Dresden Files Las Vegas- It's the End of the World As We Know It 2

Hello again. It's time for the second part of the session. This post will be a bit short, only dealing with the Christmas party but it will be plenty interesting.

The day of the party was a quiet one for all three. Brandon and Neil spent the day doing their usual things. Shade's day was also pretty routine. The only incident of note was that Christine returned Shade's call and they agreed to meet for lunch. Getting there, they sat down and Christine started to talk. She was wondering just why the hell it was taking Neil so long to do something. She asked if Shade thought he really liked her or liked her for the information she could give him. Shade answered truthfully that it was probably both. Christine also asked if she should just come out and ask what was up. Shade answered that she was sure Neil would appreciate the honesty of that. More small talk followed.

Night fell with everyone getting ready to head out to the party. Brandon's suit was ready on time and he looked quite dashing wearing it. He even toned down his pimp tendencies and left the fedora and cane at home. He was the first of the three to arrive at the Luxor. The party room was decorated for Xmas. There were lights, wreaths, and other seasonal touches. As with most Christmas settings, it was a bit gaudy. With his new suit, Brandon made quite the entrance. The guests already there took notice. Lucinda, dressed in red, arrived soon after him. Angelica showed up after her.

Shade arrived at the Luxor on time but decided that a few minutes to herself in the bar would be nice. She had gone shopping and splurged a bit on a vintage dress. Going classic, it was a black silk sheath held up by thin straps. It was also completely backless, showing her full back tattoo. After a quick drink, she headed up to the party and slipped in quietly. Drusilla and Thomas Stone were the next Council members to make it there.

Neil, dressed with his usual impeccable taste, waited for Christine to pick him up (the Ghoul had totalled his car). In the car, she decided that there was no time like the present and flat out asked if he had any intention of having sex with her. Caught a bit off guard, Neil asked if she meant right then. She said no, in the near future. Recovering nicely, Neil told her that he was taking it slow and, in that matter, he was old fashioned and respectful. Christine seemed mollified and a bit charmed by that...for the moment. They made it to the Luxor and joined the party. Just after, Locke, in a horrendous red and green suit, and Tawny showed up. The rest of the Council members arrived after them. That is, all the Council members except Skavis.

The pull of the high roller table was too great for Neil to resist. He bought into the game and sat down to play a few hands. With his skill, he was more then able to hold his own. He had no trouble figuring out most of the player's tells. Uri, after a few hands, didn't even try to bluff. The one player that gave him trouble was Locke. Brandon wandered over to watch the game for a bit.

Shade, who had no interest in the game, went to say hello to Philip and Helena (also Fey and his guest). They talked for a bit. As Shade turned to leave, Helena asked her to do something for her. She wanted Shade to get the pastry chef to come and work for her at her catering company. Shade asked her to repeat the request, not quite believing what she was hearing. Helena did. Shade said okay. Thinking that it had to be some sort of weird hazing ritual, Shade found the pastry chef and made him the offer. He agreed, if Helena would buy out the rest of his contract- price, one million dollars. Shade went and told Helena the terms; she happily said okay. Wondering what just the hell happened, Shade went in search for Heather.

Back at the gaming table, Helena bounced up to Brandon. In a loud voice, meant to be overheard, she started gushing about stealing the famous pastry chef away from Locke. This visibly annoyed Locke, who attempted to blow it off by saying the chef wasn't so great. Needling Locke a bit, Neil disagreed and waxed rapturous over the creme puffs. This rattled Locke enough to cause him to lose. Score one for Neil.

While the game was still going, there were a couple of little incidents. Shade met up with Heather and Puck and she managed to get Locke pissed at her. Apparently, now that she isn't his "apprentice" and burrito fetcher, she isn't allowed to insult Tawny. Other then that, when the game ended, the three just mingled about and chatted. Then, Skavis made his grand entrance- with Frost on his arm!

That is where the game ended. Due to the holidays, we are taking the next couple of Sundays off. This is both good and bad. Good that we have time to think about what we want to do and such. Bad because that gives Lana time to plot our downfall.

Dresden Files Las Vegas- It's the End of The World As We Know It

A very, verrrrrrrrry tension filled and interesting gaming session. We are now really getting into Council and town politics, which I absolutely love (I think Jay does, too- Jason likes it but he is really having the most fun playing the douche bag). Not much happened in terms of big events but the set up for fireworks and general fuckery is now in place. 'Tis going to be a very exciting Christmas and explosive New Year.

Before the actual fun started, Shade told Philip that she would take up the position of Lady Autumn. Then the questions and requests started. She asked more about the sickle and her duties. She also wanted to know more about the Spring Court and the relationship, if any, between the two Courts. The name of the Spring lady was needed by Shade, as well all the names of those affiliated with Autumn. The final question was a bit embarrassing for her to ask. Furiously blushing, she asked Philip if the job demanded certain...recreational...aspects between them. He answered only if she wanted it to. She declined for the present. The poor girl really needs to get laid but....not with the boss.

Now, onto the game proper.

Unknown to Brandon, Shade, and Neil, Uri had a very early meeting with Robert Mason. Their talk was about a power play that was coming perilously close to upsetting the balance in Vegas. Possible names of those involved were bandied about. Skavis, Uri was convinced, was almost certainly involved. However, he doubted that Skavis was working alone. The meeting ended with Uri and Robert agreeing that answers were needed and Uri knew just who to use. Other tidbits of that meeting were 1) Mason was a Black Court Vampire and 2) Ana had been a member of the Spades (the Vegas supernatural hit squad).

At the ungodly hour of 6 am, Uri called Neil, Brandon, and Shade and requested their presence at a meeting that morning. All agreed to show up. The address he gave them turned out to be a house on the edge of town. The boys got there at about the same time and were just chatting outside when Shade walked up. The three went up to the door and were welcomed in by Uri.

Except for a folding table and some chairs, the house was empty. They all sat down and Uri started talking. He explained that he had brokered a deal with Winter and Summer that stated they were not allowed into Vegas without the permission of one Board members. He believed that one of the Board had given that permission to start a play for power. That would be bad. The balance in Vegas was a delicate thing. Neil asked if Summer and Winter wouldn't just ignore that deal. Uri told him that the two Queens, who spoke for all the members of the Court, had sworn on their power to abide by the deal. To break that deal would not be done. As for the Council members, he was fairly sure that Angelica, Locke, Spring, and Autumn were not involved. He also included himself out. Shade brought up a possible connection between the Malvora attack and the Autumn attack. Both groups had been invited to Vegas by Locke. Brandon then asked Uri to swear on his power that he was not involved in either attack. Uri did so. He then pulled out files on each of the Board members and invited the three to look them over.

Fredrick Skavis: His territory was the Northside, where he headed up a pack of Ghouls. He was considered psychotic but mostly harmless. However, he was eager to extend his power base. A known hangout was a bar named the Crucible.
Drusilla Malvora: The head of the Malvora family, her main goals seemed to be rein in her family and maintain the status quo. She intensely disliked Brandon (the reason she has to try and rein in her family).
Melinda Raith: Head of the Raith family, her motives were unknown. She seemed interested in lackeys more then anything. Basically, she used and then discarded them.
Baron Drake: A Red Court vampire, his main motivation was to stay out of the Wizard War. Reserved for a Red Court, he had pretenses of nobility. Known hangouts were the Luxor and a club called The Velvet Room.
Warden Locke: He wanted to ignore people as much as possible and to maintain the status quo. He called the Luxor home.
Thomas Stone: A hydromancer, he was the civil engineer of Hoover Dam. Rarely coming to Vegas, he wanted to keep the White Council out of Vegas.
Lexie: A Wereferret, she was very smart and very interested in power for the shape shifters. She called a local National Park home.
Philip: Lord of Autumn, he was interested in rebuilding power for his Court. He was also motivated to rebuild their numbers.
Puck: Lord of Spring, his interests and motivations seemed to align with Philips.
Angelica Black: She was a Scion of Heaven and a check for Uri's balance, so to speak. Her main motivations were expanding religion in Vegas and protection of the ones under her care.

After reading the files and asking a few more questions, it was decision time. Shade, by virtue of being the Lady, was in without question. She wasn't thrilled about it but, knowing her responsibilities, she had to be involved. Brandon was in. That left Neil. Uri flat out told him that, as of this moment, he could walk away from everything and not be touched by any supernatural repercussions. If he said yes, that out would not be available anymore. Neil said he was in, as well (Yay!). As for when and where to start, Uri told the three that each would receive an invite to the Christmas Party being held the next night. That being all, everyone headed out.

*Rather then going back and forth, I am just going to tell what each person did for the rest of the day.

After a call from Christine confirming their date for the Xmas party, Neil decided to have an exciting time and went off in search of Skavis. He asked around about Skavis' whereabouts and was told the Crucible. Getting there, he headed in to wait for Skavis to show up. To call the Crucible a dive bar was to give it an upgrade. Even the cockroaches and rats avoided the place. Undeterred by the clientele and lack of cleanliness, Neil ordered a drink and waited. Eventually Skavis showed up with a couple of guys and a very unhealthy looking girl. He recognized Neil right away and approached him. After a bit of back and forth, they went into the back for a more intimate chat. After Neil hit him about Ghouls being involved in Ana's attack, Skavis attempted to bluster for a time. However, he was no match for Neil in social combat. Paranoia turned into groveling. Skavis couldn't tell Neil who had hired him. All he had was a piece of paper with phone numbers. He left the room to get it.

While Skavis was gone, the girl came into the room and asked what Neil was doing for him. It was fairly obvious that she did not like Neil one bit. She flat out told him to get out. Neil just smiled and ignored her. She approached him and tried to do...something to him. He could feel something weird on his mind but whatever it was, it didn't work. Just as she was about to take it to the physical level, Skavis came back. After kicking the girl out, he handed Neil the paper and told him that all he had done was to call those to numbers and invite them into Vegas. Satisfied, Neil left. The girl was able to get a parting shot at Neil though. He waved to her as he left. She responded by nailing him on the back of the head with a glass.

Brandon's day was painful as well. However, it was in a totally different way. Needing a suit, he called Neil and asked him where he should go. Armed with the name of a shop, Brandon headed out to seriously deplete his fat stack of cash. He did get a very nice lunch and impeccable service. The tailor promised him it would be ready for the party. Getting home, he was just settling in when there was a knock on his door. Opening it, he saw a luscious, seductive, beautiful woman. Most men would be pleased but not Brandon. The lady was Lucinda Raith, his date for the party. She also happened to be a White Court Vampire. Brandon loathed vampires. It took a bit of social combat but Brandon was able to convince her that he really didn't want to have sex with her. She did talk him into letting her in for awhile. If they were to be believable as a couple for the party, they needed to get to know each other. She stayed for about an hour. Brandon was relieved when she left.

Just starting to relax, Brandon's night was once again interrupted, by the phone this time. It was Neil wanting to meet with Brandon about the paper he got from Skavis. Telling Neil to meet him at his shop, Brandon headed out, stopping for candles on the way. Neil stopped for coffee. At the shop, Brandon cast a spell to locate where the paper came from. It landed on the map in the general area of the Luxor. With that not helping much, they brainstormed a bit and came up with using Neil's contact at the phone company to trace any calls made to the numbers. Satisfied, each headed home for some much needed rest.

Shade left the meeting and called Harold. She needed him to let her into Ana's apartment. Upon opening the door, they saw the place had been completely ransacked. After searching for a time, it was clear that she hadn't left a journal or any notes. Or, if she had, whomever had trashed the place took it. Shade really hadn't thought to find anything but she had to check. Getting back to her shop, Shade made a couple of calls. The first was to Christine. The office was closed, so she just left a message. Shade hadn't forgotten her promise for a talk. The second call was to Heather, aka Lady Spring. Getting her on the line, Shade introduced herself and suggested a meeting. Heather wasn't keen on the idea since she didn't know Shade. A compromise was reached. They would meet up at the party. Thus ended Shade's day.

For Dresden Las Vegas, I have been only doing one post. However, I am going to break this one into two. The next one will only deal with the Xmas party but there were many, many little things that happened that really show how the higher ups think and operate. I really want to include as many as I can to paint the situation properly. Also, I want to do it to really do justice to Lana's story building ability.

Dresden Files Las Vegas- And Behind It All There's A Price To Be Paid

Hi there to everyone that reads this, which is probably about three people. I know Lana talked about performance anxiety in her blog and I REALLY don't want to up it. However, what an incredible gaming session. I also have to give huge kudos to the guys. They really shined in this episode. So much so that, even though it was Shade's trouble and temptation, they were the true stars. They have made some great characters. Jason is really coming out of his shell playing the douche bag with the secret heart of gold. He frequently has all of us rolling over what he says and does. Jay's playing is awesome. A new player can turn out to be a mistake (*cough*... Everlasting and Marc...*cough*) but that is not the case here. Neil is the perfect character for this game and I, for one, cannot wait to see what Jay will have him do next.

I will admit to feeling a bit useless last night but that is just Shade and her indecision toward power. Will she take it? Will she pass it up? I am sure Lana already knows the answer. To see how she gets to that moment of choice, let's begin.

With a Ghoul in the trunk and a dead girl in the backseat, Neil's options were rather limited. He placed a call to Legends and told the person who answered that Philip needed to be there in ten minutes with armed guards and that he had Anna. He and Wyatt drove off. After a bit, they both heard a VERY loud thump coming from the back. Neil looked and saw a hand sticking out of the trunk. Spinning the car around, Neil backed into a telephone pole...hard. Poor Wyatt had no clue what was going on. With nothing more being seen or heard from the back, Neil took off again for Legends. Once they were there, Neil had Wyatt leave. After a bit of knocking, the door was answered and Neil went it. A woman named Helena asked what happened. Neil told her to get Philip and he would explain. He also let her know about the Ghoul in the truck. She sent a couple of men out there to get it. After a few minutes, Philip came in, looking impossibly handsome and impeccably dressed. He and Neil talked for awhile. Neil told him what happened, leaving Wyatt's presence out of the tale. Philip asked about any items she might have had on her. Neil said there hadn't been any that he saw. Helena searched the body and confirmed nothing was there. Philip then offered payment. Neil refused, though he did bring out a business card and gave it to Philip, letting him know that he was available for jobs. He also asked that the Ghoul be taken care of. Philip assured him the Ghoul would be treated properly. How humane his ending would be based on just how free the Ghoul was with information. Satisfied, Neil left.

In the Liberace Museum, Shade found an unused conference room and set to work. She tattooed herself with three spells (rituals are great, if you have time to do them). The first was a ward around herself. The second was a transformation spell to alter her looks. The third was a simple offensive fire spell. When she was finished, she gathered everything up and left. Yes, the Museum is neutral territory but, if they wanted the apple bad enough, Shade figured they would just deal with the fallout of an attack. Robert Mason had been really nice to let her stay there and she didn't want anything bad to happen to him or his home.

Outside the Museum, Brandon was still watching the Gruff and the other guy, who turned out to be a Ghoul. Wanting to get closer, Brandon pretended to be drunk and staggered closer to them. He sized them up but figured that a physical confrontation would be kind of tough. Continuing the drunk act, he "collapsed" against a nearby wall. He couldn't hear anything but the Gruff seemed unhappy about something and the two started arguing. Just then, the three of them saw a woman leave the Museum. The Gruff and Ghoul continued arguing. Brandon decided to drunkenly walk up to them and ask if they wanted to go into the Museum for a drink. They ignored him. Dropping the pretense, Brandon told them he thought it would be wise for them to go. The Gruff tried to intimidate Brandon but it didn't work. Brandon easily took him out socially. The Ghoul was another matter. The two of them traded veiled and not so veiled threats. It was fast coming close to turning into physical combat when a shroud of darkness fell over the three of them. When it lifted, Brandon saw Mason behind the Gruff and the Ghoul. Announcing to all a good night, Brandon quickly left. Mason gently informed the other two they should go as well.

Having made her escape, Shade went to one of the many seedy, rent by the hour motels off the Strip and settled in for awhile. She opened the Sight on the apple again. This time, she was looking for something specific- how to invoke it's power. There were runes on the sickle which she couldn't fully decipher. However, she figured that saying them would do the trick. Satisfied, she left for another motel.

After leaving Philip, Neil placed a call to Mr.White's private number. He answered and agreed to meet Neil at his office. Getting there, the two of them went up to Uri's office and sat down. Neil told him what happened at the lot and to Anna. Uri quirked an eyebrow when he learned that Neil subdued a Ghoul. That was not what usually happened when a human went against one. Uri was fairly stoic until he heard that Anna was dead. After hearing that, he told Neil that Shade's life was in danger and asked if he knew where she was. Neil said no. Telling Neil they needed a wizard, Uri called Brandon. Brandon, who had just got home, answered the phone. He wasn't too pleased but he agreed to come over. About an hour and a half later, he got to Uri's office. Sitting down, he was told that he needed to do a locating spell for Shade. Brandon asked him if he had something from her and Uri pulled out a couple of strands of hair. The first spell wasn't strong enough to penetrate the ward Shade had made around herself. Exasperated, Uri offered his blood to help. That was a huge sacrifice. Having the blood of a person or being was basically a way to have power over them. With that addition, Brandon was able to get the second spell to work. They had a general idea of where she was.

Feeling her spell being tested the first time, Shade once again packed up and left for another motel. There she cast a stronger ward and fell to sleep. When Brandon cast his second spell, it woke her up. Even though she recognized Brandon's magic, she wasn't taking any chances. She knew that location spells weren't that specific. So, she headed out for a motel on the other side of the strip.

Needing to get to her quickly, Uri simply opened a rift into the Nevernever. Brandon was suitably impressed and followed Uri in with little hesitation. Neil didn't hesitate either. He simply picked up his drink and entered behind the other two. The view on the other side of the rift was not pleasant. It was hot and full of fire. The landscape was bare with the occasional burned, dead tree. After a short time, Uri stopped and opened away back into the normal world. The three of them entered into a dark and, more importantly, cool alley. They decided the best thing would be to split up and search. After a half an hour so, they met back up with nothing learned. Being unable to find her, Uri stated he was going back to his office and getting some sleep. A cranky half demon, woozy from blood loss, was not the best company. Neil elected to get a cab back to his car. Brandon went back through the rift with Uri.

Very early the next morning, Shade left the motel and called Mr. White. Without preamble, she asked if he had been able to set up the meeting. He asked where she was; she answered she was safe. He told her that she was not safe and she needed to come to his office. Shade reluctantly agreed. After hanging up, Uri made two phone calls. They were to Brandon and Neil, telling them they didn't need to keep looking for Shade. Getting to his office, Shade was ushered in by a disheveled looking Uri. That alone told her how serious the matter was. Never had she seen him less then impeccable. When seated, Uri started speaking. The Fey of Vegas were neither Summer nor Winter. They were Autumn and Spring. A long time ago, Summer and Winter had decided to wipe the other two out and they almost succeeded. Locke had negotiated with the remnants of the Autumn and Spring Courts to come to Vegas. Now, it seemed that someone had invited representatives of the Summer and Winter Courts to come to Vegas and finish what they had started. Philip was the King in Waiting of the Autumn Court and that was who they were to meet. Shade took it all in. She then asked about Anna. Uri bluntly told her Anna was dead. As far as he was concerned, Shade was going to either stay there (where he could sit on her, figuratively speaking) or the Museum. He ruled out the Luxor and getting Locke involved. Shade agreed with him on that point. Locke had kicked her out once; she wasn't going back for round two. She also vetoed the Museum. They both settled down for some much needed sleep. Uri took the couch; Shade the floor.

Brandon and Neil both slept late. When Neil got up, he started to do some research on Ghouls. He found out that holy items were the best defense against them. It was shopping time. He first bought a squirt gun and then hit up a church to fill it with holy water. Then it was off to the car dealership. His car was a write off from the Ghoul and he thought he would look good in a new Mercedes. He made sure to get a voucher for Mr. White. Brandon was a bit more leisurely. He treated it as a vacation day.

Upon awakening, Shade made coffee while Uri made some calls. They were to Neil and Brandon, respectively. He wanted to hire their services as bodyguards for the upcoming meeting. Hearing that, Shade vehemently denied that she needed bodyguards. Uri told her that yes, she did. Still arguing with him, Uri told her to be quiet and finished talking to the two men. After the calls, they both took showers and waited for the boys to arrive. Brandon got there first and then Neil, who thankfully brought food. After filling them in on the Fey matter and taking care of the money part, Brandon and Neil went shopping. First stop was a military store where Neil bought gloves and had them fitted with screws on the outside of the leather. Next stop was a Renaissance shop, where both got fitted with chain mail. Last stop was back to a church, so Neil could get his gloves blessed. Shade used the time to cast a few spells she thought she might need, one of which was a fire spell.

With everyone gathered together again, Uri announced it was time for the meeting. He opened a rift, which caused nary a raised eyebrow. The walk was a bit longer then the previous one. Eventually, the air became cooler and they walked into the beginnings of a forest. Even though the forest was beautiful, they each could see small areas of rot and decay. Uri said to be on guard. If an attack was going to happen it would be between there and the manor.

The only warning was a cold wind. Rhyme came at the group from the surrounding forest. He attacked Brandon but it was stopped by the chain mail. Shade pulled her dagger and managed to stab Rhyme with it. Uri turned in time to see Frost appear. He cast Hellfire at her, which she did NOT like one bit. Rhyme launched another attack against Brandon, which Neil blocked. Both Ghouls had been hanging back. One attacked Uri and managed to lock onto his arm. Uri used Hellfire again but the Ghoul managed to dodge the flame. Frost attacked Uri, who was able to move out of the way. Neil ran over to the Ghoul locked on Uri's arm and kidney punched it in the back. The blessing worked, thank God. The Ghoul dropped, dead. Brandon, Shade, and Rhyme exchanged blows again, none managed to land though. Once again, Uri used Hellfire against Frost. Moving out of the way, she started to cast a spell. Brandon, recognizing what she was doing, counter spelled. The blizzard attempting to form, dissolved.The other Ghoul ran at and tried to attack Neil. Neil stepped aside and used the Ghouls momentum to face plant it on the ground. Rhyme then tried his hand at spell casting. He lost control of it and the fallout turned the ground underfoot to ice. Shade stabbed Rhyme again and nailed him in the kidney. Brandon then moved in and skewered Rhyme through the heart. Frost, seeing that Rhyme had been killed, fled. Not giving it the chance to get up, Shade used the fire spell to kill the last Ghoul.

With the fight over, the group caught their breath. Hearing that Rhyme had been the one to kill Anna, Uri said the body would be a fine present for Philip. He slung the corpse over his shoulder and they started walking again. Eventually they made it to what looked like a massive country manor, a slightly rundown manor. They were admitted into a courtyard which looked in better condition but still showed signs of being neglected. At their knock, the door opened and the went into the foyer proper. The room was both rich and creepy looking. Neil, pulling his phone out, tried to get pictures of everything. Luckily, his phone wasn't hexed. However, the pictures were all blank. A young man walked over and introduced himself as Flash. Right on cue, Brandon sang ah-ahhhh. Giving him a dirty look, Flash said it was because he was fast and not because of the Flash Gordon movie. He told them his actual name was Wally. He led the group into a big room, where three men and three women were waiting. The one sitting had red hair and was dressed in the colors of Autumn. That was Philip. Introductions were made. Then Uri presented the body of Rhyme to the King in Waiting. He asked who had dealt the killing blow. Brandon said it had been him. Philip thanked him graciously for the gift. He then asked about the item. Shade said she had it but would like to talk to him in private first. He agreed and led her off to another room.

Uri, Brandon, and Neil were left with the others. Asked if they were hungry or thirsty, they were led into a large dining room. There was a feast waiting for them, as well as strong drink. Neil talked with a couple of the Fey. One of the Fey females, named Laurel, cornered Brandon and offered to show him all the other sights of the manor. Catching her intent, Brandon replied that he would love to see anything she wanted to show him. Smiling, she led Brandon off to a bedroom and personally rewarded him (many times over and quite acrobatically) for killing Rhyme.

Alone in the bedroom, Philip asked if Shade had the apple/sickle (here, its' shape was the sickle). She said she did and pulled it out. She asked him if he could tell her more about it and would he answer some questions. He said he would. Her first question was just what was it. He told her it was an item of power given to a mortal woman. Like the Winter and Summer Court had their Knights, the Autumn and Spring Court had their Ladies. The Autumn Lady stood at his right hand and was tasked with protecting the Autumn Fey from harm. The Lady would also speak for him at the Council when he could not be there. For whatever reason (try being the closest supernatural female), Shade had been chosen to take up those duties now that Anna was dead. All she had to do was invoke it. Faced with such temptation, Shade hesitated. She declined, for the moment, but wanted more time to think. Philip told her, that until another was chosen, she could take it up. Shade said she would let him know. However, even though she didn't say it, she knew her final answer.

She would tell Philip yes.

Dresden Files Las Vegas- Everybody Want It, Gotta Take It Back

What a session! It was so good, we actually lost track of time. There were fights, deals, a death, and a kidnapping...or rather, a ghulnapping. Quite the wild ride. That being said, here it is for your reading pleasure.

Time had passed in Sin City. Brandon, Shade, and Neil had about two months downtime. Brandon was finally able to get his insurance check for the fire and to get the rebuild going on his shop. That called for a bit of a treat. So, he bought himself a sword cane. Now, he is a douche bag armed with a sword. He also spent much of the hiatus avoiding the old man out in the desert and coyotes. Neil was able to set up the poker game in Mr. B's memory. Even though she didn't come, Drusilla was pleased (I foresee the Malvora Favor Aspect hanging about for awhile). The game allowed Neil to make a few more contacts. The only downside was that Fredrick Skavis showed up. Neil used the downtime to check out the paper from Wyatt's hat, as well. It turned out to be a contract dated October 31, 1897. The terms were not surprising. It involved the selling of Wyatt's soul. Shade kept busy too. Much of her time was spent practicing more physical manifestations of her power. She also spent all her money and bought the building where she has her tattoo shop and apartment. Friends weren't neglected. Neil came for a visit and learned, via Shade, more about the Supernatural community. Penny also stopped by to thank her for her support during the funeral.

Onwards to the night of December 21, where things started to go to hell:

Shade was finishing up her work day when she heard the bell ring on the front door. She glanced up and saw an attractive, long-haired redhead woman rush in. Looking harried, the red head pulled...something out and dropped it in front of Shade. Instinctively, Shade reached out and caught it. The woman then faded from view as she crossed into the Nevernever. Focusing on the object now in her hands, Shade saw that it was an apple, a golden apple. She could feel the power emanating from it. Upstairs, she set the apple down and, after pouring a drink, opened the Sight on it. She saw that, not only was it an apple, it was a sickle. Runes on it translated to "what you sow; so shall you reap". There was also a skeletal hand over the sickle, autumn leaves, and vines showing the duality (death and rebirth). A search through her library didn't yield Shade any information. Packing up the apple in a messenger bag, she headed out to find Harold, the only Fey she really knew.

Neil was out on the town with Christine. Still resisting her desire for something more physical and intimate, they went to dinner, a show, and then out for drinks. While on the Strip, he saw an woman with long red hair being chased by a couple of guys. One was very slender, dressed in black, and had whitish hair. The other man was bigger, more muscular with dark hair. Being casual, Neil stuck his foot out after the woman passed. The slender gentleman slightly tripped but didn't go down. When he looked up, Neil noticed that his eyes were an odd amber color. The guy gave Neil a knowing look and sped off again. The second, slower, man wasn't so lucky. He tripped over Neil's foot and face-planted. He got up and looked over to Neil, who managed to sound oh so innocent, as he asked if the guy was okay. The guy nodded and took off again.

Brandon was having a very quiet night. Out on the town, he had ended up at Legends, a piano bar. It was one of the few places he hadn't been kicked out of yet. He was having a drink and listening to the music when he saw Shade come in. She noticed Brandon and went over. After ordering a drink, she asked the bartender if Harold was there. Getting a no, she sweet talked him into calling Harold, who said he would be there soon. While waiting, Brandon and Shade chatted a bit. Once Harold got there, Shade made a beeline to him and dragged him to an alcove to talk. Once seated, Shade told him about the woman and showed him the apple. He knew absolutely nothing about the apple. However, he said the woman could possibly be Anna- his dad's lady. Brandon, who had been watching from the bar, and Shade both noticed a couple of people walk in. The woman was very professional looking, dressed in slacks and a trench coat. The man with her was more casual, jeans and t-shirt. When they saw Shade, they walked over.

Getting to the table, the woman told Shade to hand it over. Shade, caught in the act of standing up, played innocent and said she had no idea what the woman referred to. Still denying she had the apple, Shade attempted to move around them. Frost (the woman) grabbed Shade's arm and told her she was going with them. Struggling, Shade started to play up the Damsel in Distress Aspect. She wanted to get the crowd worked up so they would help her. Having seen enough, Brandon came up behind Frost and pushed the point of his sword into her back, telling her to let his friend go. Basically ignoring him and the crowd, Frost picked Shade up and threw her over her shoulder. That did it for Brandon, he stabbed the woman. She tried to block but he was able to make it through. Surprised, she told Rhyme (her companion) to finish Brandon off. Being stabbed with iron makes the Fey cranky. Rhyme grinned and pulled out a dagger. He attacked but Brandon threw up a shield spell. He hadn't figured on Brandon being a wizard. Having that information and seeing the bar crowd getting riled up, Frost dropped Shade and the two of them left. Soon after, Brandon and Shade left as well. They headed for the one safe place in Vegas- the Liberace Museum. Even though it was closed, Mason let Shade in for the night. Brandon headed back to his place.

The next dawned bright and early for Neil. He woke up to a 7 am phone call from Christine. Her boss, Mr. White wanted to see him at his earliest convenience. Once business was done, she asked Neil about going out again that night (the girl REALLY wants him). Neil said he would have to get back to her about that. After hanging up, Neil took his time and leisurely went about his morning. He didn't get to Uri's office until around 10. He talked with Christine for a bit, who said Mr.White was with a client, and then waited...and waited. And then, waited some more. After about an hour, the client left. Neil once again...waited. Gotta love those petty power games! Finally in the office, Mr. White got down to business. He asked Neil about the incident on the Strip last night ie; the girl being chased by the two men. Neil told him what happened. Uri pulled out a folder and produced a picture of Anna. Name confirmed. Telling Neil to check it out for him, Uri also gave him a picture of the guys chasing Anna. Once that business was concluded, the shit got real. Uri casually mentioned that Neil needed to do something or, rather, someone for him. His assistant Christine had been distracted lately and it seemed to be in Neil's power to...alleviate...that situation. Neil understood completely. Back in reception, Neil made a dinner date with her for that night. She was very excited about the idea of cooking for him.

After the meeting with Mr. White, Neil grabbed a sandwich and headed over to where Wyatt was working. Sitting on a bench across the street, Neil observed and ate. After some time passed, Wyatt came over and asked Neil why he was there. Neil produced the snapshot of the two men and asked him what he saw. Wyatt started to describe it but Neil told him to draw it on the picture. He did so. With that information, Neil placed a call to Mr. White to tell him what he learned. Neil was told to watch out for Anna and the men. He was also to keep an eye on Shade (the reason for that is in the next paragraph). Not being able to do both, Neil asked which took precedence. Anna was, Uri replied. Asked about Wyatt's description of the two men, Uri said that the guy with horns was probably a Gruff and that the other man was of the Fey Winter Court. Wyatt and Neil made plans to meet later to find the two men.

After a long night, Shade left a message for Locke, asking if he would come to the museum. When he got there, she showed him the apple and explained how she got it. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to tell her much. Still needing more information, she called the only person who would probably have the contacts to help her- Mr White. Luckily, she was able to get an appointment. When she got there, Christine surprised her by asking if she could talk to Shade about Neil after the appointment. Shade agreed and then was ushered into Uri's office. Launching right into it, Shade told him about the incident with Anna and the later attempted kidnapping. She then pulled out the apple. Uri remained stone-faced until she told him about it being a sickle as well as an apple. He bluntly asked her how much it would be to sell it to him. She refused and said she just wanted information about it and to get it back to it's rightful owner. He said he would give her the information but at a price. She would owe him a favor of equivalent value. Shade told him okay but with the caveat that she wouldn't hurt or betray anyone she knew. The deal being agreed to by both sides, Uri told her that the apple was the Sickle of Harvest. The woman wielding it was called Lady Autumn or Dame Autumn. She would be a mortal invested with the full power of the Fey. Just then, Mr. White received Neil's call. While he was on the phone, Shade opened the Sight and took a look at him.* What she saw was Uri wreathed in fire. The heat was intense. The core of the fire was black, only becoming red at the ends. Uri's skin was a muted reddish tone and he had horns, very appropriate for a half-demon. She couldn't tell if he had a tail or not; he was sitting down. Shutting the Sight off, Shade got up and made herself a drink, making sure to keep her back to him. After he hung up, Shade babbled something about being very, very, very sorry for doing something so stupid. He asked what she did. Her answer was that he looked good in red. Uri agreed she had been stupid. He went on to say that he could set up a meeting with the person Shade needed to see, at the cost of another favor. Wanting to get out of there, Shade said that would be good. She left, still so shaken up that she forgot about her talk with Christine.

Brandon's day started at noon, when he got up. Once fully awake, he decided to go to the Luxor. Getting there, he put some money on a table and played for a bit. By chance, Jeremy Running Mouth spotted him and came over to say hello. He asked what Brandon was up to. Brandon told him he was looking for two people, the ones that had tried to kidnap Shade. He had some of Frost's blood from the sword. Jeremy asked why he didn't just use a location spell. Brandon thought that a great idea, bought a map, and did the spell. The location of the two was in North Las Vegas. Brandon headed out, eventually making his way to the bus station.

After leaving Wyatt, Neil went in search of information. Being mortal, not too many were willing to talk freely with him. He was able to find out that Anna was often seen in the company of Philip. Their relationship was unclear. Some thought it was just friendship; others thought it a sugar daddy type thing. He also learned that Philip was a higher up in the Fey world. At each place he visited, Neil left his number with the message to give him a call. After awhile, it was time for Wyatt to get off work and for them to meet up. Once together, Wyatt did his find anyone thing and the chase was on. Heading into North Vegas, Wyatt pinpointed the bus station as where they needed to be.

Still a bit shell shocked over the half demon thing, Shade headed back to her shop to gather a few things together. She and Uri had agreed that staying there would be a bad idea. The safest place for her would be at the Liberace Museum. After gathering up a change of clothes, a tattoo gun, and some ink, she headed to the Luxor to see Locke and ask if she could just stay there to rest for a bit and get her head together. Thanks to Tawny, Locke's typical Vegas showgirl looking apprentice (ya RIGHT), that idea went to hell fast. First, Tawny shut the door in Shade's face. Then Shade hexed the door open and basically told her to cut the crap and get Locke. After that, it was on. First insults were thrown about. Then it came down to a full on girl fight. Of course, that was when Locke showed up. He magically pulled them apart and, after a stern lecture, sent them to opposite bedrooms. Of course, Locke being Locke, he had to first make some wise ass comments about setting up a mud pit for them to wrestle in (Shade isn't very good at insulting people. She's really too nice to be good at it. However, her best line came right after the mud pit was talked about. She said that it wouldn't be the first time Tawny found herself kneeling face down in the dirt- kinda proud of that one. Tawny got a couple of good hits in as well. I seem to recall low class tattooed gutter rat being said.). Locke explained that Shade couldn't stay there. He gave her some money and told her to get a meal downstairs.

As luck, and GM planning!, would have it, the three men showed up at the bus station at the same time. After the hello's, Neil and Brandon informed the other why they were there. Neil also got to hear about what happened to Brandon and Shade at Legends. While talking, Brandon looked over and spotted Rhyme. Turning his back to him, Brandon let Neil and Wyatt know that was who he was looking for. Just then, Neil's quarry came into view. Rhyme and the big guy met up and were joined by two other men. The four of them then left the station. Brandon, Neil, and Wyatt followed them. Outside, the suspects split up. Brandon followed the big guy and his partner. Neil and Wyatt followed Rhyme and the guy he was with.

With the two moving quickly, Brandon had to chase after them. Even at that speed, he was able to remain unnoticed. After a bit, the two of them stopped and seemed to be arguing. Brandon crept closer to try and listen in. He heard a loud thud. Coming even closer, he observed that the big guy had changed. His skin had become rough and hairy and he sported tightly curled horns. The Gruff, that being what he was, grabbed the little one and slammed his head on to the brick wall behind them. That pretty much stopped the argument. The Gruff headed off with Brandon still following. They ended up at the Liberace Museum.

Neil and Wyatt, using Wyatt's talent, had an easier time following their duo. After a couple of hours, Wyatt told Neil the two had stopped. Catching up, they found themselves at an empty lot in a very bad part of town. In the middle of the lot, they saw Anna struggling with Rhyme and the other one. It looked like he was stabbing her. Without hesitation, Wyatt and Neil rushed over. Anna crumpled to the ground as Rhyme turned to face Wyatt. Wyatt pulled out his knife and the two tried to gut each other. Wyatt drew first blood but quickly took a bad cut himself. More knife blows were exchanged with neither able to get in the killing blow. Finally, Rhyme had lost enough blood to give up. He pulled away and opened a way into the Nevernever. Neil and the other guy were having their own battle. Neil decided to not fuck around. He nailed the Ghoul in the testicles. The Ghoul went down (doesn't matter what species they are- a blow to the nuts will drop a male quicker then anything).  Enraged and in pain, the Ghoul attacked Neil but missed. Neil used the attack against the Ghoul and once again dropped him to the ground. The end came quickly after Neil nailed him in the testicles again and then across the head. The Ghul passed out. With both opponents vanquished, Neil and Wyatt both turned to Anna. She was lying still, in an ever widening pool of blood. Wyatt dropped to her side to try and help her. Neil took off running for his car. When he got back, he saw that Wyatt had used his jeans to hogtie the unconscious Ghoul. Looking at Anna, Wyatt told Neil that they were too late. She had died from her wounds. Together, the two of them managed to get the Ghoul into the trunk of the car.

And there it ended for the night. Shade was in the Museum, doing some heavy thinking about her predicament. Brandon was outside the Liberace Museum, keeping an eye on the Gruff and his partner. Neil and Wyatt were in Neil's car with a tied up, unconscious Ghoul in the trunk. The next session is tomorrow and I cannot wait to see how each gets out of their predicaments.


*Most wizards do not use the Sight a whole lot. They can never forget what they see and the memory never fades. Shade uses it more then most but I do have an explanation why that would be. Shade deals with symbols and their physical aspects. For example: Fire is fire. However, there are many symbols for the physical manifestation of fire. She is comfortable with both ideas. In her mind, what she sees when she opens the Sight is just a symbol. That's not to say that what she sees with the Sight doesn't freak her out sometimes; it does.

Dresden Files Las Vegas- You Give Me the Reason

Yes, I know! I am about a week and some behind but you can blame Diablo. I finally got a couple of characters to level sixty and have been enjoying my now easy romp through the levels. The lure of the yellow drops is just too good to pass up. However, I WILL be completely caught up before gaming next Sunday.

The game started with Brandon. He had just prudently decided to end his interrogation of Fredrick. Already having a bad day, he headed back to the Administration Building. A brief conversation with Drusilla resulted in a call to Daisy, informing her that she would talk with Brandon or lose any chance at an inheritance. Rather quickly, Daisy agreed. Satisfied, Brandon went back to her place. On the way there, Brandon had the misfortune to run into a certain group of people. Before he knew what was happening, he had a microphone shoved into his face. "I am Mitch Mitchell from Truthisodes and I am here about the murder and cover-up!" the man said before he started to pepper Brandon with questions. Brandon declined to talk about why he was there and the murder. Not giving up, Mitch got right into his face. Having had enough, Brandon punched the reporter. Needless to say, Mitch totally played it up for the camera. Brandon was finally able to reach the safety of Daisy's building. Inside, he saw an attractive blond, presumably her, impatiently waiting for him. Introductions were made and they got right down to it. With his usual tact, Brandon started questioning Daisy about her relationship with her father, her brothers, and who she thought was capable of the murder. Daisy, not responding well to douche baggery, answered with a wee bit of hostility. Insults were traded back and forth. At first, douche bag trumped bitch. Then, bitch trumped douche bag.* Eventually Brandon came out ahead. Daisy broke down and told him that she hadn't been in the area the night of the murder and had a motel receipt to prove it. She declined to tell him just who she was with. Satisfied with that, Brandon left.

Neil was on his way to a challenging social combat of his own. Heading over to the housing dorms, he arrived just in time to see a flustered Brandon leave. After being announced, he headed upstairs for his interview with the Happy Donkleberry- aka Duncan. Upon entering the room, Neil saw a middle aged, portly man in the process of packing. In contrast to the twins, Duncan came across as warm, friendly, and a bit simple. He was more than happy to answer questions. After a time, Neil realized that the whole country bumpkin act was just that...an act. There was intelligence hidden there. A long social combat ensued with neither one getting the edge. Had Neil finally met his match? It was close but Neil finally gained the upper hand. Getting on the subject of his father, Duncan was unable to hide his grief. He was also unable to fully hide his fear. However, he had an alibi for the murder. Apparently he had been chatting up a waitress at the casino while the murder was taking place. With a sly look, he ended the interview with the observation that the waitress tasted good.

Shade's day was going a bit more smoothly. She showed up at the Clown College and went in to speak with Drusilla. She didn't take too much notice of the camera crew outside the gates. Reaching Drusilla's office, she was shown right in. She told her that she would need access to the security tapes of the casino and to the key card logs. The key card logs would be easy; the security tapes, not so much. Drusilla told Shade they were in the possession of the police. Shade said that was okay. She could get her proof with magic. That being all she needed, Shade made her goodbyes and left. At the gate, she had the fun of her own run in with Mitch. She managed to ignore him. Next, she called Neil and asked for Mr.White's number. She had to check something out. After getting the number and the address, she called and made an appointment with Yuri. Luckily, he was available fairly soon. Shade headed over right away. Getting there, Christine announced her. Uri came out and ushered her into his office. He offered her a drink and asked Shade why she was there. She told him that Thomas had mentioned talking to him the night of the murder and she just wanted to verify that was so. He said that was true. Shade thanked him for the information and told him that was all she needed. Uri seemed a bit surprised at that and hinted about another reason for her to be there. Not having any idea what he was talking about, Shade just said no, that was it. They made small talk for a bit; then Shade left.

After having lunch, Brandon went to Drusilla's office for a chat. He walked in, and without warning, asked her why she was bothering with this farce when it was her that killed David. Drusilla (and the players...and the GM!) looked shocked. She responded that, if she had killed her brother, she wouldn't have hired anybody to look into it. Brandon retorted that having it looked into would be about the best thing a murderer could do. Social combat turned into mental combat. Before that happened, Brandon was able to hurt her enough socially that she had the aspect of 'appears weak' placed on her. Drusilla easily won the mental combat. With a bit of groveling, Brandon was able to get out of there fairly intact. Will his luck ever run out?

With the interviews done for the time being, Brandon, Neil, and Shade met up at her shop to compare notes. While going over their respective interviews and conclusions, the phone rang. Shade answered it. Drusilla was on the other end. Another murder had taken place. Fredrick (Fizzbow) was the victim. Shade told her that they would be there as soon as possible. Hanging up, she told Brandon and Neil what happened. They headed out and soon reached the college. Getting there, they found Drusilla and the very dead Fizzbow in his classroom. He had been beheaded and his mouth stuffed with garlic. Having an idea, Shade said she had to back to her shop. While she was gone, Brandon used a spell to 'see' what happened through the corpse's eyes. Unfortunately, Fizzbow had been attacked from behind, so Brandon couldn't see the murderer. Neil used the time to investigate around the room. He came across a camera that Fizzbow used to record his routines. It had recorded the murder; but, again the killer's face could not be seen.

By this time Shade had returned with her tattoo gun and ink. She settled in to do a ritual. She tattooed the appropriate symbols around her eyes and cast the spell. As the tattoo faded, she was able to see everything through the killer's eyes. He had climbed over the wall and entered the building through a window. He was able to avoid the cameras in the hall. She 'saw' as the killer came up behind Fizzbow and used a wire to strangle him. The beheading and garlic followed. Leaving, he went by a window and she was able to get a pretty good image of him from his reflection in the glass. Given paper and pencil, Shade sketched the killer's portrait. After that, they went to find Drusilla. She was at the dorm, trying to keep the extended family under control. Shade showed her the picture but Drusilla didn't recognize the guy.

Heading outside, Brandon had an idea on how to find the killer. He had Neil go buy some candy. When he came back with an armload of confections, Brandon placed it on the ground and drew two circles around the lot. He then cast a summoning spell. Soon, a very tiny creature came flying up. The candy proved to be too much of a temptation. The fairy crossed the first circle and triggered the spell. After a bit of negotiating, she (the fairy being female...and a bit of a valley girl) agreed to find the man for the candy. It didn't take long for the fairy to come back with the information. She led Neil, Brandon, and Shade to a boarded up warehouse on the outskirts of town. Assuring them the guy was in there, the fairy claimed her prize and left. The three snuck up to a window and peeked in. The killer was kneeling in the middle of the empty warehouse. A piece of rebar was pressed across his knees and he was reading from the bible. Unfortunately, he was not so engrossed in his reading not to notice he was being watched. Brandon, Shade, and Neil quickly headed to and opened the door. Events happened quickly after that. The killer, holding a gun and the rebar, didn't buy the quickly made story about investing possible squatters. His paranoia was just too great. Things went downhill after that. The killer moved to attack Brandon, who pulled his gun out. Shade tried to hit him with messenger bag but missed. Neil moved the hell out of the way. Brandon attempted to punch the guy but the killer dodged it easily. Swinging the rebar, he kneecapped Brandon, dropping him to the ground. After going down, Brandon passed the gun to Shade. Neil headed towards the bible and threatened to tear it up. The killer paused at this but it didn't stop him. Swinging the rebar again, Brandon was able to block it with a shield spell. Shade moved to Neil's side and told him to get his lighter out. Having had enough, Brandon cast a spell, electrifying the killer. This caused him to drop both his gun and the rebar. Neil tried to get the killer to stop by threatening to burn his bible. The killer said God wouldn't let that happen and turned back to Brandon to finish him off. Shade, not having any other choice, shot him.

Thus ended the fight. Neil called Drusilla and let her know where everyone was. While waiting, reading the killer's journal shed some light on why he had been killing the Malvoras. As a child, the killer had been fed off of by David. A child's fear of clowns and the resulting feeding had scarred him for life. Eventually, he had figured out that David was a vampire and tracked him down. He had also realized that David wasn't the only one. Afte4r a bit, Drusilla and a few other Malvoras showed up. She paid Neil, Shade, and Brandon off and suggested they leave. All three were glad to do so.

The night's gaming session ended there, with us actually winning a fight and beating the bad guy. Yay! The next installment will be up soon and things get crazy!  






* For long social combats, I am just going to give the overall feeling and consequences of the conversations. Otherwise, each of these blog entries would be pages long.

Dresden Files Las Vegas- At a Place Called Vertigo

Sorry to take so long posting this entry but work has been over the top busy. Then there was having multiple infections (molar, gum, sinus) and a root canal. Luckily, work has gone back to the normal amount of crazy and antibiotics are kicking in, so I'm now able to get this done.

Tis' Halloween in Sin City and things are going to hell. The last day of October started with the murder of David, aka Mr. Boomunches, making the front page. The three of us knew him and each reacted to his death in their own way.

Shade had a visit from Penny, who wanted a tattoo to commemorate her uncle David. That seemed fitting since he was the one that had introduced the two girls. They talked while Shade worked. Penny was glad that Shade would be at the wake taking place the next day.

Neil, when he read about the death, attempted to cash in on it. He called a few acquaintances and put the word out to stock up on any and all Mr. Boomunches inventory. He also offered the suggestion of having a poker game in memory of the beloved clown.

Brandon seemed the most affected by the death. Mr. B (have to shorten that a bit, every time I type Mr. Boomunches, I have a fit of the giggles) had been the first to greet him when he moved to Las Vegas and helped him learn the rules. He had also been a customer of Brandon's shop. He and Skip moped around until Brandon came up with a way to honor Mr. B's memory- a 10% off everything sale! He called a radio station and got the word out. The shop was bustling when a guy came in and started to rip down the pictures of Mr. B. Turned out that he was Thomas, Mr. B's nephew, and he wasn't happy with the sale. As Brandon walked over, the guy started yelling something about profiteering from his uncle's death. After a bit of unfruitful conversation, Brandon punched Thomas and yelled at Skip to get the gun. Thomas did a few acrobatic flips and moved in to punch Brandon. The punch connected with his chin. Brandon threw another punch, which missed, and got nailed in the testicles for his effort. Having had enough and being in great pain, Brandon stood up and tossed a fireball spell at Thomas. Thomas dropped to the floor. The fireball missed him and hit the side of the shop, which started to burn. Springing to his feet, Thomas punched Brandon in the nose, knocking him out. Brandon woke up in the street, bruised and battered. The first thing he saw was the smoldering ruins of his shop. The next thing he saw was the police who were dying to ask him some questions. Finding out that Thomas was pressing charges, Brandon told the officer that it had been self defense; that Thomas had a knife and threatened him. Somehow, he convinced the officer that's what happened.

At his usual place- a casino, Neil caught a news story about a fire that had gutted a local business. He recognized the address as being Brandon's shop. While mulling that bit of information over, he spotted Uri's receptionist (Christine) walking about. After hello's were exchanged, Christine told Neil that she had a message for him from Uri. He wanted him to go to the wake. Neil agreed to do so and asked her if she would be his +1. She said yes, even though she was a bit surprised by his asking her to go to a wake as a sort of date.

The next day came. The wake was being held at a local cathedral. Neil and Christine were the first of the group to arrive, Shade and Brandon a bit later. In tribute, Brandon placed a balloon poodle into the casket. Before the eulogy service, the guests congregated outside in back. The guest list was a who's who of Vegas, including Uri, Melinda, Locke, Patience, Running Mouth, Mason, and most of the Malvora clan. The tone of the crowd was a mixture of sadness and anger. The tension level was higher then hell. From her vantage point, Shade watched one gentleman (guess who) giving Brandon the stink eye. Finally, the guests were seated. David's sister, Drusilla, started the eulogy off. When she finished, she invited other's to go up and share their memories. Warden Locke spoke for a bit about when Mr.B first came to Vegas. Penny, who was next, talked for a bit. However, not far into her eulogy, some guests started heckling her. Basically, they accused her of causing Mr. B's death, which caused her to breakdown. Shade went to the podium and helped Penny outside to give her a chance to calm down. The rest of the eulogies proceeded fairly okay until one Fredrick Skavis started his speech. The mood of the wake took a decidedly worse turn as Skavis talked. He not only insulted the deceased, he insulted those there grieving. Knowing that something had to be done, Neil moved to the podium next and, with his charm and rapport, managed to lower the tension level to simmer.

Having had enough of speeches, everyone headed out back to partake of liquid refreshment and food. With Penny finally calm enough to be on her own, Shade grabbed a drink and reclaimed her previous vantage point. Happy to be ignored, she settled in to watch the crowd. After a bit, someone walked up to her and started talking. It was Fredrick Skavis, which did NOT make her happy. He suggested to Shade that they should be working together. He based this on the fact that her shop was on the edge of his territory (North Vegas). Shade told him very firmly no. She also insulted him but not very effectively (she is too nice to truly be good at insulting people). He laughed it off and took his leave. However, Shade had the feeling she hadn't seen the last of him.

The night for Neil and Christine went well. Before they took their leave, Patience came up to Neil and asked if he had talked to Wyatt lately. Answering in the negative, Neil asked why. Patience told him that she needed to talk to Wyatt as soon as possible. She had some information for him. Neil said he would get in touch with him and give him the message. After that, the two of them went out to dinner and chatted. Christine filled Neil in on some of the local politics, families, supernatural creatures, and such. Christine also made it very clear that she would LOVE to get to know Neil better...specifically in the carnal sense.

Brandon's leave taking wasn't so calm. As he exited the church, he was accosted by Thomas. Actually, Thomas tackled him from behind and knocked both of them down the front steps. Getting to his feet, Thomas gave Brandon a choice- either find out who murdered his uncle or spend the rest of his life getting the shit kicked out of himself by Thomas. Neither choice sounded good to Brandon, who protested that he could look into the death but couldn't promise to find out who the murderer was. Another fight seemed to be brewing, until Robert Mason showed up and asked what the problem was. Thomas told him there wasn't one but Mason didn't believe him. Brandon decided enough was enough and headed for home.

However, Brandon's night was just getting started. When he got home, he found a visitor waiting for him on his doorstep. It was the coyote. It took some time but Brandon figured out the coyote wanted him to follow it. So, he did. The path they took headed out into the desert. After walking for quite a long time, Brandon saw a campfire in the distance. When he got closer, he noticed there was an old native American man sitting there. Charlie (the old man) motioned for Brandon to sit down. The two of them started chatting. Charlie told him that he, Brandon, must be special since it was his building that was over the Avatar's binding site. Taken aback, Brandon asked what he was talking about. Charlie explained to him that the land Vegas was built on was sacred and that it had been corrupted by the people moving in. The Avatar belonged to his people and was there to restore the land to what it had been. Charlie went on to add that the coyote had led Brandon there so he could help in that endeavor. Thinking that the old man was a total nutcase, Brandon (with the best line of the night!) said, "Um, right, I'm going to be leaving now." Charlie tried to convince him to stay but Brandon hurriedly set off back to town. Back at home, Brandon's very bad, no good, horrible day finally ended.

The next morning brought a new surprise for all. Drusilla Malvora called for a meeting that evening with the three of them. They all agreed to be there and went on with their day. Neil called and left a message for Wyatt. Shade, realizing that she was getting involved in things she didn't want to be, experimented with physical manifestations of her power. Brandon talked with insurance agents and filed a restraining order against Thomas.

The meeting time finally came and all three showed up at the Scaramouche Academy. Penny led them through the halls, which were as creepy as hell. They reached an office and went in. Drusilla greeted them and got the meeting off with some family history. David Malvora had broken away from the rest of the family when Locke asked him to come to Las Vegas. He had started the clown college and rose through the ranks of the Vegas powers that be. With his death, Drusilla, as executor of his will, had become the de facto head of the family. However, there was the position of Mr. B to be filled. From what she said, there were numerous family members willing to kill for it. That, she feared, included her son, Thomas. She asked if the three of them would look into the murder. When asked why us, she said that whomever did had to be a neutral party. She sweetened the deal with an offer of money. Shade quickly agreed; not for the pay but to help out Penny. Neil and Brandon also agreed to look into it, probably for the money. Okay, definitely for the money. Drusilla handed over folders containing information about who she thought they should look into first. They cast of suspects included all of David's children and Thomas. After reading a bit, Brandon, Shade, and Neil decided who each of them were going to interview. Thus ended the evening.

Morning brought Neil a phone call from Wyatt. Neil gave him Patience's message and asked how he was doing. He told Neil he was doing okay but was weirded out by a few things. He talked about a road of gold that ran in front of the construction site. He could see it but it was just regular dust when he tried to pick it up. THAT got Neil's attention...fast. Wyatt also told Neil that some pretty strange guys worked with him. Finally able to hang up, Neil went to the construction site to check things out. He really wanted to find that road of gold. Too bad he didn't know about the Sight. Shade really needs to sit him down and have a very, very, very long talk...over many, many, many drinks.

Not having any luck with finding yellow brick roads, Neil headed back to the Clown College to talk with a couple of the suspects. He found Tickles and Wiggles- aka Theodore and Wendall in the cafeteria. With a bit of charm, a smidgen of truth, a whole lot of misrepresentation, a nod towards greed, a great use of a sandwich, and a fuck load of fast talking, Neil was able to get the two of them to spill everything. He found out that there had been some sort of plan to do "something" about David but it never got past the talking stage. At least for them it had never gone further then that. However, they made certain to  point their fingers at other people. Pretty well convinced that the two of them were not the killers, Neil tendered his goodbyes. Not without a parting shot, though. In their conversation, Neil had hinted that he was there to gather information about the will and brought up the possibility of it being contested. The twins eagerly asked him about it. Neil told them they had been suckered and that there was no chance in hell that would work.  

Earlier in the day, Shade had called Thomas to set up a meeting. He reluctantly agreed and told her to meet him at the Liberace Museum. Getting there, Shade found Thomas and introduced herself. Thomas, showing his oodles of charm, bluntly asked her just what the hell she wanted. She explained that she had been asked by his mother to look into the murder. She went on to tell him that there was some concern about his or Penny's possible involvement. All she wanted to do was to find out his whereabouts on the night of the murder. He hotly denied that either one of them had anything to do with their uncle's murder After a bit of back and forth, Thomas told Shade that he had been at Circus Circus that night but he had only stayed downstairs long enough to chat with Uri White and then had gone up to his room for the rest of the evening. He also apologized for being such a dick to her at first. Satisfied that she could check his alibi out for herself, Shade left.

Brandon didn't have as good as luck with his first suspect. He went to the College and tried to get Daisy, David's daughter, to see him. She refused. Giving up on her for the moment, he then went to find Fredrick (clown name Fizzbow). Having better luck, Brandon located him just as he was finishing up a class. Introducing himself, Brandon asked if they could have a talk. Fredrick honked in the affirmative. Brandon didn't find this strange; Fredrick was born a mute and that was one way in which he communicated. Another was by drawing pictures on a sketchpad. The talk got off to a very good start, for one of Brandon's talks. Fredrick honked and drew that he had been greatly distressed by his father's death and that they had loved each other very much. When asked about possible suspects, Fredrick was quick to honk and draw attention to other people. However, things took a turn for the worse when Brandon hinted that Fredrick might have helped his father into the grave. The picture Fredrick showed to Brandon when that was mentioned showed him (Fredrick) stabbing Brandon with lots of knives. Not wanting to get into another fight, Brandon wisely retreated.

That ended the game for the night. The next session brings more conversations, accusations, meetings, and a fight!