(no subject)
June 15, 2007
Here and now in the first decade of the 21st century, New York has possibly the largest supernatural demimonde of any city in the continental United States that isn't built on a Hellmouth. Los Angeles and Chicago are its only real competitors on a per capita basis, though a few cities surpass all three on the basis of percent-of-population. It's not a cohesive subculture by any means: there are the vampires, the demons who can pass for human (disparagingly called "stealthies" by the demons who can't), the sorcerers and seers and other practicioners, the unquiet dead, and of course the oddballs who don't fit neatly into any category.
One of these oddballs is currently standing in a moving subway train, holding tight to the vertical bar and hoping one of the seats near her will be vacated when the train stops. She's idly watching the reflections of the other passengers in the windows -- at least those who have reflections; she's already noticed without surprise (and without fear) that the teenage boy in the seat nearest the door is a vampire. He doesn't seem to have sensed what she is.
She isn't looking at the other train that pulls alongside hers, briefly running side by side on parallel tracks; she doesn't see the young woman with fair hair in two braids who glances at her through the two windows, and abruptly stops and stares.
- oswald sighted 6 train upper mnhtn
- !!! keep me posted
- will do
June 25 - July 11 2007
For about four days, Wendy notices, there's a pair of girls -- college-age, she thinks, only a little younger than herself, maybe students at Hunter -- stationed outside the subway stop where she boards the 6 train uptown to her office. One's got a clipboard and is asking people if they want to take a survey; the other one is filming her with a digital camcorder.
The weird thing is that about three weeks later, on her way home from the Whole Foods market at Union Square, she sees what she thinks might be the same two girls canvassing the crowd there. It looks like the same girls; she's sure she recognizes the tall Asian with the blue streak in her hair. Pretty extensive survey they're running. Or maybe, she speculates idly, it's not a survey at all but a student film project. Or a psychology experiment.
Focused on maneuvering her grocery bags through the crowd without bashing anyone in the shins, Wendy doesn't notice the girl with the camcorder slowly panning over the scene. Or the fact that the camera lingers on her for several seconds as she rounds the entrance to the subway.
- can u get a better pic?
- ill try
- there hows that?
- better but its not her
- shit. sry
- its ok just keep looking
July 29, 2007
What stays in Ray's mind later, even weeks later, is that the blonde girl wasn't afraid of him. He was more grateful for that than for the few dollars she pressed into his hand; he's been homeless a long time, and seen pretty much every reaction people have, and what hurts more than the disgust is the fear. Bad enough when people think of him as filthy, as crazy, as wasted, but he can't stand it when people (especially women) think he's going to try to hurt them. It makes him miserable for days.
But the blonde was kind and unafraid, and all she wanted was to ask him if he'd seen a friend of hers, a friend she was worried about. The description could have been any one of hundreds of people in this town, but he listens hard anyway and offers the best match he knows. If you're really worried about her, he says, and if this is her, you should know she's okay. Okay enough to be working at a shelter.
She thanks him earnestly. And when he asks if he can take a message for her -- he can't always remember things like that, he warns her, but he'll try -- she smiles warmly, and says Tell her Ruby says hi, and hopes she's okay.
When he does remember, it's a few days later, and Emma at the shelter gives a timid apologetic smile and says she doesn't know anyone named Ruby. By that time he's not even sure the name was Ruby (Rory? Reba? Rita?), so he shrugs, and takes his piece of bread and bowl of soup, and moves on.
Maybe it isn't even Emma the blonde girl was looking for. Could have been any one of hundreds of people in this town.
- ?
- YES
- what now
- 3 days. keep hr in site
August 2, 2007
Tricia Kruse's Watcher is the first to call in (from Cleveland -- she was reassigned from Budapest about five months ago), reporting that his Slayer's missing. He's distraught, but focused and coherent nonetheless; enough to give a detailed account of her current mission, including the location of the lair she was investigating the night before. Giles tells him they'll send backup as soon as possible.
It's about an hour later when Sara Graham's Watcher calls from Toronto. She's missing too. No clear idea how long, though she was definitely seen the night before.
By the time the call comes in from Florida with the report that Jordie Miller has been missing since the night before, Giles has already talked to Catherine Harkness and set her apprentices working.
Something is decidedly wrong.
Here and now in the first decade of the 21st century, New York has possibly the largest supernatural demimonde of any city in the continental United States that isn't built on a Hellmouth. Los Angeles and Chicago are its only real competitors on a per capita basis, though a few cities surpass all three on the basis of percent-of-population. It's not a cohesive subculture by any means: there are the vampires, the demons who can pass for human (disparagingly called "stealthies" by the demons who can't), the sorcerers and seers and other practicioners, the unquiet dead, and of course the oddballs who don't fit neatly into any category.
One of these oddballs is currently standing in a moving subway train, holding tight to the vertical bar and hoping one of the seats near her will be vacated when the train stops. She's idly watching the reflections of the other passengers in the windows -- at least those who have reflections; she's already noticed without surprise (and without fear) that the teenage boy in the seat nearest the door is a vampire. He doesn't seem to have sensed what she is.
She isn't looking at the other train that pulls alongside hers, briefly running side by side on parallel tracks; she doesn't see the young woman with fair hair in two braids who glances at her through the two windows, and abruptly stops and stares.
- oswald sighted 6 train upper mnhtn
- !!! keep me posted
- will do
June 25 - July 11 2007
For about four days, Wendy notices, there's a pair of girls -- college-age, she thinks, only a little younger than herself, maybe students at Hunter -- stationed outside the subway stop where she boards the 6 train uptown to her office. One's got a clipboard and is asking people if they want to take a survey; the other one is filming her with a digital camcorder.
The weird thing is that about three weeks later, on her way home from the Whole Foods market at Union Square, she sees what she thinks might be the same two girls canvassing the crowd there. It looks like the same girls; she's sure she recognizes the tall Asian with the blue streak in her hair. Pretty extensive survey they're running. Or maybe, she speculates idly, it's not a survey at all but a student film project. Or a psychology experiment.
Focused on maneuvering her grocery bags through the crowd without bashing anyone in the shins, Wendy doesn't notice the girl with the camcorder slowly panning over the scene. Or the fact that the camera lingers on her for several seconds as she rounds the entrance to the subway.
- can u get a better pic?
- ill try
- there hows that?
- better but its not her
- shit. sry
- its ok just keep looking
July 29, 2007
What stays in Ray's mind later, even weeks later, is that the blonde girl wasn't afraid of him. He was more grateful for that than for the few dollars she pressed into his hand; he's been homeless a long time, and seen pretty much every reaction people have, and what hurts more than the disgust is the fear. Bad enough when people think of him as filthy, as crazy, as wasted, but he can't stand it when people (especially women) think he's going to try to hurt them. It makes him miserable for days.
But the blonde was kind and unafraid, and all she wanted was to ask him if he'd seen a friend of hers, a friend she was worried about. The description could have been any one of hundreds of people in this town, but he listens hard anyway and offers the best match he knows. If you're really worried about her, he says, and if this is her, you should know she's okay. Okay enough to be working at a shelter.
She thanks him earnestly. And when he asks if he can take a message for her -- he can't always remember things like that, he warns her, but he'll try -- she smiles warmly, and says Tell her Ruby says hi, and hopes she's okay.
When he does remember, it's a few days later, and Emma at the shelter gives a timid apologetic smile and says she doesn't know anyone named Ruby. By that time he's not even sure the name was Ruby (Rory? Reba? Rita?), so he shrugs, and takes his piece of bread and bowl of soup, and moves on.
Maybe it isn't even Emma the blonde girl was looking for. Could have been any one of hundreds of people in this town.
- ?
- YES
- what now
- 3 days. keep hr in site
August 2, 2007
Tricia Kruse's Watcher is the first to call in (from Cleveland -- she was reassigned from Budapest about five months ago), reporting that his Slayer's missing. He's distraught, but focused and coherent nonetheless; enough to give a detailed account of her current mission, including the location of the lair she was investigating the night before. Giles tells him they'll send backup as soon as possible.
It's about an hour later when Sara Graham's Watcher calls from Toronto. She's missing too. No clear idea how long, though she was definitely seen the night before.
By the time the call comes in from Florida with the report that Jordie Miller has been missing since the night before, Giles has already talked to Catherine Harkness and set her apprentices working.
Something is decidedly wrong.