Logfile from Brass&Steel.

You enter Bo Ling's. Bo Ling's Chinese Restaurant

	An elegant, upscale Chinese restaurant. Red and black and gold
laquered designs hang every few feet on wall the color of a dark cream,
alternating between the stereotypical dragons and other symbols such as a
golden buddha holding a sack of gold and smiling beatifically. The low
lighting lends a mood of intimacy, of thoughts whispered in agreement, of
business dealings and romantic liaisons. There is always the scent of
fresh-cooked food, and the rattle of trays and plates, and the low lull of
conversation.
	Even when closed for business, Bo Ling's often serves as an
informal gathering place for local upper-middle-class and upper-class
Chinese families, who come for tea and conversation, for alliances and
dalliances. Once lunch time begins, and sustaining all the way through
closing, those families form a knot of Asians near the back of the
restuarant, beyond which, through beaded curtains, even more of them can
be seen in the restaurant's semi-private and private dining areas.


Cosmo is already seated. He's sipping from some egg drop soup at a table
by himself. He looks around the restaurant, watching the door carefully.

Zach enters the restaurant in his cusomary relaxed manner. He quietly asks
the butler something, and he nods and gestures toward Cosmo's table. A
waiter leads him over to Cosmo's table. "Good morning, how's it hangin'?"
he beams down to Cosmo.

Cosmo chuckles and stands up as Zach approaches. He dabs his lips with his
napkin and then lays it down to extend a hand for a shake. "Good morning,
Zach. Please, have a seat." He looks just a touch worried.

Zach shakes Cosmo's hand firmly, then plops down on a chair. He asks the
waiter to bring him a bowl of Beijing Soup, then turns to watch Cosmo
closely as the waiter floats away. A slight frown manifests, "Anything
wrong, brother?" he asks quietly.

Actually, one who knows Zach fairly well and has a sharp eye might be able
to spot traces of a very uncustomary subduedness, or melancholy about him.
There's something in his eyes that reveal it.

Cosmo settles back into his own seat. A napkin placed over his right
thigh. He takes a sip of soup from his spoon. "I'm sure you are aware of
the current situation with Harriet. Along with other responsibilities. It
is somewhat taxing." He watches his brother closely, then adds. "It looks
as if something is weighing heavily upon you as well."

Zach sighs softly and tilts his head. A crooked smile float over his
features. "It depends on what current situation you mean. The threats from
the corruptor? Her continuing hurting after the Lucian thing? Or her new
mothering project?" He ignores the second question, because he asked
first!

Cosmo waves his spoon. "THe first two...her new mothering project?" He
asks and takes another bite. Be sure he's not going to let that go. No,
he'll be asking more questions. "I havent' spoken to her in several days.
I had to make some arrangements to insure some measure of protection
agaisnt the corrupter."

Zach lifts an eyebrow to this, approvingly. "I've seen her a few times
this week. I was away for the weekend, fixing some *ahem* friends'
vehicles over near St. Louis, see, and when I went to see Harriet on
Monday I found her holed up in her flat and frightened out of her mind.
That's when she told me about the corruptor. It's attacked Roger and it
has ridden him a few times. It's ridden her too." He scowls and shakes his
head. "We talked for hours, then I spent the night there. Been doing that
a lot ever since.... /He/ died. I hate leaving har to herself," he
murmurs. It's that cherub force showing. "I took her out yesterday night.
We met the corruptor at BJ's, but it didn't try anything. Then we went
dancing because Harriet was sick and tired of hiding..." At this he breaks
out into a smile both proud and loving. "I swear! That woman is something
else and I love her so!"

Cosmo grins and nods his head repeatedly at the story. THe grin spreads.
"She is quite a woman. And Roger is quite a good man as well. He is the
one that told me about the corrupter. These humans never fail to amaze me
in their courage and resiliency." He takes another spoonful of his soup.
Then frowns. "Thought it looks like I have to kill Sarah now. I tried to
convince her to stop the corrupter. Apparently the deal I offered her was
insufficient." He seems more upset she didn't take his offer then that he
has to kill the demon. "That will have to wait, however."

Zach raises his eyebrows. "Does she have any power over that monster?"

Cosmo frowns regretfully. "Apparently not. I made it clear that if she
didn't reign it in, however, I would hold her responsible. If she managed
to call it off, though, I would leave her be. Though, perhaps the fact
that it tried nothing is thanks to her. We'll have to see what happens
this week."

Zach nods slowly but seems unconvinced. "It may also be that it wants to
sway Harriet away from us. See, it told her that as long as she didn't go
the whole way, she'd be safe. Meaning that if she becomes a full Soldier,
it will attack her like it has attacked Roger. It's probably the same one
that's been making my life miserable for the past several weeks," he
sighs. "I am going to hunt it down and kill it over the holidays." he adds
calmly and determined.

Cosmo smiles at the firm sentiment. "Soul-death I would hope. Those
corruptors..there's really just very little else you can do with them."
His order of peking duck arrives along with Zach's soup. He waits for the
waiter to leave before continuing. "I think though, that our idea of
killing Lucian to stir up the local infernals has worked, at least. That
seems to be what has set off this particular attack."

Zach nods. "They're not happy about that, and they've always gone after
any Soldiers they can find. Easier picking than angels," he mutters
angrily. "I'm going to kidnap its host and take it away from humans, then
sit down and watch it get dissonant," he states grimly. "I'm also
seriously considering going upstairs to see if I can find Janus. I'm
thinking a small force catcher would be a nifty thing to give Roger. Or
Harriet. Or both."

Cosmo taps his chin with a finger. "I tell you what, since we are working
together, if Janus will provide them, I'll pay some of the Essence cost.
He and Marc get along rather well after all. Plus, the thought of seeing
the corruptor caught in one of those lovely force catchers...well, it
brings a smile to my face."

Zach smiles and nods. "That is a deal I can hardly refuse, my brother. I
was thinking of trying to get two of the smallest ones, they don't cost
all that much. The ones large enough to hold a corporeally active shedite
are far beyond my means, I'm afraid. But even the smallest ones will
/stop/ the corruptor from posessing a human. Which will annoy it no end,
I'm sure."

<OOC> Zach says, "A level/1 FC cost 6 character points."

<OOC> Cosmo says, "Yikes."

<OOC> Cosmo has points to use for that though. And, it'd be worth it.

<OOC> Zach says, "3 points per level, plus 3 points for being convenient
to wear. No essence cost. I have the points for 1 of these babies, and yes
they are SO worth it! :)"

<OOC> Zach says, "It's very angelic of us to invest points in gizmos that
will protect Harriet and Roger I think! :)"

"And being annoyed may lead to it doing something stupid." Cosmo eats his
peking guck, enjoying the slightly sweet taste of the meat. "If you can
find Janus and he'll provide two, I'll pay for one of them. If not, I'll
try to speak with Marc about it."

<OOC> Cosmo thinks so too. :)

Zach nods. "And if I dan't find my day to day Boss, or he won't part with
force catchers, I am going to try something else..." It's pretty durn
obvious who -er- /what/ that is, but he's not going to say that out loud!
"HAve you had any success contacting Stone about Roger, by the way?"

<OOC> Zach says, "I'll try to grab a Fidelity this week if I see him. It'd
be good getting them ASAP."

"Marc promised to speak with Laurence about inducting Roger into his
service. I haven't spoken to Stone about him yet, as I persoanlly think
he's far better suited to the Sword." Comso wipes his mouth again and
leans back. "I should be speaking with Marc again soon to find out more."

Zach ahs and nods, finishing his soup. It was a very good soup, so a
satisfied beam is beamed at the empty bowl. "I agree. It was the Sword who
recruited him, and theirs is the ideals he holds in his heart. I wish I
could have done more for him, but at least I managed to bring him into the
Symphony proper. It gave him some much needed strenght and security."

"As much as the Commander values Soldiers, I am baffled that he has taken
so long to recruit one who is waiting and eager." Cosmo pauses with a
faintly crooked smile on his face. "Ours is not to reason why, I suppose."
He's working steadily through his duck. Almost finished in fact.

Zach is torn between loyalty to their great and glorious choir-brother and
his loyaly to Roger. He ends up just nodding, swallowing the annoyance
he's felt ever since first hearing Roger's story. "The Sword is very
busy," he sighs. "I hope Roger manages to find himself a good woman soon.
He's lonely and he doesn't want to be. And that's something that the other
side knows how to exploit." He leans back on his chair and sips his glass
of water. "But back to Harriet - what have you set up in form of
protection? You mentioned something about that..?"

Cosmo sympathizes. And the comment /was/ meant partly sarcastic. He is
simply aware that there isn't much he can do to make the Commandor do what
needs to be done. "As I said, I made it clear to Sarah that if the
corrupter bothers Harriet, I will bother her. I'm also workign on getting
a few things together about Anderson, sot hat I can call a meeting with
the boss directly. I'm beginning to wonder, perhaps, if the two are
connected."

Zach runs a hand through his hair frustratedly. "There's a lot going on,
that's for sure... I am being called away for almost two weeks from next
Saturay, and that worries me no end! I have to follow orders, obviously,
but with all that's going on here I'll be fretting all over the place!
That's prtly why I've come here now, to let you know.."

Cosmo almost, but not quite, sighs at that. He's dealt with such
situations before. "I understand. I'll miss you, but I'll do my best to
hold things together while you are gone. I'll make sure Harriet doesn't
have to spend too much time alone as well."

Zach smiles morosely, but confidently to his dear brother in arms. "I have
every confidence that you will, Kosimeos. There is one more thing that you
should know, if you don't already know it; We have a sister in town, and
she is a bit of a tough cookie. I am worried."

Cosmo lets his eyes widen. Rare that Malakim take the form of a woman. "A
sister? Whom does she serve, Zach?" That's got his attention. The remains
of his duck peking left sitting on the plate and ignored now. He leans
forward, listening closely.

Zach smiles lopsidedly and readies himself. "Well, from what Harriet has
been able to weasle out of her, supported by Harriet's vivid descriptions
of her and my own observations... She serves Gabriel. In other words,
she's a hottie."

Cosmo smiles at the pun. "A hottie. Amusing. I imagine the two of you will
become rather friendly. Thoguh I hope she doesn't run into Delia." He just
shakes his head. Musing on things for a moment. "Do you know her name
yet?"

Harriet enters from the lobby.

Zach sighs. "We'll have to see about the friendliness thing. If she hurts
Harriet, then we'll have ourselves a serious problem. So far it seems that
Harriet is actually having some success mothering her, but I worry still.
You've actually met this one, her name is Brynn. Remember the two redheads
we met a few weeks back? She's the one with the gloves. And she's in a lot
of pain as far as I can tell, and she won't talk about it. I read a few
slightly disturbing things in her too, so I'm certain she needs some
help." He looks serious and frowns a bit.

Cosmo blinks at that revelation. The fork that had speared the last bit of
duck meat pauses. It's like you can hear him trying to shift into second
gear from fourth. "Brynn?" Well, that explains some things. The hot
coffee, the not paying attention to the cold. He and Zach are at a table
easily visible from the door.

Harriet enters the resturant, humming a little tune. She looks around as
the hostess seats the couple in front of her, and sees two of her favorite
people! Wow! When the hostess returns, she smiles and whispers something
to her, indicating their table. A waiter is sent over to Cosmo and Zach.
"Sirs, the lady at the door was wondering if she could join you?"

Zach tries to shrug it off. He's probably being overprotective. It
happens. "I'd feel better about her if I knew whether she's under some
orders from her Boss that's making her act so..." He shuts up as they are
approached and lightens up at seeing Harriet. "Sure!!"

Cosmo looks up at the waiter, then over to where Harriet is. He stands and
motions her over to join them. "Of course." He simply gives Zach a nod at
the alst comment. He can definitley understand that. And when dealing with
fire...things are often interesting.

Harriet sees the motion and brightens, not even waiting for the waiter to
return as she darts across the room to Zach and Cosmo. Cosmo being
standing, she hugs him first, then Zach. Beaming as she drops into an
empty seat. "Hey, guys!"

Zach beams like a lighthouse at Harriet and steals a snog as they hug.
"Hey there honey! What you been up to after I dropped you off?"

Cosmo returns the hug, one arms queezing her. He holds out her chair and
then resumes his own seat. "I have to apologize for not visiting lately."
He seems happy to see her though. Even putting a hand on her shoulder for
a firm squeeze.

"Grocery shopping, /finally/," Harriet tells Zach with a smile. She looks
over at Cosmo, and nods fondly. "It's okay, you know? It's been a busy
week for all of us, I imagine," she finishes ruefully.

Cosmo gives a faint nod of agreement. He has been busy. "I'm glad you
understand. Would you like something to eat? I think Zach and I were about
to order dessert, but we'll be glad to wait if you'd like an entree."

"Definitely!" Zach agrees with great feeling and reaches out to giver har
arm a cuddle, just because.

Harriet chuckles. "Well, I wouldn't mind a bowl of soup, actually." She
smiles at them both. "If it's no trouble, you know?" She looks at Cosmo,
and osays, "But don't let me interrupt y'all's conversation, please."

Zach grins a bit and winks at her. "We were discussing your latest mother
hen project, as a matter of fact..."

Motioning to a waiter, Cosmo get his attention for Harriet to order soup.
He smiles back at Harriet. "Yes, and Zach was letting me know that he is
being called away on business for a week or two."

Harriet does, indeed, order soup. She looks slightly disappointed at the
spoiling of her surprise, and even more so at Cosmo's news. "Really, Zach?
That's a shame, you know?" She smiles at him. "We'll miss you terribly."

Zach looks slightly morose. "And I'll miss you just as much. I really
don't want to go away, but orders are orders. Cosmo has promised to hold
the fort, though."

Cosmo pats Harriet's forearm at the look of disappointment. "I'm sure
we'll both miss him. We'll be alright though." He gives her a wink. "I'm
taking the next few weeks off from the office proper. I'm sure we'll keep
each other occupied. So tell me a little about your mother hen project.
Zach hasn't told me much other then the fact that you've taken Brynn under
your wing. So to speak."

Harriet smiles and nods at them both. At the mention of Brynn, she sighs.
"Where to start? She's a Malakite of Fire? She's touchy, irritable, and
stubborn. She's hurting very badly, and," she hesitates, "has extremely
good reasons to be doing so. And no, I won't tell you what they are, yet."
She shakes her head. "I worry about her deeply, but there's not much I can
do right now, until she lets me further inside, you know?" She shrugs.

Zach shighs and shifts a bit on his chair. He exchanges a meaningful
glance with Cosmo and hods reluctantly. "You do seem to be making progress
with her, and that's a good thing. I saw some disturbing things in her
heart, but nothing that can't be dealt with. I'm hardly the one to judge
too harshly, after all... As she's our sister, we naturally have a duty to
help her. It may be that for now, that help would be to stand back and let
you deal with her..."

Brynn enters from the lobby.

Cosmo takes the time to consider that. Then he gives a nod to Harriet. "Of
course. I would not expect you to violate her confidence. If I can help in
any way, I will be glad to do so. But you know this." He offers her a
smile. Then a nod of agreement with Zach. "Though if she needs space, that
is understandable as well. We want to help her after all, not make the
situation worse."

Harriet nods, to both of them, and relaxes in a way that only then draws
attention to how she was gearing herself up for an argument. "Thank you. I
really would appreciate it, you know?" She smiles. "Although, maybe I
/should/ let her move in with me..."

Cosmo , Zach and Harriet are all eating at a table easily visible from the
door.

Zach drains his water down the wrong way and collapses in a massive fit of
coughing. When he finally gets in under control, his face is red and there
are tears in his eyes. "Jeez! I'm nore sure that's a good idea at all. Are
you /sure/??"

<OOC> Harriet says, "Even under the circumstances, Harriet just /loves/
doing that to people..."

Cosmo glances at the two. A single blink, his eyes clear and curious as he
looks from Harriet to Zach. He sips on his water, having finished his own
meal. "Perhaps I am missing some vital information, but I do not see why
that would be a problem. It may even be beneficial to you both."

Harriet also looks at Zach a bit curiously. "Zach, I think you might just
be being a wee bit overprotective, you know? Although, normally it
wouldn't be my choice, either," she sighs, "it /is/ a loft, after all. But
with the Shedite and everything...I have to admit the company would be
welcome, and Brynn's easier to explain than, say, Cosmo." She grins at
him, and winks.

Zach frets. Fret, fret, fret. Then he pulls himself together and banishes
that cherub force to silence. "Allright, allright.... I'm being overly
paranoid and overprotective again. You're probably both right," he sighs.

"You're both right," he decides.

Cosmo adjusts his tie, tightening up the knot. "Of course. I do not wish
to give this role a reputation as a cradle robber, after all." He lets a
hint of a smile appear on his lips.

Zach snorts out an exasperated laugh at this. "Indeed. It would be bad if
your role had a life, right?" he teases kindly.

For some reason, the words 'cradle robber' cause the smile to freeze on
Harriet's face. She recovers quickly, though, and smiles at both of them.
"I'm not even sure she was serious about wanting to, anyway, you know?
She's probably forgotten she even mentioned it." She starts to say more,
except that her soup arrives! Yay for soup.

Cosmo gives Zach a mock-glare. "After you've cut a swath through town, I'm
afraid I'd be a disappointment." He sips from his water, taking the
teasing ins tride. He does glance at Harriet though. Concerned by the
expression. "Perhaps you can call her and see if she si still interested."

Harriet nods, seeming a little distracted. She glances at Zach. "Did you
tell Cosmo what I told you? About the Shedite's phone call, you know?"

Zach nods affirmatively. "More or less. I told him the message - that
you'd be "safe" as long as you don't sign up formally with our side."

Then! A really large metal foot smashes through the roof, demolishing half
the building! Far, far above, a psychotic teenage girl with spiky red hair
whistles the tune to a song about how alone and angsty divine agents are.
Well, no, but the whole anime thing is appropriate. Because the place is
Japanese. Or at least Chinese, and the two countries have a lot in common,
mainly because Japan tended to invade whenever they couldn't think of
anything to do with their weekend, which, because they hadn't invented
subways, strange cartoons, tentacles, and creepy business men back then,
occurred pretty often. Anyway, the door opens, and a Brynn steps through
the doorway for one reason or the other, quite possibly because she'd like
something to eat. Despite her habit of quickly scanning a building upon
entering, she seems to have something else on her mind this time; her eyes
quickly find a waiter or another employee, whoever is closest by, and she
heads towards him. With justice.

Cosmo gives a shake of the head. "It has no real way of knowing that. Of
course, who knows how long before we can contact your father and get her
inducted. No, we should proceed apace. We've stirred up the local
infernals. They are reacting out of fear and attempting to use it in turn
on us." He doesn't seem to be giving Harriet much choice in that. He's
sure she'll interrupt however.

The waiter smiles and greets Brynn politely and smoothly, maing her feel
welcome. Is madam alone and does madam have any preferances about where to
sit?

Harriet nods. "I'd like to get started as soon as possible, but that's not
actually what I was talking about, you know?" She sighs. "I think I
already told Zach this, but we were rushed. It's already possessed me
once, back when I was seeing Lucian. But," she hesitates, and looks down
at her soup bowl. "It's possessed Roger at least twice, and made a remark
about taking it 'slow and easy' that really has me very worried about
him..." Her cheeks redden at this point for some reason.

Zach takes her hand an gives it a comforting sqeeze. "Don't worry dear, we
have a plan. We're going to fix this, and things have already been set in
motion." He smiles to her in sincere confidence. Taking care of corruptors
isn't anything new under the sun, after all. Then he looks up and spots a
familiar form over by the door and blinks in surprise. "Well! Look who's
here.."

Madam? How DARE he call Brynn madam?! He must pay the ultimate price! Yes,
the ultimate price. No tip. "Is there an Omar... uhm, Atkins? here?" She
makes a point-wave-ish gesture in the general direction of the devouring
chamber. "I need to talk to him about..." a pause follows while she
thinks, using all her creativity to come up with something valid, "stuff."
She completely misses the happy little troupe.

Cosmo turns as Zach points toward the door, his head swivelling in that
direction. "As Zach said, we are working on it. Hopefully we'll have a fix
in the next week at the most." He smiles as he sees Brynn. And then sees
her speaking with the waiter. "Perhaps we should invite her to join us? I
don't believe she's seen us yet."

The waiter regretfully shakes his head. No, unfortunately mister Watkins
is not here today. But if she would like to leave a message for mister
Watkins, the establishment will be delighted to assist her in this. Mister
Watkins after all being a regular patron.

"That's not..." Harriet starts, then sighs, and closes her jaw with a
little click of teeth. It was lying anyway. Probably. Right? She also
turns to look at Brynn. "I think we should invite her over, you know? It
would be fun."

Zach smiles his agreement and leaves Cosmo to handle this one. He's the
one who knows all the staff here and has the best-looking suit here, after
all.

<OOC> Zach says, "Cosmo is in fact our Alpha Suit!"

<OOC> Cosmo laughs.

<OOC> Harriet says, "Cosmo is our /only/ Suit. :)"

Cosmo motions for their waiter, and sends him over to join his comrade in
food service in dealing with Brynn. The waiter smiles at the lovely
redhead. "Madam, Mr. Willingham would like you to join him along with his
other guests." He gestures toward the group with one hand.

Brynn nods once. "Watkins, right," she echoes, mostly for her own benefit.
"No, I'll run into him eventually, I'm sure. Thanks anyway." And then!
Evilness! Her eyes fall upon the waiter, and, as he gestures towards the
(evil!) group, her eyes wander in that direction, as well. "Oh, right,"
she mumbles, nodding again. And with that, she turns and heads towards
them.

Harriet smiles to see Brynn approaching, and gives her a little wave
before turning back to her soup. It's easier to brood while eating soup
than while eating almost anything else, Harriet discovers. The poor
innocent food probably doesn't deserve the look she's giving it.

Zach also greets the approching Brynn with a sincerely welcoming smile.
It's good to see her up and about. He lifts a hand in salute, and as she
enters their sphere says, "Hey there Brynn, good to see you!" in a warm
voice.

Cosmo stands up, taking a chair out from the table for Brynn. He keeps his
napkin in one hand. "Good to see you again, Brynn. Here, have a seat. Feel
free to order something, I'm taking care of the lunch bill." He watches
her motions carefully, looking at her in an entirely different light. One
of his sisters. And one of Gabrielle's no less. One imagines things are
going to get very difficult for the demons in town with three blackwings
running around. Even if one is...damaged.

Brynn senses danger! Quickly, she grabs a collection of spices from a
nearby table, throws it at the group, and flees. No. But she should.
Sadly, she just strides over to the three individuals, nodding once,
carefully, and stops by the table. Assuming there is a free chair, she
will pull it out, and take a seat. "Hi," she greets, eloquently. Oh, and
she's pale, like a person that hates the outdoors, but is really fond of
heavy, dark makeup, clovers, revealing slutty clothes, and staying up
late.

Harriet looks up from her brooding to beam at Brynn. "Hey, Brynn. It's
good to see you, you know? How are you doing?" She looks her over
critically, checking for any new patches of blood seeping through her
shirt. Brynn doesn't exactly take care of herself, after all.

AutoJudge:  Brynn rolls: 4 + 2 = 6 . Check die: 3

Zach also scrutinizes Brynn's person, while waiting for Brynn's responst
to Harriet.

AutoJudge:  Zach rolls: 6 + 3 = 9 . Check die: 3

You paged Brynn with 'Not that he will notice if there is anything to
notice... Stupid dice! :)'.

From afar, Brynn nods. :)

AutoJudge:  Cosmo rolls: 1 + 3 = 4 . Check die: 3

<OOC> Harriet feels left out, because she has no nifty honor resonance!

<OOC> Zach says, "Three malakim walk into a bar..."

<OOC> Cosmo patpats Harriet.

<OOC> Harriet steals Cosmo's resonance? ;P

<OOC> Cosmo says, "Aieee."

<OOC> Zach was trying to spot any suspicious damp patches on Brynn and
failed. :) Brynn is as fit as a fiddle!

Cosmo settles into his seat. He tucks his napkin back into place in his
lap. His eyes don't leave Brynn however. He actually blinks at something
though, before looking away from her. He studies Harriet across the table.
He's quiet for a while. Digesting something that isn't food. He does look
up at Harriet's question. "Yes, are you doing well?"

Brynn watches Harriet for a while, then nods. "Good to see you, too, alive
and well. I'm still breathing." There doesn't seem to be any patches of
blood. But maybe it's because she's wearing her jacket. You never know.

Harriet chuckles, and nods. "That's good to hear. If you weren't still
breathing, something would probably be deeply wrong, you know? Speech
would be difficult as well," she muses, then winks and grins at Brynn. She
throws Cosmo a little look, and raises an eyebrow as he studies her.

Zach nods and settles back on his chair comfortably. "I'm glad to see you
up and about, Bee," he says kindly. "You had me worried the other day, you
know. Althoug, as Harriet will no doubt tell you - that really don't take
much trigger." He grins ruefully in self-insight.

You paged Cosmo with 'Do you now understand why Zach was fretting? :)'.

Cosmo pages: Yep. :)

"Yes, well, I'm glad to see we are all alive and breathing and in one
piece." Cosmo says that dryly. To have something do do with his hands he
begins to fiddle with his cuffs, straightening them until they are
just-so. He brings a smile to his face for Harriet, and a nod to show her
things are...well, they are well enough.

You paged Cosmo with 'Malakim have some hang-ups about Certain Things.
Zach wants to see his sister in celestial form! He fears dissonance or
discord. Eek! Snarl!'.

Brynn nods slowly, but doesn't say a whole lot as of yet. Not entirely
blind, she notices Cosmo's discomfort, and turns her attention towards
him, watching him in silence. Closely, too. Oh, and while her back is
straight, she doesn't lean back in the chair.

AutoJudge:  Brynn rolls: 5 + 3 = 8 . Check die: 5

Cosmo pages: Exactly. The watchmen have to watch the other watchmen.

Harriet smiles at Cosmo, and turns her attention back to her soup, while
throwing little glances at the other members of the group on occassion.
She fidgets, too, but it's not terribly obvious. At least not if you were
across the room or anything.

Long distance to Cosmo: Zach nods. That is what we do. And then we
prectice tough love to help a damaged sibling. Even Zach does that! He has
had some experience with that kind of pain himself...

Cosmo just meets Brynn's look. He offers his best disarming smile. Which
isn't all that charming really. He's not the lady's man that Zach is. Not
by any stretch. "I trust we can all stay that way for a while, hmm?
Especially if we work together for one another's benefit." He wonders idly
if Harriet has told Brynn much about him. He'll have to ask in a moment.

Zach glances between Brynn and Cosmo, and clears his throat. "Have you two
been /properly/ introduced? I know I made the full intro for myself the
other day, so at least you know who /I/ am Brynn, but do you know my
friend Cosmo here for real?" he asks, still with warmth in his voice and
his eyes.

You paged Harriet with 'There is tention here... :)'.

Harriet pages: No, really? I'd never have noticed. ;P

You paged Harriet with 'I thought so. ;) Hopefully the cuddly tag-team can
diffuse some of it. :)'.

From afar, Harriet isn't feeling very cuddly, at the moment. She's still
trying to figure out how to ask someone if Roger really makes a habit of
sex with underaged girls...

Long distance to Harriet: Zach laughs! Oh dear, oh dear.... 8)

"Indeed I do. I just hope nobody else on my floor picked it up," Brynn
notes, peacefully, and offers a pale smile. "No, I guess we haven't been
really introduced." And Harriet will have to pay for it, too. First Brynn
will steal her sushi, then she'll turn up dead. Wait and see. It happened
to Lucian.

Harriet smiles. "It's a college dorm...if anyone heard anything, they'll
probably assume it was some weird Rush prank, you know?" She looks between
Cosmo, and Brynn, and decides to let someone else do the introductions.
'You're both neat' probably isn't what they're looking for.

"I am Kosimio. I work for Marc, sister." Cosmo offers her with a smile,
and an extended hand. He's a touch worried that the same sort of embrace
he gave Zach might wind up with the restaurant on fire. Never a good thing
to happen in a tether. So the handshake will have to do. "You'll pardon me
if I keep the introduction quiet." He gives Zacha crooked look. Noisy
introductions aren't always wise.

Zach chuckles and shakes his head. "Unless they all have the ears of a fox
and the eyes of a hawk, we'll be fine. I was whispering at the time,
durnit!" Hey, he's the Creationer! He's the one who should make the
exaggerations and tell the tall tales, dangit!

"Not all of them, Harriet. Not all of them. And one or two just might have
a surprisingly good hearing." Brynn says with a smile before she takes
Cosmo's hand, and gives it a firm shake. "Right. I trust you've been
briefed about me?"

Harriet sighs. "I'm an optimist. And Zach /was/ whispering, you know? And
looming, granted." She gives Zach a fond look, finishes her soup, and
leans back in her chair with a contented sigh.

Cosmo gives her a firm handshake in return. "I have. A little at least.
And of course what I could hear from the sounds around us." He's generally
teh straightforward type. So he doesn't mind making it clear he's just
resonated her. "I trust there are good reasons however, and I am pleased
to have a sister here in the city to aid us."

Zach mock glares at Harriet. "I'm six foot three, woman. The looming comes
as a natural effect sometimes." He chuckles and ditches the glare, eyes
and smile turning all warm and affectionate again as he looks at all his
friends - new and newer.

Brynn withdraws her hand, and places it on the table instead. "Pleased to
hear it. Hope I can help out in the future. Can either of you loan me a
gun or some gas?" She doesn't speak all that loud, of course.

"One of the dangers of being a towering tree-man," Harriet murmurs sweetly
to Zach, then snaps her head around to blink at Brynn. Her jaw hangs
slightly open, and she just stares.

Fortunately, Cosmo is short enough he rarely has that problem. Being
accused of being a tree-man that is. He glances at Brynn, a brow raising
at the question. "Why?" He asks plainly. At least there's no accusation in
his tone. More curiosity then anything.

Zach snorts at Harriet's teasing, then he also regards Brynn. "Yeah, what
do you need 'em for?" he asks in a relaxed voice. Nothing strange with a
sister asking for such things, other than the fact that she doesn't
already have said 'materials'.

"There's a chance I'll need it," Brynn states, unhelpfully. "I have an
appointment with an ugly." Aside from being eloquent and witty, she
doesn't do a whole lot. Except sitting there. Actually, that was a lie,
because she furrows her brow, and looks over at Harriet, inquiring, "Is
sake Chinese?"

Harriet winces. "Think it's going to go that badly, huh?" She blinks at
the question, then shakes her head. "No, It's Japanese. Rice wine, you
know?" A pause. "My life has gotten so freaky..."

Cosmo pats Harriet's forearm. "Perhaps Zach or I can be of assistance.
Which, 'ugly' are you meeting with?" It should be relatively easy to get a
firearm if that's really necessary. One would be surprised how easy it is
to get into police evidence lockers.

Zach takes Harriet's hand and gives if a comforting squeeze, while looking
at Brynn. "Yeah, we could. Unless you have to do it alone, of course. I
could pull a few tricks out of my sleeve as it were." There's a twinkle in
his eyes at that.

Brynn looks a bit thoughtful for a while, apparently considering it. Or at
least pretending to. "No, I'll handle it by myself. I guess I can get by
without extra equipment, as well." Really!

<OOC> Zach needs to pose out now, due to having a scene with Fid. Sorry.
<:)

<OOC> Harriet hugs. "Good luck!"

<OOC> Cosmo says, "Yes. Good lucky. :)"

Harriet smiles at the guys. See, Malakim /are/ cuddly! She doesn't say
anything about the plotting around her though. She'd be less than useless,
and doesn't really want to think about it right now, anyway. She just
leans back, smiles vaguely, and listens.

Zach looks at his watch and groans. "Guys, I gotta split. I'll pop by
later if I can. Take care y'all!" He kisses Harriet on the cheek and
offers warm handshakes to Brynn and Cosmo, then hurries out.

You step outside.