[video] Technology: 1; Crotchety Old Man: 0

[theblackstaff]

[when the video blinks on, the only thing visible is a white ceiling, and the sounds of somebody moving around in a room]
Fool thing, what's wrong with a communications spell...

[the camera shifts, but instead of focusing on a face, all you see is some hair, and then an ear, pressed against the camera. There is also an overly loud, overly enunciated

Comments

[Voice]

[agentphones]

Sir, If you don't mind me askin'... White Council?

[perma-ear video]

[theblackstaff]

People I work for. Don't rightly know what's going on but it don't do anyone any good to have all these people scatted around while we figure it out.

[Permavoice]

[agentphones]

You're holding the camera against your ear, Sir, so you know.

Ah, then... I appreciate it. What exactly're these defense systems you're puttin' up, then?

[permavideo]

[theblackstaff]

[here Spin, have a wizard eye as he peers at the camera]
Camera? What do you need a camera for?

Call 'em wards in my work, but defenses works. Things to let us know what's walking around. If something tall and ugly walks in. Surveillance.

[charityandfaith]

Your phone was set to video, not voice, Mister McCoy. Everyone is looking at your ear.

Since both my home and my Church are a couple of miles into the fog, I may consider your offer, but only because Harry Dresden vouched for you.

[theblackstaff]

[grumpy old man grumble and now it's a view of the ceiling] Fool technology.

Harry Dresden's got a good heart. And a good head if he can keep it on his shoulders. [does he sound a little annoyed there? maybe.] But the Blackstone's as safe as I can make it. You have my word.

[charityandfaith]

I know that. Even if we haven't always seen eye to eye. And he'd better keep his head on his shoulders. [she will match the slight annoyance] It would break my husband's heart if anything happened to him, and I don't know that anyone else would vouch for my daughter against the Council. [little hint of bitterness here, but her next words will be genuine.]

Thank you.

[theblackstaff]

[wordless snort. He can place the voice now] There's other people who would've, and maybe made your daughter less enemies on the way. But no better teacher.

If you need an escort here, Mrs. Carpenter, let me know.

Voice

[tinybutfierce]

I'm going to have to run a tutorial for you wizards on how to actually operate these things, aren't I? [sighs, like she didn't have enough to do]

How is that thing still functioning around you anyway?

Video

[theblackstaff]

[have some shaky camera angles as Ebenezar drops the phone on the floor] I press the buttons it tells me to press, Sergeant. Ain't my concern if they designed the fool things to be too complicated. Got a perfectly good rotary phone on my farm.

[thumbvideo as Ebenezar leans over and picks up the phone again] Don't rightly know. Magic, I suppose. [did he just make a joke? Maybe]

Voice

[tinybutfierce]

[pause, low voice almost like she doesn't want to admit it] I'm not a Sergeant any more, sir. I don't think they're that complicated.

[then again, she wasn't born in a century when the wheel was considered advanced tech, she doesn't say this though]

[she does snort bemusedly at that joke]

[theblackstaff]

[gruff sigh] Sorry to hear that, but you're still the best thing we got to law enforcement around here, Ser-- Miss Murphy.

[Ebenezar is so old school he invented the wheel] Complicated enough. I dialed that BOB thing like the directions said and all it did was ask me what sort of po-- Obscene things, this technology.

Video, and she's not doing much better

[fightanddefend]

[She fails at technology too, given that it hasn't been invented when she's from. Have a nice view of the sky]

Thanks for the offer. I think I'll take you up on that for now.

...What's the White Council?

permavideo with scattered fail showers

[theblackstaff]

Glad to be of help. What's your name so I can tell the front desk who to expect?

[pause.]
White Council's an organization I work for. We make sure folks don't get taken advantage of by unscrupulous people. And I have a feelin' whoever brought us here falls under the description of unscrupulous.

Permavideo and she forgot her umbrella

[fightanddefend]

Rosette Christopher.

[Yeah, she didn't buy that explanation at all]
Look, you don't just name your business something like the White Council, and you said something about wards and thresholds. I'm an exorcist, Mr. McCoy. Whatever's going on, I can handle it

[theblackstaff]

Why not? Nobody expects any royalty at Burger King.

[there's a rough cough at Rosette's mention of being an exorcist.] Well, that makes it easier, Miss Christopher. [he sighs, but hey, what's the good of having a license to break the council's rules if he doesn't use it once in a while]

Just guesses, but I don't think it's natural how we got here. Figured it's best to put up some wards notifying us if anything unfriendly decides to take advantage of the situation. Already seen a couple around. Vampires and hellspawn.

[halfmylife]

You just said a bunch of words that don't make sense.

[theblackstaff]

Where're you from, boy, where words like "free place to stay" don't make sense?

[halfmylife]

Oh, those made plenty of sense. I was talking about "communications spell" and "threshold to anchor wards" and "White Council".

[theblackstaff]

Communications spells are easier to use than these fool things and all their not really there buttons.

The Council keeps the peace around magic users. 'Spose in this case you're all victims of having magic used on you, so we should keep you lot alive until we figure out what's been done.