VtM Part Two - The Owl's Debt

Necro

Lysander walks over and speaks to the guard first.

'Why are you lingering, friend?'

Fourier

"I used to work here in life. Just keep coming back every morning. Not ready to make the journey to Stygia yet"

OOC: Beyond the storm of forgotten things, the Tempest, lie the actual afterlives, which function as sort of nation states. The one of the largest of these Stygia, the default afterlife of many European and American people, if they don't have more specific beliefs.

Necro

'Ok, suit yourself. Don't dally too long... bad things might happen if you do.'

Lysander wanders over to the Chinese man and attempts to communicate.

'Her... Hello there? Can you speaka the English?'

Fourier

Necrominus wrote: »

'Ok, suit yourself. Don't dally too long... bad things might happen if you do.'

Lysander wanders over to the Chinese man and attempts to communicate.

'Her... Hello there? Can you speaka the English?'

The man, replying in Mandarin, does not. His tone is friendly.

Necro

Lysander calls the guard over for a moment.

'You must have dealt with tourists a lot before your death. Do you speak any Mandarin?'

Fourier

Necrominus wrote: »

Lysander calls the guard over for a moment.

'You must have dealt with tourists a lot before your death. Do you speak any Mandarin?'

"I didn't in life, but me and this guy have been around here together for over two decades. I had to learn. He was a railway worker in the Old West, when the first brought the transcontinental trains to the Los Angeles area, he died in the early 1890s. He's called Gao. What do ya want to say to him?"

Necro

Fourier wrote: »

"I didn't in life, but me and this guy have been around here together for over two decades. I had to learn. He was a railway worker in the Old West, when the first brought the transcontinental trains to the Los Angeles area, he died in the early 1890s. He's called Gao. What do ya want to say to him?"

'Ask him if he needs any help, or quite why he is still here. I would have expected him to return to his homeland, or the afterlife at least. There is probably a reason for him lingering... more than yours, at least.'

Fourier

Necrominus wrote: »

'Ask him if he needs any help, or quite why he is still here. I would have expected him to return to his homeland, or the afterlife at least. There is probably a reason for him lingering... more than yours, at least.'

"Oh that, he was murdered. Gambling debt. The Old West was a harsh place. I loved Westerns as a kid, but speaking to a guy who lived through, well it loses the Romance"

Necro

'And why does he linger? Is there some reason for it, or just not ready to move on?'

Fourier

Necrominus wrote: »

'And why does he linger? Is there some reason for it, or just not ready to move on?'

"Well, people differ on that. He says he hasn't got any unfinished business and...wait...you ain't dead...what are you? Medium? Look pal I don't know anybody's dead relatives"

Necro

Lysander shrugs.

'Ok, don't say I don't try to help.'

He looks at the faded blur he thinks is Cock Robin and attempts to touch it.

Fourier

The blur turns and speaks, Lysander hears it faintly.

"Lysander? I don't feel your Vitae, but I know you're there"

He looks up and down.

"Wait...afterlife?"

Necro

'Yep... that explosion... things went... awry.

Who knew these lunatics had kill switches, eh?

So... one down. What's the plan now? I think you should rest at the very least, Rob.

I need to head off and figure a way out of here at night time.'

Fourier

Necrominus wrote: »

'Yep... that explosion... things went... awry.

Who knew these lunatics had kill switches, eh?

So... one down. What's the plan now? I think you should rest at the very least, Rob.

I need to head off and figure a way out of here at night time.'

"Sun can't get you there I suppose. Yeah, I'll get going. In the old days this would count as a Masquerade violation, but well since we have ways of removing you from CCTV, it actually looks bad for them. A lunatic from the Vatican blowing himself up.

Right head off. City meeting is tomorrow and Jacqueline apparently has you as an agenda item...will be interesting"

He runs off.

Necro

Lysander wanders the LAX airport afterlife, looking for a way to return to the land of the living.

OOC: I presume I don't have the power to just 'go' back, and even if I did it's during the day...

Fourier

Necrominus wrote: »

Lysander wanders the LAX airport afterlife, looking for a way to return to the land of the living.

OOC: I presume I don't have the power to just 'go' back, and even if I did it's during the day...

OOC: You don't have control of it yet, but you can feel that you eventually will. Yeah shifting back would be dangerous

Lysander eventually wanders to the front of the LAX building where a massive hole in the Earth exposes a gate to the Tempest.

A man is waiting in a nearby boat, just a little up the front of the building.

Necro

Lysander approaches the man in the boat.

'Good day, friend. What has you in this boat out here?'

Fourier

Necrominus wrote: »

Lysander approaches the man in the boat.

'Good day, friend. What has you in this boat out here?'

"I'll carry anybody who wants to cross the Tempest opening, I'm a junior ferryman"

OOC: Ferrymen are special ghosts that can cross the Tempest. Again Catalda would have taught you this

Necro

Lysander nods.

'Sounds like a plan. Let's go, friend! So... how DO you become a ferryman anyways? Just always interested me.'

Fourier

Necrominus wrote: »

Lysander nods.

'Sounds like a plan. Let's go, friend! So... how DO you become a ferryman anyways? Just always interested me.'

The man is dressed in a cloak covering most of his features, save the face, which is clearly European.

"You have to undergo a rite...it seperates your negative emotions from you, into a separate being. The Tempest does bad things to negative emotions, so it's necessary for our job...with a question like that I take it among the living on a tour of some kind

You're not a ghost hunter are you?"

He looks closely at Lysander.

"A vampire?"

Necro

Lysander nods.

'Indeed. Still learning how all this works, hence my inquisitiveness.'

Fourier

"Good, I hate those hunters. Bringing one of us back to the land of the living is an unpleasant experience..."

They stop at the far shore.

"...well, usually you have to pay in Stygian coin, but I suppose you don't have any. What will you give me?"

Necro

Lysander rummages in his pockets and produces some dollars.

'All I have, I'm afraid. Any other way I can make payment? Sign an IOU maybe?'

Fourier

Necrominus wrote: »

Lysander rummages in his pockets and produces some dollars.

'All I have, I'm afraid. Any other way I can make payment? Sign an IOU maybe?'

The ferryman laughs.

"You don't want to owe the dead...and these dollars are worth a lot more than Stygian coin. Real matter is very rare here. This isn't a boat you're standing on you know"

Necro

Lysander looks down and examines the boat.

'Take the dollars, it's all I have this time. Stygian coin next time. Must make a note to get some.'

Fourier

Necrominus wrote: »

Lysander looks down and examines the boat.

'Take the dollars, it's all I have this time. Stygian coin next time. Must make a note to get some.'

The boat feels solid.

"It's a memory of a boat, as I am my, other's and the world's memories of me. This whole place is just memories. The Tempest is just memories that have lost their context. These..."

He holds up the dollars.

"...are real solid matter. There'll be a lot of interest in these.

There's a Stygian embassy in downtown. You can get coin there"

He gestures to help Lysander off the boat.

Necro

Lysander accepts the help and steps down.

'Thanks for the rundown. If I ever wander back this way, I'll be sure to bring you some more real matter.'

Fourier

Necrominus wrote: »

Lysander accepts the help and steps down.

'Thanks for the rundown. If I ever wander back this way, I'll be sure to bring you some more real matter.'

"The old me would rub his hands with glee, but that would be appreciated"

He waves and sails off.

Lysander finds himself in central El Segundo, the center of Toreador clan's territory.

Necro

Lysander heads for downtown, planning to find the Stygian embassy.

Fourier

A few ghosts direct Lysander to the embassy when he asks, he finds it floating over the waters of the top of the Tempest off the coast of Santa Monica.

The building is in the typical Greco-Roman style of Stygian architecture.