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Nevermind that Dandelion was here for a meal earlier, she's back at the wafflehouse again for dinner--anything made here is certain to be better than whatever she'd cook for herself, unfortunately. She's sitting at a booth alone, positioned to watch the door as she reads the menu.
A wild goth appears! They use Greeting!
"Hey, Auntie!"
Ianthe's in search of somewhere to eat where she doesn't have to either cook herself or worry about running into one of her students, which makes Maddy's the obvious choice. Glancing around as she enters, one side of her mouth curves up into a slight smile on spotting Nevy.
The Greeting is Super Effective! Dandelion waves Nevy over to her table, before looking up to see Ianthe. The older woman offers a warm, friendly smile. "Good evening. I don't believe I've met you yet. If you're looking for company while you eat, feel free to come join us."
Nevy blinks and grins. "Hey, perfect timing - Auntie, you remember who I was texting you about earlier?"
"I hadn't been, but I won't turn down the offer. Thank you." Approaching the booth, Ianthe's about to offer Dandelion her hand when Nevy speaks, resulting in a glance between the two. "Do I want to know what you were saying about me?"
Dandelion chuckles. "Nothing bad. Just that you were interested in learning more about the Rat Hosts. I've been doing plenty of research on the matter, you see." She reaches into her purse to pull out a notebook.
"I'm Dandelion, by the way."
Nevy gestures. "You were wondering who's been looking at that situation? Well, this is Auntie Dandy. She knows all."
"Ianthe. Pleasure meeting you, Dandelion." Ianthe slips into the booth then, glancing at the menu only briefly. "How much of what you found is relevant to a fighter, more than a scholar?"
She tilts her head slightly to one side. "You ask that as if a person can't be both. Isn't every fighter a scholar of battle? Doesn't knowledge fortify one as much as armor, in the field? To know your opponent intimately is important in determining how to face them. Adaptability is Strength, but it's hard to know how to adapt without information, I've always found. But if you just want the 'highlights', I can offer that as well. Still, I might ask you to take all of what I know, so you can share it with your community--which is?"
"Oh, people can be both, but knowing your strong suit is important, too. You cannot determine how to face a foe without knowing yourself, after all." Ianthe smiles slightly. "But to answer your actual question, I'm affiliated with the local Freehold."
Nevermore nods, looking between the two. "They say knowledge is power. You don't even have to be a fighter to realize that much."
"Aha!" She sounds delighted. "I've always enjoyed working alongside members of Shackamaxon when the opportunity arises. Good. Very good. Nevermore, can you help me out by writing out a copy of my notes so I can pass them off to Ianthe after we're done talking?"
"Do you mind if I ask which community you're part of, in turn?" Ianthe asks, arching an eyebrow slightly at the rubber-banded pen, before glancing up as a server arrives, asking for a glass of water and corned beef omelette.
Nevermore nods. They pull out their notebook and bic-pen-rubber-banded-to-an-ostrich-plume, and their phone and start writing out notes in a careful hand. They glance at Ianthe and grin. "It helps me think."
Dandelion orders a summer salad, and pulls out a pill box to count out her evening meds as she speaks. "I'm an exorcist, with a long-standing affiliation with the Martyr's Tree Consilium and the Adamantine Arrow. Not a mage, but many of them consider me their 'Auntie' anyway."
Nevy orders a waffles with sausage links and scrambled eggs. "I mean... let's be honest. You're... about the platonic ideal of 'Auntie.'"
"Ah, I see." Ianthe glances at Nevermore, then. "Really? That's rather high praise."
"Well. If your platonic ideal of 'Auntie' knows how to use a sword and explore the Astral, I suppose." She lets out a warm laugh. "Anyway, with the Rat Hosts, the part that a frontline fighter will need to consider up-front is that both the blood and the bite of a Rat Host--they're properly called Beshilu--is toxic. Also, if you manage to kill one of them, it'll explode into a swarm of rats and every last one needs to die. If even one survives, there'll be a new rat host created. For this reason, it's important to be thoughtful about where you stage a battle, eliminating escape routes. Sun Tzu spoke of nine grounds--the one you wish to draw your enemy onto for battle is Deadly Ground. And this needs to be a consideration before taking the fight to the rats."
She pauses to take her meds now; there's enough pills that she does it in two batches.
Nevy notices the big ol' pile of pills while trying not to show that they're noticing. "They've got miles of tunnels going. Getting them isolated is going to be tough."
"I'm an archer, not a frontline fighter, by preference, but that's good to know." at Nevy's words, Ianthe nods. "Hard to trap them to make sure they can't flee somewhere else and rebuild, too, it sounds like."
"That's a matter some of the local mages have been considering, where to bring the fight to them. I'll be sure to let them know there's an archer to take into consideration. I believe my cadremate Liezel might already have an eye on such things; she's a sniper by preference. Beside the Beshilu themselves, a consideration to take into account is attendant spirits. The Rat Hosts gnaw through the barrier between our world and the Shadow, the world of spirits, and spirits of decay and stagnation and the like often follow in their wake."
Nevermore nods. "I've been working on more amulets to keep them from possessing anyone, but it's been slow work. Beyond that and the bane information I found about disease sprits, I haven't got a lot more, yet."
"That sounds worrying," Ianthe admits. "I don't know a lot about spirits, but decay and stagnation is something I do know to oppose."
"Spirits aren't inherently bad. You find spirits of decay as easily in the Shadow around a compose heap as a building that's falling apart. The trouble is an imbalance, or spirits where they don't belong. Meanwhile, the last Big Important thing for a fighter to keep an eye on would be the Beshilu Ministers: they're the alphas, the high-priests of the Rat Hosts, driven insane with the madness of their urge to gnaw but venomously intelligent, and capable of creating new variants of Beshilu: tank-sized tunnelers, fire-spitters. It means we can't rely on knowing all the capabilities of our opponent, even after we've seen them fight."
"Like some of my gamer friends used to say, kill the wizard first." Nevy hesitates and glances at Dandy. "Um... the ones on the other side, I mean."
"How easy is it to spot a Minister, do you know?"
"That, I can't be sure. I've never seen one. Unlike normal spirits, though, Beshilu are physically present; they're not going to be invisible to you and yours."
Nevy nods slowly. "I'm guessing if you see one shouting orders and foaming at the mouth, that might be one. Beyond that, though... if they're smart, they might be able to hide themselves. Although... if they're all crazy, maybe that could give some clues?"
Ianthe nods in turn. "Being able to see them will certainly help. I don't know how many people from my side will be free to participate when the Rat Hunt happens, but I'll certainly pass it on."
"I've heard you all have some troubles on your end. A gentleman named Glitch was picking our brains on it the other night." She glances at Nevy. "Nice kid, if you ever meet him. He seems very smart."
Nevy chuckles. "If I see him around, I'll say hello." The humor in their expression fades, leaving a couple worried creased. "I've heard things are... complicated. Has anyone... heard anything about the, uh, culprit?"
Ianthe grimaces. "Not that I'm aware of. Probably knows better than to show her face anywhere around the Freehold, the treacherous bitch."
"I haven't gotten many details on the matter, but it sounds like a real mess." Dandelion gestures with her fork lightly. "But I know Shackamaxon has dealt with many messes before. You've got this, dear."
Nevy nods. "You guys will take care of things." That might be more hope than conviction in their voice, perhaps... But there's a fair bit of both there.
"Oh, I know we will." Ianthe sighs. "I just wish we weren't stuck playing the waiting game."
"It's definitely frustrating to be caught in a holding pattern." She nods her understanding, before looking at Nevy. "Be careful poking into the Freehold's business, dear. They tend to be even more secretive than the mages, in some ways. With good reason, I'm told."
Nevermore sighs and nods. "I know. And I'm trying to be... not as curious as I want to be." They give a lopsided smile. "I've got friends who're wrapped up in things."
"Put it this way: if you learn too much, us binding you to keep silent about it is the good end." Ianthe looks Nevy straight in the eyes, then. "I'm sure your friends would say the same, if they were here."
She nods slowly, munching on her salad thoughtfully. "But. The people of the Freehold are generally worth knowing. Don't let them chase you off completely. We're one city, and we all work best together."
Nevy frowns at Ianthe with a brief flash of annoyance. "Nobody's had to bind me about anything so far. I plan to keep it that way."
"Alright, then." Having delivered her warning, Ianthe relaxes slightly, taking a sip of her water. "Are you affiliating to the Consilium, then, Nevermore?"
Dandelion doesn't answer that one, giving Nevermore a thoughtful sidelong glance.
Nevy gives their metaphorical feathers a moment to unruffle. "The Assembly, probably," They say. "They've offered me a place. I still want to see what it's actually like before I sign up anywhere, but...."
Kachingleingle. The bell (if there is one) chimes as a new arrival... uh... arrivals, satchel over her shoulder with a little pack of printed papers in her hand. Liezel pauses for a habitual look around, spotting Dandelion (familiar), Ianthe (not) and Nevermore (not). She lifts her hand to greet them all with a single, mechanical gesture, then moves in their direction, taking a seat at a booth beside, needing the space for her own work.
"...I'm not familiar with the Assembly, sorry. Are they local to Philadelphia?"
"Liezel." She glances over her shoulder at the new arrival with a grin. "We've been discussing the local rat problem. I mentioned you earlier. Ianthe, that's my sniper--she's absolutely brilliant with a gun in her hands. Or anything else, for that matter."
Nevy looks up, interested. "Hello," They say, then look to Ianthe. "I... think it's a local thing?"
"Hello," responds Liezel automatically, smiling faintly at Nevermore. Dandy introduced her, so no need to waste words there. "It's nice of you to mention me, Auntie. I am getting a reputation. I'm not sure I like that." She settles and spreads out the sheets of paper- firearm blueprints! Hardly surprising. "And you are flattering me. I'm not great with everything. Or even most things. Just pens and firearms, mostly."
"Fair enough," Ianthe shrugs, before glancing at Liezel. "Yeah? Do you shoot at any distance, then, or just sniper range?"
"Nevermore, the Assembly is like the House, if the Consilium is the Senate. They're very much linked and partnered organizations, with slightly differing focuses. Someday, I'll draw you up a full proper organizational tree. Or maybe a Venn diagram. Either way."
Then she turns to Liezel. "My dear, you are earning a reputation."
Nevermore nods. "If Maddy doesn't beat you to it," They smirk. They look at Liezel. "So... you're a sniper?"
"Any distance. I do best at range, though. I'm a careful shot," Liezel explains. It's a bit rude, how she doesn't seem to remember to look up to speak to anybody while she's arranging her diagrams. "And maybe. But I met someone yesterday who knew me before she met me. It was disconcerting. All good things, I guess, but." But unpredictable, and she doesn't much like unpredictability.
"I used to be. I'm a songwriter these days. And an enthusiast. And a metalworker of sorts." She settles on a diagram of a shotgun and starts to study it, though she seems to still be listening..?
"Oh? What kind of songs do you write?"
Dandelion turns so she can look at the diagram. "Making something special? Is it for yourself, or a present for someone else?"
Nevy's used to having conversations without eye contact. They grin. "Sniper to songwriter? That sounds like a spectacular story."
"Mostly mourning songs. Dirges, threnodies, requiems. Sometimes I'll write a piece for a particular group I like as a gift. Then I try to match." Her eyes move slowly over the document. She's not a savant- she's taking her time absorbing the details on the blueprint, and it IS taking time. She's not one of the Easy A kids from math class, that's for sure, but maybe a Busy B. "I like songs that help you feel. It's easy to make a song with a quick beat, catchy lyrics, hot singer. I don't care if anyone knows I wrote my music as long as they feel it when they hear it."
"Not special. I'm practicing." Liezel reaches into her satchel and pulls out a coin. It's silver, and holy fucking hell is that thing shiny. It gleams like no silver Nevy or Ianthe have ever seen, not even in distant fae realms. Dandy's seen Liezel's Lunargent tools by now, though. This is part of the set. "It's not gonna last."
She takes the coin and spins it on the table, overtop of the diagram. "It's a good story. If you like half-finished military dramas, anyhow." As she speaks, the light thrown by the spinning coin starts to illuminate the ghostly edges of something roughly rod-shaped, and then Liezel reaches into the air over the table and...
... pulls a shotgun out of thin air, which she promptly breeches, checking for ammo- there is none- and then ratchets shut again, examining her work like she didn't just manifest a deadly (unloaded) weapon over her dinner table.
Somehow, this isn't against the rules.
"Fair enough." Ianthe is more impressed by the pulling out of thin air than threatened by the shotgun, considering the other woman for a moment. "Do you offer markswomanship lessons? I'm good at archery, but sniping is a whole other range."
"Liezel, you're going to scare people, doing something like that without warning." But she's grinning as she looks at the weapon, before glancing at Nevy for their reaction. "You see why I talk so highly about her?"
Nevy pulls back at the sudden appearance of an unexplained boomstick. "Holyshit!" They exclaim, staring. Then they blink at Liezel and Dandy. "Did... did you just pull a gun out of a magic quarter?"
"Um." Liezel pauses, stopping to consider Ianthe's question. "Sure? I haven't before, but I would." It's the question- and the completion of her initial focus- that pulls her attention more fully on her companions. "Why would they be scared? I showed them there was no ammo. The butter knives are more dangerous." She might be right, but Dandelion isn't wrong either. She just clearly doesn't see it.
"Oh. Sorry. Um. No. I used the coin- it's not a quarter," she says, stopping the coin to offer it to Nevy to inspect, offering the shotgun likewise to Ianthe. "-but I used it to help form the image of what I wanted. In this case, that shotgun. And I didn't pull it out."
"I made it." She says this proudly, like there's a distinction, and one worth noting. "It won't last, though. It'll disappear when I stop making it Be."
Ianthe takes the shotgun, careful to aim it at the floor as she inspects it. Liezel might have just demonstrated that it's lacking ammo, but better safe than sorry. "Probably because most people don't expect shotguns to be created out of nothing."
Dandelion sighs, asiding to Nevermore. "This is what can be frustrating about working alongside mages--I'm sure you'll see it with Maddy at some point, too. What's a work of complete wonder to us is 'Tuesday' to them. They forget how astounding and world-bending their powers are to the rest of us."
Nevy swallows. "It's also a Gun. I'm sure to former military snipers that's just an interestingly-shaped bit of metal designed to move other interestingly-shaped bits of metal long distances, but to people like me? That's a Dangerous weapon."
"Oh." Liezel seems immediately contrite to see Nevy so Ne(r)vous, and- perhaps to Ianthe's disappointment- the gun simply Ceases. "I thought it would be okay if it wasn't loaded. I'm sorry. It wasn't meant to scare. I'm going to replace some of my equipment that way and I wanted to practice. I apologize."
"Well, most people. Not most people in here. People here can do all sorts of things. I thought it'd just be neat," she explains to Ianthe and the others.
"Okay, Madam Bison," mutters Liezel as Dandelion paraphrases Raul Julia.
"The danger isn't the weapon, it's the person carrying it," Ianthe points out, glancing at Liezel. "Do you take commissions? I don't have the free time to adjust to a different bow right now, but one with more power could be nice."
She quietly puts a hand on Nevy's shoulder. "No one here is going to hurt you. That would break the rules."
Nevy takes a deep breath. "There's knowing that. And then there's seeing someone pull a cannon out of the air like it was nothing." They offer Liezel a strained but earnest smile. "I know you weren't trying to scare anyone. But... for some people, guns are scary. Especially unexpected guns out of nowhere."
"That is fair," mumbles Liezel. "I am sorry for scaring you. I won't do that again." She glances to Ianthe. "I would probably need to confab with River. She knows more about bows. But likely. If you can get me a diagram and whatever customizations you would want, I could give you a better answer."
"Fair enough. I think I'd like to meet this River, sometime." Ianthe smiles slightly. "Be interesting to compare notes on our respective tricks, and how they affect shooting."
"River is the epitome of a wildcard." She nods, then looks at Nevy. "If you ever meet River, be ready to be surprised. That girl is...a Fool the likes of which I've rarely seen."
Then she stretches, and stands. "I should be getting home. It's hard for me to do the late nights like I used to."
"I, uh... already have," Nevy says. They give Dandy a small smile. "Get home safe, all right?"
"I like River, I think," murmurs Liezel. "Goodbye, Auntie. Can I get the door for you?"
"Sounds like an interesting person," Ianthe admits, before nodding at Dandy's extra comment. "Something that'll happen to all of us, in time. See you around, Dandelion."
"Thank you, dear." She nods at Liezel, tucking her notebook away. "Nevermore, don't forget to give Ianthe those notes. Ianthe, it was a delight to meet you." She starts toward the door, letting Liezel get there first to open it.
Nevy nods. They tug the pages out of the notebook and proffer them to Ianthe with an unnecessary flourish. "As requested." (Do you already have all the info OOC?)
Liezel does indeed hop up to get the door and see Dandelion out, returning to her seat afterwards to gather up her diagrams. She'll be using them another time, it seems, as they're all of firearms.
"Thank you kindly," Ianthe says, taking the pages, sliding a paperclip over the top to keep them together before putting them in her bag. She glances at Liezel, then. "So, how many people are likely to be involved with going after the Rat Hosts?"
Nevy glances between the two. "Do I need to leave the table, for secrecy reasons?" They say with a lopsided smile.
"No, I shouldn't think so. You can stay." Liezel explains, before shrugging to Ianthe. "I honestly don't know. I'm supporting, but I'm not organizing. Numbers and such aren't something I'm privvy to."
"Fair enough." Ianthe shrugs in turn, glancing at Nevy. "I mean, we're not exactly going to be talking about anything really important to keep secret, so."
Nevy nods. "I figured I should check. Secrecy is a Thing..."
"Well, more that I don't know anything that I'd be concerned about the Rats knowing I know. I know they exist, and there are people that want to Do Something about that. One sentence, and I'm out of actionable intel."
"Good point," Ianthe admits, nodding. "I don't really know much more than that, right now."
Nevy nods. "I... pretty much know what's in the notes I gave you," They indicate to Ianthe. "And 3/4 of that, Aunty Dandy told me." They sigh, pursing their lips, then they glance between the other two. "Have either of you met a woman named Isabella or a man named Ivan?"
"I haven't, no. Sorry," Liezel says to Nevy, unaware of their true names. "And Auntie's had most of the pertinent info I've been exposed to, if I'm honest."
"I mean, yes, but not since I moved from LA," Ianthe shrugs. "Do you know who they were affiliated with?"
"I think they're Mages," Nevy says. "And... also mobsters? I think? I don't know."
"They were there when I found out that the rats were coming from Centralia." They hesitate. "Or... I was there when they found it out. Either way, there was a witness. They're keeping an eye on her, but I've been having a heck of a time figuring anything out about them."
"Probably something for you to look into when you get a chance, then, Liezel." Ianthe says, glancing at the only Mage in the diner.
"Hm? That's- interesting. I don't know any Mages by those names," Liezel murmurs. "Are you trying to make contact again? I can try to see if I can track them down and ask them to reach out to you."
"Well...not exactly, no," Nevy admits. "They gave me contact information, and they're always there when I meet with the witness. It's just that there's something about the situation that feels off." They shake their head. "Eh. I'm probably just being too paranoid."
"Unless it costs you, you're probably not being too paranoid." Ianthe counters, pausing as her phone starts ringing. Pulling it out to to check the screen, the archer sighs. "I need to take this, sorry. I'll see you around?"
Nevy nods. "Good luck with the hunting part of the process."
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