Colin smiled and lightly tapped the girl's face with his hand. "Don't worry about it, lass. Lots of folks don't like us potato eaters much," he said with a smile. He held her hand and signaled for another drink. "Don't be upset. Nothing you could have said would have made things different. Did he say something to you that made you this upset, beautiful?"

Y-Yes. He was upset that I called your attention to him. He called me a worthless whore and said I was lucky he didn't show me the back of his hand! Can you believe it!? She starts to take heart now that you've been so kind to her, though the drink probably helped. I am no whore sir! How dare he make such presumptions! And such a supposedly well bred sort should have a more civil tongue in him! If I were a man I'd go find that rat and pummel him good!

Colin slammed his drink down and adopted a voice of somewhat false bravado. "That cur," using the word her had heard been used against him many times in the past. It sounded right. "Fear not, m'lady. I'll make sure that your honor stays intact. I'll go teach that mongrel a lesson right now!"

Not waiting for anything, Colin took up his hat, paid for his drinks with a few more bills than required and stormed off out the door. He took the first alley he saw and dropped the belligerent drunk routine. Not really having much to go on, Colin scrambled up the nearest fire escape to the roof tops, figuring to make towards the more wealthy side of town and stay out of sight while he was doing so.

OOC: Colin will start a search, using a vantage point of the rooftops to find the interested man.

This time of night there aren't many folks out and those who are tend to be unsavory types, at least to people like whoever this rich fob is. Therefore, as you scan the streets from the rooftops, it's not long before you see a solitary man walking quickly to one of the main streets, probably in an attempt to hail a cab from his pace and wary glances. He doesn't think to look up though, and so you remain hidden from him.

You could probably catch up to him if you hurried. He's not moving slow by any means but he doesn't seem the type to run unless he absolutely must.

Colin continues to follow him, hoping to learn something about this man and why he has taken an interest in Colin.

Following him is a bit tricky since he is in a cab, but fortunately you have the advantage of height and you are able to track the carriage's movements fairly well by scrambling to various building tops. At last you spot the man get out at a very fine brownstone close to where Amelia parted ways with you. It will take you about ten minutes to get there by foot if you hurry but at least you have your location.

ooc: If you decide to do the sneaky route go ahead and make the appropriate rolls for when you get there. Also keep in mind it's about 11:30 p.m.

Colin decided that the best plan was to wait the man out. Colin took out a cigarette and lit it, observing the building with interest. He decided that he would give it a couple of hours to see if the man had reported Colin or was expecting company. After that, he would head back and sleep it off. The man needed to be watched, but for now at least, Colin could let him think that nothing was the matter. After all, Colin knew where he was staying and could visit during the day.

You wait a couple hours. By now it is very very early morning. You are just about to call it quits when you see the front door quietly open and a woman emerge, along with a couple of servants bearing trunks. A small carriage is pulled around from behind the place, likely the estate's, and soon the trunks are loaded inside. During all this the woman looks back at the house worriedly, gesturing and speaking quietly to the staff, just as involved in this hasty packing as they. As you get closer you realize to your surprise, it is Amelia.

Colin made a sneer as he first recognized Amelia. What was she playing at?, he thought as he got closer. Then it hit him. The man was likely her husband, which made more sense as he thought about all the times she had insisted they remain proper business partners. He lit up another cigarette and moved even closer.

Colin's first thought was to confront her. It would serve her right for lying to him, but he stopped himself. Colin knew with all his bravado and charm, he was the one in the wrong on this fight. If she was married, he was the intruder. Deciding against any direct action, Colin flicked the freshly lit cigarette near the carriage, right where Amelia would see it.

Not caring if she actually saw the sign he had left, Colin walked slowly back to his apartment, his thoughts and shoulders heavy with the weight of what he just saw.

The rest of the night passes fitfully. The fact that you are to see her the next day doesn't make it any easier.

ooc: For time's sake I'm going to assume you are going to keep your meeting at the men of letters headquarters? If not let me know!


By the time you make your way to the warehouse and into the tunnels below it's late morning. You've not slept well and it shows. You are greeted by passerby, other hunters and their superiors but it's a bit of work to find out where Amelia is. Few seem to know and by the time you are able to track her down, that combined with what you saw the night before, make you angry indeed.

She is in a sitting room with Victoria and the two are bent in heated conversation which stops the moment you enter, each looking like someone caught talking about something they shouldn't be. Amelia looks even worse than you somehow. Her usually flawless hair and clothes a bit rumpled and you can see the creases in her dress from where it was folded in the trunk. What's more, she has just about the nastiest black eye you've ever seen.

Colin said nothing at first. His fist clenched hard and he had to stop for a moment. He retrieved a cigarette and didn’t light it, simply letting it dangle in his lips. He left it there before slowly grabbing his matches and lighting the cigarette up. His look said everything. He was quiet, serene, a man with a purpose. He glanced at Victoria for a moment before regarding Amelia. His words were short, but carried a heavy implication. “He struck you. Now he won’t walk again,” he said and turned to walk away.

There is an immediate response from both women. Amelia's surprise turns to desperation as she bolts up and blocks the doorway, arms outstretched in a laughable attempt to stop you. He'll kill you! You're no match for him! The pure fear in her eyes indicates she really believes this. Meanwhile Victoria looks just as shocked and she too implores you. Please Colin, you have no idea how powerful he really is. Calm down, we'll talk this out. How did you even find out about him? I think you two should head back out sooner rather than later if he knows about Colin she sighs.

Should you try to continue on your way, you feel your limbs try to stiffen in place...Having two witches trying to stop you makes for a difficult time...

ooc: You would need to roll a fort save if you try to continue out the door.

Colin didn't resist. He didn't feel a need to now that his point had been made. Instead, he kept the hard nosed look that had been on his face when he had entered. He simply stared at Amelia, Colin's eyes as cold as when he had nearly lost himself on the roof. "Man came to where I live, insulted a friend, and now he has struck another. Unless you plan on killing me, this won't stop me. You've seen me fight. You both know what I am capable of doing with my mind on it," Colin said with a quick glance to Victoria.

He returned his gaze to Amelia, saw the fear in her eyes and lowered his voice that he hoped the other woman would not be able to hear. "I won't forget this. I don't think I can if I wanted to. It ain't right and you know it. Nobody strikes a woman, especially one that I like," he said and his look dropped from coldness to worry as he realized the implication of what he said. Colin shifted the conversation quickly. "You must have seen what I left for you. You must have known what I saw," he said.

Amelia looks completely stunned at hearing he came looking for you and she pales, listening intently to the rest of your words. At your claim that you like her she somehow looks even more surprised and then gives a small smile, blushing fiercely. I'm quite fond of you too Mr. Browne she says softly. At your mention of the cigarette she turns grim. So that was yours. she says quietly when you've finished. I hoped it wasn't. This is all...so complicated. I'm so sorry you've been drug into this. I thought father was still in Europe she rubs her temples, still blocking the door as though you'll change your mind at any moment. The revelation that the man is her father, not husband is quite a surprise though it's difficult to say which is worse.

Victoria nods. Unfortunately it is more complicated than you know Mr. Browne. Whitt Kirk is one of the founding members of our New York chapter of the men of letters. My father was the first, Amelia's the second. He may be a blaggard and abusive, but he is one of the most powerful members, if not the most, that this city has seen. His skill in the arcane is not something to ignore. Where do you think his daughter got her talent? Victoria gives her friend a small smile though the blond shakes her head. I'm still years behind him. He hates that I practice too. But...what he hates more is my fraternization with hunters she looks up at you guiltily. He loathed my engagement to Jack for that reason. I think he was actually happy when he died she sounds bitter at the memory, looking down at her feet a long moment. I...understand if you don't want anything more to do with me Colin. He could make trouble for you if given a chance. I'm so very sorry.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:28, Fri 15 Dec 2017.

Colin gave a hard glare at Victoria. "I could give a good goddamn if he was President Harrison. Man did wrong. Father or not, I can't let him intimidate my landlord, his staff, my friends, or anyone else without confronting him," he said. Colin then looked to Amelia.

"I don't know what you have between you. That's a family matter and not mine to judge. Fact that he struck you is the problem. It's my job to protect you in these situations. I am a hunter and some men are monsters," Colin stated with cold determination. He deftly ignored her remark about not wanting anything to do with her. That idea was as inane as the idea that he would do nothing about her father.

Victoria falls silent at your rebuke, though she doesn't look like she really disagrees with you. You have a feeling some matters are beyond her control.

Meanwhile Amelia's eyes bulge and she re-solidifies her position barring the door. That's very gallant of you but I don't require your protection. In fact it is you who could do with mine. Stay clear of that man Colin! He probably only means to warn you away from me but if you rile him... she shakes her head. Please. Let's just leave now. Right now! We can figure out a way to deal with him later, I promise! But for now listen you fool! If you go in there flashing that pig sticker of yours and think you're going to get anywhere you're going to have a very blunt lesson. He could liquefy your organs with a gesture! He could empty your mind of this entire year and you'd not even know who the men of letters was if he wanted! Demons fear him for good reason, he's unstoppable! Don't go poking a lion with a stick and think you have the upper hand because you're angry at it. For once put that fool Irish temper away and use your brain!

Would he really do that? Victoria gasps. Amelia flashes a bitter smile. I don't know. Depends on how angry he gets. Usually father has some semblance of decorum but we both know he's capable of nearly anything if he's put out. You remember what he did to Jenkins? Victoria nods at this and gives you a worried look. I thought he said that was an accident... And you believe him? Amelia arches a bruised brow, then turns to you. I'm not going to budge from this spot until I can at least get your promise to delay whatever hair-brained thing you think it is you're going to do. I'll talk with him about harassing your friends, but I want you to stay out of it please

Colin's voice is little more than a whisper as he leans into Amelia's ear. "Hard to cast a spell when you have a Glasgow smile," he says as his words drip with menace. He stares hard at Amelia before inhaling deeply and moving away from the door. "I understand you are concerned for my safety, but if I thought you could stop me, I wouldn't have told you my intentions. The discussion is tabled for now, but I won't forget what has happened. Trust me when I say that I have no qualms about barring all the doors and windows of that place and setting it alight. Witches burn bright, if you didn't know," Colin commented in a cold manner. "A hunter doesn't last as long as I have without finding a place to put away his morals while there is business that needs doing."

It was apparent that his demeanor had changed significantly. From noble, foolhardy hunter to the cold, calculating one he had been before he met Amelia. It was that brutal nature that had served him well growing up on the streets and as a hunter. He was certainly not afraid to show the dirty, underhanded tricks in his bag to kill something that he was hunting. He wanted both women to understand that. He was concerned that night when he saw Amelia. He was angry when he saw her face. Now he had moved on to wrathful, and to him, it was a very dangerous place to be.

Amelia gives an alarmed look at your words, dark blue eyes wide with shock. Then they narrow as only a woman's can and she turns to an equally stunned Victoria. You and I shall finish our conversation later Victoria. I need a minute alone with this fool. The black woman nods in response, eyes flicking uncertainly to you before she quits the room, leaving you with the blonde witch who crosses her arms and gives you a look that the strictest of school mistresses would envy. If you put away your morals too much Mr. Browne, they have a way of not coming back. You're on the edge of losing yourself. I've been around hunters enough to see it a thousand times. There's a reason people like my father think of hunters as little more than grunts. Too many lose their humanity in this work; they get their hands too dirty. I'll not let that happen to you. My father is MY problem and I shall be the one to deal with him. I forbid you to interfere. Forbid it! Now, get that ice out of your eyes and start packing if you think you're up to it. I leave tomorrow morning with or without you.

It's almost laughable, this short slender thing so determined to stand against you. She really would have made a great schoolmarm. With her jaw set like it was she'd be the nightmare of many a naughty young boy.

Colin scoffed. "You think that horse is high enough? You talk down to me like I am little more than a youngster in a classroom. Do you think I do not know the consequences of my actions? Do you think so little of my own control that you must chide me like this? I have been fighting the darkness long enough to know what it means to lose myself. I have come back every time, no matter how hard it has been. It scares you. Just like your father is scared of what a hunter can do," he stood suddenly pointing an accusing finger at Amelia.

"You forbid me! What a joke! You sit, like the rest of the Men of Letters, in a gilded cage. Bounded by your own sense of morality and objectifying those that do not have the privilege of being so learned. Do you know where hunters come from? Do you know what drives a man to hunt the terrors of this world? Pain. Loss. Sacrifice. Things I doubt you have been truly introduced to. Tell me, Amelia, what struggles did you have living in the comfort of a brownstone? Did you suffer in winter, fearful more that you might lose something to the cold than worrying about the hunger in your belly? Did you wonder what happened to those that camped around you, friends disappearing into the night? To hear howls and screams of things they prey upon those with nothing to their name because no one will miss them? Did you cower when you saw the thing of shadows come for another, praying to the Lord Almighty that it wasn't your night? How long did you cry when the thing consumed a child in front of you and guilt swept over you? When did you decide that you would rather die with a broken broom handle in hand rather than go quietly into that goodnight? When did you decide that the thing in the night should fear you, rather than the other way around? When did you decide that no child should have to fear the dark while you still drew breath? Tell me true, Amelia, when you have seen and known true terror and fought it?", Colin finished, his face flushed and breathing heavy. He sat heavily on the floor where he had been standing and shakily tried to light a cigarette, fumbling over the thing.

Amelia listens to your tirade with complete and utter shock, paling as she stares, wide eyed at your rush of words. When you sit, trying to get your cigarette, she stands, unmoving for what seems an eternity though it is only a few seconds. Then, she carefully sits next to you, her face pained and sympathetic. I'm so sorry Colin she says quietly, her voice trembling slightly. I didn't mean to imply... she trails off and then sighs, shaking her head. It may not seem like it, but I appreciate what you hunters do. More than I may let on. You're right, about a lot of that. You've seen and done more than I can imagine. But...I am not without my sympathies Colin. I watched the man I loved, a hunter, die right in front of me. A demon reached into his mouth and tore out his throat while I watched screaming. It was he who taught me to be grateful for what you do, for the sacrifices you make. I have merely seen a glimpse of your world and it nearly destroyed me.I AM sheltered. My hands do not have the blood on them yours does and I'll never catch up to you there. If you think you can keep your darkness at bay, I will trust you. At least understand, I only worry about you. I just want you to be alright. I...I'm sorry. She puts a hand on your shoulder and gives it a squeeze and then stands up again, looking toward the door.

Colin sat, staring, as the cigarette burned but he was not smoking it. Finally, after a few long minutes, he rose and said nothing, instead moving towards the door. His voice was low and dangerous as he spoke, though not directed at Amelia in its callous nature. It seemed more a product of his mood than active disdain for the woman. "Let's go," is all he said.

He left without a further word, going back to his apartment and the shelter of the bar below. He drank heavily, a simple canvas bag with his worldly possession at his side. He hated himself, for what he had said and what he had become. By the time he had wit enough to think about something else, most of a bottle of whiskey was gone. He paid and left, stumbling back to the Men of Letters and sleeping where he fell.

Amelia of course, does not accompany you but mutters something about seeing you later, not looking at you and walking away as quickly as she can. She's clearly upset but at this point who isn't?

Later, in your drunken stupor you find a study to sleep in, lying on a couch, your pack as your pillow. When you finally wake it's hours later and you see a small clock on the mantle of the room that indicates it's 2:58 in the morning. With no windows underground, it is difficult to grasp the passing of the day and you realize, after some muddled, groggy math, that you've slept for well over nine hours! Hunters are always sleep deprived anyway but that combined with that morning's events and your drinking bout has left you exhausted. Even now it's all you can do not to lay back down and close your eyes...You're also feeling extremely hung over, and the headache that splits your head is a higher price to pay than you were expecting.

ooc: Should you get up and look around headquarters you'll find that there's more people up than you'd expect this time of night, but they are hunters mostly, no doubt out doing the good work. The men of letters themselves seem to keep more reasonable hours and you figure that includes Amelia because you don't see her anywhere and should you ask, you're told she's in her room. Food and anything else you may need is provided for you and you can always go back to sleep if you wish. Let me know if you have any other plans that night, otherwise I'll just move you along below, so if something you do conflicts with this just ignore the continuation and I'll edit it later.

Later that morning, at a more godly hour, you are offered breakfast and a bath should you wish it and a young woman informs you that "Amelia is leaving at nine o'clock." You note she says it that way specifically. Perhaps the blonde woman has intentions of leaving without you should you not show up, though it could just be the altercation making you paranoid.

If you head that way, you find her outside at the warehouse stables, overlooking provisions and making sure supplies are in place. The bright sunlight makes your still aching head worse and between that and everything else that transpired, you've definitely felt better...

Amelia, her back to you, wears a new dress of deep violet and a small matching hat with a netted half-veil, every hair in place as always and black leather gloves pulled up to her wrists. As you near you see her black eye is greatly improved. Only the slightest hint remains, indicating she's had some healing done. She gives you the slightest glance, then goes back to her inventory, face completely expressionless. This could be a long day.

ooc: You'll have to do a sense motive if you want to pinpoint her mood. You know how women are ;P
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:30, Wed 03 Jan 2018.

Colin approached Amelia, if only to assist. He made no apologies, nor excuses. He makes to his own arrangements. Once his thing were secure, he took a small pull from a canteen of water, willing his hang over to leave him. He studied Amelia for a moment. She was in a mood of some sort, but which he could not be sure. Instead Colin approached. "I am ready when you are."

18:24, Today: Colin Browne rolled 13 using 1d20-1.  Sense Motive.

She merely nods and takes out a map, giving you the barest of directions, then, satisfied you know where to go, she pulls out a book and reads silently, her posture picture perfect and she never once glances your direction. She definitely has her guard up.

Ooc: you sense she is irritated and uncertain but there's likely more you're missing and it's only the faintest hint of any of this. Had you not spent the last few months with her you'd likely not even get this much.

Note: she'll keep on like this for days if you let her. Let me know your plans

Colin decided it would be better to let the mood play itself out rather than attempt to mollify Amelia and make the matter worse. He instead focused on the journey, enjoying the outdoors and lack of hangover. He found various ways to occupy his time. His favorite was humming or singing to himself, often folk tunes of his people. A few more were more bawdy drinking songs, but those were sung when he figured Amelia was out of earshot. A few times he had tried to catch a glimpse of the book she was reading, but never tried too hard. All in all, he found his own entertainment, content to let her find hers.

OOC: Colin is content to let Amelia stew. He does take point, looping back to make sure they are not being followed and to scout the road ahead.