The troll looks into the mirror, gently probing thoughts of the Huntsman as he tries to stare past his own reflection.

The Kitchen

Papa holds the mirror in hand, looking intently at it for a few seconds. At first the mirror just shows the troll and the ceiling just past him, then it ripples and a bloody slab of meat shows. Seconds later the Huntsman is visible, sitting in a high backed chair in loose leathers. The perspective is odd, with his arm prominent in the foreground. You realize that the mirror is showing you a reflection from a knife on the table.

"Bondsman, you disturb my meal. It is too soon for you to have acquired another. My servants told me that you have been paid and the others delivered unto you. Why do you call my attention?"

Considering the crazy shit I've seen this done by those who are his lackeys... I would imagine that a little deference would be appropriate.

He took a breath and spoke to the mirror, checking to see if the Huntsman's image is being captured by the video inputs before speaking what had been going through his head for the last minute: "Lord Huntsman. Thank you for both the payment and the reinforcements. We are preparing to collect the next item but find ourselves without a full mage. I realized that you would be more upset at a report of failure for a simple lack of proper resources than a small interruption to request said resources."

Papa

Glancing at the feed signal, you see the video is being captured accurately. The audio feeds record only the barest noise from the kitchen and don't seem to be capturing the Huntsman's voice.

"You have lost another? Like prey run to ground... I will make arrangements for one who knows how to call the great beasts. Remember you are hunters."

He turns away from you and addresses another out of your line of sight. The guttural language is harsh, though his tone doesn't carry anger.

"She will come for you, accompanied by one older than it appears."

Papa nods in deference. "Thank you." Looking at the two new additions sent previously, he nods again. They seem a little more combat capable than the previous team. Looking back to the mirror, assuming the conversation over {Assuming the Huntsman is done}, he imagines the connection fading. When it does he places the mirror on the table face down.

He spools the video feed to TeamNet, adding in subtitles. "Sounds like we will have a mage soon. Once he/she arrives, I've map out a plan for comlink upgrades. Anyone have any ideas about Hollywood Simsense Entertainment? I had considered an angle of using the security agent as a patsy, then planting some false evidence pointing to a competitor. A quick snatch and grab, taking it in one of their vans, pulling a switch to ours sell any overstock. Discreetly. Thoughts? Subtle inquiries about the other team, beef up security here at the house and prepare for a run into the Tir." He pauses realizing the mountainous size of that list. "In my spare time I think I'll study up resonance theory for my doctorate."

Dalma

The wards around your apartment tremble three times, as if a strong hand knocked upon the walls. Your father sets a cup of tea down and looks to the window. He pushes back the small mat on the floor scant seconds before a black wolf materializes in the living room. The spirit stands fifteen hands at the shoulder, the size of most horses.

"Namer, my Lord requests your service. The Huntsman has creatures of this world searching for items of power. They have called upon him to find a Namer. He offers you the chance to free many held confined against their will, the wealth to buy a herd of twenty, and the name of the one who holds your memories."

The creature's voice is smooth and cultured, at odds to its primal appearance. You can smell the forest in its fur and freshly killed deer upon its breath.

Interesting... Siren thinks, as she lets her gaze wander over to the puzzle box now.

I have never seen anything like that before.

Brock listens to the conversations going on while he is preparing dinner. "either way we go, wether its robbing a simsense studio or hitting a rival team we will need to have our back covered and would like to know at least the location of the other team. If i could get a few details of what they look like i can let my fixer at least look into if they are still hanging around or have moved on?"

Dalma was sitting on the floor in front of a low table. A thin brush in her hand applying thin lines of Henna coloring to her skin just past her wrist and to her other hand, she stopped suddenly when she felt the wards tremble and before she could ask her father what was happening, the spirit stood before her. She looked at the beautiful creature inquisitively, appreciating its presence.

She placed the brush down on the table slowly, then moved her deep brown eyes to the creature, speaking in a kind and hushed voice with a slight Hindu accent...

"Hello spirit of the other realms, it is an honor to meet you"

Her words were clear and before every sentence, it was obvious that much though was put behind them.

"Your Lord seems to know much about me and though I am hesitant always at first meetings, your offer sounds quite intriguing and I must trust that the spirits shall help me find my path..."

Dalma looks to her father seeing if he approves of this offer.

Siren

Looking at the box within the astral, tiny letters glimmer half concealed from the grooves between the shifting panels. Tiny bells ring at the edge of your hearing, a melody that you can't quite place but know that you've heard before. A song waiting to be sung. The energy reaches out to you, shielded by the box somehow.

You think the letters may be part of a spirit formula.

Olethros looks over the collected objects, taking care not to touch them and to give enough space for Siren to view the auras without his interference. He speaks out loud as he looks them over to the team collected in the kitchen.

"The mirror I think is just a tool enchanted by the Huntsman - many fey use mirrors and reflective surfaces in their workings of magic. The rabbit could be a symbolic link for ritual magic but I'm generalizing. I would need to know more about it or see what impressions have been left on it. The box could be hiding arcane formulae or a cypher. Usually opening the box is part of awakening the magic within it. Can anyone see any writing or symbols - that may provide a deeper understanding of the relic."

He looks back over his shoulder to Brock.

"If you can cook I'm game. I usually just get some sort of soy paste thing passed off as a meal but then I stay at dumps truth be told."

Shifting his focus to Papa he shrugs.

"I'm leaning towards the other team first to make sure that loose end is tied off."

"Those are some interesting items, you got there," Siren says, after Olethros has shared his assessment. "I'm not big on the theory of magic, more of a practitioner myself, but I have some experience with aura reading, and this is what I can tell you."

"When I sensed the aura of the rabbit, I could see flashes of hospital rooms. That item, it is powerful. But I cannot say what its purpose is. It is something unique, unlike anything I have seen."

"That box contains a spirit formula, if I am not mistaken. I could only see parts of it, symbols and letters, but there must be more inside, as the box itself seems to act like a shield, keeping it from being exposed."

"The mirror's purpose seems to be well-known," she says, seeing how Papa is using the item in the meantime.

"I could also see, that the astral space here, where we are, has been damaged in the recent past. What happened here?"

Dalma

Your father nods his acceptance and approval. The wolf looks back and forth between the two of you, curiosity in its eyes.

"When a Namer spends as much time in the spirit world as you, many powers take interest to ensure you do not pose a threat to their agendas. You are known among all of Arborea as a mortal kind to our kin. Would that more followed the same path.

"I shall wait beyond your wards, when you are ready I will guide you to the others my Lord has bargained your aid for."

With that, the spirit dematerializes, travelling deep into the metaplanes. A few seconds later, you can see his astral form outside hovering in the air.

Dalma smiles slightly when the spirit tells her, that her presence has been noticed and deemed a friend in the astral world, as the spirit leaves her home, she stands slowly and begins to get her things together, she does nothing in a hurry, picking up her commlink and adjusting it to fit comfortably, fitting her contact lenses in her eyes and making sure her clothes are clean, five minutes pass before she is ready and as she heads out of the house she looks to her father...

"Would you join me father? As always"

Her father nods and moves towards the door. She opens the door and before she steps out, she looks to the astral at her bound spirits...

"My friends, it should be safe, but one can never be too careful, would you all come with me?"

She then proceeds outside, locking her door and to follow the wonderful spirit that is guiding her.

Papa decides that full disclosure is probably the best idea here. The shit is gonna get real hairy. Siren is the only one here not really vested to the Huntsman, but I think her curiosity will override fear.

To Siren he provides the following reply, "This video was captured by the security system in the house."

<<@Team [Papa] [@Locket's visit video]>>

Papa adds a tag to the woman in the video of: Locket. The agent, the seeker of the Endless.

A group of people arrive at the house with improvised musical instruments--trashcans, large rusted saws and what looks to have once been the radiator of a car, strung with cords. The band practices for several hours, then more people show up, then more people...Somewhere leading into the twenty-four hour mark, alcohol began flowing freely rather than just from hip flasks. A woman walks in. As soon as she comes in, all eyes are immediately on her and conversations stop. She is beautiful as described, wearing a very tight short black dress and stilleto heels. The woman appears to be hispanic or Aztlaner, with long black hair pulled back. There is a golden locket around her neck.

As the party continues, a group of people all go into the kitchen and don't come out for about an hour. Switching to the kitchen footage, you see two very drunk woman dancing on the countertop. Etain has her clothes on, but is gyrating her hips in a series of fast thrusts and slow sways. The other woman, one of the band's groupies or friends perhaps, doesn't have the same inhibitions. She has several augmentations, including an ability to contort in remarkable ways.

Locket moves through the crowd, like the sluagh amongst goblins. Here is a being of power amongst mortals, and her presence is tangible in the shivers that run up the spines of many of the band's hanger-ons. She begins the speak and can only imagine the power accompanying her words as the room quickly empties of everyone but Rene and Etain. An impossible breeze ruffles the being's hair as she bends down to show them something hidden within her necklace. The contents are hidden by the curtain of her hair, but you feel certain that magic was used in that moment.

Both of them sit unmoving for almost an hour, and then go outside. A few minutes later, the flickering lights of flames begin and they come running inside and grab household objects and cleaners to start throwing at the fire. It is obvious they are grabbing large containers of liquid, but never seem to go for the sink or a hose.

The video switches to the kitchen camera. There is no fire damage. Two pixies flitters about and Uetz is there as well. Rene cringes for a moment as if expecting some doom or painful mischief. He straightens after a second and says, "Yeah, she showed it to us. It had Uetz and her kissing. She said they were in love and getting married--that the first thing he would do when he got back was yell at us and throw us out with the garbage."

Etain pipes in at this point, "we were just sitting there and Rene said 'not if there isn't any garbage,' and I got up and tossed the rags from the garage on the trash pile, then it just started burning. Then we realized our stuff was inside, and it would be burnt if the fire wasn't stopped. Like, without Rene's instruments we couldn't keep the band.

"I don't think she touched anything. She just talked to us, and we were sitting there. I don't really remember much, until Rene said something. Just thoughts..."

One of the pixies flitters (tagged as D'zan) by Etain, "What thoughts exactly? Can you tell me please?"

"uhhh... Like that Uetz'd be gone, and forget us, but we could show him. We could make sure he remembered us." The dryad's voice falters, as she gropes for the words.

Rene looks at her, and dumps another glass of stale beer down the sink before tossing the cup in the trashbag. "I remember just wanting to break it all, I was supposed to...supposed to...yeah that's right."

"Locket? I have no idea what you're talking about, seeing some girl with a Locket before. Of course, that could all be part of Tezcatlipoca's trickery..." Uetz says.

There is a sudden rush of air into the kitchen, as a two meter call column of fire appears. Heat pours off the mobile conflagration, and you can see the paint beginning to peel and the cabinetry char on the edges. It twists and turns, blue-white flames trapped inside the orange-yellow flicker of the column looking around hungrily. You watch as it locks its focus on Uetz.

As the spirit materializes in the kitchen, you see a shamanic mask spring around Rene. Ghostly ivy tendrils wrap around him, and the air bends and distorts with raw mana.

The second pixie (tagged as Leo) yells, "Someone help them!"

A battle ensues and the video continues...

As the new team members take several minutes to review the video, Papa moves to the recliner in the living room and slips into the virtual. He kicks up a search frame using details from the campus to search for the team that hit them. They work too well together not to (a) have a reputation and (b) be a team. At least he hopes...

At the House

Dinner is served, a combination of what was in the fridge and some fresh gathering of fruit and vegetables from the fence line with the park. Papa's initial searches turn up little. The team appears cautious and someone has actively purged data about them from a dozen different systems. Two of the people from UCLA appear to be local gang trash, the type that can be bought for a night for a couple hundred nuyen or a new gun. The rest are professionals.

Papa is able to find two surveillance cameras with partial images of one of the team members--the knife throwing adept. He is seen entering a bar in San Bernadino called the Chicken Choker, and also seen in a foot chase through the refugee camp in West Covina. The second image is of him flying through the air above several tents, appearing to have been thrown.

Dalma

We will travel at your side. The spirits respond in the affirmative along your link to them. You follow the wolf.

Moving through the city, most people don't pay you any mind. Even the ones who can see the massive wolf in the astral shrug it off for the most part--the PCC's laws about spirits and paranormal critters are very different from many other places in the world. Some stand back, watching with their mouths agape as the primal force moves through traffic as if the cars were just trees in the forest.

Shortly after dark, you find yourself in the Ascot Hills area. Some of the houses show signs of damage from the Quake and were never restored, others show more recent fire damage. The creature stops in front of a large house, nods at you and vanishes.

"So, that's the woman Etain was so brought up about?" Siren asks?

"I must admit, I am not entirely sure how this all fits together... that woman, those artifacts, that team you were talking about. How do these all connect?"

"And there was that whispering about a Smoking Mirror, when the spirit was disrupted. That's not this mirror here, right? What is it then?"

"There are a lot of shards, but what is the big picture here?"

Dalma follows the spirit through the city, taking note of the looks she gets of some and more specifically the lack of looks she gets, she did not go out much so she was unsure what would happen with spirit such as the wolf out guiding her. She followed, quietly with the occasional glances at her father, as the sun came down and they entered Ascot Hills she put on a jacket and then continued walking.

The group finally arrived at a home and as it vanishes Dalma smiles at and thank's it for his service. She takes a good look at the large house in front of her, takes a note of the motion sensors and the cameras pondering for a moment...

Olethros takes a deep breath and begins to speak.

"I think I can provide some clarity. The woman or Locket, is an entity bound to service so long ago it makes time meaningless by beings that transcend godhood. They are embodiments of the primal forces of existence - themes if you will, that drive all things. She is tasked with protecting the entrance to their realm, a metaplane tucked away deep and only reachable by a few ways by others. She purpose there was to prevent outsiders from entering and limiting contact with these beings she was forced to serve."

He pauses to take a bite of food - a open look of enjoyment on his face at the taste of real food followed by a brief flash of discomfort - almost like embarrassment. He swallows and continues.

"The Gallery, the entrance that Locket was tasked to protect, I think is being sealed away. While Brock and I were in the astral I received a message that something was stolen from that realm. I believe Locket has been tasked at the very least to close the door and prevent further thefts. She may also be looking for what was stolen but that I am unsure of. Her service is unwilling and the item stolen might be too dangerous for her to get possession of. If that is the case, she is seeking ways to get it and pervert the bindings laid upon her. The items we are seeking for the Huntsman are artifacts of power and distinction, they would be necessary to seal off the Gallery. Spirits like him could use those items to increase their power but till now been unable to find them or even know of their potential. Locket being sent here most likely altered him to them and now he seeks them for himself."

He pauses for breath and take a drink before speaking again.

"I believe that whatever was stolen should be returned. Anything from that realm is too dangerous to exist here. I do have personal reasons as well - I have lost much to that place and a promise was made of its return should I do so. I think sealing the Gallery is a simple answer to a more complicated problem. The beings that dwell there may not be concerned with what happens here but seek peace from the interruptions. The theft was the last straw but I think the aftermath if the door sealing for this place could be severe. Does that help?"

She looks over the house for a few minutes then decides to just do the polite thing, slowly moving forward letting the motion sensors pick her up and continues towards the door, stops at the door to adjust her jacket then proceeds to push the doorbell

Brock looks upon everyone as they eat thier meal. listening to Ollie speak watching everyone listen he is now more confused then anyone else in the room probably considering he has no idea about what he actually saw during his brief encounter in the metaplane. "well i guess from what i got from all of that is that she is pissed about being a slave and if possibel wants to get what we are looking for to set her self free and that who ever lost the items in question dont really care if they get them back or not." Brock hoped he had followed that correctly.

*Ding* and Brock is imediatly looks towards the door and then to papa and the others "we expecting anyone?"

Siren listens to every word, as Olethros is talking about ancient spirits, thieves and the hunger for power.

She nods absent-mindedly, still requiring a moment to process everything that has been explained now.

"Thank you! Yes, that helps a lot," she says after a moment.

"Wow! So, if I understand you right, you were hired by this Huntsman. That's the guy with that mirror, right? And he is looking to acquire items of power for his personal gain. This woman, Locket, is also looking for them. And her purpose is to return them, in order to close the door behind her. That makes these two adversaries at least, if not enemies, correct?"

"And then there are we, in the middle of this. You say, you support the bringing back of those items. Doesn't that mean, that you want to act against the employer?"

Olethros gives Brock a confused look at his mention of someone coming over.

"I believe we ordered a replacement mage so that might be them...."

Before he can continue, Siren recaps and he shifts his body to face her.

"You almost got it. The items of power are not the the stolen thing. Those are needed to seal away the Gallery and the Huntsman is just trying to get them first to add to his power. There is something else that was taken and I think we should try to find it to return it. You met Locket or at least her handiwork, things from there should stay there. I don't think we would be working against our employer but I can't say for certain till we discover what was taken. I'll need to follow up on that with my contacts."

Jenni

One of the talismongers shakes his head. "No, it cannot be done. We must have something from the creature to do this and hunt it down. Tracks and dead animals will not be enough."

The younger one positions himself out of sight from his boss and shakes his head. He gestures for you to stay quiet. A few minutes later, the old man stomps off into the back of the store.

The young man comes from behind the counter near enough to whisper to you. His name tag reads "Erl." A small spectral dog appears near you and Erl whispers for it to alert him if the old man returns.

"I am not very strong in the ways of Magic, but my professors told me about a creature like what you are describing. There are ways to hunt it, without the limits that Aric was talking about. There's a pixie who used to come here and buy things--they were used to pay a spirit to open a gateway. He can help you banish the thing back to its home or destroy it entirely.

"The pixie's name is D'zan. I can give you his address."

Jenni gives the old man a bit of a glare and a small shake of her head after his back is turned, the dirty blond ponytail swinging loose behind her head.

"Grouchier than a hound dog huntin' after a 'coon in a glass box." She favors the young assistant with a broad smile, showing broad teeth framed by a rounded face tanned by countless summers in the outdoors.

"Ah'm glad to hear ya' got an alternative. Ain't had much truck with fey-folk, to be sure, but can be no harm in swingin' by to see what 'es gotta say.Thanks, pu'kin." She tips the young assistant for the information, he obviously older than her 35 years, and heads back out of the shop.

She glances around the foreign landscape, the clusters of buildings and quantities of concrete a stark contrast to the open country she'd driven through the last couple of days to get there.

Thankful for the GPS in the truck, don't quite near understand how you're supposed to make your way around if you can't take a bearing and move to the place, she tugs the battered Stetson onto her head from it's place on the seat next to her, and clears the edges of the long, armored leather coat that sweeps around her legs as she climbs down, and strides up to the house, glancing around with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

Brock listened to the continuing conversation as he made his way to the door " Ill get it" Brock's didn't follow the entire conversation, in his defense he tried to think what he really knew about what theft were talking about and from the time it took to walk to the door he couldn't think of one thing he really knew so he decided to let those who know more about it hash out the details when they needed someone busted up they knew he was their troll.

Brock

Opening the door, you are surprised to see three people standing there. Two are women, both slender, in their late-twenties to early thirties. An older man in his mid-forties stands beside the younger one. There is a strong familial resemblance between the man and the woman, perhaps siblings.

Dalma and Jenni

A tall troll, scars along his arms and face, opens the door. He's wearing an armored jumpsuit. Beyond him, in the house you can hear voices in rapt discussion.

Brock looks the trio for a few seconds each thinking to himself wtf, after a few awkward moments of silence <@team[ brock]"we have three visitors two female and a male two look like siblings or related> noticing the resemblance of the older man and girl, "hello" is all Brock can think of to say since he was only expecting one and three are at his door step he hoped they didn't have anything to do with the slag he killed at the hahn free market

"Well, aren'choo taller than a telephone pole that climbed uppa oak tree?" The woman grins as she tilts her hat back a bit to look up at the troll. Standing only about 1.77m tall, it made for a lot of 'up'. She stepped off to one side to make it clear she was addressing both the pair on the steps as well as the troll.

"Mah name's Jenni, Jenni MacIntyre, and I'm here ta' see a pixie about a critter."

Brock wiggles his finger into his ear with a slightly confused look on his face then holds a finger up " hold on a second " and closes the door to walk back to the group making in the kitchen. Brock interrupts the conversation" three folks here looking for a pixie"

Olethros raises his eyebrows as he slides from the kitchen table towards the door. He quickly flicks his eyes over an icon to pull up the team texts.

<<@Team [Ollie] anyone know these people and can I invite them in? I assume the pixie was a former teammate. >>

He stands and walks past Brock giving a nod and friendly smile then makes his way to the front door, pausing to get the all clear from someone who lives here to let the new arrivals in.

Dalma had heard some muffled conversations inside as she stood on the porch waiting for the door to open, every few seconds adjusting her clothes or hair slightly, she was a bit nervous and did not hear the other woman approach.

Then the door open and the big troll said hello, Dalma was about to respond, but as the other woman spoke up she just stepped aside for a moment, quietly listening to the introduction, before she could introduce herself, the door was closed and Dalma was again, a bit confused. She had been lead here by a spirit and she expected to see someone who knew about spirits.

After a few moments in silent, she turned to the other woman...

"Hello Miss MacIntyre"

Dalma's english was very good, but it was obvious she had trouble pronouncing Jenni's when she had heard it only once and it was spoken with an English accent she wasn't accustomed too.

"My name is Dalma and this is father, have you been lead here by the spirits also?"

Dalma's voice got a bit excited towards the end of her question.

"Waayell, I reckon' you could say it was the spirits...the spirit ah' capitalism, maybe." She stuck her hand out, and then hesitated, suddenly aware of the other woman's dress. She quickly pulled her hand back, dusted it off several times on the leg of her jeans, and stuck it back out again.

"Ah'm here lookin' fer a pixie, as it goes. Not quite ah spirit, but definitely sumthin in tha' vacinity." She follows up by also offering her hand to the older man, a somewhat more respectful tone in her voice.

"Jenni, Sir, it's a pleasure ta meetcha' both. And ain'tcha jus' the cutest little thang!" She exclaims, looking back at Dalma. She colors immediately, obviously realizing only afterwards how the comment was likely to seem condescending to any adult professional in the kind of biz she was mixing with now. She attempts to cover her embarrassment by turning away and spitting off towards the edge of the porch. She colors even further when the gob of mucus and saliva lands squarely on the older man's foot.

"Ah am so sorry!" She ducks down, jerking a kerchief free from a back pocket and swabbing at the man's foot, managing to smear around the gob even further before finally managing to clear most of it away.

Dalma found the energetic lady a bit odd but funny, she smiled a little and was about to extend her hand and shake it, but by the time she did Jenni had already moved on and extended a hand to the father.

Father simply looked at her, finding her a bit odd as well, though he wasn't as amused by it as Dalma was, eventually he nodded and was also about to extend his hand then the fluids flew and fell on his shoes, before he could say anything the lady was wipping it all away.

Father simply raised an eye brow and looked at Dalma and in Hindi spoke..."Interesting young lady"

<< [Siren] A pixie? Well... considering they are standing in front of our door already, I don't see why we shouldn't hear them out. >> Siren messages to the others.

"A real pixie? Wow! you guys sure have some interesting friends..." she says then, to those still present in the kitchen.

Being that this was Papa's and the young girls house and how she flipped at seeing the young woman they already had come into the house Brock was a little reluctant to open that same behavior for two more female's coming into the house without the occupants permission so he looked toward Papa"it's your house papa and the way the young one acted earlier I'm not wanting to incite a feud by letting two more gals into the house, without your guys permission." Brock waited to see Papa's response before either letting them in or continue to keep the porch warm

Distracted by the conversation at the table on top of several open windows hacking the utilities company, amongst others, to secure the team's presence in the house, Papa initially missed the new arrivals until the doorbell rang. While he worked to keep his matrix infiltrations under control and review the video footage, Brock answered the door.

Papa finished closing out his current hacks as he walked to the door. Using the audio from the front camera, he tags Dalma and Jenni MacIntyre in AR.
<<@Team [Papa] Anyone give me a magic threat assessment of these three?>>

Reaching the door, he looks the trio over as he speaks to Jenni. "Sorry, the pixies moved on." He then turns his attention to the two, watching Jenni over the security camera. "How can we help you?"

Dalma smiles as the new face comes into view and turns to address his question...

"My name is Dalma and this is Father, we were guided here by a great wolf spirit, he serves another..."

She gives a small nod, then adjusts her hair away from her face

"I was told your team is in need of my services"

Seeing the text from Papa to try and determine the threat posed by the new arrivals, Olethros moves to get a clear sight of the trio and opens himself to the astral plane. The wash of life and colors floods his sight - he attempts to pick apart the threads of their auras to see what they are or more importantly what they hold within themselves.

"Well now, that's a lil' bit frustrating...Ah don' suppose he happened ta' leave a forwarding address? Or any notes on tracking down critters that can't normally be tracked?" The gangly woman resettles the Stetson on her head, hooking thumbs into her belt and squaring her shoulders with a stance that clearly said she was going to need a little more info before she was going to stop chasing that fox.

<< [Siren] Ok, I will have a look. >>

Her curiosity spured, Siren joins the team at the door to take a look at the trio still waiting outside. Her vision shifted to the astral, she takes a look at their auras to assess their magical power.

"Hi! Nice to meet you."

She relates the information she could gain via the team-net, so the others are on the same level.

<< [Siren] They are awakened, all three of them. The guy, Father, is also a spirit, capable of hiding his true aura. An ally spirit. Not sure if he belongs to one of the girls or not. >>

Sizing up the two who appear to have been sent by the Huntsman, Papa takes an extra moment to look over the one designated as an ally spirit. He looks so lifelike.

<<@Siren [Papa] Thanks.>>

Papa steps out onto the porch. "Dalma. You and... Father please come in to the living room. We'll be with you in a moment." Continuing to watch Jenni through the porch video in an AR display, he turns and gently clears a path through the doorway, gesturing for them to enter.

Turning back to Jenni, he crosses his arms, sets his feet into a solid stance and looks down at her. Her interruption was unexpected and the timing is less than optimal. "He's moved on... and given up side work. He has an exclusive contract now. Now if you don't mind, we're a little busy."

She lifts her hands in a conciliatory gesture.

"Ain't no reason for people to go get riled, yah'll know it if Ah'm lookin' fer a fight. Ah'm just stuck in mite of trouble." Her voice pitches low, her sincerity obvious.

"Mah Pa' an' brother got tore up real bad...some critter came out of the dark, didn' hardly give 'em time to yell. An' they weren't Soft-feet or anything, we been wrangling critters and protectin' herds since we was tall enough to hold a gun and ride a horse, all of us. It was mean, an' fast, and when it were done, it disappeared within leavin' no tracks...nothing to trail. Didn't leave hardly nothing left of mah Pa' and brother, either." A faint glimmer of moisture shines at the corners of her eyes for a moment before her face twists up into another grin, pain abruptly tucked away behind a friendly, if fierce, expression.

" So, Ah'm a long way out from home, don' know nobody else here. Ah came up here ta talk to a friend of mah Uncle Jack's, and that pointed me here. Ah'd be mightly obliged if there was anythin', anythin' at all ya'll could do ta' help. Some information, a name, a number...a place Ah could go to ask around a bit more, even."

Dalma nods at Papa's request and moves into the living room followed by Father.

She takes off her jacket and folds it neatly on her arm then looks around the room, thinking to herself, This feels like the right place

She looks over to Father and silently in Hindu asks...

"What do you think?"

Father takes a long look around, sizing up the people he has seen and what exactly their tasks will be, he turns to Dalma and shrugs slightly.

Papa listens to the story, skeptically, then replies. "Where is home?"
<<@Team [Papa] Anybody sling spells to know if she's lying?>>

<< @Team [Ollie] I can - give me a moment. >>

He steps around the troll blocking the door and stands in front of Jenni. He raises his open hand slowly as he speaks, his face earnest and serious.

"You're going to have to trust us a little to get what you want."

He places his hand over her heart and closes his eyes, to better focus on the astral. Olethros looks at the young woman through his soul self and opens himself to the impressions buried deep in the pattern of her life, the astral holds an imprint or echo of what she has experienced. He draws deep and seeks out the moment in her past she is speaking of.

"Well, don'choo jus' look good enuff ta eat." she jokes as the hard-bodied, athletic Ollie steps out from behind the troll. Her grin slips a bit as she watches his hand settle slightly off-center on her chest, and it's obvious that she stifles the urge to step back from the touch.

"Ah dun know if we know each that well yet, hun," but her voice is quieter, uncertain, and falters into silence as she glances up to the face of the man that looks to be staring through her.

Upon papa taking the lead on te conversation Brock moves back to the kitchen to fill two cups of coffee for the new comers and awaits to see if the women with a long draw in allowed in before making her a cup.

All

There is the same odd sense of Olethros slipping slightly out of focus with the world. His eyes roll into the back of his skull showing just the whites. As his arm touches the newcomer, a jolt seems to ripple through him and his grip tightens on her shoulder painfully.

Olethros

Your will stretches out around the small woman, and you feel the flow of time drift over you.

It's just before sunset, the sky tinged with orange, red and purple. The air smells of dust and livestock. A herd of cattle, genetically engineered to be broad shouldered and highly muscled are grazing lazily. The serene afternoon is shattered when a scream rips through the air. Spinning around, you feel the braids swing and pull.

The shadows around the barn move, rhythmically in time with your racing heart. Lub. They strike into your brother. Dub. Blood spatters backward against the wall, thrown by the arcing movements of a hundred arms.

Time blurs and clouds.

Your arms are dripping in blood, the taste in your mouth from a rogue hand. The herd is dead. The barn leveled. Paramedics are rushing to put you into an ambulance, blocking the view of two piles of meat and bones jutting through torn leather. You feel a needle in your arm and darkness falls around you.

Returning to your senses, you feel the cramping in your hand from muscles held tense. There's a twinge in the back of your mind, like you have seen destruction on this scale before but you can't place it.

Olethros flexes the hand trying to work out the cramps. His body ripples as he settles back into the present as he turns towards Papa.

"She is speaking the truth. There is something familiar to whatever attacked and killed her family - we might want to bring her along. I think we can barter for her services with our employer. He should be able to find what she seeks with little effort in exchange for her help."

He looks once at Jenni before going back into the house, seeking normalcy in the kitchen and the act of eating with the others. He nods as he passes Dalma and her companion Father. He quickly brings up the window and sends another message to the team.

<< @Team[Ollie[ She has been touched by something from the Gallery or perhaps Locket's machinations. >>