12445/15 Fears: A Growing Concern

15 Fears: A Growing Concern
Date of Scene:	15 August 2022
Location:	The Velvet Room - Library
Synopsis:	Michael Hannigan comes to Chas with some distressing news about Megan Gwynn. They also discuss the nature of their enemy and its ultimate goals. But in lighter news, the VR Library has art books in it.
Cast of Characters:	Chas Chandler, Michael Hannigan

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Chas Chandler has posed:
    The Library of the Velvet Room, like most of the rooms of the place, has a habit of shifting and changing to accomodate the needs of the visitor. The configuration of the shelves is always the same, a rough simicircle with books from floor to ceiling. Apart from that, one can't be entirely sure of what they might see. Is it small and cozy? Large and expasive? Does it have desks? Reading tables? Chairs? Or is it like today? With a lone man in a relatively small room, sitting at a desk with a laptop and a printer and a mound of books around the three.

    Chas has been furiously checking and cross checking everything he can get his hands on about the most recent Old One to make its precence known: The Crawling Rot that attacked Mercy Thompson's garage. He pulled a few strings and greased some wheels to get his hands on the security footage and has been watching it for clues as to who (or what) this woman that attacked the garage was before her change.

    It is a slow process, going frame by frame of the slightly corrupted footage, getting a painstakingly close look at every facet of her form, and getting gruesomely familiar with the pattern of holes that spread over her entire body and expelled the swarm of creatures that the newest member and world renowned Detective labelled, wasp larvae.

    The whiteboard from the meeting night is in the room as well, set up behind him and the being in question is named at the top of the blank slate with a few entries beneath it. So far the aspects of The Crawling Rot, are as follows: bugs, The Song(?), hivementality(?), sickness(?), death(?). Needless to say, he's being thorough with his research.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Recently Mike's been finding it saves time to just state when he's had an uninteresting week rather than the other way around. Last week is not one of those. But, after an interesting turn of events yesterday and a really lengthy sleep afterwards. Mike finds himself looking for one of the three who are asking for information. He would have called ahead but... His phone is currently sitting in a bowl of rice elsewhere.

Once again, it was not one of the quiet weeks.

After a bit of sleuthing, Mike solved one mystery of where one of the heads is located. It is Chas, in the Library, with the dry erase marker.

Mike glimpses the words being written down and then looks to Chas. "Hey Chas." He greets, making sure to at least get some form a pleasantry in during the unpleasant business Chandler seems knee deep in. "...Got a minute?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas turns at the sound of a visitor entering. He doesn't look tired, his angellic form seems as robust and energetic as ever, but he does look weary. His hair, a short, stylistically mussed cut is flat on his head and his eyes, usually bright and shining blue are dulled to degree. It bound to happen when you watch a creature who embodies trypophobia over and over again; even to an angel given Free Will.

    "Mike... what can I do for you?" he asks, capping the marker and setting it in the tray. A wave of his hand moves the desk (along with its accesories) and the whiteboard to one side of the room and the floorspace expands. There's no movement to the action, the room just gets a bit bigger. Also there is a second chair across from the one that was behind the desk. "Have a seat," he adds moving to the chair that didn't shift position and settling down.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Pale blue eyes watch as the entire room rearranges itself. It probably could be a disconcerting experience for some but, after close to a decade with the dream sight ability and then the development of dream travel? Well, he's seen a lot.

Following in kind to Chas's actions, Mike takes the other seat, glancing to the other guy. Once they're both settled, he gets to the point. "There's a good chance Pixie got approached in her dreams."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas' lets out a sigh that is more gesture than need and gestures toward the desk. A notepad and mechanical pencil floats over and Mike will get the distinct impression that someone (or something) else is moving the objects about the room. Taking both in hand, Chas turns to a new page and writes something down (presumably Megan's name) before looking looking back up to Mike.

    "Wonderful... nevermind that these things are eldritch horrors from another level of reality, they're adapting as well. Going for some of the youngest in our midsts" he says. "What can you tell me?" he asks the Dreamwalker, his pencil at the ready.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Hearing the sigh, Mike gives a nod in agreement. Yep. That sentiment exactly. When the notebook moves towards Chas, the musician takes that as a sign to wait. Eyes glance to the page being written upon briefly before he looks back up.

"Megan joined us yesterday for an investigation with Phoebe." Mike starts, "She did the portaling and that's when I noticed her energy was off. It had gotten, redder, angrier. Her soul dagger had changed color as well. Blood Red. And when the spirits showed up, her initial reaction was to try and goad them into fighting while we were still trying to determine if there was a peaceful means of resolution." He frowns, "Not like her usual demeanor at all."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas starts jotting down notes as Mike recounts his observations. There is a pause at the mention of Phoebe and possibly a twitch of his eyebrow but he continues without comment. When Mike finishes he looks up. "Soul dagger?" he asks. "The pink thing she uses as a weapon is a part of her soul?" he asks arching a brow.

    He wipes his face. "People using their souls as weapons... that's just great. Alright..." he says looking back to Mike, "and you're sure this isn't just an evolution of her powers as a mutant?" A beat. "Or is there more to it?" he asks.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike tilts his head at the twitch but he opts not to the reaction up. Not at the moment. But the comment about the weapon does get a frown. "Not all of us get a say in how we develop." He comments.

He glances to the side for a moment as he gets back on topic. "Well after the business on the trail and we dried off, I reminded her of the discussion we had here and asked if she had any dreams lately that could possibly explain her behavior. She did. A modified image of herself in a mirror. Horns, Batwings, Claws. And then she heard her voice say that's what she'd become if she didn't learn to control her powers. The voice offered to help."

Mike's frown deepens, "She accepted."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas continues to write notes, dismissing the call out of his own inherent speciesm--it's a process, he's working on it. He stops when Mike stops and his own frown deepens. "...Fuck..." he mutters. "She get any names? Like who was in the mirror or who offered to help her control these 'powers'?" he asks as he underlines a few key pieces of information on the list and then glances at the whiteboard briefly.

    Mike can see the lines of thought behind his eyes, the discernment of one thread condencing into another thread as he puts pieces of a puzzle together on the fly. It's a far cry from the unsuspecting cabbie that Chas was before his change into one of the Earthly Hosts of Heaven.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
As Chas curses, Mike nods. "My reaction exactly." He admits, His lips curl to a short-lived smile before relaxing to a more neutral state, "She didn't recall any name when I asked about the dream. It looked and sounded like herself."

The musician turns his head, looking to the whiteboard, taking in the scrawls for a moment. Chas has been pretty busy in here too.

"The mirror thing kind of reminds me of the time we went to get Rien, with the 'Who are you' questions." Mike continues, "I performed Raphael's Flask on her. Just in case. Maybe that bit of information will come to her in time while she's settled."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas nods. "It's worth a shot, even if it just clears her head enough to help her remember details. We might..." He runs a hand through his hair, turning it back to the mussed state it usually displays and sighs again. "We might need to sit her down, outside of here, and get some information ourselves." He's talking about the leadership of the JLD from the sound of it.

    "You mentioned aggressive tendencies. You think she'll be amenable to a meet up with a few of us?" he asks, pushing himself to his feet and setting the notepad back on the desk directly this time. "I don't want to provoke her, but these things aren't the nicest of playpals and the longer they linger the deeper ingrained they tend to get."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"Tom seemed to snap her out of it for a bit during the trail thing." Mike answers, "And afterwards I was able to talk to her. I don't think she's too far gone at the moment. I'm hoping the spell buys some time."

The musician leans back in his seat, glancing up to Chas. "Perhaps I should tagalong? Might help with the mood?" Not to say a 6'7" guy looming over a 5'3" fairy might send the wrong message but-

Yeah, it just might.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas chuckles. "Yeah. I know I'm the big scary around here." He purses his lips in thought. "Did you happen to give any indication to this 'Tom' about what might be wrong with her?" he asks with an arched brow. "If he's in regular contact with her, he too might be suceptible. It would be good for him to have at least a passing understanding that his..." he searches and makes a leap, "girlfriend is--for lack of a better term--ill."

    He frowns. "Then again, if her boyfriend is a complete berk in the concept of magic being Real it might not be the easiest of things to convey." He frowns, pondering. "I will talk with Jon and Rien about what avenues we should take and if we can get her to a meeting, you'll be there for sure. We'll probably have to tackle it after we handle Lydia." He sighs. "Bloody hell. Never a dull moment, is there?" he says.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"It probably doesn't help that you're standing and I'm sitting." Mike agrees, giving a small smile to the the acknowledgement. Even with the topic matter, one has to the take the lighter moments when they happen.

"As for Tom. Honestly I would be surprised if he wasn't aware." Mike replies, "He snapped her out of the behavior earlier. We stopped at his place to crash. I asked her about the dreams in front of him. And also treated her there."

Despite Chas's frown, Mike doesn't mirror the expression, and shakes his head. "Tom's very much aware of magic he just doesn't really practice it. He's fought demons before in the punchy-bity sense. His ex was somewhat demonic as well. He's aware of Raphael's Flask already. Hell, because of him I had to create another verse to cover physical injuries. Because he thought it'd be a great idea to call me instead of going to the ER. Great motivation for me to write, but I wouldn't recommend that approach."

Realizing he was about to go off on a tangent Mike pauses, regrouping his thoughts, "But, I could sit down with him and give him a clearer picture when I get back there. He...might want to be there with Pixie whenever you guys talk to her. Might be good, give him some details he might need to know that I don't even know..."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas nods. "We'll see. Not sure if we want that many" he pauses. "What's the best term here, novices?" he shrugs seeming content with that choice, "coming in against Old Gods as their first foray into the greater scheme of magical practice. There's a vast difference between fighting a demon and fighting a reality-bending god. Punching these things isn't exactly on the list of useful tactics. More likely to get your hand unmade than do anything worthwhile."

    He moves to take his seat again. "But yeah, as many friendly faces around her that we can manage might be worth a shot." He frowns. "I wish I knew if this was one we were familiar with or a new one entirely. It'd help with the catalogue. Speaking of..."

    He reaches into a messenger bag at the foot of his chair and withdraws a file folders with a decently sized dossier within. "This is everything we know about them and their master, so far. Read it. Learn from it. You're mentioned so... you might get some calls. If we update it, I'll get you the additions as well."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike looks over to Chas, "I'm not asking to add him to this group or have him part of whatever call to arms you're planning. But you did say it'd be good for him to have some passing understanding of the current situation with Pixie. And that's pretty much tied with this topic. Also he's spending quite a bit of time with Pixie. It'd definitely be good if he can recognize any changes so he can contact for help if need be."

Mike nods as Chas sits down, allowing for the possibility of friendly faces being helpful. The nod skews as it is transformed into more of a head tilt when Chas redirects his positioning to retrieve the dossier. He looks to the folder, nodding. "Alright...Relating to dreams?" He ponders, "The reason for the mention?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas nods. "Exactly. I mentioned that is your area of expertise and that people are free to come to you for such assistance if necessary." He frowns. "I know it sounds like I'm volunteering you to be a psychotherapist for these horrors but among us you are the hat to go to for that area. Everyone has to do their part for us to not let these things get a foothold."

    He nods to the packet. "It's not a lot, but it's a good overview of what to look for when it comes to these beings. Most defense needs to be premptive because by the time you're confronted it's almost already too late." He leans back. "It's not a call to arms. As much as I would like to go storming the gates of the Abyss, doing so would kill the majority of us and drive the rest of us to insanity. No. This entire campaign is a defense. We defend, contain, and hopefully find a way to seal whatever these things are so that they can't reshape reality into whatever twisted feverdream they have in mind."

    He pauses for a moment to let that sink in. Mission statement that it is. "Was there anything else?" he finally asks, shifting slighting in his chair.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike nods, "Well... It's not far off what I sometimes end up doing I guess. Therapy's more or less just talking things out and working with what you got... But yeah. I'll help out where I can. Also it couldn't hurt if they tried using Raphael's Flask on themselves either. The song is pretty much easy to access already. Recorded and written."

The musician leans forward, taking the offered packet. "I'll have a look through." He considers possible things to bring up. But considering the information dump, and the appropriateness of the questions he wonders about are also questioned in kind. And then one question does tumble out. "Is there one particular energy or power source they REALLY don't like? Or is it kind of a hit and miss type thing?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas smiles and lifts his palm. A small ball of golden and blue light forms there. The temperature and general weight of the air in the room intensifies considerably. But not to an uncomfortable degree... not yet. "Me" he says. "Well... me and my counterparts. Angels and the highest ranking demons are really the big threats to these creatures" he clarifies. "That's what the Hosts are -supposed- to do. They keep the sanctity of reality whole by guarding against the Abyss and those things that 'died' during the breaking of the Firmament--the first one."

    He pauses and closes his hand around the miniature sun and the rooms ambient temperature and feel returns to its relatively normal state. "The newer gods and godlings can hurt them and enough force from other supernatural entities can do the same. Their avatars," he nods to the packet, "some of which are named in there. Those who have fallen so far into service of the Old Ones, are more akin to your higher scale supernatural threats--like big demons. They just have a slew of nasty tricks that they can bring to the field that makes what most big demons do look paltry and tame by comparison. Pleasant thinking, ain't it?"

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Feeling a general pressure, Mike's chest rises as he takes a breath. When the orb vanishes, he lets it out. He glances to the packet, looking back to Chas. "Not really." He answers, "Newer- What about Dream? I know some dreams aren't really set in the Dreaming but- if they were to trespass in there..."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas blinks. "I... don't know if bringing the Ideologues into this conflict would be a good idea..." he replies. "These creatures--the Old Ones--are the insane corpses of the Ideologues. As useful as your boss may be against them--not many things are keen to get into a fist fight with the dessicated corpse of their long dead brother. I'm pretty sure that Dream would be just as reluctant."

    He shakes his head. "No. I think this fight is for us and our ilk, as frustrating as that may seem." He sighs. "Like a bunch of little people fighting Andre the Giant in the end... overwhelming numbers versus overwhelming force. Eventually, numbers will win out... eventually."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike's brows raise, "Not quite what I was asking but basically what I'm getting is yeah he'd hold ok against them and they're probably not going to poke that bear."

Mike pauses, "Wait. How long did you know he was my boss?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    He shakes his head. "Oh... you mean the other direction? The demesne of Dream and Death and the rest of them is blocked by reality. The Old Gods take over this plane first... then they'll go for them. Probably. We're the first line of defense. Worry about what you can defend, and let the Endless handle their own realms."

    Chas arches a brow as if Mike's second question is a bit dense. "You're a dream specialist. It's not a big leap to think that in the grand scheme of things the CEO of your particular scope is Endless Dream, just like the CEO of what Hope Svelgate--Lady Death--deals with is Endless Death. I'm sure that the others have similar counterparts out there..." he gestures to the door and, beyond with a wave of his hand.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike eyes Chas, "Do you know HOW much contradictory information there is out there regarding dreams? Looking around, you got the Egyptians doing their own thing. Who do they got? Tutu. You got the Greeks and Romans doing theirs, I mean. Raphael's Flask that can block nightmares amongst other things? HEAVY Christian overtones. I mean, prayers getting sent directly to saints for specific tasks instead of just cutting the line to go for whatever's beyond that? I'm mainly going through exterior dreams and shared ones, not the actual Dreaming. I'm just saying there's a lot of potential answers for that question and that one is not as heavily d-."

Mike stops as something occurs to him. He brings a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "It's in the library, isn't it?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas listens patiently. He spent time on the Gate of Heaven and so the various different ideas of the vastness of human--and non-human--religions is not lost on him. It's refreshing to find people who understand that the idea of "there's more than one answer" is not a crock of shite.

    When Mike stops and asks if something is in the Library he raises both his eyebrows in a question. "What do you mean?" he asks, looking at the shelves. "This place holds almost every book ever read by anyone who comes in. So... if it's particular book you're looking for, and you've looked at it at least once--it's probably here" he gestures to the shelves. "Just grab a book, think of the one you're thinking of and chances are it'll be the one you open."

    He pauses. "There are... some exceptions. The place tends to take offense to anything pertaining to the Old Gods, which makes our work harder. But I've got my own copy of Derleth and Lovecraft's mythos so I bring that with me. As long as I don't leave it here they--the Attendants--won't burn the book while I study."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike considers the question and then the explanation to the library. "So, I'd still need to know the title or what the book looks like in order to pull it up? Or can you go "I want a book that explains the origin of so and so and it just happens to be what you pick up?

Mike turns, looking around for a card catalogue or a computerized catalogue.

Probably better the computer. The last card catalogue encountered was...interesting.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    "We're still working out the specifics of the how of it all... but so far as I'm aware? As long as you have at least a rudimentary memory of the contents, the room pulls the rest from your mind's eye and fills in what you've seen" Chas replies with a shrug. "There are things on the shelf that I've only barely looked through, but because someone in the past came through and deeply read the book it has the full text."

    He looks at Mike. "What is it you're looking for?" he asks. "I mean, it's not hard, these are all blanks and the text is filled it from your mind--or the mind of whoever put it in here. A lot comes from the last owner. Being a Fae lord--or something akin to that--gives a person a lot of time to read it would seem and he liked his books."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
And there's the rub.

What was read.

Mike shakes his head. The parts he wants to see are the parts he can't access. "I'm not even sure if it's an actual book. But I've only seen pieces of it. So, that's probably negated by the minds eye thing. So right now it's just because I'm curious. What about sketchbooks? Art?"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas arches a brow. "That's... a very good question..." he gestures to the shelves. "You've probably seen more than me. Art books aren't really my area of expertise especially not since--" he shakes his head. "Unimportant. Give it a shot though." He rises and motions for the man to join him.

    "Like I said, think about a book you've looked through, reach out... pull one of these and, if it works, the art book will be recreated." He shrugs. "If not and all you get is blank pages or something else... we'll know that artbooks can't be copied." Is he using Mike as a guinea pig for the Velvet Room's various gimmicks? Absolutely. Does that bother him? For this, not at all.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Does Mike mind being a guinea pig for this test?. No, not at the moment as it is his question. Getting up at the invite, Mike gives one more cursory look to the large room. As they move over to one of the shelves, Mike sorts through the potential candidates before a particular one comes to mind. A particular drawing stands out.

Bringing his hand up, he reaches over, brushing along the spine.

Spiral bound.

Tugging it out, Mike's eyes widen as he comes across the hard stock cover. Cautiously, he turns the pages, skipping across sketches of people, statues, and random objects. But he stops at one. Along the upper edge of the page, there's a faint line indicative of a tear. But the sheet underneath remains, showing a reasonably well detailed snow leopard. "I gave this drawing away."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas looks over the man's shoulder as he peers at the drawing. "But you made it and saw it before then so... it's here" he says, tapping at his own temple. "And because of that... it's also here" he gestures around the room. "A good test all in all." He smiles and moves back to the desk and chairs. The desk is back where it was when Mike entered. There was no sound of motion, no indication that it moved, it just was in one place and then another.

    Settling down into the chair behind the desk he nods. "I'll make a note to speak to the others about Megan. When we have a plan in place... you'll know. In the meantime, keep an eye on her and her boyfriend... if anything more develops... let us know. Sound good?" he asks with a soft, comforting smile. "And... thank you. For helping her and for keeping an eye out."