Veil of Smog, Chapter 1

[Charybdis1618]

Loukas begins loading up a paper plate with a bit of everything from the food table, and pours himself a cup from the pitcher of sangria.

"Believe me, if I could have just called you, I would have. The Fates didn't precisely give me a phone number. But, I'm glad you're here. Are you a local?"

[Esprit15]

Midnight chuckles and actually grabs some food after that. “Oh wow. You snuck into my apartment and didn’t even know who I was.” She takes a small bite from the ribs. “No, I am not from here, and like you I have my secrets.”

[Charybdis1618]

"I did not break in anywhere, but no matter. Keep what you will to yourself. Our next guest should be arriving in a moment."

(Counterbalance, you're up.)

[Xihirli]

Leif glances around outside of the Smoking Pit before stepping in. He eyes nearly everyone around him nervously and asks "uh... I'm looking for the Jackalope Room?"
And entering into it he looks Loukas and Midnight up and down before clearing his throat.
"You two would be the ones who snuck into me and my partner's apartment?" He accuses.

[Charybdis1618]

Loukas nods, entirely unsurprised, and sets his plate down to extend a hand. "Like I said, I didn't sneak in anywhere. I simply arranged for a message to be delivered. My apologies for the concern. Call me Loukas. Would you care for some lunch? I'm always fond of their potato salad."

He gestures to the table.

"Also, how can we address you?"

[Xihirli]

Leif looks distrustful, but sits down. "Yes, I'll have what you're having," he assents.
"My name is Leif, who am I speaking to?"
He absently wonders if he should insist on swapping meals with this man once their lunch arrives.

[Esprit15]

“You know as much about this guy as I do,” Sarah says, having finished the rib. She looks over the new arrival for magic auras and effects as she sets down the bone. “Sarah Stillwater. I take it kýrios Loukas here sent you a cryptic missive as well.”

[Charybdis1618]

Leif looks distrustful, but sits down. "Yes, I'll have what you're having," he assents.
"My name is Leif, who am I speaking to?"
He absently wonders if he should insist on swapping meals with this man once their lunch arrives.

(There's a table full of food and drink already, which he's visibly eating now.)

[Xihirli]

“You know as much about this guy as I do,” Sarah says, having finished the rib. She looks over the new arrival for magic auras and effects as she sets down the bone. “Sarah Stillwater. I take it kýros Loukas here sent you a cryptic missive as well.”

"That's right." Leif picks up a plate of potato salad and forks some up.
"Really gave me and my partner a scare, too. Why are we here, Mister Loukas?"

[Charybdis1618]

"Tell them I apologize, and would have been less dramatic if I had the option. As to why you all came here, I will discuss that as soon as we all have arrived. I suspect the next will be a bit. Tell me, Lief, are you local?"

[Xihirli]

Leif nods. "I am. Making do the best we can. I work in construction and take night classes to become an electrician. My partner is a bartender. I've been living here for... two years now. Which is a big deal for me."

[Charybdis1618]

Loukas smiles broadly. "This bodes well."

Turning back to Midnight, he asks "Is that a real bow?"

Assuming Midnight looks at Lief with the magic gaze, she sees a watchspring where the heart should be. A spectral hand, nearly translucent, keeps winding the spring tighter and tighter, even as it uncoils to drive the gears of the body. She sees the spring release fully, and the body springing into motion.

[Esprit15]

She moves the bow to her lap. “It is. I thought I might chat with some of the locals about good places to go hunting after this meeting.” Arkhermiens, as mentioned before, appears to be composed of several different materials.

She notes the effect of the magic in the newest arrival. You’re an interesting one. A different kind of immortal. More cursed.

[Charybdis1618]

She moves the bow to her lap. “It is. I thought I might chat with some of the locals about good places to go hunting after this meeting.” Arkhermiens, as mentioned before, appears to be composed of several different materials.

Loukas visibly swallows his excitement. "As it happens, my day job is an independent hunting guide. I also prefer a bow. I've never seen one like yours, though. May I ... no, no, after we're done here."

He fishes in a pocket of his jacket and passes over a business card. It says "Loukas Ingram, Hunting Guide" over a stylized sihlouette of a young woman drawing a longbow.

(Rufus, you're up.)

[Xihirli]

Leif squirms a little under Sarah’s gaze and responds to Loukas being a hunting expert.
"Have we been invited here to hunt something? Someone?"

[Charybdis1618]

"Not yet. Not precisely. There will be plenty of that down the road. The Fates have something big in mind for all of you."

[Batcathat]

The taxi stopped right in front of the Smoking Pit and Rufus Walcraft stepped out. Considering how the invite had been delivered, there seemed to be little point in a stealthy approach. He put down the old-fashioned doctor's bag he was carrying on the ground and leaned against his cane as he pulled out his wallet and paid the driver.

"Are we there yet?" The muffled voice coming from the doctor's bag was barely audible, but still far too loud.

"Hush", Rufus commanded as he picked up the bag again. "Someone might hear."

"Pah. Just say you were talking to your favorite grandchild when you lost your gosh darn cellular phone."

Rufus rolled his eyes, ignored the homunculus and studied the building ahead of him. Despite decades in the city, he couldn't remember even passing by the Smoking Pit earlier. Didn't seem like he had missed much.

He pushed the door open with his cane – resisting the temptation to transform it for a more dramatic entrance – and stepped into the establishment. As Rufus' eyes swept across the room – and through the walls to the adjacent ones – he saw several people gathered in one of the rooms and walked towards it without pause.

"Hey! Something smells good", said the bag.

"You don't eat. Or talk in public", Rufus replied under his breath, though as he opened the door and stepped through, he did have to agree that the smell was rather tempting.

[Charybdis1618]

Loukas, already facing the door, smiles as he puts his plate down and extends a hand. "Welcome! I am Loukas. Thanks for accepting my invitation. How may we address you?"

[Batcathat]

Taking just long enough to make it awkward without being obviously impolite, Rufus placed his bag on the floor and opened it slightly, before leisurely walking over to Loukas and shaking the outstretched hand. "My friends call me Rufus." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Then again, my friends rarely invite me with vaguely threatening commands. So perhaps..."

"Could've ended that sentence after "my friends rarely invite me"", interrupted the still somewhat muffled voice from the bag.

Rufus cleared his throat. "As I was about to say... perhaps I am mistaken about what sort of relationship this is supposed to be, Loukas?"

[Charybdis1618]

"The Fates rarely respect human customs and concerns when they urgently need something. My apologies. I hope the lot of us can end up being friends, but we can settle for colleagues. Now, how about some food? The ribs are always lovely this time of year."

[Xihirli]

"Leif," Leif introduces himself briefly.
"You keep talking about 'the fates.' Are you a... Greek Neopagan?

[Esprit15]

Midnight suppresses a snicker. ”Most likely. He does claim to be from Greece, so he has more claim to it than the kids today calling themselves that at least. Sarah Stillwater,” she says, a small pile of ribs having formed where you all swear there was only one moments ago. ”Who’s the little voice?”

[Xihirli]

Leif stiffens. "No one!" He says defensively, then swears.
"I mean, what do you mean?"

[Esprit15]

Sarah points with a bone. “Bags don’t talk but his does.”

[Charybdis1618]

"Leif," Leif introduces himself briefly.
"You keep talking about 'the fates.' Are you a... Greek Neopagan?

"Halfway. I am Greek, as Sarah pointed out before. The relationship is a bit different when you can directly interact with the magical side of the world. Also, I think we can ignore the voice. Were we mundane, I doubt we'd have heard anything. Will it shut up if you feed it, or just demand more?"

[Batcathat]

"Yes, if we ignore the voice, it will shut up and not be turned into the world's smallest scarecrow."

A small hand reached out of the open bag and slowly raised its middle finger in the general direction of Rufus.

He sighed. "Right. I apologize for the... distraction. Perhaps we could get to the business of our fate?"

[Xihirli]

"I would like a few more distractions before we get to our fates," Leif suggests.
It is not as though mine is happy

[Charybdis1618]

"We'll get to it soon enough."

(Shroud, you're up.)

[MechaAce]

Fiona had staked out the place an hour or so before the appointed time, sitting in her van (which was displaying signs from the local cable company) and watching people go in… and not seeing any other cars full of thugs or gangers lingering in alleys. Or snipers on rooftops. Old habits die hard.

She walked across the street and pulled the Shroud over her face as she entered, giving the main room the once-over before proceeding to the Jackelope Room, giving thru stuffed head the once-over.

The Shroud’s masked, trenchcoated form filled the doorway for an attention-getting moment, her hands at her sides, curling and uncurling as if wanting to grip something. She moved past it quickly and to an open spot on the table, standing over it, gripping the edge.

Noting the diverse people present and not seeing any disguised vampires or lizard men there or nearby, she says “It appears a number of invitations were sent out… but for what?”

[Esprit15]

The white haired young woman dressed in capris and a matching jacket waves back. Her presence is odd - she looks both human and inhuman to the Shroud. Very supernatural. “Not sure. Though I’m beginning to see some common threads between our eclectic ensemble besides just living here. Are you… okay?” she looks at the woman’s hands as she grips the table. “None of the food bites, and you seem like you need salt, meat, and water.”