The "Research Department" has its offices off the "East Room" of the old library, through the glass doors, up the stairs.. which are bronze, not iron, as Faeries have never gotten along well with iron.

Present are two of the senior directors, both well dressed conservative looking gray haired people who certainly do not look like the kind of people who believe in fairies- Edna Birnbaum and Dennis Flattery.

Also present- The "new" PC's, Darren, Mouse, and Brynn.

And a pointy red hat.  Very small.  Sitting on a lace mat in the center of the polished oaken table.

"It's all we have, and it's quite puzzling, says Edna Birnbaum.  "Julian brought it back for us, along with the description of the wearer.  One of the Little Folk, clearly, but... I don't think it's one we've encountered before."

It is mid November, and weeks before the traditional Christmas Tree lighting in the city.  Yet, in three places so far, Christmas Trees, fully decorated and lit in all their glory.

At first the Library was ready to dismiss this as a prank by Pixies.  But... with the Fey, one can never rush to judgement.  There is danger in the most harmless looking things, and the most dangerous looking things sometimes mean no harm at all.

"Julian got a good look at him, in Bryant Part, and he was not a Pixie," Dennis Flattery says. "He ran, he did not fly, for one.  I don't think he was a Gnome, either, despite the red hat.  Gnomes can be playful, but not like that.  Now, Christmas Trees and all, it sounds like harmless fun, but there's something deeper.  The decoration on the trees... little hanging ornaments with ancient Norse Runes on them.  Odd, no?  And, you know our other members are at this very moment dealing with reports of Trolls... two Trolls, now.. who have apparently very recently arrived from Norway.  A Troll can be a very dangerous thing.   Norway...and Norse Runes... I don't believe coincidence stretches that far, not when there's Fey involved.. far too much magic in the air.  There is something going on here, and I am feeling increasingly disturbed that I don't know what it is."

"And honestly, we don't even know where to start," Edna says.  "Post a watch at other Christmas Trees being set up?  It's November, between now and Thanksgiving... there must be hundreds that will go up across the city.  I don't think that's how to do it."

Mouse approached the table curiously.  He had encountered redcaps before, but their caps reeked of old blood and death.  They were also notably larger than whatever had worn that cap.

He sniffed curiously at it, letting his sense of smell tell him more about the wearer while also learning the scent, preparing himself to track it if it becomes desirable to do so.

Brynn was seated on one of the plush library chairs and currently leaned back on its two legs rocking gently back and forth as she stared at the red hat. She was a contradiction to most in the room. She was dressed in ragged hiking boots, dirty jeans, and a red hoodie with a faded yellow Pac-Man on its front. She had grabbed hold of her bushy tail and was idly stroking her cheek with the tip, and occasionally brushed through the course hair with her free hand as she lost herself in thought regarding the situation.

She seemed to become aware of people talking around her, and leaned forward to drop the chair onto all four legs. She gently patted Mouse's back as she stood up and said, "I can probably get eyes on some of the more popular trees that have't been tricked if you'd like. My children are busy this time of year, but handouts always come better near signs of good cheer. So, it's not like they'd even be put out that much."

She smiled down at her friend Mouse and said, "In the meantime, Mouse and I can investigate the trees that were messed with. Maybe he can pick up a trail that we can follow."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:31, Tue 23 Feb 2016.

There is no smell of blood from the hat.

"I was hoping you could find some of the other Little Folk of the city," Edna suggests.  "They are shy, but... Pixies, especially, are often drawn to children."

"Pixies are daft," Dennis Flattery interupts.  "And there's only a few in the city.  How do you find them?"

Pixies have a reputation, of being the least serious, most childlike of all Fey.  Many of the more... focused... Fey routinely question their sanity.

"That's why we have Brynn and Mouse," Edna says.  "It doesn't have to be Pixies.  But this seems... so much like what Pixies might do."

"Julian saw him.  Not a Pixie."

"Well, I still think the Little Folk... wherever we can track some down... would be a good place to start," Edna says.

The hat, he decided, smelled delicious,  Mouse tentatively licked at the hat

He sat back down, licking his chops, and looked at Edna, giving her a decidedly non-doglike nod.  Pixies' love of sweets was a well known thing.  Finding them, he thought, could lead to whatever it was that they were seeking

He just hoped they didn't try to braid his tail again.  Little bastards.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:11, Thu 25 Feb 2016.

Amara comes running in "Oh, sorry I a, late." She says with a grin as she walks over and looks down at the men. She wondered what was up though she had heard part of the issue. It was always soo hard for her to talk with pixies unless she shifted to their size, which she had no trouble doing.

Brynn looked up from the hat to look at the two directors as they had their little spat in regard to how to best approach the situation. She looked at Mouse when the two weren't looking in her general direction, rolled her eyes, and winked with a smile.

She looked back at the two and raised her hands up with her palms toward them and said, "All right, all right! We get the idea. Mouse and I will be happy to..." She paused her thought as the doors opened and Amara came in. Brynn, who could easily pierce the veil, looked up at the impossibly tall Djinn woman. She smiled and waved her fingers as she said, "Better late to the party than unaccounted for."

She looked back at the two directors and said, "Ok. Find the pixies, maybe even Julian who seems to know more than it's not a pixie, and go from there." She tugged her hat down tighter on her head and looked at Amara and asked, "Feel like tagging along then Amara?"  She didn't know this woman as well as she would have liked, but knew of her at least. Maybe this little adventure could rectify that.

Mouse looks at the tall woman.  She smells of hot sand and something spicy that he couldn't identify.  Well, and of magick, but a lot of things around here smelled of magick.  It made him sneeze sometimes.

"Woof."  His bark was quiet and friendly.