Monday September 6, 1999 Colorado Springs
Arabis, patient raven, still watched the Eason residence. Arabis wanted to follow the car when it switched out at 3 a.m. since she has not been able to get much on her resonance checks. The one she followed took her to a residence near downtown. After the driver entered the house, Arabis headed for the hotel, where Matt stood guard while the others waited out the evening...well, he rested in the flowers unseen, because that's what Flower can do. And naturally, Arabis couldn't see him, so she headed right to the window of the suite. She reported the residence on North Weber to which the car had traveled, and explained about the cars switching out every 6 hours. Then Arashiel went down to retrieve Matt, and the angels then began to formulate a Plan. There was much discussion on how, exactly, they were to convince someone to change her wedding location a week before the wedding. Rook suggested that they might offer the Flowers Tether at the Botanical Gardens in Denver as an alternate location, instead of a church, since there was some concern over the security of any place but a Tether (note: no one is afraid Laurence will get hurt, but rather that some stupid demon will show up and make him mad, and then the PCs get it...) Arashiel, Creationer and survivor of the Purity Crusade, added at this point that she did not care much for churches since they were 'so droll'...and she couldn't really suggest someone move a perfectly fine outdoor wedding inside in good conscience.
Lieutenant Lyles called with the address of the fiance, Perry Urquhart. Rook, acting on the suggestion Bob the (paranoid) Elohite had produced, asked the officer if the Laurencian Tether had any operatives watching the Eason residence or in any other way involved. Lieutenant Lyles responded that there were none that she knew of but she would check.
Ultimately the group decided that they would arrive about ten a.m., shortly after the nine a.m. switch-out. Arabis would land on top of the car to see if there was any reaction from in the car. With this in mind the group headed for Memorial Park to check it out, keeping in mind that this was the current location for the wedding. Unbeknownst to the group, this was the morning of the Pikes Peak Balloon Classic. Upon sighting so many lovely humans, everyone scattered likes ants at a picnic...except Rook, who waited patiently in the van and entertained thoughts about Creationers.
Arabis -- not to be outdone by Creationers for sheer odd behavior -- indulged her Fire tendencies and took to playing inside the balloons themselves. Then, of course, a human operator saw her -- a giant raven -- perched right up next to the flames. Unable to believe that the raven had not become charred feathers yet, he naturally shouted. Sheesh. Try to get a little essence...! Somewhat vexed at this interruption to her exploration and enjoyment, Arabis intimidated (big wingspan, loud squawking) her way out of the balloon and flew off to explore and enjoy elsewhere.
Arashiel went one way, Jael the other -- off to see the crafts and artistic stuff.
Matt and Bob began randomly resonating people because that's what Elohim *do.* Matt eventually encountered someone who was 'focused' and Bob encountered someone who had a desire for revenge. Bob and Matt followed their respective people. The woman intent on revenge entered a food-service tent, Bob close on her heels. Once inside, she made her moves on a man there, showing her cleavage and flirting with him intently. The man was obviously interested in the attention and the glimpses of cleavage, but Bob could tell that something held him back from simply taking what was so clearly offered. Using his Keen Elohite Senses (tm), Bob soon discovered a very angry girlfriend to the Tempted Man. More Keen Senses: the flirting woman was thrilled to be causing such discord and strife, and the man was really flattered/turned on by the attention. The girlfriend appeared close to snapping, and Bob cleverly resonated (yet again!) and discovered that Flirting Woman would be royally peeved to be interrupted *now*, so he promptly did just that. "I think that woman wants to talk to you," he said, and dragged Mr. Wandering Morals' eyes right back to the Angry Girlfriend. The Breasty Woman, furious, turned to leave but stopped to watch the fight that broke out between the now Unhappy Couple. She seemed quite pleased, and turned to leave. Bob, still watching her intently, then saw a Shedite leap from her body. Righteously indignant at this...this...creature's malice, Bob attempted a Celestial Song of Shattering against it. The Shedite was unaffected...but...the Essence expenditure attracted the attention of both Matt and the Focused Man, who had been moving through the crowd for some time now. Focused Man turned and headed toward the disturbance, and Matt followed.
Now, Shedim are not known for tolerating Celestial Songs of Shattering. So this one turned around and hit Bob with Ethereal Nightmares. Run, Elohite, run! Bob has a vivid pool of nightmare images to draw from. Matt arrived in the scene just in time to see Bob bolt from the tent with a very unElohite expression on his face. Understandably distracted, Matt turned to his friend and lost sight of Focused Man. He Sang his own song and negated the nightmares, but by then...the demons had fled. Being proper little angels, the Elohim decided to go retrieve Rook. And they both reached the van at the same time as Jael, who had also
sensed some of this commotion and done the Return to Malakite action. As they were reaching the van, Matt began to have second thoughts. He knew that if Rook were alerted to
this situation he would come to kill the Shedite, and violence is Bad. Too late. The Malakite knows. So Flowers did his best to speak out for nonviolence : "We could just leave it along.
After all, we have our primary mission and this is not it. We donıt
have the time." Clever Matt, trying to use Rook's overwhelming sense of duty to spare the Shedite. Rook, of course, saw no problem -- "It is 7:10 a.m. We do not have to be to the Eason residence until ten. We have the time. Jael, please contact Arashiel and alert her."
Jael did as Rook asked...to a point. She *did* find Arashiel, who seemed to be busy with a group of young male balloon drivers. She had figured out that one, a certain Sean, would make a fine balloon pilot...if only he gathered up a bit of encouragement. When Jael arrived on scene, Arashiel had already besotted the poor boy with her wicked Creationer wiles. Jael took stock, counted up the number of angels versus the number of demons, and decided that Arashiel could better serve Creation here, among the humans. She informed her sister of the demon situation, and wandered back to find the rest of the angelic posse.
Rook, Bob and Matt went out Shedite hunting. Arabis, having been driven from her comfy balloon, ended up joining in the chase. Shedim are cruel. First stop: the tent. The Unhappy Couple were embroiled in argument, with female weeping. Seeking to allay this situation somewhat, Matt picked some flowers. Having a similar idea, Bob took them, despite Mattıs protestations, and gave them to the woman. He tried to pass them off as the Bad Boyfriend's idea...but the mortal wasn't so quick on the uptake, and he took a shade too long to cover. The girlfriend stalked away. Matt tried and failed a Song of Harmony. Defeated by sheer human emotion, the two Elohim came back out to Rook -- who had waited through this little storm with his usual patience. While wandering about hunting the Shedite, Bob got himself an Infernal Intervention...and his resonance fried. He wanted to freak and return to the van and hide, but Matt talked him out of leaving and going off alone and deaf, and he continued along.
Finally, Rook pinged a dishonorable could-be-a-demon kind of fella. Matt noticed that the same individual sensed the action of a Song nearby. This clearly indicated that the person was no human. Arabis resonated the man and saw that he was, indeed, fleeing Heavenıs justice. Bob and Matt, dropping back from Rook, debated whether or not to tell Rook...since he apparently had not noticed the Followed Man's reaction to Essence expenditure. (Matt: Perhaps he could be redeemed). Ultimately, they told Rook that this person must be a Celestial since he had reacted to a Song. Remembering his own resonance check, Rook moved to intercept the individual. When the person refused to come along willingly, Rook grasped his wrist and prepared to force him. Love those subtle Malakim...
Yes indeedy, the intrepid trio had found their Shedite. Unfortunately for Rook the Shedite knew Possession and Rook found himself roughly displaced into the Marches. Showing amazing reserve. he waited patiently for the opportunity to return. While he was away, Matt and Bob both realized that their comrade had changed somehow. The Followed Man looked abruptly dazed and departed quickly and in some consternation. The two Elohim figured out that a Bad Thing had happened, even though they had not seen anything... Bob hit Rook's vessel with a Celestial Song of Entropy, at which point the demon-animated Rook collapsed to his knees and screamed horrifyingly. Nope, not Rookish behavior. Bob then quickly followed with a Celestial Song of Forbidding, effectively removing the demon from Rookıs body. The Shedite bailed and bolted, and Rook no sooner regained his vessel than he went Celestial and bolted after the Shedite. Arabis chose to do the same. Oh, subtle angels.... Arabis, in her efforts to catch up to it, ended up getting dissonance on a failed maneuver and Rook, sadly, was not fast enough. Following it at least long enough to guarantee that it was away from the festivities and all the people there, Rook had to give up, knowing he would be unable to catch it. At this point he calmly returned to the others, thanked them for their help on his behalf, and resumed circulating among the crowd.
The four angels scattered at this point. Rook continued his patrols, Arabis went to the Urquhart residence to investigate, Bob went with hopes of acquiring some Essence through Creationer Rites and Matt made his way through Memorial Park to check it
out for flower content. Arabis ended up heading directly to the Eason residence instead (no one knows why - it's an Ofanite thing), arriving in time to see an older lady arrive and enter the house. Bob was unsuccessful in his quest (too early for that in a public park!) and as the hour of departure approached, everyone but Arashiel got in the van to make their way to the Eason home. Jael assured everyone Arashiel was fine, and it was OK to leave her behind.
Arashiel decided to accompany Sean, the prospective and hesitant balloon pilot, on his trip to recover the balloon once it had landed. Unaware that this would take her all the way to the plain east of Pueblo, Arashiel nevertheless did not shirk her Creationer duties. The young man, quite obviously taken with her and her opinions, eventually decided that he would pursue his license to pilot balloons. To drive the conviction home, so to speak, Arashiel decided ah...get all Creationer on him...on I-25. The car remained on the road (because miracles happen!) and as he dropped Arashiel off at a mall in Colorado Springs, he enacted a promise from her that she would see him again.
About this time Rook, posing as Colonel Depew, and Matt, posing as a florist, entered the Eason residence. After expressing their condolences, Matt said that he represented the Acme (!) Flower Company and that the Air Force had hired him to serve as the official florist for the wedding. Furthermore, Rook interjected, the Air Force would pay for the venue if Elizabeth and her fiance would be willing to change it. Marion Eason, the divorced mother, seemed quite anti-ex and rather bitter overall; Elizabeth, the daughter, seemed rather confused by this offer and reluctant to change anything. To Rook's chagrin, Matt called him aside. Matt suggested that they make it sound like there is a security issue. Rook reluctantly acquiesced. Matt and Rook then explained to Marion and Elizabeth that John Eason had been involved in some very important projects for the military, some of them unsavory and involving security issues. It was the military's fear that there might be some reprisal against the wedding party. The desire to change the venue was merely to avoid any unwanted dangers. Elizabeth Eason seemed somewhat surprised by this information but her mother, Marion promptly turned sheet white. Elizabeth promised she would discuss the issues raised with her fiancee, Perry, and the two would join the pile o' angels for dinner that evening at eight to discuss their conclusions. Marion spoke finally, still pale, only long enough to ask about the cars that had been watching the house. Surprised that she had seen them, Rook told her that the military was looking into it.
Thinking that Arabis would join the group at this time, those in the van instead follow Arabis as she follows the older lady who had been in the house. Arabis had witnessed the old woman coming from the house and her potentially suspicious behavior (we are suspicious of everyone, these days). The Ofanite tracked the older woman to a townhouse and tried to peek inside from a window sill, but a cat hissed and lunged at her, forcing Arabis to leave and join the remainder of her group. With hours left before their dinner date, Bob goes off to try again to regain a bit of Essence (and he manages, this time!). Jael, Rook and Matt waited outside the Eason residence and play chess in the van. After several hours, Jael received a call from Arashiel, and we had a brief field-trip to retrieve her. Rook took a bit of time to practice martial stuff, and otherwise the afternoon passed awfully quietly.
Arabis (Ofanim hate quiet and still!) went back to the house where the surveillance cars went. She saw that there was a sword on the wall, a shiny and beautiful thing like a crusader would use and obviously not fake. It looked old, used and genuine. The man inside was doing mundane things: preparing and eating some eggs, watching TV and apparently preparing to sleep. Arabis noticed he had a gun in a calf holster. All of these actions seemed very human to Arabis. She decided to wait until he had left to replace his fellow. At that point she planned to enter the house to look around if possible.