Log:The Translation

The Translation
Part of Church of the Wild
Participants Bronwyn Gallagher, Velvet	11 August, 2018 Bronwyn has finally translated the strange documents and it's time to tell Velvet what they say.
Location Bronwyn's Cabin
Bronwyn has everything ready...she hopes. The papers arranged on her kitchen table; neat and in order. She has even dressed up a little for the occasion; calfskin boots, knee length skirt, blouse, hair tied back, glasses. A quick check of herself in the mirror and she's as satisfied as she is going to get. This is like a college presentation to her and she wants to look her best. She asked Velvet to drop by around 7pm and by ten minutes to, she is standing nervously at the door. A quick look at her translation notes before she tries to calm herself...with a quick shot of vodka. What is the point of having friends that know about what you are if you don't ever use it to scare the shit out of them? Or, that's Velvet's way of thinking, anyway. She was there at ten to seven, already through the door unseen, having walked quite literally through it, invisible. She's settled on a nearby seat, leg folded over the other in one of her usual fancy, silk dresses, long hair pulled up in a high ponytail. She shimmers into the view, looking quite relaxes as she watches Bronwyn take that shot. "I'm going to guess this isn't good news, then." Bronwyn screams at the sudden appearance of her friend. Glass slipping from her hand to shatter on the floor. "Velvet" she whines, hand to her chest. "I could have had a heart attack." Her breathing rapid, getting slower as she tries to recover her composure. She'll need another drink now...and she probably looks a mess. "It's actually good news" she replies, finding a smile again. "Follow me...and please don't go invisible." Bronwyn heads into the kitchen where the pages are laid out. "I cracked it" she grins proudly. Ahhh, the sweet taste of fear in the air. Velvet's lashes give a little flutter as she soaks it in, feeds off of it. "You're young, you run. A little fright isn't going to scare you to death." She slides up to her feet with a daring smile. "Though I have done that before. Scared someone to actual death. You should hear the way a heart sounds when that happens." Her eyes dance, the crazy shining through. She follows after Bronwyn towards the table, glancing over the pages. "I never had any doubt you'd crack it," she assures. She earnestly sounds like she didn't. "My fear was what you discovered." "You frightened someone to death?" Bronwyn looks a bit worried before deciding to concentrate on the papers instead. "I don't want to know. It was quite the thing to crack. Quite the thing to read too..." Bronwyn's gaze drifts a little. It almost drove her insane reading it but she managed to pull through...barely. "It's vellum...very old vellum. So soft too. I have no idea what animal it came from. Reading it...I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't even an animal." A little shiver at that. "Let's start with the symbols. Oh...would you like a drink? And you look very nice too." "A couple of times. But you are correct, you probably do not want to know. You're a gentle heart, and it will haunt you." Velvet reaches for the paper, dragging her fingers down at the mention of how soft it is. "Given their proclivity towards harming others I would guess that it's made from the flesh of a Lost like myself." Just a guess, but probably a safe guess. "From what I saw, they took a lot of joy torturing people. Making paper from parts of them just extends that sadism." She offers Bron a smile. "You as well. Dressed up for something in particular? Or just wanted this to be super professional?" Bronwyn blushes a little at the praise of her dress, brushing down her skirt absently. "When I give presentations, I like to dress up a little" she explains, finding some loose hair to tuck back behind her ear. "I know you're a married woman" she adds, and almost immediately regrets it. And she also regrets hearing that the pages could be made of the flesh of people like Velvet and Widget. "I'll treat the sheets with more respect now" she coughs. "The symbols. It /is/ a language and they actually tell a story. Not a very nice story. There's a lot of death...and rebirth...eternal circles. Well, not eternal, there is an endpoint. It reminds me of a Mesopotamian idea. A war god called Nergal...who was also god of death. As they often are. If I start babbling, feel free to stop me." "Well, they've been long since dead. You said the pages are old, after all. I hardly think it matters how they are treated now." Velvet watches the blush and the reaction, offering an easy smile. "Dressing up is nice. It suits you." She meanders off towards one of the seats, settling into it with that overly graceful manner of hers. "A war god called Nergal. That's a sad name for a war god. He must be so ashamed." She gestures for Bronwyn, voice dipping a little. "Babble away." "I guess it sounds a silly name to us. To Mesopotamians, it probably frightens the shit out of them" Bronwyn shrugs before pushing her glasses up her nose to peer over the pages once more. "This was all written by someone called Irra. I think he was a Lost...Changeling? I think the symbol is more like Changeling. This Irra thinks that they represent a god as well as being the inheritor of that god's power. Unfortunately, Irra also thinks that they need to butcher lots and lots of Changelings to get where he needs to go. And Irra has been doing this for at least three hundred years. Sort of. Irra doesn't do /all/ the dirty work." "There is a group of Changelings amongst us. Those that have incredible power and believe themselves to be Gods. They're called The Lost Pantheons. Sounds like this Irra might be a member of them. Does it say if there's something he's doing while butchering them that is supposed to give the power? Because, frankly, if murdering a bunch of us was enough to give us more power, I'd be a god myself at this point. The number of Loyalists and Privateers I've slaughtered is not small." Bronwyn frowns a little as she looks at her friend. "Velvet, I totally respect you and adore you. That you're a stone cold killer, there is no doubt. But, every now and then I like to think of you more as Tinkerbell. Someone I could cuddle without fearing a knife in my back. Stop destroying that image" she winks before returning to the pages. "To maintain his godhood he has to kill...don't they all. He also collects children. Changelings only and always thirteen. If he goes over, he kills or abandons them. Under, he steals. These children get to start their own cults too. Junior gods I guess. More killing as they support themselves in their own divinity. And they in turn have their children." Her finger roams over the papers. "Here. In Vermont we have one of Irra's children. Leah Ninson. Mean anything to you?" "I assure you that that image is well suited towards other Lost. But I am not among them. The only thing that Tinkerbell and I have in common is an attitude problem." Velvet chuckles a little at that. "But, for what it's worth, the only knife I will have at your back will be to protect it from harm. You are my best friend, and I will protect you with my own life, and however many other lives it may cost." Velvet considers. "The name is not familiar. I will look into it," she assures. "I need to take out the children first and work my way up to this 'God'." Her hands lift to do airquotes around the word. "Awww...you're so sweet" Bronwyn sighs over Velvet's words. She even has to wipe a tear before clearing her throat. "I'm not entirely sure that Irra is even here but they could be. Pretty sure Irra is a male but you can't be certain these days. Then we have the building plans. I did some looking around and what is on here matches the new youth center in Patterson. Creepy, huh. 'New Horizons Rec Hall'. Thing is, there are five levels on this plan but only two on the 'official' plans. Someone has some hidden levels to do nasty things in. They look underground and if you look at this level." Her finger points to the center. "That is some kind of prison or cells. Somewhere to keep stolen Changelings?" "If he's not here, then I will simply have to go out and find him. The message needs to stop being spread. Cut the head off the snake and the body will die." Glowing eyes narrow a little bit as Velvet considers things. Her features start to subtly shift, sharp angles smoothing, then right back. Eyes flash red for a moment before resettling on blue. "A youth center tends to have a lot of street kids. Kid like me that nobody notices when they go missing. Not only a great place to hide Changelings, but a nice source of kids to sell to the highest bidder." Her voice is hard, emotionless as she stands up and starts to move towards the plans, looking them over. "Is it already open to the public?" "I'm not sure if it is open" Bronwyn admits, she does spend a lot of time in this cabin so is unaware of a lot of things. "But it is definitely finished. Even if it hasn't had a grand opening, there are probably people using it already. So, what I think you have here, is an Irra grandchild cult starting in Vermont. Guess they finally got round to coming here. Did you say you'd killed a couple of them? That means they need to replenish their stocks. But they won't with mortals. They have to be Changelings. The children...I doubt they are sold. More likely sacrificed." "I will find out, then. I imagine the security there will be good, at least for the hidden levels. Luckily that's never really stopped me before." Velvet is pouring over all of the data, eyes scanning, memorizing every detail. "Better that the children be sacrificed, rather than sold," Velvet admits. It sounds cold, of course. But she speaks from experience. "They all die." That sounds like she's made a decision. She glances towards Bronwyn, offering a quick smile. "You did really well. I can't imagine this was easy for you, so thank you. You're going to help save a lot of innocent lives." The talk of the death of innocent children being a good thing has Bronwyn looking worried for a moment, but she quickly switches back to the papers. "No, it wasn't easy" she states softly. "I just gave you the synopsis. When you actually read the words... There is power in words, Velvet. These are the ravings of a lunatic. I could feel them permeating my mind. Corrupting it. I think I was close to losing it." That will explain the increase in drinking lately. "But I got through it" she smiles. "Do you want all these pages back?" The way she asks suggests she hopes the answer is 'no' and she can keep them. Seeing that expression on Bronwyn's face, Velvet frowns. "I know how callous that sounded. But I was a child that was sold instead of sacrificed. You've already seen the real me, you've seen the scars. You heard the nicer tales of what I went through, because some of the more violent things I'm not sure you could handle. Believe me when I tell you that any children grabbed by these people are better off dead than the alternative. But I will stop them, so hopefully it will not be an issue at all." She looks over the papers, head shaking. "Hold onto them for now please." "I guess I've never really had to deal with the true horrors of your lives" Bronwyn shrugs. "Not really my place to cast judgment." A nod to keeping the pages. "I'll keep them safe" she nods. "And I promise not to show anyone or tell anyone anything about what I've discovered. Not even Widget. She was here a lot of the time I was translating but she wasn't really interested in it. Is it worth my while to tell you to stay safe?" "There is not really a mortal equivalent. There are some things that come moderately close. Not all are as brutal as mine, either. But enough of them are. Too many." Velvet looks over the papers and then to Bronwyn. "It's my concern that you being so close to all of this will leave you vulnerable. I don't want this stuff happening to you," she admits. "I am always safe, however. I rarely get hurt." "Try not to be so confident that you become cocky. There's always someone tougher" Bronwyn smiles weakly. "For me? Take care. And if they wanted to come for me they would have done it by now. They sent assassins, remember, not kidnappers. Not sure if I should be insulted or flattered." A little giggle at that. "I won't get taken. They wouldn't dare mess with you." "That was only one group. That group was out to hurt Weaver. They tried to kill you, but they did get Olivia." Velvet isn't sure if Bronwyn heard that news yet. "The night of your birthday, right after you left? I realized the Olivia with us was a Fetch. I... shot her in the head. She's back now. But it could have just as easily been you. Do not ever think that you are safe. Not ever. Always paranoid, always careful. It's the only way to live now." Which explains a lot about how Velvet is. She reaches up to brush a hand on Bron's cheek. "If they fuck with you, I will destroy them," she promises. "Yeah...I knew about Olivia. That...I'm sorry that happened" Bronwyn sighs. "I guess that was why I was asked to leave" she smirks. "Though I don't think I would have wanted to see even a fetch die like that. Are they even aware they are copies? I should get myself a gun." She leans into the caress, a warm smile at the touch, before nodding to those cold words. "I know you will...and thank you." She glances over at the pages. "I guess I just made your life more dangerous again. If there's anything more I can do, you will let me know. And...umm...if you and Weaver would like to come over for dinner sometime..." "I'm sorry too. But yes. I figured it would be safer without you there. If I'd been mistaken, and it wasn't a fetch, that would also have been very bad." Velvet frowns. "Most of them have no idea they are copies," Velvet offers with a little shrug. "Some do because they were designed to infiltrate, but most don't so that it blends more seamlessly. Nothing suspicious or unusual. But, you know have to worry about dangerous. My life is always dangerous." She offers a grin. "Dinner sounds great." "I guess there's not a lot of sympathy for ignorant Fetches then? Wait, Olivia's copy wasn't a Fetch? I thought all the copies were." Bronwyn shrugs. "Shows what I know. And bring the rest of your family too. We could have a barbecue to say goodbye to summer or something. It gets kinda lonely out here sometimes." She gives her best friend a tight hug. "Glad I could help. Sorry it took so long." "It was a Fetch," Velvet states. "If I'd been wrong, it means I would have shot the real Olivia." Further explanation. "I was ninety-nine point nine percent certain that it was a fetch, but there was a chance that I was wrong. I didn't want you to be there for that. Or for Weaver's reaction when it was a Fetch. He gets very violent. He wouldn't have hurt you, but you could have gotten accidentally caught up in a thrown couch or something." Her head shakes. "You took the time you need and you got the job done. That's what matters. Be proud, do not apologize." "I guess dragons have always had tempers" Bronwyn replies...not something she ever thought she would say about a real life situation but life is strange in these parts. "If I'd known there were so many lives at stake with that translation... Yeah, I know, I did it and I could still save lives so I'll stop apologizing" she smiles, before starting to pack up the papers. Each vellum page placed in plastic sleeve that can be sealed up. "You'll let me know what happens, right? How is Olivia doing?" "I will keep you up to date on everything," Velvet promises. "But yes. A lot about dragons is real. Tempers, their love of shiny things, the hoarding." She chuckles. Then it fades. "Olivia is adjusting. Thankfully she'd been enscorcelled, like yourself. So she knew for about two weeks about us before she was taken. I think that's made it a little easier for her." "Would being ensorcelled matter when you're being tortured...changed...taken apart and rebuilt? I mean, I know what humans look like but if they tortured me, I doubt it would help" Bronwyn suggests. "Speaking of...when will this sight stop? Didn't you say to the next moon or something? I mean, I /think/ I'm used to it now, but...I dunno. Your masks were pretty nice too." "It matters when you're out. You already know about the community and what to expect. It means there's less shell shock," Velvet explains. "Enscorcellment only lasts for a month, but we're going to have to pledge every month. If anyone finds out that you aren't pledged and you know about us, it puts us both in danger. But you can also ask us to put the Masks up." With a little flutter, the elven version of herself is gone, returned to the normal, human-like version of Velvet. "Oh...so I have to make this pledge every month until I die?" Bronwyn's eyes narrow. "Umm...does that mean I have to be around you until I die? To make the pledge every month? I mean, you're my best friend so that won't be too bad but...staying in this town the rest of my life?" "You can set it to yearly, as well. But what we have at the moment is month to month," Velvet offers. "You aren't stuck with me forever, though, with my power level as high as it is, I am unlikely to age very much beyond what you see now. When I die, it will be because I died in combat or something of the sort. Whenever you wish to move on, you'll let me know, and I or someone else will contact the Freehold of the town you travel to. They'll find someone to help you there. Enscorcelled also means protected. Always." "I just want to make it clear I'm not planning on moving on any time soon, but I do want to know I can. I was saying something similar to Widget last night and she was almost in tears at the thought of me leaving" Bronwyn frowns. "A teary gremlin is not something you want to make happen. I mean, you could all come with me" she smirks. "I'm more likely to move to a tribe in the middle of nowhere...though I suppose Changelings could be everywhere. The myth is universal." A little snort of amusement. "Guess I can't call it a myth anymore." "I'm glad you aren't planning to go anywhere. But yes, rusting Widgets from tears is a bad thing," Velvet chuckles. "I don't think I've seen her cry. I've seen her torture the shit out of someone, though. That was illuminating as to why she's as broken as she is. Nobody has that darkness inside of them without something having triggered it." She shakes her head. "No, we are not a myth. A lot of the things you hear about aren't myths. It's just easier for the world to believe that they are." "Widget is...unique. Sometimes she is like a child. Sometimes...not so much" Bronwyn smirks. "You know, if you let me tell the world about you, they wouldn't need their myths. They could accept you." A pause. "We see every day how accepting humanity is. Forget it, stupid idea." "She is broken and Lost. We all are. We all find our ways to cope with it. Hers is a certain kind of innocence." There is none of that innocence in Velvet. A brow arches as Bronwyn mentions being revealed to the world. It doesn't take long for her to piece together why that would be such a bad idea for herself, so Velvet just stays quiet. Her head gives a little bob of agreement at the very end. "You all may be broken and lost but it's pretty obvious you also know how to love and heal" Bronwyn replies, reaching out to give her friend's hand a squeeze. "I think you guys could definitely unite humanity. Trouble is, it would be uniting them against you. And that wouldn't be good for anyone. Would you like that drink now? I'm trying to get Widget to drink less. She's getting...addicted to it." "Some of us are better at those things than others. Chances are that if I hadn't met Weaver, I wouldn't be as open and gentle as I am now." Which is probably alarming given that she's not really that open and gentle at all. Velvet squeezes Bron's hand with a smile. "Yes. A drink sounds lovely. Thank you. I'm glad that Widget has someone looking out for her," she admits. "I worry about her." "I worry about her too" Bronwyn nods as she heads for the bottles and glasses...she took up heavy drinking herself to get through the translation. Those words did almost make her go insane. "I...umm...care about her too" she admits with a blush. "Oh, your aunt dropped by the other day. Dani. She's nice too." She pours them both a vodka and orange juice, bringing it back to her guest and handing over a glass. "Open and gentle. Yep, that's you" she winks. "I know that you two are close. Nothing to be all blushy about," Velvet offers with a chuckle as she gives Bronwyn a little squeeze around the waist with one arm. "It's good that she has you, and that you have her. It makes me happy." Taking the glass, her free hand presses to her chest in mock offense. "I very gently assist terrible people into death throws. Does that count?" Her head tilts at the mention of Dani. "I don't know her that well, but I don't hate her so far. So that's a good thing. "Widget's more interested in Damion than me. I mean, I know she cares about me but she cares about a lot of people" Bronwyn shrugs. "I don't mind. Honestly. I'm probably just as bad." A laugh at Velvet's idea of being nice to people. "How long does it take you to decide if you hate someone? And how long do they live after that?" "Open relationships can be good if both people are down for it. Some are even healthier that way, honestly." Velvet gives a little shrug, sipping from her glass. A cool smile etches around the rim at that last question. "That depends entirely on what they've done. I don't feel enough emotion for hate to truly take hold in me. Distaste, yes. But if what they've done has hurt innocent people on purpose? Then they are very likely to die within twenty four hours. "You must be able to hate if you can love. Different sides of the same coin" Bronwyn replies before a sip of her drink. "If you can love for a long time, you can hate for a long time. I don't suppose you have an open relationship?" A little giggle. "Hey, a girl can always hope." A nod towards the papers she has now put into a folder. "So when will you be going to kick ass?" "Perhaps. But it hasn't come up yet. Until I have actually felt it, I suppose it's all a guess. We don't work normally. Our emotions especially. Perhaps I have simply not found something worthy enough of hatred." Velvet offers a smirking look at the question. "Afraid not. We're actually looking into ways of having children. We're going to try a special hedgefruit that's rumored to let even us bear children. The children don't look... normal, but there are ways to fix that." She glances towards the folder, considering. "Soon. I need to do recon on the building first. Then I'll start taking them out one by one." "Children? Congratulations" Bronwyn smiles before suddenly looking concerned. "Umm...this hedgefruit is really hard to find, right. I mean, there have been Changelings who have promised me that pregnancy is a total non-happening." A roll of her eyes. "Fuck. Men! They lie regardless of whether they are human or changeling. Your children will be beautiful, regardless. Do you really want to make them...normal?" Velvet lifts a reassuring hand. "Outside of incredible measures, no Changeling is going to knock you up," she assures. "You really don't have anything to worry about. Why? Who did you fuck?" Her eyes dance now, curious. "The hedgefruit is found on some of the most dangerous animals in the Hedge. Had to be scraped off of wherever it grows on their bodies. It was not an easy task. Not a risk that anyone is likely to take unless it's something they truly want. Or want to make a huge pay day." Her head shakes at the normal question. "No. But these differences are something that anyone can see. Horns, wings, any abnormalities for the world to gaze upon." "Won't your children have masks as well?" Bronwyn asks, "Or is it something you have to create slash think up so a baby couldn't do it? You know that you won't be able to be the same killing machine with a baby inside you. It won't be just about you then. And a lady never tells about who she fucks." A beat before she narrows her eyes playfully. "I /am/ a lady, right?" "No. Nor will the child be a Lost. Born of two Lost, cursed to look like one, without actually being one. It's part of why they are so rare. I imagine we'll have to find a token for them that will change their appearance, giving them a mask." Velvet smiles, inclining her head. "I know. It's why we haven't done it yet. I need to take care of a few things first. Then the fruit, then hopefully a baby to follow." She wobbles a hand at that playful narrowing of eyes. "Ehhhhh." "You bitch!" Bronwyn gasps playfully before punching her friend in the shoulder...huge amount of damage there. Then a shrug as she screws up her nose. "Probably a fair call actually." A hug for Velvet. "I hope everything goes how you want it to. You deserve it." Velvet chuckles at the hug, patting the other woman. "I really, really don't, but I'll get it anyway. Deserve or not, I am a woman who gets what she wants." She kisses Bron's cheek and rises. The glass is polished off and placed in the sink. "I have to run. But I'll be back soon to check on you. Thank you. For everything."