Zodiac's Grimoire and Diary

[Zodiac]

Volume 8. Pg 139
9/18/2013 3:26 AM

Tomorrow, for me anyways, marks the true beginning of fall. Talk like a Pirate Day (arr, arr, arr) No major changes in the cosmos or anything of that nature. Just a real world sign post that things will be switching up soon. First firewood delivery in as well. I'm getting better I think. I still feel cold at times, but not as bad as before. In a way that is a good thing, but then again it is another sign I am slipping deeper into this darkness that has become my' life' now. It cannot be helped and there is nothing I can do to stop it. Just dig my heels in and make it fight to drag me along (just like I used to do when the cops would nab me for something when I was still alive)

Not a lot new going on right now. Vel asked me the other day if I ever had a feeling something bad was about to happen. Duh, I'm a gypsy. I get paid to say things like that to people who then pay me more to tell them how to avoid what's coming. Bad? I am not sure, but there is a hint of change in the air now. Everyone is too quiet. Normally I love quiet, but the problem with this kind of quiet is if you listen close enough you can hear the soft sound of plots being hatched out there. Creepy.

Business is good, thank the goddess. The Teahouse is now open at last (damn this place and their stupid permits) and at the end of day one there was a plus of 100 dollars in the till. We was dancing around like crazy people when we saw it. I told Dulce one day all three of my babies will be on page one of the business dailies to which she replied she had no doubts. A lot of hard work and effort, but that is something I have never been a stranger to.

Speaking of babies, one of my errant childers has returned. I was surprised when Karema showed up out of the blue (or is it black now?) Now she is working the Teahouse and we are finally catching up on things. It seems to be a cycle in my new existence. A couple stay close while others follow their own paths, then some leave to follow theirs while the others come back. Only Iris has been my constant. I still hope Sable would return to me and still hope Nev is alright out there in the world while I still wait for Aless and Kai to re-appear. Like a revolving door around here. If I ever had them all in one spot I think I'd either cry, throw a party or both.

Others of my extended 'family' of workers are having issues, sadly. Dominique was the first Paladin I had ever met after Morri (oh gods, that encounter was bad comedy in motion) Despite the fact, we got along pretty well. She never asked me about my stuff and I never pressed her about hers. We worked, made money-no one hurt. Now, things are changing. Her encounters with Dr Nilson are becoming more 'bloody' in nature now. I can understand this to a point. It's in her nature just like drinking blood is in mine now. It's what she was made to do. Fight vampires. And the girl works for one-go figure! Nilson certainly doesn't do anything to defuse the issues at all. In fact he encourages them, but recently he was surprised. I helped camouflage a nice hole in his head Mini managed to give him before he put her in the hospital. I did not know if I should have been angry or be saying 'Go, Mini!' at that one.

I like the girl. I truly do. Not in a hug and kiss kinda way (she is cute tho) but she reminds me of myself in wilder times of the past. I have told her, somewhere in her family history a Syzgany got into the mix. If I was alive I could see the two of us getting into all kinds of things together. I have tried to be a understanding soul, but recently when I have spoken to her I can see it in her eyes occasionally. She has to focus now on who she is talking to. Sometimes when she sees me, she sees the enemy-which breaks my heart cause I have been nothing but kind to her. I imagine one day it will be inevitable. That look will not go away and she may figure the sweet lil vampire will be an easy kill.

And I will be forced to show her the error in her logic. Sweet and little does not equal easy target. Something tells me the night this (if ever) happens, I will no longer feel the cold I try to keep at bay with firewood and other forms of heat. I may win that battle with her but I will have lost a major war in the process.

Enough of that-

Ginny is getting fatter now. There is packages in there, by golly. There is speculation on who (or what-I say what) the father is. Personally I don't want to see it. Is hard to imagine this regal ***** of a cat submitting to anything. Hell, I seen her stare down a fadebeast once. Did not budge from the spot as the mindless oaf roared and threatened her. As bad assed as that cat can be, what kind of male made her give in finally? This is her first litter so its not a regular thing. Out there is something that made the Queen purr like a ***** kitten. Personally I am scared witless.

[Zodiac]

Sept 21st. 11:30 PM

Nothing out of the ordinary was going on. It was a run of the mill night going along as always with nothing to give the gypsy girl a clue something somewhere was amiss.

After making an appearance at Pandora's and finding all was well, she popped next door to the Teahouse to check on things. Unlike her other businesses, it did not need her constant presence and supervision, but she was always a hands on type of person rather than one who simply came in long enough to check the books and move on. After chatting with her staff, she made the rounds of her customers, getting their opinions of her newest creation. She took some orders personally and went to prepare them as well when she felt it. As she was making her way to the table she had prepared the order for, it hit her.

The tray fell from her hands. Tea cups shattering as they hit the floor ahead of her own fall. She cried out an audible tangle of sound as something crossed her spirit. Clients and workers rushed to her side and began to help her to her feet. She looked disoriented, confused for a few moments as she sorted herself out. Something had happened. Something bad. Very bad. Something she had always felt connected to in some way or form had suddenly been severed from her. It was as if a part of herself had suddenly gone cold and dead.

At the urgings of others, she decided to return home for awhile. Lie down and rest. She was always pushing herself to accomplish more and more, so to some this was not surprising at all. The girl was working herself into a frazzle. After reassuring her would be rescuers she was fine, she left the teahouse and climbed into her van and made the short drive to home. A quick does of telepathy with her other shops to inform them she would not be in and to, regrettably, cancel her appointments for the evening.

***
Sept 22nd 1:45 AM

She was on her knees, naked, within the pentacle that had been made into the floor of her special garden. The single candle feebly pushing back the darkness as she concentrated. To her right where the bricks ended and the plants began, Ginny lay in a cardboard box filled with blankets. Despite her lack of energy now, the cat kept a watchful eye on her girl as she worked her mind into patterns and twists to reach beyond this life and into what was beyond. Past the Shadow Realm to another place. A place she had only glimpsed in dreams before. It was here she had felt the connection to something else on occasion. A something she could not describe in words and her glimpses of it were beyond normal.

The whisperer had grown silent now. She could not hear the voice that sometimes touched her thoughts at such odd moments in her nights. Advising, teaching, such little things that seemed to make such major differences when applied properly to her situations.

Gone now.

After an hour, she gave up. No amount of searching could find it now. It was as if a switch had been tossed and it had suddenly been turned off. Sadly, she dismissed the spirits she had asked for assistance and rose up to head to her bed. She felt drained and exhausted now. She needed to rest, despite the night only just beginning for her. A soft breeze flowed through the open window and extinguished the candle. She waited a moment till her eyes adjusted and then rose up to leave.

The smoke from the silenced candle continued to rise now, forming a thin shape in the darkness behind her.

"Angela"

She froze in her tracks. It was the Whisperer, but not like she had heard that voice before. Now it was not a buzz in the backmost depths of her hearing, but here, in the very room with her. A voice capable of great warmth and kindness, yet still held an echo of something from the coldest, most icy abyss one could even imagine. If Hell was frozen at its core as Dante claimed, then this voice sounded like it belonged in the lowermost depths of the place. She looked into the pool of smoke hanging like a wisp in the air and two points of emerald flames acting as eyes focused on her.

"Sleep now, my little friend. We have much to discuss soon," the Whisperer said softly. "Don't grovel. I am no different than you, in most ways at least. Sleep now. Tomorrow I have many things to share with you, my sweet. Such terrible things, such sweet things indeed. Sweet depths of infernal madness that can carry you to the stars themselves or to the lowest points imaginable."

She rose from her knees slowly and made a sign with her hands as her Nanna taught her to help make the unseen seen. Again, she cried out as she caught a glimpse of the form attached to those glowing green eyes. She stumbled backwards in shock. Some here had claimed the name as their own of what she saw, but this was no person with lizard eyes, but the source itself.

"Fear not, I will not harm you," the eldrich voice purred softly. "I cannot harm you. I have no power here save my voice to your mind. But there is much to teach you, so rest. Tomorrow we shall begin."

She nodded her agreement and ran from the room. As soon as she laid down, she slipped into blissful slumber. In her garden, the smoke hung about like a thing alive. The two points of emerald flame floated for a few moments before blinking out.

[Zodiac]

Volume 8. Pg 147
9/30/2013 5:59 AM

It has begin. Every so many steps I am starting to hear it.

crunchy-crunch, crunchy-crunch

Just a few now, but the beloved colors are starting to form again..

Just before the death of flowers,
And before they are buried in snow,
There comes the festive season
When Nature is all aglow....

should be a happy time. Mabon is passed and Samhain is drawing closer. Busy busy busy times ahead for me. This is the time where my people will be drawing overtime. The shops will get that busy. Ginny is a fat tick ready to pop any time now. All she does is get up occasionally to eat or drink and lay in that crate I set up for her. Poor thing. I can't get a proper feel for how many 'surprise packages' she has in there now. She's a blimp with feet now. Feeding her a bit of homemade medicine to help ease her condition. She doesn't complain, but I can tell she is flipping miserable now. (Maybe I should film this and give a copy to Vel so she can see the 'evil one' suffering?) Kitten talk already abounds. I'll keep one at least, but not sure if I can deal with multiple Ginnys.

Should be a happy time.

I heard she was around again. No message or call or note to me at all, but I see her words in the forums. I am numb to it now. Some say I should ferret them out, confront her, ask her why. I am not the one who left, and I am not the one who forgot. I am the one who sat and waited on Beltane. A year and a day. And then the next night, and the night after that.

Not a word.

Yet despite it all, she is perhaps the dearest soul I have ever met. I told her once if her happiness lay elsewhere we would still be friends. That part could never change I think. I would conduct her nuptials and dance at her wedding if she was truly happy. I still would, but again-is hard to know what to do when no one tells you.

I am not the one who walked away. They can come find me. Syzgany pride? Fuckin' A right it is.

I should be angry.

Then, from a direction I could never have expected, a proposal in earnest. I had not seen this coming. I admit, I was lonely. Seeking attentions and comfort, but damn it all, it grew past all that and went beyond simple physical pleasures. Onions. Layers they have. Begin to peel past the surface and there is more than the outside suggests. The woman is a paradox, so much stuffed into one spot. How do you separate the good from the bad in this? She can be most tender and kind, smart, clever in private. But in the outside world she is at times a public menace. A trouble magnet. She says she will protect me, but how can I even begin to try and protect her and defend some of the things she does? I can't. What happens when the two parts of me come into direct conflict with the two parts of her? How can I defend someone I might be called into sending to the SR for their actions?

How can you even possibly love someone you are trying to strike down?

All I could do is tell her I would think about it.

I should be happy.

Then there is the one who sends the violet orchids to me. Another blast from left field. Another unexpected surprise. Not my normal cup of tea, so to speak, at all. A strange one in ways. Charming, dark, a cool exterior yet a madness of sorts brewing behind those eyes. I am probably just a mindless distraction to them, but then again-who knows? The night we managed to dispatch one of those 'Rogue Vampires' within this place, I saw the look in their eyes when I demonstrated what I could actually do to another. (I am not just another pretty face) and what I saw sent a rush through me I was hard pressed to describe. I could swear for a moment they were suddenly....aroused?

I should be flattered.

I should feel. I should feel something more than sympathy for Ginny in her condition right now, but I am damned if I know what it is I should be feeling.

[Zodiac]

Volume 8. Pg 149
10/1/2013 5:45 AM

And so it begins............

I ran home just before sunrise after some business, and discovered ...........



*squeals like a fangirl*

Here they come!

[Zodiac]

Volume 8. Pg 151
10/8/2013 4:43 AM

Warning, old friend. This is a rant entry, so cover your ears and go have a nice cup of tea while Momma Zo bitches her brains out, okay?

Of all the stupid assed **** someone could do!

I have known for a long time now that Gemini Sangue is totally insane. There is no polite way to put the subject- girl has a brain unlike anything near the normal. Marty Feldman in Young Frankenstein passed hers up for Abby Normal's brain, I think. (was on the shelf above it) She KNOWS things yet does things that can land her in total **** regardless and then wants to play the 'what did I do? - all sweet and innocent' BS card.

So for Miss Psycho to help Phoenix (of all people) against Tytonadie (of all organizations) told me loud and clear the last drops of butter sauce had slipped off her noodles, fell to the bottom of her feet and oozed out, never to return. She KNOWS there is issues between them and decides to drop herself right in-between two boulders on a collision course and then cry about it.

*several lines in Romany here. All totally unflattering and downright vile to many things*

The Mindblock did not bother me. I simply went to more a secure situation to wait it out. I was surprised more than anything else. But then more un-needed drama began.

'I thought you left Ty?'

Yes, I did, but then I returned when I saw nothing else even trying to get itself organized and trying to do anything worth a spit, and what I did see was nothing more than a bad joke trying to look serious! Sad thing when it appears the Paladins are more organized than we are. But this is my situation. My existence. Do you think me so petty and cheap that I would spy on one for the other? Oh, I am sure thanks to her, a lot will be considering that now. *makes some references to Gem in Romany-none flattering*

I am getting pretty damn tired of having to explain myself for every single thing I do. It never stops! No matter which course of action I take, there is someone demanding to know why did I do that. Sometimes this life is getting like my old life. Every time we'd come to town. What are you doing there? Move along! What did you steal now? Where did you get that? Come back again and I will call the cops!

I should not have to explain myself to anyone! Not Vel, not Scorp, and certainly not the likes of Gemini. And it gets worse.

Who are you seeing now? I didn't know you liked guys. Why are you hanging with this one? Maybe the first bit has some merits because some of what I do effects more than just me, but my private life is my own damn business. Everyone worried who the hell is getting access to the inside of my panties.

Or my heart.

So what am I to do? Post a declaration publicly so everyone can have the same facts? Do a sex tape showing me in action? Spray paint my feelings on the nearest overpass? Is it ANYONE'S GOD DAMNED BUSINESS?

Do I know a man? Yes I do. Interesting and creepy one at that. Sends me nice flowers and is kind to me (which does not add up to the picture I hear painted of him by others). Am I seeing him? No. He is bound and has never asked me out. Would I accept? I am honestly not sure, but that is a plus over a solid no I guess, so that says something about him.

Then the polecat dancer. Am I the only one who has seen a glimpse of the heart this one hides under all the bravado and bs? In time such a thing could be cultivated and brought to the surface. Who she is to me when we are alone is nothing like her 'public' persona at all. On the downside, distrustful, suspicious, paranoid, demanding. Some kind of curse or something I would guess, but when you keep going over the same ground over and over it gets tiring and draining.

Jealousy is a pointless emotion. I should know this well.

And then, the one who should be asking me things. Who should be talking to me. The one who if they did act like I was property of a sort, I would smile rather than feel like I was in a box? A ghost. Hints of her here and there, but nothing. Nothing at all, save a whisper on the evening breeze beyond even my hearing...........

*more lines in Romany of pain, loss, and desires. then nothing more*

[Zodiac]

Volume 8. Pg 163
10/24/2013 4:49 AM


Week 4 of kitten heaven. The little shits are mobile now, but still easily contained. I feel so sorry for Ginny. What a monster litter to have as her first, but she seems to be coping with it all like its no big deal. I miss having her around me through the night. Normally she is my shadow as I go about my business, but lately I have felt naked at work or other things without feeling she is nearby. Still no clue who daddy cat is yet. The majority are black like her, with a couple black/dark grey tiger striped ones, so not much to go on. Two have been reserved when the giveaway begins. One of the little tigers is a bossy lil thing that seems to enjoy making life miserable for its siblings. He will be the perfect gift for CC (may the best attitude win) Periodically he tries to remove the gold ribbon I have tied carefully around his neck to mark him, as opposed to the one with the purple ribbon who seems to act like she has a stylin' fashion accessory in place. She is the spitting image of her mother and seems to have her temperament. (I call her 'Ginny Jr' now till I can think of a better name)

The other 7 (4 boys and 3 girls) will find homes elsewhere. Crazy Cat Lady I may be, but I simply don't have the time to keep track of them all. Waking up to a bunch of wee ones is fun. One night I simply put them all on the bed with me and woke up to them all snoozing next to momma or parts of me *big grins!* They make me happy-simple.

I still can't get my head straight on other matters though. Samhain is coming and I am nowhere near ready. Slowly disposing of the pumpkin madness that found its way to my store as well. Business is good. The Teahouse is growing slow but steady. Better than a fast track burn that could fizzle out easy. My other babies are holding steady now. I have been blessed in this effort. Yesterday I quietly crossed one of my final goal lines when I checked the books. I am running out of mountains to conquer now. Actually toyed with the idea of a fourth shop but not sure if I could manage it. Part of the success is having great people in place to make it all work. Three times I have been lucky. Could I do it again?

Quarterly reviews are ready to begin. Things have gotten way more complicated than when it was just me and Jennifer in the one shop. This is one of those things I simply cannot delegate off onto Jenn. She does too much as it is. Speaking of her, I have a graduation to attend next spring. Yes, the girl I met who was in the middle of working on her business major will get her BA this spring. I keep asking her when is she gonna move on and start her own projects, but she seems content working with me. A effect of the enthrallment? I hope not. That girl has been a sister to me when I was alive and afterwards. She deserves a shot at a life of her own. The only reason I enthralled her to begin with was to protect her from others like myself who might view her as a danger to the Masq.

Back to the reviews, I doubt any of mine will get low marks. The few complaints and errors I have found along the way are usually discussed calmly over a warm mug and things get better and it is how I will hold my reviews. Sit down, enjoy a cup, tell me what you see and I will tell you what I see, suggestions, ideas, raises, all good, carry on. It's a habit I took from Nanna's playbook of dealing with people and so far it works with a 99% success rate. My 1% sadly is Dominique. That girl can't help but fall into the **** even if I tied a 2X4 to her ***. I don't have these issues with the other 2 'like her' in my employ. Either they have chosen not to be all gung ho on the subject or they just a whole lot more sneaky in what they do. 'Mini of Arc' goes full tilt/balls to the wall into her thing and while part of me can respect someone for walking their talk, it's going to become more problematic as time goes on. I play a 'don't ask-don't tell' game with her. The less either of us know about the other in certain ways the better. I am sure this would piss off anyone who actually manages to put 2 and 2 together one day. Ah, Mini. Why didn't we meet when one of us still needed to breathe? My poor little paladin.

One thing about her review? She needs to find a better choice of boyfriends is all I can say. I had the displeasure of talking to the animal who says she is his 'mouse'. That confuses me. She is nothing like a mouse. Hell, I am the mouse according to most. (or as one fuckwad put it- 'Mystic Meat Suit' ) Mini, in my opinion, deserves more than a club toting, knuckle dragging, me man-you ***** type of Neanderthal idiot this guy appears to be. But, takes all kinds I guess. If she is happy, fine, but I need to remind her I have put restraining orders out on this guy as far as my businesses go. All I would need is this idiot to show up to find her one day and suddenly decide to attack one of my clients in front of my other clients (mortal or otherwise) in order to save the world. My businesses would be in ruins, the lawsuits, the attention this would draw as far as the Masq goes and I would be in the hot seat major because I was the one who hired a paladin to start with.

Joygasm!

Screw this. I gonna go play with the kittens. So much easier to deal with than all of this. So far, none of them appear to be paladins. Go Ginny!

[Zodiac]

Volume 8. Pg 167
10/28/2013 2:42 AM


Just got done with a good cry. I had gotten some roundabout mail from 'home' today. Mary-my bbf/dancing partner/and sissy in childhood wrote me. She had found this recently in some of the photos she had managed to save from Randy's RV before the tribe had gutted it after he had been.........

I remember that night we talked. I had gotten comfortable and Ginny was with me. He must have sketched this from memory. Gods, I still miss him. The rest of her letter is not very encouraging either. I had hoped to avoid this, but I guess my original plan is still on course.

I can't keep doing this. Breaking down into a emotional wreck every 5 seconds. Has this existence always been like this but I have my head in the clouds too much to notice? So many little things now.

Dominique is pregnant. She refused to believe me, of course, but I know these things. Nanna and the environment I grew up in taught me how to see the clues even the most experienced physician might not notice. Now how much preggers she is? Another story. Usually the visual clues don't start right away. She swears she has never been with a vampire (thank the Goddess for small mercies) so it has to be that loud mouthed Scotsman who has been sounding off in the forums like an ***. What a unique set of parents for a small one to have. She refuses my phone calls and ignores my telepathic messages. Poor thing. Dollars to donuts she ran out after I told her and got one of those home kits. Would have loved to see the look on her face when those positives began to appear.

As much as I like the girl, my concern is to the child now. Her lifestyle is not so normal and I doubt the so called father will be of any use (if he even admits to the deed. he strikes me as that type) A pair of Paladins in a city infested with vampires is not the ideal situation to raise a child. I have no clue if she even wants the child, but I told her I would help her if she does. Many like me would say I am a fool, but innocence has to mean something yet somewhere. The child would be guilty of nothing, but some of my fellow night breed would see it as a way to hurt them if they discovered the fact, and I will never allow such a thing to be.

I also see my admirer with the lovely violet orchids has vanished. I was not surprised and I do not mean that in a sarcastic sense. That man has issues and hopefully the answer to some of them has returned to him. I find I miss his attentions tho. Totally snubbed me at the dance at the Cimm. I could have easily shed the tail in order to dance, but.....

Oh well, between Ari and I, we had most original costume cornered.

Finally got my Halloween costume figured out.

Got some early positive responses for it. Jennifer keeps teasing me-calling me Boob-Vira. Wait till she sees the Poison Ivy costume I have for her to wear on Halloween night. Hey, maybe I can get Mini back in the 'Bat Minx' costume and have her bonk Poison Jenn on the head a few times after she captures her! That would make me laugh!

I was digging through my closet the other day and found my Undead Raggedy Ann costume and had another tear fit. Why can't I get off my high horse and just talk to her?

And still more tears. Went on the hunt the other night and added my sixth kill to my list. Then had Elizabeth in my face about the entire deal. (I swear, I adore that woman but she can be a self righteous, pompous cow sometimes) I snapped. Threw the keys at her and basically said what she could do with the whole DC concept. Bastards probably had a party now that the evil one was gone. As I said before, I am sick and tired of explaining myself and what I do to everyone. I went into the details last entry, so no need to rewrite all of that. Again, when all was done I was a tear factory.

Tears, tears, tears. Zo the Emo. Sounds about right.

[Zodiac]

October 31st

She was exhausted.

Not just physically. The last few weeks had been a blurr as time pushed her to this night. Sales and clients nightly. Spells and potions. So many lost ones wanting to know what was what and what was to come. The Great Pumpkin Giveaway was a success. A few remained (some destined for pies) and the smiles of the little ghouls as they took home their unexpected treasure along with candy gave her the last burst of energy she needed to push on.

Later-Samhain. The rites had to be observed. She would have to be on life support and lock down before she would disregard that responsibility, and even then in her mind she would be there in spirit. The veils were at their weakest now, and the spirits of the dead would come. Part of her wondered if some of her new kind that were trapped in exile managed to escape the Shadow Realm this night. Were their souls in this world the likes of Cobb and the Broussard himself would come to whisper to? A question for debate some winter's eve, but not now. Those who trusted her-living or otherwise-had joined her. The fires burned, the sacrifices were made, and the new year began.


November 1st

She stood alone as the last of the coven made its way to other things that drew them this night. The fire still active with life, but dying down now. She knelt in the remains of the circle naked. Every inch of her wanting to simply curl up and sleep which would be a death sentence if she did. Exposed like this to the morning light she would burn badly. But there was one last thing she had to do.

She opened her bag and pulled the black robe from it and covered herself. The color to symbolize her mourning, not her intentions. It covered her from head to foot as her face barely peeked out from under the edges of the hood. Zodiac took the small collection of items and laid them on the ground before recasting the circle.

A single candle was lit and sat on the ground as she unrolled bundle before her. A bit of white cloth was unfolded and she laid the seven black feathers out (Stone Cold had protested when she snatched the last needed feather). Her razor appeared in her hand as she took a lock of her own hair and added it to the pile. She lit the candle and began to shred the leaves while she chanted.

"Bring my love here,
Bring her here,
No more tears,
For all my years,"

Three times she did this, and then she took the cloth and folded it into a package and tied it shut. She laid it on the ground and began chant again.

"A murder of crows,
To where my love grows,
But a bit of my hair,
Will make them care...."

It was what some would call a childish bit of magick. One of the first spells she had ever learned as a child. Her Nanna had told her years later it was simply to begin teaching her focus and had no clue if it even worked, but the remnant of humanity she clung to the way the cartoon character held onto his blanket and his faith in a pumpkin god she worked it with her heart. Seven times she recited the rhyme before putting out the candle and finishing tending to the circle.

When she returned to her home, she went to her garden and buried the small package in a corner of her flower bed that would not be disturbed. She stripped and checked on Ginny and her new family before taking the candle and breaking it in half. She shoved them between the mattress and the box springs before flopping into bed. She shut down before her head hit the pillow.

[Zodiac]

Volume 8. Pg 181
11/6/2013 4:42 AM


...this is the way the world ends....

It had to happen, I guess.

The anti-law types finally got their wish. Busy little bees they was. Working away. Chopping at the foundation of things. It never occurred to me the Crow-thing could be attacked like that, but it was happening to the point it lost control of things finally. The system is down and the bounty list bloated and the hunt was on.

Ah oh, how some of those rabbits did run like hell.

That's always the way, I guess. No one wants to take care of their own affairs unless they are put under the spotlight and THEN they decide maybe they should clean up their acts a bit. I am not talking about the normal bounty types, but the arrogant ones who seem to think they are SO above such things or the law does not apply to them.

Run, rabbits, run.

Sad really. I watched that list cut itself in half within 10 minutes as people got busy to save their own self important asses. Fastest I ever saw Pratt move in all the time I have known of him. LOL.

Then things really went crazy.

We became the Crow's madmen. Seven dispatched to the SR, and oh did the whining begin. That's the problem with wanting the law removed from things that no one considers as they fight so hard to have it abolished. Once its gone, how can you claim it as protection? The arguments are still going now. All we are doing now is showing we are not the advanced beings most delude themselves into think we are.

...this is the way the world ends....

The shops are locked down. Who knows how high the alerts are frozen at now. Will all the chaos earlier, one would thing that things would ease up a bit, but it hasn't. Still, it makes sense. If the Crow-thing has lost control of the system, then who is monitoring what is going on and making the proper adjustments? No one obviously. It's like an IN box filling up with orders, but no one is going through them. Worse yet? The mortals are finding there way into the parts of the net Crow-thing normally kept blocked off. All the evidence the world needs to prove we do exist is out there now for anyone to read. Everyone's true face on display, and most of them are anything but a sign to the mortals we are not such bad things to deal with.

Am I afraid? Terrified. Beyond terrified. I have tried so hard to help make this place safe for those I care about. Right or wrong-I have tried. More than most have ever done. I suppose that won't matter soon. The more people (living) get wind of the people (not living) the inevitable snowball rolling down a snow covered slope effect will happen. New bees will become busy now. Working away in the daylight. Was this what it was like in Europe for my grandparents I have to wonder. One day all was normal and the next the trucks and soldiers began to arrive and then more trucks, then tanks, then railcars to take people to other places. I have beaten that analogy to death in the forums, but no one gets it. Perhaps that war was too far in the past to ring a bell with most alive today. But to those who lived it , it was a real lesson.

....not with a bang, but a whimper....

Lessons no one should have ever forgotten or else they should have been carved in stone as a warning to the future, but some say these things never even happened now. But the gates are open now and who knows what will come walking in. Gates the ones opposed to the law have forced open. I wonder if they will continue to whine when what arrives is not what they expected it to be?

Maybe I'm wrong? Oh, great goddess in the heavens, I pray I am wrong on this. We would not survive such a thing. Even faced with a united threat, we'd still be arguing like children over a sandbox while the real enemy would divide and conquer at will. We would become as one far too late to matter I think.

Monsters and madmen. How fast did the dream fall apart? I hope their happy now. And if all my innermost fears are right? I only hope to survive long enough to see the expressions on the faces of the ones who did not want the law when they find themselves standing on the gallows built by mortal men. 'But, we aren't monsters!' they will scream. I imagine it will sound a lot like it did in the concentration camps that never existed-according to the more modern, educated sorts out there.

The Nazi's didn't listen then, and I imagine the mortals will not listen today.

[Zodiac]

November 7th. 2:49 AM


"HEY!"

The gypsy stood hammering at the door with a Mooncalf Bone with every intention of breaking it down. On the ground sat a large bag filled with her normal assortments of items to trade and sell. Just another normal stop in her nightly rounds till she discovered the door locked and barred. She took the mutant bone firmly in hand like a barbaric baseball bat and swung. A small peep slot slid open as she began to beat the door again.

"God damn it, Zo! Knock it off!" A voice inside shouted.

"OPEN UP!" she demanded.

"I CAN'T!"

"WHY?"

"Look, go around to the back, okay?" the voice inside begged before the peep slot slid shut. She huffed and grabbed her bag and slipped into the alleyway. By the back door, the man was already outside waiting. She approached and sat her bag down and saw him eyeing her intently. Zodiac realized how she looked with the large bone still over her shoulder and dropped it on top of the bag and the man finally relaxed. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one, then offered her one.

"Is this anyway to treat one of your best customers?" she took the offered smoke and waited as he lit it for her. She leaned back against the opposite wall and tasted the menthol as she inhaled. "I've been coming here forever."

"If that door is damaged, you are so paying for it." he growled.

"How about I damage your head?"

"Look, it's not my fault," he began to explain. "****, I could be in trouble just talking you now."

"You are STILL on lock down?" she blinked in surprise. Two nights straight her and others like her were working to help get things back under control while others were doing what they could as well. Usually such an effort would set things right very quickly.

"Whatever your numbnuts vamp buddies did, they did it good," he shook his head. "And you are right. Usually I smile when I see you coming in, but I just can't take the chance right now."

"I see others coming and going," she snorted.

"You think I am making any money off those tight asses? Hardly. You night types are my bread and butter, but as off the hook everything is right now? If one of us gets busted, we all do, and then where will any of you get what you need?" he explained.

"Business is business. I know," the mystic admitted. "What a mess."

"You could try making friends with one of the tight asses and have then buy and sell for you," he offered.

"Then I loose my discounts!" the look on her face resembling someone who has just been asked to chop up their firstborn child.

"It's a tough world right now, kid." he shrugged. "I don't need the jail time and I got my own stuff going just like you. You either take a loss or wait till things blow over."

"I got holidays coming up. Need to restock for the rush." she pouted.

"I'm sorry, Zo. Look, go home, okay? Maybe in another day or two things will be better." the man looked about the alley nervously. "I got to get back inside."

"Thanks for the smoke," she flicked the almost spent butt into a nearby puddle.

"Be careful out there, kid." He offered her another cigarette before he slipped back into his shop and locked the door. Zodiac stood there for a few moments before slipping the cigarette behind her ear. She replaced the mooncalf bone into her bag and shouldered the bulky pack and wandered off as a string of curses in Romany danced in her thoughts as she made her way to the transit station.