New Year, Same Problems

[Sally]

Sally Lautner walks into the AAA, his hands in the pockets of a ratty black hoodie that reads "WINTER IS COMING" across the chest, and with a battered folder under one arm. Snow spots him, and he shakes it off and kicks his boots against the door frame before entering.

"Somebody tell me again why we done helped them Dusk Court folks get they chair back, if they just turnt aroun' and dumped snow on us?"

He unclips a battered steel mug from his belt, sees Flo to fill his cup with bitter black coffee, and then sits down at a table, ready to work. Opening the folder, he lays out a number of pieces of yellow legal paper, the only thing on their red lines are the following names, in pink writing. He works, using sharpies to fill in the names of various adversaries beneath the names:

Page 1:
GORALS; JD- MELLIE- SALLY- CORA- JACOB
BIG BAD WOLF
BUTCHER
GOLLDARN DARKNESS
SASQUATCHES
GOG AND FUCKING MAGOG
EYEBALL COLLECTOR

Page 2:
HANLEYS; CORVUS - MASON - EDEN - AMELIA- RORY- DOC RUE- TJ
GODDAMN DARKNESS
GODDAMN DEMONS
ALL THE FEY THAT AIN'T MOGGIE

Page 3:
ALICE N GABE - ONDREJ

OTHER GODDAMN DEMONS


Page 4:
The REV - BEATRICE - DUST - GIL - MAXWELL
GODDAMN DEMONS

Page 5:
BLACKSTONE; BOBBY- NILE - HARTIGHAN - VICTOR
ROBOT ARMY
TALON

Page 6:
AMT; ZOEY N ASH- HARRY
BLACKSTONE

Page 7:
KELSE N NICK - MR. GONDORFF - NESS - LOU
GODDAMN DARKNESS
FEY
TALON

Page 8:
XAVIER'S SCHOOL FOR GIFTED YOUTHS; BLUE - VACILY
CODEC

Page 9:
JACKAL - ALANA
JACKAL'S BITCH OF AN EX
EVIL HOBBITS

Page 10:
ED- ETHAN

Page 11:
LESLIE- PHIL - HERNE - MONTY
BUG HEAD
RAISIN HEAD
BRITISH PONCY FUCKS
SNOOTY FUCKIN DEMON HUNTERS
MEDICAL ETHICS BOARD

PAGE 12:
RYAN N MADRIGUS- LEO
BUG HEAD

PAGE 13:
RED - JONES, MR- CHARLOTTE
TRIAD

PAGE 14:
DALLAS - THE CARRIERS

PAGE 15:
GABRIELLE- MIKE ICE - HARRY
INTERNET SHIT

PAGE 16:
BRETT - BILLY -
THEM
MAN, THE
FUCKING FEY

PAGE 17:
FLO
RATS
RAT PEOPLE
GODDAMN PEOPLE-RATS
MOTHS

PAGE 18:
PROF. CHALLENGER
DEATHLY HALLOWS

PAGE 19:
PANDORA
TALON

PAGE 20:
FUCKIN' SHERIFF - ELLIE - marner
GODDAMN DARKNESS
BUTCHER
ASSHOLES BLOWIN UP THEIR TOWN ON A SEMI-REGULAR BASIS

As he works, Sally occasionally glances up to the Shrine to the Few, his brow furrowed before getting back to it.

He eventually pulls out a few more sheets of paper, leaving the top lines blank:

Page 21:

MOTHS

Page 22:

BLIND MOLLY

Page 23:

EYEBALL THINGS

Page 24:

ZOMBIES

Page 25:

STIFF LEGGED BEAR

[kimp]

:: Liberty comes from the kitchen, sliding into her hoodies. Gaze vague, she starts towards the table where her bag is sloped, then stops dead and sweeps the room with a look. Her attention settles on Sally and, correcting direction, she heads towards him.

Hooking a stool with her foot she pulls it out from the table across from him and drops to a sit. She scans the papers upside down, then cocks her head and angles her torso to get a better angle. Her lips quirk and she slants him a look full of wry humor, murmuring ::
X-men.

:: Then she's back to sideways/upside down reading. After a moment she taps the paper marked Page 1. ::

Does any of that cover that thing Mells said she came here about in the beginning?

:: then she taps Page 11 ::
And do any of these refer to Leslie's Big Bad? The one that seems to have followed him here?

:: she cocks her head ::
How many of these are related to corporations and how many of them are pure woo-woo? And is there a corollary?

:: a shrug ::
Patterns.
:: she goes quiet a moment and her gaze focuses on a spot hanging in the air over his shoulder, then she shakes her head and continues ::
I like patterns. How things connect, even if that connection is obscure or obscured.
:: another second, another shift of focus and back. ::
I still play with the idea of why we all came here. We are a veritable conclave of weird.
:: one corner of her mouth kicks up :;
Present company excluded, of course

[Ellie Kennigan]

Ellie had been hobbling around here for some time, chatting with a few people she knows, steering clear of others, and catching up with Flo. From her perch leaning against the counter for stability some ways away (and out of earshot), her gaze flickered over to the coffee being poured for Sally, and she sipped her own with what could have been a hint of approval. She turned her attention back to her conversation with the cook over the counter and didn't bother anyone further on whatever work they were clearly doing.

[Eden Jones]

Eden comes in the door moments after Sally. The chill gust of wind that follows her inside swirls snow around the hem of her long, black coat. Her arms are filled with tupperware and the enticing aromas coming from them hint at freshly baked goods.

She nods at folks as she heads to the back of the diner, drops off a bunch of Flo's favorite muffins with the proprietor, then says a curt hello to Dr. Kennigan before heading back to Sally's table. She grins at him and Liberty.

"It's snowing because Fae royalty seems to confuse a thank you with a slap in the face. Have a muffin." She unceremoniously deposits a box of various goodies on the table, then sits down and tilts her head to have a look at Sally's various lists.

"Blue, I think Raisin Head is Leslie's Big Bad. That or Bug Head; they're both involved somehow." She scans the papers for a moment longer. "There are a bunch of things with which I'm unfamiliar: evil hobbits, Jackal's ex, British --," she unsuccessfully stifles a giggle, "British poncy fucks? Do tell! And is the Professor's Deathly Hallows predicament related to the book or is that just one of our Whisper Euphemisms?"

[Madrigus]

Madrigus, sitting quietly and waiting for his lunch, looks up from The Cursed card at the end of his spread to see Sally stride in. 'I should have known,' he mumbled to himself, and swept the cards back into The Deck of Revelations, tucked the deck into his bag, and seated himself across from his friend to watch whatever he was doing. As the tall man continued to write, he pointed to the page where his name appeared.

'I'll overlook the "Goddamned Demons" insult,' he grated in his rusty voice, 'it's not our fault although I'm sure I'm not included. But I do want to know who this "Bug Head" person is. If these lists are supposed to be our enemies, I haven't any idea who this is or why I'm against him.'

He turned his head momentarily away, both to take a muffin and to respond to Eden. 'I like to look at it more that the fey aren't thanking us by slapping us, they're thanking us by keeping the environment stable. It's a "Thank you, now let's keep things on schedule."'

[Sally]

Plugging away, albeit slowly, at his work Sally only realized he has company when Liberty starts talking. Quiet on her feet, that one.

"Hey there, Blue," Sally says, scratching at his 'chops. "Yeah, I been tryin' to lump together folks by all sortsa cat-e-gories. Started out wit' houses, but, Jesus, you seen my lot? We got more trouble in our rearview as a group than is healthy fer twice as many folk," Sally shook his head. Between his clan and Alice n' Gabriel, Victor, Leslie's clutch, Monty, and Dr. Zinc n Ash, there was a half the problems that had plagued the town. "Then I tried sortin' it out, by, uh... pro-cliv-ities... upfront vi-o-lence, skulkin' about, hoodoos, sciences n' such. Got myself lost on that one, so I tried some other shit, then settled on combo'in all of the above. Thus, you's an X-man. X-woman."

Sally nods, as if this all makes perfect sense. At the question Mellie and the Goral's original purpose, he points to 'eyeball collector' and says, "Our folks got kilt, and at least two of 'em got they eyes cut out," his voice flat and hard as a stone ax head. "They's gonna be hell to pay fer that. One way 'r another," Sally mutters, mostly to himself.

When Eden appears, he thanks her for the muffin, devours it in two bites, and nods as she explains Raisin Head as Leslie's bogeyman. "Buhg head ish hish bossh," he says, between bites, "Mishter Hobb."

Sally swallows, "Oh, hey there, Mister Mad-ri-gus. Ya'll is the quietest darn buncha cats I ever done seen," he says, looking over the three of them. "None of us- all of us- is included in tha Golldarn Demons bit. Them's the other ones that keep comin' after us. I mean that darned bit lit-er-ally- like, they enslaved er what have ya, doin' biddin' an' such. Biddin' a folks like that Mr. Hobb. He's the one that Leo made a deal wit, an' gave him that funky stick a his. Er'ry one says tha's trouble, an' I figger it might be yer trouble, it bein' all hoodooy AN' demony."

Ash the group looks over his lists, he scrambles back to the counter for more coffee, grimacing as Flo pours him more of the pungent liquid. With a grin, he raises his mug to Dr. Kennigan, before returning to the table.

"I kent quite sort the patterns yet- Kelsey's got me lookin' fer 'em though, but I ain't no Dr. Watson, lettalone no Sherlock," he says licking his teeth, "Near as I can figger, though, Big Corps gotta be here lookin' fer somethin', same as us. Mayhap a spot or two of pal-a-ver wit' folks workin' for 'em to see, in light of our, uh, shared en-e-my. Our con-clave of weird, save us, a' course, has gotta have some kinda connection. But, to be honest, I'm more concerned of just sortin' out the Whats, rather n' the Whys. Folks is gonna keep they golldarn secrets, I can't do shit 'bout that, but mebbe we can just make sure people is lookin' out fer stuff, even if it ain't got nothin to do wit 'em. An', at the least, you sharp-headed chickies might just wind up spottin' tha patterns."

Sally furrows his brow, and looks up to Eden, "Evil Hobbits n' Jackals ex might be connected. Las' fall, they was chasin' after that Ant-iqui-tarian fella, Noel, was it? Good lookin' fella. Fancy dress. Red eyes. Buncha ghouls, I think somebody called 'em. Ugly little shits, hunched over. Far as I re-member, Jackal said it had somethin' to do with some old- real old- ex of his comin' to town. Lookin' fer trouble."

Sally looks down to his list, "The Ponces- Pickwick n' Reginald." Sally furrows his brow, "I don't have any fuckin' clue what a Ponce is, an' I didn't meet 'em, but they hunted Alexander Herne down in the woods like a fuckin' animal. ... a regular, non shiftin' animal... an' I hear of 'em round these parts again, an' well, shit, I might just show 'em how that feels. I've hunted bucks, I've hunted Tal-i-ban, an' I'll betcha I'm just as good as huntin' British goofs as I was the first two." Nearly snarling, Sally takes a sip of his coffee and returns to his usual demeanor, "But, yeah."

Sally scratches his head, eyes narrow, "Dealthy Hollers...hm... OH, yeah, the Bird Lady in the snazzy hat. She gots some sisters 'er somethin. Three of 'em. All Deathly." He grins, "I came up wit dat one myselfs."

"I'm sure there's all sorts here I'm missin', an' even more than I'm con-foundin' but ya'lls more n' welcome to add yer pennies. I got me a big board I'mma post 'em to, wit some string so Brett can die a happy man."

"Well, lesee-"

[Wolfman2006]

Mason walks in holding an worn book, listens to Madrigus's question and comment, then Sally's answer. He walks over to the two of them and speaks quietly.

"Regardless of what Sally meant on his chart, Demons are in fact damned by God. By the very definition of their nature it is hardly a slight to speak truthfully to what they are. And yes it is in fact our kind's fault we are damned, long ago we made a choice... the denizens of the Pitt are so for a reason after all. When it comes to Mr. Hobb do we really need a specific reason to oppose forces of malice that would endanger people's lives and souls?"

Mason gives a sad smile

"Remember Madrigus for whatever reasons your will is not yours anymore, you are a slave. Therefore you like myself are tolerated. Demons that retain their free will however... thats another story."

Mason gives the chart a glance

"You've been busy Sally, is this list who we know is looking each category? Or are some of this proposed?"

[Madrigus]

Madrigus' face darkened slightly at Mason's words. "I was trying to make a bit of humor out of it, but I suppose I failed. I know my place." He heaved a deep sigh and tried to calm himself. "And despite your feelings, Mason, I don't really want to go playing punchy with the aristocracy. If Ryan tells me to, that's a different story, and right now I'm obligated to help, so I shall."

He glanced over the papers in front of him again, then looks to Sally. "I'll agree that the 'funky stick' is Leo's trouble, but it's also the harvest of his own sowing. My trouble is understanding the deeper mysteries of the universe and why humans feel obligated to wrong those that teach them lessons."

Madrigus' eye catches on the object in Mason's hands, and his interest piqued he couldn't help from asking, "What's the book?"

[Wolfman2006]

Mason shifts uncomfortably but lets out a light chuckle, clearing see some awkward humor in the question (or at least at the timing of it) giving a wry look as he gestures at it.

"Its an old book on Judeo-Christian cosmology, specifically the Fall and the nature of salvation and damnation for non humans. This is a translated and seemingly watered down abridged version, gets rather iffy though about what was the original author's work or altered by the translator for the sake of linguistics and what was kept in for his personal opinions or even politics. Eh when it comes to stuff that old you have to take them with a grain of salt anyhow."

"As for the aristocracy... yeah its dangerous, but how I see it doesn't change much. No one wants to face the horrors of the unclean, they do anyway for whatever reasons compel them. A Duke? I am not taking that lightly, trust me on that one. Besides being on that list doesn't necessarily mean direct confrontation, it means it is a threat, its safe to say that the Duke is in fact that. Oh and trust me no one is saying that Leo isn't also to blame for that one, but as they say hate the sin not the sinner. "

[Madrigus]

"Sounds like something one of us would have propagated," Madrigus replied. "They used to say 'a demon made me do it.' If that's what they're saying now no wonder humans have so many problems with us. And I mean that in the 'they forgot we exist so bad things tend to happen more frequently' sense." His plate of food, burger and fries, appeared at his elbow. He picked up a fry and was about to eat it when he pointed it at Mason. "The book sounds interesting. You'll have to tell me about it sometime." Then he ate the fry.

"I'll also agree that Hobb is a threat, but it seems to me that's he's the sort of threat that's only there if you bother him. Otherwise you're not in his attention and in my opinion should stay clear of it. What Leo wants to attempt is foolish, much like his choice for trading an object of questionable power for a handshake."