Dresden Files Las Vegas- Just Don't Be Afraid To Live

The gaming session should be titled side jobs but I want to stick with the song lyric thing I have going. Even though none of us met up in our individual endeavors, we all managed to get things advanced. Neil showed his temper, solidified a foothold or two for people, and made an enemy. Shade advanced her blockade of Skavis, got some questions answered, and brought home a kitten. Brandon broke back into poker games, met with the Warden, and acquired an apprentice. We all had a great time. Now on to what happened.

It was a morning in mid-march and Neil was having coffee when his phone rang. It was Johnny Bullwickie, a low level bookie and one of Neil's contacts. He needed a favor and asked if they could meet. Neil agreed. Apparently Johnny lost a sure bet and was in deep with a local loan shark. He wanted Neil to run interference to give him time. Neil told him he would see what he could do. Then he asked who the shark was. Johnny told him it was gentleman by the name of Sal "fat fingers" Fredrico. Happy, Johnny left.

Neil asked around about Sal and was able to find out that he was a mid range loan shark and one of the last of the old guard. He wasn't a made man (not being 100% Sicilian) but he was definitely connected. He was also considered more or less honest. However, Sal was known to be harsh with missed payments- like, trip out to the desert harsh. With a bit more time, Neil learned that Sal ran his business out of an Italian restaurant called Gaspaccios. Needing food anyway, Neil went there for dinner. After being seated and ordering, Neil took a read on the room. It seemed that all the action was in back. The restaurant was a front for Sal's business. Sal was there and was surrounded by security types. Neil finished his meal, tipped, and left. He could tell he was watched as he left.

Shade's day was, thankfully, normal. She spent the day at her shop. Around lunchtime, she called and set up a meeting with Philip. She wanted to see how things were going with the Freemont Committee and to start the second stage of the plan. Philip agreed to meet her that evening. After closing, Shade headed out to Legends. Getting there, she spotted Philip and sat down with him. Asked about how things were going, Philip answered that it was coming together. Shade was pleased to hear that. Then she launched into the next part of her idea. Now that he had control of Freemont, it was time to expend his influence outwards. That meant making the whole area the "it" place to be, especially among the young. Shade pointed out there were many buildings begging to be turned into loft apartments and such, not to mention the empty business spaces. Philip liked the idea of more influence and profit and asked Shade to get a list of properties together for him. She said she would. One other good thing between Philip and Shade. After Tess got out of the hospital, Philip surprised Shade by hiring Tess to work at Legends. That way she would be under his protection. Shade was very grateful for that.

After dinner, Neil placed a call to Max Torelli. Neil told him that he had a line on a possible business proposition and wanted to know if Torelli would be interested. Torelli was and suggested they meet to talk. Meeting at a local bar, Neil told Torelli about Sal and his business. He thought that Torelli just might want to talk to Sal about doing business together. Torelli said he would be open to talking with Sal and asked Neil if he would speak to him about it. Neil replied that he would be happy to do so. Business concluded, Torelli asked Neil what had been happening in Vegas. More specifically, he asked about a certain incident in December. Neil answered that he had been on vacation and wasn't sure about the whole thing (Of course we all know what incident he was asking about. Shade and Max have been seeing each other but she hasn't told him about her new job with the Fey Court and all the stuff that came after that. As for Neil, he didn't want his role in all that took place to be commonly known).

Brandon had a very quiet day. He went to work and then went home to get some rest. He was still recovering from the kidney skewering. Even douche bags need a break now and then.

Early the next day Shade started researching the buildings in her area. She needed to get addresses, names of owners, and such. It was slow going but she managed to get some of what she needed (She is really working hard at this. She feels she has to prove herself worthy of the position). Then she spent the rest of her day working.

Most of Neil's day was routine. He woke up, worked out, and such. That afternoon he went back to Gaspaccios. After being seated, he asked the waiter if he could speak with Mr. Fredrico. When asked what it was about, Neil answered it was business. The waiter spoke with Sal for a minute and told Neil he would been seen. Social combat between the two ensued. Neil told Sal about Torelli and the business proposal. At first, Sal seemed hesitant. It took a bit of back and forth but Neil took him out. The end shot was that Sal might be interested and needed to meet with Torelli to discuss things. Neil said he would set it up and then stated what his cut would be for doing so. He wanted Sal to give Johnny more time to pay back what he owed him. Sal wasn't able to do so. Apparently Johnny's marker had been bought by a Harold Larson- for double what he owed to Sal. Business concluded, Neil left.

Brandon woke up and went to work. That night, feeling a bit bored, he went in search of a couple of poker games. He found one off the main strip in one of the many dive bars. By the end of the game he was slightly ahead. Feeling good, he headed home. The good feeling quickly ended when he listened to the message on his machine. It was Skip saying that he needed Brandon's help and that he was at the campus. The sound of sirens could be heard in the background. Brandon headed out to the college campus. He drove up to smoke, fire engines, and people milling outside of a burning dorm. Skip spotted him and came running over. He started babbling about a book, messing around, and fire being everywhere. Brandon told him to get into the car. They drove to the shop and went downstairs to the workshop. There Brandon was able to get the full story out of Skip. Apparently he had been trying to disprove the existence of magic. While reading one of Brandon's books, Skip had inadvertently cast a spell. Brandon explained that magic was indeed real. To convince the still disbelieving Skip, he called the coyote to the shop and made it visible to them. Finally accepting that it was real, Brandon and Skip continued to talk. Not wanting to send Skip into shock, Brandon stuck to the more general stuff. There would be time to cover the details later.They also watched to news coverage of the fire on TV. Fortunately, there had been no fatalities. However, a few of the victims were in critical condition. Brandon hoped it would stay that way. Killing with magic, even accidentally, was a beheading offense. He decided to spare Skip that information for the moment.

After leaving the restaurant, Neil went on the search for Johnny and Harold Larson. His contacts told him that Larson was a contractor and was currently working on a rest stop in a park just out of town. He also learned that Johnny had been grabbed off the street. Putting two and two together, Neil stopped by the construction site. Looking around, Neil heard something and walked over to investigate. A man came around the corner and asked him what he was doing there. The site was shifter territory and Neil should just leave. Neil asked the gentleman about Johnny. All the guy would say was that Neil would have take it up with Lexi. Neil asked him to tell Lexi to call him.

The next day brought early morning phone calls for all. Neil got a call from Lexi. She was not pleasant at all and managed to piss Neil off...massively piss Neil off. She told him to stay out it and that she had plans for Johnny. Neil tried to reason with her but she wouldn't listen. That turned out to be a HUGE mistake. After that call, Neil called Skavis and left a message about a truly incredible business opportunity. He gave Skavis a time and place for a meeting. Shade received a call from Philip asking about the list. Apparently days of the week and time frames are not a Fey strong point. Shade told him that she would have everything ready that night. Philip went on to say that he had talked with Puck and they would both be there. The Fey would be working on this together. With the deadline two days early, Shade spent most of the day finishing her research. She also bought a kitten which she named Periwinkle Jones. She truly had a home now and wanted to complete it.

Brandon's call was not unexpected. Locke wanted to know what was going on and wanted to know if Brandon knew a Skip Matthews. Brandon gave a short version of the night's events and agreed to bring Skip in for a meeting. While getting ready for the meeting, Brandon talked to Skip more about magic, the rules, and such. They headed to the Luxor and went up to Locke's suite. Tawney got them settled and went to get Locke. He walked in wearing one hell of a gaudy suit- purple. He asked them if they would like something to drink and chatted away. Asked about what happened, Skip told Locke the whole story. Still jovial, Locke asked if Brandon would take Skip as his apprentice. He also let Skip know the consequences of accidents. Skip paled at the mention of beheading (The truly creepy part of it all was that Lana played up Locke's jovialness the entire time beheading was being discussed. There is just something so wrong about being so friendly while talking about killing). Brandon agreed to take Skip as his apprentice but he also warned him that he (Brandon) would not go down with him if he (Skip) fucked up. If that happened, Brandon would kill Skip himself.

Shade closed up a little early to get ready for Philip and Puck (mainly Philip). The two of them, with Heather, showed up and seemed excited about something. They had come up with a great plan. That alone made Shade gulp her drink. They told her that they thought her ideas were great and they thought she should be their liaison between the building owners and themselves. Basically, it would come down to they would help get things going but then Shade would be doing all the work. Not having that, Shade made a counter proposal. She would start things off but she would find someone to take over. Frankly, she had enough to do. They happily agreed and left. Heather stayed behind to talk...and drink. The poor girl was stressed out. Taking care of the Fey is not an easy job and Heather admitted that she had gone into the job thinking about the power, respect, sex, and other perks. She hadn't thought about the actual work. That started Shade thinking about a way to help her. Then Shade just had to show off her new kitten, Periwinkle.

The meeting time came for Neil and Skavis. It took place at the rest stop. Neil told Skavis what a wonderful opportunity the place was. All it would take to turn it into a profitable enterprise would be to cut the trees down and build a tourist center. Neil made sure to say all this in a very loud, easily overheard voice. Skavis asked Brandon why he was telling him about this, especially since the area was shifter territory. Neil replied quietly that the bitch, meaning Lexi, had made him look bad. Now it was his turn to make her look bad and to make Skavis look good in the process. Skavis told Neil to get the deal started. Neil lost no time getting things started. A few phone calls and he had the planning commission working on getting the permits. He called tree removal to check things out for getting rid of the wooded area. He even called in surveyors to do their thing on site. The expected call came soon enough. Lexi was furious. Neil asked if she wanted a meeting but she declined. She told him that she would let Johnny go and forgive the debt. Neil would have to call the whole deal off. Neil agreed. The end shot was that Johnny was released relatively unharmed. He was pathetically grateful to Neil and swore that he owed Neil his life (He may have made an enemy but Neil showed that he was a man of his word).

Neil had one more meeting the next day. It was between Torelli and Sal. That deal went off without a hitch. Sal got a strong patron, Torelli got a solid foothold in Vegas, and Neil got a nice payoff. Everyone won. After the meeting, Torelli had a date with Shade. She had called him earlier that day and invited him to dinner. When he showed up and they had eaten, Shade asked him if he remembered their meeting in Frankie's hotel room. He did. She then asked about what she saw. She wanted to know if he was aware of his ability. He was (That was good to hear. Shade had planned on talking him into a tattoo to show him his ability). He could see what people really looked like (It was Know True Self). He went to tell her that when they first met, her tattoos glowed when he used his power. She asked what he saw now. He said it was basically the same except her ears were pointed and her face was more angular (That would be the Fey aspect, which worries Shade. She still hasn't told Torelli about her new position and she needs to. She knows that he will eventually hear gossip about it and that gossip will include that she is sleeping with Philip. It isn't true but he does have the quick to anger aspect and hearing that the girl you're sort of dating is sleeping around would not make anyone happy). They talked some more and then he left.

That ended the session for the night and it so much fun. We all got to do stuff and get into situations. Well, except for Shade- for once! The next gaming night is just a couple of days away and we can't wait!

Dresden Files Las Vegas- Another Turning Point

I know it has been a few weeks since I posted. We took a few Sundays off from gaming due to work and just needing a break. Then, just as I was getting ready to start writing, the four of us started playing The Old Republic on Wednesdays...and I started playing it every other damn night. I fully blame Jason, Lana, and Jay for my new addiction.

In other news, there will be a new game starting soon. Jay will be running it so Lana can have a break and get to play too. We are still deciding on just what it will be. All the options sound good. I will be posting that game as well. More on that as we get it set up. Now, on to the Dresden game.

The gaming session was fairly short since we were just wrapping up the story arc.

The fight was over and (almost) everyone had survived. Ambulances were called for the wounded. Christine was treated and released by the paramedics. Brandon was taken to the supernatural hospital. Tess was taken first to the emergency room and then to the psychiatric hospital (Sly had REALLY fucked her up mentally). With the wounded cared for, Neil dropped Shade off and then took Christine home. However, the night was not over for Shade and Neil.

After cleaning up and grabbing a sandwich, Neil picked Shade up and they headed into North Vegas. Unbeknownst to him, they had a meeting planned with Skavis (Shade got the impression that Neil would have liked to wait for the morning but she was not going to give Skavis time to do any damage control).

Getting to the Crucible, Neil and Shade went inside. Neil, having been there before, didn't get bothered. However, Shade, being new...tattooed...and female, did. One of the patrons tried to hit on her. Neil promptly put him in his place with a few scathing remarks (Yes, Shade was more than capable of handling it but she was curious to see just how good Neil was at it. Frankly it was no contest. In Vegas terms, the asshole caved like a house of cards). Spotting Skavis, Neil and Shade made a stop at the bar to get a couple of drinks before heading over. Neil ordered something fruity just to annoy Skavis, who really likes those drinks but can't drink them around his pack. Shade just had a scotch. Finally reaching the table where Skavis and his cronies were sitting, Neil told him that the three of them had something to discuss and it would be best to do so in private. One of the men at the table seemed irritated by that. Social combat between Neil and the vampire ensued. It took a bit but Neil came out ahead. As Skavis, Shade, and Neil left for the backroom, Neil ordered a round of drinks for the bar- his drink to be specific. There was also a vaguely insulting comment towards the vampire. The White Court Vampire stood and started social combat again. Neil's answer, "Just sit, stay, roll over, and enjoy your free drink." The idiot totally lost the battle.

In the back, Skavis sat down at his desk and offered seats to Neil and Shade. With everyone seated, Neil started talking. He told Skavis that, because of the night's events, he was on the wrong side of a very serious situation. He pointed out that Sly had caused the sort of trouble that wouldn't be ignored. Skavis was surprised at that (That was the other reason Shade wanted to be there. She wanted to know if Skavis knew about the plan or not. If he had, all bets were off. She doesn't believe that he didn't know something was up but he really didn't know just how far Sly would take it). He had no idea just what Sly had done. Shade then told him that Sly had kidnapped and attacked people she shouldn't have, not to mention the attack against Neil, Brandon, and herself. Neil spoke again, telling Skavis that it really didn't look good. It looked like Skavis was weak and couldn't control his people. Luckily, there was a solution. First, the invites were to be rescinded, asap. Second, Skavis had to turn Sly over to the offended parties. That way, Neil went on, Skavis would come out looking good and in control. Skavis agreed. Neil and Shade left.

The rest of the story arc was spent in tying up loose ends. Skavis did rescind the invites and after a week or so, the Winter Court was no more in Vegas. Skavis also handed Sly over to Philip. What happened to her is unknown. Not even Shade could get the answer out of Philip. Surprisingly, the Summer Court opened up talks with the Spring Court. Uri was pleased with the results of the investigation and ended up giving Neil, Shade, and Brandon a bonus. As for the rest of the downtime for us and the city:

- Brandon spent some time recovering from his wound. He also had his grand reopening. It was a success. He also made sure to put the Fey sword in a safe place. The coyote finally did get back to him. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to say much about Wyatt purpose. Brandon also decided to pimp out his car.  

- Neil went on a trip to Atlantic City and won a SHITLOAD of money. With his winnings, he was able to set Wyatt up in his own place and gift Shade and Brandon with all the magical supplies they could want. He was also able to buy the land on which Shade's shop sits (Yay! Now Skavis can't!).

- Shade spent her time (and money) on her shop. She fixed it up a bit more. Nothing over the top, just a new floor and some other cosmetic fixes. She also made sure to pay the bills and such for Tess. She also talked Neil into teaching her how to play poker.

There were a few other odds and ends. The new Mr. B was announced but his identity was kept a secret. Wyatt loved his hat and wore it as much as possible. The tattoo on Wyatt was identified as the purest mark of the Trickster known. That pretty much solidified the idea that Wyatt was his representative on earth. Tess, after a couple of months in the hospital, came home. She wasn't the same but she was better. As for the rest of the city, all seemed stable and quiet. But for how long?

Brandon got that answer at the end of March. One morning he was woken up by someone ringing his doorbell. He stumbled to the door, opened it, and saw a basket on his front step. Inside the basket was a baby. A note pinned to baby's clothes said, "Here's your son. Take good care of him." In shock, Brandon did the only thing he could think of. He took the baby to the church and Angelica. Luckily for Brandon, she was there. When she asked Brandon about how he got the baby, Brandon lied and told her that someone had left it in his car. Even more luckily for Brandon, she believed him. Relieved, Brandon left...without his son.

Thus ended the evening. I can't wait to see what happens next for our characters!