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With the information I'd gained from both Olympia and Hanford, it was time to share some of it with relevant parties. Ghost deserved to be first and foremost on that list, as most of it concerned her directly, and... Frankly, I'd be a bit pissed off if someone learned something personal about me that I had no clue of myself and then told other people rather than me--especially if I heard about it from other people second-hand afterwards. That's not what friends--or even acquaintances--do. Obviously, I couldn't tell her in person, but Brings-the-Pack could. I phoned up Mouse to see if Ghost was present and to let Mouse know I was planning to have the cougar-mage pay a visit to the Hub and to let any other Walkers present know the cougar-mage would be paying a visit in short order. It was a simple matter of crafting an illusionary cougar that appeared to come in from the rooftop access, and I had the illusion perch on the lofted area overlooking the main room to discourage anyone from touching it. That probably makes the cat come across as being aloof, but... cats, y'know. (And often mages, I guess.)
In short, I let Ghost know I believed her mother was the fleeing figure with glowing green scars that'd appeared in several people's dreams. (She'd been having similar suspicions.) I also let her know that an incredibly powerful entity--likely a mage--down in Hanford had likely manipulated Ghost's mother into being exposed to the Ooze, possibly while pregnant with Ghost, and that it had been intentional so that Ghost would effectively become some kind of experimental vaccine of sorts. (This was a shock to her and she wasn't pleased at all.) In return, I learned that the blades that spring from Ghost's hands were not tied in with her shifting to glabro in Olympia, but instead were a part of her cyberfetish, which had the primary purpose of reinforcing her extraordinarily brittle bones. I suggested that her brittle bones might be the result of the Ooze's influence on her. I brought up the subject of dreamwalking her for more answers, and offered that I could do it or that the garou could do it, and I pushed for the garou to do it as they were her kind and might make her feel more comfortable about the process. She seemed to think everyone was out to figure out how to use her--like the "tool" the once-mage had described her as--and was understandably resentful. There's a certain irony in how garou, who are born with a role forced upon them and who mostly come to embrace their differentness, can balk when an additional thing is forced upon them--especially when considering how garou society is compounding enforcement upon enforcement of cultural rules, norms, status, and taboos.
Ghost did bring up an important point, and something I'd overlooked: She asked how in the world someone could have messed with her mother, let her get away, escape to the UK, give birth, have that child get grabbed up by a pack of garou, have them flee back to the US and Olympia, and then end up in Saint Claire--back where she was needed and at precisely the time she was needed. It's an ungodly coincidence, which makes me suspect this mage is extraordinarily proficient with Time magick--having set all these things in motion many many years ago and having written theories about it well over 60 years ago according to the manuscripts we've found.
Briari had shown up towards the end of the discussion, and she mentioned that a Black Spiral Dancer had approached her and claimed the Spirals in the Queen's Tower were looking to get rid of the mage there--the one the Queen uses to shield the Tower from scrying attempts. He apparently leaves the tower from time to time, and the Spiral offered to call Briari and let her know when he was leaving. At that point, the garou were to assassinate him. She asked for advice on how to accomplish this.
Yuck.
I did not relish sharing the information I did, which could be used against any mage in the future. So I played up complexities and dangers, hoping to make the garou /REALLY/ pause before striking at any mage and, perhaps, if they manage to kill this one, thinking themselves incredibly fortunate in their success and building upon what seems to be a preconception among the garou that mages are often godlike in their power and omnipotence. No, it's not true at all by any means, but a good rumor, well-spread, can often do a great deal more to protect mages than defensive/offensive magicks alone.
I did not relish sharing the information I did, which could be used against any mage in the future. So I played up complexities and dangers, hoping to make the garou /REALLY/ pause before striking at any mage and, perhaps, if they manage to kill this one, thinking themselves incredibly fortunate in their success and building upon what seems to be a preconception among the garou that mages are often godlike in their power and omnipotence. No, it's not true at all by any means, but a good rumor, well-spread, can often do a great deal more to protect mages than defensive/offensive magicks alone.
I gave what advice I could--hit him hard, fast, and with a variety of different kinds of attacks. And that it could be a trap and that it might be a doppleganger. And whatever thing they could possibly imagine that could happen? It could happen. And then things they couldn't even imagine on top of that.
Briari and Ghost left, and as I was about to drop the illusion Rina appeared--and then Kavi. I filled them in on what had just transpired. Word should be spreading, so I should communicate this information to Mouse, Salem, Emma, Slug, Silvertip, and Val as soon as possible.
I just hope it's handled delicately with Ghost and that Ghost herself is able to handle this.
