Terry nods at the finger guns. There ... just isn't anything to say to them.
"what sort of monster would call themselves a friend and take a picture like that one?"
"The best sort of monster," Terry agrees. "A Polaroid was a camera that produced an immediate physical picture. Sort of immediate. Instant gratification. But then the pictures could get lost or destroyed or slowly degrade over time." Terry shrugs.
"For a while, everyone I know was enamored of them. Today I don't even know if the cameras exist any more."
"I am confident that I will find the places here at the Estate that say PLASMA if I search hard enough." The tone in Terry's voice says that he doesn't believe a word of that sentence -- but he's okay with it.
"I'll get back to you on that when a clever comeback wakes me up in the middle of the night in like, two weeks from now."
Terry holds up his tablet, and says, "I am findable, even in the middle of the night. Even on a Tuesday."
"if you do break your butt, try do it on my watch. Aleph and the others probably won't have as good a time making fun of you for it."
Terry smiles at this. "I would be under your full care and attention if that happens. I will expect nothing less."
"And the longer it takes, the more ammunition you have for that day."
Terry makes his exit without bumping into anything.
"For a while, everyone I know was enamored of them. Today I don't even know if the cameras exist any more."
Her eyes light up. "Those sound fun! I love weird technology that comes and goes. For a while, it was really in vogue to cast an instant portrait spell in Ardeyn. It was… prohibitively expensive, but a lot of fun. You'd cast it and get a fairly well painted picture of whatever you were looking at when you cast it."
"I am confident that I will find the places here at the Estate that say PLASMA if I search hard enough." The tone in Terry's voice says that he doesn't believe a word of that sentence -- but he's okay with it.
"I'm pretty sure there's a closet near Katherine's office that's pretty PLASMA!" She says cheerfully.
Terry holds up his tablet, and says, "I am findable, even in the middle of the night. Even on a Tuesday."
At this, she looks somewhere between shy and like she wants to say something sassy.
"There's no closing that door once it's opened. Expect something so clever in the middle of the night. Whenever I come up with it."
She lets Terry leave without further preamble, but gives him a friendly wave and says "Until next time, Terry-with-a-Y!"
"Omigod thank you so much," although she's trying to keep quiet, you can hear her voice break a little in relief. "I've been sooo worried. Thank you thank you thank you,"
Brian smiles. "Get some sleep now. I'll check in in the morning."
Brian makes sure the four teens got the message to call Amelia in the morning.
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He points to himself and Brian. "We're going to Goodwill. Did I miss anything?"
A baggage handler and an ex-priest walk into a Goodwill not long after it opens for the day. That early in the morning, the only other people shopping around are the die-hard thrift store surfers hoping to find new items that were added to the floor the night before.
There's a tired looking older man standing at a cash register, and the only other employee is a young woman who looks like she rode to work on a sunbeam. She's humming to herself and greets Brian and Terry cheerfully when the bell on the door rings. The store smells like all Goodwills do - musty and well past its pull date.
In front of Charlie, his turkey sandwich, chips, fruit, and a tall drink that's glowing a violent orange, reminiscent of a volcano about to erupt. There's even a little steam issuing from the top.
"Give your xortzsnchaf approximately one minute to settle before consumption," the robot says to Charlie.
Charlie's eyes bug out. "There's a good chance this was a mistake."
"Anyway, sorry, back to the question," she says with great cheer, while absentmindedly spearing the noodles in the bowl until they stop moving.
Charlie watches Sabine and the noodles first with confusion, and then with amusement. Partway through, his expression softens and widens, and he's just looking at her with simple wonder. Though she's attempting to play off a mistaken order, she might as well be walking through a door with wind in her long hair while "Dreamweaver" plays in the background.
Charlie blinks. "I'm pretty hungry," he says nonchalantly. "Maybe I'll order something else. What's good?"
"Okay, to answer your question. It's a big one. The short version is that I don't know exactly. The longer answer is a combination of things. I like helping people. Saving those kids felt good. I also think I need to get out of myself a little, maybe to see what I am from the outside. Learn who I am and grow into it, if that makes sense?"
"I trust Sabine, but I also think her work here is too important to start sending her out on field missions. Put your mind at ease, and thank you for the transparency. It makes our work together easier. No, I have someone else in mind. I would prefer not to say who until you've spoken with them and accepted the choice. They'll reach out to you within the day. Fair?"
"More than fair," Charlie says. "Thank you for your time. If you need additional information on the game, I'm at your disposal, and I'm certain that the other members of the WBF Pod have insights of their own. Kari mentioned wanting to submit a report of her own as well." Charlie waits patiently to be dismissed.
Brian didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night, so he's nursing a latte. He walks up to the young woman, who he hopes might be the more talkative of the two employees.
"Good morning!" he says as brightly as he can manage. "I was hoping that you could help me with a frankly unusual problem."
"I'd love to help!" She says brightly, turning to face Brian. Her nametag reads Meredith. "Thrift stores have a lot of unexpected answers in them."
Charlie's eyes bug out. "There's a good chance this was a mistake."
Sabine laughs, and seems slightly more at ease with the questionable bowl of noodles sitting before her.
"I'm pretty hungry," he says nonchalantly. "Maybe I'll order something else. What's good?"
She looks down at her bowl again, completely unaware of the attention he's been paying her.
"Well, once these stop moving, I'll let you know if this is good?" She says with a hopeful upturn at the end of the sentence. "But if you're feeling like you want to adventure away from Earth, culinarily speaking, there's a pepperleaf wrap from Ardeyn on the menu that I usually have when I'm feeling homesick. Don't worry, it's more substantial and filling than it sounds."
"Okay, to answer your question. It's a big one. The short version is that I don't know exactly. The longer answer is a combination of things. I like helping people. Saving those kids felt good. I also think I need to get out of myself a little, maybe to see what I am from the outside. Learn who I am and grow into it, if that makes sense?"
She nods, idly twirling her noodles while giving Charlie her full attention.
"Saying "I don't know, but I'm learning about it along the way" is one of the most important things to get comfortable saying as a researcher. Even more so as just a person tending to their own personal devleopment, really." She says approvingly. "There are people who come to the Estate and work here for a variety of reasons. To be the hero, whether or not someone needs it. To acquire power, which is always relative. To explore the unknown."
"Have you learned anything new or surprising about yourself yet?"
Katherine sits back in her chair, hands still clasped on the table before her.
"If they don't reach out to me soon, I'll reach out to them just to make sure they're settling in okay." She nods once. "Thank you, Charles. That'll be all for now. I appreciate you getting this artifact back to me so quickly."
She waits until he's most of the way out of the room before pulling up the work she was doing when he first arrived.
"I'd love to help!" She says brightly, turning to face Brian. Her nametag reads Meredith. "Thrift stores have a lot of unexpected answers in them."
"I certainly hope so." Brian takes a beat to work out how to ask what he wants to know. "Some friends of mine recently purchased a unique item from here. We were hoping to find out where it may have come from, who may have donated it."
At this, Meredith looks a tiny bit less sunny.
"I hope I can help, but wow, people literally just drive up and dump bags full of stuff out back, usually..." she trails off, giving Brian and Terry an appraising look. "It's not clothing, is it? That's even harder to track down. But if it was another kind of item...?"
Charlie orders the pepperleaf wrap and when it arrives, oh wouldn't you know it, there's no room on his side of the table, so why don't you put it over there near Sabine?
"Before I forget," Charlie says. He reaches into a satchel and produces that silly, touristy model of the Space Needle and slides it across the table. "I got this for you."
"Have you learned anything new or surprising about yourself yet?"
Charlie thinks on it. "Well, I don't feel like a hero. In most situations, I'm in over my head and doing the best I can to provoke the outcome I want. I did face down Michael Myers and that's something I didn't know I could do. I wasn't even thinking about it too much. It wasn't until later that I could reflect on it."
Charlie takes the hint and leaves.
"Before I forget," Charlie says. He reaches into a satchel and produces that silly, touristy model of the Space Needle and slides it across the table. "I got this for you."
"You are adorable. I really love these little gifts." She says with a coy smile and another pink tinge rising to her cheeks. "I'll have to show you where I keep the moon, sometime. In my room, I mean. I mean you don't have to, it's..." her face continues to redden as she speaks, before cutting herself off and tucking the Space Needle carefully into her purse.
Sabine tries valiantly to take her first bite of now-inert noodles, with a little bit of the yellow sauce on top, while giving longing eyes to the pepperleaf wrap.
She takes a bite of the noodles, and Charlie can see it takes every ounce of her willpower not to spit it out and throw the bowl across the room.
"I see why poisonous caterpillars decorate themselves in colors just like this." She says with a scrunched up face. She gently pushes the bowl to the side.
After a few moments of watching Charlie not reach for the pepperleaf wrap that seems closer to Sabine's hands by the moment, her willpower runs out.
"I'm sorry, do you mind if I…?" She gestures to it. "I mean we can order another one for me if you want this one first."
"Well, I don't feel like a hero. In most situations, I'm in over my head and doing the best I can to provoke the outcome I want. I did face down Michael Myers and that's something I didn't know I could do. I wasn't even thinking about it too much. It wasn't until later that I could reflect on it."
"That's a very reasonable reflection." She says with a nod. The silence stretches a bit as she looks at him, and as soon as that meadowscent creeps in, she looks away and blushes again. "First Lovecraft, then Myers." She shakes her head, looking sympathetic. "There's a reason Agents take occasional breaks to other recursions simply for enjoyment."
Brian looks at Meredith reassuringly. "I kind of expected that. But not clothing. A board game. 'Game of Screams' I think it's called."
Brian waits to see if the name rings any bells. "Anything at all would be helpful."
"You are adorable. I really love these little gifts." She says with a coy smile and another pink tinge rising to her cheeks. "I'll have to show you where I keep the moon, sometime. In my room, I mean. I mean you don't have to, it's..." her face continues to redden as she speaks, before cutting herself off and tucking the Space Needle carefully into her purse.
Charlie's cheeks go red at adorable. Then his eyes go wide at talk of her room. "Yeah, sure. I mean sometime. That'd..." He takes a drink of the alien beverage and tries not to cough.
"I'm sorry, do you mind if I…?" She gestures to it. "I mean we can order another one for me if you want this one first."
"My eyes were bigger than my stomach. Go for it," Charlie says.
"First Lovecraft, then Myers." She shakes her head, looking sympathetic. "There's a reason Agents take occasional breaks to other recursions simply for enjoyment."
"I can understand that," Charlie says. "My pod seems very focused on doing everything now, now, now. Like, there's this serial killer in California that we want to catch. And, I'm actually not a bad choice to do that. Sure, I dealt with insurance fraud, but I am an experienced investigator. Terry's a hell of a fighter too. Even if the killer is one of those kung fu Hannibal killers, I think Terry could take him. I've actually gotten pretty good with my whip too. I wouldn't want to swing it around here, but Moira gave me a ton of good tips. Do you know Moira Jackson?"
At this, the full sunbeam returns.
"Oh yeah, there was a guy who dropped that off along with a couple of other things. That means you probably know Gwen! She's in here all the time, she loves stuff like that."
She gestures Brian and Terry to follow her as she makes her way to the section of the store where all the non-clothing items get placed.
"I don't think there's anything left of what he brought in except... aha!" She moves a few items on a shelf; a decorative candle holder, an old toy, a set of three bowls and four plates, and she pulls out a Dia de Muertos styled skull.
"It was all kinda Halloween-ish, the stuff he brought in." She flips the item over, and there's a little 1.99 sticker on the bottom.
Charlie's alien beverage is… strong. But not terrible. The initial taste is a kick in the mouth, but afterwards, it cools to a very nice and pleasant tropical flavor with something like low level poprocks occasionally tickling his mouth. He also finds that this does not seem to be alcoholic, or at least… he doesn't feel the usual burn of alcohol in throat or stomach yet.
"My eyes were bigger than my stomach. Go for it," Charlie says.
Sabine looks relieved as she pushes the noodle bowl sideways, and takes a giant bite of the wrap. She sighs happily, then stops midbite, giving Charlie a suddenly suspicious look. She swallows the bite she's taken before speaking.
"Wait a second… did you order this for me?"
"…but Moira gave me a ton of good tips. Do you know Moira Jackson?"
"I do! Moira is one of my favorite people to work with. Very comfortable in her own skin, and if you ever need to hear a hard truth, you can trust her to tell it. She helped me with a problem I had a few years ago." Sabine says this last bit casually, but there's something else behind it. "You couldn't find a better weapons master at the Estate, I'm glad you worked with her. How often do you tend to use your Paradox gifts vs. cyphers or weapons?"
She pauses. "I'm sorry, I try not to go into research mode, but I spent a little bit of time on this question with a coworker. There are sort of… distinct camps that people fell into after learning about the Strange."
"Wait a second… did you order this for me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I simply ordered your favorite thing on the menu and realized I wasn't as hungry as I thought. Simple mistake." He almost fights the smile that threatens to escape. Almost.
"I do! Moira is one of my favorite people to work with. Very comfortable in her own skin, and if you ever need to hear a hard truth, you can trust her to tell it. She helped me with a problem I had a few years ago."
Charlie looks at her seriously. "When you're ready, you can tell me about what you've been hinting around. I promise you I'll listen." He reaches across the table with his hand open. He's trembling, just a little.
"How often do you tend to use your Paradox gifts vs. cyphers or weapons?"
"My Paradox powers tend to be more non-violent, so they're not much good in combat. I tend to rely on my whip a lot, or if we're in a magical recursion, on illusions."
She pauses. "I'm sorry, I try not to go into research mode, but I spent a little bit of time on this question with a coworker. There are sort of… distinct camps that people fell into after learning about the Strange."
"Tell me. I know nothing about it. My only frame of reference are either my pod or the people around the Estate I meet."
Brian gives the skull a thorough looking over.
"Yes, Gwen is the friend who bought the game I'm talking about."
"Is there anything you can tell us about the guy who brought these in? He may be able to tell us more." Brian is more hopeful than anything. Goodwill isn't a pawnshop that people have to sign papers for.
Without further investigation, all Brian can tell about the object is that it's definitely of the Strange. It would be prudent not to leave this in the Goodwill for someone else to pick up and maybe accidentally trigger.
"Well…" she looks up, deep in thought, her forehead crinkling. "I think he was tall… blond… no, maybe brunette? I think he had a mustache… or…" she looks slightly concerned. "That's so weird, normally I have a good memory for faces, but his kind of didn't really stick for some reason."
"I just remember her was sorta weird." The dour man from the counter appears behind your group, startling a yelp out of Meredith. "He wasn't the first kind of weirdo we've gotten in here dropping things off, either." He says this with the air of someone who might be comfortable wearing a tinfoil hat. "I talk to Lou sometimes, guy who runs the Goodwill downtown. And he talks to some vendors at Pike Place. Sometimes we'll get customers who come back and complain about items they bought from us but… what are we supposed to do? We put anything on the shelves that isn't inappropriate or dangerous." He's starting to get a little defensive, even though no one has accused him of anything.
"Jim, c'mon, it's a big city. People just have old collections and stuff they want to get rid of. It's not a conspiracy." Meredith says good naturedly, and it's the kind of conversation it seems like they've had before.
"Are you guys investigating the weirdos?" Jim ignores Meredith and asks the question directly of Brian and Terry.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I simply ordered your favorite thing on the menu and realized I wasn't as hungry as I thought. Simple mistake." He almost fights the smile that threatens to escape. Almost.
Sabine beams at this, taking another bite and seeming to enjoy it all the more. The air is thick with the scent of summer, and at his peripherals, he gets a distinct impression of trees and sunlight from another world. She coughs a bit on a piece of pepperleaf, and the image disappears, leaving the two back in the café again.
"Thisisreallygood, thankyou," she says brightly, and turning her gaze to the ceiling. "Much better than the noodles." She says, once she has breathed deeply a few times.
"When you're ready, you can tell me about what you've been hinting around. I promise you I'll listen."
She takes his hand, squeezing very gently when she feels the tremble, and locks eyes with him.
"It's not that big a deal. But… yes, I'll tell you. Another time. I'm not quite ready to raincloud a sunny day with you just yet." She squeezes his hand again and offers a reassuring smile.
"Tell me. I know nothing about it. My only frame of reference are either my pod or the people around the Estate I meet."
She seems almost relieved to hear Charlie describe his powers as non-violent, and excited when he asks to hear more about her research.
"My colleague, Oren of Last Autumn Leaf, used to work on site here at the Estate in the labs before he transferred to act as a liaison in Hazurrium. He tended to study the people-side of things, where I fell more on the recursion end of the spectrum. He would interview new Agents when they first arrived, talk with them again after a couple of months, and then once more after some number of years. Forgive me, I can't recall all the specifics."
She takes a hesitant sip of her milk-looking drink, relaxing when she realizes it's not something terrible.
"When people learn about the Strange, and learn all the powers they have access to, there is a type of person that does everything they can to learn about their own powers, and use them as often as possible. They'll use as many cyphers as they can find, and they often will find reasons to use their powers in mundane situations. Which can, and does, put them at risk, depending on what recursion or world they're using them in. There are Agents who almost refuse to use their Strange gifts, instead relying on things they understood before joining the Estate, like weapons. Oren found, after many years of these interviews, that the Agents who had the most success were the ones who accepted their gifts, didn't abuse them, and still made use of other tools when the situation called for it." She pauses for another drink. "As you've seen and as we've discussed, there are very few rules here. No one is going to police a person for using their gifts. But it has… become a problem in the past, when a person was given power and they sought little else."
"It's led to Agents and other Strange-touched people to try and become Planetovores themselves."
"Yes, we are investigating the weirdos," Terry admits. "How long has this been going on?"
Meredith still has a smile on her face, but she starts to turn away from the group just a little to straighten shelves that look, for the most part, fairly well organized already.
"I knew it," Jim says. Then he looks around like he might be overheard, and lowers his voice.
"They're real weird. Cameras don't seem to pick 'em up real well either." He gestures for Terry and Brian to follow him to the back. "Meredith, can you watch the store a few minutes?"
"Of course," she says, looking relieved for the weirdness to be moving away from her.
Behind the scenes at a Goodwill is exactly what Brian and Terry might expect. Garbage bags full of stuff sitting around, waiting to be sorted. There's another room with a door open, in which the two can see at least one set of washers and dryers. There are a couple of people in back that give the three of you a wave before getting back to the business of sorting garbage from junk from odds and ends.
Jim brings you both to a little office with the typical security set up - a few screens with janky camera shots of the warehouse, the outside of the building, and the inside of the main store.
"Had to upgrade security - too many people getting in the dumpsters out back to grab stuff." He says, which tells you just how bad security must have been if this is the upgrade.
He opens some files on his computer, not mindful at all of either Brian or Terry seeing his password as he types it. He pulls up a folder that just says "weirdos" on it, and pulls up a short video clip of someone walking into the store. The someone looks up at the camera, which then experiences a static-y disruption. What little you can make out of the person, it's someone tall, wearing sunglasses. They have... hair, you're sure of it.
"See??" Jim hisses, like this explains everything.
"So, I'm hoping that my pod is still busyish enough that I can take you on our date this evening. A walk, dinner, movie in some order? On Earth? Before you send me off to potentially catch a serial killer?"
Brian makes sure to buy the Strange skull before following Jim back.
"See??" Jim hisses, like this explains everything.
"Hmm," replies Brian noncommittally. "Can we get a copy of that folder? I have a thumb drive handy."
"Of course! I think I've got all the recordings from weirdos over the last year or so. I mean there aren't many, but..." he seems in a hurry to provide this 'evidence' to Brian, and seems further convinced that Terry and Brian are there in some official capacity. He does not ask to see credentials.
He copies several different folders to Brian, "just in case there's footage in here I didn't put in the right folder", and hands the thumb drive back to him.
"I'm here most days, if you find anything, or you need anything else, Mr... aw shoot, I guess I shoulda asked your names before I showed you my security!" he says with a laugh.
"Honestly, that's part of why I enjoy talking to you. You say things that help me look at the work I'm doing a little differently." She says. "Like some sort of muse for research."
"So, I'm hoping that my pod is still busyish enough that I can take you on our date this evening. A walk, dinner, movie in some order? On Earth? Before you send me off to potentially catch a serial killer?"
She looks surprised for just a moment, then pleased, like she didn't expect Charlie would want to continue being in her company for more than just the lunch.
"Well! I'd love to go on a date with you this evening, Charlie Speck. Especially the one you just described. It sounds like a proper Earth date." She pauses. "I do have something in my lab I need to attend to before we go, and I'll need to get ready... maybe just give me a few hours?"
Terry makes a point of taking notes on what Jim says. "I'm Terry," he introduces himself, offering his hand to shake. "With a Y. Pleased to meet you."
"Don't worry -- if we need anything else, we'll be in touch."
Terry's face does a complicated (but very quick) expression change, returning to an amused state. He doesn't say anything more, but does return Zaika's wave when he leaves.
Terry sends a tablet message to Abby. Mission 2 almost complete. Not stabbed yet!
When the meal's finished, Charlie gives Sabine an extremely awkward goodbye. He stops by the jobs board on the way back to his room.
Jim shakes Terry's hand - the handshake is limp and a little clammy.
"Thanks, I really appreciate it. I've been trying to get the cops' attention on this but they can't be bothered. I got a podcast and everything," he whispers this last bit conspiratorially. "It's called Jimmy D: Exposing Seattle's Secrets." He seems… proud of this. "Used to be called Jimmy Does Seattle, after one'a my favorite movies. Got reported a few times, not sure why, I thought the title was great."
Abby responds after a few minutes.
Woohoo! Look at you, cooking with gas
I'm glad to hear it. Where has your second mission taken you?
Sabine returns it, almost as awkwardly.
"Thank you for joining me for lunch. I…" she hesitates, then plows ahead, "I can't wait to see you later."
She watches him go, then disappears to attend to her lab and whatever else it is fae women do in their downtime.
The job board looks much the same as it did before, including the murders taking place down in California (which is now in the top slot), and another mission to protect the monks that guard reality seeds out in the Strange. This time, however, there is a notification posted that all Estate members should be on the lookout for increased Karum activity that seems to be occurring in all major locations.
Everyone gets a notice on the group chat:
The task board has elevated the serial killer to the top spot.
There's another mission to protect the monks protecting the Strange seeds.
Lastly, something that gives some weight to Kari's hypothesis about the Karum: we're all to be on the lookout, since there's increased Karum activity "in all major locations."
Not sure what constitutes a major location.
I'll ask.
"I can't wait to see you later."
Charlie trips over something.
After the board, Charlie returns to his room. He checks on his pets first, then goes into the bathroom for a shower. When he's finished, he wraps himself in a towel, and picks up his tablet.
A text to Abby:
Sorry to bother you, but I saw a notice of increased Karum activity across 'all major locations.' What constitutes a major location?
Charlie gets dressed, content in the knowledge that his clothes will change into something more appropriate on Earth.
Then Charlie checks on the current status of the Twin Peaks fanfic and gets to work on his new setting.
For you lot, my line is always open Abby responds after a handful of minutes.
Major locations are Earth, Ruk, Ardeyn, Cataclyst, Atom Nocturne, Gloaming... I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. Basically, any Recursion where time progresses forward, rather than loops
Karum is always a problem. but lately it's... a bigger one. Agents on Ruk working with the Quiet Cabal are warning of 'something big' coming but they can't seem to explain more than that
Rumors, that sort of thing
There's been a continued upward rise of viewers, and there are several fan fiction adjacent websites linking back to Charlie's work. The rise is slowing a little over the last day or two, but hasn't stagnated yet.
Terry dutifully notes down Jimmy's podcast. "Shame you didn't live in Delridge," he says. "For the alliteration."
"Got reported a few times, not sure why"
Terry looks away so that Jimmy can't see the I can't believe I'm saying this expression on Terry's face when he says, "...must have been too close to the truth."
Seattle. Then a horror movie board game recursion. Then Seattle.
There may be follow up on this. Charlie is good at that.
Kari is good at that.
I am good at other things.
Terry replies to the group chat with Found another Strange item. Have surveillance footage of the person who donated it and the game. It's poor footage.
Terry dutifully notes down Jimmy's podcast. "Shame you didn't live in Delridge," he says. "For the alliteration."
Jim nods. "It is a shame."
It's clear he has no appreciation for the finer things in life, like alliteration.
"...must have been too close to the truth."
Jim drops his hand on his desk with a loud thud. "Right?"
Ah, Halloween. It's a fun place for a few minutes, but it wears thin pretty quickly
What other things might that be? Karate chopping a debrief?
Kari gives the homeless their space and finds an unoccupied spot to relax into nature before writing a complete mission brief, ensuring to keep facts separate from supposition, which has its own section. And she files the report.
She goes for one of the hotels in Ballard, prioritizing internet connection over comfort. She takes a shower, refreshing herself a bit, then sets to work on the off chance that hiring manager will be attending from the hospital and Kari can short circuit her own plan by getting the information covertly during the interview.
She thinks this is highly unlikely, but it would be a pity to not be ready for the opportunity should it arise. She dresses frumpy geek for the interview, hair slicked into shiny braids.
.
"I like to hope that, for the most part, that happens because someone is trying to be civil, or polite. Or because they don't know how to communicate effectively. That's pretty common for kids, too. Hopefully that happens less often to you now."
Kari shrugs, "There is civil conversation, yes, where people exaggerate or only focus on the better aspects." She looks down, "And then there are people who say something good, that you want to hear, without meaning it to make it sound like they want to have some kind of relationship with you while they really don't like you." She grins, "If you haven't had to deal with the mean girl syndrome, I'm happy."
Aleph gets a little more animated at this question/observation, and while still holding Kari's hand, he's bringing her a little along for the ride as he starts gesturing while he responds.
She smiles, going along willingly. She tries to not be judgy, "I'm almost positive there is a reason Ruk developed that way." She has a relieved grin though, "I'm glad I was born on Earth though and can buck the system in my own private little ways."
She almost immediately starts another question but shakes her head, with a "Too close to work talk." She just holds his hand and thinks for a bit. Then with a smile, "Is one of the factions dedicated to raising children?" The smile turns impish, "Otherwise I have a hard time seeing truly dedicated faction members not trying to sway their charges to the 'correct' faction. Or have I misunderstood something basic?"
"I won't get into details while food is sitting before us, but… I lost any sort of squeamishness about sharing food and all of that a long time ago in my line of work." He says with an almost embarrassed smile. "Eat what you'd like to first, if there's any left over, I'd love to sample it."
She grins, "My food is your food."Kari does have the odd habit of carefully tasting each component in the dish before trying them as the intended whole, clearly enjoying both the pieces and the finished work of art.
"oh wow, you really need to try these two things together, I don't even know how to describe the flavor"
She makes a similar comment at the noodle dish, but looks at the quarterish portions that she may have intentionally left uneaten, "But you might have to start from the beginning to get the same effect." And once she gets to her own fourth plate, she absolutely does a taste test of Aleph's meal, although just enough to get the flavor of each plate.
When they get to desert, Kari just pushs the Sweet Oat to the center so they can both eat it.
Major Recursions are defined as places where the timeline progresses as opposed to loops. Abby named six, was pretty sure she was forgetting some.
What is the Quiet Cabal?
When the time draws near (or Sabine sends him a text), Charlie meets her out on the quad. He's dressed in his usual Estate Dr. Who finery.
Terry gives a sympathetic look and a What can you do? shrug to Jimmy. "Thank you for your time," he says, ready to leave .
What is 'increased Karum activity' anyway? I mean to say -- how is this different from the stuff we are supposed to look for as Agents? Weird, possibly dangerous. Might break reality. Right?
Text to Abby: Drop-kicked a guy in a mask through a window.
...and about 30 seconds later, a follow-up text: I can name that tune in zero notes. It's Clair de Lune.
And maybe three minutes later, a text to Baruchiel: What boy band? I won't judge, but am curious.
"No problem, sir. I'll let you know if I see any funny business in the store." He raises his eyebrows very suggestively at 'funny business'.
No no it's fine, my line is always open for new Agents, don't worry
You should never feel like an idiot for asking questions! Are those boys bullying you? :)
When the video conference starts, Kari is faced with two people - one, a matronly looking woman with plenty of wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, and the other is a slightly younger man who looks like he's doing his best to play the stern, no-nonsense hospital interviewer.
"Hi, Ms. Higgins!" The woman says, and her lips are only slightly out of sync with the audio for a moment before the internet catches up. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Your background is almost exactly what we're looking for, so we just had a couple of quick questions for you."
"If you haven't had to deal with the mean girl syndrome, I'm happy."
His smile is a sympathetic one, but he shakes his head. "Thankfully, I haven't. At least not by that name. Do you feel like you've only experienced it with other woman? I've known plenty of people who were very… two faced, it sounds like the same sort of thing."
"Is one of the factions dedicated to raising children?" The smile turns impish, "Otherwise I have a hard time seeing truly dedicated faction members not trying to sway their charges to the 'correct' faction. Or have I misunderstood something basic?"
He laughs at this. "Those are good questions. You haven't misunderstood anything. The short answer is… yes, there is a sort of community faction based on raising the good children of Ruk. Mind you, this is mostly in Harmonious. There are little townships and villages and the like outside of Harmonious… not many, but they exist. So all of the other factions will do their best to start petitioning kids when they're around 17-18. Lots of propaganda. Like hey, join us, we'll give your life a sense of purpose!" He rolls his eyes but maintains the grin.
"The Karum plays dirtier. They try to catch kids using clever media plays, unexpected ads in public, that sort of thing. The Quiet Cabal has had to resort to similar tactics to sway kids away from that mindset. And the poor child-raising community, they have to try and protect the kids from all of that, while still raising 'good citizens'. It's… a bit of a mess."
As the dessert dwindles down to last bites, Aleph looks thoroughly pleased at the meal, and the experience of sharing it with Kari.
"I can't remember the last time I really… enjoyed the food here at the Estate. There's something about having immediate access to literally any kind of food I want that takes the joy of sharing a meal out of it. Thank you for joining me." He says earnestly. "And I hope we can take a ramen journey together sometime soon, too."
They're anti-Karum, basically
Focused on preserving Earth and its inhabitants from destruction, as they believe Ruk and Earth are now inextricably tied together. Aleph was part of that faction before he came to work for the Estate, he'd be able to give you more detail from the horse's mouth, if you're interested
Sabine does send him a text, but it's just I'm ready! Meet in 30? so, she shows up on the quad to meet Charlie. She's wearing something more distinctly faen - a gossamer dress that looks like it should reveal a lot more than it does, colored a vibrant purple to compliment the color of her hair and wings. She's also barefoot, carrying a small purse that looks like it might actually just be made from leaves.
"I know this'll all go away when we translate, but…" she says, suddenly a little self conscious. "Hopefully, in translating, I can impart the date-yness of our trip."
When she goes in for the hug this time, she gives Charlie a quick kiss on the cheek.
"For the gift. And the consideration at lunch. And other things." She says gently, trying her best not to be awkward about the whole thing.
That's some proper Agent action you've experienced, then. And between you and me, sounds more fun than filing reports
Baruchiel takes substantially longer to respond.
I can't believe Abigail said anything about that in front of you. Is what she settles on, giving Terry the impression that the only reason she took so long to respond was to debate whether or not she should pretend she didn't see the question.
I enjoy the Backstreet Boys from time to time. Abigail introduced me to several others, but they were the only ones I heard that sounded like they had particular talent as a whole.
She seems to have decided to go all in on the answer.
N*SYNC is fine. One or two very talented voices, but in general, it appears they were thrown together more for their ability to dance than for their individual voices.
98 Degrees had one or two enjoyable songs. But overall, I think they weren't strong contenders and do not last the test of time.
I should explain - I am enamored of what only a voice can accomplish musically. I very much enjoy a Capella music, and so vocal groups attract my ear.
What is 'increased Karum activity' anyway? I mean to say -- how is this different from the stuff we are supposed to look for as Agents? Weird, possibly dangerous. Might break reality. Right?
Good question. I'll ask.
Will do.
What does increased Karum activity mean practically? What should I be looking out for?
Good Whatever-time-it-is-when-you-read-this. I was speaking to Abby Swain about the recent notice to keep an eye out for Karum activity and the Quiet Cabal came up. She referred me to you as an expert on the subject. If it's not too much trouble, can you tell me what they are?
Charlie is thunderstruck. "You're gorgeous," he says. It's not surprise, more like the need to comment on how big the Death Star is when you see it. It's obvious, but not remarking on it somehow would be stranger.
When she launches herself at him, his arms go around her automatically, and it takes him a moment to let her go. He breaks into a smile when they're looking at each other again. "You're an easy person to be nice to," he says.
Then after another moment of staring, realizing he's staring, and trying to cover, he holds out his hands. "Shall we translate?"
Terry pokes at his tablet until he finds the store interface, and orders business cards. Something with an image of the badge, his name as AGENT TERRY and his actual cell phone number.
Then he turns to the texts.
Text to Baruchiel: Justin Timberlake of N*SYNC probably has the most talent, but vocal quality as a group? I agree.
Which are your favorites?
...and then a minute or so later....
I a, about to spew a lot of names, but if you are not interested, just ignore me. I tend to prefer female voices, so more of my a cappella choices are women. This is on a spectrum. Scala & Kolacny Brothers is a womens' choir out of Belgium accompanied on piano. Uncle Bonsai are two women and a man with high voices, accompanied on guitar. The Bobs are entirely a cappella (and coed, although each member takes a "Bob" Stage Name). Petra Haden recorded an album called Petra Haden Sings The Who Sell Out where she performs instruments a cappella as well as singing that way. Those are the ones that leap to ,y mind.
Scratch me and I bleed music.
Not literally.
Metaphors be the death of me in this job. Will be. the.
Terry gives a sympathetic look and a What can you do? shrug to Jimmy. "Thank you for your time," he says, ready to leave .
Are we meeting back at the Estate or Seattle or other?
It's summer in Seattle, which means it's a balmy 68 degrees outside when Brian and Terry wrap up their conversation with Jimmy D in Goodwill. Meredith gives the two men a friendly wave as they leave, telling them to have a great day and enjoy the weather.
You mean you don't like vague references to menacing things? Strange
Practically, it means there is likely going to be an uptick of Strange-related, and likely dangerous, events happening on Earth, Ruk, and Ardeyn. Unfortunately there's not much to look for unless you are the overly cautious and suspicious type. In which case, keep an eye out for people who have technology that makes you forget what they look like, or who seem to disappear from sight when you spot them
Unfortunately, this is the part of working for the Estate where things get tricky. Karum agents are very hard to track down. We're more reactive than proactive in that way. We don't have enough people to do much more
Hey Charlie Aleph responds fairly quickly, indicating that whatever time it is at the Estate when he receives the message, he's at least already awake
Ahhh the Quiet Cabal. Yes, I was conscripted to work with them when I was very young, and left the faction to work for the Estate a handful of years ago. They're one of the primary factions on Ruk, created to counter the Karum, and th
they seek to preserve Earth. We… they tend to believe that if Earth is destroyed, Ruk will follow
There's no single leek
Leader
Sorry, I'm terrible at this texting thing
No single leader, rather, it employs many people to accomplish its goals and try to challenge the Karum on all fronts
That's the long and short - are you on site? We could grab a quick drink and discuss further if you'd like
"Oh, stop it," Sabine blushes furiously, but looks pleased. She waves her hands through the encroaching sunlit-forest that's creeping in on the pair, and it dissipates.
"And you're an easy person to forget myself around, Charlie." She says with a grin still dimpling her cheeks. She seems surprised to see his hands offered, and takes them with a nod. "Yes, let's!"
The translation is successful and quick, lasting not quite ten minutes. As Sabine doesn't know exactly where Charlie intends on bringing her, she focuses on Earth as a general location, trusting Charlie to be more specific in his thoughts.
With some poking around the Estate tablet, Terry finds and orders what he's looking for, with assurance that it will "pass most security checks", and especially when average people see the information.
Justin Timberlake, yes. I… might have continued listening to his music once he moved on to performing without the grounp.
Maybe.
I'll be honest and say I haven't heard any of the names you mentioned, but I'm going to research them after this conversation. Maybe it's the Qephilim part of my background. We can't get enough music. Whether this is a joke or not is basically impossible to tell through text.
There is a recursion that is structured almost purely on metaphor. You might actually bleed music there if you were cut. It's a silly place, and often, an unintentionally dangerous one.
What is 'increased Karum activity' anyway? I mean to say -- how is this different from the stuff we are supposed to look for as Agents? Weird, possibly dangerous. Might break reality. Right?
Abby says that Karum agents tend to have tech that makes them invisible, or hard to spot, or forgettable once you do see them.
Are we meeting back at the Estate or Seattle or other?
Either way. I can come to you, or you can come to me. We all might want to talk to Aleph, though. He has some info on an anti-Karum group that might be handy.
Thanks.
How's Fenwick? Feeling better?
I would like to, but not at the moment. I'm afraid I have plans. Maybe later? And would you mind if I brought the rest of the pod? I'm sure they're just as interested as I am.
They materialize about a block from Charlie's favorite all-night dim sum place. "Okay," he says. "I was thinking that we'd go, dinner, walk, movie. So you'd be hungry at the movie for all the popcorn and candy you're going to eat." He grins. "I can't wait for you to see this movie." He lets go of one of her hands, but not the other one.
He's dressed nicely, in good jeans, a shirt, tie, and a corduroy blazer. His pocket square has a floral print on it, barely noticeable, and possibly subconscious.
He brings her inside and grabs a table. "Are you a vegetarian? The noodles would imply no, but..." he trails off.
Abby says that Karum agents tend to have tech that makes them invisible, or hard to spot, or forgettable once you do see them.
That fits what we're seeing on the security cam footage. Definitely looks like a Karum agent dropped off the game, and the skull Terry and I picked up.
Thanks for asking! He is feeling better, and mostly back to his old self. Says he can't quite shake the nightmares.
Speaking of which, how are you after your brush with Lovecraft?
No problem at all! I'm happy to tell your group all I know about Karum/Quiet Cabal relations. I gave Kari a bit of a debrief on that already
On Earth, Sabine's clothing manages to keep the spirit of her date-night intention. She's wearing strappy, flat sandals and a purple dress cut in handkerchief style. Her hair, lacking its usual colorful streaks, is down, hanging past her shoulders.
"Oh wow," she says in hushed tones, looking around the immediate area. Her grip on Charlie's hand has tightened, and she takes in a deep breath, eyes closed. "It's been a long time since I visited a city. I'd forgotten how much… more it is in cities."
She turns to Charlie with an excited grin on her face, eyes open again. "Yes, yes, and yes to all of that." She gives him a long up-and-down look before giving another shy smile. "You look great, Charlie Speck. Very handsome."
He brings her inside and grabs a table. "Are you a vegetarian? The noodles would imply no, but..." he trails off.
She shakes her head, tilting her nose up almost unconsciously to smell all the smells in the restaurant.
"I um… I observe some rituals before I eat meat," she says, as if unsure how Charlie will take the comment, "but I'm not vegetarian. And those noodles were definitely an accident." She says with a grimace. "I don't suppose those were Earth noodles, were they?" She looks around at other tables, as if a bowl of animated black noodles are going to appear in front of every patron.
"Pleasant weather," Terry says, looking at the sky. "I don't trust it." But he is smiling as he says it.
"If we're heading back, you're driving," Terry says to Brian.
The guy at the Good
Probably there will be more visits to this Goodwill. It sounds like there may have been several in the past.
Response texts to Baruchiel:
I am happy for my own -- Obsession is a strong word -- passion -- To overlap with someone else's
I have had ,y heart metaphorically broken too many times to be comfortable in a recursion of literal metaphor.
That fits what we're seeing on the security cam footage. Definitely looks like a Karum agent dropped off the game, and the skull Terry and I picked up.
Are we going to keep chasing down the Strange artifacts lead or are we going to take on the mission with the murders in Cali? If the first, we should probably regroup at the Estate to learn a bit more. If the second, just keep an eye out for more badness slipping trying to destroy this world?
Are those boys bullying you? :)
No bullying :). I'm just a little hypersensitive to the -are you an idiot- looks
so we just had a couple of quick questions for you."
Kari gives a small smile, "Of course."
"What would you like to know?" She isn't perfect at the art of looking directly into the camera of the computer rather than the faces on the screen, but it is clear that she is focused on the interview.
I heard the phrase 'music is a universal language' on Earth once, and it's true across every recursion. There is music everywhere. A universal constant. It's feeling, it's movement, it's soul.
Obsession/passion are both words I would use for music. Abigail and Fenwick don't share such strong feelings, so I'm happy to talk to you about it.
There's a pause of a couple of minutes here.
Yes, if you perceived your heart as metaphorically broken, you would have a hard time in such a recursion. The pain would likely be unbearable, if you addressed it.
If you do find yourself in the land of metaphor, refrain from ever suggesting anything has jumped the shark. Or that it's raining cats and dogs.
That might just be their faces. Men are typically fairly dense when it comes to how they relate to other people. Unless we're talking about Aleph, but he's the exception to the rule
Kari expects to speak with Paula Jones, one of the HR Department leads, and Michael Atkins, another lead in the same department.
We suspect they are part of Karum. What other chasing can we d oright nwo?
Do right now
Response text to Baruchiel:
If I find myself in the land of metaphor, I would be afraid to open my mouth. One my eyes were bigger than my stomach and that would be it for me.
Terry shivers at the thought.
Feel free to discuss ,usic with me at any time.
I'd say return to the Estate. I think we need a little time to regroup and recover a bit from our last mission. We should discuss this Quiet Cabal with Aleph. In terms of following up on the Strange artifacts, I imagine Terry or Brian already gave the Goodwill guy a contact point to call us if the probably-Karum return. We could call around to other secondhand shops too. I suppose a stakeout is possible, but that seems like a time suck.
How did the job interview go?
Speaking of which, how are you after your brush with Lovecraft?
I'm well. I think a lifetime of reading him prepared me. Or I'm deeply in denial.
You were Kari's source on the Karum. That makes sense.
She gives him a long up-and-down look before giving another shy smile. "You look great, Charlie Speck. Very handsome."
"Thank you," he says with a wistful smile. "You too. Beautiful, not handsome, I mean."
"I um… I observe some rituals before I eat meat," she says, as if unsure how Charlie will take the comment, "but I'm not vegetarian. And those noodles were definitely an accident." She says with a grimace. "I don't suppose those were Earth noodles, were they?" She looks around at other tables, as if a bowl of animated black noodles are going to appear in front of every patron.
"God no. They looked like Klingon food to me. All right, whatever ritual you need to do, do it. You're about to have cha siu bao and it's going to change your life."
Charlie orders a decent array of dim sum to give Sabine a range of flavors, and green tea for the both of them.
