Sir John has called Alice and Goffery in to discuss the events of the night of the full moon.  Specifically, what lessons can be learned and what needs doing to restore order to Parker's Piece and to the Reality Bubble that is the University of Cambridge and environs.

Goffery had come to the college and had simply made his way first to the library to start pulling any books that might be of use for information upon the fae traditions, any known pacts of treaties that the watcher might have recorded, and upon the matter of magics, alchemy, or mysticism that would allow for the combination of explosions able to destroy beings of great power.  He was mostly grabbing all he could carry, and that was saying a bit.  Bringing them to the meeting point for the three representatives of the watchers present for this incident.  The golem then went to start a kettle in case any tea would be required during this meeting of the minds to figure out the situation.  Given his condition, he was more than content to support the other two in their discussion and figuring what was happening.

Though his effort to find some tea biscuits was slightly hindered by the stone fingers and needing to kneel down to check a few cabinets to search as the first package he came across was empty besides three broken fragments of a biscuit.  Leading to him having to empty out two cabinets of their contents as he went searching for a replacement package.

After making sure that Alice & Elissa were OK to do their own things, Alice went back to the college.  If time allowed, Alice took the moment to start developing the pictures she had taken... they could then dry during the meeting and be ready for viewing afterwards (in a few hours time).  The negatives were cleaned and sealed away for safekeeping.  Alice suspected she might need to make several copies.

"Pardon the lateness gentlemen, I had some film to develop.  Its drying now..."

Alice sat down wherever Sir John had decided to seat them.  So many things had happened at once... a werewolf student, Goffery's return, and some sort of Fae versus Fae activities.  Alice was also more than a little worried about the public's involvement.  Nonetheless, Goffery's tea helped to settle the nerves and she thanked him with a nod and a whispered "I'm glad you're alive".

"Where do we start first, Sir John?  Does this situation qualify as a local matter or do we have to inform the Council and await... representatives?"

The stone statue was in the process of bagging up rubbish, and sweeping up the mess made from his effort to find a package of tea biscuits.  Looking in Alice's direction the statue failed to do anything for a few seconds.  Had he still been human he would have been smiling at her, but lacking a mouth, lips, more muscles he merely did nothing as he attempted a phantom gesture that may have seemed a bit unnerving.

Hearing the whisper from Alice he responded _{"Alive may be a stretch."}

Listen to Alice's questions, Goffery gathered some paper and a pen preparing to write down any sort of information that may need to be sent to the Council. "I think that we may not have time to wait for the Council to send us aid.  And we have a large group of individuals now pulled into the situation here.  At least half a dozen from tonight.  I have to wonder if Cival has survived.  Seems he missed a bit on the quest given to him by Morgana." The tone was a bit flat and so it might be hard to read any emotions in his comment.

After some time, the telephone rings.  Sir John picks it up and turns on the loudspeaker.  "You're on speaker", he says, "I'm with Goffery Lemnin and Alice Casey.  Where are you."

"I'm at Downing", says Percival's voice.  "I was somewhat detained after an altercation with some of Downing's security daleks.  That's over for now, but what's been going on from your end.  I heard wolves howling and a humungous explosion.  And I think I may have caught a glimpse of a Dragon."

Sir John blinks and asks, "Downing College has Daleks?  Actual Daleks like the ones in the Doctor Who exhibition in Blackpool?"  He smiles fondly as his mind goes back.  "I met Elizabeth Sladen there in '76.  I do think they should have renamed the series as the Sarah Jane Adventures."  He pulls himself back from an old codger moment and says.  "That's probably something to deal with in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, it seems that Herne the Hunter was assassinated this evening just outside Saffron Walden and the Sluagh are running amok around Stumps' Cross.  Do we leave that to the police and the army, or should we get involved.  Ideas anyone?"

Listening to the night Cival had made things somehow seem less bad, though that was a short lived notion as he looked around at the table and considered options for the lot of them.  A dead deity was never a good thing, though as he considered the situation of the Sluagh he did seem rather cross about that notion.  "My understanding might not be the best when it come to the Sluagh but what stories I can recall make the interaction of them and any group of armed men come across as petrol to the fire.  Best find a way to distract, contain, or appease to get that sorted.  I wonder if we could get them lured across the barrier to distract the fae with them." He mused on trading problems to others as he looked at the other two watchers here for their input on the matter.

Alice spoke up.

"I would suggest sending the 'girls' to meet with these Slaugh, ascertain their intentions, and seek either a deal or removal.  While it could be dangerous, I'm prepared to go as well.  Goffery might prove to be a good 'bad cop' to my good cop routine, if he wants to come."

She didn't want to make Lemnin do anything he didn't want to.  As for Elissa, Alice suspected she might impress the Slaugh with her attitude and style.

"As to the god murders, that is a bit more delicate.  I think we need to know what the Council thinks..."

"As far as they'll tell me", says Sir John, "The Council's attitude both to the deicide and to the release of the Sluagh (which follows on naturally from the death of their Master) is one of shock.  I've suggested to them that Morgan Le Fey's words to Percival might contain the truth of it but they're unconvinced.

"We saw Joe walking through the place where the bubble used to be before flying off toward the Sluagh.  We can only assume that Christopher killed the Hunter.  Terrifying though the idea is, I suspect that Joe becoming leader of the Sluagh may be the least bad scenario.  If he doesn't then it's 1640 and the Sluagh are the Swedish Army."

Considers a number of things as the other two talked, looking at nothing it seemed as there was no focus of eyes on anything.  Then a hand lifted to the area where a chin might be as he was thinking. Then he finally spoke after a few minutes.

"There is a lot of unknown unknowns.  So much so that I can't think of anything that would be a good example to go from that wasn't usually followed by the fall of some group of civilization.  I think the girls are a good option, but I worry how they would react to this situation.  I think we may have to take a risk that will let us learn something that the girls that they couldn't tell us even if they wanted to."  He said the feature deficient head of the golem turned from Alice to Sir John, then between them.  "Now your slayer seems a good upright girl who will do what she can for country, queen, and crown.  Though her friend seems much the rebel, and I feel she is likely to resist simply because she feels helping might upset her aesthetic at times.  So we give them a mystery to follow."

He said focusing on Alice.  "You and I make our way to investigate the Sluagh.  But you avoid telling the slayer any details.  Be dodgy, short on information, and make it so that only if she is lacking sense would she think nothing was wrong.  Let her know that you want her to be a good slayer and stay here.  The things that will cause any teenager to balk at the situation.  She goes to her friend, they create their own ideas of what is happening.  And they follow after you to find out what is really going on.  Create their own investments to it, and get them to put work into helping with the problem instead of just being teenagers about it."

He said simply to the both of them.  "If they don't go and do nothing, we know they are good and obedient woman who will be helpful with the information we give them.  If they do make their own efforts to follow and investigate, then we see their capabilities and find where their hearts are.  Heroes or rebels."  He said letting the others digest the idea.  Something he recognized the value of only since looking back at his own life without the conflict of biology driven ego, and the abundance of nights without needing sleep to consider.

To be Continued in Stump's Cross

Alice did not say anything but silently disagreed with tricking the girls.  Trust had been hard enough to build.  When she met them, Alice would evaluate the situation.