Veil of Smog, Chapter 1

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

Unable to fully articulate what she wants to say in English, Yume switches to Japanese as it appears that this person also speaks it:
"<If you are referring to these ...> She holds up three paper talisman <... there are plenty of miko that can use ofuda, I am just taking my training to the next level so that I can become an onmyōji.>"

Spoiler: Vocabulary

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miko (巫女): shrine maiden
ofuda (御札): talisman made out of various materials such as paper, wood, cloth, or metal
onmyōji (陰陽師): yin-and-yang master

[MechaAce]

The Shroud looks between Yume and Sarah, those blank eye holes of the mask still unsettling. "You don't get to pick who's on your squad, but you've got their back and they've got yours or everyone is dead. That's how it's going to be." Not delivered as a threat at all, but a firm statement of fact, and one she's clearly experienced before. "Weird, fateful events brought this to me..." She touches the end of the shroud again. "And more of them brought me to all of you." A gloved hand gestures to encompass everyone. "So whatever this threat is, we're all stuck in together until it's dealt with." She's speaking line an officer of some sort, that's for sure.

[Esprit15]

<Hm, and how often is it that a kitsune becomes a miko? Last I recall your kind tended to be tricksters and scammers, not divine caretakers. Certainly the ones I dealt with were.>

She doesn’t seem to pay Shroud’s words any mind. She’d dealt with cops, constables, and military before, and Shroud clearly had that sort of mindset. Arguing just got them riled up. Smile, nod, maybe give a ‘Yes sir’ if they were really belligerent, and go along with your day. Either way, a situation had to be dire for her to work with a monster, and youkai absolutely fell into that category, no matter how human they presented theirselves. A tough talking vigilante wasn’t going to bully her into changing centuries of distrust.

[Xihirli]

"You sound like a European talking about the Romani," Leif tells Sarah flatly.
"Now what is this important mission?"

Fate, he thinks. Cold, eternal beings deciding how my life should go. Why does that sound familiar?

[Esprit15]

“And you sound like someone who would invite a vampire into his house because it told you that it’s a bit chilly outside,” she says dismissively.

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

Yume jumps to her feet knocking over the chair, furious at the implication. Her furry ears pop out along with three large fluffy tails. Her pupils narrow into slits, and her teeth get a little pointy.
Unfortunately the overall impression is only slightly more intimidating then an angry kitten.
In English: "I am a Zenko NOT a YAKO!"
Then her face goes bright red as she realizes that her ears and tails are out.

Spoiler: OOC

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There are two common classifications of kitsune:
- Zenko (善狐) are benevolent celestial foxes.
- Yako (野狐) are mischievous or even malicious.

[Batcathat]

After finishing a sausage, Rufus picked up his cane and tapped the handle against the table. A pair of sound-proof earmuffs appeared seemingly out of nowhere and Rufus put them on.

"Someone please tap me on the shoulder when we're finished screaming and can get back to the horrible fate apparently awaiting us", he said a little too loud and reached for another sausage.

[Esprit15]

Sarah picks up a drink as the girl begins shouting and takes a sip. Three tails… hm, a younger one, but she still does have the silver color of a zenko, and Yume wasn’t radiating any illusory magic at this point. Sarah’s distrust gives way to, if nothing else, a desire for quiet. “If you are then you understand why one who has dealt with the latter is skeptical of someone claiming to be the former. I’m willing to judge you by your actions for now though. As our host said, the Weavers of Fate have chosen to unite us for some deeper reason. It would be boastful of me to think that my own desires should supersede that.”

[Xihirli]

"Well, I hope we can all be civil going forward then," Leif insists, offering a comforting hand to Yume.
Then:
"Wait, are vampires real?"

[Esprit15]

Sarah gives Lief a knowing smile. “Got it, you’re new to this. Actually - who all here is new to this side of the world? The zenko obviously is old hat, I’m experienced, the alchemist is clearly familiar with a bit. Shroud girl, you tussled with anything scarier than a mobster? Or anyone that didn’t die from things that ought to have killed ‘em?”

She also lowers her collar to Lief, revealing two different bite marks. One appears human save for large canines, and one looks more like a large dog bite with some nasty scarring around it, almost like an acid burn. “I’ve been bit by a lot of things, kiddo. None took, thanks to some friends.”

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

Yume picks up her chair, gathers her tails in her arms like she is hugging a large stuffed animal, and pouts.

[Charybdis1618]

Loukas sighs. "We'll have time to exchange history later. Specifically, I propose a team-building exercise. Let us all meet in an abandoned quarry outside of town I happen to know. We'll take turns showcasing our individual talents. I have used it for these purposes before. To answer the more broad question, I have no answers yet. The Fates are less than forthcoming at times about their reasons. All I know is that I must assemble a team of disparate and unique gifted individuals, and that this will be essential to avert an oncoming disaster. Something big, something more dangerous than the usual monstrosities creeping through the shadows."

Looking around, and seeing the reactions, he grits his teeth and adds "I get it. Fine, I'll lay it out. I am a direct descendant of Cassandra of Troy, and I have inherited both her gift and her curse. Everything I learn, everything revealed to me, comes out fragmentary and piecemeal. Half the time what I see only becomes true by technicality, or in retrospect. It's why I can't just predict the lottery numbers. It's why I couldn't just predict who you would be and give you phone calls. And, it's why I can't tell you more than what I have. I don't ask for blind faith. I don't ask you to take a risk I haven't personally taken a hundred times over, or to trust me implicitly. I don't ask you to immediately become best friends. All I ask is that the lot of you give this a chance, and maybe see what Fate has in store for you. It may be the most significant piece of your lives. Yes, even you Yume. Can I count on you all to be at the quarry at least?"

[Esprit15]

Sarah shrugs and smiles. “I doubt that. But I have all the time in the world, and this is exactly the kind of thing I moved here for.” Cassandra. The Cassandra... She was pretty sure she had been living to the north back then, and only heard about the poor seer through second hand stories.

“That doesn’t answer the question of how you contacted us or why your power doesn’t read normally.”

[Charybdis1618]

“That doesn’t answer the question of how you contacted us or why your power doesn’t read normally.”

"I had my spirits carry a message to the most likely subjects of the vision. They can interface with the Fates more directly, and can sometimes use information I cannot. I wrote out the notes, and told the spirits to make sure you would find them. Apparently they decided to be dramatic about it. As for your magical detection, it fails on me for the same reason I can barely pick up on you. Remember, you caught me by surprise, when none of the others did. Your powers have something to do with time, right? Something affecting its normal flow? Temporal powers get messy when they interact with each other. Think of it like a microphone picking up feedback from its speaker. I doubt I have earned anybody's trust with this, but have I at least assuaged your suspicion?"

[MechaAce]

[QUOTE=Esprit15;25793064]Sarah gives Lief a knowing smile. “Got it, you’re new to this. Actually - who all here is new to this side of the world? The zenko obviously is old hat, I’m experienced, the alchemist is clearly familiar with a bit. Shroud girl, you tussled with anything scarier than a mobster? Or anyone that didn’t die from things that ought to have killed ‘em?”

“Yes.” The Shroud says with conviction and a little distaste. “To both.” She leaves it hanging at that for the moment, perhaps for an air of dangerous mystery, or she doesn’t feel like taking about it.

Turning to Loukas, she says “I’m in” in the same mix of conviction and distaste. “All this is too big for anyone to know the whole of, so I’m game. Will you be as straight with us as you can as soon as you can?”

[Charybdis1618]

"I will do my best, and tell you what I can. I can offer some guidance as well, but by nature that will be rather limited. For those who feel comfortable doing so, can we exchange phone numbers? I only get spotty coverage when I am at home, but I can arrange for more frequent trips into range of cell towers from now on. As for the quarry, does Saturday work? I won't have a client that day."

[Batcathat]

Luckily, Jiminy had poked Rufus' leg as Loukas started getting to the matter at hand, so the earmuffs came off in time for Rufus to hear the a mostly-complete stranger suggest meeting in an isolated location he "happened to know". Seemed very safe.

Still... "Consider my curiosity piqued, oracle." He stood up and grabbed his cane. "I will be there on Saturday."

[Xihirli]

"I don't like the idea of the Fates," Leif says, crossing his arms. "Cold, distant creatures, capricious and often cruel, just deciding how our life should go. But... alright, I'll be there Saturday. As long as 'showcasing our individual talents' doesn't just mean injuring me."
Leif looks to the disturbed shrine maiden.
"I ah, hope you're not too terrified."

[Esprit15]

“Good,” she says to the shrouded woman. “It’s always best to only have one greenhorn on a hunt. Most people for them to learn from, least people for us to have to correct for.”

Sarah eyes Loukas with gentle but clear suspicion. “I remain a skeptic, but far be it from a descendent of Cassandra to be a convincing oracle. You have my interest, Mr. Loukas.” The woman seems to flick out of existence for a sliver of a second, only to reappear handing a paper with a number on it to Loukas - looks like a waitress’s order slip. “My apartment phone. I don’t keep a mobile phone on me.” She always forgets to charge them, they’re a tracking issue, and she didn’t trust screens that you could click on after eighty years of being told ‘Don’t touch electronic screens with your fingers!’

She looks with a little sympathy to Leif. “The Fates aren’t cruel, but they are uncaring about individuals in the grand tapestry of history. Most of us will only be a few stitches to them. Do you cry over a cut fiber when you hem your clothing? Are you cruel to every blade of grass you have trod upon during a hike?”

[Charybdis1618]

"You are right, of course, which is why we must look out for ourselves and each other. As long as I get to fulfill the prophecy, I am content."

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

"Saturday is fine, I don't get many people at my shrine."

[Charybdis1618]

(If anybody needs to take care of any business before the meeting at the quarry, please do so before Saturday. If it doesn't need to involve the other players, you can do so on your Individual RP Discord channels.)

[MechaAce]

"Saturday" the Shroud says, nodding her head once. She reaches into her pocket and produces a black Sharpie, writing a local number on a napkin and then turning it around for everyone else to see.

[Batcathat]

Rufus nodded to each person in the room one by one. "I suppose we will meet again." He turned to Loukas. "If nothing else, the food was quite lovely. Thank you. For that."

He tapped the cane against the table and a small stack of business cards appeared, one for each of his new... acquaintances. On closer inspection, the "cards" are actually very thin sheets of gold with the name Rufus Walcraft imprinted, along with the address and phone number of Walcraft House.

Without another word, he turned around and left the room, stopping briefly to pick up the doctor's bag once again containing the homunculus.

"I get to pick the music on the way back."

[Charybdis1618]

Loukas holds up a card and sighs. "Of course that gauche manor would have to belong to him. Oh well. I'm glad he's on our side. This is a lot of energy..."

[Esprit15]

Sarah looks at the card thoughtfully, the magical aura slowly fading as her magic viewing spell ended. “Interesting. I’ll most definitely visit it in the coming days.” The woman finishes another drink and makes small talk with anyone that asks before excusing herself to see if any of the regulars were interesting in talking to a new person about the local hunting.

When she gets home, she locks the door and untenses slightly. Why by the Great River is a youkai working with us? Why was it fated to work with us? She frowns as she begins to consult books and scrolls, half paying attention as she maps out different ways to direct magic during the ritual. She writes up a list of reagents to collect - some purchasable, some to be foraged, some of which she kept quantities of due to their obscurity.

She looks at herself in the mirror before bed. <It’s a zenko, Midnight. They’re friendly,> she says in a dead language. She washes her makeup off for the day, blemishes and scars becoming more visible. <And you have worked with monsters before. You’ve befriended more than a few. You can’t judge her before she has acted against people.> The reflection does not speak back, but the scars on her face tell their own story. <Even friends can turn on you,> hisses a blotch of skin. <A monster will lie with the ease that you draw a bow,> smiles the scar that she showed Lief earlier. <A moment’s hesitation…> hums the thin slash running from her eye to her mouth.

Midnight splashes her face with water and returns to her spell schematics. It is not her job to question the will of the gods. Her job is to protect people. If that means killing, so be it. If that means working with monsters, so be it.

[Xihirli]

Leif accepts the card. "You realize I'm going to write this down on paper and sell this," he says to Rufus.
"I just don't want you to feel insulted later if you find out."

He finishes up half a day at work and heads back home. Aster is out on their shift tending bar, so he writes a note not enemies... yet. Might have to push weekend plans and passes out.

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

The kitsune enjoys eating more smoked meat then what many would consider ladylike.
Afterwards she bows "Thank you for the meal." and with a wave of her arm simply vanishes from sight.

[MechaAce]

The Shroud heads out in the middle of the crowd, neither first nor last and drives back to her lair to stow her van and the most illegal parts of her arsenal. When she got to her actual home, she started by raiding her fridge for some of Mei Ling's noodles... she hadn't touched the BBQ, though it certainly smelled good. Lifting the shroud to take a quick drink of water was the only thing she'd tried for eating with it on, and she wasn't about to show her face to a bunch of strangers who were involved in the supernatural. Naturally, her maid caught her in the act, offered to make something fresh and was angling for details of the mysterious meeting. "It was mysterious, with mysterious new people, but we're having a party on Saturday.

She went about her usual business until Saturday, though she did do a little Google Earth searching about the quarry for good spots to snipe from, condition of the roads and such.

[Charybdis1618]

The roads to the quarry have all washed out long ago, but have not gotten too overgrown. A nearby creek bed provides drainage, so it is still dry. A vehicle could drive up and park there easily enough. There is one viable sniper's perch, at the top of the wall cut away to reveal the stone.