It will rain again tomorrow (RP)

"You do know them, then?" Benji says. "They seemed… nice, I suppose, aside from the breaking-and-entering. The friend in question is Lizabeth Greenback. You would have seen her around here before… Perhaps you may have even met her. She’s a good person. She’s in some kind of trouble and I want to help her."

- Mark -

Shelyna listens carefully to your whole report before responding.

"You think Basint's demons are the sources of the bad weather?" Shelyna asks, taking your points in the order they were presented. She seems to know about Basint's warning. "Who were they attacking?"

• Does she know about your relationship with Jacob? If so, how does she (or your order) feel?

She does not comment on your research into the staves, that is common enough practice to be unremarkable for a wizard. She does seem interested in the news of them reforming.

"They left 'bodies' behind?" She says. Depending on how they are summoned, demons need to be put into some sort of vessel: possessing a human body is a well-known favourite; otherwise ectoplasmic (if you will excuse the use of that very unscientific term, Shelyna certainly wouldn't) matter (goo, if you will) is a cheap and easy option that leaves little evidence afterwards. This 'rock-form' is new to all of you, but seems logical enough.

"And you think they can reform without being summoned again? That is bad news." Shelyna says. "Are the remains safely contained? Do you know where?" She asks, also offering to have someone take care of that problem if you want her to [OOC].

"You encountered the hound?" She sounds surprised, and a little impressed. "And survived? Not many do. And you think you know what it is protecting? There have been rumours, but they have never been substantiated. Keep us informed of your progress on this." This is the sort of thing that might lead to promotions.

"A train-enthusiast? You are poking around here for a train-enthusiast?" Shelyna sighs. "Well that is innocent enough and happens often enough. I encourage you to dissuade him from pursuing this further. But discretely." This will conflict with your promise to help Stefano, you will need to find some way to reconcile these two commitments.

"I wanted to ask you to look into the weather." Shelyna answers your question. "Good that you are on it already. We need a fix, and quick.

"Let us know if you need any resources to resolve that". This sort of offer is rare, and should not be abused, save it for when you know more, or are desperate. No Debts are involved.

What do you do?

- Jacob -

"I don't know!" Lizabeth wails. "I was poking around the accumulation the flood waters have pilled up near the Royal Air Force Memorial [map]. Then something... zapped me? And then all these Ministry of Defence people were swarming all over me, shouting conflicting orders and was taken to jail."

She does not mention finding anything before being 'zapped' nor what 'zapped' her before the MoD guys showed up. You think she may be holding back, but can't be sure.

"Can you charge this?" She asks, handing you her flat phone as she heads straight for the shower.

What do you do?

- Benji -

"Oh, yes? This is Lizabeth's trouble? That is what they were doing?" Boadicea thinks about it for longer than you would like. "Bad business." She states, giving you the impression of looking back over her shoulder while remaining still as a statue.

"There are lots of powerful players in the game. I don't know the details, but this feels like it has the potential to reshape the world." The three women study you for a while longer, as though assessing your worth. "I think you and The Night Sisters may be able to be persuaded to have the same goal. And that goal needs to be the destruction of what Ms Greenback found. I don't think either you or they are strong enough to do it on you own. Powerful players." She says again.

"Promise me that you will seek out this... thing, with the sole intent of destroying it, and never to use it." Boadicea demands, she sound scary as she does. "Promise that and we will point you towards your quarry."

What do you do?

- Mark -

"Quite right." Shelyna says in reply to you only calling for help if you really need it. She defers to your judgment about whether the demons are related or worth pursuing.

"I have been inundated with missives about the weather problem, many fear is it a foreshadowing for something else. We believe that likely." She looks tired, but hides it well. "I do not have time to put out fires from people poking their noses where they don't belong." She is clearly talking about you and the dragon photos, and whoever contacted her to complain about what you were doing cleanly has some clout to get her to jump to action herself so quickly, within minutes of you starting to probe with your magic.

Shelyna finishes her meal, eating daintily and without any mess. She is not inclined towards small-talk and the food probably bought you substantially more time with her than you would otherwise have had, this meeting is drawing to a close. If there is anything else you want to say to her, now is the time.

What do you do?

Benji nods, taking everything Boadicea is saying very seriously. He trusts the statue's judgement. If she says this thing needs to be destroyed, she's probably right. "You have my word," he promises.

- Benji -

'Promises' don't have the same binding power that Debts do, but they also don't have the same ways out of them. It is interesting that Boadicea asked for a promise rather than Debts, something about her (the 'real' woman, not the statue's) history makes this significant and delicate ground.

"They left the Birdcage to cut through the parks, both James and Green, then up to Hyde." Boadicea points —though exactly how she could 'point' without moving is something your mind skates over. "I don't think they go into Hyde Park, but I can't see that far." She 'shrugs' apologetically.

"Maybe ask the Horse?" You don't get the impression she means her horses.

What do you do?

"Thank you." Benji bows again and bounds off in the direction she indicated. There are a couple of statues featuring horses between Green Park and Hyde Park (the Duke of Wellington’s horse, Nike’s horses atop the arch), but the one that springs to mind when he hears ‘the Horse’ is that giant disembodied horse head. He’s never tried to talk to that one before. The thought is, at once, fascinating and a little bit horrifying.

- Mark -

Shelyna gives you the smallest suggestion of a smile, though it looks sad. "We all have our own paths to walk." She says cryptically. "And our own responsibilities." She does not mention Josephine, but you get the fleeting impression there is an oblique reference there that you can't understand.

"See to the weather." She says by way of goodbye. "We are all counting on you." Then she turns and walks away.

"That was awkward." Jena comments quietly to herself. She has not said a word since Shelyna arrived and was trying to fade into the background like a big orange... well she is wishing she was not dressed like a squashy pumpkin compared to the other woman's elegant outfit.

What do you do?

- Benji -

It would have been nearly impossible with the rain and the minutes that have passed, but, knowing the route, you can catch hints of your prey's scent as you head down the Birdcage. As directed, you find the spot where they left the road and headed into the park, apparently not worried about being out in the dark. Their scent is stronger in the trees, away from the direct falling rain and the wind, but you lose the trail when you come out at Piccadilly.

Right takes you home, but left takes you to Hyde Park and the Horse's Head. You know that many of the statues are picky about who they talk to, and have never heard of anyone who has spoken with the Horse Head, the more human the statues the more human their reposes and interactions. You can try, but it might be a waste of time.

You recall that, in recent years, the area before you —North East of Hyde Park— has a high concentration of Arab residents. Given Amira's accent, it is possible they live around here?

What do you do?

- Jacob -

Either the police removed it or Lizabeth does not have a lock on her phone. You boot it up and can imminently swipe in. There are tons of messages, some of them from Benji, most of them concerned enquiries about how she it doing and what is going on.

What do you do?

Benji figures it’s worth a try to ask the horse. He’s honestly not sure this statue is even sentient like the others so it’s possible he’ll just be talking to a lump of metal, but he has nothing but time and he doesn’t mind making a fool of himself.

He takes a left toward Hyde Park and the horse statue—Still Water is its name, he thinks. When he reaches the statue, he hops up onto the plinth and rests his hand upon the horse’s nose. "Good morning, Still Water," he says. "My name is Benji. How do you do?"

- Mark -

Jena sighs and shakes her head in inscrutable exasperation at how clueless you can be. But she is not going to comment on her boss's doomed relationship... or if she thinks the word 'relationship' truly applies as you used it.

"Yes. Let's go find the other problem woman in your life." She says, trying to lighten the mood.

What do you do?