

[goblinpaladin]

A New Client

On his way back to his office, Maarten stopped by a payphone to make a few calls. His old friend, the cowardly -not a criticism- the magical plumber would surely love to get in on this kind of work.

-ring ring-

-ring ring-

[enderrocksonall]

The Three Letters

The phone rang just as Leeroy was getting out of the shower.
Yello?

[goblinpaladin]

A New Client

"Ah, Leeroy, old friend. I have had a job offer, the sort of thing you would be interested in- can you meet me in the square in ten minutes? We can discuss it in private."

[enderrocksonall]

I'm going to a party tonight and I've got to get ready. I can meet you in 30 minutes for a quick talk.

[goblinpaladin]

"Deal. Hey, a party? What sort of party?"

[Bango Shank]

Unfortunately the line was busy. Tobias checked the clock and began to worry that he wouldn't manage to get a hold of this guy, which meant looking for a "plan B". Something else was still bothering him, and as he set down the phone Tobias figured out what it was. It was something he had noticed returning to the house. One of the first things he had done after setting himself up in the house was to get to know (at least on sight) the faces of the neighborhood. It helped to identify who didn't fit in on a regular basis. He was almost certain (though the hat had made it harder) that he hadn't seen the man with the dog before. And those goblins had taken a certain interest in him that didn't sit right with the young practitioner.

Though not the heroic one, or someone who would gladly stick his nose into trouble, Tobias was one of the few practitioners in the area. Combine that with the warning Mila had given him earlier about movement in Amsterdam and he was having a tough time trying to ignore what could be a problem. Muttering to himself and hoping he wasn't too late, Tobias threw on his coat, picked up his instrument case, and bolted from the house. He jogged lightly down the sidewalk and slowed as he approached the corner everyone seemed to have taken earlier. Reassured by the weight of the instrument in his hand, Tobias turned the corner in hopes of catching the trail of the goblins or the man with the dog.

[Thelonius]

The Hunter and the Prey

The man spun around facing Brent and his hand shot forward shoving the book into the hunter's face. Brent noticed an image of a pale young man and words Twilight on the book's jacket. ''Uh... Um... Yes, bat watching'' The youth's voice slowly died down. He looked around uncomfortably, clearly not finding anything to say to the intimidating figure that startled him. Brent had this effect on people sometimes, the powerful presence perhaps inherited from his ancestors, who used it to build financial empires from scraps. ''I think I'll be going.'' The young man awkwardly moved to get past Brent and join the safety of the pedestrian flow on the street.

[enderrocksonall]

White Court meeting. Not sure what's up yet but it might have something to do with that visiting Red Court Duke you tipped me off to.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

Brent glanced down at the book that had been shoved into his face, glaring at the young man. "Hey!" He said, as the youth started to run off. "Just want to talk! A peu un de va-et-vient, droit?

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Thelonius]

A Chance Meeting

Tobias was all out of breath, when he spotted the man going down at the metro station entrance. He appeared to have lost his dog, since Tobias last saw him. The goblins were nowhere in sight as well, although the dark underground station could provide more hiding places for them. There were quite a lot of people on the platform, but crowds didn't necessary translate into witnesses. The mass of people could provide concealment and anonymity as well. The man was waiting for the train and fiddling with a square piece of white paper, perhaps a postcard or a letter. The space around him was empty of bystanders.

The Hunter and the Prey

The youth replied ''Zay moykhl. Ikh farshtey dos nit. Ikh muz gebn.'' Pressing firmly to get free of Brent he continued ''Fort aykh avek aleyn.''

[Bango Shank]

Something continued to nag at Tobias about this man. Though in no apparent danger or even posing an immediate threat himself, there was still a lingering feeling of dread. Perhaps the talk with Mila had upset him a bit more than he had though and he was seeing shadows where there were none. Still, the man's dog and the goblins were both absent, something Tobias was not sure was a coincidence, and his "plan A" had already fallen through so till he could think of a "plan B" there was little to do but to investigate.

Moving casually, Tobias merged into the crowd of people, looming on the edge of the crowd around the man, who seemed isolated amongst the pedestrians despite the number of people in the small area.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

Brent stared at the man for a minute. "All right, fair enough." he said. "Let's start over with a common ground. Bat Watching. Start talking."

[goblinpaladin]

Maarten

"Huh. I would love to get to that- any change I could tag along? How does one get invited to such an event as that, I wonder."

"I wonder if I know someone..."

[Contacts roll?]

[Thelonius]

A Chance Meeting

The man remained standing, not giving any indications he noticed his stalker. He stood to the side, so Tobias couldn´t quite make out his face. The piece of paper in his hands was gone, either pocketed or discarded. The clock indicated that the next train to the platform, where the man stood, was going to arrive in about three minutes.

The Hunter and The Prey

The young man sighed. The frightend look has gradually dissapeared from his face and he stopped his attempts to get away. ´No point in pretending I don´t speak English, I guess´he smiled weakly. ´I was just spying on the ´bats´. They might be dangerous to the people of the city, so somebody must keep an eye on them. And what is your interest here? Who exactly are you?

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

"Me?" Brent said, snapping open his cigar case with a practiced motion and retrieving a partially smoked cigar. "I'm sizing up a skull so I've got a decent peg to hang it on." Brent said, lighting and taking a puff. "Oh, not your skull, in case that sounded creepy."

[Thelonius]

The Hunter and The Prey

''Could you perhaps be a member of...'' wrinkles showed on the young man's forehead, as he tried to recall the name. ''Um... the Order of... those, who hunt the Reds?'' He looked at the cafe tables, behind Brent. ''Perhaps we can sit down a have a cup of coffee? It doesn't seem like I have anything of interest to report to Ra...'' he caught himself, before finishing the sentence.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

"I've got plans for the evening apparently, but I can spare a little time right now." Brent said, flashing what he hoped looked like a disarming smile while he filed away the slipped syllable for future reference. "After you."

[Bango Shank]

Tobias was starting to have second thoughts. Perhaps he was truly being paranoid, but at the same time there were things that just didn't feel right about all this. The biggest sign was the absence of the dog. No one simply leaves a dog somewhere to wander off on their own, especially after walking around with them on a leash. So where was it? And what was going on with this man?

Lacking anything better to occupy himself with, and unable to shake the feeling of inconsistency, Tobias picked up a copy of the train schedule from a nearby stand and moved in a few rows behind the man on the platform, looking over the schedule while keeping his eyes over the page and on the man's back.

[Thelonius]

After they were seated at the same table, Duke Menzano left mere minutes ago, the young man continued their conversation. My name is Evan Gideon. It appears we share some interest in the creatures that just left. If you could explain your interest in them, I'll tell you what I know and perhaps we can work together in the skull collection.

As Gideon spoke, Brent felt a little uneasy. People in the cafe were busy talking to each other and the waiters didn't linger at the tables, but there was a certain risk, they could be overheard. Granted only those in the know would be able to make sense of their conversation.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

"Brent Blackwell." Brent said as he glanced around at the waiters and others in the cafe. "And I can tell you right now that our interests probably coincide less than you'd think, but by all means, continue."

[Thelonius]

The Hunter and The Prey

Gideon remained silent for some time and then spoke.

Perhaps we could talk less in riddles and more in the plain speech. I mean be will be here for the whole day, unless one of us decides to spill the beans… I guess that just as well could be me. I represent a religious organization interested keeping the city safe from various things. I won´t give you any names, until I hear yours.

I was here because we feared the Reds might go out of control and attack people. Crazy thing to do in the daylight, but… well they didn´t look very rational.

If you know what are they up to and why they´ve been so brazen lately, well I´ll appreciate the information. If you can help us in any way, then you could introduce yourself and we´ll find a way to work together.

It appeared Gideon could sound calm and rational, if given time to gather his thoughts. Also he would probably freeze up in a dangerous situation, until pointed a direction and pushed, at least that´s what Brent´s instincts told him.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

"I wasn't speaking in a metaphor." Brent said. "I find that my general interests rarely align with anybody involved in the situations that we find ourselves in. You and those in your organization do so to protect the populace, keep people safe at night, and make a better world for your children, actual or theoretical." Brent leaned forward, a wolf's grin on his features. I do this because it's fun.

[enderrocksonall]

The Three Letters

Leeroy hung up the phone and went about finishing his ritual "primping".

After his suit, he put on his toolbelt, with his Mag-Lite focus riding in the loop normally reserved for a claw hammer. The loop rode easily at his waist near his right hand. He put his jacket on, and his raincoat over it, then checked himself in the mirror and checked his watch. It was an older pocket watch that could probably qualify as an antique, but it seemed to work better than any of the newer models he had tried.

Eleven o'clock. I guess I have a few minutes before I have to get out of here.

[Thelonius]

Three Letters

The Hunter and the Prey

''Well, I don’t think we would be working together, if that is your motivation.’’ Gideon replied, clearly shocked. ''First, do no harm, then help others, I’d say that would be my motto. Perhaps, we should be our separate ways then’’.

A New Client

''Ah, if it’s not my good friend Martin’’, Reed answered the phone, once again mispronouncing Maarten’s name. ''That business with the Summer Court has finally caught up to you and you need us to straighten things up?’’ Marvin Reed was a newcomer to the Amsterdam, recruited by the Landsknechts about a year ago in the North America. He obviously had some sort of power, Landsknechts valued, since in all other respects he hardly fitted the self-disciplined and stoic type, his organization preferred.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

"I never said that we'd be working together."Brent said calmly. "But the fact of the matter is that if we both have our way, we have the same result. You have your safe children. I've got my trophy." Brent stood up, tossing a few bills on the table to cover both of what they'd ordered. "You'll know how to find me when you need my help." Brent said as he turned to leave. "And as a professional, a tip: Lose that shirt before it gets you killed."

[Thelonius]

A Chance Meeting

The man did nothing suspicious, simply waiting for his train. Tobias thought he noticed some movement below at the rail tracks, but he wasn’t sure of it. Perhaps his worry simply made him imagine things. On the metro map, the orange line passed the center of Amsterdam, tangled with green line for a bit and then went through a dozen stops, before arriving to the end of the way – Westwijk.

The lights of the arriving train shone through the tunnel and people moved closer to the edge of the platform. Somehow Tobias felt that there wagon with the mysterious man would be almost empty. He could sense some danger in the air and ordinary people unconsciously steered away from its epicenter.

The Hunter and The Prey

Gideon stared at his shirt quizzically. ''There’s nothing wrong with…’’ he began, but cut off, seeing Brent leave the table. ''And perhaps you could call us, when your hobby proves to be too dangerous for you to handle’’, he called after him. Gideon followed the departing figure with his eyes. ''Did we even exchange phone numbers?’’ he wondered under his breath. ''I’m so out of my depth here’’.

[Bango Shank]

Tobias made a mental note not only of the destination of the train but also of the man and the train number. It occurred to him that he was truly making mountains out of molehills (if he was getting his metaphors right) and that there were still more pressing concerns in regards to the events of the evening than a suspicious man or two.

Digging some change from the pocket of his coat, Tobias slid his way though the crowd to the pay phones. With the coins in and the tone in his ear he managed to fish out the business card he had slipped into his pocket before leaving the house.

Dialing the number for Leeroy, Tobias lucked out with hearing ringing instead of the busy signal he had gotten earlier. Now he had to hope the hexing wizard was home and was willing to bring a tag along to a major social gathering. As the phone rang Tobias concerned himself with two things: keeping his eyes as best he could on the man on the platform and trying to think of something convincing as to why he should be invited along to this party.

[enderrocksonall]

A few minutes before Leeroy was going to step out the door on his way to the party, his phone upstairs rang.

Leeroy considered leaving it, but then hurried up the stairs and managed to yank the handset off the receiver on its 6th ring.

This had better be important! Who is this?

[Bango Shank]

"It could save your life. That important enough?" Tobias said quickly, picking up on the hostility on other other end of the phone. "It's Tobias Walker. Heard you're heading for a White Court Ball and wanted to know if you could use some backup."

[enderrocksonall]

Why is everyone so interested in this party?

Look Toby, I know you're not White Council, but I'll let you in on a little secret. White Court vampires are emotional predators, and they throw one hell of a party. NOBODY needs a wingman at one of these parties. Seriously, there are chicks hotter than Victoria Secret models there just to make sure that no one sleeps soundly!

Wait a second! Is that why you want to go? I knew you were just a kid, but I never would have guessed you were a virgin!

Well if that's the case, I guess I can do you a favor and bring you along with me. Yeah, Little Toby is gonna have his first experience with a woman tonight. And thanks to your Uncle Leeroy you are gonna have the best looking girl in four countries!

[Bango Shank]

Tobias felt his fingers curl into a fist. This guy... It was only the reminder of the importance of the situation that kept Tobias from simply slamming the phone down right then a there.

"I'm not a virgin." He managed to get out through gritted teeth "But I appreciate that you'll take me along. I'll be ready as fast as I can. You still have a running car or should I pick you up?"

[Thelonius]

The Midnight Party

Brent Blackwell's Perspective

The security was incredibly light for such high profile meeting. A half a dozen lightly armed Thralls and two White Court Vamps in charge. The fence around the mansion could have been climbed by kids and the cameras were badly positioned. Blackwell Manor could be considered Fort Knox compared to this place. Brent noticed a dark dog at the fence, looking at the guests. A stray animal or a spying shapeshifter? One could never be sure.

Brent observed as the wizard and his younger companion were stopped by the security, when their check revealed some sort of magical weapon on his belt. ’’We would require you to leave this tool of magic with us’’, one of the vampires asked. Or rather hissed. For a diplomatic meeting, pretty undiplomatic guards.

A trio in front of Brent – a well dressed gentlemen in the company of two groupies half his age didn’t waste the opportunity to taunt the wizard: ''Ah... If it’s not Leeroy Vonsprut. Armed to the toes with magical trinkets and bringing a... bodyguard? A pretty scrawny and wet behind the ears, I can tell, must be pretty cheap bargain. Honestly, Adelia worries for nothing. You’ll skitter behind your wards at the first sign of trouble, until the Reds get bored and leave my beautiful city.’’

There were about a dozen people waiting to enter the mansion, some clearly annoyed by the delay. Brent didn’t think there were any major players among them – no aura of danger you could almost smell from the fine dressed man and even from the wizard and the young man with him. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. There was something about a pair of men standing next to Brent, that gave him odd vibes. What was that, he considered examining them more closely, but was distracted the next moment.

Hunter’s instincts made Brent turn his head to the road. In the distance he could see the familiar van was approaching. After studying the habits of Duke Mansano for several days, Brent knew the routine. The Reds will pour out of the van and ''establish the perimeter''. Their leader would use radio to tell his master the place is secured and in several minutes the Duke himself will arrive.

Maarten von Rijn's Perspective

Maarten was waiting in the line of guests, waiting to be admitted to the party. The Landsknechts provided him the invitation. Apparently Senora Valdez wasn’t very concerned with the secrecy, quite the opposite – she wanted rumours of how everybody behaved as a gentlemen and agreed to be the best buddies forever. White Court had access to a lot of information, incomparably more than Maarten could get from his contacts. So they were confident the meeting would go well.

One of the people waiting in line near him was unfamiliar. A broad shouldered man in top physical shape and clearly of good breeding. He was fiddling with a cigar case, throwing glances at the sparse security of the place. Maarten thought he knew all the players in the city, at least everybody important enough to be invited.

There was some disturbance at the security check and the line stopped. Apparently, the White Council Wizard again made an ass of himself, brining a weapon to the party. Maarten heard the Summer Court Lord, Heer Halewijn taunt the wizard: ’’Ah... If it’s not Leeroy Vonsprut. Armed to the toes with magical trinkets and bringing a... bodyguard? A pretty scrawny and wet behind the ears, I can tell, must be pretty cheap bargain. Honestly, Adelia worries for nothing. You’ll skitter behind your wards at the first sign of trouble, until the Reds get bored and leave my beautiful city.’’

Lord Halewijn had two young girl escorts, doubtless provided by the White Court. They were both foreigners, one of them definitely Serbian. The memory of Kosovo briefly surfaced in Maarten’s mind. She must have been there at the time and came to Amsterdam only recently.

Senora Valdez had a firm grip on the human trafficking in Europe. Before she took interest in the business, the main lure for the foreign girls was the promise of work and better life. White Court added a new hook – romance. The promise of a handsome, wealthy foreigner sweeping a girl from her feet and carrying out to his far away kingdom. The business boomed under the control of House Valdez and white court vampires gorged themselves on lust, betrayal and despair.

Leeroy Vonspurt’s Perspective

At the entrance they were met by half a dozen thralls, performing the security function. There were seldom much security at the White Court organized meetings. Senora Valdez relied on diplomacy, rather than show of brute strength. The thralls were supervised by two House Xayle Vampires, a minor House under the thumb of House Valdez. Unfortunately House Xayle didn’t have lust feeding, supernatural seductresses, instead pursuing despair and misery.

The inspection by the security became the social disaster, the second they’ve located the Mag-Light. When Leeroy hesitated to surrender the magical focus – it seemed pretty foolish, considering half of the guest had supernatural strength and retractable claws, the security grew tense and one of the vampires half spoke, half-hissed ''We would require you to leave this tool of magic with us’’. If it was one of the night seductresses, speaking with her sensual voice, the situation might have been resolved here and now. But Leeroy continued to hesitate. Was he that sure it wasn’t a trap? There was this whole Vampire-White Council War going and perhaps White Court has finally decided to pick their side. The Cowards certainly lived longer.

Behind him, Leeroy heard an annoyed sigh, he recognized belonged to the Lord Halewijn, the top dog of the Summer Court in the Amsterdam. Someone, perhaps ranked in the top three of the people, you didn’t wish to make your enemy. Lord Halewijn looked very handsome and wore an old style clothes with golden embroidery. His most prominent feature was his enchanting, musical voice. Even his insults pleased the ear.

Heer Halewijn was flanked by two gorgeous girls, barely in their twenties, wearing loose dresses and suggestive smiles. A long-legged blonde and a shorter redhead, no doubt supplied by Senora Valdez to keep Halewijn placated. ’’Ah... If it’s not Leeroy Vonsprut. Armed to the toes with magical trinkets and bringing a... bodyguard? A pretty scrawny and wett behind the ears, I can tell, must be pretty cheap bargain. Honestly, Adelia worries for nothing. You’ll skitter behind your wards at the first sign of trouble, until the Reds get bored and leave my beautiful city.’’ He winked at his escorts and they giggled pulling closer to him.

Tobias Walker’s Perspective

Tobias saw the three figures entering the mansion, when their own car just pulled to the entrance. They were wearing black coats and black, silk shirts underneath. No wonder Mila called them Draculas. Were they trying to be as stereotypical as possible on purpuse, down to gliding along the ground, instead of normal walking?

Despite the White Council wizard’s promise, there weren’t any beauties at the entrance or among the guest, apart from a pair of young women, clinging to a handsome, aristocratic man, twice their age. They were really underdressed for the weather and shivered slightly. Their date didn’t seem particular concerned by that and he didn’t let the present public to stop his wandering hands.

Tobias and Vonspurt were at the entrance pretty fast, the majority of guests arriving shortly before them. Then the trouble began. The security demanded a magical focus on the belt of the wizard and he didn’t show an inclination to part with it. ’’We would require you to leave this tool of magic with us’’, pressed the vampire at the entrance. The line behind was clearly getting annoyed by the delay and the handsome man, with his shivering beuties addressed Leeroy Vonspurt. ’’Ah... If it’s not Leeroy Vonsprut. Armed to the toes with magical trinkets and bringing a... bodyguard? A pretty scrawny and wett behind the ears, I can tell, must be pretty cheap bargain. Honestly, Adelia worries for nothing. You’ll skitter behind your wards at the first sign of trouble, until the Reds get bored and leave my beautiful city.’’ He winked at his escorts and they giggled pulling closer to him.

Tobias sensed a subtle magic, when the man spoke. It was intertwined with the sound of his voice, enchanting the listener. It was barely noticeable, powerful and probably unintentional. A brief derogatory remark directed at him by this voice and Tobias felt a powerful stab of insecurity. Was he really in the same league with everyone present here? Did her have realy power to change anything? The moment passed quickly, probably because the man’s voice was focused on Leeroy Vonspurt.

Tobias considered it for a moment. If the speaker spoke with the full power of his voice, how powerful could it be? One thing was for certain, it would be good to have a pair of ear plugs at that time.

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy begins to sweat a bit as the long uncomfortable silence goes on.

From the stance of the security, it is clear that they will not allow him in with his defensive focus. And from Leeroy's steadily darkening features, it is just as clear that he will refuse to enter without it.

As the silence draws out, Leeroy is just about to announce his intention to leave the event, when Lord Halewijn's comments rush into his head. Leeroy thinks carefully about Lord Halewijn's words, and suddenly his impromptu audience is startled to see him grinning.

Leeroy turns to Lord Halewijn and with a wide, open smile and speaking with enough volume for his voice to carry to the party proper, says,

Lord Halewijn! It is so nice to see you again! You are certainly looking your finest tonight! And may I thank you for your absolute confidence in me and my ability to control my more destructive urges? Thanks to your assurances of my good behaviour to this Xayle enforcer here, I think we have quite nicely sidestepped what could have turned into a deep insult to Adelia and House Valdez!

At this Leeroy turns to the Xayle vampire and smiles.
After all, to insist that I leave it after the assurances of Lord Halewijn would be a grave insult to him and the whole Summer Court. I'm sure that Seniora Valdez would not be pleased if the Summer Court and the White Council were both insulted by this situation before the meeting were even started.
But since you have Lord Halewijn's word on my good behaviour, I'm sure that your security concerns have been alieviated. Don't worry my friend, I won't mention this to anyone at the party. After all, you were just doing your job.

With that Leeroy slips the Mag-Lite back into his toolbelt and confidently tries to proceed past the security guards and to the party, all the while hoping that he hasn't just made the mistake of his life.

[Thelonius]

’’Yes, no need to sweat little man. I’m feeling very magnanimous right now.’’ Lord Halewijn smiled at the two girls at his sides. They froze for a second, before smiling back. ’’Isn’t that right my pretties?’’, he continued, ’’I’ll extend my protection to all my dear Adelia has invited. You will not be harmed. Tonight.’’

[enderrocksonall]

Lord Halewijn, you are far too generous. I couldn't possibly accept your offer. I would never forgive myself if, in my own clumsy bumbling I brought harm to myself and so dishonored you.

Besides, strength is best demonstrated through an unassailable defense. Just like when the Merlin stopped an army of Outsiders with one of his wards. This tool that has been the object of such heated discussion allows me to amplify my defensive abilities in some small way.

I hope one day to enhance my own abilities to the point of the Merlin's, or even your own, Lord Halewijn.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

Brent continued to look around the outside of the manor all the while flicking his cigar case open and closed, giving off an air of nonchalance while his mind continued to cycle through the possibilities of the situation.

The White Court were planners and loved intrigue. Senora Valdez sends him a letter directly telling him not to rock the boat, and then invites both him and his target to an apparently poorly defended manor. Getting a closer look at the place, Brent almost wished that he'd just taken up a perch a block or two away with the highest powered rifle he could've gotten his hands on.

Brent's nostrils flared midway through a casual stretch that he'd used to take a look at the men next to him as Lord Halewijn proclaimed his protection on the party guests. That would be...problematic, at best.

[Thelonius]

''Outsiders, eh''. Lord Halewijn gave Leeroy a studying look for a moment. ''Well, between the one who makes a ward to stop Outsiders, and the one powerful enough to summon and control them, I’d hedge my bets on the later. Ah Leeroy, you so remind me of the first piglet, from the story about the Three Little Pigs. The same silly conviction, you are safe in your straw hut. You really should leave for the Edinburg to the Merlin’s house of sticks, before Big Bad Wolf comes. Also you are sort of piggish in your appearance, especially that face of yours.''

[enderrocksonall]

Lord Halewijn, I am surprised you would disparage the defensive power of the council, considering that the Outsiders in question were in Summer's territory and slicing through your lines as if they were clad in iron!

And with Summer's emphasis on defense in combat, which is evidenced by your court's actions in both the vampire war and your continuing enmity with Winter, I would expect a Summer Lord to be much more keen on the idea of a superior defensive strength.

However, perhaps this new attitude of yours is cause for celebration. I am sure that my superiors in the Council will be overjoyed to learn of this change in strategy, as it may mean that Summer might actually be present for our next battle with the Red Court.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

"Darling," Brent said quietly to Wilhelmina. "I'm not going to be able to watch my back for a moment, give my sleeve a tug or something if a bunch of scary men with guns show up behind us."

Snapping his cigar case shut and stowing it inside of his jacket's pocket, Brent made a not-so-subtle coughing gesture to clear his throat before addressing the argument in front of him. "Jesus Christ, how much longer am I going to have to wait in this line? Christ man, have you got to inflate your ego big enough to handle both of your darlings tonight?"


(check OOC thread for how I'm doing this)

[Thelonius]

Lord Halewijn turned around, clearly annoyed by the Brent’s comment. The two girls at his sides grew very stiff, as if Brent verbally assaulted them, instead of their date. ''And what have we here’’ He paused frustrated, when he failed to recognize Brent’s face.''An ill-mannered trespasser?’’. The brief anger that Brent’s comment elicited drained away from his face and he once again looked and sounded composed and in command.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

Brent's eyebrows raised at Halewijn's comment. "Ill mannered?"He gasped, sounding shocked. "I'll tell you what's ill mannered. I get a lovely invitation to come to a lovely party with my lovely lady friend." Brent indicated Wilhemina with a wave of his hand. "And then I'm being held up in line by some poofter with a chip on his shoulder."

And you're picking on the goddamn handyman, for god's sake!" Brent continued, his tone slipping to a tone of 'I am trying so hard to be reasonable right now'. "If that's what you need to ensure a nice end to your evening, you should just talk to a doctor about it, I hear they can help with that kind of thing these days."

[Thelonius]

You should watch your tongue boy. There are two things I’m really good at. To one can attest all the women I’ve bedded. To my second prowess I fear, there are no living witnesses. So just keep your mouth shut around me and be thankful I’ve promised protection to all the guests of this house this night.

Lord Halewijn’s eyes focused on something behind Brent for a second, in the direction of the iron fence. A spark of anger lit in his eyes for a brief moment and then disappeared entirely.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

(after Wilhemina's assist, regarding Halewijn’s rented girls)

Brent nodded his head at Wilhemina's comment. "And I have to say chum, you're looking a bit pale. Got enough iron in your diet?"

[Thelonius]

Edit: posted in the wrong thread

[Thelonius]

Everybody's Perspective

Lord Halweijn steams with anger, but says nothing. He addresses Leeroy ’’I believe you are holding the line white wizard. Let’s not keep our host waiting’’.

Behind the gathered guests, at the mansions open gates the Red Vampires van comes at a screeching halt, driver hitting the brakes at the last possible moment. The side door slides open revealing a mounted machinegun with piles of ammunition, enough to kill a small town. Several Reds, dressed in soldier uniforms jump from the van, a figure in wearing Duke’s colonel regalia in their center. Two remain inside manning the machinegun. The driver doors remain closed.

[enderrocksonall]

At Lord Halweijn's final remark, Leeroy quickly mutters, Of course, my lord. and starts to proceed with Tobias towards the party.

When the Red Court van screams into the courtyard, Leeroy is a bit startled and lets out a small, high-pitched yelp. At the sight of the armament that the Reds are packing, he surreptitiously scoots behind Lord Halweijn, putting the Summer Lord between himself and the machine guns.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

As the van door opened revealing some rather impressive firepower, Brent slipped his arm into Wilhemina's. "We need to get up to the front of the line." he said quietly yet firmly. "This columns can give us cover if those goes as bad as I think it might."



OOC: As Brent's action, I guess I'll be 'sprinting' to the Mansion entrance, to get out of the potential killing field. He's trying to take Wilhelmina along with him to keep her out of harm's way.

[Thelonius]

Brent's Perspective

Wilhelmina nodded, following the Brent's lead. She didn't seem to completely grasp, what was happening, but she followed his lead.

They started to run, even before the door of the van even finished sliding open. The surprised guests around them looked confused, perhaps thinking they were cutting the line. Even the security at the door, were slow to react and they were facing the van, when it arrived. It was good that Brent never broke his attention from Reds, even as he traded insults with Halewijn.

[Thelonius]

The Red descended on the guests in the yard. They spared little time actually attacking people, instead pushing them forward, a crazed human mob running to the entrance. A Mob of Human Shields, Reds following behind. Surprisingly, the two gentlemen in grey coats remained standing completely unperturbed by the danger around them. That unflinching stoicism actually gave a charging Red pause, breaking the vampire’s attacking formation.

Brent has taken cover behind the column seconds, before one of the White Vampires arrived to do the same. That gave the creature a momentary pause that costed it, as machingun unleashed a hail of bullets on the entrance of the mansion. A mortal man would have been torn to shreds, but the unnatural healing of the White Court stitched the wounds as soon as they were dealt. The human thralls apparently wore body armor, but for them it wasn’t enough as two out of four fell, all blooded. They’ve had time to make a few shots, grazing a couple of Reds, but otherwise doing little damage.

Lord Halewijn seemed to have drawn the full fury of the assault. Caught by surprise he was pushed back, trying to conjure up some sort of magical defence and failing under the pressure of bullets hitting him. His mortal escorts were taken down in seconds, some of their blood spraying as far as to get on Tobias’s face. Bleeding Profusely, two young women still tried to crawl away. In seconds they will either be crushed under the feet of panicking guests or killed by the blood-crazed charging Reds.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

"Stay down!" Brent ordered to Wilhemina as he drew his revolver, standing up behind the column. "Get to cover and hold you ground!" Brent said in an authoritative voice above the chaos of the gunfire and panic that was taking place in the courtyard. "Focus your fire!"



OOC: Drawing gun, using a Presence roll to put the Manuver A point of order on the entrance zone, representing Brent trying to help organize an effective response and break the effect of the surprise attack. Using Spin to cancel out the roll, I'll put it in the OOC thread

[Thelonius]

''It appears that Reds are attacking the White Wizards at this diplomatic meeting. Doesn’t it appear strange, that they would incur the wrath of entire Amsterdam, just to get one White Wizard?''
''Perhaps we can investigate their motives, by interrogating one of their numbers?''
''An excellent suggestion''.

The two gentlemen in grey coats move swiftly together. In a blur a Red Vampire is held by one of them, while the other gentelman faces him, clearly intent on asking questions. The remaining group of four Reds hesitate to help one of their own, before their leader motions them to prepare to charge the mansion entrance.

Brent’s call to arms seems to have fallen on deaf ears. There are no heroes among the crowd of guests, they fall on the ground and to the sides, trying to do nothing to provoke the vampires. Most seem to be too terrified to actually hear, what he is saying. In the confusion, nobody notices as one of the guests quickly shrinks in size, his clothes falling down on earth in a bundle.

The White Vampires scramble to the mansion’s door, using the downed thralls as shields. The two remaining Thralls covering them with suppressive fire. The doors remains closed and one of the Vamps curses fumbling at the electronic lock.

''You, there!'' yells Halwijn, noticing how good Brent is coping, considering the situation. ''A mercenary? Get me alive out of here and I’ll pay you a fortune.'' His voice no longer sounds musical and enchanting. He kicks one of the girls at his feet towards the vampires and makes a gesture with his hand that conjures a wind, filling the air with the scent of her blood. She cries out in pain and horror, facing the line of red vampires.

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy is frozen in his tracks as the shooting starts, and is horrified that Lord Halwijn is so ineffectual in defending himself, as the Summer Lord had guaranteed protection to all invited guests tonight.

But when Lord Halwijn shouted that he would pay a fortune to a mercenary to get him out alive, Leeroy's mind cleared as if someone had wiped away a thick fog.
I'll accept that offer! Leave your defense to me, Lord Halwijn. After all, your magic will hardly stand up to the iron in their weapons. And if you die here, you can hardly live up to your pledge to protect us weaklings!

Leeroy whips out his trusty Mag-Lite and brandishes it with a flourish as he gathers his power about him. He sets his sight on the area just on the other side of the pillars and pictures a huge steel wall being erected there. Leeroy sweeps the head of the Mag-Lite as if he were drawing a line in the sand with an almost lazy motion, with a roar of effort and a shouted RIFFLITUM MAGNUS! the power he had gathered rushes out of Leeroy and a wall of pure force shimmers incandescent purple in the air in front of the balconied entryway, sheltering all who had made it there.

[Thelonius]

Tobias moved to help the wounded girls, but Halewijn, already regaining his composure and arrogance called Leeroy ''Tell the boy to leave them be, their blood will distract the Red Court''. The Summer Lord was busy tapping the ground with his long fingers and to the observers with mystical perception, sending a wave of power somewhere down. His leg looked mangled by the machinegun fire.

Another one of the Thralls have fallen, taking bullets for his uncaring masters. Wilhelmina quickly darted out of the cover to take one of the guns from the fallen security, seconds before Leeroy erected his kinetic shield. Fortunately she wasn’t hit.

Brent observed the Reds lining up against them, on the other side of the kinetic barrier. Their leader wore the Duke’s insignia, but from this distance Brent could definitely tell, it wasn’t him. The Red leader was listening in on a earpiece, probably getting orders from the real Duke.

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy looks at the wounded girls and makes his decision.
Toby! Leave the girls! They are mortally wounded anyway and Lord Halwijn is right, they will draw attention away from us! We've got to get out of this courtyard and break their line of sight for a minute before we can get away!

[Thelonius]

Brent and Wilhelmina on one side and Reds with their leader on the other side, both begin to prepare for the assault. Reds leader barks orders in some foreign language, spitting saliva with every word.

The white vampires continue trying to get the front doo open. One of them spats, when their attempt to force it fails: Door is reinforced. Well, half of the city’s heavyweights are inside and wouldn’t lift a finger to save us, while the half we are stuck with are good for nothing. Halewijn gives the pair a glare, but does nothing.

The second white vampire moves to the other wounded girl, an unpleasant smile on his lips. ''Well, what do we have here. You must be pretty angry to end up dying here.'' He kneels down, embracing her and whispers something in her ear. A soft glow begins to emanate from his white skin.

The two reds, who were manning the machinegun jump out of the van, carrying automatic rifles. The van's engine roars up. It pulls away from the gate and then begins to accelerate with everything it got towards the mansion's entrance. People in the yard scramble to get away, except for a gentlemen in grey. The van hit the one, who was doing the interrogation and continues with him stuck to the windshields. The other gentlemen in grey remains completely unperturbed by the event.

The Reds in the yard scramble away, once they realize, what is happening, breaking their formation. ''Will your shield hold?'' shouts Halewijn, hopping away from the speeding van’s path, in an undignified manner.

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy stares at the oncoming van and glances hurriedly at Lord Halewijn.
We're about to find out, but I think I can help it out a little.

Leeroy focuses on the van and begins to draw in power again. As he is about to release his hex, he has a moment of inspiration and draws just a bit more power before waving his arms in front of him in a chaotic flurry, sending the power flooding out of his hands with a murmured, Hexus.

The entropic energies that Leeroy had sent out crashed like a wave of water into and through the van as well as everyone and everything else on the other side of his shield before swiftly fading into the ground just short of the front gate.

[Thelonius]

There are sparks and screeching from the insides of the van. It continues on its course, no longer accelerating, but still with a powerful momentum. Everybody inside the Leeroy’s shield takes a breath, waiting to see, if it would hold out.

The driver inside the van grins so wide, his face mask rips, revealing the bat’s snout. He goes for the door to jump out of the moving vehicle, before the actual impact. And... it doesn’t open. It appears the door locks malfunctioned. The driver begins to apply force to the door, but it is already to late. It’s pretty clear he is getting smashed, no matter the fate of the shield.

[Thelonius]

While everyone’s attention was at the van driving to the shield, another car at the parking near the mansion flared up to life. A naked man at the wheel pushed the gas pedal. The two Reds at the gate had only seconds to react, as their ears picked up the noise of the incoming vehicle. One of the did a skilful roll, getting on one knee and preparing his rifle to fire at the driver. The other was less fortunate as the car managed to get him at the side, hurling the Red along the iron fence. He lost grip on his assault rifle in the process.

Meanwhile the van smashes into the shield and explodes. Despite the force of the impact and big explosion the barrier holds, a testament to the Leeroy’s power and skill with defensive magic. The wave of heat reaches out to the people at the mansion’s entrance, but it seems the shield has blocked fire as well. One of the Reds in the yard was a bit too slow to get out of the speeding van’s way and the force of the explosion and gets scorched, yelling in pain.
A couple of guests scream, but nobody among them seems to be seriously hurt.

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy shields his face with his arms and dives to the ground as the van hits the shield and explodes. When he peeks out of his arms and sees that his barrier has withstood the explosion, he leaps into the air with joy.
YESSSSSSS!!!!!! YES! YES! YES! Score one for the White Council you bloodsucking parasites!

Turning to the cowering Lord Halewijn, Leeroy yells, Your damn right the shield will hold! How's that for defensive power?!?!?!

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

Brent crouched behind a pillar and curled up into a crash position posture, fully expecting the van to come hurtling up into the entrance balcony way. He peers out in disbelief at the explosion and resulting wreckage for a split second before turning his attention back to his surroundings. "Wilhemina!" He says, trying to get her attention again and keep the initiative, while looking around for any spare weaponry. "Whatever he's got going isn't going to hold up forever. Red court vampires are ambush predators, we need to hit them hard when it goes down to disorganize them!"

[Thelonius]

Lord Halewijn glares at the white wizard with fierce anger. For some reason Leeroy recalls that the best way to get out of paying mercenaries, is to make sure they don’t survive the battle to collect their reward. Halwijn spent the time provided by the Leeroy’s shield weaving some sort of faerie magic into the ground. Who knows what tricks he has up his sleeves and how he will chose to employ them.

Suddenly a burning figure emerges from the dying flames of the wrecked van. The fire has made him unrecognizable, but the unflinching stride and complete lack of panic, while on fire, betray the identity of the figure as one of the gentlemen in grey. Parts of him a falling off, as he strides to his companion, and a considerable chunk of his already thin body seems to have been pulverized on impact and then burned to crisp. The other gentlemen in grey releases his captive and strides towards his burning companion. By the time he reaches him, torched gentlemen has collapsed into a heap of stuff...

The Red Vampire at the gate opens fire on the car with the naked man. The other Red scrambles to get up. The explosion in the yard has temporarily blinded everyone, and when your eyes begin to adjust, two of the Reds are nowhere to be seen. The Red leader and the vampire, who was closest to him is missing, probably concealed somewhere in the shadows. The three remaining Reds spread around the shield, two to the left from the van, one to the right and begin to hammer at it. Their unnatural strength makes the success of this task unlikely, rather than impossible. Fortunately they don’t coordinate without the Red Leader, reverting to the usual Red Vampire’s brute rage.

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy's confidence in his shield was now unshakable, after all an exploding van couldn't take it out, he seriously doubts that a few vampires can get through. The shield should last for a few more moments, so Leeroy decided to spend some of these precious safe moments to search for the vampires that seem to have disappeared.

He swept his gaze around the scorched battlefield, trying to pierce through the smoke and darkness that filled the courtyard. His eyes traveled until they settled on the two gentlemen in grey. Well, it would now be more accurate to say the one and a half gentlemen in grey.

Leeroy knew now that they weren't human, but some kind of construct. They seemed to be very powerful, which could be useful if they could be turned against the vampires on the other side of the shield. Normally with a construct, Leeroy would simply wrest control away from whoever was controlling it. But there was the complication that he didn't know who was controlling them, and also, their actions seemed to indicate that they weren't being controlled at all. They seemed free-willed and free-thinking, so if he wanted their help he would have to convince them himself.

Thinking a hasty retreat behind his wards was looking better and better, Leeroy pulled Tobias and Lord Halewijn to him and said, We need to get out of here. Toby, you've got a talent for evocation, right? Why don't you blast us an exit out of this courtyard and we can head back to my place and figure out what's going on.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

Searching the flaming courtyard, Brent realized that the numbers were down, and it didn't make sense to think that they'd all be consumed in the explosion. Looking around the sparse courtyard he managed to spot the apparent leader of the group and one of his underlings making his way around to the other side of the courtyard. "Hostiles on your right!" Brent called, trying to get the attention of the assorted wizardly and supernatural types and pointing their attention to the Red court vampires trying to sneak around.

[Thelonius]

The naked man has disappeared from view, probably taking cover, until the Red would need to reload. Tobias nodded to Leeroy’s words, getting ready to unleash his strength against the Reds, once the shield is down.

Then Lord Halewijn suddenly speaks, his voice once again full of magic. ''Blasting your way through? Leeroy, have you lost your wits? I can tell you are almost out of juice and this boy is so wet behind his ears, I doubt he killed a cockroach in his life. For all your bluster, all your magic did was give us a breathing time, in the end the force with the stronger attack, not defence wins. The White Council is Weak, and with me so wounded, we can’t hope to win.''

Halwijn continues speaking, a smug satisfaction showing on his face.

But do we really need to fight? The Reds are here because of that stupid war, some brain dead wizard started over love or something. And My dear Adelia isn’t sending us reinforcements, because she wants you dead, Vonspurt. No White Council in town, no war. That’s how her mind works. The Reds will withdraw as soon as they have their man and if we don’t want to become collateral damage, we’d better give them you, fat piggy. You should grab him and toss to the Vampires the moment shield is down’’ Halewijn practically screams at White Court Vampires. Before Summer Lord has finished speaking, they move to restrain Leeroy with a blurring speed.

''Don’t move boy'' Halewijn hisses at Tobias ''I’ve got enough sparkling faerie magic homed on your position, you’ll be blasted in a second, if I release my spell. Better him, then all of us. Right, Mr. Mercenary'' Halewijn calls out to Brent.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

"I'm sorry?" Brent snapped back, not taking his eyes off of the red vampires hammering on the shield. "I'm kinda mid-contract right now."

"Now, spare me your vaunted superiority and sparkles, but I'm less then thrilled about your glorious protection when you're about to throw the man who jumped to your defense to the wolves." He continued. "I'm sure you were wonderfully prepared to stop that van."

"Now listen up!" Brent directed his voice toward the white vampires. "Do these things look like they're rational? Do you have any doubt in your mind that they're not blood crazed enough to chew right on through all of your deliciously sparkly flesh after they'd finish with him? Does he like like he's thinking all that rational right now?"

Brent spared a quick glance away from the vampires pounding at the magical wall. "We need to get ourselves out of here together or we're not getting out at all. If we need to, we can shoot each other to express our displeasure with each other later."

[Thelonius]

''You’ve just pushed your luck too far'' Halewijn tells Brent, his anger flaring up. The white vampire who hadn’t chance to feed, after been shot, breaks his movement and stares at Summer Lord. ''What are you...'' Halewijn’s eyes widen as he realizes the White Vampire is in the midst of feeding frenzy. ''So much rage... pure emotion... from the moment you’ve arrived...'' The Vampire crouches, barely holding in control. His next world come out more like a half-bestial snarl. It doesn’t look like he even remembers there is a line of Red Vampires ready to charge.

The other vampire curses and looks uncertainly at Leeroy. A small blast of wind pushes him back a bit. ''Won’t you cooperate?’’ calmly speaks Tobias suddenly looking threatening. His hesitation is all gone and now that the blasting time is close, he appears to be in his element. The White Vampire slowly nods and steps off. ''Yes... Halewijn is irrational. We should stick to your plan''. Behind him the Summer Lord prepares to repel the frenzied white vampire. He looks like he is about to call out for Leery, perhaps with another promise of reward, but in another second the pure hatred replaces that expression.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

The situation defused, Brent turns his whole attention on the red vampires in front of himself and Wilhemina, thumbing back the hammer on his revolver. "Wilhemina, try and aim center mass if you can. Nothing fancy, but these things hate gut shots." As the shield fell, Brent immediate opened fire on the red vampire that he'd fixed his attention on. "Let 'em have it!"

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy glances worriedly at the White Court Vampires, but Brent's words seem to have reached one of them and the other is more interested in feeding on the wrathful faerie lord.

Seeing that his allies are not about to turn on him just yet, he turns a big grin on Lord Halewijn and says, Don't worry, my lord. While I am a firm believer in defense, I can also pack a bit of a whallop when I have to. I won't be letting you die here. After all you promised to pay, and I think having you owe me a favor is a great way to solidify the friendship between the Council and the Summer Court.

With that he whips his head around and shouts to the sane White vampire, Restrain your friend and keep him off me and my wounded here! Toby, help him control that starving barbarian!

He shouts to Brent and Wilhemina Crouching behind the pillars and shouts Thanks for the heads-up and the save just now! Get ready to take out whatever is left!

Leeroy turns back to the shield and readies himself for what may be his last big spell he has left. At the instant that the shield drops, he pulls his arms back, and sweeps them from right to left in a full-bodied gesture encompassing the Red Court Leader and the one compatriot that had the misfortune to be closest to him.

A massive blast of pure force lashed out in a wave at the two vampires. Leeroy drops to the ground on one knee, breathing heavily, with sweat beading on his forehead despite the coolness of the night and his distance from the burning wreck. With his head down, he couldn't see what effect his attack had had on the Reds, but if that hadn't put them down, there wasn't much else he could do without hurting himself in some lasting way. And there were still 3 other Vampires to worry about.

[Thelonius]

The White Vampire scores a hit on Halweijn, before the stone floor below him cracks and searing steam envelops him, melting the flesh of his bones. A nasty spell, that would have come useful, if Halewijn applied it against the Reds, instead of turning his allies against himself.

Leeroy’s spell smashes the red infectee into the ground, but the Red Leader actually manages to stand again. He and other vampires rush you.

Brent drops his target at the gate in seconds, as he sends one bullet after another straight at the vulnerable spot. The man tumbles from the car and leaps for the assault rifle, lying on the ground. The remaining vampire leaps for it as well. He really should have gotten there first, but something makes him stumble and the man empties the rifle’s magazine point blank in vampire’s face, felling him.

Whilhemina shoots at the Red Leader, but he appears to be wearing body armor. Useless against Leeroy’s spell, but working fine against normal bullets. Red and White Vampires square against each other. Another Red is taken care of by Tobias, a single powerful blast of air hurls him away.

The Red Leader passes both white wizards and leaps on Halewijn, extending his claws. It’s an understatement, that Summer Lord didn’t expect it. His natural grace and reflexes get him to move, but it's too late. The claws rip into Halewijn's throat, rending flesh. It appears without immediate assistance, Halewijn is a goner.

Meanwhile the last vampire rushes up the stairs. He produces a pistol and opens fire on Wilhelmina from the position between the Halewijn and the white wizards.

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy sees Halewijn's throat slashed open by the red court leader. Screaming incoherently, Leeroy kicked at the Red vampire's back while channeling the last of his strength into a magical attack through his leg.

When Leeroy's leg connected with the vampire a force that had very little to do with Leeroy's muscles flashed into the Red. Unfortunately, Leeroy had been pushing himself, magically speaking, and with this last working he had reached the end of his strength. He managed to just keep from drifting off into lalaland, but his usefulness in this fight was pretty much over.

[Thelonius]

Red Leader didn’t try to dodge, as Leeroy attacked him. Instead he spun the weakly-struggling Summer Lord around, using him as a human shield. Leeroy nearly lost his concentration redirecting his strike, so it would miss Halweijn and hit the vampire.

The blow breaks off the vampire's arm and blood sprays from his wounds, as if Leeroy has squeezed him dry. It appears he’ll collapse any second now, but hatred and determination keep him standing for one last slash, with his remaining claw.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

Moving himself between Brent and Wilhemina, Brent fires another series of shots at the red court vamipire that had advanced on the pair, shooting to distract its aim and hopefully make it miss Wilhemina.

[Thelonius]

Wilhelmina’s bullet grazes Red Vampire, but he doesn’t seem to be too concerned. Brent’s suppressing fire has kept him from pursuing his attack and his initial shots were ill-placed, all missing their mark.

Vampire attacking Halewijn slashes with his claws and then collapses on top of the fallen Summer Lord. In the pile of bodies and blood, it appears both were slain. The red vamp, who was attacking Whilhemina looks at his fallen leader and after a moment’s hesitation flees. The other Red, who was engaged by the White Court Vampire joins him, looking pretty beat up. His opponent on the other hand has only a mild wound to his hand, which doesn't seem to inconvenience him.

Tobias prepares to blast the fleeing Reds and finally end this fight...

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy sees that he has failed to save the insulting faerie lord and feels a surge of frustration. He has the momentary flash of anger about his missed opportunity to end this battle earlier. Those morons in the front courtyard couldn't have cleared out and given me a clear shot at all of them when they were all lined up against the shield! This could have all ended right there! I should have blasted them all anyway, and to hell with the Laws! he thinks to himself.

Leeroy quickly changes his thinking on the matter, realizing where THAT particular train of thought might take him with the brother of a Warden standing next to him.

Returning to the situation at hand he thinks about the impact of Halewijn's death. Not only will he not get a favor now, but now he can't even ask Halewijn why the red court wanted him dead.

Leeroy sees Tobias readying a magical strike at the fleeing red court thugs and manages to croak out, Toby, capture one, we need to know what's going on here. Apparently, I wasn't the target of this attack.

With that he staggers to his feet and begins looking through the pockets of the fallen vampire leader and summer lord.

[Thelonius]

Tobias catches one of the fleeing vampires in the whirlwind of air, holding him in place. The second one darts into the darkness. Maarten von Rijn hesitates a second, looking in the direction the vampire fled to, then rushes to the Halewijn’s escort at the base of the stairs. Incredibly, the girl appears to be still alive and he begins to apply first aid. Still based on the amount of blood she lost, her chances don’t look too good.

To Leeroy’s vast surprise Lord Halewijn appears to be alive. He even tries to speak, but manages to produce only gurgles, from his torn throat. It appears even getting from underneath the body of the red vampire is currently beyond Halewijn’s strength.

The escort girl, white vampire fed on, looks to be completely lifeless. Her once beautiful face is distorted in a hideous visage of rage. Wilhelmina turns away and pales slightly, when she notices the corpse.

The white vampire appears to be deeply in thought, looking at the closed doors of the mansion.

The remaining Gentleman in Grey appears to be scooping the charred remains of his companion into a fur coat, he must have borrowed from one of the guests. He also pauses to take a look at Maarten, when the mercenary rushes past him. People begin to stand up, some produce mobile phones, although it appears the majority of them can’t find the network and many simply flicker.

Then, a shot rings in the night and blood sprays from the caught red vampire. His now dead body is still kept upright by the Tobias’s spell.

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy gets knocked on his mental butt when he sees that halewijn has somehow survived the horrible physical assault. Shocked, but determined to keep the summer lord alive, Leeroy begins to haul the Red Vampire off Halewijn.
Halewijn's still alive guys! He needs anyone who knows first aid or medicine if he is gonna make it though! Somebody help him!


When the shot rings out that takes out the captive vampire, Leeroy instinctively ducks, and then starts looking around for the shooter. Leeroy looks from the shot vampire to the mostly dead Halewijn and, what seems an eternity later, places his own body over the fallen summer lord's. Being a human shield isn't usually what Leeroy goes for, but Halewijn is now Leeroy's only source of information to find out what is going on.

[Thelonius]

The shot spooks people in the yard for a moment, but since no more follow, they quickly regain their composure. There is only so much fear a man can feel in one night, before senses begin to numb.

''Any medical help should go here first'' says Maarten, working on the wounded girl. ''Forget that piece of crap, he’ll pull through on his own. Somebody go out of the gate, you won’t get a reception here after the mojo the White Council pulled off here''.

The guests respond with remarks like ''To get shot?'', ''Go out yourself'', ''The police should be coming'' and ''I’m staying here''. Maarten sounds annoyed and angry, yelling at them ''Nobody is going to waste bullets for any of you. Go outside and call the ambulance''.

There is noise of somebody working the locks on the door behind Leeroy and Brent. It appears the people in the mansion are ready to come out, after the fighting is all over.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

Brent started a dodge toward a pillar at the sound of the shot, but when no more rang out, and judging by the target, Brent figured that the Duke had just taken care of any loose ends on his end.

With the sounds of the doors opening from inside, after the white court vampires had failed to gain entry earlier, Brent frowned. The whole thing stunk to him. "Let's go." he said to Wilhemina. "I think this was a setup. I don't know who the target was, but I don't think we want to stick around here any longer."

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy tried to remain wary of the opening doors and the rest of the post-battle situation, but quickly realized that his current power wouldn't amount to a sparrow's fart in a hurricane. Resigning himself to whatever was coming, he focused his whole attention on providing the limited medical assistance he knew how to Lord Halewijn.

[Thelonius]

Brent have managed to sneak past the shell shocked looking guests to the gate, when Wilhelmina suddenly pointed to the far end of the street. There was a luminescent glow raising from the canal and shapes moving down there. ''Faeries'' whispered Wilhelmina, sounding very concerned, if not outright frightened. ''Perhaps Halewijn called for help.'' She turned to the figure of the fallen summer lord at the mansion's doors, that has just opened to reveal a procession of man and women in suits. ''This could turn very ugly. War zone ugly''.

Halewijn persisted in his feeble attempts to communicate, going as far as trying to draw with his blood. The resulting smudge was incomprehensible. His eyes darted to somewhere beyond the iron fence, in the direction of the bridge. Whatever he saw there made him struggle to get up, using Leeroy as a crutch.

The white wizard heard the doors swing open behind.
''Senora Adelia, we have finished securing the buildings. There is no danger of snipers'' spoke Gerrit Kees, the leader of the Landsknechts.
''Well ****, they've got Boors!'' swore Maurits de Wit, a Rage Lord from a minor house, serving House Valdez.
''It was the Summer Lord! He blasted him'' spat the surviving White Vampire. ''We've been left out here without any support, it's all her...'' he cut off the sentence, when Maurits de Wit gave him a pointed look.

The Black Court Vampires remained silent. They didn't have to speak for Leeroy to know they were present in the group behind him. He always felt a prickling sensation at his neck, when they were around.

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy staggered under the unexpected weight of the stricken faerie lord. He did his best to help him into a standing posture.
Toby! I've got my hands full here! Watch my back, I think we are about to leave with extreme prejudice.

Leeroy managed to get Halewijn into a stable standing position and faerie blood oozed from the wound on Halewijn's throat.
Holy Hell, Halewijn! You are torn to shreds, take it easy! Just hold up one finger for yes and two fingers for no. Do you think we should leave? Should we head to my house? Should we return you to Faerie? Do you have help coming right now?

[Thelonius]

''Now hush Leeroy, my dear. There is no reason to be distressed. This attack may have caught us by surprise, but it's doubtful the Red Court will persist. You can bring Halewijn inside, I will arrange for the immediate medical assistance.'' It was the honeyed voice of Adelia Valdez, one of the most powerful women in Amsterdam. She was wearing a simple, slick black dress, that gave an impression it would slip of her lithe body any second now. She looked young due to her small height and thin frame, but her voice and eyes betrayed centuries of age. ''Needless to say Senor Manzano isn't going to be staying in the Amsterdam for long. It must be a weight off your heart.''

''One of your working girls is about to die here, so how about some medical assistance to her'' called Maarten von Rijn, wisely keeping irritation and anger from his voice. Senora Valdez ignored him motioning her escorts to pick up Lord Halewijn.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

"I think we should get out of here." Brent said to Wilhemina. "We're damned lucky that we managed to get out of that in one piece. I don't want to be in the middle of that if it all starts up again." Brent looked up and down the street quickly. "Think she pays them off, or do the police take this long? I don't want my face in a paper with a headline about a massacre. I sure as hell don't want either of our corpses on it either."

[Thelonius]

''The police and press are in her hands. I believe she personally orchestrated that investigation into prostitution and human trafficking, to hide the really dark stuff. You'd never believe some of the things she gets away with. At least half of the skeletons in the closets of our rich bastards were purchased from Adelia Valdez. Still they are bound to arrive eventually, I'm just concerned it might be a couple minutes too late for us, if we stay here'' answered Whilhemina.

The figures emerging from the canal began taking shape. They were unmistakably faeries, clad in medieval armor and armed with swords and bows. Brent felt he could identify their leader - a fae woman wearing shining armour with silver hair falling down to her waist. Just from the way she was wielding her spear, Brent could sense her power. Lord Halwijn was supposed to be the Summer Court big shot of the city, but that Summer Lady looked like an actual threat - a deadly fighter and a hunter, who would track her prey to the ends of the world.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

"And I don't think I've seen many clearer signs that the party is, in fact, over." Brent said as he spotted the processions leader. "Let's get out of here. I've got some calls to make." He said to Wilhemina as he strode toward where he left his car.

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy's mind worked furiously, trying to imagine why the Red Court would want to eliminate Halewijn. There were dozens of summer lords, what could possibly be the motivation for a hit on this particular one?

Leeroy couldn't wrap his mind around it. It seemed far more likely that the attack was orchestrated by someone within the White Court. The lack of support for the rage vampires on duty would suggest that much. The effect of that would be to humiliate Senora Valdez. That seemed more like what Leeroy knew of the White Court.

Senora Valdez, it would seem that we have all been the victims of a heinous attack by the Red Court. I'm sure that no one would dream of laying the blame for this attack at your feet, after all members of your own court were injured and killed. However, the effectiveness of your security has been called into question, so I am afraid that I would require your personal oath of protection before I enter the meeting. And as Lord Halewijn is currently under my own oath of protection, I would also require that you extend your protection to him as well.

[Thelonius]

Brent’s car was parked just next to the one Maarten has used to smash the red vampire. They have scared away a large dog, who scampered away into the darkness, when they’ve approached the car. "Perhaps I should drive"said Wilhelmina, "You don’t know the city that well, and we’d better not run into the cops on our way down. Or into a dead end if the fairies decide to peruse us."

Meanwhile at the entrance to the mansion, the black court vampire spoke in his passionless, grating voice. "Do we still need a meeting? It’s pretty clear the Red Court needs to be exiled from the Amsterdam, if we were to hope for peace. It would be best, if we left now before the authorities arrive."

"I can arrange, so that they don’t bother us too much" smiled Adelia.

"And what about the Halewijn’s loyal nobles? I can see them arriving here right now". Vampire looked in the direction of the canal, his eyes clearly seeing something through darkness of the night.

Adelia’s smile disappeared at the mention of the Halewijn’s nobles. Her eyes darted a look at the present people, clearly evaluating their combat readiness. "That idiot..." she muttered under her breath. She wouldn’t dare. The police would be here soon. We must bring him inside now. You have my word on your safety for tonight Mr. Vonspurt."

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

"Sure, here you go." Brent said, pulling his keys out of his pocket and tossing them to Wilhemina.

Brent paused for a second, looking after the dog that the pair had spooked upon their arrival. "Actually, hold on a second." Brent said, getting down on his hands and knees, and peering at the undercarriage of the car.

[Thelonius]

A wise precaution in the situation, Brent's examination doesn't uncover any explosive devices or red vampires, hitching a ride underneath. There is only a faint odor of the dog's urine, it appears someone has marked his territory.

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy ducks his head in a small, polite bow to Adelia and begins half carrying the wounded faerie lord up to the mansion.

[Thelonius]

Brent

They drove through the streets of the Amsterdam silently at first. Wilhelmina was first to break the silence. ''I've got a safe house, just in case of such situation. We could stay there for the night, just in case'' She fell silent for a moment, then continued. ''Hunting things in the dark... I've never actually risked my life to do so. There were always hired bodyguards, plans for the escape, it was always safe.'' She stopped at the traffic light, not looking at Brent. ''I don't think I hit any of them with my shots, and I'm pretty good shot, under... calmer conditions'' Now that the danger has passed, Wilhelmina's composure seemed to be crumbling by the second. ''Do you think you can spot them, if they are following the car?'' she asked, clearly expecting some reassurance.

Leeroy

Adelia Valdez and others remained at the mansion's entrance, watching the approaching Fae warily. The guests in the court yard began to gravitate to the entrance as well, unaware of the approaching situation. Only Maarten von Rijn and the gentlemen in Grey appeared to have noticed. The first redoubled his efforts to keep the girl from dying. The second moved to the side, perhaps intent on watching the exchange from sidelines this time.

Leeroy was startled, when he realized the black court vampire was following him soundlessly. A barely audible whisper reached his ears. ''That's quite a mess.'' The creature looked directly into the Leeroy's eyes, an unnerving thing to do considering black court's ability to perform psychic assaults. ''You seem intent on protecting Halewijn's hide. Why is that?''. He looked at the Adelia Valdez and her follower, reinforced by the Landsknechts mercenaries. ''You know, she'll be very occupied by the Summer Court right now. It's a very good chance to extricate Halewijn from this place to a more secure location, like your house perhaps. I have a bit of magic on my person to keep him stitched together for the trip. And if you wonder, I've got my reasons to see him safe. For now at least. And perhaps we could talk about some matters arcane at a later time.''

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy stops short at the words of the black court vampire behind him. He turns and for the first time sees the approaching Summer Court representatives. Leeroy gently lays the stricken summer lord flat on the ground and says to Tobias, Tell those fae to get over here and see to Halewijn's injuries. I'm no doctor and I know even less about Seelie medicine. I think that Black Court Vampire may be right. Maybe we should retreat back to my house once Halewijn is well enough to be moved.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

"That's probably a good idea." Brent said, regarding the safehouse. "Don't go straight there. Loop around once or twice, but don't make it obvious that you're just driving in circles. I can keep an eye out."

Brent was quiet as Wilhemina continued driving. "Just keep breathing." he said as he stared at the side view mirror to keep an eye behind. "Adrenaline gets to everybody."

[Thelonius]

Leeroy

Tobias frowns at Leeroy's suggestions. A tinge of magic delivers his words to the white wizard's ears only. ''Are we really trusting the Black Court here? I've heard... They might be engaged in some plot against the practitioners. And since we are the only ones, who would give a damn about it, we would present an obstruction to the black court's plans. Perhaps he just wants to get us alone to spring an ambush. I mean anything that would happen to us this night would be blamed on the Red Court, a perfect alibi.''

Brent

Wilhelmina nods and focuses on driving. Some of the nervousness slowly bleeds out of her as the car drives further away from the mansion. It appears you've driven to the outskirts of the Amsterdam. It doesn't take long to arrive to your destination, a small house nestled near an industrial zone. It doesn't look very good on the outside, but perhaps the inner furnishings would prove to be more welcoming.

[enderrocksonall]

Leeroy turns to Tobias and whispers back to him using his own version of the communication spell, Toby if something else is going to happen tonight I want something other than just our own power backing us up. Here we have Adelia's oath of protection, but not much else. If we head back to one of our houses we have a threshold as well as my wards. I would say let's go to your place because you have a better threshold, but something tells me that your landlords might notice a faerie lord with his throat ripped to shreds!

[Thelonius]

Leeroy

''Oh, I would feel plenty safe in your house. What I'm worried about is getting there. We can't get to your car at the parking, since that's where the faeries are. And if we try to walk home, the black court can easily take us. I don't feel safe facing them during the day, and we are in the middle of the night here.'' replied Tobias after a moment of thought.

[enderrocksonall]

Those faeries are summer court. they aren't going to attack the guys helping the injured summer lord. Get them over here so they can help him.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

"Everything look all right to you?" Brent said. "I don't think anybody tried to follow us by car."

[Thelonius]

Brent

I was really focused on the road. I'm not sure if I would have noticed, admited Wilhelmina with slight embarrassment. But they are new in the city, so they shouldn't know the streets that well to follow us. Unless they bugged the car, maybe you can do a more thorough check?

Leeroy

''I guess we've got ourselves a plan'', sighed Tobias. The two toy-boy thralls led them into the room with a bed and one of them departed, apparently to fetch medical assistance. The vampire glided towards the remaining one and whispered something to him. Nodding, the remaining guard left the room as well, leaving white wizards, black court vampire and Halewijn alone. ''I'll lead the way to the back exit.'' spoke the vampire.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

Brent nodded. "Sure, is there anything that you've recently gotten any work on?" He said, looking around the interior of the car. "There's only so much I can do without taking the whole thing apart, and that's generally not worth the trouble."

[Thelonius]

Brent

The brief search didn't turn up anything dangerous, so they went to the apartment. The warmth of the day has completely left the city, the air turning almost freezing. With faeries stirred up weather was bound to start jumping to the extremes in no time.

The entrance to the apartment looked rather disappointing, but the next room was much more to Brent's liking. Apparently somebody wasn't afraid of burglars. Or had enough money to replace everything stolen without batting an eyelash.

[ninja_penguin]

Brent Blackwell

Brent paused for a second looking at the dichotomy of the interior and exterior of the building before he shrugged, took off his jacket, and folding it over his arm before sitting down.

"You need to call anybody?" He asked Wilhemina. "And do you keep anything to drink around here?"