NachtMusik -- Logs

The day wears on and the night begins. Zara has been kept busy throughout it all; there's the occasional scuffle or brawl in the Truce City, and she's had visitors in and out at all hours. It's evening, and Rosenstern (having been called back from his rest at the Ranch) is running errands for the haggard fellow Novalite, letting her tend to those in need who come to her for healing. There have been the occasional bursts of Symphonic noise; corporeal destruction, among the many other things that resonate in the universal melody, is just a fact of life in any large city. However, something pierces even the normal background noise of Austin's nighttime, as Rosenstern walks down a lonely sidewalk on the Drag. So clear that he knows exactly where it's coming from, and what's happened. Only one thing makes that sound.

Someone's killed a mortal.

Rosenstern's step almost falters with the horrible, awful sound. Then he's running, feet stamping against the damp pavement towards the source of -- No, he thinks miserably, to where the mortal died. It already happened.

He slows down to a fast walk when he gets within a block of where the jarring Symphonic note came from. He wouldn't want to draw attention to himself for witnesses when the police start asking what they saw, and nothing attracts attention like a running man. He steadies his breathing, realizing he's short of breath, and not merely from running. He's dreading what he's going to find. Did a mortal get caught in the crossfire of this mess? he thinks. Blast... oh, by the Grove, please, not that...

The source of the noise is a dark alleyway, appropriately enough, sandwiched between a decrepit tenement building and a run-down bodega. The lights in both buildings are curiously all out. But the echoes are coming from that alleyway, unmistakably. So I was walking by the alley when I heard some sounds, and even though it may have been stupid of me, officer, I went in to see... This goes through his mind even as he's making his way down the alleyway, one hand almost belatedly drifting back to beneath his vest, remembering that his gun is still loaded with regular bullets. Self-defense only, Rosie, he reminds himself. Wunderbar, a dark alley and you're walking into it. Just like in Neuschwanstein. But... a mortal's dead, and I can't just let that go without finding out why! I am Mercurian, Intercessionist, Friend of Man. And it may be too late to intercede for this mortal, but...

He lets his thoughts trail off, making himself as fully aware of the alley in front of -- and behind! -- him as possible. He considers his options besides whipping out the gun, but waits to see what he finds as he moves towards the sounds.

What greets Rosenstern is at the same time grisly and a little surreal. Down at the end of the alleyway is a garbage truck. A human leg dangles out of the compactor in the back. Framed in the light of a caged bulb over a steel door are three figures; a tall, pale man, wrapped in a long black coat, wearing big mud-stomping boots. A clove cigarette dangles from his mouth, and a small service revolver is in his hands. He's pointing it at... Rosenstern recognizes the pale man's targets almost immediately. It's the McKay brothers. The two of them are standing -- well, one of them is; Ian is actually crouching -- side by side. Both of them are holding nasty-looking knives that glint in the bulb's glare. At their feet is a crumpled figure; a grubby man dressed in the uniform of a city sanitation worker. The pool of blood underneath him gives Rosen the impression that he is probably too late.

A hint of bile rises in Rosenstern's throat. Oh, Adonai... he thinks in shock, shock which is jolted out of him by brief confusion. The discordant, horrific note within the Symphony was of a single mortal dying; was it the death of the one in the compactor, or the one at the ground at the McKay brothers' feet? There probably isn't time to decide one way or the other. He walks into the area quietly, listening with the resonance of his Choir to hear the relationships between the McKays and the person facing them, whomever he might be. Rosen doesn't say anything yet, and is resisting his natural urge to rush forward to try helping the fallen mortal, even if it's but to say a prayer over him; he would not want to get caught in the crossfire.

Rosenstern's Resonance rings especially true, and he immediately perceives the relationship between these three people; the McKays have been stalking this man for weeks... this is the man that Slate saw the elder McKay shadowing earlier in the week. And the relationship is brutally simple; they hate each other. The intensity of the hatred almost takes him aback, and his foot catches the edge of an empty can, which clatters noisily off to the side and sends a cat yowling off into the darkness. Oh, Schei... he thinks, sending a brief apology to the feline; then he raises his head a bit. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. Just have to act like I meant to do that... and see what comes now that I've got their attention... He tries to put on his best purposeful-yet-concerned face, and steps just to the edge of the light, not saying anything just yet.

The noise catches the attention of all three. The pale man's gaze flicks between the brothers and Rosenstern, and back again. Ian's eyes widen with recognition, "Aaron...!" The other brother hisses, "Shit!" The pale man takes a step back, "Oh... more of you night stalkers, huh? I see how it is..." His finger tightens on the trigger of the gun.

Aaron McKay snarls, "Oh, for chrissakes!" As the pale man's eyes flick to Rosenstern again, he reaches out and slaps the gun hand, sending it toward Rosen as the pale man reflexively pulls the trigger! The McKays move as if on springs; Aaron disappears into the warrens of alleyways, Ian actually leaps straight up and vaults onto a fire escape, clambering away. The pale man shrieks, "No, damn you! You won't escape my justice!"

Rosenstern blinks. Night stalkers? Night stalkers! He's not Celestial or Infernal, is he? He sees the finger tightening, and the nonviolent impulses within him are, for once, in accord with his urge for self-defense, since this man will most certainly try to shoot him as well. But then, everything happens, and when he blinks... it's over.

Rosenstern takes a moment to breathe, wincing at the shriek of the man. He has enough presence of mind to look at the fallen weapon and... No, don't touch the gun with your hands! Fingerprints. He interposes himself between the man and the fallen gun, sliding it back and away with his foot as unobtrusively as he can. Then his nature finally asserts itself. Though he's ready to do whatever he must to protect himself from this man until he knows what's going on, he says in a quiet, gentle voice, "What was that all about?" He tries not to sound flippant or sarcastic or anything other than concerned, as he moves towards the fallen man, wondering if it really is too late...

The man in the overcoat snarls. "Demons... you guys don't give up easily..."

Rosenstern stops short and swallows quietly. What in the Grove...? "Demons?" he asks, looking at the man upon the ground, wondering if he can reach the hapless mortal without the overcoated man doing something awful... and even if the mortal is still alive. There can't be much time left, if any at all. And what's up with this man...? "I'm not a demon," he says simply. "What makes you think I am?"

The pale guy sneers. "Sure... and it's just a coincidence that you showed up just in time to let those two monsters get away? They killed that guy... and I'm here to avenge them both." Overcoat seems to be settling into a combat posture, circling Rosenstern, trying to get closer to the gun. And how does he talk so much and keep that clove in place?

Rosenstern sighs softly, circling to keep the man out of reach. We were never really instructed on how to conduct a 'first contact.' Verflucht! We don't. Mortals have to believe in us, in the God of Light, before we can let them know we exist. But it's horrible for this man to go on thinking that there are just the Fallen, that there aren't others who are fighting the mandate of Hell. How much pain has he gone through? "Look," he says quietly and quickly, "-please... give me five minutes. If that man is still alive I can help him. I'm not a demon, I don't know what I can do to convince you of that..." Ich bin ein Engel, words from an almost forgotten sojourn of penance, seek desperately to be uttered, but he swallows them back. Not yet...! Try not to, he may not be ready... why not? He's ready to believe in demons. And he believes you're one of the Fallen.

The pale guy frowns, "You gotta be kidding me. I already saw the number your friends did on him."

"I'm not. And they're not my friends." He sighs. There's nothing to be done for it, then. Blast, I had hoped not to do this, but... "All right. Let me prove I am not, for whatever it is worth. I don't know any other way to convince you." He takes in a breath, and he begins to Sing softly, almost beneath his breath. His hands come together, crossed over his bosom, then spread, downwards then apart, as with the Song he prays that the once-forgotten Song is no longer forgotten, and that badge, that mark of his Celestial heritage will manifest, and in some way, even if salved with words, the man might know he is not alone.

It has, indeed, been a very long time, and though the Song comes back to him it's been centuries since he Sang it. His eyes are closed in struggled remembrance. But it happens; the Song is sung, raising his face to the sky to Sing: as his arms lower, feathers of light coalesce and take form, rising from his back up into the dank air of the alley. His arms spread apart, and with a soft whoosh of air white wings, given form from Heaven's Light, spread out to either side of him. The feathery tips, now solid and no longer of silver light, touch the walls of the alley.

The closing notes of the Song drift into the humid night, and he lowers his gaze, eyes opening to look at the man worriedly and concernedly. The effort was awful, and the Symphony shuddered much more loudly than he would have liked in the dead of night. He can only console himself with the hope -- the hope! -- that the man before him will know, somehow know, that it is not a demon before him. "Ich bin ein Engel," he whispers to himself. Louder, "I am not demon. I am angel. And you are not alone."

The pale man's eyes narrow. But that's not all -- Rosenstern hears something and catches a shift in the shadows above; two stories up, Ian McKay gasps softly with recognition, crouched on the fire escape. The pale man's reaction is more prosaic. "That's what they all say." With that he lunges at Rosen, his hand twisted into a raking claw. It's not exactly a martial arts move... more of a flashy swipe intended to look like one. However, the talons that his fingers have sprouted are most certainly real; can the pale man use the same Song?

Rosenstern's ears catch Ian's reaction. Ach, I should have thought at least one of them would still be around. No helping- The man's narrowing eyes tell Rosen little, but his reaction is more than enough; even so his attack is startling. Rosen starts to move backwards to dodge the swipe, his wings giving a single flap back to aid his movement, but the sudden transformation of the man's hands into talons catches him by surprise, and the claws rake shallowly against his chest. Unable to stifle a shout of pain, he tries to flit upward onto the fire escape above, to at least get some distance between him and the man.

How?! he wonders. Mortals can learn Songs, but the Numinous Corpus? He'd have to have been taught by a demon or an angel... or maybe not, maybe another mortal... unless he's not a mortal...? These thoughts run madly through his head, even as he's trying to scramble onto the first tier of the fire escape. "It's the truth!" he insists with conviction. "Perhaps it was a bit heavy-handed, but it's true! And you're the one not letting me help that man!" Rosenstern is not unaware that at least one of the McKay brothers are still around; the time to confront them about killing mortals will come soon enough, right now there's the possibility he can save one other.

Goth-boy dives for his gun; rolling melodramatically, he raises the gun and fires at the rising angel, "Like I haven't heard that before! You're all the same!" Ian, for his part, just looks startled as Rosenstern rises toward him; he blinks, his expression caught somewhere between awe and outright fear. The shot goes wide, striking the railing of the fire escape. There's a spark, and Ian falls back suddenly. "Aigh!" He begins scrambling up the fire escape again.

You're all the same. For the briefest of moments the barb, likely hurled carelessly at Rosenstern, cuts deeper than the man perhaps intended. You're all the same. In Austin... how true are the man's words, after all? There'll be time for reflection on that later. For now, Rosie doesn't ignore Ian, but he's got more immediate concerns with the pale man. I won't hurt him! he thinks in frustration. He's mortal! Wait... I don't even know that much!

He winces as the shot goes wide and shouts at the man, "Just who are you then, who can make such claims?! Do you think that there can be demons without angels? Will you please listen to me, and let me see if there's any hope for that man over there?" He holds little hope that the fallen man might still be alive, though, at this point. But there is always that little chance... as for dealing with the gun-happy demon hunter, the only way he sees out for him is to take on the celestial mantle, hoping the man might perceive him, or even if not then at least not being able to be hurt by his weapon. He holds himself ready to make that transition, if his words mean nothing to the man.

The goth guy stands up, almost naturally striking a dynamic pose with his gun drawn. "Who am I?" He levels the pistol on Rosenstern. "I'm Mulgrew -- Demon Hunter!!" The way he says it one almost expects a swell of dramatic music. So saying, he squeezes off another shot. The revelation... is almost anticlimactic for Rosie. The gunshot isn't. But his wings stand him in good stead, though they're soon to fade back into noncorporeality, and the shot is wasted on him this time -- though aimed true, he dodges well. He has no doubt that the next shot will have much better luck finding him.

"In the name of God, Mulgrew, if that name means anything to you... stop this now, I've been telling you the truth!" He puts as much force, as much sincerity into his voice as he can. Just one last chance... one more chance to convince him, and maybe... ach, I have to know if that man is dead or not, or if it was the man in the compactor whose death shook the Symphony! If this does not work, if Mulgrew remains obstinate, he will have to retreat -- not something he's fond of, but if there's naught to be done and he risks injury, it will have to be done and he'll do it quickly.

Mulgrew pauses at that imprecation, the gun's aim faltering... "God? God... what kind of God would let creatures like us roam free? What kind of God would make me necessary?!" The soliloquy goes on... and on... if Rosenstern allows his attention to wander for a moment (a likely prospect) he can hear something rasping behind him. "Hey... hey you... listen."

Rosenstern blinks at Mulgrew's words, and his comment strikes Rosie like a sudden jolt. Creatures like us... Von der Hain! He... he can't be... one of the Children?! Suddenly Mulgrew's actions seem to make a twisted kind of sense. Anger... frustration... despair... it makes sense. The sudden thrill of what might be an explanation for the man's anger is interrupted by the faint rasping behind him, and he lifts his head a little. Ian. "Yes?" he murmurs quietly beneath his breath in answer, hoping it's not loud enough to attract Mulgrew's attention. Rosie is very, very wary of the gun, and he is horribly unsure as to what to do or say with this guess as to who Mulgrew is.

Ian is half-standing behind the shadow of Rosenstern's wings. There's a long cut on his head near his hairline; like all scalp wounds it bleeds nastily. His left eye is screwed shut where the blood's run into it; his cheek below it is wet with more common water. His voice is shaking, defiant, but still colored with fear. "You can't reason with him," he whispers, "Mulgrew's off in his own world..." His voice hardens, still shaking, "You don't deserve my help... you of all people... but that guy down there's gonna die. Get him out of here... I'll stop Mulgrew. Just save that man... he didn't... he didn't do anything."

Rosenstern blinks a little at Ian's words. Then the McKays didn't try to kill him...? It doesn't even occur to him that Ian might be lying. There's no time to ponder it, though, or even to ask Ian what he means by "you of all people." The mortal, if indeed alive, needs help. Any help. He takes in a sighing breath, then simply nods. "Thank you," he murmurs, sincerely and softly, and something catches in his throat as he says that. He takes another breath... then plummets down to the collapsed man, trying desperately in all one motion to take him up in his arms and fly, carrying him, down the alley and away from this crucible.

Ian leaps off the fire escape, with the same agility that he mounted it with. He descends right alongside the angel, and Rosenstern catches the glint of metal as Ian's blade flicks open again. He lands next to the angel, and with the same bouncing motion that carries Rosenstern away, he flies at Mulgrew, blade drawn to strike. Gunshots follow the departing angel out of the alleyway.

Rosenstern's jaw tightens as he flees from the alleyway with the man, dropping to the ground and running as best as he can when his Song fades away and his wings evaporate into silver mist, then nothingness. He gets at least a block from the alley, trying to ensure that Mulgrew isn't following him, before looking around quickly and setting the man down. Praying he has enough Essence within him for the task, he places his hand on the man's chest, closing his eyes and singing softly, praying for healing light.

The sanitation worker's wounds, while serious, knit back together remarkably well, the Symphony resonating superbly with the angel's performance of the Song. The angel notices that while the sanitation worker does have, or rather had, several deep scratches on his arms, the worst of the injuries were... gunshot wounds.

Rosenstern lets out a soft breath. Since the only person with a gun in there was Mulgrew, that leaves him as the one who shot this guy... oh, Adonai, Novalis... we've a Child of the Watchers in Austin now. And a mad one, at that. We've got to try and heal him somehow. But from everything I've heard the Children don't trust us. After spending time in Austin, part of me can't blame them... but that's besides the point. And Ian... and Aaron. They may have been Diabolicals, but I hope that they got out of there. Or, wait... were they diabolicals? We never really figured out what they were. Maybe they were Children, as well?

No... there's time to worry about that later. Right now... I need to convince this man to go somewhere safe. Rosenstern looks around for someplace where the man can come to other than on the street where Mulgrew, if he got out of there, won't immediately find the poor fellow and put another bullet into him. A church or public garden would do well -- and would be somewhat appropriate.

The sanitation worker coughs wetly, spitting, and sits up slowly. "Uuurgh... hey... 'th fug?" He sits up on his hands and looks around. "Where the hell...? Who're you?"

Rosenstern smiles quietly in his best easy manner, and decides that maybe obfuscation might be the better part of this matter. "Take it easy, guy. You look kinda dazed. Are you okay?"

He nods slowly, getting carefully up to his feet. "Yeah, uh... 's'it nighttime? Man... what day is it?" He looks around slowly, looking quite lost.

Rosenstern stands with the guy, thinking that maybe he won't have to come up with too outrageous a story to set the man's mind at ease. "Hey, easy... you still look a bit out of it." He gives the man the date and time and adds, "Maybe you should head home, guy, and get some rest."

The garbage man squints, surprised. "No shit. I gotta cut back... thanks, bro..." He starts to wander down the sidewalk -- away from the scene of the incident, thankfully. "...gotta quit buyin' that cheap shit..."

Rosenstern nods, "No problem, man. Good night..." He stays in the location, making sure that the man gets at least well clear of the area and Mulgrew -- if that one is still there -- before heading back to Zara's posthaste to finish his errands for her. On the way he calls Nick to let him and the others at the Ranch know that he needs to talk with them in person the next day. He just doesn't trust the cell phone network to this sort of information. Especially when the Children of the Watchers might be involved -- and he certainly doesn't feel qualified to do anything about it on his own, not without talking with the other three angels.

Rosenstern pauses at a street corner, three blocks from the alley. Frowning, he looks back over his shoulder, then starts to walk back. There's still the matter of the body in the compactor... and if either or both of the McKays are still there... he is extremely cautious, though. While sure that Mulgrew won't have stuck around, the gunshots would have attracted attention for certain, and Rosie doesn't wish to be arrested. He keeps his senses open for any sirens, and more so for any sign of a gun-wielding self-styled demon hunter.

Two shapes are walking away from the scene of the carnage. As they cross beneath a streetlight, Rosen can see the McKays making their way down the street. Ian is leaning heavily on Aaron and not walking in an entirely straight line, needing his brother to guide him. Aaron's face is ashen, drawn, watching his brother, whose head is hanging down.

Rosenstern takes in a short breath, inexplicably glad to see them both alive, and takes a half step toward them... then hesitates. Healing Ian, or trying to, was his first impulse. But he'll be completely drained of Essence if he does; it'll take several days before he feels really comfortable. And yet, Ian helped him... he swallows and moves towards the two. Diabolical or Child, Celestial or Mortal or whatever... at the very least, I kinda owe Ian this. I kinda owe them both this...

Aaron hears the angel coming and raises his head. His eyes widen behind his thick plastic frames, and he tenses. Rosen can hear him murmur, "Ian... can you run? You gotta get out of here..."

Ian raises his head slowly and turns as much as he can, hanging onto Aaron's shoulder. "Dunno, I'll try..." he turns his still-open eye toward Rosenstern. "No... wait... 's'okay, Aaron..." Aaron doesn't look convinced, but hesitates nonetheless. Rosenstern can't see his other hand. Ian straightens up a little. His jacket is sticky with something dark in front. He murmurs to Rosenstern, "Did he live?"

Rosenstern blinks a bit, then sighs, walking closer slowly. He says quietly, "It's just me, I'm not going to do any harm..." He lets out a breath as Ian recognizes him, and nods quietly. "The guy lived, yeah. He's on his way home, thinking he needs to sleep off some heavy shit." He winces at the obvious blood on Ian's front. "I... I don't have much Essence left -- it was a probably stupid, certainly worthless stunt I pulled back in the alley -- but I'd... like to help, if I can." He adds a bit lamely, "I gotta try, at least."

Ian's head lowers again; he seems greatly relieved at hearing the mortal is okay, and slumps down against his brother. "Get away from us. I don't want your help..." He turns away again. The angel notices there's a hole where the cat's right eye used to be, on the symbol on the back of Ian's jacket. Aaron says firmly, "You stay away from him."

Ian murmurs hoarsely, "If you really want to help... go call Trent... call Trent... and tell him it was a Corrupter. Don't let that garbage man take the rap."

Rosenstern blinks at the odd request. No... maybe it wasn't so odd... and maybe he was wrong about what Mulgrew was, too. He doesn't press the issue; just nods. "I'll do that. I'll call him." He pauses, then adds, "Zara's place -- you know she won't ask questions. She helps all sides, no questions. Just... in case you want it." He stands there a moment more, then turns, slowly and wearily, and heads down the street back Zara's. He pauses only by the alleyway, to take a quick look at the body in the compactor and the area, seeing if there's anything he can glean from the events that transpired there.

In the distance there's a grating sound. "C'mon, Aaron... I wanna go home."

After Rosenstern has headed back for Austin, Shateishael decides he's lolled around enough and it's time to clean his armor. He's still on somewhat of a battle high, prone to too much energy and singing snatches of the choruses of cheerfully aggressive songs while beating out the rhythm on the nearest hard-enough substance... so maybe the porch would be a better (and sturdier) place for armor cleaning... and to shed his current high spirits.

It's as Shateishael is cleaning, inspecting, and repairing his SCA armor that he gets a slightly puzzled look. He looks up at Nick and the crow, and says, "Hey... I just had a thought. Drew knew the plan was for him to go straight up, celestially, after the bomb was triggered... so why'd he leave by Bracken Cave, past you, Tay? -and... I saw the McKay brothers staggering away from there when I exited celestially myself -- they looked like they'd been stunned, and the only stunning things I know of in that area at that time was Frex and the bomb... Tay-Crow, could the celestial form exiting Bracken Cave have been them, and not actually Drew?"

Taygeta-crow pauses and peers closely at Slate. "A very good point. It looked like Drew's Celestial form, but I didn't get a close look at it. It could've been another Seraph." Thessaloniki listens, quietly, and considers this.

Shateishael hms. "So... it was definitely a seraphic form? I'm... unconvinced either of the McKays are seraphs..."

Taygeta nods. "Definitely a Seraph, yes. Heck, Drew kept changing the plan as he went along. It might have been him."

Thessaloniki says, "Be interesting to see if anybody's seen him since."

Taygeta nods. "Indeed."

Shateishael nods thoughtfully, regarding the moon for a bit... then bares his teeth in a flashing grin in the darkness at his companions, "Know what I wanna do? I wanna catch one of those boys alone, all of us together so he doesn't try anything stupid and there's no fighting... and ask a few pointed questions!" He pauses, then nods again, "Yah, we need to go looking for Drew tomorrow, I guess. I'd like to invite y'all and Rosie to head on out to Enchanted Rock with me 'n' Drew... so we can all hear each other's stories. You wanna, tomorrow?"

Taygeta says, "Sure, why not?"

Thessaloniki says, "If we can find Drew, Enchanted Rock sounds fine. I don't know if I care enough to harass the McKays."

Taygeta says, "Do you think Mitrah will be talkative? I'd like to hear some of her stories, too."

Shateishael laughs! "Mitrah? Talkative?" He grins, his teeth flashing again at the crow, "'Bout as talkative as rock, I'd guess... do me a favor, Tay, eh? Be on your best behavior there, okay?"

Taygeta chuckles. "Definitely. Mitrah is an old Kyriotate."

Natural Beauty is technically closed at this hour of the morning. However, while the 'open' sign isn't on, there are lights on in the back, proof that there's been in and out business. It's still tense in Austin, more so after sightings of the Warband were confirmed on the West side... nobody knows what the Warrior is doing in town, and nobody's dumb enough to get close and ask. Dawn is still a few hours away. Not surprisingly, while there's little traffic, the city remains active well into the night.

Rosenstern is not thoroughly shaken or distraught; merely anxious and concerned. He's sitting nervously at a table at the patio, nursing a cup of tea and patiently awaiting the others. As they walk in he stands and nods in greeting to them. "Sorry to drag you all the way into the city..."

Thessaloniki smiles and says, "I rarely mind going places, Rosie."

Shateishael greets Zara politely, and will settle down peacefully to properly weave his ancient little carving into a menuki on his katana, while he listens to whatever Rosie called about last night.He looks up with his characteristic forthrightness, "So... what's bothering you?"

Taygeta-crow settles on the table beside Slate and nods to Rosenstern. "Indeed. You sounded a bit spooked."

Rosenstern smiles quietly in return to Nick, and sits as the others do. "Earlier," he says quietly, "I was running an errand for Zara, and... and I heard a mortal die..." He relates as best as he can what happened. "I followed the sound to an alleyway, and when I went back there I found the McKays, both with knives, standing over a sanitation worker on the ground. This tall pale guy in a black coat was pointing a gun at them. Er... there was a garbage truck there, with a... a leg sticking out of the back." Thessaloniki settles in to listen quietly.

Rosenstern says, "At first I thought that the McKays were up to something, and they'd been caught. I didn't know if the mortal's death I'd heard was the one in the garbage truck or the one on the ground. Er... they spotted me. Then the guy said something about 'more of you night stalkers' and was about to shoot the McKays, but the older one -- his name's apparently Aaron -- slapped the gun from his hand. If there was any doubt that the McKays aren't mortal, it's pretty much gone. Aaron ran off into the alleys but Ian jumped up into the fire escape.

Shateishael raises an eyebrow, but continues quietly weaving around the handle of his katana. Rosenstern continues, "I had the chance to talk briefly with the man, but he seemed really agitated, and I didn't get the chance to move over to the mortal yet to see if he were alive or dead. The man seemed like he wanted a fight, and called me a demon."

Taygeta says, "Insane, or did he actually know something?"

Rosenstern says, "I don't know, Tay. Well, right now I don't know. I thought he did, at the time. I tried to talk sense into him, to have him let me tend to the mortal, but he wouldn't listen. At this point I thought he was a mortal who had somehow found out about demons and was trying to fight them with guns and martial arts." He sighs and shakes his head, rubbing his eyes. "I Sang the Numinous Corpus and showed him my wings, hoping that might convince him that I really was an angel, not a demon. I should have at least thought that he wouldn't buy it. But I didn't quite count on how he would react."

Rosie drops his hand and looks around the table sheepishly. "After I showed him my wings, he took a swipe at me. Er..." He looks down and parts his vest, to reveal a trio of slashes ripped in his shirt, and ugly red but shallow furrows upon the skin beneath. "Well... better make that actually swiped me... with talons. His hands became talons. Like he knew the Numinous Corpus."

Shateishael actually looks up at that... then nods quietly and waits for Rosie to continue. Taygeta clicks his beak and looks even more attentive. Thessaloniki murmurs, "Okay. What happened next?"

"I flew back up to the lower fire escape, and... that let him grab his gun. He took a shot or two at me and missed." He blinks and nods, "Ian was still around. I heard him gasp when I manifested my wings, and he was behind me when I flew backwards up to the fire escape. I asked him what the heck he was doing, who he thought he was, if he thought there could be demons without angels. He said that 'You're all the same,' and then said he was 'Mulgrew -- Demon Hunter.' Like that meant something..."

Rosenstern continues, "I asked him in the name of God to stop... and then he said 'What kind of God would let creatures like us roam free. What kind of God would make me necessary.' He was referring to himself and others like him." He seems a little reluctant to elaborate on that, but plunges on. "He went into a whole soliloquy, and while he was shouting Ian came up behind me and told me to save the fallen mortal, get him out of here. He said we didn't deserve his help, me of all people, but the mortal hadn't done anything. He would take care of Mulgrew."

Shateishael frowns thoughtfully, listening intently. Thessaloniki considers. "We didn't deserve his help? You of all people?" He looks no wiser.

Taygeta says, "Who has it in for Novalites in particular? Or Mercurians?"

Rosenstern says, "I still can't figure it out myself, Nick. Ian said that Mulgrew was insane, in a world all his own. Well... the next few seconds happened quickly. I jumped down and grabbed the mortal man and ran. Ian jumped down and grabbed Mulgrew. As I was leaving the alley, I heard gunshots..." With a shake of his head, he continues. "I healed the mortal -- he was fine, and went home not thinking anything was more unusual than a particularly bad round of liquor. I noticed that he'd been shot. Of that whole scene, only Mulgrew had a gun. I was about to leave when I decided I should..." He glances to Slate a little uncomfortably, "-er.. when I decided to go back and check the scene, and see if Ian or Aaron needed help.

"Mulgrew was long gone, but I saw Aaron and Ian. Ian was in real bad shape. I offered to heal him, but they both refused, not wanting me anywhere near them. Ian... did say that if I wanted to help, I should call someone named Trent, and tell him that 'it was a Corrupter.' I'm not sure, I can't be certain, but... I think Mulgrew might have been a Child."

Thessaloniki asks, "Did you call Trent?" Shateishael is no longer just frowning thoughtfully -- he's staring incredulously at the Mercurian. He takes a slow breath, then goes silent at Nick's question, still listening intently.

Rosenstern looks to Nick and shakes his head. "No, I... wanted to let you guys know first. I don't even know who Trent is; I'd have to ask around first." Then he blinks and digs around in his pockets. "Oh, wait... I do know a Trent. He was the cop with the 777 badge at the bridge, Nick. Gah, I should have remembered..."

Thessaloniki says, "I know who he is. We'd better call him right away." He nods, "Yes, that's him."

Rosenstern nods, and pulls out the number and his cell phone. He takes a deep breath, and looks around, wondering if anyone has anything to say before he calls. Shateishael grates, "Call!" His eyes are bright with anger. Rosenstern winces sharply at Slate's growl, then hurriedly dials the number, trying to get his breathing under control after Slate's sudden, unusual show of anger.

Rosenstern is directed through several dispatches; Officer Trent stays on the move quite a bit, it seems. Finally he is connected. "This is Trent."

Rosenstern takes in a breath. "Trent, sorry to bother you. This is, ah, Rosenstern, we met at the Congress Street Bridge..." Shateishael finishes pegging the katana back together with short, precise, tight movements, then slaps the katana back into the scabbard with a distinct click, as he listens to Rosen talk to the cop.

Trent says, "I remember you. Is there some problem?"

"I think so. There's going to be a report of a... a death, a body found in an alley tonight." He gives the address. "Now... I've been asked by Ian to tell you that the garbage man whose truck that is had nothing to do with it. He's innocent. He asked me to tell you that it was a Corrupter." He swallows, wondering what the officer's reaction will be.

Trent says, "I'm already on it." He pauses. "Asked by whom?"

Rosenstern blinks a bit. "Ian. Ian McKay. You... don't know him?

Trent says, "I don't know anyone by that name. He said it was a Shedite?"

Rosenstern frowns for more than one reason. "He said a 'Corrupter,' yes."

Trent says, "That's a secondary term for the Shedim. That would make sense... we've been having trouble with Samingans that can't keep their hands off the mortals recently."

Rosenstern says, "Ah, gotcha. Thank you, Officer."

Shateishael rises fluidly to his feet, tucking the katana half under his leather jacket, and murmurs to Tay-Crow, "Can you find a cat or dog around here, to do some tracking? Blood's got a real strong scent, I know... and it's still pre-rush hour, and it's a humid morning, which should hopefully hold the scent to the ground some yet...?"

Thessaloniki asks, "Why, Slate?"

Shateishael growls quietly to Nick, "Because Rosie's got an unpaid debt out there. That guy took bullets meant for him."

Taygeta-crow nods. "Let me look around." The crow takes off briefly, then returns while a sparrow suddenly changes direction.

Shateishael says, "And I don't think Mulgrew's the Watcher's Child... I think maybe the McKays are. Mulgrew sounds like he's just a fruit-bat Shedite."

Taygeta says, "Or maybe just a fruit-bat." Shateishael nods grimly, waiting for Rosie to finish his call.

Thessaloniki says, "Slate... he refused it. If he is, in fact, a Child, forcing ourselves upon him is not likely to help."

Shateishael says, "Then he can refuse Rosie again, Nick. There's more there than we've heard."

Trent says, "Now, did you actually see the alleged Shedite?"

Rosenstern's jaw works slightly. "Briefly, yes. He took a few shots at me. I'd heard the death of the mortal in the truck." He looks up worriedly to Slate, starting to look seriously pale, then back down to the phone. "Er... I went to look, and found the alleyway. There was a mortal badly wounded there. The... Corrupter shouted some things to me, took a few shots... Ian distracted the Shedite, and I ran with the mortal. The mortal should be home now, thinking the whole thing was a bad trip on bad booze."

Trent hmms into the phone, then is silent for a few minutes. "All right. I think that clears a few things up, actually... I'm going to have to let you go, Rosenstern, I've got a lot of paperwork ahead of me. I appreciate the call. You've done that garbage man a big service."

Thessaloniki gives Slate a long look, and says, "Shateishael, my friend, listen to me. If you were feeling that all the people around you only wanted favors from you, or for you to do things for them, and they came bothering you after you'd asked them to leave you alone, would you be encouraged to even talk with them, let alone help them?"

Rosenstern adds, "It looks like the Corrupter shot the mortal." His spirits are a little lifted by the Officer's comment. "I'm just glad this won't be hanging on his neck, Officer. Thank you for your time." He turns off the phone thoughtfully, frowning. "Is 'Corrupter' another name for 'Shedite'?" he asks sheepishly.

Shateishael nods once to Rosie from where he stands, arms folded and waiting, then adds to Nick, "We're not going to ask for anything, Nick. We're going to have Rosie offer to heal the guy for maybe saving his feathered hide."Then he unfolds his arms and steps forward to take one of Rosie's arms. His voice is low and firmly controlled, "C'mon... you have some tracking to try to do. Tay says he'll help... we need to try to find that kid."

Taygeta-crow perks up. "Got one. A stray mutt, but she has a good nose. Shall we head over that way?"

Rosenstern says, "He said that 'Corrupter' is another name for 'Shedite.' Oh, Scheisse..." He pockets the phone and stands. "I already offered, Slate," he says quietly and firmly. "He refused. In fact they sounded offended that I'd offered..."

Shateishael nods to Tay-crow, "Thanks, man. Let's go. You can ride the crow on my shoulder if you want." He glances at Nick as he heads for the exit, almost hauling Rosie along, "Far as I can tell, Nick, Austin works on two things -- reputation and obligation. Well, right now Rosie's rep is shit, and he's deeply obligated to that kid for his life. Least he can do is say thank you." He adds grimly, "If we can find him."

Rosenstern sighs, only half-closing his eyes. "I did," he murmurs, but knows better than to resist against a Stone angel. Frustration builds up within him, though he fights it down, replacing it with a weariness from the evening's events and now this.

Thessaloniki says, "I disagree with you that going and harassing them will do anything to improve anyone's reputation. They refused his help. Don't you think they knew what they were doing?"

Shateishael snaps at Rosenstern, "You thought the demon hunter was a Watcher's Child... what did you think the McKays were? We already know they're not regular angels... what did you think they were?!" Taygeta-crow accepts the offer to ride on Slate's shoulder. The stray, a medium-sized mixed breed with the sharp ears of a shepherd and a wiry brown coat, is waiting by Nick's car.

Rosenstern doesn't quite snap back, "Diabolicals! All right? At first, diabolicals. Who else hates angels? Until last night I barely believed the Children existed as it was, and what I've been told about the Children is that a lot of them are confused and hate both angels and demons. Austin is so fucking oddball that at that time it made a weird sort of sense that diabolicals would do that for a mortal who'd done nothing." He lets out a breath, his frustration quickly spent, as he tries to pull his arm from Slate's grip. "I know most angels don't think much of Novalites, least of all Mercurians of Novalites, but... oh, forget it. The alley was this way..."

Shateishael snarls under his breath, but has nothing he can add to that statement without losing his temper -- he simply strides swiftly along the edge of the sidewalk, following Rosie, watching the dog worriedly, and carefully not obliterating any scent there may be. Thessaloniki sighs, resignedly, and follows along, apparently having decided he'll never know one way or another if he doesn't.

The alley is several blocks from Natural Beauty, in the less pleasant parts of town. The area has already been cordoned off by the police. There are two cars on the scene; Trent is there, and a few other cops and a coroner. The body has just been removed. The alleyway itself is taped off with the familiar POLICE LINE - DO NOT CROSS.

Shateishael pauses, murmuring to Rosie, "Where'd you see the brothers last? Let's try tracking from there, and leave these guys alone." Rosenstern nods in agreement, looking around for the streetlight he last spoke to the McKays under. Shateishael narrows his eyes, thinking, then adds, "Rosie... what exactly did you say to them when you offered to heal the little one?"

Rosenstern thinks for a moment, then repeats, "'I don't have much Essence left -- it was a probably stupid, certainly worthless stunt I pulled in the alley -- but I'd like to help if I can. I have to try, at least.'" He doesn't bother elaborating about how hard the Numinous Corpus was for him, how much Essence it required. "Ian said for me to get away from them, he didn't want my help, and Aaron told me to stay away from him. I told them about Zara's place, how it was open, and the last I heard Ian was telling Aaron to take him home."

Shateishael stares at the Mercurian for a moment, utterly speechless. His hands slowly come up as if he's going to grab the smaller angel -- then he regains control of himself and whirls away, clenching his hands into fists. His voice is tight as he says, "Tay... try, please. Try hard."

Thessaloniki listens, then says, "Oh, Rosie," and shakes his head a little. He looks at Slate, "Yeah, we'd better find them."

The streetlight is approximately fifty feet away down the street. There is no visible blood on the ground. Taygeta-dog is already sniffing along the street, searching for the coppery scent of blood, though there's none to be seen. Shateishael visibly forces himself to self-control, stepping out of the way of the trackers and keeping a sharp eye out over them, in case they need defending as they concentrate on finding the McKays.

Rosenstern frowns, wondering why Slate is so angry and Nick so disapproving, as they move to the streetlight. He looks around, then glances to the dog and points Tay-stray in the direction the brothers went. The dog whines as Rosenstern leads them all along the street, then snuffles a bit as she picks up a consistent, unusual scent. Tay-crow comments, "Well, he doesn't seem to have been bleeding on the sidewalk, but he reeks of Brylcreme. That'll have to do." Shateishael nods tightly to the crow's comment, stalking slowly along behind the dog and the Mercurian.

Taygeta-stray follows the hair-grease scent for several blocks. It's leading back in the direction of Zara's place, more or less, into a much more upscale section of town than the alley. Shateishael looks marginally relieved that the brothers aren't trying to heal up in a filthy tenement... he continues to pace along silently, guarding his companions. As it progresses deeper into the residential area, the trail is starting to get quite cold. This part of the area seems to get a lot of pedestrian traffic. No wonder, there's a McDonalds about a hundred yards away from an apartment complex here. Shateishael frowns, glancing at the McDonald's... then continues concentrating on his duty.

Taygeta-stray looks at Rosenstern, whining in that questioning way dogs have. The crow adds, "The scent's getting drowned. You see anything, Rose, or should we cast around?"

Rosenstern looks around, partly unsure as to just what he's looking for, walking around in an ever-widening circle from the point the dog stopped. Finally, he stops near a stone pedestal next to the apartment complex. "Here. There's threads from what looks like Aaron's letter jacket on the stone here."

Taygeta-stray heads that way and sniffs. Tay-crow nods. "Yeah, that's it. He must have been resting here."

Shateishael looks pleased, then regards the building carefully. He murmurs in an aside to the crow, "Circle on 'round back, wouldja, Tay-Crow, to be sure they're not trying to slip away on a fire escape?" He adds to the dog, "Does the trail go up into that building?" The crow nods once and takes off to watch from above. The dog nods and leads the way again.

Shateishael adds quietly to Rosenstern, "Look, when we meet them again, if we can find 'em... be straight with them, okay? Be true to your nature, dude... you're an Intercessionist, so tell them you want to offer help and thanks freely and sincerely, okay?" His tone is less angry now... more just unhappy. "Don't make it sound like it's an imposition -- to heal someone that took damage meant for you."

The front door of the complex is locked at this time of the morning. There are balconies attached to some of the upper-level apartments. None of them seem to be occupied, and the crow sees only a few lights on throughout the building. Shateishael glances at his companions, "Pick it. I'll keep watch. Tay, if you notice anything, give us one quiet bark, okay?" Taygeta-dog wags her tail. Shateishael nods and goes back to keeping watch.

Rosenstern blinks to Slate and lets it sink in this time. He sighs heavily, rubbing his eyes. "I thought I had. I wanted to say that I might not be successful, but despite that I wanted to help. You know angelic natures, Slate. It's a heck of a lot more than needing or being forced to do what we do. We honestly want to... blast it, I thought I'd said that, but I guess I didn't and it came out wrong. I'll tell them that, and I'll be honest. Ich bin ein Scheisskopf..." He straightens and looks to the doorway, a bit calmer... more resolved and less resigned.

Shateishael nods quietly to Rosen, relieved that he's finally making sense to the Mercurian. Thessaloniki works for a moment or three at the door, unlocking it. It goes *clunk* and he swings it open and steps into the building's foyer. The trail's completely gone now; this area gets far too much pedestrian traffic to leave a useful scent-trail. Rosenstern frowns briefly at the loss of the trail, then looks at the bank of door-buzzers and mailboxes, looking for any that say 'McKay' and an apartment number.

Shateishael steps through warily and to the side, giving the dog room to sniff around as the Stone angel glances about assessingly. He murmurs, "We can take the elevator one floor at a time to check for scent, if there's no mailbox names." Taygeta-dog sniffs around, then shakes her head and leaves the search to the humans.

The buzzer for Apartment 720 is listed 'McKay, Ian.' Rosenstern says softly, "Found it. 720." He automatically moves towards the elevators.

Shateishael's sudden grin of relief at Rosie gleams for a second in the dimness of the foyer... then he's carefully punching the elevator call button. "Let's go. Everyone stay alert, please... we don't want anyone to get hurt here."

Thessaloniki says, "Hope they're not too startled by guests at this hour," and leaves it at that. Taygeta-crow leaves off looking at windows to return to watch the front of the building. The dog accompanies the other angels, hoping that there's no rule against pets in this building...

Rosenstern stands in the elevator, waiting for it to reach the seventh floor... and a sudden thought makes him hope that his sudden blanch isn't noticeable in the dim light. If that was a Shedite, he'd be possessing a mortal. Which means that to get out of there, Ian had to probably at least seriously hurt that mortal. Which means... though my actions, I've allowed harm to come to a mortal... no, don't jump to conclusions, Rosie. See what happens first. To change his mind from that topic he murmurs to the others, "I wonder why Aaron's name wasn't on the buzzer."

Shateishael gives Rosenstern a puzzled glance, "Is that common with mortals?" He crouches down in the elevator to murmur to the dog, "If you get a chance, can you maybe wander in sort of randomly past the big one, if he's there -- see if you can find the little one and give us a bark? Stay out of arm's reach though... remember they've got knives." Taygeta-stray nods once and gives a canine shrug. Shateishael adds to Rosie, "So... are you saying they have separate apartments or something?"

Rosenstern replies, "It varies wildly. They might live in the same apartment, they might live separate. Ian told Aaron to take him home, so Ian is probably here. Aaron might have another apartment, either in this building or elsewhere. But most likely he's with Ian tonight."

Shateishael straightens from his crouch and folds his arms, nodding once to Rosie's comment. He silently ponders the behavior of mortals... sometimes it's crystal clear what they're doing or mean... but unfortunately sometimes they just don't make much sense to him.

Apartment 720's door, like all the others on this floor, is nondescript and blank. There's no noise at all in the hallway. Either the soundproofing in this building is fantastic, or everyone's asleep. Shateishael takes a slow breath... then nods to Rosenstern, "Okay... it's your show, guy. You're an angel. Convince 'em." He steps to the side so he's not in immediate sight... but can put a booted foot in the doorjamb if it looks like Rosen's likely to get his fingers caught or something.

Rosenstern blinks to Slate; he was going to ask Slate to let him talk to the McKays alone, on the presumption that Nick and Slate might not trust him. He smiles quietly and softly, and nods once to the Seraphim. He looks to the door, takes a single breath... and knocks lightly upon it.

There's no answer.

Shateishael glances to make sure the dog's ready and whispers to it, "Any movement in the back?" Taygeta-stray shakes her head. Shateishael nods to the dog, then adds quietly, "Keep an eye out for celestial forms too, remember." Taygeta-stray makes a noise suspiciously like a snort at Slate's reminder, and nods. Shateishael falls silent then, waiting.

Rosenstern takes in a breath. "Ian?" he says softly, then knocks again. "Aaron? It's... Rosenstern... from earlier..." Still no answer. Rosenstern frowns, and from habit tries the doorknob. "Ian? Aaron?" he asks again.

Silence. Shateishael grins at the dog, then at Rosenstern's timid knockings. He reaches up and raps firmly a couple of times with one knuckle. Still no answer. Shateishael smiles innocently at Rosenstern, "Need to make it loud enough they can hear you, dude. So... pick the lock?"

Thessaloniki looks uncomfortable at that suggestion, "You sure that's a good idea?"

Shateishael says, "Nope. That's why I'm asking first."

Rosenstern takes in a breath and closes his eyes, leaning a little closer to the door. "I wanted to apologize. What I'd said earlier... it came out all wrong, and... I want to help, not only because I owe it to you for what you did, but because I honestly want to. From my Heart." He holds his breath a bit, as if trying to reach in there with his hearing, with his very nature.

Thessaloniki says, "It could be taken really wrong. To pick the lock, that is."

Shateishael adds quietly to Nick, "But if the kid's taken several bullets... he may be unconscious, and need help by now. Up to you. You're better at determining stuff like that than I... I'd just open it to be sure."

The door opens.

Thessaloniki smiles; lets Rosie talk. Aaron McKay is in the doorway, just inside. He's not wearing his letter jacket. His shirt is bright white and just reads, 'AREA MAN.' He looks very, very unhappy. His eyes are red and bleary. He's also holding a shotgun. Shateishael automatically steps quietly in front of Rosie, pushing him back behind him. He studies the unhappy young man, then says quietly, "Talk fast, Rosie."

Aaron's tone doesn't leave a lot of room for debate. "Shut up, both of you. Guy with the shotgun gets to talk, got it?" Shateishael continues to study the unhappy young man expressionlessly. Rosenstern gulps a little, not looking at the shotgun, but rather up to Aaron. He's about to talk, then closes his mouth and nods quietly to Aaron.

Aaron says, "First off, the cops are on their way. I suggest you get the fuck out of the building. Second, if you mean that, if you really want to help... then go away. Leave my little brother alone. If you honestly want to help... then forget you ever met us."

Rosenstern tries, he really tries, to control his breathing. "I won't force myself on either of you. I will do as you want, I'll never mention you to anyone, and I won't try looking for you. But before you disappear into the night, please... let me give what healing I can to him, 'cause after all that happened, he's got to be in bad shape. Not because I screwed up the offering before, not just because I owe him my life -- and I know I do, several bullets over. But because I want to, because it's the right thing for me to do and I want with all my Heart and soul to do this for him. All I want to do is to help him. And after that we'll go and we'll leave you alone."

Shateishael sighs softly, in relief. Nice, Rosie. You did the right thing. He continues to study the unhappy young man. Aaron says, "I'm giving you one more chance to walk away under your own power. I don't care what you want... you're not laying a hand on my little brother while I'm still breathing."

Rosenstern closes his eyes quietly, looking a little collapsed. "I saw that bullet hole in his jacket. I know that he was in awful shape when you were leaving the alley." He opens his eyes, looking to Aaron. "The mortal lived. Ian deserves as much of a chance at living, and I want to do all I can for him for that reason. This I believe with all my Heart and I don't know how else I can put it."

Something moves in the darkness behind Aaron. Shateishael continues to wait silently, thinking, Come on, boy, don't cut off your nose to spite your face. It was you that started tagging around after us, after all... what did you expect? Rosenstern keeps his eyes steadily on Aaron, as tempted as he is to let his eyes go to the shape behind the elder McKay.

Aaron tilts his head back a little, taking a momentary glance behind him. He takes a step back. "Here," he says, "Look." Ian steps up slowly behind his brother. He's not wearing a shirt, and while he does bear a small circular scar in his midsection, he does appear to be moving and, more importantly, not bleeding. "I'm alive, see? You happy now?"

Shateishael sighs quietly, some of the tension slipping from him. He doesn't move, though, letting Rosenstern handle the talking... much though he'd like to ask the McKays why they have been following members of the group. He doubts they'd be at all gracious. Thessaloniki remains quiet and on the sidelines, doing his best to look harmless and keep an eye out for others coming... and an ear out for the police.

Rosenstern blinks a little, then lets out a breath. "Oh, thank... yes, Ian. I'm glad, very glad. Thank you. I'm... I'm sorry about being such an ass before. And... and thank you for all that you did in the alley..." He fidgets a little. "I told Trent about the Corrupter. The garbage man won't take the fall."

Ian grins a little. "So something good actually did come of all this."

The corner of Slate's mouth quirks up slightly at that. He murmurs quietly, "Yes. True, Rosie's not a tactician... but he means well." He carefully steps back one step, trying to both give the brothers some distance, and make sure he's still between the group and the shotgun.

Rosenstern manages a tiny, weak smile. "Thanks to you," he says quietly to Ian.

Aaron doesn't smile. Ian laughs quietly, but it's a hollow laugh from someone who's too tired. "I don't want to see you again. So let me give you some advice... forget trying to reason with Mulgrew. He's whacked. I know you're going to try and follow up. You can't help yourselves. So next time... just shoot him." Aaron adds, "You'll be doing him a favor."

Rosenstern blinks a little. "You won't. See me again, that is. But Mulgrew's protected by the Truce..." His frown deepens then, as he remembers that a Shedite is a Fallen Kyriotate. "You mean... shoot his host..."

Aaron blinks. "His host?" Ian squints. "His... wait, you think Mulgrew is the Shedite?"

Shateishael blinks slowly, "If he's not the Corrupter, then it must've been in the garbage man... who's okay now, so..." he looks interested, "-what's Mulgrew?"

Aaron snorts. Ian shakes his head, "Forget it, Aaron, they couldn't know. Mulgrew's not a Shedite... he's just a nutbar that they're using to get rid of Renegades. He's a puppet. He thinks he's a comic book hero."

Shateishael grins at Aaron... the kid's cockiness reminds him of when he was only a few decades old and was sure he also knew it all. He continues to listen with thoughtful interest. Rosenstern looks between Aaron and Ian. This just got a lot more complicated. "I... guess he isn't, then. If Mulgrew isn't the Corrupter who killed that man, then... who... what is Mulgrew?" He takes in a breath, and nods. "I see now. He's corrupted, but not possessed. He's a Soldier of Hell."

Thessaloniki says quietly, "I fear, gentlemen, that we don't have a clear idea of what's going on at all. We would be pleased to hear it, but not if you aren't comfortable telling us. Thank you for telling us what you have, and for helping our friend. If there is anything we could do for you we are happy to." He looks at his friends, "Starting, I believe, with leaving them in peace."

Aaron starts to say something, then pauses. He looks at his brother, then at Nick, "...we'd appreciate that."

Thessaloniki smiles and carefully offers Aaron his card, "Would you like my card? You'd be welcome to come by for beer and a barbecue, or not to. I would be pleased to know you could reach me if you thought we could help you."

Shateishael nods once to Nick, "Yeah. Rosie said his piece..." he glances at the Mercurian, "You did the right thing, guy. Let's head out, if the cops are actually headed this way." He glances with faint amusement at the brothers, shakes his head slightly -- they fit right in, for the city of the celestially angst-ridden, he thinks -- and nods once to indicate the others should precede him.

Aaron looks at the card for a long time. Finally he takes it and takes a deep breath. "Yeah. Thank you."

Shateishael raises an eyebrow, Well, well, well. Will wonders never cease, as the corner of his mouth quirks up slightly again. Rosenstern takes in a deep breath, and nods to Nick and Slate sheepishly. He's silently glad at the response the brothers give to Nick's offer, and decides again there's a great deal for him to learn from the Eliite. He looks back to the two brothers. "Good luck," he says, quietly and sincerely, and moves towards the elevators with the other angels.

Thessaloniki says to Aaron, "You're welcome. And I mean that. I like everybody." He turns to go, ignoring the shotgun and towing Slate along with him, saying, "I'm sure we must have something better to do than to bother these nice fellows again, yes?"

Shateishael casually loops an arm around Rosen, not quite hauling him along, "Yep. C'mon, Tay-girl." There's a flash of an amused grin over one shoulder as he glances at the brothers -- and makes sure the dog is following -- and then they're gone.

Taygeta-crow flutters down to join the rest of the group as they exit the building. "Let's be off, before the police decide to crash the party."

Shateishael nods to the crow, "Yeah." He shakes his head, walking down the street towards Zara's, "Man, what is it about everyone here... that they're so sure they have to whip an attitude just to say fucking hello?!"

Rosenstern, for not the first time since coming to Austin, looks drained and exhausted as they make their way through the predawn streets. "Thanks, Slate, Nick, Tay," he says softly. "I haven't faltered like that since Dresden. I'm... very glad you caught that. I might have caught it... twenty years from now, and by then it'd have been way too late to do anything about it."

Shateishael glances at Rosen... then says quietly, "Rosie... it's all right. You did the right thing. We'll getcha a cuppa tea at Zara's, get you fixed up in no time."

Thessaloniki pats the stressed Mercurian on the back, "We all help each other out, Rosie, and the whole is stronger than any single individual. That's how it works."

Rosenstern smiles quietly to Slate. "Thanks. A few nights in the garden will do well, I think." He looks over to Nick, his smile widening. "That's what it's all about, isn't it..."

Shateishael nods in silent agreement with the Ofanite's assessment... then adds, "So, wanna try and find Drew after the dawn?"

Taygeta-crow nods from Slate's shoulder. "I think we should. He should be ready to talk again."

Shateishael says, "'Kay... and then we can head out for Enchanted Rock." He paces along silently for a bit, then shakes his head slightly, "Wonder why they were following us."

Thessaloniki asks, "Heard from Drew? We know if he'll be there?"

Shateishael says, "No, but someone should know..." he grins, "-and I'd sure like to know what took him so damn long!"

Rosenstern thinks for a moment. "Maybe they weren't following us, exactly. Maybe it was Mulgrew they were following..." A sudden thought makes him blanch, and he hopes the darkness hides it from the others. Now isn't the time to angst, but if Mulgrew is mortal and we end up in a confrontation with him... and have to shoot him... He distracts himself from that thought, glancing to Slate. "Well, he might be at the gathering this morning, at Zara's..."

The weekly gathering at Zara's is starting. It's a little quieter than before, only Tomas, Nicole, and the weird twin Wind Angels. The smaller Wind Angel is drinking coffee, hunched so far over his cup as to seem more rat-like than usual.

Rosenstern thinks, looking around, And maybe he's not... Shateishael glances around, then quietly gets some coffee. He hands a cup to Nick, then settles. He sighs softly... Austin must be rubbing off on him -- he'll let someone else do the talking. It's just damn depressing to always get the snotty brush-off. One shotgun showdown a day; that's my limit, he thinks with bleak amusement. He absently scritches the back of the crow's neck, then braces a cup of water for it to drink.

Thessaloniki is handed coffee, "Mmm. Coffee. Thank you, Slate." He moves over and says, "Hi, Nicole. How goes?"

Nicole grins. "Hey, old timer. Have a seat."

Thessaloniki sits down, and says, "Thank you. How's the world been treating you?"

Nicole smiles coldly. "Ran into my ex."

Rosenstern smiles quietly, waving to Tomas in greeting, as he retrieves a cup of tea -- honey and ginseng, this morning -- and slips into a seat. Taygeta-crow hops off Slate's shoulder and sips a bit before hopping down from the table and flying over to grab a donut. He brings it back and eats it, rather messily. "Doesn't sound all that good, Nicole. You okay?" Shateishael rolls his eyes at the doughnut bits... but doesn't comment, just looks faintly amused. He sits and silently sips his black coffee, savoring the lack of violence of the moment.

Tomas waves back, whistling an idle tune and waiting for the sun. As always, he's nodding his head to beats no one else can hear. Nicole smirks. "I am. He's not. It's a beautiful day."

Thessaloniki looks at Nicole's smile and sips his coffee, appraising. He finally says, "Sounds like it was, at the least, an interesting meeting." He nods at the crow's question, "Everything oka... ahhh. Well, good news then."

Nicole smiles, sipping her coffee. "You said it."

Thessaloniki chuckles quietly at her ease, and says, "Oh, there's some history there." He asks casually, "Hey, have you seen Druiel in the last few days?"

Nicole says, "Drew? The jumpy kid? No, I haven't seen him." She turns and calls, with sufficient volume to make Tomas jump, "Hey, Tomas! Where's your little nervous friend?"

Thessaloniki looks over at the slick Eliite curiously. Tomas straightens his shirt a little. "Drew? I don't know, actually; I checked up on him and he wasn't home. Someone got his mail, though... he's probably just holing up like he always does after he does a job."

Thessaloniki ahs, and says, "Hope he's okay. How long does he usually lie low?"

Shateishael rumbles quietly, "'do a job'? What's that mean?" He wonders where the little seraph might hide... Enchanted Rock, perhaps? He wonders why it's so hard to get the Austin angels to think like they're a community... he shrugs internally and sighs. Long day already, and the sun's not even risen yet.

Tomas says, "Oh, not long. Couple of days at the most. He usually just needs some time to calm down, and we give him his space... when he comes back he's actually relaxed for a couple days."

Shateishael nods, "'kay." He glances at Nick and shrugs, "Can't invite him along if he's not here... so we might as well go without him, after dawn."

Thessaloniki nods and says, "Hokay then, I won't worry about him for a day or three." He says to Slate, "Yeah. I'm curious. We'll just have to ask him later."

Rosenstern lets out a soft breath as a touch of the Divine, the golden light of the sun, creeps up over the skyline, bathing the patio in light. He closes his eyes, feeling the sun breathe warmth upon him. Adonai, Creator, Joyful Sower and Sorrowful Reaper, I thank you. I serve Flowers, I Intercede for Mortal-kind, yet this eve I faltered in that duty. If not for Your servants, Shateishael, Thessaloniki, and Taygeta, I would have surely finalized a mistake I had made. In our errors we learn and grow, and I thank you, and I thank them. For it was by them that my error was made known to me, and while I will most certainly err again in the future, here at least I have been blessed with companions... with fellow servitors... with friends in the Heavenly Host, who showed me my mistake and helped me to make amends for it.

Heavenly Light, please... guide Ian and Aaron, and may they not find ill from the ranks of the Celestials.

As the dawn blossoms and Your grace comes upon us again, our purpose renewed and our doubts allayed, all praises be unto You, Sower and Reaper, Creator Above, Adonai, God of Light. Light our way and let not our hearts be troubled, Amen!

Enchanted Rock is still cool at this hour, having given up most of its heat overnight. The sunward face of the Rock is starting to warm, though, and the ranger on duty doesn't give the visiting angels any static. Maxine doesn't appear to be working the gate today. Must be off in the rotation. Or maybe she's taking her first vacation in millennia. Shateishael waits politely a few minutes, to see if Mitrah expresses any disapproval... but when the ranger pays no notice he grins at his friends and waves an arm, "Onwards! It's a lovely climb... you'll like it, I think." Having driven out there at a good clip, Thessaloniki is full of energy and quite cheerfully climbs the rock, probably with less skill and ease than Slate, but with more of the Ofanite's traditional boundless energy.

Shateishael climbs with careful deliberation, wanting his friends to be comfortable and enjoy themselves... but eventually they slip quietly into the fissure. "Careful, everyone... don't wander. There're some tricky drop-offs in the dark." He settles down cross-legged with the crow on his shoulder, and makes sure there's a space in their small circle should Mitrah wish to join them. "So... everyone's here but Drew. Let's tell what happened to all of us. Y'all go first, okay?"

Rosenstern scrambles up the rock after Slate and Nick. He certainly lacks any professional (or Davidian, for that matter) rock-climbing skills, but does enjoy it immensely. He can barely hide his enjoyment at seeing the few beds of flowers exploding with color, as well as the muted but not less alive fields of ferns, greenery, and trees. He settles down, curling his legs under him and feeling much, much enlivened from earlier, and not merely because of the dawn granting him essence.

Thessaloniki recaps their relatively simple part in the detonation, adding, "The only remotely complicated part was when Trent showed up, but that worked out okay, too."

Shateishael grins and shakes his head in amusement, utterly unsurprised by the little Sword seraph's inability to understand teamwork based on friendship. Once Nick's done he tells his part of the story, describing matter-of-factly the torsos crowded around expectantly in the dark, and how he set the explosive off about 10 to 20 feet early. He mentions hearing Frex and Eyebiter, and pauses to ask if anyone there knows anything about that name?

"Frexindetious had all manner of undead minions," rumbles a voice from deeper down in the crag. Mitrah's stone vessel moves up into the light closer to the entrance; apparently it does have legs... nice ones at that. "And Saminga claims to have someone in the Governor's Office. There's no shortage of raw material." She's followed by Drew, who is not wearing his jacket and looks not so bad for wear for a change. The Seraph nods, "Yeah. He was a real freak. He had all kinds of weird shit in there."

Shateishael looks tremendously pleased... he'd hoped Mitrah might join them, and that Drew might be there. He grins, "Heya, Drew. Ms. Mitrah, I'm pleased to be able to introduce to you my friends that helped." He waves a hand, "Thessaloniki, of Eli; Rosenstern, who is Novalis'..." he nods slightly towards the crow on his shoulder, "-and this is Jean's Taygeta."

Thessaloniki beams and says, "Good morning, Mitrah! Hello, Druiel! It's good to see you're both well."

Rosenstern inclines his head in a polite bow to the Seneschal as Slate introduces him... then blinks and smiles to the Kyr- to the Kyriotate and the Seraph. He stands politely. "Good morning, Ms. Mitrah, and hello, Druiel!" He nods enthusiastically in agreement with Nick.

Mitrah nods, "You've all done well. Austin owes you a debt."

Shateishael smiles quietly, "Was your plan, ma'am. Shall I continue? I'd also like to hear Drew's side of the story too."

Drew says, "My side? What do you mean?"

Shateishael says, "Wanna hear what happened, Drew, what'd you think?" He grins and continues, telling about passing Eyebiter, tangling messily with Frex and, when the bomb went off just in time -- getting to tell the aghast demon that Mitrah sent her regards. He grins and pauses, giving Mitrah a chance to comment if she wishes.

Thessaloniki asks Drew, "Was there any problems? Did you have any trouble getting out okay? Did you see anything interesting?" He comments wryly on the first part, "Not only did I get to play in wet concrete, I met an angel I didn't know -- Trent, on the Austin police force. What happened?"

Drew says, "Well, there was a little problem with the fuse," he sighs sheepishly, "and the fuse set with a lot less time than it was supposed to. So I bolted out the Bracken entrance instead of straight up... I kind of panicked."

Shateishael ahs, looking relieved, "Okay, it was you! Good, good... I was worried that it was taking so long." He grins, not mentioning just how worried he'd been... then continues, mentioning his gleeful exit just before the misshapen demon exploded, and seeing the McKay brothers on the swoop-down. He grins, deeply pleased, adding, "So... have you spoken to the Architect yet, Seneschal?" He is a little surprised, but politely does not comment, at the Sword angel panicking... he'd not expected that, but supposes he should have. He grins internally, wishing he could have seen Mitrah's face when she felt the diabolical Tether collapse.

Drew says, "I was kinda worried I wouldn't set up with enough time for you to get out. I looked for you on the way up but I must've missed you." Mitrah hms. "No, I've not spoken to the Master yet. An emissary of his arrived after the shockwaves faded, however, to see that the Tether was intact. I'm sure he'll be pleased. There's no longer any threat to our Tether. For now, at least."

Shateishael nods to Drew, smiling faintly, "It's okay, you did fine, Drew. Tay saw you... and we took your bike to Zara's, so it wasn't left in the rain." He looks more seriously at the granite woman, "Don't you want to tell him personally, ma'am? You deserve that honor at the very least, don't you think?"

Mitrah shrugs. "I cannot leave the Enchanted Rock, and there's no need to waste the Architect's time by requesting his presence here. He'll know, and I will still be victorious. That's all that matters, really."

Shateishael gives Mitrah a thoughtful look... but then just nods quietly, "All right. Your decision, ma'am."

She says, "Feel free to tell him yourself." Drew takes off his goggles and scratches his head. "Who're the McKays?"

Shateishael nods firmly, "I shall, ma'am." He doesn't mention his thought that Mitrah might deeply enjoy a visit from their Superior... but he makes a mental note to ask David if the archangel might be willing to do so.

Thessaloniki shrugs and says, "They're these guys, you know? Turns out to be mortals who happened to be nearby a couple of times and were a little confused." Shateishael glances at Nick in a bit of puzzled surprise... but doesn't comment. He guesses Nick knows best what to say. Rosenstern feels a moment of alarm -- some part of him wants to let the McKays be on their own. They have to want to come into the Celestial fold on their own, not dragged in -- or worse -- by Judgement or the Sword. He nods idly to Nick, relaxing inwardly and not letting his relief show.

Drew says, "Huh." He shrugs. "Long as they didn't get hurt."

Shateishael smiles ruefully, "Don't think so."

Thessaloniki says, "They'll be fine. I gave 'em my card, and hopefully they'll give me a buzz if anything else strange comes along. Past that, I'm not going to worry about them anymore."

Shateishael is a little surprised Mitrah seems quite so... emotionless about this... but figures maybe that's just her way. He hopes she's happy. Drew says, "So, uh... Mitrah. Now what?" Shateishael mentally reviews... yeah, he mentioned all the things he thought might please her. Oh well. He's silent for a moment, then looks up at the stone woman and Drew, at the little seraph's question.

The granite woman eyes Drew skeptically. "Meaning what?" Shateishael ahs mentally... Drew must want to continue killing folks here. He listens with quiet interest.

Drew seems a little uncomfortable with the scrutiny, but continues, "Well... I mean... your rival of like eight thousand years is dead. What're you gonna... do now?"

Shateishael smiles, "Good question." He looks at Mitrah, with a grin, "Congratulations, ma'am. Gonna do anything to celebrate?"

Mitrah laughs, low and quiet, and it makes the entire Rock tremble. "I think... I'll take a vacation." Shateishael grins... okay, that makes him feel better -- she is pleased.

Drew grins. "Heh... okay. Even Kyriotates gotta kick back, I guess." Shateishael gives a low chuckle. Drew says, "Maybe I'll do that too. I mean, we all got out alive, right? That's worth a couple days off."

Shateishael grins quietly at the seraph, "I'd think so. You earned a bit of relax-time, eh?"

Thessaloniki says, "Not only that, something very unpleasant was destroyed conclusively. Not too often you can say that. Definitely worth some reward." Shateishael gets a faintly puzzled look... that aspect hadn't occurred to him -- he'd been so focused on getting Mitrah's plan working successfully, without killing her. He has no idea what he'd do though, to take time off... sleep? Why?

Drew nods. "Tomas gets tickets to everything that comes through town... maybe I'll get him to put me on the guest list for the music festival this weekend."

Shateishael looks curious, "Another one? What's this one for?"

Drew shrugs. "Art-house stuff. There's a film festival too. It's like the first one, with less media coverage."

Shateishael nods... then adds slowly, "I... hadn't really considered vacation time... but... well, I'm not sure what I'd do, really."

Rosenstern nods quietly, smiling in agreement with Nick. He looks curiously to Drew. "Hm... sounds like a good show," he comments. He looks to Slate and grins quietly.

Drew says, "Well, less Media means less demons. It ought to be easier to deal with, anyway."

Thessaloniki chuckles and says, "Funny, I can think of half a dozen things you might do, Slate, right around here even. Go see the Old Guy and see how much he can tell you about dinosaurs. Fire up the forge and make some hammer-icons, just because you can. Build a stone shrine out in the quiet. Tame a horse and go riding. Go into town and find all the stone churches, and just enjoy them because you can. Relax, center yourself."

Shateishael blinks, then opens his mouth to speak... then pauses, reflecting. "Uh... well... yeah, um... I guess I could!" He considers, then laughs and adds, "Hang on! I do relax when I'm working on mission!" Then he murmurs thoughtfully, "I wonder how my old pony's descendants are doing...?"

Thessaloniki grins and adds, "Really learn to drive. Maybe learn to fly a helicopter. Go have lunch with Aric. Go have lunch with Trent. Go talk to Prof. Forman and tell him all the stories behind the things you traded him. Remember the important people with things they'd enjoy."

Shateishael raises an eyebrow, then grins and snorts at Nick, "Really drive?! Oh, thanks, Mr. Ofanite who thinks only he can drive!"

Thessaloniki says, "Harrumph! I've met at least three other people who can drive."

Shateishael adds a little indignantly, "I DO remember important people!" Drew and Mitrah look at each other. Drew shrugs. Shateishael grins and shakes his head at Nick, "Elitist!"

Thessaloniki says, "Yep!" Shateishael laughs! Rosenstern simply remains quiet, grinning sillily as he listens to the old friends' banter.

Shateishael grins, then turns back to the other two angels, "Hey, I have a question... y'all ever hear anything about someone calling themselves 'Mulgrew, Demon Hunter'?"

Mitrah shakes her head. Drew says, "Wasn't that a comic book?"

Shateishael grins, "Oh, man, really? Okay... there's a crazy dude out in Austin that knows the Song for claws, who thinks that's who he is."

Thessaloniki says, "Hmm. Had it suggested that's where he's got the name. Seems to be some sort of nutter in town who's got it out for celestials in general, and isn't too picky about who gets in his way."

Rosenstern's grin evaporates as he frowns and looks to Drew, remembering the McKays had said Mulgrew thought he was a comic-book hero. "That might be handy to know. Wonder if there's a comic store near Zara's somewhere..."

Drew says, "There's a lot of crazy dudes in Austin. I'll look out for 'em though."

Shateishael nods to Drew, "Rosen saw him -- quite the poser, apparently," then looks thoughtfully at Rosen, "Y'know, that might be a way to track him down."

Rosenstern grimaces a little. "If I can only remember half his soliloquy..." He nods to Slate. "That's what I was thinking. How much is he pulling from the comics."

Thessaloniki says, "Be careful. He apparently has at least the one Song, and no compunction against blowing away whoever's handy when the mood strikes him -- diabolical, angelic, or mortal. And he's a mortal, so it could be tricky for us to do too much about him." He adds, "Might be easiest to let the mortals take care of their own in this case. They can do things we can't do too easily. Of course... we can do things they can't. However it works out, keep your eyes peeled, and maybe let others know quietly."

Drew says, "If I catch 'em, I'll let you know."

Rosenstern lets out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding since he realized that Mulgrew was mortal, and nods to Nick. "True... and thank you, Drew, that'd be great."

Shateishael listens thoughtfully, quietly rolling a small granite pebble between his palms, enjoying the feel of stone. He hopes Drew benefits from his vacation -- whatever that might be. He says slowly, "Could he be Hellsworn? How would you know something like that?"

Drew says, "They can use Songs... they get an extra Force from the Oath they swear. But, um, it's hard to say exactly. They usually have a demon handler."

Shateishael says, "I mean... well, I could see someone like the Dark Prankster's people setting this poor fool up, then walking away laughing, y'know?"

Thessaloniki says, "Anyway, he's a nutter, and if he keeps up like he's doing he'll get himself taken care of by the mortals before long. Especially with Trent knowing what's up with him." He nods, "Yah, could be. Hard to say. Poor deluded fellow could be useful if he'd actually be hunting demons, y'know? Even if he is a little heavy-handed for my preference."

Shateishael says dryly, "If he's hunting here in Austin, and actually kills someone... that side will yell about the Truce being broken by the other side. Let's hope he isn't successful."

Rosenstern glances to Slate and his expression darkens; he'd forgotten how much he really dislikes Kobalites. "Maybe, Slate..." He glances to Drew thoughtfully. "A handler? Huh, could be almost any of the Infernals in the city, then."

Thessaloniki says, "True, Slate." He doesn't sound broken-hearted.

Rosenstern nods to Slate. "And after all that's happened, that might be all the excuse some on one side or the other need."

Shateishael gives Nick an amused glance, but doesn't comment... just continues idly rolling the granite pebble between his palms. He rumbles quietly, "If the Warlord was in town to keep the Truce standing... then let's not let it fall through inactivity, eh?"

Drew pales a little. "He's here?"

Shateishael looks up at Drew and says bluntly, "Was last night. Dunno if he still is. Why?"

Rosenstern nods to Slate, then blinks at Drew's reaction. "Er, yes. I saw him the yesterday..."

Drew says, "Uh... you guys haven't been upstairs in awhile, have you? I mean... it's no secret that Michael doesn't think the Truce is a good idea."

Thessaloniki says, "Besides having my motives and actions grilled by a Tribunal, no, not really."

Shateishael grins, lowering his voice and mimicking, "'I do not approve,'" then adds more normally, "Even archangels have projects that require meeting places for both sides, Drew."

Drew says, "I dunno. I'm not about to second-guess any of our Superiors... least of all him."

Thessaloniki considers for a few minutes what his Superior would say, then finally says, "The whole thing just isn't very cool at all. Way too many unhappy people all around."

Shateishael nods, "Well, far as I know it's still standing, and he was there last night. So..." he shrugs, "My job's easy, right now... and working to keep the Truce standing is part of that, to me, until I'm told otherwise."

Drew nods. "Same here, until someone tells me different."

Thessaloniki smiles and says, "My last direction was a little less clear, I must admit. At this point I'm not sure what I could do to help that wouldn't cause more problems than it would fix. Not until I know more."

Rosenstern makes a small sound. "Novalis just told me to do what I can to keep the Truce going as well. So that's what I'll be trying to do."

Meanwhile, back at the Ranch... there are two messages on Nick's answering machine.

On arriving home, Nick loses his shoes for some more comfortable ones, and puts coffee on. It's only a few minutes before he notices the light blinking on the slightly elderly answering machine. He flips the lever, and the machine, after its usual clunk-whirrr-clunk-clack-beeeep! begins playing the first message. He lingers near the machine with the back of an envelope and a pencil to make notes if need be.

Message the first: *beep* "Yo, this is Rei, wanted to give you guys a heads-up. I'm doing damage control on some delicate stuff here... someone just fucked the Symphony all the way out as far as San Anton'. I dunno what is going on down there, but I might stop by after I get the situation here under control. Kick Taygeta in the teeth for me; he ought to be doing this shit too."

Shateishael grins widely at Tay-Tom... but doesn't kick the poor animal, despite Rei's directive. Thessaloniki scribbles, 'Kick Taygeta in teeth' and makes a little tick mark next to it, then comments, "Gotcha, Rei." The machine continues. Shateishael grins at Nick too, then tilts his head, continuing to listen.

"Oh! One more thing... Saxon's down here too, but he's not with me... he got tapped personally to ride out with the War posse. I don't know what they want him for or what they're doing, but... if you see him around, it might be a good idea to just stay out of his way."

Thessaloniki chuckles and comments, "We got that idea from the company he was in, Rei," and lets the machine keep playing, with a sharp beeeep! between messages. He's talked to his machine for years. It's used to it by now.

Message the second: *beep* "Mulgrew's working the Game; every victim but this last one was a Vessel. He's killing Renegades. The last one was a Shedite riding a mortal... hence the intervention. He knows more Songs... and whatever you do, don't let him touch you. Keep your head down." *beep* The voice sounds like Aaron McKay.

Shateishael raises an eyebrow, "Well, damnation... never woulda thought it." He grins at Nick, "Drew was relaxed and pleasant... and the McKays were helpful. Must be a sign of the Apocalypse." He adds amusedly, "Next thing we know, Mitrah'll crack a joke!"

Thessaloniki scribbles that one down too, and says, "Oh, that's interesting." He considers a moment, then pops the tape out of the machine, breaking the 'write' tab out, then rummaging in his mess of a desk for another. "Well, I left the choice up to him, and let them know we depended on them. Amazing what that'll do sometimes." Shateishael chuckles quietly. Nick gets out a permanent pen and writes 'Mulgrew call' on the tape, then tosses it in the back of a drawer with some others. He then adds, "I didn't expect them to call so quickly, I admit, but I'm glad they did. I hope they come by and relax a little."

Shateishael flops back on the couch with a bottle of beer, after glancing to be sure Tay-Tom's not sitting there, "Eh, I'd have said hell would freeze over first... but then I'd have said that about them being helpful too, so..." he grins and shrugs, then has a long swallow of beer.

Thessaloniki shrugs. "If they come, I'll be happy to see them, and make 'em welcome just for being them, and they can talk about anything or nothing. If they don't, they don't, and I hope they know we're not ungrateful morons. Maybe clueless, but not ungrateful."

Shateishael laughs, "Hey, clueless is mine, man -- no trying to horn in on my turf!"

Thessaloniki says, "You can have that one. I'm just your ride, y'know?" and grins.

Shateishael laughs again, taking another long swallow of beer, then says with a quiet smile, "Never seen Mitrah do more than a torso before. Cool."

Thessaloniki smiles, "She's got good taste, she does," and winks.

Shateishael almost snorts his drink at that! -then just grins and shakes his head, "I am SO not going there, Nick! She'd probably squish whoever mentioned that like a bitty bug... and I still have things I want to do with this vessel, thanks all the same!"

Thessaloniki chuckles, then says, "First, why do you assume she's a prude, and second, did you see me mention it to her?"

Shateishael grins, "Didn't say she was a prude -- said I wasn't gonna take the chance of pissing off someone that old! And no, I just saw your thought balloon, you cheerful reprobate!"

Thessaloniki chuckles some more at himself and says, "Okay. Not saying that was much easier than saying what I did say. I wasn't happy misleading her about the McKays, but I thought it really important to do so." He adds, "I tried hard not to actually lie to her, merely to suggest they weren't that important."

Shateishael tilts his head curiously at Nick, glancing over the bottle at the Ofanite, "Yeah... I was wondering if you'd forgotten that Drew's a seraph too, actually."

Thessaloniki says, "Nope. Nor did I lie. If Drew or Mitrah -- she may not be a Seraph, but she's got how many dozen centuries of experience? -asked, I was going to tell even more truth, and simply say, 'Actually, they kind of wanted to be left alone,' and hope they'd leave it at that. They don't want to get tangled in the politics or have people of both sides coming to them and demanding things. I can't blame them. The last thing we need to do is give their names to a seneschal and say, 'Hey, look who we found!' The less they think of them, the better off those two brothers will be."

Thessaloniki adds, "The only way they'll trust us is if we are trustable. Saying, 'We'll forget we know you,' and then telling the Powers That Be about them hardly qualifies. They'll come to us when they're ready to, or they won't, and that is their call to make, y'know?"

Shateishael nods, "All right." He quirks a small smile, adding, "I still wanna know why they were following us, though. If I catch 'em following us again, I'm gonna think about tagging one of them for more questions."

Thessaloniki sighs, then says, "I suggest you let it go, Slate. If you harass them they will, justifiably, be pissed and angry. I won't try to tell you what to do, but that's what I'd suggest. I'm not going to harp on it any more, though." He adds, "The man with the shotgun..."

Shateishael raises an amused eyebrow, "Hey, did I say I'd be following them? No, I said if they follow us!" He adds quietly, "Fuck the man with the shotgun. He tries that again, I'm going to take it away from him. Stupid fake dick weapons."

Thessaloniki says, "I'm not going to harp on it. I disagree with you, and that'll have to do." He gestures idly at the desk drawer, and says, "I think it was good of him to call, and that he gave us some important information." Shateishael just smiles quietly and humorlessly, his eyes shadowed, and continues slowly drinking beer.

As Slate is making his way down the sidewalk on the West Side, through the thinning late-afternoon crowd, there's a sharp whistle from behind him. Someone is trying to get his attention. Shateishael glances casually over his shoulder as he heads for 'Natural Beauty,' unsure if it's actually him whose attention they're trying to attract. The uncertainty goes away quickly. Wrenchial is coming up through the crowd, and quickly. Shateishael raises a curious eyebrow, then steps aside out of the crowd, over to next to a building, waiting for the demon to catch up. When he's close enough, Slate says, "Hey, Wrench."

Wrench nods. "Hey bro. I wanna talk atcha for a minute if you got the time." Shateishael nods, listening. Wrench says, "Now, you did a big solid for me, so you deserve a straight shot outta me. And I know you ain't gonna lie to me, so I'll get right down to it. Ever since you got here, a lot of demons have been takin' real hard falls. Why are you here, big guy? Normally I don't give a fuck about what happens to most of these losers but lately it's been comin' pretty close to Truce-breakin'. And if that happens, I might lose my job and the best friend I got. So what's the deal, chombata. Level with me."

Shateishael smiles faintly, noting the larger demon's unnecessarily getting in Slate's face to demand an answer. "Level? Sure..." his eyes glitter in quiet amusement, "-and no, you don't have to pant on me about it. I only know about two demons going down... and one was an out of town argument that was going on long before we were around. Right now I want me and my friends to keep a real low profile... I want the Truce to stand as much as you do."

Wrench speaks quietly, and Slate notices that when the Calabite isn't speaking at his normal volume, his voice comes out as almost a growl. "You got a real funny way of showin' it, bro. But that's all I wanted to hear. So I'll get out of your face." He takes a step back, and then another. "I'm a little tense lately. I'm sure you understand where I'm comin' from."

Shateishael nods calmly, "S'cool. Take care of your friends... and I'll try to take care of mine. Hopefully things'll calm down soon."

Wrench nods a few times and turns to head down the walk again. "Hope they do. I like it here... I don't want anything to happen to this place."

Shateishael rumbles quietly as he also turns to head towards Zara's place, "Me too. Take care." I can't believe I just wished well to a demon... this place must be rubbing off on me... Wrenchial just... growls, as he walks away.

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Last modified: 2002-Mar-30 13:54:51

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