IC: CtL 2E New Orleans by Night

[Bennosuke]

'Something to look into maybe.' Laura says thoughtfully as she sips her own drink. She's disappointed to hear that but not surprised. 'Unless you happen to know any wizards around here. Maybe one who might need a hand with something.'

...'No doubt.' Laura replied watching Shadow closely. 'Otherwise I might as well give up this idea now. Would you happen to know anyone crazy enough that they might want to come with me?'

Laura's statement brings a wry smirk to the man's face. He clears his throat, and then with a less wet chuckle replies, "You know the rules of our Court. I might no someone, but you'll have to make me the right offer." The smirk spreads into a wide grin, showing old yellow teeth. He lowers his head in expectation, a nod that says, 'make me your best offer'.

Nearby, the college boys suddenly holler with excitement. They are gathered around a cellphone that has been propped up on the table, and based on the exclamation, possibly watching some live sporting event. Laura can feel their emotions coalescing into glamour, filling the room with a sweet and almost spicy aroma; like molasses mixed with hot sauce.

[Haval]

Laura's statement brings a wry smirk to the man's face. He clears his throat, and then with a less wet chuckle replies, "You know the rules of our Court. I might no someone, but you'll have to make me the right offer." The smirk spreads into a wide grin, showing old yellow teeth. He lowers his head in expectation, a nod that says, 'make me your best offer'.

Nearby, the college boys suddenly holler with excitement. They are gathered around a cellphone that has been propped up on the table, and based on the exclamation, possibly watching some live sporting event. Laura can feel their emotions coalescing into glamour, filling the room with a sweet and almost spicy aroma; like molasses mixed with hot sauce.

Laura had been expecting this and make Shadow an offer. 'Well you can take any fetching and carrying for granted, but I don't think you need me to that sort of thing.' She'll pause briefly to glance towards the college boys to better take in the delicious smell. It was nice when the glamour came to you.

'You need me to beat someone up?' Laura wasn't entirely opposed to the idea if it involved someone who seemed to deserve it. 'Or is there something specific you need from the Hedge? It depends what you need but I ought to have a better chance of bringing it back here then most.'

[Bennosuke]

Shadow watches how she repositions herself, and with a grin says, "Well, I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement, but this is my harvest kiddo. I'll have to ask you go somewhere else to catch yourself some glam." He winks at Laura, clearly proud of his use of "hip slang". The sweet smell of the glamour grows stronger in Laura's nostrils, as the conversation between the college boys seems to swell.

He'll lean back and sigh, raising a hand to rub at his balding skull. "How about this," Shadow says a little more seriously, "I don't need anyone beat up, but if you promise me the next Token you find, I will do whatever I can to help you prepare for this adventure of yours."

[Haval]

Laura looked amused at Shadow's reaction. 'Yeah, yeah I know the drill. It just smelled nice is all. I'll have a look around for something later.'

She'll consider his proposal, 'I can see me regretting this when it turns out the token is something that I need...but I think I can live with that.' As far as Laura knew Tokens might be useful for a lot of different purposes. 'You looking for something in particular Shadow? Or is it more to have something to pass on if you find someone who wants it?'

[Bennosuke]

Laura's consideration of the offer brings a grin to Shadow's face. The grin spreads to a near ear-to-ear smile at the question and he replies, "Tokens are rare enough. If I was to specific about what I wanted, I'd probably be waiting forever to get it. It will be easier to just to claim whatever you find... if you are amenable to our bargain?"

[Haval]

Laura didn't even have to think about it. 'Oh I'm ameanable.' She'll offer her hand to Shadow. 'That's why I came to see you first.'

[Bennosuke]

(OOC: We can run this as a "Sealing" oath, per pg 210 in which Laura promises up the Token if Shadow helps her. Shadow spends a point of glam to seal Laura to her word. If she keeps it, she gets a beat, and the Wyrd can react against her if she doesn't keep her word. Sound fair?)

Shadow's grin widens as he takes Laura's hand in hers. "We have a deal," he says with excitement. There is a warm almost electric ripple that spreads across their shared grip, sealing the promise. For a moment, Laura's entire body feels warm, and the smells and sounds of the room grow distant.

[Haval]

Laura tried to ignore the feeling of the Wyrd pressing in. It always made her feel like she was being watched by something that was a lot more powerful then she was. At least Sealing allowed her to play an active roll. As least that was what she had been told anyway. 'Help me out Shadow and I promise to give you the next Token I find. Or let everything I drink turn to water for a month.' The lack of coffee alone would be a terrible punishment to face but Laura had no intention of backing out on a deal. 'That work for you?'

Spoiler: ooc

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I take it I have some leeway here in interpreting the narrative part of the punishment for breaking the agreement? If you'd rather apply the consequences let me know and I'll edit.

I'll take the Willpower penalty anyway

[Bennosuke]

The electric charge buzzing between their hands grows, till the sensation is almost too much, and Shadow releases his grip. The air around the two Changelings is still left with the smell of singed sugar, and chocolate. Still grinning, Shadow says, "Very well. I suppose you will be wanting to start as soon as possible? Perhaps you let me contact a few friends, and you can meet me at my stall first thing tomorrow morning?"

He gazes over at the college students again, his eyes filled with a hunger... or maybe a longing.

(OOC: Technically, Shadow is sealing Laura's words, so she spends nothing. Because of this, let's say for a scene, as I don't think Shadow actually wishes to inflict punishments on Laura. However, she does gain a beat for allowing her word to be sealed, and can gain another when she follows through with her promise... if that works for you. I won't apply the beat yet, in case you would prefer Laura does the sealing, in which case, Shadow would need to make the swear)

[Haval]

'Any help is appreciated Shadow.' Laura wondered what sort of person would be crazy enough to help her with this. 'I'll see you tomorrow.'

Spoiler: ooc

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I wasn't sure if it was the Wyrd itself imposing the punishment, but I'm happy with that. Shadow can do the sealing.

[Bennosuke]

Laura leaves Old Shadow, walking out of Idlewild and onto Bourbon Street. By now the sun has set and the street has begun to fill up with its regular flood of drunk and overly loud tourists. The scent of stale beer mingles with the perfume of flowers hanging from the balconies above, and with the overly sweet smell of syrups coming from a nearby frozen cocktail stand. Music pours into the street from a number of nearby bars, all cover bands whose songs clash and mingle with the hollering and chatter of the sea of reveling pedestrians. But Laura isn't looking for Glamour here, and so she walks up Bourbon, cutting through the crowd on her way back North to the Marigny.

It's after 8PM when she slips onto Frenchman, a strip of live music venues that only local used to know about. It was still early, but if Laura wanted to find some mortal truly giving off fresh emotion that she could Harvest, it wasn't going to be on Bourbon, it was going to be at one of these local joints. And so Laura glides down Frenchman, stopping at DBA's a massive two room beerhall with a stage. She knows that the live music here is good, and there won't be a cover charge for almost another hour. It was a solid bet for her Harvest.

The bouncer recognizes Laura, letting her in without an ID check, and she moves over to the bar where she can order a drink and scan the crowd. It's quieter than she expected, only a handful of people gathered around the stage where a beautiful girl in a red dress is singing her heart out, backed by a hodge podge of musicians, playing an old jazz tune that might have been sung by Fitgerald originally. At the foot of the stage is a young man, maybe in his late teens, with a black leather biker jacket on and slicked hair. He's staring at the singer entranced, a wide almost bafoonish grin on his face. He's her mark. He's in love!

(OOC: WP taken. Down to 3/5. Let's RP this just a little)

[Haval]

Laura had been disappointed in the state of town tonight. It was so much easier to find a large group of people and find a way to feed off the resulting opportunities for glamour. Still, there was always something if you looked for long enough.

After watching the boy for a moment she'll take her beer and stand closer to the stage. This was how she liked to listen anyway when she had the time. After the band finished a song or otherwise taken a break she'll lean over and get the boy's attention. 'They're pretty good. You know what they're called?'

[Bennosuke]

This close, Laura can smell the emotion coming off of him like a new cologne. The boy startles when he hears Laura's voice. "What? Oh!" he stammers, his revelry suddenly interrupted, his face turning flush with embarrassment. He manages a smile and says, "Yah, they're good," face still flushed. Then he points to to a sign with a metal paint can for tips in front of it, which agrees with him saying "I think they're called the Jessica Quinn Quartet."

The moment he says this, Laura realizes that she knows Jessica Quinn. She had sung for another band at another joint a couple of months ago, and afterwards had gotten a few drinks with Laura at one of the bars off Frenchman. It wasn't too much of a longshot to think that Quinn might remember Laura... if she wanted to pull a favor and help the boy out.

(OOC: Apologies, on further reading I realize the Changeling has to incite the emotion, so I'm trying to give you a tool by which Laura can have an effect on the young man. Maybe she can help him get her number, or maybe she can embarrass him in front of Quinn, or whatever other direction you want to go.

That said, we know she'll only get a little Glamour out of it.

That said that said, I am having trouble accessing your linked character sheet. Not sure if its temporary, or the link, or what, just FYI)

[Haval]

Laura grins at the kid's reaction. 'You know, I met her once. It's nice to see her getting more gigs. She deserves it. If you want to hang out later I can probably introduce you.'

Spoiler

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That said that said, I am having trouble accessing your linked character sheet. Not sure if its temporary, or the link, or what, just FYI)

I haven't noticed a problem in accessing the link but it sometimes appears as a little blurry for some reason.

I might just move all the info onto mythweavers instead.

[Bennosuke]

"You can?" the kid blurts, his eyes wide with excitement. But before Laura can answer, the beautiful girl in the red dress saunters over to the lip of the stage where the two are standing. She's still singing the Ella Fitzgerald tune as she bends over the two. Making eye contact with Laura, Jessica Quinn winks, then blows her a theatrical kiss. Standing next to her, the boy's eyes go even wider, turning practically into saucers. He manages to mumble something like "oh", his face bright red.

Laura can practically taste the Glamour that is starting to swirl around him, taking shape like the threads of sugar around a cone to form a puff of cotton candy.

(OOC: See OOC thread for further discussion)

[Haval]

Laura nods and smiles at Jessica to return the wink. 'I can. I know lots of people.' The glamour was delicious and it was hard not to focus on it to the exclusion of everything else in the room.

[Bennosuke]

"Oh, wow," the boy says under his breath, before seeming to get a better hold of himself. He nods his head and says, "Thank you. I mean, that's... that would be really nice of you." He stretches out a hand, "I'm Ben, by the way."

Ben struggles to make small talk with Laura, during the show. Jessica every once in a while flashes a smile, or a gesture Laura's way, and at the end of the set as the band is packing up their gear, she makes her way to where the two are standing at the foot of the stage. "Hey girl," Jessica say, leaning over to give Laura a hug, before apologizing, "sorry if I'm a little sweaty. It's hot under those light!" She chuckles, giving a wide and beautiful smile. She barely even seems to notice Ben. "Did you enjoy the show," she asks.

[Haval]

'Hey Ben, I'm Laura.' She'll reach out and shake the boy's hand. Laura is more then happy enough to make enough small talk so that Ben feels comfortable. The taste of the glamour was more then incentive enough.

She'll gladly return the hug. 'Hey. You know I always enjoy you singing. And yet I had no idea you had a gig tonight. My bad.' Maybe when she had time she should get out more. She make her introductions, 'Jess, this is my friend Ben. He was just telling me how much he liked that last one especially.'

[Bennosuke]

Perhaps to Laura's surprise, rather than wilting, greets the object of his affection with warmth and charm. Smiling coyly he says, "Jess? Nice to meet you. You guys were AMAZING!" He offers a hand to shake, shrugging as he acknowledges the awkwardness of the gesture. Blushing a little, he adds, "I hope it didn't throw you off, how I was staring while you performed. You really, oh, well you swept me off my feet I guess."

And perhaps to Laura's surprise, this really seems to work on Jess. Now it's her turn to blush, and the smile that spreads on her face is practically infectious. "Thank you," she says, placing a hand on Ben's shoulder. Laura allows herself a step back as the two begin talking, falling at a break neck pace into a comfortable almost familiar rhythm of conversation. Now there is Glamour enough for Laura to Harvest. The changeling inhales the sweet aroma, tastes the emotion rich with heat and excitement.

(OOC: Laura gains one glamour, added to her character sheet)

But as Laura floats back from the conversation, she catches sight of something out of the corner of her eye. Looking out the window, she glimpses as a young woman passes by the club. Though the girl was only visible for a split second before disappearing past, Laura is certain that it was Monica who she had seen, dressed in her oversized black leather jacket, and tattered jeans. The sight of the poor lost girl, immediately makes Laura's heart drop in her chest, makes it hard to breathe for just a second.

[Haval]

'I'll be right back.' Laura says before turning and heading for the entrance without waiting for a response. She had been trying to keep an eye on Monica without getting too close. Given that she had met the girl while getting her out of the Tumbledown she had felt that there might be awkward questions to answer, but now she knew about Snigglebutt's interest in Monica perhaps that wasn't an option anymore.

Ideally she'll wait until they were both out of earshot of anyone who might be smoking outside the bar but otherwise she'll try to catch up to Monica.

[Bennosuke]

Poking her head through the bar's door, Laura sees the girl walking down the street as she is led by the hand by a figure walking before her. From about a half block away now, it looks to be a man (too old for Monica at least), wearing a black skeleton hoodie and a pair of tight black jeans that had to be full of stretch material and would have been popular on emo kids in the early 2000s. Monica has what appears to be a beer in a brown paper bag, clutched in her other hand, and though maybe it was how she was being pulled along, but her footsteps appeared clumsy and drunk.

[Haval]

Laura is still wearing a knee length dress from her date earlier tonight so running to catch the pair is not an ideal choice but she's fairly sure she handle whoever this guy was, even without her sword. She'll break into a jog to get closer to the pair before annoucing herself.

[Bennosuke]

Laura catches up to the pair when the reach the end of the block. Traffic on the narrow street is already bad, and fortunately Monica and her escort are forced to wait at the curb for a slowly turning car. The girl is first to turn around, her eyes going wide immediately, her mouth hanging open and slightly slack. "It's... it's you," she says, her voice filled with sudden excitement, though her words are slightly slurred.

The man is slower to turn around. He's young, but too old for Monica; maybe in his mid-twenties. He's got black thick rimmed glasses and a scruffy brown beard. He doesn't speak yet, confused as to why Monica turned around and what she's getting at.

[Haval]

Laura catches up to the pair when the reach the end of the block. Traffic on the narrow street is already bad, and fortunately Monica and her escort are forced to wait at the curb for a slowly turning car. The girl is first to turn around, her eyes going wide immediately, her mouth hanging open and slightly slack. "It's... it's you," she says, her voice filled with sudden excitement, though her words are slightly slurred.

Laura only winked at the girl. There was always the potential that there was an explanation for this that wasn't disgusting but Laura still had the sudden urge to push the man into oncoming traffic. She'll stand with her arms crossed and speak with an exaggerated cheeriness. 'Hi. Who are you exactly?'

[Bennosuke]

It's only when Laura speaks that the man really notices her. He pulls his head back a little with confusion, then eyes Laura up and down. Almost scoffing at Laura's question, he replies, "What? Who are you?" Still holding Monica's hand, he gives it a kind of violent tug and asks of her, "You know this woman?"

[Haval]

'I'm her lawyer.' Technically Laura had a law degree, although it wasn't as if she had had any use for what she remembered of it since before Arcadia. 'And you seem to be a violent *******. I'm going to need you to take your hands off her right now. Unless you want to speak to the cops about whatever you might be doing with an under age girl.' Laura uncrosses her arms and readies herself to respond if the man tried anything physical.

Spoiler

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Presence 3 + Intimidation 2
(5d10)[4][6][4][7][8](29)
Any 10s
(5d10)[1][3][6][7][9](26)

[Bennosuke]

The man releases his grasp, raising both hands up as if Laura was holding him at gunpoint. "Whoa man," he says with surprise, "I don't know what you're talking about lady!"

Lucy gives Laura a confused look but doesn't say anything. Her vision clears a little as she steps towards the Changeling. "I've been looking for you," she says in a hushed awed voice, "I was starting to think you weren't real!" She comes close enough that Laura can smell the beer on her breath, and how long its been since she's had her clothes washed, close enough to reach out and touch.

[Haval]

The man releases his grasp, raising both hands up as if Laura was holding him at gunpoint. "Whoa man," he says with surprise, "I don't know what you're talking about lady!"

'Sure you don't.' Perhaps she was jumping to conclusions somehow, but he wasn't going to explain himself she had no reason to care.

To Monica, 'You want to get out of here? Maybe to get you a drink of water or something?'

[Bennosuke]

The man starts to protest, but the girl turns to him and says quietly, "Kevin, give us just a minute." Monica offers him a coy pleasant smile before turning back to the Changeling.

Her soft expression turns hard, almost shrewd. She leans towards Laura and in almost a whisper says, "Take me there." Monica stares with watchful and expectant eyes. She was talking about the Hedge, she was talking about The Tumble Down. She was talking about wanting to go somewhere Laura should never, maybe could never take her back to. But there was pleading in Monica's eyes, there was desperation.

[Haval]

Laura watched the man to see if that was enough for him before she replies quietly to Monica. 'Take you where?' She'll wondered if the girl was willing to say it openly.

Monica had been lucky to make it out of the Tumbledown once. There was always the chance she would find a way in again without someone to look after her. On the other hand having to know for certain about everything that was really out there wouldn't do Monica any favours. How could anything compare to knowing about the Fae and what they might be capable of.