Pat unlocks the door to his home, flipping on the lights against the darkness.
Pat takes note of the blinky light on his machine, and presses the playback button.
After the standard beeping and such a high, sparkling voice pops up - loudly. "Iiiiittttt'ssss Shannen! .. Hey Pat, give me a call, okay? And kkkeeeeeepppp smilin'!"
Pat closes his eyes for a moment, then goes about hanging his coat and hat. He walks over to the phone, picks it up, and dials Shannen.
Shannen lets it ring once, picking it up and answering in a sing-song voice "Hheellloo.."
Pat says "Shannen. It's Patrick."
Shannen ooohs softly "Oh .. Hey you. What're you up to - want some coffee? And you know what the disturbance was?"
Pat says "Yes, and yes. Can you be at the Georgetown Cafe in twenty minutes?"
Shannen hums softly for a second. "Sure can, but my place is closer. To me at least. Georgetown is fine, though. See you there?"
Pat says "Of course. Until then."
Shannen sounds especially cheerful "Great! .. keeping smiling! Byebye!"
Pat hangs up the phone, looking around for an insect or twelve.
Hitherby crawls along the ceiling.
Shannen hangs up as well and proceeds to do her 'getting ready to go out thing'.
Pat looks up. "It's time for late night coffee, Hitherby. One of Flowers has contacted me."
Hitherby drops from the ceiling so she can talk, catching herself with inhuman ease before she hits the floor -- probably something to do with very subhuman weight. "I don't mind flowers."
Pat nods, picking up the phone and dialing a cab. After hanging up, "Will you be coming, then?"
Hitherby hums a few random notes. "Sure." She pounces neatly onto Pat's back.
Hitherby moves a bug up onto Pat's shoulder so she can see.
Pat was thoughtful enough to put his coat on before becoming a perch, and so doesn't smother them. He heads out again, picking up his cab and riding to the cafe` eithout incident.
Shannen leaves her place, blowing a kiss to the many flowers stationed within, and hails a cab over to the cafe. Arriving at some point in time.
Pat is at a table tucked into the corner, holding a cup of coffee. The saucer is off to the side, and seems to be filled with water.
Hitherby is most likely in a randomly picked human host, barefoot, since she has had little opportunity to spread out again and bugs get attention when they talk.
Hitherby will join Pat upon assuming said host, and the bugs will flutter to join the rest of her.
Shannen steps inside, glancing quickly about, smiling in a friendly manner to each person before as she makes her way over to Pat's table, smiling even more "Heya. How are you.. two?"
Pat says "Well enough, all things considered. Join us?"
Shannen takes a seat. "Thank you." She slides into a booth leans forward a bit "What do you recommend from this place?"
Hitherby nods her head, currently covered with unruly black hair and several night insects. "Hey, Shannen."
Pat says "I haven't had more than the coffee, actually. But it's open all night, which is a remarkable selling point."
Hitherby says, "I think their best things are written on this," and taps a menu which is resting, upside-down, in front of her.
Shannen smiles at Hitherby's latest host, tapping her chin a little. "Hey." She giggles at Hitherby's comment "True, true." and slides it over, glancing over it.
Pat says "You noticed tonight's...activity, Shannen?"
Shannen nods slowly, before motioning a waitress over. "Black coffee, please," and nods to Pat "Yup. I was talking to a friend of mine and boom, there it was." She gives each little bug a tiny wave.
Pat nods. "We have a problem."
Pat, Elohite of Understatement.
Hitherby says, with pride, "There was a Shedite *and* a Habbalite."
Pat says "Yes, Hitherby. And you acquitted yourself wonderfully."
Hitherby nods firmly, bugs clinging tight.
Shannen winces for a second, before smiling again "Good job. But the problem still exists.."
Pat says "All three of them"
Hitherby sighs. "Yah. They got away."
Pat says "There is an unidentified issue of music. An Asmodean Triad has been uncovered. And Kobal is represented on two separate vectors."
Shannen ohs softly, sipping from her coffee, nodding to both, and makes a silly sick face, sticking out her tongue "I don't like this. Okay, first. Please tell me about the music - how is that having an effect?"
Pat says "I am not entirely certain that the music is related. However, given that the Kobalites and the Triad are both centered around the same focal point, it's possible. Fiat Justitia opens tomorrow. The musicians have been learning...odd scales."
Shannen tilts her head "Odd scales? Odd in what manner?"
Pat says "Odd as in correlating to no recognizable style."
Pat says "Have you heard them, Hitherby?"
Hitherby says "Nope."
Pat says "Who has?"
Hitherby says, "Daimon. 'Though me and Sarah heard the violin for a little bit. I just was a bit distracted, and didn't pay attention to the kind of music."
Shannen hmms softly, then blushes a little "I'm sorry. I don't know either of those people. But, did they explain anything about the violin music?"
Pat says "Sarah is one of Destiny's. Daimon...."
Pat trails off. Deliberately.
Shannen makes a go-on motion with her hand, taking a larger drink of her coffee.
Pat looks at Hitherby.
Hitherby smiles merrily.
Pat sighs. "Daimon is one of Kobal's vectors."
Hitherby adds, "He's the one who doesn't want people to die."
Pat says "Are you certain he's not an Impudite?"
Hitherby blinks. "Chephirah and Zebina said he was a Lilim of Comedy; I haven't really had any reason to inquire further."
Pat says "Mm."
Hitherby says "Is there really much of a practical difference?"
Pat says "No."
Shannen puts the cup down, her mouth open a little "Ah. Ah." She takes another drink, swirling the coffee around in her mouth for a few seconds before swallowing and responding "Is he? And .." She frowns for a second before her smile returns, although it looks a little regretful. "Oh. I guess I'll meet him sometime as well?"
Pat says "Quite likely."
Pat says "There will be quite a bit to be done."
Hitherby nods. "Frankly, I find Lilim to be second-tier threats, a thousand times better than Shedim and better than most of the others, but they are a bit more *dangerous* than Impudites."
Hitherby says "So it seems like the best assumption."
Shannen smiles a little wider, although she still looks a little sad. "Okay. Well, what else do we know?"
Hitherby says, "I've been thinking that the Opera could be based on the War in Heaven."
Hitherby says "From a demonic perspective, though."
Pat says "Unfortunately little. We know of presence, we have a vague sense of number, but motive and resources are complete speculation."
Shannen ohs softly "What's it about - the opera, that is. And .. whose superior was there? Please tell me not a demonic one."
Pat looks at Hitherby again.
Hitherby beams. "It was the Great One."
Hitherby says "I called him and *poof*. He made everything all right."
Hitherby says "The opera was about a rebellion against a tyrannical overlord and all that stuff. It took me most of a day and night to realize that that's probably what they think happened. But it's been *days* since Terethel told me about it, and..."
Hitherby shrugs.
Hitherby says "I don't remember real well."
Pat says "That is the gist of it."
Shannen chuckles softly and smiles "Thanks. That does sound like the way they would think. If it's .. Kobal .. than something spectacular will happen. A very bad spectacle."
Pat says "Yes. And the Game is likely here to prevent that."
Hitherby nods. "The Game also hates it when humans die."
Hitherby's eyes crinkle at the edges.
Pat says "And why shouldn't it?"
Hitherby blinks. "They *do* have a Habbalite, Pat."
Pat says "I thought the Habbalite was under Kobal?"
Shannen sips from her coffee, closing her eyes for a second while speaking "We can find either group, I think. If we find the Kobalites first, it would be best, but, since it's likely the Gamers are after them as well, finding them would suffice. I think."
Hitherby says "I think there's one each."
Pat says "Ah."
Hitherby looks thoughtful. "Balseraph, Djinn, Calabite, and I think we concluded a Habbalite too."
Pat says "Four of the Game? That is unusual."
Hitherby laughs for a moment. "Memory, admittedly, is not my strong suit."
Hitherby says "The Calabite's a def, though."
Pat nods.
Shannen nods "Does anyone have any ideas on what to do here?"
Pat says "Stopping the Prank is the clear priority."
Hitherby says "I agree."
Hitherby says "Ideal is stopping everything, but if we can only get one group, I want the Shedite."
Hitherby says "Er, and the other Kobalite."
Pat nods. "Of course."
Pat says "And the rest, well. That depends on a number of factors."
Hitherby says "If the violinist is a celestial, and he's still in town, then he is dangerous."
Pat says "We have no confirmation of this, but it does bear investigating."
Hitherby says "I mean, he didn't investigate the noise, so if he didn't run either ..."
Hitherby says "Then he doesn't *care* about the Symphony shaking like a willow tree."
Pat says "Or didn't hear it."
Hitherby nods. "Right. As I said, if a celestial."
Pat nods.
Hitherby stretches.
Shannen frowns for a second "Please, can I speak with them before you .. do your thing?" She takes another drink, nodding to Hitherby "Yeah. How much do we actually know about the violinist?"
Hitherby says "Something similar applies to the Kobalites, actually."
Hitherby says "If they come back after what happened tonight, then their Prank is not only dangerous but vitally important to them."
Hitherby says "And I wouldn't advise speaking to them, Shannen. I tried that a couple times."
Shannen pauses for a second, tilting her head "Just a thought, but .. what's the history of the opera house. Does it have any celestial significance?"
Shannen smiles sadly at Hitherby. "Have to try. Even if I just make them think about it for the smallest fraction of a second.."
Pat says "Chephirah could find out. Or Terethel."
Hitherby says "Trust me. They're not interested. They didn't even try *deceit*, much less honest conversation."
Hitherby sighs. "But anyway."
Shannen nods to Pat "It's opening night at the opera house. Do you think a bomb maybe? Some to literally 'bring the house down'?"
Pat says "It's possible. There have been intentions stated to meet tomorrow afternoon. Will you be free?"
Shannen closes her eyes for a second before smiling and nodding quickly "Yup. A benefit of being the boss - I can leave anytime.'
Pat nods, setting his cup down. "I'd best be off, then. I'll contact you."
Hitherby flutters back to Pat's coat.
Shannen smiles "Great. Well, see you both tomorrow." She blows a kiss to both as she stands "Be good and keeeeep smilin'."
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