>>27552238
[]Wave Zack over. Ask him how he’s doing with meditation and training, and how he’s holding up.
[]See if Ajani wants to sit with you, and ask him how his hunting’s been going lately.
[]You wanted to talk to Cassandra already, right? Might as well take this opportunity. Just watch what you say in the middle of class...
[]Whoever you want to talk to, you can do it after class. You and Jill together should be able to knock whatever this assignment is out of the park even without a fourth person.

((Archives are located at http://archive.foolz.us/tg/search/subject/monsterhearts%20quest/type/op/order/asc/
and also at
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Monsterhearts%20Quest ))

[x]You wanted to talk to Cassandra already, right? Might as well take this opportunity. Just watch what you say in the middle of class...

We do need to figure out //exactly// what's going on with her.

>>27552248
Wave over Cass. I worry that if we don't snag her as at least a tentative ally, Jason will start making overtures in that direction. To be honest, he'll probably go after whoever we don't pick, but Ajani is fairly incorruptible, and Zack is less of a threat than Cass if he does turn to Jason's side.

>>27552248
>[]Whoever you want to talk to, you can do it after class. You and Jill together should be able to knock whatever this assignment is out of the park even without a fourth person.
Leave it for later.

Also can i suggest once again getting a safe from a bank to keep things safe (like the files on cass). Or if a bank is not secure enough with all the supernatural shenanigans, we can come up with something else. We'll probably have some other things we need to keep safe in the future and we should have a place for it.

>>27552438
We might be able to get a fairy vault, if Avril knows where to find one.

>>27552492
>>27552492
I thought about that but it wouldn't be safe from the fae, especially the king.

[]See if Ajani wants to sit with you, and ask him how his hunting’s been going lately.

Gloria is up to no good, let's talk with Ajani and prepare to confront her.

We also need to hook him up with James, remember? That should make recovering Louie's pelt easy.

>>27552295
And are you going to watch what you say or blurt out her secrets in the class for everyone, and Jason, to hear?

>>27552661
>We also need to hook him up with James, remember?
I'm beginning to regret very much that deal we made with him. Besides Ajani not appearing to swing that way, James is an insufferable douchebag that does nothing but sabotage everything around him for his own amusement. He's more trouble than he's worth.

>>27552295
>>27552319

>>27552661

((Writing now.))

>>27552661
>Gloria is up to no good
[Bel air intensifies]

>>27552711

He's useful, and smart. He has been keeping his part of the deal by helping Chris, it's only fair to do our part. Besides, if Ajani gets into it, we can expect him to be somewhat grateful to Chris for...well, opneing his eyes up regarding his sexuality, and stuff.

He's just getting anxious and impatient. He messes with Louie because he feels threatned by the boy, who he thinks has a better chance of getting Ajani's attention. We need to show some progress towards his romantic cause, and he will calm down again.

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>>27552760
...technically earth is Gloria's Bel Air.

>>27552819
>by helping Chris
Name one thing besides introducing us to the Hunter group that James has been useful for. He was pretty much useless when Ajani got it in his head to grill us on our condition, and according to Esther, this is what he's normally like, so your assertion that "he will calm down again" is baseless.

>>27552828
Dude that hurts to look at but I can't look away.
Google gives me nothing, source?

>>27552894
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpXeGk72MB0

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>>27552248
It's been an hour.

>>27552750
Cassandra is looking quite a lot better than she did on Saturday. She manages to make a school uniform look like a catwalk dress as she walks, her lipstick is once again bright red and glossy, and there's a familiar predatory confidence in her expression. She sweeps the room with her eyes, and you meet her gaze and then nod to the final space on your table.

She smiles at Masami and Jill as she takes the offered seat, and you notice Jill shiver a little. It wasn't an unfriendly smile, exactly, but there's a certain predatory aura to it.

Mr Stokes clears his throat, and half the class swivel round in their seats so that everyone can see him.

"All right, boys and girls, today we're doing a little map-reading exercise. You'll need to know all this for your exams, and it shouldn't be too taxing on the brain. You're in groups of four - you there, on your own, join that group, they've got a spare seat. Souza, you too." Jason sullenly gets up and moves to the indicated seat, and promptly begins ignoring his new group. "Right then. You're in groups of four, two teams of two. Pick two spots on the handouts and give the other team one of the spots and directions to the other. See if they can follow them properly. Then swap. Keep swapping and testing until you're all happy that you all know all the map symbols off by heart, or until class is over." He passes out a stack of maps, then takes a seat at his desk and starts to read a book.

So, how are you approaching your conversation with Cassandra?

[]Be as subtle as possible. Drop little hints about knowing what she's been up to and see if you can fluster her into letting something slip.
[]Chat idly with Cassandra and ask her how she's doing now that Isabella's not looking over her shoulder.
[]Everyone's busy with their assignments anyway. Ask Cassandra some more pointed questions.
[]Just take the police report out and start quietly reading it.
[]Other

>>27553330
[X]Chat idly with Cassandra and ask her how she's doing now that Isabella's not looking over her shoulder.
[x]Other: Ask her if she's considered our previous offer.

Jason is right over there, we don't want to drop anything that he can report back to his boss about.

>>27553330
Ask her how she's doing without Isabella looking over her shoulder.

We don't want to bring up the police report unless it becomes absolutely necessary to extract an emergency favour. We want to be a benevolent boss, not one whose underlings resent him, and blackmail is a surefire way to garner resentment. The police report is insurance, not a leash. We don't want Cass to think of us in the same terms she thought of her old boss.

>>27553330
>[x]Chat idly with Cassandra and ask her how she's doing now that Isabella's not looking over her shoulder.
>Tell her we want to talk to her in private.

I think we shouldn't just use the report right away. That's levarage for us, we should try to take her in as we would anyone else (make her see the pros, convince her it would be to her interest, and some of our usual mind tricks) then use the leverage to tip the scales if necessary.

>>27553390
>>27553440
>>27553445
((Okay, writing))

>>27553657
"So Cassandra, you're looking good. Breaking away from Isabella is going well for you, then?"

Cassandra tosses her hair over her shoulder and gives you another predatory grin. "Oh, absolutely. I had a better weekend than I've had in months. Made new friends, saw new places, had an absolute blast. It's good to change things up every now and again. And how was your weekend?"

"Well, I guess it wasn't as exciting as yours. Still, I made a new friend. And I may have made another. My offer's still open, you know."

"Hmmmm. Tempting. Still, I'm rather enjoying my newfound freedom. I might work *with* you, but I doubt I'll be working *for* you any time soon."

"I'm not planning to be quite as domineering as your last boss, in any sense. Or to make deals like that one."

Cassandra shrugs. "Isabella didn't plan on it either. Didn't stop her in the end. No, I've had enough of bosses for the moment. I'll stick with having allies and enemies. Keep out of my way and you get to be in the former category and not the latter, all right?" She gives you a winning smile. "Of course, I don't plan to be getting in your way either. Live and let live, right? At least as far as that applies to such as us."

You blink, taking a moment to regard Cassandra's confident smile. "What on earth makes you think I'd care about you 'getting in my way'? It's not like it would mean anything if you did. You were there on Saturday, you saw what happened."

Cassandra just grins. "I'm not going to win a magical duel with you any time soon, that's true, but there's plenty of different sorts of power. The question's moot in any case - as I said, I don't want anything to do with whatever big complicated things you're doing. I got enough of that from Isabella. Although..."

Cassandra pauses, looking troubled. "How's she doing? Isabella, I mean. Is she going to be all right? What happened to her?"

How do you want to respond?

>>27554154
Whisper with a hand up near our face so that Jason can't read our lips.
"She's been...de-fanged, as it were, in regards to me. And she is quite a bit closer to to people of our condition now. But otherwise, she's still the same."

>>27554154
"She'll be alright, at least as far as that applies to such as us. Talk to her if you like- she has no hold over you now, and a quiet word might do the both of you good. She's still adjusting, I think, both from the massive detox and the other thing. I suspect it's going to be like rehabilitating a battered wife for a while, but we'll work on it. For my part, I'm curious about these new friends you mention. More trustworthy than the last bunch, I hope? Do I know any of them?

>>27554329
>>27554337
((Okay, writing now))

>>27554475
Oh, we should have asked Isabella if she has any classes with Jason. He's the one Corruptor agent we're sure about, so if he's in his classes, then we know that Isabella's survival will already be leaked to the Corruptor.

>>27554475
gah i keep missing these by a few minutes

>>27554475
"Oh, she'll be all right." You lean in a little, making sure you're turned away from Jason. "She's quite a bit closer to people of our condition now, and she's been, uh, de-fanged, in regards to me. She's still the same otherwise, though. Talk to her if you like - a quiet word might be good for both of you. She's still adjusting, both to the detox and to the other stuff."

You pause, looking carefully at Cassandra. "So, these new friends. More trustworthy than your last lot of friends, I hope. Anybody I know?"

"Oh, no, no," Cassandra replies, with a chuckle. "Nobody important, I promise. I don't think I'll be seeing them again, anyway. Just a few people I picked up at a party and had some fun with."

You raise an eyebrow, and she chuckles again. "Relax, Chris. You don't have to worry about any of them telling stories. I know what I'm doing. Anyway, we should probably at least pretend to do the assignment..."

Cassandra leans over to inspect the map handout (accidentally-on-purpose flashing her cleavage at Masami in the process) and starts picking out landmarks. She's apparently been paying pretty good attention in class, and the four of you are able to roll through the assignment without any real trouble. By the end of the lesson you're pretty confident about this bit of Geography, at least.

Masami and Jill stay behind a little while after the lesson finishes - apparently they're heading to the town library to look something up. You notice something interesting - Ajani, Jason and Cassandra are all leaving in different directions, and they all seem to be being a bit more sneaky and suspicious than usual. Well, except Jason, who's always seedy and suspicious, but that's not really a mark in his favour.

[]Maybe if you follow Jason you can get a lead on the Corrupter's plans?
[]You should go after Ajani. You have quite a bit to talk with him about...
[]Let's see if you can't get some more information about Cassandra's new 'friends'. Follow her.
[]Other

>>27554915
>let's follow up after Ajani

>>27554915
Follow Ajani.

Honestly, Ajani had been pretty straight with us. Maybe it's time to extend the favor and let him know exactly what he is dealing with.

>>27554981
I agree, besides we want him to continue to back us against Gloria.

>>27554915
[x]You should go after Ajani. You have quite a bit to talk with him about...
We start the conversation by asking his opinion on Zack's progress, then try to segue into last Saturday and Gloria.

>>27554981
Maybe not full disclosure. The Man in White is not something we want to be talking about.
Also it would be prudent to find out how religious he is before revealing our undead status.

>>27554947
>>27554981
>>27555019
>>27555041
>>27555069
((Writing now.))

>>27555126
Or we talk to him about how Gloriana is starting to come across as a mad fanatic, like Jill's mum. Did I mention we've ha to get social services involved with that woman for turning to outright ohysical abuse of the girl after years of psychological, emotional, and "purifying" physical tortures on the her. Makes our blood boil, and worries us. Have you ever seen Carrie? Emotional abuse and telekinetic power often end badly...but being In love is never easy or safe now, isn't it. Oh yeah, the winter fellow is totally fair folk, and a complete dick at that to their kind who play nice. Oh, and James is sweet on you, though he's being a bit of a prick to Louie.

>>27555019
I don't think Gloria is an enemy really. More of a "I know your up to something, you husk!" person.

We just need to show her we mean no harm, and want nothing else than to destroy the corrupter, the winter king, and anything else that plagues humanity.

This is, of course, a slight fabrication. However, Gloria could be a useful ally, and good friend.

>>27555393
Or a fun adversarial hate fuck if we get on good terms but continue to rub her the wrong way until we wind up working out our differences and frustrations.

Ah, let's build up some of that tension with her when next we get the chance.

>>27555393
I don't think Gloria could possibly accept our sincerity without drastically changing her worldview. It isn't so much that she thinks we specifically are evil, but that she simply cannot conceive of what she *knows* is some sort of undead creature being in any way good, and any protestation or proof we offer is just, to her, evidence of a deeper plot on our part that can only end in our betrayal of the group.

>>27555126
Ajani's not moving all that fast, and you can catch up with him not far outside the school grounds. He looks troubled, and nods to you as you fall into step beside him.

"Good evening, Chris. Up for a bit of investigating?"

"Sure, I suppose so. Can we walk and talk, though?"

"Absolutely. Let me fill you in. Three people went missing over the weekend. No bodies, but none of them were people who were thought to be all that likely to just up and disappear on their own. My dad, uh, he knows a few people in the police department, he hears things. No close family on any of them, but they had other commitments they've missed, and they didn't pack any bags."

"You think it's the Winter King's work?"

Ajani shakes his head slowly. "He needs bodies for his husks, but we've taken down every group we could find. And he doesn't generally 'disappear' live people, only bodies from morgues. Maybe he's changed his modus operandi... or maybe something else made the bodies disappear. Something that ate them right up." He frowns meaningfully at you.

"Wait, you think it might be Zack? Weren't you working with him to keep control of his changes?"

"Yes, but... we have to face the possibility that he might have slipped up. I don't like it, but if it is what happened, we have to act. First, though, we need to try and find out what happened. I'm going to drop by all of their homes and see if there are any clues."

"Okay. Can we talk about other things while we walk?"

"Sure, I guess. What's on your mind?"

"Uh, well... how religious are you, Ajani?"

"Not nearly as much as I used to be, what with all the... wait, why are you asking?" Ajani frowns. "Is this about Gloria? Did you get into another argument with her? I know she can be a bit personally abrasive, but she means well, you know. She's not a people person, but once you get to know her properly she'll warm up to you a bit more, I'm sure. Look, why don't you just tell me what happened, and I'll see if I can sort it out?"

>>27555577
You really havem't noticed that she wants to reenact the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah on me? Every time I try to help she thinks its because its part of a nefarious scheme to bring hell to earth or something.

Fyi I prefer my climate temperate not with fire and the screams of the damned.

>>27555577
I'm not sure I'd call it getting into an argument.

She came up to us yelling and then ran off.

>>27555577
"Seriously, Ajani? There's abrasive, and then there's vowing to kill me. She's sweet on you, maybe that's why you can't see it."

I'm tempted to direct Ajani to Esther for a third view.

>>27555577
"I very much doubt she'll begin to warm up at all. We didn't so much as argue as she found me in the library when I was looking for a book, called me husk, accused me of plotting against the group, made vague threats and then ran off. I'm not worried for my safety, but I am worried she'll try to convince everyone that I'm a scary scary agent of darkness who should be kicked off the team or maybe murdered."

>captcha: sutraa selected
I'm not sure we really want to quote budhist scripture, but if you think it will help...

>>27555655
>>27555686
>>27555783
>>27555784
((Writing.))

>>27555577
"Well... Gloria is utterly convinced I am a soulless, day walking, skin-walker. It's pretty adorable, but getting a little tedious. I want her to know I really truly mean her no harm. I think we should be friends...

In addition, I have some information that the Corrupter has been recently stunted in power. If you wouldn't mind putting your winter king search on hold temporarily, Id like to be able to call on you for help sometime soon."

Are we abandoned?

>>27556383
It's only been 40 minutes, give it another 20.

>>27556383
>Are we abandoned?

No, he probably just has a long update. All will be well.

>>27556401
What are you? Blue lantern?

>>27555837
Is this guy for real? You take a deep breath, searching for the best way to explain things to Ajani.

"Okay, so I'm not sure I'd call it an argument. She came up to me while I was in the library, yelled at me about my nefarious schemes and how I was an evil husk, and made vague threats. In general, she's utterly convinced that I'm some sort of soulless skin-walker and she seems to want to reenact Sodom and Gomorrah on me."

Ajani chuckles nervously. "Look, I'm sure there's been some sort of misunderstanding..."

"Yeah, but it's all on her side. Is there really no way to convince her that I'm on your side? The whole 'holy warrior of Heaven shall smite the foul undead' thing is getting kind of tedious."

Ajani looks pretty embarrassed. "Look, I know, but there's not much that I can do there. And some of the stuff I've seen... I'm not sure I believe in God any more, but I believe she's an angel. Or the closest thing to an angel we're ever going to see, anyway. Doesn't that mean she gets a bit of slack?"

There's a cold, mocking laugh in the back of your head, and you're not all that inclined to disagree with his sentiments. "Seriously, Ajani? Look, there's abrasive and then there's vowing to kill me. I know she's sweet on you, but you've really got to rein that girl in." Ajani splutters in vain as you continue. "I want to be friends with her, really, but she's not making it easy."

"Oh, and one other thing. I've got some information that the Corrupter took a nasty hit to its power base recently. If you wouldn't mind switching targets for a little while, I'd like it if you guys could help me out."

Ajani looks confused. "What the hell is a corrupter? I mean, I guess it's something corruption-related, but what does that mean?"

"You didn't know about it? Big poison demon thing, spreads pollution and corruption, has designs on the town. Looking for some magical artifact. It's definitely dangerous."

((Cont.))

>>27556478
"Okay, well, if it's a demon I suppose that means we ought to take it out, right?" Ajani looks slightly sceptical, but he suddenly turns and stops by a small block of flats. “First two missing people both lived in this building. Let’s see if there’s anything interesting.”

Ajani smiles and cajoles and lies beautifully to the maintenance guy as he explains that you and he are from the local paper, and you back him up appropriately. It helps that with your school jackets removed your uniforms just look like smart casual wear.

There doesn’t seem to be anything. No signs of a struggle, no broken windows or forced doors, no empty drawers where clothes had been packed into a suitcase. Their keys seem to be missing, though, and you don’t see anything in either flat that looks like a purse or a wallet. The maintenance guy explains that they were both last seen Sunday evening, by other residents. With some more persuasion, he fetches one.

“You what? No, I told the police already. Saw her last night. No, at the party. What? The party Tom on the ground floor was throwing, out on the patio. Well, sure, it was a big party. Bunch of people wandered in off the street once they heard the music and saw all the people getting smashed. No, I didn’t see when she left. Yeah, I know Jimmy too. Or knew, I guess. Bit of a prat most of the time, but he wouldn’t just up and run off without all his stuff. That’s all I saw. Hey, are you going to put my picture in the paper?”

Ajani demurs, and leads you off. “Okay,” he whispers once you’re out of earshot, “I know that wasn’t too helpful, but it’s better than nothing. We can always see if Zack was out yesterday evening. And the other victim lived nearby, they might have all met at the party and walked off together or something.”

[]Check out the last guy’s apartment
[]Call up Zack and ask him what he was up to on Sunday
[]Investigate further in some other way
[]Other

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>>27556475
Yes.

>>27556478
And would you look at that. Update

>>27556522
Other guys apartment first, then we start looking into Zach.

Gotta do this methodical.

>>27556522
Check out the last guys apartment.

Call up Isabella and ask if she knows anything about a party going down. What kind of scene was it?

>>27556522

...weekend party....

Lets call up Zack. Get him involved as well, see if we can't bring out his inner bloodhound, bring him back here, and see if we can use that.

Time to bring the big dog to heel.

>>27556522
>Tell him that Cassandra went off to a party last night, met three 'new friends' and then told us we 'didn't need to worry about them talking to anybody'.
Are you people dense?

>>27556700
I'd presumed she thralled them, not murdered.

But yeah that makes sense. First priority after this is figuring out what her deal is.

But there's no sense telling Ajani about it, at least until he decides Zack did it and we have to choose between two friends because that's how this goes down, obviously.

>>27556700

Lets not jump to conclusion until we get a little further though yeah

>>27556641
>>27556700
>>27556732

Probably Cassandra

>>27556732
Well it's a missing persons report, not yet a murder. So she might've thralled them, might've killed them. Either way I say we tell him and get it over with. It's blatantly obvious.

>>27556554
>>27556621
>>27556641
>>27556700
>>27556732
((Writing now))

>>27556762
And lose the ability to blackmail Cass about it?

>>27556764
"Okay. What about the last guy's place?"

Ajani nods. "Over this way. Ground floor."

Unfortunately the guy in charge of the master keys for this building is nowhere to be found. Ajani frowns for a moment, then pops around the back of the building, beckoning to you to follow him into the dark alleyway.

"Over there," he says after a quick search. "Boost me up a bit."

"So then you come round and let me in?"

"Too obvious. You stand watch at the entrance to the alley, and I'll come back out through the window when I'm done."

"I really don't think this is-"

"Chris," he frowns. "There's no sense in both of us risking getting caught. And if you go keep an eye on the front door and the entrance, there shouldn't be any risk in the first place."

"Okay, okay." You give Ajani a leg up, and he pushes the bathroom window open a bit wider and shimmies through. "I shouldn't be more than fifteen, twenty minutes," he whispers through the window, before heading off into the flat.

You walk back round to the entrance to the alley, working things over in your head. You think you probably have some serious questions to ask Cassandra. No need to raise your concerns with Ajani *just* yet, though... Wait, hang on, is that -

"Hi, Chris!" says Anne, waving at you. "Fancy seeing you here. Do you live around here?"

"Uh, I'm just waiting for a friend. What about you?"

Anne points her thumb in the direction of the big tower block you've just come from. "Up there. Not the best of quarters, I know, but it's cheap."

"Huh. Hey, I heard there was a pretty awesome party around here last night."

"Oh, yeah, Tom's one. Always a good time." She wags a finger comically at you. "Not that kids like you should be at parties with alcohol. But hey, it's not like I haven't had a few underaged tipples myself."

"Was this girl there? Friend of mine - fairly tall, good looking, very long red hair."

((Cont.))

>>27557084
"There was a girl like that, yeah. At least, I think so. I, uh, I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but I got kind of wasted. I mean, it was off-duty, but still. So, yeah, there were quite a few - uh, quite a few good-looking girls. Long red hair, red dress, red lipstick, right?"

“That sounds about right. Did you see her going off with anyone?”

Anne looks very sheepish. “I really don’t remember all that much about the last half of the party. I just remember waking up with a killer headache and my boyfriend acting like an asshole, so I guess I probably got drunk enough to do something stupid. Or maybe I threw up on him. Uh... so, uh, life lesson, excessive drinking is bad?” She lets out a small nervous laugh. “I should probably stop talking. Actually, I should probably just... go.”

[]”Wait, can I ask you some more about the party?”
[]”Wait, can I ask you something about Jill?”
[]Let her go and get back to keeping watch
[]Other

>>27557100
Let her go, it'd be awkward as hell if Ajani came out of the window while we were chatting.

>>27557100
We must buy time.

Ask about her boyfriend, and about if she saw what Cassandra was up to.

>>27557100
We can ask her about it later, if it comes up.

I think we already have a good guess how the party ended, and probably more info than her, actually.

>>27557100
>Let her go and keep watch

[]”Wait, can I ask you some more about the party?”

>>27557100
>[x]Let her go and get back to keeping watch
Ajani is coming back out through the window, not the front door. Getting her inside means that Ajani has a better chance.

>>27557233
((Different building, sorry. She lives in the same block as the first two missing people, you're outside a separate building. Sorry for the confusion.))

>>27557155
>>27557182
>>27557184
>>27557233

>>27557171
>>27557209

((Okay, writing now.))

>>27557332
"Yeah, uh... I'll see you around. At school, maybe."

Anne nods. "Yeah, I really ought to drop by and see Jill at school a few times. But, right now I have things to do. Very important things. I must be going."

She edges awkwardly away. You are left with your thoughts.

Well, not quite with just your thoughts. You are, after all, not the only person sharing your head.

"I presume that was meant to be a comment in my direction," comes the quiet whisper that bypasses your ears and speaks in your own voice.

You're not going to comment on any of this?

"I don't see much point on wasting my words talking about the stuck-up child with delusions of grandeur or the idiot who's too busy thinking about how everyone should just be friends and get along - and too busy thinking about her tits, too - to exercise proper control over his subordinate. You already know everything I'm going to tell you on that score. As for the missing people, I don't know anything more than you do. There's no such thing as omniscience, you know. Or was there something else you wanted to ask me about?"

[]Ask the Man about Isabella, her connection to you, her new status and what he did to her
[]Ask the Man for advice on dealing with Cassandra
[]Ask the Man for advice on fighting against angels and demons
[]Ask the Man if he's deduced anything more about the disappearances from what you both know
[]Other

>>27557589
Cassandra.

Should probably bring up our suspicions about her involvement, too. Or does Chris not know that yet?

>>27557604
((Any suspicions that you the players have are at least vaguely present in Chris' mind. How much they end up actually being expressed in his speech and actions is down to your votes.))

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>>27557589
Ask the man for Info on Izzy, and on how to deal with Cassandra.

>I'm on my mobile but someone should really 'shop the tall guy in pic to be wearing white.

>>27557589
[x]Ask the Man about Isabella, her connection to you, her new status and what he did to her
[x]Ask the Man for advice on fighting against angels and demons
She our subordinate now, we need to know how we're supposed to properly treat and use her.
And as for the second one, the timer on killing the Corruptor is ticking, and we may have to sacrifice subtlety for brute force. We need to know what will work, what won't, and what we should watch out for.

>>27557589
>[]Ask the Man for advice on fighting against angels and demons

>>27557589
Ask for advice on convincing angel chick that we aren't a threat. Or failing that something that sounds perfectly harmless but is liable to throw her into a killing rage in front of the gang allowing us plausible deniability to kill the ever loving fuck out of her.

>>27557785
>>27557710
>>27557687

>>27557650
>>27557604

((Okay, writing. As with the last batch of posts involving the Man in White, this may take a bit longer than usual, so have patience.))

>>27557841
Actually, wait.
Does a poison spirit fall under demons, or are spirits their own category?

>>27557860
((The Corrupter has been described, at various times and by various different people, as a poison spirit, a poison demon, a spirit/demon hybrid, and a demonic spirit. Some people have consistent ways of describing it which may or may not have significance.))

>>27557908
So it's a spirit that's been corrupted by demonic influences.

>>27557841
"What about Isabella? She mentioned having a connection to me, and she said I had a way to break that connection at will. But I don't feel anything like that."

"Mmm. No, you wouldn't, really. What the girl's feeling is a connection to *me*, after all. It's effectively a connection to you too, and I can show you how to access it if you like, but I really advise against it. She was right to say it's fragile. One stray thought, one emotional outburst, and no more Belle. If you need to know where she is, though, I can tell you."

"What was it you even did to her, anyway?"

"I told you already, I bound her soul to her body."

"Why did that involve killing her, though?"

"If you want to bind a soul you need to be able to manipulate it, which means cutting any other bindings on it first. We could have done the same thing by waiting for her to die from the poison, but it would've taken too long, and with a slow death there's sometimes damage to the soul."

"Okay. So what does that mean in terms of how to behave around her?"

You receive the mental equivalent of a shrug. "The important things to remember are that how you treat her now may well impact your relationship for a thousand years together, so start dominating her early or you'll have trouble, and that once she gets over the shock of death, she'll probably start trying to manipulate you to get what she wants - money, power, pleasure, an ever-growing gang of adoring followers. Smack her down hard enough and she should turn her talents on your foes instead, though."

"Okay. What about fighting the Corrupter? Fighting Gloria, if it comes down to it? Any tricks on dealing with angels and demons?"

The Man in the White Suit scoffs loudly. "Kid, you wouldn't last half a second against a real angel or demon right now. Fortunately for you all you're dealing with is a spoiled child, and a weak, pathetic approximation of a true demon of Hell. Both will fall over and die if you just stab them enough."

((Cont.))

>>27558478
That’s it? That’s the sum total of your advice on dealing with Gloria and the Corrupter, ‘just stab them a lot’?

“Of course not. But you wanted the Cliff Notes on how to fight angels and demons. Gloria should be easy enough to goad into a rage, and an angry fighter is a sloppy fighter. The poison spirit won’t fight close in if it can avoid it, so cut off its escape routes. It’s a complete coward at heart – loves nothing more greatly than itself. Oh, and trust nothing it says and no bargains it proposes. Unlike your faerie friend, it can and will break contracts as freely as it likes, its own and those others have made with it. Don’t touch its blood if you can help it. Touch Gloria’s blood all you like – it won’t do anything good for you, but it’s not actively toxic. Might carry a disease or two if the girl’s been doing the rounds of their little group, but I doubt it. Boy doesn’t seem the sharing type.”

There’s a bit of a rustling noise coming from behind you. Ajani may be trying to get out. You’ve got time to discuss one more topic, if you like. What do you want to do?

>>27558492

"One last thing... Teach me how to use our power in more practical ways. There must be some utility to this blessing we share. How bout dem fireballs huh? Kidding... You know I prefer a subtle approach."

>>27558492
Ask him what the best way to train our control of our powers is.

>>27558492
'What can you do to those undead puppets that the Winter King is so fond of? Any way to break their bonds with a snap of the fingers, or is there a more involved process? Actually, that applies to minions of the Corruptor, too. Any fast and or easy way to break their bonds and force them to serve me?'

>>27558579
>utility
>manipulating people

It's a utility in it's own right.

>>27558600
But it requires talking to them.
Do we actually have to convince them with an argument, no matter how flimsy? Or can we just tell them that they serve us now, and that's enough to force a pact?

>>27558608
With the kind of power The Man is apparently able to throw around, I feel like we should just be able to shout commands at them.

>>27558579
>>27558586
Thirding the "how can I into training"

>>27558600
Yeah but we already have such things.

After having revealed to us that we can do much much more, I'm interested to capitalize. We might have some useful gimmicks.

>>27558625
Yeah, but then the question becomes whether he'll give us access to that much power.

>>27558641
*WE* don't, the Man does. He is the one that has the power, and controls whether we can use it or not.
Power that can be turned on and off, and is given at the pleasure of another, is not true power at all.

>>27558642
I have a strong feeling that the man wants to give us as much as possible.

This is a symbiotic relationship, and as both people are power driven, surely the more he gives the more he can take.

I'm not complaining though. It's a great story.

>>27558674
Then we should work on our own power.

I think we resolved last time to see if we could get anything out of our pact, since that wouldn't be tied to Him.

>>27558596
>>27558586
>>27558579
>>27558608
>>27558625
((Writing now. Running low on steam a little, probably finishing soon. It is nearly 4:£0am.))

>>27558675
I'd like to see how the Man stacks up against a Deep One, or an actual Great Old One, like Father Dagon.
Since Masami proves that some of Lovecraft's writing is true, I'd like to know just how far the Man's arrogance extends.

>>27558704
Well the man is rightly arrogant, considering he is Zalgo

He comes.

>>27558738
H̴̡̛͗̎̄ͮ̍̾͐̒̾ͣ͌̈́̋̀ȩ̈ͨ̐̈́ͨͩ̆ͬ͢ ̴̴̡ͨ̎̎ͧ̉̔̌ͬͬ̐̍̏͐ͯ̿̓͗ͪ͢C̶̡ͫ̆̊͂̐̈ͧͮͦ̀͠ǫ͆ͯͤ̋ͩ͛͋͛́m̷̧̏͗͐ͮ̈͂͑̈͋́̈́̍̓̽́͜ę̷̵͌͊̐ͣͫͯͯ́͑ͮͭ͂ͤ̀͡s̴̔̿ͭͫ̿͌ͣ̉ͬ̔͌̋͌̈́̌͝҉
ͬ̍͗̈́̏ͮ͗ͥͦͨͮ̌̎͊̈̍̒̽͟͡H̷̵͗̅ͪͬ͆̽̓̑̍̑ͤͯ̿̄͢͟͞e͛ͫͫͩͣͪ̅̍ͩ͌̑ͩ̚͏͞͝ ̴͊ͨͤ͋̽̈̈ͥ̑̒ͯ̂̐̀̏̈́Cͨ͊̐̑̀͘o̴̷̐̎͊̇ͥ̍͑̓ͦ̽̋͑̾̃̚̚̚͢͡͠m̷̓͂ͩ̊̓ͨ̊̅̈́͆̔̚e̢͗̈́̐̿ͤͥ̃ͦ̃̏͑͛ͪͨs̃̌̔ͮ͂ͮ̀̌͐ͪͪ͐ͦ̈̚̚͝҉̴͞͡ ͦ̑͊́͛͂ͮ̏̊̓̈́ͦ̿͟͠Ḩ̎ͩͮ̉̑́̃ͮ̓̽͛̍̓̌͑̇̅͡҉ęͪͤ̓̀ͧ͌ͤͨͬ͛́͠͞ ̧̛̌̂̎ͫ̈́̏̀C̶̸̎̂̅͑̍ͣ̀̏̇̅̿ͥͤ̈͂̔̏ͣ̕o̷ͮ̽̉̽ͦ̇̏͐̽̌̇͊́̀́͜m̷ͯͫ̿̌̂́͡͡e͆ͥ̇͊̚͟ş͑ͬ͛̂̌̓ͥ̎̈̾ͣ͛ͦ̎ͦͮͪ̌͢
̡̧̅̇̑̽̌̅ͮ͊͆͟͠͡Ȟ̴̵̡ͦ̄̃ͥ̓̎ͥͪE̾̑̑̅̉̃ͧͪ̃̚͜͡C̛̊͂ͧ̽ͥͩ̏ͥͬͦͥ͐ͪ̀͢Oͧ̋̆ͮͧͮ̅̇͐͐̃ͮ͌̂̍̀͡͠͝M̧̢̈ͦ̍̔͑̇ͫ͌̌̈͒E̒̽́͆ͪͪͤͦ͐́̃̓ͬ̚҉̧͘͟͞S̃͒̾ͩ̿ͭ̂̂̉̾̈ͧ͟͜͜H̷̐ͨ͋̈̍ͪ͆̃͋̽ͦ͗͠E̛͆̓̉̐̂ͬ͌ͨ͗ͮ̀͠͠C̽̄ͥ̔ͧ͌͡͏O̧̎̊̏̓͑̉̌ͤ̂͋͒̓ͤ̾̓̔̚M̶̌̔ͬ͛ͩ̃̃̈́̕͟E̸͌͛̆ͪ͐͟͢Ş̸̂͌̍̿̀̆̍̊̀͊ͧ̿̊̈́̈́ͫ̐̚̚̕͞͝H̴̨̧̓̒̂͐́̓͆͑̐̾͛ͧͪͯͬ̋̚Eͩ͆̓͑ͯͭ̈́͊ͪ̾͒̍̀ͨ̒͢͏̷C̸̵̨ͥ̿̉ͤ̔ͧͣ͂̊̉̀͞Ơ̆̇̐ͦ̊ͨ́̓́̔ͭͩͪͬ͂̍́͝҉M̵̃͛̑͌ͣͪ́̈́ͨ͡Ȅ̴̛̽͊̃̌̈́̐͠S̐͆ͭ̄̃̚̕͠H͂͐ͩ̅͆͏̧E͛̎͒̊ͩ͗̿͛҉̵̨̨Č̡̂̆͗̆̃̊́͜͠O̵̓͊͌̃̐ͩ̚͜͏M̀̃̋̑̿̽͐̄̔͋ͨ̐͑ͯͮ͘͞͡E̵̷ͨͩ͛̇ͭͥ̊̌̋̋ͩ҉̵͢S̵͗̾ͣ͛͂̒͋̎ͩ̊̈́̓̓͆̓̂̉͊́͢͟͡
̴̴̴́ͫ̾̿ͧ̉ͨͣͪ̀̊̊̅ͪ͛̚͟
͑͗̅̆҉

>>27558704
I'm sure his arrogance extends infinitely. Whether or not his ability matches it remains to be seen.

>>27558478
>so start dominating her early or you'll have trouble, and that once she gets over the shock of death, she'll probably start trying to manipulate you to get what she wants.

The Man's warning about Isabella is probably a valid one, but I feel like his suggested course of action is a dangerous one. Sure, if she thinks we're weak she might try to walk all over us, but we don't want to be needlessly domineering either- if she resents us, she'll try to fuck us over for spite. We're in a good position right now where she knows she owes us for getting her out of her Corrupter situation, and where she worries that we can kill her instantly if we decide to. We want to capitalise on this period and build up goodwill. Based on the brief moment of vulnerability she showed when we were talking about her father, I think it can be done, and he's the perfect means, if we can do something for him.

>>27558828
Actually, talking about Isabella's dad reminds me about what that Fae tailor was saying.
He wanted a down payment because the Spring Court was recently late in its payments.
Avril would likely be insulted if we asked her, but maybe even Fae Royalty are affected by the global economic troubles.
Maybe there's a way to have them help each other out.

>>27558828
Or that "brief moment of vulnerability" was a test balloon Issy threw up to see if we were more easily played by our heartstrings than swayed by coldly rational discourse. I agree we should help eliminate her father's gambling addiction, but I think we need to make sure that in doing so he becomes our asset and Isabelle ends up further in our debt and bound to serve our cause.

Tl;dr I doubt Isabelle is the type to put much stock in good will.

>>27558943
I thought we were doing it to take control of his company.

Apparently he's got an in with half the town, yeah? Seems like a good position to usurp if we can.

And we got a long life ahead of us, so seeds planted now and we might be able to get a controlling share legally later on, maybe use it to branch out into the market.

>Implying Izzy and Chris are now not destined to be together forever, as the worlds finest supernatural power couple.

>>27559023
Power couple implies equals.

We're not going to do equals.

And shit, we're going to need to stop Jill from dying at some point.

>>27559039
>stop Jill from dying at some point.
Fae pact for immortality?
Doing the thing we did to Isabella might compromise Jill's powers.

>>27558696
"Okay. So we've got an awful lot of power to throw around by the standards of most people around here.What else can I do with it? Is there any good way to train my powers to extend them and have more precise control? It almost seems like I should just be able to tell someone they're mine and have it be true."

"Oh, you can do that, sure. The problem is initiative."

"What, I need to move faster than them?"

"What? No. Initiative, drive, creativity. Bind someone completely against their will, and they'll follow your orders exactly to the letter, because if you allow them any freedom they'll use it against you. Binding someone who knows more or less what they're getting into gives you a much less time-intensive servant in the end. Still, it might be useful sometimes, if you just need a disposable body."

"Wait, can I do that, like, right now?"

"Well, I can. You might be able to eventually. The key is really practice. Find some random mortal no-one will miss, practice breaking their will for a few hours, then I can order them to forget it all, or just order them to have a heart attack, if we're somewhere fairly private. A lot of the *really* complicated tricks would take you a few years to really get the hang of, but simple mind control just needs a few hours and an unwilling test subject. A willing one won't resist, of course, but you could do with the practice in breaking resistance. You'll need it sooner or later."

"And you're not going to have any issues giving me the power?"

"Hey, kid, I told you already. We're partners. And I want our partnership to be a powerful one."

You're pondering over how to reply when Ajani taps you on the shoulder. When you turn to him, he's shaking his head.

"Nothing in the third place either, or at least nothing conclusive. Opened and emptied pack of condoms, and his bed was definitely slept in by quite a few people recently. Doesn't prove he came back to it yesterday, though. Dammit."

((Cont.))

>>27558828

Hmm, I disagree. She is in a pretty servile mood right now, so she shouldn't resent anything; she knows her place, but will grow discontent if she tastes freedom/power again.

>>27559050
“No signs of a werewolf attack, though?”

“No signs of any sort of attack. If they were killed, it wasn’t in there. We’re mostly still at square one here, apart from the party.”

“Okay. Any more investigating to do tonight?”

Ajani shakes his head again. “I think we’ve tapped out all our options for tonight. If you think of anything else, let me know. For now, I think you can head home. Thanks for your help tonight, even if it didn’t go as smoothly as we’d hoped. I’ll see you in school tomorrow.”

>>27559050
>you might be able to eventually

So we do have some access separate from him. Good to know.

>>27559071
So, onward to confront more people?

Or can we take a few hours and get some practice in? It seems reasonable.

>>27559071
((And I think we're done for tonight. Next thread on Tuesday the 8th of October, usual time. Questions, comments, etc. etc below, and I'll do my best to answer them in the morning. Thank you all for being excellent players, as always.))

>>27559071
"Right then. Later, Ajani."
I've got no desire to be helping James along at this point.

As for the Man, was that an admission that he can order someone to drop their weapon and kick it gently over to us, then turn around and do nothing as we knock them over the head?

>>27559090
>So we do have some access separate from him
Actually, I interpreted it as meaning Chris being able to manipulate the power in such a way as to have that effect, instead of having the Man do it for him.
How did you mean it, MH?>>27559092
Or is this another of those ambiguous statements that's meant to be ambiguous?

>>27559114
((You may wish to consult Garth Ennis' Preacher series for the disadvantage of such a trick, namely, an enemy who knows about it can just shoot you before you finish speaking your command.
>>27559137
The Man in the White Suit, make a deliberately ambiguous statement that could easily be misinterpreted? Perish the thought.))

>>27558943
She'll learn to put stock in goodwill or we'll flip the switch. I don't imagine she'll ever be perfectly chummy-chummy with us, but better we have a decent working relationship than resentment on her side and suspicion on ours.

>>27559060
She has power now. She still has all of her old contacts, with the exception of Cassandra, and she still has what's left of her father's weight behind her. The whole point of making her subservient was to make use of her power. My point is that I'd rather she consider us a benevolent ally than a dictatorial overlord.

>>27559049
I'm not sure such a pact would be a) possible or b) acceptable to Jill. Fae pacts rely on fair exchange, and what can she offer to equal immortality? He powers? Her humanity? *Maybe*, if we're lucky, her hand in marriage, providing the king is agreeable.

>>27559184
We still have a couple decades, and for the purposes of medical science, Jill is still fully human.

Once we control a couple multinationals, we can dump money into clinical immortality. At the very least, a longevity vaccine.

Until then, a low calorie diet high in soy for Jill.

>>27559156
>an enemy who knows about it can just shoot you before you finish speaking your command
So, in other words, don't get into a fight without a meatshield. Or make the command fast and unambiguous, such as "Don't move".

Does the ability only work when they actually hear our voice, or can it be done over the phone?

>>27554154
>Breaking away from Isabella is going well for you, then?"
> breaking away
Fuck, our humour is aweful.

>>27559398
Did you notice the initiative joke in our conversation with the Man in White? I chuckled.

>>27559323
((If your power was purely voice-based and worked over a phone, you expect that the Man in White would have mentioned something about it at some point. Of course, it's possible that that's just a trick you haven't learnt yet. Or that he's concealing things for his own reasons.))

>>27559398
One of our minor hungers is making terrible jokes. Calling it.

>>27559398
>>27562660
(( ... I swear that pun wasn't intentional. ))