Owns-The-Night Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 10:30am, Wednesday 21st JanThe double doors opened, students filing out of the lecture hall with the usual mixture of attitudes: some thoughtful at what they'd learned, other exhibiting the typical relief to be out of one lecture blended with the sobering knowledge that they'd have to hustle to get to the next one. The chattering, busy crowd of young people filled the corridor for a few moments, then dispersed.As they did so, Dec pushed off the opposite wall and sauntered into the classroom. The few students that lingered in the corridor stared at the groundskeeper's back and mentally shrugged, only mildly curious as to what he was up to. The female students went on to entertain a few less-than-platonic thoughts as the powerfully-built man turned and closed the door behind him."Hey Prof." Declan's deep-chested voice interrupted Titus as the Professor was reviewing the notes for his 11:30 class. Turning, the bespectacled teacher watched as Declan approached his desk seeming, as usual, to take up more than the usual amount of space in the large room. Despite his imposing manner, the smile on Dec's bearded face was friendly enough as he sat on one of the chairs at the front of the hall. "You got a bit of time? Want to talk to ya about somethin'." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 "Sure," Titus said, leaning back in his chair and stretching. "What can I do for you, Declan?" Titus was dressed in his typical attire, a sober suit the colour of a Worther's candy, a Mickey Mouse clip-on tie fighting for space with a silver cross, and round-framed specs shading thoughtful eyes. "If this is about the beer at the party, I know a craft brewer down town; next time I will bring something more exciting than pale lager." He smiled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owns-The-Night Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 "Heh. Yeah, might take you up on that." Dec grinned for a moment, then got back to business. "But it ain't the beer. It's that student of yours: the one that's actin' funny." The large man might be many things, but good at hiding his feelings wasn't evidently one of them. He shifted in his seat. "You found out anythin' about that? I'm askin' because... Because me and some friends keep tabs on weird things. Like kids gettin' into Crimson, other weirder shit." He shrugged. "We're like a neighbourhood watch scheme, kinda. And we think there's somethin' serious up with your girl. But we need to know what you know before leapin' to conclusions." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Titus tilted his head to the side, quiet for a few moments, some internal struggle going on inside him. Finally he said, "What I suspect and what I know are two different things entirely, Declan. What I know: that this student has been acting strangely. That she boils water and injures herself for no apparent reason. That she is no longer interested in associating with her friends. And that all these changes occured inside a month. What I suspect...well, Declan, not to put too fine a point on it, I suspect something stranger than Crimson." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owns-The-Night Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 "So do I, Prof." Declan also seemed to be wrestling with something and leaned forward in his seat. "Look, buddy, I ain't talkin' just Crimson. I'm talkin' weird shit. Like stuff a Lit. professor might not be prepared to get into. Things that go 'bump' in the night, that prey on the kids here. It's... complicated. But me and those friends I told you about, we deal with that stuff as we come across it." He shrugged his shoulders, head cocked to one side as he looked straight at Titus."Speakin' in general terms, we dealt with a Somethin' a few months back. Somethin' that had a hideout hereabouts. We never found the hidey-hole, because that Somethin' tore me up good and people were busy trying to keep me in one piece." He paused, considering his words. "I think this girl mighta found that hidey hole. How's that for starters?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 "Good enough," Titus said. "And maybe I know more than a humble Lit teacher ought to. If you want to solve the riddle of Alessa Johnson, I think the place to start is the Earth and Space Sciences Building. I think that may be where your Something made its hidey-hole." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owns-The-Night Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 "Great." Declan got to his feet with a smile, approaching Titus. "You did good, Professor. Keep an eye on the girl: once we deal with the root of the problem, we might be able to take care of her, too. Hell, dealing with the root might even restore her to normal." He shrugged and gave the Professor a toothy grin. "That side of things ain't my specialty.""Thanks again, man. See ya round." He clapped Titus on the shoulder and turned to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 "Hold on there, sir," Titus said in his cultured, accentless voice, grabbing ahold of Declan's arm, not something many people had the stones to do. "I don't intend to sit on the sidelines cheering you on. UCLA is my territory, and if there's something going on here a bit more...exotic than the usual drug and gang problems, I'm not going to sit on my thumbs while you and yours take care of it." He said all this in the same level, don't-feed-me-shit voice he used on upper classmen who thought they ruled the school, but despite that, he didn't seem to be making an effort to intimidate Declan, just stay cool and even. Maybe he knew with a man like Dec it wouldn't work. "And as I said...I'm not your average Lit teacher. It may be that there's something I can do for you besides keeping an eye on the girl." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owns-The-Night Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 It could have been worse, one supposes.Declan 'Owns-The-Night' was used to people, and even People, not having the temerity to lay hands on him unasked, so Titus standing up and grabbing hold of his arm was somewhat of a shock to the werewolf. But out of the two of them, it might be fair to say that Titus got the bigger shock. A Man would have been mollified by Titus' tone, or perhaps respected the straight talk. A Man might have thought before reacting to the two-fold challenge: the physical touch and the claim of territory.Declan... was not a Man. And he didn't react like one.A low snarl reverberated in his chest, noticeable first through the vibration under Titus' hand on the groundskeeper's bicep. Then Declan's face was a few inches away from his, teeth bared and silver eyes blazing in a moment of sheer inhuman fury as the growl shook the air around the surprised magus. He removed his hand and stepped back smartly, ready to defend himself however he could, words of power springing to his mind.The moment passed as quickly as it had started, and the Professor saw Declan close his eyes and silently count under his breath. When the eyes opened again, the groundskeeper looked normal again. Mostly. Titus wondered how he had missed the alienness in those eyes before, now that the illusion had been broken."Sorry, Titus." Declan apologised. "You... startled me, man." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Titus felt a growl stir in his own throat, but he carefully suppressed all signs of fear or anger under a veneer of calm, introspective teacher. The mask was not perfect, of course, so he distracted himself by talking. "Understood. In the future I will be more mindful," he said neutrally. "But as I was saying, I think I could be a help to you on this endeavor. I possess talents a bit beyond those of the average man." I will be more mindful of what you are, Declan Perault. Of what I tell you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owns-The-Night Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 Declan's head tilted to one side as his eyes narrowed, considering the slender man in front of him. Then he smiled."Talents beyond a normal man, eh?" Declan's smile became a grin. "Well, you got balls, Professor. Tell you what: I'll play ya at tit for tat. If you can convince me that you wouldn't be baggage, I'll include you. But knowledge comes at a price: for everything you tell me about you, I'll tell you something about me." He grabbed a seat. "And I ain't talkin' shoe sizes." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Titus smiles. "Alright, fair enough. Quid pro quo, is it? Then I guess I'll start. I - " it was difficult to say, to someone who wasn't already in the know, but he said it " - am a sorcerer." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owns-The-Night Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 Declan's respect for Titus went up a couple of notches. Okay. He's a willworker. Right. Hope he ain't one of the werewolf killin' kind."Okay man. In that case, I'm a werewolf." Declan grinned at him, a slightly unsettling expression considering the admission that had accompanied it. "And it's cool with me, what you are. I know a couple." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 "Ah," Titus said, relieved. "Well, in that case...as to my usefulness. I specialize in manipulation of the fundamental forces, including what you would call magic. In other words, I'm pretty good at 'booming' things." He shrugged. "I have a little pull with fate, too, but you wouldn't be interested in that..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owns-The-Night Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 Declan blinked. "Oh, you'd be surprised there, Prof." He smiled. "Fate's a powerful thing to have pull with. But boomin' things is good too. Hmmm." He rubbed his bearded chin as he looked at Titus speculatively."You ever seen a spirit, Professor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Titus nodded. "Not in its natural form, but I have a little experience with demonic possessions. However, I don't have the power to see them when they're lurking around in the ether..." he trailed off, realization dawning. "You think Alessa is possessed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owns-The-Night Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 "Yeah. By what, I don't know. But it probably ain't a 'demon' in the traditional sense. It'll be a spirit, an animus. They..." He waved a hand in the air as he sought for words. "They like to cross over when they can. It's what most of them want. Ages and ages ago, there was no boundary between the worlds. Back then, werewolves kept the two worlds from overlappin' too much. We still try to to this day. This world needs the spirit world as it's mirror, but it doesn't need the reflection jumpin' out of the mirror and trying to take over. That make sense?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Titus nodded, taking his glasses off his nose and polishing them with his shirt, a nervous habit. "I think I have an idea of what you mean, yes. So what is to be done about the girl? And this place...what would you call it? A nexus?" He replaces his glasses on his face and meets Dec's eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owns-The-Night Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 "Locus." Declan replies. "It's a place where the boundary is weak. A good thing, if it's watched and tended. If not, though, all sorts of spirits flock to it. And if someone was around when one spirit got strong enough to push through? Well, all a spirit wants is to be 'real' over here. We'll be cleaning out the locus and guarding it, and driving whatever is in Alessa back over. It's kinda a good find: UCLA is my territory, you see." He grinned at Titus. "A locus makes the place... easier to look after. Means the local werewolves can cross over and see what mischief is going on over in the Shadow. Lets us do other things, too, but those'd be secrets." He winked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Titus makes a small noise of assent. "Alright. So you and your crew will be guarding this locus, if indeed it is located where I think it is. Is that the sort of thing that might possibly involve booming stuff, or pulling the possibilities?" He shifted. "If you're alright with it, I know a mage that could help in this regard, an old student of mine; he comes by the chat occasionally as Greyscale. I dialed him a few days back, let him know I had a problem that might require some novel solutions and he agreed to help if he was needed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owns-The-Night Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 "Hmm." Declan pondered that over for a moment. "No offense, Prof, to you or your buddy, but we'll keep this tight. There's others going to be involved here, and I can vouch for you as trustworthy. Two strange mages would be pushing it. But later on I'd like to meet the guy, if that's cool?""As for you, you're welcome to come along. Gimme your number: there's other elements to gather here and I'll need to coordinate us all. It's kinda like herdin' cats, dealin' with our type of people." He grinned at Titus as he got to his feet. "We'll be goin' at night, so don't make plans, okay?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Titus chuckled, grabbing a pen and jotting down a number, handing it to the larger man. "Sure. Maybe Grayscale can keep an eye on things here while I'm gone." He stood, pushing back his chair. "This...crew of yours. Anybody I know?" Any of my students? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owns-The-Night Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 Declan's air of contrived innocence was almost comical as his lips twisted in a grin. "Maybe you'll find out. I'll call ya later, Titus." With a wink, the chuckling Uratha left the lecture hall and the mildly frustrated Professor behind him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.