2. Smears on the Turbine (action)

[shaidar]

Conner

"Well, from what I've heard the whole thing sounds like it was a complete sh!t show. Compton? That's not the important question, agent. The important question is how to defeat Magout and get Donte out of his influence. If Magout starts to recruit more kids from the school, well that''s not good"

[tibbius]

Agent Blake twists on the bench to stare hard at Conner. "Magout ... who the hell is Magout? There was something weird going on at that place. Not just criminal weird, but freak-me-out strange. That's the only reason I agreed to meet you, when you named that guy. And Donte. How do you know Donte?"

[tibbius]

Edward wakes up. He's lying face up in yellow grass on rough dirt and fragments of asphalt. His bare feet are pressed against a chain link fence with barbed wire strung along the top. The sky above him is distant and pale, an autumn afternoon sky. He hears machines cutting metal, and smells hot oil. Rolling over onto his stomach and raising his head, he sees a faded red metal door in a faded brown sheet metal wall. The door is ajar.

What does Edward do?

[shaidar]

Conner

"I'm not sure you're ready for the truth, but I'll tell you anyway. You'll probably think me a liar, or crazy, or both, but give me a chance to explain it. First, my brother goes to that school, that's why I'm worried. Secondly, I know about this because the spirit of Compton visited me in a dream. He told me it wasn't Donte's fault, but the Horned Man made him do it. He told me to seek you out and and tell you that his was a deep fried chicken burger. Does that make any sense? Third, and this is the real doozy, Magout isn't a man he's a powerful spirit. Compton called him Cernunnos, but I've been told that's wrong as the celts don't do spider faces on their entities, apparently. So there you go agent, the truth. Are you ready to walk away from the crazy guy?"

[shaidar]

Edward wakes up. He's lying face up in yellow grass on rough dirt and fragments of asphalt. His bare feet are pressed against a chain link fence with barbed wire strung along the top. The sky above him is distant and pale, an autumn afternoon sky. He hears machines cutting metal, and smells hot oil. Rolling over onto his stomach and raising his head, he sees a faded red metal door in a faded brown sheet metal wall. The door is ajar.

What does Edward do?

Confused, Edward drags himself to his feet. He glances around, looking for people. He moves as quietly as he can to the metal door and peers around it.

[tibbius]

Edward sees a stomach-knottingly familiar room. It's where Donte shot him. Same setup, same workers. Leaning its massive shoulder against the wall next to the door, same bizarre horned man with spider face. As he looks up at it, it twists its head away from the machinists and wiggles its spidery mouthparts. Somehow it speaks.

"Good afternoon, little one. Glad to see you. I think you could help me out."

Roll Tenacity.

Agent Blake widens his eyes and shifts uncertainly, starting to lean away but then pausing. He takes a breath. "I think I'm already screwed, to be honest," he says, "being there when Edward got killed was a low point in my life. So I'll be open with you. I've had weird dreams about the guy you're describing. I was almost surprised not to see him when we walked in the door of that gun shop. You're saying he's real, and he's got a grip on your brother's buddy - Donte?"

[shaidar]

Conner

"I'm afraid so, and it's dangerous to go up against the older, more powerful, ones. To be honest I'm pretty new at this, but it may be possible to command it or do a deal. That's my thing, I deal with spirits, it runs in my family." he pauses and decides to take a chance "Dreams you say......Euterpe, I don't normally ask you to to lower yourself to such things, but do you mind revealing yourself to the agent?"

Edward

Tenacity: [1d6]=6

Edward flips the bird at the spider-man

[tibbius]

"Sure, it's not a problem," Euterpe answers from behind Conner's shoulder. "Do you see me, Mr. Blake?"

Agent Blake twists a little to look behind Conner, and his eyes go wide. He's speechless. Then, "Wha- who- are ... you?"

"Call me Euterpe. I'm Conner's friend, who guards him. Also a musician, I like his shows. Did he tell you that he plays guitar?"

Blake looks at Conner with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't think your name was Conner. And - wow, I have a lot of new questions. Where did your bodyguard come from, and why is she here, and why is she dressed in a toga?"

"It's called a chiton, dearie. I come from Corinth. Long ago."

---

The horned man with the spider face steps menacingly toward Edward, tries to grab him, but somehow misses. "Your insolence will be rewarded!" he proclaims.

[shaidar]

Conner

"Euterpe is a spirit, she was born in ancient Greece. We have a deal, she helps to protect me and in return I play her music, she's fascinated by heavy rock. I think you have what is called the sight, when you said about those dreams it made me wonder. It means you can see spirits, if they want you to. Oh yeah, I gave you a false name, it's really Conner Kelly"


Edward thinks that maybe angering the Horned Man was a bad idea and looks for an exit.

[tibbius]

"Edward told me about a Thomas Kelly, a friend of Donte's. Are you related? ... Geesh. My manners. It's nice to meet you Miss Euterpe ... oh man I hope nobody thinks I'm talking to myself!"

[shaidar]

Conner

"Thomas is my brother. I met Edward Compton a few times at the school. I've been trying to find Donte, but I can't. I'm afraid that he's gone back to Magout, these entities can influence people. When I say that Magout made him do it, I do mean it literally, got in his head somehow."

[tibbius]

"Well - I'm not sure what to do with this info. I can't go back and tell my Special that this kid Donte is under the thumb of a ghost. I don't know what to do about it if he is. But it's kinda weird that I can see your ... friend." He smiles at Euterpe. "Sorry talking about you like you aren't here, ma'am."

[shaidar]

Conner

"If things weren't complicated enough, there's more. I'm a paralegal and the guy I work for, Woodgreen, is hoping to get the Compton family as his clients. This is so screwed up in so many ways. The only good news is the cops have lost the gun that shot Compton. So all they have on Donte is witness testimony" he looks at Blake.

[tibbius]

"Again, I don't know how to respond to that. I saw Donte shoot Edward. I'll have to testify to that whenever I'm asked. Edward was present as a paid informant and he had signed a liability waiver. I'll testify to that, as well.

I don't think we have anything else to discuss, Mr. Kelly."

Blake gets up from the bench, his kebab wrap only half-eaten. "I'll take this for the car. Thanks for the heads-up about Woodgreen. And the warning about the Magout. I'll keep a close watch on my soul." He half-grins, more like a grimace - a joke that turned serious?

[shaidar]

Conner

"You're going to walk away just like that. You're a cold-hearted bastard, Blake. You used Compton and got him killed and now you used me. I'd hoped you might at least care for the kids that might be in danger. You Feds wonder why nobody trusts you, it's because you're a bunch of assholes. Screw-you!"

ooc: Edward didn't sign anything, not that Conner knows that

[shaidar]

The anger bubbling in his head, Conner's hand slips into his coat pocket and around the rooster-shaped salt shaker. He brings the anger under control and focuses the strength of it, directing it towards his goal like his mother taught him. He brings the image and feeling of Compton from the court room dream into the centre of his mind and whispers "Edward Compton I summon you to this place"

Spirits: [1d8]=7
Rooster Booster: [1d6]=2

[tibbius]

As the horned man with the spider face advances toward Edward, he feels a sudden queasy dissolution of himself. Things fade ...

... and he's elsewhere, down at the food trucks on Long Wharf, looking at some guy he vaguely remembers. Thomas Kelly's dad. No. Older brother. Edward feels a weight of authority from this guy.

And Lucas Blake is also here, wearing an expression that Edward can't quite interpret. It seems like Blake and - Conner Kelly, that's it - have been having an argument, based on body language.

Conner sees Edward Compton appear from the air, looking a little disheveled in the same sweatshirt and jeans and leather jacket that he wore in Conner's courtroom dream.

[shaidar]

Edward looks between Kelly and Blake "What the...how'd I get here?

Conner looks up "Compton! It worked...I did what you asked, I tracked down agent Blake, but the dirtbag just used me for information and now he plans to testify against Donte to save his own ass!"

Edward turns to Blake, angry "What! Is that true? You promised the kids wouldn't get into trouble. I should have known..." he tries to grab agent Blake.

ooc: I'm not sure Blake can see Edward, or Edward can touch Blake, but I don't think Edward knows any limits he might have so would try.

[tibbius]

Edward's got nothing at risk, so no roll required ... Blake tries to jump aside but stumbles backward and falls on his butt with his arms raised as if to shield his head. Edward tries to grip the agent's arms, his fingers slip greasily with a feeling like static shock ... it must be mutual, Blake cringes more.

[shaidar]

Edward

"You promised me Blake! If you go back on that promise you'll never be rid of me, I'll make your life a misery! This is all your fault!"

Conner

"That's enough Edward, give the man a chance to realise his mistake. Because if Edward doesn't make your life a misery, agent, I will. I'll find every malign spirit I can and send them your way, and when you die I'll have your spirit bound to an object and then buried so deep in some remote location it'll never be found"