Imbalance
The problem with visions is that you can get mundane ones that have no real bearing on your future. One of a great place to watch the sunrise on a particular morning. One of the baseball scores for that night. Today, it was a vision of one hell of a fae party at the Boston Common.
Don’t get me wrong - I have had some fabulous evenings with fae. They tend to be less uptight about... stuff. It bothers Robin when I hang out with them, though, so I haven’t been in touch with that scene other than checking in on Maeve.
This particular dream of a fae party involved some magic that risked destroying the walls of reality. The park was across the street from Merov’s penthouse, so I figured Merov ought to know before his place was blown up a second time this month. There was also something else in this vision that worried me. Walking the party from Merov’s building were a vampire carrying a plague bomb and a high ranking wizard who stood by and did nothing.
Some quick phone calls later and I managed to get a Court Order from a fae lawyer to would shut down the party if it tried to destroy reality. Turns out Fae politics are pretty strict behind the scenes. I figured that Merov would be interested in it. That... wasn’t so much the case.
We didn’t really have much of a relationship. I mean, we had a thing a couple of months ago. Now, it was different; Merov was quick to deflect any personal attention I gave him and I wasn't going chase someone who says no. We were on friendly terms, but that past connection between us had changed. I couldn’t figure out why.
He seemed to take the threat of the plague bomb a little more seriously. I got the sense that Merov was more clued into supernatural politics than I was. With the head of the Amber Vampires dead, a lone vampire terrorist may have been the sign of a changeover in power.
I brought up the wizard from my vision as we stepped out onto Merov’s rooftop. That’s when the bullet hit my shoulder. Reflexes and pain took over; I went down hard, feebly trying to aim for cover. I knew a shoulder wound wouldn’t kill me, but a follow up shot might.
Merov’s staff were at my side almost immediately. I guess they thought the boss was the target and were probably disappointed to find me bleeding out instead. I wasn’t sure where Merov went. I could have sworn he was standing beside me. Then I saw him rushing back out onto the rooftop from the penthouse. Maybe I was remembering things wrong?
A string of frantic questions followed from Merov. Yeah, it hurt like hell. No, I didn’t feel sleepy. Yeah, I guessed that wizard pulled the trigger. So much talking. Robin never plays 20 questions like this. It wasn’t unpleasant, though. It was... nice. Merov didn’t owe me anything, but he was willing to give me everything in that moment.
The warm feeling didn't last. I caught a quick glimpse of the future. The ghoul plague would still be unleashed. Merov would get infected. My early warnings would amount to nothing. I couldn’t change anything. Everyone I cared about was going to die.
Merov must have sensed the sudden change. He pulled us close and locked eyes with me. He asked quietly me if I felt it. I definitely saw it.
Merovech’s dead body lay at my feet. His blood stained everything; my hands, his clothes, the floor. I held an ornate carved sword, details accented now in dark red. It had been a gift from Merovech just days before, celebrating the bloodless victory we were supposed to have in Therouanne. Instead, we were betrayed.
Realizing that we had little time until the King’s forces arrived, had Merovech called me to his side. He seemed so calm about what would happen next. “Up to the present we have had one mind and purpose,” he said. “I ask you not to allow me to fall into the hands of my enemies, but to take your sword and rush upon me."
I pushed the sword against my stomach. All I needed to do was rip myself open like I had done to Merovech and this terrible mistake would be all over. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t free myself. The sword slipped from my shaking hands and clattered to the ground.
I woke up in hospital bed, a world away from Therouanne. Merov had called Robin to meet us there. I explained to her about the vision I had of a ghoul plague bomb and she decided that we had to act now. I was okay with that. My shoulder still hurt like hell, but I’ve been through worse.
Before I could ask to be discharged, a strange nurse walked into the room and tried to inject something into my IV bag. Derek (that nurse who Robin and I saved a few weeks back) stopped her and chased her down the hall. I followed, dragging my IV stand in tow. I found the clearly ghoulish nurse stabbing Derek and, finally fed up with all of the bullshit this evening, I mentally reached out the ghoul and made her feel all of the sadness and loss that I felt on Merov’s rooftop. The nurse snapped back into something more human and I immediately regretted sharing my pain.
It was clear the hospital wasn't safe and we all had to leave now. Robin insisted on separate cars and for me to be in the one with Merov. Sometimes it’s hard to read what triggers Robin’s temper. I had a feeling it might have been going to Merov first. The drive was interrupted by a small demon nurse who healed my shoulder and a pointless phonecall from Tenzin, but was otherwise uneventful. I managed to email those fae legal documents to Maeve. She would have a better idea of how to use them.
We arrived in the parking lot and I spotted the vampire from my vision. I rushed her and grabbed the briefcase with the plague bomb, but couldn't find a way out in the confusion. The vampire reacting by throwing a spare vial of plague towards Merov. At that exact same moment, Robin went in for a killing blow and the vial shattered against her instead.
It was like my world stopped.
I had put all my energy into stopping the ghoul plague and saving Merov. All I had managed to do was push the infection from Merov to Robin. This was a unwinnable situation. These visions that cursed me were a terrible joke.
Tenzin talked about quarantining Robin, like my friend was some sort of animal to be studied and examined. I thought about how things played out. If I had just waited a moment later after grabbing the suitcase instead of trying to run away, everything could have played out different.
As I was reliving the exact moment of Robin’s infection, in all of the graphic detail that was burned into my mind, something clicked. I could “touch” that moment of infection in the same way that I could “touch” my memories of the rooftop and push them to the nurse. It was something tangible to me. This sounds completely crazy, but I took those seconds where Robin was infected and threw them forward in time. I threw them as far as I could and didn't look back. I had no idea where they "landed". It wasn’t now, though. Hopefully it was after we had found a cure.
We locked up the plague case in Tenzin’s sanctum. It’s buried under a magic ward that requires the combined forces of Tenzin, Merov, Robin, Derek and myself to open. I don’t have faith that it’ll be safe forever. Safe for long enough is all we need, though. The paperwork we found with the plague seems to be from Robin’s school. But what a mortal school would need a ghoul plague for is still a mystery to me...
CURRENT DEBTS AS OF END OF SESSION
The problem with visions is that you can get mundane ones that have no real bearing on your future. One of a great place to watch the sunrise on a particular morning. One of the baseball scores for that night. Today, it was a vision of one hell of a fae party at the Boston Common.
Don’t get me wrong - I have had some fabulous evenings with fae. They tend to be less uptight about... stuff. It bothers Robin when I hang out with them, though, so I haven’t been in touch with that scene other than checking in on Maeve.
This particular dream of a fae party involved some magic that risked destroying the walls of reality. The park was across the street from Merov’s penthouse, so I figured Merov ought to know before his place was blown up a second time this month. There was also something else in this vision that worried me. Walking the party from Merov’s building were a vampire carrying a plague bomb and a high ranking wizard who stood by and did nothing.
Some quick phone calls later and I managed to get a Court Order from a fae lawyer to would shut down the party if it tried to destroy reality. Turns out Fae politics are pretty strict behind the scenes. I figured that Merov would be interested in it. That... wasn’t so much the case.
We didn’t really have much of a relationship. I mean, we had a thing a couple of months ago. Now, it was different; Merov was quick to deflect any personal attention I gave him and I wasn't going chase someone who says no. We were on friendly terms, but that past connection between us had changed. I couldn’t figure out why.
He seemed to take the threat of the plague bomb a little more seriously. I got the sense that Merov was more clued into supernatural politics than I was. With the head of the Amber Vampires dead, a lone vampire terrorist may have been the sign of a changeover in power.
I brought up the wizard from my vision as we stepped out onto Merov’s rooftop. That’s when the bullet hit my shoulder. Reflexes and pain took over; I went down hard, feebly trying to aim for cover. I knew a shoulder wound wouldn’t kill me, but a follow up shot might.
Merov’s staff were at my side almost immediately. I guess they thought the boss was the target and were probably disappointed to find me bleeding out instead. I wasn’t sure where Merov went. I could have sworn he was standing beside me. Then I saw him rushing back out onto the rooftop from the penthouse. Maybe I was remembering things wrong?
A string of frantic questions followed from Merov. Yeah, it hurt like hell. No, I didn’t feel sleepy. Yeah, I guessed that wizard pulled the trigger. So much talking. Robin never plays 20 questions like this. It wasn’t unpleasant, though. It was... nice. Merov didn’t owe me anything, but he was willing to give me everything in that moment.
The warm feeling didn't last. I caught a quick glimpse of the future. The ghoul plague would still be unleashed. Merov would get infected. My early warnings would amount to nothing. I couldn’t change anything. Everyone I cared about was going to die.
Merov must have sensed the sudden change. He pulled us close and locked eyes with me. He asked quietly me if I felt it. I definitely saw it.
Merovech’s dead body lay at my feet. His blood stained everything; my hands, his clothes, the floor. I held an ornate carved sword, details accented now in dark red. It had been a gift from Merovech just days before, celebrating the bloodless victory we were supposed to have in Therouanne. Instead, we were betrayed.
Realizing that we had little time until the King’s forces arrived, had Merovech called me to his side. He seemed so calm about what would happen next. “Up to the present we have had one mind and purpose,” he said. “I ask you not to allow me to fall into the hands of my enemies, but to take your sword and rush upon me."
I pushed the sword against my stomach. All I needed to do was rip myself open like I had done to Merovech and this terrible mistake would be all over. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t free myself. The sword slipped from my shaking hands and clattered to the ground.
I woke up in hospital bed, a world away from Therouanne. Merov had called Robin to meet us there. I explained to her about the vision I had of a ghoul plague bomb and she decided that we had to act now. I was okay with that. My shoulder still hurt like hell, but I’ve been through worse.
Before I could ask to be discharged, a strange nurse walked into the room and tried to inject something into my IV bag. Derek (that nurse who Robin and I saved a few weeks back) stopped her and chased her down the hall. I followed, dragging my IV stand in tow. I found the clearly ghoulish nurse stabbing Derek and, finally fed up with all of the bullshit this evening, I mentally reached out the ghoul and made her feel all of the sadness and loss that I felt on Merov’s rooftop. The nurse snapped back into something more human and I immediately regretted sharing my pain.
It was clear the hospital wasn't safe and we all had to leave now. Robin insisted on separate cars and for me to be in the one with Merov. Sometimes it’s hard to read what triggers Robin’s temper. I had a feeling it might have been going to Merov first. The drive was interrupted by a small demon nurse who healed my shoulder and a pointless phonecall from Tenzin, but was otherwise uneventful. I managed to email those fae legal documents to Maeve. She would have a better idea of how to use them.
We arrived in the parking lot and I spotted the vampire from my vision. I rushed her and grabbed the briefcase with the plague bomb, but couldn't find a way out in the confusion. The vampire reacting by throwing a spare vial of plague towards Merov. At that exact same moment, Robin went in for a killing blow and the vial shattered against her instead.
It was like my world stopped.
I had put all my energy into stopping the ghoul plague and saving Merov. All I had managed to do was push the infection from Merov to Robin. This was a unwinnable situation. These visions that cursed me were a terrible joke.
Tenzin talked about quarantining Robin, like my friend was some sort of animal to be studied and examined. I thought about how things played out. If I had just waited a moment later after grabbing the suitcase instead of trying to run away, everything could have played out different.
As I was reliving the exact moment of Robin’s infection, in all of the graphic detail that was burned into my mind, something clicked. I could “touch” that moment of infection in the same way that I could “touch” my memories of the rooftop and push them to the nurse. It was something tangible to me. This sounds completely crazy, but I took those seconds where Robin was infected and threw them forward in time. I threw them as far as I could and didn't look back. I had no idea where they "landed". It wasn’t now, though. Hopefully it was after we had found a cure.
We locked up the plague case in Tenzin’s sanctum. It’s buried under a magic ward that requires the combined forces of Tenzin, Merov, Robin, Derek and myself to open. I don’t have faith that it’ll be safe forever. Safe for long enough is all we need, though. The paperwork we found with the plague seems to be from Robin’s school. But what a mortal school would need a ghoul plague for is still a mystery to me...
CURRENT DEBTS AS OF END OF SESSION
Robin: Hold 1, Owe 4
Merov: Owe 2
Tenzin: Owe 1
Maeve:
Derek: Owe 2
