Little Crooked House

Samantha waited briefly, almost certain now that there was some form of connection between this woman and her mother. If only she knew what her real mother had looked like, or what the woman looked like beneath the blo-

She was nearly gasping at that flashback, having to glance down at her knee, as if to make sure it was fine before turning her head back up to peer at the ghost. Taking a bit of a nervous swallow, she looks towards Keita, then back at the wolf, taking a hold of her curtain covering. "Mom?" She can't manage anything more complex at the moment, realizing that the Philip person she had talked to Keita about, was her brother. Was he dead? Really? Or had he survived and she associated with him without knowing it?

"I think we should hastily make our retreat. Best that we just weasel our way through and let themselves sort each other out." Gideon wasn't so sure it was a great a idea to meddle in the affairs of Ghosts, Werewolves and Strange Mortals at the time and he had work to do before the night was gone. Maybe if he saw them again he might see if he could pick their brains about their supernatural existence. After all it would be foolish not to understand the conditions of the other strange beasts he shared the world with. But for now it was time to leave with the Was-A-Prince--What was this man's name again?--and see what his body might tell him.
Before they left the bed, though, he spotted a letter where the body had been lying and after nodding to Gretchen to take the vampire he reached over and grabbed it, placing it under his vest to read once he was in better lighting and less company. He then retrieved the feet to at least lighten the load a little and led the body convoy out into the hall to travel down the stairs.

((Sorry it took me so long to reply; had a lot of distractions))

(Go, go Gadget-reply!)

-Sam-

The blood-ghost woman helps you stand up straight and regain your balance before she hugs you tight. "Samantha? Wh-How can you be alive? I thought he had killed you. Killed all of my children..." She looks you up and down. "You're twenty-three? ... I've missed you growing up for the last twenty years? What have you done? What are you doing? What-"

She pauses momentarily to look over at the woman next to you

-Keita-

"And you." The ghost-woman looks you over. "Who are you? You smell like my son, but it's so faint... It can't be coincidence that you're here. Tell me: Do you know a Philip Terrance Halfax?" She sniffs you again. "His scent is faint, but fresh. It must have been today that you met him. Please. Tell me what you know..." The blood continues to peel off her body and her eyes look at you pleadingly.

Before you can answer an older teen girl, and a slightly older looking man appear out of the room nearby carrying a shriveled looking corpse with a stake sticking out of the chest.

-Gideon-

The get together in the hall seems to be doing much better; not only are they not battling to the death, they even appear to be hugging. That's good. Maybe if they get all that hugging out of the way now, there'll be less left over for you. Gretchen squeezes past them against the opposite wall with quick comments of "Excuse us. Coming through. Only be a minute."

Looking at the Prince a name pops into your head. Liandri. Liandri Bianchi. You seem to recall he came to power in only last decade or so, succeeding the previous Bianchi Prince. In fact, you think you recall hearing that the current Prince is the first non-Bianchi in nearly a century. You seem to recall Lucien being amused about how upset the Bloodline had been to, not only, lose their most recent Prince, but in such a public and shameful way. Accusations of diablerie are not taken lightly.

(I feel that the replies are kind of short. Let me know if you guys need edits.)

"The only people I've met today have been a pale boy who I thought might've been a girl with black hair, and the man he'd... killed, and some strange shopkeeper."-She pulled out the knife she had in her pocket and offered it to the woman-ghost. She was so glad she didn't need to plasmically infuse this ghost...When the man and woman were carrying a body out of the house, she stopped to stare at them. Curiosity was certainly rearing its head, but she wasn't sure how involved she wanted to get with that...but..- "You might want to cover that before you go anywhere. I'm sure people would stare."

Why is it that things could never really be that simple. Samantha was a mix of happy and sad at knowing who her true mother was finally, but finding that she had been dead some twenty years, and apparently to what sounded very much like another werewolf. Could whoever had killed her mother still be among the People? She shook that off, struggling to find the answer to the questions that the former blood wolf was asking her. "It's a long story, but, I'm sort of working as a courier at the moment."

Of course, her line of thought is interrupted when the strange woman who'd smelled like her brother spoke, startling a little at the mention of a murder that casually. Of course, she couldn't be normal. A normal would have freaked out by now. Or, most would. Something else was off about her, but she didn't know what it was. She was reasonably certain that the other two had ties to at least one vampire. She glanced at the body as they began transporting it, before shaking her head at that comment. "I doubt they'll need it. The only scents here are days old. So long as they don't need to walk down the street, they'll only have to worry about any potential watchers who already know that we're here. Unless....." She was suddenly curious about something. The only scents that she'd found when she entered the house had been of other Forsaken. Who had brought that vampire here, and why? She looks at the couple. "This will sound bad, but I may need to use that stake."

It was off-the-wall but it needed to be done. Cutting through the get-together in the hall was the only way and being as casual as possible could catch them off guard so they just walked right through. The blood beast apparently changed forms and the whole situation had calmed down some so it seemed it could be easier yet. At least until the wolf made a strange request. "Your request will have to be declined. Doing so would wake our friend here and it wouldn't go well for the either of us. Have a nice night." Gideon made sure to pick up the pace and place himself between the wolf and his prize while heading down the stairs and out the door toward the van. He wasn't about to be denied of his work especially after this beginning to one of the strangest nights.

Once Gideon and Gretchen reached the first floor he breathed a sigh of relief and pondered on how to handle this touchy situation. He did intend to start an autopsy of sorts when getting back to the lab but the important question was what to do with Liandri once he was done. Normally he would not give the vampire a second thought but this creature he was about to cut into was still living and can't just be disposed of after work was done. Perhaps he can find a suitable few for him to feed from, but ethics get a little fuzzy around that point. There is also the possibility of just waking him and pressing him for information about the magics used in the attic. He could be rather valuable if he could prove to have anything to do with these priests. He'd have to weigh these thoughts in the van ride back.

-Sam & Keita-

As Keita proffers the silver blade, the ghost-woman withdraws a bit. Tentatively she extends her head toward the weapon, seemingly intent on keeping as much of her body mass away from the object as was possible and still inspect it. Her face began to warp and change into an almost wolfish muzzle, and she sniffed the knife careful not to touch it.

"It smells like him... Not the blood... the weapon itself. The whole thing reeks of him. It's... almost as if the weapon is him. Or at least a part of him. A scent should not be that strong on an object that was merely in their possession... And then there's this symbol..." She points to the hilt of the weapon where a small shape has been carved into the metal. (Sam would recognize it as the sign of the Cahalith.)

Unconsciously she places a hand on Sam's shoulder and squeezes, the action seemingly caught somewhere between worry, and reassurance -- reassurance for her as much as you. Her wolfish features once again withdraw.

"You said someone was murdered? Who? What happened? Please tell me everything that yo--"

Before she could finish her request you hear two loud thumps from the floor below and the sound of a woman shouting.

-Gideon-

"What does a crazy naked wolf mutt need with a wooden stake? Think she wanted to off us?" Gretchen's question was only half-hearted. Her tone sounded distracted. Almost distant.

In fact, all the ambient noises seemed to be fading into the background. Then the pain started. Like a fire in your head it began to grow, expand and engulf your brain. Your vision blurs as you fall to your knees. You feel as if consciousness is about to slip out of your grip and then... nothing. The pain eases away as if someone began to let the air out of a balloon. The noises that slipped from the world begin to return, and you hear a familiar, worried voice.

"...Gideon! Oh, gods! What's wrong?!"

Your sight returns to you. You see Gretchen once again hovering over you, concern evident on her face. Her aura was gone. A quick look around tells you that your aura perception is gone. That is, unless something sucked the auras out of all the living creatures around you. It wasn't right though...

You've used that power many times before and no time before has it ever ended that suddenly. Or painfully. It was like something stronger than you was pushing down on your mind until it was almost at the bursting point. You're not sure what, or why, but a couple of answers come to mind -- and none of them good.

One. It could have been an attack. But then why did it stop when it had you where it wanted you. Unless it could only attack you through Auspex.

Two. It was a warning. Not meant to do permanent damage, but convey a message. Who sent it or what the message is about specifically are unclear.

Three. Someone wants you blind. Or at least less perceptive.

Sam sighed a bit as the vamps wandered away with their friend, that option gone, and potentially their lives with it. She muttered softly. "Idiots. No way this is a coincidence." Even if she wasn't that smart, there was too much here for this to be coincidence. Someone was playing a game. Like they were mice, set to go through a maze. She didn't get why quite yet though.

Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the object Keita proferred, and when she realized what material it was made out of, she nearly leaped back, though she relaxed once her mind processed that it wasn't being held blade towards her. Silver always made her jumpy. She never could get past the initial idea that silver burned werewolves, even though she had been assured that it would only do so if she was cut by it.

She took a deep breath at the feel of her mother's hand, relaxing a bit more as she leaned closer peering at that symbol. Her face fell once she realized what it was of, and the various things that it might mean. Now she had another thing she needed to trace. The murderer wasn't of too much interest to her, but the maker, the original wielder, was.

And then someone screamed. She immediately leaned over the rail and looked towards the entryway, wondering what was up with them now. They seemed far too intent on their task to really be of too much help, particularly considering they didn't find it odd to run into two vamps, a werewolf and a half, and....whatever this other woman was.

-They sure did a lot of staring. At least one of them did some talking...She had no idea why the blade was so infused with the scent of her son. She wasn't that...sensitive to olfactory things. Before she could really answer how she'd..come upon this knife, the thudding and shouting interrupted. Keita slipped the knife back into her pocket and slowly moved down the stairs toward where she'd heard the noise, looking for an assailant of some kind...or..something.-
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[url=http://rolz.org/info?1292345][/url

Head pulsing. Great pressure. Relief. Gretchen calling his name again. Sitting now on the ground Gideon pressed his fingers to his temples and wondered how much paint he might end up going through once this night was done. He reached up and grabbed the staircase's handrail to stand and steady himself while going over what the pain could mean and neither option sounded good. "I think we're being watched...well...I'm being watched. Someone is trying to fiddle with my perception. Lets just get out of here before anything else develops." He then crossed the threshold to the outside so he could climb in the van and sort out all the things that have happened during this eventful night while smearing paint on his exposed forearm. The scary thought was that it feels like it might only be the beginning. Scary and exciting in some way.

-Gideon-

As you step out the door you feel a tingling sensation. Almost like a tiny little shock ran up your spine.

Gretchen brought the body around the back of the van and put the body in. "Man. I swear that body got heavier every time I had to pick it up." She commented, mostly to herself, as she clapped the dirt from her hands.

She closed the door, and came around to the door. As she opened it she paused to wave to a woman who was jogging by and put on her most innocent, Yeah it's late, but I'm not up to anything suspicious smile.

Then she climbed in and closed the door. "Ok! Now really! What was that back there? Are you okay? Do you need me to try and find some kind of vampire doctor?"

Before you can answer your wrist is shocked by a small bolt of static electricity. It doesn't hurt, but the spot where it touched begins changing until there is a black circle on your wrist.

-Sam and Keita-

Looking over the rail you see the man from before on his knees on the ground. The girl had dropped the corpse, and was kneeling beside him. As she realized that she had shouted she looked up at three pairs of eyes peering down at her, and put on a poor attempt at an innocent smile and waved. "He just tripped. We'll be out of your hair in a minute!" Then apparently went back to trying to shake the man awake.

Keita's scan of the area didn't reveal any kind of physical assailant, but you could swear that for a moment, just a moment, there had been something leaving the man's body. Like he had breathed out a strange yellow cloud that dissipated into the air as quickly as it had appeared. As soon as the man was on his feet the two retreated out of the house.

The strange man takes a step out into the night and both of you feel a tingle in your back. The feeling of someone slowly running a finger along your spine. Then the two of both see strange yellow-colored clouds exit the other's mouth. Were it not so worrying it may have been funny in that Oh, it's like a cartoon burp way. These too dissipated and then moments later there was a small thunder cloud in the middle of the house, and lightning bolts raced out and touched both of your wrists. It didn't burn, in fact the skin felt especially cold, and then a black circle appeared on the skin where the bolt had struck.

Keita you feel the Man inside of you shiver with the touch of the electricity.

The ghost woman shook her head. "What a strange couple. Are they friends of yours?" She seemed oblivious to the strange clouds and the lightning...

"What in the world was that...Did you see the..."-She trailed off as she saw the same sort of cloud expel out of the curtained girl's mouth. Jumping in surprise at the shock, she looked to the spot she felt it at..The fact that He shivered made her gasp, mildly afraid. What could make someone like him shiver? Mocha eyes stared at the black spot in mild horror.- "I know this won't be good. I just..have no idea what kind of..not good."-She looked to Sam, and then started looking around for whatever had run that finger down her spine..or..or caused that weird cloud..or any of it, really...Then she realized her own eyes weren't particularly useful. She pulled up her..Special camera, and snapped a photo where the cloud had been-

"I--I think those dreams I having are going to start to make a bit more sense in the time coming." Gideon eyed the black circle on his wrist and gritted his teeth. "Someone is watching me and they're trying to keep me blind. Perhaps so I'll walk along into their game and be one of their players. Tonight was no coincidence that we would all meet in that house and it might have been a test. They've even taken to marking me--", he held his wrist up ,"--like cattle. We're entirely at a disadvantage so what we need right now is some answers. We're going to get this Bianchi back to our flat and we'll see if we can share a little Q & A with the staked prince. We'll see what I can find about these 'Priests of CoF'." Gideon almost forgot to read the letter left under the prince and figured it would be the best time now to see what sort of message they'd left.
Gideon also spent a little time trying to put puzzle pieces together in his head about the significance of the werewolf and the strange mortal along with the possessed house and work inside the attic using his deductive reasoning and factual understanding.

Sam stared down at the woman below, knowing that she was lying about the tripping because nobody needed to be shaken after that. But then she just looked away. Those two apparently weren't considering the fact that this had been a trap of sorts, but weather or not it had actually worked on them, she couldn't really be sure. It had gotten them all together for a brief moment, but she doubted that was all it was <i>supposed</i> to do. Things just weren't adding up. She hated non-linear predators.

And then things got stranger, as she saw that faint yellow mist come from Keita's mouth, her jaw nearly dropping in surprise. She knew that the girl wasn't normal, but that was a bit much. When she heard the start of that question, she was at least relieved that she hadn't taken up with someone doing something quite that weird. At least she knew the other two were vamps. When that thundercloud appeared though, it sent a chill down her spine almost more than the trace of invisible fingers beforehand.

When she saw that black mark around her wrist, she nearly snarled as only one thing could come to her mind. She didn't want to worry her mother though, so she didn't say anything about it yet. She'd have to tell Keita her suspicions once they were out of the house. She simply shook her head at the question from the blood wolf. "No. Acquaintances. Stupid ones." She was being honest about how she felt, which probably wasn't the best policy, but she had to get it out of her system. At least Keita understood.

(Sorry for all the delays)

-Keita-

You look, but your eyes fail to determine anything unusual. Well, nothing more unusual than that which you are already well aware. The finger is gone, but the tingle persists and, after you snap your photograph, begins to expand until it engulfs your whole body. Then the feeling dissipates. No! Mutates into something entirely different. Instead of a tingle you feel a warmth, and something about it is almost... comforting, though you may be hesitant to use that word. It almost has the semblance of and incorporeal hug.

Then it was gone. The air was cool against your skin. Your eyes drift and catch a glimpse of the photograph in your hands. On the photograph side things appeared much as you would see them now with the exception that the invisible artist had taken the opportunity to draw a dark storm cloud on that side of the photograph, and in much the same style as a child would. The cloud was bulbous, and only partially filled in. From the bottom it emanated several dark, and menacing looking bolts of electricity. The back on the other hand was not adorned with the usual imagery; only more hand-written text was present.

"Keita,

Sorry I can't be much help this time. That was something outside my area of expertise. I can tell you with a certain degree of confidence that I don't sense malevolence. I hope you can find some reassurance in that if nothing else. Beyond that I can promise to let you know if I discover anything further or perhaps a lead."

Not much help there, but if the mysterious camera artist is to be trusted then there is at least some comfort to be found. But can he be trusted?

Out of your peripheral vision you notice a peculiarity. As you turn to bring it in to focus you quickly discover what it was. In your distraction both the ghost wolf and the other woman you were with had withdrawn back toward the room with the double doors.

-Sam-

A look of concern on her face, your mother seemed to want to speak, but even though the muscles in her jaw opened her mouth, no sound came out. She let her face fall toward the floor, inhaled -- or at least gave the appearance of doing so -- and steeled herself. With a light touch and a gesture she lead you a bit away from companion, over near the door where the body had been laying mere minutes before.

"Samantha, I... I'm not even sure where to start. I mean, look at you!" She made a gesture with her arms that encompasses your whole body. "You're all grown up now. I've missed... years... There's no way I can get those back. Or give them back to you..."

She let her voice trail off. Growing silent and still for a moment. "I don't know where to begin. I want to know anything. No, everything that's going on in your life. What have you done over the years? What are you doing now? Where are you staying? Have you had any difficulties adjusting to your... condition?" Had she had any left she would probably have been out of breath after those questions, but her voice still had the sounds of exasperation. Her face held a look that told you that she knew she was probably asking too much too fast without giving you a chance to answer.

You're not sure how you know though. It's not as if you've known her enough to know the meaning of all the subtleties of her expressions, but somehow, deep down you know that's what it means. She eyes you up and down again, and only just now seems to realize the state of your dress, or lack thereof.

"Sam... haven't you learned how to transform more than yourself yet?" Her face became a mix of disappointment and amusement. "How long have you been transforming? This should have been one of the first things that they taught you..." She sighed. "I think I should still be able to show you. Or at least guide you through the steps if you'd like to be able to learn. Probably not tonight. I've used up a lot of energy so far, and am having a bit of trouble maintaining myself here like this. If you'd like to come back and visit we could talk some more, and I could try and teach you some of the basics you've clearly been neglecting."

She looked around somewhat uncertainly. "You will be coming back, won't you?"

-Gideon-

Gretchen drove in morbid silence away from that house. She knew it had been a tiring day, and was still worried about you, but when you had your thinking face she usually knew better than to interrupt your thought process. She'd hold her tongue at least until you arrived back at your flat, and until then you could have your thoughts to yourself. The wall of questions you were presented with could dwarf Mt. Everest, and each question answered produced two more questions. It could take you lifetimes to tunnel through to the heart of whatever it was that was opposing you; or at least playing with you.

They were more prepared than you, that much is certain. But then, the person who buys the game, reads the rules, and sets up the board is always more prepared than his unsuspecting opponent. It didn't mean your opponent was smarter, or more clever just that they waited until they had the advantage to begin. Whoever they were they were collecting an odd mix of other "participants", each one seemingly from a different set of mythological archetypes. The werewolf was obvious. The other woman, however... Multiple auras stacked on top of each other? Multiple personalities? Couldn't be. Some Malkavians would be blinding to look at. Souls. It had to be multiple souls, but then that begs the question: How? And even that doesn't truly answer what they are. Just helps eliminate what they're not. Perhaps Lucien could provide some insight, if you could find a way to reach him...

More questions.

Then that brings you to the letter. It was a plain envelope with no written addressee, but to whom else could it be written? You peel open the envelope and extract the letter. The ink on the letter is not the delicate calligraphy that graced your earlier correspondence, but that of a modern printer. It's message was short and simple, if not exactly clear:

"Be careful who you trust. I'll be watching."

More questions, indeed.

It would only be a few more moments until they got back to the campus and they could unload the prince but he was suddenly not so focused on the experiment. Far too many questions have flooded his head and he felt a bit lost. There was never a time when Gideon could be so egotistical as to think he knew everything that was going on but now he could be no further from such a conclusion. He would have to further broaden his scope and learn something or he would be caught in the vortex and be torn into oblivion.
First thing was first. He needed to get a hold of Agrippa to see what he thought he should do with the prince. He has spent many more years existing than he has and those years were spent gaining wisdom and knowledge so he would have the best course of action to take. Agrippa lived further into town so in order to be safe the Bianchi should be stored in one of the body lockers so they can drive around without a corpse in the back.
Gideon paused to laugh for a moment, realizing that he himself was a corpse. So as not to leave Gretchen in silence he figured he'd take a step out of his own head and actually address her after the long moments of driving in silence.
"Well Gretchen I think since we still have time we should store The Prince on campus and visit Agrippa. I'm sure he'd get a laugh if you told him about tonight's Monster Mash."

-She felt her breath freeze in her lungs as the sensation expanded and it rushed out when it..morphed. She read the note and gave a half-smile and a shake of her head. At least she had some manner of confirmation...She glanced after Sam and..her..ghost mother... before looking back at the mark on her wrist... Why had they been marked by something that was..spectral and...hugging? That was an awfully nagging question...She leaned against the wall to try and puzzle over all that had happened...She wanted to ask the ghost some questions. Perhaps help it move into a resolution with its Anchors...Since the angry version earlier could still come back without warning...But she let the pair have their moment, idly playing with her tattoo-like mark.-

Whatever was going on around this town, it was coming too hard, too fast. She was only so good at puzzles, and this puzzle involved pieces that she wasn't even sure what their true shape was. Like trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle in the dark. You get the vaguest of shapes, but no way of knowing other than by stumbling your way through if a given piece is in the right area. She'd need to find some sort of help in figuring out this situation. Maybe a Mage would know the answers, but, that would probably come with a price. One she might not be able to afford.

She's easily distracted from her thoughts when her mother leads her away from the other girl, a curious expression now on her face as she follows after the ghost, all of her senses taking in the fact that, once again, she had a mother in her life, this one her true mother. She just hoped that this would last. She didn't want to lose her only family yet again. She takes a heavy swallow as the former wolf begins to speak, trying to hold down her sadness at all that could have been.

She manages a slight smile at that last question though, and nods. "Of course I'll be coming back. They'd have to lock me up to keep me away Mom." she states, chuckling and making a motion like she wanted to hug her reassuringly, but, she wasn't sure if she should. She wasn't quite sure what she was, or if she was solid. "If tonight hadn't been such a long night, I might stay here and catch you up on what I've been doing and going through, though, there really seems like there's a lot to tell." So much of it sad. Sighing again, and closing her eyes, she presses on.

"As to the training, we can change more than ourselves? My pack was four people, and many of us were so frequently busy over the last year that I haven't really had time to learn too much of anything. I'm still a Ghost among The People after all." she admits, looking worried that maybe her mom would berate her for not joining up with a tribe sooner.

(Finally have a moment to get back to you guys.)

-Gideon-

Gretchen was quiet a moment. Unusual for her, but tonight seemed to be the culmination of the unusual. You couldn't set your thoughts down without crushing something unusual. The twitch of her eye told you she was debating whether or not to tell you what was on her mind. In the end she succumbed to the desire to speak.

"Have you noticed how weird it is tonight?" She paused a moment, apparently deciding that was a poor choice of words for her question. "I don't mean the weird stuff. Like the supernaturals. They're already weird, so technically that's all normal for them..." She took a deep breath. "What I'm trying to say is, 'Look at all the stuff that should be normal!'" She made a sweeping motion with her hand before returning it to the wheel.

You glance around, and nothing seems too unusual. It was dark, and quiet, and rather quite peaceful outside tonight. The kind of nice that it would be nice to take a walk in if it weren't for the potential to be mugged by some homeless New Yorker -- maybe even some of the less homeless ones -- or would be to someone who was still alive. That's when it hit you.

New York!

Gretchen was driving around downtown Manhatten, the quickest way back home unless you hit the usual New York traffic. Tonight there was no traffic. In fact there was no one in sight! Most of the windows you passed showed only darkness. There was also the definite absence of sounds. The usual city noises of shouting, yelling, or even gunshots or sirens. That's when it hit you, since visiting the house you haven't seen a living thing, not even animals.

No! That's not quite right... Gretchen greeted a woman who was jogging. Jogging alone, at night, in a city seemly devoid of life. Either this was bigger than you thought, or someone not only was watching you, they had created a controlled environment in which to observe you. But, if the woman you saw earlier was involved -- logically she must be -- then that means they weren't some omniscient creature. They needed physical eyes to keep tabs on you. There!

Every few blocks you've been able to pick out a person, or a thing watching from a window, a rooftop, or occasionally an alleyway. They seemed to be doing their utmost to remain unnoticed and where it not for your superior senses you would have probably missed them.

Seeing the signs of recognition on your face Gretchen spoke again. "I noticed a little after we started driving back. I didn't want to bother you with it sooner until I was sure it was something to be worried about. Driving downtown seemed to be the best way to check and see if maybe I was just being paranoid..." Her nerves seemed strained to their breaking point from all the excitement tonight, but she was a trooper and doing her best to keep it from her voice.

Almost as if uttering the magic phrase near the rock that hidden a secret cave of wonders, the world appeared. Not before your eyes, but in the space of a blink. You don't need to blink, but found yourself doing it anyway, and upon your eyes opening you see the sights of the city you were used to. Lights all around. Sounds trying to overwhelm your eardrums. People in traffic also returned causing Gretchen to slam on her breaks to avoid hitting some jaywalkers right outside the Haven. You could see the door from where you were, and -- as if by some psychic ability, which was always denied when Gretchen asked, but seemed likely nevertheless -- Agrippa was there and appeared to be fervently ringing the doorbell.

"He can't deny it now. Not tonight." Gretchen said, parking the van.

Join us in A Company of Corpses

((Sam, and Keita, your post is coming shortly.))

-Sam-

Your mother smile flickers to a frown for a moment, as you explain your training, or rather lack thereof, she looked you up and down, this time as if appraising you. "That's not going to do. I'm going to have to test you, just to see how much you actually know. I don't want your 'friends' to have left out something that can save your life. Hmmm... When are you able to come back? What nights are best? We can catch up during those times and I can make sure you know what you need to survive."

When you revealed that you were not affiliated with a tribe she looked at you as if seeing you for the first time, a look passed across her features. One of obvious surprise, but not one of displeasure. "Is that so? A Ghost Wolf... If you are seeking some guidance on a Tribe to join, I might be able to offer some advice." She winked. Not at you, and not with her eyes. She winked out of existence and reappeared in front of you.

"Seems like I have even less time than I thought. I can save the advice for another night. We'll work on getting you trained and you can tell me all about what's happened to you, and what you've been up to..." A look of sadness crossed over her face and she reached her arms out as if to hold you, but they passed through your flesh, -- the feeling was not as cold as television would like you to believe-- and then she was gone. You were left standing on the second story of an old, abandoned house with the strange woman who was standing a bit away from you.

It was a strange turn of events. Never in your life did you think you would find yourself chatting with the ghost of your mother in an old house. You've been taught about spirits and even a little about ghosts, but not enough to truly prepare you for a meeting with one. It was a bit harrowing, and strange, but you couldn't deny the feeling that was somehow part relief and sorrow swelling in you now.

Even though you found your mother, the new isn't all good. You've failed in discovering the fate of your pack, and unless this strange woman or the Vampire(s?) knew where they were this house had turned into a dead end. You still needed to find them. Your mother may be able to teach you some tricks to find them, but it would still be up to you, and you'd need to add that, and training to the short list of your responsibilities. The People should also be alerted to the knowledge of your pack going missing. There might be consequences if you kept the information to yourself, especially if it were to be discovered later by someone else.

All that leaves you with one question reigning above the others and taking priority in your mind at the moment: What now?

-Keita-

The black circle on your wrist appears almost to be like an ink stain, but you doubt you'd be able to simply scrub it off. The supernatural would rarely let you get off with something as simple as that. As you toy with the mark you see it thin out, as if it were made of ink and you smudged it a bit. A look at your hand it doesn't reveal any signs that it had rubbed off on your fingers. As you turn your attention back to your wrist you see the shape changing. Thinning and thickening, like some black, liquid slug worked it's way up your arm.

As it neared your elbow a single thin thread, like a tail extending from the back of the ink slug, wormed it's way back down toward your wrist. As you watch it stretch and change you come to the realization that it's forming letters. Forming them poorly, like a child who has only an unsteady grasp on how to write them. After nearly a minute of writing, and almost twice that trying to read it, you realize that you now have "Keita" written on your arm.

A glance around reveals the ghost nowhere to be found and the strange girl/daughter standing nearly where you left her. She didn't seem to be paying enough attention to you, or her own tattoo/mark to have seen any changes like the one you are experiencing.

((Let me know if you need more to go off of.))

Samantha can't help but feel a bit disappointed in herself when she gets that frown from her mother, feeling closer to this woman despite the fact that this would be the first meeting that she'll be able to fully recall. She'd honestly missed the feeling of....contentedness, that came with having a family member there to help you out. Sure, she had the People, but.....they still didn't feel like family to her. Peering at her Mom a bit, she considers the issue of how often she can come over, and while she could do so on several nights, she'd need her sleep, plus there were plans to make, as well as a meeting that may need to be called. This was giving her a headache.

"I'll try to come around every three days or so, though, I can't promise anything Mom. It could be a week or more depending on how long it takes to spread the word of what I did and didn't see tonight." If only her mom had enough power to give her advice on her pack. She was really not sure how to find something that led nowhere. And then her mother flickers like that, causing her to startle a bit and blink repeatedly to make sure she actually saw what she'd thought.

She sighs a bit sadly once told that their time is going to come to an end before too long, and she even attempts to return the embrace, looking nearly depressed as her mother fades through her. And then just like that, she was gone, Sam allowing herself a few moments to just clear her mind, and savor the fact that, even if she couldn't locate her pack, she may now have the chance to avenge the one who'd torn her from her mother so many years ago. For now though, she had one major problem. She turned to give Keita a bit of an appraising look. Smelled not quite like one person, held the knife of someone affiliated with the People, who was possibly her brother, and didn't appear to be affected Mother Luna's deterrence against humans. She had been marked as well, but could she be trusted? Or was this one more trap stacked atop the others? So many questions and not an answer in sight.

Not wanting to worry whoever the girl was, having never gotten her name, she simply waits, to see if she'll get approached. If not, then she can get out of here and follow a few scents, but if so, then she may do some research to see if she can figure out if her brother is actually out there still.

-Why is my name written by someone just learning to write? That..Ugh. Is that you?- "Do you have something odd on your wrist?"-She wanted to know if the writing was more to do with her company than..herself...Perhaps asking the werewolf girl about what was happening to her would be good as well. Running her hand through her hair, she moved over to stand closer to the werewolf in the sheet, and looked at her arm for any sign of writing.- "I'm Keita, by the way. I would say it was a pleasure to meet you, but the circumstances are a bit too awful and weird for that at the moment."-She smirked wryly.-~~