Log:The Gentleman's Warning

2018/02/23 Hunter The Gentleman 1

Hunter's having a normal day working at Justice Investigations when there is a preemptory knock on the door to the office. It's early afternoon.

Hunter is scanning over another tome for research, trying to gather notes for one of Frankie's hunts when he hears the knock. He looks up from his research and slips a yellow post it note in the old tome. It's an indignity to such a fine old leatherbound book.

He rises up and heads for the door, stretches his arms overhead on the way. His back gives a few relieving pops, and then he drops his arms down and opens the door.

"Justice Investigations, how can I help you?" he asks while opening up before seeing who's there.

On the other side of the door is the Gentleman. He looms over you, despite not being much taller than you. He scowls, little fires flickering in the back of his eyes. "Why have you not stopped that Morbane yet? Any of you?" He all but growls. It's kind of sexy in a frightening way.

Hunter's eyes widen a bit at the sight of the Gentleman. Frankie finally explained to Hunter about him and some of their...history. If it weren't coming from Frankie, he wouldn't believe it. But the sudden demands catch Hunter off guard.

"T-the Morbane? What Morbane?" he asks, accusingly almost.

"Yes, the crazy one? The one who /wants/ the Kings to enter this world /now/?" He tilts his head slighlty to look you in the eye then snorts. "You have no blessed idea what I'm talking about, do you assassin?"

Hunter is doing a great impression of a deer in headlights. "No, I don't--hey, how did you...?" he is about to ask how did he know, but then that'd be admitting he really is one.

The Gentleman smiles brightly. "Do you really want to pay the price required for that answer? I can write up a quick contract if so."

Hunter immediately frowns at the suggestion and takes a step back, hand on the doorknob still. "No, thank you," he pronounces coldly and deliberately.

The Gentleman bows slightly to you, perhaps in a mocking way. "Wisdom at last. Stop him, Hunter, or all you love, once loved, or could love on this world will die. It's the Morbane or your world." He then folds his arms and looks at you, his ruby cufflinks glinting in the afternoon light, one foot slowly tapping in apparently impatience as the Gentleman looks at you.

Hunter's lips purse together tightly at the direness of the news, and what's at risk. "Who is this Morbane, and where do I find them?" he says with determination.

"I cannot tell you that, assassin, Hunter, Will, whatever you call yourself now," the Gentleman says as looks at you. "Without a contract, I am limited in what I can impart to you. Those are the Rules." He leans forward, somehow seeming to loom much larger than he is. "But you have resources you can call on. Allies you can gather. Sources of knowledge you can seek out. Not all of them are of this world." He adds after a beat. "As I measure such things, the threat to you clay playthings is immediate. But for you mortals? You have weeks, maybe even months as you measure your existences."

Hunter controls his breath and his nerves as he weighs its words. A contract is always an option when all is lost. But there's so little time to track this all down. "Weeks? And I'm sure you're a little self interested that this world keeps turning so you can keep making contracts, right?"

"This is the best, the most fertile hunting ground, in which to be predator, yes. But all of us, whether we will it or not, are bound by our natures, assassin. This...pittance is all I can offer for free. For more from me? Well, /someone/ will have to sign on the dotted line. It need not be you." The Gentleman then smiles, or at least bares his teeth, as he adds, "Tick tock. Find your allies. Find the Herald. Find the Morbane. Save your world."

Hunter nods at the Gentleman's announcement. "Wait, Herald?" he asks. "Oh, let me guess...that would require a contract, too."

The Gentleman's 'smile' morphs into a real, if dark one, for an instant before he intones, "The Kings of Edom Stir in Uneasy Dreams in their Unhallowed Tombs, Fear the Child Who Knows as The Herald Awakens to His Powers, The Blood Must be shed through Many Veins to Bring Down the Walls." The Gentleman then murmurs, "And that, as they say, is all I can say on the matter, assassin. This can be ended with one simple knife in the dark."

The Gentleman then tips an invisible hat to you as he fades from sight with what could be a laugh or a cry of pain.

Hunter's gaze hardens as the Gentleman vanishes. He closes the door and locks it before hurrying back to his desk. He digs around and finds a scratch piece of paper, and starts writing down the cryptic message.

The words seem to stick in your mind as you write. It's not until you've committed them to paper that you can really think about them clearly.

A knife in the dark. That's exactly something an assassin like him is perfect for. He frowns over the words. The herald is a child? He rolls those words in his mind. He'd have no problem with the death of a Morbane on his hands. But a child herald?

He swallows thickly at the thought. He only knows of one person who could have some special insight on this. Well. One kids.

His eyes scan over the part about the herald again...

"Fear the Child Who Knows as The Herald Awakens to His Powers" is written there in your handwriting. It occurs to you that you know several people who claim to know the future or be guided by it: Sasha, Dee, and, of course, Jordan.

Hunter rereads the words. The child, the Herald, the Morbane. They're all separate people? He taps his chin with his pen as he thinks, eventually reaching for his phone. He stares at the screen and is about to call when he wonders who should really be handling this. Hunter, or Null? It depends on who he calls.

He decides to start with Jordan. That he can do as Hunter. He uses his thumb to tap his screen a few times to call Jordan. Chances are he already knows why he's calling.

"Uh, heya Will," says Jordan in a very soft voice. "I can't talk right now cause..."

Jordan is interrupted by a voice you recognize as Mad's as you hear her shout. "Jordan! You're grounded Tha means no calls from friends. Hang up! Now!" She sounds seriously pissed for some reason.

"Gotta go. See ya soon!" sahs JOrdan as the phone cuts off.

Hunter frowns. Damn. Of all the times for Jordan to be grounded. Probably still paying penance for getting him stabbed. He scrolls through his contacts...and slows near Sasha's entry before scrolling past it. He scrolls back up to Dialydd's number. He takes a breath and taps it.

The number rings a few times then you hear Dialydd's deep rich voice say, in a slightly flustered tone, "Thank you for calling Copper Skeins, this is Dialydd speaking. How may I help you?" In the background you hear something fall with a metallic ting.

Hunter is caught off guard by Dialydd's flustered tone. "Sorry, Dee. It's Will. Is this a bad time...?" he asks appologetically.

"Oh, no, not at all. I just had a setback with a clockwork." His voice fades slightly as if he's turning his head away from the mic. "It seems to have sorted itself out now...it came apart." His voice gets stronger again. "It is a pleasure to hear from you again, Will. It has been some time. You ar well?"

"Sorry, it has. Things have been busy. I got a second job and it's left me with no free time," Hunter makes his apologies. He hasn't really wanted to face Dee since he rescued him and revealed there was more to him than suspected. "How are you? Have you been well?"

The alien youth responds, "Cha, yes, I imagine that would take up much time, Will." He then murmurs in response to your question, "I have been well. No physical maladies and my homesickness is lessened. While we are speaking, may I ask if you free to eat with me in a few days times? I would appreciate the company on the day I was born. I calculated it out you see to Earth time."

"Oh! Your birthday? That's what we call that occasion here. Sure, I could make time for that," Hunter is caught off guard by the request.

"Thank you, Will. I will send a formal invitation to your PDA soon then," murmurs Dialydd in a pleased tone. "There will likely only be you and perhaps a few others. I am not certain if Special Agent Gibbs would be allowed to attend. But, I am speaking too much. What can I do for you?"

"Special Agent Gibbs?" Hunter asks. He doesn't think he's ever met someone by that name. Best to be careful around federal agents. "I look forward to the invite. And I actually have a case that maybe could use someone of your particular set of skills."

Dialydd murmurs over the PDA, "Would you like to discuss it over the open air or in person, Will? And which set of skills are you speaking of?"

Then he adds, "Cha, apologies. Special Agent Gibbs is the Starguard agent in charge of my, cha, casefile. He is, hmm, loooking after my care in a legal sense I suppose as I am an nonhumna on Earth."

Hunter sucks on his teeth in silence as he considers asking. "Well...this case I'm working on involves a certain prophecy. It's a kind of...world ended prophecy. I was wondering if you've had any dreams like that lately?"

Dialydd is silent for a long moment then murmurs over the PDA, "It would be perhpas best to speak of such matters in person, Will, cha?"

That might be progress. Great. Kind of. He's not really comforted by that. "Yeah, you're absolutely right," Hunter realizes.

The alien youth then says, "When and where would you care to meet, Will? Most any time is good for me." You hear another pinging sound like a spring coming loose in the background followed by an irritated meeping sound.

Nona must be trying to help out. That, or a spring ended up in its stew. "Probably the sooner the better. It sounds like this could be important, and timing is crucial. Tomorrow? You can pick the place."

"Hmm, I think they have bahk-lava at Past Times tomorrow? Can we meet there?" asks Dialydd. "Or is somewhere more priavate better?"

"We can have a private conversation there. I have some special equipment for something like that. It'll keep prying metas from listening if we need to," Hunter says.

In a more normal, cheerful tone, Dialydd murmurs, "It sounds as if that is where to meet then. Perhaps in the early afternoon?"

"Sounds good," Hunter says as he makes another note on the meeting.

"I will speak with you then, Will. May kind winds bring you to safe harbor," he murmurs before ending the call.