[Triskavanski]

Masqurade frowned with a sigh. Well there went her one chance to score some free chems. Annoyed she replies with..

<<Yes..>>

and slips her comlink into her coat.

[SgtBoomCloud]

[Downfall bar, Seattle, WA, 9:26 PM]

The pair settled into the bar as they waited for Blindside and crew to show up, listening to the gods awful music the amateurs were playing.  The short human looked bored after the first song, slumping forward and resting her chin on one hand.  She ordered a round of drinks for the two of them, road beers more than likely, when her commlink buzzed with the message from Red...

"I'll be there. Anything I ought to know? I'd hate to show up wearing a rival gang's colors..."

Giving a smirk of relief that her little crew was sending their support to her, pulling up a reply to send to her.

<<Message to: Red
<<Wiz!  Don't worry about colors, they hate everybody.  Just bring weapons and don't look like prey, and we'll be fine. Meet you a couple blocks east a little bit before the meet, chummer.

Satisfied, she sent the message out and took a drink from her beer, trying her best to "enjoy" the music while they waited...and waited...

[ismilealot]

@ Everyone at the meet with Lupo  It's a Howler bar, so it's absolutely not quiet behind the Skeleton. It's just quieter than the inside. Lupo steps forward when he see's you. "Start talking. I'll decide if it's worth my time." he sneers at you.

[SgtBoomCloud]

[Outside the Skeleton, Redmond Barrens, Seattle, 11:55 PM]

One block away from the Skeleton, Arc's car was sitting parked on the curb, the gathered crew congregated under the street light.  The glow of a freshly lit cigarette hung near the human's face as she took a deep breath, closing her eyes and letting the smoke out in a puff.  "Huu...okay, chummers, here's the deal.  We're about to talk to Lupo, head of the Night Howlers.  These guys take their name seriously, and can smell fear."  She shifted, pulling off her hoodie and letting her vest be fully visible, weapons on display.  "Just look strong, and look like you're ready to scrap if it fraggin' comes to it, but it won't.  These guys aren't stupid, and won't deal with drek what doesn't look easy.  When you speak, make sure you back what you say, because they don't fraggin' respect a half-hooped talk, aye? And always offer something first...never let them get a favor owed from you.."  She gave a nod, a devious smirk on her face, giving a wave and stepping towards the skeleton.  "Aight, let's do this drek..."

As they approached the back lot, she took note that it was silent, not a soul to be noted.  That we know of.  Lupo, you know better than to think you can pull that drek on me..  Taking another long pull from her smoke, she held it in her hand as she stepped to the front of the group, standing with her legs wide and letting out a long, low wolf's howl.  As if on cue, the back lot was alive, a smattering of whooping and howling trogs surrounding them, centered by the biggest chromed out looking troll most of them had ever seen: Lupo.  Hulking over them, he grinned and loomed over Arc, the girl not flinching and matching his gaze with narrowed eyes.

"Start talking. I'll decide if it's worth my time."

She gave a smirk, closing her eyes and giving a quick shake of her head.  "Ever the saber-slotting rattler, ain't yeh Lupo?" Her smirk widened if any snarl was to meet her snarky comment, the short girl puffing out her chest.  "If you have any fraggin' hope of keepin' this turf yours, you will listen, and answer when called upon.  That is, assuming you don't wanna be king of a glassed fraggin' hole in the earth?"  She paused briefly, glancing around at their present company, giving an opportunity for the others to speak if need be.

[ismilealot]

@ Arc  His face turns even meaner and uglier, " 'Cept when I talk, it mean summat. It aint sewage spillin outta ugly ass breeder. You burned out whatever you mighta had between your ears long time ago you thought you 'kin come to me spittin drek outta your mouth like ta old hooker spills it outta her slot. When I say summat gonna happen, it happen. You had ta power to turn my turf inta glass you wouldn't need to come ta me frontin'. You been smarter putting your mouth down ta bone on Old Nick than commin here spittin out stupid." He looks around at his crew, "Anyone here heard anything what mean she get ta live?" he barks his laughter at that, and is joined by the Howlers barking and howling at the moon. The faces get ugly then, as they look at you and your little crew, waiting for the order to hunt.

[Csjarrat]

We need help sustaining and preparing the binding ritual and we'd also need counter spelling defence as this thing is going to be mighty pissed that we're ruining it's feeding. If either of you can sustain or fix enhancements on the strike team, I'm sure they wouldn't object either. I know it's a lot to ask, but we're expecting it to feed in the next couple of days. We need to stop it and soon, before it becomes even more powerful and brazen with it's killing.

[ismilealot]

@ Feathers  He swallows again, "I'll talk to Marion about the enhancements. I can do a bit of counter-spelling defense. It's not really what I do, but, I know how." he shakes his head and looks at you."I'll talk to a few of the others, the ones with enough nerve for this. Two-Bit actually studied at MIT&T, she's burned out every contact and friend she ever had, but she hasn't forgotten how rituals work, or how to cast, at least when she's on her meds. She can provide ritual support. I'll make sure she takes her pills. Half-baked can maybe run a bit of defense." it's not much, but . . . . . . " he shakes his head and looks at you."maybe we can talk to a few others. Couple of the guys in the Order are good summoners, if we can get a few of them . . . His voice trails off as he looks at you.

[Csjarrat]

Sounds like we've got a plan. Summoners would be damn useful, the spirit world seems to hate this aberration almost as much as we do, I'm sure they'd be happy to help.
Look, I've gotta get ready for a meet with some of the gangers tonight. With any luck we can rally up some defences from their footmen. I know this sounds ambitious and I appreciate your help. I really do. Would that it weren't an issue, but we don't have much choice here. Can you speak to the guys and let me know? I've got to shoot off for this meet now.

[Tamesh]

Red's at the bar, more as a sign of solidarity than anything else. Truth be told, she doesn't understand half the words coming out of Lupo's mouth. She's dressed down, wearing some more conventional street clothes instead of her trademark dress, but she still doesn't look completely in her element in a bar like this. Even still, she makes sure her Predator is clearly visible at her hip and keeps her mouth shut unless absolutely necessary.

She furrows her brow when the orc speaks. Whatever the hell that meant, it didn't sound good. She looks down at Arc for some sort of indication as to what she ought to do. Red can turn on the charm if need be, but she doubts her particular brand of charisma is going to be very well received here.

[SgtBoomCloud]

@ Arc  His face turns even meaner and uglier, " 'Cept when I talk, it mean summat. It aint sewage spillin outta ugly ass breeder. You burned out whatever you mighta had between your ears long time ago you thought you 'kin come to me spittin drek outta your mouth like ta old hooker spills it outta her slot. When I say summat gonna happen, it happen. You had ta power to turn my turf inta glass you wouldn't need to come ta me frontin'. You been smarter putting your mouth down ta bone on Old Nick than commin here spittin out stupid." He looks around at his crew, "Anyone here heard anything what mean she get ta live?" he barks his laughter at that, and is joined by the Howlers barking and howling at the moon. The faces get ugly then, as they look at you and your little crew, waiting for the order to hunt.

The girl's eyebrow twitched as the big troll spat out his reply, her eyes wanting to roll around inside her head from all his false inferences.  Frag, man, it's no wonder they jumped the wrong guy with that thinking.  Drekheads..  Shaking her head, she took one more step forward, lifting her chin up to the guy almost defiantly.  When she spoke, she spoke level, but loudly, the grating sound of an Or'Zet undertone emanating from her throat.

"Don't make me repeat myself.  We know each other well enough to know I ain't the next drekhead you can shove around.  I'm out of your boot,  Lupo, ain't nothin' you can do ta change that.  So I'm gonna give you a second to clear the drek out of your ears, cuz I'm only gonna say this once..."  She took a glance back to her crew, giving a quick look to suggest that they back up any facts she might miss.  "That drekbag what be killing off those people?  Yeah, you missed him, you know that.  That's cuz the drekker is a fraggin' spirit, Lupo.  Blood mojo of the fragging kind, and it's only getting stronger!  I don't have to tells ya what that means for your precious turf, cuz you know if it goes unchecked, KE's mojo team's gonna be all over the place.  THAT'S how your home's gettin' glassed, by this 'hood bickering against each other and not doing right against this fragger."

She spat at the ground on the side of them, a note of contempt towards an outside foe...though the unaware of Howler doctrine might construe it as an insult, who knows.  "Now, the fraggin' mojo spirit's bound by an Awakened, and a young one at that.  Likely bonded after an incident.  A violent one, you followin' me, Lupo?  'Bout a month ago, some bad drek came down, left a girl survivor what was laughing all freaky-deeky like.  Now, given your history with leaving little girls alive.."  She tapped her implants, purple eyes glaring up at him.  "..I have a feeling you have a story to tell.  Or at least know of the story, ya heard?"

[ismilealot]

@ Arc  Lupo looks at you, he's not stupid, he couldn't lead the Howlers if he was, and he understands what you're telling him, and it's a quick jump to it's implications. "Wasn't Howler biz, wiz. Ancients had a problem with one of their own. Sent a squad to torture everyone. They were supposed to torture the kids right in front of the second. Ancients third was supposed to torture the kids, then torture the second and leave him laid out for the three others that were going an stealing from the profits and running their own game before they tortured them for info and killed them. No one knows what happened. Only one left alive was his oldest dau. She came out in ta morning covered in blood and everyone inside dead. It weren't a blood bath in there, it were a charnal house. Keebs were ripped up inta pieces and all she were doing were laughing. She gone, disappeared. Ancients denied all knowledge and their ranks got rearranged." he looks around at his crew and then sneers. "It be blood magic and it be Ancients what be the problem around here. Keebs let this thing loose. An we know how ta kill keebs." He looks at you."Ancients started this. Howlers gonna end it." he howls at the moon and the rest of the pack join him. He turns and walks away from you.

[Triskavanski]

Masquerade being in the group of howlers with her own howler persona, sighs a bit shaking her head. She didn't join in the howling, instead gives Lupo a bit of a sidelong glance to him "Ya know, killin tha knife ears ain't gonna matter much. One has gone rabid, and the bitch needs to be put down." she mentions.

If I have to, I'll roll knowledge gangs again. But I'm wondering what I'd know in order to blackmail those around here, or at least know what drives them into do things

[SgtBoomCloud]

Arc stomped her feet as the big troll turned away, trying to get his attention.  "hoi!  You go start drek with the Ancients like you do, you're gonna wind up doing the same fraggin thing that you drekked last night.  You wanna get this thing shut down right?  Get me the name of the girl.  Location is a bonus.  The keebs might be open to talking might not, but with this mojo drek still goin' on, y'all got bigger problems than what some green dandelion eater's gonna give ya.". She narrowed her gaze, stance wide and aggressive as she crossed her arms, leaning onto one hip.

"Haa.... look, Lupo.  I ain't gonna lie, I had no desire to be fraggin talking to you.  But the dealio is, this drek affects all of us, and if we don't put up this selfish drek, we all gon' get heeled in the end.  And I like living, same as you.  So what's it gonna be, huh?"

[Csjarrat]

Feathers stood and shook Tommy's hand. he didn't really know why, but it just seemed appropriate. Like they'd made a bond or a pact and it needed some kind of sealant.
He left the semi awkward silence of the shared kitchen and headed down the narrow corridor, the overly worn carpet half-shining against the old fluorescent tubes' harsh glare.
He had a quick wash in the sink in his tiny room, reapplying his deodorant after the day's exertion and wolfed down a snack bar knowing that this could possibly be a bit of a long night.
He grabbed a spare clip and slotted it into his rapid-transit coveralls. Thinking of the worst possible outcome, he grabbed his satchel bag and stuffed his "work" helmet into it along with the miscellany of his other "work" equipment and headed out into the cold air once again.
The foot traffic had picked up massively since he'd first set foot out of the doorway early this morning, and in hindsight, he'd kind of wished he'd overslept and missed the meet.
He knew that eagle had made his choice, sent his message and assigned Feathers the task, but he kidded himself that hitting snooze would have changed the outcome.
Nothing about him felt confident about the task in hand though.
The best mages they could count on had never seen combat, one was a nutcase, Feathers was an old man and the other had probably seen more reference articles than actual spellcasting.
None had ever taken on a blood mage, but then what choice had they? Sit back, do nothing and then gape in horror when the next batch of victims were strung up for all to see?
He resigned himself to it.
They'd have to attack and they'd have to do it right. This fucking abomination needed dealing with and no-one else was going to rush in and save this neighbourhood for them.
They'd need to unite the gangs, rally the mages they could and banish this thing and it's summoner as fast as they could.
Feathers shoved his hands deep into his jacket pocket and mentally turned off his AR overlay. This time of night around here demanded his full attention and it would take a short while to rendezvous with the others he'd met today.

[ismilealot]

@ Masquerade  Lupo looks down at you, measuring your words. "We don't have her scent to track her by. But someone in the Ancients will. She was the dau. of their second. We will torture and kill 'em one by one till we get what we need."

@ Arc  "Ancients have closed ranks aroun dis, no names, an treated like they never been. But it won't matter. Howlers know how to separate prey and take 'em down. We'll go through every one 'uh 'em if we have to, till we have a name an a location. An then,  .  we handle it."His fist flexs, and then he lets out the snarl that signifies the pack over a kill.

@ Red  They're trying to hide it, the fear after the shock of the words 'blood magic', trying to find their courage in Lupo's words. You're training in SK taught you many things, the tiny tells that you're looking for even in the near dark of this parking lot.