Session Eight


Tony and Bernard are at the hospital, Martin's at the Lightning-Tether, Case and Nathaniel (and Faber) are busy blowing up the Triad's car in the New Forest, and Lucas and Zebediah are at the museum.

Bernard Sings healing for himself before he's taken up to X-ray, and fails. He rings up BUPA and arranges for himself and Tony to be taken to the nearby Chalybeate private hospital (as opposed to the Southampton General Hospital where they currently are on the NHS) and given private rooms, for tomorrow. The X-ray says that he has flesh wounds in his thigh, and Tony has flesh wounds in back and chest. Both are cleaned and sutured and bandaged and taken up to the Trauma & Orthopaedic wards for the night. Bernard sticks his fingers in the light socket, once there, for a bit of quiet Rite.

Case and Nathaniel and Faber return from corpse-disposal. Zebediah is busy cleaning up the museum, and Lucas is trying to help. (Mop mop mop up blood, scrub scrub scrub floor.) Faber asks if he can stay with Case overnight, and Case agrees. Nathaniel takes a blood sample from a very nervous Lucas, to be checked for germs and drugs and whatnot. Case makes plans to show Lucas Pulp Fiction. Nathaniel gives Zebediah his car keys back, disdainfully. Nathaniel talks about Eli, and gives Faber The Mysterious Spraycan. There is talk and theorising and waffle. Faber theorises that Case and Nathaniel were inside Eli's dreams. There is more talk. Nathaniel heads for the Lightning-Tether, the others for the Malakite Apartment. Zebediah stays at the museum.

Case shows Lucas Pulp Fiction. Faber shows him The Maltese Falcon. Lucas discovers the remote control. And Cable TV. And late-night sex-channels. Case and Faber sleep.

Martin, still at the Lightning-Tether, gets an email from Jean saying, "Audience in 5 minutes. J." He leaves his host asleep, and ascends. He's a light green-grey-blue-violet-metallic-shades Kyriotate. He goes from the Tether-endpoint to Jean's office, and is sent in by the secretary. Jean's office has holoscreens all over the back wall. Jean explains that he's been checking Martin and Bernard's reports re the Grigori, and he identifies "Halley" as Hali, once a Grigori of Eli. He says that Martin should watch out for collaborators among other angels, and also warns him to watch Bernard re lying. He suggests that they investigate the architect that Faber had been going to see. He also mentions that Martin should not dissuade Faber should Faber wish to take service with Lightning (and implies that persuading Faber in this direction wouldn't actually hurt, either.) He warns Martin that there's a power struggle of some sort in Hell, but it may have no impact on him. Martin has no questions, and descends again.

Nathaniel brings the blood sample to the Lightning-Tether, and talks with Abdi-Bezek while analysing it, and refuses coffee. He informs him of matters re "Halley". Abdi-Bezek finds nothing in the blood. Nathaniel then gives Abdi-Bezek the phone number thatLucas was given, and Abdi-Bezek identifies it as a number from an office block in central Southampton. Nathaniel phones the Malakite Apartment, and gets Lucas (who was watching Doctor Who and Soylent Green) and spends a few minutes explaining to Lucas that he can't believe everything on television. He then asks to speak to Case. Lucas bangs on Case's door till Case wakes up. Case shuffles to his door in his dressing-gown, requests "the damned phone". Nathaniel gives details re the office block. Case dresses, arms himself, and heads out to join Nathaniel. Lucas gets left guarding Faber, and decides to redecorate all the rooms!

Bernard finishes his plugged-in rite, watches TV, and sees a report linking the attacks on him, Tony, and Terry. Tony watches it too and sees that his report on Tony is far better than their report on him. Bernard Sings healing again, and fixes up his rear end. He and Tony chat. Rigziel steps onto the ward (this being the middle of the night) wearing a doctor's coat. Bernard explains about Terry already being dead. Rigziel's attitude is resigned. They then talk about Martin, Bernard, and the Grigori. Rigziel bids them farewell, thanks Tony again and says that he "owes him one", and leaves.

Nathaniel phones Zebedia, and invites him over. Zebediah puts up a "Closed due to illness" sign and goes to the office block. Martin, Case, Zebediah and Nathaniel all meet up outside it (Martin back in his host again.) Martin possesses a pigeon, and looks through the window of the relevant room, sees an office with the lights out. It's part of the offices of Wheaters Associates, a law firm. Martin opens the outer door of the office block Jeanitely (it's a card lock) and lets the others in. Sneak sneak. They come to the door of the office suite - also locked. Nathaniel rolls insanely well and picks the lock. They go in, close the door and lock it, and identify the right office via pigeon. It's also locked, but Zebediah makes a Per roll and remembers this trick with a bit of plastic from some trashy film, picks up a ruler, and gets it open. Martin examines and possesses the answering machine.

The owner of this office, Phil Calshott, is apparently a normal lawyer. The filing cabinet and computer are normal. They find a diary in a pocket under the bottom drawer of the desk which makes it clear he's involved - he's supposed to take a message from "the enemy" and get info on where he is. Martin materialises his computer and scanner, and scans it in. They also get his address from the general office computer. They put the diary back, leave the pigeon on watch, and close up and leave.

Lucas is looking for paint supplies because he's decided that Case's department needs a makeover, so he raids Case's calligraphy paints and starts doing stencils on the walls. He also raids the kitchen supplies for interestingly coloured spices. He concentrates on Case's bedroom. There's a knock on the door, and when Lucas peers through the peephole, he sees a large man in slouch hat and trenchcoat who says he wants to speak to Faber, and won't give his name, but says he was sent by Eli. Lucas goes to wake Faber. Faber aborts a proto-attack with pillow, and comes downstairs and conducts a dialogue through the letterbox. It's Esek. He claims that "Halley" just wants to talk and that the Grigori were treated unjustly. Lucas asks how Heaven could possibly be unjust. Esek laughs bitterly. He eventually tells Faber to come to the Mayflower Monument by the waterfront at sunset, then goes.

Nathaniel arrives back shortly afterwards (with Zebediah, who collects his car and leaves) and regards the redecoration with silent horror.

Dawn and Dawn Essence.

Case and Martin check out Phil Calshott's home. Martin tries to possess a cat, and fails, so takes a pigeon instead. (What would Kyriotates do without pigeons?) Case notes down the numbers of both cars in the drive. They also see a child's bedroom. Martin leaves the pigeon there on watch, Case drives Martin's host home.

Case returns to the apartment. His reaction to the redecoration is ... mixed. He looks for whisky. Finds whisky. Retreats to bedroom. Comes out, requests that Lucas removes the swords from their feng-shui-maximising-arrangement on the floor. Lucas does so. Case then discovers the chili peppers that Lucas scattered artistically in his bed. He comes out and hits Lucas, then goes back in. Lucas resolves not to use spices next time, but to get more paints and paint Michael as well! (As he's already painted Gabriel all over Nathaniel's bedroom.)

Faber is of the opinion that the redecoration is very creative.

Case phones Interflora, and requests some "nice flowers" to be sent to Tony and Bernard, with a message of, "GET BACK TO WORK, SLACKERS. :)"

Tony and Bernard have a nurse checking on them, and bringing in the breakfast menus and Case's flowers - carnations and roses and stuff. The nurse asks them if they're well enough to see the Press, and explains that there's a reporter from the Evening Echo outside. They decide Tony can handle awkward questions. The nurse lets them have breakfast first.

The reporter enters - her name's Tanya Sperring, she's from the Evening Echo and she asks awkward questions, trying to tie their wounds to the Terry Assassination. Tony says that he's devoted to exposing injustices. She asks him for examples. He starts quoting inaccurate articles in the Echo. She gets a bitten-into-lemon expression and leaves saying she thinks she can do a good article. Tony and Bernard plot to sabotage her article. The doctor checks them, and is astonished by Bernard's healing rate. They're both discharged, and told to come back in a week to have their stitches removed.

Zebediah tidies and cleans the museum.

Nathaniel strips his bed. Lucas watches Cartoon Network and idealises Road Runner. Lucas then heads off to lectures with a big pad of paper. He makes friends who explain about credit cards, and Lucas realises with delight that he has some in his wallet.

Martin watches Calshott go off to work, and his wife takes their five-year-old twins to nursery school. He then possesses her when she returns, and searches the place. There's nothing obvious. A note in the bin says, "Usual place - S.R." The address book in the husband's study has several names from the cards of the man who was murdered by poison (or suicided?) earlier, including Mr Phas, architect. He prints off the address book, puts it in an envelope, posts it in the postbox down the street to the Malakite flat, then depossesses her.

Case is going off to work when Pigeon Martin flutters down and updates him on stuff. Case requests that Martin possess the Frog Beanie (see Session Four) to check it out. Martin does so, and finds there's a gizmo in the left eye receiving radio waves and transmitting at a subliminal volume. The message is of peace, submission, and non-violence.

Case - "Fry it."

Martin turns it off. Case finds Martha Wright's address in his files - she lives close to campus, is the wife of a lecturer. Martin flies off to find a new host.

Case is walking out when he realises someone's watching. It's the female Soldier who was with Esek earlier, in red shirt and black leather jacket and trousers, which isn't the most sensible outfit for stalking in, but hey. He starts his bike, heads off, turns a corner, stops it, and sneaks round behind her, putting an arm through hers and doing, "Darling, how are you?" She tries a throat-strike, he blocks it. He tries to get her to come and talk, and she eventually agrees. They go into the dojo, and he lets her go. She puts a hand on the gun inside her coat. She blames him re Esek, and clearly has no idea what was going on. He tries to explain that Esek was wrong and somehow misled, and asks what he can do to prove it. She eventually says that she was told that there was a Tether on the Common and that demons can't survive Tethers, and that she'll believe him if he can cope with it. He agrees, and goes into the other room to fetch a spare crash helmet for her, leaving the door open so she can run if she wants to. She doesn't run. They ride to the Common on Case's motorbike, and he can feel her gun through her jacket. They meet the Seneschal (a bouncy Ofanite of Novalis in tracksuit, one Clementine) who confirms that Case is an angel. Anita (the Soldier) apologises. Case takes her off for coffee and conversation.

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Feather And Bone