[Izzy Montoya] Technically, Chinatown isn’t her jurisdiction. Then again, technically, she shouldn’t have to chase murderers all over Chicago and back again. She goes where the calls are – and today? She goes where the sesame chicken is hot, the rice is fried, and the people… well. She don’t much care about the people anyway.
Thus, some random street holds an unmarked police vehicle, that does nothing to hide the fact that it IS a police vehicle parked at a curb. Leaning against the fender of the car is one Detective Izzy Montoya, with chopsticks in hand, making short work of her late (always late!) lunch. Everything about her screams cop – head to toe. It doesn’t seem to bother her, nor does the fact that people avoid her because of it.
She just enjoys her lunch, and people watches.
[Ray Ostermann] Drugs, prostitution, poor building quality, all of these things together combine to make one thing Ray can’t resist, cheap building prices. He’s out scouting today, doing his part for the nation. He moves along slowly, almost like he’s taking a stroll and ever so often he’ll pull out his pad of paper and a pen jot something down and continue on his stroll.
It’s been a good few days, so today he’s enjoying the good stuff, a cigar is tucked in his mouth as he moves along, the scent of it thick and flavorful and hes taking his sweet time enjoying it. His suit of choice today is a stylish navy blue three button suit, with matching pants and tie. The perfect attire for wandering around chinatown or at least from his body language he certainly thinks so.
[Adrian Sandenberg] Adrian’d called Ethan – it’s cloudy but [relatively] warm, and so the day seemed to call for Chinese in a little . . . park, sort of. A very regimented park, full of beds already prepared for the spring and a pagoda-looking shelter with an observation deck. There are a few stone tables with ornate, not yet worn away by weather scroll work, and all in all, it’s a nice little spot for lunch.
And look! Though he’s coming from another direction, it’s not far from where one Detective Montoya and one Ray Osterman are taking their respective leisure.
[Adrian Sandenberg] Under the pagoda-looking shelter with the observation deck, there’s a balding Asian man hunched over a Chinese newspaper, talking . . . apparently to himself . . . in Cantonese. The weather isn’t nice enough for most people, but there are a few. Most of them actually appear to be avoiding the little park, which makes the street around it a little more crowded, a little less comfortable for property shopping or leaning against one’s car to eat.
[Ethan Yates] Lunchtime during the week means that Ethan is going to be coming from the office, where he has to wear a uniform even though the work he does isn’t likely to have him out on the streets making arrests or directing the flow of traffic or doing anything that the rest of the department views as being “real” police work. “Real” police work doesn’t involve poring over 911 transcripts and shift reports making sure that what gets handed to the media isn’t likely to raise any eyebrows or questions.
There was an incident in Grant Park yesterday that had him working overtime, staying on the phone and having to hire Maggie from downstairs to pick his kid up from school and get him something to eat until he could get home. When Adrian called him today he didn’t sound frazzled or harried; he sounded pleased to hear from the kid, even if there has been a clear shifting of gears from what they were to what they are, and he’d agreed to meet him in Chinatown for a late lunch.
So, he’s still in his uniform when he parks the car and starts walking down the block towards the park where he said he’d meet Adrian. He’s tall, over six feet tall in his shoes, and trim. If Izzy gets some strange looks for the way she’s dressed, the way she carries herself, people assume the worst when they see YATES coming down the sidewalk.
So they get out of his way. Mostly.
[Ray Ostermann] When he reaches the edge of the park, for ease of travel Ray steps onto the grass and into the park, he doesn’t seem concerned in the fact that the park is empty, nowadays most people don’t really have a real use for them, other then as short cuts from here to there. Little pathways of green in the cities giant concrete block maze.
He regards the man at the pagoda for a moment, but…given that it just looks like a crazy old man talking to himself, like anyone else, he just keeps walking
[Izzy Montoya] The street is crowded, though people still tend to avoid her, and move out of the way. She finally has enough of people being obvious about trying not to jostle her, and she stands – which brings Yates into view as he enters the park. Another moment, and then she makes sure she has everything on her, and she hits the auto locks on her car, before she crosses the walk toward the little park thing.
As she steps to the grass, just moments behind Ray, she sweeps the park for other things. It’s automatic, it is. Hazard of the job, of course.
[Adrian Sandenberg] There’s also the not-blond-not-brown haired early twenty-something with a bag full of fried rice and won tons and various other Chinese food staples. It’s more than enough for the two men, really, and when Izzy steps into the park, she sees Adrian, who she recognizes from kinfolk meetings, at least – a kid, student. He’s hijacking one of the tables and setting his bag of food down, though he does look up to catch sight of her and give a smile of the ‘yeah, I know you but not really‘ variety.
Ray, too, gets a polite nod, though the kid doesn’t know the older Shadow Lord kin, has no way of knowing what he is, that they share a secret double life.
[Ethan Yates] After pausing at the crosswalk, Ethan strides across the street with his hands at his sides and his shoulders back rather than with the leisurely walk of an off-duty officer. His head is up and his eyes are scanning the place for a tall, skinny kinsman.
He sees Detective Montoya before he sees Adrian, and she gets a nod of greeting without a wave or a holler–he’d just spoken to her on the phone the other day when he had been calling around getting a recount on the vote for the Kinfolk coalition, sounding absolutely thrilled–as he strolls into the park.
The old man is given a glance, but he does not snare Ethan’s attention. If the weirdest thing anyone sees in a city this size is someone sitting down and talking to himself, then one can consider oneself to be having a relatively uneventful day.
Eventually he finds Adrian at one of the tables, and changes direction.
[Ray Ostermann] A brow is raised at the sudden influx of individuals into the park, but its only a moments concern, Ray does give Detective Montoya further look over, but that is only because he appreciates the finer things in life, apparently he considers her to be one of those things.
He doesn’t keep his eyes on her to long though, he notes the young man smiling at him though and he inclines his head with a friendly smile, cigar pulled from his mouth to do so, before continuing on his way through the park, passing closer to the pagoda.
[Adrian Sandenberg] Behind Adrian, in front of Izzy and to Ray’s left, the man talking gets louder. And that crackling.fizzing.strange.[chaotic] feeling grows stronger, prickling, setting hairs at the napes of necks on edge. The very few other people enjoying the warmth are finding reasons to go back to work, to where ever – surely it’s going to rain soon, or maybe they left irons or stoves on, or . . . something. Humans tend not to like chaos and wild (or wyld). There’s a reason they’ve tamed nearly everything into submission, and have created ways to be away from what they can’t.
[Izzy Montoya] (perception – I feel that, don’t you?)
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 4, 4, 5, 7, 7, 7, 9, 10, 10, 10 (Success x 7 at target 6) Re-rolls: 3
[Ray Ostermann] [Per+Alertness]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 2, 3, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)
[Ethan Yates] [Alertness+Perception: Pwah.]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 7, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Adrian, Per + Alert]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 6, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (Success x 6 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] Chaos. It’s heady, dizzying, disconcerting, wild [wyld]. It hurts, the sheer level of it, in some metaphysical way. The Weaver gives names, gives numbers, gives order, and humans adopt it far more easily than this. This is the fall of the Tower of Babel. This is losing, for a moment, such simple, basic things that humans don’t know how to get by without.
to Izzy Montoya
[Izzy Montoya] She stops, suddenly, and the Detective that is not phased by anything, pales. She drops her carton of food and presses the heels of her hands to her temples with a grunt. It hurts in some way, in a way she can’t quite pinpoint. It’s chaos, and she isn’t quite sure where it’s coming from.
A breath, and she lowers her right hand, and slides it under her open jacket to the small of her back. Exhale, and she’s walking toward Adrien, Ethan – the kin that she knows. Inhale again, and she’s pulled her gun from her holster, and holds it at her side.
“You gettin that?” I’m not crazy. Really. Right?
[Ray Ostermann] Ray grabs his head and staggers slightly before he manages to steady himself against the dizziness and first, as if by reflex looks at his cigar as if it had bit him, but when it all comes together he turns his head and looks at the man on the pagoda, a chilled look forming on his face. He knew he should have bought a gun, he really should have.
He takes a step around, moving behind and out of sight of the old mans line of sight, just incase.
[Izzy Montoya] [add:]
Only when she is close enough to the kin – even as it looks like she’s not sure where it’s coming from, there’s a slight tip of her head toward the old man who’s reading for Ethan.
[Adrian Sandenberg] He can’t pinpoint it. Can’t name it. But he’s doing his best to shake it off, quickly, and his eyes too go to the old man under the pagoda, and the man slipping around behind it. It takes a minute to gather the English words he needs; it’s not his first language, after all, as is possibly indicated by his accent, that thickens and becomes more obviously not-British when he’s tired or stressed or . . . like now, having just been hit by something that rocked even the language he’d learned upon learning to speak out of his head for a few seconds.
“Does either of you know that man?” Not the Chinese guy with the paper, but the one slipping around behind him with such purpose. “And yes, I felt it.”
[Ethan Yates] He watches the color drain out of the younger man’s face, and it briefly slows his steps as that sense of chaos fills the air. It’s not like the pervasive feeling of wrongness that accompanies many of the creatures that prowl the city’s streets looking for blood and bones, for purebred Kinfolk to tote off into the night never to be seen again.
The uniformed officer doesn’t appear affected at all, isn’t rocked the way the two Fenrir Kinfolk are. He stands still, and looks at Izzy’s gun with wariness in his eyes before looking over to the man creeping behind the pagoda.
“I don’t know him, no,” he says, though he doesn’t specify whether he’s referring to the man in the suit or to the old man with the newspaper.
[Ray Ostermann] [Per+alert]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 1, 5, 7 (Failure at target 6)
[Ethan Yates] [Again!]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 3, 8, 10 (Success x 2 at target 7)
[Izzy Montoya] Ethan looks at her gun, and she cocks a brow, slightly, but she says nothing. Instead, she watches Ray, who none of them know, and tries to catch his eye.
“I knew I shoulda got Italian..” is all she says to the boys, as she starts to move, heading around the chanting man, keeping even with Ray, keeping him in her sighs as well, as her gun remains at her side, hidden mostly by the folds of her long jacket.
[Adrian Sandenberg] It’s still there, battering against Izzy and Adrian, though they are tolerating it for now. She can see it, looking at her companions – how shaken Adrian is, though he’s felt this (or similar) before. It’s she who sees it behind the old man, part draped over his shoulder; the man had been situated oddly, and becomes more so as the beast (because that’s what it is, shadowy but there, something reptilian, snake-like, but with the outline of wings) continues hissing in his ear. The man’s speech, too, becomes more sibilant by the moment.
to Izzy Montoya
[Ray Ostermann] Ray’s attention was on his surroundings for the moment, he pats himself down, looking for anything he might be able to use as a weapon, and the only thing he finds is his cigar, and his lighter, great.
He looks at the man briefly, watching him do whatever the hell he’s doing before he looks around, maybe’ hes hoping someone else noticed as well, and when he see’s the pretty detective with her gun out, he gives her a smile, that screams “im not the bad guy!”. But he doesn’t move from his position, he stays where the old man can’t see him. His cigar rolling between two fingers as he thinks.
[Izzy Montoya] “Fuck me.”
When she sees that, when she realizes what’s draped over the man, what’s hanging there hissing in his ear. She doesn’t hesitate. Hesitation gets you killed. In fact, she doesn’t do anything in the wake of Ray’s smile. She just raises her gun at the Chinese puppet man – and fires.
[Izzy Montoya] 3 round burst: dex 4 + firearms 4 + 3 = 11
Dice Rolled:[ 11 d10 ] 2, 3, 3, 5, 5, 6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10 (Success x 7 at target 6) Re-rolls: 1
[Izzy Montoya] damage 4 + 6 =10 diff 6
Dice Rolled:[ 10 d10 ] 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 6, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Chinese puppet-man soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 3, 7 (Success x 1 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] The man gets quiet again, for a moment, then loud again, hissing, sounding less and less like the Cantonese he’d started with. And then he finds himself shot, by a woman standing right next to a police officer, and starts jabbering, yelling in his native language though the intent is clear enough – fucking Americans, fucking guns, fucking hell will someone call a damned doctor.
The other thing Izzy sees, though? It rises, and wings spread.
[Roll inits!]
[Ethan Yates] [+6]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 8
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Adrian, +6]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 2
[Ray Ostermann] [+5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)
[Izzy Montoya] She counts down, mentally, as she fires. 17. 16. 15. And she fires true, and steady – though it doesn’t seem to do much damage. It does, however, garner attention. And screams. And people falling over themselves to get away from the part that already feels… wrong.
It rises though, the thing she saw – and wings spread.
“MotherfuckingFucker.” Eloquent, isn’t she?
[Inits! +7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 4
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Crossbreed, +7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 10
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Crossbreed = 17
Ray = 15
Ethan = 14
Izzy = 11
Adrian = 8
Declare in reverse.]
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Adrian declare: Reflexive – WTF?!?!?! (Thank Gaia I’m friends with cops.)
1a) Draw
1b) Shoot where Izzy’s aiming.]
[Izzy Montoya] [Split action:
1a: Fire 3rb
1b: Fire +wp]
[Ethan Yates] [1a: Draw pistol.
1b: 3RB on whatever it is Izzy’s shooting at.]
[Ray Ostermann] [Reflexive: Holy crap!
1a) Get outta the line of fire.)
[Ethan Yates] [1a: Wah nah nah!
1b: Firearms+Dexterity: Blam Blam Blam! -3 pool (split), +3 pool (3RB).]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)
[Ethan Yates] [Damage: 4 + NATHEENG.] [L]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 7, 7, 7 (Success x 3 at target 6)
[Ethan Yates] [Yeah, I’m retarded.]
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Crossbreed soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 6, 7, 8 (Success x 2 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Crossbreed target – 1-3 = Adrian, 4-5 = Ethan, 6-8 = Izzy, 9-10 = Ray]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 4
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Crossbreed declare: divebomb Ethan (reflexive)
1a) bite – 2
1b) bite – 3]
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Crossbreed, bite 1!]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 2, 4, 5, 5 (Success x 2 at target 5)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 8, 9, 9 (Success x 3 at target 6)
[Ethan Yates] [Soak!]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 7, 8, 10 (Success x 2 at target 8)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Crossbreed, bite 2!]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 7, 7, 8, 9 (Success x 4 at target 5)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 2, 4, 5, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)
[Ethan Yates] [Fucker.]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 2, 5, 9 (Success x 1 at target 8)
[Ethan Yates] [1b: Reroll!]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 4, 4, 5, 7, 7 (Success x 4 at target 4)
[Ethan Yates] [Damage: 4 +3 (suxx).] [L]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 9, 10 (Success x 6 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Crossbreed soak!]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 3, 4, 10 (Failure at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Izzy: 1a: three round burst: dex 4 + firearms 4 + 3 = 11 – 2 (split) = 9, diff 6 (rerolls)]
Dice Rolled:[ 9 d10 ] 1, 2, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 8, 9 (Success x 4 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Izzy: 1a: damage: damage 4 + 3 diff 6]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 5, 6, 6, 8, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 6 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [crossbreed soak -2]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 6, 6 (Success x 2 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Izzy: 1b: regular shot: dex 4 + firearms 4 = 8 – 3 (split) = 5, diff 6 (rerolls)]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 3, 3, 3, 4, 10 (Failure at target 5) Re-rolls: 1
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Adrian: dex + firearms]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 5, 7, 9, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [damage]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 8 (Success x 1 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [+2 sux, cos CC is idiot]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 1, 8 (Failure at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [crossbreed soak -2]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 2, 7 (Success x 1 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] The Crossbreed is a strange creature – a rattlesnake/falcon hybrid, it could quite possibly slither if it wanted to, though now it chooses to fly. And circle, like a bird of prey. And then, to attack Ethan, poor Gnawer, who weathers it quite well, though he hears the telltale rattle. It could be so very, very much worse, and he’s a lucky man indeed. The creature swoops, bites twice [and now Ethan knows where it is – he couldn’t really help seeing it after that] and rises again to circle. Izzy shoots twice, a three round burst and a single shot, and gets a wing which slows the beast’s flight, makes it less graceful, sets it bleeding, but doesn’t kill it. Ethan, too, does more damage, but still the thing flies. Even with Adrian’s shot and the injury it takes, the thing stays in the air.
And now, this park is empty. The entire block may well be empty [no, of course no tourists are taking pictures, no one’s sending frantic texts talking about what they’ve seen – why would anyone do that?], as far as the four kin know. It’s certainly quiet, but for the occasional falcon-like cry from the snake-thing above them.
[New inits: Ethan at 1 Lethal, beastie at -3 to everything, everyone else fine. Crossbreed, +7, -3 = +4]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 9
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Adrian, +6]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 3
[Ethan Yates] [+6]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 5
[Ray Ostermann] [+5]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 9 (Success x 1 at target 6)
[Izzy Montoya] [intis +7]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 7
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Izzy = 14
Crossbreed = 13
Ethan/Ray = 11
Adrian = 9
Adrian: 1a) shoot -2
1b) shoot -3]
[Ray Ostermann] [1a: Hold Action….cause he cant punch a flying snake thing.]
[Ethan Yates] [1a: 3RB on Crossbreed.
1b: Single shot, +WP.]
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Crossbreed target – 1-3 = Adrian, 4-5 = Ethan, 6-8 = Izzy, 9-10 = Ray]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 6
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Crossbreed declare: Reflexive – divebomb Izzy
1a) bite (-3, -2)
1b) bite + Poison (3agg) (-3, -3)]
[Izzy Montoya] [FUCK ME.
1a. 3rb
1b. dodge, baby +wp ]
[Izzy Montoya] 1a: three round burst: dex 4 + firearms 4 + 3 = 11 – 2 (split) = 9, diff 6 (rerolls)
Dice Rolled:[ 9 d10 ] 1, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)
[Izzy Montoya] O COME ON Kahseeno! STOP BEING A BITCH!
1a: damage: damage 4 + 1 diff 6
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 4, 7, 7, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Crossbreed, soak!]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 2, 6, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6)
[Izzy Montoya] 1b. changing to FIRE.
DIE YOU FUCKHEAD, DIE.
[DO NOT EMBARRASS ME KAHSEENO!]
1b: regular shot: dex 4 + firearms 4 = 8 – 3 (split) = 5, diff 6 +1 (rerolls) +WP
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 3, 4, 6, 8, 8 (Success x 3 at target 7) [WP]
[Izzy Montoya] DO NOT BE A BITCH. HIT HIM WHERE IT HURTS!
1b: damage: damage 4 + 2 diff 6
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 3, 3, 4, 4, 8, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [soak!]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 3, 3, 5 (Botch x 1 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] [Crossbreed: x_x]
[Adrian Sandenberg] Two rounds from Izzy – that’s all it takes to finish off the beast who slithers through air rather than on the ground and it falls to be absorbed by grass and dirt, sucked back into the earth that bore it, perhaps, to be reborn or some such thing. Adrian and Ethan were prepared, but it turns out that the detective was more than able to take it after it had been so sorely weakened by bullets from all three kin. It takes a little longer for that overwhelming feeling of chaos [Wyld] to dissipate, but in time it, too, goes leaving this place only a little more Wyld than any other in the city.
Adrian, one of the more affected by the chaotic assault, shakes it off only partially – it leaves him instilled with a desire to order things, and he fidgets half idly with the food and napkins and plasticware after putting his gun back where it belongs, heavy and cool and reassuring. “I think,” he says with a purposeful calm, “I’ve shot at more not-target things since I arrived here two months ago than I had in my whole five years in London.”
[Izzy Montoya] Seven.
Seven rounds left. She’s clicked them off one by one in her mind, and even as her finger tightens on the trigger again, her aim straight and true, her entire being concentrating on nothing other than taking that thing down, before it harms anyone else. When it falls, when it disappears, she holds her aim on the ground for another endless second…
Then, she glances at Ethan, at Adrian, at Ray, her eyes doing a quick sweep over them all. To Adrien. “Check out Yates. How bad is it?”
And to Ray – her gun swings toward him, her finger on the trigger. “You. You didn’t run. Start talking or start bleeding, your choice.” There’s about 3 seconds before he’s gonna suffer the same fate if he doesn’t convince her he’s on the right side…
[Ray Ostermann] Ray just watches in disbelief as the gunshots bring down the creatures, and then as it is absorbed into the ground, gone just as sure as it had appeared. He blinks, and then realizes he’s still holding onto his cigar, at which he pops the thing back into his mouth and takes a deep breath, inhaling to calm himself down.
When the woman who killed the beast turns her gun on him his eyes widen, amazed that she would point the gun at him. He puts up his hands cigar still in his mouth, hard to smile when youve got a big tube of tobacco in your mouth and instead he clenches the cigar between teeth and speaks.
“Bleeding is the last thing I want to be doing, I assure you that won’t be necessary.”
He’d have stepped forward to offer his hand but he thinks better of it, staying where he is.
“My name is Ray Ostermann, you could say I’ve been seeing alot more of these sort of things of late, ever since i found out about my Heritage…and the nation.”
He says the last carefully, as if maybe it would be a bad idea to do so, but then they didnt run either.
[Ethan Yates] Ethan’s neck is bleeding after being dive-bombed by a creature from out of a horror novel. It doesn’t reek of corruption and decay, and yet it had not been friendly. It had been attempting to take down the Kinfolk who gathered in the area, and it had almost succeeded.
Three against one are not viable odds, though, and it had gone down in a hale of bullets that had the local residents closing their windows. No one calls the cops, though. Not when one of the participants in the gun battle is wearing the navy blue uniform of city police, not when the female of the trio practically screams cop.
Izzy immediately takes control of the scene as their ears ring from the firearms’ song, and it isn’t until she asks how bad it is that Ethan seems to realize he was injured. He safeties his service pistol and tucks it into its holster, reaching up to feel the scratch on the side of his neck.
“Fuck,” he says. A pause to catch his breath, a glance down at the wild–Wyld–creature, and then he looks to Adrian. “If I fetch the station wagon can you help me load it into the back? We can’t let animal control get a hold of this thing.”
[Ethan Yates] [Yeah. I can’t read. Ignore the second part of Ethan’s speech.]
[Adrian Sandenberg] “If someone’s got a first aid kit, I can patch that up for you. It won’t be pretty, but it’ll do,” he says, a hand rising to test gently – to see if there’s the telltale swelling caused by poison under the skin. “It doesn’t look too bad, though.”
Izzy’s aiming at the other man, who speaks of the Nation and his heritage, and how he’s been seeing a lot more strange things lately; the kid’s attention goes that way briefly, but for the moment, he’s more concerned with Ethan. It’s easier to have expectations, to get attached, when one doesn’t have to hide a large portion of what’s going on. There’s affection there, certainly, but it’s the sort that comes with growing friendship.
[Izzy Montoya] She studies Ray another beat, and then she lets her arm fall, the pistol hanging at her side as she thumbs the safety automatically. A breath held, shoulders still tense from adrenalin, before she exhales in a rush.
The Nation.
Ok.
“Arlight. Detective Izzy Montoya. Chicago PD – Homicide. That’s Officer Ethan Yates, and with him, Adrian Sandenberg.” Bet he didn’t think she remembered his name. She does.
“Adrian? There’s a first aid kit in the trunk of my car. Catch.” She turns and tosses him her keys, and then there’s a beat, and a nod toward Ray as she slides her gun back into the holster at the small of her back. “What’s that Heritage you mentioned?”
[Ray Ostermann] The gun no longer held up at him Ray pulls the cigar from his teeth and Izzy is suddenly the target of his dazzling smile he steps forward to offer his other hand. Despite the activities he seems to have recovered, and his steps and motions are confident and slow.
“Shadow Lord of course.” He says like it couldn’t be anything else, despite his complete lack of breeding. “It is a distinct pleasure to meet you Detective.” He takes a moment to look at the others, his smile not fading. “All of you infact.”
[Ethan Yates] He wasn’t hurt so badly that the wind was knocked out of him, or that stars inserted themselves into his field of vision for a moment. It is, quite literally, a bite-sized scratch that will scab up and cease to bother him in a day or so. Explaining where that bite came from is going to take more doing than he’s particularly interested in, though; although the dark color of his uniform conceals most of the blood, the collar doesn’t completely hide the bruised and bloody flesh.
He holds still as Adrian reaches up to probe the edges of the wound, and Ethan doesn’t flinch.
“No,” he agrees, “I’m alright.”
And then there’s the matter of the man who spent the entirety of the fight skulking around the perimeter trying to stay out of the way. The officer’s eyes follow Izzy as she introduces herself and the two men, and before he can protest, keys are flying towards Adrian. His car is parked further away, and even if it’s a slight wound, it’s still bleeding.
When Ethan speaks, his voice carries with it the vestiges of a foreign country, of a major English city. It’s watered down, as though it’s been some time since he left wherever he’s from, but after all this time he hasn’t been able to stop over-enunciating his vowels.
“Pleasure,” he tells Ray, not returning the smile. He wipes the blood from his fingertips onto his pant leg, and follows Adrian to the unmarked police car on the curb.
[Adrian Sandenberg] Adrian’s accent, most of the time, could easily be taken as coming from a major English city with only hints of something else. Now, though, is not one of those times; it’s there, the London, but as he’d said, he’d only spent five years there. The rest of his life had obviously been spent somewhere with an accent still more foreign to most American ears, somewhere with considerable Germanic markers, and still more of something completely different.
“Nice to meet you too,” he says, and then, yes, goes with Ethan (after almost-but-not-quite fumbling the keys) to get that first aid kit, food left where he’d set it.
The trunk gets popped and the kit pulled out – antiseptic, bandages and so on, and Adrian sees to cleaning that scrape and seeing if a simple band-aid will do, rather than covering it with gauze. The former is more subtle, after all.
[Intel + Med + WP!]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 4, 4, 5, 7 (Success x 2 at target 6) [WP]
[Izzy Montoya] She is not phased by his dazzling smile. She’s seen the exact replica before – usually moments before they swallow led. But for now, she nods, and slides her hand into his to shake. Hers is not a girly shake, a weak shake, but the hand of one that knows she is strong and competent – and wants others to know it too.
“Fenrir.” Herself. She doesn’t comment on the others – as that is their story to tell.
“Doesn’t seem to be anything left of it. You see anything over there?”
Her eyes sweep the grounds, searching, just in case there’s anything else they’ve not noticed yet.
[Perc+alert… just in case sneaky ST has sneaky ideas…]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 2, 2, 4, 5, 5, 6, 10 (Success x 1 at target 6) Re-rolls: 1
[Ray Ostermann] [Per+alert]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 5, 7, 8 (Success x 2 at target 6)
[Adrian Sandenberg] Chaos still reigns heavier here than it should, but it’s slipping away. There are no more beasties, so far as anyone can tell.
[Ray Ostermann] Ray matches the firmness of her grip, but his hands are soft, a businessman’s hands, a man used to wielding a pen, not a gun. He takes a moment to gaze about, looking for any signs of left over’s, or even anything that might give a hint to the battle that had briefly erupted within the otherwise innocent looking park. He then turns his gaze back to the woman before him. His smile still pleasant, friendly. He does however shrug.
“I don’t see anything no…which is odd, most of the things I’ve seen don’t just get sucked into the ground like that. But then I haven’t had a chance to see much, not yet at least. Though, I may have to begin to carry a weapon of some sort, as I can’t really buy a monster to death now can I?”
[Ethan Yates] [Thanks guys!]
[Izzy Montoya] “Me either. And the… feeling.. is fading.” As for the beast, she studies the area where it was sucked into earth, and nods. “That’s a first for me, but certainly not the weirdest.”
She looks him over, once, and nods. “Arming yourself is never a bad idea. Have you fired a gun before? There are some of us who are willing to help train you if you need it.”
She starts to move toward her car then, and spies her dinner on the ground. A shake of her head. “Motherfucker made me drop my dinner, too.”
[Adrian Sandenberg] (Thanks! Keep playing!)
[Ray Ostermann] He moves with her, even if he wasn’t invited to do so, he had a feeling he should. He walks as if completely in tune with himself his gaze forward most of the time, but it does shift to Izzy on a frequent basis, but then…they are conversing afterall.
“I’ve heard yes, the coalition am I right? I had every intention of finding someone who could teach me, as I am not afraid to admit I’ve never once fired a gun. Not really necessary in boardrooms and office buildings.”
He looks at her food as they walk by, and he raises a brow at that, before looking up and considering something for a long moment.
“Would you care for dinner?” He asks her bluntly, despite the fact she was ready to blow his face out the back of his head….he still asks.
[Izzy Montoya] She snorts at that. “Yeah, the coalition. But I meant me, or my…” there’s a beat there. What does she call him now? They’re not partners on the force, they’re friends, they’re exploring more, and… “… friend, Detective John Thornton. You won’t find many other marksmen that can teach you what we can. I’ll make sure you have my contact number before you go.”
She collects her keys from Adrian, and bids the two kinsmen goodnight, before she makes sure her kit is back in the trunk. She takes the time there to pull her weapon, eject the clip, and grab a full one from her case in the trunk and slam it home. She checks and rechecks the safety, then tucks it back into her holster, before reloading the rounds she’d spent into the ejected clip.
She glances up at him as he offers dinner, and arches a brow. “I almost shot you, and now you want to buy me dinner?” She smirks, amused, an expression that easily falls across her lips… and then.. “Sure, why not.”
[Ray Ostermann] Ray snubs the paltry remains of his cigar on the wall and tosses its dead remains into a nearby trashcan, having made certain it was out before doing so before he smiles warmly at Izzy. When she speaks of how she almost shot him he laughs, the timbre of his voice rich and warm, like a good whiskey before he speaks again.
“Detective, if nothing else, your intent to shoot me only makes our meeting all the more memorable, and makes your company all the more interesting.”
He then looks at her car, and considers for a moment, stroking his chin as he does so, despite the lack of facial hair before addressing her once more.
“I would ask if you would like to ride in my car, but that would be foolish wouldn’t it?”
[Izzy Montoya] She makes sure that the clip she just loaded is tucked back into her case, and then checks her interior coat pocket, where she’s another just like it. Once she’s certain everything is in order, she shuts the trunk with a slam, and only then looks up at Ray. “Bet you say that to all the girls that hold you at gunpoint.”
She moves around to the drivers seat of the dirt brown unmarked vehicle that does nothing to hide the fact it’s a cop car in disguise, really, and smirks. “It would. You can ride with, or we can meet up. Either way, I’m driving. Technically I’m still on call.”
[Ray Ostermann] “Hmmm perhaps we should meet. There is a lovely place not far from here.” He of course gives her directions. “It won’t take me long to get my car, I just don’t want to leave it in this neighborhood to long. Especially not with flying snakes on the loose. Who knows what might happen.”
A chuckle escapes his throat once more, the sound almost infectious, as if everything about the man is designed to make you like him, to Izzy, that might just be annoying. But he steps around the vehicle and prepares to go get his car.
“Shall I meet you in ten?”
[Izzy Montoya] Everything about the man is intended to make people like him. Izzy doesn’t find it annoying – yet – but perhaps amusing is a better word for it. Girls like Izzy don’t fall for such tricks, not without consciously doing so for reasons of their own. She nods her agreement though when he gives her directions.
“Meet you in 10.”
Once she’s in her car, the engine roars to life, and she does a quick radio check in. Once that’s done – she does another, more personal checkin with John, assuring him that she is fine, in case he hears of shots fired. Not a scratch on her, she’ll tell him the whole story later, but most importantly, she’s fine. New kin, having dinner, join if you like, see you soon – the whole works.
Maybe she’s getting the hang of this relationship thing after all.
And then, she pulls out of the parking spot smoothly, and makes her way to the restaurant in question, finding a place to park and waiting for Ray to arrive.
[Ray Ostermann] The restaurant is just on the edge of Chinatown, in one of the more up and coming area’s if Izzy had heard about it all, the food is good, the atmosphere intimate and the price…well its pricey to say the least. Ray arrives not long after, his car shiny and new, or at least he takes good care of it. He parks and slides out, and walks towards Izzy the smile returns when he see’s her.
“I hope your hungry, this place makes a mean…well everything.”
He steps up to her, but he gives her the personal space she is used to, he doesn’t try to be handsy with her, and he doesn’t SEEM to be trying to shmooze her, not yet anyways.
“Shall we?”
He asks once he’s settled in next to her, gesturing to the door, as if waiting for her to go first.
[Izzy Montoya] She’s reading a text message when he arrives, her smirk softened into something that wold almost be called a smile if folks didn’t know her better. It goes right back into a smirk, however, when she realizes he’s there. The phone is closed, and tucked away as she steps from the car, and nods.
“John – the one I mentioned- may stop in on his way by. He has some paperwork for me.” This John clearly means something to her, even if it’s undefined, if she doesn’t say anything about it out loud. It may as well be tattooed on her forehead.
She falls into step with him though, and nods, pulling the door open to the restaurant and letting herself in.
[Ray Ostermann] If the fact that this John means so much to her bothers Ray, it doesn’t show. Instead his smile grows at that, perhaps not the reaction she was expecting. He walks in after her, and the smell of excellent food wafts through the air. He walks up to the greeter and shakes their hand before turning to Izzy.
“A table for three please, no wine menu.” He then turns back to Izzy and waits there, as they wait for a table. I would be very interested in meeting this man, are you certain he will be joining us?”
[Izzy Montoya] “He’s a cop. We’re never certain of anything.” That smirk is clearly amused, even as she slips from her coat, the handle of the weapon at the small of her back gleaming in the low light, as she drapes the jacket over her arm, folds her arms across her belly, and waits with the patience of one who’s well used to standing for long hours
Her belly rumbles audibly – she’s a high metabolism and survives on takeout and coffee. “He’ll do his best – but we go when and were we’re called. It’s all part of the job.”
She has other questions, but those of a more private nature, and she waits until they are seated to ask them.
[Ray Ostermann] “Ahhh the life of a civil servant. The best of jobs…and the worst of jobs all at once.”
It doesn’t take long for their table to be prepared, and they are shown to one of the corners, a small booth intent for four or so, but is left to just the two of them for the moment. Ray of course waits for Izzy to take a seat, before seating himself, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he does. Menu’s are already arranged, as are glasses of water, which is odd…unless Ray has been there before, many times.
“So detective, what will you be having tonight? The duck is excellent.”
[Izzy Montoya] “Something like that.” She follows the greeter to the booth, and slides in on one side, her coat next to the wall as she settles into the seat. Under the jacket, she is in dark slacks, and a lighter blouse tailored to fit her slim form nicely. While there is something strong in her form, she is still undeniably feminine, under the tough exterior, somewhere. She’s even been know t wear a dress on a rare occasion. Very, very rare.
She arches a brow as she starts to look over the menu – not her usual takeout on the run type fair. She chuckles and grins. “I’ll eat anything that ain’t moving too fast.”
A beat, as she reaches to take a sip of her water, and then study him instead of the menu. “So. How new are you?” To the Nation, presumably.
[Ray Ostermann] “Oh, fresh off the boat. Two months to be precise.” He says a hand waved dismissively as if it were nothing. “My line was lost, but thanks to a few of our kin who were particularly diligent here I am in a wider world. For better of worse.”
He picks up the menu and begins to look it over, casual as ever. He seems to be enjoying himself even if they are talking business. His eyes walk over the menu slowly his gaze returning to the detective now and again.
[Izzy Montoya] She arches a brow, slightly. “Two months.” She just watches him for a long minute, as if that’s something that doesn’t exactly confuse her, no impress her, but wavers somewhere in the middle. She sits back. “Huh.”
She returns her gaze to the menu and studies it for a few minutes, then. “That you stood your ground today, then – that was impressive on some level. Stupid, probably, but alright none the less.”
[Ray Ostermann] “You know, I can’t argue with you, but…in my world I’m not used to being the one running scared to hide behind the skirts of the bank or parent corporation, I suppose I just can’t stand to do it here either, though I suppose if I could have I would have hid behind you. No better place to do so it would seem.”
His smile rises a little, watching her from over his menu, was he flirting? probably, but it was so sidelong it would be hard to tell. He at last puts down his menu and leans back in the booth, an arm rising to rest on the back of the cushions.
“I’ve heard were expected to sit back and let our cousins handle everything, possibly to my detriment, I just cannot agree to that course of action.”
[Izzy Montoya] She nods, once. “Point taken – however, banks and parent corporations rarely empty a whole park by chanting, then start to fly – even if that’s one of the more mild things I’ve seen in my day.”
Flirting or not, shes amused at the thought of him hiding behind her. “I’m a damn good shot – but even I know today it was luck, and the combination of all three of us with firearms at the ready.” A beat, as she meets his gaze directly. She’s not one to flinch away – nor is she one to beat around the bush. “There isn’t always a choice to run, or to stand our ground. Wisdom comes in knowing which to do in whatever situation. They don’t want us fighting, but they want us working. What they want means fuck all to me when I’m faced with something that wants my pert ass for dinner.”
A beat. “But don’t be stupid. What if you’d come on that thing with no weapon and no cops on the scene?”
[Ray Ostermann] “Why do you think I was keeping out of its line of sight?” A grim chuckle rumbling from his throat. If it had just been it and I, I certainly wouldn’t have stuck around to see what came next.” He pauses to indicate herself. “However, I saw your…pert ass as you put it, and thought maybe somehow I would be able to help.”
The server arrives at last, and he does indeed order the duck when asked, its pricey but he doesn’t seem to mind. He turns to Izzy when the server is done with him and speaks to her instead.
“Order whatever you want, this dinner is on me, you did in fact save my life today. It is the very least I can do.”
Those last words slip out like honey, they drip from his tongue like he’d be willing to do so much more. But his voice returns to normal in the next beat.
“And what about you? Have you always stood your ground no matter what comes your way?”
[Izzy Montoya] She arches a brow at him as he all but purrs at her, and she snorts, then looks up at the waitress. “12 oz. Steak, medium rare, backed potatoes and veggies, don’t skimp on the sour cream or bacon either. And coffee. Thanks.”
Simple meat and potatoes girl, Izzy. Though one wonders where she’ll put all that steak.
Once the waitress disappears again, she answers the question. “I don’t back down. At least not unless presented with a damn good reason why. I’m Fenrir. We go headlong into battle, no questions asked. But mostly, I’m a stubborn fucking bitch who doesn’t like to lose.”
A shoulder rolls into a shrug. “Even so, sometimes, you have to back down, in order to go forward.”
[Ray Ostermann] “Detective, I’m going to make it a personal note and quest of mine never to get on your bad side. I’d rather like to keep my body as is.”
He’s unphased by her snort, and he seems to shift gears, figuring theres no hope here. His eyes regard Izzy in a friendly manner, though he can’t help but look at her with a bit of envy, envy of the man who managed to capture the interest of a woman like this.
“That man…John, he’s a lucky man. I certainly hope he knows that.”
[Izzy Montoya] She smirks at him and nods. “That’s likely a very good idea. I’ve already had you in my gunsights once. I might pull the trigger next time.”
Then he mentions John, and that he’s a lucky man. Izzy’s smirk, so familiar and comfortable and easy – slips into something else, something… warmer, and altogether new. “I’m the lucky one.”
Then she chuckles and shrugs, looking up to thank the waitress as she drops off Izzy’s coffee. Izzy adds cream and more sugar than should be legal, before she continues. “It only took us 10 years to decide we should quite pretending we were just former beat partners.”
[Ray Ostermann] At that Ray nods slowly, gauging the depth things have come to settle. He’s impressed, his eyes tell her that, she can see he finds such things hard to believe, but he’s willing to take her at face value.
“Good god….practically a life time already and you’d only just acknowledged. Well, ill admit upfront it was a very foolish thing for me to think I could even get close.” He shrugs, a mischevious smile crossing his face, like a kid who was just caught with his hand in the cookie jar…but didnt care.
“So, if you don’t mind my curiosity, what made it all click together?”
[Izzy Montoya] She chuckles. “Well, in our defense, I was exiled to fuckin’ Miami for the past 7 years. I just came back to Chicago a few months ago.”
If she minds his mischief, it certainly doesn’t show as she smirks. “3 months ago? I’d have just added you into the rotation as long as you could obey the rules. Now? Well. John and I are both kinda new at this, so I’m not about to fuck it up by doing things the old way.”
As for what made it all click… she stirs her coffee, and takes a big swig, hissing as it’s really too hot to drink that quickly, but she does so anyway. “We were beat cops back in the day, working together as partners all the way till we gained our detective shields. He got his a couple months before me, the bastard.” There’s a fondness there, that only comes when people have known each other for a long long time.
“We never crossed that line. We were always professional and we’d never admit that there was something there, some attraction. We got close a couple times, but shied away again. Then I – well, I had to pull a coverup, a big one. I got caught. They gave me a choice – take the demotion, the transfer to Miami and rebuild my career there, or say here and watch John – who didn’t even know he was kin or what was going on then – take the fall with me – and we’d both lose our careers. I chose to protect him, and chose Miami.” It was an obvious choice, really. Not easy, but obvious.
She shrugs, slightly. “When I came back… all those feelings were still there, still unresolved. Much to my surprise, really. I’ve never been a one man kinda girl. Due to some recent situations I found myself in – we started to talk, and then talk some more.. and well. It’s always been John. Now we’re finally going to explore that and see if we can’t teach a couple old dogs some new tricks…”
[Ray Ostermann] He listens to her story, intent on everything she’s saying, as if there might be a lesson or philosophy to be learned in it. And when she is at last finished he raises his water to her with a brief nod.
“If taking the fall for the man, ruining your career and tarnishing your own name isn’t a sign of deep deep concern, if not possibly love, I do not know what is. I have never known someone who I would sacrifice all of that for. And i stand by my previous statement, that he is damn lucky to have you.”
Their food arrives at last, both of their meals just as they wanted them, both looking succulent. Ray moves to tuck in, he’s just as hungry as Izzy after their encounter, and he fully intends to enjoy his duck.
[Izzy Montoya] “He’d do the same for me.”
She chuckles, and shrugs “I don’t know. Neither of us.. well. I’ve never done the love thing. I keep everyone at arms length, in my bed by never in my head, you know? This is uncharted territory, and all together…” she pauses and then admits. “teri-fuckin-fying.”
They’re food arrives and she doesn’t waste time, she digs right in with a happy little sound at the back of her throat as she takes that first bite of steak.
[Ray Ostermann] Ray takes a moment to pause, eating as she speaks and he taps the side of his head and points at her, his chin dipping briefly as he nods. He doesn’t talk, not until he takes his time, savors the meat, and then swallows.
“I believe for the most part I understand your position quite well. But you made the choice, to take things from simple….to the most compicated you could ever manage.” *A beat* “I do wish you luck though. So, enough of the affairs of the heart, and perhaps enough of me grilling your pert ass over the coals. Why did you dismiss the coalition?”
[Izzy Montoya] He changes the subject, and part of her is grateful – as hard as it is to work through it, it’s even harder knowing that she and John are being watched at every turn, someone just waiting for them to fuck up.
So the Coalition, with all it’s problems, is a welcome change of subject.
“Well, it’s like this The Lord bitch that’s starting it has very distinctive ideas of how things should go, and should be run. While she’s working to bring us together, and that’s a good thing as far as it goes, she’s unwilling to take any constructive criticism or entertain other ideas of how to do things. It was very evident in the first meeting that this is her pet project, and it’s her way or the high way. She also insists that we have ‘permission’ from our ‘betters’ in order to participate. I’m a grown ass woman, I don’t need permission from anyone to do jack shit.”
Except that in her current situation, she does. But that’s neither here nor there.
“The second meeting saw some officer type elections, and bickering over who did what – while there were still no real set in stone ideals. The third, well. It went all the fuck to hell in a handbasket, as John was nominated to lead, an unknown stood up and then everyone voted for the unknown. Then, within 20 minutes, the Lord, she ups and challenges for leadership, because Monty – the one who was voted in – didn’t do things like she expected. They actually just called and polled us for our votes AGAIN… so that she could have her little challenge.”
She shakes her head, and snorts. “I can’t imagine she’s pleased to have things in the hands of someone else – even if it’s by popular vote. I see her fracturing off and creating her own group, under her own hand.”
[Ray Ostermann] His smile pulls into a small smile as he wipes his lips, having eaten away another portion of his roast duck, he doesn’t seem to take most of the information as new, but he does find her opinions interesting, and perhaps a little entertaining as well.
“My thoughts exactly, however, if things go the way I plan that won’t be necessary. A fractured front is not going to do us any good. Especially if we are headed towards a war, we might as well accept defeat if we cannot work together, at least on the surface.”
[Ray Ostermann] ((Gah first smile=lips))
[Izzy Montoya] “And what exactly do you plan, Mr. Ostermann?”
She’s eating steadily as she talks, gesturing with her fork now and again, usually chewing and swallowing before she says something else. Usually.
“Monty is in charge for the next six months, if things went the way I expected them too. He’s the right hand man of the city planner – has his fingers in all sorts of pies, and understands organization in a way Danicka can only dream of – maybe he’ll pull it together. Maybe not. Until I see for sure, I’m simply making myself available to all kin to train those that want to lean firearms from a pro. Other than that, I’m in ‘wait and see’ mode.”
[Ray Ostermann] Ray stares at Izzy for a long moment, his head slowly tilting to one side, his duck largely done. His face seems to gauge her and at last he decides to answer her question.
“Dual leadership.” It’s said plainly, as if there is no further need for explanation, at that he tucks back into his duck, intent on savoring the last part of his meal while he can.
[Izzy Montoya] She arches a brow, slightly. “Explain.”
Clearly, there is need for more, and she leans back, picking up her slice of bread, and picks it apart a bite at a time as she waits.
[Ray Ostermann] He doesn’t respond till hes savored the last morsel of duck, he swallows it slowly, almost like saying goodbye before he at last wipes his mouth one more time and pushes away the plate, leaving the napkin ontop.
“I’ve already proposed that Monty and Danicka rule jointly as chair for the six month period, to ensure a stabilizing effect, and to make damn sure that the whole thing doesn’t fracture and fall apart just like you said. ”
[Izzy Montoya] “Have you.” She arches a brow, slightly.
“To who – and don’t you think that the members that took the time to vote, to make their feelings known on the matter would balk at being overstepped by yet another Shadow Lord?”
She leans forward, her elbows on the table, nudging her empty plate forward a little then tucking her hand around her elbow as she studies him. “See, that’s the thing. You can’t have it both ways. Either you’re going to accept the choice of the majority, and work through it, or you’re going to say ‘This is a Shadow Lord Party, our way is the only way.'”
She arches a brow, and then nods. “See here’s the thing. Until people can figure out what they really want this coalition to be, the leadership isn’t going to mean jack shit. Danicka’s core ideas are good – but they don’t leave room for leeway. You’re going to have kinfolk that think their sole purpose in life is to fuck and friend the True. And you’re going to have others who believe tat we are just as equal in our own right.”
“We are different – but we are equal, and we out fucking number them and deserve to be SEEN as equal. There are more ways to fight the enemy than fur and fang and claw, something I’m sure you’re very aware of. That doesn’t make us smaller, or of less worth. It makes us differently abled, and this coalition should recognize that, and use our strengths in a way to benefit us all.”
“My only purpose in life as a kinfolk is NOT to squirt out a kid a year, fuck the True whenever THEY want, and remain at home under lock and key otherwise. I have worth. I will offer it to those who can see that – and will show the respect that they have earned, as long as they do the same for me.”
[Ray Ostermann] “And that is precisely why dual leadership for now makes the most sense. Everything you have said right now confirms exactly why I suggested it as a strategy. I have no intent to see this as a shadow lord run bureaucracy, and i fully intend to see the person voted into to stay there. ” His hand move as he talks, a sign of a good speaker.
“However just as you said, we don’t yet know exactly what we want this coalition to be do we? You and I have our opinions, as does everyone else. But the plane truth is that Monty and Danicka both represent two very potent and primary opinions, just the ones you described. To deny either one is to deny us a solid front, and proper support for either ourselves or the True.
With both of them in power no one is spurned, nobody has to feel that their opinion isn’t valid, and then we can move forward with a balanced and whole view point, rather then one extreme or another. I am not trying to invalidate one side or the other, I’m trying to make them see halfway.”
He waits now, waits to see what arguement she can bring against it. He isn’t upset at all that she’s arguing, or telling him her side of it. He actually seems to relish it, soak it in, like its all part of a larger equation.
[Izzy Montoya] “And the rest of us that did not nominate Danicka, did not vote for her, did not want to see her in power at all? How does placing her there, when we JUST voted that we did not want her in power by Majority vote, make us feel that our concerns are being met, and understood at all?”
[Ray Ostermann] “I would think the fact that the continued presence of the man you chose to elect by popular vote would clearly state that your needs will remain in consideration, just like those who would have felt shunned and unhappy if the person they had chosen was not elected.”
He pauses and considers her for a moment, as if trying to find the words that will help her see what he see’s. His finger taps on the table cloth, slow and rhythmic before he stops and leans forward, his arms folding infront of him ontop of the table.
You would demand the whole pie for yourself Detective, to the exclusion of those who do not share your opinion? Or would you be willing to share the pie? Because that pie could mean life or death at any moment, and those without any may very well die. If they die it will only be a short amount of time before the rest of us.”
[Izzy Montoya] “Then set it up with someone else as co-leadership, not the woman who was NOT EVEN NOMINATED as a potential leader. If she wanted it that badly, why couldn’t she find a single person to nominate her ass, second it and then vote her in? That’s my problem with it. Co-leadership? Sure. Danicka? No. Not a single member wanted her, until Monty won. Monty won over John, who was also nominated. Why did you not offer this position and co-leadership to John, who had votes behind him, instead of Danicka, who threw a little bitchfit because she didn’t get her way in order to get her foot back in the door of command central?”
She sakes her head. “It’s not your methods, per se, but your champion, Mr. Ostermann. You’re backing the wrong horse for this particular race.”
[Ray Ostermann] “Detective….your assuming I’m backing Danicka.”
He reclines now, his face intent upon hers, waiting to see exactly what she’s thinking. “I also believe much as you do. Why would I back Danicka as my primary interest?”
[Izzy Montoya] “No, you said yourself that you put forth that Monty and Danicka should be co-leaders. Those are your words, not mine. More specifically you said ‘I’ve already proposed that Monty and Danicka rule jointly as chair for the six month period, to ensure..’ so on and so forth.”
Her lips curl into a bemused smirk and she arches a brow, slightly. “I’m a straight shooter, Ray. Don’t try to sell me a load of bullshit and tell me it’s future flowers, especially if you forget your own words in the meantime.”
[Ray Ostermann] “Actually my primary interest is seeing Monty has the best percentages possible to remain in the position of chair. I never stated specifically who I was backing Detective. The only reason Danicka is in this plan is BECAUSE she is a problem. From what I have heard both Monty and John have very similar belief’s as to what should happen. To that end there would be no point in joint leadership. There would be no balance. With Danicka in place, there is a balance, and she is kept out of the hair of the majority.”
He states it like it should be simple, that it should be straight forward and obvious. He’s hoping he can make her understand.
[Izzy Montoya] “Then you, my dear, severely underestimate the mate of Lukas Wrymbreaker. You let her get a foot in that door without going through the proper channels, and she will never let go. She was not nominated. She tried to force her way in when she didn’t get her way. Rewarding that will splinter everything faster – not create the balance that you seek. You want someone with a different outlook? Fine. Find one. Not her. NO ONE wanted her in that position, despite this being her brainchild. That’s the stumbling block I cannot get over.”
She shakes her head and leans back again. “It sets a very bad precedent. I’m sure, as a businessman, you can understand the danger in that.”
[Ray Ostermann] “I understand the dangers, and the view point. I am however willing to work the percentages to a certain degree. Under most circumstances I might be inclined to agree with you. That Danicka might very well be the uncontrollable child that you make her out to be….i won’t hold that against you. However if she is forced to accept the position by taking the hand of the man that bested her….now that forces her to act in an entirely different light. ”
He pauses to let that sink in, to allow the the possibilities roll over her and through her.
[Izzy Montoya] She shakes her head, and sighs. “No. I’m sorry. If we wanted her in that position someone, one of her friends – her roommate for chrissakes – would have nominated her then. How could she notfind a single person that wanted her to lead? Instead, she seconded John’s nomination. In fact, I’m pretty sure she orchestrated that nomination. If that’s the case, and Monty and John do have similar views – why is she storming the castle now?”
She shrugs. “It’s only six months. If at that time she can find someone willing to nominate her, and put her into a position, it’s different.”
She leans forward again. “She threw a temper tantrum Ray, and ‘challenged’ for leadership when he’d held the position for less than 20 minutes. She needs to prove herself before you just hand her what she wanted. You wouldn’t give a child this. She’s acting the child. I will not reward that.” a beat. “And neither should you.”
[Ray Ostermann] At that Ray puts up his hands and leans back into the booth before clasping his hands across his stomach. Not in defeat of course, but he simply seems to know when he won’t convince her otherwise.
“Perhaps you are right Detective, perhaps I have misjudged the situation, a rare thing to be certain. However at this moment it is in neither my hands, nor yours. It lies only in the hands of Mr. Sabine. He is the one who has to make a choice wether he wishes to follow my advice…or go his own way.
[Izzy Montoya] He leans back, lifts his hands, and admits she may be right. That in itself causes her smirk to return, amused.
She leans back as well, and lifts her coffee, draining the contents easily now that it’s lukewarm. “Monty’s a good and eager sort. If he chooses to go that way – well. I’m sure he’ll have his reasons, and you can be sure he’ll hear mine for not agreeing with them. Even if it’s only to let him feed me again – he makes a lemon tart that is out of this WORLD…”
[Ray Ostermann] “He also stocks an excellent scotch, you should try it sometime if your ever by his office.”
At last the check comes, and to his word, Ray picks up the check. When that is all said and done. Ray looks about briefly, before looking at his watch.
“Well Detective Montoya, I’ve enjoyed our conversation, but I think its time I headed home, and I’m sure its about time you got back to keeping our streets relatively safe. Wouldn’t you agree?”
[Izzy Montoya] She nods, and chuckles. “Call me Izzy.” She stands, and takes her coat, and slips it on, then digs in her pockets for a card, pulling one out of a slim case before handing it to him. Much like the woman, it’s no-nonsense, plain black text on a white card.
“The cell number there is my private line. If you need me, call. Thanks for dinner.” And with that, she resettles the coat around her shoulders, checks the position of her weapon, and then starts toward the door, and the street beyond.
[Ray Ostermann] He accepts the card with a gracious nod slipping it into his suit pocket as he begins to button up his suit. He gives her one last dazzling smile as she moves to leave, something to remember him by perhaps. As she walks away he at last stands and calls back to her.
“Again…it was a pleasure, Izzy.” After that, he says nothing else, and allows her to leave, before leaving on his own. His apartment, and his bed awaiting him at home.
[Izzy Montoya] [aaaaaaand thassawrap! :) thank you!]