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It is currently 12:05 Pacific Time on Thu Feb 23 2012.
Currently the moon is in the waxing New (Ragabash) Moon phase (9% full).
Medina Coffees
Since falling under new management in the past year, this place has somewhat fallen into disrepair. The walls are stained, greasy. The front window has not been washed in at least three months, obscuring any view of the outdoors. There are more tables now, though few are new or in good repair. The scent of cigarette smoke hangs in the air, competing with the rich smell of various coffees.
The way to the street is on the western side of the shop. Items here may be seen by +view.
Obvious exits:
STreet
Tim smiles with his trademarked faux innocence as Kaz coughs, and has some tea in victory. "Well, put it that way, I'm surprised you didn't want to have another go with Rat, or maybe even the polecat, or Flea? She's not bad people, no matter what anyone else says."
Kaz and Tim are in the back, at the big round table (which has an extra chair). Kaz has half a sandwich and some Coke. "Rat could do. Been under Mama a couple times, though. It'll come out in the wash -- or the quest, more accurately -- but it seems as if Rat'd be too kickin' ass focused. Flea might work but people are dumb about Flea, and Flea has some requirements that wouldn't fit people like Stacey. So... Unicorn, Fog, Mama Tree, maybe even the Norns in other forms." She shrugs. "Dunno. Don't even got running mates, yet, so we'll see." She grins over at him, suddenly. "S'how's Dragonfly workin' f'y'all?"
The tingle of bell over the door announces Shelby's entrance. The Fang looks far too posh for this place, even if she's dressed casually, a queen slumming among the peasants. Most of the plebes give her only a first glance, some not even that. She glances around the place and drops her packmate a nod before drifting over to the counter to place an order.
Tim snorts, though it seems to be about the Norns. He keeps his voice low, so as not to let it carry. Between him and Kaz is a white paper bag lumpy with donuts, and he has a tall, narrow, stainless steel tumbler sitting open to his left. "It's only the Norns if you look for the Norns, otherwise it's whatever works for you. Ah, by which I mean, it's the goddess, however you find her." He looks mildly embarrassed by his own reaction, and has some tea. "Good, I think. Though I have to wonder what Xander and Shelby will do to change themselves in Spring." Speak of the Devil, and she shall appear.
Kaz waves at Shelby. "Oh, sure, I know," she tells Tim with a grin. "The Goddess In All Her Forms. You shoulda heard Chandi talkin' about Shakti an' all that, sometimes. I was shorthanding. Mostly 'cause I always start hearing myself talking like that and I want to start looking at my yonni, or somethin'."
Pack> Shelby pings a flash of happiness - not just at seeing him, but also at her own emotional control at it only being a flash.
Shelby drops Kaz a belated nod as well before finishing up at the counter. Rather than hang about waiting for her name to be called she saunters over to join the pair, hesitating just a moment with a hand on the empty chair. "This party big enough for three? --Good to see you again," she adds to the Galliard with one of her bright grins.
Tim nods in agreement about Chandini, smiling at some memory of her or another, then transfers that to Shelby by way of a greeting. "Sure. Kaz actually had some news for me about an old friend that can stand to be dealt with." 'Friend' and 'dealt with' aren't said in a way that even approached friendliness.
Pack> Tim, on the other hand, seems amused about something or other.
Kaz waves at the chair. "Sit! Drink! Enjoy!" she says. "And yeah, good t'see you, too." She grins at Tim, slightly fierce. "Yeah, which one you meanin', there, blondie's bunch or the cat?"
Shelby needs no further prompting but settles in, looking from one face to the next. Her, "Ah?" is encouraging. "Do I know this old friend? Or is he ...she? before my time?"
"Both," Tim says, echoing Kaz's fiercness in a wicked grin. He eats the last of his maple bar, and gestures at the bag and Shelby in what is probably meant to be an illustrative manner. "One of them's doing quite well for himself; we've been chasing him for a while, as has Rajani, if you've met her. The other's more recent." He looks to Kaz, no doubt expectng the Galliard to bring Shelby up to speed there.
Pack> Tim says "A fomori that can make itself look like anything it's seen--even a picture," with a mental grimace. "Almost killed a couple of Kin a while back. The fox shifter came here following it. We need to jump it in the Shadow and the Realm, because it's such a strong bane, killing the fomor body doesn't kill the bane itself."
Kaz summarizes ably, if a bit quietly. "I gave Tim an info packet on the other thing -- Val the raven girl got it for us. The other thing -- Well, th' fetish I brung back for my Adren challenge -- which originally belonged to jaguar-dudes -- got stolen by a tiger-dude. He was hired by what I assume are jaguar-dudes, and his employers want me -- with friends, mebbe -- to get them another fetish, in return f'givin' us Luna's Face back. I'm'a gonna do it, if it's bein' held by the destroyer or similar. Otherwise, well, I appreciate it's good f'th' congregation where it was, but ain't no way I'm gettin' into the same mess twice."
Pack> Shelby says "...Rajani," clearly trying to place the name. After a moment she mentally shrugs, nope. "Wait - there's a fox shifter around?" Mixed curiosity and territorial possessiveness. "Where is it?"
Pack> "Around," Tim says, his emotional response cryptic. "She knows to piss off what's not hers. Kaz and Jacinta saw to that a while back. She's just here to kill the thing."
Shelby looks at the bag as if expecting a flow chart to pop out the top, then to Kaz. "I... think I'm going to need that info packet too. OK, so you took the Face from some people, who then hired someone to take it back. Now they say they'll make an exchange, which you'll only do if you think it's worth it. Did I get the gist of it?"
Tim adds, "And if it doesn't involve us fucking anyone else over and thus perpetuating the cycle of problems. I'll give you the full story. Well, as much of it as I have. I'm not a story-teller, no promises."
Pack> Shelby says "...And wait, did she say 'Val the raven-girl'?" She bleeds mild frustration. "I swear, I need a database and maybe a walnut-pick to get information out of people." Another pause, this one filled with a mental 'later'. "I'll ask you later."
Pack> Tim begins to explain, "Val's a corax, she's been around for a pretty long while and loves to yank chains so if you come across her--ah, okay."
"If I think it's ethical and worth it, yeah, that's the gist." Kaz seems slightly abashed to be talking about ethics, but she does it anyway. "I could also justify my taking the Face originally, but that'd just be for my own defensiveness, so I won't." She finishes her Coke. "By the way. The tiger-dude's name is Karuvar Fire-Walker, in case either've you wanted t'pay him a visit sometime."
Shelby sends her packmate a wry look. "I don't think anyone's ever accused you of that. --Oh, thank you!" That, very surprised and pleased, as one of the baristas actually delivers her drink to the table. As the woman moves off Shelby gives a short laugh. "St. Claire's turning into quite the zoo. If you do decide to go and you need some help, drop me a line? I can't promise I'll be free, with all the baby-sitting we're doing recently, but I'm definitely interested."
Tim wrinkles his nose about that. "Kind of hoping all of that shit gets cleared up as soon as possible. With any luck, Nik'll find himself a band and then we can insist he put them on *his* people's territory." He sighs and rubs at the back of his neck, then goes on, "Which reminds me--if a Slavic sort of guy named Gerik shows up? Watch out; he's bad news. Tell him to fuck off."
Kaz nods to Shelby. "Be glad to have you. So yeah, I'll keep you in the loop and shit." She makes a face at the baby-sitting. "Jacinta orderin' dudes onto your turf strikes me as ..." She searches for a word and settles on, "Interesting," before blinking at Tim. "Uh. The bad news that involves square dancing?"
Pack> Shelby wafts more wryness at him. "Have you ever considered keeping a diary? Something you could fill with information and leave around for the rest of us to read?"
Pack> If 'fuck *that*' can be a nonverbal reaction, Tim reverberates with it.
"Please," the Fang affirms and buries her nose in her cup. After surfacing, she flicks another look - this one amused - at Tim. "From what I understand, she feels it very much within her rights." Another meaningful pause; when she speaks again her tone is far less dry and far more interested. "Gerik? All right. You know there's nothing I adore so much as telling people to take a long walk off a short cliff. Why does he think he gets to run our lives? --I think I'm going to collect all these reasons and publish them in a book," she asides to Kaz.
"Relation of Andrei's who turned to the Dark Side," Tim explains around a drink of tea. "Spiritual sort, and very likely the reason we had to run off a bunch of mutts. Probably have to deal with him either way." He points out to Shelby, "She said we could run them off," and pops a donut hole into his mouth.
"Huh," Kaz says, to Shelby. "Wonder how she'd like the dudes on her old turf." She shakes her head a bit, as she listens to Tim. "'Kay." And then she adds, soon enough, "Asshole." She sighs, and then considers them. "Andrei have any possibility of being a productive member of the congregation, you think?"
Shelby wrinkles her nose at the news and has more coffee to wash the bad taste away. "We do that and they have no protection; Andrei gets killed and the boy taken, and then where will we be? No, they're mostly behaving themselves. --You're asking the wrong person," she adds to Kaz with another return of ruefulness. "Maybe is about as strong as I can get, considering his family. The boy isn't bad, but some of his classmates...!"
Tim makes a face, and says, "He seems like he wants to? And he knows he has a huge debt to pay, especially to," and he indicates himself and Shelby with a wave of his tumbler. "But all of this is gonna set him a lot behind in the history department, and make it tough for him to get promotions. So I don't know how that'd work out. The kid's a total brat and needs some educating. Hard to say how he'll turn out, considering." He shrugs about that, not seeming to have much of an opinion on it.
"Enh. Yeah," Kaz nods, as she finishes her Coke. "I was just thinkin' -- it seems as if them dogs are getting closer, is all. So prob'ly we'll be able to whomp somethin' t'dust sooner rather than later, which'd be a blessing because then I won't have to wear my fuckin' hat forever. But also, then maybe Jacinta'll stop being a pain in the ass." She pauses. "On this, anyway." She shrugs. "But yeah, f'right now they don't got no protection other'n you. And apropos of which, I don' wanna invade y'turf or nothin', but since you got congregation prisoners up there, you want some me-muscle help on patrollin'?"
Shelby shoots the other Ragabash a surprised look. "You didn't tell her? --There were three strays on our lawn, earlier this week. We took care of them, but the, ah, dog-catcher got away." At Kaz' offer she settles back in her chair, cradling the coffee close to her chest.
Pack> Perhaps surprisingly, considering how touchy she's been about everyone else, Shelby says, "I wouldn't mind if she came up to help."
Tim says, taking out an apple fritter, "We hadn't gotten that far in discussions, and I told the Guardians." He adds to what Shelby's said, "I'm sure there's more hounds."
Kaz says, "Ha? Everyone OK afterwards? I mean, other than the dogs...?" She, too, leans back. "So it's even closer than I thought. Which just reinforces the point, really." She pauses a moment, then asks Tim, "That a yes or a no?"
"Nothing that some Band-aids and bed rest won't fix," Shelby assures airily. "I wouldn't be surprised if we - or somebody we know, anyway - knew the dog catcher's name." She has more coffee rather than answer Kaz' question, leaving it for Tim. She doesn't look offended by it, no matter what Kaz' hat looks like.
"That would be a yes, please," Tim affirms with a weak smile. "One of them, er, went boom. Literally." That's said very quietly. "Andrei got the worst of it, but he should be okay now. And one of them was corosive. The dog-catcher, I think we're gonna need some spiritual sorts to handle. No one I knew could really give me much to go one, except a comment this might be something like the wild hunt."
"The wild hunt?" This jerks out of her, surprised, and is said rather louder than Kaz's usual volume here. She clears her throat, looking a bit abashed, and then adds a few logical covering sentences about Celtic mythology, before adding, quieter, "I'll come keep your trees company, then, yeah. I can bash things up on either side of the gauntlet, so that'll be fine, wherever I'm needed."
Shelby has little to add about Celtic mythology, though she does say, "If you could provide your own lunches, it would help. I think Andrei's eating us out of house and home. Not that we can tell him to stop eating." From the wry twist to her lips, she's probably thought about it though. "It'll be nice to have another invited guest. Though once it got around we didn't want gawkers, it helped."
"Not the Wild Hunt--fuck, I hope not--but you know, something like it. In the bad way. For one goddamned kid." Tim keeps his voice pitched for their table, and sighs and shakes his head. "I expect until we deal with Uncle Darth, we'll be seeing dogs and dogcatchers from here to the end of the century. I should find someone to learn that one thing from and we could just take the fight to his doorstep." He nods at Shelby, adding, "I'm happy to bring out food for folks to eat. By which I mean my cousin's happy to provide it."
Kaz says, with a grin, "Food, I can bring," before blinking quizzically at Tim. "I... You wanna learn the ritual, maybe? 'Cause I'm plannin't to see if I can get a fix on him once I get outta here. It seems inefficient, since the thing you can learn y'self is better, but...?" (They're at the table in back, the round one.)
Val makes her way in to the coffee shop and looks around quickly, before heading over to the cash and starting to talk with the person manning the counter. Said person looks less and less happy as Val talks to them, shaking their head as they deny something.
"Too bad things like that can't be taught at school," Shelby half-laughs, "because that sounds like something useful. We just need to set up a blackboard and a bunch of chairs, then someone to stand up front..." She quirks a barely-visible eyebrow at Tim and looks to add more before her attention's caught by the minor fracas at the counter.
"Actually, yeah, I wouldn't mind it--finding someone who knows how to do the other might not be easy. Whenever you have time?" Tim catches sight of Val, and with a small smile, fetches his buzzing phone from his jacket pocket. "Aha. Speaking of cousins." He moves to get up, pushing the donut bag closer to the middle, and grabs his tumbler. "I'll catch you guys later, yeah?"
Pack> Tim says "Speaking of Val the raven lady--there she is, at the counter."
"Ha. OK. Well, we'll have enough time in the fuckin' woods, we can do it then." Kaz blinks mildly at Val, but then rises to her feet as well. "Hey, Shelby. Good to see you, but I should go do some shit. I'll catch you later." With a mock-salute, she busses her sandwich, and then heads out the door.
Pack> Shelby perks right up - mentally, at least. "Ah? Maybe I'll talk to her for a bit. Does she know who you are?" It shades not just 'who' but 'what' as well. "Safe to share with her, or should I keep quiet?"
Val gives the person behind the counter a business card and collects a cup of bad coffee that she overpays for. Business done, she turns around to find that two of the tree people she spotted on the way in area heading out the door. She sips at her coffee and makes a face. Ick.
Pack> Tim considers. "She should remember me. If not, mention Kaz. Her she knows, for sure."
Pack> Shelby says "Okay!"
A woman in her late twenties to early thirties, Val is whip-thin, with a an angular face, a prominent nose, and pale skin that is surprisingly weathered. Dark jet black hair is tied back in a French braid that hangs a few inches below her waist. The woman stands just under five feet tall, which accentuates how thin she is. Val smiles a lot, a cheerfulness that is hard to ignore and is almost contagious in nature.
Currently, the small woman is wearing a pair of black jeans and a white long sleeved shirt, with the image of a tree on it. The tree lacks leaves and a number of stylized bird silhouettes sit amongst the bare branches. A miniature leather backpack sits in the middle of her back, held in place by straps across her shoulders. Around her neck she wears a heavy silver chain and pendant in the shape of a raven. Dangling from her ears are a pair of silver earnings in the shape of feathers, and continuing with the silver theme, several rings adorn the fingers of her her hands.
As protection against the chill weather, she currently wears a heavy black leather jacket. Her head and fingers are protected from the cold by bright, rainbow colored woolens.
"Sure," Shelby agrees easily enough, turning in her chair to see them both off. Coincidentally, it gives her a better view of Val as well. She salutes the other woman with her own cup and inclines her head toward a now-empty chair before adding to Tim, "Todd still wants to meet you. He wants to get a better idea of what we're looking for before he goes and does his apartment-y thing."
Tim nods as he moves to go, saying, "I'll give you Moira's phone number to give to him, if you and he want. She's happy to chip in if she can get occasional use." He pauses in his proceedings to give Val a wink, and nods at Shelby in a manner that he maybe thinks is indicative of something, but who can tell. Then he heads outside, chatting on his phone in Spanish.
Val's eyebrows go up at the wink, then she heads over to the table with a shrug of her shoulders. "The coffee here is terrible," She informs Shelby, as she sinks in to a seat across from her. She extends a slim hand across the greasy table. "I'm Val by the way. I recognized Kaz heading out the door there and I think the other one was Tim, but it's been a good four years since I spotted him last. You are?"
"I make better," Shelby agrees with a wrinkle of nose. "But it's caffeine, and sometimes that's the most important thing. --Shelby," she adds, completing the good-to-meet-you-I-bear-no-weapons ritual. "And yes, that was Tim. I'm sure he'd have stuck around to talk, if he hadn't had to leave. He mentioned you in passing."
"Really? What did he say?" Val asks, as she takes her hand back. "I don't recall him being that amicable towards me the last time I saw him. Not that he wasn't perfectly polite, but I got the impression that he wasn't all that certain about me."
"Just your name and that he knew you," Shelby assures. "Really, it was only in passing. Same with Kaz, really. But after the fun you had at the counter, I thought you might appreciate a friendlier face for a bit."
"Oh, that, pff," Val says with a faint wave of her hand. "There is nothing to be done about that. Some guy that used to buy coffee here went missing about a week ago and a body that was dredged up out of the river on Tuesday was ID'd as him. My boss hates me right now, so I'm getting the fun job of running around and asking everyone about the dead guy. It's one of those 'no proper leads' cases, so chances are we won't be able to figure out what happened and no-one likes being asked about a dead guy. You'd think it was contagious." She sips at her coffee, then pushes it aside. "Not worth it for the caffeine."
Shelby greets this bit of news with a faint nose-wrinkle and an equally faint, "Ew. --You're with the police department?" is a far more interesting path to explore. "What does he look like, this dead man? I'm rarely in here, but maybe...?"
"Homicide," Val confirms. "Went and got myself the detective badge, which means I get to stay in street clothes. But sure, I have a photo, but it isn't likely to do you any good." Val says as she pulls a small photo out of her jacket. There is a mulatto man in the photo; late twenties, a wide smile, and a bit of a pot belly. "He was a factory worker, liked his drink, and gambled. No wife or kids."
"So," Val continues, after sliding over the photo. "Kaz mention a place called Plasticorp to you at all?"
"Detective," Shelby repeats in a tone that's half-impressed and half-amused - or maybe the amusement is to counter the impressed. "Congratulations." She turns an obedient eye to the photo but after a moment shakes her head and slides it back, sorry. "Plasticorp? She didn't, no. But wasn't it in the news or something lately?"
The small woman looks like she wants to perform a head-desk maneuver at this, face screwing up. "Okay, okay. I think I have another copy in here. Let me just take a quick look," she says as she starts to dig through her bag. "And I can tell you're like Kaz, by the way. You could say that I have an eye for that sort of thing. Not that I'm like Kaz, or you, but we all have our place in the grand scheme of things. Here we go." She pulls out some wrinkled sheets of paper that have been stapled together and hands them over.
Shelby shoots a barely-visible eyebrow up at this latest information drop. "Oh, really. Not really. For one thing, I look terrible in hats." The physical information she doesn't glance at, but moves to slide them in her purse before glancing up. "Oh - do you mind if I take this to look at later? I've got to run and I don't have time to look at it now. I promise it'll get back to you, though."
"Keep it," Val says, flashing a rather open smile. "I made a number of copies. Had already given a few to Kaz."
Shelby says, "Good," and tucks the packet away. "Thank you." She rises, taking her cup and adds, "Sorry to meet and run, but I'm sure we'll see each other again. Hopefully not in your official capacity, though." The young woman's smile practically lights this section of room, not just her face. "It was good meeting you, Val. Good luck finding your John Doe."
Val waves as the other woman departs, then goes back to eyeballing her cup of 'coffee'.
Currently the moon is in the waxing New (Ragabash) Moon phase (9% full).
Medina Coffees
Since falling under new management in the past year, this place has somewhat fallen into disrepair. The walls are stained, greasy. The front window has not been washed in at least three months, obscuring any view of the outdoors. There are more tables now, though few are new or in good repair. The scent of cigarette smoke hangs in the air, competing with the rich smell of various coffees.
The way to the street is on the western side of the shop. Items here may be seen by +view.
Obvious exits:
STreet
Tim smiles with his trademarked faux innocence as Kaz coughs, and has some tea in victory. "Well, put it that way, I'm surprised you didn't want to have another go with Rat, or maybe even the polecat, or Flea? She's not bad people, no matter what anyone else says."
Kaz and Tim are in the back, at the big round table (which has an extra chair). Kaz has half a sandwich and some Coke. "Rat could do. Been under Mama a couple times, though. It'll come out in the wash -- or the quest, more accurately -- but it seems as if Rat'd be too kickin' ass focused. Flea might work but people are dumb about Flea, and Flea has some requirements that wouldn't fit people like Stacey. So... Unicorn, Fog, Mama Tree, maybe even the Norns in other forms." She shrugs. "Dunno. Don't even got running mates, yet, so we'll see." She grins over at him, suddenly. "S'how's Dragonfly workin' f'y'all?"
The tingle of bell over the door announces Shelby's entrance. The Fang looks far too posh for this place, even if she's dressed casually, a queen slumming among the peasants. Most of the plebes give her only a first glance, some not even that. She glances around the place and drops her packmate a nod before drifting over to the counter to place an order.
Tim snorts, though it seems to be about the Norns. He keeps his voice low, so as not to let it carry. Between him and Kaz is a white paper bag lumpy with donuts, and he has a tall, narrow, stainless steel tumbler sitting open to his left. "It's only the Norns if you look for the Norns, otherwise it's whatever works for you. Ah, by which I mean, it's the goddess, however you find her." He looks mildly embarrassed by his own reaction, and has some tea. "Good, I think. Though I have to wonder what Xander and Shelby will do to change themselves in Spring." Speak of the Devil, and she shall appear.
Kaz waves at Shelby. "Oh, sure, I know," she tells Tim with a grin. "The Goddess In All Her Forms. You shoulda heard Chandi talkin' about Shakti an' all that, sometimes. I was shorthanding. Mostly 'cause I always start hearing myself talking like that and I want to start looking at my yonni, or somethin'."
Pack> Shelby pings a flash of happiness - not just at seeing him, but also at her own emotional control at it only being a flash.
Shelby drops Kaz a belated nod as well before finishing up at the counter. Rather than hang about waiting for her name to be called she saunters over to join the pair, hesitating just a moment with a hand on the empty chair. "This party big enough for three? --Good to see you again," she adds to the Galliard with one of her bright grins.
Tim nods in agreement about Chandini, smiling at some memory of her or another, then transfers that to Shelby by way of a greeting. "Sure. Kaz actually had some news for me about an old friend that can stand to be dealt with." 'Friend' and 'dealt with' aren't said in a way that even approached friendliness.
Pack> Tim, on the other hand, seems amused about something or other.
Kaz waves at the chair. "Sit! Drink! Enjoy!" she says. "And yeah, good t'see you, too." She grins at Tim, slightly fierce. "Yeah, which one you meanin', there, blondie's bunch or the cat?"
Shelby needs no further prompting but settles in, looking from one face to the next. Her, "Ah?" is encouraging. "Do I know this old friend? Or is he ...she? before my time?"
"Both," Tim says, echoing Kaz's fiercness in a wicked grin. He eats the last of his maple bar, and gestures at the bag and Shelby in what is probably meant to be an illustrative manner. "One of them's doing quite well for himself; we've been chasing him for a while, as has Rajani, if you've met her. The other's more recent." He looks to Kaz, no doubt expectng the Galliard to bring Shelby up to speed there.
Pack> Tim says "A fomori that can make itself look like anything it's seen--even a picture," with a mental grimace. "Almost killed a couple of Kin a while back. The fox shifter came here following it. We need to jump it in the Shadow and the Realm, because it's such a strong bane, killing the fomor body doesn't kill the bane itself."
Kaz summarizes ably, if a bit quietly. "I gave Tim an info packet on the other thing -- Val the raven girl got it for us. The other thing -- Well, th' fetish I brung back for my Adren challenge -- which originally belonged to jaguar-dudes -- got stolen by a tiger-dude. He was hired by what I assume are jaguar-dudes, and his employers want me -- with friends, mebbe -- to get them another fetish, in return f'givin' us Luna's Face back. I'm'a gonna do it, if it's bein' held by the destroyer or similar. Otherwise, well, I appreciate it's good f'th' congregation where it was, but ain't no way I'm gettin' into the same mess twice."
Pack> Shelby says "...Rajani," clearly trying to place the name. After a moment she mentally shrugs, nope. "Wait - there's a fox shifter around?" Mixed curiosity and territorial possessiveness. "Where is it?"
Pack> "Around," Tim says, his emotional response cryptic. "She knows to piss off what's not hers. Kaz and Jacinta saw to that a while back. She's just here to kill the thing."
Shelby looks at the bag as if expecting a flow chart to pop out the top, then to Kaz. "I... think I'm going to need that info packet too. OK, so you took the Face from some people, who then hired someone to take it back. Now they say they'll make an exchange, which you'll only do if you think it's worth it. Did I get the gist of it?"
Tim adds, "And if it doesn't involve us fucking anyone else over and thus perpetuating the cycle of problems. I'll give you the full story. Well, as much of it as I have. I'm not a story-teller, no promises."
Pack> Shelby says "...And wait, did she say 'Val the raven-girl'?" She bleeds mild frustration. "I swear, I need a database and maybe a walnut-pick to get information out of people." Another pause, this one filled with a mental 'later'. "I'll ask you later."
Pack> Tim begins to explain, "Val's a corax, she's been around for a pretty long while and loves to yank chains so if you come across her--ah, okay."
"If I think it's ethical and worth it, yeah, that's the gist." Kaz seems slightly abashed to be talking about ethics, but she does it anyway. "I could also justify my taking the Face originally, but that'd just be for my own defensiveness, so I won't." She finishes her Coke. "By the way. The tiger-dude's name is Karuvar Fire-Walker, in case either've you wanted t'pay him a visit sometime."
Shelby sends her packmate a wry look. "I don't think anyone's ever accused you of that. --Oh, thank you!" That, very surprised and pleased, as one of the baristas actually delivers her drink to the table. As the woman moves off Shelby gives a short laugh. "St. Claire's turning into quite the zoo. If you do decide to go and you need some help, drop me a line? I can't promise I'll be free, with all the baby-sitting we're doing recently, but I'm definitely interested."
Tim wrinkles his nose about that. "Kind of hoping all of that shit gets cleared up as soon as possible. With any luck, Nik'll find himself a band and then we can insist he put them on *his* people's territory." He sighs and rubs at the back of his neck, then goes on, "Which reminds me--if a Slavic sort of guy named Gerik shows up? Watch out; he's bad news. Tell him to fuck off."
Kaz nods to Shelby. "Be glad to have you. So yeah, I'll keep you in the loop and shit." She makes a face at the baby-sitting. "Jacinta orderin' dudes onto your turf strikes me as ..." She searches for a word and settles on, "Interesting," before blinking at Tim. "Uh. The bad news that involves square dancing?"
Pack> Shelby wafts more wryness at him. "Have you ever considered keeping a diary? Something you could fill with information and leave around for the rest of us to read?"
Pack> If 'fuck *that*' can be a nonverbal reaction, Tim reverberates with it.
"Please," the Fang affirms and buries her nose in her cup. After surfacing, she flicks another look - this one amused - at Tim. "From what I understand, she feels it very much within her rights." Another meaningful pause; when she speaks again her tone is far less dry and far more interested. "Gerik? All right. You know there's nothing I adore so much as telling people to take a long walk off a short cliff. Why does he think he gets to run our lives? --I think I'm going to collect all these reasons and publish them in a book," she asides to Kaz.
"Relation of Andrei's who turned to the Dark Side," Tim explains around a drink of tea. "Spiritual sort, and very likely the reason we had to run off a bunch of mutts. Probably have to deal with him either way." He points out to Shelby, "She said we could run them off," and pops a donut hole into his mouth.
"Huh," Kaz says, to Shelby. "Wonder how she'd like the dudes on her old turf." She shakes her head a bit, as she listens to Tim. "'Kay." And then she adds, soon enough, "Asshole." She sighs, and then considers them. "Andrei have any possibility of being a productive member of the congregation, you think?"
Shelby wrinkles her nose at the news and has more coffee to wash the bad taste away. "We do that and they have no protection; Andrei gets killed and the boy taken, and then where will we be? No, they're mostly behaving themselves. --You're asking the wrong person," she adds to Kaz with another return of ruefulness. "Maybe is about as strong as I can get, considering his family. The boy isn't bad, but some of his classmates...!"
Tim makes a face, and says, "He seems like he wants to? And he knows he has a huge debt to pay, especially to," and he indicates himself and Shelby with a wave of his tumbler. "But all of this is gonna set him a lot behind in the history department, and make it tough for him to get promotions. So I don't know how that'd work out. The kid's a total brat and needs some educating. Hard to say how he'll turn out, considering." He shrugs about that, not seeming to have much of an opinion on it.
"Enh. Yeah," Kaz nods, as she finishes her Coke. "I was just thinkin' -- it seems as if them dogs are getting closer, is all. So prob'ly we'll be able to whomp somethin' t'dust sooner rather than later, which'd be a blessing because then I won't have to wear my fuckin' hat forever. But also, then maybe Jacinta'll stop being a pain in the ass." She pauses. "On this, anyway." She shrugs. "But yeah, f'right now they don't got no protection other'n you. And apropos of which, I don' wanna invade y'turf or nothin', but since you got congregation prisoners up there, you want some me-muscle help on patrollin'?"
Shelby shoots the other Ragabash a surprised look. "You didn't tell her? --There were three strays on our lawn, earlier this week. We took care of them, but the, ah, dog-catcher got away." At Kaz' offer she settles back in her chair, cradling the coffee close to her chest.
Pack> Perhaps surprisingly, considering how touchy she's been about everyone else, Shelby says, "I wouldn't mind if she came up to help."
Tim says, taking out an apple fritter, "We hadn't gotten that far in discussions, and I told the Guardians." He adds to what Shelby's said, "I'm sure there's more hounds."
Kaz says, "Ha? Everyone OK afterwards? I mean, other than the dogs...?" She, too, leans back. "So it's even closer than I thought. Which just reinforces the point, really." She pauses a moment, then asks Tim, "That a yes or a no?"
"Nothing that some Band-aids and bed rest won't fix," Shelby assures airily. "I wouldn't be surprised if we - or somebody we know, anyway - knew the dog catcher's name." She has more coffee rather than answer Kaz' question, leaving it for Tim. She doesn't look offended by it, no matter what Kaz' hat looks like.
"That would be a yes, please," Tim affirms with a weak smile. "One of them, er, went boom. Literally." That's said very quietly. "Andrei got the worst of it, but he should be okay now. And one of them was corosive. The dog-catcher, I think we're gonna need some spiritual sorts to handle. No one I knew could really give me much to go one, except a comment this might be something like the wild hunt."
"The wild hunt?" This jerks out of her, surprised, and is said rather louder than Kaz's usual volume here. She clears her throat, looking a bit abashed, and then adds a few logical covering sentences about Celtic mythology, before adding, quieter, "I'll come keep your trees company, then, yeah. I can bash things up on either side of the gauntlet, so that'll be fine, wherever I'm needed."
Shelby has little to add about Celtic mythology, though she does say, "If you could provide your own lunches, it would help. I think Andrei's eating us out of house and home. Not that we can tell him to stop eating." From the wry twist to her lips, she's probably thought about it though. "It'll be nice to have another invited guest. Though once it got around we didn't want gawkers, it helped."
"Not the Wild Hunt--fuck, I hope not--but you know, something like it. In the bad way. For one goddamned kid." Tim keeps his voice pitched for their table, and sighs and shakes his head. "I expect until we deal with Uncle Darth, we'll be seeing dogs and dogcatchers from here to the end of the century. I should find someone to learn that one thing from and we could just take the fight to his doorstep." He nods at Shelby, adding, "I'm happy to bring out food for folks to eat. By which I mean my cousin's happy to provide it."
Kaz says, with a grin, "Food, I can bring," before blinking quizzically at Tim. "I... You wanna learn the ritual, maybe? 'Cause I'm plannin't to see if I can get a fix on him once I get outta here. It seems inefficient, since the thing you can learn y'self is better, but...?" (They're at the table in back, the round one.)
Val makes her way in to the coffee shop and looks around quickly, before heading over to the cash and starting to talk with the person manning the counter. Said person looks less and less happy as Val talks to them, shaking their head as they deny something.
"Too bad things like that can't be taught at school," Shelby half-laughs, "because that sounds like something useful. We just need to set up a blackboard and a bunch of chairs, then someone to stand up front..." She quirks a barely-visible eyebrow at Tim and looks to add more before her attention's caught by the minor fracas at the counter.
"Actually, yeah, I wouldn't mind it--finding someone who knows how to do the other might not be easy. Whenever you have time?" Tim catches sight of Val, and with a small smile, fetches his buzzing phone from his jacket pocket. "Aha. Speaking of cousins." He moves to get up, pushing the donut bag closer to the middle, and grabs his tumbler. "I'll catch you guys later, yeah?"
Pack> Tim says "Speaking of Val the raven lady--there she is, at the counter."
"Ha. OK. Well, we'll have enough time in the fuckin' woods, we can do it then." Kaz blinks mildly at Val, but then rises to her feet as well. "Hey, Shelby. Good to see you, but I should go do some shit. I'll catch you later." With a mock-salute, she busses her sandwich, and then heads out the door.
Pack> Shelby perks right up - mentally, at least. "Ah? Maybe I'll talk to her for a bit. Does she know who you are?" It shades not just 'who' but 'what' as well. "Safe to share with her, or should I keep quiet?"
Val gives the person behind the counter a business card and collects a cup of bad coffee that she overpays for. Business done, she turns around to find that two of the tree people she spotted on the way in area heading out the door. She sips at her coffee and makes a face. Ick.
Pack> Tim considers. "She should remember me. If not, mention Kaz. Her she knows, for sure."
Pack> Shelby says "Okay!"
A woman in her late twenties to early thirties, Val is whip-thin, with a an angular face, a prominent nose, and pale skin that is surprisingly weathered. Dark jet black hair is tied back in a French braid that hangs a few inches below her waist. The woman stands just under five feet tall, which accentuates how thin she is. Val smiles a lot, a cheerfulness that is hard to ignore and is almost contagious in nature.
Currently, the small woman is wearing a pair of black jeans and a white long sleeved shirt, with the image of a tree on it. The tree lacks leaves and a number of stylized bird silhouettes sit amongst the bare branches. A miniature leather backpack sits in the middle of her back, held in place by straps across her shoulders. Around her neck she wears a heavy silver chain and pendant in the shape of a raven. Dangling from her ears are a pair of silver earnings in the shape of feathers, and continuing with the silver theme, several rings adorn the fingers of her her hands.
As protection against the chill weather, she currently wears a heavy black leather jacket. Her head and fingers are protected from the cold by bright, rainbow colored woolens.
"Sure," Shelby agrees easily enough, turning in her chair to see them both off. Coincidentally, it gives her a better view of Val as well. She salutes the other woman with her own cup and inclines her head toward a now-empty chair before adding to Tim, "Todd still wants to meet you. He wants to get a better idea of what we're looking for before he goes and does his apartment-y thing."
Tim nods as he moves to go, saying, "I'll give you Moira's phone number to give to him, if you and he want. She's happy to chip in if she can get occasional use." He pauses in his proceedings to give Val a wink, and nods at Shelby in a manner that he maybe thinks is indicative of something, but who can tell. Then he heads outside, chatting on his phone in Spanish.
Val's eyebrows go up at the wink, then she heads over to the table with a shrug of her shoulders. "The coffee here is terrible," She informs Shelby, as she sinks in to a seat across from her. She extends a slim hand across the greasy table. "I'm Val by the way. I recognized Kaz heading out the door there and I think the other one was Tim, but it's been a good four years since I spotted him last. You are?"
"I make better," Shelby agrees with a wrinkle of nose. "But it's caffeine, and sometimes that's the most important thing. --Shelby," she adds, completing the good-to-meet-you-I-bear-no-weapons ritual. "And yes, that was Tim. I'm sure he'd have stuck around to talk, if he hadn't had to leave. He mentioned you in passing."
"Really? What did he say?" Val asks, as she takes her hand back. "I don't recall him being that amicable towards me the last time I saw him. Not that he wasn't perfectly polite, but I got the impression that he wasn't all that certain about me."
"Just your name and that he knew you," Shelby assures. "Really, it was only in passing. Same with Kaz, really. But after the fun you had at the counter, I thought you might appreciate a friendlier face for a bit."
"Oh, that, pff," Val says with a faint wave of her hand. "There is nothing to be done about that. Some guy that used to buy coffee here went missing about a week ago and a body that was dredged up out of the river on Tuesday was ID'd as him. My boss hates me right now, so I'm getting the fun job of running around and asking everyone about the dead guy. It's one of those 'no proper leads' cases, so chances are we won't be able to figure out what happened and no-one likes being asked about a dead guy. You'd think it was contagious." She sips at her coffee, then pushes it aside. "Not worth it for the caffeine."
Shelby greets this bit of news with a faint nose-wrinkle and an equally faint, "Ew. --You're with the police department?" is a far more interesting path to explore. "What does he look like, this dead man? I'm rarely in here, but maybe...?"
"Homicide," Val confirms. "Went and got myself the detective badge, which means I get to stay in street clothes. But sure, I have a photo, but it isn't likely to do you any good." Val says as she pulls a small photo out of her jacket. There is a mulatto man in the photo; late twenties, a wide smile, and a bit of a pot belly. "He was a factory worker, liked his drink, and gambled. No wife or kids."
"So," Val continues, after sliding over the photo. "Kaz mention a place called Plasticorp to you at all?"
"Detective," Shelby repeats in a tone that's half-impressed and half-amused - or maybe the amusement is to counter the impressed. "Congratulations." She turns an obedient eye to the photo but after a moment shakes her head and slides it back, sorry. "Plasticorp? She didn't, no. But wasn't it in the news or something lately?"
The small woman looks like she wants to perform a head-desk maneuver at this, face screwing up. "Okay, okay. I think I have another copy in here. Let me just take a quick look," she says as she starts to dig through her bag. "And I can tell you're like Kaz, by the way. You could say that I have an eye for that sort of thing. Not that I'm like Kaz, or you, but we all have our place in the grand scheme of things. Here we go." She pulls out some wrinkled sheets of paper that have been stapled together and hands them over.
Shelby shoots a barely-visible eyebrow up at this latest information drop. "Oh, really. Not really. For one thing, I look terrible in hats." The physical information she doesn't glance at, but moves to slide them in her purse before glancing up. "Oh - do you mind if I take this to look at later? I've got to run and I don't have time to look at it now. I promise it'll get back to you, though."
"Keep it," Val says, flashing a rather open smile. "I made a number of copies. Had already given a few to Kaz."
Shelby says, "Good," and tucks the packet away. "Thank you." She rises, taking her cup and adds, "Sorry to meet and run, but I'm sure we'll see each other again. Hopefully not in your official capacity, though." The young woman's smile practically lights this section of room, not just her face. "It was good meeting you, Val. Good luck finding your John Doe."
Val waves as the other woman departs, then goes back to eyeballing her cup of 'coffee'.