Log:Talking About The Harvestmen

Talking About The Harvestmen
What are you good at?
Participants Ashe, Vorpal, Byron	2017.10.27 Vorpal meets with Byron about the Harvestmen
Location The Broken Hearth
Byron had let the queen know he was going to be out speaking to new recruits for the afternoon, so if she managed to escape her adoring fans for a while, well, he was going to have cider and cookies and would save her some. So at the moment, that means its been pretty quiet at the Hearth - there could have been some folks here earlier, and maybe even Dielle and Inkblot came by, but its starting to get later and the gargoyle is a little more relaxed, leaning back in one of the chairs humming to himself between sips of his cider while a notebook sits closed in front of him. Ashe was an odd Monarch. In the sense that she really didn't have the ego that most of them develop. The Shadowsoul makes her way down from the Library, cleaning blood from her hands and arms. Face. She's cleaning the last drops from her hair when she gets to Byron, "Cookies?" the stitched smile is bright to him as the shadows pull back. "How is it going?" she adds as she pulls a chair over to settle down in. Uvall meanwhile crawls out of her hair and flies up to roost in the rafters. Relaxed? Well! That alone explains the timing of the stranger's arrival. If he's lucky, word might have reached him about a newly pledged fellow with a reputation for having out-fought a Gentry. If not... this arrival may put an end to that relaxation going around. The already fuzzy shadows in the room thicken as a herald to an approaching... something? Shadowsoul seems a good bet, and one that's confirmed when the fellow in ratty clothing and absolutely sublime Wyrd enters the Broken Hearth. His form is indistinct, either obscured by shadows or pierced by the light, leaving him at turns faded and hard to make out, or phantasmal and see-through. When the latter passes over his hands, prehensile blades take the place of phalanges. His smile never vanishes, and his eyes -never- emerge from the shadow. The only other constant are his scars, the artistic whorls and curves remaining easily visibly despite shifting fades. The sound of knives screams his membership among the Dawn- hunting knives carving a kill, scalpels cutting away disease... all different blades invoking change of some sort or another. The feeling is something like November's ancient deific power matched with Calm's sublime, tangible strangeness, mixed with... well, darkness and knives and smiles that don't quit. And if that broad, self-possessed smile is any indication? All the ego that Ashe hasn't bothered to cultivate has a home with him. "My, what a lovely space. Patch the roof and drop it in a maze and it might start to feel like home." His tone is cheerful, friendly, at odds with the implied menace of his presence. "Ah! Your Majesty! Twice in one day. Surely, a fortunate happenstance. Am I in the right place, then?" For surely, it was she mentioned where to go to speak of the Harvestmen. ...right? Byron perks up when the Shadowsoul arrives first, chuckling at her cleanup, "Clearly YOU'VE been having fun...and yes, I saved a dozen for you and any late arrivals..." Slowly he sits up, groaning a little as he nudges the tupperware container open and closer to the table edge, reaching over to give her side a light scritch, "I even saved one for you, fuzzy..." apparently addressing the bat that fled her hair. He doesn't get too far into talking, only far enough to mention, "Been pretty quiet actually. People are in and out..." when Nemo makes his way inside. The gargoyle's attention successfully shifts from the Crown over to the new arrival, surveying the shadows for a little bit and listening to the commentary before finally murmuring, "I keep thinking someone will eventually get around to doing something about this place and no one ever does. I suspect some folks are starting to like it this way..." Since the man seems to already know Ashe, he offers, "I'm Byron Whelan. Current Captain of the Harvestmen, if that is what you were looking for. If you've been looking for Her Highness, well, you're still in the right place..." "I'm hoping that our current Bridgemason and our one in training can work with the space a little more. I know Allen is looking forward to fully joining and well, some places in here need some TLC." Ashe tells Vorpal when she hears him. "Good evening. This is one of the places, yes." she greets the man. There's another streak of blood cleared away from her face then she looks to Byron, "Yeah, just moving a body around in the library. Kip's not liking it near his section." she laughs. Then she quiets and steals one of the cookies as Byron talks. Because someone hadn't had dinner yet and she was going to eat this damn cookie! Nemo watches with idle fascination while Ashe cleans blood from her face and fetches confectionary bliss. Byron holds the majority of his attention however, and his head snaps back towards Byron as he finishes speaking. "Captain Whelan, a pleasure. Rest assured, I had my time with our Queen earlier." He taps at the autumn leaves pinned to his threadbare hooded sweatshirt. Abruptly, he melts into a bow, the thickened shadows around him pulsing actively outwards a few feet in a flourish before coiling around him once more as he straightens, draping lazily about his form like languid lovers. "Vorpal, God of the Hunt, Slayer of The Beast That Walks, and member of both the Court and Pantheon of November An Nua. A pleasure, Captain. I hear tell you're the fellow to speak to if an enterprising deity wants to be involved in the protection and training of the militant minded members hereabouts." Byron offers a small bow of his head at the greeting and guestures to the several empty places to sit at the table he's chosen, "I or one of the two Lieutenants will do, but I'm trying to make sure I remain available as often as possible while Dielle and Inkblot work on training their people. Have a seat? if Ashe has already approved of you, then I'm sure you will be fine." With that said, his bottle of cider is reclaimed for a small drink, the other hand remaining idly scritching on her side while he asks, "You mentioned training...which areas of expertise are you considering yourself skilled in enough to train others? Anything in particular? A type of weapon? A fighting style? Stealth and being a sneaky bastard? We have use of all of the above." Ashe devours the cookie in record time and then gives a look back to her husband and Vorpal. "This is the right place." she tells Vorpal. Then there's a look to Byron, "Beep, beep, Richie." she tells him with a smile. "I'm going to head home. Let you guys talk Harvestmen things." she tells him. Nemo makes no bones about snagging a seat, spinning it about on one leg and slouching into it in one liquid movement that defies mundane explanation. "Much obliged, Captain. In truth, you're rather in luck because everything on your list is a yes. I specialize in a fusion of bladework and barehanded combat that relies on a foundation of the latter to allow for natural and dramatic use of the former. Train one skill, cover two scenarios. Within that bag of tricks are ways to capitalize on surprise and sneaky bastardry, and the best part is, most of it is relatively simple to learn and quickly rewarding- though it is primarly of use to the quick, rather than the strong." "As you wish, your Majesty! You're certainly welcome to stay by my count, but enjoy your eve if it's destined to be elsewhere. Do take care, would you?" Byron rumbles softly and nods his head slowly, "Good. We need people that are going to work well as part of a team, so if you are good with group tactics, that would help a great deal...focusing multiple people on the same opponents to take them down faster, using your tanks to take the hits while your strikers flank, that sort of thing. If we just act like a bunch of individuals out for a brawl, then a good team or pack will make short work of us. If you prefer fighting, then it sounds like Dielle is going to be the Lieutenant and squad you should first see if you work well with. Have you met her yet?" With that said, to Ashe Byron smiles and leans over with a wink, "I will float home shortly. Don't mind the screaming. I might even have some cookies left." Ashe gives a smile to Vorpal and there's a dip of her head, "Thank you, I will." she tells him. Above them, there's a dark thing that circles and then drops down on the outside of the stone wall before coasting in. Apollyon doesn't go farther than he usually does. The Fae Mount really didn't need to. He's a very large bat like creature with a split mandible mouth and a bright crimson streak down it's spine. He's not very cute or cuddly. Ashe looks to Byron, "I'll see you at home. With cookies." she tells him and leans in to kiss his cheek and then heads towards the waiting mount, "I know Apollyon." she murmurs as she reaches into her bag and drags out something dead. "But look. Bunbun!" she exclaims as she gets closer and tosses it to him. This satisfies him long enough for her to crawl up and then the two depart.