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After hot chocolate Jack makes a phone call and chats with the person on the other end briefly about the woman.  He gives them the address and listens as the person relates information back to Jack.  "Thanks, remember to eat."  he says, before hanging up the phone.  "Ok.  She's a vampire, she pays taxes, she has no criminal record, and she owns the house wear she lives.  Her taxes say she's an art dealer part time and an interior decorator full time."  He pulls on his green army surplus field jacket and black hand knitted hat, "You guys ready to go?"

Sammy makes a face like she's in pain.  "No,not really," she says.  "This makes me feel squicky inside.  But I'll come along anyhow."  She puts on her jacket.

Sylvia shares Sammy's concern, but she's focusing on the pragmatic details.  "Do we need stakes and holy water?  Garlic?  There's an Italian deli near her place.  We could get garlic bread."

"Maybe you should relax.  You're getting all worked up over this and it's making you loose focus."  Jack's voice is relaxed, like someone who has faced the unknown enough that it's like going to the market for milk and eggs.  "You get distracted, and you end up in trouble.  Just calm down.  There is no reason to think anything bad is going to happen.  Chicago has a lot of vampires.  this one is not the leather jacket and club scene type which means she's probably not trying to make trouble.  If she did do something horrible to this mummy guy a thousand years ago, what are you going to want from her?  An apology?  Arrest her for something?  Get used to some things being way outside your ability to change."  Jack looks at Sammy.  "You'll be fine.  Just remember what we've practiced.  And if things get ugly, remember your training.  Do what you do well, and worry after."  He smiles and heads out the door.

Donnie finishes his hot chocolate and dumps the remaining cookies into his backpack. A low frantic crunching noise can be heard from it, and the backpack thrashes about as he throws it over one shoulder. He grins and pulls on the blue knit cap Sylvia labored on so intently over the last few gaming sessions. It matches his eyes, and she thoughtfully had it fade into green at the base, to match him when he goes all 'dragon-lord'. He wears it continuously when they are outside in the cool weather.

He winks at Sammy  and hold's Sylvia's coat for her as she slips her arms in. "I really need to look into vampires more. I know little except what is mentioned in some of the textbooks. Most of it is probably wrong anyay."

"You can always ask her when we're there."  Jack says as he opens the door, "Villains love to gloat right before they kill you." he says with a smile.

Sarah looks around the room as she asks, "...maybe I should bring a few pencils along to write this information down..."  She pulls on her own coat and polishes of her hot chocolate in a long pull.  It could have used a double espresso shot but then... she really didn't need it.  She'd be up surfing the web until four in the morning and crash just in time for her alarm to go off. 

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Donnie laughs. "Do I have to be tied up and suspended over a pool of cybersharks ith frickin' laser beams in their heads?"

"Whatever you two are into is your own business."  Jack says.

Meanwhile, back at the home of Helen Carver....

Jack knocks on the door and waits.  The woman answers with a smile, "Yes?"

"An-Mar Com?  And please for give me for butchering the pronunciation on that."  Jack says.  He gaze darkens immediately.

"I'm sorry, you have the wrong house."  she says, pushing the door closed, but it stops against Jack's boot. 

"My name is Jack Donaldson, and I'm here at the request of some local super heroes to make sure you're not a terrible evil woman, and do I smell coffee and fresh baked muffins?"  Jack's voice never changes, it's the same friendly timber through the whole conversation.  One can almost imagine that's how men talked in his day and age.  Friendly, with a smile.

"What?"  Her eyes widen some as though that is not what she expected to hear next.  "Who.."  she seems confused for a minute, then Sylvia can feel a tumble of thoughts line up and she realizes that the earlier visit was from the 'super heroes' also, the ones that had battled the mummy.  "Why?..."

"When, where, why and how are what comes next.  Does that win me a free cup of coffee?"  Jack's eyebrows raise to punctuate the question, "I can name all the state capitals for a muffin."

Helen's eyes close for a moment, and she shakes her head to clear her thoughts.  "You work for them?"

"Actually I throw them around in a gym and teach them to take care of themselves.  They weren't exactly sure what to make of you, and I guess I qualify as an adult that they can come to for things like this.  so, coffee, muffin, conversation?  Or we can go somewhere else.  This must be a bit overwhelming for you, you should feel comfortable.  They have questions and I like coffee."

Helen chuckles softly.  "I'd imagine they would feel more comfortable somewhere more public maybe?"

Jack nods, "I'd guess so.  they have visions of fangs and blood sucking and they all pretty much came along to make sure you didn't eat me."  Jack turns around to look away from the house.

OOC: Assuming no one is really standing in the open.

"They're good kids, and they have a lot of pressure.  Today's little encounter has shaken them up some.  If you'd rather not talk about it I'm sure they could find some other way.  Staking out your house, tapping your phones, you know.  the crazy stuff teenagers these days do."

Helen takes a deep breath, "I'd like someone to talk to I guess.  It's been so long, I'm not sure how I feel about all of this.  Him, my transformation.  I'm always surprised when things jump out of the past at me like that."

Jack nods, "Me too.  Although I don't have as much past as you to have jumping back at me I guess."

"Let me get my coat."  She says, stepping away from the door and emerging a few moments later dressed for the season.  she closes the door behind her and goes to the bottom of the steps with Jack.

"I know a nice little place about six blocks from here.  But first, maybe introductions?"

Sylvia gets a vibe.  She's like totally giving Jack the vampire whammy, she tells the others, including Jack.  Or maybe it's just girl whammy.  Or maybe it's just "haven't had sex in at least twenty years" whammy.  She pauses.  But she seems all right, I guess.

In a sing song thought Sarah replies, 'Sounds like someone's got whammy on the brains'

Sarah steps out from around the corner with a sheepish look.  "Hi.  Um... sorry about before.  But you really should go check out that website anyway.  They aren't one of the foaming at the mouth organizations and they do good work.  I'm Sarah."

She extends her hand in greeting, semi confident that she'd be able to port out of any vampire attack. 

OOC: readied 'port action ... no reason.  me nervous? Ha!  ha ha ha help

Sammy says and thinks "Hmmphh!" and remains stolidly on her perch, the rooftop of a house down the street which affords her a mostly clear line of sight to Jack.  A cold gust of wind sends some random trash swirling past Jack and the vampire's feet.

Donnie's face is impassive, although thoughts of vampire whammy are now percolating in his brain. Argh. Too much Laurel K Hamilton..

Pip, on his perch next to Sammy, fans his wings a moment and then delicately takes a bite out of the aluminum gutter he is hunkered down in.

Eww, Sylvia transmits disapprovingly.  Those books are basically porn for nerds.  The Dresden Files are way better.

Helen shakes Sarah's hand, "Hi, I'm Helen.  I guess you knew that though."

Whammy?  Jack Thinks.  And for your information it hasn't been twenty years.  Geez, I'm old but I actually do know how to date!

Sylvia stands less than ten meters from Sarah, feeling invisible if not actually invisible.  It was supposed to be some kind of failsafe, as if anything that could take Jack and Sarah out in a mad rush would be deterred by Sylvia and her can of keychain mace.


I mean she's vibing on you.  She's crushing on you.  You're to her taste, figuratively speaking.  Don't worry, Jack.  We'll save you from yourself.

Do you even have any idea what you're talking about?  Jack thinks looking right at Sylvia. 

"So, coffee?"  Jack heads off in the direction of his coffee destination.

I've seen every romantic comedy that's come out in the past five years.  I think I know what I'm talking about.  Of course, if this is a horror movie, you're on your own.

All this chatter of p*rn for nerds and Jack dating causes something terrible to happen.

Sammy tries desperately to suppress a sudden, highly complimentary mental image of Jack in tight jeans and no shirt knocking on a familiar looking front door.   As the door is pulled open he says, "I'm here to check your plumbing."  Then the image dissolves, and is rapidly followed by a feeling of intense embarrassment.

Sometimes I really hate you guys.

Oh, god, my eyes!  Sylvia's invisibility drops away.  She feels it dropping away.  She looks from Helen to Ja--no, not Jack--to Sarah, then back to Helen.  "Hi," she says as suavely as possible, like she's here to sell Mary Kay.

Sarah nods, "Yeah, well.. we're kinda nosy.  Sorry about that.  So... your house smelled all bakery.. do you uh.. drink coffee and eat brownies and stuff?" 

Because obviously someone who does can't be all that bad right?  Evil people drink diabolical tea or something. 



'Really?  Wow.  Some of them were really bad.  Was this some sort of penance you gave yourself?  Easier than a hair shirt?  If you need punishment just ask me to sing you Kissed by a Rose or something.  You'll save a few bucks.  Dave had it as a ringtone for a little while.

Ginny has a fetish for romantic comedy and film noir.  She holds the belief that life should consist of happy whirlwind romances punctuated by dramatic heart-rending separations necessitated by the evils of our time.

Yoo-hoo. People, can we concentrate please? Try not thinking about Jack the Plumber, or romcom movies? Or vamp porn for that matter.

He keeps his Ray Charles spell in the back of his mind, spell warbling quietly in his left hand If she goes all vampy and attacks, he's ready to blind her.

As Sylvia materializes Helen blinks, "Hi."  she recovers momentarily and then turns to Sarah, "Vampires can still eat and drink.  And I love the taste of home made baked goods."

Jack offers no comments to the torrent of mental images and banter as he makes his way along.  Helen moves to catch up, "I remember your speech to the House Un-American Activities Committee.  I thought I recognized the name and face.  After a while so many things get to be a blur."

Jack nods, "Must be really hard for you, so many more decades."  He stabs his thumb over his shoulder towards the gang, "They keep getting younger and younger too."

"What are un-American activities?" Sylvia asks, voice froggy from disuse.  "Is that like drinking Canadian beer?"

"Back when I was still a young man there were a few people who were working hard to make sure the country didn't fall under the influence of communists.  Some of them were working a little too hard.  It was mostly a witch hunt."  Jack's tone suggests it's a spot in history he was none to happy about.

They continue until Jack makes his way into a small corner diner.  He has a fondness for places with large windows and home baked pies.  The group pushes a couple of tables together at the back and works on getting settled.  Jack orders coffee, black.

"So, the gang was wondering about that guy in the sarcofagus.  They stuck him in the ground to look after you, and you flew the coop."

Helen orders coffee and proceeds to put sugar and milk in it once it arrives.  "I am ashamed to say I couldn't remember his name.  I remember he was sweet, always very quiet.  I remember teasing him when I was little."  she takes a sip of her coffee.  "I was young and rebellious.  My father had decided who I would marry, and how many children I would have.  Back then they thought all of this could be determined with the proper offerings to the proper gods.  Well, I met a man one night near the Nile.  He was exotic, pale, obviously not a native of Egypt.  And after some pleasant conversation he attacked me.  I had been transformed, changed into what I am now.  But the process was different from how most vampires do it, it was long and unpleasant.  There were essentially two schools of thought, one was that I had been cursed by the gods for my arrogance.  I was terribly arrogant back then.  the other was that I had been cursed by a Magi.  They built my tomb."  she chuckles softly, "My father ordered it's construction the morning after I was found.  Always liked to be prepared.  One of the men who was from the temple of Anubis made sure that I would be able to escape.  They made arrangements for me to get out, since they apparently knew what I was.  The priests fought the Night Stalkers, but they also cared for those who were their victims.  They were also opposed to the powers that were used to create the Endless, it's what they did to make the guardian.  Those dark powers eventually resulted in a war."  she seems to be lost in thought for a moment, "When I read of the exhibit coming here, I thought I'd go.  I knew they had sealed him in his sarcofagus, but I didn't realize he'd be there.  All these centuries.  The Anubis priests told me the spell would seal the sarcofagus and release his spirit.  Maybe they didn't do it right, or maybe there was something else.  Anyway, I'm glad you were able to set his soul free finally.  He didn't deserve to be treated that way."

"Oh! Now I see. Of course it was death magic. It was done by the priests of Anubis. Maybe the spell was flawed. His soul was kept here by a single thread. Maybe they really meant to release his spirit without awakening his powers, but failed."

He thinks about it for a moment, then looks up at Helen.

"I'm sorry. I misjudged you. His name was Herod. He's in peace now."

Then a thought strikes him.

"Can you tell us more about the Magi and the war?"

"Well, I spent a lot of time underground back then.  Sunlight was a death sentence, and most of the war was fought in the daylight.  The people who were using the dark powers were opposed by the White Lighters and their allies the Djinn.  The Djinn could be made incredibly powerful through human magic.  To keep them from falling prey to the powers of the dark Magi they were bound into the service of a human through magic bands and thus became a Genie.  It was sort of a complicated relationship, I guess if the human ever turned against the light the Genie would be forced to destroy them.  Doing so would also destroy the Genie and return them to the elemental plane of air, which is where all the Djinn went when the war broke out.  It was about that time I guess that most of the other magical races left.  The war seemed to drag on a long time.  Not really a huge armies on battlefields sort of war, but a slow war of titans.  The Human Magi and their allies the Genie, and then the dark Magi and their Mummies.  The only flaw was the mummies weren't bound to serve.  Most of them eventually killed the people who created them, but the Genie hunted them down.  There have always been rumors that a few survived, slipped into society.  some of them were powerful Magi in their own right so they might have been able to pull it off."  Helen sips her coffee, "Herod?"  She ponders for a moment.  "I almost wish he could have been with me in those early decades.  But it's for the best he wasn't  I wasn't a very nice person then.  Dieing didn't really help."

"Do you know how we could find the djinn who survived?" Sylvia asks.

Helen shrugs.  "There are a few people who might know.  I haven't really circulated in those circles in a long time.  I've been trying to just sort of find a place for myself.  Chicago has been home for a while, and I'd like it to stay that way.  You might try the Legacy Group.  They are sort of a magical consulting group.  I'm not sure how you'd get in touch with them though."

"I have a friend."  Jack says softly, "Why is it that we want to know this?"

Sylvia does her level best not to look Sammy's way.  "Because--"

Sammy's granddad could be out there somewhere.

"--it'd be cool to meet one.  I've met a vampire, witches, dragons.  If I could meet a djinn and a unicorn, I'd consider my magical education complete."

Still embarrassed by her mental slip and not trusting the vampire, Sammy didn't go in.  She's parked across the street on a bench in a sheltered bus stop.  She figures she's close enough to move in if the screaming and running away starts.

Jack shrugs, "Ok.  I'll make some calls."  He looks around at the others.  "Anything else, or can we let Helen get back to her life?"

Sylvia takes a moment to look at Helen, and into Helen, sussing out her character and her intent, if any.  Is she a good person?  A kind person?  A fun person?

Sarah shakes her head.  She tells Jack, "Not from me sir."  She smiles at Helen and says, "I'm glad your not horrible.  We're nosy but we're really trying to help around the Chicago area.  I notice that all this paranormal, supernatural, metanature scifi fantasy mayhem always crops up when someone connected to that community is around... or they get dragged into it.  If you ever need some help or you hear about someone else we're just a phone call away."  She digs out a piece of bubblegum, popping it her mouth.  Sarah snags a pen from Jack before writing down her cell phone number on the gum wrapper.  She hands Helen the wrapper and blows a bubble.  "We're here to fight the bad guys."

Turning to Donnie she says, "You know we should set up a website or a message service or something.  Like text *4376 and leave a message."

Donnie nods, distractedly. "Sure."

Inside, he is furiously trying to rememebr anything he can about a group called the Legacy..


ooc: Knowledge:Arcane roll?

OOC: Sure

Knowledge: Arcane (1d20+12=18) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1776348/)

It seems Donnie has heard some about the organization.  Publicly a consulting firm called in by people to investigate and authenticate magical artifacts, check a place for ghosts, that sort of thing.  It seems that in some of the research he's done the name has come up as well.  It's also the group his Grandfather is part of.

OOC: I kind of know about the Whitelighters from Charmed. Are they something different here? Does Colin know something about them?

OOC: In this context she means the human Magi that used white magic.  The White Lighters are often mistaken for them.