nick_garou | (no subject) (Reply)

Tuesday, I popped over to the park, dipped my fingers in the fountain, opened my senses up, and.... something was very off. Not with the node itself, but with a hodgepodge of Entropy and Spirit magic. Reality seemed to be bulging, pressure building up in a couple places, all tied together, but seemingly coalescing as time passed. Something was going to happen, and the future possibilities were narrowing, narrowing, narrowing as the event's time drew nearer. I watched for about an hour, then went to fetch Val. Brought her back to the park--sharing few details beyond having a gut feeling something was about to happen--and we hung out at the fountain. We didn't have to wait for long. About 15 minutes later, there's this clap of thunder and this guy in platemail armor drops out of the sky, hits the ground, and starts talking like he's in a Scottish version of Shakespeare. Flint and Alexandra had just shown up and Flint went to handle it.

That's when some magic went off nearby--sensory. It was Thomas, who I'd overlooked earlier. I put up my "hole in magical space" rote so I wouldn't show as being magical--I hope. Then Val did more magic-sensing magic. By now I was just /looking/ from--hopefully--behind my scrying shield. Thomas glanced my way, then went after the guy who seemingly fell out of a wormhole in the space-time continuum. Flint and Thomas alternately flung static magic--Mind and Spirit based--at the newcomer while alternately talking to and beating him. There were people watching, but.... I don't think it was too much of a problem. No one seemed to be talking about how a guy just appeared out of thin air through a dimensional rip that'd closed behind him. Which was good, because I'd been preparing to make a fake fireworks distraction over towards the river on the far side of the park. (I think that would have passed as being coincidental magic, but.... I really did not want to find out the hard way in front of a dozen witnesses.) So I let that ritual unwind before I willed it to happen, which is good because I really really really was not keen on doing even a coincidental magical effect of that nature around several garou, Val, and Thomas--while people were present who could sense magic. I'd have done it if someone went all fuzzy in public. Maybe. Possibly. But thankfully there was no need.

Belatedly, it occurred to me that I could have mindfucked a bystander who was paying too much attention or saw too much, made them believe--I don't know--that they were covered in bees or something, and then turned that person into a screaming, flailing distraction that people might have paid more attention to than Dirk, Flint, and Thomas. And then, belatedly belatedly, I stopped to think about how wrong that would have been. Just because you /can/ do something doesn't mean you /should/ do something.

With the situation finally more-or-less under control, Flint, Alexandra, Thomas, and Dirk headed off for the Tenement. Val let me know that the guy's sword was silver and magical, so I texted Flint as a head's up about that potential danger. I can't believe he took the guy straight off to the tenement, though. Flint is too damn young, naive, and trusting. He could potentially be endangering everyone who lives or goes there. It occurs to me I need to talk to Salem about what to do if I run into someone who claims to be kin or garou and there's limited or no chance to call for assistance. Is there a "pre-safehouse" safehouse? Like a small house or studio apartment or something for this sort of situation? One that's far more "sacrificial" than the Walker's base of operations?

Prior to all this happening, Val filled me in on a few things. She apparently learned that trick the garou have, where they can get an idea of what direction a person is in. (Damn, that was fast. It must be easier for them to learn static magic than it is for mages--or at least me--to learn dynamic magic.) Useful. She also commented on how she went to Nik's place earlier and how she's very nervous about him. Apparently he has a torture and/or interrogation room. And it might have been used before.

Holy shit. These are supposed to be the "good guys?" Between the serial killing garou and the torturer garou, I might just need to reconsider associating with them at all.

Got a text from Thomas the day before. He's interested in buying the houseboat. However, I'm not entirely sure if I got made yesterday or not. I should probably arrange for a meeting/sale of the boat and keep my shields up the entire time--just in case he tries to scan again. The houseboat's wards are all gone now and the lightsaber is at the Sanctum. It's getting so I won't even go to my Sanctum anymore unless I'm doubling back 5 times and looking over my shoulder with magic and forecasting safety and security with Time and Entropy magick. I seriously fear that place being discovered.